Xmas tastings with Ed

I will be off to both Florida and France in March. And will bring some wines purchased in Boulogne to review soon. This month back on to some UK purchased wines. One by me (the Cahors Malbec), and two purchased by my friend Ed. I popped over to visit him in Redditch between Xmas and New Year. reviews of all three.

Cahors Malbec

• Cahors Malbec
• Around £7 from Asda
• 13.5%

Aroma: Deep rich oaky, but maybe a bit overpowering

Taste: A deep rich oaky taste too, pleasant spiciness but not as good as the Morrisons.

Me

Aroma: Pungent, will lighten over time, can feel it lifting.

Taste: Fruity tangy, slightly lighter than others, nicer and warms one quicker, however, tannins too dry, almost souring.

Ed

USA Malbec

• USA Malbec
• Around £5 from Lidl

Aroma: Smoother and lighter than the French one, and less overpowering

Taste: As with Ed smoother, but still a bit dry.

Me

Aroma: Fruity

Taste: Smooth, and fruity, easy on the stomach (important)

Ed

USA Zinfandel

• Zinfandel
• Around £5 from Lidl
• 13.5%

Aroma: Nice and lighter than both Malbecs.

Taste: A spiciness to it, but also a slight sourness. Lighter berry flavours and softer, more pleasant compared to the Malbecs.

Me

Aroma: Smoky (but smoking), fruity, not overpowering

Taste: My favourite of the three. Way better, nice balance, light fruit, not too sweet or strong/overpowering, very gentle.

Ed

Conclusions

All wines are different, even if the same grape and from the same region. I have had a Cahors Malbec before (a very good one from Morrisons, read review here) but this one was a bit disappointing. (Ed didn’t like it all).

Malbecs can be quite a strong, heavy, and full-bodied wines. I find that when these fuller bodied wines are good, they can be very good, especially with a steak or strong meat dish, but when they are not good, they can be overpowering and a bit sour. This was definitely the case with this French Malbec. A safer bet is often to go with a softer wine such as the Pinot Noir

One wine that I have not tried much before is Zinfandel. This too was labelled as ‘soft and fruity’ despite having the same alcohol percentage as the Cahors Malbec. Both Ed and I had this one as our favourite out of the three. I will do research into Zinfandel wines and post more soon, stay tuned.

A little message tip from Ed, he sometimes warms the wine up a bit on the radiator for 20 minutes before opening. I too during winter, if I have a red wine in the cellar (I mainly drink reds in winter) also try to take it upstairs to warm up before opening. Sometimes even the day before (no heating in my wine cellar, it is cold down there).