A full house of 12 Bearbrass wine tasters took a trip around the world at the most recent meeting, tasting tipples from Italy, Spain, Chile and the USA. Interestingly, all six wines tasted were very approachable even though views varied as to the wine of the night. The Kendall-Jackson Grand Reserve chardonnay from Santa Barbara County in California edged out the Miius 2021 Godello from DOP Monterrei (Galicia, Spain) as the preferred white wine. On the reds, the 2021 Chianti Classico was seen as a drink any time wine while the two Rioja Reservas (Marques de Riscal and Marques de Murrieta, both 2019) were more robust and better accompanied with food. The outlier of the night was the Casillero del Diablo Reserva Privada Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 from DO Valle de Maipo, Chile which was a totally different style. Considering price only, the Chilean red took the prize for the value for money at a shade under $27 per bottle. Tasters retired to the Wayside Inn for a tasty meal.
Assessment overall – an excellent and fun evening!