An evening wine tasting at Forest Wine

Last week I organised a lovely tasting evening for friends at local shop, Forest Wine.

I had been in touch with the owner Jana, and between us (and her staff) we came up with 3 whites and 3 reds that I thought my friends would enjoy. I also hoped it would challenge them a little in terms of what they normally drink and like (rather like I have been doing over the past year).

We arrived at 7.30pm to be greeted by a large table in the shop with a plethora of cheeses, meats, bread, grapes, olives and radishes (the least popular of the snacks!)

The wine specialises in organic and bio-dynamic wines from around the world, and we got stuck in with a Chardonnay from Fruili in Italy. Lots of stone fruit with some tropical tones and some minerality and great with mountain cheeses apparently.

We then went for a dry German Riesling from the Rheingau. A lovely drop, that some of my friends purchased because they enjoyed it so much. Again stone fruit, citrus and minerality but with a longer finish than the Chardonnay.

Then we tried a French Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire Valley. This was my favourite of the whites and I bought a bottle. High acidity with strong citrus notes. A great drop for the summer.

For the reds, our first was from the Dao region, Dao Tinto. Smooth and juicy with ripe red and some black fruits, and with a wallop from the Touriga Nacional (one of my fave new grapes as you know). This is apparently good with smoked meats (I don't eat them).

We then tried Le Pech Abuse. The nose! My friend likened it to silage, but the taste was fab! A blend of Merlot, Cab Franc and Cab Sauv a real keeper to have with a stew when the nights draw in again. I got a bottle of  this too.

The last wine of the evening was a Cotes du Rhone. Again very drinkable, mainly Grenache with some Syrah and a dark ruby colour with hints of olive on the nose and palate.

It was a lovely evening and the staff were really knowledgeable. It was great to try out some different wines in a friendly fun environment.

It was so much fun, I'm planning on organising another evening in October.

For more information on the shop (who deliver in E17) go to: https://www.forestwines.com/