Island Life Magazine Ltd February/March 2008 | Page 97

FOOD & DRINK

life

the wine cellar
Matt Rogers from Eurovines letting you know what’s worth
looking out for when drinking in or eating out on the Island.

Being in the difficult position of working for a wine importer
can be a hard slog, you know. One of the major problems
is the endless samples that must be tasted, which of
course leads to the other problem of deciding who is
going to have to take it home and finish it. I know, I know,
it’s a tough job, but somebody has to do it. On the plus
side it does enable me to recommend some wines for
you, the excessive sampling of which allows me to be
unashamedly effusive (word of the day – look it up!)...

This issue I have decided to present a mixed bag

of wines from around the globe - two red and two
white. They may be above or below your average
spend on a bottle of wine, but rest assured they all
offer exceptional value for money, or ‘bang for buck’
as our trans-Atlantic cousins like to say! My personal
favourite at the moment is the Soave, but remember
the golden rule of wine tasting – ‘the best wine is the
wine you enjoy’! Right then, where’s that cork screw?
In the next issue I will be scouring the island for some
great tasting wines from various local suppliers.

2007 SAUVIGNON BLANC
PRODUCER:CROWDED HOUSE
ORIGIN: MARLBOROUGH,
NEW ZEALAND
ABV: 13%
PRICE: £8.75
FROM: EUROVINES
TEL: [phone]

2006 SOAVE
PRODUCER:TAMELLINI
ORIGIN: VENETO ITALY
ABV: 12.5%
PRICE: £8.95
FROM: EUROVINES
TEL: [phone]

There’s a lot of wine for the money
here - a pure, vivid wine with fresh,
crisp gooseberry, kiwi and passion-fruit
flavours. A real contender in a very
competitive region, just ignore the
suspect name (unless you’re a fan of
the band)! Wonderful with seafood,
risotto or char grilled asparagus.

This is how Soave should be – aromas
of almonds with a lovely citrus attack,
followed by a long creamy finish. It
would be a great ma F6