Torlesse Tasting

I went to a wine tasting tonight of Torlesse wines.  I've been to the winery in Waipara a few times, patted the dog, and tasted good wine.  Tonight was no exception, the difference is they came to Christchurch (without the dog!).

We had a tasting of 7 wines (both Torlesse and Omihi Road labels) as well as the Torlesse Tawny Port and their famous Cassis.  Unfortunately I was the sober driver, so I did a fair bit of emptying into the spittoon.  There wasn't a dud wine in the lot, although I'd have to say the least favourite, surprisingly as I like my Chardonnays, was the Omihi Road 2008 Chardonnay.  Although my friend said if I'd been able to have a little bit more, it was one of those wines that 'grows on you'.

Pick of the night for me tonight was my purchase - the Omihi Road 2009 Pinot Gris.  It was just lovely.  I'm not a big Sav girl, but their Torlesse 2012 Sauvignon Blanc is very drinkable and so reasonably priced.  It's a good wine for a summery evening drink.

When it came to the reds my pick was the 2010 Cabernet Merlot.

Then out came the Port... wow.  This is beautiful, and as good as any international one you can purchase.  It is also very affordable.

Finally, we finished with the Cassis, which is so versatile -  you can make cocktails, desserts, hot toddy's... (packed full of Vitamin C!).  Ribena for adults?? No way, this is so delicious you could cry!

All in all a great night, with informative and entertaining discourse, discussions ranged from the oak barrels and the "Angel's Share" (often referred to with whisky) through to talking about the Waipara area.

Oh, and a plug for the Waipara Wine & Food Festival 24th March - if you're in Canterbury that weekend, it could well be worth a visit.  I know I'm a local, but Waipara is well known for it's rieslings, and more... Plenty of world class wine being made here.