Well it has taken me an awful long time to get around to this but finally I can rave about a tasting I went to in December 2010 with Michael McNamara at the Prince Wine Store in Bank St, South Melbourne. All the wines are available there. After the free oyster and French Chablis tasting in the store, you could pay $35 and go into the Pod to try Italian goodies! You’d be silly not to, right?
Apparently only six other older gentlemen agreed with my logic.
- One lady…many men
It was a great small group though and I got talking with them all, especially dear Austin who has since visited me at work and who has such a fervent passion for wine it’s hard not to like him! OK so on tasting there were six wines, but on arrival Michael informed us two of the wines from a certain distributor did not show up in time so he will have to replace them with the Speri Amarone and Felsina Fontalloro.
“Wow…such…horrible…wines…how…could…you…do…this…to…us?”
(sense the sarcasm people?)
We drank:
2008 Zuani Bianco, Friuli $46 – fresh, limey nose, full palate flavour, great texture, finishes crisp, no oak contact, chewy backbone. No wishy washy whites here.
2008 Pieropan Soave Calvarino, Veneto $49- hidden oyster tone, pear, preserved lemon, nougat-y middle-palate. 12.5% v/v. Loooong finish, but remains light bodied and has these beautiful, integrated developed characters that make you ask Michael, “Please sir, can I have some more?”
2008 Jermann Vintage Tunina, Friuli $120, co-fermented Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Malvasia, Picolit and Ribolla Gialla, deep golden hue, generous, no oak, but I don’t think you’d think that immediately, a bit hotter than the last two, so flavoursome, 13% v/v, stone fruit flavours and a gorgeous fresh blossom finish.
2006 Felsina Fontalloro, Toscana $125 – dark burgundy hue with a clear rim, licorice, smoke, savoury, a
little filthy, a slight hint of mint on the nose too. Mid-bodied, finishes with those classic secondary flavours, firm chalky
tannins.
2007 Marchese Alfieri ‘Alfiera’ Barbera d’Asti, Piemonte $70 – tomatoey, jooby with a rich nose, deeper colour than the Chianti with a crimson rim, low tannin, high acid, plum and red berry goodness with an earthy edge.;
2006 Speri Amarone Monte Sant’Urbano, Veneto $135 – has that Cabernet-like dense colour, super rich chocolate and intense coffee bean nose. Hot on the palate but balanced with mouth-coating flavours and a hint of sweetness to the fruit.
All the wines were gorgeous but it was the Jermann blend, the Barbera and the Amarone which blew our small, but
intimate group away and left us with happy memories of our time at the Prince.
La Donna del Vino 
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