Join the club - Tidbits of Wine52

Rather than focussing on a specific case, I thought I’d mention some favourites from cases that Wine52 have offered over the last few months. From classic regions such as the Rhone to Portugal’s Alentejo and Hungary’s Balaton, the cases have been exciting and adventurous.

Altopuma Pinot Grigio

Hailing from Chile’s Rapel Valley, home to the Cachapoal and Colchagua rivers, it’s a region with many meso-climates due to the nature of the hills and mountains. I’d say this Pinot Grigio displays evidence of coming from the warmer part of the region due to the ripe fruit character not dissimilar to the usual Italian versions on the market.

The nose initially gave this impression, although the fruits actually had more of a punch to them unlike the mass market Italian versions that are borderline neutral in flavour and aroma. The punch was alive with lemon meringue, yellow plum, apricot, peach, lime zest, an acacia-esque floral character and lots of honey.

On the palate honey was the overriding tone, partially helped by the off-dry sugar levels but kept well in balance by good levels of acidity. It was remarkably easy drinking and suited the Summer months just fine. In addition to the aromas, the flavours on the palate showed orange pith and lemon zest. The sweet note from the sugar mingled with the honey gave a presence reminiscent of the marmalade you might find in Sauternes. Not quite the same intensity of course, but a vague impression was certainly there to me.

Alkanie

This is a Moldovan speciality, from the grape Feteasca Neagra. It’s a dark-skinned grape, which translates as black maiden, that tends to be smoky and spiced.

The aroma was immediately telling that this is a heavy hitter in the wine world. Liquorice, leather, chocolate, coffee bean, some charred wood intermingled with wood smoke – these all led to one heavy wine. Penetrating these misty depths were blackberry, black-plum and blackcurrant helping cut through and giving the wine a fruity lift.

To taste, the fruit came out much more clearly giving a brighter impression and developed on to the red side of the fruit spectrum. Cherry and raspberry in particular lightened the heavier elements. Nonetheless, these remained through fine grained tannin which melded into cocoa powder and gave a grippy element. The smoky oak influence was still there but more gently integrated on the palate than the nose. The alcohol also sat very smoothly with a gentle warming sensation. Finally, the wine’s finish provided a herbaceous backbone rounding it out with some nice complexity.

So, definitely a change of pace between the red and the white from easy drinking Pinot Grigio to a mighty Moldovan red, but that’s what you can expect with Wine52. A range of wines from the world over at a range of tastes and styles. I’d highly recommend taking advantage of our voucher and claiming a FREE case for yourself to get just a taste of this. And who knows, maybe you’ll keep this wine journey up!