Australia

Cognizant of the short amount of time we had for our tasting tour, we started with Tick Tock, a relatively new label (to us) from Robert Oatley Wines. We tasted the 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon and think this will be a pretty good wine in a couple of years. The tannins were a stiff as a board, actually they were overboard.  But in a year to 18 months this wine may soften enough to be approachable and reveal the flavors that the Tic Toc web site suggests… “bright ripe cherry, blackcurrant and leafy notes…Generous ‘forest fruits’ – ripe red berries to the fore, layered yet soft tannins and a lovely crisp, fresh finish that leaves you wanting for more.”  We’re looking forward to trying this wine again and hope that we’ll be able to taste the forest fruits through the trees.

New England

Next stop Plymouth Rock… well, not quite, but we visited with the folks from the Mayflower Winery in Plymouth MA.  While their primary focus was on non-grape fruit wines, we did find some lovely “real” wine to sample. Mayflower sources its grapes from Massachusetts, New York, and California varietals. The Mayflower Red is composed of Zinfandel (25%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (75%) juice. We found it to be light, fruit-forward, and serious—not what we expected from the makers of Cranberry Blush, blueberry, and apple “wines.”  At 12½ percent alcohol, it was actually pretty refreshing. VinoDuo loves to patronize small local wineries, and Mayflower’s Red is as local as it comes.  It retails for @ $12 and may just be an excellent stand-in for your favorite Montepulciano D’Abruzzo pizza/burger wine.

Next stop on the New England wine tour was Sharpe Hill. We first visited the Sharpe Hill winery in Pomfret, CT a few years ago and had mixed feelings about their wines. In fact, our write-up of our visit got a number of “boos” from readers, who thought we shouldn’t apply the same critical standards to local wineries as we do the big boys. We disagree.

During our on-site tasting, Sharpe Hill’s standout was the rightly popular Ballet of Angels, a wine that’s made entirely from Vignoles grapes.  At the 2011 Boston Wine Expo we tried Sharpe again and were impressed with the 2008 Cabernet Franc. Delicious on the palate, balancing excellent tannin structure, strawberry and blueberry notes with a smooth finish.  At @ $19 it’s a bit pricey, but if you love Cabernet Franc and you’re a locavore committed to supporting New England wineries, this could be on your shopping list. 

Spain

As always we perused the “collector” tables scattered throughout the Boston Wine Expo. These tables—grouped with individual wineries that either cannot afford booths of their own or are marketed as fine examples of wines of the region—included offerings from Spain, Portugal, France, Australia and New Zealand. One Spanish wine really stood out. The 2004 Marqués de Peñamonte Crianza from Bodegas Riojanas is 100% Tempranillo, with a dark crimson appearance and aromas of oak and vanilla.  On the palate this supple wine featured black cherry and a long memorable finish.  At $18 - $20 it’s a relative bargain and we’ll be on the lookout for it in our favorite wine shops.

Portugal

For our Port loving readers, we did not forget you! Both the 1995 Vista Alegre Colheita (@ $40) and the 20 Year old Tawny Port (@$58) from Vallegre are amazing bargains.  Gary said “Gimme a cigar!” Of course, he doesn’t smoke cigars, but it seemed an appropriate request at the time. Both Ports provided terrific mouth-feel and long memorable finishes. Outstanding!

Staying with the Portugal theme, we tasted the 2006 Alem Red from conglomerate Enoforum, a blend of Syrah and Touriga National.  This wine straddles the old and new world flavor profiles, with complexity, fruit, and a fine, long finish.  At $17 it’s a terrific bargain and once again proves that one doesn’t need to spend $30 to enjoy a great bottle of wine. On a whim we tasted the 2008 Montaria Vinho Regional Alentejano Reserva; after all, how good could a $10 bottle really be? Well, we were impressed with this wine from the Alentejano region of south central part of Portugal. The Reserva, comprised of the indigenous grapes Trincadeira, Alicante Boushet, and Aregonez, has deep black fruit notes on the palate with nice intermediate spicy oaked mineral finish.  We think that this needs to be laid down for 6 months to a year to achieve its full potential.

On our way out of Portugal we tried Teseo Primitivo di Manduria DOC 2007, which featured bright, delicious fruit with vanilla/tobacco notes.  Most Primitivo wines offer some level of funkiness; mushroom-earthy is a typical description. But not here; this is a delicious wine with vanilla/tobacco aromas on the nose and red, ripe fruit on the palate with a satisfying finish. Another example of a wine that proves you can have it all; a fair price at $10 and a great everyday wine.

Italy

Before we left the show and made way for the soon-to-invade crowds, we stopped at the Puglia region—the boot—of Italy. The Pichierri Tradizione Del Nonno Primitivo Di Manduria 2007 ($24), was a great way to close out the 2011 Boston Wine Expo.  The Primitivo was simply the best of this varietal—a kin to Zinfandel—we’ve tasted.  If you love the black fruit and spiciness of Zinfandel (with 16% alcohol!) and are looking for a bit more complexity to match with more foods, this is your wine.  Just starting to get distribution into New England…let’s all go to Puglia and taste the wine at the source!