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Sunday, February 17, 2008

OurGlass Grand Tasting: A Review

OurGlass Wine Co. held a Winter Grand Tasting yesterday with over 50 wines and some beers as well. They showcased some of their best wines of 2007. I led a group of 35+ members of the North Shore Winers to this tasting. It was certainly a popular event and there were plenty of good value wines present.

One of the most popular items was actually not even a wine. It was St. Germain ($36), a liquer made from elderflowers that are handpicked in the French Alps. Each bottle is individually numbered, including the vintage year. I think the store sold out of all their St. Germain. You can drink this liquer straight or mix it in a cocktail.

I first tasted it straight. It had a clean taste, with exotic fruit flavors that were too elusive to pinpoint. It was both familiar and unique. It is sweet but not cloyingly so. An intriguing and very good flavor. It would be a nice drink with dessert. I also had the St. Germain cocktail, which was made with St. Germain, Sparkling Wine and Soda Water. They used an Italian Prosecco but any Sparkling Wine would do, from Champagne to a Cava. The sweetness largely vanished. It became a mild, refreshing drink with citrus notes as well as some more exotic fruits. Definitely would be an excellent summer drink. You can find even more cocktail recipes on their website.

I was also impressed with the 2006 Domaine Jean Bousquet Malbec ($11.99) from Tupugunto Valley in the Mendoza region of Argentina. Jean Bousquet is a Frenchman who moved to Argentina where he decided to start his own winery. His wines are organic. This Malbec is grown at an altitude of about 1200 meters and has an alcohol content of 13.8%.

This was a dark colored wine that bursted with flavor, lots of spice and dark berries. It is certainly a more muscular wine, an inexpensive powerhouse yet with intriguing complexity for a wine of this price point. It had a decently long finish and certainly made itself noticed. An excellent value wine and one I definitely recommend.

Another standout wine was actually a mistake. Adonna Imports was supposed to present the 2005 Mandino Cane Dolceacqua "Arcagna" ($25.99) but a case of the "Vigneto Morghe" was sent instead. The Vigneto Morghe is a higher quality wine. This wine comes from the Rossese di Dolceacqua DOC in Liguria. The winemaker, Mandino Cane, is in his 70s and his vineyards are located on a mountain. The wine is all organic and is made from the Rossese grape which generally makes savory, woodsy red wines. It has an alcohol content of 13.5%. The Superiore must be aged for at least one year.

This was a very light colored wine and had very subtle tastes of cherry, strawberry and raspberry. There was a hint of spice as well, blended well with the fruit flavors. There was even a floral hint too. It was certainly smooth and easy drinking but benefited from pondering over its intriguing complexity. An Old World style wine that would pair well with food, though nothing too overpowering as it is a more delicate red wine. I made sure to buy a few bottles and would recommend you buy some too if you can find it.

Overall, this was another excellent tasting at OurGlass. You definitely should attend their next Grand Tasting as well as drop by anytime to check out their wines.

OurGlass Wine Co.
124 Broadway (Rt.1 N)
Saugus, MA
Phone: 781-941-8068

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