Wine at Vinopolis

I’m someone who very much enjoys his wine and is intrigued by its evolution. From Anjou to Zinfandel, there is always something that will intrigue or excite me about new developments in the wine world. Wine is becoming more and more popular as a social drink within this country and while there is some divide of opinion about the worthiness of supermarkets in making wine more accessible, it is certainly staking much more of a claim in our drinking habits.

The increasing popularity over here is matched by the evolution of wine that is being made overseas. More and more countries are starting to produce wine and while there are some shocking wines out there, it’s time to look beyond countries like France, Italy, South Africa and California. It’s no longer enough to think that drinking Chilean wine is to be at the cutting edge. To see what new lands are giving in to bacchanalian delights, I headed along to Vinopolis to take part in their weekly wine tour.

After a brief introduction to what was on offer, a group of us were let loose in amongst the various stalls that grouped wines under different regions. There was also a table offering premium wines from some of the best vineyards around the world.

However, I wasn’t particularly interested in what I already knew and headed in onto the Americas room. I was keen to find out more about the new developments in South America with countries such as Brazil and Uruguay beginning to show some kind of promise. It makes sense given that Uruguay and southern Brazil are at the same latitude as northern Argentina, a region that is famed for its excellent Malbecs.

I started with a Uruguayan Marsalan, which is a relatively new grape variety, a cross between Grenache and Cabernet Sauvignon. The result was not as full-bodied as I had been expecting with an almost silky feel to the wine.

I was then introduced to a Slovenian red. I was told that the Slovenians normally drink this as a table wine, slightly watered down. It had an intensely deep cherry flavour but was extremely scraggy in terms of its quality.

I retreated to a New Zealand Riesling, trying to acquire some sense of orthodoxy. Its nose was certainly interesting with a note of petrol coming to the fore. It was composed and well-rounded, and was a good example of a spätlese.

A very mediocre Greek wine followed before I finished the evening off with a glass of Lebanese red. Coming from the celebrated vineyard of Clos de Cena, it was full-bodied with notes of gooseberries and oranges.

The evening was not entirely successful in picking out some new exciting wines to explore at greater length but Vinopolis does offer the chance to make well-educated errors and to broaden one’s horizons.

Vinopolis
1 Bank End
Borough
SE1 9BU

Tel: 020 7940 3000