OK so its been a while since my last blog post, so I thought I better get on with one………
2017 was a special year for me and my then fiancée and now wife. It was our wedding year! Due to this special occasion we had the opportunity to pick wine to go with the canopies and wedding meal (a tough task I know but someone must do it……)
My wife is from Cambridge and we were lucky enough to get married in the area. As a result, we visited Cambridge Wine Merchants to have a look (and of course taste) some potential bottles. I had not visited any of their shops before, but my partners family had used them previously for another family wedding. Their recommendations were great so round two was on the cards.
Cambridge Wine Merchants are one of the biggest independent wine merchants in the UK and have six shops to choose from. We visited the Cherry Hinton Road, branch in Cambridge. Their website states all the awards they have won over the years and I’m not surprised, go check it out.
As a lover of all things Italian and spending most of our holidays in Italy the thinking was obvious. A prosecco, along with a white and a red from the land of pizza and pasta. This almost went to plan…..
After browsing the shelves, we talked to their wine expert. We explained the food (menu below) what we were looking for and he gave us his recommendations.
We tried the fizz that night (it would be rude to wait 😉) but saved the white and the red for the next day when we were sampling the food. Here is what we ended up with!
The Fizz
As stated above, I wanted Prosecco. It ticked most of the boxes. Its easy to drink, refreshing and nearly everyone likes it…. But the bottles we sampled didn’t seem special enough to match the occasion. So instead we went with the English sparkling wine Nyetimber and their Classic Cuvee!
To say this was popular would be an understatement… the guests loved it. It went down brilliantly with the canapes and by itself. So much so in fact that they drank us dry! We had cases and cases of the stuff!
I think for most people it was the first time they had tried English Sparkling Wine, somehow after this I don’t think it will be their last. Just goes to show that the English can make stunning wine. This is now my favorite fizz.
Hopefully we have done our bit to encourage English wine to our friends and family.
The White Wine
Next up is the white, and this one is from Italy although not the mainland. Sicily is the homeland of this particular wine. Made by Mandrarossa Wines this fiano was another hit with the guests. Light and refreshing it was ideal for the occasion.
The Red
As with the white we ended up with and Italian selection. Gran Passione Rosso, a brilliant blend from the Veneto Region in north east Italy. Made from Merlot & Corvina grape varieties. Its made using the “Apassimento” technique like Amarone another famous wine from this area of Italy. The grapes are dried prior to crushing.
It’s quite a full bodied wine and to me it tasted of dark fruits and is very smooth, you should definitely give try it.
I think all the guests enjoyed the wine (they drank enough of it!) and that Cambridge Wine Merchants gave us superb recommendations. It all went towards making it a very special occasion.
P.s. The local beer, cider and lager were also great and went down a storm.
About the Grape 