Whenever someone asks my opinion about a wine, two things tend to happen. Firstly, my expression suddenly resembles that of a character in a sci-fi film who's had their mind erased, and then a string of meaningless adjectives start dribbling out of my mouth.
Eager to minimise future blunders, I go along to check out a hands-on tour and tasting at West Brompton's London Cru, London's only urban winery. With a group of around 20 sitting among the winery's gleaming silver tanks, winemaker Gavin Monery explains a bit about his operation and how he does what he does. The best way to demystify all those wine words, he says, is to crack open some bottles and get tasting. I like the cut of Gavin's jib.
I'm presented with four glasses of identical red, plus three droppers with concentrated acidity, tannin and sweetness. Leaving one glass as a 'control', I concoct a trio of unbalanced (but not unpleasant) wines, returning to sip from the control glass after each tasting to appreciate the difference.
After a hearty lunch across the road at the ivy-covered Atlas pub, the second half of the day is about using my newly established expertise to create my own bottle of blended wine. From a selection of three reds - a ballsy cabernet sauvignon, a subtle merlot and a floral petit verdot - I experiment with various ratios of each, which result in noticeably different flavours.
With his last tip of the day, Gavin explains that blending wine brings it into contact with oxygen, so my personal blend is best enjoyed as soon as possible. Thankfully, west London isn't short on parks. David Clack
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