An Aroma Redolent of Gooseberries....

Posted by Andrew Barrow, 9:48am 18/06/2007. Leave a comment

I read an interview some weeks ago where a wine aficionado, a celebrity of some description who I have since forgotten, lambasted the 'fruit filled tasting note'; specifically the use of gooseberries in wine descriptions.

"What does a bloody gooseberry taste like and when was the last time anyone actually ate one?", was his conclusion.

Well, here you go chap - a picture of some gooseberries, grown and brought locally.

The 'flavour' of gooseberries appear to me quite often, most usually in Sauvignon Blanc based wines from New Zealand and the Loire. Not all though - many Sauvignon's lean more towards green peppers, asparagus or cut grass aroma/flavours while some are more passion fruit or tropical fruit heavy.

Note that the use of 'gooseberries' often refers to a combination of 'green' and 'fruity' and verges on the sweet gooseberry pie end rather than tart and sharp (although this can be found too). For me, and wine tasting is subjective after all, many New Zealand Sauvignon's are so distinctively 'gooseberryish' that they are one of the easiest of white wines to detect.

The best way to discover the differing flavour profiles is to taste the wines themselves. I've put together a Sauvignon Trio Case (£24.99) of three different wines just for this exercise. (Brampton Sauvignon from South Africa, Chateau Reynon Bordeaux and Tinpot Hut, New Zealand).

  Leave a comment

Name (required)	Q. What is the name on the label? (4 letters) A. (required) We ask these security questions to stop comment spam. Sorry for the inconvenience.
E-mail (will not be published) (required)
Website (optional)
Your message:
Left Remember you next time?

House rules - No advertising / spamming, or profanity. All comments are moderated and will not appear immediately.