While scanning the World Cup groups in order to plan our daytime drinking over the next month, Gut Check noticed that most of the great wine-producing nations are represented in the tournament field, including all of those with a reputation for crafting good, value-priced wines. Because Gut Check never saw a value we didn't like, we resolved to stage our own tournament to determine the 2010 World Goblet Champion.
Can we find a decent German wine for $12 or less? Will we see another high-quality surprise from Australia, or will this one be another in the long line of boring, over-fruity, over-ripe "values" from Down Under? There's only one way to find out!
To view all 2010 World Goblet matches to date, click here...
Next: Pour reception!
2008 Shoo Fly Buzz Cut Adelaide Australia ($10) Very pale gold. Big rich scents of pineapple, hazelnut and flowers. Despite having spent its fermenting days in stainless steel, there's the impression of oak. If wines really did have noses, this one would be a W.C. Fields. The low-hanging fruit carries through to the flavor, and there's barely enough tartness to keep it from tipping into blowsiness.
A blend of riesling (?!?), viognier, verdelho, chardonnay and sauvignon blanc. Hard to say what food this wine might pair with, but it certainly isn't very enjoyable on its own.
2008 Jakob Demmer Kabinett Rheinhessen ($10.50) Straw. An initial whiff of sulfur blows off quickly to reveal floral notes backed by a touch of peachy fruit, beeswax and a hint of vinyl. Mmm. It has decent fruit flavors, but the acid and sugar are out of sync, which somehow leaves the overall impression a bit watery. As a bonus, it finishes a bit bitter.
Better, certainly, than the last German contestant, but still not going to do much to restore national pride.
Result: Draw
Two oddballs here. The Aussie gives overwhelming impressions of oak despite having seen none. Combined with high alcohol and overbearing fruit, it's not one to recommend. The German entrant is simply too far below what that nation's wines can offer for only a few dollars over our $12 limit. A draw seems the only fair result.
Group C Standings:
|
Country |
W |
L |
T |
Pts |
|
Australia |
1 |
0 |
1 |
4 |
|
United States |
1 |
0 |
1 |
4 |
|
Chile |
0 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
Germany |
0 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
