Sula Chenin Blanc 2021

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 I often make myself the question on how would it be if I would now start drinking wine. Which wine would I choose first?  Would it taste any good? Would I ruin my whole experience by having an erroneous choice of a first wine?

Being a Portuguese, the first choice would definitely go to a Portuguese wine, which is what had eventually happened with me. This was due to numerous reasons, being the main one the different taxing of Portuguese and foreign wines (13% vs 23%).  As I have moved to Germany I had the opportunity to get in touch with an international wine market and open my horizons to new kinds of wine. 

The last one that has impressed me was this Chenin Blanc from India in what seems to be a most unlikely country to produce wine. Still, I found it quite refreshing a fairly good match for an evening at a local Indian restaurant where I have dived my senses in different kinds of pakoras and some extremely tasty samosas. 

With predominant green notes and citrus with a soft hint of honey, it was quite a refreshing surprise from a winery which has committed itself with strict environmental goals in what results in a tremendously interesting story that I recommend reading here.

Still, I may have missed some body and a longer finish, even though I am conscious that this may have been conditioned by the rather spicy food I had with it.

This was also a tremendously interesting experience as I have been trying to find wines which can pair my personal passion for Goan food and I think this may be a perfect match for a lighter spicy Balchao. 

I will definitely try to acquire a couple more bottles and test it with friends some time soon. 

I know this may be a wild shot, but while finishing the bottle, I came across the poetry of Gabriel Ferrater through a deeply interesting article in El País and I could not avoid sharing this powerful Yes, I can 

Even though a Spanish translation was offered, I find the Catalan version infinitely more powerful.

Let Spring come to you and enjoy life!

Si puc

Alguna cosa ha entrat

dins algun vers que sé

que podré escriure, i no

sé quan, ni com, ni què

s’avindra a dir. Si puc

te’l duré cap a tu.

Que digui els teus cabells

o l’escalta del sol

que et vibra en aquesta ungla.

Però potser no sempre

tindré del tot present

el que ara veig en tu

He sentit el so fosc

d’una cosa que em cau

dins algun pou. Quand suri,

he de saber conèixer

que ve d’aquest moment?



15,5/20
Country: India
Region: Maharashta
Grapes: Chenin Blanc
12,5%
Winemaker: n/a
Website: https://www.sulavineyards.com/sula-classics.php

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