THE group enjoyed a delightful annual dinner at Grafton Manor in March.

For the April meeting, Peter Hofheinz, from Morganrot Ltd, gave a presentation on wines from Chile and Argentina.

The wine growing areas are only 250 miles apart but are separated by the Andes mountain range.

The high, dry altitude is conducive to enable the vines to be free from diseases.

Soils are poor, especially in Argentina, and this makes the vines struggle. Altitude concentrates flavour and gives an intensity not found in wines produced at lower altitudes.

The climate and soil allow optimum development of the grapes to yield ultimately better wines.

Members sampled three whites, a Torrontes, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay; a Malbec rose (quite dark and intense), and two reds: a Carmenere and a Malbec.

Carmenere grapes are late ripeners, producing a more pungent style of grape.

They were killed by phylloxera virus in France, where dampness can be a problem.

This does not occur in South America.

A tip when sniffing the bouquet of a wine, to obtain a better nose, place a hand over the top of the glass and swirl the contents before tasting.

There should be a noticeable improvement.

Peter said that nowadays, new wines are sold “ready to drink”, designed to be drunk as bought and to be consumed within a year. Older style wines have more tannin and benefit from ageing.