Winephabet Street Season 2 U is for Ugni Blanc

Uncork Your Mind

Welcome to Winephabet Street Season 2 Episode 21- U is for Ugni Blanc

Winephabet Street is a monthly series where Lori Budd of Draceana Wines and I work our way through the alphabet exploring wine and wine regions one letter at a time. The show is live on the third Monday at 8pm and is free, but you must register to attend. Put it on your calendar, pour yourself a glass of wine and hang out with us.

In this episode, we are discussing Ugni Blanc. Not a grape you hear about a lot, but it is the most widely planted grape in France. If you are a Cognac or Armagnac Brandy lover it is the Ugni Blanc grape used to produce them.

We were very fortunate to have Hine Madison De Cognac sponsor this episode. Joining us from France was Eric Forget, Cellmaster and Etienne Bardoulat, Vineyard Manager from Hine and they shared their Hine Rare VSOP and Hine 2010 with us.

This is a fantastic episode full of information about the region and Cognac. Please watch the webinar or listen to the podcast, it’s an amazing one. I had to leave shortly into the episode due to a family commitment. I apologize.

I will be upfront, I don’t drink Cognac but I did taste these two and was very impressed. Here are my notes.

Hine Rare VSOP - Aromas of orange holiday potpourri escape the glass with a plate is smooth with a touch of sweetness.

Hine 2010 - Eric said this was the best vintage. They only make vintage when the grapes are good. The label is very detailed. The bottle date was July 21, 2020, Cask 18/18 and I received bottle 105/450. I feel very privileged that they shared the Cognac with me. This one was darker in color but with fresh orange grove orange aromas coming from the glass. It’s fresher and smooth. Finishes with orange zest