A Cuban white wine

This is a Cuban white wine we tasted at a PWC dinner (with the theme firmly in the curious territory) at the end of 2009. The Japanese Pinot Blanc on the left of the picture has been the subject of an earlier blog. There was a promotion at the Club and they had the red and the white of this Cuban-Italian joint venture. I bought some of each as well as one or two magnums of the red. This project was a collaboration between the Fantinel wine-making family in Italy and the investment arm of the Cuban Food and Beverage Ministry. It was the first wine company in Cuba and owns the only vineyard and cellars of that country, near Havana, high above the tobacco fields. The red is a 70:30 Cabernet-Merlot blend whilst this white wine is 80:20 Chardonnay-Sauvignon Blanc blend. I had heard that this project has now stopped and there may not be Cuban wines available for some time to come.

How did it taste? The wine was an old gold, with a slightly sweet slightly peachy and slightly woody nose. It was slightly sweet with dried apricot notes and acid on the palate with the acid extending into the finish.