More than 200 showed up May 9 to try PRP Wine International’s first Spring BBQ and Wine Tasting. Since PRP felt this was a success, they’re planning to host more events at their West Palm Beach office on Florida Mango Road. The tasting cost $10 and featured more than 30 different wines. Some great food was prepared by competitive BBQ chef, Chris George.

PRP had a great variety of wines to try, so there was definitely something to please every taste. I was surprised to be wooed by a few of the sweeter wines in addition to my old-world reds. Here are some of the highlights:

My favorite white was the 2007 Duca d’ Amalfi Valdadige Bianco. The wine was a blend of equal parts of Riesling, Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, and Mueller-Turgua. Made in Italy’s Amalfi coast, this was the perfect summer white; crisp, clean, dry and refreshing, with a zesty, almost effervescent finish, similar to that of a Vinho Verde. Saturday was a hot and humid Florida summer’s day – and this wine was the perfect start to the event. That said, I didn’t think this wine was a great value. I probably wouldn’t spend $18.99 for a bottle when there are plenty of other nice summer whites that retail locally between $13-$17.

Hands-down, my favorite red was an Italian 2005 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico made by Conte Ottavio Piccolomini. PRP branch manager Darrell Sanford explained Amarone is made of a blend of local varietals that are hand picked in clusters and laid out to dry on straw mats for four months. After drying, the wine goes through a long, slow fermentation until all of the residual sugar has turned to alcohol, then it spends years aging in oak casks. This results in a high alcohol, full-bodied, dry wine.

This Amarone was a robust but smooth wine with flavors of fig and black currant. The fruit was balanced with strong oaky tannins and a wonderfully long finish. Good Amarone is almost never cheap because of the time and labor involved in making them. At $59.99, this isn’t something I’d buy regularly, but would think about for a very special occasion.

Probably the most interesting red I’ve tried in awhile was the 2007 Bor Farrás Hajós-Baja from Hungary. I’d never had a Hungarian wine before, and knowing PRP retails wines from this region, I was eager to try one. This wine was made with a varietal called Blaufränkish (try saying that five times fast). It was a light, sweet red full of berry flavors. Some may consider it sweet enough to be a dessert wine. PRP senior executive wine consultant Gerd Hambsch called it a “boudoir wine” that would go great with chocolate-covered strawberries or chocolate mousse, maybe the perfect end to a romantic evening. Those with a sweet-tooth can grab a bottle for $23.99.

And even though it’s a stretch from the wine, I have to mention the Golden Tango Cream from Australia. This brandy-based cream was like a caramel-nut version of Bailey’s Irish Cream. PRP sells this for $28.49 a bottle, which is a few dollars more than a bottle of Bailey’s, but in this case I’d say it’s money well spent. Think white-russian or coffee-drink, chocolate martini, heck, you can even add it to a bundt cake! Whatever you want to do with it, this stuff is GOOD.

~ J Gwen (dry)