Great music and great wine go hand in hand and few things can be more enjoyable that relaxing and listening to your favourite recording artiste while sipping on a really great glass of wine. So you know how happy I am to learn that this year’s Jamaica Jazz festival has made some changes in order to streamline, among other things, wines and spirits entering the venue which will result in them having an exclusive wine bar.

Wines by the glass

Patrons will have as of this evening a wider array of wine choices to choose from. For $350, you can have a glass of the house wines which are Woodbridge Chardonnay and Woodbridge Merlot. If your palate is a bit more sophisticated, then for $500 you will have a choice of five excellent wines for the occasion. Let’s give you a brief preview:

Sparkling Wine

Santa Margherita Prosecco (Italy) is a very popular Italian sparkling wine. Santa Margherita Prosecco is delicate and dry with long-lasting, concentrated bubbles and fresh aromas of peach and apples. Up front floral flavours are followed by a mixture of lychee and lemon citrus. This wine is fresh and lively, with a well-balanced acidity.

White wines

Nobilo Sauvignon Blanc (New Zealand) is a refreshing white wine with fruit characters of pineapple and grapefruit with secondary notes of green pepper and freshly cut nettle aromas. On the palate it has a crisp and zesty backbone combined with fresh tropical fruit sweetness. Excellent weight and balance, this wine lingers on the palate in a full, refreshing finish.

Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio (Italy) is a dry white wine that has a straw yellow colour. Its clean, intense aroma and bone-dry taste (with an appealing flavour of Golden Delicious apples) makes this a wine of great personality and versatility. One of the most popular Pinot Grigio in the USA.

Red Wines

Robert Mondavi Private Selection Pinot Noir (California) – One of my favourite “go-to” Pinot’s available on the market. On the nose, lovely rose petal, violet, and red cherry aromas mingle with complementary scents of smoky vanilla and nutmeg. Very soft and round with good length and richness on the palate, the wine displays supple, silky berry and cherry jam flavours.

Catena Malbec (Argentina) – Very delicious red wine, high-rated by the major critics internationally. Here is what they had to say:

“A rich red, with ripe flavours of linzer torte, plum pudding and fig paste flavours by layers of mesquite, olive paste and grilled herbs. Grippy tannins add weight to the long, vibrant finish. Drink now through 2013. Wine Spectator, 91 Points

“The 2009 Catena Malbec was aged in 35 per cent new French and American barriques for 14 months. Balsam wood, earthy minerals, spice box, lavender, and black cherry aromas compose the wine’s inviting bouquet. Spicy and savoury in the glass, with ample black cherry and black raspberry flavours, this nicely proportioned Malbec is an outstanding value meant for drinking over the next four-five years.” Wine Advocate, 91 Points

All Skybox holders will have available as part of their package: Woodbridge Chardonnay, Woodbridge Merlot and Santa Margherita Prosecco. They will also be able to buy bottles of Mondavi Napa Chardonnay, Simi Cabernet Sauvignon, Quintessa, Woodbridge Moscato, and Carmen Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon on demand.

All these wines are imported by Select Brands Limited who is the official wine purveyors to Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival 2012. The three- day show begins today at the Trelawny Stadium in Falmouth Jamaica.

Chris Reckord – Entrepreneur & wine enthusiast. Send your questions and comments to creckord@gmail.com. Follow us on twitter.com/DeVineWines