Is it spoiled?

How do I know for sure if the wine is bad? It all tastes sorta bad to me, as if I can taste the fermented grapes themselves. I had a glass of the Yellow Tail tonight and for some reason it tasted a bit off to me, but how do I know for sure? I drank it anyway, figuring this cold is messing with me and factoring in the fact that I am not very good at distinguishing tastes in wine. Ah well.

What do the grapes taste like?

Something I've always wondered; what do the actual grapes taste like? Like, what exactly does a Pinot Noir grape taste like? Or a moscato grape? What about a cabernet grape? Are they sweet? Or are they tart? I guess I'm more wondering if the grapes taste like the actual wine. I wonder if we went to a vineyard around here if we could try the actual grapes. I'm going to look into that.

Yellow Tail Pinot Noir

In keeping with the Pinot Noir experiment, I purchased an Australian Pinot Noir; Yellow Tail. I actually, so far, like this one the best. Not as harsh as the French one and to me, a bit tastier than the Barefoot which is domestic. Good with sharp cheddar, not so good with Bleu Cheese. And of course, everything goes with dark chocolate. Slightly chilled, it was very good.

Room Temperature.

I am sitting here, finishing off the last of my Barefoot Pinot Noir. Of course by now the taste is not as fresh as it's been a few days open. I did chill it a bit. Reds are supposed to be served room temperature, but when they refer to room temperature they actually are referring to "cellar" temperature (as in wine cellar). I had it with a couple crackers and some blue cheese. It's funny how I have been exposed to different cheeses in the wine classes. I would have never have picked blue cheese, but it does go well with red wines.

Anyways, in the future I will probably chill my reds a bit. Too chilly kills the taste and brings out more of the tannins (I'm told). So about 55 degrees should be right.

The Lighthouse bottle.

Today we walked into a local winery, Truro Vineyards of Cape Cod. How dumb was that to walk into this place on a Saturday, the place was mobbed! I really wanted to look around more but there was an air of "get the heck out quick". I would have liked to have done a tasting though, though honestly, everyone there for the tasting just seemed somewhat pretentious and a bunch of wine snobs. Ah well. Bought a bottle of their blush in the lighthouse bottle. Probably will crack it open when we get home. Pics then.

A New Wine to Try; Barefoot Pinot Noir!

Picked up a different wine to try the other day. This one is a California wine, Barefoot Pinot Noir. I figured I would stick with the Pinot Noirs so I can try them and compare from country to country. I like the way this one smells, to me it just smells crisper, fruitier. Taste, well, almost tastes the same as the other one, but they say California is more New World which is more fruit forward. A little crisper I guess. Not bad. Still good with cheese. It's amazing how a sharp cheddar can kill the tannins in the wine and make it smooth. At least to me.

Boredom

Well, finally knocked off that bottle of Pinot Evil. I'm not much of a drinker so stuff sits around for a while. Plus, I get bored super easy. Halfway through the bottle (and it can be anything mind you), I get bored with it and want to try something different. How people drink the same stuff every day amazes me. No sense of adventure. A half size bottle would work well for me, or hell, a mini size. But well, it's done. Now I'm trying to figure out what I want to do next, continue with French wines, or try a Pinot Noir from a different country. I was thinking to try a domestic Pinot Noir, just so I can compare how the two taste. Maybe I'll do that.

The advanced wine class

Well, there I was in my advanced wine class. Today was the first class. In a way I felt a bit out of place since I am  by no means a wine snob, but I was there for the experience. We tried a multitude of California wines, only a couple of which I actually liked. As I sat there listening to the others discussing the cherries and blackberries they tasted, I started to wonder; will I ever really get it? I didn't taste afternotes of cherries or blackberries or whatever. I tasted wine, nothing more. Meh. Maybe if I get my sniffer to work right, maybe I'll get it?

A wine connoisseur?

Well, considering I never really liked the taste of wine, except for sweet ones, could someone like me, theoretically, become a wine connoisseur? Can my tastes be trained to appreciate or enjoy wine? I wonder. Can they be trained to enjoy it as much as I enjoy rum? No one had to teach me that, I tasted rum and hence, the love affair began, especially the dark ones.

I am definitely not a fan of dry wines and can sip on a white zinfandel for a while, but even then it starts to taste icky. Well, we shall see what happens. I start my advanced wine training tomorrow. I wonder what dimension that will add to this whole undertaking.

The wine glasses

Well, I figured if I'm going to drink wine, I should do it in something other than drinking glasses or a mug, so I went to the dollar store and bought 2 wine glasses, one for me and one for whomever decides to drink with me. Lately it's been my daughter. I know there are different glasses for different types of wine, but I'm not there yet. I just wanted the ambiance. And really, isn't that part of the idea?

The screw cap.

Yes, the wine I chose has a screw cap. So what. It's the year 2012. Ha.

But anyway, I can't say for sure if it affects the taste or not, how would I know. Cork advocates say the cork allows the wine to get oxygen which is good for it. I say I hate using a corkscrew. I personally think it's a wine snob thing to want only corks. Just because it has a screw cap doesn't mean it is "cheap".

Anyhoo, I had another glass of it tonight, the Pinot Evil Pinot Noir with dinner. Pork and sauerkraut and twice baked potatoes. Not the most ideal meal to have it with, I didn't think it complemented it at all. A beef meal would be better, but it's all I had. We did have the wine with some sharp cheddar cheese which did go well together.

A foray into wine - Pinot Evil Pinot Noir

I am not a wine drinker. Never really liked it. Where other people talk of tasting "pears" and "melons" or "hints of blackcurrants" and "notes of cherries", I only taste spoiled grapes. Though I've decided to experiment.

I work for the Liquor Control Board in Pennsylvania. For three years I coasted along, not really understanding wine until they sent me for my beginners wine class. I was impressed and found I actually did like a couple of the ones I tasted. I just finished my intermediate classes and am starting the optional advanced class this coming week. So now, here I am, doing my own personal social experiment.

I figured on starting with the French wines. I bought the cheapest Pinot Noir I could find, Pinot Evil Pinot Noir. Pinot Noir is a red, somewhat dry wine. I had it with dinner, barbecued chicken with mashed potatoes. It was definitely palatable to someone that really prefers rum.