Yellow Tail Sweet Red Roo

Well, here's one I thought I would enjoy but didn't.

Nice bottle. I liked the red, made me think of Christmas.
Now don't get me wrong, it wasn't bad, just not as sweet as I would have liked, a bit dry for my liking. Though it is a couple days later and as I sit and sip it, I can honestly say I taste the "hints" of black cherries.
I wouldn't buy it again, but it was nice to try. I didn't even get a nice fruity aroma from it. I was disappointed.

I wonder what I should try next.

Cooking With Wine

Wow! It's been a while since I've been able to get on here! Finals, now the holidays. Madness!

Well, here's another question I get all the time; "I need a wine to cook with. All it says is a dry white wine, what should I use?"

Well, honestly, in my opinion, any dry white will do. Most of the time I steer people toward a chardonnay or a pinot grigio. You really don't need an expensive wine if you are cooking with it. If you are going to drink it, well, then I would say go for a little more, but otherwise the $4.99 bottle on the bottom shelf should suffice. The alcohol cooks off so you don't have to worry about that.
I am going to try the difference in recipe taste between an oaked chardonnay and an unoaked one. I tend not to like the "oaky" flavor too much.

If your recipe calls for a dry red, cabernet sauvignon is where I will be sending you. But really, any one will do. Again, not necessary to have an expensive one unless you will be sipping along with your cooking.

Now when I say you can cook with almost any wine, I am referring to the dryer ones, I doubt a sweet wine will go well in your sauce. But who knows, somewhere out there is probably a recipe that calls for a sweet wine like moscato. If you find one, let me know, I'd definitely try it.

Chateau St. Michelle Harvest Select Riesling

Now here's a bottle of wine I really like. Chateau St. Michelle Harvest Select Riesling. When you pour it in the glass it has a very nice pale gold color and it smells very fruity. It is slightly sweet which I really enjoy with a nice crispness to it. What a great glass of wine to sip on. I guarantee this one won't last too long.

Wine Labels

What attracts people to a wine? Is it the brand? Is it the type? Word of mouth? Or is it the label?

I would bet dollars to pesos for most it is the label.
Of the almost 3000 codes at my store, I would say more than 3/4 are wines. Many of them with interesting labels and equally interesting names. Every so often companies change their labels to refresh themselves in the eyes of the purchaser. Some have bright, attractive labels to draw your eye to them and pique your curiosity. Some have elegantly designed labels to convey a message of a "refined", more "mature" beverage. Some have cute pictures to conjure up ideas of a fun, tasty glass of wine.

I suppose you could buy a wine by its label for just about whatever mood you may be in. If you are feeling snobby you could get a more stodgy looking bottle for the night. If you are in the mood for a fun night, a bottle that makes you think "fun" when you look at it will be on the agenda. I suppose if you were entertaining, who your guests are and the reason they are coming by would dictate what "style" of wine and label you would choose. I'm sure for a dinner with the boss you aren't going to buy a bottle with picture of a pair of flip flops on it. If the girls are coming over for an afternoon chick flick, that bottle would serve just fine.

There are a few that I am interested in trying just because the label caught my eye, or the name of the wine "sounded" fun. Of course there are the word of mouth ones as well. Lots of different categories and thousands of different wines to try. Maybe I will do that. Create categories like "fun" or "reserved" and try different wines that give those impressions from their labels.

What Should I Try Instead Of...

Sometimes I get the question of "well I like (insert varietal here) but I want to try something different. What do you recommend?"

Well, I have read that if you like Cabernet Sauvignon, you might like a Petit Verdot, a Petit Sirah or Nero D'Avola.
If you like Merlot, Cabernet Franc or Carmenere might tickle your fancy.
If Pinot Noir is your style, perhaps a Grenache would satisfy your craving for something different.
Those that like Syrah or Shiraz might enjoy a Zinfandel or Tempranillo.

I'd like to do side by side taste tests to see how similar these are to each other, ought to be interesting. A veritable "this or that".

Roscato - Rosso Dolce

Now here is something I really do like a lot. I've had this before. It is an Italian wine that is apparently served at Olive Garden. There was such a high demand for it that we finally are able to carry it. It is a red wine, on the sweeter side, and has a bit of an effervescence to it. Very yummy. Sure its got a screw top, who cares. Perfect for my sweet tooth. I have it after dinner as "dessert". Its deep red color is pretty and it smells delicious. Maybe not for the wine snobs out there, but it's a fun wine and I would recommend it to anyone looking to try something a little different with a bit if fun to it.

Wine As A Gift

Well, here come the holidays. Along with that comes tons of customers wanting to buy wine as a gift for people. Honestly, that is one of the hardest things to buy for people in my opinion. Unless you know they like  something specific, like a particular brand, I wouldn't suggest wine as a gift. Wine is a personal thing in my opinion.

If you know they like something like horses, you could probably locate bottles of wine with "horse themes" to tie into their hobby or their passion. I plan on getting my step daughter a couple bottles of a wine we have that have flip flops on them because she loves flip flops. Not necessarily because I know she'll like the wine, but she might like the labels and it fits in with her "passion", if you can have passion for flip flops.

People are loyal to certain ones, not to mention what you may like, they may not like, everyone's tastes are different. I have people come in wanting to buy a bottle as a gift. When you ask them what the recipient likes, their answer usually is "I don't know". Or when you ask how much they want to spend, the answer is "I don't want to look cheap".

Here's my suggestion; buy a relatively "cheap" bottle of wine, but one with a good reputation and buy a gift card for whatever amount you were going to spend. Put the bottle in a nice bag and attach the gift card. This way the recipient has something to open, not just an impersonal gift card. Plus, they could try that bottle of wine, giving them the opportunity to try something they may not have had before. Then they take the gift card and buy what they really want.

The White Wine Sangria

Well, the other night we decided to experiment and make a white sangria. We had a half bottle of the Cupcake Angel Food left (which I didn't particularly care for), so I had to do something with it. I poked around on the internet and found a recipe which I doctored to my taste.

I added what was left of the wine, sugar, orange juice, crushed pineapple and ginger ale. It almost tasted like a Mimosa. Over lots of ice. I liked it, though I made it a bit too sweet I think. I would do that again, except maybe not with a wine with so much Chardonnay in it, a little too buttery for my taste. Maybe I'll pick up a bottle of something today.

I actually have some red wine left over from another bottle. Red Sangria coming up!

Alcohol Content?

I was putting together a page for my Booze book on the alcohol content of wine. Well, here's what I got;
a wine with a high alcohol content (14.5% or higher) will tend to be a heavier bodied wine and also drier. The yeast had the opportunity to "eat" more of the sugars.

A wine with a medium alcohol content (11 - 13%) is usually a medium bodied wine.

A low alcohol wine (10%) or less will be lighter bodied and sweeter, more leftover residual sugars.

In some cases, a lower alcohol content wine could mean it was made from under ripe grapes meaning less sugars.

High alcohol content can sometimes indicate a sweet wine as well. Wines over 14% alcohol are either made from grapes left to ripen longer (late harvest wines) or are fortified with a neutral spirit.
Also, a high alcohol content increases the perception of a wine's sweetness.

I think from now on I will include the alcohol content of wines I try, just for giggles. Could make for interesting comparisons.

Cupcake Angel Food

Picked up a bottle of Cupcake Angel Food. It is a white wine blend. I admit, I was drawn to the bottle and the name. I mean, Angel Food? Doesn't that sound yummy? And the description sounds wonderful as well. Looking over the bottle and the website, I tried to find out what grapes were in this blend, all I come up with is it is a proprietary blend with an emphasis on Chardonnay which is what I think I taste the most. It is dry, but a little crisp and has a nice aroma to it. As for the hints of "pears and Granny Smith apples", wellllll, no. I never really taste all those little nuances as I've said before. At first sip I didn't like it too much, but it did grow on me a bit. I don't think I would buy it again though. I could see it pairing well with a salad.
I will have to give other Cupcake wines a try, I do hear they are very good.

Medium Bodied Wines

Well what does that mean?
The way it feels in your mouth, kinda hard to describe to someone what a "mouthfeel" is with a wine. You have to taste the different wines to understand what that means.
Some of the medium bodied wines are the same as the light bodied ones. It can depend on where the wine is from and which winemaker is it by. A Pinot Grigio from Italy might feel heavier than one from California, whereas a Pinot from one area of California might feel heavier than one from another area.

In any case, here is a list of some medium bodied wines.

Chardonnay (Chablis, Mersault, Pouilly Fuisse)
Pinot Grigio (Pinot Gris)
Viognier (Condrieu)
Barbera
Cabernet Franc (Anjou)
Grenache (Garnacha, Cotes du Rhone)
Malbec
Merlot
Nebbiolo (Barolo, Barbaresco)
Pinot Noir (Bourgogne)
Sangiovese (Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino)
Temperanillo (Rioja)
Zinfandel (Primitivo)

Red wines go well with red meats, red sauces and mild cheeses and are best served "room" temp.
Whites go well with heavy white sauces, roasted chicken or fowl and aged cheeses. Serve whites slightly chilled for best flavor.

Cheese!

Such a little thing; cheese. But, I will say this, the right cheese can make a wine taste awesome. They can weirdly complement each other. During my wine classes, I tried so many different cheeses with the different wines, I'm just upset that I didn't write down which cheeses they were (tried to rely on my memory. Shouldn't have done that). And, quite honestly, I can't really find any truly gourmet cheese shops around here. I may have to broaden my search. I did learn I like Bleu Cheese with certain red wines. I have a "cheese table" I found clicking around on the internet. Not quite sure where it came from, but it is interesting. I may try some of the combinations it suggests. Assuming, of course, that I can actually find these cheeses at my local store.

White Zinfandel anyone?

White Zinfandel. One of the most popular wines we have. It is the go to for everyone, almost like a regular punch or something. People that don't like wine will drink it just to say they drink wine. Want something not too sweet, not too dry, something right in between? Head for the White Zin. Don't know what someone likes and you want to take a wine for a gift? Try a White Zin.

White Zin is sort of the geeky child in the wine household. Often snubbed by wine aficionados, but it can have its redeeming qualities. On a hot day it can be refreshing if chilled well. There are quite a few different companies out there, so trial and error can bring you to the one you may like. I personally am not too much of a fan, but then I haven't tried all the different ones that are available. We even have a White Zin Chardonnay blend and a new White Zin Moscato blend which I actually do want to try.

White Zinfandel just sometimes seems so run of the mill, it runs out our doors faster than we can put it on the shelves at times. There are so many other choices available, some with much more character. Maybe I will give it another go, one of them might change my mind about it.

Beaujolais Nouveau!

It's here it's here! The new Beaujolais Nouveau! Woohoo!

At least that's how people act.

Beaujolais Nouveau is basically the first release of the grape for any particular year. It's young and has just barely fermented to wine from grape juice.

Well, just for giggles, I bought a bottle. We aren't allowed to put it on the shelves until the third Thursday of November, so I put up the display yesterday. Such a big deal is made about this wine, I had to get one to see what the hubbub was all about. Well, I gotta say, I was completely...

UNimpressed. It had a nice smell, very enticing. Unfortunately for me, the first sip of this drink fell flat for me. It was, well, flat. No structure that I could find and did nothing for me. Too young, too green. I had it slightly chilled, I think it could have been chilled a little more. There are very little tannins and it is very light, which I did like, but really, I don't see what all the hype was about.

I'm thinking maybe if I pair it with some chocolate or a nice piece of cheese it might make it easier to drink for me. Ah well, I tried it. I'll continue to drink it and experiment until the bottle is gone, maybe I can find what it is that everyone rants and raves about.

Pretty bottle though.

Light Bodied Wines?

I think I prefer lighter bodied wines.I haven't quite found a heavier bodied wine that tickles my fancy yet. The body of a wine basically refers to how "heavy" it feels in your mouth.

Some of the more lighter bodied wines out there are Chenin Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, White Zinfandel, White Merlot, Rose, Gamay (Beaujolais) and Pinot Noir.
Most whites are lighter bodied. Chardonnay can go either way, light to medium bodied, depending on where it's from. A lighter bodied Chardonnay would most likely be an unoaked one.

I thoroughly enjoyed that Beringer Chenin Blanc, and the German Riesling, the Spatlese, both lighter bodied wines, and I can handle a Pinot Noir. I am definitely going to pick up a Beaujolais one of these days.

Lighter bodied wines go well with fruits, salads, chicken and fish and of course, cheese! There's more to the whole food pairing thing, we'll leave that for another post.

Gluten Free Wine? Really?

Yes really.

Wine is considered a gluten free product. I had gotten this question a few times before and was never quite sure what to say. I did some poking around on the handy dandy internet and found out that wine is considered gluten free and a safe choice for those with gluten sensitivities.

Some winemakers may use a wheat paste to seal the barrels wines are aged in. This paste is washed away before the wine gets into the barrel; they use hot water to wash out the barrels and help the wood expand for a better seal.
Some may use a gluten substance to fine the wine. It adheres to particles to take them out of the finished product. This gluten is being removed with the particles, plus the gluten levels are below 20ppm, which is the threshold to be considered gluten free.

If someone is super sensitive to gluten products and are concerned about it, I would recommend going for unoaked wines as they are aged in stainless steel vats with no oak influences. There are reds and whites available. Even call the winery to inquire whether they use any kind of gluten products in their fining process.

And don't worry about the corks, they do not contain gluten.

It was recommended to contact manufacturers of wines with added coloring or flavors just to be on the safe side.

German Riesling

So I wanted to try a German riesling. I had one in class a while back and actually liked it. It was slightly sweet, apparently German rieslings tend toward the sweeter side. Anyways, I picked up Carl Reh riesling, a Spatlese (which just means a late harvest). Very nice. Not terribly sweet but refreshing. Nice light straw color to it and a pleasant aroma. I can actually say I taste a minerality to it. Still a newbie at the whole "what do I taste" thing, but I do know that I like this one. I will have to try a couple different ones as from what I understand, different areas will give a different taste. This one was from Mosel. Very tasty.

The Cork, or the Screw Cap; which is better?

Does it really make that much of a difference? A cork or a screw cap?
Well, screw caps have a bad reputation and are often associated with cheap wine. But honestly, that is not necessarily the case anymore. Wine snobs turn their nose up when you mention the word. So what.

I mean really; screw caps are easier to open and close, plus, they can't crumble if they get dry, nor can they infect the wine if they get contaminated. It's important to remember, though, to lay a wine in it's side here and there to keep the cork moist so it swells and creates a better seal with less chance of drying out and therefore crumbling into the wine when you try to take it out.

Although they do say that corks are good for the wine because they allow a bit of air in which helps the wine "evolve". I don't know. Sure it's fun to pull a cork out of a bottle, and yes it's basically a renewable resource, but I don't think screw caps are all that bad.

I say to each his own; if you believe a screw cap makes for an inferior wine choice, then so be it, but you may miss out on some excellent choices just because you are eschewing screw caps.
I like the idea of a screw cap just to reseal wine a little better. Either way, I am choosing a wine for the wine, not the way it closes.

And corks make for a cool collection.

Organic Wines?

Another question I get a lot at work is about organic wines. I won't name any of the ones we carry, I'm not endorsing any, but we do have a few. Now, organic is a funny thing. It basically means no chemicals or preservatives are used during the growing period, nor can it have any added sulfites, only naturally occurring ones. This means they should be consumed within a few years, they are not made to hang around.

If preservatives are used in any way, they cannot label themselves as organic, they can only say "made from organic grapes". It's all how you word it, isn't it? These can have added sulfites. More on sulfites at a later time.
I am going to eventually try one, just to see if there is some sort of difference in taste. Doubt it though.

Franklin Hill Vineyard

Well, I decided to walk into Franklin Hill Vineyard's local store. The store is nice, lots of pretty shiny things, expensive things. So I decided I wanted to try a fruity wine. I tasted a raspberry spumante. It was good, but didn't tickle my fancy. I tasted a mango wine. Sweet. So I bought it. Well, not so sure I would again. It's nice and sweet, but reminded me of Arbor Mist or some kind of juice. It was fun to try. Maybe I'll try one of their  regular wines one of these days.

Save That Wine!

A lot of questions I get are for how to store wine after it's been opened. Well, refrigerate it for one whether it's a red or a white. Make sure it is stoppered well. I want to buy one of those vacuum thingies, the little corker things I have aren't that great. They recommend taking out as much air as possible. Some say have a pint bottle on hand (from the occasional foray into cheap vodka) and use that; less air. After 2 or 3 days the wine doesn't taste right anyway, so I always recommend people just cook with it after that.

The Booze book continued

I am actually enjoying putting together this book.
The first page talks about wine preservation and how to properly store wine after it's opened.
The next two pages contain lists of organic wines and unoaked wines we have at the store.
A quick primer on basic wine and food pairing and a page on wine serving temperatures.
The next page has a cheese wheel of good cheeses to pair with wine, and the next page has wines to try if you like a certain type.
Then an article about corks.
I have one page in there about tequilas that talks about the different types.

I think it's a good start and a good springboard for a reference book.

The Booze Resource Book :-)

Yeah, that's what I'll call it.

I'm putting together a book with articles and other important or pertinent information to keep at work. Basically, a lot of the times we are all asked the same things. This way there is a quick reference available. Most of us start and have no clue about anything in the store and either have to call someone or guess. I figure this way we have some basic information at our fingertips. Most of it will be about wine, but I am throwing some other important stuff about different types of spirits in there, just for giggles. More on my booze book later...

Back to blogging!

Well, power was restored this morning. Four and a half days without power or running water. But others have it worse thanks to Sandy.

Anyways, during that time I did try a new wine, Stone Cellars Merlot. I did like it, the first day. After that I didn't care for the taste too much, like it lost its flavor for me. It smelled really good and had a sort of "jammy" (correct word?) mouthfeel. I did like the way it tasted, though I can't pinpoint what I liked about it. But the subsequent days it just tasted very tannic to me and was not enjoyable anymore. But I suppose it was a good wine.

It has been 4 days without power or running water. I hope to get back to blogging soon, I actually enjoy talking about my musings over wine. Be back soon!

Today's class...

Well, the subject of today's class was Tuscany and Piedmont, Italy. There was one white that I liked, and that was basically it. Maybe the VinoSanto, but it was sort of syrupy sweet. It was good though.

I guess I can sort of recognize the "barnyard" aroma and taste that everyone references, but mostly I taste alcohol. I am still on the look out for that perfect wine, one that fits what I figure a wine should taste like.

Pinot Evil reviews

I was poking around, looking for reviews of the wines I've had so far and tripped over this page
http://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=220596

They reviewed the Pinot Evil Pinot Noir and pretty much gave it terrible reviews. I think perhaps it is time to try a "better" Pinot Noir from France, n'est ce pas?

Truro Vineyards

Well, I finally opened that bottle of Cape Blush from Truro Vineyards in Cape Cod. Not a bad glass of wine. Very much like a regular white zinfandel, which I like, but white zins aren't very adventurous to me. It was nice. I wish we had bought another one, a white maybe, just so I could taste the difference. I took the blush because my better half would enjoy it. I should look up the tasting notes for it.

Worth the cost?

Ok, so, is a $50 bottle of wine better than a $10 bottle? Who says? Is it, as they say, in the eye of the beholder? I do feel wine is all relative; what one person may like, another may abhor. I think there may be $50 bottles of wine that taste like crap, and $10 bottles that taste out of this world. Well, I doubt that I'll be spending some $50 (or more) on a bottle for myself. Right now I'm content to explore the under $15 set. Maybe, if I turn into a wine nerd, I'll spend more.

Chardonnay

Well, I finished the chapter on Chardonnay in the Idiot's Guide. Interesting. I did pick up a few pointers. For a lighter tasting Chardonnay, opt for an unoaked brand, or one from a cooler climate. I actually want to try a comparison between  an oaked and unoaked one from the same company. The only one I've seen that does that is Yellow Tail.
California Sonoma Coast, or Mendocino, Chile, Western Australia, New Zealand and Burgundy France were recommended for cooler climate, crisper Chardonnays.

For a more "buttery" flavor, oaked Chardonnays from California's central valley or southeastern Australia are a good idea. Languedoc France as well. Dry Creek Valley would be a good choice.

I have one in mind I am going to pick up (cuz I have a coupon of course :-) .

Now for something a little different - Chenin Blanc

I bought a beringer Chenin Blanc the other day. One of my coworkers liked it, and I had tried it at the basic wine class and actually liked it. It's actually much better when you are having a glass and not just taking a little sip. It's a white, so it was chilled. It smells very good, like sweet fruit or some kind of white flowers. The taste is very good too, a little sweet, a little acidic. We tried it with blue cheese and it goes very well with it. Doesn't work well with the sharp cheddar I like though. I did have it with dinner a few nights, pasta and light sauces and it worked well. Maybe I'm a white wine person?

The Wine cooler

Got bored with that Cavit Pinot Noir so I decided to make it into a wine cooler. About 3oz of the wine to a can of 7up worked wonderfully. Time to move onto better things, you know how bored I get. There is a New Zealand Pinot Noir that I should try just for comparison. Maybe, but I'm bored with red and want to start doing whites. Ah well.

The Wine Books

Been so busy with my new classes I haven't had a chance to do anything. But anyway, I bought a couple books to take me along on my wine journey. One is The Complete Idiot's Guide to Wine Basics and the other is 101 Essential Tips for Wine. Both are good books and easy reading. I'd recommend them to anyone.

A super taster?

Could I be a super taster? I've read about super tasters and how they are more sensitive to strong tastes like coffee and wines. I don't like black coffee at all and need creamer to make it more palatable for me. I like the textures of some wines, but am always overcome by the bitterness and acidity. We took a super taster test at the basic wine class and I think that is what I came out being. I'd love to know for sure. I'm going to do more research into this.

Buh bye Sweet Red

That bottle of sweet red didn't last long, I really enjoyed it. Not terribly syrupy sweet, but sweet enough. It had such a pleasing color too, purplish and I could actually almost taste pomegranate in it. It was nice, and a good change of pace from the Pinot Noirs we had been trying. I don't know how people drink the same stuff  every day. At the last wine class we tried a sauterne. I thought I would like it because I know sauternes are sweet, but it was just over the top sweet for me, I couldn't handle it. But the Barefoot Sweet Red was just right.

Mmmm, Sweet Red!

For a change of pace I decided to pick up a Barefoot Sweet Red. I was in the mood for something a little different and lighter. Now that one is up my alley. Smells a little fruity, nice sweet taste, pleasant to drink, I really like that. Goes down a bit too easily actually, daughter and I polished off half a bottle already. Barefoot is a domestic sweet red. The next one I get will be a sweet wine from another country. There are so many of them now, it will be hard to choose.

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.