Blinder than Blind

Posted on September 12, 2015 by melsmosaic

Wine tasting on weekends are some of the best things to attend. Recently a wine shop in DC presented a blind tasting. They admitted when we got there that maybe they could have made it a bit easier and made it one region, one varietal or narrowed it down in some fashion. Why? Because we felt like we were taking the test for a Master Somm. It was awesome.

We had one bubbly, 3 whites and 3 reds. This store sells mostly old world wines and everything we tasted was sold in house. It was tough for me because I lean new world.

All I can say is I got a huge F on this test. I was writing/spelling wrong at some points because I was confused and failing so badly! I was close on some, region-wise.

Does that mean I need to take it again and taste more wine? I was definitely blinder than blind is this one.

Bordeaux Walking Tour

Posted on July 8, 2015 by melsmosaic

While exploring France had to determine the best way to explore what was at my fingertips. Was referred by a friend to a great way to explore the city of Bordeaux and of course enjoy their great drink — Bordeaux Walking Tours. I enjoyed an afternoon exploration of the city.

Got to see the city on foot and learn about historic sites along the water and throughout the town.

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Then we visited the Wine & Trade Museum.

At the end of this visit, we got to taste several French wines. We received the full rundown on history, varietal, region, etc.

(Chateau LaJarre was definitely my favorite)

After this great tasting we headed off to our next stop after learning much about wine at the museum. During our tour we learned about the Bordeaux region and how the Gironde River determines a lot of the ‘taste’ of the grapes — earthy vs fruity. Those on the Right Bank of the river tend to be fruitier, those on the Left Bank tend to be earthier.

(photo credit: totalwine.com)

Turns out our next stop was a blind tasting to apply what we learned about the banks.

I got 2 out of 3 right, and mostly only loved one of them, the Chateau Bardin, from the Right Side. This was such a fun way to learn more about wine and I did learn that old world wine really isn’t that bad. I can expand my horizons beyond new world.

2 bottles of red, a bottle of white…

Posted on April 21, 2015 by melsmosaic

Other than the fact that my count doesn’t match the Billy Joel song, it doesn’t only have to depend upon your appetite; come on. There are so many factors to take into consideration. Likes, dislikes, meal, mood, interest in new stuff, desperation?!

Anyway, I work wine tastings on the side and the past couple I’ve done have introduced me to some new vintners, which is something I quite enjoy. I definitely have my favorites and normally stick to those — must expand!

The two reds were both Pinot Noirs from California, but very different. The first was Frei Brothers in Russian River Valley. Very light with the traditional fruit notes. Would pair nicely with a salad or light/white meat or seafood. Fruit would be great too, or why have food with it? Come on.

The second Pinot was MacMurray Central Coast. Very ‘thick’ for a Pinot. Almost a light jam texture with some fig notes, maybe some cherries and light chocolate. This could totally be paired with steak/heavier meat. Loved it! I picked one of these up before I left the store. Both of these were around $20.

Now the bottle of white I have recently added to my list (and wine rack) is the William Hill Sauvignon Blanc. To me it screams grapefruit, which I love. It’s definitely a citrus-laden wine. Nice and crisp and runs $12-$14.

Do you have any new wine finds?

Breathe, Decant, Aerate

Posted on April 10, 2015 by melsmosaic

I received a free copy of Cook’s Illustrated in the mail recently (can’t complain about that) and there was a funny/interesting piece about letting wine meet oxygen. There are so many thoughts about how long you should let a wine breathe, if it should be decanted, if you can use a simple aerator. It also depends on what varietal, the age of the wine and more. So these guys have some fun tips on doing this quickly. What do you think…and how do you normally aerate your vino?

Rioja

Posted on April 10, 2015 by melsmosaic

Popped open a new bottle of Rioja last night that I found in my wine rack. Don’t know when I bought it or if I knew why I bought it. It was Vivanco Rioja Reserva 2008. Wow…very nice. The nose had light oak on it. The wine itself had some fruit — I got cherries and strawberries, and a bit of spice. I saw on the label that I had scribbled $24. DIdn’t see that before I opened it, just to have a glass of wine with a weekday dinner. Oh well, definitely worth it.

South Africa or Spain?

Posted on March 19, 2015 by melsmosaic

I think I’ll have them both, if you don’t mind. While enjoying a couple of the recipes I’ve posted recently, my friends were so kind as to bring over some great wine to pair with the food! So, of course we had to open them.

One was simply masked in a nice Williams Sonoma bag. I pulled it out and could not have opened that bottle fast enough. It was my favorite varietal — Pinotage, from South Africa, of course! Oh Pinotage, how I love thee. I was so happy it was a screw top to quickly open it. My only problem was that I did not have a (wine) glass at my fingertips. It was the Spier (Signature) Pinotage. It had very nice fruit to it, though it did not hold the traditional smokiness of Pinotage. It was light and had great character.

Then we decided to open the second bottle to do some comparison. This was from Spain, the El Burro Kickass Garnacha. Love the name. And let me tell you, it lives up to it. The first thing I tasted was chocolate! There were also some berries in there. Nowhere did they mention chocolate on the label, but even having some the next day…chocolate, chocolate, chocolate. Amazing.

It was a great evening of friends, wine and food. Can never go wrong with that.

Oh, Chateau

Posted on February 23, 2015 by melsmosaic

A couple years ago I visited Sonoma and one of the wineries my friend and I checked out was Chateau St. Jean. After the initial tasting, they of course give you the rundown of their Wine Club. My friend told me to treat myself and sign up. Their wine is amazing and I deserved it.

So last weekend there was just bad weather going on and I decided to open up a nice bottle of wine, just because. There was nothing happening, there was really nowhere to go/there was no way I was going to go do anything. I pulled a bottle of Chateau St. Jean (2009) Syrah out of my wine rack. I opened it. It had a nose of berries and bark — yes, bark, ok, maybe some would say wood, but I got bark. The taste just made me stand still. I can barely explain how good it was. Raspberries, blackberries, that bark, and tiny bit chocolate. Some darn, darn good wine. The best part is that I know exactly why I have the bottle and enjoyed it all the more because of it. Cheers!

Do you have a favorite bottle for some reason? Do you remember a bottle you bought for a specific reason?

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Decanted

Posted on January 4, 2015 by melsmosaic

Simple pleasures, that’s what it’s all about. For Christmas I had this huge box/present that I could not quite figure out (from the exterior). It did have the very fashionable type of Crate & Barrel all over the exterior. I finally opened it, then dug through layer upon layer of bubble wrap, then, oh, layer after layer of some kind of paper, oh, then tissue paper and tissue and tissue paper. Inside I (finally) found a beautiful decanter. How perfect! Somebody must know me. I broke it in on New Year’s Eve with a magnificent red from Washington — Eleven La Ronde. It tasted even better than usual. Simple pleasures.

New Pinotage

Posted on December 30, 2014 by melsmosaic

Pinotage is one of my favorite wines with that smokey nose and taste. Then, the subtle leather notes, as well. And, whenever I can find it in the States, it is always a bonus. Sometimes it can be hard to get, or you always find the same ones. So, when in CO the past week or so, I got totally different distributors than what I am used to in DC, MD and VA. I came across a Pinotage I had never seen before — Barista (2012) Pinotage. The name itself does it justice — Barista — coffee. It also has the traditional notes of Pinotage with the smoke, subtle leather and some fruit. It was in the mid-teens, price-wise. If you’re looking for a looking for a new wine and/or are a fan of this varietal, totally try it (assuming you can easily find it).

Woop Woop

Posted on December 24, 2014 by melsmosaic

Sounds like I’m cheering, right? Well, I guess I sort of am. Found a great new (to me) wine last night. Was having leftover ‘roo burgers so decided to pick up an Australian wine to pair with them (had beer the first time around). Wanted to get something I hadn’t tried before. Found the Woop Woop Shiraz at the store.

Totally not what I was expecting for a(n Australian) Shiraz. I would say its color was very dark for the varietal and it was also thick/syrupy (best description I can give). The first thing I got on the nose was pepper, then a light bit of fennel, finally various berries. Same with the taste. But, again, the pepper was the most prominent. What was very interesting is that the wine changed throughout the evening. Always had a bit of a different character. Definitely worth checking out, and well priced — low-mid teens. Also, quick note, it was a screw top, which is becoming much more common. I call the things easy access.