Wine dinners are one of my favorite activities. I love food, I love wine, and when paired well with a good theme it makes a great night out. Last Wednesday I went to Old Hickory Golf Club for their American themed wine dinner. This was one of the more uniquely themed wine dinners I've been to. It was a play on classic American food made upscale for a wine dinner.
Pass Around: "Pizza"
Shrimp Flatbread
Olive oil, garlic, tomatoes, and feta cheese
This was paired with Stellina di Notte Prosecco. This light, crisp sparkling went great with the pizza and paired with sitting out on the patio with a gorgeous view of the golf course was absolutely amazing.
First Course: "Fried Chicken"
Crispy pan fried chicken
Stewed tomatoes and artichokes, with lemon caper butter and micro greens
Paired with Rosenblum 'Kathy's Cuvee' Viognier. This wine tastes almost sweet at first then finishes dry. It wasn't my favorite pairing, but it had a nice acid to cut into the butter sauce, and the chicken dish was delicious. I would've preferred a semi-rich chardonnay, but saving that for the next course was worth it because that was my favorite pairing of the night!
Second Course: "Mac and Cheese"
Lobster Macaroni Gratin
Rich cheddar cheese sauce with fresh lobster meat and bread crumbs
This amazing dish was paired with Sterling Napa Valley Chardonnay which has been aged in oak barrels giving it a toasty finish. Rich mac and cheese with a creamy chardonnay was a buttery genius on my palate….yum. When you taste a pairing like that, you'll never forget it.
Third Course: "Burger"
Bison Duo
Bison burger, caramelized onions, and cheese
Bison sausage, roasted corn, red onion, smoked tomato vinaigrette
These dishes were paired with two wines; both zinfandels. The first was Rosenblum 'Vintner's Cuvee' and the second was Rosenblum 'Planchon Single Vineyard'. The first was made of a blend "cuvee" of vintages and was more smooth. Some vintners do this to create a "house blend" that makes a more consistent tasting wine. You'll see this a lot in Champagne. The second had a deeper flavor with more body. It was made from a single vineyard so there was no blending with other grapes. A lot of vineyards will use grapes from multiple locations to get a higher yield. Depending on the laws of the region, (which would be covered on way more than one blog) those locations and practices may or may not be disclosed on the bottle.
Fourth Course: "Beef Stew"
Kobe short ribs, carrots, onions, celery
By this point I was so stuffed, as I am at most wine dinners, but I had to at least taste this dish. It was so tender and delicious, I just had to ask to have it boxed up so I could enjoy it later, because I had to save room for the last, most creative dish. This stew was paired with Sterling Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Note: Cabernet Sauvignon and red meat are almost always a successful pairing!
Dessert "PB&J"
Peanut Butter Ice Cream, Grape Sorbet, Toasted Brioche
I wish I had a camera to have taken a picture of this. This is by far one of the most creative desserts I have ever tasted. There was a scoop of each ice cream with a triangle of toasted brioche standing in the middle… No kidding, this tasted like I was eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich… absolutely amazing. They paired this dessert with Rosenblum 'Desiree' Chocolate Port. If you've ever tasted Port with a chocolate dessert, you know that it is a beautiful pairing; So why not just infuse the chocolate in the Port… delicious!
Overall, I had a wonderful evening with great food, wine and company. Wine dinners may not be affordable for a weekly event, but so many places do them so often, you can almost always find a place to go when you're ready. In Saint Louis, they usually run around $ 45-$75 per person, I'm not sure about other cities, but they are a great way to taste a variety of wines at one sitting and enjoy delicious food. Cheers!
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Tasting for Napa
Yesterday I went to a "meeting" at work where we got to taste a lot of wines by Trinchero Family Estates (where I'll be staying in June) and hear about the upcoming summer Napa Valley trip. There were 15 wines to taste and a big packet of information on each wine. To some it may seem overwhelming, but I couldn't wait to dig in. We did a blind tasting and each discussed what we thought of each and what we thought it was. It was very informative and fun. I will say it is so much easier to have a list of the wines with slight descriptions in front of you while also using the process of elimination, but it's the best way to start.
If you're ever at a restaurant and aren't sure which wine to get, ask to taste a few things. As long as it's served by the glass most bartenders are more than happy to let you taste because we want you to like what you're drinking. Even better is to have them give you the tastes and not tell you which is which so you have nothing like price or brand name standing in you're way, because you're going to find that the more expensive or even more familiar name isn't what you're going to like the best. Also, it's ok to taste a wine that might not be the one you'd pick because of price. You don't pay for the taste and who knows, maybe you'll want to splurge this time or even next time, or you may even find that the house brand is more tasty to you. It doesn't hurt to taste.
Another tip for tasting wines is try to go from dry to sweet and from white to red. You don't want to end up over-powering the next wine you're going to taste. And always keep water with you to rinse your mouth and also your glass if you're reusing it.
Last thing, if you're in a situation, like I was, where there are 15 wines in front of you DO NOT attempt to finish off every pour. You're going to end up intoxicated for sure, and you're going to miss out on the educational experience because you're tongue and brain won't be up to par. It is NOT impolite to dump your remaining pour into the spit bucket (or into the grass if you didn't have one, like me), in fact it's expected, and doing the opposite would probably be frowned upon by the pourer or, in my case, my boss and the guy sending me on my trip and paying for my test in the fall...
Be safe, and enjoy!
If you're ever at a restaurant and aren't sure which wine to get, ask to taste a few things. As long as it's served by the glass most bartenders are more than happy to let you taste because we want you to like what you're drinking. Even better is to have them give you the tastes and not tell you which is which so you have nothing like price or brand name standing in you're way, because you're going to find that the more expensive or even more familiar name isn't what you're going to like the best. Also, it's ok to taste a wine that might not be the one you'd pick because of price. You don't pay for the taste and who knows, maybe you'll want to splurge this time or even next time, or you may even find that the house brand is more tasty to you. It doesn't hurt to taste.
Another tip for tasting wines is try to go from dry to sweet and from white to red. You don't want to end up over-powering the next wine you're going to taste. And always keep water with you to rinse your mouth and also your glass if you're reusing it.
Last thing, if you're in a situation, like I was, where there are 15 wines in front of you DO NOT attempt to finish off every pour. You're going to end up intoxicated for sure, and you're going to miss out on the educational experience because you're tongue and brain won't be up to par. It is NOT impolite to dump your remaining pour into the spit bucket (or into the grass if you didn't have one, like me), in fact it's expected, and doing the opposite would probably be frowned upon by the pourer or, in my case, my boss and the guy sending me on my trip and paying for my test in the fall...
Be safe, and enjoy!
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Patio Wine
I know it's been a while since I've blogged, I've gotten caught up in work and the nice weather, but speaking of nice weather....
What kind of wines do you like when it's nice outside and you're sitting on your patio/deck or even having a picnic?
I prefer white wines when it's warm outside. I really enjoy the crispness and acidity of a nice sauvignon blanc. It, to me, is very refreshing. If you're grilling, maybe try a pinot grigio. They have a lighter flavor profile that is compatible with most foods. It won't over power any zesty bbq sauce, instead it will leave you with a quenched satisfaction. Zinfandel is another wine that pairs well with bbq if you are still interested in having a red.
A note to remember... If you're like me, you LOVE spicy food. If you are having a spicy bbq sauce or just anything spicy in general, STAY AWAY from wines that are already higher in alcohol. I recommend staying at 13.5 or lower. Spicy food will make a wine taste like it is about 1% higher in alcohol than it is. It may not sound like much, but if you taste two wines next to each other that have a 1% or more difference in alcohol content, you'll be able to identify the "hotness" the higher alcohol wine leaves in your throat. Therefore, drinking a California Cabernet from a warmer region that has an alcohol content of 14% may taste brilliant with a grilled steak, but clear of spicy bbq because the wine may then taste "too hot" to handle.
What kind of wines do you like when it's nice outside and you're sitting on your patio/deck or even having a picnic?
I prefer white wines when it's warm outside. I really enjoy the crispness and acidity of a nice sauvignon blanc. It, to me, is very refreshing. If you're grilling, maybe try a pinot grigio. They have a lighter flavor profile that is compatible with most foods. It won't over power any zesty bbq sauce, instead it will leave you with a quenched satisfaction. Zinfandel is another wine that pairs well with bbq if you are still interested in having a red.
A note to remember... If you're like me, you LOVE spicy food. If you are having a spicy bbq sauce or just anything spicy in general, STAY AWAY from wines that are already higher in alcohol. I recommend staying at 13.5 or lower. Spicy food will make a wine taste like it is about 1% higher in alcohol than it is. It may not sound like much, but if you taste two wines next to each other that have a 1% or more difference in alcohol content, you'll be able to identify the "hotness" the higher alcohol wine leaves in your throat. Therefore, drinking a California Cabernet from a warmer region that has an alcohol content of 14% may taste brilliant with a grilled steak, but clear of spicy bbq because the wine may then taste "too hot" to handle.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Pointing Fingers for Faulty Wine
Two nights ago I opened a bottle of 2007 Silver Palm Cabernet only to find that it didn't quite taste like it did a few days before when I tasted a bottle at work. Last Thursday my boss opened up a bottle of our soon to be new premium cabernet sauvignon by the glass so we could taste it. When I smelled it, it smelled of fresh cherries, and it was really smooth and clean. I thought it was great. This bottle at home smelled a little "hot", meaning I felt like it was going to taste like a wine with a higher alcohol content than what it was. It tasted raisiny and left a bitter aftertaste on my tongue.
I'm not sure what exactly is wrong with this particular bottle, but many wines end up with an "off" taste or smell. This can mean numerous things, and I thought this would be a good opportunity to describe them:
"Corked" wine is something that describes a wine has been tainted by TCA (trichloroanisole). THis is given off by a cork that is tainted. This will make a wine smell moldy or musty, which is often describe as wet newspapers. This is a smell that you won't forget once you've smelled it once. This is actually pretty common, in fact it occurs in about 2-5% of corks. Many producers are working on TCA-free corks or switching to plastic corks to minimize faulty wine.
A wine that has been treated with a high level of sulfur might smell or giving you that feeling in the back of your throat as if a match was struck. Wines with considerable amounts of residual sugar might be treated with higher levels of sulfer to stop refermentation. This usually disappears with time or if you swirl your wine around your glass, although you may feel a parched feeling the next morning.
Oxidation is something that takes a little more time to get familiar with. A wine will taste flat or stale if it is exposed to too much oxygen. A wine will start to brown (similar to a cut apple), but this is obviously easier to see in white wines. Some older wines need the air to open up the esters, one reason why people use decanters for older wines (the other is to keep sediment in the bottle instead of your glass.)
Practice: Set aside a small glass of wine, somewhere where you where you walk past often such as your kitchen counter. Each day take a sniff of the wine and notice how it changes. After a while, if you have the same kind of wine, open a fresh bottle and taste the difference.
There are many other faults to wine, these are just a few of the most common. If you ever come across a wine that is faulted, don't be ashamed to take it back to where you got it and ask for a new bottle. It's common and not really the fault of a producer, especially corked wine, so stores usually get credited for bottles like this, and you deserve to taste the wine the way it was meant to be tasted.
I happened to have a second bottle of Silver Palm so I opened it and compared the two glasses which confirmed my first opinion. This isn't always the case, as I usually only buy one of a bottle, unless it's something I know I enjoy already.
Cheers!
I'm not sure what exactly is wrong with this particular bottle, but many wines end up with an "off" taste or smell. This can mean numerous things, and I thought this would be a good opportunity to describe them:
"Corked" wine is something that describes a wine has been tainted by TCA (trichloroanisole). THis is given off by a cork that is tainted. This will make a wine smell moldy or musty, which is often describe as wet newspapers. This is a smell that you won't forget once you've smelled it once. This is actually pretty common, in fact it occurs in about 2-5% of corks. Many producers are working on TCA-free corks or switching to plastic corks to minimize faulty wine.
A wine that has been treated with a high level of sulfur might smell or giving you that feeling in the back of your throat as if a match was struck. Wines with considerable amounts of residual sugar might be treated with higher levels of sulfer to stop refermentation. This usually disappears with time or if you swirl your wine around your glass, although you may feel a parched feeling the next morning.
Oxidation is something that takes a little more time to get familiar with. A wine will taste flat or stale if it is exposed to too much oxygen. A wine will start to brown (similar to a cut apple), but this is obviously easier to see in white wines. Some older wines need the air to open up the esters, one reason why people use decanters for older wines (the other is to keep sediment in the bottle instead of your glass.)
Practice: Set aside a small glass of wine, somewhere where you where you walk past often such as your kitchen counter. Each day take a sniff of the wine and notice how it changes. After a while, if you have the same kind of wine, open a fresh bottle and taste the difference.
There are many other faults to wine, these are just a few of the most common. If you ever come across a wine that is faulted, don't be ashamed to take it back to where you got it and ask for a new bottle. It's common and not really the fault of a producer, especially corked wine, so stores usually get credited for bottles like this, and you deserve to taste the wine the way it was meant to be tasted.
I happened to have a second bottle of Silver Palm so I opened it and compared the two glasses which confirmed my first opinion. This isn't always the case, as I usually only buy one of a bottle, unless it's something I know I enjoy already.
Cheers!
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Tasting Basics
Before getting into any details about specific varieties and regions, it's a good idea to know how to taste a wine correctly. This way you can start to piece together what you taste to find similarities and differences between the wines you drink.
Most of us think of flavors when we hear "taste", however, flavor is more of the combination of aromas and taste. Tasting is more how a substance reacts on your tongue; more like a "mouth feel." There are five tastes: sweet, salty, bitter, sour, and the lesser known (and understood) umami. The latter is less known and doesn't quite pertain to wine as it does to food, so right now I'll stick to the basic four. For each I will give you a quick way to practice so you can start to notice how each wine reacts with your tongue.
Sweet:
Sweetness is something most wine contains, however, "dry" wines will contain less than 0.38 ounces and often as little as 0.07 ounces of residual sugar per quart. Sugar content will range from 0.35 - 7.0 ounces per quart in wines.
Practice: Take sugar granules and place them on different parts of your tongue at different intervals. Take Notice where on your tongue reacts strongest. For most, this will be at the tip of your tongue. Now, next time you taste wine, notice how strong of a reaction you get in that area and you can start to determine sweetness levels of the wine you drink
Sour:
Sourness on your tongue when you drink wine is the measure of acidity of the wine. This "crisp" taste is more enjoyable to some than others, but acidity is what allows wines to last; without it, a wine will taste "flat" or lack a nice "zip". Too much acid can be unbearable and give the wine a more tart feel in your mouth.
Practice: Take something high in acidity, such as vinegar, or (if you aren't that brave) lemon juice, and take a sniff. Notice how the sides of your tongue almost curl up in anticipation of what is to come. This taste is so strong, the tongue will react act the thought of it before you even taste it. Next, just to prove the point, take a small sip and swish it on your tongue. You should get the reaction the strongest at the same place as when you smelled the substance.
Salty:
Saltiness isn't found much in wine, especially in a very noticeable quantity, but to have a complete take on total mouth feel here's an experiment:
Practice: Make a saline solution by dissolving some salt in water and swish it on your tongue. Notice where you pick up the taste the most. Usually it will be a little in from where you get acid and back. This practice will help you more with tasting food than wine, then again, those two generally go hand in hand.
Bitterness:
This taste is most sensitive at the back of the tongue. Bitterness is also not as important in wine as acidity and sweetness. A few wines can leave a bitter taste in your mouth such as Italian reds. Bitterness is confused with tannin as much as sweetness is confused with "fruitiness". I'll tell you more about this later.
Practice: Put a few drops of bitters on your tongue and move it around and see where it lasts. Bitterness is a taste that doesn't go away quickly, so when you're done it's ok to take a big swig of water.
Now every time you taste a wine, try to take notice of all of these feelings on your tongue. You'll start to see a lot of similarities and differences between varieties. This will help you in pairing wine with food, and also maybe you'll start to notice that some wines you always considered "really sweet" are actually only considered "medium-dry" in the wine world, such as Riesling or Gewürztraminer.
Most of us think of flavors when we hear "taste", however, flavor is more of the combination of aromas and taste. Tasting is more how a substance reacts on your tongue; more like a "mouth feel." There are five tastes: sweet, salty, bitter, sour, and the lesser known (and understood) umami. The latter is less known and doesn't quite pertain to wine as it does to food, so right now I'll stick to the basic four. For each I will give you a quick way to practice so you can start to notice how each wine reacts with your tongue.
Sweet:
Sweetness is something most wine contains, however, "dry" wines will contain less than 0.38 ounces and often as little as 0.07 ounces of residual sugar per quart. Sugar content will range from 0.35 - 7.0 ounces per quart in wines.
Practice: Take sugar granules and place them on different parts of your tongue at different intervals. Take Notice where on your tongue reacts strongest. For most, this will be at the tip of your tongue. Now, next time you taste wine, notice how strong of a reaction you get in that area and you can start to determine sweetness levels of the wine you drink
Sour:
Sourness on your tongue when you drink wine is the measure of acidity of the wine. This "crisp" taste is more enjoyable to some than others, but acidity is what allows wines to last; without it, a wine will taste "flat" or lack a nice "zip". Too much acid can be unbearable and give the wine a more tart feel in your mouth.
Practice: Take something high in acidity, such as vinegar, or (if you aren't that brave) lemon juice, and take a sniff. Notice how the sides of your tongue almost curl up in anticipation of what is to come. This taste is so strong, the tongue will react act the thought of it before you even taste it. Next, just to prove the point, take a small sip and swish it on your tongue. You should get the reaction the strongest at the same place as when you smelled the substance.
Salty:
Saltiness isn't found much in wine, especially in a very noticeable quantity, but to have a complete take on total mouth feel here's an experiment:
Practice: Make a saline solution by dissolving some salt in water and swish it on your tongue. Notice where you pick up the taste the most. Usually it will be a little in from where you get acid and back. This practice will help you more with tasting food than wine, then again, those two generally go hand in hand.
Bitterness:
This taste is most sensitive at the back of the tongue. Bitterness is also not as important in wine as acidity and sweetness. A few wines can leave a bitter taste in your mouth such as Italian reds. Bitterness is confused with tannin as much as sweetness is confused with "fruitiness". I'll tell you more about this later.
Practice: Put a few drops of bitters on your tongue and move it around and see where it lasts. Bitterness is a taste that doesn't go away quickly, so when you're done it's ok to take a big swig of water.
Now every time you taste a wine, try to take notice of all of these feelings on your tongue. You'll start to see a lot of similarities and differences between varieties. This will help you in pairing wine with food, and also maybe you'll start to notice that some wines you always considered "really sweet" are actually only considered "medium-dry" in the wine world, such as Riesling or Gewürztraminer.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Welcome!
On September 15, 2010 I will attempt to pass a difficult test to receive another title of achievement in the world of wine. This title is Certified Wine Educator (CWE). I've been actively studying wine for about a year now. By "actively" I mean buying more books, taking notes, and taking practice tests. Last May I tested and passed an exam to become a Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW). This title is to show a high level of academic knowledge of wine, wine making, and regions. The next test is to show a very high level of academic knowledge as well as an educated palate.
I've been interested in wine for a few years now, but back then I didn't seem to realize how intriguing the subject is, and how easily it would pull me in. There is so much to learn about wine. It is an endless education process. Besides having to learn all the basics and past great wines, I have to keep up with each year: new vintages, weather, new laws, etc. This requires a lot of reading, tasting, and talking about wine. This is what brings me here. I would like to share what I am learning as well as answer questions to help sharpen my educating ability and experience. I look forward to sharing and hopefully finding followers who share my interest in wine or would like to learn more about this delicious education.
I've been interested in wine for a few years now, but back then I didn't seem to realize how intriguing the subject is, and how easily it would pull me in. There is so much to learn about wine. It is an endless education process. Besides having to learn all the basics and past great wines, I have to keep up with each year: new vintages, weather, new laws, etc. This requires a lot of reading, tasting, and talking about wine. This is what brings me here. I would like to share what I am learning as well as answer questions to help sharpen my educating ability and experience. I look forward to sharing and hopefully finding followers who share my interest in wine or would like to learn more about this delicious education.
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