Hi there!
Did ya'll do your homework??
This week I took a hop, skip, and a jump over to Washington state, tasting one of my favorite white wines, chardonnay. A 2009 Red Diamond chardonnay to be exact. You may be familiar with Red Diamond Cabernet. I see them a lot. Found this one at my favorite store, Trader Joes.
Keep in mind during your evaluation that Washington state is a colder climate. This lovely chardonnay was straw like color. Very pale. Legs moved quickly down the glass (remember what this means? warm climate- slower legs, cooler climate- quicker legs) Kinda funny when you think about it, hahaha. Its aroma reminded me of citrus fruit, like pineapple and BUTTER! Maybe the scent of honeysuckle flowers mixed in. The taste on the other hand. Vanilla smacked me in the face. This flavor is a descriptor of the oak barrels the wine fermented in. Wouldn't it be awesome to be able to tell the difference in American oak and French oak? That's one of my goals in this wine adventure. This wine also had a juicy taste, like biting into a melon. Light body and coats the tongue, which we can also use the term "creamy".
*Homework: Also try a warm climate chardonnay and see if you can tell the difference in a warm vs. cold climate wine.
Overall, Red Diamond chardonnay is a lovely white wine and can be drank by itself. Tip: since this is a "creamy" wine, try pairing it with some spicier foods. Its a beautiful balance between soft and tangy.
CHEERS to a wonderful life! :)
Hello my fellow wine traveler!
Before we visit our first stop in our wine adventure I wanted to go over some tasting tips. At a quick glance its 5 words: observe. smell. swirl. smell. taste. ponder. Observe the color, legs sheeting the glass. This can tell the type of climate the grapes grew in and age of the wine. There are MANY different varietals of grapes out there in the world, each having its own character and color. Smell briefly to make sure its okay to drink, not spoil. You'll know what corked wine smells like (ewww). Swirl to unleash the beast. My good friend Elizabeth always told me this is how you get to know the wine, like shaking hands. Give it a good swirl, it will unlock the aromas and flavors of the wine, its potential. Smell again, but this time stick your nose right in that glass and take a deep inhalation. I like to close my eyes at this part, focus on ALL the aromas in that wine. Start naming off smells your familiar with, theres no right or wrong answers. Taste (the best part). I don't need to explain to you how to drink wine, I'm sure y'all know. This is like smelling the wine, really think about it. The aromas and flavors is the art of the wine. Sometimes the wine taste nothing like it smells. Try thinking about foods you'd like to pair with this wine. Once again, theres no right or wrong answer, your the judge. Get descriptive. Ponder the environment the grapes grew in is effected by soil, climate, season, water, sunlight, pruning methods, when it was harvested, how the winemaker fermented the grapes to create that wine your drinking, etc etc. Think about how fun this is, you just visited that region of the world in a glass of wine. Give a toast to the winemaker and the vineyard. This is their passion.
*Homework, yes I think you should do some homework, this is a learning experience right? :) Try smelling everything! Build up that aroma library so different smells will become familiar to you. AND, observe wine bottle labels. Wheres it from? What year? Which vineyard? Is there a interesting story? Maybe the winemaker explained how he/she created this masterpiece. Note if it says how it was fermented. Maybe someday you'll be able to tell the difference in how it was fermented just by smelling and tasting the wine. That's my goal...
Finally, the fun part. To start off our journey I decided to go up the coast a bit, to Paso Robles. I just love this area. Tried a wine called Purple Cowboy 2009 Paso Robles 'night rider merlot' which I got at Target believe it or not (when did Target start selling alcohol?) This label has a neat little story. The color of the wine was bright, almost like a strawberry hue. Medium body (I'll explain this another time) legs where cruisin down the glass. Smelt like cooked berries and baking spices, baking fun in a glass. Taste nothing like it smells, slightly tart, fruit forward (like cherry) nutmeg and fig. Super dry, aka tannins. Balanced flavors. This is a great wine to pair with food.
Now your turn. Go out and try this wine. Don't just take my word for it, you have to experience it. Let me know your notes. We're together in this adventure.
~Cheers!
Want to learn more about wine from a master sommelier?? Take a wine tasting class with Elizabeth Schweitzer. Your gonna like it! http://www.winewisdomandwit.com/
I pondered my 2012 new years resolution. Who wants to do something they don't enjoy, like dieting or working out. I like drinking wine, especially trying new wines. That's the only way you actually "learn" about wine is by experiencing its aromas and flavors. Practice makes perfect, right? So, for a better excuse to drink wine weekly I'm thinking of incorporating traveling the world, one glass at a time. Instead of spending a fortune traveling the world (even though this will probably still cost me a small fortune) I'll taste a particular regions wine. My good friend, Elizabeth, a master sommelier, taught me that the best way to experience a culture is by drinking their wine. Think about it, winemakers will create their wine to best pair with their culture. Most of a wine's aroma and flavor comes from the environment the grapes grew in, or terroir as the French would say. You can visit Italy in a bottle of wine, or Argentina, or even in the states, like Washington. So would you like to join me in my travels??
Every week I will pick a bottle of wine from anywhere in the world and I'm willing to try a wine from a-n-y-w-h-e-r-e. I will post a blog weekly with my tasting notes to share with you. Follow along by finding the same wine. Your input is important as well. Lets make 2012 a year of learning something new, in a fun and tasty way ;)
Cheers!
