4:58- Getting settled into my seat. I bought a bottle of Pinot Gris today at the Vintage Cellar and haven't been home to drop it off, so it's just chilling in my backpack. No big deal.
5:00- A wild Boyer appears. A hoard of students appears to talk to him.
5:02- Relay for Life plug. Kind of awkward approach, calling everyone out who's lives have been touched by cancer. I feel like that's a raw topic for lots of people.
5:03- CLASS BEGINS YEAH
"The word 'reserve' doesn't mean shit." -Boyer (on the topic of Yellowtail Reserve wine)
There are few affordable/cheap wines coming from the Alsace region, because most of their wines are high quality. A standard Alsacian white wine would be around $17-25.
"Table Wine" is a legal description of wine in Europe. It is the most unregulated, the most average, and the least nuanced of wines.
Europeans tend to drink more often, with most meals.
"I try to mimic the European model and drink with every meal. Even breakfast. Some frosted flakes with a moscato d'asi, I highly recommend it. Or champagne in the rice krispies." -Boyer
Semillon
Region: France (Bordeaux: Graves, and Sauternes), Australia, Chile, S. Africa, CA, WA
Flavor Profile: apple, date, dig, lemon, pear, saffron, light grass.
Dessert: Low in acidity, heavy, viscose, silky, peaches, figs, mango, stonefruit
Oaked: butter, cream, vanilla hints
In most places, it doesn't make a terribly exciting white wine. It's higher in sugars and thin on the acidity. They feel heavy and oily because they are lacking acidity.
Sauternes is famous for making a SUPER SWEET dessert wine with the Semillon. It's a super complex wine that hits you with the sweetness, but the back and mid palette develop much further. See past the sugar!
Food and wine pairing tip: Try pairing cheeses with white wines and dessert wines. Bleu cheese in particular will pair terribly with red wine, a very sweet sauternes with bleu cheese will be magnificent.
Grenache/Garnacha (A workhorse grape like Merlot)
Regions: Spain, France (Rhone GSM), Sardinia, CA, Australia
Flavor Profile: Spicy, berry, high alcohol, fruity, jammy, pepper, red current, raspberry, fleshy, rustic, sweet berry....
Of note: Southern Rhone, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Rioja...
-They're the base of LOTS of wines. 50/60% Grenache, then add lots of other shit on top of it. It's an OK grape on its own. It has a general spicy/berry profile and high sweetness.
-This grape is a late ripener, so it needs long, hot, dry summers
-One of the most planted grapes in southern France
5:45- TO THE LECTURE!
Israel has a great climate for wine. They've been making it for, oh, 1000 years.
Climate plays the biggest factor in the finished grapes.
Grapes like mild, rainy winters and dry rest of the year with low humidity. It's hot during the day but cool at night. The grapes "rest" at night. Cool nights mean they retain their acids and sugars.
"What happens in Virginia? 100 degrees during the day, but HOT DANK ASS NASTINESS at night."- Boyer
You can still have great wines from other places, but the vintage is WAY more important there than it is for wines and vineyards in a mediterranean climate. There's much more variability outside the mediterranean climate.
Rain during the harvest! What does it mean?!
The plant sucks up all the water and shoots it into the grapes. It ruins the flavor profile and dilutes the sugars. It waters down your finished product.
Once heavy rain can screw up a crop and make it not great.
Two days makes it questionable.
Three days ruins it.
Thursday, February 26, 2015
Sunday, February 22, 2015
Tasting- 19 Crimes Shiraz Durif
Week 5
Name: 19 Crimes Shiraz Durif
Variety: Blend of Shiraz and Durif grapes
Region: Victoria
Country: Australia
Year: 2012
Price: $10
Food? Strawberry slices, which brightened the taste.
Description from the winery: "Dark red in the glass, its legs cascade slowly due to its concentration and power. Possessing aromas of licorice, dark fruits and vanilla, this theme carries through on the palate with loads of rich, wild fruit all wrapped in chalky, ripe tannins persistence and structure to support the concentration of flavour. A wine that boldly showcases the beauty of blending two varieties that match like hand and glove – delivering a memorable wine with loads of personality."
My Review: This wine was very tasty. The nose was heavy with blue fruits, like blackberry and plum. It smelled woody, but not oaky. The color was more pink than I anticipated. Notes of pepper and leather hit on the palette, making the wine round and chewy. However, the flavor profile really drops off at the end, with no mid or back palette experience to speak of. It's good for $10, but I don't think I'll be buying it again.
Tasting- Domaine du Grand Tinel Chateauneuf du Pape
Week 5
Domaine du Grand Tinel Cateauneuf du Pape Vertical
Name: Domaine du Grand Tinel Chateauneuf du Pape
Variety: 60% Grenache blanc, 20% Clairette and 20% Bourboulenc
Region: Chateauneuf du Pape, Rhone Valley
Country: France
Year (L to R): 2012, 2001, 1988
Price: Unknown; shared at a tasting
Food? No
Description: Could not find a description online
My Review: This was truly a treat. My friend Scott Drake hosted a wine, beer, and dinner party, and brought these three beauties out of his cellar. All three had been decanted prior to the party, and we tasted them from oldest to youngest.
1988- This wine is a little past its prime, but it was my favorite. The flavors were so savory and complex from time, I enjoyed trying to put my finger on what I was tasting. I detected spices, tannins, and leather. Overall, this was a musty, dank wine, absolutely fantastic. After tasting more, I decided that the spices I tasted were like a smoked grilled rosemary, or herb du provence. It reminded me of the lamb chops that my roommate fixed on Valentine's Day. I also picked up notes of apple on the back palette.
2001- Now is the prime time to drink your 2001 vintages! The color was darker than that of the '88. The smells were not as developed in the younger wine; I still got tannins, but a different spice note. Instead of rosemary, I picked up Old Bay and crabby smells. The wine tasted much bigger and juicier than the previous one, but also less dimensional. The taste was very similar, but just slightly less rich. The back palette was bitter.
2012- This was a one dimensional wine- definitely stick it back in your cellar for ten years. The red fruit comes out heavily in the smell and taste of this wine, like raspberry and strawberry. I also picked up notes of sour cream in the mid and back palette, as a bright tartness. This was a great exercise in aged wines, because the 2012 is definitely too young. It needs another decade on it.
Tasting- Charles de Cazanove Stradivarius Brut
Week 5
Name: Charles de Cazanove Stradivarius Brut
Variety: Champagne blend of grapes, including Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Meunier
Region: Champagne
Country: France
Year: 1998
Price: on average, $55. This was shared at a tasting.
Food? Had just eaten caviar before tasting, which imparted a fishy, garlicky taste to the wine.
Description: Couldn't find a description online.
My Review: This champagne smelled and tasted very appley to me, like a sparking apple cider instead of a wine. The effervescence was nice, but I picked up tart notes on the back palette. It was very easy to drink, and I'm excited that I got to try it!
Tasting- Catena Zapata Malbec
Week 5
Name: Catena Zapata Malbec
Variety: 100% Malbec, blended from the Catena Zapata vineyards Adrianna and Nicasia.
Region: Mendoza
Country: Argentina
Year: 2010
Price: Unknown; shared at a tasting
Food? Had just eaten caviar before tasting, which imparted a fishy, garlicky taste to the wine.
Description from the winery: "This wine represents more than a single vintage. It reflects a family’s century-long journey to produce an Argentine Malbec that can stand with the great wines of the world.
Malbec Argentino is a blend of Catena Zapata’s historic Malbec vineyards, Adrianna and Nicasia. The wine is made from a meticulous vine selection within the best, historic rows of these family estate vineyards."
My Review: This wine was excellent! I detected wood and warm spices on the nose, which I believe is substantiated by the wine's 24-month long wait in French oak barrels. I picked up on spicy components in the taste, like black pepper and hot peppers. The wine is very tannic. While drinking this wine, I was hopping back and forth between my friends and the caviar dish. Some notes of brine and fishiness were on my palette while enjoying the wine.
Tasting- Petrucco Ribolla Gialla
Week 5
Name: Petrucco Ribolla Gialla
Variety: 100% Ribolla Gialla varietal
Region: Friuli
Country: Italy
Year: 2009
Price: $21, sale $7.95
Food? No
Description from the Vintage Cellar: "87 points –Wine Enthusiast
This well-priced Friulano
would pair nicely with spicy Indian or Thai food thanks to the creaminess and
richness of its mouthfeel. In addition, the wine offers a solid bouquet of
peach and melon that would not compete with fragrant ingredients 100% Ribolla
Gialla."
My Review: The fruit notes were immediately present on the nose. I detected more desserty, sweet notes than straight fruit, like berries and cream instead of fresh strawberries. The taste blew me away, because that dessert quality came at me full force. It tasted like sweet cake and frosting, which I did not expect. A caramel and butterscotch flavor lingered on the mid and back palette. This was an incredibly interesting wine.
Thursday, February 19, 2015
Class Notes- February 19
5:01- It's very cold and you can tell that no one wanted to come to class today just by sheer numbers of people in class.
5:02- Lights dimming. Boyer talking. Reading a beer label. Muttering about B. Nektar. Mutter mutter.
5:04: CLASS BEGINS
Boyer is anti-flavoring agents- I agree. Pure ingredients > fake ingredients. Quality ingredients don't necessarily mean expensive ingredients.
"But that's just me; I'm a snob." -Boyer
"Well, it is 75 degrees below zero out there, so thanks for coming to class today." -Boyer
Chenin Blanc (aka Steen in S. Africa)
Regions: Loire Valley (France), South Africa, California
Flavor Profile: flowers, damp straw, peach, quince, apple, honey, pineapple
"This is a grape I like... but I can't get all fired up about it." -Boyer
Food Pairing: Great with just about any seafood, chicken, light sauce
It's not outrageous, but bolder than a Pinot Grigio. Slightly creamier, rounder than a Sauv Blanc
"Green grass, that's a chardonnay. Dry grass, that's a Chenin Blanc." -Boyer
"I would tell you to go out of your way to find a South African Chenin Blanc than anything else. I'd tell you to get an average Chenin Blanc over any Pinot Grigio." -Boyer
Syrah/Shiraz
Regions: Rhone Valley (France), Australia, California, Washington, Spain, Chile, South Africa
Flavor Profile: black currant, blackberry, grassy, black peppar, licorice, clove, sandelwood, cedar
"Old World" (France): Black pepper, leather, elegant, tannic, smoke-flavored, earthy (Subtler fruit flavors)
"New World" (Australia): Ripe berries, fruit driven, peppery, higher in alcohol, medium tannins
It can get BIG flavors, BIG alcohol, BIG tannins. (Accentuate the fruit)
Processing flavors: musk, civet, truffle, earth, vanilla, coconut, sweet wood, oak, smoke, toast, tar, cedar, cigar box, earth, leather
Mouthfeel: voluptuous, lavish
It would be interesting to do a Syrah/Barrel aged beer tasting. To compare mouthfeels and tastes.
Do a mouthfeel comparison between Pinot Noir and s Syrah.
Petite Syrah.... is a different grape altogether. It'll be introduced next week!
"It's so petite.. IN YOUR FACE. PUNCH YOU IN THE FACE. It's so tannic it rips your damn teeth lining off." -Boyer
5:31- TO THE LESSON!
Tartaric acid builds the skeleton that the fruit flavors and suppleness hangs on.
Vitis Vinifera is the chief grape for wine.
Grape Varieties: Cab Sav, Merlot, Chardonnay, Pinot, Gamay, Riesling.... etc.
Mighty Morpher Vitis Vinifera: Changes rapidly depending on climatic and soil conditions of where the grapes are growing. Genetic mutation happens so easily with this plant.
Because of this, we may have 500-5000 varieties of grapes to make wine from.
MAGIC EXTRA CREDIT
"You guys are awesome. How does ten points sound? Like BULLSHIT. How about THIRTY?!" -Boyer
Species: Vitis vinifera
Variety: Everything you know. Yeah.
Species: Vitis labrusca
Variety: Concord, Catawba
Also, jelly/gum/grape juice
Species: Vitis rotunifolia
Variety: Scuppernog (foxy, musky, skunky, weird)
"You can't even read the wine grapes from Greece. There's 16 consonants for every vowel. One has 16 h's and an r." -Boyer
You should try ALL the wines, even if you have no idea what the grape is. You could try a new grape variety every day for the next ten years and not run out.
Have you had a table wine that you thought tasted like juice?
That flavor profile is not really found in European Vitis Vinifera. "Grape" flavor is very specific to the concord grape.
Repeat: This plant morphs.
The KINGS of the RED wine worlds
1. Cabernet Sauvignon: Bordeaux, CA, et al?
2. Barbera
3. Cabernet Franc
4. Gamay
5. Grenache
6. Merlot
...
10. Zinfandel: CA! We don't know how it got to CA, but it BOOMED here. It came from Croatia, but no one gave a shit about it and so it came over here.
...
12. Malbec: originally grown all over France, but once they brought it to Argentina it did "ten million times better" -'Boyer
You could grow all of these grapes here in Blacksburg, but they won't taste the same. Due to globalization, "people are growing this shit all over the place. Who the hell is stupid enough to grow this shit in Alaska? Someone!" -Boyer
People are experimenting with grapes in China- China has tons of cheap labor, so watch Chinese wines in the future.
The KINGS of the Whites: this slide was shown for ten seconds. No one cares.
Part 1: The Plant
-Like a tree fruit, 5-6 years to maturity, lasts 20-100 years
-Morphs readily
-Can be propagated vegetatively and sexually
-Needs 'down-time': is a mid-latitude plant that requires seasonality (as in four seasons)
-#1 factor influencing viticulture outcome: CLIMATE!
Wine is the one commodity that we expect to be different based on climate and that year's growing season.
Vintage is important because each year is slightly different.
5:02- Lights dimming. Boyer talking. Reading a beer label. Muttering about B. Nektar. Mutter mutter.
5:04: CLASS BEGINS
Boyer is anti-flavoring agents- I agree. Pure ingredients > fake ingredients. Quality ingredients don't necessarily mean expensive ingredients.
"But that's just me; I'm a snob." -Boyer
"Well, it is 75 degrees below zero out there, so thanks for coming to class today." -Boyer
Chenin Blanc (aka Steen in S. Africa)
Regions: Loire Valley (France), South Africa, California
Flavor Profile: flowers, damp straw, peach, quince, apple, honey, pineapple
"This is a grape I like... but I can't get all fired up about it." -Boyer
Food Pairing: Great with just about any seafood, chicken, light sauce
It's not outrageous, but bolder than a Pinot Grigio. Slightly creamier, rounder than a Sauv Blanc
"Green grass, that's a chardonnay. Dry grass, that's a Chenin Blanc." -Boyer
"I would tell you to go out of your way to find a South African Chenin Blanc than anything else. I'd tell you to get an average Chenin Blanc over any Pinot Grigio." -Boyer
Syrah/Shiraz
Regions: Rhone Valley (France), Australia, California, Washington, Spain, Chile, South Africa
Flavor Profile: black currant, blackberry, grassy, black peppar, licorice, clove, sandelwood, cedar
"Old World" (France): Black pepper, leather, elegant, tannic, smoke-flavored, earthy (Subtler fruit flavors)
"New World" (Australia): Ripe berries, fruit driven, peppery, higher in alcohol, medium tannins
It can get BIG flavors, BIG alcohol, BIG tannins. (Accentuate the fruit)
Processing flavors: musk, civet, truffle, earth, vanilla, coconut, sweet wood, oak, smoke, toast, tar, cedar, cigar box, earth, leather
Mouthfeel: voluptuous, lavish
It would be interesting to do a Syrah/Barrel aged beer tasting. To compare mouthfeels and tastes.
Do a mouthfeel comparison between Pinot Noir and s Syrah.
Petite Syrah.... is a different grape altogether. It'll be introduced next week!
"It's so petite.. IN YOUR FACE. PUNCH YOU IN THE FACE. It's so tannic it rips your damn teeth lining off." -Boyer
5:31- TO THE LESSON!
Tartaric acid builds the skeleton that the fruit flavors and suppleness hangs on.
Vitis Vinifera is the chief grape for wine.
Grape Varieties: Cab Sav, Merlot, Chardonnay, Pinot, Gamay, Riesling.... etc.
Mighty Morpher Vitis Vinifera: Changes rapidly depending on climatic and soil conditions of where the grapes are growing. Genetic mutation happens so easily with this plant.
Because of this, we may have 500-5000 varieties of grapes to make wine from.
MAGIC EXTRA CREDIT
"You guys are awesome. How does ten points sound? Like BULLSHIT. How about THIRTY?!" -Boyer
Species: Vitis vinifera
Variety: Everything you know. Yeah.
Species: Vitis labrusca
Variety: Concord, Catawba
Also, jelly/gum/grape juice
Species: Vitis rotunifolia
Variety: Scuppernog (foxy, musky, skunky, weird)
"You can't even read the wine grapes from Greece. There's 16 consonants for every vowel. One has 16 h's and an r." -Boyer
You should try ALL the wines, even if you have no idea what the grape is. You could try a new grape variety every day for the next ten years and not run out.
Have you had a table wine that you thought tasted like juice?
That flavor profile is not really found in European Vitis Vinifera. "Grape" flavor is very specific to the concord grape.
Repeat: This plant morphs.
The KINGS of the RED wine worlds
1. Cabernet Sauvignon: Bordeaux, CA, et al?
2. Barbera
3. Cabernet Franc
4. Gamay
5. Grenache
6. Merlot
...
10. Zinfandel: CA! We don't know how it got to CA, but it BOOMED here. It came from Croatia, but no one gave a shit about it and so it came over here.
...
12. Malbec: originally grown all over France, but once they brought it to Argentina it did "ten million times better" -'Boyer
You could grow all of these grapes here in Blacksburg, but they won't taste the same. Due to globalization, "people are growing this shit all over the place. Who the hell is stupid enough to grow this shit in Alaska? Someone!" -Boyer
People are experimenting with grapes in China- China has tons of cheap labor, so watch Chinese wines in the future.
The KINGS of the Whites: this slide was shown for ten seconds. No one cares.
Part 1: The Plant
-Like a tree fruit, 5-6 years to maturity, lasts 20-100 years
-Morphs readily
-Can be propagated vegetatively and sexually
-Needs 'down-time': is a mid-latitude plant that requires seasonality (as in four seasons)
-#1 factor influencing viticulture outcome: CLIMATE!
Wine is the one commodity that we expect to be different based on climate and that year's growing season.
Vintage is important because each year is slightly different.
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
Class Notes- February 17
4:58- Class is approximately 30% full. I imagine most people are either tucked into bed with a nice bottle of Chianti or out on the drillfield preparing for the snowball fight. Boyer is not here yet.
5:49- I lied. He just walked on stage. And some student just hopped on stage to talk to him about wine, probably. People are lining up to share stories and laughs.
5:01- CLASS BEGINS YAY
5:01.5- He offers to let us go to the snowball fight. I hope he doesn't. I want to learn. Apparently Presidents Sands will be there.
5:02- Some guy bought an 89-scored wine for like $8. He's incredulous, and Boyer calls it bull-hockey. Rating systems are relative, and "If you're like me, you don't give a shit about them!" -Boyer
"Obviously, it's marketing" -Boyer
Most places won't even list their scores unless it's an 88 or higher, which really makes the whole system stupid. 90% of wines are rated 88-92, so what difference does it make?
The Boyer 3 Point method
0- Undrinkable. Flawed wine. "It's simply unpalettable, it leaves a nasty taste in your mouth" -Boyer
1- Everything else.
2- "I want more of that stuff. If a bottle of 2 is open, I will drink it all. I will not want to share it, if it's at a public function I will try to steal it." -Boyer
Apparently, he shared this method with Gary Vay-Ner-Chuck, and Gary made fun of him for it. I say go Boyer, Gary gets on my nerves.
Daily Knowledge Fact! Legally, you can't sell alcohol for less than you bought it. (Retailers)
"I should've recorded that, that was a pretty good rant." -Boyer
5:12- "How can you tell which wine to buy that will be good to age for 1- to 12 years?" You just need to do your homework.
At our age and our budget, if we want to start buying wine to age, start with the Rhone region. Chateauneuf du Pape, etc, those wines will buy relatively inexpensive and age for a while. Good stuff.
For example, Bordeaux- the grapes harvested in 2014 are of that year's vintage. Right now, they're sitting in vats or about to be put in oak barrels. By 2016, they'll hit the shelves, but they'll still be very young. You can buy them and sit on them.
"It's like anything else, it's an investment." -Boyer
By the way, New Money in China has been buying up all of the Bordeaux wines even before they've been produced. The prices for Bordeaux are going to be inflated for the next decade or so. So, switch to a different region for a while.
Gruner Veltliner (overwhelmingly made into a white table wine)
Regions: Austria (King Grape), Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Australia, New Zealand, Oregon, New York
aka Cooler growing regions
Flavor Profile: LIGHT LIGHT LIGHT crisp, fruity, citrus/peach, mineral, stone, flinty, subtle white pepper, herby, veggie-ish... etc. Acidic.
"You CAN'T spend a lot money on this. You can seek out and try, but you can't do it." -Boyer
"I'm a big fan, especially in the summer time. They're good with sausages, too. Dammit, I'm hungry now. WHY do I always do this with you people? OK, class dismissed." -Boyer
Cooler regions mostly grow white grapes, because red grapes need a longer growing season than a cold area can manage. You see reds coming from much warmer places.
Do cold regions make drier wines? Not necessarily. It's entirely up to the wine maker. Any region, any grape, it's done during the fermentation process and the wine maker has the ability to kill the yeast and control the dry/sweet toggle bar.
Cabernet Franc (Parent grape to Cab Sav)
Regions: Bordeaux (France), Loire (chinon, France), Italy, Hungary, California, Washington, Virginia, New York, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand
Flavor Profiles: Much lighter than it's bold-bodied cousin, Cab Sav. Herbal! Tobacco, black currant, plum, raspberry, bell pepper, licorice, asparagus, cassis, cedar, smoke, briar (a kind of woody/herbaceous sensation that is distinctly NOT oak), pencil shavings, black olive... contributes finesse and lends a peppery perfume to blends with more robust grapes
Each state in the US has at least 2 wineries. Even Alaska and Hawaii. And in most places that aren't tropical, every country state has started getting into wine making and grape growing (even the middle east)
"Cabernet Franc is Virginia's best grape. Cab Franc does quite interesting things in VA that it doesn't do elsewhere on planet earth." -Boyer
It has unique herbal components that aren't present in Cab Francs from other places around the world.
"You should start doing this now that you're in wine class. Go outside and randomly pick up shit and eat it. Like gasoline. I've drank gasoline. I've actually tried diesel to see the difference between it and gasoline." -Boyer
VOCAB!
Varietal wine- overwhelmingly made of one grape
It takes about a million bucks to start a winery. It takes 5-7 years to get a full crop of grapes, and you don't know if they're good until then. At that point, you owe a shit ton of money, so you charge $20 a bottle because of it. Hence why Virginia wines are so expensive, because they're small operations that are trying to stay afloat.
A couple good Virginia wineries:
Barbersville Vineyard
Veritas (on Afton Mountain)
5:48- More Basic Wine History
The grapes we love are historically from the Russian/Georgian border. That's where this exact plant came from.
"Grapes are the most successful plant in terms of distributing itself around the world from one specific source." -Boyer
Where is it now? Damn near everywhere! Mostly in the mid latitude sections of the earth (15-30 degrees southernly and northernly)
Fossilized pips and stems and broken wine jugs have been found that date back to 6, 7, 10,000 B.C.E. Wine predates the construction of the Pyramids at Giza and written history.
Why is wine so studied?
It's more than a commodity. There are religious implications, significant economic impacts, and symbolic importance. It's seen in art and literature very frequently. It's the most referenced commodity in the bible.
Lots of old civilizations had gods dedicated to wine.
"Olives are really important, but they don't have their own god. Wine does. Grapes do." -Boyer
"Moses, when he got off the ark, planted a vineyard." -Boyer (he's not a religious man, as you can tell)
All great wines start in the vineyard.
"Even a master winemaker can't make gold out of dog shit." -Boyer
5:57- The Plant
-Highest sugar content ratio of any other fruit
-Have tannins (helps wine age better)
-Easy to squish
Typical Grape Composition (on average)
75% Water
22% Sugars
Acids (Tartaric, Malic, Total 1.1%)
.8% Nitrogenous matter
.05% Phenolics
.5% Minerals
.55% Other matter
The growers in the vineyard constantly watch the acid/sugar balance as harvest nears. As sugars increase, acids decrease. This border is different for different grapes and isn't an exact formula.
What's in a grape?
-Seeds (aka pips, are full of the bad kinds of tannins and trace amounts of cyanide, similarly to apple seeds)
-Skin (contains the tannins, so must be treated with care)
-Pulp (contains all the juice)
Get the juice without smashing the seeds!
Grapes are wild all across the northern hemisphere. North America has more species of grapes than Asia and Europe. They're EVERYWHERE. But Vitis Vinifera is the one we most often turn into wine (99.9% of the world's wine). They rest are all edible, but they're not quite right for wine.
THE END.
5:49- I lied. He just walked on stage. And some student just hopped on stage to talk to him about wine, probably. People are lining up to share stories and laughs.
5:01- CLASS BEGINS YAY
5:01.5- He offers to let us go to the snowball fight. I hope he doesn't. I want to learn. Apparently Presidents Sands will be there.
5:02- Some guy bought an 89-scored wine for like $8. He's incredulous, and Boyer calls it bull-hockey. Rating systems are relative, and "If you're like me, you don't give a shit about them!" -Boyer
"Obviously, it's marketing" -Boyer
Most places won't even list their scores unless it's an 88 or higher, which really makes the whole system stupid. 90% of wines are rated 88-92, so what difference does it make?
The Boyer 3 Point method
0- Undrinkable. Flawed wine. "It's simply unpalettable, it leaves a nasty taste in your mouth" -Boyer
1- Everything else.
2- "I want more of that stuff. If a bottle of 2 is open, I will drink it all. I will not want to share it, if it's at a public function I will try to steal it." -Boyer
Apparently, he shared this method with Gary Vay-Ner-Chuck, and Gary made fun of him for it. I say go Boyer, Gary gets on my nerves.
Daily Knowledge Fact! Legally, you can't sell alcohol for less than you bought it. (Retailers)
"I should've recorded that, that was a pretty good rant." -Boyer
5:12- "How can you tell which wine to buy that will be good to age for 1- to 12 years?" You just need to do your homework.
At our age and our budget, if we want to start buying wine to age, start with the Rhone region. Chateauneuf du Pape, etc, those wines will buy relatively inexpensive and age for a while. Good stuff.
For example, Bordeaux- the grapes harvested in 2014 are of that year's vintage. Right now, they're sitting in vats or about to be put in oak barrels. By 2016, they'll hit the shelves, but they'll still be very young. You can buy them and sit on them.
"It's like anything else, it's an investment." -Boyer
By the way, New Money in China has been buying up all of the Bordeaux wines even before they've been produced. The prices for Bordeaux are going to be inflated for the next decade or so. So, switch to a different region for a while.
Gruner Veltliner (overwhelmingly made into a white table wine)
Regions: Austria (King Grape), Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Australia, New Zealand, Oregon, New York
aka Cooler growing regions
Flavor Profile: LIGHT LIGHT LIGHT crisp, fruity, citrus/peach, mineral, stone, flinty, subtle white pepper, herby, veggie-ish... etc. Acidic.
"You CAN'T spend a lot money on this. You can seek out and try, but you can't do it." -Boyer
"I'm a big fan, especially in the summer time. They're good with sausages, too. Dammit, I'm hungry now. WHY do I always do this with you people? OK, class dismissed." -Boyer
Cooler regions mostly grow white grapes, because red grapes need a longer growing season than a cold area can manage. You see reds coming from much warmer places.
Do cold regions make drier wines? Not necessarily. It's entirely up to the wine maker. Any region, any grape, it's done during the fermentation process and the wine maker has the ability to kill the yeast and control the dry/sweet toggle bar.
Cabernet Franc (Parent grape to Cab Sav)
Regions: Bordeaux (France), Loire (chinon, France), Italy, Hungary, California, Washington, Virginia, New York, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand
Flavor Profiles: Much lighter than it's bold-bodied cousin, Cab Sav. Herbal! Tobacco, black currant, plum, raspberry, bell pepper, licorice, asparagus, cassis, cedar, smoke, briar (a kind of woody/herbaceous sensation that is distinctly NOT oak), pencil shavings, black olive... contributes finesse and lends a peppery perfume to blends with more robust grapes
Each state in the US has at least 2 wineries. Even Alaska and Hawaii. And in most places that aren't tropical, every country state has started getting into wine making and grape growing (even the middle east)
"Cabernet Franc is Virginia's best grape. Cab Franc does quite interesting things in VA that it doesn't do elsewhere on planet earth." -Boyer
It has unique herbal components that aren't present in Cab Francs from other places around the world.
"You should start doing this now that you're in wine class. Go outside and randomly pick up shit and eat it. Like gasoline. I've drank gasoline. I've actually tried diesel to see the difference between it and gasoline." -Boyer
VOCAB!
Varietal wine- overwhelmingly made of one grape
It takes about a million bucks to start a winery. It takes 5-7 years to get a full crop of grapes, and you don't know if they're good until then. At that point, you owe a shit ton of money, so you charge $20 a bottle because of it. Hence why Virginia wines are so expensive, because they're small operations that are trying to stay afloat.
A couple good Virginia wineries:
Barbersville Vineyard
Veritas (on Afton Mountain)
5:48- More Basic Wine History
The grapes we love are historically from the Russian/Georgian border. That's where this exact plant came from.
"Grapes are the most successful plant in terms of distributing itself around the world from one specific source." -Boyer
Where is it now? Damn near everywhere! Mostly in the mid latitude sections of the earth (15-30 degrees southernly and northernly)
Fossilized pips and stems and broken wine jugs have been found that date back to 6, 7, 10,000 B.C.E. Wine predates the construction of the Pyramids at Giza and written history.
Why is wine so studied?
It's more than a commodity. There are religious implications, significant economic impacts, and symbolic importance. It's seen in art and literature very frequently. It's the most referenced commodity in the bible.
Lots of old civilizations had gods dedicated to wine.
"Olives are really important, but they don't have their own god. Wine does. Grapes do." -Boyer
"Moses, when he got off the ark, planted a vineyard." -Boyer (he's not a religious man, as you can tell)
All great wines start in the vineyard.
"Even a master winemaker can't make gold out of dog shit." -Boyer
5:57- The Plant
-Highest sugar content ratio of any other fruit
-Have tannins (helps wine age better)
-Easy to squish
Typical Grape Composition (on average)
75% Water
22% Sugars
Acids (Tartaric, Malic, Total 1.1%)
.8% Nitrogenous matter
.05% Phenolics
.5% Minerals
.55% Other matter
The growers in the vineyard constantly watch the acid/sugar balance as harvest nears. As sugars increase, acids decrease. This border is different for different grapes and isn't an exact formula.
What's in a grape?
-Seeds (aka pips, are full of the bad kinds of tannins and trace amounts of cyanide, similarly to apple seeds)
-Skin (contains the tannins, so must be treated with care)
-Pulp (contains all the juice)
Get the juice without smashing the seeds!
Grapes are wild all across the northern hemisphere. North America has more species of grapes than Asia and Europe. They're EVERYWHERE. But Vitis Vinifera is the one we most often turn into wine (99.9% of the world's wine). They rest are all edible, but they're not quite right for wine.
THE END.
Sunday, February 15, 2015
Tasting- Riebeek Chenin Blanc
Week 4
Name: Riebeek Chenin Blanc
Variety: 100% Chenin Blanc
Region: Swartland
Country: South Africa
Year: 2014
Price: $10, sale $6.95
Food? No
Description from the Vintage Cellar: "Fresh kiwifruit, green apple and almond notes bounce
along, showing a flash of plantain on the friendly finish. Drink now."
My Review: I had no trouble at all detecting the fruit notes in this wine! I noticed flavors of kiwi and pineapple right off the bat. The wine is pretty acidic, and left the mouth a little dry. The nose caught me off guard, though- I picked up on buttery notes, like buttered popcorn. I thought the nose and the taste didn't line up, but it doesn't matter to me. This was a tasty wine.
Tasting- San Elias Carmenere
Week 4
Name: San Elias Carmenere
Variety: 100% Carmenere
Region: Valle Central
Country: Chile
Year: 2014
Price: $9, sale $5.95
Food? No
Description from the Vintage Cellar: "This medium-bodied red offers roasted plum, kirsch,
sage and game notes, with light tannins supporting the spicy finish."
My Review: I detected spicy, peppery notes on the nose. The taste was right in line with the scent, with noticeable tannins and a spiced, peppery flavor. I also detected notes of oak and sour cream- I described it as drinking an enchilada. I thought the wine was very drying. I didn't buy any, and I really regret it. I may go back this week and pick up a bottle or two and try it on Mexican food night!
Tasting- Ilurche Tempranillo
Week 4
Name: Ilurche Tempranillo
Variety: 50% Tempranillo, 50% Graciano
Region: Rioja
Country: Spain
Year: 2008
Price: $14, sale for $6
Food? No
Description from the Vineyard: "Tempranillo is the main grape in Rioja. With our tempranillo, thanks to the sun and weather can offer a well-structured, mature and fruity wine. Our tempranillo vineyards are located in Serrano area (50 years old), Rihuela area (15-30 years old), and Saso (20 years old).
We use tempranillo grapes (different blends and proportion) to make Ilurche red wine, crianza, Vendimia Seleccionada Crianza, and Reserva."
Description from the Vintage Cellar:
"88 points – Stephen Tanzer
Dark purple. Zesty, youthfully medicinal aromas of dark berries,
licorice and cracked pepper. Juicy and fresh, with smooth texture and sweet cherry
and spice flavors framed by dusty tannins. Finishes with a suggestion of
slightly roasted fruits and good clinging persistence. Delivers a lot of power
and richness for the money."
My Review: I had a hard time discerning flavors and smells from the nose of this wine, I was overpowered by the smell of the tannins. The taste however was very easy to dissect- it was very peppery. I also picked up on the "dusty tannins" described by the Vintage Cellar. While I was tasting it, I tried to compare the flavor to the girls pouring wine as licking a dusty spoon, or drinking out of a dirty glass. They just stared at me like I was insane, which I guess is accurate, considering I know what dusty flatware tastes like.
Definitely an interesting wine!
Tasting- Firestone Walker Opal v. Little Opal
Week 4
Name: Firestone Walker Opal (Dry Hopped Saison Farmhouse Ale) and Lil Opal (Barrel aged Saison Farmhouse Ale)
Variety: Saison Beer
Region: Paso Robles, CA
Country: USA
Year: Both 2014
Price: Opal: $8, Lil Opal: $10-15
Food? No
Opal- Description from the Brewery: "Bringing down the Farmhouse! Our interpretation of the rustic Wallonian Saison style is a harmonious blend of rustic grains, spicy yeast and unique sauvignon blanc tones. Inviting lemon grass and gooseberry meet peppery spice and fresh grain aromas. Spicy Belgian yeast create a complex yet dry and refreshing canvas with splashes of citrus and stone fruit with a bright tropical white wine finish. Hop bitterness is assertive yet harmonious rounding out slightly tart and refreshing."
Lil Opal- Description from the Brewery: "Our first 2013 blend from masterblender Jim Crooks! Lil' Opal is a cunning blend of two-year-old American oak and eight-month-old French oak saisons. Both go through a secondary fermentation and maturation in barrels. This traditional Belgian farmhouse saison has notes of citrus and tropical fruit, a smooth mouthfeel, and tangy crisp finish. Round this all out with a little earthy funk and we have one refreshingly complex offering."
My Review: I purchased Lil Opal this August during a visit to the Firestone Walker brewery, and have been saving it to try alongside it's non-barrel-aged sibling, Opal. The bottle date on Opal is 06/06/14, and Lil Opal was bottled in 2014.
Opal is a mild, effervescent saison. It tastes appropriate to the style, but doesn't stand out as a front runner. It tastes funky- the flavor takes your imagination away to a barn full of slightly wet hay.
Lil Opal, on the other hand, tastes fantastic. The time in the barrel greatly improved the flavor profile of the saison farmhouse ale. The carbonation is much lower, so it's a smoother drink and there is nothing to distract you from the flavor of the beer.
Lil Opal is the clear winner to me. I enjoyed the study of barrel-aging!
Tasting- Chateau Ste Michelle Gewurztraminer
Week 4
Name: Chateau Ste Michelle Gewurztraminer
Variety: 100% Vinifera Rootstock
Region: Paso Robles, CA
Country: USA
Year: 2013
Price: $10
Food? No
Description from the Vineyard:"This Gerwurztraminer is such an enjoyable wine with beautiful, expressive fruit and clove spice. This is a lush style of Gerwurztraminer with a lot of floral character, yet it still maintains the grape's natural crisp acidity. A touch of Muscat offers citrus notes and a deeper spice note."
My Review: The wine smelled very fruity and sugary, and the taste reflected that. I thought it was a sweet wine, but sweet like candied fruit, rather than straight candy. I detected notes of peaches and apricots, two fruits that I've had dried. I thought it was a fantastic wine and I'd love to have it again!
Thursday, February 12, 2015
Class notes- February 12
5:00- Today we are watching a movie. I will share a doodle I made in class for your entertainment.
5:01- Boyer is at the center of a mob of students with questions. One guy even brought in a bottle of wine to ask about.
5:03- CLASS IS STARTINNG YAY
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
Class Notes- February 10
4:58- Boyer walks on stage, sets down his bag, and is immediately accosted by an inquisitive student.
5:00- Lights dim. Will class start on time today?!
5:02- START OF WINE CLASS YEAH
He's talking, but it's hard to hear. Microphone must be broken. Time for wines that we've all had.
5:05- MICROPHONE ON!
Person 1: Someone had an Australian Shiraz-Viogner blend. (It's really boring to listen to other people describe their wines, let's be real). Boyer says this pairing is typical, but the ratio is heavily skewed towards the shiraz. This wine is trying to copy a classic Rhone wine, apparently. "A nice combination of flower and spice". -Boyer
Person 2: German Riesling, which apparently could be aged for 20+ years. IS THIS TRUE, BOYER? Fuck yes you can! There are some age-worthy white wines (few and far between), and German Rieslings are in that category. Some cellars in Germany have 100+ year old wines. Well crafted wines, exceptionally crafted wines, will age longer than their inferior neighbors.
Wines are age-able because they have BIG amounts of tannins which helps them carry the distance. "Big ass tannins in a young wine will carry it for ten years."- Boyer
"Make it a big ALCOHOL BOMB and it will last longer!"-Boyer. Ports and Sherries have a high alcohol level that will stabilize the wine. You can open it, drink some, leave it open until spring, and have it again- and it won't have changed.
Large amounts of sugars and acids will also help wines age. Like a German Riesling!
Person 3: "My friends and I, we um, tried a red wine called 'Brownie Points', and it tasted kinda chocolatey. One of my friends there is allergic to chocolate, so we were wondering if he could, um, drink the wine, hahaha" O__O (I'm so rude.)
There's usually no chocolate in wine. Some Scandinavian country made a chocolate wine and it was apparently not terrible.
"I wouldn't go near it myself. I'd feed it to hungry animals, maybe." -Boyer
Person 4: Merlot Botta Box! I love my Botta Box. I keep mine on the refrigerator, shame on me.
"I should've gotten to this in the lecture by now... But boxed wine is respectable nowadays. Franzia still sucks. They haven't changed the magic recipe for that shit." -Boyer
There are many good wines in a box now. It's a superior enclosure to bottles, because bottles can still be permeated by light. Boxed wine eliminates that issue. Also, as you tap the wine, no oxygen will get in. Great for solo drinkers, because it will keep indefinitely.
If you go to a restaurant with a meh wine list, ask if they have a boxed wine. Because you know it'll always be good (you can't tamper with it).
Person 5: Drank a wine that I can't spell (Gewürztraminer!) and it tasted like Elderflower tea. Super dry wine, but the brain tricks you into smelling and tasting sweet things.
NEWSFLASH: SWEET IS NOT A SMELL. IT IS A TASTE.
5:24- "We are already halfway through class. This class is the worstbest class ever." -Boyer
Gewurztraminer Grape (rhymes with "It hurts my weiner")
aka Traminer (easy to say)
Regions: Germany and Alsace mostly, Italy, Austria, Australia, Chile, New Zealand, Washington, Oregon, New York
Flavor profile: Lychee, apricots, honey, roses and petals, passion fruits, floral notes, gardenia, honeysuckle, linalool, peach, mango, spice, perfume. This is a wine so floral, your brain gets tricked. Always made bone dry, but sneaky and tastes sweet. It's difficult to pair with food, but white cheeses may go well with it. It also goes well with Thai food.
Try pairing white wines with white cheeses!
5:32- "I haven't even gotten to the first slide. Damn you, wine class." -Boyer
Talking about Palisades wine dinner. Sounds delicious, I will probably skip pottery next week to go to it.
Riesling Grape
Regions: Germany mostly (King region for the grape), Alsace, New York, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, South Africa
Flavor Profile: fruity, honeyed, honeysuckle, floral, tropical fruits, pear, lime zest, mineral, stone, petrol, diesel, geranium, rose petal, orange blossom, jasmine, apricot
The flavors are much more subtle than the Gewurztraminer. The most unique flavor here is petrol/diesel. Quite common in aged Rieslings.
Almost ALL German Rieslings are sweet, because all the exported wines are sweet. You could go over there and get a dry one, but they're not shipped over here. If the Riesling is from Alsace, it's almost ALWAYS bone dry.
Pinot Noir- Either GREAT or shitty. No in-between. Lots of people are making mediocre Pinot Noirs.
aka Spatburgunder, Blauburgunder, Pinot Nero
Regions: EVERYWHERE. Most popular grape, so everyone's trying to grow it. Most famously from Burgundy. Also from Champagne, Germany, Italy, Oregon, California, New Zealand. Everything tastes totally different depending on the region.
All red Burgundy is Pinot Noir. FYI.
Flavor Profile- Old World (Burgundy): Light body, black/red cherry, raspberry, earthy, farmyard, mushroom. Earth Forward. Almost always need age and food.
Flavor Profile- New World (California): Medium body, fruit forward, current, cherry, blackberry. Fruit Forward.
The Pinot Noirs from Oregon are GOODNESS. Delicious. Good. "It is GOOD."- Boyer
This is one of those grapes that morphs readily to its environment. That's the fun of it! It can taste like ANYTHING. Most of these wines will spend time in a barrel.
"Pinot noir is the only wine I've ever had that somehow gets a meatiness to it... hints of bacon and bacon fat. If you ever get one, it will knock your socks off. 'No way, Boyer wasn't shitting! I smell bacon in this!'." -Boyer
5:48- "I will continue onward. Wasting your time, teaching you stuff." -Boyer
5:54- When it comes to making wine, you need fruit. Most of the time it's grapes. But wine is a generic term for any fermented alcoholic product made from fruit.
Perry wine- Low alcohol, slight carbonation, made with pears.
Plum wine- Mostly an Asian thing. Tastes like plums.
Peach wine- Tastes like peaches.
Cider- Undergoing a HUGE resurgence in America right now. You can drink WAY more cider than beer. Slightly higher alcohol content, easier to drink. And there are a shit ton of apple varieties, so you can get nuanced flavors in ciders like you can in wine.
Try Foggy Ridge Cider!
6:02- What is so special about grapes?
They've got tannins and FUCK TONS OF SUGAR.
"Kids like sugar, adults like alcohol. Kids get table grapes, adults get wine. Candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker." -Boyer
The grape is Nature's Perfect Package. They are the most grown single fruit on planet Earth.
"How hard is it to get sugar out of a grape? *shpppppp* Yeah, that easy." -Boyer
"Have you ever had banana juice? OF COURSE NOT. You squish it and you don't get banana juice, you get banana SHIT." -Boyer
"SQUEEZE. Yeast gets to it. Done." - how you make wine from grapes
5:00- Lights dim. Will class start on time today?!
5:02- START OF WINE CLASS YEAH
He's talking, but it's hard to hear. Microphone must be broken. Time for wines that we've all had.
5:05- MICROPHONE ON!
Person 1: Someone had an Australian Shiraz-Viogner blend. (It's really boring to listen to other people describe their wines, let's be real). Boyer says this pairing is typical, but the ratio is heavily skewed towards the shiraz. This wine is trying to copy a classic Rhone wine, apparently. "A nice combination of flower and spice". -Boyer
Person 2: German Riesling, which apparently could be aged for 20+ years. IS THIS TRUE, BOYER? Fuck yes you can! There are some age-worthy white wines (few and far between), and German Rieslings are in that category. Some cellars in Germany have 100+ year old wines. Well crafted wines, exceptionally crafted wines, will age longer than their inferior neighbors.
Wines are age-able because they have BIG amounts of tannins which helps them carry the distance. "Big ass tannins in a young wine will carry it for ten years."- Boyer
"Make it a big ALCOHOL BOMB and it will last longer!"-Boyer. Ports and Sherries have a high alcohol level that will stabilize the wine. You can open it, drink some, leave it open until spring, and have it again- and it won't have changed.
Large amounts of sugars and acids will also help wines age. Like a German Riesling!
Person 3: "My friends and I, we um, tried a red wine called 'Brownie Points', and it tasted kinda chocolatey. One of my friends there is allergic to chocolate, so we were wondering if he could, um, drink the wine, hahaha" O__O (I'm so rude.)
There's usually no chocolate in wine. Some Scandinavian country made a chocolate wine and it was apparently not terrible.
"I wouldn't go near it myself. I'd feed it to hungry animals, maybe." -Boyer
Person 4: Merlot Botta Box! I love my Botta Box. I keep mine on the refrigerator, shame on me.
"I should've gotten to this in the lecture by now... But boxed wine is respectable nowadays. Franzia still sucks. They haven't changed the magic recipe for that shit." -Boyer
There are many good wines in a box now. It's a superior enclosure to bottles, because bottles can still be permeated by light. Boxed wine eliminates that issue. Also, as you tap the wine, no oxygen will get in. Great for solo drinkers, because it will keep indefinitely.
If you go to a restaurant with a meh wine list, ask if they have a boxed wine. Because you know it'll always be good (you can't tamper with it).
Person 5: Drank a wine that I can't spell (Gewürztraminer!) and it tasted like Elderflower tea. Super dry wine, but the brain tricks you into smelling and tasting sweet things.
NEWSFLASH: SWEET IS NOT A SMELL. IT IS A TASTE.
5:24- "We are already halfway through class. This class is the worstbest class ever." -Boyer
Gewurztraminer Grape (rhymes with "It hurts my weiner")
aka Traminer (easy to say)
Regions: Germany and Alsace mostly, Italy, Austria, Australia, Chile, New Zealand, Washington, Oregon, New York
Flavor profile: Lychee, apricots, honey, roses and petals, passion fruits, floral notes, gardenia, honeysuckle, linalool, peach, mango, spice, perfume. This is a wine so floral, your brain gets tricked. Always made bone dry, but sneaky and tastes sweet. It's difficult to pair with food, but white cheeses may go well with it. It also goes well with Thai food.
Try pairing white wines with white cheeses!
5:32- "I haven't even gotten to the first slide. Damn you, wine class." -Boyer
Talking about Palisades wine dinner. Sounds delicious, I will probably skip pottery next week to go to it.
Riesling Grape
Regions: Germany mostly (King region for the grape), Alsace, New York, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, South Africa
Flavor Profile: fruity, honeyed, honeysuckle, floral, tropical fruits, pear, lime zest, mineral, stone, petrol, diesel, geranium, rose petal, orange blossom, jasmine, apricot
The flavors are much more subtle than the Gewurztraminer. The most unique flavor here is petrol/diesel. Quite common in aged Rieslings.
Almost ALL German Rieslings are sweet, because all the exported wines are sweet. You could go over there and get a dry one, but they're not shipped over here. If the Riesling is from Alsace, it's almost ALWAYS bone dry.
Pinot Noir- Either GREAT or shitty. No in-between. Lots of people are making mediocre Pinot Noirs.
aka Spatburgunder, Blauburgunder, Pinot Nero
Regions: EVERYWHERE. Most popular grape, so everyone's trying to grow it. Most famously from Burgundy. Also from Champagne, Germany, Italy, Oregon, California, New Zealand. Everything tastes totally different depending on the region.
All red Burgundy is Pinot Noir. FYI.
Flavor Profile- Old World (Burgundy): Light body, black/red cherry, raspberry, earthy, farmyard, mushroom. Earth Forward. Almost always need age and food.
Flavor Profile- New World (California): Medium body, fruit forward, current, cherry, blackberry. Fruit Forward.
The Pinot Noirs from Oregon are GOODNESS. Delicious. Good. "It is GOOD."- Boyer
This is one of those grapes that morphs readily to its environment. That's the fun of it! It can taste like ANYTHING. Most of these wines will spend time in a barrel.
"Pinot noir is the only wine I've ever had that somehow gets a meatiness to it... hints of bacon and bacon fat. If you ever get one, it will knock your socks off. 'No way, Boyer wasn't shitting! I smell bacon in this!'." -Boyer
5:48- "I will continue onward. Wasting your time, teaching you stuff." -Boyer
5:54- When it comes to making wine, you need fruit. Most of the time it's grapes. But wine is a generic term for any fermented alcoholic product made from fruit.
Perry wine- Low alcohol, slight carbonation, made with pears.
Plum wine- Mostly an Asian thing. Tastes like plums.
Peach wine- Tastes like peaches.
Cider- Undergoing a HUGE resurgence in America right now. You can drink WAY more cider than beer. Slightly higher alcohol content, easier to drink. And there are a shit ton of apple varieties, so you can get nuanced flavors in ciders like you can in wine.
Try Foggy Ridge Cider!
6:02- What is so special about grapes?
They've got tannins and FUCK TONS OF SUGAR.
"Kids like sugar, adults like alcohol. Kids get table grapes, adults get wine. Candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker." -Boyer
The grape is Nature's Perfect Package. They are the most grown single fruit on planet Earth.
"How hard is it to get sugar out of a grape? *shpppppp* Yeah, that easy." -Boyer
"Have you ever had banana juice? OF COURSE NOT. You squish it and you don't get banana juice, you get banana SHIT." -Boyer
"SQUEEZE. Yeast gets to it. Done." - how you make wine from grapes
Sunday, February 8, 2015
Tasting- Crafted Artisan Meadery Snowbelt Cyser
Week 3
Name: Crafted Artisan Meadery Snowbelt Cyser
Variety: Honey Wine, with
Region: Mogadore, Ohio
Country: USA
Year: 2014
Price: Unknown, my boyfriend shared it with me.
Food? No
Description from the Meadery: "From lake effect snow and nor'easters to snow rollers and polar vortexes, things can get a little crazy here in the snowbelt. Tales of road crews using this spiced cranberry cyser to treat icy roads are purely urban legend. Regardless of where you are, it's sure to give you a brief respite from the winter months with it's warming vanilla and cinnamon notes. Chill a bottle in the nearest snowdrift, snap a photo, and tag it #snowbeltcyser."
My Review: The color is a beautiful pale pink, and the nose is full of cherry and honey. Mead is much sweeter than wine, because honey has more sugar than grapes. So this mead was very sweet, but not cloyingly so. The mead tastes like cherries, and the back palette is hit with a nice warmth from the flavor. I could detect the apple notes, but not the cranberry. I expect the cherry flavor I tasted was actually cranberry, but I never eat the cranberry chutney my mom makes at Thanksgiving, so I don't know what they taste like. Shame on me.
I enjoyed this mead!
Tasting- Twin Oaks Tavern Winery Norton 2012
Week 3
Name: Twin Oaks Tavern Winery Norton
Variety: Norton grapes
Region: Bluemont, Virginia
Country: USA
Year: 2012
Price: Unknown, a friend shared it. And he had purchased a case of it.
Food? No
Description from the Vineyard: "Rich and velvety, our award-winning Norton is made in American oak barrels and has vivid smoky layers with overtones of cherry, tobacco and cedar."
My Review: My friends and I decanted and enjoyed this wine over the course of three hours. Upon first opening the bottle, you could detect the carbonation done by the vineyard. The effervescent texture caught me off guard, I didn't expect that sort of carbonation from a red wine.
First Round: 0 hours
The wine smelled like leather and tobacco, or "Virginia circa 1600". The smells were lovely. The wine tasted heavily of tannins and leather. The acidity was moderate, and the wine felt thick on my tongue.
Second Round: 2.5 hours in decanter
By this point the smell had mellowed out. The tastes had changed though, a tartness had developed on the front palette that wasn't in the newly opened wine. The wine still tasted leathery. It felt like I had licked a horse saddle.
Overall, it was an interesting wine and a fantastic experiment in decanting.
Tasting- Dibon Cava Brut Reserve
Week 3
Name: Dibon Cava Brut Reserve
Variety: Cava blend, made with Macabeo, Xarel-lo, and Parellada
Region: Penedes
Country: Spain
Year: 2011
Price: $11
Food? Paired with steak and potatoes. I would NOT recommend this pairing.
Description from NaturalWine.com: "Light gold with plenty of bubbles, this wine has aromas of apples and pears with pleasant floral notes. Crisp and light-bodied on the palate, stone fruit flavors are accompanied by a mild minerality and balanced acidity. A delicious sparkler for a great price! Winemaking Details: Natural Yeast Fermentation."
My Review: This is an effervescent wine! I tried the swirl and sniff method, but I just got a nose full of carbon dioxide and bubbles. The wine is a light straw color, and does not have a strong taste to it. It is a moderately acidic wine, with notes of pear and minerals. I felt like the carbonation masked a lot of the flavor of the wine.
I paired the wine with dinner, which happened to be steak and potatoes. The peppery meat brought out more acidity and tone down the fruity flavors of the wine. I would not recommend pairing this wine with red meat.
Tasting- Tenuta di Arceno Chianti Classico Riserva
Week 3
Name: Tenuta di Arceno Chianti Classico Riserva
Variety: Mostly Sangiovese grapes, blended with Canaiolo, Colorino, Ciliegiolo, and Mammolo
Region: Tuscany
Country: Italy
Year: 2008
Price: Unknown- it was a gift
Food? Paired with mushroom and olive Pizza
Description from the Vineyard: "A reserve level Sangiovese blend crafted from carefully selected blocks in the finest vineyards. Aged a minimum of 24 months for greater complexity.
Aromas/ Flavors: Dark cherry, earth, licorice, tobacco and toasty oak."
My Review: I thought the wine smelled interesting- I detected yeasty notes, almost like I was smelling a nice hard pretzel. The taste was not in the same vein as the nose, though. It was smooth and oaky, you could tell it was aged for a long time in an oak barrel. A large amount of tannins were on the front of the wine, and it tasted slightly bitter. This is one of my first Chiantis, and I look forward to drinking more! I wonder if this pretzel taste is indicative of the style, or my palette is off.
I drank this out of a glass cup, so I'd also like to try this with proper glassware.
Tasting- d'Arengerg The Hermit Crab
Week 3
Name: d'Arenberg The Hermit Crab Viognier Marsanne
Variety: 55% Viognier, 45% Marsanne
Region: McLaren Vale
Country: Australia
Year: 2012
Price: $14
Food? No
Winemaker's notes from wine.com: The Viognier throws the first punch in this wonderfully aromatic wine with its heavenly lift of candied ginger and crunchy, yet sweet white nectarine. A deeper look unveils the more complex Marsanne notes of green papaya and pistachio. An abundance of stone fruits hold sway over the sumptuous attack and mid palate. The finish is surprisingly savoury. The Marsanne's nuttiness is quite persistent and coupled with a delicate hint of sea spray. The complete package of stone fruits and spice with a long savoury finish makes this wine the perfect dinner party starter.
My Review: I felt the nose was sharp and pungent. I detected more floral notes than fruity notes. The taste was complex and lingering, I detected excellent play on the mid and back palette. I detected mellow notes and flavors, like dried pasta and mild apples- a mellow, starchy flavor. I found this wine light and refreshing, and would love to have it again!
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