Class Notes- March 3

4:57- Room is slowly filling. Chatter abound. I looked at the points breakdown in this class, and I need to do a lot more work than I thought in order to get an A. With how few people are actually coming to class, I wonder how many people are going to end the semester with a C?

4:59- Alexa from some organization (Human Trafficking something something) is announcing a concert at 7pm on Thursday. Students get in free!

5:01- CLASS BEGINS
"Die hard 100 who are still coming to this class- thank you! I don't know why you come." -Boyer
Any questions?

1. What would you pair with an apple wine?
"Apple pie... But that's just me. You experiment." -Boyer
There are no exact rules. Sometimes opposites attract, and sometimes they don't. Wishy washy blah blah
Pate pairs well with a super sweet wine, surprisingly.

2. Some guy had a Spanish Rioja wine. He's mumbling and I can't understand him.
"Riojas are awesooooooome (high pitch singing)." -Boyer
Riojas get rustic very quickly.
Costco has a rioja- it's probably bullshit.

3. Another guy had a Lebanese wine. Boyer hasn't had many.
"Because Lebanon is what you say..... chaos. It's a disrupted state, so its wine production is far behind." -Boyer

4. This guy made his own mead.
"Do you have any advice on how long to age it?" -Guy
Sweetness does not age out. "You should know this as a brewer!"- Boyer
It's super hard to brew mead. Yeast wants to eat sugar to make alcohol. The more sugar you have, the easier it is for yeast to proliferate. With mead, the damn yeast can't stay alive because it's TOO sweet.
"It's so sweet, it's hard for shit to live in it. Honey cannot spoil. It's so concentrated, it kills everything in contact with it." -Boyer

5. Attimo winery is having a barrel tasting! $20/person. Super random.

February/March is the slowest time for the economy!

6. Today is national pancake day at Ihop. This is stupid.

7. Almost everything pairs well with roses!

Grapes of the day!
Pinot Grigio/Pinot Gris/Grauburgunder
Regions: Italy ,Alsace, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, California, Oregon, Argentina, Chile
Flavor Profile: low/soft to good acidity, peaches, apricots, ripe tropical fruits, hints of melon/mango...
Alsace- more full bodied, spicy/floral
German- slightly sweet
Oregon- pear, apple, melon
Italy- thin, spritzy flavors: crisp and acidic
"Oily consistency"

Malbec
"Everyone's had a malbec! They're super affordable, and they're the KING GRAPE of Argentina!" -Boyer
Regions: France, Argentina, Chile, CA
Flavor Profile: A "rustic" version of Merlot, softer in tannins and lower in acidity (except in higher altitudes). Plummy, violets, floral, cherry, black cherry, more berries, chocolate, earthy, light leather, prune, vanilla...
Originally from France, it didn't do much over in Europe. But once they brought it to Europe, it went "gangbusters wild and is super awesome" -Boyer.

"I realize how late it's gotten because of how much fun we have in this class." -Boyer

EXTRA CREDIT WOO

Water helps moderate climate; Big bodies of water mean more constant temperatures.
CONTINENTAL CLIMATE
-Colder winters, hotter/shorter summers
-More extreme temperature swings
-Examples: Inland Europe, Germany, Austria.

MARITIME CLIMATE: Regions near large bodies of water
-Temperature swings regulated by the water proximity
-Problems of rains and storms to area
-Examples: Bordeaux

MEDITERRANEAN CLIMATE: A specific maritime type
-Awesomeness
-Mild winters, long warm summers
-Mild, light rainy winter
-Examples: Midi region in France, Australia

Human decision can affect the taste of grapes
-Training
-Pruning
-Harvest time
-Fertilizing...

Find the balance between ACIDS and SUGARS when you HARVEST

Grape differences in color make for differences in...
GREEN/WHITE
-Chardonnay, Riesling
-Ripen sooner (pigmentation comes last)
-Less tannins, less tannic structure
-More malic acid (the "bite")
-Shorter growing season, cooler climates

RED/BLACK
-Cabernet, Merlot, Pinot Noir
-Ripen later, wait on the color
-More tannic and tannic structure
-More tartaric ("mouth pucker"); less malic
-Longer, hotter growing season

The last phase of ripening: Veraison
-The color of the grape takes form
-Berries start to soften as they build up sugars
-The berries grow dramatically as they accumulate glucose and fructose
-pH increases as acids decrease (like malic)

The longer the growing season...
Sugars: UP
Colors/Tannins: UP
Acids (Malic): DOWN

You NEED acid to boost up wine!

Tasting- Big House Pinot Evil

Week 6

Name: Big House Pinot Evil Pinot Noir Boxed wine

Variety: Pinot Noir

Region: Livermore, CA

Country: United States

Year: 2014

Price: $18

Food? No

Description from Big House: "The Three Wise Monkeys are the mischievous deviants of the Big House. But don’t let them fool you with their playful demeanor.…They rule the prison’s vineyards. Long believed by many winemakers to be the most difficult to grape and craft into a wine, Pinot Noir often seems possessed if not downright evil. The Three Wise Monkeys prefer to view Pinot Noir as their guilty pleasure. And with that philosophy in mind, Pinot Evil dances with a lovely ripe cherry nose that cascades into a smooth, velvet finish."

My Review: The nose is thin and the wine is very light pink for a robust red. I get pine notes in the nose and in the flavor profile, with a bold anise flavor on the front palette. It tingles your tongue like black licorice. This does NOT taste like the description at all! I'm very surprised. And I don't think I'll be buying it again. I just have to finish the entire 3 liters now!

Tasting- The Naked Grape Cabernet Sauvignon

Week 6

Name: The Naked Grape Cabernet Sauvignon Boxed Wine

Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon

Region: Modesto, CA

Country: United States

Year: 2014

Price: $18

Food? No

Description from the Naked Grape: "Some people have a naturally rich style that's effortless yet deep and complex. This character is never showy or high maintenance and reminds us a lot of The Naked Grape Cabernet Sauvignon. Our wine offers bold flavors of dark fruit and blackberries without making you bend over backward to enjoy it. We think our robust and ready Cabernet calls for a toast. So let's raise a glass to richness that's readily available. Bare it all."

My Review: On the nose, I detect faint caramel notes and a strong tannic profile. Crazy berry flavors are present in this wine- lots of blueberry, blackberry, and big jammy notes. It's dry, but also very very fruity. It's a great wine to keep on top of the fridge (Sorry, Boyer) and have a glass while watching your favorite TV shows.

Tasting- Takutai Pinot Gris

Week 6

Name: Takutai Pinot Gris

Variety: Pinot Gris

Region: Nelson

Country: New Zealand

Year: 2009

Price: $21, on sale for $6.95

Food? At first tasting, none. At second tasting, pan seared salmon with risotto and slow roasted tomatoes. 

Description from the Vintage Cellar: "Since this wine weighs in at 14%, the fruit was clearly very ripe. That ripeness is reflected in the flavors as well, which feature nectarine and honey accented by hints of white pepper. It’s full bodied and lush, with a long finish that mingles the sensations of sweet and spicy."

My Review: When I tasted this at the Vintage Cellar, I detected more savory notes than fruit notes. I bought a bottle because I was so intrigued! The wine is crisp, not too dry, and there are fantastic faint honeysuckle flavors that I love. When I opened the bottle at home, it wasn't as savory as I remembered, but still very good. It paired nicely with my dinner, and the brightness complimented the risotto and fish. Definitely glad I grabbed this at such a great price!

Tasting- Windy Hill Strawberry Pippin Cider

Week 6

Name: Windy Hill Strawberry Pippin Cider

Variety: Apple Cider with Strawberry Essence

Region: York, SC

Country: United States

Year: 2014

Price: Unknown, it was shared at a birthday party 

Food? No

Hard Cider description from the cidery: "As a licensed and bonded cidery, we have been producing Hard Cider at our orchard since 1996. Over the past several years, we have expanded our Hard Cider production to meet the demand of this rapidly growing crat beverage market. We currently produce several styles of Hard Cider that are available throughout North and South Carolina."

My Review: I felt this was a decent enough cider. The strawberry flavor is a nice touch, but I'm a little biased against using flavor essences in place of actual fruits. Also, I don't understand how you can have a "locally grown Strawberry essence". That doesn't seem local to me. I don't think I'll be drinking this again, it didn't stand out enough to me against its contemporaries in the style.

Tasting- Crafted Artisan Meadery Pollinator

Week 6

Name: Crafted Artisan Meadery Pollinator

Variety: Mead with Cascade Hops

Region: Mogadore, OH

Country: United States

Year: 2014

Price: $11

Food? No

Description from the meadery: "Pollinator is a dry hopped (cascades) spiced blackberry hydromel.  Pistils of Pollinator are crafted in honor of the industrious honey bees.  Responsible for over one-third of the world's food supply they have worked thanklessly through the ages.  Threatened today by Colony Collapse Disorder and other man-made threats, the weight of the world is getting a little heavier for the honey bee. "

My Review: Most meads I've had are cloyingly sweet, but Pollinator had a great balance between sugary sweetness and hop character. The hops revealed themselves in the mouthfeel and in the mid palette, which balanced the crazy sweetness nicely. This was an excellent mead!

Class Notes- February 26

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.