Class Notes- February 3

I forgot to bring my notebook to class today, so I'll just live blog my notes!

5:05- Class hasn't started yet. Boyer is conversing with white haired ponytail man. They're inspecting the microphone.

5:06- The microphone works; I can hear them talking on the stage now. Lights dim.

5:07- START OF WINE CLASS WHAT'S UP!
"How many people here are drinking good wine now?" *raises hand* "Yeeeeahhhhhhh". -Boyer
We're talking about the Vintage Cellar fiasco on Saturday now. Lots of people flooded the tasting this Saturday. Turns out it was one troublesome group, and the whole debacle story was blown a little out of proportion. Huzzah. We aren't in trouble!
"If you have to go, go early. Maybe 10 or 12 o'clock." -Boyer

5:09- Ghetto Kroger is going to start doing samplings on Fridays! What WHAT. Dennis the wine guy from Ghetto Kroger really loves this class and is super awesome/nice, and if we strike up a chat with him, he'll start cutting prices in half. This information is probably going to be abused, considering what people did at the Vintage Cellar this weekend. Hmm.

5:12- "Any questions?" Some guy is talking about an Argentinian Malbec he had, Robert Parker score of 89, $10 at Kroger. Apparently this was not very descriptive, as all Argentinian Malbecs score high and pair well with meat.
Malbec is the KING GRAPE of Argentina. Europe didn't really latch onto Malbec- "nobody drinks it there, nobody knows it, nobody cares". But once it was brought to Argentina, people went bonkers and LOVED it.
The concept of terrior is brought up- how the location of where the grapes are grown can impart flavors on the wine.

5:15- Another person is sharing a wine he drank. He used the words "acidic" and "tannic". This guy sounds knowledgable. Cool.
"Somebody wiki that shit" -Boyer

5:16- Someone had an Italian sweet red wine. Dennis showed it to her at Kroger.
"The Italians don't really do anything bad except government." -Boyer

5:18- Another dude had a Beaujolais Nouveau. I tried this at the Vintage Cellar two weeks ago. The people at the VC said that this wine is made quickly and are supposed to be consumed quickly, and it's not very good. Reportedly. I wasn't a fan.

5:19- Someone went to Mexico and had wine there. Since Thursday. That's cool.
"Don't overlook Mexico. Mexico is an enigma for wine." -Boyer
Vines went into Mexico when Columbus came over, but they've only started pouring effort into winemaking rather recently.

5:21- Another dude had a Mexican Cab Sav that was the "best Cabernet Sauvignon I ever had". I doubt that it's the best he'll ever have though.

5:22- Dude next to me was hanging with his friend and his (3-bottle) cellar, and saw a 2006 Chardonnay that was already opened, and it had turned brownish black. This sounds super legit. Why would you even keep that?! I sincerely hope he didn't drink it.

5:23- Still sharing wine stories. I'm bored now. Someone asked how old grape vines can live. They're like trees and last season to season. You can have 100 year old grape vines. The oldest grape vine is in Croatia- it is 450 year old and as big as a house.
Does the age of the vine help? Well, the older the vine is, the less it will produce. 20 years is the max for profitable vines. But the older vines will make concentrated flavored fruits, because it's pouring all of its energy into a smaller crop. This is called "pruning", and France has laws about pruning your grape vines.
When you see the term "old vines" on a bottle of Australian Shiraz, how old exactly are the vines? "Old Vines" doesn't mean anything. You can't tell how old the vines are from that phrase.

5:29- "When are we going to start doing the movies?" We don't know. Apparently our class is so awesome, we haven't learned anything yet. Great.

5:30- LECTURE BEGINS WHAT'S UP.
Don't drink Everclear. Or Graves. High percentage alcohols are bad for you and can result in DEATH.

Why are there tens of thousands of different alcohol beverages to choose from? It's everything else in the beverage that isn't the alcohol that gives it character and flavor. Overwhelmingly, the "everything else" is water.

The type of plant, the type of yeast, introduction of bacteria and mold, all affect the flavor of different alcoholic beverages.

5:34- YEAST
Specialized single celled (maybe) fungi (maybe) with 600-1600 species (maybe). But we don't actually know much about yeast. It baffles scientists. But it is a magical organism that cranks out alcohol and CO2 and heat (exothermic reaction). It can also impart flavor to the finished alcoholic product.
In this class, we care about Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, or brewer's yeast. Also, apparently yeast never dies. "Just add water and life returns!" -Boyer

We live in a world of craft beer, which means we know more about yeast and the flavors it imparts into beer. These beers did not exist in the mainstream ten years ago, which is pretty cool. Really, I think, Europe has been making "craft beer" for decades, and it's only recently that American hopped on the bandwagon too. (haha, "hopped".)

5:43- MOLD
We also use molds in alcohol-making. Sake (rice beer) uses the mold Aspergillus oryzae in the fermentation process to extract more sugar out of the mix and boost the alcohol content.

If you want to try sake, Oasis tells small bottles of sake for a decent price.

5:46- THE MAIN PLANS IMPART THE MOST FLAVOR
We need a material that has sugar for yeast to got to town on, either in the form of simple sugar or starch. Like grapes, potatoes, corn, grains, agave.... You can pretty much make any plant on earth into alcohol, but it'll take a LOT of work.
"Who was walking around Mexico and was like, 'Look! A big ass cactus. Let's drink it' " -Boyer.

5:49- Someone sneezed. Boyer called it adorable.

We live in an interconnected age where we can get our hands on almost every food ever.
You say Tequila, I say Mexico.
You say Sake, I say Japan.
You say beer, I say Germany. (They're in the grain belt of Europe)
Why do we have these associations? "Because we're racist" -Some guy in class. *eruption of laughter*

Plants are associated with their place of origin, and the local environment of that plant becomes synonymous with the alcohol made from the plant.
Which plans are the best? "American" -Some other guy
Fruits are already in the simple sugar format and has more sugar per volume. ADVANTAGE.
Grains don't rot and can be stored indefinitely. You can make beer anytime. ADVANTAGE.

Why is hard cider up and coming? Because newer is always better. America is driving alcohol consumption and production, and the cider revolution is happening because we are returning to our roots. The 13 original colonies were a perfect habitat for apples and other fruits, so that's what we made our hooch out of. Once we picked up the flatlands, then we started making beer and liquor out of wheat and corn.

If you want to do a side project, talk to Boyer for some research on cider and bourbon.
THE BOYER BOURBON CAST. I would, but I have thesis stuff to do.

6:03- WHAT DO WE DO NEXT?
Drink it! Store it! Distill it! Store it!
Beer is liquid bread. Drink it soon after making. The fresher you drink it, the better it is. There are of course exceptions, but whatever.
Wine should be consumed as well. Most white wines you should drink, and most red wines can be stored. Term: maturation, the process of aging and holding onto wine.
Liquor will be distilled and concentrated. The process will pull flavors out, but you'll end up with a distinct product.
Beer, 4-8%, Wine, 8-16% (more sugar to start with), Liquor, 25%-100%.
Brandy is distilled wine! WOAH.

6:09 BEER
Grain + Water + Hops (optional) + Yeast, malt/mash/brew!
Beer is any fermented product from grains.

6:10 WINE
Any fruit (mostly grapes), ferment it! WINE!
Grapes are the #1 grown fruit on planet Earth because of alcohol production.

6:11 LIQUOR
Ingredients: WHAT THE HELL EVER.
Must have a base of anything to start with.
Barley + Rye = Scotch
Corn + Barley + Rye = Bourbon
Mostly Rye = Rye Whiskey, Canadian Whiskey
Wine can be distilled too!
And sugar cane! (rum)
And agave!
And potatoes!

6:13- PEOPLE ARE ANTSY SO CLASS IS OVER

Tasting- B&G Chicken and Turkey Cotes du Rhone

Week 2

Name: B&G Chicken & Turkey Cotes du Rhone

Variety: 50% Grenache, 30% Syrah, 20% Carignan

Region: Rhone Valley

Country: France

Year: 2011

Price:  $10, on sale for $5.95

Food? No

Description from Vintage Cellar: 

85 Points – Wine Enthusiast

A blend of 50% Grenache, 30% Syrah and 20% Carignan. Deep red garnet color with purple highlights. Intense nose of morello cherry, tobacco and liquorice. Good structure on the palate with lots of fruits and a long fruity and spicy finish. A true delight.

My Review: The color was reminiscent of blood, a creepy reddish brown. Mid tannins on the nose, with a mild taste that lingered. I detected bitter, almost metallic notes. 

Tasting- Flying Fox Rose

Week 2

Name: Flying Fox Rose

Variety: Cabernet Franc and Merlot grapes

Region: Virginia

Country: USA

Year: 2013

Price: $16

Food? No

Description from the Vineyard: "Our Rosé is a lively and refreshing dry wine with flavors of soft red fruit and a hint of almond. Produced from Cabernet Franc and Merlot grapes picked specifically for our Rosé. Serve well chilled on a warm summer day."

My Review: I was hesitant to drink roses because I don't like to come off as a girly girl who only drinks pink wine. Now I know that was a stupid mistake on my part, because this rose was fantastic! This wine was dry with a fruity, floral scent. The flavor was light and refreshing, with hints of fruit. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Tasting - Foxhollow Chardonnay

Week 2

Name: Foxhollow Chardonnay

Variety: 100% Chardonnay grapes

Region: California

Country: USA

Year: 2012

Price: $5.95

Food? No

Description from Vintage Cellar: This Chardonnay’s aromas of tropical pineapple, crisp green apple and citrus are supported by underlying nuances of vanilla. The finish is smooth and creamy yet balanced with enough acidity to accentuate the vibrant fruit flavors with a hint of orange blossoms.

My Review: I detected a banana scent on the nose of this pale gold wine. Upon tasting, strong and bright fruit flavors overwhelmed the palette. Wagering into details, I would say stone fruit, specifically apricot. (Note: I have been writing these reviews before reading the Vintage Cellar reviews. I guess my palette is WAY off, since the flavors I detect are not the same as their review.)

Tasting- Fontana Candida Frascati

Week 2

Name: Fontana Candida Frascati

Variety: 60% Malvasia Bianca di Candia, 30% Trebbiano, 10% Malvasia del Lazio

Region: Frascati

Country: Italy

Year: 2012

Price: $12, on sale for $5.95

Food? No

Description from Vintage Cellar: This Frascati, made from grapes grown in volcanic soils near Rome and cold filtered, is a pale straw gold. On the nose it offers light-as-a-zephyr lemon and a hint of grass. On the tongue it is ultra crisp and delightfully flinty, its lemon and clementine flavors as smooth as old silk. At the end of a nice clean finish a dab of ripe pear takes a bow.

My Review: The color is a pale yellow, and the nose was heavy with alcohol. It left a lingering warmth that I don't typically associate with white wines. The taste was very dry, and I was left with tastes of miso and tofu. It was very confusing and surprising, especially compared to the review that the Vintage Cellar provided I don't think I'd drink this regularly.

Tasting- B Nektar Apple Pi

Week 2

Name: B. Nektar Apple Pi

Variety: Mead

Region: Ferndale, Michigan

Country: United States

Year: 2014

Price: $14

Food? I started drinking it, then popped some popcorn. They did NOT pair well. So I finished the popcorn and then continued to drink.

Description from Meadery: The holidays are over, but it doesn’t mean you can’t still enjoy some delicious pie. Ours is made from fresh apple cider, honey, and pie spices. Perfect after dinner sipper.

My Review: This was my first mead, and it was divine. The mead tastes so much like apple pie- the cinnamon notes are strong and balanced well with the honey of the mead. It tasted more complex once it warmed up. I would love to drink more of this, if only it wasn't so expensive!

Tasting- Five Rivers Merlot

Week 1

Name: Five Rivers Merlot

Variety: Red Table Wine

Region: Monterey, California

Country: United States

Year: 2011

Price: $18, on sale for $8

Review: Ripe cherry and blackberry fruit stars in this easy-drinking wine, with oak providing toasty sweetness. It’s an everyday, cheeseburger-friendly Merlot.

My Review: This wine was super approachable. I liked the berry notes and could definitely detect the cherry. This is a wine I'd keep around!