A Feather in My Wine Cap
When I returned from my trip home, involving much wine consumption, I vowed to join or start a tasting group. Mission accomplished, and very well, I should say.
Thanks to a co-worker (the cellar rat) and his charming wife, for getting the ball rolling and for hosting, we had a lovely evening of wine and cheese. The first in what I hope to be a long series, we decided to bring whatever we desired in both categories. Everything was just so, with the wines hidden in clean (trust me, we asked) socks and sheets with ample room for notes. Also plenty of bread on hand, helpful in neutralizing the palate somewhat between tastes.
Everyone dove right in–swirling, smelling, sipping, scribbling. I had no moment of panic, that fear that no flavors or aromas will make themselves known. At one point, I asked a friend to pull out an aroma card I had printed for some of us, courtesy of Alder over at Vinography because I had forgotten mine, but it was after we had already started the discussion and unveilings.
No intimidation factor, just friendly discussion, with one especially knowledgable fellow who’s sat in on Master of Wine seminars. With no guidelines, we ended up with 7 wines: 1 sparkling, 2 white, 4 red…spanning Italy, France, Spain, New Zealand, and of course, CA. The group favorite seemed to be the 04 Chumeia Barbera, whose nose got an “Mmmmm” from me and “yummy vanilla cake” from someone else. All in all, the night was a success.
As a bonus, I guessed somewhat correctly on 4 of the wines, not counting my own, which gave cause for a victory cheer. El Jefe, those insecurities are in that shoe box, and I can’t remember where the hell I put it.
wine tasting, tasting party, blind tasting
….Farley Walker
January 10th, 2007 at 10:15 am
That sounds like a blast. I really must make friends here that like wine. Excellent job on the blind tasting, though I believe that may be the first time I’ve heard of anyone disguising bottles with socks!
January 10th, 2007 at 10:37 am
It was a fun party. With respect to the aroma card someone brought, there is also a great product called the Wine Aroma Wheel, created by Ann C. Noble. It is available on her web site:
http://www.winearomawheel.com
I have one myself, and it really is funny to read. There are all kinds of flavors on there you would never think of, like “cardboard”, “wet dog”, and “pencil.” haha Everybody should have one, and they’re only six bucks.
Cheers!
January 10th, 2007 at 1:28 pm
Yes, it was much fun. Megan, if you’re out this way again, you’ll have to join us.
January 11th, 2007 at 4:29 am
Very excellent. I am currently working on the husband to take a trip out there again, but I think he’s still recovering from the sticker shock of our last trip!