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Weekly Wine Quiz #41: Which One Doesn’t Belong?
As life happens, I had no chance to post the traditional Saturday quiz. But – at least it is still a weekend.
I’m going somewhat back to the basics of the wine world with this quiz, and I will probably stay with this basic theme for a while. The idea is simple – I will present you with the list of objects, which can be grapes, wines, appellations, etc. – you will need to figure out what the list is all about and then find an incongruity, an object which should not be on that list. Here we go.
Which one doesn’t belong and why?
A. Chambertin
B. Corton
C. La Grande Rue
D. Musigny
E. Ruchottes-Chambertin
If you can solve it without Google, you can double your unlimited bragging rights which come here as a prize.
Have fun and good luck. Enjoy the rest of your weekend and cheers!
Wednesday’s Meritage – Wine Quiz Answer, and Some Local Updates
Meritage Time!
Let’s start with the answer for the Wine Quiz #40, Wine Basics 101 – Tannins. In this quiz you were supposed to explain what tannins are, how do they get into the wine and also provide an example of some other foods which also cause an effect similar to tannins. I’m glad to say that we have two winners – both thedrunkencyclist and stefano provided very detailed answers, so they both get that coveted prize consisting of unlimited bragging rights. Yes, tannins are the polyphenolic compounds which naturally occur mostly in red wines due to the prolonged contact of the juice with seeds, stems and oak barrels. Tannins cause the tactile sensation of drying up of your mouth – this is why big tannic wines often work very well with fatty foods, such as steak, as grease of the steak help to alleviate that astringent feeling. And outside of wine, tannins can be found in many other foods – black tea, walnuts, persimmons are just some of the examples of such foods.
Now, let’s talk about interesting stuff, which might not be of such a wide importance, as today it will all relate just to this blog which you are reading right now. First, I have to say “THANK YOU!” to all of you, my readers. About a month ago, there was a wine blogging contest about wines of Tuscany at the To-Tuscany travel site – and with your help, I was actually able to win it! Here is the link to the contest page – and thank you again to all who voted for my blog.
I made some updates in my blogroll section, mainly adding a few new blogs and web sites which I now follow – the additions are Flora’s Table, Vino in Love and American Winery Guide – if you are not following them, check them out. I also added two links for the wine buying service which I recently used and was happy with – Last Bottle Wines and Bin End’s Wines – again, might well worth your attention.
I finally updated the Wine Ratings page in this blog – this table lists wines which I rated as 8- or above, which means that they are all recommended, and now it is current as of November 2012.
And the last update for today – I plan to start reviewing wine gadgets here – I think it should be fun exercise (suggestions and questions will be gladly accepted).
That’s all I have for today, folks – the glass is empty. Cheers!
Re-post: Holiday Gift Guide For Wine Lovers
It is this time of year again – the time when we strive to bring little happiness to those who make our lives complete. Often we endure some frustration in the quest to find that “just the right thing” which will make our friends and families to say “thank you” as they actually mean it.
Last year I published an extensive post about variety of wine gift options available to you – I think this year, it is still every bit as actual, hence I take the liberty of re-posting it here. Hope you will find it useful. Cheers!
Happy Hanukkah!
Weekly Wine Quiz #40: Wine Basics 101 – Tannins
It is Saturday, therefore it is time for the next wine quiz. And I have to honestly admit, my mind couldn’t settle on anything particular – “how about this? Nah… and what about that? Nope.. but then… Nope again”.
After not being able to resolve that in any reasonable amount of time, I have to proceed with something very plain and simple.
Today’s quiz relates to one of the basic characteristics of wine, tannins, and it consists of three questions:
Q1: What is tannins?
Q2: What are the sources of tannins in wine?
Q3: Name at least two other food items which cause effect similar to tannins in wine.
Have fun and good luck! Cheers!
Turley The Label Cabernet Sauvignon: Don’t Judge a Wine by its Bottle
As promised, the bottle of 2010 Turley The Label Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley ($40, 14.5% ABV) was open today, and here are my notes – almost live, as I still have some wine left in the glass. For those who just run into this post, it is pretty much a sequel to my rant about the bottle, which is extremely indiscreet, and the post answering that rant and explaining that the bottle looks that way by design.
Now let’s go past the bottle itself, and let’s talk about the content – i. e., the wine. Considering that I started from the rant, I wanted to give this bottle a proper evaluation, so here we go, step by step. We even reached out for the Reidel Cabernet glasses, which are only used for the special occasions.
Color: Dark garnet color. You can’t read through the glass, so the wine definitely needs more time.
Rim variation: absent, it is a young wine. But – rim is pretty wide, which suggests high alcohol content.
Smell: Blueberries, hint of tobacco, earthiness, a touch of barnyard (which I personally like) – on the nose, this wine resembled Dunn Cabernet.
Taste: earthy, with touch of green notes which disappeared after ten minutes in the glass, alcohol initially noticeable, but as wine continued to breathe, it became well integrated. Tobacco and dark chocolate notes, touch of eucalyptus, fresh plums, black currant and more blueberries – but restrained, no blueberry jam of any kind.
Legs: Very visible, also carrying some color – suggesting that this is full-bodied wine.
Finish: Long. Tannins only started showing up after about 30 seconds, and then they lingered for probably another minute.
Conclusion: This is one beautiful wine. This wine was described by the winemakers as an attempt to recreate Napa Cabernet as it was in 60th and 70th, more of restrained and down to earth type – I think this attempt was very successful. The wine was very balanced, with fruit, acidity and tannins being in a complete harmony. Drinkability: 9-
I’m not going to recite my learned lessons again (I already recouped them in the previous post), but yes – don’t judge a wine by its bottle, at least I will try not to. Cheers!
Feeling Stupid and Sorry, Apologies to the Turley Wine Cellars, and Marketing 101
Yesterday I was a snob, today I feel more like an idiot. In yesterday’s rant, I was complaining about the feel, shape and overall appearance of the bottle of 2010 Turley The Label Cabernet Sauvignon – first release of Cabernet wine by the famed Zinfandel producer. Then, while reading the comment by VinoInLove, I realized that I should find the offering letter and see if I’m not missing something.
Unfortunately, I have a bad habit – I keep old papers and e-mails around. So of course I found it. And then I read it. And then complemented myself on being… yeah, I already said it. Here it is, the offering letter, pretty much in its entirety (to drill it deeper, I even highlighted the key sentence):
So, my apologies to the Turley Wine Cellars – my yesterday’s rant was not justified. Or, was it, may be just a bit?
We can get good lessons from any situation, this one being no exception. Personal lesson – the rant have to wait. If I would give it a bit of time, do a bit of research (i.e., find that offer e-mail), this all would be averted and I will not have to call myself names. But – there is also a marketing lesson here. I believe fundamental marketing mistake took place. Brand new product was introduced. The [very] unusual product for the given producer. It should be expected that additional marketing would be needed to help people to accept that unusual product. All it would take was to put a piece of paper with exact same description into every box, and “bad surprise” problem would be probably 80% fixed. It would be even better if the same information would go on the back label, which is pretty much wasted right now. And that would fix 90% of the problem.
Now, this whole situation forced me to read the back label. Carefully. And now I’m puzzled again. The first sentence of the “Vision” statement above says that this wine is a modern reinterpretation of the 60’s and 70’s classic, with lower alcohol level. Care to guess the ABV listed? It is 14.5%. I have some serious doubts that California Cabernet of 60’s was listing 15% ABV. Now this gets interesting – I’m really curious how this wine will taste like. Thus – to be continued…
Expectations, Meet Your Nemesis, Reality
In the words of my blogging friend thedrunkencyclist, yes, I’m a snob. Actually, in general, I think I’m not – but sometimes, especially when it comes to the ruined expectations, I guess that I’m.
Today I received a shipment from Turley Wine Cellars. Until now, Turley was a well known Zinfandel producer ( they also make Petite Sirah and Charbono). Their wines are reasonably priced, and you really should be on the mailing list in order to get them (practically not available in the regular wine stores).
As I’m on the Turley mailing list, about a month ago I received an offer to buy an inaugural release of 2010 Turley Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley, creatively called The Label. I thought that it is definitely worth a try, a brand new wine from a reputable producer.
So the box arrived today. Cut, pull, take out very clever packaging (never saw anything like it), and I grab the bottle. My first reaction – WTF! I don’t know what I was expecting to see, but definitely not what I pulled out of the box. The bottle was very light, absolutely flat on the bottom (bad sign for a quality wine), and with its whole appearance was screaming “Cheap”! Mind you, this is a $40 bottle of wine, and if you will factor in shipping and taxes, it becomes $50 bottle of wine. The closest resemblance – Crane Lake from California, a $3.99 bottle of wine ( nothing against Crane Lake – I was happily drinking it many times). Here it is:
For comparison, here is The Label next to the traditional Turley Zinfandel:
Note that the foil on top of The Label bottle doesn’t even cover the cork inside! I rest my case…
I’m disappointed and completely flabbergasted. What should possess a reputable company to use that type of bottles? Were they completely out of time, and those bottles were the only thing available? Is this a message to the Cabernet lovers from Zinfandel producer, saying “Cabernet sucks”?
I’m really at loss here. Yes, I know, I shouldn’t judge the book by its cover – I will hopefully give it a try on Friday (need to give the wine a few days to recover from shipping and to avoid the bottle shock) – so once I will do it, I will be definitely glad to tell you what I think about the taste of the wine.
Yes, I’m a snob…
Cheers!
Wednesday’s Meritage – Wine Quiz Answer, Wine Blogger Quits, Krug No More?, and more…
Meritage time!
In the last wine quiz #39 – Let’s decant some wines, you were supposed to identify an essential element of wine decanting, mostly used in the fine restaurants. I’m glad to say that we have a winner – Stefano was right on the mark with the detailed description of the decanting process. While wine cradle is important in some cases, candle is an essential element of decanting, adding a nice romantic touch, but most importantly, allowing to see when sediment is about to go into the decanter. thedrunkensyclist also suggested that any light source can be used, and not just the candle, so the prize (unlimited bragging rights) should be shared between both of them.
Let’s move on to the interesting stuff. I don’t know how that happen, but I just realized that most of the “finds” I want to share with you are rather sad – however, I think they are still interesting to read, so let’s proceed.
First, here is the post from Steve Heimoff talking about blogger who stopped blogging – Paul Gregutt, who was writing about wines of Northwest, announced that he will stop blogging, at least for a while. I know that some of you already read Steve’s post ( there was a comment from thedrunkencyclist there), but for those of you who didn’t read it yet, I think it is a worthwhile read. This is an interesting question which probably every blogger comes across every once in a while – as for the most of us, blogging is a labor of love, it takes not insignificant amount of effort, so I’m sure many of us have this question deep inside coming up from time to time – “so, may be hell with it”? Oh well…
Now, this one goes close to the heart. You know, you have a treasure, which you keep for yourself, and you know it is always there for you, and then one day you discover that whatever it was, it is all crumbled and fell apart, and you get very sad? This is the wine blog, right – so you don’t expect me to talk about some memorabilia which I was not taking the right care of? Yeah, we are talking about wine. My treasure – Krug Champagne. I really experienced it once (both Vintage and non-vintage), and it was enough to still roll my eyes every time I think or talk about it. According to the blog post from Alice Feiring, this is Krug no more – of course it is still produced, but looks like starting with 2003 vintage, it become complacent and indistinguishable, it lost all its royal traits which warranted almost religious following… If you have an opinion – please comment (I hope at least one person will).
Here is the post from Alfonso Cevola blog, talking about latest trends in the restaurants in US, which can’t be found in Italy – if anything, the pictures are cool, and his descriptions are fun to read.
Last but not least – a note of thanks. I was nominated for Very Inspiring Blogger Award by Stefano from Flora’s Table blog – I’m very grateful for the nomination and all the kind words. Stefano has a wealth of wine knowledge, I love the recipes in Flora’s Table blog, but the most amazing part for me are the pictures – some of the very best food pictures I saw anywhere on the net… If you are not following Flora’s Table yet – you should!
That’s all I have for today, folks – the glass is empty. Have a great #WineWednesday or #WhiskyWednesday – whatever your heart desires. Cheers!
Following Wines Til Sold Out: November’s Magnum Monday
Last Monday, November 26th, was Magnum Monday at WTSO (first event of this kind, if I’m not mistaken). During the period of 18 hours (from 9 AM Eastern until midnight), only large format bottles were offered for sale. There were total of 28 different wines offered, majority in the magnum size (1.5 liters, equivalent of 2 standard size bottles) with the exception of one wine which offered in the Imperial size (6 liters, equal to 8 standard size bottles). The most expensive wine was offered at $450, and the least expensive one was priced at $49.99. For many wines, free shipping was offered with the purchase of one bottle, and for some it was necessary to buy 2 to get the same free shipping. The very first wine offered was sold out within 3 minutes, and few other wines lasted only for 4 minutes.
Large bottles are very popular among wine collectors, as they considered to be better aging (better wine/air ratio compare to the standard size bottles), and the prices were good for many wines, so I would assume that the event made many people happy. Below is the guide to ratings and the table with all the information I was able to collect.
Guide to ratings: WS – Wine Spectator, WA – Wine Advocate, WE – Wine Enthusiast, W&S – Wine & Spirits, ST – Steven Tanzer, JHN – Jonathan H. Newman, RP – Robert Parker, JS – James Suckling, JH – James Halliday, WRO – Wine Review Online.
Enjoy!
| Time | Wine | Btl. size | Rating(s) | Orig. price | WTSO price | Min. # btls | % off |
| 11:35 PM | Burgess Napa Cabernet Vintage Selection 2001 Magnum | 1.5L | WE89 WS88 | $125 | $59.99 | 1 | 52% |
| 11:07 PM | I Balzini Black Label 2006 Tuscan Red Wine Dai Colli Della Toscana Magnum | 1.5L | WS92 WE92 | $130 | $59.99 | 1 | 54% |
| 10:45 PM | Barbaresco 2009 Michele Chiarlo Reyna Magnum | 1.5L | WE91 | $95 | $54.99 | 1 | 42% |
| 10:00 PM | Diadema Super Tuscan Rosso IGT 2009 Swarovski Bottle Magnum | 1.5L | WE93 JS91 | $250 | $99.99 | 1 | 60% |
| 9:25 PM | Brut Champagne N/V Piper Heidsieck #84 Top 100 WS 2012! Magnum | 1.5L | WS93 WE89 | $100 | $64.99 | 2 | 35% |
| 9:04 PM | Barolo 2006 Sarmassa di Barolo Roberto Voerzio Magnum | 1.5L | WA96+ WS93 | $620 | $449.99 | 1 | 27% |
| 8:53 PM | Piancornello Brunello DOCG 2003 | 1.5L | RP90 WS89 | $139.99 | $69.99 | 1 | 50% |
| 8:41 PM | Pommard Grand Epenots Pinot Noir 1er Cru 2009 ‘Clos de Citeaux’ Jean Monnier | 1.5L | JHN94 | $180 | $89.99 | 1 | 50% |
| 7:53 PM | Shingleback Shiraz D Block Reserve McLaren Vale 2004 Magnum | 1.5L | JH93 WS92 | $125 | 59.99 | 2 | 52% |
| 7:10 PM | I Balzini White Label IGT Rosso 2006 Magnum | 1.5L | WS93 WE91 | $130 | $59.99 | 2 | 54% |
| 6:24 PM | Burgess Cabernet 2002 Vintage Selection Napa Valley Magnum | 1.5L | $116 | $59.99 | 2 | 48% | |
| 6:15 PM | Barolo DOCG 2006 Fontanafredda Magnum | 1.5L | WA89+ | $250 | $99.99 | 2 | 60% |
| 5:30 PM | Sette Ponte ‘Oreno’ Super Tuscan 2007 Magnum | 1.5L | WE96 WS95 | $250 | $149.99 | 1 | 40% |
| 4:54 PM | Brut Select Champagne ‘Le Cordon Bleu’ NV De Venoge Magnum | 1.5L | WS91 | $120 | $62.99 | 2 | 48% |
| 4:17 PM | Belpoggio Brunello DOCG 2007 Magnum | 1.5L | JS92 WE92 | $199.99 | $99.99 | 1 | 50% |
| 4:00 PM | Corton Grand Cru 2007 Domaine Louis Latour | 1.5L | WS92 | $200 | $69.99 | 2 | 65% |
| 3:24 PM | Diadema Super Tuscan Rosso IGT 2009 Swarovski Bottle Magnum | 1.5L | WE93 JS91 | $250 | $99.99 | 1 | 60% |
| 3:15 PM | Barolo ‘Tortoniano’ Michele Chiarlo 2008 Magnum | 1.5L | WE92 WRO92 | $125 | $69.99 | 1 | 44% |
| 2:31 PM | Brut Champagne N/V Piper Heidsieck #84 Top 100 WS 2012! Magnum | 1.5L | WS93 WE89 | $100 | $64.99 | 2 | 35% |
| 1:55 PM | Roda Cirsion Rioja 2006 Magnum | 1.5L | WA95 WS92 | $600 | $299.99 | 1 | 50% |
| 1:09 PM | Burgess Napa Cabernet Vintage Selection 2001 Magnum | 1.5L | WE89 WS88 | $125 | $59.99 | 1 | 52% |
| 12:38 PM | Barolo Riserva 2004 ‘Roggeri’ Ciabot Berton Magnum | 1.5L | $200 | $114.99 | 1 | 43% | |
| 12:10 PM | Mont Redon Rouge 2009 Chateauneuf-du- Pape Magnum | 1.5L | ST92 WS91 | $125 | $59.99 | 2 | 52% |
| 11:25 AM | Phelps Insignia 2009 Magnum | 1.5L | WA93-96 ST94 | $429.99 | $314.99 | 1 | 27% |
| 10:40 AM | Shingleback Shiraz D Block Reserve McLaren Vale 2004 Magnum | 1.5L | JH93 WS92 | $125 | $59.99 | 2 | 52% |
| 10:24 AM | Silvio Nardi Brunello 2007 Magnum | 1.5L | JS95 | $175 | $99.99 | 1 | 43% |
| 10:13 AM | Grand Cru Burgundy White 2007 Corton Charlemagne Domaine Louis Latour Magnum | 1.5L | WS93 | $300 | $129.99 | 1 | 57% |
| 10:09 AM | Stormy Weather Cabernet Napa Valley 2006 Cellar Selection Magnum | 1.5L | 68% | ||||
| 9:52 AM | Barolo ‘La Villa’ DOCG Fontanafredda 2001 Magnum | 1.5L | WA94 W&S93 | $285 | $139.99 | 1 | 51% |
| 9:49 AM | St. Supery Red Wine ‘Elu’ 2005 Napa Valley Imperial | 6L | WE91 | $800 | $349.99 | 1 | 56% |
| 9:45 AM | Burgess Estate Cabernet Napa Valley 2005 Magnum | 1.5L | WE90 W&S90 | $100 | $49.99 | 2 | 50% |
| 9:03 AM | I Balzini Black Label 2006 Tuscan Red Wine Dai Colli Della Toscana Magnum | 1.5L | WS92 WE92 | $130 | $59.99 | 1 | 54% |
| 9:00 AM | St. Supery Cabernet Napa Valley 2004 Magnum | 1.5L | 91 | 50% |
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