Upset About Not Enough White

So this week has been yet another crazy week for me as I'm sure that it has been for many of us. On Wednesday I held a wine tasting event for about 16 people and there was a great time had by all.

However, at the beginning of the class, I went on to describe about some basics of wine tasting and how the participants can make the wine more memorable, one of the women was visibly upset at the white to red ratio.We were lucky enough to have 10 wines in total with 2 white and 8 red.
She was willing to stay for the event as we had already begun.

She was definitely enjoying the whites that we started with, a Sauvgion Blanc and a Reisling.

As we moved onto the reds she was a little hesitant. We starting with a Pinot Noir, a Cabernet Sauvgion, moving on to a Tempranillo, Shiraz, a few blends, and ending with a Barollo.

Once she tasted the Chateauneuf du Pape, she was warming up to the ideas of some smooth drinking well balanced reds.

Like many others, if you are a novice wine person, you find something that you like and you tend to stick with them. Just like she was doing. She liked her Pinot Grigo and that was it. She would occasionally have a Sauv. Blanc, but was scared to stray off from what she was comfortable with.

So how do you learn what you like without going broke on buying wines and discovering you hate it and dump it down the drain?

There are a few ways to figure out what you like, and many of them without spending a lot of money if any. Here is how I do a lot of discovering of different wines.

Dinner Parties:

Dinner Parties are awesome for trying new wines. People will usually bring a bottle of wine when they come for dinner. As the host, it isn't out of the question for you to make a request of your friends to bring a bottle that isn't what you normally drink.


Wine Tasting Classes:
Taking a wine tasting class is a great way in tasting a number of wines. It may be a themed class, such as all from South America, or a specific region in France, but they are usually fairly inexpensive and can be amazing. (See Classes and More to have me run a class for you.)

Join a Wine Club:
There are wine clubs in cities all over the world. These usually have an annual fee that you will have to pay, but it will include most of the tastings in that fee. The advantage of a wine club is that they may have their own inventory of wines that are at their peek and not available on the market any longer.

Visit a Winery:
Depending on where you live, this can be an amazing day trip. Most wineries have a tasting room where you can sample their wines for simple $1 per sample. If you find something you like and end up buying a bottle (or a case) they will usually not even bother charging you for the tastings. After all, that's what they want you to do. Sample a wine, love it, and take it home.

Many wineries also have coupons on their websites for a free tasting. I know that Coyote's Run and Black Prince, both have them on theirs. Because I live in Toronto, I'm luck enough to be able to do day trips to both Niagara and Prince Edward County.

So where did that leave the woman in my class?
Thrilled. She said that knowing some of the background of the wines and where they were coming from was as important to her as the wine itself. I tend to agree.

But the key thing in this whole blog is this. Don't be afraid to try new wines, and step out of your comfort zone.
You never know what you might end up liking.

After all, that's what wine is all about, the experience.

Let me know if you would like to share a bottle sometime so we can both enjoy a glass.
Matt

Penny Black's Little Brother

So I had to go and renew the license plates on our car yesterday and was amazed that there was NO LINE! Unheard of!!!! So that meant that I had about a half an hour of free time.
What to do, what to do....

Go to the LCBO! (Liquor store for those outside of Ontario)

So I made my way home and did some of the chores that you have to do when you get home. Those chores involved putting on some shorts as it was 26 degrees C yesterday, finding the corkscrew, grabbing a wine glass, putting on some music and pouring a glass.

One thing that I have noticed with all the Post House wines is they all initially look and smell corked. The cork is soft, and heavily stained which always worries me.

Not thinking much of it, I head out to the front porch and start to enjoy.

My response to this one is WOW!

This is a blend of 32% Shiraz 32% Pinotage 18% Cabernet Sauvignon and 18%Merlot.

 I completely get why they call it Bluish Black. I looks like a cross between blueberry juice and squid ink. It has a big nose and wonderful palate. A nose of mulberries, red currant and almost over ripe strawberries, but not in a bad way. Also has lots of allspice and black pepper. The palate is almost identical to the nose with a bit more pepper on it. It is full bodied, rich wine with supple soft tannins for easy drinking especially at 14.5%

This one is well worth seeking out at $14.95!

Enjoy a glass.
Matt

Honesty is Truth

How many of you have been standing in your local LCBO or liquor store before going to a dinner party going. What the heck do I bring? I have no idea what dinner is or what will go with dinner. This is an important dinner at your boss' place and you need to make a good impression. You don't want to bring what everyone else is bringing and you want to stand out. You tried to look on-line to find what would be good, but only came up with Yellow Tail and something from somewhere in Italy that you have never heard of. You also came across wine clubs from all over the place and all the pictures are of old ladies and guys with beards that are in desperate need of a barber. Frustrated? Of course you are.

Ok, so you are no further ahead. What to bring?

Here is my only word of advice and one that I firmly believe that you should follow. Bring one that YOU like. I don't care how much it costs or if it comes in a box or bottle. The most important thing about wine is that you enjoy it. Showing how much you enjoy it and what you know about it or at the least how it makes you feel is what is important. Who am I to say that the 2006 Torrentes from Spain is the best ever? I could be completely full of it and really you would believe me because everything on the internet is true.

Here is what I am about. Find out what you like and only use that experience to grow your tastes from there.

As someone who is looking at the wine industry as a second carrier, I have had my share of wine tastings. Some I love. Others are apparently very good, but to me taste like licking an envelope.

Oh, one other thing. Don't be afraid of the Vintages section at the LCBO. Just because it is in Vintages doesn't mean that it's good! Some of them can be bad. And I mean taste like drinking a rubber tire.

So here are a few that I like. Please remember that these are my choices and noone, and I mean noone has told me otherwise.

Post House Penny Black - South Africa
This is a real mish-mash of grapes but for some reason really works.
LCBO# - 148619 - $19.95

Santa Dinga - Cabernet Sauvginon - Chile
This is a great example of new world Cab. Sauv.!
LCBO# - 177451 - $14.95

Well this is my first kick at the can, so if you have any questions, please fell free to ask me and I'll do my best to answer them.

Above all, like what you like and don't care if anyone says otherwise. Drinking wine is all about your personal experience.

If you have questions, please feel free to send them on and I'll do my best to answer them. Enjoy!