Friday, July 27, 2007

Air Effects on a Rose

Last night I opened up a 2006 Sokol Blosser Rose. When I first opened it, and was drinking it with dinner, the taste and smell were really subdued, and it didn't seem like there was much there. I've drank and tasted the wine multiple times before, and so I know what to expect, and this was just not living up to expectations. I sealed it up (rubber stopper, pumped the air out) and put it in the fridge, intent on drinking it later.

After returning from running some errands about 2 hours later, I decided to give the Rose another shot. I opened it up and took a taste, and whammo, intense flavors and nose. I was expecting the same wine I had drank earlier with little change, especially since it had been in the fridge and I had sealed it up. Turns out, this Rose needs a little time to open up, which really suprised me. I think the next time I drink the wine, I'm going to open it up, and let it sit out for 30 minutes or so. If it was a blind tasting between the two, you would've thought they were two completely different wines.

Sokol Blosser

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Tasting v. Drinking

I haven't posted in a bit, but its not because I haven't been drinking any wine. I'm still drinking/tasting up to 10 wines a week, the issue just comes when I look at "how" I'm drinking and/or tasting.

When I'm critically tasting a wine to make some tasting notes, I really have to focus and write it down while I'm doing it. I don't have the skills to remember specifics about the wines I taste for a long time. I remember if I like it, and how good it was, but not enough to make good tasting notes later. My memory just isn't that good, I guess. Sirpa is the opposite, she can remember specifics about something she tasted 6 months ago. Its amazing really.

So that's the conundrum. I've been drinking wines lately, or tasting some wines while at a wine bar, and not able to write things down while doing it. I've had wine with dinners, and I've had some good stuff, just nothing worth writing home about. I did have a Pinot Noir while at Thirst (a wine bar in downtown Portland) that I'm trying to get a bottle or three of. When I do, and I drink it, I'll probably put some notes up about it.

This has all made me really think about the difference between tasting wine and drinking wine. To me, tasting wine is to really evaluate it, to pull it apart and see what is there. Drinking wine, on the other hand, is what you do when wine is not the focus, like when out with friends, eating dinner, or just watching some tv. Its when I want a glass of wine, and I don't evaluate it beyond just how good it is, which means that I don't put up notes about it. I think this is a good thing, because is shows that wine can be enjoyed in the same way a beer would be. Its tasty and satisfies the thirst, but I don't want to write about every time I drink a Drop Top.

Thirst Wine Bar

Monday, July 2, 2007

Airlie 7

I might have found one of my favorite summer wines tonight. The Airlie 7, from Airlie Winery. The wine gets its name from the seven varietals that are blended together to make it, Muller Thurgau, Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, and Muscat Ottonel.

The nose has citrus, mostly grapefruit and lemon. On the palatte, it gives some lemon-lime citrus and just a touch of spice, with a hint of acid, and just enough sweet. This is a really well balanced wine. It is definitely not dry, but it is not sweet either. You can really pull out the different components of the wine by the taste, like the spice from the Gewurtztraminer, the citrus from the Pinot Gris, and the sweet from the Riesling. This is a really easy to drink wine, especially on a hot day. For $12, this is a really great deal, and I'd give it a 9/10. Its complex enough to make it interesting, but still easy to drink and affordable.

Airlie Winery