Monthly Archives: January 2014

Wine, Work and Creativity

28 Tuesday Jan 2014

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I stumbled across this article today while at work and tending to my LinkedIn invites and messages.  It was way too good not to share with you all.  It talks about how drinking vastly improves the creative process.

Here is the link to the original article I found: Wine, Work and Creativity – http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20140128171329-15893932-wine-work-and-creativity?trk=tod-home-art-list-small_1

And here is a supporting article that was equally as fascinating:  Mild Intoxication Aids Creative Problem Solving – http://bps-research-digest.blogspot.com/2012/03/mild-intoxication-aids-creative-problem.html

Enjoy those articles!  Now pardon me while I pour myself another glass of Sin Fronteras Dos Mujeres California 2012 and get back to reading for class!

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2011 Bortolomiol Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore ‘lus Naturae’

21 Tuesday Jan 2014

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I drank this one on Sunday while watching football.  I’m just getting to post about it now.

Wine Club Notes:

Got Google Maps?  Start with a wide view of Italy’s Veneto region.  Then zoom in on the province of Treviso.  Zoom a little more, and you’ll locate the town of Valdobbiadene, just below the Veneto’s alpine areas.  It’s a cool-climate zone that’s ideal for growing grapes earmarked for sparkling wines.

You have found the home of Bortolomiol, an estate that traces its lineage all the way back to 1760.  Its modern history began much more recently, in the 20th century, when Giuliano Bortolomiol planted grapes with Prosecco (Italy’s name for sparkling wine) in mind.  Today, his four daughters, Maria Elena, Elvira, Luisa and Giuliana, carry on the family’s winemaking heritage.

The 2011 “lus Naturae” is an exceptional sparkling wine made from estate-grown Glera grapes, farmed organically.  “We firmly believe in the principles of sustainability and total respect for the environment,” Maria Elena tells us, and it shows in the clean, crisp style of “lus Naturae.”

Grape Composition: 100% Glera

Grape Source: Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG of Italy

Aromas and Flavors: Acacia, Minerals, Honey and a Hint of Almond

Food Pairing Suggestions: Snails cooked with garlic and wild herbs.

 

My Thoughts:

I’d like to start off by saying I have received so much grief from people for “drinking champagne by myself for no particular occasion.”  Well, for one thing, it’s sparkling wine bitches, and it was a Sunday and I put on pants.  I’m pretty sure that counts as a special occasion.

Anyway…After scaring the crap out of my cats by popping open the bottle I poured a delightfully fizzy glass of pale straw colored goodness.  Definitely a fresh minerally aroma.  I have no idea what an Acacia smells like, so I’m going with that’s in there too.  I love the crisp, clean, refreshing taste paired with the extra tiny bubbles that rolled across my tongue.

I’m really liking this one despite the fact that I can’t pronounce a singled damned word off of the bottle.  Bonus points for using organic grapes.  However, I wouldn’t pair it with snails.  I wouldn’t pair anything with snails.  Some fresh sea scallops seared with garlic and wild herbs would totally work for me though.

On a scale of “this tastes like piss” to “oops, I just drank the whole bottle” I would give this a “Opening a bottle of this is celebration enough!  And yes, yes I did finish this by halftime of the NFC championship game.” Would I buy it again?  Absolutely!  That is…if I could figure out how to pronounce it.  Thank goodness for online ordering and cell phone cameras.  All I have to do is take a picture of the bottle, walk into local wine shop, and do the ever classy whip out cell phone, pull up picture and say, “Yo, Do you carry this?”

Final Grade: A

2011 Meadow Breeze – Detour Winery

16 Thursday Jan 2014

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This was one of my many finds at the 2013 Maryland Wine Festival in Westminster, MD.  (2014’s will be September 20th & 21st and I’ll more than likely be volunteering again.)

Notes from the bottle:

Light.  Breezy.  This outstanding blush is blended with American red and white grapes for a fresh, aromatic finish.  A perfect companion for picnics, family gatherings, or romantic get-a-ways!  A truly unique blush that will compliment any appetizer, entree or dessert.  Catch the breeze!  12.6& ABV

Produced and Bottled by Detour Vineyard and Winery.  www.detourwinery.com

My thoughts:

I wasn’t particularly in a rose kind of mood when I reached into the fridge, but the image of a girl walking through a field of wildflowers with a rolling river and mountains in the background made me long for a nice warm spring day.  I hate the darkness of winter.  Winter and I are not friends at all.  So I decided to crack open this bottle of sunshine.

I poured the first glass and lingered over the scents of crisp fresh grapes and undertones of honeysuckle and other floral undertones.  That first sip tasted like everything you could ever imagine in a warm spring or summer morning right after sunrise.  Bright, smooth tones of freshly picked grapes with, to quote the bottle, a light, breezy finish.  This is dangerous.  I’ve already drank half the bottle without realizing it.

I’d have to say that Meadow Breeze is the perfect name for this wine.  If I ever had to describe what a meadow breeze would taste like this wine has nailed it.  I feel a field trip to Detour Winery is in order in the near future.  It’s only just over an hour from my house.  I have no excuse not to visit!

On a scale of “this tastes like piss” to “oops, I just drank the whole bottle” I would give this a “Well shit…I killed that one quickly.  Wish I had another bottle!” Would I buy it again?  Hell yes!  And by the case!  I’m thinking I need to break out a bottle of this on a date.  I’ll either impress my date, or if my date sucks I’ll at least enjoy the wine!  Not a first date though.  I wouldn’t waste perfectly good wine on someone I don’t know well enough to know if they would appreciate a decent bottle of wine.  (Translation – you better be worth it for me to share this with!)

Final Grade: A+

World’s Most Popular Wine Grape

13 Monday Jan 2014

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I stumbled across this article on CNN this morning and had to share it. I found it quite interesting and was slightly surprised, but after reading through the article it really does make sense on why this particular grape is the most planted grape in the world.

“Thank you, University of Adelaide. It turns out that a researcher there, Professor Kym Anderson, has been engaged in a lengthy project analyzing the world’s grape-growing regions and has determined – among many, many other things – that Cabernet Sauvignon is the most widely planted wine grape in the world.”

Here is the link to the full article: http://eatocracy.cnn.com/2014/01/13/most-popular-wine-grape/?hpt=hp_bn11

Wine Dictionary: #1.5 Earthy

08 Wednesday Jan 2014

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It’s wine term time!  Mainly because I need something to keep me occupied for a few minutes before the Jeopardy! online test begins!  It’s supposed to start at 8pm and I’m supposed to be able to login 30min prior to the start of the test.  It’s 7:42pm and I’m getting an error message that says I’m too early.  The Jeopardy! people might be good at trivia, but apparently they suck at math and basic time telling skills.  Anyway…

Earthy – A term used to describe aromas and flavors that have a certain soil-like quality, that is, with organic qualities like “barnyard,” “forest floor,” “merde,” and tree bark.”  May be associated with brettanomyces but can also result from oak aging or the nature of specific grapes.  Mourvedre, for instance, imparts a characteristic earthy aroma.  A bit of earthiness can be appealing; too much makes the wine course.

I had to look up some of the words in the definition.  Like “merde” which, wait for it, means “shit” or “crap” in French.  It is also listed as “dung” if you want the rated G definition.  Umm…so far I’m thinking I don’t want anything that tastes like barnyard shit in my mouth.  Just a personal preference…

Brettanomyces – a genus of molds (family Moniliaceae) that are sometimes included in the genus Candida.  Wait what?  Seriously?  No…I must investigate further.  Thank you Merriam Webster, but allow me to find a more reputable source.  Wikipedia here I come!   Brettanomyices is a non-spore forming genus of yeast in the family Saccharomycetaceae, and is often colloquially referred to as “Brett“.  Ok, still not sounding appealing, but I can call it Brett.  I feel like I’m more ok with it because we’re on a more familiar nickname basis.

Mourvedre is a red wine grape variety in case you were curious.  I was.

Let’s hope wine terminology or grape growing regions are part of the Jeopardy! test!!!

2010 Garnet Gracenote Carneros/Sonoma County Pinot Noir

06 Monday Jan 2014

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Wine Club Notes:

The name of this wine was inspired by composer Carl Philipp Emmanuel Bach.

In the world of music, a grace note is an ornament or embellishment to a composition that’s “not only useful, but indispensable.  They connect the notes; they give them life. They emphasize them, and illustrate the sentiments, be they sad or merry.  The best melody without them may seem obscure and meaningless.”

In the world of wine, the concept that can be applied to the specific grapes utilized, the type of vessels used for aging, and the length of aging prior to bottling and release.  FOr the 2010 Gracenote Pinot Noir, winemaker Reed Renaudin selected grapes from two vineyards in the Carneros area of Sonoma County, and then aged the cuvee in a mix of French and Hungarian oak barrels.

The wine is perfectly balanced, nicely concentrated, and both floral and fruitful.  In a word, it’s a wine that truly is inspired.

My Thoughts:

I tried this one while at my mom’s house for Christmas.  My brother was furiously cooking Christmas dinner and my mother and I were furiously drinking wine and watching him move through the kitchen as if conducting an orchestra.

I picked up very subtle scents from the wine that I couldn’t quite place.  It was hard to tell with the aromas of bacon and braised red cabbage swirling through the air as I swirled wine in my glass.  It was very light tasting at first.  I was thrown off and a bit disappointed because I was expecting a fuller bodied Pinot Noir.  Then is snuck up on me.  Rich notes of cherry and spice with a pleasant subtle finish.  Nothing overpowering here.  Just enough flavor in the middle to make you say, Oh!  Not bad!  Not bad at all!

On a scale of “this tastes like piss” to “oops, I just drank the whole bottle” I would give this a “We emptied this bottle and it paired well with the 2010 San/Gio Sangiovese that we emptied shortly after it.” Would I buy it again?  Maybe…maybe not.  I don’t love it.  I don’t dislike it.  It was good at the moment.  Maybe not memorable enough.

Final Grade: B