This was the first time we gave Riesling a go, and my expectations were high. I like Riesling. It was a hot summer day. I had a funky garden salad topped with wood-fire-grilled salmon topped with a puree of 4 varieties of chive an onion, topped with stir fried garlic scapes. Good company. But one can’t win them all. Execution … Read More
4 Wines & A Plate: Sauvignon Blanc
The following is a summary of our monthly wine tasting group evening. Wines are tasted blind [brown bagged], food is paired to the varietal, we score the wines, have some good fun talking about them, and unbag them at the end. More details in a Q&A here. Sauvignon Blanc had been on the to-do list since last summer, so it … Read More
4 Wines & A Plate: Gewurztraminer
I’ve long decided to tone back the ‘fine wine’ content on the blog as I personally believe it can only me moderately interesting content at best for most. I have decided, however, to continue to post abbreviated summaries of our monthly tasting group ‘4 Wines & A Plate’, if for no other reason that to disclose ‘hey, this is something … Read More
4 Wines & A Plate – Shiraz
Shiraz night was a long time coming as one of our regular attendees collects the stuff. What I found in doing my usual homework is that from a critic-score perspective [for what that’s worth], there is superb value here – and your money can buy mid-90s scores vastly more easily than with other varietals from elsewhere in the world. Our … Read More
4 Wines & A Plate – Rhone [Southern]
Something connected here. Maybe it was the -32C weather that made us appreciate the wines, food and company a little more than usual. Maybe it was the variety and dynamics of some of the wines. Maybe the wines were really just that good. All 4 wines had major critic scores of 90+, so expectations were high, yet the wines still … Read More
4 Wines & A Plate – Tuscany
Long a flogger of French varietals, I figured exploring some Italian varietals, of which there are many, was long overdue. Tuscany well deserves some attention, and I think is pretty misunderstood. The food was kept rustic: game stew. Imo, there were 2 lovely wines, and two boring wines. THE WINESA: 2004 Talenti Pian di Conte Brunello di Montalcino, WA93, $65Nice … Read More
Q&A about 4 Wines & A Plate
I generally just post a summary of our 4 Wines & A Plate nights for the folks involved, assuming it would be of little interest to others. But I got a great comment from Rhonda that made me reflect on how many things I learned the hard way, that might actually be useful to share if you wish to start … Read More
4 Wines & A Plate – Cabernet Sauvignon
Texture was the hot topic of conversation – where on the mouth it stripped you of saliva, stuffed your face full of cotton balls, or made your teeth feel like they were dissolving. Loads of fruit, loads of odd-ball descriptors, and overall high average scores. The ringer was a pleaser, offering tremendous QPR. Buy it. Preferences were all over the … Read More
4 Wines & A Plate – Pinot Noir
Stangely, film created a significant pinot noir fad and a merlot sag in the wine market a few years back. In hindsight, it doesn’t seem to make much sense – although I suppose neither holywood nor fads do. My take on pinot noir is that most people aren’t big fans when it boils right down to it. It is a … Read More
4 Wines & A Plate – Chardonnay
The last white tasting of the year arrived. This year we did more whites than ever before, and this round was an adventure in Chardonnay. Conclusions: Chardonnay is far better with food than I expected. The oak vs. no-oak was not an issue – none of the wines were close to unpleasantly oaky. Guessing the new world vs old world … Read More