| Barefoot Merlot |
[Dec. 30th, 2009|11:55 am] |
I've been dying for a glass of red wine so ... I flipped a coin and chose Barefoot's Merlot. (Hey, this ploink's not going to drink itself!)
Color: Deepest ruby red. Quite pretty, really.
Sniff Test: A little flat on the nose, but a blackberry note.
First Impression: I'm hoping this wine is a little closed at first, because there's really not much going on. Blackberries up front, tannins on the mid palate, and an oddly pleasant dusty leather note on the end, aftertaste is blackberry tea. Mouthfeel is a little thin.
But I'll say up front, at this point Corbett Canyon was already a better, more interesting wine.
Breathing Room: The nose opens up and smells pleasantly of blackberries and black currants. The tannins are softer and the blackberry notes are more pronounced, the mouthfeel becomes a bit silky even. There's the leathery notes towards the end, and even a kiss of parsley. The finish has a skoosh of vanilla in it.
Final Verdict: As an everyday table wine, this tastes fine. It has no glaring faults, and it's got the classic Merlot blackberries, but it's not a particularly rich or interesting wine. The notes are there, the piano is in tune, but the melody is "Chopsticks".
If you're looking for something cheap to have for your every day glass of red wine, Corbett Canyon Merlot is a better, richer tasting, (slightly) more interesting wine, and you get get a 3L box of that for $10.
ETA This is also a sweeter Merlot than most I've tasted, including Corbett Canyon, which is possibly a part of why it tastes pleasant (and not harsh), but it can't cover the fact that there's not much going on here. |
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| Food Pairing |
[Dec. 30th, 2009|11:03 am] |
For my birthday, I'm going out to a place known for its prime rib. I was wondering whats a good wine pairing with prime rib?
Thanks! |
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| aerating and decanting wine |
[Dec. 28th, 2009|06:42 pm] |
Unless anyone objects, I've decided to post mini-essays about stuff I'm learning about wine as I learn it. It helps me to really know something has set in my mind once I've become able to repeat it off the cuff.
Hokay, so:
Aerating and decanting wine.
You may have seen the process of decanting wine in a restaurant, or seen all the fancy aerators that were all the rage this Christmas season at places like Crate and Barrel. What are they, how are they different, and do they really do anything?
A decanter is the large crystal or glass container, sometimes shaped like a fat, wide-bottomed bottle, other times like a pitcher, sometimes like an inexplicable blown-glass fantasy, into which wine is poured before serving. Sometimes, wine is poured into a decanter to actually decant it, sometimes just to aerate it. To decant in wine terms is the same thing it is in chemistry - to carefully pour off the top layer of a liquid without disturbing the solids that have settled to the bottom in order to separate them. Some wines, especially older reds, develop sediment. It's not harmful, it's just gritty and generally considered distasteful. This is the reason for the whole rigmarole with careful handling and angled baskets for such bottles in high end restaurants. The idea is to avoid shaking and mixing the sediment back into the body of the liquid, so it will stay trapped in the shoulder of the bottle as you pour the clear wine off. It's also the same thing you are doing when you pour the boiling water out of the pot of pasta when it is done cooking, being careful not to tip it so much that the pasta falls into the sink. Which wines need to be decanted? Simple - the ones with gunk floating around in the bottom of the bottle. Hold it up to a light and look. Usually older (10+ years) reds will have developed sediment, and some reds just do it spontaneously. Whites almost never need it. Educated waitstaff and wine salespeople should remember if a particular bottle usually needs it - ask.
To aerate wine is to expose it to oxygen to "open it up" or bring about it's ideal flavor. Interaction with oxygen does make a significant difference in the flavor development of wines - this is one of many factors considered in the age and porosity of barrels, and the time spent therin. If you've ever had a bottle sit for a few days as you nurse another glass with dinner for every night, you may have noticed the "progression" of a wine. This is often a problem when a restaurant opens for dinner after a day closed - the partially used bottle of wine from 3 days ago tastes utterly different than the next newly opened bottle of the exact same vintage. Some wines, particularly tannic, young, robust reds really need a certain amount of aeration to soften them up and bring about their ideal flavor. For this, you want to spread the wine out thinly over a large surface area to expose as much of it to air as possible. Just opening the bottle won't allow enough contact in the few minutes before you drink it.
( Which decanter would you use for this purpose? )
Even the act of letting a wine sit in the bottom of your (spacious, wide) glass over dinner, not poured overfull and swirled idly as you hold it and talk aerates a valid amount. Then there are "aerators" - doohickies that force air rapidly into a thin stream of wine to open it up more quickly.
( there is an undeniable aspect of showmanship involved. )
It should be noted that it is entirely possible to aerate a wine too much! There is an ideal amount of oxygen exposure you are aiming for, and it is easy to surpass. If you doubt it, leave a bottle open on your counter for a week. Wines that actually need aeration are robust, tannic, tightly wound reds, such as younger cab, merlot, nebbiolo and petite syrah. Many other reds and even some whites can benefit from it briefly, but a lot of times you will lose other preferred attributes (such as keeping the wine chilled to the preferred temperature) or over-oxygenate and kill it. Older wines tend to be more fragile, especially delicate varietals like Pinot Noir and tempranillo, and some Chiantis and Burgundies. Some very old wines (over 20 years) already must be drunk within 15-20 minutes of opening because they are already so close to the final tipping point. Herin lies the catch - older wines also often have sediment. If you must decant an older red wine to remove sediment, especially if it was never particularly robust or dark in color to begin with, remember that decanting also aerates in the process, and do it just before serving.
So, in conclusion: Generally, younger red wines (under 10 years) that can be described as "bold" "robust" or "tannic," either in the words of the waiter, on the label or by your own examination, will benefit from being aerated. Lots of middle-aged, medium bodied reds and even some whites will also benefit - but that's more a matter of taste. Try aerating part of the bottle and tasting it side by side with the unaerated part. Or taste the first sip, as-is, and then aerate it if you think you might like it softened up a bit. Generally, older (10+), lighter wines are more at risk of being ruined by aeration. Proceed with caution, get the sommolier's opinion, or google's.
A side note: People, including middle-price-point waitstaff, often mistakenly use the word "decant" to mean both "decant" and "aerate." Just remember it's a common mistake and be nice if you correct them. This is, in general, a fairly high-level lesson and an undereducated server might look at you askance if you ask for an unusual wine to be decanted. Just remember - your own taste is your own taste, and you're paying for it, so you're never wrong if you like it that way. Finally, if you aren't sure on a new bottle, don't be afraid to experiment. You don't have to psychically know in one shot. Taste a bit first and request it aerated afterwards if you think it would help. Just be nice enough to tip at least 20% or more if you make them run all over god's green earth to assemble the various equipment for your request.
If I haven't bored you to sleep yet, I hope that was fun! |
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| King Arthur’s Table on Christmas Day; a Celebration in Texas Too |
[Dec. 26th, 2009|05:45 pm] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | Houston, Texas | ] |
| [ | music |
| | God Rest Yee Merry Gentlemen.... | ] |
King Arthur’s Table on Christmas Day; a Celebration in Texas Too
In my Christmas Card from my Mother yesterday, I received a hand written note on a small sheet of yellow lined paper. She had transcribed the following quote from “Whitecraft” by John Frere:
They served up salmon, and wild boars
By the hundreds and by the dozens and by scores,
Hogsheads of honey, kinderskins of mustard,
Mutton and fatted beeves and bacon swine,
Herons and bitterns, peacocks, swan and bustard,
Teal, mallard, pigeons, widgeons and in fine
Plum puddings, pancakes, apple pies and custards.
And, therewithed they drank good Gascon wine.
With mead and ale and cider of our own,
For porter, punch and Negus were not known.
She certainly knows her son’s penchant for food and wine.
More at: http://vintagetexas.com/blog/?p=1330
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| Barefoot Riesling |
[Dec. 26th, 2009|11:23 am] |
So, as part of my ongoing project of drinking my way through Barefoot's offering of everyday table wines, I decided to bust out the Riesling yesterday as we watched the Mythbuster's marathon and waited for the Turkey and Tofurky to come out of the oven.
My DH and DB are not wine drinkers, so I find that light, off-dry/fruity whites go well with them.
But even they gave this wine a complete "meh".
It had almost none of the apricot, tangerine, peach and pear flavors I associate with an off-dry or sweeter Riesling. It wasn't particularly lush and fruity, the mouthfeel was very thin, the nose was weak, and the finish was sour. The fruits up front were yellow apples and a touch of tangerine. It was like their Chardonnay, but watered down.
If you want an inexpensive, bang-for-the-buck bottle of Riesling, spend an extra $2-7 and get Pacific Rim, Fetzer, or Rosemont, or Chateau St. Michelle.
If you've only $5 for a bottle of white and want to go Barefoot, get their Pinot Grigio.
This is cooking/marinade wine. |
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| (no subject) |
[Dec. 26th, 2009|12:40 am] |
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02 Justiacation.... So good |
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| Central Coast (California) Wineries |
[Dec. 18th, 2009|07:53 am] |
The gf and I are taking a road trip down the central coast of California (Hearst Castle, Cambria, Morro Bay, Paso Robles, and Solvang) in about a week and we'd like to hit some wineries down there.
Anybody have any good recommendations of wine/wineries?
I'm not picky about varietals (I like whatever is good), so the only requirements are:
a) Somewhere in the Paso Robles/Solvang area
b) Good wine
c) Not ridiculous tasting policies (like high fees that can't be applied towards a purchase. I don't mind paying $5 or even $10 that can be waived or includes a glass or something. But $10+ with no way to refund it or get anything with it is pretty lame. Many Napa wineries come to mind.) |
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