Archive for the ‘wine advice’ Category
We’ve hit the week mark until Christmas is finally here and if you’re starting to get desperate for a present for the wine lover in your life, here are some suggestions that should be a hit when opened up on the 25th (or whenever you do your gift exchange).
Stemware
Yes, most of us have an abundance of glasses, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t like new ones, especially if they’re unique. One of my favorite gifts was several years ago my brother-in-law and his wife gave my wife and I a set of glasses that I liked so much that I went out and bought more of them so that I’d have a set of eight. The wine lover in your life probably has a good set of regular red and white glasses, but maybe some nice stemless glasses, or some champagne flutes, or even an interesting decanter.
Wine
This doesn’t have to be an expensive bottle of wine, and probably shouldn’t be to be honest. What it does need to be though is special – something memorable. For example, some years back for my Father I bought him a bottle of Portugese wine (his family is from Portugal) that was imported into the small town just outside of Boston where he grew up. The wine was good enough, only cost me about $20, and he loved the significance of both where the wine originated from and where it was brought in through.
For those of you you who don’t know me I am The Good Wine Guru’s other half, I like to refer to myself as the Good Wine Artist. It’s my job to paint pictures of wine bottles and glasses, find things to make out of all those old corks and bottles laying around the house and of course I am the Assistant Taste Technician. Which is to say if it’s a bottle of wine that was opened in our house, there is a near 100% chance I’ve assisted in it’s consumption. It has come to my attention recently that I may not be cut out for the job of Assistant Taste Technician which I have enjoyed for so long (don’t tell my boss!).
It’s not because I’m tired of wine or I don’t love wine, it’s because I’m starting to think I don’t have the pallet or the nose for it. I know that all wine is subjective and we don’t all like the same things or even perceive things the same, but sometimes I feel like a lot of things are going right over my head. Sometimes my duties as Assistant Taste Technician involve more “formal” tasting events, where we’re not just opening a bottle of wine with dinner, we are staring down six to eight bottles of wine that are all to be opened and tried and often tweeted about. It’s situations like theses where I find myself a bit out of place, throwing around tweets like “Mmmm… this one is good.” Mean while others at the events or on twitter are talking about the hint of Lychee or the Cassis or who knows what. I can honestly tell you that I’ve never tasted Lychee or Cassis, at least not knowingly, and therefore have no point of reference for those flavors. I often find myself coming up short when trying to put into words what something smells or tastes like to me. Partly because I seem to be uncomfortable assigning non food terms to wine. It took me a long time to say things tasted like leather or petrol until others started using those terms to describe something I was drinking and I had an “OOOOH! That’s what that is!” moment.
We once held a tasting at our house with friends and we all contemplated the wine in our glass for several minutes failing to put our fingers on what it was that was odd about our wine, that weird taste, that strange smell. Then one of our friends in attendance hit the nail on the head with “It tastes like new leather shoe,” which somehow amazingly enough it did. Needless to say it wasn’t our favorite selection of the night, and as someone who prefers to keep my beverages and footwear separate it’s a pair of dots I never would never have connected on my own.
The Guru recently obtained a Wine Aroma Wheel from someone, somewhere and I’m still a bit shocked by some of the things on it and why on Earth I would put in my mouth something that smelled like some of these things. I’ll make my case with: Skunk, Cooked Cabbage, Wet Dog and the entire “Microbiological” category. I remember once seeing on the posted tasting notes at a wine shop that a certain wine smelled like “dirty dish rag.” I don’t think I’ll ever be one to think quite in those terms, if only because I’d like to be able to enjoy the wine I’m drinking. I am, however, going to hang on to this aroma wheel and maybe get my hands on a taste wheel so that the next time I can’t quite put my finger on it I may be able to come up with a more worthwhile opinion beyond “it’s fruity.” And while I’m at it I really need to find some lychee and add that to my mental flavor library.
If you’re luckier than me, you have a room in your home that is completely devoted to storing all of your wine. If you are lucky enough to have such a room, there’s a good chance you either already have it temperature controlled, or want to have it temperature controlled. If you’re in the latter group, or really even in the former and just looking to upgrade, here are some wine storage cooling units worth looking at.
The Breezaire wine cellar cooling units range in price from around $650 to almost $1600. Designed to be nearly vibration free as well as running quietly, the line of Breezaire cooling units provide cool air to help maintain both temperature and humidity in your wine cellar, protecting both the wine and the labels and corks contained within, and can cool 2,000 cubic feet of space.
The WhisperKOOL wine cellar cooling units can also cool down 2,000 cubic feet of space, and range in price from $1370 to $4240. Capable of handling temperature variances of 55 degrees, depending on the model, these cooling systems are ideal for maintaining wine integrity no matter the external temperature.
I’ve been thinking about writing a piece on boxed wines for a while, but had been having a hard time trying to think of a good argument in favor of boxed wine. Sure, you get a lot of wine in a single package for a better price than the same number of bottles would cost, but you’re often sacrificing quality to save that money, and there are plenty of wines in a bottle out there that are affordable and quality. Then I got some samples of the Octavin Home Wine Bar.
The first thing that I noticed in the Octavin was the packaging. As the name would imply, the boxes are eight-sided, taller than they are wide, with a top of the line twist-to-open spout that prevents leaks and are, most importantly, stylish. Unlike most boxed wine which comes in a simple square or rectangular package, the Octavin Wine Bars are stylish packages that you won’t be ashamed of to put out at a party.
On top of quality packaging, Octavin has come up with a great selection of wines to put in their stylish boxes. Big House Red and White, Monthaven Chardonnay, Pinot Evil Pinot Noir, Boho Vineyards Zinfandel, Silver Birch Sauvignon Blanc, and Seven Spanish Red Wine Blend – a wide selection for every occasion and every palate with prices ranging from $22 to $25 each (SRP).
If you’re anything like me you’re always looking for wines that’s great for putting out at parties or you’re just looking to have a single glass of wine. The Octavin Home Wine Bars are perfect for both needs. I sampled the Big House Red, the Monthaven Chardonnay, and the Silver Birch Sauvignon Blanc. I’d had Big House Red before, and I found that I actually enjoyed it more in the Octavin Home Wine Bar than in a bottle. Not that I felt it tasted different, but I liked having it available for a single glass as a table wine from the Octavin – something that having a bottle of it didn’t offer. In addition, my in-laws were visiting when I received the samples and my father-in-law loved being able to take just a glass whenever he felt like it without having to open a bottle.
For the same reasons I enjoyed the Monthaven and especially the Silver Birch Sauvignon Blanc. With the temperature continuing to climb here in Virginia, a refreshing glass of wine is always welcome on a hot day when trying to relax on the weekend or for pairing with a quick lunch or dinner.
I’m not saying that boxed wine will ever replace bottled, but the Octavin Home Wine Bar is certainly a great step in the direction and perfect for anybody looking for a quality table wine that’s perfect for parties or just a wine by the glass. If you see this at your local store I would definitely recommend giving it a try.
Varietal: Blended Red Wine (Zinfandel, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon)
Region: California – USA
Cost: $8 – $10
Dark coloring with forward flavors of fruit and cherry with a smooth finish. Pairs well with chicken, pork, and sharp cheeses.
Recommendations: I picked up this wine with a pretty good idea of what to expect, and not necessarily in a negative way. I’m a firm believer that there’s a niche and drinker for every wine, and while I might not like them all, it doesn’t mean that others don’t.
There are plenty plenty of wine drinkers like myself, ones that run websites voicing our opinions, that look down on wines that know their niche and don’t aspire to more. I am not one of those people. With that in mind I opened up the bottle of Middle Sister Rebel Red. Read the rest of this entry »
Varietal: Malbec
Region: Argentina
Cost: $20
Smooth on the nose with flavors of blackberry, plum, toast, and vanilla. Dark in color, pair this wine with casual foods such as hamburger, chicken wings, pizza, pasta, or steak.
Recommendations: Having enjoyed the 2007 Gouguenheim Malbec, I was excited to receive the 2008. The first thing I noticed about this wine was the deep purplish-red color. On the nose the wine was subtle, which was surprising giving that it carries nearly 14% alcohol by volume.
In the mouth the Malbec was full of fruit flavor, especially blackberry. While I was bad and didn’t pair this with anything (it was movie night in the Perry household), this is absolutely the perfect wine to pair with pizza, as the bold flavors of fruit will be a perfect pairing to the pizza sauce and toppings.
This is a great wine to keep on hand for a casual evening at home making a quick dinner after work as it will go with just about any casual, throw-together meal that you can come up with. The 2007 was good, the 2008 is great. Definitely worth a try.
Special thanks to the International Wine of the Month Club for supplying the wine for this review.
