Yes, it's one of those most unusual events--a wine tasting not connected to my parents. Our local wine store, the Wine Exchange (quite possibly my dad's favorite store beyond Big Lots and Costco), offers tastings for a small fee (in this case, 21 wines for $18--you can't beat that anywhere!). This was how my parents originally got into wine tasting and they have encouraged us to start tasting outside of their wine group.
We went on Saturday and it really was a lot of fun. There was a man and a woman pouring and Kevin noticed that when the man was pouring, the ladies got a leeeeetle bit extra--as it should be! Anyway, they were very nice and were happy to discuss the blends to us. The theme of this tasting was, "Rhone and the Sud Reloaded," and the wines were all French from the Rhone region. Lots of Grenache-Syrah blends, Cote du Rhones, and even a couple of rose', finishing with a Muscat.
Everyone in the room was taking copious notes--it looked like some were going to need extra pieces of paper. Since Kevin and I lack the vocabulary to define wine (our knowledge lingers around "The illusion of sweetness" and our family joke, "Fruity!") it was difficult for us to take notes. Kevin didn't even try, but I made an attempt. Looking back, I realize my notes were, shall we say, less than helpful. Some of them include:
Good--Nice summer wine--bit overpriced
Meh
No thanks
Uninspiring
Smells fruity but doesn't deliver
Kevin likes, I don't
Smooth--not much else--will probably age well
Nice--possibly buy
Also nice but [above] is better
We approve! (Wonder why?) [editor's note--that wine was $46.99 a bottle]
Simple @ beginning w/increasing complexity
And the Muscat?...
"Like drinking a sugar cube."
All in all I think we did well with our limited vocabulary. We found a bottle we really wanted to bring to FAWG (the Friday Afternoon Wine Group--a wine tasting group that meets weekly (for the last 18 years), attended by my parents, and one which we joined by virtue of my birthright as Gary Rosiak's daughter). We didn't go home with any other bottles but found a nice group of interesting wines we might want to return to in the future. I would call the wine tasting a smashing success!
But seriously, we're thinking of taking a class so we can get the lingo down.
Posted by Shelby at June 5, 2005 09:44 PMHey Shelby! In case it makes you feel better, I always just assumed that you know what you're talking about with wine (since you are Gary Rosiak's daughter!!). After reading your notes from the tasting I feel much better because they read a lot like mine do!!!
Heh - like drinking a sugar cube - I like that.
I'm hoping this week to order a couple of cases of our favourite muscat. We're gearing up to move back to the states, and that means trying to double the cellar. My friends who have a real cellar pointed out that you only have to buy more than you drink the first few years - after that you just let the old stuff get older. We're big fans of the Cote du Rhone, although we've since expanded outward. It sounds like a nice setup, this wine tasting - I'm quite looking forward to getting back to places where I don't have to translate the commentary on the fly!
Do you remember, by any chance, what the $46/bottle stuff was? I'm trying to get a feel for how much more we're going to be paying when we get back....
Posted by: David at June 6, 2005 09:44 AM