Love the idea of this thread. Looking forward to reading this.

polarbear22 wrote:Love the idea of this thread. Looking forward to reading this.

+1

ThunderThighs wrote:

DISCUSSIONS
Various discussions start at these posts.
Smell

OK TT, just how much of the F-Bomb did you consume before you make the "Smell" link that points to "Sight"?

Wonderful concept and addition.
Where is the like button?

ThunderThighs wrote:Ha! You get bonus points for catching that. I did say that bottle was all gone.

I'm looking for you and the others to help out!

Ha! You gotta be kidding. I'm gonna be reading to learn as well. The "cat died" link is a treasure I've read innumerable times now. Nice inclusion.

Once you guys have gone through this little course come on over to the What are you drinking tonight thread and post some reviews of whatever you are drinking. It's fun to critically think about whats in the glass in front of you and then share that with others and in turn see what they are drinking and what they like and dislike about it.

ThunderThighs wrote:

... long post ....

A Cat Died in My Mouth! (or) How To Develop The Professional Palate YOU Want! (previous wine.woot forum) Thanks Kyle!

I'm going to strongly suggest those interested in learning about wine-tasting start with the A Cat Died in My Mouth! (or) How To Develop The Professional Palate YOU Want! (previous wine.woot forum) thread.

It is a rare combination of interaction between relatively new winedrinkers, moderately experienced wine lovers who have begun to explore their understandings, and some professional wine-makers and semi-professional winos with up to half-a-century's experience.

It includes what I think is still one of best very short overviews of wine tasting for intelligent young adults who have no experience (My Notes on Wine for 1982 Summer Associates Tasting prepared for law students between their second and third years) as well as discussions of some of the most important serious literature on evaluating wine.

It is appropriate to note here that one of the important contributors is SonomaBouliste -- winemaker extraordinaire Peter Wellington, who has an offering up today that is not to be missed.

polarbear22 wrote:Love the idea of this thread. Looking forward to reading this.

This is an awesome idea for a thread. I know a little but still consider myself a polliwog, so I'll definitely be following along.

ThunderThighs wrote:I started reading "The Cat Died in My Mouth..." thread and I've determined that there's no way I'm gonna get that deep into the world of wine tasting.

What I want is to get a basic understanding and figure out the vocabulary. So if I know that I like 'A' wine and y'all tell me it has XYZ attributes, I can figure out that I'll like another wine that has similar attributes.

For me, understanding the vocabulary and what they heck you guys are saying is half the battle.

Tonight's wine is the 2010 St. Julian Pinot Grigio. I really enjoyed the first bottle last month.

Color: Very clear. Light yellow in appearance. Smells wonderful but I couldn't tell you what those smells are.

Look for some of Scott Harvey's blogs. I think he's done a good job of making it easy to understand. Plus, IIRC, he's on some council to make it easy to see (on the back label) where a wine is on the tasting spectrum. As in Old World vs. New World.


I think there was also a post where he mentions the pH of a wine, and what the ranges mean (usually wine good on it's own or wine better with food, IIRC).


Oh, and a quick definition ... Vertical usually means the same wine (winery, vineyard, etc.) over 2 or more years.

Example:

Nicolaysen Family Vineyards Late Harvest Pinot Blanc Mini-Vertical was their 2002 & 2003 LH Pinot Blanc.

The current C.G. Di Arie Petite Sirah Vertical is their Estate Grown 2006, 2007, & 2008 PS.

Some of us do get carried away. One of these years I'll have to open my Turley Hayne Vineyard PS wines (1998-2009)



A horizontal usually refers to the same year of a varietal, and sometimes the same vineyard, where possible.

For example, in 2004 we have:

• Chase Petite Sirah Hayne Vineyard
  
• Elyse PS Hayne Vineyard
  
• Jacob Franklin PS Hayne Vineyard (10 barrels)
  
• Turley PS Hayne Vineyard

ThunderThighs wrote:
To guide the discussion along in a coherent manner, I’m reading and will be following the book Essential Winetasting by Michael Schuster (US 2011 reprint, note this is the book, not the course).

Do you have a link to this book, preferably the Kindle version or any eBook version. Amazon seems to only have the print version of the course book.

Thanks..

@ThunderThighs: I think I love you! Thank you for starting this thread. Some of my more wine savvy friends often laugh at my descriptions. The most recent foray into my Land of Walrus Toting Halibut descriptions was: "...it tastes like old clothes stuffed into a trunk in your grandmother's attic." After laughing at me, they agreed the wine was decidedly off. We had never had a red that was overwhelmingly musty. BAD musty. Undrinkable musty. Like send-it-back-on-a-rocketship musty.
The restaurant tried to tell us this particular French wine was supposed to taste that way. Well, fine. Lesson learned. YOU drink old clothes. In the meantime, bring us something else.
With this thread, maybe I'll finally learn how I should have properly described what I was smelling and tasting!

ThunderThighs wrote:Here you go.

It's confusing the cause the same author also has a green cover book that you would use to run a class. The red cover book is not the course despite what that link says.

Umm, that's for the paperback version, not the electronic (Kindle/e-book) kind. Luddite!

ThunderThighs wrote:He said preferably. I prefer not to as does the publisher, apparently.

I love my paper books.

I do too, but when I have way more paperback books than bottles of wine, it's time to appreciate my Kindle.

LaVikinga wrote:@ThunderThighs: I think I love you! Thank you for starting this thread. Some of my more wine savvy friends often laugh at my descriptions. The most recent foray into my Land of Walrus Toting Halibut descriptions was: "...it tastes like old clothes stuffed into a trunk in your grandmother's attic." After laughing at me, they agreed the wine was decidedly off. We had never had a red that was overwhelmingly musty. BAD musty. Undrinkable musty. Like send-it-back-on-a-rocketship musty.

Though more often described as moldy newspaper, it sounds like you had a run-in with an infamous "corked" bottle of wine. (Google TCA, 2,4,6 trichloroanisole, "Cork Taint", etc.)

mother wrote:Though more often described as moldy newspaper, it sounds like you had a run-in with an infamous "corked" bottle of wine. (Google TCA, 2,4,6 trichloroanisole, "Cork Taint", etc.)

I opened not 1, but 2 bottles last night that were tainted. The first one tasted like an old, past prime bottle (This was a 2007) and then that feeling didn't blow off.

The second bottle was moldy socks, I could hardly stand smelling it much less tasting it.

It's good to learn these things so you don't get stuck with them. (These were part of a 6-pack that are all being returned now)

The borderline cases are interesting though.

I have had 2 out of the 4 bottles of 2006 Idus Priorat that I purchased from woot. The first one seemed so minerally to the point of feeling carbonated. It wasn't awful but wasn't what I expected nor what it was supposed to be. I have since opened a second bottle in the same company and found a lush rich red. Only after I had this second bottle did I know that the first one was significantly flawed.

The thing I will stress most for learning wine is (as RPM's tagline says) "Remember what you Taste". You don't have to remember every nuance, but a basic flavor profile (Bright red/Medium red/dark red/purple/blue/black), Notable complexity or length, tannin, and an overall assessment on whether you liked it.

If you remember these things about wines, you'll be able to find more wines you like, know WHY you like them, and better avoid those you don't like.

To bring this around to the beginning, you'll also figure out what spoiled wine tastes like so that you can firmly tell the sommelier that it is indeed bad and they owe you a good one.

TT - a suggestion for wading your way through the "spice" sort of smells that you will experience. Go straight to your spice cabinet. If there's womething you can't quite place, start by pulling out some of the "usual suspects", like black peppercorns, vanilla extract, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, basil, rosemary, paprika. If nothing quite matches, it may give you inspiration for other spices to try. Or it may give you a place to start your description ("herbal nose", "baking spice blend",etc.)

mother wrote:Though more often described as moldy newspaper, it sounds like you had a run-in with an infamous "corked" bottle of wine. (Google TCA, 2,4,6 trichloroanisole, "Cork Taint", etc.)

So THAT'S what a corked bottle might smell/taste like. It was truly awful . The restaurant owner lost himself four customers that night, especially when the waitress agreed the bottle was undrinkable.

My proudest/most embarrassing moment was when asked by our friend, a Catholic priest who would share fabulously expensive ($300-$500 a bottle) wines with us, what was the first thing I tasted when served one of these extravagant bottles. I replied "DIRT! Father, it tastes like dirt and berries." Oddly enough, it was the answer he was hoping for. From then on he'd always warn me if there was Dirt Wine on the menu.

ThunderThighs wrote:I prefer whites and really haven’t given red wines a chance. Red wine will be my big challenge during this adventure.

Hey TT,

I'm in the same boat. However, in the past month or two I have started trying different Zinfandels and they are certainly growing on me. Perhaps they will help me transition into other reds I might enjoy. I'm looking forward to this discussion. Thanks

LaVikinga wrote:So THAT'S what a corked bottle might smell/taste like. It was truly awful . The restaurant owner lost himself four customers that night, especially when the waitress agreed the bottle was undrinkable.

Any restaurant worth visiting will graciously take care of a situation like that, and a server who knows wine will recognize the bad cork smell, and not even offer the wine for approval, but will quietly take it away for a replacement. A few months ago, when I had a cold and my sense of smell/taste were not up to par, I approved a wine which we soon realized was bad. The restaurant immediately offered to replace it, asking if we wanted something different, or another bottle of the same wine. We chose the latter, got a wonderful bottle of wine, and made sure to offer the (inexperienced) server an opportunity to taste both wines, so she'd have a chance to learn the difference. What can I say, we're both educators to the core.

cmaldoon wrote:I have had 2 out of the 4 bottles of 2006 Idus Priorat that I purchased from woot. The first one seemed so minerally to the point of feeling carbonated. It wasn't awful but wasn't what I expected nor what it was supposed to be. I have since opened a second bottle in the same company and found a lush rich red. Only after I had this second bottle did I know that the first one was significantly flawed.

This sounds like secondary fermentation. It can be as bad as actually tasting like a mildly flat soda. I have heard people say that they decanted and/or Vinturi-ed the wine enough that the fizziness went away, but I've always poured the wine and opened something new.

cmaldoon wrote:...
The borderline cases are interesting though.

I have had 2 out of the 4 bottles of 2006 Idus Priorat that I purchased from woot. The first one seemed so minerally to the point of feeling carbonated. It wasn't awful but wasn't what I expected nor what it was supposed to be. I have since opened a second bottle in the same company and found a lush rich red. Only after I had this second bottle did I know that the first one was significantly flawed.

The thing I will stress most for learning wine is (as RPM's tagline says) "Remember what you Taste". You don't have to remember every nuance, but a basic flavor profile (Bright red/Medium red/dark red/purple/blue/black), Notable complexity or length, tannin, and an overall assessment on whether you liked it.

If you remember these things about wines, you'll be able to find more wines you like, know WHY you like them, and better avoid those you don't like.

To bring this around to the beginning, you'll also figure out what spoiled wine tastes like so that you can firmly tell the sommelier that it is indeed bad and they owe you a good one.

I couldn't have said this better.

ThunderThighs wrote:But see, those things don't mean anything to me yet. I'm starting from ground zero. I basically know if I like one or I don't.

There's still room on the rpm tour next month. A great way to get a start, as well as meet new w.w friends.

ThunderThighs wrote:I seriously pondered it for a bit but I want to try to do something with my son later in the summer before he heads back to college. Maybe next year.

There will not be a 'next year' - our tours have been only every 2 years in even years. And, it is unclear whether there will be further tours after the two this year. Be advised.

ddeuddeg wrote:There's still room on the rpm tour next month. A great way to get a start, as well as meet new w.w friends.

You all should convince Gatzby to send us.

For research.

inkycatz wrote:You all should convince Gatzby to send us.

For research.

Gatzby, you need to send TT and Inkycatz to the RPM Tour this year! It may never happen again!!!

And they need the research! Especially dealing with us. You at least are (were?) in Colorado, so you get to join in the Denver gatherings. Those two need to join us in the wine journey known as the RPM Magical Historical Wine Tour!


Plus we need more single women!!!

MarkDaSpark wrote:Plus we need more single women!!!

Based on TT's having a son, may not be single. Don't know about inky.

We need more single women, I need more roomate options at wine.woot events, now that cheron is occupied.

inkycatz wrote:You all should convince Gatzby to send us.

For research.

For science!

cortot20 wrote:For science!

I also like science.

MarkDaSpark wrote:Gatzby, you need to send TT and Inkycatz to the RPM Tour this year! It may never happen again!!!

See, I knew this community had our back, as it were! :D

inkycatz wrote:You all should convince Gatzby to send us.

For research.

And also to learn how to tell when we're actually talking wine stuff vs. the usual shananigans... (so you know when you really need to put bowtie on probation).

Yeah. that's another way we can sell it.