Posts Tagged ‘grenache’

TV Time – part 2

Friday, January 9th, 2009

so TV Time part 1 was dominated by TV talk.  And I really want to get away from any non-wine related writing.  That said, I can not resist a quick follow up.  After doing some wine sales out in Brooklyn this week I stopped by some friends who moved out to hipster Brooklyn.  It is a cool area and they have a great place.  And it was really good to see them and their young daughter.

BUT, I write about the experience as my visit came with a bonus.  They had just a few days earlier purchased a new TV stand.  Which means WINE TASTING GUY got a TV stand hand-me-down!!!

tv-002

And following up on the wine, I did in fact open the Spanish Garnacha last night.  It was NOTHING like the Australian Grenache.  The Spanish wine (a 2005) was awarded 91 points by Robert Parker.  So yes, it was VERY extracted.  It was a little “hot” as well (“heat” is a term used when the alcohol in a wine in high and out of balance with the rest of the wine).  It did have nice fruit, but overall it is a wine style that I have gotten away from of late.

A final note about the wine is that there were large chunks of sediment.  While this is not unusual for a wine that was likely unfined & unfiltered, to have such large chunks in a relatively young wine seemed a bit unusual.  It is possible that the bottle I opened came from the end of a bottling “run”.

Have a fabulous weekend everybody & happy different varietal wine tasting!

WTG

TV time

Wednesday, January 7th, 2009

It happened today.  The TV that was a hand-me-down to me in either 1993 or 1994 has finally gone to TV heaven.  It had been ill for about 2 years requiring some tender loving to get going.  And about a month ago its condition seriously deteriorated and it showed signs of volume-less-ness.  I have kept it on life support since but it became apparent to me the past few days that it was time to pull the plug.

I began researching a replacement for old faithful TV and found one I thought I could be happy with.  It was more than a financially challenged wine industry GUY should be spending, but what the heck right, I’ll hagel and get a deal.

So while leaving a work appointment today I walked into an electronics store conveniently located right near my appointment.  I went in and found the potential replacement.  It was priced higher than a competitor had it priced and I told the salesperson.  He offered to match it and I told him he should match it plus offer a further discount.  Long story short, I got the TV and for about $80 less than the competitor.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41HUxYBg3YL._SL500_AA280_.jpg

I spent the evening setting it up.   But this is just the beginning.  Gone are the days when a TV is a TV.  It is now plasma, Lcd, DLP, or who knows what.  There are hertz to count, response times and endless features the TV makers are marketing.  But the real kicker is what else one needs to buy to enjoy their new TV.  First you must upgrade your cable box.  Then you have to buy the right cables.  Of course then comes the Blue Ray disc player for movies.  Don’t forget the cable for that.  And of course the speakers on these TV’s leave something to be desired so you must get a sound system to hook it up to.

I miss my old TV.

What, this isn’t my diary…I should be writing about wine???  OH YEAH…

I opened a 2000 Australian Grenache last night with dinner.  It was blended with some Shiraz & Monastrell (not a variety I am all too familiar with).  It was quite light.  It showed its age with a brick orange color.  Yet it still possessed huge fruit.  It reminded me a lot of a fruit forward new world Pinot Noir.  The artificial fruit thing gets to me.  But I enjoyed this one.  I think the age mellowed the fruit out a bit and the structure was quite nice.  I have a Spanish Garnacha (Grenache) in my fridge I now have to open next.  It is much younger – a 2005.  But it can be a fun drill.

Speaking of which, wine is about having fun with friends, family & loved ones.  Go out and get some wine & have fun with the special people in your life!

Happy Wine Tasting…while watching your new TV…

WTG

Where on earth is Aragon?

Thursday, July 3rd, 2008

OK, maybe it is just geographically challenged Wine Tasting Guy who doesn’t know where Aragon is. But I found out today. It is in Spain. And I was lucky to be able to attend a tasting of Aragon wines at the NY Metropolitan Pavilion.

Aragon map

A varietal that was planted in abundance at one point is Carignan, (AKA Carignana), which got its name from the subregion on Aragon “Carignena”. A great page about wines of Aragon can be found here. Also of note, as long as we are discussing Carignan, is that it is the most widely planted grape in France today (according to winepros.org – bet you didn’t know that – I sure didn’t). (more…)