Wine Tasting Guy

Is this food/wine any good?

December 7th, 2009

When you go to a bar/restaurant, do you ask the waiter if a dish/drink/wine is any good?

I mean seriously, what server/waiter/waitress worth half their weight in plonk (low grade wine) would actually answer NO, that dish/wine is bad. I mean seriously…

But WTG, what if I am curious about a dish and want to know if it is any good? Shouldn’t the server tell me the truth???

NOOOO!!!! Sure the server is working for a tip & presumably that server will not want to steer you wrong. BUT once you leave the restaurant that server has a boss to answer to & if that boss hears the server saying anything negative about the food at the establishment said server will likely be unemployed.

The best solution would be to ask for a taste of the dish/wine in question. In the case of foods this may be difficult, but with most wines that are served by the glass at restaurants or wine bars you should be able to get a taste.

At restaurants I like to employ 2 strategies. The first, if I have a specific dish in mind, is to ask the server if they have had the dish. (Many servers only eat from community dishes prepared in advance of their shift for the whole staff.) If they have, ask if they enjoyed it and would order it again. This way the server can tell you that they might not have enjoyed it or they might not order it again, without saying that it is not good (or heaven forbid BAD).

The next strategy I like to take, and the one I favor most hoping to get the restaurant’s BEST dish is to ask the server what their favorite is, or what they would order if they were eating dinner and I was paying. This really gets them to open up & generally lets you know if you take their recommendation that you are likely to end up with a good dish.

Happy tasty food & wine tasting!

WTG

Tags: restaurant, Wine bar
Posted in Other, Wine STUFF | Comments Off on Is this food/wine any good?

“Contains Sulfites”

December 1st, 2009

We’ve all seen it on the back label of a bottle of wine…

…but what does it mean?

Sulfites are a preservative. They are found in dried fruit & are commonly used in salad bars. They are added to wine to preserve the wine & prevent it from spoiling.

Some people are allergic to sulfites. Others believe that the sulfites in wine are what cause them to get headaches from wine.

Wouldn’t it be great if there were no sulfites in wine? And what of organic wines – isn’t that sulfite free??

Well, ALL wine has sulfites. Sulfites are naturally occurring on the grape skins. Since red wine gets its color from the skins red wines have more naturally occurring sulfites than white wines. But white wines generally have more sulfites added than red wines. So there is no and will never be any sulfite free wine (as far as I understand) – or at least none that will last more than a few days (hours?).

As to organic wine, it not only has the naturally occurring sulfites, but almost all has added sulfites – otherwise the wine would spoil relatively quickly. BUT…and here is the difference, organic wine, to maintain their organic classification, can only add a specific (small) amount of sulfites. YES, it is still there, BUT it is also added in smaller amounts.

SO, now that we have cleared that up I want to tell you about a real cool technology I just read about on decanter.com. The technology, called SurePure, uses light to purify wine REDUCING (but not eliminating) the need for sulfites. Something about the technology “deactivates microbes” (whatever that means) reducing the likelihood of spoilage. Apparently it is already used in the juice, dairy & beverage industries. And now it has been approved for use in South Africa.

No idea whether this technology will work for wine, how far its use will spread or whether it will enable those who suffer from red wine headaches to drink wine worry free. But it does sound like an exciting development…

Happy light purified wine tasting!

WTG

Tags: sulfites, sulfites in wine, SurePure
Posted in Oenology & Viticulture, wine health, Wine STUFF | Comments Off on “Contains Sulfites”

organic, biodynamic & sustainable wines

November 26th, 2009

Being out on the street talking to people about wine, lots of people are interested in hearing about wines that are made organically, biodynamically or wines (wineries) that are sustainable. Modern technology has allowed people to “perfect” (depending upon who you ask) winemaking with pesticides in the vineyard & manipulation in the lab. These 3 buzz words; organic, biodynamic & sustainable are on the other end of the spectrum.

Wine Spectator clears up some of the differences between the 3 winemaking methods/practices…

A: These terms vary in the way they’re defined and regulated, but here are some definitions for the ways in which they’re most typically used.

The U.S. government regulates use of the term “organic,” but “sustainable” and “biodynamic” have no legal definitions. There are two types of organic listings on wine bottles. Wines can be made from certified organically grown grapes, avoiding any synthetic additives, or, to take it a step further, “organic” wines are made from organically grown grapes, and are also made without any added sulfites (though naturally occurring sulfites will still be present).

Biodynamic is similar to organic farming in that both take place without chemicals, but biodynamic farming incorporates ideas about a vineyard as an ecosystem, and also accounting for things such as astrological influences and lunar cycles. A biodynamic wine means that the grapes are farmed biodynamically, and that the winemaker did not make the wine with any common manipulations such as yeast additions or acidity adjustments. A wine “made from biodynamic grapes” means that a vintner used biodynamically grown grapes, but followed a less strict list of rules in winemaking.

Sustainability refers to a range of practices that are not only ecologically sound, but also economically viable and socially responsible. (Sustainable farmers may farm largely organically or biodynamically but have flexibility to choose what works best for their individual property; they may also focus on energy and water conservation, use of renewable resources and other issues.) Some third-party agencies offer sustainability certifications, and many regional industry associations are working on developing clearer standards.

In a world where things come full cycle, these “traditional”, “old fashioned” or “hands-off” wines were “improved upon” (again, depending upon who you ask) by modern technology. Of late, there has been a movement away from “manipulated” wines instead preferring wines made using one of the aforementioned practices. I can’t say that all wines made any certain way are either good or bad, but I would say the wines made with additives, chemicals and in a lab, do seem to lack character, personality or a real uniqueness.

Happy organamicainable made wine tasting and HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

WTG

Tags: biodynamic wine, organic wine, sustainable wine
Posted in Oenology & Viticulture | 2 Comments »

The Cali Cab that wasn’t a fruit bomb

November 21st, 2009

I’ve had the wine before. It is a kosher Cabernet Sauvigon from California. Not Napa Valley, but Alexander Valley fruit. Having tasted previous vintages of it, I was not surprised to hear that it was awarded 90 points from Wine Enthusiast.

2005 Herzog Special Reserve Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

For those of you who do not know, The Alexander Valley is in Northern Sonoma County just North, Northwest of the more famous Napa Valley. Like Napa it is littered with wineries where they produce great wines. And while the nuances of the wines made in Napa & Sonoma are different, my experience has been that the styles of wine are similar. Big, extracted, fruity, high (but generally balanced) alcohol, etc.

I’ll make a confession here…I like big fruity wines. As a matter of fact my favorite meal is a rare steak & big bad cab. Sure these tooth staining wines will overpower the flavors of most dishes but it goes oh so well with steak and other hearty rich meats, stews & chops.

So the 90 point score was of no surprise to me. A big Alexander Cab got a high score. But then I tried it…

WOW. This wine reminded me immediately of the wines from another California winery; Edmunds St John. Steve Edmunds makes leaner, lower alcohol, terroir driven wines. And his “Rocks & Gravel” GSM (Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre) blend is a favorite of mine – when I’m not eating steak 😉

So tasting this lean, earthy, minerally wine was a real treat. A Cali cab that I can enjoy with more than just a steak. At 13.8% alcohol with its nice tight structure, this wine wont overpower some of my other favorite foods like chicken, salmon or pasta. My wife commented on the pretty floral nose while I enjoyed its clean, tart, forest berry flavors.

And to top it off this wine is mevushal (flash pasteurized). But no stewed or cooked fruit. Just real lean & fresh. Beautiful.

So if you are looking for Cali Cab that got a 90 from the critics but isn’t a fruit bomb go check out the Herzog Special Reserve Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.

Happy non-fruit bomb Cab tasting!

WTG

Tags: Alexander Valley, Edmunds St John, Herzog, Wine Spectator
Posted in wine - kosher, Wine critiquing, Wine STUFF | 1 Comment »

go work out, old vine wine & turkey talk

November 16th, 2009

You know, writing and maintaining a blog is a lot like going to the gym. Once you lose momentum, it can be real hard to motivate to get going again. Speaking of which, I have got to get my growing ass back into a gym. Sure my surgically repaired wrist has been a convenient excuse, but it is not like I can’t exercise other muscles. Heck, I forget what the inside of a gym even looks like. Come on…motivate Wine Tasting Guy!!!!

My writing focus is all out of whack. Nothing overly compelling to write about, so I suppose I might as well talk about the compelling wine I drank the other night. It was an old vine carignan and it was quite spectacular. From Carmel vineyards in Israel, this wine comes from 35-40 year old vines – some of the oldest in Israel’s modern day winemaking world.

No official tasting note taken, but this rich extracted wine, with its notes of berries, herbs & bittersweet chocolate is a great alternative to a Cab or Merlot. I think that among the special things one is rewarded with from an old vine wine is complexity. And these complexities generally show themselves as the bottle is open for a little while. This bottle was enjoyed by MANY (and I do mean enjoyed) at a large meal, so it did not have a chance to fully open and show its complexities, but I am sure to revisit it.

Finally I want to start talking a bit about the pending arrival of one of my favorite holidays – TURKEY DAY. Thanksgiving is a short 10 days away and I am psyched. The thanksgiving wine articles are starting to appear and I’ve begun to think about what wines to suggest to friends and what wines to open up at my meal.

But before I divulge what wines I DO suggest and which wines I might pop the cork on I figure lets start with what wines NOT I will likely shy away from. Though some of my favorite wines are the BIG, ROBUST, FRUITY tannic reds, these are wines I will probably steer clear of. These wines (and their big fruit flavors) will tend to overpower most meals, let alone a nuanced meal centered on turkey. These wines do real well with stinky cheeses and fatty cuts of beef. An aged red will be softer than its younger counterpart and could be a better match, but you might want to reserve those young Napa Cabs for your weekend roast or Sunday BBQ rib-eye.

More on the wines I think do compliment a Thanksgiving meal soon…

Happy old vine sippin’!

WTG

Tags: Carmel old vine carignan
Posted in Israel Wine, Other | Comments Off on go work out, old vine wine & turkey talk

Getting back on the saddle with WhiskeyFEST!

November 11th, 2009

It is about time for me to resume my regular posting. It has been almost 3 weeks since the wrist surgery and while it does get sore every once in a while, I am back to typing away.

So what better way to (attempt to) resume my regular WINE posts than with a post about WHISKEYFEST!

That is right. There is an open to the public festival where whiskey producers from all over the world come to show off their goods. And they are goooooooooooooooodddddddddddddd……

Single malt scotch, blended scotch, Rye, wheat whiskey, Irish whiskey and my favorite bourbon. These distillers brought out their best. And the attendees, whiskey glass in hand were sipping (and shooting) it up.

I have never before attended a tasting of whiskey and was confused with how to handle the issue of sip or spit. I discussed it with some “experts” who all seemed to agree that whiskey is not spit the way wine is. UH, oh… With this I decided to focus primarily on my brown spirit of choice – bourbon.

I did not take tasting notes, but what can I say – I was in bourbon heaven. I really enjoyed speaking with the people about the different blends, barrel selection processes, different proofs (range from 80 to 120+ proof) and just about anything they would share with me about the distillation process. My favorite bourbon (or at least the one I was most excited to be sipping) was the Pappy Van Winkle 20 yr. bourbon.

Not much else to share about the event other than it was very well attended. Probably about 99% male. And for those considering attending in the future, I would highly recommend it. Just about all of the top distillers from around the world were in attendance & most of them were pouring a special premium whiskey in addition to their standard whiskey. My only advice, eat a lot before arriving and dress for a room that gets HOT.

Happy whiskey tasting!

WTG

Tags: whiskeyfest
Posted in Other | Comments Off on Getting back on the saddle with WhiskeyFEST!

Road to recovery

November 2nd, 2009

It has been 10 days since surgery and all seems to be going well. Pain is subsiding, I’m not in a cast & I get my stiches out in 2 days. Is it possible I may be able to bath like a human being again soon?? I understand that if I commit to babying the wrist and remaining in my wrist gaurd that the doc may not require a new cast. WOOHOO!!! Two handed showers, here I come!

wrist gaurd

So wrist stuff is going well Wine Tasting Guy, but what up with the wine????

Plenty of wine stuff to discuss. And staying close to the heart, it is all Israeli wine related.

This past Friday night I opened up a couple of Bordeaux style blends from Israel. Both were from the 2003 vintage and both considered to be top notch wines from value wineries. I’m excited to report that both were showing complex secondary characteristics and were drinking quite beautifully.

Though the two have nothing to do with each other (Israeli wine & mevuhal), I just heard about some new MEVUSHAL Israeli wines hitting the market. Anyone who has followed my posts over time knows that I take issue with mevushal (flash pasteurization) wines (why would anyone want to heat up a wine?). That said, for caterers & restaurants, places where ONLY mevushal wines are allowed, new quality Israeli offerings are welcome news. I’ll report more as soon as I’ve had the chance to try them.

Finally I want to let you know about a wine tasting event TOMORROW night. Some information about the event can be found here. In a nutshell I’ll be leading a tasting of high end, small batch Israeli wine. Hard to find wines from Saslove, Sea Horse & La Terra Promessa wineries will be tasted. And as an incredible bonus, Chef Eran will be pairing these Mediterranean beauties with his exquisite cuisine. The tasting has only 5 spots left (as of this writing) so please RSVP ASAP if you’d like to join us.

Happy two-handed Israeli wine (dare I say even mevushal) tasting!

WTG

Tags: Israeli Wine, israeli wine lovers, mevushal, wrist
Posted in Israel Wine, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

SCREW ME!

October 19th, 2009

Having returned last night from 2 1/2 weeks in Israel, I saw the doc about my wrist again today. Surgery is scheduled for Friday – I am getting a screw put into my wrist. Can’t say that I am too excited about the upcoming procedure, but it will hopefully end this regretful wrist saga.

While in Israel I of course tasted a bunch of wine. I did not however take any tasting notes, so we’ll have to discuss the standouts in real rough format.

Of special note was the ever increasing Israeli boutique wine market. It seems just about every Israeli wine lover with the ability to plant some vines or buy some grapes is starting a label or opening up a boutique winery. Sarcasm aside, some of the better boutiques are doing an amazing job. I’m still worried about the pricing policies many of these wineries are adopting, but the product they are releasing is continuing to be of high quality and showing continued improvement.

On to the wines, I tried a new Segal Winery wine called “Single”. The wine was on promotion at a restaurant and was being offered for the equivalent of about $25/bottle. Full of fruit, hints of oak, soft & subtle, this wine went great with our grilled meats & chicken.

A few days later we happened upon a 2003 “Dishon vineyard” Cabernet Sauvignon also by Segal Winery. Always the fan of Segal vineyards (their “unfiltered” is amazing), I was disappointed. This 6 year old wine was showing some complex secondary characteristics (desirable in aged wines) & was very much alive. But it seemed to have undergone a minor secondary fermentation in the bottle as there was a bit of “fizziness” to the wine. The fizziness seemed to dissipate as the wine was open & revealed a lovely wine. But the initial glass or two with our food was not what it should have been and detracted from the food/wine experience.

Another negative wine-in-restaurant experience happened when we ordered a wine from a VERY well thought of winery; Yatir – the 2005 Cab-Merlot-Shiraz blend. Others enjoyed the wine more than I did as I felt it seemed a bit cooked, showing baked/stewed fruit aromas & flavors. I wonder if it was stored near a hot kitchen.

I stopped by old friend Ze’ev of Sea Horse wines and tasted a new blend – a barrel sample of his 2009 Cote du Rhone/GSM (grenache/syrah/mourvedre). A very pretty floral nose reminiscent of a light Dolcetto. The wine had a light body and will make for a terrific summer red (summer of 2010).

Finally, I attended a tasting of Psagot wines. Of late I have been hearing positive things about Psagot but have until the tasting stayed away due to pricing that being unfamiliar with the wines prevented me from buying a bottle. Special thanks to the good folks at Buy Wine Israel for insisting I be there cause WOW, these wines were impressive. We started off with a Viognier that showed great varietal expression. Flowers, honey and a overall pretty bouquet this wine was soft and balanced, something often difficult to achieve with these ripe (and often high alcohol) varietals. From there we tasted several reds, including a vertical of the merlot (2006 & 2007), a cab & a blend. All the wines were impressive but the Merlots stood out to me. I believe that the Judean Hills are producing some excellent wines but the Merlots are some of the best around. Chilean Merlot has been getting good press in recent years & I think it is time Israeli Merlot (Judean Hills in particular) get their due. Now if only Israeli wineries could figure out a way to produce equally good wine & price them more along the lines of the wines coming out of Chile. Though I am not sure it is feasible and don’t see it happening, if/when Israeli wines are priced on the shelves at $15 (give or take $3) they will be well on their way to appealing to the mainstream wine market.

Happy surgically repaired wrist, Israeli (merlot) wine tasting!

WTG

Tags: Israeli Wine, Psagot, Sea Horse, Segal Winery, Yatir
Posted in Israel Wine | Comments Off on SCREW ME!

Wrist update & long lasting “mevushal” wine

September 30th, 2009

I saw my hand specialist today.

FUN NEWS…I got a new cast.

black cast1

BAD NEWS.

My wrist is NOT healing on its own. I broke my scaphoid bone. This is a bone in the wrist, and the location within the scaphoid where I broke it receives very little blood flow – no healing power. So sadly, after almost 6 weeks in a cast, the break appears to be just as big as it was 6 weeks ago.

It appears that surgery IS in fact in my future. I am off to Israel tomorrow so surgery will not commence until I return. This gives me a glimmer of hope that MAYBE it will show signs of healing over the next 2 weeks and we can avoid surgery. But if not, then it will be 8+ weeks in cast, maybe 9 before surgery. Then surgery (screws put into my broken bone), re-cast, rehab…arghhh 🙁

But did I mention I am going to ISRAEL!!! WoooHooo!!!!

OK, wine.

I have blogged before about “mevushal” or flash pasteurized wine. And in general, though the technology is improved, and I believe that the harm done to mevushal wines intended for early consumption is minimal, I must admit that I am not an advocate. I guess I just figure that if I can have a non-boiled wine or a boiled one I will choose the “fresher” version every time.

Now the biggest knock that people have against mevushal wine is that the flash pasteurization process expedites the aging process, deeming mevushal wines unworthy of long term cellaring.

This past weekend I celebrated a momentous time in my life and while celebrating with new family members imagine my surprise to find a bottle of 1997 mevushal wine, in a closet, standing upright. The wine, Herzog’s Reserve Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. A very fine wine in its youth. But this one was standing upright (prime cork drying conditions), in a closet without any climate control, and did I mention; the wine is MEVUSHAL – FLASH PASTEURIZED. These wines are not age worthy. They are boiled. Come on Wine Tasting Guy, don’t even bother opening up the bottle – it is SURE to be a goner.

Well, my hand is now hurting, and I took no formal tasting note, but…

…the wine was BEAUTIFUL! Alive, soft, complex & DE-LIC-IOUS!

Dare I say my biases against mevushal wines are fading???

Happy (and healthy) mevushal wine tasting!

WTG

Tags: flash pasteurized wine, herzog reserve cabernet Sauvignon, mevushal, wrist
Posted in Other, wine - kosher | 2 Comments »

Trump event wine refresher

September 16th, 2009

So the one (and a half I guess) handed WINE TASTING GUY made it out of Trump International Golf Course in one piece. Actually, the event went great as a whole, and pretty well for me. I think there were about 120-150 golfers, and then a total of about 350 people who made it out for the dinner reception & auction to benefit the St Jude’s Childrens hospital hosted by Eric Trump with special guest Jimmy Fallon (wow, there’s a mouthful).

But back to the wine, I got to taste and talk wine with lots of great people. Some of whom I met last year, and others I met today for the first time. What can I say, people enjoyed the wines, many placed orders and in general they were just real cool. I intend to stay in touch with some and talk more wine.

As for the wine we opened 2 reds & 2 whites. The wines are all C & D wine Selection wines (the wine sponsor) and all were very well received. C & D specializes in wines that taste like $100 & cost under $20. It was fun asking a bunch of guys what they thought the Bordeaux I was pouring cost. I heard $150, $120 & $90. When I told them they could get a bottle for $15 they nearly tackled me and took all that I had. For the record the Bordeaux was the 2005 “Chateau Tour de Gilet” Bordeaux Superior. The wine, a very unique blend of 60% Petit Verdot with 40% Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot is a young Bordeaux showing nice fruit with great tannic structure and good acidity. Truly a steal at under $20.

Salitis BACK

Working my way backwards through the wines, next up was the 2005 Chateau Salitis Cabardes, another unusual blend, this time consisting of Cabernet, Merlot, Syrah & Grenache. This fruit forward Languedoc gem had the folks raving about its fresh fruit flavors and long sensuous finish.

Faugeres-Mas-Olivier-blc (2)

Though I did not have a Chardonnay (I know, ABC – “anything but chardonnay”), I did have a very cool, full(er) bodied white. Another Languedoc gem – a Faugeres Blanc – the 2008 Mas Olivier Faugeres. Only about 5% of Faugeres is made white (mostly red wines are made there), and this one tastes like a top Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc. A lovely blend of 80% Marsanne & Rousanne with the remainder Grenache Blanc and Rolle. Medium bodied & creamy with tropical fruit flavors this wine was also a big hit.

Domaine Adele Rouze Quincy

Finally, my suggestion for most refreshing wine of the day was the 2007 Domaine Adele Rouze Quincy, a sauvignon blanc from the Quincy region of the Loire Valley. Crisp, tart & refreshing with lime & green apple aromas & flavors, this wine was gulped by many a parched golfer.

In all once again it was a terrific day and I was thrilled to play a small role at such an incredible event for a great organization & cause.

Happy charitable golfing & wine tasting!

WTG

Tags: Trump
Posted in wine tasting | Comments Off on Trump event wine refresher