My First Wine Tasting & More
I remember the day as if it were yesterday, my first wine tasting event. It was sponsored by my college French Club and the poster said it would offer an evening of French wines and cheeses. So, I asked my roommate Todd to go with me and check this out. He was curious like me and we both agreed we knew very little about wine. He felt even more out of place since he wasn't even taking French, but was taking Spanish at the time. Having been raised on a farm in a dry county in South Georgia, the idea of a wine tasting seemed pretty classy and even upscale to me at the time. Heck, my parents didn't even allow alcohol in the house growing up. So, attending the wine tasting was a way to branch out on my own and "get away" with something at the same time. As the night went on, I'd tasted more wine than any 21-year-old should be allowed to have in a two-hour span, as well as eat a lot of cheese. I can't really remember the varietals or the regions from which the wine we drank hailed. Most of what I remember is the good time Todd and I had laughing, cracking jokes and just making new friends. My wine adventures continued as I grew older. I look back and realize I had a pretty long love affair with beer in my twenties, before wine re-captured my palate when I got married in 1991. In 2000, I was fortunate to be sent to work for two weeks in Silicon Valley where a group of us got to sneak northward one Saturday to Sonoma County, one of California's spiritual homes for wine thanks to its abundant share of vineyards and wineries. The next day, I broke away from my co-workers and traveled south of San Jose to Morgan Hill where I toured winery after winery one Sunday afternoon. The winery tasting room is a great place to laugh, share a joke, meet interesting people and learn about wine. Today, as an independent wine consultant, I get to bring the fun and excitement of the winery tasting room to people's homes. I'd love to share a toast with you! Related: WineConnoisseur's blog | login or register to post comments | printer friendly version | Tags: friends | good times | wine | wine tasting
Submitted by vwwife on Wed, 02/28/2007 - 10:50am.
I have 2 favorites ... San Sebastian in St Augustine sansebastianwinery.com ... I love the Vintners Red & Vintners White! And for those of us in "Southern" Clay County (Keystone) ...we have a new winery in Grandin... Tangled Oaks Winery. They have a wonderful Spring Blush.
Submitted by vwwife on Wed, 02/28/2007 - 10:54am.
The Port wine at San Sebastian is AWESOME poured over the top of vanilla ice cream! One of the gentleman at San Sebastian recommended it.... ooohhh it's sooo good!
Submitted by WineConnoisseur on Wed, 02/28/2007 - 1:47pm.
The night began with everyone introducing themselves. "Raise your hand if you've ever toured a winery" I asked? All but two people's hands went up in the affirmative. Then, I went around the room asking whether the attendees prefered reds or whites or dry wines versus sweeter wines. The consensus was white and "not-so-dry." Keep in mind, this was a room of 5 men and 5 women. So far, in my wine consulting travels, I see that men usually prefer reds and dry wines over whites, so I braced myself for an interesting tasting experience and, indeed it was! We began by tasting a Sauvignon Blanc from the pay D'Oc region of France. In the lgass, it looked so light and airy that it was going to evaporate into the heavens. Vinted by the winery Domaine Galetis, this wine, which offers hints of silvery colors and apple scents, was well-received by all Cheers, everyone! Pair this wine with scallops and you are in food/wine paradise. Our second white was a literal trip Down Under as we tried a Chardonnay from the Veronica Creek winery in South Eastern Australia. With its color pale yellow, this wine offers a peachy perky aroma that pleased attendees palates. Sweeter in taste, this wine has a tingly finish like no other. It delighted our guests with ease! Next, on to my favorites, the reds! This time, we ventured back to France to the spiritual home of Pinot Noir by tasting Frog's Foot Cuvee Pinot Noir, which hails from the Burgundy region of France. Offering aromas of dried strawberries, this ruby-colored Pinot Noir offers an earthiness like no other and has a 90-point rating! Magnificent! Our fourth wine of the night came to us from the vineyards of Italy. La Borgata, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo delivers a Merlot suppleness with notes of raspberry and currant. Described as a "well-rounded" wine that will go with most any type of Italian food dish! Our fifth and final wine of the night took us to Argentina, a country known for producing hearty beef cattle. How appropriate as the Uva Negra Cabernet Sauvignon was made ready to go with steak! Yum! But, if you ever get to try this beauty, save some for dessert! Pair this wine with dark chocolates and you have suddenly expanded your palate to the next level. A good time was had by all. Food pairings, wine education and demystifying the wine experience all come together to make for a great night. Who's next? Cheers, The Wine Connoisseur People are talking about ...Here are the recent blog postings with the most comments. |
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Wine Basket & Things is a wonderful addition to the Argyle / OakLeaf area. It is tucked away in a nice outdoor retail venue with several neighborly businesses such as Gator Dockside, Huntington Learning Center, a Goodwill drop off, a nail salon, a bank and perhaps a dry cleaner if I remember corrently. This is across from the new Target opening in OakLeaf. Very exciting to have a fine wine establishment here. The owners are wonderful neighbor types who truly take time with customers who are new to wine. They are a wealth of information. Very kind people. I met them while doing a photo shoot for a local publication. I enjoy wine while dining with friends so generally rely on recommendations from others. The photo shoot was very educational.