Our "Scoring System"

A note about what our scores mean:
5 - Wine your kids buy for you
6 - Would drink. Jug wine. Good for parties and your kids!
7 and above - Good for ANYTHING. Would recommend to friends. The higher the better!

And for PAIRINGS the scores mean:
0 = Wine tastes best alone
1 = Wine tastes best with food #1
2 = Wine tastes best with food #2

About Me

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This blog started because we needed a tenor in the church choir... Bob, Karen and I told Mike that if he joined the choir we would go out after practice every Thursday for drinks and appetizers. After a while we decided that it would be more fun (and less expensive!) to take turns hosting a "wine & cheese" night. Then Bob had the brilliant idea to "Taste the Vine" in alphabetical order. We started with Cabernet Sauvignon. The rules were simple: 1) The wine had to start with your designated letter, and 2) the bottle had to be covered up so we didn't know what we were drinking. I decided to write down our scores so that we would know which wines we liked the best....then was "forced" into writing a blog so that we could share our "finds" with our friends. So, enjoy!!

Friday, March 29, 2013

Pairing Night #2 Hosted by the McDonald’s

Wine #1:  Girard 2011 Chardonnay Russian River Valley

First taste comments:
Bob “Oak or Steel?”
Andy, Karen “Steel”
Bob “Crisp. Not buttery.”
Becky “I think it has a butter finish”
Andy, Elizabeth “Smooth”
Karen “I don’t like the smell. Smells like straw.”
Mike “I don’t get straw from this”
Becky “I taste some apple – golden delicious”
Elizabeth “Crisp”
Robert “A tart aftertaste”

Winemaker notes:
Hints of toasted hazelnuts, orange blossom, honey, and lemon curd on the nose. Follows with a palate of lime rind and tangerine that lingers with a balanced body of acid and stone fruit. Pair this wine with roasted chicken spiced with toasted spice rub & paired with herbed potatoes and wild mushrooms.

Food #1 – Honey Lavender Goat cheese on thin water crackers

Comments:
Becky “I can taste the cheese in the wine!”
Elizabeth “More smooth. Less crisp.”
Karen “Smoother with the cheese. Less citris-y”
Mike “Makes the wine tart”
Robert “Good cheese! Didn’t change the taste of the wine much for me.”



Food #2 – Shrimp with lemon & capers on French bread
Comments:
Karen “I don’t think it changes the wine at all”
Mike “Tastes much better”
Elizabeth “Retains more of the flavor and crispness”
Robert “The wine is less tart with this food”

WINE #1 VOTES*
0: None
1: Karen, Becky, Elizabeth
2: Bob, Mike, Andy, Robert

Wine #2:  Girard 2010 Old Vine Zinfandel Napa Valley

First taste comments:
Andy “Thick….Dense sounds better. Full.”
Becky “Mocha or something…”
Andy “Plum”
Karen “I get wood. Oak-y”
Mike “Heavier”
Karen “A nice dryness”
Elizabeth “Surprisingly dry for a Zinfandel. Not sweet.”
Bob “It’s a Karen wine”
Karen “A sweet undertone”
Becky “A little spice to it”
Karen “This is a Stephen wine. When I drink it, I think of him.”
Robert “Pretty good. Not too sweet. Not too dry. Not Mehhh.”

Winemaker notes:
The Petite Sirah helps present a dark ruby color. The aromas offer dark chocolate covered cherries, lush blueberries and ripe plums. Winter spices and underlying layers of mocha round out this powerful wine. The tannins will present a soft structure and are well integrated in the wine.

Food #1 – Brushetta on crispy French bread
Comments:
Becky “Mellows out the wine. Smoother. Less spicy.”
Elizabeth “Decreased the boldness of the flavor”
Mike “I like the wine better without the food.”
Robert “Makes it sour at the end.”

Food #2 – Sweet Italian sausage on crisp French bread
Comments:
Becky “The spice is back!”
Karen “Makes the wine drier”
Andy “This wine is growing on me. At first it was a big contrast from the first wine”
Robert “Tarter but less sour”

WINE #2 VOTES*
0: Robert
1: none
2: Bob, Karen, Mike, Becky, Andy, Elizabeth

Wine #3:  Girard 2010 Petite Sirah Napa Valley

First taste comments:
Elizabeth “It’s smooth. I like it.”
Becky “I taste vanilla.”
Mike “That’s my word!”
Elizabeth “A little blackberry. And cocoa.”
Mike “Black currant & cherry”
Andy “Deep red fruit. Plums. Currants”
Bob “Tobacco”
Karen “Tart. Sour.”
Robert “A little tart. Not dry or sweet.”

Winemaker notes:
Aromatics unfold with olives, anise, coffee, thyme and dark fruits. On the palate the wine showcases a rich mouthful of bittersweet chocolate, espresso, blackberry cobbler, dusty cinnamon and mocha. The finish evolves with bright acidity and inky tannins that integrate with intense savory fruit. Recommended Food Pairings: Pour a glass with an espresso and cocoa rubbed pork loin.

Food #1 – Bleu Cheese on a Crostini
Comments:
Bob “It will tame the wild beast”
Becky “The cheese is so strong I can’t taste the wine”
Bob “Super with the cheese”
Andy “The bleu cheese is transformational”
Robert “It overpowers the wine”

Food #2 – Pork Tenderloin rubbed with cocoa and espresso on French bread & crushed tomatoes
Comments:
Bob “Good food. But doesn’t change the wine.”
Karen “Complements the wine”
Becky “The wine is harsher with the pork”
Robert “A nice aftertaste. Doesn’t take away from the wine.”

WINE #3 VOTES*
0: Mike
1: Bob, Becky, Elizabeth
2: Karen, Andy, Robert

* Legend
0 = Wine tastes best alone
1 = Wine tastes best with food #1
2 = Wine tastes best with food #2

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