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!!

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Thursday April 18, 2013 hosted by Mike and Becky

Wine #1:  Vernaccia di San Gimignano 2011
First taste comments:
Becky “Granny Smith”
Karen “Caramel Apple”
Bob “Bursty. The candy that bursts in your mouth. Apple Fruit Burst”
Jessica “Sour”
Elizabeth “Nice. I like it. Fruity.”
Mike “Harsh at first.”
Winemaker notes:Pale straw-green. Fresh citrus and herb aromas. Classically dry and linear, with intense flavors of lemon, quince and fresh herbs carrying through to the long, saline finish. I like this wine's purity and sharply chiseled delivery of aromas and flavors. A standout entry-level Vernaccia.

Food #1 – Tikka Masala Chicken
Comments:
Mike “Definitely curry. The wine is better with the chicken.”
Jess  “It takes the sour out, but adds a bite at the end. But maybe that’s the curry!”
Becky, Elizabeth “It goes well with the wine.”

Food #2 – Homemade Gluten Free Graham Crackers with Goat Cheese and Fig
Comments:
Becky “Delicious! Brings the sour back”
Karen “I think it makes it drier. I like it.”
BUT Karen had bubbles in her glass that affected her taste buds – after getting a clean glass she said “Tastes sour now! I tasted something different before. You have to change all of my earlier comments now. It is NOT dry!”
Elizabeth “Smoothes it out”
Jessica “Brings the sour back, but it is drier”

WINE #1 VOTES
Wine alone:
With Food #1: Bob, Mike, Becky, Jessica
With Food #2: Karen, Elizabeth

Wine #2:  Monte Degli Angeli – Piemonte 2012
First taste comments:
Mike “Bitter. Sour.”
Karen “Earthy. Dry.”
Jessica “It has a pst pst taste”
Elizabeth “So dry I need a sip of water”
Karen “It has your bite, Mike”
Bob “It is dry now that I don’t have a cashew in my mouth”
Jessica “It was the cracker that made it bitter. It IS dry.”

Winemaker notes:
From the region of Piedmont of northern Italy, this well-made Italian Pinot has complex red and black fruit flavors with hints of vanilla, chocolate and purple flowers. Quite complex and long for the price, this is smooth, ripe and supple. Made by two quality-driven brothers, Antonio and Paolo Sperone, who also produce delicious, well-priced Barolo which we also carry. Serve with grilled tuna, roasted chicken, lamb, or with light pasta dishes, especially topped with shrimp and plum tomatoes.

Food #1 – Pork Empanadas

Comments:
Karen “Wow! That really makes it spicy!”
Elizabeth “Definitely brings out the spice”
Bob “Calms it down”
Mike “I don’t taste spice in the wine, but I like it better with the empanada”
Karen “The wine accentuates the spice in the food. The wine enhances the food.”

Food #2 – Mozzarella Basil Bites (made with gluten free wontons)
Comments:
Karen “Ooooh. I can taste the basil. Yum!”
Becky “Makes the wine plainer”
Bob “Not as dry”
Elizabeth “Definitely not as dry”
Becky “Has more flavor with the empanada”



WINE #2 VOTES
Wine alone: Bob, Karen, Jessica
With Food #1: Mike, Becky, Elizabeth
With Food #2:

Wine #3:  Monte Degli Angeli – Barolo 2008
First taste comments:
Bob “Good smelling red wine”
Elizabeth “Has a chocolate flavor to it”
Becky “Smells dry”
Elizabeth “It is dry, but not bone sucking dry”
Jessica “Not as dry as the other one you like Karen”
Mike “Not Sahara dry”
Karen “A fuller taste than the Piedmonte”
Becky “After it sits on your tongue, you get another flavor”

Winemaker notes:
Here’s a Barolo from a small family owned estate, the entire production is only 1,000 cases. Aged in large oak foudres for 3 years and then 6 months in bottle, this Barolo shows a surprisingly forward and friendly style. Not nearly as forbidding and impenetrable as Barolos can often be, this wine shows a delicate profile of rose petal, orange peel, black cherry and balsam.

Food #1 – Havarti Cheese
Comments:
Becky “Makes the wine drier”
Karen “It does. I wouldn’t pair this cheese with it”





Food #2 – Duck Liver & Pork Mousse Pate with Port wine on crisp bread
Comments:
Karen “Man oh Day is that good!”
Bob “Good liver. Terrible with the wine. Sours the liver.”
Bob “I’m with Mike”
Jessica “I like it with the Pate”
Becky “Maybe it’s the cracker/bread”

WINE #3 VOTES
Wine alone: Bob, Karen, Mike, Becky, Jessica
With Food #1: Elizabeth
With Food #2:








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