Today we had a crash course on how to experience wine and try different cheeses. It was a lovely afternoon outside with friends, laughter, and wonderful flavors. I will try my best to account for the events of the afternoon, however some people dedicate whole blogs to solely wine, so this just the surface of the surface.
For those that don’t know anything about wine:
- 500 varieties used for making wine
- La Vendange (grape harvest) is from late August to late October
- 5 Wine families
o Red
o Rosé
o White
o Moussu
o Liquereux
Tasting:
- La Vue ( how it looks) – the “robe (dress) “ of the wine i.e. color and legs
The faster the legs move the lower the alcohol content, the slower the higher
White wines: Start green
1 Month transparent
1 year pale
2 years pale yellow
eventually become a slight brown
Red Wines: Start purple
1 ½ years turn black
3 years black orange
- L’Odeur (smell) the boquet
- Le Goût (taste) aromas, feel
fruity
woody
sweet
acidic
N.B. Make sure to hold the glass on the bottom to prevent heating up the wine
We sampled 4 wines from 3 different regions of France a white, rosé, red, and champagne/port.
White:
From Alsace
Jean Marie Strubbler Riesling 2008 12.5%
“green wine”
apple, pear, sweet
goes well with fish & salad
Rosé:
Nîmes, Languedoc
Gallician, Costières de Nîme Cuvée Tradition 2009 12.5%
Strawberry
Raspberry
* Rosé are a young wine, have been around for 20 years, and is considered to be for women
Red:
Bordeaux, Aquitaine
Bordeaux, Grand Vin de Bordeau, Les Maitres Goustiers 2009 13%
Black fruits
Cherry
* Bordeaux was the first region to mix different varieties of grapes together
Champagne:
Muscador, Cèpage
Peach
Buying Wine:
-Whites and Rosés don’t preserve very long, so always buy a young wine from the last 1 to 2 years
- Good wines come from specialty shops
- If the neck is sticky, the cork is permeable and therefore the wine is no longer good.
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