Welcome to the Wine Lovers Forum. We have several categories for discussion topics and you should select the most appropriate one if you choose to create a new discussion topic. This forum is hosted by Big Al; if you need assistance, please message him or send an e-mail to 'bigal01@gmail.com'. Enjoy yourself, and of course we recommend you have a glass of wine nearby.
Howdy, Stranger!
Comments
Chablis is wonderful stuff. I did not mention it because Chilean and Argentinian wines are nothing like Chablis. However, BC, Ontario, New York, Washington State and Oregon wines sometimes can approach the steely charm of Chablis.
To our wine tonight. The Terrazzas is quite complex aromatically and on the palate. Orchard florals of apricot, pear and citrus dominate the nose and follow well to palate where they are joined by loads of melon, a touch of jasmine, a wonderful viscosity with bouncy minerality and bountiful acidity.
A juicy, lengthy aftertaste is your reward and it is well deserved and begs for another taste. Well done. Paul
Yes, well done. I'll look for it next time I go south. I did not get down there last month due to extenuating circumstances, the details of which would just bore you.
Rick here. This is a delightful wine and although I can't smell I can taste. Here we find pears, lemon-lime, an oiliness and a long floral finish. As I told Pasul this would be great with a favorite dish of mine..Linguini Lucciano, this was Pavorotti's favorite dish..it's linguini with gorgonzola cheese, garlic and an obscene amount of butter. Great for heart attacks and cholesterol.
Well, I'll tell you an open secret: I like Torrontes, and this blend seems very tasty by the descriptions supplied (2). I would use this kind of wine for a chicken BBQ or Prawn Boil, by the sounds of it.
We didn't pair food with our South American wine. Instead, we paired it with that 2015 Pinot Noir I just picked up from WTSO. Lamb and Pinot Noir are a good pairing. Getting back to our South American Vistalago, we both enjoyed it (well, I should include Marlene too with her brief tasting) and I would buy it again. I'm glad it was a dry wine, as with 13% alcohol you can't be too sure.
Well, lamb (good lamb) and PN works for me. Maybe if I get out your way we can try that combination.
Al - " I'm glad it was a dry wine, as with 13% alcohol you can't be too sure." Why - Porto are 19.5% alc and are sweet as h__l.
I'm a Cote Buene man myself - I've quite pissed off with the ABC movement in California and I enjoyed how it used to be.
Well, port is a sweet wine with brandy added to it, bringing the alcohol level up. For normal wine production methods, a lower alcohol level can indicate that some of the sugars are left when fermentation is stopped.
Here are the lamb chops I enjoyed with that Pinot Noir after the South American wine on Wine Night last night. Now we need to pick the another varietal or region and a date for the the next Wine Night.
Let's agree to not do a Sat. night - I miss the ladies.
Tuesday nights work for me, but it's tight for me getting home by 7 PM from feeding the rescue cats.
They do work for me also, Thursday's, Monday's and Friday's also.
Let's do Merlot. France, California, Italy as long as the bottle says Merlot (which in most cases will indicate a blend of some sort) it'll be good for the tasting.
Merlot sounds fine with me. Now we need more people to chime in with their concurrence or alternative suggestion plus possible dates in April.
Merlot is good for me. I like Tuesday nights
Ok, I selected "Merlot around the world" as the varietal and went with Tuesday, 16 April 2019. Does that work for most of us?
I can't fit France, Italy and California in the title area, but here we can say that it is desirable to select from these three regions.
Good idea. I'll email twice on this.
I should be able to get a Merlot by April 16.
I'm pretty sure we did Merlot a while ago. I commented that I did not have anything in my inventory that I wanted to open up. I think I found a Right Bank Bordeaux at Costco for that one.
I still don't have anything in my inventory that I am ready to open up, but, like I said, I should be able to come up with something.
Oh, and I, too, like Tuesdays better than Saturdays.
I guess Tuesday will be the prime day of the week then. Perhaps you should recheck your inventory Mark and open one up earlier than you initially planned.
I will open a Merlot for the evening - I have very few so I will enjoy the evening
btw, Merlot reminds me of fruit smoothies - all my favorite fruits: raspberry, strawberry, blackberry, and orange. I have been making them often recently. I make a bunch and freeze them. They go great with wine in the evening.
I have not read all the posts, but if Merlot is being tasted (and I am "in" for that), is there a percentage, or do we want 100% Merlot?
I say we go with 100% Merlot as a true tasting!
That would rule most of Boedeaux and many, many other offerings. I don't honestly know if I have a pure variety bottling and may have to order one. If that is the case I'd be out as there is no way to get one here on time unless I want to pay $40-$60 for overnight service,
Keep in mind that the word "Merlot" on the label does necessarily not mean 100% Merlot. The labeling law in the United States allow any wine that is made from 75% a single grape variety to be labeled as a varietal wine. Local laws can exceed that minimum. So, Washington state requires a minimum of 80% of a single grape variety for a wine to be labeled as a varietal bottling. Sometimes, U.S. winemakers will more fully disclose the grape variety content of a varietal bottling (usually, on the back label), but it is, certainly, not required.
My vote is to allow blends, although my plan is to open a domestic varietal bottling.
@EMark of course, you are correct... many Merlot bottlings contain up to 15% of additional red grape varieties in a blend... some up to 30%. I will attempt to be a purist, but it may not be as easy as it looks - unless you buy the varietal specifically stated at 100% (and there are many of these - especially in the New World). Anyway, I am going to look for something close to 100% - if I can obtain same. I don't have a pure varietal in the cellar just now, but I have my eye on something local or from Washington State.
I think Merlot should be the highest percentage, but blends with Merlot are certainly acceptable.