#tbt

Class #5

I was very disappointed about today's class. Instead of spending a decent amount of time on the Piemonte region, we spent 1 hour on Alsace and 10 minutes on Piemonte. And the wines chosen from Piemonte were, in my opinion, horrible, and not at all representative of the region. The only good one was the Vietti Roero Arneis, one of my favorites.

Here is the list of wines we tasted:
White
Vietti Roero Arneis, Langhe 2012
Trimbach Riesling, Alsace 2011
Zind Humbrecht Gewurztaminer, Alsace 2011
La Gordonne Billette, Boquet de Provence 2012

Red
La Mota Barbera d'Asti 2011
Montubert Barbaresco, Piemonte 2006
Erbaluna Barolo, Piemonte 2007
Domaine des Hauts Chassis Crozes-Hermitaage "Les Galets" 2011
Clos du Mont-Olivet Chateaneuf-du-Pape 2011
Domaine de Verquiere Cotes du Rhone Villages Sablet 2010

Vadio

               

Last night my friend Julia and I popped open a bottle of Vadio Sparkling Wine. We also had Vadio red, 2009. Vadio is produced by her sister, Eduarda Dias. Vadio is from Bairrada, Portugal, and they produce white, red and sparkling. 

What's interesting about this wine is that it is made with Baga, a grape that is found primarily in Bairrada. However, it's "related" to Pinot Noir and Nebbiolo. 

I have not had a lot of Portuguese wine, so I don't have a lot to compare it to, but I thought it was very good. And it's fun when you drink wine where you know the producers!

You can read more about their wines here: http://www.vadio.pt/

#tbt

#tbt to Mangialonga 2013! It was the most fun wine event I have ever been to. You can get more information about it here: Mangialonga 2014

Class #4

Class #4 focused on the Loire Valley and Bordeaux.

Here are the wines we tasted:

Domaine de la Peppiere Muscadet de Sevre et Maine, 'Les Gras Moutons', 2012

Domaine des Baumard, Savennières, 2009

Philippe Foreau, Domaine Clos Naudin "Demi-Sec" Vouvray, 2009

Domaine Fournier Sancerre "Les Belles Vignes" 2012

Domaine Bernard Baudry, Chinon "Les Grezeaux", 2011

Chateau Teynac, Saint-Julien, 2010

Château Vieux-Maillet, Pomerol, 2009

Clos la Coutale, Cahors, 2011

Castelnau de Suduiraut, Sauternes, 2007

With an aroma of sourdough, cider, some citrus and a hint of saltwater, the taste is similar, slightly salty, mineral and citrus is also present. In my opinion, too acidic. It also is not a typical wine, Muscadet usually is "sur lies", but this one is not.

Sweet and fruity, an aroma of honey and apple. I liked this wine, not to sweet, probably good in the summer.

Gambero Rosso "Tre Bicchieri"

This past weekend I was lucky enough to attend the Tre Bicchieri tasting in New York. I had never been to a tasting this size and was really nervous. For the first 15 minutes I just stood around making a game plan. I knew that Vietti was present, so I started there. Barolo Villero Riserva 2006. A grand start, to say the least. I was sad that Elena and Luca were not there, but as it turned out, Jeffrey Chilcott was there with Marchesi di Gresy, who I met this summer in Barbaresco. It was great catching up with him, and we will hopefully see each other this summer when I go to Piemonte. Another fun encounter: I ran into Bill Nesto, my wine teacher. 

My favorites at the tasting:

Vietti

Marchesi di Gresy

Casanova di Neri

Class #3

The focus of today's class was France, particularly Burgundy and Champagne. Before today I did not know how important France was to the history of wine. Sandy Block, the professor for today, talked a lot about the AOC and the development of the laws and rules when it comes to wine making.
Focusing in on Burgundy, we went over all the major regions, the different soils and weather that are part of shaping the wines. Sandy Block is a man of details, and my brain is actually hurting from all the information he threw at us today. Maybe once I have processed I can write more detailed about each region.

Here are the wines we tasted today:

Chablis Premier Cru "Vaillons," Simmonet Febvre, 2007
Macon-Villages, Domaine du Pavillon, 2011
Mersault, Albert Bichot, Domaine du Pavillon, 2011

Moulin a Vent, Chateau des Jacques, Cru Beaujolais, 2011
Beaune Permier Cru "Vigne Franches," Louis Latour, 2011
Gevrey-Chambertin, Chanson, 2011

Alfred Gratien, "Brut Classique," Champagne NV
Billecart Salmon "Extra Brut," Champagne NV
Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Brut Rose Champagne NV

the official guide to wine snobbery

As preparation for my wine course, I read the Official Guide to Wine Snobbery by Leonard Bernstein. It's a entertaining way to learn some of the basics of wine culture and wine etiquette. Some of the topics touched upon are how to hold the glass, basic wine pairing, some wine culture, and fun things like wine clubs/societies and what language wine snobs use. I would recommend this book for someone who knows nothing about wine, and wants an easy way to learn fun things about wine.

the world atlas of wine

I had to buy The World Atlas of Wine for my wine class. It's by Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson.
It covers all the important wine regions, the types of grapes, and is a great book to read if you want to learn about wine.
And that is exactly what I am doing tonight. I opened a bottle of Barbera D'Asti 2010 by Oddero, and will enjoy a glass while reading about wine.
Look out for a more detailed post about the book later.