The Wine Thread

[mosesbotbol]

Originally Posted by nutcracker

It helps to know the som. He has helped me a lot over the years, as I pursued sommelier certification as an enthusiast not in the hospitality industry. He gave me lots of tips and blind tastings.

It's often "who you know" in this world....

Wow, did you receive any certification? I am just a casual wine drinker with a modest/small cellar. I been to some blind tasting and without no context, is very difficult to guess accurately. The cellaring aspect of wine can change how a wine shows. I don't really have any wine geek friends close by, so those exercises in refining my tasting notes moves at snail's pace.

Sure, my friends like wine, but nothing scholarly about them drinking a wine. No pad of paper for notes.

I sometimes wonder why I bother bringing over 30+ year old clarets when they are all gushing over some 15% alcohol Zin I'd assume pour down the sink.

Last night, we had a 1996 Chateau de Beaucastel CdP. A muscular CdP with plenty of tannin that took a couple of hours to be really smooth and charming. Cork looked great. Had a little browning on the rim edge of glass, but not oxidized at all. I have about 4-5 more of this vintage and look forward to them... Been on a Rhone kick recently.

The other night was 1979 Guigal Cote Rotie Brune et Blonde that was rocking. Guigal was originally imported to the US, down the street from my house, so older vintages are floating around regularly. Cote Rotie is one of my favorite wine regions.