vines
This will not be about my infertility, perhaps I will make it a Friday event if there is enough interest.
Sometimes my infertility woes get on my own nerves so I offer some levity.
barrels
I have learned an enormous amount and still know very little about wine. I used to only like white wine coolers (people in the South drink diluted wine and I will defend that practice by saying that it is HOT there and you need something refreshing in the summertime - there is nothing wrong with it).
I guess I am a bit defensive because those are my wine roots - wine coolers.
I find myself in wine country now. We have wonderful friends who own an award winning winery and my husband helps out on the weekends with tastings. I used to help out with tastings (I think I lasted three festival events) but people got on my nerves so bad that I decided to be a participant and not a "pourer".
There are so many wine snobs and people try to be intimidating with their questions when they taste wines. I cannot tolerate these people. My husband, surprisingly, loves the challenge of the queries. He has studied a lot about wine and I am amazed with his answers to pretentious questions.
1. Don't ever let anyone make you feel insecure about your wine knowledge.
2. For every "correct" way, there is another way.
3. There are many arrogant people who sip wine.
4. You can mix fish and red (zins), and meat with white wine if that is your preference. The people that bend the rules are the ones who invent the next trends.
I think the things that surprise me the most are that the older the vines, the more the roots go deep into the earth. The deeper the roots go into the earth, the more flavors get into the grapes and the vines don't even need to be watered. They are getting their water very, very deep down. These wines are usually labeled "dry farmed" because they don't require irrigation. They are usually more flavorful or "beefy" as some might say.
The longer the grape is on the vine, the more flavorful the grape.
When you have very hot days and very cool nights, the grapes can stay on the vine for several weeks longer than other regions and thus provide more full flavors.
Some wineries never prune "reduce" their grape clusters so they have a lot more yield per acre. The more preferred wines generally reduce their grape clusters so that each vine only produces a certain amount and that insures that the grapes are more flavorful.
Cheap wineries never reduce their crops. Reducing crops = less finished product = more flavorful wine. Thus the price point comes into effect.
You can buy cheap, good wine.
My tastes have changed to full bodied reds but I used to only enjoy fruity white wines.
You can make a cheap bottle of wine taste exponentially better by using a decanter. Get a decanter that is very fat so more air can contact the liquid line. I could get my husband to explain the logistics scientifically but it has something to do with the air molecules mixing with the wine molecules and breathing. We all like to breathe.........no?
Decanter
Red wine LOVES to breathe. That is why their glasses are fatter than white wine glasses.
Recommendations for some affordable red wines:
Rosemount Cabernet or Shiraz
Rosemount
the blend is nice too - the longer you let it breathe, the more delicious the flavor.
Kendall Jackson RESERVE
Kendall Jackson
always delicious when decanted. If you put this bottle in a decanter for 30 minutes, it will taste like a very expensive bottle of fine wine.
Two Buck Chuck
Two Buck Chuck
at Trader Joe's stores. Let it breathe and air for a long time - put it in a decanter for an hour and you will delight your palate with it's flavor. TWO DOLLARS!!!!
In order to not clog the brain, I offer one more piece of assvice:
Taking the cork out of the bottle does not let the wine breathe. It needs a lot more air space than that measly neck of a bottle. Rather pour it in glasses and swirl it if you don't have a decanter.
