Wine Club Abuse and Fun
October 3, 2008 by vegasrenie · 2 Comments
Blind Tasting Wine Bottles
I thought it would be easy. It was easy for me because I already knew what the wines were. Since I was pouring the wines in a specific order, I did not participate in the “blind” part of the tasting. I made a few observations during the tasting, however, that I thought would be of value to share.
The theme for the night was “What is it and Where is it from?” This was the almost the ultimate challenge…not only did the tasters have to figure out what the varietals where (all 100% - no blends), but they had to figure out where they were from. There were only two varietals that had to be considered - one white and one red. However, to make it even more challenging, I threw in a “ringer”; a wine that had similar characteristics of the primary grape, but was a different varietal. I knew that this group would be up to the challenge, and had no hesitation to conduct such a tasting with them.
Surprisingly, however, the members of my beloved wine club called me names. Unflattering names, I might add.
The two grapes that I chose were Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir, both known for their very distinctive aromas and flavors. I chose Sauvignon Blancs from Chile, California, and New Zealand. I threw in a ringer Viognier from California.
The Pinot Noirs were from New Zealand, France, and California.
Sphere: Related Content
Ampelos Winery at Cordon Bleu Las Vegas
April 23, 2008 by vegasrenie · 1 Comment
Wow. What an evening!
What *I thought* would be a regular evening of tasting on a Tuesday night turned into something much better. Not only was there a class in winemaking, but there were special treats afterwards.
Rebecca and Peter Work are the owners of Ampelos winery. It had been a dream of theirs and when they had the opportunity to acquire a piece of land in the beautiful Santa Rita Hills of California, they jumped at the opportunity.
On this night, Tuesday, April 15, they brought a few of their wines, their knowledge of the history of the grapes and of their wines, and enthralled the Cordon Bleu students and the members of the American Wine Society who attended the class.
Sphere: Related Content
