Today's Wise Words: The Line Between Experts and Winos

Date: Tue, Jan 12, 2010 Wine Tasting

"We start our wine tasting as experts and end as winos"

Cheers to Carolyn and her husband for the great quote! :)



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New Arrivals: Wine Whore Meets the Twins

Date: Tue, Jan 12, 2010 Wine Tasting

Who says good things don't come in small packages?

Today, I got a delivery from... well, just watch he video to find out:

I always love a personal touch! Thanks Joe for the post card. I'll be sure to read on your blog the behind the scenes story of your newest Pinot Noir.



Thank you again for sending me a sample of your Pinot... Cheers!



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The Truth Behind Scoring Wine

Date: Tue, Jan 12, 2010 Wine Tasting

A lot of great wine questions have been pouring in the HAWO feature of the site. Usually I send these questions out to my Wine Whore friends for their advice but the other day, a question came in that I knew would be best answered by myself alone:

"I would like to hear your viewpoint about which system to use in order to be able to correctly judge wine."

This is a great question!

Here's the scary truth behind "correctly" judging wine: Everyone has different tastes. Sure, you can comment about the "quality" of a particular wine, how much you like it, or even critique how well balanced the wine is made... but in the end, subjective components can NEVER be used to judge anyone else's taste but your own.

If I was to correctly judge a bottle of wine would require a way of quantifying how much ANYONE would enjoy it. Let's be reasonable and logical here... You can score a test, you can measure results, but you CAN'T score taste.

What CAN I reasonably judge in a bottle of wine given the tools, resources, and budget that I have available?

I can tell you whether or not I enjoyed the wine, what qualities that I liked/disliked, and whether or not I thought it was worth the money. Sure I could probably give you some tasting notes too, but I find those get pretty redundant, boring, and worthless VERY quickly!

Does that mean that wine reviews are worthless?

Hell no! They're not worthless, but they also can't be taken as gospel. Instead, you should read wine reviews of all types much like you would the comments on Amazon.com or even the anecdotal advice/stories of your friends. You may find that your experiences and tastes are the same as another person, but that should not mean that you base your decisions entirely upon what they say... after all, the best way to find out is to TRY IT YOURSELF!

Hope that helps!

Think about it... how do YOU evaluate the wine you drink?



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Last Night's Affair: Parducci Pinot Noir and Pasta

Date: Tue, Jan 12, 2010 Wine Tasting

The Wine:
Parducci California Pinot Noir 2007

The Affair:
This has been a week of good eats in the Watson house.

Last night, Sheila created a Chicken Cacciatore that kicked ass on an otherwise mundane Monday. There was only one problem. When it comes to pasta pairings I get very nervous. Since the Watson palate usually gravitates towards full-bodied reds, Chianti and Pinot Noir tend to be four letter words in our house. Needless to say, I was a little apprehensive about how last night's $13 Pinot Noir from Parducci would pan out.

(drum roll please....)

... It was actually NOT BAD!

Let me explain what I mean by "not bad". Here's what I look for in a "good" Pinot Noir: lot's of nice fruit and cola, a "round" taste (if that makes any sense), and a nice smooth finish. Notice I didn't mention anything about the wine tasting tart, having little of no body, or leaving my mouth tasting like I licked a stamp.

When I opened this Pinot from Parducci, I was worried about what I would find. This wine didn't have tons of fruit and cola, wasn't overly round, and had a slight bite on the finish when the bottle was first opened.

Doesn't sound good, does it?

Well here's the thing, I actually enjoyed this bottle more than I thought I would. Would I have wanted more of the qualities that I look for in a Pinot Noir? Sure! But for a Pinot that costing between $10-$15, I think this bottle was worth the $$. Instead of pouring this Pinot down the drain, it was enjoyed until the last drop.

Would I get this bottle again?

Sure... If I was looking for something to enjoy with a light red pasta without breaking the bank, I would have no problem buying and drinking another bottle of this wine.

Will you like it? That's a tough question. Honestly, I think that a lot of people may not be head over heels for this wine. It's not going to be Wine Spectator's #1 wine either. Does that mean you aren't going to like it? That all depends on what you look for in a Pinot Noir. There's only one way to find out for sure!

Cheers!

50% off shipping of 6 or more bottles of wine with coupon code "decwine"

For this and other affairs, check out the summary of scores, map, or even choose my next bottle.



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Charlie Sheen's Helpful Wine and Sex Advice

Date: Mon, Jan 11, 2010 Wine Tasting

I love watching prime-time TV because you never know what'll pop up...

I knew Charlie Sheen was having some marital issues but maybe his problems are all due to poor wine selections with sex. On tonight's episode of "Two and a Half Men", Charlie stands in front of his wine rack looking for a bottle of wine to bring upstairs to his girlfriend. Before blindly grabbing a bottle and dashing upstairs, he belches:

"Which wine goes well with ass biting? Ah, what the hell, it doesn't matter!"

Maybe Charlie should have picked a bottle of Vampire wine. Nah, who am I kidding, that stuff sucks! Which wine would you pair with ass biting.. or is that more of a hard liquor kind of activity? :)



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When Too Much Wine Turns Into A Bad Thing

Date: Mon, Jan 11, 2010 Wine Tasting

Needless to say, naming yourself "The Wine Whore" invites some interesting questions from family, friends, and sometimes even strangers. While I was cruising the wine blogosphere, this post from "Kate Drinks Wine" made me think about this question that people usually ask me right after they discover that I've been whoring myself for the grape:

"You must drink ALL of the time! How many bottles of wine do you drink in a week?"

Ok, so here's the deal. I drink what I want, when I want.

If that means Bordeaux straight from the bottle... I'm down. If that means cheap light beer from a can... I can't complain. Sometimes I like a nice glass of Scotch or whiskey to unwind from a long day... don't knock it!

Just because you love or even just enjoy a nice glass of wine doesn't mean you have to be connected to it 24x7 like some sort of grape juice I.V. drip. Sometimes I go weeks where I ONLY drink wine. Then I'll go through others where beer is "what's for dinner".

I will say though that having cases of free wine available at my disposal has increased my average wine consumption.... but it has also taught me that there is a time and place for everything. As long as you are having a good time, you're doing it right!

So, how many bottles of wine do I drink in a week? Just read the site and you'll get a pretty good idea!


Do I have a drinking problem? How many bottles of wine do YOU drink in a week?



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This Week's TWWTV: Taking the Week Off

Date: Mon, Jan 11, 2010 Wine Tasting

I'm taking this week off!

No, nothing's wrong. In fact, quite the opposite. I'm going to be enjoying some wine with blogger buddies Frank Morgan from Drink What You Like and Brian Kirby from The Other 46. These guys are usually fun to drink with, even if we haven't had a lot of luck finding that awesome bottle. Hopefully this affair will finally break our bad luck wine streak.

So, this week's TWWTV which would normally air on Thursday @ 7:30pm ET will resume NEXT WEEK... same time, same place!

Check back for an update on what I'll be drinking during next week's show as well as for the low down on my wine threesome at The Wine Room.

Cheers!




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Why Nobody's Home in Bordeaux

Date: Mon, Jan 11, 2010 Wine Tasting

I would kill to live in a place like this!

Come to think of it, you could probably fit my pitiful 1200 square foot house inside this place five times and still have room for a wine cellar!

So, who lives here?

Nobody! The magnificently awesome looking Chateaux of Bordeaux aren't typically lived in... Isn't that a shame!

So why don't they live there?

How would you like to have to drive over an hour to get to the city, civilization, and other necessities of life? I know, I'm thinking the same thing... it would still be worth it.

Do you think anyone would ever let me live in their Chateau?

What if I promise not to wreck the place with any crazy parties?




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Last Night's Affair: Jacob's Creek Reserve Chardonnay 2007

Date: Mon, Jan 11, 2010 Wine Tasting

The Wine:
Jacob's Creek Reserve Chardonnay 2007


The Affair:
The worst part about the winter holiday isn't the family fights, overcooked ham dinner, or even good ol' Uncle Jack's annual drunken speech about how he was the son that was supposed to "make it." Nope, there's one part about the holiday season that tops 'em all: cleaning up all of the Christmas decorations.

This weekend, I finally got off of my ass to tackle the tasks of de-Christmasfying the house. Yep, you remember how much I loved putting 'em up and now I finally got to take 'em down!

To help lighten the blow, my wife made some kick-arse Chili for dinner. It wasn't overly spicy, until I added some "Slap my ass and call me Sally" hot sauce. Applied liberally and the Chili was on FIRE!

My wife and I always joke about Chardonnay. She makes fun of me for liking it, and I tell her she's missing out by not at least giving it a fair chance. If Mrs. Whore has more than one glass, I know it's a decent Chard.

Tonight's affair passed both tests. Not only did it put out the fire I induced on my Chili, but Sheila actually made it through more than one glass. Now, I know what you're thinking... Jacob's Creek is such a commercially well-known Australian wine, how could it be any good?

Well, here's my thoughts on it...

Unlike a lot of the Chards raised in California, this Chard from down under didn't taste like Paula Dean had her way with it. It wasn't complete butterball. It also wasn't too sweet either. It was nicely oaked, smooth, and fun to drink. For $13, I'd say this one is worth a try. Also, if you've never tried pairing a spicy dish with a Chardonnay, what the hell are you waiting for? You owe it to your tongue (and liver) to give it a shot!

Am I alone here? How do you like Australian Chardonnay as compared to those from the US?



For this and other affairs, check out the summary of scores, map, or even choose my next bottle.




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Wine Isn't Just for Dummies

Date: Sun, Jan 10, 2010 Wine Tasting

Should I take this personally?

Mrs. Whore came home the other day with a surprise: my very own copy of "Wine for Dummies". At first I was a little pissed, offended, and even hurt. But then I thought about it. I bet there's some funny crap to be read in this book. Maybe I should give it a chance...

So without further adieu, here's today's dumb wine quote of the day:

"Today's winemakers have a bag of tricks as big as a sumo wrestler's appetite"

Looks like I'm not the only one turning tricks! Aparently it takes a big sac in order to make wine... who knew?




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Last Night's Affair: Banfi Brunello and Grand Puy Lacoste

Date: Sun, Jan 10, 2010 Wine Tasting

Last night started with a mission and turned into one heck of an affair. After hiding from the cold all day, I braved the outdoors last night to get some sushi. I don't know if it was the mercury in the fish or the pair of Kirins with dinner, but I was ready to drink some good wine.

Next stop, local wine bar!

I can't remember who suggested it, but I KNOW I've seen this label before. This bottle of Banfi Brunnello di Montalcino 2002 was nicely fragrant with a crisp, dry finish. A great way to warm up on an otherwise cold night! If YOU are the one who planted this grape seed in my head, I'd like to say thank you!

From there, the seal was broken!

When I got home, I must have been feeling frisky... I marched right to my "cellar" and picked out a bottle that I brought back from Bordeaux a few months ago. This bottle of Grand Puy Lacoste 2004 brought me right back to the vineyards of France. I finished the last sip while looking through pictures from my trip and then fell asleep dreaming about going back one day soon.

Needless to say, worn out from my night's affairs, I slept VERY well!

Did you have an affair with wine this weekend that brought you back to good memories?

Cheers!


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Last Night's Affair: Jacuzzi Valeriano 2005

Date: Sat, Jan 9, 2010 Wine Tasting

The Wine:
Jacuzzi Family Vineyards Valeriano Estate Carneros 2005

The Good:
This Bordeaux blend from Jacuzzi has a lot going on. When I first opened it, I enjoyed the strong astringent taste of this full bodied red. Once it aired out, I became much less excited.

The Bad:
By the end of the bottle, I needed Viagra to get excited about what was in my glass. This is my least favorite selection from Jacuzzi so far.

I usually enjoy Bordeaux blends but for the ~$35 price tag, I would probably choose a decent bottle from St. Emilion instead. I don't know if it has to do with Carneros, this particular winery, or just the particular bottle that I opened, but something just wasn't right. Harsh and overpowering gave way to a timid, dull blend after air. Instead of tasting like a mature and balanced wine, Valeriano seemed to have trouble getting its act together like a teenager getting laid for the very first time.

Everyone has different taste in wine, but this blend just didn't work for me!

For this and other affairs, check out the summary of scores, map, or even choose my next bottle.




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Top Ten Signs You're Overly Obsessed With Wine

Date: Sat, Jan 9, 2010 Wine Tasting

Although I don't think I'd name my children after Pinot Noir, I AM guilty of several of these...

How many of The Passionate Foodie's Top Ten Signs of a Person Overly Obsessed With Wine are you guilty of?

Congrats on your 2000th post Richard!



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Teaching Parker Twitter

Date: Sat, Jan 9, 2010 Wine Tasting

Since my post the other day where I scored Parker's First Ten Tweets, I've noticed something:

He stopped tweeting!

Because I never meant to scare him off from tweeting, twating, or whatever the hell it's called... I want to extend an offer to the wine legend.

I want to PERSONALLY teach Parker learn how to use Twitter.

What do you say, Bob? Are you ready for the 30 minute Abs of twitter instruction?

Just because I know my way around the twitterverse in NO WAY means that I am an expert. I'm willing to admit that and ask for some help:

What would you tell Parker is important when entering the world of Social Media?



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