Great Wine Source Wine Blog

Basic information about wine, wine education and wine business discussions

Posts Tagged wine aroma

Wine of the Day – Sagrantino di Montefalco

Jan 16

Posted by greatWineSource in Italy, Reds, Wine of the Day | Comments off

Wine of the Day for January 16, 2010

Sagrantino di Montefalco

Origin

Sagrantino di Montefalco is a red grape originating in Umbria, Italy.

Style

Today you will find this wine is dry and fully of tannins. For years, it was made into rich sweet wines called passito, which is produced using the method of drying the grapes on straw mats.

Sagrantino di Montefalco grape

Characteristics

I was turned on to it because of its deep color, full body and abundance of blackberry aromas, with hints of violet, spice, chocolate and earth. This combination emits a sense of luxury to me.

This wine has specific aging requirements. It must be aged for 30 months before release of which 12 months must be in Oak barrels (preferably French Oak).

In my research, I discovered that this grape is thought to contain the highest amount of cancer fighting polyphenols of all known grapes. Bonus for those of us who enjoy these full-bodied reds!

Pairing

As I mentioned in my Sauvignon Blanc post, this wine will pair well with your spicier Chilis, and will other excellent complements are asiago cheese, paella and roasted meats.

Leading producer

Arnaldo Caprai is a leading producer of this wine, and while not inexpensive (at $35 and up) is well worth the investment. (FYI, I consider inexpensive wines as less than $20.) If you can find it at a local wine store, let me know where and I will post for others’ benefit.

Cheers to full glasses all around!

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Wine of the Day – Viognier

Jan 7

Posted by greatWineSource in France, Whites, Wine of the Day | 1 Comment

Wine of the Day for January 7, 2010

Viognier

I was talking last night with my friend, Sharon Brauer, who is also my massage therapist in Green Bay (a fantastic one by the way – look her up: Peaceful Essence Massage, 920-412-1678), about my blog. I asked her what wine I should post for today. We reviewed the wines that I’ve already posted and I realized I’m a little heavy on the reds. That’s ok, because I do enjoy my reds, but I do want to provide a blog that satisfies everyone, so today we’ll review the Viognier (pronounce vee-yohn-yay) grape.

I had my first Viognier when I started wine consulting. It was one of the wines at my first tasting. It was quite popular with my guests because this white wine grape can have a sweetness to it.
Viognier
Viognier is a more difficult grape to grow because it can succumb to a fungal disease. It is best when harvested fully ripe to allow for proper development of its aromas and tastes. Viognier produces very aromatic wines and wines higher in alcohol.

Common aromas and flavors of this beautiful golden grape include green melon, fruit and violates.

I have had friends tell me they have tried a very sweet Viognier with ice cream (yum!) and you can also pair it with rich, buttery seafood or if you’re looking for something simple smoked Gouda.

Don’t forget to give Sharon a call if you need a massage therapist in Green Bay. Tell her I sent you!

Cheers to full glasses all around!

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The 4 S’s

Apr 19

Posted by greatWineSource in Wine 101 | Comments off

Wine is best when shared with food (complementary of course) and friends. So, hopefully if you’re poured a delicious glass of wine, you are also in the company of good friends.

The first topic of education I’ll go over is what we should focus on when a glass of wine is poured for us — savoring all aspects of it …. the “S’s”.

Ideally, in my business, I prefer the “PSR” “pour, sip and repeat” to the 4 S’s. But, I do want to properly educate, so here we go.

First things first, be sure that you have a proper wine glass. If you are pouring a white wine, use a white wine glass; if you’re pouring a red, use a red glass; if you’re pouring sparkling, use a flute. The glass is just as important as other aspects. (If you need accessories, I’m happy to help, just let me know.)

  • 1st “S” – Sight or See. Look for clarity and bold color. A cloudy wine is not a good thing, but if the glass is dirty, don’t blame it on the wine. A wine’s color is largely indicated by the grape, but can also indicate the wine’s age and health. In young wines, look for lighter hues and saturations of color. White wines generally transform (again depending on the varietal) from light greenish tinge to amber, and your reds transform from ruby red to brick.
  • 2nd “S” – Swirl. Swirling aerates the wine, increasing its surface area and starting to evaporate the alcohol. But don’t worry, it doesn’t evaporate away the effects; it does release the aromas and open up the flavors. Swirling works best when the wine glass is filled to a proper depth (that will be written about in a subsequent blog – so check back). If you’ve got a glass of champagne or sparkling wine, please don’t swirl it. That releases the effervescence and that’s what we love about champagne – the bubbles!
  • 3rd “S” – Smell. You can’t smell the full aroma of wine if your nose isn’t in the glass, so be bold, stick your nose deep into the glass (but don’t inhale the wine – it hurts the nasal passage – I’ve done it by accident, ouch!). You are noticing what are called “esters” which are the fragrant chemical compounds that develop scents. When you detect a raspberry scent, it’s because the wine contains nearly the same combination of esters as a raspberry does. The building blocks that you will notice are Floral, Fruit and Earth. And if you don’t notice anything but alcohol, that’s ok. Everyone’s sensory threshold is different. Unless you’re going to become a certified sommelier, what you notice is perfectly acceptable and right for you!
  • 4th “S” – Sip: Wow, we finally got to the fun part – the actual tasting. It’s almost painful to watch my tasting guests have to wait for the 4th “S”, but the whole process is very important. Just like savoring a great meal, much of the enjoyment is in the presentation and the aromas. The same holds true for wine. But, when you are ready for the sip, take a good sip, hold it in your mouth for a few seconds. Swish it around to have all those flavors spread over your taste buds.

    • There you have it. Your first lesson in wine tasting. Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!

    Please feel free to post questions or comments at any time. I will post updates to the blog regularly throughout the week. Thank you again for visiting, and I look forward to blogging with you again.

    Kathy
    Great Wine Source, www.greatWineSource.com

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