If you're heading up to Wintergreen Resort in Wintergreen VA for a spring weekend in the mountains, stop by Veritas Vineyards. They have a great view, beautiful winery and of course, some great wines!
www.veritaswines.com
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Friday, February 24, 2012
In our last post about wine tastings we learned that you don’t have to be so nervous about them, but rather go and have a good time. In this post, I want to share the 5 S’s of a wine tasting so you'll know what’s going on with all that sniffing and swirling. Using the 5 S’s of wine tasting, you can get the full experience out of the taste of the wine, but honestly, this is just a way to make sure you’re using all of your senses to experience a wine, as you should with anything. You could also adapt this a little bit to any enjoyable experience in life from food to sex to a walk in the park.
Just remember, the bottom line is what do YOU like. If you just want to go chug some wine, then do it. If you don't like to smell and swirl your wine, that's fine.
SEE
Seeing is the first step in wine tasting. It’s easy-just look at it! Look at the color, look to see if there is sediment, look to see if it is cloudy. All of these can make a difference with the taste. If you do this enough, after a while, you’ll have sort of an idea of what a really dark red wine will taste like.
Questions you could ask: Why is this wine cloudy? What does it mean if it has sediment?
SMELL
Go ahead, stick your nose in the glass and take a big whiff! As you do that, think about the smell. Do you smell anything familiar? Fruit? Oak? Spice? The smell can give you a big idea about how the wine will taste. Sometimes two sniffs will allow you to smell even more.
Questions you could ask: Do I smell Coffee? What is in the wine that makes it smell like coffee?
SWIRL
Yeah, I know. You’ve seen people do it so you feel like that’s what makes you look cool as a wine taster. All this does is release the aromas of the wine and also as the wine falls back into the glass, it creates “legs” which give you an idea of the body of the wine. Younger wines have smaller legs.
Questions you could ask: What is the proper way to swirl?
SIP
There is a bit of an art to the sip. The main thing you want to keep in mind with wine is that you want to taste it fully so don’t swallow it too fast. Let it sit on your tongue for a bit, swirl it around in there if you like and try to think about what you’re tasting. Cherries? Pepper? Butter? Take a second sip and see if you taste anything different.
Questions you could ask: What makes it taste so buttery? Do I taste chocolate?
SAVOR
Think about the after taste as you take a few breaths. The tastes of some wines can hang around for a while after you drink them. This is your opportunity to think about if you like the wine and if you want to drink more.
Questions you could ask: I don’t like it, can I pour it out? How much is a bottle of this?
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
[caption id="attachment_468" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Photo by: Colleen Lane"]
[/caption]
If you are interested in wine and are thinking about going to a wine tasting (or maybe your friend or partner wants to drag you to one), you may be a little nervous about what to expect or how to act. Maybe you’ve even been to one or two and still don’t really know what to do while you’re there. My best advice would be to just relax, have fun and be yourself. Wineries don’t really have the pretentious stereotype that many believe they have. For example, you are allowed to do the following things at a winery:
Things the person behind the counter would love to talk to you about.....if you’re interested:
We have gone to many wineries with people that drink wine and many with people that nearly refuse to drink it and we’ve all ended up having a blast! The good news is that after a full tasting, most people will find at least one that they could pour in a glass and sip with you on the porch or the lawn of the winery. The main idea is to go, try something new and have fun with your company.
We’ll be heading out to the Stanly County Winter Wine Festival this weekend which is more or less a big tent with a bunch of wineries in one place. It’s a great opportunity to try lots of different wines without the pressure of having to sit through a full tasting. So, if you or your friends are new to the wine tasting world, come out out and say hello to us while you’re there! We’ll be there all day.
[/caption]If you are interested in wine and are thinking about going to a wine tasting (or maybe your friend or partner wants to drag you to one), you may be a little nervous about what to expect or how to act. Maybe you’ve even been to one or two and still don’t really know what to do while you’re there. My best advice would be to just relax, have fun and be yourself. Wineries don’t really have the pretentious stereotype that many believe they have. For example, you are allowed to do the following things at a winery:
- Pick up the glass and “just drink it”. There are no rules saying you have to stick your nose in it or swirl it around.
- Say you don’t like wine
- Say you don’t like a wine they just poured for you
- Ask for water to rinse your mouth
- Pour out a wine that you don’t like (they typically have dishes to pour out anything you don’t want to drink)
- Allow your friend or partner to drink the wine you don’t like
- Ask the question “do you have any bud light back there?”
- Ask Questions--even if they sound dumb to you
- Tell that joke you've been wanting to share
- Ask for a tour of the place
- Admit that you typically only drink wine from a box or you never drink it
- Make friends with everyone that walks through the door
Things the person behind the counter would love to talk to you about.....if you’re interested:
- Where the grapes are grown
- What the weather was like during the growing season of each wine
- What work has to go into tending the vines as they grow
- What kind of barrel or tank was used with the wine and how long the wine stayed in it
- When the winery was built
- What it’s like to pick the grapes during harvest
- The last vacation they went on, their kids, their dogs and anything else that comes up while you’re there
- Many wineries will also give tours to show you their barrels or tanks and explain how they’re used to make the wine
We have gone to many wineries with people that drink wine and many with people that nearly refuse to drink it and we’ve all ended up having a blast! The good news is that after a full tasting, most people will find at least one that they could pour in a glass and sip with you on the porch or the lawn of the winery. The main idea is to go, try something new and have fun with your company.
We’ll be heading out to the Stanly County Winter Wine Festival this weekend which is more or less a big tent with a bunch of wineries in one place. It’s a great opportunity to try lots of different wines without the pressure of having to sit through a full tasting. So, if you or your friends are new to the wine tasting world, come out out and say hello to us while you’re there! We’ll be there all day.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
On our last visit to Morgan Ridge Vineyards, we met up with Chef Jason and learned how to make the oyster stew that he had on the buffet for Slide By Saturday. This dish is surprisingly easy and tastes amazing!! Chef Jason runs the kitchen at Morgan Ridge where you can have him create a meal for your next party.
Kalamata Olives, similar to many wines, get their name from the region in Greece where they are grown. The Kalamata region is well known in Greece specifically for producing olives and olive oils. This dark purple olive is commonly used for olive oils, but we are typically most used to those that are pickled in wine vinegar.Kalamata olives are great by themselves, served with cheese, in a tapenade or mixed in your favorite pasta dish like our White Wine Shrimp Pasta! If you’re heading out the Stanly County Winter Wine Festival with us this weekend, stop by Ohh-lio express to try some of their great Olive Oils and dips!
Monday, February 20, 2012
Located in Gold Hill, NC, Morgan Ridge has been making wine since 2007. The owners, Tommy and Amy have created a beautiful winery with 7 different types of wine. See the winery and take a peek at the food they offer for Slide by Saturday!
Check them out at www.morganridgevineyards.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
