Now I've actually helped host a couple of wine tastings and hope to do more. Not only do you get to sample great (and not so great) wines, but you get to chat about them, and compare if one's aroma of "wet dog" coincides with another's fine flavor of "rust". If you're looking for how we came up with these great wine flavors, take a look at the wine wheel scientifically developed at U.C. Davis. Basically, a wine tasting is a good excuse for a party.
Here are the results of the wine tastings to date:
October 1998 - California 1994, 1995, 1996 Cabernet Sauvignons and Blends
Of the 8 cabernets we tried, the winner was the 1996
St Clement Oroppas ($31), though there was some close competition.
November 1998 - 1995-1996 Merlots
Of the 8 merlots that we tasted, the run-away winner
was the 1995 St Francis Sonoma ($29, 91 points from Wine Spectator). Not surprisingly,
it was the most costly as well. A surprise was that the "cheap ringer" wine
came in 3rd out of 8, and it was the 1996 Talus Woodbridge ($8) (79 points from
Wine Spectator). While the Talus was much less sophisticated in its flavor,
it was very easy to drink.
September 1999 - California and Australia 1995 Cabernet Sauvignons
and Blends
We sampled 7 cabernets and blends, any my pleasant
surprise was the 1995 Trevor Jones 'South Australia' Cabernet-Merlot.
December 1999 - Champagnes, etc.
The evening entailed 5 champagnes and 2 other bubblies,
with an impressive performance by Perrier Jouet.
October 2000 - Chardonnays
16 of us evaluated 7 chardonnays and 1 blend, with
a relatively close finish distinguishing the Salmon Creek and Caymus Conundrum.
For more information than you ever wanted to know on wine tastings, take a look at some resources...
