I just recently learned about a grape varietal called Bonarda. It is a grape that was originally from Northern Italy's Piedmont region. Italian immigrants that moved to Argentina brought the grape with them. The Bonarda grape is the most widely grown grape in Argentina.

Here's proof that I know something about wine   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a summary from an excellent Businessweek article titled, "Israel's Winemaking Revolution".

Israely wines were shunned as poor quality religious wines. They now have little known, world class wines including the 2005 Yarden Gewürztraminer Heights Wine and the 2003 Yarden Katzrin. Robert Parker gave them scores of 93 and 91 respectively.

If you know anything about Israeli's, they are very technologically savvy. For their vineyards, they used Nasa satellite images to determing the best places to plant their vines. The have put a network of sensors all over their vineyards that give them up to the minute details on temperature and humidity. They also use computer controlled cooling of their stainless steel tanks. All this technology helps to produce the optimum grape for the wine.

Their wine exports are gaining popularity and the demand for their wine is now outstripping production. It is always good news to learn of new up and coming wineries. I have never tasted an Israeli wine, but I plan to find and taste one soon. If you plan to try some, the best labels are Yarden, Gamla, and Golan.

Spec's has several Israeli wines available.

The ritual of wine tasting begins with the 5 S's. See, Swirl, Scent, Sip, Savor. The Visual starts with the first two S's, See and Swirl, although the Swirl can be optional.

What are we supposed to see when we look at a wine?

Basically we are looking for clues as to what the wine might taste like. For instance:

• Is it clear, bright, dull, or muddy?
• What color is the wine?
• How much body will this wine have?

Let's go through the questions.

Is it clear, bright, dull, or muddy? Purpose: Check the radiance to see if the wine is good. First, let's make the assumption you are using a clear wine glass. I generally hold the glass of wine at eye level and simply look at the wine. The wine should always be bright (brightness is the term most commonly used), not dull or muddy. If it is dull and cloudy or muddy, you may have a bad bottle of wine. Muddy may mean it's an old bottle of wine and may just have sediment, which is ok.

I've always felt that "brightness" is not the right adjective because dark, inky, red wines are not bright. I think "radiance" is a better word. Dark wines, just like rubies or garnets can have excellent radiance too.

What color is the wine? Purpose: Indications for the age, grape varietal, and in whites, an oaked or late harvest wine. As above, simply look at the wine and note the color and it's intensity. For whites they will range from a very pale yellow; youngest, to a deep honey gold; possibly oaked and/or mature, to brown; may be past its prime. Whites gain color as they age.

For reds age is better determined by the "rim variation" or "meniscus", but in general, deep dark reds or purples are generally younger, moving onto the ruby and rose color reds for more aged wines, to a brown red color indicating maturity. Color can also determine the varietal. Again, in general, a pinot noir will be less intense and a lighter color than a Shiraz or Zinfandel. Reds lose color as they age.

For red wines (this is not particularly useful for whites) - Now tilt the glass at a 45 degree angle look at the wine from the center to the edges. Note the gradient color at the edges. The rim can be purple, to ruby, to pink, to brown. The more intense the color, the younger the wine.

Both reds and whites turn brown with age. Brown is BETTER in reds and not so good in whites.

How much body will this wine have? Purpose: Determine viscosity and the body of the wine. In general, the more viscosity and alcohol a wine has, the more body the wine will have. This is where I throw in the 2nd "S", swirl. So give the wine a good swirl, then hold the glass still. Take note of the formations of drops on the sides of the wine glass. These are called the "legs" of the wine.

• How fast are they falling? If they are falling fast, the wine is higher in viscosity and therefore higher in alcohol. If they fall slow and syrupy, then the wine is lower in viscosity and alcohol.
• How many are there? The more legs there are, then there is more viscosity and alcohol in this wine.
• How thick are the legs? Thick legs indicate a lower viscosity and alcohol.

That's it. That is The Visual.

Oh, on a side note. Currently an average level of alcohol in a bottle of wine is between 13.5% to 14%. 20 years ago, the average was between 12% to 12.5%. Alcohol is good for the body of wine, but can mask or obscure the aromas and flavors of a wine. The wine might loose its flavor nuances and complexity. Just something to think about.

From Wikipedia: There are five basic steps in tasting wine:

» color
» swirl
» smell
» taste
» savour

This is also known as the five S's: See, Swirl, Sniff, Sip, Savor. During this process, a taster must look for clarity, varietal character, integration, expressiveness, complexity, and connectedness.

In my next post I'll go describe in detail about The Visual.

The TWO rules! (for life and wine drinking)

1) Have fun.
2) Share. Fun grows exponentially when it's shared.

I'm writing my first post after having completed Wine Fundamentals 1 and the first two weeks of Wine Fundamentals 2. It is a great experience and I recommend it to anyone with a passion for wine. 

I have a very strong interest in wine and food, but mostly wine. When I lived in San Diego I did a Google search on how to become a sommelier and one of the results was the International Sommelier Guild (ISG). I have sinced moved to Houston and found out that the ISG also holds classes at the University of Houston. I finally took the plunge.

To enter the Sommelier Diploma Program you must take the two prerequisite classes which are Wine Fundamentals 1 and Wine Fundamentals 2. These classes are taught together and in succession and you have to take them both. The paid $1500 for both classes and that includes the wine, text books, notes and testing.

My goal/vision/reason for taking these classes is to do something fun and share that experience with others. I would like to host weekly events at the various wine bars and restaurants. I would like to offer my services to caterers and event planners. I also want to attend wine/food events, take a lot of photos, and blog about my experience. Wish me luck!