Thursday April 24th, 2014 - Tomfoolery Tasting - hosted by Ms.Jackie &Mr. Santiago

Thursday April 24th, 2014 - Tomfoolery Tasting - hosted by Ms.Jackie & Mr. Santiago

Theme: Tomfoolery Tasting (grocery store wines) - a play on April Fools for wine
The Rules:
1)  Purchase a wine from your average grocery store (ex: Trader Joes, Kroger, Publix)
   *specialty grocery stores or the "Kro-Gay" (Kroger) in Ansley area are not allowed
   *no "Three-Buck-Chuck" - try to step it up a little bit.
2)  Pick out a wine that you know is decent, or that you have enjoyed in the past.  If you are not sure, pick one at random.  If you can, stay in the usual TWITs price range (aka: up to $20 for singles, up to $40 for couples).
3)  Bring the wine to TWITs, in a paper bag, for blind tasting

We will be blind tasting these wines, for fun.  Then at the end we will unveil them, and see what wines we ended up with.  You may be surprised which ones you liked.  The wines can be red or white or sparkling or rose, it does not matter.  The point of this tomfoolery is to try to pick something "good" from a "grocery store".

TWITs Tasting Notes:
Enjoy this hilarious video that essentially recaps our tasting.  

Welcome Wines: The Welcome Wines were not "Tomfoolery Wines", but listed here so we can recall what we tried.
Welcome Wine 1) Earl Olivier Cousin "Pur Breton" Pays an ange vin ~ $30 at Le Caveau
   12.5% alcohol
Welcome Wine 2) 2010 Domaine Galevan - Paroles de Femme - Cote Du Rhone ~ $20 at Le Caveau
   60% Grenache, 20% Mourvedre, 10% Cinsault, 10% Carignan, 14.5% alcohol

1) Lamarca Prosecco (Italy) ~ $17 with Kroger Plus Card
100% Prosecco, 11% Alcohol
Guesses: Marilyn and the guys all guess prosecco, Val says Cava,
golden apple nose, light, refreshing, good for a hot tub on a hot day

2) 2012 Villa Borghetti Delle Venizie Pinot Grigio $5.99 @ Trader Joes
100% Pinot Grigio, 12% alcohol
Guesses:  white wine, light refreshing, almost tastes like nothing, "like the Coors Light of Wine", Kathy guesses it might be Chateau St. Michelle?

3) 2008 Marques de Caceres Rioja - retails for $30.59, but on sale for $17.49 at Toco Hills Kroger
100% Tempranillo, 13.5% alcohol
"that's my kind of stinky, sweet stinky", dry, no transparency, Rheinallt smells Dill, Sweet Dill, "Dill and Grass" or "Dillon Grass, ha ha the name of your dealer perhaps?" Lynn says sour cream and chive, dry maybe high gravity, leather, earth, Val guesses American Oak (later we found it was French oak).

4) 2012 Sterling Vintners Collection Pinot Noir - $11.99 @ Kroger
100% Pinot Noir, 13.5% alcohol
Val guesses Pinot Noir, nose is light, chocolate notes, cheap Welch's fruit drink, Rheinallt guesses Sonoma County Pinot Noir, Marilyn guesses 12.5% alcohol, dark cherry chocolate, Jackie said she has had Sterling before, but this one is more casual than the one she had.  "There are gondolas at the winery" (aka: closed car ski lifts), in the Calistoga area, Casual wine.

5) 2011 Ghost Pines Cabernet Sauvignon - $13.99 @ Kroger
100% Cabernet Sauvignon, but blended from different vineyards
21% Napa, 30% Sonoma, 49% Lake County
13.8% alcohol
Brian says Cab Franc, I said I love the finish, but not the nose, Rhein and I said nose is like a California Syrah, white pepper, Santi says it smells like Chinese food, the finish is great, squid ink, looks like I suffered a gunshot wound, I would eat some lamb with this, Lynn guesses Cab.

6) 2010 7 Deadly Zins - $15 @ Kroger
100% Zinfandel 15% alcohol
opaque, dark bitter coffee, slow broad legs, Marilyn guesses at least 14% alcohol, petrol nose, Santi says fresh rain on a hot road, Matt says Asphalt, Rhein says it smells like I-285, Australian Shiraz? Kathy says you thought you were smelling I-285 but that's Lodi (low-dye).

7) 2009 The Federalist Dueling Pistols - Dry Creek Valley - retails for $40.59 but was on sale for $32.48 at Kroger, according to the winemaker's website, this was bottled on April 1st, 2011 (fitting for this tasting's theme)
50% Zinfandel, 50% Syrah 15% alcohol
more asphalt, burnt smell, guessing Zin, worse than the 7 Deadly Zins

8) 2007 Campo Viejo Gran Reserva - $25 @ Fresh Market
85% Tempranillo, 10% Graciano, 5% Mazuelo, 13.5% alcohol
Jamie says tastes like 4 Deadly Zins, Santi says "a good C+ student, I thought the finish was not impressive

Brian joked "Worst TWITs Ever!"  I think we agreed, but we still had fun trying out these wines.  We have definitely grown our palate beyond the Grocery Store Wines though.

Sake Tasting at Le Caveau - April 23rd, 2014

Sake Tasting with Savannah Distributing at Le Caveau Fine Wines

Timothy Sullivan is the founder of UrbanSake.com, the 2007 Sake Samurai (Japan Sake Brewer’s Association) and an International Sake Sommelier (Sake Service Institute|SSI). He is also the Official Brand Ambassador of Hakkaisan Sake Brewery.  Timothy used to be a web developer for Barnes & Noble, but one night at dinner, he tasted a sake that changed his life.

Koji Aoto is long time resident of Atlanta, Georgia, Koji Aoto was born in Tottori Prefecture in west Japan. In 1990, Koji came to the United States as an intern teacher to teach Japanese culture to the American children in Atlanta, Georgia. In 1997, Koji joined one of the oldest liquor distributors in Georgia, Savannah Distributing Company, as one of the start-up members of its Atlanta office. At that time, Koji was the only Japanese in the industry.  To further enrich his career, he returned to Japan in 2005 and visited more than twenty sake breweries experiencing the sake making process first hand. In 2006, Koji received a visa as a sake expert from the U.S., and returned to Atlanta, Georgia. He became the Asian Account Manager of Savannah Distributing Company, where he serves the most popular Sushi bars.

  

*Not pictured is Lisa Allen of Savannah Distributing, who also helped with the tasting this evening.

Abbie from TWITs with Timothy Sullivan, Brand Ambassador of Hakkaisan Brewery

1) Hakkaisan Junmai Sparkling Nigori Sake
With refreshing acidity and gorgeous aroma, Hakkaisan Sparkling Nigori is certainly enjoyable as an aperitif, but this popular sake can be enjoyed many ways. Try pairing this beautiful brew with rich or spicy dishes as well as fruits and dessert. 

2) Hakkaisan Junmai Ginjo Sake
It’s a touch dry with tremendous balance and a crisp refreshing finish. 

3) Hakkaisan Honjyozo Sake
Delicious and slightly rich honjozo. On the dry side with plenty of body to stand up to hearty food.


4) Kotsuzumi Tokubetsu Junmai Sake
100% Kita Nishiki, a unique rice from Oku Tanba is used. Only limited breweries use this rare rice. Full bodied and clear tasting.


5) Kotsuzumi 'Draft' Junmai Ginjo Nama Sake
The softest water in Japan, locally grown rare rice Kita Nishiki and unique yeast No.10 makes this sake so elegant, fresh, lively and pure. This is a rare Nama Sake (freshly pressed sake), which is bottled un-pasteurized to maintain the original delicate flavor of “newborn sake”.


6) Amabuki Junmai Ginjo Nama Strawberry Yeast Sake
Brewed using yeast cultivated off the flowers of strawberry plants, this sake is characterized by a refreshing crispness and almost reminiscent of fresh strawberries.

*If you keep the lid on the Sake bottle, and keep it cool, the bottle could last for several days.

What is Sake?

Is it a wine, a beer, a spirit?  Actually it is none of these things.  Sake is a "brewed alcohol", it converts start to sugar and sugar to alcohol at the same time and in the same tank.

 

Sake rice is not the same as the rice we eat.  The starch in the core of the sake rice grain.  The grain is made up of starch, fat, and proteins.  the grain is milled down to the center.  When you see a milling rate for sake, the lower the number means the higher the quality, as it is a finer starch.  For example, the Hakkaisan sparkling wine from the tasting has a 60% millage rate.  The highest millage rate sake that Hakkaisan produces is 30%.

 

Elsewhere, in Japan, there's a sake called Super 8, which has an 8% millage rate and retails for around $3000 / bottle. 

 

The unfermented rice solids, called Kasu (Kah-soo) that are not needed for Sake-making, are sold and used in cooking and pickling

 

In the 1960s and 70s, when Japan sent the USA Sake, it was bottom-of-the-barrel, quality-wise.  It was cheap table sake.  A lot of people have had hot sake (typically not a good quality) as a first experience, and thus decide they do not like Sake.  However, you wouldn't give up on Wine just because you had one bad glass, would you?  I wouldn't.

 

There are 47 prefectures (like regions or states) in Japan.  All but 1 of them makes Sake.  Hakkaisan Brewery is located in the Niigata Prefecture.

Unlike wine, Sake is not terroir driven.  It is better to categorize sake by the quality and characteristics of the brewing water used to make it.  Soft water might give you a cleaner, softer, more feminine sake vs. a harder water might give you a more masculine, robust, dryer sake.

Sake Rice shown at various millage percentages

Simple Science of Food and Wine Pairing from Wine Folly

Simple Science of Food and Wine Pairing from Wine Folly

Nice infographic
http://winefolly.com/review/simple-food-and-wine-pairing/
http://winefolly.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/AF-Poster.png#fullscreen

Paitin di Pasquero-Elia Wine Dinner at Southbound

Paitin di Pasquero-Elia Wine Dinner at Southbound - Thursday March 13, 2014

A Special dinner featuring wines from Paitin di Pasquero-Elia, with the winemaker Giovanni Pasquero-Elia, at the highly anticipated restaurant Southbound (pre-opening), with Le Caveau Fine Wines.  There was a 5 course meal prepared by Chef Matt Marcus.  

About the winemaker:  "Giovanni Pasquero-Elia and his brother Silvano run the estate that their ancestor, Benedetto Elia, purchased in the 18th century. This Barbaresco estate, includes 17.5 hectares of vineyard, mostly situated along either side of the Via Serra Boella in Bricco di Neive. Paitin has been selling wine labeled Barbaresco since 1893, making this small estate one of the historic properties of Piemonte. They are now producing some of the finest Barbaresco wines in the entire zone, especially considering the reasonable prices charged.

There has been a change of course in the winemaking recently, as the brothers had one foot in the ‘new school’ camp (using roto-fermenters, some small French oak barrels) and one foot in the ‘traditional' camp. Now they are using more traditional maceration and fermentation techniques, with the larger Slavonian oak barrels for aging. In the spring of 2010, the Pasquero-Elia brothers enlisted the services of consulting oenologist Dante Scaglione, who spent 16 years alongside the legendary Bruno Giacosa. Scaglione is a former classmate of Giovanni’s from the days when they attended the oenological school in Alba together. Dante has produced many of the most compelling Nebbiolo-based wines in the last 20 years, in both Barolo and Barbaresco, at one of the zone’s greatest estates! His soulful, classic take on the genre is legend, and people happily pay $200-$400 a bottle for Giacosa’s top bottlings, which Dante hand crafts."

Sidenote:  Brian (from Atlanta Beverage Company) and Giovanni worked together in Colorado several years ago, and then later on when Giovanni was trying to get into the Atlanta market, he found that Brian had moved here, and together they were able to bring Giovanni's wines to Atlanta.  We were among the first people in Georgia to taste these wines and have an opportunity to buy some bottles

NV Pascal Doquet Champagne Brut Blanc de Blancs 

(blend of 2008 & 2009 vintages)

Amuse- White Asparagus, Meyer Lemon, Truffle, Micro Chervil, Shaved Radish

2012 Paitin di Pasquero-Elia ‘Vigna Elisa’ Langhe Arneis

(85% Arneis, 15% Riesling)

Side note: Arneis translates to "rascal" or "Difficult boy" - it is not easy to grow this white grape varietal.

Poached Scallop, Butter, Sake, Fennel and Frond 

2010 Paitin di Pasquero-Elia 'Campolive' Barbera d'Alba Superiore

92 Points: Pure and intense, this red evokes ripe plum, blackberry, spice and mineral aromas and flavors. Borders on racy, with taut structure and bracing acidity driving the long aftertaste of iron and leather. Drink now through 2020. 666 cases made. –Bruce Sanderson, Wine Spectator, Mar 31, 2013

Roasted Venison. Preserved Tomato, Beet and Nastarium Jus, Whipped Cauliflower

2009 Paitin di Pasquero-Elia 'Serra' Barbaresco 

92 Points: The 2009 Barbaresco Serra emerges from the glass with a heady melange of sweet red berries, licorice, anise and dried herbs. Violets, roses and flowers of all sorts appear as the wine sits in the glass. Deceptively medium in body, the 2009 impresses for its deep layers of fruit and radiant, powerful personality. The tannins remain youthfully vigorous, but are nicely balanced by the creaminess of the fruit. Anticipated maturity: 2019-2029. -Antonio Galloni, Wine Advocate #203, Oct 2012

Scotch Egg, Fontina, Watermelon Chow-chow, Venison Demi-glace 

 

2008 Paitin di Pasquero-Elia ‘Vecchie Vigne Sorì Paitin’ Barbaresco

94 Points: The blackest of cherries, spices, incense, tar and scorched earth are some of the many nuances that emerge from the 2008 Barbaresco Sori’ Paitin Vecchie Vigne. This dark, brooding Barbaresco is all about power. The 2008 impresses for its fabulous balance and pure length. With time in the glass, the wine becomes increasingly more refined. It is a striking Barbaresco to drink now and over the next 10-15 years, perhaps longer. The 2008 was aged in 25-hectoliter cask and bottled in June 2012. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2028. -Antonio Galloni, Wine Advocate #203, Oct 2012

 Kale and Sausage Orecchiette, Beurre monté, Pecorino

Late Winter Berry Mousse

Zodiac Wine Corks

Gods of the Zodiac Wine Stoppers

Set of 12 for $234

or buy singles for $22.50

Integrity Wines Tasting with Winemaker Christophe Beau

Integrity Wines Tasting with Winemaker Christophe Beau - 3/7/2014

Thursday March 6th, 2014 - A Red Wine You Love - hosted by Ms. Abbie &Mr. Matt

Thursday March 6th, 2014 - A Red Wine You Love - hosted by Ms. Abbie & Mr. Matt

Theme:  We did it for white wines previously.  Now we want to know what your favorite RED wine is and why you LOVE it  Bring your favorite red wine (within the price range), and come prepared to tell us WHY it's your favorite. (suggested pricing:  singles $20 or less/bottle, couples $20-40/bottle).  Anecdotes and funny stories encouraged.

Originally this TWITs was scheduled on February 27th, but we postponed due to another amazing event occurring the same night.  Since the theme was rather "Valentine's Day" related, yet we were having the tasting in March (the month which has the St Patrick's Day Holiday), our Hosts opted to serve Corned Beef and Cabbage with the other appetizers.

To make it more fun, we blind tasted the wine first, took some notes and made some guesses, then unveiled it so we could hear the story of the wine from the person who brought it.

TWITs Tasting Notes:
Welcome Wine)  2009 Domaine Olivier Pithon Cuvee Lais, Cotes du Roussillon $28.99 @ Le Caveau Fine Wines
13.6% alcohol, blend of Carignan, Grenache, Syrah varietals
The Story:  Abbie and Matt first tasted this wine at Le Caveau (it was in the $60/Terroir Club Wine selections for July 2013). We fell in love with this wine.
"This wine is dense and very clean with a delicate nose of dark berries, minerals, and bright herbs.  The palate shows rich, concentrated black fruits and licorice with an impression of iron and stone.  the fresh acidity keeps everything in balance with a cinnamon note on the finish." 
We went back to buy more.  We shared it with our friends, and they bought more too.  We bought so much that eventually Le Caveau ran out of it.  We tried to find ways to buy more of it, but the one internet deal we found- ended up not panning out.  Eric Brown of Le Caveau gave an amazing presentation on Natural Wines for the TWITs in July 2013, and we learned that this wine was a Natural Wine also.  Since our supply was limited, we saved the wine for special occasions and birthdays, etc. Many night, as we were deep into our cups, someone would say "Let's open up a Cuvee Lais" and someone saner would say "no no not now, we need to appreciate it more, wait a bit". When we were prepping for the Languedoc TWITs  tasting, we learned Eric could get 2 other wines from the same winemaker (The Le Pilou and the Mon P'tit Pithon), so we obtained those for ourselves and the TWITs.  Finally, Eric's distributor found a few more bottles of our beloved Cuvee Lais. He emailed us immediately and we reserved a few bottles, thus we were able to share some with the TWITs tonight.

1) 2011 Lynmar Estate Pinot Noir Russian River Valley $40-45 from the winery
13.9% alcohol, Pinot Noir
TWITs tasting notes:  notes of strawberry, "smells like California", fern, green fern, bitter, Rheinallt guessed Pinot Noir, another person guesses Santa Barbara?
The Story: Kathy & Jamie brought this wine.  They visited the winery and Kathy says this is one of her very favorite wineries.  It tastes like outside, and smells just like being there.

2) 2012 Domaine du Vieux Chene - Beatrice et Jean Claude - Cuvee de la Haie aux Grives - $12 @ Le Caveau - Cotes du Rhone 14.5% alcohol, 80% Grenache 20% Syrah
TWITs tasting notes:  fresh cut grass, tobacco, cherries and chocolate, peppery, very peppery, green bell pepper, mild tannins, southern France, the garrigue, Rh and Janssen both guessed Cotes du Rhone,
The Story: Rheinallt brought this wine, because it's his "budget friendly mid-week wine".  He loves the nose, it's richer than a $12 wine, and the palate is rustic, he can imagine a farmer sweating over this wine.

3) 2010 Rombauer Vineyards Zinfandel Napa - $26-27 from a shop in Connecticut
15.9% alcohol 100% Zinfandel
TWITs tasting notes:  funky nose, rich, dark chocolate, cacao, after-dinner-mint, that's a funky mint, "I just got punched in the tongue" - Jackie, "Cassis on the tongue" - Rheinallt, creme de menthe,  Andes mint, mouthwash, it tastes denser than it looks.  would pair well with chocolate
The Story: Alexandra brought this wine.  She worked at a wine shop about 10 years ago in Connecticut, and she remembers having this wine and loving it, it was the best wine in the shop at that time, but it was a bit pricey for her then. she did buy a bottle recently to share, she doesn't drink alone, so she brought it tonight.

4) 2007 Scherrer Syrah Russian River Valley - $31.99 @ Le Caveau
14.1% alcohol 10% Syrah
TWITs tasting notes: guessing Shiraz or Syrah, Rh guesses California, bell pepper, good bitterness, oak and tobacco, delicious!
The Story: Jackie brought this wine because she LOVES Scherrer, he's a cool wine maker, very passionate about his wines and his Syrah.  It's a luscious wine, reminds her of biting into a ruby.  It's earthy, fulfilling, pairs with food and can stand on its own.  Jackie recently hosted a Syrah TWITs, and served the 2008 vintage that evening, and she says she likes the 2008 better than this vintage.

5) 2001 Valduero Gran Reserva Ribera del Duero Spain - $40-45 @ Wines Till Sold Out (WTSO)
14% alcohol, 100% Tempranillo
TWITs tasting notes:  malolactic, ritz crackers, buttery, Jackie is in love with this wine, dry, a "rub and tug" wine, "one and done", "2 pump chump", subtle spice, soft, somewhere between a Syrah and the adopted stepchild of a Syrah, same round juiciness, not edgy, like a Cab Sauvignon, Kathy said maybe a Cab Franc?, jamminess on the end with it.
The Story:  Abbie and Matt first drank this wine with Janssen.  We cannot remember where we had it first, it may have been a restaurant?  anyhoo, we loved it SO much, and shortly AFTER we had tasted it, we found it at Le Caveau for a bit, so we bought it and it was sort of our "fancy wine" for a while.  this wine has been served at many a party or dinner with friends. Then Le Caveau ran out of this wine, and we saw the 2001 Gran Reserva on Wines Till Sold Out, so we jumped and bought some to cellar for a bit.  We brought it out tonight, as this was a smaller TWITs and we still have 1 more bottle left.

6) 2009 Signaterra Cabernet Sauvignon Three Blocks Sonoma Valley - $40-45 from Benziger Estates
14.5% alcohol, 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
TWITs tasting notes: oak, perfumey nose, earthy, mushroom, milk chocolate,
The Story:  Val brought this wine, because this was one of the first wineries where she and Rheinallt did the cellar tour and they had such a nice experience, plus the wine is amazing.  They had this wonderful wine-geek-nerd tour guide, who took them into the cave, etc. They tried all the high end wines, and heard 15 minutes stories on each of the wines.  Then out of the blue Rheinallt said he wanted to join the wine club.  He "never" wanted to join a club before.  This is the only club they joined.

Matt talking, but it looks like he's dancing!

Sometimes things get blurry for a moment...

The Lady TWITs in attendance