TWITs Battle of the Bottles - June 5th, 2021

TWITs Battle of the Bottles - originally set for March 14th, 2020, but was postponed due to the pandemic.  Rescheduled to Saturday, June 5th, 2021.
hosted by Chad & Christy

Theme:  Battle of the Bottles - blind tastings between various pairs of bottles, you have to guess which one of the two is the expensive wine ($50+), and which is the budget bottle (~$20 or less). 

     1st Place:  The most accurate guesses goes to Drew!  He guessed 5 out of 6 bottle battles correctly!

     2nd Place: Val with 4 correct guesses

     3rd Place: Tie between Abbie and DuPree with 3 correct guesses 
We did not guess on the Welcome Wines (in case you were counting).

I'd like to give honorable mention to Rheinallt for the most hilarious tasting notes I've read in a while.  Great job sassy pants!

TWITs brought $40/pp to cover the cost of the wines.

Food Pairings:

Chad & Christy prepared some wonderful food pairings for us.

Tasting Notes:

All bottles purchased via Wine.com

Welcome Wine

Food Pairing - Charcuterie Board

Bottle 1: J Vineyards California Cuvee - $24.99

12.5% alcohol

vs

Bottle 2:  Champagne Gimonnet-Gonet L'Origine Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs NV - $45

12% alcohol

Riesling 

Food pairing - Shrimp w cocktail sauce

Bottle 1: 2017 Dr Loosen Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling - $49.99 

12.5 % alcohol

Petrol, stone fruits, minerality, dry, honeysuckle, tropical, unripe papaya, pear, semi-dry, honeydew citrus, no petroleum, very light, shite, sickly, too sweet, nice acidity, but no petrol, cloying after palate, floral, pear, very dry for Riesling, good pear floral, gardenia, I liked this one just guessed wrong, pear floral dry

vs

Bottle 2: 2018 Pewsey Vale Eden Valley Dry Riesling - $16.99

12% alcohol

kerosene, soapy, musky, stinky, viscous, dry briny, gasoline, clean, dry, lots of gasoline, ribana, layers of minerals, it's a deal it's a steal, very dry, briny, petrol, soapy, mineral, not so good, petroleum, flower, pear, plastic, new toy, dry, flower

Sauvignon Blanc

Food Pairing - Bacon/Goat Cheese/Olive Quick Bread

Bottle 1:  2018 Beyond Sauvignon Blanc Buitenverwachting South Africa - $10.99

13.5% alcohol

citrus, lemony, depth, olive, brine at back palate, peaches, pithy, peach cobbler, mineral, lemon, very nice clean nose, spitting out citrus like a deranged satsuma, RH's fave wine of the evening! lemon, dry, acid, very balanced, lemon, sugar, citrus, sweet but rich smooth, fresh, crisp, not very grassy, citrus, would like to drive this to me, brine, citrus, lemon

vs

Bottle 2: 2015 Cloudy Bay Te Koko Sauvignon Blanc New Zealand - $69.99

14% alcohol

petrol, peaches and cantaloupe, stone fruits in yo face, tangerine candy, rich, no no no no no No Zealand, stone fruit over the top, too much acid, too much mineral, less sweet, crisp, grapefruit, sophisticated, peaches, like 1, crisp, peach cobbler, peach, jackfruit, sweet

Rose

Food Pairing - Strawberry salad (Baby lettuces with feta, strawberries, and almonds)

Bottle 1:  2018 Chateau Romassan Ott Bandol France - $58.99

13% alcohol

almost no nose, drinking air, flavored water, if you put bubbles in it it's a White Claw, light in color, no me gusto, devoid of character, vapid but roughness, why you give me roughness? no want. very delicate strawberry, cream, White Claw flavored water, dry, light, doesn't taste like much, color off, very bland

vs

Bottle 2: 2018 Famille Combard Figuiere Magali Signature Cotes de Provence - $19.99

13% alcohol

better color, better flavors, bitter finish, bland but smells like a rose, bit more biting, some banana but still okay, but not good. more acid, cloying after palate, nice, a little sweeter, pepper, not so good, guest soap in grandma's bathroom

Pinot Noir

Food Pairing - Asian meatballs with sauce

Bottle 1:  2017 J Vineyards Pinot Noir Monterey/Santa Barbara/Sonoma Counties - $18.99

14.3% alcohol

berries, chocolate, spice, light, dark fruits, very good California Pinot, classic Pinot attributes like cola and dandelions and burdock, fruit forward, cola, balanced, very nice, sweet berry, blueberry, rich, peppery, dark berries, devious, best so far, blackberry, light on nose, fruit forward

vs

Bottle 2:  2016 Paul Hobbs Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast/Sonoma County - $59.99

14.1% alcohol

higher alcohol, headache tomorrow wine, sour, young, very similar to the other Pinot but lighter, brighter, and better, richer mouthfeel, cola, more spice, more alcohol, cherry nose, but less (illegible sorry), 

Malbec

Food Pairing - Roquefort blue cheese Slider/Burger

Bottle 1: 2014 Tapiz Black Tears Malbec Mendoza Argentina - $54.99

14.5% alcohol

lovely, dark chocolate, leather, berries, woody, dark fruit, baking spices, solid little Malbec, so solid with the burger slider, yes so nice, anise spice and cloves and some other stuff, anise, nose all dark fruit

vs

Bottle 2: 2017 Altos Las Hormigas Malbec Clasico Mendoza Argentina - $12.99

13.5% alcohol

f*ck me nose, smooth, sexy, berries, jam yet dry not sweet, smiley face, hotness up the nose, high ethanol, roughness in the extreme, just rough, pickles, brine, pine, didn't like either of these, pine, smooth

Cabernet Sauvignon

Food Pairing - Mini Chocolate Hazelnut Cheesecake

Bottle 1:  2017 Michael Mondavi Oberon Cabernet Sauvignon Napa County - $20.99

13.7% alcohol

bell pepper, chocolate bliss, bell pepper cacao on the nose, solid cab, prob new wood, maybe pedestrian Cab, spice, fruit, nice balance, like, fruity, smooth, good

vs

Bottle 2:  2015 Hall Eighteen Seventy-Three Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley - $74.99

15.6% alcohol

spice and chocolate, smiley face, this has mint, just mint, why does it have mint? spearmint at that! butter, pastry fruit nose, tannin, classic cab, more tannin

WSET Level 1 - Abbie's Adventure

WSET Level 1 - Abbie's Adventure

With the COVID-19 Pandemic wreaking havoc across the world, yet online courses being available, I decided to finally get a wine certification through Vino Venue (the APP - Approved Program Provider).

WSET - stands for Wine & Spirits Education Trust.  The Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) is the largest and most recognised organisation providing formal education in wines (sake and spirits) for professionals and enthusiasts. WSET programmes focus on developing systematic tasting skills and product knowledge of the significant wines and wine producing regions of the world. The skills learnt through WSET programmes can be applied to understand and evaluate all wines, regardless of region. For this reason, many sommeliers choose to study for WSET qualifications to gain their product knowledge, opting to develop their service skills on the job.

I opted to start at the beginning with WSET Level 1.  This course was approximately $250 USD.  This did not include the tasting wines and food samples however.  The course doesn't mandate that you purchase the wines and food samples, but it definitely helps with the learning experience. 

These are the wines I purchased for my WSET Level 1 Course:

The food items needed were:  black seedless grapes, tartaric acid (I found this on Amazon.com), sugar, black tea (I used PG Tips), a sweet biscuit, salt, a slice of lemon, and cooked mushrooms or msg powder. 

The 4-week course is offered online, at your own pace.  There were no set scheduled "classes", only the requirement that you participate in the assignment chats (again at your own pace and timing), and complete all of the assignment modules before taking the exam.  There is an online instructor available for a live chat once a week (scheduled at a specific time - often an odd hour for some, so as to accommodate the time zones of the multiple attendees).  The live chat is optional, but it is useful if you have questions.  The course I registered for started on Monday April 26th and went until Sunday May 23rd, 2021.  These are the dates the online instructor is available to answer questions or reply to your chats.  After the end date, the instructor is no longer available.  I believe I still have access to my course materials for a set amount of time (I forget how long) so I can study. 

I was surprised at how many different people from different countries were in my class.  We had attendees from Italy, Ireland, China, USA, Germany, etc.  so many different places.  This was truly a diverse class.  

I was disappointed that we could not take the exam right after class finished.  Why not the same day or next day?  However, the earliest available exam date was 2 weeks out.  I took that time to make notes and trivia questions for my friends to quiz me on, so I could study for the exam.

The exam was taken online.  I had to have 2 devices (my laptop and either a smartphone or iPad/tablet).  The laptop had to have a camera and microphone, so my exam could be recorded.  The iPad was so I could be recorded from the side using the ProctorExam app.  This helps to ensure you are not cheating on your exam.  No poster or writing can be on the walls.  If you have a glass of water it has to be clear, no bottles with labels or any writing on the glass.  No pieces of paper, even if blank.  No other person can be in the room with you either.  No wine bottles or any alcohol items in the room.  The rules are pretty thorough.

I took my invigilated exam online on Sunday June 13th, 2021.  I must say, it took me longer to setup all my devices, and ensure proper recording, etc. than it did to actually take the exam.  They also have you film 360 degree view of the room, your desktop, under your desk, the ceiling, and all four corners of the room, to ensure there is nothing there to invalidate your test results.  The exam was 30 multiple choice questions, and I had 45 mins to take the exam.  I believe I finished my exam in about 10 minutes (after setup).  

I am still awaiting my results.  I believe the results should be sent out roughly 2 weeks after taking the exam.  I hope I passed.  I feel pretty good about the exam, but unlike the ITIL exams I have taken via the invigilated/online method, the WSET didn't immediately tell me my score.  I understand they have to certify the results, but at least with the ITIL exams they tell you your score immediately, and then you only have to wait a few weeks for them to certify it, and send your certificate to you.  Yes I did put this in my feedback survey.

Overall it was a pleasant experience and I highly recommend this certification, should you be interested.

I'll update you with my score once I get it. :)

UPDATE:  I did not receive my score until October 2021.  I passed. yay!  However, I do not understand why it took nearly 5 MONTHS to get my exam results.  I've taken ITIL proctored exams where they at least give you a preliminary score immediately after your exam - with the understanding they have to certify it officially at a later time.  I would have loved to know if missed any questions right away for the WSET, but no.  I had to wait.  Sigh.  We have the technology, not sure why AXELOS has theirs working great but WSET can't use similar tech?  Now I am wondering if we get a certificate or anything to print out?  Probably will take a year for that though.