Patrick’s Prose

Hey guys what’s up?

So I know you must have been waiting in anticipation on what my first blog was gonna be about!  Well, I’m gonna cover a little more about tasting wine and training your palate. Discovery Wines is always trying to share something with its clients and give them a little something more than just a bottle of wine, but a bit of info on them also. So this time I am going to share a well-known secret that is regularly overlooked. Sssssshhhhh! Its about becoming a wine expert!

Yes we are gonna share some secrets on becoming more than a wine lover but a graduate of our wine blogs, a connoisseur! Each week on Friday I will be posting a small article or video about some aspect of the wine world and then pose a series of 5–10 questions relating to that article/video.  Follow along each week and you can receive discounts, gifts and promotional materials just for participating.

So we all know the two main senses involved in wine tasting are taste and smell.  Honing in on those senses is the key to really becoming a tasting expert and to further train your palate. Here is a cool link for you to check out with one of our good friends Gary Vaynerchuk on training your palate. When you have an extra half hour watch it, it is a great unorthodox way to think about training your palate.  After you watch it, answer some questions at the end of this bolg and email your answers to me

patrick@discoverywines.bm

http://tv.winelibrary.com/2006/12/15/how-to-get-your-wine-palate-trained-episode-148/

Experience is the best way to train your palate, luckily that part is easy, just open a bottle and pour a glass.  It also helps, in my opinion, to have someone guide you through the tasting process.  If you have your own wine expert (like Gary) on hand to taste with, you are golden.  One wine expert that I know is Christian Robertson, the Discovery Wines Sales and Marketing Director, he is the person that you go to in order to find out the facts on the wines we have! Now this knowledge is attributed to his schooling and most of all his experiences. He has worked in different parts of the world in all different capacities of the wine world that have helped him to learn more about wines. Becoming an expert in his point of view is doing the job from all angles. He started out like I have, organizing and distributing wines to different clients and keeping the warehouse ready for more wine. He himself thought that he would like to make wine but in his efforts he came to find that production wasn't his niche but during his time of learning about the wines and handling it he definitely gained a passion for it.   That passion is infectious, working with him has sparked my interest in wines.  Now sometimes I amaze myself when I find myself talking like I know what I'm talking about. I am still a wine novice, but I can say my small experiences and listening to other wine lovers like Christian has definitely helped me to get a step closer to becoming a wine expert. So if you want to become one, come to our tastings and later this summer (**August) sign up for our wine tasting classes.  Get out there and start becoming an expert and experience the wine lover's way of life!

Questions about today’s video post-

1.     Chocolate is a flavour that Gary associated with which wines from Italy?

2.     According to Gary, Sauvignon Blanc has definite hints of this tropical fruit.

3.     True or false, black currant and cassis are the same thing.

4.     Apple obviously has a flavour profile of this white wine. Name it.

5.     What does Gary “really hate?”

6.     What is the foundation of Gary’s palate (and should be yours)?

7.     Sweaty socks and Bacon remind Gary of which varietal from the old world?

8.     Green pepper is huge in wines from this country.

9.     What spice made Gary’s tongue numb?

10. What rates higher the New Jersey dirt or the ’99 Roederer Cristal?

**note- Discovery Wines will be conducting weekly tasting classes starting mid August.  Sign ups will be announced soon.

Paso Robles Frost - What Does It Mean to You?

Here at Discovery Wines we’re not just considering what’s in your glass and our glass here and now but more importantly what we’re going to be pouring tonight, tomorrow and next year too. As a forward thinking company we wish to be mindful of what’s happening around us in our favourite vineyards and be ever conscious of our future list of fine tasting wine that we bring here to Bermuda for you. Because the last thing that we would want is for your enjoyment, pleasure and basic good-old fashion thirst quenching, meal complimenting, backyard, beach or boating beverage supply to dry up.

So this week’s theme is of course a look at the 2011 vintage at different locations around the world and to see what’s happening weather wise, people wise, terroir wise so that we can wise up yourselves and ourselves about our future wine drinking prospects.

In reading through Monday’s Facebook article: 

http://www.winespectator.com/webfeature/show/id/44994

you may be wondering “Now why did they pick Paso Robles – is there a wine there that would be of note?” And yes, dear wine drinking readers you have a pertinent thought indeed – our Treana Red and White both come from this neck of the vines. Two beautifully blended wines – the Treana White is Marsanne and Viognier whilst the Red is Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. One can only hope that the frost that hit Paso Robles in early April of this year won’t have too much of a damaging effect on the supply of these wines. If Stacie Jacob’s gloomy outlook of 50% of the crop being lost does ring true – now just might be the time to stock up on both the Treana Red and White.

     

            As always keeping you abreast of all things wine-worthy, making sure your palate is properly treated and your wine rack is stocked– the Discovery Wines Staff are here for you!

 Trying all the new wines that come through our door can be a trying and daunting task, but as professionals often must, we pushed ahead yesterday and continued our "team tasting". We started our tasting with the Cono Sur Organic Pinot Noir 2010, with distinct flavours of licorice, cherry, dark chocolate and a smokiness on the palate, it was an immediate hit! At only $14.90 a bottle, there is nothing not to love about this hit from Chile! Following the organic trend, we tried the Cono Sur Carmenre/ Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 blend next. On the nose this blend was much more fruity then the Pinot Noir. On the palate you could feel the increase in tannins combined with flavours of cherry, oak and black pepper, finishing with a vegetal hint on the end. This wine was a hit by all who tend to drink more red wine then white, as it was a bit bolder. Lastly, we had the pleasure of tasting the 2007 vintage of the Parusso Barbera D'Alba Superiore. It was bold, with flavours of licorice and coffee on the palate and it was DELICIOUS! A must try!!!!

New Wines Just in Time!

As the thermometer is beginning to climb, a shipment of refreshing new wines has just arrived at our warehouse in time for summer! Two of the little gems in this shipment that first grabbed our attention were the new 2010 vintage of Auntsfield Estate Sauvignon Blanc straight out of New Zealand and the newest edition to our shelves, the 2010 vintage of  Dourthe No. 1 Sauvignon Blanc from Bordeaux. As the team here all enjoys a nice (and rather large) glass of wine on occasion, we decided it would only be right for us to crack open these two and do a little comparison of Old World Sauvignon Blanc vs. New World. First up to be sniffed, gargled and swished was the Dourthe No. 1. Pear was the first aroma we agreed upon and it followed through nicely to the palate where the flavours were soft with hints of peach.  Next up the Auntsfield packed more of a punch with a higher acidity, balanced with distinct and very refreshing grapefruit on the nose and palate, leading into a nice minerality. With both selling for less than $20 a bottle we couldn't agree on which one was preferred amongst our group, but one conclusion was obvious, we were all willing to do our duty for our company and continue to "taste" them until we came to a conclusion.