Tasting Blind! March edition...

The Goddess of Wine had her way with another intrepid group of tasters as she led them through the wild world of blind wine tasting. As always, students were provided with tasting grids and aroma wheels to help them with their discoveries.

I provided few clues for the class: None of the wines were from California. A student asked if there was any Zinfandel or Pinot Noir. Nope. I encouraged them to think outside of their comfort zone, to trust what they were smelling and tasting.

The wines - mostly from my own cellar - were all from different regions of Italy. Because I like Italian wines, and I had enough to share. And I enjoy torturing my classes with wines they probably have not encountered. That may sound evil, but my aim is to have the group focus on what they are actually smelling and tasting, and not worry about whether or not they're right or wrong. It's all about trusting your senses and building from there.

Wining with the Wineaux of the Goddess...Sangiovese...

After Googling the term 'Wine Goonies' and discovering that 'goonie' is a word with many undesirable connotations, the Goddess made an executive decision and renamed our little tasting team Wineaux of the Goddess, and is feeling much better about life. In order to be transparent about our methods, we use the tasting note format derived from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust or WSET, as several of us have achieved various certifications from that entity and find the method simple and straightforward. We judge the appearance, nose, palate, conclusion and food match, and determine if the wine is acceptable or not. We will never give points. We each pay for the wines we bring - nothing is donated or provided by a winery.

Sangiovese grapes

New name lilting on our lips, we (John, Shawn, Rico, Xochitl, Amelia, Marya, and I) met at Fab's on February 8th to taste and discuss the many faces of Sangiovese. Italy's most commonly planted red grape varietal, with over a dozen distinct clones, is a thin-skinned grape that takes its time to mature. Central Italy, specifically the region of Tuscany, is the agricultural heartland of the Sangiovese grape named for 'blood of Jupiter'.