Tag: Tuscany

Pairings

On Filipino Food and Wine Pairings: an Experiment

Posted on by Josh

I never thought it would feel this quick, but I’ve spent almost 10 years in the wine industry, accompanied by all types of grapey gripes. They range from folks who think red wines are served too warm (which is a perfectly reasonable thought that I also vibe with), to those who decry Chardonnay as if it was Satan manifested into a liquid. Some are oddly offended by the slightest hint of sugar to the point where anything remotely sweeter than battery acid is considered a flaw. I’m not here to yuck anyone’s yum (even when said yum yucks other yums), but damn. Let’s loosen our sommelier pins just a smidgen.

Onto what Lagrein-ds my gears: I fucking hate pairing suggestions that generalize off-dry wines into super generic categories for particular cuisines, like this line: “try this German Riesling with Asian food”.… read more

Life · Tasting · Travel

On Tokyo, Central Italy, and Miss Vanjie

Posted on by Josh

I wish I could insert a montage of video clips here, combining all the clusterfucks and thrills of the past few months, but written description will have to do. Also, apologizing for a lack of posts is a tired cliché of the peak LiveJournal era, so I won’t do it. Oh, to be 13 again.

Imagine leading a tasting on Japanese whiskies – in Tokyo!

But also, imagine being so disorganized that you plan your Tokyo activities while waiting to board the plane, get lost from hopping on the wrong train from the airport, and have the police yell at your conference’s group in Japanese as we wrestled and tackled each other in Ginza. At some point in the week, you meet up with a Frenchman who tells you a story about the Japanese boyfriend that he keeps secret from his wife and kids, but is still lonely enough to crave your company: he doesn’t say it, but even as we overlook the city, he feels a claustrophobia about Tokyo that’s temporarily soothed by our sashimi and Bordeaux barrel-aged Japanese whisky.… read more

Life · Tasting · Travel

Brun-hello? It’s me. San Francisco and a throwback to 12 bottles

Posted on by Josh

You guys! It’s been around three weeks since I’ve arrived in San Francisco for what I’ve been telling everyone are secret wine projects. Which they are. It hasn’t really kicked in that I’m here yet, to be honest, and the whole city just seems like a stretched-out Vancouver with Inception-like shifting of buildings. And much less green. It’s like Vancouver and San Francisco were made from the same grape – but clearly have different expressions – like Chianti and Brunello, or something.

And it’s fucking tech central, you guys. I mean – yes, obviously – but have you seen HBO’s Silicon Valley? I’m convinced that it’s not satire. Attempting to suavely grab a baby carrot while maintaining eye contact during someone’s pitch during a Stanford mixer, and then accidentally dipping your hand in a bowl of ranch dressing?… read more

Tasting

“1000 Years in Tuscany”: Getting Sangio-crazy with Barone Francesco Ricasoli

Posted on by Josh

I was never really a history buff in high school. What I did, though, was take all of the sciences and maths unnecessarily earlier than I needed to, during, which I hate to admit, the coinciding apogee of the Big Bang Theory. I once took pride in every comparison to Leonard Hofstadter I received in university – which was purely from a fashion standpoint, of course – because I realized how dull I found quantum mechanics. Cringeworthy half-stories aside, I really mean to say that I’ve totally reversed: I’ve started to appreciate history in general as I got deeper into wine, and sometimes it’s such a shame that having serious game plans to taste wines means I have to skip principals and their stories.… read more

Tasting

New York with Age; Brazil on the Page; Tuscany Backstage

Posted on by Josh

There was another set of seminars: I had to choose between a study on South American wines, the range of Riesling grown in Alsace, or the aging potential of New York wines. When Brandon Seager – the Chair of the Winemaking Department at Tompkins College, Winemaker, and Finger Lakes Wine Country LGBT Ambassador (cool, I didn’t even know that was a thing!) – used Brad Pitt analogies and pictures to explain the nuances of wine aging, I knew that I had chosen the right seminar. Huzzah.

The wines were what I was mostly looking forward to, especially the aged ice wine, which can be quite a divisive topic when it comes to cellaring wine. Opponents of the idea believe that ice wine is best drunk as fresh as possible, as fresh as newly-fallen snow to emphasize the bright and concentrated sweet flavours that bounce in the mouth with flashes of glitter and brightness.… read more

Life · Quaffing · Tasting · WSET Diploma

Exams and grand slams

Posted on by Josh

It’s done. I’ve completed (or performed, rather, since we’ll find out whether or not I’ve actually completed the thing come September) the last unit I needed to complete for the WSET Diploma! I’m tempted to prance around maniacally while getting drunk really quickly on this fantastically sunny day, but September will have to wait for even bigger celebrations, I suppose. Which calls for fancy Cava instead of Champagne, maybe?! I mean, no, of course, but I bought this already so let’s.

In a couple of days I envision myself in a state of academic and mental paralysis. I will have a weird need to study, and I will give in. Someone make me watch a TV series or something!

Alta Alella “Laietà” 2011 Gran Reserva Brut Nature Cava (Cava, Spain): Fresh, lemon curd, some earth, yeast, blanched almonds, and sea spray.… read more

Life · Quaffing · Tasting · WSET Diploma

WSET Diploma – Unit 3 – Week 11: Central Italy

Posted on by Josh

Sangio-crazy.

So on some last Tuesday of some sort, we were supposed to have practice (I love referring to practice blind tasting sessions as such because it sounds like I’m vaguely into sports) but it was cancelled because there’s a bit of a cold going around. The viruses have decided disregard me over the past few months so I’m lucky, and that’s saying something when you’re in retail because you’re basically touching everyone. I’ll get it at the worst time, I’m sure. That one birthday when I invited my friends over but was wrapped up in a blanket the whole time.

I hopped onto the 2015 Vancouver Wine Festival tickets slightly more ravenously than I did for Lady Gaga concert tickets last year, even though I’m not supremely stoked that Australia is the theme country.… read more

Life · Tasting

Wine Bloggers Conference 2014 – Blends: 2 + 2 = 5?

Posted on by Josh

Okay! So flashback to Day 2 of the the Wine Bloggers Conference: it’s one of those times where we have to choose between three different seminars. There’s a seminar each on Merlot (hosted by Rutherford Hill and Duckhorn wineries), something on “How Pros Taste” (hosted by Jackson Family Wines), and then one on wine blends (hosted by Winebow), the last seeming like a strangely divergent topic from the former two. And I know – I should probably be basking in the Californian-based seminars (when in Rome etc.), but I couldn’t help but be intrigued by something less specific and more amalgamate in style i.e. the idea, at the time, of trying a row of Napa Merlots in the California heat made me scrunch my face.… read more

Quaffing

Sandor “The Hound” Clegane: 2010 Máté “Mantus” Merlot

Posted on by Josh

Tasting Note:

Eyes: clear, deep purple, legs
Nose: clean, med+ intensity, developing, dried red fruit, dried black fruit, earth, mineral, black cherry, dark chocolate, hint barnyard, spice, cloves, cinnamon, fruitcake, blackberry, plum, white pepper
Mouth: dry, med+ body, med+ acid, high slightly coarse tannin, high alcohol, med length, med flavour intensity, earth, dried red fruit, black cherry, mineral, spice
All in all: Good (to very good) quality: the wine shows promise with a complex nose with concentrated and intense flavours. But the tannins tightly close around some of the flavours. Can drink now, but has potential for ageing.

2010 Máté "Mantus" MerlotHoly shit is this potent at 15% ABV. But overall, the aromas are a little less boisterous, and you can imagine the level of spice that emanates from this alcoholic bombshell.… read more

WSET Diploma

2008 Badia a Coltibuono Chianti Classico

Posted on by Josh

Tasting Note:

Eyes: clear, med- garnet, legs
Nose: clean, med+ intensity, developing, red fruit, earthy, sour cherry, floral, pine, dried herbs, mineral, strawberry, savoury, meaty
Mouth: dry, med body, high coarse tannin, med+ acid, med alcohol, med+ flavour intensity, med+ length, sour cherry, earth, red fruit, herbal, strawberry, spice, savoury, leather, dried fruit, orange peel, baking spice
All in all: Very good quality: the acid is high and the generous tannins are rough but are well woven into the wine, giving good structure for more ageing and further complexity. Persistent. Can drink now, but has potential for ageing.
Identity Guess: High-priced (Barbera/Sangiovese/Nebbiolo) from Tuscany, Italy; 3 years old.
Is really: High-priced Sangiovese from Tuscany, Italy; 5 years old.

2008 Badia a Coltibuono Chianti Classico[Tasted during WSET Diploma class – Section 1 – Week 11]

Had to read out my nose notes for this one.… read more