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16 Jun |
Am I a wine snob? Off Topic, Wine
Comments (4)
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While I am by no means a recognized wine expert, in the ranks of Robert Parker, Alan Meadows, etc. I have always considered myself more of an authority than most, in discerning good wines from mediocre ones.
Now while there are a few who may disagree with that characterization, and even I will admit there is a lot of subjectiveness in wine tasting, and not everyone has the same palate, or likes and dislikes, distinguishing the difference between good wines and just down right nasty wines i.e. vinegary, sour, devoid of fruit etc. should be a simple task for anyone.
But it still amazes me, just how some people can drink a glass of wine, that has left such a foul taste in my mouth, I have to spit it out, and actually rave about how much they liked it. And yesterday was a perfect example.
At least once a year, one of our wine drinking friends in Santa Monica, who has more money than he knows what to do with, and obviously more wine than any one person [or even two] could drink in several lifetimes, has a party to clear out some of his older wines.
It is extremely generous of him and his wife, as they supply all the wine, and a main course to eat while we’re tasting. All we have to do is get to their house, which from Long Beach isn’t always as easy as it sounds, and bring a side dish to serve along with the rest of the food.
For me, these events are more about the party and the socializing than the wines, as the wines are usually not that good, but it is still interesting to see how different wines from different producers hold up over the years. And with those expectations in mind it was a great event.
For the day, our friend opened 43 bottles of wine, ranging in age from 8 to 25 years old. Don’t fret though, by no means did we finish them all. The vast majority were undrinkable. Overall, I would say 30 to 35 were undrinkable, and 6 to 8 (mostly rhone style wines from France) were decent, and drinkable along with some food.
But not everyone agreed with my assessment, raving about a few I couldn’t spit out fast enough. I even went back to try one or two again, just to be sure I wasn’t wrong in my original assessment, which I wasn’t.
I’m convinced people say they like some wines, because someone else they like claims it is good, or they are just enamored with old wines thinking they are supposed to like them. I’m not sure why, but……
Regardless, and remembering what I said earlier, wine tasting is very subjective, and we don’t all have the same palates or likes and dislikes, the party exceeded my expectations, and I enjoyed myself.
And at the end, our gracious hosts brought out a 1994 and a 1999 Chateau St. Jean Cinq Cepages, which everyone agreed were both very good, and couple that with Tiger’s pressure putt on the 18th hole, at Torrey Pines, to send the US Open into a final round play off this morning, topped off a perfect day.
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24 May |
Just another day in paradise Cycling, Day to Day Life, Off Topic, Wine
Comments (2)
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It’s hard to believe today could be worse than yesterday, but it is.
The high today is only supposed to get to 60°F, and it’s mostly overcast, although the sun has been trying show itself on occasion. Plus there’s a 30% chance of rain all day.
Even worse, my lower back is still hurting, and it doesn’t seem to be getting much better. It may even be worse than yesterday.
I can’t sit down for more than a few minutes at a time, so I can’t even watch TV, to pass the time away, on this miserable day. And laying down on the bed doesn’t help much either.
The only consolation is, I picked a good week to hurt my back, as the weather really isn’t good bike riding weather. Still I would rather be out on the bike regardless.
Oh well, sorry for boring you all with my petty complaints, but I just had to vent and get that off my chest.
Maybe going to a wine tasting later this afternoon will cheer me up some.
Tags: the weather
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5 May |
Vegas trip report ‘08 Day to Day Life, Vacations, Wine
Comments (5)
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As we spend our last morning in Las Vegas getting ready to head for home, I can’t help but feel somewhat disappointed in this years trip.
Oh, I don’t know! Maybe I’ve just become too finicky in my old age, and easily disappointed when things don’t meet up to expectations, especially since the Wine Spectator Grand Tour (our main reason for coming to Vegas this year) was great. We got to taste so many top wines you don’t often get to taste, including the 2003 Casanova De Neri, Tenuta Nuova Vineyard, Brunello de Montacino, and the 2004 Joseph Phelps Insignia, just to name a few.
Plus we got to see Jersey Boys, which I have been wanting to see for a long while, and by itself may have been worth the trip [IOW, I highly recommend it], so I can’t complain too much.
But I remember last years trip to Las Vegas, which incidentally was exactly one year ago this weekend, as being so much more enjoyable, and that was principally due of the choice of hotels.
Since the main reason for coming to Las Vegas this year was to attend Wine Spectator Grand Tour, being held at the Venetian, that is where we decided to stay, instead of the Wynn, where we stayed last year.
But from the moment we arrived at the Venetian, to an entranced mobbed with cars, taxis and limos dropping people off, to the private check in area (I booked the concierge level), which wasn’t all that private, to the exorbitantly long walk to get to the room, and then the same exorbitantly long walks back to everything, I just knew I booked the wrong hotel.
Oh I know, you’re probably thinking you don’t go to Las Vegas to stay in your room. You go for the shows, the gambling and the food, which were good, and even though the Venetian is a very nice hotel, with big and luxurious rooms, it’s the overall hotel ambiance that sets the stage for me, and the Venetian just didn’t measure up.
Still the trip was worthwhile, I just believe it would have been even more enjoyable, had we stayed at the Wynn.
Oh well, there’s always next year.
Tags: Las Vegas