Week 2 Thursday Review:  The Value of the Wine Label.  If you missed the Thursday Evening Gathering, no worries, we have you covered, on the wine side that is.  We talked about wine labels and all the little parts that provide us interesting information about the wine. The label provides us hints of what the wine might taste like because we will know when it was made, the location of the grapes, the alcohol content and who actually made it. Roses R Red represents The Producer of the wine. Not all grape growers are producers, and not all producers grow their own grapes. The Vintage, represents the year the grapes were harvested. This is important information because the weather from that year will have a great affect on the harvest.  For instance, often times a drought will stress the vines in such a way, that the grapes produce a more intense flavor for that year. Of course we love to know The Variety , 'What kind of wine is this'. In the USA wine named after a ...

Week 1 Thursday Review: a few thoughts on Being Chosen & Wine Making If you missed the Thursday Evening Gathering, no worries, we have you covered, on the wine side that is.  Not everyone is a winemaker, we may know what we like, but in the end we may not have the skill and insight to know what grapes go well together. This week we discussed the idea of Being Chosen, in the wine world choosing the right grape and assemblage is the difference between a great wine and a daily table wine. There are all kinds of grape varietals around the world, each has its own characteristics based on the terroir (french word for earth but representing the location and its influence upon the grape/wine), micro climates which drive the sugar composition and ripeness, everything affects the flavor and utility of the grape for that specific year (vintage). Let's talk a little bit about the Bordeaux Varietals? Many times a great Bordeaux Style wine may be an assemblage of the following varietals (gra...