Specs Wine Tasting

I remember it seemed like May was just full of wine events, with 2 specs tastings, a wine festival, and wine circle meeting. June, however, has been soooo busy with summer school and a lot of other stuff going on, and it was finally time for a Specs wednesday wine tasting! WOW what a tasting! As usual, I didn't recognize any of the wines on the list except 2 from Geyser Peak (which turned out not to be very good).

Overall this month's wines were just amazing! Most of them were at least ok or good, but there were 5 stand out wines this time. One of the ones I ended up buying was the Prelada Cresta Azul which was said to be a "needle wine". Its a very slightly carbonated white wine and when you drink it, it feels like tiny needles are pricking your tongue!

I also ended up getting a very interesting chardonnay. I usually despise chardonnays, as I think they are very bland and bitter and are just too oaky and vanilla flavored. The Printhie chardonnay was GREAT though. It was uncharacteristically fruity, and has some odd flavors. One of the cool things about it is that its 95% chardonnay and 5% viognier, so that might explain why it was so good. Almost equally delicious was the Printhie Shiraz which also had a splash of viognier in it - a very yummy combination!

One of the best wines of the night was the King Estate Pinot Noir - it was $22 and soooo smooth. So many flavors, and it just melted on your tongue! I couldn't decide about getting this one because of the price, but kind of wish I had now. There was also a sparkling pink wine called Villa Rogole Fiorosa Brachetto which was sweet, bubbly, and refreshing. It was so good I was going to get this one until I found out it was only 7% alcohol! Thats like not even a wine! Anyway, I will still keep it in mind if I'm ever in the mood for something super light and refreshing. Finally, there was an amazing white blend of 3 grapes I had never heard of. Le Lune & Le Prune Orvieto Classico was also a maybe to buy, but with so many delicious wines I couldn't get them all!

The cheese selections tonight were kind of meh except for one cheese - the Memoire Gouda with truffles. It was just... I cant even explain. It was super creamy and the truffles gave it this earthy robust undertone that was seriously one of the best cheeses I've tried in a long time. If it wasn't $35/lb and I didn't already have 4 cheeses in my fridge it would be in my possession. As soon as I finish some up, it will be the next cheese I buy. In fact, that truffle gouda paired with the pinor noir would just be heaven in my mouth.

La Vieille Ferme

First of all, today I had an AMAZING day at Schlitterbahn! After getting home really late I was about to go to bed but wanted to have a celebratory small drink and I was excited to try a new wine I had bought recently. It was La Vieille Ferme, which is a dry rose wine. About 6 months ago I had a dry rose in a restaurant and loved it. Up until then, I had really only had pink wine as in white zinfandel, which is super fruity, super sweet, and not too interesting. So to me the dry rose was almost a paradox - a fruity pink wine that is not sweet? It was so delicious that I have been looking for another one to try at home, and hoped that this one would be it.

WRONG! This wine is really bad, and I feel bad for saying that, but I really did not like it. I got it at random and the back of the bottle promised me "intensely fruity" and from "one of the best vineyards in the Rhone Valley". Its actually a mix of cinsault (I dont know what that is), grenache, and syrah (both of which I like). Anyway, it smelled good at least. It smelled fruity - mostly like strawberries and raspberries which is pretty typical. But oh the taste! It tasted like watered down red jello - raspberry, cherry, who knows. It really almost tasted like nothing at all, until the finish. The finish was harsh! With no fruit, spice, or tannins, a harsh finish is the last thing you want. Basically it tasted like alcoholic water with a splash of fruit. Needless to say I was disappointed but don't worry - Im already formulating a way to salvage this into a sangria!

UPDATE: I tried this wine again the next day and it was a bit better. It was a little fruitier and the finish was not as harsh, but I still did not like it!

Applewood Smoked Goat Cheddar

Im still finishing up the Cline Zinfandel from a few nights ago... I've had a cold and wine is almost a waste when you cant smell it so its going slow. The last time I went to Whole Foods I discovered something amazing - mini cheeses! There is a part of the cheese section where you can buy small pieces of cheeses just a few ounces at a time. All these cheeses are under $3, which is great for trying lots of different cheeses and not getting tired of them! I foresee a lot more cheese tasting in my future. To kick off this new discovery, I had to get a few. Because I am still finishing up my zinfandel, I decided to try the applewood smoked goat cheddar they had. Im still not sure exactly what "goat cheddar" is, as I thought cheddar was just a type of cheese made from cows, but apparently it exists - and is quite delicious!

Oddly enough, I didn't think this cheese actually tasted like cheddar. Its kind of dry, and is more reminiscent of a gouda. I was a bit wary of the "smoked" aspect, as this can sometimes taste fake, but I thought this was a subtle smokiness that went very well with the wine. I enjoyed this cheese, but it wasn't fantastic. However, I like how there seem to be goat counterparts to some of the more familiar cheeses - I would definitely like to check out more of these in the future.

Cline Zinfandel

Last year Cline Zinfandel was one of my favorite wines, and I haven't had it since the day I moved into my apartment at the end of November! I figured a 6 month lapse was long enough and it was about time I revisit my favorite wine. This time when I tasted it, I had some delicious cheeses to go along, which no doubt heightened my tasting experience! I found that I still love this wine! I haven't had too many zinfandels, and for some reason always think of them as harsh and spicy, but this one is not like that. It has a sweet fruity finish, which is something I dont find too often, and has just the right amount of spice to balance out the fruit. The smell is a bit overwhelming - very alcoholic, but is misleading, as the actual wine is absolutely delicious. Overall, I don't know if I like this wine AS MUCH as I used to, mostly because I have just tasted so many other great ones since then. However, I will still keep it on my list of very good wines I need to keep on my (ever expanding!) wine rack.

To pair with the wine I had two cheeses I picked up from Whole Foods - campo de montalban and fleur du nord.

Campo de Montalban - I sampled this cheese at Whole Foods and was just amazed. It is a blend of sheep, cow, and goats milk cheese from Spain and is VERY good! This is quickly becoming my favorite region for cheeses. It is salty and the texture varies depending on how close to the rind it is... can be soft and creamy or hard and chewy. Very robust, the blend of the 3 cheeses gives it a very intriguing flavor mostly reminiscent of sheep cheese. This is one of my favorite cheeses in a while and I will definitely be getting it again! LOVE IT!

Fleur du Nord - I also picked this cheese up after a sample, because I wanted to try more of it. Its a bit nutty, not very sweet, and very mild. The closest resemblance I can think of is just a mild cheddar - nothing too amazing yet a solidly good cheese. I was thinking it would be great as a medium cheese in a cheese plate - it would balance out other stronger and more pungent cheeses. It is also very inexpensive, so Im wondering if you could maybe put it on a salad or in some pasta! Overall it is good, but not great.

Andes Peak Malbec and Petit Basque

I've been very interested in wines from South American lately, especially from Argentina and Chile, so I was intrigued to try this recommended Malbec from Argentina. A few months ago I was at Whole Foods and they had a tasting of about 10 wines all from Argentina and at least half were Malbecs ranging in varying degrees of deliciousness. I didn't end up buying any, but the next time I was at Specs I asked for a recommendation for a good Malbec to start out with and this was the pick!

Maybe I had high hopes, as this was one of the most popular Malbecs sold, but I found I was a bit disappointed upon trying it. I like my red wines bold, but this one tasted too alcoholic to me. It was also neither fruity or spicy... in fact it didnt taste like too much. It had a bold finish, and perhaps tasted a bit on the tart side. It wasnt BAD, it just didnt really have a lot of characteristics to write about and wasnt too interesting, but it did taste good. I think I would not buy it again, but am still interested in trying other malbecs.

Petit Basque

To go with the wine, we finished up the petit basque from a few weeks ago (yes, it was still fine)! Its very interesting to taste cheeses right when you get them and then a few days or weeks later, as they definitely change. This time when I tasted it, I really took note of how sweet it was. It tasted almost like a white fudge, or macadamia nut! It was still very creamy and almost melted in my mouth. SOOO good, I would definitely buy this cheese again, even though its $27/lb!

Fall Creek Chenin Blanc

There hasn't been too much wine in my life the past week or so due to some crazy circumstances but everything seems to have smoothed itself out for the moment. Lots of work and spending more time with people in my life!

Tonight I decided to try the Fall Creek Chenin Blanc. I originally tried this wine at the Specs Texas tasting and it really was one of my favorite ones there - what's even better is that its only around $5. I asked the Fall Creek guy why this wine was so inexpensive and he basically said its because its cheap to grow, and the grape is not as well known! About the past year or so I have been very interested in finding really great affordable wines that taste like a million bucks. This is for a few reasons - 1. Im kinda poor right now being back in school 2. I like to find a bargain. Its really amazing how the right $6 wine can taste as good as a $20 bottle and its one of my goals to find a nice array of every day wines under $8 I can keep on hand and open at any time.

Anyway, back to the wine. This wine actually sold out at the tasting and I had to go back a few days later to pick it up. I have only had a few other chenin blancs and so I dont yet have a handle on what they taste like as a whole. This one, as I said is very good. It has just the right amount of sweetness and fruit, and a soft finish. Unlike a lot of other fruity wines, it does not have a bite on the finish. Id say it isnt too complex - just very drinkable with pear, apple, and grapefruit notes. The texture is also very nice - smooth and almost silky! I loved this wine, and would definitely buy it again as it is wonderful by itself, and I imagine it would go well with many different foods.