My First Wine Tasting

[Scott B]

I went to my first charity wine tasting event last night. It was advertised as great wines from around the world. I thought the wines would blow me away, but strangely they did not. I am new to this wine game and reading some of the posting here Ithought the wine I was making would be good but not up there with the commercial boys. I was wrong, I told my wife that my wines tasted better than a lot of this stuff.
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So from now on I am going to hold my head high and proudly tell anyone who ask, Yes this is a very good wine I made.
I cannot wait until my first “BIG” reds have finished their 12 months aging so I can drink in all that goodness!!! Only 9 more month to go!

 

[ibglowin]

Interesting. Usually the wines are donated in one of these since they are a tax write off so they are not clunkers.

Do you remember any of the wines they served?

 

[vcasey]

Winemaker Scott you may need to put some of those "Big Reds" you have aging away, because they get even better!
VC

 

[Scott B]

I left the list of wine at home and I do not remember any names.


So far I have put away 270 bottles for aging, with 6 carboys clearing now, 2 primary buckets going, and6 kits in a box waiting to be started.


This Work thing gets in the way of that fun thing called Wine Making.

 

[uavwmn]

Scott B, enjoy and be proud of those wines you are making. I am anxiously awaiting the age on my amarrone!!!!! ummm um

 

[jobe05]

Wine preferences are in the taste buds of the beholder, it really is a personal thing.

I have made wines that I love and others hate, and I have made wines that I hated and others loved........ However I know I'm not the only one to experience this.

Thats why I like it when people tell me straight up what they think of my wines, I don't take it personally, I already know if it's good or bad..........

Right Wade! Hey Wade, I found a couple of smaller bottles of wine that you sent me a couple of years ago, along with a few bottles from Waldo and from JW........... I may have to change my Thanksgiving wine list........

 

[Bartman]

Wine preferences are in the taste buds of the beholder, it really is a personal thing.

I have made wines that I love and others hate, and I have made wines that I hated and others loved........ However I know I'm not the only one to experience this.

Thats why I like it when people tell me straight up what they think of my wines, I don't take it personally, I already know if it's good or bad..........

Unfortunately, this is why I think wine competitions are not worth the time, effort and money required to enter. One panel may love a particular wine while another hates it - doesn't really tell you if the wine is good or bad, only that some liked it and some did not. Well, we already know that's true for most every (non-swill) wine.
Bart

 

[Wade E]

Jobe I still have your (awesome) Port and Waldo's Port and will hold on to these for some while still especially Waldo's for his is much younger although and I am a little anxoius to give that 1 a try as I never have tried any of his wines. Which ones do you still have there buddy?

 

[Brewgrrrl]

I had a similar experience when I visited a fairly new (4-5 years old) winery recently. They were doing really cool things like renovating a historical building for their winery, using heritage grape vines and locally grown fruits. I wanted to love their wine... but it was awful. Not just "not really good" but really awful - sharp flavors, unbalanced in many different directions depending on what I tried, and sediment in everything. I couldn't believe it. There was one fruit wine that I thought I could buy a bottle of without too much regret (as I am all about supporting local businesses), but when I picked it up there was so much sediment that it had actually coated the inside of the bottle and stuck to it - you could see it sticking.

I can only surmise that they were enthusiastic about the idea of making wine but did not take the time of effort to actually evaluate their work during the progress and make appropriate adjustments. They may also have gotten stuck with large amounts of problem-wine that would have been better as small experimental batches. In any case, it definitely validated that I actually know some stuff and I also hope that they can pull it together before their reputation and business goes belly up.

 

[admiral]

Brewgrrl, my appreciation for winemakers has grown so much in the past year since I started making wines. From the design of vineyards, to the planting of the grapevines, to the cultivation of the grapes, to the harvest to crushing and destemming, to the concern for the correct chemistry, to fermenting, racking, clearing, aging, bottling, and storage. I never thought of those things before when I sipped a glass of wine. Now, I think of it almost every time. It has got to be one of the most difficult agricultural products to produce. To produce, from start to finish a wine that others like and pay for is a true achievement. I hope the folks at the winery you wrote about can turn it around.

 

[jobe05]

Wade: I have your Cherry Reserve, Pear, Chocolate Strawberry Port and a Raspberry Melomel.

From Waldo I have a Green Apple Reisling and a Muscadine Port (which may need more time)

From JW I have a Chocolate Raspberry Port and a ChokeCherry that is in the fridge awaiting Thanksgiving dinner

EDIT: Forgot to mention that I still have a bottle of Blackberry from JoesWine. I'm saving that one till I make some more blackberry with the 70 or so pounds I still have in the freezer. Joe can make some great tasting fruit wines, I really enjoyed them.

 

[Waldo]

I have not finalized my decision as of yet but I do know that whatever it is, I will be be drinking my first glass as a toast to me memory of our beloved Northern Winos and hope more of you will do the same.

 

[fivebk]

I second that Waldo and I'll hold a glass up high too!!

BOB

 

[jobe05]

I never had a NW made wine, but I know she liked her Choke Cherry Wine. That was why I was having the Choke Cherry that JW sent me............ and absolutely....... the first taste will be a toast to NW, in her memory.

 

[xanxer82]

I'll eventually make a choke cherry wine. I don't think I was around in time to talk with NW but I read a lot of her posts and can tell she was one remarkable person.
So, I do think a toast to her would be appropriate.