The Weekly Wrap Up

The folks who know me mostly know what my actual “day” job is. I make it a point not to talk about it here because it has nothing to do with wine and it tends to become the topic of a conversation when it is brought up, even when I rather talk about wine. But the summer heat has finally ignited the earth’s engine and things have gotten busy.

So, a single recap of our wine tastings last week. The quick summary: I went to five tastings. They were all fun and each had some good wine!

Yet two wines really stood out last week and achieved the Wine of Note status, a white and a red. One from So Gourmet’s every-other-Wednesday Sunsets on Main tasting, and the other from the Bottle Shop on Baylen, which was featured as the mystery wine.

The first was an Italian White Wine from Puglia. Edda Bianco Salento 2021 is made with 60% Chardonnay, 20% Fiano, and 20% White Muscatel. Do not let the White Muscatel fool you, this is NOT a sweet wine and not any typical Chardonnay! It starts by filling the nose with yellow flowers and then filling the palate with savory stone fruit, good acid and a nice mineral finish. A great white to have for just about any occasion where you want a white wine!

The next was Col Solare's 2013 Red Blend from Columbia Valley Washington. Sourced entirely from Col Solare’s estate on Red Mountain, it is 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc, 4% Merlot, and 2% Syrah. It is damm good! A mix of red plum, black cherry, tobacco and earth, strong tannins and a nice finish. Even though it wasn’t part of the “official” tasting line up Friday night, you can buy it at the Bottle Shop, and I would, and did!

Two Wines of Note in one week! A solid performance from our local tastings. Yet this should not surprise anyone. The most amazing part; the people at the tastings are as fun as the wine! Bring a friend who might be apprehensive about coming out and let them join the party! Everyone stay safe this week!

Aragon’s 13 July Tasting

"The atmosphere at the event was lively at this week's tasting at the Aragon Wine Market. The crowd appeared a little younger than the previous week. There were several young professionals all enjoying themselves and the wine. It warms me to see so many young people enjoying the local wine scene and mingling with the more seasoned wine enthusiast of the community. There is so much we can learn from each other in these types of social events.Darian Morris presented us with some delicious wine this evening. The following were the featured wines: 2021 St. Christopher Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling, Cafe de Paris Blanc de Blancs Brut NV, Tapiz Malbec Rosé Extra Brut NV, 2019 Forte Do Cego Vinho Lisboa Tinto, 2020 Belasco de Baquedano Llama Old Vine Malbec, and the 2020 Kate Arnold Single Vineyard Cabernet Franc.My favorite of the bunch was the riesling which is no surprise to those that know me intimately. It tasted nostalgic to me as it is something I would have tasted often when home in the Pfalz. This wine was sweet but had that distinct riesling grape taste that balances subtle and bold simultaneously. This wine was especially refreshing with notes of crisp apple and peach that harmonized together well. I also want to give an honorable mention to the 2020 Belasco de Baquedano Llama Old Wine Malbec. It was medium-bodied and the acidity was well balanced and had a touch of oak at the end that I enjoyed.I cannot discuss this event without talking about the wonderfully baked bread that was served alongside the wines. The bread was provided by Local Thyme Bakery (@ltbpensacola on Instagram) and they featured their House Sourdough which had a perfectly crisp outer layer and the most moist and soft inside. The taste was similar to what I grew up on in Germany, the German staple "Bauernbrot." I will be sure to make orders for bread and other treats soon! To order from them, simply direct message them on Instagram to order during their weekly drops of baked goods.Good wine and good bread, plus wonderful company- what more could you want?"Anna

Go to the “Special” Wine tastings!

I have said it before in previous posts: If you see a “Special” wine event, especially if it is a tasting featuring someone from a winery, do your best to go! These are not events to be afraid of! You are not going to be ridiculed, you do not need to “know” wine, these “Special” events are just plain fun! Most of them are during the week, which can be difficult, but if I can give any recommendation in the world of wine it is to go to the special tastings.Aragon’s Special wine tasting was on Tuesday, not on their normal Thursday. If you are having trouble keeping track of wine events look no further to OUR wine tastings and events calendar! And if you know of an event that is not on our calendar please let us know, you can email us or send us a message on Instagram and we will update our calendar.So back to wine. Aragon featured Famille Bourgeois Winery this past Tuesday. Famille Bourgeois has vineyards in the Sancerre Region, in the Loire Valley of France; and in the Marlborough Wairau Valley of New Zealand, specializing in Sauvignon Blanc in both areas. Their wines are certified “Biodynamic” which is the E.U.’s organic certification, but actually better. People like to lump things together; like all Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand tastes like Grapefruit. It happens all the time, to everything, not just wine. It is human nature, and it can very quickly lead to “bold wine statements” (see my post on bold wine statements). Their two wine families, Domaine Henri in France, and Clos Henri in New Zealand, were a great example of how you cannot just lump things together. We even started the tasting with the reds because the whites were so high in acid (something they intentionally did) that if we did the whites first your palate could have been toasted by the time you got to the reds. All of the wines tonight were unique and almost everyone enjoyed almost everything. So hopefully we will see you at the next “Special” tasting!

Napa Valley, Day 1, Part 1. Wine Tasting at Robert Craig

There are SOOOO many great wineries to visit in Napa. For me, a combination of research, recommendations, and dumb luck have shaped my Napa experience. My visit to Robert Craig’s tasting salon (fancy sounding I know) was possible with a combination of outstanding friends and research.The tasting room manager and Certified Wine Educator (CWE) KC gave me a superlative experience. It has become the bar to measure all other wine experiences to. As the two of us tasted through a sample of their wine portfolio I was given an education in the soil of that vineyard, how that affects the taste; the climate that year, and how that affects the taste; the vision that their wine maker had for that vintage, and, of course, how we get to that point of wine to mouth. It was enlightening, even to someone who others call a “ wine expert.” I generally don’t like being called that, because I don’t think that I am a wine expert, and I know that there are very, very few true experts out there.As renowned as Robert Craig’s wines are, I was amazed to find out that the entire operation only has eight employees, and that includes the owner!! Bob Craig (who passed several years ago) was a partner with the world famous Robert Mondavi before setting out on his own many decades ago. The winery, Robert Craig, specializes in mountain fruit. They have vineyards on top of all of the surrounding mountain tops. Therefore a tasting with them gives you a sample tour of the best that the Vacas and Mayacamas Mountains can offer. In the end I left with two bottles that are not available in stores; a Cabernet Franc and a Cabernet Sauvignon, both from their Mount Veeder estate. You can drink both of them now, but they will only get better with time. These two wines, today, would be the Wine of Note at any tasting! After a few more years in the bottle they will be right where I want them to be, and I will share them with my friends who recommended the visit, and think back to KC and my amazing time!