What is “Wine Country?”
Why are our wine events so fun and reflecting on the first year.
I have not had a week go by in the last few months where someone hasn’t said; “I cannot believe all of this is going on here!” The “this” are all of the wine tastings. The “here” is the Pensacola area.
According to any map of wine we are not “in Wine Country.” But are we?
What comes to mind when you hear “Wine Country?” Tuscany, Napa, the terraced slopes of the Douro. Places that grow grapes probably, because that’s where you can also drink that fermented grape juice. Sounds like a fun place!
What would it be like to live “in Wine Country?” It would be really fun! Well, look around at any one of our local wine tastings and you will see people having fun. So, I say; We do live in Wine Country! Wine Country is so much more than a place where grapes are grown. Wine Country, just like any Country, is a place that has an identifiable, unique, and ubiquitous cultural.
To me Wine Country = Wine Culture. Pensacola has a unique and super fun culture, especially with wine, and it surprises people constantly. There are many reasons why this culture exists here and not in our closest large neighbors to the East and West. A few of those reasons are our long and diverse history, the constant influx and mixing of people (a lot due to our military bases and not just Navy, but Air Force, Army, and honorable mention to the Coast Guard), and the fact that we live in a part of the world where many people travel to to have fun.
The result from mixing all of that for a long time is a culture that likes to enjoy enjoyment, and wine is a natural fit.
There were SEVEN wine tastings around town last week from Wednesday through Saturday! I can’t even add all of the pictures from them to this article. That should not surprise any of you, but it does surprise many people, both new to our area and those who have been here for quite a while.
That is why we started Gulf Coast Wine; to give a home to our amazing local wine community, and to share our uniquely fun wine culture, to enjoy the experience together! This week you could have had a great summer sparkling wine at The East Hill Bottle shop tasting, jumped around Tuscany at the So Gourmet tasting, sampled some great food and wine at Anna’s monthly tasting, played in the mystery wine game and Bottle Share night at Aragon’s tasting, and partaken in a few amazing wines from Argentina at a special AJ’s Market tasting. Each one was a great time, with fun people enjoying the company of other wine lovers, not wine snobs!
So, we do in fact live in Wine Country, one that, in my opinion, is actually more fun than several of those listed on the map! Cheers to that!
So Gourmet 7 June Tasting
A great comparison of a few Spanish Wines at Sun Sets on Main.
Wine tastings that allow you to compare different levels of a single grape/style are extremely fun and educational. You can compare such things as “sourced” grapes vs “estate” grapes, find out if you liked that extra aging, and then determine if it is all worth the price.This past week So Gourmet featured a line of Tempranillo wines from the Spanish region of Rioja, all from the same producer. With the exception of a semi-sweet wine (which was very unique) the others compared the different quality of grapes and the benefits of aging those grapes.Age doesn’t help every wine, so aging wine doesn’t guarantee it being better, and there are several types of aging; in the barrel and in the bottle are the main two.In this case, the Wine of Note, had both forms of aging. Finca Penamayor Gran Reserva from 2005, at only $40, is a deal! I know that’s a little more than most people like to spend on a bottle, but if you peruse down the Spanish wine isle at your favorite wine shop and look at Grand Reserve Rioja wines that are 15+ years old you are going to see some much higher prices.This wine had all of the things that you look for in a good Rioja; that deep red fruit flavor that is equaled with soft leathery tobacco and round tannins. Drink or have with dinner, this is a do-both wine.So be sure to check out our calendar and Instagram for wine tasting previews. If you see tastings that can focus on a great comparison then you should make every effort to go. As the Spanish say; "Bali Bali!"
Something different, something good, some Armenian wines at So Gourmet
Very unique and very good. A look at two of So Gourmet’s selection of Armenian Wines.
Napa, Bordeaux, Rioja, Tuscany, Douro, and Vayots Azor. Not familiar with that last one? I would wager that most of the wine crowd has never heard of it, but vines have been cultivated and wine has been made in this area of Armenia for over 6,000 years. 6,000! So Gourmet recently received a selection of wines from this Armenian region and two earned our Wines of Note. Very very unique was the white Zulal Voskehat 2019, Voskehat being the indigenous grape. It was a great balance of body and minerality, like you mixed Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay and it actually turned out to be good!The other was Shofer, a Rose made from the Areni grape, another indigenous variety of Armenia. It was smooth and fresh with just enough bite from hints of tart strawberry and sweet watermelon. A great summer wine!So Gourmet should be on everyone’s weekly wine walk-about list. Upstairs of Bodacious Brew, they always have two or three wines to sample and it's one of the best places downtown to find great wine, and a bunch of other gourmet items too.