Summer Wines, Part 1

Well, summer has started on the Gulf Coast. I am going to weather geek-out here: Summer officially starts for me when the wind shifts to be predominantly southern. That means the wind, most of the time, blows from the Gulf of Mexico. Every day is mostly humid and night time temps no longer get below 70F.

It’s okay! That just means it’s time to really pop open those light and refreshing wines. Beach, pool, warm evenings out with friends. Here are two picks to get your wine summer off to a good start.

The first is from New Zealand. Mohua Sauvignon Blanc. If you were lucky enough to go to Seville Quarter’s wine tasting this past Tuesday then you would have been able to speak to the wine maker himself, which is always a rewarding occasion. This wine was bright with a refreshing essence of grapefruit and acid and is right at home poolside.

The next was a Sparking Wine from the Loire Valley of France; Gratien & Meyer Cremant de Loire Brut. This wine was featured during Aragon’s Cru wine tasting on Thursday. Tight and intense bubbles that gave a very nice long finish with hints of orange and honey. Not sweet (it’s a Brut!), this Sparkling would be fantastic as the wine to greet your friends with as you start dinner.

Ready or not summer on the Gulf Coast is here. Serve cold and enjoy!

Could the Crowd Favorite not really be the Crowd Favorite?

Our first hot tasting, and it still wasn’t that hot, around 80F. This might sound like a safety announcement, but temperature, mainly heat, can be the leading cause in liking or not liking your wine.Red wine first: Many fellow tasters have heard me saying, repeatedly, that red wine should be served between 66-69F. That’s room temperature in the world of wine. And you can still really enjoy reds into the low 70s. Most wine cellars hover around the upper 50s to low 60s. Bring out your bottle of 58F red wine, open it and set it on the counter or table (not in the Sun!) and let the wine come up to “room” temperature. Doing that will ensure you get the wine experience that the wine maker intended you to get. Don’t have a wine cellar? My favorite technique is to open a bottle of red wine, then put it in my fridge, top open, for somewhere around 30 minutes. Take it out when the bottle feels cool to the touch, NOT COLD! Very big difference there.White wine needs to be colder, mostly around 50F. If I know that I am going to drink a white wine soon I will put it in my 40F fridge for a while before using it, even several days out. Then I take the bottle out, open it and put it on the counter. Just don’t let it sit long, it will be ready to drink very quickly. A white wine bottle SHOULD feel cold to the touch. And with both red and whites; Don’t forget that your wine glass will heat up your wine.My favorite wine tastings are mostly outside, where temperature control becomes very difficult because of our mostly hot year. The temperature will also affect you. It’s hot outside, you drink a cool refreshing sparkling wine that has been a crowd pleaser and you are probably going to enjoy it. The experience of that first cool crisp wine will be elevated even more when the rest of the line up gets too warm. You get to the end of the tasting and what did you like? The first cool refreshing one of course. But, because of the heat, and resulting warm wine, you probably missed one that you would have liked if it were served at the correct temperature.So this was the case at this tasting. Garganega Frizzante has been a previous Crowd Favorite. Most people said that it was their favorite. It is good and a great value. But it was hot outside, and many of the wines very quickly passed into the “too warm” category. So should it have been the Crowd Favorite, again? Maybe, but maybe not.

Don’t be afraid to like what you like, and how you like it.

I have been getting a lot of, what I am going to call apprehension, when I ask folks why don’t they come to the wine tastings. Sadly not everyone reads our posts, at least not yet, so they think wine tastings are full of wine snobs. Or they are just going to somehow embarrass themselves because they “don’t know wine.” It’s actually really sad. Not only are our local wine tastings full of really fun and friendly people, but we at Gulf Coast Wine are actively hunting down wine snobs. We find them to be quite tasty after a brief “roasting.” But seriously, there is no reason to be afraid of going to a wine tasting. If you like to drink, not just wine, and like fun people, then you should go. I am probably preaching to the choir here, but if you are trying to convince a reluctant friend maybe this will help.It is also okay to like what you like. This does not mean that it is okay to not try every wine, because one of the best parts of wine tastings is tasting something that surprises you. More on that in a bit. I spoke to a group of folks that were relatively new to our local wine tastings. One mentioned how they use a milk frother to aerate their red wine, and that is the only way they drink red wine. I was impressed in two ways: first, good ingenuity; second, confidence in sharing what they liked and how they liked it. On a wine science level, not every red wine needs to be aerated, and you can very easily over aerate some reds. I like to share wine knowledge, but I was adamant in saying “don’t change what you are doing if you like it!”So, as long as you try every wine, I don’t care what you do, and I love to hear about clever tricks. If you don’t try every wine then you might be missing a chance to be surprised, in a good way. Tonight’s crowd favorite was described by many tasters as “I was so surprised that I liked it.” Tapiz Sparkling Malbec Rose Extra Brut was refreshing with slight under tones of red cherry and strawberry. Those flavors appear a lot in Rose wines, but what did you feel? The bubbles, the acid, the way in which it made your mouth feel. Taste and feel, that’s what you get with wine. Knowing that will help with liking what you like. So don’t be afraid to come out and drink some wine, you might be surprised by the entire experience!

“Wow, that was good!” Aragon’s Women in Wine.

The majority of wine makers, vineyard owners, even wine distributors, are male. These facts don’t mean that men are better at any facet of the wine world than women. Tonight was a good example of that as Aragon showcased some great wines made by women. The first wine, a Champagne, was not just the crowd favorite, it was a Wine of Note. Tasters liked it SO much that they sold every bottle in the store and several tasters ordered extra cases!!! Not extra bottles, cases!People who know me know that I am not a big lover of sparkling wines. I have a few that I like, but generally prefer to have the non-bubblies. But, holding to the rules of wine tasting, I always taste everything. Wow,Castelnau Champagne Brut NV, was good. NV, non-vintage, means that the wine maker took a few of her best and favorite years and blended them. A true Champagne, from the Champagne region of France, had medium bubbles, not exploding out of your mouth, giving it a velvety mouth feel with hints of white nectarine, a dash of green apple and citrus. I am on the waiting list to get a bottle once they get more back in. Definitely a Wine of Note. Conclusion: More women need to be in the world of wine!

Aragon Wine Tasting 8 Dec 2022

As much as I have had it, I am still not a massive fan of Sparkling Wines, Champagne et. al. A lot of people just love it, mainly for the bubbles. Yet aside from the bubbles, is there anything more to be had for my taste buds? For the bubbles lovers; who cares, it has bubbles. I envy that simplicity. Sadly my palette craves more complexity. So, for a second Sparkling Wine to make our Wine of Note in as many weeks means it must be special!Guidobono Segretevigne Extra Brut Sparkling White, 100% Nebbiolo grapes, from Piedmont Italy comes in with actual flavor once you get past those bubbles. A nose of yellow flowers with a palette of apple cider, crisp, clean, and of course, those bubbles, which enhance the flavor of the actual wine instead of being the beginning middle and end in of itself. Just about anything goes with this because drinking it is its own party! Hope to see you out at next week’s many local wine tastings!

Agapi’s October Wine Tasting

So many people like Sparkling Wine, of which Champagne is a type of. Prosecco’s from Italy, Cava’s from Spain, and many others, give the drinker a myriad of unique tongue sensations, and many love it for that. From semi-sweet to dry to the driest, called Brut. Some are “just” bubbly while others fill your mouth with a bubble bath. So it is no surprise that people really like what they like when it comes to Sparkling Wines. This evening’s featured wine edged out the other four by one vote. Camino Calixo Cava from Spain occupied the pleasant middle. Not overly dry, good bubbles without a bath, with hints of green apple and citrus. Yet, as previous stated, it edged out the other four Sparkling Wines by a single vote. On the immediate heels were a delightful Prosecco and a deep French Cremant. Look for the next Agapi tasting on 1 November.

Wine World French Wine Tasting 16 Sep

It is actually hard to tell if Summer is winding down. The heat forecasted for this coming week hurts my head a little. Well a good way to deal with the heat is Celine Cuvée Royal Bordeaux Brut French Sparkling Rose. A delightful blend of Cabernet Franc and Merlot with mild bubbles, hints of strawberry and melon. Very refreshing, chilled, and at $13.35; a great way to enjoy our September summer.

Melon Sparkling Wine and Reserve Champagne

It has been three years since we have had a chance to catch up with my mom’s side of the family, the bulk of whom live in Portugal. So our timing could not have been better when our trip coincided with one of my uncles’ birthdays. His birthday dinner was capped off with something that I had never had before, a Melon Sparkling Wine from Germany. This along with a strawberry shortcake cake and a Reserve (Cuvée) Brut Champagne. I was pleasantly surprised with the Melon Sparkling wine. It was sweet but not overly so. It was a good, and strong, contrast to the Boizel Reserve Brut Champagne that was also served, which was probably 15+ years old. An excellent way to spend an evening with family.

6 July Tasting at the East Hill Bottle Shop

There are a LOT of grape varieties out there, thousands, and every now and then you run into one that you have never heard of. Glera is one grape variety that I do not remember encountering, and it was the main grape in the blend of tonight's Wine of Note. Avissi is a very delightful extra dry (not as dry as a Brut) Sparkling Rose wine. The unique blend of Glera, Pinto Noir, and Merlot was fun to drink and definitely makes its way on the Summer Wine list.

Wine World 24 June

Some people can't imagine having wine when it is, literally, over a 100 degrees outside. In the world of drinking-alcohol-when-it-is-hot beer seems to reign supreme as the thirst quencher, and I will never argue with that, but I will try to topple the king. Rose wines, served nice and cold, are outstanding during hot afternoons. Liked by both the "I only drink Red/I only drink White" people they are extremely versatile and not as "girly" as they appear, and WAY better than a Truly. The next time you tell me how good a Truly is, please do it with your pinky finger extended. But if only there was a good Rose Wine that came in a can so we could take it to the Beach. Well it does, and it has bubbles, at it actually tastes good! Wine World's own 30A Rose Bubbles comes in a 4-pack, which is equal to two bottles of wine! Make sure you drink them cold, just like your favorite beer, and enjoy.

March 31 Tasting Notes

• Aragon Wine Market

• March 31, 2022

• Pensacola, FL

Wine of Note:  A Blanc de Blancs French Brut sparkling wine by Willm.  A literal bucket of white grape varieties that had good fruit taste with some pear and green apple, a slight nose of honeysuckle, and medium bubbles.  This easy drinking bubbly was 30% Riesling, 30% Pinot Blanc, 30% Pinot Gris, and 10% Gewurztraminer.  Yeah.  This sparkling white wine would be a slam dunk for any Sunday brunch, or even a pre-dinner bubble bath after work. 

March 30 Tasting Notes

• 12th Ave Bottle Shop tasting

• Pensacola, FL

• Wednesday, March 30, 2022

The evening started with a surprising bubbly. Gruet Sauvage Blanc de Blancs sparkling wine from New Mexico. It was mouth awakening, zingy but not tart, not too dry in the world of bubbly wine, surprising in a good way. At $23.99 a bottle this would be a great choice to celebrate any occasion, even the end of a hard day.

Chardonnay. It seems to be the white wine grape that either you order as "what do you have for white wine," or the discerning wine searcher's white wine of choice. Very little "middle" ground. Sometimes you need middle ground. That is why Willamette Valley Vineyards Chardonnay is so unique. Even with sitting in barrels of French Oak for 10 months, it was not oakey or woody, but still had that body and structure that the wine connoisseur looks for, well rounded flavor but not buttery. At $24.99, this Oregon Chardonnay would do very well with any of our local seafood, especially during an Easter lunch.

I love pizza, and a lot of red wines go well with pizza. Casa Silva's Carmenere goes GREAT with pizza. This Italian red will give you a full nose of amazing peppers, bell, jalapeno, even habanero, then satisfy your taste with pleasant red fruit. I would also drink this with a large plate of Indian food. For $14.99, this is a perfect addition to any spicey meal.

The last wine of the evening was a Cabernet Sauvingnon from Paso Robles California called Broadside. Even though it is a "Cab," it really is a blend, a very well done blend. Check out our "Resources" section on the percentages of grape rules in wine and how it gets names. So this "Cab" is 88% cabernet Sauvingnon blended with 12% Merlot. It had good dark berry fruit, easy tannins that didn't leave your tongue dry, and finished velvety smooth. Great to just drink, or have while you are cooking dinner, then finish while eating dinner. You rarely get that kind of experience from a Californian Cab for less than $30. Thats why at $13.99 it was the evening's winner.

Don't forget that with your $10 for the tasting you get $5 off any of the bottles in the tasting. So you could have gotten any of these bottles $5 cheaper than listed above.