Tis the season to be winey. Tons of vino will trade hands in the the next three weeks.
Some will be stunning. Some mediocre. Some will never be tested or tasted.
When friends give us wine, the issue is never the prestige of the vineyard, but the drinker, his habits and preferences, not the thin skin of sophistication that makes someone claim he prefers Rhone style reds over Paul Masson.
I got a bottle last night from a friend. He asked me to try it soon, and to be candid about it. I did and will.
Knowing he has a good feel for the wines I like, but shuns those that cross the $25 barrier (like me) I did not expect to be transported to a 19th Century Chateau. I expected something better than two buck Chuck, but not in the league of Tablas Creek.
So I opened it...let it breath, sipped, found it too cool (the house today hovered around 60 degrees in chilly December). I waited 20 minutes and tried again.
It opened to a place I'd call broad as a meadow but not big as a hill. I like big wines: Tuscans that bomb the palate. Chunky cabs. They can begin fruitfully, but I want more, a quality I remember from German lessons: "schmecht gut." For me that means the wine leaves the tongue, thumbs the palate --just about where I make the soft "k" in kerchoo, then rolls into my throat like a hunk of earth.
This one--a Nero D'Avola 2009 Red Wine--made me think for a moment of plums, but did not hold that note. Not berry, either, but some sweet dark produce I tasted as a kid. I let it rinse my tongue, then got a faint medicinal twinge. It faded, too.
I was left wondering if he hoped I'd think it was BIG. It's not. If I had to pick a well-known wine from a multiple choice quiz, I'd guess Barolo. In saying that, I realize I'm not a fan of hefty fruit. I want to taste the grape, but only on its way to a quality that makes me want to sit down.
Seasoned tasters probably have a phrase for that. I'll call it lush. Big like a cushion, but not big like an idea. I like this wine enough to drink it again, but it needs a little help..not a cheese, something edgy to offset its plump fruit. A slice of smoky flank steak would work.
(Checking a few reviews, I find others feel the same. They mention pairing it with steak. They mention its "young grapiness." They say it needs time to mature.
Price range? $6-10 in the online sites I found. But you might find it at a decent supermarket. If your friend likes this wine, I'd return the favor with a Sangiovese
Some will be stunning. Some mediocre. Some will never be tested or tasted.
When friends give us wine, the issue is never the prestige of the vineyard, but the drinker, his habits and preferences, not the thin skin of sophistication that makes someone claim he prefers Rhone style reds over Paul Masson.
I got a bottle last night from a friend. He asked me to try it soon, and to be candid about it. I did and will.
Knowing he has a good feel for the wines I like, but shuns those that cross the $25 barrier (like me) I did not expect to be transported to a 19th Century Chateau. I expected something better than two buck Chuck, but not in the league of Tablas Creek.
So I opened it...let it breath, sipped, found it too cool (the house today hovered around 60 degrees in chilly December). I waited 20 minutes and tried again.
It opened to a place I'd call broad as a meadow but not big as a hill. I like big wines: Tuscans that bomb the palate. Chunky cabs. They can begin fruitfully, but I want more, a quality I remember from German lessons: "schmecht gut." For me that means the wine leaves the tongue, thumbs the palate --just about where I make the soft "k" in kerchoo, then rolls into my throat like a hunk of earth.
This one--a Nero D'Avola 2009 Red Wine--made me think for a moment of plums, but did not hold that note. Not berry, either, but some sweet dark produce I tasted as a kid. I let it rinse my tongue, then got a faint medicinal twinge. It faded, too.
I was left wondering if he hoped I'd think it was BIG. It's not. If I had to pick a well-known wine from a multiple choice quiz, I'd guess Barolo. In saying that, I realize I'm not a fan of hefty fruit. I want to taste the grape, but only on its way to a quality that makes me want to sit down.
Seasoned tasters probably have a phrase for that. I'll call it lush. Big like a cushion, but not big like an idea. I like this wine enough to drink it again, but it needs a little help..not a cheese, something edgy to offset its plump fruit. A slice of smoky flank steak would work.
(Checking a few reviews, I find others feel the same. They mention pairing it with steak. They mention its "young grapiness." They say it needs time to mature.
Price range? $6-10 in the online sites I found. But you might find it at a decent supermarket. If your friend likes this wine, I'd return the favor with a Sangiovese
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