Wine bottles lined the counter, each in a black velvet bag with a number on it. It was a blind tasting. Irene King had just passed her level one Sommelier exam, and the night before led the American Wine Society’s monthly seminar. Tonight she was hosting our wine club at her house and had chosen the wines she thought we would enjoy and she also hoped would confound us. “What on earth is Moroccan spice?” Gidget muttered as we sat at the table with a glass of wine in front of us. Gidget has an amazing palate and an even more amazing nose. If she says she’s getting aromas of ripe plum or lavender, you can bet on it. We were reading the description of the Hug Cellars red from Paso Robles: “Medium red violet color, has layered complexity with Moroccan spice, herbs, roasted meat and brimming with red fruits like raspberry and… Read More »
Hang on to that glass!
There are so many fun things to write about wine and today I wanted to talk about how to hold a wine glass. Silly, huh? But really, there is a reason a wine glass has a stem and that reason is so that you don’t put your grubby paws all over the glass. Okay, your paws aren’t grubby — you just washed them. But the point is that you will get fingerprints on the glass so it’s now difficult to actually see the wine clearly, and it is possible if you’re snacking on cheese and crackers and maybe even a little salami, your hands will become less than clean. And then your glass gets really smudged. In addition to the fact that this prevents you from seeing the beauty of the wine, it also transfers the warmth from your hands to the wine. You’ve seen people drinking brandy and they cradle… Read More »
