Woop Woop Yeah

Thanks to all who have commented so far, I will definitely try and incorporate some beer & spirits information on the blog as well. In fact I'm drinking a bottle from my latest home brew right now, a nut brown ale, yum.

I figured it was time for my first wine review and I approach this with much consternation. Most wine reviews list exotic flavors like cassis and rose water and on occasion offer up the description of granite and road tar. While I have been able to isolate flavors in wine I like to leave the elaborate descriptions to the experts. The wine education I received at the Wine School of Philadelphia taught me, what you taste in wine will differ based on your culinary background, e.g. a Pakistani may taste something completely different than a Brit. This made complete sense to me and left me relieved that each bottle I opened as I delved deeper into wine enjoyment was going to be a test. I'll explore the different flavors that can be tasted in wine later, but just remember, fruit, earth & barrel.... more later.

Without further ado the wine review for this evening. Most of the experts use a 100 point rating scale, 100 being perfect, I however am going to use a simpler more elementary scale of bad, so-so, decent, good, great! This scale may change at any time to include, kick ass or toilet water, so be on your toes.

I had the pleasure last year of tasting a fun little wine from Australia called Woop Woop. If you're a person that buys wine by the name or label, you'll stumble upon a good one here. At around $9 a bottle you can't beat the rich, dense fruit from this wine. The Wine Advocate gave this wine an 89 (not too bad) and posted: "Dark violet. Smoke-tinged blackberry and blackcurrant on the nose, with complicating notes of cured meat and sweet vanilla. Suave and round, with supple tannins framing sweet raspberry and blackberry flavors. Finishes fleshy, sweet and persistent, with subtle lingering notes of smoke and spice."

The cork from this wine is a little crazy too. Ever had a loose bit of string hanging from your shirt and when you tried to pull it off it just unraveled more of your shirt? The cork is vinyl but it's more like a stopper than a cork. Wrapped around the neck of the wine is a vinyl string you have unwind before you can pop the stopper, unique.

In summation this is a very good wine for your buck, test it out and post your response? I think you'll be surprised.

Corks, Screw Caps & More

To some, drinking wine is an experience, more than the taste, the buzz, how it complements foods, the fellowship you can have with friends when tongue's are loose and opinions are flowing; to some, there's the ritual. In the finest restaurants across the land the time honored tradition of presenting and uncorking a bottle is an art form. I remember trying it for the first time in college while working at family chain restaurant. I was like a teenager fumbling to unloosen a bra, and I broke the cork on many an occasion. There are many out there that enjoy the presentation, many that feel a little awkward, whispering over their shoulder "should I tip him?" So it was with great trepidation that I bought and opened my first bottle of screw top wine. This wasn't your college experience screw top wine (yes that's a picture above of Mad Dog 20/20), this was a 2005 Aussie Shiraz that would knock you over it was so good. This left me confused and raised many questions... what happened to the cork? What happened to the presentation? Should getting to this nectar be so easy? Will it taste the same? I'm happy to say that after extensive research, i.e. drinking many a screw top wine, that taste is not compromised but what about the "experience"? Some would tell you corks be gone! (see last convoluted post) but I need some time... For those not ready to switch from tree bark to the screw top there is some middle ground that will save a few tree's (see above), the synthetic cork. You've probably seen them in every color of the rainbow, guaranteed not to break or crumble on you and probably have a half-life of 10,000 years in the landfill. The debate still rages in elite wine circle's whether chemicals or fumes emitted from these corks taint the wine's flavor, personally I've never noticed a difference, but I'm still learning to isolate flavors in wine. You might be saying by now, "who cares, people are so pretentious, just open a bottle and enjoy." And to that I say Cheers!

I'll Cork-screw You

Everyone has heard that "necessity is the mother of invention". I can appreciate as much as the next guy/gal a new clever invention to improve daily life; but someone PLEASE stop making new ways to uncork a bottle of wine! You have the Rabbit (not the dildo), the two handed twisty (also not a dildo or the correct terminology for this), the traditional corkscrew (nevermind) and I even saw a way using forced nitrous to open the bottle. Stop! All it takes is a few minutes and you will master the traditional yet elegant corkscrew. I would challenge anyone with any of these contraptions to beat me in a speed opening contest, which is not the intention anyway. True the traditional corkscrew does look a little intimidating at first, in fact most look like mid-evil torture devices. It looks a little small, most use brute force to open the bottle once the screw is in, but there's something called "leverage" that I'm going to share with you in this post. Before you know it you'll be opening a bottle as well as a restaurateur. Without further ado:

1. Position corkscrew in the middle of the cork
2. Screw until screw is one or two turns from the end of the curves
3. Tilt the flat portion back (yes it swivels) and position the metal piece at the end along the lip of the bottle.
4. With your free hand wrap your fingers around the neck making sure to hold the metal piece in place
5. Using the pocket web between your thumb and index finger pull up on the flat portion of the corkscrew and watch the cork start to slide out
6. By the time you slide the cork out the flat portion will be at 45 degree angle away from your body, that's it

Granted it's a little easier to show someone in person, but this is my best shot via blog, a true test of communication skills. Don't ask me how to tie a necktie this way...

Next post, another wine review

Yellowtail Killer

If you've been to virtually any wine store you've no doubt come across the brand name Yellowtail. It's hard to miss with it's bright yellow, orange and purple labels and the displays are as high as an elephant's eye. Over the last few years Yellowtail has become very popular, mostly due to marketing and price, but to some degree the taste. You won't be bowled over with complexity and nuance in the wine, but you will find something drinkable or an inexpensive bottle surely to be recognized (for good or bad) at your next party. I don't want to knock the wine because I'm a firm believer if YOU like it, it's a good wine. I did want to offer up an alternative a friend calls the "Yellowtail Killer" however. This wine competes on price but blew me away on taste, for the $$. If you can still find it, Colonia las Liebres Bonarda 2005 from Argentina is an amazing value at $5.00-$8.00. The wine is inky dark, fruit forward with light tannins, overall a very good bottle. The 2006 version isn't quite as good, but for $5.00 it's still better and sometimes cheaper than Yellowtail. Both the 2005 and 2006 vintages come from a lesser known grape the Bonarda grape, if I had to compare probably closest to Malbec. Long review made short, pick up a case or two and leave the mass produced Yellowtail on it's obnoxious Yellow display. Looking to buy online? I'm a big fan of Wine-Searcher.com which pulls prices from numerous wine websites so you can find the best deals.

Pop That Cork!

Well, this is my first post, I've officially joined the ranks with the 600,000+ other bloggers.