Wine Tasting July 31 ’10
Here it is Thursday night at 9, and we are just back from the Grange, where we poured wine we had donated for the FOIL (Friends of the Island Library) fundraising event. It was Fun! We supplied wine–everyone got a glass of either the Venta Morales Tempr-r-r-rranillo for the red and the Peirano Estates Viognier for the white. AND MORE IMPORTANT TO SOME everyone got one of Pat’s Absolutely Fabulous Triple Chocolate Truffles she made especially for the occasion. There might be a few left over for sale on Saturday, but I kinda doubt it…
Both wines are available in the shop, and both are sensational buys at $8 (red) and $10 (white). Other delicious edibles were provided by a host of other volunteers, and the featured speaker was Jim Lynch, author of The Highest Tide and Border Songs. I have not read either of his books, but he was a delightfully entertaining speaker, so I guess I’m gonna have to! All in all: a very pleasant evening, you shoulda been there!
So let’s see, last weekend…what stands out is a long quiet chat with Julie and Bill from Salt Lake City, here for a couple of weeks with no car, so getting around by bicycle (No One Expects Drydock in July!) . Of course we grilled them about Utah and Mormons and Big Love which we have just started watching, and basically they are fun and interesting and we think they should move here because he is cutting back in the general direction of retirement (my guess would be another 20 years first, but I’m just saying and hoping I’m wrong) and they are enjoying a whole bunch of time off and they are even toying with the idea of getting a place here…!!??
They also mentioned they had friends coming who had broken the Code for making the Perfect Limoncello, a delicioso cordial Italians make and serve in chilled little cordial glasses. Somewhere in our Tuscany photos is a picture of Pat sipping her First Limoncello, and despite the fact that it is quite a Simple Thing, at the right moment, on a hot afternoon, after a lovely meal, it is Quite Perfect, if not actually Spectacular. Think: Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!…Gooooooooooooooooooooood...(sigh). It turns out we did meet the friends very briefly but no limoncello and no recipe (aaarrrggghhh!), so the quest is on! MORE
Do YOU have the perfect recipe? We have heard that the Key is to have very fresh, Perfect lemons, maybe Meyer lemons, which apparently may not be Real Lemons at all, so you have to wonder about that, but still, it makes sense that the Best Fresh Lemons would be a key ingredient. So let’s just say that anyone who brings in limoncello gets two free tastings, and let the lemons fall where they may!
Btw, I recall now that we conducted an interesting experiment last weekend, pouring the Emilio Moro ’04 Tinto, a predictably good wine, next to the new Pomum Tinto, a Washington “super-Duero” (has a bit of cab and merlot in addition to tempranillo). I decanted the Moro at about 10 am, and opened (but did not decant) the Pomum. For most of the day the Pomum was the favorite, showing much bigger fruit and a voluptuous mouthfeel compared to the Moro. But somewhere around 4:30 the Moro Tinto had gotten enough air that it had opened up beautifully, and it became the new favorite, showing a suave elegance and depth.
I just bought the last few bottles of this year’s Pomum Shya, their Big Wine, and we will be pouring that in the next few weeks for an additional look at this new Washington winery.
T-t-t-t-t-t-t-that’s all for now, folks! Y’all stop by and see us now, heah…?
This week’s wines:
Viento Riesling ‘07 Washington WS89pts $14
Bright and refreshing, with a lively mouthful of pear, grapefruit and delicately floral aromas and flavors that shoot right through the balanced, barely off-dry finish.
Quinto das Maias Jaen Dao ’04 Portugal $14
The relatively unusual Jaen varietal has a deep, burly color and a lovely, velvety almost overripe nose with hints of prunes and flattering black fruits. . . tannins are very smooth & the acidity is just enough to balance the richness.” more
Pomum Red ’07 Washington $18
Bordeaux blend from same winemaker as last week’s popular Tinto 65% Cab, 21 % Merlot, 14% Cab Franc; brick-red in color with noticeable graphite and exotic spice aromas. with flavors of cranberries and cherries. The finish, characteristic of all Pomum wines, is long and smooth.
Canon de Sol Syrah ‘02 Washington $20
Big jammy dark-fruit flavors, complemented by toasty spicy accents.
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2072 Granger Way
