Our second Speed Wine Tasting was devoted to red wines. Let me recap how the speed tastings work. We are given four different wines to sample. We do so in the Cellar Master’s predetermined order. Each wine is tasted by taking 3 or 4 sips, quickly, before pausing to think about the taste. More cautious sips are taken later to refine your original impression. This seems, to me, to be a good way to hone-in on your personal preferences.
The invitations to this event included the following quote from Groucho Marx,
“No wine should be drunk before its time.
OK, it’s time!”
The wines, along with our impressions, follow:
Our second Speed Tasting is devoted to red wines. We have four different wines to sample along with the regular assortment of nibbles.Jacques prepares for the opening bell. He begins these sessions with a strike of that gong! Gets everyone’s attention and puts us all on track for the serious business of tasting!Our four wines to be sampled in reverse clock order: Chianti on the left, in front. Malbec on the right, in front. Merlot on the right at the rear. And cabernet sauvignon on the left at the rear.First up is a Chianti. Melini, Borghi D’ Elsa.As a rule, Rog and I like chianti-especially with pizza! But neither of us cared for this one. We were put off by the aroma. Just not to our liking! I guess that’s why these tastings are so eductional!This malbec had a pleasing aroma; satisfying body; and smooth taste. It turned out to be the favorite of the tasting for both Rog and me.Next up was a merlot from Damero, 2018.Neither Rog nor I cared for this merlot. We were put-off by the aroma right from the get-go.The final tasting was a Cabernet Sauvignon from the Columbia Valley by Holland America’s Master Chef, Rudi . Sorry Rudi, didn’t care for this one either.
We are scheduled to arrive in Papeete, Tahiti in the morning!
RovingRaconteurs.com 