TWIB Notes

Well it wouldn’t be a Summer of Steve weekly feature without it first missing several weeks in a row.  I’ve finally taken a break from drinking to sit down and update my progress in destroying most hepatic function.

Obviously much booze was consumed in Seattle.  I had my fill of Manny’s Pale Ale and several nice beers from Maritime Brewery.  Their Pilsner was particularly good.  Cocktails were also on the menu.  The highlights included a Dark and Stormy at Pie Bar* and The Southpaw at Zig Zag Café.  And if you’re looking for the dive-iest of dive bars,  we’ll there’s Bernard’s. You can have a cheap, inexpensive $2.50 well and wash that down with an Irish Car Bomb.

 

Wine School Update

You are now reading the blog of someone who has passed Wine FUNdamentals Level I.  I only scored 98.3 our of 100.  I guess that’s ok.  It’s one to Level II.  Sadly, while in Vermont this weekend, I’ll be missing the best class of the whole course, the one that goes over both Burgundy and Bordeaux.

Wine of the Week:  2013 The Dreaming Tree Chardonnay

This is what wine school has done to me.  I’m drinking Chardonnay.  Actually on a recent trip to Total Wine, I picked a bunch of varieties I would not normally purchase.  This was one of them.  I promise next week I’ll go back to Two Buck Chuck.

Appearance: Clear medium intensity yellow** with a clear rim.

Nose: Clean, with lots of sour apple and pear with a hint of vanilla from the oak bleeding through.  Pure aroma.

Palate: Dry with a medium high amount of acidity.  Medium alcohol and body with a similarly medium finish.  The sour apple is still there on the tongue, but the pear has been replaced with a bit of oak.  There’s also a strange soapy flavor.

I liked their Pinot Noir and thought I would give their Chardonnay a try.  It’s not terrible and probably does a good job representing a midlevel lightly oaked California Chardonnay, but that’s just not something I’m going to go out of my way for.  And at the mid $20s there are bound to be better options, I’m sure.  I’ll keep looking.

 

 

* Pie Bar may be my favorite place on earth now.

** I would call it vitamin piss yellow

TWIB Notes

This week I began my long journey in becoming a sommelier. Let’s face it, this computer stuff is just a fad and won’t last much longer.  So to prepare for my future career in wine, I spend seven hours every Sunday at El Centro, where I learn about wine, observer its characteristics, smell it, taste it and then do what for the first several decades of my drinking life would seem unthinkable – I spit out good wine.  The first week we tasted 11 wines.  I would likely have passed out on the train home had I not spit.

As part of that journey, I want to share my growing knowledge about wine with my readers* by chronically the high and  low lights of my week of drinking in what I’ll call: This Week In Booze**.  It’s all a part of my plan to bring the fun back in being a functional alcoholic.

The first set of five wines we tasted had a Beaujolais that made us all wonder what all the fuss is about.  The best wine of the group was, not surprisingly, a Barolo. Regrettably I didn’t write down or Vivino the label. I’ll be sure to do better moving forward.

The second round of tastings focused on Chardonnays and Sauvignon Blancs.  The only highlight was a Rombauer Chardonnay that was oaky and buttery*** like a great California Chardonnay should be.  I’m not a fan of the grape, but this was a very tasty wine.

So armed with a wealth of knowledge about the grape, I have decided to share with you each week my tasting notes for the Two Buck Chuck varietal of the week.  This week I tasted **** Trader Joe’s Charles Shaw Blend Sauvignon Blanc.

Appearance: Clear, light intensity, very light straw color and almost clear around the rim.

Nose: Clean, low intensity, all aroma, citrus, sour apple with a slight bit of cat piss.

Palate: Dry, low acid, no tannins, citrusy with sour apple.  Not much body.  Not much length.

Conclusion: Well, for $3 what do you want?  This is drinkable like Coors Light is drinkable.  If your goal is not to experience flavor while getting your buzz on, I can’t think of a more economical way to do it than this wine.

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*Yes, I know I don’t really have any readers.  But, as with the rest of my life, it’s fun to pretend others are participating.

**With apologies to the Late Great Mel Allen

***From malolactic fermentation.  Knowledge dropped.

****On my own, not in the class, we have some standards in the class.