Does Enviorment affect enjoyment?

Have you ever heard anyone make this statement? "I really enjoyed wine more while I was in Europe." I have heard many people make similar comments. They theorize that; "Wines in Italy or France do not add sulfites. They remark, "I didn't get a headache like I get when I am home." The simple truth is that the wines are the same. Imported wine is not any different than that same wine consumed in the home country. The difference is the exotic place, smells, people and circumstances surrounding the wine. I can remember having a bottle of Masi Amarone with Carol while in Rome. We were seated in an outdoor restaurant at dusk, over looking the city. We sipped the wine as we drank in the ambiance of Rome. The Vatican, and Forum were the background and made for a very enjoyable and special evening. The wine was enhanced ten fold by the situation and circumstance in which it was consumed. Certainly an Australian Shiraz will taste far better if drank in the vineyard with the Winemaker. Our friends, Don and Kathy still talk about this same experience at Two Hands. They became huge fans of Aussie Shiraz from that point on. I am sure you can recall a bottle shared with someone special. Would that wine have tasted the same if you drank it alone watching TV?......The answer is yes....only your perception of the taste of the wine is different. Wine is a drink that is all at once; social, romantic, memorable and profound. Include wine in the special times as well as the day to day ....you life will be enriched as a result.

Think all Chardonnay is the same?

Most of us drink our wine a bottle at a time. By that I mean, We have a bottle with dinner, or with friends or a glass to relax with a good book. We tend to categorize experiences in our minds. A glass of Chardonnay is simply that. It tastes pretty much like the one we remember having last week or month. Seldom do we have a chance to taste, let's say 5 Chardonnays with different flavor profiles. I, and my tasting group had that opportunity last night. One of our tasters had a bit of a revelation. Tony C. is a big fan of Washington State Cabs, and blends. A very knowledgeable guy. Tony noted that one of wines, the 2005 Kongsgaard was very unique in that it had the structure and complexity of a red. This type of discovery and analysis is far easier when comparing the wine to other examples. We ran the gambit of California Chards. We started with the Kongsgaard, Napa Chardonnay. The wine is extremely well made and could easily be mistaken for a French white Burgundy. Smoky Oak, delivering a beautiful creamy vanilla, Carmel fruit core of Apricot, honeydew, and white peach. Unfolding layers of subdued fruit on the mid palate to a long, finish with crisp acidity throughout. As I stated in a previous Blog, Kongsgaard is among my favorite Chards, so I am a bit prejudiced. We then moved on to a 2004 Talbott, Sleepy Hollow Vineyard from Monterey County. This wine has a big reputation, but I found it average at best. At 5 years old, it could have been a bit over the hill. The initial Funk on the nose blew off revealing a Green Apple, and pear profile with a restrained finish and moderate acidity. Next up was the Hanzell, from Russian River in Sonoma. This wine was much like the Kongsgaard. Showing a definite tendency toward crisp flavors and restrained oak, it was refreshing and light. More buttery than the Kongsgaard, with softer fruit flavors, it had one foot in California and the other in Burgundy. We then moved toward the Pacific with the 2006 Sonoma-Cutrer, Sonoma Coast. This wine was the flavor profile most people associate with the Cali Chards. The balance of Oak, fruit, ( White peach, apple, pineapple, mango) Malatic buttery mouthfeel and good acidity, was like an old familiar friend. The final two wines, the Schug 2006 Sonoma Coast and the 2007 Alma Rosa Santa Barbara County Chard, were the most surprising. The Schug had an nose of candied sweet fruit with only a trace of Oak. Honeycomb and tropical fruit were unmistakable in this very creamy, approachable wine. This was a real surprise for me...I have never had a Chardonnay with this type of delicious flavor.....Find this one, you will be glad you did. Finally, the Alma Rosa. Santa Barbara, with its unique geology, warm temperate climate, and Ocean influences shape this wine into a totally different experience than it's Northern cousins. Almost sweet on the nose, you pick up almost Sauvignon Blanc notes, pineapple, mango, and lemon. The fruit continues with soft layers creamy flavor and crisp acidity throughout the long finish. California truly has a Chard for every palate. Do yourself a favor and do your own mini tasting of the diversity of Chardonnay in the Golden State

For any of you who want to taste new wines and expand your universe, a wine tasting club is a great way to go. I was involved in establishing a club about six months ago. Our club, let's call them "The Group of Seven," meets monthly. The hosting duties are shared by the members. The host for the month, sets the theme. Themes have included; Piedmont Greats...Barolo and Barbaresco, blind tasting of California Cabs, Vintage Champagnes, Blind tasting older Bordeaux, and tomorrow evening....California Chardonnay. The host provides some light food, cheese, bread, etc. and the venue....normally his home. The group voted early on to be a "Men's Tasting Club." This was much to the chagrin of the wives, who for the most part, are as "into" wine as the men. California Chardonnay has really evolved in the past decade. The older flavor profile, was heavy oak, mouth coating viscosity with buttery, malactic mid palate. Peach and Pear notes combined with a carmel finish with moderate acidity. There are still examples of this profile available, but most of the better winemakers have adopted a more "Burgundian" style. These newer examples feature White peach, pear and green apple with a more crisp acidity that really sparks us food. The "flinty" presentation provide a more refreshing mouth feel with great balance of acidity and oak. I have three favorites, and in my opinion, the three best Cali Chards. Aubert, Kongsgaard, Kistler and Marcassin. All are mailing list wines, in excess of $75.00 per bottle. Expensive?....Yes, but in a leauge with French Batard Montrachets at 4 times the price. All of these Chards offer multiple single vineyards. Obviously there are virtually hundreds of great Chardonnays from which to choose, but for my money, these are the tops. For a special treat, and perhaps a view of new direction of California Chardonnay....try a "Naked" or "Unoaked" Chard. These wines utilize stainless steel as opposed to oak barrels and reveal the true "flavor" or Chardonnay. I will give you a review of the wines we taste at tomorrow evenings event of Wednesday.

PS: A special shout out to Frank Pagliaro, of Frank's Union Wine Mart, in Wilmington Delaware. Frank has worked with us on our tastings, and is a real resource. Highly recommended.
http://www.FranksWine.com


We will also be recording a 30 minute radio show on Wednesday. The WCOJ radio program will be broadcast this Friday, at 5:30 PM. I will also give you the link in case you miss it.....Cheers

As promised, I would like to tell you about last night's wine tasting, for Bud James of Dynasty Advisors. The event was held at the Manufacturers Country Club in Ft. Washington, Pa. We has 28 tasters total. This tasting was entitled: California Dreaming....The red wines of California. We tasted thru Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir, Russian River Syrah, Old Vine Zinfandel, A Sterling Meritage, and finally a Conn Valley Cabernet, rated 95 points by Parker. All of the wines were at least 91 points. The group was comprised of professionals that included Doctors, Restaurantuers, Accountants, even the owner of a radio station. Quite a group!...many had long experience with wine, others very little. One thing the group agreed upon.....You can certainly tell the difference between cheap and great wine. After all, it was a wise man who first said: "Life is too short to drink cheap wine." We have received an invitation to do a radio show.....more information on that later. We are in the process of booking at least 3 more tastings from this group, including one in Northern N.J. I asked for comments from the group, here are a few:

"Jeff W. Great Wine, even better time" -Jeffrey WolfKevin Meeker "Excellent Time" -

"You did great, Your passion for wine shows so well in these events and you know how you look?

"Bob & Carol- Thanks for awakening my taste buds and helping me enlightening my astounded taste buds" - Kathleen B.

"I Learned more about wine in one hour than in the past 10 years! Great fun". - Jackie R.

"Good wine is where you find it" we found it tonight. Great fun, Education, generous pours & good company". The Best Tasting Ever!

George & Jo Ann Wolf"I Have been to many wine tasting over the years, The information I learned from Bob & Carol surpassed all others"--------- And it was FUN!!!

Lisa Z" Alot of fun; Great wine", Wish you luck!! Abby A.

Here are a few shots of the event;

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Welcome to our first Blog. To begin, I want to share with you our latest tasting. On Wednesday, June 18th. we will be conducting a tasting at the Manufacturer's Golf & Country Club, for Dynasty Advisors. Most Financial advisors try to find new clients thru "Lick the Plate" dinners. Bud James, being the "class act" that he is.....hired us to impress his existing and potential clients with a wine tasting. Entitled, "California Dreaming".....The Red Wines of California, we will be pouring Alma Rosa Pinot Noir, from Santa Rita Hills, Parmelee-Hill Syrah, Seghesio Old Vine Zinfandel, Sterling SVR Meritage and Conn Valley Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon. I will post the thoughts of the tasters in a follow up blog.
I want to let everyone know that the Mollydooker 2008The Boxer Shiraz arriving in August!
As you may know, "Mollydooker" is Aussie for left-hander, so the label depicts a boxer with two left gloves; sure to knock you out! This wine sells out within weeks every year. You can find it in the shops by the bottle while supplies last (which usually isn't for too long!) for about $30.00. PlusWOW - an incredibly powerful and complex Shiraz with sweet fruit and lovely structural tannin. Complexed by combining the regional flavours of grapes from McLaren Vale, Langhorne Creek and Padthaway, this wine has incredible power and purity.The 2008 has yet to be rated, but if history repeats itself winemaker Sparky Marquis will be smiling once again! The 2007 was awarded 93 points by Jay Miller at the Wine Advocateand 90 points from Harvey Steiman at Wine Spectator and was chosen as one of the “Editor’s Most Exciting New Wines” Their 2006 vintage was an enormous hit, after receiving 94 points by Jay Miller at The Wine Advocate and chosen as the #3 Best Value Red Wine from Australia by Harvey Steiman at Wine Spectator with 90 points
What makes the 2008 so special is that it will be the only Mollydooker wine offered this year. The drought was so severe in ’08, that Sparky and Sarah declassified the grapes that usually go into Velvet Glove, ($175.), Enchanted path ($90.), and Carnival of Love, $95.00). These grapes have been blended together to make the Boxer. I wanted to make sure that everyone has a shot at getting this wine, this year.………
Finally. The tip of the week. PAX SYRAH. Find it, buy it. EXCEPTIONAL

Welcome to Shades of Bacchus

Please consider us for your next affair or party. We will conduct the tasting of your choice, in your home or business. Customized to your theme and guests, a Shades of Bacchus wine tasting party will be long remembered by your guests. Contact us at 610-719-0424 or 484-467-3152 to discuss the possibilities.

Shades of Bacchus Wine Consultants have been exploring the world and educating themselves about wine; learning the different varietal of grapes, soil content, vine manipulation, temperature & region, bottling techniques, and overall aspects to creating a fine wine. Their continuing desire to demystify wine led them to explore different regions of the world to include Portugal, Italy, South America, Napa Valley, and more. By joining the Caterina de Medici Gastronomic Society, founded in Philadelphia in 1984, our wine consultants completed the final piece of their quest by educating themselves on coupling food and wine to make marriages made in gastronomical heaven. Shades of Bacchus Wine Consultants have been informally sharing their passion for wine and wine making with friends and family. Encouraged by the enthusiasm of those they educated the consultants decided to create a more formal environment to share their passion and expertise of wine with others. With this we proudly introduce Shades of Bacchus Wine Consultants. Our consultants can personalize your wine cellar by selecting and stocking your wine inventory; supervise construction and design of a cellar by an authorized "Vigilant Inc." wine cellar dealer, suggesting wine pairings for formal dinners, recommending wine through Shades of Bacchus Wine Club, and formal education for students in wine and wine production