Total Wine Explosion – The Big One

Total Wine Explosion – The Big One – Episode #110

October 18, 2006

Wines tasted in this episode:

Every 100 or so episodes Gary will step up and do a massive wine tasting and this way we may one day get closer to tasting all the wines made! Today Gary tackles fifteen wines, talks about palate fatigue and goes through many wines to try to help you in anyway he can. It’s going to be tough to tackle all the wines in the world four at a time so today Gary takes one giant step in the right direction. Sit back this is a long one!

124 Responses

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September 21, 2009

John J.
qotd: good 1, I’m gonna find out in about an hour when I go to a huge tasting.
Love to hear you wanna tackle every wine out there. 2 we haven’t seen yet that would be great are vin jaune’s, and a tasting on the different charbono’s out there.
November 7, 2007

Jo
Hi any chance that I can order 12 bottles of Santa Cristina and then get these sent to Australia?
October 22, 2007

Felipe
Thanks for all your work Gary, this is a truly educational program for all wine lovers around the world.

I followed your recommendation on the Casa Marin P.N. and I have to say that I was completly satisfied with it, even more I went to their winery in Chile and tasted all the varieties and all of them are truly amazing, the best winery in Chile so far.

Thanks a lot
August 20, 2007

GrapeStuff
GV – think you are OVERDUE for an EXPLOSION episode. Come on, GV – Bring the THUUUUNDER!

QOTD: Maybe 25
June 3, 2007

Elliot
So according to your own words in this episode, you are overdue for another 15 bottle banger.

- Elliot

p.s. Is there a specific age vines have to be before they can be labeled “old vines”?
April 27, 2007

EvanK
Hey gary V, one quick question. what and how would you describe the spitting can after 4 or 15 differnet bottles of wine ???

EvanK
Remember what that guy said about you not being funny , well we all know you are the man GaryV, and keep it up.
December 22, 2006

Large format Fever
Yup, I like it… Damn that young wine that catches you by the nay nay…. New adjective for you… Cuban Cigar (disclaimer, I have never enjoyed a Cuban– in the states –). I think of the languedoc…. Perhaps you should give it a shot… In front of camera of course. Top down, chrome spinnin’ CB
October 27, 2006

JayZee
Fifteen wines! Impressive. For myself, I have been to tastings where I have had 12-15 wines and that seems okay for my palate. Perhaps at the end there is some “palate fatigue”. Gary, you say 40-50 is your limit? Well, your palate is pretty “buff” I guess. I don’t think I could handle that (although I would LOVE to try).

- JayZee
October 20, 2006

Kahuna
Fluffy-
You Rule- I love Verona but have not been there for the tasting event- I drank a ton of white wine in Venice- though generally I stick to reds- The whites were great because you could really taste the fruit and with no oak on most it was great- I believe they make it or store it in clay canisters that are buried- but I could have been drunk.

I was in Sorrento this summer for a few weeks and also enjoyed alot of their local wine- Scenery makes it all taste better!
October 20, 2006

SS Chris
PeteB,

I’ll have a good thought for your full recovery!!

Are you in the wine business??
October 19, 2006

PeteB
Thanks Jaye! I appreciate it!

Pete
October 19, 2006

Panman
Best episode ever!!
October 19, 2006

Noah Rosenblum
Forgot to add the quote of the day:

“I cook with wine, sometimes I even add it to the food!!” – Anonymous
October 19, 2006

Noah Rosenblum
Gary,

What time of the day are you taping the tasting ? AM ? PM ?
I’ve heard from many people, (Kevin Zraly, etc.) that it is better to taste wine in the early morning.

Thanks

Noah
October 19, 2006

Fluffy
Gary,
Only my second or third post but have stayed with most of the eps and on-going dialogue albeit much in retrospect so timely posts are an issue. I’m in the wine biz (distributor in H-town, TX) approx. 50% Italian portfolio so I have attended Vinitaly wine expo in Verona the last three years. This year (April 2006)was the 40th anniversary with thousands of producers, etc attending and pouring all those obscure indigenous Italian grapes in addition to every Barolo and Brunello wine made for one full week. I go two days take one day off and then go for two more and then head for a day in the Veneto or Venice to recover, if funds available. I offer this because these are monster tasting days back to back and if they know you’re in the trade and can import thousand of cases for distrubution to someplace like Texas (population over 20 million) you receive very special treatment and very special wines which are difficult to refuse and not offend some very generous people. I will taste over 100 wines each day and must take some notes but the late afternoon scribblings are often undiscernible. (Quick side bar, I’m an affirmed spitter but took my brother with me this year and he cried uncle first day on wine #63 and learned to be a spiiter on day 3 after sitting out day 2 down in the Verona palazzo eating pizza and only having one glass of Valpolicella, or so he said.) Gary, what major wine events do you or WL staff attend?

Anyway, I have found that brushing my teeth with baking soda/baking soda toothpaste really perks up the palate during these tastings, generally in the afternoon and sometimes 3 or 4 times. I carry my toothbrush, etc into the men’s room, first year accidently carried it into the ladies room and I wasn’t the only male in there and do my bizness. Of course you need lots of water and a thorough rinsing after but it’s worked well for me. Any other suggestions to revive that fatigue?

Thx in advance and keep on tasting!

Ciao – Fluff
October 19, 2006

Julius
A young wine, or what may sometimes be referred to as a youthful wine, is one without developing characteristics. These are what you taste and smell in addition to the body, alcohol, acidity, oak and basic fruits. These would include, but not be limited to cedar, leather, meats, sweet spice, smoke, tar and tobacco. These are secondary and tertiary characteristics that show up with bottle age and as such a wine exhibiting these is referred to as a developing wine. A young wine, especially those catering to a broad swath of the American market that ages a wine for as long as it takes to get from store to home, will be far from tannic.

Jason R – You are really limiting yourself if you can’t enjoy a great bottle of wine with a hamburger. Or, for that matter, having the wine on its own without any accompaniment.
October 19, 2006

TimF
Young can mean a lot of things — way too many. But generally when someone is talking about a serious red wine being too young, they mean it’s very tannic. The difference between tannin and acid is pretty simple to tell. If you stick your tongue into a glass of wine, you’ll get the acid sensation (in general). You get the tannin sensation when the wine hits the back of your palate. From what I understand (I’m not an expert in this area) tannin structures are small when a wine is new. So when they hit your tongue, there are many of them and they are small so you get a big sensation of tannin. As time goes on, the tannin structures link together getting longer and longer. Therefore as a wine ages, these structures are fewer and larger. So when they hit your tongue, the sensation isn’t quite as exciting as before…
October 19, 2006

Matthew L
GREAT episode Gary. That was a real treat! I really appreciate you going through wines that are in my price range. It’s nice to find some solid picks for every day drinking.

Speaking of picking out wines. Let’s say you are on the run, you’re away from your usual wine shop and need to get a bottle of wine. You drop into a wine shop and don’t recognize any producers other than the usual array of shelf fillers like Turning Leaf, etc. What do you do then? I considered bringing a skunk bottle of wine to be one of the worst things to do as a guest.
October 19, 2006

SS Chris
Arnold, I love the Wine 101 questions as I am a newbie. thanks!!
October 19, 2006

Arnold
I like the new fancy room. Next you’ll have to upgrade the florecent lights.

Sorry, have another wine 101 question: How do you know when a wine is young? Or what are the characteristics of a young wine?
October 19, 2006

GOL
QOD- After 15 I definitely need a break… if a break is for a meal then i can do another 15
October 19, 2006

Bruce S
Gary,

One question on the Togni. They are known for being very long lived wines. The 2003 is such a baby that it I was surprised you did not mention it needing some serious age. While you clearly loved it now, when do you think the optimal time for drinking it will be?
October 19, 2006

Tony S.
Gary…wow, that was long. It took up most of my lunch break. Great, now I have to go back to work. I think regarding the QOD, I’m at about 25-30 before my mouth is wrecked, but I don’t enjoy gigantic tastings, so if I’m at one, I try to just hit the wine I’m interested in. Otherwise, I stick to smaller tastings just so I don’t have to wreck my tastebuds. But once I went to an “All California Cab” tasting with about 50 wines, and it was a blind tasting…after about 10, they all tasted the same, except one or two here and there.

Brandon M: Regarding comment #8: I’m not on any lists. I don’t have the money to throw down on buying their “minimum” allotment of 6 bottles or so. I’d rather just buy one or two. And the lists that offer 1’s or 2’s, are sometimes too expensive or I’m not interested. And ya, I’m in the wine business. I inspect wines for retail/auction at a Chicago wine auction company. If you click on my name, it brings you to my company’s website, but I don’t want to be a commercial for another wine company while on Gary’s website. I totally love what he does and have the utmost respect for him and his store. And this show for that matter. The only problem I have is that he doesn’t seem to recognize a great football team when he sees one…he keeps calling the Bears overrated. Anyways, I spend my entire day in a warehouse filled with fine and rare wines (that I can’t afford) and looking at them and writing up their descriptions for either auction or retail. What could possibly be better!?!?!? And I can listen to whatever music or sports radio that I want cause I’m not in a cubicle with people all around me.

Aaahhh…I love wine. OK. See you later,
Go Bears!!
T
October 19, 2006

Jason R.
Is everyone losing their vision here. Isn’t a great wine / experience – a delicate combination of everything. Haven’t all of us opened up a bottle gotten no nose and flavor profile that it excellent, or opened one up and had just a cornucopia of smells going on, and then get to the wine and think that it tastes like a quart of grape juice left in fridge for 3 months.

Great wine is about “putting it all together”. This comes with the “exotic” or “Classic” nose and a full range of flavor profile – Delivering beyond your expectations or as Gary would put it – Makes you a better person for having drank it. Also – is it all that fun for most of us (I may be the exception), to open up a “special” bottle and drink it by yourself???? I mean – you have a 1982 Lafite – you have stored it for 20+ years and when it comes time to open and drink – Are you going to cheap out and have it with a $5 hamburger by yourself? I bet the wine would be only average to most of you. Now – you take that bottle – you have it with a $50 Fillet, some creamed asparagus, nice potato dish, and that wine is going to be something that you will remember for the rest of your life. A GREAT WINE IS AN EXPERIENCE!!! (Gary – you can steal my quote if you want, but anyone else – I will need a royalty… lol
October 19, 2006

GOL
Seriously, what a treat that was, 30 mins of WLTV! Thanks GV! Almost as much airtime as LOST last night, ABC stuffs in so many commercials on that, TIVO rules