Fabulous Fruit Focus Factor….with Cheese

I’d say the most confusing thing for me in the wine world is the sheer scope of each varietal. I am consistently surprised by the diversity of flavor profiles within each grape I try.

QOTD: Still confuses me the amount of varieties of grape there are out there.

Also confuses me how I am going to manage to drink them all in one lifetime 🙂

QotD: Most confusing thing for me is the complete variety that is afforded us in wine when they are all basically coming from the same thing… grapes. It’s also the most wonderful thing.

Marking March 22nd on my calendar… hopefully my wife will let me come. 😛

I LOVE white wine episodes, im a huge fan of white’s. thank you so much !

Betty White !!!!!!!! She sells pet medicine doesn’t she ??

What’s confuseing about wine? Two bottle from the same producer,kind, and vintage can taste completely different.

Patriots Rule…. I won’t let you forget it for a second for the rest of 2008!

3/22/08……. not good for travelers ! Need to be at the Easter Egg hunt with the grandkids early on 3/23/08.

Most confusing – figuring out French wines in general

QOTD: I can’t figure out what the heck I’m smelling. If wine either smelled like fruit or my dog, I could tell the difference. Beyond that, it starts getting complicated.

Gary I was waiting to see if you were going to spit the cheese out into the Jets bucket!!

Since Im in NY, when I asked for suggestions on wine vacations, I really didnt think you would say Springfield, New Jersey! But, hey..why not!
Except…..3/22?!?!?! Noooo.. I cant make it! Can you reschedule..Im sure everyone will understand. Get Lizzie on the horn, we need to find a different Saturday. 🙂

QOTD: I still have difficulty identifying tastes. Im training my palette. I know what I like and what I dont like, but I cant always explain why.

Gary-No, I haven’t tried Cote D’Rhone Blanc yet…………..will try soon!!!!!!!!!!

QOTD: It’s confusing to me that so many people think that if you like wine and enjoy learning about it, it makes you a “wine snob”. Why can’t wine just be fun? Why do people assume that wine lovers are snobby and picky just because we know a bit about a very complex and constantly evolving subject?

When I offer to help friends or family pick out wine, I’m not trying to prevent them from making a bad choice (cause with the selection available, I’m just as likely to do the same) – I’m just trying to help them make an more educated decision. I’m trying to help them spend their money on something I think they’ll enjoy, rather than a shot in the dark. If I read tons of novels and recommended a book to someone they’d never call me a “book snob.” If I was an avid hiker and recommended a trail or campsite, no one would think I’m a “hiking snob”. But with wine it’s different… why?

Wine is fun! Why do people think it’s not? It’s confusing why wine has such an odd connotation in our culture.

That’s my ROTD (Rant of the Day).

QOTD: Palate development; When tasting wine, I’m not able to pick up 2nd tier, 3rd tier flavors. Distinguishing between flavors on the mid-palate and the rest of the flavors I taste. How to discern “good tannin structure”. Though I did, for the first time, really smell “sweaty sock” on a varietal I’d never tried before (Las Rocas de San Alejandro Garnacha).

Excellent idea from coolhandluke; “Mott, Link it up!” bumper stickers.

QOTD – The thing that confuses me the most is how we can get great wines all the way from say, Australia or even Sapin, shipped over here (USA)and still be able to retail them for $8-$12 dollars per bottle. We can’t get decent wines from Cali at that price. The cost in the land, growing the grapes, making the wine, cellaring the wine, bottling, labeling and shipping has to be more than what we are paying for some of these “high value” wines. Are there subsidies at work here? Are importers and distributors selling wines below cost just to have US market presence?

Interesting wine G , thanks for the Cote du Rhone white intro . We always forget about Rhone style of wines.

QOTD— How about explaining all those crazy European wine laws dude. That why most people are scared of foreign wine.

Cris Cross!!! That was so CHEESY! I have to admit though, I had the dentists gas as a kid and that smell makes me sick to this day. Love white wines.

GV,

How about a “whiffy-whiff” smell test is what you do to your gym clothes after a week in your locker.

QOTD:

I’m still trying to pair wine with food.

It seems I eat everything on the table, and drink anything they put in front of me….. 🙁

How do you pair everything with anything….??

Can you help?

Nice Thunder today GV! I like the Flavor Focus Factor – F3 concept too.
Should dedicated fans go and get root canals just to add laughing gas to their “PAL” library? I say Yes.

QOTD: I think I’m going to have to say… being able to really separate the different flavors in wine. Case in point — I was drinking this Mas Donis the other day, and couldn’t pin-point a smell. Read a review of it and BAM! they mention pencil-shavings, and it was spot on. Crazy!

and GV, I hear you on the White Wine thing… I know a few people who have given away their white wine glasses because they think it’s so inferior to red!!!

Yo Gee !!
Faaantaaastic Episode !!! Loooove dhose ABC Whites !!……..

QOTD: What’s confusin’ about Wine ?? Why do people pay $2800 to
$3500 for a single bottle of wine (ie 2005 Petrus) when you can
get just as good a bottle (of Pomerol or St. Emilion) for a
fraction of da price ($50 to $100) ????????

Hey Gary,

You probably already know I love white wine as I love to combine it with fish, sushi or just to have one good glass of chilled white vino and sometimes cheese. To answer your ? of the day, the thing with wine is that the choice is overwhelming, the diversity is enormous and it’s always changing, some new wine always on the come out as wine is on the popular rise and market well has to keep up with competition and differentiating themselves from very close narrow competitors, so to me it’s that sometimes the vaste choice makes me spin around a bit and to be able to keep up with new is not so evident, have a great day Gary 🙂

Great episode! I agree with you regarding all those “other” whites. So aromatic and lovely. I also can’t wait to head up to Jersey for the Vayniac party!!!

QOTD: I still don’t know diddly squat about vintages. I mean, who can remember which area grew the best grapes that year? I know about the 2005 Bordeaux (mainly because you bring it up about once a week), but besides that, I never know. I have charts and things, but I never have them with me. I also never know which Portuguese wines to buy. That area is so iffy…

I drink white Rhone.
I am a big fan of Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc La Nerthe.

Yo Gary

QotD : White Rhones are some of top choices for white wine…Its up there with Rheingau Riesling and Austrian Chard. As of right now its very hard to even get a generic Côte de Rhône Blanc in Sweden…its a shame…

To you Gary and all the Vayniacs…expect some northern european crazyness @ WL 22/3 its two day befor my birthday and I´m def. have to be there…

Cheers
Swedish T

Yo Gary

QotD : White Rhones are some of top choices for white wine…Its up there with Rheingau Riesling and Austrian Chard. As of right now its very hard to even get a generic Côte de Rhône Blanc in Sweden…its a shame…

To you Gary and all the Vayniacs…expect some northern european crazyness @ WL 22/3 its two day befor my birthday and I´m def. have to be there…

Cheers
Swedish T

Gary & Mott- I want the F cubed tee but only AFTER The ‘Mott, Link it up’ tee!!!!!! Hint!! Hint!!! 🙂