Tag: blind tasting

Entertaining, Events, Pairings, Wine & Food Pairing, Wine & Restaurants

Mister C’s Wine and Food Pairing


On September 29th Mister C’s Beach Bistro  presented their first wine and food pairing of the fall season. 78 guests were treated to an assortment of six wines and six food samplings designed to delight their palates. Mister C’s chef, Micheal, impressed the entire contingent with his culinary skills.

The first selection was a Ferrari-Carano Fumé Blanc, Sonoma County, California 2009 paired with Goat Cheese Medallions, heirloom tomato relish and crostini. The guests were instructed to first take a sip of the wine and reflect on the acidity and flavors,  try the food and sip the wine again. When tasted with the goat cheese, the citrus, mango, kiwi, and lime aromas and flavors were softened and the flavors of vanilla, guava and grapefruit shone through complementing the tanginess of the cheese. The crisp freshness and subtle oak characteristics added a bit of complexity and depth for this classic pairing. Many who said they didn’t enjoy the first taste because they thought it was “too acidic”, said they were surprised by how much they liked it with the cheese and how creamy the wine and cheese became when paired together.

The second offering was a very traditional pairing, Smoked Salmon Crepe, shaved fennel and creme fraiche with a Rodney Strong Estate Pinot Noir, Russian River, California, 2008. The smokiness of both the salmon and the pinot noir melded together beautifully on the palate. The supple texture of this lively, medium-bodied  wine offered cherry and rose petal aromas and flavors which beautifully set off the shaved fennel. The subtle, toasty vanilla flavor of the wine was topped off by the fresheness of the creme fraiche. This seamless tasting proved why Pinot Noir and Salmon are a perfect classic pairing.

Vegetarians take note: the third selection was a very happy surprise to everyone: a Grilled Vegetable Kabob with braised lentils paired with a sangiovese. At first, it seemed the Antinori Santa Cristina Sangiovese, Tuscany, Italy, 2007 would overpower the vegetables because it has an intense aroma of fresh fruit and flowers. But, when sipped with the vegetables, this structured wine proved to be well-rounded and harmonious. In fact, the wine made the lentils stand out and seem so much richer. The sweet tannins and a lingering taste of fruit blended beautifuly with the charred grilled flavors of the squash, tomato, mushroom, and onion kebab. It was truly a delight.

Then came one of the most favorite pairings of the evening: Saffron Risotto Cake, filetto sauce and shaved pecorino paired with Montes Purple Angel Carmenére, Colchagua Valley, Chile, 2006. Purple Angel is a blend composed of 92% Carmenére and 8% Petit Verdot. The pungent scents of red and dark berry preserves complicated by musky herbs, cracked pepper and potpourri, with an undercurrent of oak spices, balanced the acidic tomato base of the filetto sauce and shaved pecorino.The delicious risotto was cooked to perfection and balanced by the sweet blackberry and candied cherry flavors of the sangiovese. The combination of the wines velvety tannins and bright minerality enhanced the tangy edge of the pecorino and filetto sauce. Delicious flavors lingered long after the dish was finished.

The Risotto cake was followed by a Grilled Diver Scallop on a bed of Asparagus Corn Salad olive aioli paired with Esperto Pinot Grigio, Veneto Italy, 2008. Guests were told the wine was selected to act as a lemon lemon would for seafood. The freshness was the first thing one noticed followed by a delicate orange peel spiciness that complimented the scallop so beautifully. The structured full-bodied palate was intense with citrusy acitiy that balanced the olive aioli accenting the rich flavors of the asparagus and corn. It was a clean, crisp, and super satisfying pairing.

The last pairing was the dessert pairing. Normally, one would think salad would be the first course, but the Watermelon and Fresh Mint Salad paired with Columbia Winery Cellarmaster Riesling, Columbia Valley, Washington, 2008 made for a delicious and semi-sweet finish. The watermelon was perfectly chilled and the bits of fresh mint lifted the flavor. Bits of craisins added a sweet tartness and chewy texture. The Riesling, with its pleasing, floral aroma with hints of peach, quince, lime and clove offered rich, crisp and full-flavored fruit that, when combined with the watermelon, created a delicious mouthful of fruit salad. The wine and watermelon combination was fresh, refreshing, bright and a bit off-dry. A perfect finish to a delightful tasting.

The servings were generous and it was easy to see no one left hungry. Hostess and owner, Karen Marzulli, stated that “everyone received a little more than a pound of food each.” The best part? The price, an affordable $35 for six generous portions and wine samples and a beautiful view.

If this first of Mister C’s series of food and wine pairings is any indication of what is to come this season, you will be well served to begin making reservations now. Mister C’s Beach Bistro is located on the beach at Allen Avenue in Allenhurst, New Jersey 07711. Future pairings and events are posted on Mister C’s Beach Bistro web calendar.

Events, Wine I Like It, Wine Tastings

Wine I Like it Blind Wine Tasting Panel


The latest Wine I Like it Blind Wine Tasting was held August 31 at Branches in West Long Branch. This month the wine tasting consisted of nine wines, which were sampled and rated by the 29 panel members.

Seven of the nine wines were from Spain, primarily tempranillo from the Ribera del Duero (although there was one Cabernet Sauvignon) and one white wine from Rueda. The remaining two wines to make up the set were a Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon from California.

The wines were presented “blind”—no information was provided about the wine prior to tasting, nor could the tasters see the bottles before the tasting. The guests were told to rate the wines on a scale of “0” – “5” with “5” being “I liked it a lot” and “0” being I didn’t like it at all. Only the top five results are published. Full tasting results and information is provided to the to participating vendors, suppliers and distributors who request it.

Distributors / Vendors / Winemakers are asked to supply 2-3 bottles of each wine(s) that they would like to promote and/or sample with the public. If the wines are currently available locally, information regarding the basic price points and local retailers is conveyed to the tasters. If the wines are new to the market/area, providing suggested retail price aids the taster panel members when they ask for the products at their favorite retail establishment.

Guests were encouraged to guess the region and appellation of the wines and to mark down how much they would be willing to pay for the wine in a wine shop, rather than guess the retail price of the wine.

To help them remember the wines and tell their friends about the wines they liked, each taster had a two-piece rating sheet. The top sheet was returned  with their scores and what they would be willing to pay for each wine.  The bottom sheet listed the wines they tasted in the order of tasting, and since it is a carbonless transfer, they also retain their scores and comments. Additionally, each panel member was given (at the end of the evening) information regarding the wines, varietals and region to take with them.

If you would be interested in participating in the wineilikeit.com wine tasting panel program, it would be greatly appreciated. for more details on the particulars, check out the website or please contact: Art Foss at oceanwineguy@aol.com or Barbara Hay at hayseeds@mac.com or winepro@wineilikeit.com

The top five wines were:
1. Tinto Roa Reserva 2005
2. 24th Annual Belmar Seafood Festival Chardonnay from Domenico Winery
3. Tinto Roa Crianza 2007
4. Tinto Roa Roble 2008
5. Tinto Roa Musai de Tinto Roa 2006

The number one performer was the sixth wine that was tasted: Tinto Roa Reserva 2005, a tempranillo. Comments were very generous: “very bold fruit-forward wine, yet balanced”; “nice oak”; “it makes your mouth explode!”; “very full, big and spicy”; and “nicely balanced, great nose, smooth finish, jammy fruit-forward and big. Great for pasta” The prices people were willing to pay for this ranged from a low of $7 to a high of $25+ with the average coming to $15.

The number two-rated wine was the second wine tasted, it had been referred to as number eight. This was the 24th Annual Belmar Seafood Festival Chardonnay from Domenico Winery in California. Comments included: “excellent length, hints of flowers, and nice buttery finish”; “dry and oaky rounded flavors”; and “would be nice with food” The average price the tasters said were willing to pay for this wine was $10. One taster did say she would pay $4 while another remarked they would pay as much as $15

Finishing in third place was the fifth wine tasted: Tinto Roa Crianza 2007, another tempranillo. Overall the tasters seemed to agree that it had “good flavors, smooth mouth feel, and not too tannic”. One taster noted that it seemed “smoky, like pinot noir”. Many commented that it had a nice amount of oak and a “great finish” Another taster wrote “big and oaky, nice body with a good dry finish, nicely dry with a bit of spice—soft and smooth, good depth. In a word, yummy!” This wine was given a low price point of $7 and a high price point of $20 with the average dollar amount coming to around $13

Following the Crianza in fourth place, was the the fourth wine sampled, the wine was referred to as number 3 during the tasting: Tinto Roa Roble 2008. This wine had less aging than the previous two tempranillo offerings, and the tasting notes reflected the lighter body. Comments included: “reasonably dry”; “opens up to a nice fullness and depth”; “earthy, smooth, and dry”; “easily pairs with a lot of food”; “smooth, fresh flavors, light-medium-body, fills the mouth with berry”. The amounts the tasters said they would pay ranged from a low of $6 to a high of $20 with the average price point around $12.

The last wine of the top five was the number seven wine: Tinto Roa Musai de Tinto Roa 2006. It was apparent the tasters either “Loved it” or were indifferent toward it as it received more “5” point ratings than any other , but it also received more “1” and “2” point ratings than the other wines in the top five. The tasters comments included: “good structure, very impressive wine”; “nice, deep color and bold complex flavor—love it!” “The best of all with a big spicy finish”;, “wow! where”s the pasta?” “nice body and substance, sticks to my tongue” This tempranillo also garnered the highest amount that the tasters were willing to pay $27+,  but the tasters who were not enamoured of it seemed to prefer an $8 price tag, bringing this wine’s average price the panel was willing to pay to $15.

If you noticed, most of the wines on this list all contain a grape you may or may not have heard about before: Tempranillo. It is often referred to as Spain’s “noble grape”. Tempranillo grapes thrive in a short growing season and this early ripening tendency is the source of the name Tempranillo, which translates to “little early one”. Tempranillo also has many different regional identities worldwide, including aragon, cencibel, extremadura, valdepeñas and many derivatives of each.

Tempranillo wines can be consumed young, but the most expensive ones are aged for several years in oak barrels. It is frequently used as the base variety in blends, mostly with grenache, (aka garnacha in Spain), carignan (aka mazuelo in Spain’s Rioja region), syrah, and, more recently, cabernet sauvignon. Tempranillo aromas and flavors often combine elements of berryish fruit, plums, herbaceousness, vanilla, tobacco, an earthy-leathery character, and good minerality.

As our wine panel discovered these wines provide value for the money and are definitely worth a taste.

Events, Wine I Like It, Wine Tastings

Wine I Like It Blind Tasting Panel – Spanish Wines


Wine I Like Blind Tasting Panel Results from Thursday, July 22

Wine I Like it is a non-profit organization dedicated to finding out what the “average consumer” thinks about various wines.    To that end, Wine I Like It hosts “I Like It” wine tasting panels comprised of people who are not professionals in the wine industry. These “non-professionals ” taste wines to see if they “LIKE” them “OR NOT”.

There is a series of several different panels. Some are based on age, some on wine preferences and others on a combination of preferences. Our goal is to find out how people outside of the wine industry feel about various products—whether they “Like It” or “Dislike It”. It is fun and informative for the tasting panel members as well as enlightening for us to see what consumers prefer.

Our panel rates the wines based on a proprietary system, exclusive to Wine I Like It that serves to help demystify the number systems wine buyers currently rely on by making valuations as simple and transparent as possible.

This month the wine tasting stayed in a single country and within two specific regions – Castilla y León and Castilla La Mancha, Spain. Some of the tasters were surprised to find they were tasting Spanish wine, only one taster knew immediately they were from Spain. We tasted two whites, two rosés, and six reds that were all classified Vino de la tierra.

Here are the top five including the average price the panel was willing to pay for each wine.

  1. Cotoval Tempranillo 2004
    Vino de la tierra de Castilla y León
    Aged 12 months in Oak
  2. Tavera 2008 Vendimia Seleccionada
    A selected blend of Tempranillo, Grenache and Syrah
    Vino de la tierra de Castilla
  3. Cotoval Tempranillo 2006
    Vino de la tierra de Castilla y León
    Aged 6 months in Oak
    Average Price: $15
  4. Tavera Syrah-Tempranillo 2008
    Vino de la tierra de Castilla
    Average Price: $14
  5. Cotoval Tempranillo 2008
    Vino de la tierra de Castilla y León
    Average Price: $13

The all-around number one favorite was the Cotoval Tempranillo 2004 Vino de la tierra de Castilla y León Aged 12 months in Oak. Some of the comments about this wine included: “I need a slice of pizza!”, “Nice finish and flavor”; Awesome I’d lay it down for a year if I could stay away from it!” “Best of all! Would pay $30 for this one!”

This wine, as most of the wines sampled that evening is a Vinos de la Tierra (VdlT). The concept is similar to the Vins de Pays of France and, according to Spanish law, is seen as sort of transitional term for areas that can, after 5 years, apply for Denominación de Origen status. However, many wineries in Vinos de la Tierra areas have relished the greater freedom than exists under the D.O. system to produce grapes and wines as they wish. The result is wines that are more innovative and exciting than those of D.O.s. These broader geographical designations will appear on the label such as Andalucia, Castilla y León, Castilla La Mancha and Levante.

Three of our  top five, (including number one) hail from Castilla y León, IPA. Known formally as the Community of Castile and León, is one of the 17 autonomous communities of Spain. It was constructed from the historic regions of Old Castile (Castilla la Vieja) and León, first as a preautonomía—a “pre-autonomous” region—in 1978 and then as an autonomous community in 1983. It is the largest autonomous community in Spain, covering an area of 94,223 square kilometers (36,380 sq. mi).

Number two on the list is Tavera 2008 Vendimia Seleccionada. This wine is a selected blend of Tempranillo, Grenache and Syrah. Although this wine is drinking beautifully now, it will  benefit from some time ageing in the bottle. For the word “Vendimia” or vintage year to appear on the label, a minimum of 85% of the grapes must be from that year’s (in this case 2008) harvest. This wine is from the Vinos de la Tierra de Castilla, central Spain, the Spain of Don Quixote. This region is noted for its hot, arid plains. The V. de la T. de Castilla was formed in 1999 to take in those areas outside of the several D.O.s in the area (such as La Mancha). The region as a whole has 600,000 hectares (1.48 million acres) of vineyards, which represents nearly 6% of the world’s vineyards.

Many of our tasters described this wine as “A nice piece of salmon is calling me!”,”Good summer red wine, nice soft tannins” “Great aroma and flavor” “really nice finish, would pair nicely with food” “excellent! A nice full-bodied wine.” The average price our tasting panel was willing to pay for this wine was $14, with some saying they could easily pay more than $20.

Number three on this hit parade took us back to Castilla y León with Cotoval Tempranillo 2006
Vino de la tierra de Castilla y León. This wine is aged 6 months in oak. In Spain, red wines that are aged for a two years with at least 6 month in oak are considered a Crianza. Our panel agreed that it had a “Great nose and smooth tannins” “Soft tannins with a nice full flavor”and “Smooth finish” this wine fell into the $15 average price category.

The fourth wine, Tavera Syrah-Tempranillo 2008 Vino de la tierra de Castilla took us back to Castilla La Mancha just outside of Toledo. This blend of Syrah-Tempranillo received the following comments: “I need a piece of mild sausage and Italian bread with this!”; “Very Fruit forward – it explodes!”; “Very versatile”; and “Good bold flavor that grows on you!” The average price point suggested was $14.

Our last top wine, number 5, was Cotoval Tempranillo 2008 Vino de la tierra de Castilla y León. One taster commented “I’m in love!” Another asked “Is that a slight pepper taste?”; ”Nice aromatics and cherry flavor” ; “Smells great! Nice finish, best one!” …and the short but sweet “Excellent!” The average price they said they would pay was around $13.

If you noticed, each of the top five wines on this list all contain a grape you may or may not have heard about before: Tempranillo—often referred to as Spain’s “noble grape”. Tempranillo grapes thrive in a short growing season and this early ripening tendency is the source of the name Tempranillo, which translates to “little early one”. Tempranillo also has many different regional identities worldwide, including Aragon, Cencibel, Extremadura, Jacibiera, Tinto, Tinto Fino, Valdepeñas and many more too numerous to list here.

Tempranillo wines can be consumed young, but the most expensive ones are aged for several years in oak barrels. It is frequently used as the base variety in blends,and is most frequently mated with grenache, (aka garnacha in Spain), carignan (aka mazuelo in Spain’s Rioja region), syrah and, more recently, cabernet sauvignon. Tempranillo aromas and flavors often combine elements of berryish fruit, plums, herbaceousness, vanilla, tobacco, an earthy-leathery character, and good minerality.

As our wine panel discovered, these wines provide value for the money and are definitely worth a taste.

For more information about the wines that were sampled or to find out how you can become part of the wineilikeit.com tasting panel, visit http://www.wineilikeit.com

Entertaining, Events, Home, Indoor & Outdoor

Interested in hosting a wine tasting party?


I personally love doing wine tastings and am often asked do them for my clients. They are fun and after the first or second taste everyone will discover that wine makes friends of us all.
Whether you are merely pairing wines with specific cheeses, or doing a vertical or horizontal tasting, you are sure to notice new nuances in both red wines and white wines as a result of the focused tasting.

The first thing you will need to determine is the the number of guests you will have, many say eight is a good number, others say 12, personally I feel anywhere between 8 and 16 is manageable.
If possible, try to invite one guest who is knowledgeable about wine (or invite me) to help discuss the wines, origins and flavors. Also consider how many wines you will be sampling. Some sommeliers recommend between four and six wines, others say between six and twelve wines.  I like to land somewhere between eight and ten wines and often serve ten wines at a tasting.

To make your wine tasting party a bit more challenging, try offering a “blind tasting” experience. It can be the perfect way to go, because the guests will not know which bottle or wine they are tasting. No don’t blindfold your guests—that could be dicey with red wine and spillage. What we do is bag the wine bottles to conceal their identities. Blind tastings require creative techniques in concealing the wine and the marking/numbering of each bottle.

The simplest method is to “brown bag” the wine and seal the bag with tape and write the number on the bag in magic marker. You can cover the bottle in aluminum foil and again number the bottle with magic marker. Or you can do what  I like to do: I have pretty little wine bags that I tie with ribbon, each ribbon has a number attached to it. These bags effectively hide the wine and disguise the shape of the wine bottles which can sometimes be a clue in determining the type of wine. Of course, to make it even more difficult, you could also serve the wine in a black wine glass to mask the color of the wine.

When sampling, I like to have wine tasters taste each wine on its own, then again paired with food or cheese and identify the changes that occur when paired with food. It can be amazing to find a wine that you thought was only so-so, when sipped with a perfect pairing, will positively sing to you and become  your new best wine friend. You don’t need to offer a wide variety of foods, simple crackers or bread works in a pinch to cleanse the palate.  I often use oyster crackers, they’re small, taste great and cleanse the palate between wines.

Encourage your guests to incorporate all of their senses to identify the respective wines based on their personal likes and dislikes. Allow your guests to consult and compare notes as well. Because blind tastings commonly involve the identification of a favorite wine and flavor profiles, you will find a great deal of “back and forth” tasting and comparison- and some lively conversations will ensue as the tasters try to determine the wines they are sampling.

Why do I like blind tasting?

Blind wine tasting helps to ensure impartial judgment of a wine. A taster’s judgment can be prejudiced by knowing details of a wine, such as geographic origin, price, reputation, color, or other considerations—this way there are no preconceptions. For example, people expect more expensive wine to have more desirable characteristics than less expensive wine. When given wine that they are falsely told is expensive they virtually always report it as tasting better than the very same wine when they are told that it is inexpensive. That’s why, blind tasting can be so much fun, you need to rely on only your taste buds, not some wine writer’s taste buds.

Often you’ll be pleasantly surprised to discover you have preferences for wines that perfectly suit your budget.  Therefore, it’s always a good idea to conceal wine prices until the end of the evening.

That’s all there is to it, so select some wines and call a few friends and get tasting! If you need help with your tasting, I’m available. Cheers!

Offer Some Wine Descriptors
You may want to provide some examples of wine descriptors for the guest to use, such as:
•    Color -clear, cloudy, shny, straw yellow, yellow green, golden yellow, amber, deep ruby, chery red, garnet, brick, brown at rim, and so on.
•    Nose -sweet, fruity, crisp, musty, Fresh cut grass, etc.
•    Flavors -crisp, light, zingy, full, smooth, balanced, oak, tight, alcoholic, etc.
•    Persistence on the palate (finish) – short, medium, long

Tips for Hosting a Blind Wine Tasting:

•    Eight to sixteen people is about right for a blind wine tasting parties.
•    Pour about 2 oz of wine in each glass. Make certain you have enough of each wine. One bottle of wine can easily be poured in 2-ounce amounts for 12 (an average 750ml bottle holds about 24.5 ounces).
•    Set a theme for the wine tasting.
•    Bag your wines.
•    Provide simple hors d’oeuvres for the guests. Mild cheeses and crackers are a good choice. They help neutralize the palate between wines. Pick food that can help rinse the pallet without overshadowing the wines. The simplest – get some bread.
•    Bag the wines and use tape (or rubber bands) to tape the bags to the bottles so that they do not slip during pouring. For more aesthetic effect, you can use aluminum foil. Label them alphabetically (A,B,C…) Using numbers can get quite confusing when you are sharing your tasting notes and scores.
•    Prepare a tasting note guide and answer sheet for your guests. This preparation will make your night so much easier – they save you from explaining yourself hundred times. Also, your guests will learn more about wine.
•    Have a jug of water and a water bucket out so your guests can rinse their glass between each tasting.

Most of all have fun!