On May 23, we had a group of 11 participate in the second Enriching Lifestyles seminar. I gave a short talk on the choices that winemakers make when they may red wines and white wines. And we tasted seven wines. It was a great evening in that I felt the group members learned some things about wine that they never knew before. Even better, the seven wines we tasted were so delicious and so distinct. It was great to introduce a group of novice wine tasters to several wines that stand apart from each other in terms of color, aroma and flavor.
The video below is the slide show and talk that I gave on how red and white wines are made. In the post below this one, you can see a slide show in which I talk about the wines that we tasted.
On May 23, I led a wine tasting for the second Enriching Lifestyles group meeting. Eleven participants gathered at the Berry Bros & Rudd tasting room in Tokyo. They were mostly new to wine tasting, but they are very enthusiastic and interested. Everybody had a lot of fun. I gave a talk on some of the choices that winemakers face when they make white wines and red wines. And then we tasted 7 wines (four whites and three reds) that displayed some of the characteristics that are achieved through winemaking – as well as different terroirs. Two wines, a Sancerre and a Graves were fascinating to compare and contrast. The Sancerre, 100% Sauvignon Blanc and fermented and aged in stainless steel, tasted lively and fresh, full of citrus fruitiness and a mineral finish. The Graves, a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon, was aged in wood. It was a heavier wine with more body and it had complex nose of fruit and honey and vanilla. We added yet more contrast to the whites with a low-alcohol German Riesling that gave off characteristic hints of lime and petroleum as well as a Viognier from the Rhone Valley. The latter gave off wonderful apricot aromas but was powerful and dry in the mouth.
The reds included a 2001 Pauillac (Chateau Batailley), a 2007 Vacqueyras and a 2004 Vino Nobile di Montalcino. So we could experience the differences in color and bouquet that result from bottle aging.
In the video below I talk about the wines that we tasted.
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