Theloosetannin

Fried Chicken and Sparkling wine…Does the pairing live up to the hype?

I’ve heard how legendary a champagne style wine paired with fried chicken can be but I’ve been dying to try it for myself. This last weekend, I decided since I had a half bottle of sparkling left, this would be as good of a time as any! So after work, I drove to the closestContinue reading “Fried Chicken and Sparkling wine…Does the pairing live up to the hype?”

February 17-Port

This week marks our first foray into fortified wines and dessert wines! Port wine comes in an array of styles, some are lighter and dryer, while some are sweeter and aged for prolonged periods of time. Fortified means the fermentation process (the process by which the sugar in the wine grapes is converted into alcohol)Continue reading “February 17-Port”

March Tasting Schedule

We’ve almost made it to Spring! As the weather starts to perk up and the days get longer, the wines will get a bit lighter! March 3- Chilean Carmenere March 10-Petite Sirah March 17-Aglianico March 24-Spanish Ganarcha March 31-Oregon Pinot Noir

February 10-Chianti

I am very excited for this week’s wine. Chianti is the wine that was my gateway to red wines. It is acidic and easy to pair with Italian food, which happens to be one of my favorite types of cuisine. Chianti is a wine region in Tuscany, Italy. It is primarily composed of Sangiovese grapes.Continue reading “February 10-Chianti”

February 3-Nero d’Avola

What in the heck is Nero d’Avola? It is a red wine grape from the island of Sicily, Italy. It shares very similar characteristics to Cabernet Sauvignon or Syrah. It is high in tannin and alcohol while being fruity and bold. It is a great wine for those who enjoy the Cabernets or Pinots ofContinue reading “February 3-Nero d’Avola”

January 27-Italian Primativo

I selected Primativo this week because Zinfandel is a wonderful variety of grape. Zinfandel’s origins come from Italy, where it is known by the name Primativo. During the gold rush, a good number of Italians immigrated to the West Coast of California and worked in or started wineries. A lot of early, pre-prohibition, zins inContinue reading “January 27-Italian Primativo”

You Drink With Your Eyes

We are visual creatures, it’s a fact of basic biology. Nothing changes when it comes to wine. When you pour a glass, you expect to see a brilliantly colored fluid free of anything floating within it (most of the time, but we’ll get to that). Merely looking at a glass of wine can give usContinue reading “You Drink With Your Eyes”

January 20-Australian Shiraz

While the grape is more commonly known as Syrah, some new world wine producing countries (countries outside of Europe), have adopted the name Shiraz. Shiraz, when cultivated with care, creates extremely bold, tannic, fruity wines. Unfortunately, a majority of the plantings in Australia are used to produce inexpensive, low quality ‘jug wines’ (brands like YellowContinue reading “January 20-Australian Shiraz”

Retsina-I’m trying it so you don’t have to!

I know I’ve been a bit quiet for the last week or so! The reason for this is that I’ve been studying for an upcoming 5 week course I’ve enrolled in. Tonight, while reading today’s section on Eastern Mediterranean wine producing countries, I came across the wine Retsina. What is Retsina? We will get toContinue reading “Retsina-I’m trying it so you don’t have to!”

February Tasting Schedule

As winter wears on…and on….I’ve picked some wines to help brighten the spirts! February 3rd- Nero d’Avola February 10th-Chianti February 17th-Port February 24th-California Zinfandel Cheers! -TheLooseTannin