This past weekend was an amazing opportunity for me to show off my wine acumen as well as for Stonehedge Inn to show off its wonderful wine collection.  OK, my showing off my wine acumen was a bit much; however the weekend was littered with amazing recommendations, pairings and purchases.

Friday through Sunday we had couples of all demographics come by.  From those simply looking to have a glass of wine and sit by the fire to others ready to break the bank to make this a Valentine’s Day to remember.

There are few instances that stand out:

1)      Mags: This was the first encounter I have had with someone I know while at Stonehedge.  I went to school with Mags and it was nice to see a familiar face.  Her and her fiancé were both having heartier dishes and I always like to show off our Pinot Noirs, so I went with the 2002 Merry Edwards RRV Pinot.  As always, Merry did not disappoint as they opted to go with her for bottle #2 as well!

2)      Valentine Couple #1: Thus far, my most unique table.  Here we have a young couple who was simply looking to have a blow out of a night.  I noticed that the gentleman was looking through the Bordeaux section as I arrived.  He was looking for 1984 Bordeaux to commemorate his wife’s birth year (very nice touch).  The only problem is that 1984 was not a good year for Bordeaux.  Instead I recommended three 1975s for his birth year and he ended up selecting my first recommendation, Chateau Latour.  During our conversation I had mentioned that although 1984 was a poor year for Bordeaux, it was a good year in California.  So after they polished off the Latour, they asked for a 1984 California Cab and I immediately jumped to the lively Dunn “Howell Mountain”.  What a revelation that ended up being to them.

3)      Valentine Couple #2:  This gentleman came in looking to experience his first 1982 Bordeaux, however he had one caveat, it had to be around $200.  No problem!  When I first started at Stonehedge I spent a train ride to and from NYC breaking down our wine list into segments by price point, including our Bordeaux.  As soon as he mentioned the price my mind went to the underrated Chateau Chasse-Spleen.  For the price and quality, you can’t beat it.

Those three would be my top recommendations for this past crazy weekend.  Hope you stop by sometime to give me the chance to recommend one of our gems to you as well!

Over the course of the past few weeks, I have put on a number of wine tastings at Stonehedge Inn.  It was after this last one that I felt it may be beneficial to point out what types of smells to keep a nose out for while taking part in a glass of wine.   I will delve into this in greater detail on this topic for an article for the Telegraph, however I think this should provide a good starting point.

According to the renowned Oenologist Emile Peynaud there are nine principle categories of wine aromas:

1)      Animal odors: smells of game, beef, venison, etc.

2)      Balsamic odors: smells of pine trees, resin, vanilla, etc.

3)      Woody odors: smells of oak from new barrel aging

4)      Chemical odors: smells of acetone, yeasts, sulfer, acidity, etc.

5)      Spicy odors: smells of pepper, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, etc.

6)      Empyreumatic odors: smells of crème brulee, smoke, toast, leather, etc.

7)      Floral odors: smells of violets, roses, lilacs, jasmine, etc.

8)      Fruity odors: smells of black currants, raspberries, cherries, grapefruit, etc.

9)      Vegetal odors: smells of herbs, tea, mushrooms, vegetables, etc.

All of these odors are caused by the presence of esters that are found in and on the grapes during fermentation and bottle aging.  These same ester combinations are found in the odors labeled above and thus lead to the similarity in smell.

It becomes a fun game to try to name some of the smells in which you encounter while enjoying a glass of wine.  The next time you partake in a glass, try it! Give the wine a nice whirl and then get your nose in there!  Think about smell experiences you have had in the past and see if you can pick up any of those aromas in your wine.  I think you will start to understand why wine is so interesting once you take on some of these habits.

Until next time, Cheers!

Check out my latest article for the Nashua Telegraph about my rise to super-stardom!  Just kidding.  Originally titled An Oenophile’s Dream Come True, the article talks a bit more about my adventure from self-driven wine consultant, to being in charge of the Largest wine collection in New England.  Oh, and is it even possible for my editor to come up with a lamer title than A Closer Look at  a Lot of Wine.  Seriously?! 

Click here for the article.  Cheers!

I thought that I was going to have another delightful day, however that was until I read this blurb on Wine Spectator’s website:

This past August, the Cycles Gladiator Cabernet Sauvignon from Hahn Family Wines was banished from Alabama stores because its label portraying a nude bicyclist had been deemed pornographic by legislators. Hahn’s president was delighted: “The publicity from this is so much greater than any wine we’d ship to Alabama,” he told Unfiltered. In 2010, expect some other winery to further capitalize on the demands of peeping enophiles by releasing a line of highly erotic labels provided and promoted by “adult” winemakers Laetitia Bleger and Savanna Samson. The wines will include Pinotage a Trois, Perviognier and Pinot Whoir; customers are delighted by the “full-bodied” wines.

In all honesty, the idea of a wine created by a porn star is revolting.  I can only begin to imagine what the tasting notes will be like!  “On the palate the wine was a bit flabby, with disjointed fruit and acidity with a hint of hepatitis.”  I mean seriously this is just foul!

Some of you may remember that I wrote about the Cycles Gladiator fiasco back in August in my piece entitled, Thanks for nothing ‘Bama. 

My opinion remains the same, don’t talk about these wines and eventually they will go away!