Sunday, March 29, 2015

In Honor of RIT Men's Hockey - A Wine Tasting!

I mention in my description that I am a Philly girl. I was born and raised outside the beautiful City of Brotherly Love, which means I love all things Philly: cheesesteaks, the Liberty Bell, the Franklin Institute of Science, and Philadelphia sport teams. There are two things that define a Philly sports fan: loyalty and superstition. If there was a way to measure how utterly ridiculous we can be with our superstitions - we would be on top of every list for the rest of eternity. Want an example? My family has kicked our mother out of the room during Eagles games because we were winning when she was not watching. I am not kidding.

Yesterday my Alma mater, RIT Men's Hockey was battling the #1 team in the country AND WE WON. I was celebrating the win and another blog post when that same mother mentioned that I needed to do a post each day that RIT had a game. So here I am, carrying on the great tradition that is Philadelphia superstition.

For my post today I figured we would get away from the lessons and into a wine tasting. Remember that journal I talked about in my first post? I'll be pulling from my tastings both to introduce you to the wine and what is important in a tasting. The journal asks for a lot of information that either I could not get at the time or do not always care to remember. However, I will note them here. When I have a moment, I will upload some pictures of blank tastings pages. Until then, I'll include the scales where applicable.

Wine Name: I Made You Blush
Maker: The Winery at Olney - http://www.thewineryatolney.com/
Vintage
Grape Variety/Blend: White Merlot
Alcohol %: Don't know exact but I'd say average
Cork
Color: Pinkish - Light Red
  *Scale: Greenish - Yellowish - Pinkish - Light Red - Medium Red - Dark Red - Nearly Midnight
Aroma First Impression: Semi Sweet
Aroma Second Impression: Strawberries
Sweetness: Sweet
   *Scale: Bone Dry - Dry - Not so dry - Sweet - Like candy
Acidity: Soft
   *Scale: Tart - Crisp - Fresh - Soft - Flabby
Flavor Intensity: Subtle
   *Scale: DOA - Subtle - Bold - Ferocious
Body: Silky
   *Scale: Watery - Silky - Velvety - Sryupy
Finish: Pleasantly Lingering
   *Scale: Flash in the pan - Pleasantly Lingering - Won't go away
Pair With: Fish, Cheese
Overall Rating: 4 out of 5
Drink It Again: Yes, please
   *Scale: Not even if you paid me - Maybe, if very drunk - Sure, why not? - Yes, please - And again, and again - If only I could afford it!
Notes: Not overly sweet for a blush, as a dry lover I enjoyed. Nice summer wine but would be concerned about putting it with strong flavors.

It may seem like an immense amount of information for a wine but after a few sips, these categories are very easy to fill out. It is important to include all this information in a tasting journal because you won't remember everything about a wine. I've tried and I promise, just write it down. It is also very important to include any food you tried with the wine because, as I have said before, foods will change the wine.

That is all I have for today. I hope you've enjoyed your first view into a tasting! I'll be throwing in tastings in the hopes of you finding a wine you'd like to try! If you do end up trying a wine I've reviewed, please let me know your experience! I love seeing how the same wine varies from person to person!

And for those looking for something other than basketball to watch tonight, RIT vs Omaha in the Elite 8 will be on ESPNU at 7:30pm. Let's go Tigers!


2 comments:

  1. That's my girl! But seriously thanks for the journal entry. It helps to know how to describe and think about wines beyond...."this is pretty good". Good luck RIT! Go Tigers!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for the encouragement! I really like this journal and once I've filled up all the pages, will be buying again (thank you Amazon Prime!). It hits the important components along with a little extra information to help you appreciate a wine while not taking itself too seriously.

    ReplyDelete