Hey Bartender

A FEW WEEKS ago, my employer decided that we would do weekly wine-tastings. The idea was to give those unfamiliar with our wine offerings a chance to sample a few of them paired with hors d'oeuvres from our menu for a reasonable price. We invited a couple of our wine vendors to participate. This would ensure that we had an expert vintner to present the wines and answer questions. It was also a great opportunity for me because I'd be the expert vintner in the event that none of our vendors were available.

I immediately wondered what it would take to be the expert. Our vendors spend all day every day selling wine. It's their job to know the different grapes, growing regions, and wine-makers. They know how wine is made and they know the people that make it. I've spent time studying these sorts of things as well and I know a few wine-makers, but I was sure that I needed to know more. This became evident when my first turn at being the expert vintner came just two weeks after we started our wine-tastings.

The first order of business was to select wines. Our format is to offer two white wines and two red wines. I looked at our list with the intent of selecting four interesting wines that I thought people would enjoy. Once I made my choices, I wanted to make sure that I had enough information about them so that I seemed knowledgeable without sounding like one of those wine geeks that I despise when I go to wine-tastings.

The first wine that I selected was Infamous Goose. The most interesting thing about this wine is that it's named after a legendary extinct flightless bird called the Moa. It existed on the South Island of New Zealand until the late 1400's when man arrived and hunted it to extinction. The Moa had one predator, the Haast Eagle. It died out immediately after the Moa because its diet consisted solely of this 500-pound flightless herbivore. Infamous Goose, the wine, is also a product of the South Island of New Zealand in an area known as Marlboro. This region, on the northern tip of the South Island, is the largest and best known wine region in New Zealand. Infamous Goose is made from sauvignon blanc, a green-skinned grape that comes from the Bordeaux region of France. The cool temperatures in Marlboro allow this grape to ripen evenly, giving them lots of acidity. The end result is wine referred to as dazzling. These wines have been compared to Sancere, a wine that is made from sauvignon blanc grapes grown in the Loire Valley in France. Infamous Goose is a crisp dry wine that has fresh lime and grapefruit on the nose and palate. It pairs well with chicken, fish, crab, sushi, pasta and salads and is definitely not your average sauvignon blanc.

Next, I selected Cono Sur, a white wine made from viognier grapes. Viognier grapes have grown in France for hundreds of years, but no one knows how they got there. It is thought that they were brought to that part of the world by the Holy Roman Empire, but that cannot be proven. Its name is also shrouded in mystery. It is thought that it refers to the French city of Vienne, a major Roman outpost, but no one can say with absolute certainty that this is the case. The Cono Sur vineyards are located in Chile. In wine growing terms, Chile is a virtual Eden, isolated and virtually untouched by the outside world. It is located on the west coast of South America. It is 2700 miles long and, at its widest, just 109 miles wide. To the west it is bordered by the Pacific Ocean. To the east it is bordered by the Andes Mountains. To the north it is bordered by the Antacama Desert. To the south lies the Southern Ocean. The southern tip of Chile is just 400 miles away from Antarctica. Cono Sur is known for its innovation. They've developed unique irrigation techniques to help their grapes grow. They were also the first South American vineyard to use screw-caps for their wines. This viognier has hints of apricots and peaches. It's very fruity and very complex. It pairs well with tuna, salmon, sword fish, sweet and sour stir-fry, and desserts that have fruit and vanilla. It's a difficult, finicky, grape to grow, but Cono Sur does a consistently good job.

Four Vines Zinfandel was my first red wine choice. I chose it so that I could talk about zinfandel in detail. Zinfandel is a red wine grape. It was thought to be from Italy, but it actually originates from Croatia. It is closely related to the Italian grape Primitivo and has been the cornerstone of California viticulture since the mid-1800's. Zinfandel has a rich, dark color with medium to high tannins. Four Vines is a small vineyard located in Paso Robles, halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco. This region is known for long hot days and cool nights during the summer months. This is perfect for zinfandel. The high sugar content of zinfandel allows it to be fermented into wine with alcohol levels that exceed 15 percent. It's also the reason that white zinfandel exists. This pink-colored blush wine is an abomination that should never be mistaken for zinfandel. Zinfandels are described as jammy, mouth-watering, and big while white zinfandel is sweet, soft, and low in alcohol. Four Vines zinfandel displays characteristics of blackberry, cherry, plum, raisins, spice, black-pepper, and anise on the nose with berries, anise and spices on the palate. The finish is rich and velvety. It pairs well with barbecued beef, grilled chicken, lamb and roasted game. This particular wine is labeled as old vine cuvee. Cuvee refers to very special blends of a particular wine. For zinafandels, old vine refers to grape vines that are at least 50 years old.

This four wine tour ends with Goughenheim Cabernet Sauvignon. This vineyard is located in the Mendoza growing region of Argentina in the foothills and high plains on the eastern side of the Andes mountains. It's location is nestled 1000 meters above sea-level, making them the highest vineyards in the world. It's sunny there about 320 days per year, so the water used to help the grapes grow comes from an irrigation system that uses water from the snow-capped peaks of the Andes. Winter comes late to this region, allowing the grapes to fully mature. This produces wines that are an intense ruby red color that hints of plums, wild berries, spices, chocolate and tobacco on the palate with a vibrant structure and hints of black-berry and boysenberry as well. These wines are aged for just 3 months in oak barrels and are 100% cabernet sauvignon. They pair well with roasted meats served with grilled vegetables. Prime rib would be an ideal choice.

Just for fun, I thought about interesting questions to ask participants. What do three of the wines have in common? Goughenheim, Cono Sur, and Infamous Goose come from the southern hemisphere. Can you name the wine that I refer to as the abomination? White zinfandel is the abomination. Is New Zealand part of Australia? No, New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprised of two main land masses: the North Island and the South Island. Which country is further south: New Zealand or Chile? Chile's tip is further south than New Zealand. Which vineyards get sunlight first? New Zealand is located just west of the International Dateline, so they receive the first sunlight of every day.

So, there you have it, my first wine-tasting -- dissected! I enjoyed my first ever adventure as the expert vintner. Rumor has it that I didn't sound like one of those annoying wine geeks I despise and everyone genuinely had a good time. No one even noticed that it was my first time in the driver's seat and I felt no pressure or anxiety while presenting wine to the masses. It was a win-win situation. If you weren't there, you missed a good time. The good news is that this event happens every Tuesday, so you can join us the next time it's convenient. As always, whether tasting wine with friends or tasting them alone, please do so responsibly. Until next time...prosit!!!