Three very different wines, three very different impressions- Spanish Grenache, New Zealand Pinot Noir, and a California Barbera (my fav!)

Today I was fortunate enough to take home three very unique wines. Although we won't be carrying two of the three, I still wanted to take the time to write about them. I apologize for the crappy photo quality as well! I have not been posting as frequently as I want, so as soon as I got home, I wanted to get this out! On to the reviews!

#1: Pegaso Barrancos de Pizarra Vino de la Tierra de Castilla y Leon 2009- Spain

This wine, a dusty red, has ripe fruit on the nose. Possibly strawberry. There were notes of raspberries and some spice. It has some body and was tannic for a Grenache. However I found it to be lighter and more acidic than other previous grenaches I've had. All in all, not awful, but for the price (above $20 I do believe) I have had better (and at a MUCH lower price point). Would be good with grilled meats, and cheeses.

#2: Felton Road Bannockburn Pinot Noir 2010- New Zealand

This wine was super interesting! On the nose, earth floor, berries, mint, and olive. I think the olive through me for a loop when I first approached this wine. Medium bodied, well rounded tannins, oaky and light. On the palette, jammy fruit, licorice, and COLA! Wow, that cola was very unexpected as well! The finish was somewhat short. I did enjoy the Felton Road Pinot, however I've had much better for less! However, for the potential $40+, it was an interesting experience. New Zealand isn't the first country that comes to mind when I think of Pinots, so this wine was more of a way for me to expand my palette.

#3: Serafina Cellars Barbera 2009- Amador County, California

Well, I might be a bit biased on my liking of this one because Barbara's just might be one of my favorite varietals... That being said, this wine is also really nice, and for a "new world" style wine I truly enjoyed it (I much prefer old world, Italian Barberas). This deep ruby colored wine has a bright fruit on the nose. On the palette, blackberry, spice, some oak, and anise. Well rounded tannins and structured acidity, followed by a medium finish! Would be PERFECT with pasta, grilled meats, and any tomato dishes! Really enjoyed it, and for $16.99, I think a relatively good deal!

Xoxo

Quick Taste: Sentinel Oak Viognier

My supervisor Claire gave me two wines from Sentinel Oak vineyard; a Viognier and a Syrah. This vineyard is extremely local to our store location, and is 40 miles south east of Sacramento in Amador County's Shenandoah Valley. Because of their work to sustainably grow grapes of superior quality, their production is very small. So small in fact that the Syrah and Viognier are their only two current releases. I decided to save the Syrah for another night, and I poured the Viognier.

Formal tasting notes: this Viognier is floral and clean on the nose, with hints of pear. Bright crisp citrus on the palate, with an semi-dry finish. Would be a perfect accompaniment with fish or a salad.

Overall, a solid Viognier, but nothing spectacular.

Quick Taste: Mohua Sauvignon Blanc

Tonight we had a free wine tasting at the store, sampling two wines from Australia and New Zealand. The Australian Syrah was great! Smooth, nice spice, lingering finish. However, it was the Sauvignon Blanc that caught my attention! This New Zealand wine was beautiful and was a great price! At $11.99, this white wine had a beautiful nose, was full of fruit on the palate, and had a well balanced finish. It, in my opinion, far exceeded many of the domestic sauv blancs I have had. In one word, this wine was bright! Easy drinking, but not dull; perfect with a seafood dish or just by itself. I might have found my new favorite sauv blanc!

Tasting Notes: on the nose: PASSION FRUIT, citrus, some stone fruit. Melon and grapefruit on the palate. Nice lingering off dry finish. Beautiful!

Up coming posts: current book I'm reading and domaine laroque cab France

Quick Taste: Frisk Riesling 2010

Tonight I paired this 2010 Australian "prickly" Riesling with a spiral pasta, broccoli, olive oil, and Parmesan cheese. This is the first Riesling I've had, and I enjoyed it! I was surprised that it was sweeter than I had expected, which is most likely a result of the 11% muscat gordo. The "prickly" elements of this wine made it especially clean for a light pasta dish, and I enjoyed the pairing.

Tasting Notes:
Lemon, pineapple, and some spice on the nose. Also a hint of minerality. On the palate, its quite mouth watering, with ginger, apple, and a refreshing "prickle"! Definitely a sweeter wine with a nice lingering finish!

Rare Red - 100% California Grapes!

Selling wine along with enjoying it, has been a strangely enlightening experience. Personally, I enjoy sauv blancs, pinot noirs, and a variety of red Italian blends. That is, in the 6 months that I have been drinking wine. When purchasing wine, I am always looking for something different, whether it’s a domestic wine for a great value or an imported varietal that I’ve never heard of before, I am always looking for a new experience.  However, as a wine seller, you begin to notice several types of wine buyers. Being from California and working near wine country, I encounter people who are solely looking for domestics, especially local ones. Then there are the customers who are completely open to any new and interesting wine that we suggest. I love hand selling in general, but the latter are usually the most talkative and provide the more fun interactions. Then there are the people who won't drink certain varietals or types of wine, whether it’s oaked Chardonnay, white wine, or blends. Then there are the customers who just want good, cheap, under ten dollars, bottles of wine; and are very serious about it as well. Recently, I have been most surprised at one wine in particular that seems to have captured the attention of these types of customers completely.

Rare Red claims to be a four grape blend, 100% California, retails for $6.99, and is flying off our shelves. I’m not completely sure why I’m so fascinated with this wine. I think it has to do with my perception of the typical wine buyer, focused on varietal, vintage, and value. But Rare Red has broadened my view of the average buyer. Further research on this wine has shown that it has been a great seller for about a year now. Some bottles have the varietal breakdown included on the label, however the bottles we sell do not. Customers are buying this bottle without knowing anything about the wine inside, only that it’s affordable. Whether these customers are of the younger generation of wine buyers, or wine lovers of the older generation; I don’t think it matters. People are buying it because it’s good and cheap. There’s no superiority or judgment.   Rare Red has shown that if a wine is good, drink it.    

My wine department

I decided to write about the department that has inspired this blog for my second post. Before working here I had almost no wine knowledge. I had tasted some sparkling wines and a chardonnay, and for a twenty-two year old recent college graduate, my experiences were surprisingly limited. I think I always had a desire to taste more, but I rarely had the funds or opportunity to do so. So when I was hired five months ago, specifically for the wine and beer department, I knew I wanted to take full advantage of it. 

Within my first few weeks of working, I quickly realized that I knew close to nothing about wine. To be honest, I didn't know that the type of wine was the varietal of grape/fruit (ie merlot comes from merlot grapes). However, I am fortunate enough to have an amazing supervisor who took the time to explain well beyond the basics to me. I will probably make a post solely about Claire, because she has given me so much; and as a successful woman in the wine industry, has inspired me completely. Together, we went through each of the wine sections, and she mentioned brief tasting notes on the variety, pairings, and her top picks at each price point. After that, I could basically regurgitate to customers what her suggestions were, but without any personal tasting experiences, that was about it. 

Again, thanks to Claire and the amazing store that I work at, I have been able taste a variety of wines almost every week at our thursday night wine tastings. These weekly 1 oz pours have allowed me try wines from around the world, at all price points, and many varietals. What I have enjoyed the most about these demos, aside from the priceless interactions with customers, is the fact that I have had the opportunity to meet and converse with professionals in the wine industry. This includes not only distributors, but wine makers and entrepreneurs. Speaking to them about their own experiences working in wine has broadened my knowledge even more. I am now able to successfully hand sell a good portion of the bottles we have on the shelf. I also have my personal favorites that I get excited about, and am especially proud of when a customer takes one home. I have also adopted the habit of petting bottles, which is completely normal in this line of work.

This department has changed me. Okay, maybe not literally the department. But it's the fruit, the bottles, the geography, the history, and the people who have devoted their lives to sharing this art with others that have touched me. I am excited to be beginning my own journey in this field and I feel so fortunate to have found a profession that excites me daily, makes me ask questions, and entices me for more. I don't know if I would have had the courage to embark on this path without the influence of certain people. I want to thank my mother for recognizing my passion, encouraging me to begin this blog, and to dive in! And as stated above, thank you Claire for being a true role model.

I am a twenty two year old psychology graduate who has fallen in love with wine. This is my journey.

The wine attraction

I contemplated the title of this blog for some time. I knew I wanted to create some sort of online space, however I was unsure of the content, goal, title, or really anything. One thing I was confident of was wine. 

For now, I am starting The Wine Attraction for me. I want to be able to document the tastings, pairings, experiences, and aspirations for the future. I am five months into my first job in wine sales, a job I accidently (or not so accidently) fell into and currently am in love with. It has whole-heartedly excited me, and I can picture myself pursuing this industry much further.   

Wine has captured my attention. 

It is the main attraction.

Kyle