i was given a couple bottles of wine yesterday, a southeastern aussie chardonnay and a california zinfandel. they were both economical buys, which everyone knows i love. i love expensive wines also. i just don't want to purchase them, because i also love eating.
but, back to the wines from yesterday. the aussie chardonnay was called black opal, retails here in pennsylvania for about $5. that price range is very difficult to find here in our fair state. i hope the chairman of the pennsylvania liquor control board reads this blog and decides to argue with me, because i would love to know where the other $5 bottles of wine are located. but i digress.
the black opal was extremely fruit forward, a slight hint of that popcorn buttery flavor reminiscent of many california chards, but not overwhelming. as a matter of fact, for a summer evening, it was even a bit refreshing. the gentleman that gave me the bottle, suggested i could use it for my wine 101 beginner's classes. i always look for wines that are easy to drink and don't require a lot of explanation for my beginner's classes; that way i am assured that most will return for wine 102 and won't be scared off by terms like "malolactic fermentation", or fruit descriptions like "lychee nut", which most people have never seen or tasted.
after a few sips of black opal chardonnay, i remembered that it was one of the first aussie wines i had experienced years ago. it was one of those simple wines that tasted good enough to encourage curiosity. and you can't snub your nose at wines like that, commercial maybe, geared to a young palate, sure, cheap in price, yeahhh! these are the wines that brought me to the place i am today; a wine girl who appreciates many flavors of wines and one who will still try anything once. i realized last night that i had somewhat come full circle with my last sip of black opal chardonnay before settling in to watch graham norton on the bbc. i still liked it. it still tasted good. it's $5. what more could you ask for in a wine on a saturday night?
the california zin may not be a great wine for a basics class, being a bit drier, most new wine students tend to shy away from it. but this was alright for burgers and fries, a good pepperoni pizza, being economical also, retailing at about $9 a liter. this is not your "big boy zinfandel", high in alcohol, fruit, flavor. this is a more simple version of the grape to give you a hint of what you could have if you spent quite a bit more money. to me zinfandels (and i reference the true red wine, not the pink stuff) is hard to find cheap and great, like pinot noir. for these two grape varieties you really need to shell out a few precious bucks to really have the experience. and yes, it would be great if someone out there proved me wrong. i'm still waiting.
don't be afraid to tilt the glass.
by the way * the black opal logo you see above is courtesy of www.madwine.com, a great online wine store. check them out if you live in a state that allows you to have wines shipped to your home. I mean, after all you are an adult.
Stumble It!
No comments:
Post a Comment