Someone once told me that richness in life shouldn’t be measured by how much stuff you accumulate, but by how many of your days are memorable.  Too often we get stuck in our daily routines and don’t get out to adventure.  And if you’re into wine, exploring wine country is an awesome way to add to your wealth of experiences.

It’s also a great way to increase your knowledge about wine.  If you’re really into wine and want to learn more about it, I would say that visiting wine country is a requirement!  You can read volumes of wine writing and gain a decent understanding, but you’ll learn far more when you visit the vineyards, meet the people making the wine and see the winery in production.

When you feel the fog, the hot sun and the cool breezes it’s an educational experience. When you see the shale, the loam, the chalk and the limestone that make up the soils it gives you a better understanding of the wine.  You begin to experience what makes the wines from the region unique — and how that happens.  And all that you’ve read about the wine makes more sense.  You start to understand terroir.

The people are a big part of the terroir too.  Meeting them and visiting their vineyards brings the wines to life.  When you’re just pouring wine from a bottle and not meeting the faces behind the wine it can be impersonal and seem like a factory made product — and admittedly, sometimes it is.  But tasting a wine made by someone you’ve met builds a connection that makes that wine more relevant to you.

Many folks advocate tasting wines blind, and we do plenty of that here.  But wine is an experiential thing, and meeting the winemaker behind a bottle adds context to your experience every time you taste a wine made by that individual.  Their story and your personal connection to them become part of your enjoyment of that wine.

When thinking of California’s wine country, Napa and Sonoma are all that come to mind for a lot of folks.  I’ve been to both and they’re nice, but there’s more to wine country than just Napa and Sonoma.  Recently, I was fortunate enough to visit Paso Robles, an up and coming wine region — and one definitely worth checking out.

By no means is Paso Robles an unknown wine region, but it’s less familiar to some wine consumers than some other regions.  It’s seen a lot of growth in the past 10 years or so and has yet to reach its fullest potential.  And for me, this is appealing for a couple reasons: 1) authenticity and 2) value.

Making Paso Robles Wine Unique

The authenticity in Paso Robles comes from the people here.  There’s a bit of a cowboy feel to Paso Robles.  The folks involved in wine here have grit, and a playful curiosity.  Many of the producers are small, family operations with a lot of passion for their wine and an appetite for the hard work it takes to create it.  They’re excited about wine and despite the work, producing it is fun for them.  They’re experimental, working with numerous different varieties, terrains, soils and climatic conditions to discover what the land is capable of producing.

During my visit to  Paso Robles I met with a few winemakers from the area, including Brian Benson from Brian Benson Cellars.  I asked him what he wants to do that he hasn’t done yet.  ”I want to make a Tempranillo blend,” he said without hesitating.  ”I’m producing 1,500 cases a year — pretty much by myself.  So there’s only so much I can do right now.  But there are so many varieties that do well around here.”  He went on to list half a dozen other varieties he wants to work with and I could tell that he’s having a blast experimenting with wine.

Paso Robles is a treasure trove for winemakers who want to work with a variety of grapes — and consumers who want to taste them.  Rhone varieties and zinfandel seem to do particularly well in Paso, but there are plenty of others doing well too. “Cabernet sauvignon is Paso’s grape,” Gary Eberle commented over a glass of J. Lohr Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon.  And while he’s excited about cabernet, Eberle has also been a pioneer when it comes to syrah.  ”Before I started planting syrah, there were only 18 vines of it in California at UC Davis,” he shared.  And now, vines propagated from Eberle’s syrah are found throughout Paso Robles and other parts of California.

The folks at Tablas Creek have also been instrumental in bringing Rhone varieties to Paso Robles, which apparently is not as easy as it sounds.  I learned from Jason Haas, General Manager at Tablas Creek, that when they bring vines over from Europe they’re only allowed to bring six cuttings of each clone.  Those cuttings then need to go into a USDA quarantine for at least two years to ensure they are free of diseases.  It can take much longer than two years too.  In 2004, they brought seven Chateaunuef-du-Pape varieties into quarantine and have only gotten two of them out so far.

Once vines are out of quarantine they can be propagated to eventually create thousands of vines from those cuttings.  Tablas Creek has a nursery on site which they use to propagate vines for their vineyard and they’ve partnered with NovaVine in Sonoma County to propagate their vines for sale to other vineyards.  As a result, hundreds of thousands of Tablas Creek vines can be found in vineyards throughout the US.

Diversity is a theme throughout Paso Robles.  ”Some people think Paso Robles is just a small place,” Janell Dusi of J. Dusi Wines commented to me, “but the AVA covers a broad area with a lot of variation.”  And Paso Robles plans to capitalize on the nuances throughout the region by creating eleven sub-AVAs within Paso Robles, however these will be secondary and any wines labeled with these sub-AVAs will have Paso Robles listed as the main AVA.

One of the things that makes Paso Robles unique is the long growing season.  Several winemakers commented to me about this.  The growing season here is a few weeks longer than in Napa or Sonoma.  Altogether, the harvest season lasts about ten weeks in Paso.  The fruit that ripens early is harvested first while the other fruit is left to hang until full ripeness.  I’d say the long growing season is not just an advantage for them, it’s a luxury!  In other regions it can be a gamble to let the fruit hang, as the weather can turn against you.  That’s less of a risk here.

The conditions in Paso allow the winemakers to produce some unique, and incredibly tasty wine.  When the fruit is harvested at the perfect level of ripeness, they’re able to create wines with minimal intervention from the winemaker.  Allowing a true expression of the fruit.  This makes the wines in Paso Robles stand out.

Finding Value

When it comes to value, Paso Robles has plenty to offer too.  I wouldn’t necessarily say that visiting wine country is cheap, unless it’s just a short drive for you, but you can “get your money’s worth” in Paso Robles.  And those who work in the wine industry here seem really appreciative of visitors and make an extra effort to make their experience special — which adds value in its own way.

While Paso is home to some rather pricey, premium wines, there are also plenty of good, affordable wines to be found here.  Although, when visiting wine country I think it’s important to keep pricing in perspective.  Many of the bargains we find on our local wine shelves are from big producers who find economy in scale.  They often buy grapes in bulk and manipulate the juice in the winemaking process to create a consistent (although sometimes uninteresting) product.  For the most part, that’s not what you’re going to find in Paso Robles.

Many of the producers in Paso Robles are small.  In many cases, they don’t have national distribution and in some cases they sell all of their wine directly to consumers (i.e. none to distributors or restaurants).  Something interesting I heard over and over from several producers is that they aren’t interested in manipulating the juice in the winery to make the wines taste identical from one year to the next.  They want to work with each vintage to showcase the unique characteristics of that vintage.

Given the small production and significant overhead costs, I know that most of the producers here can’t sell their wines for $10 or $15 a bottle (although you will find some in that price range).  I grew up on a small apple orchard and I know that a lot of money goes into producing the product at a small venture — not to mention the labor.  So, I’m willing to pay a little bit more for a bottle of wine from a small, family-owned winery.  When I know that their margin is, well… marginal, I’m OK with the fact that they may have to charge $25 or so per bottle. Admittedly, I’m not going to spend that for a bottle every day.  But if it’s something special I’m OK with it, particularly after meeting the producer and feeling a more personal connection to the wine.

So, do seek out and taste some of the inexpensive wines from Paso.  But if you really want to discover what this region has to offer, try some wines that are a little more expensive than you may typically spend.  Most producers offer a range of wines from entry-level to premium.  When visiting them it’s a great opportunity to taste the full range, experience the difference and find where you personally find the right quality to price ratio.

What to Do In Paso Robles

The choices are seemingly endless when planning which wineries to visit in Paso Robles.  You definitely want to get out of town, where you can see the vineyards up close.  But I’d also suggest planning a day to spend in town.  There are about twenty different wineries that have tasting rooms in downtown Paso Robles.  You can stroll around from one to the next, without having to drive.  Make this a casual day.  Don’t rush yourself.  Make time to spend at each tasting room so you can talk with them and learn about the wines.  Ask questions.  Get to know the people behind the counter.

While wine tourism is burgeoning in the area, Paso Robles doesn’t feel at all “touristy”.  Walking around downtown Paso Robles instantly makes you feel comfortable and at home.  There’s a nice, open park downtown, where there was a farmer’s market taking place when I arrived, with about a dozen local farmers selling their goods.  There are also plenty of small shops and some amazing restaurants showcasing the fresh, local produce — and the local wine, of course.

Once you get out of downtown, things are spread out.  The Paso Robles AVA is a pretty big area. If you’re driving, plan your route and bring a paper copy of your map as mobile phone coverage is spotty once you get out of town.  And don’t plan on seeing everything.  Pick a handful of wineries that interest you and leave it at that.  I spent two very full days in Paso and I barely scratched the surface in terms of what’s available to visit.  A good place to read up on the different vineyards is at pasowine.com.

There are a lot of small producers in Paso Robles, but there are some larger ones too.  You should try to visit producers of different sizes.  A number of the producers have beautiful tasting rooms, you might even say some are extravagant.  But they don’t have an elitist vibe.  Everyone I met in Paso was warm and welcoming.  And the wine community is truly a community, with producers helping each other out.  This is small town America meets wine country.  In some ways the friendly, small town ambience reminded me of small towns near where I grew up.

If it seems like the options here are endless, you’re right.  So, you could make it easy on yourself and let someone else plan your visit — and let them get you around.  Coy Barnes runs a wine tour company called The Wine Wrangler with a fleet of different vehicles and a number of experienced guides.  They can plan a tasting tour for you, based on your tastes and budget.

This can make a world of difference for your vacation.  While I enjoy traveling, I hate, hate, hate all the planning that goes into it.  I’ve not gone on trips several times because I just get too overwhelmed and annoyed with the planning part.  In my opinion, paying someone like The Wine Wrangler to do that planning is money well spent.  Then, you not only don’t need to worry about planning the trip, but you can sit back and relax while The Wine Wrangler team chauffeurs you around.

But even if you do have someone like The Wine Wrangler plan your trip, you should still do plenty of reading ahead of time though to get to know the producers before you visit them.  It will make your visit more productive and you’ll be glad you did.  But having someone send you an agenda in advance will narrow the focus of the homework you need to do.

Other things to do when visiting Paso Robles:

• Visit Hearst Castle.  I didn’t.  So, now I need to go back.  Hearst Castle is only a short drive from downtown Paso Robles.
• Taste Rhone-style wines.  Paso Robles is well known for these wines.  If you’re not familiar with them, don’t pass up the opportunity.
• Taste some local olive oil.  In addition to wine, there are a few olive oil producers in the area.  I visited Pasolivo, where I tasted a few different oils, and it was an eye-opening experience.
• Stay at the Hotel Cheval.  One of the reasons I seek out bargains in my wine is so that I can splurge on other things, like nice hotels.  The Hotel Cheval is a small, luxury hotel in downtown Paso Robles that’s inspired by European hotels.  It’s relatively new, very clean and very comfortable.  In addition to the plush rooms, they have a nice wine bar and a courtyard with outdoor fire pits where you can relax in the evening.
• Relax and enjoy yourself.  Visiting wine country isn’t a time to run around like mad, trying to do it all.  Take your time.  Soak it in and relax.

Disclosure: I visited Paso Robles on a press junket with the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance.  My travel and accommodations where covered as a part of this trip.  I was not required or even directly asked to write about Paso Robles.  The opinions expressed here are 100% my own.

We tried one of these last week and it was fun, so we’re going to try another.  Of course if you missed the first wine pairing challenge, Blackstrap Molasses Shrimp, you can still add your two cents on the best pairing here.

I’ll re-explain the background to this challenge, for those who haven’t seen the first one we did.  A friend of mine is The Cheating Gourmet at a website called Man of the House where he’s doing a bunch of recipes with videos on how to make foodie-worthy dishes with minimal effort.  We wanted to collaborate somehow between what I’m doing here and what he’s doing but realized that most of the recipes he’s done so far aren’t really ones that I would typically serve with wine.  So, I thought it would be fun to do a wine pairing challenge to see how all of you would pair wine with his dishes.

And to be transparent, I’m trying to get more people to check out his stuff.  He just started doing these videos a month or so ago and I think he’s doing an outstanding job with them.  So, please check them out.

On with the challenge.  What we want you to do is check out the video/recipe for the Ultimate Omelette and then tell us your recommendation for a wine pairing in the comments section.

Typically I’m not a wine with breakfast kind of guy, but occasionally I will have an omelette with other meals.  So pairing a wine with an omelette isn’t that far fetched.  In fact, in my opinion this pairing is not as challenging as the first one we did, but it still could go in a number of directions.  Of course one variable is what you put in the omelette, since Todd does give  you some options.  If your pairing is dependent on what you’re putting in the omelette, please be sure to specify that.  Otherwise, just make a recommendation based on the way Todd prepared the recipe.

Game on!

We’re trying something a little different tonight.  I have a wine pairing challenge for you.

A friend and colleague of mine, Todd Jessee, is the Cheating Gourmet at a website called Man of the House.  The idea of the Cheating Gourmet is to take what may seem like complicated recipes and find shortcuts, or cheats as he calls them, to turn them into a simple recipes.  I love what he’s doing with it and as we were talking about it he suggested we try to do something to connect my wine stuff with some of his recipes.  But when I looked at the recipes he’s done so far, most of them aren’t necessarily foods I would pair with wine.

So, I thought it would be fun to turn it into a pairing challenge.  I’m going to try a few of these over the next few weeks, so put on your thinking caps and give me your best pairing.

The first one up is Blackstrap Molasses Shrimp.  At first glance this may seem like an easy pairing.  It’s shellfish, right?  But give it a little more thought.  Blackstrap molasses is going to add a sweet layer to this dish that might have you reconsidering your goto wine for shrimp.  And there’s a couple other ingredients in the recipe too that may lead you in another direction.

I have an idea of how I’d pair it, but I’m going to hold back for now because I want to hear what you think.  So check out the recipe and then let me know what you think the perfect wine pairing is.

We’re doing something a little different tonight… a book review.

Friends of mine frequently ask me how they can become better at tasting wine.  While there are a lot of exercises and studying that you can do to improve your wine knowledge, there’s one piece of advice that I always give to people: take notes.  If you want to better understand the wine you’re drinking, taking notes on it forces you to think more about it and really have an opinion.  The more you do it, the more you’ll see some patterns emerge.  Some of those patterns will help you understand varieties and regions and some will just help you figure out—and remember—which wines you like the best.

And although the idea of taking notes about the wine you’re tasting seems like a simple idea, once you start doing it you may wonder if you’re taking notes the right way.  Well… you would wonder that if you’re neurotic, like me.  It’s good, particularly when you first start to take wine notes, to have some type of a “framework” to make sure you’re capturing as much information about the wine as possible and evaluating different characteristics/aspects of the wine.  That’s where tasting note books come in handy… they give you a nice framework for your tasting notes.  And that’s exactly what you’ll find in 33 Bottles of Wine.

It starts with the basics: Varietal, winery, vintage, region, price and date tasted.  It has a space for a 1-5 star rating, which is cool if that’s your thing, but if you prefer a 20 or 100 point system I’d suggest just writing your rating over the stars.  Then there’s a space for general notes, a must for any tasting note book.  There’s a color meter, which is fairly self-explanatory.

And then there’s the Flavor Wheel.  This is the most controversial part of the book for me, as I have mixed feelings about it.  First of all, don’t confuse this with an Aroma Wheel, as it’s a bit different.  At a glance, it looks a little bit like the Wine Spider system, but it’s also different from that.  It’s really just a wheel of possible characteristics, for the most part, but there are a few things on the wheel that I would consider “qualitative measures” versus characteristics, such as Balance, Finish, Nose.  I guess that was what made me question the wheel a bit, the combination of qualitative measures and characteristics.  Damn, I can be overly finicky and analytical sometimes.  But, as a reviewer, I guess that’s my job.

Anyway, in terms of providing a framework, I guess I like the flavor wheel—although it doesn’t mirror the framework I use for reviews.  But for someone who is learning about wine and wanting to take notes, the Flavor Wheel guides your thought process through a number of qualitative and characteristic evaluations.

I’ve seen a few different tasting note books over the years and one complaint I’ve had about most of them is that they don’t fit in all my pockets.  But that’s one thing I LOVE about 33 Bottles of Wine… it fits in my front shirt pocket, my jeans pocket or my jacket pocket.  Wherever I want to tuck it away, it seems to fit perfectly.

You might have guessed by the name that there’s enough pages for notes on 33 different wines.  And to top it all off, it’s made from recycled paper and there’s a little Cabernet Sauvignon mixed in with the ink.

All told, this is a handy little wine note book.  They are priced at $4 a pop if you buy just one, but less if you buy multiples.  You can buy them online at 33wines.com.

Disclosure: This book was received as a sample.

OK, so no… I didn’t uncover leaked information about who won the Murphy-Goode Really Goode job.  But I do know who the real winner is, it’s Murphy-Goode.

In case you haven’t heard about this let me give you the background.  The folks at Murphy-Goode wine set up a contest where they asked people to apply to become a “Murphy-Goode Wine Country Lifestyle Correspondent.”  This means that you blog, vlog, Tweet and social network all about Murphy-Goode wine.  And they are paying the winner of this contest $60,000 to do this for 6 months and the winner gets to live in a house in wine country on MG’s tab.

Now, I say that Murphy-Goode is the real winner because I would estimate the value of the “free” media they’ve gotten from this contest to be worth ten-fold what they’re paying the so-called winner, if not more.  And that’s even before they’ve picked a “winner.”  Bloggers everywhere, as well as traditional media, jumped all over this story and have given Murphy-Goode huge volumes of “share of voice” in the media.  And here I am, another sucker giving Murphy-Goode more free publicity.  At least I’m in good company.

I know that cost of the prize is not all that Murphy-Goode invested in this promotion though.  I would guess they spent about $250k with a marketing agency on the creative.  If they paid less, then their agency is undercharging.  But either way, Murphy-Goode comes out way ahead on this one.

When I first heard about this contest I was into it.  I had 4 or 5 people tell me about it and suggest that I enter it.  I thought about throwing my hat in the ring, but then I remembered that I already have a really good job.  And once I started watching the videos that were submitted, it confirmed that I didn’t want to enter.  It just seemed way to narcissistic to me to sit in front of a camera and proclaim why I deserve this job.  That’s just not me.  And when I really think about the responsibilities the winner will have, I think they are underpaying for this job.  On the surface it sounds like all fun and games, but if the winner takes this seriously, it will be an exhausting job that requires dedication to Murphy-Goode 24/7.

I laughed at and made fun of many folks who entered, but at the same time I give a nod of respect to all of them because I could never put myself out there the way they did.

Dozens of wine bloggers have rallied behind Hardy Wallace from Dirty South Wine and endorsed him to be the winner of this promotion.  To be honest, I was a little put off by how quickly everyone got behind Hardy.  I like Hardy, but I didn’t want to endorse a candidate until all the entries were in.  That just seemed more thoughtful and genuine to me.  In fact, my plan was to watch all the videos and pick my favorites from them.  Then over 900 videos were submitted and I tossed that plan out the window.  I’m not going to assume that responsibility unless Murphy-Goode wants to hire me to watch them all.

But now they are down to 10 finalists and the winner will be announced tomorrow, July 21.  So, it’s time for me to make my endorsement.  And my endorsement goes to Hardy Wallace! He got a lot of support when he first got into this and I’d like to give him that little extra push here at the tail end of the process.

When I first heard about this contest, even before I considered entering it myself, I thought that Hardy was perfect for this.  I’ve met Hardy and he is… well, I’ll say it again… perfect for this job.  He’s super friendly and super funny.  He’s the kind of person who you feel like you’ve been friends with him for years only moments after meeting him.  He knows his wine.  He has a good following online.  In fact, practically overnight he amassed an army of supporters in his bid for this gig.  He’s not only good with blogging and social networking, but he’s apparently a PR machine as well.  He’s gotten publicity for himself all over the place.  He even flew out to California from Atlanta to attend the kickoff of this contest, which shows his commitment to it.  And he’s “on equity” for Murphy-Goode, to use some marketing lingo.

And so, I hereby proclaim that Murphy-Goode should award this gig to Hardy Wallace.  He has been endorsed, yet again.

Now Hardy, I hope you invite me for a visit if you win

This review is different from any other wine review on this site.  In fact, it’s not even a review as much as it is an experiment.  It’s not about introducing you to a new wine.  It’s about experiencing music with a wine and seeing what effect it has.

For those who don’t know, there are hundreds of wine bloggers like me, around the world, and several of them take part in a monthly event called Wine Blogging Wednesday.  It’s a time when we all write about the same topic and give our own spin on it.  And this month our spin is taking a different twist as we explore how music impacts the taste of wine.  As always, there is a host for the event who will summarize all the contributions to help you find and enjoy them all.  And the lucky host is Katie Pizzuto at Gonzo Gastronomy.

I do see a relationship between wine and music, so the idea of this concept didn’t seem outlandish to me.  But I usually think about music and wine a different way.  I process smells and tastes in my mind in a similar way to sounds.  When I taste a wine I mentally relate the characteristics to pitch, tone and harmony just as I would for music.  For example, a spicy note or acidity in a wine might make me think of a high pitch note, while dark fruit is more in the bass range.  And the combination of aromas and scents could be dissonant (off balance) or harmonious (well balanced).

While I process wine in a way that’s related to music, I have never done wine pairings with music.  And although the idea didn’t seem outlandish, I did have a bit of skepticism.  Part of me thinks that if I think a wine is great, it will be great no matter what music is playing.  I was surprised with the differences I noticed with the wine as I went through some different music.  I did notice a profound difference.  That said, I still am skeptical that you can do wine/music pairings, beyond personal pairings, given how personal preference influences musical tastes much more dramatically than wine tastes in my opinion.  I suppose a larger experiment would need to be done with several individuals, tasting the same wine and listening to the same music to prove if musical pairings are consistent among individuals.

I decided to revisit an old favorite wine along with some old favorite tunes for this experiment. The wine I chose is the 2005 André Brunel Cuvée Sabrine, my top pick from a series on Cotes du Rhone last fall.  After posting the review I was disappointed that the shop where I had purchased had run out, but thanks to an e-mail from a helpful reader I learned that the importer still had the wine in their warehouse, so I gave a heads up to the shop and they restocked it.  I’m glad to enjoy another bottle of this wine.

The first artist I thought of with this wine was John Coltrane.  I used to be a big Coltrane nut.  Before the Internet sucked all the culture out of my life I would listen to Coltrane, read some Charles Bukowski or Richard Brautigan and sip on some cheap, but good wine (well, good for my standards at the time).  I popped in Coltrane Jazz and it immediately clicked.  The smokey jazz pulled out a smokey and velvety quality in the wine.  Now, that album is one of the more mainstream and approachable ones from Coltrane, who was very experimental at times.  I switched over to a chaotic experimental jazz song called Tranesonic from the Stellar Regions album and the acidity in the wine became more pronounced to me—in fact, uncomfortably so.  Although I like the experimental jazz from Coltrane, this wine isn’t a match for it.  It goes much better with his smoother, classic jazz.

I next switched to some drum and bass music from my favorite techno artist Luke Vibert.  You probably have never heard of him, but I assure you he is a master at generating awesome beats, perfect for “kicking it.”  Vibert has put out music under several different names and I went back to one of his earlier works under the Plug name with an album called Drum’n'Bass for Papa, which has some outstanding breakbeat riffs.  This music brought me back to some of the smokey and velvety notes I was getting from the mellow Coltrane, but also spice and a wisp of bright red raspberry comes to life with this pairing.  This is the point at which this review became challenging… once I started riffing to Plug I didn’t want to move beyond it, but rather wanted to keep enjoying this wine along with it.  But I must move on, in the name of good blogging.  And so, I put the music into shuffle to see what came up.

Did I mention that my musical taste is all over the map?  There’s a lot of old punk, rock, jazz, metal and techno in my collection.  The next one surprised me, Bad Brains, Sailin’ On, an outstanding punk classic, totally rocks with this wine.  The fruit flavors seemed to really pop with this song.

Next on the music shuffle is a band called At the Drive-in.  The song Honest to a Fault from the El Gran Orgo album gave me a sense that the tannins were a bit overpowering.

Descendents, Get the Time from their Enjoy! album seemed to have no impact on the flavors.  The wine took on all the characteristics as it had in my original review.  That makes you wonder if I was listening to this when I first tasted it, well that’s highly unlikely as I normally take tasting notes in silence… it helps me concentrate.

Tool, Jimmy from Aenima was next and the wine seemed sour and bitter.

firehose, is one of my favorite bands of all time.  The length of the wine became pronounced as I listened to Brave Captain from their debut album Ragin’, Full-On.  It could just be that I’ve been sampling this wine for an hour now and the flavors are settling in on my palate.  There’s a subtle strawberry note in this wine and it’s lingering on the finish as I listen to this song… and I really like it.

Frank Zappa, Son of Mr. Green Genes from Hot Rats gave the wine a bitter characteristic.

Ween, Demon Sweat from The Pod showed a combination of smoky, fruity, slightly bitter.

OK.  I could go on forever with this.  Get me listening to music and drinking wine and you’re in for a long spiel.  I guess I have learned from this experiment that music can have a dramatic influence on your tasting experience with a wine.  More dramatic than I anticipated.  Give this experiment a try for yourself and have fun with it.

I’ve commented to friends in the past that wine has become a commodity. There are so many options, that wine producers need to do something different to break through the clutter. If you read the copy on wine labels and advertising, it all starts to sound the same. In order to do something different, some producers are looking at enhancing the wine drinking experience, and I think this is an area that’s ripe with opportunity.

I came across a company from The Netherlands that is seizing this opportunity with a wine package design that unfolds and converts into a wine tasting game. For those consumers who want to learn more about wine, they provide all the tools you need for a small wine tasting party in one package (except for the glasses).

The package includes four bottles of wine, stickers to cover the wine labels, a pamphlet with instructions and descriptions of the wines and a box that unfolds to become the game board. The idea behind a wine tasting party like this is fairly simple and anyone could do this on their own, but having it all come in one package makes it convenient for a last minute party activity.

They are selling the wine tasting game to consumers in the Netherlands under the 4 x Proeven name. And they’re marketing the concept as “TryVertising” to wine producers in the US under the name Taster Game.

I’m sure you’ll be seeing these in wine shops near you in the not-to-distant future.

I saw an article in the Cincinnati Enquirer today about a new wine restaurant opening in Cincinnati, named Lavomatic. It’s yet another establishment backed by Cincinnati restaurant mogul Jean-Robert de Cavel. The wine bar / restaurant sounds like something worth checking out. I particularly like the fact that they aren’t marking up wine prices as significantly as many restaurants do.

So, it sounds like an interesting place but the article amused me—and perhaps annoyed me. Here are some examples.

“The wine bar and bistro focuses on the future, too, said chef Joanne Drilling. The floors and tables are bamboo, and the bar is made of cork – a nod to sustainability and to vino.” I’m all for environmental conservation and sustainability, but we need to move beyond the bamboo. It’s a nice first step, but give me more. Otherwise, it sounds kind of pretentious to me.

“Ductwork and exposed brick give the narrow, bright restaurant an urban feel.” Did I just step into a time machine and land in 1991?

“We’re really committed to trying to be green as much as possible.” Really? You’re really committed to trying? As much as possible? It sounds like you’re not really committed to being green.

“It must be like the SoHo of the late ’60s early ’70s in New York City,” de Cavel said of Over-the-Rhine. Hmmm… I’ve been in Over-the-Rhine and I’ve never thought to myself that I might be in SoHo. Please don’t try to hoodwink me with that garbage.

Anyway, hooray for another wine bar & restaurant. Boo for an annoying article about it.

EDIT: Since I originally wrote this article I have gone to Lavomatic and I do have to say that it was quite good.  They have a nice wine list with plenty of good ‘wine by the glass’ options and the food I had was good.  The service was a little slow at times, but not too bad.  I didn’t really get the sense that I was in an environmentally friendly oasis, but I wasn’t too surprised by that fact.

With the presidential primary elections quickly approaching I started pondering: If I were to describe the 2008 presidential candidates by comparing them each to a type of wine, which wines would I pick?

I tried to do this in a non-partisan way (i.e. I lambasted both dems and republicans, although a few got off clean).  You might be able to figure out my personal picks, but then again you may be surprised—my wine preferences don’t necessarily mirror my political picks.  I also tried not to get too obscure with the wine choices, although there may be better picks for some of these candidates if I did. 

This won’t make or break the campaign for anyone, but it may influence the wine choices for a few ardent supporters of the candidates.

Joe Biden: Merlot
Generic red wine sums up the personality of Merlot.  It’s proven and impressive, but overly familiar.  Merlot is often compared to Cabernet Sauvignon, but its flavor is less distinctive.  Similarly, Joe Biden makes a strong effort and he has some good ideas, but there’s nothing really exciting about him. 

Hillary Clinton: Chardonnay
Fans of Chardonnay think of it as elegant, complex and cheery.  A well made Chardonnay features bold, ripe, rich and intense fruit flavors. As a grape, Chardonnay tends to be fairly neutral and can be manipulated by winemakers to take on different characteristics—just as critics of Hillary accuse her of being manipulated by popular opinions and polls.

Chardonnay is a popular wine with a broad base of supporters.  In fact, I believe it’s the most consumed wine in the US.  But those that don’t like Chardonnay totally friggin hate it! 

John Edwards: Riesling
The first impression most people have of Riesling is its sweetness, which is also the first impression many have of John Edwards.  But Riesling doesn’t always have to be sweet.  When Riesling is really great it’s about clarity.  That is a characteristic where you can clearly taste the wines flavors in a simple way versus the thick and creamy personality that many other white wines have.

Riesling is fluid and can take on different characteristics, making it an interesting and versatile varietal.

Rudy Giuliani: Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon is a remarkably steady and consistent performer.  It has a lot of character with great intensity and depth of flavor.  It’s such a bold wine that it’s almost arrogant.  Similarly, some appreciate Rudy Giuliani for being strong but he can be disturbingly smug.

Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the most “marketable” wines, as many people are familiar with it and have been impressed by it at one time or another.

Mike Huckabee:  Chenin Blanc
It is pleasant and refreshing, but subtle and understated.  Think light tones of melon, peach and citrus.  The characteristics of Chenin Blanc vary from dry and fresh to sweet.  Although it’s often overlooked or disregarded, Chenin Blanc is a strong performer with a lot of potential.  It has proven itself a strong contender in many ways: dry, sweet and sparkling.

Dennis Kucinich: Beaujolais Nouveau
Impatient, uncomplicated and quirky, Beajolais Nouveau is a very unique wine.  It makes a bold statement by being the first to scream, “I’m here!”  But it hasn’t taken the time to mature and refine its characteristics.  There are a few die hard fans, but most people really don’t like it.   If you still have some around by spring you might as well toss it because it won’t be any good by then.

John McCain: Zinfandel
Red Zinfandel, to be specific.  Not the sweet, fruity White Zinfandel style of wine.  The popularity of Zinfandel fluctuates.  At moments everyone’s excited about it, and then suddenly nobody’s buying it.  Zinfandel gives you an appreciation for old vines.  It’s often thought of as being spicy, which is when it is most interesting.

Barack Obama: Syrah
Oh, Syrah is a smoooooth wine.  Syrah (or Shiraz as it’s known in Australia) has grown in popularity in recent years, but may have not reached its peak yet.  Its combination of rich character and approachability make it first choice for many.  It can be very complex and a bit spicy, yet always silky smooth and comforting.  Syrah is a a majestic wine and it should age well.  

Ron Paul: Gewürztraminer
Those who like Gewürztraminer really think it’s something special.  But it tends to be a wine that either you like it or you don’t, which gives it somewhat of a cult following.  It can be seen as a bit off the wall and unpredictable.  Its aromas—floral, spices and tropical fruit—are insistent, if not exaggerated, and won’t go unnoticed.  It probably has the most distinct flavor profile of any grape, but that doesn’t mean it will be appreciated by everyone.

Bill Richardson: Grenache
Grenache is a medium-bodied, very approachable and pleasing varietal.  It’s typically thought of as a rather simple, fruity wine, but at times it’s unpredictable which adds a little spice.  Grenache is a popular blending grape.  I like the way Appellation America puts it, “Grenache you’re the most famous backup guitarist.” Similarly, I’ve heard many pundits characterize Bill Richardson as a Vice Presidential candidate (i.e. the backup guitarist).

Mitt Romney: Cabernet Franc
Some Americans find Cabernet Franc a bit mysterious as they are not yet strongly familiar with it, but it has some impressive characteristics.  While many are distracted by the boldness of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc offers softer tones that are more aromatic and fruity than Cabernet Sauvignon.  Graceful and elegant, Cabernet Franc is a great compliment to a Cabernet Sauvignon and when blended the two create wonderfully complex and exciting wines.

Fred Thompson: Muscat of Alexandria
Muscat or Alexandria is not particularly aromatic and as such can be considered not very cerebral—just like Fred Thompson.  It’s considered an ancient vine and it commonly used for producing raisins.  It tends to be a sweet, simple wine.  In fact so simple that unlike other varietals you might say it just tastes like grapes. 

Final Thoughts

There were a few candidates about whom I don’t know very much and I left them off this list: Chris Dodd, Mike Gravel, Duncan Hunter and Tom Tancredo.  And frankly I think they are hardly in this race anyway.

You may disagree with some of my assessments of the candidates (or of the wines) but hey… it’s all just for fun anyway.  Cheers!