Best of 2013: Reader's Favorite White Wines

Over the course of 2013, we drank a lot of great wine. We tried the new vintages from some of our favorite Finger Lakes wineries as well as some of their different varietals and other wines from all over the world.

One of your favorites, as well as ours, was a blind tasting of wines from Castello di Amorosa, as we tested to see if we could figure out which glass was the Reserve wine.

And of course, you liked it when we tried something a bit different. While we usually focus on wines with dinner, every once we treat ourselves to a glass with dessert, and Sauternes is always  a favorite.

Best of 2013: Readers Favorite Adventures

Over the past year, we have had some great adventures that we have shared with you. Of course, one of your favorite stories is an old one, a great evening we enjoyed at Beecher's Handmade Cheese in Manhattan. Maybe because it really emphasized what we love about wine; enhancing a great evening, even a casual one. Or maybe its just because cheese makes everything better.

On the other hand, enjoying a casual glass of wine at home seems a popular topic, with our story on pairing Chardonnay with takeout Sushi, and pairing wine with fried chicken piquing your interest. We love reminding everyone that wine isn't just for an exquisitely crafted three course meal. A good glass of wine can make even take-out dinner or greasy fried food something a little special.

And of course, everyone likes to see others fail. We tried our best to see if we could guess the difference between a Reserve and regular Chardonnay, and you got to see why we made the assumptions we did, and how they were wrong. It's good to be reminded that there is always more to learn about wine.

Here is to sharing some more great adventures with you in 2014!

 

Quick Review: Castello di Amorosa Gewurztraminer 2012

US, CA, Napa Valley, Castello di Amorosa Gewurztraminer 2012

+ // Crisp // Floral, Lychee, Orange // Apricot, Grapefruit, Lavender, Rose // Light

Bright and floral with Thai food. Brings a lot of similar flavors

Comparing Vintages from Castello di Amorosa

Being fairly new to the world of wine, we are still working on learning about different vintages of wine--meaning, the year the grapes were harvested. While a basic knowledge of regions and varietals provides a baseline to understand a particular wine, knowing the differences in vintages gives you an even better understanding--even if it requires a very specific knowledge base. You need to know the details of the weather in the wine region for the year in question, as well as what that means for the wines.

While we get a chance to sample Finger Lakes wines year over year (they tell us 2007 was a great year, as was 2009, and one year we traveled through and all the new Rieslings had a hint of peach in them), we don't often get to compare different vintages of the same wine from other regions. So when we get the chance, we jump on it.

We recently sampled the newest release of Gewurztraminer from Castello di Amorosa. We looked back at our notes because we knew we had tried an earlier vintage, as well. In both cases, the characteristics of Gewurztraminer shone through: bright, aromatic, crisp and floral. In the newest vintage, it seemed like there were more tropical flavors, with hints of lychee on the nose that we didn't notice last year. Why? We don't know. The vintage has an effect on the wine, we know that much, as sun and rain inform how the grapes ripen. But there are so many variables, and its difficult to follow the weather patterns from year to year.

Of course, comparing two vintages is imprecise unless you have the training and experience required. After all, this is the stuff that actual sommeliers do for a living. We can look back, however, see what our thoughts were at the time, but we can never directly compare two vintages because even in a vertical tasting, you have to account for the aging process that changes wines a little each day as they sit waiting to be enjoyed. Yet, knowing that a particular year was a "good year" in a region can help you direct your wine choices in the meantime. How do you find that out? You ask. Good luck!

Quick Review: Castello di Amorosa Blind Test Glass Two

US, CA, Napa, Castello di Amorosa Chardonnay 2011
Nate: + // Smooth // Butter, Lemon, Hint of Maple wood // Wood, Smoke, Hay // Full
Almost herbaceous, which was unexpected in a Chardonnay.

Tina: ++ // Smooth // Funky, wet leaves, oak // Aged grapes, ash, smoke, tannins // Medium to Full
There was a funk here, which Tina enjoyed. Smoky, ashy, wet leaves, oak, the grapes were definitely aged. This is a rich and full Chardonnay.

Expected Results: The funk and tannins and the smokiness tricked us into thinking it was the more "complex" of the two wines we tasted. We both thought the winemaker had tried to give the wine some greater complexity, and that this was the 2011 Reserve Chardonnay.
Actual Results: 2011 Chardonnay

Quick Review: Castello di Amorosa Blind Test Glass One

US, CA, Napa, Castello di Amorosa Reserve Chardonnay 2011
Nate: + // (Very) Crisp // Butter, Lemon, Grass // Grapefruit, Caramel // Medium
Aggressive attack, with a really punchy bite that smooths out quickly.

Tina: + // Crisp // Apricot, Lemon // Apricot, lemon, grapefruit zest, vanilla // Medium
Yes, after a bright crispness the oak/tannins gave this a smooth finish.

Expected Results: The crispness led us to assume it was the 2011 Chardonnay.
Actual Results: The 2011 Reserve Chardonnay

Testing Our Tastebuds

One of the more interesting ways to learn about wine is to try similar bottles next to each other. Usually, we do this in classes and tasting rooms, but every once in a while we try it at home.

We had a couple of interesting bottles to open: the 2011 Chardonnay and the 2011 Reserve Chardonnay from Castello de Amorosa. We decided to try a blind test, to see if we could figure out which was which. To put it simply, we failed.

We did our best to go into the test blind, but we both brought our own idea of what a reserve wine should taste like. Typically, reserve wines are more expensive, and the idea is that there is something special there. Ultimately, we were both expecting greater complexity from the reserve wine, thinking the best grapes from the best vineyard would yield a more nuanced flavor. In this case, it seems like the winemaker was aiming for capturing the essence of Chardonnay. We found the regular Chardonnay to be layered with flavors, with a rich buttery-ness from the oak, while the Reserve Chardonnay was bright and crisp, capturing that pure acidity of Chardonnay that often disappears with the addition of wood aging.

It's humbling to be reminded that we don't know everything about wine, and that sometimes you learn a lot more when go into a tasting open-minded. Making assumptions here meant we failed our blind tasting. There is a silver lining to this story: finding the unexpected in a bottle is why we love wine and how we continue to have such interesting experiences with it.

Quick Reviews: Castello di Amorosa Late Harvest Gewurztraminer

We tried a trio of Gewurztraminer from Castello di Amorosa with some friends.
Comparing our notes, it was interesting to see what we each found different about a trio of similar wines.

US, CA, Napa Valley, Castello di Amorosa Late Harvest Gewurztraminer 2011

R: + // Sweet // Ripe Peach // Honey // Full
S: + // Funky // Gym Socks, Cinnamon // Citrus, Funk // Full
T: + // Sweet // Apricot, Caramel // Peach, Honey // Full
N: + // Funky // Honey, Nut, Funk // Peach, Honey // Full

Quick Reviews: Castello di Amorosa Gewurztraminer

We tried a trio of Gewurztraminer from Castello di Amorosa with some friends.
Comparing our notes, it was interesting to see what we each found different about a trio of similar wines.

US, CA, Napa Valley, Castello di Amorosa Gewurztraminer 2011

R: ++ // Fruity // Rose // Green Apple, Apricot // Light
S: ++ // Fruity // Honey, Lemon // Pear // Light
T: + // Fruity // Rose // Orange Peel, Apricot // Light
N: + // Crisp // Lavender // Grapefruit // Light

Quick Review: Castello di Amorosa Dolcino

We tried a trio of Gewurztraminer from Castello di Amorosa with some friends.

Comparing our notes, it was interesting to see what we each found different about a trio of similar wines.

US, CA, Napa Valley, Castello di Amorosa, Dolcino, 2011
R: + // Sweet // Ripe Berry // Peach // Light
S: + // Sweet // Sugar // Citrus // Light
T: + // Sweet // Peach // Honey // Light
N: + // Fruity // Rose // Ripe Berry, Apple Pie // Light