First off, a warm hello to any readers from Wolfchase Wine & Spirits. Apparently some of you have been taking my suggestions and mentioning this blog at the store. It's a great little shop, and even though it's beside the Costco in Cordova you don't have to be a Costco member to buy wine there. It's a small space with a frequently rotating and varied selection of wines. John the manager is friendly and knowledgeable about his stock, and I'm always happy to drop inToday for instance, he suggested the 2000 Covey Run Barrel Select Syrah from the Yakima and Columbia Valleys of Washington State. $10. Great plum and leather aromas, and a mild fruit flavor with tannins that have almost completely aged away for a smooth mouth feel. If you've only tried young, fruit-bomb Syrah/Shiraz, this would be a great opportunity to taste one that has aged gracefully. I served it with a steak and a spinach salad, followed by a glass out on the back porch to gaze over the tomatoes.
2 comments:
I think I need a wine tasting tutorial. I have no idea what a tannin is.
The easiest way to identify tannins is to think about strongly brewed, unsweetened tea: tannins are the chemical compounds that are bitter, make you pucker your lips, and dry your mouth out. Very dominant in younger, stronger red wines (since they come from the skins and seeds). They're important because they act as a preservative; with proper aging, they diminish over time and allow smoother fruit flavors to come to the surface.
Strong tannins in inexpensive red wine are often a turn-off to newer wine drinkers.
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