I read a great post today by Steve Paulo who has his own blog “Notes From The Cellar“. He was writing about the Do’s and Dont’s while visiting tasting rooms and I thought that he was really on to something, so I would sahre it with you. the following is directly from his blog;
There are unwritten rules about visiting winery tasting rooms. Living a few miles south of Napa/Sonoma, a hop-skip-and-a-jump north of the Livermore Valley, and within a day’s drive to the vast majority of the wine made in California has lead me along to many a tasting room. And there are rules. Unwritten rules, but rules nonetheless.
Unwritten, that is, until today.
“Don’t Be That Guy” (or “Gal,” don’t want to be sexist and infer that women can’t also be drunk idiots) is a great way to learn about life and to learn as you go through life. There are cautionary tales all around us, we need only open our eyes. It is with that in mind that I came up with the following–now written–rules.
The Rules Of Wine Tasting
1. Don’t pregame — Seriously. You’re not in college. Stop it. And even if you are in college, stop it! In case you don’t know, “pregaming” is drinking before you drink. Back in college, if we were going out to a bar, we’d “pregame” at someone’s house or apartment in part because it’s cheaper to drink outside of a bar setting, and in part because the bars were boring early in the evening and we had nothing better to do. I remember being in Sonoma for some wine tasting with friends, and seeing a party bus pass by us while we picked up sandwiches and water. Clearly visible through the window was a case of Coors Light. Coors Light, for pete’s sake!
2. Bring food and water — Speaking of which, it’s a lot easier to keep from making a damn fool of yourself if you have some water to sip between wineries, and some food to put in your belly. And no, the table crackers or breadsticks or whatever offered at many wineries don’t count. Bring or buy something substantial.
You can read the rest of his post by clicking HERE
The Wine: 2007 Lamborn “YeeHaw” Howell Mountain Zinfandel 15.2% ABV is 100% zinfandel $33 (Winery Price)
This comes in at 12.7% ABV and costs around $13/liter *note* this was a sample provided by the producer.
13.5% ABV and also costs around $13/liter *note* this was a sample provided by the producer.
To distance himself from the bustle of wars that raged in Italy at the time Pope Clement V took residence at Avignon, France in 1304. His successor, John XXII, restored and enlarged the old Episcopal residence of Châteauneuf. It was he who ordered the first grapevines to be planted in the year 1318. Initially intended as a confidential production, wine growing gained predominance as the years went by. The true renown of Châteauneuf du Pape wines date from the 13th century. — From Domain Font de Michelle website 
Châteauneuf-du-Pape is an Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) in the southern Rhône wine region. Unlike its northern Rhône neighbors (primarily Syrah & Viognier), Châteauneuf-du-Pape permits thirteen different varieties of grape; the blend is usually predominantly Grenache. In recent years, the trend has been to include fewer varieties rely more heavily on blending the Grenache, Mourvedre, and Syrah.
In the glass the wine has a nice dark purple color which turns slightly ruby around the edges. On the nose I get herb garden, rosemary, mint, woodsy and smokiness. On the palate I get hints of floral, earth, mint and a touch of cola dancing around on top of the tannins. This wine has full tannins and a medium – full bodied finish. On my video blog I said that this wine blew me away and it does. It has so much going on in the nose and the on the palate which up until now I was unfamiliar with. This is a thought provoking multidimensional wine!
