Going Rogue on the Wine Tasting Trail

 

“Pinch me, pinch me! I must be dreaming.”

A reasonable estimate is that I’ve visited hundreds of wineries over my career. Often with an appointment; most often as a drop in.

I am also compelled to disclose that my favorite play is A Midsummer Night’s Dream. 

You see I may have been under the influence of Puck during a recent visit to a wine country. So if you don’t believe any of what follows, maybe we need to get the Puck out of the conversation.

My first stop also had a good restaurant and superb valley views. Enjoying a small plate of delicious mushrooms, I sample 3 Pinot Noirs, all good with different personalities. Make that really good. Wandering inside the tasting room, I’m offered a bright, lovely Chardonnay, followed by a magnificent Pinot Noir from 7 clones, and then end with a stunning Cornas-tasting Syrah.

Turns out the well-informed tasting room guy was the owner. “Only in your dreams” you are probably saying.

Or, maybe you are curious about those mushrooms.

Next stop, a few miles away, A small winery focusing on Spanish varieties. Wait! Spanish. I definitely must be dreaming. We start with the 2017 Verdejo…bright and lively with crisp citrus flavors. Who in their right mind would make a Verdejo?

Well, it was followed by a Rose, mostly Tempranillo with Grenache and Graciano blended. In a word,”Lovely.” Next were two Tempranillos, the first with 19% Cabernet and the second, 100% Tempranillo. Well, both were excellent, beautifully made versions, one to drink now, the other to age.

After some polite chit-chat, we figure out the woman talking about the wines is the winemaker, the woman pouring, her sister. They are the owners. 

The tasting fee was waived.

Third winery was a distance away but on the other end of the pretty valley. A valley with vineyards on steep hillsides and a year-round river. Not knowing what to expect, my eyes immediately go to the manicured grounds and picnic area set up for concerts and /or weddings. We walked through the brilliant flower garden which is adjacent to the herb garden. Inside, the tasting room doubles as a restaurant. The outdoor tasting bar overlooks the picnic area and vistas. Families are picnicing; kids are playing.

We begin with a spicy, minerally Pinot Gris followed by a Viognier, ripe, rich, and powerful. Next up is a blend of 75% Viognier with 25% Chardonnay, which is more subtle, more complex, more complete. The wine is named “Amuse” and although when in a waking state I’m suspicious of wines with cutesy names, I’m in love. (Damn you, Puck!)

This dream was sure to end with a glass of 2014 Barbera plunked down before me. Nobody ever thinks of a sturdy, plummy, herbal, Barbera with definite acidity today. Unless it is complementing my last piece of pizza.

 Perfect match!

Better yet, a 2016 50-50 blend of Syrah and Cabernet was so appealing with a touch of leather with black cherry fruit and great structure, that I decided to buy a few bottles before I depart. 

That’s the big clue.

Now you too must suspect this has to be a dream because when would a wine writer ever buy a wine?

Or was it? 

The wine-cup is the little silver well,
Where truth, if truth there be, doth dwell.

 

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Author: robywine, norm roby

My career as a wine journalist/critic began in 1975 when my article about California Petite Sirah was published. My focus remained on California as I edited a monthly wine magazine and then moved on to The Wine Spectator in 1982. Over the following years, my column appeared under the banner of “Stormin’ Norman, and I also wrote articles about wine collectors and wine auctions. Without getting into a year by year bio, let me try to summarize here. During my time with The Spectator which I enjoyed immensely, I taught wine classes at a culinary school and at other venues in San Francisco. Before venturing into wine, teaching was my thing, English Lit and Rhetoric. After The Spectator I was the U.S. Contributor to Decanter Magazine, writing mostly about California, but also expanding into Washington State and Oregon. My Decanter years began in 1992 and after buying a summer home in France in 2000, I traveled throughout France and eventually published articles about St. Emilion, Castillon, Bergerac, Minervois, Roussillon, Luberon, Provence, and Alsace. Also, around 2000, my wife began working for Cousino-Macul in Chile, so we tasted and traveled our way through Chile and, of course, managed to fly over the Andes and explore and taste our way through Argentina. As travel lovers, we have also spent many interesting days visiting the wine regions of Spain, Italy, Portugal, Scicily, Greece, and New Zealand. And to come to a close, I was Director of Winesong, a Charity Wine Auction for 20 years, 1992-2000 that benefitted a local hospital. That brought me in contact with wine collectors and to the auction scene. And finally, I co-authored a book, The Connoisseurs’ Guide to California Wine published by Alfred A. Knopf. It went through 4 editions and sold over 500.000 copies.

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