Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Wine Snob: The First Installment

Wine snob is kind of a joke. I am not educated in wines. In fact, my alcohol tolerance is so low that after about two glasses of wine not only can I feel the alcohol but the wine starts to taste funny (even if it is great wine). However, I like wines and I have some extremely limited knowledge of California wines. So I thought that I would add a wine entry, now and then, to my blog in order discuss and review wines. I find this review to be especially relevant because wine not only compliments cooking, but also may be used in the cooking itself.

My first wine to review is a 2002 Taft Street Savignon Blanc (Poplar Vinyard) from the Russian River area of Sonoma County, California. As a note, I'm not much of a white wine person, so my knowledge is even more limited. The wine was a gift, but I think it has been sitting a little too long. It has turned to a deep, rich golden color, which I think is pretty problematic for white wine, especially a Savignon Blanc. The taste is light and fresh, but the aftertaste has the distinctive bite of a middle shelf vodka, which I think means that it has become more alcoholic while sitting in the bottle for the last eight years.

However, the light fresh taste of the wine means that it will probably be good for cooking, and most of the alcohol will burn off. I plan on making my favorite butternut squash ravioli in a sage cream sauce later this week (yum!) and I will post my new and improved recipe, as well as a review when I do make it.

Does anyone have any idea on how to tell how long one is supposed to age wines? Is there some science, or does one just have to email a vintner?

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