Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Good Lord, the PRESSURE!

So. My best friend/partner in crime/traveling cohort/fellow food fiend/better half Catherine (the description was shamelessly stolen from her blog being that I could not say it better) was kind enough to promote Working the Vine on her blog today. Which means, I should probably update the damn thing. :) As luck would have it we just finished out Italian Wine unit and I passed with flying colors. And it's considered the hardest unit. So I should have buckets of time. BUCKETS. Except I have a Spanish Wine test in 4 days. ;)

To hell with studies. Tomorrow, November 13th check back in with the blog. Be sure to have a pen and paper. Or a working printer. I will post wine recommendations for Thanksgiving. I am giddy - GIDDY I SAY - with the wines I have discovered and will share at Turkey Day this year. Eeeeee!

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Um, What Rock Have I Been Living Under?

I've been meaning to share this with some of you for quite awhile. Those particular people should probably confirm that they are seated at this moment. (I'm talkin' to you CG, RC and PC.)

Okay, last week David was talking to us about wine and chocolate pairings. He explained how higher tannins (i.e. Cabernet Sauvignon) don't necessarily pair well with chocolate as typically done in wine bars and restaurants. He prefers to pair it with a tawny port. (Say it with me now, "Ewwwwww.") His exception to the highly tannic wine paired with cocoa goodness comes in the form of - are you all seated? - Mo's Bacon Bar.

http://www.vosgeschocolate.com/product/bacon_exotic_candy_bar/exotic_candy_bars

Yes. Chocolate with BACON INSIDE OF IT.

I KNOW.

I decided to locate this creation at once. Thankfully, my local Whole Foods ("Aaaaaaaaaa!" sing the angels) did not disappoint.

Sweet and salty. YUM. Hell, who needs wine at this point? ;)

All you naysayers, hush now. Have you not had Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles? (If not, get your shoes and your car keys: http://www.roscoeschickenandwaffles.com/.)

This has been a Public Service Announcement. I now return you to your regularly scheduled blog.

P.S. If you want my opinion, the best wines to pair with chocolate are Pinot Noir and Syrah. Dana and I had the distinct pleasure of experiencing such this past Sunday. Details to follow.

Friday, October 3, 2008

Feels Like Home

A brief shout-out to the Gods who have chosen to take pity on homesick me. I was delighted and blessed this evening to get a call from one of my favorite people, Miss Catherine (whom I love more than wine). She was in San Jose for all of 2 hours tonight and found a way to spend most of that time with me.

It was just what the doctor ordered.

The visit reminded me of all the amazing people I have in my life and the family (be it blood or common bonds) that supports me no matter where I am. I am incredibly lucky to have you all in my life.

Thank you.

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Field Trip!

Hello Gang!

Again with the apologies. I'm not used to my new schedule yet and finding time to sit down and explain it all has been hard to find. Can I just say I'm sorry now and that will cover the next 8 or so years until I'm a Master Sommelier?

A quick note to alleviate all fears of my potential spiral downwards: this week at school has been good. Very good. Our main instructor, Master Sommelier David Glancy (http://www.mastersommeliers.org/member=29) took over teaching and it has made all the difference. He is funny, informative and relatable. He's my kind of wine snob. His delight of the alcohol infused grape juice is infectious.

Monday his lecture was on service and presentation of wine. Specifically sparkling wine. And I can't wait to share about that class, including the fact that nobody died when I opened my bottle. However, that story will have to wait because I have another topic I want to address today. (Oh, I'm a tease, I know. I've been called worse.)

Today was the first of two field trips to a vineyard. And most importantly: I GOT TO WEAR JEANS. For those of you who don't know, I have been assigned a ridiculously strict dress code for class. For the next three months I have to wear suits, dresses, heels, pantyhose... you name an uncomfortable item of clothing and I'll be in it. But not today or tomorrow. Our entire class did the Happy Jean Dance when we met up this morning on our way to Ridge Vineyards: http://www.ridgewine.com/visiting/visiting.tml.
Dad and I had the great pleasure of visiting this vineyard, on David's recommendation, when we initially toured the school back in August. I was excited to go back and experience behind the scenes.

Ridge got it's name because it is literally up on a ridge. 2700 feet elevation. To get there from school you have to travel up the most narrow, twisty-turny road you've ever encountered. I've always heard of hairpin turns, now I've experienced them. It takes 20 minutes to go up the road (4.7 miles) to the top of the mountian.

Winemaker Eric was our guide for the day. He graduated UC Santa Cruz with a degree in bio-chemistry (I KNOW) and decided to work at the Ridge Lab the summer after college. He never left. He's been there for 14 years and learned everything on the job. He clearly knows and enjoys what he does for a living. I hope to be that lucky someday.


We got to see everything from the actual vineyards, to the grape crusher to the barrel rooms. Did I mention we got to taste in the barrel rooms? And there wasn't a spit bucket in sight. Oh well. ;)

I was allowed to taste a 1999 Monte Bello Cabernet Sauvignon. It retails for $185. If you find it on a restaurant wine list expect to pay $370 for the bottle. (Restaurants charge twice retail price. Think about that the next time you go out and could have just paid the corkage fee.)


In the affordable catagory I tried a 2006 Chardonnay from the Santa Cruz Moutains Estate Vineyard. $40 a bottle. It tasted like buttered popcorn. No lie. No purchase.

The two I did leave with (um, hello, educational) were both Zinfandels (again, I KNOW, when did I become a Zin drinker?!). It was interesting to compare them. Both are a 2006 vintage, however from two different vineyards within the same winery. Completely different (yet both tres yummy). The 2006 Lytton Springs Zin was smooth and slightly sweet, very good just on its own. The 2006 Geyserville Zin was firm, with a bite and tasted fantastic with food. (I'm thinking red meat, dear readers. And a heavy chocolate dessert.) Both retail for $35. http://www.ridgewine.com/taf/store.taf?_function=available

If any of you are up in the area I would love for you to see the tasting room. From the top of the mountain you can see the entire valley. It's gorgeous. The only condition? You have to drive. That flippin' road up to the vineyard scares the crap out of me. ;)

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Verasion


Verasion: the annual life cycle of the grape on the vine.

On my first day of class I learned the term verasion and the nine steps that compose a single life cycle of the grape.

The first step? Weeping.

No, the irony is not lost on me. Want to hear the definition of Weeping? From Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia: Weeping is the first sign of the vine awakening after a winter of relative dormancy. (p.23)

Frickin' awakening.

First, apologies all around for my lack of communication. I know I promised to update this blog immediately, but I was a little unprepared for, well, my new life.

Moving Day (Sunday the 21st) was much easier than I anticipated. All persons involved retained their limbs, dignity and sanity. An extra shout-out to Dad, Brett, Christy and The Powers That Be for their invaluable help.

My new place is beautiful. Meets my standards and even exceeds them. (Those of you who know me well know that's high praise from this redhead.) I hope to post some pictures of the joint as soon as the last few boxes are cleared away. The room that I'm renting comes complete with a roommate, Miss Andrea (Ahn-drea). We clicked right away, staying up well into the night sharing stories and frequently exclaiming, "Me too!" Our personalities are a great match. It may have something to do with the fact that we share the same birthdate. I'm just sayin'.

I really like Northern California. The weather is about 10-15 degrees cooler than LA and, although I am a Southern California girl at heart, there is something in the air up here that makes me instantly comfortable.

And, yes, I may be a bit swayed by the glorious Whole Foods sent from the Gods within walking distance of my new pad. It's the size of two football fields and has underground parking. I'm not kidding when I say I teared up when I first stepped inside.

I know, I know. You're all thinking, "With all this good stuff, what's with the weeping?"

Well, I haven't told you about school yet now, have I?

The first day was rough. Really rough. I didn't call and talk to any of you rough. I had to work it all out in my head before I brought it to y'all. Thankfully, Dana and Duncan provided wine, cheese and chocolate the first night after class which helped cushion the blow immensely. I am incredibly lucky to have such amazing support 6.44 miles away.

Here's the thing. Okay things. 1. I have not been in school in quite awhile. Three hour lectures are long since a thing of my past. 2. The instructor we had for the first three days (Wed-Fri) was, shall we say, not encouraging. Emphasis was heavily placed on not making any money in this job, that the testing process (which she failed to elaborate on) is impossibly difficult and how, really, the sommelier is simply a servant to the chef. 3. Let's just kindly say, I'm warming up to my fellow students. The first day was a little chilly. And I have been told I can make conversation with a tree.

To make a long deliberation process in my brain short, I have reconciled all issues above. My Capricornian brain just had to formulate a plan to help me move forward. Wanna hear the plan? I'M GOING TO KICK THE WINE WORLD'S ASS. Simple. Direct. Possible.

Friday I tasted twenty five glasses of wine. No, that's not a typo. Twenty five. We had to distinguish smell, acidity levels, sugar levels, tannin levels and alcohol levels. I rocked it. I can do this. And now, I'm looking forward to it.

Bring on week two.

Saturday, August 16, 2008

Countdown


The adventure begins Wednesday, September 24, 2008.