Wine Tasting Notes of Syrah 2012 by George Phillips Cellars from California

It's our Wining Wednesday! How is everyone doing there? Today's choice of wine is from the George Phillips Cellars in California. It's a bottle of dry red made of 100% Syrah that was matured in 2012. It has an alcohol volume of 13%.  

Before tasting, I want to introduce you briefly about Syrah. It is a dark-skinned grape variety grown throughout the world and used primarily to produce red wine. General speaking, "Syrah is responsible for some of the darkest full-bodied red wines in the world. It has dark fruit flavors from sweet blueberry to savory black olive. When you taste Syrah you’ll be greeted with a punch of flavor that tapers off and then has a spicy peppery note in the aftertaste. " I found this article from winefolly.com helpful and also an easy-read to get a general idea of Syrah as a grape variety. 

Great, we are now good to go! Let's appreciate this bottle of Syrah produced in the new world. 

Sight

I have to admit I really love how it looks like. It appears to be semi-transparent with a gradienring color of dark red. It's that kind of gorgeous ruby that is bright in the center and completely dark at the margins. As you can see in the photo below, the wine on the rim of the glass appears to be bloody black. Really beautiful color.

Smell

The first smell gives me a sutble feeling of rubber and leather with a slighter odor of black fruits. I have to say the happiness you can get from the first smell is quiet limited. However, after shaking the glass, it gives out somewhat more prominent and sweet-sour olfactory, smelling like vanilla mixed with blackberries. On the top of that, I can also smell the aroma of wet leaves lying on the ground of a forest land, a little bit of grounded nutmeg as well as sweet pickles. But in general, the fragrance of this wine is kind of faint.

Taste

Keeping in mind that it has a slightly higher alcoholic volume than the previous two bottles (13%), I was expecting stronger wine body when taking the first sip. And my guess turns out correct! It delivers a strong wine body with relatively prominent taste of alcohol on the tongue. Tannin is rich but also a little under-fermented as the tannin creates a feeling of roughness in the mouth cavity. On the positive side, I am pleased with the degree of acidity. However, the reason that the acidity stands out could really be attributed to its flat, watery flavor. In sum, to me personally, this bottle of Syrah failed to deliver the wine-associated happiness, sad to say.

I won't recommend this bottle of dry red to you. There could be other reasons for its poor performance today. But unfortunately, it won't be on my shopping list next time. The only thing I like about it is its gorgeous color. But that's fine. The good and bad are always intermingled. We shall cheer on and explore more. Until next time. :) 

Cheers,

Cyan

Wine Classes, Stores and Free Tasting Events in NYC

Hi! I hope you had a happy/relaxing/crazy Friday and Saturday and are now enjoying your home die Sunday. While here from this end, I tried to compile a list of something-wine for amateurish wine lovers in NYC (I hope you are one of them!) who are interested in having one satisfying not necessarily completely comprehensive list of places to check out. These destinations will include wine shops, wine education or experience centers, wine cellars and of course wine bars. I started to look for information today and I will keep updating this list each time I come across a good place. 

• Some of the Best Wine Classes for Amateurs in NYC

http://www.astorcenternyc.com/class-the-elements-of-wine.ac
http://recreational.ice.edu/Courses/Detail/1004
http://www.corkbuzz.com/class-detail/?class=Wine+101
http://www.internationalwinecenter.com/10_foundation.aspx
http://ottopizzeria.com/special_events.cfm
http://kevinzraly.com/courses.html

• Some of the Best Wine Stores in NYC

http://appellationnyc.com/our-store
http://www.astorwines.com/
https://www.chambersstwines.com/
http://flatiron-wines.com/
https://www.unionsquarewines.com/wines/
https://www.burgundywinecompany.com/
http://www.sherry-lehmann.com/
http://www.crushwineco.com/
http://www.leduwines.com/
http://www.pasanellaandson.com/home.php?cat=383
http://www.bottlerocket.com/
http://www.chelseawinevault.com/
http://www.discoverywines.com/wines/
http://www.septemberwines.com/
http://morrellwine.com/

• Some of the Free Wine Tasting Events in NYC

http://appellationnyc.com/events
https://www.unionsquarewines.com/events/
https://www.burgundywinecompany.com/events/
http://www.chelseawinevault.com/free_wine_tastings
http://www.discoverywines.com/events/
http://www.septemberwines.com/
http://www.bottlerocket.com/events-public (they are holding a Whisky fest throughout Feb 2014)

By the way, I registered for Astor Center's three-classes package two weeks ago. The first class is on April 6th. I will share my class learning experience in due course.

Monday is hours away, let's keep clam and "cheers" on.

Cyan

Wine Tasting Notes of Chardonnay 2012 by Secret Pass from California

Hello, wine amateurs and alike. It's our happy Wednesdays! Today we are going to taste our second bottle: a dry white, Secret Pass, made of 100% Chardonnay which is harvested in 2012 in California. The alcohol content is 12.5% by volume.

In general, I like switching between red wine and white wine because for me the freshness and pureness of white wine can help regain my yearning for the richness and fragrance of red wine, and vice versa. But I don't have a preference between these two classes. Frankly, I don't even have a favorite grape breed, producing area, not to mention one specific bottle of wine. It's too early to make the conclusion, or maybe I never will. The world of wine is so vast, various, exquisite and profound. It is always evolving and it has no end. OK, that's enough of my personal sentiments, now we shall move on to explore this bottle of Secret Pass.

Sight

The wine body is almost transparent. It's very bright, clear, and you can see how the light easily penetrates the body.  In terms of color, it displays light yellow with a touch of grass color, a little bit like the feel of verdancy. 

Smell
In the first attempt without shaking the glasses, it gives out a fragrance of fresh yellow apple and crispy pear as well as apricot that is just mature. However, the fragrance is faint and I have to smell really hard not to miss it. However, after I shake the glasses, change happened. A fantastically strong odor of luscious tropical fruits was breathed into my nose. In addition to that, there was a flavor of caramel with a little bit of cream. And it just smelled like a limen pie! It is incredibly fragrant and sweet! 

Taste

Deeply allured by the fragrance, I closed my eyes and took the first sip. Hmmm... Fruity... Airy... High acidity... The light body makes it easy to drink. But surprisingly, thereafter comes ample mineral feelings!.... vivid, rich, fine and smooth... Hmmm... That's nice. However, at the moment when I thought it was over, I was again amazed by its long-lasting aftertaste. It most likely can't be considered magnificent, but the contradiction between its light and airy body and its enduring aftertaste is marvelous and impressive! I can feel the minerals gently, kissingly patting on my teeth, my tongue, my upper jaw and deep down my throat until it reaches my stomach. It is really a great dry white. It's a easy drink but it's not simple at all. What I love most about it is the unexpected contrast between its body and its aftertaste which brings the pleasant surprise. 

I truly enjoyed this white wine. I hope you all have a chance to try it out and let me know if you share my feelings! 

Cheers,

Cyan

How To EASILY Open a Wine Cork with Traditional Corkscrew Shown in Three Pictures

Hi dear all! How was your weekend? Did you treat yourself and your loved ones a number of glasses of wine that you picked following your nose? I just finished that bottle of Brannan Estate Zinfandel 2011 I shared with you all last Wednesday, and I am ready to move on to the next bottle. Yay! The thought of opening a new bottle and trying a new kind turns me on every time, no exceptions. 

Alright, let's get down to today's business. I am gonna show you how to open a wine cork within 15 seconds using a non-special, common-seen corkscrew in three pictures! 

The Tool

Capitano Waiter Style Corkscrew 

It's available online on Amazon and also wine enthusiast's digital catalog. And it costs you only 7 bucks. 

Steps

I'd assume you know the theoretical steps: 

screw the screwer into the cork; 

exert yourself and pull the screwer together with the cork out of the bottleneck; and 

brava, there you go, cork out of the neck. 

But, in practice, I know it can sometimes be such a pain in the neck. I know I felt desperate about the little cork so many times until I accidentally discovered this little trip by myself. (I know I should have done a google search way back. But yeah, I chose to figure it out by myself.)

The three pictures below essentially showed the one key step that you need to pay attention to in order to easily open a cork without pulling your fingers off! That is also the only one single tip I want you all to take away today. The one single essential step is --- hold the bottom of your corkscrew's flexible sheet-metal against the edge of the bottleneck, and then you will find the cork been pulled out so quickly, at most 3 seconds! 

I hope you get it in a glimpse and find it amazingly useful. In case you don't, please, leave me a comment if you find what I showed you nonsense or you have better solutions! 

Cheers,

Cyan

Wine Tasting Notes of Zinfandel 2011 by Brannan Estate from California

  

Hi there! It's Wednesday! And you know that means today is wine amateur's wine tasting day! I may sound a little over-excited, but it is literally the first wine that I gonna share with you guys! So yahoo. Let's dive in and discover this lucky baby!


This week I am finishing a bottle of red wine from a winery named Brannan Estate located in California. This bottle is made of 100% Zinfadel (in case you get curious and want to know more about this grape breed, I inserted a link to about.com) and it has a 12.9% alcoholic strength. 


Sight
The liquid is partially transparent. As you can see in the left picture below, light can pass through the wine body and you can see the words on paper through the upward side. The color is between brick red and purplish red. We may call it crimson. The present of brick red usually indicates that this wine is already mature and is ready to be enjoyed. 

Smell

After taking a close look, we shall now smell it. The head smell is moderate and not very intensive. It has a hint of flower and red fruits (raspberry, strawberry, etc.). Smell harder, you can kinda sense a feeling of being the center of a forest and grassland. It also has the aroma of honey, dried red dates and dried persimmon. And that's it about the head smell. Then I shake the glass. Interestingly enough, instantly after shaking, this wine gives out a very obvious smell of leather, soil and animal furs. In addition, there is a subtle flavor of water chestnut. 

Taste

Now finally, we got to the tasting step! So I took a full-mouth zip, hold it in my mouth and use my tongue to stir and sense the liquid as comprehensively as I can, and then swallow it slowly bit by bit in three times. 

So how does it taste like? To me personally, the structure is not bad. It has a medium body. It's succulence with smooth and rubbry tannins. However, the aftertaste is relatively short and the flavors and tannins disappear in three to five seconds after ingurgitation. 

Already, we just finished tasting our first wine together! I hope you enjoyed the process and made good use of your rich imagination while reading my hopefully not-so-boring writings, and now feel like you have just tasted this bottle of Zinfandel from Brannan Estate California 2011.

Cheers,

Cyan

INTRODUCING the Amateur's Wine-Loving Dairy

        

        Hello, there! Welcome to the very first blog of the Amateur's Wine-loving Dairy! Pretty much self-explained, this is a virtual place for you if you are a non-professional wine lover just like me. Though sounds self-important, my blogging vision is to make it a cozy and lovely community where wine amateurs would linger around, get inspired, and most importantly, find peace in mind by imagining the beautiful sight, aroma, and taste of all kinds of wine reading what I wrote. So, from now on, you can expect me every Wednesday and Sunday. On Wednesdays, I will post a tasting note of one bottle of wine (which will be chosen randomly), and on Sundays, I will share my personal thoughts, new-gained knowledge, or feelings and experiences pertinent to wine. 

        

        Just like in the book previews, authors will always explain their writing motivation or intent, I'd like to do the same here. I start this blog for one simple reason, I want to note down all my feelings and imaginations about every bottle of wine that I tried. (Well, I am a very ordinary person who doesn't have a mind palace where all my wine memories can be stored and retrieved as I want, so basically writing it down is the only path for me to take.) And to be honest, I learnt it the hard way. As you can see in the picture below, it shows all the wine bottles that I emptied from October to December 2013. Nonetheless, very sadly, I cannot recall how most of them look like, smell like or taste like! (The only exception is the one bottle with "COCOBON" written on the wine tag. This one left me a deep impression due to its nice touch of coca and chocolate. And it is indeed my favorite out of the crowd.) To make things worse, I am a recording freak. I keep records of every thing that I care (for example, I still have the SMS logs taken down on paper between me and my ex in somewhere in the closet at home! But of course, I don't go back and read them. It's a history and it deserves to be preserved. Sorry, a bit off topic..) Anyway, in conclusion, here I am, starting this diary for the record of keeping a record of my wine experience. 

        One more thing, you may also want to know about my creditability as a wine blogger. Well, frankly, I have no professional interactions with wine, at all. I am simply a wine lover who drinks a half glass of wine every night a few hours before sleep. My very limited knowledge of wine, if there is any, comes from watching a whole lot of online videos, reading a few wine-themed books and most importantly in my opinion, drinking by myself. 

        I will stop here today. Looking forward to a long-lasting wine blogging journey ahead!

Cheers,

Cyan