Wine reviews, pairings, events, and getaways
Hello my friends, happy weekend to you. As you read this, I will be sitting in one of my WSET Diploma classes—hopefully learning lots and having fun. If you’ve missed any of my latest WSET posts, make sure you scroll back through the home page roll—lots of good notes, tasting and test-taking tips, etc.
I’ve got a good list of wine-related newsy items for you today, but I’ll be honest, the best news from my week is the first item on the list.
Enjoy your weekend…Cheers!
Happy Weekend, friends. First, if anyone’s had trouble viewing or navigating the site lately, I apologize, I’m currently working out some bugs. Second, hopefully you’ve been keeping up with my latest WSET Diploma posts—there’s been a flurry of them, so make sure to scroll through the past few weeks.
Personally I’ve been keeping very busy (as well as distracted by current events as I’m sure you all are as well). But I’ve still managed to pull together my weekly roundup of wine newsworthy stories. Hopefully there are a few things of interest for you here.
Cheers.
I have a theory question for you: Tokaj has a solid reputation creating sweet wines from the Aszu grapes. So why are recent trends veering toward dryer wine styles? Describe the grapes and winemaking methods used to produce the dry wines of Tokaj and describe a typical example of a dry Tokaj wine in the form of a tasting note. What are the marketing opportunities for this style of wine for the region?
These are just a few things I was thinking about when I tasted through my first dry Furmint from Hungary. My analysis of the wine follows my Top Tokaj 10.
Spoiler alert—this amp goes to 11…
I got great feedback about my Top 10 idea, as expressed in my post about Jura. Today, I want to share my Top 10 Austria facts. What would you add to this list?
Following that list, I’m also sharing a little tasting I did of a basic Wachau Gruner Veltliner and a Brugenland Zweigelt. Please enjoy and don’t hesitate to pipe in
Let’s take tasting to theory. Below I have two wines: Gerard Bertrand Cote des Roses Rose 2019 and Chateau d’Aqueria Tavel Rosé 2018. Write yourself a few dry tasting notes and then answer the question—What are the environmental and winemaking factors that contribute to the differences in these two wines?
When you’re ready, read my tasting notes and thoughts on the theory.