If you read my last post, I mentioned that I’m going to start pulling directly from my WSET wine notes notebook for some of my reviews. Some of these wines (like the wines below) were specifically requested by my course. (Again, we are meant to try a variety of quality levels in order to gain a better understanding of how to gauge different wine tiers.) These reviews are quick, fairly succinct, but include an explanation as to my reasoning behind any conclusions I’ve determined. I, of course, welcome any feedback from those who have gone through the program. Cheers.
I’ve been going out of my comfort zone and purchasing wines I probably wouldn’t otherwise, all so I can experience a broader range in conjunction with my WSET Diploma course. That range means varietals, countries, winemaking methods of course. But it also means different levels of quality—as this is one of the most important points when writing your tasting notes for the exam. The next couple of reviews are literally going to be notes taken from my WSET notebook. They’ll be quick, fairly succinct, but include an explanation as to my reasoning behind any conclusions I’ve determined.
Hello. How are you? Are you, like me, still sheltering in place or are you venturing out into the wide wine world already? I admit, on a personal note, that the offers to go to in-person tastings are tempting. I miss people, physical interactions, side-by-side vineyard and cellar walk throughs and interviews. But I’m just not *there* yet. As the SF Chronicle reports, Wine Country is attempting to reopen, but the rise of the spread of coronavirus is real—in my town, in this county, in our state, and all across the country. So, if you are going out, I urge you to please be safe, careful, make healthy choices.
If you want more drama than that, I’m sure you’ve all heard about the recent resignation of several Master Sommeliers from the Court of Master Sommeliers in protest to the immoral attitude and actions of the organization. The CMS finally sent out a public statement addressing the issue, but that statement is, in many eyes, just not good enough.
The wine industry, just like the rest of the world, is in a constant state of flux at the moment. Scroll through, catch up on some news and anecdotes (don’t forget to check out this week’s Blog call-outs) and let me know your thoughts.
As a member of the trade/media, I do get a lot of press releases. And I’ve promised in the past to only share the ones that are relevant to you. This one totally is. Now, I know in the “age of COVID” (oh geez, let that not become how children study us…) there are a lot of virtual this-thats. But I’m here to tell you that these educational webinars from Emeritus are legit. I’ve already sat in on three, diving deep into the Russian River Vally AVA sub-zones, how soil type and climate affect vine development, the attributes of different Pinot Noir clones.
Viewers get a triple threat perspective from Emeritus Winemaker David Lattin, Vineyard Manager Kirk Lokka, and Emeritus’s second-generation President Mari Jones. They each have their own area of expertise they lend to each topic. What I particularly love about these webinars is that they are actually interactive. Viewers are encouraged to type in their questions and, I can say from experience, they answer them in a personal way, making you feel like you’re having an intelligent one-on-one conversation.
I want to make another note here: although the title suggests this is for wine professionals, I want to encourage anyone who’s seriously interested in wine (like on a nerd level) or is studying wine in any capacity (be it your degree in viticulture, advanced sommelier credential, WSET, etc) to tune in. You won’t regret it. I also encourage other wineries/wine brands who are interested in creating a webinar series to take a look at how these are conducted—professional, but fun and engaging. This is how to attract media attention from both industry pros and consumers alike.
Ok, I think I’ve waxed on poetically for long enough. Below is the formal press release. Cheers.
If you read my post from yesterday, I know what you’re thinking. Why wax on so poetically about how wonderful Ashes & Diamond’s red wine is and then give a review on a rosé? Fair enough. In all honesty, I used my assessment for the A&D Cab Franc rosé as part of an assignment for my WSET Diploma studies, so I had the write up at the ready. But, here you go, the Ashes & Diamonds 2017 Mountain Cuvée fits the exact description I gave you yesterday.
