On Friday Bob & Maggie invited some of their friends over to their house for a wine tasting and heavy appetizers. The ladies were in charge of the food, and Bob & I the wine.
We decided on two flights red wine. One would be a comparison of four different vintages of Zinfandel, and the other flight would be four different red wines, identifying the varietals.
Linda & Maggie did their magic and presented a bountiful feast. This is one of my favorite types of meals, small plates or tapas. There was a range of various cheeses, meats, and specialties.
The first flight, the Zinfandel, included a 1993, a 1994, a 1999, and a 2006 vintage. The idea was to prove that aging wine in the bottle makes the wine better. We found that the oldest wines were over the hill. This was due to bad corks or improper storage. The 1999 was good, but the best wine was the 2006. It was a wine from Renwood Winery of Amador County in the foothills of the Sierra Mountains. 2006 Old Vine Zinfandel had the normal brambleberry flavors with hints of cedar. A great example of California Zinfandel for those new to the varietal.
The second flight of wines featured Columbia Crest H3 Cabernet Sauvignon, Chateau Ste. Michelle Indian Hills Merlot, Hedges CMS Red Wine, and Eola Hills Pinot Noir. The challenge was to define the varietal. Now I admit, this was very tricky because I threw in a red wine blend that contained Cabernet & Merlot. Only one person got all of the wines right. Almost everyone picked the Pinot, but really got mixed up on the other three. It made for some interesting conversations, and much debate. I’m going to remember this tasting and try it with some of our other friends (be prepared Donna). This was a special night and it was really great meeting Bob & Maggie’s interesting friends.
On Saturday we stayed around the MoHo doing chores and laundry. We’ll be boondocking for the next week so we wanted to be prepared. On Sunday we caravanned with Bob & Maggie down to our friends Allan & Sharri Kainu’s home to spend some time with them. More about that in the next post.
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