Master Sommelier Andrew McNamara |
Decanted Wine Beer Tastings has been my “go to” spot for
several years. Quite a few spots sell wine and beer-what
sets Decanted above and beyond the others is excellence in selection, discount
pricing, and best of all-education.
As a writer on food and beverage, I get quite a lot of feedback on spots I
mention. I get fast email feedback when comments oppose my view, and more “sidewalk advice” in conversations when
people agree-go figure! The feedback on Decanted has
been only positive since the start of Decanted. Words I most often hear are “Al
and Jessica" with "integrity and honesty;” “better prices than Total Wine” and “they
take the time to help me pick a great wine that’s in my budget.”
The best reviews come from people who go to Decanted’s frequent
wine tastings/lectures. You get a straightforward handle on the wines of a
region; the tasting lets your taste buds know exactly what you prefer. I’ve been at
many “blind” tastings where there’s no clue to a wine’s identity. Always, some
prefer the $10 bottle, others go for the $250 bottle. Different strokes for different folks. Blind
tastings-great way to learn what you like. Then it’s fun and easier to get the
best taste at a great price!
Mr McNamara Talking on Napa Wines |
Last night Andrew McNamara, one of 186 Master
Sommeliers in the world talked on wines from California’s
Napa region. Although wine growing
started in the mid 1800’s, it wsn’t till the 1970’s when Robert Mondavi and a few others put the region on the map
with excellent wines-there were less than a dozen vintners of note then. Now, just 40 years later, there’s
around 500 vintners to choose from. There are now 16 main geographic sub regions,
or sub-appellations recognized in Napa.
Why? Wines from a given region do taste unique,
and different from another region, due to the soil, humidity, altitude, fog,
East-West exposure and grape type. Andrew suggested WWW.Napavintners.com
for a good map and an amazingly helpful amount of useful information, “crunched” into all sorts of lists and maps!
If you like wines, I highly recommend a several day visit to
Napa Valley.
Pick a designated driver, or go on a wine tasting tour, and prepare to get
sloshed, er, educated, in a beautiful setting!
To cut to the chase on one grape of perhaps a dozen
different varietals grown in the area- Cabernet Sauvignon- look at a map of Napa
Valley, which runs North and South.
The grapes taste quite different due to geographic and soil differences. To
make generalizations…bolder, bigger, juicier wines tend to come from the warmer
Northern wineries, and more refined, “elegant,” less tannic wines come from the
South. Next, it’s “mountain” vs “valley” wines, as vines in the cooler mountain
sites yield “in your face” , burly, darker wines than vines grown in the
valleys. Why? The temperature drops below the 50’s on the mountain at night,
and the grapes can increase acidity and form a different “balance” with sugar
content and “fruitiness.” Next, East vs West exposure makes a difference in
sunlight and temperature range. Then there’s soil variations…on and on.
Attendees agreed that it was a well spent evening as they sampled seven key wines from the
region, ranging from $40 to over $100. We sampled over $400 worth of wine, gained insight into Napa Valley wines, and had delicious cheeses,
charcuterie and met new friends. All for just $25- well, well worth it!
Megan Gauruder of Premier Beverage brought these
wines/prices for the tasting: Hess Collection Cab, ’07, Mt Veeder, $40; Pride
Cabernet, ’09, Spring Mountain, $90; Burgess Cab, ’08, Howell Mountain, $40;
Longmeadow Ranch Cab, ’08, Rutherford, $53; Groth Cab, ’09, Oakville, $60l,
Silverado Solo Cab, 08, Stags Leap, $100. The “bigger wines”, full of tannins
like Stags Leap and Calistoga wines, age the best/longest.
I have the link to the Decanted Schedule here.
http://www.decantedwines.com/main.asp?request=events
.
I strongly recommend you get on their email list-classes fill quickly!
http://www.decantedwines.com/main.asp?request=events
.
I strongly recommend you get on their email list-classes fill quickly!
Co-Owner Jessica with the Evening's Wines |
1410 Pine Ridge Road #21 Naples, 800-980-576, http://www.decantedwines.com
1 comment:
Will try a Decanted class!! Thanks so much!!!
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