Monday, September 14, 2009

One disappointment, One revelation

A few weeks ago I was perusing a wine store and came across a wine called "Seven Daughters," a red wine blend made from 7 different grapes. Seven Daughters red is 50% Merlot, 17% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Cabernet France and then 2-11% of 4 other grapes: Zinfandel, Syrah, Carignane and Sangiovese. A classic Bordeaux blend is primarily made up of Merlot/Cab. Sauv./Cab. Franc. I love this blend and I had high hopes for "Seven Daughters."

I took the wine to a BYO with my afore-mentioned friend, Pam (afore-mentioned for those who have been reading my blog). Unfortunately my expectations weren't realized! The nose was weak and the wine didn't have a lot of flavor. After 30 minutes in the glass, the mid palette and finish were a bit smoother, but all in all this is not something I'd get again.

Plus, I checked their website this weekend and their brand positioning annoyed the crap out of me. I wasn't sure if they were trying to tout an interesting brand or trying to start their own book club. Really quite ridiculous. At the risk of actually helping promote them, please check out their website (http://www.7daughters.com/) and let me know if you can figure out how a 750ml bottle of wine and "on the go" work together? It's like a website of horrible marketing buzz phrases meant to appeal to "today's modern woman." Except it reads like Don Draper's attempt at understanding a woman in 2009. And if you don't know who Don Draper is, please start tuning into "Mad Men" on Sundays at 10pm on AMC (a wonderful show I'm happy to promote).

On the other hand, after dinner, Pam and I made our way to our friend, Laura's, for a little "girl's get together" (no books or on the go accessories needed). Laura had recently returned from Milan and brought back a bottle of Pinot Nero, an Italian white wine I'd never tried. What a lovely surprise! The nose was pleasant, but did not give away the wonderful fruit that coated my mouth on my first sip. It was a beautiful, round, thicker than expected white with a lovely hit of pineapple on the finish. I will definitely be looking for this varietal again.

Of course I had to do a little research on Pinot Nero and what did I find? Wouldn't you know - it's the Italian version of Pinot Noir - one of my favorite varietals! It's found primarily in the Northern regions of Italy - Alto Adige, Venezia, Veneto and Friuli (I had to look these up - I can't name all the Itlaian wine regions). Apparently, like Pinot Noir, Pinot Nero is usually red, but it has been made into white wines as well as sparklers.

So, wine, like most things, is all about trial and error. Pinot Nero is one I'm looking forward to trying again.

Until the next sip*,

Alli M.

*The next sip will likely be this Wednesday, September 16th, when I start the Intermediate WSET wine course. I look forward to sharing my experiences with all of you.

3 comments:

elliej said...

Ca';t wait to hear about your sommelier course!

Ariana Richardo said...

WONDERFUL Post.thanks for share..more wait..

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