This week’s class pinned New World wines against their Old World origins. Instructor Jason Alexander helped students compare the similarities and differences between 2 wines and then polled for guesses on which was the Old World wine and which was the New World wine. The class was pretty evenly split in their guesses, making this a very intriguing blind tasting.
Lively Finger Lakes Riesling was a fine match for a classic German Kabinett:
Hermann J. Wiemer Dry Riesling 2009 (Finger Lakes, NY) vs. Weingut Robert Weil Riesling Kabinett 2009 (Rheingau, Germany)
Elegant white Burgundy led the way for creamy California Chardonnay:
Olivier Leflaive Puligny Montrachet Les Folatières 1er Cru 2009 (Cote de Beaune, Burgundy) vs. Deovlet Soloman Hills Vineyard Santa Maria Valley Chardonnay 2009 (Santa Barbara, CA)
Delicate Pinots from Burgundy and Oregon stumped many:
Erath Estate Selection Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2008 (Oregon) vs. Domaine Jacques Prieur Beaune Champs-Pimont 1er Cru 2008 (Cote de Beaune, Burgundy)
Popular Argentine Malbec found its roots in Cahors, France:
Château du Cèdre Cahors 2007 (Cahors, Southwest France) vs. Norton Malbec Reserva 2007 (Mendoza, Argentina)
Cabernet-dominated Margaux confused the California Cab drinker:
Blason D’Issan Margaux 2007 (Bordeaux, France) vs. Meteor Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 (Napa Valley, CA)
Based on the guesses and the preferences, we were able to see who tended more towards New World wines and who prefers the classics.
Thanks to Jason for an educational and entertaining blind tasting and to all the students who attended – a lot of new people this week!
See you next time…
-Melanie Friedman