Fall Wine Festival 2004http://norman.walsh.name/2004/11/09/fallWineFestival71972004-11-09T07:07:40-08:00$Date$NormanWalsh2004Norman WalshNotes from a fall wine mega-tasting. Amherst Wines & Spirits'
Fall Wine Festival is always delightful.HenryAldrichIf all be true that I do think, there are five reasons we should
drink: Good wine—a friend—or being dry—or lest we should be
by and by—or any other reason why.
Find a good wine merchant. There. If there's any good advice
in this whole sprawling collection of essays, that's probably it.We are lucky enough to have found a truly excellent one,
StephenFreedman who owns and runs
Amherst Wines & Spirits.
That warm, inviting space is stuffed full of fabulous wines. There's
something suitable for any occasion and any budget nestled on those wooden
shelves, and Steve will point you unerringly to it.Every Saturday afternoon, there's a tasting of something yummy
in the store and once a year, Steve lays out a stunning collection of
wines for a fall tasting. I think an experienced person, with a well
tuned palette and a determination to spit might just be able to taste
them all. We have neither that much experience, nor that much
determination. So it's important to pick and choose. Something that
becomes more difficult the more picking and choosing you've done, of
course.Here's the first, scribbled page of our notes:A little explanation is in order, especially for the big “X”
through the Italian reds. Before some of our Tuscan-loving friends
disown us, I'll explain that we decided we had a pretty good feel for
Italian reds and that, only because we couldn't
taste everything, we'd skip them this year. Similarly, some of the
other things that are crossed out are things that we recognized and
felt we could skip.
Some, I admit, are things we didn't like, but that's a question
of personal taste.What was the best, you ask? That's tough, there are a bunch of
things we're going to pick up. Yes, that's evading the question, I know
that. Ok. I won't try to speak for Deb, but my picks would be the
Ogerou Anjou Blanc for a white and the
Honig Cabernet Sauvignon for a red. (Hmm…the
notes I brought with me don't include the vintages, I'll try to
remember to add those when I get back home.)I'm not sure though. I think I'm going to have to taste them again.
And that Morgan Chardonnay too. And maybe the
Rosenblum Zinfandel. And I'm always a sucker
for a Côtes-du-Rhône, maybe the Beauchene
or the Brunel. And…