Wine Class

British Boy and I take wine classes from YR, a certified wine educator in Altadena from time to time. YR is a few years younger than God and has a fabulously eclectic house and an amazing cellar. She also can beat any story you have. *promise*

This was a one-off class, not part of a series. The friend who set it up basically did it with threats so we were cajoled into it.

First we did a "Components of Wine" where YR had pre-mixed certain elements you'd discover in wine with cheap jug wine. Then we tasted *most* of them before guessing. The 8 components we discovered were: Vinegar, Sugar, Tartaric Acid, Sulfer, Vodka (alcohol), Water, Glycerin, Tannin. It really was interesting how it changes the wine and if we could guess the right element.

We then concentrated on California wines for our tasting. Here are my notes:

WHITES:
1. 2004 Jewel Sauvignon Blanc from North Coast, CA. This wine had turned. YUCK. Learned most whites should be drunk within 3-5 years and this one definitely was past it's prime.

2. 2007 Hahn SLH Pinot Gris from Santa Lucia Highlands. This was yummy and a good food wine. Will need to remember it when needing to buy a white.

REDS:
3. 1993 Cakebread Cellars Rubiat Red Table Wine. Lots of sediment in this wine, which was a syrah and pinot noir blend from Napa. Wasn't my favorite.

4. 2000 Jory Syrah from Paso Robles. Only 22 barrels were made and it was nice.

5. 2001 Flora Springs Napa "Trilogy". This wine was a "meritage", a blend of Bordeaux wines. VERY YUMMY!

6. 2006 Copen Kin Winery "Josephine" - This had 62% Grenache Grapes and 38% Syrah. It was very smooth and yummy. It also seemed a bit young - I'd buy and put it on the shelf for awhile.

7. 2003 Morro Bay Merlot. This was a very enjoyable wine that we did a blind testing of. I was very proud to be the only one to guess "merlot". Great note - Whole Foods sells it for $5.99. BUY IT!

8. 2007 Trace Winery Merlot from Nice, CA. This was ok.

9. 2004 Fife L'Attitude done in the Rhone style from Mendocino, CA. It was pretty good.

10. 2000 Zinfandel that I don't remember a lot of and my notes don't really make sense...

Here's a couple photos of the cellar taken before class started: