Bridge City Tasters

Photos from Meeting Two

noreply@blogger.com (Hemant J. Naidu) — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 04:47:00 +0000

I just wanted to post some photos from the 2nd BCT meeting. You can view the slideshow here. We had eight people attend the meeting and everything went well. We did tend to get sidetracked now and then from what we were trying to accomplish, that is, the differentiating of South African reds, but the club is young, and we're still finding our groove.

Meeting Update

noreply@blogger.com (Hemant J. Naidu) — Sat, 27 Jan 2007 23:13:00 +0000

Slight change to the agenda. We went to pick up the wine for tonight's tasting, but the liquor store only had the Chardonay from the Kumala vineyard. So keeping with the South African reds them we have switched to the Golden Kaan winery.

Merlot
Cabernet Sauvignon
Shiraz

Even though South Africa belongs to the New World Wine segment, one should consider the history of this country as a wine producer. As early as the 1700's wine has been grown and cultivated in South Africa. The first Wine Estate, the legendary Groot Constantia, was founded in 1685 and is still in existence today.
Worldwide South African wines have gained respect and popularity due to style and elegance. Wine connoisseurs comment about South Africa's ability to produce premium wines, which is further reinforced by the increasing export from South Africa.

You can read more about Golden Kaan wines here.

January BCT Meeting

noreply@blogger.com (Hemant J. Naidu) — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 20:30:00 +0000

January meeting of the Bridge City Tasters. Please refer to the details below:

Date: Saturday, January 27th, 2007
Time: 9:30 pm
Location: #46 135 Pawlychenko Lane, Saskatoon, SK

The agenda for this meeting is :

Differentiating between South African reds. Wines include:
Kumala Merlot
Kumala Cabernet Sauvignon
Kumala Shiraz
A casual South African wine to entice your sense of discovery and adventure, Kumala Wines features four varietals that offer something different from other New World wine regions. An upfront Chardonnay, a classic Cabernet, a rich Merlot, a fruit-forward Shiraz, and a refreshing Sauvignon Blanc are grown from the ground up in the Western Cape of South Africa.
You can read more about Kumala Wines here.

Wine Basics

noreply@blogger.com (Hemant J. Naidu) — Sun, 17 Sep 2006 20:56:00 +0000

Vintages recently posted a "step-by-step guide on how to taste like a pro and get the most out of wine." Take a moment to read through it and learn about the 5 S's.

See: Colour tells you a lot about wine. White wines tend to deepen in colour from yellow to golden as they get older while red wines tend to change from purple to red to brick/orange with age. Lighter wines, white or red, are paler in appearance. Heavier, fuller bodied reds tend to be dark and opaque.

Swirl: Swirling aerates the wine thus releasing aromas for you to smell. Hold the glass by the stem and swirl in small circular motions, then smell. Hint: pour only about an ounce or two (30-45 mL) into your glass to make swirling easier.

Smell: Your nose is a powerful instrument. You can distinguish thousands of different scents with it.Wine aromas can remind you of scents you’ve encountered in the past, such as: fruits, spices, leather, earth and other organic matter. Your nose can also detect ‘off ’ aromas. If a wine smells like a damp basement, vinegar, or rotten eggs, send it back.

Slurp: Unlike the nose, the mouth can perceive only four tastes: sweet, sour, bitter and salty. Sweetness represents sugar, or lack of it, in finished wines; sourness indicates acidity levels; bitterness helps you identify tannin (that ‘teabag’ feel you get in your mouth from some red wines); and saltiness, that is rarely found in wine. You may notice some wine connoisseurs making slurping noises when they taste. It is just more aerating.Try this: take a small amount of wine into your mouth; slowly suck in a focused stream of air through your teeth over the wine. Voila! The air helps the wine come alive in the mouth helping you identify the four tastes.

Savour: Savour the lingering flavours of the wine after you have swallowed. Notice how long they last – better quality wines have a longer, more flavourful finish.Tannins will also be especially noticeable here.

Originally posted on Vintages.com.

First Meeting Scheduled

noreply@blogger.com (Hemant J. Naidu) — Sat, 16 Sep 2006 22:17:00 +0000

Bridge City Tasters' first meeting has been scheduled. Please refer to the details below:

Date: Saturday, September 30th
Time: 8:00 pm
Location: #46 135 Pawlychenko Lane, Saskatoon, SK

The agenda for this meeting is :

Differentiating between California reds. Wines include:
Fetzer Merlot
Fetzer Cabernet Sauvignon
Fetzer Zinfandel
You can read more about Fetzer Vineyards here.