Wineology Summer Class Round Up!

It's August already!! Where has the summer gone? On the Wine Side, we wrapped up the Wednesday night Wineology classes last week with a very fun blind tasting that surprised, challenged, and delighted everyone. It was especially interesting to blind taste, side by side, a California v. an Oregon Pinot Noir, and then a $30 Napa Cabernet Sauvignon v. a $13 Napa Cab. We will definitely be doing more blind tastings when classes resume in September and October. 

The focus in June and July was on wines that pair especially well with summer. We tasted a range of crisp, dry whites; juicy, lighter reds; some sparklers; and of course, some sangrias. Stand-outs included:

2023 Octopoda Sauvignon Blanc. From its cool label to its zingy and refreshing notes of lemon, tangerine, orange blossom and even some pineapple, this wine tastes good and looks good at any picnic.

2023 Pranovo Roero Arneis. This was a first-time tasting for all of us of this ancient white grape (Arneis) native to Piedmont in Italy. The grape was nearly extinct because it's tricky to grow. Arneis translates to "little rascal" in the Piedmontese dialect. Thank goodness it's back, because it's a lovely medium-bodied, dry, aromatic white with moderate acidity and notes of almond and peach. Delicious to simply sip, it's also fabulous with fish or chicken or cheeses.

Faeno Vinho Verdes. There are two of these low-alcohol (10%), slightly sparkly Portuguese wines in the store - a white and a rose. We tried them both, and agreed that while the white was very good, the rose was extra-special in the way that a good rose can be. It brings all the snap of a white with a beautiful red fruit note. These wines are currently Triple Point wines too, so stock up!

2021 Gearbox Pinot Noir. Pinot Noirs are great red wines for warmer weather, as they are lighter-bodied and typically more fruit-forward than a heavier Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine, made with fruit from cool-climate vineyards in California, fit the bill. It earned 90 points from Wine Enthusiast, whose reviewer found notes of blueberries, dried roses, cranberry-pomegranate, and cracked black pepper intertwined with maple, juicy blood orange, and with a dry finish. A "wow" wine.

A couple of surprises were the Lakeland Blood Orange Sangria from the New York State producer based in Syracuse. Lakeland crafts some unusual fruit wines, including a Coconut Yuzu that I'm surprisingly fond of. The Blood Orange Sangria has flavors of blood orange, peach, and green apple. It's very fruity and not so sweet, making it quite tasty served over cold or over ice. The other surprise was the NaCriLa Lambrusco from Italy. Another low-alcohol wine (8%) with a gentle effervescence and a not-too-sweet but very tasty palate of blackberry, cherry, and violets. This one is great served chilled and paired with any kind of fresh fruit tart or pie.