Summer afternoon tastings that morph into evening wine campaigns is what the hottest season is all about. Strategy, tactics and logistical controls are so very important especially when conditions are harsh as in really really H-O-T. And when the tasting theme, suggested by the regent Mouse is Riesling served cold, temperature management is vital. As the outside thermometer burns through 100 degrees the glasses get warm just sitting around. The treatment? Cold conditioning for stemware which means rinse the glass in ice water before each new pour. Wine buckets no more than a quick reach away replenished with ice throughout the day. But what about the taster? Keep a swimming pool nearby, wear trunks or a discrete one-piece and dip every 30 minutes. Throw a towel over the chair and return to the table. Assemble a crack team with the inevitable hangers-on. Tactics include having the requisite plonk for the lumpen. To summarize…keep cool and moist, stratify wine selections, and ensure the tasting cadre are kept refreshed.
This tasting proved to be especially interesting.
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[St Chinian valley in the Languedoc] I know I am building traction here at tBoW because fellow wine snawbs are starting to submit their own thoughts on wine. Witness the Mouse, aka the King. He has sent several comments which I am collecting into his first blog entry. Welcome to the Web 2.0, your lordship!
Mouse is a SoCal local who lives back East where he finds stuff we just do not see out here. Even California wines. He has developed his palate to appreciate just about any wine from anywhere WHICH IS A GOOD THING. He subscribes to the U20 principle and, darn it, people think he is capable of telling a good story. Like the Large he is mildly inventive and has, to no surprise, developed his own rodent rating system. Thankfully, this eponymous system gets right to the point without resorting to a 100 point scale. You have read the Large, now read the Mouse. I have begged him to move to Paso Robles so that I will have a place to stay for free (and someone to drink wine with) when I visit. So I guess getting him on the tBoW blog represents progress! (more…)