Wine Club Presidents drink two wines, spend no money
Jon Adler and Healy Jones, WG'07
Issue date: 9/25/06 Section: Perspectives
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Healy Jones:
Payback is a bitch, except when it's your friend getting you back for buying them a cheesesteak by buying you a bottle of wine. Only an Australian would repay a five dollar cheesesteak with a nice bottle of wine. Thanks Paul Flegler!
Logic goes all backwards Down Under, if you know what I mean. Paul would also like to point out that, contrary to the full page advertisement run by Accenture on the third page of last week's Wharton Journal, he has never actually worked for Accenture, although he appreciates the endorsement. Maybe it's just because he's a tiger. He also wants to know if he can come back and which offices are interested in him. Also, do they have tuition reimbursement?
To shift to topics more serious than getting a job, let me talk about wines that are great date wines. I may be engaged, but Jon is available. On the off chance Jon actually meets a bird who wants to share a bottle of wine with him, we decided to drink a wine women typically like so he'd be prepared.
I realize it's pretty unlikely Jon will ever talk to a girl, let alone convince one to share any type of fluid with him, but let's pretend and drink a Sauvignon Blanc, a common female favorite. Crisp, smooth, yet slightly acidic. (These same adjectives are often used to describe Jon...) And now to talk about the wine...
Tohu Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough New Zealand, 2004
www.tohuwines.co.nz
(Cost: About $12, Availability: Available from Chestnut St wine store)
As we told you last week, Sauvignon Blanc's traditional home is the Loire Valley in France, but in recent years New Zealand's Marlborough region has claimed the variety as its own.
Indeed, one wine critic has famously said that drinking one's first New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc was "like having sex for the first time".
The wine has a pale straw hue, indicating its youth (Sauvignon Blanc is not for cellaring), and puts off a whiff of alcohol, indicating at least a medium body. Michelle perceived tropical fruits on the nose, while Healy detected notes of cut flowers.
On the palate (i.e. actual tasting), Jon immediately noticed NZ Sauvignon Blanc's typical "cat's piss under a gooseberry bush" flavor - which apparently he didn't mean as a criticism.
Gooseberry is a "hairy berry", said Jon cryptically, when I asked him to explain this memorable evocation of Sauvignon Blanc's distinctive taste. Jon also got some snow peas and capsicum flavor out of the wine, which confused the hell out of me until Paul translated capsicum into normal English: capsicum is green pepper, which is definitely noticeable. The wine's texture was smooth, with a lingering aftertaste that coated the mouth.
So, for those of you who remain chaste, I can tell you that it's time to lose your virginity. The Tohu Sauvignon Blanc, while not reaching the stratospheric heights of, say, Cloudy Bay, is a gold medal winner and has been well rated by wine writers - deservedly, as we enjoyed it and feel that it represents good drinking at excellent value.
Jon Adler:
Thanks for those kind words, Healy...Our other wine this week was a gift (along with Tim Tams) that I received out of the blue from my parents, who were recently in town.
Thorne Clarke, Shotfire Ridge Barossa Quartage, 2004
www.thornclarkewines.com.au/home/
(Cost: About A$20 (US$15). Availability: Wine Spectator states that thousands of cases of this wine were exported to the US, so you might be able to find it in nice restaurants).
Thorn Clarke is a long-established grape grower in Australia's Barossa Valley that has only in recent years begun bottling wine under its own labels. The Barossa is about 50km north of Adelaide, and is perhaps the Australian wine region most known to Americans due to Robert Parker's almost-frightening enthusiasm for its robust shirazes (or syrahs). However, the Barossa produces many other fine reds, including this blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot (hence the name Barossa Quartage).
According to Healy, many American consumers shy away from blends, which we feel is a big mistake! Some of the greatest of all French wines are blends, such as the famous reds of Bordeaux (Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot, and often also including Cabernet Franc, Malbec and / or Petit Verdot), and in Australia the classic Rhone blend of Grenache, Shiraz and Mouvedre is increasingly well regarded. Furthermore, blends often represent great value, especially on wine lists at restaurants.
The first thing we noticed about the Barossa Quartage was its deep purple color, indicating its youth, with an aroma of blackcurrants.
Upon drinking, Michelle immediately tasted black cherries, Healy noticed subtle chocolate flavours and I detected blackberries, tobacco and leather, like an old cricket ball, though that might instead have been the stench of Healy's bondage gear as we were drinking in his and Michelle's apartment.
The tannins were strong, yet not overpowering due to the softness of the merlot, yielding a velvety texture, and unlike with Healy there was no sign of either flabbiness or taint.
The one reservation that we have is that this wine is clearly too young - not that this has been a problem for Healy in the past. We almost felt a bit guilty drinking this wine so early in its life, much like your dodgy second year mate (you know who you are) who is "dating" an undergrad and goes to Smokes every week.
Best drinking is likely around 2015-17, though better too early than too late. The wine also definitely needs food: I recommend kangaroo or aged venison, while Healy recommends lamb for those of you who left your shotgun at home.
That's it for this week. Thanks to members who attended the Wine Club social, and we encourage everyone to go out and try some wine. Remember: the best bottle is the next one...In vino veritas! -Healy and Jon
Payback is a bitch, except when it's your friend getting you back for buying them a cheesesteak by buying you a bottle of wine. Only an Australian would repay a five dollar cheesesteak with a nice bottle of wine. Thanks Paul Flegler!
Logic goes all backwards Down Under, if you know what I mean. Paul would also like to point out that, contrary to the full page advertisement run by Accenture on the third page of last week's Wharton Journal, he has never actually worked for Accenture, although he appreciates the endorsement. Maybe it's just because he's a tiger. He also wants to know if he can come back and which offices are interested in him. Also, do they have tuition reimbursement?
To shift to topics more serious than getting a job, let me talk about wines that are great date wines. I may be engaged, but Jon is available. On the off chance Jon actually meets a bird who wants to share a bottle of wine with him, we decided to drink a wine women typically like so he'd be prepared.
I realize it's pretty unlikely Jon will ever talk to a girl, let alone convince one to share any type of fluid with him, but let's pretend and drink a Sauvignon Blanc, a common female favorite. Crisp, smooth, yet slightly acidic. (These same adjectives are often used to describe Jon...) And now to talk about the wine...
Tohu Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough New Zealand, 2004
www.tohuwines.co.nz
(Cost: About $12, Availability: Available from Chestnut St wine store)
As we told you last week, Sauvignon Blanc's traditional home is the Loire Valley in France, but in recent years New Zealand's Marlborough region has claimed the variety as its own.
Indeed, one wine critic has famously said that drinking one's first New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc was "like having sex for the first time".
The wine has a pale straw hue, indicating its youth (Sauvignon Blanc is not for cellaring), and puts off a whiff of alcohol, indicating at least a medium body. Michelle perceived tropical fruits on the nose, while Healy detected notes of cut flowers.
On the palate (i.e. actual tasting), Jon immediately noticed NZ Sauvignon Blanc's typical "cat's piss under a gooseberry bush" flavor - which apparently he didn't mean as a criticism.
Gooseberry is a "hairy berry", said Jon cryptically, when I asked him to explain this memorable evocation of Sauvignon Blanc's distinctive taste. Jon also got some snow peas and capsicum flavor out of the wine, which confused the hell out of me until Paul translated capsicum into normal English: capsicum is green pepper, which is definitely noticeable. The wine's texture was smooth, with a lingering aftertaste that coated the mouth.
So, for those of you who remain chaste, I can tell you that it's time to lose your virginity. The Tohu Sauvignon Blanc, while not reaching the stratospheric heights of, say, Cloudy Bay, is a gold medal winner and has been well rated by wine writers - deservedly, as we enjoyed it and feel that it represents good drinking at excellent value.
Jon Adler:
Thanks for those kind words, Healy...Our other wine this week was a gift (along with Tim Tams) that I received out of the blue from my parents, who were recently in town.
Thorne Clarke, Shotfire Ridge Barossa Quartage, 2004
www.thornclarkewines.com.au/home/
(Cost: About A$20 (US$15). Availability: Wine Spectator states that thousands of cases of this wine were exported to the US, so you might be able to find it in nice restaurants).
Thorn Clarke is a long-established grape grower in Australia's Barossa Valley that has only in recent years begun bottling wine under its own labels. The Barossa is about 50km north of Adelaide, and is perhaps the Australian wine region most known to Americans due to Robert Parker's almost-frightening enthusiasm for its robust shirazes (or syrahs). However, the Barossa produces many other fine reds, including this blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot (hence the name Barossa Quartage).
According to Healy, many American consumers shy away from blends, which we feel is a big mistake! Some of the greatest of all French wines are blends, such as the famous reds of Bordeaux (Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot, and often also including Cabernet Franc, Malbec and / or Petit Verdot), and in Australia the classic Rhone blend of Grenache, Shiraz and Mouvedre is increasingly well regarded. Furthermore, blends often represent great value, especially on wine lists at restaurants.
The first thing we noticed about the Barossa Quartage was its deep purple color, indicating its youth, with an aroma of blackcurrants.
Upon drinking, Michelle immediately tasted black cherries, Healy noticed subtle chocolate flavours and I detected blackberries, tobacco and leather, like an old cricket ball, though that might instead have been the stench of Healy's bondage gear as we were drinking in his and Michelle's apartment.
The tannins were strong, yet not overpowering due to the softness of the merlot, yielding a velvety texture, and unlike with Healy there was no sign of either flabbiness or taint.
The one reservation that we have is that this wine is clearly too young - not that this has been a problem for Healy in the past. We almost felt a bit guilty drinking this wine so early in its life, much like your dodgy second year mate (you know who you are) who is "dating" an undergrad and goes to Smokes every week.
Best drinking is likely around 2015-17, though better too early than too late. The wine also definitely needs food: I recommend kangaroo or aged venison, while Healy recommends lamb for those of you who left your shotgun at home.
That's it for this week. Thanks to members who attended the Wine Club social, and we encourage everyone to go out and try some wine. Remember: the best bottle is the next one...In vino veritas! -Healy and Jon
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