January | 2012 | The Naked Palate

Monthly Archives: January 2012

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Red, Tastings Image

Bath Time!

Is it just me, or does wine go with absolutely everything? I’m sure many people have come to this realization before me, but all of a sudden, it’s making so much sense.

I go out to dinner…wine.

I catch up with some friends…wine.

I have a bubble bath…wine.

Now, that last one was a little experiment I recently tried and it’s now my favourite thing in the whole world.

I am definitely a bath girl. I have a bath instead of a shower on most occasions and often get made fun of by many people for this. It’s like everyone I meet is a “shower person” (btw, that was said in a nasty tone…in my head). They look down on me when I say that I love to take baths more than any shower in the whole world. They think baths are yucky, but they don’t know anything.

When I take a bath I can dim the lights, relax, and escape the world for a little bit. There’s time to mull over all the thoughts in my head while surrounding myself with yummy smelling bath oils and bubbles.

And the other night it occurred to me, coincidentally in the bath, that I should be getting some quality wine time in at the same time. Alcohol and warm water? Yes, please!

So, I found a bottle that was given to us back in December and decided to give it a try.

This one was a red wine so I was a little nervous. So far, I’m ok with the white wines because they seem much sweeter to me, but I thought that I’ve got to start drinking red sometime.

Here’s my wine passport info:

Name: Jackson Triggs Unity

Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon

Vintage: It doesn’t say what year on the label

Producer: Still don’t know what this means

Where sampled: Bath tub

Date: January 27, 2012

Price: Free because it was a gift!

Comments:

Strong Flavour
Dry, I felt like my mouth puckered when I drank it
Nothing too memorable…tastes like red wine
I couldn’t finish the glass quickly…it took about 30 minutes for 2 ounces
Maybe this is better with food

So, as you can probably tell, I wasn’t too impressed with this wine. I’m still very unexperienced when it comes to tastings so maybe it’ll come with time, but right now…not so good.

On the other hand, the experience was wonderful. I absolutely LOVED drinking in the bath tub. I felt über sophisticated and had the feeling that this will become a regular occurrence.

Hmm…this blog may be turning me into an alcoholic.

Tagged Bubble bath, Jackson Triggs, tasting, wine

Food Pairings, Personal, Tastings, White Image

Some Wine, Please

O.M.G.

On Thursday night I strolled on over to a little burger joint I’ve been wanting to try. I went with two girls from work and we brought our BF’s (but only because we’re nice and we didn’t want them to feel super lonely without their girls around ) and it was incredible.

If you haven’t been, I highly recommend Romer’s Burger Bar in Kits. They’ve got an extensive burger menu and they’ll make yours anyway you like it which works really well for me because I can be a little bit of a picky eater sometimes. Only sometimes, though. *cough*

And you know the other cool part? They serve wine!! YAY!

Ta-da: Here’s my first wine tasting!

So, the six of us were sitting in a booth and chit-chatting away drooling over the menus at the same time. We placed our orders and I was all like, “Wait! I need to order some wine to go with my burger!!” I was very distressed over the fact that I had forgotten.

I then called the waitress over and asked for a wine list with my nose was raised in the air a little bit. There was a very sophisticated air around my question and I think everyone at the table noticed it. I know I would’ve if I was an observer.

So, she brought over the wine list and I started looking through the selections. Now, I ordered a turkey burger with lettuce wrapped around it instead of a bun (how very health conscious of me, right?) and I had an epiphany, “turkey should be paired with white wine!” I can’t believe I actually know something about wine, let alone a so-called rule. I’m sure that it doesn’t always apply, but I stuck with my gut and ordered a white wine. And not just any white wine, but the cheapest one on the menu.

It turned out to be a Mezzomondo Pinot Grigio Chardonnay blend and I don’t understand what any of those words mean. Ok, well maybe I kind of do a little. Pinot Grigio is one type of grape and chardonnay is another (God, I hope that’s right). This wine had them mixed together!

Now, for some info from my handy wine passport:

Name: Mezzomondo

Variety: Pinot Grigio/Chardonnay

http://www.everythingwine.ca/assets/images/products/large/16790_Mezzomondo-Grigio-Chardonnay.png

Mezzomondo Pinot Grigio Chardonnay

Vintage: 2010

Producer: ??? I’m having a hard time figuring out this one

Country/Region: Italy, Sicily

Where Sampled: Romer’s Burger Bar

Date: Jan. 19/2012

Price: $5.00/5 oz.

And here are my tasting notes:

Tastes good with the turkey burger
Very light and fruity; sweet
Smooth
No “yucky” taste or aftertaste
I was able to finish the whole glass without squirming or complaining

So, yes, I’m obviously not a wine connoisseur yet, but it’s a start. At least, I have my first wine tasting done! YAY!

Cheers to many more to come.

Tagged Chardonnay, Mezzomondo, Pinot Grigio, Romer's Burger Bar, tasting

Quotes Quote

So I found this quote when I was looking for some things to write about and it made me think for a moment.

“Wine improves with age. The older I get, the better I like it.” – Anonymous

This better be the truth cause I’m having a hard time liking all of the wines out there. I guess I just have to get older to appreciate them!

So True…I hope

Tagged wine quote

Labels, Wineries Image

Say it with Wine

Swanson Vineyard's Wine Labels

I came across these wine labels when I was looking for some blog ideas and it got me to thinking about all the crazy labels that are, most likely, somewhere out there. I think this is definitely a possible recurring topic that I’ll be posting.

Anyway, check out these labels from Swanson Vineyards. Not only are they hilarious, they’re truthful. My favourite is definitely the “please forgive me” label. All you guys out there — take a hint. I bet this would make your girls swoon. Wine and comedy?! It’s a perfect match.

Be sure to check out more labels here.

And I’m off for burgers tonight with friends and I’m thinking a wine pairing is in order! I’m so excited!

“What?!” you say, “A burger with wine??”

Well, there’s got to be a time for everything – I just hope it’s not totally disgusting.

Tagged funny, gift ideas, Swanson Vineyards, wine label

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Personal, Products

Wine Passport

In order to get my tastings under way, I’ve made a small purchase to guide me in what I’m “supposed” to be looking for when sipping wine. Actually, my boyfriend bought it for me — LOVE HIM!

It’s a little black book that holds the secret to wine tastings! Well, maybe not the secrets, but it should be very helpful. Anyway…It’s a wine passport!

This thing should have me speaking like an expert in no time, right?

Not only does it have handy categories for sorting the wine I try, it tells me what things I should be looking for. I mean, let’s face it – I really have no idea what I should be looking for.

The inside cover reads, “This handy journal will help you keep up with any wines you may have sampled along life’s byways. There are so many wines out there to enjoy, it can be hard to impossible to remember those you’ve tried and those you haven’t. Then there is the vintage, maker, price and other points which you can hardly keep just in your head. Take this journal along wherever you go and jot down the pertinent information that’ll help you recall particular wines. You’ll turn to this personal record over and over as your appreciation for wine grows.”

Ok, a few things…

First, what is a vintage? I’m assuming it has to do with how old the wine is? Let’s look it up…

I just Googled it and found a blog where someone says: “We know that the vintage indicates the year. Duh.” Duh? How is that a duh? I thought vintage had to do with being old-fashioned and incredibly lovely in an “I’m-so-old-I’m-awesome-again” way. You know, like Reese Witherspoon’s 2006 Oscar dress when she won for “Walk the Line.” It was vintage Dior. So, obviously it’s not really the same kind of vintage.

Also, how do people actually remember all of this stuff about the wines that they’ve tasted? I’m going to be carrying this around in my purse and taking it out on multiple occasions because, otherwise, I would have no frame of reference at all! I usually try a small glass of wine with meals and, even though I’m told the name, year and/or country it’s from, I forget just like that. This passport is not leaving my side.

So, when I start my tastings, this is the info that I will be writing down and reporting back (as listed in my wine passport):

Name
Variety
Vintage
Producer
Country/Region
Where Sampled
Date
Price
Red/white/sparkling/blush
Rating

This seems like a lot of gibberish to me, but I’m sure I’ll be speaking the lingo in no time. I’ll be all, “Ooh, this wine is so vintage-y and it has such a nice variety. I shall give it 3 stars out of a possible 5 stars. Mmm…it has a nice blush colour and is typical of its…region.”

Haha. That’s how wine connoisseurs talk, right?

Tagged tasting, vintage, wine passport

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Fun Facts, Personal, Products, Random

Resolution

So, the holiday season has come and gone along with quite a few tasty treats and bottles of wine.

I mean, is there anything better than the indulgence that Christmas and New Year’s bring every year?

Now that it’s over, though, I’ve come to the realization that I need to start writing about the wines that I’ve tried, the food I’ve had paired with the wines, and the interesting little facts that I’ve learned.Like, did you know that red wine can only be made from red grapes but, white wine can be made from both red and white grapes? Crazy, huh?

I did get some pretty awesome wine accessories for Christmas! Like this Metrokane Deluxe Rabbit Corkscrew along with a Menu Wine Breather Decanter. I’ve used the decanter once already, and although I didn’t really notice a taste difference after it was aerated (I’ll try to learn more about that later), it did provide a moment of entertainment for the guests that were visiting, as well as a lovely centrepiece at the dinner table.

So, with that, I’ve decided that this shall be my resolution: to stop procrastinating and start writing this blog. Wine seems to be all around me – I just can’t help it – it’s drawn to me or something and I’ve got to start writing about it!

You’ll hear from me soon…fingers crossed

Tagged blog, christmas, resolution, wine

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