Tag Archives: Syrah

TWS 2022 Hallowine Roundup!

“I don’t mind being locked in here, but at least leave me a corkscrew.”

– Natalie MacLean

In her book, Red, White and Drunk All Over, Canadian wine writer Natalie MacLean was referencing Edgar Allan Poe’s short story, The Cask of Amontillado. Essentially, it’s about a guy who gets fed up with a rival always insulting him so he creates a ruse to trap him, literally, in a catacombs cellar in search of a good glass of wine. I can see why the rival might fall for it. But this is a cautionary tale: never go on a drunken hunt for wine, especially if it leads you to a dank, musty, skull-filled cellar, lest you be shackled and bricked into a room. You’ll need more than a corkscrew, my friend.

And so, with the midnight hour close at hand, join me, as we descend into… the catacombs.

I know I left a great vintage down there, somewhere.

Check out the video for some Halloween fun!👇👻

💀2020 Pessimist by Daou Red Blend –

Judging by most of Poe’s writings, he seemed to be an eternal pessimist so this is choice is apropos.

A haunting blend of 62% Petit Sirah, 18% Zinfandel, 17% Syrah and 3% Lagrien.

🍇Tasting notes – Hints of black cherry on the nose, deep blood red in color, it tasted of ripe, smoldering fruit compote – rich blueberry, dark raspberry and blackberry. Whispers of spice lingered like an apparition, then evaporated on the finish. When paired with a creamy Brie, the fruity, jammy vibe was coaxed out. With cheddar, the jammyness gave way to a more subdued vibe. It had a rich mouthfeel with substantial legs. 15.2% alc.

$30.00💰💰

Rattling the bones here’s:

💀2020 Chronic Cellars Purple Paradise Red Blend –

Simple, tasty and bewitching, and, though similar, this blend turns the tables on the Pessimist with 70% Zinfandel, 16% Petit Sirah, 10% Syrah and 4% Grenache.

🍇Tasting Notes: Rich, creamy flavors of mocha chocolate, stewed blueberry and raspberry, with hushed whispers of leather, and smoked dark cocoa on the nose. Paired with a simple dish of pasta, olive oil, fresh parmesan and basil, the flavors settled in to a more savory, less fruit forward vibe. The color was deep purple burgundy, and mouthfeel wasn’t quite as full as the Pessimist – it had skeleton legs on the glass. 14.8% alc

$16.99💰

It’s interesting that these two wines, both Paso Robles, both similar in character and flavors, can have subtle, tasty differences.

Both wines had such beautiful, deep purply-red color that I know my teeth are purple.

So…

What is the difference between Petit Sirah and Syrah? According to Wine Spectator’s Dr. Vinny, Petit Sirah and Syrah (Shiraz) are two different types of grapes. Petit grapes are smaller in size than Syrah, and have a more dense skin-to-pulp ratio. This makes their color dark like ink, rich in flavor, and more tannic than Syrah. Small is mighty.

In this haunting season, please tread carefully. Beware the late night drunken scavenger hunt for the elusive vintage. And if anyone mentions a cask of Amontillado, run!

Have fun, be safe!🍷🎃

Happy Halloween!💀

©️Copyright. 2022 The Wine Student.

What We Drink in the Shadows – 3 Wines to Sink Your Teeth Into for Halloween

Daylight is beginning an early decline, the shadows getting longer. A chilling breeze causes the leaves outside to rustle, and your candle to flicker and then blow out. You hear a scratching at the window…

Don’t be frightened…it’s just me with my annual Halloween wine round up! 🎃🍷

If you know your vampire lore, you have to invite me in.🧛🏻‍♀️

But first, click the video below for more fun!👇

This year, we’ll become familiar with three. And since I never play favorites, here they are in no particular order:

🎃Banshee – 2018 Pinot Noir – Sonoma County With a cooler than usual start to their growing season, and moderate temperatures throughout the summer, the fruit yielded an offering with intense flavors and optimal acidity. This wine was then left to its slumber for 9 months in new French oak casks.

Shhhh…. don’t wake the master!

•Flavor profile: sweet | tart mix of bright cherry, raspberry, tea and vanilla.

•Aromas: pomegranate, tart cherry, earthy pine.

•Pairs well with: turkey sausages, wild mushroom risotto, grilled lobster, grilled asparagus.

•Price Point: $19.99

🎃Sixth Sense – 2018 Syrah – Lodi, CA

Awaken your senses with this lush warm – climate Syrah. From Michael David Winery (they make a wonderful Petit Petit), this is darker than Cabernet Sauv with lots of antioxidants and lends well to aging (the wine, not you). It will come out of the botttle with a big, bold bite at the start that gently settles into a gentle warming spice on the finish.

So how can you tell if your wine is a warm climate or cool climate offering? Let your sixth sense guide you (or just check the alcohol level on the label). Warmer regions have alcohol levels of more than 14%+, cooler regions less than 14%. This wine checks in at 15%.

• Flavor Profile: rich raspberry, plum, coffee bean, tobacco, black olive.

•Aromas: blackberry, boysenberry, fig, dark chocolate & allspice.

•Pairs well with: grilled or roasted lighter meats – especially pork spare ribs, tender chicken thighs, anything with a little fattiness to rip into the high tannins; fragrant, softer cheeses with lavender, fennel or thyme.

•Price Point: $15.99

👻Halloween fun trick: say, “Sixth Sense Syrah” 5x, as fast as you can after drinking a full glass. And please video it and upload to the comments if you dare! Lol

🎃Carnivor – 2019 Zinfandel – Lodi, CA

Sink your teeth into this cozy throuple of Zinfandel | Cab Sauv | Merlot, aged in American and French oak. It summons the dark arts of flavor. Lodi’s climate is more like the Mediterranean; warm days and cool nights to grow intense, ripe grapes with wonderful structure and style. Flavors meld together to hit you like a stake through the heart.

•Flavor profile: blackberry, dark cherry, mocha, toasted oak, whisper of smooth caramel.

•Aromas: spice and pepper with a little bite of jammy berry.

•Pairs well with: Any good cut of red meat, BBQ beef kabobs, beef tenderloin; cheeses such as aged Gruyere, Havarti, Parmesan and Gorgonzola.

It says right on the label that meat was made for this wine so choose anything juicy and red from the meat counter and feel free to char broil. The smokier the better as it will pair beautifully with the robust spiciness of this wine.

•Price Point: $11.99

So now you have a few treats to get you going this Halloween season. Whether you’re doing a little socializing or staying in your catacombs with a good scary movie, cheers!🍷🧡

Stay well, stay safe and Happy Halloween!🎃

©️Copyright TheWineStudent, 2021

Just Another Malbec Monday! 🍷

It’s the start of the week and a little motivation is needed. So I’ve added a new feature to The Wine Student: Malbec Mondays. It’s my way to help you ease back into that work week.

For this inaugural post, I chose a 2013 Elqui Wines Malbec blend. While Argentina is most noted  for its beautiful Malbec, the Elqui Valley in Chile produces  wonderful offerings that are fruit forward, earthy,  while retaining a pleasing silky mouthfeel. With 52% Syrah, and 37% Carménère and 11% Malbec this wine is a multi-faceted intro to some intriguing Chilean wine. It pairs well with sweet, spicy and barbeque dishes. Not a bad way to begin a week, eh?

So you may not be stoked by having to be back to work. That’s ok. The real fun can begin when you sign out for the day, get home and slip into something more comfortable.

And after a few sips, you’ll be glad it’s just another Malbec Monday. 😉

Cheers!

©TheWineStudent, 2017

Cold Day, Warm Côte

Katie's Côte on a cold winter's night

Katie's Côte on a cold winter's night

It’s been a while since my last post and I have a really good reason: I wanted to finish my spotlight on Icewine with some fabulous pictures of the Icewine Festival here in the Cleve. Old ManWinter has a wicked sense of humor, and blasted us with some nasty weather that made it too treacherous to venture out.

My sister was visiting from Canada and I wanted to share a special wine for her last night here. Not to let a little thing like a winter storm dampen our fun,we decided to end the blustery day enjoying a lovely glow in the fireplace and a bottle of 07 Amador Foothill Katie’s Côte, the lovely Côte du Rhone I enjoyed while I was in Napa. This is a blend of 52% Syrah, 48% Grenache and we found it to be a beautifully complex mixture of berry, spice and plum with a delectable buttery finish. And while it’s a terrific stand alone wine, we paired it with a selection of Belgian chocolates and George Clooney: we watched “The Ides of March” on the dish.

I loved spending time with my sister. I wished we could have gone to the ice wine tasting but  it was great to have a girls night in. The next ice wine event in the Cleve will be in early March and if the weather cooperates, I’ll be there. Why let a little thing like a snow storm ruin a good glass of wine?

Cheers!