Good Morning!

I love football and I am originally from the Midwest so I grew up with a dad who liked the Bears and as a kid a new grocery store was opening and they brought in Dick Butkus and we even stood in line to get his autograph. My dad was not as much a sports fan as most guys are today, but he would watch the Bears if they were playing, so I always have a soft spot for them.

The Colts moved from Baltimore to Indianapolis in the middle of the night and we built a big, fantastic stadium and I started following them. My company had seats in the first row in the end zone and right where the players would run out of the tunnel and it was always great to take clients to the game because you were so close to the players.

So far this blog has ZERO to do with wine….but when I started going to the games, you could not get decent wine then so we always tailgated and I brought the wine for the pregame fun. So, since my beloved Colts were beat by the Jets early this year, all I could focus on was what wine and game food would I be serving? Pizza is always my go to food for anything. I will make it on the grill, in the oven, with anything and everything on it. But my all time favorite is mozzarella cheese, basil, Roma tomatoes, garlic and sauce. I make my own dough and keep it simple but it always turns out perfect.

I opened a bottle of Flora Springs Trilogy 2005, it is a blend of three grapes and it is a very rich, velvety and lush wine. For some reason that has to do with acid and texture this wine always works with tomato based sauces. I love this wine alone too! I try not to do straight out plugs for certain wines but this one is worth looking for! (Get your grill out, steak or lamb and have this wine with it…it will rock your world).

I was having pals over so I also made a “white” pizza. It does not have typical tomato sauce but it has gorgonzola cheese, carmalized onions,chicken, pecans, and all kinds of herbs… it is rich, savory and my peeps ate it up! I had picked up a wonderful wine to go with it and I knew that wine had to have some acid in it to cut the creaminess and richness of the cheese. I picked up some Albarino from Rias Baixas, Spain by Paco & Lola. This wine is crisp, quick to finish and great acidity so anytime I am looking for something to “brighten and lighten” up a food that alone can have a thickness or “weightiness” in mouthfeel, I grab Albarino. It is really easy to find these days and not expensive about $10-14 a bottle.
It almost has a tart apple thing going on and it is easy to drink, moderate amount of alcohol too, so if you are looking for a wine to enjoy by the pool or in the summer….check it out?

Next year I hope the Colts will be playing in the Superbowl and since the game will take place in Indianapolis, I will start saving my pennies so I can pay a fortune for a ticket to watch my favorite team in their own stadium!

Much LOVE and wine,
Tammi

I am in the end zone of the Cowboys new stadium!

Good Morning!

Last night a friend said they had never been to a wine tasting, a real wine tasting. The kind of wine tasting where there are buckets and lots of different wines. I ask, why not? They responded, it is too confusing and I just don’t know what to do. I said “well, it is kinda like your first french kiss”, you have no idea what to do, but you want to try it, you know each one is going to be different, some will be WAY better and some will be LAME.

He and I laughed for a bit. But then I thought how sad, here is a great guy who wants to experience wine tasting but he is intimidated, so I thought I would pass on what I have learned.

There are several kinds of tastings, like at a friends house, everyone brings a bottle, sometimes they leave the bottles in a bag and you then “blind” taste. Which can be great fun without the pretentiousness. There are tastings where you might taste all the same grape variety but from different winemakers, that is called a vertical tasting (Think of ZAP the Zinfandel event held every year in January at Fort Mason in San Francisco, only Zinfandel is tasted). There are regional based tastings, everyone brings a bottle of a wine from Finger Lakes area producers.

Then there are the tastings my friend was talking about. The kind with 100’s and 1000’s of different wines from all over the world and even local producers. These wine tastings are excellent, but you have to have a strategic plan or you will have a numb mouth, you will be hammered and at some point you will buy wine from a great salesman and weeks later when you open a bottle, you might question if you really like it….I am speaking from experience.

One of my favorite large scale wine tasting events happens every May in Indianapolis, IN called the Wine Cornicopia. It is a massive fundraiser and the tickets where about $65-150 bucks. The higher priced ticket gets you in the VIP tasting areas where you will sample some high end wines like Quintessa and Opus One. Like I said it is a fundraiser so it is not filled with total wine geeks but since it is pricey you will not get the walk in folks who are just looking for some free hooch. (Like you might if there was a wine tasting at the liquor store on Saturday afternoon).

OK, so you buy your ticket and you are waiting for the doors to open, here is what you will want to remember. They will give you a glass, it will be etched with the event logo on it, or normally is. Then they will give you a list of the wineries and where they will be located.

Things to remember each table will have several wines ranging from dry to sweet and sometimes some sparklings or ports too. I scan my list to see if there are some winemakers I have wanted to try first. I make a straight line to his table right outta the gate. I am not a “sweet” wine drinker…but remember my number 1 rule, TRUST YOUR PALETTE! So I start with wines I have wanted to try first. You hold your glass out and the host will ask which wine you want to try, if you know what you want, ask for it, if you are not sure all you have to do is say, I have heard about our wines, and I really would like to try something….then you name what you like, red, dry, light, sweet…the folks on the other side of the table will pass no judgment, they do not care what you try, they will answer any question, they knows these wines inside out.

If you wanted to ask questions, like is this wine 100% Chardonnay or is it a blend? If you ask, was this wine fermented in barrels or in stainless steel? They will know all about it. They have 3 goals for the night, introduce you to their wines, get you to try them (so they do not have to carry them back out of the exhibit hall) and of course maybe not that night but at some point in the future they want to sell you some of their wine.

So you had a sip of the first wine, if was ok, but now it is time for the second wine. DO NOT CHUG THE LAST OF THE FIRST WINE. Rookie mistake and you will only last about an hour before you need a cab. You dump the remaining wine in the bucket, if you plan on sampling for hours you pick up the bucket or lean over and spit out what is in your mouth. It is not rude, it is not crazy, it is what you do to not be rocked with a major buzz in 30-45 mins.

I swallow, I like the check out the finish, but I only sample what I want to, the folks at the table will want to pour you everything they have and some of these tables will have 4-10 wines for you to try. The amount you are consuming will surprise you by the end of the night. Next you say, well some of the old wine is still in the glass and they want to pour the next wine. You will want to rinse, they will have water on the table, most folks will pour a little water in the glass and then swish it around and dump it in the bucket. But the real wine pro does this….when you are ready for the next pour have them pour just a little of the new wine into the glass, swish and swirl it around and then dump it and then have them pour your sample. This is done to clear the old wine and all of it’s aromas and prepares the glass for the new wine. Either way is perfect!

Next is trying to remember what makes each wine so great. They will give you a pad with the winemakers and wines on it, or each winemaker will have a paper about the wines, take notes. At first your notes will be ridiculous when you read them the next day and say something like, that was good. I like it…whatever, but as you start to develop your palette, you will find yourself making connections like, this would be great with grilled steak or it has a big nose and long finish. (Lots of aromas and the flavor stays with me long after I swallow).

Remember there will be plenty of water around and lots of food at most all these events. Eat up and drink up, your mouth and nose will get fatigued. It happens today I can last about 40-60 tastes and then I know I am done or done for at least a couple of hours. I hope to get up to 100 in the future, but I am not trying to be a professional judge and I am learning right along with you so I will go as long as I can and then I just find the wine I liked the best and most times the winemaker/producer will pour me a glass and I will then walk around and chat with everyone.

If you want to purchase wine, you can order it there, sometimes they will even have it available to take right then, some times they send it to you, just ask. There are normally some nice discounts at the event if you buy then. There are just a couple of things to remember, try many wines, ask questions, you really can’t screw up, you are drinking wine what could be more fun?

I forgot, what happens if they serve you a wine you hate….you pour the rest of it out and just say, that is not really my style of wine. No reason to drink something and be afraid of what anyone thinks of you….it’s your palette!

TIP…ladies, it is really hard to carry a purse and juggle a wine glass and plate and take notes…figure out a way around carrying a handbag if you can, I don’t care how cute it is!

Have a great weekend everyone, stay warm and safe and red wine will cure cabin fever!

Much LOVE and wine,

Tammi

Tasting at the CIA in Napa, CA, Merry Edwards Pinot Noirs

Good Morning!

I am watching the news and it seems that since early December the snowy and icy weather has pelted the east coast and Midwest. I moved from the Indianapolis area 5 years ago this month. I am writing this update from San Antonio, TX. It was 78 degrees here yesterday and tomorrow the high will be 22. They are not prepared for that kinda cold down here, they get snow flurries about every 10 years, so they were due up, I guess.

I remember what it was like to shovel snow, scrap ice and finally get the car door open and then get the heater cranked on full blast so you finally get a small spot on your windshield that would let you see out until the wipers finally break through the ice! All the while you shiver in the car hoping spring break would get there soon and you can take your pale body to Key West, get a tan and drink in the warmth.

One event I always knew was the start of the spring thaw was when the High School basketball playoffs would be happening, we always got the last blast of snow and bitter cold then. After that, slowly the snow melted and left that gross black slush and wet spring started and by mid April the first few “warm” springlike days you would find many super white fleshed folks would be walking around the canal in shorts and they next day they would be red as lobsters.

This is being called the winter blast of 2011. Airports are closed, schools are closed and everyone is trying to go to work when they should relax and stay home. I remember getting up an hour earlier to get to work before all the fools had slide into the ditches just to sit in an office to make phone calls to people who would just want to talk about how crappy the roads are, instead of who they wanted to hire! What a waste of both our times, maybe I have spent too much time in California but, if it happened now, I would remember I am not a brain surgeon, it can all wait until tomorrow and I can wait out the slick roads and make calls from the warmth and safety of my home.

So tomorrow when it is cold, people are slipping and sliding and stressed, I will open a bottle or two of wine and do some tasting and make phone calls and catch up around the house, if I have to put in some extra hours over the weekend, I am good with that, I just can not fathom being in Indianapolis tomorrow morning and getting out the snow shovel.

Be safe, be warm…

Much LOVE and wine!

Tammi

A warm place to think about on a cold day. Santa Monica, CA

Santa Monica, CA park by the beach.

Good Morning and Happy February!

I am back home from my week in Sacramento/Napa/Sonoma/San Francisco and San Jose and soooo much is floating around in my head. I saw John Deere tractors, barrels bigger than I could even imagine and all kinds of labels, corks, bottles closures and packaging materials. The equipment for bottling and all the vendors who support the industry, were all on top of their game. They were hustling for my time and attention.

A couple of the items really caught my interest. The different programs for managing all your customers and what they have purchased and all their information and then it could bulk email and ship and bill….that was impressive. I met a guy by the name Ted W, and his company was in the label printing business and he took the time to sit me down and discuss step by step every item his firm would handle and his approach to interacting with me, brought out the old “salesman” in me. I met up with my pal Marc Kauffman and his company produces plastic wine bottles, and I am totally intrigued because my white wine is perfect for poolside enjoyment but I hate having glass around the deck.

Some of the more technical demos I watched were with types of yeast and how they would perform and the wood chips, staves and woods that would be added for flavors. These folks are experts in what yeast works best with which grape to create what flavor or aromas. I like to keep my wines as close to what the grapes and “terrior” will create naturally, but if you want consistency year after year I assume many folks alter some of the techniques.

Though, it might be years before I have a tasting room, some of the equipment for keeping bottle fresh, that was cool looking. Many of the folks there all knew each other and I met up with several folks I have been twittering with and facebooking. I met several bankers and a few designers of wineries.

People remind me all the time that they want to help me fulfill my dream. I am constantly reminded that of course they will want to be compensated for their efforts, and they should be. I am certain I will get to work with many of these folks in the next few years. I have a pile of literature on my desk and tons of notes and lots of people to call to take the next step toward the future. All this made me more excited to keep pushing forward in launching TJR Select.

And I forgot to admit it, but I did also get to try wines that blew my mind!

Much LOVE, and Cheers!

Tammi

Good Morning!

As I learn more and more about wine some of the information I learn puzzles me. The vocabulary is fun to figure out so I made a list of words that mean one thing in the “real” world. But these terms mean something different in the wine world.

Flabby – A wine is heavy on the palette. It is normally in need of more structure, mostly acid is missing from the wine.

Body – Is the total mouthfeel and weight of the wine in your mouth. Good example of this is milk, have you ever tried Whole milk, 2% and fat free milk? That is like full body, medium body and light body wines.

Finish – Is the taste after you sip and swallow or spit. The longer the flavors last in your mouth, that is called a long finish and if the flavors disapear quickly, that is called a quick finish. Well made wines will have a lengthy finish, balanced flavors and no one flavor should stand out or should end the finish, like bitterness or alcohol or even oakiness from the barrel.

Hot – This means high alcohol. If you taste a wine and it tastes “boozie” and you feel the warmness in your throat and nose, that is what is called Hot or heat.

Cloying – When the fruitiness or sweetness in the wine tastes unbalanced. Have you ever stopped drinking regular soda and then after awhile you have one and it tastes heavy and sweet? That is what cloying feels like.

Corked – This is the easiest term to describe, if you open a bottle of wine and it smells musty, like rotted wood or even wet cardbord, you will know when it is corked. It is not pleasant, just pour it out and start the night over. Corked wine can happen from tainted corks, but some studies are showing some barrels can become tainted as well.

Complex – After drinking many wines this term will come to life for you. Wines will have depth, many aromas, flavors and it will change in the glass as the night progresses.

Nose – This all about the aromas you experience while tasting the wines. Sometimes you will hear this called bouquet.

Structure – This has many different meanings but a structured wine has even balance of acids, tannins and alcohol. I well structured wine will age beautifully.

Tannins/ Tannic – Tannins come from the grape skins, stems and seeds of the grape, as well as the oak barrels. It is a perceived as an astringency in the back of your tongue.

Terroir – Is a French term that encompasses all the things about the wine from the soil, weather and climate of the vineyard. From vine to bottle.

Viscosity – This is the thickness, the body, the weight ad overall mouthfeel of the wine. This is really the term Body but in a WAY bigger term, it sounds cool to say it!

I hope these terms are a little clearer for you, it helped me!

Much LOVE and wine,

Tammi

Dever Winery we visited in France 9 generations have made wines there!