oak vs. steel tasting

VS



OK, so this time we did another process oriented one - oak vs steel - it wasn't quite as "one-to-one" as we anticipated, but thanks to the folks at crossroads for the suggestions.

A few helpful links:

Oak and Oak Barrels - Why do winemakers get so excited? from thrifty fifty

Description of the types of oak barrels

Rethinking American vs. French oak - oak barrels used in aging of wine

White fermentations: to barrel or not? from the zinquisition

Wineries replace oak barrels with stainless-steel

Can oak alternatives replicate the function of barrels?

Huge crush a windfall for tank, barrel makers - Manufacturers of storage, fermentation containers struggle to meet demand

2006 Barrel and Oak Report from wine business

on to the wines!!



Chateau de la Presle Touraine, 2004, $13.00
-> MY NOTES: 1/2 oak 1/2 steel - oak is somewhat restrained - not much of an impression

Bellevue Touraine, 2005, $25.00
-> MY NOTES: steel - woody, cabbage, horseradish, sticky gummy taste, varietal character shows through



Bourgogne Chardonnay (White Burgundy), $24.00
-> MY NOTES: from Cote de Ore, toast, thinner, acidic, pineapple

J.Lohr Chardonnay, 2005, $12.00
-> MY NOTES: butterscotch, grapefruit
* this was one of the top 3 liked wines for the tasting!



Woop Woop Cabernet Sauvignon, 2005, $13.00
-> MY NOTES: uses American and French oak, cigar smoke, tar, leather, personally, I found to be a bit overbearing (I think Sigrid described as "all elbows and knees")

La Gatte Bordeaux, 2003, $15.00
-> MY NOTES: leather, black pepper, eucalyptus



Domaine Georges Vernay Syrah, 2005, $20.00
-> MY NOTES: nose: baked goods, sour cream, black pepper, taste: like little grenades!!
* this was one of the top 3 liked wines for the tasting!

Mitolo The Jester Shiraz, 2006, $20.00
Syrah/Shiraz from McLaren Vale, Australia
-> MY NOTES: smooth, non-controversial
* this was one of the top 3 liked wines for the tasting!

german wine tasting

a crash course on german wines

THE WINES
*all wine for this tasting purchased at red white and bubbly

WHITES:
baden gutedel, gertie and max, winzergenossenschaft auggen eg, qba dry, 2005. $10.00
->MY NOTES: light. just tastes like white wine.




findling trocken, mosel saar ruwer, dr. stephan reuter, qba dry, 2005. $13.00
->MY NOTES: oaky, acidy.




scheurebe ludwigschöher kabinett, weingut brüder dr. becker, rheinhessen, 2004, $15.00
->MY NOTES: strawberry nose, sweet and tangy ruby grapefruit. refreshing! * this was one of the top 3 liked wines for the tasting!




scheurebe, traditionelle flaschengärung, weingut brüder dr. becker, rheinhessen, 2004, $19.00
->MY NOTES: minerally, sweet. eh.




riesling, schaub, frülingsplatzchen. $17.00
->MY NOTES: yogurty, raspberry, strawberry.




riesling - botrytis, roll, riesling qba rheinhessen, dittelsheim, 2005. $15.50
->MY NOTES: melon-y, sweet, not syrup-y. *people also seemed to like this one.




weissburgunder, kabinett trocken, weinhof scheu, pfalz, 2005. $15.00
->MY NOTES: envelop-y, gummy, sweet, unbalanced.




animo grüner veltliner, thiery weber weingut, kremstal - österreich, 2005. $12.00
->MY NOTES: pepper nose, nice, balanced, refined. * this was one of the top 3 liked wines for the tasting!




elbling, dry, ernst hein, mosel saar ruwer, 2005. $11.00
->MY NOTES: again, just tasted like white wine. we decided it's probably good, but maybe needs food?




REDS:
roter elbling, weingut matthias dostert, deutscher taffelwein mosel, (rosé), 2006. $11.00
->MY NOTES: sweet, easy. probably not for special occasions.




dornfelder, winzerverein deidesheim, qba pfalz, 2005. $12.50
->MY NOTES: cherry.




spätburgunder, trocken, dreissigacker, rheinhessen, 2005. $26.00
->MY NOTES: nice, smooth, non-tannic, cherry, plum. * this was one of the top 3 liked wines for the tasting!

beer tasting

THE INGREDIENTS:
hops


barley


wheat


yeast


water


mix in various combinations to make beer


want to make your own homebrew? sam adams is running a contest!
sam adams site (click on the "longshot" logo)

if you're interested, you can order the equipment here:
supplies here

homebrewing resource here

general beer resource here

a few of the beer bar/store suggestions from that night:
eagle provisions (park slope - *store)
the belgian room
the ginger man
mugs (williamsburg)
and here's a whole bunch more!

ON TO THE BEERS:
*note - i did not taste every beer, as some beers were offered at the same time as alternates of the same style, some beers we tasted were not on the sheets (but were enjoyed!), and also, i may have mixed up the order as i started getting more tipsy - apologies in advance, and thanks to brewmasters lars and santora for the lively discussion!

paulaner hefe-weisen - 1/2 barley, 1/2 wheat
-> MY NOTES: bubble-y, banana, low hops

pilsner urquell - czech beer, first beer they started to hop

IPA's
wolaver's ipa - beer for the long journey from uk to india, use dry hops
->MY NOTES: hops strong in smell and taste, bitter, high alcohol
brooklyn ipa -

the browns
goose island nut brown - crystal malt + darker malt (black patton)
wolaver's brown -

the stouts
sammy smiths oatmeal stout
->MY NOTES: bbq-y
schwartz stout porter - lighter porter
lars' homebrew stout -

bellhaven scottish - malt smoked on peat moss
->MY NOTES: cigarettes + chocolate

the belgians
ommegang hennepin (belgian) -
ommegang abbey ale (belgian) - middle of the road, made by monks, natural yeasts

chimay red

hofbrau maibock - not alot of hop, mostly malt
->MY NOTES: toasty

the esbs (extra special bitter)
monkmans slaughter esb
stout scarlet lady
->MY NOTES: malty/hoppy
lars' homebrew ESB

lindemann's lambic - aged with wild bacteria + yeasts
-> MY NOTES: fruity and sour

old world style vs international style

THE DEBATE:
laying out both sides 1
laying out both sides 2
laying out both sides 3

pro international

pro old world 1
pro old world 2

THE WINES:
*all wine for this tasting purchased at crossroads, and union square wines

gouguenheim, 2005, malbec, valle escondido, mendoza (argentina) - $13
-> MY NOTES: berry berry berry. big fruit, smooth, long finish.
***people voted this 2nd rated of the top four








castel montplaisir, 2002, malbec, cahors, red table wine (france) - $10
-> MY NOTES: tannins, oak barrel, earthy, finish includes cinnamon/nutmeg, and meaty/beefy
***People voted this 4th rated of the top four


vega montan, bierzo, vega mountain, mencia roble, bodegas adriá (spain) - $14
-> MY NOTES: sadly, this was compromised/slightly corked, should have been much milder than it tasted, graphite


cuvee les graves chinon, 2005, fabrice gasnier (france) - $14
-> MY NOTES: nose: violet, green peppers, deep ruby color, red fruits, green pepper, cigar, tar
***People voted this 3rd rated of the top four



macon villages domaine bourdon les pierres, 2005, white burgundy (france) - $13
-> MY NOTES: nose: strawberries, vanilla, some acidity


a to z, 2005, pinot gris, (oregon/US) - $13
-> MY NOTES: nose: apple, light & clean, tastes like a sauvignon blanc to me


gianni gagliardo fallegro, 2005, vermentino (piedmont/italy) - $15
-> MY NOTES: frisante/slightly bubbly, citrus, apple, not too overwhelming, non-assertive, but not wimpy!

massa vecchia, 1998, ariento vermentino (tuscany/italy) - $33
-> MY NOTES: organic, chestnut barrels, non-interventionist style, amberish, cloudy color, nose: barbie head/rubber, smooth fragrant flower, ripe flower, woody
***People voted this 1st rated of the top four


---not on list, but gift bottle of fun!
Chianti Classico, 1998, 90% Sangiovese, dry climate, slovenian oak, no tank fermentation, sustainable and organic, nose: funky, minty, taste: smooth