Vinturify!

I went to Napa last August and was fortunate enough to go to Cliff Lede Winery. The fact that this winery makes the best Sauvignon Blanc I've ever had was fabulous, and then to hear their vineyard blocks are named after famous classic rock songs was even more of a trip. I loved every bit of it. While pouring their Cabernet for us, they mentioned our wine had been put through the Vinturi. I had no idea what they were talking about.

Back in Minnesota I found out what it was. The fabulous Vinturi aerator. These little hand held gems are great!

Wine needs to breathe. Over time, oxygen makes the wine release more aromas and flavors. Aerating wine speeds up this natural process. Decanters are used to do so, but take longer, need the whole bottle to be poured out, and don't make the same cool noise this little guy does. When wine is poured through the Vinturi, the increased pressure draws in air to mix with the wine for ideal aeration.

This process helps to smooth out the wine and bring the fruit to the forefront.

It's a fun tool that runs around $35, and I think it's worth it. I'll test it on some of my friends and let you know how it goes.

So here it is...the analysis of the first wine!
From the rack, three rows up and from the Cotes du Rhone Villages.

Feraud-Brunel Cotes du Rhone Villages 2005, $18

This is a Cotes du Rhone varietal, which is mainly Grenache, Syrah and Mouvedre.

So the consensus was wonderful. To start you see this rich ruby red wine swirl around your glass. Smell leather, cherry and a hint of vanilla. The taste profile takes on a candied apple quality and subtle spice. Evan mentioned flower and Dana liked the brighter fruits.

Then we tried it through the Vinturi. This was used to soften the wine and push up the fruit. Some liked it better, others preferred the more concentrated flavor in the beginning. Just thought the results were interesting. Either way, the wine won over the majority. The minority still needed a little more convincing. Maybe have a bite of chocolate and a sip to send it soaring?

THOSE WHO LIKED IT BEFORE THE VINTURI
-Cari
-Cassie

THOSE WHO LIKED IT AFTER THE VINTURI
-Evan
-Katie
-Dana

Cheers!

Here I am blogging world!

Alright. Excited to be here. Thanks for having me.

To begin, I would like to introduce myself. I am Cari, a 25 yr old wine rep. The wine and food world fascinates me. I want to share with you all that I can about it, for I keep learning everyday.

I am going to have a couple of ongoing tabs. The first one being "Cari's Wine Rack". The above picture is my fabulous wine rack full of little treats and surprises that we can walk through together. One day it will be a cellar, but until then, I have this fine setup (or at least until Hilary comes back from Spain and takes this rack back). I'll have a new post tonight after some friends come over to "research" one of these wines.

A couple of other ongoing posts will be "Restaurant Reviews". This will be as constant or as sporadic as my life allows. Also, I tend to dabble in a couple of at-home wine classes for my friends or other willing parties. I'll post what worked and what didn't. Hope you're as excited as I am.

Thanks for stopping in!