Pinot Party

I was lamenting last weekend about not being able to attend the fabulous International Pinot Noir Celebration in Oregon, yet again. 

So to sooth my sorrows I decided to host my own pinot party.

It was also a good way to turn a party into a story for my next wine column in the Fort Myers News-Press; Gina Drinks. I opened almost a case of pinot noir, mostly from California with a couple of selections from Chile and New Zealand thrown in for giggles.

My friends actually cooperated quite well, at least in the beginning, offering impressions of the wines, guessing how much they cost, etc. As the night went on, it got a little more difficult and a lot more fun. Thanks to all who participated in helping me with this latest column which you can read here. You'll see I focused on California. With Oregon and Burgundy being the motherships when it comes to pinot, those will come another time. 

Spice Is Sooooo Nice

Like it or not, packaging effects our buying habits and our perceptions of products. I found that to be true even at the wine tasting I went to this week at the Morgan House in downtown Fort Myers.

The last bottle on the tasting table was a  Shooting Star Cabernet from Steele Winery. I looked at the wine rep and said "That label looks like cinnamon, does it taste like cinnamon?". He said, "See for yourself." and poured me a glass.

Sure enough, I tasted cinnamon. I was left wondering whether or not I tasted what I wanted to taste; that which I was looking for. To quenched my curiosity I went to Steele's website and looked up the winery tasting notes on Shooting Star. I found that the Lake County Cab was blended with a small percentage of Merlot and Cabernet Franc to round out the flavors.

Guess what else I found: "This wine has aromas of dark fruits with some mint and cassis."  Come on, blend mint and cassis and for sure you get a flavor similar to cinnamon! Vindication!

The Morgan House will host it's next tasting in the roof-top bar on March 15th, St Patty's Day week!