IN THIS ISSUE:
A. Feature:
How to Arrange an Effective Whiskey Group Tasting
B. Event Highlights:
February's Wine Tasting Dinners
C. Wine Elite Philosophy:
Why Bother with South African Wines?
This is
Sommelier Insight, the Wine Elite's update for wine aficionados, hotel professionals and event planners.
Each month, we deliver new wine event ideas and objective perspective on wine from independent sommeliers and other wine experts.
We are Your Nationwide Resource for Private & Corporate Wine Events, Sommelier Expertise and Public Speaking on Wine Philosophy. www.WineElite.org
Our wine expert team spent the January in wine country vineyards up and down the coast, on the Las Vegas strip, on Sunset Boulevard and in top San Diego restaurants to deliver our
sommelier-guided tasting experiences to executive teams, corporate groups and private groups.
Well-structured wine tasting events like team building and food pairing seminars are an important trend we'd like you to experience yourself.
In this issue of Sommelier Insight, enjoy our review of Whiskey essentials and the state of South African wine below.
Also, each newsletter will feature an important essay on wine philosophy by acclaimed writer Dr. Dwight Furrow, going forward. Check out "The Idea of Wine" here below on the right.
You can
email us anytime for more information, or call 310 467 5582.
A. What Every Wine Drinker Needs to Know About Whiskey
Tasting an individual whiskey can be great, but (just like with wine) whiskey is best explored by direct comparison, and the appreciation of flavor contrasts.
The following types of whiskey should be part of each comparative tasting:
1. Scotch (=Scottish whiskey, there spelled whisky)
2. Bourbon (=Kentucky whiskey)
3. Canadian whiskey
4. Tennessee whiskey
5. Irish whiskey
These 5 regions are the most important impressions that allow to study the typicity of each style:
1. Scotch is the quintessential explosion of malt, peat and scorched soil. Single-malt scotch means that the barley used stems from a single distillery, no blending. The flavor is relatively sharp and earthy.
2. Bourbon is corn-driven and usually blended, allowing for a more creamy, round and gentle flavor than the royal but stoic Scotch counterpart.
3. Canadian whiskey can be even softer and sweeter than higher-end Bourbons. A caramel sensations are very typical. More grainy and delicate in comparison to American whiskey.
4. Tennessee is known for their sugar maple charcoal filtering process. Like Scotch, it is usually aged in new charred white oak barrels, for at least 2 years. High similarity to Bourbon in general.
5. Ireland doesn't malt their barley, and that absence becomes clear on the palate. While Scotch is smokey and peaty, Irish whiskey will be perfumy and relatively round.
Unlike in wine tastings, the nose impression is not one of the dominant factors in whiskey enjoyment. In fact, the greatest satisfaction is usually taken out of the long aftertaste.
Serving on the rocks in a tumbler, as shown in the photo, is an acceptable option, but ice is best avoided in an educational tasting.
B. Upcoming Public Wine Tastings in SoCal
The Wine Elite Society hosts an ongoing series of sommelier-guided wine tasting dinners for the public, often in our signature blind-tasting format.
Here are a few February tasting opportunities for Southern California residents:
--
Wine Elite Society ttastings in
Los Angeles,
San Diego and
Orange County -- Membership is free.
This is Southern California's only serious wine appreciation series. Join one of these guided tastings, it will blow your mind.
--
Pinot Provence in Orrange County -- We will celebrate the Liquid Gold of California during our February 26th, 2014 pairing dinner. Reserve
here.
We are serving Opus One, Cakebread and Peter Michael, believe it or not. Don't miss it, 4 courses and 8 wines just $120, a one-time special. No mickey-mouse pours in our tastings.
-- Other sommelier fireside dinners at <
Newport Dunes and
Ritz-Carlton / L.A. Live are in preparation.
Friends from the restaurant industry: If you own a restaurant or special event venue, and want to launch a more competitive wine program, here is
how.

C. Wine Elite Philosophy: Why should we bother with South African Wines?
South Africa has been known for Pinotage, the ugly metallic grape that combines sour strawberries with burned tire flavors.
And yet, tasting some recent Cabernet Sauvignons from Stellenbosch, we find that we can find world-class examples of lush silkiness under $30. So the Wine Elite sent our finest South Africa correspondent on location to report back with an objective assessment. Mr. Jim Ruxin owns Village Wine in Brentwood, where he represents some of Los Angeles' finest private cellar collections as a wine broker. With a long track record in Hollywood movie making, Jim is also a member of the Director's Guild of America.
1. Jim, which grapes are worth tasting in South Africa, and why?
The white Chenin Blanc goes back so far in South African wine history that it is actually a heritage grape there, like Zinfandel is in California. It currently covers 18% of the land under vine. It is rarely oaked. Thirst quenching with high acid and food friendly, it's easy to understand how this varietal was huge there. Apple. pear, quince and lemon are noticeable on the nose and palate, with a bright acidity.
Meanwhile, Syrah has become a rising star, as there is a lot of varied terroir that favors this grape, which loves hot days and cool nights. Cabernet Sauvignon can produce exceptional wines in South Africa too.
2. Can you promise that the wine quality has improved over the last decade?
There is a new crispness to South African whites, yet they are not shrill with acid. They will likely age a little better because of cleaner cellar practices and the higher acids. The country is not fond of oak in the white wines, but the lesser valued wines compete well with any other globally exported wines in their price range.
The reds tend to maintain a food friendliness with enough acidity. No flabby fruitbombs from overripe grapes here.
3. Tell us about the important mystery grape Pinotage.
Pinotage is grown almost exclusively in South Africa. A plant scientist crossbred the French red varietals pinot noir (Burgundy) and cinsault (Rhone) in 1925. Rhone wines had been used to augment red Burgundy in lesser vintages for centuries; they added color and structure.
Cinsault is a blending grape legally allowed in the blends of Chateauneuf du Pape, where grenache and syrah dominate. It can be found all over the south of France, and was the first red varietal to be planted on a massive scale in the early 1900s in South Africa because it produced high yields with a lot of sugar.
Pinot Noir is notoriously hard to grow, weak in color and very temperamental in the vineyard and the cellar. It often needs added sugar (allowed in France to this day) to increase the alcohol content. Thin skinned it is easily susceptible to rot.
You can reach Jim via
[email protected].
Resources for Wine Aficionados, Event Planners, Hotel and Restaurant Managers
EVENT IDEA RESOURCE: Catalog of Special Event Programs
Topic Suggestions for Private Events
GrapeRadio Interview
Speaker Profile at GigMasters
Public Speaker Program on Wine One-Sheet
Wine Elite Corporate Event Video
Essential Wine Tips 2pager
Special Events Idea One-Sheet
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