A Successful Sampling

Thursday's Coolidge Corner wine tasting showcased three very different wines: a Californian chardonnay (Clos Pegase), a pinot noir also from California, and a cabernet sauvignon from Chile (Cono Sur). The wines varied in price from the Cono Sur, featured on our "$10 and Under" rack, to the Clos Pegase, which is normally $26 but was 30% off. They also varied a lot in flavor, from the light tropical fruit of the chardonnay to the thick and smoky cabernet sauvignon.

The tasting was fun for the customers because almost everyone was pleased with at least one wine. It was even more fun for me because I actually liked all three selections.

• I'm usually not a big fan of chardonnay, but the Clos Pegase had a nice balanced nose of peach and oak and a light tropical fruit taste.
• I am a big fan of pinot noir, but I'm also picky about my pinot. After several tastes, I found it to be a full-bodied wine (even though some customers found it to be "thin and watery") with complex red fruit flavors and a velvety smooth finish. It's a wine I'd like to spend more time with.
• Finally, the Cono Sur was a definite crowd pleaser. The flavor is bold, the price is great, and the bottle has a little "We're Green!" label (even though they don't seem to be certified organic ... they just mention that they ride bikes around their vineyard and have carbon neutral delivery).

I've worked at Coolidge Corner Wine & Spirits for a full week now, and I've already tasted a dozen wines - including several that I really like. I haven't learned everything we carry or where to find it, and I'm not very useful when it comes to beer recommendations, but so far I love the job. Come visit on a Thursday, Friday, or Saturday for a tasting!

Wine Tasting: Store Favorites

My oenological education continued on Day Three of my new job at Coolidge Corner Wine & Spirits. I got to leave the shop and attend an open house, where I served (and tasted) five of the staff's favorite wines.

• The Hess Chardonnay was the most popular of our three whites, although it didn't really impress me.
  
• I wasn't terribly fond of the Grüner Veltliner (pronounced Groon-er Velt-linner), either. Grüner is a white wine from Austria that is often compared to Reisling. It is described as producing "distinct white pepper, tobacco, lentil and citrus flavors and aromas." I didn't detect many (any) of those things, so I would like to try Grüner Veltliner again sometime.
• The only white wine I enjoyed was the Seaglass Sauvignon Blanc. It was quite fruity - with some nice peachy flavors - and I could see myself enjoying it if I were in the right mood.
• We served two red wines, and a lot of people enjoyed the Trumpeter Malbec Syrah. For some reason I had a really strong negative reaction. Maybe I had been tasting too much white wine without food and my stomach was doing something funny, which could explain my strong dislike for a wine that most people found pleasant.
• My stomach seemed to recover, though, because I loved the Cannonball Cabernet Sauvignon. It has a dash of syrah (11%) which adds to the full and luscious taste. I liked the thick texture, the black fruit flavors, and the complex finish.