napa의 어느 한가로운 날.

beringer에서..

Restoration store에 가면 좀 비싸긴 하지만 꼭 가지고 싶은것들을 내 놓는것 같아서 기분이 좋다.

오랜만에 가서 건진 rosewood로 만든 wine opener. 싼걸 하나 가지고 있었는데 영 wine을 따기가 번거롭지 않아서

건진것이다. 가격은 대략 $23. 물론 아주 멋지고 새로 나온것들은 따기 쉽고 fancy하지만 역시 완성도나

와인을 오픈할때의 맛은 바로 이런 방식의 opener가 제격인듯.

근 50불에 가까운 와인은 늘 접할수 있는건 분명 아니다. 친한 형이 와인 가게를 하고 있어서

놀러 갔다가 운 좋게 반값에 구할수 있었다. NAPA valley의 sterling..게다가 reserve..

이 와인에 대해서 잠시 웹에 나온 information을 보자.

아껴두었었다가 부모님이 산호세에 오셨을때 마셨다. 아버지 생신이어서 가볍게 세식구가 마셨다.

부모님 덕분에 비싼 와인도 따 보구.ㅎㅎ

암튼 이 와인의 특징이라면 별로 향이 강하지 않다는 것이다. 향이 강하지 않으면서도 깊고 진한 맛.

기억엔 비싼 와인들의 특징이라면 과일향이 강하게 나지 않았던것 같다. 상대적으로 마셔도 마셔도

별로 질리거나 하지 않는 그런 맛. Dry한 맛은 어느 안주나 식품과도 잘 어울릴것 같았다. 역시 비싼 와인이 좋은건

어쩔수 없는것 같다.

내 평가는 싸게 나오면 꼭 다시 사 마시고 싶은 와인.

B+을 주고 싶다.

Swirl, Sniff, Sip
Sterling Vineyards 2002 SVR was created from the finest grapes of this vintage. The individual lots were selected to display the highest intensity of flavor and varietal concentration. The blend was meticulously assembled, focusing on the synergy between the various Bordelaise varietal components. The wine is a deep ruby hue, with aromas of cinnamon, nutmeg, plum jam and hints of black pepper. On the palate, it shows ripe black cherries and blackberries, with accents of dark chocolate, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Soft and rich tannins leave a lingering, satisfying finish. The wine is a beautiful complement to roasted red meats, richer sauces, and aged aromatic cheeses.
The Place
The grapes for this blend came from select vineyards throughout the Napa Valley including Three Palms, Oak Knoll, Rutherford, Bear Flats, and a few other select sites in Napa. The grapes were picked in the second half of September and early October. After fermentation, each varietal lot spent 18 months in French and American oak barrels. Winemaking SVR is assembled from the finest lots of Sterling’s Bordeaux grape varieties from the 2001 harvest. The individual lots are chosen on the basis of their flavor and concentration. The blend is meticulously assembled, focusing on the synergy between the components. In a classic Bordelaise style, the goal is a wine with finesse, suppleness and ageability regardless of the specific varietal blend

The 2002 growing season started with bud break in early March in Carneros and mid-March up-valley. Frost protection was required for several nights in March and April, but no damage was experienced. The spring growing season was moderate until rains in late May disrupted the bloom of some Merlot vineyards, causing them to set a smaller crop. The summer growing season was mild and did not have many heat spikes until September and October. Veraison started in late July and the weather during this period was nearly ideal, with warm days and cool nights. Harvest began in August in the valley with Sauvignon Blanc, followed in early September by Pinot Noir in Carneros. A heat spike in September hastened the sugar accumulation of all varieties but flavor did not develop as fast, so fruit was held on the vine a few extra days to allow the desired flavors to mature. The bulk of the harvest was still completed by the middle of October. Overall, the 2002 vintage had great weather, and the resulting wines are uniformly very good.

http://www.sterlingvineyards.com/wines/reserve/svr-01.html

whitewine을 잘 마시지는 않습니다만. 마침 집에 물도 없고 음료수도 없고. s형이 남기고간 whitewine

이 냉장고에 시원하게 있길래 따보기로 결정했습니다. 역시 1.99불짜리 charles shaw.

포도 종류는 Sauvignon Blanc. Blanc가 white이라는 뜻이던가요? 아무튼. 함께 먹었던 식사는

닭죽이었습니다.--;; 전혀 매치하진 않지만 닭죽의 느끼한 맛을 쌉쓰름한 맛으로 없애 주는 효과가

있었습니다. 여전히 느끼는 것이지만 이 charles shaw의 와인은 은근히 잘 사람을 취하게 만드는것

같습니다. 일단 맛에서는 chadonay와 다르게 첫맛이 무척 쓰더군요. 왠지 소주를 마실때 보다

더 크~ 하게 되는것 같습니다. 물론 끝까지 달지 않은 이 wine은 아마도 정말 식사와 함께 곁들어서

조금만 마시라는 의미로 만든것 같습니다. 혼자서 반병 마시구 s형과 함께 나머지를 비웠습니다.

평가는 간단합니다. 식사와 함께 아주 쪼금 마시구 싶을때 입맛을 도와 주는것 같구요.

달지 않기 때문에 다른 먹거리들과 무리 없이 어울리는것 같습니다. 하지만 아무래도

chadonay를 더 찾게 될것 같네요.

점수는 C입니다.

이곳 캘리포니아의 와인은 레이블을 할때 꼭 포도 종류를 대문짝하게 표시합니다.

지난 여름 나파에 갔을때 반가운 포도를 만났습니다. 바로 카버네 소비뇽.

단 와인을 좋아 하지 않는 저에게 달지 않으면서도 포도의 진한 향을 느끼게 해 주는

와인이 되어 주는 포도 입니다. 프랑스 와인은 대체적으로 그 포도가 자란

지역을 표시하는것 같습니다. 그럼 카버네는 나파에서만 자라는걸까요?

웹에서 퍼온 글입니다. 이 포도에 대해 좀더 잘 이해하게 해 주네요.

Cabernet Sauvignon makes the most dependable candidate for aging, more often improving into a truly great wine than any other single varietal. With age, its distinctive black currant aroma can develop bouquet nuances of cedar, violets, leather, or cigar box and its typically tannic edge may soften and smooth considerably.

It is the most widely planted and significant among the five dominant varieties in the Medoc district of France's Bordeaux region, as well as the most successful red wine produced in California.

Long thought to be an ancient variety, recent genetic studies at U.C. Davis have determined that Cabernet Sauvignon is actually the hybrid offspring of Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc.

Cabernet sauvignon berries are small, spherical with black, thick and very tough skin. This toughness makes the grapes fairly resistant to disease and spoilage and able to withstand some autumn rains with little damage. It is a mid to late season ripener. These growth characteristics, along with its flavor appeal have made Cabernet Sauvignon one of the most popular red wine varieties worldwide.

The best growing sites for producing quality wines from Cabernet Sauvignon are in moderately warm, semi-arid regions providing a long growing season, on well-drained, not-too-fertile soils. Vineyards in Sonoma County's Alexander Valley, much of the Napa Valley, and around the Paso Robles area of the Central Coast have consistently produced the highest-rated California examples.

Typically, Cabernet Sauvignon wines smell like black currants with a degree of bell pepper or weediness, varying in intensity with climatic conditions, viticulture practices, and vinification techniques. Climates and vintages that are either too cool or too warm, rich soils, too little sun exposure, premature harvesting, and extended maceration are factors that may lead to more vegetative, less fruity character in the resulting wine.

In the mouth, Cabernet can have liveliness and even a degree of richness, yet usually finishes with firm astringency. Some of the aroma and flavor descriptors most typically found in Cabernet Sauvignon are:

Varietal Aromas/Flavors:

• Fruit: black currant, blackberry, black cherry
• Herbal: bell pepper, asparagus (methoxy-pyrazine), green olive
• Spice: ginger, green peppercorn, pimento

Processing Bouquets/Flavors:

• Oak (light): vanilla, coconut, sweet wood
• Oak (heavy): oak, smoke, toast, tar
• Bottle Age: cedar, cigar box, musk, mushroom, earth, leather

Cabernet Sauvignon began to emerge as America's most popular varietal red wine in the mid-60s. By the late 1980s, it had replaced "burgundy" as a consumer's generic term for red wine (as had Chardonnay, replacing "chablis" as the equivalent for generic white wine). This popularity was based partly on the flavor appeal of the grape and partly on its status or snob-appeal as a "collector's" wine. Indeed Cabernet Sauvignon is the wine most subject to inflationary climb, as fans, collectors, and the Nouveau Riche bid the supply ever upward.

• http://www.traderjoes.com/new/chuckshaw.asp
• http://www.azcentral.com/home/wine/articles/0410winevintages10.html
• http://www.slate.com/id/2085758/
• http://www.snopes.com/business/market/shawwine.asp
• http://www.avalonwine.com/Cole-Danehower-Marketing-5-03.htm
• http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:VSu8XqqLwh0J:www.epinions.com/content_3002638468/show_~allcom+two+buck+chuck+NPR&hl=en