In which I host a wine tasting

This weekend I hosted a wine tasting for some Finer Things Club members. We attempted a horizontal wine tasting, trying six Zinfandels with a 2006 vintage. Towards the end, they all seemed the same, because shockingly, my sense of smell and taste buds are not sophisticated enough to decipher the "coconut after-taste on the long finish" or the vanilla oak aromas. Also because I was fairly generous with the pouring. It was fun though, and in my preparation I learned some good facts about wine tasting and Zinfandel.

• A horizontal wine tasting means to taste one wine varietal from a single year but from multiple producers.
• Zinfandel is a clone of the Croatian variety Crljenak and a genetic twin of the Italian Primitivo grape. Zinfandel is now considered indigenous to California.
  
• Don't be foolish, there isn't a grape called "white Zinfandel".
• Zinfandel is a component of most California "jug" wines since it is one of the most widely planted red wine grapes. Case in point -- the Menage.
  
• Zinfandel is probably best enjoyed in its youth, within 3-5 years of the vintage. With age, the fruit taste drops and the wine can show the "hot" taste of higher alcohol levels.
• Other than bold flavored cheeses, popular pairings include grilled steak and hamburgers. We made do with pastrami.
  
• We may need to work on sophisticating our senses of smell and taste.

Although I was told that the best Zinfandels don't make it to Virginia from California, the nice man at Total Wine gave me some suggestions of decent wineries that would probably have grown/produced/bottled decent Zinfandels. Here is a virtual taste card for each:

1. Macchia Zinfandel Lodi Old Vine Mischievous 2006
Macchia is Italian for "the spot". This deep-hued wine is a blend from five different old vine Zinfandel vineyards. The rich, ripe berry flavors are highlighted with a subtle hint of soft-vanilla oak. This one was my favorite and a general crowd pleaser.

2. Titus Zinfandel Napa Valley 2006
Aromas of blackberry jam and spicy oak leading to superbly concentrated flavors of bing cherries, raspberry and peppered spice, with just a hint of coconut on the finish. Sounds delicious and I had high hopes for this one, but it was the most expensive in the group and not worth the money.

3. Sobon Estate Rezerve Amador County Primitivo 2006
Big, rich and full bodied; with toasty, jammy aromas and forward fruity flavors. Genetically related to Zinfandel, but strikingly different in balance and intensity. My notes say: not liking it!

4. Sobon Estate Zinfandel Rocky Top Amador County 2006
Bouquet of crushed raspberries leads to tiers of wild berry, raspberry, plum and smoky vanilla flavors that are rich, ripe and jammy. Supple texture with notes of spice on the long finish. This wine had less alcohol than all the others, was less "hot", and probably an OK choice for a hot summer.

5. Napa Wine Co. Zinfandel 2006
No information on this one, and the girls said that label and name seemed fake. Not a crowd pleaser. Do not buy in the future.

6. Pacific Edge Hell n Back Zinfandel 2006
Bold blackberry, cherry, crushed pepper aromas and flavors. Brazen finish is softened by the fruit and is round, satisfying and spicy. For only nine bucks this wine was pretty awesome, went down smooth, and had just the right amount of sweet.

Great success! In some spare moments I took photos, look here.

Inauguration Day 2009 POD

I am so thrilled to be home, and although I've joked about Obama stealing my thunder upon my triumphant return from Ireland, my tears of joy today were for him and for the greatness of this country.

Click here for my other Inauguration Day photos.

Shakespeare Theatre Company free for all

Tonight Ali and I took ourselves and some fancy snacks to see The Shakespeare Theatre Company's free production of Hamlet in DC. The Carter Barron Amphitheatre is a pretty awesome venue for a Shakespeare play - it is outside in the park and you can come early and picnic. Other than it getting a little too chilly later in the evening and us sitting next to a kid who got a little too flatulent, we enjoyed the production. The story is set in modern day, the set design is contemporary and cool, the music is dark and electro, and the actor who plays Hamlet is totally my boyfriend. (Also and still my boyfriend are hockey star Alexander Ovechkin from the Capitals and lead singer Keith Murray from We Are Scientists.) Get thee to a nunnery.

The Oprah Magazine, April 2008

On a solo lunch trip to Whole Foods last week, I bought my first ever Oprah magazine to keep myself and my salmon sushi company. Other than having occasionally enjoyed some of her book club selections, I have by no means been an Oprah fanatic and have not kept up with the world of Oprah. But, to be quite honest, after perusing the April issue, I can't help but think that Oprah knows how to get a girl excited. Oprah knows.

1. Tiny Showcase. This site picks a new piece of tiny artwork by an up-and-coming artist each week and make a limited number of prints. A percentage of the money goes to a charity of the artist's choosing. The pieces cost $20-$30, are printed on fancy German printmaking paper that lasts at least 60 years, and will for sure be more original than the Van Gogh prints you can buy at one of those online poster stores.

2. Artscape. America's largest free public arts festival is held in Baltimore every year. I am blocking off July 18-20 on my calendar for street theater, films, music, crafts, jewelry, exhibitions, outdoor sculpture, photography, dance, opera, fashion, basically a finer things orgy.

3. NEWTREE gourmet belgian chocolate. I know that I am a chocoholic, but these just look too damn good.

4. Four-ingredient dinner. The magazine features an essay/article by Cindy Chupack (Sex and the City writer) on hosting a "four-ingredient" dinner. I am definitely on board. The premise is to invite a small group of friends, individually or collectively choose a total of four favorite ingredients, and build a meal around those four. If the meal is not a perfect success, there should always be infused vodka on hand. I've hosted an afternoon tea party, an appetizers and drinks party, a baking party. A four-ingredient dinner with infused vodka is definitely the next progression.

Wolf Trap

The Wolf Trap schedule for this summer has been announced. Seeing as how I have never been, which is sort of shocking, I may have to overcompensate and go to several performances.

Looking good so far:

July 8: Paul Taylor Dance Company
July 10: Tcheers for Tchaikovsky
July 31: Beethoven's Best
August 29-September 7: Les Miserables

As a prerequisite of being a full-fledged member of the Finer Things Club, you have to join me for a Wolf Trap event. We will have a picnic. Drink some wine. Before you know it, you will have an official Finer Things Club tattoo.