Tasting Notes: Super Something

First, allow me to say: well, damn, I was really hoping New England would do it.

Okay, now that I've gotten that out of my system...

Hubby and I poured for the Sherlock's wine tasting yesterday, which was titled, "Superbowl Showdown." I'll be honest, I drank beer this evening to go with my burger and fries. Admittedly, they were a bit fancier than what you'd typically find in a bar, and all homemade. We had Emeril's Baby Bam burgers and Belgian fries, and a wine could have gone with it, probably the Stump Jump, which is a nice blend and very food-friendly.

The fun part about pouring for wine tastings is being reminded how peoples' palates are so different. That's probably a good thing since there's a lot of wine out there. However, there were a couple of self-identified tasting "pro's" whose judgment I had to question. These were the ones who started off with the dessert wine and went backwards, usually complaining that they didn't like anything else. Well, duh! Just as an example, the last non-dessert wine was the 2005 Bodegas Sierra Cantabria Tinto, a Rioja. When tasted in order, it had a little smoke, but an interesting overtone of toffee/caramel. When tasted after the dessert wine, it was all smoke, or "bacon," as one of the backwards tasters put it (yes, I tried this after tasting everything in the "right" order).

So, without further ado, here's the rundown of the wines, which supposedly go with Superbowl party fare:

1. 2005 Tasca D'Almerita "Regaleali" (Italy): Very nice, crisp, and fruity. Reminded hubby of a Sauv Blanc. Would have gone well with shellfish. Who has shellfish at their Superbowl party? If you know, I'd like to be invited.

2. 2006 Mallee Sands Chardonnay (South Australia): No oak! Yay! Very drinkable and surprisingly fruity. This would be a good one to pull out for your friends (like me) who don't like the big, Oaky, California-style Chards.

3. 2005 Renwood Viognier (Lodi, California): I had high expectations for this one because I'm a fan of the Renwood Old Vine Zin. It didn't disappoint. It had a bit of the viognier floral character, but tart enough that it wasn't like chewing on a bouquet. Would have paired it with a fancy cheese pizza, like a Gourmet White from the 'Shroom.

4. 2005 D'Arenberg The Stump Jump (South Australia): A really nice blend of Shiraz, Mourvedre, and Grenache that's found on a lot of wine lists around here. Very good, medium fruit, and food-friendly. Would probably have gone well with my burger.

5. Sacred Stone Master's Red Blend Old World Style Red Wine NV (California): No date or region given for this one, but I'm pretty sure it's American. A "Rhone-style blend" of Syrah, Carignan, Grenache, Sangiovese, and Zinfandel. Big Ass Reds fans, this one's for you! Just sip carefully -- it's got 14.8% alcohol. I like this one better every time I try it.

6. 2005 Bodegas Sierra Cantabria Tinto: Hooray for Tempranillo! This was the one that started off all smoke and acid when first opened, but then mellowed out to have an interesting toffee/caramel overtone and a smoother finish. It probably wouldn't be my first pick for a Rioja, but I'd drink it if it was poured for me. One pairing idea put forth for it was chili.

7. 2005 Jorge Ordonez & Co Moscatel, (Malaga, Spain): The dessert wine drinkers were all over this one, and with a price of about $22, it's a good bargain. Flowery and fruity and sweet. Sticks around a while. Celebrate with this one when your Superbowl party guests leave.

The next question is, which one(s) did we leave with? We got a bottle of the Tasca D'Almerita to go in/with a scallop soup we're doing for Ash Wednesday and a bottle of a Las Rocas Garnacha, which was a recommendation from one of my faithful readers. I'm not sure when we'll drink it, but probably soon because wines don't last long around here. Also, thanks to Dan (see his blog in my links) and his lovely wife for stopping by and letting us pour you some wine!

Coming soon: Tired of all the political stuff? How about something a little different? Tune in on Super Tuesday to vote for your favorite reds and whites as they struggle to choose candidates to represent them in the wine election in November to see which will reign supreme! Yes, the Rose's are, sadly, largely too disorganized to run for office and don't really fit in either party, anyway. Candidate profiles will be posted Tuesday, and the polls will close at midnight on Friday.