We have been opening some of the bottles that we bottled in August after spending 20 months in French oak. How do we know if the wine is good? Taste is obvious, but are there other external factors that may indicate that you have a winner or plonk?
I took several cases to my brother in Michigan. Tim is into drinking wines based on ratings from Wine Spectator and others. He has a tasting profile that he seeks in a Cabernet Sauvignon. Many people agree, that have a similar profile that aligns with a 100 point system, that they will probably like a wine in the 90’s. So how did our Cabernet Sauvignon stack up with someone that enjoys Roy, Caymus Special Select and Shafer Hillside Select? The first reaction was, “not bad.” It helped that the fruity aroma reached one’s nose while the glass was still sitting on the table. My brother thought the wine resembled many wines he had in the 90 – 92 point range.
The Michigan part of the family tasted the wine and liked it. The wine ended up in a restaurant and Chef Sal liked it. The chef even borrowed the bottle and used some of the wine to make a glaze for lamb. That had to be a good omen. The owners of the restaurant also thought the wine was good.
With only a barrel of an obviously well like wine, I don’t believe in sending it to contests to see if it medals. My opinion of wine medals is similar to my opinion of elementary school science fair medals. I heard to many laments by winemakers who gather gold in one contest and nothing in another. Did their wine suddenly go bad or do contests lack validity and reliability? For me, it is better to listen to comments and count the number of empty bottles at the end of dinner divided by the number of people who drank the wine (this at least gives quantitative data). Last evening six wine drinkers emptied 4 bottles of the Illuminatus. A few weeks ago seven drinkers also emptied 4 bottles of wine that included all Cabernet Sauvignons including a bottle of Dominus. A very slight edge goes to the Illuminatus.
Now the challenge is to make another barrel that aims a bit higher. What can Kathy and I do that would make a better wine? We are thinking of seeing if we can buy a Taransaud French oak barrel and sourcing ultra premium grapes. That’s a start, I also want to double sort the grapes, once before destemming and again after destemming. These are just some early ideas. At the moment there is time to research and plan.
Cheers,
Terry
How Do You Know if Your Wine Is Good?
We have been opening some of the bottles that we bottled in August after spending 20 months in French oak. How do we know if the wine is good? Taste is obvious, but are there other external factors that may indicate that you have a winner or plonk?
I took several cases to my brother in Michigan. Tim is into drinking wines based on ratings from Wine Spectator and others. He has a tasting profile that he seeks in a Cabernet Sauvignon. Many people agree, that have a similar profile that aligns with a 100 point system, that they will probably like a wine in the 90’s. So how did our Cabernet Sauvignon stack up with someone that enjoys Roy, Caymus Special Select and Shafer Hillside Select? The first reaction was, “not bad.” It helped that the fruity aroma reached one’s nose while the glass was still sitting on the table. My brother thought the wine resembled many wines he had in the 90 – 92 point range.
The Michigan part of the family tasted the wine and liked it. The wine ended up in a restaurant and Chef Sal liked it. The chef even borrowed the bottle and used some of the wine to make a glaze for lamb. That had to be a good omen. The owners of the restaurant also thought the wine was good.
With only a barrel of an obviously well like wine, I don’t believe in sending it to contests to see if it medals. My opinion of wine medals is similar to my opinion of elementary school science fair medals. I heard to many laments by winemakers who gather gold in one contest and nothing in another. Did their wine suddenly go bad or do contests lack validity and reliability? For me, it is better to listen to comments and count the number of empty bottles at the end of dinner divided by the number of people who drank the wine (this at least gives quantitative data). Last evening six wine drinkers emptied 4 bottles of the Illuminatus. A few weeks ago seven drinkers also emptied 4 bottles of wine that included all Cabernet Sauvignons including a bottle of Dominus. A very slight edge goes to the Illuminatus.
Now the challenge is to make another barrel that aims a bit higher. What can Kathy and I do that would make a better wine? We are thinking of seeing if we can buy a Taransaud French oak barrel and sourcing ultra premium grapes. That’s a start, I also want to double sort the grapes, once before destemming and again after destemming. These are just some early ideas. At the moment there is time to research and plan.
Cheers,
Terry