WineNight

Decanting

This night, our hosts (hi Teri!, hi Andy!) did something pretty nifty. They bought 10 bottles of wine (2 bottles each of a particular wine) and decanted one 6 hours before wine night commenced. The basic routine was to open a bottle, taste it, and then taste the decanted version. I'd never done that before and it was educational.

Yummy pizza was served for dinner (I had the proscuitto and baby spinach. The spinach had some flavorful citrus taste).

1. Mais Donis barrica, 2003. Straight out of the bottle, this wine was peppery with a sweet finish. The decanted version flattened out significantly. The sweetness was gone, leaving the pepper to linger. I felt that decanting definitely improved the wine.
2. Dolcetto d'Alba, Sandrone 2004. Out of the bottle, it is a very smooth wine with a hint of pepper. Decanted, this wine really opened up its nose and seemed much drier, but other than that it did not change significantly. Overall, I liked this the best.
   
3. 2001 Washington State Syrrah from Gordon Bros. This is very fruity wine in both taste and bouquet. One quote: "It burns your eyes". I didn't think it was that significant, but it was powerful. After decanting, the fruity nose was gone. The sweetness and fruitiness in the taste was gone. The wine was "hotter" (attributed to the alcohol). I felt that decanting really improved this wine.
   
4. 2005 Echelon Pinot Noir. We wondered if the month of the vintage was going to be important. I got nothing from the nose and there really was no distinctive characteristic to this wine. Jennifer, however, said that she'd drink it. We probably served it a bit warm. Laurence observed that it was like a Pinot, just smaller. After decanting, the nose turned funky (if not downright skunky). It became even lighter and "waterier". I did not like either version of this wine.
5. 2004 Argiolas Granache ("it's Italian!"). Very woody smell, which caused Mike and Brian to make a face. Very sharp with a bad aftertaste. Decanting improved this wine the most. The nose came together and it got a lot better, but that is not saying much.
   

Spec's In Austin
According to the Austin American Statesman, Spec's (warning: soul-sucking registration process is required for access) is coming to Austin.

Spec's is a "big box" liquor retailer out of the Houston area which is exanding to the Austin market somtime over the next year. One of the new stores will be located in the old Academy building located in South Austin at 290 and Brodie.