DTN Lesson 1

Drink This Now's lesson one is about seeing the difference between wine straight from the bottle and the same wine that has been allowed to oxidize for a short time. I tried to find a bottle of Domaine Grand Veneur Cote-du-Rhone as recommended, but the closest that I could acquire was Chateau de Segries Cotes-du-Rhone. I also got a rosemary and olive oil infused asiago cheese and uncured spicy sopressada.

Step 1: I tried the wine immediately after opening and performed the sniff and swirl. It was a very dark red red, and I could tell just from the scent that it was a very tannic wine. It also had some smells of old fruit, specifically dried cherries and raisins. I then tasted the wine and received a mouthful of harsh tannins; my mouth felt super dry. Despite the boldness, I could pick up some faint flavors of bitter dark chocolate, earth, and paint thinner. Honestly, it was not very pleasant.

Step 2: I decided to pour more into my glass and let it set for about two hours on the kitchen counter instead of simply leaving the cork out because I did not want the whole bottle to spoil if I did not finish it. I tried it after oxidization and still found it to have a lot of tannins, but it had noticeably softened and became slightly less bitter. I could now pick up on some flavors of cherry and plum, but it had also taken on some qualities that I can only describe as dusty or like a really old building. I could not tell if the color had lightened.

Step 3: I tried the wine with the rosemary and olive oil infused asiago, and found that it did help to cut back the harshness of the wine somewhat. I could also now taste more of the grape and cherry. It was not a great flavor, however, but I do recognize that that was most likely from my choice in cheese as rosemary and fruit does not seem like a great combination in hindsight. 

Step 4: I tried the wine with spicy sopressada, and it was also not a great flavor in my opinion. Although, the fattiness and spiciness of the meat did manage to cut through the wine. There is not much else that I can say here because I did not try any more as I found the taste unbearable. However, that is probably because I am just not a fan of tannic wines. I acknowledge that the meat and cheese did there job of neutralizing some of the harshness of the bold wine, but the taste is still simply not for me.

Step 5: I did not allow the wine to age any longer due to time constraints and that I did not really enjoy the wine.

Overall, I understand the point of this experiment and still thought that it was a fun activity. I hope to find a wine that I enjoy later and can use to repeat this process to further my enjoyment of the complexity of wine.