“What am I tasting?” An amusing feature on the Wine Spectator site
We thought we’d quickly point out a little feature on the Wine Spectator website that we sometimes participate in when it pops up on our Google reader feed…
“What are you tasting” is a quiz that offers you a tasting note, and then asks you to answer four questions about the wine — grape variety, country, age of the wine, and region within the country — each with multiple choice options to select.
Though of course this doesn’t compare to identifying a wine correctly in a blind tasting, it does have some educational value. Maybe. Or so we tell ourselves as we defend our web-surfing as a “valid” work-time activity. At the very least, it’s a marker that we’re getting slightly smarter about wine (or smarter about the formula that Wine Spectator uses in their notes), since our scores have increased from an average of 2 of 4 correct, to today’s 4 of 4 correct.
Now, go on over and give this quiz a try!
6 Responses to ““What am I tasting?” An amusing feature on the Wine Spectator site”
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get your wine on
2007 Ponte de Lima Vinho Verde, Portugal
Bring a little “green” to your life with the Ponte de Lima Vinho Verde from Portugal. It’s actually a white wine - the green refers to its youth and freshness. It’s slightly effervescent and zippy, giving you the sense of a warm summer’s day on a cold winter’s night. This one is very easy on the wallet to boot, at just eleven buckaroos! Buy Green Wine for Wintertime.
2007 Cortes de Cima Chaminé Red Blend
Yummy Portuguese table wine that’s a blend of Aragonez (aka Tempranillo), Syrah, Touriga Nacional, Trincadeira, and a smidgen of Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s just asking to be paired with winter stews of braised meats. A great value at $19 a bottle.Buy Cortes de Cima Chaminé
2005 Amavi Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon, Walla Walla: #42 Wine Spectator in the Top 100 of 2008!
OK, don’t screw the WS top 100! This came in at #42 and it deserves at least that. It’s the only reasonably priced domestic cab on their list, and we love it. It’s deep and rich and generous with the oaky vanilla — but not cloyingly so. Yay for #42 - just $28.
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freshly pressed
Technical Difficulties:
It’s hard to be a blogger when you don’t have a computer. Mine is in the shop. I’ll be back soon, I hope!
Cheers,
Jill
Technical Difficulties
Cellartracker Embraces Twitter
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wine jargon
Frizzante
From Wikipedia: Frizzante is an Italian wine term term for semi-sparkling wine (as opposed to Spumante, which is generally used for fully sparkling wines). Frizzante wines generally owe their bubbles to a partial secondary fermentation in tank. You might notice a light fizz or tingly sensation on the tongue with a Frizzante wine, compared to the more carbonated sensation that more fully sparkling wines yield.
Scorekage
Okay, so we made up this word yesterday after a great restaurant experience. We brought a bottle of wine with us, expecting to pay a corkage fee. But the restaurant either forgot to charge us the $15, or decided to be nice to us. We scored! Hence, “scorekage” has entered our lexicon. This can also refer to BYO friendly restaurants that don’t charge for corkage under any circumstances.
grapewise
Fabulous & Frugal!
Our friends launched a new site and domaine547 is a featured wine columnist in their premiere edition! Go check out Fabulous & Frugal for some fantastic lifestyle tips for living the good life during what, for most of us, is an economically challenging time. There’s much more than wine there, and we’re thrilled to be a small part of the start of what will surely be a successful venture. Congrats to Brandi & Steph for their achievement!
domaine547 In the Blogosphere! Imbibe Magazine Unfiltered
Check out this blog post where they actually refer to somebody from d547 as a “wine expert.” Shocking! In any case, the Imbibe blog offers a nice recipe to go along with one of our wine recommendations. Enjoy!
Fabulous & Frugal!
domaine547 In the Blogosphere! Imbibe Magazine Unfiltered
The 89 Project
April 10th, 2008 at 4:39 pm
Almost. I got 3/4 right. I missed the appellation.
April 11th, 2008 at 2:24 am
Jill,
Thank you! I’m not sure if this means my wine geek level is increasing, or that I’m a sucker for a good thinking game, but I’m finding myself a little addicted to this page. I’m not sure if it beats Texas Hold em’ but it’s a good rival
April 11th, 2008 at 7:46 am
These quizzes are fun and a great training tool for identifying varietals. Although as you said it doesn’t nearly compare to actually taste identifying the wine, but learning is learning right!
I am playing a texas hold’em tournament tomorrow night Gabriella, so I’ll weigh in on which one is more fun. haha
cheers
John
April 14th, 2008 at 6:29 am
Be careful! Before you know it, you will been assimilated into the collective. And your palate will be just like theirs!
April 15th, 2008 at 10:08 am
Neat! I was completely unaware of this game.
April 15th, 2008 at 12:35 pm
OOoops… I just flew through about 15 of these quizzes. Scored a 1 once , a 3 a few times, and 4 every other time. I feel special. Although it seems even easier than actual blind tasting. Thanks for the link, now I’m addicted.