Another interesting find at my local wine shop – an exotic European varietal cultivated in North America. I don’t often get the chance to taste North American wines or exotic European wines, so it was a welcome opportunity to be able to try both in the same sitting.
Upon further research, I found that perhaps Blaufrankisch is probably not all that unfamiliar to me – apparently it is a major component of Egri Bikaver, one of which I have reviewed here before. It’s fascinating for me to see the similarities and differences between the two sets of tasting notes.
The Stats
Download notes
Appearance
- Clarity: Clear
- Intensity: Medium
- Colour: Ruby
Nose
- Condition: Clean
- Intensity: Medium
- Development: Developing
Palate
- Sweetness: Dry
- Acidity: Medium+
- Tannin: Medium-
- Alcohol: Medium+
- Body: Medium
- Flavor Intensity: Medium
- Finish: Medium-
Conclusions
- Quality: Good
- Readiness/Cellaring: Drink now, do not cellar
- Identity: USA / New York / Blaufrankisch, Dornfelder
- Price: High-priced ($30)
Notes
- Long, thin tears
- No evidence of gas or sediment
- Aromas of maraschino cherries, potpourri, dried rose
- Flavours of sour cherries, strawberry, pepper, liquorice
- Really having to get my nose in to get the aromas, could benefit from decanting.
- Fine soft tannins, but finish feels a little short due to cleansing acidity.
- Possible to match with many dishes as it is not too bold
- Pork, lamb and duck would work well
Elaboration
One strange thing I would like to point out in the notes – I marked this wine as “medium+” in alcohol, when in fact the back label states that it is only 11.6%ABV, which is really quite low. All I can say is that I experienced the sensation of heat in my back palate that is usually associated with high-alcohol wines – however I have been feeling a little under the weather recently, which could have thrown my senses off.
That’s another reason to do frequent tastings and take notes. While tasting is ultimately a subjective experience, it is necessary to have a baseline or mean to compare your observations to, otherwise no two people can ever have a meaningful discussion about it. Think of this as the wine tasting version of the International System of Units. Just as one kilogram in Australia should be exactly the same as one kilogram in America, so should my understanding of high-alcohol at least have some overlap with yours.
Maybe I should consider skipping tastings if I feel that my health will affect my senses. But I can’t help it – I’m a certified alcoholic, after all.
Read more: 3 Main Things To Think About When Choosing A Wine
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