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Conference Highlights – International Tasting at SeaWorld

  By admin | August 7, 2013 - 2:16 pm |
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On Thursday night, conference attendees were treated to an international wine and beer tasting at SeaWorld.

Seaworld 6

Over 100 international wines and 20 beers were available for the tasting, along with quite a spread on the buffet.

Seaworld 4

We were joined by several of the Sea World animals, including an otter, an armadillo, and a parrot.

Seaworld 3

Among the happy attendees was our President-Elect, Master Sommelier Guy Stout.

Seaworld Guy

And a good time was had by all!

 

Conference Highlights – Albariño and Rías Baixas

  By admin | August 6, 2013 - 2:58 pm |
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 SWE Conference Highlights 2013
Starting off the general sessions on Wednesday morning, Brian Freedman treated us to a tasting of delicious Albariño-based wines from Rías Baixas. The full name of the session was “Albariño, Rias Baixas, and the Evolution of a Spanish Icon.”
Brian Freedman
Rías Baixas is the most important Denomination of Origin (DO) in the Galicia region of northwestern Spain, sometimes known as “Green Spain” due to its cool climate and abundance of rain, especially as compared to the rest of Spain. The DO was formally established in 1988, and has since received much acclaim for the crisp, fruity, and mineral-driven white wines from the Albariño grape variety.
Albarino with Map

 Brian led us through a tasting of wines from each of the sub-regions of Rías Baixas. The five sub-regions are:

  • Val do Salnés:  This is the original and oldest sub-zone with the most area under vine and the highest concentration of wineries. Located on the Atlantic coast, it surrounds the historic town of Cambados. Val do Salnés is the birthplace of the Albariño grape.
  • Condado do Tea:  “Tea County” is named after the river Tea, a tributary of the Miño River. Located in a fairly mountainous area along the Miño, this is the second largest sub-zone. The most inland, it is a warmer, drier area, than the other sub-regions.
  • O Rosal:  Also lying along the Miño River where it joins the Atlantic Ocean, this sub-zone forms the border with Portugal. Vineyards in O Rosal are terraced along the sides of the Miño.
  • Ribeira do Ulla: The newest Rías Baixas sub-zone, this area was registered in 2000 and is located inland, southeast of Santiago de Compostela.
  • Soutomaior:  Nestled in the hills at the head of the Rίa de Vigo, Soutomaior is the smallest of the sub-zones and was registered in 1996.

Brian with glass

All the wines were delicious and crisp, and with Brain’s help the crowd was able to detect the subtle differences among the wines produced in the different sub-regions. All were delicious, and showed varying levels of fruitiness from crisp, citrus flavors to rich, tropical fruit as well as varying – but subtle – aromas of mineral, herb, and flowers. Thank you, Brian!
Glass and Brian

Conference Highlights – Pink Champagne

  By admin | August 5, 2013 - 1:07 pm |
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SWE Conference Highlights 2013
On Wednesday afternoon, Seth Box, Director of Education for  Moët-Hennessey USA, treated us to a flight of six amazing Rosé Champagnes in his session titled “Pink Champagne – Fluffy Fiction or Profound Pleasure?”
Seth Box Pink Champagne
Seth gave a lively session and addressed the very wide spread and yet often erroneous habit of pairing Brut Rosé Champage with dessert.  Highlighting the fact that pink Champage is very food friendly, he emphasized its appropriateness for pairing with just about any food from soup, salads, appetizers and even main courses made with heavier foods…but warned against pairing it with heavily spiced or sweet dishes, as these foods can disturb the delicate balance and mask the complex flavors of the wine.
Pink Champagne Audience Glasses
Seth discussed the various methods of producing Rosé Champage, including saignée as well as adding a dosage  of pinot noir or pinot meunier at the end of the process.  Champagne is the only wine region in France that allows the blending of red and white wines in the production of Rosé.
Pink Champagne Glasses
 All of the wines were delicious, with a crowd favorite being the Krug Rosé N/V.
Pink Champagne Session Audience
The tasting concluded with a sip of Moët & Chandon Nectar Imperial Rosé, a slightly sweet wine that due to its residual sugar could be used as a successful pairing partner with dessert – such as milk chocolate dipped strawberries or raspberry tart.  To wrap up the session, it was agreed that Rosé Champage is indeed a “Profound Pleasure!”

Conference Highlights – Opening Session with Georges Duboeuf!

  By admin | August 4, 2013 - 3:43 pm |
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Whew! All of us lucky folks who attended the 37th Conference of the Society of Wine Educators over the last few days are still unwinding from all of the excellent opportunities for wine education, wine tasting, and networking that the Conference had to offer. With a record-breaking attendance of over 370 people, 66+ educational sessions, networking events every night, and three well-attended certification previews; this was one of the best conferences yet.

Here are just a few highlights from the opening session on day one:

georges

The opening session was an amazing tasting of Beaujolais and Burgundy wines presented by none other than Georges Duboeuf.
Jorge Hernandez intro DuBoeuf
Mr. Duboeuf was graciously introduced by Jorge Hernandez of Deutsch Family Wine and Spirits, who described some of the appellations of Southern Burgundy and Beaujolais, and provided an overview of the wines of the Georges Duboeuf family.
Crowd at DuBoeuf
It was a rare opportunity to taste a delightful range of wines while listening to the Master of Beaujolais himself describe the wines.  Mr. Duboeuf also discussed the vineyard settings and winemaking techniques that went into each wine. It was easy to sense (and taste) the care and quality that go into the Duboeuf wines.
Duboeuf Pouilly-Fuisse
The 2011 Emile Beranger Pouilly-Fuisse is a phenomenal white wine that drinks more like an expensive Mersault. This wine is a sentimental favorite of Mr. Duboeuf, as he grew up in the region of Pouilly-Fuisse and often relaxes with a glass of this wine.
DoBoeuf Bottle Line up
The crowd loved all the wines, and were interested to learn that Hob Nob Pinot Noir, from the Languedoc-Roussillon, is a delightfully fruity-floral-smooth-rich version of Pinot Noir produced by the Duboeuf family for the American Market.
Duboeuf Glasses
Thank you so much to Mr. Hernandez, Mr. Duboeuf, and everyone who made this opening session possible!