InterWined.com

Liquid Refreshment

28

Aug

A Matter of Taste (Part 2)

Jacob Gaffney  in Red Wines, Organic , , ,

To quantify a quality: One comment to this post asked why review wine and why not taste test Gatorade.

Gatorade, of course, tastes consistent and that’s its draw. Sweaty throngs in soaked t-shirts on the 1st avenue basketball court swirling and sniffing sports drinks is… well… a scene from a movie we’d all like to watch. The draw of wine is one that is incumbent within the prospect of expecting taste. And it works for so many other things.

For instance, take organic milk. Like wine, the treatment of the cows, say, what it eats, affects the flavour. A review by this column found Rachel’s organic milk placed in dead last, when compared to other brands, with little expression of the cow’s personal characteristics. Other than the Moo, of course.

Top of the line was a surprise. Yeo Valley beat out Dutchy originals, although the latter costs twice as much. But then Yeo Valley tastes like a creamy glob of grass crammed into a jar. There may be room yet for another milk blog on the net, but, as far as that subject is concerned, the Amish are years ahead of us…

Perhaps if the blog was peppered with neat little ideas, its allure will be enhanced.

IDEA: Need crushed ice for that high society cocktail party? Simply pour sparkling water in an ice tray and freeze. Once frozen, pop out the cubes, which shatter into a thousand pieces. Wrap in a cloth and bash. Open cloth. Behold; ten thousand pieces.

Speaking of which, in an independent tasting of sparkling mineral waters, Ballygowen came last, San Pellegrino did well, close to the top. But the yellow jersey went to Badoit, from the Loire. Rare that it is a natural sparkler, no carbon added, but rarer still that the bubbles aren’t obtrusive. Smooth, flinty, and solid. And priced like it knows it. Nearly double the others.

Then there are the wine bloggers who spend three paragraphs on one wine. Three paragraphs. By the time you get to reading about the unctuous nuances of some sesquipedalian Sauvignon, you begin to think, ‘hey, this guy is WASTED.’

The new InterWined ratings systems will be based on ten…the 100-point system needs to be simplified.

So, from now one, that’s a ten if the wine is perfect, a five if it gets the job done and a score of one if it makes me angry. But no zeroes, because at least they turned their work in.

To be thorough, though, the ratings system will be to the tenth decimal point.

IDEA: Have you done your very best today to promote InterWined.com as the best wine blog ever?

Penfolds Organic blend is a tidy number, £9.

After a week of disappointing Australians, finally a glimmer of hope: ripe fruits, smooth texture, little overt sweetness and a pleasing, yet short, finish. It used to be £7, but as its popularity grows, so will the price tag. 8.7.

Got an email from a friend that explained that Australians keep the good wines for themselves and export the junk to us. Most countries do this, notably the United States, where it would be difficult to find a decent American offering under ten. In London the prices hover around £6.

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