TN: Bdx, Albarino, good and bad rose, bad Chard

Oof! At events like this, I end up drinking water more often than not. Thanks for taking one for the team, I guess...

Good to hear. I just got some from Posner.

Mark Lipton

With you on that one Mark. I've been to so many events like this where hard liquor was a better go than really awful wine. Never seen Dale list a D.

Hmmmm, ..... forget the bad wine...........

Cherry cola and overripe canteloupe. Flabby. C+/C

glass. Sweet and oaky, but with a really weird VA meets new car smell thing . Clipped metallic finish. Something wrong here (but I watched bottle get f inished) D

nd lime flavors. B-/C+

I did drink plenty of seltzer. But I do like to try things rather than assu me I won't like them. And I had the Zarate in reserve (the Cotes du Rhone I brought was emptied while I was trying whites)

ROFL! How many times has that happened? I bring a few nice wines to an event, open them up and by the time I've finished my first glass the other bottle (usually a red wine) has been drained by the other people at the event. Still, it would feel a bit chintzy (to use an expression of my mother's) to hide the other bottle for a later time.

Oh, the suffering of the wine geek! :)

Mark Lipton

But one lesson from all this is that you should always take wine, to give yourself some protection. I failed to do this at a neighbor's open afternoon a couple of weeks ago: I thought I didn't know their drinking tastes, but did know their gardening skills, so took a plant. I accepted an offer of a glass of white wine. Oh well, I don't get to try white zin all that often.

Sheila

Always be wary of those who make their own wine from kits! I was at a party once where a guest brought bottles of his home-made wine, of which he was most proud. I noticed that his wife made a bee-line for the real stuff:-) Graham

I ran across this site by accident. I was formerly a regular on the old al t.food.wine newsgroup, and I recognize a couple of names. :^)

Anyway, the Albarino caught my eye. This grape is native to the Iberian Pe ninsula (especially Galicia), but relatively new to California. IMO it has the potential to unseat #3 best seller (in the USA) Pinot Grigio and even challenge #2 Sauvignon Blanc. Although the best is probably sourced from c ool climates, it is surprisingly adaptable to the blistering heat of the Ce ntral Valley. I made some last year from Fresno grapes and it turned out s urprisingly delicious! That said, it did require a substantial acid adjust ment to bring the pH down from 4.2 to 3.3.

Tom S

alt.food.wine newsgroup, and I recognize a couple of names. :^)

Peninsula (especially Galicia), but relatively new to California. IMO it h as the potential to unseat #3 best seller (in the USA) Pinot Grigio and eve n challenge #2 Sauvignon Blanc. Although the best is probably sourced from cool climates, it is surprisingly adaptable to the blistering heat of the Central Valley. I made some last year from Fresno grapes and it turned out surprisingly delicious! That said, it did require a substantial acid adju stment to bring the pH down from 4.2 to 3.3.

Is this the Chateau Burbank Tom S? What a blast from the past. Great to see you here. I think the only full Albarino from CA I've had was from the old Havens, bu t look forward to more.

Tom S!!!!

Good to "hear" from you.

Mark Lipton

Hi Dale and Mark -

Yes, it is I. I'm still making wine, although I've skipped a few vintages over the years. This year will be 36 years since my first Crush, and my fi rst as a degreed enologist. After I retired I went back to college at Fres no State University, majoring in enology, and just graduated last May 19th. Walking down the aisle to Pomp and Circumstance with all those youngsters was truly a surreal experience. I was probably the oldest graduate in a c lass of 5,000 - and at 70, older than most of the faculty!

The Albarino I mentioned was a group project in one of my classes last Fall . We made two separate batches, with and without ML from the same juice, t o see what the difference would be. The non-ML batch is bright, with a bea utiful floral nose. The ML+ is similar, but softer - both on the palate an d in the nose. The combination is rather nice, and I would have liked to t ry a barrel ferment on it - but not in the full-blown Chardonnay style.

I'll try to drop in here from time to time, but I have a lot of irons in th e fire this year and for the near future.

Tom S