Zins At My BBQ
Readers
can pull off such a tasting themselves, though the
dimensions of it all can get out of hand. Participants
(mostly consumers, a few trade folks) bought into this event
by pledging a small fee and contributing one or two
bottles.
The tasting took
place in a naturally lit room, with 25 bottles deployed on
three tables. Tasting note sheets and pens or pencils were
laid out in front of each bottle, with columns for time,
comments, rating, initials. As people arrived, their
pre-registered bottles were matched with the sheets.
Unregistered bottles were duly signed in with back-up
sheets. Wines were arranged alphabetically on three
tables.
This year, the
good news was that there were lots of people (over 3O) and
wines (28, with two duplicates). The layout was on three
tables: a central one with 16 bottles and two side tables
with 5 each. Placement was a key factor, as the well-lit
side table by the windows was much visited, and the darker
one by the kitchen much ignored. Repeated on a placard at
the door were the few simple rules that had previously been
emailed to participants: Bring a favorite wine glass, ID it
(marker initials or chain loop) and hold onto it. Taste
every wine you care to, but pour very short (1/2 to 1oz.).
Sniff, swirl, sip, spit. Comment as to color, aroma, flavor,
analogies, finish. Rate from 5 to 1O in half-points; 5 being
poor, fair, decent, good, very good, 1O being
fabulous).
The bad news was
that the commentaries were few and scattered, and orderly
tasting was helter-skelter. Last year there were 2O bottles
and 2O tasters, many of them the same people, but who
evidenced a higher level of comment-writing. Barely half of
the wines had been advance-registered despite online
pleadings by the ‘zinmaster’. At 4 o’clock incoming bottles
were uncorked and hasty headers scribbled on the data
sheets. The comments were desultory, intuitive, often
inarticulate and echoey, even downright illegible. Evidently
many tasters entered no notes at all.
Late arriving
wines endured differing fates. Some were opened with much
buzz and oral recountings of recalled ratings or
half-remembered reputations. Others became wallflowers –
shunted off. As the tasting was not blind, it is likely that
tasters were somewhat influenced by pricetags and labels.
One taster remarked, “This is hardly scientific, but boy, is
it fun!”
Lessons learned:
Educate the tasters by email in advance. Insist on
pre-registering the wines. Explain the rules in a thumbnail
line-up when they arrive. Hope for a sunny day and good
luck.
The menu,
designed and executed by Eric Haggerty of New England
Sauces, included citrus and herb rubbed shrimp skewers,
grilled portabellos with asparagus and tomato over redleaf
and romaine with balsamic vinaigrette, grilled Ratatouille
(eggplant, zucchini, summer squash and plum tomatoes with
herbs and olive oil), yankee oven-baked beans, potato salad
with creole mustard and applewood smoked bacon, cornbread
with smoked mozzarella and grilled peaches, hickory and oak
smoked chicken leg quarters glazed with the chef’s bottled
“sweet, smoky, tangy, and spicy raspberry sauce”, maple and
applewood smoked Saint Louis cut pork ribs glazed with the
chef’s bottled “sweet, smoky, tangy, and spicy cranberry
sauce”, The sides rounding out the menu were Coastal
Carolina Coleslaw (sweet vinegar-based slaw), barbecued
gritcakes (aka southern polenta), watermelon salad, and
mixed berry pies.
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Winery, year, vineyard designation, region, alcohol content, price. Comments (number): tasting notes, average rating. J Indicates top rated. |
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