Challenge your palate
There is our oft noted whole big world of wine out there. While we all have our favorites those go to bottles that we like on a regular basis our fun has many times come when we challenge our own palates, this is when we find new favorites and also a chance to reinforce those varietals, producers, regions or vintages we are less fond of. For us and frankly every wine professional, we need to do this it is our job. For wine consumers though it is a good idea but clearly falls short of a requirement.
Over the last several weeks we have had great illustration of the benefit of this challenge. In our wine club in November we featured the Colter’s Creek Riesling from Lewiston, Idaho. We have liked the wine from Colter’s every time we have tried them, and over the summer when we tasted the Riesling we secured it for our club. Their take on Riesling is to ferment it dry, and maintain all the great crisp acid the best Rieslings show. Just our style! In addition, Riesling and Thanksgiving dinner are a natural food wine pairing, as the aforementioned acid really cuts the richness of the meal down to size.
As our club members began to pick up their 3-bottle club pack we could see a recognizable wince when we pulled out the tall slender Riesling bottle. We went through our customary description of each club wine so our members knew exactly what they were getting. Some opted out on the Riesling which we understand but to our pleasant surprise nearly all took it to try. Now for the surprise…. It has lead the November club in total reorders! Our club is designed to encourage members to try things they might not normally try, to learn and to find their new favorites even though some of the choices may challenge their palate and preferences. We were pleased at how many found a Riesling as a new grape they have embraced.
We have written and spoken to many of you about the challenges of the 2011 vintage. For most of the Western U.S. it was just not a very good growing year. Lots of rain and cool temperatures at harvest led to some uneven wines. Were there good wines still made? Of course. But we have encouraged caution on the part of wine consumers when purchasing 2011 vintage wines. It was also a small harvest meaning less of the wines around.
Regulars at the shop know about Barbed Wire Red from California, it is our best seller and has been for some 4 years now. Last week when the rack began to run low, I ordered up more, only to hear from the distributor that they were out and would be into 2017! In a word “le catastrophe.” Through much pleading and a bit of searching by our distributor partner we secured a bit more to tide us over. When the wine arrived, it was from the 2011 vintage, we had previously been on the 2012. Our antennae went up. Before making a hasty decision especially with a wine so popular with our customers we brought a bottle home and tried it over the weekend. It was great and all we remembered of this tasty value priced wine. With much relief, we look forward to filling the gap in supply with more of the 2011 which we might have missed had we not challenged our own palate.
Just last week I wrote of the difficulty in finding a really great varietally correct Cabernet Franc. This week another of our great distributor partners showed up with a Cabernet Franc. It was from 2011 made by Tranche which is part of the Corliss portfolio from Walla Walla, and great producers. Again, I was concerned but tried it the nonetheless. It is lovely and now on our shelves. It shows all the varietal character we love in “Franc” and the signature deft touch of the winemakers at Corliss and their sister brands. Preconceived notions and favorites to the point of being stuck in a pattern are a part of human nature. When it comes to wine though there is great benefit to resisting preconceptions and breaking out of our own patterns. Come by the shop or chat with your favorite wine professional about some unpredictable choices to challenge your own palate.
If there is a topic you would like to read about or if you have questions on wine, you can email George@thedinnerpartyshop.com, or make suggestions by contacting the Healthy Community section at the Coeur d’Alene Press.
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George Balling is co-owner (with his wife Mary Lancaster) of the dinner party, a wine and table top décor shop located by Costco in Coeur d’Alene. George worked as a judge in many wine competitions, and his articles are published around the country. You can learn more about the dinner party at www.thedinnerpartyshop.com. Be sure and check out our weekly blog at www.thedinnerpartyshop.com/home/blog-2. You can get all of these articles as well as other great wine tips by friending us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/#!/dinnerpartyshop.