Wednesday, February 21, 2018

2018 AWS Pittsburgh Wine Conference and Competition

REGISTER NOW! The conference is
MARCH 4, 2018
Click Below

"Promoting the Appreciation of Wine Through Education"
American Wine Society's
Pittsburgh Wine Conference and
Amateur Wine Competition




 Masonic Center
3579 Masonic Way, North Hills,
Pittsburgh, PA 15237

This conference, created by The American Wine Society chapters of Western Pennsylvania, is open to allWine Appreciators, Winemakers & Wine Novices to learn more about wine.*

Questions? Send to email: awspghwineconference@nb.net

*Attendees must be 21 years of age or older to attend


Monday, February 19, 2018

Should You Attend an AWS Wine Tasting Event?

 Five Reasons for Attending an AWS Wine Tasting

You’ll learn what it means when someone says “a good wine”

It might sound obvious, but is it really? How do you know what a good wine is if you’ve never been told, or if you’ve never taken the time to experience one? Of course a good wine is one that you appreciate, but a good wine also has to have balance and structure. During an AWS wine tasting you’ll learn how to pay attention to your whole palate. This will help you to recognize what a good wine can provide, even if it’s not to your taste.

Never pay too much (or not enough) for a good wine

Even though more people are aware that good wine doesn’t necessarily cost an arm and a leg, it’s still hard to determine what price to pay for a good bottle, and even more difficult if you’re reading a restaurant wine list where you only get the name and the description. Descriptions can be very far from the truth, and most of the time they come from the winemaker, so they’re not really objective. Also when you see a good bargain in a State Store, how do you know if it’s really a good deal?

With the American Wine Society, you learn about the different appellations, countries, wine makers, classifications, climate, and terroir.  Those things will help you to determine what the price should be for a particular kind of wine.

You’ll have a free check-up of your five senses

Tasting wine is not about drinking wine. At our AWS tastings, we choose good wine and our guests don’t usually spit or dump. Keep in mind, though, that you’ll usually taste quite a few wines.  There’s nothing wrong with using the dump bucket.

Tasting wine is about waking your senses to what happens when they’re in contact with wine. It’s completely the opposite of being drunk. When you’re drunk, you lose all sensibility. That’s why most wine lovers never cross the line.  Unfortunately there’s no way to produce good wine without alcohol and there’s no human adaptation to alcohol.

How wine does tasting test your five senses?

Sight: You study and appreciate the appearance, color, legs, bubbles…
Smell: You define the different aromas in the glass (herbal, fruity, spicy…)
Touch: When feeling the texture or the density of the wine.
Taste: When sipping the wine and when swallowing it if you don’t spit.
Hearing: When you listen to the presenter and hear the information that they’re sharing.

You won’t struggle with food and wine pairings

What do you do when you’re cooking, or when you’re at a restaurant in order to choose the right wine?  At the Fine Wine and Good Spirits store, you ask your sales associate, but they may have been selling shoes at a mall last week.  At a restaurant, you ask the sommelier, but he doesn’t know what you like. Maybe you like soft and sweet, maybe you like bitter and acidic, or maybe he has the right choice but not at the right price for your wallet!

At a wine tasting you’ll learn about grapes specifics, and about appellation and country specifics which will give you an objective way to guess what the taste of a particular wine might be. Of course it’s not an exact science, so you could be wrong, but you’re likely to be right as often as your salesperson or your sommelier. The best thing that you can do is to learn about wine, and make your own choice.  It may not be the choice that a wine connoisseur might make, but it will be right choice for you and your guests.

You’ll meet people and have fun

It’s not true at every wine tasting, but at ours, it is. We like to create a friendly atmosphere, be very easy to understand and we like our guests to be part of the tasting, and to share their impressions. Because, who can say (other than John) that they know everything about wine?

Check the blogspot often for more tips, news, and tasting notices!



Thursday, February 15, 2018

Hvala ti

Fun, informative, and tasty! Those are the words that describe the presentation of The Wines of Illyria last evening. Indira Bayer, founder and CEO, took us on a tour of the limestone stretches of land between the mountains and the sea on the Balkan Peninsula, and the grapes that grow in that area.

We tasted:
  1. Stone Cuvee, 2014: 90% Zilavka and 10% Bena. (PA 99326) $15.99
  2. Emporia Rose, 2016: 100% Blatina (PA38913) $15.99
  3. Blatina, 2012: 100% Blatina (PA 99327) $15.99
  4. Plavac Mali, 2012: 100% Plavac Mali (PA38654) $17.99
  5. Vranac, 2012: 100% Vranac (PA37751) $16.99*

With the exception of the Emporia, all wines were labeled Wines of Illyria.

A special thanks to our hosts for the evening, Ellen and Wendell Barner and Kevin and Bob Dering for providing the very tasty food and treats to accompany the wines! They were great matches for the wine, and a wonderful addition to our evening.

Congratulations to Marie Pietraszewski for winning the raffle of A Dozen Rosés! Remember, Marie, “sharing is caring”!

You can visit Indira's website here:

https://www.winesofillyria.com/

Živjeli


*People’s Choice for best wine of the evening

Friday, February 9, 2018

Love the Wine You're With


Your friends at the AWS Pittsburgh Chapter are here to help!  If you take a quick trip through wine.com, you’ll find plenty of inspiration for the upcoming holiday. The 14th of February is special, particularly for wine lovers. More than any other day, it’s an opportunity to share our love for wine with our Valentine: a sort of ménage à trois, but we’ll get back to that later.

Finding the right wine is important to start your dinner in the right direction. You want to show off your love and your enthusiasm, but not too much, and not too directly. Subtly and romantically is the way to go. We’ve found five wines to communicate your burning passion without playing with fire (too much).

To prevent the embarrassment your over-excitement could cause, we’ve also identified the five wines that you probable shouldn’t pick up for that night.



The Five Wines to Try

Terra Valentine Marriage Spring Mountain, Napa Valley, California
Well, the name of the producer ‘Terra Valentine’, as much as the name of the wine ‘Marriage Spring’ will speak for themselves and reveal your subtle ingenuity for matching wine with the moment. This is a proprietary red blend. Expect a fruity yet fairly powerful red wine.

More information on terravalentine.com











Reckless Love, Alexander Valley, California

As the producer puts it, “We made this bottle as a tribute to the brave few who rush into blind love and shameless nights. We hand crafted this velvety California blend to pair perfectly with wild nights and ignoring your parents’ advice.”
Because your Love is reckless, and your parent’s aren’t watching, this wine will work.
More information on  rebelcoastwinery.com





Folie a Deux Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast, California
Folie a Deux” is French for “a madness shared by two”. Because you’re crazy about each other, a wine with a French accent from Sonoma County will do the trick. We think that Pinot Noir is ideal for a romantic night, because it is fruity and not too tannic, keeping your feelings (and stomach) in the right mood.

More information on folieadeux.com




Naked Winery Oh! Orgasmic Riesling, Columbia Valley, Washington
Ok, your message won’t be delivered subtly with this wine. But it’s a positive one. One that takes two to get to, a lot of love, and a lot of sharing.

Expect a very sweet and powerfully aromatic white wine with this late harvest Riesling. Producer says “Sweet almost to the point of being an ice-wine!” There are notes of candied pear and apples. The Oh! Orgasmic range has other varietals to vary your pleasures like Sangiovese, Zinfandel or Pinot Blanc.
Some related information on nakedwinery.com




Je t’aime Brut Rose, Limoux, France
Because no sentence is more beautiful than “Je t’aime”, French for “I Love You”. The language of wine, and the language of love, united.

You may love more information about this wine on jetaimeco.com




The Five Wines to Avoid


Menage a Trois Midnight Red Blend, California
A ménage à trois in French is a domestic arrangement in which three people have romantic relations with each other. If you have a message to send to your loved one, like you’ve invited a guest to join the fun after dinner around midnight on V-day, this is your perfect wine. But you may want to reconsider your message, or keep it for another day.

More info on menageatroiswines.com
  






R Wine Bitch Grenache, Spain

Do we need to elaborate? Whether you’re a man or a woman, stay away from this wine on Valentine’s Day! As good (and fun) as it might be, not for the 14th of February… Please!


Naked Winery Penetration Cabernet Sauvignon,
Columbia Valley, Washington

Here again, this is too far off the romantic road for the occasion. Yes you love each other, and there are certain things that you like to share. But don’t put it on the table just yet! Save it for another day perhaps, or very early in the morning on the 15th.

The producer describes this wine as follows: “Penetration is a woody wine with depth. Open up, relax and get Penetrated tonight.”
Read more at nakedwinery.com




Mouton Noir Love Drunk, Willamette Valley, Oregon
The purpose of sharing wine on Valentine’s Day is not getting drunk. It’s not putting your senses to sleep, but waking them up, teasing them with sensations, smells and flavors from food and wine.
So although the Pink color seems appropriate, Love Drunk Rosé wine… Nope!
For another night, there’s info on moutonnoirwines.com






Ovum Wines ‘Ne Me Quitte Pas’, Rogue Valley, Oregon
Ne me quitte pas” is song by Belgian Jacques Brel about longing for a love to please “don’t leave me”. If your relation is at a stage that even on Valentine’s Day you feel like begging her or him not to leave, don’t bring this bottle out.

Don’t break things apart with this Oregon Gewürztraminer. Keep them together with your passion.
Wine and producer info on ovumwines.com



Pick one of the recommended wines above and show off how fond of her or him you are. Enjoy the company of love on this most romantic holiday.



Monday, February 5, 2018

Don't miss this one!



Deadline for Reservations is February 9, 2018
We are limited to 30 attendees!




If someone were to ask me about regions that produce great wines, what often comes to mind are Italy, Australia, France, Argentina and Napa Valley. When you ask people to name some common wine varieties, Zinfandel, Chardonnay and Cabernet are usually first.  If they listen to rap music, they may mention Moscato.
I probably would not have mentioned Vranac, Blatina or Plavac Mali! These are grapes from Bosnia and Herzegovina, which, according to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, was ranked 54th for wine production volume.

Our next tasting, on Wednesday, February 14, 2018, will be presented by Indira Bayer, Founder and Executive Director of Wines of Illyria, a company she founded in 2014 to import and sell wholesale fine wines from Balkan countries. The company is named for Illyria, an ancient region in what is now the Balkan Peninsula.  Her goal is to teach people about these varieties.


(By the by, it’s Vrah-natz, Blah-tee-nah and Plah-vatz Mah-lee)

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2018
Evergreen Community Center
3430 Evergreen Rd, Pittsburgh, PA 15237

7:00

PLEASE REMEMBER
TO BRING YOUR WINE GLASSES.  

 The cost for members or guests is $20.

Please reply before February 9, 2018 to:


finance.aws.pittsburgh@gmail.com

Or you may reply to 412-657-0777.

Mail your check, payable to AWS to:
Dr. Dennis Trumble
1302 Arch St
Pittsburgh PA  15212


Don’t forget to visit the website for directions, useful tips, and recipes.


Thursday, February 1, 2018

NEW PRICE!




If someone were to ask me about regions that produce great wines, what often comes to mind are Italy, Australia, France, Argentina and Napa Valley. When you ask people to name some common wine varieties, Zinfandel, Chardonnay and Cabernet are usually first.  If they listen to rap music, they may mention Moscato.
I probably would not have mentioned Vranac, Blatina or Plavac Mali! These are grapes from Bosnia and Herzegovina, which, according to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, was ranked 54th for wine production volume.

Our next tasting, on Wednesday, February 14, 2018, will be presented by Indira Bayer, Founder and Executive Director of Wines of Illyria, a company she founded in 2014 to import and sell wholesale fine wines from Balkan countries. The company is named for Illyria, an ancient region in what is now the Balkan Peninsula.  Her goal is to teach people about these varieties.


(By the by, it’s Vrah-natz, Blah-tee-nah and Plah-vatz Mah-lee)

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2018
Evergreen Community Center
3430 Evergreen Rd, Pittsburgh, PA 15237

7:00

PLEASE REMEMBER
TO BRING YOUR WINE GLASSES.  

 The cost for members or guests is $20.

Please reply before February 9, 2018 to:



Or you may reply to 412-657-0777.

Mail your check, payable to AWS to:
Dr. Dennis Trumble
1302 Arch St
Pittsburgh PA  15212


Don’t forget to visit the website for directions, useful tips, and recipes.