This week I take to the road to facilitate a blind wine tasting event for the Friends of Italy Society of Hawaii. The Italians need their vino. Mobile Musings is on the job.
Deductive tasting is wholly dependent on the senses. A systematic approach is useful to refine those senses and translate observations to accurate wine conclusions. This post provides a few tips to get you started on your journey of vinous cogitations. Remember, there is no “correct” approach; fashion a system that is effective for you. Taste, hypothesize, repeat. Andiamo!
Read moreDESSERT! Do I have your attention? Of course I do; a confection creation is euphoria for the sweet tooth. Resistance is futile; science proves it. (Okay, perhaps it is not quite that simple, but we all read those articles wishing it were). The relevant post-meal inquiry is not "are we having dessert," but rather, "what is the perfect beverage to complement my dessert?" After all, dessert deserves a thoughtful pairing.
This month’s Veritas Wine Club, located at the Tchin Tchin Bar in Honolulu’s Chinatown District, explores that critical question with a dessert and wine pairing theme. Sweetness will inevitably ensue.
Read moreThis week we are back in Costco Corner, expanded edition, searching for those paradoxical low-cost, high-quality wines that occupy the crowded Costco aisles. My faithful tasting team endeavors on an expedition south to New Zealand, the land of Kiwis (fowl, fruit, human), rugby and well-crafted vinous beverages.
Best of all? New Zealand wines do not break the bank. Costco makes certain of it. So pour yourself a glass of plonk and let the Fellowship of the Vine set its course due south. The journey to Mordor must inevitably pass through wine country. As it should.
Read moreA celebration of America’s independence is again at hand. Insert excessive patriotism here. In today's current political maelstrom, however, many long for more sensible and dignified [pre-Twitter] days. So let's take it all the way back to the Revolution. In honor of Independence Day, I offer a Founding Fathers retrospective. Join, or die...
Pour yourself a glass of claret and ponder this: with which Founding Father would you most want to spend an evening? Tough choice; the Founding Fathers were an impressive bunch. I will give you a clue regarding my answer: he was quite the wine aficionado (of course I would choose the wino).
Read moreLife is expensive. Exponentially so here in Honolulu. Enter Costco, the welcomed paradox of low cost and high quality that has Hawaii residents scrambling for a cart at every operating hour of the Costco day. When is the best time to traverse Costco’s fabled value-packed aisles? I have no idea; morning and night, weekdays and weekends, it always appears an endless sea of frantic slapdashery. Fight the bevy of busy patrons, however, and you can be rewarded with excellent value, everyday wines.
With summer in full swing, the crew joins me this month to review and rate a rosé collective. The pink revolution is at hand.
Read moreWine and cheese has been a celebrated culinary coupling for centuries. Pairing the duo, however, is not always an elementary assignment. With the increasing diversity of both available at your local grocery store, selection can quickly become overwhelming. Does this Gaglioppo pair with a block of Timberdoodle?
This month’s Veritas Wine Club at Tchin Tchin Bar, located in Honolulu’s Chinatown District, sought to provide a few basic wine and cheese pairing tips, utilizing items easily found at any local market. Learn, practice, repeat.
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