Pairings Wine & Cheese

We had a very celebratory holiday season—enjoying lots of delicious wines and cheeses (and other foods, as is the tradition when the calendar flips to December).  And for Christmas, we received some fun gifts that are designed to enhance the wine drinking experience.

One was a Vinturi Essential Wine Aerator.  Now we have been in the wine business for 12+ years and have plenty of decanters, filters, and funnels.  But sometimes it is only one of us who is imbibing, so to decant a full bottle for one or two glasses was always a bit of a nuisance.  In other words, we just didn’t do it.  Our decanter sits in the cabinet looking very regal with its sterling silver funnel and filter lying next to it.

Our very good friends from Southern California gave us the Vinturi.  And what a great gift it has been.  The first time we used it was with the 1991 Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon written about in an earlier posting.  We thought it made a difference but didn’t drink the wine without pouring it through the Vinturi so how could we know?

Tonight I had the pleasure of opening a bottle of Ravenswood 2002 Teldeschi Zinfandel from the Dry Creek Valley of Sonoma County.  I have had this bottle of wine for a few years and purposely left it in my cellar to age.  A wine this big (14.9% alcohol) needs time to age to allow the fruit to emerge.  I read a review of someone who drank it in 2006 and he said it was like having a plank of wood jammed into his mouth.

Anyway, I poured my first glass using the Vinturi and was pleased with the jammy flavors that filled my palate. When I poured the second glass, I forgot to run it through the Vinturi (I’m still getting used to having this little device).  And I was amazed to taste the difference.  The second glass of wine was much more restrained—the fruit was almost non-existent.

Thinking I was fooling myself, I had a small pour after the second glass.  I can’t even call it a third glass because it was such a small pour.  But with this one, I again used the Vinturi.  And lo and behold, the fruit returned.

I now consider myself a Vinturi fan.  Plus it comes with a lovely little travel case for road trips.

Using the Vinturi with some of the Pairings offered at PairingsWineandCheese.com could only enhance what is already a perfect match.

It should be noted that tonight I paired the wine with the spiciest chili con carne I have ever made (made with un-rinsed chipotle peppers) topped with a locally produced aged cheddar; the wine took the heat right off of this Tex-Mex stew.

The other wine gadget we received?  Breathable Glasses from Eisch Glassware in Germany.  Review of those to follow soon.

We enjoyed a bottle of 1991 Robert Mondavi Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon during the holiday season.  Considering it was 18 years old and kept in basically optimal conditions, it held up quite nicely: dark cherry, plum and raisin-y fruit flavors with a hint of vanilla on the finish.  It was not super rich like some older Cabernet’s would be, but was fine.

The most interesting thing about the wine was to think about what has happened in the 18 years that it rested in the bottle.  Most definitely, the idea of blogging about it was still many years away.  Some of the other significant changes in the past 18 years include things such as an increase in the use of mobile telephones; expansion of the World Wide Web; hybrid vehicles; an increase in the use of solar power; and too many new gadgets to include in this short blog.  Not to mention the change in the English language.  Nowadays, one can Google just about anything using a smartphone to learn about how to reduce a carbon footprint or eat like a locavore while on a staycation. And while on a staycation, one can Tweet about it, update Facebook, and blog about it to the world wide web.

But not only have there been dramatic technological advances and additions to the English language since 1991, we also saw a rise in artisan wine and cheese production.  Enter Pairings Wine & Cheese!  There is no doubt that there were small producers of fine wines and cheeses prior to 1991, but the choices were limited.  We consider ourselves to be the fortunate ones to be able to offer to you such a great selection wine and cheese from around the globe.  And to be able to tell you about using the social networks of Facebook, Twitter, and blogging.

What’s the first thing you think of when you think of the changes in the past 18 years?