Dibble Dribbles...

As dusty rhetoric, and a certain temperance to expectations, I have been trying to shorten my blurbs.  I created the Buzz as a quick, easy, fun read for those of you who are tired of stuffy, tweed-laden(yes itchy) approach to wine.  

I had dinner with Vic Bourassa last night.  Vic owns Bourassa Vineyards, a premium example of what 'Boutique' ventures can create, given a certain minimalist approach on a scale level.  Vic is a firecracker, a business man and a story teller.  His wines are bombastic, boasting austere and often robust fruit that paints the pallette in shades of the darkest mauve or the most gorgeous flakes of gold(the latter being a byproduct of small-scale Sauvignon Blanc, yum).  This author prefers his Syrah Reserve, a Shiraz-tastic(yes I made that up) homage to bigger Croze-Hermitage muscle juice.  This Syrah pulls no punches, slamming the front pallette with fortified cassis and red currants.  The mid pallette is a speckling of dark licorice and warm blackberry turnovers.  Would Vic tell you that?  Probably not.  Vic would ask you if you liked how 'Rock Star' it's presence was.  Vic would tell you how that wine was a 'Liquid Sex Machine'.  Why?  Because he respects that wine is cool.  I recognize that I am, in fact, a wine nerd; a byproduct of both avoiding what is deemed inherently cool and having zero reservations about continuously waxing poetic when deemed necessary.  Vic is cool.  With his snow white hair and his child like grin, he graciously pours wine with the zest of a new father.  His port, the Solera, is my go-to after dinner drink.  With heavy leather and dark chocolate, this is a port that boasts formidability and layers of character....Come to think of it, so does the Bourassa family.  

In short, Wine is cool.  Wine is the sum of those who make it, and for their dedication, they are subject to my fandom.  I will dribble further on other wine-o's as I blog on into eternity, but for now, enjoy the good stuff that we can all appreciate.

                         Cam

As a post script, I want you buzzers to post a review of your favorite wine.  The person with the most personality in their review will get a free bottle of the Syrah Reserve from Bourassa.  Blog on....

I'll have the Usual

Sometimes an addiction to habit can be good, considering the diversity of what has become both 'enjoyable wine' and assumed 'enjoyability'.  I poke fun at those of you who say, "You know what I want", as if your toe is immeasurably uncomfortable with a dip in the ocean of change.  I will say, however, that there are a few wines that have received high praise for both being 'consistent' and delicious.  

I like Jordan's wines.  I just do.  They make a big style Cabernet Sauvignon that is both unobtrusive and still hearty.  It's a dash of black leather and heavy currant-like berries.  Simply tasty.  Their Chardonnay is made in the Fuisse model, a nod to the wines of Burgundy that have been replaced by the 'Land O Lakes' butter model that saturates the California Market.  Brian, the other contributor to this website(and my boss), goes to lengths to communicate the elegant reservations of their fruit; a sexiness that whispers 'Old Culture'.

Another beauty, Alpha Omega, is just 'freakin awesome'.  Pardon my level or grammatical depreciation, but they 'freakin' are.  Their Chardonnay is a knock-out, it's the Buster Douglas of the wine world:  Not the most expensive fighter in the ring, but given it's shot, it'll take down even the biggest dog.  Their Cabernet Sauvignon, that I have already mentioned on a past post, is a stellar competitor to the 'Caymus' and Silver Oaks' of the habitual wine world.  I had a chance to try their ERA; a Meritage(marrying the Varietals of the Old World on our Native Soil) that easily out muscles any cuvee of recent memory.  Cultured Leather and humidor lacquer the nose, preceding a strong blackberry and fortified currants.  Hints of bay leaf like spices linger on the extremely long finish, mellow neutral-sweetness cocoa marry into your saliva for what seems like days.  It's just 'freakin good'.  Fellow Oenophile and Wine Nerd Chelsea Bellows is their Director of Sales is a pen pal of mine, and she will tell you; it's not about what you do it's about the integrity of what you create.  Our relationship is a result of my passion for their wine, and the integrity of my suggestions.  It's nice to be a professional and a fan.  

           Follow what you love, understand that variety is both the spice of life and circumstancial.  Find a wine you like and paint your pallette with it.  Vary depending on your assumptions, but never ever settle for what you deem to be the best.

         Cheers,

             Cam

Mystery loves Company

         I find myself, more often than not, as to the veil that has been placed over the culture of wine drinking.  It is with that statement, or perhaps the commanding social magnetism therein, that I pose my latest theoretical tirade.  I believe, and those of us who are fortunate enough to work our daily lives surrounded by wine follow me on this, that wine is made hard to grasp by those who believe it is simply a hobby.  Following that statement, those that treat it like a culture, a pietry dish-like community wherein we all grow with our likes/dislikes; a shared hedonism that creates what I believe to be an inherently humanistic passion.

         What am I saying?  What's the best pairing for food?  Companionship, period.  I realize that here at the Daily Wine Buzz that I take a very solo-istic approach to 'learning' about wine; but I have to emphasize that wine appreciation that takes on a tone of isolationism is at it's heart is just wrong.  Wine Enthusiasm isn't about saving a bottle to savor alone, because passion arises from the ability to communicate enthusiasm; a collective teeth clacking, lip smacking reverence that begins at the first blessed sip.

         Don't associate this article with monetary labeling either, your $20 dollar bottle could easily be a 'share worthy' wine should you deem it to be.  I love Chapoutier's ventures in the inexpensive Samouren Rouge market; a byproduct of both my miser-like siblings and my overzealous fruit driven pallette(should that occasion arise).  I think Chile makes amazingly sensual fruit, while still practicalizing the budget therein.  Montes makes wines all over the price-scale; I will say, however, that a finer $60 dollar buy is nearly impossible against their 'Purple Angel'.  A blend of Carmenere and Petit Verdot(it does change vintage to vintage) this stellar, muscular red is both a blend of ripe berry fruit and winding, vegetative spice.  I decanted it for an hour and it was still as austere as any wines being produced in Northern California.  Did I share it?  With my family and my friends.

          Love wine, but more importantly love your passion.  This blog is a personal passion of mine, and as a result have become accustomed to indulging in both sharing and caring(no I'm not the Lionheart of the Wine world...yet).  A good friend and wine drinker, Doug King, convinced me to write this article as a means to express what I deemed rhetorical; excitement.  Get excited about having people who can share it with you, and more importantly, find more.  I love my mother(yes I am a "momma's boy"), and I revel in the fact that I can share nearly every cherished bottle in my humble 'cellar'.  As a result, she has branched out and begun sharing her prized bottles with her incredibly diverse social network.  

            The only way to understand the complicated and sometimes confusing universe of the fermented grape is to hear it from a knowledgeable source.  Be humble, and remember they aren't necessarily smarter than you, they just heard it from someone else.  Wine Teachers, be humble too, don't scare them off by confusing passion for power.  Wine Hoggers, you know who you are, and cut it out.  If I have a bottle open at the bar sometime, and you see me, don't ever hesitate to ask for a pour.  I love to share wine the same way I love to share my breath, in heavy doses with a smile.  

           Thank you again all you Buzz-ers, I love you all for supporting my passion, and will continue to fill your glasses and screens as long as you'll have me.  

                 Cam

The Wine in Spain falls far from Plain

More and more I read articles that corral a certain cluster of affordable 'every day' wines, a treasure trove of dedications and salutations to vineyards both old and new that are trudging forward in times of economic strife to keep our tables and bellies full of quality wine. You know what I'm finding less and less of on sed lists? California Tradition. Call it oenological evolution, or perhaps some divine nod to the forgotten areas outside of dogmatic comfort zones; the truth is, the value balance has shifted to non-domestic markets.
One of my favorite varietals, Mencia, is a beautiful pairing for gamey meats and heavy starches. Originally thought to be a 'grand-pappy' to Cabernet Franc(see, there is another Cab), this slightly above mid-bodied red is both elegant and substantial in it's fruit-driven nature. Musty, but not overly dusted, it's raw trail berry flavor coats the pallette in the vein of chocolate covered cherries or the prized corners of your mother's homemade blueberry pie pieces. It's fragrance muscles up to the task, hinting at just whispers of refined earth, but really pushing that dried fig and tobacco clippings we all want from our 'Bay Side Beauties', but find ourselves scraping our wallets to purchase.
I have never met the man, but Eric Solomon(a fellow 'Charlottean' as well) has brought droves of chic and gorgeous wines from 'other' parts of the old world. Specializing in French and Spanish Wines, he began his 'European Cellars' from his living room in New York with the help of just two obscure(and now famous) wines; 'Domaine de Marcoux' and 'Domaine de La Janasse'. A wunderkind of the wine world, Solomon started young and as it stands he doesn't seem to be slowing down anytime soon. His pallette is superb, and his ability to take risks on otherwise unheard of vineyards helps us all appreciate the true value of walking on the wild side of wine.
It comes as a double edged sword from this reader, as he had hoped to continue to sneak wonderfully affordable wines from Priorat(an area in the southern part of Catalonia, Spain) from the shelves and let the rest of you struggle to find the perfect Napa Cab. I jest only because I find that most workaday wine drinkers apply a price tag with a certain assumed quality, rather than actually believing too good can be true. Ribera Del Duero, a region that relies on the delicate Tempranillo grape, is producing wildly popular everyday wines that marry an air of regal earthiness with a great number of dried off-black fruits. Tempranillo is a dimunitive of the word 'Temprano', meaning 'early', and it's early ripening gives it a balance of leafy vegitation and sweet tobacco-like spices. Adding in malolactic fermentation(application of lactic bacteria to convert malic acid, the sharp acid in Granny Smith apples, to the creamy lactic acid) makes a Tempranillo this author's top choice for a 'Rocky' like Cabernet Sauvignon contender.
If you're a risk taking Maverick like Mr. Solomon, or if you're just up to a good suggestion, I suggest you go out and try something from our Spanish friends. Whether it's Priorat, Ribera Del Duero, Rias Baixas(Ree-as By-shass); you're sure to surprise and impress your company. Hey, if you're lucky, you might fall in love with a wine twice; Solomon fell in love with Clos Erasmus and then again with Erasmus Winemaker Daphne Glorian shortly thereafter. For now, let's just stick to loving his wine though, maybe I'll blog love life advice in a later column.
Cameron

Grape Gripes

It's amusing to me what little I actually know about wine DRINKERS. I published an article a few days ago about pronunciation, and all of our shortcomings therein. I say 'OUR' because even as much as I know about my wine, I can in some cases just flat out have no idea. Apparently there is a trend going around wherein people pronounce Merlot as Mer-lawt. Do you say Filet as if it were Fill-et? Do you find yourself saying 'I'll have a Pinot' and meaning Gris? Better, do you say Tempran-il-oh, as if you have never had a Que-sa-dee-yah? It's not our faults, because, well someone obviously didn't ever take the time to mention that you undoubtedly did not correctly know what the real deal was. I mean this in regards to not just pronunciation but in regards to overall basic wine knowledge.

This is a basic article that I hope will clear up a few inconsistencies in the world of the fermented Grape, peeves of my friends and wait staffs all over the East Coast that I have been made aware of. If you do these things, then you are not alone, because I gathered this information from a very large pool of sources in and around wine service. If you are offended by my candor, please don't be, this is tough love from a guy who loves all of you very much for simply reading his musings. If you are laughing at the people who do these things, I challenge you to look at your own understanding of wine, and I bet you'll find a skeleton of common fallacy somewhere therein.

So you want a dry wine? Asking a server for a dry wine is like asking a pet salesman for a bigger dog than the one you already have; Spaniels are certainly bigger than Chihuahuas but smaller than Mastiffs, yet none of them are quite as big as you assume their ESP laden brain to be. Dry is a personal taste preference, and we as your host have no idea what you are accustomed to. If you drink Sangiovese, the supple, acrid dryness is hard to beat, second only to the Nebbiolo Grape from Piedmont or perhaps the Sicilian Nero D'Avolo. If you think Mer Soleil is dry, then, I suggest you go Virgin(Un-Oaked Chard, not Hannah Montana). The point is, we have no reference point as to what you already consider dry. Understand, too, that dry is a taste reflex that is unique to how our pallette reacts to the wine. Some pallettes have been saturated by wines that cause that off-drying effect, and as such, we are all like little puckering snow flakes. Make us aware, so we can help you to the best of our abilities.

"I like Pinots, and I like Cabernets". You like what? Pinot Noirs? Cabernet Sauvignon? While I often shorten Cabernet Sauvignon to Cabernet, understand that Cabernet Franc is not nearly the powerhouse here that it is in Loire Valley or even Stellenbosch. Pinot Noir and it's white cousin the Pinot Gris/Grigio are both VERY popular varietals in America. So asking your waiter to pick you out simply a 'Pinot' may end in a very jarring surprise. Furthermore, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir are VERY different styles of wine. Saying you like either of them, is about as vague as saying; "I like Shel Silverstein and I like Tolstoy". While both authors are brilliant and worth their own solid merits, they both have their own expectations. A better approach to this would be to say, "I'm in the mood for a bigger style Cabernet(at this point if you're in America, that will suffice for Cabernet Sauvignon), but I could ALSO go for a medium bodied Pinot Noir. This gives your server the opportunity to come up with several choices. 'DARE' Cabernet Sauvignon from Viader is an excellent by the glass Cabernet(Sauvignon) that wreaks of blackberry cobbler and calveskin. It's mocha influences draw out it's tannins and paint the finish with ground espresso. However if you want the medium bodied Pinot Noir, Bel Glos from Joseph Wagner(son of Chuck, maker of Caymus) is a dear of an elegant drop. It's Black Cherry all the way, hints of plum and herbs tinge the finish. Give us something to work with, this is just an example, but we cannot just understand your many years of wine drinking(or lack thereof) with a simple glance. What we do, is learn from you, and put it to good use.

House Wines do not represent the house. In Europe, however, they are representative of the quality of the Chateau(hence HOUSE). For this reason, many restaurants use this title to suggest a wine for the casual glancer, inherently to save money. Not all House Wines are bad, and as such, it is key to ask your server, "HOW is the House today?" The alternative, and most common question is, "What's the House?" Some restaurants pride themselves at pricing common and quality stock as House Wines, treats for newbies to the wine world. Others put out their most basic 'swill', juice that will most likely scare off anyone sticking a toe into the vast ocean of 'Wine Culture'. Don't just order a House Wine because you are being cheap. If the server recommends the House, you may be in luck, but listen to us because most of our reactions are genuine. I have had good House wine on many occasions, but only in the instance that the server said, "Oh, its great actually", and the House will often turn out to be a foreign varietal that doesn't sell well for reasons of consumer ignorance. If the server recommends a glass a mere $2 more than your house, pay it; that is our way of saying, I wouldn't do that if I were you. Bad wine is like boxer shorts you see at 'GoodWill'; you wonder who would buy it, but you inevitably see the shelves half empty(gross).

Just because you get headaches from drinking wine, does NOT mean you have some obscure allergy to wine. Conversely, if your doctor says you do, try to listen to their educated advice please. Until I started working face to face with people on wine, I had no idea how many authorized Health Professionals were circulating through society; a byproduct of our undoubtedly 'Do It Yourself' culture that self diagnoses the pain away. Sometimes you are allergic to these things, though in very, very rare occasions. More than likely it's a histamine issue and the pollen that undoubtedly attached itself to the skin of that particular red grape has gotten into your system and given you sinus tension. Even more likely, is that you cannot hold your alcohol, and you learned the same thing that most college kids do in their first years away from home: Drinking in volume does not make for fun mornings. If you drink black tea, you aren't allergic to tannins...period. If you eat blackberries, you have no problem with sulfites. If you are sensitive to either, or if you've convinced yourself that you have, you should find a good Old World delight(Spain, France or Italy) that has a much lower metasulfite content. Further, most times I cannot unravel what you have convinced yourself of, and I can only suggest you avoid it altogether.

Any way you cut it, these are a few Q and A sessions I deal with, backed by literally dozens of professionals that put their input into the metaphorical hat that I had to pull from. A lot of you fit into these categories, so don't blush please, just know that it can be helped. This is a guide for you to know what to tell us, so we can help you. I'm sorry if anyone was offended, but I'd rather give you tough love, than let you continue to miss out on the beauty that is wine in it's most splendid form.

Cameron

Fun-damental Wines: Charles Smith

         I'm a sucker for trinkets.  I'm not sure if it comes from my father's quirky desire to make sure I had a genuinely unique upbringing, or if it comes from some inherent desire to view every experience from some skewed angle; like knowing that there is in fact a box and somehow forgetting wherein I'm supposed to think and completely not caring.  As soon as we got a cargo-top for taking my seven member family across state, my father found a fake arm and bolted it out the front clasp.  There it was, in all its prosthetic glory, flapping across the east coast.  People waved, some honked, others still thought this grim prank was just flat out inappropriate.  I, however, remember every stop, ever bypass, every monument and every scenic detour.  Why?  Because every time I was reminded that my father had somehow done something bizarre, totally in the spirit of fun, I saw a side of the coveted 'American Tradition' that did not need to be a stale, 'monochromatic' staple of what has inherently become a Hallmark dynamic.   Was our family vacation less valuable?  I'd make the counter argument that my family vacation was actually better than yours(and your honor students).  I'm kidding, but I do think that the effort and earnest approach my father took in sculpting my formative youth made it both strange and incredibly amazing.  

Why am I telling you this?  Because I think there is a breed of wine maker, one who takes something so cherished as 'Fine Wine' and has fun with it.  It's not a fake arm, but the gimic is still there, calling attention to both critics and workaday wine drinkers.  I started this article wanting to expound on several winemakers, snippets of information on a few men and women who take the stuffiness out of what has become a moth-ball like mentality to somehow elder'ing the hobby of wine appreciation.  However, as I started researching a few key people, I realized that this would in fact become an installment series; like pieces of a jagged puzzle, to understand any of these characters I would have to start from the edges and work my way in.  

What do you get when you cross Van Halen(or Van Hagar?)'s front man Sammy Hagar with the venerable genius of any Rhone Master Winesmith?  You get the mad hatter of Washington State; Charles Smith.  A former Scandinavian Band Manager, Smith is to wine in most cases as to David Lynch is to modern cinema.  Wildly colorful, mysterious and at times a little gothic(check the label on The Creator), his style is both bombastic and incredibly supple in one fell swoop.  Insert also comparisons to Bjork, Mickey Rourke and perhaps even Egon Shiele.  

Setting up shop in the Blue Mountains of Walla Walla, Washington, his K Vintners Winery is gaining press like wildfire, quickly earning it's place as one of(if not the best) places to find Washington State Wines.  Beyond that, and in this authors opinion, it may just produce one of the finest Syrah/Cabernet Sauvignon Blends in the World.  The 'Roma' is a 68% Cabernet/32% Syrah Blend that boasts incredibly dark, brooding black fruit.  Marrying the thick, jam-like berries is a twist of camel leather that laces dark, cigar smoke and a lush fortified currant apertif flavor on the finish.  It ROCKS.  He made the 'Roma' for his mother, it's big brother the 'Ovide'(pronounced Oh-veed) for his father, Robert.  Ovide is much more of a sensual sipping wine.  Firm and bold, the dark cassis smear the pallette with grippy fruit.  A mellow undertone of olive tapenade sits just above spicy, almost sweet tobacco.  The finish is long but not overly lacquered, painting instead the picture of mocha and herbal spices.  It's a cellar wine if you can wait that long.  His 'Cougar Hills' Syrah is my favorite straight Syrah that he makes, owing most of my passion for a dense, mixed currant mid-pallette against the finishing's of a fine Chocolate Checker Pie(if you don't have a southern family, find one, best pie ever).  It's great, and it doesn't kill your budget.  

It's not just WHAT he makes that makes Charles so unique.  He's never stuffy, he's always consistent and he markets himself in a way that makes you feel as though you already know him.  His 'Kung Fu Girl' Riesling states, "Why Kung Fu Girl? Because Riesling and Girls kick ass!"(A quote from the website).  Why?  Because it's an affordable Riesling that wreaks of Asian pear and honeysuckle.  It's floral bouquet is 100% fresh cut lilac and violets, and the acidity is about as balanced as the Olsen Twins on a 'see-saw'.  It's good.  

I find that in an industry that prides itself on 'Pomp and Circumstance' that we forget what exactly circumstance means.  In what circumstance do we buy wines?  Well, if you're like this author, all of them.  If I want a K Vintners wine, I have a huge catalogue to try from, and yet all of them are both entertaining and delicious.  Sure, I'll spend the $70 on 'El Jefe'(Smith's Tempranillo/Cabernet Sauvignon Blend), and I'll definitely please my oenophile friends; but what about if I want to pop in and buy a $20 dollar easy pleaser?  Look to both his Steak House Red and his Chateau Smith; both are beautifully solid and robust, splashing the tongue with rich hues of dark fruits and tangible minerality.  

The basic, classic black and white labeling only add to his kitsch appeal, hinging your wild expectation's of his wild style against the consistent quality of his product.  I saw an interview with him wearing a black and white Nirvana shirt, and I got the warm sensation of youthful joy.  I realize that I am only a few years more than a quarter-century old, but if people can get beyond the pomp that shackles our expectations from our overall possibilities maybe people would start to take myself and Smith more seriously.  

             As for his wine, it's seriously great, seriously.

                Cameron

You say Tomato, I say Tom-ah-to

As a writer, and an occasional paper grader, I have my share of peeves.  You are= You're; not the latter alternative, "Hey Stacy your home", as if Stacy is somehow unaware of possession of her house.  "Look over their!", look over their what?  I think they might have some boundary issues.  

Just as I have my literary ticks, I find that the ethereal, ubiquitous world of wine provides me with more grips, rants and silent grunts than I could possibly share in a single article.  While most occur as a result of poor instruction(I truly blame that on half cocked intellects and dinner parties, average wine drinkers you are redeemed), and not a genuine desire to hurdle the wine world in one single bound.  Here's a tip, SOUND like you know what you're talking about by practicing proper pronunciation, it will impress even the snobbiest of wine drinkers because half of them don't even use it either.  

First, the most botched Champagne house in modern history; Moet.  Tempted to say Moe-Ay?  Don't worry, it's something that really takes practice not to, as we see Moet and think to soften the 'T' as the French do(about the only soft thing they still do).  As the House is Moet eh Chandon, the 'ET' is attached to the isolated 'Moet' and there for mimics the sound of what exactly happens when you have too much of the beloved Champagne; you get wet.  Taittinger is not like Tay-ten-jer, it's Tayt-en-Zyah; but if you're savvy enough to be drinking this delectable bubbly, I'll forgive the slip of the tongue.  Bollinger, a personal favorite of mine is Bah-len-jer; again the R isn't softened up, I have heard many reasons why but I guarantee your companions won't know either.  Champagne Henriot, is one of my new go-to affordable Champagne Houses.  It skewers the front pallette with lush, creamy lilac and melon rind, before spilling out into honey suckle and Angostino bitters.  The breathy bubble structure is a subtle cascade, rather than the grinding, thinner bubbles that come from 'cheap' Champagne wines.  All of this, however, is lost if you're talking about it like it's called 'Hen-riot'.  Our aunts are named Henriette, this wonderful gem is called 'AHn-ree-oh'.  

In Rhone, we have Gigondas, a lovely Rhone Blend that generally favors Grenache(Gren-aw-sh).  Gigondas isn't pronounced, 'Gy-gan-das', like it's some Mammoth Red Wine that may or may not fight Mothra.  'Gee-gohn-daas' is likely to draw a smile from your waiter/wine steward/date, should it be the occasion.  Cote Rotie(Coat-Row-tee-ay) and Croze-Hermitage(Crow-zhay-Ayhr-Meht-ahj) are two others that may be twisted.

Bordeaux has Paulliac(Paw-leeh-yac) and St Emillion(Sahnt-Eh-meel-yawhn).  One of my personal favorites, Chateau Lynch-Bages(Lehn-Ch-Bah-jh), is so formidable in it's breathy earth, a combination of Cabernet Sauvignon grip with fresh, nickel-like minerality, that I will often forgive you for saying, "Lynch Ba-zhey" or "Lee-nch Ba-yzh".  

On a white note, here are a few twisted by the general public:  Semillon is not Sem-ill-on, rather Sem-ee-yon, Chablis is not Cha-bliss but Cha-Blee.  Viognier is Vee-ahn-yay; lord knows I can't tell you how many ways people can screw that up.  Ugni Blanc is Ooh-nee Blanc, and Tocai Friuliano is Toh-Cay Free-you-lee-ahno.  

There are literally THOUSANDS of wine varietals, millions of estates and further still different personal accents, so again, this is a guide to understanding some of the pronunciations that may or may not having you drinking great wine; your's or someone else's(I prefer the latter, but then again I'm a good beggar).  My point is, wine is something you can enjoy with all of your senses, and as a result a sense of responsibility must be asserted to control your audible reflex as well as your visual, textural, olfactory and tasting mechanisms.  Why have we so long ignored that vital 5th sense?  Probably for a lack of instruction, but more than that, we have forgotten that wine is a living creature.  'Ah-Dy-ooh' and fairwell my wine-lings, have a great day enjoying your 'Cah-ber-nay Sah-ven-yahn' or your 'Pee-noh No-ahr' and remember that a glass of wine is only as tuned as it's reciever.

          Cameron