A collection of blog posts, no matter how well-written, surely is a cold, cruel substitute for an actual wine event. A virtual tasting lacks the ambience, the face-to-face interaction, and, well, the sheer volume of wine that make up a typical tasting event. Real wine tastings can be romantic, date-worthy affairs. Virtual wine tastings ... not so much.
Yet, undeniably, wine enthusiasts are enjoying these virtual events. They're educating each other on wines from around the world. They're networking and making friends. And they're having fun along the way.
They may not be in the same room drinking the same wine at the same time, but these wine bloggers seem to be having too much fun to care.
On Blogs: Troy McCullough
February 25, 2007
Baltimore Sun
Well, we have decided to combine the best of both worlds....
With this event we have launched our monthly ~ Citizen's Choice California Wine Competitions ~ at, where else, Citizen Space--a co-working community in the SOMA area of SF. And we started with what might be considered, because of its functionality and low cost, the ultimate citizen's wine.
We also felt that it was fitting, too, that for our debut at Citizen Space we were featuring "space bags", slang for the container that uses a vacuum sealed bag inside.
Plus it would coincide with the blogosphere's Wine Blogging Wednesday ritual. Box wines aka, "Premium Wine Casks" had been chosen for WBW #31.
Seventeen members of the newly formed San Francisco Wine Enthusiast Group , representing all manner of professions, ages, ethnicities, genders, and the myriad other categories of diversity, set about to evaluate what many, including some in the judging panel, believe are best left unevaluated. And, most of us agreed, they proved to be right.
The following wines were purchased for our critique. All were California Appellation with two exceptions as noted (vintage year seems superfluous):
Pinot Grigio
Wine Cube
Fish Eye
Bandit (Three Thieves)
Chardonnay
Black Box Monterey
Kingfish
Trove
Corbett Canyon
Merlot
Wine Cube
Black Box
Bandit
Cabernet Sauvignon
Bandit
Killer Juice
Black Box Paso Robles
Trove
Cab/Shiraz
Wine Cube
Shiraz/Syrah
Delicato
King Fish
Fish Eye
Ringer
Hardy’s Shiraz that had been sitting on my kitchen counter for 4-5 months. I placed it in the tasting both as a foil for the Californians and to demonstrate the ability of the technology to keep wine fresh.
Midway through our collective critique it became clear that we would have to abandon our individual rating and ranking system (next time). Not surprisingly, there was too much sameness, too much dullness (or too much harshness, too severe, too tart), too little varietal character, no there, there. Many comments along the lines of: watery, lacks aroma, simple, undistinguished, not bad but then not good either. One judge was moved to write "flatulent".
Some comments, e.g., spicey finish, fruity, approachable; seemed to damning the plonk with faint praise.
Yet everyone agreed that these jug wines in a bag were acceptable quaffers, the equivalent of vin de table/vin ordinaire. As such, they would be fine as accompaniments to standard home alone dinners. We were reduced to picking best of tasting, though no one felt there was a clear winner, a diamond in the rough, with one notable exception: The Ringer!! Yes, it was the vocal consensus of our downtown wine gang that this Aussie bested all the Californians.
It also deserves mentioning that our Wine Enthusiasts did appreciate the efficiency of bag-in-box. Both types of spigots worked fine; when turned off, not a drop escaped, though the Bandit boxes which poured like milk cartons did sometimes dribble, or failed to pour fluidly.
Several participants were downright impressed with the portability of the 250 ml Wine Cube containers--great for taking on hikes they exclaimed (and we know that younger Bay Areans are happiest when they are hiking or biking, as distinct, say from gathering to discuss ideas).
Best Whites: Corbett Canyon Chardonnay, Wine Cube Pinot Grigio
Best Reds: Black Box Merlot, Bandit Cab
Best Brand: Wine Cube (available only at Target)
Best Deal: Corbett Canyon whose cost translates to $2.50/750 ml
Worst of Tasting: Kingfish Chardonnay
Best of Show: … Hardy’s Shiraz
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For a wrap up of what other bloggers posted on this theme surf over to the box wines blog.
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We’ll be interested to see what wine is selected for April's Wine Blogging Wednesday. But we had a fine time, with some grub in the bargain. Mucho gratias to Chris and Tara at Citizen Space (who had to be out of town), for allowing us to use their superb communal place. Next time we will bring table cloths to protect their conference room tables!
