Wine.
Wine and cheese.
Wine and cheese and Riedel crystal?
Hand over the sign-up sheet, pass the pen, and call me Bartelby the Scrivener.
The Wine and Cheese Place and Provisions Gourmet Market, both under joint ownership, just happen to be two of the most delicious, cheese-mongering, wine-n-spirit purveying, wallet-emptying retailers in all of Stinktown. We loves them so much ... and often wonder why they haven't dared to expand to the far-out suburbs of St. Louis. Surely Jay and I aren't the only two people in St. Charles County who enjoy artisan cheese, fine wine, specialty beer, and glorious scotch???
But I digress ... as usual. The fine folks who operate our favorite money pit were hosting a class led by a representative from Riedel crystal in which participants would discover the effect of using different sized and shaped stemware to serve wine - admire it, sniff it, swirl it, swish it, taste it ... all in the proper glass. And the best part of all - participants get to keep the four-glass tasting set! For $50 per person this sure seemed like a bargain to the hubby and me.
The evening's line-up was as follows:
1) Riedel Vinum XL Sauvignon Blanc Glass with Matanzas Creek Sauvignon Blanc
2) Riedel Vinum XL Montrachet Glass with Matanzas Creek Chardonnay
3) Riedel Vinum XL Pinot Noir Glass with Hartford Court Lands Edge Pinot Noir
4) Riedel Vinum XL Cabernet Glass with Stonestreet Cabernet Sauvignon
I booked this event in July because space was limited and it sold out in less than a day when they offered it in June. I then most anally wrote it down in both of my calendars and stuck a reminder on the refrigerator so that we wouldn't forget all about it. And then Jay, being the good person that he is, offered to pick up a late night for a co-worker who was leaving on vacation. Unfortunately it was the same night as our wine and glass experience, which Jay had forgotten.
D'OH!
I had to find a date, and quick, otherwise I would turn into a third wheel. My friend Anila and her husband had also booked this event and there's nothing more awkward than two couples who've suddenly become one-and-a-half. Thankfully my plea for an escort did not go unanswered and by the time I left work that evening my drinking buddy was riding shotgun.
How about a hug???
I arrived a little earlier than most participants, feeling the need to explain to the organizers why I would be drinking from eight glasses instead of four. We paid for two people, and by gawd I'm still drinking for two people ... with a little help from my friends! All of the tables had already been arranged and the settings were all in place ... even the wines had been poured so there was nothing left for me to do but stake out a good spot for us to enjoy the event.
Table setting ... note the two empty glasses
We were surprised and pleased to find a basket of freshly sliced bread and a cheese board at the table ... and this was no block of crappy cheese from the grocery store. This was bonafide artisan cheese from Provision's own cheese case (I know because I bought some before leaving for home that evening). The one that we really liked was Basquere from France - it was wonderful. They also provided us with an English Cheddar and a mystery cheese that I think may have been a very buttery, mild Swiss.
As for the tasting, while the overall point was to demonstrate to everyone that Riedel wine glasses are far superior to anything else they may or may not own, the event was actually very informative and a lot of fun. In the above picture you'll see the wines poured into their appropriate glass according to Riedel. The "joker" glass in the front left hand corner was used to demonstrate just how bad a good wine can taste when poured into a generic goblet (like the kind you might get at a wedding reception or work-sponsored holiday event). The plastic cup was a one-time experiment with the first wine we tried and my gawd ... if you think good wine tastes bad in a generic glass it tastes like poison in one of these. But it all served a point - the shape of the glass is responsible for the flow of the wine and as such is also responsible for where the wine touches the various taste zones on the tongue. And the initial point of contact depends on the shape and volume of the glass, the diameter of the rim, its finish - whether it is cut and polished or a rolled edge - and the thickness of the crystal.
I admit that I was skeptical going in to this but I emerged a true believer. The difference in the taste of these wines when poured into the "wrong" glass - even other Riedel glasses - was nothing short of amazing. The chardonnay was buttery smooth with just a hint of pear when I drank some from the Montrachet glass it was originally presented in. But when I poured some into the Sauvignon glass all I could taste was mineral and it was suddenly a very unpleasant wine to drink. As for how it tasted in the joker glass and the plastic cup ... do the words cat piss mean anything to you?
I made Jay try the experiment the next night with some leftover Pinto Grigio that we had chilling in the refrigerator. First he tried it in the Sauvignon glass ... his reaction was "meh; then I made him pour it into the Montrachet glass ... his reaction was "DAMN!"
We have already begun discussing the feasibility of making a traveling case for our glasses so that we can take them with us on vacation. ;-)
If an opportunity to try a tasting like this ever presents itself in your town or city, I highly recommend that you sign up - especially if the glasses are included with the price of admission. This set of four glasses retails between $120 - $150 depending on where you're looking ... we ended up with two of them for $100. A great bargain and an eye-opening evening; we always knew that the glasses were an important part of the wine drinking experience but now we really understand why.
Give it a try at home and see for yourself!
A bad picture of some great cheese!
A bread basket!
Sauvignon Blanc Glass
Montrachet Glass
Pinot Noir Glass
Cabernet Glass
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