Racy Reds To Try

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Quiz Questions

1.
A friend brings over a very expensive bottle of Scotch (or Tequila or Rum if you prefer.) Your friend doesn't really mind how you try it, so you choose to drink it the way that is most appealing to you. Do you drink it:
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- A.
  In a cocktail with mixers or juices
- B.
  Over ice with a splash of soda
- C.
  Straight in a snifter to enjoy the aroma
2.
You're starving, we mean ravenous, and the only food in the house are bananas. When you look at the bananas you discover they are either a little bit under-ripe or a little bit over-ripe. You have to eat so you choose
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- A.
  Under ripe with just a bit of green
- B.
  Over-ripe with tiny brown freckles
3.
It's a festive Thanksgiving meal with all the trimmings. This year your Aunt who is a terrific cook has prepared two types of cranberry sauces. Which one do you choose?
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- A.
  Raw cranberry relish with mint - tart and fresh
- B.
  Cranberry sauce - smooth and slightly sweet
- C.
  Don't like cranberries, they're too tart
4.
Let's talk berries. Given the choice how would you prefer to have your berries?
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- A.
  A glistening fresh bowl of berries
- B.
  Baked in a yummy pie
- C.
  In a sauce over roast duck
5.
It's a beautiful fall evening in Tuscany. You're dining outside in the piazza of Greve in Chianti and the chef brings out a basket of freshly foraged wild Porcini mushrooms. He is offering to make a 3 course meal featuring this famous local delicacy. You respond:
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- A.
  With enthusiasm because you love mushrooms
- B.
  Thanking him but pass, you don't like mushrooms that much
6.
It's been a great day sailing with friends and you've all worked up an appetite. Near the dock is a fantastic fish shack known for their shrimp ( they can make their dishes with tofu as well). Which style shrimp do you choose?
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- A.
  Sauted garlic and herb shrimp
- B.
  Fried salt and pepper shrimp
- C.
  Spicy Kung Pao style shrimp
7.
Your group took it easy at dinner in anticipation of tonight's special dessert - souffle. The pastry chef is offering two variations on the classic creme anglaise sauce for the souffle. Which do you choose
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- A.
  Lavender honey creme anglise
- B.
  Espresso creme anglaise

Quiz Outcomes

1.
Dolcetto
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Little sweet one as the name translates is neither little nor sweet. While not a fruit bomb, it does have pleasant fruitiness. But it can also have aggressive tannins to balance that out. Typically grown in the Piedmont region of Italy, Dolcetto is generally planted in the areas considered too windy or cool for Nebbiolo or Barbera. It’s overshadowed in these areas, but a bit south in Dogliani it has become a signature varietal with excellent quality. Best within the first few years of release, the wine also has interesting notes of licorice, earth and sometimes green almonds.
2.
Montepulciano
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Montepulciano, is it a grape or a town? Yes, but they’re different and confusing. The grape, Montepulciano is actually best grown in the neighboring province of Abruzzo and used to make Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. The Vino Nobile di Montepulciano from the town of the same name in Tuscany is Sangiovese fruit. But back to Montepulciano grapes. They produce medium bodied wine with slightly tart red fruit and herbal notes that is great with Italian food. However, lately winemakers have been showing that with lower yields and attentive winemaking, Montepulciano can become an inky beauty featuring more dark fruit flavors with smokiness and chocolate aromas.
3.
Nebbiolo
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The darling of the Italian Piedmont region, the grape is named for the “little fog” because it’s growing season is so long that it is harvested as the early winter fog begins to rise around the vineyards. For this reason, and the quality of the wine it produces, Nebbiolo usually gets the choice, warmest vineyard locations edging out it’s friends Barbera and Dolcetto. The fruit in the famous wines of Barolo and Barbaresco, Nebbiolo makes a dark, bold, dense wine with merciless tannins. Drink it young at your own peril. But with age you get a rich, layered, highly structured wine. Nebbiolo fools you with light floral and red fruit aromas, then wallops you a mouthful of grippy tannin that brings along with it rich dried fruit, licorice, leather, coffee and earth. Outside of the Piedmont, where Nebbiolo gets more warmth the wines show the same rich flavor profiles with softer tannins.
4.
Primitivo
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A twin sibling to the American Zinfandel grape, both Primitivo and Zinfandel are now believed to have their origins in Croatia. In the 1800s Zinfandel makes its way to California and Primitivo to Pulgia in Southern Italy. With similar taste profiles, Primitivo offers that big fruity, spicy mouthful of flavor with medium acidity and tannin, making for a super approachable wine. Pairing Primitivo with food works well whether countering big flavors such as BBQ meats or complementing it’s spiciness with dishes from India and the Middle East.
5.
Barbera
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Playing second fiddle to Nebbiolo in the Piedmont of Italy, Barbera is set to shine on it’s own elsewhere. Generally planted in the cooler sites where Nebbiolo wouldn’t flourish, Barbera still produces a delicious wine with ripe fruit character, highlighting cherry and red plum. There’s spiciness and when oaked, pleasant aromas of chocolate and coffee. Tannin is medium, making this a round, easy drinking wine, although acid is on the higher side. It’s a good match for rich Italian food and similar dishes. New World Barbera with their choice warmer vineyard locations are producing bigger flavors with lower acidity.
6.
Cabernet Franc
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Sometimes referred to as the more feminine version of Cabernet, with its fragrant aromas and more subtle tannin, Cabernet Franc it turns out is actually the mother of her more bruising son Cabernet Sauvignon. Typically used in blends, Cabernet Franc seems to enhance all dimensions of the wine from aroma, to spice to softness. On its own, it highlights red fruit and garden or herbal aromas. New World Cabernet Franc is a great middle-lane wine, appealing to most with it’s richer fruit flavors, fragrance and lower acidity. Remember, mother knows best.
7.
Carignan
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Once the most widely planted grape in France, this originally Spanish grape varietal has seen its dominance supplanted in both countries. It is a high yielding grape used mostly for blending, but it can have a tendency toward harsh tannin if allowed to over-produce. When cultivated to be featured in a varietal wine, Carignan can show itself to be a perfect food wine. It has a nice combination of rich red fruit, medium acid and tannin and interesting savory aromas of spice, leather and cured meats. Medium bodied, it can handle bold dishes and not overwhelm the lighter ones.
8.
Cinsault
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An ancient grape, most commonly found around the warmer parts of Mediterranean including Northern Africa. Used primarily for blending, it is often also made into a varietal rosé that highlights its softer, aromatic qualities featuring raspberry, strawberry and stone fruit. A staple for Rhone blends, on its own Cinsault is an easy drinking wine that offers a nicely balanced, medium bodied profile. You’ll get aromatic red fruit, some rich spiciness and a hint of tea on the finish.
9.
Grenache
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A grape that spread with the influence of the Kingdom of Aragon, from Spain throughout the Mediterranean, Grenache might be the true King of Aragon. It is now grown successfully around the world, particularly in warmer climates. Grenache is an aromatic, fruit forward wine with medium tannin and acidity, making it a super easy drinker. A key component of the Rhone blend, it’s red fruit and spice add a delicious dimension to the blend. As a varietal, you’ll get bold red fruit, strawberry and plum, with hints of herbs and savory aromas of leather and cured meat.
10.
Rhone Blend (GSM)
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Not a varietal, but a regional wine style and an increasingly common wine. For good reason too, it’s yummy. But hold on, it’s not that simple. There’s the Northern Rhone style which is predominantly Syrah and the Southern Rhone style which, while it may vary, is usually Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre - the GSM blends similar to what we find here in the USA. Southern Rhone blends tend to be dominated by Grenache, so expect ripe red fruit flavors, but that Syrah component adds a delicious dark broodiness and body. And Mourvedre brings a bit more structured tannin and lingering finish. A perfect recipe for a balanced wine that hits all the marks.
11.
Sangiovese
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Meaning the blood of the God Jove. Not the most appealing moniker, but understandable for a grape that has been around as long as Italy itself. Thought to have been cultivated in Tuscany by the Etruscans before the time of the Romans, Sangiovese is the foundation of some of the most famous Italian wines - Chianti, Nobile di Montepulciano, Carmigiano, Morellino di Scansano and Brunello di Montalcino. Sangiovese is a chameleon grape that takes on qualities from where it’s grown. It’s versatile, but also finicky and can vary a lot. In addition to the famous Brunello, over the last decade Super Tuscan wines like Tignanello have shown Sangiovese is world class. At its heart Sangiovese delivers delightful red fruit aromas and flavors. It can have garden and herb elements and earthiness as well. It’s soft tannins and acidity make it an ideal wine for food.
12.
Malbec
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An immigrant that left hard times to make it big in their new home, Malbec is now surprisingly well known as a wine from Argentina. It’s roots however trace back to Cahors in France and the 1300s as a popular wine sent to England. However, the winemakers of Bordeaux, downstream from Cahors, began to stop the shipments in order to spur the export of their own wines leading to a decline in Malbec wines. Struggling to maintain a presence in the southwest of France, the grape was introduced to Argentina in the mid 1800s. Malbec is a rich, dark, fruity wine with strong chocolate notes. It’s soft tannins and medium acidity make it super approachable, and a definite crowd pleaser.
13.
Tempranillo
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The Big Boss of grapes behind the myriad of wines from Spain’s Rioja and Portugal’s Duero Valley, Tempranillo is a versatile grape, underlying wines that can be medium light and fruity when young, to big, extracted powerhouses that will age for decades. In character, the grape makes a savory wine that offers layered dark dried fruit with earth and structured tannin. Oak aging brings out the leather, chocolate and tobacco.
14.
Gamay
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A cousin of Pinot Noir, the Gamay grape had been in exile from Burgundy since the late 1300s. The Duke of Burgundy was striving to establish the reputation for the best wines in France. And while Pinot Noir was producing delicious wines, the peasants found the grape fickle and needy. In those times of war and famine, the Gamay grape offered much better yields. Farmers started planting Gamay, much to the displeasure of the Duke who banned it from his lands. An edict that still remains in some form today. Known most as the fruit in Beaujolais wines, Gamay wines are medium to light bodied, have pleasant floral aromas and are fruity with light tannin. They tend toward tartness with higher acidity and finish with a slight bitter almond flavor. They are typically consumed young when the fruit is fresh and the acidity makes for a crisp bright taste.