Big & Bold Wines To Try

Quiz Questions

• 1.
  You've stopped by to visit your favorite Aunt and find she's prepared tea and various baked treats. You can see she's gone to a lot of trouble, and you don't want to disappoint her so you happily accept her offer of tea. She has two to choose from:

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  • A.
    Black tea blend like Earl Grey
  • B.
    Red tea like Rooibos
• 2.
  You're over at your friends' house having sandwiches. They are great cooks, and mention that they made some fresh pickles. You tell them -

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  • A.
    You're sure they're fabulous, but you and pickles don't get along
  • B.
    You'll try some with your sandwich, but you know you'll probably not go overboard
  • C.
    Load up, you love pickles of all sorts
• 3.
  You're having breakfast at a fabulous French bakery and their delicious croissants are being served with fresh, home made preserves. You can't resist a little taste. Which of the two flavors do you choose:

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  • A.
    Mixed red berries
  • B.
    Mixed dark berries
• 4.
  You're visiting Los Angles and the crew decides that lunch has to be LA's signature sandwich - the French Dip. You head to your favorite spot and you order away. There's even a veggie option. Today you have your choice of two Aus Jus for dipping, You choose:

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  • A.
    The classic Aus Jus
  • B.
    Aus Jus with mushrooms
• 5.
  You've finished dinner and it's time for dessert. The chef is known for her decadent, rich, creamy Crème Brulee. You abandon any issues with dairy for the moment and throw yourself in. There are two choices tonight. You choose:

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  • A.
    Classic Creme Brulee
  • B.
    Lavender Creme Brulee
• 6.
  It's steak night and you're cutting loose. (Sorry we just don't have a veggie version of this, please enjoy the sides) Along with the perfectly done steak comes a twice baked potato. How do you take yours?

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  • A.
    With creme fraiche, herbs and peccorino
  • B.
    With butter, chives and bacon
  • C.
    I'm boycotting this question due to a lack of veggie option

Quiz Outcomes

• 1.
  Aglianico

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  Like a Jekl and Hyde character, Aglianico is two wines in one grape skin. It can be a muscular bruiser when young, becoming a refined and pensive gentleman with age. It is a metamorphosis in the bottle. One of Italy’s 3 great varietals that makes its home in Campania, south of Naples. It’s bold, dark fruit is balanced with earth, mineral., pepper and sometimes hints of game or leather. Artisan winemakers in California’s Paso Robles, Amador, Napa and Lake regions and also in Washington are coaxing this rough giant's dark fruit, strong tannins and rich food friendly acidity into gorgeous wines to drink now.
• 2.
  Bordeaux Blend

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  History in a glass, the wines of Bordeaux have been popular since the Romans conquered the area in 60 BCE. When Eleanor of Aquitaine married Henry 5th, Bordeaux wine cemented its connection to England, and in the 1600s the Dutch transformed the swampy Bordeaux into the center for a booming wine export business. Until recently, most wines were known by their locations of origin and often were blends of various local fruit, balancing flavor with yield and agricultural ease. Bordeaux blends are the benchmark, comprised primarily of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot with varying amounts of Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Carmenere. The blend creates an ideal flavor profile of rich, dark fruit with earth, cedar and minerals. Well structured tannin and well suited to oak which imparts signature chocolate, coffee and tobacco notes.
• 3.
  Mourvedre

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  Also known as Monastrell in its native Spain, Mourvedre was thought to have originally been cultivated by the Phoenicians. It is a common grape in the Southwest of France that is used for blending in Rhone wines such as Chateaunuef du Pape where it adds structure and alcohol as well as herbs and spice. One of the most noted Chateauneuf du Pape blends from the famous Chateau Beaucastel uses up to 60% Mourvedre. On its own, Mourvedre is bold and smoky with herbal and spice qualities. Acidity is medium, but there is tannin there making for a structured wine.
• 4.
  Petit Verdot

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  Petit Verdot is the Rodney Dangerfield of grapes “I don’t get no respect.” Probably most people don’t know him, so watch Caddyshack or Old School. Petit Verdot was introduced to Bordeaux by the Romans and it is found in almost every Bordeaux blend of quality. Why then has it remained a bit player? Some say because it’s late to mature and can be tannin heavy as a result. Growers opted for faster maturing grapes. But in warm climates with long seasons, like California, Petit Verdot can take center stage. It’s still not a common varietal wine, but when you find it you’ll get an aromatic, floral wine with rich red and blue fruit flavors, spice and a nice smooth mouth feel.
• 5.
  Petite Sirah

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  A relative newcomer to the world of wine grapes, Petite Sirah was created in the 1800s in France as a child of Syrah by a botanist named Durif. That was also the name of the grape, until it was exported to America and became popular here as Petite Sirah. In the 1960s it was one of the most popular varietals planted in California. A bit of a misnomer, there is nothing petite about this grape except the size of the fruit. It can produce one of the most powerful and tannic wines. Used for blending it adds deep color, and as a single varietal offers deep dark fruit flavors and pepper in a big tannin wine.
• 6.
  Syrah

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  Syrah is the story of how 1 + 1 = 3. The product of two grapes that never received much acclaim - one red and one white - that were crossed in the Rhone Valley and have since become a top wine grape worldwide. Syrah is the King in the Northern Rhone where in the Cote Rotie and Hermitage it is the only grape that can be made into wine by AOC rules. It is widely planted in Australia where it is called Shiraz, but here in the USA we stay by the French name Syrah. The wine is dark, with rich dark flavors, spice and sometimes a meaty, gamey quality. It is a big wine with medium tannins which also adds to its approachability.
• 7.
  Nero d'Avola

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  A classic that has been somewhat hidden until recently, Nero d’Avola is the premier grape of Sicily. It was thought to have been brought to Sicily by the Greeks, so truly a historical classic. While grown throughout the island, it is the primary grape of the southeast and takes it name from the town, Avola, at the center of the growing region. Making a dark, robust wine, it was more often used to fortify wines from other grapes of lesser quality. Now it is a premier varietal that is widely exported. Nero d”Avola will appeal to Cabernet lovers with it’s bold, dark fruit and licorice aromas and flavors. There is tannin, but not too much and medium high acidity to balance bold food pairing.
• 8.
  Sagrantino

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  From the rolling green hills of Umbria in Central Italy comes a wine of patience. Sagrantino is thought to have been cultivated by the monks of the area as a sacramental wine - at least that's what the monks said. It is a bold, powerful, big tannin wine that needs time in the barrel and bottle. In Italy it is usually not released until after 3 years of aging. But when aged well it rewards handsomely. Fruit aromas are dark and red, but this wine really intrigues with its earthy, peppery and savory notes, evoking cured meat, herbs and olives. An amazing change of taste from the big fruit forward wines.
• 9.
  Tannat

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  Like the mountains of its birth, the Pyrenees, Tannat can be rough and rugged. Used primarily for blending in Southwest France, Tannat also appears as a Rosé where less skin contact allows more red fruit and spice to show through. Exported to Uruguay, Tannat has become that country’s premier varietal showing that it can be made into a wine with gentler tannin. Tannat flavors are typically dark berry and currants with licorice notes. Oak aging brings out pronounced spiciness, cardamom, chocolate and smoke.