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Here are some random Advanced theory questions: How long does chateau chalone need to remain under the voile. Where is yarra valley, canberra, padthaway What is an almacenista? Name one in US Ripasso method Main doc for ripasso method Grapes allowed for haut benauge Traditional method for ausbrush production Who makes clos apalta, main grape Max sugar level in brut champagne What major region is coteaux du layon in Chateau beychevelle chateau pontet canet growth and commune What vintage did most port producers declare a vintage, they listed 70s What is moto in sake? Who was winemaker for first vintage of penfolds grange hermitage? Listrac grapes Percharmant grapes Cotes De bergerac grapes Where is chateau simone Northern Rhone aop for sparkling and grapes used Vacqueyras blanc grapes What is alleinbesitz? Name one in Mosel? Yeasts used for porter, ale and weissbier Grand cru champagne vineyards, and their percent rating scale What does cap classique mean on a South African wine label? What does a goldkapsel mean on a German bottle of wine? ----------- I found the theory extremely tough. I just finished the service, I think it went really well, although they asked me about a prestige cuvee champagne I'd never heard of. The service section can be really nerve wracking, I felt bad for some of the less prepared guys. Overall it's been a huge learning experience, and I can see why most people don't pass the first time. You have to take the test to know how to study for it, which is kinda stupid but oh well. All the blind tasting sessions with the masters have been extremely fun and really helpful. We'll see tomorrow when I do my blind tasting how much they've really helped.
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Apr 11, 2013 23:43
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Tai-Pan posted:Good god. I was only able to answer two of those. Those are some that I knew haha. Yeah it's a tough test. Although I didn't know wtf alleinbesitz was, or what cap classique meant.
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Apr 12, 2013 06:57
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So it turns out I actually passed the theory, and the blind tasting as well. The service I just barely missed, a few mechanical things on the decanting station cost me a lot of points. Frustrated for sure, but I'll get it next year definitely.
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Apr 13, 2013 07:50
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Yomofo posted:So I just got a job at this really high end restaurant and I know very little about wine besides the colors. Here's their wine list: Honestly read Wine for Dummies. It's a great place to start. Any of you industry folk in the SF area? Moving out there on the 12th.
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Jul 3, 2013 00:36
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The Proper Gander posted:Long-timer lurker here. Congrats, but shouldn't you take the Level 4 Diploma first? Also, who is being huffy? I'm not huffy 
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Jul 25, 2013 19:09
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Noseman posted:Have you tasted white Hermitage? I've tried the '08 from Jean-Louis Chave, and that was a life-changing experience. Chave gets superlative with age too. And for a beautiful Rhone Viognier that's a touch more affordable but still pricey try Gangloff's Condrieu. I think it's even better, personally.
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Sep 6, 2013 00:01
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Kasumeat posted:I wish that were the case, as I said, my personal palate has a pretty low tolerance for some of these traits, brett in particular. But some things we traditionally think of as faults are inseparably apart of some wine. Significant levels of brett are a part of Bordeaux. VA as well. Acetaldehyde dominates non-oxidative Sherries. I can't reject a bottle as unsound if it's typical of the wine! If the winemaker knowingly allows or intends a fault to be there, and the wine tastes of that fault, it's sound. This isn't the way the term is commonly used. Sound simply means no detectable levels of faults. Faulty wine can still be good wine, it's when the faults take center stage and overwhelm any fruit that you have a problem. If I had a wine with brett or VA in a blind tasting and I said the wine was sound because I think it's typical of the region I would be wrong.
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Oct 19, 2013 21:19
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Kasumeat posted:So you are never calling a bottle of typical Savennieres, Bandols, or Lacrima di Morro D'Alba sound? Because the former will always be oxidised, Bandols will always have brett, and the latter will always have VA. Correct, I wouldn't call those sound. I would miss points under any exam format (Court of Master Sommeliers, WSET, ISG, etc.) for calling them sound, instead of correctly identifying the faults. Again, you can't think of a wine displaying what we consider faults to mean that the wine is undrinkable. Correctly identifying the faults is a large part of the deductive process in blind tasting. High levels of VA and raisin fruit? Probably Amarone. Brett with tart and peppery cran/raz? Northern Rhone, etc. Of course the end all be all of wine drinking doesn't lie within the confines of the professional certifications, but they're good guidelines. The way you're using the word sound makes it nearly meaningless, as it would really be in the eye of the beholder whether any given wine is sound. The professional definition is very specific, any detectable oxidation, TCA, brett, H2S, etc. and the wine is not considered sound.
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Oct 20, 2013 08:13
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syntaxfunction posted:After watching Somm (Which is great and everyone should watch) I realised I have no loving clue with wine specifics. I can pick out general things like citrus or apricots and the like, even herbs and spices. But to the extent they go? Holy poo poo. I know we have some Somms around so I'd love to hear how they got their nose around things, or just posters in general. How can I get more specific apart from drink more wine? Are there certain smells/flavours predominant in certain wines? I notice Merlot tends to have spices, Pinot Noir is plummy, dark fruits and stuff like that. Any tips? I'm not out to show up my friends, just curious. Repetition, smelling everything around you and paying attention, trying to commit the smell to memory, and drinking a whole bunch of fuckin wine. It's best to simply imagine all the things you could be holding in your hands instead of wine, what else it could remind you of. I usually close my eyes when smelling to help with that. But hands down the best way to build that vocabulary and help you put into words what you're smelling is to be around an experienced taster and simply ask them to describe a wine while you both taste. Yes there are certain smells/flavors from each grape, and more specifically from each region. Grapes tend to exhibit similar characteristics no matter where they're grown. Pinot Noir, for example, tends to show red fruit like cherry and strawberry. To narrow down a region I'll think more critically about the condition of those red fruits. Tart or slightly under ripe? Maybe Burgundy. Ripe and lush? Maybe Russian River Valley, and so on. In fact I would swap your descriptors there if I'm being honest. Merlot is defined by its plum. If I get plum I'm immediately thinking Merlot. Pinot Noir tends to show spice notes (cinnamon, clove, vanilla) coming from the high proportion of new French oak that's commonly used with the grape. Although I guess spice is pretty vague, I've gotten anise, eucalyptus, and licorice from Merlot. There's a level of subjectivity, of course, but probably not as much as you might think. A lot of the compounds in wine bind to your olfactory receptors the same way as the smells they're commonly associated with.
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Oct 31, 2013 12:52
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that Vai sound posted:I watched the documentary Somm, and there's one term they used to describe wine that I can't figure out. It's something like gastrofluctuation, but I'm sure I'm misspelling that because I can't find anything about it. Anyone here know what I'm talking about? Maybe they were talking about yeast inoculation? The process of using designer yeasts for fermentation and inhibiting the growth of wild yeasts?
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Nov 4, 2013 07:50
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Kasumeat posted:"No signs of gas or flocculation." It's just some thing Bay Area somms do to add fancy words to their descriptors, everybody else calls it sediment. Ha forgot about that. Bay Area somm here, luckily I mostly hear "sediment". Somms here can be pretty loving uppity though.
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Nov 4, 2013 23:47
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caberham posted:Tasty but kind of pricey for everyday consumption. Can you guys please give me some recommendations of the "budget" version or alternatives? Or some wines which I can easily find when I go out to mid-priced restaurants? And what's with wines calling themselves "Premier Cru" ? You see the tag everywhere, from super market stuff to wine auction listings. First harvest wines don't really matter when the wine itself isn't that great. Look for generic region and/or village wines. Those wines there are from Grand Cru vineyards, which are legally defined vineyard sites that generally produce wines of very high quality. Premier Cru wines sit just below Grand Cru in the quality department. Simplified a bit, the quality system in Burgundy goes: Region - Grapes from one region, or labeled "Bourgogne" and can be sourced from anywhere in Burgundy Village - Grapes from one specific village Premier Cru - from a defined vineyard of good quality Grand Cru - top vineyard site, usually extremely high quality wines For whites look for Chablis, Macon, or maybe Chassagne-Montrachet or Meursault for a few bucks more. For reds look for Cote-de-Nuits Village, maybe some Nuits-St-George. Frankly as much as I love Burgundy I don't care for red Burgundy on the cheaper end. I think the whites are more impressive on a budget.
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Nov 8, 2013 10:24
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caberham posted:Thanks for your help. It's what I suspected, I tried getting some cheaper generic region Burgundy reds and I don't have much luck Yes red Burgundy is primarily Pinot Noir. For good Pinot around the $20-30 range I really like Sonoma Coast. Failla, Siduri, Hirsch to name a few. Willamette Valley Pinots tend to be slightly more Burgundian in style and can be great too. J. Christopher and Evening Land are pretty good. Actually if you're able to get it in your area, German Pinot Noir (sometimes labeled "Spatburgunder") can be really fantastic. Becker's Pinots are delicious. They can be really mineral driven and interesting.
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Nov 8, 2013 11:31
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Should I look for Pinot noires or the comparison is not correct? I don't want to devolve into New World/Old World preferences and choices, but do you have any suggestions for a red wine along the cheaper end? Cabernet Sauvignon or generic "Medoc/Bordeaux" to me is so so.
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Stitecin posted:Fake Edit: Serious question; do any of the Goon Somm Army ever actually use one? Absolutely not. Looks like they might be using it at Eleven Madison Park though. I don't know if we have much of an army. I'd be curious to know if any other goons are actually working somms on a fine dining floor.
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Nov 12, 2013 12:04
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Barolo and blue cheese is one of my favorite pairings ever. They combine to create this super rustic mish mash of earthly flavors, and the tannins keep the blue cheese from destroying your palate. Probably not for everyone, but man I think it's delicious. I actually find sweet wine with cheese to be fairly boring in general. Although they never clash, I generally get nothing new from either the cheese or the wine. I do really like to use higher acid sweets when called for though, like Hungarian Tokaji.
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Nov 13, 2013 21:38
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I was pairing 60 day aged raw lamb with skin contact pinot gris, and it was probably my most popular pairing. They can be really interesting when they work well, but yeah I wouldn't find many instances where I'd recommend a whole bottle with a meal.
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Nov 14, 2013 22:46
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One small note, Anderson Valley is in Mendocino County, California. I do like some of the pinots coming out of there, never tried that one though.
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Nov 26, 2013 19:26
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that Vai sound posted:Is a vertical tasting of the same line of wine from the same winery a good way of getting to understand how aging affects wine? Different years produce different grape qualities, and the wine makers may tweak the formula some, but should it still stay close enough to be a good sampling? If you want to explore the effects of aging on wine I think you really only need two vintages of the same wine: one from a recent vintage, and one from like 10-20 years ago. Vertical lineups are great, and can really illustrate the differences in a region's vintages, but are impractical and expensive to anyone not in the trade. Check out winebid.com and try to score some older bottles in good condition to start exploring, and see if you can get the same winery's current release.
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Nov 29, 2013 04:55
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caberham posted:I didn't like it. It didn't have that Burguny finish and just had that sharp tannin taste without any other notes that I could pick up. Great nose though. Perhaps it was not decanted properly? I don't know, It tasted better when the wine hit the bottom or maybe I just got drunk and didn't care. It was 600 HKD for 2. 300 HKD (38 USD) and I think it tastes like generic Cab Sauv table wine. Givry wines tend to be riper, with higher tannins. They can take an extremely long time to open up. They're quite different from their neighbors to the north. If you want that lighter, more elegant style Pinot look for village level wines from the Cote de Beaune - Volnay, Aloxe-Corton, maybe Pommard.
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Dec 24, 2013 20:10
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Espresso machine cleaner works wonders for removing stains from the bottom of a decanter. But yeah for just water spots get a nice polishing cloth and jam it in there like he said above. Those brushes suck.
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Dec 31, 2013 08:09
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Kasumeat posted:I very much welcome anybody who disagrees with me to explain why! It's much more helpful to have a discussion between people who are passionate about their opinions than to have somebody explaining facts that'll come up if you google "Bordeaux wine." I'm not in a position of authority here. I'm giving readers credit for being able to read an opinion on the internet without taking it for gospel. Your arguments against the grapes boil down to you simply not liking them subjectively. Also, Cab Saub does not typically have huge alcohol or low acid, and it shows green notes when under ripe, not ripe. I would reserve "huge" alcohol for grapes like Grenache and Zinfandel. If you haven't had great Merlot, Malbec, Cab, Cab Franc or Carmenere I'd either say you haven't been exposed to enough wine, or you simply don't care for darker reds. I'll give you Petit Verdot as a grape that doesn't belong on its own. Even then though, I know people who love varietal PV bottlings...
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Jan 27, 2014 21:52
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It's worth noting that nicer restaurants typically mark wine up by 3x. That 2004 Talbot is more like $50-60 USD retail. Also, 2005 was a super ripe vintage, probably one reason you're getting more ripe fruit of that one. How is the Robuchon there? I was previously manager/somm at L'Atelier and Robuchon in Vegas.
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Feb 26, 2014 11:40
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With Italian cuisine I'd recommend you bring your Pouilly-Fuisse and your CA Pinot Noir. Pinot goes great with red sauce and mushrooms, although a Chianti/Brunello will be much better.
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Mar 3, 2014 02:42
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Stitecin posted:What are you basing this on? I don't mean to be argumentative, but am genuinely curious if you have a source for this. This is really common knowledge. Talk to any winemakers in CA. Taste a Bordeaux and a Napa Cab side by side. The slight alcohol difference is not fully responsible for the wild disparity in perceived sweetness. That wouldn't really make any sense. There's residual sugar there. It's the easiest and most obvious way to determine Old World vs. New World when blind tasting red wines.
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Mar 22, 2014 11:21
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Loud Mouse posted:I had my first French wine (that I know of) there. It was the Orian Swift "Locations F" red. Without ever trying Orin Swift's foray into France, I'm willing to bet it's a really atypical French wine. I wouldn't expect any other French wines you taste to be even remotely similar, especially with that strange blend (Grenache is not usually blended with Bordeaux varieties). Although what's important is whether or not you liked it! Lavender is a very typical floral note found in Grenache and Syrah, especially when they're from the Rhone Valley. It's unrelated to the dryness or tannins of the wine.
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Mar 28, 2014 09:02
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Just got my green (Advanced) somm pin gentlemen! One step closer to the ultimate goal, but yet still so drat far. The test was brutal, I was sure yet again that I didn't pass the theory portion, it was heavy on Spain, one of my weaker countries. Tasting was my strong suit. Don't want to look at a flashcard for at least a couple months.
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Apr 24, 2014 22:01
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Overwined posted:That's a real accomplishment! Thank you for sharing it and CONGRATULATIONS!! I have a friend that took it a couple of times and he confirms that it's an absolutely brutal test, a BIG step up in difficulty from the CS exam. I have a ton of questions for you, but they can wait. Enjoy your new fancy pin! Thanks, and fire away! Kasumeat posted:Awesome, congratulations! Especially admirable after the stress and craziness of recently taking a new position. I take it that means you're going for your Master? Definitely. I'll probably apply in 2 years. Next year would be too soon, I have too many deficiencies to work on. I'm going to pursue the Certified Cicerone for sure, and either Certified Specialist of Spirits or USBG's Master Mixologist program to round out my theory. They asked what "Naturtrüb" meant on a bottle of beer, and what Zwack was. Missed both those. Need to round out my knowledge outside of wine!
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Apr 25, 2014 10:41
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I'd say the wines aren't especially difficult at the advanced level. They're really testing your proficiency at nailing classic wines, and fully breaking them down through the grid without missing any boxes. Your theory should make sense (e.g. don't call high alcohol and a cool climate growing region). Also, I don't know what the wines were except from my guesses and talking to others afterwards and coming to a consensus. They don't ever reveal them to you. I thought the wines were very straight forward. Easier than the difficult lineups I've put myself through. The most difficult was probably what I guessed as a pinot grigio from Trentino-Alto Adige. Defined by not smelling or tasting like a whole lot and just a bit of lees contact, it can be difficult when you're having trouble pulling good descriptors out. But that's when you start thinking it might be p. grigio. I think the lineup was: Rheingau Dry Riesling, Pinot Grigio, Cote de Beaune White Burg (probably at least 1er Cru), Willamette Pinot, Brunello di Montalcino, and Aussie Shiraz. I guessed red burgundy for the Willamette, and Cornas for the Aussie. The Shiraz was really restrained and of super high quality for Australia so I took it elsewhere, but I think it was just a superb example, like a Henschke instead of a big Molly Dooker style. In the service they mess with you a little bit, but not to the same degree as in the Master. 3 stations, generally a red decanting station, a champagne service station, and a station doing pairing recommendations and some light "admin" work on calculating wine prices based on cost. That last station also involves identifying spirits blind by smell. They do employ a few tricks to see how you handle it, e.g. telling you to stop decanting right away to get them a beer. They try to make the recommendations a little harder by throwing out the easy answers ("recommend me a European lager that is not Stella or Heineken"). They'll make you give a few until they pick one. While you're opening the bottle of Champagne they'll interrupt you right as your about to pop the cork to ask for a picture of the bottle or something to that effect, to see if you remove your thumb from the top of the cork, which is of course unsafe once the cage has been loosened.
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Apr 25, 2014 21:11
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Try some Australian Grenache, and maybe some Viognier from California or Rhone Valley. You may like Torrontes from Argentina, but man I have a hard time recommending that to anyone. Smells and tastes like soap and fabric softener.
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Apr 30, 2014 06:24
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Loud Mouse posted:I recently learned that two buck chuck is made by Franzia. Pinot Noir is notoriously fickle to grow. It's also commonly put into some percent of new oak. Both of these factors combine to create an elevated price for decent examples. That being said, I have had a couple enjoyable cheaper bottles. I've legitimately enjoyed Estancia's Pinot on occasion. Siduri's generic Sonoma offering is around $20 and pretty tasty.
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May 23, 2014 10:14
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Absolutely chocolate. Must do chocolate. It's so good. I used to pair that exact bottle with a chocolate dessert. A chocolate dessert with cherries or oranges in some fashion is extra special.
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May 24, 2014 09:35
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Very cool Kasumeat, are you sitting for the exam as well? If so best of luck. If you have any questions about the exam itself I'd be happy to help. I'm also curious what you do if you don't mind me asking, are you working a floor as a somm?
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Jun 4, 2014 08:58
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Insane Totoro posted:I can get that in PA in theory.... would have to do a special order though! To be more clear, Madeira only comes from the tiny Portuguese island. I can't even recall if I've ever had a wine from elsewhere that was even trying to emulate their "cooked" wine style. It's singular and unique.
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Jun 8, 2014 20:52
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Insane Totoro posted:Okay then let's assume that my quest for a California Madeira is somehow misguided. Is there a good California produced Port that I could find say in Temecula? Or is that a fool's errand too? Foot Path Winery makes some tasty dessert wines from Zin.
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Jun 9, 2014 19:54
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If you like that Grenache taste you might also branch out to Australia, something like Clarendon Hills Grenache. Compared to Italy/France their stuff is more intense, heavier body, higher alcohol, but god drat if it isn't good, especially with a little age.
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Jun 18, 2014 20:27
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Achaval Ferrer makes the best Malbec. Their single vineyard stuff is fantastic, and is even more restrained, balanced and elegant compared to their regular Malbec. The high altitude Finca Altamira is especially tasty.
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Jul 2, 2014 09:44
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An Alright Guy posted:Nope, just the most expensive malbec. Overpriced or not, I personally think it's the best out there. A more interesting post on your end might have included some other, cheaper options. quote:Any of you remember how much I got trolled in the other thread for saying DP is a great champagne? Not sure if this was related to your malbec comment, or even how a nytimes article proves you right. That being said, DP is a great Champagne, anyone who says otherwise is probably too busy getting hyped up on grower Champagne or just being snobby at its wide distribution. Anyone is free to dislike it, but you can't say it's not great quality or that it doesn't age superbly.
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Jul 3, 2014 06:41
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Overwined posted:There's really nothing like visiting a winery run by passionate people. I have had some of the best experiences of my life in some not-very-aesthetically pleasing barns. My opinion of a wine or winery has never gone down after visiting it. Have you been to wine country lately? I've been trying to get up there more since I moved to SF. I was just at Elizabeth Spencer, loving great wines. They make a Chenin Blanc that's just slightly oxidized in the same way as great Vouvray/Savennieres. Good Pinot Blanc too.
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Aug 21, 2014 09:47
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You passed on Egly Ouriet my friend. Big mistake.
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Sep 19, 2014 10:21
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Put together a rad dinner tonight with Whitcraft Winery. Drake Whitcraft donated a killer vertical of mid 90s Hirsch Pinot Noir, 94 out of a Jeroboam, and 95/96 out of magnum. Fun lineup of wines, and striking in how different they are. His winemaking style really reflects vintage/terroir and even clonal selection to an amazing degree. Edit: oops, breakin tables. 
Crimson fucked around with this message at 19:21 on Sep 24, 2014 |
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Sep 23, 2014 11:21
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