An Old Football Rivalry Makes its way to Wine

 

The Ohio State University v. Michigan college football game is arguably the biggest football clash in both states. Recently my friend has decided to put together a blind wine clash consisting of wines from both states.

Story adapted from an earlier published piece at www.supplewine.com

by Emma Criswell
published: 11 Nov 2009

Emma Criswell taking notes on a flight of red wines.

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As I sat down at the judges’ table, I noticed that in addition to being the only judge under 35, I was one of only two women on the 8-person Ohio half of the panel. I quickly realized what everyone means when they say wine is a man’s world.

The event was organized by my friend, Andrew Hall, who throws an Ohio/Michigan wine clash every year to coincide with a big football rivalry: Ohio State University and University of Michigan. Andrew contacts wineries from both Ohio and Michigan and selects 11 wines from each state (which matches the number of players on the field for each team in a football game) for a blind tasting. There are two legs of judging: one in Columbus, Ohio and the second in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Andrew then compiles the results from each tasting and averages them to determine a winner. The judging I participated in was held at the Twisted Vine wine shop in Columbus.

This was the first wine competition I was asked to judge. It was all very new to me, and it’s probably new to many of you as well. Here’s how it went. There were three flights of tastings: red, white and dessert. We judged on many different facets, such as color, aroma, bouquet, taste on the palate and finish. We totaled up the points for each wine, took notes and then came up with a first, second and third choice for each flight. At the end of the tasting, we picked our overall favorites, regardless of which flights they came from.

It’s a tough job, but somebody has to do it.

I must say I was very nervous and intimidated when I first arrived at the event. The other judges, who were all from out of town, were talking about various champagne brands and saying they were surprised that we could have them shipped to Ohio. It was an intimidating conversation to walk into, and I felt like I had no idea what I was doing there. However, once we got through the first flight of wines and began to discuss them, I noticed that most of the things I liked and disliked about the wines were similar to what the other judges pointed out. I gained the confidence I needed to give more input and to get to know the judges.

A few days after the event ended I read the press release announcing results from the clash, and I was very pleased to see that the wine that won the competition was also my personal favorite: Longview Winter Ice 2007 (Dessert Wine) Leelanau Peninsula MI. The wine was very well done; everything about it was outstanding, from the liqueur to the finish.

The Ohio leg of the wine clash was really incredible and was a wonderful experience. The whole event was very well planned and orchestrated with very intelligent judges. I hope to have the chance to take part in many more competitions like this in the future. It was good practice for me, since I am planning to become a sommelier once I receive my Master’s degree. In the end, Michigan won the wine clash, but Ohio won the football game.

For the full 2009 Ohio vs Michigan Wine Clash results, click here.

Happy Hallo-WINE!

I had been wondering about what wine to have at my Halloween get together when my friend Katie emailed and invited me to a “Hallowine” tasting she was holding at her house. I thought this was an awesome idea and was very excited to attend. The event was very well organized and the theme was flawless as per Katie’s style and we had eight wines to taste with various candies.

Whites were paired with sweet and fruity candies such as chardonnay with candy corn and savignon blanc with apples and caramel candy apple dip. That dip was delicious and paired well with all the whites. It consisted of cream cheese with brown sugar, caramel sauce, and crushed heath bars.

The reds were paired with chocolates; shiraz with Kit Kats, cab with dark chocolate, etc. and the dessert wines like moscato were paired with nutty candies like a Snickers bar. The moscato and Snickers was my favorite pairing. The nuttiness of the candy and chocolate played well upon the sweetness of the moscato leaving the wonderful bubbles on the palate. I normally can’t enjoy too much moscato because of its sweetness, but this candy and wine pairing was the perfect sweetness. All of the wines served are sold exclusively through The Traveling Vineyard. If you would like to find any here is the link to Katie’s site: http://www.myttv.com/Katie9301

I followed this pairing list at my own Halloween get together, however, my friends aren’t avid wine connoisseurs like me, so I only opened two bottles: a moscato and a pinot noir. We paired them with Snickers, Heath bars, caramel apple dip, and a pepperoni pizza. This gives me a toothache to read, but we had a great time. Thanks to my friend Katie Corrigan-Seeman, who is also a wine consultant for The Traveling Vineyard– for coming up with this idea and allowing me to use it. Happy Hallo-Wine!!

caramel candy apple dip in ghost trays!

The Monday Dinner Parties

I have always loved to cook, but could never try anything new out at home because my Mom is very picky about trying new things. After I moved into my new apartment here in Athens it was my mission to begin cooking for my friends. So began the tradition of the Monday night dinner party. Don’t get me wrong I love the food and my friends enjoying it with me, but these dinner parties are also a covert operation. It is my mission to expose my friends to wine and help them all to realize why I love it so much. I’m still referred to as an “alcoholic” by a few friends who just don’t get it, the rest lovingly call me “queen wino.”

you can see why I have this title

Here is how it normally goes: First, I’ll normally post in my Facebook status what I’m making weekly, and send out text messages to friends. Dinner is always at 9, so my other roommate can enjoy a hot meal when he gets home from work.  When they ask if they should bring wine I always encourage them, I know they will bring the white zinfandel or a similar sweet white. I’ll let them have that first and then taste the wine I am drinking just to “see if they like it.” If they do I will enthusiastically pour them a glass, then ask them how it tastes, what they recognize on their palate. I’m impressed with the progress I’ve seen, my roommate, Kyleigh has gone from telling me she smells alcohol in the wine to telling me she picks up some melon. Even if they don’t get much else, they at least learn to appreciate why I find wine so interesting. My dance has been evolving for a while, theirs has only just begun.

I even find new pairings that I enjoy on occasion. My last dinner party of the summer consisted of wheat penne with chicken and vodka cream sauce, a Mediterranean salad, and a strawberry chardonnay cake, and some wonderful company. A friend brought over a bottle of white zin for the rest of the guests to drink; I had some Argentinean Malbec I needed to finish up, so I brought it out with dinner as well.  I was really surprised how well the malbec went with the pasta. I, of course poured the girls all a sip and none of them liked it. (That’s okay; it took me awhile to enjoy the dryer reds, too. I’m patient.)

The real beauty of wine to me is the company it brings. It’s easy for me to see how much people care about me when they are willing to listen to me ramble on about something they know nothing about and are willing to taste something they don’t like just because I’ve described it so enthusiastically to them. Emma will always oblige me and take a sip when I say “You have GOT to try this, it tastes amazing with the pasta!” she will then make a sour face and tell me that it’s just not her style. It means so much to me that they do this, and by the end of the year I hope to see all their eyes light up when they try RED zinfandel with pepperoni pizza and tell me how good it goes with the spicy food.

An All Expenses Paid Trip to Wine Country? Where do I Sign Up?!

I received an email about this asking if I would promote it on my blog. I was tempted to respond how I would love to blog about this all expense paid dream vacation they had awarded me simply for being me, but alas, it was not to be. Sadly, I am ineligible for this contest, but I am more than happy to promote it as well. Everyone should be able to enjoy wine country the way I did, it’s a phenominal place to see.I plan to go back in December

That being said, Livingston Cellars, a subsidiary of the E & J Gallo company is offering an all expenses paid trip to wine country by way of an essay contest. Winos across the 50 states (save for CA, UT, and PR) are encouraged to write an essay of 250 words or less about how each entrant “embodies the core values of the Livingston Life” These values are: 1) being an individual, 2) staying connected to friends/family/community, 3) discovering your new world, 4) making a difference to others. All applicants must be 21 when they submit entry, for more info visit http://www.TheLivingstonLife.com/Getaway

Livingston states that no other generation has embraced these values as much as we do that’s why they want to reward us with this trip. Good luck to all, and if one of my readers wins please contact me and we can put together a post chronicling the highlights of the trip. Take lots of pictures!!

Off to Florida!

I’ve finished my bottle of malbec, had a wonderful “see you soon” dinner which I prepared; complete with Chardonnay Strawberry Cake, and I’m off to Florida tomorrow. I don’t know anything about Florida wines, or even if they make them there, but I plan to find out. Wherever I go, wine seems to find me.

So I’ll be off, staying at my aunt’s home there for two weeks. I’m going with my best friend and I’m really excited, I’ve never had a ‘girls’ vacation. We’ll cook, and explore, and hopefully drink some good wine. My aunt also has no internet at her summer home, so I’ll be cut off from the world (haha) but that will be a nice little vacation in and of itself.

We’re driving down tomorrow and taking it easy for a few days. We’ll go to the coast and Orlando; to St. Augustine and Fort Myers. It’ll be a great time, hopefully I’ll enjoy some great wine or even find a winery or two along the way.

See you all when I come back to real life, to orientations and to grad school!

-Emma

Miss Criswell’s Wild Ride

If I elaborated on how much my life has changed in this past year I could write a book. Come to think of it, I have been toying with the idea of a memoir….Back to reality.

I just changed my Master’s concentration yesterday, which is why I felt the need for this post. Originally I was accepted into the Media Studies program focusing on children’s television education. I then branched that out to include public relations as I got more and more into wine. Yesterday I bumped into my adviser and we got to talking about how much I love the wine industry and everything I’m doing with it as far as The Second Glass, this blog, and one more surprise that I will get into soon. She suggested that I move my study over to Media and Cultural Studes, focusing on wine culture specifically. I am switching advisers to someone who knows a lot about wine, culture, history, and is a self professed foodie. I think my college experience is getting better by the day…

Looking back a year ago I had basically nothing to do with wine. I still drank it at parties and get togethers, but to think that I would crave shiraz a year later was unthinkable. I received my undergrad in Broadcast Journalism, all I had ever wanted to do was become a reporter; or at least that’s what I thought I had always wanted to do. By the end of my college career, I really wanted to explore other media options such as magazine writing and PR, but I had too many credits to change and too few prerequisites to make any difference.

I graduated, and couldn’t get a job for 5 months. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise because in this time I discovered Twitter, The Second Glass and my new love of wine. I was forced to try red wines when a dear friend of mine began taking me to weekly lunches and exposing me to his 30+ years of wine knowledge and vintages. To say I didn’t appreciate it was an understatement; I could barely handle it at the time! That’s when I really fell head over heels. The more I decided to dive into the world of wine, the more I wanted to learn and the more I wanted to experience.

It’s funny to say, but wine has made me brave. Not brave in the hitting on men at a bar while drunk with wine sense, but brave in the trying new things sense. I was able to go to California for two weeks because I wanted to write an article about it, I can go into restaurants and realize the tastes of the people in that area from the wine list, I can go to a wine shop and know what I like and be willing to try new vintages and grapes. All of this came from me applying to get my Master’s. After being pretty lost in the sudden economic downturn and massive joblessness in the country, to know what I was going to be doing in a year gave me a lot of confidence to go out and live. Boy have I lived, and boy have things changed!

Now that I’ve done my 360 spin from newscaster to wino extroadinaire I’m ready for the next year. Once I finish my study I want to go to Egypt for a month, then visit Rome and Greece with my best friend. After that, you won’t be able to move me from Ohio to California fast enough. Let’s see what changes I have to make on that prediction a year from now…..

The Wino of Ohio University

My roommate brought me home three bottles of wine and a copy of Wine and Spirits Quarterly today, I’m also getting ready to throw a dinner party and I’m being asked if friends should bring the wine. That doesn’t seem out of the ordinary, it’s just made me realize that I am the “wine friend.” I am frequently asked what kind of wines to pair with food, what wines to try when someone is just getting into wine, and friends have realized that the mere mention of wine will get my attention. It’s gotten to the point where people who are just getting to know me realize my passion for wine.  I had mentioned to a friend that I went to a bar I didn’t particularly like the night before, he responded by telling me that the bar had good wine. (The bar doesn’t really have good wine, he was just telling me that to see if I would change my mind because of wine.) I even met with a professor who I am a teaching assistant for to discuss a class and ended up having to feed the meter so he and I could talk more about wine.

I feel like the Wino of OU because I’m always the one holding the wine glass when everyone else has the red plastic cups; because I’m getting to the point where I can recommend starter wines to people; because I talk about it so frequently that friends have purchased Wine for Dummies just to keep up with me; because for my house warming party I am hosting a wine tasting; and I could go on.

So how did I get to this place, the place of loving Cab when at first I thought Riesling was a little too dry? How did I get to the point of shameless self promotion of both my wine articles at The Second Glass and this blog? Where else? It started right here at OU!

A professor of mine, who has become a dear friend thought it was a cool idea to let us try wines from the areas we were learning about. Naturally, I didn’t really like the wine he brought in at first, but I thought it was fascinating and set out to find out how it was made. From there I began to learn about the wine making process and the different grapes and purchased lots of wine information books. I approached the world of wine a bit differently and discreetly at first because my family doesn’t drink wine and they didn’t appreciate my growing love for it, I had no one to teach me or recommend anything to me.  I then reached out on Twitter. I began reading the tweets of sommeliers and would Google the wine, I would make myself try all different whites and reds, I’d write my own tasting notes that I could understand, and then I began to write for The Second Glass. That gave me a lot of opportunity to try wines that I wouldn’t normally have known anything about and meet people in the wine industry who I otherwise wouldn’t have.

Now I will mention something about a wine and have to stop and ask myself “How did I know that?” I soak up the wine biz like a sponge, I’m only starting to get into it, but I know this is my true passion. I have already left my heart and many great friends in wine country. I can only hope to continue with my knowledge and teach my friends about this world so I won’t be the only one drinking shiraz at the party.

The King Wino: King Scorpion I

If you know me at all, you know I love Ancient Egypt. I have been fascinated with the land of the pharaohs since I was 4 years old and my father brought me home a picture book. I cannot tell you how many papers I’ve written and classes I’ve taken just knowing that I would get to write and learn more about Egypt. When I found out from my friend Vincent Brown (@bennu on Twitter) that an ancient wine cellar had been found with the first king of Egypt, I had to jump at the chance to write about it. With that, here is my article about The King Wino: Scorpion I…

When Egyptian Pharaohs were buried, their most prized possessions went with them. Pharaoh had a cat? Poor kitty was killed and buried along with its master. Pharaoh had a favorite servant? You better bet they came too! These kings were buried with all their prized possessions: money, art, statues, toys, and clothing. Thanks to a recent discovery, we now know they were also buried with wine cellars. That’s right! King Scorpion I, was buried with an entire wine cache! Don’t you wish you could have that same luxury?! Well, minus the dead cats and organs in jars.

This discovery changes everything historians previously thought about Egyptian wine making. Scorpion reigned over 5000 years ago, centuries earlier that the perceived inception of Egyptian wines. The wine that Scorpion was sipping isn’t your normal wine, however.

Residues inside clay pots in his cache suggest he was savoring spiked wine. This stuff was loaded with herbs for medicinal purposes. You must remember that in 3150 B.C. Egyptians couldn’t run to the drug store for ailments, they had to take care of them naturally. Herbs dissolved very well in liquids, especially wine and beer. These same practices were also followed in China, Rome and Greece.

These Egyptians knew their stuff. Not only did the various herbs, flowers, and tree resins add to the overall flavor, they also worked quite well. Researchers and archaeologists are currently studying the residue in Scorpion’s wine jars to see if they can replicate the ancient recipes. The team hopes to see if they’re worth their salt in today’s world. Lead archaeologist Patrick McGovern is anxious to see if these herbal wines could aid in treatment and prevention of modern diseases and cancer.

Additionally, my favorite love poem came from this period of time, and it mentions pomegranate wine. While archaeologists don’t know if any of these wines were pomegranate as of yet, it’s still fitting to share because it means something to me.

Saam-Plants Here Summon Us

Saam-plants here summon us,

I am your sister, your best one;

I belong to you like this plot of ground

That I planted with flowers

And sweet-smelling herbs.

Sweet is its stream,

Dug by your hand,

Refreshing in the north wind.

A lovely place to wander in,

Your hand in my hand.

My body thrives, my heart exults

At our walking together;

Hearing your voice is pomegranate wine,

I live by hearing it.

Each look with which you look at me sustains me more than food and drink

Salud Spa Bar: Scents to Wear to a Tasting

While on Twitter one day I ran across Salud Spa Bar. Intrigued by the name, I checked out the web site. They specialize in a flight of “wine scents” developed by Salud’s creator, Kelly Podorsek as a solution to being cautioned against wearing perfume to wine tastings. This, I know a lot about, having had many a sommelier asking “who is wearing vanilla?” followed by an irritated look; I wanted to try these scents. As any true wino knows, perfume can interfere with the bouquet of wine at a tasting. That’s the beauty of these, they are created for and do enhance the bouquet of the wine. “Wear your Salud perfume while sipping your favorite glass of wine.” I can say that these fragrances have never interfered with a bouquet while I was sipping.

I sent Kelly a message, and she graciously sent me a flight of samples. They come in Chardonnay (my favorite), Syrah, Riesling, Merlot, and Sauvignon Blanc. Each scent is made from fragrance oil that soaks into your skin, rather than laying on it like a normal mist perfume.

As I said, I love Vanilla and Chardonnay smells amazing on me. I understand that fragrances smell differently depending on your body chemistry, but I have never had so many compliments on a single fragrance. Sure I’ve received compliments from friends on various fragrances, but never so many for the same one. Salud spa bar can be found here. You can order a sample, 1/3 ounce for $22, or $34 for a 2.6 ounce bottle.

You Can Take the Girl Out of Wine Country, but You Can’t Take Wine Country Out of the Girl. Part II: the Square and the Hill

Where else can you go where you can not only grab some lunch and buy a designer dress that costs more than a case of wine while trying out 26 tasting rooms? Healdsburg’s square of course, and I accomplished all three of those tasks. The designer dress added to the whole wine tasting experience, of course. At least that’s what I’ve been telling myself…

Anyway, Healdsburg square is a really eclectic place, complete with tasting rooms, boutiques, bookstores, coffee shops and even a soap company. I had the good fortune to be there on a Saturday when the Healdsburg farmer’s market is also going on, and I got to see another side of the town. While there I stopped into several different tasting rooms, but if I had to pick there are two who stand out in my mind: Toad Hollow and Artiste.

Toad Hollow

I knew I had found a fun place when I walked in and asked for Jim. The gentleman I later found out to be Jim began explaining to me that he was in fact, Debbie and Jim was the woman standing next to him. This fun attitude carries over to the wine. Everything from Risqué sparkling with a toad dancing the can-can on the label to their award winning Rose of Pinot Noir: Eye of the Toad. Jim shared with me the best winery mission statement I have ever heard: “People want value, and they also want good one. One of the missions of Toad Hollow is to provide both.” Especially in today’s economy, we want good wine and a good price. Their Dry Pinot Noir Rose was voted best value by Wine Spectator at under $10 a bottle.

From Toad Hollow I made my way over to Artiste. Everyone I spoke with told me I had to go there and meet the winemaker, Bion Rice. Inside the tasting room I think there is just as much art as there is wine; even on the bottles. Artiste picks an impressionist painting to showcase on their wines. The label explaining what the wine, where it comes from, and who created that particular painting is located on the back.

One of the aspects I enjoyed most of Artiste’s tasting room was the “Artiste Tasting Palette” that consists of a small bite of food to pair with the wine you taste. Another note about Artiste that set it apart from the rest is that they will not create tasting notes for their wines. As I tasted butterscotch on the finish of the mourvedre, I was told that was expressly one of the reasons tasting notes are not written; because each palate is different, and very impressionable.

From Artiste, I drove back into Dry Creek, past the general store, and up to Family wineries where Amphora is located. I was first drawn in by the name. I am a lover of ancient history; especially Greek and Egyptian. The amphora is a long piece of pottery with two handles originating in Greece.  The winemaker, Rick Hutchinson was as great as his wine. He has expanded his award winning wine list since the winery’s inception in 1997 to include everything from Chardonnay to Cabernet Sauvignon. I went to visit twice here, and the second time Rick was making custom blends for me out of his barrels according to the wines I said I liked the best. What a guy!

This was the best part of my experience in wine country, I loved the Dry Creek Valley, and what I loved most wasn’t the wine (GASP) it was the people. Of course the overall wine experience was more than I ever could have dreamed of the people were the ones who made the wine tastings fun, they were the ones who told me the best wineries and tasting rooms to go to, they were the ones who showed me around and took me to dinner. As I’ve told my friends, I have never felt so at home. I’d honestly move out there tomorrow if I didn’t have another year left of grad school. Wine is my passion, and it can only keep growing if I’m surrounded by winos like myself.