Our last Wine Exploration adventure was “Tasting the Master’s Way” with Randa Warren and we loved it. (Click here for all the details. ) This weekend we went to the second installment: Understanding Altitude and it’s Profound Effect on the World of Fine Wine
Scott Large from Thirst Wine Merchants aimed to teach us how altitude impacts the world of fine wine, specifically its effect on acidity, structure and style. Apparently, no matter where you live, altitude acts as one of the foremost factors in determining the flavor profile of a finished wine. We were pumped to attend because one lucky guest was to win a 24-bottle wine refrigerator stocked with wines from this tasting!
Hubs said he was feeling lucky.
Well, luck wasn’t with us. We were ten minutes late and we didn’t win.
We did, however, learn a lot from Scott and tasted some great wines.
Scott is excited and passionate about bringing great wines to Oklahoma and educating the public.
We sampled six wines.
- At an elevation of 720 feet: 2010 Auntsfield Estate Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand. (This was my favorite white of the evening.)
This wine was crisp yet juicy with lots of character. The winery was the first commercial winery in New Zealand. I think this would be a great summer wine and at $15 a bottle, I am all about trying it out on the patio. - At sea level: 2011 Walnut Block “Collectables” Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand.
There was lots of grapefruit in the nose of this wine. Scott stated that most all Sauvignon Blancs from the valley floor will taste exactly the same. But, at $11.99 a bottle with a score of 89-90, I am going to find this one too. - At an elevation of 823 feet: 2010 Leitz Riesling “Dragonstone,” Rhingau, Germany.
Scott stated this was an “off dry” wine, or one step away from dryness. This Riesling was the perfect pairing for our steak with Sriracha. He was most excited about this wine: “This wine is just awesome.” It was good. The nose I got? Fruit loops. 🙂 (Workers have to wear harnesses to pick these grapes because of the altitude and terrain.) - At an elevation of 2,100 feet: 2006 Guilliams Vineyad, “Spring Mountain” Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, CA. (This was my favorite red of the evening.)
This winery is a “mom and pop” shop and all the grapes on their seven acre vineyard go exclusively into their wines. Scott said if you visit Napa, you must make a visit to this unassuming, underdog vineyard. - At the valley floor: 2006 Elyse Winery “Tietjen VD” Cabernet Sauvignon, Rutherford, Napa Valley, CA.
This wine had less fruit and really needed to be consumed NOW. It had a nose of licorice with a slight medicinal quality. I think I will let this one pass at $80 a bottle. - At an elevation of 4,100 feet: 2009 Luca Malbec, Uco Valley, Argentina.
Scott stated that this wine is around $35 a bottle, but “if it were from Napa, it would be $135.” This deep purple wine had a rich flavor. This was quite good. I got some lavender, spices, and black cherry. (Scott pointed out that all wines from Argentina will be a high altitude wine.)
What effect does altitude have on farming and finished wine?
- The fruit is grown closer to the sun and this solar exposure causes thicker skins and denser fruit on the vine thus making darker more flavorful wines.
- Wines from grapes grown at a higher elevation will have lower alcohol content, higher acidity and will age longer.
- The lower temperatures and higher solar radiation make for more concentrated flavors.
Although Scott was probably not as humorous as Randa Warren from our first Wine Exploration Series, he was truly excited about wine and was full of knowledge.
The food pairing was also not as interesting as our last tasting. That being said, we were ten minutes late and if the food was explained we may have missed it. This is what we had, or at least my interpretation of it because we didn’t have a food tasting menu.
All of this was great food, we just didn’t have a whole lot of help with what to eat with what wine.
Scott is a wine merchant and I am going to look for their hang tags at my next wine-buying outing.
Our last part of the series is a pruning and grafting seminar. I can’t wait.
Check out our other adventures in this Wine Exploration Series.