StephenUncorked

Norman Garant III as a fellow Chianti enjoyer...and to all those who like Chianti wines, interesting reading! Hint...there's a little more to it than "just Chianti" to it...as is often the case when talking about different denominations in Europe and beyond... Cheers! ?? https://lnkd.in/e-wvdGCm

I've really become a huge fan of chardonnay of late...what's your favorite?

When Italy met Spain, only one could reign supreme… and it was a showdown for the ages! ?????????? Last night at Commonwealth Wine School, the "Italy vs. Spain: Blind Wine Showdown" brought the heat (or should I say, the tannins?) in a battle of bubbles, whites, and reds. Erika Frey, CS, CWE, Diploma WSET led an incredible session packed with knowledge, intrigue, and just the right amount of suspense. If you haven’t had the pleasure of experiencing one of her classes, you’re missing out! The format? Three intense rounds: ?? Battle of the Bubbles – A sparkling start to set the tone. ?? Vying White Wines – A duel of elegance and complexity. ?? Clash of the Classic Reds – The ultimate test of boldness and structure. It was a nail-biter, but in the end, Spain eeked out the win 2:1! ?Viva Espa?a! ?? As a WSET2 holder (and future WSET3 student!) from Commonwealth, I can’t say enough about their top-tier programming. If you're even remotely curious about wine, this is the place to be. Erika, you absolutely crushed it—thank you for making learning about wine so engaging and fun! Who else loves a good blind tasting challenge? And more importantly… are you team Italy or team Spain? Let’s hear it! ???? #WineEducation #BlindTasting #ItalyVsSpain #CommonwealthWineSchool #WSET #WineLover #Cheers Stephen Nasiatka, CPA, CFE, WSET 2 Artur Andronic

ITALY VS. SPAIN ?? in Cambridge, MA **TONIGHT** Last minute - not my event, but I am looking forward to this TONIGHT (I just learned about it and booked)... Thursday, February 27, 6:30pm - 8pm Don't miss this ultimate Old World wine showdown - Italy vs. Spain. Erika Frey, CS, CWE, Diploma WSET will be your host and guide for three rounds of head-to-head matchups. Round 1 - Battle of the Bubbles Round 2 - Bianco vs. Blanco Round 3 - Clash of the Classic Reds Each pairing will be tasted blind. You will have a chance to vote on your favorites and whether they are from Italy or Spain. Your host, Erika, will reveal the wines and the winner after each round. Which country will be victorious? You'll have to join the fun and find out. Cost: $85 https://lnkd.in/eeTkU8Dd

Fascinating article, and as there is a heavy focus on sustainability (organic, biodynamic) in our Boisset Collection wines, this topic arises frequently! ?? ??

Thank you, everyone, for hitting 900 followers! They say the first 1,000 is the toughest...but I look forward to blasting into five figures quickly, and look forward to you being along for the ride! --Calins et bisous, StephenUncorked ??

Pretty interesting how wines can be so very difference, but they are all pretty much between 3.0-4.0 on the pH scale! ????

My selection ended up being a fun one that was suggested to "drink soon" - a 2007 SOC CIVILE CHATEAU NENIN Chateau Nenin Pomerol (see comments for photos). I purchased this around 2020, direct from the winery, and it's funny as I'm pretty sure my notes have a suggested drink now to around 2027, I believe, but I agree with a reviewer on Cellar Tracker – it is drinking fantastically now (with some air), and I expect it has at least a handful of years left in it. Will it improve? I expect yes, for a bit longer, and will find out, as I have another bottle or two somewhere from the same purchase! Cellar Tracker reviewer says: "Purchased at Nicolas Saint Louis en l'?le and paired with home-cooked dinner of pan-seared filet in butter and wine with roasted potatoes and zucchini. Based upon prior reviews, this appears to be an ugly duckling that may be coming into form. Dark crimson color with a purple hue. The floral nose brings potpourri, red lavender, cherry kirsch liquor, and an appealing cotton candy note. The palate is medium-full, square, and still compact, bringing plums, blueberries, rhubarb, and raspberry fruit into a refined tannic finish of sweet Rainier cherries. There are some oak and iron/petrol notes still integrating but this is beginning to land in a good place now, especially after 3+ hours of air. Drink 2024-2030. Technical score: 92. Enjoyment score: 92." What was your #OTBD special open? ?? ??

#OpenThatBottleNight is just about here on the east coast, well underway in Europe. What’s in your glass? ??????

I enjoyed the response from Veda-Anne Ulcickas to Opening That Bottle Now...received yesterday... "Well, it won't be tomorrow, because we OTBN'd the lingering, semi-forgotten, probably really gone over bottle just after the new year. It was a 2007 Poggio Il Castellare Brunello di Montalcino. Not a riserva, not expensive, never intended to linger more than a couple years before a Bolognese batch called for its presence at the table. But somehow it was forgotten. It sat in a visible place, so we knew it was there; we tracked it in the wine list until several years ago, when we consciously dropped it from the tracking on the assumption it was well over the hill. But for some reason we just never got around to drinking it. We joked it would be poured into a bowl for some pestilential raccoon to enjoy on a summer night to regret life and midnight shenanigans. But one weeknight in early January this year (2025), we just said, open it. If it's garbage, well, we're as sober as you should be on a Tuesday night. If it's great, the tannins will have softened so a couple glasses each won't wreck Wednesday morning. I don't even remember the dinner, probably leftovers of some type. But the wine was fantastic. Bricked at the edges and plenty of earthiness, cocoa, and velvety tannins with a lovely dried rose potpourri nose, but still enough kirsch fruit to bring a liveliness and unexpected freshness to it. It didn't even fade during the evening, just stayed a beautiful example of what a wine can be given enough benign neglect." Cheers! ?? Mike Voorhis