Rooftop Virtual Tasting – Mencia from the Spanish Wine Region of Bierzo!
Submitted by Ryan on Wednesday, 13 June 200720 Comments |
Ok so it’s been awhile since our last Rooftop Tasting, but we’re back. I’m still not a fan of editing, so if any of you out there want to help with that send us a note. We’d love to have some help with it. Otherwise, in this episode we taste a couple of wines from Dominio de Tares for our Virtual Tasting of Bierzo! Hope you enjoy it and the Haikus…Big props for comments in Haiku form!
Cheers,
Ryan Opaz
My notes on the wines we tasted.
- 2004 Dominio de Tares Bierzo Bembibre – Spain, Castilla y León, Bierzo (6/11/2007)
Very dark adn inky in color. The nose at first is very tight and concentrated with big notes of black pepper and rich earth. Slowly and after much time this begins to turn to dark berries, chocolate, clove, anise and more. In the mouth this is a big wine with hits of spice and tannin that seems to leave my tongue reeling. With time though this gives way to big fruit flavors and after much decanting the tannins reveal a nice acidity behind them with pure cherry and rapberry fruit. Chocolate, oak, and earthiness remain, and while this is a large mouthfull of wine it really develops with enough air into something more elegant that I would have supposed.
- 2004 Dominio de Tares Bierzo Cepas Viejas – Spain, Castilla y León, Bierzo (6/11/2007)
Less inky than it’s big brother Bembibre, this wine is a sexy little number that shows rich spice on the nose and pure cherry fruit. Oak is present but not the main focus in this wine. Time softens this wine just enough to make the sultry fruit flow over your tongue and it beigns then to reveal mineral like spices, with hints of clove, cinnamon and spice sparkling through the finish. Great acidity makes this wine a natural for a wide range of foods. Really a fun wine.
Popularity: 10% [?]
With my apologies:
mencia tongue
fruit of black currents
swaying hips happy dance
windblown hair
skirt steak smells
complementing decktop tasting
erudite wine geek
tasting over the rooftops
don't burn the steaks
glinting in the sunset
preparing for battle
reidel crystal
master rock licker
king of the terrace
your queen is dancing
With my apologies:
mencia tongue
fruit of black currents
swaying hips happy dance
windblown hair
skirt steak smells
complementing decktop tasting
erudite wine geek
tasting over the rooftops
don’t burn the steaks
glinting in the sunset
preparing for battle
reidel crystal
master rock licker
king of the terrace
your queen is dancing
I absolutely love your poem Bill! Colorful, straight-forward and without a doubt the perfect description of your dear friends over the pond. However, if you were shooting for a haiku, I fear that your sense of the 5-7-5 syllable structure of a Haiku may be closer to your distinguished ability to taste river stones
But who is to say Catavino can't have our own version of a Haiku, called a Wineku?
I absolutely love your poem Bill! Colorful, straight-forward and without a doubt the perfect description of your dear friends over the pond. However, if you were shooting for a haiku, I fear that your sense of the 5-7-5 syllable structure of a Haiku may be closer to your distinguished ability to taste river stones
But who is to say Catavino can’t have our own version of a Haiku, called a Wineku?
Haiku rules? We don't need no stinking Haiku rules!
I love the Wineku idea. You should get it copyrighted if possible.
It is actually not a poem, but six haikus. They are untraditional haiku as explained by Jane Reichhold in her "Haiku Techniques" article which I found on the web. Below is a short excerpt of the article, which I read before trying to come up with my haiku:
HAIKU TECHNIQUES
Jane Reichhold
(As published in the Autumn, 2000 issue of Frogpond, Journal of the Haiku Society of America.)
In my early years of haiku writing, I easily accepted the prevalent credo being espoused on how to write haiku. This was, sometimes implied and occasionally expressed, as being: if the author's mind/heart was correctly aligned in the "proper" attitude, while experiencing a so-called "haiku moment", one merely had to report on the experience to have a darn-good haiku.
One reason for rejoicing in the acceptance of this view, was that it by-passed the old 5-7-5 barrier crisis. This was certainly a plus for the whole 70s haiku scene as there seemed a danger of the entire movement bogging down in fights, arguments and broken friendships.
Another advantage of this system of defining a haiku was that it bestowed near-religious honor on the author of a passable haiku. No one knew exactly why a particular haiku was 'good' but it was clear from the ku that the author had experienced a moment of enlightenment (or satori for the Zen inspired). If the moment was holy and the form fit in with the group's philosophy publishing the ku, the haiku was said to be an excellent one. This happened more often if the person judging the ku was a good friend of the haiku's author.
******
I guess I googled the wrong article. But no, Zen teaching would say it's the right article and I agree with that. I promise that I'll work on some traditional haikus for your next rooftop tasting.
Until then I'll leave you with this one.
animal fat glaze
on tasting tongues delightful
bierzo chaser
BB
Haiku rules? We don’t need no stinking Haiku rules!
I love the Wineku idea. You should get it copyrighted if possible.
It is actually not a poem, but six haikus. They are untraditional haiku as explained by Jane Reichhold in her “Haiku Techniques” article which I found on the web. Below is a short excerpt of the article, which I read before trying to come up with my haiku:
HAIKU TECHNIQUES
Jane Reichhold
(As published in the Autumn, 2000 issue of Frogpond, Journal of the Haiku Society of America.)
In my early years of haiku writing, I easily accepted the prevalent credo being espoused on how to write haiku. This was, sometimes implied and occasionally expressed, as being: if the author’s mind/heart was correctly aligned in the “proper” attitude, while experiencing a so-called “haiku moment”, one merely had to report on the experience to have a darn-good haiku.
One reason for rejoicing in the acceptance of this view, was that it by-passed the old 5-7-5 barrier crisis. This was certainly a plus for the whole 70s haiku scene as there seemed a danger of the entire movement bogging down in fights, arguments and broken friendships.
Another advantage of this system of defining a haiku was that it bestowed near-religious honor on the author of a passable haiku. No one knew exactly why a particular haiku was ‘good’ but it was clear from the ku that the author had experienced a moment of enlightenment (or satori for the Zen inspired). If the moment was holy and the form fit in with the group’s philosophy publishing the ku, the haiku was said to be an excellent one. This happened more often if the person judging the ku was a good friend of the haiku’s author.
******
I guess I googled the wrong article. But no, Zen teaching would say it’s the right article and I agree with that. I promise that I’ll work on some traditional haikus for your next rooftop tasting.
Until then I’ll leave you with this one.
animal fat glaze
on tasting tongues delightful
bierzo chaser
BB
I duel your wiku (better than wineku, no?) with this:
Trust not in the tongue
Nor the score or the bouquet
But only the fun
Experience it
Sense everything around you
Share your memories
Wine is not to judge
Marketing tipping the scales
Let the public choose
Feeling a bit political after reading Decanter.
I duel your wiku (better than wineku, no?) with this:
Trust not in the tongue
Nor the score or the bouquet
But only the fun
Experience it
Sense everything around you
Share your memories
Wine is not to judge
Marketing tipping the scales
Let the public choose
Feeling a bit political after reading Decanter.
Very nice and totalling fitting the tenor of your website. Wine is an experience, not a number. Of course, it IS better to experience higher numbered wines, usually.
Slowly savoring
Surprisingly sweet skirt steak
Swimmingly sublime
I'm afraid I can't stop. Help.
This is addictive isn't it. I was walking home from the gym as the light was at the perfect angle casting beautiful shadows throughout the park, illuminating the colors of the flowers. It was one of those moments that made you stop in your tracks, breathless.
Scorching Spanish day
Birds singing, roses blooming
I'm so very happy
Very nice and totalling fitting the tenor of your website. Wine is an experience, not a number. Of course, it IS better to experience higher numbered wines, usually.
Slowly savoring
Surprisingly sweet skirt steak
Swimmingly sublime
I’m afraid I can’t stop. Help.
This is addictive isn’t it. I was walking home from the gym as the light was at the perfect angle casting beautiful shadows throughout the park, illuminating the colors of the flowers. It was one of those moments that made you stop in your tracks, breathless.
Scorching Spanish day
Birds singing, roses blooming
I’m so very happy
Ok, I don't really understand haiku, wineku or wiku but do appreciate the thoughts and sentiments. I am more basic in my poetic style but so here is an alternative mode of poetic verse extolling what is important when drinking wine:
Wine is good
No more be said
Pull the cork
And pour that red
Taste seems good
But who decides
Must be right
If you hear the sighs.
Where it’s poured
With whom it drunk,
Means much more
Than the numbers junk.
But what’s retained
Is not the taste
But who was there
At the tasting place.
Good wine can make
An event much more
But without good friends
It’s just a pour.
Thanks for the poems…I might need to start a special section for Verse Style Tasting Notes…Ideas, Ideas, Ideas….
Ok, I don’t really understand haiku, wineku or wiku but do appreciate the thoughts and sentiments. I am more basic in my poetic style but so here is an alternative mode of poetic verse extolling what is important when drinking wine:
Wine is good
No more be said
Pull the cork
And pour that red
Taste seems good
But who decides
Must be right
If you hear the sighs.
Where it’s poured
With whom it drunk,
Means much more
Than the numbers junk.
But what’s retained
Is not the taste
But who was there
At the tasting place.
Good wine can make
An event much more
But without good friends
It’s just a pour.
Thanks for the poems…I might need to start a special section for Verse Style Tasting Notes…Ideas, Ideas, Ideas….
Great poem, Cornell!
Gab, we have wineku, wiku, so, how about viku, the espanol version?
Great poem, Cornell!
Gab, we have wineku, wiku, so, how about viku, the espanol version?
I clearly must check in more often…
Points are boring but
Dancing tasting notes might be
Left to Web Three Oh!
Nice video! Gabriella is very charming, and even Ryan has his moments
I clearly must check in more often…
Points are boring but
Dancing tasting notes might be
Left to Web Three Oh!
Nice video! Gabriella is very charming, and even Ryan has his moments