Wine Tasting

I'm not exactly sure how it came to be, but I recently had an amazing opportunity to attend a wine tasting event at the home of Randa Warren, Oklahoma's only Master Sommelier.  To put in perspective why this was such a big deal - there are only 197 Master Sommeliers world wide.  So - you know - it's kind of a big deal to achieve this ranking because they aren't handing out this honor to just any Joe off the street.



But back to the story.  I am not what you would call a wine aficionado.  As a matter of fact, I pretty much choose my bottle of wine based on how cool the label looks.  Twist cap, cork, box, or bottle - I don't care.  I do know I prefer the Pinots over Chardonnay and I know you should pair whites with seafood and chicken.  Yep - right there pretty much sums up my complete knowledge of wine.  So I really wasn't sure what to expect or how bad I might embarrass myself.  But nothing ventured, nothing gained.

The theme of the evening was "Wines That Are Easily Confused".  We started the evening with three glasses of whites - a Riesling, an Albarino, and a Gruner Veltliner.  Randa was very informative and kind.  She explained how to properly smell a glass of wine, how to taste it on your tongue, and what you should look for from each sample.  Was the wine new world or old world, what type of "finish" did each glass have, and she discussed the different acid levels.  Our next flight of wine involved the reds and we were presented with a Chianti, a Grenache, and a Rojas.  Again, we learned what to look for as far as smells, color, and acidity.  But here's the kicker - she didn't tell you which glass was what.  Based on her overview of each wine, you had to determine which one was the Chianti, which was the Grenache, and so on.  Out of six wines, I got one right!!  Yay me!!

Even if wine isn't your thing, if you ever get a chance to take part in something like this - do it!  You may really surprise yourself and come away with a whole new respect for wine.  But between you and me, I'm just glad I didn't embarrass myself.

And mucho gracias to Jennifer, Henry, and Bruce for including me in this amazing event.  I promise not to bring Two Buck Chuck to any more events.