About WiNEZ

WiNEZ was a monthly event at EZ Street Saloon in South Range, WI. Unfortunately, due to lower turn out the owners had decided to stop hosting the event. The last wine night at EZ was held on November 12, 2014. But that is not to say the die hards won't be getting together for some wine tasting periodically at EZ Street Saloon. I will continue to blog the wines we have tasted pre starting this blog, along with our impromptu meetings, and maybe transform the blog into something more personal. We will see where it goes. I do know the blog will still be about wine!

So for my WiNEZ pals you can count on this blog to serve as an archive of what was consumed and a reference for your spending sprees. For those who are just curious about what the Northwest Wisconsinites are drinking here are some thoughts… but be warned I am by no means a wine expert-I only know what I like. Since I am not an expert I will try to include the winemakers label descriptions as well.

Salute! or as the Finnish would say Kippis!

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Wine kit: Australian Red Blend

Occasionally someone from the group will bring in a bottle of wine they made. It’s always a treat to see what can be done by the amateur here in Duluth/Superior.  With the kits available these days it’s easy to make a great high end wine at little cost, between $5-8 per bottle.  Of course you make 30 bottles in a batch so you better like the wine you make, plan to give it as gifts, or go in with a couple of friends.  I recommend the later and look forward to my first winemaking event with friends later this month.

The wine we sampled was an Australian Cabernet/Merlot/Shiraz made from RJ Spagnols Cru Select 6 week kit.  This kit was 2007 and 2008 Winemaker International Award Winner and proved to be pretty darn good.  This dark black cherry colored wine had a full sweet berry jam aroma. At first the tannins hit the mouth a little too boldly with an overwhelming spiciness. But once drank with cheese this wine became my night’s favorite.  The spiciness was reduced allowing for a nice balance with the fruitiness of the wine.  It finished soft and smooth like a Merlot. 

The winemaker used a magnetic system to speed the aging process along.  Whether this really works is to be debated and the chemist in me is pretty skeptical, but for what its worth I will tell you what I found searching the topic: The device consists of a magnetic coaster like base and a ring magnet for the neck of the bottle.  One places an open bottle on the device for some time around 30 minutes. The claim is the magnetic field ionizes the tannin molecules, causing them to lose hydrogen and form chains, as it would when naturally aged by oxidation. The majority of reviews by Sommeliers who have participated in or conducted blind taste tests say there is no noticeable difference between magnetically treated and untreated wines.  I would be interested to see someone do a chemical analysis of magnetically treated and untreated wines to show if indeed the treated wines are more oxidized….Until then the mystery remains.

Varietal: Cabernet/Merlot/Shiraz
Producer/Importer:  RJ Spagnols Cru Select- 6 week kits made at Wine Creations Duluth, MN
Region: Australia
Vintage: 2011
Price:
Tasting notes:
 Sight (Color/Clarity): Dark black cherry coloring
 Smell (bouquet, aroma): Berry jam
Taste (acidity, balance, body): Merlot finish, Mid-bodies wine, with moderate oaky flavors.
Bottle presentation: NA
Wine kit description: “A classic New World blend made popular by the recent trend of success of Australia’s leading wineries. A well-balanced aroma of leather and black pepper gives way to intense jammy flavors of blackberries. The length of spicy flavor from the Cabernet, sweet berry fruit of the Shiraz and softening effects of the Merlot results in a tightly structured, well-balanced wine. Ruby red in color, this hearty wine has an elegant and long finish.” http://www.rjspagnols.com
Comparisons:
Overall rating (1-10): 8.5
Date consumed: December 14, 2011
Comments: magnetized to speed aging
Great with cheese!
Oak 5 Body 5 Sweetness 0

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