I think we need to have a few gift certificates mixed among the bottles in each region to encourage people to go to the wineries and spend some time tasting the other wines they offered and explore the other wineries..
Setting that president is Melrose Vineyards in the Umpqua region. They have graciously given a certificate for a bottle of 06 Pinotage. This is a wine found almost exclusively in South Africa and it has very unique qualities. Linda and I had dinner in Amsterdam at Puri Mas and when I ask for a wine to go with the spicy food, the waiter came out with a red...."Oh?' ask I " and what would THIS be?" He smiled and told us about Pinotage, the way it is grown, and why they serve it with spiced foods. Chilled a bit to around 52 degrees, it takes on an astounding quality. It approaches the spice and instead of masking it as some big reds would, it enhances the subtle flavors and enjoys the contest without trying to win. Needless to say I was excited when Melrose uncorked a bottle for me to try. VERY big fruit nose! More subtle ion the pallet. A keeper that will be good for at least 5 years if you can control yourself.
So look for some paper in your cases of wine you bid on and you may discover a real treat!
Nice blog....
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