Wine for Feeling Overwhelmed

Maybe it's natural for this to happen in the home stretch of anything, but I am just feeling overwhelmed and to be honest, a bit discouraged. We had our Germany/Eastern Europe test today, and while the theory portion went fine, the blind tasting was a bit of a disaster. It seems like just when I start to feel confident in my ability to pick out some of these wines, we have a test like this where I feel like I have no idea what I'm doing, like all this information is creating a massive tornado in my head, and I am struggling to pull one or two bits out of it to try and piece together something that makes sense.

I thought the white wine in today's tasting was a Riesling from the United States, and I thought the red wine was an Australian Shiraz. Neither of these was remotely right. The white was in fact a Chenin Blanc from France, and the red was a Cabernet Sauvignon also from France.

The girl who sits next me also thought the red was an Australian Shiraz and that the white wine was a Riesling from Germany, and she has worked at a restaurant/wine bar for many years, so I'm not completely out of my mind. I don't actually think anyone in class got both of the wines right, even the guy who is part of a wine making family, and who has been tasting different wines for over 15 years, which just goes to show that this stuff is pretty freakin hard.

I keep reminding myself that I only need to get 60% in each of the exam components (theory, tasting, service) to pass, but it is in this last week and a half of class leading up to the exam that I need a vote of confidence, and not being able to figure out either wine just leaves me feeling at loose ends.

Now that I think about it, it's not so different from the last couple weeks of rehearsal before a play opens. People forget their lines and blocking, something always goes spectacularly wrong in tech and dress rehearsal, no one feels like the play has been rehearsed enough, the sets aren't done, the costumes aren't done, people walk around like zombies from all the stress, worry and lack of sleep, but then somehow, miraculously, on opening night, everything just seems to fall into place, almost effortlessly, and the show, as they say, literally goes on.

Let's hope that is what will happen for me on testing day. I should be able to recommend a red and white wine to you today, but apparently, I don't know what they are. Sorry.

Wine for New World Test

Today we had our New World exam. This included a theory test with questions about the wine worlds of USA, Chile, Argentina, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia. The theory test was followed, of course by a blind tasting. As always we had to identify and analyze one red wine and one white. Even though our theory exam was New World only, our tasting included wines from anywhere in the New World, France, and even a few from Italy that we tasted in the first two weeks of class. That's a lot to choose from!

I am very happy to report that both parts of the test went very well! I identified the red wine correctly as a Pinot Noir from the USA; I thought the white wine was a Chardonnay from France. After the test, we all convened in the hallway and discussed our guesses. Half of the class thought the white wine was a Chardonnay and half the class thought it was a Riesling. Guess what it was? A Viognier from France. So I got the France piece at least. But it just goes to show, this stuff is freakin' hard.

To celebrate the (mostly) successful completion of the New World module, let's crack open a bottle of Cliff Lede Vineyards "DIVA" Sparkling Wine Napa Valley 2000. Cliff Lede is a very cool winery slightly off the beaten path in St. Helena, and this sparkling wine is a treat: bright and lively with a yummy yeasty aroma combined with apple and pear, it is delicious as an aperatif, or to enjoy at any old time of the day. As it says on the bottle's label, "This lady can Sing!".

Wine for the First Blind Tasting

Today was our first test: 25 multiple choice questions and a blind tasting of one red wine and one white. For those unfamiliar with this, a blind tasting is a tasting of wines when you have no idea what they are. In the case of our class today, and at the Certified exam, which is administered by The Court of Master Sommeliers, we are given one glass of red wine and one of white. We are also given a tasting grid on which we rate things like nose, or aromas in the wine (do we get fruit? If so, what kind of fruit? Do we get spice, herbs, if so what kind? Earth or mineral? If so, what? Do we think the wine was aged in oak, and if so, why?) palate or taste (does the wine have low, medium or high acid, sugar, tannin, alcohol, a long or short finish), and overall conclusions (warm, cool or moderate climate; country we think the wine is from (the options on this grid are France, Italy, USA, Australia, New Zealand); varietal (Chardonnay, Riesling, Cab/Merlot, Zinfandel, Sangiovese, etc.) and finally vintage.

Needless to say, this is very hard, and today, I got both wines wrong. On a brighter note, I did very well on the theory exam. But I like to do well. I always like to be good at whatever I do, and when I don't do well I start to doubt whether I will ever be able to do it. So of course I start to question my decision and worry that I have made a big mistake. What if it turns out I'm no good at this at all and I will have to try and find something else that I enjoy? What if I actually have a terrible palate and I never improve?

But before I go too far down that road, I have to stop and remind myself of a few things: I am new at this, which is why I decided to take a class in the first place; if I already knew how to identify every wine in a blind tasting, I wouldn't need to take the class, I would just go straight to the exam; the teacher himself said that this test is used as a baseline, so we know where we are starting from and where we want to go. Perhaps most important for me to remind myself is that NO ONE in the class guessed both the red and the white varietal correctly, not even the know-it-all guy (there's always one in every class, isn't there?). Out of 21 people in the class, 9 of us got both varietals wrong, and twelve people guessed one. Only two people guessed the red varietal. So I am not the only one who has a lot to learn!

What I also have to remember is that it is possible to guess the varietals wrong and still pass the exam, because each of the other items on the grid (tannins, fruit, acid, climate, etc.) has a point value, and guessing the actual varietal is only worth about 2 points. So The Court is not only looking at what conclusion you finally draw, they're also looking at how you get there.

So I am going to give myself a break. Tomorrow is my birthday, and Steve and I are going to spend the night in Napa. I will relax, have a delicious dinner, and of course, a nice glass of wine (or two).

My wine for the first blind tasting? Well I don't know, do I? It is a blind tasting after all. But I can tell you this: it's red. You decide what kind.

Have a great weekend.