We like wine. But we don't understand all the tasting and smelling notes. When someone starts talking about tobacco, blackberries, lemon rinds and oaky barrels as a good thing, our minds think "ashtray and trashcan at an orchard"! We just know what we like and what we don't like. So occasionally we'll post a review, our own review, it might make you want it or not, you might have a totally different opinion, but hopefully it'll make you laugh.
It's all good fun, right...?
We picked up this bottle the other day. It's Martin Fierro, an Argentinian Cabernet Sauvignon. Don't Cry for me Argentina...yeah, maybe on this bottle you will. It pours out as a deep beautiful color in the glass. Sort of what you'd think a wine color should be. Alas, the taste was a bit off putting. The best description we can give is 'bitter'. I'm sure there is some technical term that goes along with that, but hey, bitter is not something you want to taste in the first sip. It has a kind of a flat taste too. Not very memorable, except in a bad way of course, i.e. "Remember when we had that? Don't buy it again"
Now please don't equate the screw top with quality. Many bottles are going to a screw top, even some very expensive bottles. This was $8.99, on sale. I think the regular price is about $11.00.
TASTING AND SMELLING NOTES:
I don't know, um, lions, tigers and bears...oh my?
PAIRS NICELY WITH:
Bitter memories, Keeping up with the Kardashians, sticking your tongue on a 9volt battery
BOTTOM LINE:
We didn't like it, in case you couldn't tell.
Will not be buying it again.
When I was young and stupid, I bought a bottle of Chateaunneuf du pape. (Not sure of correct spelling). It cost a pretty penny. I opened it for company and all thought it tasted pretty bad. I found out later, that I should have left the wine to breathe for at least half an hour and decant careful. Maybe that's what you needed for your wine. Again, this poor sod knows little about tannins etc.
ReplyDeleteAh, I should have posted that. yep, we let it breathe and we even have this aerator thing that we used on the second glass just in case. We still didn't like it, ha. I think this just had high tannins (I think that's what makes them 'stronger' or not, ha).
DeleteYou may have had a bad bottle and I agree with Gemmagirl, perhaps it needed to be decanted.
ReplyDeleteWe did let it decant for a bit of time, it's possible it was bad but it didn't taste like I would imagine bad would be, we just didn't like it I guess. We'll try another this weekend. :-)
DeleteSometimes when I read the tasting notes I think of a television program I saw about wine. One of the commentators had a 'wine-wankers whistle' which he blew anytime the hyperbole got over the top. And he blew it often.
ReplyDelete"Wine-wankers" now THAT'S hilarious!!! Yes, I've read many a review like that. "smokey haze drifting over a flower meadow...." really? REALLY? LOL!!
DeleteI hated it when I spend a lot on a bottle and it is not as good as my old regular (cheap) standbys. You can occasionally get a bad bottle. I have taken them back to store before. I poured practically a whole bottle down the drain last week and it was one of my regular standbys. It was either bad or something entirely different was bottled in the Chardonnay bottle. I would have taken it back, but I had already thrown away the receipt.
ReplyDeleteHmm, that's possible I think we might not have liked it but we didn't finish it we should have taken in back. We'll keep that in mind for the next bad bottle...ha
DeleteI would certainly agree with the breathing advice and dont decant the last bit , as it may have sediment.......or you may have just got a bad bottle.
ReplyDeleteTrue, and I didn't think about the very end of the bottle. We did have one once that had little bits floating in the bottom. We figured that was sediment.
DeleteI remember a few times on “Downton Abbey” that the butler Carson was seen decanting and slowly filtering wine over a candle. I think this was to aerate it, smooth out the tannins, and remove any sediment.
ReplyDeleteDecanting article: http://nymag.com/restaurants/articles/wine/essentials/decanting.htm
REALLY? Wow, I had never heard of the candle thing. Thanks for the link, they have some fascinating info!!
DeleteWow a wine review that actually uses real language and has an honest "Unpretentious" attitude. Please review more wines!
ReplyDeleteHa, thanks. Will do! Good and bad!!!
DeleteHa ha ha! Made me laugh. Your wine palette is as sophisticated as mine is! I once bought a cheap red called Pennywise only because the clown name in the Stephen King book "It" was Pennywise. I was being a total smart ass when I purchased it. The joke was on me. Turns out it was pretty decent inexpensive pinot noir. If I were to rate it based on "It" I would have to say it had notes of horror and an aroma of sewer creatures.
ReplyDeleteYep, we just tell it like it is, ha. I remember Pennywise the clown!!! Creepy book! Notes of horror, I love it!!!
Deleteall that matters is the taste,, yum!
ReplyDeleteYep, if you enjoy it, that's all that matters!!!
DeleteHa! Best wine review ever! I too am in the dark about "oak/tanins/currant/rose petals" and other wine snobby terms. You guys have to watch a hilarious spoof/documentary on the wine industry called "Corked". I promise you will laugh your heads off.
ReplyDeleteThanks!! Those flavors and notes and stuff never make sense to me. Common stuff I might understand like if they say "vanilla", I can maybe taste that but if they say "tobacco with oak barrels", the heck does THAT mean? Ha. Will totally look of the documentary, thanks!!
DeleteI bet it would make a great vinegar for salad dressing though!
ReplyDelete