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Wine and Beer Enthusiasts
- Thread starter albertfallickwa
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Sipping (and greatly enjoying) a Belgian classic: Westmalle Dubbel, a Trappist classic beer.
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I've had 1989 Chateau Margaux two times because I bought three bottles back in the mid-90's (yes, I'm an old dude). One tasting was way, way back in 2006 and another recently. The first was the most amazing wine experience of my wine drinking life; the last, not so much.
The first time was New Year's Eve, my birthday, and we had two bottles we opened at the beginning of dinner at about 7PM. We all tasted it and... it literally tasted like a barnyard. Honestly, perilously close to tasting like poop. I was bummed and concerned it had gone bad. But I knew enough about great old wine to know you really do have to let it breathe. So we all ordered other wine and champagne and set it to the side to wait for dinner.
Two hours later, when our entrees finally arrived - it was a fancy hotel restaurant and there were lots of apps and other tasty victuals - we sampled it again and it was jaw=droppingly good. I couldn't believe it was the same wine. It had become soft and subtle and fruit I never would have imagined could be in that liquid was there. We could still taste a little bit of dusty earth on the finish, but it wasn't barnyardy like before. Totally incredible.
The second tasting was just one bottle within the last year or two and, unfortunately, was not good at all because the wine actually had gone bad. But that's understandable given that it was pushing 35 years old and hadn't been stored in perfect conditions.
Anyway, I will tell you, if you can have one of those wines, give it time when you open it. You may be lucky and have my first experience and not my last!
Am enjoying a beer from the superb Bavarian brewer, Weihenstephaner, namely, their excellent Vitus.
The inverted commas in your post are - have been - duly noted.
The major problem is that it’s not even bad. I can’t just say it was. It is… the wrong kind of weird.
My second - and last - beer of the night is a Trappist classic from Belgium:
Westmalle Dubbel, served in a Westmalle beer glass (or goblet, or chalice).
Westmalle Dubbel, served in a Westmalle beer glass (or goblet, or chalice).
My second (and final) beer for the night is one of the best beers in the world: The legendary Trappistes Rochefort 10, a Trappist beer from Belgium.
Actually, anytime that I return to sipping Trappist beers, - having sampled something else for a while - I am reminded, yet again, of just how flawlessly superlative they are.
Made my first batch of red wine from local grapes (Isabella var.), had already racked and heat pasteurized it. Some say heat pasteurization kills wine, turned out its total lies. At least I don’t have to use some chemicals or be afraid it turns into vinegar one day. Already tried it and even considering that grapes were not the most aromatic and purely “wine sugar grapes”, the taste is unbelievably good. Never tried anything like this wine.
But story didn’t end there, did anyone think I threw away the leftover pomace? NO WAY, I mixed it with some water and sugar, gave it whole month to rest and then converted to one unbelievably tasty and strong drink – pomace brandy. In Italy people call it “Grappa”, in Georgia “Chacha”, but the thing is the same – tastiest spirit one can ever try. Better than 12 year old Chivas
That was probably the tricky horse - brettanomyces yeast. Some winemakers hate it, some love it. Especially ones who make beer. This type of yeast is wild but can be tamed with certain degree of experience and also it shall never be left “hungry” (i.e. without sugars) or else it starts to produce the following off-flavors like barnyard aromas