SDMB Wine Club -- Week Seven: The Imbibing

Not a member of the Club, but wanted to stop by to make a comment.

After all the glowing recommendations, I wrote the name down, thinking I’d pick it up the next time I saw it. Surprisingly, that was rather quickly. It was a 2003.

I was reheating a leftover grilled steak on Wednesday night, and thought that I’d crack this open to compare with your reviews. First sip was okay, but seemed to me (with my very limited knowledge) that it might do with a bit of time in the glass before sipping. However, I found that as time went on I was liking the wine less and less. By the second glass I was thinking that I must have bought a bad bottle. My brother also had a glass, but thought that it tasted fine to him, so now I was wondering whether I just had terrible taste. I corked the rest (I also use the Vacu-vin wine saver, and consider it an investment rather than a purchase), and put it on the counter, thinking that I might have to pour it out.

Then yesterday something came to me. With my steak I was also eating grilled asparagus, and I thought I remembered something about wine and asparagus. Sure enough, a little research turned up that they are a nasty little combination. Evidently asparagus can ruin the taste of many wines.

When I got home last night, I had another glass (no asparagus) to see if my suspicions were correct. They were; the distinct taste of this wine can best be summarized by the word “another”. :smiley:

If you’ve ever wondered, this is no wives’ tale. I don’t have any idea whether this only affects people who have the asparagus gene (I seem to), but it really gave the wine an unpleasant aftertaste. I’m glad I discovered this at home with a reasonably priced bottle, rather than ordering a pricey bottle at a restaurant.

Looking forward to your next suggestions. :slight_smile:

My husband and I are wine enthusiasts and decided to pick up a bottle so we could participate. It was a 2003 not the 2002 the OP had.

My husband said that he found it to be “insipid”. I, on the other hand, enjoyed it quite a lot.

We did not drink it studiously though, we were at a party so there was no time to make tasting notes or really discuss it.

I’m going to try and do better with the next pick.

My husband and I shared a bottle of the 2004 vintage with a dinner he cooked up last week, meat tortellini with meat sauce.

My notes are at home, but I can mostly recall them - plum, cherry, hints of spice, cola, leather, and a bit of vanilla and oak on the finish.
I enjoyed the texture and thought it went well with our meal.

I’ve had this particular brand before and I’ve always enjoyed it, but I’m a fan of Rioja wines in general anyway.

We talked about it a little more last night and decided that we’d like to try it again with food and in an atmosphere more conducive to tasting.

Do that, you won’t be sorry. Riojas have to be one of the most food-friendly reds out there.