My name is Athena, and I’m a wine geek.
I’ve been increasing my wine geekery lately, and part of that is keeping tasting notes and trying to actually remember stuff like what grapes make what wines and flavor profiles and all that.
Last week, Mr. Athena and I went to a swanky restaurant, complete with Sommelier. It was a slow night, so the sommelier was also our waiter. We got to talking, and of course Mr. Athena starts in on how much I’ve been studying lately.
Soon enough, our food starts coming. Before the main course, the sommelier drops off a glass of white wine for me. He comes back a few minutes later with the food. I ask “so what’s the wine?” (we’d put ourselves in his hands for wine pairings.)
“You tell me,” he says.
“Oh God, don’t do this to me,” I reply. Mr. Athena pipes in. “Do it… she needs the practice.”
They both grin at me. OK, I smell the wine. It seems somewhat familiar. Not oaky, not buttery, doesn’t seem like a chard. No grassy vegetal stuff, not a sauvignon blanc. Doesn’t seem sweet or spicy enough to be a riesling or gewurz. Sommelier pipes in with a hint: “It’s a varietal, but not a common one.”
Shit.
OK, smell again, and take a taste. A little smokiness. I hesitantly guess “Viognier?”
“No,” he says “A viognier would be heavier. This is lighter, more peppery…”
And it hits me. Light and peppery, with a little smoke. I sniff again, taste again. “Gruner Veltliner!” and he smiles. Yup, that was it.
Ok, so it was a second guess, and I had hints. But I’m still so damn proud of myself that I have to tell everyone that will listen!
