Jonah Lehrer points to repeated experiments showing that wine “experts” have almost no agreement when conducting blind taste tests, are completely influenced by the labels on a wine bottle, and can’t even distinguish white wines from red!
What these experiments neatly demonstrate is that the taste of a wine, like the taste of everything, is not merely the sum of our inputs, and cannot be solved in a bottom-up fashion. It cannot be deduced by beginning with our simplest sensations and extrapolating upwards. When we taste a wine, we aren’t simply tasting the wine. This is because what we experience is not what we sense. Rather, experience is what happens when our senses are interpreted by our subjective brain, which brings to the moment its entire library of personal memories and idiosyncratic desires. As the philosopher Donald Davidson argued, it is ultimately impossible to distinguish between a subjective contribution to knowledge that comes from our selves (what he calls our “scheme”) and an objective contribution that comes from the outside world (”the content”). Instead, in Davidson’s influential epistemology, the “organizing system and something waiting to be organized” are hopelessly interdependent. Without our subjectivity we could never decipher our sensations, and without our sensations we would have nothing to be subjective about. In other words, we shouldn’t be surprised that different people like different bottles of cheap wine.
Unfortunately, while we will often dislike a very expensive wine and occasionally really enjoy a cheap one, my wife and I tend to be drawn to expensive-ish pinot noirs costing upwards of $30 a bottle. You’d think that if wine tastes were completely random that this wouldn’t happen.
This was a WineSmith pairing for the Let’s Dish Sesame Apricot Chicken with Rice. The latter was quite enjoyable; the former, not so much. The pairing was correct flavor-wise but neither of us liked the wine, which reminds one of a Chardonnay but with more sweetness.
Come join us for a relaxing afternoon in our winery built on a hill overlooking our vineyards and northern Virginia horse country. We offer wines, cheeses, breads, salami and light fare or bring your own gourmet lunch and join us around the fireplace in our spacious tasting room with easy listening music. Nice weather permitting, enjoy your wine and lunch under our covered patios overlooking the vineyards. Enjoy our artwork by local artists or shop in our gift shop for local products and wine accessories. We are open all year for tasting and tours. We also will host your special events. Check our website for special events.
WINES: Chardonnay, Vidal Blanc, Chambourcin, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Rosé, Late Harvest, Sweet Summer, Springtime, and others.
TOURS: Thursday through Monday, 11am-5pm.
For further information and an events schedule, visit www.lostcreekwinery.com
43277 Spinks Ferry Road
Leesburg, VA 20176
703-443-9836
winery@lostcreekwinery.com
Owners: Bob and Carol Hauk
* Sweet Summer — This wine consists of 25% Apple Wine and 75% Grape Wine(Vidal, Viognier, Chardonnay). It has 2% residual sugar and is light and fruity. Sweet summer is great for sipping on the patio any time of year.
* Vidal Blanc — Vidal is a French hybrid grape which is tank fermented and aged with 1% residual sugar.
* Spring Time – Spring Time is a blend of Vidal, Viognier, Chardonnay Muscat Canelli. Light and crisp, it has 1% residual sugar.
* Chardonnay — Our Chardonnay is tank fermented and barrel aged in French Oak. It is nice and light, has great fruit character with just a hint of oak.
Red wines
* Chambourcin — Made from an American hybrid, this wine is stainless steel fermented, then barrel aged. The deep color and low tannins come from red meat grapes.
* Cabernet Sauvignon — This Cabernet is stainless steel fermented and then barrel aged in old oak. It exhibits lots of fruit and velvety tannins. The 1/4% residual sugar forms the perfect balance with the acids and alcohol.
* Merlot — This is a very unique semi-sweet Merlot wine. It is good with fun food like chili, pizza or burgers. A rare treat for those of us partial to sweeter white wines.
* Reserve — This is a more traditional Merlot wine. It is dry, fruity and has the perfect balance of tannins. This wine is a perfect accompaniment to steaks or barbequed meats.
Our unique wines
* Rosé – The rosé is a blend of Merlot, Chardonnay and Vidal wines. It is suitable for both red and white wine drinkers. 2% residual sugar.
* Late Harvest (Alyce) — These Vidal grapes were left on the vine for more sugar content, then frozen in our winery and pressed. The resulting juice is high in sweetness and the fermentation was stopped with 12% residual sugar. It is great as an accompaniment with dessert or it can be dessert in itself.
* Courtney’s Christmas Blend (available in December) – This dessert wine is a blend of Chambourcin, Merlot, and Chardonnay with a hint of cranberry. A perfect wine for the holidays.
They offer tastings at a modest price (maybe $5), which is waived if you make even a small wine purchase.
Their wines were overly sweet. We did, however, buy three bottles of Spring Time to use in an interesting-looking sangria recipe they provided.
Hidden Brook is located seven miles north of Historic Leesburg on Rt 15. Come and enjoy fine American wine in our Early American-style log winery nestled in the pines. Guests are invited to relax by a cozy fireplace, bring a lunch to enjoy in our dining area, or watch the sun set from the veranda.
TOURS: Saturday and Sunday, 11:00am – 5:00pm. Monday, Thursday, and Friday 12:00pm-5:00pm. Tuesday and Wednesday by appointment. Closed New Year’s, Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas.
For further information visit www.hiddenbrookwinery.com
43301 Spinks Ferry Road
Leesburg, VA 20176
703-737-3935
hiddenbrookwine@aol.com
Owners: Eric and Deborah Hauck
Winemaker: Eric Hauck
Hidden Brook is very informal compared to Tarara. They offer generous tastings for a nominal rate and will not charge you if you buy even a single bottle of quite moderately priced wine.
Their wines were on the sweet side and none were particularly memorable. We bought a bottle each of their halfway decent Chardonnay and the Late Harvest white dessert wine.
On the bluffs of the Potomac River, Tarara is a 475-acre farm devoted to the art of producing fine wines. Each year brings new grapes with their own distinct character and Tarara’s wines are carefully crafted to showcase their true nature. Experience our award-winning wines, relax on our deck above the river or time your visit to include one of our special events. Uniquely located in a 6,000 square foot cave, the tasting room and gift shop are open year round.
TOURS: January through May open everyday 11am-5pm; June through December open Monday through Thursday 11am-5pm; Friday through Sunday 11am-6pm.
13648 Tarara Lane
Leesburg, VA 20176
703-771-7100, Metro DC 703-478-8161
winesales@tarara.com
Owners: RJ (Whitie) and Margaret Hubert
Winemaker: Rob Warren
Easily the best of the three. They offer two levels of tastings:
The Featured Selection – wines that appeal to every palette. Nine wines are tasted – ranging from dry whites and reds to semi-sweet and sweet. ($5.00/per person)
The Winemaker’s Select – includes Tarara’s limited production wines and elegant reserves – for the more discriminating palette. Six wines are tasted – starting with an elegant Chardonnay and finishing with a robust port style Merlot ($10.00/person)
Naturally, we had both. For our tastes, the Featured was by far the better bargain. Not only did we get more wines to taste for half the price, without exception we preferred the Featured wines to their Select counterparts. Whether it’s a matter of our palate (we tend to like pinot noirs) or their wines not aging well (the Selects were typically two to three years older vintage) we just liked the Selects better.
The Cabernet Franc was particularly good as was, oddly, the Merlot.
Production Area
Trentino, located in the mountainous northeast of Italy. Grapes are grown in the dry and calcareous soils of the Valle dei Laghi (Valley of Lakes), near the village of Toblino.
Grape Varieties
100% Pinot Noir
Vinification
After a traditional fermentation, the juice macerates for eight days to extract color and body from the skins. The wine is then refined for a further six months, partly in barriques and partly in large oak casks
Color
Ruby red, with brick red nuances
Bouquet
Wide aromatic spectrum exalts cherry, sour cherry, cooked plum and tones of spices and tobacco
Taste
Velvety, harmonious and well balanced with excellent structure. With age it evolves in roundness, fullness and complexity
Serving Suggestions
This Pinot Noir pairs well with both white and red meats. Serve at a cool room temperature
We had this at the “The Week Opinion Awards” last night. It was quite good.
Flavor Profile
“This Cabernet flaunts intense aromas of berries and spice, while a hint of bramble lingers in the background. Bright, juicy fruit flavors are complimented by refined, velvety tannins. This medium-bodied wine’s generous aromas and appealing mouthfeel beckon for just one more sip.”
The Vintage
2004 was a hot growing season until September, when temperatures cooled. The heat promoted exceptional ripening while the cooling extended hang time and preserved the fruit’s natural acidity. Warm, dry weather from early October through the beginning of November allowed for a successful harvest of perfectly flavored berries.
Winemaking Process
After de-stemming, the intensely ripe fruit was gently crushed, then soaked in its cool juice to maximize flavor extraction. The mixture of juice and skins was allowed to warm and then inoculated with select yeast strains to initiate fermentation. Over the next 10 days, pumpovers occurred twice daily to extract color and tannins. The wine was aged for approximately 1 year in a combination of American and French oak barrels adding structure and complexity to the finished wine.
Technical Data
* Total acidity: 0.60 g/100ml
* pH: 3.70
* Alcohol: 13.5%
* Blend: 99% Cabernet Sauvignon. 1% Merlot
Rating:
5
We had this at the “The Week Opinion Awards” last night. It was quite good.
NYT debunks Julia Childs’ dictum “Never cook with a wine you wouldn’t drink.” Cooking is a great leveler, removing most of the subtlety from fine wines and smoothing off the rough edges of cheaper ones.
Furthermore, “In 1961, when Mrs. Child handed down her edict in Mastering the Art of French Cooking, decent wines at the very low end of the price scale were almost impossible to find in the United States. Now, inexpensive wines flow from all over the world: a $6 bottle is often a pleasant surprise (though sometimes, still, unredeemable plonk).”
