Tasting Bold Wines with Flavors - Battle of the Tannins

Our next wine tasting event is for members that appreciate the bold red wines with powerful flavors and heavy tannins.

We will be tasting a number of different wines made from the Petit Verdot and Syrah grapes during the course of the evening and also talking about them.

Red wine tasting

Event Plan

Our member Steve has volunteered to bring a few bottles of Petit Verdot that he has collected from his visits to Virginia wineries.

Petit Verdot planted at a Virginia vineyard

We request our participants to bring either a Syrah or Petit Verdot from any region around the world and a food pairing.

The Host for the evening will be Donna who has offered to host this event at her place in Tenleytown DC.

Getting to Know our Bold Red Wines

Syrah

Syrah, also known as Shiraz in Australia, is a dark-skinned grape variety grown throughout the world, with long documented history in the Rhône region of southeastern France.

Tournon-sur-Rhône river town and vineyards on the hills in Côtes du Rhône

The style and flavor profile of wines made from Syrah is influenced by the climate where the grapes are grown. Moderate climate regions such as Northern Rhône Valley or Washington State, tend to produce medium to full-bodied wines with flavors of blackberry and black pepper notes, while hot climate regions such as the Barossa Valley, tend to produce full-bodied wines with jammier fruit and spice notes of anise and earthy leather.

In many regions the tannins and acidity levels of the Syrah grape allow the wines to have a good aging potential.

Though commonly known as Syrah, the name Shiraz became popular in Australia, where it has long been established as the most grown dark-skinned grape varietal.

Food Pairings : The cooler climate Syrah with good level of acidity will pair well with lamb chops, grilled meats, grilled eggplant, pepperoni and cheese pizza, charcuterie, cheeses like Camembert and Gouda. The warmer climate Syrah will pair well with food that has stronger flavors such as barbecue pork, pork chops, or any dish with lots of black pepper, smoked bacon, black olives, smoked Gouda, sausage and pepperoni pizza or a stronger dark chocolate.

Petit Verdot

Petit Verdot is a variety of red wine grape, mainly used in classic Bordeaux blends in small amounts to add tannin, color and flavor to the blend.

Vineyards of Saint-Émilion in Bordeaux

The grape varietal has attracted attention among winemakers in regions within Argentina, Australia, Chile, California and Washington State where it ripens more reliably and has been made into single varietal wine.

Petit Verdot is a bold full-bodied wine with high tannins, notes of spice and herbal flavors and aromas of mostly black fruit flavors like plum and blackberry. Aging the wine in oak will add flavors of vanilla and hazelnut while also softening its stronger tannin characteristics.

Depending on the climate or micro-climate of the growing region, if the wine has good acidity, it will have a good aging potential in the bottle, because of the combination of its tannins and acidity.

Food Pairings : Black olives, smoked Gouda, aged Cheddar, ground beef burgers, roasted pork and pork chops.

Event Details

Event: Tasting Bold Wines with Flavors - Battle of the Tannins

Description: A Petit Verdot and Syrah wine tasting event for our members that appreciate the bold red wines with powerful flavors and heavy tannins.

Date/Time: Sunday, April 30, 2017 6:00 PM to 9:00PM

Admission: Free / Grapes & Grains members must RSVP

Venue: Donna's Place

Address: Tenleytown, DC

Article Category: Events