You may not believe this, but my life does not revolve around wine, as much as I enjoy it. We had some last-minute changes in the schedule and I decided to go to a wine tasting. Almost every Tuesday night a wine shop near me D. Vine Fine Wines has a six-wine tasting and notes by a local wine luminary Lee Hershey. I like to go and taste some new wines and one never knows what can be discovered, and for the price of a Jackson, I can try six wines, have some cheese and all the Goldfish crackers that I can wolf down, it appears that I am the only one that likes plain crackers at these affairs. There are several that are regulars and some like me that show up every now and then. There are a couple of different ranked somms in the room, but the group is very laid back, and more of a good time. I have been to some tastings that are so full of decorum, that I find myself looking at my watch, and that never occurs when I am at D. Vine Fine Wines. That last sentence may sound like I am not serious about wines, and while I do not make a living in that industry, I have been learning more and more about wines since High School, and let us say that the Viet Nam War was at its peak.

The tasting began with a very light white wine, from a winery that I have enjoyed and may still have a bottle or two in the cellar. The Taft Street Winery Russian River Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2016 was a good choice. Originally the winery was known as Taft Street Garage, and they were what is now termed a “garagiste” and in 1979 they were making wines in a garage, and they gradually moved into an old apple processing plant in Sebastopol. Here was a wine that the fruit came from two estates, Bob Dempel Vineyards and the Giaquinta Valley Vineyard. The wine as would be expected for a Sauvignon Blanc was done in Stainless Steel to maintain the crispness and for the fruit forward taste. As much as I try to avoid descriptors, I feel that since I was at a tasting I should, and the wine was a very pale and soft color, with good aromatics and the tartness that I enjoy from this grape. This wine was a keeper, a fine wine from Sonoma County and the price of the Jackson, just increased.

The other white wine for the evening was Milou Chardonnay 2016 from the Languedoc district of France, the fruit coming from the plateau of Asperes. Languedoc is getting more and more scrutiny as people are looking for some more affordable table wines. The terrain for this wine was basically limestone and clay, and had the taste of a basic Chablis. This wine is designated as a Vin de Pays D’Oc and while some may turn their nose at it, it was really good. It had the color of light straw and a soft nose, but it tasted very good, with even a nice finish. I even heard a couple of people who claim that they do not like Chardonnay and they were impressed with this wine. Oh, what is a few more wines for the collection.