WELCOME BACK TO THE K & J SESSIONS! It's been a long hiatus indeed--our schedule has changed--and the two of us no longer have our beloved Monday nights in the office. Why we didn't think to get together OUTSIDE of work to drink before now is beyond us. Now that we have a clue, you can only benefit and be amused by our reunification.

TONIGHT'S WINES (yes, plural!):

2007 Helfrich Gewurztraminer

and

2008 Darby & Joan Cabernet Sauvignon

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K: Hey J! Welcome to my house. Now we can really swear and screw around and giggle while we're drinking wine.

J: Thank god I only live about a block away. I may have to walk home.

K: Thanks for bringing snacks, too. No one ever brings food to my house. They just assume i'm going to feed everyone. I mean, I always do--but the thought was nice. We're going to start with the white.

J: Of course. If you're going to taste wine properly, whites should always come first. You'll dilute your palate if you try to go red to white. Standard Gewurztraminer scents here--reminds me of a tropical island. Guava, mango, papaya...

K: I get that too. Exotic. It smells like it's going to be sweet. I get creamy lychee nuts and...here comes my one weird scent...baby powder.

FIRST SIP

J: It's really tangy. This is a hard nut to crack, though. Probably why I failed on the whites in the blind wine tasting last week.

K: I was terrible at the reds at the blind tasting, which is a crushing blow for me. I enjoy the tip of the tongue tingle with this wine, there is definate acidity, but nothing that overwhelms the rest of the flavors.

J: I'm still working on said flavors.

K: I'm getting the spicy/sweet at mid-palate. Plus a little grapefruit.

J: The finish is buttery, almost like an oaky chardonnay. There's a hard candy element to it as well. Life Savers...pineapple Life Savers.

K: Spicy grapefruit candied pineapple.

J: With a little sugar coating in there. It's not tremendously sweet, but the sweetness is there, if only momentary. It's definately not dry. I understand that Rieslings and Gewurztraminers are akin to one another, but I don't find this much difficulty in pinning down flavors in a Riesling.

K: Well, I can see how the lines could be blurred. Gewurztraminer and Riesling come from a region of France that's a cultural combo of French and German. Even the names of the villages in Alsace are a Franco-German jumble.

J: Unique to this region is the fact that they print the grape varietal on the label. The rest of France feels that you should automatically know the makeup when the region is mentioned. I'm not that familiar with French wines for this very reason, and I think this is what intimidates other people about these wines. I miss Elodie!

K: We used to have a lovely assistant manager who was French. This was a big help--but it also meant we didn't have to learn anything at all about French wines--all we had to do was yell for her help when someone wanted a Burgundy.

J: Alsace is known primarily for its whites, even though it produces Pinot Noir. Ever heard of Alsatian Pinot Noir? Of course not. Because they're not that notable...not that i've ever had one.

K: My most favorite fact about Gewurztraminer is that "Gewurz" means 'spicy' in German. This is one of those little factoids I enjoy sharing with customers. It makes me sound so much more informed than I am. I think "wine conniseur" is a hard status to attain. There's always more to learn, so I appreciate every little piece of information.

J: So here comes the food recommendations--

K: Our favorite part.

J: I'd say this goes well with the pita bread and hummus we're eating. Only, a plain hummus would be better. And I support the notion that Gewurz goes with Asian food. I get that entirely.

K: Kung Pao Chicken! (for you, Britto). In all seriousness, i'd also say any sort of fruity custard. I had some amazing barbequed salmon with grilled pineapple the other night, and this would be a fantastic pairing for the barbeque/citrus flavors.

J: If you're less adventurous, i'd say this would be nice with any kind of creamy cheese; like a brie or Delice de Bourgogne.

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Our Alsatian Gewurztraminer is $13.99, and considering the best Gewurz in the world is from Alsace, that's quite a bargain!

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WINE #2: 2008 DARBY & JOAN CABERNET

J: Okay--so there are dual purpose scents to this one. Unswirled in the glass there are scents of wet wood and jam. Once the wine has been swished around a bit, I get more meaty fish scents, like salmon.

K: I will second the wet wood. Also blueberry and mullberry. When I swirl the glass, I get laundry dried in fresh air. Fish and laundry are not at all a match.

J: Proof that one nose differs from another.

K: Proof also that we don't always agree.

J: Now that it's been open for a while, I'm starting to get black licorice and bread dough...and then back to the fish. This scent is going to turn people off until they see the label.

K: We sold four bottles of this wine today. People--women especially--love a pretty label. If you are trying to decide between two bottles, the prettier label will always win. Let's move on to the flavors.

FIRST SIP

J: If this was a blind tasting, I would be thrown off. It doesn't really taste like a Cab. More Petit Sirah with a tinge of Merlot. It tastes like a blend.

K: These are the sweetest tannins i've ever had. Sweet tobacco, sweet tar, and sweet black licorice. Don't get me wrong, this is NOT a sweet wine.

J: A little bit of mineral-graphite as well. It doesn't make any sense that it's 15% abv. There isn't a thing about it that tastes alcoholic. The scents don't even give it away. And i'm not just saying that because I'm semi-drunk.

K: You mentioned something at your very first sip that you were picking up on sour cherries. That is a lot of what I'm picking up on the finish. It's like old-school cheesecake with the sour cream and cherries on top.

J: Like the Cherith Valley Spirited Cherries we have at Benz. Self promotion!

K: To me, a Cab isn't this easy to drink. A Cab is something to mull over, to contemplate. This wine is light-bodied. I'm sure we could easily finish this bottle, but that would render both of us non-functional tomorrow.

J: My favorite Cab is so velvety smooth and oaky, and this doesn't seem to have any relation to that at all. This is, however, a good gateway red. Someone who is somewhat new to red--

K: But not McManis Cab new to red, though.

J: You have to tell our readers what you mean by that.

K: All right. McManis Cab isn't a serious Cabernet Sauvignon. This isn't me being a wine snob. It's a simple wine, has a bit of residual sugar--so it's not this big, bad overwhelming Cab. But it does at least taste like a Cab. It serves its purpose as an intro wine into big reds, but it shouldn't be something you stick to.

J: I think the Darby & Joan is a weeknight wine. However, if you want a true Cab, this isn't an adequate representation.

K: Matt and I have been talking a lot lately about Beef Bourguignon and Beef Deburgo--and though I could see this pairing with beef, I don't think this wine could stand up to anything gourmet.

J: Simple dinners, maybe. Pizza, spaghetti with meat sauce. Something with a little bit of spice.

K: Chili. A mildly spicy salsa.

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Underwhelmed, but approving--our red is from Austrailia, and goes for $8.99! Ladies, you will love the label...