Wine Wednesday

Oh.My.Gosh!  All these years I've been drinking wine all wrong! Learn from my mistake, people.

Recently I attended a Riedel Comparative Glass Seminar.  This fascinating seminar was presented by none other than Mr. Riedel (pronounced REE-dul) himself--a 10th generation glass maker.  His family-owned company, Riedel,The Wine Glass Company, revolutionized wine glasses and drinking wine in early 1960's when they introduced the very first line of wine glasses created in different sizes and shapes.

Bet y'all are thinking, "What's this gal talking about? Who needs different wine glasses for different wines? My red solo cup works just fine."  I say throw that big o' red solo cup away...on second thought, don't throw it away, save it for fall football tailgate season. But go get yourself some Riedel wine glasses. You can thank me later.

During our evening with Mr. Riedel, we sampled three red wines--Pinot Noir, Old Vine Syrah, and a Cabernet.  Below are the three different glasses which perfectly match each wine.

Syrah wine glass, pictured above far left; Pinot Noir, center; Cabernet, pictured far right

Pinot noir is one of my favorite varietal of wines. I was beyond eager to begin our comparative tasting with a pinot.  First, Mr Riedel had us sample ice cold water from each glass.  Next we poured Pinot into each glass (after emptying the water :) ).

Pinot noir from the pinot glass--HEAVEN; Pinot noir from a syrah or cab glass...tastes like swill! Blech!!

Second go round was the Syrah.  Now, I'm not really a big old vine syrah lover.  Let's just say when I sampled the syrah from the pinot and cab glasses, I LITERALLY thought I might die...or make a complete idiot of myself gagging in front of the crowd.

Finally, the tasting of the Cabernet.  In cooler months, I do enjoy a good cab.  After sampling cab out of a Riedel Cabernet wine glass, I might just make cabernet more than just a winter wine:)

Prior to the Riedel Comparative Glass Seminar I didn't give much thought to which vessel to enjoy my wine from.  Now, I'll definitely make sure to have the specific glass for a particular wine.  Yes, it really made that big a difference in my wine drinking enjoyment.


As an added bonus to the seminar, we were surprised with a Riedel Coca-Cola glass from which we sample ice-cold Coca-Cola.  No ice to water the real Coke down.  Y'all it was pure Southern Heaven!

How cute is the Riedel Coca-Cola glass?

Off to finish my Coca-Cola before Wine Time!

Wine Wednesday!

Y'all, I have a new favorite place to tell you about. And since it's Wednesday it must serve wine ;)

Fortyeight (48) Wine Bar recently opened at Freshfields Village out at the crossroads of Seabrook Island and Kiawah Island.  This place is pretty amazing.  Every day they have 48 wines available by the glass.  Yes, that's 48! EVERY DAY!  Fortyeight Wine Bar also has 48 craft beers available (right now these are only available by the bottle or can).

Round up your girlfriends, your significant other, or go by yourself (heck, I went one afternoon while my daughter was getting a massage at Urban Nirvana.  We both won that day! :) ).

Here's what you need to know before entering Fortyeight:  Have your credit card ready.  You will swap out your credit card for a WINE card.  This magic wine card is used...to get your wine.

The wine is stored in these really cool dispenser kiosk-thingies (yeah, technical words).  Like wines are stationed together--whites/roses, reds, and the "high dollar" wines.

example of wine dispenser

After deciding which wine you'd like to sample, grab a clean wine glass, insert your wine card into the dispenser kiosk and place your glass under the "tap".

At this point, you will have to decide if you'd like a 1) tasting sample-1 ounce pour; 2) a half glass- 2.5 ounce pour; or 3) the full glass--a generous 5 ounce pour!

I highly recommend starting with the tasting sample.  There was a wine I *knew* I'd love, only to discover it did not taste good to me (Remember the best wine is what tastes good to you!).  Thankfully, I can chug an ounce of wine easily.

If you like your tasting sample, feel free to dispense the full pour on top of the sample size (yeah, you know I did that a couple of times too.).  Oh, remember to get your magic wine card out of the dispenser.

With your filled wine glass you're ready to enjoy the company of your SO, friends, or just hanging out by yourself.  If you get hungry, Fortyeight can fix that right up.  The menu runs from nibbles, salads, and light entrees.

The afternoon the mister and I stopped by Fortyeight, I ordered up the pimento cheese trio appetizer.  Here's the thing, the mister doesn't like pimento cheese so I knew I'd have that trio all to myself.  I did share the spicy pretzels with him.

Pimento cheese trio-Yum!

Fortyeight Wine Bar has seating both inside and out.  With the nice Seabrook/Kiawah weather, I'm betting folks will take advantage of the outdoor patio.

One last tip--Fortyeight Wine Bar occasionally offers a HAPPIER HOUR (usually 4pm-6pm).  Wines are offered at a 20% discount.

Now I'm off to pour myself a glass of wine.  Cheers!