Wine Blogging Wednesday #49: Toast the End of Bush

September 9th, 2008

After a bit of a sabbatical, I’m glad to be back into the Wine Blogging Wednesday scene, for such a fun topic. This month’s theme is hosted by the blog, 2 Days Per Bottle, in which “Dhonig”, a self-proclaimed cartoonist and wine geek tastes a single bottle of wine over the course of two days and notes how the wines change. Very neat idea! In any case, he suggested a wine that marks the end of the Bush era for us. Some people may drink some bubbly, others may toast to his roots with a Texan wine. Personally, I just found a bottle with a silly name that was reminiscent to me. I was pleased to find there was more in this wine that was emblematic of Bush than just its name, as well.

The wine I’m tasting tonight is “The Old Man’s Blend” 2006 Groote Post from South Africa. It’s a blend of 48% Merlot, 33% Cabernet Sauvignon and 19% Cabernet Franc, almost akin to a right bank Bordeaux. I decanted it and then enjoyed with some whole wheat pasta with broccoli, sundried tomatoes, and parmesan. To say that I “enjoyed” it is a bit generous though.

The wine starts with promises of ripe, berry fruit with hints of spice on the nose. But on the palate it turns sharp with high alcohol and seering acidity. This wine is really out of balance. It leaves me with a big thud and a hot, thinness on the finish. Despite shining promises, this wine disappoints in the end. Sound familiar to you?

Related Posts:
Wine Blogging Wednesdays #37

Wine Blogging Wednesday #52: Chilean Reds Under $20

Which Wines Would you Serve the Queen?

Filed under , Wine Blogging Wednesday | Comments (6)

6 Responses to “Wine Blogging Wednesday #49: Toast the End of Bush”

  1. Glenn on September 10, 2008 8:52 am

    Is “The Old Man’s Blend” an homage to the current president or the Republican nominee.

  2. Steve on September 10, 2008 5:43 pm

    Hi Erika, I had that experience many times where the wine smells better than it tastes. But maybe that dish you had it with wasn’t the best match. Sounds like a white wine could’ve been better and maybe steak would have showed better with the red.

  3. Erika Strum on September 11, 2008 10:46 am

    Hey Steve– It definitely wasn’t ideal but it’s what my sister and I had in the fridge to whip together! I did taste the wine quite a bit before having it with dinner so I don’t think that the meal adversely affected my opinion.

  4. Jon Holato on September 17, 2008 3:39 pm

    I wouldn’t toast quite yet, McCain/Palin might be worse than Bush/Cheney, if you can even imagine that.

  5. Krista on September 28, 2008 7:46 am

    I’ve only done one WBW and after reading your post, I’m sad I missed the last one! I need to catch up wht October’s theme will be…

  6. Dan Mihaliak on October 3, 2008 12:49 pm

    Thanks for warning me on this wine. I was getting ready to buy it. I think my Chilean Malbec woud be a better fit for what you had but since it is a private reserve nobody will know except me.

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