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Now... onto my palate...

Having been drinking wine fairly seriously for more than thirty-five years, this is where and how my palate has changed.

  • Started with Lancers and Mateus (sweet, pink, spritzy)
  • Moved to Boone's Farm Apple and Strawberry (sweet, high alcohol)
  • Fell in love with American Cabs and Chards. (late '70's started working in restaurants)
  • Learned about Bordeaux and Burgundy (early ‘80's, started collecting because they tasted much better with a little age on them)
  • Love of California Cabs and Chards bloomed through the ‘80's
  • Through the ‘90's, trips to France, Italy and Spain influenced my taste in food and wine.
  • In 2000, I discovered excellent wines from Australia, which marked my last love of highly extracted, high alcohol wines. To me, it became too much.
  • Discovered outstanding Argentina wines that tasted so much like expensive Bordeaux and Tuscans at a much better price.
  • These days, American Sauvignon Blanc, Italian Reds, and Argentina Malbecs are my daily wines of choice. Little or no aging is required and they will match with almost everything from Lobster to Steak to Homemade Italian tomato sauces. Life is better than ever.

The good news is that it's your journey. My tastes have changed many times. Let me know about yours. I plan to be around for another 30 years.

In Vino Veritas,

Michael

Recently I wrote an article about the benefits of aging certain wines. I talked about how, over time, the flavors of a particular bottle had changed and provided a much better tasting wine.

In discussing the experience with a friend, I realized that just because I thought the wine was better, it may not have been the case with anyone else who might have tasted the wine. It could simply be a matter of personal taste.

So I started reflecting on my own personal tastes and whether or not the "ageing process" had been beneficial to me. Personally I think it has but let me share with you how my tastes have changed:

  • I no longer ask for Mexican food to be "as hot as possible"
  • I no longer ask for my steaks to be cooked, "quivering rare", Medium rare is good for me.
  • I eat two or three oysters with cocktail sauce and lemon rather than twelve "naked".
  • Steak tartar has been replaced with Tuna tartar.
  • Asian food has risen to the top of my list as has Mediterranean.
  • Even my love of Southern BBQ has changed from sweet tomato based sauces to vinegar/mustard based sauces.
  • When cooking at home, we use virtually nothing from a can, choosing fresh tomatoes, herbs, eggplants or seasonal veggies. For the most part bottled sauces have too much sugar these days.

Next week I will be examining how my palate has changed.

In Vino Veritas,

Michael

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