One of the highlights of the annual wine bloggers is the live blogging sessions, also known as speed tasting. This year during the conference in Portland this tasty version of "speed dating" featured 31 white and rose wines. Each winery had five minutes each to present as they rotated among the tables. The 375 bloggers tweeted, Faceboked and blogged through a lightning round of goodness. Here are the highlights from the 10 wines served up at our table:
- 2011 Pepsi Sauvignon Blanc by O'Neill. Cali SB great for summer and salad.
- Decibel 2009 Single Vineyard New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Hawks Bay. Rounder and less racy than Marlborough. A winner and one of the best of the tasting.
- Via de View by Gloria Ferret sparkler from Sonoma Carneros. Pinot Noir, Chard and Muscat. Light sweetness and some biscuit.
- Cornerstone 2010 Willamette Valley Oregon Chardonnay. Touch of oak. Bright and good acidity. Hits Chardonnay target. Herbed chicken anyone?
- Sokol Blosser Evolution NV Makes a lot of people happy. Blends well with spicy foods. Muscat, Gerwerztraminer plus a big supporting cast. A quirky, fun wine.
- Domaine de Tariquet, Gascony, France. Ungni-Blanc, Columbard, Sauv Blanc and Grow Manseng. Fifth generation winery celebrating 100th anniversary. Only $9 for French grooviness.
- Millbrandt 2011 Ancient Lakes Riesling. Evergreen Vineyard. Most highly acclaimed white vineyard in Washington state. Wet stone, peach and lime. Winemker formerly worked at Finger Lakes standout Heron Hill. Winner of this tasting.
- Chandon Etoile pink bubbler. Strawberry and raspberry. Great food wine.
- Castillo de Tafalla 2011 Rosado Garnacha crowd funded vino. Angel price $4.99. Model for 21st century wine sales?
- Ponzi 2011 Pinot Gris. Refreshing with splash of sweetness. $17. .58 residual sugar.
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