National Wine Day

I read this morning that today is National Wine Day…yippee! I’ve been thinking on this bottle for two nights now, so I figured today was as good as any to tell you about it. Let me preface this by saying that I know absolutely NOTHING about wine. I’m attempting to learn – it’s been a slow process for almost a year. I am by no means an expert.

So, I picked up the 2006 Bowers Harbor Cabernet Franc. I absolutely love their rosé, unwooded chardonnay, and blanc de blanc – so I was excited to try this bottle. I was a bit skeptical though. I’m picky about my reds – I’m told that I tend to like “old-world style” (by someone who actually knows about wine). And I’ve gleamed that while Michigan produces world-class whites, our climate is not necessarily conducive to well-balanced reds.

But to my surprise, I did like this wine. I noticed that on day two, it was much smoother to drink than the first night I opened it. It smells like dark cherries, chocolate and some black pepper. Not bad at all. I’m interested to try it again tonight and see how it has changed with a little time.

I also learned that it’s rare for a bottle to be 100 percent cab franc. It’s usually blended with other varietals. I need to amass a great collection of wine and have a tasting night one of these nights (friends welcome, of course).

I’d love to taste the cab franc with a cab sav, pinot noir, merlot, etc. I haven’t yet developed the palatte to taste a wine and just know what it is. I want to be able to detect the nuainces of each varietal – I suppose that it is something that develops over time with lots of tasting.

So enjoy National Wine Day – today and every day! 🙂