Billy’s Online Wine School

by Kato on March 4, 2010 in Billy's Online Wine School, Wine Picks with 4 Comments Tweet

Wine School on the Web

Drink your way through Billy’s Best wine book – a bottle or two at a time.  Follow the instructions and you’ll be a wine wizard by Easter. New lessons are posted every week, typically Wednesday. Looking forward to hearing about your ‘homework’!

Lesson #6 EXPERIENCE NICE

Nice is the most wrongly used wine description. When we enjoy a wine we tend to call it nice. What we should be saying is “this wine is hitting the spot, right now”. On a hot day a shrill Sauvignon can feel heavenly, but it’s a mistake to describe the wine as NICE. It’s not nice – it’s a good wine when we’re thirsty.

But there are wines that are NICE. Comfortable, gentle, polite, easy. Wines for relaxation, to sip ‘n chat – hanging out with friends. A lot of Pinot Grigio falls into this category. This week I’d like you to buy the two wines below, open and have both over several evenings. Experience NICE. And an amazing wine value from Gallo.

LINDEMANS 09 Pinot Grigio ‘Bin 85’, Australia 668947 $10.95
Pleasant fruitiness, zippy freshness and a lighthearted feeling. What could be nicer!. Very social, very party gulpable.

GALLO 08 Pinot Grigio ‘Family Vineyards’, California 82594 $7.95
Great blast of lemonade freshness and summer day on the beach feeling. Drier, and way better, than most Californians in the low price range. Bring on the summer party season. Great value.

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Kato

Kato Wake is an entrepreneur – a creative thinker and a visual maker with over twenty years experience in the design business. She possesses strong communication skills and has managed teams and groups of many sizes. Creative, resourceful and curious by nature – Kato is an ideas person and a problem solver. She sees the big picture, the practical steps needed to achieve it and the means to do so. Experienced with both print and web, she is motivated by serving the client and communicating ‘their story’ – however it needs to be told. She has been involved in the restaurant and hospitality industry for almost as long as Billy – but hasn't drunk quite so much. Over the years, Kato has instructed hundreds of hospitality workers in 'the art of service' and has implemented training programs for several restaurants. Presently, Kato manages both the print and web for Billy’s Best Bottles (www.billysbestbottles.com) and has designed 10 editions of Billy’s Best Bottles annual wine book – which has been a Canadian best seller each year. She also designed Kathy Guidi’s book on Canadian Cheese (published by McArthur and Company) and is currently designing a breakfast cookbook for County resident Elizabeth Pulker. As Billy's 'right hand woman', she helps him conduct seminars is is the 'operations manager' behind the Wine with Life Tours. :)

Tagged: Australia, California, Gallo, Lindemans, Pinot Grigio, white wine

4 Comments on "Billy’s Online Wine School"

1. Kathryn says:

   March 9, 2010 at 2:04 pm

   Yes, these wines are nice. Not too complicated or demanding. Nicely accompanied the spring-like weather we have been experiencing.

   Of the two, I preferred the Lindemans as I found it a bit sharper (not in taste, but in feel). Perhaps this is the zestiness?

   I liked the Gallo, but found it a bit dry.

   I can easily see both at the cottage.

   I also picked up a Creekside Pinot Grigio ($14.95), but have not yet opened.

   Cheers,

   Kathryn
2. Kathryn says:

   March 31, 2010 at 7:49 am

   I tried the Creekside Pinot Grigio. I really liked this wine. I think that it will become a ‘go to’ wine for me.

   Back to the discussion about wine being about how you feel, I enjoyed this wine on the front porch on a beautiful Spring day. Perhaps the weather and the surrounding influenced my response to the wine.
3. billy munnelly says:

   March 31, 2010 at 9:26 pm

   Kathryn, you’re gettin it!
   It is impossible not to like the zestiness in Lindeman’s wine. And a Spring day on the patio makes Pinot Grigio very appealing. A simple wine elevated by the mood/situation.
   Forget chasing ‘great’ wine – find the wine to satisfy your mood – and it will feel great.
4. PEC_fangirl says:

   April 2, 2010 at 9:34 pm

   I tried the Lindemans. Certainly “nice”, but I can’t say I’m in love with it. It tastes mercifully less fruity than it smells, but still too “sweet” for my liking. Maybe not exactly sweet, but it reminds me of certain honeys that taste too much like flowers.

   At the same time, it’s quite acidic…. that bothered me a bit because I would expect the zestiness to get balanced (or canceled out) by the sweetness. Not here. Something is missing… perhaps the shrimp in garlic butter recommended by the LCBO.

   Anyway, this wine is like Pamela Anderson wearing a turtleneck sweater.

   Ok, maybe not that bad. In fact, at that price, I’ll probably buy it again.