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The Second Thursday Wine Society Tasting Notes September 1998 to September 1999 « back to the Society's front page |
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These are the winners from the last thirteen tastings, copied out of my legal pads. For each night you'll find the theme, how many of us were there, the bag that won, what it cost and who brought it, and the winner's points. Every taster gives every bag 1 to 10, so the best a wine can do is ten points times the number of tasters. Nothing has ever come close. I don't write down the names of the wineries. Partly that's because next year's bottle from the same winery won't be the same wine, and another store won't have the same price. Mostly it's because some of us would then go out and buy the winners, and that's not the point. The point is the bag. |
| Thursday, September 10, 1998 · at our house |
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Theme: Washington State merlot Tasters: 22 Winner: Bag 5, a 1996 Columbia Valley merlot, $11.99, brought by Charles & Debra Hoyt Points: 171 of a possible 220 The most expensive bottle ($14.99) finished fourth. Washington is making a great deal of merlot, and it costs less than California's. Not a bad bottle in the six. |
| Thursday, October 8, 1998 · at the Romanowskis' |
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Theme: Cabernet under $10 Tasters: 20 Winner: Bag 2, a 1996 Chilean cabernet sauvignon, $7.49, brought by Danny & Nancy Schall Points: 148 of a possible 200 The most expensive bottle ($9.99) finished sixth. Last. Richard Romanowski chose a cheap-cabernet night, more than five years after the water pitchers. That tells you how far he's come. He also brought the $9.99 bottle. That tells you how far he still has to go. |
| Thursday, November 12, 1998 · at the Zimmers' |
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Theme: What goes with a turkey Tasters: 24, everybody, for the first time that year Winner: Bag 1, a 1997 Beaujolais-Villages, $8.99, brought by Eugene & Luella Catron Points: 176 of a possible 240 The most expensive bottle ($14.50, a California pinot noir) finished fifth. As close as we will ever get to a Beaujolais Nouveau night. Light, fruity, and it was gone before the reveal was over. |
| Thursday, December 10, 1998 · at the Tolands' |
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Theme: The holiday party: bubbles under $15 Tasters: 24 Winner: Bag 6, a Spanish cava, $7.99, brought by Eddie & Cindy Gates Points: 181 of a possible 240 The most expensive bottle ($14.99, a California sparkling wine) finished third. Real Champagne from France costs more than our limit, so nobody brought any. Eddie Gates wins with the bargain bottle again, almost six years after the pitchers. Lori played carols on the piano during the reveal, which made it very dramatic. |
| Thursday, January 14, 1999 · at the Bowens' |
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Theme: Australian shiraz Tasters: 21 (the flu got three of us) Winner: Bag 3, a 1997 South Australian shiraz, $9.49, brought by Elvin & Emily Doster Points: 164 of a possible 210 The most expensive bottle ($14.99) finished second. Big, soft and full of fruit. Five of the six were good enough to buy again, which has never happened before. Jerry Zimmer called the winner "jammy," and for once nobody asked him to explain. |
| Thursday, February 11, 1999 · at the Schalls' |
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Theme: Think Pink: rosé and blush Tasters: 22 Winner: Bag 4, a 1997 dry rosé from the south of France, $8.99, brought by Edward & Carmen Mixson Points: 150 of a possible 220 The most expensive bottle ($12.99) finished fourth. The lowest winning score of the year. The white zinfandel finished sixth with 61 points, and the couple who brought it have asked me not to put their name on the Internet, and I won't. |
| Thursday, March 11, 1999 · at the Catrons' |
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Theme: Chilean merlot, for our sixth anniversary Tasters: 23 Winner: Bag 2, a 1997 Chilean merlot, $6.99, brought by Aubrey & Carolyn Burroughs Points: 168 of a possible 230 The most expensive bottle ($13.49) finished fifth. Six years to the night after our first tasting. The cheapest winner we'd ever had, a record that lasted until July. Luella baked a cake with a corkscrew on it. |
| Thursday, April 8, 1999 · at the Mixsons' |
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Theme: Spanish reds Tasters: 20 Winner: Bag 6, a 1995 Rioja crianza, $10.99, brought by Richard & Julia Romanowski Points: 152 of a possible 200 The most expensive bottle ($14.99) finished third. Richard's first Golden Corkscrew since 1996. He made a short speech. It was not short. |
| Thursday, May 13, 1999 · at the Burroughses' |
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Theme: Sauvignon blanc Tasters: 22 Winner: Bag 1, a 1998 New Zealand sauvignon blanc, $12.99, brought by Jerry & Sandra Zimmer Points: 166 of a possible 220 The most expensive bottle was the winner. The first time in eight tastings that the most expensive bottle on the table won. Sharp and green and smelled like a lawn in June. Dennis didn't care for it. Dennis was outvoted. |
| Thursday, June 10, 1999 · at the Gateses' |
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Theme: California chardonnay under $12 Tasters: 18 (three couples at graduation parties) Winner: Bag 5, a 1997 California chardonnay, $11.99, brought by Dennis & Mamie Bowen Points: 129 of a possible 180 The most expensive bottle was the winner, two months running. Richard would like it noted that this is two months in a row for the expensive bottle. So noted, Richard. Dennis, who didn't like the grassy one in May, brought the butteriest chardonnay in Ohio and won. |
| Thursday, July 8, 1999 · on the Hoyts' porch |
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Theme: Porch whites under $8 Tasters: 19 (vacations) Winner: Bag 3, a vinho verde from Portugal, $5.99, brought by Thomas & Lori Toland Points: 147 of a possible 190 The most expensive bottle ($7.99) finished second. Light and cold and a little bit fizzy. It was 91 degrees on the porch, and the winner would have won at any price. Our new record for the cheapest winner, beating March by a dollar. |
| Thursday, August 12, 1999 · at the Dosters' |
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Theme: California zinfandel Tasters: 24 Winner: Bag 4, a 1996 Sonoma County zinfandel, $13.99, brought by Neil & Christine Gregg (us!) Points: 190 of a possible 240, the highest score of the year The most expensive bottle ($14.99) finished second. Christine picked it out. I carried it to the car. The Golden Corkscrew was on our mantel for exactly four weeks, and I miss it already. |
| Thursday, September 9, 1999 · at our house |
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Theme: Italian reds Tasters: 21 Winner: Bag 2, a 1997 Chianti, $9.99, brought by Danny & Nancy Schall Points: 158 of a possible 210 The most expensive bottle ($14.95) finished sixth. Last again. The Schalls' second Golden Corkscrew in a year. The bottle in the straw basket finished fifth, and four separate people said it would make a nice candle holder. I'm writing this the next morning, and the house still smells like garlic bread. |
The year in numbers
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« Back to the Second Thursday Wine Society [email protected] Last updated Friday, September 10, 1999 |