Orange County Fair
Extreme Tasting - take the challenge
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photos courtesy of: A. David Chan
(Notes and impressions of several medal-winning wines tasted at the Orange County Fairgrounds, CA, Tuesday , July 18, 2000.)
Fortunately for us, wine tasting is largely a controlled "sport." Tastings
are usually conducted in an environment where efforts are made to remove
any non-wine aromas that would 
otherwise
distract tasters from the business at hand. By eliminating outside aromas,
we are able to fully concentrate and appreciate the true aromas of wine.
However, removing all outside aromas can be difficult, and creating
or maintaining ideal conditions just isn't always possible. There may
be frequent times when less-than-wine-friendly smells will intrude, raising
havoc with your ability to smell and taste the wine.
Ironically, there can a plus-side to otherwise negative wine-tasting
conditions. An uncontrolled environment can force a taster to concentrate
on specific wine-oriented smells, and ignore the presence of non-wine
aromas. With the intrusion of unusual outside smells, even the experienced
wine-taster will have the accuracy of his/her senses put to the test.
Some lighter aromas can be ignored. But, once these smells get overwhelming,
you're getting into the realm of extreme tasting.
You're now in the wine-oriented equivalent of snow boarding down the Matterhorn,
or kayaking down Niagara Falls. When smelling wines under extreme conditions,
it can be very difficult to concentrate on actual wine aromas, while trying
to separate unusual and/or outside smells. Further adding to the aromatic
confusion, you may even encounter wine-like aromas from non-wine sources.
Where can you find unusual conditions like this? As it turns out, you don't have to look far at all. If you're ready to give yourself a real challenge, try wine tasting at any State or County Fair. I've done this for the last five years at the Orange County (CA) Fair, and find it to be an excellent exercise -- it's like a workout for your nose.
What kinds of extreme conditions exist for a wine-taster at the OC County Fair? Here are just a few :
- the size of the glass (standard issue is a small plastic jigger-sized cup). Of course, they have an standard logo glass which you can buy, but then the whole instructive effect of Fair tasting would be lost
- the numerous anti-wine aromas wafting through the air, that either wind up in your nose or in your glass. The effect is an assault on your senses, and distracting to say the least. Nearby aromas can come from a couple of sources: the food category -- cotton candy, bratwurst, hot dogs, and every manner of fried foods, etc.; or from the other category (ironically, one of the main purposes of the fair) which consist of various flocks and herds of livestock
- and, in the case of the OC Fair, the Wine Pavilion is conveniently located very near the public restrooms, creating a whole subset of aromatic problems to deal with.
Taste follows nose in most wine-tasting. So, it's all too common for
many of the noticeable aromas to
translate directly into taste. Sometimes, it gets confusing -- you begin
to wonder if the hay or grass you're picking up in a Sauvignon Blanc is
really right there in the wine, or if it's actually coming from a livestock
pen or if it's part of the feed. But, there you have it -- an opportunity
to taste wine in an unusual setting, and an opportunity to test your own
expertise, all at the same time.
The following were tasted at the 2000 OC Fair. I sampled twenty-one wines from the board for $1 each.
1998 Adler Fels Sauvignon Blanc - Russian River Valley. Nice nose,
with grassy and fruity aromas. Slight residual sugar in its fruity mouthfeel,
with some grassy and hay-like flavors.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B Overall score: B
1998 Lockwood Pinot Blanc - Monterey. Nice, lightly fruity and
toasty nose. Light mouthfeel, with toasty grassy flavors.
Aroma score: B Taste score: B Overall score: B
1997 Handley Pinot Noir - Anderson Valley. Knockout candied nose.
Smooth flavors, nice fleshy fruit, light, but quite flavorful across the
palate.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+
1997 Pepperwood Pinot Noir - California. Nose of strawberry/black
cherry/cola. Lighter mouthfeel, with flavors of strawberry/black cherry.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+
1998 "R" (Rundquist) Sangiovese - Amador Co. Sweet spicy dried
cherry nose. Astringent mouthfeel, yet with plenty of ripe smoky fruit
and smoky.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+
1998
Salamandre Merlot - Arroyo Seco. Fleshy ripe nose. Lightly fleshy
mouthfeel, but not very complex in flavors or taste.
Aroma score: B Taste score: B Overall score: B
1996 Cooper Garrod R.V.'s Fine Claret - Santa Cruz Mtns. Spicy
cassis nose. Nice mouthfeel, with slightly tart fruit and long finish.
Meritage of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+
1997 Perry Creek Cabernet Sauvignon - El Dorado. Young and grapey
nose, with a tartness to both nose and mouthfeel, and slightly tannic
finish.
Aroma score: B Taste score: B Overall score: B
1997 Salmon Creek Cabernet Sauvignon - Alexander Valley. Nice
lightly complex nose of cassis, vanilla, and toast. Off-sweet fruit, slightly
coarse and acidic, medium body, long finish. Does have some Alexander
Valley qualities. No trace of salmon, though
Aroma score: B Taste score: B Overall score: B
1997 Raymond Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Valley. Textbook Napa aromas,
but nothing very complex, and the oak seems a bit overdone. Subtle and
a bit tart on the palate, with a medium finish. Everybody loves Raymond?
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B Overall score: B
1998 Thomas Coyne Syrah - California. Average Syrah nose of blackberry
and spice. Mouthfeel is a bit sour and thin.
Aroma score: B Taste score: B Overall score: B
1998 Silver Ridge Petite Sirah - California. The momentary Sirah
nose is enveloped quickly with an insecticide quality that fails to blow
off. Body is medium-full, but the nose here is pervasive, and shows up
on the palate as well. If this isn't a bad bottle, a bunch of pest control
people were judges.
Aroma score: C Taste score: C Overall score: C
1997 Guglielmo Petite Sirah - Santa Clara. Blackberry nose, with
a big tannic mouthfeel and slightly sour finish.
Aroma score: B Taste score: B Overall score: B
1996 Sebastani Syrah - Dry Creek. Chocolate, Ovaltine, blackberry
nose. Substantial mouthfeel, with spicy blackberry flavors.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+
1997 Trefethan Cabernet Franc - Napa Valley. Fleshy blackberry
nose. Stemmy, oaky and somewhat austere mouthfeel.
Aroma score: B Taste score: B Overall score: B
1997 Stony Ridge Sangiovese - Napa Valley . Nice nose, slightly
sweet dried cherry fruit, spicy dry mouthfeel -- very nice.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: A- Overall score: A-
1998 Baywood Tempranillo - California. Big mouthfeel, though slightly
tart/sour finish.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+
1997 Windsor Carignane - Oat Valley Vnyd, Alexander Valley. Wow
nose -- vanilla, toast, oak, chocolate. Good mouthfeel, tasty fruit. What
a surprise!
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+
1997 Guenoc Cabernet Sauvignon - North Coast. Nice cassis and
vanilla nose. Tasty junior Napa-style wine, smooth tannic finish.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+
1997 Amberhill Cabernet Sauvignon - California. Geez, what a nice
surprise. Good nose, inexpensive and tasty.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+
1997 Garre Merlot - Livermore. Fleshy and big in nose and mouth.
Surprisingly good...(here comes the "but") ... for a Livermore wine.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: A- Overall score: A-
1998 Vigil Zinfandel Old Vines - Lodi. Thin, ripe and beet-like
in nose. Moderate body, with an overripe quality to the taste.
Aroma score: B Taste score: B Overall score: B
1997 Haywood Zinfandel - Sonoma Valley. Fleshy boysenberry fruit
in nose and on palate, with a bit sour/tart taste to finish.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+
NV Galleano Cucamonga Red - Cucamonga. Shoe polish and
vitamin filled nose, with lots of paste and cardboard across the palate.
Well, the judges must've tasted this one at the end of the day.
Aroma score: C- Taste score: C- Overall score: C-
1997 Eric Ross Merlot - Sonoma County. Pretty tart nose and mouth,
yet generally good nose 
and
mouthfeel.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+
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Overall impressions: the wines poured at this event are "Medal Winners" within specific categories. These categories are separated by varietal and by price levels. Despite being award winners, I have generally found over the past five years that only about half of the wines I taste here really have merit. Although, I don't always agree with the opinions of Robert Parker or the Wine Spectator, I find that I have even less in common with the opinions of the judges for this venue. But then, they're entitled to their opinion(s) -- just like me!
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