On second thought

I feel for winemakers. A critic's first impression, usually done during a tasting of four dozen other wines hastily swished and spat, can make or break a wine. Whether the wine needs decanting, or if it's too young, or if it needs to get over a bad case of bottle shock, tant pis. (Of course, good critics will make note of such circumstances before lambasting a particular wine into oblivion.)

So, being a good little blogger, I felt it necessary to follow up my last post with a correction regarding the Jackson-Triggs Meritage that I tried for the #cdncheese Twitter tasting last week. (Which trended number one across Canada, I will have you know. WOOT!)

After a few days of hanging out on my kitchen counter, I popped it open and served it up to my parents alongside my signature steak salad. Suddenly, my first impressions were washed away by luxurious, soft tannins and supple fruit. A well-rounded mouthful had emerged where last I had tasted harsh bitterness. I humbly stand corrected; this is an impressive (albeit young) red wine.

And there's the catch: why couldn't it have tasted this good when I first tried it? Several of the other folks recommended decanting. Hindsight is always 20/20, of course. Yes, a breath of fresh air would have done wonders. But I was caught up in the tweets, replying to comments, racing to keep up as the feed bottle necked until I hit 'refresh'. Mea culpa.

It's a good thing there's always a second chance to redeem oneself. Tomorrow night, Wednesday, July 25, at 8 pm, I'll be back with the same bunch of rowdy wineaux on Google+ Hangouts for a LIVE broadcast featuring the same Canadian cheeses and three new wines: Jackson-Triggs 2007 Entourage Methode Classique Sparkling Brut; Le Clos Jordanne 2009 Village Reserve Pinot Noir; and Flourish 2008 Vidal Icewine.

And just for added fun, I've got Holly Bruns from Wine Out Loud and Nita Boushey from Tip My Tumbler joining me "in studio" on this marvy occasion to share their thoughts on wine, cheese and other delights.

'See' you then!