Do you Enkidu?
Vintuba TV Episode 2
In this Episode of Vintuba TV we explore the world of Pinot Noir and Epic of Gilgamesh. Now inevitably 99% of you (of course I am not talking to you because you belong to the 1% who know everything) are asking yourselves either who the hell is Gilgamesh (hint check out the link I provided above) or for the remaining 1% of you, or what the hell does Gilgamesh have to do with wine? Don’t worry it will all make sense in a minute, I hope! According to Phil Staehle, winemaker and owner of Enkidu Wines in Sonoma, the two have quite a lot to do with each other. You see Phil named is wine label after Enkidu a character in the Epic of Gilgamesh, I better let Phil give you the details in his own words:
“Enkidu, created by the gods, was the lover of land and protector of animals. He embodied strength and passion, with incredible bravery, and yet at times was truly fearful of unknown dangers. Having a keen sense of what is “just”, he still found himself besieged by his overconfidence and arrogance, ultimately leading to his end. Enkidu is a little rustic or raw at times – this can also be said of wine. Enkidu’s character was not perfect, nor is wine. But as with Enkidu himself, we look inside and adhere to beliefs that will guide our efforts. We strive to make handcrafted wines of unique character that are the result of passion, art and intelligence, mixed with hard work and a degree of luck. Whereas many producers’ names may not hold a large relevance to the wines they produce, the Enkidu mythological figure is the driving force and guide of our wine production.”
So it all makes sense now right? No? Well check out the video below for more info about Enkidu, Pinot Noir, pants vs. shorts in Sonoma, and the gastrointestinal hazards of eating a $4 Filet Mignon at Sizzler. ENJOY!
The wine we tasted:
2006 Enkidu “Tina Marie”Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley Retail $40 from the winery
The Tina Marie vineyard islocated in the Green Valley, within the Russian River Valley AVA. The 11 acre vineyard is planted to Dijon clones 115, 667 and 777.
More info:
Retro-nasal smell
When sniffing a wine, the smells reach the wine taster’s olfactory receptors that are one square inch in size, located at the top of the nasal cavity through the nose. But smells also get there by an alternative route – an internal chimney called the “retro-nasal passage” which connects the mouth to the nose. As you swallow, your mouth is closed, forcing you to exhale through your nose. The swallowing process aides the retro-nasal olfaction by carrying the residual wine vapors in the mouth – retro-nasally – to the smell center because of the connection of the mouth to the nose via the retro-nasal passage. The result is you smell, as well as taste, the wine. This is why wine tasters gargle the wine in their mouths.
Click here for the Podcast version on iTunes
Cheers,
ChrisO
