White Noise

First tasting, first slip. God knows why we cannot follow instructions. If we had been assembling an IKEA bookshelf, we would have ended up with a hen pen instead. Yes, we had a jolly old time Saturday night but the "experiment" itself was tainted as soon as we ignored three of our five cardinal rules.

Mistake #1: The tasting involved eight of us instead of just The Wife, Ph.D., and me. The Brother-in-Law, his girlfriend Double Trouble, Cousin #1, the Graphic Designer and wife, and My Life Coach decided to crash the event. Of course, they were welcomed with open arms and buckets of wine. What's life without friends who drink anyway?

Mistake #2: We had a proper dinner prior to the tasting. Chicken, pork and vegetable fajitas with all the fixings. Yes, ladies, I blog, drink and cook. But little else beyond that so don't get your hopes up.

Since we were eight now, I sent the Brother-in-Law and Cousin #1 to track down a few more bottles of Xynisteri. Obviously, it was nowhere to be found and we had to settle for Kyperounda's Chardonnay. Then I made the horrific mistake of saving the Xynisteri for its proper tasting during the match and served the Chardonnay with dinner. Let's just say that my taste buds were overcooked rigatoni by the time the referee gave start to the second-half and the Xynisteri tasted like watered-down Carlsberg.

Mistake #3: Five bottles were consumed. Two 2008 Kyperounda Chardonnay, two 2009 Kyperounda Petritis Xynisteri and one (nodding my head in shame) "My Portuguese Namesake" rose. That last bottle alone is an insult to Dionysus.

Some comments on the wines (except for "My Portuguese Namesake" rose which was chugged by Double Trouble once Asamoah Gyan pushed Bocanegra out of the way to score the decider for Ghana):

2008 Kyperounda Chardonnay - Light bouquet. Too much oak and a buttery finish. High acidity. Not to my liking. 82/100.

2009 Kyperounda Petritis Xynisteri - Pleasant floral bouquet with notes of jasmine and honey. Crisp with decent balance. 88/100.

Overall Football-Watching Experience: 4 out of 5 thanks to the large quantities of alcohol consumed, the fantastic company, and a 2-1 defeat for the Evil Empire.

Second Tasting: June 29, Spain vs. Portugal

Wine: 2008 Domaine Vlassides Shiraz (red)