The fun-filled foodie festival drew a crowd of over 45,000 people in just two days this past weekend. Over 80 restaurants from all over Atlanta participated in the festivities. The festival featured old favorites: Barcraft Competition; Inside the Food Studio; Family Food Zone; and a fabulous VIP experience. Some new treats offered at the Taste included: The Big Grill block party; Best Sommelier Competition; Global Flavors International Stage; and the Top Chef Kids Competition. My top food picks of the day included the juicy tender meat from BOTEKIM Brazilian Bistro, the spicy fusion of Indian tapas from Bhojanic, perfectly crusted and topped with cheese fried green tomatoes from Lenox Grill, and a to die for oreo cheescake from Intermezzo's Cafe. Needless to say, I was quite full at the end of the day!
I had the special privilege of attending a VIP Pinot Noir Clone Tasting Seminar, presented by Davis Bynum winery. Hosted by Gil Kulers, Education Director of the Taste and Sommelier, this seminar was a definite crowd pleaser; and a palate pleaser as well! The clone seminar was entitled, "So you want to be a winemaker?" Robert Larson was the key speaker, enlightening the baffled but attentive audience about just exactly what a clone wine is. He explained to us that grape clones provide flavor and diversity for winemaking. A secret to winemaking is that within each grape variety, there can be several sub-varieties, known as the "clones." The varieties add complexity to the final wine. The clone grapes grown at Davis Bynum come from the Russian River Valley, where there are various soil types for specific cone planting. The Valley offers cool fog, which results in longer hang-time for rich development and bright acidity.
We tasted 6 out of 9 clone grapes of the 2010 vintage produced at the winery. A clone is a group of identical genes, cells, or organisms derived from one single ancestor. According to the experts at Davis Bynum, grapevine clones are those that have been propagated and grown from cuttings of one single "mother," and were found to have interesting or superior qualities.
Take a look at the clones we sampled, and pay attention to their various colors, textures, aromas, flavors, and acidity:
Some clones that made my tongue smile were Clone 115 Dutton Ranch, which had a fragrant floral aroma, and slightly reminded me of Welch's grapejuice. Wadenswil 2A Backbone Vineyard, also caught my attention with its distinct smell, and its dark, funky, and earthy taste. My favorite, however, was Clone 667 Dutton Ranch. This particular clone was kind of like a mouth orgasm! It almost had a chocolately taste and aroma, like a red velvet cake! It is produces using French barrels, and runs around $3800 per ton. Absolutely addictive taste! Finally, attendees were challenged to make their own combination of clones, in an attempt to make the perfect Pinot Noir. I mixed Clone 777, 115, and 114, and it was......very "interesting." Not quite a winemaker yet, but I sure can indulge!
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