Wine Club

was on Wednesday this week.

Merlot was our wine of choice.

We do blind taste testings.

We're very professional.

And we have a taste test sheet where we discuss the floral bouquet, the acidity, the aroma. It's all very much on the up and up.

I, for one, am horrible at all the categories.

For smell I usually just put down that it smells like wine.

Look, well, a red wine looks red.

Acidity? Not sure I can tell.

Berries? Not sure I can tell.

However once I did taste chocolate in a wine and I felt like I had just crossed a line. (That was two Wine Clubs ago) and I falsely thought I was coming up in the world of taste testing.

Not so.

This month I couldn't discern too much of a difference in any of the wines.

Here's the group we tried -

Francis Ford Coppola Merlot- mostly the group liked this one. Mild, not really spicy.

Then we had Robert Mondavi, two different ways. First time we had it opened for just an hour, then we tried another bottle that had been opened the day before. We actually preferred the one opened longer.

 And we had a Three buck Chuck. It was spicier and you could tell it wasn't as full bodied (I really sound like I know what I'm talking about don't I?), but I liked it. And you CAN'T beat the price!!!!

So that's the scoop on Merlot from a bunch of women who just love to taste the wine, eat the food and laugh and laugh and laugh.

Oh, and one caveat we've discovered about our wines. Usually we like the LAST one best. We'd like to think it is because our palate is primed and ready versus the truth that we probably can't tell the difference between anything at that point.

No matter. We are a becoming a very close group and it is the highlight of our month.