Experience of First one :) + second recommendation - The Athan Zafirov Wine Blog

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Experience of First one :) + second recommendation

So I had my first alcoholic drink(s) last week and it(they) was(were) a lovely ruby red Merlot - to be specific, De Grendel 2019 Merlot.

Experience :

  • I found it to be very interesting and it was not bitter at all! From some YouTube videos I was expecting it to be extremely bitter so much so that I would be spitting it out - specially there was a video of a lady exclaiming "It's disgusting - why would anyone drink that?". Granted, this particular Merlot is smoother and softer but still it was very very far from being disgusting. Probably theirs must have turned a little vinegary.
  • I specially loved how it did interesting things in my mouth and when I sucked in some air it became warm + spicy. It was quite nice.
  • Unfortunately, being a complete newbie to this, I couldn't identify a lot of smells and tastes. I did smell a mixture of fruits : Indian blackberries, some kind of sweet berries (or something overripe but sweet) and then, if I kept inhaling, something slightly sharper at the top of my nose but unidentifiable. Weirdly, it tasted as it smelled - a jumble of tastes. If I sloshed around a lot in my mouth then it also became a little...buttery or light? I say buttery, because if you put clarified butter on a pan and let it heat up you'll see some bubbles pop-up - which is what it felt like.
  • Unfortunately, maybe fortunately, I didn't get a buzz a single time. I tried upto ~110ml but spaced out my sips, which is probably why I didn't get a buzz.
  • I used about half of the bottle to make a lovely batch of pasta + pasta sauce.
  • I would say that this was probably the best and gentlest introduction to alcohol in the history of humankind - I know it's an exaggeration but that's what it felt like😂

Now, I'm looking to have some other wine. Any recommendations? I chose a Merlot because I could use it to make pasta (I wasn't going to drink a whole bottle before it went bad), it was red, it pairs well with most food and found the De Grendel one which I thought was a good introduction for a beginner like me.

Thanks!





Athan Zafirov Wine

For 15 years, Athan Zafirov has traveled the vineyards around the world and worked with some of the greatest chefs including Francois Duc and Alan Brown.


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