Post by Head Moderator on Aug 24, 2015 14:32:13 GMT -5
Wine Festival
A portal has been set up between the vineyard in Bryony, and the Obsidian Heart Inne so you may go easily between areas.
Everyone is invited to this special night of wine tasting, and enjoying live music. Upon arrival at the vineyard each person is given their own specially designed keepsake wine glass, made for wine tasting. There will also be a flyer handed out to each member with a list of what is available on what table, and some guides on effective wine tasting. Be careful, not all the wine is a delicious as another, and some of the racial wines can even be dangerous and extremely strong if you are not of that race! Anywhere from a sip, to one third of a glass-full is given to you from the various wines depending on the rarity of the wine. White wine, red wine, specialty/racial wines including goblin, faerie and dwarven will be offered. There will be a full table of elven and drow wines as well.
Unsalted crackers and various varietal cheeses are offered at each tasting station to cleanse the palate between tastings of each wine you choose to taste. On the red wine table you will also find small pieces of very fine, rich chocolate to eat with your wine.
Once you have finished your wine tasting, and chosen to relax and listen to the musicians that are set up on wooden platforms near the vineyard rows, you are welcome to visit our small stocked bar for other types of drinks (alcohol and nonalcoholic) as well as fill a plate with food from our food array, then find a bistro table on our patio overlooking the vineyards and enjoy the conversation with old friends and new.
Menu:
Crab Imperial Dip with Baguette Toasts
Smoked Salmon Deviled Eggs
Crepes stuffed with grilled vegetables
Parmesan Puff Pastry Straws
Stuffed Mushroom Caps
Scallops wrapped in bacon
Salad of Tender Greens
Chicken Cordon Bleu
Prime Rib Quesadilla
Lobster Ravioli
Seared Duck Breast
Roasted Red Bliss Potatoes
Mac and Cheese topped with Brioche Breadcrumbs
Spring Vegetable Gratin
Orange Glazed Baby Carrots
Pears and Camembert with Crackers
Cheeses, crackers, and seasonal fruit
Vegetable and Dips Platter
Desserts: Cheesecake (Plain or Strawberry Sauced); Sweet Potato Pie, German Chocolate Cake, Lemon Chiffon Cupcakes, Gingerbread Cake, Fresh Fruit & Cream
Coffee, Tea and Lemonade available
In one area of the vineyard, the wine tasting tables are set up. Each table is manned by two individuals, pouring whatever wine is indicated that you wish to taste. ( Notes have been given on the wine's tastes to enrich the roleplaying of our wine tasting. )
Table One - White Wines
All of these are served chilled.
#1 Riesling (sweet)
Taste: A lighter flavor than other white wines, the aroma generally includes fresh apples. It should taste very fresh, regardless of it's age.
#2 Gewürztraminer (sweet)
Taste: Fruity flavors with aromas of rose petal, peach, lychee and allspice. It is not as 'refreshing' as other white wines, though.
#3 Chardonnay (dry)
Taste: A wider-bodied (and more velvety) choice in dry whites, with rich citrus flavors. Fermenting in new oak barrels adds a buttery tone (vanilla, coconut, toffee). There could be hints of melon, some toasty quality, and creaminess.
#4 Sauvignon blanc (dry)
Taste: Lighter than chardonnay, and shows an herbal character suggesting bell pepper or freshly mown grass. The dominating flavors range from sour green fruits of apple, pear and gooseberry to tropical fruits of melon, mango and blackcurrant.
#5 Muscat
Taste: Sweet and fruity, it has a characteristic grapefruit and musky aroma. Easily recognizable to anyone that has ever tasted a muscat table grape.
#6 Viognier (sweet)
Taste: One of the main attractions of viognier is the powerful and complext aroma of overripe apricots mixed with orange blossoms. There are tropical fruit flavors and a creamy mouthfeel, and is full bodied but with a more fruit character. It has a deep golden color and a rich, intense flavor.
#7 Pouilly Fume (dry)
Taste: Musky, smoky flavor.
#8 Anjou (dry)
Taste: This white wine has an aroma of flowers and apricot, and tastes fruity.
#9 Pinot Blanc (dry)
Taste: Pale wine with a fruity taste, and aromas of peach and pear.
#10 Sweet Romance (medium sweet)
Taste: Medium sweet with a prominent floral bouquet, and fig and berry tones.
#13 Arneis
Taste: Full bodied floral, having a unique combination of rose, pear, herb and almond notes.
Table Two - Red Wines
#1 Zinfandel
Taste: A zesty flavor with berry and pepper, and even notes of vanilla, cola and mocha.
#2 Syrah
Taste: Aroma and flavors of wild black-fruit (such as blackcurrant) with overtones of black pepper spice and roasting meat. The abundance of fruit sensations is often complemented by warm alcohol and gripping tannins. There can be toffee notes as well.
#3 Merlot
Taste: Black-cherry and herbal flavors are typical. The texture is round but a middle palate gap is common.
#4 Cabernet Sauvignon
Taste: Full-bodied, but firm and gripping when young. With age, rick currant qualities change to that of pencil box. Bell pepper notes remain. Vanilla notes can be present.
#5 Pinot Noir
Taste: Delicate and fresh, with very soft tannins. Aromatics are fruity (cherry, strawberry, plum), often with notes of tea-leaf, damp earth or worn leather.
#6 Sangiovese
Taste: Medium-bodied with fresh berry and plum flavors.
#7 Barbera
Taste: Juicy black cherry and plum fruit, a silky texture and excellent acidity.
#8 Gamay Noir
Taste: Aromas of fruit (cherry, strawberry, raspberry) and floral (violet, rose petal) and flavors of banana, bubblegum, cotton candy. Sometimes there are tones of vanilla, coconut, oak, smoke.
#9 Dolcetto
Taste: Soft and fruity wine, often used for everyday drinking. Often described as jammy, cherry, light, soft.
#10 Mortuary Red
Taste: A medium-bodied red wine, with an overpowering flowering aroma reminiscent of funeral flowers.
#11 Maiden's Blush
Taste: A medium dry wine with elegant notes of lime blossoms and herbs.
#12 Nebbiolo
Taste: An enchanting wine with bold tannins, look for notes of rose, tobacco, tar, tea and spice.
#13 Malbec
Taste: This is a deep red, intensely flavored red boasting lots of plum, black fruit, dried rose, mocha, tobacco, cola and licorice.
Table Three - Specialty / Racial Wines
#1 Chocovin
Taste: This is a wine made of the finest of chocolate mixed with red wine. Some have described the taste as "near orgasmic".
#2 Chahon-Rhoh
Taste / Info: This is reviled by elves and druids, as it is aged in oaken barrels made from treefolk. The wine itself is mellow and nutty. Quite expensive, since most wineries only have a few barrels that can age it. A cheaper version is sold, similar in taste, called Rhoh Red (these are aged in regular barrels).
#3 Adat
Taste / Info: Adat is a blood red wine made by orcs from a fruit similar to a pomegranate. The wine is syrupy and slightly adhesive. It can be used as a weapon, throwing burning bladders of the wine at wooden defenses. If it is cut with water, it makes it much more palatable.
#4 Quethpol
Taste / Info: This wine's grapes are grown in areas of fog and damp mornings. The vintners are mostly half-elven. It is a delicate and savory wine, and bottled in a round shaped bottle. It is considered a top vintage, and commands a decent price, but nothing like the more rare wines we've presented.
#5 Rast-Apple Cider
Taste / Info: Ciders are made from apples or pears, but are still essentially wines. Rast-Apple cider, made from a peculiar golden apple, is a popular if expensive beverage. It is good for easing illness of the stomach and gut as well as never leaving a hangover. To ensure the cider is legitimate, a single seed is left in the bottom of the bottle.
#6 Chetherlerorm
Taste / Info: From the time it is planted till the time it is vinted, Chetherlerorm is never touched by human hands. The vineyards are run by a guild of magi, and they have bound elemental spirits and dryads to tend the vineyard and work the grape presses. As such, the grapes are unspoiled by human contamination, and it isn't until the first drop falls on the tongue that it is touched by a human. Unfortunately, this wine is only expensive due to it’s mystique and status, and as a wine it is rather lacking in character.
#7 Ilta Lynath
Taste / Info: Often called the wine of bards, Ilta Lynath is made with extra potency, and after quaffing several glasses, even the most lead-tongued bumbler feels moved to sing and recite epic poetry. While the elves generally record this in their multi-volume books of prose, most human ramblings are quickly forgotten or become popular tavern songs. The wine itself is a passably good red wine with a smooth velvet finish and a warm citrus aftertaste.
#8 Darkim Black
Taste / Info: A red wine so rich and opulent that it is almost black in color, Darkim is the preferred wine of tieflings and darkling kindred. The grapes are watered with a mixture of blood and water, and fertilized with ground bone. The plants are thick and lush, the wine is fragrant and a pleasure to drink. In most regions, Darkim is considered an illegal good and is confiscated and destroyed, and Darkim vinyards tend to be put to the torch when they are found.
#9 Harlot's Kiss
Taste / Info: Made from the Lajoga fruit, a golden raspberry shaped fruit the size of a pear, this wine is a treat made by halflings. The wine is very sweet and has a lingering aftertaste. Halflings drink it by the pint, while in human communities it’s cut with red wine, making a pink brew that is called Harlot’s Kiss. It is mainly cut thusly because there is plenty of mediocre red wine to be had, and not much Lajoga Gold makes it out of the halfling holds.
#10 Kalakhammer Honeywine
Taste / Info: One of the few wines vinted by dwarves, Kalakhammer is made from honey, cardamon, and blueberries. The pale blue beverage has a potent spicy flavor.
#11 Empero (one bottle of red, one bottle of white)
Taste / Info: Empero wine comes in both red and white, and is generally only found in sovereign sized bottles. Vinted centuries ago, this wine is most commonly found in burial crypts, and the semi-preserved ruins of old cities. It was a popular wine of the day, but the recipe, and likely the grapes that went into it, have been lost to time and decay. A single bottle of red can cost as much as a good warhorse, the white is slightly cheaper as more bottles of white have soured than the red.
#12 Shigarkin
Taste / Info: This goblin-vinted wine is quite foul, both in scent and in taste. Popular only among goblins and the most desperate of the poor, it is potent, and can be used for cleaning wounds. It has a second use that is largely kept secret, marinading tough meat in the wine makes it tender and imparts a special savory flavor. The nobles who live close to goblins often eat meat soaked in goblin wine, all the time not knowing what their chef does to make even the rankest cut of meat palatable.
#13 Suingmc
Taste / Info: This uncommon wine is only found in small sized bottles, as it is vinted by faeries. It is made from a variety of fruits, the most common being blueberries, wild grapes, and milkweed pods. The wine itself is a milky purple color and slightly thick. The taste is strongly floral with a mildly bitter aftertaste. The main reason the wine is popular is that consuming an entire bottle will leave the drinker in a semi-conscious hallucinogenic stupor. After this, they are afflicted with a certain manic energy and creative urge. this is caused, in speculation, by the dust from the fairies wings that falls in the wine.
#14 Lyetincha
Taste / Info: Made from the ‘apples’ of a desert cactus, this dry white wine is commonly found in arid regions and near trade routes that pass through nomad territory. Bottled in whatever is at hand, most vinters authenticate their bottles by dropping a desert sand scorpion into the bottle before corking it. This has the side effect of making the wine lethally poisonous for about 24 to 48 hours, until the alcohol breaks down the poison in the scorpion. Counterfeiters will put regular scorpions in white wine and try to pass it off as Lyetincha. This is the real thing - and has been aged so there is no poison involved!
#15 Firewine
This is grown near semi-active volcanoes and fumarole fields. This produces a constant fall of ash across the vineyards, fertile soil for the hardy grapes that grow there. The so-called firewine usually has herbs and oils added to it to give it a spicy flavor. Without this treatment, it is a rather sour red wine. It has the added effect of causing the body to warm slowly, which makes it excellent for curing frostbite.
#16 Berdruskan Dark
Taste / Info: A heavy, sweet yet burning wine, that is almost black in color with a HIGH alcohol content.
#17 Spellslayer Wine (WARNING)
A thick, clear syrupy wine that deadens the ability for a spellcaster to cast spells for a short time.
Table Four - Elven / Drow Wines
This table is manned by two female elves who will be able to answer questions about these wines including where they come from, and how to obtain them. (NPC)
#1 - Frostberry
Taste / Info: This wine is silvery blue in color with a slight luminescense, sweet but slightly dry, and very refreshing and extremely cool to the tongue, and clears the head. Aftertaste is pleastant. Made from frostberries picked in the dead of winter. An added benefit of frostberry is that it turns black in contact with poisons.
#2 Mellow-Leaf Wine
Taste / Info: It is strong, a bright blue, extremely fizzy and a potent counter venom. In fact, this wine is the choice wine in courts to imbibe before meals as it causes the drinker to be unable to be poisoned for 2 hours after the drinking of the fluid.
#3 Underbow Wine
Taste / Info: This is a very rare and extremely expensive wine (there are only two bottles for all at the tasting, and only a mouthful is put in anyone's glass). This pale yellow wine only comes in very small bottles that hold three full glasses each. Those who drink this wine are instantly freed from any charms or compulsions and within an hour cured of all diseases they are afflicted with.
#4 Ferginwaithe
Taste / Info: The elves cultivate grapes on open meadows and ferment a potent wine from it. Only elven women ever handle the grapes from picking to bottling. The wine is musky, pink in color, and sweet.
#5 Creustold Red
Taste / Info: This wine is made from the fermented juices of the creuse, a fist sized red citrus fruit. It has a strong citrus taste and cleanses the palate.
#6 Daidaugh Wildwine
Taste / Info: Another relatively expensive wine, it is made from wild grapes harvested by druids near druid groves. It is produced in small quantities by elven druids. It has a complex taste, but it is desired more for it's scarcity than any great flavors it might hold.
#7 d'lil Auflaque
Taste / Info: This is a table wine, a mixture of whatever is left from the casking and bottling of the year. A blend, usually spiced with aromatic herbs. It is sub-par for elven wines but still, better than most human vintages.
#8 T'puuli Hastras
Taste / Info: A sacred wine, the elves only make seven bottles of it a year. The vintage is made exclusively by a single master vinter, each given as a gift to an elfin lord or lady. The wine is considered the height of wine-making and in the rare instances when a bottle reaches the open market, the price is astounding. This has happened twice before, the first time the bottle sold for close to 3200 pieces of gold, and disappeared into a lord’s wine cellar. The second time, the bottle was sold, stolen, resold, and then six dozen bottles of counterfeit was discovered. Please do not ask Mela how she has obtained ONE BOTTLE of this rare wine. Merely enjoy the sip you are given. It is a flavorful, fruity dark wine with notes of cinnamon.
#9 Elm-Aleril
Taste / Info: Also known as Green Forest Wine, Elm-Aleril is made predominantly from juniper berries and white grapes. it has a distinct light green color and a spicy taste but finishes clean. This is the most common elfin wine that humans ever encounter, and is plentiful enough that it can be purchased at a high, but not astronomical price. It is often just known as "Elm Wine" or "Elven Wine" by non-elven folks.
#10 Death's Head Wine
Taste / Info: Death’s Head is a powerful wine made by the drow from a poisonous mushroom found in the underdark. It is black, has a slightly earthy smell, and is one of the most sought after beverages in the world. Death’s Head is a strong intoxicant and extremely addictive to non-drow. Death's Head acts more like a drug than an alcoholic beverage for non-drow, however, for drow Death’s Head acts like any other strong wine.
#11 Ulaver Wine
Taste / Info: A spiced, sparkling, luminous green wine made by the drow. Quite strong.
#12 Elverquisst
Taste / Info: A popular elven wine, ruby in color, magically distilled from sunshine and rare summer fruits. Utterly smooth, and flecked with gold. It's color AND flavor are iridescent. It is especially savored in autumn as the gift of one final, perfect summer day.
#13 Saerloonian Glowfire
Taste / Info: Pale red/purple wine with a faint luminescense, taste is reminiscent of summer breezes.
#14 Spiderblood Wine
Taste / Info: A drowian wine, gray in color, made from mushrooms and spider venom. If you are not used to it, it could act as a light poison to the body. One glass a day for three months allows someone to become used to it.
#15 Morimatra
Taste: Spiced wine favored by the drow.
#16 Twoberry Wine
Taste: Pale red wine made of strawberries and raspberries that leaves a pleasant tingle on the tongue.
How to Taste Wine!
Tasting has 4 stages: see, smell, taste and aftertaste.
1. LOOK at the wine in your glass. Tilt the glass away from you and look at the color. It's helpful to have a white background such as a white table napkin to hold behind it. What color is it? Be specific. If it's red wine it could be maroon, ruby, purple, garnet, brick or even brownish. If it is a white wine it could be clear, pale yellow, straw-like, light green, golden, amber?
2. Move on to the wine's OPACITY. Is it watery or dark, opaque or translucent, dull or brilliant, cloudy or clear? Do you see any sediment? Give your glass a small swirl. Older red wines tend to have more orange tinges than younger red wines. Older white wines are darker than younger white wines.
3. SMELL the wine. Your sense of smell is critical to analyzing a glass of wine. To get a good impression of your wine's AROMA, swirl the glass for a solid 10-12 seconds then take a quick whiff for a first impression.
4. Now stick your nose down into the glass and take a long inhale. What are your second impressions? Do you smell oak, berry, flowers, vanilla or citrus? A wine's aroma is an excellent indicator of its quality and unique characteristics. Swirl the wine and let the aromas mix and mingle, and sniff again.
5. Finally, take a TASTE. Start with a small sip and let it roll around your mouth. There are three stages of taste: the Attack phase, the Evolution phase and the Finish. The attack phase is the first impression a wine has on your tongue. The Evolution phase is the wine's actual taste on the palate, when you are able to discern the flavor profile of the wine such as noting fruit, spices, even a woody or floral flavor. The finish is exactly that, the finishing taste on your tongue and how long that lasts. This shows you it's aftertaste. What was your last FLAVOR impression?