Click, sip, and learn! This week we’re talking about ways to learn about wine on the go, online, or just sitting around kicking it with friends. Most of these are free! While not necessarily drinking games these are games that could change the way you drink, shop for, or enjoy wine – while giving your brain a little bit of a workout too. Some are fun, some are dorky, some are free (did we mention free?), but all can be done with a wine glass in one hand. A bonus – a couple of them let you break bottles … without having to clean up the mess.
This week we’re talking about “games wine geeks play.” There are apps and online games for helping you learn about wine & spirits. You can listen along as you read, if you’d like.
Source: www.winewitandwisdomswe.com
Tipples on hand during this episode:
Steph: 2010 Donnhoff Oberhausen Brucke Riesling Spatlese – Nahe, Germany (8%abv) – a magnum we opened on Sat night when we had Wine & Movie night at our house.
A magnum. Boom.
Val: Domaine Vallet Meribets Saint-Joseph, a Northern Rhone valley cru, 100% Syrah. Said John to me upon opening, “If all wines were like this I’d drink it more often.”
Discussion: Geeky Wine Games
Val: Let me start by saying these are F.R.E.E.
Apps for your mobile devices:
1.) SWE Wine App, wine, sparkling, fortified, dessert, spirits, and now has regions,. This was unleashed last year at the SWE conference (wine camp) in Seattle. Levels 1-5 are all taken from the CSS/CSW study guides. Levels 6 -10 are for truly geeking out!
It is available at the Apple Store https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id903195751 or Google Play for android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.societyofwineeducators
2.) For the WSET geography game, our next app, you basically drop bottles over the regions they belong in. Starting big with countries, then getting more micro and finally into Bordeaux and Burgundy, the bane of wine study existence for many of us. This was launched in 2012 it is only on IOS. https://itunes.apple.com/app/wset-wine-game/id524998189?mt=8
Photo Source: itunes.apple.com
3.) A new, beautiful app launched earlier in 2015 is the Champagne Campus for Apple IOS, Android and online. http://www.champagnecampus.com/ It’s designed to educate younger generations about Champagne.
4.) Finally, this next one is not free, but we like the price tag. For a whopping $2.99, less that the price of a froofie coffee, you can have hours of entertainment with the World Wine Challenge created by Barry Wiss, CWE, at Trinchero Family Estates. http://worldwinechallenge.com/ As far as we know, this is still for IOS only and we have not seen android come out yet.
This involves a globe that spins and stops on a country or region. We decided you should take this (or any of the apps) into a wine shop and if you answer the question wrong, you have to buy the wine that relates to that question. How much fun would that be?!
Online Games:
1.) Berry Brothers & Rudd http://www.bbr.com/wine-game Now, this? This is fun, and if you don’t get the wine in the correct bin, the bottle drops on the ground with a satisfying smash. You can play categories such as, “red or white?” (Not as easy as you’d think), which old world country, which new world country, or, if you really want to feel stupid: Which Bordeaux growth, Which Bordeaux Appellation, or which Burgundy Premier or Grand cru? Val’s destructive side particularly enjoys smashing bottles, but there’s no cleanup involved here. And the snobby butler is just so darned cute. Meet Pickering, the butler, who has no problem letting you know you need to study (or drink) more.
www.bbr.com/winegame
2.) Decanter has a series of wine quizzes. Here’s a link to the quiz on Spain – see what you think! http://www.decanter.com/spain/quiz-how-well-do-you-know-spanish-wine-281223/
3.) Wine Spectator also has bi-weekly quiz series. http://www.winespectator.com/Wine/Free/Learn_About_Wine/WSQuiz/0,4911,,00.html
These are all great if you’re on hold or have a few minutes and they are far more productive (and Val would say more fun and useful) than facebook.
Steph: Actually, I have to admit that I haven’t played a wine game since I passed the CWE this time last year. Wow, it’s been a year already. Just to reminisce for a sec, I booked my video presentation on my birthday and invited a handful of people to be in the audience just so I could celebrate immediately after the video was finished recording. It worked.
And the Scotch drinking commenced. And it should continue, according to Val!
Cards/Board Games/In Print:
1.) Wine Wars – A Trivia Game for Wine Geeks and Wannabes (2009): This is more of a “Trivial Pursuit” type of game, and designed to be more fun. You may learn a tad of something here and there, but not overall challenging in terms of wine knowledge. This is designed to be fun, and you don’t have to be an all out cork dork to win.
2.) Master Wine – An Exciting Family Game Which Will Enhance Your Wine Knowledge in No Time. (1991), by Hubrecht Duijker: We are not sure you can still get new versions of this although there is one for sale in the UK on Amazon. I’m sure Steph wouldn’t mind a rousing game of this sometime, however. It’s a bit dated, and quite challenging, but has four categories and along the lines of the “Trival Pursuit” rubric. Steph used the cards as flashcards when she was studying for her CWE exam.
3.) The Wine Lover’s Quiz Book -Challenging Questions & Answers for Wine Buffs & Bluffers (1987) by Peter Adams is hard-core, although outdated, obviously, and there are very few multiple choice questions. Either you know or you don’t. Ouch. We’re wondering of you could approach this like “Balderdash” and bluff your friends into thinking you’re a full on cork dork?
Steph: Our Factoid this week is: Since the 2005 Granholm v. Heald Supreme Court decision addressing the interstate direct shipment of wine, the number of states allowing out-of-state wineries to ship directly to consumers has increased from 31 states to 42.
QUOTE: “Granholm v. Heald was the conclusion of an eight-year fight by small wineries against these laws. Although direct shipments to consumers constituted only about 2% of wine sales in the United States. Typically a winery could distribute wine only by selling it to a wholesaler in the state. Retailers were then required to purchase from the wholesalers. This made the large wholesalers very powerful in the wine industry; if wholesalers in New York decided not to purchase wine from a particular winery, then that winery would be completely shut out of the New York market.” (Source)
Wine Folly does a great job explaining the 3 Tier System as it related to wine. http://winefolly.com/update/three-tier-system/
Wine Radar:
After a slight rant about archaic and ridiculous liquor laws, we have a brief love fest and then move on to the Wino Radar – because these things? Are exciting. And by these things we Advent Calendars with BOOZE!! Honestly, Val couldn’t get through the holidays without a sip or several a day, so what better way to do it than trying something new?
https://www.masterofmalt.com/advent-calendars/
Wow! Master of Malt is our hero and we wish we lived in the UK. However, we are so happy to see they ship to Colorado, and they make it relatively easy.
Also on the Wino Radar: Steph ordered the Tasting Room kit from Lot18 and it arrived last week. There are six mini (50mL) bottles with different wines to try and then questions to answer online to determine what kind of wine styles they should select for you in the wine club. Essentially it is a “customized” wine club based on your preferences. She hasn’t tasted them yet, so she’ll let us know how it goes.
Next Week:
Jane Nickles, CWE, CSE
Special guest Ms. Jane Nickles, “The Bubbly Professor,” will be in the house, and we’ll be sharing information about the Society of Wine Educators. She’s called the Bubbly Professor for a reason and is very beloved. You will not want to miss next week’s episode!