Wine Box Experience - Kevin McBrayer

A Personal Touch

The GrapeFind experience has really been a fun ride. I’ve officially reached a year of providing my vision of a personalized Sommelier at home service and it’s continuing to improve every day. The goal of this month’s Wine Box Experience is to take you through the process of how wines are selected for you. I’ll breakdown the steps from creating your profile to selecting your wines for this month. By the end, you’ll understand what the wines represent for your growth of understanding with wine.

When you signed up you filled out an Introductory Questionnaire which was full of all sorts of wine topics which helped me design a profile for you. The questions basically told me what your preferences were regarding wine, and, at the end of the day, I was able to figure out what style of wine you enjoy. My profile for you was that you are interested in vibrant, “plucky” whites and medium-to-bold reds that lean toward an Old World wine approach to wine making. So, what does that mean in plain English?

I saw you as a wine drinker who likes strong, expressive flavors, but appreciates some bitter or sharp notes present on the palate as well. With this in mind, I selected wines for you which represented this style while also pushing you to try wines and grapes from around the world which fit your profile. Along the way different topics were presented which were designed to expand your understanding of wine. Now let’s take a closer look at this month’s selections

For the Tyrell’s Semillon Hunter Valley we jumped right into the bright and expressive white wine deep end. Traditionally a blending grape used in Bordeaux for their white wines, this grape finds its own ground in Australia’s Hunter Valley. All the citrus fruits in the aroma and flavor play right into your characteristic preferences of fresh, vibrant and fruity which you said you liked. As it washes down you get fruitier and acidic notes which make the wine rounded and refreshing which are all styles you have indicated you liked in previous selections sent to you.

With the Catena Malbec Lunlunta you find several features on a wine which bring it to a higher quality style of wine than a typical style Malbec from Argentina. I wanted to represent the features of earthy, leathery and spice which you enjoy in your wines. This wine comes from a single appellation (growing region) which is grown in high altitude (longer growing season which develops more complexity) and from old vines (brings out more intense earthy flavors). The result is a Malbec which has flavors of chocolate, cinnamon and leather which is more complex than usual.

This is the approach I’m trying to do with GrapeFind. Introduce you to new and familiar wines but always pushing your understanding of wines and what goes into making them. Below you’ll find the QR Code to the wine descriptions to assist you in your learning process. Thank you again for your support and I look forward to continuing to join you at home as we explore the exciting world of wine. Cheers!