2013 Wine Riot DC Review

Earlier this week, a good friend of mine sent me information about a wine tasting event that was unofficially described to her as a young, fun, non-judgmental drunkfest.  (How could I turn that down?)

Wine Riot, an event organized by Second Glass, offers attendees an opportunity to taste 250 wines from wineries from several regions and learn a bit about wine.  Tickets were $60 a pop, but the event was well worth the price.

The DC event was held at the Sphinx Club, and I spent most of the evening with friends. After having our tickets checked, we walked down the floor, grabbed our glasses, and checked out the temporary tattoo and postcard tables.

Drunktopus was my favorite.

At the front of the room were four stations for Wine 101, which offered a chance to compare different types of wine (dry versus sweet, oaked versus unoaked, young versus mature, and old world versus new world).

Winery booths were numbered 1 to 13 and showcased diverse wineries.  We didn't really have a plan going in and bounced around to tables in no particular order.  To help track wine consumption, I downloaded the Second Glass app, which is has a great recommendation feature that I'll review later.

I failed to bring my portable charger, so I eventually gave up on taking notes on all of the wines that I tried.  And, since I did drink a lot of the wine that I received, I'll admit that my palate became less discerning.  For what it's worth, here are a few of the wines I sampled and my notes:

• NV Caposaldo Sweet Pink Moscato: Two thumbs up (on the app's rating scale), and I usually think moscato is cloying.
• 2011 Caposaldo Pinot Grigio: One thumb, but it was very solid, almost buttery pinot grigio.
• 2012 Line 39 Petite Sirah from Cecchetti Wine Company: Two thumbs up. A fantastic wine in the $10 range.   
• 2011 Austerity Proprietary White Blend (Cecchetti): Two thumbs up.
• 2012 Truett-Hurst Winery California Square Chardonnay: Two thumbs up.  As the name implies, this wines are bottled in square bottles, which saves on shipping space.  
• 2011 Terra Andina Malbec: One thumb.  It had a solid flavor, but I wasn't blown away.
• 2011 Stony Brook Vineyards Ghost Gum White: One thumb, but this was a nice introduction to South African wines.

We also stopped by the Bubbly Bar.  Of the six sparking wines that I sampled, I really enjoyed the Clara Brut Sparkling Wine and the Berberana Grand Tradicional Brut Rose.

Between tasting and socializing, we also went to two crash courses: "South America Smackdown" and "Tour de California."  In addition to an opportunity to taste more wine, one of the cofounders of Second Glass shared information about grapes, production, wine history, and how to select quality wines.  I talked to him after the last course of the night, and his tip for tasting wine is basically to trust yourself.  After all, drinking wine comes down to what you enjoy.