Comparisons

Growing up with two sisters is hard especially during the puberty years. It meant not having someone to talk to who has a similar age. You know that you don't want to talk to your parents (Yeah! Admit it or not, you know what I'm talking about) about stuff regarding your life. And it didn't help that my sisters disliked me because all their teachers, when they found out that I was their brother, instantly compared them to me

I was a consistent honor student since grade school (I graduated at the top of my class then) and that was the main point of comparison for my previous teachers. My sisters hated me a little bit because they felt like they were being cast under a moonshadow. What my sisters didn't know was I envied them a bit  because they didn't face any high expectations from family members. All they had to do was go a bit more than what is expected of them and they received the greatest praises for their work. I on the other hand, have always done my best in any challenge, and should I reach a goal and fail to achieve more than my goal, I feel some backlash. It stings a little bit when for example, you gain a bronze medal in a national competition and the comment you receive is "bronze lang?" (just a bronze?) or when you graduate with honors and the first thing you hear is "cum laude lang?" (just cum laude?) Don't get me wrong though, I love my family but sometimes, I just feel like I'm being taken for granted.


Anyhow, since we are talking of comparisons, I compared two wines today. Both are Cabernet Sauvignon wines. Cabernet sauvignon wines typically are full-bodied with robust flavors. The grape variety is a cross between Cabernet franc and Sauvignon blanc so the flavor is a cross of the two as well. It has the spicy flavor of Cabernet franc and the crisp and grassy flavor of Sauvignon blanc. These wines are very tannic and usually astringent too.



 

The first wine is a 2009 Tie Angola from Argentina. It has a fruity aroma reminiscent of berries (reminds of creme de cassis) with a tinge of bell pepper. It has an almost mahogany core with an ochre rim. It was dry, fruity with vanilla notes, and tart. It was a full-bodied wine with a slow finish.











The second wine is a 2010 Luis Felipe Edwards from Chile. The aroma was very robust and spicy, very reminiscent of smoke and bell pepper with a hint of mint. It had a vibrant garnet core with a purple rim. It was dry with a very robust spicy flavor very similar to sour apples and roasted bell peppers. It was full-bodied and had a very slow and lingering finish.







To compare, the flavor of the Tia Angola was mellower than the Luis Felipe. This is probably due to the longer maturation time of the wine. A supporting factor for the longer maturation of the first wine is the color since red wines become lighter as they age. The first wine is also less astringent than the second wine contributing to the mellow flavor. The peppery flavors of the wines is due to the grape variety used while the smoky and vanilla flavors were probably imparted by the oak barrels used.

Luis Felipe Edwards (Left); Tie Angola (Right)

Personally, I liked the Tie Angola more than the Luis Felipe because it was mellower and gentler. Both wines would probably be good paired with pork, beef or salmon especially if they are probably cooked with a pepper crust, barbecued or broiled.

Like the first wine, the more we mature, we become better people being less harsh about certain trivial things... Cheers!