A New Intern’s Discovery of the AJA Vineyards World of Wine
Hey winos! Happy Wine Wednesday!
Today we’re going to do something a little different. I’m excited to introduce our newest and brightest AJA Vineyards 2023 interns! Our interns will be working on ramping up our social media while learning everything I can teach them about wine.
Our intern Braden joined me at our wine tasting and blending session last week, where we confirmed the blends and bottle counts of our 2022 whites and 2021 reds. I asked him to share his experience as a novice wine consumer. Just a reminder: the younger generation is interested in wine, you just have to show them how.
Cheers!
Amanda
Huge thank you to our winemaking team: Steve, Nate, Joey, Eli, and Jerry!
A Novice’s First Wine Tasting
Hello everyone! My name is Braden Bates. I am a senior at Columbia College Chicago studying journalism. I am currently doing a semester in Los Angeles, where I am extremely fortunate to have been selected as an intern for AJA Vineyards.
As an introduction to the wine industry, Amanda invited me to the AJA Vineyards 2021-22 wine blending session. This wine tasting was an opportunity to help create AJA’s new blends of whites, reds, and rosés. I can confidently say this experience made it into my top five educational moments. There is nothing like being in a room full of experts who share the same passion and can share their love of wine with someone new. While some of the terminology went right over my head at times, the crew welcomed me with open arms and were quick to explain things.
The Tasting
We began the day with a tour of the winery, looking at the barrels and barrels of crafted wine housed in specific climate-controlled rooms. Amanda then explained what we were doing and what we were looking for in the wines.
We all made our way to a wooden table. In front of us were two wine glasses, each standing on a white sheet of paper. (Fun fact: the white sheet of paper is so you can see the actual color of the wine.)
After we all took our seats, the magic began. We were each given a swallow of wine to smell and taste, then critiqued it, giving our feedback. After repeating this process for each of the wines, I was amazed by the artistry and craftsmanship that goes into every bottle you drink.
The group went in depth on each wine, writing meticulous notes while keeping the consumer’s palate in mind. This process is special, and it takes real expertise and science to get the exact flavor profile perfect in every bottle they produce.
Braden’s Favorite Wine of the Tasting
Throughout the morning we tasted a variety of wines, ranging from Chardonnays to Cabernets. I’m already predicting that AJA’s new Chardonnay, being released in April, is going to be a fan favorite, and it was definitely at the top of my list.
The oak barrel plays a detailed role in production. It adds a silky quality that’s very desirable. AJA wines are produced using two different fermentation processes: tank and barrel. At first glance there didn’t appear to be much difference, but once the wines were poured into glasses, it was clear. The tank-fermented wine was slightly lighter in color and more fruit-forward in flavor, while the barrel-fermented wine had hints of oak that gave it a slightly brioche taste and a noticeably different color. These fermentation processes were explored across different types of wines and will be front and center in AJA’s upcoming collections.
As my introduction to AJA Vineyards came and went, I am so honored to have joined this amazing group of people and to have learned about the wine industry during my semester in beautiful Los Angeles. Thank you all for your support of our winery. I can’t wait for you to try the new vintages AJA is brewing up, as early as this April!
Cheers,
Braden