Classic Wines

Today Brian Freedman tastes a rose sparkler, "Le Marchesine Franciacorta Rose Millesimato 2003". This mouthful of bubbly joins some of the best in Cava, Prosecco and sparklers from Brazil as a great addition to your regular choice of Champagne. Please join us to find a wonderful bottle to celebrate the holidays.

Join us today as Brian Freedman introduces to the Gold Medal Wine Club. This club offers several wine club assortments to choose from including a pinot noir club. Brian talks about several of the wines including a 2006 Perry Creek Zinfandel. See why a wine club can be a great way to experience a variety of high quality wines.

Move over cabernet, this one is all about California Zinfandel. Among the extremely popular varietals produced by California, Zinfandel is one of the most dominant. Not to be confused with white zinfandel, zinfandel is a fruity red style that can also pack a punch of complexity. Tune in to this week's episode as Brian compares two distinctly different zinfandels from California. Tasted in today's episode are the Benson Ferry Vineyards 2006 95240 Lodi Old Vine Zinfandel and the M. Cosentino 2005 Zinfandel Cigarzin.

Brian Freedman gets down to wine tasting basics. If you have ever wondered about the proper method for tasting a wine, this video is for you. From decanting, to sniffing, to swirling, to tasting, watch as Brian teaches you to do it like a pro.

Some people consider port off limits during the summertime. Brian Freedman, being his normal daring self, suggests otherwise. He believes that since we are approaching cigar season, the time couldn't be more ripe to break open a quality bottle of Tawny Port. The wines sampled today are the Warre's Otima 10 Year Old Porto, and the Noval Tawny Porto.

When it comes to wine in California, Cabernet Sauvignon is the equivalent of the 2007 New England Patriots (nevermind that one loss.) California Cab enjoys a global reputation for excellence, and in today's episode, Brian Freedman puts them to the taste. Placed in a food and wine pairing context, two Cabs compete for the prize of showdown champion. Which will come out on top? Wines tasted today are the Joel Gott 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon, and the Annabella 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Special Selection.

Brian Freedman pits two Cotes du Rhone against each other in wine competition. Cotes du Rhone, found in the Rhone region, is a very popular French wine. Can these two bottles hold up to a well established reputation, or will they fall flat? The wines tasted today are the J. Vidal-Fleury 2006 Cotes du Rhone, and the Chateau Beauchene 2006 Cotes du Rhone.

Part 4: This is it! The Sommelier Smackdown food and wine pairing competition comes to a head as Gary Vaynerchuk and Brian Freedman make their last pairings. In this round, the two experts must pair wine with fig and gorgonzola. Watch as selections are made, and a victor is declared.

See the rest of the videos from this Sommelier Smackdown series: Parts 1 thru 4.