Vino W
We are looking forward to attending this fantastic event on Monday in San Francisco. As we've discussed on the show, attending a tasting event is a great way to rapidly increase your knowledge.
The event features excellent producers and a number of different styles. If you're interested you need to snag a ticket quickly as this event typically sells out.
Hope to see you there!
Our tickets to the 23rd annual Family Winemakers Tasting in San Francisco came yesterday. Yeah!
Al and I are looking forward to attending this event. These are the folks that put their heart and soul into their wines. All small producers with case production around 5,000 less. The scope of the event is fantastic with over 180 wineries and more than 800 wines. We'll be at the tasting and will follow up post event with our favorites and stand outs.
Its very affordable to attend, a great way to meet wine makers, winery owners, and taste your way through California wines. If you find yourself in the SF Bay area this weekend don't miss it! Details here:
Al and I were talking about the pod cast last week. We've been experiencing a heat wave here in Northern California. Temps in the 90s+ during the day and 70s at night. Our usual temps are in the low 90s for high and high 50s at night (gotta love that coastal fog!). Needless to say we both said "Its hot!" followed by whatcha drinkin?
When the weather turns hot I think of cold frosty carbonated things -namely beer! For me lighter beers work well in the summers. This summer my fridge has been stocked with Trumer Pilsner, Lost Coast Great White, Sierra Nevada Summerfest, Lost Coast Tangerine Wheat, Rose from Modus Operandi Winery and Paradise Ridge Sauvignon Blanc. I've also had some yummy Rose a friend of mine made. All adding up to a refreshing summer...
In Sonoma County if you live in a home near the coast that was built before 1990 chances are that your home doesn't have central air conditioning. Most people squelch the heat with ceiling fans, a trip to the movie theater, a drive to the coast and as Bill has offered a good quality cold beer gets the job done as well. What type of wine do you drink on those hot summer days? We'll share some of our current favorites.
Inama Vin Soave 2011 Soave Classico is the entry level Soave for Inama. They make two others from single vineyard plots that are barrel fermented. This wine is 100% Garganega from thirty plus year old vines and is raised in stainless steel from start to finish. The wine is allowed to go through malolactic fermentation and is matured in steel for eight months prior to bottling. This Soave has a golden straw color with apple, pear, lemon and spice on the nose. The palate shows apple and pear fruit, medium body, with a rich creamy texture on the mid palate. The finish is medium length, crisp and mineral. Try it with bruschetta, roasted chicken, seafood and salads. The moderate alcohol of 12 % and the round full flavors make this wine a real crowd pleaser and easy on the wallet at $12 to $15 a bottle. importer: www.DallaTerra.com
We've been firing up the grill on a regular basis and our go to red has been Ca' De' Medici's Terra Calda Lambrusco. With a slight chill this fizzy red is a perfect partner for bbq chicken, burgers, pizza and sausages. To learn more about this wonderful wine and other Lambrusco's check out our pod cast and www.Lambruscoday.org. Put Terra Calda on your wine buying list but be forewarned, you won't be able to keep enough in the house. importer: Tosco Wines Inc.
Summer time equals lot of Riesling in our household and we've been popping corks and twisting caps on several German wines. We first discovered Reinhold Haart's wines through the www.winerambler.net a blog primarily dedicated to German wines. I'd seen Reinhold Haart wines on shopping trips but for some reason I had never purchased a bottle. If you enjoy German wines you really only have to try one Reinhold's offering and you'll become hooked. Don't let the long name scare you; Reinhold Haart's 2007 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Kabinett has become our house Riesling for the summer. At twenty dollars a bottle our budget does not allow for us to open a bottle every night, but then that would be too much of a good thing.
When we first tasted this Piesporter we tried it along side a 2008 Weingut Pfeffingen Herrenberg Ungstein Riesling Trocken from the Pfalz region of Germany. Besides an excellent lesson in how two wines made from the same grape can vary so differently in style because of terroir and wine making input, this excercise helped reinforce why so many people treasure rieslings from the Mosel. Good quality Mosel riesling is all about powerful yet delicate aromatics, purity of fruit and a razor thin tightrope of tension between the fruit and acidity of the wine on your palate. The bouquet of the Pfeffingen spoke loudly, however the Reinhold whispered softly yet had so much more to say. This Piesporter barely shows its age with a light pale golden color. The bouquet of slightly honeyed apricots and nectarines shows through on the palate as well. Impeccably balanced with a long clean finish this wine drinks well above its retail price of $20. While drinking well now this Reinhold will continue to develop complexity for several more years. Buy some and cellar some if you have the discipline. Undoubtedly one of the best bang for your buck Mosel Rieslings we've come across in some time. importer: www.rudiwiest.com
That's what we've been drinking. How have you been beating the heat lately and what have been some of your beer and wine discoveries?
This time around we had a rare opportunity to evaluate and enjoy five consecutive vintages from Bordeaux producer Chateau Lanessan ( 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2002 ). This podcast is all about Claret, an English term for a dry red Bordeaux wine
There are over 8,000 wine producing Chateau in Bordeaux and the winemakers in this area make many styles of wines but the most recognized are their dry red wines. There are too many wine styles and types in the Bordeaux region to cover in one show so we elected to focus on the wines of the Left Bank. Left Bank is wine trade jargon for an area in Bordeaux where all of the wine estates of the famous 1855 classification are located. We'll cover other areas of Bordeaux in upcoming shows.
Our goal is to give the listener an overview of the wine region which can serve as a springboard for those that want to learn more about Bordeaux wine, expand their palate and discover some remarkable wines.
One of the first jobs I had was at a small Bistro in Orlando Florida. I was seventeen and of course I was much more interested in beer at the time. The sandwich shop adjoined a well stocked gourmet food shop, with imported beers, artisan cheeses and deli meats. The food and wine vendors would show up between two and five to sell their products and it was during one of these exhibitions that I was introduced to my first taste of wine. Not just wine but a French wine from Bordeaux. The wine was a 1975 Chateau Chantegrive. I can't say it was love at first taste, quite the opposite, but the hook had been set. Soon after I started working exclusively in the wine shop and it was during these early years that I acquired my taste for Bordeaux.
People hear about the ridiculous prices being paid for a single bottle of upper tier Bordeaux wine and assume that all Bordeaux wines are too expensive and out of their budget. Bill and I are going to crush that myth with this pod cast. The price of admission for Bordeaux is not that expensive if you learn how to shop well. We'll offer some tips on how to find some good quality Bordeaux and still have some duckets left when you leave the wine shop.
Chateau Lanessan is a favorite of old school Bordeaux lovers and is well known for its older vintages and their capacity to age well. We devoted more time to uncovering some of the history and background of Bordeaux and less time on the wines this time but don't think we weren't geeked on these wines. We learned that Chateau Lanessan offers Grand Cru Classe taste at Cru Bourgeois prices. Translation; one of the best wine values in Haut-Medoc. As of this writing these wines are still available at www.klwines.com. They won't last long.
On this show we discuss the wine regions, vintage variation, decanting, proper serving temperature, how to read a Bordeaux wine label and more. You know the drill, break out some of your favorite cheeses, crack open a bottle and join us as we explore Bordeaux wine.
The Cast
Fun to pop open and pour with its pretty pink foam, which quickly subsides and a slight sparkle, Lambrusco is festive. A red wine with bubbles probably won't garner the same praise as Bordeaux or Burgundy in the eyes of wine connoisseurs, but real Lambrusco does speak to a revolution in the making.
Lambrusco is produced in Emilia-Romagna in north-central Italy and there's a long history of drinking semi-sparkling wines, called frizzante by Italians, in this region.
Through the 1970's and most of the 1980's Lambrusco was the number one imported wine in the United States (beating out Portugal's Mateus Rose and Germany's Blue Nun). Lambrusco eventually fell out of favor when we discovered Sutter Home White Zinfandel. Fast forward twenty plus years and now it seems that Lambrusco is poised to delight anew.
We put aside our prejudice, haunted by those cloyingly sweet, soda pop, fizzy styled Lambruscos of the past and were surprised to discover some wonderful wines that you can be proud to serve to your family and friends at home. The new faces of Lambrusco, Ca' De' Medici, Tenuta Pederzana, Medici Ermete and Vigneto Saetti are making some noteworthy wines.
We tasted the wines first without and then with food. Grissini bread sticks wrapped with Prosciutto Di Parma, Rosemary Asiago, Parmigiano-Reggiano, grilled Mortadella with freshly grated horseradish, spicy salami and pepperoni were wonderful foils for these wines. The natural high acidity of Lambrusco coupled with the bubbles helped to cut through the richness of the meats and cheeses we sampled.
June 21, 2013 is Lambrusco Day and we're hoping this pod cast will inspire you to explore and find out for yourself how Lambrusco is indeed, making a comeback.
The Wines:
The Cast:
Torrontés is the best known white wine variety in Argentina, but as far as planted acreage goes it places second to Pedro Gimenez. This fact hints at Argentina's winemaking and wine consumption patterns of the past. Think quantity over quality. With more than 400 years of winemaking tradition and culture Argentina has become a recent player in the field of wine exports. As recently as the early 1990's the main concern for grape growers in Argentina was maximum yields. After World War II and up until the nineties a tumultuous political and economic environment made investing in the vineyards and wineries of Argentina a very risky proposition. In the nineties Argentina experienced an unprecedented influx of capital. Fueled by land cost one tenth of the cost of property in France or Napa, between 1991 and 2000 an estimated $ 1.5 billion was invested into the wine industry of Argentina. Money moguls and political influences made investments palatable, but what sealed the deal for many was Argentina's treasured natural climate; high-altitude valleys, low fertility soils, lack of rain, a wide range of temperatures and intense sun.
The leading exported wine of Argentina is Malbec. Seventeen times more Malbec is exported than Torrontés. Translation, you'll have to look a little harder to findTorrontés. Most retailers will have a few examples but you're not going to discover and aisle full of Torrontés on your next wine buying trip. Although its cultivated in other countries of South America we were unable to find any examples from Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay of Bolivia
We found Torrontés to be unlike any wine we've tasted before. Torrontés is considered indigenous to Argentina and is thought to be a cross between the Mission grape (Criolla Chica) and Muscat of Alexandria. Torrontés is cultivated in most of the valleys of Argentina but the most aromatic and flavorful examples hail from Salta the most northerly region. Since most Torrontés is made sans oak you can expect purity of flavors. The aromatic profile can be aggressive. The aroma strikes as a cross between Viognier and Riesling. We picked up aromas of citrus, flowers, honey, apricot, peach, musk melon, lime and lemon peel. Torrontés is a light to medium bodied wine and when you take in the aromas you reflexively prepare yourself for a slightly sweet, fuller bodied white wine. The trap has been set. Upon tasting and swallowing a good example of Torrontés you are immediately hit with a strong lemony acidity and a slight saline quality. The contrast between the florality and the crisp acidity is striking and to some may be an acquired taste. Torrontés serves well as an aperitif wine and we found it to pair well with Asian, Indian and Mexican cuisine and a variety of cheeses.
While shopping for the wines for this pod cast we noticed a fair number of older vintages on retailer shelves ( 06, 07, 08, 09 ). Having tried several long in the tooth examples we think its fair to say that you should select the newest vintages you can find. As Torrontés ages it loses the delightful aromatics and the zippy acidity that makes it so appealing.
On this pod cast we profiled six wines. Go find a few bottles of Torrontés, chill em down and join us as we explore Argentina's treasure Torrontés.
Miles freaking out about Merlot
" I like Merlot." There I said it. Bucking the trend in this pod cast
we highlight Merlot, the wine that the movie Sideways kicked off the
stage. These days the trendy wine set wouldn't be caught in public with
a glass of Merlot in their hands, yet for as unfashionable as Merlot
has become there's a substantial amount of it grown worldwide.
After
experiencing a protracted run of popularity through the eighties and
nineties, punctuated with over-planting, overproduction and overpricing
Merlot now enjoys a comfortable co- starring role in the wine world. An
important part of France's Bordeaux Blend ( Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec,
Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot ), Merlot is estimated to be
the third most grown grape globally. Wine types and brands go through
cycles of popularity ( IE White Zinfandel, Mateus Rose and Blue Nun )
and Merlot in the end seems to have benefited from the spotlight. With
wine producers and grape growers chasing the latest wines of fashion
those that continue to cultivate Merlot are producing wine that
represent better consistency, quality and better value than in the
past. Just what we're looking for at Vino 101.
Chances are that
eight dollar bottle of Merlot you find at your local grocer ( Please
consider buying your wines at a reliable wine retailer ) is likely to be
made in a simple, plain and smooth style with no rough edges. Nothing
wrong with that but you can get so much more flavor and pleasure by
spending a little more. To experience good quality Merlot you need to
spend around thirteen to twenty dollars. You can spend a lot more, but
the top price you pay won't always translate to a wine that delivers the
most satisfaction.
Pinot Noir usually gets all the praise for
being the great translator of terroir, however Merlot which is climate
sensitive can speak well of where it is grown and the differences in
wine raised in cool climates versus warm climates can be striking.
Merlot has more body than Pinot Noir and less body and tannin than
Cabernet Sauvignon. The color ranges from medium to dark, with low to
medium tannins and a soft texture. Typical aroma and flavors of Merlot
grown in cool climates are red berry fruit, mint, green olive and bell
pepper. In warmer climates you will notice blackberry fruits, plum,
blueberry, caramel and chocolate. Merlot doesn't bowl you over with
intense aromas or flavors like a Zinfandel or a Cabernet Sauvignon. The
appeal of Merlot is it's structure or mouth feel. In a word it's
smooth and that's why so much of it is produced worldwide.
For
this show we profiled ten Merlots priced from eight to twenty-five
dollars. Your best insight into what Merlot can bring to the table is
to use the contrast and compare method. Purchase several Merlots from
different areas, invite some friends over and pop some corks. Tasting
the wines side by side helps to accentuate the differences and
similarities of the wines.
Thanks to all for your support and feedback. Enjoy the cast.
Cheers!
We've finally made it to the wonderful wines of Italy and on this pod cast we focus on Valpolicella wines from the hillsides and valleys of the Verona countryside. The Valpolicella production zone is located in Veneto, one of Italy's twenty wine growing regions. The Veneto region is located in northeast Italy and shares its southern border with Emilia-Romagna and Lombardia. Its eastern borders are the Adriatic Sea and Friuli-Venezia Guilia. The wine regions to the west and north are Trentino and Alto Adige. Veneto also shares a portion of its northern border with Austria.
The Valpolicella zone lies south of the Monte Lessini range and just north of the city of Verona ( think Romeo and Juliet). Verona is in the same latitudinal zone as the Willamette Valley in Oregon and benefits from the moderating influences of Lago di Garda the largest lake in Italy and to a lesser extent the Mare Adriatico (Adriatic Sea).
Veneto is the third largest wine producing region in Italy, surpassed by Apulia and Sicily in the south. Other wines produced in the Veneto region that you may recognize are Bardolino, Prosecco and Soave.
Valpolicella comes in several styles and starting from light bodied to fuller bodied the types are Valpolicella, Valpolicella Superiore, Valpolicella Ripasso, Amarone della Valpolicella and Recioto della Valpolicella. In this cast we'll explore what each of these names means and how the wines are made.
Valpolicella is made predominately from three grape varieties, Corvina ( 40 to 70 percent ), Rondinella ( 20 to 40 percent ) and Molinar ( 5 to 25 percent ). Barbera, Negrara, Trentina, Rossignola and or Sangiovese up to a maximum of 15 percent can also be used in the blend. There's a sea of very ordinary Valpolicella that is made at cooperatives, but the better wines are usually made by smaller family owned, quality minded Fattoria ( farm/ wine estate ). Confusingly though there are several large houses that make some of the best Valpolicellas. As always we're searching for the best wines and the most value for our buck and we found several great buys this time around.
The typical taste profile of basic Valpolicella is tart cranberry, red cherry fruit aromas and flavors. The wine is usually light to medium bodied with soft tannins, a tongue tingling acidity and a slightly bitter finish. We tasted eight wines, three Valpolicellas, three Ripassos and two Amarone della Valpolicellas. The price points ranged from twelve to sixty dollars a bottle.
From a consumer standpoint, the wide varience in pricing and the difficulty of knowing what style of wine is in the bottle, it's understandable that one might default to wines they're more familiar with. In this way Valpolicella wines face the same problem as California Zinfandel; if you don't know what the wine is likely to taste like, how can you make an informed buying decision?
In this pod cast you'll learn how to better judge what style of wine is in that bottle of Valpolicella. You will also learn what type of foods pair best with these wonderful wines. Most wine retailers will have several Valpolicellas for you to choose from. A good way to find quality Valpolicella is to engage your favorite retailer by asking questions. A smart retailer will pick up on your interest and will go out of their way to recommend wines that suit your taste preferences. Of course the best way to learn about wine is to pop some corks so let's get to it. Open up a Valpolicella, chop up some chunks of spicy Salami and Asiago cheese and listen up as we talk about one of Italy's most famous wines.
This is our second pod cast featuring Pinot Noir. While we focused on Sonoma County Pinot Noir on the last show, we opted to show a little more range this time. This show features Pinot Noirs from New Zealand, France and Mendocino County as well as several wines from Sonoma County. Sorry Oregon, we'll devote a podcast to the wonderful Pinot Noirs you produce in an upcoming show.
The different aromas, taste and styles that we experienced during the tasting made it easy to see why Pinot Noir is such a hot ticket wine. In fact, this was the first tasting we've conducted where there was no leftover wine.
Some of the topics covered in this show are old world wines vs new world wines, the different colors of Pinot Noir and the Sideways phenomenon. Most of the wines we featured are readily available at your local retail outlets, though some may require more diligence to acquire. The average price for the wines was $26. Did we find a knock your socks off $15 Pinot Noir? Does such a wine exist? Take a listen to find out the answers to these questions and more.
We used our tasting panel format to evaluate the wines. First tasting without food and then trying them with food and cheeses. As expected the Pinots showed their affinity for food. If you're invited to a dinner party and you don't know what's on menu, but you're in charge of the wine, Pinot Noir is an excellent default red wine to rely on. Bill kept the pizzas coming and the kids had a wonderful time helping him make them. A good time was had by everyone in attendance.
Kick back and pull a cork on bottle of Pinot Noir and join us as we share what we learned about "The Heartbreak Grape".
We were fortunate enough to be able to attend the Zinfandel Advocates and Producers Epicuira event on Thursday. Wow! What an eye opening experience it was. This event dramatically highlighted the diversity of the varietal. More importantly dispelled the myth that Zin's "just a barbeque wine".
Over 50 producers and 50 restaurants worked in concert to pair Zins with everything from duck prosciutto (Taste Restaurant - it rocked) to artisan chocolate (more likes works of art - Kollar Chocolate). Zinfandel's true diversity shone through, wine from large producers (Ridge / Ravenswood) to small producers (Gamba / Claudia springs). The event included live cooking demonstrations in addition to the amazing tasting. If you're a Zin fan (or anyone who wants to know more about Zin and what its all about) this is an event not to miss.
Our wine favs included:
M2
Ridge (East Bench)
Peachy Canyon
Klinker Brick
Claudia Springs
Boneau
Gamba
Carol Shelton
Wilson
Our Food Favs:
All in all an amazing event showing Zin's true diversity. Its not just about the Barbque......
Our mission is to help demystify the world of wine. After all wine is food and once you strip away the entire pretense and snobbery what do you have left? Fermented grape juice! We want to help you get the most pleasure and the best value from the wines you purchase regardless of whether you spend $5 or $500 on a bottle of wine.
