tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-253579212024-03-12T19:12:59.685-05:00Accidental WineMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286974342819945060noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25357921.post-29048333992340420052008-05-09T19:46:00.004-05:002008-05-28T22:24:35.499-05:00Friday Wines – Proxy EditionSo here I am at work and I actually have a finished post, ready to go, for my blog.<span style=""> </span>Alas, the corporate powers that be have blocked access, so I can’t post.<span style=""> </span>Luckily, I have a friend who can post it for me, by proxy. <span style=""> </span>Here goes:<o:p><br /><br /></o:p><span style="font-style: italic;">White wine under $20</span><o:p><br /><br /></o:p><span style="font-weight: bold;">2005 </span><st1:place style="font-weight: bold;" st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Lucas & Lewellen</st1:placename> <st1:placename st="on">Chardonnay</st1:placename> <st1:placename st="on">Santa Barbara</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">County</st1:placetype></st1:place><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">($15)</span><br /><br />Traditionally, <st1:place st="on"><st1:state st="on">California</st1:state></st1:place> has relied on its extra fat, butterball style Chardonnay, a wine my father would characterize as “so fat you can’t see its eyes.”<span style=""> </span>That means lots of oak, lots of malolactic fermentation and little fruit.<br /><p class="MsoNormal">L&L shows <st1:state st="on"><st1:place st="on">California</st1:place></st1:state> really can make Chardonnay that relies on the grape’s fruit character.<span style=""> </span>Crisp aromas and flavors of green apple, white peach and nectarine shine here, with acid for great structure and texture.<span style=""> </span>Light and refreshing, revitalizing even, with good balance.<span style=""> </span>I’d drink more Cali Chardonnay if it were built like this.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p><span style="font-style: italic;">Red wine under $20</span><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-weight: bold;" class="MsoNormal">2003 Rutz Pinot Noir French Cuvee Pays d’Oc ($12)</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Rutz has produced a highly drinkable, good quality Pinot Noir with the French Cuvee.<span style=""> </span>It balances cherry and strawberry fruit with spice, cola and earthiness.<span style=""> </span>It has good fruit/acid balance and medium body.<span style=""> </span>You can’t ask much more from a Pinot Noir at this price!</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I’ll be honest – there’s little Pinot Noir worth drinking under about $25 dollars.<span style=""> </span>Now that’s not me engaging in what the French call <i style="">le snobisme</i>;<span style=""> </span>Pinot Noir is virtually impossible to grow and even harder to vinify so it’s just going to require extra cash to produce good ones.<span style=""> </span>Think of Pinot Noir the way women think of a purse or a pair of shoes – the more you spend, the better quality!</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-style: italic;" class="MsoNormal">White wine over $20</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-weight: bold;" class="MsoNormal">Nonvintage L’Etoile Doux Paillé<span style=""> </span>AOC Banyuls Grand Cru ($36)</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">When you pour the Doux Paillé, it’s hard to believe it’s red wine, but it is.<span style=""> </span>It looks like iced tea, but is all hazelnuts and <span style=""> </span>almonds drizzled with butterscotch and maple.<span style=""> </span>It’s not all candy, though – acidity balances the sugar, while minerality adds complexity, depth and sophistication.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">This is the <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.webwombat.com.au/lifestyle/fashion_beauty/images/alles6.jpg">Alessandra Ambrosio</a>, a Brazilian supermodel of a dessert wine.<span style=""> </span>At first glance, she’s coolly graceful and detached.<span style=""> </span>You don’t dare approach her;<span style=""> </span>she’s too rare, too angelic, too volatile for you.<span style=""> </span>Then, somebody cracks a joke and it breaks her pouty, I’m-too-serious-for-you model face.<span style=""> </span>She smiles.<span style=""> </span>Your confidence rises.<span style=""> </span>She waves and you know you can talk to her – she <i style="">wants to talk to you</i>, even.<span style=""> </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://accidentalwine.blogspot.com/2006/04/wine-and-hot-blonde-cheerleader.html">Wait, was that a wink??</a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">This will match any dessert with milk chocolate, coffee, nuts or caramel or you can pour it over vanilla ice cream.<span style=""> </span>Out of vanilla ice cream?<span style=""> </span>Substitute whatever part of your loved one’s anatomy you choose.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-style: italic;" class="MsoNormal">Red wine over $20</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-weight: bold;" class="MsoNormal">2006 <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Thorn-Clarke</st1:placename> <st1:placename st="on">Shotfire</st1:placename> <st1:placename st="on">Shiraz</st1:placename> <st1:placename st="on">Barossa</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">Valley</st1:placetype></st1:place><span style=""> </span>($25)</p> <p class="MsoNormal">This wine is like a velvet glove, well, in a velvet glove.<span style=""> </span>Even the aromas of blackberry, black currant, charcoal, smoke and chocolate are soft and expressive.<span style=""> </span>Black currants, black cherry, spice box and licorice envelope the palate.<span style=""> </span>A smoky, spicy oak slinks in behind the fruit and earthy character in the finish.<span style=""> </span>It’s got power, to be sure, but this isn’t like most Aussie Shiraz – turning on the power like flipping a light switch.<span style=""> </span>Shotfire powers up slowly, more like an iron.<span style=""> </span>Wait:<span style=""> </span>you’ll be rewarded for your patience.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">That’s all from me.<span style=""> </span>Make sure you buy your mother a bottle of wine for Sunday.<span style=""> </span>If she doesn’t drink wine, then buy her one anyway – might as well get her started, eh?</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Mark</p>Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286974342819945060noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25357921.post-67991878846519428222008-04-25T18:52:00.001-05:002008-04-25T18:53:38.413-05:00Friday Wines - the Lazarus EditionIt's been a while since I've made any wine recommendations, but it's Friday, so here they are. For those of you not used to the home version, here's how it works: I'll try to post four wines here each Friday - a red and a white under $20 and a red and a white over $20. All prices are approximate and the wines may not be available in all areas. They're just good wines in each category, nothing more, nothing less. Without further ado:<br /><br /><em>White wine under $20</em><br /><br /><strong>2006 Ferraton Père et fils Samorëns Côtes du Rhône blanc AOC ($12)<br /></strong>If you want an unoaked but still full bodied white that’s crisp, this is your wine. The perfect pairing of pineapple and cream, this wine has great fruit, acid balance for crisp texture and minerality to keep it in balance. Wrap some shrimp in bacon and start up the grill, will ya?<br /><br /><em>Red wine under $20</em><br /><br /><strong>2004 Poggio Salvi Morellino di Scansano DOC ($15)<br /></strong>Aromas of smoke, cherry and tar rise out of the glass, followed by flavors of deep, rich cherry fruit, complemented by dried leaves, smoke, vanilla and orange peel. Medium bodied with good mouthfeel and balancing acidity. Pssssst! Wanna know a secret? This is made with Sangiovese Grosso – the same grape used to make Brunello di Montalcino. Affordable luxury!<br /><br /><em>White wine over $20</em><br /><br /><strong>2005 Falesco Ferentano Roscetto Lazio ($37)</strong><br />Rich, full bodied and intense, the Falesco Ferentano is one complex, sophisticated glass of juice. Made from an obscure and ancient white grape called Roscetto it shows aromas of orange peel, honeyed apples, wet stones and frost are followed by a palate of pineapple, lemon, cream, lemongrass, pine and minerality. Snappy texture from the acid holds it all together. This is a steak white if I’ve ever seen one.<br /><br /><em>Red Wine over $20</em><br /><br /><strong>2002 Cottonwood Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Colorado ($40)<br /></strong>Colorado! Home of Quaking Aspens, Pike’s Peak and…Smashmouth Cab?<br /><br />If the Cottonwood Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon is any indication, then yes! Aromas of cherry, plum, black currant, cedar, cigar box and mocha start things off. Dense fruit dominates up front with black currant and black raspberries taking the lead. Spice holds the midpalate together, while big, firm tannins and toasty oak guard the long finish. This is as big as most California Cabernet at this price point (and as good, too!)<br /><br />This wine is drinkable now, if you have it with food (Buffalo tenderloin, anyone?), but ideally it needs another six months to a year age. The good news is all that tannin will help this wine age 10 years or so.<br /><br />That's all for me. I'm going off to Stacy's for some dinner and maybe a bottle of wine!<br /><br /><br /><br />MarkMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286974342819945060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25357921.post-22405218098774189852008-03-27T01:40:00.004-05:002008-03-27T01:30:04.814-05:00Finding thePerfect Food and Wine Pairing - Accidentally<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTn35M9TJH8YUxYSAJK-Wu8NI4cPuTZ3q76cAefQ7OBsZ_TJRl4PMKz5yMyVJr3pre8jcqCNIh7_3tB4YVBV1Thti23igEDkPXmH32MG02ZDtbbrRUSyZeHbsMUQt74tLt9uy0ew/s1600-h/gummi.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5182303004781468866" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTn35M9TJH8YUxYSAJK-Wu8NI4cPuTZ3q76cAefQ7OBsZ_TJRl4PMKz5yMyVJr3pre8jcqCNIh7_3tB4YVBV1Thti23igEDkPXmH32MG02ZDtbbrRUSyZeHbsMUQt74tLt9uy0ew/s400/gummi.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Last summer, while courting my honey, Stacy, we began a fun little tradition of sneaking a bottle of wine into the theater to enhance our cinematic experience. It makes the movies a little more fun and slightly naughty and we do it fairly often (more on this in a future post). But this Autumn, we accidentally ran across the perfect wine and food pairing. And I mean <em>perfect</em>.</div><div></div><br /><div>Forget goat cheese and Sauvignon Blanc. No comparison.</div><br /><div>Give up on ribeye steaks and Cabernet Sauvignon. Oil and water.</div><br /><div>Lobster with drawn butter and Puligny-Montrachet? Awful stuff.</div><div></div><br /><div>I'll end the suspense: the perfect pairing is...</div><br /><div></div><div>Gummi bears and Asti.</div><div></div><br /><div>Stacy and I don't normally buy Gummi bears at the movies (or in this case, Gummi stars). For us, movie candy generally means chocolate - M&M's, Whoppers or Milk Duds, for example. But on this occasion, chocolate wouldn't work with a sweet, bubbly wine like Asti. So in an extraordinary situation, we turned to Gummis.</div><div></div><br /><div>Honestly, I don't really drink Asti either. I prefer Moscato d'Asti, a lighter, more delicate wine that's a ballerina compared to Asti's boxer - lighter, more delicate, less fizzy. But as Stacy's been on a sweet, sparkling wine kick lately, I was happy to oblige her. But I didn't think it was going to work with Gummi bears.</div><div></div><br /><div>I was wrong. Dead wrong. Asti matches Gummi bears perfectly. After a great deal of puzzlment, I think I've figured out why.</div><div></div><br /><div>Sure, Gummi bears are fruity and very sweet, but Asti is made from Muscat , so sugar is no problem and neither is fruit. Asti tastes like peaches, honey and melon and that's certainly compatible with the bright fruit you get in Gummi bears.</div><br /><div></div><div>The Gummi bears' texture is what had me worried.</div><div></div><br /><div>They're chewy (um hence the name <em>Gummi</em> bears?) Not only that, long after you've swallowed them, they coat your mouth with a sticky, hard to scrape off film. Know how you can't get the taste of some jammy, out of balance, flabby Zinfandel off your palate? That's exactly what I'm talking about. That's really what I thought would make the Gummi/Asti marriage fail. I should have known better.</div><div></div><br /><div>Acid, duh.</div><br /><div></div><div>Good Asti isn't only sweet, it has a fair amount of acid in it, and that works in three ways to create this pristine, perfect food and wine pairing. First, it balances the sugar in the wine, making it not too sweet, nor too tart. Second, it gives the wine its snap, it's crisp texture. Third, it acts to slice right through the candied mouth coating you get from the Gummi bears and scrub it clean from your palate, leaving a clean, fresh finish to the wine.</div><br /><div></div><div>That's perfect balance, perfect harmony in a food and wine match - you don't taste too much sugar, fruit, acid in either the food or the wine. Textures match in both the food and the wine. You don't taste one element over any other and they all work seamlessly.</div><br /><div></div><div>Yin and Yang meet.</div><br /><div></div><div>There are three lessons to be learned from this little exercise. First, when you're pairing sweet wines and food (or any wine for that matter), it's just as important to pay attention to the acid in the wine as the fruit or the sugar. Acid ensures balance among all the other elements in the wine.</div><br /><div></div><div>Second, it's as important to consider the interaction between texture and flavors in both your food and your wines. The food's texture here demanded a very crisp wine - softer, less acidic wines would have made the candy unbearably sweet and only added to the richness of the mouthfeel in the wine. You'd never get the candied fruit out of your mouth!</div><div></div><div>Finally - and oh so appropo to the title of this very blog - we found this pairing <span style="font-size:130%;color:#ff0000;"><strong><em>accidentally</em></strong><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><strong><em>.</em></strong> We broke our normal patterns and tried two things we didn't normally try, even though I was more than a little ambivalent about its chances for success. This is the most important thing you should take from this tidy little blog entry - accidents can be happy!</span></span></span></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div> </div><div> </div><div>Mark</div>Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286974342819945060noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25357921.post-23385763836481395472007-08-13T20:02:00.000-05:002007-08-18T02:45:08.925-05:00The Second Best Wine Value I've Ever TastedThis entry's going to be quick - just wanted to tell you all about a wine that might be the second best value wine I've seen in my short 65 months in the wine business. Like I said, this is going to be quick, but you'd best be quick too. I know I've said this before, but -<br /><br />This one <em>really</em> won't last, so I'll cut to the chase. This is a $7 dollar wine easily worth $20.<br /><strong></strong><br />If I'm going to drink American Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah, it's going to be from Washington. Here's why:<br /><br />There's more sunlight during growing season there than in California. This makes for wines that carry the same or better ripeness than their Cali counterparts.<br /><br />The mornings and evenings are cooler in Washington. That drives up the acidity in the wines, which is desperately needed in riper wines, to balance the fruit.<br /><br />There's usually less rain during growing season in Washington. Less rain means, believe it or not, better grapes for wine. If you grow grapes with ideal rain, you get wines that taste more like the abundant leaves you get in wet conditions than like fruit.<br /><br />In short, with big ripeness, higher levels of acididty and more stressed vines, you get better balance in your wine.<br /><br />Sure, you sacrifice a little body and richness for this balance, but let's face it - this is Cabernet Sauvignon - it's never going to be light bodied, low tannin wine. While Napa/Sonoma wines might be characterized as more opulent, Washington wines might be better seen as elegant.<br /><br />And I'll admit it, I'm biased. Taste this wine:<br /><br /><strong>2002 Rosa Ridge Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Yakima Valley ($7)</strong><br /><br />and you'll see why I hold this bias.<br /><br />The purple/black color foreshadows the pleasure that's about to come your way. Aromas of black cherry, cola and black raspberry rise from the glass up front. Two swirls of your glass and the earthy aromatics will show themselves: espresso, raw cocoa and the faintest innuendo of caramel.<br /><br />Then the flavors snake in, one at a time: black raspberry, black currant, blueberry and sour cherry fruit, followed by smoke, bitter chocolate spicy oak, and cigar box. Acidity keeps the fruit fresh and uplifted and while there's considerable tannin here, it's well integrated. I bet you could age this for another 5-7 years.<br /><br />Oh, one other thing to note - this is the 2002 vintage. Most Washington wineries are on the 2004 vintage, including Roza itself.<br /><br />All this in a $7 dollar package? Believe it.<br /><br />Best get on the move now, though. You should be buying it by the case and we only have 24 left.Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286974342819945060noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25357921.post-37485930409779794972007-08-06T02:17:00.000-05:002007-08-06T02:30:56.526-05:00Question TimeI know it's been a long time since I posted here, but the summer's been incredibly busy. Have no idea why, but it has been. Oh yeah - my computer was down for a long while but thanks to some very nice people (you know who you are) I now have a more modern computer. It's still technically not up yet - need to buy a virus protection program - but I'll soon be back up and running.<br /><br />You might also notice that I have a new tagboard over there ------------>>. That's also due to someone very nice to me (you know who you are, too). You can actually put a comment in <em>once</em> and it will show up only once when you hit the "send" key!<br /><br />Let's put it to good use, shall we?<br /><br />Please use it to ask me any question you have about wine, my wine biases...um preferences...or my wine experiences. Anything regarding wine, really...<br /><br />OK, who's got questions?<br /><br /><br /><br />Mark<br /><br />PS: Real blog posts will occur in the near futureMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286974342819945060noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25357921.post-24433377873930984162007-06-08T01:20:00.000-05:002007-06-08T01:22:29.324-05:00Friday Wines - Where Have You Been? EditionGreetings, gentle wine drinkers:<br /><br />As someone - ahem - you know who you are - told me, it's been almost three weeks since I last blogged. I thought you might like to know where I've been.<br /><br />The weekend of the 15th-27th, I attended my niece Olivia's graduation from a very prestigious boarding school in New Jersey and it was a great trip. Friday night, I toured the campus where she attended school and had a dinner at one of my favorite restaurants in the whole world - Tiger Noodle - a haunt from two summers I taught a program at Princeton.<br /><br />Saturday, my brother and I took another niece, his youngest daughter Madison, to the Big Apple for the first time ever. We had a blast! After about 5,000,000,000 blocks of walking up and down the length of Manhattan, we caught a late train back to Princeton for yet another round of fabulous food from Tiger Noodle.<br /><br />Sunday was graduation and we couldn't have been prouder of Olivia. She excelled in both athletics and academics and is going on to a stellar career at Williams College in Massachusetts.<br /><br />Two days later, I was hacking and coughing and not feeling so good. MAN, sit on an airplane next to the wrong guy just once and your whole life changes. I spent both my days off that week in bed, not getting up for anything but the basics. Almost two weeks later, I'm finally beginning to get over the whole thing.<br /><br />In fact, I'm feeling chipper enough to recommend a few wines for your weekend! Try one of these bottles to maintain your good health and stay off airplanes:<br /><br /><em>White wine under $20</em><br /><br /><strong>2003 Galhaud Viognier/Muscat Vin de Pays Cotes Catalanes ($10)</strong><br />WOW! Classic aromas and flavors of Viognier flash themselves up front - ginger, apricot and honeysuckle flowers. Don't get used to it because soon the Muscat dominates like the Chicago Bears' Mike Singletary.<br /><br />Some will be scared by the Muscat. They'll think delicate, lacy, sweet wine like Moscato d'Asti or pancake syrupy rich wine like Australian stickies. This is <em>dry</em> Muscat - a completely different animal. With not a trace of sweetness, this wine has infinite fruit - yellow peaches, grapefruit, guava, lemon and tangerine zest. It's perfumed - white flowers, apricot, clove and crushed rocks. An though this is a white wine with considerable age on it (4 years), there's still plentiful acidity to balance the creamy texture and fruit. Body? Pamela Anderson, Carmen Electra and Angelina Jolie would curse their anorexic, stick-figured bodies in comparison.<br /><br />Don't waste any time buying this one. We bought the last 20 cases. With quality this high and price this low, it won't last.<br /><br /><br /><em>Red wine under $20</em><br /><br /><strong>2006 Jacques and Francois Lurton Hacienda Araucano Pinot Noir Central Valley ($13)</strong><br />I recently admitted I don't think Chile is Wine Utopia, but that doesn't mean you can find some keepers here. The Araucano Pinot is something of an unusal find - good quality Pinot Noir that's under $15 dollars. You'll get a big nose of cherry, vanilla and Christmas spices. Cherry is the dominant fruit on the palate, with layers of cola, dark chocolate, smoke and earth following. Light to medium bodied with silky, easy tannins make this wine an affordable pleasure.<br /><br /><br /><em>White wine over $20</em><br /><br /><strong>2003 Costa de Oro Chardonnay Reserva Dorada Gold Coast Vineyard Santa Maria Valley ($35)</strong><br />I love this Chardonnay. Delicate and refined like white Burgundy but with the concentrated ripeness you get from California wines. Peaches and honeyed pears define the nose here, with spicy notes and nutty oak. The flavors are more citrus and apple driven than the nose but buoyed by acidity until honey and cream appear in the finish. If you're tired of Chardonnay that tastes like buttered toast or just curious about the range of wines made from Chardonnay, please try the Costa de Oro.<br /><br /><br /><em>Red wine over $20</em><br /><br /><strong>2003 Spann Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 24 Barrels Mayacamas Range ($35)</strong><br />Speaking of wines produced in California with French sensibility, I give you Spann Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine isn't your typical California Cabernet - a one-two punch of a bonk on the head of fruit followed by a fat lip of oak. Instead, Peter Spann made a wine with the sleek mineral elegance of Bordeaux combined with luscious, juicy, ultraripe California fruit. The nose is blessed by black cherries and a faint echo of strawberry fruit, followed by cedar, tobacco and cigar box. You'll find black cherry flavors up front but the wine eventually runs more toward blackberry and black currants. Herbal notes of cedar and mint flesh out the midpalate but acidity and mineralilty in the finish fence in the wine admirably.<br /><br />The only thing more ridiculous than the tiny production size (600 cases) is the equally diminutive price. 35 dollars is <em>a third the price</em> you would pay for more popular wines (notice <em>I didn't mention</em> wines like Caymus and Silver Oak? Isn't that diplomatic of me?) made in amounts literally thousands of times larger. Don't be stupid. Spend your hard earned money on wines like those made by Spann. You'll be guilt and remorse free!<br /><br />That's all I have for you. I hope you enjoy your weekend!<br /><br /><br /><br />MarkMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286974342819945060noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25357921.post-64003030914543230002007-05-18T02:26:00.000-05:002007-05-18T02:23:12.911-05:00Friday Wines - Can You Believe This Weather? EditionTuesday night, I came out of my apartment and somehow it was 65 degrees, so I decided to go on a 5 mile walk. Did a little thinking about Friday wines and that's how I arrived at these selections. Try one of these wines to see if that walk did me any good.<br /><br /><em>White Wine under $20</em><br /><br /><strong>2004 Mount Cass Reserve Riesling Waipara Gravels Wairapa Valley ($19)</strong><br />The 2004 Mount Cass demonstrates just how luscious Riesling can be. Dry, but with sufficient ripeness for some to think it's sweet, with an intense core of lime fruit rippling with pineapple and apricot. After the waves of fruit, frosty minerality and an acid rush. Then, something very special- a tingle of resiny spiciness in the finish. Where's this come from? About 10% of the grapes used in this wine had Noble Rot - <em>botrytis cinerea</em> - a fungus that eats some of the water in the grape, leaving behind higher concentrations of fruit, acidity and its own unique flavor. The real thrill of this wine? - balance. Fruit, acid, minerals, concentration, extraction, structure and finish - it's all there.<br /><br /><br /><em>Red Wine under $20</em><br /><br /><strong>2004 Chapel Hill 85%Shiraz/15%Grenache McLaren Vale ($16)</strong><br />Shiraz/Grenache is one of my favorite blends. Think of this as an out of control oil spill on your palate - a big, shiny slick of black currant and blackberry flowing everywhere you give it a chance to go. Just when you think it can't be contained, a layer of strawberry, cherries and white pepper surrounds the black mess, defining its boundaries. The texture here is lush and soft and decadent but the acid keeps it from becoming fluffy.<br /><br />There's a weird notion out there that the <em>only</em> good wines are ones made from a single grape. Don't you believe it. Done well, blending creates wines that exist outside nature.<br /><br /><em>White wine over $20</em><br /><br /><strong>Non-vintage Laurent Perrier L-P Brut Champagne ($40)</strong><br />With aromas of lime, freshly baked bread and a touch of vanilla, this is a beautiful Champagne - dry and creamy without being oaky and crisp without being too acidic. Don't linger on the nose - flavors of lime custard topped with fresh whipped cream and dusted with hazelnuts await. If you're used to drinking Veuve Clicquot and Moet White Star, L-P Brut will give them a run for their money.<br /><br />It's May and in Texas that means graduations. Now I'm all for drinking Champagne as a celebration, but I think it's wasted if that's the only time you drink it. Personally, I think the perfect time to drink Champagne (or any sparkling wine) is because today is a day that ends in the letter "y."<br /><br /><br /><em>Red wine over $20</em><br /><br /><strong>2004 Nicholas Cole Cellars GraEagle Columbia Valley ($27)</strong><br />This is a wine made in the St.-Emilion model - a blend of 49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Cabernet Franc and 12% Merlot and there's plenty to like about it. As a Washington wine, it's a more elegant and lighter than wines made in California. Sweet black cherries and raspberries show up in the first act, with a lilty, earthy green peppercorn spice making an appearance in the second act. The big finish of the show is a hint of black currants and some grippy tannins. What do you have with this bad boy? Classic Steak Frites - a big plate of thin, crispy fries and some blood-rare sirloin sliced on the bias. No salad necessary.<br /><br />This weather's not going to last. Grab a bottle or two of these wines in the evening and have a little dinner on your patio, back porch, balcony or verandah. Soon it'll be Africa hot.<br /><br /><br /><br />MarkMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286974342819945060noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25357921.post-90804156804291298222007-05-15T18:53:00.000-05:002007-05-15T18:51:19.759-05:00The Difference<strong>First, the New World</strong><br /><br />Understandably, a lot of my customers drink mostly New World wines - Argentina, Chile, New Zealand, Australia, Oregon, Washington and especially California. Frankly, so do I. It makes sense. These wines are readily available (duh, we live in the New World) and don't carry some of the high prices as Old World wines like Burgundy, Bordeaux, Champagne. Well, except for California.<br /><br />Another reason why New World wines are popular: fruit, fruit and more fruit. The New World, for the most part (sorry, New Zealand), is blessed with abundant sun. Sun means more photosynthesis and photosynthesis means riper wine. Riper grapes usually yield more sugar, which in dry wines, renders wines with lots of fruit flavors. People like fruit. With cheaper, more available, riper wines around it makes complete sense for American wine drinkers to prefer New World wines.<br /><br />A very tough question remains, however:<br /><br /><em>Are American drinkers missing out by not drinking Old World wines?</em><br /><br />Well, I'm just one guy, but I think the answer is a very loud, resounding, perfectly certain, YES.<br /><br />I want to operate on the theory that I'm right. I'll admit I might not be, but indulge me. This is certainly a debatable question, but I want to operate on this assumption because I want to skip the part of the argument where I detail why Americans are missing out. I know this is a major no-no in rational argument, but there's something more important at stake: Why.<br /><br />Why do Americans shun Old World wines? Is it just convenience? Money? Taste? I don't think so. Americans are pragmatic folk. This is often the thing that irritaties SO many people from other countries and cultures about us. We aren't interested in philosophical difference, or theoretical propositions or consensus. We want things to be clear, elegant and simple. We're all about parsimony.<br /><br /><strong>La Difference</strong><br /><br />If that's true, then why the heck don't we drink wines from the Old World? Why not French or Italian or Spanish? Well, I attribute it to what I call "The Difference."<br /><br />The Difference is simple. New World wines are big, rich, full-bodied, monsters of the wine world. Even Pinot Noir, known the world 'round as one of the most elegant, subtle, challenging and aromatic wines, sometimes pours out of the glass like Petite Sirah and tastes like Syrah in the New World.<br /><br />With this palate whacking, no-holds-barred, Nietzschean Ubermensch kind of wine, you aren't required to have food with them. You can slide the cork out of the bottle, pour a glass and off you go, like you're barrelling down I-35 at 115 mph in a custom-built, Alpine white painted 1970 Dodge Challenger. The biggest speedbump on the California wine expressway may be a 30 minute decanting stop.<br /><br />Food with these wines? Who needs food? Liquid lunch!<br /><br />If you've been to Europe, you know The Difference. In the Old World if you order a glass of wine, even at a bar, you never get <em>just</em> a glass of wine. You'll almost always get something to eat with your vino. It might be a locally made pastry like the caneles you get in Bordeaux or a plate of bread and olive oil in Tuscany or sausages, bread and mustard in Germany. The exception will be dessert wines, and even in many cases, you'll have dessert with your dessert wine.<br /><br />This is The Difference: because food and wine are inseparable in the Old World, the wines are built to go with food.<br /><br />At this point, you may be asking yourself - how do you do that?<br /><br />First, they will have higher levels of acidity. Acidity will cut through rich, creamy, fatty food like a hot knife through butter. That's why you like Sauvignon Blanc with seafood. The high level of acid can cut through even the biggest of dishes. The same principle applies to reds as well.<br /><br /><br />Second, Old World wines will emphasize earthy flavors more than anything you find in the New World. Northern Rhone Syrah, blends from the Languedoc region of France, Chianti and pretty much any Spanish wine you try will have a pronounced earthy component. Many foods easily match this earthiness - root vegetables, mushrooms, herbs, smoked and grilled meats to name just a few.<br /><br />This earthiness can be expressed in any number of flavors - green pepper, spices, cigar box, saddle leather, herbs, stones, minerals, and even chocolate. If any of these ideas appeal to you, the Old World wines should be the first wines you seek.<br /><br />Lastly, Old World wine producers aren't afraid of tannins. Tannins are a necessary part of red wine - they provide a frame around which you drape the rest of the wine's elements: fruit, acid, oak and alcohol. With certain foods like game, beef, lamb and stinky cheese, there's a real synergy between the bitterness of some tannin that works. Know why you like Cabernet Sauvignon with your Ribeye? Tannins.<br /><br />Tannins can cause an astringency people don't care for, but this doesn't have anything to do with the amount of tannin, so much as the way the winemaker has integrated the tannins into the wine. Oak breaks down tannin. So does long, slow exposure to oxygen during the aging process. Winemakers who are careful about these processes can creat wines which are big and tannic but also achingly smooth.<br /><br />Don't confuse tannins with with the "dryness" of wines. Dry is just the opposite of sweet and nothing more. See <a href="http://accidentalwine.blogspot.com/2006/04/dry-or-sweet-dry-sweeeeeeeet.html">here</a> if you are confused about "dry"wine and <a href="http://accidentalwine.blogspot.com/2006/05/dreaded-evil-tannin.html">here</a> if you want to know more about tannins.<br /><br />The more experienced of you wine fanatics might well counter everything I'm saying with a curt "Hey! Wait a minute! Isn't the real reason why Old World wines are more acidic, earthier and tannic than New World wines is that the climate isn't right for making ultra-ripe, jammy wines?"<br /><br />Of course it is. Even in the age of computer-model assisted winemaking techniques we have today, one thing remains as true as it did when monks were the only people literate enough to make wine - a winemaker cannot change the weather. No matter where you are or who you are, you can't change the weather. You have to dance with the one that brung ya.<br /><br /><strong>Vive la Difference</strong><br /><br />What's the point of all this? Well, there are three, actually.<br /><br />First, if you're a California or Aussie wine junkie and have tried a few Old World wines and just haven't gotten the hang of it, I hope you have a better understanding why you don't like them. If you're used to California Pinot Noir, Burgundy might seem thin, airy and a might too tart. My advice? Seek steak. You might never go back to Golden State Cab. Even if you do, you might have a new wine to turn to in case you want to mix things up.<br /><br />Second, don't misunderstand me - these are generalizations about New and Old World wines. Think there aren't any acidic, earthy, tannic New World wines? Try a young Petite Sirah. Think the Old World doesn't have any fruit bombs? Try an Amarone.<br /><br />Third, I've found that most customers play it safe. They only get what they know will work. Take some risk! Jump off that cliff just because someone else did! (I only mean that metaphorically - don't go all "Jackass" on me).<br /><br />I know somebody who always says goodbye by saying "Be good!"<br /><br />My response? Where's the fun in that?<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />MarkMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286974342819945060noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25357921.post-33283649771605939772007-05-11T02:25:00.000-05:002007-05-11T02:23:35.992-05:00Friday Wines - The Princess Bride EditionYou won't understand the title of this entry until you get to the last wine but that way you might read all of the descriptions. It won't matter if you do, though, because any of these wines will add to your viewing of this classic American comedy. Inconceivable!!<br /><br /><br /><em>White wine under $20</em><br /><br /><strong>Muramoto Brewery Hou Hou Shou Sparkling Unfiltered Sake ($12)</strong><br />OK, not technically wine, but wine lovers should definitely try sake. When made well, they will approach the elegance, finesse and complexities of many world-class white wines. They can be less expensive but are sulfite and gluten free. <br /><br />This is a lovely, full-bodied drink that tastes like pear and honeydew melon dipped in white chocolate. It's unpasteurized and that means two things: creamy, rich texture and complexity from the live yeast cells. And the bubbles? This isn't so much sparkling as it is glittery.<br /><br /><br /><em>Red Wine under $20</em><br /><br /><strong>2005 Woop Woop Winery Shiraz/Viognier The Black Chook Australia ($18)</strong><br />Funky name, good wine. "Chook" is Aussie slang for chicken and there used to be a black one on the label. The name refers to the concentrated black/purple color of the wine. This is a blend of cofermented red and white grapes and blends the best elements of both - apricot, ginger and honey from the Viognier and lifted black plums and blueberries from the Shiraz. Full bodied with just the right amount of stucture and acidity and not short of the tar, dark chocolate and black pepper you love from Shiraz. Anybody have any roo tail for the grill?<br /><br /><br /><em>White Wine over $20</em><br /><br /><strong>2005 Signorello Seta Napa Valley ($25)</strong><br />A blend of 60% Semillon and 40% Sauvignon Blanc, this wine shows you don't need a huge amount of oak and malolactic fermentation to get rich, full-bodied white wine. A touch of spicy stone fruits and minerals show on the nose, yielding to mouthfilling, round flavors of grapefruit, starfruit and lime. The slight new French oak (27%) and 10 month sur lie aging deliver a creamy vanilla note with the honeyed Semillon grape returning on the back of the palate. You're getting this wine cheap for this price - they only made 530 cases. Where's the wine's name - Seta - come from? It's the Italian word for silk.<br /><br /><br /><em>Red wine over $20</em><br /><br /><strong>2003 Joullian Zinfandel Sias Cuvee Carmel Valley ($23)</strong><br />This wine is from a bit of an oddball region, but you should be glad it is. Some Napa and Sonoma Zinfandels are just like their cousins, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay - all jammy fruit, rustic tannins and high alcohol but no balance. Zinfandel is never short on fruit so it's essential to have something to keep the fruit in check. For that you need cool weather - and Carmel has plenty of that. The resulting wine is a superbalanced Zinfandel loaded with blackerry and strawberry fruit, elevated by acidity and a touch of pepper.<br /><br />I'll make this easy - Napa Zinfandel is like Fezzik (Andre the Giant) in one of my favorite movies, <em>The Princess Bride</em>: big, simple and reliable. Joullian Zinfandel is more like Princess Buttercup: gorgeous, lithe, nimble and elegant.<br /><br />Enjoy your weekend and remember to avoid the classic blunders: never get involved in a land war in Asia and never, never, ever get into a battle of wits with a Sicillian when death is on the line!<br /><br /><br /><br />MarkMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286974342819945060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25357921.post-59287567881762348162007-05-04T09:11:00.000-05:002007-05-04T09:11:42.560-05:00Friday Wines - Power Failure EditionI was going to write these on Wednesday night because I've been so lax lately. Worked a late shift and when I got home the power was out for about a 20 square mile radius. Crack one of these fine bottles next time the power goes out at your house.<br /><br /><em>White wine under $20</em><br /><br /><strong>2005 Way Kuhl Dry Riesling Mosel-Saar-Ruwer QbA ($11)</strong><br />If you haven't tried dry Riesling yet, this summer is the time to try it! This wine tastes exactly the way the label describes it - light, crisp and dry, with flavors of lime, slate and a touch of honey. It's all tightly held in place by great acidity and a precision known only in German wines. Yes, I know it isn't officially summer yet, but have you been to Texas in May?<br /><br /><br /><em>Red wine under $20</em><br /><br /><strong>2005 Bodegas Los Llanos Pata Negra Roble Valdepenas DO ($12.50)</strong><br />This is classic Spanish red - light to medium bodied, restrained cherry fruit, raw cacao and leather earthiness. There's tannin here, but 3 months in oak barrels trims the edge off quite nicely. Like most Spanish reds, this will pair well with food, whether you smoked it or caught it on a line.<br /><br /><br /><em>White wine over $20</em><br /><br /><strong>2005 Storrs Chardonnay Santa Cruz Mountains ($26)</strong><br />Surprise, surprise, I chose a Chardonnay for my white over $20! I usually avoid Chards here simply because there are so many of them in this category. Y'all know I prefer my Chardonnay the way I prefer my women: complex. Aromas of butterscotch and hazlenuts dominate, with a little pear and golden apple following. In the mouth, you'll get some citrus kick, a little of the pears and a lot of secondary flavors like the aforementioned hazelnuts, caramel and clove-honey-vanilla oak rather than the coconut and butter you get in a traditional Cali Chard. This sounds like it's sweet, but it's not because the acid keeps the fruit balanced.<br /><br /><em>Red wine over $20</em><br /><br /><strong>2003 Takler Heritage Cuvee Szekszard ($25)</strong><br />This is Hungarian wine and I think it will eventually turn out to be the next big value in the wine world. They use lots of native grapes with funny names and there'll be a learning curve for them, but you'll get used to them. Let's get you started down that path so you can start drinking the wines right away - long before your friends hear anything about Hungary.<br /><br />The Heritage Cuvee is a blend of five (5) grapes: 38% Kekfrankos (the same grape as the German Blaufrankisch), 25% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc and 7% a Hungarian grape, Kadarka. Frankly, I'd put it up against any medium to heavy bodied red from the California at the same price point - smoky red fruit, nice structure, good balance, and a long finish. Don't take this for New World wine, though - the ripeness is tempered with silky tannins, sophisticated earthy tones and fine balance. Take the time to make real, slow cooked Hungarian Gulyas (Goulash) and revel in the decadent East.<br /><br />Enjoy your weekend. It's my Wednesday!<br /><br /><br /><br />MarkMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286974342819945060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25357921.post-24744053154333987562007-04-13T03:26:00.000-05:002007-04-13T03:26:40.123-05:00Friday Wines - The Rare Friday Off EditionI don't know how this happened, but somehow, miraculously, I have a Friday off. I have no idea how I'm going to waste...um spend it, but it probably won't be wisely. Wise up - go buy one of these bottles to celebrate your Friday.<br /><br /><em>White wine under $20</em><br /><br /><strong>2006 Colombelle Vin de Pays Cotes de Gascogne ($10)</strong><br />Can you say "bargain?" Sure, I knew you could. Old vines Colombard lends vibrant, stunning, concentrated floral aromas and flavors of pineapple, guava and mandarin orange. Trebbiano adds a silkiness to the mouthfeel. Sound sweet? Nope. The acidity in this wine's like a barbed wire fence - sharp enough to keep everything contained.<br /><br /><em>Red wine under $20</em><br /><br /><strong>2003 Maestre de Campo Merlot Mendoza ($11)</strong><br />My friends and colleagues all know that, well before the movie Sideways was released, I decided I don't care for Merlot. Most of it's either been disemboweled (all fruit, no guts) or it's nothing but tannin and no fruit.<br /><br />We don't get along. Don't like each other. Don't wanna be in the same room.<br /><br />Not so the Maestre de Campo. It's big, brawny and muscular with structure, but with pure blackberry fruit and a rich, nutty dark chocolate character. Grace, power and balance. Buy cases of it, whether you like Merlot or not. Did I mention this is handpicked?<br /><br /><em>White wine over $20</em><br /><br /><strong>2004 Cristom Viognier Estate Willamette Valley ($27)</strong><br />I was lucky enough to be invited to Pinot Camp in Oregon the year this wine was grown. We probably tasted 100 wines a day for four days. When one, two or three of the producers stand out, that's a very good sign. Cristom was one of those standouts.<br /><br />This is <em>not</em> your grandfather's Viognier. OK, never mind that Viognier wasn't really around then but this is, to quote the late and magnificent Johnny Carson, "big, big stuff." Rich is the key word here: rich with honey and ginger aromas; rich with apricot, orange marmalade and lemon zest flavors; rich with mouthfeel. All you need to reach nirvana is scallops sauteed in olive oil and blood orange sauce.<br /><br /><em>Red wine over $20</em><br /><br /><strong>2003 Avignonesi Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG ($22)</strong><br />This classic Italian wine from Tuscany. The grape here is a special strain of Sangiovese called Prugnolo and until the rise of Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile was considered the best of the best in Italy.<br /><br />The nose on this baby is smoke, cherry, violets and tobacco. Don't expect fat, massive, bulky wine. Vino Nobile illustrates that bigger isn't necessarily better. There's rich black cherry fruit, to be sure, but it's medium bodied. I love the tangy acidity that frames the wine and there's more - spicy oak is there, but not intrusive and there's considerable but sweet tannin, too.<br /><br />That's it for me. Please let me know if there are any hits or misses!<br /><br /><br /><br />MarkMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286974342819945060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25357921.post-19716538206431937102007-04-06T01:28:00.000-05:002007-04-06T01:36:15.290-05:00Friday wines - One Year and One Day Anniversary EditionThat's right, ladies and gentlemen, I started Accidental Wine on April 5th, 2006. Here's a nice little group of bottles to celebrate my ramblings about spoiled grape juice.<br /><br /><em>White wine under $20</em><br /><br /><strong>2006 Gouguenheim Chardonnay Valle Escondido ($11)<br /></strong>Most of you know I usually don't care for Chardonnay. I think far too many wines don't express the complexity, balance and seamlessness well-made Chardonnay always has. With its layers of pineapple, vanilla cream, pear, spice, crisp texture and a long, nutty finish, this fine Chardonnay is a showoff.<br /><br /><br /><em>Red wine under $20<br /></em><br /><strong>2002 Posis Montepulciano d'Abruzzo DOC ($13)<br /></strong>Beginners will like Posis because of its jammy, red berry fruit, velvety-texture and low tannins. Experienced quaffers will like its complexity. A wine that delivers this much fruit intensity, medium body, balancing acidity and sweet earthiness but still has great grip despite its low tannins (not to mention the reasonable price) will win any palate. Try it with dry rubbed, pecan smoked ribs.<br /><br /><br /><em>White wine over $20</em><br /><br /><strong>NV Mionetto Sergio Rose Valdobbiane ($24)</strong><br />OK, technically, it's not white wine, per se. But by recommending it to you, I can get up on two soapboxes at once - convincing customers to drink more sparkling wine and to try more dry rose wines. Pale rose in the glass, it reminds you of dusk on a deep July evening. It's complicated stuff - flavors of raspberry, lavender and a hint of truffly earth all pierced with a lance of acidity. Crisp as the new twenty you buy it with, it's pure elegance. With bubbles, no less! Have a cold supper of crusty bread, smoked salmon, a dollop of greek yogurt, capers and a sprinkle of white wine vinegar.<br /><br /><br /><em>Red wine over $20<br /></em><br /><strong>2003 Jaros Ribera del Duero DO ($30)</strong><br />Picture this: Tempranillo. Thirteen months in French and American oak. Purple/black color, bold flavors of black cherries, saddle leather, licorice, smoke and broken stones. This wine's so massive it holds down the glass it's in, the table under it and the floor below that by inertia alone. There's only one more word to add to its description: <em>steak</em>.<br /><br />That's it for my one year and one day anniversary celebration. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!<br /><br /><br /><br />MarkMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286974342819945060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25357921.post-4703612242410566162007-03-30T04:11:00.000-05:002007-03-30T04:11:18.113-05:00Friday Wines - The I Can't Think of a Catchy Title EditionThat's right, no idea. Straight to business, I say!<br /><br /><em>White under $20<br /></em><br /><strong>2006 Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough ($13)<br /></strong>Bright grapefruit, mineral, granny smith apple and a spear of acidity to structure the wine. At 13 bucks a bottle, you're buying a $25 wine. This wine shows why New Zealand is the Garden of Sauvignon Blanc Eden.<br /><br /><em>Red under $20</em><br /><br /><strong>2003 Fitch Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley ($17)<br /></strong>I've already given away the hook here. This blackberry dusted, big smack in the mouth of a wine, replete with structure, richness and luxury only costs $17. What's the big deal? Fitch Mountain doesn't make wine until the grapes are perfect (last time was 2000), it's all from the best appellation in Sonoma County, Alexander Valley and get this - they only made 205 cases. The punch line? This wine would hold its own in a $30 dollar Cab tasting. It might even win.<br /><br /><br /><em>White over $20</em><br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;"><strong>WARNING! The following wine is NOT a dry wine. It's a dessert wine.</strong></span><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;"><strong></strong></span><br /><strong>2004 PMC Eiswein Burgenland ($30)<br /></strong>It's tough to find whites under $20 (other than Chardonnay) week in, week out, much less dry wines at that price point. That means occasionally you'll get sweet wines here. This one's terrific.<br /><br />Two grapes in this Austrian beauty: native Gruener Veltliner and Sauvignon Blanc. It's like getting shot - the first round hits you with of key lime, mandarin and guava. As you recover from that, the second bullet thumps you - a quick percussion wave of sweet, followed by a blast of acidity that raises the fruit but balances the scales. Just when you think the gun's empty, you get the <em>coup de grace</em> of white pepper. You'll die happy.<br /><br /><em>Red over $20<br /></em><br /><strong>2004 Anglim Grenache Paso Robles ($27)<br /></strong>Steve Anglim makes wines in miniscule amounts that pack a wallop. Suffused with rich strawberry and black raspberry fruit, veneered with fine layers cinnamon, smoke and white pepper, the wine owes its velvety texture to plenty of alcohol. There's also balance, purity and grace here, too.<br /><br />I have a Friday and Saturday off, so I'm off, too. Happy wine drinking!<br /><br /><br /><br />MarkMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286974342819945060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25357921.post-25667789710287835742007-03-28T02:29:00.000-05:002007-03-28T02:28:21.542-05:00So there you are in France...and you don't know what to do about buying wine. You could go to wineries, but that can be an expensive, time-consuming, driving-in-a-foreign-land-where-you-don't-know-how-to-get-where-you're-going kind of experience. If you think about it, wineries don't really exist much in cities - they're usually, you know, rural. Cause that's where they grow things.<br /><br />Plus, you don't have an international driver's license and don't speak the language.<br /><br />And, to top it all off, you haven't made any appointments at the wineries, so even if you go there, you still may not be greeted warmly or worse yet, they may be closed.<br /><br />OK, so wineries can be a troublesome affair. But you're a wine lover who wants the good juice that you can only get in winemaking regions. What to do? You pretty much have two options:<br /><br />1) Restaurants - restaurants are a good option for finding good wines in a foreign country, but it's not always a hassle-free experience. You have to know what you're in for.<br /><br />First, there's the expense. While you probably won't find the 300-500% markup on restaurant wine in Europe (or other wine regions) you have in the States, it's still going to be pricey, espeically by the bottle. Sure, like any other restaurant in any other wine region in the world, you can find wines that offer good quality and flavor for the money, but what makes you thing think that will be easier in a place where you don't know anyone?<br /><br />Second, there's navigating wine lists. Let's be honest: many people are intimidated by the wine lists where they live, in their local restaurants, where they speak the language. Do you think that experience would be any easier where you can't read street signs, find the WC (as they call it over there) get to the bakery? Doubtful.<br /><br />Sounds bleak, I know, but there's still hope. The solution is pretty simple - order the house wine.<br /><br />Yes, I'm aware the house wine might well come in a plastic pitcher. Yes, I'm aware you might only pay 3 Euros for that plastic pitcher full of wine. Yes, I'm aware the owner of the restaurant might have walked right out of the barn and into the dining room to bring you that pitcher of wine.<br /><br />Despite all these interesting things, chances are it'll be good. There is a chance it might be one of the best wines you get on your trip. Why? Competition.<br /><br />Wine producing nations have a more pervasive wine culture than we do. That, of course, means more wines. And anyone who has read Adam Smith's <em>Wealth of Nations</em> knows competition means lower prices and - the best thing for us - better quality at those lower prices.<br /><br />A restaurant owner knows that the wine inside that plastic pitcher has to be the best wine he can find - or you can go right down the block and get a different, better wine in a plastic picture at another restaurant for the same, or<em> less</em> money.<br /><br />That wine might made by the owner himself. Or, it might be made by the restaurateur's best friend who happens to be a winemaker. It's even likely that wine has never seen a bottle. It might be taken right from the barrel. If you've been to a barrel tasting, you know this is usually a good thing.<br /><br /><em>That's</em> the way to get good wine in restaurants. Well, in Europe, anyway.<br /><br />2) Grocery stores - This is probably the best way to find a wide variety of interesting wines at good prices while you're wandering around wine country, no matter what continent you're in.<br /><br />Buying wine is grocery stores is a good bet for the same reasons as ordering house wine in restaurants - competition. There's lots of wine and every grocery store sells it. There are also lots of customers who want that wine. If you can't find wine you like in one store, just go to the next <em>Ipso facto</em> - good prices for good quality.<br /><br />And what about the quality of that wine? Well, you tell me. What's better, tomatoes you buy in the local farmer's market or tomatoes picked unripe, gassed with ethylene and then shipped 2500 miles from California? The farmer's market tomatoes, of course. They were hand tended, vie-ripened and hand picked before their very short trip to the market.<br /><br />If you're buying wine in a grocery store, especially in wine country, you're more than likely to find plenty of wines made by local producers who care for their vines the way you care for your own garden.<br /><br />You, gentle readers, know this, even without thinking about it. Where are <em>you</em> shopping? - at the places where they have the most wine, for the lowest prices.<br /><br />Duh.<br /><br />This is my best advice for buying wine whle you're getting your wanderlust on. More than one customer has come back and reported good results using this method. I've tried it and gotten pretty good results myself.<br /><br />Or you could learn the langauge they speak in your wine destination.<br /><br />Naaaaaah.<br /><br /><br /><br />MarkMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286974342819945060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25357921.post-81068505193646463692007-03-23T22:36:00.000-05:002007-03-30T04:05:11.590-05:00Friday Wines - Vernal Equinox EditionThese Friday wines are in honor of the beginning of Daylight Savings time and the Vernal Equinox. Celebrate the return of sunlight in the evenings and warmer temperatures with these wines:<br /><br /><em>White under $20<br /></em><br /><strong>2006 Duck Pond <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Pinot</span> Gris Willamette Valley ($10)<br /></strong><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Pinot</span> Gris is the same grape as <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Pinot</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Grigio</span>, but certainly not the same wine. Duck Pond shows off stylish apricot, pear, minerals and even cream without oak in a medium to full bodied, dry white. A line of acidity holds the wine together. Great value at $10 dollars!<br /><br /><em>Red under $20</em><br /><br /><strong>2004 Gravity Hills Zinfandel Tumbling Tractor <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Paso</span> Robles ($15)<br /></strong><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Paso</span> Robles is arguably the hottest region in California, having been awarded 12 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">subappellations</span> in the last year or two. Like blueberry flavors in your wine? Tumbling Tractor has it, and those of us who love that flavor in wine know it's damn hard to get. What else does this wine have? Everything - big but smooth tannin, counterbalancing acidity, full body and balance, balance, balance. Did I mention balance?<br /><br /><br /><em>White over $20<br /></em><br /><strong>2005 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Feudi</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">di</span> San Gregorio <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Greco</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">di</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Tufo</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">DOCG</span></strong><br />Some white wine fans think you have to buy super <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">oaked</span>, 100% <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">malolactic</span> (for that buttery slipperiness) Chardonnay to get full bodied, dry wines.<br /><br />NOT!<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Greco</span> is the grape here and it struts its stuff with tropical fruit flavors dominated by pineapple, almond and a hint of resin in the flavors. The texture is creamy and luscious all without new wood or <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">malolactic</span> fermentation. Wait until it's hot and crack one of these babies and then watch Chardonnay hide in the corner.<br /><br /><br /><em>Red over $20 </em><br /><br /><strong><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">Inwood</span> Estates Vineyards <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">Tempranillo</span>-Cabernet <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">Sauvignon</span> Texas ($40)</strong><br />Stop blinking and squinting. Yes, I said, Texas, and yes it's $40 a bottle. This is fruit grown in the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">Newsom</span> vineyards way out west in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">Yoakum</span> county. It's big, bold, solid, <em>real</em> red wine. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">Tempranillo</span> (58%) lends its big cherry fruit, scorched earth and a tinge of smoke. Cabernet <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">Sauvignon</span> (42%) fattens up the texture, adds some black fruit and provide the frame to build this big house on. It's one of the top 3 Texas wines I've ever had. Sport this bottle to your next California Cab blind tasting and watch the jaws drop and the eyes pop!<br /><br />Enjoy your weekend! I'm off to drink a bit myself. The only question is:<br /><br />Wine or beer? Wine or beer? <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">Hmmm</span>...<br /><br /><br /><br />MarkMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286974342819945060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25357921.post-21793671847773999332007-03-18T20:36:00.000-05:002007-03-20T18:57:10.853-05:00But I Only Have a Hamilton!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8bTv6CiB9vPKTuFQ0FJRMuuzjJmDEEp2-ev3DX_Ot85BrCPIMmgcl5-v8CE8YZGtFxufhTr2GfPXBqRxaE5gnNBQmFvh_-4hQR9Cy41We97qfswWDCbjMEXpxp3MN9E6rcdG1iQ/s1600-h/tenspot.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5043733859359063842" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8bTv6CiB9vPKTuFQ0FJRMuuzjJmDEEp2-ev3DX_Ot85BrCPIMmgcl5-v8CE8YZGtFxufhTr2GfPXBqRxaE5gnNBQmFvh_-4hQR9Cy41We97qfswWDCbjMEXpxp3MN9E6rcdG1iQ/s400/tenspot.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Lots of people are looking for wine utopia. What do I mean? Allow me to explain.<br /><br />Wine utopia is the place where you can get outstanding wines for nothing more than ten dollars. You don't even have to know anything about that region. Just pick a bottle and it will be good. Do a little work and you might even find an exceptional bargain. <div><div> </div><div></div><div></div><div>Just like with other Shangri-Las, Wine Utopia's hard to find. Let's look at a few candidates.</div><div> </div><div></div><div>Many wine writers, magazines and even customers say that Chile is wine utopia. This may have been true at one time and yes, there are plenty of decent red and white Bordeaux varietal wines available in Chile, but most of them are just that, decent, and no more. They aren't spectacular or even great, at least not for my palate.</div><div> </div><div>But there's another problem. The reds have, well, a certain aroma I don't like. I coined a new descriptor to describe it:</div><div> </div><div></div><div></div><div>Stink.</div><div></div><br /><div>They have something in them that smells earthy, but not in a good way. No, I'm not talking barnyard, though that is a standard descriptor for some wine aromas. This is more related to Bordeaux minerality, but minerality gone bad. It seems to be unique to most - but not all - Chilean reds. Chile, to me, is more Purgatory rather than Utopia.</div><div><br />Australia used to be the best place to find a 10-dollar beauty. No longer. Now <em>Yellow Tail</em> will cost you a ten-spot. While there are still some great, inexpensive bottles, the era of the cheap, Aussie wine rated well over 90 points is over. You have all have discovered the Australian secret. It's your fault.<br /><br />California has never been home of the great wine bargain, at least as long as I have been in the wine business. Granted, that's less than five years, but I can't imagine there has been a major shift in that business model either shortly before or shortly after I fell into the wine world.<br /><br />France and Italy are another matter. There are plenty of well made, low priced wines produced by both these countries. The problem with these countries is you're expected to do research.<br /><br />In Europe, they match ground to grape, so if you see a specific region or area or appellation on the label, you should know what grapes they grow there. I mean French consumers know that Burgundy will be Pinot Noir and the Italians know that Chianti is dominated by Sangiovese, why shouldn't you?</div><div> </div><div></div><div>Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of good bottles you can get for an Alexander Hamilton in both France and Italy. You just have to do some hunting, and that's <em>not</em> very utopian.<br /><br />Well, if you can't find Wine Utopia in Australia, France, Italy, California or Chile, where the Hell is it?<br /><br />Spain. That's the closest you're gonna get.</div><div></div><br /><div>Why Spain? It's simple. Whether you're looking to buy sparklers, reds, whites, roses or dessert wines, they make some of the best quality, bargain priced wines in the world. </div><div> </div><div></div><div>They have one of the oldest winemaking cultures in the world - Spain first got its grapes from the Phonecians, some 5000 years ago. Most European cultures started producing wines with Roman invasions, much later than Spain</div><div> </div><div></div><div>Though they're old hands at winemaking, Spain has some of the newest equipment, youngest and most innovative winemakers and most exciting new techniques for making wine.</div><div> </div><div></div><div>When it comes to grapes, they have the same blend of old and new. They use both native grapes (Verdejo, Parellada Mencia, Bobal) and international varietals like Cabernet, Merlot and Syrah to make wines. Heck, they've even found out that some French grapes are really Spanish (Grenache and Mourvedre)! As far as grape variety goes, you get the best of old and new with Spain.</div><div> </div><div>And nobody, <em>I mean nobody</em>, knows how to blend fruit, oak, acid, earth and tannin better than the Spanish.</div><div> </div><div></div><div></div><div>Here's how much I stand by my assessment of Spain as the closest thing you'll find to Wine Utopia right now. I don't even think you have to look at the wines. Try this method for choosing a Spanish wine next time you head to the wine store:</div><div></div><br /><div>1) Go to the wine retailer you know has the widest selection of Spanish wines you can think of. </div><div></div><div></div><div>2) Stand a little bit closer than arm's length in front of the Spanish wine section.</div><div></div><div>3) Close your eyes.</div><div></div><div></div><div>4) Wave your arm around randomly (and gently!) the rack and after a few seconds, let your hand rest on a bottle.<br /></div><div>5) If that bottle is over 10 bucks, repeat steps 2-4.<br />6) Pick up that bottle, pay for it and take it home.</div><div></div><div>7) Drink.</div><div> </div><div></div><div></div><div>I think you're gonna be shocked at the results. You may find a bottle that's good, regardless of whether it's red or white.</div><div> </div><div></div><div>And if you actually read the labels, you might find a highly rated wine for your ten-spot.</div><div></div><br /><div>I only have two disclaimers about this method.</div><div> </div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>First, one hallmark of Spanish wines is their earthiness. You'll find plenty of fruit in many of these wines, but they love earthy flavors, too. I still think you'll be shocked at how good a wine you can find for 1000 pennies.</div><div> </div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>Second, if you're used to drinking only California wines, European wines generally need food. They don't drink wine without some kinda snack right there at the same time - olives, almonds, cheese - something. As a result, they build the wines to go with food. You should drink them that way, too.</div><div></div><br /><div>Try this out but don't do it with Spain alone. It's a fun way to explore any wine region, if not the most efficient. Let me know how it works for you.</div><div></div><br /><br /><div>Mark</div></div>Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286974342819945060noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25357921.post-27324793111747358232007-02-20T01:46:00.000-06:002007-02-25T17:05:59.718-06:00Start! Stop! Go!OK, time for a rant. If I were divine, imperial, absolute monarch of the wine world, I'd make the following decrees. There will be more of these, for sure. Don't like it? Argue with me.<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">Stop</span> thinking ratings are the only way to buy wine.<br /><span style="color:#006600;">Start</span> living by "The One Rule" - drink what tastes good; ignore all other advice.<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">Stop</span> drinking huge production wines that are no longer the family wineries they started out as.<br /><span style="color:#006600;">Start</span> hunting down small production (fewer than 1000 cases), family owned wineries. If all you make is wine and not much of it, it'd better be the best juice you can put in the bottle.<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">Stop </span>asking if wines are dry. Ninety-five percent of all the wines you drink now are dry.<br /><span style="color:#006600;">Start</span> asking how <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">tannic</span> a wine is. Tannins determine how much the wine dries out your mouth, not dryness. Both sweet and dry wines can be <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">tannic</span>. If you're confused by this, go <a href="http://accidentalwine.blogspot.com/2006_04_01_archive.html">here</a>.<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">Stop </span>buying wines using the hair-on-fire-fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants method.<br /><span style="color:#006600;">Start </span>doing a little homework before you purchase a wine. What's the difference between a great wine and a golf ball? A man will spend all day looking for a golf ball.<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">Stop</span> worrying so much about matching wine and food. Sometimes accidents are happy.<br /><span style="color:#006600;">Start</span> drinking sparkling wines with anything on your table. I mean <em>anything</em>. It always works.<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">Stop</span> buying all your usual standbys - I'm tired of hearing requests for Silver Oak, Liberty School, La <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Crema</span>, Santa <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Margherita</span> and Yellow Tail.<br /><span style="color:#006600;">Start</span> looking for new, reliable wines. How do you think you discovered those old standbys in the first place? You tried something new.<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">Stop </span>buying the same old low quality Rieslings you usually drink. Just because it's in a blue bottle, doesn't mean it's good.<br /><span style="color:#009900;">Start </span>drinking high quality German Rieslings. Good quality Rieslings are arguably the most underrated wines in the world.<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">Stop</span> drinking cheap <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Pinot</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Grigio</span>. As the most imported wine into the US, many producers are buying whatever grapes they can get.<br /><span style="color:#006600;">Start</span> drinking other inexpensive whites. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Verdelho</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Vermentino</span>, and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Colombard</span>, for example.<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">Stop</span> being a control freak. The wine world is <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">waaaay</span> bigger than you are.<br /><span style="color:#33ff33;"><span style="color:#006600;">Start</span> </span>occasionally asking your favorite wine professional to pick a wine for you, no questions asked. Let them do their job - they know what they're doing.<br /><br /><br /><br />MarkMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286974342819945060noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25357921.post-10264705530130652212007-02-16T00:40:00.000-06:002007-02-18T01:02:32.695-06:00Ay! Que Vinas!For my first post since late summer, I thought I'd introduce you to some wines new to the area - <a href="http://bokischvineyards.com">Bokisch Vineyards</a>. I have to thank my friend, former colleague, and proprietor of <a href="http://pinovino.com">PinoVino</a>, Mike Taylor, for telling me about them six months ago. He attends the California Family Wine Association event every year (I think that's what it's called) and tried them there. I've been trying to get my greedy hands on them ever since, and we were the first place in the area to get our hands on them this week.<br /><br />Markus Bokisch grows Spanish grapes in Lodi, California. I haven't seen many other producers making these grapes, with the exception of Garnacha (read Grenache) and certainly none doing it with this degree of success. Here they are:<br /><br /><strong><em>2005 Bokisch Albarino Lodi ($17) </em></strong><br /><br />Anyone who's tried Albarino knows they are stylish, layered, complex and fascinating wines if you want them to be, but who cares when they bring so much pleasure? This wine puts the adult in adulterated.<br /><br />Honey gold in color, the Bokisch Albarino had considerably more depth than its Spanish counterpart. It's rounder and richer and more laden with peach, apricot and a hint of caramel. It's dry, with sufficient acidity to balance the fruit. More importantly, it retains that mystical, paradoxical thing I love about Albarino - it's a wine that's both light <em>and</em> silky. It fills every corner of your mouth but is almost nonexistent on the palate.<br /><br />There are only 340 cases.<br /><br /><strong><em>2004 Boksich Tempranillo Lodi ($22)</em></strong><br /><br />Tempranillo is the signature grape of Rioja, Spain, where it's a wine rich with earthiness, tannin, cherries, cocoa and vanilla. The Lodi version is the Barry Bonds version of the wine - more juice, more muscle, more fruit and even more tannin. Black raspberry, dust, espresso aromas rise out of the glass, followed by black cherry fruit, herbal notes and a long, dark chocolate finish. There's plenty of earthiness like you get in Spanish Tempranillo, but again, Bokisch has taken pains to give it a California sensibility. The wine has plenty of tannin, but it's smoothly integrated.<br /><br />The production is 330 cases.<br /><br /><br /><strong><em>2005 Bokisch Garnacha Lodi ($19)<br /></em></strong><br />Markus Bokisch has figured out precisely how to position Garnacha as a California wine. In Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Grenache is rich, red fruit bounded by white pepper. In Spain's cooler climate, there's red fruit galore, but the acidity and minerality are more apparent. Markus' Garnacha has a style all its own - from the ruby slipper color to the scents of creme de cerise (cherry liqueur to you and me), olive and white pepper to the abundant, creamy strawberry and raspberry flavors, this is clearly a California wine. It's in no way jammy, flamboyant and campy the way some Cali wines get. Why? Thank the tannins.<br /><br />It'll evaporate soon, though - only 150 cases made.<br /><br /><br /><em><strong>2004 Bokisch Graciano Lodi ($27)<br /></strong></em><br />Graciano is pretty much used only as a blending grape in Rioja. If Bokisch is any indication, the grape's sidekick days are over. Its purple/black color reminded me of silk used to make saris - black when the light hits it from one direction and as you rotate the glass, deep violet slowly seeps in and eventually dominates. With aromas of black plum, raisin. black currant and espeically blueberry. The black currant and blueberry fruit shine through in the flavors, complemented sweetly by mossy earth notes and wood smoke. With all this fruit, you'd think it might be too jammy. It's not. Just enough acidity and considerable structure completely balance the wine.<br /><br />I can't say too much about how much I like this wine, so the last thing I'm going to say about it is - there are only 250 cases of it.<br /><br />More next week! It's great to be back!<br /><br /><br /><br />MarkMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286974342819945060noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25357921.post-62182083951377985752007-02-13T21:20:00.000-06:002007-02-13T21:22:48.267-06:00Things Are Looking Up!I've finally made the switch from the old Blogspot to the new format. I'm going to start posting more regularly now, but still don't have a new computer so I won't be posting as often as I want.<br /><br />Be on the lookout for something this week!<br /><br />MarkMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286974342819945060noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25357921.post-1154642795747528932006-08-03T17:07:00.000-05:002006-08-03T17:06:35.796-05:00Let's Just Say...that if my computer were a bottle of wine, it would be corked, corked, oxidized and have bottle sickness. I do have posts coming but please bear with me.<br /><br />Thanks for your patience and loyalty!<br /><br /><br /><br />MarkMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286974342819945060noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25357921.post-1153508555737083022006-07-21T13:25:00.000-05:002006-07-21T15:52:32.480-05:00Friday Wines - R&R EditionIt's day 10 of that insidious 10 day in a row shift. I'm gonna disappear from the store for a bit, but rest assured, I'll still be writing about wine here. So don't abandon ship. I'll be back in person on August 1. As for now, you need wine.<br /><br /><em>White wine under $20<br /></em><br /><strong>2003 Pierre Sparr One Vin d'Alsace ($13.99)<br /></strong>There's this California wine out there, Conundrum. It's very popular because it's a blend of sharp, acidic, crisp grapes, blended with fat, aromatic, fruity grapes. It's very popular because it makes a soft, rich fruit-driven wine that is also well structured. At 22-25 dollars a bottle, it's also damned expensive.<br /><br />One shows why French wines can generally be great values compared to California wine. One is a wine from Alsace that blends together 5 grapes - Riesling, Pinot Blanc, Muscat, Gewurztraminer and Pinot Gris.<br /><br />I know what you're thinking here. Stop. It's not sweet.<br /><br />No, I'm not psychic. Yes, I know there are German grapes in there. I promise, it's not sweet.<br /><br />If you like super concentrated fruit, this is your wine. Riesling yields lime and pineapple flavors. Pinot Blanc gives up pear and lemon. Muscat gives peach and apricot flavors with a smidgeon of musk. Gewurztraminer decorates with rose petals, spice and tropical fruit. Pinot Gris garnishes with rich nectarine. This is a bowl of fruit.<br /><br />This wine is dense and full-bodied but seriously, it's not sweet. You'd think this wine would be overwhelming in its fruit and richness, but luckily, Riesling, Muscat and Pinot Gris are all grapes relatively high in acid. They provide the acidity to balance the superfat fruit offered by Gewurztraminer and Pinot Blanc. It's a paradox - ripe and voluptuous, but still crisp and sharp. Don't ask me, it just works. I love it with sushi.<br /><br />Two more things make this a lovely wine: it's $8-$10 cheaper than Conundrum and it's better wine.<br /><br /><br /><em>Red wine under $20<br /></em><br /><strong>2004 Tommasi Poggio al Tufo Vigneto Rompicollo Maremma Toscana ($15.99)<br /></strong>A blend of 60% Sangiovese and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, this wine is all red fruit on the nose. Strawberry, plum and red cherries form the core flavors, with hints of leather, tobacco and coffee dancing around them. On the palate, the red fruit expands, but the wine remains medium bodied with the leather and tobacco blurring toward cocoa. There's acid here, but the wine isn't tart and it ultimately provides balance. Tannins are firm, but keep reading. You'll see how they soften up.<br /><br />If you've been to anywhere in Europe, you know they never just plunk you down with a glass of wine and nothing to eat with it. There's always food, whether it be a chunk of cheese and some olives, or mustard, salami and bread. Learn something from Italian civilization. It's good stuff, but this wine will shine at the table.<br /><br /><br /><em>White wine over $20<br /></em><br /><strong>Non-vintage Kluge Brut New World Sparkling Wine Albemarle County, Virginia ($40.00) </strong><br />When people think of American wines, a few states generally come up - California, Oregon, Washington. Virginia? Virginia??<br /><br />I repeat, for emphasis:<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;">VIRGINIA??</span><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">Yes, Virginia, there are good wines in Virginia. This is one of them.</span> A true blanc de blancs, made from 100% Chardonnay, it's impossibly light bodied, with sexy, opulent aromas and flavors of lime and mandarin orange. It's held on its lees for 24 months, so has good depth and it finishes with racy acidity. This is as good as many, many genuine grower Champagnes. It might well win a blind tasting of hifalutin Champagnes like Krug, La Grande Dame and Salon. This will be damned hard to find now, but keep your glasses ready.<br /><br /><br /><em>Red wine over $20</em><br /><br /><strong>2001 Cyan Vendimia Seleccionada Toro ($38.99)</strong><br />Tempranillo is a supergrape. You can use it to make simple, elegant, everyday drinkers, bursting with cherry fruit, oak and vanilla. Or, you can make wine like Cyan.<br /><br />Cyan is packed with sophisticated red fruit, earthy undertones, spicy oak and sweet vanilla. Aromas of cherries rolled in espresso and then oven roasted only hint at the flavors in the wine. On the palate, the wine is surrenders opulent black cherry, raw cocoa and indian spice. There's plenty of tannin but it's silky and polished and holds the wine together. Medium bodied and rich, there's also plenty of oak expressed here but mainly at the back. Spanish winemakers are brilliant at integrating fruit, earth, tannin and oak. Nobody does this better.<br /><br />I'm not the only one who likes it. That upstart Robert Parker gave it 93 points out of 100.<br /><br />Since I'll be gone, please feel free to solicit whatever wine questions you have on the tag board. I'll answer them as I get them.<br /><br />Have a nice weekend!<br /><br /><br /><br />MarkMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286974342819945060noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25357921.post-1153076813122626612006-07-20T13:55:00.000-05:002006-07-20T13:59:02.170-05:00The Jedi Wine TrickListen closely, young Padawans, and today I will reveal a mystery of the Force - the Jedi Wine Trick.<br /><br />The Jedi Mind Trick we all know, but repeating the story bears.<br /><br />With a wave of his hand, Jedi Master Obi-wan Kenobi prevented Imperial Stormtroopers from capturing the droid R2D2 when he and the Luke Skywalker were trying to escape Tatooine with the plans for the first Death Star. We all know the immortal words:<br /><br />"These aren't the droids we're looking for...You can go about your business...Move along." This is the power of the Jedi Mind Trick.<br /><br />The Jedi Wine Trick is almost the same. A customer approaches with a bottle of wine and asks about its suitability. Seeing that the wine might not be the best value or the best example of a grape or the best in quality, our stalwart wine professional might utter calmly:<br /><br />"That's not the wine you're looking for. This is the wine you're looking for."<br /><br />Although the subject of the Jedi Wine Trick almost never repeats the words used to persuade them to take the wine, they almost always wisely take the bottle and, well, move along.<br /><br />There are some differences between the Jedi Mind Trick and the Jedi Wine Trick and you, young Padawans, should be aware of them. Listen carefully, for tested you will be. Fail, you must not.<br /><br />First, the Jedi Mind Trick is only effective on the weak. Now, we all know from medical studies red wine consumption may prevent dementia and memory loss, so I'm not implying wine customers are in any way weak-minded.<br /><br />Second, the Jedi Wine Trick is much stronger than the Jedi Mind Trick. It can work on virtually anyone, regardless of the level of wine knowledge. I've seen it work on beginners and lifelong customers and all levels in between. Think not you are immune.<br /><br />Beware the power of the Dark Side! Like all powers, the Jedi Wine Trick can be used for good and evil. Not all wine professionals will use the Jedi Wine Trick to the wine drinker's benefit. Jedi who seek good will use it to match the wine to the customer's palate, desire or food. Wine professionals who seek to serve ambition or their own interests will try to use the Jedi Wine Trick for greed or corruption. Vigilant must you be.<br /><br />Knowing the source of a power, you can direct it to your benefit. The Jedi Wine Trick's power comes from the uncertainty in the customer's mind. Wine lovers seek knowledge, value and enlightenment. Wine professionals on the Dark Side seek to make wine a mystery, a riddle, an enigma, a secret society. They exploit the customers' fears or insecurity for their own excessive profit.<br /><br />Honest wine professionals understand their role is to clarify, simplify and guide. A Jedi seeks to serve, not self-aggrandize. One must only use the Jedi Wine Trick to help a wine seeker find the best wine—the wine that fits the desires of the seeker.<br /><br />How can you avoid being bamboozled by Dark use of the Jedi Wine Trick? There are two ways.<br /><br />First, your heart's desires must you know. Do you like fruit? Tannin? Acidity? Sweet or Dry wines? How much you can spend? If these things you know, easy will it be to find the right wine. Tell the wine professional what you seek. Unexpressed desire leads to opportunity for the Dark Side. Communicate you must.<br /><br />The second way to avoid the dark side of the Jedi Wine Trick? Questions, always questions.<br /><br />Now that you know the secret of the Jedi Wine Trick, watchful must you be. The forces of the Dark Side are imminent and almost always obscured in the shadows. Know you are vulnerable to the Jedi Wine Trick if used for the Dark Side's purposes and guard against it. But know that balance is part of the Force and the Jedi Wine Trick can be used for good.<br /><br />May the Cork be with you.<br /><br /><br /><br />MarkMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286974342819945060noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25357921.post-1152757107343949932006-07-14T13:11:00.000-05:002006-07-14T13:13:53.846-05:00Friday Wines - The Long March EditionHowdy gang - I'm 2 days into a 10 consecutive day stretch here. That's what we have to do to get a weekend off so I'm gonna take a deep breath and get started. Enjoy!<br /><br /><br /><em>White wine under $20<br /></em><br /><strong>2004 Wilhelm Bergmann Riesling Bernkaestler Kurfuerstlay Kabinett Mosel-Saar-Ruwer</strong><br />That, my friends, is one gulpful of words. This wine is way beyond its $8.99 a bottle price. The only word for this wine is <em>precocious.</em><br /><em></em><br />Snappy aromas of nectarine, green plums and white peach pop right out of the glass here. On the palate, though, this wine is an electrifying blend of passion fruit, key lime and only a hint of the usual Riesling peach and apricot at the end. The acid is incredible in this wine, but don't you dare think tart - it balances the big fruit. Wanna see how well this works with food? Try it with spicy asian food.<br /><br />Though this is a Riesling, I want it to be as clear as a brand new Riedel wine glass that it is NOT, I repeat NOT sweet. It's a Kabinett. That means fruit, but almost no sugar. This wine <em>has far less sugar</em> than the 1.5-3% sugar you find in the average California Chardonnay.<br /><br />I can't say enough about the quality of this wine - it'd be very interesting to slip it into a blind tasting of $30.00 Rieslings. It'll easily stand that test.<br /><br /><br /><em>Red wine under $20</em><br /><br /><strong>2000 Clos Roque d'Aspes Faugeres ($15.99)</strong><em> </em><br />This French wine is a delectable blend of three grapes - 80% Mourvedre, 10% Grenache and 10% Syrah. What I love about this wine is it shows how a wine can be full-bodied and tannic, but smooth, too.<br /><br />As this is a French Mourvedre, the earthy character reveals itself first, both in the nose and the flavors. On the nose you'll get coffee, smoky oak and bittersweet chocolate aromas, followed by deep, black cherries. In your mouth, you'll revisit the chocolate first and it's so profound you think your teeth will look like you've been eating Oreos. Then comes a sliver of black cherry that slowly expands until it covers your tongue to the finish. There's tannin here, forming a great backbone for the expansive earth and fruit. You'll be tempted to spend a fortune on a ribeye or a filet mignon to go with this, but don't. Instead, try it with long smoked brisket.<br /><br /><br /><em>White wine over $20</em><br /><br /><strong>Non-vintage Piper Heidsieck Champagne Rose Sauvage Brut ($46.99)</strong><br />Back in the days before I was civilized and didn't like wine, I still loved Champagne. Let's see why.<br /><br />First of all, gentle readers, you should know that genuine rose Champagne is never sweet. It's dry, serious, complex wine. In France, roses are considered the best of Champagnes.<br /><br />Blood orange, red currant and sour cherry dominate the nose, followed by soft leather earthiness and clove spice. In the mouth, the first thing you notice the creamy texture - rich, silky and billowy, but not heavy or overbearing, thanks to the crisp structure. It's loaded with fruit, specifically wild strawberries, more cherry, turning to black raspberry on the finish. The fruit and acidity are nicely contrasted by toasty, almost malty character from the barrel fermentation.<br /><br />Rose Champagne is remarkably versatile. It can be served as an aperitif, with a meal or with cheese or fruit desserts. Want to expand your wine horizons? Start here.<br /><br /><br /><br /><em>Red wine over $20<br /></em><br /><strong>2002 Rosenblum Cellars Syrah Fess Parker Vineyard Santa Barbara County ($22.99)<br /></strong>This is classic California Syrah - Less earth than Rhone and plenty of fruit, but not the fruit bombs you get with Australian Shiraz. The nose is blackberry,mostly, with licorice, tobacco, brier and a wisp of sacramental incense. It's heavy bodied, with substantial but ripe tannins and polished black fruit and topsoil flavors. It has pretty length and great depth.<br /><br />Rosenblum is best known for its Zinfandels, but they make plenty of other great wines - 80 wines, all told. This bottle will soon vanish. The Fess Parker (yes, Fort Worth native and Davy Crockett) vineyard has been sold to developers and is probably condominiums now. Get this honey of a Syrah while you can.<br /><br /><em></em>Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286974342819945060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25357921.post-1152497229427581162006-07-09T21:05:00.000-05:002006-07-09T21:08:25.976-05:00Friday Wines - Mea Culpa EditionWell, I had three days off this week and headed down to Houston for one reason - to lounge. So I did. And as you can tell, I didn't do any work at all on the blog. Here are wines to make up for it.<br /><br /><em>White wine under $20</em><br /><br /><strong>2004 Senibus Blanc Friuli Grave ($14.99)</strong><br />This wine just came in this week. It's great summer drinking. A blend of three grapes, two you know - Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc - and one you possibly don't, Verduzzo. At the tip of your tongue, the Chard and Sauvignon Blanc show citrus and lime and mineral. You think the wine is going to be light bodied and acidic, but then the Verduzzo washes over your midpalate and the back of your mouth. This is when the wine kicks into hyperdrive. You'll get tropical fruit flavors that melt into a honeyed thang and a touch of almond on the finish. Watch the finish on this one - it lasts much longer than you'd think. No sugar here. Just ripe, luscious fruit.<br /><br /><br /><em>Red wine under $20</em><br /><br /><strong>2004 Bitch Grenache Barossa ($13.99)</strong><br />OK, I'm puzzled here. This wine is called Bitch, but I couldn't find anything malicious, capricious or spiteful in this wine. It's a sweet (from ripeness, not sugar) little Grenache that has aromas of strawberry, raspberry, peach and white flowers. The flavors are decidedly strawberry, with flourishes of lime, white pepper and a twist of licorice. It's got a silky texture, medium body and nice underlying acidity. The only thing I wish it had more of was finish. Maybe a better name for this wine would be <em>Tease</em>.<br /><br />Remember Marquis Philips, the partnership between importer Dan Philips and Aussie winemakers Sarah and Sparky Marquis? That partnership has gone the way of the Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, Sonny and Cher and Samson and Delilah. Bitch is the first wine in Dan Philips' new venture with RBJ winemaker Chris Ringland. Interesting wines are coming, that's for sure.<br /><br /><br /><em>White wine over $20</em><br /><br /><strong>2004 Kistler Chardonnay Sonoma Coast ($54.99)</strong><br />Kistler is an example of what Chardonnay should be, what other grapes dream of being, what God has in his mind when he thinks of Chardonnay. Mind you, this is coming from a guy who thinks White Burgundy is the zenith of Chardonnay winemaking. Kistler is good stuff.<br /><br />The nose is all butter, honey, oak, pears, apples and creme brulee. The flavors are intense, fruit driven and ripe, ripe ripe. Pear is the first note, with ripe baked apples, turning to lemon oil and finally creme anglaise. The texture is luxuriant, languid and lustrous, but the acidity shines through, keeping the wine from weighing itself down. The structure buttresses the wine's full body here, with lots of smoky oak present, but layered and interlaced throughout the wine. As big as Kistler is, there's still balance here.<br /><br />Oh yeah, there's one other thing you should know -<br /><br />The trouble with Kistler is how hard it is to find. I've only tasted two Kistler Chardonnays and only one Pinot Noir. The actress Sarah Michelle Gellar was once asked if she'd ever consider doing a nude scene in a movie. Her reply was that audiences would sooner see a live dinosaur.<br /><br />How hard is it to find Kistler Chardonnay? Start looking for a naked Sarah Michelle Gellar riding a live dinosaur.<br /><br /><br /><em>Red wine over $20</em><br /><br /><strong>2004 Bethel Heights Pinot Noir Willamette Valley ($31.99)</strong><br />You all know that if I'm going to drink American Pinot Noir, chances are I'll choose an Oregon wine first. Bethel Heights demonstrates why.<br /><br />The nose here is black fruit galore - blackberry, boysenberry and black plums. There's a little underbrushy thing going on here, and a faint Christmas spice character. The flavors are still black fruit, with black currant and plum dominating. The oak reveals itself here, but don't look for aggressive, sawdusty oak. It's a warmer, subtler French oak you might miss if you don't pay attention. The underbrush is here, too and I like the flavor better than the aroma. It gives the wine an added dimension of wildness. Nice balance and lifted fruit make this a great excursion into Oregon Pinot.<br /><br />I first ran into Bethel Heights when I attended Pinot Camp in 2004, when the grapes in this wine were still berries on the vine. Pinot Camp is a trade only program that lasted 3 days and included visits to 9 wineries where we took 11 workshops and tasted close to 300 wines. Bethel Heights was one of the producers that really stood out among that horde of wines. That says a lot.<br /><br />Because this entry was late, I'm going to try and make up for it by posting 3 times this week. Be on the lookout for more words. Until then, enjoy the week!Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286974342819945060noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25357921.post-1151638656676041842006-06-30T02:15:00.000-05:002006-06-30T02:18:59.013-05:00Friday Wines - Damn Hard Haiku EditionHey gang, it's Friday wine time. I've read my last few Friday wine entries and found that - shock of shocks, horror of horrors, surprise of surprises, I'm getting verbose!<br /><br />So I started thinking about what I can do to cut down on the noise. Then, I thought of something I thought was original - wine reviews by haiku! Then, a friend and fellow wine professional, <a href="http://www.winebusiness.com/html/MonthlyArticle.cfm?dataId=38866">James Tidwell</a>, burst my bubble and told me to check out a site dedicated to just that: red wines reviewed by haiku. I was dashed, but just for a second.<br /><br />You see, the author of <a href="http://redwinehaiku.blogspot.com">redwinehaiku.blogspot.com</a>, Lane Steinberg, uses the conventional English rules for haiku: three lines, each with specific syllabic restrictions. A typical English haiku will run 5 syllables, 7 syllables, 5 syllables.<br /><br />Here's an excellent example, written by Mr. Steinberg. It's a review of the 2004 <em>Little Penguin Pinot Noir.</em><br /><em></em><br />"Poor Mr. Pinot<br />They went and cut out his brain<br />Now he just smiles"<br /><br />This is the English standard for a haiku, but it misses the difficulty of doing haiku in Japanese, a language based on pictographic alphabets. It's easy to conjure up syllables in English. Not so much in Japanese.<br /><br />To impose Japanese morphological rules (fancy linguistics talk for how words are formed in a language) on English haiku poetry, the number of lines remains the same, but the syllables is cut in each line. Instead of a 5-7-5 structure, one uses a 3-5-3.<br /><br />In traditional Japanese haiku, there's also generally a reference to nature included in the imagery. I'll be sticking to that convention here, too.<br /><br />This is a form I call "Damn Hard Haiku," and it's what I'll be using in my reviews to set myself apart from Mr. Steinberg's poetry. The point here is to accurately describe the wine in as few words as possible, while building a visual image.<br /><br /><em>White wine under $20</em><br /><strong>2004 Bertani Due Uve Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon delle Venezie ($12.99)</strong><br /><br />Summer born<br />Lime juice, grass and salt<br />Two grapes clash<br /><br /><br /><em>Red wine under $20</em><br /><strong>2003 Bogle Phantom California ($17.99)</strong><br /><br />Inkjet black<br />Berry loves charcoal<br />Poltergeist<br /><br /><br /><em>White wine over $20</em><br /><strong>2005 Opolo Viognier Central Coast ($25.99)</strong><br /><br />Peach blossom<br />Honey-laced ginger<br />Blood of stones<br /><br /><br /><em>Red wine over $20</em><br /><strong>2002 Fort Ross Symposium Fort Ross vineyard ($29.99)</strong><br /><br />Cherry fire and ash<br />Sonoma breeze cools<br />Pinotage<br /><br />This was fun and a challenge, so I'll be doing it again. Try the wines and see if my haiku gave you an accurate impression. Can't wait to hear the feedback!<br /><br /><br /><br />MarkMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286974342819945060noreply@blogger.com3