Party with the "V" -- Viognier

Viognier. It just sounds cool.

Of course, you need to know how to say it first. I know I went an embarrassingly long time calling it something like "veeYAWGnyur." (All of the people who heard me do so have been properly paid off or disposed of...) For the record, it's vee-OHN-yay, and dropping the varietal name appropriately immediately raises your wine cred.

So what the heck is it?

Viognier is a white wine grape. Until recently, it was a particularly rare grape. The varietal almost became extinct in the mid 60's. It's enjoyed a resurgence as the general worldwide demand for wine increased and folks wanted something a little different from chardonnay and sauvignon blanc.

France, not surprisingly, is best known for Viognier. Viognier thrives in the northern Rhone. Many Rhone wines, including Rhone reds, contain at least some viognier. As a bonus, part of the chemical composition of Viognier stabilizes the color in red wine; so many winemakers use it in their red blends. Viognier is also grown in Languedoc, where it is usually produced as a vin de pays. (That's French WineSpeak for "the quality level right above table wine.") The U.S. and Australia are growing more and more Viognier, and South America has considerable plantings of the grape already.

On its own, Viognier produces an extremely fragrant, floral wine. These wines vary in style from bone-dry to somewhat sweet but are always extremely aromatic. As a blending grape, adding Viognier tends to act as adding a pinch of salt to some foods -- the aromas of a wine with even a small amount of viognier in the blend become amplified and much more "forward." Viognier is a tricky grape to grow, and it's also tricky to make, so some of them can be quite pricey. Cheap Viognier can often have a bit of an "oily" characteristic -- which is often masked by a winemaker making the wine overly sweet. There are some good ones that are relatively inexpensive, and ask for recommendations if in doubt.

Viognier's aromatic nature makes it a good choice as a food wine to pair with spicy Thai or Vietnamese cuisine. (Many of the same chemicals found in the bouquet of Viognier are also in Riesling.) It also pairs with stinky cheeses, but the Thai option piqued my interest. The Sweet Partner in Crime and I decided that we'd do a side-by-side-by-side with a spicy chicken green curry that we whipped up.

Here's what we were pouring.

Domaine de Mont-Auriol 2006 Languedoc Viognier ($9-11)
Renwood 2006 Lodi Viognier ($7-10)
Alamos 2007 Viognier ($8-12)

(These wines are from France, California, and Argentina respectively...)

The Mont-Auriol started off with a strong nose of flowers, pears, and minerals. It has a slightly alkaline (a bit of that "oily" above) mouthfeel. It was dry and minerally, with a finish that was dry and a little bit smoky. "A Viognier I could drink by the pool," commented the SPinC. As it warmed a bit, the oiliness disappeared from the flavor. It only needed a slight chill.

The Alamos had a softer scent than the French wine. Certainly not minerally, and considerably more fruity. The flavor was much more delicate -- peaches and a little bit of chalky minerality. The finish was light, dry, and minerally. Definitely a lighter wine to drink on its own, and not as interesting.

The Renwood had the strongest scent of the three. Peaches and flowers leap out of the glass. It had a fuller body with a slightly sweeter taste. The mineral taste was the weakest of the three, and the fruit was the strongest. The finish was soft and slightly sweet.

We dished up the curry over some basmati rice and gave the three of them another try. The French wine did not fare well. It became much more pungent, almost unpleasant, with this particular pairing. The Alamos, by contrast, really took off when paired up with the curry. The flavors of both the food and wine became much stronger and more interesting. The Renwood didn't do much at all. It was a decent accompaniment, nothing more.

We also discovered that the French wine had a bit of a "window" in which it was tasty. Too cold, and the flavors get lost and the aroma's not as nice. As the evening went along and it warmed up, it became much, much less palatable. We couldn't say the same with either the Argentinean or American wines, which were flavorful even with only a slight chill.

Viognier certainly isn't a wine for everyone. I know a number of people who simply can't stand the stuff -- the contrast between the scent and the flavor is just too much for them. I personally like it for a change of pace. It's definitely a wine worth trying, if just to contrast it...with just about everything else!


(Personal note -- this column goes out to my old friend Orin, one of the purveyors of DWHoops.com -- one of the best women's basketball fan sites on the net...)

Mike's Manic Nirvana -- Cincinnati International Wine Festival

Love is in the stars - love's heaven sent
Brush your lips and mine - taste my good intent
Lay it on real close, inside my crazy arms
Come on feel your Daddy's love, I won't do you no harm
-Robert Plant, "Nirvana"

Let me set the scene for you:

One of the big ballrooms in the Duke Energy Center -- packed full of booths. In each booth, a winery, wine distributor, or some other gustatorily-related company. All here to show their wares to the "trade."

The "trade" is basically anyone with an interest in wine -- restaurateurs, wine shop owners, wine distributors, waiters & waitresses, and one bald wine blogger.

There were a few other wine writers in attendance. I ran into Michelle Lentz from My Wine Education (who, along with her husband, was Twittering the event from their dueling iPhones...) and Mark Fisher of "Uncorked" in the Dayton Daily News. (I joked that there were too many of us -- that it could rupture the space-time continuum...yes, I'm a geek...)

In any case, the way this little event works -- I paid my $15, got my glass, my wristband, and my nametag, and headed in. I then spent the next three hours wandering from booth to booth, sampling wines.

Now, there were 135 vendors -- pouring 600+ wines during the three hours. I had to commit what in my life is a cardinal sin...

I dumped a whole lot of wine.

Even with my superhuman constitution, there's no way that I could try THAT many wines without collapsing quickly in a heap...even pacing myself. So, I sipped, sniffed, swirled...and spit. And spit again. And dumped. And found myself apologizing to the winemakers for dumping their wine. At least, apologizing to the ones who were pouring good wine and were friendly to me.

(My heart goes out to the pourers and winemakers who were giving their tasting spiels. I don't know how they were able to give the same information over and over again and keep smiles on their faces. I know it would have driven me bonkers.)

All in all, I tried about 100 wines, give or take. Even despite my best efforts, I figured that I still swallowed about half a tablespoon of wine per taste. 50 tablespoons = a little over 3 cups = about a bottle of wine. Not bad for $15, and I got to keep my tasting glass. It was enough that I was pretty wiped out by the end -- and my teeth were a fantastic shade of black by the end. It was all worth it.

I recognized a lot of the wines being poured -- many of which I've written about here. I tried to focus on wines that I either didn't know or didn't remember. So, the Naked Vine's picks from this little event?

Within Vine Range ($15 and under):
Maryhill Winery -- My best all-around discovery in the under $15 range. This family-owned winery from Washington State cranks out solid, delicious wines that won't break the bank. Of special note were their 2007 "Winemakers Red" -- a luscious Bordeaux-ish blend with incredible flavor and balance, and their 2007 Sangiovese Rose, a fruity-but-dry treat of a wine that would go with just anything from a hot summer patio to a meal of fish or pasta.

Yarraman 2006 "Hay Burner" Chardonnay -- The "Robert Whale Selections" table had a number of interesting Aussie and New Zealand wines. Their Australian Chardonnay, the first that I tried at their table, was as interesting as any. Very crisp and clean styled. Plenty of peach and melon with a nice oak backbone to make it interesting. Would be fabulous with pork chops or creamy pastas...especially at $9.

McNab Ridge Winery -- Full disclosure. They were my last stop of the day, but their wines were interesting and flavorful enough to cut through the layers of tannin and fatigue building up on my tongue. I thoroughly enjoyed their 2008 Columbard and their 2006 "ZinZilla" Zinfandel. My favorite was their 2006 Petit Sirah, which I decided was the perfect wine to end my day at the tasting, or most other days. Great fruit and muscular without being overwhelming, especially at around $14.

Graffigna 2008 Pinot Grigio -- A pinot grigio from Argentina? Heck, why not? I'm used to pinot grigio being a good sluggable wine, but this onr carried a little extra weight. A fuller mouth than most pinot grigio, along with a notably stronger floral nose. Solid fruit on the palate with a crisp, fruity finish. A winner at $12-14.

Primarius 2006 Pinot Noir -- A fascinating Oregon pinot. Most pinot noirs at this price range tend to be extremely fruity and concentrated instead of subtle. This one's an exception. This wine was the most delicate of all that I tried at the tasting. Smoky and smooth on the palate, with raspberry and pepper on the tongue and a lasting, smoky finish, I was duly impressed that this was a $13 bottle. Food would likely overpower this wine, but for soft light and good conversation, top notch.


Slightly out of Vine Range($20-50):

Giornata Wines -- One of the best conversations I had during the tasting was with Brian Terrizzi, the winemaker. He was recently featured in Gourmet in an article about the spread of Italian varietals in California. He said that he eats Italian food "3 or 4 times a week" and he wanted to make wines that would pair well. From what I tasted, he succeeded. They do a delicious Sangiovese, but their il Campo, was an especially wonderful wine. Great fruit, balanced tannin, and a perfect accompaniment for a hearty Tuscan homecooked meal. Heck, even with pepperoni pizza. These were between $20-28, and I'd snag a case in a heartbeat if I could.

Helix 2005 Columbia Valley Merlot -- I've become a sucker for Columbia Valley wines, can you tell? The cooler climate in that area produces wines with fuller, more complex fruit flavors. In my opinion, it allows for big, fruity wines like merlot to gain some weight and some additionally intricate flavors. This merlot shocked me with its depth, but more importantly with the level of tannin. This was one of the drier merlots that I've ever tasted, but that was a good thing. It could stand up to steak as well as any cabernet. Big, chewy tannins balanced with plum and blackberry favors. Scrumptious. $22.

Fortress Vineyards 2007 "Finale" -- Fortress was sharing a table with Epiphany Cellars. Epiphany makes some wonderful wines in the $30-40 range (their "Revelation Red" was an absolute rockstar, to borrow a line from my pal Alfonse...), but the Fortress wines jumped out at me for being a little bit different. They had a Sauvignon Blanc that tasted a great deal like a good white Bordeaux, but their Finale absolutely blew me away. It's a dessert wine made from 100% Semillon. Made in the same style as a Sauternes, with many of the same flavor characteristics. Thick and rich, with flavors of honey and licorice, exceptionally well balanced. One of the best dessert wines I've ever tasted. At $30, a tenth the price of Chateau d'Yquem.


Way out of Vine Range ($50+):

Rutherford Grove 2005 Estate Reserve Howell Mountain -- An absolutely fantastic Cabernet Sauvignon, and it should be at $65 a bottle. From a small vineyard planted in a tough-to-harvest location on top of Rutherford Mountain in Napa, this wine has one of the most deliciously fragrant noses I've had. Wonderful balance of fruit and vanilla, and a finish that lingered lusciously.

Domenico Clerico 2005 "Arte" -- A nebbiolo that's similar in structure to a Barolo or Barbaresco, but a little more approachable. Dark, big, and bulky -- this was a wine to be treated with considerable respect. This was one of the few wines this powerful and tannic that I could actually imagine having on its own now...or 5-6 years from now. But I can only imagine what this would have been with a braised veal shoulder or some such. A symphony of flavor. $55.

Best in Show:
Huneeus Vintners 2005 "Faust" Cabernet Sauvignon -- Maybe it was the name that piqued by devilish curiosity. Maybe it was the powerful black cherry, fresh tobacco, and blackberry flavors that cut through everything else that I'd tasted up to that point. Maybe it was the tannins, strong but without taking away from the fruit and the finish that seemed to go on for days. Whatever deal was struck by these winemakers, they put together an absolutely delicious cabernet -- likely in my personal Top 10 of that varietal all time. Probably will set you back around $55, but considering that "high end" Napa cabernet sauvignons are selling for literally hundreds of dollars a bottle, run with this as a splurge and hold on to your soul.


By the end, I was exhausted, my palate and the rest of me was tired, but I was pleased. I was pretty intimidated when I walked into the place, but I felt like I held my own among the wine cognoscenti. Can't wait for next year. I could get used to this...

Cincinnati International Wine Festival

Your intrepid wine blogger is completely housed after an afternoon tasting wine.

More to come, including some great finds -- at least in my opinion.

For now, enjoy the tired, wine-stained smile...

Cincinnati Bigfoot Sighting

From my pal Danny Gold at Party Source:

This St. Patrick’s Day, we are gathering up our shillelaghs to squash the famed Sasquatch, known as Bigfoot. Sierra Nevada has come out with some amazing beers and this year’s release of Bigfoot has left a big impression on us and we want to share it with you. Come join us March 17th, as we pass out a bit of gold from our Kegerator Bigfoot style. We’re passing out samples of the 2009 Sierra Nevada Bigfoot for $ .50 and growlers for $8.99 (normally $16.99). Join us as we set up shop at eQ here at The Party Source from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm or until we run out of this impressive release.

Bigfoot is tasty stuff...

Surprise! Surprise!

So, I get mail...

Vine reader Steve K. asks:

"You go through a lot of wine, and you seem to like most everything. I get it -- there's a lot of good wine out there. But do you ever get surprised by a wine at this point?"

When you taste a lot of different wines, it's true -- wines tend to fall into categories. When I get a New Zealand sauvignon blanc, for instance, I'm expecting it to be acidic, have a bunch of tropical fruit flavors, and smell like freshly cut grass (or cat pee, depending on your nose). A good Chianti will have a chalky flavor that doesn't taste so good on its own, but with a plate of pasta -- yummilicious!

I know I've written about my dismay when someone says a wine is supposed to taste like something, but with enough "experience" (VineSpeak for "a lot of bottles under the bridge"), you get an idea of what to expect. At this "price point," there can be great degree of uniformity. Every now and again, however, I'll run across a wine that showed me a little something outside the normal cognitive schema.

So, with that in mind, here are a few recent selections I've tried, cocked an eyebrow at the glass, and said, much like the blonde chick in the KFC commercials: "Whoa...I didn't see that coming..."

Douglass Hill 2006 California Chardonnay -- Honestly, I can't remember what possessed me to buy this bottle. I was sauntering by the "2 for $10" section, and I saw this wine there. Nondescript label, no notes on the back. I knew that I was going to need some white cooking wine, so I figured that it wouldn't go to waste if it ended up being unacceptable as a drinking wine. I cracked it, poured a little, and it honestly didn't taste like much of anything. Almost watery, in fact. I put my glass on the kitchen counter, went off to do something, came back -- and I swear this wine changed when it warmed up. Instead of watery plonk, this chard developed a soft, green apple nose. The body was crisp for California chard, with just a hint of oak leading to a semi-dry, slightly oaky finish. For $5, an impressive bottle.

Monkey Bay 2006 Rosé Wine -- I'd had the Monkey Bay sauvignon blanc before. I like it. It's a solid if unspectacular New Zealand sauvignon. While ambling towards the checkout on a recent shopping trip, I picked up the rosé on impulse because I needed something pink in the house. I had a couple of recipes in mind, but didn't want to think too much about pairings. I figured that this would be a safe bet as a sluggable rosé -- specifically, something that could go with whichever meal got cooked, that I could have a couple of glasses of and be done with. This rosé led with a full nose of strawberries and flowers, so I expected this to be a little on the sweet, fruity side. Instead, while there was certainly plenty of fruit, there was a surprisingly nice level of acidity to balance it out. There was more strawberry along with some citrus on the palate with a zesty, dry finish. Oh, for dinner? Halibut and white bean stew. Went nicely. $8-10.

Bota Box 2006 Old Vine Zinfandel -- I usually keep a couple of boxes around these days. It's economical, there are decent ones out there, and when I'm on the third or ninth glass of the day, I don't necessarily want to crack the good stuff. I've also been on a bit of a Zinfandel kick lately, so when I saw this new three-liter, I was interested -- but I was also dubious. More and more people have been turning on to Zin (red Zin, that is), and the market response is obviously to put more and more of it out there. There are a lot of six and seven dollar Zins out there right now, but they're the American answer to cheap Australian shiraz...many of them are fruity, slightly sweet messes. I figured I'd give this a try. What's the worst that could happen? I'd have a box of cooking wine. So I poured a glass, took a sip, and quickly smiled broadly. There's plenty of fruit on the nose, sure, but there's also a little spice and smoke to back it up. The flavor is full of big, dark fruit, but there's a smoky, toasty taste as well. The finish is hearty, dry, and with nicely balanced tannin. It's a very nice end-of-day wine with chocolate and at $18-20 a box, it's a steal.

Top 100 Blogs for the Frugal Gourmet

Many thanks to Kelly and the good folks at Culinary School Guide. They included The Naked Vine on their list of the "Top 100 Blogs for the Frugal Gourmet."

There are some great resources on there, so hop on over and check them out.

http://www.culinaryschoolguide.org/blog/2009/top-100-blogs-for-the-frugal-gourmet/

Chardonnay Chauvinism

"Why are you biased against chardonnay?"

Huh?

I got this question in an email from a reader not too long ago. I won't lie...it got me thinking. I don't write a lot about chardonnay because, honestly, I just don't drink a lot of it anymore.

That's not to say I didn't drink a lot of chardonnay once upon a time. Like most wine drinkers, I started my exploration of the world of whites with chardonnay. House whites are almost always chardonnays. They're ubiquitous wines and there's a reason. Much like cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay will grow almost anywhere, but it takes a certain amount of care to make a truly tasty chardonnay. Chardonnay is probably the wine most affected by terroir. The growing conditions make a huge difference with these wines.

When chardonnay is discussed, there's often talk about "oaky" and "buttery" flavors. Neither of these flavors is inherent to the chardonnay grape. The "toasted" flavor many chardonnays have come from the oak barrels in which the wine is aged. This process also often darkens the wine. The "buttery" flavor comes from a process called "malolactic fermentation." (Wine geeks love to throw this term around because it sounds important.) In a nutshell, it's a bacterial process by which malic acid in wine (which tastes like tart apples) gets converted to lactic acid, which is one of the major flavorings in milk. When you hear someone talk about a wine "undergoing malolactic fermentation" -- expect a softer, creamier taste rather than a crisp, acidic taste.

California winemakers, sometime in the late 1980's and early 1990's, decided that oak and butter were What Chardonnay Is Supposed To Be. Many of these chardonnays were either powerfully oaked or so creamy that they tasted like buttermilk. Neither, in my estimation, was a particularly good thing. Sure, they're drinkable, but I just kept finding more and more interesting white wines.

Also, since I enjoy focusing on food with wine, I could usually find a wine that will complement whatever I'm cooking better than one of these California chardonnays. It's a "good enough" pairing, but again, I can usually find something that works better for me. Over-oaked or overly creamy wines tend to overpower rather than complement food.

Then someone slipped me a white Burgundy. White Burgundies, especially Chablis, are Chardonnay, but they're completely different from their American cousins. There's usually some oak, but the cooler climates keep the barrels from imparting lots of oaky flavor. The creaminess in these wines comes much more from the wine "resting on the lees" (meaning that the fermenting wine is kept in contact with spent yeast) that malolactic fermentation. The result is a crisp, clean wine that goes with almost any food. California chardonnays simply got pushed off my tasting radar.

But then I got this email and I figured -- "OK, let's give some other chardonnays a try...I'm always willing to be convinced..."

Round Hill 2007 "Oak Free" Chardonnay -- Thankfully, thankfully, some of the California winemakers are realizing that the world doesn't necessarily feel like gnawing on charcoal with a glass of white wines. There have been more and more of these "unoaked" chardonnays showing up on the shelves. The Round Hill still has a nose of banana and cloves, which can often be one of the side effects of malolactic fermentation. The body is crisper than many California chards, but there's still a full mouthfeel and there's still a slight smokiness to the flavor from somewhere. It's slightly creamy and does have more of an acidic character, with a little fruit and smoke on the finish. The Round Hill is a much better food wine than one to have on its own. It nestled nicely with roast chicken topped with pancetta and mashed potatoes. $7-10.

Waterbrook 2006 Chardonnay -- There should be no secret to the Vine faithful that I'm a big fan of wines from the upper left-hand corner of the U.S. California chardonnays get blasted with much more heat, so the acidity and fruit can get washed out. Wines produced in cooler climates tend to have softer, crisper flavors, so I hoped this would also be the case with Chardonnays from the Pacific Northwest. The Waterbrook, from Columbia Valley in Washington, didn't disappoint. The nose is light and crisp with scents of lemon and vanilla. Not surprisingly, a much more subtly flavored wine. The flavor is crisp and acidic -- peaches and vanilla with a little bit of oak. The finish starts out softly acidic, but that fades quickly into a gently toasty finish that becomes more pronounced after a couple of sips. A very nice glass of wine that would complement grilled salmon wonderfully. $11-13.

Olvena 2007 Somontano Chardonnay -- I also make no secret of adoring Spanish wine, and I'm a sucker for a glass of Albariño. I hadn't tried a Spanish chardonnay before, so wanted to slake both my thirst and my curiosity. I'm glad that I did, because this is a really interesting wine. The nose was different from many Chardonnays -- it's floral and somewhat "chalky." On the first taste, I thought this would be very similar to a French version, since it started me out with a slightly-citrusy, minerally character. Those flavors give way quickly to vanilla and oak, finishing with a combination of citrus and toast. Imagine a slightly oakier white Burgundy and you'll have it. And for about $12, you can have it! It's a great value at this price, and, like almost anything from Spain, extremely food friendly.

As I mentioned, Chardonnay can be grown almost anywhere that grapes can take root, so the "expressions" of Chardonnay are myriad and can be quite interesting. For me, however, the gold standard is still white Burgundy. If you feel like treating yourself, get yourself a bottle of white Burgundy and see what you think. You'll probably end up paying $18 or more for a bottle, but you'll never look at a bottle of "supermarket" chardonnay the same way again.

Local Eats -- Aussie wine dinner

Those of you in the Cincinnati area are probably aware of the annual Cincinnati International Wine Festival in mid-March. That week's events include a slew of wine dinners around the city. These usually run between $125-150 per person. For those of us more on the budget-minded side who still want a wonderful gastronomic experience, one of my comrades in grapes, Danny Gold, has arranged an independent wine dinner on Wednesday, March 11.

Danny teamed up with Bouquet restaurant in Covington and the importers of d'Arenberg wines from Australia to create an Australian-themed wine dinner. d'Arenberg wines have been featured on The Naked Vine before. Their "Love Grass" shiraz is an all-timer of mine.

The meal is five courses for $70 per person -- the price includes a 5-course meal, wine, tax, and tip. Seating is limited. If you're interested, contact Danny for more information.

Also, Danny and I are planning another wine-related venture. More on that as it develops...

And, on a local eats tangent -- I finally stumbled on Wine Me, Dine Me -- a great blog about food and restaurants in Cincinnati. Mike sez check it out...

Tropic of Capricorn-ucopia

The Scene: A novice wine drinker scurries nervously down the aisle of a local wine store. He studiously avoids eye contact with the "overly helpful" store employees who hover like Eddie Bauer associates around a 2-for-$25 rack of mock turtlenecks. All he wants is a bottle of wine that will simply taste good to his uneducated palate. Ducking left out of the chardonnay aisle, he finds himself staring at an array of multicolored bottles of red wine from Australia. He exhales, looks left and right, snags a bottle of Rosemount Shiraz, tucks it under his arm like John Riggins, and heads straight for the checkout...

Yes, yes -- that was me back in the day. I didn't have much of a palate. My knowledge of pairings didn't extend much past "red with beef, white with chicken." Swirling wine was something snooty people did. I just wanted something where I'd like the taste and I could fill my glass again and again without thinking.

The Australian aisle was my saving grace. The Ozzies produced an ocean of cheap "plonk" (still one of my favorite words in WineSpeak...) in the mid-to-late 90's, but they established themselves as go-to cheap, decent "wine for the people." I drank plenty of that stuff. My palate became more adventurous as I started going to wine tastings and learning more about pairing food with wine, and I largely drifted away from Aussie offerings. I was introduced to California Syrah and I became acquainted with the offerings from the Syrah-heavy wines from Rhone valley in France, so the cheap, down-under versions tasted like fruity messes. New Zealand also burst onto the scene with their crazy sauvignon blancs and pinot noirs, so Australia got eclipsed in my wine rack for awhile.

I'm coming back around on Australian wine. The Barossa Valley shirazes have become more and more interesting over the last several years, as I wrote about last January. They've also become more and more expensive. The latest trend I've seen, however, is Australian winemakers following in the footsteps of the Italians.

About a decade ago, Italy started cranking out these wines they called "Super Tuscans." These were sangiovese-based wines blended with non-native grapes like cabernet sauvignon and merlot. The result was powerful, fruity and complex wines that the Parkerites snapped up by the case. (I like Super Tuscans, but I think many of them are terribly overpriced and far too fruity to pair with a lot of Italian cuisine, but that's just me...) The Australians started doing the same sort of blending on a large scale with Shiraz over the last few years. The result has been an increase in relatively inexpensive, food friendly, complex wines.

On the heels of my column about domestic white blends, I thought I'd have a look at some of these reds from where the liquid in the blending tank spins the other way:

First Drop 2006 "First Love" Red Wine -- Since I'm writing this column on Valentine's Day, this wine seems like a fitting place to start. The First Drop is a blend of Shiraz, Grenache, and Barbera. (65/25/10) The nose is interesting. The Shiraz comes through on the nose with a big whiff of ripe blackberries, but there's an undertone of earth there. The flavor is, as you'd expect, big and fruity -- but tempered and given a bit of depth by the Barbera. The finish is a little smoky and still quite fruity, with some solid tannins. I really enjoyed this wine as a kick back bottle at the end of the evening, but you could certainly have this with any number of foods. It bills itself as a "Southern French inspired wine with Italian stylings." I have no idea what that means. It's good. Try it. $10

Turkey Flat 2005 "The Turk" -- Here's an interesting blend: Shiraz, Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Mourvedre. (50/28/16/6). Turkey Flat does a lot of wines in the $25-60 range, so this one's their "experimental" second label wine. A successful experiment, at that. The Turk (the nickname of the winery itself) starts you with a deep nose of dark fruit and licorice. It's fruity on the initial taste, but broadens into a chocolatety middle. The finish is slightly dry and very chocolatey. Not surprisingly, a great wine to actually have with chocolate. It's no slouch with food, either. We had this with a pork tenderloin roasted with sliced fennel bulbs. The aromatics in the fennel nicely complement the fruitiness in the wine. $12-15.

Water Wheel 2006 "Memsie" Red Blend-- Water Wheel wines is in the Bendigo region, which is one I haven't explored very much. "Memsie" is the name of the estate where the grapes are grown, and that moniker is also on their red and white blends. Their red is a Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon/Malbec/Petit Verdot blend. (70/16/6/6) Not surprisingly, this was the fruitiest of the three wines I tried here. This wine has a classic fruity Shiraz nose of plums and berries tempered by the smoky scent of the malbec. Probably the most complex smelling wine of the bunch. Jammy initially at first taste, the wine mellows quickly and ends up tasting like a fruity cab. Some licorice and spice float around in the body as well. The finish is quite long with soft tannins. Like the others, a very pleasant wine by itself because of the out of the ordinary nose, but I wouldn't hesitate to recommended it with burgers or any kind of red meat, really. $11-13.


Stumble It!

Death and Taxes -- updated

They may be inevitable -- but there's no reason we have to like them.

I've tried to keep most of my politics out of this blog -- but Governor Beshear's current call to raise the state alcohol tax to 17% (which would make it one of the highest in the nation) is downright ridiculous.

If you're a Kentucky resident and you actually enjoy buying spirits at a reasonable price, give a buzz to your state reps and the governor's office.

Kevin Keith at Liquor Direct has a good take here. I like Kevin's suggestion -- get rid of all the damned dry counties. Why should preachers and bootleggers have all the fun?

UPDATE -- per K2...the alcohol tax increase passed the House 66-34. I never thought I'd root for the Kentucky GOP to do anything, but here's hoping it crashes in the Senate. What an upside-down world we're in...


Stumble It!

The Conundrum Conundrum

I like to know what I'm drinking.

One nice thing about American wines is that they're generally pretty easy to figure out. A sauvignon blanc will say "sauvignon blanc" right there on the label. Merlot is "merlot." White Zinfandel is...well...pink. No great mysteries.

Like many novice wine drinkers, I was flummoxed by European wines because I had no idea what they were -- and there aren't usually "Hey! Pouilly-Fuisse is really Chardonnay!" signs posted in wine stores. I usually avoided Eurowines and others without grape names on the labels since I had no idea what I was getting into. There was, however, one notable exception:

Conundrum.

Back in the day, it was "Caymus Conundrum" -- and I adored this wine. The SPinC and I used it as our "special occasion" white for years. (We used to save all the corks as remembrances -- so we were disappointed when it went to a Stelvin closure.) I was fascinated by it. Sauvignon blanc, muscat, chardonnay, and viognier all happily co-existing in a deliciously complex white wine. "Who ever thought that blending a bunch of different grapes together could create something this good?" I thought.

I knew that there were plenty of red blends. I was used to seeing "Grenache/Syrah" on the side of a bottle of Rosemount, for instance. But whites -- aside from the occasional Australian "Semillion/Chardonnay" which I generally didn't care for -- I just didn't think they got blended.

[Factoid: For an American wine to be labeled with a grape, it must contain at least 75% of that grape. A U.S. made chardonnay is at least 75% chardonnay, for instance.]

I've learned differently, of course -- few European whites, especially French whites, are 100% of any kind of grape. There are predominant grape varieties, of course, but blends are more common than not, which is one of the reasons that I find whites from Europe more "textured."

American winemakers are learning, though. Much like the "Rhone Rangers" in California first came up with "meritage" to mimic some of the French red blends, a number of American winemakers are starting to experiment with white blends to make the most of what they have on hand. None of the white blends -- at least as of yet -- have drawn the star power of Conundrum, but most of them also don't carry the same pricetag.

I've run into a few of these blends recently that I think are worth your while. One quick note on almost all of these, though. At least in my experience, white blends tend to be considerably more temperature-sensitive than straight varietals. All of these wines will be much more complex and flavorful if you let them warm up a few degrees above where you'd normally pour whites. Trust me, it's worth it. Here's a few for you to check out:

Magito 2006 "Rivertrace Blend" White Wine -- The back label of this bottle leads with a quote from one of my favorite poets, the Persian poet Rumi:

"Let yourself be silently drawn by the stronger pull of what you truly love."

What that exactly has to do with this particular wine, I'm not sure, but it was enough to get me to give it a whirl. This complex, interesting wine from Sebastopol is made primarily from sauvignon blanc with some viognier and verdelho blended in. With the presence of those "V" wines, I expected a perfumey wine. Instead, there's a gentle nose of pears and lemons. The body is rather full with some melon flavors. The finish is a little bit dry and pleasantly acidic. I really enjoyed this wine with a meal of grouper with jicama & tomatoes in a black bean sauce over some yellow rice. The wine was assertive enough to let those citrus notes through while not detracting from the other yummy flavors flying in every direction. $10-12.

Seven Daughters (NV) White Wine -- This wine struck me as blend where it seems the winemakers said, "Let's just throw all this extra grape juice together and see if it works." I know that there's more care than that -- but it's interesting to see that many grapes on the label. French Columbard (the backbone of cognac), Chardonnay, Riesling, Symphony (a relatively new clone from California), Orange Muscat, Gewurztraminer, and Sauvignon Blanc make up this little California creation. The wine itself? Well, at first we tried it after we'd eaten some red fish... Swedish fish to be exact. [Fail. Reboot wine drinking...] After a couple of crackers, we tried again, took a sip and weren't impressed. There was a nice fragrance of oranges and flowers on the nose, but the body quickly turned bitter. We put it aside for a bit. That made all the difference, since the wine needed to warm almost to room temperature. The body then broadens quite a bit, with more melon and mineral characters standing out. The finish becomes more crisp and less bitter. Once it got to that point, it reminded me a little of a Loire wine with its minerality -- and I'd pair it with many of the same foods: white fish and shellfish, Thai, and other cuisines with a bit of spice. $10-13

Hedges 2006 "C.M.S." White Wine -- Hedges winery makes a number of higher end red blends and single varietals. Their second-label blends are known as "CMS." They've done a cabernet-merlot-syrah blend for awhile, but they've started doing whites -- the "CMS" stands here for "Chardonnay, Marsanne, Sauvignon Blanc." Marsanne is a grape grown largely in the northern Rhone Valley but made its way via California to Washington -- where it gets blended into this very interesting wine. French Marsanne creates rich, spicy wines on its own and is blended in with other grapes to create depth. A little goes a long way. While there's only 3% in this mix, that's plenty to enrich the flavor. Coupled with the creaminess of cool-climate chardonnay and sauvignon blanc, this white winds up with a very complex, well-balanced flavor -- especially since you're drinking something with a $10 pricetag. There's some pear flavor, some oak, some mineral, and a firm, lasting finish. Again, fish and shellfish are the obvious pairings.

Since it's possible to create reasonably complex, yet inexpensive, wine through blending -- I think you'll see more and more blends like this showing up on the market. The trick will be figuring out where they'll be shelved in your local wine store.

As for Conundrum, it's still out there and it's still a good bet. If you want to give it a try, a bottle's around $25.





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Liquor Direct staff showcase

One of my favorite times of the year at Liquor Direct. The wine staff has a little competition. They look for a wine that's under $50 (usually way under), is in the store and in good supply. There's usually some...erm...friendly competition surrounding the tasting, which is this weekend. If you're looking for something to do this weekend, head over to Covington or Ft. Thomas.

After all...Don't cost nothin'...


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Espiritu de Chile

Every once in a blue moon, I get a request to sample wines that are just making their way to the market -- like last year when I sampled the Monsoon Valley wines from Thailand. I was recently asked to give some new Chilean wines the once-over. I received four bottles and recipes to go alongside each.

I've always enjoyed Chilean wines. I think they're some of the best values out there. So I really looked forward to sampling these -- all of which retail for around $11.

Gewurztraminer (2007) -- I'd never had a Chilean gewurz, and at first taste I was a little surprised. It's lighter in body than many of the others we've tried. It's on the drier side, although it's not bone-dry like an Alsace gewurz. It has a slightly floral nose, a flavor of tart green apples, and a soft finish. It's a little bit peppery, but less spicy than many. By itself, honestly, it wasn't my favorite. The recommended food pairing with this wine was a green curry chicken salad. That's where this wine shone. I always add more curry paste than is called for, so this was a spicy dish with some bitter greens alongside. The flavors of this wine cut through both easily. The apple flavor became more pronounced, the peppery notes broadened, and we really enjoyed the complements. I'd put this wine easily with any kind of spicy Asian or Indian cuisine and have a very, very nice match.

Sauvignon Blanc (2007) -- Chile is well-known for sauvignon blanc, and I've praised those wines for their food-friendliness, consistency, and general all-around tastiness. This straw-colored sauvignon has a flavor as light as its color. The nose of slightly floral lemon is barely noticeable at first. If you'd blindfolded me, I could easily have mistaken this for pinot grigio. The body is light, bordering on a little bit watery. The finish is soft and only slightly acidic. The recommended food pairing was an exceptional recipe in and of itself: a simple roasted fish stew. The flavors were wonderful and the citrusy notes in the wine became much more pronounced and interesting. That said, there are less-expensive Chilean sauvignons that I'd probably choose ahead of this one if it weren't going to be paired with something.

Carmenere (2007) -- Carmenere is a first cousin of merlot. It has a slightly fumey, herbaceous nose. This fragrance yields to a medium bodied red with lots of smoky flavors, along with some blackberry. There was also an earthy undertone like a Cotes-du-Rhone with a relatively tannic finish. I was somewhat surprised by the tannins here, since I don't get those in a straight merlot. On its own, it struck me as fairly straightforward, but when set next to the recommended pairing -- which was a grilled marinated sirloin, sliced thin; topped with sautéed mushrooms with lemon juice and parsley; and grilled green onions, this wine was downright delicious. After a bite of the steak, the tannin cut through the steak's fat, bringing out a much more "merlot-ish" flavor. The onions pointed up the earthy flavors, and the mushrooms with it just plain tasted good.

Shiraz/Cabernet (2006) -- Most shiraz/cab blends that I've tried lean heavily towards the "Shiraz" side of things -- the fruit dominates with hopefully enough tannin to make the wine interesting. At a 75/25 split, I expected the same here. However, given a little time to open up, this wine was a completely different story. The nose wasn't all that fruity -- instead leaning towards vanilla and smoke. It smelled a little like roasted meat, honestly. On its own, medium-bodied with more of that vanilla/smoke blend. The finish was tannic. Decent enough. The suggested pairing was a strip steak with chimichurri sauce and criolla salsa. Four for four on food pairings. The smoky flavor of the wine meshed nicely with the meat -- and the sauces made a nice complement. I'd like to try this recipe again in the summer, since all of those flavors would be really nice when it's hot.

So, bottom line, I'd recommend all of these except the sauvignon blanc -- and I only downcheck the sauvignon because of the price point. At $7-8, it would have been perfectly acceptable. They're all definitely wines with a taste for food -- especially recipes similar to these. I also want to pass along a compliment to whomever created these recipes -- they were very easy to put together and were absolutely scrumptious. (Links to the recipes are here and here.)

Many thanks also to Monica and the folks at Balzac for giving me the chance to check these out.



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Cleaning Out My Closet

I didn’t want to leave you hanging all thirsty for some new bottles to try. As you can see from the site index, a fair amount of wine gets sampled around here. Not all of it makes it into the blog. Usually it’s for topical reasons – the wine just doesn’t fit what I’m writing about at the time, but it’s interesting enough for me to keep in reserve. I take my notes and stash them for a rainy day. Well, the clouds have come.

In no particular order, a few wines that were plenty good enough to make the Vine’s cutting, but just never wound up in a column:

Hogue 2005 Chenin Blanc -- Hogue is one of my favorite Vine-level producers. I've been extremely pleased with just about everything that I've tried from them. The Chenin Blanc certainly didn't disappoint. Within each of their varietals, I find the Hogue wines to be much richer than many of their counterparts. Not necessarily more complex, but more full-bodied and, for my money, more "elegant." The chenin has a nose of melon and green apples. I expected this to be a lighter-styled wine, but the body was rich without being cloying. A nice fruity, melony taste with a texture that reminded me a lot of a viognier. The finish is more lingering than crisp. I had this with cod loin with vegetables and herbs cooked in foil packets, and it was wonderful. $8-10.

96 Points 2005 Shiraz/Viognier -- One of the best marketing ideas I've seen – why worry about what Parker’s going to give your wine when you can slap a score right on the label? It's certainly an interesting wine. Australian shirazes are always fragrant, and the viognier in this blend amplifies that, giving this a very strong nose of strawberries, coffee, and mint. Lush on the tongue, and not as fruity as I would have expected. Finish starts out with a light tannin that strengthens for a long time into a lingering coffee flavor. Around $10.

Laurel Glen 2005 "Reds" -- Marketed as "a wine for the people" -- this red blend from Lodi, California is a blend of four grapes -- Zinfandel, Carignane, Petit Sirah, and Syrah. The result is a big ol' smooth red wine. The nose is cherries and blackberries. As you would expect with those particular grapes, this is a big-tasting wine, but the fruit-bomb tendency of the zinfandel is tempered by the syrah and petit sirah -- leaving a taste of smooth tart cherries. The finish slides easily into a slightly dry, slightly fruity end which is quite nice. This wine was born to go with grilled or roasted red meat. Rare roast beef and new potatoes would be scrumptious here. At $8-10, you can spend the extra money on meat from the butcher's case.

Woodsman's White 2005 Cserszegi Füszeres – I simply didn’t know where to put this wine when I first tried it. The grape is pronounced chair-seggy fooser-raish. A clone of a gewürztraminer grown in Hungary. reminiscent of Alsace gewürztraminer. It starts you out with a strong sweet apple nose. Body is initially very dry. After a couple of sips, a gentle fruit flavor comes out. Finish is somewhat crisp. Had this with a Thai eggplant, bean, and tomato salad and it went quite nicely. I first found this at Trader Joe’s for around $4, of all things – it’s definitely worth it!

Chateau de Pena "Ninet de Pena" 2006 Cuvee Rose – A good, basic table rose from the makers of my favorite red box wine. Expect nothing fancy here. The nose is straightforward -- a little bit honey and flowers. Full bodied full for a rose and more than a bit acidic. The finish is bone dry. If you’re just sipping at it on it's own, it's decent. But for something to throw back if you're eating some meat or other earthy stuff and for some reason you don't want a red, it's hard to beat this for $5-6.


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Felice Anno Nuovo!

Now that I've had a couple of days to rehydrate so that my brain feels less like it's been slow-cooked in bacon grease, I can start the Vine train rolling again.

For those who haven't followed the Vine since its inception, the Sweet Partner in Crime and I hunker down each New Year's Eve, try some recipes that we haven't made before, open a bunch of wine, and generally enjoy ourselves while avoiding Amateur Night in the public square. This year, inspired by our Med Cruise and buoyed by a new cookbook, we decided to think Italian and embark on our own "Big Night." (Side note: if you haven't seen that movie and you call yourself a foodie, you're missing out in so many ways...)

The lineup for the evening (I waived my usual $15 limit, since this was a special occasion):


Terlan 2007 Alto Adige Pinot Grigio ($20)
Bisci 2006 Verdicchio di Matelica ($15)
Cecci 2006 Chianti Classico ($15)
Vietti 2006 Dolcetto d'Alba Tre Vigne ($20)
Rotari "Arte Italiana" Talento Trento Brut ($14)

Aperitif: The Terlan pinot grigio -- to get us started, because how can anyone be expected to make an Italian meal without a glass or two of wine at the ready? Also, since there was a must-see basketball game on New Year's Eve, we had something to sip on while our various dishes started down their succulent courses.

The Terlan was an excellent choice for a starter. This pinot grigio was much fuller and softer than many I've tried. Still a high-acid wine, for sure, but there was less of a citrus taste -- more melon and a crisp, strong finish that wasn't biting.

Antipasti: Our first course was a thinly sliced grouper marinated in lemon juice. The recipe initially called for non-Chilean sea bass or striped bass, but there wasn't any available locally that I could find.


This dish is very similar to ceviche. If you're unfamiliar with ceviche, it's raw fish and red onion marinated in lime juice. The Italian version used flat-leaf parsley and lemon juice instead of lime juice and cilantro. The acidity of the lemon juice"cooks" the fish in a few hours, creating a fully-cooked, light, flavorful concoction. We tried both the Pinot Grigio and the Verdicchio with the dish. (The Verdicchio was a fragrant, peachy smelling white. Full-bodied and crisp, this had a little more oomph than the Pinot Grigio.)

Split decision. I liked the Verdicchio better, since I thought the fuller wine balanced the acidity of the lemon and brought out more interesting flavors. The SPinC preferred the pinot grigio, since she liked the "acid with acid" effect on all the citrus. Either way, you couldn't lose.

Primi: We followed the grouper with the produce of one of our new holiday toys -- a pasta maker.

We wanted to play, so we made homemade linguini in a simple tomato & anchovy sauce became our pasta course. (Don't wrinkle your nose at the anchovies -- the sauce didn't taste fishy at all.) We sampled with both the Verdicchio and the Chianti Classico. The latter was the clear winner, although both wines got outshined by the pasta itself, which was heavenly. A regular Chianti would probably have been a good choice, or perhaps a Montepulciano d'Abruzzo. I don't know if I could get used to making my own pasta every day, since it's fairly labor intensive -- but the difference between homemade and store-bought pasta is nothing short of amazing.


Primi parte due: Here, we broke from "traditional" Italian meal model. Soup generally does not follow pasta, but since we were stretching this meal out over the course of the evening, we decided to do this as a separate course. So, we settled on an an escarole, bean, and barley soup. With this traditional rustic Italian soup, we decided to go with a wine equally rustic. We paired this up with the Chianti Classico and had our first "WOW!" pairing of the evening. Chianti Classico can be a little rough around the edges taken on its own, but nuzzled up against a steaming bowl of this earthy concoction that we had going in the slow cooker for a few hours -- absolutely a heavenly experience. The earthy flavors in the soup deepened. The fruit in the wine shone through marvelously. We ate this course without saying too much, as we were so focused on the flavor.


Secondi: For our main course, we did a pan-roasted veal shoulder stuffed with spinach and garlic. I'd never done a stuffed roast before, and I was a bit nervous about anything requiring the use of kitchen twine, but my fears were unfounded. The roast came out done to a turn -- and after plating it up, we were treated to the second "WOW!" pairing. Dolcetto is from the Piedmont region, home of Barolo and Barbaresco. Dolcetto is a fruitier, more acidic, more delicate wine than those two tannic monsters. The Vietti has a deeply fruity, slightly smoky nose and a wonderful balance of fruit and tannin in its medium-bodied style. As wonderful as the wine tasted, paired with the veal, it was absolutely sublime -- the perfect amount of tannin to cut through the fat, and the savory, delicate flavor of the veal married perfectly with the wine's fruit. Just exceptional.



Dolci: Of course, we needed to finish with a sweet, so I poached tangerine slices in simple syrup, white wine, and lemon juice, then sprinkled them with some allspice. We rang in the new year with this, paired up with the Rotari sparkling wine. By this point in the evening, we couldn't properly appreciate the pairings, but we can safely say that it tasted pretty darned good.


After watching the ball drop, we toasted in the New Year with the Rotari (and I added a shot of grappa...), slammed some water and headed for bed, full and happy.

In case you're interested, the cookbook we used was "Every Night Italian" by Giuliano Hazan. All of the recipes (except for the tangerines) are based on what we found there. Mr. Hazan was generous enough to give permission for me to reprint the recipes. Follow the links to get the individual recipes. If you're interested in the book itself, click here to get it on Amazon.



Welcome to 2009, everyone! May it be a prosperous, healthy year for all of us.