Alabama Wine Porn: Cycles Gladiator

Oh, fer gossake. You can't make this up. Thanks to Vine Reader Bev E. for cluing me in to this little gem.

I did a review a while ago of Cycles Gladiator wine. It's pretty widely available, and you may have seen the bottle in your local wine store. They make a few different varietals, and those I've tried are at least inoffensive, if not appropriately decent. However, "decent" is apparently not the appropriate descriptor in the Great State of Alabama. The wine's label is apparently a bit much for the gentle souls in The Land of the Crimson Tide.


Alabama's state Alcoholic Beverage Control has put a statewide ban into place on the sale of wines in these bottles, and given a huge free marketing boost to the folks at Hahn Winery -- producers of Cycles:

The Alabama ABC code states that "No advertisement may include any illustration(s) of any person(s) consuming alcoholic beverages or any person(s) posed in an immodest or sensuous manner." In a letter to Alabama restaurants and retailers, the ABC stated that the sale of Cycles Gladiator wines are prohibited. An attorney for the ABC was quoted as saying the label was submitted twice last year for approval and it was rejected both times. However, an Alabama citizen sent the ABC a bottle, indicating it was still being sold in stores. Consequently, the ABC issued a cease and desist order.

I do declare...this wine label has given me the vapors! Help me to my fainting couch...

UPDATE: Vine reader Jason M. suggested I make this update to the Cycles label, making it more palatable to the folks in Alabama:

remembering the face of my father

It's natural, I guess, for a fledgling wine reviewer like myself to fall into the game of adjectives that is the wine reviewing world. It's a seductive trap for writers -- trying to "describe a sunset to the blind" by getting super specific in my writeups; trying to reduce flavors and sensations to minute components rather than simply writing about how the damned stuff tastes and whether I've enjoyed it. (After all, that's why most of you are here, right?)

About six months after I started the Naked Vine, the Sweet Editor-in-Crime read one of my columns and said, after reading one particularly clunky entry, "Who's your audience again? I don't think you're writing for them, or for me for that matter. You lost me about halfway through." She was right, of course. (Stop gloating over that admission, m'dear...) I was trying to prove that I was a "real" wine writer by churning out 400 words about a $6 sauvignon blanc. As the old cliché goes, you gotta play to your strengths. Being a junior Parker isn't mine.

After I write up my tasting notes, I admit I sometimes check my work against those of other writers to see if I've at least landed in the ballpark. I don't expect to have the same descriptions, but there should be commonalities among different tastings of the same bottle. I was doing just that for a cabernet sauvignon I'll be featuring in an upcoming column. I came across a review so glorious in its ostentatiousness that I did a literal spit-take. Check it out:

"The bouquet offers an immediate burst of slate, lead pencil, cedar and tobacco leaf, smoky and toasty oak and hints of intense and concentrated black currants and black raspberries; given a few moments, the nose draws up touches of leafy, dried herbs, brambles and underbrush. All of these elements testify to the wine’s structural integrity and tannic power. In the mouth, though, [this wine] feels sleek and elegant; it’s packed with spice and black fruit flavors but it’s neither fleshy nor over-ripe. The wine gains depth and dimension in the glass, darkening, as it were, as more mineral, tannin and oaken qualities make themselves known. The finish concludes with another burst of spice and a wild high-note of foxy plums."

Egads. Lead pencil? Brambles and underbrush? Foxy plums?

I realize that I shouldn't be too critical. This writer clearly has a particular voice and niche and writes to it. Even so, I hope this isn't like any review you'll ever see from me. If any of you ever notice me veering too far in that direction, feel free to metaphorically kick my ass.

By the way, I did look up what "brambles" refers to. It's a fancy way of saying "blackberries." I'm still stumped on "foxy plums." For the sake of full disclosure, this particular writer won the 2009 American Wine Blog Award for "Best Wine Reviews," so what the heck do I know?

Some Hometown Love -- NuVo Restaurant

You may have noticed that the Sweet Partner in Crime and I do a lot of cooking. Comes with the territory with the wine stuff. Friday, though, we decided we needed to head out. We had a nice night at our disposal and we decided to take a stroll.

NuVo "Modern American Cuisine," originally located in Florence, moved to Newport last September to great reviews and some nice buzz. Embarrassingly, we'd never been there, even though it's less than a mile from The Naked Vineyard. We decided to remedy the situation.

NuVo, for those of you who aren't familiar, is in the old Mokka location on York Street between 5th and 6th. The location isn't large -- it probably can seat around 50 people inside. The back patio (where we sat) seats about another 15 in the back. Like many of the other better restaurants in the Cincy metro area, they do a lot of interesting things with locally raised ingredients. While not everything on the menu was truly "locavore" (Understandably...the Ohio's not a good place to harvest scallops) we could tell the chef, Michael Peterson, made an effort to incorporate wherever he could.

We ordered a couple of glasses of Dom du Tariquet Sauvignon Blanc to go with our salads -- which was NuVo's take on a Caesar (the roasted garlic dressing was delicious), topped with some delicious goat cheese. We were lucky/unlucky with this course. We got large pours of the wine since we got the last pour from the last bottle of that wine. They also ran out of the promised pink peppercorn croutons, so they gave us...well...larger portions of everything else in the salads. Not a bad trade.

Between courses, our server brought us a palate cleanser -- a carrot and orange sorbet topped with a dot of balsamic vinegar. This little bite was a combination of strangely complimentary flavors. Sweet and tart -- with the carrot flavor very much up front. I could have imagined these flavors in a salad instead of a sorbet, but cold and creamy certainly worked.

The night was still fairly warm and neither of us were quite feeling up to anything overly heavy. We ordered a couple of glasses of Ugni Blanc (also by Tariquet) for our entrees. The SPinC ordered the seared red snapper with vanilla and orange glazed veggies over some annatto spiced rice. I had the restaurant-made fettuccini with lobster, pancetta and tomatoes. Ordinarily, I've seen pasta dishes like this done in cream sauces -- but this one was in a sweet corn and lemon juice emulsion.

The snapper was meaty, tasted exceptionally fresh and was cooked to perfection. The combination of the annatto flavors with the fish gave us happy flashbacks to our Aruba vacation several years back. The pasta was exceptional. The lobster's creaminess, the firm flavor of the pasta, the pancetta's smoke, and the acid of the tomatoes were rounded off by the sweetness and tang of the corn and lemon juice. Plenty of care went into making the flavors balance in both dishes. Harmonious is the adjective I'd use.

We didn't end up staying for dessert (we had a date with some Dry Creek zin and chocolate on our back patio at home), but the server did bring a final sweet. Homemade dark chocolates (one with a caramel filling) topped with a little sea salt and a "Dr. Pepper reduction." Yum.

NuVo's certainly not an inexpensive meal. The entrees range from $17-28. Our bill, which included a salad, our wine, and two entrees was $86, but for a nice night out -- definitely worth it. The service was laid back and extremely pleasant. We were able to relaxedly dine without feeling rushed. The only drawback was the décor on the patio -- which was, for all intents and purposes, nonexistent. (The SPinC said, "Give me $500 and an afternoon and I could really spruce this up.") That nitpick aside, we'll definitely be back -- hopefully for one of their Wednesday tapas nights, which sound absolutely fabulous.

Arizona Stronghold

“Learn to swim, I’ll see you down in Arizona Bay…”
– Tool, “Aenema”

"Wine, song, food, and fire/Clothes, shelter, and seed.
No more need for the old empire/(When the) indigo children (come.)"
-- Maynard Keenan, "The Indigo Children"

Maybe Maynard Keenan is just being prescient.

Keenan (lead singer of Tool, A Perfect Circle, and Puscifer) writes a song in the mid-90’s about Los Angeles sliding into the ocean. At around the same time, according to the trailer for the documentary “Blood into Wine,” he has a vision about growing grapes and making wine on an Arizona hillside. A continuation of the same dream? Whatever his motive, he headed to the hills in Jerome, Arizona, to plant himself a vineyard.

Along the way, Keenan hooked up with Eric Glomski, an Arizona native and true believer in the power of the southwestern soil. Glomski’s Page Spring Cellars has as a part of its mission statement (that I wholeheartedly embrace), “Good wine is not strictly the esoteric fare of nobility: Wine is for the people.” Glomski served as Keenan’s oenological advisor for Caduceus Cellars and the pair founded Arizona Stronghold Vineyards as a joint “second label” wine for both Page Springs and Caduceus.

I harbor a natural suspicion towards “celebrity” wines. As my friend Jim Voltz of Bond Street Imports put it, “That’s how you sell average wine – market, market, market, market.” I’ve tried a number of wines “made” by famous folks – and the results have been mixed, at best. Many of them are pretty average, driven by cute logos and recognizable names rather than actual winemaking acumen. (For the record, Bond Street's wines are anything but "average")

I’ve been curious about Keenan’s wine, though – his music may not be everyone’s glass of grapes (and it’s hit or miss with me, depending on my mood and state of mind) but it’s always painstakingly crafted, highly structured, and remarkably creative. I figured if he were going to undertake winemaking, he'd probably throw himself into it as a creative endeavor with great attention to detail rather than having it simply as a vanity project. I also figured Arizona could become an interesting viticultural area. Grapes love lousy soil, blazing hot days, and dry cool nights. My old Southwestern stomping grounds have all of those in abundance.

When I saw the press release come down the pike about Keenan & Glomski’s recent publicity tour, I made an inquiry (when I saw they weren’t coming nearby) and they generously offered to send some samples. Eric was also good enough to pass along some recipe recommendations which, as you know, I can’t resist.

The first one we tried was the Page Springs Cellars 2007 Estate Vineyards "Landscape." This is a 50/50 split of syrah & petit sirah -- all estate grown in Yavapai County. This was described as a "classic Rhone" style. After giving it a little time to open up, we were greeted with a wonderfully fragrant nose of caramel, mint, and blackberries. The body, as expected from a blend like this, is very full and loaded with the syrah's fruitiness. Layers of berries and smoke work towards a finish that goes on for a minute or more by itself, ending with some very firm, balanced tannins and chocolate flavors. I asked Eric (a self-admitted "die hard meat eater") what food would go best with these wines. He suggested "highly seasoned meat, like lamb or goat." Taking this cue, we put together a lamb shoulder braised in tomatoes with sides of wilted spinach & sautéed mushrooms and some polenta cakes. The Landscape is nicely complex and great by itself, but with the lamb -- transcendent. Mint always goes well with lamb, and those tones paired up nicely -- but you add in the tannins slicing through the fat, and you end up with a slightly fruity, exceptionally smooth finish. Retails for about $40.

Next up was the Caduceus Cellars 2006 Merkin Vineyards "Anubis" -- This wine, named for the dog-headed Egyptian god who protected and guided spirits through the underworld, marks the transition of Caduceus to using predominantly Arizona-grown fruit. Eric said that the wine "bears the Bordeaux mark" -- which makes sense, as it is largely a cabernet franc/cabernet sauvignon blend with a little syrah and sangiovese thrown in for good measure. We found it was an absolute must to decant this wine. Even after an hour open, there was still a lot of alcohol on the nose, and the fruit was extremely tight. After a good deal of swirling and decanting, the nose of violets and smoke start to emerge more strongly. Powerful dark fruit flavors and licorice lead to layers of smoke and balanced tannins on the finish. Eric's recommendation was a big steak, and I went with porterhouse. Divine. The wine brought out the flavors in the meat and the fruit in the wine ahead of any lingering fatty taste from the steak. We saved a little for chocolate and sipping, and the flavors continued to balance and marry. The Sweet Partner in Crime summed it up: "It's seductive. It's really fruity, but not an overwhelming fruit bomb. It's big and tannic, but that doesn't detract from the fruit or dry you out. It's not like anything jumps out at you. The whole flavor just draws you in." About $35-40 for about as well-balanced a wine as you'll find.

Finally, we had the Arizona Stronghold 2007 "Nachise" Red Wine -- another Rhone blend named after Cochise's son, former leader of the Chiricahua Apache. The blend is about 2/3 syrah, with the rest grenache and petit sirah. Once decanted, I expected it to be earthy with a little fruit. While a Cotes-du-Rhone is a reflection of the soil with its funk, the Nachise is a reflection of the sun and sky. The fruit flavors are certainly forward, but they're extremely bright for a wine this big. The earth that exists in this wine provides a nice backbone that's full without being thick. The finish is nicely long, with some tasty coffee and plum notes. It actually reminded me more of a Rioja than a Rhone. Rather than going back to meat, we paired this with a "Southwesterny" vegetarian meal -- grilled, marinated portabella mushrooms with avocados and a salsa of black beans, corn, tomatoes, cilantro, and fresh cayenne pepper from our garden. The Nachise embraced both the earth and the spice and held its own against the spread of flavors. About $20 and well worth it.

If these selections are any indication, the partners of Arizona Stronghold (and Arizona wine in general) have an extremely bright future. As for Keenan, was he looking for future oceanside terroir when he planted the Merkin vines? In a 2006 interview with IGN, he quipped: "This is a prime spot for vineyards. An untapped resource. But the master plan is to have the Merkin Vineyards Bed and Breakfast set up for when California drops in the ocean. Beach front property and the New Napa Valley. You got it."

The Great Cabernet Ripoff

Vine reader and ol' drinkin' buddy Nate L. passed along this little gem of an article from The Daily Beast:

The Great Cabernet Ripoff

I really can't argue too much with too much in here. I was talking to another friend of mine who regularly attends private "wine tasting competitions" of cabernets and such. The latest cab to win one of those competitions cost around $300 a bottle, which is utterly ridiculous.

As you all know, I'm pretty partial to wines I feel like I can crack everyday, but after a certain point -- do you really gain anything other than showing people that you have $300 to spend on a bottle of wine?

UPDATE: K2 writes on a similar subject (and about Kings X!) over at Under the Grape Tree.

Finger Lake'n Good™ -- Part II

For part I of the trip, click here. For pictures, watch below and click for closeups...



As you drive around Seneca, there's a bend in the lake east of Watkins Glen, which is on the southern tip. The southeastern side of Seneca Lake is known as the "Banana Belt" because of its shape. This stretch of the lake catches the most daily sun of anywhere on the lake. Since red wines tend to need more sunlight and heat, we found the better reds on Seneca come from there. To wit:

Shalestone Vineyards-- "Red Is All We Do" proclaims the sign at the entrance to this little winery on the east side of Seneca -- and they do it quite well. Tasting there is a wonderfully laid back experience. The tasting notes on their wines are fabulous, such as this from their luscious 2007 Pinot Noir: "Pinot Noir has a presence that is very seductive. Black cherry aromas and flavors are indeed there, but tune your senses… there is a whole lot more. Oh the fickle femme fatale! Some are like a cold shower and others give you multiple orgasms. They are always worth a try."
Their "Red Legend" blend was also a favorite of ours. They have an interesting setup -- they built their cellars into the side of the hill on which the tasting room rests. Natural a/c!

Red Newt Cellars -- One of the prettiest views that we found just about anywhere around either lake. Most of their wines were very solid offerings, but their "Sawmill Creek" 2007 Gewurztraminer was absolutely exceptional. Made in the Alsatian style -- so quite dry -- there were layers and layers of watermelon, kiwi, spice, and various other yumminess. One of the better representations of that varietal we'd ever tried, honestly. (It's a little pricey at $36 a bottle, though.) Red Newt also had a very good bistro where we had a thoroughly enjoyable late lunch and some flights of various wines.

Atwater Estate Vineyards -- Our last stop on Seneca Lake was a winner. Atwater's friendly folks gave us a thorough rundown of much of their current catalog in their gorgeous tasting facility. We were especially impressed with their 2007 Chardonnay. Many of the Chardonnays in the Finger Lakes were overoaked, in our opinion. This one had just a hint of oak, some tasty tart apple flavors, and a nice vanilla finish. Their 2005 "Celsius" ice wine, also made from chardonnay, was absolutely delicious, full of tangerines and honey.

Seneca Lake is much more heavily populated winery-wise than its neighbor to the East, Cayuga Lake. Most of Cayuga Lake's wineries are clustered about midway up the western shore of the lake. We'd heard more about the wineries on Seneca and Keuka, and after our first couple of stops on Cayuga, we thought we understood why. We stopped at a couple of the "more established" wineries on Cayuga and were roundly disappointed in both. Their wines were clearly "made for the tourists" -- lots of cheap, sweet plonk that they'd been selling to tour busses from NYC and bachelorette parties for years. We were filled with trepidation -- and then our luck changed:

Buttonwood Grove Winery -- We were a little nervous when we drove up to the place. When I see wineries that offer a lot of non-wine stuff, I start to wonder how much effort they actually put into crafting their wines. Signs at Buttonwood advertised "cabins for rent," grape pies, and goat cheese. By the parking area we met Melody, a long-haired Scottish Highland cow and her three friendly goat companions (which we unsuccessfully tried to feed on the way out -- they sold treats for them at the register). Despite possible appearances to the contrary, Buttonwood clearly takes the wine seriously. They poured the best tasting chardonnay (Their 2005 Reserve -- $16!) we had in the whole region -- a little oaky with a balanced creaminess and excellent, refreshing fruit. Also had a very nice 2004 Cabernet Franc which was exceptionally smooth.

Thirsty Owl Winery -- Another wonderful bit of scenery to back up some very tasty wines. Our favorites were their 2008 Pinot Gris, which was fresh and clean with some wonderful acidity and fruit that rivaled much more expensive Pinot Gris'; and their 2008 semi-dry Riesling, which was an absolute crowd-pleasing peach explosion. They also had a great little bistro where we enjoyed some appetizers for another late lunch and watched the lake for awhile.

Finally, our tour ended at Hosmer Winery -- which was, again, one of the real finds of our trip. They had a ton of excellent selections. Both their 2007 Pinot Gris and Dry Rosé were fresh, tastily acidic, and full of fruit. The rosé, at $6, was a steal. They did a wonderful methode champenoise brut made of a blend of chardonnay and Cayuga grapes that was bone dry and yet tasted of honey. Absolutely delicious. Friendly atmosphere as well. They also were one of the few wineries that shipped to Kentucky, so we took full advantage.

So, all in all, what did we think? For scenic beauty, the lake views were hard to beat. For white wines, while Riesling was certainly king, they're growing a number of other really solid varietals, including some of the hybrids. The whites also tend to be very consistent across vintages. The reds were a little more uneven, but considerably better than we expected. The quality of the reds tends to be inversely proportional to rainfall. 2007, for instance, was a very dry year in the area -- and the reds from that year were a slice better, on balance, than the 2006's. Also, with the exception of Hosmer, most of the wineries we liked best were the relatively new ones -- quite different from our experience in a number of other places. I wouldn't hesitate to suggest this area for a getaway. So, make your reservations to fly into Ithaca -- the only airport I've seen where the gates don't even open until 45 minutes before a flight. You'll find plenty to help you relax.

Finger Lake'n Good™ -- Part I

The Sweet Partner in Crime and I finally got to the end of our school year. We decided, in conjunction with the SPinC's birthday, to unplug; do some hiking, snag some good grub; and maybe work a little wine in. Neither of us had been to the Finger Lakes and, after finding some inexpensive flights into Ithaca, set ourselves up for a long weekend jaunt.

For those of you who aren't familiar with the Finger Lakes region, it's in west-central New York State. The lakes are long and narrow and look like...well...you get the idea. These lakes, and the beautiful attendant waterfalls and gorgeous gorges in the surrounding area, were formed by the receding sea at the foot of what is now the Appalachian Mountains, a few hundred million years of erosion and weather, and one really big ice age. The result is an absolutely beautiful natural landscape, full of fantastic hikes, photo ops, and the chance to simply sit and listen to the water rush by for hours.

We set our home base in Trumansburg, about 10 miles from Ithaca at the absolutely wonderful Halsey House bed & breakfast. Mitch, the owner -- alongside Tess the sweet dog and his impressive aviary full of parrots -- treated us royally. Breakfasts were excellent and filling, and the accommodations were first-rate. As Mitch put it after we told him about the kinds of vacations we usually lean towards: "You're in the right place. All we do around here is eat and drink. Or, more accurately, drink and eat and drink."

We sandwiched some winery visits around the time we spent exploring the gorges and state parks of the area. (Treman State Park and Watkins Glen had the best trails. Taughannock Falls was the single most impressive sight, in my humble opinion.) When we started sampling, I half-expected to simply OD on sweeter white wines. I did have an inkling about the wines from there. I knew New York wineries cranked out a fair amount of Riesling (Dr. Konstantin Frank and Heron Hill being the largest producers) and I guessed they'd probably grow a few other white varietals. I also knew that we'd run into a lot of cheap, sweet fruit wines. The rest was open for discovery.

What did we find? Riesling was certainly the star of the show. There were scads of them. Most wineries that made Riesling had at least three varieties. You could almost always count on a dry, semi-dry, and sweet versions -- and various "reserves." There was, of course, the ubiquitous chardonnay and some other cool-climate grapes like Gewurztraminer.

There were also some hybrid varietals I'd seen -- grapes like Seyval, Traminette, and Corot Noir. These grape varietals are bred to be winter hearty, so you'll see them in a lot of "nontraditional" wine growing areas like Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana, for instance. What I didn't know was that these hybrids were developed at nearby Cornell University (where my maternal grandfather, Walter, proudly earned his engineering degree). In many wineries around the country, these wines end up being full of residual sugar to mask flaws in the winemaking. I was interested to learn how these grapes were supposed to taste when grown in soil they were bred into.

There were also some cool-weather reds bring produced. We were told to expect the Finger Lakes reds to be "bug juice," but that wasn't our typical experience. Cabernet franc and pinot noir were fairly common and grew reasonably well. There was some cabernet sauvignon, and a few scattered Rhone varietals.

Across the board, the Finger Lakes wines were also universally affordable. Almost every winery produced very solid wines in the $10-20 price range.

There are three "major" lakes -- Keuka (pronounced Q-kuh), Seneca, and Cayuga. To get an idea of the geography (almost to scale, no less), hold out your left hand, palm away from you, and bend your ring finger at the knuckle. Your index finger is Cayuga Lake, your middle finger is Seneca, and your ring finger is about the area of the bifurcations of Keuka Lake.

The wineries tend to be right on the lakefront, so we had some wonderful views from their tasting rooms. We weren't able to get all the way over to Keuka Lake in the time we had, so we weren't able to get to Dr. Frank's and Heron Hill, but I felt like we got a pretty good sense of the area and the wine production. Many of these wineries are starting to be available more broadly, as well -- so certainly check some of them out.

Here are a couple of our favorites from Seneca Lake:

Glenora Wine Cellars -- Our first stop on the west shore of Seneca was a good one. We were given the dollar tour of Glenora by Bridget, the winery manager, who was understandably proud of the esprit de corps of her tasting room staff. Had a nice chat with the winemaker, Steve DiFranscesco, as well. Definitely a fun experience. Both their 2007 Riesling and Dry Riesling were very solid. I found their 2007 Seyval Blanc to be especially light, pleasant, and refreshing. They also made a wonderful 2002 Pinot Noir/Chardonnay Brut sparkling wine done methode champenoise which was an impeccably delicate creation.

Fox Run Winery -- At the very top of the west shore of Seneca, near the town of Geneva, is a very cool winery with a fun vibe and some excellent wines. They made an excellent Gewurztraminer (2007) full of floral notes and spice and a 2008 Dry Riesling which will be absolutely wonderful when the acidity calms down a little -- probably after about six months in bottle allowing the citrus flavors to emerge some more. At that point, it will be stellar. While almost of the wineries did dessert wines, Fox Run was one of the few that made actual port. Their ruby port stacks up nicely about just about anyone else's at that price point (around $20).

So to avoid overwhelming you (and to give myself a ready-made tease for the next installment), I'll start you off with these two. I'll send along the rest -- and our pictures -- next time!

Barbera

As a child of the 70's, I can't read "Barbera" without tagging "Hannah" in front of it. Anyone my age who doesn't at least crack a smile at the casual mention of Hannah-Barbera was raised by wolves or the Amish. (This is not to be confused with mentions of various Sid and Marty Krofft productions like H.R. Pufnstuf and Sigmund the Sea Monster. Those usually arise in totally different contexts.)

The Superfriends were de rigueur every Saturday morning. So were the Herculoids, Laff-A-Lympics, Speed Buggy and so many others. Thanks to my old Saturday ritual, I can't stroll past that section of the Italian wine aisle without my minds filling up with images of these cartoons, hanging around the recesses of my cerebrum like old friends. I know I can't be the only one.

So what's the deal with this wine? Why is it hanging out amidst the Chianti and the Montepulciano, re-triggering my horror stemming from Scrappy-Doo's first appearance in the Mystery Machine?

Barbera got its start in the Piedmont region of Italy. The Piedmont is still Barbera's best known home, although it's planted all over Italy and often shows up as a blending grape in various red table wines. It's the third-most widely planted grape in Italy. Barbera, like Dolcetto, is a wine that folks in the Piedmont drink while they're waiting for the Nebbiolo to finish aging for use in Barolo and Barbaresco.

General "Barbera" can be grown almost anywhere in Italy, but there are some viticultural areas that are well known for this wine. The towns of Alba and Asti are the most famous and are the sources of the higher quality versions. Thus, in general, if you see "Barbera d'Alba" or "Barbera d'Asti" on a bottle, it'll likely be a little more expensive, but much more interesting and complex.

Elsewhere in Europe, Barbera isn't grown very much except for in small pockets here and there. It's planted fairly widely in California where, because of its normally high yield per vine, it's a common component in a lot of jug wine. Thankfully, some California winemakers have started taking care of this grape properly -- producing it as either a largely single-varietal wine or as a feature grape in blends.

Barbera's flavor profile is all over the map. Since it's a fairly flexible vine that can grow in many types of soil, the terroir and the care taken to limit yields play huge roles in the eventual flavor of the wine. In general, however, Barbera tends to produce somewhat fruity, fairly tannic, and highly acidic wine. The color always tends to be dark -- Barbera was and is often blended in small quantities into Nebbiolo (which tends to produce light-colored wines) for aesthetic purposes. The high acidity level makes it an excellent complement to many kinds of food -- especially rich foods. Pepperoni pizza and Barbera make a remarkably good pairing.

Bazzini 2006 Barbera -- I grabbed a one-liter bottle of this when I knew I was going to be making an Italian meal and couldn't come up with a pairing off the top of my head. For the record, it was pan-cooked salmon filets in an onion-and-anchovy sauce over some risotto. Lots of rich flavors, so I wanted a wine that was acidic to cut through the oil and fruity enough to be a complement. Barbera's usually a pretty safe bet. What I didn't expect was that this eight-dollar liter of wine ended up being a pretty decent quaffer. Not watery at all, plenty of bright fruit and acidity, and pleasant enough to have on its own. It worked well with the fish, which ended up being absolutely delicious, by the way...

Hey Mambo 2007 Bistro Style Sultry Red -- As I mentioned, Barbera winds up in a lot of California wine, and not all of these are jug quality. The Hey Mambo is a blend of Barbera and four other grapes: syrah, malbec, petit sirah, and zinfandel. The result is what I'd term an inexpensive substitute to a Super Tuscan. This wine starts you out with a Syrah-like, plummy nose. The taste is full bodied, with a hint of that Italian "chalkiness," which is balanced by the full fruit of the other grapes. The finish is long and fruity. We had this with rotini in a spicy tomato sauce, and it went very well -- but I certainly would not waver in putting it up against a heartier, meatier dish. About $9-10.

La Spinetta 2005 Barbera d'Asti "Ca' Di Pian" -- Now, if you want to experience a wonderful expression of what Barbera can really be when it's truly taken care of -- and you're willing to go over the $15 limit for a special occasion (you'll probably shell out $22-25), have a look at this one. Big blackberries and flowers on the nose. Long, complex flavors -- dark berries and chocolate with a little bit of oak that transitions to a full, lasting, and slightly, pleasantly fruity finish. It's a perfect wine to break out for a meal to linger over in good company. Or, put more poetically by one of the folks in the wine store: "This is a 'get-you-laid' bottle." (I cannot make that kind of unequivocal guarantee. Your mileage may vary. And, no, I ain't tellin'.)

Golden Kaan

Monica from Balzac, who was goodly enough to let me try the Espiritu de Chile selections back in January, asked me to give my impressions of Golden Kaan wines, a new series of wines from the Western Cape of South Africa near Cape Town.

Golden Kaan 2007 Chenin Blanc -- South African chenin blanc is an entirely different animal than the light, crisp chenin that quality winemakers are doing in California, or the fruit-laden minerality of the Loire whites from France. South African chenins tend to be a little heavier, and the Kaan certainly is an excellent representation of this varietal. The nose is quite full of caramel and vanilla. The body is as full as I've tasted in a chenin, and contains a pleasantly complex mix of citrus, vanilla, and toasty oak. The finish is a nice, lasting balance of oak and melon.

The recommended pairing was a warm green bean salad (which ended up helping me discover a great way to put fresh, uncooked onions in a dish without having stank-breath after!) and I added a grilled grouper recipe from the Giuliano Hazan cookbook I mentioned once before. The pairing was spot-on. The bean salad had a lemon-based dressing which pointed up some citrus notes in the wine. The smokiness of the wine's flavors went very well with the grilled fish.

Golden Kaan 2006 Pinotage & Golden Kaan 2007 Shiraz -- The SPinC and I tried these two wines side by side, since the recommended food pairing for both was this tasty looking "lamb soasities" recipe. (In case you're wondering what in tarnation that is, it's lamb shoulder cut into chunks and marinated in a mixture of onion, lemon juice, garlic, and various curry-themed spices; skewered with green pepper, shallots, and dried apricots; and cooked over hot coals. Recipe here. Yum!)

We tasted the wines by themselves initially. We discovered that using the aerator that we brought back from California was a huge help for these wines. Both of them definitely needed some time to breathe, since they were both a) relatively young and b) varietals that can always stand a little bit of air to wake up the flavors.

Pinotage, for many people, is a "love it or hate it" varietal. Pinotage is a crossbreed of Cinsault and Pinot Noir, and is the wine South Africa is best known for. This hybrid produces a wine that's slightly heavier than many Pinot Noirs, with some very strong flavors. These wines are often very smoky and rich, and they can have any number of flavors that don't appear in many wines. Done well, these wines stand up nicely to grilled and smoked game and pungent spices.

This version, while possessing some of the characteristics you'd expect in Pinotage, is a reasonably approachable wine. The nose is full of tart cherries and chocolate with a strong smoky flavor on the palate. There's a slightly bitter flavor on the finish, almost like coffee, and it's dry. The shiraz is a light styled wine. The nose is of fresh cut wood and cherries -- more sweet cherry than the tartness of the Pinotage. There's a tobacco flavor as well, but the cherries dominate the palate from front to end.

With the food, I thought that the Pinotage was much more interesting. I thought it stood up to the spices in the marinade and the sauce, and the flavors in the wine itself stood out. The SPinC was of a different mind. She enjoyed the shiraz more, since there were already so many varied flavors in the food -- she felt that the shiraz allowed the food to take center stage and be a solid complementary taste. She said, "If it were January, I'd probably like the Pinotage more."

I think the Pinotage is an excellent "starter" if you're not too familiar with the varietal and you want to get a sense of it. The shiraz was OK -- but I think there are some better ones out there in the same price point.

All three wines retail for around $10 and are broadly available.

P.S. Vine reader Steve G pointed out my patently obvious missed opportunity for a Star Trek reference with the name of this wine. But after about a dozen "KAAAAAAAAAN!" exclamations with the SPinC looking at me sideways, I decided to let it slide. But please, feel free to unleash your inner Shatner after killing a bottle of one of these.

Vote for Me! -- updated!

Your intrepid wine blogger has thrown his name in the hat for Murphy-Goode winery's "A Really Goode Job" promotion. One lucky winner gets to move to Healdsburg, California for six months, tasting wine -- blogging and tweeting along the way.

I had to put a short video together. I went for "Brevity is the soul of wit."

You can see my video (and hopefully vote for it!) here. (UPDATE: This takes you directly to the video without having to sift through all the entries...)

All support is appreciated! I'll keep you updated as things move along.

(Many thanks to Michelle Lentz, the Wine Girl, for helping me figure out how to get the link working...)

Cracking Open the Good Stuff -- Volume 1 -- Göpfrich

After our 100th review, I figure this is a good a time to make a slight change around here. Now don't go worrying, I'm still keeping my focus on inexpensive, quality wines. You'll still be able to get your Vine fix and that will remain the primary focus of the site. As I've tried more and more wine, my palate has broadened -- as does anyone's who keeps one hand on a tasting glass for any length of time. Many of these wines are simply too good not to share my thoughts about with all of you out there.

So, from time to time, I'm going to start jotting down a few notes on wines that are slightly higher priced -- because everyone needs a good special occasion wine from time to time. (Or, to paraphrase Virginia Madsen from Sideways -- anytime you open a good bottle of wine is a special occasion.) I'm going to start with a bottle that helped me first understand what a good bottle of wine can be.

The Sweet Partner in Crime came home with a delicious looking porterhouse steak that simply begged to be grilled up. We put together a couple of foil packs for vegetables -- new potatoes with some rosemary and basil from our garden and Brussels sprouts with some garlic, olive oil, and feta cheese. It was a Friday night after a particularly grueling couple of weeks at work, so we decided to pull something out of the "special occasion" rack.

I dug around and came out with the Göpfrich 2003 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. Göpfrich is a Sonoma Country winery that we visited on our first trip to wine country. It's a small operation in Dry Creek Valley run by Ray and Bonnie Goepfrich. We stumbled upon the place while we were out tasting and Ray was good enough to let us try some of his bounty even though we didn't have an appointment when we popped in.

At the time, I thought his wines were some of the best I'd ever tasted, especially the Cabernet Sauvignon. Many bottles of wine have passed under the bridge and through the liver since then, and I still stand by my estimation. Especially at the price point (the current reserve cab is $38 a bottle), these wines are astoundingly good. Theirs was the first wine club that we joined, and we've been loyal customers every since that day.

Most Göpfrich wines are high in alcohol, so they're a little "hot" when first poured. So, after letting the wine breathe for a little while, we got to work on dinner and eventually poured a little -- just to get a sense. Even after half an hour, the wine still hadn't quite opened up -- but once it did (took about another 20 minutes -- just in time to eat), the wine was nothing short of spectacular.

The nose was rich and layered with blackberries, coffee, and chocolate. There was a quick burst of fruit when first sipped, but that fruit quickly mellowed into a long, rich, chocolate-and-berry filled midpalate. The wine's richness continued into an exceptionally well-balanced finish that lingered strongly for well over a minute. This was a "take a sip, close your eyes, and dream" sort of wine, one that continued to open up over the course of the evening -- flavors of blueberry peeked out around the edges, and the finish became smokier.

With the food? Well...nothing short of divine. There's really not much I can add. A great cut of meat, grilled properly and a top line cabernet -- there's simply no way to go wrong. We saved a splash for chocolate later in the evening. Again, impeccable.

Göpfrich is always my first recommendation when I get asked about Sonoma wine country. They ship nationwide.

Kinkead Ridge -- The 2008 whites...

(This entry marks a milestone for The Naked Vine -- it's our 100th wine review. So thanks to all of you out there in Vine-land for your readership, for your encouragement, and for your friendship over the last three years. It's been a heck of a ride thus far...)

Tucked away in a modest, quiet neighborhood in the river town of Ripley, Ohio, is Kinkead Ridge Winery. The estate winery, cleverly disguised as a one-story ranch style house, is the brainchild of Ron Barrett and Nancy Bentley -- a pair of transplants from Oregon, where they grew pinot noir for a number of years. They relocated to southern Ohio in 1999 and dropped roots, literally and figuratively.

I'm usually fairly skeptical of "local" wineries. There's a reason that the "best" winemaking operations tend to cluster in certain areas. While there are grapes that will grow in almost any climate, I can't tell you how much bitter Chambourcin and Norton, overly sweet Cayuga or Concord, and heavily charred Chardonel we've tried in many of these little places. (Perhaps there's a method for making those wines taste good. If there is, I've yet to find it consistently applied.)

There are no worries on that front from Nancy & Ron. The wines grown at Kinkead Ridge are all vinifera grapes. They grow primarily Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Viognier, and Riesling. Smaller quantities of Petit Verdot, Roussanne and Sauvignon Blanc fill out the mix. They also have an "experimental" section of the vineyard where Ron, a former electrical engineer before becoming a vintner, experiments with Merlot, Gamay Noir, Dolcetto, Sangiovese and Semillon.

How do they manage to grow all this vinifera? It's the soil, Nancy says: "We looked at a lot of different places when we decided to leave Oregon. We looked in California, Washington, other places in Oregon -- and we found that the soil of the land we found was exactly what we were looking for. The soil composition on the ridge is almost identical to St. Emilion in France -- not the clay cap that you find down in the river valley."

Ron's scientific bent also comes heavily into play. "You have to keep a close eye on a lot of these vines. We've got great terroir here, but the big drawback for us is the variation in temperature and climate. In 2007, we had a frost around Easter that nearly wiped out the vineyard. We were able to salvage the cabernet, but the syrah was completed ruined, and we lost most of our Viognier and Riesling. Hazards of the occupation." When the vines are able to mature, however, the winery has the capacity to produce about 2000 cases a year -- with increased production on the way, if all goes well. As the vines continue to mature, the yield with undoubtedly increase and the quality should improve as well.

Not that there's much wrong with the quality of the wines as they currently stand. One of the hallmarks of many local wineries I've found is, on the rare occasion that one of them makes a wine of note -- the price is often two to three times what you'd pay for a comparable wine from a "known" region. Kinkead Ridge, however, has a price point for all of its wines between $10-20, and these wines are, in my estimation, about as good for those styles as you would find "normally."

Ron and Nancy release their whites every year on Memorial Day weekend and their reds on Labor Day weekend. The Sweet Partner in Crime and I took the scenic drive down US 52 to Ripley this weekend to try their spread of whites.

Kinkead Ridge 2008 River Village Cellars Traminette -- Traminette is a hybrid of Gewurztraminer, and a friend of Ron's said that she had a couple of tons available for sale. He picked them up and, unfortunately, found that some of the grapes had already begun to raisinate. He cobbled together an interesting, semi-sweet, eminently drinkable wine from the ton and a half he was able to use. Plenty of traditional gewürztraminer pepperiness to be found therein, lots of floral notes, and a surprisingly fresh finish. For about $10, a very nice sipping wine or a nice pairing for spicy Asian cuisine.

Kinkead Ridge 2008 Riesling -- My personal favorite of the four whites that we tried. Reminiscent of a German spatlese to me -- slightly sweet (1.2% residual sugar -- or at least that was Ron's self-described "SWAG" -- short for scientific wild-ass guess...) but full of really pleasant apple and pear flavors. Crisp acidity on the finish and a lasting fruit flavor that begs for some roast pork loin or a meat and cheese tray. A very flexible wine for all seasons. $14.

Kinkead Ridge 2008 White Revelation -- One of the flagship white wines of Kinkead Ridge, the blend on this white cuvee changes every year. This year, it's largely Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon, with a hodgdpodge of other grapes thrown in for good measure. The wine certainly reflects the character of the grapes -- and it drinks very much like a decent white Bordeaux. Acidic and minerally from front to back, it's a nice accompaniment for anything from salads to grilled chicken. Great summer wine. $14.

Kinkead Ridge 2008 Viognier/Roussanne -- Of the four, this one was probably my least favorite on its face, because I think it's still a little too young. That's not to say it was bad -- far from it. One of the customers had brought in a bottle of the 2006 Viognier/Roussane, and the difference was remarkable. This one needs a little time in the bottle, maybe even a couple more months, for the flavors to marry and balance and for the slight oiliness of the Viognier to die down, but the backbone of tropical fruits and aromatics were certainly there. Pick up a bottle and stash it until fall. Then have it with some grilled fish. You'll thank me. $16.

The tasting room is open most Saturdays during the summer from 11:00-5:00. For more information about Kinkead Ridge, the winery, their story, and how to get there if you're interested in making a weekend road trip down to the Ohio River, check out their website at http://www.kinkeadridge.com

Vintner Select 20th Anniversary

On the 18th, thanks to an invitation from Brian Scott, the Sweet Partner in Crime and I had the good fortune to attend the 20th Anniversary grand tasting at the home warehouse of Vintner Select in Mason. As I've mentioned a few times, Brian has been a real source of wine knowledge and inspiration for me, and I was very pleased to be a part of the tasting. As I've also mentioned, if I'm wondering about a wine from France, Italy, or Spain, and I see "imported by Vintner Select" on the bottle, I can almost be guaranteed of a good bottle.

The event featured over 20 different wine distributors, each of whom poured some of the better wines from their catalogue. Additionally, there was a full room of excellent edibles, ranging from scrumptious paddlefish caviar raised locally by Renee at Big Fish Farms (coincidentally, my first "wine mentor"), organic produce from Farmer Jones in Sandusky, wonderful cured salmon from Just Cured in Cincinnati, and a variety of locally grown and raised meats, vegetables and cheeses whipped into delectable amuse-bouche by my esteemed neighbor Jean-Robert de Cavel.

But the wine was truly the star of the show. Specifically, the row of Italian winemakers. Apparently, these winemakers were already touring the US with their latest releases, and it happened that they all could simultaneously show their wines in Mason. So, what happens when you get this many Italian winemakers in one place?

The good stuff comes out.

When I say "good stuff," I'm talking about serious special-occasion wine. I must have sampled at least 15 different types of Barolo, and half a dozen types of Brunello di Montalcino. Absolute heaven. I don't know if I'll drink 15 different Barolo in the rest of my life, so I took full advantage of the opportunity to compare and contrast. The best of the bunch, in my estimation? The Molino 2005 Barolo Gallinoto and Molino 2005 Barolo Conca. Both these wines had exquisite structure, plenty of fruit, and were obviously built to age for the long haul. Even this young for Barolo, these wines showed head and shoulders above the rest. And at $45-60, they were extremely affordable for these types of wines.

In addition, there were some unbelievable ports from Porto Kopke (their "Glorious 50" port -- at around $140 retail for a 500 ml bottle -- was an explosion of unbelievable peach and deep fruit flavors.); a wonderful spread from George Hendry in Napa Valley -- ranging from their crisp rosé to knock-your-socks-off Primitivo and Cabernet Sauvignon; an incredible Blanc de Noirs Champagne from Cedric Bouchard; and any number of other winning selections.

And yes, there was even a spread that was entirely within Vine range. Many thanks to Sergio Reyes Moore from Montecastelli Selections from Chile for taking the time to walk the SPinC and I through his book. He had an entire table of selections that ranged in retail from $9-15. The "Chono" label wines were incredibly flavorful and approachable, especially the Carmenere and Syrah. His Sauvignon Blanc was as flavorful and crisp as you could ask for. His other label, "Rayun" were inexpensive and easy to drink...perfect "second bottle" wines for any occasion.

We left the tasting with full bellies, empty glasses, and happy hearts. An excellent experience all around. Here's to another 20 years...

Attention: University of Cincinnati Alums

I'm going to be leading a wine-tasting fundraiser for the UC Foundation and Department of Nutrition Sciences on Saturday, June 6th, at 6:30 PM at the home of David & Jan Lazarus. This tasting is $25 per person and proceeds benefit our scholarship fund.

To RSVP or purchase tickets contact Jillian Altus at 513-558-3879 or altusje@ucmail.uc.edu

Send checks to UC Academic Health Center P.O.Box 670544 Cincinnati, Ohio 45221-0544. Checks should be made out to UCF/Nutrition Dept. Scholarship Fund and sent to the attention of Jillian Altus.

Something Spanish

I'll readily admit to cribbing the idea for this column from a recent tasting by Brian Scott from Vintner Select. His spread of Spanish wines was wonderful, but it was this quote that really got me thinking:

"The great thing about Spain is that it's one of the few places left in Europe where there are basically no rules for winemaking. France and Italy have really strict regulations on how the wine must be made, what grapes are used, and so on. In Spain, it's basically anything goes, and the wines are better for it."

For much of Spain's winemaking history, Spanish wine wasn't all that popular beyond the borders of Spain. There were a couple of regions that were known for decent wine -- Rioja and Ribera del Duero -- but the majority of the country made heavily oxidized and sweet sherries and Malaga. Sparkling wine, mostly made from cava, started being produced in the late 1800's -- but for much of the 20th century, political and economic unrest prevented widespread progress in the Spanish wine world.

A wave of modernization in winemaking techniques swept the country in the late 1970's and early 1980's, creating a surge in both quantity and quality of wines. By the end of the 1990's, Spain's wine producing regions were cranking out impressive amounts of quality wine. At present, in my opinion, it's very difficult to top Spain for quality and value.

Spanish wines run the gamut -- from the sparkling cava to the rich smokiness of an aged Rioja, you can basically find a wine for any occasion. This follows logically, considering the breadth of delicious Spanish cuisine. Following are a few of the wines Brian showed at his recent tasting. I think you'll enjoy them all:

Vinedos de El Seque 2007 Alicante -- The Alicante region is in the Southeastern corner of Spain, just south of Valencia on the Mediterranean. This region was known historically for sweet dessert wines made from Muscatel, but "modern" reds have begun to take off in the last couple of decades, and this is a great entry into the market. This wine is made largely from the Monastrell grape, known to most of the rest of the world as Mourvedre. This wine has some definite French influence. (If you've had reds from Provence, you'll see what I mean right away.) The nose is full of raspberries and smoke. The palate has a very fruit-forward flavor, but there's an undertone of that "Old World funkiness" that makes it a nice pairing with meats and grilled food. It held up nicely both with some spicy beef & mushroom fajitas with criolla salsa as well as with dark chocolate. $11-13.

Espelt "Vailet" 2008 Emporda -- Emporda is a province in the northeast of Catalonia, near Barcelona. Emporda is nestled right up against the Pyrrenees and is just across the border from the Roussillon in France, where similar grapes are grown. This Spanish blend is 60% Garnacha Blanco and 40% Macabeo. It has a floral nose with sort of a "beachy" undertone. The flavor reminded me of a Spanish twist on Gruner Veltliner. It's very crisp and minerally on the tongue. Tart flavors of pineapple with a really notable flinty flavor stand out. The finish is crisp with more mineral character. We tried this this with a challenging pairing -- a salad of baby greens, garlic greens, fennel, and cucumbers with Spanish anchovies and a red wine vinaigrette. The wine's acidity sliced through the oily, pungent flavors, allowing the fruit and the minerality of the wine to pleasantly emerge and easily complement. Wonderful balance with a meal like this. Also $11-13.

Vilosell 2006 Segre Red Wine -- This wine is the perfect example of Brian's "Spanish experimentation." This wine, from a small, more inland region in Catalonia, is 50% Tempranillo, with the rest a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Garnacha, and Syrah. Very few places outside of California would even try putting together a blend like this. It's fruit-forward, to be certain, with lots of cherry and blackberry scents on the nose. Those scents are mirrored on the palate, along with a leathery undertone that begs for grilled food. The finish is long, with lingering fruit and firm tannins. The night I uncorked this, I was coming home from an exhausting day at work and an even more exhausting swim at the Y. I couldn't think of anything to make for dinner, so I got a couple of "steaks from the case" to grill, sautéed some mushrooms with a leftover leek, grilled some thick sliced tomatoes and polenta cakes and called it done. This wine went about as well as anything I could have come up with. This nuzzles right up to (and might exceed by a bit) the $15 mark, but it's certainly worth it.

Also, many thanks in advance to Brian for offering the Sweet Partner in Crime and I the opportunity to attend Vintner Select's 20th Anniversary Celebration at their headquarters in Mason. We're looking forward to seeing the "mothership" for many of the wines that we enjoy. When I'm shopping in any of the wine stores I frequent and I'm wondering about a bottle of wine, if I see that it's been imported by Vintner Select, I can rest easy in the knowledge that it's going to be a very decent bottle. I'll have a full report on this event coming soon...