Wine Blogging Wednesday #61: At the Source

Lenn Thompson, the host of this month’s Wine Blogging Wednesday and the creator of the event itself, strategically coordinated this month’s “At the Source” theme with my trip to Willamette Valley, Oregon (Thanks Lenn!). Lenn challenged us to taste any wine at the winery where it was made.

Willamette is Pinot Noir country and we tasted many phenomenal examples but I was pleasantly surprised by a Chardonnay at Domaine Drouhin. You don’t hear much about Willamette Valley Chardonnay. Given the frequent comparisons made between Burgundy and Willamette, it makes sense that Chardonnay could fare well. Our stop at Domaine Drouhin was impromptu, after visiting Scott Paul and Domaine Serene, because it looked so gorgeous. Paul Gregutt, who reviews Pacific Northwest wines for us, gives their Pinots consistent high ratings and I know that the winery is a favorite of Jancis Robinson.

Domaine Drouhin has been a family-owned winery for generations. Veronique Drouhin-Boss is a fourth generation winemaker. They first began making wine in Burgundy and they replicate that style in their Dundee Hills wines. “French soul, Oregon soil” is their motto. Despite Drouhin’s refined image, we walked into a tasting room full of East Coast characters. Between the big shot requesting large formats of Drouhin Laurene Pinot Noir (phenomenal juice), some Brooklynites, and our dynamic host Brian Dooley (from Long Island), it was great to kick back and meet these interesting folks while tasting serious wine. Meeting Dooley was invaluable to our trip as he tipped us on an exciting local brewer, Heater Allen, who was crafting German-style beers. He also recommended his alma mater Brick House to us, a small Pinot producer whose wines are a steal.

The Domaine Drouhin 2007 Arthur Chardonnay was my first Chardonnay from Oregon. I really dug it. In the glass, the pale straw color really set it apart from the deep gold that you see often in California Chards. I had to work it a bit in the glass a for it to open but when the aromas unveloped I got bisquity, leesy scents  coupled with lemon, green apple and soft oak. On the palate it had weight and was creamy but still crisp and zesty with a smooth, fresh finish. I was shocked to see the 13.9% alcohol content! Upon tasting it a few more times I picked up some heat on the back palate, though the power of suggestion is strong.

From their site I read that their goal was a blend of pure Chablis and gentle Mersault, two distinct white Burgundies. It certainly tasted that way. With each sip I would get a creaminess that was pulled back in by the acidity and zesty notes, keeping the wine lean and focused. Only 10% new oak was used and 50% of the wine saw stainless steel fermentation, yielding a supremely balanced wine. This is a $30 Chardonnay and I really tasted the difference in quality for the price. Thanks to Lenn, for hosting another fun Wine Blogging Wednesday. I look forward to reading the roundup!

Wine Blogging Wednesday (Monday) #60: Merryvale Zinfandel and Defcon Wings

This month’s Wine Blogging Wednesday is hosted by “Sonadora” of the blog, Wannabe Wino who gave us the timely topic of pairing Zinfandel with BBQ. I guess I’ve had my head in the clouds this month and didn’t realize the topic until it was too late, but I can’t resist a good Zin. And when my sister told me she was making her famous wings last night, I had to participate.

I tasted the Merryvale 2007 Zinfandel, Jan Vineyard, Napa Valley, which I grabbed from the “give” rack at work. I adore the Merryvale Profile which is their Bordeaux blend, so I had high hopes for their Zinfandel, thinking that the quality would translate across varietals. I was overlooking the fact that Napa is not Dry Creek, and if I wanted great Zin, I should have looked elsewhere. The wine was disappointing.

The nose was loaded with dark fruits like plum and black cherry but was one-dimensional. On the palate it was round and balanced with a juicy sweetness (15.1% alcohol!) which might appeal to some folks, just not myself. It was a fruit bomb. I kept thinking to myself: “Where’s the spice? Where’s the power?”

Ah, the power came in my sister’s wings! My sister, Jacqueline is a major fan of the Defcon hot sauces. She orders them online, religiously, many bottles at a time, and often I’m lucky enough to reap the benefis. Her wing recipe is simple:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F
2. Using a fork, poke holes in the skin of the wings, to give them a nice crunch later.
3. Toss the wings in a few tablespoons of olive oil and spread them across a shallow baking sheet. Brush generously with Defcon hot sauce.
4. Bake for 35-40 minutes.
5. While the wings are baking, heat a saucepan with 1 cup of extra sauce.
6. When the wings are done, toss in the hot Defcon and serve with celery and your favorite dip.
(makes about 24 wings)

The ingredients in savory Defcon are simple: aged and unaged cayenne peppers, distilled vinegar, water, salt, garlic powder, white wine vinegar and cream. The cream makes the sauce luscious and thick so that it clings tightly to the wings. You don’t have to fry these bad boys, they’re awesome from the oven.

If you don’t have time to make a sauce from scratch, these wings will blow you away, I promise.

Though I can’t rave about the Merryvale Zinfandel it was a nice pairing with the wings because of that roundness that I mentioned earlier. The juiciness and lack of spice allowed the wings to sing while cleansing our palates between bites. While I wouldn’t choose this wine to drink on my own, it complemented the meal well.

Have you had the Defcon hot sauces or the Merryvale Jan Vineyard Zinfandel? What are your thoughts? Thanks again to Sonadora for hosting this month’s Wine Blogging Wednesday, and for permitting my late entry!

Wine Blogging Wednesday #59: Homage to the God of Sake

Once I figured out that saké doesn’t always have to be served piping hot, dunked into a pint of beer and chugged, I realized that I love it. If I’m not in the mood for wine, saké can be so refreshing and beguiling. And that extra boost of alcohol always makes for a fun evening ;) So I was delighted when I heard that Richard of A Passionate Foodie was hosting this month’s Wine Blogging Wednesday with saké as the theme. I had the pleasure of meeting Richard at TasteCamp EAST. Though we didn’t discuss saké that weekend, I’ve always admired his knowledge.

I had grand hopes of scoping out the selection at Sakaya, (an all-sake store in the East Village) but just like every other Wine Blogging Wednesday, time escaped me and convenience won out. I picked up a bottle from the tiny selection at Mount Kisco Wine & Spirits on my lunch break. My saké knowledge is slim but I do know that it’s made from rice and the premium types are labeled: Junmai Ginjo, Junmai Daiginjo, Ginjo, Daiginjo or just Junmai. It’s brewed like a beer and the rice’s polish has a lot to do with the quality of the final saké. Only a small percentage of the saké produced falls into one of these categories, while the rest is bulk production. This is the stuff that’s served hot for your saké bombs!

The bottle I selected is Kanbara Bride of the Fox Junmai Ginjo Saké. I enjoyed it chilled alongside some spicy tuna hand rolls and spicy crab stick salad. The aromas and flavors were tough to pinpoint but I got a lot of a sweet cereal aromas like a cream of wheat with layers of cucumber peel and a hint of orange zest. I think there was something floral coming through as well, it almost smelled like freshly folded laundry! It was lush and tongue-coating on the palate with a medium body but a slight viscosity that almost pushed it towards full. I got some yeasty flavors as well. It finishes dry but has some unbalanced heat to it. With a 16.5% alcohol content, I can understand why!

Unfortunately the store only had 2 premium quality sakés, so I feel robbed by the $40 (720 ML) I paid for it, though I did enjoy it. I’m sure Sakaya had lots of premium sakés in a lower price range. I never seem to learn my lesson! I need to venture there soon.

I hope everyone discovered some lovely sakés this week and I’m looking forward to reading the roundup! Thanks again Richard for hosting!

By the way, this post on Steamy Kitchen is a fantastic introduction to the world of saké. I didn’t bother get into it here, lest I regurgitate the same information. But if you’d like to learn more, check it out. There’s a detailed video on saké making there as well.

Wine Blogging Wednesday #57: California Inspiration

Evidently, I am late on this month’s Wine Blogging Wednesday, but it happens to be a theme that I cannot pass up. It’s hosted by Jeff of GoodGrape , who asked us to tell an inspirational story about California wine in honor of the anniversary of Robert Mondavi’s death on May 16th 2008. I was so pleased when I saw this theme because I find that many new wine drinkers are unaware of the significance that Robert Mondavi actually had on the industry. They associate Mondavi with corporate, downscale wines that are mass-produced. Mondavi’s intentions were to make fine wine in California. It was only the interference of other members of the family that diluted the brand, spreading it across various price points and acquiring other brands along the way. House of Mondavi is a good read about the family, by the way, if you care to learn more.

I’ve spoken about Robert Mondavi on this site before and the connection I felt with the winery in Napa, after spending a Summer there. Though Jeff asked us to be broad, my story is quite literal, because it was truly that Summer, that began to inspire me to get involved in my own family business. You see, when your parents consistently urge you to get involved in the family business, even if they do something cool, you immediately want to reject it. I’ll admit I felt like that for many years growing up. It’s not that my parents’ ambition and love of wine didn’t inspire me, it absolutely did. But I think I had to get outside of our family and talk to people in the industry, learn about viticulture, vinification and attend tastings, to truly understand that this isn’t just “what Mom and Dad do.”

When Robert Mondavi was in charge at Oakville, he had a wine education program that every employee had to go through, no matter what your job description. It consisted of learning not just the brands and the wine styles offered at Mondavi but everything in the vineyard from the trellis systems to the pruning methods, to the root stocks. I learned about barrels and racking and filtration, when I was barely old enough to drink the stuff! Being only 20 years old at the time, I was wildly intimidated, but I had to learn it. I started thinking about this man who would decide wine education was so important that he would forego weeks of work for us, in the name of knowledge. My summer at Mondavi was my first glimpse into what it might be like to be a part of a family wine business. I started feeling lucky.

Unfortunately, the wine I tasted tonight did not honor Mondavi in the best way. I had a Robert Mondavi 2000 Napa Valley which tasted like it reached peak a few years ago. I actually thought it was a Reserve which is why I held onto it for so long. The nose has some notes of currant and cedar with hints of black pepper. I’m oddly detecting a bit of heat too, as if the alcohol is off-balance. It’s medium-bodied with notes of plum and delicate tannin that fades quickly. It crashes on the finish. This wine could not stand up to years of age. Though Robert Mondavi set out to produce exclusively fine wines, some were unsuccessful, and I suppose this wine shows that.

Jeff, thanks for taking us back to our roots with this theme and for honoring Mondavi on the anniversary of his death. It’s an important one!

Wine Blogging Wednesday #56: Fine Kosher Wine

The 56th edition of Wine Blogging Wednesday, the monthly themed wine tasting, now over 4 years in the making, is a subject near and dear to my heart. This month’s theme, hosted by The Corkdork, is kosher wines.

Until a year and a half ago, I hadn’t had much kosher wine. At our Passover seders, my Dad brings the wine and we drink anything he’s excited to share, kosher or not. Religion has its place at certain holidays, but most of the time we are a pretty secular family.

It wasn’t until I met a special person who I fondly refer to as “E” on this site, that I discovered more than I ever needed to know about kosher wine. In our first phone conversation in fact, I asked the same silly question that most people ask about kosher wine: “What does it have to be, like, blessed by a Rabbi, or something?” After some time I learned the realities of kosher wine. Yes, some kosher wines suck, but some really deserve our respect.

There are two types of kosher wine: mevushal and non-mevushal. A mevushal wine is heated during the winemaking process to 185°. The explanation for this is complex, but let’s just say it has ancient roots in religious ritual. With flash pasteurization, the process is less damaging, but it’s hardly beneficial. There are some good kosher wines that are mevushal, but it’s this process that gives kosher wine a bad rep. People often ask: “Kosher wine? don’t they boil it until it’s devoid of taste?”

A mevushal wine can be handled by anybody while a non-mevushal wine must be made by Sabbath-observing Jews for the entire process. So, despite my Jewish heritage, I could not make a non-mevushal wine. I’m not Jewish enough! I’m sure you can imagine how difficult it is to find (and pay) a bevy of observant Jews to handle the entire winemaking process which makes non-mevushal wines not only rare, but expensive. These are some of the best kosher wines.

Whether mevushal or not, kosher wine can only be made with kosher ingredients and it will have a little K or U symbol to designate its status.

I was out in Borough Park, Brooklyn with E last Sunday for a Sheva Brachat (post-wedding ceremony) and we stopped in at a wine shop around the corner called, The Winery. My favorite Kosher wine (Domaine du Castel 2005 Grand Vin) is a Bordeaux blend from Judean Hills so I thought it would be a wise choice to select something else from the region.

I tasted two wines from a producer called Katlav, located Southwest of Jerusalem in the Judean Hills.

Katlav, Wadi Katlav 2005 (60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 10% Shiraz), Judean Hills, 14.5% alc, Kosher, Non-Mevushal: Huge on the nose with pronounced cherry, plum, baking spice, and cedar notes. The alcohol is a little sharp. On the palate it’s rich and full-bodied with lingering, juicy dark fruit. The tannins were a bit soft for such tremendous fruit. A little too extracted for my taste though the finish is balanced and it has a pleasant, long length. E was more fond of it than me which is shocking because he prefers a more rustic, softer fruit style. Good, but worth $50? Not really.

Katlav Merlot 2005, Judean Hills, 14.5% Alc, Kosher, Non-Mevushal: More subtle on the nose than the Wadi Katlav but still displaying nice aromas of plum with some strawberry, hints of oak and vanilla. On the palate it’s medium-bodied with similar plum notes and hints of clove. It’s less complex than the Wadi Katlav but I enjoyed it more, the fruit was balanced by firm tannins that made it a pleasure to drink.

Both of these wines, though good quality and drinkable, were overpriced compared to non-kosher wines of the same caliber. They both were $50 which is a price I’d pay for something incredible. There is definitely great kosher wine to be had, but as I’ve often found, it commands a hefty price tag.

It’s a tragic irony really, that kosher wine has taken so long to have a revolution in quality. Wine is an integral part of Judaism. Nearly all of our holidays include a blessing over wine, including the weekly holiday of Shabbat (which opens and closes with a cup of wine). Many holidays like Passover even command that you drink multiple cups of wine. On Passover we drink 4 per meal! I hope that more folks this Passover branched out and experimented with wines made from something other than Concord grapes.

It can be tough to find a good kosher wine, but they’re out there! Thanks to The Corkdork for hosting this theme! I’m looking forward to reading what everyone finds.

Pssst, Many of the recipes here are kosher. Here some favorites if you’d like to make a kosher meal with your newly discovered kosher wine:

Roasted Honey Chicken Stuffed with Garlic

Roasted Lamb with Charmoula

Vietnamese Style Steak Salad

Sesame-Pepper Crusted Tuna with Soba Noodles

Roasted Bone Marrow with Parsley Salad

Arctic Char with Eggplant, Pesto and Dijon Aioli

Wine Blogging Wednesday #54: A Passion for Piedmont

This month’s edition of Wine Blogging Wednesday is “A Passion for Piedmont” hosted by David McDuff of McDuff’s Food & Wine Trail. I love his blog because just like I jump around a bit on here, he covers both wine, food and even throws in some music-related content. Who says you have to focus on one thing?

Piedmont, in Northern Italy is best known for its age-worthy reds made from the Nebbiolo grape (Barolo and Barbaresco) though wines from the Barbera grape (Barbera and Dolcetto) are made here as well as white wine (Gavi). Piedmont has the largest area for DOC and DOCG wines of anywhere in Italy, meaning there is a large concentration of high quality. White truffles originated here as well (yum). We drove through Piedmont on a trip through Italy when I was little and while the specifics of the trip escape me, I do remember driving past picturesque hills with castles perched atop, and enjoying my first taste of beef tartare inside one of them. (yes I was a food snob at a young age)

For this Wine Blogging Wednesday I tasted two Barbaresco, so let’s chat a bit about the Nebbiolo grape and some of the differences between the two B’s.

Continue reading �

Wine Blogging Wednesday #52: Chilean Reds Under $20

The 52nd edition of Wine Blogging Wednesday is hosted by the red-velvet-blazer-sporting Tim Lemke of Cheap Wine Ratings. The challenge was to pick any Chilean red under $20, not a tough feat since Chile is producing some killer Carmenere, Merlot, and Pinot Noir (amongst other things) at reasonable prices for this emerging region. My friend Josh Farrell, Wine Director for WineExpress.com, handed me a Viña Ventisquero Reserva 2004 Merlot from Maipo Valley and asked me “Is it any good? Should we bring it in?” Yes and yes.

The color is bright ruby and the nose is even brighter with loads of red fruits: strawberries and raspberries. I get some subtle earthy notes with a hint of cocoa as well. After some bottle aging the tannins are real soft and round. It’s an easy-drinking Merlot with a long, balanced finish. We plan on carrying it at $15, making it a great buy for casual meals during the week. Enjoy it with a rich tomato-based pasta dish or maybe some roast chicken. I don’t typically drink Merlot but I really liked this one. Maybe I have a newfound love for Merlot?

The Maipo Valley is located in Central Chile, just South of Santiago and is one of Chile’s oldest wine producing regions though Ventisquero was founded in 1998, making it pretty new. Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay are more typically planted here than Merlot.

Thank Tim, for hosting a fun WBW! I’m looking forward to reading everyone’s posts.

(It was a real challenge to find any information on this wine as their site is down and they did not send a spec sheet, so I apologize for not having more!)

Wine Blogging Wednesday #51: Baked Goods

Wine Blogging Wednesday for November is hosted by Joe Roberts of the 1WineDude blog, “Serious Wine Talk, for the Not-so-Serious Wine Drinker.” I had the pleasure of meeting Joe at the Wine Bloggers Conference and not only does he know his stuff, he also happens to be a real decent guy, even if he does like to take jabs at our West Coast Editor, Steve Heimoff ;)

Joe’s theme for this week is: Baked Goods. We were free to taste any wine in the sweet category be it Port, Sherry, Madeira, a late-harvester or anything else that tickles our fancy. A lot of these stickies don’t get the attention they deserve so this is a great opportunity to put them in the limelight!

I’ve only had Sherry a handful of times so I took this chance to snag a Sherry from the magazine, one that Mike Schachner recently tasted for an upcoming issue. I tasted the Bodegas Dios Baco, S.L. Amontillado. But first, let’s talk a bit about why Sherry is so special.

Produced around the Jerez region of Spain, from the Palomino and Pedro Ximenez grapes, Sherry is a distinct wine that requires tremendous care for production. It is produced using the “Solera System” which is a blending method using various levels of barrels or, Soleras. Because Sherry is non-vintage, various Solera levels are used to combine sherries of different ages into one final blend. The Solera can be six or more levels high and each level contains wines of different ages.

Another point of note is the layer of yeast buildup called “Flor” in each barrel, which contributes to the character of the sherry. Because space is left in each barrel, there is room for the Flor to grow. The bready flavors and aromas found in Sherry are due to the Flor. Sherry is often sweetened with concentrated Pedro Ximenez grape juice.

There are many styles of Sherry but the bottle I selected is an Amontillado, which means that it has a darker color and richer flavor than a Fino, but it is less sweet than an Oloroso, which typically has a higher alcohol as well.

It has a pale amber color and a nose reminiscent of roasted nuts with a hint of spice. On the palate it has some nice bisquity flavors. It’s really smooth, and coats the tongue with its medium-full body. The alcohol on it is 18% and is balanced well. This is a delightful Sherry and a nice way to conclude a meal on a sweet note. I had it after my Roast Chicken with Sundried Tomato Orzo.

I looked it up in our buying guide afterwards and it turns out that it is a 93-point sherry and $20, which is real affordable for a wine of this caliber. Great buy!

I’m looking forward to reading everyone’s contributions and thanks again to Joe, for hosting this month and to Lenn Thompson, the creater of WBW!

Wine Blogging Wednesday #50: Which Wine, Which Wilderness?

Wine Blogging Wednesday is a monthly wine tasting event, hosted by a different wine blogger each month. Participants all over the world taste a wine that fits each month’s theme and write a post, then a roundup of the notes is posted on the host’s blog. WBW was originated by Lenn Thompson of Lenndevours, a Long Island wine blog. This month’s theme is hosted by The Winehiker, who challenged us to taste a wine that reminds us of the great outdoors. In just a few short weeks I’ll be doing a hike with the Wine Hiker himself at the first annual Wine Bloggers Conference in Sonoma, making this edition of Wine Blogging Wednesday all the more special!

I selected Wild Earth Central Otago Pinot Noir 2006 for a few reasons. The obvious one is its name, and the description on the bottle. Wild earth sounds like a rugged hike through the wilderness, where you experience the earth in its essence, unrestricted and free. The description on the bottle drew me in further:

“Wild Earth expresses the essence of an untamed land far from the pressures of a crowded world… Our Pinot Noir vineyards are located in the rugged alpine landscape of Central Otago, sited on the respected Felton Road and overlooking Lake Dunstan. This Pinot Noir was made from clones 5,6 and a range of Dijon clone vines, tended by hand and crafted with devoted care in the traditional manner.”

Does it get any more perfect than that? The description is so uncommercial and natural. How many consumers have heard of a Dijon clone? And yet, they chose to mention it on the bottle. It feels like casual, down-to-earth grower jargon, rather than a selling piece. I dig that. It intrigued me. On to the wine:

It’s a classic Pinot Noir hue of deep ruby fading to a more pale purple rim. The nose has some delicate red cherry and hints of oak and musty earth, like wet leaves. The aromatics aren’t pronounced, it’s a more delicate wine. On the palate it’s balanaced and rich with more cherry and some slight tannin. The finish is shorter than I would have liked but overall this is a nice wine. Joe Czerwinski gave the 2004 vintage an 89 and I’d say the 2006 is a little better, more like a 90. It’s $30 and clocks in at 14% alcohol.

The fact that the wine is from New Zealand reminds me of one of my favorite family hikes that we took on the Mildford Track in 2005. The walk took a few days and we stopped at various camp sites along the way with our guide. It was lush and damp for most of the hike and the smell of wet leaves would permeate our days. The most special moment was when we actually encountered a Kiwi Bird, the National bird of New Zealand. They are incredibly rare and our guide couldn’t believe his eyes when we encountered it. He actually teared up.

I’d go back to the Milford Track and drink the Wild Earth 2006 Pinot Noir, any day.

Wine Blogging Wednesday #49: Toast the End of Bush

After a bit of a sabbatical, I’m glad to be back into the Wine Blogging Wednesday scene, for such a fun topic. This month’s theme is hosted by the blog, 2 Days Per Bottle, in which “Dhonig”, a self-proclaimed cartoonist and wine geek tastes a single bottle of wine over the course of two days and notes how the wines change. Very neat idea! In any case, he suggested a wine that marks the end of the Bush era for us. Some people may drink some bubbly, others may toast to his roots with a Texan wine. Personally, I just found a bottle with a silly name that was reminiscent to me. I was pleased to find there was more in this wine that was emblematic of Bush than just its name, as well.

The wine I’m tasting tonight is “The Old Man’s Blend” 2006 Groote Post from South Africa. It’s a blend of 48% Merlot, 33% Cabernet Sauvignon and 19% Cabernet Franc, almost akin to a right bank Bordeaux. I decanted it and then enjoyed with some whole wheat pasta with broccoli, sundried tomatoes, and parmesan. To say that I “enjoyed” it is a bit generous though.

The wine starts with promises of ripe, berry fruit with hints of spice on the nose. But on the palate it turns sharp with high alcohol and seering acidity. This wine is really out of balance. It leaves me with a big thud and a hot, thinness on the finish. Despite shining promises, this wine disappoints in the end. Sound familiar to you?