WHINE # 44

 

LESSER KNOWN REGIONS:    This time I thought I might briefly describe a couple of wine-growing areas that may be less well known to you.  Both of these areas; one New World, one Old World offer delightful wines that won’t break the bank.

 

Washington State:  After California the state producing the greatest number of wines in the United States is Washington.  Most of the wine is produced on the eastern slopes of the mountains where the air is very dry and sunshine abounds (two hours per day more sunshine in growing season than in Napa or Sonoma). 

As wines from Washington are not available to me in Nova Scotia I didn’t discover them until a recent cruise where several wines from Washington State were on the dinner wine list.  Because Oregon is famous for its Pinot Noirs and because Washington State is farther north I had assumed that long growing season wines such as Cabernet Sauvignon would not do well there.   Certainly I was dead wrong.  Washington State produces lots of good full-bodied wines.  In addition to Cabernets there are excellent Syrahs, and even some Malbecs.  The largest winery in Washington is Chateau Ste. Michelle, but there are scores of others that I would love to try if only they were available to me.

Aglianico del Vulture: Italy has a number of indigenous varietals that are rarely grown elsewhere.  Perhaps the best known are Sangiovese and Nebbiolo.  However, the Aglianico grape makes a wonderful wine that is not very well known outside of Italy.  The best comes from the slopes of Monte Vulture (Aglianico del Vulture) and I drank this wine for the very first time at St. Martha’s annual and wonderful wine show in April.

Basilicata is a mountainous region in the south of Italy that is west of Puglia, east of Campania and north of Calabria.  The area has very high unemployment and is rarely visited by any of the millions of tourists who flock to Tuscany or Sicily.  About the only visitors are Italians who go there just for the wine.

Aglianico del Vulture is a heavy, muscular, highly tannic wine that bursts with flavour.  Rough in its youth, once the tannins have softened it is a wine that will stand up to your best T-bone. 

Although produced in very limited quantities, this wine is not expensive and can be found in both LCBO and NSLC stores.  I strongly recommend you pick up a few bottles, and lay them down for a couple of years.  You will not be disappointed.

 

IN DEFENCE OF MERLOT:  Many of us enjoyed the 2004 Academy award winning comedy “Sideways”, in which two middle-aged men travelled through the Santa Ynez Valley of California in search of the perfect bottle of Pinot Noir.  The main character, played by Paul Giamatti, frequently denigrated Merlot.  After the movie was released sales of Merlot apparently dropped about 2% in the United States while sales of Pinot Noir increased by 16%.

One might even postulate that wine snobs think drinking Pinot is di riguer and that serving Merlot is pedestrian.

Recently Betty and I spent a week tending two of our grandsons while their parents took a short work/holiday trip to Madrid.  One night Betty asked me to raid my son’s wine cellar for a bottle of Merlot, which she needed as an ingredient for the sauce she was preparing.  In my surprise there was not a single bottle of Merlot on the otherwise reasonably well-stocked shelves.    Having known for a long time that it is unwise to argue with the Chef, I was forced to take a trip  through rush-hour traffic to the nearest LCBO.

 

Merlot, despite its bad rap, can be a wonderful wine for many occasions.  It is the most frequently planted grape in Bordeaux and it is grown in almost all of the world’s wine-producing regions. 

 

What separates Merlot from other common varietals such as Cabernet or Shiraz is its low levels of both acids and tannins, as well as it abundant fruit flavors.  The term that perhaps best describes Merlot is smooth.  For that reason Merlot is one of the first red wines that is found pleasing to those who are new to the wine world.  Merlot is the red wine that is much preferred by those who normally drink only whites.  For those of us who drink a lot of red wine Merlot is a great choice for sipping when the wine is not being accompanied by food.  While I would never choose a Merlot to match with a high protein meal (like steak) it is a very good match for fish and white meats.

Finally, because of its strong fruit flavors is a very good choice for cooking.  Conventional thinking suggests that one use the same wine in the sauce as one plans to drink with the meal.  Alternately, some cooks, my wife included, add Merlot whenever a red wine is called for in the recipe. 

 

CELLAR OFFERING # 219:   I must confess that I was slightly disappointed by this Offering as many of the California wines are quite pricey and the ones that are less expensive are not ones that I choose to recommend.  However, if price is not an object you might try any of the wines from Burgess Cellars (7200, 7201 or 7202). 

There is, however, one wine in this offering that I most strongly recommend.  Number 7249 Farina Gran Colegiata Crianza.   I am never disappointed in this Toro winery.

 

WHINE # 43

 

Organic Wines:   A very good drinking buddy asked me to discuss organic wines in my blog.  I’m not certain why he asked as his well-stocked cellar contains few of these currently trendy wines.  However, let me try and dispel a myth or two.

In simplest terms organic wine is a wine produced from grapes that have been grown without the use of pesticides (toxic or otherwise) and herbicides.   In an age when many of us are trying to be more “green”, buying organic wines means that we are doing a tiny bit to help slow the addition of harmful chemicals to our environment.  This is the main and perhaps only reason one should seek out wines that are labelled organic.   Organic wine itself is no different from non-organic wine, so as a drinker you will not notice any difference in taste.  On the other hand, the streams and rivers near the organic winery may be much “healthier.”  The only real downside of drinking organic wine is that the cost to the producer is slightly higher (more labor costs in pulling weeds, etc.) and that will be obviously passed on to the consumer.

But wait, you say, aren’t organic wines sulfite free?  No, all wines contain naturally occurring sulfites.  However, in some legal jurisdictions (California, for example) in order for a wine to be labelled organic it cannot contain any added sulfites.  But since many producers of non-organic wines also do not add sulfites the distinction between organic and non-organic is not very clear on this point.

This, of course, leads me to a short blurb on sulfites, and although I have written on sulfites before, it is an important topic worth repeating.

Sulfite is a synonym for sulfur dioxide (SO2), a preservative that not only occurs naturally as a by-product of yeast metabolism during fermentation, but which is frequently added during the wine-making process.  Sulfur reacts to oxygen reducing the amount of oxygen in wine.  Thus, sulfur dioxide reduces rotting of the wine itself; in other words, both naturally occurring and added sulfites act as wine preservatives.

Perhaps you know people who tell you that they are allergic to sulfites in wine, and either they do not drink wine at all, drink only white wine, or drink only organic wine.    They believe that the sulfites in the wine are the cause of their recurring headaches.  As noted above, organic wines contain sulfites, although perhaps in smaller quantities than in some non-organic wines, so if one is allergic to sulfites, they are probably allergic to organic wine as well as non-organic wine. 

Secondly, a person who claims that they can drink white but not red wine is someone who has fallen prey to a “self-fulfilling prophecy”.   The fact is that white wine contains MORE NOT LESS sulfites than red wine.  Red wine contains tannins which help to stabilize the wine during fermentation.  Thus less sulfur dioxide is needed to keep the wine from rotting.  In the European Union (and the same is true elsewhere) the maximum allowable level of sulfur dioxide in red wine is 160 parts per million, whereas it is 210 ppm for white wine.

Now this leads to the question, do the sulfites in wine really cause headaches?  The answer is perhaps “yes” for a tiny, tiny minority who are sulfite allergic.  However, the vast majority of those who think they are sulfite allergic are suffering from a psychosomatic reaction, not a chemical one.

How do you know if your friend, guest, lover is really allergic to sulfites?  Here is an easy test.  Make a salad that contains some dried apricots (perhaps chop the apricots into small pieces so they are not left in the bowl).  Two ounces of dried apricots contain 10 times the sulfites that are in a glass of red wine.  Now, if after dinner the salad eater heads to a dark room with a cold compress, perhaps she or he is in fact allergic to sulfites.  On the other hand, if there is no immediate migraine, then that person has nothing to fear from red or white, organic or non-organic, wines.

Wine Inventory:    How much wine do you have on hand?  I suspect some of you have 3 or 4 bottles on the back of your kitchen counter; others have hundreds of bottles carefully arranged in well-stocked cellars.  Perhaps most of you fall somewhere in between with partially filled boxes piled in a haphazard fashion.

Regardless of the above it is very important to take stock (at least annually) to determine which of your wines are still too young, which are ready to drink, and which have essentially passed the best beyond date.  While it is a shame to drink wines that have not fully developed, it is a much bigger mistake to keep wines to the point where they are starting to turn to vinegar.

If you are an Opimian member you are fortunate to be able to take advantage of the “my wine cellar” service.  Every wine that has been sold by Opimian is tasted annually and then rated on 10-point scales as to drinkability and maturity.  If you click on to “my wine cellar” at the left side of the home page you will find only those wines that you have purchased.  Each April when the wines ratings are updated, l  carefully go through my cellar and place the “drinkability/maturity” ratings on each bin of wines (or on individual bottles, if only singles remain.)  My masking tape labels are crude but effective.  My experience has been that wines number 7/7 or less are not ready, those labelled 8/8 or 9/9 are ready and the 10/10’s should be pulled aside for immediate consumption.  I think this service is one of the best things that Opimian does.

Organizing your cellar may be a task, but it is also fun.  You need to devise your own system, whether it be by using a spread sheet to track your wines, using a simple word processed list (my system), or going with a more elaborate commercially developed tracker.  For example, www.cellartracker.com offers a simple spread-sheet system that is free, or a more elaborate system for which there is a fee.

Future Whines:   I have now written 43 of these Whines.  It has been fun for me and I hope that the Whines have been useful to you.    However, I sometimes struggle for new topics to include.  If you have ideas for topics I should greatly appreciate your sending me a quick e-mail.  I’ll try to include your topic in a future Whine.

Cellar Offering # 218:  This is the second last offering from Opimian for 2013.  Next month the final offering will be made up primarily of wines from California.  Thus, my suggestion is that you save your money and stock up on California wines next time.

However, if you can’t wait, here are a few suggestions from this offering:

7150 Saint-Romain AOC.  The Pinots from Burgundy are famous, full of flavour, but very, very thin.  If you are looking for a muscular wine this is not it.  If you are looking for a subtle wine, perhaps.

7162 Chateau Canet.  I think the wines of Minervois are some of the best in Languedoc-Roussillon.  Much more body than the one above.

7181 Domaine Peiriere Grenache Rose.  It is perhaps time to stock up on a very inexpensive Rose.  With the warm weather coming it is always nice to sip an iced Rose on a hot afternoon.

7197 La Source, Chateau Vignelaure.   A heavier wine.  In a blind tasting you might even think it’s New World.

 

 

 

 

 

WHINE # 42

 

YOU SAY SYRAH, I SAY…  A couple of weeks ago a Whiner e-mailed me noting how much he had enjoyed a bottle of Bogle Petite Sirah.   Since this wine is probably not all that well known to many of you this might be a good time to try and throw some light on some rather confusing names of varietals.

SYRAH:  This varietal has been grown for about 800 years in Northern Burgundy.  For a long time it was thought that the grape came from around the town of Shiraz in Persia.  However, recent DNA testing suggests that the wine may be indigenous to the area and may date back as far back as Roman times.  Syrah is often described as full-bodied and quite tannic.  Personally, I would see Syrah as full-bodied only when compared to other French wines; not when compared to wine from the New World.   There is a nice fruit flavour that is most frequently described as blackberry.

SHIRAZ:  For some reason when the Syrah vine stock was taken to Australia, the name got changed to Shiraz, perhaps thinking the origin had been in Persia.  One should note that Shiraz and Syrah are genetically identical.  Yet, if you simultaneously tasted an Australian Shiraz and a French Syrah you would find it hard to believe they were the same grape.  Shiraz is much more full-bodied and tends to have a much spicier taste.  Australian Shiraz is extremely popular in Canada and is a favorite summer accompaniment to bar-b-que, whereas French Syrah is little known on this side of the Atlantic.

PETITE SYRAH:  Sometimes a French producer will call an inferior Syrah a Petite Syrah.  I have never tasted one (I try to avoid inferior wines) so I shall comment no further.

PETITE SIRAH:   This wine is not Syrah.  It is a cross between Syrah and a little known varietal called Peloursin.  It is almost as unlike a Syrah as Cabernet Sauvignon, a cross between Cabernt Franc and Sauvignon Blanc is unlike its white wine parent.  Petite Sirah is a wonderful dark (almost purple) wine with lots and lots of tannins.  Unfortunately we see it very seldom in our wine shops.  It makes a wonderful alternative to the also tannic Cabernet Sauvignon. 

On my Whiner friend’s advice I found a bottle of the Bogle (California) Petite Sirah and served it blind to some dinner guests.  At the same time I served a much-more expensive Cabernet Sauvignon.  Everyone preferred the Petite Sirah.  If you can find a bottle, try it.  By the way, Bogle Petite Sirah is currently available at Premier Wines in Halifax and also available in Manitoba.  Not available in Ontario.

WINE AND CHEESE IN THE DEEP SOUTH:  Having recently spent the dreadful winter months of February and March in the deep South, I can now report on drinking in that part of the country.
First, wine consumption is low in the fundamentalist countryside.  Georgia, in particular, was one of the first states to bring in prohibition and many towns were still “dry” only a few years ago.  In restaurants one notes few people drinking wine, and if they are they are purchasing it by the glass rather than by the bottle.  Sweet tea seems to be what is ordered after the hand-holding ceremony of saying grace.

Waiters are not very familiar with wine culture, even in better restaurants.   Twice I had a waiter call another staff member because they didn’t know how to uncork a bottle.  Whenever a waiter did uncork a bottle the cork was immediately stuck back in the bottle.

One night I asked our waiter what wines they had.  The response was Merlot and Cabernet.  I asked for a bottle of Merlot and with a shocked look the comment was “But sir, you’ll get sloshed.”  Apparently the only wine they had was in gallon jugs.

One afternoon we pulled into a nice hotel in Albany, Georgia.  It was too early to go to dinner and too late to do much else.  Betty said she’d like some crackers and cheese to accompany a glass of wine.  With the help of my trusty GPS I located a large supermarket and found the tiny cheese section.  There was Cheddar, Monterey Jack, and one lonely piece of Parmesan.   A woman who looked suspiciously like the manager offered to help.  I asked where the cheese was.  She looked bewildered and pointed to the Cheddar.  I asked if there was any other cheese.  She asked “what kind.”  “Oh, some Brie or Camembert, or even some Gouda”, was my response.  “Come with me” and she took me to a display of more Cheddar.  “This is the only other cheese we have, what kind of cheese was it you wanted?”  “Well, any cheese really, you know Camembert, Brie, Gouda, Havarti”, I suggested.  “Well, I have never heard of any of those” she said.  I guess if you don’t drink wine, why bother with cheese.

WINE TASTING IN GEORGIA:  Despite the above, Georgia does have a burgeoning wine industry in the northeast corner of the state.  In fact, they have a “wine trail” with scores of tiny boutique wineries, all of which are open for tasting.  Like any wine trail, it is fun to drive and to stop for wine tasting.  Several of the wines we tried were quite good, although a tad overpriced.  I shan’t describe them here as I expect you would not find them anywhere except in northeast Georgia.

FOR ONTARIO WHINERS:  Last time I passed on my younger son’s recommendation for Zenato Veneto Rosso.  This time I shall pass on a recommendation from my older son:  Zonte’s Footsteps, an Australian Shiraz.

OPIMIAN OFFERING 217:  This time Opimian is offering wines of Beaujolais, Bergerac and Bordeaux.  If you want a very light Beaujolais I suggest 7088 the Julienas.  There are many expensive Bordeaux in this offering and I expect some of them are quite good.  If your pocket is feeling heavy from carrying around too much money perhaps you might lay down a case of 7136 Hortevie Saint-Julien.  Cellared for three or four years it will be a wine to impress the most discriminating of guests.

 

 

WHINE 41

Welcome Lisa Gautreau (a fellow Maritimer now living in Alberta) to the Whine.

WHEN TO REFUSE A WINE:    There are three legitimate reasons to refuse a bottle of wine in a restaurant.    Firstly, the waiter presents you the bottle carefully displaying the label.   Pay careful attention.  All too often a wine will be presented which is a different year than that shown on the wine list.  This happens because the restaurant has not updated its list and a two-year old Cabernet will not be nearly as nice as the four-year old one that was promised.

Next the waiter pulls the cork and sets it next to you.  Don’t sniff,  you will only be embarrassing yourself.  The reason for the quaint custom of presenting the cork comes from a time when merchants would pour cheap wine into bottles with expensive labels.  Thus, you can check to see if the name on the cork matches the name on the label.  This type of fraud does happen occasionally.  For example, a few years ago a German restaurant in Pictou County, N.S. lost its license for this exact crime.

Next the waiter pours a small amount for you to taste.  What you are trying to determine is whether or not the wine is corked; that is, oxidized.  This does happen occasionally and a small sip is ample to detect a wine well on its way to vinegar.   However,  If you are in a very high-end restaurant the sommelier will taste the wine him/herself using the neat little serving cup that is carried on a chain around his/her neck.  You will still be allowed your own taste, but chances are the sommelier’s nose is more sophisticated than yours.

Finally, you may find yourself in a situation where you simply do not like the wine.  Unfortunately, that is NOT a legitimate reason to refuse the wine.

Recently, I found myself in the fourth situation.  Betty and I were eating for the second night in a row in a wonderful little hole-in-the-wall family restaurant (Bonelli Café Italia) in Pensacola, Florida.  I made the mistake of ordering a wine with which I was not familiar, perhaps motivated by how inexpensive it was.  Our waitress complimented us on our choice, noting that it was her mother-in-law’s favorite wine.  She poured two healthy glasses and Betty took a sip, giving me the strongest of evil eyes for my stupid selection.   “This is very sweet”, she noted, with anything but sweetness in her tone, “I can’t drink this.”

I thought for a minute and decided that I needed to act if relations at the dinner table had any hope of improvement.  I called over our waitress and told her that I had made a mistake and wanted to order another wine, indicating that I would be paying for both bottles.  Our waitress whisked away the sugar infused bottle and brought me a safely familiar Malbec.

The meal was excellent and even my stupid error was forgiven  when the cheque occurred.  “I didn’t charge you for the first wine”, our waitress noted.   “My mother-in-law is drinking it”, she smiled as she looked toward the kitchen.  The tip was quite a bit larger than my usual 15%.

Finally, you may wish to know the name of the wine that showed up my lack of knowledge of Italian wines.  It was a Rosenere Lambrusco.  Google tells me that Lambrusco, which is a frothy frizzante, was the largest selling imported wine in the United States in the 70’s and 80’s.  That’s the period of time when Canadians were lining up to buy the equally disgusting Andres Baby Duck.

REFLECTIONS ON DRINKING WINE IN THE US:   North Americans are not big consumers of wine as compared to Europeans.  Canadians (ranked 10^th in consumption) drink 10 liters per year while Americans (ranked 18^th) drink only 7.  Compare this to the Italians or the French who quaff 54 and 47 liters respectively.  Yet consumption in both Canada and the U.S. is increasing at the rate of 3% per annum.

Betty and I are currently holidaying (can you holiday when you are retired?) in the American South where wine drinking (except in Florida) is not part of the culture.  In fact, many states, such as Alabama and Georgia, ban restaurants from selling any alcoholic drink on Sundays.  Churches outnumber wine shops about 100 to 1.    Most nights we find that we are the only ones with a bottle of wine on our table.  Everyone else seems to be downing gallons of sweet tea.   In one restaurant the waitress called over another waitress to show her how to open a bottle and the other night our waitress asked for directions as to how to present the wine.   In Canada we also have regional differences in consumption, with the most wine drunk in the Yukon, followed by Quebec.  The least wine is consumed in Saskatchewan. 

Nonetheless, seeking a bottle of wine to accompany our shrimps or our bar-b-que usually meets with success, and the retail price, as well as the restaurant mark-up, is so much less than at home that eating out is almost always a pleasure.   As an example, we were in a pub- type restaurant the other night and I ordered a bottle of Malbec for $ 16.95.  Later I found the same wine in a Publix (grocery store) for $11.95.  Find a Canadian restaurant that only marks up its wine by 40 per cent.   

We did notice that Copper Ridge wines kept showing up as the house wine.  Incidentally, Copper Ridge Merlot is absolutely terrible, and quite sweet.   Google tells me that Copper Ridge wines are made by Gallo and sold only in restaurants.  Perhaps, that way the consumer never knows the original cost of the wine.

New Englanders are the biggest American consumers, and it appears they are not afraid of high-end wines.  We stopped in a New Hampshire Liquor outlet on our way down and while looking over the sale wines, Betty called my attention to a display of  ’09 Chateau Haut-Brion Blanc Pesac which was marked down from $ 1289.99 per bottle to only $ 1149.99.  What really caught her attention was the sign limiting this wine to two bottles per customer.  We left with two bottles less than the limit.

BARGAIN WINE FOR ONTARIO READERS:   My son recently brought my attention to a wine selling very cheaply at LCBO stores.  Although I do not know this wine as it is not available in Nova Scotia, Peter strongly recommends the 2009 Zenato Veneto Rosso IGT which is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Corvina and Veronese.  I can’t remember what he paid but I think it was $ 12. or less.

OPIMIAN OFFERING # 216:  If you are following my advice you spent a fortune on Offering 215 and may want to ease off a bit this time.  I know that I may skip this offering entirely.  However, there are a couple of wines that I can suggest, particularly if you want to add a few Italian to your larder.

7036  Chardonnay from Alto Adige

7030  Terre D’uva Negroamara

7063  Amarone :  For those who want to lay down a really good wine for a few years

7079 La Ferla Nero D’Avola:  If you only want one case I suggest this one.

                                                                                WHINE # 40

 

Wine through the ages:  Wine made its first appearance in Georgia near the Black Sea around 9,000 years ago.  But for the next 6,000 years it was produced in only small volumes and consumed primarily by the social elite.  However, the Greeks took to wine in a big way around 1,000 B.C. and wine became the most common drink, not only of the aristocracy but of the poor as well.

The ancient Romans adopted the Greek practice of drinking wine, consuming an incredible 17 fluid ounces per day.  Even slaves were given wine because of the belief that wine consumption increased physical strength.  Slaves in chains were allowed 1.3 gallons per week.

Wine was almost always mixed with water.  Probably this weak drink tasted more like vinegar than the wine we sip today.  However, as water was almost always polluted in the cities, mixing water with wine helped to kill bacteria, making wine the safest drink.  Also, it was very common to mix wine with sugar and various spices, again suggesting that the wine itself didn’t taste very good by our standards of today.

Although wine was given to children, women were expected to drink little.  Both the Greeks and the Romans believed that women should not be allowed much wine, and in Rome a woman could be divorced for intoxication.

Although the Romans recognized that some wines were of higher quality than others (they in fact preferred Greek to Roman wine), the vessels used to produce wine were not airtight and storage was also a problem.  The Romans discovered cork so they did have a method of storing wine in bottles.  However, most wine was drunk young.

After the fall of the Roman Empire wine production dropped dramatically and was kept alive largely by the Christian church which needed wine for the sacrament of communion. Wine was largely produced in monasteries.  Also, as the Moors advanced across the Iberian Peninsula and into southern France, all alcoholic drinks were forbidden.

Wine production began to increase again after Charlemagne (a wine drinker himself) united much of Europe.  The resulting urbanization led to a demand for wine.  There were setbacks, however, as the Protestant non-drinkers (Luther and Calvin) railed against the Roman tolerance of drunkenness.  Whether a coincidence or not, it is interesting to note that the European countries that converted to Protestantism were all non-wine producing areas, whereas the big three (France, Italy and Spain) stuck loyally to Catholicism.

During the Middle Ages grapes were usually trodden by foot and then the juice was fermented in earthen pots (today wine is fermented in sealed stainless steel tanks).  Once fermented the wine was stored in barrels which were frequently poorly sealed or not “topped up” following evaporation.  Although wine was then occasionally stored in glass bottles the art of making cork stoppers had been forgotten.  The bottles were closed either by glass stoppers or more commonly by oily rags.  Spoilage was all too common and wine merchants raced to get their products to market.  In fact, the value of a barrel of wine at one year of age dropped to less than half the original price.  Thus it would appear that wine drunk in the medieval times would have been both acidic and tannic, tasting nothing like the smooth, rich beverage that we all enjoy in the 21^st century.

It was not until the 17^th century that the problem of early oxidation of wine was solved.  Perhaps it was Dom Perignon who invented the modern cork (certainly this is more credible than the belief that he invented Champagne) as a way of sealing bottles.  However, when corks were first used they were only partially inserted in the neck of the bottle so that there would be a method of extraction.  Certainly the real unsung hero of this story is the unknown inventor of the corkscrew, of which the first printed mention was in 1681.  First called a “worm” the term corkscrew was not in usage until around 1720.

Once the fermented wine could be safely stored in corked bottles without fear of spoilage it became possible to age wine.  Quality of wine therefore dramatically increased in the 18^th century.  Wine as we know it has perhaps only a 300-year, not 9,000-year history.

Much of the above should be cited to  Hugh Johnson’s book “The Story of Wine.”

Macabeo:  This is a white wine that is not commonly sold in Canada (or a least not sold in Nova Scotia).  At one time, however, it was the most widely planted grape in Rioja.  More recently Spanish growers are replacing this varietal with red-wine grapes as they return greater profits.  Macabeo is a crisp acidic wine that is mild in flavour.  It is generally inexpensive and makes a nice summer wine or even as an accompaniment for salad.  It is also grown in France, in particular as a blending wine in Minervois.  Should you run across a Macabeo when browsing in a speciality wine shop, don’t be afraid to give it a try.

Let the French eat steak:  Some of us steak.  On a summer’s night there seems to be nothing better than the smell of a thick porterhouse grilling on the bar-b-que.  However, imagine eating steak 7 nights a week.  For variety you are allowed a prime rib roast and maybe even a hamburger.

Drinking wine is a bit like the above.  We don’t drink the same wine every day.  We switch wines depending on the food match and just because we want variety.  In Canada we are very fortunate because we have easy access to wines from all over the world.  Just as wines are different from different grapes, wines are different from different parts of the world.  Contrast a thin (although complex) wine from northern Burgundy to a heavy rich wine from Mendosa.  They are not the same drink.

In many countries (Argentina, Chile, France, Italy, Spain, to name a few) one only has access to native wines.  No matter how good those wines are in and of themselves citizens of these countries miss out on the wonderful experience of drinking very different wines from other places.  I don’t know if this is just traditional marketing or not but I suspect that protectionist laws prevent the importing of wines from other countries.

In Nova Scotia we even have one restaurant reviewer who insists that a restaurant is only good if the wine list is primarily made up of Nova Scotia wines.  Thus, I usually avoid the restaurants he recommends.

Things are not perfect here either.  Tax on wine is way too high.  However, we have perhaps the best selection of wine in the world.

New Offering from Opimian:  This offering has lots of good wines that won’t break the bank; particularly the ones from Chile.  Here are my recommendations:

6954 Cornellana XL Carmerere/CS/Merlot/Marbec

6964 Cornellana Reserve CS/Mer

6966 Cornellana Barrel Reserve CS/ Merlot  A MUST BUY

6975 Casa Nueva Syrah Reserve

6979 L’Assemblage Grand Vin by Villard

6987 Liriro Malbec

6994 Blason Malbec/Temperanillo

 

 

 

 

January, 2013

 

WHINE # 39

 

Wines less familiar – Alto Adige:    It is always nice to stick to the familiar; in the case of wine we like to stock up on our favorites, be they an Argentinian Malbec, or a French Bordeaux.  On the other hand, it is sometimes fun to try the unfamiliar, a little risk and occasionally a high reward.  In this issue of the Whine I am going to mention wines from three regions that are perhaps less familiar.  It may be difficult to find wines from the first two regions.  However, the third will be easy.

At the very top of Italy, next to the Austrian border lies the Alto Adige region.  The south facing slopes of the Alps produce some very fine wines.  Naturally one would expect whites from such a mountainous area.  However, all the familiar reds (Pinot, Cabernet, Merlot) are also produced in considerable volume.  In addition, there are two varietals that are grown almost nowhere else:  Schiava and Lagrein.  Unfortunately I have never tried the former but the latter, particularly in blends, adds a body that reminds one of the hearty wines of South America.  These wines are very difficult to find in North America, but for those who belong to Opimian watch for any offering of the wines of Elena Walch.  I have tried several of her wines and have loved them all.

Wines less familiar – Washington State:  Many of you are perhaps familiar with the Pinot Noirs of Oregon.  These cool-climate wines are produced on the slopes of the west side of the mountains.   Since Washington is farther north than Oregon I had always assumed that hot weather wines, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, would not be a good bet.  However, while on a Mediterranean cruise in November I noticed several wines from Washington State on the dinner menu.  I tried three (not at the same meal) and was particularly impressed with the Chateau Ste. Michelle Cabernet.

I wondered how Washington could produce wines that to my taste rivalled those of Napa or Sonoma.  The answer appears to be that the vines are grown on a huge irrigated desert plateau on the east side of the mountains.  Here there are more than 300 cloud-free days each year and in midsummer there are two more hours of sunshine than there is in central California.

Since no wines from Washington are available in Nova Scotia I don’t know when I shall get to try more of these intriguing reds.  Perhaps some of you have access to and/or are familiar with Washington State wines.  If so, I should love to hear from you.

Wines less familiar – Monastrell from Jumilla:    When measured by hectares 13.8% of the world’s vineyards are in Spain.  In terms of volume Spain is the 3^rd largest producer of wine and ranks second in terms of wine exports.  Tempranillo is the most commonly grown red grape in Spain and most of us are familiar with its sensation of dryness in the mouth, being both low in acid and low in sugar.

If you want a pleasant change, however, try Spain’s second indigenous red varietal, Monastrell.  Monastrell is also grown in other countries, including France (where the name has been changed to something more French sounding; i.e. Mourvedre), California and Chile.

Monastrell is a black grape with thick skins.  Thus the wine is high in tannins and well matched to food high in protein.  Jumilla is the area best known for this variety but it is grown in almost all parts of Spain.

Here is a recipe for the perfect food match for this wine.  This is an easy recipe, although it may take you a little time.  I assure you that it is more than worth the effort.  Try it on one of these cold, Canadian winter nights.

 

 

BRAISED SHORT RIBS

Makes 4 servings—to serve more you can increase the meat without increasing the sauce

2 ½ lbs. (about 1 kg) beef short ribs, cut into serving size pieces

Salt and pepper

2 Tbsp oil

1 stalk celery, diced

3 carrots, diced

1 jalapeno pepper, chopped (optional)

1 onion chopped

3 shallots, chopped

3 large garlic cloves, chopped

2 Tbsp tomato paste

2 Tbsp flour

½ cup port (this adds a nice flavour, but if you don’t have it the sauce is still good)

2 cups red wine

2 sprigs fresh rosemary (or you can use dried)

8 sprigs fresh thyme (or dried)

3 cups beef stock

 

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Heat oil in a large heavy pot, like a dutch oven.  Season the ribs with salt and pepper, and brown slowly on all sides.  Set ribs aside while you make the sauce.

Add celery, carrots, jalapeno pepper, onion, shallots, and garlic to the pot and sauté until softened and golden brown, about 7 minutes.  Stir often to prevent burning.

Stir tomato paste into vegetable mix.  Add flour and stir to combine.  Cook for another 2 minutes.

Add port, wine, and herbs.  Turn heat to medium-high and simmer for about 10 minutes, until mixture begins to reduce.  Stir occasionally to prevent sticking and burning.

Add beef stock and bring sauce to a boil.  Return ribs to pot.  Cover tightly and put in 300 degree oven for 3 hours.

When done carefully remove ribs from sauce, the meat will be very tender.  Now, if you wish you can strain the sauce, and spoon off any accumulated fat.  But, for a more flavourful sauce, blend in the cooked vegetables with an immersion blender, or transfer to a blender and puree.

Bring the sauce to a boil and reduce for about 10 minutes.  If you’d like it a little thicker, thicken with a little corn starch mixed with cold water.  Return ribs to sauce, and serve with mashed potatoes to go with the delicious sauce.

You should have enough leftover sauce to freeze for a second meal, which will only require browning the ribs and baking in the ready-made sauce.

This can be made the day before, and reheated on stove very slowly.

For those who live in Ontario:  Vintages is currently showing in its listings 2009 Marques de Casa Concha Cabernet Sauvignon for $ 19.95.  It is also available in British Columbia. This incredible rich wine is absolutely fabulous.  Unfortunately for me it is no longer available at any store in Nova Scotia, and I took the last bottle from my cellar a couple of nights ago.  If you want a special Cabernet to match your next roast or steak, it will be well worth your trip to Vintages.

Confessions of a red wine snob:  Because I almost always choose red wine over white wine I have fallen into the delusional trap of laying out significant portions of my pension funds for quality Cabernet Sauvignons; then I “save” money by picking up bottom-end Sauvignon Blancs.  And this is the guy who wrote a thesis (albeit 45 years ago) on the self-fulfilling prophecy.

So, to make amends my recommendation from this month’s Opimian Offering (#214) is that you go for a high-end Chablis and an everyday Cabernet.

#6912 Chablis Premier Cru, Fourchaumes, Jacques Lamblin:  As I tend to turn away from French Reds I am continuing to be impressed with quality Chablis.  If you, like me, tend to shy away from white wine, then try a really good one.

#6948 2012 Paulita Cabernet Sauvignon:  Although very drinkable this is not a great wine.  However, at this price you won’t complain.

#6922 Bourgogne Passetoutgrains, AOC, 2010:  Absolutely avoid this!  I once had a case of this and it tasted as if one had put 2 ounces of a neighbour’s homemade wine in a highball glass and then filled the glass to the rim with tap water.

 

 

 

WHINE #  38

Welcome to the Whine:  Paul Veitch of Antigonish .

HOLIDAY WINE TASTING:  Just before Christmas Betty and I invited a few friends for an evening of wine tasting.  After a small glass of crackling wine everyone (except me) blind-tasted 7 wines which were arranged in two flights.  Wines were presented in decanters simply labelled A, B, etc. and tasters were encouraged to try a bit of each wine and then return for a second or third sip.

Flight I:  We started with 3 slightly chilled Pinot Noirs from Chile, France and New Zealand.  The French wine was a 2008 Cuvee 8 from the village of Hunawihr in Alsace.  This wine was a Founder’s Choice Selection and had been promoted by the Opimian Society as a top Pinot.   Only 25-year old vines had been chosen from Grands Crus vineyards.

The New Zealand entrant was a 2008 Mud House from Marlborough.  Robert Parker rated the 2008 at 86/100. 

Villard’s 2008 Grand Vin from Chile is one of my favorite Pinots.  User reviews averaged 90.7.

Pinot Results:  My blind tasters were simply asked to rank the three wines, and their rankings could not have been more consistent.   The Chilean wine was the first choice of 13 out of 17, and was the second choice of 2 others.  The New Zealand wine had 3 first place votes and 11 second choices.  The French Pinot was only preferred by one guest and only 3 gave it a second rank, with the other 12 ranking it in last place.  I should note that the French and Chilean wines were similarly priced at around $ 40, with the New Zealand wine at a somewhat lower price.

Flight II:  After a short break the tasters were presented with three Cabernet/Merlot blends and one unblended Cabernet.  All of the wines were similarly priced but were considerably cheaper ($ 20 range) than the Pinots.

Tasters tried a 2009 Chateau Lamothe de Haux Cotes de Bordeaux; a 2008 a Geoff Hardy GMH Meritage from Australia; a 2008 Cornellana Reserve Cabernet/Merlot from Chile; and a 2009 Paso Creek Cabernet Sauvignon from California.  User ratings for these wines were all close to 85/100.

Second Flight Results:  My tasters did not indicate a clear winner this time, although the Californian Cabernet was perhaps at the top of the list.  Seven ranked it first, with 6 choosing it second and four third.  In other words no one ranked it last.  A close second went to the Australian Meritage, which also had  7 first place picks.  However, only two tasters had it as their second choice.  The Chilean got 2 first place votes, 5 second place votes and 7 third place picks.  Again the French wine did not fare well with 2 firsts, 2 seconds and 3 thirds.  In other words 10 of the 17 raters had it dead last out of the four wines.

Perhaps this simple experiment reinforced my bias that French Reds cannot compete with New World wines in the same price range.  It was interesting to note that several of my guests commented that they also had low expectations for the French wines.    Fortunately for French wine producers the Chinese are still snapping up any expensive French wine; and there are certainly more Chinese than there are Canadians.

Comparison of two sparkling wines:  I am not a big fan of Nova Scotia wines but last Christmas I was given a bottle of Benjamin Bridge Brut Reserve.   This wine sold last December for $ 85 and is still getting rave reviews from both inside and outside Nova Scotia.  Prior to dinner the other night I served  this sparkling wine to five guests.   I also blind presented a French Champagne (Pol Roger) for comparison, currently priced at $ 62.  This time the French wine came out on top with 4 out of 5 preferring it.  The good news is that I don’t have to run out and buy more of the over-priced Benjamin Bridge.

SAD REPORT:  You may recall that I recently fell in love with Brunello di Montalcino.  Thus I was horrified at the following story that appeared in the major newspapers,  just after we returned from Tuscany.   My heart bleeds for the vintner.

ROME (AP)—Suspected vandals have dumped almost the entire 2007-2012 production of one of Italy’s most sought-after wines—the limited edition Soldera Brunello di Montalcino.

Giuseppe Soldera, owner of the Tuscan vineyard, said Tuesday that the vandals broke into his Case Basse cantina between Sunday night and Monday morning, opened the spigots on the vats and fled.  They didn’t take a single bottle.

He estimated the loss of the 62,600 litres of prized Sangiovese at several million euros.  A bottle of Soldera’s 2006 Brunello reserve starts at 180 euros ($ 235) on the market.  That’s a markup from the 110 euros ($130) he sells them for.

Soldera said only “a little bit” remained of the production, and he wasn’t sure what he would do with it.  Police had no suspects.

WHAT I LIKED IN 2012:  At the end of each year I go through my wine journal to see what I drank and what wines really impressed.  In 2012 I continued to purchase and drink more South American wines than any others,  but this time Argentina replaced Chile with a full 25% of my consumed wines coming from that country.  My third most frequently consumed wines came from France with California close behind.  Next came Spain and finally Italy.  I expect , however, that in 2013 my consumption of Italian wines will increase.

In 2011 my journal indicated that I rated 10 wines at 10/10.  In 2012 I only gave my top marks to 6 wines.  Of course, my ratings are no doubt very subjective and are influenced by the food pairing, my overall mood, and any number of other factors.   Below in no particular order are the 6 wines that I wish were more in evidence in my small cellar:

2003 Alfa Crux (Tempranillo/Malbec/Merlot) from Argentina.  This is the only repeat from 2011.

2007 Trapiche Finca Las Palmas (Cabernet Sauvignon) from Argentina. 

2007 Trapiche Finca Las Palmas (Malbec) from Argentina.  These two Trapiche’s were incredible bargains at just over $ 20.  Unfortunately they are no longer available in Nova Scotia, and they are also sold out in Ontario.

2006 Louis Martini (Cabernet Sauvignon) from Napa Valley in California.  Also, a great $ 20 bargain.

2004 Legaris Ribero del Duero (Tempanillo) from Spain.

2008 Villard Founders’ Choice Special Blend (Cabernet Sauvignon/Syrah/Petit Verdot/Merlot) from Chile.  Note that this wine is from the same vineyard as the Pinot that so impressed at my recent tasting.  Unfortunately, this wine was a special offering only available to Founders’ Choice members.

OFFERING # 213:   I have several recommendations from this Offering.  For those who want an everyday red that is ready to drink I suggest # 6872 Clos Montblanc Xipella, Premium.  If you have a little more money to spend the 6885 Gran Colegiata Reserva is one of Spain’s bests and it is close to ready.

For an inexpensive sparkling wine you can’t go wrong with # 6888 Parxet Edicion Limitada Brut Reserva.  I always like to have a few bottles of this on hand.

Finally, my strongest recommendation is for the bargain crackling wine from Portugal.  # 6898 Serra Vinho Verde.   This very light wine is great for summer sipping or as reception wine.  I recommend this wine every year (and also buy a case every year).  I can’t imagine that you would not like it.