Friday, October 30, 2009

Meritage


Hey Wine Lovers!


If you recall from my first posting of this wine blog I stated my goal was to write about value wines at $10 or less. Well... I splurged on this one, I spent $11.99 and felt compelled to write about it! Hahn Estates 2007 Meritage.


Hahn translates to Rooster in German and that is why the rooster is on their label, it adorned their family home for years.


This wine is elegant with ripe fruit on the front, lush juicy overtones and a slightly tannic finish, enough to stand up to hearty fall and winter dishes but also soft enough to have by itself. It is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. I would buy this and impress your friends!


Lets take a moment and talk about "Meritage".

A Red Meritage is a blend of two or more of the red “noble” Bordeaux varieties — Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec. (St. Macaire, Gros Verdot and Carmenère are also noble grapes from Bordeaux but rare) If the blend includes any other grape variety, it is, (by definition) not a Meritage. Also, to qualify as a Meritage, no single grape variety can make up more than 90% of the blend. In 1988 a group of of American vintners formed "The Meritage Association" to identify handcrafted wines blended from the traditional "noble" Bordeaux varietals.


Now you know what the definition of a "Meritage" wine is!


Cheers!

J

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Three To Get Ready...


Hello Out There in the Wine World!


Once again I was blown way with the value of Chile and Spain with the three wines I am about to share with you, Santa Ema Reserve Merlot and Reserve Cabernet and Shaya Verdejo.


The Santa Ema Reserve Merlot is a luscious, soft, fruit forward wine that is enjoyable by its self or with food. It has undertones of chocolate and lots of dark fruit on the nose with a touch of oak on the finish. At a price of $6.99... are you kiddin me? Buy this as fast as you can!


The Santa Ema Reserve Cabernet is another bargain! Dark berries with just enough tannins to keep it interesting and a long concentrated finish. This little beauty will pair nicely with your favorite steak on the grill. Again, at $6.99 you can't go wrong!


The Shaya Verdejo (verdejo is the grape) from Spain's Rueda Region is one of those white wines that you are going to wish you had discovered long ago. It is a pleasant change from Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc that most of us have a tendency to drink. By the way, Shaya is a deer that roams the area where the vineyard is located.


This grape can be traced back to North Africa and then brought to Spain in or around the 11th Century. Typical wines made from this grape and Region have citrus fruit flavors with minerals from the sandy riverstone soil it is grown in. They have nice acid levels to go with food and may remind you of a Sauvignon Blanc. The Verdejo grapes are generally harvested at night. This is mainly for two reasons. 1. It means that the grapes enter the cellar at a lower temperature than what it would be if harvested during the hot sunny daytime. 2. Lower temperatures means less oxidation, or browning of the juice. This little gem will set you back $9.99... and worth every penny of it!


Cheers!

J

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Storing Wine

Hello Wine Drinkers!

Today I want to talk to you about wine storage. You don't necessarily need an expensive cellar lined with cedar shelves, pictures of beautiful vineyards, terracotta tile floors, climate controls, tasting table and of course a well stocked humidor. Although nice... but I will tell you how to take care of your wine without all that!

First, lets talk about "cellar" temperature. Not too long ago you would see statements like "Serve at room temperature" or "Store at room temperature" when referring to wine. That came from the fact that centuries ago when you lived in a castle in Europe room temperature was 50-54 degrees! Hence, room temperature. 50-54 degrees F is the optimum temp to store and serve red wine. (Slightly warmer to serve, use the 20 minute rule, take your red wine out of "cellar" temperature and let it sit for 20 minutes before serving.

Typically we serve white wine too cold. In most restaurants (and our refrigerator at home) you will find the temperature at 40-42 degrees. At that temperature a good portion of the flavor profile of the wine is covered up. Serve it closer to 48 degrees, this allows the wine to
show it's best side. Again use the 20 minute rule, take a bottle of white wine out of your refrigerator for 20 minutes before serving.

Enough of that! Lets get to storing wine. It is best to keep your wine in a constant (key word...) cool, dark space away from sun light. Keep your wine away from vibration, refrigerator compressors, washing machines etc. Keep the temp constant, a constant 65 is better that 55 for a while and then 65 for a while and then 55 again. Anything over 70 degrees is NOT GOOD. Store your bottles on their side or even upside down to keep the corks wet.

In modern times you can buy a small counter top wine refrigerator that will hold a dozen bottles for less than $100. Get rid of your microwave and replace it with a wine cooler! (What's more important, reheated food or temperature controlled wine?) You can purchase a wine cooler from Lowe's that will hold 48+ bottles for less than $200. If you don't have room for it in your kitchen place it in a closet close by, garage or basement.

Drinking wine at proper temperature helps to bring out the flavor profile completely and it dances across your tongue. Once you start to drink wine at the proper temp, you will always want your wine served in this manner!

Have fun!

Cheers!
J

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Viva le France!

Wine Lovers,



This entry is not about a wine value priced for you to go out and buy, but about a bottle of wine I had the absolute pleasure to pour over my lips, down my throat and into my stomach and most importantly, one to cherrish in my memory bank forever!



I had the (Arguably) best wine on the planet (Certainly one of) a 1982 Grave Haut Brion, Pessac Leognan, Grand Cru!! Wow, still vibrant and beautiful with a soft silky feel in the mouth and fresh fruit on the finish! After 28 years it is still magnificant and youthful! This is French wine making history in a bottle! 1982 was also classified as a "vintage" year in the Bordeaux Region in France!



Let me tell you a little about Bordeaux and I will attempt not to get too "geeky" for you.



Many will tell you it is the greatest wine region in the world. Many other spots can stake a claim to the title, but only Bordeaux has the history, the mystique, the fame and centuries worth of world class wines in all three categories: White, Sweet and of course Red! The region produces around 70 million cases of wine per year, which accounts for almost one quarter of all production annually in France. Located in southwestern France around the city of Bordeaux, Bordeaux is comprised of 56 smaller appellations that line the banks of the Gironde Estuary river and its tributaries the Garonne and the Dordogne. Already famous in the 14th century, though winemaking in Bordeaux dates back to Roman times. The true fame of Bordeaux began in the 12th century when Henry Plantagenet, heir to the thrown of England, married Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine, thus creating a place to export Bordeaux to England. The English have long been one of the most important export markets for Bordeaux. The first single estate wine mentioned in English literature was Château Haut Brion. Shelterd by forest land, and with a moderate temperature due to the rivers nearby, Bordeaux wines are blessed with a number of natural flavors. It is in the soil that the fame of Bordeaux is created. Rocky gravel and sand on the left bank of the Gironde, and with clay and limestone on the right. Bordeaux wines can vary greatly in style, price and quality. It is a common misconception that all Bordeaux is great, when in reality the most famous wines make up a tiny percentage of overall production. Bordeaux is known for red wine with over 80% of total production today. As recently as the 1960s more white wines were produced than red. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot are the major players, with Cabernet Franc also playing a key role. Petite Verdot and decreasingly Malbec are also permitted in the Bordeaux reds, which are made up of a blend of two or more grapes. White wines are primarily a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémeillon, though Muscadelle is also permitted. Beautiful and seductive sweet wines are produced from Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon. These are some of the greatest dessert wines in the world! Getting the grapes to ripen fully can be a little tough because of sun exposure, spring frosts, drought and fall rains during harvest. Unlike Napa Valley where the growing season is more or less perfect and long. While a great Bordeaux can be a wine-life changing experience, (Like what I just experienced) the prices have continued to rise to the point of lunacy! Bordeaux is sold on futures, meaning that the wine is sold before it has ever left the winery. Bordeaux has always been expensive, but prices as of late are enough to make even a millionaire squirm. The mediocre wines are over priced, the good wines available to only those with deep pockets and do not blink at spending more than $100 on a bottle of wine, and the best wines have put themselves in a market that only the wealthiest can even think about!

The bottle in question at this very moment is worth between $700-800! The new release is listed at $500 a bottle! Too rich for my blood... but certainly worth drinking should you have the pleasure!

Cheers!
J

Spanish Wonder


Its Me Again,


How many of you have heard of Tempranillo? If you at some point in your life drank a wine from Spain you more than likely have had this grape, at least as part of a blend. It is to Spain like Sangiovese is to Italy... a lot of it is grown and produced! As it should be it is a very easy to drink wine. Today's pick is the Marco Real, Tempranillo 2007 from the Navarra Region in Spain. At $7.99 fo this thing, can you say bargain or what?


Bodegas (Which translates to Chateau) Marco Real was founded in 1988 in the heart of Navarra, in Olite, a thousand-year-old city with a long-standing wine producing tradition. They have slowly been spending more money and investing in their properties and continue to produce nice wines.


Don't pass this one up! Great for burgers on the grill for that Monday night football game.


Cheers!

J

French Sleeper


Hey Out There in Wine Drinking World


This one will knock your socks off! Domaine de Fondreche, Vin de Pays de Vaucluse. (We don't need to get into all this right now, just write the name down and take off to your local wine shop with about $7 in your pocket and you will be happier than a fat pig in a mud puddle!


This is a Rhone wine from the wine maker Sebastien Vincenti (One of his lesser wines but packed with value) He bought the property in 1991 at the time he finished his oenological education. The former owner had delivered the grapes to a local cooperative and there were no cellars at the estate. Since then cellars have been added and wines are happening!


Vaucluse is near Provence France and that is where the grapes were grown for this wine. Light fruit on the palate with a pleasant nose of lavender with a touch of honey. One of the great many values from this area of Southern France!


Cheers!

J

Sicilian Godfather


Hey Wine Lovers!


In the past Sicily has not been known for wines that most people would find approachable to say the least. They were typically tannic, high in alcohol and to say it lightly... just plain nasty! But over the years more and more wineries from the mainland Italy have invested money, time and effort and now the island produces some wonderful value driven wines. Which brings me to today's gem, Arancio, Nero D'Avola.


The Arancio Estates have about 1500 acres of vineyards and has been totally remodeled and state of the art equipment installed to produce wonderful classic wines from this beautiful, sunny and hot region of Italy.


Nero D' Avola is the grape and is indigenous to Silicy and originally grown in the Siracusa region but is now grown all over Sicily and can be traced back to the Romans. This wine shows beautifully dark purple colors with red berries and cranberry flavors with mild tannins which leads to a medium finish. At $7.99 a bottle-are you kiddin me? Hurry up and go find this before your neighbor does and he/she looks like the genius!


Available at the Wine Discount Center, Binny's and Sam's Wines.


Cheers!

J

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Champagne / Sparkling

Hello Fellow Wine Lovers!
Today I would like to talk about values in sparkling wines. The holidays will be here before your know it and we all know what that translates to… drinking sparkling wines and celebrating!
Let’s talk a little about Sparkling, Champagne, and Cava.
Only wines from the Champagne region in France can be called “Champagne” even though sparkling wines are made in the same method. (As long as the label says “Methode Champenoise” somewhere, rest assured it is made like the wines from Champagne) Cheap imitations of this wine has the “bubbles” injected into the wine by using carbon dioxide and this is why you feel so poorly after a night of celebrating with the cheap stuff! Drink quality not quantity!
Champagne is made by adding yeast to the bottle and allowing that to work with the sugar to make a second fermentation, hence… the carbonation. When the wine maker determines the wine is ready he will slowly tip the bottle up (this is called riddling and takes a few weeks) until it is upside down and the yeast settles to the top of the bottle. This collection of yeast is then frozen, the top is taken off and the force of the bubbles sends the yeast flying out of the bottle. The bottle is then topped off with a touch of the wine that it was made from, the cork put in the bottle, the cage over the cork, (Remind me to come back to that) the label applied and it is ready for market. In some cases the wine will be stored longer to age and settle.
Champagne and sparkling wines are primarily made from three grapes, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. (Not all, but a good many) A pink wine is made from allowing the juice to sit on the skins for a short time to extract some of the color, but not too long as this will add tannins and bitterness to the wine.
The sweetest wine a producer will make is called Doux, Demi Sec, and then Extra Dry, Brut, Extra Brut, and Brut Natural. Most today are Brut. (In my opinion the only ones worth drinking)
Reminder: this little trick will win you some money at the dinner table. Each and every wire cage that is put on a bottle of Champagne, Sparkling, or Cava, (As long as it states on the label “Methode champonais”) will take 6 turns to remove. Have fun!
Cava is the name given to Spanish sparkling wines and arguably the best values on the market today! Great wines, great prices and fun to drink… what more do you need?
My list of Cava or Sparkling to serve at your next party:
Segura Viudas Brut $8.99 (They make several levels all very reasonably priced)
Cristalino Brut $6.99
Freixenet Cordon Negro $8.99
Korbel Brut $8.99
Mionetto Prosecco $7.99 (Italy’s version of sparkling)
St Michelle Brut $7.99
I think you will be happy with any or all of these choices, and so will your Guests! At these prices you can’t beat them!
Have Fun!
Cheers!
J