A Couple of Nice Reds!

Hello Wine Lovers!

I hope all the Mothers out there had a great day! What a beautiful day you had in Chicago! I hope by now you have lifted a glass of champagne for Mom and I am quite sure you shared a nice dinner. Maybe you made breakfast for her, a bottle of her favorite perfume, flowers, chocolate or even a gift certificate to her favorite spa. Whatever you did for her, she deserves it all!
Now, down to the wine. I am writing about two reds that are both outstanding values and I believe you will find them outstanding as well. The first one is a little obscure blend called Reds, A Wine for the People, from Lodi California. It is a blend of Zinfandel, Petite Sirah and Carignan (You see, I did call it obscure...) You will find this wine to be a mouthful of dark berry flavors and plums with spice, a few tannins and a nice long, smooth finish. At $8.49 a bottle at the Wine Discount Center you can't beat it with a stick! Now a little info about that grape you haven't heard of before...
Carignan is believed to have originated in Spain in the Aragon region and was historically a component of neighboring Rioja's red wine blend. From Spain it gained prominence in Algeria and fed that country's export production to France. Upon Algeria's independence in 1962, the French supply of Carignan wine was cut off and growers in Southern France began to plant the vine for their own production. The grape's prominence in France hit a high point in 1988 when it accounted for 167,000 hectares and was France's most widely planted grape. That year, in a drive to increase the overall quality of European wine and to reduce the growing wine lake phenomenon, the European Union started an aggressive vine pull scheme where vineyard owners were offered cash subsidies in exchange for pulling up their vines. Out of all the French wine varieties, Carignan was the most widely affected dropping by 2000 to 95,700 ha (236,000 acres) and being surpassed by Merlot as the most widely planted grape.In winemaking the grape is often used as a deep coloring component in blends, rather than being made in a varietal form with some exception. The grape is a difficult one for winemakers to work with being naturally high in acidity, tannins and astringency which requires a lot of skill to produce a wine of finesse and elegance. I believe you will find this winemaker did his homework!
The second wine for today's entry is a wine from Washington, Columbia Crest's Amitage. This wine is a blend of 64% Merlot, 19% Syrah, 7% Cabernet Franc, 5.5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5.5% Malbec. It has been aged in both American oak and French oak for 16 months. When it is all said and done, this wine delivers layers of dark fruit, soft tannins and a silky mouth feel with a nice long elegant finish. At $7.99 at the Wine Discount Center or at Binny's, this is well worth the money!

Cheers!
J

The Pinot Project

Hello Wine Lovers!
I missed everyone last week! Just didn't have enough time to post a blog, but I did have time to drink... which of course leads to more entries here. So that being said I drank a very nice and interesting Pinot Noir called the The Pinot Project 2009.
The inaugural vintage of 2009 The Pinot Project drinks as an absolutely delicious, yet serious, Pinot Noir that any wine lover would be proud to pour liberally at their dinner table! Hand-crafted from the finest California Pinot Noir grapes. Pure Pinot aromas and flavors -- black cherries kissed by oak and complimented by just the right amount of Asian spice. This wine has body, structure and yet very elegant and mouth pleasing. I know some of you out there find Pinot Noirs too soft and light, now I will be the first to tell ya, this is not a Cabernet but I feel many anti-Pinot drinkers will find this wine enjoyable! It will set you back about $9.99 at Binny's and worth every penny!
My white wine entry for today is a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, Brancott is the producer and it will set you back a whopping $7.99 at Binny's with your Binny's Card. You will find this wine to be lush and a mouthful of fruit. A wonderful Sauvignon Blanc from the Marlborough region of New Zealand. Refreshing grapefruit, and tropical aromas with notes of minerals and melon flavors on the finish. It has the typical characteristics of a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, and I think you will find it up your alley!

Cheers!
J

California Dreaming

Hello Wine Lovers! Spring is supposed to be here... tell that to Mother Nature! A cold and lousy weekend weather at best here in Chicago, but it gives us character. (So they say) I am going to get right to the point this week, no long winded sermons about wine making, cork, glasses or what you should be drinking instead of this or that... just talk about two wines I feel you should run, not walk, run to your favorite wine shop and buy! Both California producers, both great values and both will keep you thinking your rich! Trentadue Winery, Old Patch Red and Huntington Cabernet Sauvignon. Both of these wines are around $9 and will just floor ya! Trentadue is a blend of Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Carignane, (Don't worry, I'm not going into one of my explanations about this little known grape) Sangiovese and finally Syrah. The grapes are grown in Mendocino, Lake and Sonoma Counties and this wine is packed with abundant berry flavors, mostly black cherry and plum with a nice long smooth finish. A touch of oak on the finish as well, but not over powering where you feel like you just swallowed a 2x4, just enough to say hello. Huntington Cabernet is from the Hahn Family Wines and has an interesting story behind it. (I'll keep it short) The Hahns own a ranch in northern Africa and assist the community in building schools and to help preserve the culture and endangered landscape there. Gaby Hahn is a painter/artist and her paintings are made into the labels for their wine bottles. You will find this wine to be rich with a dense black purple color. You will find aromas of sweet black plum and cherry, pretty French oak, spice, cedar and coffee. This is a wine where both Old and New World meet, and you will discover enough structure and just a touch of sweetness after you swallow. I think it shows very nicely for the money! Enjoy! Cheers! J

Perky Pinot

Hello Wine Lovers! Did you miss me? I allowed my Sunday (my usual posting day) to get away from me... dinner guests that came early and stayed late! It was OK, it was my son and nephew with their girls, fun for all. The food was good, the laughs were hard, and the wine flowed ever so freely. I know a certain friend that said he now knew more about cork than he ever needed to know... so this week I am going to talk about how wine is made. I asked myself if I thought I could do this without getting too windy and lengthy... time will tell I will do my best to keep you engaged, here goes... Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented grape juice,the natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients.Wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast consumes the sugars in the grapes and converts them into alcohol. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts produce different types of wine, you see, that wasn't so bad now was it? A brief history... Wine's history dates back thousands of years, with the earliest known production occurring around 8,000 years ago on the territory of modern-day Georgia.(the country not the state) It first appeared in the Balkans at about 4500 BC and was very common in ancient Greece, Thrace and Rome. Wine has also played an important role in religion throughout history. The Greek god Dionysus and the Roman equivalent Bacchus represented wine, and the drink is also used in Christian Eucharist ceremonies and the Jewish Kiddush. So basically what this is saying is wine has been a part of our world for quite a long while and it is important to religion as well, who would have thunk it? Now for the wine review, Block 9 Pinot Noir from California, they only make Pinot Noir and this one at around $8 at Wine Discount Center is definitely worth the trip! This wine is smooth and silky with hints of strawberry and cocoa on the nose with raspberries and strawberries in the mouth which leads to a nice elegant finish! Even if you're not a fan of this noble grape, I believe you will enjoy this! Cheers J!

Wine production by country 2007 Rank Country Production 1 Italy 5,050,000 2 France 4,711,600 3 Spain 3,645,000 4 United States 2,300,000 5 Argentina 1,550,000 6 China (People's Republic) 1,450,000 7 South Africa 1,050,000 8 Australia 961,972 9 Germany 891,600 10 Chile 827,746

Cycles Pair

Hello Wine Lovers!
This weekend I thought I would not only treat you to a couple of good wines to drink but also a little info about cork... the other white meat. Oh, sorry, wrong ad... anyway what is cork? (If suddenly this blog comes to a short ending I wanted to tell you why. It is my anniversary and I am writing this while my beautiful bride is in the shower, so if I don't finish by the time she is ready... you get the picture.
Cork is an impermeable, buoyant material, a prime-subset of generic cork tissue that is harvested for commercial use primarily from Quercus suber (the Cork Oak), which is endemic to southwest Europe and northwest Africa. Cork is composed of suberin, a hydrophobic substance, and because of its impermeability, buoyancy, elasticity, and fire resistance, it is used in a variety of products, the most common of which is for wine stoppers. Portugal produces approximately 50% of cork harvested annually worldwide.There are about 2,200,000 hectares of cork forest worldwide; 32.4% in Portugal, and 22.2% in Spain. Annual production is about 300,000 tons. Once the trees are about 25 years old the cork is stripped from the trunks every ten years. The trees live for about 200 years. The first two harvests produce poorer quality cork.The extraction of cork place only during the period from early May to late August, when the cork separates more easily without causing damage to the tree. The first harvest from a young oak, the breaking-in, is done when the plant has about 25-30 years and a circumference of not less than 60 cm. Subsequent extractions occur at intervals of at least ten years, as required by regulations, but also 12-13 if the cork has not reached an acceptable size, and the product obtained is gentle cork that is used, if of good quality, for manufacture of cork stoppers.
The workers specialized for this job are the extractors whose tool is a very sharp axe that they use to make some cuts: one horizontal around the plant, called a crown or necklace, at a height of about 2-3 times the circumference of the tree, and two or three (but more if the tree is very big) vertical called rulers or openings. This is the most delicate phase of the work because, despite having a lot of force to impose the axe to cut the cork, while it must absolutely do not affect the underlying fellogeno, whose disruption leads to the destruction of the plant.
A good extractor must be able to use force and sensibility, and he must well recognized the physical characteristics of the cork who is going to extract in order to operate accordingly. I am willing to bet good money you had no idea that cork was basically a "bark" of a tree. The next time you open a bottle of wine... think about this blog. Ok, enough about cork, lets talk wine.
My entry today is two different varietals from Cycles Gladiator, a California producer who certainly has had some issues in the past. When they first hit the market they id some good things. Then the quality went downhill and I stopped drinking them. I revisited them last week and found the quality was back, so here we go. The Syrah and the Merlot is what I am talking about.
First off, you may ask, why the naked lady holding on to a bike? Well, it is a famous French poster used for advertising "Gladiator" a well know manufacture of French Bicycles. The French know what sells... naked ladies, so the rest is history!
The Merlot you will find a deep ruby color with an inviting mix of ripe fruit and earthy aromas. Juicy black cherry and blackberry flavors mingle with wisps of wood. The lush fruit is complemented by hints of tobacco, black licorice and spice. Slight tannins dance on the tongue, then tapers off, melting to a pleasant finish.
An excellent expression of the varietal, this full-bodied Syrah presents a pleasant combination of rich texture, solid acidity and velvety tannins.
This distinctive, Syrah elicits smoky-sweet aromas of ripe plum, wild berry and spice. Lush layers of dark fruit flavors are complemented by notes of savory pepper, harmonious oak and tobacco, and faint wisps of rose petals. An excellent expression of the varietal, this full-bodied Syrah presents a pleasant combination of rich texture, solid acidity and velvety tannins. You will not believe what is in your mouth for the money. Both of these wines are available at Binny's of the Wine Discount Center for, are you sitting down? $6.99 a bottle! This is just plain nuts! Hurry up and buy this stuff before they wake up and start selling for what they are worth!
Cheers!
J

Paso Robles Pair

Hello Wine Lovers!
It is that time again... another wine posting. When do I have enough time to drink all these wines you ask? It is not easy and it's a dirty job but someone has to do it and why not me? So last night my wife and I cooked a wonderful dinner and of course during the cooking we drank a bottle of nice red wine and then when we set down to enjoy our labor, we had another matching wine! Both are from Rabbit Ridge Winery in Paso Robles California. A Region of California with far less money per acre and very high quality. The wines were Rabbit Ridge "Allure de Robles" which is a wine crafted after the famous Rhone Region in Southern France. It is a blend of
Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre grapes.You will find this wine to be ruby red in color with aromas and flavors of ripe berry, plum, tobacco, and vanilla with a little herb thrown in on the finish. The second wine is Le Lapin Paso Robles "Speed Bump" which is a blend of Tempranillo and Alicante from Spain. Both of these wines sell for around $7.99 a bottle and you will not believe your taste buds! Tempranillo is a native red grape from Spain. It is the main grape used in Rioja. Alicante is a cross of Petite Bouschet (itself a cross of the very old variety Teinturier du Cher and Ramon and Grenache. Teinturier, is a French term meaning to dye or stain and refers to a grape whose flesh and juice are both red in color. (Most red skinned grapes the juice is clear in color)Does that make sense?? Anyway...don't hesitate to try these wines out, you will not be disappointed! I purchased the wines from a small shop in Palatine but they should be available from our good friends at Binny's.

Cheers!
J

French Red

Hello Wine Lovers!
Today I decided to talk about a beautiful red wine from a lesser know region in southern France, Chateau Sainte Eulalie Minervois from the Languedoc-Roussillon region. I know what your thinking... how the heck can I possible pronounce this wine let alone know what it is. That is what I'm here for, believe me when I say this, it is worth the trouble! This wine will cost you $8.99 at your local Wine Discount Center (Binny's may have it or another value driven wine from the same Region. Just tell the knowledgable clerk you want a red wine from Minervois and he or she will know what you are talking about. This wine is a blend of Syrah, Grenache and Carignon (notably a grape from this Region. You will find this wine to be very pleasing with fig, blackberry and currant flavors mixed with a little spice on the end. It has a nice soft finish and some nice earth tones on the nose. You won't believe your mouth! Trust me... go buy this! Now a little history of the area. My bride and myself had the pleasure to spend a few days in this area a few years ago and it is fantastic! Very few tourists and the surroundings are what dreams are made of!
Caunes-Minervois is located in the Languedoc-Roussilon area of southern France. The name "Languedoc" is a straight-forward contraction of "Langue d'Oc," the language of the troubadors. Oc, or Occitan, is still found in many place names and sometimes heard in speech, especially in the smaller villages.It is the largest walled city in Europe and is known for it's large Abbey. Pebbled top soil, with a high percentage of clay and limestone, rich in manganese is what the ground has to offer the grapes, and you will smell this in the glass. The name derives from the ancient regional capital of Minerve, some 20 km east of Caunes, itself named for the Roman Goddess Minerva. The Romans came through here, settling and introducing vines & olives in the region. Minervois Vignerons have been dynamic in changing the perception of the world towards wine from the south of France, developing quality products and experimenting with both old and new grape varieties and techniques.
Ok Ok, enough of this... go buy the wine and enjoy! Don't worry about pronouncing it correctly or what it is, print this if you have to and take it to the shop with you!

Cheers!
J