Segura Viudas Cava

Hello Wine Lovers!

It is a Sunday, and to me that is always a day to have at least one glass of sparkling wine! A day of rest and relaxation, to reflect, to enjoy, to stop and smell the roses! Why champagne you ask? Pour a glass of sparkling wine into a flute and watch the bubbles rise to the top... and if that alone doesn't tell you, then call me crazy. Champagne tickles your tongue and your taste buds. It makes you feel happy just looking at it. Think how many times you lift a glass of champagne to toast or celebrate something special. Birthday, wedding (I have one coming up, my daughter is getting married soon), anniversary, new job, new baby, the list goes on and on! Which brings me back to Sunday, a celebration of the week at end!

Today's choice is a Cava from Spain, Segura Viudas Brut. A classic wine with notes of apple and citrus with a mouthful of complexity for a wine at this price point. It was rated 19 out of 100 "Best Buys". "Segura Viudas’ entry level Cava, the Non-Vintage Brut Reserva offers up a pleasant perfume of yeast notes, biscuit, and green apple. It is a straightforward, lively, slightly off-dry bubbly that is a good value for drinking over the next 12–18 months."- The Wine Advocate Magazine, May 2011. Words of Robert Parker, and he is a tough critic.

Get in your car, head to Binny's pick up a few bottles of this little number, head back home, ice it down... and take it easy! Enjoy life! This will only set you back, are you ready for this, $6.99 a bottle!

Cheers!

J

Illinois Winery?

Hello Wine Lovers!

I know the title of today's entry is more than likely making you think twice... an Illinois Winery that is worthy of a blog entry you ask? Not that there are not Illinois wineries that make decent wine, Lyndfred is one and you can't leave Galena Cellars off the list. But this particular winery makes you feel just like you are in Napa Valley California! It is called Aquaviva Winery located in Maple Park Illinois. A winemaker once asked me how to make a million dollars in the wine business? I said I did not necessarily know the answer. He went on to say "Start with 7 million" We both had a good laugh but in the end, it really is not too terribly far off! This place is one of those places! Go to http://www.aquavivawinery.com/ and you will immediately know what I am talking about! It is absolutely beautiful! It is located off Rt 38 in Maple Park which is just this side of De Kalb. Well worth the drive.
Acquaviva’s 40-acre vineyard estate produces many grape varietals all suited to sustain and thrive through the turbulent Midwest seasons. These grapes include Prairie Star, Brianna, Chardonel, Marechal Fosh, and Frontenac, among other Illinois favorites. The winery is state of the art as well as the attached restaurant. As I stated earlier in this entry, you think you are in Napa. The wines are somewhat typical for Illinois wines, and what I mean by that is they are on the sweet side and lack complexity, typical of the varieties that grow here in Illinois. There are a couple of red wines that are notable, well made but lack the depth of wines from other regions.

The restaurant has a wonderful outdoor patio that overlooks some of the property. Off in the distance is railroad tracks and the occasional freight train that rumbles by adds to the charm and reminds you are in the Midwest. The food is well made and the chef uses a lot of local fresh ingredients to tantalize your taste buds.

The wines are well made, the food is good and the experience is wonderful. I recommend you make this a little day trip with your honey, have lunch, taste a little wine and take in what Illinois has to offer!

Cheers!

J

Cuvee de Pena

Hello Wine Lovers!
I know you are going to find this very hard to believe... but I just finished a 30 day sabbatical with no alcohol! You're asking yourself, why would anyone want to do that? Good point! But the point was simply to make sure I could, to reassure myself that I was the one in control. At the end of it all, I discovered I was the one in control, but I also discovered how much I miss a glass of wine with food. I ate the same things, cooked some wonderful meals, shared exquisite meals with my lovely Bride,food just didn't taste the same to me without wine... period! Which leads me to another issue, the hangover. In all my years of partaking in the grape, I have rarely been hungover. I am about to share my secret...H20. A simple, yet very important, key to not feeling like crap in the morning. I don't know bout you but for me, I don't have the time to feel like crap anytime, let alone in the morning!
I had a "light bulb" moment in Italy a good number of years ago. I am in Florence having dinner with friends that lived there and I could not help but notice how much wine they consumed. I consumed approximately the same amount but could barely function the next day when the Italians got up early and went to work as if nothing crossed their lips! So, the next evening, we are out to dinner again, (I was recovered by dinner time) and I asked my friends what their secret was. Their answer was as basic as it could be... drink the same amount of water as you do wine and you will be fine. Of course I'm thinking they're crazy and they just don't want to share their little secret, but I figured what did I have to lose. That particular evening I drank a glass of water between every glass of wine I consumed. And guess what? I awoke pain free! I am here to tell you, I have not been "bit by the dog" since that fateful night! Just for the fun of it I googled "hangover" and next is what I found:•The ethanol contained in alcoholic beverages has a dehydrating effect which causes headaches, dry mouth and tiredness. This effect can be lessened by drinking plenty of water before and throughout your night of drinking. I rest my case.
Now on to the wine. Cuvee de Pena, 2009 Vin de Pays, from the small village Cases de Pena in the Roussillon region in Southern France. This wine is made up if 40% Grenache, 40% Syrah and 20% Carignan and sells for $8.99 at the Wine Discount Center. It is imported by Hand Selections whom have a great reputation for importing great value wines from France for under $10. This one is no exception! You will find this wine to be medium-bodied with black cherries, spice and a slightly smoky note on the finish. It has enough tannins to say it is serious and yet has a nice smooth silky finish. I believe you will find this wine to be a remarkable value.

Cheers!
J

Domaine de Fenouillet Vin de Pays de Vaucluse 2009

Hello Wine Lovers!
It's here, the largest spectacle in the world... The Super Bowl! So get in the kitchen and make yourself really good food, get your favorite beverage chilled, get ready, and go watch it! Make it an event! And why not! Too many of us don't take the time to really enjoy life, take the time to smell things, touch things, enjoy what this great big beautiful world has to offer, and most of all, take the time to really taste things. Food and wine most notably!
I went to dinner last night with my lovely Bride, and as I put the first bite of a lamb croquette in my mouth, it hit me... most people don't really TASTE. The first bite made my knees weak, I mean this little morsel that the Chef and his crew made was amazing! I like to eat food that excites me, makes me yearn for more, makes me damn glad I am alive! As the dinner progressed, I became more and more enthralled by the whole experience, I mean this was really good food prepared with really fresh ingredients and the most important ingredient... love! The Chef and his crew love what they do! So, that leads me to my entry today. Let's cover the win first,Domaine de Fenouillet Vin de Pays de Vaucluse 2009. Imported by Neal Rosenthal, Domaine de
Fenouillet is an astounding producer. This wine is their entry level Vin de Pays.
It's a blend of Grenache and Syrah with a touch of Mourvedre. Well balanced with a rich texture and a modest 13% alcohol. The flavors are classic southern Rhone;
smoky with dried herbs, bright fresh red fruit, hints of pepper and a nice finish. Much more character than you'll normally find for a $10 wine! This wine is available at the Wine Discount Center and I would hurry up and get it before it sells out!
Now let's talk about taste, more particularly, how we taste. The tongue is covered with small bumps, or "taste buds", that are grouped together in areas with different functions. These taste buds react to simple tastes and pass messages on to the brain.
Taste buds on the tip of the tongue detect sweet tastes, and those at the back of the tongue detect bitter tastes, the side of the tongue measure sour and salty tastes. The tastes of any food or wine is a combination of these four basic tastes.
It is the brain which processes the information and tells us what is actually in our mouths. We each have approximately 10,000 taste buds on our tongues. Hot foods tend to taste better because the heat causes more of the pleasant smells to rise into the nose, as the aroma of a glass of wine. These abundant smells contribute to the total taste of what is in your mouth. Now, just as important to taste as the taste buds, is your ability to slow down and move the food/wine/whatever, around your mouth. Close your eyes and REALLY taste. Start with your eyes, look at the colors, the shapes, the size, then smell, take a bite or drink, move it around your mouth, chew slowly, and swallow slowly. Allow your senses to pay attention to texture and flavors, relax and savour the moment. Don't eat / drink out of necessity, eat / drink for the experience!

Cheers!
J

Hyatt Vineyards Cabernet

Hello Wine Lovers!
Now that Chicago received it's "first significant snowfall" of the year (not sure why the press makes such a big deal out of snow in Chicago, after all, we are in the snow belt)and you have completed your clean up, sit back and open up a bottle of this Cabernet and enjoy! Hyatt Vineyards "Rattlesnake Hills" 2009 Cabernet from Washington State. According to the Hyatt website Rattlesnake Hills "In Spring of 200 the very select micro-climate of the Northern part of the Yakima Valley became its own American Viticultural Appellation. Hyatt and Roza Ridge are in the center of this small and very appropriate new Appellation, Rattlesnake Hills, which enjoys better heat-units than the rest of the Valley – ensuring ripening – with elevations ranging from 700 – 1200 feet above sea level. This more precisely-defined Viticultural area contains 20 wineries and shows enormous promise of balanced and excellent fruit for us to transform into wonderful wines, in the tradition of premier quality Hyatt Vineyard wines." Cabernet continues to flourish here in the US and this is another example of a high quality Cab that you won't have to take out a second mortgage to afford. This little gem will set you back $10 at the Wine Discount Centers. You will find this wine to be medium-bodied and it's offering of ripe, sweet fruits and a concentration of flavor that goes far beyond its price point. This might become your favorite everyday Cabernet! I'll be the first to tell you that most Cabernet of any character these days costs a heck of a lot more than this one! Go buy this by the case!

Cheers!
J

Honoro Vera Garnacha

Hello Wine Lovers!
I've got to vent a little and I am going to use you as my sounding board... sorry. It is starting to drive me crazy that restaurants think they can pour you a "taste" of wine and charge you out the (insert word here that rhymes with glass) for it! There, I said it! Now let's cover a few details on what I mean by all this. I get the whole idea of pouring your wine in a small glass container and then serving you the glass empty and allowing you to pour as much or as little as you want in your very nice stemware. (I have yet to see this practice without nice glasses used) In the little glass container should be a 5 to 6oz pour, as should be any pour of wine whether it be served in a glass or in a small glass container for you to pour your own. Let me repeat myself... 5 to 6 oz! To my dismay this holiday season I continue to run across "nice" restaurants pouring you 4oz and STILL charging you as if they poured you the 6oz! I could understand if the prices were lowered, but they are not! It is insulting to my intelligence, and everyone else as far as that goes, that people in charge would make these decisions on a glass of wine! And then they wonder my more and more people choose to drink at home!
OK... I feel better! Now the wine. 2010 Honoro Vera Garnacha. At less than $8 this will floor you! You will find this wine to be complex with finesse and a mouthful of plum and cherry flavors with spice and tobacco on the finish. For the money, this would be one of my picks to stock up on! It is from the Calatayud Region near Barcelona. The soil is full of gravel and is not the best place to grow grapes, but the old vines used to produce this wine really did their job! It has a funky label that will spark dinner conversation. Spain is the third largest wine producing nation in the world, occupying the majority of the Iberian Peninsula with vast diversity in climate, culture, and of course, wine. From big, bold reds of the Priorat to dry, white Finos from Andalusia, Spanish wines are a great value. There are currently over 62 designated wine regions in Spain but only a few generate any recognition outside of Spain. Spain can also lay claim to having the most land under vine in the world, growing up to, by some accounts, 600 indigenous varietals of grapes. Tempranillo is their most well known and along with Garnacha are probably two grapes you have heard of. If you get the chance, don't pass on a trip to this wonderful country! You will find the people,food,and of course the wine, to your liking!

Cheers!
J

Pennywise Pinot Noir

Hello Wine Lovers!
Happy New Year! I can't believe it has come and gone already. By now I am quite sure you have had your fill of fun, food, parties and of course wine. It's time to back off a bit, drop a few pounds, eat healthy and once again resume some sort of normal sleep schedule. It happens every year, the holidays show up and you become this crazy person! Working long hours, going to parties, drinking and eating more, sleeping less. Even though every year you say "I need to be careful this holiday season", "I can't afford to pack on the pounds" etc etc. You know the routine! Well here we all are again... so get your fanny moving, slow down on the calorie intake and step up your exercise program because one thing is for sure. You can't stop drinking wine!
Which brings me to today's wine, Pennywise Pinot Noir 2009
, from California. #18 on the Wine Enthusiast's Top 100 Best Buys of 2011 and 90 points! You will find this wine surprisingly sophisticated for a Pinot Noir at this price. It’s dry, light in the mouth and elegantly structured, with a nice touch of acids and tannins with flavors of sour cherries, sweet strawberries and a touch of spice and smoke. This wine will really surprise you at $8.99 a bottle at Wine Discount Center! This may become my new "house" wine!

Cheers!
J