De Vine Inspiration - A Wine Blog

Wines for the Holiday: Easter

2011-04-23T12:39:00.001-05:00

Whether you are serving roasted lamb, a baked ham, or a pork roast, there are numerous choices of wines to pair with your Easter dinner. Port Washingtonites are fortunate to have several excellent local wine stores, including Black Tie, Bottles, Main Street Wine & Spirits, Colonial Wine, and Port Washington Wines & Liquors. All provide both a great selection of wines, and helpful staff members who are happy to offer suggestions on food and wine pairings.

Pork and lamb, like turkey, can be tricky to pair wines with since they don’t fall into the typical “red with beef, white with chicken” mold. We got some suggestions from the staff at Bottles Wines & Spirits for reasonably priced wines (in the $10 to $20 region) that will help make your Easter dinner a success.

If you are serving lamb – Lamb pairs well with red Zinfandel, Australian Shiraz, or other red wines such as Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot, as well as red blends. Red Zinfandel is a best bet, with its big fruity flavors and low tannins. Try Ed Meades Zinfandel, a big lush wine, or Castlebank Zinfandel, made from old vine grapes giving it less fruit but more concentrated flavor.

If you are serving ham or a pork roast – Try a light red, such as a Pinot Noir, or a bright crisp white, such as a Sauvignon Blanc. Prefer red? Try 90+ Cellars Pinor Noir. The $20 wine is made from grapes sourced from vineyards that scored over a 90 in quality ratings for three vintage years in a row. Or try Fat Cat ($12), a soft, easy drinking red that will pair nicely with your dinner and has a label that cat lovers will adore.

Prefer white? Try a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc such as Wither Hills, Otto’s Constant Dream, or The Beach House. These wines are bright, fruity and crisp. Another suggestion for a white wine is Bogatell Grenacha Blanca, a minerally, crisp and dry wine.

Since ham and pork really take on the flavor of what they are cooked in, try matching the wine to the type of sauce you are using on the main course – for example, pork with sautéed apples, or ham with an apricot glaze, would pair well with aromatic fruit-driven wines such as Viognier or Riesling. Or consider matching the wine to the side dishes as an alternative (similar to what we do on Thanksgiving).

If you are a guest – Assume that the host has already picked wine for the meal, so bring something that you love, a wine that you’d want friends to try. Or, go totally different, and while the children are enjoying their chocolate bunnies, the adults can enjoy their chocolate liquor. Try a bottle of Godiva Chocolate Liquor for an unusual hostess gift.

When in doubt – Always get a wine that you love. Picking what you like is far more important than matching wines and foods according to “rules.”

Wines for the Holiday: Passover

2011-04-23T12:36:00.001-05:00

When most of us think about Passover wines, we think about the standard Manishewitz (Extra Heavy Malaga or Concord Grape) or Kedem wines that traditionally accompanied the Passover Seder. While some people still prefer those time-honored favorites, today’s wine lovers may want something more at their Passover tables.
Kosher wines have come a long way over the past few decades – literally. While Manishewitz and Kedem are both from the East Coast of the United States (Manishewitz is from New York), excellent kosher wines are now available from places as diverse as Israel, Argentina, France, Germany, Italy and Australia. And, while once the only choice for a reasonably good kosher wine was Baron Hertzog, now excellent kosher wines are quite common, even with names that sound decidedly un-kosher, such as “Don Guillermo de Mendoza.”

Port Washington’s many excellent wine stores, including Bottles, Black Tie, and Main Street Wines are offering an array of kosher for Passover wines, which will pair with anything you plan to serve.
Black Tie offered some tips on what to choose. As a general rule, choices of wine will be the same whether the wine is kosher or not, so generally red wines (Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Shiraz, Merlot) pair best with meat, whites (Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc) pair best with poultry and fish.
Recommended Choices:
If you are serving brisket or meat – try Don Guillermo de Mendoza (from Argentina) Cabernet Sauvignon or Malbec, priced at a reasonable $9 to $11 per bottle. Both wines are dry, with the Malbec possessing a bouquet of cherries, berries and mature figs. The Cabernet has been described as having a voluptuous and full-bodied bouquet with hints of cherry and mint. Either would be suitable with a brisket or beef dinner.
If you are serving chicken – try Recanti (from Israel's Upper Galilee region) Chardonnay. At $15, it is a perfect mid-priced kosher table wine. Described as pale straw gold colored, this wine is full bodied with a long smooth finish that will complement a poultry dish. Serve this wine chilled.
If you are a guest and want to bring a bottle: Splurge on Shoresh 2008, a blend of 90-percent Cabernet Sauvignon and 10-percent Syrah, with flavors of dark fruit and spices. This wine from the Judean Hills of Israel was aged for 18 months in French oak barrels. The poor and rocky soil of the area forces the grape vines to fight to live, which results in concentrated grapes with an intense flavor. At $33 a bottle, it’s not inexpensive, but it is a great way to show your appreciation for a Seder invitation.
And of course, Manishewitz and Kedem are also available for those who want to stick with tradition.

Coppola renames his Rubicon Estate "Inglenook"

2011-04-12T23:06:00.000-05:00

I belong to the Coppola wine club, so I got this press release via email today...

FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA ACQUIRES HISTORIC INGLENOOK NAME FOR HIS RUBICON ESTATE WINERY & APPOINTS NEW WINEMAKER
Chateau Mârgaux’s Philippe Bascaules to Become Estate Manager and Winemaker of the Newly Renamed Inglenook

RUTHERFORD, CA (April 11, 2011) - Francis Ford Coppola announced today that he has acquired the iconic Inglenook trademark and that henceforth, his celebrated Rubicon Estate in Rutherford, Napa Valley will be known by its historic original name, Inglenook, which he has acquired from The Wine Group. In addition, beginning this summer renowned Bordeaux winemaker Philippe Bascaules will assume the position of Estate Manager and Winemaker at the newly renamed Inglenook.

Inglenook and its wines have played a prominent role in defining Napa Valley as one of the great wine regions of the world, with a legacy dating back nearly 150 years to the founding of the Inglenook Winery in 1879 by Gustave Niebaum. The 1941 Inglenook Cabernet, which is considered one of the greatest wines ever made, was produced from vineyards that are still part of Coppola’s estate in Rutherford.

“Welcoming a preeminent winemaker like Philippe Bascaules to the renamed Inglenook expresses my intention to honor the estate's heritage and restore its legacy,” said Coppola. “There’s an interesting idea that the owner of a wine estate is part of the terroir, and it’s in this spirit that I’ve spent the last year assessing Inglenook’s future needs, including recruiting Philippe Bascaules, invigorating the vineyards, planning a new state-of-the-art winemaking facility, and focusing on what it would take to achieve my goal of restoring this property into America’s greatest wine estate. This would not be possible save the gracious support of the owner/managers of The Wine Group.”

"Good stewardship of our brands is central to our company's operating philosophy and culture," said David Kent, CEO of The Wine Group. "We are pleased to see the revered Inglenook brand reunited with its historic estate under The Coppola Family’s stewardship. This is a proud moment for the California wine industry."

“I was charmed by the beauty of the estate and its unique environment,” said Bascaules. “I found the tasting of 1959 Inglenook astonishing with regard to its freshness and complexity, and when I tasted some samples of the 2009 vintage, I recognized the incredible potential of this property. I understand Francis Ford Coppola’s desire to bring the quality of the wines to their fullest potential and I’m excited to explore new methods to reach this goal.”

Rubicon will continue to be the proprietary name of Inglenook’s flagship wine, and Bascaules, who spent the past 21 years at Chateau Mârgaux, will lead a team of talented winemaking professionals dedicated to the goal of making Rubicon the finest New World estate wine produced in the Old World style. Bascaules will work closely with Stéphane Derenoncourt, the famed Pomerol-based winemaking consultant who has been the consulting winemaker at the Estate responsible for the 2008 and subsequent vintages.

For the past 11 years, Bascaules served as Estate Director at the legendary Chateau Mârgaux, one of France’s five First Growth Bordeaux wineries, overseeing the vineyards and cellars and working alongside renowned Technical Director Paul Pontallier. Bascaules, who has an agricultural engineering degree, specializing in oenology, from the graduate school of agronomy in Montpellier, France, began his career at Chateau Mârgaux as the assistant to the Estate Director.

Concurrent with Bascaules’s arrival, Heather de Savoye has been appointed President of Sales for Inglenook. Over the past four and a half years, de Savoye has successfully established an international sales presence for the Estate wines and will now assume responsibility for both international and domestic wholesale sales operations.

Since only the intellectual property of Inglenook brand is being transferred, The Wine Group intends to transition the current wines sold under the brand name to alternative labels over the coming months. No financial terms of this transaction have been disclosed.

BACKGROUND HISTORY OF RUBICON AND INGLENOOK

Inglenook Vineyards was founded in 1879 by Gustave Niebaum, a Finnish sea captain who used his enormous wealth to import the best European grapevines to Napa. Over the next several decades under the guidance of the legendary John Daniel, Inglenook built a reputation as the source of some of the finest wines ever made. By 1975, however, when Francis and Eleanor Coppola first purchased part of the famed property, the Inglenook Estate had long since been broken up and its name sold off. The Coppolas spent the next twenty years reuniting the vineyards and restoring winemaking to the historic Inglenook Chateau. Today, in addition to the Cabernet Sauvignon that dominates the Estate, the Inglenook acreage is also planted with Zinfandel, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Syrah, and six acres of white Rhone varietals that produce the estate's flagship white, Blancaneaux. Inglenook is now completely restored to original dimensions and is once again America's great wine estate.

Yet ANOTHER reason to drink red wine....

2011-03-22T20:38:00.003-05:00

Amid the misery of the current nuclear situation in Japan, and as panic starts to spread about the threat of radiation, scientists have finally come up with a bit of positive news.... Red wine may be protective against radiation.

The article, from the Telegraph, is reprinted below...

Red wine 'can protect against radiation'

Impending nuclear attack? Then scientists may soon recommend that it is best you start drinking heavily and not just because you may be facing oblivion.

Research claims that red wine may 'protect you from radiation exposure'
Photo: GETTY

By Richard Alleyne

According to the latest research, red wine - along with its many other claimed benefits - may also protect you from radiation exposure.

A team at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have discovered that resveratrol, the natural anti-oxidant found in red wine, can protect cells from the damage caused by radiation.

In experiments on mice the scientists found that when combined with the chemical acetyl and administered before radiation exposure it protected the cells and helped prevent death.

The results, to be presented to the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology, could lead to drugs to counteract poisoning in the wake of a nuclear emergency or attack.

"New, small molecules with radioprotective capacity will be required for treatment in case of radiation spills or even as countermeasures against radiological terrorism," said Dr Joel Greenberger of the Department of Radiation Oncology at the university.

"Small molecules which can be easily stored, transported and administered are optimal for this, and so far acetylated resveratrol fits these requirements well.

"Currently there are no drugs on the market that protect against or counteract radiation exposure."
The study was overseen by Pitt's Center for Medical Countermeasures Against Radiation, which is dedicated to finding radiation protecters that can be administered in the event of a large-scale radiological or nuclear emergency.
The current research is not connected to advice given to workers cleaning up Chernobyl who were told to drink half a glass of vodka after every two hours of exposure to radiation.

Rodney Strong Chardonnay

2010-01-14T22:12:00.000-05:00

In 2006, I visited the Rodney Strong winery in Sonoma, CA. What I remember most about it was the very nice tasting room and the extremely knowledgeable staff in that tasting room. When you go to a winery, you often get an opportunity to taste wines that you'd never be able to get in the store. In fact, some of our favorite wines from that trip (namely Gundlach Bundschu wines) are not even available in my neck of the woods (NY).

I enjoy trying to find the Sonoma wines that we had in California out here. So whenever I see a Rodney Strong, a Chateau St. Jean, or a Sterling (all of which are fairly easily available here), I pick them up to see if they taste as good here as they did there.

This 2008 Rodney Strong Chardonnay was on sale at my local wine store for about half it's normal price (which is around $14). It had an aroma of yellow delicious apple with a hint of oak. It was fairly smooth, with a slight fruitiness and a bright aftertaste. All in all a good solid (but not great) chardonnay. Would I get it again? Yes. Would it be good to bring to a dinner or party? Yes. I suspect it will taste even better in another year.

Wine lengthens life?

2009-05-07T20:39:00.002-05:00

According to the results of a new study, drinking a small amount (half a glass) of wine increased life span by five years. Of course, limiting yourself to half a glass could be challenging.

See the article here.

Wine for Bone Density?

2009-03-24T15:53:00.002-05:00

A recent study suggests that people who have a drink or two of wine or beer a day may improve their bone density. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported on the study which found that people who had one or two drinks of wine or beer had denser bones than those who didn't. Yet another reason to toast?

Read on - http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE52J2VX20090320

Wine may protect against esophageal cancer

2009-03-03T12:08:00.002-05:00

I love good health news about wine... don't you? And really, there's been plenty of it. But today I saw one I hadn't seen yet. A new study found that drinking a glass of wine a day may lower the risk of Barrett's espophagus, a precurser to esophageal cancer. Barrett's affect about 5% of the population, and people with the condition are 30 - 40 times more likely to develop esopheagal cancer. Researchers looked at close to 1000 men and women in California (where, I must add, the wine is quite good), and found that those who drank one or more glasses of wine (red or white) were 56% LESS likely to develop Barrett's. Beer or liquor did not have a similar effect.

So... next time you have a glass of wine... toast to your health!

For the full story, click here.

Mondavi Tribute

2008-05-17T15:51:00.003-05:00

This video was actually created prior to Robert Mondavi's recent death. It has old archival pictures as well as quotes on what inspired him. Check it out!

Interview with Robert Mondavi

2008-05-17T15:46:00.002-05:00

There is a three part interview of Robert Mondavi available on You Tube. If you're interested in learning more about him, in his own words, check it out.

Goodbye Robert Mondavi

2008-05-17T11:28:00.002-05:00

Robert Mondavi, the California wine legend who changed the status of American wines, has died at the age of 94, according to the NY Times. I've written about Mondavi in the past on this blog -- visit the archives to view the old stories. One can't help but be impressed with Mondavi's achievements. After a bitter fight with his brother, he split from his wine-making family at age 52 and started his own winery. Over the next ten years, he introduced French techniques (such as using oak barrels and cold fermentation) to improve the typical jug wine that was being produced. In 1976 came the momentous tasting when, to the shock of many, California wines beat French wines in a blind taste test. Since then, California wines have steadily improved and are on a par with the best wines in the world (at least in my opinion). Mondavi left quite a legacy.

So tonight, as you uncork your California cabernet or chardonnay, drink a toast to Robert Mondavi whose vision changed the face (and taste) of California wines.

Vampire Merlot - Oh, The Horror

2007-11-17T00:53:00.000-05:00

You can't blame me for trying it. After all, there it was, right before Halloween - Vampire Merlot. Better yet, it was an actual product of Transylvania! Plus, it cost less than five bucks. So who could blame me?

I figured it would be the perfect Halloween wine. And it was -- but it was a TRICK not a TREAT. This is how the company describes this wine...

"An intense dark plum bouquet typical of a very young wine is just starting to open up and reveal the full, true character of this wine. The wine's lively, dark purple color will destroy your carpet so be careful! Already the soft fruit flavors are starting to integrate well with the powerful structure of this wine, which marries soft tannins with vanilla hints of fine American oak. Made in the modern reductive style, this wine is perfect to enjoy now but has the structure to age for many years. A big wine, Vampire Merlot can take on the biggest char-grilled steaks and barbequed pork cutlets that you can throw at it, but it also has the fine elegance of this classic variety, allowing it to be served at parties with buffet foods and dips."

This is how I describe this wine -- "This merlot was to me what the blood of an anemic person would be to a Vampire... thin, sour, and unfulfilling." But what do you expect from a Transylvanian wine? There's a reason it's the home of ghouls, not grapes.

To be fair, the company Vampire Wines also has a California Merlot that I did not try. Their CA wines are from Paso Robles. The company has a whole line of Vampire branded wines, including Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet, Pinot Grigio, and even a White Zinfandel (for old lady Vampires?) I give them points for inventiveness (Dracula Syrah anyone?), but frankly, I'll leave this brand to the Children of the Night, and I'll stick with something a bit lighter to have with my stake and garlic. (And a glass of holy water on the side, please.)

Tall Poppy

2007-10-15T14:24:00.000-05:00

I've mentioned in other posts before that sometimes you can find a very decent wine in the bargain bin. Such was the case with Tall Poppy. I found it in the $6 bin at Bottle Buys and bought a couple of bottles (because I liked the look of the label) with the intention of using them for Sangria... which I did. (And the Sangria was great -- but that's besides the point.) A leftover bottle of the Merlot was sitting in my wine fridge and one day we opened it on a whim and drank it straight. It was surprisingly good - rich, not thin, with a complex blend of fruit and a nice dry finish. We also had a Cab Sav that wasn't quite as good as the Merlot, but certainly worth the $6.

To me, one of the really interesting things here is that this is an Australian wine, and I found many references to the phrase "Tall Poppy" used in Australia. For example, check out this excerpt from Wikipedia "Tall poppy syndrome (TPS) is a pejorative term used in Australia and New Zealand to describe what is seen as a levelling social attitude. Someone is said to be suffering from tall poppy syndrome when his or her assumption of a higher economic, social or political position attracts criticism, being perceived as presumptuous, attention seeking or without merit."

Or here's another one -- The Tall Poppy Campaign -- "The Tall Poppy Campaign was created by the Australian Institute of Policy & Science to recognise and celebrate Australian scientific and intellectual excellence and to encourage younger Australians to follow in the footsteps of our outstanding achievers."

After reading these, I was kind of entertained at the choice of label name by this company. I wonder what they were thinking? Nevertheless, the wine is a good value and perfectly drinkable, so if you happen to see it, pick up a bottle.

Red Wine Spa in Japan

2007-05-04T10:33:00.000-05:00

Here is an irresistible image from CNN.com. This is a spa filled with wine in Hakone, Japan. The wine spa is believed to be rejuvenating for the body and has been open since 2005. Fresh red wine is poured in several times a day..

I don't know... I still think you're better off drinking it than bathing in it... but perhaps I'm wrong.

Thank you to Rose for bringing this to my attention!

Wine Online

2007-05-03T21:10:00.000-05:00

There's a lot to be said for shopping at your local wine shop -- there's the whole interaction between you and the owners and the wine, there are tastings, you might meet interesting people, etc. But I've also learned there's a lot to be said for wine online.

After a particularly harrowing night of doing taxes (I believe it was the night of April 15th), I found my wine fridge was terribly depleted and felt the need to replenish it... INSTANTLY. While Mark input Schedule C's, I went to www.mywinesdirect.com and placed an order. While the site does not have a huge selection, and doesn't carry many commonly "popular" wines, I've found that their wine recommendations are solid and their wines are affordable winners. Best of all, I could order in my pajamas at midnight and have the wine delivered, for free, in about two days. The boxes arrive beautifully packed, and my wine fridge is instantly full.

I've ordered from this site twice now, and I've been very satisfied both times. The wine that originally drew me in was a Sonoma Cabernet -- reasonably priced and a great "everyday" wine. Plus, they carried some of the smaller family brands that Mark and I got to try when we were in CA last year (for example, Larsen Family wines).

Don't forgo your local store - they appreciate your business - but on the other hand, the convenience of ordering at home and having it delivered is something you may want to try.

Wine IQ

2007-03-27T20:57:00.000-05:00

Do you know your wine IQ? How much should a glass be filled? Which wines should be served cold? What kind of grape is champagne made from? If you've got 5 minutes, you can take a 10 question wine IQ test here.

Cooking with Cheap Wine?

2007-03-24T22:32:00.000-05:00

We all know the rule... never cook with something that you didn't want to drink... right? I've always believed that (even though I have been known to occasionally toss a bit of rather harsh red wine into a pasta sauce).

Well, an entertainingly written article in the New York Times debunks that theory. The writer actually bought both the crappiest and the best wines she could find and then prepared the same dishes with them. And as it turns out, you really DON'T need to use good wine in cooking. Or at least that's what she says (I'm still a bit skeptical). Read the article here.

Low Brow Humor

2007-03-21T20:34:00.000-05:00

I really shouldn't stoop to this level... and I promise to get back to my serious reviews of wine very soon... but I couldn't resist adding this. It came as one of those emails that gets forwarded around. I guess the scariest thing about this is that it's probably true... Read on.

It has been scientifically proven that if we drink 1 liter of water each day, at the end of the year we would have absorbed more than 1 kilo of Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria found in feces.

In other words, we are consuming 1 kilo of Pooh. However, we do not run that risk when drinking wine (or rum, whiskey, beer or other liquor) because alcohol has to go through a purification process of boiling, filtering and/or fermenting.

Therefore

WATER = Pooh

WINE = HEALTH

Ergo: It is better to drink wine and talk stupid than to drink water and be full of crap.

How to Get a Cork Out of a Wine Bottle

2007-03-21T18:04:00.001-05:00

For your viewing pleasure...

Ok, here's a good trick to impress your guests (especially after you've CONSUMED the bottle of wine that you'll need to do the trick). I wouldn't have believed this was actually possible except for the fact that my dad (ever the brave soul) demonstrated it - not once, but TWICE in a row. I saw it with my own eyes, and it DOES work. Pretty amazing.

Thank you to Dad for this info.

Another winner from Coppola - 2005 Diamond Label Chardonnay

2007-03-09T17:44:00.000-05:00

I really really hope that Francis Coppola doesn't become the Earnest and Julio Gallo of the 21st century. And I'm not trying to be particularly derrogatory to Gallo -- their wines have improved considerably over the last decade. What I mean is that I hope that the popularity and frequency of consumption of the Coppola wines (as well as their affordability) won't make them seem commonplace. Because they are anything but commonplace.

As you may recall, I've written about the excellent Diamond Label Claret several times. (It's one of my favorite reds, and by far my favorite moderately priced red). But until now I hadn't tried the Chardonnay. To celebrate the renovation of my kitchen, I broke out a bottle of the 2005 Diamond Label Chardonnay to share with my parents (you remember them, they started out as Manishewitz drinkers, but they've been making a lot of progress.)

I served it well chilled, which suited this wine. I was at first surprised by the color. A very dark yellow-gold... much darker than most chards I'd had. The aroma was floral and citrus. The taste was very smooth, with hints of apple, vanilla, and pear, and an essence of wildflowers. Think a sunny, flower-covered field on a clear Spring day -- that's the feel of this wine.

We had it with various small plates of appetizers: marinated artichokes, garlic hummus, pita toasts, chickpea salad, horseradish chedder, olives, and roasted red pepper and artichoke tapanade. Possibly the flavors of the appetizers were a little too bold for a chardonnay. Next time I think I'll enjoy it with crackers and fruit or something less zingy. It would pair well with grilled chicken and salads. I can see this being a fine spring/summer staple. Highly recommended.

On another note... I stumbled across a fellow blogger's post about Coppola wines that was just hilarious. Take a look.

Kosher Wine - Revisited

2007-03-06T16:07:00.000-05:00

As you probably know (if you've been reading this blog for any extended period of time), I grew up on Manishewitz wine. Being Jewish, that's the wine that we drank at holidays and on Friday nights, and that's what I thought wine was. Years later when I discovered "real" wine, I sneered at Kosher wines, thinking that even if they were not all like Manishewitz (ie: thick, sweet and syrupy) that they wouldn't compare to "regular" wine... and besides, why does wine have to be Kosher anyway?

I still haven't answered the "why does wine have to be Kosher" question, but I do accept that for a lot of people having Kosher wine is important. Some of these people ALSO think that the taste should be important as well. This posting is for them.

Reform Judiasm Online, published by the Union for Reform Judiasm, has come out with the RJ Insider's Guide to Kosher Wine. The guide consists of four articles:

The Long Winding Road to World Class Wine

The Top 50 Kosher Wines in the World

Kosher Reds: 12 Best Buys

The Wine Lover's Passover Meal

The Guide provides a comprehensive look at today's Kosher wines, which clearly are NOT the Manishewitz of my youth. With Passover approaching, this guide may come in handy.

Thank you to Mindy Mintz for bringing the Guide to my attention!

Rodney Strong Alexander's Crown Cabernet

2007-02-16T16:19:00.000-05:00

This Valentine's Day proved a challenge for me. I wanted to make a romantic dinner for my sweetie, but am in the middle of a kitchen renovation and have no working kitchen. All I've got is a microwave and a toaster oven (and a fridge). Plus, Valentine's Day happened to fall on a snow storm day, so I wasn't able to get out for any ingredients -- I had to make do with what was around... which wasn't much. To make a long story short, I managed to whip up a fairly reasonable vegetarian dinner consisting of an appetizer of marinated artichoke hearts with lemons and olives, and a main dish of vegetarian barbeque riblets served over rice pilaf. I'm not going to tell the secret of how I managed this... but if you want to learn more about riblets, you can visit my other website - www.fitfoodie.com, and look under "product reviews."

The one thing that I could easily do right was to serve a great wine. We chose to drink one of the wines that we'd picked up during our Sonoma Vacation in the summer of 2006. It was a Rodney Strong Alexander's Crown Single Vineyard Cabernet - 2002. First off let me note that the Rodney Strong winery had one of the best tasting rooms that we visited -- elegant, attractive, and staffed with friendly, knowledgeable people. The wines were excellent. We discovered that the Rodney Strong wines that are commonly available in New York are actually the least impressive of the bunch. The better ones are not commonly available on the East Coast. The Alexander's Crown Cabernet is a $30 bottle of wine -- but one that's worth it. It's a dry, assertive but not overpowering wine. I call it a very "grownup" cabernet. It was not at all fruity, but was smooth and rich with an earthy tone. This was a special wine -- worthy of Valentine's Day. Not your everyday wine. Highly recommended!!

If you travel to Sonoma at some point, try to get the time to visit the Rodney Strong Vineyard. The gallery around the tasting room offers large windows that give panoramic views of the winemaking below. And don't forget to bring home some of those tasting room only wines. You'll regret it if you don't.

Bonterra Vineyards 2003 Cabernet

2007-01-18T16:55:00.000-05:00

Roughly translated, I believe that "bonterra" means "good land" which is an apt name for an organic vineyard. Organic wine is gaining in popularity, yet the organic wine I tried prior to this one tasted like dirt. This wine, however, did not.

I was really impressed with this big red cabernet. It was incredibly smooth, and could stand up to the pizza and gaspacho that we had with it for dinner. The wine is blended with syrah, which isn't the usual choice for a blending grape in a cabernet. The syrah gives it a bit of extra spice that the wine wouldn't have if it were blended with merlot, the usual choice. According to the winemaker's notes, the wine was aged for 17 months in French and American medium toast oak. It's a smooth rich wine that I believe would go equally well with pizza as it would with a steak, or a piece of chocolate.

We've been told by our friends Scott and Janet, that they've noticed that California Cabernets from 2003 are particularly good, and I have to agree. This wine, from Mendocino, CA, is no exception to that rule.

Red or White Wine...?

2007-01-10T09:23:00.000-05:00

Thank you to Kally for sending this to me!

Chateau St Jean - 2005 Fume Blanc

2007-01-07T16:38:00.000-05:00

I wish I could remember whether I bought this wine when I was actually visiting Chateau St Jean this summer, or at a local wine store. I hope it was the latter, because that means that I'll be able to buy it again.

This was an interesting wine. It is a combination of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon grapes. It had a golden, straw-like color, and an aroma of tart apples, wood and cut grass. The taste was light and crisp, with a distinct citrus tone (made me think of lemons, but not in a bad way). It was a bright, grassy wine with a hint of apple.

I had this with some pasta with pesto, which wasn't the worst pairing in the world.

I'll admit that I often avoid Sauvignon Blanc as a wine because the sometime description of the aroma as "cat piss" rang too close to home for me. (I had a cat who took liberties around the house). However, I found this wine to be very drinkable and smooth, and I would get it again. I envision that it would be a great wine for spring or summer, served quite cold with a salad or vegetable appetizer.

Chateau St Jean does a fine job with its wines. On our trip there this summer, we were extremely impressed with the quality of the wines and beauty of the grounds. If you ever get to Sonoma, CA, you should take the time to visit.

It Boggles the Tastebuds...

2006-12-11T21:35:00.000-05:00

I thought that I was only going to want to drink the Francis Coppola wines for the next month or so, but I got a surprise. I was rummaging in my wine "cellar" tonight, looking for a red to go with my whole wheat pasta, and I found that I was completely out of Coppola wines. (This just was the crowning touch on an already bad day.) I continued to poke around for a red that wasn't too expensive, and came across a bottle of Bogle 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon that I'd purchased on a whim but never tried. I wasn't expecting much, but I was VERY pleasantly surprised. While the wine had a very alcoholic bouquet which made me think the wine would be thin and astringent, it was quite the opposite. The bouquet was completely different from the taste in this case. This wine was smooth and somehow sweet and flavorful yet dry with a big rich but clean fresh autumn berry taste with a hint of leather and tobacco. It was like a Twizzler sitting in a club chair, smoking a cigar. The tannins were soft, and there was no acidity - just smooth even flavor. I REALLY liked this, and it will go on my "must buy" list of wines that I always want to find when I reach into the cellar.

Grapegal's Current Favorite... Coppola Claret

2006-12-10T01:14:00.000-05:00

I hate to play favorites... but I have to confess that there is one wine lately I am finding that stands above the rest of its similarly priced companions. It is Francis Coppola's 2004 Claret. I wrote about the Coppola wines a couple of months ago when I tried them in a tasting. Since then, I've been buying them regularly, and when I drink something else, I often find myself wishing I were drinking the Coppola Claret instead.

Claret is the British term for "clear red" - a cabernet-based wine, blended with small amounts of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot. It smells WONDERFUL and unusual - I'd described it once as "lavender packed in moth balls" but I realize that doesn't sound appetizing. It smells smoky and fruity all at once. The taste is rich and smooth, flavorful, but not overpowering. A totally drinkable wine - well balanced, and in my book, just plain delicious. I couldn't tell you exactly what it is about this wine that I find so appealing... you'll have to try a bottle for yourself. Priced at under $20 (often under $15), it's an affordable pleasure.

The Health Benefits of Red Wine

2006-12-02T23:54:00.000-05:00

A recent study in Nature magazine reported that a compound in red wine called resveratrol helped mice live longer. The resveratrol seemed to mimic eating a very low calorie diet, which is associated with longer life span, despite the fact that the mice were actually eating a high calorie diet. Will this work with people? Beats me, but I'm drinking a glass of red wine a day just in case. :)

You can find out more info about the study at http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/nov2006/nia-01.htm

To top it off, another study (also in Nature magazine) just reported that the compound in red wine that provides cardioprotective action has been identified. Scientists believe that oligomeric procyanidins in red wines are responsible for heart health benefits. According to the study, people living in Nuoro province, Sardinia and southwest France have higher than normal average life-span. Wines from those areas, scientists found, had a significantly higher oligomeric procyanidin content than wines from other places (including Australia, California, etc).

Does this mean that there will be a sudden surge in popularity of wines from southwest France? I will be very interested to find out!

You can find out more about this study here.

Wine - The Perfect Holiday Gift

2006-11-26T23:47:00.000-05:00

Last year, my sister in law gave me a wine gift basket that just thrilled me. It had in it two bottles of wine, two Riedel O glasses, a "Built" wine carrying bag, and best of all, Karen MacNeil's fabulous book - "The Wine Bible." This was truly a great gift.

A few months ago, my husband received a wine birthday gift from his sister. It contained two bottles of Australian wines, a CD of Australian music, tasting notes and a blindfold (so you can do a blind tasting - don't get any other crazy ideas!) This was also a great gift.

So I've been thinking about how varied and excellent wine gifts can be. You can send baskets with wine and gourmet foods, or sign your loved one up for a wine club, or buy a "country-specific" group of wines (ie: Italy or France), or give a gift certificate for an online wine class (such as Wine Spectator's Wine School). The choices are endless.

Wine also makes a wonderful last minute or hostess gift. The last two bottles of Coppola wines that I purchases (Merlot and that wonderful Claret) came with gold mesh gift bags and card included. (Of course, I'm not planning on giving those two away, but it was a nice idea.) Check with your local wine store - many of them will help you create a special and unique wine gift for someone you love. Trust me, it will be a lot more welcome than fruit cake.

Question: What Wine Goes With Turkey?

2006-11-21T10:06:00.000-05:00

Answer: Whatever wine you enjoy drinking.

The truth of that matter is that because Turkey is bland, pretty much any wine can go with it, so experts recommend pairing the wine with your side dishes. Common recommendations are Pinot Noir or Red Zinfandel for red, and Riesling, Gewürztraminer, or Viognier for white. Most experts agree that fruitier wines go better with the traditional side dishes of cranberries and sweet potatoes. But the bottom line is that it doesn't really matter what the experts say. What matters is what will make your holiday enjoyable. So if you prefer a Spanish Tempranillo or a California Chardonnay, or an Italian Pinot Grigio... go for it.

Whatever you drink this holiday, remember it's the family and friends that you are drinking with that make Thanksgiving special.

Looking for recipes? Visit my other site - www.fitfoodie.com for recipes, diet tips, product reviews and more. I've got a whole bunch of Thanksgiving recipes posted to help with last minute needs.

Happy Thanksgiving from Grape Gal.

Silly Wine Tasting Notes

2006-11-13T00:00:00.000-05:00

Some people just have too much time on their hands. Either that, or they love ridiculing descriptions of wine that cite flavors of "mossy stones" and "tanned leather." Some computer programmer has created a "Silly Tasting Notes Generator" that makes up preposterous (or ARE they?) descriptions of wines. Try the normal or extra silly versions.

Elaine's Mulled Wine circa 1972

2006-11-06T23:24:00.000-05:00

Thank you to my friend Joan Buckley for passing on this recipe. She suggested that it can be made in a crockpot. I think this will be perfect for the holidays! Here it is, history and all, in Joan's own words.

"I once had a friend and her apartment used to be THE favorite each and every Halloween. Was it the special treats she gave out? Nope. It was her famous mulled wine that she had brewing on the stove (they didn't have crockpots back then ;)) that the parents of the Trick or Treaters found irresistible. It made the annual trek somehow all worth it.

I don't see why it could not be served in a crockpot. The whole point of it is not to let the wine boil and the crockpot would seem the perfect place.

Anyhow here's the recipe (as closely as I can remember)

Elaine's Mulled Wine circa 1972

- one bottle (750 ml) claret or Burgundy

- peel of one orange

- peel of one lemon

- Cinnamon stick (about 2 or 3 in long)

- 6 or 7 whole cloves

- one nutmeg, crushed (not grated)

- one tablespoon honey

- 1/4 cup brandy

Combine all ingredients in a heavy enamel pot (in this case a crockpot) and simmer for however long it takes so long as it doesn't boil!!

I seem to remember she served it with a thinly sliced orange slice stuck with one clove."

Grapegal's note - I'm still pondering where to find a whole nutmeg. Anyone have any suggestions?

Wine Stereotypes

2006-10-29T20:53:00.000-05:00

I had a very interesting experience today. I got to go to the 2006 Wine Event at the Expo Center at Nassau Coliseum. [A big thank you to Marilyn Howland of Main Street Wine & Spirits who made this possible.]

The Wine Event was a lot smaller than the pharmacy trade shows that I'm used to attending, but it certainly was more fun. Rows of booths were set up, and you were handed a clean, empty glass as you entered the show floor. Basically, you could just walk up and down the rows, tasting wines until your taste buds failed you.

In another post, I'll write about some of the interesting wines I tasted, but what I wanted to talk about here was what I call "wine stereotyping" - in other words, when people ASSUME that because you look a certain way, or are a certain gender, you are going to want to drink a certain type of wine. Almost everyone I approached immediately thought I wanted white wine, a chardonnay or something. When I told them I wanted red, they asked me if I wanted a "light" red. Most of them seemed a bit surprised when I told them I wanted a big, heavy red - preferably a complex cabernet sauvignon. Meanwhile my dad, who was looking for a light, sweet white wine, was constantly being offered dry reds. Is it me, or is there some "wine sexism" at play here? Do people just naturally assume that a woman wants a sweet white wine and a man wants a big bold red? It certainly seemed that way today. Now, in all fairness, I have to report that many of the women I saw at this event DID seem to want to drink white. But still...

In any event, despite the wine stereotyping, we had a marvelous time. My dad ended up with a couple of very sweet whites, and I actually bought a bottle of mulled wine.

"End of Bin" - The Wine Grab-Bag

2006-10-21T22:39:00.000-05:00

Are you one of those people who is always intrigued by "grab-bags"? You know, the idea that you might get something really great for a low price. The mystery of opening that bag and seeing what's inside? If you, like myself, are that kind of person, then the end of bin racks at the wine store are for you.

When wine retailers get to the last two or three (or sometimes more) bottles of a bin of wine, they will often drastically discount those bottles in order to get them to "move" and clear out space for new stock. This can lead to some great bargains on excellent wines. The fun thing is that you never know what will be there. You walk up to the end of bin rack with that excited feeling of a child opening a wrapped package -- what will be in it? Often, this is a great chance to try a wine that you are unfamiliar with. I did this today and was not disappointed. (I'll write about the wine in the next post).

Next time you visit your local wine retailer, be sure to check the end of bin rack to see what surprises might be in store. Be adventurous!

Wilted Greens with Pinot Pears - Revamped

2006-10-06T17:12:00.000-05:00

Here is a lower fat and calorie version of the previous recipe, plus this one is suitable for vegetarians.

Wilted Greens with Pinot Pears Redux

- 2 pears, cored and cut into wedges
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
- 1/2 cup Pinot Noir
- 6 cups chopped greens
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup walnut pieces
- 1 tablespoon sunflower or safflower oil

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add walnut pieces and cook until browned. Remove walnuts and set aside - leave remaining oil in skillet. Add pears, honey, and vinegar and cook 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Stir in wine; cook until wine is absorbed by pears. Stir in greens; cook and stir until barely wilted. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to plates and top with walnut pieces. Makes 4 servings.

Wine in Cooking - Wilted Greens with Pinot Pears

2006-10-06T16:30:00.000-05:00

I came across this recipe in a pennysaver today. It's obviously sponsored by Mirassou wines. Here's the original recipe - If you're not watching calories (and you like blue cheese) you might like this. I'll do a lower-calorie revamp in the next post.

Wilted Greens with Pinot Pears

- 2 strips bacon
- 2 pears, cored and cut into wedges
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
- 1/2 cup Mirassou California Pinot Noir
- 6 cups chopped greens such as red swiss chard
- salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 1/2 crumbled blue cheese

Cook bacon in large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove from skillet and drain all but 1 tablespoon fat. Add pears, honey and vinegar; cook until wine is absorbed by pears. Stir in chard; cook and stir until just barely wilted. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to plates and top with crumbled bacon and blue cheese. Makes 4 servings. Serve with the same Pinot Noir used for cooking.

Orfila Vineyards Sangiovese 2003

2006-10-05T22:05:00.000-05:00

The full name of this wine is actually Orfila Vineyards Estate Sangiovese "Di Collina" 2003. Quite a mouthful, but then this wine was quite a mouthful too. We picked this bottle up last January when we went to visit the quaint town of Julian, Califonia (about an hour east of San Diego). While this isn't where you'd ordinarily think of as "wine country," there are in fact several wineries in that area. (For more on Julian, visit my archives.)

We visited the Orfila tasting room, which also doubled as a shop selling gourmet olives, oils and jams. (It turns out however, that the actual Orfila winery is right outside of San Diego.) We tasted a variety of interesting wines, and brought a bottle of this one home with us. Now, ten months later, we opened it to celebrate Mark's birthday. The bouquet was of plum, grape and spice, and it was a rich red with good legs. The first sip was very gratifying to me, because I could instantly tell that it was not a cabernet. The big, smooth cherry flavor rounded nicely in my mouth but didn't have the long finish I'd become used to from the cabs I've been drinking lately. Mark and I both really liked this wine - we felt it was full and nicely balanced, and tasted good by itself and when served with dinner. I wish we could get our hands on this again, but I'm fairly sure that Orfila doesn't make it to NY. But next time you're in San Diego, consider taking a road trip.

And now for... A Recipe?

2006-09-20T22:04:00.000-05:00

This dish was so good that I had to post the recipe. I originally posted this on my Diet, Food & Health Tips blog - http://diettip s.blogspot.com.

Because this is primarily made from canned vegetables, rather than fresh, you can have the ingredients on hand and whip it up for company any time. I served it as an appetizer, on tiny salad plates. Another way to serve it would be to chop it up a bit more and put it on top of crusty bread - as bruschetta. Don't serve this with a very dry white (see entry on that). I served this with a Vinho Verde, and it worked quite well. This is a VERY low calorie dish.

Artichoke & Heart of Palm Appetizer

8 oz canned artichoke hearts, without oil (canned in water)
8 oz hearts of palm (drained)
2 Tbsp reduced-calorie Italian salad dressing
3 Tbsp canned pimento
1/2 medium lemon

Quarter artichokes and place in dish. Slice hearts of palm into 1/2 inch circles and mix with artichokes. Sprinkle chopped pimentos on top. In a dish, squeeze the juice from the lemon and mix with 2 tbsp of Italian dressing (Viva Italian light is good). Pour over the artichokes and hearts of palm. Marinate at least an hour and serve individual portions on dishes lined with romaine lettuce leaves. Garnish with fresh basil, oregano or parsley if desired.

Liberty School 2003 Cabernet

2006-09-20T14:25:00.000-05:00

A friend of mine originally turned me on to this wine. I believe he bought it because of the picture on the label or the name, or both. You may not be able to make it out in the picture, but the label depicts a one room schoolhouse type thing.

This wine originates from Paso Robles, California, which is not Napa or Sonoma and therefore is sometimes overlooked as a wine region. The Hope family owns Liberty School as well as the Treana winery, and has been producing wine under the Liberty School label since 1990.

The color is a very dark plum, almost black. The bouquet suggests bowls of fresh ripe grapes, berries and plums - big fruit. The aroma is one of the best parts of this wine. Breathe deep - you'll want to eat it. The taste is very nice - juicy blackberries, with a dry mouthfeel. This is a nice wine to have around and you'll never go wrong serving this with a steak, burger or a pasta with a red sauce. It's a good buy at under $15 a bottle.

What Wine NOT to Serve With Artichokes

2006-09-17T23:26:00.000-05:00

Here's an interesting tidbit - According to the Culinary Institute of America (and they should know), artichokes contain an acid called cynarin that makes accompanying beverages taste sweeter. The Culinary Institute suggests that you avoid serving a dry white or tannic red with artichokes because an unpleasant sweet taste could occur.

What would the Manishewitz drinkers think of that I wonder?

Bear Creek Winery - Homer Alaska

2006-09-17T13:07:00.000-05:00

I read somewhere that almost every single state in the U.S. produces some wine -- when I found out that there was a winery in Alaska, I knew that statement must be true.

My brother and his wife just returned from a trip to Alaska and while they were there they visited Bear Creek Winery in Homer. Obviously grapes are not grown in Alaska, so the winery uses berries (blueberry, raspberry, cranberry, gooseberry), rhubarb, and other unusual ingredients (ie: fireweed petals) to produce wine. My brother got a bottle of wine for my parents called Black Raspberry wine, which I got a chance to try today. There was no vintage on the bottle (no suprise there), nor was there any indication of what the wine was made from (other than the name). Since my brother knows that my parents are Manishewitz drinkers, he choose an especially sweet wine for them. (The winery itself describes this wine as "A sweeter wine, bursting with true-to-the fruit flavor.") I tried it with some trepidation.

The bouquet was of cough syrup or the fruit cordial filling you sometimes get in chocolates - sweet, fruity, and somewhat cloying. The taste was remarkably similar to the aroma - it tasted like raspberry juice cocktail blend with an odd, semi-unpleasant twist at the end. (I guess that was the alcohol). It's certainly not something you could drink very much of, nor is it something that I'm likely to try again, although I will note that my parents did like it. Stay tuned for my review of a drier wine from the same winery that my brother brought back for me - Shirazzberry. My brother also brought back several bottles of Bear Creek's version of Mead (honey wine) for himself.

Synthetic Corks

2006-09-11T17:46:00.000-05:00

A few days ago, in a posting about screwtops, I mentioned that synthetic (plastic) corks are hard to pull out and even harder to stick back in. It turns out they have another problem that I didn't know about. I was at a wine tasting at Main Street Wine & Spirits - a fine wine store in Port Washington - and I struck up a conversation with the distributor of Bibich, a Croatian wine. I was under the mistaken impression that Bibich was using screw tops. The distributor told me that they are actually using corks, and we launched into a discussion about the pros and cons of corks vs screwtops, and wood corks vs plastic. According to the distributor, if wine is corked with plastic corks and shipped during times when the temperature is high, the corks tends to explode out. The Bibich Winery lost a whole shipment of a rose wine that way - the truck they were being transported in got a bit too warm and all the corks popped out. After that incident, Bibich switched to all natural corks. Anyone else have any feelings about screwtop vs cork, or cork vs plastic cork?

Little Chaz - Big Taste

2006-09-10T18:57:00.000-05:00

While buying a bottle of tres expensive Chateau St. Jean Cinq Cepages (to put away for a VERY special occasion), I struck up a conversation with a fellow at the wine store who recommended the modestly priced Little Chaz Cabernet Sauvignon as a good alternative that I wouldn't feel guilty drinking. So I bought a bottle. It turns out he was right. The wine was a deep, translucent red with a bouquet of black plum and cherry. It had a big, lush taste of dark fruit with a long finish and soft tannins. A smooth, easy-drinking wine with good body. I would definitely buy this one again.

Little Chaz is produced by Sherbrooke Cellars in Columbia Valley, Washington. This particular cab was a 2003 - which some people we know feel was a superior year for wines. Could be, if this was any indication. Washington state is really up and coming in terms of the cabernets they have been putting out lately. Do NOT turn your nose up at a Washington state wine. Give it a try.

Yes, He's a Good Director, But Can He Make Wine?

2006-09-09T21:14:00.000-05:00

Apparently, he can.

I had the opportunity to go to a wine tasting at a fine store in my town, Main Street Wine & Spirits. There were many excellent wines to try, including three from Chateau St. Jean (a winery I mentioned in a earlier posting). The suprise of the night (for me anyway) were two wines I tried from Francis Ford Coppola's vineyard. I tried a 2003 Merlot and a 2004 Claret (pronounced - for those of you who mistakenly thought it was French - like "Clear - Ette"... as in "clear red" which is what the English originally called this wine). Bot wines had unusual aromas. The merlot smelled like an old leather armchair in a smoking club. The claret smelled like lavender packed in moth balls. These are not meant to be negative - the aromas were intesting and unusual and made me want to try the wines. Both wines were smooth and flavorful ... but very different. Which did I like best? Well, we bought a bottle of each, so I really can't say.

These were surprisingly good, reasonably priced wines -- worth buying, worth drinking. Don't do what I did, and avoid trying a wine because it's being made by a 'celebrity.' In this case, he deserves an Oscar.

Wine Snacks - Pop Quiz

2006-09-08T22:05:00.000-05:00

Quick - a friend drops by unexpectedly with a good bottle of wine. You need something to serve with it, but you haven't been to the grocery in two weeks. What do you do?

Has this happened to you? Instead of reaching for that half eaten bag of chips, look in your cupboards to see if you have some quick and easy wine accompaniments. Try any of the following:

Open a can or jar of olives - any kind, black or green will work. Put them in a pretty dish, anf voila! Add a few crackers or a slice of bread.
Roasted and salted nuts - especially almonds and cashews - make a great snack with wine.
Dried fruit mix - cranberries, raisins, mango, papaya, etc - looks great in a dish and works well with both red and white wines.
Fresh fruit - if you've got any. Sliced apples, grapes, strawberries, pear, or peach will all do.
Only have condiments in your fridge? Try a small dish of mustard with pretzels for dipping.
Leftover, cold, cooked veggies sprinkled with vinigrette or Italian dressing make a surprisingly good appetizer paired with bread or a few crackers.

Be inventive. In Europe, a few olives and capers in a dish is a perfect respectible side to a glass of wine. Bits of cheese, cut up veggies, hummus or eggplant dip are also elegant. You don't need a lot. However, if all else fails... that half eaten bag of chips will probably work too.

Screwtops - Maybe Not So Bad After All?

2006-09-07T16:46:00.000-05:00

I've had many discussions with my husband Mark about the benefits of cork vs. screwtops for wine. The discussions usually follow the same route - he says that corks are archaic and a pain, and I say that screwtops are an indication of cheapo wine. Then we just drink whatever we've opened and that's the end of it.

But recently, while writing an article on screwtops vs corks, I learned some things that made me (at least slightly) rethink my position. First of all, cork taint affects a LOT of wine - statistics indicate that as many as 5% of wines are ruined by it. Plastic or synthetic corks prevent cork taint, but are a bear to pull out - even with a good corkscrew - and are even worse to try to get back into the bottle. New Zealand decided to address this problem by using screwtops for their wine. I read a recent statistic that showed that 70% of New Zealand wine is now topped with a screwtop! Other countries have begun adopting screwtops as well, and California's PlumpJack Winery has bottled its high-end reserve wine in a screwtop. Hey - if it's good enough for PlumpJack, it should be good enough for me, right?

There are clearly some benefits to screwtops. They are easy to open, easy to reseal, and you don't have to store wine on its side to keep the screwtop damp. You don't need a fancy opener. But there are some downsides too... for example, you don't need a fancy opener. The ceremony of uncorking a wine will be reduced to a twist of the wrist - the same as you'd do for a bottle of Pepsi. Does that take away some of the 'fun' of wine drinking? For some of us, perhaps it does.

I'll be interested to see what other wineries adopt the screwtop, and which ones go for alternatives to cork or screwtops - such as glass stoppers. In the meantime, I won't turn up my nose to a screwtop wine.

Chateau St. Jean - Sonoma, CA

2006-08-21T20:52:00.000-05:00

If you are like me, you are probably mispronouncing the name of this winery. Despite the French "Chateau," the "Jean" part is actually pronounced like blue jeans. Now you know, and you will blend right in when you go to visit.

Both the winery, and the wines, are spectacular. The winery is a beautiful castle-like building surrounded by gardens, and then vines. We were able to taste wine that had grown on vines just steps away. The staff at this winery is knowledgable, friendly, and in the case of Bob, the server in the reserve room, hilarious.

When you visit be sure to go to the regular tasting room first. There, you will try 5 wines for $5 (or for nothing if you were smart enough to clip a coupon from any number of brochures available throughout Sonoma.) We tried an excellent Pinot Blanc, a Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon, and a Sonoma County Gewurztraminer. The Pinot Blanc was a standout - light, crisp, lemony - and that was even before I found out that Robert Parker gave it a 90. This wine is ONLY available in the tasting room unfortunately, so you'll have to visit if you want to try it. Another exceptional wine was the Guwurztraminer. I'm usually not crazy about Guwurzt's, but this was dry enough to carry off the sweet lychee and honeysuckle notes. The Cabernet is excellent, and is widely available in wine stores (including in New York!) (Note - the Sonoma County Cabernet is a Bordeaux style blend of primarily Cabernet grapes plus Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petite Verdot.)

After the regular tasting, move to the reserve area. It is well worth the $10 charge. We were seated outside on a scenic patio overlooking the vineyards. Our server, Bob (whose picture is above), was something of a stand-up comedian... but in a good way. It was a most civilized way to sample wine - they even provided breadsticks to clean our palates. We tried more wine than I can list, but here are the best of the best -- worth seeking out if you can find them...

- Sonoma County Reserve Merlot 2001. Wow. If you can afford a $90 bottle of wine, here's the one for you. Bob informed us that this is the only reserve California wine that is aged 5 years. It was big and rich with coffee and chocolate notes.

- Cinq Cepages 2002. Chateau St Jean is known for this fairly pricey wine. Bob told us that it has never scored less than 90 points from Robert Parker in the last 13 years. A big and complex wine that can age well I believe. (I hope so - I picked up a bottle in NY and put it away for the future.)

- Sonoma County Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2001. There must be something about 2001. This, the Chateau St Jean Merlot, and the outstanding Gundlach Bundshu Cabernet Savignon (mentioned in an earlier post) were all 2001 vintages. Black fruit flavors abound in this wine which was aged for 3 years in oak, and then for several years in the bottle. They were limiting sales of this wine to 1 bottle per person. (Who could afford more at $90 a pop?)

PS - The grounds are perfect for a picnic with tables and places to sit galore. Don't miss visiting this winery.

Peaches are in season...

2006-08-12T14:54:00.000-05:00

The end of summer is the perfect time to make peach sangria. The availability of juicy ripe peaches - hopefully locally grown - makes for a luscious summer drink. The New York Times magazine section printed this recipe for peach sangria. Ordinarily, sangria calls for some small amount of hard liquor to be added to "fortify" the drink - usually brandy. This recipe however, uses only white wine. I haven't tried it yet, but it sounds perfect for a hot August afternoon.

Peach Sangria

7 Peaches
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 750-ml bottles white wine
1 lemon, sliced into eighths
1 cup blueberries

Peel and pit 5 of the peaches and cut them into chunks. Place in a food processor and blend until smooth. Add the sugar and blend until combined. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve. In a 3 1/2 quart container, combine the peach puree, wine and lemon. Cover and refrigerate overnight. An hour before serving, thinly slice the remaining peaches and add them to the sangria along with the blueberries. Serve over ice. Serves 8 to 10.

Ann's note. I'd try freezing the blueberries before adding them - then you'll need less ice cubes. If you want to fortify this recipe, you could add a small amount of peach schnapps, vodka or brandy.

Benziger Family Winery

2006-07-23T16:35:00.000-05:00

After our first tasting at Gundlach Bundschu, we moved on to the Benziger Family Winery in Sonoma. Aside from the wine, this winery is worth visiting for three reasons: 1) they have a beautiful picnic area, 2) for $10 you can take a guided tram tour that drives you through the vineyards, and 3) they have a self guided tour (sort of a Vine Museum if you will) which explains the various stages of growth and everything else you could ever want to know about growing grapes.

Benziger is a biodynamic winery... which the guide tried to tell me meant even more organic than "organic." They use insects to control the... insects, and they avoid pesticides and other chemicals which would harm the earth and the environment.

For our tasting, we opted to skip the "regular" wines (those available in stores), and opted instead to pay a little extra to try the reserve wines. Often, this is a good tactic. For a small fee, a reserve tasting allows you to try wines that you'd never be able to afford to buy, or that are only available in limited quantities at the winery. In this particular case however, we didn't find the reserve wines any more impressive than the regular Gun Bun wines from the previous winery. Out of the 6-8 we tried, there were 3 that were worth mentioning:

2002 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon ($49) - this wine was rich, complex and smooth, with soft tannins.
2003 Tribute ($75) - other vintages of this big red wine have won accolades from Robert Parker. This was a soft, smooth wine with a great depth of flavors including berries, coffee and fruit.
2004 Port, Sonoma Mountain ($35) - I believe I was the only one in my group to try the Port. The idea of Port seems to scare some people. I found it to be delicious, fruity and rich, and I scribbled on my tasting sheet "a distant cousin to Manishewitz."

However, for the most part, we were a bit disappointed with the reserve wines and in hindsight, we feel that we should have tried the other wines first. That night, we drank a $15 bottle of Benziger Family California Syrah that we picked up in the grocery. It was at least as good as any of the reserve wines we tried... possibly better. Price isn't everything.

To read a review of a Benziger Family wine that I tried in June 06, click here.

Gundlach Bundschu Winery

2006-07-15T23:33:00.000-05:00

This was my second visit to Gundlach Bundschu (hereinafter "Gun Bun"), and it was my favorite winery on both my trips to Sonoma. There's a great vibe about this place. The tasting room is sort of in a cave... dark and woody, but friendly. Established in 1858, this winery has a long and interesting history, which is worth reading about. It is currently run by a father and son, and they have a woman winemaker who clearly knows her business. I believe the best wine I tasted on this whole trip was their $70 a bottle 2001 Vintage Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon.

In the tasting room, $5 will buy you a "flight of four" wines... but our tasting guy told us not to worry about that, and poured us 7 or 8 generous tastes... including multiple tastes of the 2001 Cab mentioned above. Here are the ones that I thought were standouts.

2003 Pinot Noir - Rhinefarm Vineyard ($32). Black cherry, cranberry, clove, tobacco with a beautiful dark ruby hue. We brought a bottle of this home.
2003 Tempranillo - Rhinefarm Vineyard ($30). Smooth, dense, almost smoky, with cherry and dried fig... this one was great! If I had room in the suitcase I would have bought this as well.
2003 Merlot - Rhinefarm Vineyard ($30). We actually drank a bottle of this the night before we visited the winery. A wonderful, rich, smooth and complex merlot.
2003 Zinfandel - MacLeod Vineyard ($24). Fruity and light/bright with a vanilla and oak aroma, this one was not well received by one of my traveling companions (although I liked it). She dared to call it "sweet" and the tasting guy took umbrage and told her the proper term is "fruity." She never did learn to like red Zins, but I enjoy them.
2001 Vintage Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Rhinefarm Vineyard. ($70). This was an incredible wine. The aroma was worth $20. It was a big, complex, sophisticated wine with a long, long finish. Fantastic! The best of the whole trip - and there were some good contenders.

The tasting guy apparently didn't think we were swirling our wine enough and he did some very exciting demonstrations of swirling, including turning the wineglass on its side (with the wine in it) and rolling it across the counter, and swirling in a most outrageous and violent manner. We thought it was a bit over the top, but when we sniffed the wine, we could absolutely tell the difference. Then he poured some of the 2001 Cab Sav into a decanter and swirled that around for a while before pouring me some to try -- amazingly, it got EVEN better. This was very educational. We really got to taste and smell how exposure to air changed the wine. After that, we swirled like CRAZY for the rest of the trip... and probably will forever. (Of course, there's always the outside chance that this guy was playing a big trick on us, and that at every tasting room we went to afterward people were watching us swirl and saying "oh look, they must have seen Jim over at Gun Bun." But I don't think so).

I HIGHLY recommend the Gunlach Bundschu wines. They are harder to find than some, but well worth the effort.

Summer in Sonoma

2006-07-14T17:33:00.000-05:00

Having just returned from a trip to California's wine country, I can highly recommend it as a vacation destination. This was my second trip - I was there in 2001 as well. Interesting, both times I had the same reaction -- I greatly preferred Sonoma to Napa. To me, Sonoma has a more casual, down to earth, and friendly vibe. Napa, on the other hand, was more expensive, touristy, and upscale for my tastes. In Sonoma, you could eat at a wonderful restaurant without breaking the bank, and find free or reasonably priced wine tastings. In upcoming postings, I will be reviewing some of the wineries we visited, but for now, I wanted to give some tips for those who may be thinking of visiting this area.

Stay in a cottage rather than a hotel. Especially if you are traveling with friends, a cottage makes a lot of sense - you can cook some of your own meals, it's a place to socialize, and it serves as a great "home base." We stayed at Cottage Sonoma, which I recommend highly. More on that in a future posting.
Pick up discount coupons. When renting our car, we picked up a flyer in the Hertz office that ended up being invaluable. It had a map, info about wineries, and best of all, many coupons for free tastings, reserve tastings, and discounts on other activities.
Get GPS for your rental car. We found the GPS to be a great help navigating from place to place. Most wineries and points of interest were in the GPS and it spared us from wrestling with maps. It even found us a fantastic restaurant in San Francisco which we would never have found otherwise.
Start early. Most wineries close at 4:30 or 5 pm, and their hours are limited. So plan accordingly. Don't expect to be able to do more than two or maybe three in a day if you are really going to spend some time in each.
Don't drink all your wine. Tastings will often include 5 to 10 different wines... sometimes even more. Although they only pour an ounce or so in your glass, if you try to drink them all you'll end up tipsy and unable to really taste anything. Take a few sips, and pour out the rest. I know that sounds sacreligious, but it's the best way to manage. Save yourself for the wines you really love.
Bring crackers. All wineries provide water to help clear your palate between wines, and some even provide breadsticks, but many don't. Bring a package of bland crackers with you and have one between tastings to clean your palate.
Ask questions in the tasting rooms. The hospitality people in the winery tasting rooms are often extremely knowlegable about the wines, the grapes, and the whole wine-making process. In some wineries (Rodney Strong for example), the hospitality staff gets special training and ongoing continuing education. It's a great opportunity to learn about wine and wine-making.
Take the tour. If you have the opportunity to tour the inner workings of a winery, do so. Some of the tours are guided, some are self-guided, but they are all interesting and educational. Some, like Sterling Vineyards, have extras, like a tram ride up to the winery. Others, like Benziger Family Winery, have tractor tours through the vineyards.

I hope these tips have been helpful. Stay tuned for more Sonoma winery info.

Name This Blog & Newsletter - Win a Wine

2006-07-13T19:45:00.000-05:00

Shame on me. In my enthusiasm to create my wine blog and newsletter, I just chose the name I liked (In Vino Veritas), without checking whether other people were using it. It turns out they were. Several blogs share the name, as well as the column by a well known wine critic. And so began the quest for a new name. I tried "bottled poetry" (based on a poem by Robert Louis Stevenson) - taken. "Vinography" - taken. "From the Grape Vine" - taken. And so, I am opening up this challenge to my readers. Help me find the perfect name for my wine blog and newsletter, and you will win a bottle of wine chosen by me.

The rules are simple: The name must be unique. (Try looking up wine blogs or sites on blogger.com and Google as a way of eliminating names that have already been taken.) The name must be appropriate for a blog/newsletter that covers topics including wine and travel, health, tastings, reviews and wine/food combos. Extra points for names that are catchy, clever, and/or memorable. (And keep it clean please.) Entries should be emailed to me by July 21st. The winner will be announced in the newsletter and on the blog, and will win a bottle of wine. Yes, multiple entries are allowed!

Soften your tannins with... magnets?

2006-06-30T11:00:00.000-05:00

What will they think of next? A California company, Inventive Technologies Inc., is marketing a pouring spout - the "BevWizard Wine Enhancer" - which they claim will take the edge off of rough, young, tannic wines. The $30 BevWizard apparently works using powerful magnets embedded into a plastic pouring spout which is inserted into the neck of a wine bottle. Only the wine that is poured through the BevWizard is "altered." The company claims that wines poured though the BevWizard are exposed to high-intensity magnetic fields that render the wine softer, fruitier, and seemingly more aged. (The company also has a disclaimer that the magnets in the device are extremely powerful and can affect pacemakers, credit cards, cell phones, TV's, etc.) There's an interesting article in the LA Times about this device, and its inventor- a California physician.

I consulted with Norman Latner (my dad), who worked for over 40 years for the US Department of Energy as an electrical engineer, and is something of a magnet expert. I was hoping that he could debunk the idea that a magnetized pouring spout could affect the taste of wine, but although he had many concerns about the device, he felt that he's not enough of a wine connoisseur to debate the testimonials in the LA Times article. "This device flies in the face of common sense and scientific knowledge that a magnet would have an effect on tannins in wine," he said. And, despite the company mentioning that there is a patent on the device, there was no further information or patent number provided. "I would have been happier seeing a real reference to the patent," said Norman. The magnets used in the device, according to the company's website, are "Neodymium" magnets -- according to Norman, there is nothing special about "neodymium" magnets, except their size. They are the only magnets that would fit in a device so small, and are commonly used in things such as electric toothbrushes. Even if there were something special about the magnets, Norm went on to question whether the wine is actually in contact with them for long enough to make a difference. "It only takes a few seconds to pour several ounces of wine," he said. He also pointed out that similar products are being sold for the gas lines of cars, with claims that the magnets alter the large molecules of gasoline, allowing the car to run farther on a tank of gas. These claims, he pointed out, have been debunked by Consumer Reports and others.

Could the BevWizard possibly work? Norm couldn't say conclusively that it couldn't, but he advised that a more sensible system would be a magnetic stirring wand with holes in it to create aeration of the wine. "A magnetic stirrer," he said "would be in contact with the wine for a longer period than a spout, and the holes would introduce oxygen into the wine." When I asked him to consider taking a patent out on this idea however, he declined.

Thank you to Bruce B. for finding this article for me, and to my dad for his comments.

Traveling to Sonoma

2006-06-28T11:01:00.000-05:00

In July, my husband Mark and I, and our friends Oona and Don will be in Sonoma, CA for a week of wine tasting and relaxation. Mark and I did a similar trip in 2001, and loved it. While I'm there, I hope to be able to update this blog and bring you information on some of the great Sonoma wineries.

If you are considering a vacation, Sonoma is an excellent choice. Whether you are the outdoorsy type who wants to bike or hike, or the pampered sort who wants to hit the spas and have limo-driven wine tours, Sonoma has it all. For the literary type, a visit to Jack London's Beauty Ranch is sure to be enjoyable. In 2001, we saw Othello performed outdoors at a winery under the stars. This year, we will be seeing 12th Night at the Stevenot Winery.

One of the things I liked best about planning this trip was how easy it was. I filled out one form on the Sonoma Visitors Bureau website, and was immediately flooded with information on lodging, places to eat, and events. Stay tuned for our adventures in Sonoma in July.

Elsa Bianchi Malbec 2004

2006-06-23T22:08:00.000-05:00

This bottle, attractive though it is, is currently sitting on the kitchen counter and not a soul wants to touch it. I'll admit that this disappointing wine was purchased on the basis of it's pretty leaf-shaped label, and little else. So I suppose I got what I deserved.

Malbec is one of the most important of the Argentinian red wines. 70% of all wine in Argentina is made in Mendoza, and the malbec grape is the most important of all grapes in Mendoza. While malbec is often blended with other grapes to make wine, the Argentinian malbec is able to stand on its own... except in this case apparently.

This wine was a deep redish purple with a nose of strong alcohol mixed with berries. The taste was of bitter dark grapes and alcohol, with a sourish flavor. I suppose it's possible that I got a bad bottle, but it had a (gasp) plastic cork and I thought that manufactured corks were supposed to prevent a wine from turning.

I won't rule out Argentinian malbec in the future, but I might try something that's been recommended, like Felipe Rutani or Tapiz, both of which were mentioned in Karen MacNeil's Wine Bible.

Off Topic - Apple Martini Recipe

2006-06-19T12:53:00.000-05:00

Every now and again even a wine blogger needs something different to imbibe. Hence, the Apple Martini. This recipe is guaranteed to turn out a perfect drink every time. Just be warned -- these drinks are STRONG! (The only mixer for the vodka is the schnapps).

Green Apple Martini

Pour 2 parts sour apple schnapps (I use DeKuypers Sour Apple Pucker) and 1 part good vodka (I use Skyy or Absolut) into a martini shaker filled with ice. (Don't have a shaker? Use a salad dressing cruet.) Shake vigorously, and pour into a martini glass. If desired, garnish with a cherry or a slice of Granny Smith apple.

This is a perfect summer drink.

Rosemount Estate Shiraz Cabernet 2004

2006-06-18T20:01:00.000-05:00

Here we have another Australian wine. The Rosemount Estate "diamond label" is considered sort of the entry-level - the Toyota Corolla - of the Rosemount Estate wines. It's the one you are most likely to find commerically available, and the one most likely to be whipped out at your friend's next party. Should this make it less valued? I don't think so.

I recently read a review of the Rosemount Estates "diamond label" wines which said "the Diamond Label range seems rather formulaic with ubiquitously ripe fruit, rich texture and the standard application of American Oak. Nevertheless, for those looking for a reliable bottle brimming with fruit and flavor, a wine from the Diamond Label range can be a good buy." Is "formulaic" a bad thing if it produces a good wine? Again, I don't think so.

We found this to be an excellent cabernet/shiraz blend, bursting with grape, plum and full berry flavors. The wine was smooth and nicely blended, and worked as well with the chips and salsa as it did with the main course. As I said in an earlier posting, I haven't yet had a bad Australian wine. While critics may find this wine "formulaic," we plain-Jane wine drinkers gave this particular wine a thumbs up. Plus, it's a best buy at under $10 a bottle.

“What is the definition of a good wine? It should start and end with a smile.” - William Sokolin

Benziger Family Chardonnay 2004

2006-06-15T21:14:00.000-05:00

Benziger is a winery that Mark and I visited on our trip to California wine country in 2001. They take visitors on a tram tour though the vineyards, and offer a wealth of interesting info. Benziger also has one of the best, most informative web sites around. The site includes winemaker's notes, info on the current growing conditions, harvest reports, and in depth notes on each wine. Benziger practices "biodynamic farming" which is apparently the equivalent of holistic medicine -- integrating the vineyard with its surrounding environment. I like that - it's very new age.

This particular Benziger wine is a 2004 Los Carneros Chardonnay. (To read the winemaker's notes for this wine, click here). The color was a very pale gold, with a bouquet of apple, wood, and freshly cut grass. The taste was crisp, Granny Smith apples. I found it to be nicely balanced and fairly dry. My parents (the Manishewitz drinkers) tried this with me. My dad didn't like it and is still waiting for me to get my hands on a bottle of Fortant Chardonnay, which for some reason is hard to find. My mom made a valiant effort to really taste this wine, and chimed in that the bouquet reminded her of moss.

"The best use of bad wine is to drive away poor relations." -- French proverb

Long Flat Merlot 2002

2006-06-14T17:12:00.000-05:00

Behind this rather plain and unassuming label is a surprisingly good merlot at an extremely reasonable price. I paid a measly $5 for this wine - something which I'm almost embarassed to admit. Based on the price, and the utilitarian-looking bottle, I was prepared for an uninspired tasting. But I was wrong.

This South Eastern Australian wine was a rich dark blackish purple, with an aroma of plum, spice, and a hint of clove. It had a smooth, full plum and blackberry taste with a clean finish. Unlike some other wines I've tasted recently (notably the Mirassou Pinot Noir I rated a while back), this wine held up the next day. Because I don't (usually) finish a whole bottle of wine when I open it (without help, that is), it is important to me that the wine be able to maintain its flavor for a couple of days after being opened, without turning sour. This wine did admirably well. This is a "Grape Gal's Best Buy" pick. Worth the $5 (or even $10).

Wine Tasting

2006-06-08T21:15:00.000-05:00

Just a brief posting tonight. A local wine store (Black Tie in Port Washington) was having a "gala tasting" which I went to. It was actually quite impressive and well done. There were probably about ten different tables set up throughout the store. Each table was manned by several people and had at least 6 different sorts of wine, plus trays of cheese, olives, bread, olive oil, sandwiches, etc. When we walked into the store, we were greeted by store help who pointed out a table that had booklets describing which wines were on each table (neat idea) and a bowl of pencils so that we could write our own impressions in the booklets (VERY neat idea). The booklets were well done - each wine was described in detail, enabling us to really single out what we wanted to try. Frankly there were so many wines that I just couldn't take it in after a while. I probably stopped after about 8 tastings -- when I felt that my judgement wasn't up to snuff anymore. In my opinion, you can only really taste so many wines at one time. For me, about 8 was my limit. I purchased a $20 bottle of an interesting Italian wine which I'll describe in greater detail another day.

It's worth noting that the tables were manned and run by the wine distributors. A clever idea in my book. The store probably paid for the food, but the distributors probably picked up the tab for the wines being tasted, plus they acted as staff. Very nicely done in my opinion. Very professional. A+. However, it appears to be yet another wine store lacking a newsletter or website.

Folonari Pinot Grigio 2004

2006-06-04T18:41:00.000-05:00

I generally prefer to taste wine in an environment when I can really just concentrate on the wine, but that can't always be the case.

Today we had a wonderful family gathering in a nice Italian restaurant in Manhattan. This "cousins' club" gathering was attended by about 30 people or so, and included food, drinks and entertainment. (My dad, my uncle, my daughter, my cousin and I provided most of the entertainment).

I asked for a glass of Pinot Grigio when I arrived and was pleasantly surprised by the wine, which was smooth, moderately dry, supple and light bodied. But I was really surprised when my mom (one of the Manishewitz drinkers) had a glass and commented on how much she liked it as well. I went to the bar to look at the bottle and it was a 2004 Folonari Pinot Grigio from Italy. It went especially well with the appetizer of breaded zucchini sticks with lemon juice squeezed on them. It also would be a good choice with salads and grilled chicken. It's a pleasant alternative to Chardonnay.

Thank you to Phyllis & John who so generously made today's festivities possible.

Wine and Cholesterol

2006-06-01T14:45:00.000-05:00

Much has been written about the health benefits of wine, and periodically I will provide this information (so that you can better justify your wine drinking). Today's post deals specifically with wine and HDL (aka "good") cholesterol. An article in Prevention Magazine recently reported that a 1-point rise in HDL cholesterol protects the heart at least as much as a 1-point drop in LDL ("bad") cholesterol. According to the author of a Johns Hopkins study on the subject, each will reduce your risk of fatal heart attack by 2%. Got that? 1 point increase in HDL = 2% reduction of fatal heart attack.

The Prevention Magazine article goes on to describe ways to boost your HDL, and what do you think was on the list? That's right - drinking a glass of wine a day (or to be fair, any alcoholic beverage in this case) will increase your HDL by 4 points. That's the same increase as you would get from quitting smoking, and a greater increase than you'd get by losing 10 pounds, or walking briskly a couple of times a week. In fact, you'd have to lose over 25 pounds to see the same 4 point increase as you'd get from that daily glass of wine. So... which would you rather do -- drink a daily glass of wine, or quit smoking, lose weight, and exercise?

Drink wine? I thought so.

What countries are represented in your wine cellar?

2006-05-28T11:21:00.000-05:00

Just for fun, I decided to look at the bottles of wine I have in my "cellar" (aka the wooden wine rack in my dining room) to see what countries they were from. It actually was a very enlightening experience because I realize that I need to branch out and I promise that on my next wine buying jaunt, that's what I'll do.

Out of the 21 bottles of wine I have on hand, 13 are from California, 4 are from Australia, 2 are from Italy, and I have 1 each from Argentina and South Africa. That leaves a lot of the world unexplored. I realize that this is my typical wine buying pattern -- I tend to stick to California and Australia/New Zealand wines, with an occasional Italy or Long Island wine thrown in for good measure. I don't seem to drink much French wine these day. Why is that? I'm not sure. For a while I was extremely fond of Clos de Bois -- which I THOUGHT was French because of its name, but it turned out to be a California wine.

On my list for my next shopping trip - wines from Spain and France.

Mirassou Pinot Noir 2004

2006-05-26T09:54:00.000-05:00

Have you ever bought a wine just because you liked the look of the label? Come on - of course you have. Such was the case for me and this pinot noir. Something about the bottle - the cheerful sun and yellow label - just spoke to me. Pinot noir is an interesting wine in general - thinner than its red cousins, Merlot and Cabernet - but with rich and interesting flavors. I read in "The Wine Bible" that pinot noir grapes are the most difficult to make into wine because they mutate easily, are highly sensitive to climate and soil variations, and are unstable during winemaking. This has to make you respect a bottle of Pinot Noir all the more.

This particular Pinot Noir is from the Mirassou Family Winery in California. It was attractive to look at - a deep but translucent red. The initial taste was of big dried dark cherries, plum and spice, with a hint of something like vines or leaves in the back. Interestingly, I liked this much better the first day that I drank it than the second day, when the flavor seemed far more flat. [Note - I also used a dash of it when cooking home-made pasta sauce, and it was phenomonal!]

I now have to tout the website of a fellow blogger. Red Wine Haiku is one of the most entertaining, clever, and inventive things I've seen as a blog. I absolutely LOVED it. But then again, I was an English major and I've always like Haiku as a poetry form. The owner of the blog, Lane, reviews red wines in Haiku form. To manage to sum up a wine in 17 syllables is just brilliant in my opinion. He tried the Mirassou Pinot Noir and wrote the following:

Oh, I don't like this
Unsweetened knockoff toothpaste
Was this made from grapes?

He did want me to note, however, that he believes he had a bad bottle and is going to give it another try. I look forward to the revised Haiku. In the meantime, I wrote my own for this wine:

Bought for the bottle
which drew me in with its cheer.
Cherries through a straw

Hungarian Monkeys Drink Red Wine

2006-05-24T12:28:00.000-05:00

Put this in the strange but true news category. A Reuters story, published on Yahoo News yesterday, revealed that monkeys in the Budapest Zoo in Hungary drink 55 liters of red wine a year. Apparently the apes are given small amounts of wine each day to boost their blood cells.

My very favorite part of this story was the quote from a Budapest Zoo spokesman, who said "Obviously, they do not have it all at once and get drunk, but they get it in small amounts mixed in their tea." TEA?? Since when are monkeys drinking tea??

Original Story - Zoo Apes Have Taste For Red Wine

Thank you to Jen for bringing this story to my attention.

Concha y Toro Frontera 2004

2006-05-22T22:53:00.000-05:00

I'm a big believer in the theory that you don't need to spend a lot to get a good wine, so I had hopes for a new wine that we tried this past weekend. The brand name is Concha y Toro (which translated means Shell and Bull) and it hails from Chile -- where many reasonably priced, and sometimes tasty, wines can be found. This one wasn't really one of them however. It was a cabernet (85%)/merlot (15%) blend, which I often like. Blends can sometimes be interesting -- combining the best qualities of both types of grape. There is an Australian winery - Black Opal - that makes a nice cab/merlot blend... but I digress. The label on this wine described it as "ready to drink now" and "perfect to celebrate everyday victories." I think it was probably ready to drink last week, and it didn't improve in the meantime. It tasted alcoholic, but with little fruit. It certainly wasn't the worst wine I'd ever had, but I'd describe it as mediocre. It probably would make a fine base for summer sangria, but I likely won't bother getting it again to drink straight. I hate that adage that "you get what you pay for" but perhaps it was unfair of me to expect a 1.5 liter bottle of wine that cost barely over five dollars to be a standout.

Mondavi... Revisited

2006-05-20T21:29:00.000-05:00

Thank you to my good friend Oona and my husband Mark for being so attentive when listening to NPR. They have been able to clarify the Mondavi question that was puzzling me this week. As you may recall from an earlier post, I was questioning whether there was any relation between the two Mondavi California wineries -- CK Mondavi and Robert Mondavi. The websites from both wineries were completely mum on the topic, and an email to CK Mondavi asking the question has gone unanswered. It appeared from reading the bio information on the wineries' websites that CK Mondavi was started in the early 1940's by Italian immigrants Cesar and Rosa Mondavi, and that the Robert Mondavi winery was founded in the mid 1960's by (you guessed it) Robert Mondavi. But it turns out that the wineries are in fact connected...

Cesasr and Rosa Mondavi purchased the Charles Krug winery in 1943 and ran it as a family business for 20 years. However, two of their sons - Peter and Robert (only 14 months apart in age) - had constant battles on how the winery should be run. Peter was the more conservative brother, Robert the more risk-taking. The two finally came to blows (literally, they had a fist fight) in 1965, followed by a court battle, which resulted in Robert Mondavi at 52 years old starting from scratch with his own winery. So actually there is a major connection between the two Mondavis!

The really interesting thing is that after years of not speaking, both Mondavi brothers, now in their 90's, decided to reunite as a symbolic gesture to make one last barrel of wine together. According to an Associated Press story, the new wine is a cabernet blend made "half from grapes from Peter Mondavi's Yountville vineyards and half from the Robert Mondavi Oakville ToKalon vineyards." Don't expect to find this one in stores folks - the one barrel was auctioned off at the 2005 Napa Valley charity auction for $401,000, and will be ready to drink this August. (Boy, would I like to get my hands on a bottle of that!) But at least it's a happy ending for the brothers, who chose a fitting name for the final wine - "Alcora Una Volta" which translates to "Once Again."

Want to learn more about the brothers and their fight? Click here to listen to an NPR story on the topic. Interested in reading the description of the $401,000 wine that was auctioned off? Click here and scroll down to #3 - it's worth a read.

Toast and Toasting

2006-05-18T20:53:00.000-05:00

Ever wondered about the term making a "toast"? I have. According to a very interesting website, www.intowine.com, making a toast to someone's health dates back to the 6th century BC, when ancient Greeks did it for practical reasons. According to the site, "To spike the wine with poison had become an all too common means of dealing with social problems — disposing of an enemy, silencing the competition, preventing a messy divorce, and the like. It thus became a symbol of friendship for the host to pour wine from a common pitcher, drink it before his guests, and satisfied that it was a good experience, raise his glass to his friends to do likewise." (Hence the toasts "to your health"and "to life.")

Okay - but why the term "toast"? According to the same source, ancient Romans would drop pieces of burnt bread into their sub-par wine to make it more palatable. I can't swear to the veracity of this, but it sure makes a good story!

"Wine is life" --- Petronius, Roman writer.

Robert Mondavi and CK Mondavi - Separated at Birth?

2006-05-17T21:26:00.000-05:00

Last weekend I wrote about the CK Mondavi Chardonnay that was a hit with the Mother's Day crowd. Today I started thinking about Mondavi. Everyone knows the name "Mondavi." It's synonymous with good wine. But until today it never occurred to me (silly me) that there are actually TWO Mondavi wine producers in California - Robert Mondavi and CK Mondavi. I just assumed that all Mondavis were the same. After doing some Internet research today however, I realized that the two wineries, though both sharing a last name and a state in common, are completely unrelated. Robert Mondavi has been making wine since the 1960's in Napa Valley. CK Mondavi began in 1943 as the winery of Italian immigrants Cesare and Rosa Mondavi who bought the Charles Krug (hence "CK") winery in St. Helena. Both are family wineries... but despite the same name, it's a different family.

This info was kindly confirmed by the proprietors of XTC Wines in Port Washington, Richard and Marilyn, who I ran into at a seminar at the Port Washington Public Library.

Mark and I will be going to Napa/Sonoma for a week in July, so I hope to check out both Mondavis and report back!

Wine Newsletters

2006-05-17T20:47:00.000-05:00

I was reading Karen MacNeil's excellent book, "The Wine Bible" recently. This is a great book for people who want to learn about wine from A to Z, and it's especially good for beginning wine connoisseurs. In her section on how to pick the right wine shop she writes "In my experience the best wine shops are those with newsletters. By a newsletter, I don't mean a price list. I mean a real newsletter that describes wines well enough so that you have a pretty good idea of what they taste like. Reading a shop's newsletter is not only a painless way to make new wine discoveries, but just reading the thing will give you a sense of the personality of the shop and whether or not it has a style and an approach you like." This is valuable advice, and over the past months I've been visiting various wine stores to examine and assess their newsletters.

Surprisingly many, perhaps most, wines stores do not have newsletters at all. Or they use some generic newsletter that doesn't give any store-specific information. Other wine stores offer catalogue type things, rather than a newsletter. One, in particular, was huge (24 or more pages) and used at least 15 different fonts and a horrible color scheme of red and green. It was appalling to read -- busy and nauseating -- but the real kicker was that the store had neglected to put its address anywhere in the catalogue!!! We couldn't go there even if we wanted to!

As a freelance writer who has done numerous newsletters in the past, I take particularly great interest in this phenomena. Why don't stores invest in this sort of marketing? Why do they feel that it is something that they can give to their high school kid to do? Given a choice of a wine shop with an informative, engaging newsletter and one without, I'd go to the one with the newsletter because I would feel that I'm getting something extra. Why aren't ALL wine stores investing in professional help with this? [Of course, I have a vested interest - I'd like to be the professional help.] Own a wine store? Want a professional newsletter? Email me.

Steel Creek Viognier 2004

2006-05-17T20:17:00.000-05:00

Tonight I'm drinking a wine that has become one of my recent favorites. Steel Creek Viognier 2004 from California. I stumbled on this quite by accident. We were visiting some friends, and brought a bottle of wine (I can't remember what wine, unfortunately). After finishing that bottle, our hostess Janet (who along with her husband Scott are also very interested and knowledgeable about wine) brought out a bottle that they'd been drinking and poured us a glass. I was struck by this wine immediately. The taste was unusual - fruity but not sweet, with a rich, almost tropical flavor. I sensed pineapple, asian pear and apple. It was refreshing and rich and flavorful -- good for drinking alone, or with the olives and spreads that Scott and Janet provided. I immediately wrote down the name of the wine and have been drinking it since.

The label describes it as having a "golden straw-yellow hue with rich honeysuckle and pineapple aromas. Delicious flavors of pear, peach, and tropical fruit are followed by a lingering, expansive finish." This was a very good description in my opinion. I try to always drink the wine first, write down my own impression, and THEN read the label. In this case, the label and I overlapped on many points. This is a reasonably priced (I paid $7.99 a bottle), great wine, perfect for Spring/Summer drinking out on the deck.

Wine and Weight

2006-05-16T15:02:00.000-05:00

Dieters - here's something to drink to. According to the May/June issue of Weight Watchers Magazine, "recent research found that people who had one or two alcoholic drinks per day were 54 percent less likely than teetotalers to be obese." Before you drink that whole bottle however, it's worth noting that the same article also said that those who have more than four drinks a day "increased their risk of being obese by 46 percent." So stick with one or two glasses at most. A glass of wine with dinner is not just civilized... it's good for your diet!

"Wine is the most healthful and most hygienic of beverages" - Louis Pasteur

Couscous Salad and Chardonnay

2006-05-15T10:09:00.000-05:00

For the Mother's Day Celebration, I made a couscous salad that I adapted from a recipe on the back of a box of Near East Couscous. Here is my version - it's light, flavorful, and would make a great light lunch heaped on a bed of lettuce with a glass of that CK Mondavi Chardonnay on the side.

Couscous Salad

1 box of Near East couscous
2 large tomatoes - chopped
1 medium zucchini - halved and sliced thinly
1/3 cup sliced green onions
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, sliced
1/4 tsp black pepper
Juice of 1 large lemon
3 tbsp olive oil
3/4 cup oil cured pitted olives - halved

Prepare the couscous according to the box, but leave out oil and salt, and add black pepper to the cooking water. When couscous is done, fluff with fork and pour into a large bowl. Add olive oil and lemon juice and mix. Allow to cool to room temperature. Mix in zucchini, green onions, basil, tomatoes and olives. Toss well, cover, and chill for at least 4 hours, or overnight.

Note - if you substitute cucumber for zucchini, and parsley for basil, and add a little extra lemon juice you will have a variation that is very much like the middle eastern salad tabboulli. Good stuff!

Mother's Day Chardonnays - Mondavi and Hosmer

2006-05-15T09:43:00.000-05:00

My brother Ted and his wife Jen were kind enough to have everyone over for a Mother's day barbeque yesterday. I made sure to bring my little notebook and my camera so that I could take pictures of wine labels. Yesterday really highlighted an important wine fact - it's always better to start with the lesser wine and have the better one after. If you have a great wine first, a mediocre wine is really going to seem worse after that. Such was the case yesterday. (I suppose an argument can be made that if you have enough of the good wine first, you won't notice that the next wine is inferior, or that you should start off with the good stuff while your palate is fresh... but I still think it's better to improve as you go along.)

We started with a CK Mondavi 2004 Willow Springs Chardonnay. You probably heard of Mondavi, a California winery that is reliable in its production of good wines. This chardonnay was no exception. I would describe it as bright, fruity, smooth and crisp. It wasn't sweet, but wasn't bone dry. It was light and was pleasant drinking, even without food. A testament to this wine was the fact that everyone liked it. My dad, the former Manischevitz drinker, gave it a thumbs up. (He would like me to note, by the way, that although he does like Manischevitz and White Zinfandel, he's expanded his vistas and has also incorporated chardonnay into his repertoire. He's not keen on Pinot Grigio though.) Jen's dad, Kent, who is actually a wine connoisseur also gave the Mondavi a thumbs up. It's the sort of wine that you can't go wrong with -- the perfect bottle to bring to dinner.

The second wine, however, created many a wrinkled nose. (Well, mine was wrinkled in any event). It was a Hosmer Winery Cayuga Lake Chardonnay 2004. Being a New Yorker, I hate to denigrate a New York wine... but this chardonnay did not come close to the Mondavi. It had a darker color, strong sharp aroma, and sweet, fruity/grapey taste with a sharp edge and a lot of oak. I didn't enjoy drinking this without food, and even the hot dog I was eating couldn't overpower the taste of that wine. (Ok, I know I shouldn't be eating a hot dog with a chardonnay - mea culpa). Cayuga Lake is upstate New York. There are a number of wineries there, and I've been to a few in the Finger Lakes. They are great to visit for entertainment value, and some of them have unusal varieties that lend themselves to the climate - like a Riesling perhaps. But word to the wise, leave the chardonnay to California.

King Leo candy - Julian, California

2006-05-12T20:03:00.000-05:00

In my last post I mentioned that we visited the charming little mountain town of Julian, CA, where there are several wineries and tasting rooms. But I realized I left out an important place to stop while you are there. Tasting wine is wonderful... but so is tasting chocolate. Luckily, Julian has both. The King Leo Candy company is located in Julian, conveniently next to the Orfila Vineyards tasting room! Mark and I stumbled over there after our excellent wine tasting. As you may know, King Leo is famous for peppermint sticks - specifically, peppermint sticks dipped in chocolate. And they give free samples at the store.

While there, I tasted another of their specialties - peppermint bark. Usually seen mostly around Christmas, you can get some bark for your bite all year round at King Leo's factory store. Oh, and did I mention the free samples?

For those that prefer something colder to drink than a Cabernet, the King Leo store also offered ice cream shakes, sodas and frozen coffee concoctions. Prices on the candy were great, and they make wonderful gifts for all the children, or candy lovers, in your life. [My daughter Emily adored the chocolate dipped peppermint sticks.]

Wine Travel - Julian, CA

2006-05-11T16:24:00.000-05:00

In January 2006, my husband (Mark) and I went to San Diego to visit his sons. While there, we took a quick day trip to a different California wine town than most people are familiar with - far from Napa and Sonoma is the tiny town of Julian, CA. Julian is about an hour east of San Diego, which made it perfect for a quick, half-day detour. The town itself is small and charming, with a main street lined with little shops and inns. There are several wineries in the area, although we only had time for one tasting room. [More on that in another post]. Julian is a historic gold-mining town, founded in the 1870's. Nestled in the mountains, it's a scenic and relaxing drive from San Diego -- well, it was for me, I wasn't the one driving! The town appears to be the perfect setting for a romantic weekend. If I lived in the San Diego area, I would certainly consider it a perfect getaway. For more about Julian, see their Chamber of Commerce Web Site. If you want specific info about the wineries and tasting rooms in the area, including times of operation, click here.

It's also a great site for photography... as you'll hopefully see from my Julian photos.

Milton Park Shiraz - 2004

2006-05-11T15:54:00.000-05:00

This was last night's wine - Milton Park Shiraz, 2004 from South Eastern Australia. I've found that Australian wines are generally a good choice, and especially for a shiraz. In fact, I can't think of a really BAD Australian wine that I've had. I spent a couple of years drinking the Yellow Tail brand, which now seems to be everywhere. Anyway - about this wine... The label describes it as having "spicy characters and rich, plummy fruit flavors which are typical of this variety." I thought that was a pretty dead-on description. Here were my notes after tasting it: "deep purple color, smells bold, big, fruity and smooth taste." It was the sort of wine you can have with food (pasta or steak would be good choices) or by itself. I had it with chips and salsa - Tostitos Hint of Lime chips and medium salsa (any hotter would have obliterated the taste of the wine). All in all, well worth the $8.96 that it cost at bottle buys. Bottom line - you probably will not go wrong with an Australian shiraz - of any brand.

"Wine is the most civilized thing in the world." -- Ernest Hemingway.

Growing up Manishevitz

2006-05-11T10:13:00.000-05:00

I will confess. Until I was in college, I thought that Manishevitz was actually wine. You know Manishevitz - the wine that is traditionally used for Passover in Jewish households. Jews are not generally known as big drinkers -- anyone who has tasted Manishevitz will understand why.

Traditionally, we got the sweetest and heaviest of the Manishevitz line -- Extra Heavy Malaga. Imagine a cross between fortified grape juice and pancake syrup and you'll get an idea of the taste - plus it's got that little "kick" at the end, sort of reminiscent of flavored Schnaps.

If my parents are reading this, I apologize. I know you still enjoy your Manishevitz... even when it's not actually Passover. But I have graduated.

The 1980's was the decade of school for me -- high school, college, and then law school. Through most of those years, I drank what students drink - mixed drinks, beer (which I never actually liked) and White Zinfandel. Yes, White Zin. In the late 1980's that was my choice of wine. (It's interesting to note that there seems to be a natural progression from manishevitz to white zinfandel -- that appears to be my parents' choice of wine at this point.) Luckily, my white zin days didn't last too long.

The 1990's were the beginning of my real appreciation for wine. I did what most people do - moved from white zin to chardonnay, and then pino grigio. Eventually I began drinking cabernet savignon and then merlot (before it was HUGELY popular), then shiraz, cabernet franc and pinot noir. I was fortunate enough to be working with some people who knew about wine, so when we went out for business dinners I was exposed to wines that I wouldn't have been able to afford to try.

This decade has been the best yet for wine. I'm comfortable in my reasonably priced choices. I've discovered you can get some great, enjoyable bottles of wine for well under $10. I've traveled to wine country in California in 2001 and will be doing so again this July. It has been an interesting journey so far, and I welcome you to join me for the rest of this journey. In upcoming posts I will describe what I'm drinking that day, with explanations and reviews. I'll provide as much info about wine and health as I can find, as well as info about wineries and regions. The writer Robert Louis Stevenson said "Wine is bottled poetry" - join me in this ode to wine.