Zinfandel...for when the Weather Turns

I am a very seasonal wine drinker.

Here are some absolutes:

For that first cool night, a Pinot Noir.
When it comes out, Beaujolais Nouveau (yes, I get that it's lame, lame wine. Don't care. It's a fake celebration I dig a little bit!).
New Year's Eve, something sparkly (I am partial to Cava actually).
And when the weather is cold, and stays cold, a nice robust wine...a Syrah/Shiraz or a Zin.

I tried the Cline Zin at a Zinfest (at Kappy's of course!), and loved its texture, and most of all its silky vanilla undertones. Yum. Nils and I bought out their stock.

Dropping by the Kappy's near me, I found two more bottles (it is hard to fine, strangely enough...maybe it's already too popular). Good fruit, good oak, and a sexy wine that calls up the image of sitting in front of a fire with someone you'd like to warm up with.

Lovely Sake and Sushi

We went to Hana for sushi this evening and, in addition to our delicious sushi/sashimi combo, had a nice bottle of sake.

Murai Nebuta Honjozo is a dry sake, with light fruit flavors, but the best part is this descriptor: "the mouthfeel of midsummer rain." I love that image.

Sauvignon Blanc and a Birthday Celebration

Yesterday I helped celebrate our friend Kerri's birthday. We started in the surprisingly nice Dillon's (it's on Boylston Street, which always reminds me of drinking huge noxious fishbowls at the Foggy Goggle). Dillon's has the kind of vibe, especially in the back, that it would be a lovely place to have a glass of red wine on a cool night...they have a fireplace, the light is low and warm, and it feels quite cozy.

Last night, however, it was warmish and wet, with summer lightening. Felt like a white wine night. The wine list there isn't terribly extensive, nor terribly creative, but it has some decent pours (and I was impressed by their ACTUALLY APPROPRIATE FOR WINE SIZED glasses, instead of the squat, sturdy glasses I would expect in that part of town).

I ended up w/ the Nobilo Sauvignon blanc, a reliable and tasty New Zealand pour with lots of grassy and citrus-y notes. It was the clean, crisp, low key end I needed to this week, and a perfect fit for sitting in a cushy chair, watching the rain, and helping our friend celebrate.

Two Bottles, Two Dinners

My local wine store (Kappy's in Medford, a veritable Wal-Mart of liquor) has tastings every Friday and Saturday, and I've found some delicious bottles as a result. Our wine Saturday came out of one of these tastings...I was looking for a nice Beaujolais (Morgon, probably) to lightly chill with our lamb loin chops. I stumbled on the Kris Pinot Noir, a DOC Italian wine that has great fresh fruit flavors, almost with the same juiciness you find w/ a Beaujolais. We had that, grilled asparagus, broiled lamb chops with some salt, pepper, and garlic. Great Saturday night date meal. The Kris is delicious (I would probably drink it on the first cool night in October or so...it tastes like that balance between summer and fall).

For Sunday (traditionally our "have a nice meal at home" night), I cooked swordfish steaks in foil with lime and onions, blanched green beans, and made Barefoot Contessa's potato salad with dill. We had Les Vieilles Vignes Muscadet with our fish, which picked up the nice citrus and herb elements of the meal. It's a nice sip of wine, less than $10, bracing and clean. Not super complicated, but that's the way Muscadet should be.

Tapas and Cava

Last night we went to Toro in the South End for delicious food, sangria, and an impressive Spanish wine list. My favorite way to end the meal at a tapas restaurant is with a glass of cava, and I tried the Casteller rose cava last night for the first time. Lovely glass of wine--beautiful deep pink color, lush berry flavors, and a nice clean finish. Laurel and Kerry agreed--definitely worth buying retail. Best part is the price point--about ten dollars most places. GREAT value!

Here's the review from Port Wine and Spirits:

N/V Casteller Rose Cava: From Pendes, Spain. 88 Points-The Wine Advocate. "This non-vintage Rose Cava is made from 70% Trepat and 30% Garnacha. Dark pink in color, it offers strawberry and floral aromas, ripe flavors, and excellent length. If there is any better value in Rose bubbly, I'd like to know about it." Jay Miller Feb. 2007 Everyday Price $12.99

Pinot Gris...how I love you.

Mmmmm. Crisp. Clean. Stony. Food friendly. Refreshing.

My top five descriptors of Pinot Gris...which more and more, I am drawn to for warm weather drinking. And Oregon pinot gris--fruit flavors, but without the bedazzled fruit of Italian pinot grigio--is among the best, in my humble opinion.

We brought a few bottles to Gif and Monica's for dinner, including the A to Z Pinot Gris (I had heard good things from Wine Spectator and Food and Wine, and it seemed a good user-friendly choice for a crowd). Below is the promotional description:

Rich and ripe. The color of the 2006 Pinot Gris is yellow gold with beautiful flashes of emerald. Powerful aromatics are redolent of ripe citrus fruits, acacia flowers, tropical fruits (mango, papaya and kiwi), lychee, powdered sugar, honeysuckle, nectarines and pineapple. A concentrated wine with ripe acidity. The finish rolls seamlessly off the mid-palate and lasts forever. The lasting impression is a wine of great ripeness and opulence balanced by wonderful juiciness and succulence. The 2006 Pinot Gris will drink wonderfully for the next two years.

My take: easy drinking pleasure. Balanced fruit flavors that cry for a piece of grilled seafood.

Reposted from LJ

One year when I traveled with a group of customers to Schmitt-Wagner, he brought out a treasure remarkable even by his standards, an Auslese from the great 1937 vintage. I had tasted the wine once before (this is a generous man) and I waited for what I knew would come. As the wine was poured the group inhaled audibly at the color, and I saw many faces grow meditative as they sniffed those first mysterious fragrances. But when you expect to be moved you’re too self-conscious and you can’t be moved. That was me. My guests had walked through that little tear in the curtain out into the other world. I was happy for them.

Someone asked Herr Schmitt, “Did you make this wine?” “Oh my goodness no, I was just a child,” he answered. Then he grew pensive and said “But I do remember being a boy of six, picking the grapes alongside my grandma,” and then I lost it. I was looking at his hands just then, as it happened, the hands of a vigorous old gentleman still ruddy from a life in the open air, and I suddenly saw the child’s little hands inside them. And saw the child trotting along at his grandma’s side, happy to be included in the general activity, proud to be useful, there among the vines. And now it was sixty-four years later. The wine in our glasses was enthralling enough to us, but to our host it was the pure blood of memory, bound to the filaments of his earliest joys, with affection and usefulness. This is a man of Wine, I realized. This is what it means to be a man of wine.

(From Terry Theise's 2006 Catalog)


I started this entry with a quote because I met the man writing above and he embodies everything I want to be as a wine drinker and buyer and lover. He is slightly weird (in the best possible, most genuine way--he is *ACTUALLY* a little strange instead of just trying to act strange), modest, considerate, well spoken, and kind. Perhaps more importantly, he truly loves wine--loves it for its highs and lows, loves it for its evocation, and is as eloquent as anyone I've ever read in expressing that love. (He was also Food and Wine's Importer of the Year in 2005, and has been named as one of the top wine personalities in the world.)

Backtracking.

Friday I took the day off, got the place ready--Nitch, Bedlam and Ryan got here, we had plenty of bread, brie, the boys had brown sugar kielbasa, we had wine and beer and just hung out until 2AM ish.

Saturday I got up and went to the gym BEFORE going to volunteer...which, being a little hung over and EXHAUSTED, was sheer torture. Nitch, Jess and I went to our volunteer shifts. By some great gift of the gods, I got Wine Seminars as my volunteer assignment...which meant that I went to these seminars, collected tickets, and in both of the ones I was assigned to, actually got to sit and TASTE these incredible $60 boutique wines with the wine maker or facilitator speaking.

The first seminar, the focus was on Oregon Pinot Noir (and the wine was truly interesting and at times impressive). The difficulty with the seminar was that the first half at least was just Powerpoint slides of different maps (topological, etc). DRY DRY DRY.

The second one was on Gruner Veltliner, a slightly obscure Austrian grape that enjoyed a vogue in the late 90's and, at least according to Terry, deserves a place on every table crying for dry white wine. The seminar ended up basically being an extended conversation--funny, approachable, engaging. I was enthusiastic about the wine, enthusiastic about the way I tasted them, and just enthralled by Terry. (For those in the know/interested--he described Gruner Veltliner as a possible love child, flavor wise, between Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier.)

I got done w/ my duties in time to hit the tasting floor for a few moments, tried the Sergio Rose Prosecco I'd been googling, as well as some surprisingly balanced Sauvignon Blanc, then we all headed back to Casa de Leah. Much Guitar Hero ensued.

Sunday I had my session with Julian (he continues to rock), then we went to the GRAND TASTING!!!! AHAAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHH!

This year was my favorite, because I felt mostly like a knowledgeable taster. I find that my palate and questions get better every year.

Some standout stuff from the Expo:

All the sake from Michael Simkin (the very hip sake expert who offered me a mentorship in sake if I ever want to learn more).
Thirsty Lizard's environmentally friendly, recyclable and more energy efficient package (and the Semillion/Sauvignon Blanc that went in it).
David Bruce Petite Syrah (I'm excited to try the Pinot Noir). Dense and rich. Somehow very lovely despite being assertive
Long Flat Destinations Riesling (Clare Valley)...and the patient Australian pouring it for drunken middle aged folks next to me. Nice stony/fruity combo. Very user friendly.
Markus Molitor Riesling.
Domaine de Baumard Cremant de Loire (tasting sparkling non Champagne....YUM! Good fruit and a nice price!).
Chef Oga's salmon tartare (which we had at the celebrity chef stage).
All the Gruner Veltliner from Terry's presentation.
Elk Cove (Oregon) Pinot Gris.
Four Vines kick you in the face wine!! And getting another NAKED tattoo!
Working on my spitting technique (and not actually getting wine on anyone or anything when I *WAS* spitting it out.


All in all, a great weekend and some incredible food for thought.

Non-Champagne!

I love sparkling wine in all of its glory. I love Champagne, Cava, California sparklers, even Fingers Lakes Sparklers (Great Western, with its Concord grape flavor, is actually quite nice).

I've had a few new ones that are worth mentioning.

Segura Viudas "Aria" is a clean, crispy treat. I enjoyed the Segura Viudas brut, but this is even more delicious. It sort of tastes like a January evening--clear and refreshing. Tasting notes from the company: "ARIA Estate Brut is a dry, lively refreshment appropriate for any occasion. Its flavor is dominated by fresh pineapple, almonds, honey and straw, with hints of pears and fresh bread."

Mionetto Sergio: A surprisingly complex sparkler from the Veneto region of Italy. When I was doing tastings, I sold this as the "novel, while the other Proseccos I have are the Cliffs Notes." It got a lot of praise from the Champagne drinkers. Some almonds, some honey, some citrus. Delicious, refreshing...this is a great reason for drinking sparklers. Delicious as any sort of aperitif, or with shellfish/oysters.

In short--sparkling wine feels festive (hence the markup at restaurants/bars!), but I love it for its clarity, its tingle, its surprising versatility with food.