I know, I know, it's still below zero in Minnesota and the freezing fog still coats the roads in the Northwest, but, you need to start thinking about those garden parties just around the bend. I've got a great gardening/deck party/entertaining wine for you. The Saint Clair Sauvignon Blanc.
Rated Decanter Magazine's #1 New Zealand Sauv Blanc, I can't help but agree wholeheartedly with them. This wine brings such lively acidity and easy to parse flavors to the table. Honeysuckle notes abound on the nose, while the mouthwatering finish hints at nettles and pear. It's very refreshing and really livens up your taste buds. Great, easy drinking wine that will be sure to please een the most hardcore wine enthusiasts on many fronts.
You can't beat the price on this, either, running in the $15-20 range ($17 in my area), you'll get more than you pay for in comparison to other Sauv Blancs of this quality.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Perazzeta Syrah IGT
This wine has quickly become a cult classic, if such a thing exists from the Italian market, in my area. With a total production of ~80 cases a year (yes, less than 100 cases per year) it quickly dissipates once it hits the market here. My favorite wine shop takes in nearly three cases with the majority of that pre-sold to people "in the know" because of prior experience or just on advice from trusted advisors.
What strikes me is that we're talking about a 100% Syrah wine from ITALY! Don't get me wrong, this wine comes from a very impressive winemaking region, Maremma, in Tuscany, but a Syrah?! Trust me, once it crosses your lips you'll be lining up for it again and again.
This wine is impossibly decadent with a mouth-feel that is quite rich and supple. While drinking it sans meal is all well and good, adding a nice pasta dish with mussels or spicy sausage helps this wine reach it's stride.
An incredibly labor-intensive production, including thrice-checked grape selection and open barrel fermentation, make this Syrah one of the greatest I know of from Italy.
The price may make some people chuckle or think twice, but at the ~$40 this wine is value oriented in my opinion. You get more than you pay for from this venerable winery.
What strikes me is that we're talking about a 100% Syrah wine from ITALY! Don't get me wrong, this wine comes from a very impressive winemaking region, Maremma, in Tuscany, but a Syrah?! Trust me, once it crosses your lips you'll be lining up for it again and again.
This wine is impossibly decadent with a mouth-feel that is quite rich and supple. While drinking it sans meal is all well and good, adding a nice pasta dish with mussels or spicy sausage helps this wine reach it's stride.
An incredibly labor-intensive production, including thrice-checked grape selection and open barrel fermentation, make this Syrah one of the greatest I know of from Italy.
The price may make some people chuckle or think twice, but at the ~$40 this wine is value oriented in my opinion. You get more than you pay for from this venerable winery.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
I Love This Time of Year
Not only is this time of year the most wonderful in the Northwest for scenery (leaves changing, dustings of snow), but it is also my favorite wine time of the year. What is it you ask? It's new release time! This is the time of the year you see a majority of the European and American wineries releasing all of their newest wines for you to pour over (pun intended).
No matter what price range you taste and purchase your wine from, it can be the most fun and tasty time of the year. Whether your favorites come from Rex Goliath or the venerable Joseph Phelps you'll find something this season to make you smile.
A tip I find most people aren't aware of or forget about is joining your favorite winery's mailing list so you can stay up to date on current releases, special events and even purchasing wine from some of the more allocated wineries. Some wineries have multiple-year long waiting lists to be added to the allocation list, so be prepared for that if you are into high-end boutique or cult wineries. Otherwise, there is usually no wait and you can get some really good information about your favorites and stay in tune with what the winery/winemaker are doing this year. It's also a great way to stay on top of reviews and tasting notes, which can be a simple guide for shopping.
Either way, it's a great time to be a wine drinker of any persuasion. New releases abound and many new experiences await you at the popping of every cork. How can you not love the fall?
No matter what price range you taste and purchase your wine from, it can be the most fun and tasty time of the year. Whether your favorites come from Rex Goliath or the venerable Joseph Phelps you'll find something this season to make you smile.
A tip I find most people aren't aware of or forget about is joining your favorite winery's mailing list so you can stay up to date on current releases, special events and even purchasing wine from some of the more allocated wineries. Some wineries have multiple-year long waiting lists to be added to the allocation list, so be prepared for that if you are into high-end boutique or cult wineries. Otherwise, there is usually no wait and you can get some really good information about your favorites and stay in tune with what the winery/winemaker are doing this year. It's also a great way to stay on top of reviews and tasting notes, which can be a simple guide for shopping.
Either way, it's a great time to be a wine drinker of any persuasion. New releases abound and many new experiences await you at the popping of every cork. How can you not love the fall?
A Night With Montagliari
A few months ago, my wife and I were presented with an opportunity that rarely comes along. Through a friend in the wine business we received notice that there was a vertical of chiantis from Fattoria di Montagliari available for purchase. After tasting the 1971 Chianti at a small wine dinner, we immediately decided that we simply had to have one!
The vertical consisted of '62, '71, '77, '81, '82, and the '83 vintages. It was a steal at the price we paid for it.
A few weeks after we received the vertical, we invited some couples over to have dinner and to taste some of the wine. Over a wonderful home-made lasagna, we opened the '62 and the '71.
The color on the '62 was a deep garnet red-brown and you could see the sediment clinging to the bottle where it had been laid down for all these years. The wine, amazingly enough, still had some fruit to it with a bit of bright cherry on the first sip. Sitting behind the cherry, though, was some freshly tilled soil and a hint of leather on the finish. Amazing that the wine held up so well. We didn't expect to find any fruit left at all. Overall, this wine was nearing the corner and we're glad that we drank it when we did. No telling how long it had before it rounded said corner.
Shortly thereafter we opened the '71 and found the color not unlike the '62, albeit a bit brighter in tone. Much more fruit on the start which shows you how much there was to lose for the '62. I was impressed by the structure in this wine. I think it could have easily been laid down for another 5 years and still been fine for drinking then. It had a slight hint of sweet tobacco on the nose with underlying spice.
We still have the last four of the vertical and will be opening them up, hopefully, soon. I'll report back on those as soon as that happens. Try not to pass up opportunities that you come across, such as this, when you can. Well worth it!
The vertical consisted of '62, '71, '77, '81, '82, and the '83 vintages. It was a steal at the price we paid for it.
A few weeks after we received the vertical, we invited some couples over to have dinner and to taste some of the wine. Over a wonderful home-made lasagna, we opened the '62 and the '71.
The color on the '62 was a deep garnet red-brown and you could see the sediment clinging to the bottle where it had been laid down for all these years. The wine, amazingly enough, still had some fruit to it with a bit of bright cherry on the first sip. Sitting behind the cherry, though, was some freshly tilled soil and a hint of leather on the finish. Amazing that the wine held up so well. We didn't expect to find any fruit left at all. Overall, this wine was nearing the corner and we're glad that we drank it when we did. No telling how long it had before it rounded said corner.
Shortly thereafter we opened the '71 and found the color not unlike the '62, albeit a bit brighter in tone. Much more fruit on the start which shows you how much there was to lose for the '62. I was impressed by the structure in this wine. I think it could have easily been laid down for another 5 years and still been fine for drinking then. It had a slight hint of sweet tobacco on the nose with underlying spice.
We still have the last four of the vertical and will be opening them up, hopefully, soon. I'll report back on those as soon as that happens. Try not to pass up opportunities that you come across, such as this, when you can. Well worth it!
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
What's in a Glass, Anyway?
One of the things it took me the longest to discover was how using the wrong glass or a 'bad' glass can really make your wine tasting less than enjoyable. I wish I had a friend long ago to share this advice with me when I first started drinking wine.
Think to yourself; how many times have I tasted a wine out, bought a bottle and taken it home, only to find it really undrinkable? Well, I hate to tell you this, but it may very well have been your glassware causing the issue.
Some of you know that our best friends own a wine shop. We were invited a while ago to attend a Riedel glass tasting event. We're good sports for all things wine, so we merrily agreed to check out this glassware phenomenon.
Once at the shop, we met Genevieve the Riedel rep, and were fast friends. She took us on a tour of the glassware, showing us the glasses for each varietal set and explaining the history of this 250 year old company. The wife and I were quite skeptical, as we were sure that we could never have made as large a mistake as she was suggesting we'd made. Drinking good wine out of bad glasses! I'd never heard of such a thing! In the back of our minds we were both thinking about those bottles that we thought were just off once we drank them at home. Surely that couldn't be the reason, right?!
As the wine started to flow, we began to notice a trend. The wine was fantastic in the Riedel stemware, but we figured it should for $20 per stem! Genevieve then had us pour the Silver Oak Cab into what they call a 'joker' glass. This glass would be typical of what most Americans would think of when they think 'wine glass'. the difference was astounding! Such a muting of the nose and flavors. The wine that was just moments before spectacular was now average or mediocre!
My wife and I have been glass snobs ever since! The tasting was such an eye opener for the both of us, we've since filled out our stemware collection with Riedel Vinum for gatherings and our everyday glassware is Riedel O's which are stemless wine glasses with the proper bowl shape and depth such as their stemmed counterparts in the Vinum line. These are the originators of the 'stemless' wine glass, so don't be mistaken by the copycats flooding the market!
So, if you get a hankering, please try out the O's or the Vinum series of Riedel. I can guarantee you will become a believer such as my wife and I have. You'll never drink that good bottle of wine again thinking you must have a corked bottle.
Check out the entire line of Riedel stemware, glassware and decanters at Riedel. You certainly won't be sorry if you do. They have changed this skeptic into a lifelong enthusiast and fan.
Cheers!
Think to yourself; how many times have I tasted a wine out, bought a bottle and taken it home, only to find it really undrinkable? Well, I hate to tell you this, but it may very well have been your glassware causing the issue.
Some of you know that our best friends own a wine shop. We were invited a while ago to attend a Riedel glass tasting event. We're good sports for all things wine, so we merrily agreed to check out this glassware phenomenon.
Once at the shop, we met Genevieve the Riedel rep, and were fast friends. She took us on a tour of the glassware, showing us the glasses for each varietal set and explaining the history of this 250 year old company. The wife and I were quite skeptical, as we were sure that we could never have made as large a mistake as she was suggesting we'd made. Drinking good wine out of bad glasses! I'd never heard of such a thing! In the back of our minds we were both thinking about those bottles that we thought were just off once we drank them at home. Surely that couldn't be the reason, right?!
As the wine started to flow, we began to notice a trend. The wine was fantastic in the Riedel stemware, but we figured it should for $20 per stem! Genevieve then had us pour the Silver Oak Cab into what they call a 'joker' glass. This glass would be typical of what most Americans would think of when they think 'wine glass'. the difference was astounding! Such a muting of the nose and flavors. The wine that was just moments before spectacular was now average or mediocre!
My wife and I have been glass snobs ever since! The tasting was such an eye opener for the both of us, we've since filled out our stemware collection with Riedel Vinum for gatherings and our everyday glassware is Riedel O's which are stemless wine glasses with the proper bowl shape and depth such as their stemmed counterparts in the Vinum line. These are the originators of the 'stemless' wine glass, so don't be mistaken by the copycats flooding the market!
So, if you get a hankering, please try out the O's or the Vinum series of Riedel. I can guarantee you will become a believer such as my wife and I have. You'll never drink that good bottle of wine again thinking you must have a corked bottle.
Check out the entire line of Riedel stemware, glassware and decanters at Riedel. You certainly won't be sorry if you do. They have changed this skeptic into a lifelong enthusiast and fan.
Cheers!
Monday, August 28, 2006
You know those ideas you have that never get implemented? The nagging feeling that you should be doing something with your passion, but you don't know exactly what? This blog is my answer to that nagging feeling in the back of my head. After a couple gentle nudges from some friends, online and off, I thought I would finally start sharing my experiences, advice and feelings about wine.
Now, I'm not going to tell you I'm an expert. I honestly don't think there is any such thing when it comes to wine. Experts, in my opinion, are folks just like you and I who seem to have a better medium for expressing an opinion. Those mediums vary these days from television to magazines and everywhere in between. What I will tell you is that I have a love of wine. Along with my wife, we've been exploring the hills and valleys of the massive wine industry and enjoying the gentle ride. It's ever changing visage keeping it interesting and exciting. Each vintage release giving you that stomach-churning first day of school fervor.
I'll be sharing my experiences, current and retrospective, in this blog. My hope is to share some knowledge as well as learn some, too. Please feel free to comment on anything you find here. My palate is far from perfect, but it is mine. Yours, too, is different and filled with many different experiences. So, let's discuss some wine, learn from each other and maybe we can have more fun with something we already enjoy so much!
Ciao!
Now, I'm not going to tell you I'm an expert. I honestly don't think there is any such thing when it comes to wine. Experts, in my opinion, are folks just like you and I who seem to have a better medium for expressing an opinion. Those mediums vary these days from television to magazines and everywhere in between. What I will tell you is that I have a love of wine. Along with my wife, we've been exploring the hills and valleys of the massive wine industry and enjoying the gentle ride. It's ever changing visage keeping it interesting and exciting. Each vintage release giving you that stomach-churning first day of school fervor.
I'll be sharing my experiences, current and retrospective, in this blog. My hope is to share some knowledge as well as learn some, too. Please feel free to comment on anything you find here. My palate is far from perfect, but it is mine. Yours, too, is different and filled with many different experiences. So, let's discuss some wine, learn from each other and maybe we can have more fun with something we already enjoy so much!
Ciao!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)