Remembering Charlotte at the Santa Barbara Celebration of Harvest

This is Charlotte, the beloved black lab who passed away during the last year and will be remembered at Huber Vineyard in the Santa Rita Hills on Sunday, October 14 during the Santa Barbara Celebration of Harvest Weekend.

As a dog lover myself, I love to support winemakers and vineyard owners who help us get to know their wine while benefiting worthy animal causes, like the Humane Society.

On October 14, the Hubers will be sponsoring a wine tasting at their vineyard off Rte. 246 where they will be pouring their 2005 Dornfelder Reserve (aka "Charlotte's Reserve"), along with some help and additional wine contributions from fellow wine makers Kris Curran (you know how I feel about her wine!), Bruno D'Alfonso (from DiBruno and Badge wines), and Steve and Mary Russell of Prodigal Wines. The cost for the tasting will be $10, and all proceeds will benefit the Santa Ynez Humans Society. Good wine, and a good cause, too.

If you make it up to Santa Barbara wine country that weekend, be sure to check out all the other events happening around the Celebration of Harvest Weekend. With activities and tastings that last from Friday through Monday, it's a great time to make the trip to Santa Barbara if you are within driving distance of it in California. You can purchase a Vintner's Visa for just $35 that will admit you to your choice of 12 winery events amid the beautiful grounds of participating wineries. Tickets for the celebration festival are $65, which include tastings at Rancho Sisquoc of wines from more than 90 wineries, food demonstrations, and other activities. (And if you buy a festival ticket, the price of the Vintner's Visa drops to just $25).

It's harvest time, so get out there in the vineyards if you can, enjoy the company of your loved ones and fellow wine makers, and don't forget to remember Charlotte at Huber Vineyards!

Hocus Pocus: the Video

I just got word from Amy and Peter at Black Sheep Finds (the folks who make the great Hocus Pocus Syrah that I had for Wine Blogging Wednesday #30 a while back) that they submitted a video to the Wine Spectator's Video Contest and they among the finalists in the top 5.

The video's great! (They say its cheesy, but I like seeing the bottle machine in action...) It shows how hard the work of making wine can be, the commitment it takes to turn the dream of making wine into a reality, and just how little money most folks make. And where did those pesky labels go??

Click on over and check it out, and of course vote for Amy and Peter's video if you are at all inclined. If they win, they will get to go to the Wine Spectator Grand Tasting in NYC. Based on what I've seen, they could use the vacation!

Washing Wine Glasses

Martha Stewart has recently decided to label a wine made by Gallo. I wish she'd solve another problem for me: how do you properly wash wine glasses? (pyramid of Simplicity Wine Glasses from CB2)

I am so sick and tired of having either a) smudged, greasy looking glasses or b) foamy wine. This problem is compounded in our house, I realize, because of my enormous affection for Riedel O glasses. These stemless wonders have kept after-dinner hysteria to a minimum since we are not walking around with dustpans and brooms. Frankly, we are too klutzy to wash stemware routinely, either by hand or in the dishwasher.

So I've been surfing the 'net looking for advice, and tried just rinsing with hot water (this left smudges, and wine glasses are always hard to dry by hand); running them through the dishwasher but not the heated dry cycle (on the premise that this will keep the soap from baking onto the glasses) which didn't help much, frankly; handwashing with very hot water and a gentle soap (better, but I was still left with lots of glasses all over the counter and a little bit of a foaming problem). What is a wine lover to do?

There is some reason for hope, however. Recently, on the advice of Consumer Reports, I purchased these tiny little dishwasher tabs from Cascade (Cascade 2-in-1 Action Pacs with the Power of Dawn) that have a dollop of Dawn liquid in them. Previously, I've tried liquid detergents (leave a film), dry detergents (leave grit and I find lead to fogging), other tabs (Electrasol pretty much diamond plated everything in film). These Cascade tabs, however, just gave my Riedel O glasses a wash that removed all the fingerprints, but passed the "no foam" test after washing. Maybe it was a fluke, but I'm hoping it's not.

How do you wash your wine glasses? Even if you aren't Martha Stewart, please leave your glass washing tips and tricks below. My guess is that I'm not the only one grappling with this problem.

Sometimes, You're Worth It!

As regular readers know, I seldom drink a wine that creeps much above $20. Occasionally, however, I make a little splurge and try a wine that is around $30 (or above...) just to see what (if anything) I'm missing. Some of my regular splurges include Larkmead cabernets; almost anything by Tablas Creek, Owen Roe, or Kris Curran; pinot noirs from Fort Ross, Sineann, and Eric Kent; and Eric Kent chardonnays. Sometimes, it's worth it to splurge even if it's just for a meal after a long day at work. It makes me feel pampered to open up a wine that costs a little bit more, especially if it delivers more in the flavor department.

There are few guarantees, however, that spending more on a wine will necessarily result in a wine delivering more bang for the buck. As a result I'm careful with my splurges. In the past, I've only splurged on wine when I know that I like how the winemakers in question handle the grapes based on my experience with wine tastings at the winery, at wine shops, or at big events like Pinot Days. In other words, I have to know I like the cleanness of the wine, the quality of the fruit, and the deliciousness of the end product before I plunk down more than $20. Recently, though, I've been taking more and more recommendations from folks on the 'net, including consumers on CellarTracker! and fellow bloggers.

Among the consumers over at WineQ--another site that has great reviews from folks who have had the wine you're thinking about buying--there was a fair amount of consensus that the 2003 RustRidge Chardonnay was a wonderful wine that was worth the money ($29.99, WineQ). I put it in my Q a few months back and received it before the summer heat. It was waiting for me when I needed something to pair with a chicken pasta dish tossed with some green beans and a compound butter made with cashews (note: I threw in some parsley and garlic with the butter and cashews, as well). This was one of the best domestic chardonnays I've had in a while--probably since my last Eric Kent. When I poured it out into the glass it had the color of bright straw, and aromas of pineapple, apple, and vanilla-cream. These delicious aromas dominated the flavors, too, and added to them came a lovely butterscotch note as you held the last drops in your mouth. It was a perfect foil to the rich, subtly-flavored pasta dish. And this is how I like my chardonnays to be oaked--with finesse and restraint. (RustRidge uses a mix of 1-3 year old French oak barrels, and leaves the wine in there for a year).

The overall impression that was left was one of cleanness and richness. This chardonnay was just as wonderful as my fellow Qers said it was, and even at just shy of $30 represented very good QPR given its balance and complexity. And that's what I'm looking for when I splurge a bit on a wine--more balance, more complexity, and all the great varietal characteristics that make wine distinct (and a distinct pleasure). What have you splurged on recently?

Falling Leaves Wine

I love fall. It's my favorite season, and it always takes me back to college days in New England, when the crunch of falling leaves and the smell of apple cider seemed to surround you in a colorful cloud.

Here in LA, we do have fall. Honestly. Friday night marked the beginning of this fall season, with the hint of rain in the air and a definite coolness. A friend stopped by after work and we curled up on the sofa with a bottle of a very fall-ish wine from the Loire. (Wine Blogger minds often think alike; Joe from Joe's Wine was also opening up a Loire red this weekend!)

The 2005 Domaine de la Charmoise Gamay comes from the Loire's Touraine appellation rather than the from the Beaujolais region of Burgundy that is usually associated with the gamay grape. ($13.00, Colorado Wine Company; available at other merchants for just over $10) The wine opened with a bright ruby color, and a disconcerting smell of tinned green beans and asparagus. Despite the aromas, the palate was pure bing cherries with a little bit of spice around the edges. As the wine opened, the vegetal aromas were replaced by more spice and fruit and the flavors knit together into an attractive cherry, smoke, and clove profile. I actually think this wine would benefit from short-term cellaring, perhaps for 6-12 months, and may even improve further after that based on how much the wine changed over a few hours. This had many of the textbook characteristics of gamay, and represented very good QPR.

Domaine de la Charmoise is owned by Henri Marrionet, who believes that his corner of the Loire's terroir is best suited to gamay, cot (malbec), chenin blanc, and ramoratin grapes rather than the better known cabernet franc and sauvignon blanc. Marrionet uses minimal pesticides, and his gamay is fermented with indigenous yeasts so there is not a note of banana or bubblegum in the wine. There is an excellent profile of Domaine de la Charmoise (as usual!) on the Wine Doctor's site, if you are interested in learning more.

Enjoy the first wines of fall!