Grape Variety #99: Aligoté

I'm down to the final three grapes in my pursuit of membership in the Wine Century Club, the organization devoted to promoting rare and unusual varieties. I've had a dozen rare grapes since January, and today's grape is less rare (it's actually the 4th most planted grape in the world) than it is simply one I've not gotten around to drinking before.

Aligoté is a French variety that is used to make Cremant de Bourgogne. It's known for its fresh acidity, which some people find overwhelming. I like how bracing the wine is, and how food friendly it is. It's also versatile. Aligoté is used as the base for Kir cocktails (named after the one-time mayor of Dijon), which are made with a mixture of cassis liqueur (modern types use blackberry, raspberry, or even peach liqueur instead) and chilled wine. If you use sparkling Cremant de Bourgogne instead of still Aligoté, it's called a Kir Royale. So buying a bottle of Aligoté can take you from cocktails to dinner effortlessly.

The 2004 Michel Lafarge Raisins-Dorés I had was very pale in color and had aromas of apple with a nutty edge. ($14.99, K & L Wines; available elsewhere for $14-$22) The wine had a medium-bodied feeling in the mouth, but lots of crisp acidity in its predominantly citrus flavors. I tasted white grapefruit and lemon pith, as well as a pineapple note as the last of the wine slid over my tongue. I can certainly see why the acidity wouldn't appeal to everyone, but I don't understand why this is relegated to secondary grape status in Burgundy. This is an interesting variety, and should appeal to anyone who likes Sauvignon Blanc, and is looking for a good QPR choice.

Because of Aligoté's acidity and its versatility, it can find a mate with a lot of dishes. One night, I had it with wok-seared scallops with a tangerine sauce, and the acidity in the wine was great with the fresh vegetables and the tangerine juice and cut nicely through the richness of the scallops. The next night, I made Kir cocktails while I was cooking up one of Maya Kaimal's chicken curries (I made the chicken fry curry in her first book Curried Favours, but it's not online; if you want to try her style of Indian cooking, give her Chicken Masala a try). I just kept on sipping Kir cocktails right through dinner, and they went well with this Indian dish. With the blackcurrant liqueur in it, the wine had a soft sweetness that was just right with the aromatic spices and slightly spicy jalapeño notes in the curry.

If you love Sauvignon Blanc you might find Aligoté a nice change of pace this summer. And its versatility makes it a good wine to have on hand for impromptu Happy Hours at the end of a long work week, too.

Living the Not So Big Wine Life

A week or so ago, when reading a post over at Fred Koeppel's Bigger Than Your Head on the 2005 Bordeaux vintage reports, I was powerfully reminded of Goldilocks. Goldilocks visited the house of the three bears and found that life inside was too big, too soft, and too hot. Or, it was too small, too hard, too cold. She was so relieved to find something just right that she fell asleep in the "just right" bed in utter exhaustion.

Sometimes, wine makes me feel like that. There are too many wines that are too big, too hot, too expensive, too manipulated, too corporatized, too hard to find--the list goes on and on. Fred's post prompted me to yearn for a drinking plan that would only include wines that were "just right"--that managed to hold together a whole world of good times, fantastic flavors, and quality in just one glass without going too far into the big, the hot, and the expensive. Fred agreed with me, and expanded on my "just right" description" to include "wines that reflect the grapes from which they are made; wines that reflect, as much as possible, the place where they are made; and wines that embody honesty, integrity and authenticity rather than ego, ambition and manipulation." As I couldn't have said it better myself, I decided to just quote him here. This picture, taken by the talented photographer Kathy~, captures visually what a "just right" wine tastes like to me. (photo of the Town of Monterosso al Mare used with the kind permission of the photographer, Kathy~)

We live in a culture where more is always seen as better. Perhaps the most visible signs of this are the McMansions that dot the landscape, full of rooms filled with stuff nobody uses. Sarah Susanka, the author of the best-selling The Not So Big House and The Not So Big Life, fights this trend in her work. She realized that houses were getting bigger and bigger--but had little "redeeming design merit." Comfort, she pointed out, has "almost nothing to do with how big a space is." Instead, it comes from "tailoring our houses to fit the way we really live, and to the scale and proportions of our human form." When the bigger-is-better mentality seeps into our lives, we end up "so stressed that we are numb."

I started thinking through how to extend Susanka's principles to wine, and have come up with some ideas for a Not So Big Wine Life. These ideas are increasingly shaping my wine purchasing and drinking habits.

1. Drink wine you find enjoyable and inspiring, regardless of hype. This sounds simple, but it's the heart of the whole plan. I'm inspired by wine that tastes good, is not priced prohibitively, and that is true to the varietal characteristics of the grapes that go into the bottle. Points, marketing, and lemming-like mass hysteria over the latest release or the most recent "vintage of the century" I do not find inspiring. I am not a big fan of what have become known as spoofulated wines--although you should read Craig Camp's thoughtful piece about spoofulation before you decide for yourself. And the idea of GMO yeast and grapes manipulated to cater to certain genetic tasting profiles makes my hair turn white. I don't find genetic coding of taste buds, yeast, or wine to fit consumer wishes inspiring. And frankly, life's too short to drink wine that isn't inspiring. What do you find inspiring in wine? And are you drinking it, or something else?

2. Drink wines that fit your life, and remember that bigger is not always better. I confess: every now and again a fruit-bomb of a syrah makes me very, very happy. But a steady diet of big, jammy reds and overly-oaked chardonnays can numb you to anything that is not HUGE. If this is what you drink most of the time, you may be in a "bigger is better" rut. Moreover, these wines don't reflect the way that most people are trying to live these days. I don't know about you, but there is less meat and more fish on my dinner table than there was five years ago. Happily there is more organic produce, too. Ask yourself this question: do big wines fit the way you live and eat? If not, ask yourself why are you drinking them?

3. More is not always better, either. Moderation is the key to a long-term happiness with wine. Drinking until you fall down in a tasting room, or a living room, is not clever. It's sad, actually. So, too, is the pursuit of more points, more expensive bottlings, more cases in wine storage, being on more mailing lists for more highly allocated wine than ever before, etc. We live in a consumption-mad society. Every day we are told that having more is what makes you comfortable. Does it? Ever? There's always more wine in the world, so relax and remember that sometimes just enough is just right.

4. Be adventurous. If you want to experience the world in a glass of wine, you have to get off the highway now and again and do some exploring. I've been doing that a lot this year, by getting to know rare grape varieties like Negrette and the wines of Italy. I can guarantee that you won't like every wine you drink if you are out exploring. So what? How will you ever know what wines really inspire you if you drink the same, safe things night after night?

5. Support sustainability. I mean more here than just looking for organic grapes--though that's important, too. What I mean by sustainability is to create a wine life for yourself that is sustainable in all the ways there are. Support local wineries, small wineries, small wine merchants, and folks who make wine with respect for the environment and who take responsibility for the future. By honoring the grapes, places, and people who make and sell the wine we love--and supporting them with our custom--we will help to shape a wine industry that has some shot of surviving global warming and downturns in the dollar.

What do you think? Are you already living a Not So Big Wine Life? If not, is this something you imagine yourself being able to embrace? What's missing, and what could be improved upon? Add your thoughts below.

The Red-Footed Grape from Campania

Some Italian reds stomp onto the stage with heavy boots and demand your attention. Others slip in on little, red feet and steal your heart away.

Piedirosso fits into the second category. It's an exciting red grape variety from Campania, the region that is home to Naples and the Amalfi coast. And it is yet another surprise--in a string of surprises--that have come my way since setting out to explore the wines of Italy.

The 2005 La Sibilla Piedirosso is made from grapes grown in the volcanic soils of the Campi Flegrei appellation. ($14.99, K & L Wines) Campi Flegrei has bragging rights to claim it is the home of the ancient god of fire, Vulcan. It is also a region that has preserved some of Campania's wine heritage, in the form of plantings of the white variety Falanghina, and the red variety Piedirosso. Phylloxera devastated the grape stock by the early 20th century, but today the Piedirosso grape (which is named for the striking red stems that connect each grape to the cluster and some say look like the feet of doves) is making something of a comeback.

When you pour it, it has a striking clear garnet color, which is very clear and bright. Startling aromas of bacon fat and smoke make the first impression, and you can reach for some high-toned black cherry fruit aromas underneath. There is a silkiness on the palate, accompanying flavors of leather, black cherry, tar, and earth. Some will find this a bit bretty and barnyardy, but I liked the funkiness and thought it in no way overpowered the wine's fruity complexity. Given all this wine delivers in the flavor department, I'd say this is excellent QPR.

With your Piedirosso, I'd try a fresh and post-modern take on good old eggplant parmesan. Toss some farfalle pasta with sauteed eggplant, cherry tomatoes, basil, garlic, parmesan, and fresh ricotta. Eggplant is common in the traditional food of Campania, but this recipe is a little less labor-intensive to pull together and put on the table at the end of a long day at work than many of the time-tested alternatives. The bitterness of the eggplant is a nice counterpoint to the juicy black cherry fruit, and the smokiness of the wine picks up the smoky notes that emerge from a nicely caramelized eggplant, too.

As with any unfamiliar grape, it can be useful to know a more familiar grape variety reminiscent of the Piedirosso's flavors, aromas, and textures. To me, this is like a Burgundian Pinot Noir, and I think this is an Italian red that will appeal to Burgundy fans. In a time of the dipping dollar, it's good to have a backup. My guess is they may not realize they are drinking an Italian wine at all, if you don't tell them.

Tickled Pink

Cremant d'Alsace--where have you been all my life?

I know I'm supposed to be learning about grower champagnes this year, but I can't resist an affordable bottle of bubbles. I was in a small grocery store on the upper Sonoma/lower Mendocino Coast and they had a bottle of NV Domaine Allimant-Laugner Brut Rose for $21.69. Brut--Rose--Sparkling
--just over $20. What's not to like? Wine comes to this grocery store up a long, winding road and that kind of driving costs money. You will find it in a store online or near you for between $17 and $20. If you do, you should buy it.

Cremant d'Alsace is an appellation in the Alsace region of France. Pinot Blanc and Pinot Noir are often used to make Cremant d'Alsace, and while the region's sparkling wine may not be as well known as that from Champagne or Burgundy, wine has been made here for a very long time.

Take this wine, for example. Domaine Allimant-Laugner is a family-owned and operated business. The Allimant family have been involved in the wine business since 1724, when they settled in Alsace near Orschwiller. Today, Hubert Laugner makes wines based on his belief that what he does is both an art and a vocation. His wine-making philosophy includes observation, patience, and the pursuit of beauty.

The result is this beautiful, drinkable, and affordable wine. The first reaction you will have to it is, "it's actually pink!" Not fuchsia, not salmon, not copper, it's shell pink--soft and delicate, with some coppery glints around the edges. When I held it up to the light I saw a very active medium bead or bubble, which is always a good sign in my book. The aromas were strawberry, with some mineral notes just around the edges. 100% Pinot Noir grapes go into the wine, which accounted for these aromas, and the same strawberry and mineral combination was also present in the flavors. The finish was reasonably long, and the mineral notes became pleasantly chalky. I didn't detect much yeastiness in this dry wine, but instead the overall impression was one of cleanness and brightness. Domaine Allimant-Laugner is made in the Champagne method, so it will suit traditionalists down to the ground. Excellent QPR.

This is one of those wines that you would be tickled pink to have on hand when the occasion calls for toasts. Personally, I'm buying every bottle left in the store before I leave for LA today. If you have a wedding in your future, or know somebody who does, I would highly recommend this wine for the celebrations. And if not, buy some for yourself.

Get Out the Vote for the 2008 American Wine Blog Awards

Voting opened today for the 2008 American Wine Blog Awards. Tom Wark developed these awards last year to recognize the quality of wine writing and the depth of coverage that is available every day--for free--on blogs all over the internet.

The Awards work through a process of open nominations, the selection of finalists from those nominations by a panel of five judges, and then voting in which 70% of the decision will be determined by open voting (not Chicago style, folks! one person, one vote) and 30% by the judges. Voting will continue until March 29 at 12:01 AM.

Wonderful blogs are on the list for your consideration--and I do mean consideration. Please take the time to look at all the blogs nominated in each category before you cast your vote. Browse around through some older posts while you're there. And my sincere congratulations to all those many bloggers who were nominated by readers in the initial stages of the process, as well as to those who were named as finalists. After all, most bloggers blog because they hope to reach an audience. Nominations are the best proof that we have succeeded.

Yesterday, I thought a great deal about a colleague of mine who truly believes the following: "a rising tide lifts all boats." Tom wanted a rising tide of recognition to lift all wine bloggers and to give credibility to the work that they were doing to promote wine knowledge. Every wine blog reader and writer is contributing to this rising tide, and that's a good thing.