Wine Blogging Wednesday #61: Quivira Vineyards

Welcome to Wine Blogging Wednesday, the online tasting event dreamed up five (!) years ago by Lenn Thompson of Lenndevours: the New York Cork Report.

This month our host is our founder, and Lenn's theme for this month's tasting was "At the Source." Our instructions were to "actually visit a winery and taste a wine there. Bonus points if you can taste it with the winemaker or the vineyard manager." I'm getting some major bonus points on this one because I tasted wine with the winemaker, the vineyard manager, the farm manager, and the owners!

This summer I was invited to dinner at Quivira Vineyards in the beautiful Dry Creek Valley. Regular readers know that I am a huge fan of this wine region, but this was a chance for me to get behind the scenes at one of my favorite wineries and learn more about their interest in biodiversity and biodynamics as a way of cultivating a sustainable vineyard for the 21st century. To get a glimpse of what they're doing here, flip through these pictures taken at the dinner:



As the slideshow above illustrates, they raise pigs, fruit, bees, chickens, vegetables for area restaurants and grocery stores, and fruit at Quivira. They've also restored a stream for Steelheads hoping to bring them back to the Dry Creek Valley where they once flourished.

And yes, they make great wine, too. If you are interested in experiencing all Quivira has to offer, consider attending one of their farm-to-table seasonal dinners. The next one is on October 10 and will focus on the restoration of the creek, a fabulous dinner, and excellent wine. There will be a winter dinner in February that will include a hands-on blending seminar, and a spring dinner featuring a discussion of biodynamics. You can see menus, check out the dates, and reserve your place at dinner by clicking here.

Tasting Highlights

(note: clicking on a wine's name will take you directly to the Quivira online store)

2008 Quivira Mourvedre-Viognier Rosé: A special treat, this one-0f-a-kind wine was fermented in an acacia wood barrel. The deep, hot pink wine had huge apricot aromatics and a dry palate with flavors of strawberry, cherry, and rosehips. (not available for retail)

2007 Quivira Grenache: This wine's beautiful ruby color and amazing cascade of plum blossom and grilled herb aromas were a prelude to the rich cherry, strawberry, and spice flavors in the wine. Full-bodied but not heavy, this wine was nicely structured and had a delicious, mineral-inflected finish. (suggested retail through the winery $26; available for $19-$28 elsewhere)

2007 Quivira Old Vine Katz Vineyard Zinfandel: Sweet blackberry fruit and earth are present in the aromas top notes, and lead into a flavorful blend of grilled herb, berries, and white pepper. As the wine opened it became more meaty, but the aftertaste remained bright and spicy. (suggested retail $38, click on the wine's name to purchase through the winery)

2008 Quivira Fig Tree Sauvignon Blanc: Rich, round, and luscious, this wine never touched wood. The flavors and aromas are full of orchard (apple, pear) and tropical fruits, making for a clean drinking experience that never gets grassy or harsh. (suggested retail through the winery $18; $15-$22 elsewhere)

Wine Blogging Wednesday #59: Homage to Sake

Welcome to Wine Blogging Wednesday, the online tasting event dreamed up by Lenn Thompson of LennDevours. Today, our host is Richard the Passionate Foodie and his theme honors the ancient god of Sake.

I know almost nothing about Sake. I know it's made from rice. That's about it. And given my remote location in the summer, I was a bit worried about finding a bottle of the stuff to taste. But even my centrally-isolated coastal market had a small selection of sake, hiding underneath the cooking Sherry. Most of it was either worryingly expensive (more than $25) or worryingly inexpensive (under $5). One option was cloudy and had "rice bits" in it, and that seemed too advanced for this palate. So I picked a small-format bottle that cost just about $17.

Richard has a great rundown of Sake styles on his blog, and from his list I learned that the Sake I selected--the NV Rihaku Wandering Poet--falls into the Junmai Ginjo category. That means the wine should be full-bodied, with good acidity, and be fragrant and complex. Richard likes Junmai Ginjo as his "everyday" Sake.

I found the wine to be somewhat difficult to describe in terms of aromas and taste. It was like nothing I've smelled before--slightly glycerine, slightly yeasty, slightly reminiscent of beer. There was a clean, yeasty taste on the tongue, with a relatively full-bodied feel in the mouth. More yeasty, glycerine notes appeared in the flavors.

I liked the Sake, but at $16.99 for 375ml it's probably not something I'd rush out and buy again, and I would say it represents good QPR. However, I am intrigued and want to learn more. So this has been a great experience, because it's going to widen my wine horizons.

Thanks to Richard for a great theme, and I look forward to reading the other posts and learning more about Sake.

Wine Blogging Wednesday #58: Wine, a Woman, and Song

Today is Wine Blogging Wednesday, the online tasting event founded by Lenn Thompson of Lenndevours. Hosted this month by Katie of Gonzo Gastronomy, we were asked to drink some wine, play some music and record how the taste of the wine changed with each song

I tried. I really did.

But my brain is apparently not wired this way.

No matter how much I tried to let the songs lead the taste, instead the tastes led the songs. I kept being inspired to listen to a new song with each sip.

The wine that led me on this merry chase through my iTunes library was the 2008 Scholium Project Naucratis from the Slough Vineyards in Clarksburg ($20 in the Spring 2009 allocation; previous vintages available online for $23-$28). It was a perfect choice for Katie's theme--or so I thought. A bit cereberal, a bit off beat, a wine that would reward reflection. Well, yes--but it was also one damn intense Verdelho, with insanely excellent QPR. Which is where I got distracted. There were aromas of banana salt water taffy, sea salt, lime zest, grapefruit, and granny smith apples. The flavors exploded in my mouth in a wash of citrus, tropical fruits, mineral, stone, and more sea salt. In addition the wine was very dry and quite acidic with a long, lingering aftertaste that hints at a great future.

I was inspired. I hit my library, selecting songs that went with the wine. They had to be take-no-prisoner, independent, out-of-the-box, dreamy, pensive and intense all at once. Here were my favorites:

"No Where to Run To" by Martha Reeves and the Vandellas
"Breathe" by Andy LeMaster and Maria Taylor
"Promises" by Badly Drawn Boy
"The Hazards of Love 2 (Wager All)," by the Decemberists
"The Trapeze Swinger," by Iron & Wine
"Drunkard's Prayer," by Over the Rhine
"At My Most Beautiful," by REM
"Crazy," by Alanis Morissette

If you want to hear these songs, head over to blip.fm and check them out. I'm there most days playing them, and I've put them all at the bottom of my playlist for you!

But in the end, it was the wine that made me hear the music in a new way--I just couldn't get the music to lead my tastebuds when there was this much moxie in the wine. I hope Katie will forgive my feeble efforts. It was a great theme, and I look forward to reading everybody's posts.

Wine Blogging Wednesday #57: California Inspiration

Today is Wine Blogging Wednesday #57, the online tasting note started by Lenn Thompson of Lenndevours and hosted this month by Jeff Lefevere of Good Grape. This month Jeff asked us to "revisit a California wine that they have enjoyed, or have a particular fond memory of, and tell a story."

I chose the 2006 Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon from the Napa Valley. There were two reasons I chose this bottle (in addition to the fact that Jeff's theme was timed to honor Robert Mondavi, who died a year ago). First, my first serious experience with wine was in the Napa Valley on Larkmead Lane, walking in vineyards and climbing wind towers. Though I now drink more widely and am often priced out of the Napa wine market, it is always a treat to taste a wine that reminds me of this special place. Last summer, I met Margrit Mondavi for the first time at Taste3 and experienced some Mondavi hospitality first-hand. It was a treat to visit the vineyard and explore the barrel room. (photo of flags flying over the Robert Mondavi vineyard).

The second reason I chose this wine is because it's a wine that I buy and enjoy regularly. Sometimes, I drink them right away. Some times I cellar them--like the last bottles I have from the 2003 vintage that I'm still sitting on and which I purchased for $16.99 back in February 2006. No matter whether I drink them young or with some age on them, this wine always represents excellent QPR in Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. This current release has a suggested retail of $28, for example, but you can find it for between $18 and $25 in most parts of the country. While you can spend more on Napa Cabs, I find that this wine gives me everything I'm looking for in a wine from this region at a more affordable price.

The 2006 Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley had slightly medicinal cherry, green pepper, herb, and currant aromas--all classic for the grape. There was bright cassis fruit, and a slightly licorice aftertaste. The flavors were complex, and there was a deft handling of oak which gave the wine spicy richness without being heavy or clumsy. In my opinion, this is still too young to show to its best advantage, so either decant it or buy a few bottles and put them away to drink over the next 3-5 years. And one of the things to look forward to if you buy a bottle of this wine is that it will be even better with food--pot roast, stew, steak, and roast beef are just some of the dishes that I've had with Robert Mondavi Cabernet.

Thanks to Jeff for a theme that should generate a lot of wonderful posts.

Full Disclosure: I received this wine as a sample.

WBW #55: Merlots North and South

It's Wine Blogging Wednesday again, the online monthly tasting event originally conceived by Lenn Thompson of Lenndevours. This month the theme was set by Remy Charest of The Wine Case blog. His instructions were for us to pit the north against the south--but after that he was pretty flexible. You could compare wines from different countries, different regions, or even different parts of the same appellation.

Because I'm trying to come to terms with the wines of Washington state, I decided to drink a Washington state Merlot (north) alongside a Napa Valley Merlot (south).

The 2005 Northwest Cellars Merlot was an excellent QPR bottling blended from 75% Merlot, 13% Syrah, and 12% Cabernet Sauvignon. (suggested retail, $15) Slow to open, the wine developed to reveal plum and cassis aromas with a bright raspberry note. The flavors underwent a metamorphosis from a simple taste of fresh plums to something darker and more complex, with plums, graphite, and smoke. There was some green stemminess as well--which I always like in Merlot--and the rich aftertaste was luscious with milk chocolate notes. This was an uneniably complex and elegant wine, and would be enough to convince any Merlot skeptic still having horrible flashbacks from the 90s that the grape is worth a second try.

For my "south" bottle I opened up the 2006 Sean Minor 4 Bears Merlot from the Napa Valley. (suggested retail $17; available for $10-$18) This very good QPR Merlot opened at first to rich, slightly confected cherry-berry aromas with a hint of green pepper in the undertow. Plum and cherry fruit blended with herbal notes in the flavors, and this rich profile was accentuated with cedar and allspice. The aftertaste was chalky and slightly drying, but this smoothed out with time and air. The wine continued to deepen and gain weight and complexity over the two days that I sipped it.

I think that both of these wines will be even better in 6-12 months than they are now, which makes them good candidates for short-term cellaring. Merlot is a versatile grape food-wise, and will bear as well with summer barbecue and burgers as it will with next autumn's pot roasts, so if you like Merlot I'd stock up on these beauties now.

Drinking one variety from two distinct locations was a great learning experience for me. Going in to it, I would have expected more chocolatey richness from the Napa Wine, and more herbal notes in the Washington wine. My tasting showed just the reverse. Both of these wines were keepers, though, in my book.

Thanks to Remy for a great theme, and I'll see you back here for WBW #56 next month.

Full disclosure: I received both of this wines as samples.

Wine Blogging Wednesday #54: Piedmont

Welcome to Wine Blogging Wednesday 54, the monthly online tasting event dreamed up many moons ago by Lenn Thompson of Lenndevours.

This month our host is David McDuff, who blogs about food and wine at McDuff's Food and Wine Trail. For his theme he picked the wines of Italy's Piedmont region. I was thrilled, since GWU$20 will be focusing on Piedmont as part of my ongoing Italian wine project, and this way I get to learn a lot from other wine bloggers before I start my own journey into the grapes of the region.

Piedmont is second only to Tuscany in terms of its high international reputation among wine lovers, and many serious collectors prefer the wines of Piedmont because of their subtlety and finesse. Because wines from the Piedmont are coveted, they are also costly--but there are varieties (such as Barbera) that often make their way into less expensive bottlings.

To get a sneak peak of what's in store for me next month, I looked through my cellar and found a bottle of Barbera, the Piedmont's fruity, drinkable grape. What I discovered was that the 2006 Stefano Farina Barbera d'Alba, was not so fruit-forward at this stage of its life. But perhaps it was the better for it. ($8.95, Chronicle Wine Cellar; available elsewhere for $9-$13).

The wine had aromas of plum and tobacco, which already told me that this was going to be a wine that was better with food. The plums were present in the flavors, as well, and the tobacco turned towards something more reminiscent of black tea. There was abundant acidity at the center of the wine, and an herbal, plummy aftertaste.

Because of the wine's acidity and herbal, tobacco, and black tea flavors it was excellent with a tomatoey pasta dish, Strozzapreti with Tomato-Pancetta sauce. Accented by herbs and cheese, the dish really made the wine shine. Even better, it's quick to prepare so it's a perfect meal when you want something hot and comforting after a long day at work.

This may not be the most complex Barbera you'll ever drink but it's held up well in the year I've had it and I think it will continue to drink well for the rest of 2009. (note: the label is from a much earlier vintage, but it was all I had since I threw the bottle away before I snapped a picture!)

Thanks to David for a great theme, and I look forward to reading everyone's posts about wines from the Piedmont.

WBW #53: Wine for Breakfast

Welcome to the 53rd Wine Blogging Wednesday, the online tasting event started years and years ago by Lenn Thompson of Lenndevours.

Today, our host is el Jefe, one of the fertile brains behind Twisted Oak Winery. As those of you who know Twisted Oak might imagine, el Jefe picked a theme that was unusual: what dry red or white wine goes with breakfast?

I just couldn't imagine dry wine and French toast, pancakes, or anything else sweet. So I though about eggs--specifically a healthy goat chesse and red pepper frittata. And, I thought about one of my favorite brunchy-items that is NOT exactly healthfood but sure is delicious: ooey-gooey-cheesey-savory Welsh rabbit. What wine, I wondered, would go with these breakfast foods?

Sauvignon Blanc was the answer. So I popped open the 2006 Sean Minor Wines Four Bears Sauvignon Blanc from the Dry Creek Valley (available from the winery for $14; available from other merchants for around $15). Sean Minor and his wife Nicole named their wines in honor of their four energetic children (or at least they look energetic in the pictures!). They source their grapes from top-notch producers and sell it for affordable prices--which makes them a label to watch out for if you are a GWU$20 reader.

The 2006 Sauvignon Blanc impressed me with its excellent QPR. Delicious aromas of pink grapefruit and star fruit give way to a refreshing yet still round palate of fresh figs and lime zest. It was a very well-made, unusually complex domestic Sauvignon Blanc that will please anyone looking for a wine that is fresh without being assertive or acidic.

And it went just great with "breakfast," too. So if you are serving something cheesy or eggy, with plenty of savory notes, this wine would be a perfect partner for it.

Thanks to el Jefe for a WBW theme almost as twisted as he is! See you back here next month for WBW #54.

Full Disclose: I received this wine as a sample.

Wine Blogging Wednesday #52: Value Reds from Chile

Welcome to Wine Blogging Wednesday #52, hosted by Tim from Cheap Wine Ratings. This month's theme is value reds from Chile. I rooted around in the closet and found the perfect wine: the 2005 Viña Cono Sur Carménère from Chile's Colchagua Valley. ($7.95, Chronicle Wine Cellar; available elsewhere for $6-$9)

This excellent QPR wine really helps you understand Carménère's relationship to Bordeaux.

In the 19th century, vine cuttings were taken from Bordeaux and planted in Chile. They thought they were taking Merlot cuttings. But, it turns out that more than 60% of the cuttings were actually Carménère. Merlot and Carménère leaves look quite similar, and the mistaken identity led to a problem for Chile's winemakers because the two grapes don't ripen at the same time. It wasn't until 1996 that the Carménère and Merlot were separated and it became possible to label bottles with one of these varieties.

In many ways, however, Carménère is ideally suited for Chile's growing conditions. It requires rich soil, not too much water, and a late harvest. When conditions are right, the wine produced is superb. This wine--which was well under $10--could have been mistaken for a simple Bordeaux in a blind tasting. It had herbaceous and cassis aromas and smooth, cassis flavors. There was a spicy kick at the end, and left a cool, menthol sensation in your mouth.

If you are wondering what food goes well with Carménère, my advice it to treat is as you would Merlot. We actually tried it with a zany pasta dish that involved a homemade pineapple salsa tossed with penne and slices of chili-rubbed flank steak. Yes, it's odd. But the citrus and herbal flavors of the salsa really worked with the Carménère, as did the rare flank steak.

After this experience, I'll definitely be trying out more Chilean wines in the future. Thanks to Tim for a great theme, and see you back for another year of Wine Blogging Wednesdays in January 2009.

Wine Blogging Wednesday News

There is some news from Wine Blogging Wednesday.

First, #1 Wine Dude Joe Roberts posted his roundup of blog entries from the recent Wine Blogging Wednesday #51. The theme, as you might remember was "baked goods," and a variety of wine bloggers wrote up their experiences with dessert wines including Madeira, Malmsey, Sherry and Port. If you are looking for a perfect holiday treat, I highly recommend checking out the reviews.

Second, the theme for Wine Blogging Wednesday #52 has been announced. Tim, the "quaffmaster" from Cheap Wine Ratings, is our host and he's asked us to go out and find a value red wine from Chile. Post your reviews on December 10, and sit back and watch the value recommendations roll in from other bloggers. Want more details? Check out Tim's post.

Thanks to Joe for a great theme this month, and I've already got my red wine picked out and set aside for Tim's WBW #52. See you then!

Wine Book Club and Wine Blogging Wednesday News

Just a few news updates today, so get out your calendars and mark down these online wine blogging events.

First, on Tuesday, October 28, we'll have the Back to School/Politics 5th edition of the Wine Book Club. Join in as bloggers and readers throughout the blogosphere review and discuss Tyler Colman's new book, Wine Politics: How Governments, Environmentalists, Mobsters, and Critics Influence the Wine We Drink (University of California Press; $18.15 through Amazon) You may know Tyler Colman as Dr. Vino, who is hands down the best wine blogger out there. But the reason to read this book is not just that he's a wine blogger--he's an expert on this subject, and I can say (halfway through the book) that his writing is every bit as engaging and provocative here as it is on his blog.

It's easy to take part--get yourself a book, read it, and join in the conversation by posting a review on your own wine, food or book blog. You can also chime in the comments here at GWU$20 or any other site taking part. Or, you can post reviews on our sites at the Wine Book Club and Shelfari. For more details, check out my announcement post.

If you are a food, wine, or book blogger, I could use your help to post a reminder about this event. Participation has really dropped off since our bang-up start in January.

In other news, the theme for Wine Blogging Wednesday #51 has been announced by our host, Joe the #1 Wine Dude. The theme involves dessert wines, and Joe would like us to find something "baked"--as in Madeirized. In Madeirized wines have been intentionally oxidized to make them brown and nutty. Because they can be hard to find (except in Hungarian and Iberian bottlings) Joe has expanded "baked" wines to include wines that have been fortified (like sherries, ports, etc.) Reviews are due on November 12, and should give us all great ideas on what to serve for holiday dinners throughout the depths of winter. Here at GWU$20 you can look forward to some reviews of rare sherries that I tasted as a guest of Bodegas Osborne this summer, as well as a dessert idea using a "baked" wine.

Have a good week everybody, and see you back here tomorrow with a new white wine review--actually, two!

Wine Blogging Wednesday #50: Wine and the Great Outdoors

Welcome to Wine Blogging Wednesday #50, hosted this month by Russ the Winehiker. He picked a great theme for us to think about this month: what wine would you take into the outdoors and share with your loved one on a walk, hike, or picnic? Russ promised to give us extra credit if we shared where we would walk, and even more extra credit if we actually walked the walk.

Unfortunately, we're too busy giving extra credit to our students to go outside right now and earn some from the Winehiker, but if we could take a walk I know just what we'd pack up in the picnic basket: a bottle of the 2007 Clif Bar Family Winery The Climber White Wine that I recently had a chance to sample. ($12.50 suggested retail; available online for between $10 and $15) The Clif Bar Family Winery was started by the same folks who brought us, among other treasures, the Mojo Bar which we find so necessary to survival that we buy them by the case at Whole Foods. The owners of the company, Gary Erickson and Kit Crawford, believe in good food, good wine, family, and enjoying the outdoors. What wine could be better-suited to this WBW theme? It's even packaged using a Stelvin screw-cap closure, so you don't even have to worry about packing a corkscrew.

Of course, no matter what the wine-making philosophy or the portability of the wine, the bottom line is that it has to taste good. I'm here to tell you that this was a terrific, affordable white blend made with a core of juice from Sauvignon Blanc grapes. Pinot Blanc (12%), Chenin Blanc (4%) and Muscat (3%) were added, with the result that the wine has good acidity but an impression of softness--if not quite sweetness--that makes it very versatile and appealing. When I opened the wine, I immediately detected aromas of pink grapefruit and nectarine. These were followed up by flavors of Meyer lemon, nectarine, and white peach. The aftertaste was fresh and juicy, and you just wanted to keep on sipping it because of the bright fruit flavors.

This excellent QPR wine will go with anything you like to have with a chilled white wine, from Chinese takeout to roast chicken to a crsip salad. If you're looking for a recipe to take on your hike or picnic, I highly recommend making some of the Spaghetti with Thai Peanut Sauce that we had. I subbed whole wheat spaghetti for the regular that the recipe called for, and substituted shredded cabbage and sliced cucumbes for the chicken. This not only made the recipe more healthy and suitable for vegetarians, it also made it portable. It's good chilled, too. I'm taking the leftovers into work for lunch tomorrow. And I'm packing a Mojo Bar for dessert.

Thanks to Russ for a terrific theme. I'm looking forward to hearing what others would take with them when they head out into the great outdoors.

Wine Blogging Wednesday #50 Announced: Wine for the Great Outdoors

I went to school in Massachusetts. Every fall, the college granted us an unexpected day off called "Mountain Day" to enjoy the great outdoors. If you woke up and the college's bells kept ringing at 8 AM instead of stopping on the eighth chime, you got a day off. Lots of colleges in New England do it, and it left me with an insatiable desire between September and November to play hookie and soak in the sights, smells, and sounds of this magical season. (Colby-Sawyer students on Mt. Kearsarge in 2006)

Now I get to have grown-up Mountain Day with wine--thanks to the Russ the Winehiker. He's our host for Wine Blogging Wednesday #50, and he is asking the following question: which wine would you pour in the Great Outdoors?

According to Russ, "You get bonus points for choosing a wine that is made locally to you, double bonus points for sharing the name of the wilderness you would walk in, triple bonus points for sharing the name of the trailhead and how to get there, and a gazillion bonus points for actually walking that trail, enjoying your selected wine on a post-hike picnic, and describing your day of outdoor adventure for your readers."

Post your ideas on October 8, and leave Russ a comment once you've posted with a link to your blog. See you back here in a few weeks to tell you which wine I'd pack for some post-hike refreshment.

Wine Blogging Wednesday #49: End of an Era?

Today's Wine Blogging Wednesday is hosted by dhonig of the wine blog 2 Days per Bottle. A Renaissance man, dhonig is part wine blogger, part cartoon artist, and part political commentator--and that's not all. But for this month, all we need to know is that he's our leader for Wine Blogging Wednesday. For his theme he's asked wine bloggers to consider the following: "What will you drink to toast the end of the Bush era?"

There were a number of ways to go with this one, and dhonig suggested several different angles in his announcement. But I decided to select a wine that that is suitable not only for this election day and inauguration, but for every subsequent election day and inauguration: the 2005 Great Whatsit Stolpman Vineyards Syrah brought to you by the good people at domaine547 ($20 on introductory special from domaine547; normally priced $25).

Let me explain why this wine was my choice for WBW #49 before I tell you about the wine.

Every four years I sit in front of a television, alone or with friends, and watch the election returns. Often, my candidate does not win. I am always shocked and somewhat horrified when this is the case, and then go through several months if not years of depression watching the news and wondering how people could have made such a colossal error.

Then, I remember that this is the entire point of this little experiment in self-governance we call America.

My family has been here a long time; a really long time. If you shake my family tree out will fall people persecuted for their religious beliefs, outlaws, rebels, poets, harborers of men who had executed a king, and heroic women who managed hardscrabble farms and families of eleven in the boondocks of Massachusetts and Connecticut in January while their husbands went off to fight in this war or that war before there was text-messaging or running water.

What they all lived and died for was their unshakable belief in the self-evident right of people to make their own bad decisions.

Bottom line is this: we never know what will happen on election day, or whether the person the majority of Americans have or have not voted into office will be an utter disaster. It's a mystery. Every election day we're left opening Pandora's Box and facing the great unkown. Who will it be? What will they bring? We never know. And that's why I chose this wine.

The 2005 Great Whatsit Syrah is a wine selected by domaine547 and made from fruit grown at Stolpman Vineyards. You can click here to find out why domaine547 called their "mystery in a bottle" wine The Great Whatsit. Kudos to domaine547 for selecting this excellent QPR wine for us ! The 2005 vintage is a little bit red (state) and a little bit blue (state) in its appearance: i.e. it's dark purple. This wine is as smooth as Barack Obama's prose, and as spunky as a hockey mom or pit bull wearing lipstick (your choice).There were aromas smoky enough to fill any room in Washington, and some rich plum and spice notes, too. I loved its cinnamon-inflected spiciness and its warm fruit flavors of blackberry, black cherry, and black plum. The wine had a nice lift as it went over your tongue, which was almost enough to lift your spirits as we head into the final 40 odd days of the campaign.

I think the wine will continue to mellow out over the next 1-3 years, or until the next presidential campaign begins (which could be as early as February). Even now it's plummy and drinkable, and perfect for pairing with burgers, bbq, or even a pizza while you watch the election returns. I loved this wine's complexity, its drinkability, and its clever packaging. If you're having an election party, what better wine to serve to your guests as you await the outcome?

Thanks also to dhonig for an excellent theme to get us thinking about wine and politics. And if you're still thinking about wine and politics, don't forget to join us for the 5th edition of the Wine Book Club in late October.

MEANWHILE: GO OUT AND LEARN ABOUT THE ISSUES.
THEN GO OUT AND VOTE.

Wine Blogging Wednesday #49 Announced: What Will You Be Drinking on Election Day?

What will you drink to celebrate the end of the Bush
era and the beginning of--who knows? (image from Topics from 192 Countries)

On September 17, just a few weeks before election day and a few months before the presidential inauguration takes place, wine bloggers will be telling America what they will be drinking.

That's the theme for Wine Blogging Wednesday 49, hosted by dhonig of the 2 Days per Bottle blog. dhonig lays out some pretty interesting possibilities in his announcement post: "Will it be something to honor the 43rd President, or are you just looking forward to 44? Will it be something from Texas, which Bush calls home, or Connecticut, where he was really raised? Maybe a nice French champagne, a bit of a poke in his eye? Or do you prefer Italian prosecco, since they supported the "War on Terror"? Whatever it is, get ready to lift a glass and toast the end of an era that America will never forget." And Remy from the great blog The Wine Case reminded all of us who are geographically challenged that Shiraz is a city in Iran (which is not too far from Iraq) in his comments on the announcement.

I'll be posting my pick for toasting regime change election day and inauguration day on September 17, and if you have a blog you should join in the fun. No blog? Not to worry. You can always post your ideas on the Wine Blogging Wednesday blog.

Wine Blogging Wednesday #48: Roots

The theme for today's 4th anniversary/ 48th Wine Blogging Wednesday is "Roots." Our founder and host, Lenn Thompson of Lenndevours, asked us to dig down into our wine memories and taste a wine that helped to make us the wine drinker we are today.

For the occasion I opened my last cherished bottle of 2002 Larkmead Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon from the Napa Valley. ($38.69, Costco way back in March of 2006 before this blog was a gleam in my eye; expect to pay $50-$60 in today's market)

The reason why I chose this wine is not because it's what I drank in college, nor was it my first fine wine.

The reason why I chose this wine is because I first came to understand that wine had roots--that it came from grapes that were grown somewhere and then made into wine by somebody--at Polly Solari's sprawling ranch house on Larkmead Lane in the summer of 1987 when I was a mere 22. It was here, with Polly and Larry Solari, that Larkmead Vineyards began. I was visiting the house with a close friend that I met in Oxford who, it turned out, had a grandmother who lived in the wine country. Mrs. Solari was warm, hospitable, and pulled together fabulous meals out of some amazing produce grown right there. To this day I can remember the taste of the warm white peaches that we ate with vanilla ice cream in her backyard overlooking the grape vines. My friend Geoff and I walked out into the vineyards--my first touch of the vine!--and there were discussions of wind towers, pruning, grape varieties, and more. It would take me another ten years to return to Napa and take up wine with a passion, but I think that the roots of that passion go back to those warm summer days and the extended Solari family's generosity and friendliness.

Today, the Solari wine making tradition (which began with Mrs. Solari's husband who came to the US from Tuscany in 1920) is in the hands of Kate Solari Baker and her husband Cam Baker, wine maker Andy Smith, and winery manager Colin MacPhail. Larry Solari was president of United Vintners (think: Inglenook and Beaulieu), chairman of the Wine Institute, and bought the Larkmead properties in 1948. Larry Solari believed in the potential that the property had to produce exceptional wine, and the bottle I tasted certainly lived up to that promise.

The 2002 Larkmead Cabernet Sauvignon is a stunning example of a Napa red wine. It was rich, dark purple in color and had pure aromas of blackberry, plum, cassis, and some herbal notes. The flavors came forward in lovely layers of black currant, blackberry, graphite, and eucalyptus. The aftertaste lingered, with smoke and herbs catching in the back of your throat. At a time when critics are pronouncing any Napa Cab a bargain if it is $75, this one delivers excellent QPR for its complexity and its elegance, as well as its price point.

This is not a monstrous Cab that you will have a hard time matching with food, but to really make the wine shine I'd serve it with some grilled London broil, some Fingerling potatoes sliced in half the long way, tossed with olive oil, rosemary, and salt, and roasted in the oven for about 35 minutes at 400 degrees. Toss a salad, slice some farmstand tomatoes, and cut yourself some crusty bread and you have a meal that Mrs. Solari would have approved which will also complement the wine beautifully.

If you ever get the chance to try some Larkmead wine, I urge you to do so. Not only do they make red wines, they also make Tocai Friulano from some of the oldest plantings in Napa (1893!), and have a second label called Meadowlark. The Cabernet is currently by allocation only, through the Firebelle List (named after Lillie Hitchcock Coit, who was an early owner of the Larkmead properties and also known as "Firebelle Lil").

Thanks to Lenn for a great theme, and this is one of those WBWs where I'm really looking forward to reading the other posts.

Wine Blogging Wednesday News

There's news on the Wine Blogging Wednesday front. The summary for WBW #47 has been posted, and the theme for WBW #48 has been announced.

First, Erin and Michelle from the blog Grape Juice did a simply stupendous roundup of all the wines tasted in Wine Blogging Wednesday #47. The Sesame Street-inspired theme was "brought to you by the letter S" and it brought out all the silliness and creativity of the wine blogging community. Head over there for a sense of what transpired. Sammy the Snake is smiling somewhere at the event's success.

Second, Lenn Thompson from Lenndevours is hosting his own 4th anniversary edition of Wine Blogging Wednesday in August. The theme is "back to your roots" and Lenn is asking us to pick a wine from our early days and drink it again. On August 13, review the wine on your blog, send Lenn an email, and consider yourself a participant in Wine Blogging Wednesday before it enters its fifth year. If you want full details, check out Lenn's post here.

Do they still make Bartles and Jaymes wine coolers?

Vendredi du Vin #15: champagne (mais pas de Champagne)

Bonjour et bienvenue. Aujourd'hui, je suis en train d'écrire très mauvais français pour participer à Vendredis du Vin #15, la réponse française à Wine Blogging Wednesday.

Le thème du mois est Nul n’est champagne en son pays, et il nous a été demandé à déguster un vin mousseux hors de France. Pour moi, le choix est évident: Je voudrais boire un vin de Californie, en particulier de la proximité Anderson Valley.

J'ai bu une bouteille de NV Roederer Estate Brut, un vin que les Américains buveur décrivent souvent comme le plus «français» d'origine nationale vin mousseux. Le vin est pâle avec beaucoup de mousse et de petites bulles. Arômes de brioche et de citron. Saveurs de pommes, pain grillé, et de noix. Il s'agit en général un excellent vin pour le prix, le vin coûte environ 20 $.

Merci à Remy pour l'organisation de l'événement, de Nicolas Ritoux pour accueillir ce thème du mois, et à toutes les personnes parlant français partout dans le monde pour leur patience avec mes pauvres tentatives de communiquer en français.

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To all English-speaking GWU$20 readers: I made a feeble effort to participate today in Vendredis du Vin, the Francophone virtual tasting event organized by Remy Charest of the blog The Wine Case. The theme for the month was to drink a sparkling wine that wasn't from Champagne.

For my submission I drank a sparkler that is often described as the most "French" domestic NV sparkler: the NV Roederer Estate Brut. As always, this was an excellent wine for the price, and can be found in most markets for around $20. It was pale straw in color, with abundant frothy mousse and a fine bead or bubble. There were aromas of rich brioche and lemon, and flavors of apples, toast, and nuts. Excellent QPR.

Vendredis du Vin is a great event, and if you have even a smattering of bad French like me, you should give it a try and check out their website. You can get there by clicking on the logo at the top of the page.

See you soon--and I'll be writing in English again, I promise.

Wine Blogging Wednesday #47 Announced--This Wine Brought to You By the Letter "S"

Erin and Michelle at the Canadian wine blog Grape Juice have come up with a perfect theme for the height of summer. With a nod and a wink back to childhood's Sesame Street, they want you to drink a wine "Brought to you by the letter 'S'."

I never could resist Grover when he got bossy.

If you think this theme is baggy and bit vague, that was intentional. As they explained at Good Grape, "We want to see what you come up with when you’re given near limitless options. The word beginning with “S” must be directly related to your bottle of wine (think region, appellation, producer, varietal, style, winemaker, etc) but that’s the only rule."

So if you are feeling a bit frazzled, just go to the store and pick up some Syrah, a wine from South America, or a yummy bottle of something from a maker like Sineann. Feeling revved up by the summer? Go for a trifecta, with the name, variety, and region all coming in under the "S" guidelines. Just grab some grape juice and a PB&J and have some classic summertime fun.

Erin and Michelle would like your entries on July 9, 2008, and full instructions on how to post/email/and otherwise submit your entries are explained in their announcement post. If you haven't checked out the roundup from WBW #46 on Rhone whites, it's right here at GWU$20, and you can get their via the express lane by clicking here.

All We Are Saying Is Give White Rhones a Chance: WBW #46 Roundup

It was great fun to be the host for the 46th edition of Wine Blogging Wednesday, Lenndevours popular (and still growing) online tasting event. We had 43 bloggers from around the world participate this month, and they tasted a wide range of wines from all over the world, too. The overall reaction was overwhelmingly positive. Most tasted viogniers or blends of several Rhone white varieties, and Marsanne and Roussanne were well-represented as well. A few brave souls gravitated towards the more rarified varieties of picpoul, grenache blanc, and ugni blanc. Though there were a few unhappy tasters out there, the vast majority felt that their wines were tasty, good value, and perfect for summer drinking.

I've made two different visual images to give you an overview of who tasted wine and wrote about it for WBW #46, and what those tasters discovered about Rhone whites. The first is a simple map, with map-points for locations and a scrollable list of contributors at the bottom. You can click on any blog/blogger's name and find out which point belongs to them, or click on any map-point and it will give you the name of the blogger associated with it. Please use the scroll buttons in the upper left corner to navigate across the globe.



The second is a wine review format I developed and experimented with a while back called the TagCloud Review. This will give you an overall sense of what our field of tasters experienced when they drank their wine. The larger and bolder type is associated with the most frequent adjectives our 43 tasters associated with the look, smell, and taste of the wine. As you will see, the tasting notes were remarkably consistent, and many tasters emphasized the apple, mineral, and floral aspects of the wine they sampled. Our tasters also noted the prevalence of citrus notes (including lemon, lime and grapefruit). With 42 tasters and almost twice that number of wines, it would be a long and daunting business to give a mini-review of each tasting note, so I hope that the following "TagCloud Review" will help convince you to give Rhones a chance.

almond apple apricots asianpear banana beeswax butter butterscotch chamomiletea cinnamon citrus coconuts custard dough figs fir flowers ginger gingersnaps gold grapefruit grapefruitzest grass hay hazelnut herbs honey honeydew honeysuckle lemon lemonzest lime limezest lovelycolor lychee mango marzipan melon mineral nectarines oak oily orange orangeblossom peaches peapod pear pecans petrol pineapple quince raisins saline sesameoil sherbet shynose spice starfruit tropicalflowers tropicalfruit unctuous vanilla wetferns wetstone whiteflowers yeast

created at TagCrowd.com

What follows is a rundown of all the tasters and their entries. Please click on any of the highlighted blue links to read their full, informative posts.

First, kudos to those brave souls who tasted Rhone whites from two different regions. Sometimes the "old world" wines were more "new world" in style than many of the tasters expected, and vice versa. They include:

Bloviatrix, who tasted a 2006 Roger Perrin Chateauneuf-du-Pape Blanc from France and a 2006 Black Chook Viognier-Marsanne-Roussanne blend from Australia.

ExcelWines, who compared the 2006 Venta d'Aubert Viognier from Aragon and the Clay Station Viognier from the US.

Fork and Bottle, where Jack and Joanne tasted their way through a 2001 Eric Texier Condrieu Janrode from France and a 2004 Porter Creek Timberline Ranch Viognier from the United States.

Joe's Wine Blog, who tasted a 2006 Chateau des Charmes St. David's Bench Viognier from Canada, and a 2004 Chateau La Nerthe Chauteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc from France.

McDuff's Food and Wine Trail, where David tasted the 2006 Domaine Louis Cheze Ro-Ree Marsanne-Roussanne blend and the 2004 Edmunds St. John "Tablas Creek Vineyards" Roussanne from the United States.

My Wine Information, who tasted a 2005 Yering Station Marsanne-Viognier-Roussanne blend from Australia, and a 2003 Paul Jaboulet Aines Mule Blanche Crozes-Hermitage blend of Marsanne and Roussanne.

The Vinquire Blog, who tasted their way through 6 Rhone whites including 3 from France (a 2006 La Vieille Ferme white blend, a 2007 Chateau l'Ermitage white blend, and a 2005 Sainte Croix Viognier) and 3 from the US (a 2006 McManis Viognier, a 2006 Gregory Graham Viognier, and a 2006 Cline Marsanne-Roussanne blend).

And the Wine Peeps, who had a 2005 Cougar Crest Viognier from the US and a 2005 E. Guigal Cotes du Rhone Blanc from France.

Special Mention also goes to our first time Wine Blogging Wednesday participants:

The Corkscrew Slummers, who had a Peltier Station Viognier.

2 Days Per Bottle, who drank a 2004 Garretson "Limoi Cior" Roussanne over two days and catalogued how the wine changed.

Pour Favor, who scored a 2006 Chateau Saint-Cosme white blend from the Cotes du Rhone.

Wine Blogging Wednesday #46 also had several "group participation" projects of various sorts:

First, we had the two tasters at Smells Like Grape who gave us their different takes on two French white Rhone blends: the 2006 Parallele 45 and he 2005 E. Guigal Cotes du Rhone blend.

Second, we had the father-daughter team of Erika and Adam Strum, who tasted the 2006 Truchard Roussanne from the Carneros appellation, and shared their reactions on Erika's Strumerika blog.

Third, we had live blogging from the London living room of Londonelicious, where seven French white Rhone wines were put to the test--you have to read the whole post to find which bottles were emptied first.

And fourth, we had the Young Winos of LA who creatively "recycled" some bottles acquired under cover of darkness following the Rhone Rangers tasting, including a rose, some reds, and two whites: the 2007 Minassian Young "White Rhinoceros" blend and the 2006 Ethan "Paradise Road" Viognier. It is good to know that they saved at least a few Rhone varieties from being added to a landfill.

We had two tasters with near misses: the Wine Negress, who tasted a 2006 J. L. Chave Mon Coeur, a red Rhone wine, alas; and Good Grape, who tried to drink an Argentinian Viognier, but gave up the attempt and drew a cartoon instead!

Our remaining tasters and their wines, organized by region, were:

Argentina:

EatingLeeds, 2007 Familia Zuccardi, S. Julia Viognier, Mendoza

Vinomadic, 2001 Conalbi-Grenberg Ugni Blanc, Mendoza

Australia:

WinoSapien, 2007 Tahblik Marsanne, Central Victoria

France:
1 Tim. 5:23, 2006 Cave St. Pierre Preference, Cotes du Rhone

1 Wine Dude, 2006 Domaine Louse Cheze Ro-Ree, St. Joseph

Anything Wine, 2006 Ferraton Samorens, Cotes du Rhone

At First Glass, 2006 Caves des Papes Blanc, Cotes du Rhone

Cheap Wine Ratings, 2006 Le Jade Picpoul, Cotes de Languedoc
2006 Hugues Beaulieu Picpoul, Cotes de Languedoc

Cooking Chat, 2006 Verget du Sud Marsanne/Roussanne, Pays de Vacluse

Corkdork, 2006 Guilem Durand Domaine La Bastide Roussanne,

Drinks Are On Me, 2005 E. Guigal Blanc, Cotes du Rhone

Food and Wine Blog, 2003 Tardieu-Laurent Vieilles Vignes, Chateauneuf-du-Pape

The Wine Case, 1999 Chateau Grillet Viognier
Jean-Luc Colombo Les Gravieres, Croze-Hermitage
2005 La Redonne, Cotes du Rhone

Wine Lover's Journal, 2005 Domaine Philippe Plantevin, Cotes du Rhone

South Africa:

Spittoon, 2007 Origin Fair Trade Viognier, West Cape

United States:
1 Wine Per Week, 2006 Twisted Oak Viognier, Calaveras County

Behind the Vines, 2007 Rosenblum "Kathy's Cuvee" Viognier
2006 Rosenblum Fess Parker Vineyard Roussanne, Santa Barbara
2006 Rosenblum Preston Vineyards Marsanne, Dry Creek Valley

Domaine547, 2005 Qupe Bien Nacido Roussanne, Santa Maria Valley

Lenndevours, 2007 Martha Clara Vineyards Viognier, North Fork LI

My Wine Education, 2006 Becker Viognier, Texas

Passionate Foodie, 2006 Curran Grenache Blanc, Santa Ynez

Through the Walla Walla Grape Vine, 2007 Sweet Valley Wines Viognier, Columbia Valley

Wannabe Wino, 2006 Hannah Nicole Viognier, Contra Costa County

Wine Biz Radio, 2006 Red Car Boxcar White, California

Wine for Newbies, 2005 Twisted Oak %@#$!, Calaveras County

If I somehow missed your post, please let me know so I can rectify the situation by leaving a comment below. Thanks to everyone who participated this month, since I know it is a busy time of year. When I know the theme and host for next month's event, I'll be sure to pass that news on to you.

Welcome to Wine Blogging Wednesday #46: Rhone Whites

Welcome to Wine Blogging Wednesday #46, the monthly online tasting event started nearly four years ago by Lenn Thompson of Lenndevours. This month, I'm your host and for the theme I wanted to pick something summery, that wouldn't be hard for people to find, and would bring some under-appreciated grape varieties into the spotlight.

The varieties that I think best exemplify summer are white varieties associated with the Rhone: Bourboulenc, Clairette Blanc, Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Muscat Blanc a Petits Grains, Picardin, Picpoul, Roussanne, Ugni Blanc, and Viognier. These white grapes are grown all over the world, and produce wines that are rich in orchard and tropical fruit flavors, or have a bracing acidity that cools you down when its warm outsides. The wines made from these grapes are surprisingly versatile, and pair with a wide range of foods depending on how the fruit is treated during fermentation and aging. For this WBW you could drink any white Rhone variety or combination of varieties, from any region in the world, at any price point.

I decided to compare and contrast two wines: one made in the Rhone from a blend of Clairette and Grenache Blanc; and another made in Paso Robles, solely from Roussanne. The French white was aged in stainless steel; the Paso Robles white was kissed with some oak.

The first wine was the excellent QPR 2006 Ferraton Père & Fils Côtes du Rhône Samorëns ($12.99, domaine 547). The wine was made from organically and biodynamically produced Grenache Blanc and Clairette grapes grown in Tain l'Hermitage. Samuel Ferraton and Chapoutier have been in partnership on the property for the past decade, which has brought new resources and attention to the Ferraton operation. When I opened this bottle of wine, it smelled just like summer with aromas of pear, almond, and a bit of flower as the wine warmed up. The pale gold color was equally summery, and the flavors were redolent of summery orchard fruits like pear and peach. Because it was aged in stainless steel the wine retained a fresh intensity that would make it very appealing on a warm June or July day. An interesting nutty almond aftertaste added complexity to the wine. It had a nice round feeling in the mouth, and was a textbook example of a blend of these two varieties--for a terrific price.

The second wine I tasted was another excellent QPR pick: the 2004 Tablas Creek Roussanne ($22.95, Chronicle Wine Cellar; available online for between $19 and $28) I've tasted this wine twice in the last year or so. In the spring of 2007, it was all about the fruit. Now, a little more than one year later, it was a more complex and interesting drinking experience. This wine was true, deep gold in color and the richness of the color hinted at the richness to come. There were shy aromas of pear and minerals, and as the wine opened up there were delicious flavors of pear, melon, and mineral with a touch of beeswax in the finish. The overall impressions of the wine were soft and round, and there was no hint of alcohol or sense of heat despite its full body and heavy feel in the mouth. There was also just a hint of oak in the aftertaste, since 50% of the juice had been fermented in small French oak barrels. This was a big wine with a lot of complexity for the price.

Both of these wines were quite food friendly, and would lend themselves to a wide range of dishes from spicy curries and stirfries to rich scallop, lobster, and shrimp preparations. We had the Ferraton with a Peruvian Fried Rice--one of the world's earliest fusion dishes created by Chinese railroad workers in South America. Few wines could complement a dish that combined rice, ginger, soy sauce, shrimp, and chorizo, but the Ferraton did the job beautifully. The soft and round qualities of the wine were terrific with the shrimp, and the fresh pear and peachy flavors were a nice counterpoint to the ginger. As for the Roussanne, I always feel that this variety is made for scallops--and that's what we had it with. The rich, buttery texture and sweet flavors of the scallops partnered perfectly with the Roussanne's full-bodied melon and beeswax qualities. It doesn't matter how you fix the scallops, they will be perfect with Roussanne. Try a classic Coquilles St. Jacques, or Eric Ripert's innovative pan-fried scallops on a mound of orzo mixed with tomatoes, ginger, and lemon grass.

Summer is often associated with the crispness of Sauvignon Blanc, but Rhone whites are equally wonderful for drinking during the long, hazy, and lazy summer days and nights to come. Thanks to everyone who participated in this month's event, and be sure to drop me a note or leave a tasting note or a link in the comments if you'd like me to include you in the roundup this weekend. I'm really looking forward to reading what you all have to say about these wonderful whites.