Quick Sips ~ Annapolis Winery 2006 Pinot Noir

Posted on October 4, 2011 by Wine Everyday

This was an impulse purchase, it’s what happens when you are both a Wine-O and a Shopaholic! An e-mail came in from WTSO (Wines Till Sold Out) with the description of the wine, great pricing and free shipping. All the elements I need to buy some wine! And since I live in Annapolis Maryland, clearly, this wine bargain caught my eye.

Located just three miles from the Pacific Coast in Sonoma, this family run winery releases small lots of several varietals. The Pinot Noir has a bit of spice in it, not a lot of smoke or mushroom, a very nice sipping wine. I’m glad my instincts were right that day and I have several bottles to enjoy!

Listed on their web site for $45, I scored it for less than 1/2 that on WTSO.

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Rieslings from New York’s Finger Lakes Region ~ Welcome to the Dry side

Posted on September 30, 2011 by Wine Everyday

…And, no, I don’t mean dry as in non-alcoholic.

Question: What makes a Riesling Dry?

Answer:  Knowing when to harvest the grapes.  Harvesting later than normal will result in the grapes having higher sugar levels.  Higher sugar level produces sweeter wines. Conversely, harvesting earlier results in a dry wine.

The Riesling grapevines made their way to New York’s Finger Lakes region by German immigrants in the early 19th century. But years of struggle with making wine from these vines, and prohibition, lead the region to abandon wine production and to produce grape juice and jelly.  Enter the 1950’s and Ukrainian immigrant Dr. Konstantin Frank. Dr Frank’s understanding of the micro-climate and soil of the region resurrected the wine industry and lifted it to New York’s largest wine producing region.

Finger Lake Dry Trio

Finger Lake Dry Trio

In honor of the Dr. Frank’s contribution to the success of the Finger Lakes Region, we’ll start the tasting with wine from his vineyard.

2010 Dr. Frank’s Vinifera Wine Cellars Dry Riesling

This wine has beautiful floral and strawberry aroma with a pleasing mineral feel on the palate. This wine can nobly stand on its own, or accompany a meal.  This is a very good varietal example and at a retail of $14.99 it should be a must on your next shopping list. Alcohol 12.2%

2010 Hunt Country Vineyards Dry Riesling

The aroma on this wine is unmistakable Riesling, a pungent, but pleasant, aroma of tart apple.  The mouth was thoroughly dry, yet a bit empty, almost flat, the finish was clean. With the first few sips leaving us wondering and since we never give up on a wine, we tasted it again with Chef Brad’s signature Smoked Corned Beef Reuben sandwiches and it brought this wine alive. Keep this bottle on the dinner table to enjoy it fully! Retails for $13.99 Alcohol 12%

2010 Hosmer Dry Riesling

There is a crisp apple on the nose with refreshing citrus and mineral flavors. This is a bone dry Riesling that is perfect to drink on its own. The mineral flavors on this wine remind me of a fine French Chablis. I would serve this wine at a Sunday Brunch or an afternoon tailgate party, it would rise to both occasions.  Retails for $13.00 Alcohol 11.7%

If your local wine shop doesn’t carry Finger Lakes wine, ask them to stock them. The values on these wines are outstanding; and the quality rivals their German counterparts.

Stay tuned for the next post, The Sweeter Side of Rieslings

These Riesling samples were generously sent to me from the Finger Lakes Wine Alliance.

Posted in Finger Lakes Region, Hosmer Winery, Riesling, Wine | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Prohibition; was it thoroughly repealed in 1933?

Posted on September 24, 2011 by Wine Everyday

When we hear the word “Prohibition” we immediately think of the time in our nation’s history when the manufacture, sale or transportation of alcohol was illegal. The forces behind the Temperance Movement were to protect us from the political corruption of the saloons, the political power of the German based brewing industry (note the timeline here, WWI) and also to reduce domestic violence in the home.

Wasting wine in NYC

Thankfully, there were exclusions in the 1919 law which allowed wine for sacramental purposes. Suddenly everyone found religion and a few vineyards in California survived those dark years by supplying the grapes to religious groups.  Another exclusion in the law permitted folks to make their own whisky and wine for personal consumption. So, if you’ve ever had homemade wine that tasted like Uncle Vito made it in his bathtub, he probably did!

Uncle Vito’s bad wine wasn’t the only problem the Prohibition Era caused. While it attempted to protect us from political corruption, it was the perfect time for Organized Crime to have its turn at running things.

Skirting the laws seemed to have taken its toll on folks, that and the Great Depression. By 1933 the nation had had enough, and by December of that year Prohibition had been repealed.  Remarkably, it wasn’t until 1966 that all states had repealed their own prohibition laws.

If we think that today we all have free access to the libation of our choice, think again. Each State in the Union has control of its liquor laws.

McSorleys, New York

My current state of residence, Maryland, recently changed its wine shipping laws to allow Marylanders direct access to purchase wine from wineries across the nation. We are, however, prohibited from purchasing more than 1 bottle a month in a neighboring state and driving it home with us. Is this just insane?

The three-tier liquor distribution system, conjured up with the repeal of the prohibition, opened the door for a sanctioned monopoly on liquor distribution, a system where a few have control over the many.  So, while we’ve come very far from 1919, there is still more work to be done. Check out your own State’s liquor laws and see what your restrictions are.

I’m very interested in watching Ken Burn’s documentary on prohibition airing on October 2, 2011 on PBS.  I’ll watch while sipping a glass of wine shipped direct from California and thanking all those who righted the wrong.

Cheers!

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Vine Talk on PBS. Public Service or Self-Serving?

Posted on August 21, 2011 by Wine Everyday

I don’t need to remind you how much I love all things wine. I drink it, I think it, and I talk about it to anyone who will listen. Wine shows and videos have been around for a while now, and they can provide a dimension of information that tasting notes can’t fulfill.  So why, when I found this wine show on PBS, do I feel so empty?

Here is the premise of Vine Talk. A celebrity panel hosted by Stanley Tucci blind tastes 6 wines. The studio ‘audience’ (fake audience because they are on a different floor of the building and are watching by closed circuit TV) tastes the same wines. Each group selects their favorite which is reveled at closing of the show.

Nothing is wrong with the format, it’s the execution they need to work on. The last two shows I watched, Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc, both ended without any discussion of the last few wines!  I can imagine how disappointed those wineries were!  If a cooking show showed you the ingredients, and then the finished product, you’d feel jipped, right? Same thing here.

If anyone from the show is listening, here are a few suggestions:

  • Have some feedback from the audience woven into the show.  We are interested in hearing what they think of each wine presented.
  • Edit out some of the Celebrity ‘non-wine’ chit chat that is eating up the precious air time.  It’s super that all these Celeb’s are getting together, but they go so far off topic, they eat up too much air time with their banter.
  • Invite Celebrities who have actually know how to drink a glass of wine.  A 30 minute show promoting six wines needs a basic understanding of how to drink wine. I noted one ‘not-to-be-named ‘ Celebrity, took a swig out of the glass, and then made an ‘I-don’t-like-it-face’. There wasn’t even an attempt to sniff, swirl, sip!!  We sip wine, we don’t ‘swig it’. No need to be an expert, but if they are on a panel, at least get the sipping down right, and then tell us why you don’t like it. That is just as important to us!

Good luck with the growing pains of the new show. I’ll keep watching, if you keep pouring!

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The importance of the 1961 vintage….Look who’s turning 50!

Posted on July 23, 2011 by Wine Everyday

Aside from 1961 being the year of my birth, it is also the first vintage of the labeling of Petite Sirah in California by Jim Concannon.  And this week, we congratulate him and celebrate this 50th anniversary!

The Petite Sirah grape variety was cultivated in 1880 in France by Dr Durif, when he took a seed of the French grape Peloursin and the pollen from the Syrah grape. He named this offspring ‘the Durif’, after himself. But soon growers were calling it Petite Sirah, mainly because of the grapes DNA and the smaller grapes the vines produce (plus, it sounds nicer!)

Please make no mistake, there is nothing ‘petite’ about this wine. At a recent dinner party, one of my guests pulled a bottle of Pacific Coast Vineyards Petite Sirah off the wine bar and said ‘is this a girly wine?’

California Petite Sirah

I suppose the title threw him off a bit, but once he took a taste he understood that it is a bold, dry wine. Pour a glass and you’ll  appreciate the deep purple color this wine possesses. This is the ‘purple tooth’ wine.

So, here is your assignment. Go out and get a bottle of California Petite Sirah. If you can’t get a boutique wine from Turley or Pacific Coast Vineyards, try a Bogle, Foppiano, Concannon or Crusher. Hoist your glass, and offer up a happy birthday toast to this very special California wine.  I’ll be offering a toast to my friends (and me) for turning the big 50 this year!

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Chatom Vineyards 2007 Zinfandel

Posted on July 9, 2011 by Wine Everyday

I love discovering ‘new-to-me’ vineyards. Even more so, I love meeting the winemaker! This past Spring I had the pleasure to meet up with Gay Callan, founder of Chatom Vineyards at the Beverly Hills Wine Festival.  Gay, along with winemaker Mark Kunz, produce handcrafted, artisan wines of superior quality. That day, I tasted her unoaked Chardonnay, Syrah and Zinfandel. I was hooked, I immediately knew this was a suite of wine I needed in my cellar.  I tasted dozens of wines that day, and these were among the best of the lot.

2007 Zinfandel Chatom Vineyards

Tonight from my cellar, I selected her 2007 Zinfandel to accompany our blue cheese burgers.  I opened the bottle at 5pm to aromas of spice, clove and earthy peat. There were huge tannins on the first sip which told me to let this bottle open up a bit. I came back at 6:30 and noted the fruit had made an appearance. At 8pm the nose opened up to a lovely perfume essence, with black cherry and earthy currant on the palate, and a smooth finish.  It was well worth the wait to allow the wine to evolve. I could have sped the process up by aerating and decanting, which I normally do, but I love to watch the evolution of the wine noting the progression along the way.

At a price point of $20, this is a wine worth seeking out.

Retail price $20   Alcohol 15.5%   http://www.chatomvineyards.com

Cheers!

Posted in Chatom Vineyards, Zinfandel | Tagged | 1 Comment

I got a text message: “So, I have a wine fridge, what now?”

Posted on July 7, 2011 by Wine Everyday

My friend just moved into an amazing loft in St Louis. The kitchen has a wine fridge, so what’s the problem?

Joe's wine fridge

Joe's wine fridge

Well my friend, ok his name is Joe, needs some help in stocking this new appliance. If it were a keg-erator, he’d have no questions…

So here are some guidelines (contrary to what some have written, there are no rules here)

Set a budget for each wine shopping trip, both in total dollar amount and how many bottles. You don’t want to run out of room in the unit too soon. Know your drinking patterns, and shop accordingly.

For smaller units, concentrate on your favorite wines. Please don’t buy a French Sancerre because the ‘wine-shop-snob’ insists that no cellar can be considered complete with out one.  With that in mind, I know that Joe likes Pinot Noir, Syrah and Zinfandel. I’ll suggest he buy 4 bottles of each, mix up the regions, and select within his price range. Wha-la, he now has a case of wine, and stuff that he likes!

Pinot Noirs 3 price ranges

So, why only 12 bottles the fridge holds 26? Remember, I said stay within budget and being a new apartment, folks will be bringing him house warming gifts, and he’ll need room in the wine fridge for those bottles. The biggest mistake is cramming your cellar to the max and you have no wiggle room for new purchases or GIFTS!!!

When he starts drinking these wines, he’ll go back to the wine shop, decided which direction he wants to take next. He’ll talk to the ‘wine-shop-snob’ again, and be able to select more bottles, and possibly expand his repertoire, who knows, he may be ready for the Sancerre!

So, you see, starting to purchase wine doesn’t have to be a daunting experience, take it 12 bottles at a time.

Cheers!

Posted in Wine Cellar | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Think Pink to beat the heat! Try this White Merlot

Posted on July 3, 2011 by Wine Everyday

I was looking for a rosé for this weekend’s bbq’s, knowing it would be hot and we’d need something refreshing. I have my usual ‘go to’ Rosés, my favorite being  Rosé of Pinot Noir.  But then I saw this one, a “White Merlot” my arm couldn’t resist grabbing it and putting it in my wine caddy. I do love a great Merlot! It was after that, that I realized what the price was. $4.97. Price doesn’t factor into my decision to TRY a wine, it may play a part when I decided to stock up on a wine.

So, today, I chilled this bottle, and poured a glass.

2009 Beringer White Merlot

Boy, it’s beautiful! the color is vibrant, not really pink, more of a light red. The nose is clean (translation: no mustiness) The flavor of watermelon and fresh raspberry is just so refreshing! The finish is smooth and creamy.

So, with a price tag of under $5.00 there is no reason not to try this wine!

 

Beringer 2009 White Merlot, California

$4.97 Corridor Wine, Laurel, Maryland

Posted in Merlot, Rose, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

An Independence Day Thank You Celebration!

Posted on July 2, 2011 by Wine Everyday

This weekend marks the 235th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence of the British Colonies in North America from Great Britain. The American Revolution War was, in essence, a global war between the European powers, fought on (then) British Soil, now, the good-ole USA.

Ok, so why the history lesson, this is supposed to be a wine blog!!! Well, in celebration of the 4th of July this Monday, today, we are giving a big thank you to the French for their part in the victory of our Independence. Thanks also go out to Spain and the Dutch Republic!

So, today we celebrate with a fantastic bottle of Chablis;

Domaine Chatelain Chablis, Burgundy France

2009 Domaine Chatelain. Georgeous straw color with lively lemon and mineral essence on the nose. Going in for a taste, there is a lot of fresh fruit, melon and lemon zest. The dry clean finish is unmistakably one of a quality Chablis.

Chablis is the region in Burgundy, France which exclusively grows Chardonnay grapes. The soil is packed with fossilized oyster shells which give the grapes the stoney, mineral flit character that make Chablis wine so distinctive.

If you are planning to explore Chablis wine, please, please, concentrate on French Chablis. Time and marketing has led other world wine producers to label any white wine Chablis, which may only mean that it has not been set in oak barrels. Any grapes could be used in those wines. When you encounter a Chablis from another region, flip that bottle over, and see what gapes are used. If it’s not Chardonnay, pass on it.

Paring with this beautiful bottle of Chablis,

Nicoise Salad

we are having a traditional Niçoise salad (pronounced ni’swaz). Beautiful grilled tuna steak with fresh salad, hard boiled eggs, French potato salad topped with Champagne Vinaigrette dressing.

Vive la America!

Domaine L. Chatelain

Chablis, Burgundy, France

$20 at Corridor Wine & Spirits, Laurel, Maryland

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YES! Even wine goes on sale!!

Posted on June 20, 2011 by Wine Everyday

We are aproaching the last few weeks before the summer heat sets in,

Winfield Estate Pinot Gris

when wine shippments come to a screatching hault. Why? Well, it’s too darn hot to ship those lovely bottles. What does a wine club do just before the summer sizzle sets in? They throw on a sale! That’s right, the same wine you love and receive from your wine club is now available with a case discount.

These wines are from Good Works Wine Club. You know I’ve reviewed their wines before, they are quality, crowd pleasing wines. Check out these bargins before the heat sets in. WWW.9dollarwine.com 

Cheers!

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