WINO 101

Hello friends and wine lovers!

For this newsletter and Friday Flight announcement I have for you a correction. I had stated that the Willamette Valley and the Burgundy region of France were lying on the 56th Parallel. I was a bit hasty in this, as I did not have my globe handy. I had suspected I was wrong and a friend pointed out that those regions are actually on the 45th Parallel. Sorry. My bad. What IS on the 56th Parallel is Fort Saint John in British Columbia, Glasgow in Scotland, and Moscow in Russia. As far as I know, there aren’t any Pinot Noirs of any significance that come from those regions.

On to this Friday’s topic: Zinfandel! A gnarly and strong varietal, and one the key wines of California (41st Parallel in the North to the 32nd Parallel in the South). In the books on wine that I have, there seems to be some speculation as to the origins. More to the point, people are a bit wishy-washy on whether or not the Zinfandel grape is actually the Primitivo grape of the Puglia region of Italy (40th Parallel). Some say it “has been identified” as the Primitivo, and some say “believed to be”. Scientifically speaking, that’s awfully vague. For argument’s sake, I have included one Primitivo in this Zin tasting. To my chagrin, it reads “Zinfandel” on the label, no doubt to avoid confusing the American market. In keeping with my Around the World theme, I’m featuring wines from all the regions (that I could find) that grow Zinfandel. Oregon (45th Parallel in the North to the 42nd Parallel in the South), California and Italy.

Tomorrow, Friday the 26th of September, from 4:30-9:00,
I will be pouring for you and all of your friends (hint, hint):

La Corte 2001 Anfora Zinfandel (Primitivo), Puglia, Italy
Ravenswood 1999 Zinfandel, Mendocino, California
Steele  1999 Zinfandel, Mendocino, California
Nalle 2000 Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma, California
Green & Red 2001 Chiles Valley Zinfandel, Napa, California

And the Extra 2:
Seghesio 2001 Home Ranch Zinfandel, Alexander Valley, Sonoma, California
Sineann 2000 Zinfandel, The Pines Vineyard, Columbia Valley, OR

Quite a bargain at $10 for the first 5, and $6 for the Extra 2.

I’m really excited about this one. It should be the best one yet.
(I know I said that last week. . .but I mean it even more this week!)
Feel free to bring crackers and cheese. Bread will be available.

Hope to see you here!
Seize the Wine!
M

Next week is Spanish Reds!

Hello friends and wine lovers! At long last, the tasting we’ve all been waiting for! Pinot Noir!

Once known simply as the noble grape of the Burgundy region, Pinot Noir is now also grown elsewhere. Like here. My intentions were certainly not to focus on Oregon Pinot Noir, yet it would be near to impossible not to include at least one. Many Oregon winemakers often boast about having the growing region that is on the 56th parallel, the same as Burgundy. I personally don’t see how that makes much of a difference, considering all the other factors taken into making wine, as well as considering all the other regions of the world ALSO on the same parallel. . .like Wisconsin. But you never hear anything about Wisconsin wine. Not anything good, anyway. Wisconsin, however, makes great cheese that goes well with Pinot Noir.

Wait, where was I? Ah, yes. Oregon. Other factors made it daft to try Pinot Noir in Oregon. Colder climate, shorter growing season, and the legendary rainfall. Long-story-short, people did it anyway, and the grape prospered, and the Oregonian wine-growers threw it in the faces of all those who said it couldn’t be done. Then, once an Oregon Pinot Noir beat a Burgundy in a blind tasting, the prices doubled and tripled. Burgundy and Oregon aside, Pinot Noirs are grown in many regions that are accustomed to cooler climates. I chose a smattering of what the world has to offer. It was all a tough choice, and only every other one is from Oregon.

Tomorrow, Friday the 19th of September, from 4:30-9:00,
I will be pouring for you and all of your friends (hint, hint):

Domaine Parigot 2000 Bourgogne Hautes-Cotes De Beaune, France
Cuneo 2001 Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon
Ninth Island 2002 Pinot Noir, Tazsmania, Australia
Idylwood 1999 Pinot Noir, Corral Creek Vineyard, Wilamette Valley, Oregon
Saint Claire 2001 Pinot Noir, Doctor’s Creek, New Zealand

And the Extra 2:
Chehalem 2001 Three Vineyard, Wilamette Valley, Oregon
and the one I couldn’t resist for the namesake. . .
Carpe Diem 2000 Pinot Noir, Firepeak Vineyard, Edna Valley, California

Quite a bargain at $10 for the first 5, and $6 for the Extra 2.

I’m really excited about this one. It should be the best one yet.
Feel free to bring crackers and cheese. Bread will be available.

Hope to see you here!
Seize the Wine!
M

Next week is Zinfandel!

Hello friends and wine lovers!

Considering this will be the last chilled tasting for the summer, barring any unnatural heatwave, I brought back the Best of the Summer Whites Flights: Viognier! You might be asking, “Gee, Mike, didn’t you just do Viognier, like, a month ago?” Yes. Yes I did. I thought I would give it one last go at my favorite white wine varietal, also considering the rapidly expanding popularity, and summer’s last hurrah before we head into Pinot Noir and Beaujolais in the autumn season.

This Friday, I am introducing and will have for sale Chocolate Truffles from Aphroditie’s Kisses, a new chocolatier in town. While, for you, chocolate may not match the characteristics of Viognier well, to me, chocolate goes with any beverage, barring maybe orange juice. As always I do have free bread available for the cleansing of the palate. I also encourage people to bring in their own cheese and crackers to accompany their flights.

Friday’s Lineup:
Gascon 2001 Viognier, Mendoza, Argentina
Jean Luc Columbo 2001 Viognier La Violette, Languedoc, France
Le Viognier du Pesquie 2001 Portes de mediterranee, France
Kunde Estates 1998 Viognier, California
Waterbrook 2002 Viognier, Washington

And the Extra 2:
Chateau Trignon 2001 Viognier, Cotes du Rhone, France
Viento 2002 Viognier, Oregon

This is the last chance to taste the Best of the Summer Whites for the low, low price of $10 for the first five, and $6 for the Premium Pours!

The pouring starts at 4:30PM, and continues until 9:00PM.

Hope to see you here!
Seize the Wine!
M

P.S. - If you were expecting Pinot Noir this week, I got a bit overzealous with my posters and handbills and placemats, and jumped a week ahead of schedule. Pardon the confusion.

Next week is the Noble Pinot Noir!

Hello friends and wine lovers!

This is one tasting not to miss featuring 7 Shiraz from Australia for under $10, and the tasting is only $8. More bang for the buck, is what I call it.

Under the most rudimentary definitions, if you happen to be unfamilliar, Shiraz is the same grape as Syrah, the star performer of France’s Northern Rhone. The wines tend to be large and powerful with a heaping mouthfull of fruit and spice. Personally, I find that the Australian versions of this varietal tend to be a bit more over-the-top, bolder and, if nothing else, much, much cheaper.

A friend recently asked me why some call the grape Shiraz, while others call it Syrah. After a bit of research, I found that there was no definate explanation for the name, either way. Most believe it was a grape that came from the city Shiraz in Persia (modern day Iran). Why Australia and South Africa call the grape Shiraz, and not France (where it is Syrah), the country that gave the other two regions the grape, is unclear. What is clear is why California wineries might call a wine Shiraz, rather than Syrah. . . .In a word: Marketing.

Friday’s Lineup:
Kanga’s Leap 2002 Shiraz
Andrew Peace 2002 Shiraz
McWilliams Hanwood Estate 2001 Shiraz
Barossa Valley Estate 2001 Spires Shiraz
Woop Woop 2001 Shiraz

And the Extra 2:
Grant Burge 2001 Shiraz
Yalumba “Y” 2001 Shiraz

The tasting is the low, low price of $8 for the first 5, and the low, low price of $3 for the Extra Two.

The pouring starts at 4:30PM, and continues until 9:00.

Hope to see you here!
Seize the Wine!
M