WINO 101

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

The weather in Portland is sunny and hot! It’s perfect white wine weather! And what area is better-known for their wonderful white wines? No, not Michigan, it’s the French Loire! I was secretly hoping for warmer weather for this tasting because it makes the Loire whites (predominantly Muscadet, Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc), so much more refreshing!

I actually do quite a bit of research for these tastings, to put together a decent lineup of interesting wines, affordably priced, and a reasonable cross section of the region or varietal. But if you know me by now, you also know I like the oddball wines, not being completely unlike an oddball myself. (The wine industry has its fair share of eccentrics. See Ralph Steadman.) If I have to ask myself, “They make wine THERE?!?”, then I will usually include it, just for fun. (See Moroccan wines.)

Granted, there is nothing oddball about the Loire, as far as I can tell. It’s situated in the northwest of France and makes predominantly white wines. What I am interested in, though, is what the red wines in a predominantly white wine area are like. Chinon is no surprise, for a red, as it’s the most common of the Loire reds, and that’s mostly what they make in Chinon (I suppose a Chinon white would be the oddball in this situation.) I was a little hard-pressed to find a Loire red wine, and finally came up with the Sancerre Rouge. I’ve always wanted to try one, so here we go! Long live the Underdog!

Also of note is that critics have said that the 2002 vintage of the Loire has been the best performance in 25 years! Many wines have not been released yet, but I grabbed what I could. Enjoy!

So Friday, April 30th, between 4:30 and 9:00 PM it’s:

Loire!
Yves Provost 2002 Muscadet Sevre et Maine
Domaine Pichot 2001 Vouvray “Coteaux de la Biche”
Jouget 2001 Chinon “Les Petits Roches”
Patient Cottat 2002 Sancerre Vielle Vignes
Henri Bourgeois 2002 Sancerre Rouge

The Extra-Special Premium Pours:
Chateau Yvonne 1999 Saumur
Pascal Jolivet 2001 Pouilly-Fume

A good deal at $10 for the first 5, and $6 for the Extra 2 Premium Pours.
Hope to see you here!
Seize the Wine!

Next week is the Wines of Italy’s Sicily!
M

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

The time has come once again for a visit from the Almighty Zin! It’s a wine of American Heritage which, much like most other things in this country, was brought here and flourished.

Yes, the Almighty Zin has its roots (origins, not the plant-like roots, specifically) in Italy as the Primitivo grape. Many scholors, botanists and wine enthusiasts (three COMPLETELY different groups) all see Zinfandel in a somewhat shady area (metaphorically speaking, not physically. Zin prefers full sun to grow). It seems these three groups are trying to piece together the puzzle of the grape’s history. It was brought to California, presumably some time during the Gold Rush. . .also presumably by one of the Gold Rushers. . .and in hindsight, probably one of the Gold Rushers from Italy.

At least that’s what I thought I knew by the wine books I’ve read. It’s what I knew yesterday, but just like any History, as soon as you “know” History - It changes. New information from the Zinfandel Advocates & Producers (ZAP) website (”NEW” by the standards of newer-than-the-history-in-my-wine-books), indicate that these well-known facts of Zinfandel, and its relation to Primitivo are either false or misleading.

NOW, what we know about Zin:
1) Although Zinfandel and Primitivo are genetically the same, almost two centuries of growth on different continents has produced quite different wines. So Italian Primitivo marketed as Zinfandel is misleading.
2) New studies have shown that California did not get the grape from Italy, but most likely from a vine collection in Vienna. . .and the grape’s true origins are most likely from Croatia.
3) The first signs of gold found in California was in January of 1848, and the Gold Rush happened more around the following May, and lasted until about 1857. The first appearances of Zinfandel, as we know it, were more around the 1820-1854. there’s a little overlap with the Gold Rush, but most likely coincidence with extra settling in California.
4) Although I share a name with the illustrious wine producer and big-time Zinfandel advocate Paul Draper from Ridge Vineyards, there is no known relation. Of course, that’s a shady area too. But it was enough reason for me to add a Ridge Zinfandel to the tasting!

So Friday, April 23rd, between 4:30 and 9:00 PM it’s:

The Almighty Zin!
Rosenblum NV XXV Vintner’s Cuvee Zinfandel
Legal Zin 2001
Toad Hollow 2001 Cacophony Zinfandel
Joel Gott 2002 Zinfandel
Ridge 2001 Three Valleys Zinfandel

The Extra-Special Premium Pours:
Cosentino 2001 The Zin
Dasche 2001 Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel

Next week is the Wines of the French Loire!
M

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

Happy “Tax Day”! And for those of us, myself included, who didn’t get our taxes figured out by today, welcome to the first day of the rest of your extension! Ugh, I say. And double-ugh.

For those of you getting a refund and looking to celebrate, or for those of you sending that refund directly to Multnomah County and looking to mourn the loss, we’re tasting the fine wines of the French region Languedoc and Rousillon this Friday!

The region is the furthest South in France, and borders the Mediterranean Sea, which means plenty of ripe fruit, Syrah, Grenache and other fruity-spicy red grape varietals. It seems most of the output of the region that we see tends to be Coteaux du Languedoc and Vin de Pays, the latter being French country wines of a more general origin. It’s plenty easy to throw together a tasting of just the Coteaux or Vin de Pays, but that doesn’t seem to get the variety I’m after. I searched far and wide (or at least as far and as wide as my file cabinet, where the wine books are) for the specific examples of the wine growing regions of Languedoc-Rousillon, and turned up 7 superb examples of the top appelations of the region, Minervois, Costieres de Nimes, Cotes de Rousillon, Saint Chinian, Corbieres, and Collioure! Well, and ONE Coteaux du Languedoc thrown in for good measure. . .

So Friday, April 16th, between 4:30 and 9:00 PM it’s:

Languedoc-Rousillon!
Coupe Roses 2001 Minervois
Domaine Campagnol 2001 Costieres de Nimes
Mas Cremat 2001 Cotes du Rousillon
Canet Valette 1999 Saint Chinian
Domaine Fonsainte 1999 Corbieres Demoiselle

The Extra-Special Premium Pours:
Domaine du Mas Blanc 1999 Collioure “Les Junquets”
Domaine du Mas de Martin 2001 Coteaux du Languedoc “Ultreia”

A good deal at $10 for the first 5, and $6 for the Extra 2 Premium Pours.
Hope to see you here!
Seize the Wine!

Next week is the Almighty Zinfandel!
M

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

It’s time, once again, to visit our wonderful friends in Spain! This week it’s Spanish reds. . .and one Spanish Pink! Well, it’s more of a reddish pink. More red than pink, but still not quite red. But I digress. We’ll call it “Rosato.”

My direct exposure to the Spanish wine world was a brief visit to the Sherry region in Southwestern Spain. Not speaking much Spanish, the only wines I could order while I was there was Una Cervesa, which is a fizzy, yellow wine made with hops and barley and Una Mas Cervesa, which was much like the previous one, only seemed somehow better. Sherry, the Sherry region’s hallmark wine (. . .) is a completely different style of wine I am destined to learn more about another day, and a different tasting. The different styles of Sherry that I’ve tried ranged from almond-flavored-paint-thinner to watered-down-maple-flavored-syrup. I imagine there are better Sherries out there, considering that people drink them, so I won’t rule them out as all bad, but for this tasting I’ll just rule them out.

Sherry aside, Spanish wines have become my new favorites. In the past (perhaps quite a while in the past) most of the Spanish wines I had were probably from Spain’s most famous region, Rioja, which are made with the Tempranillo grape, and tend to be lighter-bodied. I found the wines a bit lackluster and thin. Since then, the Spanish wine industry has experienced continuous growth, and on our end of things we’ve been exposed to more interesting and far better wines than the lackluster Riojas of days past. With that in mind, I’ve skipped Rioja altogether, to experience some of the lesser known, but certainly not “lesser” regions of Spain.

Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of excellent Riojas out there, and in the near future, I’ll put together a full Rioja tasting, to see how things are progressing over there. Until then, enjoy other Spanish Reds! Better than Rioja!

So Friday, April 9th, between 4:30 and 9:00 PM it’s:

Spanish Reds! Better Than Rioja!
Jane’ Ventura 2002 Rosato, Penedes
Castano 2002 Monastrel, Yecla
Penascal 2000 Tempranillo, Castilla y Leon
Ilagares 2000 Sellecion, Navarra
Agapito Rico 2002 Carchello, Jumilla

The Extra-Special Premium Pours:
Jane’ Ventura 2001 Margallo, Penedes
Alejandro Fernandez 2000 El Vinculo, La Mancha

A good deal at $10 for the first 5, and $6 for the Extra 2 Premium Pours.
Hope to see you here!
Seize the Wine!

Next week is French Wines of the Languedoc/Rousillion!
M

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

This week we’re getting one of my favorites! Australian Shiraz!

Honestly, I think there’s nothing to dislike about Australian Shiraz. For any of you who have missed previous newsletters about the varietal, Shiraz is the same grape as Syrah, the star player in France’s Northern Rhone, and quite an important component in Southern Rhone, and flourishes in warmer climates. It’s been the hallmark of Australia’s wine economy, and has helped push the country to be #1 in worldwide wine exports, just surpassing Italy. That being said, there’s some great values out there in the Aussie Shiraz market, and there are also some legendary Shiraz out there, like the Penfolds Grange in the Boy-This-Had-Better-Be-Good or I’m-A-Rock-n-Roll-Star price range. (About $200). Understandably, I won’t be pouring that one, as much as I’d love to. I guess I’ll have to sell a few more records. . .

Disposable-income wines aside, I’ve thrown together some of the more affordable top-of-the-line Shiraz, mostly from the 2002 vintage, which is the best vintage in about 5 years. Also, just for kicks, I’ll be pouring a Sparkling Shiraz, which is a real head-turner. Most of the Shirazzy Sparklers retail for about double the price of this one (under $20), and sell out quickly, so it’s one not to be missed!

So Friday, April 2nd, between 4:30 and 9:00 PM it’s:

Australian Shiraz!
Piping Shrike 2002 Shiraz, Barossa Valley, South Australia
Rockbare 2002 Shiraz, McLarren Vale, South Australia
Cimicky 2002 Trumps Shiraz, Barossa Valley, South Australia
Hugo Estate 2000 Shiraz, McLarren Vale, South Australia
Fox Creek NV Vixen Sparkling Shiraz, McLarren Vale, South Australia

The Extra-Special Premium Pours:
Kangarilla Road 2002 Shiraz, McLarren Vale, South Australia
Mitolo 2002 Jester Shiraz, McLarren Vale, South Australia

A good deal at $10 for the first 5, and $6 for the Extra 2 Premium Pours.
Hope to see you here!
Seize the Wine!

Next week is Spanish Reds (and Maybe a White or Two)!
M