WINO 101

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

Here we are on the brink of the Holidays, and this Friday is the final Carpe Vinum Friday Flight of 2004! (Since the following two Fridays are Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.) So we’re going out with a bang! Or at least a series of “Pops,” considering it’s the Annual Celebratory Sparkling Tasting! I’m bringing 7 wonderful bubblies from around the world to the tasting as a celebration of another year, and a little taste test for what would best suit the impending festivities!

Sparkling wine is made worldwide, and no region is better known for these effervescent delicacies as Champagne in France. According to Historical records, the first mention of bubbly wine (made intentionally) was by the English, although the process was perfected and institutionalized by the French (French monks. . .one by the name Dom Perignon. . .sound familiar?).

Effervescence in wine occurs naturally as a second fermentation in the bottle if there are enough live yeasts and sugars to feed the yeasts that give off the carbon dioxide that forms the bubbles under pressure. Although the process can be accidental, producing a flawed wine, with Champagne and other sparklers it is quite intentional. The wines are blended, and yeasts and sugar are added to the bottles, add a little magic and some time and more process than I care to mention here, and there you have it! Pop! Spritz! Fizz!

Almost every wine growing region has their own sparkling wine, most done in the traditional “Methode Champanoise,” but many regions have their own flair, or trademark, making it their own particular sparkler. Spain’s Cava from the Penedes region follows the traditional method, but uses native Spanish grape varietals, Macabeo, Parellada and Xarello. Italy’s Veneto region has Prosecco made with the Prosecco grape (go figure), and is actually cask fermented, rather than bottle fermented, to produce the Frizziante (bubbles).

There is, still, another style used in a few places which utilizes the far more time-efficient method of injecting carbon dioxide to the wine, in the same manner as sodapop or (non-cask-conditioned) beer. I can’t really say this is a very noble effort, but you know.. .all work and no play, yada yada, and so on. Therefore I will also have on-hand the new Sparkling White Wine from Sofia Coppola, sold in little cans with tiny straws. A bit kitschy and cute, but fairly tasty. . .and at $5 a pop, you can’t go wrong. . . but it might be considered an affront to all the “legitimate” sparkling wine producers. But, hey. . .it’s fun to rock the boat sometimes.

So Friday, December 17th, between 4:30 and 9:00 PM it’s:

Beauteous Bodacious Bottles of Bountiful Bubbles!
Trevisiol 2003 Prosecco, Veneto, Italy
Codorniu NV Cuvee Reventos Cava, Penedes, Spain
Pierre Jourdan NV Methode Classique Brut, Franschoek, South Africa
Rene Mure NV Cremant D’Alsace, Alsace, France
Argyle 1999 Brut, Willamette Valley, Oregon

The Extra-Special Premium Pours:
J 1998 Brut, Russian River, California
Duval-Leroy NV Cuvee Paris, Champagne, France

And the Super-Kitschy Oddball $5 Canned “Pop” With a Straw:
Sofia Mini Blanc de Blancs, California

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

Next Friday tasting is “Whatever you’re having in your own home with friends and/or family!” That’s what I’ll be doing! . . .Well, not with your family, of course. . .unless I’m invited. . .but I’m kinda busy that night, already, thanks! But if you happen to need something for your own special occasion, that’s what I’m here for!

(I.E. – No tasting here on Christmas Eve or the following Friday on New Year’s Eve. We will be open for a few hours on Christmas Eve, for those last-minute wine needs!)

M

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

The Holidays are upon us, and quickly approaching. It seems like just yesterday it was. . .well, Wednesday. And the most important date of the year is quickly approaching: The release of the Extended Version of Lord of the Rings: Return of the King DVD Box Set! (Hint, hint. . .for anyone pondering gift ideas. . .). I’m sure that’s the date all of you were thinking too. I mean, think of all the stuff they must have taken out of the feature film to keep from having an intermission. Does anyone do intermissions anymore? Moot point.

But speaking of gifts. . .was I speaking of gifts? (Hinting again. . .) This is the perfect time of year for wine. Holiday parties, gifts for the cellar, and a little something to drown out the Holiday soundtracks stuck in your head from too much time at the mall. And I have just the thing! Well, just hundreds of these things, but more specifically 7 new things for this week’s tasting! Red wines from one of my favorite regions: OUR region. Our own back yard again, The Pacific Northwest.

I’ve assembled an assortment of great valued wines, oddball varietals (lemberger and tempranillo), and found some of the best Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley! And quite specifically, these are great wines for holiday parties, gifts for the cellar, and a little something to drown out the Holiday soundtracks stuck in your head from too much time at the mall, respectively.

So Friday, December 10th, between 4:30 and 9:00 PM it’s:

Wonderful Reds of the Wonderful Northwest!
Shooting Star 2003 Blue Franc (Lemberger), Yakima Valley, Washington
Sunset Road 2002 Merlot, Columbia Valley, Washington
Kamiakin 2002 Bordeaux-Style, Yakima Valley, Washington
Willow Crest 2002 Syrah, Yakima Valley, Washington
Abacela 2002 Tempranillo “Umpqua Reserve”, Umpqua Valley, Oregon

The Extra-Special Premium Pours:
Brooks 2002 Janus Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon
Patricia Green 2002 Oregon Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon

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

Next Friday tasting is Celebratory Sparklers!

***Also, the Carpe Vinum Lost and Found Bin has 1 new item from last Friday. A pair of gloves. (2 new items, to be more specific). They don’t fit me, so I’d be happy to give them back to their rightful owner. I’ll know who you are by the cold hands, I suppose.***

M

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

Welcome back to yet another triumphant return of the Carpe Vinum Friday Flights! I guess being gone for just one weekend isn’t really that much of a return to triumph over, but nevertheless, we’re back with a bang!

(Insert “Bang!” here)

Yes, once again it’s the wonderful and powerful reds from Spain! (To which I reiterate. . .Bang!) And more bang for the buck is also what I like about Spanish wines. . .at least for now. It’s only a matter of time before everyone realizes the values of these powerful wines, and raises the prices unreasonably high as a result. The Euro, on the other hand, might do that on its own. So let’s get gettin’ while the gettin’s good!

There is no denying Spain is hot right now. Wine magazines have recently featured cover stories around the region, focusing attention on several of the region’s hardest hitters: Ribera del Duero, and Priorat (and Rioja, but that just seems to be old-hat to me). I find that Ribera del Duero is a bit more affordable, if a little hit-and-miss on the quality, but Priorat is one of my favorite massive power wines. Wines from Priorat tend to be on the pricy side, so I get pretty excited when one appears that won’t max out the credit card. And so, at that, I found two of them this time. One of them actually retails for just under $9! The rest are just delicious!

So Friday, December 3rd, between 4:30 and 9:00 PM it’s:

Wonderful Reds of Spain, Again!
Juan Gil 2003 Wrongo Dongo, Jumilla
Bodegas Martin Berdugo 2003 Joven, Ribera del Duero
Vinicola del Priorat 2003 Onix, Priorat
Castell dei Remei 2001 Gotim Bru, Costers del Segre
Castano 2002 Solanera, Yecla

The Extra-Special Premium Pours:
Bodegas y Vinedos del Jalon 2001 Pago San Miguel, Catalyud
Scala Dei 2000 Caroixa, Priorat

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

Next Friday tasting is Northwest Reds!
M