WINO 101

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

Welcome, once again to the Weekly Wine Alert of Stellar Australian Wines in America! (WWASAWA) This week at Carpe Vinum we’re celebrating the Memorial Day Weekend with the kickoff flights of some fine Australian wines! Always a stellar lineup in any order, these are some fine, and way-tasty examples of what the Aussies are doing down under.

So why Aussie wines? Well, in short, when we think of Memorial Day Weekend what do we memorialize? I always think of having a barbeque. And when we think of barbeque, we’re of course reminded of the old Aussie cliché, (which I’m sure the Aussies are getting pretty sick of) of throwing a “Shrimp on the Barbie”. And when we think of throwing Shrimp on the Barbie (literalists aside, picturing seafood thrown onto popular toys), we think of Memorial Day. And when we think of Memorial Day we. . .oh, wait. . .hmm. . .circular logic. Start over!

So when we throw the Barbie on the grill for Memorializing the Shrimp. . .and. . .uh. Dang.

So Memorial Day is a day of remembering things. Which things, I don’t rightly remember, but it must have something to do with 24-Hour Sales events at your local (Fill-in-the-Blank) Store, and wine events down in Wine Country. And if the Willamette Valley is the Heart of Wine Country, Carpe Vinum here in Portland is in the Brains of Wine Country! (See, being at the top of the valley, like the head and. . .get it? Oh, never mind.) At any rate, I’ll be grilling this weekend. But first I’ll be testing out some new tasty Australian selections! And nothing tastes better with grilled things than these Awesome Aussie wines.

In this awesome lineup I got one white wine, a tasty Semillon, a few stellar blends, an Old Vine Grenache (one of my favorites) and a Shiraz from Two Hands that is just as smooth as silk. Or just as smooth as something that is smooth as silk. Like faux-silk.
So Friday, May 27th, between 4:30 and 9:00 PM it’s:

Australia!
Margan 2003 Semillon, Hunter Valley, New South Wales
Thorn Clarke 2002 Shotfire Ridge Cuvee (Cab Sauv, Cab Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot), Barossa, S.A.
Cimicky Trumps 2002 Trumps Grenache/Shiraz, Barossa, South Australia
Black Chook 2004 Shiraz/Viognier, McLarren Vale, South Australia
Ross Estate 2002 Old Vine Grenache, Barossa, South Australia

Australia Too!!
Torbreck 2003 Cuvee Juveniles (Grenache, Shiraz, Mataro), Barossa, South Australia
Two Hands 2004 Angel’s Share Shiraz, McLarren Vale, South Australia

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 The Wines of New Zealand!

M

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

This week were heading back to the Southern Hemisphere again with the wonderful wines of Argentina! A few months ago I had a tasting of South American wines which, really when you think about it, is just Chile and Argentina. (Since the Peruvian wines aren’t imported that often, and the products of the other South American countries are mostly smuggled into the country). During that tasting I was just reminded of how disappointed I usually am with the wines from Chile, no matter what the critics and “Professionals” happen to say. They say Chile is a good value. . .but how good of a value is it to buy a cheap wine you can finally admit you don’t want to drink?

However, what I discovered during that tasting, is the Argentinean wine market is exporting better and more interesting wines than Chile. The signature Malbec and Torrontes grape varietals are tasting awesome, and winemakers are creating more interesting blends and creative packaging. . .Which is important, y’know. Most experts won’t admit that a pretty label does make a wine taste better! I believe it’s something about the osmosis of the good mojo of a feel-good label seeping through the glass of the bottle, enchanting it with the magicalness of good graphic design. . .Maybe I’m wrong. But maybe not.

Anyway, the lesson learned here is that there is no reason to force the Chile issue if Argentina is surpassing Chile in quality and value. So until I can see that Chile is getting its collective act together, Argentina will be the Carpe Vinum ambassador to South America.

And speaking of lessons learned, a couple weeks ago I was slated to have a musician in here to compliment the wine tasting. Of course, with the guy being a no-show, I thought I might book a musicians who won’t forget to show up! And those musicians are guitarist/singer William James, percussionist Jason Mockley, and Violaist (Violalist? Vilelololist? She plays Viola. . .Voila!) Eve James! They will be here tomorrow to set the mood for these wonderful Argentinean wines. Perhaps they’ll play “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina”. . .or at least Don Gato. (If you don’t know, you’ll find out. . .)

So Friday, May 20th, between 4:30 and 9:00 PM it’s:

Don’t Whine For Me Argentina!
La Yunta 2004 Torrontes, Famatina Valley, La Rioja
Lo Tengo 2002 Malbec, Mendoza
Carlos Basso 2001 Dos Fincas (Cabernet/Malbec), Mendoza
Crios de Susana Balbo 2002 Syrah/Bonarda, Mendoza
Mapema 2003 Tempranillo, Mendoza

Argentina Too!!
Tikal 2003 Patriota (Bonarda, Malbec), Mendoza
O Fournier 2001 B Crux (Tempranillo, Merlot, Malbec), Valle de Uco

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 The Wines of Australia!

M

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

Welcome, once again, to the Carpe Vinum Weekly Tasting Newsletter! This week is just as exciting as always: Wines of South Africa! This is a lesser-known wine region, but is growing in leaps and bounds like a kangaroo. . but that’s an Australian wine industry simile. Perhaps leaps and bounds like a leaping and bounding. . um. . ostrich. As far as I know, ostriches can leap. Mainly I deduce that from the trivia tidbit that the elephant is the only animal in the world that can’t jump. South Africa does have elephants. But the market is growing in leaps and bounds like a leaping ostrich, not like an elephant. . .roving and plodding along, trampling everything in its path. That would be a bad simile. But I digress.

As well as leaping-and-bounding like the Australian wine market, South Africa is the other area of the world that refers to Syrah as Shiraz, without the underlying marketing scheme insinuation. Also, like Australia, wine snobs are making fun of them for featuring so many animals on the labels (but also not making fun of the other wines in the world for referring to Syrah as Shiraz: A more “acceptable” marketing ploy.) An odd fact, though, is that South Africa has more vineyards planted than Australia. A good portion of that juice actually goes towards Grape Juice Concentrate. They’re the top exporter of that concentrated juice! Plain grape juice is fine and good, but we’re really just concerned with the fermented kind.

South Africa is most well-known for their Chenin Blanc, the most widely planted grape in the region, and Pinotage, a hybrid grape resulting from the crossing of Cinsault and Pinot Noir. Pinotage is the grape that is exclusive to the region, and the defining grape of the South African style. However, since the removal of overly-restrictive wine laws (passed by an also-overly-restrictive governing body, now deposed) the wine industry has more freedom, and there have been more plantings of traditionally-known grape varieties that are now coming into harvesting age. We can look forward to more decent Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlots, among others.

But what we have here for tomorrow, is all of what they do best! A Chenin Blanc, that has performed superbly for me in the past. A couple of stellar Shirazes. The obligatory tasty Pinotage. And several of the excellent blended reds, including the immensely popular Goats do Roam in Villages and the soon-to-be-completely-sold-out Faithful Hound from Mulderbosch. Did I mention they’re all tremendous values, as well?

So Friday, May 13th, between 4:30 and 9:00 PM it’s:

Wonderful Wines of South Africa!
Kanu 2003 Chenin Blanc, Stellenbosch
Warthog 2004 Shiraz, Breede River Valley
Excelsior 2004 Shiraz, Breede River Valley
Kumkani 2003 Pinotage, Stellenbosch
Fairview 2004 Goats do Roam in Villages, Paarl

More Wonderful Wines of South Africa!
Mont du Toit 1999 Red Wine (Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot), Western Cape
Mulderbosch 2001 Faithful Hound (Merlot, Cab Sauv, Cab Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec), Stellenbosch

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 The Wines of Argentina!

M

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

Welcome again to the Carpe Vinum Weekly Newsletter Thingy! This week we’re tasting the Wonderful Wines of Northeast Italy! If the geographic shape of Italy is akin to a “Boot”, these wines come from the top 1980’s-Style-Legwarmer-Part-of-the-”Boot”. . .the Eastern side of the Legwarmer. If that’s too esoteric of an explanation, then it’s the subregions of Trentino-Alto Adige, Friuli and fair Veneto. The region is fairly close to Austria, so occasionally there is an Austrian influence on the wines. Like the Schwarzenegger-ness strength of some of the reds. (Arnold, remember, was Austrian).

Normally when pouring wines from this region, I try to pour at least one Amarone. It’s a powerhouse of a wine with a powerhouse of a price tag. So this time around I was unable to find an Amarone that was under the mid-$50 range, so I’ve gotten the next-best thing: Valpolicella! Hopefully Amarone can make another appearance soon!

And speaking of missed appearances, if any of you were expecting Guitar music last week, so was I. It seems in a guitarist-like fashion, he forgot about the gig. (That’s a regular-guitarist fashion. . .not lead-guitarist fashion. They’re another story. Some of you will know what I’m talking about.) It turns out that in the forgetting about the gig, he went to see Sideways. Almost poetic. . .and so many possibilities for jogging the memory. We’ll get him in here another time.

What we do have on the special-event schedule for tomorrow, though, is new Artwork for the Carpe Vinum walls! This evening we’re putting up a photography exhibit of student works from the Oregon College of Arts and Craft! And this time, for my own credibility’s sake, I hope this special event shows up in time!

What I can guarantee, though, are the following extra-tasty wines from the Northeast of Italy!

(Oh. . and Happy Cinco de Mayo!)

So Friday, Seis de Mayo (May 6th), between 4:30 and 9:00 PM it’s:

Wonderful Wines of Northeast Italy!
Inama 2003 Soave Classico, Veneto
Tommaso Bussola 2003 Valpolicella BG, Veneto
Maculan 2002 Brentino Rosso, Veneto IGT
Tramin 2003 Lagrein, Alto Adige
Girolamo Dorigo 2002 Cabernet Franc, Friuli

More Wonderful Wines of Northeast Italy!
Le Ragose 2001 Valpolicella Classico Superiore, Veneto
Castell Sallegg-Graf Kuenburg 1999 Rosso Conte Kuenburg, Tentino-Alto Adige

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 The Wines of South Africa!