WINO 101

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

Welcome to the Carpe Vinum Friday Flights announcement! This week we’re visiting with our old friend Crljenak Kastelanski which, by the more common name is Zinfandel! The longer and more unpronouncable name is how scientists refer to the grape after identifying it as the one that has its origins on the Dalmation Coast of Croatia. Knowing that, doesn’t Crljenak Kastelanski sound like an old friend? It’s your old Croatian friend that’s coming to dinner! To be consumed! Okay. .that doesn’t sound like a nice thing to do to a friend at all, but this friend wouldn’t have it any other way. Zinfandel is the big, strong, fruity and spicy red wine that helped put California on the map.

If any of you respond to that statement with “Oh! They make it in RED too?”, I might chuckle a bit, uncomfortably, but still put all pretentiousness aside. The pink stuff known as “White Zinfandel” is often the first stuff we are exposed to, so we naturally think of that as the original. I think we’ve all been at that point once in our lives. We’ve all, at some time or another, been victims to the giant wineries with their giant advertising campaigns and their giant jugs of pink wines of which we were forced to drink too much of while visiting a college girlfriend at her grandmother’s place in a trailer park in Northern Idaho only to become quite ill later in the evening. We’ve all been there, right? Right? Anyone? Hm. . .

Today, however, I’m here to set the record straight. Zinfandel is red. White Zinfandel is not white, and is not necessarily always Zinfandel either. It’s perfectly okay to like the “White Zinfandel,” but I will still try to talk you out of it. The rest of you, though, already know the Zin, and most of you love it like I do. That’s why I do these Zin tastings so often. It’s a wine for the people. It’s easy to love, good with just about any meal (depending on what’s for breakfast) and it has a cult following with its own society. (ZAP! Zinfandel Advocates and Producers).

So here’s a wonderful selection of Zins! And a few of them have extra-noteworthy points. The Ehlers Estate Zinfandel was previously only available through the tasting room at the winery in California. Now it’s only available there and in Oregon. The Wineglass Cellars Zinfandel is fruit grown in California, but the wine was made in Washington. That kinda makes it a Northwest Zin, doesn’t it? Also of note is the Norman Vineyards Zinfandel. It’s called “The Monster”!

Let me say that again. “The Monster!” Grrr. . .sounds cool, doesn’t it?

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

Crljenak Kastelanski!
Castle Rock 2004 Zinfandel, Sonoma
Mount Aukum 2003 Zinfandel, El Dorado
Norman Vineyards 2003 “The Monster” Zinfandel, Paso Robles
Wineglass Cellars “Batch 1″ Zinfandel, Lodi
Opolo Vineyards 2004 Zinfandel, Lake County

A.K.A. Zinfandel!!
Ehlers Estate 2002 Zinfandel, Napa Valley
Limerick Lane 2002 Collins Vineyard Zinfandel, Russian River

Next Friday tasting is Wines of South America!

M

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

Welcome to the Carpe Vinum Friday Flights announcement! This week we’re heading to Spain again, as it has quickly become my favorite region in the world for the wines they produce. There are so many new and exciting wines produced here, that I could present wines from Spain every Friday, and never get bored, and never run out wines to try. If only Spain had a yearly bike race that I could follow around the regions. . .hm. . .Tour D’Espagna! Well, as a mini tour, without the bikes, I always like to have representatives from some of the better regions around Spain.

This time I’ve added a few interesting things into the mix, as well as touching on a few favorites. We’ve got a really good white wine from Rueda made from the Verdejo grape. Up until recently (in the grand scheme of things. . .within the last few dozen years) Verdejo was used to make “rancio” wines. That is to say, directly translated, “rancid” wines. Verdejo is such a delicate grape that spoils so quickly, it only made oxidized wines. With modern refrigeration and inert gasses, the grapes are chilled and kept from oxygen from the time they leave the vine to the time you open the bottle, all to protect the delicate flavors.

Also, we have a wine from the Utiel-Requena that has undergone “carbonic maceration”. Besides sounding really cool, and the fact that it’s a lot of fun to say, carbonic maceration is like the immaculate conception for wine. Whereas the grapes are normally crushed and fermentation through wild or added yeasts occurs, in carbonic maceration the grapes are left whole in sealed vats. The grape juice ferments while still inside the skins, and eventually the gasses produced within the grapes make the grapes explode. The regular fermentation occurs while under the gasses produced by the first fermentation. And did I mention it’s fun to say? But not as fun to say as “carbonic semi-maceration”, considering the extra 2 syllables. I guess it’s just me.

From there we have a Cava, which, of course, is the Spanish answer for Champagne. I think we’re all pretty familiar with sparkling wine, so there’s not much need for explanation there. . .Except if I get to use the word “disgorgement” in a sentence. That word is also fun to say. (It’s the process where the yeast sediment in a bottle of sparkling wine is removed from the bottle by freezing the necks where the sediment has settled, and removing the caps that have sealed the bottle. The pressure from inside the bottle is enough to eject the sediment without losing much wine. At that point the traditional sparkling wine cork is inserted.)

So now we’ve all learned something today: That as well as a wine geek, I’m also a word geek. The rest of the wines featured in this tasting might not have these extended stories or methods to go with them, but they’re among my favorites: Ribera del Duero, Rioja and Priorat!

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

Spain!
Dona Beatriz 2003 Verdejo, Rueda
Bohigas NV Gran Reserva Brut, Cava
Bodegas Iranzo 2003 Mi Nina, Utiel Requena
Bodegas Altanza 2002 Lealtanza Capitoso, Rioja
Scala Dei 2003 Priorat Negre, Priorat

More Spain!! The Exquisite Ribera del Duero!!
Corona de Castilla 2001 Prestigo, Ribera del Duero
Alejandro Fernandez 2002 Condado de Haza, Ribera del Duero

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 Zinfandel!

M

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

Welcome to this week’s Wine Announcement of the Week for Carpe Vinum! This week we’re tasting my favorite red wine varietal: Grenache! (pronunciation: gren-ASH) Why is it one of my favorites? Well, let’s look at the etymology of the word “Grenache”. The first part of the word, “GREN-” comes from the root for the word “Explosive” like in the word “Grenade”. The second part, “-ACHE” comes from a sneeze. So obviously it means that it’s a grape that produces a wine with an explosive characteristic and is as exhilarating as a good sneeze!

Alright. . .so that’s not entirely true, except in my own imaginary world. I was unable to find the real reasons of why most grapes are named what they are, but if it makes a difference, the word “Grenade” comes from the Middle French word for “Pomegranate”, which might have something to do with the Grenache grape flavor. It’s pure speculation. . .but I digress.

Grenache is the most widely planted grape in the world, (last time I checked), and is responsible for some of the world’s best wines. It is the star player in Spain, particularly in Rioja, where in some of the wines old vine Grenache stands alone. It is largely responsible for the most prestigious wines of the Southern Rhone in France, in the “humble” regions of Chateauneuf du Pape, Gigondas, and Cotes du Rhone, as well as offering soothing flavor characteristics to some of the Northern Rhone Syrahs. It is planted widely elsewhere in the world, predominantly for the purposes of blending, also due to the fact that it is a very high-yielding grape. Many producers are creating a buzz for the Rhone-style blends in New World markets, like the self-proclaimed “Rhone Rangers” in California and numerous houses in Australia.

The flavors are powerful, fruity, and spicy with possible characteristics of blackberry, black currants, dried fruit and in more aged Grenaches wines there can be aromas of spice, leather, and tobacco. Around the world it can be known by different names. In Spain it can be referred to as “Garnacha.” In Italy it is called “Cannonau.” In France sometimes it’s known as “Grenache Noir” (which isn’t much of a stretch at all, is it?) And here in Oregon it’s simply known as delicious! I’ve put together, here, 7 stellar examples from around the world of my favorite explosively-exhilarating red wine varietal!

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

Gren-ACHE-CHOO!!
Bodegas Marco Real 2003 Garnacha, Toro, Spain
Bodegas y Vinedos del Jalon 2003 Old Vine Grenache, Calatayud, Spain
Bodegas Borsao 2003 Tres Picos Garnacha, Campo de Borja, Spain
Bonny Doon 2003 Clos de Gilroy Grenache, California
Mitchell 2001 The Growers Grenache, Clare Valley, Australia

Bless you! Grenache Too!
Ross Estate 2002 Old Vine Grenache, Barossa Valley, Australia
Abacela 2003 Grenache, Umpqua Valley, Oregon

Next Friday tasting is Wines of Spain!

M

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

Is it Thursday already? Ah, those three day weekends. . .always leaving you one day behind. So if it’s Thursday, it must be time for the Carpe Vinum Weekly Newsletter and Tasting Advance Notice!! I hope the Labor Day found all of you happy and not working. Personally, I was working hard. Working hard at trying as many wines as I could, in as short a time, at as many wineries in Walla Walla as possible! (Hey, whoever said hard work couldn’t be fun too?) It sounds like a tough job, but hey, it’s my first almost-completely-tax-deductible vacation. I mean, it is research, right? So, anyway, I got wine on my mind but I’m still a day behind.

That said, I had Washington wines all weekend, which is research for future tastings, but this week we will be tasting the fine wines of South Africa! Considering the heat that continues to bake the Northwest, I thought it would still be appropriate to be pouring some of the white wines from South Africa. The previous South African tastings have been very red-centric, but white wine is possibly what the South Africans do best. They have some stunning Sauvignon Blancs and some wonderful Chenin Blancs. And, of course, that’s a bit of what I’ve got for you here, among other jaw-droppers and slurpers. (Please finish slurping before jaw-dropping. It gets messy, otherwise.)

Also, among these wines is one I tried recently that is drinking really, really good right now, and I got it on a screaming deal. It’s the Mont du Toit 1999 Red Blend. Initially priced at $30 per bottle, I have it down to $19.95, and it’s all worth it. And I got the remainder of what is left in town. . .so there you go: A Carpe Vinum exclusive! I’m pretty excited about all these. Yes, even after tasting through a 5 or 6 dozen wines this weekend. That must be a good sign!

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

South Africa!!
Kanu 2004 Chenin Blanc, Stellenbosch
Goats do Roam 2003 Blanc, Western Cape
Buitenverwachting 2004 “Beyond” Sauvignon Blanc, Constantia
Guardian Peak 2002 Frontier (Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Merlot), Western Cape
Mont du Toit 1999 (Cab. Sauvignon, Cab. Franc, Shiraz, Merlot, Malbec), Coastal Region

Even More South Africa!!!
Raats 2002 Chenin Blanc, Stellenbosch
Mulderbosch 2001 Faithful Hound (Cab. Sauv., Cab. Franc, Petit Verdot, Merlot, 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 Grenache!

M

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

Welcome to the Carpe Vinum Friday Flights announcement! This week we’re heading to sunny Italy, and visiting the wonderful wines of the East-Central region. It’s the one to the East of Tuscany and encompasses Emilia-Romagna, Molise, Abruzzo (famous for the Montepulciano d’Abruzzo), Marches, and so on.

This is also the kick-off of the Labor Day Weekend! Perhaps it’s the last party weekend of the summer since, as the name implies, Labor Day means “Get Back to Work!”. Ironically enough, Labor Day is the day where no one works. Or those who aren’t fortunate enough to have the day off, will probably not work very hard, out of spite.

Speaking of working hard, or hardly working, let’s get back to Italy. . .figuratively, not literally, as nice as that would be. The Italians do work hard at their wine. I’ve said it before that I believe Italy is just one giant vineyard, and all these pictures in the wine books don’t seem to tell a different story. (Of course, they ARE wine books. I guess we could expect the photos would feature the vineyards.) But I digress.

Wine serves a larger function in Italian society, as it is served with every meal (Don’t forget that breakfast wine smoothie!) and viewed and an integral part of life. As a result, we can expect quite a bit out of the Italian wines, and it could take a lifetime to explore all the possibilities. This is the reasoning behind separating out the Italian wine tastings into different major regions that harbor similar styles. The wines here are mostly Montepulciano-based, with some delving into Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and some others. Also included in a wonderful Rosato (Rose) that is so deep in color, that it’s darker than some red wines I’ve had. And, oh. . .it’s so delicious!  So as another step in the Italian wine exploration, here are a few stellar examples of the wines from the East-Central part.

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

East-Central Italy!
Conti di Buscareto 2004 Rosato, Marches IGT
Casa Contini 2001 Biferno Riserva, Molise
La Valentina 2003 Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, Abruzzo
Di Majo Norante 2000 Contado, Aglianico, Molise
Castello di Corbara 2002 Lago di Corbara, Umbria

And a Bit More East. . .Possibly a Bit More Central!!
Silvano Strologo 2001 Rosso Conero Traiano, Marches
Barone Cornaccia 2000 Vigna le Costa, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, Abruzzo

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 South Africa!

M