WINO 101

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

It is time, again, for the Carpe Vinum Newsletter and Tasting Heads-Up Announcement thing! Yes, I’m a day earlier on the email for the Holiday tomorrow, this being Wednesday, Thanksgiving Eve. But the day after tomorrow, Friday, I will still be doing my regular tasting, and it’s Aussie Reds!

So in keeping with traditions, tomorrow you, and everyone you know, will be cooking, eating and drinking all day, with minor interruptions for football, video-game football and watching that parade happening 3000 miles away for the 5 minutes that it remains slightly more interesting than some zombie-movie marathon, or whatever.

After all that relaxing, then it’s on to the following day for shopping all day or, for our anti-consumerist friends, boycotting shopping all day. All that can be tiring and stressful. . .so after that long day of shopping or boycotting, a nice glass of Aussie Red will be doing the job. Trust me. I know. Better yet, I’ll have 7 of the things pouring here, all at the regular time.

Why Aussie Reds? Well, they’re simply made to be explosive, high-powered wines made by a population that yields an unusually high number of crazy, fearless nature-show hosts. Why so many, you may ask? Well it seems most non-human animals in Australia excel quite well at killing people. Black adders. Wildebeests. Crocodiles. Heck, even those Koalas aren’t as cute and cuddly as they appear. This living in the constant darkness of deadly critters around every corner, these Aussies seem so laid-back and relaxed. . .how do they do it? It’s the wine!

So Friday, November 25th, between 4:30 and 9:00 PM it’s:

Aussie Wines!
Larrikin 2002 Shiraz, Barossa Valley
Shinas Estate 2003 “The Guilty” Shiraz, Victoria
Indis 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon/Shiraz, Western Australia
Two Hands 2003 “The Lucky Country” (Grenache/Shiraz/Mourvedre), Barossa Valley
Thorn Clarke 2003 “Barossa Cuvee” (Cab. Sauv., Shiraz, Cab. Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot) Barossa Valley

More Aussie Wines!!
Torbreck 2003 “Cuvee Juveniles” (Grenache, Mourvedre, Shiraz), Barossa Valley
Massena 2003 “Moonlight Run” (Grenache, Shiraz, Mourvedre, Cinsaut), Barossa Valley

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 From Around the World!

M

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

It is time, again, for the Carpe Vinum Newsletter and Tasting Heads-Up Announcement thing! This week we’re doing a study for you! It’s research into what wines go well with Turkey, or a Thanksgiving meal! This can always be a daunting task. On one hand, there are so many things generally being served, that a match might be hard to come by. On the other hand, the entire family is coming, and everyone is going to like something different. But if they’re coming to your house to eat your food and drink your wine, they’re going to have learn to like what you like, or else! Darn freeloaders! Of course, if you’re going to someone else’s house to do some freeloading yourself, here’s some suggestions of things to bring that most people would like.

Okay. There’s a big load of food on the table. . .Dishes of a seemingly infinite variety. Chances are there will be a turkey, as that seems to be the most common American centerpiece. According to the Wikipedia, here on the West Coast, people will often replace the turkey with fresh crab. I don’t know where the hell they heard THAT, and were that the case, it might kinda screw up the wine recommendations. So let’s pretend that doesn’t happen. There are such a variety of different things on the table, how do we possibly match up a wine to all of them?

The best way to go, in my humble opinion, is a lighter-bodied wine. These tend to be more appropriate with so many other flavors in the meal, and won’t overpower the more delicate flavors involved. One of my favorites for this purpose is Pinot Noir, which we have tons of, here in Oregon. Lately, the Pinots have been done in a more heavily-extracted style, which maximizes the fruit, the alcohol, the wine-critic scores, and the price. So a moderately-priced Pinot will not only save on the cost of the meal, but will probably be a bit more subdued and suitable.

Another favorite of mine in recent years has been the Gamay Noir. It’s a bit more delicate and fruiter than its Pinot counterpart, and doesn’t tend to have heavier earthy overtones that Pinots sometimes have, either. There are relatively few Gamay Noir wines in Oregon, but there are quite a few coming from France in the form of Beaujolais. Now, don’t be frightened. . .Beaujolais can have a bit of an unearned bad reputation for cheap, lifeless, thin, and slightly fruity plonk, and that is primarily due to Beaujolais Nouveau. The Beaujolais Nouveau (translated to “new”) is a wine that is crushed, quickly fermented, bottled and shipped out on an jetliner so it doesn’t go bad before it gets here. The rest of the Beaujolais region (a wine “suburb” of Burgundy) makes solid wines out of Gamay Noir that have more heft to them than their flabbier Nouveau cousins. Good regions within Beaujolais to look for are Moulin a Vent, Cote de Brouilly, Beaujolais-Villages and, my favorite, Morgon.

From there, without making this letter too much longer, the wines to choose should be on the sweeter side. No. . not sweet like Grape Kool-Aid sweet, but sweet, as in less-dry sweet. This will also help keep the wine from taking over the evening. Plus, if you are like me, I think the stuffing is the best part of the meal. The unfortunate thing, and something I learned this week, is that the tastiest stuffing that is cooked in the bird, is crucially responsible for drying the turkey out. Acceptable losses, I suppose, if there is a less-dry wine on the scene to not compound the dry turkey.

So with all that in mind, I’ve included 7 really decent wines that I would personally be proud to present at the Thanksgiving table. I didn’t do any white wines this time around since, really, choosing a red wine for the meal is a bit more of a quandary. I think most white wines would go pretty well with the Thanksgiving spread. Honestly-and I don’t think any self-respecting wine guy can stress this enough-you must drink what you like. That’s the best test of what’s appropriate with a meal. So here’s some more things that I like!

So Friday, November 18th, between 4:30 and 9:00 PM it’s:

Turkey Wines! (Well. . .not wines FROM Turkey, but going WITH turkey!)
Ca de Medici 2004 Oblio Notturno Dolce, Reggiano, Italy
Domaine Dubost 2004 Prieure du Tracot, Beaujolais-Villages, France
Amity 2004 Gamay Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon
Cuore 2001 Rosso Classico, Mendocino County, California
Owen Roe 2004 Sharecropper’s Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon

More Turkey Wines!! (Of a bit more of the fancy-schmancy variety!)
Guy Breton 2004 Morgon, Beaujolais, France
EIEIO 2002 Cuvee I 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 Aussie Reds!

M

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

Welcome again to the Carpe Vinum Friday Flights announcement and Newsletter! In keeping with some of the unusual varietal tastings I do here, this week we’re having Sangiovese! All Sangiovese! So what is it? It’s the grape that made Italy famous! Well, actually, I suppose Italy made itself famous, considering the dawn of modern civilization, the renaissance, the Roman Empire, and so on. . .but Sangiovese was along for the ride the whole time.

I learned a good deal about Sangiovese this week. I already knew that it was an Italian varietal, which is very important in Tuscany and other Central-Italian reds, especially and most famously in the Chianti district. What I didn’t know is that it is native to Italy, and the name “Sangiovese” translates into “The Blood of Jove.” And Jove is another name for Jupiter, the Roman god of. . .well. . .gods. Jupiter was the figure in Roman mythology equivalent to that of Zeus in Greek mythology. The god in charge, if you will. (Pun slightly intended considering they’re also the gods of the sky and lightning. . .get it? Gods in “Charge?” Lightning? Heh. . never mind. . .)

So this Jupiter character was rather important in Roman culture. In the Roman courts of law, people would swear by his name, hence the phrase “By Jove.” With that in mind, if the dominant grape variety of the area was to be considered the blood of the god-of-gods, that just shows the reverence with which they hold this wine.

Where it gets a bit more interesting, however, is with all of the New World Sangiovese wines coming out on the market. I’ve been seeing more of them out there, as more newly planted vineyards are reaching fruition. When we consider the winemaking styles of Italy’s wine houses, comparing the styles of Old World to New World Sangioveses gives a better understanding of the varietal and the potential of the flavors of the grape. At that, I’ve been fairly impressed thus far. I think we can be expecting to see quite a few more of these coming out in the future years.

A brief word about the selections for tomorrow: I’ve started it out with one Italian Sangiovese, to get an idea of the origins of the grape, and a basis for comparing the rest. Following that, there’s one from Argentina, 2 from California, and 3 from different regions of Washington (Note that Viano’s is called “Cuvee Tuition” since the winemakers have to send their son to college with what they make off the bottling.). Also, it wouldn’t be a Sangiovese tasting without the Seghesio Sangiovese, which is the oldest New World Sangiovese vineyard, and was planted around the turn of the century. The turn of the LAST century. The rest were probably planted around the turn of this most-recent century.

It’s yet-another stellar lineup, and educational to boot! (Pun slightly intended considering the boot-like shape of Italy. . .get it? Okay, I’ll quit. . .)

So Friday, November 11th, between 4:30 and 9:00 PM it’s:

Sangiovese!
La Berta 2002 “Solano” Sangiovese di Romagna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy
Norton 2003 Sangiovese, Mendoza, Argentina
Wineglass Cellars 2002 Sangiovese, Boushey Vineyard, Yakima Valley, Washington
Kiona 2002 Sangiovese, Red Mountain, Washington
Viano 2002 Sangiovese “Cuvee Tuition,” Columbia Valley and Walla Walla, Washington

More Sangiovese, By Jove!!
Opolo Vineyards 2003 Sangiovese, Paso Robles, California
Seghesio 2003 Sangiovese, Alexander Valley, 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 A Thanksgiving Selection! What goes with Turkey?

M

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

It is time, again, for the Carpe Vinum Newsletter Thingy and the Announcement of This Weeks Tasting! It’s Oregon wines! Yes, it’s right outside our windows. . .no. . not just the rain, although that is indicative of the wonderful wet place we live. (Recipients of this email outside the Oregon area must pretend, for now. Turn on the sprinkler, maybe.) This soggy autumn weather can just be the right thing to want to stay cozy indoors with a nice glass of Oregon wine. It’s a bottled respite that is a reminder of what the warmer times have given us. These wines are the fruits of our labors. . .or at least the fruits of the laborer’s labors, laboring fruit from Labor Day to. . .um. . .bring us. . .where was I? Uhh. . .Oregon wines!

Pinot Noir is the wine that has made Oregon famous. It’s a varietal that, once upon a time, winegrowers around the world scoffed at the idea that it could be grown here. “It’s just too wet!” the scoffers scoffed. Well, scoff no more! We got tons of the famous juice, and some are fetching infamous prices. What we may not realize, considering that we’re swimming in Pinot up here, is that Oregon wines are relatively scarce outside Oregon. I mean, yeah, the bigger wineries can put out cases and cases of stuff for the mass markets, but just by virtue of being near the wineries, we get the opportunity to enjoy the smaller (and dare I say, better?) “boutique” wines that are only available around here. To that we may say, “Whoohoo!”

Here’s some things that you might be hard-pressed to find outside the soggy Oregon border. Yes. . a couple obligatory Pinot Noirs. Decent ones that I found to be a good value, that being the Sass and the Brooks Runaway Red. Then to mix things up a bit there’s the Penner Ash “Rubeo”, which is a blend of Pinot Noir and Syrah. A blend of what?!? Weirdoes. Oh, but it gets better. Then there are the Jezebel Rouge and the quintessential Owen Roe Abbot’s Table, both blends of just about every grape varietal out there. Finishing the lineup, however, is the Brick House *Organic* Gamay Noir, which I look forward to every year. I only got six of ‘em before the distributor ran out, so at least come in and try it. It’s awesome. Also, the Solena Zinfandel. . . because it wouldn’t be an Oregon Tasting without a Zinfandel, no matter what people try to tell you!

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

Oregon!
Sass 2003 Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley
Brooks 2004 Runaway Red Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley
Penner Ash 2004 Rubeo (Pinot Noir, Syrah), Oregon
Jezebal 2003 Rouge, Oregon
Owen Roe 2004 Abbot’s Table, Oregon

More Oregon!!
Brick House 2004 Gamay Noir, Willamette Valley *Organic*
Solena 2002 Zinfandel, Woolridge Creek, Columbia Gorge

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!

(And I didn’t even mention the Sideways / Pinot Noir connection! Isn’t that wonderful? Well. . .until now. Whoops.)

Next Friday tasting is Sangiovese!

M