WINO 101

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

Welcome to another fine installment of the Carpe Vinum Weekly Newsletter and Tasting Announcement! And it’s a special week and a special tasting! “Aren’t they all?” you may ask. “Yep!” I always reply. It’s Washington’s fine wines this week, and a true cause for celebration. If not for just the deliciousness of the wines themselves, it’s a celebration for our local football team heading off to the most-watched sport event of the year!

That’s right. I said “local” football team. Since no one has brought a franchise here, it’s up to all of the West (excluding California) to look up to these Seattle guys as our “local” team. I mean, what gives? How does Florida get 3 teams and Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and a couple of Dakotas get nothing? “But what about the Broncos?” you may ask “They’re part of the West and maybe they’re MY favorite team.” Well. . they lost. . .and they don’t have wine in Denver, so for the purposes of this newsletter, their importance is lost on me. So we’re celebrating with Washington wines! After all, what could go better with that Superbowl party? No. No, don’t say “Budweiser.” Alright, alright! I suppose they are a sponsor and it is football, after all. But there are plenty of good wine-y days between then and now.

So. . .the wines of Washington! I think, in a similar way to that sports team, we can consider the wines of Washington to be local, as well. I mean, they’re only wines of Washington by virtue of a few lines on a map and the fact that rivers are easy to use as borders. In fact, Walla Walla could be ours if the border was pushed just a few feet to the North. . .not that we really wanted Walla Walla before the wine thing got big there. Ah, well. They’re still close enough for us to get plenty of these delicious wines that the rest of the country is starving for. Come to think of it, that’s a pretty fair trade-off. They can keep all the sports teams over there, but easy access to some of the best wine-growing regions in the world somehow seems more important to me.

So here’s seven excellent wines from around Washington. They’re all powerful reds, with a focus on easy-drinking red blends. I like the red blends since it’s all of the same juice as the premium, more expensive wines from the wineries, but at a far smaller cost. I also put in a couple of excellent Syrahs into the bonus round, just to make things even more exciting!

So Friday, January 27th, between 4:30 and 9:00 PM it’s:

The Kick Off!!
Ryan Patrick 2003 Rock Island Red, Columbia Valley
Goose Ridge 2001 Vireo, Columbia Valley
Russell Creek Winery 2003 Tributary, Walla Walla and Columbia Valleys
Dunham Cellars 2004 Three Leged Red, Walla Walla Valley
Spring Valley Vineyards 2003 Cabernet Franc, Walla Walla Valley

The Overtime!!
Five Star 2002 Syrah, Walla Walla Valley
K Vintners 2003 Syrah Milbrandt, Columbia Valley

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

Next Friday tasting is Wines from Pittsburg, the home of the other winning team going to the Superbowl! Ah. . .heh. . .just kidding. There’s no wines from Pittsburg. We’re really doing wines of New Zealand! I just wanted to see if anyone was paying attention.

M

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

Welcome to another fine, fine publication of the Carpe Vinum Friday Flights Newsletter! This week I thought I’d bring in a treat! It’s Tempranillo! It’s the grape that made Spain famous! Okay. . I suppose Spain was just as famous before the grape, however Tempranillo is the only Spanish grape variety that is considered one of the world’s “Noble” grapes. The grape’s popularity is soaring, and is quickly becoming the next big thing in the wine race. Some believe it to be the biggest rival to Sangiovese in the “next-big-thing” race, but to me it’s Tempranillo all the way.

So what is a Tempranillo? It’s the noble Spanish varietal that is most widely planted grape varietal in that country and made famous in the wines from Rioja and Ribera del Duero. When young, the wines from this grape are fresh and lively, well-balanced and easy-drinking with berryish or dried cherry qualities. It is a fairly hardy wine and some can be aged for years producing a velvety character often with leathery notes. Velvet and leather. . .sounds sexy, eh?

Tempranillo is, of course, most important in Spain. . .but just over to the left of Spain (West, if you like) in Portugal, where it is known as Tinto Roriz, it is important in table wines and in the fortified Porto. Currently there are newer plantings around the world, and it goes by many names: Aragonez, Arganda, Cencibel, Chinchillana, Escobera, Garnacho, Foño, Jaciuera, Negra de Mesa, Tinta Santiago, Tinta Montereiro, Tinto Fino, Tinto País, Tinto Riojano, Tinto de Toro, Tinto de Madrid, Ull de Llebre, Valdepeñas, Verdiell and Vid de Aranda.

Besides Spain and Portugal, it is a bit difficult to track down the elusive Tempranillo. There are producers in Argentina and Australia that are producing a number of very good Tempranillo wines, but just a few in the US. I found one from the Oregon winery Abacela, and one Californian wine from Viader Vineyards. Apparently there is a little planted in Washington and a very short run is made by Cayuse, and a little by K Vintners. So this Tempranillo tasting does lean pretty heavily on the Spanish side. . .not that it’s ever a bad thing. But I did find a number of non-Spanish Tempranillo with which to compare.

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

Tempranillo!!
Abacela 2002 Tempranillo, Umpqua Valley, Oregon
Bodegas Miguel Calatayud 1999 Vegaval Plata Reserva, Valdepenas, Spain
El Quintanal 2004 Ribera del Duero, Spain
Mil Piedras 2003 Tempranillo, Mendoza, Argentina
Cortes de Cima 2003 Chamine, Alentejano, Portugal

More Tempranillo!!
Famillia Zuccardi 2003 Q Tempranillo, Mendoza, Argentina
Alejandro Fernandez 2002 El Vinculo, La Mancha, Spain

Fancy-Schmancy-A-Bit-More-Expensive-Pour!
Viader Vineyards 2003 DARE Tempranillo, Napa Valley, California

Next Friday tasting is Washington Reds!

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

Welcome to another week, another tasting and another installment of the fine publication that is the Carpe Vinum Friday Flights Newsletter!  This week we’re heading down to South America to sample the much improved wines of Chile!

I say “much improved” because, up until recently my feelings on Chilean wines were quite mixed. People would call them “good value” wines, much in the same way a Kia is a “good value” car. In both cases, once you get the opportunity to open them up they start falling apart. Also like a Kia, if they were over 5 years old, everything inside needs to be replaced. But not any longer!

I started noticing Chilean wines again earlier in the year. (Last year, not the current year. . .earlier in THIS year would technically just be “last week”. . .but I digress.) I was expecting another harsh, fruitless bottle of red plonk, best suited for cleaning engine parts (of your Kia). I instead found a lush wine with balance and complexity. So I tried another, and that was good too! In fact, of the whole lineup of these wonderful reds that I tried there was nary a bad one in the bunch.I was totally aghast, confounded, confused, yet pleasantly surprised.

Could it be that the wines were just waiting for a decent vintage to come around? Had the winemakers learned something new? Or were the really good ones just reaching the market? At any rate, we’ve seen some marked improvements in the Chilean imports. It’s possible that the wine styles are now reflecting the growing traditions of a South American wine, not just attempted carbon-copies of their European cousins. As a result, we’re finding wines that are defining a new dawn of the wine scene in Chile. Of course some folks have thought the wines were decent all along and never saw the problems I did. I wonder what kind of car they drive.

So here’s a good cross-section of the most prominent grape varieties and interesting and delicious blends of Chilean wines. One of note is another triumphant return of the Super-Sweet-Fancy-Schmancy-Dessert-Pour! It’s a late-harvest Sauvignon Blanc. I had been turned onto it, and it sounded too fascinating to pass up.

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

Chilean Wines!!
Apaltagua 2003 Envero Carmenere, Colchagua Valley
Root : 1 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon, Maipo Valley
Viu Manent 2004 Malbec Reserve, Colchagua Valley
Guelbenzu 2003 Hoppe (Cabernet Sauvignon/Carmenere), Colchagua Valley
Vina Maquis 2003 Lien (Syrah, Carmenere, Petit Verdot, Malbec), Maipo Valley

More Chilean Wines!!
De Martino 2003 Single Vineyard Syrah, Colchagua Valley
Alvaro Espinosa 2003 Kuyen (Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon), Maipo Valley

Super-Sweet-Fancy-Schmancy-Dessert-Pour!
Vina Echeverria 1999 Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc, Molina Valley

Next Friday tasting is Tempranillo!

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

Happy New Year, everyone! I hope we all made it through this year’s Holiday season in one piece. Furthermore, I hope anyone who made New Year’s resolutions did not resolve to drink less wine, because I’m here to tempt that wine resolution bug. And how? Easily! This week’s tasting is featuring the wines of the sunny Italian island of Sicily! They’re irresistible, and incredibly unique!

Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean, and is just off the “toe” of the “boot” that is Italy, if that makes any sense to you. The Sicilians are some of the longest-lived people in the world, which is attributed to their diet. Of course, that includes wine. It also includes a lot of olive oil and plenty of seafood among other healthier food choices, coupled with a lifestyle and beautiful landscape that makes someone WANT to live a really, really long time. To which I reiterate, also includes the wine.

Sicilian wine fascinates me because they tend to feature grape varieties that are unheard of elsewhere. The climate can be extremely hot, as the North coast of Sicily runs along the same parallel as the North coast of Africa. This harsh climate specializes the variety of grapes that can be grown to warmer weather varieties, naturally. The best known grape from the region is the Nero d’Avola, a hearty medium to full-bodied red, and loaded with fruit. A number of other grapes which are new to me include the Frappato Nero, Nerello Cappuccio, Nerello Mascalese, and a number of the wines featured tomorrow include blends of these. These are my favorite wines that Italy has to offer and they are unlike any other!

So Friday, January 6th, between 4:30 and 9:00 PM it’s:

Sicilian Wines!!
Villa Tonino 2002 Syrah
Tasca d’Almerita 2003 Regaleali Nero d’Avola
Antichi Vinai 2002 Don ‘Gia (Nerello Mascalese, Nero d’Avola)
Fourplay 2003 IGT (Frappato Nero, Nerello Cappuccio, Nerello Mascalese, Nero D’Avola)
Ajello 2002 Furat (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Nero d’Avola)

More Sicilian Wines!!
Morgante 2002 Don Antonio Nero d’Avola
Benanti 2000 Rovitello (Nerello Cappuccio, Nerello Mascalese)

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 Wines of Chile!

M