WINO 101

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

Welcome to the Carpe Vinum Weekly Methodical Periodical and Gastronomical Tasting Announcement! This week it’s a wine geek’s paradise: Spain’s Galicia! I can already hear most of you saying “What the heck is this guy talking about? Garlic? What?” But wait! I can explain! It’s a lesser-known region of Spain and, I might add, a bit harder to track down for the tasting, but is a region responsible for some of the world’s best white wines. Trust me on this one. I’ve been wanting to focus on this region for some time and as part of my multi-part Focus On Spain, its number came up at a spectacular time for some cool, refreshing white wines.

Galicia is in the Northwest region of Spain beginning at the border of Northern Portugal and spanning Eastward along the coast to the Pyrenees. The name “Galicia” comes from “Gallecia”, the Latin name for the Celtic tribe that first settled there. (A really, really long time ago. My sister could probably tell you exactly when. She studied History. And Celts. And History of the Celts. I kept falling asleep during History classes. But I digress.) The majority of the wine regions are clustered in the Northwest part, just above Portugal, but there are a collection of Basque wine regions further east. The wines are predominantly white, and are perfect for the local coastal-cuisine: Seafood.

The regions of note include the most famous Rias Baixas, well known for the Albarino grown there, and accounting for most of the exports to this country. Near that is Ribeira, a region that is rivaling Rias Baixas in quality, but with far better prices. Also in the area are lesser-known regions of which I only found one example: Valdeorras and Monterrei. The Basque wines are truly unique in that they are made with native grapes that aren’t grown anywhere else in the world. These have been very hard to track down, and I haven’t had one in the shop for over two years, but I remember as fascinating and delicious. All will be nicely chilled for our Friday kickoff to Independence Weekend!

Now do you see what I mean about a wine geek’s paradise? Of course, most people don’t like being called “geeks”. So, how about “connoisseur”? It’s a fancy French word for “geek”. Really, it is! Look it up!

(Okay, it’s not.)

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

Spain’s Galicia!!!
Terra do Gargalo 2003 Monterrei Blanco
Bodegas Campante 2003 Gran Ribiero
Morgadio 2004 Albarino Rias Baixas
Talai Berri 2003 Getaraiko Txacolina
Palacio de Fefinanes 2004 Val do Salnes Albarino Rias Baixas

More Galicia!!!
Don Oligario 2004 Albarino Rias Baixas
Itsas Mendi 2003 Txacoli Bizkaiko

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 Tour de France Week 1: Alsace, Champagne and Loire!!

M

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

Here’s another Excellent Publication of the Carpe Vinum Fine Friday Flights and Newsletter of Extreme Importance! This week we’re heading into the South Pacific to a series of small islands. No, not Hawaii. It’s a series of LARGER small islands. I mean. . in the grander scheme of things they’re small islands. . .well. . .smaller than Australia, anyway. It’s New Zealand! They’ve been making some fine wines down there! And we’re grabbing a healthy sampling of them!

Did you ever notice that the grape varieties that grow in certain regions taste better in the opposite climates of those regions? The warmer weather of Australia and California and the South of France produce some of our heaviest reds: Syrahs, Cabernets, Grenaches, Malbecs, and so on. When do these taste the best? During the fall and winter when consumed with heavier dishes like steaks and roasts. The cooler weather regions like New Zealand and Oregon and France’s Alsace produce lighter-styled wines: Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Rieslings and Sauvignon Blancs. And when are these the best? During the heat of the summer with our picnics and sipping on the porch with friends. A bit odd, isn’t it?

I guess in a manner of speaking, then, the bottle is storing the weather and climate to be enjoyed at a different time and place. That’s partially why I chose New Zealand for this week. It’s a colder-climate growing area and, now that the weather is cooperating with my tasting selections, is going to work out perfectly with the heat. On another positive note, New Zealand wineries excel at so many different varieties, it’s a veritable smorgasbord of wines. Plus considering that New Zealand is bigger than it looks, the growing regions span from “warm-like-California” through “those-penguins-are-eating-all-the-grapes” temperatures. Long story short, though, it means we can try a lot of different things: Semillon, Riesling, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and on and on and on.

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

New Zealand!!!
Sileni Estates 2003 Semillon, Hawke’s Bay
Framingham 2002 Dry Riesling, Marlborough
Greenstone Pointe 2004 Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough
Sacred Hill 2004 Rose, Hawke’s Bay
Omaka Springs 2003 Pinot Noir Reserve, Omaka Valley

More NZ!!!
Whitehaven 2003 Pinot Noir, Marlborough
Hatton Estate 2003 Carson’s Cabernet/Merlot, Hawke’s Bay
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 Spain’s Galicia!

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

Welcome to the newest installment of the Almost-Famous, Unpretentious, and Semi-Precious (albeit Non-Ferrous) Carpe Vinum Newsletter and Tasting Announcement! For this special installment of the tasting, we’re wandering into delicious territory. And a bit of oddball territory as well. It’s a tasting of all Viogniers! “How is that possible?” you may ask, “Have you gone mad?” To which I deftly reply “Mmmmaybe.” As far as I know we’re the only place in-town that features tastings of all Viognier. And the reasoning is simple: It’s really good stuff, and deserves our undivided attention. Or attention divided in 7 ways. To 7 different wines. . .7 different Viogniers. And so. . .

Viognier! (VEE-own-YAY). If you have not experienced this grape or, more specifically, any of the wines made with the grape, here’s your chance. Viognier is a grape with its origins in the Rhone Valley of France where it is the exclusive grape of the Condrieu region. It’s also blended with Syrah in the Cote Rotie district. Around the 1960s, the Viognier grape was almost extinct, having been neglected and forgotten after phylloxera decimated many vineyards and a couple of world wars found them reduced to about 30 acres. But thanks to the wine boom, the plantings have increased and spread worldwide.

The character of Viognier is a full-bodied white wine, usually with a very floral and tropical aromas and flavors. Although full-bodied and fruity, it is vinified in a dry style that finishes with low acidity. Many of the characteristics are similar to Chardonnay, yet considering Viognier is a relative newcomer to the worldwide wine scene, I don’t think anyone has figured out how to ruin it in the same way so much Chardonnay is ruined. I try to keep a close eye on all the Viogniers I can find because there are relatively few, which makes it easier to track down the really good ones. This probably still tops my list of favorite white wines.

Also, to make things even more interesting, it’s yet another triumphant return of the Super-Special-Delicious-Yet-Odd-Dessert-Pour! Odd? Yes, odd. It’s a Viognier Port! Whoever heard of such a thing? The folks at the Trentadue winery thought of such a thing. And such a thing it is! I’ve had it before, and it’s definitely a unique experience. Well, yes. . it’s good too! Unique experiences can be GOOD experiences too. Trust me on that one.

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

Viognier!!!
Hugues de Beauvignac 2004 Viognier, Vin de Pays d’Oc, France
Castle Rock 2005 Viognier, Lake County, California
Willow Crest 2004 Yakima, Washington
Cougar Crest 2004 Viognier, Walla Walla Valley, Washington
Fairview 2005 Viognier, Paarl, South Africa

Yay for Viognier!!!
Abacela 2005 Viognier, Umpqua Valley, Oregon
Cristom 2004 Viognier, Willamette Valley, Oregon

Super-Special-Delicious-Yet-Odd-Dessert-Pour!
Trentadue 2000 Viognier Port, Sonoma County, California

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

Next Friday tasting is New Zealand!

M

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

Welcome again to the Carpe Vinum Weekly Newsletter of the Week and Week’s End Weekly Tasting Announcement of the Week! With extra redundancy, this time! This week we’re having another Carpe Vinum first. It’s out first tasting of the French Burgundy! Yes, in the nearly-three years we’ve been open, it’s taken that long to find examples of this fine French region that are affordable enough to which opening would not be a crime. Okay, not really. There are quite a number of affordable Burgundies, if you look hard enough. (Or if you know a guy like me who will look hard enough for you.) But a more valid reason for postponing this wonderful tasting, is that Burgundy is confusing. . .and therefore fascinating.

Contrary to what the Gallo family has been saying on wine labels for years, Burgundy is not a generic name for red wine. Burgundy, or Bourgogne to the French, is a wine from Burgundy, (Bourgogne to the French). If Paris is the center of the universe, or at least the center of the wine universe, then Burgundy is due Southeast of the center of the universe. Actually, even closer to the center of the universe, at least in this example, is Champagne, which is only about 30 miles east. (Being in close proximity to the center of the universe causes wines to start to bubble. . .or so I guess. . .but I digress.) Some people consider Champagne to be part of Burgundy. . .but I don’t, so Champagne will be a different tasting, altogether.

Closest to Champagne is Burgundy’s Northernmost district of Chablis. Contrary to what the Gallo family has been saying on wine labels for years, Chablis is not a generic term for a white wine. It is a Chardonnay-based Burgundy from the district of Chablis. Yes, Burgundy can be a white wine. A good portion of wine from Burgundy is white, lending less credence to “Burgundy” as the name of that dark-reddish color we’ve been seeing on paint swatches for years.

From there, all the information on the rest of the Burgundian regions that continue South of there would take up far too much space. So in short, there’s the Cote d’Or which is divided into Cotes de Beaune and Cotes de Nuits. Also, and further South is Chalonnaise, Maconnais, and Beaujolais. The reds are mostly comprised of Pinot Noir and the whites of Chardonnay and are the model to which Oregon wineries aspire. The region boasts some of the highest-priced wines in the world; wines of unmatched complexity and finesse. Or so I’ve heard from wine critics and folks that can afford those bottles of unmatched elegance and complexity. For the rest of us, there are good values that can give us the experience without bankrupting the bank account.

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

Burgundy!!
De Villaine 2004 Aligote, Bouzeron
Domaines des Malandes 2003 Fourchaume, Chablis Premier Cru
Louis Latour 2003 Le Bourgogne de Louis Latour
Robert Chevillon 2004 Bourgogne Passetoutgrain
Domaine Bertrand Ambroise 2002 Vielles Vignes Bourgogne Rouge

Bourgogne!!
Mongeard-Mugneret 2003 Bourgogne Rouge
Domaine Francois Gay 2003 Chorey les Beaune

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 Viognier!
M

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

Here we are again for another edition of the Periodic Periodical that is the Carpe Vinum Tasting Announcement Thing and Newsletter Thingy! This week we’re tasting the Pinot Family! “What do you mean by that?”, you may ask. “The answer is simple!” I may reply. “But first let me explain something mostly unrelated.” The answer may be simple, but long explanations are more fun, aren’t they? Allow me to explain.

I’ve been a longtime believer in spontaneity. This is not just because it’s fun. (”Hey! Call in sick to work! Let’s drive to Tijuana!”) It’s mostly because I’ve always felt that if you plan anything too far in advance, you’re inviting fate to intervene and ruin all of your plans. (”We’ve planned this driving trip to Tijuana for a year, but now extraterrestrials have landed and have blockaded I-5 from all traffic.”) I’ve usually found that planning two weeks in advance is just the appropriate amount of time for the clocks and levers in the cosmos to align things against your plans. Rain. Thunder. Earthquakes. Volcanic eruptions. Alien invasion. Apocalypse. You get the point. But really, what’s my point?

So I planned this tasting over 2 weeks out, back when it was sunny and 90 degrees outside. At the time, my spontaneous self was thinking, “Boy. . wouldn’t a Pinot Gris or a Pinot Blanc be good?” and sure enough, it would have been. So now, weeks later, fate has indeed intervened by bringing soggy, dismal, and cold weather, which leaves us thinking, “Boy. . .a Pinot Gris or a Pinot Blanc might not be the best right now.”

But, Ha! Ha! I KNEW that it was going to happen! And when I planned it, I had the backup plan of also including Pinot Noir! And therefore I could adjust the red to white ratio of the tasting to match the general mood of the week. And then we can all be happy again. Now that I’ve ranted about that, it’s back to the answer to “The Pinot Family”.

I guess you can’t really call it a “Family” as it’s not really set up like a family. It’s a bit more like Michael Keaton’s abomination of a movie “Multiplicity**”. It all begins with the noble Pinot Noir. Pinot Noir is a red grape variety. It makes very popular wines in the France’s Burgundy, our lovely backyards here in Oregon, New Zealand, and a handful of other places in the world.

Pinot Gris, a white wine, is what has been called a “clonal variety” of Pinot Noir. I’m not entirely sure what “clonal variety” means, but it sounds vaguely like “We were cloning it, and something went wrong. But we like it!” Even if that’s the case, it’s been making popular wines in the French Alsace, parts of Northern Italy, our lovely backyards here in Oregon, and a handful of other places in the world.

Pinot Blanc is a white wine grape that is a mutation of the Pinot Noir grape. This appeals to me greatly because I like the word “mutation” when it’s not being used in a purely Science Fiction-type sense. The Pinot Blanc is not planted as widespread as its clonal cousins, but can be found in the French Alsace and also, as a result of the grape clusters so closely resembling Chardonnay, it has survived in vineyards in the French Burgundy among the Chardonnay vines. Incognito, you could say.

So because the weather turned for the worse, I chose more Pinot Noir than the white wines, but of course have Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc in there, because I promised. I’ll try again for more whites once it warms back up again. But I’ll only plan it out less than two weeks in advance, just in case!

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

The Pinot “Family”!!
Domaines Schlumberger 2004 Pinot Blanc Prince Abbes, Alsace, France
di Lenardo 2005 Pinot Grigio, Friuli, Italy
Louis Latour 2003 Domaine de Valmoissine, VdP Coteaux du Verdon, France
R. Stuart & Co. 2005 Big Fire Pinot Noir, Oregon
Andrew Rich 2004 Cuvee B Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon

Coupla More Pinot Noir For Ya!!
Patricia Green 2004 Pinot Noir, Croft Vineyard, Willamette Valley, Oregon
Cristom 2003 Pinot Noir Mt. Jefferson Cuvee, Willamette Valley, Oregon

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 The French Burgundy!

**Which I will not describe or explain, because just thinking about that movie in any kind of detail just makes me edgy and a bit irritated. You can check out a description here: http://www.allmovie.com/ Just don’t watch it! It’s awful.

M