WINO 101

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

Welcome again to the Lovely and Talented Wine Newsletter of the Week for Carpe Vinum and the Tasting Announcement of Which That Information is Herein Contained! I had the whole newsletter finished and ready to send out hours ago, but our side of town had a lovely BLACKOUT, and all was lost. So I’ll try to be quick, and reassemble the pieces that remain in my mind before our electrical lifeblood runs dry again. This week we’ll be cooling off another 90 degree day with a smattering of Chilled Summery White Wines! (The chilled part also depending on keeping the power on. Or bags of ice.) This is a fun tasting put together to feature odds and ends and old favorites and new favorites. So let’s learn a bit about the wines for tomorrow!

There are a few different grape varieties I’ve been keeping my eye on as the next big thing. A few years ago I predicted (silently) that the next big thing in white wines would be the Viognier. Lo, and behold, it has become quite a big thing and now there are Viogniers everywhere. (And delicious too.) In keeping with that, of course I’m featuring a Viognier this week as the last-next-big-thing-pour.

But one of the next-next-big-thing wines I’ve been eyeing has been Verdelho. This is a grape most commonly known for its role in the wines from Portugal. More specifically, it’s known for the wines from the Portuguese island of Madeira with their appropriately named fortified wine: Madeira. I’ve recently been noticing quite a few more of the Verdelho appearing from Australia and California. As a next-big-thing contender, this one stands quite a chance, as the prices of these wines remain fairly low, and the wines the grape tends to make are medium to full-bodied with a bracing acidity and substantial fruit. So, of course I have to jump on top of the next big thing, again, and pour one of these things.

Another grape I have my eye on lately is the Rousanne. Or maybe the Marsanne. Okay, I’ve been keeping my eye on both, as I always get the two confused. Let’s consider these grapes the Twin Sisters of the Rhone. Like twin sisters, their names are similar, and they are almost always seen together, like in the Northern Rhone Hermitage and in the Southern Rhone Chateauneuf du Pape. Singularly, Rousanne tends to be the leaner of the two, making a more delicate wine, and Marsanne makes a more wild and lush wine. As other contenders for the big-thing category, there needs to be more reasonable pricing on them for them to compete, but until then, they’re wonderful wines for a wine geek like me.

From there the tasting is featuring a number of favorites of the White Wine Summer Series of tastings: We have a Dry Riesling from New Zealand. Many people shy away from Riesling because there have been way too many sickly-sweet Rieslings on the domestic market over the years. To dispel that fear, just note that the important word of the term “Dry Riesling” is the word “dry”. Also, we’ve got a wine from the Monterrei district of Spain’s Galicia. It’s a wine made with Treixadura, Dona Blanca and Godello. (Godello is the Spanish name for Verdelho.) And from there we have a wonderful White Burgundy from Macon-Villages, which is as close as we like to get to Chardonnay around these here parts.

Okay, not to rattle on too long, but tomorrow is also the reception for the painter whose art has been gracing the walls of Carpe Vinum. The artist is Penelope Scambly Schott, and she will be here from 5 until 7 to answer any questions. Questions about her paintings, that is. I’ll field the wine questions.

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

Summery Whites Summary!!!
Framingham 2002 Dry Riesling, Marlborough, New Zealand
Terra do Gargalo 2003 Monterrei, Spain
Lee Family Farm 2005 Verdelho, Lodi, California
Castle Rock 2005 Viognier, Lake County, California
Henri Perrusset 2004 Macon-Villages, Burgundy, France

More Summery Whites!!!
Garretson Wine Co. 2004 Rousanne, Paso Robles, California
Telegramme 2005 Chateauneuf du Pape, Rhone, France
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 Pinot Noir Shootout: Oregon Pinot Noir for Under $20!

M