WINO 101

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

It’s summer again, and time to break out the summery clothes after the weeklong autumn and winter we just endured. I mean, it took almost an hour to dry off my car in the sun after all that rain. Unbelievable! It’s also time for the Carpe Vinum “Third-Summer-of-the-Year” Wine Newsletter Spectacular and Tasting Announcement for the End of September! This week we’re featuring all fine wines of our good friends from Australia!

You know what all this sunny weather reminds me of? No, not the global warming problems and the resulting apocalyptic scenarios . . . it reminds me of Australia! Having never been there, I can say for certain that it’s beautiful and sunny like this all the time! And you know what that sunny weather is good for? Grapes! And you know what grapes are good for? If you said “raisins”, you’re close! If you said “frozen grape juice concentrate”, you’re even closer! If you said “fairly harmless slingshot projectiles”, you’re not totally wrong, but the answer we’ve all been looking for is: Wine!

When we think of Australia, we all think of insane khaki-wearing, crocodile-wrestling naturalists like our dear departed Steve Irwin, wannabe croc-wrestler Paul Hogan, and pseudo-Aussie-actor-gone-crackpot Mel Gibson. Ooh, and we also think of swimsuit model Elle MacPherson. A lot. With all that in mind, I think the Aussie wine most resembles Steve Irwin. The wines tend to be bold and fearless, strong enough to wrestle crocs and other wildlife, yet have enough finesse to release said wild critters back into nature unharmed (but perhaps a bit agitated). And like Elle MacPherson, the wines are beautiful, full-bodied and smooth. The wines are way more versatile than Paul Hogan. But, like Mel Gibson, they’re pretty fruity.

Of course, these are all generalizations, both of the actors and the wines. Aussie wines have best been known for their boldness and power, and those are the ones I like the most. I’ve got a selection of strong fruity reds and whites (considering it is still summer-of-sorts). The first wine of note is The Black Chook Sparkling Shiraz. I brought this into the shop last year, and it sold out before I was able to try it, myself. Most sparkling shiraz retails over $30-$40, but this one is under $15 and only a limited amount is made, so it’ll go quick. After that we’ve got a Viognier, a Shiraz and a number of wonderful blends which are, in my opinion, really where it’s at.

Also: We’ve got some music in-house tomorrow night, as well! It’s my good friends Bill and Eve and possibly Jason with the acoustic version of the project Floating Pointe! They’ll be entertaining us from 7:00 until about 9-ish. In keeping with the Australian theme, perhaps if we ask nicely maybe they could do renditions of songs of popular Aussie bands like Men at Work or . . . um . . . AC/DC . . .

So Friday, September 29th, between 4:30 and 9:00 PM it’s:

Australia!!!
Hanenhof 2004 Viognier, Barossa
The Black Chook NV Sparkling Shiraz, McLarren Vale
Four Sisters 2004 Shiraz, Southeastern Australia
Swings & Roundabouts 2004 Kiss Chasey Red (Cab. Sauv, Merlot, Shiraz), Western Australia
Glaetzer 2004 Wallace (Grenache, Shiraz), Barossa

More Wines Like Steve!!!
Torbreck 2004 VMR (Viognier, Marsanne, Rousanne), Barossa
Massena 2004 Moonlight Run (Grenache, Shiraz, Mataro, Cinsault), Barossa
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 Grenache!

M

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

Oh, gloriouZ day! It’Z time for the Fa-ZIN-Tastic, ZIN-Sational, Totally ZIN-Pressive Weekly New-ZIN-letter and Tas-ZIN-Ting Announ-ZIN-ment For Carpe ZINum! You’ll never gueZZ what we’re taZting thiZ week! That’Z right! It’s all CHARDONNAY! (JuZt kidding. We’d never do that to you.) It’Z ZINFANDEL! It’Z America’Z “Heritage Grape,” or at leaZt what Zome people are calling it, conZidering it waZ juZt an orphan vine from Croatia trying to eek out a meager living during the California gold rush dayZ. That gold rush turned out to be moZtly tall taleZ, but perhapZ it waZ all about the Zinfandel, in actuality. That’Z a different kind of liquid gold. PerhapZ not the kind to make a family of hillbillieZ move to California. Oh, wait. . .maybe it is. . .if they moved there to grow Zome of those great grapeZ.

Okay. I’ll stop with all the Zs for now. If I continue, I may break my spellchecker and I believe I’ve made my point, already. Point being that Zinfandel is a fun wine. It’s bold and fruity, and mostly American. True, the grape has been traced back to an obscure varietal in Croatia where it is almost nonexistent now, and is also grown in Italy under the name “Primitivo”, but the United States is the first place to really market single-varietal wines out of the almighty Zinfandel. And it’s got a cult status of all its own.

The history of the Zinfandel is still being researched, as how it found its way to the US was a bit confusing and is often disputed. The most popular theory is where vine clippings were brought during the 1800s from an Austrian vine collection. It was popular in California, firstly as table grapes, then during the first wine boom in the late 1800s when there was the first appearance in the world of a wine bottled with the name “Zinfandel”. From there it’s all History.

California is not the only state in the country to grow these impressive grapes. We actually have some Zinfandel in Oregon. And the vines are over 100 years old, making it the impressive and highly-sought-after “Old Vine” Zinfandel. How could this come to be? Well, it came to be by planting it that long ago, really. That’s just the kind of thing that seems pretty darn lucky, as no one could have foreseen that Zinfandel would actually grow in Oregon, much less make a great wine here, too. At any rate, that vineyard is The Pines vineyard located out towards The Dalles. Planted about 110 years ago, ignored for about a century, and then rediscovered while clearing some brush. What a stroke of luck, eh? ***(Note at bottom.)***

Well, these Zin tastings are always one of my favorites. I get to scour the wine scene for new and interesting Zins and see what great values are out there. For this tasting, I came across a Primitivo that was actually worth giving a try. As you might remember from a couple paragraphs ago, Primitivo is the Italian name for Zinfandel. It’s the same grape, but totally different styles and, of course, grown in Italy. I thought it might be interesting to try that out this time around. Also, I’ve been seeing a number of Late-Harvest Zinfandels out in the scene lately. This is different than the Zin ports we’ve seen in the past. Port is made by halting the fermentation by adding alcohol, Late-Harvest is leaving the grapes on the vine until they are extremely ripe and sometimes raisinated and often botrytized (moldy). This makes for a decadent, delicious sweet dessert wine, and I can’t wait to try this one out! The rest aren’t oddballs like those two, they’re just good solid Zins!

So Friday, September 22nd, between 4:30 and 9:00 PM it’s:

Zin!!!
Forte Canto 2004 Primitivo, Puglia, Italy
McManis 2005 Zinfandel, California
Castle Rock 2004 Zinfandel, Sonoma County, California
Lolonis 2004 Zinfandel, Redwood Valley, California (Organic)
Schuetz Oles 2001 Zinfandel, Korte Ranch, Napa Valley, California

More Zin!!!
Robert Biale 2004 Zinfandel, Napa Ranches, Napa Valley, California
Hendry 2003 Block 7 Zinfandel, Napa Valley, California

Late-Harvest Zin!!!
Dashe 2004 Late-Harvest Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley, California

A stellar deal at $10 for the First 5, $6 for the Extra 2 Premium Pours, $5 for the Late-Harvest Zin.
Hope to see you here!

Seize the Wine!

Next Friday tasting is Wines of Australia (with a bit of Live In-House music from Floating Pointe)!

M

***So I tasted some of the new release of The Pines 2005 Zinfandel yesterday, and it is delicious stuff, but is freshly bottled and still needs a bit of time to rest and become the bottled monster it wants to be. So with that in mind, I’m not going to pour it, tomorrow, as it would be a shame to pour it before it’s ready. Why am I telling you this then? Well, it was just released this month, and it had completely sold out at the distributor within a day. I was only allocated a case of it, of which only 8 bottles remain. It’s at $34.95, and will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. If I get a good heads-up on who might like a bottle or two, I might be able to get a few more. But it is very limited.

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

It’s time, once again, to endure the endurable, informative Thursday Newsletter of Forthcoming Carpe Vinum Tastings and the Written Wramblings to Which It Wrefers.This week we’re headed back to Portugal for a refresher of refreshing refreshments. Every once in a while we must refresh with the Portuguese wines and, especially, with the Ports! Why? Because they’re tasty, for one good reason. Another good reason is that Portuguese wines are shedding an old reputation for mediocrity and we have been experiencing wines that are improving with every vintage. And that usually spells out values, too.

Now one thing that makes Portuguese wines so fascinating is they are made almost exclusively with native Portuguese grape varietals. You can occasionally see the traditional boring old Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot popping up for International recognition, but for the most part it’s grapes we’ve mostly never heard of. Well, there is the Tinta Roriz, which is the Portuguese name for the Spanish Tempranillo grape. Beyond that, it’s pretty-much an exclusive club. And not very often are any of these grape varieties seen outside Portugal. Touriga Nacional, commonly agreed upon as the best grape that is used to make Port, is sometimes planted elsewhere in the world, primarily for other Port-style wines. And I’m sure botanists are noodling with different cuttings in their labs, and such. But for the most part, we’ve got wine exclusives abound in Portugal. So with this in mind, Portugal is a wine hobbyist’s paradise, considering the wealth of unique wines and grape possibilities.

Next in line after unique grapes are Portugal’s unique winemaking styles: Port and the distant cousin, Madeira. Port wine is certainly what Portugal is best known for, at least for the last few hundred years after a couple Englishmen discovered the fortified wine. Once the rest of England was introduced to the wine, the English started setting up shop in Porto and monopolizing the wine trade for a time. I think things are a bit more beneficial to the Portuguese people nowadays, but most of the Port houses are still British owned.

How Port is made is definitely an important aspect to know about. Quite simply, the Port-style is “muting” a red wine during fermentation by adding brandy. This halts the fermentation by killing off the yeasts, preserving the natural sugars in the grape juice and also adding a healthy dose of alcohol. Well, considering the brandy added is about 77% alcohol, I guess we can’t really call that a “healthy” dose. (Not healthy for the yeast cultures, anyway). There are more styles of Port than I have space to list, but they all fall into two categories: Tawny Ports, which are barrel-aged, and Ruby Ports, which are bottle-aged. Tawnies will be lighter and nuttier, and rubies are redder in color and are fruiter.

To take things to the next level, there is the wine of the Portuguese island of Madeira. Years ago (many, many years ago. . .like a couple hundred years) the island was used as a port of harbor. The wine of Madeira, made in the same way as Port, was shipped to Australia and the Far East. The winemakers did not realize that the Madeira wine was being cooked at temperatures between 110 and 120 degrees for a matter of about 6 months in the cargo holds of these ships. The style was immensely popular at its destinations, and that style continues today. Currently, due to a giant-cargo-sailing-vessel shortage, the wines just go through a simulated voyage in large heated wine ovens called “estoufas”. Some Madeira, the better stuff, is spared the estoufas, put in a barrel and left to bake in the sun for a matter of 20 to over 100 years. Fascinating, yes? Also delicious.

So I’ll have some of everything I’ve talked about. 5 regular wines, 2 ports and one Madeira for the Extra-Special-Satellite Pour! Come experience Portugal the way it was meant to be experienced: Er . . . um . . . with wine!

So Friday, September 15th, between 4:30 and 9:00 PM it’s:

Portugal!!!
Allanca 2005 Vinho Verde, Minho
Quinta dos Roques 2002, Vinho Tinto, Dao
V. Leite de Faria 2003 Gloria, Douro
Casa Santos Lima 2004 Touriga Nacional, Estremadura
Cortes de Cima 2004 Chamine, Alentejo

Porto!!!
Quinta Vale do Maria 2001 Late Bottled Vintage, Porto
Kopke 10 Year Tawny, Porto

Madeira!!!
Cossart Gordon 5 Year Malmsey, Madeira

A stellar deal at $10 for the First 5, $6 for the Extra 2 Premium Pours, $4 for the Madeira Pour.
Hope to see you here!

Seize the Wine!

Next Friday tasting is Zinfandel!

M

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

Welcome to the Post-Labor Day Newsletter of Carpe Vinum Celebration and the Announcement of Impending Tasting of Gloriousness! I hope the Labor Day weekend went well for you all, and was the relaxing weekend it should be. I mean after all, “Labor Day” is just what it means: A call of “Get Back To Work”! This mostly applies to students and schoolteachers, but also to most of us as we try to navigate through a disorienting 4-day workweek. So now, as I also get back to work after a long weekend, we’ll be tasting through the report of what I did on my summer vacation: It’s a flight of Wines of Washington!

Yes, for the 2nd year in a row we headed out to Washington’s Walla Walla: A place so nice they named it after the Native American term for “small river”. (You were expecting a cliché in here, weren’t you? Silly you.) The trips out to Walla Walla are always interesting as we see more and more vineyards planted along the Columbia Gorge out past The Dalles. It’s the area of the Gorge where things go from green to boring. But these new vineyards do mean there will be more Washington goodness coming out of them, there hills.

Walla Walla appeared much the same as it always does. I mean, the parts that appeared at all, as the visibility was greatly obscured by smoke from the wildfires. (Well, not so much the “can’t-see-the-hand-in-front-of-your-face” kind of smoky, bust so hazy you couldn’t see the hills.) And the number of wineries, much as I expected, had increased. And much like a multi-headed hydra, two or three wineries had disappeared and been replaced by two or three dozen. So I was able to check out some new guys and revisit some favorites. Unfortunately I found that several of the places I was looking to finally try were unexpectedly closed for no apparent reason, and some of the wines I loved so much last year were already sold out.

I did make a special field trip out to Washington’s Red Mountain, the state’s smallest wine-growing area, which is about halfway between Yakima and Walla Walla. We visited two really good wineries out there: Terra Blanca and Kiona. Oh, and also a pretty bad one. Euuughh. I won’t name names, but if you’re on your way to Kiona, don’t stop along the way once you’re on that road.

So in conclusion for my report, I have a few representatives of what I tasted out there. Lots of things that are served in the tasting rooms are either exclusive, or not yet in the market, so I got a good heads-up for the future Washington tastings. (In a word: Sangiovese. In a few words: Expect more Sangiovese.) At any rate, Washington never disappoints when it comes to their wine! (Well, except for that one place. Euuughhh.)

So I’ve crossed a selection of excellent blends with a couple obscure oddball grape varieties (Lemberger, an obscure German red grape that produces a medium-bodied fruity and spicy wine. Also, Counoise, a fairly-obscure Rhone varietal.) And a few not-so-obscure varieties: Syrah, Viognier and Cabernet Franc. Deliciousness all around! I can’t wait for my next field trip! Tuscany maybe?

So Friday, September 8th, between 4:30 and 9:00 PM it’s:

Washington!!!
Terra Blanca  2004 Viognier, Yakima Valley
Kiona 2002 Lemberger, Red Mountain
Balboa 2005 Syrah, Columbia Valley
Gordon Brothers 2004 Kamiak, Columbia Valley
Fidelitas 2004 M-100, Columbia Valley

Mmmmmore Washington!!!
Dalla Vina 2004 Cabernet Franc, Yakima Valley
McRea 2004 Counoise, Ciel du Cheval Vineyard, Red Mountain

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 of Portugal and Porto and Maybe Madeira!

M