WINO 101

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

Happy New Years Eve Eve Eve Eve and welcome to the Carpe Vinum Last Email Newsletter of 2006 and the Announcement of the Last Tasting of 2006! It’s now the countdown to 2007 and, as always, it seems the year has gone by so fast. Fast in a day-by-day kinda way. Or in here it’s a wine-by-wine kinda way. So that’s right. I get to see and try many, many different wines in here all year long. I know it’s a sacrifice, but someone has to do it. Some wines are positively incredible, while others are positively forgettable, like that one . . . uhh . . . Hm . . .

Anyway, for this last tasting of the year I usually like to feature a bunch of great party picks for the New Year’s celebration. And this is no exception. As an extra-added theme, this year, I thought I might pour all of the best hits from 2006 (The ones that are still available, of course). These are all of the best-sellers and other wines that knocked my socks off throughout the year. So let’s move on to the final curtain call for these wines, the best of 2006!

Firstly we have here a Bonarda from Argentina made by Bodega Lurton. It was quite a while back that I was reading up on Argentine wines, and whatever it was that I was reading made a mention of the Bonarda grape. I had only seen it once or twice in different blends from Argentina, but never as a single-varietal. Well, that book or article or online thing or whatever it was I was reading had made a mention of this Bonarda grape being the most-produced grape in Argentina, yet we have hardly seen any in The States. I scoured the wine scene here in town and found two Bonardas. The cheaper one was this one, which cost half as much as the other and was twice as good. I still call it the best bottle under $10 that I have in the shop.

Secondly and thirdly we’ve got two wines that were a couple of the best-received wines from the tastings. These are the ones that flew out of here, much like a . . . bird . . . or . . . wine with wings. Hm. They were way tasty. One of them was the Gualdo del Re, an Italian wine from the relatively obscure Tuscan region of Val di Cornia. I had never heard of that region before, but now I’m glad I have. The next one is the Mas Carlot “Les Enfants Terribles” from the French Costieres de Nimes. Also delicious, but I’m not sure why it’s called “Les Enfants Terribles” (the terrible infants). Maybe it has something to do with young vines. Or the winemaker’s bratty kids. (I just found their website and it’s named after the young vines that produce the grapes for the wine. I’m sure the winemaker’s kids are darling, well-behaved little angels.)

Next we’ve got the Vina Maquis Lien, a proprietary blend from Chile. This was a favorite of mine considering that most of the Chilean wine I’ve had was just cheap and lifeless. I mean, there IS a lot of cheap wine coming out of Chile. At the time, even the better ones seemed to be under-ripe Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot wines. Positively uninteresting. But this one had gobs of ripe fruit and a wonderful structure to it. It’s also got a lizard on the label. That’s gotta be worth something! Actually, the lizard on the label was a piece of ancient Mayan jewelry made of silver that was found on the Vina Maquis property. That’s kinda neat too.

Following that is The Pines Big Red. And it’s just that: Big (and Red). I’ve been featuring wines from The Pines winery pretty frequently lately, and all for good reason. I’m glad to see some of these huge reds coming out of Oregon, and especially as close as the Columbia Gorge. The Big Red is a delicious way to spend $20.

For the premiums we’ve got a Chianti Classico from Castellare. I don’t need to mention again (but I will) that there are a LOT of pretty lousy Chiantis out there. This one is, quite possibly, the best one I’ve ever had. When that happens, I try to keep these things around. And speaking of keeping things around, that brings us to our final selection. It’s the wonderful wine of Alejandro Fernandez and his Condado de Haza estate in Ribera del Duero. If you don’t already know and love this wine, then you best snap out of the coma and give it a shot!

I’ll be pouring that and all the others tomorrow. All of these are suitable accompaniments to the New Year’s Eve party you’re going to or hosting. And at that, thanks all for a great 2006! And see you soon!

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

Whoo!!!
Bodegas Lurton 2003 Bonarda, Mendoza, Argentina
Gualdo del Re 2003 Val di Cornia, Tuscany, Italy
Mas Carlot 2004 Les Enfants Terribles Costieres de Nimes, France
Vina Maquis 2004 Lien, Colchagua Valley, Chile
The Pines 2005 Big Red, Columbia Gorge, Oregon

Whoo Hoo!!!
Castellare 2004 Chianti Classico, Italy
Condado de Haza 2003 Ribera del Duero, Spain

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 Washington!

M

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

Welcome to the countdown to Christmas! It is currently Christmas Eve Eve Eve Eve, and you must have all your shopping done, right? No? Well, I’m not surprised. Neither have I. That’s why I’m here to help because this is The  Carpe Vinum First Annual Procrastinator’s Gift Guide and Tasting Announcement of Those Wines Contained Therein! Sure, we’ve all got those hard-to-shop-for friends and family. It’s those last people on the list that remain presentless from lack of ideas. Well, wine is one of those gifts that is always welcome and says Hey! Here’s some wine!” And with a bit more matching of the person to the bottle, it’s something that says “Hey! Here’s some wine personalized just to you!” Interested? Read on, you gift-giving-procrastinator, you!

So there are dog people and there are cat people (and even the odd bunny people – but I digress). There are plenty of wine label themes that feature dogs. I mean, after all, every winery has a dog. Apparently there is a book out there that features all of the winery dogs. But how many wines are out there for the cat lover? (I mean besides Gato Negro and Gato Blanco.) Well, I’ve only found a few. And the best is this one: The Bergevin Lane “Calico” from Washington. It’s a blend of Cab-Sauv, Cab-Franc, Merlot, Syrah and Zinfandel. I have a few wines here for dog people, as well, but this one is specifically for cat people. (Gift Categories: Cat People, Washington Wine Fans, Red Blend)

Next up is the Writer’s Block Zinfandel for the tortured writer in your life. We all suffer from writer’s block at some time, and this can prove that it’s not always a bad thing. Plus it has Shakespeare on the label. So I guess this could also go for the tortured playwright or actor in your life. Or Shakespeare fan. Or Zinfandel fan. And it’s a dead-obvious for the actor/playwright/novelist/zin fan who happened to study a lot of Shakespeare. (Gift Categories: Actors, Writers, Shakespeare Fans, Zinfandel Fans.)

Following that is a new wine I’ve found from Spain called Acustic. It’s not much of a stretch to show that it directly translates to “Acoustic” and refers to guitars. Also, the label looks like an artistic rendering of the business end of a guitar, in an artistic manner. So this is a perfect bottle for all the musicians you know (about 3/4 of this town, I believe) and more specifically, the guitarists. (Gift Categories: Musicians, Guitarists, Spanish Wine Fans.)

Next it’s another musically-themed wine from the Cotes du Rhone from Chateau Signac called “Melodie d’Amour” or “Melody of Love” or perhaps translated all the way to “Lovesong”. Give it to your honey. Or to someone you want to make your honey. (Gift Categories: Lovers, Potential Lovers, Rhone-Lovers, Lovesong-Lovers.)

Next is a wine I’ve poured a number of times because it’s just so darn good. And it’s cleverly named. It’s the Shinas Estate “The Guilty” Shiraz. The wine gets its name from the winemaker who is a former judge. But as the Guilty it could be for someone on your “Naughty” list. Or someone you want to be on your “naughty” list. Or someone you know who you are sure won’t be giving you a gift in return. Or, of course, for anyone you know employed in law. Attorneys, judges, cops, criminals. Hm. Especially criminals, I guess. (Gift categories: Anyone Overburdened with Guilt, Lawyers, Criminals.)

Next in the premiums we’ve got the Barrel Monkeys Shiraz. It’s great for people who love monkeys, of course. And people who love big, jammy and powerful Aussie Shiraz. It’s also good for anyone who is a fan of modern artistic design, and that’s how I see the label. Also, it’s good for winery workers, as that is what a “Barrel Monkey” really is.(Gift Categories: Monkeys, Winery Worker, Artists, Shiraz Lovers. And Shiraz-Loving Artistic Monkeys Working in Wineries.)

Next is the Domaine Brusset Gigondas “Grande Montmirail”.This is a wine you give to someone you really, really like. Any particular reason? It’s really, really good! I mean it. Gigondas is always a welcome gift. Anyone who is into wine who wouldn’t appreciate a fine Gigondas like this is insane. In that case, if they ARE insane, then you should give them the Barrel Monkeys. Because we all know that Monkeys are just insane, tiny, hairy humans. (Gift Categories: French Wine Lovers, Gigondas Lovers, Just Straight-Up Wine Lovers, The Sane.)

For your gift I have a number of packaging options. I’ve got a number of wine bags and some really cool wooden wine boxes. Also, let it be known that I can ship wine to 27 different states. Although chances of being able to get any gift to those destinations in time for Christmas is practically zero . . . barring any sudden advancements in time-travel or teleportation. That’s what I’d like for Christmas. A teleporter! But I guess I’ll settle for a Gigondas.

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

Gifts For People Who Deserve Them!!!
Bergevin Lane 2004 Calico, Columbia Valley, Washington
Writer’s Block 2004 Zinfandel, Lak County, California
Acustic 2004 Vinyes Velles Nobles, Montsant, Spain
Chateau Signac 2004 Melodie d’Amour, Cotes du Rhone, France
Shinas Estate 2004 The Guilty Shiraz, Victoria, Australia

A Bit Fancier Gifts For People Who Deserve Them a Bit More Than the Others!!!
Barrel Monkeys 2004 Shiraz, McLarren Vale, Australia
Domaine Brusset 2004 Tradition Le Grand Montmirail, Gigondas, 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 Top Party Picks!

M

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

It’s a celebration! Welcome to the Thursday Celebratory Newsletter of Celebratory Celebration and the Announcement of the Celebration of Bubblies with the Carpe Vinum Annual Celebration of the Bodacious Bubblerific Bountiful Belly Full of Bubbles Buh . . . Tasting Thing! Wait . . . where was I? Bouncing around linguistically like, say . . . a bubble? That’s right! Tomorrow we are popping the corks off seven different sparkling wines from around the world in celebration! What are we celebrating? Just about anything! To begin with, we’ll celebrate the upcoming celebrations. Does that seem redundant? Not at all!

Champagnes and sparkling wines have always had the largest romantic appeal of any wine out there. There’s the exclaiming pop of the cork as it flies across the room, or directly towards someone’s eye. (Always point the bottle away from people you like. People you don’t like, on the other hand . . . that’s your choice) Then there’s the liveliness of the wine dancing in the glass. Then there’s the . . . well, I guess that’s enough, really. I guess it’s the *POP* of the bottle that gives the wine its celebratory feel, like fireworks in a bottle, and the very-suggestive flying cork and the wine frothing out of the bottle (Wink, wink. Kinda makes the end on NASCAR races seem a bit dirty, doesn’t it?)

But before the *POP* was under control, it was a relatively bad thing. Before sparkling wine production as we know existed, the fizz was usually accidental. The wineries of old, before modern heating, would chill down with the seasons. Once the fermenting grape juice dropped below a certain temperature, the yeasts stopped working and went into a hibernation of sorts. If the wine was bottled at that time before the fermentation was complete, the yeasts would still live and continue working once they heated back up. Sure, they started producing the carbon dioxide that produces the bubbles we all like, but they also started causing bottles to explode from all the pressure. This was also before decent bottle technology. Did I mention that?

So with that in mind, Dom Perignon, one of the earliest developers of the wines of Champagne, although attributed with the quote “Come quickly! I’m tasting the stars!”, was actually trying to produce still (non-sparkling) wines. The quote was actually part of an 1800s advertisement for the Dom Perignon wines. The real quote of Dom Perignon was probably something like, “Merde! All the bottles exploded again!” Hm. It sounds more romantic the other way, doesn’t it?

Well, while I’m bursting bubbles of sparkling romanticism, I might mention that popping the cork out with resonance upsets the wine, and causes those precious bubbles to go flat. The best way to get that cork out is with a strong hand and “whispering” the cork out. But to me, the more fun way is “sabering”. This is the knocking the top off the bottle with a sword. It’s easier than it sounds, but more dangerous, considering the shards of glass flying about. So, again, keep the bottle pointed only at your enemies. Wait . . . Why are your enemies at the party, anyway?

So here’s a collection of wonderful, and wonderfully priced, bubblies! I found that I ended up pouring most of the same ones every year, so I went out of my way to find new and interesting sparklers I’ve never tried before. Once again, though, it’s a tour of the world with a stop in Italy for Prosecco, Spain for Cava, Australia’s Tasmania for their sparkler, Oregon and California for more sparklers, and off to France for one bubbly from the Loire and one true Champagne. And best of all, we don’t need any corkscrews!

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

Bountiful Bodacious Bubbles!!!
Ruggeri & Co NV Prosecco Gold Label, Veneto, Italy
Didier Champalou NV Vouvray Petillant Brut, Loire, France
Gramona 2002 Cava Grand Cuvee, Penedes, Spain
Jansz Tasmania NV Premium Cuvee, Tasmania, Australia
Domaine Meriwether NV Discovery Cuvee, Willamette Valley, Oregon

Bubbles, Bubbles, Bubbles!!!
J 1999 Sparkling, Russian River, California
Joseph Perrier NV Champagne, Cuvee Royal

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 Procrastinator’s Gift Guide!

M

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

It’s high time we get around to the Exquisite and Requisite Carpe Vinum Newsletter and Tasting Announcement of the Day That is Today For the Day That Is Tomorrow! Tomorrow we’re doing the fantastic wines of the French Rhone! This is one of my favorite wine regions and the wines they produce are some of the most approachable and affordable in the world. There is a relatively large number of approved grapes in the region, all things considered, but it’s best known in the South for its spicy Grenaches and in the North for the peppery and fruity Syrahs.

All truth be told, the Rhone had suffered a few setbacks over the past few years. The 2001 vintage was superb, but followed by the wicked storms of 2002 that ruined much of the crop and severely hindered the quality of the rest. Then there was 2003, which I initially thought would be spectacular due to the extraordinary heat. More heat, I thought, would mean riper fruit, a longer growing season and higher sugar levels, blah blah blah. This isn’t quite what happened, and most of the wines seemed overripe and, as a friend put it, burnt. So for me 2003 was a bit of a disappointment, even after the disastrous 2002 vintage. This isn’t to say they were all bad. I’ve had that similar “burnt” flavor on wines from all around the world in 2003. I think it’s whether or not the growers got their fruit in before the overripeness happened.

Enter the 2004 wines of the Rhone, seen more as a classic vintage like the 2001 vintage. All that I’ve had so far have been delicious. Of course, many of my regular favorites wines from the region had gotten big scores from those “magazine professionals” and, as a direct result, completely sell out. It makes me sad. But also marks me as a visionary considering I served them first, right? (The “I was into that band before they were big” syndrome.) So here’s the selection of the next wonderful Rhone wines to sell out. I’m really excited about that Sang de Cailloux Vacqueyras. It’s often championed as the best wine in the Vacqueyras region. Oh, and I chose all wines from the 2004 so we could get a better idea of the vintage as a whole.

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

Rhone!!!
Domaine Georges Vernay 2004 VdP Syrah de Collines Rhodaniennes
Chateau Trignon 2004 “Bois des Dames” Cotes du Rhone
Domaine de la Janasse 2004 VdP Terre de Bussiere
Saint Cosme 2004 “Deux Albion” Cotes du Rhone
Paul Autard 2004 Cotes du Rhone Rouge

More Rhone!!!
Domaine de Sang de Cailloux 2004 Vacqueyras
Domaine Brusset 2004 “Grand Montmirail” Gigondas

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 Holiday Sparklers!