WINO 101

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

Welcome to the thing! That Wine Newsletter Thing! And That Tasting Announcement Thing That Goes With That Other Thing (The Newsletter Thing)! Brought to you by Carpe Vinum! (Thing. Had to say it again.) So. Welcome to the thing. What kinds of things are we tasting this week? Well, it’s a wonderful thing, it is! It’s wonderful reds from the Southern Rhone in France! These things, the wines of the Southern Rhone are some of my favorite in the world.

I know I seem to say that “favorite” line about a lot of wine regions, but there really are a lot of places worth getting excited about. For the most part I only seem to feature the regions that I enjoy, so I guess it’s a good thing that I say they’re one of my favorites. I mean, can there be a limit as to how many favorites you can have? Probably not in the super-huge wine world. But just to play favorites, though, say you have a region that has available 100 wines. If you say that within that region you have 100 favorites, it just seems indecisive. Whereas if you have a region that only has 1 wine, and you say that’s your favorite wine of the region . . . well that just seems stupid. Speaking of stupid, do I have a point here? Uhhh . . .no.

Wait . . . Yes! The point being that the Rhone IS one of my favorites, and always has been. The wines have always been approachable, relatively inexpensive, and pretty darn reliable in quality. To be quite honest too, I think that the Rhone wines can fit in relatively well with just about any meal, yet remains one of the more neglected regions on wine lists. I would just as readily have a Rhone wine with a steak as with a Chicken Marsala dish, and quite possibly a few seafood dishes too. (Oysters notwithstanding. They need Sauvignon Blanc. That’s another story.)

So to catch up anyone new to the Rhone wines, here’s the scoop: The Rhone is the wine region of France situated in the central South part of the country. The area bordering the Mediterranean in the South is the Languedoc, so North of that is the Rhone. The Rhone is also a river. Like most rivers in the world, many years of erosion has created a valley. Naturally, this valley is the Rhone valley, the predominant feature of the Rhone region. There are two parts of the region: The North, which specializes in Syrah-based reds and some nice whites made with Viognier, Marsanne and Rousanne. The South has its specialty in Grenache-based reds in lighter, yet stronger and spicier style than the North. Also the Southern Rhone wines tend to be less expensive than the Northern Rhone.

In the recent years, the Rhone has had a hard go of it weather-wise. The 2002 vintage was all but destroyed by stormy weather, leaving some entire vineyards under water, and the rest torn apart and washed out. The 2003 vintage saw a drought and some of the hottest weather the region has experienced, leaving much of the fruit overripe and in quite a few cases the wines seemed “burned”. The 2004 vintage was one of the better ones on record, and definitely a sigh of relief after the two previous vintages, although another hot year had some super-ripe fruit as well. But now, according to all reports on the 2005 vintage, it’s going to be one of the best for overall balance and aromatics. I wanted to put that to the test, having just seen the 2005 wines trickling into the market with plenty of fanfare from the wine “professionals”. For the first 5 tomorrow, they are all Cotes du Rhone from the 2005 vintage, just to get an idea of what they’re raving about.

For the next three wines I have to do what I always do and feature wines from the premiere appellations in the Rhone. These are the best of the Rhone in reputation and practice alike, and will do well in practically any vintage. Three of my favorite districts are Chateauneuf du Pape, quite possibly the king of the region, Gigondas, a close second by anyone’s standards, and Vacqueyras, which is a new favorite for myself and generally more affordable than the previous two. Keeping that in mind, the final three of these Rhone tastings are a great deal of bang-for-the-buck, as they say!

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

Rhone . . . Cotes du Rhone!!!
Chateau du Trignon 2005 Cotes du Rhone
Domaine de Relagnes 2005 Vielles Vignes Cotes du Rhone
Chateau du Saint Cosme 2005 Les Deux Albions, Cotes du Rhone
Domaine du Pegau 2005 Laurence Feraud Cotes du Rhone
Domaine Remejeanne 2005 “Les Chevrefeuilles” Cotes du Rhone

Vacqueyras & Gigondas!!!
Domaine de la Charbonniere 2003 Vacqueyras
Domaine de la Pallieres 2004 Gigondas

Chateauneuf du Pape!!! (Still for CFF!)
Clos Saint-Jean 2004 Chateauneuf du Pape

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

Seize the Wine!

Next Friday tasting is Wines of Australia!

M

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

Once again, it is high time we get around to the Splendiferous, Ubiquitous, and Righteous Newsletter of Extreme . . . uh . . . “Something”. And the Tasting Announcement for Which It Stands. One Nation. Under Vine. And so on. Etc., etc. This week we continue our tour of the ever-changing wine world by taking a quick trip North. (Or a really, really long trip South.) We’re having Wines of Washington! (W.O.W. for those who love anagrams.) The wines hailing from this region make me proud to be a . . .well . . . I guess I’m not a Washingtonian although I was born there. But, hey. We could be there in 15 minutes, if we need to. That gives us just as much access to all the tasty treats Washington wineries have to offer. So let’s dive in!

Washington! Yep. Just to the North. From here. It’s up there. (Those of you on the mailing list currently living in Washington, just look out your window. There it is.) There are few wine regions in the world that are quite as exciting as what’s going on in Washington. Let’s take a brief look back in the History of winemaking in Washington. The first grapes were planted in 1825. You’ll never guess where. Vancouver. Th’ Couve. Go figure. As far as I can tell, those vines didn’t really yield much more than an interest in planting more elsewhere. And that’s what people did. Fast-forward about 82 years, and here we are! What!? You want more History than that? History makes me sleepy. How about some exciting facts instead?

Washington now has 9 AVAs (American Viticultural Areas) which are recognized by the government as unique growing areas. The largest is Columbia Valley, which can be summarized as “Most of Eastern Washington”. The area ranges from the base of the Cascade Mountains, up to the Okanogan Valley in Northern Washington, follows the Snake River to Idaho, and follows the Columbia River even into Oregon. There are several other AVAs within the limits of Columbia Valley, including Yakima, Walla Walla, Red Mountain, Horse Heaven Hills, and the newly-established-and-news-to-me regions of Wahluke Slope and the I-never-even-heard-of-before-but-sounds-dangerous Rattlesnake Hills. What does this all mean to you? Quite possibly nothing. But where a wine comes from can mean as much as what it’s made of. Also, it’s quite interesting to see that as the Washington wines garner more attention, the immense Columbia Valley appellation gets carved up into smaller, bite-sized areas, indicating that specific areas produce wines that are considered unique to those particular areas.

All that considered, all the wines tomorrow are from the Columbia Valley AVA. What!? That’s not a bad thing! Here’s the deal. All the wines we’ve got in here are blends, rather than pure varietal wines. This means the winemaker has more of a hand in how the wine ends up and has more control over the balance of the end result. This also means the grapes are most-often sourced from multiple sites, giving the winemaker greater control over the price, so they tend to be cheaper. This also, also means that although one wine might be made mostly from Walla Walla grapes but has a small amount of grapes grown in Yakima, it is then considered Columbia Valley because it’s not exclusive to any one region. Most of these wineries here are located in Walla Walla, but source their grapes from all over Washington. Are they good? Oh, yes!

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

Washington!!!
Camraderie 2004 Trinquer (Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Semillon)
L’Ecole No. 41 2005 Recess Red (Merlot, Cab Sauv, Cab Franc, Syrah, Petit Verdot, Carmenere)
Goose Ridge 2004 Estate Red Wine (Cab Sauv, Merlot, Syrah)
Zerba Cellars 2004 “Wild Z” (Syrah, Merlot, Cab Sauv, Cab Franc, Sangiovese, Grenache)
Reininger 2003 Helix Pomatia (Cab Sauv, Merlot, Syrah, Cab Franc)

Washington, Washington!!
Isenhower 2005 Wild Thyme (Syrah, Cabernet Sauvingon)
Walla Walla Vintners 2004 Washington Cuvee (Merlot, Cab Sauv, Cab Franc, Syrah)

Washington, Washington, Washington! (Still For Cystic Fibrosis)!!!
Zerba Cellars 2005 Syrah Ice Wine

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

Seize the Wine!

Next Friday tasting is Wines of the French Rhone!

M

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

At time of writing it is Thursday April 12th, and you know what that means. Tomorrow is the randomly rotating holiday of Friday the 13th! It’s the day we set aside to celebrate one of the longest and most profitable motion picture franchises in history. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate this momentous holiday than with a wine that is just as notorious, powerful, enigmatic, and just as ass-kicking as an immortal psycho camper in a hockey mask: It’s Zinfandel!

Zinfandel is called the “American Heritage Grape”. Technically it’s the same grape as the Primitivo Grape in Italy’s Apulia, but after several hundred years on two separate continents they’re as different as Isabella Rossellini and Nicholas Cage. Heck, there’s even proof that Zinfandel was planted in the United States before it was planted in Italy. Take that Primitivo! So considering it’s been planted here so long, and the fact that it’s seldom produced anywhere else, it has become a national icon and is just as American as apple pie, baseball, and paying taxes. Pa– . . . taxes! Arrgh! That’s right! Tax day: A holiday more feared than Friday the 13th! Uncle Sam in a hockey mask!

Alright, alright. I planned it this way. Zinfandel, as well as being a (now) American grape, an important part in American History, and a source of pride for the American people and Zinfandel producers alike, it also tends to be high in alcohol. I figured we would all need that extra punch for this weekend in case anyone still hasn’t prepared their tax returns. I mean, wine can be used as a deduction, right? (Well . . . personally I can do it.) After all, we all can perform math better after a few glasses of good red, right? For the rest of us, it’s a good time to kick back and reflect on all the important things our hard-earned tax dollars are affording right now. (And then reflect again on the high-in-alcohol thing.)

So this week I’ve got another selection of old favorites and new-and-noteworthy. Specifically on the “New” front is the Plungerhead Zinfandel which features another new and innovative non-cork enclosure! (It’s a plunger. Go figure.) Also we’ve got the brand new Zinfandel from The Pines vineyard out there in the Gorge. Also, the Extra-Extra pour this week is the Dashe Late-Harvest Zinfandel. This is some delicious and decadent stuff! Another thing to think about is the fact that all these Zins are from the 2005 Vintage! Did I plan it that way? Kinda.

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

Zinfandel!!!
Rosenblum 2005 Zinfandel, Paso Robles, California
Cline 2005 Ancient Vines Zinfandel, Contra Costa County, California
Plungerhead 2005 Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley, California
Buehler 2005 Zinfandel, Napa Valley, Califorina
Ridge 2005 Three Valleys, Sonoma County, California

Yes, Even More Zinfandel!!
Girard 2005 Old Vine Zinfandel, Napa Valley, California
The Pines 2005 Zinfandel, Columbia Gorge, Oregon

And, Yes, Even MORE More Zinfandel, Still For Cystic Fibrosis!!!
Dashe 2005 Late-Harvest Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley, California

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

Seize the Wine!

Next Friday tasting is Wines of Washington!

M

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

Welcome to the Carpe Vinum Newsletter Thingamajig and Tasting Announcement Whooziwhatsit! This week is special! Why is it special? You remember when you were a kid and asked your folks about why there was a Mother’s Day and a Father’s Day and a Grandparent’s Day but there was no Children’s Day, and they would give you the cop-out line that “every day is Children’s Day”, which you knew was just a line to get you to stop asking questions, like the “Because I said so” line? Well this isn’t like that. I could give the line that this week is special because every week is special. And, indeed, every week is special for different reasons. However this week is special because we’re having Portuguese wines! Are Portuguese wines special? Yes! Well, mostly. But perhaps I should create a new paragraph before continuing.

There, that’s better. As we know, not every wine in the world can be spectacular. Also, for years most of the Portuguese wines only remarkable for how unremarkable they were. Even still, I think a lot of what we see in this country are red wines produced by Port houses looking to sink fruit that didn’t make the cut for their fortified Ports. Most of these are simple budget wines. Decent for the price, but fairly unexciting. We end up seeing a lot of these because the Port houses have a lot more influence with the importers, already having a foothold in foreign markets. On the other hand, there are smaller wineries focused on non-fortified wine production that excel in the region and do produce some wonderful wines showing the potential of the region and the grape varieties therein.

One thing Portuguese wine possesses is easily-classifiable categories of wine. There is, of course, red wine. It sounds simple, and it is. Unlike the rest of Europe where the region featured on the label determines percentages of allowable grapes to create a regional style, in Portugal the regional classifications seem to be more about simple geographical boundaries. Sure, there are lists of allowable grapes, but in such great numbers of varieties that one would assume that the only discernable differences between regions would be just the general feeling of “terroir”. I don’t think there are enough Portuguese wines available in town to really tell whether or not this is the case. On the other hand, there are single-varietal wines can give you an idea of terroir from the reference point of other wines made from the same grape. That is of little help, though, considering most of the wines made in Portugal come from native varietals not grown elsewhere outside Portugal. In that way you could say the Portuguese red table wines certainly are unique.

For the most part, the same goes for white wines, with the exception of the ever-popular and inexpensive and world-famous Vinho Verde. The name directly translated means “green wine”, for the greenish tint to it. It’s a wine made light, cheaply, slightly fizzy, and off-sweet. It’s a perfect summer quaffing wine that won’t cost a lot, and isn’t to be taken too seriously. I mean, if you accidentally spilled your Chassagne-Montrachet into the bushes, it’d be a near-tragedy. If you spilled your Vinho Verde, it’d only be the annoyance of having to get up an open another bottle. In fact, it’s such a light and informal wine, I’ve probably spent too much time on it, already.

Which brings us to fortified wines, the most famous of the region: Port and Madeira! Both start out the same way. As grape juice. Just like a regular wine. Then a magical thing happens! No wait. I guess it’s not magical. I suppose it’s more chemical. While the grape juice is undergoing the regular fermentation process, a high-alcohol and flavorless grape-Brandy is added to the mix. The high alcohol kills off the yeasts which halts the fermentation preserves the natural sugars in the juice. Plus it adds a healthy *cough* dose of alcohol at the same time. Voila’! Fortified wine!

From there, there is actually a lot of things to know about Ports and Madeiras. Ports are technically known as “Porto”, named for the region from which it comes. There are two styles of Port that refers to what happens to the wine after it is fortified. The Ruby style is when the juice is primarily bottled after only a brief stay in larger, sealed oak casks. Most of the aging is meant to be done in the bottle. This includes Vintage Port, Late Bottled Vintage, Crusted Port and your standard Ruby. The Tawny style of Port is where the wines are aged in oak barrels that have some exposure to the open air. The wine is aged in these barrels for certain extended lengths of time where the color fades to a “tawny” shade, and oxidation happens that gives the wine a nutty characteristic. Included in Tawny styles are vintage dated Tawnies named Colheita, year-designated ports in increments of 10, 20, 30 and 40 year old ports, and your standard Tawnies aged for less than 10 years.

Madeira is made on the island of Madeira, located off the coast of Africa. The wines are made in a Tawny style, but as a bit of extra abuse, the wines are heated in large ovens (to about 120 degrees) for a matter of months. This is to replicate what happens to a wine in the cargo hold of an old frigate as it passes through the tropics. It’s a process that we can automatically assume people discovered by accident. The result is a wine that has more concentrated and caramelized flavors.

Whew! There really was quite a bit to go over, there. Sorry ’bout that. I just wanted to be thorough! Anyway, what I did here is put together examples of all these styles. One Vinho Verde and one regular white wine, which will be good for what will reportedly a warm day, tomorrow. From there we’ll have 3 red wines, one of which has been my favorite Portuguese wine for many years: Cortes de Cima’s Chamine. There is a brand new vintage for it, and for a limited time it’s $3 less than before! Completing the lineup will be a Ruby Porto, a Tawny Porto, and a Madeira. I think it’s a spectacular lineup! See you soon!

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

Portugal!!!
Alianca 2005 Vinho Verde, Minho
Quinta dos Roques 2004 Encruzado, Dao
Casa Santos Lima 2004 Touriga Nacional, Estremadura
Quinta do Carmo 2002 Dom Martinho, Alentejo
Cortes de Cima 2005 Chamine, Alentejo

Porto and Madeira!!
Rocha 2000 Late Bottled Vintage, Porto
Cossart Gordon 5 Year Bual, Madeira

And the Super-Special, Spectacular Tawny For Cystic Fibrosis!!!
Kopke 1991 Colheita, Porto

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

Seize the Wine!

Next Friday tasting is Zinfandel!

M