WINO 101

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

Welcome to the Final Installment of Carpe Vinum’s Newsletter and Tasting Announcement Thingy for 2005! We are just days away from the New Year’s parties, and need something to pour! That’s what I’m here for! So for the final Carpe Vinum tasting of the year, it’s: New Year’s Party Wines! Exactly what is a party wine? Well, let me give a few scenarios that might enlighten the subject a bit.

Scenario 1: (And this has happened to me a number of times.) You buy a fancy-schmancy bottle to bring to a party. It’s a well esteemed bottle of something you’ve heard is really, really good. The descriptions make you shudder with anticipation. You arrive at the party with the bottle in hand. At some point the bottle leaves your hand and makes its way to where the wine goes. (Table, bar, counter. Doesn’t really matter, does it?) But by the time you get back from hanging up your coat, the bottle has been opened, distributed, and devoured by the jackals at the wine table/counter/bar and the bottle has already been recycled/smashed over someone’s head. All that is left are the wine people hovering around the table remarking “Hey! That was really, really good! You paid HOW much for it?!?”

Scenario 2: (Story courtesy of Kathy) You have a bottle that has been in your cellar for a long time, waiting for the special occasion to be opened. You figure this is the one. After all that discipline it took to not open it on a whim, and all of the wine critic’s predictions say the planets have lined up just perfectly for this precious bottle, covered in dust and dryer-lint, to be tasting at optimal levels. You show up to previously-mentioned party with bottle in hand. The host/hostess sees said bottle says “Oh WOW! THANK you!”, nabs the bottle, and whisks it away to their own personal collection. Not wanting to seem an ungracious guest, you say nothing.

Scenario 3: You brought Yellowtail or Charles Shaw. So did everyone else. There are no interesting wines to talk about. You decide to grab a Bud Light instead.

Scenario 3A: You brought Yellowtail or Charles Shaw. It’s the only wine bottle there. Not wanting to have to DRINK the bottle of that stuff (or the possibility that this wine-free party is also a corkscrew-free party), you decide to grab a Bud Light instead.

Scenario 3B: You brought Yellowtail or Charles Shaw. It’s a dry party. (Better get the full details about the party beforehand, there Sparky.) Not wanting to be the only one drinking at the “party” and not wanting to leave a bottle of booze in a potentially dry household, you pack it home where you might have to actually drink it there, someday.

Okay, okay.. .I’m not totally coming down on the Yellowtail. I had the Shiraz recently, and it is passable as a wine. It’s not a total embarrassment, but it’s not terribly original either. The gist of the matter, for a party wine, is a bottle that isn’t too expensive, wouldn’t be a disaster if you didn’t get to taste it, but would actually be something you’d want to drink. An extra addition to that would be something interesting about the bottle that makes it a conversation piece. This is one opportunity for your bottle to outshine the sea of Yellowtails.

Wine types to keep in mind, at least in my opinion are the fun and festive grape varieties that don’t really beg for food as much as others. For example, interesting wine blends, syrahs, petite syrahs and zinfandels are my favorite picks. They’re great with most snacky foods, or just fine by themselves. Of course, I have a handy selection of bubblies, as well!

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

5 Great Party Wines And Reasons Why They’re good!!
friends.zin 2001 Zinfandel, Sonoma, California
What better wine to bring to a friend’s house than a Zin? What better Zin to bring to a friend’s party than one called “friends.zin”? It has a friendship bracelet on the label. How cute.
Rabid Wines 2003 Rabid Red, Napa Valley, California
It has a cool looking dog on the label. We probably all know someone this fits in well for. . .dog lovers. . .the party animal. . .that friend who just got bit by a raccoon and had that series of shots in the stomach. I’ve heard that’s a myth, though. The series of shots, that is. . .not the raccoon.
Roshambo 2001 Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley, California
Rock. Paper. Scissors. A great way to see who gets the rest of the wine.
Writer’s Block 2002 Syrah, Lake County, California
It’s a great bottle for groups of writers or for the uncomfortable lapses in conversation. What are those? Converser’s block? It’s got Shakespeare on the front and a story on the back. And good juice inside.
Norman 2002 The Monster Zinfandel, Paso Robles, California
It’s a monster! And it’s one of my favorites from this year. Just tell friends you’re bringing a monster to the party. It’s got a kittly on the label too. It’s a Cougar. Big kitty.

2 More Great Party Wines!!
Kiona 1999 “Nice Legs” Merlot, Red Mountain, Washington
“Legs” are the streams of wine as they come down the glass after swirling the wine, indicating alcohol and/or sugar content. “Legs” are also what we stand on and walk/skip/run with. Some people have nice ones that are worth celebrating with a bottle of Merlot.
Dashe 2002 Petite Syrah, Ripkin Vineyard, Lodi, California
This is one of my favorites of this year, as well. If we all remember, Dashe has the label featuring the monkey riding the whale. A monkey riding a whale? What the heck does that mean? Discuss. . .

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

Next Friday tasting is Wines of Italy’s Sicily!

M

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

Welcome, again, to this week’s tasting announcement! Tomorrow is the day before the day before Christmas! That makes it Christmas Eve Eve, and today would then be Christmas Eve Eve Eve! So, to you all I wish you a Merry Christmas Eve Eve Eve and, if I see you tomorrow, I will wish you a Merry Christmas Eve Eve and a Happy Super Flight of Wine! For tomorrow is yet another tasting! What did you wish for, for your Christmas Eve Eve Flight? If it was Syrah/Shiraz, then your wishes have come true, because that’s what we’ve got! I’ve got 7 Wonderful Syrah/Shiraz from around the world that I’ll be pouring tomorrow.

By now, all of you have finished your shopping, and wrapping gifts, and are ready to settle down with some good wine, and reflect on how good it feels to be done with all that. Hopefully, you’re hoping, a bit of wine can get that ONE Christmas song out of your head. You know the one. It just happened to be the song that played at EVERY shop you went into, like some kind of Twilight Zone episode. Or maybe it was the voices. They need wine too. At any rate, it’s the perfect time to relax since your Holiday preparation is already done.

What? You haven’t even started yet? That’s okay. That’s the way I do it too. Always keep in mind that wine makes a lovely gift, as well. It’s easy to wrap (considering I have a plethora of wine bags here, now) and it’s always a joy to receive. Or, if you need to face the mobs in the malls, I always find it’s a bit easier after a few sips of the wine.

So what we have in the lineup for this week are some old favorites, as well as new. I’ve brought back the Shinas Estate “The Guilty” Shiraz by popular demand. It’s the perfect gift for someone who didn’t get you anything. . .if that’s the kind of payback you like to get: Guilt. If not, it’s just really fine juice, anyway! Just like the rest of these!

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

Syrah! By Any Other Name Is.. .Well. . .Shiraz!
Domaine Cantarelles 2004 Syrah de Fayels, Vin de Pays du Gard, France
Montes Alpha 2003 Syrah, Cochagua Valley, Chile
Willow Crest 2002 Syrah, Yakima Valley, Washington
Rafferty’s Rules 2002 Angel’s Share Shiraz, Southeastern Australia
Shinas Estate 2003 The Guilty Shiraz, Victoria, Australia

Rah Rah Seerah!!
Five Star 2002 Syrah, Walla Walla Valley, Washington
Louis Cheze 2001 Cuvee Caroline, Saint-Joseph, France

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

Next Friday tasting is Great Party Wines for The New Year!

M

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

Welcome to this weeks Tasting @ Carpe Vinum! Last week we visited Spain. This week we’re visiting the other half of the Iberian Peninsula: Portugal! I don’t mean half in the sense of geographical mass, but in the one of two countries inhabiting the same peninsula. Portugal is geographically small by Spanish standards. . .or perhaps Spain is quite large by Portuguese standards. Whatever. . .you get the picture.

Portugal! In ancient Roman times most of Portugal was a province called Lucitania. Mythically, Lucitania was named after Luso, the son (Or companion. Read: drinking buddy) of Bacchus, the god of wine and feasting. But it wasn’t the Romans who brought the winemaking to Portugal, as it had existed for quite some time. Vineyards were cultivated from 2000 BC, but the art of winemaking was actually brought by the Greeks around the 7th century BC. Winemaking must have been important in that place if the Romans named the land for Bacchus’s drinking buddy, once they had arrived.

Portugal is home to over 500 native grapevine varieties. None of us would like them all listed here. That would be a fruitless pursuit. (Pun intended. On the “fruitless” part, not the “pursuit” part. Oh, nevermind.) All of this variety, coupled with centuries upon centuries of winemaking have produced a number of incredible wines. Over the years, however, the popularity of the fortified Porto had been the dominating wine exported from Portugal and as a result many Portuguese table wines remained relatively unknown, and therefore tremendous values. So what we have assembled here is a collection of different Portuguese table wines from a few regions around Portugal, giving a cross-section of the Portuguese grapes and styles.

Now where it gets really fun: I have a couple Portos included in the lineup this week. Porto is a fortified wine created by adding brandy to grape juice as it ferments. This stops the fermentation, preserving the sugars and adding alcohol at the same time. The cold weather we’re experiencing make Porto a fine winter wine. They’re strong! They’re sweet! They’re mostly made by the British! They’re fun to discuss, and there’s far too much information to print here. The ones I have here are a vintage Ruby style, and a Colheita Tawny style. It’ll be a good one, for sure!

Also this week is in-house music with Adam + Kris! It’s original acoustic guitar music that resonates so well within these walls!

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

Portugal!
Ramos-Pinto 2003 Adriano, Douro
Casa Santos Lima 2003 Tinto Cao, Estremadura
Cortes de Cima 2003 Chamine, Alentejano
Quinta do Crasto 2003 Red Table Wine, Douro
Quinta do Carvalhosa 2001 Ardosino, Douro

Porto!!
Rocha 2000 Vintage Porto
Kopke 1994 Colheita Porto

Next Friday tasting is Syrah/Shiraz!

M

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

It is time, again, for the Carpe Vinum Newsletter and Tasting Heads-Up Announcement thing! And it’s our favorite once-every-three-months-or-so tasting of Spanish Reds! (applause). Let’s call it the Spanish Quarterly, since that’s about how often I like to do it. And why so often? Well, because they’re so divine, and there are so many new developments that a quarterly tasting is needed just to keep up!

So I would say that the wines we have in store for this week are shaping up to be a stellar lineup, but I’m really tired of the word “stellar”. By the true definition, stellar actually means “of or relating to the stars”, but has been popularized by the mainstream surfer culture, and invaded our subconscious vocabulary, like “like” and “Dude, totally!” To expand our vocabulary a tad, and to unabashedly plagiarize straight from the Merriam-Webster Online Thesaurus, we can say this Spanish tasting lineup will be an “A1, bang-up, banner, boss [slang], capital, classic, crackerjack, dandy, divine, fabulous, fine, first-class, first-rate, grand, great, groovy, heavenly, jim-dandy, keen, marvelous (or marvellous), mean, neat, nifty, noble, par excellence, prime, sensational, splendid, sterling, superb, superior, superlative, supernal, swell, terrific, tip-top, top, top-notch, unsurpassed, and wonderful” selection. Also acceptable by today’s standards would be “dope, fly, or The Shizznit”. Just no longer stellar. (Dude.)

Points of additional interest in this tasting include 2 different wines from the same family of winegrowers, each with different ideas. The Palacios family has been making wines for 5 generations under the Bodegas Palacios label in Rioja. It appears one of the sons has gone out in a different direction with the Decendientes de Palacios in Bierzo. They say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. But in this instance, I guess it’s about 200 miles from the tree. . .or grapes from the vine, as it were.

Also, there are a few regions we haven’t explored in the Spanish tastings that we’re touching on this time. Including a wine from the Emporada-Costa Brava, and a wine from within the island of Mallorca from Bodegas Ribas. They’ve been making wine there since 1711, and is sure to be a crowd pleaser. Also pleasing the crowd is another fine wine from Alejandro Fernandez. We’re already familiar with his Condado de Haza, which is one of my favorites, and we’ve poured the El Vinculo and Dehesa la Granja, but I have yet to pour his original Pesquera Ribera del Duero. And since we all love the Ribera del Duero, I figure it’s about time!

It won’t be “stellar” this time, it’ll be “_______”! (Choose one. Your favorite.)

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

Spain!
Zeta 2004 Garnacha, Navarra
Raimat 2001 Tempranillo, Costers del Segre
Palacios Remondo 2003 La Vendimia, Rioja
Descendientes de J. Palacios 2003 Petalos del Bierzo, Bierzo
Marti Fabra 2002 Vinyes Velles, Emporada-Costa Brava

More Spain!!
Alejandro Fernandez 2002 Pesquera, Ribera del Duero
Bodegas Ribas 2002 Sio, VdlT Illes Balears

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

Next Friday tasting is Portugal and Porto!
(And possibly synonyms for the word “tasty” per my family’s request. . .)

M

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

Welcome to the Carpe Vinum Newsletter and Tasting Announcement Thing! This week we’re celebrating! What are we celebrating? Sparkling wine! It’s the 3rd Annual Celebratory Sparkler Spectacular! These bodacious bubblies are a celebration within themselves; a veritable party-in-a-bottle! Just the simple opening of the bottle sounds and feels like a celebration, and is probably why it’s been used for celebration purposes for centuries. Weddings! New Year’s Eve! NASCAR victories! And even the celebration of the morning following an evening of celebrating too much (mixed with orange juice). There’s no doubt that sparklers are the favorites of many. So let’s take a look at our effervescent friends.

Through all of wine history, everywhere wine was made, some batches would have a bubbly character due to a fermentation within the bottle, usually caused by the bottling of a wine that had not fully fermented. The gasses produced by fermentation within the bottle would be reabsorbed into the liquid, only to be released once the wine was opened. This is the true origin of all sparkling wines: Basically, it’s an accident someone found the idea to improve upon. This sparkling characteristic has been refined by methods to enhance the effervescence by adding more sugars and more yeasts just before bottling. (Of course, it’s not quite THAT simple. But, hey. We don’t have all day, right?)

Although the French wines of Limoux claim to be the first makers of a Brut sparkling wine, we can definitely say that the Champagne district was the first to perfect it. Even so, every winemaking country has a bubbly of their own, some made with different grapes and different methods, and others paying homage to the original. The true Champagne, to which some people will accept no substitute, can be some of the most expensive in the world, with few retailing under the $40 price range, and many over $100.

So for a tasting of bubblies, I find it best to do a tour of the worldwide styles of sparklers. It gives a great cross-section of the styles, yet remains within the financial realm of possibility. Personally I like many of these better than that of the origninal Champagne, anyway. . .but still, the tasting wouldn’t be complete without a true Champagne. So I’ve devised a special spot for just that. It’s the perfect research for what gets popped at your celebration in the coming weeks! Enjoy!

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

Bubblies Around the World!
Trevisiol 2003 Prosecco, Veneto, Italy
Rene Mure NV Cremant d’Alsace, Alsace, France
Gruet NV Brut, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Pascual Toso NV Brut, Mendoza, Argentina
Codorniu NV Cuvee Raventos, Cava, Spain

Even More Bubbles From Around the World (But a bit more close by)!!
Elk Cove 1999 Brut, Willamette Valley, Oregon
J Vineyards 1999 Sparkling Brut, Sonoma, California

And One More! A True Champagne!
Heidsieck & Co. Monopole NV Blue Top, Champagne, France

A stellar deal at $10 for the First 5, and $6 for the Extra 2 Premium Pours, and $5 for a taste of the “True Champagne”

Hope to see you here!
Seize the Wine!

Plus, if I’m feeling adventurous, I might saber a bottle for y’all. You know. . .where you knock off the entire top of a bottle with a sword. . .it’s neat!

Next Friday tasting is Spanish Wines!

M

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

It is time, again, for the Carpe Vinum Newsletter and Tasting Heads-Up Announcement thing! Yes, I’m a day earlier on the email for the Holiday tomorrow, this being Wednesday, Thanksgiving Eve. But the day after tomorrow, Friday, I will still be doing my regular tasting, and it’s Aussie Reds!

So in keeping with traditions, tomorrow you, and everyone you know, will be cooking, eating and drinking all day, with minor interruptions for football, video-game football and watching that parade happening 3000 miles away for the 5 minutes that it remains slightly more interesting than some zombie-movie marathon, or whatever.

After all that relaxing, then it’s on to the following day for shopping all day or, for our anti-consumerist friends, boycotting shopping all day. All that can be tiring and stressful. . .so after that long day of shopping or boycotting, a nice glass of Aussie Red will be doing the job. Trust me. I know. Better yet, I’ll have 7 of the things pouring here, all at the regular time.

Why Aussie Reds? Well, they’re simply made to be explosive, high-powered wines made by a population that yields an unusually high number of crazy, fearless nature-show hosts. Why so many, you may ask? Well it seems most non-human animals in Australia excel quite well at killing people. Black adders. Wildebeests. Crocodiles. Heck, even those Koalas aren’t as cute and cuddly as they appear. This living in the constant darkness of deadly critters around every corner, these Aussies seem so laid-back and relaxed. . .how do they do it? It’s the wine!

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

Aussie Wines!
Larrikin 2002 Shiraz, Barossa Valley
Shinas Estate 2003 “The Guilty” Shiraz, Victoria
Indis 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon/Shiraz, Western Australia
Two Hands 2003 “The Lucky Country” (Grenache/Shiraz/Mourvedre), Barossa Valley
Thorn Clarke 2003 “Barossa Cuvee” (Cab. Sauv., Shiraz, Cab. Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot) Barossa Valley

More Aussie Wines!!
Torbreck 2003 “Cuvee Juveniles” (Grenache, Mourvedre, Shiraz), Barossa Valley
Massena 2003 “Moonlight Run” (Grenache, Shiraz, Mourvedre, Cinsaut), Barossa Valley

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

Next Friday tasting is Celebratory Sparklers From Around the World!

M

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

It is time, again, for the Carpe Vinum Newsletter and Tasting Heads-Up Announcement thing! This week we’re doing a study for you! It’s research into what wines go well with Turkey, or a Thanksgiving meal! This can always be a daunting task. On one hand, there are so many things generally being served, that a match might be hard to come by. On the other hand, the entire family is coming, and everyone is going to like something different. But if they’re coming to your house to eat your food and drink your wine, they’re going to have learn to like what you like, or else! Darn freeloaders! Of course, if you’re going to someone else’s house to do some freeloading yourself, here’s some suggestions of things to bring that most people would like.

Okay. There’s a big load of food on the table. . .Dishes of a seemingly infinite variety. Chances are there will be a turkey, as that seems to be the most common American centerpiece. According to the Wikipedia, here on the West Coast, people will often replace the turkey with fresh crab. I don’t know where the hell they heard THAT, and were that the case, it might kinda screw up the wine recommendations. So let’s pretend that doesn’t happen. There are such a variety of different things on the table, how do we possibly match up a wine to all of them?

The best way to go, in my humble opinion, is a lighter-bodied wine. These tend to be more appropriate with so many other flavors in the meal, and won’t overpower the more delicate flavors involved. One of my favorites for this purpose is Pinot Noir, which we have tons of, here in Oregon. Lately, the Pinots have been done in a more heavily-extracted style, which maximizes the fruit, the alcohol, the wine-critic scores, and the price. So a moderately-priced Pinot will not only save on the cost of the meal, but will probably be a bit more subdued and suitable.

Another favorite of mine in recent years has been the Gamay Noir. It’s a bit more delicate and fruiter than its Pinot counterpart, and doesn’t tend to have heavier earthy overtones that Pinots sometimes have, either. There are relatively few Gamay Noir wines in Oregon, but there are quite a few coming from France in the form of Beaujolais. Now, don’t be frightened. . .Beaujolais can have a bit of an unearned bad reputation for cheap, lifeless, thin, and slightly fruity plonk, and that is primarily due to Beaujolais Nouveau. The Beaujolais Nouveau (translated to “new”) is a wine that is crushed, quickly fermented, bottled and shipped out on an jetliner so it doesn’t go bad before it gets here. The rest of the Beaujolais region (a wine “suburb” of Burgundy) makes solid wines out of Gamay Noir that have more heft to them than their flabbier Nouveau cousins. Good regions within Beaujolais to look for are Moulin a Vent, Cote de Brouilly, Beaujolais-Villages and, my favorite, Morgon.

From there, without making this letter too much longer, the wines to choose should be on the sweeter side. No. . not sweet like Grape Kool-Aid sweet, but sweet, as in less-dry sweet. This will also help keep the wine from taking over the evening. Plus, if you are like me, I think the stuffing is the best part of the meal. The unfortunate thing, and something I learned this week, is that the tastiest stuffing that is cooked in the bird, is crucially responsible for drying the turkey out. Acceptable losses, I suppose, if there is a less-dry wine on the scene to not compound the dry turkey.

So with all that in mind, I’ve included 7 really decent wines that I would personally be proud to present at the Thanksgiving table. I didn’t do any white wines this time around since, really, choosing a red wine for the meal is a bit more of a quandary. I think most white wines would go pretty well with the Thanksgiving spread. Honestly-and I don’t think any self-respecting wine guy can stress this enough-you must drink what you like. That’s the best test of what’s appropriate with a meal. So here’s some more things that I like!

So Friday, November 18th, between 4:30 and 9:00 PM it’s:

Turkey Wines! (Well. . .not wines FROM Turkey, but going WITH turkey!)
Ca de Medici 2004 Oblio Notturno Dolce, Reggiano, Italy
Domaine Dubost 2004 Prieure du Tracot, Beaujolais-Villages, France
Amity 2004 Gamay Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon
Cuore 2001 Rosso Classico, Mendocino County, California
Owen Roe 2004 Sharecropper’s Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon

More Turkey Wines!! (Of a bit more of the fancy-schmancy variety!)
Guy Breton 2004 Morgon, Beaujolais, France
EIEIO 2002 Cuvee I Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon

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

Next Friday tasting is Aussie Reds!

M

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

Welcome again to the Carpe Vinum Friday Flights announcement and Newsletter! In keeping with some of the unusual varietal tastings I do here, this week we’re having Sangiovese! All Sangiovese! So what is it? It’s the grape that made Italy famous! Well, actually, I suppose Italy made itself famous, considering the dawn of modern civilization, the renaissance, the Roman Empire, and so on. . .but Sangiovese was along for the ride the whole time.

I learned a good deal about Sangiovese this week. I already knew that it was an Italian varietal, which is very important in Tuscany and other Central-Italian reds, especially and most famously in the Chianti district. What I didn’t know is that it is native to Italy, and the name “Sangiovese” translates into “The Blood of Jove.” And Jove is another name for Jupiter, the Roman god of. . .well. . .gods. Jupiter was the figure in Roman mythology equivalent to that of Zeus in Greek mythology. The god in charge, if you will. (Pun slightly intended considering they’re also the gods of the sky and lightning. . .get it? Gods in “Charge?” Lightning? Heh. . never mind. . .)

So this Jupiter character was rather important in Roman culture. In the Roman courts of law, people would swear by his name, hence the phrase “By Jove.” With that in mind, if the dominant grape variety of the area was to be considered the blood of the god-of-gods, that just shows the reverence with which they hold this wine.

Where it gets a bit more interesting, however, is with all of the New World Sangiovese wines coming out on the market. I’ve been seeing more of them out there, as more newly planted vineyards are reaching fruition. When we consider the winemaking styles of Italy’s wine houses, comparing the styles of Old World to New World Sangioveses gives a better understanding of the varietal and the potential of the flavors of the grape. At that, I’ve been fairly impressed thus far. I think we can be expecting to see quite a few more of these coming out in the future years.

A brief word about the selections for tomorrow: I’ve started it out with one Italian Sangiovese, to get an idea of the origins of the grape, and a basis for comparing the rest. Following that, there’s one from Argentina, 2 from California, and 3 from different regions of Washington (Note that Viano’s is called “Cuvee Tuition” since the winemakers have to send their son to college with what they make off the bottling.). Also, it wouldn’t be a Sangiovese tasting without the Seghesio Sangiovese, which is the oldest New World Sangiovese vineyard, and was planted around the turn of the century. The turn of the LAST century. The rest were probably planted around the turn of this most-recent century.

It’s yet-another stellar lineup, and educational to boot! (Pun slightly intended considering the boot-like shape of Italy. . .get it? Okay, I’ll quit. . .)

So Friday, November 11th, between 4:30 and 9:00 PM it’s:

Sangiovese!
La Berta 2002 “Solano” Sangiovese di Romagna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy
Norton 2003 Sangiovese, Mendoza, Argentina
Wineglass Cellars 2002 Sangiovese, Boushey Vineyard, Yakima Valley, Washington
Kiona 2002 Sangiovese, Red Mountain, Washington
Viano 2002 Sangiovese “Cuvee Tuition,” Columbia Valley and Walla Walla, Washington

More Sangiovese, By Jove!!
Opolo Vineyards 2003 Sangiovese, Paso Robles, California
Seghesio 2003 Sangiovese, Alexander Valley, California

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

Next Friday tasting is A Thanksgiving Selection! What goes with Turkey?

M

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

It is time, again, for the Carpe Vinum Newsletter Thingy and the Announcement of This Weeks Tasting! It’s Oregon wines! Yes, it’s right outside our windows. . .no. . not just the rain, although that is indicative of the wonderful wet place we live. (Recipients of this email outside the Oregon area must pretend, for now. Turn on the sprinkler, maybe.) This soggy autumn weather can just be the right thing to want to stay cozy indoors with a nice glass of Oregon wine. It’s a bottled respite that is a reminder of what the warmer times have given us. These wines are the fruits of our labors. . .or at least the fruits of the laborer’s labors, laboring fruit from Labor Day to. . .um. . .bring us. . .where was I? Uhh. . .Oregon wines!

Pinot Noir is the wine that has made Oregon famous. It’s a varietal that, once upon a time, winegrowers around the world scoffed at the idea that it could be grown here. “It’s just too wet!” the scoffers scoffed. Well, scoff no more! We got tons of the famous juice, and some are fetching infamous prices. What we may not realize, considering that we’re swimming in Pinot up here, is that Oregon wines are relatively scarce outside Oregon. I mean, yeah, the bigger wineries can put out cases and cases of stuff for the mass markets, but just by virtue of being near the wineries, we get the opportunity to enjoy the smaller (and dare I say, better?) “boutique” wines that are only available around here. To that we may say, “Whoohoo!”

Here’s some things that you might be hard-pressed to find outside the soggy Oregon border. Yes. . a couple obligatory Pinot Noirs. Decent ones that I found to be a good value, that being the Sass and the Brooks Runaway Red. Then to mix things up a bit there’s the Penner Ash “Rubeo”, which is a blend of Pinot Noir and Syrah. A blend of what?!? Weirdoes. Oh, but it gets better. Then there are the Jezebel Rouge and the quintessential Owen Roe Abbot’s Table, both blends of just about every grape varietal out there. Finishing the lineup, however, is the Brick House *Organic* Gamay Noir, which I look forward to every year. I only got six of ‘em before the distributor ran out, so at least come in and try it. It’s awesome. Also, the Solena Zinfandel. . . because it wouldn’t be an Oregon Tasting without a Zinfandel, no matter what people try to tell you!

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

Oregon!
Sass 2003 Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley
Brooks 2004 Runaway Red Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley
Penner Ash 2004 Rubeo (Pinot Noir, Syrah), Oregon
Jezebal 2003 Rouge, Oregon
Owen Roe 2004 Abbot’s Table, Oregon

More Oregon!!
Brick House 2004 Gamay Noir, Willamette Valley *Organic*
Solena 2002 Zinfandel, Woolridge Creek, Columbia Gorge

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

(And I didn’t even mention the Sideways / Pinot Noir connection! Isn’t that wonderful? Well. . .until now. Whoops.)

Next Friday tasting is Sangiovese!

M

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

Welcome to the Third Annual Carpe Vinum Spoooky Halloween Selection! That’s right! That SPOOOKIEST of holidays is right around the corner (literally if you’re looking at the calendar and consider the end of the week the “corner”. . y’know. . because of the squarish corner-shape of the boxes that show the days? Too esoteric? Probably. . .but I digress. . .) Halloween is one of the most fun holidays since it’s a chance to dress up, eat bits of candy and get a little Wild! And that’s the theme this year, a “Where the Wild Things Are!” selection! And where are these Wild Things? Tomorrow they’re here!

Of course we all remember everyone’s favorite children’s book! We also remember that famous “Wild Thing” song that has been played ad-nauseum for about the last 40 years. So I’ve collected a few “Wild Things” to taste here tomorrow, since I saw the fascination with wildness in life and the Jekyll and Hyde elixir that we know as wine!

First off we have the Chateau Routas “Cabernet That Wild Boars Prefer” which gets its name from the wild boars that roam the properties at Chateau Routas, feasting on the Cabernet grapes at night. At least, they apparently prefer the Cabernet grapes. At least we can infer that from the name. At any rate. . .Wild Boars!

Next up it’s the Rabid Red, brought to you by the same folks as the Cartlidge & Brown wines. It’s a tremendous blend of quite a few things. Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel and Viognier. Viognier? That’s pretty Wild, eh? Think “Rabid” is a stretch for “Wild”? It seems pretty wild to me. . .many wild animals are Rabid as well. . .perhaps a thesaurus might tell.

Wild Horses bring us the next wild Zinfandel. Wild horses couldn’t drag me away from this wine! Mainly because I’m allergic to horses, and I would be more driven away by the sneezing.

Next up is for the Monster in all of us! It’s Norman Vineyards “The Monster” Zinfandel. Many Zinfandels are described as Monsters. This one is appropriately named so. Can Monsters be Wild? Of course! Can Monsters be tamed? Maybe. . .they’d still be pretty wild, though.

Rounding out the fifth position is the Murphy-Goode “Wild Card” Claret. A Claret, at least in this instance, is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petit Verdot. The Wild part of it is the Card part. What exactly would that be? Well it seems that the folks at Murphy Goode have a gambling problem, what with the “Wild Card” Claret, the “Liars Dice” Zinfandel, “Snake Eyes” Zinfandel, and “The Deuce” Sauvignon Blanc.

For the final two we have, even more specifically, a couple “Wild Things”. First up from California is Carol Shelton’s “Wild Thing” Zinfandel. Is it any wonder why Zinfandels like this are referred to as Wild or Monstrous? It makes sense to me. Closely following that “Wild Thing” is the Zerba Cellars “Wild Thing” Red Blend from Walla Walla. It’s a wild blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, and Cabernet Franc. And I’ve had it before. It’s pretty wild, after all. And it has a wild Zebra on the label. Zerba, Zebra. Yep! You got it!

So on this one Holiday of the year, we can dress in our different costumes, and the wines can as well. But underneath it all we know that it’s just our wild side trying to come out. Sometimes a little wine can help, as well! And a little Wild wine can help Wildly!

So Friday, October 28th, between 4:30 and 9:00 PM it’s:

Feeling Wild?!
Chateau Routas 2002 Cabernet That Wild Boars Prefer, Provence, France
Rabid Red 2003 Red Blend, California
Wild Horses 2002 Zinfandel, Paso Robles, California
Norman Vineyards 2002 The Monster Zinfandel, Paso Robles, California
Murphy Goode 2002 Wild Card Claret, Alexander Valley, California

More Wild Things!!
Carol Shelton 2003 Wild Thing Zinfandel, Mendocino, California
Zerba Cellars 2003 Wild Thing, Walla Walla, Washington

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

And in a small end-of-the-newsletter-shameless-self-promotion, considering I am a musician as well as a wine guy, I will be playing a gig just after the tasting at Sabala’s at Mt. Tabor, straight over on Hawthorne. I’ll be playing bass with the guys I’ve been playing with for years under the name Sylvias Ghost (Spooooky!), however, tomorrow we’ll be playing under the name Floating Pointe. We’ll be on early-ish, around 9:30 or 10:00. For a little preview, check out: http://www.floatingpointemusic.com/

Next Friday tasting is Oregon Wines!

M