The Art of Wine

Ever talk to a group of people and they just look back at you with that blank stare? Well, I got the exact opposite from the guests at this tasting! There are plenty of times when I'll ask for comments, questions, a little crowd interaction...yet I get nothing. This group was vocal and I so enjoyed them!

I was the 'wine speaker' along with Carafe WineMakers for an art and wine show at Madly Living a B&B in Southern MD. Since it was the week before the 4th of July I talked about Grapes & the Grill. A few wines that are perfect for patio sippin', picnics, and anything off the grill. We started with a Prosecco that was served to guests as they arrived. But the first wine of the formal tasting was a Sauvignon Blanc from Carafe WineMakers in VA, a Rose from Brown Estate in CA, Splash (a blackberry merlot) from Carafe WineMakers, and a red Zinfandel from Brown Estate.
After I explained the concept of swirl, sniff, sip...the crowd took it from there. They were so interactive providing comments on aromas and flavors of the wines. A couple of times they got a little fancy, like granny smith apple, rhubarb, ripe strawberries. Juicy juice was my fav description. I'm wondering what kinds of descriptions they'll come up with next month. I think we'll taste through some blends.

Not So Common Cava

I search the internet quite often looking around for wine articles, books, hot topics in wine and such. Through a search I came across the book, The Bubbly Bar - Champagne & Sparkling Wine Cocktails. How cool! Not too many books out there about the topic, and you usually have to get a general cocktail book to find the 3 recipes they have for champagne. The book was written by The Bubbly Girl, Maria Hunt who has a blog and website of the same name. And her book has taken off! She's been on various tv and radio shows promoting the book and was on a book tour, which stopped by DC. Clearly I had to attend.

The event was sponsored by the American Institute of Wine & Food's (AIWF) DC Chapter and was a tasting of Spanish Cavas at Commonwealth in Columbia Heights, DC. Maria greeted me soon after I walked in, and I realized that her title of Bubbly Girl didn't just refer to her love of champagnes. She thanked me for attending her event and gave me a quick overview of what we'd be tasting that evening. 9 cavas!! Then she made her way around the room to greet guests and chat before the wines were poured.

Tasting notes were provided for all the wines from the tasting, but of course I took my own and will give you my 3 faves below.

Paul Chenau Cava Brut

Very complex in flavor with great acidity, this wine also showed melon and citrus on the palate. Great honey finish. Super cool label.

Juve y Camps Pinot Noir Rose

I didn't have big hopes for this one at first, I'm not the biggest rose fan. This was one of the few cavas of the evening where I got pronounced fruit aromas. Scents of strawberry and raspberry and the chalky minerality on the palate made me find favor with this rose.

Castilla Perelada Cava Brut Rosado Cuvee Especial 2007

Big Red is what I thought when I first put my nose in the glass. Ripe flavors of raspberry on the palate along with a slight hint of spice. A bit of residual sugar in this one balanced the crisp acidity. I think I found my New Year's sparkler!

A Girls Night in France

My favorite kind of tasting are the ones I do in homes. This 'girls night' tasting was no different. A group of 7 women that just wanted to chill out and taste some wines of France. Since most people have tasted official French Champagne, I started this tasting out with a Blanquette de Limoux. A very light crisp sparkling wine from the South of France, made using the traditional method from the mauzac grape. A bit different in taste from Champagne, a lot of people noted a hint of salty-ness in the sparkler. I suggested they try a little bit of camembert cheese then try the wine again. Got a couple of fans, but I think this was a moscato d'asti crowd so anything else would be a hard sell. The only other white I served was a Vouvray, with its hints of peach and honey...the crowd was pleased. We took a cheese break (fleur verte, camembert, epoisses) and then started the reds.

A 2006 Bordeaux from Rothschild was rich with plum, blackberry, and black cherry fruit. Heavy tannins made this one a delight for the red wine lover. For those that like a bit lighter of a wine, I made note of Bordeaux regions that make a great white and also discussed Sauternes (wine made from botrysized Semillon).

One of my favorite grapes is grenache, and where better to get that in France than in the Rhone Valley. But instead of the ever popular, and oft expensive Chateauneuf du Pape, we tasted a Gigondas. I had a map of the area along with a profile of Rhone Valley wine aromas and tastes. Out of the entire group, half of the people loved the ripe red fruit and smooth flavors, the other half thought it was way too dry. This thing was split down the middle. Next up was a Banyuls, a vin doux naturale made from the grenache grape but fortified for a sweeter flavor. That same group that didn't care for the Gigondas, filled their glasses with the Banyuls. Then I served pieces of chocolate and the hostess had brownies....the official tasting went on hold for about 20 mins while everyone raved about the Banyuls. They were writing down every word on the label, taking pictures, I loved it. But before everyone got too crazy and stopped listening entirely, I served a La Coume du Roy from Maury - made from grenache and from the south of France.

What I found funny was that the people that loved the Gigondas couldn't take the sweetness of the Maury, did a little better with the chocolate and Banyuls...and those that loved the Banyuls and Maury didn't care for the Gigondas. After explaining how the same grape can taste completely different...I had a new batch of wine lovers! That was my favorite part of the tasting. And that there was more Gigondas & Bordeaux left for me ;-)

Wine Wednesday - Sippin' With Santa

Well, not actually Santa...but hosted a tasting for the holidays. I think someone even had on a Santa hat, or at least something red. The Rutgers Alumni Association in the DC area held a holiday wine tasting at Carafe WineMakers and I added a little education on to their tasting. We went through 3 whites, everyone loving the gewurtztraminer because of its spicy and citrus-y notes. The red favorite was a new wine at Carafe, the Old Town Zinfindel. I really liked this one and the crowd did too. This wine is perfect for the holidays with smoky cherry aromas and flavor reminiscent of cherry cola. Perfect for that stew or roast that is served for Christmas.

I always like to add something a special for the host of any wine tasting where I speak. Since Rutgers is in New Jersey, for this tasting I ended with a raspberry dessert wine from a winery in NJ. The alumni group was so excited! Once in the glass the wine smelled of ripe fresh picked raspberries. On the palate, not the crowd favorite. But, a suggestion to pour this wine over ice cream or possibly use it as a sauce for chocolate cake was met with cheers. Nice save!

Eat This, Drink That!

After all the events attended, speeches given and wines sipped, I finally got my tasting club together and we had our first meeting! I only mean 'my' in the sense that I do most of the talking, good thing they seemed to like me! We held our first The GrapeVine Tasting Club meeting at the beautiful Intown Uptown Inn in Washington, DC. There were about 15 guests there that are now official GrapeVine Tasting Club members. And all were excited and eager to learn and taste, and eat!

As the members entered, we checked them in and poured glasses of California champagne (they'll probably get a letter from the real Champagne about that later) for their enjoyment as we waited for other members to arrive. Once most of the members had checked in, they were seated in the tasting room and I began our meeting. Our main topic was food and wine pairings that work, hence the title, 'Eat This, Drink That!' I wanted to give a few basic 'rules' for food & wine pairings and also give some pairings that worked no matter what. We had Chef Raiford on hand that prepared Italian and Mediterranean dishes for us to enjoy with the wines. And with October being Virginia wine month, all the wines we tasted were from Carafe WineMakers in Alexandria, VA.

Starting with whites, we tasted a Pinot Grigio and White Fusion which is a house blend of Gewurtztraminer and Riesling. Paired with the fruit, the pinot grigio stood up well and brought its natural crisp acidity forward on the palate. The White Fusion was great on its own, members loved it and were asking for larger pours. We obliged since we were headed into the food break between the whites and reds.

Chef Raiford brought out the food and explained his rationale behind the food selections after our discussion of the wines that would be served. He also made the point that wine is 'very personable' it's all about what you like. While there are some great match made in heaven combos...at the end of the day it's all about what you like to drink and what you eat. Chef prepared small plates of several dishes and dips so that members would be able to sample all the foods with all of the wines and also learn a few tricks for when they host their own events. The members would be able to serve a wide variety of wines to get something that everyone will like and there will be food to go with all the wines. Members dined on kiwi, pineapple and strawberries with blue cheese and peppercorn encrusted goat cheese. Roasted red pepper dip and a spicy hummus with pita chips. A cured meat platter was next to the olives and roasted garlic. Brie en croute with red & white raspberries finished off the meal. I'm getting hungry again just thinking about it all!!

I tried to look for empty glasses or a lull in conversation before starting with the reds, but I didn't see either. I just had to start anyway because I really wanted people to taste the roasted red pepper dip with the syrah that I was serving. Very peppery and spicy in nature but still having flavors of dark fruit on the palate, the syrah was definitely a crowd pleaser. And for those
that still had a little of the roasted red pepper dip or the peppercorn goat cheese, they got an extra treat because they loved the flavors that the wine brought out in the food and vice versa. The last red was Midnight Cabernet Sauvignon modeled after the Chilean style of cabernet. Very smoky on the nose with pepper, meat and hints of blackberry on the palate. Perfect for pairing with the cured meats, the smoke for smoke match was fantastic. We finished up with a vidal blanc for dessert. For those that didn't particularly care for sweet wines but wanted a little something for dessert, this was for them. Very honeyed and peachy on the palate, the finish wasn't the syrupy sweet taste that is present in some dessert wines. I was fortunate enough to snag a glass of this to pair with the brie en croute. The raspberries and the cheese wrapped in the pastry were perfect!

After the tasting, with wine glasses in hand, most went on a tour of the Inn. Everyone loved the designs of each room and the comfy French country style feel of the inn. And they can't wait to return next month to learn about a new set of wines. I can't wait to do my research ;-)

Vino Italiano

The day was rainy and dreary, as it had been for the past few days...but how could I be dreary when I had an Italian wine tasting to prepare for and host! This idea of exploring the wines of Italy actually came from the client. She had an Italian wine at a restaurant and fell in love with it (the wine was Montepulciano, I'm glad she wrote it down :-) When it comes to Italian wines, most people just think Chianti and Pinot Grigio. But Italy has over 500 documented grape varieties and 20 wine regions. Clearly we have missed a few. Since my client wanted to learn more about Italian wines and maybe even discover some new ones that she loved, I figured I would pick some popular Italian varietals that Americans may not be too familiar with. So, on with the tasting.

Since it was raining and cold, I figured that people would be a bit tardy so I started off with Verdi Spumante for guests to sip on as they arrived and got situated. This spumante is made from the moscato grape using the 'champagne method'. It's pretty sweet, labelled 'demi-sec' which is about 33-50 grams of sugar per liter. I knew my audience though, and the Verdi was a hit.

The 1st white served was Marchesini Frascati Superiore which is a blend of trebbiano and malvasia grapes. The Frascati had a slightly honeyed flavor with a bitter herbal finish. Very light in body, this went very well with some of the light appetizers that were served. While this was a new wine for many of the guests, not too sure if they're interested in buying it by the bottle. Although, one guest did say that if she was somewhere it was being served, she would definitely drink a couple of glasses.

Since pinot grigio is one of Italy's most popular wines, and one that most people have tasted, I figured I should have it at the tasting but maybe just in a different way. Antica Corte's blend of pinot grigio and garganega fit the bill. Very smooth with light acidity the garganega added a bit of apple and pear flavors to blend with the typical citrus taste of pinot grigio. Slight acidity and minerality were also found on the palate. A nice alternative to your straight pinot grigio and very good as an aperitif or salads and chicken...or chicken salad!

At an in-store wine tasting I tasted and enjoyed the Mormoraia Vernaccia di San Gimignano. Made from the vernaccia grape (San Gimignano is the town it originates from) it was the 1st white wine to gain DOCG status in Italy. This particular style of Vernaccia di San Gimignano was aged in stainless steel for 4 months before bottling, lending to a very crisp flavor and a bit of strong acidity on the palate. Slightly almond-y and floral on the nose, but fruity citrus flavors like grapefruit were on the palate. Most of the guests liked this medium-bodied white and thought it would taste great with shrimp or a light fish.

We took a short break at this point to clean our glasses and our palates before we started with the reds. There were smoked meats available, olives, pizza, and pasta. All the perfect Italian foods to pair with the Italian wines. Guests asked various questions about general food and wine pairings, wine temperatures...you know, the kind of stuff that people always want to know but are afraid to ask. Glad they felt comfortable enough with me to ask.

First red wine, Azelia Barbera d'Alba from Piedmont, Italy. The barbera grape is the 2nd most widely planted red grape, sangiovese (used for the popular Chianti is 1st). A very smooth example of barbera, this wine had very good acidity to balance with the medium tannins making for a velvety mouthfeel. Refreshing fruit flavors of raspberry and cherry were present on the palate with a spicy finish. Barbera most closely matches pinot noir in terms of flavors and style of wine. While of course you can pair Barbera d'Alba with any food with red or tomato sauces, this would also go well with salmon and light red meats.

Wine Enthusiast had an article in their October issue about Ripasso so I thought that I put one into the mix for this wine tasting. The Ripasso process is essentially the union of 2 wines: Vapolicella, a base wine made from fresh grapes, is poured over the skins, seeds, and pulp of dried, fermented grapes previously used to make Amarone. This combo undergoes a 2nd fermentation which results in Ripasso which actually means, 'passed over twice'. The resulting wine from Villa Mafei's Valpolicella Ripasso was a rich cinnamon and spice flavor with hints of cherry and almonds. The crowd loved the slightly oaky taste on the finish, definitely a crowd favorite. Paired with the salami and prosciutto the wine tasted even richer. Not too bad I might add for a bottle that was under $20.

Saving the host's request for last (so she could taste and assess the other wines with an open mind) we tasted the Montepulciano d'Abruzzo from Abruzzi, Italy. Similar in style to Zinfandel, this medium-bodied but heavily tannic wine showed strong ripe notes of cherry and crushed blackberries on the palate fading into a spicy vanilla finish. Great with olives, antipasto and just foods in red sauce in general. As the saying goes: "If it grows together, it goes together", and boy does this stuff grow and go together!

Cheryl & Her Girls

It's so much fun to host wine tastings, and even more fun when you host one for friends. I hosted a wine tasting for one of my girlfriends, with the help of another wine professional in her circle of friends. We came up with the idea of doing a blind tasting in order for everyone to be more open-minded about what wines they were drinking. When the guests arrived we poured Marquis de Monistrol Cava (a pleasant and affordable alternative to Champagne) for casually sipping as we mingled and got to know the other guests.

For the blind tasting, we had 3 whites and 3 reds wrapped up like Christmas presents with red and gold tissue paper and bows around the necks. Figure that is a little nicer than a wino paper bag, LOL! Everyone was provided with a note sheet and an aroma/flavor sheet, so once we started tasting the wine, they would have a frame of reference for aromas and somewhere to write down their notes and guesses of the wines. Out of the 6 wines, one person got 2 correct and another got 1 correct. They both received prizes as a token of our appreciation for their participation. Funny thing was that several of the girls mentioned that Chenin Blanc was their favorite wine, but they couldn't pick that one out of the lineup! Can't fault them though, it was a South African Chenin Blanc (Kanu) which has different flavors then the French Vouvray I'm sure they're used to. And the white wine drinkers were very impressed with the California Zinfandel (Gnarled Vines). I always love blind tastings because people will taste the wine and assess it based on the flavors of the wine, not what they may or may not already know or think they know about it.

After we revealed the wines to everyone, the other half of our wine team spoke about wine & cheese pairings. She was great! She had a chart to match the wines and cheeses and also gave us some great tips on selecting cheese to pair with wine. But she had me anyway when she brought my fav, epoisses, for the cheese plate. We also got full glasses of wine and tasted them with the cheeses that were available to note the differences in the flavors when paired with different wines. Trial and error is always so much easier when at a wine tasting rather than at home when you've invested in several bottles and several cheeses that aren't good matches.

At the end, we took questions and invited everyone to enjoy full glasses of the wines they loved. Everyone seemed to truly enjoy the event and most even said they learned something new. I guess we did our job!