See No Vino

The best way to learn about wine is by tasting it. The best way to truly assess wine for its true flavor is by tasting it blind. For the African American Interest Group with Accenture, I hosted a blind wine tasting of 6 wines from African American winemakers. Chardonnay - Sugarleaf Vineyards, Cabernet Sauvignon & Riesling - Vision Cellars, Zinfandel - Brown Estate, Barolo - Carafe WineMakers, Sauvignon Blanc - Fair Valley. Each guest got a card with 3 white wine descriptions and 3 red wine descriptions. They were to walk around and taste each wine, which were designated by colored ribbons on the neck of the bottle, and match the wines they tasted to the wine description. Sound easy enough? Let's see how well you do!

Whites
1. Concentrated apricots give way to crisp refreshing peaches and nectarine flavors which mingle in your mouth. The honeysuckle and lavender merge on the finish as you sit back and enjoy each mouthwatering sip
2. A nose of citrus and apple leading to a fruit forward rich palate of oak, spice, and toasted vanilla lingering through a crisp round finish
3. Pale straw color with a greenish tinge. Fresh lime and mineral aromas with a zesty mouthfeel. Hints of capsicum on the nose with pear fruit flavors and good acidity


Reds
1. Dense crimson color with a clue scarlet rim leads to a fragrant nose of exotic Asian apple mouthful of soft, silky texture that gives way to ripe, forward fruit balanced with layers of complexity. Cascading flavors of blackberries, black cherries, cappuccino, and tobacco lead to herbaceous earthiness with undertones of big game, fresh sage, and rosemary
2. Full flavored, medium bodied with hints of warm black fruits, plums and toasted oak
3. Aromas of blackberry and deep ripe plum. In the mouth its focus is on cherry and currant, while finishing with layers of wild cherry and Jamaican spice

Oh, you thought I was going to tell you what is what?! HAHA! You'll have to email me or leave a comment with your guesses first. Good luck!

Return of the Purple Teeth

We've all probably tasted a few red wines that turned our teeth colors...but there is nothing like a black wine to give you that sexy purple hue to your teeth. Tuesday was the Cahors tasting at the Hotel Palomar. Cahors is an AOC in France which is actually the original home of Malbec.

The grapevines were brought to this region by the Roman Empire about 2,000 years ago. the wines of this region grew in popularity, much to the detriment to Italian wine consumption. A royal marriage in 1152 encouraged the production of winegrowing in Cahors and it began to flourish throughout Europe. The dark color of the wine allowed it to remain intact during maritime voyages and was found to withstand the long journeys and the test of time. But as time passed, and palates changed, the strong as liqueur flavor of Cahors wine began to be less and less favorable, being replaced by lighter, fruitier red wines.

But as we all know, what's in style at one time will come back in style again! Cahors wines are rich, full of flavor, and back in style!

Cahors wines are broken up into 3 distinct styles: tender & fruity, feisty & powerful, and intense & complex. Some typical fragrances are violets, black currant, cherry, licorice, vanilla, and menthol. And while most wines from the region are 100% Malbec, Merlot and Tannat may be used as well to smooth out the finished flavor of the wine.

Next time you're in your local wine shop, ask about Cahors. You'll be glad you did!

The GrapeVine Is In The House

Don't know if you know it or not but, it's a felony to ship wine to the state of Maryland. You read that correctly, a FELONY. And shipping your wine to VA, then bringing it over the bridge to your house in Maryland without paying any taxes on it....FELONY!! Some of you all should be locked up, LOL! I think this law is crazy so on Friday, I gave oral testimony before the House Economic Matters Committee in support of HB 716 - Direct Wine Shipper's License.

There was a great showing in support of HB 716, but then a few that opposed it. Their reasons were: 1) the direct shipping of wine to consumers in MD would devastate the smaller wine retailers in the state, 2) minors would use the direct shipping to obtain wine illegally, and 3) the state government does not believe that they would get their share of the taxes from direct to consumer wine sales.

For my first experience in any type of bill hearing or anything of that nature, this wasn’t too bad. Quite long, but since I am very passionate about wine and about being able to have what I want legally shipped to me, I didn’t mind that so much. I sat in the hearing for about 4 hrs listening to the arguments for the pros and cons of this bill. People were arguing to the death that minors would be buying wine online….but I don’t know any underage drinker that is going to wait a few days to have some wine shipped to them when they can just get an adult to buy it for them in about 10 mins! But I won’t even bring that whole thing up again.

My main issue with the blocking of this bill is, what about Maryland wineries? Everyone was so concerned with the retailers losing business, but how much business has been lost to MD wineries because they can’t ship wine to people that live in their own state??!!! Black Ankle Vineyards and St. Michaels Winery were there to represent for the hometown wineries. They both mentioned that new jobs and new revenue streams would be created for the state if the shipping bill were to pass.

I know this is an uphill battle with many whom oppose this bill but by speaking to my Delegate and providing written and oral testimony…I’m doing what I can to try and make a difference.

The Golden Child (or Tardy for the Party)

What a week this has been! 2 huge snow storms, a roof leak, a dead car battery and a computer meltdown...good thing I had Pinotage to help me make it through. Now thanks to the computer meltdown I missed the actual Pinotage party on Twitter but I was able to sit back, with my feet up and enjoy a glass (or 3). When presented with the idea of a Pinotage Party by Dezel of My Vine Spot, I was so in! Being an acquired taste, I've found that most people have a love it or hate it relationship with the varietal. But Pinotage has been a favorite of mine for quite a while with the best examples coming from its originating country, South Africa. My Pinotage pick was a 2006 from Golden Kaan. The deep ruby red color filled my glass and as I swirled and sniffed, aromas of dark fruits, like plums, and hints of earth were present. Then I took a sip…ahh that signature bacon-y flavor of Pinotage. Clocking in at 14% alcohol, this wine also packed a punch. But once settled in the glanced I found soft fruits, soft tannins, plums and kinda gamey and earth-y on the palate. I had some barbecue chicken that I thought would pair well with the smoky flavors of the wine, and I was correct! One bite of chicken, then a sip of wine…amazing! A great wine on a cold night but also a perfect pairing for grilled pork and chicken.

So, I guess it wasn’t a total loss that I couldn’t join the party to tweet how delicious this wine was, I got to sit back and enjoy my culinary skills and my Pinotage. Guess I had a private Pinotage Party.

A Wine Day Around Spain

Being a part of the wine trade means being invited to wine events. Okay, well maybe not invited, but I heard about the event and showed up :-) No worries though, I was welcome! The Spanish wine region of Ribeiro and Navarra were in town to promote their wines from the DC International Food & Wine Festival. Hosted by Deussen Communications and Jose Andres, I attended the Ribeiro event first at Jaleo first. Not to be confused with Ribera del Duero, the Ribeiro region in the NW province of Galicia is known mainly for their white wines. The treixadura grape is the star of the region with its fruity and floral notes. Other varietals indigenous to this region are torrontes, loureira, and godello. GQ Chef of the Year, Jose Andres hope to bring wines from where he grew up to Spanish wine aficionados in America. YAY for us in DC!

There were 7 tables, 18 wines...and I tasted them all. That's the only way to get the full experience of the region, right?! My favs from the tasting all contained treixadura, and of course aren't yet distributed in this area. I really do need to become an importer!

Arman Barrica 2007
100% Treixadura
Hints of toast, bacon, and smoke. Slight minerality on finish

Val de Nairoa 2009
80% Treixadura, 10% Albarino, 10% Lado
Great fruit blast of apple, citrus, and lemon. Crisp acidity

Vina do Campo 2008
70% Treixadura, 30% Torrontes
Creamy mouthfeel with refreshing florals and citrus fruits in the nose and on the palate

Next up, Navarra. So glad they had actual walk around appetizers at this event, I was starving! Citrus shrimp, cold tomato soup shooters, foie gras...Taberna del Alabadero.

Navarra, located in the North of Spain has a long rich history of wine, food, and tradition. Monks established the vineyards in the area in the 13th century and their winemaking techniques were influenced by the French. The bodegas of Navarra are known for their blends of traditional grape varieties like tempranillo, garnacha with imported varieties. Spanish rosado, strawberry in color, is also held in high regard in this region.

I slowed down with my tasting here. Of the 16 tables, I only made it to 7. But a great 7 they were! The standouts of Navarra are:

Bodegas Artajona Crianza 2006
Cabernet Sauvignon & Tempranillo
Aged 12 mos in oak, this wine had flavors of bright red fruits and a soft mouthfeel

Ochoa Moscatel 2008
Moscatel a petit grain
A sweet dessert style, this wine had flavors of honey, peach, melon and honeysuckle

Casita Mami semiCrianza 2004
60% Garnacha, 40% Graciano
Spent 6 mos in American oak, tasted of oak, clove and sweet red fruits

Wine Wednesday - House Wines

Another East Coast blizzard...another day stuck in the house. Good thing it's Wine Wednesday!! With a day in the house, I figured I would try my culinary hand and make a 3-course meal complete with wine pairings. My dinner menu is listed below.

Starter
Lobster Bisque
topped with sherry and whipped cream
Wine: Xarmant Txakoli

Entree
Beef Roast with honey glaze
Linguine Noodles with roasted red pepper sauce
Sweet & Sour Collard Greens
Wine: 2006 Chateau LaRose Trintaudon

Dessert
Pecan Pie topped with whipped cream
Wine: Oloroso Sherry

The meal was fantastic if I do say so myself! And there weren't any complaints, my dinner guest cleared his plate ;-)

#Snowpocalypse 2.0

That is the twitter buzz word of the day, along with #snowmaggedon, #snOMG, and #snOMGasm. And there hasn't even been any snow yet!! All area schools are closed for the day, most business have told their employees to work from home, all the milk and bread aisles are empty at the grocery store.... Oh, did I mention that NOT ONE drop of snow has hit the ground?! HILAR!

I guess being from Chicago and never being out of school or seeing the city shut down for anything less than 2' really has me cracking up at how people are handling the upcoming snow storm. Snow is scheduled to start in 20 min (10AM) and probably won't start serious accumulation until about 7 or 8pm this evening. So glad I keep my house stocked fairly well with groceries and wine ;-) But for those that need to venture out for supplies below are a few food and drink ideas to keep you warm and toasty during the impending snowpocalypse.

Food

• Pantry Pasta
• Sugar-Crusted Popovers
• Chili Mac

Drinks

• Mulled Wine
• Spicy Australian Shiraz
• Big Oaky CA Zinfandel
• Oloroso Sherry
• 10-year Tawny Port
• Hot Chocolate (with a touch of Baileys or Kahlua)
  

ENJOY!!