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23/09/2008 More Wine Blending: One step forward, one back Last week I had my second opportunity to try my hand at wine blending. This event was also held at El Gaucho in Seattle. The first event featured the wines of Spring Valley Vineyard, this one the Merlots of Northstar Winery.
The event was led by Joel Butler, Ste Michelle's Director of Education. As with Spring Valley, Northstar is owned by Ste Michelle but acts as an independent winery. Joel had a really interesting and informative presentation about the Washington wine industry in general. Part of the presentation was a video by meteorologist, Rich Marriott explaining how Washington's location and weather influences are perfect for growing wine. I sort of laughed to myself when I watched this (although I have no doubt of its accuracy) because growing up in Oregon I often heard the same sorts of information and comparisons to Old World wine regions when talking about the Willamette Valley. Of course very different wines are made in the Columbia Valley than in the Willamette Valley so the logic still follows.
There were similarities and differences in this event when compared to the first. Some were improvements, some were not and some were just interesting variables.
The first difference was that Northstar produces only Merlot and a second label called Stella Maris, which is a Bordeaux blend. So five of our six component wines on this night were Merlots, but each was from a different vineyard and/or region. The sixth component was Cabernet Sauvignon.
Northstar actually uses up to fourteen or fifteen different components for their blends, so we were working with just a portion of their wines. It was really interesting to taste through the components since all were from the same year and had been treated similarly (length of time on oak, etc) so you really got to see the impact of different locations on the resulting wine. And it was interesting to see which wines others in the room preferred compared to my tastes. No right or wrong answers, of course, just different preferences.
The wines we worked with were Northstar 2005 Merlot:
and Northstar 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon, Kiona Vineyard, Red Mountain. As last time, after tasting through the wines and discussing them a bit we were left to our own devices to blend and taste and blend some more. I actually did a much better job of blending this time and came up with two blends that I thought were pretty good - you can see my little notes in the photo above. The 1 - 6 represents the wines as listed above and the following numbers were the number of millilitres I used for each blend. As you can see towards the end I wasn't quite so precise and resorted to using "splashes". While that might work great while mixing one glass of wine, I'm not sure it would be a recommended measurement when you are responsible for blending hundreds or thousands of cases! Nevertheless, on this night it worked very well for me. Again towards the end of the evening we were presented with two glasses of "real" wine from Northstar. In this case it was their 2005 Columbia Valley Merlot and their 2005 Walla Walla Merlot. So if my wine blending skills improved from the first time, why is this post subtitled "One step forward, one back"? Well that has to do with the event itself. So here's a bit of information about that. The room was set up differently this time, I believe that was to accomodate Joel since he had an actual presentation slide deck he was projecting. So we were in long, rows, classroom style facing the front of the room. While this was nice for the presentation many of the things I liked about the first event were hampered by this set up. Joel pretty much stood in the front of the room the entire time and then left at the end. I arrived a bit late so perhaps I missed my opportunity to speak with him prior but I had really enjoyed the opportunity to speak with Serge throughout the first event. I was lucky in that I was at his table but he spent time at every table interacting with all attendees. The room set up for this event did not facilitate that. Also, at the first event, while blending I had the opportunity to interact with people across from me and on either side. For this event there was no one across from us and I missed that free flowing group conversation and comparison of our blending. I was still able to talk with people on either side of me but when talking to one you have your back to the other which is exclusive not inclusive, unfortunately. I really liked Joel's more formal presentation and would like to see both a formal and informal part in future events. Start off with the formal and then move to Serge's type of walking around and talking style for the remainder. There are two things that happened both times that I wish were different. I didn't mention this the first time as I really thought it was a fluke but apparently not. While a meal is not provided for the event a few appetizers are part of the offering. The menu has been the same both times and it has seemed odd to me. I guess you're supposed to grab a quick bite before the blending piece actually starts but most folks carry food to their table and nibble while sipping. Both events have featured red wines yet the appetizers have been chicken skewers, crab cakes, cheese and fruit. The first event some of the food looked a little sad (like they'd been sitting for a while) and because of that I actually ate at the bar before the event this time. The food looked to be in better shape but the selection just seems odd, especially since El gaucho is a steak house! And the other thing is that at the end there doesn't seem to be any lingering. I don't mean hours but just sort of a chance to finish the last "real" wines, maybe have an opportunity to speak with the presenter and then move out. I thought it was odd the first time but when it happened again this second event I tried to figure what caused it. It might just be the people have been anxious to go but perhaps there's something that makes them feel they need to. I don't know the answer to that. El Gaucho's plan is to try to do more of these, although nothing is on the calendar yet. Maybe in November, they said. If there's another I'd probably go again. As I mentioned in that first post, I think wine blending is probably a lot like cooking and I still need more work to get my "ingredient" memory and internal taste database more completely populated. 24/08/2008 Think Pink! We've had such an up and down summer here in Seattle that it's been a bit hard to get the real feel of the long, lazy dog-days of summer. And that has made it twice as important to take advantage of the good days when all the elements - sun, heat and a bit of free time - come together in the perfect convergence.
Several weeks ago my friends MG and DW slipped a bottle of rosé on the backseat of my car sometime while I was at their house. Such a great surprise when I found it! This wasn't just any rosé but one they'd been telling me about, produced by Grochau Cellars (GC). (Full disclosure time... MG's brother and sister-in-law own GC and make the wine.) Once I'd found the wine it went directly into my fridge to be chilled and ready to go at a moment's notice.
The perfect time finally arrived about a week and a half ago. I had nothing on the agenda, the sun was out, it was perfectly warm with just a little breeze coming in from Puget Sound, and the lawn could really wait another day or two to be mowed... So I opened my treasured bottle and settled myself on the deck, cats at my feet and a glass of gorgeous rose-colored rosé in my hand.
The wine is called Pink and it's a rosé of Pinot Noir. As mentioned, and you can see in the photo above, the color is a pretty intense rose with just the slightest copper nuances. The nose is most definitely strawberry - wild, mountain strawberry. The kind you have to hunt to find but once you do, the intense flavor makes the search worthwhile. With that big hit of strawberry I was a bit worried the wine might be a bit sweet. Silly me. This wine is delightfully crisp. The flavor is not as much strawberry as the nose is. There is some but maybe a little tart cherry, too. It seemed that as the wine warmed a little it actually had hints of pink grapefruit - very nice.
As it leaves the palate there is just a hint of flavor remaining. It doesn't linger long, but that's okay. Like the warm summer days the best rosé is often fleeting - meant to be drunk young (you can be any age but the wine is best young!), and a refreshing thirst-quenching respite from the heat. And that heat could come from the sun or from something spicy and this wine would be nice with both.
I'm not sure how available this is this year. (Sorry!) I think you can find it some places in Oregon since GC is based in the Willamette Valley, but I bet there will be more next year. So make a note of it and keep your eyes open next spring.
29/03/2008 Trutina While I finished pulling together Easter dinner we sipped a sparkling wine but once we were ready for dinner, and our lamb in particular, we moved to a red. I'd chosen a local Washington wine that I'd never tasted before but hoped would go well with the meal. The wine was produced by Dunham Cellars and really it's hard to go wrong with any of their wines.
I'd picked up the 2003 Dunham Cellars Trutina on a bit of a whim - the label caught my eye one day while shopping. It's a Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. When we first opened the wine the nose was very fruit forward - much more than I had expected. But as the wine opened the fruit settled down. In fact, I had some of this wine leftover and on the second day the nose was almost leather.
The taste was of dark red and purple fruits. Although they were generally bright flavors I caught the essence of dried cherries and fresh berries - maybe boysenberry. The Cabernets give this wine nice structure and some acidity but the Merlot fills it in and rounds it out. It's a very pleasant sipping wine that quietly lingers.
It was really great with the lamb. I especially liked the way the lavender on the lamb worked with the Trutina. Lavender has a bit of a sweet smell yet the taste is not sweet and that seemed to parallel the flavor of the wine.
I really loved this wine and will be sure to pick up a few more bottles. It retails at about $25.
 05/09/2007 F&W Selects Best American WinesThis is straight from the horse's mouth.... Congratulations to Long Shadows! I had the opportunity to taste several of their wines about a year ago and was really impressed. Currently most are in limited production but I'm sure that will be changing, at least somewhat, over time. I'm also very happy to see one of Oregon's Chardonnays make the list. They are doing some great things with Chardonnay in the Willamette Valley, which I think has been a bit of a surprise to everyone!
17/07/2007 WBW#35 Summary Is PostedMichelle and Kevin have posted the summary, and all the links, from this month's Wine Blogging Wednesday which featured good value Spanish Wines. Reds, whites, sparklers and a few other rose besides the one I tasted.
Go check it out - you may find a few new favorites! 10/07/2007 WBW#35: Passionate Spanish Wines This month's Wine Blogging Wednesday (WBW) event is brought to us by the folks at My Wine Education, Michelle and Kevin. Their challenge for us this month was actually a three part challenge:
Well it just happened that I had the perfect wine on-hand that I'd been hoping to open soon. However, it actually wasn't either white or red but instead is a rosé! And it turns out with the heat wave the country is currently experiencing - even here in the Seattle area the temperatures are predicted to be close to or at 100°F for the next couple days - this wine would be perfect for cooling you down! I actually bought this wine last year as one of the wines for my (overly) ambitious plans for rosé tasting all summer long. I don't remember the exact price but I'm fairly confident it was between $10 - $12. And it is from Penedes, which is about an hour south of Barcelona and is known for whites, reds and cavas - Spain's version of sparkling wine. This rosé I selected, 2005 Pares Balta Ros de Pacs rosé caught my eye for a couple of reasons. The color is intense! Way darker than most rosés, yet still crystal clear. Upon examining the label more closely I noted that the grapes were Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot something I don't remember seeing on a rosé label in the past. As you can see from the photo this wine is very pretty and almost the color of strawberry or cherry Koolaid! I served this wine very chilled. The nose is super delicate, much lighter than expected given the deep color. I could just get a whiff of creamy strawberry, if I worked at it. The taste, however is much more assertive! There was still some strawberry and some cherry - but more like dried fruits than fresh. A hint of floral. I thought that rose didn't seem quite right that it seemed more like geranium and so I consulted my wine wheel to see what description was closest to geranium and was very surprised to see that is an actual descriptor! I believe this is the first time I've ever used it! This wine is off-dry, not really sweet but not quite as acidic as some. Each sip pleasantly lingers and then fades leaving you feeling refreshed. I thought it was quite nice on it's own but also paired it with a Thai inspired chicken recipe that had a bit of heat to it and caprese salad. The wine went well with this meal the coolness of the rosé negating the heat of the chicken. The only thing I did not care for was when the wine warmed up the flavor became very maraschino cherryish and sweeter. I don't like maraschino cherries so I did not think this was a good thing. Then again, I like my rosé chilled so normally this would not be an issue. I think this is a great choice for summer sipping! It's beautiful, tasty, will cool you down and at this price could easily be a party wine - what more can you ask for?
05/07/2007 2004 Domaine Ott Les Domaniers de Puits Mouret Côtes de Provence Rosé I originally opened this wine thinking that it would go well with the Thai Mussels. I had planned to make the mussels later that evening and so decided to open the wine in the afternoon for a little glass to sip on the deck in the heat of the afternoon. I chilled it and then poured a glass.
As you can see, the color is beautiful! It's a deep, clear salmon with golden highlights. When chilled there's not a huge nose but there are elements of strawberry and maybe a little citrus. But the taste - the taste is wonderful! This rosé is all that a rosé should be - hints of fruits, but dry almost minerally, light, refreshing and it lingers on. This is one of my favorite roses that I've tasted. I also love the shape of the bottle! It's one of my "leftovers" from last year and I'll need to see if I can find more for this year.
Well, as sometimes happens, my day ran later than first planned - perhaps due to that enjoyable interlude on the deck - and so I didn't get around to making the mussels on the day I opened this wine. Instead, I sipped another glass or so a bit later in the evening and finished it while I was preparing the mussels the next night. I still think it would have been great with the mussels, however. Once I find a new bottle I'll have to check that out... 13/06/2007 WBW#34: Washington State Cabernet Sauvignon This month's Wine Blogging Wednesday is hosted by Catie at Through the Walla Walla Grapevine. With a blog name like that was there any doubt what her theme might be? Although she really wanted to limit the event to wines from Walla Walla she broadened it to all of Washington state as Walla Walla specific wines might be a little hard to find worldwide. And she chose Cabernet Sauvignon as the varietal we should select for this event.
Living in Washington state, Walla Walla wines are fairly easy for me to locate. Although it did mean a trip to my wine shop as I didn't think I happened to have one in my stash which occurred to me while I was out and about one day last week so I just decided to pick a bottle up to make sure. I figured it was the least I could do based on my location and Catie's hopes.
 The wine I picked up was Seven Hills 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon, Walla Walla Valley, Seven Hills Vineyard. Seven Hills, established in 1988, is one of the original five wineries of the Walla Walla Valley. They make mostly Bordelais-style wines and produce less than 10,000 cases per year.This particular wine is a deep, deep garnet. The nose is of dried red fruit - plums and cherries were the first two that came to mind - and a little hint of raisin, too.
In the mouth the wine is silky and complex. The fruits are still present and there is a bit more of a berry taste but there are other deeper elements, maybe a little leather. I couldn't quite identify the specific element. There is a nice amount of acidity but it is not overwhelmingly tannic. The night I tasted I was just having a snack for dinner but I found it went well with my salami and cheese. :-) I really would have loved to drink this with a nice steak, though.
This wine needs a little time to open. I finished the bottle a day after I opened it and liked it even better than on the first day.
This wine retails for about $30 (my price was $29) and I think that is a fair price for the bottle.
All in all this was a lovely bottle of wine and one I'd be happy to purchase again. But next time I will plan to have a lovely grilled steak to enjoy along with it!
You'll be able to find a summary of all wines tasted in Catie's round-up. 11/04/2007 WBW #32: "Regular" vs Reserve This month's Wine Blogging Wednesday is hosted by the folks at The Wine Cask Blog. Our assignment this month was to select two wines; one a standard release and the other a reserve release of the same wine. We were to compare the wines to decide if the reserve was worthy of it's name and the additional cost that is normally associated with a reserve. At first I thought about comparing local Washington wines but then decided this was a good time to revisit two wines that I buy on a fairly regular basis and really test my love of the reserve.
 My choice was Shingleback Shiraz. Shingleback has a whole line up of wines but their Shiraz was the first I tried and still remains my favorite. I messed up on this one though, as I thought I had two bottles from the same vintage only to find that they were actually a year apart. Oops. Well, the time was short and so I decided to go ahead and complete the challenge with what I had. These wines are produced in South Australia in McLaren Vale, a region long known for it's wines and boasting over 60 wineries. The region is bounded on one side by the Gulf St. Vincent which helps moderate the climate. Shingleback's first release was their 1998 vintage. Since that time they've won several medals for their wine.
The two wines I tasted were the Shingleback 2003 Shiraz (pdf) and the Shingleback 2002 D-Block Reserve Shiraz (pdf). Both wines come from the same vineyard but the grapes for the reserve come from a specific area of the vineyard (D-Block) which John Davey, the grower and winemaker, feels is located in an area that comprises the perfect growing conditions. Both wines are 100% Shiraz.
I opened both bottles and poured a glass of each. To the eye there is not much difference between the wines. Both are a deep, inky garnet. The D-Block may have been a tad bit darker but not obviously so.
The first difference you notice is in the nose. The 2003 Shiraz has a very pleasant aroma of raisin and plum. The 2002 D-Block was also pleasant but more intense. Although there was some raisin there was brighter fruit, predominantly blackberry and some raspberry. I also caught a hint of plum.
I started the tasting with the 2003 Shiraz. This wine's retail price is around $15 - $20. You can often find it at Costco or on sale for around that $15 mark. This wine is very earthy with a taste of plum followed by berry and also a little tobacco. There was a slight acidity, especially just as it left the mouth. I think that will mellow a bit with time as I noticed this acidity decreased after some time exposed to the air. Overall it was a very pleasant wine that would pair with a variety of foods and is nice on its own. At $15 I think this wine is a great value and it presents itself as a more expensive wine.
I then moved on to the 2002 D-Block Reserve. This wine retails around $40 - $50. It has developed a real personality! After sipping it I went back to the 2003 and the 2003 seemed almost flat, but that was only because of the comparison.
The D-Block taste is primarily of deep berry - maybe red, maybe purple. Yet there is a hint of oak that adds to the structure. This wine seemed more integrated than the first. The flavors and elements have become a more unified whole. The effect was of a big, luscious wine with an explosion of berry flavor. It pleasantly lingers on the palate making friends with all of your tastebuds! I really love this wine.
Although this was not a true vintage to vintage comparison I think the results are still representative of what I have tasted before. At $40 the reserve is more then twice the cost of the non-reserve. I'm not sure I could say it was twice as good but I can say it is worth $40. And after this comparison I would continue to buy both, keeping the non-reserve as an excellent everyday wine or something I might take to a party to contribute to the overall pool of wines. It's a good steady wine and I wouldn't be embarrassed to serve it to anyone. The reserve will be pulled out for occasions when I want something a bit special or maybe to share with someone who I know will get the nuances of this more complex wine. I think the challenge here is that the non-reserve is a really great value, not that the reserve is not worth the additional cost.
Thanks to the folks at the Wine Cask for hosting! They have already started the summary of the wines tasted for this event. Check it out to see what others tasted and their ratings.
08/03/2007 Domaine Drouhin Arthur I used to drink a lot of Chardonnay. And then I drifted away from it. I became so tired of the heavily oaked California wines - I used to feel like I was lucky that my mouth wasn't full of splinters after a glass or two! Every now and then I'd have a French wine that I loved but I didn't really know enough to look for a white Burgundy when perusing the wine shop aisles. I still have a hard time remembering which varietals come from which regions, although I am catching on... And so I slowly drifted off to other whites like Sauvignon (Fume) Blanc, Pinot Gris/Grigio, Pinot Blanc or the dry Rieslings that are becoming easier to find.
Every now and then I'd also have a Washington Chardonnay that caught my interest but they always seemed a bit expensive to me or those in my price range were a bit blah. And then, a few years ago, I tasted an Oregon Chardonnay and I fell in love all over again!
Not that every Oregon Chardonnay is perfect by any means! But, in general, most of the winemakers in Oregon use stainless or only keep the wine in oak for a short time. This allows the beautiful flavor of the grape to shine through. Many of the Oregon wines are also rather spendy - most producers there are on the small side and the hand-crafted wines come at a price. Plus, I don't find as many of them as I would like here in Washington. But that seems to be changing.
I recently picked up a couple bottles of a wine I first learned about when I visited the Domaine Drouhin estate a couple years ago.
All of Domaine Drouhin's estate wines are named for Véronique Drouhin's children. She is the winemaker and has been since the winery first started producing. Her wonderfully crafted wines are a delight. Today we are talking about her Chardonnay, Arthur. This is a wine blended from several grapes some of which have been on stainless steel and some have spent a short time on oak.
The 2005 wine is a clear butter yellow. The nose is light and floral. In the mouth it is clean, crisp, almost lemony but not tart. I tasted a bit of pineapple and maybe even a little vanilla that brought out a richness but yet there is an acidity that keeps it all in balance.
This wine is delightful on its own or pairs well with a variety of foods such as cheese, roasted chicken and seafood. This 2005 allotment is hitting stores now so if you are interested in trying it don't wait long! I have no doubt it will sell out long before the demand has been filled.
12/02/2007 WBW#30 Summary is Up Wow! Tim, of Winecast, certainly had his work cut out for him this month. His Syrah/Shiraz theme broke the record with 50 blog posts covering 70 wines!! Truly amazing! There are quite a few entries that have sparked my interest. Go check out his summary to see all the details! 06/02/2007 WBW#30: McCrea 2002 Syrah When the theme for Wine Blogging Wednesday (WBW) 30 was announced I was very happy! Tim's pick for this month was New World Syrah/Shiraz as this grape is know by both names. New World encompasses quite a large area - South America, Australia, and the U.S. just to name a few locations.
We are very lucky here in Washington to have many great Syrahs that come from east of the Cascade Mountains. So this theme was challenging for me mostly in choosing which great wine I'd like to tell you about. I decided to make it a bit easier on myself by looking at my wine stash and picking something that I had on hand. One of the first bottles of Syrah I came across was the 2002 McCrea. I've had this bottle for a couple of years and decided it was just the right pick.
McCrea is one of my favorite producers and they are well-known for their finely crafted wines. They specialize in Rhone varietals and generally produce 3 or 4 Syrahs each year. This one that I'd chosen was the Washington State Syrah with grapes from several vineyards and appellations including Columbia Valley, Red Mountain and Yakima Valley. It is 100% Syrah.
This wine is a deep inky, black purple with just the slightest hint of lighter purple at the very edges of the wine in the glass. The nose is full with the lushness of berries. On the palate purple fruits are front and center. There is some plum but the flavor of berries is what grabs you. The first taste was just a hint of raspberry but that was followed closely by the deeper flavors of boysenberry or marionberry. The finish was a bit more fleeting than I would have liked - I really wasn't ready for it to go! However there was a light lingering before it was totally gone. There is a bit of spice in this wine but for a Syrah I felt it was rather mellow. There were also hints of more earthy flavors like leather or tobacco. This wine is luscious but not overwhelming. I drank it on its own and with just a few salted nuts and was perfectly happy. I can also see it complementing food like braised meats, for instance.
All in all I was very pleased with this bottle of Syrah and look forward to more McCrea wine in the future!
Update: This comes via GrapeRadio - McCrea Ciel du Cheval 2003 was the winner in the "Syrah Shootout", part of the Hospice du Rhone event held each May in Pasa Robles.
 31/01/2007 WBW #30 Announced
Tim from Winecast will be hosting February's installment of Wine Blogging Wednesday. The theme is New World Syrah. Check out his post for all the details, pick yourself up a bottle of Syrah/Shiraz and then post your findings on February 7th. What could be easier? Now the question is what should I choose..... 17/01/2007 WBW #29: Biodynamic Wines This month's Wine Blogging Wednesday (WBW) is hosted by Fork and Bottle and the theme is "Biodynamic Wine". Now I know very little, if anything really, about Biodynamic Wine but Fork and Bottle has tons of information and resources.
With information I gleaned from their site and articles they'd linked to I went in search of an entry for this month. When I got to my local wine shop and asked about biodynamics the first thing out of my knowledgeable wine person's mouth was, "Now you know biodynamics may contain sulfites?". Or maybe that was actually the second thing as I think he first confirmed that they had several bottles to choose from. After assuring him that I wasn't looking for biodynamics for health reasons but for "community" reasons we set about looking at many of the various options. I would say all of the options but to be honest they had too many and so I cut off the search after a bit.
Several of the first wines he mentioned and showed me happened to also be on a list I'd printed off after finding a link on the Fork and Bottle site. What I found interesting about these wines is that although they are known for being Biodynamic wineries many of them did not carry the Demeter certification. Like "organic" there are certain costs, testing and fees needed to qualify for the certification. Not all wineries feel the trade-off is worthwhile and so, while they may follow the practices, they are not certified.
Biodynamic is a bit of a loaded term. Besides the agricultural aspects of the practice there are the bordering-on-pagan (my description) rituals that many do not necessarily buy into and, in fact, this is probably the major, uhm, discussion point, among believers, non-believers and fanatics.
With that bit of background let's get to this month's tasting. Jack has long been a believer in this process and challenged us to see if we could tell any sort of difference in Biodynamic wines.
After my tour through the wine shop I had great plans to double dip this month. I purchased two wines: one red, one white; one Demeter certified, one not but on my list; one from the Rhone Valley and one from the Loire Valley. The reality was that I was able to squeeze one tasting in under the wire tonight. Ohhh, the best laid plans...
 Tonight I opened the red, a non-Demeter certified Côte du Rhône, Belleruche Cotes-du-Rhone M. Chapoutier 2005.
After pouring it into my glass I noticed that there wasn't much on the nose. The color was a nice, deep plum. The first taste seemed rather light. I let the glass sit for a few moments to see if it would open some and then tried again. Not much had changed. In the mouth it felt thin but was pleasant. I kept trying to identify some specific taste but the wine was very elusive. The flavor would dissipate before my mind could record any sort of recognized flavor. At one point though, I actually had the impression of toasted marshmallow! I have no idea where that came from.
Basically, I would say this wine was rather flat; there was little complexity or structure. It was, however, still a pleasant wine. It was the sort of wine I'd be happy picking up in a neighborhood shop in Paris, taking back to my hotel room and sipping while nibbling on finds from one of the traveling street markets. It was not a wine I'd take to a dinner party, especially if I was hoping to impress my hosts or the other guests.
The one thing that did surprise me was that this wine was only $10 in a state (Washington) that heavily taxes alcohol. I would have expected that Biodynamic wines would be more expensive than their non-Biodynamic counterparts. Even the other wine that I have on hand, the one that is Demeter certified, was only $14. Of course at this point I have no idea what it is like.
In summary, I can't say that I'd search out this wine again. On the other hand if it happened to turn up at an event I was attending I wouldn't run screaming either. I think it's fine for a picnic or as a light lunch wine but then again, that's the description for many Côte du Rhône. I can't say I saw any identifiable difference between this one and one grown in a non-Biodynamic vineyard.
The round-up is in process and you can read it here. 14/12/2006 WBW#28: Sparklers! Summary Part 2 We are continuing with our summary of Wine Blogging Wednesday 28 - Sparklers. I just realized that I didn't review the "rules" in part 1 but it's pretty simple - any sparkler not from the Champagne region is fair game.
In case you missed Part 1, it lists all of the multi-bottle entries submitted for this round. In this post we are going to delve in to the single bottle entries and they will actually be sort of organized - at least I think they will be.
 We'll see what actually happens as I go through it. :-) As with the last post to save time I am going to abbreviate the categories to Special (might be a bit more expensive but good for a special occasion); Party (won't embarrass you to serve it, but the price point makes it good for a crowd); and Dud (self-explanatory).
Here we go!
France
I'm starting with France just because I think it's nice to realize that there are French sparkling wines that are not from Champagne - not that I have anything against Champagne - not at all!
Mairead from Fill Up on Bread (something that I can so easily do...) grabbed a couple friends and they went out to do their sparkling wine sampling. They started with something expensive and local but were very disappointed and moved on to their second choice Pol Clement Brut Blanc de Blancs. This one suited them much better! They rate it as "Party for Sure and Definitely Special!"
Our next French offering is from Dr. Debs at Good Wine Under $20 (don't you love that premise?). She chose NV Blason de Bourgogne Cremant de Bourgogne Cuvee Brut from Auxerrois, Burgundy. She rated this as a great Party wine but more than that said it is "the best under $10 sparkler I've had"! That sounds pretty good.
One of our WBW newbies, Kim also stayed with a French wine, choosing Domaine Allimant-Laugner Crémant D’Alsace Brut Rose to write about on the WineLog Blog. It's pink and it's a Cremant - something I've been wanting to learn more about! She rates it a Party Sparkler and thinks it's perfect for a wedding...maybe even hers!
Our next entry is also from a WBW first-timer, Megan, and she also chose a French wine to talk about on her blog, Wannabe Wino. She sampled Carod Freres Clairette De Die and while doing research came across a recommendation that it was good for "daytime meetings"! I think she'd like to participate in those meetings and based on her review they might just turn into Parties!
That's it for France - let's pop on over to Austria.
Austria
I don't know if our bloggers just made great selections or if Austria is doing something special but both of our Austrian wines rated as Special!
Thomas, a German blogger with a German language blog, Winzerblog, wrote his review in English to take part in this worldwide event. And I'm glad he did as he tells us about an interesting sparkler, Triebaumer Muscato from the Burgenland, Neusiedler See region. Not only did Thomas enjoy this tasting but the wine brought back memories of younger years - that's always fun! He places this wine in the Special category.
The Corkdork (with a blog of the same name) also chose an Austrian contender, Schloss Golbersburg Brut Reserve, NV from Kamptal, Austria. His wine was quite different from Thomas' but it also rates as a Special.
Let's move on to Italy.
Italy
We have three wines from Italy to learn about.
Anna from Morsels and Musings chose a wine I know nothing about, Pisani Fragolino Rosso Vivo from the Veneto. Not that I think I know everything! In fact just the opposite and why I love these events! She has a bit of history with Fragolino so is in a good position to rate this wine but doesn't as it falls between the cracks. Not quite good enough to be rated Special but too expensive to fall into the Party category, it sits somewhere in the limbo in between.
False Epiphany's Dantae, also chose an Italian sparkler. He ended up with a San Fermo Bellenda Prosecco after originally trying to locate a different Prosecco he'd enjoyed in the Virgin Islands. (Although he's spelling it differently it seems like it might be the same wine our super-achiever Bill reviewed in Part 1...) But back to this wine. It's from the Conegliano-Valdobbiadene region and Dantae rates it as a Party wine.
Our final Italian offering comes to us from Neil, of the Brooklynguy's Wine and Food Blog. He blames his choice of this wine on a strange mood he was in but he seems to have had fun with his experiment. While he might not buy the 2005 Bruno Verdi Sangue di Giuda from Lombardy again, it's not a dud, just not a wine he prefers so he puts it in the Party category.
Moving on to Spain... Spain
I was a little surprised to see that we have only one Spanish post in the single bottle reviews. We had a couple in the Part 1 posts but still not as many as I would have thought overall. Interesting.
Tim, another podcaster can be found at Wine Cast. This WBW theme challenged him to get outside his normal sparkling zone and he chose a Cava for his tasting. His choice of Cava Avinyo, Brut Reserva, Penedes, Spain NV turned out to be a very nice surprise for him. He calls it a "fairly complex sparkler at a bargain price; highly recommended". At just $14 he places it in the Party category.
Romania
I love this! I've never seen anyone write about a wine from Romania, sparkling or otherwise!
Andreea and her blog, Glorious Wines come to us from Belgium. (She mentions there is a Dutch version of Wine Blogging Wednesday!) She hosts themed wine tastings and not long ago had one based on Romania. During that tasting they discovered a very pleasant Romanian sparkler, Prahova Valley Spumant. It's got a few things going for it yet is cheap enough to make the Party category.
Now we are going to head south, way south. Australia
I think Australia was our top contender, although the US may have had just a couple more entries. It's close either way.
Y from Lemonpi is enjoying summer in Australia and has found just the right sparkler to sip this summer. Two Hands Brilliant Disguise Moscato 2006 from Barossa Valley is a recent discovery and one Y is anxious to share with others. It has a low-alcohol content and is perfect for the Party category.
A fellow Aussie, Ed who's blog is Tomato also chose a local sparkler but he rates his wine in the Special category. Foxeys Hangout blanc de Noirs 2003 sounds great but what is even more fun is that if you visit the winery location you can actually custom blend your own sparkling wine! Now that is Special! Fe of fefifofum, resides in Perth and also has an Australian pick rated as Special. Fe had a bottle of St Hallett's The Black NV in the cellar that they had been keeping for just the right occasion and I guess this was it! This wine is from Barossa and often sells out soon after release, according to Fe - so get it when you can. Our next Australian wine is from Tasmania. Haalo who writes at Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once selected Dominique Portet Tasmanian Cuvée 2002. Not only is this our only Tasmanian entry it also has another very distinguishing characteristic. That's not what puts it in the Special category but that is where Haalo places this wine. Garry, a sommelier from the UK, with a blog titled Tales of a Sommelier chose our last Australian entry for this month. His choice Charles Melton Sparkling Red (Shiraz) NV Disgorged 2005 from the Barossa Valley, an old favorite of his. Actually, I guess I should say an old favourite of his. ;-) Garry knows a lot about this producer and shares that information with you. Although this is a great wine, it's also a pricey wine and therefore belongs in the Special category. And now we move on to the US. United States
I was very sad that other than Bill's (the super achiever) mention of Argyle Brut there weren't any Oregon or Washington wines reviewed. I guess, however, that was actually my job and I blew it. Oh bother. What was very cool though is that we did have a couple of more unusual entries.
Now, I'm not sure why but our illustrious WBW founder Lenn of LennDevours, wrote up a post but failed to let me know. You can run but you can't hide, Lenn! As you can guess he chose to sample a wine from Long Island, Martha Clara Vineyards 2001 Brut Rose. His description of this wine being the "lightest coppery-pink" makes me want to try that wine. He didn't specify but with the price of the wine, I'm placing it in the Special category.
Our other interesting entry comes from David, another WBW first-timer, who writes Cooking Chat. David is from Massachusetts and so it's not surprising that so is his wine, Westport Rivers 2002 Brut Cuvee RJR. David reminisces about his first sparkling wines and then asks some interesting questions before describing his wine which, when all is said and done is a "Special Party" sparkler.
Now, as you might guess, the balance of our sparklers are from California.
Catherine from, Purple Liquid, submits a review of 2002 J Vintage Brut from the Russian River Valley, she provides an interesting summary of this wine's lineage and puts it solidly in the Special category.
Jens from Cincinnati Wine Cellars reviews a different wine from the same producer, J Vineyards Brut Rose. Jens almost ended up in the "Paragraph of Shame" when he first tried to submit a Champagne with a bunch of flimsy excuses as to why he couldn't complete the assignment properly! But he did manage to drink another bottle of wine to meet the qualifications prior to the deadline. Although he then asked for extra credit! I told him the extra credit he got was that he was able to enjoy two great sparkling wines! He also places this wine in the Special category.
Another wine placed in the Special category is 2003 Mumm Pinot Meunier from Napa. This wine was reviewed by Farley of Wine Outlook. Now, not only did she review this wine and place it in the Special category, she actually wrote a Sonnet that Sparkles! That is how much she loves sparkling wines!
S. Anderson Blanc de Noir 1998 from Napa was the wine of choice for John from Brim to the Dregs. John seems to have a great outlook on life and how to celebrate it (beliefs I share, by the way). He puts this wine in the Special category but allows a little leeway for those who might think it is also a Party wine.
Dave from Avenue Wine (thanks for the fancy logo, Dave!) also has a California wine he places in either the Special or Party category. Although Dave had great aspirations to rival our super achiever, I think life and the holidays took their toll! But still he reviewed Chandon Sparkling Wine Brut Classic and not only do you get a review but lots of background info, too.
Update December 18, Dave actually did make it through several sparkling wines and got his post up just after I'd finished the summaries and headed out of town. And in fact, he should have been in post 1 and ties for our super acheiver award. Here is his updated list:
One link takes you to all the details.
Roederer Estate Brut (NV) from Sonoma/Anderson Valley brings back plenty of memories for Anita from Married...with Dinner. She places it in the Party category and for good reason - this was the wine selected for her wedding and her anniversary is very soon!
And finishing up with one more Party sparkler we have Wine Box Guy from Box Wines and his pick, Ballatore Gran Spumante. Wine Box Guy laments that he couldn't find a boxed wine for this event but understands there are times when a box won't do the trick. While this wine did not get big raves, he feels it's an appropriate choice for a party.
And that ends our WBW #28 Sparkling Wine Round Up! I think this is a very interesting selection of wines and it was amazing to me that we only had a couple duplicates! If I counted correctly (and there's a good chance I did not...) we had about 47 reviews (33 reviewers) and to have so few repeats is really amazing.
I thank you all for humoring me and for playing along at this busy time of year. Hopefully as you read through all of the individual posts you will learn a few new things - both about the wines and your fellow participants - and be motivated to go out and try a few more new sparklers that are not Champagne... WBW#28: Sparklers! Summary Part 1 You guys just blow me away! What a wonderful array of sparklers sipped and documented and stories told! I'm not going to lie to you; I haven't read every post from start to finish. Not yet, but I will. The only reason I haven't is that I
really want to get this summary up early enough that it might be useful to those looking for sparkler recommendations for this holiday season. But I will go back and read them all - I've seen enough to be tantalized on so many accounts. I'm going to love this and so will you! Before I get into all the details I just want to thank you all for your participation. We have several first timers (Welcome!), many of you who really spent time searching for something new and interesting (that just warms my heart!) and many of you did your tastings with friends over dinners or parties - how great is that?!? I recognized several of you from this week's Mixology Monday (haven't we all been drinking a lot this week!) which was fun.
I'm going to try to do this writeup in some sort of order although there may be a couple places where it gets messy where folks reviewed more than one bottle. I'm also working on a little side project that may not be ready when I release this but I hope to have it done shortly after - check back later on Friday or early on Monday.
I am also going to break this into two posts. The first post will cover all the multiple bottle entries. The second will cover the single bottle entries and it will be organized by (wine) region and within the region by category (party, special, dud). Speaking of categories - remember that one man's party wine may be another person's special wine or even someone else's dud. That's what makes the world of wine fun - there is something for every person's taste.
One last note and then let's get to the good stuff! To save time I am going to abbreviate the categories to Special (might be a bit more expensive but good for a special occasion); Party (won't embarrass you to serve it, but the price point makes it good for a crowd); and Dud (self-explanatory). Okay, let's get to it!
Grand Tippler Award and Runner Up
We have to give special recognition to two members of the community who drank their hearts out, just so you wouldn't have to! Okay, maybe they just really enjoyed the tasting, but still!
Our all time super achiever is Bill Wilson from Wine for Newbies. Bill sampled and reported on SIX sparklers from all over the world and documents them all in his post and podcast. Let's start with the sparklers that he rated Special:
Argyle Brut 2000 from Oregon; and then Domaine Chandon Brut California Classic and Banfi Rosa Regale Brachetto d'Acqui DOCG were rated as both Special, due to taste, and Party since the price point is right. Those falling solidly in the Party category were Santa Margherita Prosecco di Valdobbiadene DOC Brut NV (Italy) and Jacob's Creek Chardonnay Pinot Noir Brut Cuvee NV from Australia. And there was one Dud: Rumball Sparkling Shiraz from Australia. I was glad to see the rating on the Rosa Regale as I have a bottle just begging me to try it. I'd do it tonight but then I'd never finish this summary!
Coming in at a very close second place for wino of the week, is Derek from the Gastronomic Fight Club. Derek samples four wines: three are from California and the Korbel line of wines and the fourth is from New Zealand. The three Korbels, N.V. Korbel Chardonnay "Champagne", Korbel Natural Méthode Champenoise, and N.V. Korbel Brut Rosé, are all rated as Party wines while the New Zealand offering, N.V. Le Brun No 1 Family Estate Chardonnay No. 1 Cuvée ranks as a Dud. I'm glad to see that a Rosé made it into that lineup, too.
Double Dipping
Then we had several people who tried two wines. Edward of Wino Sapien ended up with two Duds, unfortunately, but don't you think it was great of him to sacrifice himself to save others? He tried Mini Pash and Killawarra Strawberry Dusk both something he calls alcopop - I like that term even if I wouldn't like what falls into that category. They are both from Australia. I'm not sure why he didn't mention the Cava he also writes about? It's Freixenet Rosado Brut Cava from Spain and from his description it looks like it may have fallen into the Party category.
With a blog name like Catavino (and living in Spain) you might be able to guess where Ryan and Gabriella's choices were produced. In their post and podcast they review Paul Cheneau Brut 'Blanc de Blancs' and Avant by the Giro Ribot Winery, two Spanish cavas. They rated them as a Party wine and Special bottle, respectively. You can hear them work on their pronunciation as they sip and report throughout the podcast!
Our next double dipper is Marcus from Doktor Weingolb who chose to go with known entities for a special dinner party. He seems particularly enamored with Ms but you can read his post to find out about that! In the meantime the sparklers he tried were: Cuvée J.M. Monmousseau Touraine Mousseux 2002 and Mumm Napa Cuvée Brut (NV). He rated the first as a Party wine crossing over into Special and the second as a Special.
Amanda from PostDoc in Paris (now there's a nice gig!) stayed with French sparklers but stayed out of Champagne, as she should! :-) She chose Blanquette de Limoux and Cremant de Limoux based on the recommendation of a friend on wines from that region. They were both new to her and both from Languedoc-Roussillon. The first rates as a Party wine and the second as a Dud. According to her post she actually bought two other bottles to try but is holding those for another day!
Rinku chose two Australian entries, Pink and Paringa - Sparkling Shiraz. On Cooking in Westchester, Rinku first tries Pink but is disappointed and rates this bottle a Dud. Disappointing. The following weekend brought another opportunity for discovery and this time the Paringa did not disappoint. It earns a place in the Party category.
I chose to limit my post to just two wines since I didn't want to look like too big a lush at my own event! Of course that was before I knew about Bill's six samples and Derek's four! If only I'd known.... I chose something new and something known. The new wine was Rumball Sparkling Shiraz from Australia, the very same wine that Bill placed in the Dud category and I heartily agree. It's a darn shame, too, as it's a beautiful pour! My second wine is a Prosecco (Italy) that I have come to love, Rive Della Chiesa Prosecco. This is a great Party wine and extremely versatile. I especially love it at brunch.
All right. That is the end of the multiple bottle posts. 13/12/2006 WBW#28: Sparklers! This post is going to be short and sweet. Just about midnight last night I finished writing the roundup for Mixology Monday 10 - Drinks for a Festive Occasion which we hosted on The Spirit World. After writing that up and seeing the entries that have already come into my mailbox for today's event I'm going to save my energy for the WBW#28 summary! ;-) I can see that people went all out for this one. Not to mention I'm currently operating on about 4 hours of sleep - oh, poor me! Okay, on with the write-up of my wines.First though, can you believe that this is WBW#28? Lenn's idea has certainly taken on a life of it's own! Much of that is due to Lenn himself, his great work in the food and wine blogging community, and his easy yet knowledgeable style of educating us about his Long Island wines. If you haven't spent any time checking out LennDevours, you should do it and soon. He has a great site and you'll find it to be a great resource for your wine journeys - both physical and virtual!
As you remember the rules for this game were: Sparkling wines but NOT from Champagne. And we are to place our sampled wine in one of three categories: Party (something good that won't break the budget); Special Occasion (maybe more expensive but for an intimate gathering, just the thing); or Dud (tried but just really didn't like it).
I tried one new sparkler and returned to a tried and true bottle for this event. Let's start with the new one.
 This is a beautiful Australian wine! The photo does not come close to doing it justice. The lighting wasn't great and I was trying to quickly capture the gorgeous bubbles before they all disappeared, which wasn't a good combination. When you first pour this wine it really froths up with a gorgeous deep pink foam topping the inky wine below.
The nose is interesting. I would say almost musty. With the deep purple color you expect something deeply berry or cherry but it's not there. The taste is of very sweet grape juice. It reminds me of a bubbly version of concord grape juice that we used to make from our grapes at home. It's kind of funny but although I love wine, I don't really like grape juice. So I wasn't crazy about this wine.
I really tried to like it and sipped it over a period of time to try to find something noteworthy. But I just didn't. It is so soft and sweet that it is almost nondescript, if that makes sense. I can sometimes find an elegance in wines that don't happen to strike my fancy but that was not the case here. I actually tasted it with four others (my dinner club group) and none of us cared for it. For a couple people one sip was more than enough.
This is my second tasting of sparkling Shiraz and I didn't care for the first one I tried either, so I guess this category of wine is not for me. But feeling as I do and especially with the $24 price tag I need to rate this wine a Dud. I wouldn't buy it again nor would I recommend it to anyone.
My second wine turned out much better! Phew!
 I "discovered" this wine about a year ago in my local grocery store. The bottle caught my eye, as the cork is held in with string instead of wire and is not covered with foil. It's a great sort of rustic looking presentation. (You'll actually need a corkscrew to remove this cork.) When I stopped to take a closer look at the bottle I noticed that the store staff was highly recommending this Prosecco. I thought I better try it out and I'm really glad I did.
Whenever I need a Prosecco now I look for this wine. It's a very pale straw color, with just a hint of fruit in the nose. I actually think of fall fruits - maybe apples more than anything. The taste is so, so light and delicate. Clean, crisp with a hint of sweet but just a tiny hint. There are bubbles but as this wine is frizzante they are gentle bubbles.
I especially love this wine in the morning. I don't mean that I use it to start my work day! But I do mean that it's a great brunch wine. It pairs well with many foods and is versatile enough to handle the eggy breakfast items, yet can stand up to the heavier more substantial items on your menu. It's also nice all on it's own as an afternoon take-a-break-on-the-deck wine or as a gentle aperitif before a heavier dinner.
With it's $10 - $12 price tag, I rate this wine as great for Parties. This Prosecco is from the Veneto region of Italy.
Okay, those are my two entries and I'm looking forward to seeing even more entries from the rest of you! I am bound and determined to have the summary up on Friday so that you can peruse the list and use the information as you head down the holiday home stretch.
The summary will be sporting this colorful logo designed by Dave at Avenue Vine. Thanks, Dave!
08/12/2006 Reminder! WBW #28 Approaching Just a quick reminder that next Wednesday is Wine Blogging Wednesday #28 - Sparklers (but not Champagne). The announcement post has all the "rules" and links to a series of posts you may (or may not....) find useful when selecting your entry.
Many of you will be decorating your houses and trees for the holidays this weekend and that would be a perfect occasion to sip some bubbly! So get prepared and tell us what you think of your choice.
Also, if you are so inclined and want to continue the celebration, over on The Spirit World we are hosting Mixology Monday, which is this coming Monday. Our theme for that event is "Drinks for a Festive Occasion". Check the announcement to learn how to participate. 04/12/2006 WBW#28 Approaching Quickly!Just a little reminder that Wine Blogging Wednesday #28 - Festive Sparkling Wines is coming up next week! You can choose any type of sparkler as long as it is NOT Champagne. That leaves you a whole wide world of options.
You can read the official announcement here and you'll find links to lots of background information to help you in your sparkling search. 25/11/2006 Preparing for Wine Blogging Wednesday - Part V This is the fifth and last post about sparkling wines meant to help you in preparing for Wine Blogging Wednesday #28 - Sparkling Wines (but not Champagne).
This post is just basically a listing of types of Sparkling Wines that we have not yet discussed. I'm sure that I will have missed some - or many - but this is just meant as a jumping off point for your research!
Australia: One of the latest trends in sparkling wines is Sparkling Reds, mostly Shiraz, from Australia. I first heard about this Sparkling Shiraz about 3 years ago and since then it seems to be springing up everywhere!
Austria: I know that Austria produces sparkling wine and I know that it is even available here in Seattle. But unfortunately that is about all I know. :-( Web searches kept turning up references to Schlumberger but there wasn't much specific information I can't read the site - but I know it's out there and maybe some one will blog it!
Canada: I've recently sampled a sparkling wine from British Columbia made from Riesling and have had several other of their sparklers in the past. Canada produces sparklers from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Riesling and Gamay Noir.
France: Mentioned briefly in the "terms" post Cremant is worth mentioning again as it is used two different ways. First, it can mean a method that produces a moderately sparkling wine. However it is also used in the naming of sparklers from outside the Champagne region that are made by méthode champenoise. The three wines you may see with this naming convention are: Crémant Alsace, Crémant De Burgoyne and Crémant De Loire
Germany: Sekt (short for Qualitätschaumwein) and Schaumwein. Can be made from various varietals.
Italy: We've mentioned several Italian sparklers already but one I missed is Rosa Regale, a low alcohol dessert sparker.
Portugal: Vinho Verde, green wine, is not green colored but a young fresh wine meant to be consumed early. Wines from this DOC are red, white, rose or sparkling but it looks like only the whites are exported.
Other New World Sparkling Wine Producers
I would love it if some of these following wines made it into the WBW roundup! I know that Argentina, Chile, New Zealand and South Africa all produce sparklers, too. It seems that most of these rely on the standard Champagne grapes but sometimes include local grapes. For instance, I know there is at least one wine from South Africa that is based on Pinotage and includes some Pinot Noir.
The point is that there is a whole WORLD of sparklers and hopefully we will discover some new choices when we all do our research and write-ups for this, the 28th edition, of Wine Blogging Wednesday!
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