I’ll bet you thought I was going to write about wines that go with chocolate. Actually there are too many wines that go well with chocolate, but don’t show up as well with more conventional foods. Besides, man does not live by chocolate alone. If that was the case Russell Stover would have been the first billionaire. Is that even a guy?
What about the meal that precedes the dessert, however? That is where your wine should shine, and if it pairs with dessert, so much the better. I actually had a wine that did that, a Brunello di Montalcino that my wife and I shared for our 25th anniversary, which is also a high-romance affair. Since Italians are big on romance, let’s take a virtual trip there to make our wine selections.
The two areas to focus on among the many types of Italian wine are Tuscany and Piedmont. Almost as a name, Tuscany conjures up romance, from the hilltop capped towns and villages to the lush countryside redolent with grape clusters. Chianti is king here, made primarily using the Sangiovese grape. A more select area is designated for Chianti Classico, where the better wine comes from. The summit for Chianti is the rich Chianti Reserva that taste like nothing that came in a wicker basket. To taste a Reserva is to fall in love with Chianti all over again.
Of course if you want the ultimate expression of love in the glass, then go for a Brunello di Montalcino, which comes from the town of Montalcino, using a special clone of the Sangiovese grape. These wines are not released until at least five years after the vintage date, so don’t expect a young wine. They aren’t cheap, either, but the laws of supply and demand work against you here. There is very little supply (Montalcino is not a big area), and lots of demand. But if it’s to share with your loved one, why not?
Piedmont is home to the Barbera and Nebbiolo grapes, and both make great wine, including Barbera d’Asti and Barbaresco. Closer to home, however, you can have your wine and not pay the high import costs these days. Even Trader Joe is charging more for them now. Instead take a tour of Luna Rossa in Deming, or order online any of Paolo D’ Andrea’s wonderful Italian wines. The wines he makes from Barbera, Sangiovese, Dolcetto, and Nebbiolo grapes are all good, earthy, fruit-forward wines. Your local wine shop probably has his 2004 Nini blend if you can’t wait for UPS. Salut!
Monday, February 16, 2009
Friday, January 30, 2009
Entertaining Wines
In years past, the principal wine makers in California came from a wine making background. You would think it would still be that way, but that’s not always so. Many wineries have been bought by conglomerates with all that that implies. Others have been purchased by money made in Silicon Valley, sometimes the new owners utilizing their engineering background to apply modern technology to wine making. Others have been purchased by those in the entertainment business. Niebaum-Coppola and Fess Parker come to mind here. Francis Ford Coppola even has a museum of artifacts from his movies at the winery, now called Rubicon Estate.
Another example, possibly one of the best, is Frank Family Vineyards of Napa Valley. If you are in the entertainment business then the name Rich Frank is well known. Saying he is one of the leading lights of the Disney TV and feature film enterprises and founder of the USA network only begins to tell the story of his influence. What began as a friendship with Koerner Rombauer of Rombauer Vineyards developed into a passion for winemaking. When Kornell Champagne Cellars on the site of historic Larkmead Winery went on sale in 1992, Koerner and Rich purchased it jointly. In 2007, Rich assumed total control.
One of the first things you’ll notice is the newly built, but ageless looking, multi-story home that contains the tasting room. The second thing you’ll notice is that there are no tasting fees, which in Napa is almost unheard of for a quality winery. I found out why quickly enough when I left with a case of wine. The wines are irresistible. However, they are not inexpensive, unless you consider quality. In which case, they’re a very good buy!
One of the other things you may notice is dedication. The staff I met there were knowledgeable, enthusiastic about the wines, and loved showing them off. After sampling the sparkling wines, which were very impressive, we were invited to the back office with Pat Cline. I’ll focus here on the Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon wines.
Tasting Behind Closed Doors
The office proved to be large and comfortable, with a desk big enough to accommodate many wines and glasses. I sampled three Chardonnay wines, each one an eye-opener for those like myself who have become disenchanted with California versions. Tasting these wines was like falling in love with Chardonnay all over again. I have always loved the French Montrachet interpretations of the Chardonnay grape, and the Frank Family 2006 Carneros Chardonnay and 2007 Carneros Reserve Chardonnay exhibit flavors that will please any lover of the French versions.
The Carneros region lies at the top of San Francisco Bay, or more specifically, San Pablo Bay. The winery’s Lewis Vineyards are 138 acres of rolling hills ideally suited to produce Chardonnay wines of great balance, acidity, mouthfeel, and depth. The maritime influence and clay and loamy soil both play a part in the creation of great fruit for making exceptional Chardonnay. The low rainfall contributes to stressing the vines for low but high quality yields.
For many, Napa is synonymous with the Cabernet Sauvignon grape. The most awarded, most expensive, and sometimes most over-rated Cabs have come from here. My first surprise was that their basic Cab was less than $50, and my second shock was finding it to be an awesome wine. I learned from Pat that this wine beat out Opus One, Caymus, and other $125+ cabs in blind tastings. I believe it.
The 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon is close to the classic Bordeaux blends of this grape with Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Franc adding to the complexity and balance of this wine. The tasting notes must have been written by someone sampling the wine at the same time, as the notes wax poetic on the myriad of flavors to be found therein. Heck, I can’t blame them, this may be the best $45 Cab in Napa or Sonoma and that’s covering a lot of ground.
I was sure they couldn’t top this until I tried the 2005 Rutherford Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. This one almost brought tears to my eyes, it was so good. Tasting notes will do little to describe the experience of this wine or their signature cab, the 2005 Winston Hill. Both of these wines source fruit from the Winston Hill vineyards in Rutherford, hence the Rutherford classification of the reserve wine. Tasting is believing, so make sure you include them in any tour of Napa.
Check out their website at www.frankfamilyvineyards.com for details and pricing. The website is well designed and provides extensive information of the wines I’ve mentioned including the 2006 Zinfandel, which is also exceptional. I promise you, you will get your money’s worth no matter which wines you choose. Salud!
Another example, possibly one of the best, is Frank Family Vineyards of Napa Valley. If you are in the entertainment business then the name Rich Frank is well known. Saying he is one of the leading lights of the Disney TV and feature film enterprises and founder of the USA network only begins to tell the story of his influence. What began as a friendship with Koerner Rombauer of Rombauer Vineyards developed into a passion for winemaking. When Kornell Champagne Cellars on the site of historic Larkmead Winery went on sale in 1992, Koerner and Rich purchased it jointly. In 2007, Rich assumed total control.
One of the first things you’ll notice is the newly built, but ageless looking, multi-story home that contains the tasting room. The second thing you’ll notice is that there are no tasting fees, which in Napa is almost unheard of for a quality winery. I found out why quickly enough when I left with a case of wine. The wines are irresistible. However, they are not inexpensive, unless you consider quality. In which case, they’re a very good buy!
One of the other things you may notice is dedication. The staff I met there were knowledgeable, enthusiastic about the wines, and loved showing them off. After sampling the sparkling wines, which were very impressive, we were invited to the back office with Pat Cline. I’ll focus here on the Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon wines.
Tasting Behind Closed Doors
The office proved to be large and comfortable, with a desk big enough to accommodate many wines and glasses. I sampled three Chardonnay wines, each one an eye-opener for those like myself who have become disenchanted with California versions. Tasting these wines was like falling in love with Chardonnay all over again. I have always loved the French Montrachet interpretations of the Chardonnay grape, and the Frank Family 2006 Carneros Chardonnay and 2007 Carneros Reserve Chardonnay exhibit flavors that will please any lover of the French versions.
The Carneros region lies at the top of San Francisco Bay, or more specifically, San Pablo Bay. The winery’s Lewis Vineyards are 138 acres of rolling hills ideally suited to produce Chardonnay wines of great balance, acidity, mouthfeel, and depth. The maritime influence and clay and loamy soil both play a part in the creation of great fruit for making exceptional Chardonnay. The low rainfall contributes to stressing the vines for low but high quality yields.
For many, Napa is synonymous with the Cabernet Sauvignon grape. The most awarded, most expensive, and sometimes most over-rated Cabs have come from here. My first surprise was that their basic Cab was less than $50, and my second shock was finding it to be an awesome wine. I learned from Pat that this wine beat out Opus One, Caymus, and other $125+ cabs in blind tastings. I believe it.
The 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon is close to the classic Bordeaux blends of this grape with Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Franc adding to the complexity and balance of this wine. The tasting notes must have been written by someone sampling the wine at the same time, as the notes wax poetic on the myriad of flavors to be found therein. Heck, I can’t blame them, this may be the best $45 Cab in Napa or Sonoma and that’s covering a lot of ground.
I was sure they couldn’t top this until I tried the 2005 Rutherford Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. This one almost brought tears to my eyes, it was so good. Tasting notes will do little to describe the experience of this wine or their signature cab, the 2005 Winston Hill. Both of these wines source fruit from the Winston Hill vineyards in Rutherford, hence the Rutherford classification of the reserve wine. Tasting is believing, so make sure you include them in any tour of Napa.
Check out their website at www.frankfamilyvineyards.com for details and pricing. The website is well designed and provides extensive information of the wines I’ve mentioned including the 2006 Zinfandel, which is also exceptional. I promise you, you will get your money’s worth no matter which wines you choose. Salud!
Duckhorn Wines Served at Inaugural Luncheon
Earlier this month I had an opportunity to sample the wines of Duckhorn Vineyards, a consistent producer of fine wines. This was organized by my good friend, Judy Diaz, who provides exclusive wine tours in the Napa Valley. In a later email, she mentioned that Duckhorn wines had been selected for President Obama’s inaugural luncheon. I’ve always been impressed with Judy’s instinct for turning up great wines for me to sample, but this was over the top! If you were at the luncheon, this is what part of the menu would look like.
First course: A fish stew served with Duckhorn Vineyards
2007 Sauvignon Blanc.
Second course: Duck and pheasant served with sour cherry
chutney and molasses sweet potatoes, and paired with
Duckhorn Vineyards 2005 Goldeneye Pinot Noir.
I’m not sure I’d have room for a third course.
While we didn’t get the Presidential repast, we did get a personal tour and felt like honored guests. We toured the vineyards with a glass of the 2007 Sauvignon Blanc. This is a big wine, with 25% Semillon added to enrich the creamy mouthfeel. Lots of citrus fruit and good acidity make this a good food wine as the menu above proves. The tour ended at a private tasting room.
Wine Tasting in Style
Our tasting was done in a very large room with wine barrels climbing the walls and a long table that could serve forty guests. Subdued lighting and a cloistered feel added to the ambiance. We were somewhat dwarfed at one end of the table with a number of Duckhorn red wines arrayed in large Riedel glasses. Each glass sat atop a coaster duplicating the wine label, and beside it were a number of cheeses specially selected to complement the wines. Tasting in style, I loved it.
My first thought was to invoke the old wine merchant saying; buy with water, sell with cheese, which means a mediocre wine can taste much better with the right cheese. However, I only invoked it, I didn’t follow it. These were premium estate-grown Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot wines after all. The wines were paired with premium cheeses like Bleu D’ Auvergne from Liverdois, France. I think even the merchant that coined that phrase would have succumbed.
Just to be sure, however, I sampled each wine first, and then went back and tried them with the cheeses. With my attention focused on the wines, I paired the cheeses in reverse order and came up with some odd combinations before our host pointed out my mistake. Well, heck, I’m not used to wine and cheese tasting.
Wine and cheese are perfect compliments, as there is always at least one unique cheese to compliment any wine. Yes, even mediocre wines. The Duckhorn wines, on the other hand, would taste great in a beer mug, with not even a cracker to pair. The correct matching of wine and cheese also emphasized different qualities of each wine that could also provide inspiration for food pairings.
Although all the wines were exceptional, the 2005 Three Palms Vineyard Merlot was my favorite. Done in a similar style to Bordeaux Merlot-based wines, it included Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot. A nose of baked cherry pie and vanilla led to a palate of red and dark fruit with hints of cinnamon and earthy notes. The fact that the grape harvest lasted for two months may account for the wonderful complexity of this wine.
We then went back into the tasting room where we tried some of the other wines Duckhorn offers, including the 2005 Goldeneye Pinot Noir. Goldeneye is an alternate label of fruit sourced from Anderson Valley. If only they’d offered it with duck and pheasant. We also were impressed with the 2006 Paraduxx Napa Valley Red Wine, a blend of Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc.
Check out their website at www.duckhorn.com for details and pricing. While none of these wines comes cheap, the full value is in the bottle, and if you’re looking for some of the best wines coming out of Napa Valley, this is an easy choice. Salud!
First course: A fish stew served with Duckhorn Vineyards
2007 Sauvignon Blanc.
Second course: Duck and pheasant served with sour cherry
chutney and molasses sweet potatoes, and paired with
Duckhorn Vineyards 2005 Goldeneye Pinot Noir.
I’m not sure I’d have room for a third course.
While we didn’t get the Presidential repast, we did get a personal tour and felt like honored guests. We toured the vineyards with a glass of the 2007 Sauvignon Blanc. This is a big wine, with 25% Semillon added to enrich the creamy mouthfeel. Lots of citrus fruit and good acidity make this a good food wine as the menu above proves. The tour ended at a private tasting room.
Wine Tasting in Style
Our tasting was done in a very large room with wine barrels climbing the walls and a long table that could serve forty guests. Subdued lighting and a cloistered feel added to the ambiance. We were somewhat dwarfed at one end of the table with a number of Duckhorn red wines arrayed in large Riedel glasses. Each glass sat atop a coaster duplicating the wine label, and beside it were a number of cheeses specially selected to complement the wines. Tasting in style, I loved it.
My first thought was to invoke the old wine merchant saying; buy with water, sell with cheese, which means a mediocre wine can taste much better with the right cheese. However, I only invoked it, I didn’t follow it. These were premium estate-grown Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot wines after all. The wines were paired with premium cheeses like Bleu D’ Auvergne from Liverdois, France. I think even the merchant that coined that phrase would have succumbed.
Just to be sure, however, I sampled each wine first, and then went back and tried them with the cheeses. With my attention focused on the wines, I paired the cheeses in reverse order and came up with some odd combinations before our host pointed out my mistake. Well, heck, I’m not used to wine and cheese tasting.
Wine and cheese are perfect compliments, as there is always at least one unique cheese to compliment any wine. Yes, even mediocre wines. The Duckhorn wines, on the other hand, would taste great in a beer mug, with not even a cracker to pair. The correct matching of wine and cheese also emphasized different qualities of each wine that could also provide inspiration for food pairings.
Although all the wines were exceptional, the 2005 Three Palms Vineyard Merlot was my favorite. Done in a similar style to Bordeaux Merlot-based wines, it included Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot. A nose of baked cherry pie and vanilla led to a palate of red and dark fruit with hints of cinnamon and earthy notes. The fact that the grape harvest lasted for two months may account for the wonderful complexity of this wine.
We then went back into the tasting room where we tried some of the other wines Duckhorn offers, including the 2005 Goldeneye Pinot Noir. Goldeneye is an alternate label of fruit sourced from Anderson Valley. If only they’d offered it with duck and pheasant. We also were impressed with the 2006 Paraduxx Napa Valley Red Wine, a blend of Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc.
Check out their website at www.duckhorn.com for details and pricing. While none of these wines comes cheap, the full value is in the bottle, and if you’re looking for some of the best wines coming out of Napa Valley, this is an easy choice. Salud!
Blending Technology and Art
Growing grapes and making wine have, from time immemorial, been a mix of experience, art, passion, and patience. Not so in the 21st century. We now have technology working in many areas once considered the exclusive province of the artisan grape growers and wine masters. Wine technology takes much of the guess work out of deciding what to grow, how and where. That same technology can be used to monitor, sample and adjust the nutrients, and determine how much water to use. A master of this new winemaking strategy is Dave House, founder of House Family Wines.
Dave’s center of operations is also his home, a sprawling fieldstone and glass house that sits atop one of the tallest hills in Saratoga, California. Saratoga is an exclusive community that rests in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains and, with its neighbor, Los Gatos, serves as the gateway to Highway 17 and Santa Cruz on the Pacific.
The home would have made Frank Lloyd Wright envious, capturing views of the surrounding hills and mountaintops of this eastern edge of the Santa Cruz Mountain appellation. An appellation, Dave was quick to point out, that offered enough diversity to contain several mini-AVAs within its region. An American Viticultural Area (AVA) is a designated wine/grape-growing region in the United States distinguishable by geographic features. The boundaries are set by government agencies.
The wineries of the Santa Cruz Mountains have been among my favorites since I lived only footsteps away in Los Gatos. This is mountainous terrain I’d bicycled hundreds of time, criss-crossing every back road on which the wineries and vineyards lay. In fact, I routinely cycled the feeder road on which Dave’s mountaintop vineyards reside, never realizing what hidden treasures the land held for the right developer. Dave, as it turned out, was the right developer.
Grape Growing Technology
This is where the technology comes in. Dave had his eye on this parcel of land while building a home below in Saratoga more than 15 years ago. He decided the breathtaking views and various slopes of varying exposures would be perfect for a home and vineyards. He hired a dirt doctor – yes, you read that right – and had numerous cones of earth punched out of the hillsides to verify the composition of the soil. Dr. Alfred Cass probably prefers his descriptor -- soil scientist, and he has a resume that must have him in high demand in California’s wine industry.
That analysis gave Dave insight into the types of grapes to grow, the layout and planting of the vines, and type of irrigation best suited to growing world-class grapes. Dave added numerous weather stations to record wind direction and intensity, rain patterns, moisture content of soil and vines, and other parameters that were then sent wirelessly to his computer to perform extensive yearlong analyses of the land.
The French would call this information the basis of the terroir, a belief that the unique aspects of an area’s soil, climate and topology dictate what types of grapes to grow. In France they have consultants that do the soil analysis to determine what to grow and how, but they have nowhere near the kind of information that was collected here. Dave is also not constrained by French regulatory organizations.
Some of the slopes on which the grapes reside are very steep, how steep I didn’t realize until Dave took me for a ride through his vineyards. The little cart we rode was only equipped with a roll bar (I always disliked the term roll bar, with its suggestion of the need for immediate employment) and no seatbelts. So, here we were on the top of a hill.
The first part of the journey was not too bad, but when I looked down a steep slope that appeared to be 90 degrees, I grew a bit apprehensive. This was like a roller coaster ride, but without the safety bar that keeps a body from launching into space. Calm down, I told myself, he’s done this before. Nonetheless, I glanced sideways to assure myself that this was part of his routine vineyard tour.
Dave pointed out that the type of furrow etched into the hillside for the vines was created with a special wing-shaped augur that cut a wide, two-foot deep trough through the soil. The vine would have an easy time getting down the first two feet, after which it would encounter much higher soil density to fight through. Since these vineyards are dry-farmed, the roots had to expend a lot of energy to get to the deeper water. Stressed vines yield smaller clusters of dense and flavorful grapes, a prime reason for this technique.
Even the ground cover was chosen for soil and water retention, using a custom seed mix adjusted for soil type and slope and specified by his viticulturist, Dr. Roberts. Did I mention that Dave never does things half way? By the time we returned, thankfully unharmed, my head was spinning with the amount of detail and thought that went into creating the vineyards that surround the house.
Working with the Best Grapes
Even if the science is correct, and the art of grape growing is religiously applied, it still requires a good winemaker to turn excellent grapes into excellent wine. For that, Dave called upon Jeffrey Patterson, who began winemaking with Mt. Eden Vineyards in 1981. Jeffrey also makes the wines for Mountain Winery, where Dave has an interest. Mountain Winery resides on the historic site of Paul Masson vineyards. All three vineyards are within miles of each other, carved out of a special part of the Saratoga Hills.
Repairing to the tasting room--airy, glass and stone, incredible views--we sampled Chardonnay as well as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot blends. The proof of all that technology still had to show up in the glass. And it did in abundance. We began with a limited release 2006 Chardonnay, followed by a 2004 Merlot with 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, and a 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon with 25% Merlot. The grapes came from vines that surround the home. There is something special about drinking wine where the grapes are grown. These vineyards are young and still evolving, but tasting the harbingers of what is to come, I’d say it won’t take long for the demand for these wines to become very high. The line forms behind me when Dave announces the first official release later this year. Salut!
Dave’s center of operations is also his home, a sprawling fieldstone and glass house that sits atop one of the tallest hills in Saratoga, California. Saratoga is an exclusive community that rests in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains and, with its neighbor, Los Gatos, serves as the gateway to Highway 17 and Santa Cruz on the Pacific.
The home would have made Frank Lloyd Wright envious, capturing views of the surrounding hills and mountaintops of this eastern edge of the Santa Cruz Mountain appellation. An appellation, Dave was quick to point out, that offered enough diversity to contain several mini-AVAs within its region. An American Viticultural Area (AVA) is a designated wine/grape-growing region in the United States distinguishable by geographic features. The boundaries are set by government agencies.
The wineries of the Santa Cruz Mountains have been among my favorites since I lived only footsteps away in Los Gatos. This is mountainous terrain I’d bicycled hundreds of time, criss-crossing every back road on which the wineries and vineyards lay. In fact, I routinely cycled the feeder road on which Dave’s mountaintop vineyards reside, never realizing what hidden treasures the land held for the right developer. Dave, as it turned out, was the right developer.
Grape Growing Technology
This is where the technology comes in. Dave had his eye on this parcel of land while building a home below in Saratoga more than 15 years ago. He decided the breathtaking views and various slopes of varying exposures would be perfect for a home and vineyards. He hired a dirt doctor – yes, you read that right – and had numerous cones of earth punched out of the hillsides to verify the composition of the soil. Dr. Alfred Cass probably prefers his descriptor -- soil scientist, and he has a resume that must have him in high demand in California’s wine industry.
That analysis gave Dave insight into the types of grapes to grow, the layout and planting of the vines, and type of irrigation best suited to growing world-class grapes. Dave added numerous weather stations to record wind direction and intensity, rain patterns, moisture content of soil and vines, and other parameters that were then sent wirelessly to his computer to perform extensive yearlong analyses of the land.
The French would call this information the basis of the terroir, a belief that the unique aspects of an area’s soil, climate and topology dictate what types of grapes to grow. In France they have consultants that do the soil analysis to determine what to grow and how, but they have nowhere near the kind of information that was collected here. Dave is also not constrained by French regulatory organizations.
Some of the slopes on which the grapes reside are very steep, how steep I didn’t realize until Dave took me for a ride through his vineyards. The little cart we rode was only equipped with a roll bar (I always disliked the term roll bar, with its suggestion of the need for immediate employment) and no seatbelts. So, here we were on the top of a hill.
The first part of the journey was not too bad, but when I looked down a steep slope that appeared to be 90 degrees, I grew a bit apprehensive. This was like a roller coaster ride, but without the safety bar that keeps a body from launching into space. Calm down, I told myself, he’s done this before. Nonetheless, I glanced sideways to assure myself that this was part of his routine vineyard tour.
Dave pointed out that the type of furrow etched into the hillside for the vines was created with a special wing-shaped augur that cut a wide, two-foot deep trough through the soil. The vine would have an easy time getting down the first two feet, after which it would encounter much higher soil density to fight through. Since these vineyards are dry-farmed, the roots had to expend a lot of energy to get to the deeper water. Stressed vines yield smaller clusters of dense and flavorful grapes, a prime reason for this technique.
Even the ground cover was chosen for soil and water retention, using a custom seed mix adjusted for soil type and slope and specified by his viticulturist, Dr. Roberts. Did I mention that Dave never does things half way? By the time we returned, thankfully unharmed, my head was spinning with the amount of detail and thought that went into creating the vineyards that surround the house.
Working with the Best Grapes
Even if the science is correct, and the art of grape growing is religiously applied, it still requires a good winemaker to turn excellent grapes into excellent wine. For that, Dave called upon Jeffrey Patterson, who began winemaking with Mt. Eden Vineyards in 1981. Jeffrey also makes the wines for Mountain Winery, where Dave has an interest. Mountain Winery resides on the historic site of Paul Masson vineyards. All three vineyards are within miles of each other, carved out of a special part of the Saratoga Hills.
Repairing to the tasting room--airy, glass and stone, incredible views--we sampled Chardonnay as well as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot blends. The proof of all that technology still had to show up in the glass. And it did in abundance. We began with a limited release 2006 Chardonnay, followed by a 2004 Merlot with 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, and a 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon with 25% Merlot. The grapes came from vines that surround the home. There is something special about drinking wine where the grapes are grown. These vineyards are young and still evolving, but tasting the harbingers of what is to come, I’d say it won’t take long for the demand for these wines to become very high. The line forms behind me when Dave announces the first official release later this year. Salut!
Friday, December 19, 2008
The Wines of Christmas
This is one of those times of year when even occasional wine drinkers scour the shelves looking for the right wine for Christmas dinner, or the right sparkling wine to bring in the New Year. Wine is also a great stocking stuffer, provided you have the sock properly secured to the mantle. In fact if I thought I’d get any wine that way, I’d put up a dozen stockings. Ah, there’s nothing like a case of wine to bring joy to a wine lover's lips.
Let’s tackle Christmas dinner first. If you are doing turkey, and many do, please see my blog, You Turkey! Finding the Right Wine for Your Bird. If you favor a Dickensian Christmas with goose instead, most of the selections for turkey will work. Just remember, the higher fat count of a goose means no wimpy wines. Another English favorite is Beef Wellington, and here you can pull out the Bordeaux Cab and Merlot, or perhaps a Napa Cab if you lean toward New World styles.
This strategy will work with other beef roasts. This is one time when the drier tannin-rich Cabernet Sauvignon grape can work its wonders as meat sauces interplay with its mouth-drying effects. The lamb roast, however, will work better with Pinot Noir. Red Burgundy works here or try a New Zealand Pinot, if your pocketbook is stretched tight this year, many New Zealand wines are very good values. If ham is your choice, it’s best to go with a smoked ham, which will pair nicely with a Sangiovese or Tempranillo.
The really big question, however, is what wine will pair with the fruit cake. For this, I’d skip the wine and go for the rum. Half on the fruit cake and half to your guests so they won‘t really notice what their eating. Fruit-based pies go well with a late harvest Riesling or Muscat Canelli. Port is a good choice for heavier desserts or chocolate, but consider late harvest Zinfandel for a match made in heaven. Many of these wines are ripe with flavors; or maybe that should be overripe, but that’s the point.
If you want visions of sugar plums dancing in your glass instead of your dreams, try Castoro Cellars 2005 Late Harvest Zinfandel. Located south of Paso Robles in California’s Central Coast area, Castoro Cellars has been my favorite winery from this area for more than twenty five years. Their Zins are always excellent so it’s no surprise their late harvest is a hit as well. Check them out at http://www.castorocellars.com/, you may still be able to get some before New Year’s Day.
Castoro Cellars also makes an outstanding Primitivo, which is the Italian clone of the Croatian grape that also found its way to California as Zinfandel. Nonetheless, both grapes produce distinctly different, but excellent wines. The Castoro 2005 Primitivo has the earthiness one would expect of an Old World-styled wine, but with the muscular strength of a Central Coast Zinfandel. You definitely don’t want to pair this with the goose, it’ll be cooked even before it goes into the oven. On the other hand it will add a new zest to a roast or Beef Wellington.
When it comes to sparklers, our own New Mexico versions are my top choice for price and value. Gruet has been producing outstanding method champenoise sparkling wines for many years, and has the medals to prove it. They also have one of the best price points. The Gruet Brut and Blanc de Noir are favorites at our house, but if you want a step up, try the Blanc de Blanc made with 100% Chardonnay grapes.
If you want to really impress your friends, try the Gilbert Gruet Grande Reserve for a wine that will compete successfully with fine French champagne. A word of caution, however, champagne and high-end domestic sparklers are most suitable for those with an appreciation for the unique flavors these wines possess. As I mentioned in my blog, Blind Wine Tasting, in a panel of more than 500 tasters of sparkling wines and champagne, a $12 Domaine Ste. Michelle Brut from Washington’s Columbia Valley was 1st of 27 sampled, while a $150 bottle of Dom Perignon Cuvee came in 17th. I only wish the Gruet wines could have been in that mix.
When you serve sparkling wine, make sure it is icebox cold, or your ceiling may sample more of the wine than your guests. Only championship sports teams are supposed to spray each other with the stuff. Special resealing corks are available, but their efficacy leaves some doubt. Some people use a spoon, inserting it handle first to save the bubbles for the next day. A recent study by Stanford University wanted to test this French folk lore and came up with interesting results. They found the best results were obtained by leaving the bottle opened in the fridge, uncorked!
I’m going to have to try that one myself this Christmas, but it will probably be with a Gruet Blanc de Noir. No way do I want to take a chance with my Gilbert Gruet Grande Reserve for that test. Salut!
Let’s tackle Christmas dinner first. If you are doing turkey, and many do, please see my blog, You Turkey! Finding the Right Wine for Your Bird. If you favor a Dickensian Christmas with goose instead, most of the selections for turkey will work. Just remember, the higher fat count of a goose means no wimpy wines. Another English favorite is Beef Wellington, and here you can pull out the Bordeaux Cab and Merlot, or perhaps a Napa Cab if you lean toward New World styles.
This strategy will work with other beef roasts. This is one time when the drier tannin-rich Cabernet Sauvignon grape can work its wonders as meat sauces interplay with its mouth-drying effects. The lamb roast, however, will work better with Pinot Noir. Red Burgundy works here or try a New Zealand Pinot, if your pocketbook is stretched tight this year, many New Zealand wines are very good values. If ham is your choice, it’s best to go with a smoked ham, which will pair nicely with a Sangiovese or Tempranillo.
The really big question, however, is what wine will pair with the fruit cake. For this, I’d skip the wine and go for the rum. Half on the fruit cake and half to your guests so they won‘t really notice what their eating. Fruit-based pies go well with a late harvest Riesling or Muscat Canelli. Port is a good choice for heavier desserts or chocolate, but consider late harvest Zinfandel for a match made in heaven. Many of these wines are ripe with flavors; or maybe that should be overripe, but that’s the point.
If you want visions of sugar plums dancing in your glass instead of your dreams, try Castoro Cellars 2005 Late Harvest Zinfandel. Located south of Paso Robles in California’s Central Coast area, Castoro Cellars has been my favorite winery from this area for more than twenty five years. Their Zins are always excellent so it’s no surprise their late harvest is a hit as well. Check them out at http://www.castorocellars.com/, you may still be able to get some before New Year’s Day.
Castoro Cellars also makes an outstanding Primitivo, which is the Italian clone of the Croatian grape that also found its way to California as Zinfandel. Nonetheless, both grapes produce distinctly different, but excellent wines. The Castoro 2005 Primitivo has the earthiness one would expect of an Old World-styled wine, but with the muscular strength of a Central Coast Zinfandel. You definitely don’t want to pair this with the goose, it’ll be cooked even before it goes into the oven. On the other hand it will add a new zest to a roast or Beef Wellington.
When it comes to sparklers, our own New Mexico versions are my top choice for price and value. Gruet has been producing outstanding method champenoise sparkling wines for many years, and has the medals to prove it. They also have one of the best price points. The Gruet Brut and Blanc de Noir are favorites at our house, but if you want a step up, try the Blanc de Blanc made with 100% Chardonnay grapes.
If you want to really impress your friends, try the Gilbert Gruet Grande Reserve for a wine that will compete successfully with fine French champagne. A word of caution, however, champagne and high-end domestic sparklers are most suitable for those with an appreciation for the unique flavors these wines possess. As I mentioned in my blog, Blind Wine Tasting, in a panel of more than 500 tasters of sparkling wines and champagne, a $12 Domaine Ste. Michelle Brut from Washington’s Columbia Valley was 1st of 27 sampled, while a $150 bottle of Dom Perignon Cuvee came in 17th. I only wish the Gruet wines could have been in that mix.
When you serve sparkling wine, make sure it is icebox cold, or your ceiling may sample more of the wine than your guests. Only championship sports teams are supposed to spray each other with the stuff. Special resealing corks are available, but their efficacy leaves some doubt. Some people use a spoon, inserting it handle first to save the bubbles for the next day. A recent study by Stanford University wanted to test this French folk lore and came up with interesting results. They found the best results were obtained by leaving the bottle opened in the fridge, uncorked!
I’m going to have to try that one myself this Christmas, but it will probably be with a Gruet Blanc de Noir. No way do I want to take a chance with my Gilbert Gruet Grande Reserve for that test. Salut!
Blind Wine Tasting
It’s rather ironic, but to do a blind wine tasting properly, your eyes and your mind must be open. In case this term is new to you, a blind wine tasting is one organized so that none of the tasters know in advance which wines are being poured. The glasses of wine are organized in a flight, usually 2oz. pours, or the labels are hidden by brown bags. The former method is typical of most wine judging, where wines are organized into flights of a particular grape, such as Chardonnay.
The latter method is the one I employed when I set up blind tastings for my students in Silicon Valley a few years back. Wine knowledge was not part of the two-week course on data communications and networking concepts, but they found it a welcome relief from the intensity of the class. Little did I know then that I’d become a wine writer, critic, and teacher of wine!
My own experiences with blind tastings led me to a number of conclusions that have been amply documented in a new wine book, The Wine Trials, by Robin Goldstein. The book is offered through Fearless Critic Media out of Austin, Texas. Their website is http://www.fearlesscritic.com/ and their conclusions may be quite surprising to some.
They held 17 tastings in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, and Texas. A total of 560 wines were tasted by 507 volunteers (yes, I know, who wouldn’t) in venues from casual wine bars to top restaurants. The tasters were selected from a broad stratum of people who ranged from professional tasters to casual wine drinkers. In many cases, not even the type of grape was identified, allowing each taster to judge the merits of each wine on a number of qualities.
One of the conclusions in the book was that professional tasters and knowledgeable wine drinkers often could detect the quality of a more expensive, well-made wine, but not always. They also found that many wine critics scored wines correlated to the wine’s price. In most cases the wine critics saw the labels, and knew the reputation and history of the wines they evaluated. This technique is at odds with a blind tasting methodology. As a result, inexpensive but well-made wines usually did not score as well.
The tasters for the Wine Enthusiast Buying Guide for 2007 also use a blind tasting methodology, although they know the region and grape of the samples. A number of less expensive wines were rated over more expensive ones, suggesting that blind tasting is a better arbiter of true wine values.
The Fearless Critic group decided to test for the placebo effect. This effect is well known in medical circles where one target group gets the real pill and the other group receives a placebo. The belief that something will work or that something should taste good can significantly affect the results of testing. The placebo effect in wine tasting is accomplished by putting a lesser wine in a more expensive bottle, and vice versa, to see what influence a highly regarded label has on taste perception. The wine testers saw a moderate to high impact on the taster’s evaluation of a wine.
I’ve seen this scenario play out at a restaurant, when an expensive wine I tasted turned out to be mediocre, yet others at the table, with less experience, thought it was wonderful. While the placebo effect allowed them to enjoy the wine more than its actual merits, which could be a good thing, it had the undesirable effect of compromising their knowledge base of how a good wine should taste. And yes, I’ve been guilty of the same thing.
I’ll draw just one example from the book. When tasting sparkling wine and champagne, Domaine Ste. Michelle Brut from Washington’s Columbia Valley ranked 1st of 27 sampled. Dom Perignon Cuvee came in 17th of 27. Ste. Michelle goes for $12, the Dom for $150. I always wondered how Gruet would have done in this tasting; I’d bet close to the top as well.
Some of the wines under $15 that rated high are ones I’ve often found dependable. A good well-made and inexpensive wine can often trump a more expensive one. Think of it this way, if you had a reputation that commanded high prices for your wine, and you turned out a mediocre wine one year, would you drop the price to its true value? More than likely you’d sell it for about the same price as a previous year, and if it didn’t move, offer it on sale. You didn’t think this ploy only works with Persian rugs, did you?
In Napa, if a new up-and-coming winery comes out with an outstanding Cabernet Sauvignon that, based on costs, can be sold for $40 instead of the $75-$100 range of comparable Cabs, what would happen? Experience has shown that the wine will be ignored by many buyers. After all, look how cheap it is. In the wine world price does not always signal quality, but it does drive the demand for many wines. The prestigious label will still impress your friends, and the placebo effect assures that most of them will think the wine is great.
So is the placebo effect in place when Dom Perignon is served, label showing? Think about that the next time you want to celebrate a great occasion and are looking for the best. It is seldom the most expensive. Come to think of it, I do believe we have holiday occasions coming up where you can put that theory to the test. However, if you try to switch bottles; I would strongly recommend you not try to put the Gruet in a Dom Perignon bottle. Trust me, you won’t get that fat cork back in the bottle. Salut!
The latter method is the one I employed when I set up blind tastings for my students in Silicon Valley a few years back. Wine knowledge was not part of the two-week course on data communications and networking concepts, but they found it a welcome relief from the intensity of the class. Little did I know then that I’d become a wine writer, critic, and teacher of wine!
My own experiences with blind tastings led me to a number of conclusions that have been amply documented in a new wine book, The Wine Trials, by Robin Goldstein. The book is offered through Fearless Critic Media out of Austin, Texas. Their website is http://www.fearlesscritic.com/ and their conclusions may be quite surprising to some.
They held 17 tastings in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, and Texas. A total of 560 wines were tasted by 507 volunteers (yes, I know, who wouldn’t) in venues from casual wine bars to top restaurants. The tasters were selected from a broad stratum of people who ranged from professional tasters to casual wine drinkers. In many cases, not even the type of grape was identified, allowing each taster to judge the merits of each wine on a number of qualities.
One of the conclusions in the book was that professional tasters and knowledgeable wine drinkers often could detect the quality of a more expensive, well-made wine, but not always. They also found that many wine critics scored wines correlated to the wine’s price. In most cases the wine critics saw the labels, and knew the reputation and history of the wines they evaluated. This technique is at odds with a blind tasting methodology. As a result, inexpensive but well-made wines usually did not score as well.
The tasters for the Wine Enthusiast Buying Guide for 2007 also use a blind tasting methodology, although they know the region and grape of the samples. A number of less expensive wines were rated over more expensive ones, suggesting that blind tasting is a better arbiter of true wine values.
The Fearless Critic group decided to test for the placebo effect. This effect is well known in medical circles where one target group gets the real pill and the other group receives a placebo. The belief that something will work or that something should taste good can significantly affect the results of testing. The placebo effect in wine tasting is accomplished by putting a lesser wine in a more expensive bottle, and vice versa, to see what influence a highly regarded label has on taste perception. The wine testers saw a moderate to high impact on the taster’s evaluation of a wine.
I’ve seen this scenario play out at a restaurant, when an expensive wine I tasted turned out to be mediocre, yet others at the table, with less experience, thought it was wonderful. While the placebo effect allowed them to enjoy the wine more than its actual merits, which could be a good thing, it had the undesirable effect of compromising their knowledge base of how a good wine should taste. And yes, I’ve been guilty of the same thing.
I’ll draw just one example from the book. When tasting sparkling wine and champagne, Domaine Ste. Michelle Brut from Washington’s Columbia Valley ranked 1st of 27 sampled. Dom Perignon Cuvee came in 17th of 27. Ste. Michelle goes for $12, the Dom for $150. I always wondered how Gruet would have done in this tasting; I’d bet close to the top as well.
Some of the wines under $15 that rated high are ones I’ve often found dependable. A good well-made and inexpensive wine can often trump a more expensive one. Think of it this way, if you had a reputation that commanded high prices for your wine, and you turned out a mediocre wine one year, would you drop the price to its true value? More than likely you’d sell it for about the same price as a previous year, and if it didn’t move, offer it on sale. You didn’t think this ploy only works with Persian rugs, did you?
In Napa, if a new up-and-coming winery comes out with an outstanding Cabernet Sauvignon that, based on costs, can be sold for $40 instead of the $75-$100 range of comparable Cabs, what would happen? Experience has shown that the wine will be ignored by many buyers. After all, look how cheap it is. In the wine world price does not always signal quality, but it does drive the demand for many wines. The prestigious label will still impress your friends, and the placebo effect assures that most of them will think the wine is great.
So is the placebo effect in place when Dom Perignon is served, label showing? Think about that the next time you want to celebrate a great occasion and are looking for the best. It is seldom the most expensive. Come to think of it, I do believe we have holiday occasions coming up where you can put that theory to the test. However, if you try to switch bottles; I would strongly recommend you not try to put the Gruet in a Dom Perignon bottle. Trust me, you won’t get that fat cork back in the bottle. Salut!
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Pairing Food with Wine – Not Trees
New Chardonnay Support Group Announced
The Chardonnay Curmudgeons (CC), mirroring the success of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) was formed to provide support to those addicted to heavily oaked, 100% malolactic fermented (MLF) Chardonnays. Bob Barker said the stated goal is to provide any means short of intervention to wean CC addicts away from Chardonnays so oaked the supplicant can tell the tree type, location, and age of the wood. Many addicts report deriving extreme pleasure from picking splinters out of their tongues. Many claim the pairing of their wine with buttered toast is the greatest food pairing.
Now that may be a bogus story, but I do wonder at the level of loyalty some wine lovers have for over-oaked wines. They will even try to pair them with seafood, turning their noses up at Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, and even Pinot Grigio wines. I do have to admit to being a recovering CC myself. I often tried to pair an oaky/buttery (O/B) Chardonnay with seafood, but always found the taste of the wine distinct and different from the flavors of most fish and crustacean-inspired dishes. The flavor equivalent would probably be slapping a fish filet on buttered toast, which is OK if you wanted a fish sandwich, but wrong if you’re having Sea Bass and rice pilaf.
On the other hand, if you’re thinking hot tub wine, then an O/B Chardonnay will work just fine. While you don’t need a hot tub to enjoy one of these wines, it certainly helps. As a stand-alone wine or with some cheeses, these wines are adequate, but a true food-pairing wine has many attributes that overwrought Chardonnays do not possess. A food wine needs good acidity to help break down food and integrate the flavors. Lower alcohol avoids the “heat” found in more powerful wines that can blur delicate flavors. Little or no oak for a white wine permits the fruit flavors to come through more cleanly, and a touch of sweetness extends the range of foods a wine can pair with. The result is a marriage of food and wine that is greater than the sum of its parts.
Recipe for a Bad Food Wine
The problem starts with too much oak. The caress of oak in a French Chablis or Montrachet comes from subtler French oak. These wines maintain good balance because of the rich flavor of their grapes, lower alcohol, and good acidity. In New Zealand most Chardonnay is un-oaked, relying on maritime influences and grape flavors to shape the wine. In California and other locales in America, oak chips are used during the fermentation process, which has a most telling effect on the grapes. The process is similar to brewing tea, except the tea bag in this case is filled with oak chips and the wine is steeped until the desired oak consistency is achieved. No, I’m not making this up.
The wine is then often laid down in new American oak casks to complete the process. Other choices for the aging process are neutral oak barrels – most oak barrels become neutral after five years – or French oak. The aggressive nature of American oak often adds too much influence to white wine grapes. The cost differential between French and American barrels is one of the reasons many domestic wine makers choose American. The result, however, is that many white wines taste more like oak then grape. The one saving grace would be to maintain good acidity and lower alcohol, but this can be compromised by extended grape hang time and/or malolactic fermentation (MLF).
Additional hang time increases the sugars while reducing the acidity and punches up the alcohol level. MLF is started by inoculating the grapes with lactic bacteria to induce a second fermentation that converts the crisp malic acid, such as found in apples, into lactic acid, such as found in butter. This creates the well-known oaky/buttery (O/B) Chardonnay flavor profile, which reminds me so much of soda pop. While MLF is common in red wines, and does promote a richer mouthfeel, the lack of crispness in a white wine makes it more challenging to pair with many foods.
The end result is the closest thing to genetic modification you can approach in the wine world. Over-processed, over-oaked, and over the edge, these wines seldom pair well with food, and can become cloying on the palate even before the first glass is finished. Yet many wine drinkers will turn their noses up at the thought of substituting a more food-friendly wine with dinner.
Scene in a restaurant
Waiter: “May I suggest a Marlborough New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc to go with your ginger/pecan encrusted Sea Bass?
Diner: “No, I’d like a bottle of Old Oaky Lactose-tolerant Chardonnay.”
Waiter: Wrinkling his nose in disgust: Very well, sir.”
Diner: Turning to his dining companion: “How do like that guy, trying to pass off some weird wine on us.”
Dinner companion: “What’s a New Zealand wine?”
Alternate White Wines
You might be thinking - if you got this far - so what would be a good substitute to an O/B Chardonnay? Since many wine drinkers are wedded to Chardonnay, one alternative is to seek out those wines that emphasize the fruit and show respect for the terroir. This is accomplished by picking the fruit while the acidity is still good, employing a subtler use of oak, and using no MLF or only a small percentage of the MLF fruit in the finished wine. There are many Chardonnay wines crafted in this way, and their numbers are on the rise as more wine drinkers turn away from over-manipulated wines.
However, most winemakers know there are better grapes for crafting food-friendly wines. Riesling wines, either domestic or imported, do provide such a flavor profile. Since the Riesling grape seldom takes to oak, these wines are primarily made without it; insuring good, rich, fruit flavors that this grape has in abundance. The wine is typically lower in alcohol, and has a natural sweetness that pairs with several challenging foods including oriental cuisines and spicy dishes. These wines are plentiful, offered in many styles, and often less expensive than equivalent Chardonnay wines.
Sauvignon Blanc is another good food-friendly wine that is generating more interest, primarily due to the popularity of New Zealand wines. Many wine professionals claim the NZ Sauvignon Blanc is the best example of this grape, and its success is prompting Californian and French wine makers to take note and copy the style. As a result many domestic makers of this grape are significantly reducing the amount of oak used in crafting their wines and emphasizing the fruit. The French Sancerre is another example of how to craft a wonderful white from this grape. The mineral-like quality of this wine makes it very popular, but seldom inexpensive.
The Chenin Blanc grape has not completely recovered from its jug wine days in the U.S., but it is another grape that is compatible with many kinds of food. The best examples come from France in the Loire Valley where Vouvray is popular. It also makes wonderful desert and sparkling wines. Because it is easy to over-produce the grape and make uninspiring jug wines, Chenin Blanc has gotten a bad rap. In fact I often pulled a Sideways riff by refusing to try the few examples California winemakers crafted into drier, richer tasting wines. “No Chenin Blanc,” I said, as easily as Paul Giamatti said, “No Merlot!” Well, I was wrong, and so was he.
I recall while I was still in the thrall of oaky/buttery Chardonnay, turning up my nose at Riesling wines – too sweet – and Sauvignon Blanc – too grassy – and Chenin Blanc – too boring! I didn’t give them a proper evaluation. Unless you are considering how a wine will go with food, or experimenting with food and wine pairing, a stand-alone Chardonnay often seems like the best choice.
Viognier has become popular as a Chardonnay-alternative. Although it can be a finicky grape to work with, it makes a lush full-bodied wine under the right conditions. The version of the grape grown in Languedoc, France is the most common variety planted in California, particularly the Central Coast region. It has also found a home in New Mexico where a number of producers are crafting very tasty versions. This is a good wine to segue to for the “only-Chardonnay” crowd.
Pinot Grigio is another good wine for seafood and lighter fare. The Italian Pinot Grigio is quite popular and plentiful, but try the Oregon versions, often called Pinot Gris, which are much richer in flavor with lush mouthfeel. This makes Pinot Gris a good entry wine for recovering Chardonnay-ites. Other choices that can work well include Semillon, which is often used in blends, but can make a very good food wine with flavors of baked figs. This is the principal grape of French Sauternes, such as Château d’Yquem, one of the most expensive wines in the world.
Less common but also worth seeking are wines made from the Pinot Blanc grape. A very popular grape in the Alsace, it has been used as an alternate to Chardonnay in many places. I still remember a Congress Springs Pinot Blanc that was their featured wine a year or two after their Chardonnay won triple gold, (the first California wine to do that). But after I tried their Pinot Blanc, I began searching up and down the state for more of the same. Regrettably, not many wine makers took to the grape, but I still sample every one I can find.
So Chardonnay lovers, there are alternatives, particularly if you enjoy food and wine together. Who knows, you may find a new love, or multiple loves to enrich your wine life. After all, it is perfectly legal and moral to be a polygamist when it comes to wine, and in a world beset with more rules and regulations than we can keep up with, isn’t that good to know? Salut!
The Chardonnay Curmudgeons (CC), mirroring the success of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) was formed to provide support to those addicted to heavily oaked, 100% malolactic fermented (MLF) Chardonnays. Bob Barker said the stated goal is to provide any means short of intervention to wean CC addicts away from Chardonnays so oaked the supplicant can tell the tree type, location, and age of the wood. Many addicts report deriving extreme pleasure from picking splinters out of their tongues. Many claim the pairing of their wine with buttered toast is the greatest food pairing.
Now that may be a bogus story, but I do wonder at the level of loyalty some wine lovers have for over-oaked wines. They will even try to pair them with seafood, turning their noses up at Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, and even Pinot Grigio wines. I do have to admit to being a recovering CC myself. I often tried to pair an oaky/buttery (O/B) Chardonnay with seafood, but always found the taste of the wine distinct and different from the flavors of most fish and crustacean-inspired dishes. The flavor equivalent would probably be slapping a fish filet on buttered toast, which is OK if you wanted a fish sandwich, but wrong if you’re having Sea Bass and rice pilaf.
On the other hand, if you’re thinking hot tub wine, then an O/B Chardonnay will work just fine. While you don’t need a hot tub to enjoy one of these wines, it certainly helps. As a stand-alone wine or with some cheeses, these wines are adequate, but a true food-pairing wine has many attributes that overwrought Chardonnays do not possess. A food wine needs good acidity to help break down food and integrate the flavors. Lower alcohol avoids the “heat” found in more powerful wines that can blur delicate flavors. Little or no oak for a white wine permits the fruit flavors to come through more cleanly, and a touch of sweetness extends the range of foods a wine can pair with. The result is a marriage of food and wine that is greater than the sum of its parts.
Recipe for a Bad Food Wine
The problem starts with too much oak. The caress of oak in a French Chablis or Montrachet comes from subtler French oak. These wines maintain good balance because of the rich flavor of their grapes, lower alcohol, and good acidity. In New Zealand most Chardonnay is un-oaked, relying on maritime influences and grape flavors to shape the wine. In California and other locales in America, oak chips are used during the fermentation process, which has a most telling effect on the grapes. The process is similar to brewing tea, except the tea bag in this case is filled with oak chips and the wine is steeped until the desired oak consistency is achieved. No, I’m not making this up.
The wine is then often laid down in new American oak casks to complete the process. Other choices for the aging process are neutral oak barrels – most oak barrels become neutral after five years – or French oak. The aggressive nature of American oak often adds too much influence to white wine grapes. The cost differential between French and American barrels is one of the reasons many domestic wine makers choose American. The result, however, is that many white wines taste more like oak then grape. The one saving grace would be to maintain good acidity and lower alcohol, but this can be compromised by extended grape hang time and/or malolactic fermentation (MLF).
Additional hang time increases the sugars while reducing the acidity and punches up the alcohol level. MLF is started by inoculating the grapes with lactic bacteria to induce a second fermentation that converts the crisp malic acid, such as found in apples, into lactic acid, such as found in butter. This creates the well-known oaky/buttery (O/B) Chardonnay flavor profile, which reminds me so much of soda pop. While MLF is common in red wines, and does promote a richer mouthfeel, the lack of crispness in a white wine makes it more challenging to pair with many foods.
The end result is the closest thing to genetic modification you can approach in the wine world. Over-processed, over-oaked, and over the edge, these wines seldom pair well with food, and can become cloying on the palate even before the first glass is finished. Yet many wine drinkers will turn their noses up at the thought of substituting a more food-friendly wine with dinner.
Scene in a restaurant
Waiter: “May I suggest a Marlborough New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc to go with your ginger/pecan encrusted Sea Bass?
Diner: “No, I’d like a bottle of Old Oaky Lactose-tolerant Chardonnay.”
Waiter: Wrinkling his nose in disgust: Very well, sir.”
Diner: Turning to his dining companion: “How do like that guy, trying to pass off some weird wine on us.”
Dinner companion: “What’s a New Zealand wine?”
Alternate White Wines
You might be thinking - if you got this far - so what would be a good substitute to an O/B Chardonnay? Since many wine drinkers are wedded to Chardonnay, one alternative is to seek out those wines that emphasize the fruit and show respect for the terroir. This is accomplished by picking the fruit while the acidity is still good, employing a subtler use of oak, and using no MLF or only a small percentage of the MLF fruit in the finished wine. There are many Chardonnay wines crafted in this way, and their numbers are on the rise as more wine drinkers turn away from over-manipulated wines.
However, most winemakers know there are better grapes for crafting food-friendly wines. Riesling wines, either domestic or imported, do provide such a flavor profile. Since the Riesling grape seldom takes to oak, these wines are primarily made without it; insuring good, rich, fruit flavors that this grape has in abundance. The wine is typically lower in alcohol, and has a natural sweetness that pairs with several challenging foods including oriental cuisines and spicy dishes. These wines are plentiful, offered in many styles, and often less expensive than equivalent Chardonnay wines.
Sauvignon Blanc is another good food-friendly wine that is generating more interest, primarily due to the popularity of New Zealand wines. Many wine professionals claim the NZ Sauvignon Blanc is the best example of this grape, and its success is prompting Californian and French wine makers to take note and copy the style. As a result many domestic makers of this grape are significantly reducing the amount of oak used in crafting their wines and emphasizing the fruit. The French Sancerre is another example of how to craft a wonderful white from this grape. The mineral-like quality of this wine makes it very popular, but seldom inexpensive.
The Chenin Blanc grape has not completely recovered from its jug wine days in the U.S., but it is another grape that is compatible with many kinds of food. The best examples come from France in the Loire Valley where Vouvray is popular. It also makes wonderful desert and sparkling wines. Because it is easy to over-produce the grape and make uninspiring jug wines, Chenin Blanc has gotten a bad rap. In fact I often pulled a Sideways riff by refusing to try the few examples California winemakers crafted into drier, richer tasting wines. “No Chenin Blanc,” I said, as easily as Paul Giamatti said, “No Merlot!” Well, I was wrong, and so was he.
I recall while I was still in the thrall of oaky/buttery Chardonnay, turning up my nose at Riesling wines – too sweet – and Sauvignon Blanc – too grassy – and Chenin Blanc – too boring! I didn’t give them a proper evaluation. Unless you are considering how a wine will go with food, or experimenting with food and wine pairing, a stand-alone Chardonnay often seems like the best choice.
Viognier has become popular as a Chardonnay-alternative. Although it can be a finicky grape to work with, it makes a lush full-bodied wine under the right conditions. The version of the grape grown in Languedoc, France is the most common variety planted in California, particularly the Central Coast region. It has also found a home in New Mexico where a number of producers are crafting very tasty versions. This is a good wine to segue to for the “only-Chardonnay” crowd.
Pinot Grigio is another good wine for seafood and lighter fare. The Italian Pinot Grigio is quite popular and plentiful, but try the Oregon versions, often called Pinot Gris, which are much richer in flavor with lush mouthfeel. This makes Pinot Gris a good entry wine for recovering Chardonnay-ites. Other choices that can work well include Semillon, which is often used in blends, but can make a very good food wine with flavors of baked figs. This is the principal grape of French Sauternes, such as Château d’Yquem, one of the most expensive wines in the world.
Less common but also worth seeking are wines made from the Pinot Blanc grape. A very popular grape in the Alsace, it has been used as an alternate to Chardonnay in many places. I still remember a Congress Springs Pinot Blanc that was their featured wine a year or two after their Chardonnay won triple gold, (the first California wine to do that). But after I tried their Pinot Blanc, I began searching up and down the state for more of the same. Regrettably, not many wine makers took to the grape, but I still sample every one I can find.
So Chardonnay lovers, there are alternatives, particularly if you enjoy food and wine together. Who knows, you may find a new love, or multiple loves to enrich your wine life. After all, it is perfectly legal and moral to be a polygamist when it comes to wine, and in a world beset with more rules and regulations than we can keep up with, isn’t that good to know? Salut!
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