Ever felt awkward when ordering wine at a restaurant? Ever walked into a wine store and had no idea where to begin, what to buy or how much to pay? Ever looked at a European wine label and wondered what’s in there? Wine-Flair.com is just for you. It’s all about wine education and appreciation, written in plain language. NO WINE SNOBS HERE! We also offer wine classes, tasting parties and seminars in New Jersey and the greater NYC Area. Email me and let’s talk! |
 |
WINE NEWSTASTING BORDEAUX FROM 2007 AND 2006 In pursuit of a Sherry-Lehmann-sponsored tasting of the 2006 and 2007 Bordeaux, I wandered over to the Four Seasons restaurant in Manhattan on Saturday afternoon. Given that I've dedicated myself and this site to wine education and wine appreciation rather than ratings and numbers, I'll just list my favorite wines from the tasting and fill in more information as I get the time.  My very favorite is the Chateau Angelus 2007 from St. Emilion. Granted, everything from this estate is very pricey, as it's a Class B Grand Cru Classe from the rather strange St. Emilion Classification system.My second choice is the Chateau Gazin 2006 from Pomerol. I've got a case of the 05 resting comfortably in my cellar, and they may get some younger friends soon, I think. My third choice is the Chateau Kirwan 2006 from Margaux. Here I think the influence of 10-12% Petit Verdot really adds something. My fourth choice is the Chateau Figeac 2007 from St. Emilion. Rounding out the top five is Chateau Giscours 2007 from Margaux. Many though not all of the 'sixes seem identical to me - and too acidic, too tannic - sometimes roughly so - and generally lacking the fruit I like. But if you look at my top favorites, you'll also see that three of the top five are so-called right-bank wines, which are heavy on Merlot and much less so on Cabernet Sauvignon. The Vintages It seems that the '06 vintage is the product of a generally lousy year, climactically speaking. There was lower than average rain from spring until suimmer when it was most needed, followed by searing heat in July that nearly shut down the vines. August brought cool and rainy days and the threat of rot with them. And then in mind-September, a deluge of rain. These are ideal conditions. Ideal for a lousy harvest, that is. Yet I still found a few sixes that I like. Before fall the '07 wasn't turning out any better...until September (I was there) when a month of helping winds, sunshine and consistently warm days really pulled this one out, unlike my adopted NT Jets, who were unfortunately unable to last weekend. At the same time, the earlier summer rains produced a lot of noble rot and excellent sweet Sauternes. Some other Reds from the two vintages that I really like include:
And my point here is what it always is - You do need to train your palate and educate yourself a bit, and then, follow your taste buds. Labels: BOrdeaux 2006, Bordeaux 2007, Chateau Angelus, Chateau Figeac, Chateau Gazin, Chateau Giscours, Chateau Kirwan, Sherry-Lehmann Q&A: WHAT'S A MERITAGE - AND WHAT'S THIS TWO-BUCK CHUCK? What's a Meritage? Well, it's a blend - either white OR red (most people think it's red only, and that's wrong) - that's supposed to be similar in style to the great wines of Bordeaux. Meritage is pronounced to rhyme with "heritage" although I often say it the wrong, French way myself (Mare-it-tahj) out of habit. The name came from a consumer contest in the late 1980s to promote these blends, which come mainly but not exclusively from California. Wineries that put "Meritage" on the label have to pay a fee per case to the Meritage Alliance, and those wines must be made from specific grapes. Because of that, a lot of wineries just blend their grapes and create so-called proprietary wines, which they often give clever (or not-so-clever) names. Insignia from Joseph Phelps is probably the best-known proprietary California wines...and one of the most expensive and exclusive. Red Meritages must have two or more of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot, St. Macaire, Gros Verdot and Carmenere, and no one variety can be more than 90 percent of the blend. White Meritage is made from a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Sauvignon Vert and also must follow the 90% rule. There are some very good Meritages out there, but few of them have resemble their French cousins. If you want a Bordeaux, drink one. Whats in Two-Buck Chuck? How can it be this cheap?  Charles Shaw wines, known collectively as "Two-Buck Chuck," are the best-known of bottled commercial bulk wines. They're really cheap for some very simple reasons: they come from extremely high-yield vineyards. The grapes are machine harvested and rarely if ever sorted for quality. They're fermented in huge quantities and the resulting wine is pushed into the market with little or no aging and pretty much no marketing. The second major source of bulk wine is actually high-end wineries. How's that? Well, more frequently than you might imagine, something happens at a winery that makes a batch of wine unsuitable for bottling under its own "prestige" label - inferior grapes from a late-season rain, a bad fermentation, or a wine that just doesn't meet the winemaker's standards. But the wine is still good enough to be sold on the bulk market, and doing that helps wineries recover some of their costs. So they find a company that bottles and sells private-label wine, and voila. So what's wrong with this? Most of the time, nothing at all. The only big problem when buying bulk wine, sometimes for as little as $3-4 a bottle, is that the quality and taste can be wildly inconsistent. I've heard about, but never seen, people opening a bottle from a case of bulk wine in the parking lot of one of those warehouse stores, and if it's drinkable, running back in to buy the rest of the case. But I have seen people at home opening bottle after bottle of bulk wine from a case, and finding each and every bottle just awful. So it's sometimes a gamble, but in the days of strict quality control and high production standards, the whole case disaster is rare. Bulk wine in my view is a step above so-called jug wines that often have names like "Hearty Burgundy" but they aren't made from French-grown Pinot Noir, and "Chablis" - that ain't made from French Chardonnay. These I wouldn't touch with a barge pole unless I was broke or in college. And I'm not. Labels: Bulk Wine, Joeseph Phelps Insignia, Meritage, Two-Buck Chuck NEW Hailey's Harp and Pub Wines by the Glass! NEW Hailey's Harp and Pub Wines by the Glass or Bottle Designed by Wine-Flair.com House Wines Bosco Dei Cirmioli Pinot Grigio Rayun Sauvignon Blanc Alfreda Roca Pinot Noir Dante Reserve Merlot Premium Wines Ca' Furlan Prosecco Santa Barbara Winery Chardonnay Annabella Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Raw Power Shiraz (Syrah) Pozzan Napa Valley Zinfandel * * * * * Hailey's Harp and Pub 400 Main Street Metuchen NJ 088040 732.321.0777 Labels: Hailey's Harp and Pub, Metuchen NJ, Wine-Flair PLEASE HELP HAITI I figure that if I can afford to drink wine - even bottles costing only ten or twelve bucks - I can certainly send at least that much off to The Red Cross to help the victims of this terrible disaster. So I just did, and I hope my fellow wine lovers will, too! Please do. Even at a time when things are tough in this country for a lot of folks, we have more than the best-off Haitians have ever had. OR: You can give to Doctors Without Borders You can donate to CARE Labels: Haiti, Red Cross, Relief Fund, Wine-Flair VIOGNIER in 2010! As you start out the new year, probably with a glass of Champagne or sparkling wine, make a resolution to try some wines in 2010 that you've never tasted. And maybe start with Viognier (pronounced "Vee-uh-nyay").This is among the world's most aromatic whites, with a rich, viscous fullness, often a relatively high alcohol content and even some distinct spiciness on the palate. If, for example, you're used to light, innocuous Pinot Grigio, this wonderful grape might just knock you over - it makes one of the most distinctive white wines on the planet. And depending on where and how it's made, you'll get flavors or aromas of almonds, fennel, citrus, honey, apricots, white peach, pear, and so much more. In fact, this wine is so rich you may perceive some residual sugar even when there isn't much. Most Viogniers are made to be dry table wine, but there are several late-harvest dessert Viognier wines, too, and I recommend them as an alternative to Port when you want something different - say, with a honey cake or fruit pie. Outstanding Viognier-based wines now come from just about every continent and many countries, including Australia, USA (Washington, California and Virginia are big producers), Argentina, South Africa, Canada and even Japan. "Experts" will tell you that the best ones come from France's Condrieu region, and here in the US, good wines with that appellation can fetch $60-80 and even $100, but you can get decent $8 bottles from Chile. Viognier is an outstanding blending grape, too, mixed with larger proportions of Chenin Blanc and other softer varieties. Interestingly, in Australia Viognier is also added as a blending grape to red wines, especially Shiraz - called Syrah in Australia - while in France it's added to Syrah in several wines from Cote-Rotie, which mean "roasted slope." In its classic Rhone form it's often mixed with a few percent of Marsanne or Roussanne. And in South Africa, Viognier is added to Syrah and Mourvedre. So you see how versatile this grape is! In the US, try Viogniers from Bonterra, Castle or Miner. From France, try E. Guigal, Chapoutier or Guy Bernard. From Chile try Cono Sur (forgive the pun). And from downunder, try Yalumba, Oxford Landing or Barwick Estates. Or as an alternative, Heartland Viognier-Pinot Gris. Enjoy the wine and a prosperous 2010. Labels: Viognier, Wine of the week, Wine-Flair WINE OF THE WEEK-GOOD PINOT GRIGIOI know, I know, everyone reaches for Santa Margherita at a holiday party or a restaurant. Hey, they spend a lot of money on advertising and the brand name is well known. But between us, it's not really good wine, and it's absurdly expensive for what you get. That's why the Wine of the week is Maso Canali Trentino Pinot Grigio.  Why is this really good wine? Well I could blather on about late-harvested grapes, stainless steel fermentation, lots of contact with the lees, the fact that the same family has been farming there for 500 years, or that they don't do malolactic fermentation. The most important reason, though, is that the good folks at Maso Canali use the Passito process; they keep about 7% of the grapes back, and dry them separately on special racks, wonderfully concentrating their flavors, aromas and sugars. These dried grapes are pressed, and this concentrated juice is then added to the base wine which has been fermented normally. Passito is the same process used to make the famous and expensive Amarone red wines, the difference being pretty much all of an Amarone comes from dried grapes versus only a few percent here. Bottom line: this wine has delicious tropical fruit flavors, real body, aromas and complexity that put most Pinot Grigios to shame. Try it! Labels: Amarone, Maso Canali, Pinot Grigio, Wine-Flair, Wine-of-the-Week Wine(s) of the Week - THANKSGIVING! In 10 days it'll be Thanksgiving eve, and you're probably putting together your menu. And if you're not...get on it! And no matter what you're having, you'll need some wines to go with the big meal. Vouvray/Chenin Blanc: This is among the best wines in the world for Turkey. Vouvrays are Chenin Blanc-based wines from France, and come in a variety of styles, from dry to off-dry, semi-sweet and sweet. South Africa makes great Chenin Blancs, too: try Raats Family, Indaba or Cederberg. And Napa's Pine Ridge makes a wonderful mixture of Chenin Blanc and Viognier that I recommend highly. Rose: If you're having ham by any chance, try pairing it with Mulderbosch Rose, from South Africa, made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. And if you're not, it's a great aperitif wine! Montes Cherub from Chile or Corbieres Domaine Sainte-Eugenie from France. Domestically, try Sola Rosa from Napa Valley. Goes great with cranberries, stuffing, relishes, everything!  Pinot Noir: Lotsa folk say this is a great pairing with turkey - its bright cherry flavors and gentle tannins and acidity work well with Thanksgiving treats. Check out Chalone Vineyard Monterey, Bannock Brae from New Zealand or just about any Pinot from Willamette Valley in Oregon. From France, try Francois d'Allaines Bourgogne Rouge or Bouchard Pere et Fils.  Labels: Beaujolais, buying wine, Chenin Blanc, Mulderbosch, Pinot Noir, Rose, Thanksgiving, Turkey, Vouvray HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARINES! The United States Marines celebrate their 234th birthday today, November 10, 2009. Resolution of the Continental Congress:
|
Main photograph by Christine Costello (View of Gloria Ferrer Vineyards, Carneros, CA).
