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Montes Alpha Merlot, 2003, Apalta Valley, Chile

As New World wines garner more and more popularity, they also inevitably become more and more expensive. Over the last ten years quality Australian wines, which used to be a bargain, are now priced comparably to similar French and California wines. There are some deals to be found in Europe, but for the most part, with French, German and Italian wines, you get what you pay for. In fact, world wide, it seems like you’re always getting what you pay for. Well I think we should get more than what we pay for. That’s where South America comes in…

Largely influenced by the Bordeaux varietals, respected producers world wide have invested in South American vineyards, perhaps most notably Chilean properties. With California producers like Robert Mondavi, Franciscan and Kendall-Jackson, and French powerhouses like Chateau Mouton-Rothschild and Lafite Rothschild, it seems likely that finding excellent values out of Chile may soon be a thing of the past. Hence, we must all exploit the situation while it is at hand. A great place to start would be Montes’ wines from Colchagua Valley, particularly their Alpha series.

The Alpha series merlot is rich and full, though velvety on the palate, just as merlot should be. Initially the nose is jammy, with lots of cooked fruit like black currant preserves, followed by roasted coffee as a secondary aroma. The earth is largely apparent on the palate, but well balanced by dark fruits like cassis and blackberry. Mineral and graphite give way to cocoa on the finish which is long and robust. Very accessible now, though it grows in the glass, and will certainly cellar well for at least five years.

For pairing, try grilled meats to accentuate the smoky tannins derived from the 15% of cabernet this wine carries. A greasy cheeseburger with fresh veggies sounds good to me. Other options are meaty pastas and heavy cheeses. Even rich, chocolate desserts followed by a fat cigar could be nice.

This bottle retails for about $20, but I wouldn’t expect it to stay so inexpensive for long. The long Chilean growing season, which is opposite from that of Europe and North America, stretches from November to April. Perfectly clear air and clean mountain snow, which melts to feed the Tinguiririca River and the Colchagua Valley vineyards, combine with Pacific maritime breezes and the rich loam clay and loam silt soil to create a brilliant terroir and in turn gorgeous wines. Experts have certainly begun to take notice, with Chilean wine rating high on such prestigious lists as Wine Spectators Top 100. All that’s left now is for the public to take notice before we can really get the prices to be unreasonable for these wines.

It occurs to me that many or most of the people who are reading about wine here on Mariner Network have some interest in fishing, and most likely, in consuming said fish. That?s why I would like to devote the following entry to helping you pair all those delicious sea creatures with the wine that best compliments them. From shellfish to sturgeon and pinot noir to pinot grigio, food and wine were just meant to go together, and a proper pairing can change a good meal into a taste extravaganza.

The first rule of pairing wine with fish is avoiding tannins. The combination of this acid with the oils in the flesh of fish can create a metallic or ?copper penny? taste in your mouth. This means only certain reds will do: mainly pinot noir, Beaujolais and soft merlots. Try pairing these wines with meatier fishes, like shark, tuna and swordfish.

It is frequently necessary to focus on the preparation in a dish, rather than the fish itself, when making a selection for wine. For example, California chardonnay is classically buttery and oaky, so heavier cream or butter sauces can be used in creating a good pairing. Otherwise, richer choices like lobster and tuna are ideal.

With lighter fish we need lighter wines. French sauvignon blanc, with its grassy, herbaceous citrus notes, is excellent with a simple preparation of fresh herbs and a white wine sauce. New Zealand sauvignon blanc, especially from Marlborough, has a distinctly grapefruity character; perfect with citric preparations like lemon zested catfish. Chenin blanc, dry Alsatian reisling and light, green apple-like white burgundy also do well with lighter fish like tilapia and mahi-mahi. Try a white grenache if you prefer ros鳮

Shellfish like clams and mussels do well with most whites, so try a variety and figure out what you like best. Cool climate chardonnay like Chablis is superlative. Consider champagne and other dry, sparkling wines as an alternative, especially with oysters. Other good choices are sauvignon blanc, s魩llon and reisling. A sweet German or new world reisling is especially nice with spicy preparations. Most gew?miner will give the desired contrast of spicy-sweet as well.

Of course, most foods can be paired with wine, not just fish. Beef cries for bigger reds like cab, merlot or zinfandel. With marinated poultry try petit sirah, and pinot noir for duck. Pork does well with light reds and most whites as does lamb, although lamb can actually handle pretty meaty reds as well. Sparkling wines are best before dinner with appetizers to prepare your palate for the meal, or for cleansing afterwards. With desserts, your wine should be as sweet as or sweeter than the dessert itself. I like port with chocolate and botrytis or late harvest wines with fruit based sweets. Finally, don?t forget your classic pairings, like sauternes with foie gras, and of course wine and cheese. Mild cheese with softer wines and stronger, sharper cheeses with heavier wines.

Most experts will tell you to pair the person, not the food, so always feel free to experiment. And, as always, my favorite pairings are good friends, good times and a fine cigar.

So this round I wanted to review something a little light and sweet for those hot summer days.  I also wanted to share a wine that wouldn’t break the bank, and that could be a great addition to a beach picnic or even poolside.  Lastly I wanted to comment on a wine that is most appealing to the better sex, as it can be tough to find a wine that non-wineo ladies enjoy.  All of these criteria have been met with Beccaris Moscato d’Asti…

An Italian classic, the wines production is fairly interesting.  In producing Moscato, the grapes are separated from the stalks immediately before pressing and the must obtained is vinified off the skins. The next step is to form the so-called “coperta” and to treat the must to clean and disinfect it. The first filtration is carried out and the process is repeated regularly so that the wine remains sweet. The product thus obtained is known as sweet filtrate. Natural Moscato can be consumed as it is or it can be turned into a sparkling wine.

I last had this wine on a trip to NYC with my girlfriend.  Being a novice wine drinker was no matter in this case, as she loved the extreme sweetness and light bubbles.  I had this wine with light hours devours, and assorted cheeses before going out on the town for the night.  I think this Moscato d’Asti would make an awesome accompaniment to any light spicy dish.  A word to the wise…. Try to find this wine ASAP, as there are rumors the producer will stop making this particular varietal.  Should be around $11-$15.  

Bonny Doon ‘Le Cigare Blanc’, 2003, Central Coast, California

If you’re tired of wines made by stuffy, run-of-the-mill winemakers, well Randal Grahm is the guy for you. He’s a little nutty, but his wines are top notch. Currently, his Ca del Solo vineyard in Monterey is dedicated mainly to developing Italian inspired reds and whites, but as a younger man his main interests lied more in the realm of Rhone varietals….

The whites of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, an area of the southern Rhone in France, were the inspiration for this mostly Roussanne blend. The small amount of Grenache blanc adds the floral notes to the stony minerality of the Roussanne. This wine is a treat on the nose and palate. White peach and apricot are the dominant fruits, while honeysuckle and rose are perhaps the most apparent aromatics. Mainly stainless steel conditioned, with some neutral oak, this wine is clean and fruit forward.

Shellfish for seafood, foul for meat and brie for cheese, mild foods are the way to go when pairing this wine. Honestly, I recommend this wine be consumed unaccompanied. All the eating interferes with the drinking and buzz development.

I love Rhone wines, red and white, and Randal Grahm has helped me see that these particular blends need not be from France to be enjoyable. They say the most eccentric men are frequently the most brilliant as well. If the quality of his wine speaks to his intelligence, then he must be crazy. Check out his website for a laugh, and check out The Iron Bridge Wine Company for his wines: $20.

Bogle Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley, California, 2004

Pinot Noir has enjoyed an increased level of popularity, at the expense of Merlot, since the movie ?Sideways? was released. It?s a versatile grape, capable of a variety of characteristics, but it?s generally considered to be a light bodied red with low acid and subtle, soft tannins. From Burgundy to Oregon, New Zealand to California, this grape is being grown world wide; even Tasmania has Pinot vines.

In honor of this wine’s love affair with cinema, I opted to sneak it into a movie along with a little food from our neighborhood Cheesecake Factory. The movie was Pirates of the
Caribbean 2 and the food was plain old chicken fingers. A friend of mine swears by the pairing of buttered popcorn with Pinot Noir, so we gave that a whirl as well. Not bad combos all around, though I think some roasted duck breast with fingerling potatoes and a pesto cream sauce would truly have been perfect.

Throughout the flick I noticed the wine?s nose had distinct hints of paper cup and dirty movie theater, but upon later inspection from a proper Riedel glass I picked up the expected floral aromatics of rose petals and lilacs. Even with 12 months in oak, the well balanced toasty flavors did nothing to overpower the deep cherry fruit. This Pinot finished surprisingly long, lingering on the palate with heavy fruit giving way to tobacco and rich leather. They wouldn?t let me smoke in the theater, but a petit demitasse cigar would have been a nice addition to the experience.

Certainly approachable, but never boring, this wine is a deal at under $20.

Staglin Family Vineyard Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Rutherford, Napa Valley, 2002

20th Anniversary Selction 

Working at the most well respected wine bar in one of the richest counties in the country certainly carries its little perks. My favorite of these is the opportunity to taste all of my friendly neighborhood millionaires’ leftovers. Normally I wouldn’t shell out the $150 for this wine unless I was planning on putting it in my cellar, but since I didn’t have to, please enjoy the following review.

This wine is a big wine from a big vintage in Napa. First impressions on the nose are the characteristic dusty, earthy Rutherford bouquet, along with dark fruits like plum, cassis and black raspberry. Blueberries and mushrooms on the palate give way to a long finish of chocolate covered cherries, pipe tobacco and black tea. All new French oak imparts a distinctive roasty, toasty caramel flavor in this wine. While the tannins are apparent, and the wine was a little tight, it did open nicely in a decanter and the glass. The true solution to this is the 12 to 15 years in the cellar this wine needs.

As for pairing, this is a big wine and requires some big food. Beef and portabella stroganoff is my first thought, perhaps followed by a hunk of stinky stilton. I wish I’d had a pipe handy to accompany this wine, but I settled for a short, fat torpedo Padron cigar. Both the wine and cigar were anniversary selections which I thought was cool.

Bottom line, this wine is well worth the price tag. Open it for a special occasion; just wait a decade or more.

One of the most common controversies in my wine bar is the argument over traditional cork, or screw cap capsules, also known as stelvin. Stelvin capsules are different from traditional corks in that they don?t allow any air to ever touch the wine, and remove the possibility of a corked bottle. The same way liquor bottles are closed, the aspect of this new capsule creates much wine for thought.

First, we should examine the reason stelvin was utilized in the first place. A server in a restaurant will pour you a taste of wine prior to pouring every glass. The reason for this is mainly a chemical called 2, 4, 6 ? Trichloranisole (TCA). TCA is byproduct of cork sterilization which is more common in lower quality cork. As a cork is squeezed into a bottle of wine, droplets of this chemical can seep into the wine creating a musty and moldy flavor and sent. Hence a corked bottle of wine!

It is estimated that one in twenty, or five percent, of all bottles containing natural cork capsules are ?corked?. When a bottle is sent back due to TCA we send the bottle back to the distributor who gives my establishment a credit. The distributor sends the bottle back to the vineyard or winery for their credit. Ultimately, the vineyard loses the money. It is in my opinion that every time this happens, we as consumers receive less quality wine. If the winery loses less due to this phenomenon, the theory would suggest, they could add this capital to their wine production and give us better product. So I say, good for stelvin tops! However, there is always a flip side.

Many opponents to this wine technology have argued the point of cellaring. Natural corks allow air to flow to the wine at a slow rate over time.  Stelvin tops do not allow any air to reach the wine.  So, herein lies the problem.  Can I cellar a screw cap wine and expect maturity, or is true cork the only way to go?  The truth is?. No one knows.  However, most expensive or premium producers have shied away from the screwzies. The major exception is Plumpjack vineyards who offer a reserve cabernet in both screw top and traditional cork.

Bottom line, expect these screw tops to gain more playing time with lesser priced bottles, and let the expensive producers keep their traditional ?pop!?

Some of my favorite wines come from Oregon.  More specifically, pinot noir from Willamette Valley.  Pronounced “will-am-it”, this region of Oregon has produced some amazing product recently.  Enough so that many wineries are trying to create their own version of the Italian Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC), which would govern who can actually call themselves a Willamette Valley producer.

My favorite winery in this area is definatly Soter vineyards.  Tony Soter’s “Gran Cru” of the wineries current release is the 2003 Beacon Hill Pinot Noir.  At around $60 its not for everyday drinking, but absolutely worth every penny. The nose of the wine has toasty characteristics. The immediate flavors are cranberry and raspberry. As the wine opens the dark fruits of blackberry and blueberry come to fruition.  The wine is also rich in underbrush and dry leaf notes. Soter recommends drinking between 2007-2010, however the wine will continue to improve with long term cellaring.  Recently I tried this wine with rabbit leg confit and grilled lamb chops, both dishes paired amazingly.

Speri Amarone Della Valpolacella Classico, 2001

Amarone is big red wine from the Veneto region in Northeastern Italy. While the primary grape is Corvina, Rondinella and Corvinone also contribute to this robust and elegant wine.

True Amarone is classified by the process through which the grapes are prepared. The long drying process, known as appasimento, imparts a raisiny characteristic to the wine, as well as a very subtle sweetness. Despite its high alcohol content (a wapping 15%), this wine is remarkably well balanced. Soft tannins and mild oak give way to a long dry finish on the palate.

 

 

Traditional pairings would suggest game and red meats as dining accompaniments for this wine. Personally I drank a bottle with a foot long Italian sub. I found that the wine really accented the spicy components of the sandwich. Cured meats and cheese also go well, particularly after a nice meal. The only thing missing is a beefy Maduro cigar.

This wine has sold well at my wine bar, The Iron Bridge Wine Company, at about $35 a half bottle. Not bad for good Amarone, which ranges in price from $60 to as much as a couple hundred. Bottom line: this wine is delicious and affordable and should be savored with good times and good friends.

If I was stranded on a desert island and could only have one wine, it would be…

Boutinot

“Cuvee L’Ancienne” Pouilly Fuisse

2004, Burgundy, France

Imagine biting into the most delicious Washington apple and you have a good grasp of my favorite featured wine at the Bridge. Even more cool, Iron Bridge is just about the only place in the state of Maryland where you can find Boutinot wines. We have an exclusive agreement with this amazing producer!

More than just apple, this steey Chardonnay displays a nose with overtones of dill and fennel. Full and rich characteristics but with a long and lingering finish, my favorite never ceases to amaze me. The Cuvee a L’Ancienne range demonstrates Paul Boutinot’s skill as a winemaker. Paul’s excellent knowledge of the Maconnais and strong relationships with local growers have allowed him to consistently select the best grapes available from each vintage.