VINO-CLUES! 2/20/12 “The C-Words. Carignan and Cinsault!”
Okay, well these are the C-words in France. And other parts of the world…well, at least in the vineyards of the world.
These two grapes are not well known by many, but boy are they freakin' awesome and important.
Carignan is a red grape thought to have originated in southern Spain, and was/is prominent in Algeria, Sardinia, and southern France. But, you will also find it as a main grape in northeastern Spain's ruddy & rugged Priorat region. It ripens slowly, so it thrives well in consistently warm regions with long growing seasons.
Carignan is well known for having dark, intense red ink, as well as uber-astringent tannins & acidity. Sounds yummy, right?? Errr….well…with those characteristics, it actually does makes an excellent blending grape; kind of like adding that dash of hot sauce to food, or Worchestershire sauce to a bloody mary! Extra kick! Extra muscle!
In most cases, while it is capable of incredible finesse and elegance, it starts off as a killer, savage, godzilla, intense, teeth-enamel-stripping wine that absolutely needs years in the bottle, and hours in a decanter to relax and show itself. But let me tell you…when you do taste one that has opened up or softened up, you are in for the BIG SHOW. The Super Bowl. The World Cup. The Kick-ass Glass!
In a blend with Syrah, Grenache, and/or Mourvedre, this grape is the "salt to the margarita", the "rock to your casbah" (or your "amadeus!") Sardinian Carignans are deep, rich, plush, & dark….like black velvet, blue suede shoes, and a burgundy velour tracksuit rolled into one outfit.
Cinsault ("san-SOH"), on the other hand, is an easy-squeezy grape that lends softness and bouquet to red blends. It is most commonly found in the south of France, but is also well known for its role in the Frankenstein hybrid grape of South Africa called "Pinotage", which is a genetic blend of Pinot Noir and Cinsault. Because of its resistance to drought, it is also found in Morocco, Lebanon, Syria, and the difficult agricultural areas of Australia.
Cinsault is often used in a blend to soften Carignan!
Could these two be more opposite??? Yet, they both play a vital role in creating the perfect recipe in blends of Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre, Cabernet, and other grapes, most notably in the Mediterranean world. If you're curious to try these grapes…especially from Lebanon, Israel, Turkey, Morocco, Sardinia, and Spain…then you need to hop on a 14-day cruise, OR, simply come to "CLUB MED-iterranean" on February 28th, our version of traveling by featuring 24 wines (many with the C-grapes) from these regions. $33 to taste and take home educational wine literature. Click on http://www.vinoversity.com/social-tasting-events/tuesdays/
C you there!
VINO-CLUES! 2/6/12 “New Yawk, New Yawk, it’s a wonderful region”
With the Giants in the Superbowl, we MUST tawk about and celebrate New Yawk wines! Specifically, the
But you would be mistaken.
This area of NY is an exceptional wine-making region. Cayuga and Seneca lakes, the longest “fingers”, are also two of
Lakes and other bodies of water are critical and desirable for excellent grape growing. During the harsh winters, the waters retain summer heat longer than the air, preventing frost on the vines at budding time. In the Spring & Summer, the lakes retain their cold temperatures, cooling off the vineyards, thereby preventing sugar development that is too quick on the outside of the grapes before the insides and seeds have a chance to catch up.
Ultimately, some of the most prestigious wine in the world comes from super-cold regions (and believe me, upstate NY is like an arctic tundra wasteland in the winter!) because the cold night temperature causes (during photosynthesis) the development of super snappy & puckery acidity…in other words, a lip-licking, lip-smacking, snap-crackle-pop that excites the palate!
All in all, this region has everything that it takes to produce stellar wine…and it does. But keep in mind, as with any region of the world, that there is lots of wine produced meant for every-day local consumption, and the wines may be deliberately made in a fruity, or simpler style for this purpose. This can be even said when you travel, let’s say, to Italy, where you will have a carafe of a local wine literally made in someone’s backyard, and it is served with your pizza & pasta, tastes just fine and lovely, but is certainly not THE representative of a cellar-worthy, complex, high-price-tag Italian wine.
Many upstate producers are small farmers, and their wine is made to drink on a Saturday afternoon while enjoying the fresh lakeside air. But there are also plenty of producers making serious wine, such as Dr. Konstantin Frank, the “father of Vitus Labrusca” (i.e. American-grown grape species, vs. Vitus Vinifera, or European-grown grape species.) There are plenty of other excellent wineries, and at the end of the day, a great wine maker matching the correct grape variety to the proper agricultural conditions (the “terroir”) will make a great wine.
Probably the best grapes for and from this region are Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Gris, and American grapes such as Seyval Blanc, Vidal Blanc, Catawba, and Vignoles.
Two really cool things about the American grapes: first, their aroma is often called “Foxy”; not because they smell like a Fox animal, but because they have a very aromatic, sweet, musky smell like Grape Jelly. Second, when these grapes ripen, their skins literally slip right off the pulp & stem, leaving a ball of grape pulp that can be crushed separately. This allows the wine makers to crush the skins and release the tight & grippy Tannins independently, and then work the tannins back into their wine-making recipe, if at all. With European grapes, skins and pulp are crushed together, and various machines & methods will determine the extraction of tannins in a very different manner.
Vitus Labrusca are found throughout northeastern
How cool is that?? With or without football, Upstate NY is a total winner!
VINO-CLUES! 1/30/12 “Eat Buffalo Wings & Alcohol and Live Longer!”
Okay, well…maybe, sorta. Clogged arteries and bad livers aside, there truly are life-prolonging properties in certain foods & drinks you love to indulge in while watching the Superbowl!
Some people enjoy the pain! It is common for many people to experience pleasurable and even euphoriant effects from eating or drinking capsaicin, and beverage companies are even marketing "Elixirs" with Capsaicin to promote an endorphin rush.
Actually, Capsaicin is also known for:
1. an effective topical ointment to relieve pain from arthritis, sprains, and neuralgia.
2. reducing itching and inflammation from psoriasis
3. increasing body "heat" and the metabolic breakdown of carbohydrates
Yes, that's right, Capsaicin is being studied as a weight-loss tool!!
Now, as you eat your "healthy" wings, you should also sip on a beautiful wine wine has tannin, an acid that has been found in numerous studies to help reduce cholesterol, and overall is an anti-oxident, or anti-carcinogen!!
Really at this point, all that's left to know is "WHAT WINE WILL TASTE GREAT WITH MY BUFFALO WINGS???"
Here is the answer: to "stand up to" and not get overpowered by the hot sauce, you need to drink wines that either have a high fruit sugar content, a high phenol level (i.e. has a high level of perfumey & floral acids), or has a high level of carbonation (to cleanse the heat off the palate.)
Fruity & phenolic (floral) white wines:
Torrontes, Gewurztraminer, Viognier, Sweet Rieslings
Fruity & phenolic (floral) red wines:
Gamay grape from
Fruity and/or effervescent wines:
Rosé
Now that you're ready to eat & drink responsibly for Superbowl Sunday, it's time to locate these perfect wine partners. Call us at 212-860-6600 and reserve a spot for Tuesday's "Wines of
Here's to your health!
VINO-CLUES! 1/16/12 “Greece is the word!”
Does anybody drink Greek wine??? Hard to believe that the country of the world that practically invented wine culture and has been producing amphoras of the stuff for thousands of years is on the bottom of the list for popular wine regions. And that's a shame, because they could really use the commerce! No seriously, it's a shame because they have gorgeous wine creations that deserve to be discovered and savored.
Here is a breakdown of major Greek grapes…and their pronunciations!!!!
WHITES:
Roditis ("rho-DYE-tuss"): a grape that can have a playful contrast between it's zippy, snappy acidity and a softer fruitier grape that it is often blended with.
Moscophilero("mo-sko-FEE-lehr-oh"): super perfumey, and somewhat "spiced" white grape that is ofyen compared to
Assyrtiko(ah-SEAR-tih-koh"): A top quality wine grape, its massive minerality and super snappy crisp acidity makes it a great blending partner for Malagousia, Savatiano, and international varieties such as Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon.
Savatiano("suh-vat-tee-AH-no"):
REDS:
Xinomavro ("zee-no-MAH-vro"): Its name means “acid black”. The most planted red variety in
Aghiorghitiko ("Ah-your-YITT-i-ko"): Also known as St. George, is the 2nd most planted red variety, and produces easy, fruity, deep, aromatic wines that can sometimes reveal hints of coffee, cocoa, or molasses flavors intertwined with herbs, dark flowers, olive, & tobacco. In Metsovo, it’s blended with Cabernet Sauvignon to produce the popular table wine called Katoi
Mavrodaphne ("MAH-vro-doff-nee"): The name means, “Black laurel”. It is an aromatic, powerful variety used to produce the port-like dessert wine Mavrodaphne of Patras.
Mandelaria ("man-duh-LAHR-ee-ah"): Also known as Amorghiano on Rhodes, this is
Ultimately, even if you can't remember this list, or you still have your doubts as to the approachability and drinkability of their wines, just remember that this country has the best "mixing pot" for making amazing, interesting, unique, and adventurous wines. There are over 300 ancient indigenous grape varieties. Wow! The whole country is mountainous, providing vineyard sites that are high elevation (which equals perky, vibrant acid development), and practically every vineyard is surrounded by or near water (maritime influences on softer sugar & acid development.) It's really hot, especially in the southern islands (sugar development is wicked crazy….dessert wines taste like liquid Baklava!), and often the grapes of centuries' old genetics blend especially well with newly imported and grown French grape varieties (such as Cabernet, Merlot, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc.) Soils range from limestone, to volcanic ash, to sand, and the difficult fertility provides low yield, concentrated grapes.
Wines here ARE different…and that's a good thing. Some of them are produced on such a tiny level, and in such traditional manners (but thankfully with modern hygiene), that one could compare these little gems to the CUPCAKES of today's bakeries, where these individual cakes made in the most glorious flavor combinations are showing up at weddings, dinner tables, and coffee bars instead of huge 20" cakes. Greek wines are the Buttercup Bakery, Sweet Melissa, Magnolia, Crumbs, or Two Little Red Hens of the wine world! Little packages of distinct flavor!
Curious to try one now???? Well, come to Vino-Versity on Wednesday (any time from 12 noon to 8pm) for our $10 "Grape's Anatomy" tasting, where this week's theme is "Fragrant, Exotic Whites". We will be pouring, among others, a Greek blend of Roditis & Viognier. Reserve on this website ("social wine events") or just walk in and mosey on up to our tasting table. Only one more thing to say….OH-MY-GODS!
VINO-CLUES! 1/9/12 “Ze South of Frahnce…some insight to go with your loaf of crusty bread”
Next week, on Tuesday January 17th, we will have our first 2012 "Destination" wine tasting focusing on the south of
SOUTHEAST:
Tavel: bone dry rosés that are super-high in fruit color and initial refreshing fruitiness
based on ripe Grenache & Cinsault grapes.
Bandol: the most serious sub-region of
Chateuneuf du Pape: perhaps one of the most famous regions, named as "The Pope's New Castle" based on the re-location of the Papal court to Avignon in the 14th century , this region has very sophisticated (both in style and in price tag) reds that are, by permission, allowed to be made with up to 13 different grapes (Grenache being dominant.) Whites are lesser well known, but incredible, with blends based on the nutty & perfumey Roussanne grape.
Hermitage,
Cotes du Rhone, Gigondas, Vacqueyras: Generally, the best appellation for good values of "big blends", mostly made of the soft & velvety Grenache, and several other grapes. Great style of earth, savage berries, and every herb you can imagine. The indication of higher quality comes from the word "Villages" on the label, or the specific name of an actual village, such as Gigondas and Vacqueyras.
SOUTH CENTRAL:
St. Chinian: Produces full, soft blended wines with an influence of clay & limestone
Minervois: Produces very supple, charismatic reds and nutty, exotic whites
Corbieres: Produces very dense, chewy, sturdy, plush, herbal reds (Carignan blends)
SOUTHWEST (SUDOUEST)
Madiran,
NOTEWORTHY DESSERT WINE REGIONS:
Collioure: a seaside sub-region of Banyuls, it produces both dry and sweeter reds typically from Syrah, Grenache, and Mourvedre grapes.
Banyuls : a sub-region of
Beames de Venise : famous for its sweet, pale, gold, delicate Vins Doux Naturels dessert wine made from the
Jurancon : famous region for both dry and sweet white wines ; the dry wines, primarily made with Gros Manseng grapes, can be exotic typically featuring flavors of pink grapefruit, passionfruit, and almonds. Sweet whites, made from Petit Manseng, also have a tropical profile.
VINO-CLUES! 1/2/12 “A (Chinese) New Year for Wine and Asian Cuisine!”
Did you know that January 23rd is Chinese New Year?? It has inspired this post…a look at what wines go well with ALL the popular Asian cuisines, from Chinese food to Sushi to Teriyaki Stir-Fry!
With the new year, we start at the beginning! Let's look at the fundamental concept of food & wine pairing again (see "Vino-Clue from 10/31/11" for the full explanation!): always match your wine to the most dominant flavor of the dish. A simple example of this would be Cod covered in a tomato-caper ratatouille. You might fall into the old trap that "red wine does not go with fish" but a savvy person would realize that the ratatouille is going to dominate your palate much more than the mild white fish, and therefore, THAT is what we pair the wine with. Next, we look for a wine of equal strength with either SIMILAR (i.e. high acid, "tart" wine like Sangiovese or Cabernet Franc to match with the high acid of the tomatoes) or OPPOSITE (i.e. a sweeter wine like Spatlese Riesling or fruity red Zinfandel to compliment the salty briny capers) characteristics.
So when we look at Asian cuisines, we may be inclined to identify the following dominant flavors, depending on your dish:
- Chinese Cuisine/Dim Sum: soy sauce, salt, garlic, hot peppers, sweet fruit glaze, fish broth, mushroom, fried batter
- Sushi: salty seaweed, starchy rice, spicy wasabi, mild fish, avocado
- Stir-fry/Japanese: salt, sweet, fried batter (when Tempura)
And this would lead us right to some phenomenal wine choices…some following the SIMILAR, and some following the OPPOSITE pairing principles:
- Chinese Cuisine:
- Sweet, dry, or off-dry Riesling: high acid & sometimes high sugar
- Gewurztraminer: high sugar, acid, & "ginger-mango" spice
- Chenin Blanc: puckery acid, great "green" kiwi-starfruit sugar
- Gamay (i.e. from the Beaujolais region): super light tannins (avoid high-tannin reds with this cuisine!)
- Pinot Noir: low tannins, can have nice ripe red fruits
- Fruity Rosé
- Brut Champagne or sparkling wine: great acid!
- Sushi:
- Brut Champagne or sparkling wine: great acid!
- Muscadet (i.e. Melon grape), Picpoul, Txakoli: all whites with salty sea-mist "salinity"
- Torrontes, Viognier, or New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc: great tropical fruit quality and high aromatics, with excellent puckery acidity
- Chenin Blanc: puckery acid, great "green" kiwi-starfruit sugar, and rich melon fruitiness especially when from the Vouvray region of France
- Stir-fry/Japanese:
- Dry Riesling or very dry Sauvignon Blanc, such as from the Sancerre region of France: great acidity
- Shiraz or California/Oregon Syrah and Zinfandel: high amount of fruit & spice
- Brut Sparkling wine or Champagne: super puckery acidity
- Stainless steel fermented Chardonnay, especially from the Chablis region of France: austere!
- Pinot Noir: low tannins, can have nice ripe red fruits
And there you go….Happy New Year, Happy Chinese New Year, and Happy Eating & Drinking! Now…the question is, has anyone ever tried Blowfish, and if so, what wine goes with it???? Blow-jolais???
VINO-CLUES! 12/19/11: “To Be, or TANNAT Be? That is the question”
Now that we're doing our last 2011 wine tasting this Tuesday of "Around The World in 24 Wines", there was one wine that popped out as one of the most interesting…and I'm talkin' about a company of wines from Morocco, Lebanon, South Africa, and Austria, among others!
It's the TANNAT grape ("tuh-NOT"), which is really only known primarily from two places in the world: southwest France (the Sud Ouest, most notably from Madiran), and Uruguay! Go figya!
The grape is unusual in the fact that you can find it in a twisted-gnarly-vine, brambly, ruddy, rustic, chompy, chewy, dry, and SUPER tannic style, or in its riper, super-soft "decomposed" amber style that is cozy, smooth, integrated, and old-world with everything brown from mulch to coffee to cocoa to raisin in its profile.
If Tannat were an outfilt, it would be a violet-purple velvet shirt, with chocolate-brown cordouroys, an old black cracked-leather jacket, and dirty old cowboy boots.
If you happen to find Tannat that's been aging for a while, you get the gnarly-knotted vine rugged five-o'clock shadow "dude" wine, wearing a Tuxedo (work with me on the analogy of the tux being seamless, softened, broken-down, powdery, integrated tannins.) It's Grrrrrrrr meets Purrrrrrrrr. Going back to the 80's, it's Indiana Jones after running wild for a day, showering and changing into his Professor garb. You can usually see this range in Tannat's personality in the price point. For example, we have an $11.50 Tannat from Uruguay (Pueblo del Sol) sitting right next to a $80 bottle of aged Tannat (1990 Vintage, from Ch. Montus) from Madiran. And they are both a-may-zing!!
That's the cool thing about grapes (obscure or not.) They can change hats. They differ in style. The best grapes ARE the ones that can be best enjoyed from a "quality/price" correlation of $10 to $100. Tannat is one of those grapes!
For the record, if you do start to buy Tannats, they are excellent with grilled and roasted meats (especially beef, game, & duck), Barbeque, Short Ribs, mushrooms, and stews. Yum!
Oh yeah…if you want to taste one on tuesday, sign up for "Around The World" and taste it, along with 27 other global wines for $33!! http://www.vinoversity.com/social-tasting-events/tuesdays/
I think the answer to the question is to be Tannat!
VINO-CLUES! 11/28/11 “Bubbles, bubbles, everywhere but not a drop understood”
I know, I know…we’re barely done digesting our turkey and stuffing, and I’m on the case for December holidays and New Year’s. But it’s really appropriate any time of the year to talk about Bubbly!
At Vino-Versity, I teach a class called “Bubbles, Bubbles, Everywhere!” and it is my favorite subject to teach (I get to taste a great selection of sparklers as I lecture to my very happy students, who are also sipping while they learn.) I do think their happiness is also because of the “a-ha!”s of newfound understanding, and not just the alcohol!
The big revelation (there are many, many small revelations but you’ll need to take the class to experience them) is that there are so many styles of sparkling wines to enjoy in addition to the archetype Champagne. And that’s the main gist of the class…that most people are limited in buying their sparklers to either price or a recognizable name, and may often dismiss anything else that doesn’t have the word “Champagne” on it for fear that it won’t be good. But does a typical person buy Dom Perignon because they truly think it tastes amazing, because they truly understand all the steps and artistry it takes to produce a Champagne (sparkling wines produced in the Champagne region of France are done so under the meticulous steps of the Methode Champenoise, which is creating carbonation within each bottle and then delicately clarifying all the dead yeast out of the liquid), or because they know it’s a famous name and if they buy it as a gift, their friend (or client, or loved one) will just “know” that it’s prestigious and expensive and it’s “supposed to be” one of the best Champagnes?
It’s funny, because we understand the finer quality of fabrics, stitching, and cut in haut couture clothing, horsepower & torque in fine sports cars, Color-Cut-& Clarity in gems, but we know NOTHING about our bubbly. How many of you even know who makes Dom Perignon??? Many will answer, “I thought Dom Perignon makes Dom Perignon?”, and will scratch their heads as they wonder (only upon being asked) “who makes Cristal?”
(answer: Moet & Chandon, and Louis Roederer…ahem)
Why do we forsake our own inquiry and investigation into fine sparkling liquids but we scrutinize and shop around for everything else? Further, are we paying for the best and getting the best? The reality is that there really is something very special about Champagnes…actual sparklers from Champagne, France…and the quality of grapes (particularly the very specific cultivation of the finest Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier grapes), the complex process of double fermentation Methode Champenoise, the teeny tiny strings of pearlized bubbles, and the ultimate finesse and elegance resulting from this combination is to be revered and enjoyed.
But, as the price of Champagnes have sky-rocketed, other options are emerging in the marketplace. And let’s be clear…these options are wonderful, but they are NOT the same as Champagne. That’s the whole idea: each version and style of sparkling wines throughout the world present a potion that has its own showcase of flavors resulting from grapes (sparkling Riesling? sparkling Shiraz? sparkling Prosecco?), fermentation method (Champenoise, Charmat Tank Method), final dose of flavor/sugar/color (known as the DOSAGE, which can be a splash of red wine to make a pink Rosé sparkler, or a super-dry wine to make a Brut, etc.), and geography to determine minerality and organic soil & weather influences.
Carbonation can be nuggets or pearls, foamy or moussey, or airy & soapy. Flavors can go from banana, to cherry blossom, to hay. Styles can go from tart, to fruity, to sweet.
It seems like a travesty to buy something and not know why you’re buying it, or to not know why it even is commanding a certain price. Yes, Champagnes are an amazing option, but so are Cavas, Proseccos, Cremants, Franciacortas, Spumantis, Frizzantis, and other Sparklers of the world. Start tasting, exploring, learning, and giving them the same proportion of consideration and time you would give to jewelry, clothing, and cars. You too will get a case of the happy “a-ha!”s!
VINO-CLUES 11/21/11: “Beau-tiful Beau-jolais!”
This past week was the release of "Beaujolais Nouveau", a wine, in my opinion, that used to be so exciting to release to the drinking public, but has now lost its way.
Beaujolais Nouveau is a wine from the Gamay grape, in the Beaujolais Sub-Region of the Maconnais Region of Burgundy, France, from the most current harvest of grapes. The grapes, most typically harvested in either September or October, are then crushed and made into wine and then immediately shipped out and released for drinking on the third Thursday of November in that same year!!! yes, 1-2 months later!
In wine terms, it's about 12 minutes old. You're drinking a newborn baby wine, with a fresh "bubble gum and nail-polish" newborn baby smell, as fresh-fresh-fresh as a wine could get! The style of the juice is bright, vivacious, vivid, aromatic, and juicy! The flavor profile of the grape is purple, red, & blue: raspberry, strawberry, cherry, blueberry, blackberry, rose petal, lavender, purple wisteria, lilac, iris, and violet.
Gamays are one of the most universal, food-friendly wines; they go well with almost everything because they have a distinct balance of fruit sugar, savory herbal essence, and tart-bitter floral acid. They are not too light & lean, nor are they too big, powerful, and muddy. They are elegant and simultaneously concentrated with full flavor. They are fruity, and savory. They are beautiful, and also masculine. When you find Gamay grown in certain "CRU" regions (regions of quality and distinction that can grow Gamay in its most concentrated, deepest, darkest form), you will start to see how this easy-drinking wine is also taken very seriously in the wine world, and how dynamic it is. CRU Beaujolais (from Fleurie, Moulin-a-Vent, Chenas, & Morgon, to name a few sub-regions) is also pretty affordable, and is just a bit more floral, herbal, and fragrant than a Pinot Noir if you're looking for something just one step bigger than a Pinot.
The Nouveaus are simply the "youthful" version, and are made (and drunk) to celebrate the grape harvest. It's supposed to be fun and celebratory. But somewhere along the line, this juicy version became a "fruit bomb". It seemed that each year they became cheaper, and more sugary, losing all reflection of that red-purple-blue berry & flower & herbal profile they are so famous for. In this case, you DID get what you paid for. If you bought a BN for $5.99, you got something that tasted as poorly as could possibly be produced for that amount. How good can you really expect it to be at that price?
Truth be told? Nouveaus are so cool. But you need to take them more seriously by NOT getting the $5.99 versions. Splurge a little more…just a few dollars… and get a GREAT wine. Don't let the mass-produced "fruit bombs" represent this Burgundian gem. YAY, HARVEST!
