Vinous Views

Vino Rosado

2011-06-25T08:21:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile, but I am going to try and get back on track with posting. Drumroll please...

Spain has been providing plenty of great wines for less than $15 for some time now and I love stumbling upon these terrific values. During my last visit to Costco, I purchased the 2010 Cruz de Piedra Garnacha Rose for $8. And it was the perfect treat to pop open (actually it's a screw cap so there was no popping, just twisting) on a warm Monday evening while grilling Bratwursts. My glass was filled with watermelon Jolly Rancher and candy cherry scents. But this is not sweet pink wine. Instead, it's pretty firm with red fruit tartness, good acidity, and a dry finish. And it paired well with the bratwursts and the grilled chicken I had on Tuesday night. It even had enough acidity to stand up to a side dish of cole slaw dressed with lime juice.

If you're looking for an inexpensive and satisfying wine for the summer, then go find this $8 beauty! It will provide some relief during those hot afternoon and evenings.

Awesome Aussie Blog

2010-08-20T18:50:00.000-07:00

In reading through my "Special Issue" of Wine & Spirits for Fall 2010, which I just received today, I came across an article on Shiraz. It is a great read and discusses the trend for overblown Australian Shiraz (super-ripe Shiraz with alcohol levels approaching 15% or more) The author is Max Allen, and it just so happens he has a blog called Real Australian Wines. I checked it out and his initial posts are quite informative and entertaining. I especially enjoyed his post on Australian Rose. Check it out if you have a chance.

Vinho Verde Rose

2010-08-14T12:09:00.000-07:00

It's been a hot week here in Kansas City and to cool down on a warm Friday evening, I found myself drinking a glass (or two) of chilled Vinho Verde in pink form. The local grocery store recently started selling the Casal Garcia Rose and I snagged a bottle for $8. It has soft, fruity aromas and is refreshing just as the label describes. Very fresh and very fun to drink.

It's already the end of July and...

2010-07-31T08:34:00.000-07:00

time for another intermittent blog posting so I can share a few noteworthy wines I've tasted.

2007 Cline Syrah - Sonoma County

This is a good introduction California Syrah. It's not big and overripe like some Aussie Shiraz and those other California Syrah's trying to be Shiraz. There is some light funk in the aroma to hint at Syrah's wild side and its ability to exhibit non-fruit aromas and flavors. It's still juicy, but not over the top, with some spice to round out the dark fruit flavors. After it was open for a bit, I started to notice some toasted marshmallow in the aroma. It's fun to drink and would be a great companion to grilled meat or sausages. Cline has a variety of affordable reds which are usually consistent in quality.

2009 Pomelo Sauvignon Blanc

I like to drink Sauvignon Blanc throughout the summer because it can so crisp and refreshing. A well made Sauvignon Blanc has refreshing acidity that can stand up to a variety of acidic foods. I have found it to be a fine companion for a green salad with vinaigrette, which is traditionally a difficult dish to pair wine with. The Pomelo has the right amount of citrus juiciness and fresh green pepper aromas which make it a pleasure to sip and smell. I drank it with pasta topped with a fresh heirloom tomato sauce. It was able to match the acidity of the tomatoes and pungency of the garlic, while providing a nice lingering finish of heightened sauce flavors.

I took a bottle of the 2008 Lioco Chardonnay "Sonoma County" out to my family a couple of weeks ago and we had it with dinner. It is a truly fabulous Chardonnay for just under $20. It puts all of those big, buttery, oaky and boring California Chardonnay's to shame. I know there is disdain in the wine world by some towards this grape and the number of boring wines it has produced, but I say don't blame the grape, blame those who have made it into an uninspiring drink. Now the Lioco is anything but. And this is technically their low end Chardonnay! I would like to get my hands on some of their vineyard designated Chards, but of course they do rise in price. This wine has a totally engaging aroma and had scents of fresh toasted popcorn during my second tasting. It's absolutely delicious with it's funky, cool, and clean fruit flavors. I have already purchased another bottle and am trying to resist drinking it immediately. It is a must buy if you are looking to taste some of the best California Chardonnay being made at a reasonable price. Check out my previous posting on this one.

Summertime

2010-06-26T11:16:00.000-07:00

Lots of tasting and drinking since April, but not much blogging. I'm going to try and rectify that.

Since it's technically summer now, I thought I would toss out a few wines I've recently tasted that would be great for picnics, barbecues, or general warm weather consumption.

Charles & Charles 2009 Rose: A full bodied rose (it's 100% syrah) that's juicy and has great mouthfeel. This one is a great sipper and would make for a happy summer meal when paired with grilled chicken and potato salad. And it can be found for under $12.

Rosenblum Vintner's Cuvee Chardonnay 2008: This was a Cellar Rat monthly wine club selection and I'll admit my excitement level was low when I picked it up. I reluctantly opened it up during the week and was completely surprised. In fact, I absolutely loved it. The cool fruit flavors (peaches & apricots) are rounded out with some vanilla cream on the finish. This one can be found for under $15 and for that price, I think you get a far more interesting Chardonnay than many others in the same price range from California.

Casal Garcia and Broadbent Vinho Verdes: I love Vinho Verde during the summer and these two can be found for less than $10 and are perfect for those summer bbq's with friends and family. The Casal Garcia is slightly more sweet, while the Broadbent has a few more bubbles to it.

Lioco Chardonnay 2008: My wife summed it up best when she said the aromas and flavors reminded her of the baked brioche with brie and apricot preserves appetizer at the recently closed City Tavern. It costs a little more (I paid $18 for this one at Cellar Rat) but is well worth it.

Spring Awakening

2010-04-04T06:47:00.000-07:00

The past week was fabulous. It finally looked, smelled, and felt like spring. Temperatures in the 70's, birds singing in the mornings, plants with rapidly growing green buds, and the sweet smell of blooming hyacinth bulbs. And to top that off, my order of Wind Gap winery's spring wine offerings arrived. I ended up up with a case and a half of wine which will be split with my father and father-in-law. Yeah, I'm pretty geeked up about this. But rightfully so because I am now in possession of Wind Gap's 2008 Pinot Gris. This wine already fascinates and I haven't even tasted a drop. A Pinot Gris that is described as an "orange wine". Why? Because this white wine spent a little bit of time fermenting on its grape skins, which gave it the orange color. What aromas and flavors will this Pinot Gris have to offer? And how will it taste with food? I am thinking it will pair nicely with the baked curry chicken from Habashi House, among many other dishes. I can't wait to try it.

On tap for today is a roast lamb Easter dinner with my wife's family. I think a full flavored red will be in order. Happy Easter to everyone!

Saturday tasting at Cellar Rat

2010-02-27T16:44:00.001-08:00

Foris Winery was at the Cellar Rat today pouring 4 of their wines (Pinot Gris, Riesling, Gewurztraminer, and Pinot Noir). My wife and I enjoyed them all, but really liked the Pinots. The Pinot Gris has a nice whiff of honey in the aroma along with a little coconut. It has a very light color and finishes clean and dry. The 2007 Pinot Noir had a delicate red color with fresh cherry aromas and flavors. It definitely leaned more towards a California style of Pinot Noir. Very soft with some cinnamon spice on the spice. The lady from the winery noted that the style of their Pinot Noir can vary from year to year due to the progression and quality of the grapes. Some years the grapes may lend themselves to a lighter style and in other years a deeper, more richly flavored style like many other Oregon Pinots. I am a big fan of Pinot Noir and really appreciate the lighter style versions. They usually taste fresh and are extremely food friendly.

How to standout in a crowd

2010-01-31T08:58:00.000-08:00

Charles Smith and Rawley Power know how to make and market good wine. Just check out the labels on their bottles. Both use black and white labels with strong graphics and simple names. I'm not sure who started this first and it doesn't really matter to me. The bottles jump out on the shelves and peak curiosity for the browsing customer. Very playful and amusing. And the best part is after the purchase is made. The wines also taste really good!

I recently tasted Rawley's Fun House Pinot Grigio and thoroughly enjoyed it. For $10, you can't go wrong with this Australian white. His other wine which I have found in the KC area is the Raw Power Shiraz. It's a dark and decadent Shiraz with lots of big fruit flavor for under $16.

Charles Smith has the market covered. Everything from a "House Wine" for $10, to the $100 "Royal City" Syrah. Crazy names and great wines (at least those I've tasted). "Eve" really emphasizes more of the cool fruit flavors (apple & pear) that the Chardonnay grape has to offer. And it can be found for around $12. Just look for the bottle with partially eaten apple on the label.

Zhee-goan-DAHS

2010-01-24T16:30:00.000-08:00

Baked meatballs with crispy, shoe-string french fries and a glass of the aforementioned Gigondas makes for a pleasing Sunday dinner in January. The wine was a 2005 from Moulin de la Gardette. It was 80% Grenache, 10% Mourvedre, and 10% Cinsault with an aroma of cherry cake donuts according to my wife. My first sip revealed some red fruit flavor with a strong finish of tobacco/cigar spice. Seriously, it felt like my taste buds had taken a trip to a cigar humidor. As we drank it throughout it dinner, the cigar spice eased a bit and more fruit flavors started to show up. I would like to snag another bottle and leave it open for a few days to see how it develops. Or maybe just buy another Gigondas to taste and compare. Either one works for me. Whatever the case, the Moulin de la Gardette Gigondas will fit in nicely with a rich, heavy meal on a cold winter night.

Sunday Dinner

2010-01-17T06:23:00.000-08:00

I always look forward to Sunday dinner with my wife's family. We usually head over their way about every other weekend and bring the wine. It is always seems appropriate to drink something a little more special. This may include putting a slightly more expensive wine on the table, grabbing that wine I have been hesitant to open for several months, or trying something unfamiliar. It doesn't really matter, I am just looking to drink a wine that will enhance this occasion.

My wife spoke to her parents yesterday and they mentioned they had tasted and enjoyed a bottle of Gigondas this past week. Now, they had grabbed this one and basically only knew it was French. I briefly relayed through my wife that it's from the Southern Rhone Valley and is a red blend (primarily Grenache, with some Syrah and Mourvedre if you're curious). They drank it over a couple of days and were amazed at how it developed different aromas and flavors. And it just so happens that they want to drink another bottle with Sunday dinner today. Works for me.

Farewell 2009

2010-01-10T08:08:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! Before we get to far into 2010, I do want to briefly highlight a few of the wines and wine experiences I had in 2009. So, here is my random "Best of 2009" list.

Most Memorable White Wine: 2008 Botani (Spain)

100% Moscato and completely delicious. A perfect picnic wine. Check out my previous post on this wine.

Most Memorable Red Wine: 2007 Wind Gap Castelli-Knight Ranch Syrah (California)

This one will make you re-think Syrah. One whiff of its sweet licorice aroma and my wife commented she had no idea Syrah could smell like that. There is also a nice hint of pepper spice to complement. Our family drank this one with a roast goose and it was fantastic. Wind Gap is making some amazing wine.

Most Memorable Wine/Food Pairing: Somerset Ridge Ambrosia (Kansas) and Creme Brulee

A local wine and a wine/food match made in heaven. The Ambrosia is a late harvest Traminette produced by this terrific Kansas winery. My brother is currently in the beginning stages of his own personal chef/catering operation and he invited my wife and I over to do a taste run of his 7-course offering. The final course was a creme brulee spiced with lemon and orange zest. The wine paired beautifully with the delicious dessert.

Best Local White: 2007 Augusta Vignoles (Missouri)

Now, by no means did I taste all of the local offerings. There are many Missouri and Kansas wineries I have yet to try. It may have not mattered though because the 2007 Augusta Vignoles is a terrific drink. Check out my previous post on this one too.

Best Local Red: 2008 Montelle Chambourcin (Missouri)

I was very excited when Cellar Rat made this one a "wine of the week" back in late summer. I like it when local wines get some recognition. It tastes vibrant and fresh with good, tangy red fruit flavors.

Favorite Wine Tasting: Multiple tastings at Cellar Rat

Cellar Rat is the best. They have multiple tastings each month and may feature a certain winery, type of grape, or whatever they deem appropriate. In a perfect world, I would have time to partake in every tasting. Out of the tastings I attended, the Ridge Vineyards, mid-summer Syrah, and Charles Smith tastings stand out. Ridge is fantastic, so being able to taste their Zinfandels was a treat. I love Syrah and tasting various offerings from around the world is always fun. I left that tasting with a bottle of the 2005 Andrew Murray Roasted Slope Syrah. And of course, I can't leave out Charles. I'm still waiting to taste more of his Syrah though.

If you have these wines, hang on to them and they will only get better: 2006 K Vintners Motor City Kitty Syrah and 2007 Wind Gap Griffin's Lair Syrah.

I tasted the Kitty back in July and it was a hot mess. Sometimes you would taste the fruit, or maybe the spice, or maybe a good kick of warm alcohol. It's all there, just not balanced and integrated, yet. It will be terrific once it calms down. I previously wrote about the Griffin's Lair and this already fantastic wine will evolve into something truly special over time. Very exciting.

Terrific White Wines I tasted which can be found for under $15:

2007 Conclasse (Spain) I love the almond aroma in this wine. A great sipper.

2008 Marques de Caceres (Spain) I can snag this crisp white for $8 at Cosentino's in Brookside. A great apertif wine and hard to beat for the price.

2008 Kung-fu Girl Riesling (Washington) Nice and zingy with herb aromas and ripe apple flavors.

Terrific Red Wines I tasted which can be found for under $15:

2007 Domaine Boisson Cotes du Rhone (France) A fantastic Cotes du Rhone that is richly layered with fruit and spice. It pairs great with beef stew.

2007 Cline Zinfandel (California) Tastes like liquid raisins. Very dense, with lots of dried dark fruit and spice. Fun to drink.

2007 Montevina Barbera (California) Blueberries and toasty graham cracker on the nose. Even some clove, which reminded me of smoking a clove cigarette. It is nice and juicy with good acidity.

That's it for now. One of my many resolutions for 2010 is to post more to this damn blog! We'll see how I do.

Christmas Day treat

2009-12-29T08:08:00.000-08:00

A day of reading, movie-watching, napping, cooking, eating, drinking, and spending time with family. A special treat all its own. On this snowy and cold day, my father-in-law took it upon himself to make Christmas dinner. The menu included roast turkey, stuffing, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, sauteed green beans, pumpkin soup, and of course cranberry sauce. The drink of choice: Wind Gap Wines 2007 Griffins Lair Syrah. An extra special treat for the day. Now, my father-in-law was a bit concerned his cooking might not be worthy of this wine. We had tasted Wind Gap's 2007 Castelli-Knight Ranch Syrah a few weeks back and it was fabulous. The Castelli-Knight had the most fantastic sweet licorice aroma. Great stuff. So of course, our expectations were high for the Griffins Lair. I told him not to worry. If we can't open it for Christmas dinner, I am not sure what other meal will be more appropriate.

Turns out my father-in-law did a fabulous job with dinner. The turkey was extremely flavorful and juicy. All of the side dishes were perfect complements. I especially enjoyed the stuffing with sausage. And the wine? It was completely opposite from the Castelli. Where the Castelli was aromatic and flavorful, the Griffin only offered subtle aromas and flavors of dark fruit and spice. Just a few sips let me know this wine was not ready to divulge the full depth of its character. You could smell it, taste it, and know the wine was just wanting to explode with blackberries, raspberries, and pepper spice. But it would just not let itself go and was definitely not in the sharing mood on this Christmas day. During the course of the dinner, it only slightly opened up to reveal a little more aroma and flavor. We even left some in the bottle for a taste the next day. After being open for 24 hours, it had only yielded slightly. This Syrah just needs time.

Lucky for my family, we have 3 more bottles of the 2007 Griffin to lay down and wait on. I am already looking forward to tasting again and seeing if the wine is ready to share. Maybe Christmas dinner 2010?

A snowy Christmas Eve

2009-12-25T11:27:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas! After driving through rain, sleet, and finally snow on our trip down I-70 to Topeka late Thursday afternoon, it was a relief to sit down with family for food and drinks. Papas rellenas (stuffed potatoes) were on the menu along with jamon, manchego, and some tangy, pickled Sicilian peppers to start us off. To drink, we had some cold Czech beer and a bottle of 2005 Rioja Crianza from Bodegas Lan. The aroma had hints of chorizo, cheese rind, and even some tomato. Very savory and very Spanish. On the palate it had cool, red fruit flavors and a smooth finish. This Rioja could easily be enjoyed with or without food.

There is just a tiny bit left in the bottle today. Should be gone shortly. And then it might be time for the Cava sitting in the fridge.

The King of Washington Syrah

2009-11-03T10:08:00.000-08:00

A little over a week and half ago, Cellar Rat held a wine tasting which showcased a few wines from Charles Smith. You might not be familiar with the name, but may have seen his wine in various stores in the KC area. The label design on his bottles are quite distinctive. I could go into more detail, but just check out the website for yourself.

The free tasting included five wines all priced in the $10-20 range. As a bonus, Janna Kline from the winery was on hand to promote the wines. We tasted them as follows:

2008 Kung-Fu Girl Riesling, 2007 Eve Chardonnay, 2007 Velvet Devil Merlot, 2006 Boom-Boom Syrah, and the 2006 Chateau Smith.

The great thing about all of these wines is they offer a lot of character for the price. The 2008 Kung-Fu Girl is cranked up from the 2007 and offers more intense aromas and flavors. For $12, its a terrific buy and is made to match spicy asian dishes. The Chardonnay is clean and crisp. It offers some of that cool fruit flavor typically found in white Burgundy.

After finishing the Eve, we moved onto the reds with the Velvet Devil up first. I like this Merlot because it has a little bit of earthiness to go with the dark fruit flavors. As we waited to taste the fourth wine (the Boom-Boom Syrah), Janna Kline jokingly mentioned that Charles asked her to refer to him as the "King of Washington Syrah" while pouring the Syrah. Now that's just fine and I was in no position to disagree (he was named winemaker of the year by Wine and Food magazine), but it would have been nice if she would have offered a complete tasting of Charles's current Syrah offerings just to prove the point. Hey, that's a big claim and I like Syrah. Seems like a reasonable solution to the situation. That's all I'm saying. But alas, the tasting of the Boom-Boom had to suffice on this evening. Lots of roasted earth and fruit aromas with plenty of dark fruit and pepper spice flavors. Good and funky for a $16 bottle of Syrah. The wine is just begging for a braised meat dish with this fantastic fall weather.

The final wine was the aforementioned Chateau Smith, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (85%), Malbec (10%) and Cabernet Franc (5%). Nice dark fruit aromas with some herbal notes. Again, more cool fruit flavors with some cedar spice. Mr. Smith is definitely playing up the cool fruit flavors in his wines which the Washington climate facilitates. We finished up our pour of the Chateau Smith rather quickly because it was time for food. Pizza Bella and their potato pizza were calling for us just down the street.

There is something very refreshing about drinking a beer after a wine tasting. I had a cold Peroni and it was fabulous with the potato pizza. The light crispness of the Peroni cut through the rich flavors of the pizza, which was topped with potatoes, gorgonzola, and radicchio with a balsamic vinaigrette. It was a fantastic ending to our weekday evening.

Summer Whites

2009-08-08T14:47:00.001-07:00

I have enjoyed tasting and drinking several whites the past few weeks and would like to share. Here are a couple of favorites:

2008 Botani - 100% Moscatel (Moscato) from the Andalucia region in Spain. Extremely aromatic with fruit, floral, and herb garden aromas. Light and crisp fruit flavor (green apple) with a soft, lingering finish. Just a terrific white. It tastes so good you want to slow down and take small sips to enjoy every drop. We drank a bottle with family while attending a five course outdoor dinner (made entirely with local ingredients) just north of Lawrence. It paired nicely with the meatless menu (especially the spicy vegetable lasagna).

2007 Montinore Estate Muller-Thurgau - A perfect picnic white. Lightly floral and fruity with a touch of sweetness and just a terrific sipper. This was one of the whites I brought along to Powell Garden's "Booms and Blooms" for the 4th of July. We had a little picnic with my wife's parents and ate Spanish tortilla, asparagus with shallot vinaigrette and tomato and mozzarella salad (first tomatoes from the garden) along with an assortment of olives and cheeses. The wine was a fantastic complement.

And a few others of interest:

2007 Torres Vina Esmeralda - Another Spanish white with 85% Moscato & 15% Gewurztraminer. This followed the Muller-Thurgau at the Powell Garden's picnic. It had very floral and green herb aromas, but was very dry in comparison. A unique white to try again, but on that night I did enjoy the Muller-Thurgau much more.

2008 John B. Sauvignon Blanc/Colombar - A South African white blend with strong lime & gooseberry aromas. It also had a little bit of that certain aroma associated with the Loire Valley whites. That aroma being cat's pee. I know that sounds like an awful aroma to have in your wine, but it's not really that bad and kind of weirdly fascinating. It had nice juicy fruit flavors which held up to the strong flavors of a white balsamic vinaigrette on a green salad. A good white to drink with a salad on a warm summer evening. Update: Wine Enthusiast has this wine listed at #5 for "Top 100 Best Buys" of 2009 in the November issue.

2007 Spice Route Sauvignon Blanc - Another South African offering. This one smelled like asparagus with some citrus in the background. Yeah, that's right, this wine was all asparagus up in my face. An interesting and unique aroma to find in your wine, but it overwhelmed the citrus aromas. The wine did have some good citrus flavor and an herbal, green spice finish. Nothing outstanding, but definitely interesting and it did not have any of the side effects from eating real asparagus, if you know what I mean.

Drink with Food

2009-07-30T20:37:00.000-07:00

I snagged a $7 New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc last Monday evening while wandering through the Costco wine section. A fairly harmless purchase on a wine that should taste a little zippy and be drinkable. Well, it had the citrus (lime and grapefruit) and green pepper aromas you might normally expect from a New Zealand Sauvingon Blanc, but it was pretty plain on the palate. Not much zip. Those fun aromas did not find their way into the wine's flavors. Perfectly drinkable and pleasing, but not anything super exciting. Did I mention it cost $7? So, after one glass into the fridge it went for the night.

I've been known to let white wines waste away and die in the fridge, so I made it a point to break this one out again the next night and drink up. I had it with food this time and what a difference. Just pairing this wine with an omelet topped with fresh picked cherry tomatoes and basil made a difference. The acidity and flavor of the tomatoes helped heighten the flavors of the wine and gave it a little extra depth and finish. Yep, some wines need to be paired with the right food to help them shine. I think this is sometimes forgotten and many wines end up being solely judged on their own merits. Anyways, this Sauvignon Blanc was called Riparian by Riparian Vineyards from Marlborough in New Zealand. Check it out if you have $7-8 handy, with food preferably.

More Local Stuff

2009-06-27T15:29:00.000-07:00

Costco was on the list of Saturday afternoon errands today and I was a bit surprised to come across a full-on display of local Missouri wine from Augusta Winery as I perused the wine area. They had a table set up displaying each type of wine and a woman promoting to everyone the wine was from Missouri. Costco had been selling the Augusta Norton for about 3 months now and apparently decided to offer a more complete selection of Augusta wines. Needless to say, I am quite pleased. Augusta is making some great stuff. I have tasted and enjoyed their Norton, Chambourcin, and Vignoles, as noted in my previous post. My purchase for the day was Augusta's Sevyal Blanc for $6.89. I also notice several varieties on sale from another Missouri winery, St. James. I have not tasted any of their wines and that probably needs to change. Anyways, I'll be tasting the Sevyal soon and hopefully Augusta will be 4 out of 4 in my house.

Local Cheerleader

2009-04-23T20:45:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to do this post for a long time, so here it goes. The Midwest is making some pretty darn tasty wine. Now, I can only speak to Kansas and Missouri wines at this time and according to Doug Frost, Iowa and Nebraska also have wineries worthy of attention. Let's start with Missouri. I am drinking a glass of Augusta Winery's 2007 Vignoles as I type this and enjoying every sip. Luscious fruit aromas with flavors that range from pineapple to tart apple. It has some sweetness on the finish, but enough acidity to keep it in check. We're not dealing with complex flavors, but who cares? When I opened this wine (it's screwcap, which I love) and took the first whiff, it made me smile. I paid $12 for the wine and it tastes great and put me in a better mood after a long day of work. Pretty good deal. Don't believe me? Need to check with the experts again? Well, the February 2009 issue of Wine and Spirits listed this wine as an extreme value and scored it at 89 points. Good national wine press for a Missouri wine.

What else? Well, Augusta Winery is also making some tasty reds. Their 2005 Chambourcin is dark purple in color with a tangy aroma and fruit flavors with a little spice. It even takes on a slight licorice aroma with some air. A nice little sipper. I brought this wine into work during a late Friday afternoon brainstorming session and poured it for my co-workers to taste. I did not say a word about what kind of wine or where it was from. They happily drank it and were pleasantly surprised when I told them it was a Missouri wine. Augusta also makes a good Norton which you can buy for $10 at Costco (on the Missouri side of course).

Another Missouri winery of note is Sugar Creek. They make a fantastic Norton. I also have a bottle of their Chambourcin which my friend and co-worker brought me after visiting the winery. I have high hopes for it.

I definitely want to mention a couple of Kansas Wineries too. Holy-Field and Somerset Ridge are making good wine and more people in Kansas City should know about them. I also tried a bottle of "Simply Red" from Smoky Hill Vineyards a couple of weeks ago. It's a semi-dry red, which I'm not crazy about since it has some sweetness, but it actually went pretty well with my cheeseburger I had for dinner.

I plan to seek out and taste more wine from this area as well as some of the surrounding states (Doug Frost made a great post about a Colorado wine) and will try and write about them on here. Stay tuned.

Simple Pleasures

2009-03-05T23:39:00.000-08:00

In late January I stumbled across a single bottle of French bubbly sitting within the open cases of various Pinot Noirs on display at my nearby World Market. This poor, lonely bottle seemed out of place and in need of a good home. And I'm all for buying and drinking more sparkling wine. This bubbly I spotted was the Cuvee Jean-Louis Blanc de Blancs Brut from Charles de Fere.

What does any of that mean? Well, basically I was staring at a bottle of sparkling wine made from Chardonnay.

Some time back I had drank the Reserve Blanc de Blancs Brut by Charles de Fere and remembered it fondly. I was ready to try this different offering. However, I had a small dilemma due the fact I could not find the price of the wine marked anywhere. I went over the sparkling wine section and another bottle was not to be found. I was reasonably sure (actually 99% sure) that it would be in the $8-12 range, but had no desire to walk up to the check-out register and be surprised. That 1% chance of the bottle costing more than $12 was freaking me out I guess. I began to roam the wine section and other parts of the store aimlessly with the bottle in tow while trying to decide its fate. Luckily, I stumbled upon an employee doing inventory with some sort of electronic gadget. He gladly did a price check for me.

Price: $9.99. Off to the check-out registers.

So, was all the inner consumer turmoil related to buying a $10 bottle of wine worth it? Hell, yeah. I took it to Sunday dinner at my wife's parents and it was a fabulous dinner companion. We had baked shrimp scampi, saffron herb risotto, and a green salad with marinated artichokes. The light, fruity flavor of the sparkly perfectly complemented the savory, herb flavors of the main course and side dish and was able to stand up to the tanginess of the salad. The wine did not have much beyond those light and fruity flavors, but that's all we needed to have a great food and wine experience on a cold, winter evening. And it only cost $10.

Recent Tastings

2009-01-27T10:56:00.000-08:00

I am already struggling to keep up, but here is one interesting wine and food experience I have encountered in the past few weeks:

2005 Fess Parker Pinot Noir - Before we opened this Pinot up to drink during my mother-in-law's birthday dinner the weekend after New Years, I was checking the label and noticed it had an alcohol content of 15.2%. Yeah, that's right, 15.2%! Seriously, a Pinot with 15.2% alcohol? I could expect this type of alcohol from some California Zinfandels or Cabernets, but a Pinot? No need to worry about having an apertif before dinner, unless you plan to get a little saucy. And I guess we did plan to get a little saucy since we had some caviar with ice cold Ciroc vodka for starters. Okay, back to this Pinot. It smelled great in the glass. Aromas of sour cherries with a hint of spice, earth and, oh yeah, a little alcohol. Very warm indeed. The aromas translated to the palate, with cherry flavors, clove spice, a little earthiness. The big, spicy warmth carried all the way through the finish. This is definitely not a sipping wine. It needs food! We drank it with a beef roast cooked with porcini mushrooms and rosemary. While eating dinner, I noticed that a sip of the wine after a bite of roast beef resulted in a briny finish. Yeah, kind of weird, but drinking this red wine with a fabulous beef roast revealed the same flavor I associate with eating oysters on the half shell. And I liked it. That's what I love about wine and food together. It can create some crazy flavor synergies from the most likely and unlikely of pairings. Now, this was apparently specific to my palate because the rest of the family was not quite sure about my revelation. I was the only one having "surf and turf" at the the dinner table. I think they entertained my revelation though, as they all tried a bite of roast beef and immediately washed it down with a sip of the Pinot. Okay, I'm a bit off track now. Is the wine worth spending money on you may ask? Yeah, it is worth trying because it is such a big, bold expression of Pinot. I prefer Pinot to be a little more subtle with have some finesse, but I still had fun with this one. And to top it off, Fess Parker is cranking it up with their 2006 version. I recently saw it in the wine aisle of the local grocery store and it was labeled at 15.5% alcohol. Make sure to drink with food.

Christmas Day

2008-12-26T17:29:00.000-08:00

And several months later...

Happy Holidays everyone! I put together a Christmas day wine tasting for the family which included the following bottles: 1998 Montecillo Rioja Reserva (brought by my father), a 2006 Mount Pleasant Claret, and the 2006 Ridge Zinfandel Three Valleys. I thought it would be fun and interesting to compare a local wine against the wines from the west coast and Europe. We tasted the wines blind to remove any chance of bias.

Here are the results:

Tasting favorite: Ridge Three Valleys (although the Mount Pleasant Claret held its own and fared quite well.) The Ridge was full bodied and dry with nice peppery spice to accompany the fruit flavors and a good lingering finish.

The Claret surprised everyone and had nice fresh fruit flavors which made it very gulpable. The least favorite of the tasting was the Montecillo. It was the oldest of the group and it showed. The wine had promising old leather and fruit aromas but could not deliver on flavor. It is a good wine past its prime. I will note that this wine had probably been stored in less than ideal conditions. My dad snagged it at a liquor store in Oklahoma City and in my experience a liquor store shelf can quickly shorten a wine's life span.

We also popped open two more bottles after the tasting. The first was another local wine brought by my wife's parents. It was called Juldala Red from Wild Dala Winery in Wamego, Kansas. It was pleasant and drinkable, but I'm not sure what grape varieties comprised the wine. I'll find out and post the results later. The other wine was a 2005 Pinotage from Saint Gregory in California. This was actually my first taste of Pinotage and it was a unique experience. Lots of funky fruit, spice, and earth. I need to taste more Pinotage.

With a week of vacation on the horizon, I plan to drink more vino and will try to start posting on a semi-regular basis. Ciao.

Time to start

2008-07-10T20:14:00.000-07:00

Alright, it's about time I actually start posting to this blog.

Check back soon...