http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-wine7jun07,1,1421168.story?coll=…
>From the Los Angeles Times
Poof! You're now a rich and silky wine
A novel device claims to smooth out the rough edges of a young pour. But critics ask, is that really a good thing?
By Patrick Comiskey
Special to The Times
June 7, 2006
WISH your Two Buck Chuck were just a little smoother? Now, as crazy as it sounds, there's a simple pour-spout gizmo that claims to take the edge off cheap wine . with magnets. The gadget, available in wine shops and online for about $30, is making waves . and raising some eyebrows . in the wine world.
When you place the BevWizard, as inventor Patrick Farrell has named it, on the business end of a wine bottle and pour through it, the wine becomes rounder, softer and less tannic, as if by some miracle someone has taken a power sander and smoothed out the rough edges of the wine. In certain wines, the effect can be dramatic.
But while nearly everyone can detect a difference using the BevWizard, not everyone falls sway to its magic.
Sommeliers and other wine purists look upon this sort of manipulation with suspicion. But retailers think it just might get people afraid of robust tannins to be a little more adventurous when buying.
Farrell, a physician who lives in Huntington Beach, has been demonstrating the powers of his gadget at wine festivals and events such as Hospice du Rh�ne, in Paso Robles last month, and even Vinexpo, in Bordeaux, France, where Farrell showed a prototype last year. It was there that Robin Kelley O'Connor, president of the Society of Wine Educators, first encountered it being used on some coltish Bordeaux barrel samples.
"Farrell was using his pourer and saying, 'Try this one, try that' and asking us which we preferred," recalls O'Connor, "and the wines poured through his contraption were so much smoother, and the aromas weren't affected."
The secret of Farrell's device is powerful magnets that are molded into the plastic sleeve of the BevWizard. Magnets, according to Farrell, can change the molecular structure of a wine's tannins. Tannins are compounds found in the skins and seeds of all grapes, and in oak, that turn up in red wines and some whites too (as well as black tea and coffee).
Tannins structure the wine, and their natural astringency is a very important aspect of how a wine feels in the mouth and how it finishes. Though they're said to have no taste, tannins seem to greatly affect flavor; they can, for example, contribute a sensation of bitterness, pleasing or not, to the wine.
Most wines with a lot of tannins feel more tannic in their youth, but tend to soften with age because with time, the tannin molecules bind with each other for a softer, more burnished mouth feel. Farrell's gizmo accelerates that process dramatically. The magnet encourages the binding process and wines taste softer.
O'Connor, a Bordeaux expert, didn't seem altogether certain that having his experience mediated in just this way was the best thing for him. "I think it's an interesting dilemma for everybody," says O'Connor, "and you really have to ask yourself what do you want from the wine? Will you always be looking for those 'reformed' tastes and flavors?" For O'Connor, the answer was "probably not."
"But for the casual drinker who has no choice but to drink young," he said, "and doesn't always know what they're getting into when they open a bottle, this could have a lot of value."
Soaking up information
FARRELL became interested in wine during a period of convalescence in the late '90s, and his interest turned into a voracious appetite for information. It led him to study for and eventually pass the test to become a Master of Wine, an English certification of expertise considered to be one of the world's most rigorous. Passing the Master test involves blind tasting and being able to identify a wide range of wines from throughout the world.
Some members of the club where Farrell swims learned he was an expert in wine. They were involved in the use of magnets to change the polarity of salts in water lines, and thought they might have a use in the wine industry, so they approached him with a very crude prototype.
"I tried it out of politeness," he says, "I really thought there was no way that it would actually do anything." But he poured a Barossa Shiraz through it, and to his great surprise, it made the wine smoother. "And I tried it on a Bordeaux from the Medoc that had some harsher, greener tannins," Farrell says, "and the sensation of those tannins was reduced."
So he started doing research. The first magnetic device used on wine and spirits, he learned, was registered at the U.S. Patent Office in 1900, designed, according to the patent document, "to make anyone using it a powerful health-giving suggestion of electricity and magnetism."
After that, a few magnetized pourers reached the market, but they usually attached outside of the neck, and they had a weaker charge than the one he and his partners were developing. On a hunch, he drilled a hole in his cylinder to let in more oxygen, which acted like an instant decanter. And on most wines aged in oak, it seemed to make a big difference in their taste and mouth feel.
So how much softer are the tannins of a wine that has passed through a BevWizard? It depends on the wine's tannic structure. "The device works best on changing hard, unripe tannins," Farrell explains. "The structure of those tannins change to be closer in structure to ripe tannins." A wine that's already balanced, he thinks, doesn't need changing, and the device might actually disrupt the balance a little . again, depending on your taste.
Farrell recently attended a wine-tasting group I belong to to demonstrate the BevWizard.
He may be a wine geek, but our group that night was pretty geeky in its own right. There was Bonnie L. Graves, a wine consultant who was a sommelier at Spago and Jean Georges in New York; Tim Smith, who used to pull corks at Rix and the Fenix; Mike Greene, general manager of Woodland Hills Wine Co.; and our host, Justin Gallen, who sells Italian and Austrian wines for an importer called Vin Divino.
When we were finished with the whites, Farrell opened a Washington Cabernet, and asked us to pour a taste. Then he pulled out his gizmo, pressed it down on the neck of the same bottle, and instructed us to pour another taste through the device into another glass.
Farrell then asked us to try them. The first glass tasted like the decent, four-square Washington State Cabernet Sauvignon it was, picked up by Farrell for about $14 on the way over. It had good blackberry fruit and tannins that were substantial, mildly astringent, slightly harsh and a bit clunky.
And the second glass? It was the same wine, with the same fruit and similar aromas. The quibbles we'd had with the tannins had vanished. The wine had grown ampler, smoother and rounder; the harshness was gone, vanished . poof . like it was never there. We all agreed that the BevWizard had changed the wine. But beyond this, we agreed on nothing.
A blanket effect?
SMITH noted that stripping the wine of its upper register of tannin pushed the wine's fruit component into a newer, plumper role. Gallen noted that smoothing those tannins broadened the texture, but it also gave the impression that the wine had been muffled slightly, as if covered with a blanket.
The question ultimately became, how comfortable were we with the change?
Like Farrell, all of us in the room had tasted thousands of wines during our careers, and we had a healthy set of assumptions as to what a wine was supposed to taste like and when. A 2003 Cabernet from Washington State, a warm vintage from a warm place, was supposed to taste a little tannic; what did it mean to strip the wine of this marker, even if that marker wasn't to everyone's taste?
Graves was perhaps the most resistant. "I bring a sommelier's bias to gizmos in general," she said. But that wasn't her only objection; she worried that it would encourage American impatience. People would turn to the BevWizard, she worried, for instant age on wines that may not be ready to drink.
"If it makes people pour wines before they're ready, just because they can, I take pause," Graves explained. "There's no need to cellar your Barolo, because suddenly you have this thing that makes it soft and round and approachable."
But Greene, a retailer, disagreed; this sort of device wasn't going to appeal to the average Barolo drinker, who knows the pleasure of cellaring wine . "the thrill of delay," as Graves put it. But it would be perfect for the casual wine drinker who wasn't crazy about tannins.
"I've got lots of customers who come in and ask for smooth wines, without that 'bite' common in California Cabernet or Petite Sirah," he said. "A thing like this that rounds out the edges would have a loyal following."
Greene, who, like many people in the wine industry, once worked in the music industry, made an elegant comparison. "It's like CDs," he said. "Compact discs are basically a 'mid-fi' format . not the best fidelity for hearing music. But they got people to enjoy music again."
Farrell, who was remarkably impassive as we hashed this out, decided then to pipe in. For whatever reason, he explained, the device was most effective on harsher, more obtrusive tannins, like those found in wines made with unripe fruit, or wines that used oak chips or staves for flavor. "This thing turns Two Buck Chuck into Six Buck Chuck," he said. Why not Twelve Buck? "I don't think so," he said.
The BevWizard is available for about $30 at Gourmet Cheese & Wine in Redondo Beach, (310) 214-2122; Cooks Family Market in El Segundo, (310) 615-1990; Vendome Wine & Spirits in Toluca Lake (818) 766-9593; the Wine House in Los Angeles, (310) 479-3731; Morry's of Naples Wine Shop in Long Beach, (562) 433-0405; Woodland Hills Wine Co. in Woodland Hills, (818) 222-1111; and online at http://www.bevwizard.com . <252>
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* Dr. James Lee Ellingson, Adjunct Professor jellings(a)me.umn.edu *
* University of Minnesota, tel: 651/645-0753 fax 651 XXX XXXX *
* Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *
Greetings,
We're doing "Tuscany" at Arezzo. Bob has made the reservation for 10.
This is probably a hard limit as we're at the round tables.
(vines of the round table?)
Bob has negotiated a $5 per person charge in
leu of corkage. Menu is on line. Wine list is not on line....
Prices are reasonable, w/ $10-12 pizza and most entrees (Primi) under $20.
> Who confirmed
Bob
Ruth
Dave T
Jim
> Who (Team Probablito)
Lori
Betsy
Annette S
Russ
Maybe (aka Team Proseco!)
Sue
Guesses (Team In-Comunicado)
Bill
Janet
Karin
Nicolai
Arezzo Ristorante
612 285-7444
5057 France Ave S, Minneapolis, 55410
www.arezzo-ristorante.com
Chianti may well be synonymous with Tuscany, but there is far more diversity here than a visit to your average wine merchant would suggest. Recent years have witnessed considerable changes, with most articles on Tuscan wine commenting upon the shift of emphasis from quantity to quality,
Above all, Tuscany produces red wine and, above all, this wine is made from the Sangiovese grape. The practice of adding white grapes to the Chianti blend has, thankfully, all but disappeared; the last twenty or so years has seen Sangiovese find a new partner - Cabernet Sauvignon - and when this marriage works, as it often does, the resultant wines are usually excellent and, occasionally, truly great.
Brunello di Montalcino manages ably to retain the crown of `Italy's most expensive wine', although the likes of Tignanello and Sassicaia are not too far behind. Some other areas worthy of investigation are Morellino di Scansano, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Rosso di Montepulciano, and wines of Lucca & Montecarlo.
The white wines of Tuscany are far less important than the reds. Produced predominantly from the workaday Trebbiano grape, a notable exception is Vernaccia di San Gimignano. Good Sauvignon and Chardonnay is made, but the prices tend to be quite high. Vin Santo, the famous after-dinner wine, is also seeing a renewed commitment to quality.
AN INTRODUCTION TO THE WINES OF CHIANTI
Chianti is without a doubt the most well known of all Italian wines. There may be only one denomination - Chianti D.O.C.G - but there are many different styles, ranging from light Beaujolais-style quaffing wines to structured, complex wines with enough backbone to reward aging and maturing.
The predominant grape variety is Sangiovese, but the laws allow for an addition of between 10 and 15% of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah. A Riserva wine is one that has been aged longer before being released; it should come from a good year and benefit from further aging, although it is not always the guarantee of quality that might reasonably be expected. Click here for a brief history of the wines of Chianti over the centuries.
The vineyards of Chianti are scattered over much of central Tuscany; the Classico zone begins northwards of Siena and reaches most of the way to Florence. This zone generally produces the best wine. The other six zones are:
Colli Aretini The hills around Arezzo produce a medium-bodied Chianti, soft and best drunk young.
Colli Senesi From the hills to the south and west of Siena, this is the largest Chianti sub-zone. Chianti plays second fiddle to Brunello and Montepulciano.
Colli Fiorentini All styles of Chianti, from light everyday stuff to some excellent Riservas.
Montalbano From the hills west of Florence. The better grapes tend to go to make Carmignano.
Rufina The smallest of the seven, this zone, to the north east of Florence, produces some of the most complex and long-lived wines in Chianti.
Colline Pisane Pleasant, light wines from the hills around Pisa
There are various theories as to the origin of the name Chianti. The most popular has it that the word derives from the Latin clangor, meaning the cry of a bird or a high pitched note from a trumpet, and that this alludes to the wild and uncultivated countryside of the area, fit for hunting rather than agriculture. Another far more mundane theory ascribes the name to an Etruscan family of the area, or perhaps a winegrower from the hills above Florence.
What is more certain is that the name was well established by the early fifteenth century, although the wine known as Chianti in those days was almost certainly a white wine. As late as the 1960's there was still a Chianti bianco and even the DOC laws of 1967 allowed for 30% of white grapes in the red wine. By the early 1900's the wines of Chianti had become very popular - or at least the 'style' had, as a bottle labelled as Chianti may not have come from Chianti proper, if indeed it came from Tuscany at all.
The year 1924 saw the formation of the Consorzio per la difesa del vino tipico del Chianti, a group taking as its symbol the black cockerel, the Gallo Nero still seen on all bottles today. The significance of this dates to a border dispute between Siena and Florence, a dispute that saw the border drawn at the point where a horseman from each city would meet on the road. They were both to set out at the cock-crow, as indeed they did, except that the Florentine cockerel had been starved, and woke to greet the day considerably earlier than its Sienese counterpart.
The DOCG regulations of 1984 attempted to achieve what the DOC ones of 1967 failed to do in terms of quality and consistency, and there is no doubt that post DOCG Chianti is a much improved wine, however, many growers still found the rules too restrictive and archaic. This led to the rise of the so-called 'Super-Tuscans', wines made from the same grapes and the same vineyards as traditional Chianti, yet made in a way and using blends that 'flouted' regulations, and led them to be labelled as table-wines. This didn't bother the growers overmuch as these wines (then and now) command prices way beyond even the best Chianti Classico. Eventually, the regulations were altered to allow these wines back into the fold. Grape varieties that were outlawed are now permitted, and the requirement to effectively ruin a wine by forcing the inclusion of white grapes in the blend has lapsed.
There is a re-assessment of Chianti under way; ever higher standards coupled with some wonderful vintages are allowing the very best wines to walk tall, and many recent tastings have commented on the wonderful ageing potential of top Chianti. The prestige that that the 'Super-Tuscans' afforded the Sangiovese grape is now allowing the focus to return to the making of good Chianti.
A QUESTION OF STYLE
Between tradition and renewal, the challenge for Tuscan wines is to exploit the distinctive marks of the territory. To .dare. with less international wines but always with bigger personalities.
It is a difficult world, felicitous at times but with an uncertain future. Or so the lyrics of a song that was popular a few years ago would have it. The lyrics are even more appropriate today when applied to the situation of the Italian wine sector. I don.t wish to take this article as a pretext for wandering the byways of the current market and dispensing advice on marketing and prices. Not at this time when censors of bad habits are admonishing those who have erred and who threaten apocalyptic scenarios for the future of sales of Italian products.
It.s a shame that many of these admirable prophets were peddling entirely different theories until only a short time. Let.s say instead, and more honestly, that nearly all the leaders in the world wine sector galloped through the period of rampant euphoria of the last decade. In reality, however, there was no lack of factors that attenuated such attitudes. We went in the blink of an eye from the sour, immature, prickly, diluted and often defective wines of the past to products that are softer, rounder and fruitier. Perhaps a touch too marked by oak but even that, for heaven.s sake, is an indicator of renewal and modernity. It says .enough. with all those old, gross and stinking casks. And, then, why waste time with such irksome and capricious varieties like Sangiovese when we have at our disposal grapes of immediately efficacy like Cabernet and Merlot?
The response to that question was wines that automatically raised the level of consumer satisfaction and enthused even us critics. What a difference from the .antique. wines! What a pleasure! What concentration! This is the new Italian and Tuscan wine! This is the model to follow!
This type of recipe has worked without any setbacks until now but the first doubts are beginning to appear. The few bottles of some years ago are progressively becoming many, new vineyards are being planted and new estates are appearing, while others are giving themselves a makeover. Large numbers of wines have adopted the winning model or even expanding its intensity: super soft, super fruity, super concentrated and super bois�. In a few words, all are apparently more endowed but at the same time similar to one another. Have we, therefore, reached a notorious state of uniformity? Not yet, fortunately, but the risk is obvious and it is not easy to avoid it and to resist the pressures of the international market. The motive is clear. If I prepare wines with the flavor I have cited, which is accepted without complications by the majority of consumers and critics, the chances are good that I shall be able to sell it.
At first glance, nothing to object to but, if we look more closely we may come to other conclusions. In a world context consisting not of a million but a billion bottles, a territory like Chianti Classico, which appears so big to us, represents only a small speck, the so-called niche. And, in a niche, what sense is there in having the prospect of producing wines with an international flavor beaten in advance on the level of price? We must, therefore, make our wine distinctive. Premium wines must possess recognizable characters traceable to the zone of origin. That is what occurred at Bordeaux where, with a minimum of experience, the taster cannot mistake a Pauillac for a Margaux, and even more so in Burgundy where an abyss separates a Chambertin from a Volnay. And that.s not to mention the clear difference between a Barolo from Monforte or another from La Morra.
In Chianti Classico.but let.s expand the horizon to the whole of Tuscany.the imprint on a wine.s style of the enologist currently on duty is more frequently cited than the influence of the zone of origin. Please note, this is not an accusation directed at our technicians, who, like the referees in soccer, are among the best in the world. It is aimed instead at a diabolical system that demands determined results in time spans that, for viticulture are unnaturally short. The signs of the territory, on the other hand, emerge only with the value of the vineyard and will be much more incisive when the vines are older and more deeply rooted. Inevitably, more time is required along with a vision of greater depth and farsightedness in order to obtain results and a definite style.
In that sense, the privilege, although it is not exclusive, of native varieties that are more acclimatized to the territory is manifest. And then we can finally emerge from the opportunism and the provisional character of the gilded cage made with false gold. We can withdraw from the internationality trap and create wines with more authentic characters, wines that are sapid and mineral, with marked but still elegant contrasts. They are drinkable and never boring or predictable. There is the loss, perhaps, of a pinch of fruit and the softness may be too facile but they are wines in magical accord with our cooking and with flavors that are just as decisive and never cloying.
Ernesto Gentili
Augusthronicle's Top Bargain Wines of 2005
- W. Blake Gray, Leslie Sbrocco
Thursday, December 29, 2005
2002 A-Mano Puglia Primitivo ($10)
Primitivo is genetically identical to Zinfandel, though some believe it was imported to Italy from California, rather than making its way there from its birthplace in Croatia. In any case, this earthy yet fruity red from the Adriatic coast in southeastern Italy is made in a New World style by Mark Shannon, an American winemaker who now lives on "the boot."
Click to View
2004 Falesco Vitiano Umbria Ros� ($8)
The Falesco wines are made by Riccardo Cotarella, Italy's most sought-after consulting winemaker, and his brother Renzo, general manger at the prestigious Marchesi Antinori winery in Tuscany. This wine is made by vinifying a portion of the juice that comes from quickly crushing the same grapes -- Merlot, Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Aleatico -- that go into Falesco's red blend. Watermelon and strawberry aromas waft from the glass, and a spicy kick finishes each sip.
Click to View
2003 Montevina Amador County Barbera ($10)
The Italian varietal Barbera is perhaps the most underappreciated grape in the United States. It's widely grown but often ends up anonymously providing backbone for jug wines. When bottled on its own, it can be an outstanding dinner-table wine that combines two likable characteristics not found together often enough: a big body and palate-cleansing, food-friendly acidity. This Barbera by Montevina offers flavors of bright cherry with some earth and cherry tobacco and will pair wonderfully with pasta, pizza, red meat, pork and practically anything prepared with an Italian accent. You may not appreciate how good it is until you wonder why the bottle emptied so quickly.
Click to View
2004 Raimat Costers del Segre Chardonnay ($8)
The Raimat brand comes from the Raventos family that owns the Codorniu line of sparkling wines in Spain and Artesa winery in Napa. Manuel Raventos bought infertile salt plains abandoned by farmers in this semi-desert region of northeast Spain in 1914. It took the family 50 years of planting cattle fodder, pine trees and cereals before the soil was ready to become the vineyard that produced this wine. No oak was used in this wine, so it's fruity and vibrant, yet it will appeal to lovers of all types of Chardonnay because it has a creamy character gained from aging on its lees (spent yeast cells).
Click to View
2003 Ruffino Libaio Toscana Chardonnay ($9)
Ruffino is most famous for its high-end wines from the Chianti Classico region. Chardonnay from Italy is hardly traditional, but this one is quite refreshing, fruit-driven and crisp, smelling of Asian pear and sweet apple. Though no oak is used, this Chardonnay has a creamy complexity that comes from letting the wine rest on the lees for one month. This adds a layer of flavor to the wine while maintaining vibrant acidity.
Best 10 bargains: He said, she said
W. Blake Gray
Whites
2004 Covey Run Columbia Valley Riesling ($8)
2004 Geyser Peak California Sauvignon Blanc ($9)
2004 Heron California Chardonnay ($10)
2004 Kono Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc ($10)
2004 Walnut Crest Central Valley (Chile) Sauvignon Blanc ($7)
Reds
NV HRM Rex Goliath California Pinot Noir ($9)
2003 Jakes Fault California Shiraz ($10)
2003 Montevina Amador County Barbera ($10)
2002 Parducci Mendocino County Pinot Noir ($8)
2003 Pepperwood Grove California Cabernet Sauvignon ($8)
Best 10 bargains: He said, she said
Leslie Sbrocco
Whites
2004 Dry Creek Vineyard Clarksburg Dry Chenin Blanc ($10)
2004 Raimat Costers del Segre Chardonnay ($8)
2003 Ruffino Libaio Toscana Chardonnay ($9)
2005 Simonsig Stellenbosch Chenin Blanc ($10)
2004 Wildhurst Reserve Lake County Sauvignon Blanc ($10)
Ros�
2004 Falesco Vitiano Umbria Ros� ($8)
Reds
2002 Alamos Mendoza Malbec ($10)
2002 A-Mano Puglia Primitivo ($10)
2002 Capcanes Montsant Mas Donis ($10)
2003 The Magnificent Wine Co. Columbia Valley House Wine ($10)
Page F - 4
URL: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/12/29/WIG99GE1IE1.DTL
Sicily: Flavors of an Island, Easy to Enjoy
By ERIC ASIMOV
IN the 19th century the nation of Italy was created by joining regions that had maintained uncomfortably separate political existences. Depending on which Italian you ask, the union may or may not have succeeded. For understanding Italian wines, though, it's fair to say it is a failure.
Too often, deep-seated regional differences among wines are lost as they are lumped together under the term Italian. While a love of wine and food may bind together Italians from Alto Adige in the north to those in Apulia in the south, the wines from each region are as different as the local grapes, soil, climate and culture. You may already know and love Amarones (from Veneto) or Chiantis (from Tuscany), but neither, as the Dining section's wine panel found out, will help you much in deciphering the wines of Sicily.
We approached our tasting of 25 Sicilian reds with great anticipation. Few wine regions have undergone as thorough a transformation as Sicily has in the last 20 years, and few are as unfamiliar. For Florence Fabricant and me, along with our guests, Howard Horvath, the wine director at Esca restaurant, and Scott Mayger, a consultant who worked most recently at Barbuto in the West Village, the tasting was a chance to reacquaint ourselves with a category that we find in restaurants all too rarely.
Even in ancient times, Sicily was known for producing vast quantities of wine. But in the last two decades the tanks of cheap blending wine have given way to wines that at their best are fruity and embraceable yet retain the character and personality of the island.
It's not easy for a region that has been making wines out of the spotlight for centuries to give up the old ways, but in wine zones like Faro in the northeast of Sicily, Cerasuolo di Vittoria in the south and Contessa Entellina in the west, winemakers have modernized their farming techniques and improved their methods in the cellar. Occasionally, the urge to modernize has gone too far, and producers have eliminated their local grapes in favor of international varietals like cabernet sauvignon, merlot and syrah. These are not necessarily bad wines. We all liked a 2001 merlot from Planeta, one of the biggest Sicilian producers. It was well made and enjoyable, but not a wine with much soul.
No, the most distinctive Sicilian wines continue to be made primarily with the traditional Sicilian grapes, most notably nero d'Avola, which makes deep, rich wines, and, to a far lesser degree, frappato, lighter and more aromatic, and nerello Mascarese, which is used primarily in the Faro zone. Some have speculated that nero d'Avola is related to syrah, and have even gone so far as to suggest that the name syrah was derived from the Sicilian city Siracusa. Perhaps, but that connection seems tenuous to me, even if one of the wines we liked best, the 2002 Morgante Don Antonio Riserva, which was made entirely of nero d'Avola, reminded me of an Australian shiraz, though one with enhanced acidity that cried out for tomato sauce.
When tasting a wide range of wines from an up-and-coming region like Sicily, you expect a fair share of clunkers. Although we did find a few bottles that tasted like assembly-line confections or of baked, over-ripe fruit, the overall quality was exceptional - "across-the-board drinkable," as Mr. Horvath put it.
Our favorite bottle was the 2000 Nerobufaleffj (neh-ro-boof-uh-LEFF-ee) from Gulfi, made entirely of nero d'Avola. Like most of these wines, it was easy to enjoy. The Gulfi and four other wines in our Top 10 carried the designation IGT, for Indicazione Geografica Tipica, a term that gives government sanction to wines that meet less stringent rules regarding grape varieties or areas of production than required for wines that carry regional names, like Contessa Entellina or Faro.
Many forward-looking producers opt for IGT status rather than be bound by the regional rules. But sometimes those rules encourage experimentation. Our No. 2 wine, the graceful 2002 Tancredi from Donnafugata, meets the standards for the Contessa Entellina designation, even though it is an untraditional blend of 70 percent nero d'Avola and 30 percent cabernet sauvignon. That zone was created in 1993, when blending experiments were well under way. As a result, grapes as diverse as cabernet, syrah and pinot noir can be part of the mix.
Maybe the authorities were on to something, because the cabernet lends the Tancredi subtlety and an attractive cedary tinge. By contrast, Donnafugata's 2001 Mille e Una Notte, a big, inky, powerful wine that was No. 6 on our list, is 90 percent nero d'Avola and 10 percent other local grapes. It is also twice as expensive as the Tancredi.
The Donnafugatas were not the only example of price not quite correlating with quality. Our No. 3 wine, a 2001 Cerasuolo di Vittoria from Valle dell'Acate, was our best value at $19. This wine, which gains freshness from the blending of nero d'Avola with frappato, outperformed much more expensive wines, like our No. 4, a 2001 Faro from Palari for $58. Not that we didn't like the Palari - it was dense and spicy, but also oaky. Palari makes a second wine, Soprano, that sells for half the price of the Faro. I have long liked this wine, which is generally full of fruit and mineral flavors, but a 2000 Soprano in our tasting did not make the cut.
If Sicilian wines are going to succeed in making names for themselves, it will be because distinctive wines like the Gulfi, the Donnafugatas, the Palaris and the Valle dell'Acate force people to take notice. When they do, they will not imagine that these are great Italian wines. They will say, "These are great Sicilian wines," and that will be enough.
Tasting Report:
Big, Earthy and Rich With Fruit
Gulfi Nerobufaleffj IGT 2000 $38 ***
Big, balanced, earthy and concentrated; not complex but a pleasure to drink. (Importer: Selected Estates of Europe, Mamaroneck, N.Y.)
Donnafugata Tancredi Contessa Entellina 2002 $27
** �
Subtle and light-bodied, though with plenty of fruit and an herbal, cedary aroma. (William Grant & Sons, New York)
BEST VALUE
Valle dell'Acate Cerasuolo di Vittoria 2001 $19 ** �
Full of bright, fresh fruit flavors and cherry and smoke aromas; easy to enjoy. (Panebianco, New York)
Palari Faro 2001 M $58 ** �
Dense fruit and chocolate aromas, well balanced but a little oaky. (Panebianco, New York)
Morgante Don Antonio Riserva IGT 2002 $30 **
Big and fruity, like a shiraz with great acidity. (Winebow, New York)
Donnafugata Mille e Una Notte Contessa Entellina 2001 $60 **
Inky black with big, rich flavors and plenty of acidity and tannins. (William Grant & Sons, New York)
Ceuso Scurati IGT 2003 $15 **
Big and brawny yet supple with balanced fruit and mineral flavors. (Vias Imports, New York)
Gladiator Nero d'Avola 2002 $10 **
Jammy fruit and earth aromas; slightly candied. (Testa Wines of the World, Port Washington, N.Y.)
Planeta Merlot IGT 2001 $38 **
Well-made and pleasing but lacks a sense of Sicily. (Vias Imports, New York)
Abbazia Santa Anastasia Litra IGT 1998 $50 **
Tannic, with international flavors. (Empson U.S.A., Alexandria, Va.)
--
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* Dr. James Lee Ellingson, Adjunct Professor jellings(a)me.umn.edu *
* University of Minnesota, tel: 651/645-0753 fax 651 XXX XXXX *
* Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *
----- End forwarded message -----
--
------------------------------ *
* Dr. James Lee Ellingson, Adjunct Professor jellings(a)me.umn.edu *
* University of Minnesota, tel: 651/645-0753 fax 651 XXX XXXX *
* Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *
----- End forwarded message -----
--
------------------------------ *
* Dr. James Lee Ellingson, Adjunct Professor jellings(a)me.umn.edu *
* University of Minnesota, tel: 651/645-0753 fax 651 XXX XXXX *
* Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *
Updates from Russ, Betsy, Fred and Bill.
Many thanks.
----- Forwarded message from "Jim L. Ellingson" <jellings(a)me.umn.edu> -----
Greetings,
A big thanks to those of us who made their intentions known.
This week, we're doing Bordeaux wines at JP's Bistro on Thursday.
The Vintage Chart at the Wine Enthusiast web site says
that Brdx wines from 1997 and older are mostly at or
near peak, are ready to drink. They show a "HOLD" for red wines
of 2000 and newer. Of course lighter, smaller
wines may well be ready sooner.
Bob
Ruth
Bill
Jim
Nicolai
Karen
JP's American Bistro
2937 S. Lyndale 55408
(612) 824-9300
Cheers,
Jim
----- End forwarded message -----
--
------------------------------ *
* Dr. James Lee Ellingson, Adjunct Professor jellings(a)me.umn.edu *
* University of Minnesota, tel: 651/645-0753 fax 651 XXX XXXX *
* Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *
Greetings,
PLEASE let someone know that you're planning on attending.
Call Bob (612-672-0607), e-mail the list (wine(a)thebarn.com) or
reply to me.
A big thanks to those of us who made their intentions known.
This week, we're doing Bordeaux wines at JP's Bistro on Thursday.
The Vintage Chart at the Wine Enthusiast web site says
that Brdx wines from 1997 and older are mostly at or
near peak, are ready to drink. They show a "HOLD" for red wines
of 2000 and newer. Of course lighter, smaller
wines may well be ready sooner.
As usual, I can only guess at who will be there.
Betsy
Bob
Ruth
Russ
Jim
Nicolai
Karen
JP's American Bistro
2937 S. Lyndale 55408
(612) 824-9300
Cheers,
Jim
WINE
Second-Label Bordeaux: Just as Good at Half the Price
Wednesday, June 7, 2006; F05
BEN GILIBERTI
A lthough some wine consumers lust after fancy labels, others relish discovering what's inside the bottle. If you're in the enlightened second category, you'll find a lot to like about Bordeaux's so-called "second-label" wines. Made primarily from younger vines and overproduction, the best second-label Bordeaux are dead ringers for a Grand Vin but cost roughly half as much.
Because they come from the same vineyards and are made by the same winemaking team as the estate's first wine, second-label wines are often of high quality, capturing the distinctive "taste of the soil" (that's gout de terroir , in winespeak) of the chateau. The chief difference is that they are made to be ready to drink without the need for additional cellaring, which is hardly a disadvantage for many of us.
The following second-label Bordeaux, listed in order of personal preference, are highly recommended. Don't hesitate to try others, particularly those from a reputable chateau, that are recommended by your retail shop. Generally, if the first wine is good, the second will be, too. Prices are approximate.
Carruades de Lafite 2002 ($44; Calvert Woodley): With a heavenly Pauillac bouquet of cedar and cassis and intricately layered fruit on the palate, the 2002 Carruades de Lafite delivers the authentic Chateau Lafite-Rothschild experience at one-fourth the price of the Grand Vin.
Les Hauts de Pontet-Canet 2000 ($24; MacArthur Beverages): This textbook Pauillac from Chateau Pontet-Canet captures the ripe, powerful style of the great 2000 vintage at an excellent price.
Amiral de Beychevelle 2002 ($29; Touton Selections): Impressively full-bodied fruit gives way on the finish to firm, chocolaty tannins. Drink now or age for three to five years.
Pavillon Rouge du Chateau Margaux 2003/2001 ($40 to $60; various importers): The renaissance in the quality of first-growth Chateau Margaux began with the reintroduction of second-label Pavillon Rouge du Chateau Margaux in 1978. The 2003 Pavillon Rouge, accounting for more than 50 percent of the estate's production in that vintage, may be the best yet, followed closely by the exquisitely balanced 2001.
Alter Ego de Palmer 2003 ($36 on preorder at MacArthur Beverages): Chateau Palmer's brilliant young winemaker, Thomas Duroux, prefers to look at Alter Ego as a "different expression" of the terroir of the estate, rather than a second label. Insomuch as Chateau Palmer has become more muscular and powerful in recent vintages, Alter Ego could be said to offer a ready-to-drink expression of Palmer's complex terroir. The subtle, berry-accented 2003 is superb.
Les Fiefs de Lagrange 2003 ($25 to $35; Touton Selections): Showing even better now than winemaker Marcel Ducasse's outstanding Chateau Lagrange, the 2003 Les Fiefs de Lagrange is delicious now and will improve with three to five years in the cellar.
Blason de L'Evangile 1998 and 2002 ($29-$39; Calvert Woodley): Another triumph for the Lafite winemaking team, which took over Chateau L'Evangile in Pomerol in 1990. The perfectly proportioned 1998 Blason de L'Evangile is hard to distinguish from the otherworldly 1998 Chateau L'Evangile. The muscular 2002 Blason L'Evangile doesn't have quite the finesse of the 1998 Blason, but the spicy blend of merlot and cabernet franc is delectable.
Clos du Marquis 2002 ($35; MacArthur Beverages): Chateau Leoville-Las-Cases Saint-Julien has achieved virtual first-growth status, and second-label Clos du Marquis could easily pass for a classified growth. Like Las-Cases, a joy to drink.
Chateau de Clairefont 1999 ($18; MacArthur Beverages): Delicately fruity with a violet-scented Margaux perfume, Prieure-Lichine's second label offers exceptional value.
Chevalier des Lascombes 200 0 ($29; Touton Selections): Broodingly deep in color with full-bodied cabernet sauvignon flavors, this reflects the revived commitment to quality at Chateau Lascombes.
Les Tourelles de Longueville 2001/2003 ($29; Total Wine): With a cedary Pauillac bouquet and complex fruit, the second label of Chateau Pichon-Longueville Baron is impressive in the 2001 and 2003 vintages.
Les Allees de Cantemerle 2003 ($19; Touton Selections): A lighter version of the successful 2003 Chateau Cantemerle.
Post wine critic Ben Giliberti can be reached atfood(a)washpost.com.
WINE OF THE WEEK
Blason d'Issan
($25 to $35; Bordeaux; various importers): Blason d'Issan is the second label of Chateau d'Issan. Grapes that don't go into the final blend of Chateau d'Issan are declassified into Blason d'Issan, which sells for much less.
TASTES LIKE. . .
A soaring bouquet of violets, red berries and vanilla, followed on the palate by intricate layers of berry fruit, with hints of fresh cedar and mocha. In other words, a classic Margaux appellation style.
GRAPE VARIETIES
Although the vineyards are planted with 70 percent cabernet sauvignon and 30 percent merlot, the final percentages in the wine are set only after determining how well each variety performed that vintage.
HISTORICAL SIP
Chateau d'Issan was served at the wedding of Henry Plantagenet and Eleanor of Aquitaine in 1152. The chateau building dates from the 17th century and has a working moat.
GEOGRAPHY
Vineyards are ideally positioned upon deep, gravelly soil in the prestigious Margaux appellation of Bordeaux. Neighboring vineyards include top-ranked Chateau Palmer and Premier Grand Cru Classe Chateau Margaux.
ON THE LABEL Regum Mensis Aris Que Deorum ("For the tables of kings and the altars of the gods").
WHERE TO BUY IT
The outstanding 2005 Blason d'Issan will be available shortly for preorder at Calvert Woodley and MacArthur Beverages (and probably other stores) for about $25 a bottle. MacArthur also offers the lovely 2004 Chateau d'Issan (the first label) from this overlooked vintage for an incredible $28 a bottle, also on preorder. MacArthur Beverages has 2000 Blason d'Issan (imported by Touton Selections) for $34 and the superb 2003 Chateau d'Issan for $44. Since Bordeaux pricing can be quirky, check with your favorite retailer for the best prices.
>> TELL US WHAT YOU THOUGHT
If you give the Blason d'Issan or other second-label Bordeaux a try, send your comments to food(a)washpost.com . We may excerpt them in an upcoming issue.
� 2006 The Washington Post Company
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* Dr. James Lee Ellingson, Adjunct Professor jellings(a)me.umn.edu *
* University of Minnesota, tel: 651/645-0753 fax 651 XXX XXXX *
* Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *
