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[wine] Bubbly Brunch - Sunday February 11th

by jhegstrom＠csom.umn.edu

Ursala's in White Bear Lake will be hosting our "rescheduled" Sunday sparkling wine brunch: Sunday, February 11th, 2:00 p.m., $40/includes tax/tip. Menu: Bilini and smoked whitefish and cavair with creme fraiche Tortilla Espanola with piquillo pepper and basil oil sauce Scallops and potato with beurre blanc sauce Fresh fruit with cream Reservation is limited to 14. Joyce Russ Sue Jim Louise Lori Bob(?) Let me know if you are interested! Joyce

18 years, 11 months

[wine] Xtreme Values at Town Talk

by Jim L. Ellingson

Greetings, We had a wonderful time at jP's. The meal and the merlot were both entertaining. It had been too long. Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2006 15:23:50 -0500 From: "Jim L. Ellingson" <jellings(a)me.umn.edu> To: wine(a)thebarn.com Subject: [wine] Extreme Value Wine at Town Talk This week, "The Cheapest Wine you'd dare bring." is the cleaned up version of Bob's quote. Not necessarily talking retail here. Cheap is what you paid for it, not what it's worth. I suppose the "winner" is the least expensive yet still acceptable (LEYSA?). Thanks to Warren for setting it up with Town Talk. Frickles for everyone. TOWN TALK DINER, 2707 1/2 E. Lake St., Minneapolis, 612.722.1312; www.towntalkdiner.com. Parking is better north of Lake and East of TTalk. Yes/Guess: Bob Betsy Lori Warren/Ruth Bill Jim/Louise The Chronicle's Top Bargain Wines of 2005 - W. Blake Gray, Leslie Sbrocco Thursday, December 29, 2005 2002 Alamos Mendoza Malbec ($10) Bodega Catena Zapata, which makes this wine, is one of the most prestigious wineries in Argentina. Laura Catena, vice president and a winemaker, is also an emergency room physician at UCSF Medical Center. There's no conflict between the jobs, because high-altitude Argentine Malbecs are said to be particularly high in resveratrol, a naturally occurring antioxidant in grapes that studies suggest helps prevent heart disease and cancer. Protect your heart while enjoying this juicy, full-bodied wine's intensity, complexity and quaffability. 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." 2002 Capcanes Montsant Mas Donis ($10) The Montsant wine region of Spain was created in 2001 when the larger Priorat region was broken in two; Montsant is shaped like a doughnut that encircles what is now called Priorat. The idea was to focus international attention on now-trendy Priorat wines, which have gone up in price. Accordingly, Montsant wines are like "second-growth Priorats," which can mean good value. This blend of mostly Grenache with Syrah is dense and layered, showcasing wild berry character tinged with smoky notes. 2004 Covey Run Columbia Valley Riesling ($8) Washington state's Covey Run Winery is one of about 27 quadrillion wineries now owned by Constellation Brands. Oddly, Covey Run is lumped by the company in the same subsidiary -- Canandaigua Wine -- with very low-end products including Manischewitz and Wild Irish Rose. This rich, sweet wine raises the standards of the portfolio with flavors and aromas of honey, ripe pear, Meyer lemon and white peach with strong floral accents. It's a good example of how delicious Washington Riesling can be. 2004 Dry Creek Vineyard Clarksburg Dry Chenin Blanc ($10) In 1991, California had more than 30,000 acres of Chenin Blanc, representing more than 17 percent of the state's white wine grapes, according to the California Agricultural Statistics Service. By 2004, total white wine grape plantings were up slightly, but Chenin Blanc had dropped under 12,000 acres because it lost favor in the industry. Most of that Chenin Blanc goes into jug wines, and few California wineries still produce it as a varietal. This wine shows why wineries shouldn't give up on it, with floral and ripe fruit notes that pair with zesty citrus flavors. 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. 2004 Geyser Peak California Sauvignon Blanc ($9) The Australian-born leaders of Geyser Peak Winery's winemaking team have always believed in unoaked, crisp styles of white wine, even when big, creamy, oaky whites were all the rage in California. This bottling from the Geyserville winery is in the New Zealand style, with flavors of gooseberry, pineapple and a hint of Meyer lemon. It's only moderately grassy, with additional aromas of dried apricot and pineapple, and is delicious with practically any kind of food. 2004 Heron California Chardonnay ($10) Laely Heron's parents were hippies who traveled the world in a Volkswagen van, taking her to live in places including Algeria, Morocco, South Africa, Botswana, Thailand and Malaysia. She studied winemaking in France and began her winemaking career with a Merlot from France's Languedoc region that she still produces. But her winery, Heron Wines, is based in San Francisco, and most of her wines -- including this one -- are made from California fruit. Tropical aromas leap from the glass; the flavors are lemon, lemon marmalade, passion fruit and mango with a touch of vanilla on the medium-length finish. NV HRM Rex Goliath California Pinot Noir ($9) Don't wait to buy this wine. The brand was purchased in September by industry giant Constellation Brands, which changed winemakers. Because it's nonvintage -- which means grapes harvested in more than one year are blended -- it's not going to be possible to tell when the old regime's wine runs out and the new stock comes in. Ben Dollard, president of Constellation subsidiary Pacific Wine Partners, says the goal is to maintain quality while increasing production. Nonetheless, it was tempting to leave this wine off the list because of its uncertain future, but this year's release richly deserves the honor because it's a $9 wine that offers the soft fruit and complexity of a much more expensive Pinot Noir. Its aromas and flavors of cherry, cherry tobacco, red plum, tar, soy sauce and vanilla would merit a recommendation even if the wine cost three times as much. And it's named after a legendary 47-pound rooster, making it the heavyweight champ of this year's menagerie of critter wines. 2003 Jakes Fault California Shiraz ($10) There are probably more good bargain Shirazes on the market than any other red varietal, but they tend to be bold and simple rather than memorable. Moreover, bargain Syrah is often not easy to match with foods because of its big body and high alcohol. The 2003 Jakes Fault California Shiraz ($10) stands above its many peers because of its juicy, food-friendly fruit character and relatively restrained 13.5 percent alcohol. This is a delicious, complex wine, with flavors and aromas of ripe black currant, raspberry, black mission fig, earth and herbs. The tannins dry a bit on the medium-long finish. Jake, by the way, is supposed to be you, the consumer, according to the Allied Domecq Wines U.S.A. Web site. So if you don't love this wine, whose fault is it? 2004 Kono Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc ($10) Kono is a food and beverage brand of Maori-owned Wakatu Inc. of Nelson, New Zealand. This wine takes advantage of the fact that the world center of great Sauvignon Blanc is now that country's Marlborough region. In its cool climate, the grape develops strong, pungent aromas and flavors of tropical fruit and fresh-mown grass that were shocking 20 years ago to fans of the more austere, mineral-driven wines made from Sauvignon Blanc in France's Loire region. Lately, those strong flavors have become the expectation, and sadly, few Sauvignon Blancs from Marlborough can be had for $10. That's what makes this wine such a find. Its strong aromas and tangy flavors of passion fruit, pineapple, fresh-cut grass, white peach and white pepper are pure Marlborough, and they linger on the medium-long finish. 2003 The Magnificent Wine Co. Columbia Valley House Wine ($10) Charles Smith of K Vintners in Walla Walla is one of Washington state's hottest and most eclectic vintners; one of his Syrahs, priced at $40, was chosen earlier this month as The Chronicle's favorite from the entire state. This down-to-earth blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet Franc is packed with rich, dark fruit flavors. It's a successful attempt by Smith to make a wine that people can have every day without being bored -- in other words, a "house wine," hence the name. 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. 2002 Parducci Mendocino County Pinot Noir ($8) The proprietors of Mendocino Wine Co., which owns Parducci Wine Cellars, were chosen as Winemakers to Watch by The Chronicle in 2005 because of the promise of wines like this one. Parducci is a good steward of the environment -- the company is converting its vineyards to organic farming and uses recycled and treeless paper on its labels and biodiesel in its trucks. This wine shows the company's vines are well worth nurturing. Its complex aroma would fool most Pinot-philes into thinking it costs three times as much; its flavor is of tangy cherry with some strawberry and soy sauce and musky hints. It's pretty amazing to get a Pinot Noir this good for $8. 2003 Pepperwood Grove California Cabernet Sauvignon ($8) Napa-based negociant Don Sebastiani & Sons is the most anonymous of the 10 wineries chosen by The Chronicle in August as our Best Budget Brands. The company made 1.5 million cases of wine in 2004, but none carried the family name. But wines this good earn names for themselves. The vanilla aroma is strong, indicating lots of exposure to oak, with additional scents of cherry and leather. On the palate, it's nicely balanced between cherry and vanilla flavors with notes of black tea and leather; more cherry keeps coming out on the medium-long finish. Considering the prices many California Cabernets fetch these days, quality this high for $8 is phenomenal. 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). 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. 2005 Simonsig Stellenbosch Chenin Blanc ($10) When Americans think of Africa, we tend to imagine hot, dry plains. For Stellenbosch, one of South Africa's best wine regions, that couldn't be further from the truth. Ocean breezes bring the average summer temperature of this beautiful area below 70 degrees Fahrenheit. The cool weather helps give this wine its crisp character and juicy pear flavors, which are enhanced by mineral notes. Chenin Blanc has been South Africa's workhorse grape for many years, and this bottling shows why. 2004 Walnut Crest Central Valley (Chile) Sauvignon Blanc ($7) This wine is shy about its homeland. You read Central Valley and think Fresno, but in this case it's a long valley running parallel to the Andes Mountains in Chile, just 50 miles from the Pacific Ocean. The country of origin is hidden in tiny type on the back label. Fortunately, this wine's aromas and flavors are the opposite of shy. Tangy pineapple and passion fruit jump from the glass, with notes of grass, apricot and white pepper. Sauvignon Blanc is still relatively rare in Chile, but this wine shows it has a bright future there. 2004 Wildhurst Reserve Lake County Sauvignon Blanc ($10) Lake County, due north of Napa County, is a relatively new frontier for North Coast wineries, so its cachet isn't as high as Marlborough, New Zealand, and neither are prices for its wines. This wine, made in the Marlborough style, is fermented in stainless steel tanks to preserve its citrusy freshness, then blended with a dash of Semillon to add a bit of lushness. ________________________________________ 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

18 years, 11 months

[wine] Caveat emptor at auction (and elsewhere)

by russellmccandless＠frontiernet.net

The following item by Serena Sutcliffe MW, head of Sotheby's international wine department, appears in Tom Stevenson's "Wine Report 2007": "The burgeoning mystery of the fine-wine world is the unprecedented availability of great old wines ('trophy' wines) and their ability to taste increasingly young. I am going to be brutal: most of these 'miracles' seem to emanate from Europe, to our eternal shame, and most are then sold (and sold and sold) in America and Asia. However, they do appear in the UK -- recently it was Cheval Blanc 1961 with the Catalan flag on the cork. "Thirty years ago, these wines had almost disappeared. Things like Mouton 1945, Cheval Blanc 1947, Lafleur 1947, Margaux 1900, Petrus in a variety of vintages, Latour 1961, all frequently in large formats, Yquem 1921, and, from the previous century, 19th-century Lafite -- the usual litany (plus Romanee-Conti and La Tache in various sizes and years, plus more recent Henri Jayer burgundies) -- were very rarely found, usually in old family cellars in the region of origin and in a few old country estates in Europe. Now, they are made to order and two a penny. One recorked trophy bottle becomes 100 -- cloning at its most efficient. They are generally bought by less experienced collectors who rightly wish to 'experience' these mythical wines. They mostly taste quite good and are pronounced 'amazingly youthful' (very accurate). Some are bought to impress, or as an 'investment,' and then they are sold on and scattered even more widely. "Genuine old wines are not powerful, lusty, robust, and consistent. They are often light-textured, ephemeral, very inconsistent, and aging every day. For example, the fabulous old Montroses I tasted recently, direct from the chateau, showed more age than they did 10 years ago. Real old wines are often lingering, lacy, ethereal, magic; they are also often volatile, acid, and mushroomy. The surgically altered monsters out on the block are great brutes that never age. They have trout lips and scars under the hairline. I do not like them, nor those making fortunes trading in them. This is a blot on the wine trade I knew and loved."

18 years, 11 months

[wine] Merlot at JP's

by Jim L. Ellingson

An update, and Dara's Top 10 blurb from today's City Pages Date: Wed, 3 Jan 2007 11:03:54 -0600 From: "Jim L. Ellingson" <jellings(a)me.umn.edu> To: wine(a)thebarn.com Subject: [wine] Merlot at JP's, NY Resolutions Happy New Year one and all. Merlot be da grape, JP's be da place. Thursday at 6:30. Been a while since we've been to JPs. Merlot tastings have been particularily good. I suppose it's easier to find the nuggets when looking in a shallow pool. Date: Wed, 7 Jun 2006 11:00:22 -0500 From: "Jim L. Ellingson" <jellings(a)me.umn.edu> To: wine(a)thebarn.com 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. Merlot based wines from anywhere at JP's Bistro on Thursday, 6:30. 5 yes's. Several no's (thanks all around) Bob Russ/Sue Jeff Jim Guesses. Annette Lori Ruth Joyce Nicolai/Karin JP's American Bistro 2937 S. Lyndale 55408 (612) 824-9300 Cheers, Jim jP American Bistro It was a summer night, the sun was setting, and the sky above Lyndale Avenue was a flamingo and sapphire riot, and we sipped bubbly wine while watching the oh-so Lake-and-Lyndale passers-by: the gossip boys with their little dogs, the motorcycle men on their rumbling hogs, the punk-rock girls upon their clunky clogs. It was a lovely summer night, like so many, and I remember it only because of the head-turning shock of what arrived on the plate at our outdoor table: A salmon entree of such enchanting subtleness that the whole street crowd should have paused to gather round and point. The salmon in question seemed raw, through it wasn't. It was low-temperature olive-oil poached until it was firm as custard and twice as creamy, then paired with a ripe avocado, roasted until it was black on one exposed surface and plush as clouds. The two rich, creamy things were united with a vinaigrette of preserved lemons, decorated with grass-green chive oil, and further adorned with teensy perfect cubes of marinated shallot and preserved lemon peel. Every bite captured the easy joy of summer, and it was the rare dish that could make an everyday day one whose memory I'll keep for a lifetime. jP American Bistro, 2937 Lyndale Ave. S.; Minneapolis, 612.824.9300; www.jpamericanbistro.com

18 years, 11 months

[wine] Merlot at JP's, NY Resolutions

by Jim L. Ellingson

Happy New Year one and all. Merlot be da grape, JP's be da place. Thursday at 6:30. I have a New Year's resolution for one and all. Let someone know if you'll be joining us on Thursday. Bob's machine 612 672 0607 or the list: wine(a)thebarn.com or me: James(a)BrewingNews.com (e-mail doesn't care about upper case) Been a while since we've been to JPs. Merlot tastings have been particularily good. I suppose it's easier to find the nuggets when looking in a shallow pool. Date: Wed, 7 Jun 2006 11:00:22 -0500 From: "Jim L. Ellingson" <jellings(a)me.umn.edu> To: wine(a)thebarn.com 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. Merlot based wines from anywhere at JP's Bistro on Thursday, 6:30. Guesses all around. Bob Betsy Annette Lori Ruth Jim/Louise Bill/Linda Joyce Russ/Sue Bill Nicolai/Karin JP's American Bistro 2937 S. Lyndale 55408 (612) 824-9300 Cheers, Jim December 13, 2006 Wines of The Times With Such Enemies, Does Merlot Need Friends? By ERIC ASIMOV WHAT.S the best thing to happen to merlot in the last few years? Why, .Sideways,. the movie that so roundly trashed merlot while genuflecting before the new god of red wine, pinot noir. The movie gave shape to an inchoate movement away from American merlot in the marketplace, and spoke the truth in caustic terms: namely that most merlot produced in the United States is not very good. As a result, the anti-merlot trend accelerated. Fewer people bought it, and producers bottled less of it. But if the net outcome is that people have simply traded in bad merlot for a growing sea of bad pinot noir, that.s not such a good thing. On the other hand, if the merlot retreat causes growers and producers to reassess what they were doing and to start making better wines at all levels, I call that an excellent thing. Still, that could take years as producers, if they are wed to making merlot at all, reconsider where best to plant the grapes and what styles of wine to make. And let.s be clear: not all American merlot is bad merlot. Yes, California does produce some good merlot, though I could make a case that better merlot is coming from Long Island than from California, albeit in very small amounts. But the No. 1 source right now for good American merlot is Washington State. The best Washington merlots reveal a structure and earthiness that you rarely see in the typically plusher, softer California versions. They are not huge fruit bombs or oak monsters by any means, but surprisingly balanced, smaller-scale wines that belong on the dinner table. That was the prevailing view, at least, of the Dining section.s wine panel in a recent tasting of 25 Washington State merlots. For the tasting, Florence Fabricant and I were joined by David Gordon, wine director of Nobu and Tribeca Grill, and Jill Roberts, a wine consultant. We were all surprised by how much we liked the best of these merlots. We were not expecting wines so well balanced and integrated. They weren.t soft and opulent, nor were they particularly high in alcohol . or at least they didn.t seem to be. Our Top 10 were mostly in the range of 13.5 to 14.5 percent, which nowadays is rather tame. Our favorite was the 2003 Pedestal from Long Shadows, a wine that was a complete package: structured, harmonious and complex. Long Shadows has an interesting story. Its owner, Allen Shoup, is a retired corporate wine executive who has attracted leading winemakers from around the world to Washington each year to apply their expertise to the grapes there. Among the participants are Randy Dunn of Dunn Vineyards in the Napa Valley, Armin Diel of Schlossgut Diel in the Nahe region of Germany, and Michel Rolland, the acclaimed and controversial globetrotting consultant from Pomerol, who makes Pedestal. While the wine contains the lavish fruit that is a Rolland signature, it is balanced by earth and spice flavors that raise Pedestal above clichéUnfortunately, I am told, the 2003 Pedestal has become hard to find. But fear not: the 2004 will be released in February. Similarly, the 2003 Januik from the Columbia Valley is full of ripe fruit, but spice and mineral flavors lend complexity. The wine is beautifully balanced. Best of all, at $27, the Januik was our best value. Our No. 3 wine, the 2003 Owen Roe from DuBrul Vineyard in the Yakima Valley, was similar to the Januik: it was rich and ripe, but the forceful fruit was balanced by floral and herbal flavors that gave it depth. Owen Roe wines seem to stand out whenever we taste Washington wines. It.s a label worth seeking out. A notch below were the tannic 2003 Woodward Canyon from the Columbia Valley and the elegant 2000 Andrew Will Klipsun. It is interesting that, except for the Andrew Will, our top wines were all from the 2003 vintage, a very good year but not appreciably better than the vintages of the previous six or seven years. It.s an indication, perhaps, that Washington merlots are best enjoyed young, when still vibrant. This was borne out by the one older wine in the tasting, a 1995 Leonetti Columbia Valley, which, at $130, was far more costly than the next most expensive wines, the Pedestal and the Andrew Will, both $60. In this blind tasting the panel was a little puzzled by the Leonetti. To me, it tasted of a different era, when grapes were typically harvested earlier than is fashionable today. It had a sour-cherry tartness that I found refreshing, more typical of a Bordeaux than a New World merlot. Still, it did not make our Top 10, and we were not able to find more current bottles from Leonetti or Quilceda Creek, producers of two of Washington.s most coveted merlots. The other wines in our Top 10 were all pleasing, but each lacked a particular quality . complexity, focus or balance . that might have pushed it higher in the rankings. According to the Washington Wine Commission, the acreage devoted to merlot grapes in the state continues to climb, and although the rate of increase has slowed it does not appear that a .Sideways. effect has deterred the state.s winemakers from continuing to produce merlot. Still, with 6,222 total acres of merlot this year, Washington produces a pittance compared with California, which has more than 50,000 acres planted with merlot. You might think that if Washington can make merlot this good, it ought to make more of it. On the other hand, it could be that care in management and restraint in growth are exactly what.s needed to maintain quality. Long Shadows Columbia Valley Pedestal 2003 $60 *** Well-structured, with complex flavors of fruit, earth, spice and cocoa. BEST VALUE Januik Columbia Valley 2003 $27 *** Rich aromas of ripe fruit; well balanced, with lingering cherry, spice and mineral flavors. Owen Roe Yakima Valley DuBrul Vineyard 2003 $50 *** Ripe, complex and well balanced, with cherry, floral and herbal flavors. Woodward Canyon Columbia Valley 2003 $29 **½ Tannic yet juicy, with flavors of plums, cherries and chocolate. Andrew Will Klipsun 2000 $60 **½ Graceful and elegant, with blackberry, licorice and floral flavors. Ash Hollow Walla Walla Valley 2003 $28 ** Plush and juicy, with rich, ripe fruit; pleasing but unfocused. Townshend Columbia Valley 2000 $33 ** Lots of fruit, with a velvety texture. L.Ecole No. 41 Columbia Valley 2002 $32 ** Light tannins, with fruit and mineral flavors; slightly unbalanced. Canoe Ridge Columbia Valley 2002 $20 ** Juicy and pleasant, but a little rustic. Chateau Ste. Michelle Columbia Valley 2002 $15 ** Soft, small-scale and slightly sweet; balanced fruit and mineral flavors. ----- 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 *

18 years, 11 months

[wine] January 4th? (and "proven pinots")

by Jeff Grossman

Hi, Are there any plans for this Thursday? And, would anyone provide the list of wines from the "Proven Pinots" evening? Many of them showed quite well. Jeff

18 years, 11 months

[wine] Tuscan wines at Il Vesco Vino

by Jim L. Ellingson

No idea who's planning to be there. Fred P and the Gregory's are otherwise detained. Vin du jour is Tuscan. Menu is on line para link below. Reviews from Rake and MN Monthly. Yes: Bob Jim (if the flu lets up) Bill and freind? Roger and friend? Betsy? Lori? Annette? Karin/Nicolai? Russ/Sue JJ Dave Cheers, Jim The Rake Secrets of the City © Rake Publishing, Inc. | visit www.rakemag.com December 2006 RESTAURANT: Il Vesco Vino With its creaky floors, exposed brick, and multiple fireplaces, the Victorian manse at 579 Selby has always welcomed diners with casual elegance. When it housed The Vintage Restaurant, the food reviews were mixed, but with the opening of Il Vesco Vino (The Bishop.s Wine), the cuisine finally matches its surroundings in terms of both quality and comfort. The venerable family behind I Nonni and Buon Giorno discreetly took over the space and brought in their honored Italian recipes for dishes like ventresca tuna, beef carpaccio, grilled octopus, and a dense and satisfying gnocchi.all paired with interesting wines offered by the carafe. 579 Selby Ave., St. Paul; 651-222-7000; www.ilvescovino.com ----- Forwarded message from "Jim L. Ellingson" <jellings(a)me.umn.edu> ----- Greetings, Last I heard, we're doing Tuscan wines at Il Vesco Vino at 6:30 on Thursday.... can anyone confirm or confound? Anything shaking for New Year's Eve (aka Amature Night)? Cheers, Jim Just when you think it's impossible for MN Monthly to criticise anything or anyone, they come out w/ this: New Vintage A historic St. Paul address turns its tables to become Il Vesco Vino, a welcoming trattoria New Vintage Terry Brennan I can still hardly believe the Vintage in St. Paul lasted as long as it did, surviving its share of infamous incidents. There was the alleged drug bust.something about a cook having crystal meth shipped to the restaurant. And the memorable evening during which a pre-heart-surgery Garrison Keillor knocked back numerous glasses of wine. And, finally, the unfortunate event involving a very ticked-off marine biologist who had been served monkfish in the guise of lobster. One local critic remarked that the place had .a shameful and appalling history of consistently serving some of the worst food I have ever eaten in a .nice. restaurant.. It was time for the Vintage to go.and last September, after nearly a decade in business, it did. In its place, we have Il Vesco Vino (Italian for .the bishop.s wine,. perhaps a spoof on The Bishop.s Wife, a classic holiday film in which an angel played by Cary Grant is sent to help a church leader get his marriage back on track). Considering the pedigree of its owners, who include the Marchionda family (owners of the I Nonni Italian restaurant and Buon Giorno market in Lilydale), and Wally Buffalo (I Nonni.s former sous-chef, who most recently headed Nochee), Il Vesco Vino shouldn.t require divine intervention. With its inviting fireplaces and friendly staff, Il Vesco Vino feels like a more casual cousin of I Nonni.polished stone tabletops versus white linens. You can walk in off the street, bring the kids, and avoid the drive to Lilydale. Photo by Terry Brennan The elegant 1880s duplex (which is divided into multiple rooms on two levels, with banquet space on the third and fourth floors) feels cozier than I Nonni, whose architecture riffs on the neighboring McMansions. On busy nights, though, Il Vesco Vino.s unusual space becomes a liability. With no softening textures, chatter bounces off brick instead of staying private. The hiss of the steaming espresso machine stifles conversation like an airplane overhead. When someone cracks a joke at a table of six, it elicits a deafening roar. The noise level makes the place feel less like a restaurant and more like a bar, as does the garish ceiling-mounted television. And while the exclusively Italian wine list (unique but approachable, not too expensive, and available in cute carafes) seems appropriate for a light meal, many of the snacking items weren.t very impressive. There.s nothing wrong with the simple plates of meats or cheeses, or the tonno e fagioli (cooked tuna, cannellini beans, onion, lemon, and oil), except that they.re the sorts of things you.d be perfectly capable of making yourself at home. Of the fried snacks, or fritti (the Neapolitan staple has its own section on the menu), the baccalàsalt-cod fritters) and arancini (rice and mozzarella balls) had delicate crusts, but inside was an indistinguishable, flavorless gruel. The buffalo carpaccio had the opposite problem: too high a PSI.peppercorns per square inch.rating, overwhelming the flavor of the meat. A sample of the tasty house-made meatballs led us to believe we.d be better off eschewing finger food for heartier fare. Served in a faintly sweet tomato sauce, the meatballs had the same rich, homey characteristics found in the restaurant.s best pastas. The menu avoids the standard sauces, like Bolognese and Alfredo, and instead features ingredients from southern Italy. I was somewhat skeptical about the braised goat leg in the ziti all.Avellinese, after mixed experiences with the sometimes tough, gamey meat at African and Jamaican restaurants. Instead, the goat was as tender as pot roast. Combined with tomato and mild caciocavallo cheese, then baked to create the slightest crust, it was ideal comfort food. From the seaside selection of pastas, the lasagna nera satisfied us most, its squid ink pasta bridging the flavors of seafood and béamel. The straightforward pasta was the most disappointing: the gnocchi alla sorrentina were dense and pasty as a Chef Boyardee product. Photo by Terry Brennan A number of the secondi courses succeeded in their smart, simple compositions and, hovering just under $20, they offer a good value. Both of the fish dishes I tried.red snapper, paired with slices of roasted eggplant and a pickled beet salad; and halibut, served with sweet corn, grapefruit, and basil.were imaginative preparations with lively flavors, based more on Buffalo.s inspiration than Italian tradition. Again, there were entrécontradictions: the braised beef short ribs were a hit, complemented with a splash of spicy oil and a side of pert lentils (if you tend to pooh-poo this overlooked legume, these should change your mind). But the mushy, over-salted veal was passed over after a couple of bites. Nothing on the dessert list screamed there.s no way you.re leaving without at least one bite. And, as it turned out, the ho-hum Neapolitan doughnuts didn.t seem worth lingering over, nor did the icy gelato. (I pouted a bit when remembering the heaven-sent stuff served at cafénear the Vatican.) To make sure Il Vesco Vino doesn.t become known as .the bishop.s whine,. perhaps Cary Grant could don his wings and drop on by for a visit? Il Vesco Vino 579 Selby Ave., St. Paul, 651-222-7000 Open Monday through Thursday, 4 p.m. to 11 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 4 p.m. to 12 a.m.; Sunday 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. Reservations not necessary but recommended on weekends. Parking in adjacent lot or on the street. Prices appetizers $6.$13, entré $14.$21

18 years, 11 months

[wine] Re: Sparkling fwd WPost

by Betsy Kremser

Bob made a reservation for 8(?) people at Il Vesco Vino. >>> "Jim L. Ellingson" <jellings(a)me.umn.edu> 12/27/2006 11:25 AM >>> Greetings, Last I heard, we're doing Tuscan wines at Il Vesco Vino at 6:30 on Thursday.... can anyone confirm or confound? Anything shaking for New Year's Eve (aka Amature Night)? Here's some thoughts on bubbls from today's Post. Cheers, Jim <snip>

18 years, 11 months

[wine] Sparkling fwd WPost

by Jim L. Ellingson

Greetings, Last I heard, we're doing Tuscan wines at Il Vesco Vino at 6:30 on Thursday.... can anyone confirm or confound? Anything shaking for New Year's Eve (aka Amature Night)? Here's some thoughts on bubbls from today's Post. Cheers, Jim NEWS | OPINIONS | SPORTS | ARTS & LIVING | Discussions | Photos & Video | City Guide | CLASSIFIEDS | JOBS | CARS | REAL ESTATE <A TARGET="_new" HREF="http://ad.doubleclick.net/click%3Bh=v8/34c8/3/0/%2a/n%3B41985313%3B0-0%3B1%…"><IMG SRC="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-adv/advertisers/newsweek/health/112706/300…" BORDER=0></A> It's All About the Bubbles By BEN GILIBERTI Wednesday, December 27, 2006; F02 T o ring in 2007, nothing beats a bottle of French champagne, which has the style, flavor, complexity and, yes, the tiniest dancing bubbles of any sparkling wine. With prices dipping to about $25 at retail outlets this year, champagne has become a distinctly affordable luxury. For larger gatherings or smaller budgets, other sparkling wines, at prices as low as $10, can also make for delightful imbibing. These champagnes are listed in order of personal preference based on quality and value. For inexpensive sparklers, my highest rating goes to the most shameless imitators of French champagne. Resources for finding wines include http://www.winesearcher.com and http://www.wineaccess.com. Call stores to verify availability. Prices are approximate. FRENCH CHAMPAGNE Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve ($30): Aggressive pricing makes this toasty, full-bodied offering irresistible. Perrier-Jouet Grand Brut ($35): This aperitif-style champagne is magically racy, with marvelous clouds of bubbles. Aubry Brut Premier Cru ($30): Lovely honeyed apple with subtle smoky finish. Medium-bodied. Heidsieck & Co. Monopole Blue Top ($28); Heidsieck & Co. Monopole Blue Top Premier Cru ($40): Explosively fruity and bright with bubbles that just won't quit. The Premier Cru has more body. Roger Pouillon & Fils Brut Cuvee de Reserve ($36): Beautiful focus with warm, mellow flavors of toast, ginger and pear. Piper-Heidsieck Brut ($27): The low-price leader among the big houses delivers a full quotient of yeasty fruit and lively effervescence. Bertrand-Delespierre Brut Tradition Premier Cru ($38); Bertrand-Delespierre Brut 2000 Premier Cru Millesime ($50): Mouth-filling pinot noir flavors and toast-ginger bouquet. Joseph Perrier Brut Cuvee Royale ($39): This medium-bodied brut offers intriguing notes of mineral and smoke with spiced apple and pear flavors. Pommery Brut Royal ($38); Pommery Brut Apanage ($46): Brut Royal is fresh and racy, and Apanage adds a mellow notes from older reserve wines. Jean Laurent Brut Blanc de Blancs ($35); Jean Laurent Brut Blanc de Noirs ($35): Although one is made from chardonnay and the other from pinot noir, both have authoritative flavors and bounteous bubbles. Louis Roederer Brut Premier ($40): Yeasty and toasty, with a rich overlay of coffee/mocha notes on the husky fruit. Pascal Doquet Brut Blanc de Blancs ($45): Rich bouquet followed by ripe, toasty apple and pear fruit flavors. Deutz Brut Classic ($34): Zingy citrus and apple fruit ride over the palate on clouds of tiny bubbles. Pol Roger Brut Extra Cuvee de Reserve ($35): Impressive, full-bodied; can be enjoyed now or cellared for one or two years. Canard-Duchene Brut Cuvee Leonie ($39): Fresh, robust and lively. Taittinger Brut La Francaise ($36): Subtle and elegant as always. INEXPENSIVE SPARKLING WINES Charles de Fere Brut Blanc de Blancs Reserve ($10; France); Charles de Fere Jean-Louis Brut Blanc de Blancs ($9): The chardonnay-dominated reserve is champagne-like, with notes of toast, citrus and apple. The Jean-Louis is lighter and nicely crisp. Both are amazing for the money. Gruet Brut Blanc de Noirs ($15; New Mexico); Gruet Brut ($15): Great structure and character in these unlikely sparkling wines from New Mexico. Gloria Ferrer Blanc de Noirs Brut Sonoma County ($15; California); Gloria Ferrer Brut Sonoma County ($15; California): Both offer lots of robust pinot noir character. The blanc de noirs is huskier. Saint-Germain Brut French Sparkling Wine ($10): Lively, fresh and tasty. Domaine Ste. Michelle Brut Columbia Valley ($12; Washington); Domaine Ste. Michelle Blanc de Blancs Columbia Valley ($12): Fresh fruit flavors with a vibrant finish. Do you have a question for wine columnist Ben Giliberti? E-mail him atfood(a)washpost.com. -- -----------------------------day, December 27, 2006; F02 WINE OF THE WEEK Bollinger Special Cuvee Brut Champagne ($39; France) Tastes Like Honey, apple and citrus, with vanilla, coffee and smoky mushroom on the finish. The bouquet is of grilled nuts and bread. Grape Varieties60 percent pinot noir, 25 percent chardonnay, 15 percent pinot meunier. What's Special About It Although Special Cuvee is classified as a standard non-vintage brut, it has the authoritative flavors of a top-of-the-line champagne such as Dom Perignon, Roederer Cristal and Krug Grand Cuvee. Serve With Veal and poultry recipes using mushrooms or truffles. How It's Made While most champagne houses use modern, temperature-controlled stainless-steel fermentation tanks, Bollinger uses traditional oak barrels for the first fermentation, which adds a warm, toasty character. Bollinger also uses a high percentage of older reserve wines, which are added to younger wines for the second fermentation in the bottle. Winery Bollinger has been owned and managed by the same family since it was founded in 1829, a rarity in today's era of corporate control. Bollinger relies on its own vineyards for nearly two-thirds of its grapes, an unusually high percentage for a major house. Geography The Champagne region is a glorious fluke of nature. Its dry, chalky soil is almost useless for growing anything but vines, and it is situated so high in the northern latitudes that the grapes can barely ripen. The complex mineral notes from the soil and the steely acidity imparted by the cold climate combine to create a vibrant and complex sparkler unlike any other in the world. On the Label"By appointment to H.M. Queen Elizabeth II Purveyors of Champagne, Champagne Bollinger S.A." Queen Victoria granted Bollinger the Royal Warrant as Official Champagne to the Court in 1884. The connection with the Brits remains strong. Winston Churchill guzzled with abandon, and James Bond's Aston Martin sports a refrigerated bottle in the center console. Vintage Note Bollinger Special Cuvee is a non-vintage brut, or, more aptly, a multi-vintage blend. Blending of vintages is used by virtually all champagne houses to maintain a consistent house style from year to year. Historical Sip Bollinger owns the vineyard that produced Thomas Jefferson's favorite wine from champagne. However, unlike most champagnes today, it was a still wine. Where to Get It Bollinger is imported nationally by Paterno Wines International and is widely available in area retail shops. For more information on availability, check http://www.paternowines.com/locator. * 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 *

18 years, 11 months

[wine] Right Bottle Wrong Wine

by russellmccandless＠frontiernet.net

The following is from Wine Spectator on line: Right Bottle, Wrong Wine Right Bottle, Wrong Wine Counterfeit bottles are multiplying as the global demand for collectible wines surges Posted: Wednesday, December 20, 2006 By Mitch Frank There's a joke in the restaurant world that Las Vegas dining rooms serve more Château Pétrus 1982 in a year than the Pomerol estate ever made. Sadly, that may not be a gross exaggeration. Rajat Parr, wine director for Michael Mina's restaurants in San Francisco and Las Vegas, remembers when his staff at one of the four Vegas venues told him of a customer who ordered three bottles of '82 Pétrus the previous night. "He drank the first bottle," said Parr. "And sent the second bottle back--it didn't taste right to him--but he loved the third bottle." Inspecting the corks and empty bottles, Parr was embarrassed to realize that the first and third bottles were fakes; the second was the real thing. There is a growing fear in the wine industry that counterfeit bottles are on the rise. While it's impossible to know how widespread the problem is, some insiders fear as much as 5 percent of wines sold in secondary markets--the prized bottles collectors cellar for a decade or more--may be fakes. Globalization, trade and technology have all made counterfeiting easy, and not just in wine. The World Customs Bureau estimates that $600 billion of counterfeit goods--clothes, luggage, consumer electronics, cigarettes and yes, wine--are sold every year. Computers can effortlessly reproduce ornate wine labels, and counterfeiters have learned how to fake out consumers' palates. In 2002, Hong Kong customs officials uncovered 30 bottles of fake Château Lafite Rothschild 1982, today worth about $800 per bottle at auction. The counterfeiters had simply bought bottles of Lafite 1991, a much weaker vintage, then worth only $100 a bottle, and relabeled them. Last year, an Italian court convicted four men of selling fake Sassicaia 1995 in Tuscany from the back of a Peugeot hatchback; a raid on a warehouse found 20,000 bottles of the fake super Tuscan. Vigilance is growing, but not as quickly as the demand for small-production, ageworthy wines. The auction market is booming, with sales growing 375 percent between 1994 and 2005, as eager new collectors have driven up prices. That's proved tempting to counterfeiters, and scared some wine buyers away. "We get 50 offers of rare wines for sale every day," said Richard Betts, wine director for Montagna at the Little Nell in Aspen, a Wine Spectator Grand Award winner. "They can't all be legit." Betts only buys from one auction house, preferring to buy direct from private collectors he knows. Auction houses are quick to defend themselves, however. Acker, Merrall & Condit president John Kapon insists that all consigned wines are carefully inspected and that he'll often cut the capsule to inspect the cork before he'll accept a wine. "Most important, though, is knowing who you're dealing with," said Kapon. "We try to work only with large collectors we know and trust, whose wines we've tasted in the past." Kapon and Parr both believe the wineries need to be doing more to safeguard their products. "If you're going to charge $750 a bottle, you have a responsibility to the consumer," said Kapon. Some producers have taken action, such as developing innovative new ways to mark bottles with serial numbers or by engraving the glass. One Italian company created what it calls a talking wine label, while Italian producer Arnaldo Caprai introduced the smart cork to some of its bottlings. However, "It is a problem for old vintages because no precautions were taken," explained Jean-Luc Thunevin, owner of Château Valandraud. Many Burgundy and Rhône producers didn't brand corks until the 1980s, and some top Bordeaux châteaus kept limited records of volumes and bottlings before the 1950s of the wines they produced. Trying to prevent future counterfeits, some producers are taking an active interest in how their wine is distributed. Champagne Louis Roederer created its own U.S. distribution firm to exercise greater control over where their top cuvée Cristal goes. But until more producers take additional steps, the onus is squarely on the buyer. Parr, for one, keeps a collection of empty bottles and old corks so he can study what the classics should look like. "You want people to be careful, but not to panic," said Betts. (End)

18 years, 11 months

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