Date: Tue, 5 Jul 2005 17:01:17 -0500
From: "Jim L. Ellingson" <jellings(a)me.umn.edu>
To: wine(a)thebarn.com
Subject: [wine] Australia at Bobino
Greetings,
This week, Rhone style grapes from anywhere at Auriga.
Sparkling/white/ringer/dessert wines always welcome.
Auriga Rest.
1930 Hennepin Ave, Mpls, 55403
612-871 -0777
Who: (mostly guesses)
Wine Pro Bob
Wine Pro Lori
Betsy
Bill
Jim
Nicolai
Karin
Annette S.
Other events.
7/21. Zin and Ribs at Bob's place. Make or buy something interesting
and bring it to Bob's party room.
Cheers,
Jim
Delicious Syrah is made just about everywhere
- W. Blake Gray, Chronicle Staff Writer
Thursday, May 5, 2005
As Australia asserts itself on U.S. supermarket wine shelves, Americans are finally getting to know and love the Aussies' signature grape, Shiraz. And it's about time, because it's often one of the best buys in red wines.
Syrah -- as the grape is known in its native France -- is thought to have been producing fine wines in the Rhone region since the Roman era. It's one of the most fascinating of the great French wine grapes because it can taste so different depending on where it's grown.
In France, Syrah is often quite peppery, with strong aromas and flavors of roast meat. The 2002 Caves des Papes Heritage Cotes-du-Rhone ($10) is a good example of this style. It's so peppery that, sipped with barbecued meat, it could work as a condiment. Black fruit -- black currants and blackberries -- stay in the background.
Scottish-born James Busby, called the father of Australian viticulture, is credited with taking Syrah Down Under in 1831 as one of 680 different vines he collected from botanical gardens in Montpellier, Paris and London. Fortunately for the Aussies, he did it before phylloxera arrived in Europe from the United States. The grapevines of the Rhone had to be replanted on American rootstock because of that epidemic, so Australia holds the oldest Shiraz vines in the world.
Daily use Down Under
Like kangaroo steak, Shiraz was treated casually by Aussies for decades as a daily-use food without serious pretensions. The large producer Penfolds did the most to change that impression with its Grange wines, which began winning consistent international acclaim in the 1980s, just in time to alert the Aussies not to graft everything over to Cabernet Sauvignon.
Nowadays, Australian Shiraz is so ubiquitous on supermarket shelves worldwide that producers have to take steps to stand out. The 2004 the Little Penguin South Eastern Australia Shiraz ($8) is packaged to attract younger customers with the cute waterfowl on the label. The flavors of cherry with an herbal note are somewhat shy, but it's innocuous and easy to drink.
California was slow to embrace Syrah. In 1991, there were only 413 acres of Syrah planted in the entire state, according to the California Agricultural Statistics Service, out of more than 320,000 acres of wine grapes. Twenty different red grapes had more acreage, including now-obscure Mission, Centurian and Royalty.
By 2004, Syrah was up to 17,151 acres (out of almost 467,000 overall), making it the fifth-most-planted red grape.
And it's not just volume. The Chronicle tasting panel loves West Coast Syrahs, picking 17 among its Top 100 wines for 2004 -- more than any other varietal. Eight were from Washington state, while nine were from California, placing California Syrah just behind California Pinot Noir and California Chardonnay as The Chronicle's top-scoring wines by state.
American consumers are starting to catch on to how good domestic Syrah can be. Sales tripled between 2000 and 2003, according to Impact Databank.
The 2003 Screaming Jack North Coast Syrah ($10) shows why people are excited. There's a lot going on in this wine, starting with toast, cherry, dust, earth and mushroom in the aroma. On the palate, it's spicy with some earth and persistent cherry and a tannic backbone that carries through a medium-length finish. And it's bottled with my favorite closure -- a screw cap.
The 2001 Martin Ray Angeline Paso Robles Syrah ($12) is another superstar wine worth a couple extra bucks. The fruit-forward aroma is full of distinct blackberry, raspberry and cherry, as well as some leather and earth. It's big- bodied, with good blackberry and raspberry fruit, decent acidity, hints of leather and earth and a medium-long finish.
The 2003 Castle Rock Central Coast Syrah ($9) is simpler, with a shy aroma of cherry, red currant and some barnyard, and persistently tart flavors of cherry and red currant. This wine would be easy to match with most meat or poultry dishes.
One for lovers of oak
Oak fans will be delighted by the 2002 Forest Glen California Shiraz ($10), one of many bargain wines made by Bronco Wine Co. Its strong flavors and aromas of vanilla and cherry could just as well have been coaxed from Cabernet Sauvignon, but the moderate tannins and decent acidity make it more food-friendly than many wines in this style.
Now that the world market for Syrah has been established, it's coming in from all over. The 2003 2 Brothers Big Tattoo Colchagua Syrah ($10) from Chile is more in the French style, with aromas of earth as well as blackberry. The tartness of the black currant flavors balances the big body and tannins, while flavors of earth and pepper lend complexity.
Speaking of the French style, if you didn't know where the 2003 Handpicked Langhorne Creek Shiraz Viognier ($10) was from, you'd have to guess the northern Rhone. The winemaker of this unusual Aussie wine is French native Dominique Portet, whose brother Bernard Portet founded California's Clos du Val winery. Dominique has created a very peppery wine with raspberry fruit in the background and a slight floral hint from the 2 percent Viognier, which is often similarly used as a blending grape in the northern Rhone.
If you prefer your Viognier by itself, here are two good ones. The 2004 Smoking Loon California Viognier ($9) has light flavors of Golden Delicious and green apple with floral and citrus accents. Try it with difficult-to-match Thai salads. I love the artificial cork, which reads, Whooh Whooh Whooh Whooh Cough.
The 2004 McManis Family Vineyards California Viognier ($10) is richer, with flavors and aromas of pear, golden apple, apple tart, vanilla and slight floral hints. Chill it and serve it with simple salads garnished with shaved cheese.
________________________________________
Shopping list
These are the best deals The Chronicle found for this week.
WHITE
2004 McManis Family Vineyards California Viognier ($10)
2004 Smoking Loon California Viognier ($9)
RED
2003 Castle Rock Central Coast Syrah ($9)
2002 Caves des Papes Heritage Cotes-du-Rhone ($10)
2002 Forest Glen California Shiraz ($10)
2003 Handpicked Langhorne Creek Shiraz Viognier ($10)
2004 The Little Penguin South Eastern Australia Shiraz ($8)
2001 Martin Ray Angeline Paso Robles Syrah ($12)
2003 Screaming Jack North Coast Syrah ($10)
2003 2 Brothers Big Tattoo Colchagua Syrah ($10)
E-mail W. Blake Gray at wbgray(a)sfchronicle.com.
Page F - 10
URL: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/05/05/WIGRECJJRJ1.DTL
--
------------------------------ *
* 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,
This week, wines from Australia at Bobino 6:30 on Thursday.
Sparkling/white/ringer/dessert wines always welcome.
Bobino 222 E. Henne 612-623-3301
Note that the street meters are no longer "Free after 6:00".
Rates vary. The lot off the street allows for 4 hr parking
vs just 2 on the street. Enter on University just S(SE?) of Hennepin.
Who: (mostly guesses)
Wine Pro Bob
Wine Pro Lori
Bill
Jim
Nicolai
Karin
Brian
Other events.
Next week, 7/14, Syrah at Auriga
7/21. Zin and Ribs at Bob's place. Make or buy something interesting
and bring it to Bob's party room.
Cheers,
Jim
July 23, 2003
A Rhone Grape Finds Glory in Australia
By FRANK J. PRIAL
THEY make good chardonnay in Australia, and the cabernet can be outstanding, as well. There is excellent grenache to be found, and some attractive sauvignon blanc. But when shiraz is mentioned, all the others fade away.
Shiraz is Australia's most popular wine, with 50,000 acres of it planted from the Hunter Valley in the east to the Margaret River in the west. So popular was the grape in Australia that it was taken for granted. And when cabernet and merlot began to succeed there, some experts predicted its eventual demise. Then, in the late 1980's, thanks in part to Californian winemakers, the world was turned on to rich, beefy, Rhone-style wines. Overnight, it seemed, Australia was back in the shiraz business.
All syrah and syrah-based wines are inevitably compared with the great red wines of the northern Rhone Valley in France where, since time immemorial, the syrah grape has been king. And the best Rhone wine made from syrah has long been Hermitage. Intense, muscular, deeply colored and long lived, it brooks no contenders for first place in its region. Only a few C�te R�ties even dare to compete.
Australia's greatest wine, too, is a syrah, or as the Australians prefer to call it, shiraz. For me, shiraz, when it is good, is all about richness, power and harmony. For another Australian wine lover, Will Ford, who is the owner of Eight Mile Creek, an Australian restaurant in NoLIta, shiraz "is all about big, bold fruit."
Late one recent morning, Mr. Ford joined the Dining section's tasting panel, Eric Asimov, Amanda Hesser and me, for a sampling of 25 Australian shirazes. And we all developed a soft spot for these hearty reds. Except for Ms. Hesser. She said she already had one.
"It's easy to see why they're so appealing," Mr. Asimov said. "Most of them are well made, fruity and straightforward, with lots of oak." Ms. Hesser pointed out "that the woods work well here with the fresh fruit, unlike what you find with many California wines."
Mr. Ford called them "nice drinking wines, with good range." I was impressed that there were very few poor wines in the tasting; even the lighter ones were nicely balanced.
A great syrah comes from Penfolds, one of the country's oldest wineries, in the suburbs of Adelaide in South Australia. It is known simply as Grange. Syrah first came to Australia in 1832 but Grange was created in the 1950's by the country's first star winemaker, Max Schubert, at Penfolds. The wine was originally known as Grange Hermitage. Selected fruit, small oak barrels and three or four year's aging before bottling, all of it new to Australia, achieved what had been achieved in France: a great red wine.
Even so, it took Australians almost 10 years to recognize what they had. From around 1960, Grange was recognized internationally as Australia's finest wine, and the public reacted predictably . the wine has been a prized rarity ever since. Recent vintages have sold new for more than $200 a bottle.
Classic shiraz smells of spices, smoke, eucalyptus and tar; experienced tasters like to find in it flavors of spices, dark fruit, dried fruits, cassis and the vanilla flavors of new oak. The best Australian shiraz is a dense, intense, mouth-filling wine that can be difficult to drink when young but will ably repay extra years of cellaring. So it was with a certain degree of humility, along with curiosity, that we approached a modest collection of Australian shirazes to see what we could find . and learn.
Most were from recent vintages. The oldest was a 1995. Prices ranged from $6 to $60; about 10 were $20 or less. with the average price about $27.50. One of the two $60 wines, a 1999 Trevor Jones Wild Witch Reserve, and the $6 wine, a Yellow Tail Shiraz that sells very well in the United States, both narrowly failed to make our top 10. The other $60 bottle, a Katnook Estate Prodigy, from Coonawarra, tied for fourth with two and a half stars.
Consensus was rare in this tasting but everyone agreed that a very young wine, a 2002 from Southeast Australia with the bizarre name Woop Woop, was our favorite. We gave it three stars. And at $12, it was also our choice for best value. We found it to be a classic shiraz with beautiful balance and great structure. Two other wines, both from McLaren Vale, garnered three stars: a 2001 Mitolo, at $40, and a 2001 Yangarra Park, at $10.
We included one Penfolds in our tasting, the Bin 28, and it made our top 10; it was one of five shirazes with two and a half stars.
The four other wines at two and a half stars, a signal achievement with this consistently stingy panel, were: a 2000 Heritage Road, Noble Road Vineyard, from Southeast Australia; a 2001 from Clarendon Hills's Liandra Vineyard; a 2001 Rosemount Estate Diamond, also from Southeast Australia; and the 1998 Katnook Estate. The Heritage Road and Rosemount Estate wines were exceptional bargains at $9 each; the Clarendon Hills wine was $46 and the Bin 28 $26.
The Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale produce practically all of Australia's great shiraz, which doesn't stop growers in every wine region on the continent from trying their hands at making the wine. The result is a great sea of mediocre shiraz, little of which, fortunately, makes it way to this country. There is so much shiraz in Australia that some of it is used in blends with cabernet and occasionally merlot. Most of the wines we tasted were 100 percent shiraz. However, a few followed the practice in the C�te R�tie region of France of blending in some white viognier, rarely more than 7 or 8 percent, to the wine to soften its powerful attack.
BEST VALUE:
Woop Woop Southeast Australia 2002
$12
***
Consensus was rare in this tasting, but everybody liked this wine. Classic shiraz with beautiful balance and great structure, Frank J. Prial said. Eric Asimov called it big, clean and smooth with distinctive syrah flavors. Amanda Hesser found a lot of bandwidth, good tannins and lots going on. Will Ford liked the balance and powerful fruitiness.
Mitolo McLaren Vale G.A.M. 2001
$40
***
Big and spicy, Ford said, with "nose up" fruit and soft tannins. Prial called it a big wine with good fruit. Brooding at first, Hesser said, then it turned mellow. Asimov called it balanced, but with little syrah character.
Yangarra Park McLaren Vale 2001
$10
***
Great intensity, creamy and lush, Hesser said. Ford liked the smoothness and balance, and detected eucalyptus aromas. Prial called it long and powerful with good fruit and a tarry taste. But Asimov felt it was too oaky.
Heritage Road Southeast Australia Noble Road Vineyard 2000
$9
** 1/2
Vivid, Hesser said, with lots of spice, watermelon and licorice flavors. Prial liked the balance, the body and a tarry, smoky flavor. Ford found it musty but pleasant with a good finish. Asimov just found it musty.
Clarendon Hills Syrah Liandra Vineyard 2001
$46
** 1/2
Bright ripe fruit with herb and olive flavors and well-integrated oak, Asimov said. Ford detected soft fruit, chocolate flavors and a long finish. Prial called it rich and spicy. Hesser found it somewhat bitter.
Rosemount Estate Diamond Southeast Australia 2001
$9
** 1/2
Pleasant to drink, Hesser said, with dense berry and eucalyptus flavors. Ford called it a meaty wine, good for food and with a good finish. Simple but fresh, Asimov said. Prial found it nicely balanced with a smooth finish.
Penfolds Bin 28 South Australia Kalimna Vineyard 2000
$26
** 1/2
Typical shiraz, Ford said, with good balance, though very tannic. Asimov liked the syrah character, with spice and olive aromas. Hesser found it well made with a rustic quality that she liked. Prial called it balanced and dry.
Katnook Estate Coonawarra Prodigy 1998
$60
** 1/2
Plenty of fruit to stand up to the considerable oak, Asimov said. Ford found a nice bite to the wine. Prial and Hesser questioned whether the oak was too dominant. Prial liked the fruit, Hesser the finish.
Lindemans Bin 50 Southeast Australia 2002
$7
**
Prial liked its freshness. Asimov found the fruit piercing. Full body but streamlined, Hesser said. Ford expressed uncertainty that it was shiraz.
Torbreck Barossa Valley Woodcutters Red 2001
$20
**
Prial found it complex and unusual and predicted an interesting future. Fruity, straightforward, Asimov said. Funky but approachable, Ford said. Hesser smelled rotting apricots . which she liked.
--
------------------------------ *
* 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,
Erte was good if a bit cozy there in the bar.
Last I heard, we're doing Italian at Arezzo. Anyone know if
Bob was able to make the reservation?
> Greetings,
>
> Bob has arranged for us to go to Arezzo this week.
> Wine area of focus is Tuscany. Arezzo is a town SE of Florence.
> Reservation is for 10 people at 6:30 on Thursday. We're at a large
> round table, so we NEED TO LET THEM KNOW if we will be more than 10, less
> than 8. 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 ALL GUESSES
Bob
Lori
Betsy
Bill
Janet
Russ/Sue
Jim/Louise
Karin
Nicolai
Arezzo Ristorante
612 285-7444
5057 France Ave S, Minneapolis, 55410
www.arezzo-ristorante.com
----- Forwarded message from The 30 Second Wine Advisor <wine(a)wineloverspage.com> -----
Date: Wed, 29 Jun 2005 14:25:49 -0400 (EDT)
To: jellings(a)me.umn.edu
Subject: 30SecWineAdvisor: Summer fizz - Prosecco
From: The 30 Second Wine Advisor <wine(a)wineloverspage.com>
X-Sender: <wine(a)wineloverspage.com>
X-Greylist: IP, sender and recipient auto-whitelisted, not delayed by milter-greylist-1.6 (smtp-relay.enet.umn.edu [128.101.142.227]); Wed, 29 Jun 2005 13:25:56 -0500 (CDT)
X-Spam-Score: 0 ()
X-Scanned-By: MIMEDefang 2.51 on 128.101.142.227
THE 30 SECOND WINE ADVISOR, Wednesday, June 29, 2005
________________________________________________________________________
TODAY'S SPONSOR:
* CALIFORNIA WINE CLUB International Series - New Zealand!
http://www.cawineclub.com?Partner_ID=winelovers
________________________________________________________________________
IN THIS ISSUE
* SUMMER FIZZ - PROSECCO Challenging the conventional wisdom with a fun
and fizzy bubbly from the Veneto.
* ZARDETTO PROSECCO BRUT ($11.99) Sparkly, crisp and dry, a fine
aperitif will also work as a table wine.
* ADMINISTRIVIA Change E-mail address, frequency, format or unsubscribe.
________________________________________________________________________
SUMMER FIZZ - PROSECCO
If ever there was a wine to counter the conventional wisdom, it must be
Prosecco, the fun and fizzy Italian sparkling wine fromm the Veneto.
Throw out those notions that proper bubbly must be hand-made stuff, made
from only the noblest of Chardonnay and Pinot grapes and fermented in
the individual bottle. Prosecco comes from grapes you probably never
heard of (Prosecco, mostly, and Verdiso, perhaps with splashes of Pinot
Bianco, Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay); and it's produced in bulk,
carbonated in large vats by the much-maligned "Charmat process" that's
usually associated with plonkish industrial fizz.
But for some reason that I've never fully understood but am quite
willing to enjoy, Prosecco consistently succeeds where so many of
Champagne's imitators fail: It's crisp, dry, fresh and fizzy, a
delicious wine for a summer aperitif or even at the dinner table.
You'll occasionally see still or lightly sparkling ("frizzante")
Proseccos, but most of it comes fully carbonated under a Champagne-style
cork that flies out with a similar pop.
Don't make the mistake of comparing Prosecco with Champagne - it's a
different wine with a different personality at a decidedly different
price. Look for Prosecco in the range from less than $10 to, at the
outside, under $20. For style, quality and value, I would choose any
random Prosecco in an instant over most Spanish cavas, American low-end
sparkling wines or any other bubbly in this price range.
________________________________________________________________________
PRINT OUT TODAY'S ARTICLE
Here's a simply formatted copy of today's Wine Advisor, designed to be
printed out for your scrapbook or file or downloaded to your PDA or
other wireless device.
http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor1/print050629.html
________________________________________________________________________
TALK ABOUT WINE ONLINE
If you'd like to ask a question or comment on today's topic (or any
other wine-related subject), you'll find a round-table online discussion
in our interactive Wine Lovers' Discussion Group, where you're always
welcome to join in the conversations about wine.
http://www.myspeakerscorner.com/forum/index.phtml?fn=1&tid=62875&mid=539833
If you prefer to comment privately, feel free to send me E-mail at
wine(a)wineloverspage.com. I'll respond personally to the extent that time
and volume permit.
________________________________________________________________________
ZARDETTO PROSECCO BRUT ($11.99)
This is a clear, very pale greenish-gold wine that pours up with a
frothy fizz when the Champagne-style cork is popped; it quickly settles
back to a lasting stream of bubbles in the glass. Apples, a whiff of
clover honey and a delicate hint of wildflowers mingle in an
exceptionally pleasant aroma. Crisp and dry tart-apple flavors are near
bone-dry, with a frothy, prickly mouthfeel and mouth-watering lemon-
squirt acidity in a long finish. Bright and refreshing, it's an
appealing summer sipper, but good balance and crisp acidity make it a
fine food wine, too. Marketed (at least in the U.S. and Canada) with the
English word "bubbly" all over the neck label, it's made in the Prosecco
village of Canegliano. U.S. importer: Winebow Inc., NYC; Leonardo
Locascio Selections. (June 28, 2005)
FOOD MATCH: A simple pilaf-style chicken-and-rice dinner seasoned with
lots of tarragon, ginger and garlic made a spendid match, enlivened by a
splash of fresh lemon juice stirred into the dish at serving time.
VALUE: Champagne, $30. Prosecco, $12. Next question? (It's also worth
shopping around, as online prices for this item vary more than 100
percent, from below $8 to $15.)
WHEN TO DRINK: Like all affordable bubblies, it's ready to drink and
won't benefit from further aging; but a year on the wine rack or in the
fridge won't kill it.
PRONUNCIATION:
"Prosecco" = "Pro-seh-ko"
WEB LINK:
Here is the U.S. importer's fact sheet on Zardetto Prosecco:
http://www.winebow.com/wine_det.asp?ID=523
FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Compare prices and seek vendors for Zardetto Prosecco on Wine-
Searcher.com.
http://www.wine-searcher.com/find/Zardetto%2bProsecco/NV/-/USD/A?referring_…
________________________________________________________________________
SUBSCRIBE:
* WineLoversPage.com RSS Feed (free)
http://www.wineloverspage.com/rss/
* 30 Second Wine Advisor, daily or weekly (free)
http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor/index.shtml
* Wine Advisor FoodLetter, Thursdays (free)
http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor/foodletter.shtml
* Wine Advisor Premium Edition, alternate Tuesdays ($24/year)
http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor/premium.phtml
ARCHIVES:
For all past editions:
http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor1/thelist.shtml
CONTACT US
E-mail: wine(a)wineloverspage.com
SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES:
For information, E-mail wine(a)wineloverspage.com
________________________________________________________________________
ADMINISTRIVIA
To subscribe or unsubscribe from The 30 Second Wine Advisor, change your E-mail address, switch from weekly to daily distribution, or for any other administrative matters, click
to http://www.wineloverspage.com/admin.php?id=20970&cs=7d1109b668af1f87d36d12e…
We welcome feedback, suggestions, and ideas for future columns. We do not use this list for any other purpose and will never give or sell your name or E-mail to anyone.
All the wine-tasting reports posted here are
consumer-oriented. In order to maintain objectivity and avoid conflicts of interest,
I purchase all the wines I rate at my own expense in retail stores and accept no samples, gifts or other gratuities from the wine industry.
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
Copyright 2005 by Robin Garr. All rights reserved.
----- 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,
We're heading to Erte. (510 is closed until July)
Wine du jour is Merlot from anywhere and whites from
the Pacific Northwest.
Erte Restaurant.
329 13 Ave NE, Mpls 55413
612-623-4211
6:30 on Thursday.
8 people.
No idea who.
Bob
Betsy
Lori
Russ
Nicolai
Jim
An a reminder, the Big S tasting is tomorrow.
Spotlight, 5:00, $60. Medium nice wines.
Regular tasting, 6:30. typically focussed on the lower end.
Cheers,
Jim
Spotlight Tasting
Wednesday, June 22nd
Mill City Museum
704 South Second Street - Minneapolis
5:00pm - 6:00pm
S U R D Y K S
Charity Pre-Sale Wine Tasting
Event proceeds will benefit the American Heart Association
Wednesday, June 22
Mill City Museum
704 South Second Street - Mpls
6:30pm - 9:30pm
Sample over 200 different wines featured in our Spring Wine Sale. Also sample great cheese selections and chocolates.
Donation -
$32.00 in advance
$40.00 at the door
________________________________________
October 27, 2004
WINES OF THE TIMES
A Welcome Drop in the Ocean
By ERIC ASIMOV
ROM a marketer's point of view, California merlot was the great industry success story of the 1980's and 90's. From almost nowhere 25 years ago, merlot achieved the dream status of becoming a generic term for red wine. "I'll just have a glass of merlot," became the default at-a-loss order at bars, restaurants, weddings and bar mitzvahs, the way in earlier years, "I'll just have a glass of chardonnay," meant give me white wine, any white wine.
>From a wine lover's point of view, though, California merlot became a joke, a punch line for the sort of confected, characterless wines that are generic in the worst sense of the word. It is still a remarkably popular wine, though a significant number of knowledgeable wine drinkers would almost prefer a glass of dishwater over the dread merlot.
Is this mere snobbery? Or to put it another way, is it the quality of merlot that has been diluted, or its status?
To take on the question, the Dining section's wine panel tasted 25 California merlots. We decided to give merlot its best shot, choosing to taste wines only from the Napa Valley, California's prime source for Bordeaux grapes like merlot and cabernet sauvignon.
Plenty of merlot comes from Napa, but most California merlot comes from the vast Central Valley, from Lodi south to Bakersfield, an area that is to Napa as agribusiness is to the family farm. This is the stuff that is shipped by tanker, pumped by hose and packaged in things like airline splits and gallon bag-in-a-box containers. It doesn't have to be bad, but it usually is.
The Napa Valley, on the other hand, prides itself on the quality of its wines, and prices many of them accordingly. In an effort to spread out the pricing, we tasted 8 bottles that cost $25 or less, 10 between $25 and $50 and 7 costing more than $50. My colleague Florence Fabricant and I were joined by two guests, Christopher Shipley, wine director of the "21" Club, and Scott Mayger, wine director of WD-50.
Of course, we all had feelings about California merlot, which we put aside as best we could. Mr. Mayger expressed the most positive view. He said that merlot's silky tannins and jammy flavors made it a good steakhouse wine. Having been the wine buyer in a steakhouse back in the late 1980's and early 90's, when merlot's popularity took off, he has tasted plenty of it.
"I couldn't find enough merlot to buy," he said. He added that the character of California merlot has changed since then, becoming firmer and more tannic.
I confess that I've never had much use for California merlot. Merlot is no doubt an important grape, but as a wine it always seemed to have little reason for being. What makes merlot important is its role in the classic Bordeaux blend of grapes.
In the Médoc, it almost always plays a secondary role to cabernet sauvignon, generally adding soft tannins and generous flavors to the more austere cabernet. Merlot plays a greater part in the blend in St.-Émilion and Pomerol, where with some exceptions . most notably Château Pétrus, which is 99 percent merlot . it usually accounts for maybe 40 to 70 percent of the blend.
This is significant because in California a wine can be labeled with the name of a grape only if that grape makes up at least 75 percent of the wine. Why would California insist on making a wine primarily of merlot when in Bordeaux few wines short of a Pétrus would presume to do the same?
It's not because increasing the percentage of merlot makes a better wine, but because it means that the wine can be sold under the varietal name. In other words, the merlot category is defined by marketing rather than winemaking.
Having said this, we did find some enjoyable wines. Our top wine, a '99 from Liparita Cellars for $40, was bright and balanced, with good structure. Mr. Mayger called it the most Bordeaux-like of the wines. Our best value, a 2000 from St. Supéry for $18, was likewise balanced, with attractive fruit, herbal and oak flavors, while our No. 3, an '01 Starmont from Merryvale, was concentrated, with attractive coffee flavors.
If only wines like those were the rule. Too often, the merlots showed bitter vegetal flavors or candylike sweetness, or were overwhelmed by oak.
Ms. Fabricant divided the 25 wines into two categories: those with complexity that were well made and enjoyable to drink, and those that were one-dimensional and washed out, perhaps made from grapes that lacked concentration.
Mr. Shipley, too, found washed-out wine. Even the more concentrated wines, he said, suffered from over-manipulation at the hands of winemakers. Too many, for example, tasted as if acid had been added to make up for what the grapes lacked in natural acidity.
Only two of the seven wines priced at over $50 made the cut, the smallest percentage of any price category. The most expensive bottle in the tasting, a $72 2000 Duckhorn, one of the big names in Napa merlot, was rejected unanimously.
It could be that we did not taste the best choices. Merlots like Beringer's Bancroft Ranch and Pahlmeyer are considered top-notch, but are superexpensive and hard to find.
Or perhaps Napa and the rest of California are not the best sources of American merlot. I've had merlots from Washington State that showed firmness and character.
Or maybe it comes down to marketing. In an effort to appeal to a new and fast-growing market for merlot, too many winemakers planted merlot in the wrong places and made poorly conceived wines. The market for merlot may now have peaked. The number of acres planted with merlot continues to grow in Napa, according to the California Agricultural Statistics Service, but not so quickly.
If anything, California merlot has become a cautionary tale. It is not enough to plant vines willy-nilly to appeal to a growing market. Getting in on the act is not a formula for making good wine. Take heed, California syrah makers.
Tasting Report: Some of the Best of a Dubious Lot
Liparita Cellars Napa Valley 1999
$40
** 1/2
Appealing berry flavors, well balanced with oak and tannins; some depth and structure.
BEST VALUE
St. Supéry Napa Valley 2000
$18
** 1/2
Smoky flavors of cherries, chocolate and eucalyptus; soft tannins.
Merryvale Napa Valley Starmont 2001
$25
**
Bright cherry and chocolate flavors, with coffee aromas and pleasing texture.
Niebaum-Coppola Rutherford 2000
$44
**
Big and oaky, with dense, concentrated fruit flavors.
Selene Wines Napa Valley 2001
$52
**
Good structure; needs exposure to air to reveal fruit flavors.
Shafer Vineyards Napa Valley 2001
$46
* 1/2
Flavors of smoky fruit and bell peppers; standard issue.
Hartwell Vineyards 2001 Stags Leap District
$60
* 1/2
Balanced, with plum, chocolate and mint flavor, but very sweet.
Joseph Phelps Vineyards 2000 Napa Valley
$40
* 1/2
Shiny character, with flavors of chocolate, mint and cherry Life Savers.
Cosentino Winery 2000 Napa Valley Reserve
$38
* 1/2
Smooth, with mint aromas and candied fruit flavors.
Clos Pegase Napa Valley 2000
$25
* 1/2
Simple and fruity, with pleasingly round texture.
UC Davis study challenges classic wine-cheese pairings
- Janet Fletcher, Chronicle Staff Writer
Thursday, June 16, 2005
Click to View
For many people, a bottle of red wine and a platter of good cheese virtually guarantee pleasure ahead. But according to new research conducted at the University of California at Davis, that time-tested marriage may be on the skids.
Graduate student Berenice Madrigal has spent the past year investigating what sound like the makings of a great party: eight red wines, eight cheeses and what happens when you serve them together.
Thinking of purchasing a nice chunk of cheddar to show off a favorite red wine from your cellar? Madrigal's study, undertaken for her master's degree in viticulture and enology, suggests that you might want to reconsider that plan.
"Our definition of a good pairing was that the two enhance each other," says Hildegarde Heymann, professor of sensory science in Davis' viticulture and enology department and Madrigal's adviser. "Our work shows this is probably not true very often."
Madrigal, a petite, soft-spoken 27-year-old from Mexico City, has a degree in food chemistry from the National Autonomous University of Mexico and a fondness for cow's-milk Mimolette. But it was Heymann who steered Madrigal to cheese as a thesis topic, a continuation of the professor's research into the sensory analysis of wine with food. Cheese made a suitable subject for exploration because the department has no kitchen.
To Heymann's surprise, few sensory scientists had analyzed the presumed affinity of wine and cheese. A review of the literature turned up almost nothing. A Swedish scientist, Tobias Nygren, had looked at white wine with blue cheese -- the cheese mutes white wine flavors, he found -- but no one apparently had looked methodically at the intersection of red wine and cheese.
Madrigal's first task was to assemble and train a tasting panel, volunteers -- mostly fellow students -- who would be taught to recognize various attributes in wine and to use identical language in describing them. For two weeks, the tasters met every day to master the sensory meaning of 20 common wine descriptors from bell pepper and berry to astringent and bitter.
Next they evaluated, tasting blind, the eight wines Madrigal had selected: two bottles each of Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah. In an effort to get wines of differing styles, Madrigal had chosen a low-priced and high-priced wine for each varietal pair. Tasters rated each sample on a 1-to- 10 scale for every attribute. Then Madrigal juggled the sample order and repeated the tasting twice to verify her tasters' consistency.
Following an intensive day of research at Corti Brothers, the Sacramento fine-foods store, Madrigal settled on eight types: two hard cheeses (Emmental and Gruyere), two cheddars (from Vermont and New York), two soft cheeses (mozzarella and Teleme) and two blues (Gorgonzola and Stilton). Heymann had suggested limiting the samples to cow's milk cheeses so the analysis didn't get even more complicated.
Over sessions that lasted three months, the same trained team of panelists -- six men and five women -- tasted each wine with each cheese, then scored the wines on the same 20 attributes they had evaluated before. Then Madrigal switched the tasting order, and the panelists repeated the task twice.
Months of analysis later, Madrigal and Heymann had their results, captured in a flurry of colorful spider graphs and multidimensional plots that the average wine lover would be hard-pressed to decipher. But to cut to the chase, their conclusions may not sit well with wine and cheese fans.
In virtually every case, cheese diminished everything the wine had to say. It muted both desirable traits like berry character and less desirable traits like astringency and bell pepper. It was an equal-opportunity silencer, exhibiting largely the same effect on each varietal, pricey and not.
From mild Teleme to pungent Gorgonzola, the cheeses made every wine taste less oaky, less berry-like, less sour. The two blues had slightly more impact on the wines than the two soft cheeses, but the differences were insignificant for almost every trait.
"The popular press tells us it should have gone the other way," says Heymann, meaning that cheese would enhance the wines. "We would have assumed that for at least one cheese and one wine, we would have a hit."
The one attribute that cheese seemed to accentuate in red wine was butteriness, a quality more often associated with malolactic Chardonnays than with reds. But with every other wine trait, cheese of every sort activated the mute button, a result Heymann can't easily explain.
"The decrease of astringency makes sense because you have a coating of the palate (with cheese)," says the professor. "All you need is a coating between the mucous membranes and astringent compounds and you diminish astringency. That is the one effect I would say is a real effect."
The other outcomes -- that cheese diminished fruitiness, oakiness or spiciness -- may be what Heymann call a cognitive effect. In other words, it's in our heads. We expect that result, so we find that result. Although she hasn't devised a way to tease apart the impact of cognition, or expectation, she suspects it's at the root of many vaunted wine-and-cheese marriages.
"My 'take home' is, you shouldn't worry about which wine you have with which cheese," says Heymann. "Have the wine you love with the cheese you love. " If most cheeses affect most red wines in a similar way, by turning down the volume, it may be pointless to keep looking for a match that soars.
Daniel Baron, winemaker at Silver Oak Wine Cellars in Oakville, says his extensive if informal research doesn't support the UC Davis team's conclusions. A cheese enthusiast, Baron says he has invested a lot of time hunting for cheeses that would complement his famed Cabernet Sauvignons.
"It's been a long journey," says the winemaker, "but in my experience, the old rules of wine and cheese pairing hold true."
For him, that means no blue cheese ("It really brings out the bitterness in a red wine"), no triple-cream cheeses ("iffy") and a distinct preference for well-aged cow's and sheep's milk cheeses such as aged Gouda, Vella Dry Jack and Manchego -- cheeses that he finds not just tolerable with his wine but flattering.
Other tasters who, like Baron, have experienced a ghastly clash between dry red wine and pungent blue cheese may suspect that something physiological is to blame. As for the utter rightness on the tongue of Vella Dry Jack and Silver Oak Cabernet -- how does Heymann explain that?
"There's that saying, 'Perception is reality,' " says the professor. "If you perceive that the wine is better with the cheese, then it is. What's happening in your head is no less real than what's happening on your palate, but it's probably different."
E-mail Janet Fletcher at jfletcher(a)sfchronicle.com.
Page F - 2
URL: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/06/16/WIGFFD8IBQ1.DTL
�2005 San Francisco Chronicle
--
------------------------------ *
* 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,
Muffuletta was wonderful. Very relaxing in the back room.
Sapor, 6:30 p.m. on Thursday $5 per person in lieu of corkage.
Style du jour is Southern French White Grapes from anywhere
and New World Italians.
Recall that we got into some hot water when someone inadvertantly
brought something that they claim was on their list.
I belive it was a Zin from Seghesio and/or Ch. Souvreign....
Never mind that it was a different vintage and blah-blah-blah...
Anyway, part of their wine list is on their web site.
If you happen to bring something that's on the list
(easier than you might think. Ask Russ about a split of
something obscure he'd bought at a winery that was on
their shelf as well.... ) We'll just save it for
another week. We're never short of wine.
http://www.saporcafe.com/
428 N. Washington, Mpls
612 375 1971
Yes/Guess:
Warren/Ruth
Betsy
Bob
Nicolai
Jim
More guesses....
Lori
Russ
Roger LeClair
Annette S
Dave
Other things:
Sapor is very close to Sam's Wine Shop (closes at 8:00 M-Th).
Terry Thiese Tasting is tonight.
Henn-Lake tasting is ???
Big S Pre Sale Tasting is
Terry Theise - Wine Tasting (99391)
Terry Theise is one of the world leading authority on Germany, Austria, and Champagne and America's foremost importer of wines from these areas. We will be showing wines form Germany and Austria, and featuring selections from Leitz, Donnhoff, Brundlemayer as well as some of Germany's newest and hottest producers.
Wednesday, June 15th, 2005 at 6:30pm
Millennium Hotel - Horizons Ball Room
1313 Nicollet Mall in Downtown Minneapolis.
Surdyk's Everyday Low Price: $35.00
When: Wednesday, June 15, 2005, 6:30 - Wednesday, June 15, 2005, 8:30
Pre-Sale Charity Spotlight Tasting (99549)
S U R D Y K S
Charity Pre-Sale Spotlight Tasting
Event proceeds will benefit the American Heart Association
The first 100 attendees to the Spotlight Tasting get a chance to win a one carat diamond valued at $7000 from Shop NBC Fine Jewerly Outlet. Buy your tickets today, and be the first to arrive!
Wednesday, June 22nd 5:00pm - 6:00pm
Mill City Museum
704 South Second Street - Minneapolis
During this time, some of highest quality and best value wines of the Summer Sale will be featured, as well as some .special purchase. wines available during this tasting only!!
Admission to the Spotlight Tasting includes admission for the entire event. Join us to sample the best of the best in this exclusive tasting taking place before the main event. Again, not all of these wines are normally available at Surdyk.s, so to purchase them you must attend this premier event!
$60.00 (tax deductible)
Price includes both events
(Main Charity Tasting and Spotlight)
SURDYK'S BENEFIT TASTING
A wine tasting benefiting the American Heart Association will take place June 22 at 7 p.m. at Mill City Museum, 704 S. 2nd St. in Minneapolis. Tickets are $40 at the door or $32 in advance by calling 612-379-3232 or stopping by Surdyk's, 303 E Hennepin Av. in Minneapolis.
Note:
All classes/events are non-refundable. We make no exceptions to this policy; much like purchasing a ticket to a cultural or sporting event. We encourage you to send someone in your place if you are unable to attend a class/event. Those classes/events with insufficient enrollment will be canceled prior to their starting date. Therefore, early enrollment is desirable. If Surdyk.s cancels a class/event, registered attendees will be notified by phone and they can then elect to take another class/event (of the same value) from the current schedule or be fully refunded. We reserve the right to cancel or modify classes/events and menus. If we cancel a class/event due to inclement weather, we will notify you as soon as that decision is made and fully refund your registration; but if we hold a class/event, there will be no refunds due to the weather.
June 15, 2005
The Anti-Michelin: Caution and Anonymity Not Required
By FRANK J. PRIAL
PARIS
THE French have a thing for abbreviations. "Boul' Mich" is the Boulevard St. Michel; "sympa" is sympathetic, "McDo" is - well, you know what that is. And then there is Pudlo.
"Check it out in Pudlo," someone will say here. Or, "Do you have the new Pudlo?" Or, "Pudlo says it is really great."
For many Parisians, especially the younger, active types who nightly crowd into the city's brasseries and bistros, Le Pudlo is the restaurant guide. Pudlo is an abbreviation, too; it's short for Pudlowski, Gilles Pudlowski to be precise.
Mr. Pudlowski, 54, is the author of Le Pudlo Paris. In fact, he's the author of a family of food and travel guides. There is Le Pudlo France and there are Pudlos for Corsica, Alsace and Luxembourg. At times, it seems that there are as many Gilles Pudlowskis as there are Pudlo books. He is the full-time food and restaurant critic for Le Point magazine. He is also Le Point's travel editor. He writes weekly food columns for two newspapers, the R�publicain Lorrain in Metz, and the Derni�res Nouvelles d'Alsace in Strasbourg. He contributes regularly to Saveurs and other French food magazines and he appears weekly on French television. He has published dozens of books, most of them food and travel guides, including one in German: "Paris f�r Feinschmecker" ("A Gourmet's Paris"). There are also two memoirs, a novel and, just last year, what might be best described as a cautionary tale: "How to be a Food Critic and Keep Your Figure."
The sacrosanct Guide Michelin has nothing to worry about, at least not from Mr. Pudlowski. Michelin's familiar red book sold about 900,000 copies worldwide last year. Le Pudlo Paris sold some 14,000 copies and the massive Pudlo France about 28,000. (The books, published by Michel Lafon, are 18 euros, or about $21.75.)
Not that Michelin does not have its share of problems, which are aiding Le Pudlo and a lot of other guides, for that matter, including defections from a few chefs who say they are tired of trying to maintain their stars. While the audiences for both the Michelin and the Pudlo inevitably overlap, each also appeals to different readers. Cautious Michelin may wait several years before recognizing a restaurant, even a good one, which can be reassuring for older travelers and timid tourists. The Pudlo books cater to readers who want to know the newest places as soon as possible. Moreover, neighborhood by neighborhood, Pudlo features the best butchers, bakers, cheese makers and tea rooms. Invaluable for Parisians, less so for Americans whiling away a week at the Ritz.
Michelin distances itself from the places it critiques. Not the Pudlo. Mr. Pudlowski is the mirror image of the gimlet-eyed Michelin inspector working anonymously and alone. Outgoing, ebullient and garrulous - often like his reviews - he loves restaurants and chefs. And he scoffs at anonymity. "An idiotic idea," he said. "Restaurateurs know a critic when they see one. What counts is honesty, whether they know you or not. Being incognito guarantees neither the reviewer's competence or his judgment."
And like virtually all European food critics except for Michelin, Mr. Pudlowski has no objection to accepting free meals. "Whether the restaurant pays or I pay makes no difference," he said.
Where Michelin awards stars, Pudlo bestows plates - dinner plates. One plate represents a good table; two a great table and three, one of the best tables in Paris. A broken plate stands for a once-noteworthy place that no longer rates any recommendation. Some years ago, Mr. Pudlowski pulled a plate from Michel Rostang, a two-plate restaurant in the 17th Arrondissement.
"Michel is a good friend," Mr. Pudlowski said, "but he had slipped; I had no choice. He couldn't believe what I had done."
Mr. Rostang took the warning; he has a glowing review in the 2005 Pudlo, but still only one plate.
Some years ago, when Le Duc, a well-known Left Bank seafood restaurant found itself saddled with the dreaded broken plate - l'assiette cass�e in French - the outraged owners saddled Mr. Pudlowski with a crate of 1,000 broken plates. In the 2005 Pudlo, Le Duc is back to one plate.
"The place had its problems," the current review says, "but it has once again become one of the finest restaurants in Paris for seafood."
With 2,300 addresses in the current Pudlo Paris and almost 9,000 in the Pudlo France, it's obvious that Mr. Pudlowski can do only a fraction of the reviewing. He does the writing - the text is literate and witty - but he relies, he says, on a staff of a dozen or more plus a network of friends, colleagues and acquaintances, including restaurateurs he has reviewed, to supply him with information.
"I am like an orchestra conductor," he said. "My job is to keep everything in order. Lenin said the most important thing was to explain, explain, explain. For me it's verify, verify, verify. Addresses, telephone numbers, business hours, the chef's name. Paul Bocuse says food is only fifty percent of the restaurant experience; I have to concentrate on the rest."
Gilles Pudlowski was born not far from Metz in eastern France, a region to which he remains closely attached, not least because both Metz and nearby Strasbourg are cities with vibrant Jewish communities. His Jewish roots and indeed his early life as a Jew in France are the subject of his first and deeply personal memoir, "Le Devoir de Francais" ("The Duty to be French"), which has never been translated into English. After studies in Paris in the 60's - he took part in the student riots in 1968 - he set out to be a literary critic.
"I was working for Nouvelles Litt�raires," the review, he said, "when an editor suggested I do some things on gastronomy. I'm still at it."
For five years he worked for Henri Gault and Christian Millau, who popularized "nouvelle cuisine" and founded the once-powerful Gault-Millau restaurant guides, then moved on to Le Point and his own ever expanding collection of guides. The personal cost has been high. He has a vacation home near Strasbourg, but in Paris he works out of a sunless bachelor apartment, drinking green tea, engulfed in books and paper and the shabby detritus of two failed marriages. He has three children: a married daughter in Los Angeles, a son studying in Australia and a teenage daughter living with her mother in Paris.
"It was Millau who told me: 'In this business, some people know how to eat and some know how to write. Hardly anyone can do both, and there are a lot who can do neither. If you can do both, you're sure to succeed.' " He appears to have succeeded: the 2005 Pudlo Paris, the largest ever, is the 15th edition.
"I still love the work," he said. "I am still excited when I try a new place." Somewhere buried in one of his books is a quotation that could serve as his life's goal. It was Serge Diaghilev's plea to Jean Cocteau, who was designing a ballet for him.
"�tonne-moi, Jean," Diaghilev said. "Astonish me."
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 *
Mostly an update.
----- Forwarded message from "Jim L. Ellingson" <jellings(a)me.umn.edu> -----
Date: Tue, 7 Jun 2005 15:19:17 -0500
From: "Jim L. Ellingson" <jellings(a)me.umn.edu>
To: wine(a)thebarn.com
Subject: French No BoB at Muffuletta
User-Agent: Mutt/1.5.4i
Greetings,
Bayport Am. Cookery was fantastic, although it did make for a long Monday.
This week, we've been invited to Muffuletta
Muffuletta Cafe
St. Anth. Park
2260 Como St. Paul, 55108
651-644-9116
Style du jour is French other than Brdx or Brgndy. Loire, Rhone, Langudoc,
Cahor, Gigondas, etc. Plenty of good white options, but am
guessing the tilt will be towards red (as usual)
Yes/Guess
Warren/Ruth
Bob
Lori
Nicolai
Jim
Russ/Sue
Directions: Take Hwy 280 to Como, go east up the hill and then to the
second light (Carter).
Alt: Take Snelling to Como, West to Carter.
Cheers,
Jim
--
------------------------------ *
* 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,
Bayport Am. Cookery was fantastic, although it did make for a long Monday.
This week, we've been invited to Muffuletta
Muffuletta Cafe
St. Anth. Park
2260 Como St. Paul, 55108
651-644-9116
Style du jour is French other than Brdx or Brgndy. Loire, Rhone, Langudoc,
Cahor, Gigondas, etc. Plenty of good white options, but am
guessing the tilt will be towards red (as usual)
Yes/Guess
Warren/Ruth
Bob
Bill
Lori
Betsy
Nicolai
Jim
Russ/Sue
Directions: Take Hwy 280 to Como, go east up the hill and then to the
second light (Carter).
Alt: Take Snelling to Como, West to Carter.
Cheers,
Jim
washingtonpost.com
Made for Each Other
By Ben Giliberti Wednesday, April 13, 2005; Page F07
The perfect pairing of wine and food is an art. When done well, both the wine and the accompanying dish taste better, a classic example of the whole being more than the sum of its parts. While there are many excellent pairings, the match of Sancerre wine and Crottin de Chavignol cheese is one that comes close to perfection.
The wines of Sancerre and its neighbor, Pouilly-Fume, are the ultimate expression of the sauvignon blanc grape. Although this variety is grown in California, New Zealand and Bordeaux, nowhere does it achieve more raciness, complexity and breed than in France's Loire Valley. Sancerre and Pouilly-Fume, which are produced on opposite banks of the Loire River, are considered the region's best sauvignon blancs. Sancerre is a bit racier and brighter, and Pouilly-Fume tends to be deeper and denser, but only a brave soul would try to distinguish them in a blind tasting. In quality, they are indistinguishable.
Crottin de Chavignol cheese springs from the same region of the Loire as these two wines, and is an official "label of origin" goat's milk cheese. Although it originated in the village of Chavignol, which also produces Sancerre, it is now also made in five nearby towns: La Charite-sur-Loire, Pouilly, Donziais, Cosne and Cher. Many consider it France's most distinctive goat cheese.
Pairings of a region's cuisine and wines such as this are often felicitous. For example, Piedmontese wines such as Barolo and Barbaresco go famously with the musky wild truffles of the area; the minty, cedar notes of Pauillac wine are a splendid match with the locally raised lamb. The terroir, or combination of soil, climate and culture of certain regions, seems to imbue the food and wine with a special affinity.
But compared with even the best wine and food pairings, the harmony between the tangy goat cheese and the spirited wine of the Loire is quite remarkable. They share a mineral, lemon-thyme note that is both distinctive and delicious. One explanation is that the Alpine goats of the area forage on grasses and brush that have picked up the chalky notes of the limestone soil, which is similar to the soil in the better vineyards. Wild thyme is also prevalent here, and goats everywhere are known to feast on such herbal brush. Matching Chavignol with Loire sauvignon blanc is fascinating.
Crottin de Chavignol is meant to be enjoyed at different stages of maturity -- which is common for wine, but relatively rare for cheese. Fresh from the cheese vat, it has a creamy texture and a mild, nutty taste. At this point, somewhat paradoxically, the best match is an older Pouilly-Fume or Sancerre, both of which also develop mellow, nutty notes four to five years after the vintage.
About four months later, when the cheese reaches full maturity, it develops a dense, often crumbly interior and a delectably robust, slatelike flavor. This strength makes it a perfect foil for young Pouilly-Fume and Sancerre, vibrant wines that burst with assertive character.
At intermediate stages, the wine and cheese can be enjoyed in any combination. This is also a good time to serve the cheese warm and grilled with toast, or in chevre salad. Both wines and the cheese are available locally. The 2002 and 2003 are excellent vintages for Sancerre and Pouilly-Fume and predominate in wine shops now. Young Crottin de Chavignol, which along with other good goat cheeses has become quite popular, is flown in weekly to better cheese and grocery markets in the Washington areas.
The following are my favorite Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumes from recent tastings. While both wines can sell for $50 or more, many examples are more modestly priced and offer excellent value for wines of this caliber. Approximate prices are in parentheses along with the distributor in case your wine store needs to order them.
Domaine Girard Sancerre 2003 La Garenne ($18; Louis/Dressner Selections /Wine Partners): This delectable wine is from a family estate in the village of Chaudoux, directly north of Chavignol. This cuvee is from the estate's best vineyard, La Garenne, a 5.5-acre plot with chalky, limestone soil that lends a distinctively flinty, mineral note to the wine. In 2003, La Garenne's well-drained slopes allowed the grapes to achieve exceptional ripeness, yielding a wine with aromas of spring flowers, mandarin orange and herbs, followed on the palate by intense flavors and a brisk finish that cries out for goat cheese.
Domaine Thomas & Fils 2003 Sancerre "La Crele" ($21; France); Domaine Thomas et Fils 2003 Sancerre "Grand Chaille" ($24; Kacher Selections/Washington Wholesale); Vivacious and loaded with exotic, tropical fruit aromas and flavors, the La Crele bottling slightly out-pointed the estates' new, more expensive Grand Chaille in my tastings. Both are excellent. The chief difference is that the La Crele emphasizes freshness and liveliness of fruit, while the Grand Chaille weighs in with classic, mineral tones.
Francois Cazin Cheverny 2003 Le Petit Chambord ($12: Louis/Dressner Selections/Wine Partners): This excellent value offers an intriguing alternative to the 100 percent sauvignon blanc wines of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fume. By law, wines from Cheverny, which is located west of Sancerre, must be a blend of varietals. Le Petit Chambord is 81 percent sauvignon blanc and 19 percent chardonnay. Because the soils are a bit heavier than in the Sancerrois, chardonnay ripens well here; its inclusion adds a note of light honey to soften the steely intensity of sauvignon blanc.
Philippe Raimbault 2003 Pouilly-Fume "La Montee des Lumeaux" ($21; Country Vintner): This refined sauvignon blanc wine offers a deft balance between delicate floral notes and firm, flinty fruit. Bright citrus notes enliven the palate, and brisk acidity extends the fruit through the distinctive finish. Quite fine.
ALSO RECOMMENDED (in order of preference): Patient Cottat 2003 Sauvignon Blanc ($9; good value); Pascal Jolivet Sancerre 2003 ($20); Herve Seguin 2002 Pouilly-Fume ($21); Vincent Delaporte Sancerre Chavignol ($21); Merlin-Cherrier 2003 Sancerre ($22); Patient Cottat 2002 Domaine des Berthiers Pouilly-Fume ($18); Henry Natter 2002 Sancerre ($25); Pascal Jolivet Pouilly-Fume 2003 ($20).
� 2005 The Washington Post Company
----- Forwarded message from The 30 Second Wine Advisor <wine(a)wineloverspage.com> -----
THE 30 SECOND WINE ADVISOR, Monday, June 6, 2005
________________________________________________________________________
THIS WEEK'S EDITIONS
I'm traveling in France, so there'll be no Wednesday or Friday edition
or Thursday FoodLetter this week; we'll return to regular publication
the week of June 13. However, I'll update the WineLoversPage.com Front
Page with occasional trip reports and photos this week if time and
connections permit.
TODAY'S SPONSOR:
* CALIFORNIA WINE CLUB Summer is finally here!
http://www.cawineclub.com?Partner_ID=winelovers
________________________________________________________________________
IN THIS ISSUE
* FIRST TASTE: '04 LOIRE In a quick note from a Paris bistro, we check
out the just-in new vintage from Sancerre and Chinon.
* CALIFORNIA WINE CLUB Summer is finally here!
* THIS WEEK ON WINELOVERSPAGE.COM Talking about French Sauvignon Blanc
on the Wine Lovers' Discussion Group.
* LAST WEEK'S WINE ADVISOR INDEX The Wine Advisor archives.
* ADMINISTRIVIA Change E-mail address, frequency, format or unsubscribe.
________________________________________________________________________
FIRST TASTE: 2004 LOIRE
Greetings from Paris, one of the world's great capital cities, where
you'll find great works of art and architecture, historic and cultural
institutions and more fine museums than you can shake a Matisse at.
I love Paris, and I really do admire it for all those reasons.
But there's no use trying to fool fellow gourmets and gourmands like
you, is there now? Of course we're here for the food. And the wine. And,
sure, for all that other stuff too. But let's not lose perspective.
(In fact, I'm here for our annual group tour of a French wine region
with our friends at French Wine Explorers. Early tomorrow we'll head for
Lyon, then Condrieu and finally Avignon, tasting and dining at wine
producers and top restaurants along the way. As noted at the top of
today's column, we'll put the remaining editions of this week's 30
Second Wine Advisor on hold, but I'll make every effort to post
occasional trip reports and photos ... watch the WineLoversPage.com
Front Page and Wine Lovers' Discussion Group for updates.)
I arrived a couple of days early so I could enjoy Paris, meet friends
and, of course, check out a little of that high-tone art and culture.
Artful wine and food culture, anyway. And a fine dinner we had on
Saturday, no gluttonous blowout but a relaxing evening of Chef Michel
Rostang's imaginative dishes at his relatively new restaurant,
L'Absinthe, at 24, Place de March� Sainte Honor�, which is not far from
the Louvre and the Tuileries gardens.
This is a wine publication, not a restaurant review, so I won't go into
detail except to note that Rostang, like a number of other of Paris' top
chefs recently, has opened a constellation of relatively casual,
reasonably affordable bistro-type restaurants in addition to the high-
end, multiply-starred and very pricey restaurant Michel Rostang.
L'Absinthe, one of the newest in the group, looks much like a random
Parisian cafe from the street, with its outdoor tables set up across the
front of the building, with a black awning bearing the restaurant's
name. Inside, though, it's stylish and modern - it's been described as a
blend of Paris and New York - with a menu of innovative, slightly Asian-
accented French dishes. Our group of four enjoyed a fixed-price menu
including appetizers, main courses, desserts and two bottles of wine and
walked away for 50 Euros each. This is not a bad way to enjoy a Saturday
night in Paris, and I recommend it to your attention. (For more details,
see the Rostang Website, http://www.michelrostang.com, an artful movie-
style show in your choice of French or English, a show that,
unfortunately, essentially requires both the Flash plug-in and high-
speed Internet access.)
For this travel-week edition, let's focus on the wines. As the headline
above suggests, a few spanking-fresh 2004 vintage Loire wines had just
fallen off the truck, so recently acquired that the L'Absinthe wine list
had been updated with carefully handwritten "2004" notations placed over
the old 2003 listings.
I haven't seen any 2004 Loires in the U.S. yet, but if these two are
representative, I'll be happy to see more. Both were deliciously fresh
and fruity, but seemed well balanced between fruit and acid in a more
classic style than those typical of the super-hot summer of 2003.
Pierre Riffault 2004 Domaine du Carrior Perrin Sancerre (27
Euro/restaurant price) - This clear, pale brass-color Sauvignon Blanc is
so fresh that it's almost like drinking fresh-squeezed, grapefruit
juice, if grapefruit could ever be as brilliantly clear and fragrantly
complex as this. Crisp citric aromas carry over intact on the palate,
with a distinct but not overbearing "grassy" quality that's the
trademark of the grape. Balanced and refined, bone-dry over zippy
citrus-fruit acidity that lingers in a very long finish. A perfect match
with a moderne appetizer, tumblers of cold fennel cream soup topped with
an artful swash of asparagus oil.
Domaine Bernard Baudry 2004 "Les Granges" Chinon (27 Euro/restaurant
price) - Very dark reddish-purple in color, rather dark for a Chinon.
Ripe and juicy strawberry aromas, fresh and true, lead into a load of
fruit, fresh red berries built on a good, balanced framework of snappy
but not overwhelming acidity. Fruit-forward for a Chinon, perhaps the
result of its youth and freshness, but hints of that characteristic
Loire minerality lurk just below the surface, especially in its long,
fresh finish. Excellent pairing with veal onglet juste roti, bite-size
cubes of tender rare veal with an intense confit of sweetly caramelized
little shallots.
________________________________________________________________________
PRINT OUT TODAY'S ARTICLE
Here's a simply formatted copy of today's Wine Advisor, designed to be
printed out for your scrapbook or file or downloaded to your PDA or
other wireless device.
http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor1/print050606.html
________________________________________________________________________
TALK ABOUT WINE ONLINE
If you'd like to ask a question or comment on today's topic (or any
other wine-related subject), you'll find a round-table online discussion
in our interactive Wine Lovers' Discussion Group, where you're always
welcome to join in the conversations about wine.
http://www.myspeakerscorner.com/forum/index.phtml?fn=1&tid=62115&mid=532401
If you prefer to comment privately, feel free to send me E-mail at
wine(a)wineloverspage.com. I'll respond personally to the extent that time
and volume permit.
________________________________________________________________________
CALIFORNIA WINE CLUB: SUMMER IS FINALLY HERE!
Taste the warm California sunshine in a glass from The California Wine
Club with this month's selections. Paraiso Vineyards, located in the
Santa Lucia Highlands of Monterey County, has captured lush tropical
fruit flavors that hallmark this region in their 2001 Chardonnay. This
four-star winner is currently sold out at the winery. It is paired with
a gold-medal, 90-point showoff Syrah. Here you'll find berry, plum and
spice mixing harmoniously with vanilla and oak. In the accompanying
color magazine, Uncorked, read all about Paraiso Vineyards and try their
recipe for Seared Jumbo Tiger Shrimp! Just $32.95 plus shipping. Call 1-
800-777-4443 in the U.S., or visit online,
http://www.cawineclub.com?Partner_ID=winelovers
________________________________________________________________________
THIS WEEK ON WINELOVERSPAGE.COM
Here are links to some of our recently published articles that I think
you'll enjoy:
* WINE LOVERS' DISCUSSION GROUP: Advice on French Sauvignon Blanc
A reader seeks advice and gets back quite a variety of good
recommendations. Check them out, and please feel free to add your own
suggestions to the discussion, at this forum link:
http://www.myspeakerscorner.com/forum/index.phtml?fn=1&tid=62041&mid=531886
________________________________________________________________________
LAST WEEK'S WINE ADVISOR INDEX
The Wine Advisor's daily edition is usually distributed on Mondays,
Wednesdays and Fridays (and, for those who subscribe, the FoodLetter on
Thursdays). Here's the index to last week's columns:
* Vernatsch, natch! (June 3, 2005)
http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor1/tswa050603.phtml
* German wine: Old vs. new (June 1, 2005)
http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor1/tswa050601.phtml
* Wine-shipping battles still to come (May 30, 2005)
http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor1/tswa050530.phtml
* Complete 30 Second Wine Advisor archive:
http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor1/thelist.shtml
* Wine Advisor FoodLetter: Seared tuna Japanese-style (June 2, 2005)
http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor1/tsfl050602.phtml
* Wine Advisor Foodletter archive:
http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor1/foodlist.phtml
________________________________________________________________________
SUBSCRIBE:
* WineLoversPage.com RSS Feed (free)
http://www.wineloverspage.com/rss/
* 30 Second Wine Advisor, daily or weekly (free)
http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor/index.shtml
* Wine Advisor FoodLetter, Thursdays (free)
http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor/foodletter.shtml
* Wine Advisor Premium Edition, alternate Tuesdays ($24/year)
http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor/premium.phtml
ARCHIVES:
For all past editions:
http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor1/thelist.shtml
CONTACT US
E-mail: wine(a)wineloverspage.com
SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES:
For information, E-mail wine(a)wineloverspage.com
________________________________________________________________________
ADMINISTRIVIA
To subscribe or unsubscribe from The 30 Second Wine Advisor, change your E-mail address, switch from weekly to daily distribution, or for any other administrative matters, click
to http://www.wineloverspage.com/admin.php?id=20970&cs=7d1109b668af1f87d36d12e…
We welcome feedback, suggestions, and ideas for future columns. We do not use this list for any other purpose and will never give or sell your name or E-mail to anyone.
All the wine-tasting reports posted here are
consumer-oriented. In order to maintain objectivity and avoid conflicts of interest,
I purchase all the wines I rate at my own expense in retail stores and accept no samples, gifts or other gratuities from the wine industry.
Sunday, June 5, 2005
Copyright 2005 by Robin Garr. All rights reserved.
----- 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 *
Yes, we have some - 5 cases of the '00 at $55/bottle. Email me this week if
interested. I will put in an order next Monday since I'll be gone the rest
of this week.
Great night, food and wines at BC!!
annette
