Niche Wine Blog

To Cork, or Not to Cork...

                               

There's an interesting article, written by John Intardonato of Wine Business, regarding the never ending cork-screw cap debate.  This past weekend, COPIA kicked off its month-long Napa Valley harvest celebration.  Along with the festivities went a friendly wine closure debate; panelists included a small group of wine industry leaders. Read More at Wine Business.

Food & Wine Pairing For Thanksgiving

Quite often, people become dreadfully intimidated when it comes to serving wine at Thanksgiving or any other holiday meal.  They feel it just isn't possible to choose a bottle of wine to match so many flavors.  But it is possible and it isn't as difficult as it seems.

"No other holiday celebrates the gift of wine like Thanksgiving," says Natalie MacLean, author of the bestselling book Red, White and Drunk All Over: A Wine-Soaked Journey from Grape to Glass. "Wine is a taste of the harvest along with all the delicious dishes on the table.

To make pairing wine with your Thanksgiving or other holiday meal a painless task, take advantage of Natalie MacLean's free online matching tool.  Start out by choosing "turkey holiday dinner" from the food drop-down menu and then select the specific type of dish you are serving.  You may also begin by selecting the type of wine you would most like to serve. 

Below, you'll find MacLean's "Five Quick Tips For Choosing a Terrific Thanksgiving Wine":

1. Start with bubbly. Sparkling wine is a great aperitif to sip while you wait for the turkey to finish cooking. It adds a celebratory note to the meal and goes well with starters like soup and salad.

2. Consider the turkey. Unlike most poultry and game birds, turkey meat is very dry in texture. So you need a mouth-watering wine to complement it. Good options are crisp whites like riesling and pinot grigio. And yes you can drink red wine with white meat: pinot noir, beaujolais and zinfandel all have juicy, berry-ripe flavors that go well with turkey.

3. Look beyond the bird. The range of side dishes means that you don't have to match your wine just to the turkey. Since Thanksgiving dinner is often a banquet-style meal, with everyone choosing the trimmings, why not do the same with your wines? Offer both red and white, and possibly more than one depending on the size of your group.

4. Complement or contrast. A big, buttery chardonnay from California or Chile can complement the roasted, smoky flavors of squash, chestnuts and pecan stuffing. But if you'd rather have a contrast to the richness of cream sauces and dressings, try a crisp New Zealand sauvignon blanc.

5. End on a sweet note. If anyone still has room left when it's time for pumpkin or pecan pie, offer a late harvest wine or icewine. If you're a chocolate fan, try serving a liqueur with complementary flavors such as raspberry or blackcurrant.

Wine is supposed to be fun and exciting so don't let yourself become too concerned with whether or not the pairing works.  While there are ideal pairings, there is no "perfect pairing," since everyone's tastes are slightly different.  Therefore, just relax, enjoy time with your family and friends, have great food...and hopefully great wine will follow. Cheers!
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Natalie MacLean has won four James Beard Journalism Awards, including the MFK Fisher Distinguished Writing Award; and she was named the World's Best Drink Writer at the World Food Media Awards. Rex Pickett, author of Sideways, says that Natalie "writes about wine with a sensuous obsession" and is "often laugh-out-loud funny." Eric Asimov of The New York Times notes, "Ms. MacLean is the disarming Everywoman . she loves wine, loves drinking . a winning formula." The Financial Times observes: "Natalie MacLean is a new force in the wine writing world-a feisty North American answer to Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson."

Red Wine Improves Cholesterol and Circulation

It's not often you hear that drinking a little more than half a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon a day, yes, a day, can have health benefits.  But, alas, scientific study has shown this to be the case - well, sort of.

An article by Jacob Gaffney of Wine Spectator highlights a study, published in the September issue of Nutritional Journal, that found reduced cholesterol levels and increased circulation in people, young and old, who drank a half-bottle of red wine, Cabernet Sauvignon, nightly.   

In the past, studies have tended to focus strictly on treating heart-ailments in older populations, rather than preventing them in younger age ranges.  Paul Lewandowski, the co-author of this study, said "he and two other researchers from different medical schools in Australia sought to determine whether younger people differed from older ones in their ability to benefit from drinking red wine."  The study proved successful, but that's not to say it should be totally relied on, as it was limited.  In other words, don't start drinking 1/2 a bottle every night just yet.

To read more, follow this link.

Tuscany's Sangiovese & Piedmont's Nebbiolo

Italy has definitely played a vital role in making the wine industry what it is today.  For thousands of years, the country has influenced viticultural practices, the cultivation different varietals, vinicultural, or wine-making techniques, and the export of wine.  Albeit, in an undistinguished way.  See, for most of history, the wine of Italy has been viewed as "undistinguished, affordable table wine."  To change this image, Italy's wine industry adopted a number of quality control laws to help impart a vision of quality to its consumers.  While there is still question as to how much these quality control laws actually measure quality, one thing is for certain: Italy is producing extraordinary quality wine on many levels and it should not go unnoticed.

Two varietals of distinguished importance are Tuscany's Sangiovese, the star of Chianti and Supertuscan wines such as Tignanello, and Nebbiolo, the King of Piedmont's Barolo and Barbaresco wines. 

Of the six major regions in central Italy, Tuscany is undoubtedly the leader in wine production, quality wine at that.  Chianti and Chianti Classico, infamous regions in Tuscany, are probably the best known Italian wines in the United States.  For quite some time, they were misunderstood as being mediocre, with the most popular being that ubiquitous straw-covered bottle of wine setting the stage.  Wicker aside, there is plenty of superb Chianti and Classico on the market today.   Chianti is made from  80-100% Sangiovese, with other red and white varietals allowed. 

Supertuscans, another landmark of Tuscany, began when a man by the name of Marchese planted Bordeaux varietals, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, which he received from Chateau Lafite-Rothschild, in Bolgheri.   Marchese made small batches of these Bordeaux varietals, which he called Sassicaia, shared it with people, and they loved the non-traditional style of wine.  His cousin, Antinori blended Sassicaia with 80% Sangiovese and called it Tignanello.  Soon Sassicaia and Tignanello would be referred to as "Supertuscans."  For many years, Supertuscans were not allowed by Italy's quality laws because they were not made from approved varietals.  However, today they are welcome into the system and it's a good thing because they are deserving of the recognition.

Piedmont, Italy's northwest wine region, produces the best wines in the northwest.  The most cherished wines of Piedmont, Barolo and Barbaresco are made from the Nebbiolo grape.  These wines tend to be rich, full-bodied, tannic, and complex.  Barolo tends to be much more meaty with aromas of licorice, tar ant truffles.  Barbaresco, on the other hand, tends to be more elegant and have more floral, fruity components of violets or roses, plumbs and blackberries.

Some good Chianti and Supertuscan wines to try are:

- Selvapiana Bucerchiale Chianti Classico 2003
- Antinori Peppoli Chianti Classico 2004
- Felsina Fontalloro 2003 (Super Tuscan)

Some good Barolo and Barbaresco wines to try are:

- Silvio Grasso Barolo Giachini 1999
- Mascarello Barolo Villero 1999
- Moccagatta Bric Balin Barbaresco 2001

I found a couple of videos from Wine Spectator's Video Theater showcasing harvest in Tuscany and Piedmont.  Here are the links:

Tuscan Harvest
Neri Harvest
Picking With Pio Boffa
Barbaresco: It Takes the Village

I'd love to learn of other Italian wines from Tuscany, Piedmont, or elsewhere you think are worth trying.

Cheers!

HIP TASTES

One of the best things about wine is that there is endless learning involved.  As such, I am always interested to see what new books have come out on the topic and what may be of quality and interest.  I say quality, because it's hard to find a well written book - one that captivates; draws you in and keeps you there.  For instance, as much as I want to get through "First Big Crush" by Eric Arnold, I'm having a difficult time because I think the book is written very poorly.

So, I was in the bookstore the other day, undoubtedly one of my favorite places to spend time, and naturally headed straight for the wine section.  I came across a great book called Hip Tastes, by Courtney Cochran.  She's a certified sommelier and founder of Your Personal Sommelier and HIP TASTES Events in San Francisco.  I was immediately drawn to the book for its "fresh" image.  Cochran does a great job of touching upon all facets of the wine industry in a clear, concise way that doesn't confuse, or bore the reader.  The book is very well written (most likely because she's an English major from UCLA) and is fun to read.  She adds a personal element into her writing that really makes her book unique. 

She begins by briefing the reader on the history of wine, talking a little bit about viticulture and viniculture  and what can affect the variety of wine styles.  Cochran calls this "Your CliffsNotes to the Wine World."  Next, the author explains the dynamics of how to taste and analyze wine and then discusses specifics about white, red, sparkling and sweet wines.  Other topics addressed in her book are wine and food pairing, how to store wine at home, how to tackle a restaurant wine list, how to shop for wine at home, and tips on planning travel to the wine regions of the world. 

Another great feature of HIP TASTES is the appendix.  Cochran offers charts listing wines named for places, wine word pronunciation, and regions and their specific producers and quality vintages.  She also has an extensive listing of U.S. retailers (brick-and-mortar and online), wine festivals and events, wine tourism resources and wine schools/classes.  I'd have to say that this book is one of the best new encyclopedic-style wine books on the market today.  Quite frankly, I wish it had been available to me when I was first learning wine.  Even with the knowledge I have today, I find it to be a good little companion.  It's definitely a book that can serve useful to both the beginner and the expert. 

Check out the links above to Courtney Cochran's websites if you're interested in her HIP TASTES events, or booking her as your personal sommelier!  Please note she works primarily in Los Angeles and San Francisco.

What's New in Beaujolais Is Not Nouveau

A well written article by Eric Asimov on the status of Beaujolais, both the wine and the region. 

As quoted from the article:

"In a region known for wines to be drunk and forgotten, there are serious producers creating wines of depth and class that nonetheless retain the joyous nature imbued in Beaujolais."

Click on the link to read the article. 

What's New in Beaujolais Is Not Nouveau

Crushpad Does Japan

It was announced on August 6th that Crushpad launched Crushpad Japan to satiate the cravings of the growing population of wine enthusiasts in Japan.  The company will have personnel stationed in both Tokyo and San Francisco and will provide language and sales marketing support to the Japanese, apparently Crushpad's largest market outside the U.S.  Enthusiasts will be able to take advantage of Crushpad's online web community and streaming feeds to associate with other wine enthusiasts and keep tabs on wine harvest. 

Crushpad, the San Francisco-based custom winemaking facility has contributed to the ever-evolving wine industry.  With over 2500 clients, consisting of wine enthusiasts, restaurants, wine bars, professional winemakers and retailers, Crushpad's focus is on small-lot, luxury wine production from very notable California vineyards.  From its beginning in 2004, the company's main goal has been to make the winemaking experience available to everybody, not just those in the industry. 

To learn more about this exciting venture, take a look at the press release on Crushpad's website.