simplicity

If you’ve ever had the experience of an afternoon wine tasting  at a vineyard or winery, I’m sure you noticed how serene the surroundings were.  You could probably feel the energy of agriculture in the making; growing and vibrating around you.   Take that experience and fold it into a week-end, which is just what my family and I did in early August.  We stayed in a beautiful cottage overlooking the vines at Stonewall Creek Vineyards.  Our friends the winemaker’s hosted us.   The view from the cabin displayed the beauty that God intended.  The view was further enhanced by the lovely dinners and wines and kinship shared, between the two families, among the vines;  dangling cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, and petit verdot were awaiting their October picking.   I still remember the fruity taste of the Beaujolais Fleurie and the vibrancy of the Stonewall Creek Vineyards Yukari Rosé….  it was all perfect.   Even The Rare Wine Company Madeira paired with dessert was perfection.   You know it was a gift, in a world where everything is hurry, hurry, hurry, time stood still that week-end and we were able to just be…..I suppose  just as God intended.

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Lafite

Chateau Lafite-Rothchild vintage 1899…..I wonder what this wine would say if it were opened today?  Would it say I’m old and tired? or would it say thank you for cellaring me under the most perfect conditions so that all of my contents could meld together to give you the experience of wine you will never forget?  Probably the latter.

This 19th century, post phylloxera, bottle of wine was produced by a first growth estate within Bordeaux, France.  Those familiar with the term “first growth” know that the grapes that produced this bottle of wine were grown on one of the most prestigious plots of land in the world defined in 1855.  This bottle blended with cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, merlot and possibly a smidgen of petit verdot grapes, grown on gravelly soil, is a collectors item worth about $289,000.  In fact it was purchased at auction,  within a group of other equally prestigious Lafite wines.  Why?  I would hope for the experience of the evolution that happened in the bottle over time…a seamless and continuous mellowing that would be tasted with each sip from the glass…. bouquet and flavors of….mint, cedar, tobacco, almond, spice, cherry, violet…..on and on it would go.

The significance of this is not to dangle what wines we can’t afford….the significance is experiencing, to the fullest, what wines we can afford.  You see, all wines, from different price points and regions have aromas, bouquets and flavors to experience with each sip taking you to it’s place of origin giving you an experience you’ll remember…...yes, even with a $15.00 bottle of Bordeaux.

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Yesterday’s Wine

I haven’t written on my blog for a while.  I’ve been busy perfecting our family’s gourmet product business.  I’ve learned though that nothing is ever perfected, perfection is a myth.  The only thing there is is growth, so growing we are doing. 

Sometimes in life we lose sight of what’s really important; what makes our heart sing.  Wine makes my heart sing.  I love sipping it, talking about it, teaching it…it speaks to me on many different levels, from the domestic to the finest from around the world.  My hope is to enlighten you so that it speaks to you too.  So let’s get on with it….

I had a wine the other night from California; Mark West Pinot Noir (vintage 2010), light rubyish rust colored red, smells of cow pasture and red fruits - tastes of subdued raspberry with a short tannic bite.  It was a pleasurable wine, true to California’s fruity style without being overly alcoholic, %13.8.  The smooth pinot fruit calms the alcohol.  It’s a wine that pairs ever so perfectly with grilled meats; skirt steak, hamburgers, etc.

I liked it a lot, in fact I’m sipping it as I type.  I love my wine job  :  )

 

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Wines to Discover this Year

Another year has begun and hopefully we are all up for new wine exploration.  There is  a vast number of wine regions at our disposal, so I say out with the familiar and in with something new and different.  Here are a few regions that produce some very interesting wines for you to try this year:

Germany:  yes, Germany is famous for their sweet wines made from the Riesling grape.  But did you know they make red wines from the Pinot Noir grape?  German Pinot Noir wines have a subtle strawberry-dark berry flavor with an herbal undertone and is light in tannin.  This wine is perfect as an everyday red.

Languedoc-Roussillon: many great reds come from this area, made with varieties; Grenache, Syrah, Carignan, Mourvedre and Cinsault.   But this region also makes great sparkling wine in the same manner as Champagne;  Blanquette de Limoux.  Blanquette de Limoux is a white sparkling wine made with three grapes;  Mauzac, Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay.  It’s an off dry sparkler with an aroma and flavor of cut grass and subtle apple.  It’s a sparkler to be enjoyed alone or with your everyday seafood dish.

New York Finger Lakes AVA:  climatically compared with Germany, this region produces some of the best Riesling based wines in the USA.  Vibrant floral aromas together with succulent citrus flavors make these wines best drunk anytime, anywhere with anything.

Happy New Year!

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