The New Wine Rules

I remember my first glass of significant wine; a wine that changed the way I thought about wine.   I was at a dinner party and upon second sip I had an awakening….all of a sudden I needed to know what I was drinking, where it came from, and why with each sip, was it causing me to want to know everything about it.  This was years ago and to this day I expect that kind of experience with every glass of wine I sip; from the bistro styled table wine to the grand cru fine wine.  Here is what I have learned and have dubbed the new wine rules:

| Wine is meant to be an experience and you don’t have time in your life to waste on bad experiences.  Always make it a habit with each glass of wine you sip to think about what you’re tasting, how it changes in your mouth, how it evolves in your glass, how you feel when you’re sipping it.  

| A wine should never disappoint…..if it does, move on and never purchase it again. 

| wine should take you to a special place; the place of its origin and open you up to an experience and a world that you’d want to travel to again and again.

| The same familiar varieties are grown all over the world; cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, chenin blanc….these are disguised as Bordeaux Rouge, white Burgundy, and Vouvray…..seek out the familiar varieties from regions you haven’t experienced yet.

| it’s not mandatory to pair wine with food;  the pairing of wine with food plays a significant gastronomic role in your palate experience, don’t get me wrong, but it’s not mandatory.  Wine for wines sake is alright.

| wine bars are the new black…just like the color spectrum, wines from around the world can be sampled by the glass before you commit to buying the full bottle.

There you have it, the new rules.  By the way, that first significant glass of wine that changed my life was a homemade chardonnay wine:)

enjoy

The Perfect Wine Grape for Summer

Wine in the bottle is a living breathing evolving food.  When released and poured into a glass it evolves even further, some wines needing it, others not so much; grape variety, growing region and winemaker being the ultimate deciding factor.  There are grapes that produce near perfect wines upon pouring…no evolution needed; sauvignon blanc is one of them.  Sauvignon Blanc is the native grape of the Bordeaux region of France.  It is blended, in this region, with primarily the Semillon grape to produce the soft subdued, lime dominant, herbaceous white Bordeaux wines;  perfection in old world style and pairs well with simple meals.  On the other side of subdued is sauvignon blanc from New Zealand.  This new world region married sauvignon blanc and became quite possibly the most perfect single variety union; terroir and single grape.  The sauvignon blanc from this region expresses this grape in a more bold and fruit-forward way… being the more exuberant twin so to speak.  Both regions express the grape differently but neither masks the trueness of the grape.  Being interchangeable for the warm weather both versions are zippy to the core which makes them perfect for summer foods; picnic foods, pasta salads, chicken salads, barbequed anything…..you get the point…..not many wines can boast that….well maybe Riesling:)….that’s a new blog post.  So pour and sip away no evolving needed. 

enjoy

Packaging is Everything

Within this uniquely shaped bottle with the slightly curved neck is a sustainably grown Merlot-Cabernet Sauvignon blend, Vin de Pays D’Oc, from Southern France.  As you can see it has not been opened, not because the want is not there and not because the food pairing is not there, but because time is needed to ponder the shear beauty and creative thought that went into the design and craftsmanship of the bottle that would would house its contents.  Being from a moderately climed region, there is little doubt that its contents would smell and taste of subtle deep berries and black cherries and earth with a hint of black currant…..one would also imagine the complete balance of fruit, tannin and alcohol with a medium to long length based on the 12.5% indicated on the bottle.  ok enough on that….when the pondering is over, it will be opened and it will be paired with red wine braised short ribs:)

enjoy

Technorati Tags: J.P Chenet Wines

Rueda Verdejo

The goal of wine is to invigorate your senses and enhance your life experience. I  said a mouthful I know, but the truth is wine is a living breathing, evolving food that should be appreciated and pondered upon with each sip.  The appreciation not only for its taste and food enhancing qualities, but for its sense of place and the skill of the winemaker to capture all of the above.  Let’s look a Spain.  Spain is the third most important wine region in the world.  It has the most land under vines than any other wine region.  It produces stunning reds from Rioja, and refreshing whites from Rueda.  I opened a bottle of one of Rueda’s pride and joy – Verdejo.   The meal planned for the evening was penne pasta with banger sausage…not quite a match but I was looking to sip on something while I waited.  The wine was Hermano Lurton Rueda 2010.  Upon first pour its youthful aroma leaped out of the stream that whirled into my glass….fresh citrus.  Not wasting any time I sipped….it tasted of key lime pie - without the sugar - and a hint of herbs.  What a gem!  Within my glass was Rueda and a wine maker who knew how to capture its essence.  I wouldn’t have expected anything less.  Now, this wine is more of a warm weather sipper, and as I pondered each sip I thought about what I’d pair it with…..so if I had to pair it with food, I’d pair it with a Mediterranean pasta salad and/or grilled chicken with cilantro.  

enjoy

Technorati Tags: Hermanos Lurton Rueda Verdejo,Spain