What's new(s) in wine and tasting it

I'm not sure I will ever fully understand why some known wines get a make-over largely in name only. A few years ago it was Moet doing away with their White Star Champagne bottling and replacing it with a slightly different iteration (in terms of the style of wine itself) and calling it Moet Imperial Brut. White Star was a really recognized name in the marketplace and today it is still a point of confusion for many looking for the White Star, and being handed the Imperial Brut. Is the wine different? Yes, a bit. But why not roll with the old name? Now it looks like La Mission Haut Brion is making a similar name shift. Check out this brief Decanter article on why the change.  Then tell us, as a consumer, does the reasoning make sense to you? Do you care? Next up we have an article that three different friends sent to me (from two different sources), to ensure I didn't miss it: the latest in wine health news reports suggests that women who drink have a better chance of avoiding obseity. Egad, will these studies ever cease? An entertaining read if you, like me, don't mind another guilt-free reason to keep pouring your nightly glass of wine.

Last but not least, we have a fun Old World vs. New World showdown on The Tasting Docit! On Friday March 19 you and other foodie nerds at WGBH can enjoy the fun for a mere $25. And there will be music to further enrich your tasting experience. Check it out!

Wines for Thanksgiving!

With only one weekend before Thanksgiving remaining, no doubt wine lovers throughout the country will be out and about buying wines for the big event. Indeed, it's up there as far as important wine events go! For your drinking (and reading) pleasure, it seemed prudent to round up a few of my favorite picks for the e-roster. Wheeee!!

REDS

2007 Schloss Muhlenhof Dornfelder - This bad boy comes in a 1L size. I hosted a small affair last weekend and it could have easily been the only wine I poured (it was gone WAY too quickly!) - offering great, concentrated red berry fruit flavors (cherries, raspberries) in a smooth, sultry package. Generally speaking, this grape (Dornfelder, that is) is a German red wine phenomenon for those who like a lot of fruit, a bit of "lift" and a welcome bit of earthy, mineral-driven nuance to their wines. No lie, Scholss Muhlenhof's is THE BEST I've ever encountered (so great is my love I'm tempted to buy a full case of the stuff to have on hand "just in case..." this winter). The extra glass the 1L size offers will NOT be wasted.  Only $15!

2006 Bethel Heights Eola-Amity Cuvee Pinot Noir -  A careful blend of 6 different vineyard sites, the  is a tremendous, mouth-filling example of Oregon Pinot Noir. Think of this wine as a smooth, deeply earthy Belgian truffle, filled with cherry and raspberry fruits. Truly a well-integrated, delicious wine worth the gentle splurge. (A winner destined for my own table.) About $31.

2007 Clos la Coutale Cahors - With the (worthy) Malbec craze stemming from the success of this grape in Argentina, many consumers forget Malbec is actually a French varietal. Many more do not know that arguably the best, single bottling Malbecs in France come from the Cahors region – and are labeled simply as such. This wine is  remarkably succulent, juicy and approachable. Enjoy black raspberry and blackberry flavors complemented with fresh strawberries! A touch of earthy rusticity makes this Malbec uniquely French. This one is a "bigger" wine than "traditional" Thanskgiving recommendations and would be a particularly good match for rosemary/garlic encrusted roast hen, or the like. About $17.

WHITES

Schoenheitz NV Edelzwicker - Edelzwicker means "noble blend". Indeed this wine includes as many as seven different varieties from Auxerrois to Sylvaner. The result is suprisingly coherent and delightfully flavorful. Well balanced, dry Alsatian goodness, this is another wine that comes in the 1 litre size bottle. About $15.

2006 Clos de Rochers Pinot Gris - While Alsace, France has long been the place for rich, but dry Pinot Gris, this Luxembourg beauty beats them at their own game. Ripe pears and yellow flowers abound on the nose and coat the palette while brisk minerality keeps things dry and balanced. This wine is absolutely worth the splurge – and certainly a great conversation topic if the family gets a bit unruly. (This one will also be on my own table!)  About $22.

2007 Anne Amie Cuvee A Mueller Thurgau -Leave it to the folks at well-known Anne Amie Vineyards to deliver an exceptional, if not lesser known, wine. The Cuvee A Mueller Thurgau’s tropical and floral aromas could very easily be bottled on their own and used by aroma therapists to rejuvenate clients. Pineapple, melon and white peach flavors comingle with a perky taste of fresh lemon juice. About $15.

SPARKLING FUN

Villa di Corlo NV Grasparossa Lambrusco - Versatile, slightly sparkling, fresh, fruity goodness. Lambrusco is pink - and the best are oh-so-dry. This is a wine for guests who deserve and enjoy a break from the norm. This particular offering shows ripe raspberry fruit backed by a coy minerality. Perfect simply when you want to dazzle without effort. About $17.

Poema NV Brut Cava - Today, if you look for it, exceptional Cava is available at a fraction of the price of Champagne. Case in point: the Poema makes drinking bubbly every day (or in a large party format) oh-so-easy and affordable! This is a fun and versatile bubbly with subtle flavors of peach, pear and warm, toasted bread. A bit of orange rind on the finish adds additional intrigue and nuance. Enjoy this one before, during or after your meal. About $11.

Which one of these is likely to grace your table? Is there another you have in mind for the big day??

A Tale of Two Wine Vintages

Ever grown particularly attached to a particular vintage of a particular wine? The good (and sometimes sad) news about wine is it is often changing! It is not a genre where you can rest on your laurels; the juice will run out – and the best ones often do sooner than later. Fortunately, this reality is part of what makes wine romantic. Nostalgia is a big part of the wine equation! Pop on over to Wicked Local today to read about my recent experience tasting two vintages of the same wine. (The outcome might surprise you!)

Which wine changed vintages - and lost your affections as a result? Which wine offers a comforting consistency year to year?

The art and science of great Champagne

One of the simplest pleasures in life is bubbles. Thank goodness they are all around us, from soap, to a delicate “Top Chef” food foam, to the beach! Remember being a kid and blowing them? You couldn’t help but smile every time you created one, and the bigger, the better. Then there was going to the beach, wading through the foam a crashed wave leaves behind and attempting to capture the remnants in your cupped hands. I still relish the smell of the ocean, transmitted as the waves crash and the mist gets picked up and sent to my nose.... But are these attributes beneficial for the enjoyment of sparkling wine, also?

Head on over to Wicked Local today to find out!

What do you love about Champagne?

Friday Wine Fodder

I suspect with the wine trade's "tasting season" well underway, the Powers That Be at various publications (whether print or more socially-driven), are a bit behind in their usual operations. I know I'm a bit tuckered out, sampling wares from all over the world to suss out the Best of the Best for consumers.  My suspicion stems from a surprising lack of wine news this week. That said, I think I've found a few articles to distract you from your own work today. France is proving a bit fickle in their health/wine reports these days. Check out this Decanter article to learn which way they are flipping (or flopping?) this week.

And South Africa proves a tempting ground - for theft! Did you hear about this major wine heist?

Finally, don't forget to get on the tasting bandwagon yourself in the next week or so! Remember there are a couple of events you should consider attending:

Sept 25-27

Newport Mansions Food & Wine Festival Here’s what they’re saying about it: “Presented by Food & Wine, this spectacular event will feature more than 400 wines from around the world and cooking demonstrations by celebrity chefs Jacques Pépin, Joanne Weir, David Burke and more culinary experts.” Click here for more info and to get your tickets today (and be sure to poke around the web for discount codes…).

Sept 29

All New England 3rd Annual Farm-Fresh Funky Feeding Frenzy @ Craigie on Main. From their lips to our ears, here’s what to expect:  “a 5-course dinner with wine pairings. We have thrown down a challenge to ourselves and pledge to meet it: every single offering on the menu will have been grown, raised or caught within our New England borders.”

Have you sipped and sampled at all this fall? Where abouts?

September's wicked wine picks!

As much as we may hate to admit it, the smell of autumn is in the air. September offers a great opportunity to embrace wines of all shapes and sizes, regardless of a specific need to celebrate. Sometimes simply unwinding at the end of a long day is the way to go. This month we offer some bubbly for just such an occasion, as well as a cool white that could fly under the radar screen if not given proper attention and a dynamic duo of opposing, but equally enticing reds. School may be back in session, but September is absolutely not a month for “Time Out” in the wine world! Pop on over to Wicked Local for this month’s roster of recess-worthy picks.

What else are you sipp'n on this month?

September's upcoming wine tasting events

September bridges summer and fall. I'm a personal fan of the former and never too excited about the latter because that just means cold weather is on its way. Fortunately in the wine trade, there is a silver lining: fall wine tasting events abound! Here's a list of what's on tap in/around Boston in the coming weeks: Sept 17 (6pm - 8pm)

The folks over at The Wine Bottega are unleashing their wine mojo to the masses once again. Join them for their Loire Valley Abbondanza, featuring more than 15 wines from this uniquely diverse region. They tell me "rules are made to be broken, so we thought we would venture out of Italy and into France for this month’s Abbondanza. The wines of the Loire Valley are simply too varied (and delicious) to fit into a regular Friday tasting. We thought we would put together a killer line up from Muscadet to Sancerre and all the favorites in between. This will be a Francophilic spectacular the likes of which have never been seen at The Bottega. Don’t miss it! ($10/person)

Sept 20 (3pm - 6pm)

13th Annual Grape Stomp and Jazz Festival at Truro Vineyards in North Truro, MA. "As part of a larger Truro Treasures weekend, we will once again host our jazz festival and grape stomp on Sunday, September 20th from 3-6 PM. Come sit beneath the Chinese Mulberry tree, listen to local jazz greats and sip wine by the vines. Admissions is free."

Sept 25-27

Newport Mansions Food & Wine Festival Here's what they're saying about it: "Presented by Food & Wine, this spectacular event will feature more than 400 wines from around the world and cooking demonstrations by celebrity chefs Jacques Pépin, Joanne Weir, David Burke and more culinary experts." Click here for more info and to get your tickets today (and be sure to poke around the web for discount codes...).

Sept 29

All New England 3rd Annual Farm-Fresh Funky Feeding Frenzy @ Craigie on Main. From their lips to our ears, here's what to expect:  "a 5-course dinner with wine pairings. We have thrown down a challenge to ourselves and pledge to meet it: every single offering on the menu will have been grown, raised or caught within our New England borders."

Will you plan to attend one of these events? Which other ones have caught your attention this month?

Edelz-what?? The good juice in a 1 Liter bottle.

Perhaps you’ve encountered a white wine that comes in a 1 liter bottle inside the cooler at your local fine wines shop this summer. There are a handful of them on the market this year. But it’s not necessarily something you see every day. Some of these wines are 100% Gruner Veltliner, Austria’s flagship white and a fast favorite here in the states; some others may be a little known white blend called “Edelzwicker.” Eldelzwicker can be hit or miss, like any wine, but the stuff making it across the Atlantic and onto our shores so far has proven very worthy of our attention. Pop on over to Wicked Local today to find out what all the buzz is about!

Have you uncorked an Edelzwicker this summer? Which one?

The wonderful world of rose

Rose is one of my all time favorite wine genres. Seriously. I met a woman over the weekend who had just discovered it for the first time - and she was absolutely exhilarated by the find. She and a group had been out to eat at Dante in Cambridge. The wine guru there who I've mentioned before, Chas Boyton, recommended a Californian take on rose: the Sutton Cellars Rose. She couldn't get enough and had popped into the shop to see if we stocked it. We don't, as it turns out, but I happily chatted with her about the wonderful world of rose and helped her choose another. I was pleased she had already learned a lot from her one jaunt with the stuff (and no doubt at the tutelage of Mr. Boyton):  no matter if everyone at your table is enjoying different cuisine, it pairs wonderfully; it is lively and refreshing on a hot day; it is NOT sweet; and it is a terrific way to spice up an otherwise non-celebratory night out.

Tra-la! Pop on over to Wicked Local today to learn a bit more about this DRY wine and how to find one to suit your palate. I focus on my favorite style (French) providing but a general overview of one is likely to encounter, but there really is something for everyone on the market. That's part of its magic.

Which rose is your favorite this summer?

Episode 2: the love affair between food and wine

We started to revisit the topic of food and wine as a match made in heaven a few weeks ago... My family wine taste-off of sorts interrupted us for a week last week, but with the fourth of July grill fest soon to come, it seems prudent to re-tune the station to another of our Supper Swap success stories! So without further ado, here we have Episode #2 of our Supper Swap series: Black bean sliders! The first time I tried my "Summer is Coming" black bean sliders recipe out on my fellow Swappers I discovered "it needed a little... tweaking", in the words of Tom Hanks in You've Got Mail. Not to worry. I excel at taking a base recipe and fine-tuning it for future endeavors. I discovered Sandra Lee's recipe lacked a bit of bite, sweetness and texture. The food processor process I employed the first time out of the gates ground everything to a paste;  the flavors of each individual component couldn't possibly show through once "grilled". (I also learned the grill is not the cooking tool of choice....) Here's what I came up with as an alternative to this fast summer savior:

Ingredients - black beans (30 oz), 1/2 sweet onion, 1/2 cup of whole beets, 1/2 cup bread crumbs, 1 egg (white)

Directions - Pulse the beans LIGHTLY and in batches in your food processor. Place in bowl. Then pulse 1/2 cup of beets in your processor. (This adds additional flare, color and sweetness to the burgers without being over the top for those who may shy away from beets.) Dice sweet onion into small pieces by hand. Combine, adding black pepper and salt to taste. Then combine with egg and crumbs. Form patties.

Use a skillet to cook each side (about 4 or 5 min/side), til done.

Makes 5 Servings for a large burger, or about 7 sliders.

Serve on a large English muffin and - the key - use Greek yogurt as the topping. Add mango salsa for additional panache!

So, what wine works?

I had a bottle of the Nuevo Mundo Cabernet/Malbec on hand the first time I tasted these re-vamped burgers - and have lived to tell the tale again and again (just ask my poor colleague...)!  But I've also given them a whirl with a Syrah-based Cote du Rhone as well as the Crios Syrah/Bonarda and been oh-so-satisfied. Basically, you want a lush and mouth-filling, deep, dark fruited red wine with a touch of herbaceousness and spice. Other blends that would work happily are the SNAFU (CA) and the Portteus Rattlesnake Red (WA). Or try a good old-fashioned, dark toned, (with chocolate subtones) Malbec!

The point is, these burgers aren't shy, but also offer a touch of spice and sweetness. A wine with dark but lush and sweet fruit or undertones (e.g. the chocolate thing) makes for a great pairing.

What other wines would you pair with such an easy-to-make, satisfying, hearty meal?