Wine Things I Noticed This Week

Had a fun tasting in the Mayoral Cellar this week, and a few things come to mind to share. I have been trying to taste the Stephen Vincent Sauvignon Blanc for a long time. Have loved his Cab, and heard raves about his Chard. So I opened one for the guests as a starter wine. Don’t bother. Totally lacking in acid, or even California grassiness, this flabby effort tasted more like an oaky Pinot Grigio, and a cheap one at that. No real fruit, certainly nothing like the New Zealands. I like some vigor and balance, and got neither.
My next epiphany came tasting a Chateau Margaux from my birth year that same night. Now 1957 wasn’t the same quality year in Bordeaux that it was in Richmond, so I knew this fondly held wine was about done as far as style points go. I made this our first red since I knew it would be lighter than the ‘00 Burgundy and ‘98 St Emilion to follow. And it was...For a while. But when we revisited it after tasting the last two wines, the old gem came to life. Not because of additional air (we had opened all wines 3 hours early). Something in our mouths changed. All of us agreed that the ‘57 had the oomph to stand well beside the two younger bucks. And I have no idea why, but I’m glad we tried it. When you taste next time, keep your first wine around for another sample at the end. Watch your mouth work to make it shine a little differently.

James River Wine Festival

15th Annual James River Wine Festival
When: Saturday, April 29th, 12 - 7 p.m. Sunday, April 30th, 12 - 6 p.m. Rain or Shine
Where: The Pavilion at Innsbrook
Cost: $13 in advance/$18 at the gate

Tickets good either day and include a Festival Wine Glass & Sampling

Includes: Live Jazz, Great Food, Arts & Crafts, Free Parking
More Info: Call 804-353-1525
Please -- No Pets & No Coolers

Tickets available at the following Glen Allen/West End locations:

Market Cafe-10950 Nuckols Rd.
Total Wine & More-8099 W. Broad St.
Belle Kuisine-Short Pump Crossing
Capital Ale House-4024A Cox Rd.
Shacklefords Restaurant-10496 Ridgefield Pkwy
Private Stock Cigar & Wine Co.-10124 Brook Rd.

Buying Fine Wine at Auction

Virginia has a number of problems that work against the wine collector. Until recently, shipping into the state by wineries and retailers was strictly forbidden. Now, it is controlled and consumers can import wine, but only from licensed wineries who pay a tax to Virginia, which many wineries refuse to do. Further, it is illegal in Virginia for one consumer to sell to another consumer. This means that when a collector wants to sell all or part of his wine cellar holdings, he must get a wholesaler involved, increasing costs and effectively often times negating the effort. There are a number of on line houses available to purchase wine, but it can be trial and error whether the product is in good condition.
The safest method if you want to buy fine wine and older vintages is to get involved with sales from the high end auction houses. Sotheby’s, Bonham and Butterfield, and Hart Davis and Hart are three houses that deal only with known sellers and their cellars, providing quality goods, rare vintages and safe shipping to Virginia. All allow on line bidding, and each has many auction per year. I have purchased from all three, finding rare wines at reasonable prices, including two cases from my birth year. Don’t let the fancy names scare you away. Many lots are quite reasonably priced, many are partial cases and all are checked by the auction house for quality and condition. Even more fun is actually attending the auctions. Many time lunch is served and many attendees bring wines to drink and share. Check out the web links, and you may find something you can’t live without.

Tastings as I See Them

Cafe Gutenburg WineDown Wednesdays, half price wine by the glass 5-10 pm. 17th and Main. www.cafegutenberg.com

Can Can, Monday tastings 6-7 $1.Wine Dinners Wednesdays, Reservations required. (Carytown) 358-7274 www.cancanbrasserie.com

Wine Lovers Thursdays 530-7 Free. John Rolfe Parkway

Beer and Wine Westpark Thursdays 4-7 Free. Broad St. beyond Parham

Melting Pot Thursdays 6:30 Tasting and discussion $10. Gaskins Near Gayton

The Wine Cellar Fridays 5-8 Free. Huguenot at Midlothian

River City Cellars Fridays 5-7 Free. Carytownwww.rivercitycellars.com

Bin 22 Wine flights with light foods and cheeses. Tuesday thru Saturday. Carytown

Fleming's First Monday of each month 5:30-7:00 Free. Charity Wine Wednesdays 3rd Wednesday of each month. Reduced priced glasses, all proceeds to charity.
April 19, SPCA. 6:00-8:00 Stony Point Fashion Mall http://www.flemingssteakhouse.com/

Around the World with G

Went to a Pinot Noir "Workshop" last night with Cordell (of Fleming's Fame) hosted by Genevelyn Steele (aka "G") at a local Wine Shop. Timing was perfect with Wine Spectator's Issue featuring the temperamental grape released just two days prior. So I pre-briefed the event by checking out the article. The tasting was five Pinots from various locations, three US and a New Zealand and a French. WE started with New Zealand and were rewarded with an acid bomb which G mentioned was typical in her experience of the country's output. I noticed also some oak in the nose, and was rewarded with a confirm that many of these wines are indeed stored in french oak. An Oregon Pinot followed, this style being more typical of the Burgundian benchmark. Chateau Bianca from the Willamette Valley held my attention longer, it's finish and balance making it my top wine of the evening. California and New York were the next two, and while I was pleasantly surprised with both, the style is not in my wheelhouse at this time. Fruit in the nose, no earth and a clipped finish relegated these two to also-rans for me. The French Burgundy we tasted last was from Albert Bichot, and showed awesome color, with bright cherry/garnet tones and high reflectivity. Red fruit driven, it belied it's origin, but still had the nuances I expect from the Old World.
Pinot is a temperamental mistress, hard to grow, and harder still to make quality wines without manipulating the process. Reverse osmosis, adding water, blending are becoming more accepted with this varietal, and with mixed results to my mind. I prefer the old stylings of Burgundy, from the classic makers, but alas they crimp the pocket book. So Oregon is my best value/least manipulation destination when it comes to Pinot now, and even they can't seem to keep their hands clean.

Bin 22 News from the Owners

We are starting up our Tuesday night wine tastings again. On Tuesday, April 18th at 7pm we will feature a Spanish wine and food tasting with Chris Reynolds of Dionysus Imports. Wines included:
~ 2 cavas by Avingo
~2 Basque whites from Txakolin
~2 reds from Rioja
Price is $27pp (includes food and wine). Please call 358.4501 for more details and reservations.


Sophia Minis are here! Little pink cans of blanc de blancs ($6)-perfect for sipping on our patio.

Please stop by to see our April artist, Layton Grier. Her photos from Provence and Tuscany are beautiful and for sale.

If you're interested in having a private party on a Sunday or Monday evening, we can customize a tasting and food pairing (minimum 20 people-we can accommodate 60 with the patio)~just let us know the dates you are interested in as the calendar is filling up!

We hope to see you soon.

Cheers,
Greg and Jen Pullen
Bin 22@ betsy's
804.358.4501

Partisans of Red Wine Says It Loosens the Arteries

Research by The NPD Group suggests is loosens up the wallet as well. The study tracked the amount of money people spend at casual and fine-dining restaurants, then correlated it with the sort of alcohol that they drink. "People tend to have a higher check when they order red wine, a moderate check with white wine, and a lower check with blush wines." The study also found that people who order wine with their meal are more likely to order dessert than are wineless restaurant goers. So much for the notion the alcohol satisfies one's sweet tooth. Elsewhere on the wine front, a study by Canadian researchers finds red wine may fight periodontal disease. The anti-oxidants in the wine appear to have anti-inflammatory properties that help keep gums healthy. Given the worldwide glut of wine these days, we look forward to seeing a cheap red marketed as mouthwash.

Copied without permission...so sue me... from Adweek Magazine.

The Acacia Wine Dinner

As promised, I attended the Wine Dinner at Acacia last week with both BW and BD. We three enjoy such different things, I was looking forward to how a fixed menu would work for us. BW stuck with one wine through the night, an Aussie Shiraz, which is her bent. But BD and I went with the pairings as offered and found them all to be "spot on" as our buddy Luke would say. We started with the Celery Root Soup, a puree with pancetta and chives. This was a bit thin but still had a creamy texture which held up to the wonderful substance and flavor of a Burgundian Rosé Sparkler, the Michel Freres Cremant. I am deeply fond of the current trend towards dry pink wines. Don't ever assume that good rosé is sweet; the French make wonderful dry rosés.

Next was the salad course, and as we have discussed, any vinegar based salad dressing makes wine pairing difficult. Herbs and greens were joined by a piquillo pepper stuffed with goat cheese. The wine was Cluver's South African Sauvignon Blanc, which holds up against the balsamic as well as anything and was crisp and citrusy, providing a nice counterbalance.

The main course provided us a choice of Salmon or Grilled Sirloin. BD and I chose the salmon, which was pan roasted and accompanied by a sweet onion tart and a pecan sauce. The salmon prep was on target, moist and tasty, just enough carmelization to match the pecan sauce. The wine paired with this was a Santa Maddalena from Thomas Mayr. This is from Northern Italy along the Austrian border and was earthy but light, reminiscent of a good Pinot Noir from Burgundy. BW got the Sirloin with a potato and mushroom ravioli, and garlic sauce. She stuck with her aussie wine, but the pairing selected would have been Chianti Classico from Buondonno.

The service was impeccable, and I happily looked through the regular menu, reminding myself what a neat destination this is. It's back on my list, especially for weeknights and al fresco dining outside on the porch looking over Carytown. Julia from River City Cellars ( http://www.rivercitycellars.com/) was in attendance and had selected the wines. All are available at her shop, just a couple blocks west on Cary St.

More Rhone Tasting Notes

Ok, by now you may be getting sick of listening to me as I spout off about my current favorite region, but off I go again. This week I tasted two “new to me” wines, one a Cotes du Rhone, and the other a smaller appellation called Cotes du Ventoux. A gift, the 2003 Paul Jaboulet Cotes du Rhone Parallele 45 is available at Kroger and elsewhere and is value priced (~$10). Typical for the region, with some additional tannin that might bring the errant cab drinker into the Rhone fold. Plum, fig and black cherry abound in the mouth. Equal parts Grenache and Syrah.
The 2004 Vielle Ferme (the Old farm) Cotes du Ventoux is an effort by the Perrin family, of Chateau de Beaucastel fame. This blend of Grenache and Syrah is supplemented with Carignan and Cinsault. When you see carignan added in a blend, you can suspect some tannin and spice to be the goal of the winemaker, adding depth to other lighter style grapes. Chock full of fruit, this effort belies it’s high hillside location with deep flavors of it’s neighbor, Chateauneuf du Pape. I believe I bought this at Wine Lover’s, and recommend it.
The smaller regions of the Rhone Valley offer great values in French tasting. Look for Cotes du Ventoux, Gigondas, Vacqueyras and Lirac to make your Rhone dollar go farther. For higher quality at a price, Chateauneuf du Pape and Cotes du Rhone-Villages are the “go to” regions.

Cafe Gutenberg

On advice of a friend, I snuck down here today to catch a glimpse of this multi-faceted gem. Boasting breakfast, books, international news, wine flights, Filet Mignon for Dinner and tapas, it's hard to conceive of anything you can't do here. Outside veranda seating, inside bookstore/reading room, and spacious upstairs seating. WiFi free internet. Scheduled foreign language practice sessions on Thursday nights. And Half Price wine by the glass on Wednesday's. I don't know bout you but I'm thinking this place is a winner. Maybe we should all meet some Thursday...speak a little Spanish...Have the intellectual scene... (OK name that reference!)

I started with a Sicilian Mimosa (Spanish Cava and Blood Orange juice...cute!) and then had Nicoise Sandwich (picture the salad on a artisinal roll). Mom always said if the sandwich doesn't drip off you elbows, it's no good, and she would have approved mightily of this one. Even the girl at the next table warned me about tryong to eat it without a knife and fork. But with the gauntlet passed, I had to finish it en mano. Glass of White Haven New Zealand Sauv Blanc topped it all off. So West End boy lives thru a trip into the Bottom! And didn't even have anyone to hold my hand or guard the car! This city is getting down right civilized. Now if they could only tame Northside.

17th and Main by the Farmer's Market

www.cafegutenberg.com

Tasting Schedule as I see it

Cafe Gutenburg WineDown Wednesdays, half price wine by the glass 5-10 pm. 17th and Main. www.cafegutenberg.com

Can Can, Monday tastings 6-7 $1.
Wine Dinners Wednesdays, Reservations required. (Carytown) 358-7274 www.cancanbrasserie.com

Wine Lovers Thursdays 530-7 Free. John Rolfe Parkway

Beer and Wine Westpark Thursdays 4-7 Free. Broad St. beyond Parham

Melting Pot Thursdays 6:30 Tasting and discussion $10. Gaskins Near Gayton

The Wine Cellar Fridays 5-8 Free. Huguenot at Midlothian

River City Cellars Fridays 5-7 Free. Carytown
www.rivercitycellars.com

Bin 22 Wine flights with light foods and cheeses. Tuesday thru Saturday. Carytown

Fleming's First Monday of each month 5:30-7:00 Free. Charity Wine Wednesdays 3rd Wednesday of each month. Reduced priced glasses, all proceeds to charity. April 19, SPCA. 6:00-8:00 Stony Point Fashion Mall www.flemingssteakhouse.com

Wine Pairings with Food

Ok, so I can’t tell you all there is to know on this subject in the space below, but I do have a few comments. I recently attended a wine dinner featuring nine of the 2005 Wine Spectator Top 100 List. The wines were awesome, and the food was very good. Any of the dishes we were served I would order again in a restaurant and be thrilled. But the wine pairings missed the mark, at least for me. So, a few clues, and some suggestions.
Tannin in red wines, the astringent or almost puckery feeling in your mouth, is an acid that bonds with and neutralizes fat. This is why the great Napa Cabs work so well with steaks with marbling (NY Strip and Rib Eye). A meat with less visible fat, Filet Mignon for instance, pairs better with a less tannic red, perhaps a Merlot. Acid in white wines make you feel a rush of saliva move forward in your mouth. While different acids, they have the same effect. A butter sauce or cream sauce pairs well with acidic Sauvignon Blancs and French style Chardonnays. Be confident matching regional foods with their local wines. The Italians make their wines for the express purpose of matching their foods. Rustic French Rhones pair with stews and peasant foods. The toughest pairing is the salad course when a vinegar based dressing is used. I find Reislings and the Gruner Veltliner are good white pairings, and surprisingly Chianti works fairly well from the red side. But the main rule still remains: If you drink a wine you like, the pairing with food probably won’t be that bad. Always default to a favorite wine if you are in doubt. The dog can have any of the food you don’t like!

In the Cellar

The Mayor and one of his lovely constituents. The wine cellar played host to her women's wine tasting group. Some of the most serious wine tasters I have ever seen.

My Cellar, where it all happens...

What You See Below

These are excerpts from the weekly wine newsletter I write for about 125 folks here in Richmond Va. Each week the newsletter advises about local tastings, wine dinners and events, and finally, a blurb from me on some wine subject. Not intended as a replacement for Wine Spectator, these are simply written with the intermediate wine taster in mind, or hoping to help bring the beginner to the next level. Hope you enjoy the old stuff, and whatever new stuff I come up with next.

Syrah and Petite Sirah Jan 25

Confusion abounds when we drink wines made from similar sounding grapes. Syrah and Petite Sirah have caused much confusion, but they are as different as Shiraz and Durif! Syrah, the classic Rhone (France) varietal now grown in the new world successfully, gets its origins from the Middle East. Australia grows it as Shiraz, bowing to it Persian root. Characteristic flavors include black currant and blackberries, as well as smokiness and spice. Often used as a blending grape in the Southern Rhone (Chateauneuf-du-Pape or Cotes du Rhone), this grape stands principally alone in the North (try Hermitage or Cote Rotie) and in the new world.
Petite Sirah (various spellings) is a new name for a little know grape called Durif and is grown popularly today in California as a single varietal. It makes a full bodied, dark wine with notes of pepper and well structured tannins. When it is blended with other varietals, it adds zest and complexity. Durif also originated in the French Rhone but is thought to be virtually extinct there today.

Wine while Travelling Jan 26

I’m off to Dallas this weekend for a culinary extravaganza in what has become my favorite food and wine city. One of the things I do when traveling to a new city is to try to find the great food and wine gems available there. It’s amazing the number of resources you can find to help you with this. The Internet is an obvious beginning. Not only Google ( “city” best restaurant wine) but www.Fodors.com and the local newspaper website are sure fire places to check. I also go to www.winespectator.com and go to their restaurant recommendation area. If you stay at a large hotel, there’s help at the concierge desk, but it’s all in how you ask the question. I always try to let them know I’m looking to have a “wine experience”. Include your budget and food tastes.
Once you select a place, I like to call them for wine recommendations, even the day before I go to the restaurant. With a credit card on file, most will offer to decant your wine properly few hours prior to your arrival. Good wines, treated well, will pair perfectly with whatever food you may order, so don’t be afraid to make a commitment!

Decanting for Dummies Feb 2

Those beautiful decanters that we see in various shapes and sizes around the wine world serve two purposes. For most of us drinking wines that are relatively young , the decanter is used to allow the wine to breathe, softening the tannins and evaporating some of the alcohol to allow the flavors of the wine to emerge. In older wines, decanting helps us to separate the wine from any sediment that has been formed as a natural result of aging. Don’t have a decanter? Any glass or ceramic container will do!
Deciding when to decant can help in your enjoyment of a fine wine, young or old. White or rosé wines rarely improve with decanting, except for high end white Burgundies. Lighter reds also may lose some of their flavor if decanted. Bolder tannic reds, including Cabernet and Shiraz smooth out nicely and allow the nuances of the wine to become more obvious. If no sediment is in the bottle, quickly pour the red wine into the decanter, allowing maximum splashing to assure maximum aeration. Let the wine sit about an hour after decanting if you have time.
In older wines with sediment, let the bottle sit for a few hours to make sure the sediment is settled. Slowly pour the wine into the decanter watching for the first grains of sediment in the neck as you pour. Placing a candle or flashlight under the neck facilitates this. You lose about a half inch of wine in the bottom of the bottle, but the wine you drink will be clear and enjoyable.

Wine Chemistry 101 Feb 8

We often speak of liking our wine “dry” but what does that really mean? The opposite of dry in this context is sweet. And we often prefer one over the other. Don’t confuse fruit with sweetness, though. A completely dry wine may have wonderful fruit character.
The chemistry of wine making that applies here is that natural sugar in the grapes turns to alcohol as it ferments. The longer the fermentation takes place, the more sugar turns to alcohol. When all the sugar has been chemically changed, the alcohol content is fairly high, 12% or higher. Certain wines drink better sweet, so the process is halted before the “residual” sugar is gone. Wines below 12% tend to have some sugar left and we described them as sweet. At 9%, they can be positively cloying. The wine maker controls the final product by measuring the sugar level in the grape (called the “Brix”) and then timing his process to his desired level of dryness or sweetness. If you know you prefer dry to sweet, or the opposite, keep an eye on the alcohol listed on the bottle. Big Shiraz or Cabs come in at 14%. Many whites, including Rieslings, go both ways, from 9% to 12% or higher.

Amarone Feb 19

At least once a month it seems one of my loyal readers asks me if I have tasted Amarone, and what I think of it. This newly popular wine, more formally called “Amarone della Valpolicella” is an Italian red made principally from Corvina grapes. They are allowed to dry in a cool room for up to four months, concentrating the flavors and sugars, a process known as “Recioto”. Once fermented fully, this dry red wine has a slight “raisiny” character which most find elegant, with a slight bittersweet taste. It shines as food wine, which is typical of the Old World style. Slow braised Osso Bucco or Lamb Shanks come to mind, where the slow cooking accents the caramelization of the meats sugars.
The answer to my original query is unfortunate. I try Amarone’s regularly, mostly at the insistence of well meaning friends and professionals. The bittersweet raisin element is consistently overwhelming for my taste, and I am yet to taste one that appeals to me. But, I have never met another taster that agrees with me. Most find this a solid, fascinating new taste. And that, my friends, is why we go through all of this. Each of our mouths are different, and that’s what makes this so much fun!