X and Z! Where's the Y?

I only have 2 letters left, "X" and "Z" as there aren't any grapes on my list that begin with the letter "Y". I wonder "why"? I'm too close to the finish to worry about "Y" grapes..perhaps on my next 100.

Xarel-Lo is a white grape variety blended with Macabeo and Parellada in the Spanish sparkling wine Cava. For this wine, I shared a bottle of 2008 Cava Mistinguett with my wine buddies, Steve and Virginia. Great wine and even greater friends~

Now for end of this adventure, two "Z" grapes, Zinfandel and Zweigelt. The red grape Zinfandel produces some very powerful red wines with high levels of alcohol. Zinfandel is also called Primitivo in the Italian "heel" region. The wine that I explored this grape in was a bottle of Ridge Zinfandel Pagani Ranch 2006 from Sonoma. This was an earthy, spicy blend of 88% Zinfandel, 3% Petite Sirah and 2% Carignan. This yummy bottle of wine was shared over a delicous dinner with my friends, Julie and Hal. Waiting for the next invite~

My final 100th grape was Zweigelt, ( also known as Rotburger) the most popular red grape variety in Austria. The wine which featured this grape was a 2008 Berger Zweigelt, a dry, red table wine with a bottle cap. The wine had a distinct aroma and a taste of dark cherries, rasberries and some spice. Definitely not my favorite nor the worst wine that I have sipped.
Just an end to a very interesting and tasty project!

Uva di Troia, Verdicchio, Vermentino and Viognier

I now have 7 grapes left to complete my project of sipping 100 grapes from A-Z ! Only one "U" grape, Uva di Troia, a red Italian grape. Finding a wine with this grape was challenging however when I was visiting my son Rob and his family in Los Angeles we decided to tackle the challenge. We found a bottle of 100% Uva di Troia, 2007 Torre Quarto Bottaccia from the Puglia region of Italy. It smelled like a $15.00 bottle of Kool-Aid full of aromas of plum and cherry.

The "V" grapes were much easier to find. A bottle of Falesco Verdicchio-Vermentino Vitiano 2007 is a dry, medium body, tropical fruity white wine with the grapes Verdicchio and Vermentino. Not my favorite wine however I was able to mark off 2 grapes from my list~

My final "V" grape was one of my favorites, Viognier. This white grape was highlighted in an incredibly delightful bottle of 2009 Domaine de Couron, a Cotes du Rhone white wine that I purchased at Corner Wines in Plano owned by my cute friends Linda and Jim. Viognier has a distinctive perfumy aroma with rich, intense tropical fruit flavors. An excellent wine!

Tannat, Tinta Barroca, Torrontes and Trebbiano

It's amazing sipping through the alphabet how many grapes begin with the letter "T". Even though I only explored 4, I am anxious to return to my list and try the other 7. The four "T" grapes that I chose to taste were two reds and two whites. I tried a bottle of Don Rodolfo Vina Costas Tannat 2007 from Argentina with the highly tannic black-berried red grape Tannat.


The second red grape on my sipping list was Tinta Barroca in a bottle of Mural Douro Red Wine 2004 that I found at Central Market. The wine was a blend of 45% Tinta Roriz, 30% Touoriga Fanca grape and 25% Tinta Barroca, all Portugese red grapes.

Torrontes, a white wine grape that has been described by Eric Asimov of the New York Times,
"Torrontes has been touted as the hottest thing to arrive from Argentina since the tango", a fruity, floral and highly aromatic wine. I enjoyed this grape in a bottle of Crios de Susana Balboa 2009 Torrontes.

My final white wine was La Vielle Ferme 2008 Cotes Du Luberon Blanc with the white grape Trebbiano. The grape is called Trebbiano in both Argentina and Italy, Ugni Blanc in France, White Hermitage in Australia and Thalia in both Bulgaria and Portugal.

Now that I have finished the "T" grapes I only have the "U", "V", "W", "X", and "Z" left to taste!

Sipping S's

Sangiovese, Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon are just some of the grape varietals on my "S" list. Sangiovese (san-joh-VAU-zeh)is a red grape and both Sauvignon Blanc (SOH-vihn-BLAN) and Semillon (say-mee-YOHN) are white grapes. Sangiovese is one of the top red grapes in Italy and a great way to explore this grape is in a bottle of Querciavalle Chianti Classico 2005.

Leslie Scrocco in her book, Wine for Women, humorously describes the Sauvignon Blanc grape... "It seems appropriate that Sauvignon Blanc tastes a little untamed since it takes its name from the French word for "savage". Naturally high levels of acidity are responsible for Sauvignon's sassiness and delicious fruit flavors for its friendliness, but its personality is multifaceted". A bottle of Chateau de Parenchere Bourdeaux Blanc Sec 2009, is a tasty way to enjoy both the "sassy" grape Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon, which often tempers the grassiness of Sauvignon Blanc.

Rock'n R's

My next 3 grape varietals were Riesling, Rondinella and Roussanne. I love this Riesling description from the book, Wine for Dummies.

"Riesling wines are as unpopular today as Chardonnay is popular. Maybe that's because Riesling is the antithesis of Chardonnay. While Chardonnay is usually gussied up with oak, Riesling never is; while Chardonnay can be full bodied and rich, Riesling is more often light bodies and refreshing. Riesling's fresh vivid personality can make many Chardonnays taste clumsy in comparison. The common perception of Riesling wines is that they are sweet, and many of them are-but plenty of them aren't. Rieslings can be vinified either way, according to the style of wine a producer wants to make."

A great wine to taste the Riesling grape is in a bottle of Dr. Loosen Riesling from the Mosel Valley of Germany.

The second "R" grape is Rondinella. Sounds like it is something out of a Beach Boys song~ I explored this grape in a 2007 Fabiano Valipolicella. ( see the Corvina blog below). This Italian red grape is blended with the grapes Corvina and Molinara. This light bodied wine with a hint of tart cherries was a great pairing with rigatoni pasta tossed with roasted asparagus, cherry tomatoes, shallots and mushrooms.

The final "R" grape in my tastings is Roussanne,( roo-SAHN) a white grape grown mainly in France's northern part of the Rhone region. Sipping a bottle of 2008 La Vieille Ferme, a blend of Bourboulenc, Grenache Blanc, Ugni Blanc and Roussanne grapes was a great way to cross off 4 of my grapes.

Petite Arvine, Petit Manseng, Piedrosso, Pinot Blanc and Pinto Noir

I love exploring the "P" grapes and have discovered some incredible wines! "Petite and Petit" are French words for "little" but there is nothing little about the two wines that I tasted with the white grapes Petite Arvine and Petit Manseng. The first wine that featured the Petite Arvine grape was a 2006 Les Criles Vale d'Aoste that I found at the La Case Sena wine shop in Sante Fe, New Mexico. This wine with its light, cream body and flavors of apples and peaches was a wonderful addition to my entree of grilled salmon. The wine shop was a great find next to the La Casa Sena Restaurant. (http://www.lacasasena.com) Now to see if I can find this wine in Dallas as I definitely would like a couple of bottles and might share one or two!

The second petit "little" grape was Petite Manseng, a white grape variety from the southwest French region of Jurancon and the wine that I explored this grape was a bottle of 1997 Domaine Capdevielle Noblesse d 'Automne . Wow! This sweet wine with aromas of honey, peach, caramel and candied fruit was a magical dessert!

I tasted the grape, Piedrosso in a bottle of Lacryma Christi del Vesuvio Mastroberarndino 2008. "Lacryma Christi" can be translated as the 'tear of Christ'. These grapes are grown on the volcanic, ashy, rich soil around Mt. Vesuvius. "The name Lacryma Christi comes from an old myth that Christ, crying over Lucifer's fall from heaven, cried his tears on the land and gave divine inspiration to the vines that grew there." (Wikipedia). This big, bold red wine is definitely not a sipping wine however I may try it this winter with nice plate of lasagna.

Pinot Blanc was my next "P" grape. This white grape makes some dynamite wines in the Alsace region of France. Where can you experience these grapes? Try a bottle of Barth Rene Pinot Blanc Vignoble de Bennwihr 2008 from Alsace. With high acidity, flavors of apples and spice, this well balanced wine was an incredibly delicious pairing with hatch chili crab cakes from Central Market. Fabuloso!

My final "P" grape was the red grape Pinot Noir. I had the great pleasure of tasting this grape in a bottle of Lynmar Estate Pinot Noir 2006. Unbelievable! This wine can be enjoyed by itself or paired with a bowl of homemade French onion soup topped with gruyere cheese and brie cheese spread on a baguette. Bon Appetite!

Melon de Bourgogne and Muller Thurgau

Two white grapes, Melon de Bourgogne and Muller Thurgau round out my "M" grapes. Melon de Bourgogne (meh-lohn du boor-GAWN-yuh) ( I love saying this grape) is widely planted in the Pays Nantais region of France's Loire Valley where it is also known as Muscadet. I sipped this grape in a bottle of Chateau l'Oiselinere de la Ramee 2009 which I found at La Cave in Dallas. Its creamy, soft flavors with a hint of citrus made this the perfect picnic wine for an evening of jazz in the park.

Muller Thurgau (MEW-luhr TOOR-gow) is one of the most widely cultivated grapes in Germany and also enjoys popularity in Austria, Switzerland, England, New Zealand and the northern mountain regions of Italy. I enjoyed the grape in a bottle of Ritratti Muller Thurgau 2007 that I found at Central Market. The wine had a light minerality with notes of apples and lemons and is another great patio wine.