Sparklers!

I love anything that is sparkling...diamonds, crystal chandeliers, clean windows and of course wine! The difference between sparkling wines and other wines is the presence of carbon dioxide (bubbles) in the wine. The sparkling wine that Meredith and I sipped one night was Domaine des Perelles, Cremant de Bourgogne. The French word for "creamy" is Cremant and these sparkling wines "are made with the same method as Champagne but because of slightly less gas pressure in the bottle, the mousse is less fizzy and creamier than Champagne." (Wine for Women by Leslie Sbrocco) By law, 30% of the blend called Cremant de Bourgogne must come from one of these grape varieties: Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc and the balance may come from one of the lesser varieties such as Aligote (ah-lee-gaw-tay). In France's Burgundy region, Aligote is the second planted white grape after Chardonnay and it is also planted widely in Eastern Europe especially in Bulgaria and Romania.
What a perfect way to celebrate a Wednesday, "hump day" with a glass of bubbly, lemon and butter broiled shrimp served over warm capellini and watching reruns of NCIS. Even better, the price was only $13.99. Anyone for sipping sparklers?

Dessert in a Glass

Who doesn't love splurging at the end of a meal with dessert especially if it is paired with chocolate! I decided to combine tasting the Italian red grapes, Aleatico ( ah-leh-AH-tee-koh) and Brachetto (brah-KAY-toh) with a yummy chocolate bundt cake and heavenly Ghirardelli chocolate squares. I found the first wine, a 1998 Montevina Aleatico to be a light, fragrant dessert wine and a little too sweet for my palate when sipped alone but much better after indulging in the chocolate bundt cake. By the way, I have just discovered a new store in Dallas, "Nothing Bundt Cakes" http://www.nothingbundtcakes.com/ and unfortunately it's now on my radar! Check out the one at Preston/Royal for "complimentary" bundtinis! The next wine that we explored, Banfi 2007 Rosa Regale Brachetto D'Acqui was a homerun. This light sparkling red wine with its hint of raspberries, cherries and strawberries was the perfect after dinner wine or "dessert in a glass"~

abc (anything but chardonnay)

We've all heard the phrase, "anything but chardonnay" and as I explored the next four white grape varieties, Arinto, Arneis, Bombino Blanco and Catarratto, this definitely rang true.

Once again I convinced Steve and Virginia to assist me with tasting the next couple of grapes on my list. The first wine, a Broadbent Vinho Verde NV from Portugal, is a blend that includes the grape Arinto (aka Pederna). Vinho Verde is the most popular white wine in Portugal. The wine was very clear (almost like water), light (only 9% alcohol) with a hint of lemon and slightly effervescent. We decided to pair this wine with a grilled chicken Caesar salad; compliments of Steve's grilling talents and Virginia's culinary skills. Locating a wine with this grape variety, Arinto was challenging but I found it at the Inwood Village Pogo's Wine & Spirit (http://www.pogoswine.com/) with the assistance of Michael Needleman. I can honestly say that I would probably pass on another bottle of this wine but happy that I was able to share it with good food and much laughter with Steve and Virginia.

The next wine that Steve, Virginia and I sipped was an Italian 2008 Costalupo Illuminati, a blend that includes the Bambino Blanco grape. I discovered this dry, crisp white wine with the help of Alfonso Cevola (http://www.alfonsocevola.com/) at Jimmy's Italian Food and Wine store. ( http://www.jimmysfoodstore.com/. The grilled chicken Caesar salad also paired well with this chilled wine and we agreed that seafood, pasta and even Mediterranean cuisine would compliment the wine also. The wine had hints of citrus and a little pear and Virginia commented that anyone who enjoyed Chardonnay should try this wine. We did discover an undefined finish and as Steve so humorously put it "the finish just went poof"! I may try this wine again but it will be by the swimming pool next summer on one of those hot Dallas afternoons.

The third white grape variety that I tasted was the Italian grape Arneis (ahr-NAYZ) primarily grown in Italy's Piedmont region. The wine, Ceretto Blange' Arneis purchased at Jimmy's for $19.89 was truly delightful! The Thomas sisters, Ann and Jane joined Meredith and me as we sipped this very appealing dry, lightly bubbly white wine with its bouquet of apples and pears. We served it with a yummy Artesian Sea Salt bread from Tom Thumb grocery store, a great bargain at 99cents. The sea salt in the bread and the wine's light fruitiness was a wonderful combination. It was decided that the wine would be a perfect aperitif and/or served with fruit, a creamy cheese or even a brunch omelet. I have been making a list of "keepers" since I began this tasting project, and the Ceretto Blange' Arneis will definitely be added it to my list.

The final "abc" grape variety was a wonderful Sicilian wine, 2008 Regaleali Tasca D'Almerita Bianco that included the grape, Catarratto (kah-tahr-RAHT-toh) in its blend. Catarratto is Italy's most cultivated white variety. Meredith and I were pleasantly surprised to discover this wine with its bright color, mild acidity and hints of honeydew melon, apricots and lemongrass. We served it with broiled shrimp marinated in olive oil and a lemon/garlic spice from Penzeys Spices store. Unbelievably delicious! The lemon flavor in both the wine and the marinated shrimp created a "bomb effect" in your mouth that exploded with flavor! Meredith described this tasting experience as "it's the bomb"! What a fabulous combination~ This wine will be Numero Uno on my "keeper" list.

Two Red Wines

I made a quick trip to Houston this weekend to explore two red grape varieties with my daughter Meredith and my parents, three generations of wine aficionados. The wines we tasted were a 2007 Francis Coppola Alicante Bouschet and a 2006 Tinto da Anfora from Portugal. Both of these wines with the grape varieties Alicante Bouschet and Alfrocheiro proved challenging to locate but Robert Emery at Goody Goody's liquor store in Addison once again came to my rescue. The Coppola Alicante Bouschet was surprisingly good with a medium bodied texture and fruity aromas such as red currants and cherries. Pulled pork sandwiches and roasted vegetables pair well with this wine. "No matter what color their skins, the great majority of wine grapes have clear juice. Very few have red colored juice; the French call these types teinturier, literally "dyers". One of the most famous and widely-planted is a wine grape cross, Alicante Bouschet, created by a French father and son vine breeders." (http://www.winepros.org). Alicate Bouschet was also popular in California during prohibition. The intensely colored wine could be diluted and still taste good.

The second wine that we tasted was the Tinto da Anfora from the Alentejo region of Portugal. It is a blend with 5% Alfrocheiro and these grapes making up the balance: Argonez, Touriga Nacional, Trincaderia, and Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine was a dark ruby color with a plummy, ripe fruit, rustic, earthy aroma. We discussed Tyler Coleman's definition of the 'arc'. "You need to pay attention and try to capture the entire arc of the wine. The best wines have a beautiful arc. The arc is broken down into three states: the "attack", the midpalate and the finish. Think about plotting this on any X-Y axis and sketching at what point the wine is most intense. Many young wines today are all attack and then fall flat." We all agreed that the Tinto da Anfora definitely fell flat on the finish but we would look forward to opening another bottle of the Alicante Bouschet for our next family tasting.

Two White Wines

The next two grape varieties on my list were Airen and Albarino. I decided to share my taste testing on a Sunday afternoon with my wine friends Steve and Virginia. Of course we had to wait until after the Dallas Cowboy's game as wine always tastes better with a Cowboy win. Our first grape was Airen, which according to Steve DeLong (www.delongwine.com) " .... Airen isn't grown anywhere else but Spain and in Spain isn't really grown outside of the arid plains of La Mancha. To be sure, most people haven't heard of this bigger than life eccentric as they have La Mancha's other bigger than life eccentric, Cervantes's Don Quixote." ( remember Peter O'Toole and Sophia Loren in the movie Man of La Mancha). I purchased a bottle of 2007 Marques De Caza Airen at the Addison Goody Goody store for $5.99 and also a bottle of 2007 Vizconde de Barrantes Albarino from Rias Baixas, Spain for $12.99. First we tasted the Airen and found it light with subtle citrus notes, no oak and low acidity. It was very pleasant. We then tried the Albarino which Steve commented had a bigger nose (more aromatic) with a hint of floral (lilac). It was softer than the Airen, with good acidity and of the two, was a better food wine. Can't forget the food! and since we were sipping Spanish wines, Virginia put together a beautiful table of tapas....artichoke and spinach dip, scallops wrapped in bacon, olive tapenade, crab rangoon, and of course, Manchego cheese. We learned that there are 2 different types of Manchego cheese. One is the Mexican variety which is softer and good for melting and the second type is from La Mancha, hence Manchego. You can find this variety, Manchego el Trigal at Whole Foods.
We decided that these refreshing wines would be great summer patio wines and while sipping, we'll rent Man of La Mancha and nibble on Manchego cheese.

Aglianico, A Southern Italian Grape

Aglianico, ( ah-LYAH-nee-koh) a red wine Italian grape found primarily in Southern Italy can either be a varietal ( 100% Aglianico grape) or used in blends. Hot climate and volcanic soils are the perfect combination for this grape to flourish. I found this variety at the Addison Goody Goody liquor store (one again the wine manager Robert assisted me) in a 2005 Rubrato Aglianico Dei Feudi di San Gregorio which ran approximately $17.00. This wine is from the Campania region home to Naples, Mount Vesuvius and of course the beautiful Amalfi Coast. I invited Jane and Meredith to join me again for a taste testing. After reading about this grape, I decided to decant the wine for an hour and glad that I did because after the first sip, Jane commented that it made her “gills quiver”. The second sip was so much better as we paired the wine with a pungent pasteurized cow’s milk cheese, Robiola di Bosco which was strong enough to hold up to the strong tannins and high acidity in the wine. We tried a softer cheese and fruit but they were definitely overwhelmed by the wine. Later I served a spicy and tangy Pasta Puttanesca with black olives, tomatoes, anchovies, and capers. This dish was a great choice to balance the intense concentration of flavors in the wine. Once again, I discovered a wine that reached it's potential with the right food pairing and of course the perfect company~
Salute!

Day 1, Grape 1, Wine 1

I could hardly wait to begin the adventure! But first I had to figure out how to pronounce Agiorgitiko (ah-zhero-Gee-tee-koh). What a mouthful, I wonder if the grape will match its name. As I mentioned earlier, I will be referring to the The New Wine Lover’s Companion for definitions and pronunciations. This red grape variety is thought to be one of Greek’s oldest grape varieties and the second most planted grape in the country. With a bottle of 2005 Boutari Nemea in hand ( made up of 100% Agiorgitiko), my taste testers Meredith and Jane joined me for an evening of Greek dining at Opa Grill, a wonderful BYOB Greek restaurant in Dallas. Watching the waitress pour the wine in our glasses, we could feel ourselves getting caught up in a Greek moment as we nibbled on humus, calamari, and yummy green olives and tried our first sip of the Agiorgitiko variety. The red wine was light, mild and almost bordered bland but then as we continued sipping, we noticed how much the food brought out the flavor of the wine. It only got better! I can’t imagine a better way to taste this variety than pairing it with Pastitso (Greek lasagna), Spanakopita (spinach layered with phyllo), Gyro, Dolma and a wonderful lemon soup called Avgolemono.
Referring to Tyler Coleman in his book, A Year of Wine, “Context is wildly underrated when it comes to enjoying wine. Where we are, whom we’re with, what time of year it is and what we are eating…… and even how we are drinking it all influences our perceptions of wine.” So our experience of tasting this Greek grape variety was heightened by the delicious Spanakopita and the delightful murals on the walls and Greek background music. Yes, the mood and food definitely played a part in this tasting…. at one point we could see ourselves sitting in an outdoor cafe in Athens, sipping Agiorgitiko.