Bacchus, Baga and Barbera

I decided to involve my sisters, brother-in-laws, parents and daughter in a wine tasting Saturday evening when we explored 3 different grapes in the next letter of the A-Z project. How appropriate that the first grape on my "B" list was named for the Roman god of wine, Bacchus (BAK-uhs). This white grape variety is native to Germany but is also grown in western Canada and the United Kingdom. The wine that we tasted with this grape was a Peter Brum 2008 Bacchus from the Rheinhessen region of Germany in a beautiful, slender, tall, red bottle. I was fascinated with the wine before I even tasted it~ Did I expect a genie in the bottle or the Roman god of wine? The wine was actually quite tasty with its fruity and floral aspects and I have already decided to add this to my list of summer sipping wines.

The second "B" grape that we tasted was the Portuguese grape, Baga (BAH-guh) in a bottle of Mateus Rosé. Mateus Rosé is an inexpensive, semi-sparkling wine in a green bottle shaped like a flask. "Mateus Rosé was launched in 1942 and introduced to the UK in the early 1950s where, together with Black Tower and Blue Nun, it helped introduce wine as a mass-market drink." (guardian.co.uk) Now I remember this green bottle from my early college days and quite honestly... it hasn't changed. This pink wine still has little aroma and little flavor but great memories of the green bottle.

The 3rd grape in our "B" marathon wine tasting evening was the Italian grape Barbera. We tasted this red grape in a bottle of 2007 Michele Chiarlo Barbera D'Asti from the Italian town of Asti in the Piedmont region of Italy. The consensus of the group was that the wine had a very nice fruity aroma of plums and strawberries. Dad, who is my biggest grape tasting fan, picked up on some "woodsy" notes. We served the wine with parmesan cheese toasts and a platter of pasta and meatballs. Then we indulged in warm Nutella pound cake topped with a scoop of Tin Roof ice cream. I would highly recommend this wine before dinner, with dinner and definitely after dinner with dessert! How I love sharing these "wine moments" with my family!

The Final A

The final "A" grape in my A-Z grape project was Auxerrois (awk-sehr-WAH) from the Alsace region in France and the wine that highlighted this grape was a 2007 Paul Blanck Pinot Auxerrois. The Blanck family has been in the wine business in the Alsace region since the late 16the century. Think they know something about wine?
This wine was light, fruity, good acidity with a delightful aroma of pears, pineapple and baked apples. The best part of this tasting was the pairing with Emeri's Blue Cheese Polenta Cakes with arugula, walnuts and caramelized onions. Amazing flavors and a real culinary triumph for Meredith! (who would have thought that my eldest could successfully tackle this recipe?) The fruitiness in the wine was a great match with the sharp flavor of the blue cheese and enhanced the richness of the caramelized onions and the creaminess of the polenta. Sipping through the A's has been been an adventure discovering grapes that were not part of my wine repertoire but also sharing the experiences with old and new friends. Now on to the B's.

Assyrtiko the Greek

Assyrtiko (ah-SYR-tih-koh) is a white grape grown on the Greek island, Santorini and also grown throughout Greece. I decided to explore this Greek grape while dining again at Charlie's Opa! Grill in Dallas (a wonderful BYOB restaurant). The wine that highlighted this grape was a 2008 Boutari Santorini Assyrtiko which after much research, I finally found at Central Market. The wine was a big hit at the restaurant as I was able to share it with those diners who did not bring their own wine. To enjoy the wine at its optimum, it definitely needs to be served chilled. There is a distinctive mineral taste in the wine due to the volcanic soil on Santorini. The flavors in this mildly acidic light wine paired well with a Horiatiki salad; a plateful of Greek tomatoes, cucumbers, Greek olives, Feta cheese and a creamy dressing. The saltiness of the feta cheese, the tartness of the olives and the lemony flavor of my entree, a Grilled Tilapia Lemonati definitely enhanced this inexpensive Greek wine.

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.