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.

Half Way Through the Alphabet!

I am half way through my A-Z sipping journey with the grapes Lagrein, Malbec, Merlot, Montepulciano and Nebbiolo. Lagrein (lah-GRAYN) is a popular red grape of the Trentino-Alto Adige region of Italy. A bottle of 2007 La Vis Dipinti Lagrein Trentino with its spicy, intense dark berry fruit flavors and medium body, paired well with an arugula, ricotta, smoked mozzarella pizza, a very tasty recipe from one of my favorite Food Network chefs, Giada.

My next wine, Trivento Amado Sur Malbec, featured the red grape Malbec (mahl-BEHK). This grape is widely grown in France, Argentina, Chile, Australia and the United States. In France, Malbec is often blended with Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Tannat. The wine that I tasted was from Argentina and offered a nice balance of dark berry fruit and tannins. It was a great pairing with lettuce wraps and tuna wontons.

I love a Merlot! My daughter Meredith brought me a delicious bottle of King Family Vineyard Monticello Merlot 2007 from one of her visits to Charlottesville, Virginia. The red grape, Merlot (mehr-LOH) produces wines with a deep garnet color, full body and low tannins. This wine was a Double Gold Medal Monticello Cup 2010 winner. Thomas Jefferson would be proud!

Montepulciano (mohn-teh-pool-CHAH-noh) is a red grape variety grown throughout Italy. The wines produced with this grape have moderate acidity with a deep color and peppery, blackberry notes. I tasted this grape in a bottle of Masciarelli Montepulciano d'Abruzzo over a plate of Three-Cheese Lasagna. Delish!

Have you ever thought about what wines you would like to have if you were on a deserted island? Well, I have now started this list and have added a bottle of Produttori del Barbaresco Langhe Nebbiolo 2008 to the top of it. This red wine made with the Nebbiolo (neh-b'YOH-loh) grape had a very appealing personality with great texture and structure, full flavored and beautiful berry aromas. Does a wine have personality? Try this wine and let me know if you agree that it comes alive on your palate!

Spanish Sparkling!

Sparkling wine produced in designated areas of northern Spain is called Cava. The grapes used in Cava most often are Macabeo (mah-kah-BEH-oh), Parellada (par-eh-LYAH-duh) and Xarel-lo (sah-REHL-lo). I had the pleasure of sharing a bottle of 2008 Mistinguett Cava with my friends Steve and Virginia as we were discussing their upcoming trip to Spain to visit the winery owned by the Domenech family of Catalonia and to meet the oldest son and winemaker, Oriol. This Cava is a blend of 30% Macabeo, 30% Parellada and 40% Xarel-lo. With aromas of apples and apricots and a balanced acidity, it truly was a delightful Spanish sparkling experience! And the best part of discovering Mistinguett is that it's a great value...under $15.00! You can find it in Dallas at Cork Wine Bar ( West Village), Majestic Liquor stores, Mercy Wine Bar and Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. With the holidays approaching, this sparkling would be a great addition to any party or just celebrating life!

Inzolia, Len de L'el and Loureiro

More white wines with grapes that are challenging to pronounce but fun to sip. Inzolia is a white grape native to Sicily and blended with Chardonnay makes a wonderful, delicious white wine! I explored this grape in another wine from Jimmy's market, Cusumano Angimbe 2007. This full bodied wine with its beautiful honey color and aromas of peaches and nectarines has now been added to my "favorite summer sipping wines" list.
Another fun summer wine was the Loin de L'Oeil 2008 Gaillac that featured the Len de L'el grape. This wine was recommended to me by Francois at La Cave here in Dallas. This light, slightly effervescent, white wine with a hit of lemon was a hit when I served it with a lemon basil pasta. Unbelievable!! Thank you Francois for introducing me to another lesser known grape but fabulous wine!
Loureiro (loh-RAY-roo) is a popular white grape variety in northern Portugal. The estate Quinta da Aveleda in Portugal produces a very nice Vinho Verde wine with the Loureiro grape. This light bodied wine had touches of citrus especially lime, very nice texture with just a hint of fizz. Another great outdoor wine.

Kerner

Kerner ( KEHR-nuhr) is a white grape that is often grown in Germany and Northern Italy and was developed in the 1960's as a cross between the red grape, Trollinger and the white grape, Riesling. I explored this grape in a bottle of Kerner Stiftskellerei Neustift 2005 from the Abbazia Di Novacella winery of the Alto Adige region of Italy. What's really fun about this winery is that it was founded in 1142 by the Augustinian order of monks, who are still running it today. This pale, gold wine with an aroma of mangos and great structure moved up to #1 on my list of favorites. Served with a shrimp couscous salad, it was another home run!