Repost of an Oldie, But a Goodie...New Year, New Wine: Sparkling Alternatives to Champagne

Why recreate the wheel? Last year I published this article in BlackBook Magazine and I think it still applies, so here's the repost (with a few edits)!

The only caveat I'll mention -- the poor economy means if you want real Champagne this year, it's going to be cheaper than normal...stock up, because everyone in the wine industry believes that 2011 is going to be a good year. The low prices won't be around when we usher in '12.

New Year, New Wine: Sparkling Alternatives to Champagne

By Elizabeth Schneider

December 29, 2009

It’s New Year’s again, and whether you think it’s the ultimate party or the ultimate amateur night, you’re probably drinking a sparkling beverage. Notice that I didn’t say “Champagne.” You can only use the word Champagne for sparkling wine if it comes from the Champagne region of France, and is made in the serious and complicated old-school method. With the economy still in the tank, it may be better to venture beyond this esteemed region (and its $30+ price tags) and find some bottles that are unique and affordable, while being every bit as bubbly.

If you’re already in the French section at the liquor store, you can stay put because the little-known secret is that you can get awesome sparkling wine for half the price of Champagne right there. Les Français have protected the name of Champagne, so only wines from that region carry the name, but the techniques used to make it are employed all over France, masquerading under the name “Crémant.” If you want to be really savvy, pick up a Crémant d’Alsace made from Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, or Riesling. Or try a Crémant de la Loire for a sparkling Chenin Blanc, or a Crémant of Chardonnay from Limoux in Southern France. All completely rock and some are even better than the original Champagne, especially if you consider the value for the price.

We all know the Spanish love to party. What you may not know is that they do it with bubbly just like everyone else. The Spanish learned how to make their version of sparkling wine, Cava, from the French. The only difference—it’s about one third the price of Champagne and it uses native Spanish grapes. These are probably the best values in bubbles and they are pure pleasure for your mouth. If you find a rose Cava, buy it immediately.

For something light and fruity, report directly to the Italian section and try Prosecco. You can pick some decent stuff up for $10, and if you spend $15 or $20 the difference is huge. Regardless of price, all these bubblies are floral, light, and fruity. They may be less serious than Champagne, but they are still a great way to get your effervescence fix.

Wines from the U.S. are another option, but proceed with caution. Our sparkling wines tend to be overpriced and underwhelming. Some are just plonk. There is one producer in New Mexico [Gruet] of all places, that makes some great-value sparkling wine. If you can get some from Washington State, you may have a real find. Still, my vote is to stick with Europe. You won’t regret it. No matter what you choose, be safe, and have a fabulous time toasting 2011 with your alternative bubbly.

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Elizabeth Schneider is a Certified Sommelier, Certified Specialist of Wine, and wine educator in Atlanta who teaches about wine in a normal, relatable way. For more of her musings please visit her blog Wine for Normal People http://winefornormalpeople.blogspot.com/, Wine For Normal People's Facebook Page or see her on Twitter @normalwine.

Photo attribution: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/ Readmore »»

The inscrutable L’Insolite

Maybe the cold I had before Christmas has taken the edge off my palate but if I’d tasted Thierry Germain’s L’Insolite 2008 blind I’d have placed it as a Sauvignon rather than a Chenin Blanc. On the other hand I didn’t have any problems getting the typically Gamay flavours of the Lapierre Beaujolais on Christmas Day so maybe it is an oddball.

It’s delicious anyway. Intensely crisp and citrussy (lemon, grapefruit) on first opening the bottle - hence why I thought it was Sauvignon - slightly more peachy once carafed but certainly not in the same flavour register as the Montlouis I’ve been tasting recently. Which is not surprising given it’s a Saumur Blanc. It would be interesting to see what it’s like in a few years’ time.

I actually think I like it more than his much-feted Saumur Champigny which is probably a heretical point of view.

Incidentally check out his website which has an amazing opening operatic sequence. I found in the press clips that someone had paired it (L'insolite) with Epoisses which would also be interesting to try. (We drank it with smoked salmon.)

Anyone else tasted it and have a view? Readmore »»

Fritz Winery: A Subterranean Wine Delight!

A few weeks ago I had occasion to visit Fritz Winery in the far northern Dry Creek Valley of Sonoma County. I'd been to this amazing cave built into the side of a hill in Cloverdale a few years back and really enjoyed my experience there, so I was worried when MC Ice and I drove up.

After a bad experience at Bella, which has suffered a precipitous decline in quality AND after learning that the owner of Lynmar, which was a (controversial) non-fave of mine, is the brother of Clayton Fritz who runs this place, I was a little concerned. But upon rolling up to the cave (which we learned goes down 3 stories and is 200 feet deep, hence provides a natural gravity flow and natural air conditioning for the wine -- very cool), and trying a few of the wines, I realized that nothing had changed...quality remains at this little gem.

Fritz was built with the idea of creating a sustainable winery that didn't need expensive cooling systems and could use gravity to feed the grapes straight from the vineyard to the tank with little human intervention and no energy usage (after sorting and destemming they are pushed over into a subterranean tank, which is much gentler on the grapes). It was built in the late 1970s by Jay Fritz -- he was definitely part of the first wave of 20th century environmentalists and its great that the Winery stayed in the family and is still churning out great wine (although I do wish they would convert their vineyards to organic farming to take the environmental thing to its fullest extent).

For a standalone property, the Winery is kind of big in size, making 10,000 to 12,000 cases of wine (120,000 to 144,000 bottles) per year, depending on harvest. They make a ton of varieties but they are best known for Chardonnay and Zinfandel. Although good, I think there's a sleeper in their bunch, but I'll save that for the end of the post.

Here's the review of the 5 wines tried.

Wine #1: Fritz Russian River Valley Sauvignon Blanc
Where It's From: Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, California
The Grapes: 100% Sauvignon Blanc
Vintage: 2009
Price: $18

Color: Almost platinum in color, this was one of the palest California Sauvignon Blancs I'd seen. I expected either something watery or something with super high acid. Either way, lack of color was telling me the grapes were grown in a cooler climate where the vines were most likely kept in check -- which means no stem-like bitterness, which occurs with Sauv Blanc when not pruned and grown in cooler places.

Smell: The wine smelled like a classic California Sauvignon Blanc. What the hell does that mean? Cali tends to produce Sauv Blanc with some grapefruit and cat pee (seriously) aromas, but also a melon-y, abundantly floral (like gardenia or white jasmine or hyacinth), fig-like character that I find is really unique to this state.

Taste: This was a real surprise. The wine tasted unmistakably like a fresh, ripe mango -- something I've never tasted in a Sauvignon Blanc. It had secondary flavors like grapefruit and lemon and a really great floral note, but the overriding essence -- mango all the way. Great acid made the wine very fresh and bright too. Super unique.

Drink or down the sink? Drink! I usually don't love this style of Sauvignon Blanc: I like the kind that rips the enamel off my teeth and is all grapefruit and lemons (New Zealand or French SB does the trick usually). But this was so different without being oaky that it was great. Whether it be the cooler site or the 20% of the wine that is fermented and aged in old oak barrels to mellow out the flavor, I don't know, but I dug it. I like to taste something completely different in wine from time to time and this fits the bill!

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Wine #2: Russian River Valley Reserve Chardonnay
Where It's From: Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, California
The Grapes: 100% Chardonnay
Vintage: 2008
Price: $45

Color: This wine was a golden yellow. Dark -- which can mean a few things: oak aging, an older wine, ripe fruit, or sugar in a wine. Here, given that it was Chardonnay, I assumed it was oak all the way.

Smell: And the smell confirmed that! Although tart apple from the grape shone through, the predominant aromas were all from oak -- burnt toast, bread, vanilla, and most prominently, a buttered English muffin (Thomas's, of course). It tasted like something to eat, not drink.

Taste: This was a traditional Russian River Valley style -- a green apple and lemon backbone was layered to the hilt with lots of flavors from oak. Caramel, croissant, and burnt toast were all over this wine. There was a very creamy, buttery mouthfeel from a secondary (malolactic) fermentation too. Classic style.

Drink or down the sink? This is one of Fritz's flagship wines, but I think it's imbalanced. The oak and malolactic fermentation overpowered the fruit and left me a little cold. There was just too much winemaker influence and not enough natural fruit flavor for me. It was overdone and this place makes so many better wines that this, I'm giving it a thumbs down.

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Wine #3: Dry Creek Valley Estate Zinfandel
Where It's From: Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County, California
The Grapes: 100% Zinfandel
Vintage: 2008
Price: $25

Color: I was excited by the color of this Zin. It was like the skin of a ripe black plum or plum juice (or before it was re-branded -- hilarious, BTW -- prune juice). It had a watery edge, which is typical of Zin and thick, heavy legs, indicating lots and lots of alcohol (14.5% is pretty standard for Zin -- and pretty high by most standards!).

Smell: A little lighter than what I'd expected, but still lush and full of berry goodness. Raspberry, ripe strawberry, and a little dark cherry filled my nose. It was like a briar patch! Then there was a bit of leather, clove and a touch of vanilla. It was a more refined Zin nose, but still really good and pungent.

Taste: Again, kind of lighter than most Dry Creek Zins, but still the sour cherry and baked berry pie (cinnamon and strawberry) were really delicious. There was a character that I usually find in Syrah in this wine -- a meaty, bacon-like flavor that was edgy and satisfying. That leather and dark potting soil essence lingered in the background too.

Drink or down the sink? Sumptuous and subtle -- DRINK. I usually don't love more subtle Zins (it's probably one of the only wines where I want a fruit bomb) but this was so well done. A great blend of fruit, meatiness, and earth make this wine a real winner. Love it.

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Wine #4: Estate Malbec
Where It's From: Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County, California
The Grapes: 100% Malbec
Vintage: 2008
Price: $35

Making Malbec in Sonoma is a ballsy move. I applaud Fritz for trying it. The conditions aren't Mendoza, Argentina-like for the grape, or even like Southwestern France, so it's a risk. I like that they experimented by making 140 cases of this.

Color: Malbec is traditionally a highly pigmented grape. They call it "black wine" in Cahors, France, where it is bottled as "Côt." This one held its color through to the watery, plummy edge. At least in color, this seemed like a good showing for Malbec.

Smell: Malbec to me is a bowl of dark berries and soft vanilla and oak smells. This was a little different. The parcel of land on which the wine is grown is on the estate right on the line between the Dry Creek and Alexander Valleys. Either this vintage, or the site seems a little hot for Malbec given the nose of overripe, scorched fruit, prune, and boysenberry compote. There was a bit of leather and vanilla on the nose, but I would have liked more.

Taste: This was a little more like cranberry juice than boysenberry! Slightly bitter with a bit of band-aid taste (that's often from brettanomyces, a yeast that naturally occurs on grape skins and can add an awesome complexity to the wine in low levels but can be a little overwhelming in higher levels), this wasn't what I expected from the nose or wasn't what I generally like in a Malbec.

Drink or down the sink? I know I was harsh on this wine, but really I would like to taste it again in a few years because the palate didn't align with the nose and I think it may just be that the wine needs a little more time to integrate and relax. Right now, I wouldn't drink it, but I'd love to try it again in 2 years and see where it's gone. Although the nose was a little over-ripe, the components of fruit and vanilla were there, and the fact that they didn't show on the palate says to me this story's not over yet!

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Wine #5: Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
Where It's From: Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County, California
The Grapes: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Vintage: 2007
Price: $35.00

Color: A crimson color. A dark ruby with purple tinges. I expected lots and lots of flavor -- it stained the glass and had cankles, the legs were so thick.

Smell: What a fresh smell! This smelled like a berry briar. It smelled like boysenberry and blackberry picked right off the bush. These lovely bright, natural tones were highlighted by dark earth, leather, and cola notes.

Taste: Dark berries and blueberry were so lush and ripe on this wine. It tasted like dark violets and roses. The wine had cinnamon and mocha notes and then complex flavors. Soy, balsamic vinegar (not in a bad way), and a little hint of gasoline were present but against the backdrop of lush berry and mocha notes. The texture was satiny and buttery in feel, even though there was a touch of astringency from the tannins.

Drink or down the sink? Drink this. What a value and what a wine! I was impressed by its layers and complexity. I love Fritz for many reasons, but it's rich reds (which it's not known for) are the jewels in its crown in my opinion. A great Cab...especially for $35!!

One final note before I sign off, which is that I was slightly disappointed that they weren't pouring what I think is their "sleeper" -- a wine that blows all of these away and is Fritz's best in my opinion: the Syrah. I know it's not a very popular variety right now, but I love it and I love Fritz's version. We bought 3 bottles to bring home and I'll revisit the wine again when we crack them open. In the meantime, check out the (very old) post I wrote on the wine last year!

Cheers and thanks for reading!
Readmore »»

To absent friends

We'd decided a while ago that our Christmas Day drinking would be two of the most precious bottles in our collection. Not because they were hugely prestigious, old or wildly expensive but because their producers are both sadly dead and we only have a few bottles left of the wines they made.

The first was Stéphane Cossais' Montlouis Le Volagre 2006 which is, without doubt, one of the best dry Chenins I've tasted - intensely mineral but full of apricots and quince and cream. It could easily have been a top white Burgundy.

The other was Marcel Lapierre's 2009 Morgon, a brilliant Beaujolais from an exceptional year, full of gloriously vivid fruit that made us feel happy - and lucky - to be alive. It was a perfect bottle to drink with the Christmas turkey

They would have been wonderful wines to give someone who was sceptical about natural wines, as I confess I was a year ago, and who was inclined to dub them all weird and funky. They both had an incredible purity of fruit - wines that made you feel inspired and privileged to drink them.

We enjoyed them on our own (apart from one of our non-drinking children) which is sometimes a good way to savour a great wine. We never met Stéphane but reminisced about our wonderful afternoon with Marcel.

I hope you had an equally good Christmas. Do share what you had to drink. Readmore »»

Christmas for Non-Christians: How the Other Quarter Drinks and Eats on 12/25

Ok, so Christians make up 33% (give or take) of the world's population and 70% - 75% in countries like the US, Canada, and the UK, where most of you are located. That means that on December 24th and 25th most of you are going to be doing stuff like hanging stockings, waiting for Santa (maybe this year you could give him a nice Bordeaux instead of milk? It pairs well with chocolate chip cookies, FYI), cooking a Christmas goose, and opening tons of presents while admiring your illuminated, beautiful tree. Who could ask for more?

No one...except maybe those of you who are dreading dinner with the in-laws, lame conversation with distant family members, and the fake face you have to make when you open the box with the hideous shirt that you have to pretend to like ("I thought since it was from Banana Republic you would like it, right?" You better hope there's a gift receipt...).

So instead of doing what most other bloggers are doing -- giving you pairings for Christmas dinner -- I'm going to give you the skinny on how much of the other 25-30% lives on Christmas, while you're kicking it with the fam.

Ever wonder what your [fill in the blank -- Jewish, Hindu, Shinto, Buddhist] friends DO on these holiest of days? As a Jew, I feel I can speak with some authority, and give you the real deal. If you're not headed to a Christian friend's house, you've got a busy day in front of you...and one that, if planned right, is full of drinking lots of wine.

The trick is excellent advanced planning. While most of you are out picking up last minute stocking stuffers and food and wine to go with your lasagna or goose or turkey, non-Christians are hitting the wine store in anticipation of several different wine consuming occasions over the next evening and day.

Perhaps now you're curious. If so, keep reading -- no secrets here.

Let's take this chronologically:

Christmas Eve.
This is the night where you catch up on all Netflix and DVR recordings. If you're lucky, a pizzeria around you may deliver. If not, cereal or pasta may be on the menu, followed by a marathon of Gossip Girl, The Sopranos, Fringe, or the Twilight Saga movies. The marathon must be accompanied by a rich hearty red, to keep you warm as you cuddle up on the couch with a fleece blanket (wine suggestions at the bottom of this post).

Christmas Day.

AM. Since there's no anticipation of what Santa may have left, non-Christians can either safely sleep until noon or just wake up and treat this day like any other. Going off the "it's 5 o'clock somewhere" rule, a 10:00 AM mimosa may be on the menu. (The secret to a perfect mimosa: Make sure you pick up the cheapest bottle of sparkling wine possible for the mix -- they tend to be sweet and have huge bubbles, which complement the orange juice perfectly). Continuing the theme from the previous evening, the Netflix marathon commences during your down time in the day. We often also take a nice walk (No one is out. No one. It's amazing).

Anti-lunch. On this day, lunch is either brunch or it's a throwaway meal. No wine required. It's bagels or leftovers, but nothing major.

Early Bird Dinner. And around 4:30, the main eating event begins. I used to live with my sister in Boston and we always meticulously planned dinner -- it was either Chinese (where every single Jew in Boston would be, so there'd be a wait) or Indian (less crowded but less festive as well). Why not Thai or Korean? Theses were usually closed! So we would alternate between the two each year. To these restaurants, we bring our own wine.

Here's the beauty in that -- regardless of the eastern cuisine chosen, our BYO wine choices (the corkage or BYO fee was always like $5 or $10 so it was worth it!) are pretty much the same. The same wines that complement the warm spice in Indian, can also go with the hot spice and saltiness of the Chinese -- it's a perfect pairing storm. So if we decide on something low key or something more "scene-y" (yes, if you enter a Chinese food restaurant on Christmas, there will be lots of people there, all presenting themselves in fascinating ways), it makes no difference. The stuff from our wine shop was going to work. How often do we get a pairingpalooza like that? That is our Christmas wish fulfilled for sure.

Mandatory Movie. Following our gawking session of/or participation in being the loudest, most unruly, and obnoxious people around at Chinese or just good food and a non-event at Indian, non-Christians hit the 6:00 pm movie. There is a two-fold reason for the mandatory movie. First, you can usually get to see what you want without the lines. Second, because you will be starving about 25 minutes after you leave the Chinese restaurant, you're going to need popcorn and Junior Mints as a refill.

There is a slight issue with the movie, which may take it off the docket in future years: Somehow this ritual has moved from a non-Christian underground day, to being a mainstream evening to hit the theaters. Whereas years ago this was always on the sched, in recent times it's less appealing than going home for one last glass of hearty red before turning in.

And there you have it. While you are unwrapping presents, eating Christmas goose or ham or whatever, and hanging out with family... about a quarter of the population is eating Chinese, obsessively viewing media, and drinking a ton of wine to stay warm!

Whatever you do this Christmas, be safe, enjoy, and drink great wine! __________________________________________________________

The Wine Shopping List

Christmas Eve Yummies...

Budget choices:

• Australian Shiraz (d'Arenberg's "The Footbolt" is great for less than $20)
• Argentinean Malbec (Kaiken is a great choice for around $12)
• Cabernet Sauvignon (McManis for $15 is awesome)
• Spanish Monastrell (Hecula for under $15 kicks ass)

Higher tier choices:

• Chateauneuf-du-Pape (if you want to spring, Beaucastel or Vieux Telegraphe)
  
• Bordeaux blend (Go big and get a classified growth from the right bank, you can find a great one for $50)
  
• Napa or Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon (I love Darioush or Michel-Schlumberger)
  
• Gran Reserva Rioja (Muga, Marques de Riscal are solid choices)
  

Christmas Day Choices What, pray tell, are these wines that go so well with Asian food? There's a limited set and they are all white wines, so stock up in the next few days...

• German Riesling: Dry or a little sweet (Kabinett, Spatlese, or Auslese is what it will say on the bottle). The peachiness is delicious and soothes the spicy, hot bite, and goes well with the salt and sourness of a lot of the dishes. Try Schloss Reinhartshausen or Schloss Saarstein if you can get them.
  
• Gewurztraminer from Alsace, France: With its exotic spice aromatics and lower acid, this is an ideal complement for Indian but works great for sweet-'n-sour Chinese dishes too. Try Trimbach -- easy to find and delicious.
  
• Vouvray (Loire Valley, France). Vouvray is an area in the Loire Valley that makes whites from the Chenin Blanc grape. They run the gamut from dry to sweet, but an off-dry version is floral, rich in apple and peachy notes, and works for the same reasons Riesling -- this grape has got some acid to it. Lots of choices. If you want a cheapy, but a good-y, try the Le Chateau from Trader Joe's (it's like $7!)
  
• Sauvignon Blanc: One from France (Sancerre, Pouilly-Fume) is a good bet. These have very straightforward flavors -- grapefruit, minerals, tart citrus -- and good acid to balance the saltiness of the dishes. These are probably better with Chinese, but with Indian Saag Paneer, you can't go wrong with a Sauv Blanc either. Lucien is a reliable and pretty well distributed Sancerre. For Pouilly-Fume, there are a ton of choices in the affordable section, but if you want the good stuff try something from Didier Dagueneau.

Hate white? There aren't a whole of red options that will pair with Asian/Indian. You don't want anything with too much complexity or it will ruin the food. For Chinese beef dishes, you could try an Aussie Shiraz. For duck, go for a fruity Central Coast Pinot Noir. All the other stuff, you won't regret going for the whites. Readmore »»

Biodynamics in Bordeaux

Just a short post to flag up an interesting one from Nick Stephens of Bordeaux Undiscovered about Pontet Canet's conversion to biodynamic viticulture and other chateaux who are in the process of conversion or considering it.

He doesn't however mention Chateau le Puy Côtes de Francs whose 2003 caught the world's attention a few months back when it was featured in a Japanese manga comic. I got the chance to taste it back in October and it really was quite something: sensuously dark and velvety with that exciting 'live' quality you tend to find in natural wines. Almost impossible to buy now though. The most recent vintage I could find on wine-searcher.com was the 2006 from Zelas. Readmore »»

Sbragia: Unbelievable Views of Sonoma and Some Delicious Zin

About 6 weeks ago I visited Sbragia Family Vineyards (pronounced SBRRAH-jahh).

I went with some trepidation, after a friend who works for Foster's, a major wine conglomerate, told me that she could help arrange a tasting for me since it was part of their "family of brands."

Having worked at a gi-normous, hulking winery in California for several years, the offer had a loaded meaning for me. There were a few "family wineries" that said Hulking Winery had acquired and these were just corporate extensions of their big-ass adoptive parent. It bugged me because these formerly independent properties always had a very slick feel to them, post-takeover. They had marketing stories. They sold lots and lots of commercial products (tchotckes) inside the tasting rooms. It was all just too polished. I was worried Sbragia would be the same story.

But I also had hope for Sbragia. It was recommended by some Facebook fans and given that I'm all about what YOU want to know about, I was excited to go explore. That said, I didn't follow up on the offer from my friend and instead just did a drop in to see what it was really like.

Here's the weird thing about Sbragia. I found out that although Foster's does do marketing for the company (and it is kind of too slick for my taste), it really is a family affair. The brand was started in 2002 by Ed Sbragia, who has been the head winemaker at Beringer Estates for 30+ years (before you get too judge-y on Beringer, their low end stuff is bad and they make an assload of White Zinfandel, but their higher tier stuff is amazing. They are one of the oldest operations in Napa and their small lot Cabernets are awesome). Ed started Sbragia as a side project and then recruited his son to make wine with him. His son is a third generation winemaker, as Ed's dad, Gino Sbragia, was also a winemaker.

Four years after launching and using Beringer's equipment to make some smaller lots, the Sbragias bought a tasting room high on a hill with an amazing view of the Dry Creek Valley from Lake Sonoma Winery. Since that point, Sbragia has grown to 8,000 cases, making 13 different wines from five varieties (Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Zinfandel, and Cabernet Sauvignon).

When MC Ice and I arrived it was pouring rain (my leopard print flats were drenched and I looked like a drowned rat -- hence the lack of pictures of me inside this place!). That said, the unbelievable view of the Sonoma Dam and the Dry Creek Valley were a draw for many -- the tasting room was packed. It's a huge space, with a very corporate feel, but despite that, the people working there were quite courteous and helpful. The place wasn't fun per se -- it was not boutique or especially warm -- but the staff was attentive and the people we dealt with managed the chaos around them really well. I don't know if I'd go back, but then again, maybe I would since on a sunny day we could soak in the sun outside on their huge deck and enjoy the insane views of the valley!

Sbragia's big flagships are Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon. They do no blending -- everything is vineyard designated and several of the vineyards have 50+ year old vines.

Even though Ed Sbragia is a master with Cabernet because of his experience at Beringer, we were in the Dry Creek -- an area famed for Zinfandel, so we tried Sbragia's three Zins and their best Sonoma Cabernet. Although the staff touted its merits, I really didn't want to be drinking Napa Cab when I was in Sonoma -- I felt like it was disrespectful (Sonoma people generally dislike Napa folks, BTW. Just bring up the fact that you were in Napa to the tasting room peeps. You may get a comment like, "Oh, I'm so sorry!" As I said when I discussed Napa, you've got to choose wisely or you'll understand firsthand why the Sonoma folks say that!).

The Sbragias are proud of their heritage, as you'll see from the names of the wines...

Wine 1: Italo's Zinfandel
Where It's From: Alexander Valley, Sonoma County, California
The Grapes: Zinfandel and Petite Sirah (I don't know the percentages, but it's at least 75% Zin!)
Vintage: 2007
Price: $28

This wine is from an old vineyard that the Sbragia family bought right after Prohibition, in the 1930s. Gino Sbragia and his brother Italo, started a winery that quickly failed. Needing to support his family, Gino went to work for a winery in San Francisco. Italo bought him out and lived and worked on the property his whole life.

The vineyards are located in the Alexander Valley, northeast of the Dry Creek Valley. It's a pretty warm area, which means grapes get very ripe and generally have high alcohol (remember that ripeness=high sugars and sugar converts to alcohol in fermentation). This is the second vintage of this wine, whose vines certainly have deep roots (pun intended).

Color: For a Zin, this was a pretty light color -- more light ruby than the rich maroon or crimson that I normally would expect in a flavorful, jammy Zin. The color indicated this could be a lighter style wine.

Smell: The wine had some really nice components. It was smelled like a berry pie -- baked blueberries, blackberries, and strawberries combined with warm cinnamon and nutmeg spice hit me instantly. There was a rich black pepper component too. It was shaping up to smell like the kind of Zinfandel I like and expect from Sonoma.

Taste: It tasted just like it smelled. I felt like I was munching on a warm berry pie -- the baked berries flavors were complemented by nutmeg and cinnamon. That delicious black pepper component stuck around on the finish. The wine had a hot feeling from the 14.3% alcohol too, but on a cold, rainy afternoon, it was welcome!

Drink or down the sink? Loved this Zin. You will rarely find me singing the praises of a jammy, unabashed, big fruit wine, but in Zinfandel, this is what I like and expect. I don't need much in a glass of Zin but big fruit, warm spice, and black pepper. Check. Check. Check. This is a great bottle of Zin.

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Wine 2: Gino's Vineyard Zinfandel
Where It's From: Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County, California
The Grapes: 85% Zinfandel, 10% Carignane, 5% Petite Sirah
Vintage: 2007
Price: $28

Named after Ed Sbragia's dad, the five acre vineyard is 52 years old and the mix of grapes is an homage to the blend Gino used to make.

Color: A rich, dark center with a lighter pinkish rim, I expected more flavor from this than the lighter colored Italo's Zin.

Smell: I smelled a lot of oak on this wine instantly. There was an essence of warm, cooked berries, but the overwhelming smell was from oak -- vanilla, leather, and spice. It was similar to the Italo's Zin but with less fruit and more oak.

Taste: A very fruity Zin but with a soft finish. The wine was more like a cherry rhubarb pie with a little spice, than a rich berry pie. It was slightly less ripe and fruity than the Italo's Zin. There was a little bite on the finish and just a touch of bitterness and astringent tannins.

Drink or down the sink? A good wine, but I prefer the rich, ripe, abundant fruit in the Italo's Zin. The bitterness and bite from the Carignan and the Petite Sirah in the blend took away from the richness of the Zin. For me, Zin is all about the big fruit and spice and this wasn't quite there. That said, this was still a delicious wine and really well made. __________________________________________________________________

Wine 3: La Promessa Zinfandel
Where It's From: Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County, California
The Grapes: 100% Zinfandel
Vintage: 2007
Price: $32

La Promessa means "the promise" in Italian. Ed Sbragia says the vineyard represents the promise he made to Gino to keep winemaking alive in the family. The vineyard is right next to the Winery, in a very hot part of the Dry Creek Valley.

Color: The wine was a saturated maroon and very viscous. 15.4% alcohol will give you very thick, gloppy legs on the sides of the glass, as the alcohol separates from the water and runs down the sides of the glass very S-L-O-W-L-Y. Clearly the alcohol was going to burn my esophagus!

Smell: A totally different wine from the previous two, this was all about non-fruit flavors for me. It had a burnt quality to it -- like charred oak. There were distinguished smells of maple glazed ham or bacon. The wine smelled like cooking fat and like balsamic vinegar, but not as if the wine had turned -- I think this may have been an alcohol-like smell that I interpreted as vinegar.

Taste: A unique wine, it tasted to me more like a liqueur than a fruity Zinfandel. Brandy and a peppermint schnapps essence mingled with some astringent, mouth-drying tannins and high, hot alcohol to produce a wine that had less distinctive flavor, but lots of layered texture.

Drink or down the sink? La Promessa was more like a brandy to me than a Zinfandel. It's definitely a style of Zin that many people like. I'm not really one of them. I thought this lacked the balance of the other wines -- there was virtually no fruit, just prodigous alcohol. Not my style. I think this wine was just ok, and not as good as the previous ones. __________________________________________________________________

Wine 4: Monte Rosso Cabernet Sauvignon
Where It's From: Monte Rosso Vineyard, Sonoma Valley, California
The Grapes: 96% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc
Vintage: 2007
Price: $50

This is an interesting wine from a vineyard I've had the luck of visiting many a time. Monte Rosso, meaning "red mountain," is named so because the rocky, iron-rich soil is a reddish color. Located high in the Mayacamas Mountains (900-1200 feet), which separate Sonoma in the west from Napa in the east, the vineyard is coveted and although owned by the Louis M. Martini Winery, the fruit is sold to a number of producers who generally make outstanding Cabernet Sauvignon. This is Sbragia's 7th vintage of this wine and the only Cab we tasted.

Color: The wine was black plum colored. The dark maroon stained the glass on the swirl. It looked like a big, juicy, fruity wine.

Smell: There was a distinct fruit compote aroma. It was like stewed dark berries but also had a bit of orange rind smell to it with a touch of black pepper. The oak brought out leather, mocha, espresso, and bitter chocolate. It seemed complex and delicious from the smell.

Taste: The wine was complex. Blueberry notes with warm spice were prevalent, but this insanely distinct chocolate pecan pie flavor dominated...in a good way. The wine had a little tobacco note and a smokiness that as great. The tannins weren't blockbuster, which was good, but they were certainly noticeable and provided a good foil to all the fruit and nut flavors.

Drink or down the sink? Drink. This is a good wine. It has nice complexity, so it makes you think about what you're drinking but it also has some of the simple pleasures that you can expect from a California Cabernet -- big fruit, chocolate, and spice. For $50 it's a great deal and although it didn't set my world on fire, I think it's enjoyable and something you could serve to friends on a cold winter night and be very satisfied!

All in all, although I wish it were a little more intimate in feel (and that the weather had been better!), our experience at Sbragia was great...and as I said, if you don't like the wine, you'll at least LOVE the view! Readmore »»

Brawn: a mecca for natural wine lovers

If you’re a fan of Terroirs, London’s leading natural wine bar and restaurant, you’ll no doubt have heard of its new East End offshoot Brawn which opened a couple of weeks ago in Columbia Road.

It was set up in what looks like a former industrial unit by Terroirs talented chef Ed Wilson who lives in the neighbourhood and “wanted the kind of restaurant I want to go to on my doorstep”.

In fact he’s created the sort of restaurant any and every natural wine lover would want to go to: friendly, relaxed with simply cooked brilliant ingredients and a terrific selection of natural wines.


We went there for the Guardian Christmas lunch and grazed through an ridiculous amount of food - oysters, two selections of charcuterie, one Italian, one French, several plates of seafood (langoustines, mussels, clams and squid), a cassoulet-like dish called mongetes, andouillette and chips (passed on that one), a sublime zander boudin with shellfish sauce and some wonderfully airy (they needed to be) îles flottantes. I could hardly eat for the next 24 hours.

We also drank some excellent wines (though I can’t vouch for the accuracy of my tasting notes)


* An extraordinary deep salmon-coloured 2009 Pet Nat de Raisins from Domaine de la Tournelle in the Jura made from Ploussard (aka Poulsard). I don’t always find ‘pet nat’ convicing but this was just delicious

* A 2009 Anjou Sec from Agnes and René Mosse - a typically rich natural Chenin

* La Guillaume 2009 from Jean Maupertuis - a deliciously fresh gamay from the Auvergne which we drank with the charcuterie

* Domaine Matassa Cuvée Alexandria 2008, a rich, earthy vin de pays des Cotes Catalanes from the Roussillon (brilliant with the zander boudin and shellfish sauce

* And a funky bottle of Jean-François Nicq’s 2007 Les Glaneurs, from Domaine des Foulards Rouge (decanted) which was brilliant with the mongetes


What was great was the way we shifted from red to white without the least sense of that being inappropriate.

The food and the wines will change all the time depending on availability and Ed’s whim. You should be able to keep track of both via their website which should be up shortly.

The one downside is that Brawn is not well served by public transport. It’s about a 10 minute walk from Hoxton tube and railway station, about 15 minutes from Bethnal Green tube or take a 55 bus from Old Street. It’s also had such rave reviews you may find it hard to get a booking. But you should definitely make the effort to go.

I just wished I lived round the corner.

The address is 49 Columbia Road, London, E2 7RG. (020) 7729 5692 Readmore »»