An Awesome Red From...Germany? Lemberger Rocks!

Lemberger.

Is that a cheese that smells like dirty feet? Is it related to a hamburger? No and no. Lemberger (not Limberger, which is a cheese from the an area on the Belgian/German/Dutch border) is a red grape grown in the Württemberg area of Germany that is also called Blaufränkisch in Austria or Kékfrankos in Hungary.

Although I've had my share of German and Austrian wines, I have to admit that I've never had one that was 100% Lemberger/Blaufränkisch/Kékfrankos before. But when the nice folks at Valckenberg (a major German exporter) sent me this one as part of a big shipment that I'll be reviewing in the coming weeks (there's my disclosure, but I'll still be honest, as you already know), I was really excited to pop it open and see what it tasted like.

Most of us don't associate Germany with red wine, and for good reason. It's freaking cold in most parts of the country and red grapes need a little more sun to get pigment and flavor than whites. Stands to reason that red wouldn't be the grape of choice in most parts of this Central European nation.

That said, about a third of German vineyards are planted to red grapes like Spätburgunderr (said SHPATE-Burg-uhnduh) or Pinot Noir, Schwarzriesling (Pinot Meunier, as in the grape used in Champagne) and Central European grapes like Trollinger, Portugiesier, Dornfelder, and Lemberger. And in the Anbaugebiet (AHN-bow-guh-beet), or wine region, of Württemberg over 70% of the grapes are red.


This big region in Southern Germany is on the Neckar River and a lot of the vineyard land is on steep terraces that line the river and its tributaries. Most of the wine is made by co-op, with hundreds of growers who own about 2.5 acres all contributing.

As a personal note, I kind of like what I read about Württemberg... the region has the highest per capita wine drinking rate of any place in Germany. It seems like Stuttgart (the big city in this area) should go on the map for a place to have fun. Frankly you'd have to go there to see what they've got to offer -- to satisfy local demand, not a ton of the stuff is exported. I guess they conform well to the locavore movement!

My travel aspirations aside, I'll get back to the grape. Lemberger is a mixed bag. It's a dark skinned and can have good mouth-drying tannin and spice but it can also make light, wussy wine that's not that good. It's grown all over central Europe -- in the Burgenland region of Austria, where the wines are called Blaufränkisch and are pretty highly regarded, in the Czech Republic, in Slovenia, in Croatia, and in Hungary where it's a main component of the Egri Bikaver (aka, Bull's Blood, a blended wine that can be powerful or awful depending on the producer). In Germany, it was imported to Württemberg from Slovenia in the 19th century, from Lemberg (hence, the name).

Grafen Neipperg, owned by Valckenberg is one of a handful of wine estates in the region (since most of the wine comes from the big co-ops). The name translates to "Count of Neipperg," and rather than just a marketing gimmick, there is actually a Count and the dude is still involved in the business. He's from a long line -- the family has been growing vines for 750 years.

Grafen Neipperg producer bottles wines from one of three estates, and even uses a percentage of German oak (I know nothing about it, seems untested, but I'll go with it) from their own land. 60% of it is red. They are also a member of the prestigious VDP (Verband Deutscher Prädikats, or the 200 member association of all the best German wine producers. They use an eagle symbol on the bottle, so look for that next time you're shopping German!).

Whatever they're doing, they are doing right. This stuff was good. I love me a spicy wine and that's just what I got...


The Wine: Grafen Neipperg
The Grape: 100% Lemberger
Where it's from: Württemberg, Germany
Alcohol: 13%
Vintage: 2010
Price: $13.00

Color: This wine was so beautiful. It had a pink, rose color to it. Although it was pretty light, it had a real shine to it -- like it was smiling up at me. I lingered on the color for a while because it was so pretty (dorky, I know).

Smell: I LOVE the smell of this wine. It was like a spiced orange or apple cider drink. It reminded me of mulled wine with a spicy cinnamon stick in it (Renaissance Festival, anyone?). There was also a rose-like potpourri smell on the second whiff. Spice, flowers, and citrus -- homerun for my big schnoz.

Taste: My first impression: this wine is SASSY. It was like little electrodes on my tongue -- prickly and electric with spicy flavor. It was medium weight -- kind of filled up my mouth and coated my cheeks, but not too much. I liked the texture, and the flavors were good, albeit a little artificial-tasting. Manufactured candy came to mind -- like fake raspberry flavor or a candy apple Jolly Rancher. It had some great spiced cherry with black pepper and nutmeg notes to it too.

Pairing: I had this with Israeli couscous and vegetables with herbed goat cheese and it was great. Lighter pastas, appetizers that feature veggies (think spanikopita or mushroom tarts) would let the wine shine. I think it would be great with chicken, turkey, or pork with thyme or rosemary-based rubs would be ideal. Don't pair this with anything too heavy or you may overpower the spicy nuance, which is what makes this wine so delicious.

Drink or Down the Sink?: Drink. What a fabulous medium-bodied wine. In a world where it's hard to come by something on the lighter side that still has umph, this is a real gem. Seek it out and remember that brand is important in looking for Lemberger, so look for this wine or another VDP producer to make sure you're not getting the German equivalent of Franzia boxed wine! Readmore »»

The Dirty Dozen: tasting of the year?

Wine tastings aren't half as much fun as they seem from the outside. They're usually huge, overheated, crowded and full of dull wines. Or, at least, most of them are dull.

The Dirty Dozen tasting was only guilty of one of those crimes - it was ridiculously cramped due, apparently, to the fact that the ceiling of the room it had been booked to take place in at the English Speaking Union had collapsed so it was held in a conservatory at the side whose wooden floor creaked ominously as the several hundred members of the press and wine trade milled around it.

The wines, however, were just thrilling. I started with a selection to which each merchant had contributed 2 bottles and there wasn't a dud one among them.

So who are the (surely misnamed) Dirty Dozen? A group of wine merchants who specialise in artisanal producers including a fair number of organic, biodynamic and natural winemakers. They included some familiar ones to me - Aubert & Mascoli (hardcore natural), Burgundy specialists Flint Wines, Indigo Wines (largely Spain) , London-based Roberson, Bristol-based Vine Trail (very well sourced wines from France) and German specialist The WineBarn, so having a limited amount of time I concentrated on a few I wasn't so familiar with.

The highlight was fortyfive10° which imports Italian wines from family-owned domains, the idea being to deal with estates that have form when it comes to winemaking. The owner Massimiliano Jacobacci states that he looks for "wines that express the history of a region through traditional wine making techniques as opposed to the current trend for wines of immediate accessibility at the expense of complexity and longevity." Or, as he put it to me more simply "We don't do entry level wines. I don't like them and I don't want to sell them."

So their wines obviously don't come cheap but if you want to be blown away dig deep in your pockets and buy a bottle of the stunning Sodi di San Niccolo from Chianti producer Castellare di Castellina, a beautifully crafted blend of Sangioveto and Malvasia Nera and one of the most delicious reds I've tasted this year. (My tasting note says 'heaven'!) The vintage I tried was the 2005 which doesn't seem to be in the market but you can find the 2004 from a wine and events company called A Moveable Feast in which Jacobacci also seems to be involved.

They (fortyfive10°) also supply a number of high profile London restaurants including Chez Bruce, The Ledbury, Polpo, Roka and the River Café.

Anyway I suggest you get yourself on the mailing list of all these importers and make sure, if you're in the trade, that you get to The Dirty Dozen tasting next year. Which I hope will be in a larger room. Readmore »»

The Wine Window: Drink Before It Closes On What You're Saving

I've said it a bunch of times -- I'm not a collector of anything. I don't collect stamps or snowglobes or even shoes. I don't even collect wine. My "cellar" is limited to about 40 to 50 bottles of wine, all of which will be consumed at some point in the next few years and replaced with other stuff to enjoy. My philosophy: you can't take it with you, so you may as well enjoy it now. Plebian? Maybe. Gratifying? Oh, yes.

That said, the wine I have in my small selection I'm excited about. I'm saving the bottles to enjoy on a day that I feel like I want it...sometimes just because and sometimes for an occasion.

So when I turned 21 again for the (I'm not telling you the number) time, I thought it would be nice to pop open the bottle of 2004 Clarendon Hills Hickinbotham Grenache, a very well esteemed wine from a small, French-trained winemaker in Australia that in previous times I have nearly passed out from due to its ridiculous, over the top deliciousness. At about $65, it's not an everyday wine, but a good treat for a special day.

Let me try to explain my love for this wine, since my memories of it are vivid. After decanting it for hours, I remember it being full of lush raspberry and blackberry fruit, tobacco, and leather, with the texture of liquid velvet. It was one of the most unabashed, smooth, balanced yet massive (meaning lots of alcohol and flavor) wines I've ever had. I loved this wine. I dreamt about it. It was so far afield from the more subtle, earthy wines I usually love but it was so damn good. A guilty pleasure for me.

So I saved 2 bottles of the 2004. I kept thinking of opening them, but just never did. They were stored in good conditions, and I kept eyeing them but didn't go for it. Then, finally, the other night, we brought a bottle to the French restaurant, Atmosphere (great place with a great wine list if you're ever in Atlanta), where we were having dinner for the anniversary of my 21st birthday.

The waiter opened and decanted the wine as soon as we sat down. While waiting for this little flower to mix with oxygen and show its beauty to us, we ordered two excellent glasses of Piper-Heidsieck Brut Champagne (which tasted like olive ciabatta bread and was fabulous). MC Ice and I took sinful sniffs, so excited just for a whiff after about 2 years of abstaining from this treat.

But the sniff was our first clue. The rich berry notes, the dark mocha, the leather and the tobacco were gone. A very light raspberry with a strong burn from the 14.5% alcohol were the only discernible smells. With a wine like this, that I expect to be unabashed, this was a horrible sign. It was a shadow of the wine I remembered.

With a little bit of dread, I drank it. Oy. The taste was even more blah. This wine was so muted. All the bold beauty was gone. It was just hot alcohol with a little bit of fruit. We waited longer to see if anything would change. Nothing. It had passed its prime. The wine was finished. It was done. It just sucked. Thankfully the wine list at the restaurant was great, so we ordered a lovely Bordeaux from Pomerol that was tasty with MC Ice's hanger steak and my mushroom and eggplant dish.

Still, though I wondered -- was it just bottle variation or was this wine not so ageable? I decided to pop open the other bottle when we got home to see. It was equally blah. I even left it in a decanter overnight. Same deal. Nothing much had changed. A little more fruit but more like a $10 Cotes-du-Rhone.

This is a sad but a cautionary tale.

Even though this is small lot wine made from meticulously cared-for vines, the high alcohol, fruit-forward nature of this wine actually worked against it and killed its aging potential. I did a little poking around on the internet to see what others had said about it, and Cellar Tracker (a great site where people record their wine notes) had some great info. In 2010, the wine seemed to consistently rock, similar to how I remember it. In 2011, there was a lot of variation in people's experiences with it -- some said it was still great, some had the same experience I did. 

It's not a huge body of evidence, but my guess is that after 8 years, this wine is on the verge of falling apart and being over the hill. Some bottles are already dead, the rest is probably dying. It's fairly well documented (although some may argue) that high alcohol wines made with very ripe fruit tend to lose flavor and drinkability a lot sooner than those that have less fruit and more "backbone" -- or stuff like acid, tannin, and moderate alcohol, all of which are natural preservatives. Too much ripe fruit and not enough of the other stuff and you get a wine that's not built to last.

So what does all this mean? I'm writing as kind of a cautionary tale. If you have a great bottle that you're saving, think about drinking it, especially if what you liked about it was the rich fruit flavor. Wines are not stagnant. They change with time. If you buy the stuff to drink it and enjoy it, don't hold back. GO FOR IT! I'd hate to have what happened to me, happen to you. Not all wine gets better with age and if you miss the window for when it's great, you'll be disappointed. 

My new rule of thumb -- if I've got a fruity wine, I'm drinking within 5 years. I'll age the French, Italian and Spanish stuff, but the others I'm drinking and I'm not going to feel bad about it! Too much reward in drinking it and too much risk in saving it. 

What do you think? Leave a comment below or join the Facebook page, where there's sure to be a great discussion on the topic!

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Wine For Normal People Radio : Episode 26 Sparkling Wine -- More Than Just Champagne

No secret here...I'm a fan of the bubbles. I love a good sparkler with food and definitely don't think it's only for special occasions. So this week, we tackle it. We don't get too much into the winemaking aspects, more about what to drink and from where.

Here are the show notes...

This week, we explain why bringing on the Bub is always a good idea.

We start with a few shoutouts to awesome reviews on iTunes and fun comments on Facebook.

And we answer another listener question! We want you to Call us!!! Do you have a wine-related question for Elizabeth? Anything goes! Call 800-599-8478 (in the U.S.) or 1-415-226-9105 and dial extension 5 to leave your question for the Wine For Normal People Podcast, and we will play it on the show!

• Listener Question - from Saul (NY, USA)
• Main Topic - Sparkling Wine
  1. Quick Hit on How Sparkling Wine is Made (very brief)
  2. The Big One: Champagne
  3. Cremant (from Loire, Limoux, Alsace)
  4. Cava (Spanish Sparkler)
  5. Prosecco, Franciacorta
  6. Sparkling Wine from USA
  7. Rosé Champagne and Sweetness Levels

Please drop a comment below or on the Facebook Page.

Also, if you like the Podcast, please review us on iTunes and we'll give you a shout out!

Podcast Powered By Podbean

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Saint-Véran and Syrah

We had friends over last night who are beginning to take an interest in natural wine so pulled out a couple of good bottles for them.

First off a Saint-Véran La Barnaudière 2007 (above) from Arnaud Combier who we visited in Burgundy roughly this time last year. It has that lovely pure acidity and minerality you get in natural wine, not unlike a premier cru Chablis, despite being so much further south in the Maçonnais. We drank it with a pasta bake made with ceps we brought back from the Auvergne and it was perfect.

Then a 2009 Syrah Vin de Pays de l'Ardèche from Hervé Souhaut we picked up from Chais Christine Cannac in Bédarieux. Souhaut, a bit of a cult winemaker whose wines we've been meaning to try for some time, worked with Dard et Ribo but now makes his own wine at Domaine Romaneaux-Destezet in Arlebosc in the Ardèche.

Although just 12.19% (I love the ironic precision of that ABV) it was full of flavour with the violetty, smoky character that makes young syrah so seductive. And that syrah pepperiness of course.

Great bottles to convince someone why natural wine is worth drinking. And frankly, pure pleasure for us to drink too.

Both producers are stocked by Les Caves de Pyrène. Readmore »»

Loirette blonde: a natural beer

One of the many appealing things about the Auberge de Chassignolles, about which I've been raving recently, is the fact that they stock a really good beer, alongside their natural wines - the Loirette Blonde from Brasserie de la Pigeonelle in Touraine.



According to the label it's made from organic ingredients, unfiltered and unpasteurised without any additives although I see it does contain sugar.



That makes it taste quite sweet though not nearly as sweet as Leffe, say. And oddly the 75cl bottle isn't as rich as the 33cl one though there is some variation between bottles. (Yes, I tried a number of them.) There's also something of a wheat beer about it though it's made from malted barley.



Apparently it's the favourite beer of the Loire's natural winemakers which I suppose makes it a natural beer. Anyway, it's delicious - look out for it. Readmore »»

Some Tips on Planning for a Jaunt in Wine Country

People ask me all the time: What wineries should I visit when I'm in (Napa/Sonoma/Long Island name a region)? I really struggle with the answer. It's kind of like people asking what the best pizza or bagel is in New York or the best barbeque in North Carolina. I could tell you my picks, but the truth is that everyone has a favorite and a strong opinion about why that is.



Although I always offer suggestions, I think there are some fundamental keys to planning to visit a wine region that will help you stay organized and have a great experience. So here are a few things to think about when you're heading to make a visit to vineyards -- whether they be in California or Croatia...

1. Plan...or plan to explore.
   
   
   
   Ok, so it's very romantic to think about hopping in the car and just stopping by places you happen upon in wine country. But there are some problems with this approach. First, vineyards are pretty big and wineries are spread out. Without a map to orient you and an idea of where you want to go ahead of time, you could waste precious time driving aimlessly around. Most tasting rooms, in the US at least, are only open from 10 AM to 5 PM. That's not a whole lot of time to mess around. Second, if you get lost and wind up away from the wineries you're going to be irritated. Plotting a trail for yourself will save you time, stress, and maximize your fun.
   
   
   
   On the other hand, if you're not a planner and wish to explore (something I do when I go to Sonoma, for instance), make sure you pick a discreet geographic area to troll. If you're in South Africa, for instance, decide that you're going to Franschoek and explore within that area or if you're going to Napa, stick on the Silverado Trail. Again, trying to tackle a whole county or region in a day or so is going to waste time, so confine your inner Magellan.
   
   
   
   
2. If it's your first time in an area, you may want to hit the big names. They are usually pretty cool, albeit commercial. There's no shame in wanting to see the gorgeous vineyards of Robert Mondavi or the caves of Veuve Cliquot in Champagne. There's a reason why these places are visited often...they are gorgeous and are worth the time, if you take them for the marketing showpieces they are.
   
   
   
   Conversely, if you've been to an area multiple times, you may want to hit the little guys to branch out and learn more about the boutique side of things. That's a different experience (often requiring appointments, BTW), and very cool but it will give you a different flavor for the area...not necessarily the one that everyone talks about.
   
   
   
   
3. Research wineries in the area and call ahead to schedule appointments if that's what's required. Don't assume that every tasting room is open for walk-ins. Especially in Europe, you will need to set appointments to taste before you head out into wine areas. What a shame it would be to go to Germany or Italy and not get to taste because you didn't look into pre-scheduling appointments. An hour on the computer and the phone will ensure you have the trip you want to have! And please...if you schedule and appointment don't be late. Sometimes the proprietors are coming just to meet with you and to be late is kind of rude. Call if you get lost.
   
   
   
   
4. Plan to visit 5 wineries but don't be surprised if it's fewer. Again, 10 AM - 5 PM isn't that much time once you factor in driving time and lunch. Make sure to visit your favorite wineries or the "must hit" ones first, so you don't miss them if your time runs out. Four to five wineries is a great day and trying to cram in much more will leave you tired, drunk, and not appreciating what you're tasting.
   
   
   
   
5. EAT. Yes, my inner Jewish grandmother comes out here. You have to eat. Whether you stop at the grocery store ahead of time and bring snacks and water or plan a nice big lunch at a chi chi place, you've got to refuel. To the point above, this will spare you from feeling drunk and exhausted. Most major commercial wine areas have excellent options for food -- since wine and food go hand in hand -- but it makes sense to research this as well and, to point 1 above, plan it into your day so you ensure you get replenished.
   
   
   
   
6. We did a podcast where we talked about tasting room etiquette, so I'll just mention some high level tips that may be of interest and you can listen for the rest...
   
   
   
   
   • My number one rule: PLEASE don't "big time" the tasting room staff. Many of them are learning about wine and aren't 100% up on their stuff. Many of them are, but showing you know more than they do benefits no one. Be courteous, ask questions you genuinely want to know about (not ones you answer yourself after they give you an answer you don't like), and if you don't like the wines, keep it to yourself.
     
     
     
     
   • Guess what: It's ok and even cool to spit. As you're going through your day, you may want to think about only drinking the stuff you really are in love with and spitting the rest. Those spittoons aren't there for nothing. That said, it's completely fine to drink too...
     
     
     
     
   • And to that end, it's not ok to be hammered, loud, and obnoxious in a tasting room. Even if you went to Sonoma to drink yourself silly, remember there are other people who are there for different reasons (celebrating an anniversary, dorking out about wine, taking notes for a blog...see right: )
     
     
     
     
   • Finally, if you don't love the wine you taste, don't feel obligated to buy it. Why spend your money on a bottle you don't like or that you can get at home when you could purchase something unique that you love from another winery that only sells out of its tasting room? I try hard only to buy what I like and what I can't get locally.
     
     
     
     
7. Do I need to say this one? Don't drink and drive. From Long Island to Virginia to Washington to California, all places that have a concentration of wineries also have good wine tour buses or car services. Use them or designate a driver who will spit the whole time. If you're abroad, be extra careful, and just hire someone to take you around.
   
   'Nough said.

So that's a loose framework for visiting wine country. Hopefully it helps! Please post your comments below and let me know if you have other questions on wine country tips and travel! *This post came at the request of my absolutely fabulous, supportive and amazing sister. JWS, you rock. Readmore »»

Chai Christine Cannac, Bédarieux

From the Auvergne to the Languedoc - specifically Bédarieux, an attractive town in the Vallée de l'Orb we haven't visited for a while. But we'd heard there was a good natural wine bar and shop there and finally made it up there for lunch today.



Christine Cannac (above) has worked as a sommelier all over the Languedoc but came back to set up a wine bar in her home town a couple of years ago. She'd become more and more drawn to natural wines, she told us. Her wine list is a roll-call of the great and the good including Casot des Mailloles, Marcel Lapierre, Dard et Ribo, Thierry Allemand and Léon Barral in nearby Faugères.



We initially made the mistake of ordering a couple of unknown (to us) wines by the glass - a grenache gris called La Begou from Maxime Magnon and a rather over-funky rosé called Plait-t'il from Le Petite Baigneuse - which I don't think were showing at their best. Possibly they'd just been open too long.





So we switched to a bright, breezy vin de soif called Fou du Roi from Axel Prüfer of Le Temps des Cerises just up the road at Le Mas Blanc which was perfect with our shared platter of charcuterie. According to the Australian importer Living Wines, which rather impressively ships it over to Tasmania, it's a blend of Grenache, Cinsault and Carignan.







We drove up the road to see if Axel was around but the winery was firmly shut up. Shame. He sounds quite a character.





Anyway if you're in the area Chai Christine Cannac is a good place to drop by for a drink. Just order by the bottle. The bar is at 3 square Robert Schumann, 34600 Bédarieux. Tel: 04 67 95 86 14.





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Teaming Up With The Travel Belles: Check Out My First Monthly Feature!

I feel so fortunate...I just teamed up with an amazing online travel magazine, The Travel Belles. That means that every 4th Wednesday, I'll be writing for an article that talks about wine and travel!



Check out the first article:

Wine and Travel: The Perfect Pairing for Travel Belles and Other "Normal People"

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My Oh My! Say YES to the Zwei: Awesome Red Zweigelt from Austria

It's no small feat to turn around a reputation...especially when you're accused of making wine that incorporates anti-freeze...but somehow Austria has managed to make it happen.



Forget that wine has been made in Austria for 4000 years. Memories are short and what people remember is 1985. This is when some corrupt wineries decided to chemically alter their wines to make them taste more full, sweet, and substantive. Sounds good, no? The only problem is that they did this by adding diethylene glycol to the wine, a chemical closely related to the poisonous substance commonly found in anti-freeze. It was a common practice for years, but uncovered when one of the idiots trying to kill wine consumers committed the ultimate act of douche-baggery and tried to claim the substance on his tax return. The government investigated and all hell broke loose in the Austrian wine industry.



Needless to say, for about 20 years, no one would touch Austrian wine with a 10 foot pole, despite the fact that they now have the strictest regulations in the wine world. These days it appears that they have finally managed to turn a corner and it's a good thing. Their wines, especially their native grapes like Grüner Veltliner and Zweigelt (which I'm getting to) are pretty great.



Austria is a cooler place, so the whites have great acidity and the reds tend to be on the lighter side. The Zweigelt (pronounced: SVY-gelt) grape is the shiny (relatively) new toy of the Austrian red wine world. It was made as a cross of the two other Austrian red grapes -- Blaüfrankish and St. Laurent -- in 1922 by Dr. Fritz Zweigelt of one of the wine universities near Vienna.



Today, it's the second most grown grape in Austria (after Grüner Veltliner). It's generally light to medium in weight, with some cherry flavors, a hit of peppery spice, and good acid. It's great with food and I always think of it as an alternative to Pinot Noir or Beaujolais.



The warmer region of Burgenland, much of which is on the shores of Lake Neusiedl and on the Pannonian Plain that stretches through eastern Europe, has a continental (hot in summer, cold in winter) climate which means the area can produce red wine grapes. The Lake moderates the climate and adds some humidity to the air, making dessert wines a big feature of this area too. (Map courtesy of Blue Danube Wine Company).



I've never been, but apparently lots of the winieries have poured a ton of money into their architecture, so the area is glammed up and artsy (similar to some parts of Rioja). New winemakers have poured in and there's lots of high quality wines coming from the region.



I'd consider Zantho one of those places. The Zweigelt is the only one that I see regularly in stores, and it's solid. It has an interesting closure -- it's a plastic "stopper" -- which I wasn't crazy about since it was hard to get out and I don't think it did much to preserve the wine, but I give them points for innovation. Here's the rundown:



The Wine: Zantho Zweigelt

The Grape: 100% Zweigelt

Where it's from: Burgenland, Austria

Alcohol: %

Vintage: 2009

Price: $12.99



Color: Zweigelt is never a dark color and this one was true to form. It was a rose petal color -- kind of pinkish. It wasn't at all saturated or dark, just kind of light to medium in color and very feminine looking.



Smell: The wine literally smelled like a toasted baguette -- it was like toast to me. Black and red cherry, spiced apple with cinnamon, and smoked meat came to mind. There was a cooked raspberry note and then a cedar quality. It almost smelled like mulled wine -- and I mean that in a good way. When I closed my eyes and smelled, it reminded me of winter in New England -- with the smoke from fireplaces in the air and that "cold smell" that you can only know if you've visited a cold place like that! It was a very "moody" wine.



Taste: So pleasing. It wasn't at all overpowering. The smoke, toast and oak were all present and the taste was like a smoked strawberry (not that I've had one, but if I did this is what it would taste like). Black cherry, cinnamon, and cedar were on the second sip and the tannin was noticeable but not overpowering.



Pairing: If you want a wine to pair with a heavier fish -- here's your wine. It's not too high in acid and has awesome flavors to go with spice rubs, blackening spices, or even fruit toppings. Same goes for chicken. This is a great alternative to Pinot Noir!



Drink or Down the Sink?: Drink. Great price, great wine, totally different from the ordinary. It may be hard to say, but it's easy to drink! Go for it! Readmore »»

Auberge de Chassignolles: a natural wine hotel

Ever since I visited the natural wine bar Gergovie earlier this year and found out that owner Harry Lester (below) ran a hotel in the Auvergne called the Auberge de Chassignolles during the summer I’ve been dying to go.



And last week we made it and spent 3 indulgent nights there.



It’s just as good as I’d hoped. A tiny village set in glorious unspoilt countryside about 950m above sea level, surrounded by dense forests and rolling green pastures it’s as good a get-away-from-it-all destination as you can imagine.







Our room overlooked a 12th century Romanesque church





The auberge operates on a dinner, bed and breakfast basis, dinner being a 5 course prix fixe affair that changes every night - fantastic value for 24 euros a head.







Harry also has a serious, largely natural wine list which we made good use of - highlights being the 2008 Domaine Michel Lafarge Raisins Dorées Bourgogne Aligoté, the 2008 Elian da Ros Cotes du Marmandais, Le Vin est une Fête and Antoine Arena Carco 2009 from Patrimonio in Corsica. There are also some great classics such as Domaine Tempier Bandol, Thierry Allemand’s Cornas, Grange des Pères and a 1999 vintage of Domaine de Trévallon.





In fact it was so perfect we’re squeezing in another night on the way home next week ;-)



Note: the hotel closes for the summer at the end of September





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Gamay sans Tra La La 2010

We took this wine on a picnic this week. Well, a sort of picnic. We took the day ferry from Poole to Cherbourg (narrowly missing the floods) and decided to forgo the delights of the cafeteria service and take our own sandwiches (parma ham and basil, since you ask).



A bright breezy gamay, served well chilled seemed the perfect accompaniment and so it proved. It was utterly delicious, full of wild berry fruit with a whiff of white pepper and a slightly earthy edge that stopped it being jammy.



It comes from Domaine de la Garrelière a biodynamically run estate in Touraine and is made with natural yeasts, unfined and unfiltered. Sans Tra La La, for those of you who don't speak French, roughly translates as gamay without fuss (or, more accurately, pretension).



Amazingly the remaining half bottle survived a 9 hour car journey and an overnight stay on our route to the Auverge and was still as fresh as a daisy, two days later. A genuine vin de soif.



You can buy it from Caves de Pyrène and Vinceremos for around £10-11 though the latter only seem to have the 2009 vintage currently.



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Wine For Normal People Radio : Episode 25 Top 7 Wine Myths DEBUNKED!

In my line of work, I hear it all. People spout alleged facts about wine left and right and it's hard to tell what's truth and what's fiction. We could go on and on, but this week Rick and I debunk the top 7 myths of the wine world.



Here are the show notes...

We start with a few shoutouts to awesome reviews on iTunes for the show! Amazing stuff!

A new and fabulous piece of "old school" technology for the Wine For Normal People Podcast... Call us!!! 800-599-8478 (in the U.S.) or 1-415-226-9105 and dial extension 5 to leave your question for the Wine For Normal People Podcast, and we will play it on the show!

• Listener Question - from Brandy in the UK about food and wine pairing
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Main Topic - Top 7 Wine Myths DEBUNKED! We cover these topics:
  1. Flavors in Wine
  2. Aging Wines
  3. Expensive Wines
  4. French Wine
  5. Cigars & Wine (controversial and I'm sure some of you will hate me for my view)
     
     
  6. High Scoring Wines (and Wine Critics)
  7. Screw Caps (vs. Corks)
     
     
     
     
• Grape of the Week - Tempranillo

And a special and amazing thanks to Sean Amann for creating an awesome intro for Grape of the Week!! If you want to submit your version or any other music or stuff for the show, drop me an email at elizabeth(at)winefornormalpeople(dot)com and we'll put it on the air!

Please comment on the Facebook Page and if you haven't done so already please review us on iTunes and we'll give you a shout out!

To access the podcast please click the player below or go here:

Ep 025 Top 7 Wine Myths DEBUNKED!

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Guest Post on Foodie Buddha: "The Art of a Good Wine List"

Check it out! I did a guest post on a very popular Atlanta foodie site, Foodie Buddha.

Here's the link to "The Art of a Good Wine List."

Answers to the Age-Old Question: What Makes a "Good" Wine List?

by certified Sommelier Elizabeth Schneider

Enjoy and drop a comment below if you have questions/comments!

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Why score wine?

The movement against scoring wine seems to be growing. There's now a website called Scorevolution which is backed by a growing number of individuals including Christophe Hedges of Hedges who I met in Washington state last year and - inevitably - Randall Grahm of Bonny Doon who has a trenchant view on everything, bless him.



The manifesto, it has to be said, is a bit turgid, but it's hard to fault the sentiment.



"Wine is a gustatory expression of where its grapes grew and the method by which they were farmed. These methods having been developed over time to address the variability of nature. The combination of land, climate, culture and philosophy is terroir. Ideally a wine will evoke an understanding of the region and perhaps the individual vineyard that was its place of origin. The subtle expression of wine through the context of its geography"



"If we rely on the biased palates of the select few - and no palate can ever be unbiased, as the process of tasting is supremely personal - to tell us what is good, great and perfect then haven't we sacrificed our own understanding of the wine and, as such, what would be the point of drinking it?"



In other words wine is more than numbers.*



I was interested to read Eric Asimov the wine writer for the New York Tines had been reported as reiterating that the only way to appreciate and assess wine was with food which is, after all, the context in which most people enjoy it.



And how reliable are scores? On what basis are they allocated? I remember discussing this with Tom Cannavan of wine-pages.com, a frequent judge in wine competitions on a press trip and he said that even if critics ostensibly score from 1-20 that most have a register of 1-5. I'm conscious of that myself. I usually score supermarket wines for my own reference between 12 and 17, most of the wines I taste falling around the 13-14 mark. But 12 sounds much more generous than 1, on the 1-5 scale, doesn't it?



How then do you indicate to your reader how you rate a wine? On my credit crunch drinking blog I do in fact rank wines from 1-5, 1 being 'drinkable. Amazing, given the price' and 5 'unmissable. Snap it up'. Which I think is probably OK for cheaper wines, much less satisfactory for more complex ones.



Parker appears to score from 1-100 but any wine below 89 seems to be regarded as a poor score.



And surely it depends on how you're feeling, who you're with, what you're eating and, above all, what your personal taste is.



Which is why I now favour a system of flagging up natural wines in accordance with how they're likely to fit into your wine drinking experience: green being similar to a conventional wine, amber maybe slightly more challenging and red a warning that the wine may well be way outside your comfort zone.



Speaking of which I've had a wine this week, the Herbel La Pointe Chenin 2008 which has the unfortunate look of an unhealthy urine sample and an aroma of fermenting apples. Maybe it's suffered in transit or wasn't kept cool enough but even my husband, a diehard natural wine fan, couldn't finish his glass. Definitely a red which goes to show, as I've said before, that just because a wine is natural doesn't mean it's good.



What do you think about wine scores? Are they useful or useless and is there any other way you'd advocate of flagging up a wine's style and quality to the consumer?



* There's an interesting debate on the 100 point scale on Palate Press here.





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Wine For Normal People Radio : Episode 024 The Grape Miniseries...Chardonnay

And finally, we tackle the big daddy of the whites: Chardonnay. So many styles, so little time. MC Ice steps in while Rick is on summer break!

Episode 24: The Grape Miniseries, Chardonnay

Here are the show notes...

• Some fun facts about the Chardonnay grape and why everyone loves it (this is the real dorky stuff and some surprising things about how boring the grape is on its own...)
• Typical profiles of the Old World v. New World Styles
• Major (and not so major) growing regions in the Old World: Burgundy (see the Primer if you want more info on this), Champagne, Northern Italy, Austria, Germany, Eastern Europe
• Major growing regions in the New World: South America, South Africa (see the picture below of me petting the lion cub, as mentioned! I didn't mention it was at a preserve, I didn't just hop out of the car and pet a wild one!), Australia, New Zealand California and some other spots
• A word on food and Chardonnay pairing...

Chardonnay is such a huge topic that we couldn't do anything but brush the surface. If you've got questions post them on Facebook or Tweet us @Normalwine

If you like the 'cast, please review us on iTunes and we'll give you a shout out!

Podcast Powered By Podbean

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Mosel v. Rheingau Riesling: A Taste Test With An Unexpected Result

Ah Riesling, you need a PR campaign! Similar to the US ads that called pork "the other white meat" to un-ghetto-ize it, you need a campaign as the "other white wine" to get some much deserved props! You have fallen to the wayside in the minds of many a wine drinker and although sweet seekers know and love you, you get a horrible rap among dry wine lovers who have already made a foray into the world of wine.



Sad, but true.



There are a ton of amazing drier Rieslings but people don’t seem to know this. It’s neglected and cast aside for the safer Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.



I'm an unabashed Riesling fan and advocate and I write about it all the time. I could make a very convincing argument that it's the finest white in the world and that it's more versatile than the ever-popular Chardonnay because it makes every type of wine -- dry, sweet (Chardonnay doesn't do sweet), and sparkling -- and it can age forever. It is so reflective of terroir (listen to the podcast for more on this) but it maintains a strong character everywhere it grows. It is almost always super aromatic -- like peaches, flowers, honey, and minerals -- but it's balanced by strong acidity no matter how much sugar the producers leave in the wine (which is why it's often sweet). Pay attention when you have it next time and you'll see that under your tongue waters and waters regardless of sweetness: the mark of acid.



Riesling needs cold climates to really thrive and no where does it do better than in Germany, its homeland. I'm lucky enough to be on the mailing list for the Wines of Germany so they send me some amazing stuff to try (full disclosure, although I'll be honest about what I think). I had a few bottles on hand to write about so I decided to do a bit of a taste test to see the differences between wines from the same vintage and of the same sweetness level from the two finest growing regions for Riesling – Rheingau and Mosel – were true to the common knowledge about them.



To reiterate from a previous post, which gives details on German wines that I won't go into here:

"Rheingau has completely different terrain from Mosel. Where Mosel is full of steep slopes and terraced vineyards, Rheingau is pretty gentle, with slopes that flatten towards the Rhine River and its tributaries. Mosel has mostly one type of consistent soil -- slate, and Rheingau has lots of different soils mushed up together. Rheingau's Rieslings are hard core -- lots of flavor, lots of acid, lots of stuff goin' on in general, probably because of the soil type and the growing conditions. Mosel Riesling is but a soft flower compared to Rheingau."

Although that's conventional wisdom, strangely, it appears that in the case of these wines, the identities flip-flopped. They were of slightly different price points, but that doesn’t account for what I discovered.



This issue will need further exploration…thank goodness I’m still on the Wines of Germany list so I can replicate the experiment and report back! Here are my "findings:"



The Wine: Selbach Riesling Kabinett, Fish Label

The Grape: 100% Riesling

Where it's from: Mosel, Germany

Alcohol: 9%

Vintage: 2009

Price: $14.99



Color: A beautiful pale straw color with kind of a greenish brassy look to it (like a bleached blonde in a pool). There were some bubbles, probably from the addition of a little sulfur dioxide, a common practice in Germany to keep the wines fresh.



Smell: I felt like I had just stepped into an orchard of peaches and apples. This was fruity and delicious with a bit of honeysuckle scent too. I wanted to take a bite out of the glass – it smelled like juicy, ripe fruit. There was a very characteristic note of petrichor (my favorite esoteric word, which just means the smell of wet pavement after it rains). It had that petrol/gas smell that is so common in German Rieslings (sounds gross, smells good), which I adore.



Taste: This is definitely on the off-dry/slightly sweet side, so if you don’t like that beware. The wine was more like an apple pastry with honey on top than fresh fruit. It had almost a marshmallow, candied taste, which I think dulled the prickly acid sensation I love in Riesling. I was slightly disappointed that it wasn’t more minerally in flavor. But with food...



Pairing: Although alone, I wasn’t a fan, we paired this with sushi and it was AWESOME. This wine with soy sauce was a freaking dream. It mellowed the salt and made the sushi taste creamy and smoky. This was one of those times that the wine completely transformed the food. I couldn’t get enough of this pairing (nor could MC Ice who poured soy sauce on the brown rice and practically ate it with his hands, in between sips).



Drink or Down the Sink?: Drink, but only if you’re having Asian that has soy sauce. This wine was not what I’d expect from a Mosel Riesling, which tend to be subtle and complex. It was kind of a yawn on its own but because it came alive with food, I’m keeping it on the list.



This is a re-review of Schloss Reinhartshausen Old Vines Wine -- I've reviewed the '07.



I wish we had tried this the same night, but we broke it out the next night.



The Wine: Schloss Reinhartshausen Old Vines, Estate Bottled

The Grape: 100% Riesling

Where it's from: Rheingau, Germany

Alcohol: 12%

Vintage: 2008

Price: $22



Color: Richer than the Selbach, this was like the color of those golden raisins your mom puts in your lunch bag when you’re a little kid, which you promptly chuck so as not to look like a dork because you don’t have the regular kind.



Smell: Not much has changed since the last time I smelled this wine – it’s so light in aroma for a

Riesling. I got a little bit of the gardenia smell and a touch of something like a waterfall but that was a real stretch. This is not an aromatic wine -- weird for Riesling.



Taste: Certainly the wine has more going on once you drink it, but it’s still kind of blah. Just like last time, I found that it had great acid. There were some light lime and peach notes but this time around, I thought the wine was much more noticeably sweet. It was clear to me that this was an off-dry wine, which I didn’t note last time. I don't mind a little sugar, but this seemed too sweet and not in harmony with the fruit and acid.



Pairing: I wish I’d had this with Asian, but I went Mediterranean and just had it with couscous, veggies, and herbed goat cheese. It was a nice, unoffensive complement but nothing special. Even though I didn’t get to try it with Asian, I don't think it would have been as good as the Selbach was. It just didn't have enough going on to hum in the way the Selbach did with food.



Drink or Down the Sink?: I really wasn’t impressed and it definitely fell short of the promise of a Rheingau wine, which I think should be bold and rich in flavor and smell. In comparison to the Mosel, I thought this fell short. I wouldn’t buy it for $22 – there are too many other great things out there!



I think this is an unusual outcome and that these wines kind of switched identities. It's not a case of vintage variation (same vintage) or different sweetness levels, it just must be that these producers are not making the expected -- cool but also a little disappointing for me.



I'm going to do more tasting and research and I'll report back on whether this is just an anomaly (which my hunch is that it is...). If you do any of your own taste testing, drop a note here or on Facebook and let me know how it turns out!

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