Wine For Normal People Radio : Episode 020 Best Wines for July 4th/Summer

Of course I love M.C. Ice and for those of you who are with me, don't worry -- he'll make appearances again, but Rick is back from hiatus (which he took because his business is en fuego, not for any other weird reason as some people speculated...).

We returned with bang for the 4th. We give some great red, white, and rosé wine recommendations for your 4th of July and Summer outings AND include some stuff on sparklers too (not the kind you light on fire). We focus on food pairings and gift ideas.

Here are the Show Notes:

• A new, shorter intro to get right into the good stuff

Main Topic - Wines for 4th of July festivities and other Summer sippers

• Red Wines - Pairing suggestions for grilled foods, light reds for sipping, and which red wines to bring as gifts
• White Wines - Refreshing choices for the Summer heat, some food pairing ideas, and which white wines would go over well at a party
• Rosé Wines - Not all are created equal... We provide some tips on picking the best rosé wines

...and the Grape of the Week - Grenache (or Garnacha): The flavor profiles and a little history on the grape

Have you tried a Grenache/Garnacha? If so, join the conversation on the Wine For Normal Peopel Facebook page

Click here or download the 'cast below...

Wine For Normal People Radio : Episode 019 Best Wines for July 4th/Summer

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Wines from the Outstanding Oakville Area in Napa: Swanson Vineyards' Best and Brightest

Wine regions are a little like Russian nesting dolls. I think that's why the topic is so freaking complicated.

The big doll is like the country (U.S., France). The next one is the state/region (California, Loire Valley). Then you get to a specific county or area (Napa, Sancerre), then a town within it (Oakville, Bué) and then a vineyard. Like the dolls, as the areas get smaller the details become more and more intricate and impressive.

If you read the blog regularly, you know that I'm much more of an advocate of knowing a place rather than knowing a producer. It's far more valuable to be able to identify the characteristics of a place than it is of a specific brand, since you may not always be able to find a wine from a specific winery, but you should be able to find something you like you if you know the place it's from.

More practically, frequently I talk in broad terms about place for a simple reason: wines from specific towns or vineyards tend to cost a lot of money and I don't like to pony up for it (I'm just a normal person after all). So likely, I'll have a wine from Napa rather than one from one of the prestigious sub-appellations (smaller areas, also called American Viticultural Areas or AVAs) unless I'm in wine country tasting, it's a special occasion, I'm at an industry tasting, or I'm lucky enough to have a winery send me a bottle for review.

I'm fortunate in that I lived in California and took advantage of my time there, really getting to know the sub-AVAs of Napa and Sonoma in particular. And one of the AVAs I've had the fortunate experience of visiting lots of times is Oakville in Napa -- arguably the best and most prestigious winegrowing area in all of California.

Oakville is home of the "cult Cabs" -- super expensive, small production, exclusive Cabernet Sauvignon that wine snobs love to tell you they've tried. Getting on the mailing list (they aren't sold any other way) for Screaming Eagle, Harlan, and Dalla Valle is the wine world's version of winning the PowerBall Jackpot. All these wineries are in Oakville.

If that's not enough evidence this place is pretty special, know that here lies historic vineyards like To Kalon, which means "most beautiful" in Greek, established in 1868 (it's owned by Beckstoffer and Mondavi, but they sell fruit to lots of producers) and Martha's Vineyard (heh heh. Nice allusion to the MA island. Heitz's wine from here is outstanding). They make amazing wine.

For all this prestige, it's a super small area -- to continue the analogy, it's about the size of the smallest nesting doll, relative to Napa at large. It's just 2 miles wide between the Vaca Mountains in the east and the Mayacamas mountains on the western border with Sonoma.

The geology of Napa is very cool -- lots of plate movement (hence earthquakes) so the valley floor and the foothills, where the vineyards are, have a range of soils, altitudes, and sun exposures that make each wine really unique depending on the part of the area in which it's grown. Oakville is a warmer area of Napa but isn't blistering -- it has cool, foggy mornings that preserve acidity and warm afternoons that ripen the grapes. It's grape growing nirvana.

What does this mean? If you get a wine from Oakville -- especially a Cabernet or Merlot -- it's probably going to be great.

As a total non sequitur, I love Oakville for it's wines, but also for it's fabulous gourmet grocery store -- the Oakville Grocery. You have to go there if you go to Napa. The sandwiches and coffee (after a long day of tasting) are amazing and it's a throw back to a 1920s grocery store.

But back to the wine...

Recently Swanson Vineyards sent me 3 bottles to sample and I was excited. Yes, it's the same family as the TV dinner fame, but since 1985 this Winery has been making some pretty exceptional wines. The offshoot of the packaged food family has made major investment in wine and it's paid off. They hired a string of highly capable winemakers -- most recently Chris Phelps, who has studied under the best winemakers in Bordeaux, including Christian Moueix at Petrus, and at the hoity Dominus and Caymus Wineries in Napa -- and the result is great Merlot and Cabernet. Here's the rundown:

The Wine: Swanson Merlot
Where It's From: Oakville, Napa, California
The Grape: 80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon
Alcohol: 14.8% (on the high side)
Vintage: 2007
Price: $38

Color: Very dark for a Merlot, this baby did not look like the "medium" wine I always associate with the grape -- probably owing to the 20% of the pretty dark Cabernet Sauvignon. It was the color of blackberry or prune juice. I assumed big flavor from the looks of this.

Smell: I love when California Merlot is more than just a pleasant sipping wine and this fit the bill! It wasn't overpowering, but it had a real woodsy component that I liked. It reminded me of Christmas -- baked red apples, cinnamon stick, allspice, and a little tree bark were strong supporting roles behind the lead scent of blackberries and boysenberries. The smell was a little tangy -- there was an orange peel note that I think made it so. Pretty interesting.

Taste: Much more standard than it smelled. It was a very good wine, but extremely medium all around -- in tannin, in acid, in flavor. There was a pleasant black cherry taste and the cinnamon stick I smelled was certainly in the flavor, but it was simpler than I expected. It didn't hang around to savor -- the flavor disappeared quickly on the finish.

Pairing: Roast veggies or meats with shallots, thyme, or tarragon flavors. This is a nice but medium textured and flavored wine that could be given more umph with the help of sauteed herbs with roasted potatoes, vegetables, or meats like lamb, duck, or chicken.

Drink or Down the Sink?: Drink. This wine is good, but it's milder than I would expect from the look and smell of it. It's a very well-made wine but less powerful than I had hoped. I think this is probably because 2007 was a vintage marked by cool weather and a less ripe crop. I'd like to try this in another year, but I still think this is a solid wine and I'd drink it any day of the week.


The Wine: Swanson "Alexis" Cabernet Sauvignon
Where It's From: Oakville, Napa, California
The Grape: 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot
Alcohol: 14.8%
Vintage: 2007
Price: $75

Color: A crimson, similar to the Merlot in color, the wine was not as dark as I'd expect from an Oakville Cabernet -- which can often be almost purple in color from being so ripe. I looked at this as a good sign that the wine may have some balance and may not be over-the-top, as many Napa Cabs are. What does "over-the-top" mean? The wine is so full of fruit flavor, alcohol, and tannin that your mouth becomes overwhelmed and can't even distinguish flavors or think about the wine -- it's too much for me to process.

Smell: This is everything I'd expect a Napa Cab to smell like. Black cherry was overlain with tobacco, leather, and coffee smells from oak aging. There was a delicious floral/perfume note that went well with the mocha thing going on. The only drawback -- it was a cilia singer: I coughed from the "hot" alcohol smell that wafted up my snout on the sniff (which is strange because the Merlot had the same alcohol level and it didn't do that to me).

Taste: Wow. This was amazing. Licorice and nutmeg with a big hit of espresso flavor reminded me of drinking a great cup of coffee. The wine tasted like black raspberries, black cherry, with some fresh orange peel. It was cola like too -- almost similar to a Dr. Pepper. The texture was perfect. The tannin wasn't too harsh and the alcohol was completely in check and not burning my esophagus as it went down. The wine had great balance between the alcohol, tannin, acid, and fruit flavors -- it was powerful, but not overwhelming.

Pairing: No question about it -- steak, portabella mushrooms, beef stews, and any other heavy, hearty dishes with mushroom, au jus, or brown butter sauces with flavorful savory herbs. This is a great wine for food because of its balance -- it won't overwhelm what you're eating.

Drink or Down the Sink?: Drink. It's expensive but worth it. This is a great wine. I give Swanson tons of credit for restraining their style and making it food friendly, while still being fruity and very typical of Oakville. A very impressive, delicious, balanced wine -- I love it!


The Wine: Swanson Pinot Grigio
Where It's From: Napa Valley, California
The Grape:100% Pinot Grigio
Alcohol: 13.6%
Vintage: 2009
Price: $21

Color: A super pale straw, this wine looks like it's never seen the inside of an oak barrel...because it hasn't. On the downside, I love a Pinot Gris that has lots of fruit flavor -- Pinot Gris (same grape) from Alsace, France, for instance is rich in color from ripeness -- so I was wary of something so light.

Smell: Super pretty. There were some unique things going on here. First there was a spicy pear smell -- like a pear soaked in Chai tea. Then there was something akin to suntan lotion -- a creamy coconut milk smell. There were lovely floral scents too -- like jasmine and tropical flowers. The wine reminded me of a tropical tree flower called a frangipani. I lived in St. John for a while (story for another time) and had a tree outside my house that smelled delicious when it was in bloom. The wine reminded me of that tree.

Taste: A lot lighter than what I'd hoped, the wine had some nice honey, pear, and red apple flavors. On the downside, it was slightly bitter, like the skin of an almond. There wasn't a whole lot going on in the glass. The acid was nice but very average. It was a simple, easy to drink wine but not much there to analyze.

Pairing: Best as a pre-food sipper or with a baguette and a hard cheese like Parmesan. You could do a light fish with it, but you'd have to be careful that the seasoning wasn't too bold or it would wipe out the wine.

Drink or Down the Sink?: Meh. I reviewed this last because it was my least favorite of the three wines I had. It's just an ok wine. For $21 I'd rather buy a Pinot Gris from Alsace, France, which is layered with flavor and absolutely fabulous. This wine is good, but it's too light for my liking and not something I'd go out of my way for...unlike the Cab or the Merlot, which I thought were great.

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More bio buzz from Paris and Burgundy

I went to a very posh tasting at the Dorchester last night that would not normally be the subject of this blog but for the remarkable fact of a French female sommelier, Estelle Touzet - head sommelier at the 3 starred Le Meurice, no less - serving up a New Zealand biodynamic wine (Felton Road's 2009 Bannockburn Pinot).

In fact of the four wines she showed - only one was French (Coumbe del Mas) - and from the Roussillon not one of the more prestigious wine areas.

It really shows how fast the restaurant world is changing. It's inconceivable that one of the so-called 'palaces' as Paris's most prestigious hotels are called, would have had a female head sommelier or shown wines of this type at a press event even five years ago. Touzet reckons that around 200 wines from her 1100 strong list are biodynamic, possibly more as many producers choose not to certify . . .

I also gather (from my colleague Richard Hemming via Twitter) that Anne-Claude Leflaive has launched a new biodynamic négociant business, Leflaive et Associés which will be buying in fruit from biodynamic growers. Further proof, if proof were needed, that biodynamics is becoming big business.

And what did the wine taste like? Ah, forgot to mention that. Elegant, mineral, quite smokey - I thought it might be a mourvèdre, without the lush fruit that tends to typify Central Otago pinot. But, interestingly, it was a root day. A great match though with a 'bouchée' of rare beef with celeriac rémoulade and a lot of black pepper which actually restored some of the fruit to the wine. More on my matchingfoodandwine website tomorrow. Readmore »»

Yarden from Israel: Leaves Me Wanting More From This Emerging Region...

When I say Israel, the first thing that comes to mind is probably NOT wine. Conflict with the Palestinians? Yes. The Jewish homeland? Sure. Don't Mess With the Zohan? Where's my fizzy-bubbly? But wine? A little more out of the realm...and yet there's plenty being made and exported.

That's right, this nation, which is the size of New Jersey (but probably has fewer Jews...I can say this because I am a Jew, FYI), has a ton of promise for making exceptional wine and has started to live up to it. With a hot, humid, but dry summer to ripen grapes yet still ward off pests, and a diversity of terrain and soil, this small nation has really stepped up its wine A-game in the last few decades. The number of solid boutique wineries has grown, putting Israel on the map in the wine world.

Of course, it's not like wine is new to this area. It was made here in biblical times and the Romans even exported the stuff to their hometown because it was high quality. But as the region changed hands and a new religious regime came in that didn't allow the fermented beverage, production moved to table grapes and raisins.

A few attempts at reviving wine in what is now Israel were short-lived, and it took the most prominent Jew in winemaking -- Baron Edmond de Rothschild, owner of the famed Bordeaux Château Lafite-Rothschild -- in the late 19th century to bring winemaking to the fore. He imported the mainstay grapes of Bordeaux (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Sauvignon Blanc) and brought in expertise needed to get the Israeli wine industry going, starting the Carmel Winery, which is still thriving today.

That move certainly signaled the launch of the modern industry and minor efforts continued through the years, but beyond Kosher wine, the good stuff really wasn't a factor in the area until the 1960s (A quick note on Kosher v. Israeli wines. Not all Israeli wines are Kosher. Kosher just means the wine is made according to certain principles in the Jewish religion and production is overseen and blessed by a Rabbi. Israeli wine is wine from Israel. Just thought I'd clear that one up.). That was when Australian, American, and French winemakers moved in and brought with them modern technology.

Today there are five winemaking districts: Galilee, Samson, and Shomron, which make up 80% of all the wine made, and Judean Hills and Negev. There are more than 14,000 acres planted to grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Franc, and Syrah.

A few big wineries dominate the scene -- namely Carmel, Barkan, and Golan Heights Winery -- but word on the street is that the real action in Israeli wines is the 140+ boutique wineries that have popped up in the last decade or so. Sadly, these are hard to find and so I haven't had an opportunity to try them.

What did I try that made me write this post? The Golan Heights Winery's premium Yarden label. And although, as you'll soon find, I really disliked this wine, I do have a lot of respect for the Winery.

It's owned by 8 Co-ops (called Kibbutzum) and was established in 1984. 30% of its 6 million bottles (it's big biz) is exported, mostly to the US, and the winemaker is a Napa native. The Winery is ultramodern and regardless of your (or my) opinion of the wine, it is universally accepted that the Golan Heights Winery was the first to spark a quality revolution in Israel, demanding that better grapes and winemaking processes be used.

Without Golan Heights, Israeli wine wouldn't even be on the radar, so I give them credit...I need to preface this review with a shout to them of respect, since I really disliked the juice itself...

The Wine:Yarden Mount Hermon Red Wine
Where It's From: Galilee, Israel
The Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc
Alcohol: 14%
Vintage: 2009
Price: $11.99

Color: What a rich color. The wine was maroon. It was a deep red color with thick legs dripping down the glass from that 14% alcohol. It seemed like it was going to be a pretty flavorful wine from the color. Full of promise.

Smell: The first signs of trouble were 'a brewin' from the smell. Yes, there were the typical black cherry, light green pepper, and wet potting soil smells that you often get in a Bordeaux blend, but then there was other stuff. Bad stuff. Like that Pine Sol scent. And something akin to heated plastic. And a cheap drugstore perfume note to top it off. I was really not looking forward to drinking this.

Taste: Let's start with the positives. The texture of the wine was very nice. It had some mouth-drying tannin, but it wasn't out of control. The tannins blended well with the fruit. Also, I would have expected the wine to feel a little hot and burning with 14% alcohol, but it was so well balanced with the fruit that it was completely in check. In a place where they have to worry about grapes becoming too high in sugar (and therefore too high in alcohol during fermentation) this wasn't an issue at all.

What was an issue? The fact that the wine tasted like a Luden's cherry cough drop and a dose of pine resin. It was medicinal -- like cough syrup. It tasted sweet and, for some reason, the vanilla from the oak didn't mesh well with the cherry and raspberry fruit flavors. This may sound contradictory, but even though the wine tasted sweet, it had a hard, bitter edge after it went down. Although this would normally be a negative, the wine had a really short finish, which was great because it didn't linger and I could forget about it quickly...something I wanted to do.

Drink or Down the Sink?: Down the sink. I am not writing off Israeli wines, but I'm certainly not off to a good start. The flavors were odd, the wine was funky (although I want to be clear that there was nothing wrong with it from a chemical perspective -- it just didn't taste good), and I won't be buying it again...unless my only other option is Manischewitz (nasty, sweet wine that is usually served at Passover tables around the US).
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Mas de Chimères Oeillade 2010

I was planning to do another post on Alsace this week but you know how it is when it's the kind that requires you to collect your thoughts and plough through extensive tasting notes? And I was in the Languedoc which made it feel odd writing about Alsace. At least that's my excuse. I also had a good book . . .

Anyway here's what we drank one night at Chez Philippe in Marseillan, a restaurant we'd always meant to go to and finally managed this trip*. It's a pure Cinsault called Oeillade from Guilhem Dardé of Mas de Chimères who makes wine round the Lac de Salagou.

It was deliciously mineral, almost stoney with the sort of crunchy but not oversweet wild berry fruit you find in a Cabernet Franc. And a tantalising smell of red rose petals. The soil in that area is apparently rich in iron oxide with blocks of basalt from the (fortunately extinct) volcanoes that surround the valley.

Dardé, who describes himself as a 'paysan vigneron' says on his site that he hasn't used herbicides or pesticides for several years and is currently in organic conversion. Yields are kept at 26 hl per ha. He uses indigenous yeasts and minimal levels of sulphur and no fining or filtering for the reds.

He recommends it should be drunk young (3-4 years) and cool (14°-16°) which is how the restaurant served it, all credit to them. We took the last third of the bottle back home (drink driving laws in France are draconian) and found it even better two nights later.

* And would I recommend Chez Philippe? I would, despite the ridiculous over-elaboration of a couple of the dishes, the flavours were good and authentic Languedoc. And, witness the wine above, the wine list was interesting and fairly priced.

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Wine For Normal People Radio : Episode 019 How a Grape Becomes A Wine

By popular request...on this podcast we tackle the very nerdy topic of how wine is made. We tried to follow the flavor and not get too dorky about the technical details.

MC Ice guest hosts again but Rick is making a comeback very soon...he's been taking a hiatus to focus on some important business but I'm excited for his comeback!

Here are the show notes for this week:

Shoutouts to friends on Twitter, Facebook, iTunes, and commenters on email and on the blog




Main Topic: How a Grape Becomes a Wine

The Goal: talk about the important factors in winemaking without getting too technical! We tried to talk more about where flavor comes from in the process.

• It all starts in the vineyard: the importance of terroir
• Grape flavors
• Destemming and crushing and what they do to flavor
• Fermentation and how yeast can change the taste of wine
• Malolactic fermentation: What it is and why it matters
• Aging, another word on oak, and the tale of dead yeas
• Blending and why the winemaker is an artist

Click here or download the 'cast below...

Wine For Normal People Radio : Episode 019 How a Grape Becomes A Wine

Please leave us your feedback here (including show suggestions!), on the Wine For Normal People Facebook Page, and on Twitter @normalwine

Thanks for listening!

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Stunning Dry German Riesling By Peter Jakob Kuhn: A Perfect Summer White

It's no secret that I'm a champion of the quintessential German grape: Riesling. It has nothing to do with the fact that my last name is Schneider, which I've been told is one of the most popular last names in Germany (and it means "tailor" so if I translated it I'd be a violet-eyed, recently deceased celeb). It has to do with the fact that this wine is extremely delicious, versatile, and fascinating. It's a perfect expression of how terroir shows itself (listen to the podcast for more details on this!).

Given that I'm a big fan of this misunderstood, ragged on grape (people ALWAYS think it's sweet and cheap, mostly because of the brand to the left), it should be of no surprise that I'm on the mailing list for Destination Riesling, a marketing program to help elevate the grape in the US. Most of the wines that they send me are good, but some are really outstanding and I'm happy to tell you, we've got a live one here.

For Father's Day my dad was in town. He's a Sauvignon Blanc guy who, for some unknown reason, refuses to buy a dry Riesling, despite my repeated suggestions that he would love it. Given this, I had no choice but to bust out the Peter Jakob Kühn Quartzit Trocken (means dry in German) sent to me courtesy of Destination Riesling with our Brie and baguette. It was unreal.

The wine is from the great winegrowing region of Rheingau, which is situated between the Taunus Mountains in the north and the Rhine River to the south. Why do these topographic features matter? Because in this steeply sloped land, vineyards that face south capture a ton of warmth and sun from the reflection off the Rhine and with a northerly mountain border, the area is über protected from nasty storms from the north. Vineyards this far north could never grow such awesome grapes without this precise positioning. Rheingau is a gem for sure.

But it's not like this new news. Charlemagne (yes I did just whip out a name from your 7th grade history class. Deal with it) planted the first vineyards here near Johannisberg (if you've heard of Johannisberg Riesling, this is the origin). And of course, no great European vineyard area was left untouched by the monks -- there's evidence that three orders had their hands on Rheingau, including the Cistercians who made two major contributions -- studying the best sites and plots for vines and documenting them, and bringing Pinot Noir to the area.

Yup, I said Pinot Noir. Although cold climates usually can only support white wine grapes because red grapes can't get enough sun to ripen, 12% of Rheingau's grapes are Pinot Noir or Spatburgunder (SHPATE-burg-under), as it's known here. Because I'm so immature, I'll point out that the town of Assmannshausen (I laugh EVERY time I read that) makes lots of Pinot and apparently it doesn't taste like what the town sounds like -- it's fruity and delicious and not at all like ass.

The Pinot factoid aside, 80% of the grapes grown in Rheingau are Riesling and the producers here don't mess around. The VDP, a quality growers association that denotes membership by a black eagle on participating wineries' labels, has classified the vineyards of Rheingau in a way similar to Burgundy. There are the top quality first growths, which are called Erste Lagen and other classified wines in something called the Erste Gewachs system (I bring this up so you can look for it on the bottle, and know that it's a quality designation, don't worry about memorizing it though!).

The wine we were lucky enough to have was from Peter Jakob Kühn, a top notch producer in the area. The Weingut (winery in German, and not to be confused with beer gut, a truly American phenomenon) been around since 1786 -- 11 generations of winemaking. The property is in the prestigious Oesterich area on the right bank of the Rhine, on a steep slope with clay soils that hold moisture and create acidic Riesling that can age for decades. Kühn's vineyards are Biodynamic and organic and the winemaking is hands off -- they let the grape express itself.

Kühn is so focused on quality that they have their own ranking system. The label has zero, one, two, or three grape bunches on it, indicating basic wine (zero) to outstanding wine (three). Details, details -- very German indeed.

The wine we had the pleasure of trying was a two grape rating and was absolutely amazing. If you like dry Riesling, make sure you look for "Trocken" on the label when you're buying German...it always means dry and usually guarantees that you're going to get something special!

The Wine: Peter Jakob Kühn Trocken Riesling, Quarzit
Where It's From: Rheingau, Germany
The Grape: 100% Riesling
Alcohol: 11.5% (I love that German Rieslings are always low in alcohol -- great for sipping because they don't get you sloshed!)
Vintage: 2008
Price: $46 (a worth-it splurge)

Color: Much paler than I expected, it was almost clear with just a light straw tint to it. I expected high acid, which is right on with what I've read about the 2008 vintage in Rheingau -- it was a little less sunny than other vintages, so the acid was high and the alcohol was low (not a lot of sugar in the grapes because they were less ripe, so lower alcohol). There were small bubbles, probably from a last minute squirt of sulfur into the bottle before they capped it with a screw cap, my favorite closure for a white wine to keep it fresh.

Smell: This is a benchmark for what dry German Riesling should be like. Unmistakably there was the smell of a crashing waterfall -- minerals and wet rocks, with a very typical note of what wine dorks call petrol (my dad pointed out that this sounds unappealing, but somehow in the wine this gasoline-type thing is interesting not nasty. Look for it in German Riesling and you'll see what I mean!). Awesome sweet lemon, peaches, and clementines (sweeter than regular oranges) with a white jasmine smell that was so intoxicatingly delicious.

Taste: If you love dry Riesling, you will LOVE this wine. If you don't know if you like dry Riesling, this should be your litmus test! A great wine. That mineral smell carried over in the taste and was so interesting. The quartz soil was apparent in the flavor -- terroir matters so much here! There was searing, tooth-enamel stripping acidity -- a great match for the fat in the Brie we had because it lightened up the double creaminess of the cheese. The lemon combined with a bread character and made the wine a little like a cookie (although not sweet).

As an aside, I think it's important to note that the winemaker used a process called sur lie aging, where after the yeast eat the sugar and turn it into alcohol, they die and settle to the bottom of the tank. If the winemakers don't remove the wine from the yeast, the yeast cells break up over time and create a richer, nutty, yeasty taste. The contrast of that flavor against the acid and mineral flavors was such a sensory treat (hence the cookie thing).

Pairing: You couldn't do much better than to match this with a white food that's got some fat. The Brie was a great match, but anything that has cheese, or a butter sauce should be great. Salads, flaky fish, light chicken dishes, pasta with cream sauce or primavera -- all would be ideal.

Drink or Down the Sink?: Drink! I know it's expensive and a little hard to get, but I think it's well worth seeking out on the internet if you have the cash. It won my dad over instantly and I think he'll be seeking out more dry Riesling now. Again, this is a benchmark for Rheingau Riesling and it's one of the most delicious ones I've ever had.

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Shoots and leaves: the effect of biodynamics in the vineyard

I don’t pretend to understand how biodynamics works. For critics of the practice like Dr Richard Smart who recently pronounced that many of the concepts it embraces are 'nonsense' that’s precisely why they are sceptical but my recent trip to Alsace in the early part of the growing season (June) was an ideal opportunity to see for myself exactly what happens to the vines.

Many of Alsace's most successful winemakers are biodynamic including André Ostertag (above) and Olivier Zind Humbrecht, a phenomenon that I would have thought should have given the good doctor pause for thought. Touring Ostertag's vineyards you could see the difference between the vigour and health of his vines . . .


compared to those of his neighbour's a couple of rows down. (Note the use of herbicides.)


The shoots push up vertically (right) as opposed to growing out sideways (left) allowing for better air circulation - down to preparation 501 according to Ostertag.



The fruit is also more spaced out on the shoot as Pierre Gassman of Rolly Gassman showed me at his vineyard.


You can also see a marked difference in the texture and colour of the leaves and the strength of the veins seen here at René Muré's vineyards.


Of course there are differences in viticultural practices - fascinating ones - between one vineyard and another. At René Muré the ground between the rows is kept clean. Grass, Veronique Muré believes, makes the vineyards too wet in winter and too dry in summer when it is in competition with the vines for the available water.


But a couple of kilometres away Matthieu Boesch of Leon Boesch lets the vegetation run wild to encourage the insect population, simply forking through the soil to aerate it.



Despite this divergence in approach both producers' wines expressed the local terroir, the rieslings in particular having quite marked similarities in character.

All in the head? I don't think so. Biodynamics may not be susceptible to scientific proof but you wouldn't have as many winemakers converting to the practice if they weren't convinced by the results. As André Ostertag put it 'When I started biodynamics I saw such an amazing difference in the vineyards I realised something must be going on.' I think you can taste it too. Readmore »»

Why doesn’t Alsace produce drier wines?

I’ve a lot to report back on from my Alsace trip last week but I wanted first to address an issue which dominated the week and the discussion that ensued on Twitter and on fellow wine writer Jamie Goode’s blog here. Which is why Alsace producers don’t make drier wines. It doesn’t of course apply solely to natural wines though many of the producers we visited were biodynamic.

The issue many believe is at the heart of the mystery why Alsace wines don't have a wider fan base. Those who have already grown to like them, love them, of course but they don’t appeal as much to younger drinkers. The conventional wisdom is that they’re easily confused with German wines and that’s affected by the bottle shape. It may be a factor but I think it’s much more to do with the confusing number of bottlings and the fact no-one knows exactly how sweet they’re going to be.

Alsace of course has a specific microclimate that results in it being much hotter and drier than you’d guess from its geographical position. But a characteristic of the climate, if I’ve understood it correctly, is that many of the vineyards gather mist (and therefore moisture) in the mornings which is then heated up on the grape skins by the hot sun. Botrytis can take hold very fast, particularly with pinot gris and gewurztraminer.

Producers can make drier wines by picking earlier, depending on the year, but that can reduce the aromatic quality of the wines or by fermenting out the sugar which may result in wines that have unacceptable levels of alcohol. And many choose not to because they like to make their wines in a richer style, Zind Humbrecht, Marcel Deiss and Rolly Gassmann among them (though Zind Humbrecht is moving to a drier style of winemaking)

Sweetness is also not so much a problem in the region because people expect it and there’s a culture of ageing wines - particularly grand crus - for a considerable number of years by which time the sensation of sweetness is considerably diminished.

It’s also a feature which Alsace’s neighbours in Belgium and Germany, which provide many of the tourists who visit the region, positively enjoy about the wines. In the growing Far East market too, sweetness is not a problem particularly with hotter Asian cuisines and dishes. “It just seems to be a problem for you in the UK” as one winemaker told me, mildly resentfully.

The propensity to sweetness also explains why even biodynamic producers haven’t given up on sulphur. the use of which is still widespread in Alsace. And why most winemakers still filter their wines. But more of this in due course. Readmore »»

A Reliable Pinot Noir For A Great Price: Oyster Bay From Marlborough, NZ

There are some wine regions that are like good friends. They're consistent, amazing, make you smile, and never let you down. For me, New Zealand fits the bill. This small country produces some of the finest Sauvignon Blanc on the planet (as discussed in the podcast), and for the money, the most consistently solid quality Pinot Noir around.

If you drink wine from New Zealand, most likely you've noticed that most of it (50% of all wine, to be precise) comes from a place called Marlborough. New Zealand is a country made up of 2 main islands -- inventively named the North Island and the South Island (I'll let you figure out why). Marlborough is on the northern tip of the South Island and it has proven to have a picture-perfect climate for certain grapes.

Marlborough has two main valleys -- the Wairau Valley and the Awatere Valley -- and each have different characteristics. The Wairau is where most of the premium wine grapes are grown, with good reason. It's got the grape magic formula in it's pocket: long, sunshine-filled days, cool nights, and a dry fall for harvest time. Why is this magic? Because long days mean the grapes ripen well but cool nights mean they can build acidity and not get overripe. This is such the key to what makes New Zealand wines so unique -- they are fruity, yet have amazing acidity and moderate alcohol. The Awatere is hotter and more suited for warm climate grapes. Each area has enormous variation in soil types, and producers blend grapes from different vineyards with different soils to achieve complexity and layered flavors in the wines.

New Zealand has built quite a reputation for Sauvignon Blanc, but you may not know that it makes some real kick ass Pinot Noir too. If you read the blog, you know that I'm not shy about saying Pinot is frequently mishandled, allowed to get too ripe, and is made in a style that is over the top and that I think is just plain wrong for the grape. But on the South Island this pain-to-grow grape flourishes. Here it's fruity but still has acidity. It's earthy, but not thin. It's a style in the vein of Burgundy, but all its own.

Central Otago, on the South Island, makes some of the most amazing Pinot Noir I've had outside of Burgundy but it can be expensive and hard to get. The Pinots from Marlborough, where most of the larger producers of Sauvignon Blanc are situated, are far more affordable, accessible, and, although a little lighter, are still delicious.

I buy Oyster Bay's wines all time, both in Sauv Blanc and in Pinot Noir because it's a great value and is so reliable. I like that the winery has been around for 20 years, which is kind of old for wine companies in Lord of the Rings country, where new producers seem to pop up every day.

Given my penchant for chugging the stuff, I should have reviewed it earlier, but I guess it's never too late:

The Wine: Oyster Bay Pinot Noir (there is an actual Oyster Bay in Marlborough, BTW)
Where It's From: Marlborough, New Zealand
The Grapes: 100% Pinot Noir
Alcohol: 13.5%
Vintage: 2010
Price: $12.99

Color: A beautiful deep rose color in the center with a bright pink, watery edge. A little darker than I'd expect from Pinot, but the rim was the right color for me so I held hope that it wouldn't be overripe (a lot of times when the producers allow the grapes to get too ripe you get dark skins, so the wine is super dark from the juice being in contact with the skin). The legs were not too gloppy -- 13.5% alcohol is right on the border for me in terms of being a little too much so I was concerned this would be off balance, but I reserved judgment.

Smell: And this is why I love New Zealand Pinot Noir. There was a rich red berry smell -- like raspberry and strawberry parfait -- with a musky spice note to it. I thought of a campfire when I smelled the wine. It smelled earthy and like dried dirt, but with a note of sandalwood or Indian-type spice. A really outstanding blend of earth, fruit, and spice that's hard to find in a wine at this price!

Taste: Yum. It tasted just like it smelled -- red berries and exotic spices. The French oak, which contributes that spice flavor, made the fruit taste better, rather than overpowering it. The tannins and acid were in balance -- very medium and didn't overtake the wine by drying out my mouth/making it water too much. My only criticism: the wine was a little hot on the back of my throat from the alcohol. Again, 13.5% is right on the fringe of being a little too high (except in very rich, fruit wines like Zinfandel or Cabernet 14% is kind of my threshold for alcohol) and although it didn't ruin the wine or throw it off balance, I would have preferred that the burn wasn't there.

Pairing: We had this with a ginger sesame rubbed grilled chicken breast and it was a great pairing. The spice and fruit went well with the ginger -- everything tasted warm and spicy-sweet. I think it would be great with an Asian stir-fry that was ginger-heavy too, although this is a great Pinot to have with grilled salmon, pork, and roast turkey. Super versatile.

Drink or Down the Sink?: Drink! I love this wine. What a value for the price and so reliable that it's a standby for me when I want a good Pinot that's widely available. Go for it...and while you're at it, pick up the Sauvignon Blanc too! Can't go wrong for $12 or $13!!!

I love your comments! Please let me know your thoughts below!
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Wine For Normal People Radio : Episode 018 The Grape Mini-Series: Merlot

This week we talk about the Goldilocks of red wine -- Merlot. The crowd pleaser of the reds, this versatile grape has a style for just about everyone. There are haters out there, but keep in mind, this is a main grape of Bordeaux and is responsible for one of the finest, most expensive wines in the world from there...it deserves some respect!

Show notes:

Shoutouts to friends on Twitter, Facebook, iTunes, and commenters on email (elizabeth(at) winefornormalpeople (dot)com) and on the blog

Main Topic: Merlot (yes, the "t" is silent)

• The Goldilocks wine -- medium and great because of it!
• Descriptions of different styles of Merlot and why some of it is kind of bad and some is outstanding
• Merlot's relationship with Cabernet Sauvignon
• A bit of background on this lovely grape -- where it came from
• Growing regions and styles: France (Bordeaux), Italy, the Baltic states, New Zealand, Australia, and US (Washington State and CA)
• A little on food pairing
• Prestigious producers of Merlot
  

Click here or download the 'cast below...

Wine For Normal People Radio : Episode 018 The Grape Mini-Series: Merlot

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