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Keeping Score

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     I usually only recommend rated wines because to put it simply I see no reason to reinvent the wheel by trying to rate wines myself.  When a wine is rated you can check its rating against the rating opinion of several other reviewers to see if it deserves your further consideration.  The scale is a 100 point scale with the two most important ranges to me being 85-89 for a very good wine with special qualities and 90-94 for an outstanding wine that has superior character and style.  

     Pinot Noir is a popular wine that can be expensive but if you do your research some good examples can be purchased at a reasonable price. Louis Latour Volnay 2007 is Wine Spectator rated at 89 and can be found as a Chairman’s Selection at PA L.C.B. stores for $19.99, a sizable discount from its quoted price of $55.oo.  This Pinot Noir is broad and sweet with a juicy ripe fruit body that offers cherry and raspberry flavors plus a silky texture.  Look for it with the product code 13223 in the store or online. 

Pinot noir Grapes

Pinot noir Grapes (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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Fogged In

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Goat's milk cheese

Goat’s milk cheese (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Wine and cheese go together like no other food combination on Earth.  My absolute favorite wine and artisan cheese pairing is Cypress Grove Chevre Humboldt Fog and Sauvignon Blanc.  Cypress Grove Chevre makes Humboldt Fog from premium pasteurized goats milk in Humboldt County, California.  This goat cheese can be enjoyed even by people who do not like goat cheese because it doesn’t have a strong goat milk flavor due to the quality of the milk used.  I like to pair it with a Sauvignon Blanc.  An interesting choice would be Dourthe La Grande Cuvee Sauvignon Blanc 2010 with its 88 point rating from The Wine Advocate.  It can be found at the Pa. L.C.B. store for $12.99 with the product code 29706.

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Viva Italia!

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Italian sparkling wine

Italian sparkling wine (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Prosecco is often mistakenly called Italian Champagne but that isn’t a bad comparison. This sparkling wine is made from the Prosecco grape the oldest cultivated grape in Italy. Mionette Prosecco D.O.C. Treviso Brut has received a 89 point rating from the Wine Enthusiast. This wine has a 11% alcohol content and a R.S. of .9. Pop the cork and pour a glass to enjoy the pale straw color with your eyes, lift it to your nose to smell the fruity aroma of pear and citrus then finally taste the golden apple and peach with the light body and dry finish. This wine should be enjoyed fresh and certainly be consumed within 3 months of purchase. Serve with appetizers and mild cheeses but another use is as an excellent base for a Bellini and other sparkling wine cocktails.

     Calling Prosecco Italian Champagne is meaningful for me because Champagne is associated with memorable events and that is the case for me. My lovely wife and I have celebrated our wedding anniversary twice at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. Both times we had dinner at Osteria del Circo where the staff lined up to greet and congratulate us upon our arrival. Circo is a Tuscan styled restaurant that boasts a wine list of 900 selections from all over the world. We were led to our table that looked out onto the lake and it famous dancing waters. She ordered Prosecco to complement her Mediterranean Sea Bass. I can still see the thin strings of bubbles rising in her glass as she enjoyed the evenings celebration. Where we will be celebrating this year is still unplanned but I hope you will make great memories in your life that include great wine.

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That is Cool!

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     Now that you have found those special wines,  it is just as important that you store them in a manner that will allow them to maintain and develop their character.  A good investment would be a wine cooler. I would start with a 6 to 18 bottle capacity freestanding appliance. Pick a size that best fits your needs and budget. Some features to look for are a state of the art thermoelectric cooling system and separate storage for red and white wine with dual temperature controls. Keeping your wines at the proper temperature is important because if stored above 65F wine will age prematurely causing a loss of flavor and balance. Kept too cold, wine will lose its flavor and aroma. Store your red wine at 50F-55F and white wine at 45F-50F. Don’t store your bottles in the kitchen because the temperature fluctuations will damage the wine. Another good storage practice is to store bottles horizontally to keep the cork moist and tight in the neck. Never leave your bottles exposed to sunlight or your home heating system. Maintaining a constant temperature is very important in storing wine but you  must also remember to serve your wine at the correct temperature.  Don’t serve any wine over 68F and if in doubt serve the wine on the colder side. This will allow its aroma to be released as it warms up. When serving a high alcohol red try extra chilling, this should smooth out the harsh alcohol taste. Following these simple practices should allow you to get even more enjoyment from your wine.   

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Cantina Zaccagnini

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Red Red Wine!

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     I would like to tell you about a wine that I have always kept in my wine rack, while others have come and gone this one has never disappointed. The wine is Cantina Zaccanini Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. This wine is a Proprietary Blend Dry Red that has an alcohol content of 12.5% to 13% depending on the vintage. The first thing you will notice is the beautiful dark ruby-red color with a touch of violet. The nose is one of ripe red berries and the taste is that of dark fruit and well-balanced tannins that gives way to a dry oak finish. This wine is made from Montepulicano d’Abruzzo grapes that are pressed and fermented with their skins on in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks. It is then aged in oak barrels for 6 months then left to bottle refine for an additional 3 months. Bottles are released for sale 2 years after harvest and can be cellared to bottle refine for 3 or more years. This selection is a good match for dishes with a hearty Italian red sauce and entrée’s of roasted meats. You don’t have to remember that long name just look for the bottle with the little grape-vine clipping tied to it and you will have found one of my favorite reds. Item number 4560 and $14.99 at PA LCB stores.

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To Age or Not to Age

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     When I was growing up I can remember old Hollywood movies of  G.I’s in WWII finding wine cellars in french chateaus that were filled with cobwebs and dusty old wine bottles. It was from those images that most of us got the idea that any wine just got better with age. That idea just isn’t true. The truth is that wines are like people, they come into the world young and underdeveloped. The next phase is the prime years, that is when they have achieved the most character and depth of flavor. Finally they reach a stage that is past their prime and go down hill from there. Most wines are made to be consumed within 2 to 3 years from their production. The time frame from harvest to your glass has so many variables that it is mind-boggling. Every wine maker has a vision for each wine that they will make and this plan is fluid so that adjustments can be made as needed. I would say that any wine you buy today is ready to drink and enjoy because it wouldn’t have been released if it wasn’t. You can find vintage charts online that will tell you if a wine is ready to drink and the time horizon for its prime years. Now take that bottle  your Great Uncle Joe brought back from the war and clean it up and use it as a decoration.  

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Mission Accomplished

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I am pleased to report that I have a new bottle of Riesling resting safely in my wine rack at home. I bought a Chateau Ste Michelle 2010 Riesling, which is a blend of Riesling from the Columbia Valley of  Washington. Blending the best qualities from several different wines allows a wine maker to use the strong attributes of one wine to complement the short comings of others. When done with a skillful hand you end up with a wine that is greater than the sum of its parts. This product is always a consistent example of a off-dry that is pleasant to drink and matches a wide variety of foods. The Wine Enthusiast gave it a 90 point rating and I would agree with that assessment. The other choice I considered was the Chateau Ste Michelle 2010 Harvest Select Riesling, but it had a R.S. of 4.98 compared to the 2.29 R.S. of my purchase. The much sweeter style of the Harvest Select would have been a good pick for asian dishes especially Thai food so I will remember that for another day.

Riesling hunting

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Ripe grapes of Riesling.

Ripe grapes of Riesling. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

     I will be going to the State Store soon to look for a bottle of Riesling. That in itself doesn’t seem like a difficult task but considering the last bottle I bought was a Hermann J. Wiemer 2009 Semi-Riesling it may prove to be a challenging search. The Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard and Winery is the premier Riesling producer in the New York Finger Lakes Region and perhaps the entire country. Riesling is one of the few varietals that is good in all ranges of sweetness. This wine uses its sweetness (2.4 Residual sugar) and acidity to show off its true flavor. It is a good choice for those who can’t seem to decide on a white wine. Fruit forward with a citrus fruit nose and finish makes this a balanced well made wine. The usual pairings include poultry, shellfish and asian dishes. These are all good pairings and you can’t go wrong with any of them but I have found it very drinkable at a family holiday gathering where ham is the main course. I will do my homework and follow my own guidelines that have appeared in previous posts and will try to pick the best Riesling available for my taste. I will let you know if I score a hit or a miss. 

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New LCB app

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Image representing iPhone as depicted in Crunc...

LCB offering free app

     The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board has released a new free application for the Apple iPhone. Droid users will get their app in a few weeks. The app will allow the user to look through a wine list and other products, locate stores, order wine for home delivery and find the closest store to buy the selected bottle. The app uses just four buttons but will be continually evolving. The app is called Fine Wine & Good Spirits.