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Home > Blogs > Uncorked > Archives > 2006 > March
March 2006
What’s better than tasting wines in spring?
Well, I supposed there’s summer, fall and winter. But still …
As always, our tastings list comes to us courtesy of a local wine listserve, for which we are inCREDibly thankful, especially since this list seems to be expanding and is, I’m certain, an incredible hassle to compile. So thank you.
To view the tastings and events list, click on “continue reading,” and thanks!
Mark Fisher
Don’t forget Saturday, April 1, 2006, 12 - 1 pm on WHIO Radio (1290 AM), Todd Templin, Todd Nikolai, and David Schildknecht are taking over the Food Talk Show to talk about WINE! Jack Gridley, Meat and Seafood Director for Dorothy Lane Market, the regular host of Food Talk, is off fishing in Alabama. So on Saturday, listen for the radio show at noon. DLM Washington Square and Cuvee will have the show on during their tasting. It’s a call in show - call 457-1290 from noon - 1 pm with your wine questions.
Jay’s Kitchen Door
Friday, March 31, 2006 4-8 pm
2000 Les Plantiers Du Ohaut/Brion, 2003 Stelzner Claret, 2004 Rosenblum Richard Sauarent Zinfandel, 2000 Antinori Tignanello.
Saturday, April 1, 2006 1-6 pm
Chateau Ste. Michelle Eroica, 2001 Genanio Sangiovese, 2002 Coppola Cabernet Franc.
Arrow – Kettering
Saturday, April 1, 2006 11-4 pm
2004 Bonanno Sauvignon Blanc, 2004 Sebastiani Chardonnay, Sonoma, 2003 Figaro (Spanish Red), 2004 Tamar Ridge, Pinot Noir, Tasmania, 2004 Andeluna, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2003 The Lackey, Shiraz, A very special April Fool’s Day surprise!
Arrow Centerville 615 Lyons Rd.
Saturday, April 1, 2006 11am-5pm
2005 Basa Blanco Rueda, 2004 St Clement Carneros Chardonnay, 2004 Zonte’s Footstep Shiraz-Viognier, 2003 Wolf Blass Yellow Label Shiraz-Cabernet, 2004 Crios de Susana Balbo Syrah-Bonarda, 2001 St. Clement Napa Valley Merlot.
Tony Coturri, owner/winemaker for the Coturri Vineyards, will be at Arrow Centerville on Saturday, April 8 from 1-5 pm for a tasting of Tony’s wines and to ask questions about wine and winemaking!
Dorothy Lane Market (DLM) Oakwood
Friday, March 31, 2006 5-8pm
Foxen 2003 Chardonnay, Louis Jadot 2002 Pinot Noir, Cosentino 2003 Syrah, Warwick Estates 2000 Reserve Red, Chappellet Pritchard 1999 Cabernet, Brown Bag!
Saturday, April 1, 2006 1-6pm
Bollinger NV Champagne, Domaine Serene 2001 Chardonnay, Columbia Crest 2003 Reserve Shiraz, Little Scrapper 2003 Cabernet Franc, Lail Vineyards 1999 J. Daniel Cuvee, Bonus Bottle!
Beers: New Holland Black Tulip Ale Left Hand Widdershins Barley Wine
March Madness is coming to an end but the balls are still in play. Ask one of the wine associates about the basketball stickers.
DLM Washington Square
Saturday, April 1, 2006 12-5pm
‘05 Chateau Roquefort Rose,
‘04 Domaine Aubert la Chapelle Coteaux du Loire,
‘04 Kistler Chardonnay,
‘04 Barnett Russian River Pinot Noir,
‘04 Les Amis de la Boussieres Vin de Table,
‘03 Hendry Block 7 Zinfandel,
Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs ,
Mystery Wine!
Dorothy Lane Springboro
Friday, March 31, 2006 3-7pm.
Chateau de Roquefort Rose, Murrieta’s Well White Meritage, Murrieta’s Well Zarzuela, Murrieta’s Well Red Meritage,
Saturday, April 1, 2006 12-5pm
Allison Rose, Chateau Montelena Chardonnay, Chateau Montelena Napa Cabernet, Chateau Montelena Estate Cabernet
Cuvee Wine Bar and Cellar, 4457 State Route 725 Bellbrook Tuesday – Thursday 11:30 – 7 pm, Friday and Saturday 11:30 – 8 pm. www.cuveewinebar.net
Wines beginning Friday, March 31, 2006
Old World – New World
Philippe Foreau 04 Vouvray Sec, Graziano 05 Chenin Blanc;
Pascal Boulay 04 Sancerre, Kunde 04 Sauvignon Blanc;
Domaine de Piaugier 03 Sablet Cotes du Rhone, Two Hands Lucky Country Grenach Shiraz Mourvedre;
Seghesio 04 Barbera d’Alba, Enotria 01 Barbera.
Beer: DRAGON’S MILK Oak-Aged Strong Ale; Saturday Food: Thai Chicken Sandwich, Crab Dip
Upcoming Events:
Japanese Sake Dinner Thursday, April 13
B. R. Scotese
Wednesday, April 5, 2006 4:30 pm
The restaurant is no smoking on Wednesdays! The wines of Andeluna Winery of Argentina, the Winemakers Selection: Cabernet, Chardonnay, Malbec, Merlot, the Reserve Cab and Reserve Malbec.
Market Wine Imports
2nd Street Public Market, Saturday 10-3 PM
Schmitt Sohne Piesporter Goldtropfchen, 2003 Ste. Chapelle Chardonnay, 2003 Wilhelm Bergmann Rheinhessen Auslese, 2003 Montinore Estate Pinot Noir.
DiSalvo’s Deli and Italian Store
Wine Tasting – every third Wednesday of the month in conjunction with their Meal of the Month! www.disalvosdeli.com. The Deli’s Feature Wines: Ecco Domani Merlot, Chianti, Pinot Grigio, Sangiovese
Little Sonoma, 6078 West Chester Road, West Chester, OH 45069. 513-942-9463. Located two blocks north of Union Centre Blvd. at the corner of Muhlhauser and West Chester Roads www.LittleSonomaWines.com
Friday, March 31, 2206 Cincinnati Wine Festival Medal Winners 6:30 pm
Jacobs Creek NV Brut Cuvee ~ BRONZE, Red Bicyclette Rose Vin de Pays ~ GOLD, Chateau St. Michelle Sauvignon Blanc Horse Heaven Vineyards ~ BRONZE, Lake Sonoma Zinfandel ~ SILVER, Estancia Meritage ~ GOLD, Sequoia Grove Cabernet Sauvignon ~ GOLD.
Saturday 4-6 pm Four Wine Festival medal winners that also happen to be “value� wines
Seafood & Sips Dinner
Thursday, April 6th, 2006 from 5-8 pm at Mitchell’s Fish Market 9456 Waterfront Drive in the Streets of West Chester; $25 per person plus tax & gratuity, Reservations recommended, 513-779-5292, Eight appetizers and five wines
Trader Joe’s Kettering
Sunday 4-7 and Tuesday 6-8
Black Mountain Chardonnay (2004): California, Trader Joe’s French Market Reserve Merlot (2004): Pays d’Oc, Argenta Malbec (2005): Mendoza, Argentina.
Coldwater Café Wine Classes
Tuesday, April 11th 6:30pm-8:00pm “California’s Secrets”
All classes are $25 per person. Call the Cafe at 937-667-0007 or register online through www.localwineevents.com
Madison’s Bistro Wine Tasting Dinner - $70 per person. Reservations required: 433-4440. A wine-tasting dinner featuring Australian Plantagent and Omrah wines will be held Wednesday at Madison’s Bistro, 5531 Far Hills Ave., Washington Twp.
The menu includes a trio of Amuse Bouche starters including Truffled Tuna Tartar with Wasabi Chantilly and Grilled Duck Breast with Sweet & Sour Shallots.
A second course of Asparagus Soup with Grilled Ramps and Chanterelles will be followed by a small plate of a Rabbit and Fiddlehead Fern Fricassee.
An entree choice will be offered, either Buffalo Strip Steak with Sweet Potatoes Anna or Seared Trout with Cardamon Nage. Dessert is undecided. Five wines will be poured.
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Screwed forever, or screwed never
I’ve writtten about the “Cork Wars” on both Uncorked and on Wine Sediments (scroll past the port piece), and now there have been signicant developments from both sides.
On the pro-cork front, a news release this week announced that a new Spanish law outlaws screwcaps and synthetic corks on wines from Spain’s top wine-producing regions. The action prompted the spokesman for the consortium of Portugese cork producers to gush, “This Spanish law is yet another endorsement for the cork closure” and that cork “is a sign of quality for wine.” (For a lovely filetting of this notion, check out my blogging colleague Tom Wark’s entry entitled “Screwcaps Banned!”.
Meanwhile, on another continent, in another hemisphere, and seemingliy in a parallel universe, we have the producers of Cloudy Bay wines announcing they will will bottle all of their wines under screwcap.
“Over time, we hace been carefully evaluating alternative closures that will maintain the pristine condition of our wines, eliminate the risk of cork taint and ensure consistent maturation of all bottles…. we are now absolutely convinced that the screwcap seal is the best closure currently available to consistently deliver the true expression of Cloudy Bay wines — in each and every bottle,” Cloudy Bay declared.
So, who’s right? Both, perhaps, or neither. The cork wars rage on.
Meanwhile, over at Wine Sediments today, I write about a completely different war in an entry entitled “Oak Chips in French Wine? Sacre Bleu!” It’s either a miracle salvation of the end of the world as we know it, depending on which Frenchman is doing the talking.
Thanks for reading, and cheers!
Mark Fisher
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The Great Debate escalates — and so does the other one
YOU decide which is the Greater Debate.
My beer-columnist colleague Jim Witmer is at it again. In today’s life section he writes a column entitled Fine dining calls for beer consideration. Here’s a flavor of the piece:
It’s disheartening when restaurants with a reputation of sophisticated cuisine give so little thought to the exquisite tastes that beer will provide during the dining experience. All the attention is given to wine, despite the fact that craft ales would often be a better complement to most gourmet food.
“Wine is a fruit sauce. The flavors of cabernet have nothing to do with the flavor of steak,” says Brooklyn brewmaster Garrett Oliver, author of the Brewmaster’s Table quoted in All About Beer Magazine. I know this statement to be true for a lot of other foods as well.
Dude’s obviously hallucinating, as he was when we went glass-to-glass in The Top 10 Reasons Why Wine is Better than Beer. I’m sure the hallucinations are the byproduct of fermented grains …
Meanwhile, there has been a keen little development in the Uncorked entry of Nov. 29, 2005, entitled Chateau Pavie and the Great Extraction Debate. British wine writer Jancis Robinson has written letters to multiple publications vigorously defending herself and her viewpoint and casting a few stones amongst the flowers.
“Jancis Robinson MW has responded to Robert Parker’s recent comments attacking British wine tasters with letters to the New York Times and International Herald Tribune,” the Decanter.com story says. Robinson weighs in about the conflicting opinions between the two tasters over the merits of Château Pavie 2003, the story says. Parker praises the deeply extracted wine to the heavens, Robinson and some other British writers banish the wine into the depths of hell.
And so the debates rage, and the world turns ….
Cheers!
Mark Fisher
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Global warming may wreak havoc on wine regions
Syrah from the Champagne region of France? Ripe, lush Ohio-grown cabernet sauvignon, year in and year out?
Could be, could be.
Global warming could soon wreak havoc on the world’s wine-growing regions, reports Decanter.com. The magazine’s web site warns that, “The world is going to heat to such an extent that Burgundy may no longer be able to grow Pinot Noir.”
So the finest pinots and rieslings and Champagne-style wines of the future could be made in — Norway? Denmark?
Ye gads, I’m going out to buy a Prius.
— I write on the cover of today’s Dayton Daily News business section (page D1) about an advisory letter from the Federal Trade Commission to State Sen. Eric Fingerhut regarding his bill that would amend state law specifically to legalize direct shipment of wine from out-of-state wineries to Ohio consumers. As you’ll see in the advisory letter, the FTC’s Office of Policy Planning, Bureau of Competition, Bureau of Consumer Protection, and Bureau of Economics believe that allowing direct wine shipments “would allow Ohio residents to purchase both a greater variety of wines and many wines at lower prices.” And it would do so without boosting underage drinking, the letter says. Thanks to last May’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling, such direct-from-winery-to-Ohioans shipments are allowed now if the buyer follows proper procedures and fills out a form, but the bill would codify the legality of the shipments and make some changes in how it’s done.
— And over at Wine Sediments, my colleague Tom Wark writes about the new Macho Wine marketed to Manly Men and wonders what’s next in the niche marketing horizon: wine for Republicans? Lesbians? Or … (shudder) … journalists?
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A surprising twist in the case of the corked Caymus
There has been a significant development in the “case of the corked Caymus” that we wrote about many weeks ago (Feb. 1) in the entry entitled “Caymus ‘responds’ to complaint of corked bottle”.
In that entry, which followed up on the Jan. 10 “Uncork THIS: Time to put a stop to corked wines”, I resorted to just a smidge of sarcasm to point out the seemingly inadequate response by Caymus Vineyards to my friend’s complaint about a corked three-liter bottle of 1985 Caymus Special Select Caberneet Sauvignon that he had intended to be the centerpiece of a 20th wedding anniversary celebration. Some of you found the winery’s response even more lacking and condemned the folks in Caymus in pretty strong terms.
Today, my friend and owner of the corked ‘85 received a shipment from Caymus containing a magnum of 2003 Caymus Special Select. An accompanying note suggested there had been some confusion about whether my friend had been the owner of the corked wine when he complained to the winery, and that confusion led to the delay in making things right.
In any event, lo these many weeks later, Caymus did, indeed, respond. So we update the saga and give credit where credit is due.
P.S. over at Wine Sediments today, I write about the wine-shipping issue in Ohio, and what the Federal Trade Commission — yes, the FEDS — have to say about the underage-drinking issue and direct shipping of wines. Let’s just say the FTC puts the myth to rest. Keep an eye on this blog and the Dayton Daily News paper edition for more on the FTC’s letter to an Ohio legislator.
Cheers!
Mark Fisher
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Cincy WineFest
The 2005 Cincinnati International Wine Festival is in the books, and on the off chance that any of you fine folks attended any of the grand tastings or dinners, what did you think? How were the wines? The logistics?
I snuck down to the Friday afternoon tasting open to those in the wine trade (wine shops, grocery stores, restaurants. the occasional hack writer …), so I can’t evaluate what the logistics were like for the full crush of the grand tastings. But I know the festival’s organizers were promising more space compared to last year.
It was great to see a growing number of winemakers and winery representatives attend, a strong indicator that the event’s prestige and impact are growing.
Among them was Greg Graziano, who will be at Little Sonoma down in West Chester from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday night. Greg represents the Graziano Family of Wines, which includes the labels Saint Gregory, Monte Volpe, Enotria and Graziano. The Graziano 2005 Sauvignon Blanc Mendocino and the 2000 Enotria Dolcetto Mendocino (that’s right, a California dolcetto) are incredible values at $13.99.
A few other wines that stood above the crowd: The 2002 Macrostie Wildcat Mountain Syrah, $36; the 2003 Cline Cool Climate Syrah for $15.99, and the Peppoli Chianti Classico for $23.99.
The festival also included a judged competition for wines. For a list of 2005 festival medal winners, click here.
Any favorites or feedback from the festival, which in the last 15 years has raised more than $2 million for assorted charities in the Cincinnati area?
Thanks and cheers!
Mark Fisher
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Uncorked reader thinks the fix was in
I’m not sure how many of you saw this comment from a reader named Patrick, submitted on Friday to the entry entitled NOW are there any good wine restaurants out there?
Here’s what Patrick had to say:
Obviously many of these posts are from the restaurants themselves. Jay’s and L’Auberge have the best wine lists. But don’t take my word for it, here is the proof: Jay’s: Wine Spectator “Award of Excellence� 2001-2005. L’Auberge: “Award of Excellence� 2004 - 2005. Also, Wine & Spirits April 2006 issue(this month) Seventeenth Annual Restaurant Poll. Just as a sidemark the Award of Excellence issued to Jay’s and L’Auberge is quoted as: “for having one of the most outstanding restaurant wine lists in the world.� Please don’t show me your one sided opinion, show me the proof!
Let me clue you in on a couple of things, Patrick.
First, the overwhelming majority of the two dozen comments on that post came from folks I am familiar with, and whose email addresses I’m familiar with. They are not affiliated with any of the restaurants they praise.
Second, you bring up the issue of Wine Spectator awards to restaurants for their wine lists. Not to take anything away from the wine lists at l’Auberge and Jay’s — both lists are first-rate, last I checked — but obtaining a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence is “proof” only that the restaurant filled out a form, wrote a check and submittted a copy of its wine list and menu. The magazine does not send out a team of inspectors to evaluate the lists, check on the availability of the wines on the lists, nor do they evaluate stemware, serving temperature, or any other aspect of wine service in the thousands of restaurants that receive an “Award of Excellence” — unless things have changed considerably since the New York Times News Service and Amanda Hesser wrote about this topic. (Restaurants that receive the magazine’s top awards, given to a much smaller number of restaurants, ARE scrutinized by the magazine.)
I’m pleased to hear that you have had many fine experiences with wining and dining at l’Auberge and Jay’s. I suspect the gulf you perceive in the quality of the wine experience at those two fine restaurants compared with some of the other dining establishments praised by my readers is not as wide as you might think.
Just a hunch.
That’s my opinion, anyway.
Cheers!
Mark Fisher
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This weekend’s tastings, with a few added twists
For a couple of wine dinners that didn’t make the listserve from which we derive our events, check out the Tidbits column from today’s Dayton Daily News Go! section.
And don’t forget: If you head down to the the Cincinnati International Wine Festival this weekend, post a comment about your experience! Tickets for the grand tastings are available at the door, and the tasting guide is available for viewing on the web site underlined above.
And if you’re tastings will occur a bit closer to the Gem City, the following list of wine tastings, dinners and other events, brought to us by a gracious local wine listserve, is for YOU (please click on “continue reading”).
Jay’s Kitchen Door
Friday, March 24, 2006 4-8 pm
2004 Frog’s Leap Chardonnay, 2001 Ridge Sonoma Station Zinfandel, 2003 Chateaux Lascombes, 2001 Chateaux Colombier Monpelou, 2002 Terra Valentine Cabernet.
Saturday, March 25, 2006 1-6 pm
2003 Domaine Leadbe Abymes (Loire), 1998 Domaine Rene Engel Clos-Vougeot, 2001 Domaine Vieille Julienne Chateauneuf-du-Pape, 2001 Chateaux Duhart Milon.
Arrow Wine & Spirits – Kettering (Far Hills)
Saturday, March 25, 2006 11-4 pm
2004 Alexander Valley Vineyards Chardonnay, 2004 Louis Latour Meursault, 2001 Chateaux Marjosse (Red Bordeaux), 2004 Clos de Los Siete, 2003 Bogle Phantom.
Arrow Centerville 615 Lyons Rd
Saturday, March 25, 2006 11am-5pm
2002 Goundrey Western Australia Chardonnay, 2004 Louis Latour Puligny-Montrachet, 2004 André Brunel Grenache, 2003 Robert Mondavi Napa Valley Merlot, 2002 Villa Antinori Toscana, 2001 O. Fournier B Crux Argentine Red.
Special tasting: Tony Coturri, owner/winemaker for the Coturri Vineyards. Saturday, April 8 from 1-5 pm at Arrow Centerville for a tasting of Tony’s wines and to ask questions about wine and winemaking!
Dorothy Lane Market (DLM) Oakkwood
Friday, March 24, 2006 5-8 pm
2004 Kistler Chardonnay, 2004 Cosentino Sangiovese, 2002 Franciscan Merlot, 2002 Calistoga Cellars Cabernet, 1999 Simi Reserve Cabernet, Brown Bag!
Saturday, March 25, 2006 1-6pm
2004 Kuentz Bas Alsace, 2003 Franciscan Sauvage Chardonnay, 2003 Paul Hobbs Pinot Noir, 2003 Vasse Felix Adams Road Shiraz, 2003 Cosentino Merlot, 1999 Raymond Generations Cabernet, Bonus Bottle!
Beers: Ommegang Rare Vos Belgian Style Amber Orval Belgian Ale
Special Tasting!!!
March Madness Tasting next Wednesday, March 29, 2006 5:30 – 8:30 pm at DLM Oakwood.
DLM picks the first three wines to taste, customers pick the final four.
DLM Washington Square
Thursday, March 23, 2006 5-8 pm
‘05 Vinum Cellars It’s OK Rose,
‘03 Patz & Hall Chardonnay,
‘04 Archery Summit Pinot Noir,
‘01 Giacomo Grimaldi Barbera d’Alba,
‘04 Michel Rolland Clos de los Siete,
Mystery Wine!
Saturday, March 25,2006 12-5pm
‘04 Mount Nelson Sauvignon Blanc,
‘04 Omrah Chardonnay,
‘04 Marquis Phillips Merlot,
‘02 D’Arenburg “the High Trellis” Cabernet Sauvignon,
‘99 The Green Vineyard’s Shiraz Rumball Sparkling Shiraz,
Mystery Wine!
Beer: Cooper’s Sparkling Ale Cooper’s Original Pale Ale Steinlager
Dorothy Lane Springboro
Friday, March 24, 2006 3-7pm.
MAREA PINOT GRIGIO, 2004 CL PINOT NOIR, 2004 CLOS DE LOS SIETE, 2000 TERRA VALENTINE CABERNET SAUVIGNON.
Saturday, March 25, 2006 12-5pm
Cosentino Wines With Molly Sweeney.
Cuvee Wine Bar and Cellar, 4457 State Route 725 Bellbrook, OH
Tuesday – Thursday 11:30 – 7 pm, Friday and Saturday 11:30 – 8 pm, www.cuveewinebar.net
Wines beginning Friday, March 24, 2006: Westerland 2005 Gewurztraminer, Pink Fiddle 2005 by Fiddlehead Cellars, Domaine Philippe Girard Savigny-Les Beaune, White Burgundy 2001, Girault Rouge, Erik’s the Red by Toad Hollow, Vinos Sin-Ley 2004 G-2, Tobin James 2004 Ballistic Zinfandel, WARRE’S 2000 Vintage PORT.
Beer: New Holland Brewing DRAGON’S MILK Oak-Aged Strong Ale
Upcoming Events: Japanese Sake Dinner, Thursday, April 13.
B. R. Scotese
Fairfield Wine tasters! Wednesday, March 29, 2006 4:30 pm will find many of the Fairfield Wine group at B. R. Scotese! The restaurant is no smoking on Wednesdays!
Market Wine Imports
2nd Street Public Market
Saturday 10-3 PM
Spellbound Petite Syrah, Dievole Rinascimento, Canaletto Primitivo, Puglia, Pepperwood Grove Viogner.
DiSalvo’s Deli and Italian Store
Wine Tasting – every third Wednesday of the month tied in with their Meal of the Month! www.disalvosdeli.com. The Deli’s Feature Wines: Ecco Domani Merlot, Chianti, Pinot Grigio, Sangiovese
Little Sonoma, 6078 West Chester Road, West Chester, OH 45069.
513-942-9463. Located two blocks north of Union Centre Blvd. at the corner of Muhlhauser and West Chester Roads, www.LittleSonomaWines.com
Friday get ready for “Best of the Fest, 2005�. The Cincinnati International Wine Festival: 2005 Kenwood Sauvignon Blanc, 2004 Mirassou Chardonnay, 2004 Wente Monterey Riesling, 2003 J. Lohr Estates Los Osos Merlot, 2003 Michael~David 6th Sense Syrah, 2002 Penfolds Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon.
Saturday will offer “Wines of the Sebastiani Family.�
Next Tuesday make plans to be here for Greg Graziano’s visit from 7-9 pm. Greg is a third generation Italian winemaker who represents the Graziano, Monte Volpe, St. Gregory and Enotria Labels.
Trader Joe’s
Sunday 4-7 and Tuesday 6-8
French Cat Chardonnay (2004): VdP Pays d’Oc, Don Miguel Gascon Viognier (2005): Mendoza, Argentina, Don Miguel Gascon Malbec (2004): Mendoza, Argentina.
Coldwater Café Wine Classes
Tuesday March 28th 6:30-8:00pm “Intro To Wine Appreciation”
Tuesday April 11th 6:30pm-8:00pm “California’s Secrets”
All classes are $25 per person. Call the Cafe at 937-667-0007 or register online through www.localwineevents.com
Miami University Performing Arts Series Annual Wine Tasting Gala and Auction Benefit
7:00 p.m., Saturday, March 25 - Millett Hall, West Concourse, Black Tie Optional, All Tickets $55, contact Miami University Box Office - www.tickets.muohio.edu (513) 529-3200; email: swoffoph@muohio.edu
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Some guy named Parker
First of all, if you’re looking for the entry entitled NOW are there any good wine restaurants out there?, just click on the underlined words in this sentence to take a look at the posting and the 20 comments that it prompted. Thanks for sharing your opinions, and don’t hesitate to post your own comment!
For now, though, we move on. They may be the new kids on the wine-blogging block, but sheesh, those folks at the New York Times know a thing or two about writing a profile. And this time, the profiled is none other than Wine Critic Extraordinaire Robert Parker. And it’s all a fascinating read for us wine geeks, from the Times story on Parker to the The Pour blog entry by Eric Asimov, which includes some additional insights that were not in the story.
The story and blog entry explore all things Parker, including the fermenting feud between Parker and British wine critics, a topic we focused on a few months back in Decanter Magazine vs. Robert Parker: A Good Ole’ Cat Fight.
And also worth your precious time today is the provocative and insightful piece by my Wine Sediments blogging colleague Tom Wark, whose entry on Wine Sediments today is entitled Let Us Praise the Wine Snob. Tom, as you’ll recall, is the author of the wine blog Fermentation.
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NOW are there any good wine restaurants out there?
Wednesday Update** Check out today’s Wine Sediments entry on “How Restaurants Can Boost Their Wine Sales” for more on what makes for a great restaurant for wine lovers..
Which are the best restaurants for wine? And why?
Seems like such a simple question.
We asked it last October, just a few weeks after the birth of Uncorked, and got quite a robust response at the time. Plenty has changed since then — new restaurants have opened, wine lists have expanded, and Uncorked has many new readers. So it’s time to ask the question again.
Besides, spring is here (spring in Ohio = fresh snow on the ground — but it won’t last long). Prime time for eating out is coming. And I want to know the best places to spend my meager, hard-earned dollars.
If you surf this web site from outside southwest Ohio, don’t feel left out! Drop us a line about your favorite restaurant for wine enthusiasts and what makes it so darn good. That way, we can see for ourselves whether the grass really is greener outside of the God’s Country that IS the Miami Valley, or whether our shade of crabgrass is juuuuust right.
Click on “Post Your Comment” below to add your two cents’ worth, as many other readers already have. To read what they have to say, click on “comments.” Thanks for reading, and cheers!
Mark Fisher
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Gearing up for the International
Don’t forget that the Cincinnati International Wine Festival is coming up this weekend, and even more importantly, I very much want to hear from those of you who attend. The feedback you provide will make it back to the people who put the festival together, just as it did when you commented on the Dorothy Lane Market Holiday Show and its organizers vowed to make things run more smoothly next year. The Cincy folks have already promised to ease the congestion of this year’s Grand Tastings, so let’s see if they keep to their word. Tickets for the grand tastings and other events are still available; click on the underlined links above for more information.
Here’s something else to gear up for: I’m revisiting in tomorrow’s Uncorked posting the question of which restaurants are best for wine lovers, and why. Start thinking in that direction so we can get a nice jump-start to the posting, which, if it generates a robust response, I’ll leave up on Uncorked for a couple of days to let it — um — ferment. If you drop in on this blog from outside southwest Ohio, we’d still like to hear about your favorite wine restaurant and what makes it so wonderful, so we can figure out whether the grass really is greener. But hold your fire until Tuesday …
Thanks for reading, commenting on, and supporting “Uncorked,” and cheers!
Mark Fisher
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How about THIS for the newest Critter wine: ‘Leaping Lemmings’
This morning’s Dayton Daily News business section cover article explores the popularity of “Critter” wine labels, those ubiquitous knockoffs of the Yellow Tail phenomenon.
It seems like not a week goes by that I am not targeted by a press release touting some newly launched line of Critter label wines with bright, splashy colors and a cute living thing gracing the label. They come from all corners of the globe, and all are shamelessly copying Yellow Tail in their marketing concept in a transparent attempt to steal a little slice of the Australian behemoth’s sales magic. If mimickry is flattery, well, Yellow Tail’s head ought to be the size of Australia.
I remember tasting one of Yellow Tail’s wines soon after the label made its inaugural splash in the U.S. and being quite impressed. Subsequent vintages, not so much. It’s a common phenomenon and makes sense when you consider market and production realities of what is, lest we forget, an agricultural product.
When a popular brand is just getting started, winemakers may have found sufficient sources for high-quality grapes to make 100,000 cases of delicious wine for a modest price. Then the demand for the wine takes off, and its makers must ramp up production to 1 million cases without, of course, changing the price. Can they afford to be as selective and meticulously quality-conscious as they were at startup?
Nope.
Sorta sounds like what happened with merlot, when it enjoyed a surge in popularity a few years back, and everybody started to push yields to the limit and to plant vines in areas that weren’t best suited for merlot. The result? Thin, weedy merlots that sabotaged the popularity of the grape (helped along by one memorable line in an Oscar-nominated movie, of course).
I hope we don’t see a repeat with the current darling, pinot noir. But perhaps it’s inevitable.
Just as inevitable as the next launch of a new Critter Wine.
Your thoughts on the leaping lemmings of critter wine marketing?
Got a favorite (or least favorite) critter wine?
Post a comment!
Cheers!
Mark Fisher
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St. Paddy’s Day not ALL about the beer …
And a happy St. Patrick’s Day to the lot o’ ya.
Must we tear ourselves away from the tube (or from UD Arena, for that matter) to enrich our weekend with a glass of wine? Must we use a spot o’ fermented juice of the grape to wash away the green beer?
We must.
Click on “continue reading” to view the full list of tastings and other events in our little world of wine, which comes to us from a Dayton-based wine listserve. Note the special wine-tasting fundraiser at Miami University….
Jay’s Kitchen Door
Friday, March 17, 2006 4-8 pm
2005 Houghton Semillon Sauvignon Blanc, 2003 Altos de Luzon Jumilla, 2001 Paisajes V Rioja, 2003 Finca Sandoval.
Saturday, March 18, 2006 1-6 pm
2003 Sierra Cantaria, 2001 Paisajes V, 2000 Don Melchor Cabernet.
Wine Dinner report: On March 15, E. Guigal Dinner with Gonzague de Luze John Davis, Heidelberg’s Fine Wines Importer brought Gonzague de Luze, representing Excellars Wine Agencies, to Jay’s for a Southern France dinner with the wines of E.Guigal and Domaine des Baumard. Gonzague de Luze was extremely knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and charming. Although he is 29 years old, De Luze’s family has been involved in the wine business for hundreds of years. His family opened their first wine import office in New York City in 1804 and produces the Chateau Paveil de Luze Margaux wines.
Arrow – Far Hills in Kettering
Saturday, March 18, 2006 11-4 pm
2005 Basa, 2002 Mount Eden Estate Chardonnay, 2004 Andre Brunel Grenache, 2000 Borsao Reserva, 2001 B-Crux Argentinian Red.
Arrow Centerville 615 Lyons Rd
Saturday, March 18, 2006 11am-5pm
2004 Michle Dutour Pouilly-Fuissé “La Roche�, 2002 Fireblock Old Vine Grenache, 2003 Hahn Estates Central Coast Syrah, 2003 Steltzner Napa Valley Claret, 2002 Landskroon Pinotage, 2001 Merryvale Starmont Merlot.
Dorothy Lane Market (DLM) Oakwood
Friday, March 17, 2006 5-8 pm
2004 Pike and Joyce Sauvignon Blanc, 2003 Raymond Zinfandel, 2002 Fireblock Old Vines Grenache, 2001 Boger Meritage, 2002 Tuemiladue Barbaresco, Special: Brogan’s Irish Crème Liquour, Guiness Stout Floats! Brown Bag!
Saturday, March 18, 2006 1-6pm
2000 Ramey Hyde Chardonnay, 2002 Carneros Creek Pinot Noir, 2003 Bogle Phantom, 2002 Hess Collection Cabernet, 2003 Lagier Meredith Syrah, Bonus Bottle! Beers: Tennets Scotch Ale, Allagash Triple.
DLM Washington Square
Thursday, March 16, 2006 5-8 pm
‘04 The Furst Riesling,
‘04 Ferrari Carano Chardonnay,
‘02 Hanna Zinfandel,
‘01 Paisajes I Rioja(Garnacha),
‘03 Domaine la Chappelle St-Joseph Vacqueras,
‘00 Chateau d’Arche Haut-Medoc,
Mystery Wine!
Saturday, March 18,2006 12-5pm
‘04 R Collection Chardonnay, ‘04 Marquis Phillips 9 Shiraz, ‘03 Domaine du Colombier Crozes Hermitage, ‘02 Saia Nero d’Avola, ‘00 Clos Manyetes Priorat, ‘04 Orin Swift Vineyards “The Prisoner”, Mystery Wine!
DLM Springboro
Friday, March 17, 2006 3-7pm.
Verget Macon-Bussieres, Remejeanne Cotes du Rhone, Chapoutier Petite Ruche, Chateau de Parenchere Bordeaux.
Saturday, March 18, 2006 12-5pm
Latour Corton Charlemagne, Chapoutier Ermitage Blanc, Chapoutier Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Les Pagodes de Cos Bordeaux.
Cuvee Wine Bar and Cellar, 4457 State Route 725 Bellbrook, OH, Tuesday – Thursday 11:30 – 7 pm, Friday and Saturday 11:30 – 8 pm, www.cuveewinebar.net
Wines beginning Friday, March 17, 2006
Hahn Chardonnay, Chehalem Chardonnay, Domaine Phillipe Girard Savigny-Les Beaune White Burgundy, Hanzell Chardonnay, Norman The Monster ZIn, Boeger ZIn, Hedges CMS (Cab/Merlot/Syrah), Marcarini ‘98 Barolo.
Beer: Casco Bay Riptide Red Ale
Saturday only, Food: Corned Beef & Cabbage, Venison Pate.
Upcoming Events:
Tastes of South Africa, Monday, March 20, 2006 6:30 with Frank Slezak of Langdon Shiverick Importers - $65 per person
�Mingle� - Westerland Red and White Celebration, Biltomg~A south African Cured Beef Snack; �Have a Seat� - Brahms Chenin Blanc, Fresh avocado stuffed with a mixture of shrimp, lobster and spices served with grapefruit and pimento; �Get Comfortable� - Celebration Pinotage or Celebration Gewurztraminer, Peri Peri Chicken Chicken breast sautéed in a mixture of spices and Peri Peri sauce served with South African Hot Rice Salad; �Become one with your chair� - Kaapzicht Estate Vision Blend Antoinette’s African Lamb Curry.
Japanese Sake Dinner, Thursday, April 13.
B. R. Scotese
Fairfield Wine tasters! Wednesday, March 22, 2006 4:30 pm will find many of the Fairfield Wine group at B. R. Scotese! The restaurant is no smoking on Wednesdays! Hahn Estate Wines – Seven wines - Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Meritage. John from Vintage Distributors will be present to discuss the wines.
Market Wine Imports 2nd Street Public Market
Saturday 10-3 PM
2001 Barton Rothchild Pinot Noir, 2001 Aquila Cabernet Sauvignon, 2003 Birdnest Pinot Noir, 2002 Wairau River Sauvignon Blanc, 2004 Romanian Desert Wine.
DiSalvo’s Deli and Italian Store Wine Tasting – every third Wednesday of the month tied in with their Meal of the Month! www.disalvosdeli.com. The Deli’s Feature Wines: Ecco Domani Merlot, Chianti, Pinot Grigio, Sangiovese
Little Sonoma, 6078 West Chester Road, West Chester, OH 45069. 513-942-9463. Located two blocks north of Union Centre Blvd. at the corner of Muhlhauser and West Chester Roads, www.LittleSonomaWines.com
Friday - Wines of Good Fortune - 6:30 pm
2004 Marc et Roger Labbe Abymes Vin de Savoie, 2004 Domaine du Chantemerle Chablis, 2004 Keltie Brook Pinot Noir, Rabbit Ridge Bunny Cuvee, 2004 Domaine Cady Coteaux du Layon Saint-Aubin.
Saturday - Wines of Niebaum-Coppolla 4-7 pm.
Trader Joe’s, Kettering
Sunday 4-7 and Tuesday 6-8
Maximillien Kabinett Riesling (2004), Mouton Cadet Bordeaux (2003), Jest Red (2003): California.
Coldwater Café Wine Classes
Tuesday March 28th 6:30-8:00pm “Intro To Wine Appreciation”, Tuesday April 11th 6:30pm-8:00pm “California’s Secrets”, All classes are $25 per person. Call the Cafe at 937-667-0007 or register online through www.localwineevents.com
Miami University Performing Arts Series Annual Wine Tasting Gala and Auction Benefit — A Community Event
7:00 p.m., Saturday, March 25, Millett Hall, West Concourse. All Tickets $55, Black Tie Optional. Contact contact Miami University Box Office — www.tickets.muohio.edu or call (513) 529.3200. This event supports many artistic, educational, and community outreach events.
The Inn at Versailles Wine Dinner. Reservations required 937-526-3020, $75. Mr. Koerner Rombauer will host a six course/six wine dinner at Michael Anthony’s at The Inn at Versailles on Wednesday, March 22nd at 7 PM.
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A journalist writing a wine blog? BRILLIANT!
Well well well, look who just joined the wine-blogging business: The New York Times. Staff writer Eric Asimov just launched The Pour, and it’s very much worth checking out. Asimov is a talented, proven writer, and the wine blogosphere is abuzz with speculation about what it all means that mainstream newspapers (aka old media) are embracing the blogosphere (very new media) with such gusto.
Hey wait a minute — a newspaper introducing a wine blog authored by a long-time staffer who has written columns and stories about wine for many years? Where DID the Times GET this idea, anyway?
Cheers!
Mark Fisher
(ahem) Dayton Daily News
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Temptation, Sin and Redemption — all in a bottle
You know the the original sin — it’s been around forever. Well, since 1978, at least.
But do you also know the Temptation and the Redemption? They came along later.
We’re talking, of course, about Alexander Valley Vineyards, the producer of the infamous Sin Zin and lots of other tasty wines at reasonable prices.
Rob Wetzel, part of the third generation of Wetzels that settled in Sonoma County’s Alexander Valley and launched a winery there, stopped in Dayton yesterday (3-14-06) to sample his wines with local wine shop folks. And as usual, there is a Dayton connection (isn’t there always?) to this California winery: (please click on “continue reading”)
Rob’s father Hank, who launched the winery, was born in Dayton. His grandparents moved away when Hank was only a year old, but we take those local connections when we can get them.
The winery’s history is a rich one. Rob’s grandfather purchased 650 acres of the former estate of Cyrus Alexander, the 19th Century pioneer for whom the Alexander Valley is named, in 1962. He restored Cyrus’s 1850s-era home and refurbished other historical buildings on the property. Then Rob’s father and mother started the winery in 1975. About 150 acres of the estate are under vine, and about 17 varieties are being cultivated. Rob joined the business as regional sales manager and moved to Chicago to cultivate Ohio and other areas of the upper midwest.
Nationally, Alexander Valley Vineyards sells more cabernet sauvignon than any other variety. But here in Ohio, we’re in a state of sin. Sin Zin is the winery’s top seller in the Buckeye state.
And it’s easy to see why. The 2004 Sin Zin ($18-$21) boasts textbook zinfandel aromas and flavors, and has the concentration to satisfy zin lovers. It’s not just a pretty label. The 2004 Temptation zin is lighter in style and price ($12) and is enclosed in screwcap.
The 2004 Alexander Valley Vineyards Chardonnay ($13-$15) is clean, crisp and balanced, with just a kiss of oak from 30 percent barrel fermentation. It’s a great value, as is the wiinery’s 2005 New Gewurz gewurtztraminer ($9), with textbook aromas of lychee fruit, roses and grapefruit, and a drier finish than most versions of this varietal.
The winery’s flagship wine, Cyrus, is named after Mr. Alexander, and it’s a good thing, since the ole’ guy is buried on the Wetzels’ property. The 2002 Cyrus ($46-$52) is 80 percent cabernet, 13 percent merlot, 5 percent cabernet franc and the rest malbec and petit verdot. It’s a big, strapping cabernet with sweet fruit and a lengthy finish where oak peeks through. The wine is built to improve with age.
I think Cyrus would be proud.
And I’D be proud if you also checked out my piece today on Wine Sediments entitled “Rethinking Corporate Wine — or Not.” It’s Mondo-fine.
Cheers!
Mark Fisher
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Indiana trots out the tired old ‘underage drinking’ bogeyman
Indiana legislators appear poised to approve new wine shipping legislation that would limit the state’s residents in the number of cases they could order from wineries inside and outside Indiana, and it would also limit the number of cases that Indiana wineries can ship directly to customers, according to this Indianapolis Star editorial lambasting legislators over the bill.
The newspaper notes that the legislation could devastate wineries while also restricting consumers’ freedom of choice. And in the best point in the editorial, the Star points out that:
Supporters of the legislation raise the laughable argument that it will reduce underage drinking in the state. As if college and high school students are ordering cases of wine to fuel weekend parties instead of tapping kegs of beer.
We’ve mentioned before what a ridiculous red-herring argument this is, back when it was used by those supporting Michigan wholesalers who were fighting to retain every last penny of profit they squeeze out of the three-tier, producer-to-wholesaler-to-retailer system that such direct winery-to-consumer sales circumvents.
But let’s say it again: Teenagers on the hunt for alcohol do not order wine from the internet, where they’d have to use a credit card to order some pricy cabernet sauvignon, and they would have no idea when it would be delivered, then sit back and wait weeks for it to arrive, so they can then invite all their friends over for a big ole’ wine-tasting party. Ain’t gonna happen.
Those to trot out this argument — and those politicians who embrace it — are fools. Fools.
But that’s just what I think. What do YOU think?
On to lighter topics: On Wine Sediments today, I explain how wine can not only put a smile on your face, it can KEEP it there. And I challenge you to come up with your own mock Parker rating for toothpaste. Yes, toothpaste. It’ll make sense. Honest. Just click on the Wine Sediments link underlined above.
Cheers!
Mark Fisher
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When I say eclectic, I MEAN eclectic
What two things do the following wines have in common?
— Cantina Bolzano Muller-Thurgau, Alto Aldige, Italy
— Loimer Gruner Veltliner, Kamptal, Austria
— Bonny Doon Vineyard Le Cigare Blanc Roussane-Marsanne, California
— Dom. Des Terres Falmet Cinsault, Vin de Pays d’Oc, France
— Charles Joguet Chinon Chene Vert, Loire Valley, France
Thing 1: You don’t see these wines every day, and especially not in the same place. Not in a retail shop, and definitely not on a restaurant wine list.
Thing 2: They’re all on the same restaurant wine list. (Please click on “continue reading”)
The restaurant is the Coldwater Café in Tipp City, Ohio. That’s right: Tipp City, Ohio. I’d be surprised to see all those wines on the same wine list of a restaurant in Manhattan.
Last week, I mentioned Darrin Ballman’s work in assembling the wines for the Coldwater Café and mentioned the word “eclectic.� Just thought I’d explain what I meant. A colleague of mine brought me a copy of the wine list to salivate over, and salivate I did.
I haven’t been to the restaurant yet (if you have, please share your experience!), but with these wines on the list along with gems such as the sought-after Cotes du Rhone from legendary winemaker August Clape and a high-end Paoletti Vineyards Cabernet, well, who needs food?
Oh that’s right, the wines do.
Now of course, there are restaurants in and around the Miami Valley that do a fine job on wine (we really should do that survey again soon, shouldn’t we? Maybe later this week), but this list just jumped out as rather … well … unexpected.
Or is it just me?
Thanks, and cheers!
Mark Fisher
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Tasty morsels in a Saturday potluck
The weekend arriveth! And with it, a grab bag of interesting tidbits and trifles. I filter out all the plonk and pass along only the very best (including fascinating feedback from an employee of a winery in Paso Robles about Ohio’s crazy-quilt wine laws). Enjoy, and thanks for reading Uncorked!
Mark Fisher
(please click on “continue reading”)
— For a peek into the amazing life of Rodney Strong, take a look at Napa Valley Register story on the late winemaker.
— We’ve written about the trade negotiations between Europe and the U.S. that deals with stealing a wine’s place of birth. Well, it looks like the negotiations have reached a conclusion with the upshot (buried deep in the news release) apparently being that those American wineries who have already stolen names such as “Burgundy” and “Port” can keep using the names, but no new products can bastardize the European terms.
— Will an online advertising campaign convince the growing number of singles seeking love to celebrate their romance (or drown their sorrows) in Bordeaux over any other wines? The Bordeaux Wine Council apparently thinks so.
—Meanwhile, elsewhere in France, Disenchanted winemakers went on a rampage, wielding crowbars and sledgehammers and attacking police vehicles, wine tankers and négociants in an attempt to convince the government to give them more financial support. Interesting strategy, no?
— And over at MSNBC, wine columnist Edward Deitch explains how In Wine, Bigger is Not Always Better. Amen to that.
— Fiinally, I know that the way this blog (and other blogs) are set up, comments that come in a few days after an entry is posted often get overlooked. The following comment from Rob who works at a winery in Paso Robles, CA and who was responding to “What irks you most about Ohio’s wine laws?” deserves better, so I reprise it here:
Recently beginning to work for a small winery in Paso Robles, CA I can tell everyone that Ohio is not the only state that has these issues as I go crazy trying to keep up on all the regulations in each state. Here are my opinions on the issues, though:
A) While I think it is strange to make rules on mark ups I am not sure it would matter to the consumer since most wholesalers and retailers will shoot for mark ups about the same as those imposed.
B) I have never had to deal with blue laws so I will reserve comment.
C) I have never understood not allowing to take wine home. So the state would rather you finish the rest of the bottle so you can be arrested for drunk driving on the way home? I guess that it is more money for the state in fines.
D) My info on Ohio’s wine shipping laws from the Wine Institute seem to say that it is the consumers responsibility to deal with the taxes involved with direct shipping. It may be wrong, but it looks like it is fairly easy for us wineries.
On this point however there are plenty of states that make it so ridiculous to file all the forms and pay permit fees that are higher than a small winery’s potential profits off of direct shipments. I find all of these laws ridiculous. The fact is that while I may be able to make a higher profit selling directly to a consumer, I would much rather be selling to a distributor and not dealing with the warehousing, shipping and packaging hassles involved. I would estimate that 95% of our direct sales are to areas we have no distribution.
I don’t know about Ohio but I know here in California I can get the wine I want at a store for cheaper than I can direct from a winery (and not pay shipping as well). After all, I can order a $15 bottle of Chateau St Jean Merlot from their website or I can go to my local store and get it for $12-14 and not pay shipping. Direct Wine shipments really don’t do much in taking away business from the distributor or the retailer.
Enjoy the weekend, and cheers!
Mark Fisher
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Gaja wine dinner and much, much more
Just a quick observation and additional tidbit before we get to the listserve-provided listing of wine tastings and other events in our Miami Valley wine world: The roster of Dayton-area restaurants doing special things with wine is certainly GROWING. Witness below the wine dinner featuring winery owner Koerner Rombauer at The Inn at Versailles and the wine classes at the Coldwater Cafe, which was featured in last week’s Go! section in the Dayton Daily News and which certainly has one of the most eclectic and intriguing wine lists around under wine guy Darrin Ballman.
And here’s a show-stopper that didn’t make the list below: l’Auberge will offer “Dinner with the Wines of Gaja” at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 15 at the restaurant in Kettering. Angelo Gaja runs what is considered by many to be the top winery in Italy, and many of his wines are rare and expensive and barely make it to Dayton. The six-course meal will be matched with five wines, including the 2000 Gaja Barbaresco and the 1999 Brunello di Montalcino Rennina, and guests will have an opportunity to sample the winery’s legendary Sori San Lorenzo at the conclusion of the dinner. Courses include lamb served with herb-dressed spicy arugula, buttered baby carrots and roasted red peppers in natural sauce. And that’s just ONE of the courses. Wines will be presented by Don Clemens, director of wine education for Paterno Wines International. The cost of the dinner is $165 per person. To make a reservation or for more information, call the restaurant at (937) 299-5536.
Now, on to the local tastings, and thanks again to the local listserve that compiles and provides this information to Uncorked! If you have a tasting or event to add, click on “post a comment” and submit the information that way. (Click on “continue reading” to view the events…)
Jay’s Kitchen Door
Friday, March 10, 2006 4-8 pm
2003 Wohlmuth Sauvignon Blanc, 1999 Villa Mt. Eden Reserve Syrah, 2002 De Lillie Cabernet, 2001 Snowden Cabernet.
Saturday, March 11, 2006 1-6 pm
2004 Work Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc,
2001 Chateau Ampelia,
2001 Domaine Araud Gevery Chambertin,
2001 Chateau Rol Valentin (Saint Emillon).
Arrow Wine & Spirits/ Centerville 615 Lyons Rd
Saturday, March 11, 2006 11am-5pm
Piper-Heidsieck Cuvee Sublime Demi-Sec, 2003 Jewel Merlot, 2003 Bonanno Sangiovese, 2003 Clos Pegase Mitsuko.s Vineyard Pinot Noir, 2001 Maloy O’neill Petite Sirah, 2002 B.V. Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon.
Dorothy Lane Market (DLM)
DLM Washington Square
Thursday, March 9, 2006 5-8 pm
‘04 Michael Dutour .LA Roche. Pouilly Fuisse, ‘04 Foxen Vineyards Chardonnay, ‘03 Catena Malbec, ‘03 Venta Mazzaron Tempranillo, ‘00 Castello del Terriccio Tassinaia, Mystery Wine!
Saturday, March 11, 2006 12-5pm
‘04 Pike & Joyce Sauvignon Blanc, ‘02 Fire Block Old Vine Grenache, ‘01 Columbia Winery Red Willow Cabernet Franc, ‘03 Chateau Ste. Michelle Indian Wells Cabernet Sauvignon, ‘02 Gaja Ca Marcanda Promis, Mystery Wine!
DLM Springboro
Friday, March 10, 2006 3-7pm.
Mount Nelson Sauvignon Blanc, La Spinetta Moscato d’ Asti, Catena Malbel, Catena Cabernet.
Saturday, March 11, 2006 12-5pm
Morgan Double L Chardonnay, Z D Pinot Noir, Mitolo G.A.M., 02 Cardinale.
Cuvee Wine Bar and Cellar, 4457 State Route 725 Bellbrook, OH, Upcoming Events:
South African Wine Dinner Monday, March 20
www.cuveewinebar.net
Market Wine Imports
2nd Street Public Market
Saturday 10-3 PM
2000 Robert Mondavi Pinot Noir, 2003 LuLu B Pinot Noir, 2003 Birdnest Pinot Noir, 2002 Wairau River Sauvignon Blanc.
DiSalvo.s Deli and Italian Store
Wine Tasting every third Wednesday of the month tied in with their Meal of the Month! www.disalvosdeli.com. It’s March 15 this month and the wines will be all cabs! The Deli’s Feature Wines: Ecco Domani Merlot, Chianti, Pinot Grigio, Sangiovese.
Little Sonoma, 6078 West Chester Road, West Chester, OH 45069.
513-942-9463. Located two blocks north of Union Centre Blvd. at the corner of Muhlhauser and West Chester Roads www.LittleSonomaWines.com
Friday, March 10th: Wine Tasting, The Wines of Chateau St. Jean
Saturday, March 11th: Casual Wine Tasting, Wines of Cline Cellars, 3:30-6:00 pm.
Trader Joe’s
Sunday 4-7 and Tuesday 6-8
Ironstone Symphony Obsession (2004), Royal Zin (NV), Encuentro Crianza (2001).
Coldwater Cafe Wine Classes
Tuesday March 14th 6:30-8:00pm “Exploring Great Pinot Noir”
Tuesday March 28th 6:30-8:00pm “Intro To Wine Appreciation”
Tuesday April 11th 6:30pm-8:00pm “California’s Secrets”
All classes are $25 per person. Call the Cafe at 937-667-0007 or register online through www.localwineevents.com
The Inn at Versailles Wine Dinner .
Reservations required 937-526-3020 $75
Mr. Koerner Rombauer will host a six course/six wine dinner at Michael Anthony’s at The Inn at Versailles on Wednesday, March 22nd at 7 PM.
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I’m getting sedimental over you …
We call ourselves the Sedimentarians.
We’re the bloggers who write for the brand-spankin’ new Wine Sediments (hey, all the other names were taken) channel of the nearly-new Well Fed Network. Check out my inaugural post today on Wine Sediments, which follows up on the earlier Uncorked entry entitled Uncork THIS: Time to put a stop to corked wines. More about the cork wars in a minute. You’ll find links to both the WellFed and Wine Sediments web sites on the right-hand side of the Uncorked index page, under “Other wine blogs.”
Wine Sediments consists of a group of wine bloggers from around the globe: Australia, Great Britain, Long Island, Napa (of all places), Buffalo (of ALL places), and, of course, Dayton (WHAT?! How did HE get in there?!?) .
I’ll be writing once a week or so for this new venture. Should be fun. Check it out, post comments, let the world know that Ohioans know a thing or two or ten about wine.
Here are my partners. You can read more about them in the introductory post at the bottom of the Wine Sediments page, or by linking to their blogs:
— Andrew Barrow, author of the wine blog Spittoon, lives in the center of Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire. Check out his inaugural post in the coming days on port, which, last time I heard, the British knew a thing or two about.
— David Brookes, author of the wine blog Vinosense, is a kiwi living in Sydney, Australia. The view from the Southern Hemisphere.
— Jamie Gabrini, co-founder of the wine blog The Wine Chicks, hails from Eastern Long Island, and recently — VERY recently — moved to Buffalo. Check out her initial post on finding a bargain wine from Provence.
— Lenn Thompson, author of the wine blog Lenndevours, lives in Long Island. A wine blogging pioneer, he’s the founder of the Wine Blog Wednesday feature that we participated in yesterday.
— Tom Wark, author of the wine blog Fermentation, has worked for nearly two decades in the wine industry as a marketing and public relations specialist. We’ve linked to his blog from Uncorked with alarming frequency because, well, Tom is so darn GOOD.
— And — ahem — me. And y’all already know about me.
Anyway, I wrote on Wine Sediments today about a “news” release that purports to show how consumers are clinging fiercely to their natural corks, even in the face of the corked wine dilemma. Except that the survey that served as the basis of the news release (and which was conducted on behalf of the marketing firm’s clients, the Portugese cork industry) didn’t actually survey any consumers. I dare say, it’s a fun read, and the news release’s authors tell their side of the story, too.
And they’ve got some support stateside. Here’s another little wrinkle on the whole cork issue that’s NOT in the Wine Sediments piece:
Say this about Michael Havens, the man has opinions, and he does not hesitate to express them.
The proprietor of Havens Wine Cellars in Napa makes some of the most intriguing wines coming out of California’s wine country, including Albarinos and syrahs that stand out as standard-setters. Havens was one of several winemakers to travel to Ohio last month, brought in by Mason-based wine wholesaler and importer Vintner Select for a seminar. During a question-and-answer session, the topic turned to corked wines and alternative enclosures.
Havens suggested that screwcap enclosures like the Stelvin twist-off may have potential, but he said he might just subscribe to the “the devil you know … ” theory when it comes to trusting his wines to anything other than natural cork.
And what might his opinion be of the synthetic corks, you ask? They “suck the life out of wine,” Havens said. “The synthetic corks are death — stay away from them, people.”
Well, all-righty then. You read it first — and only — here on Uncorked.
Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy Wine Sediments too. Cheers!
Mark Fisher
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Wine Blog Wednesday: Revenge of the Rhones
Well, Rhone BLENDS, anyway.
This month’s Wine Blog Wednesdsay, in which wine bloggers from around the world review a wine from a specific theme and post their thoughts on the same day, called for us to sample a wine made from Rhone varietals. Tough assignment, eh? The compilation of everyone’s reviews will appear on the wine blog Wine Expression in a few days.
I chose the 2001 Edmunds St. John Los Robles Viejos Red ($25 in Ohio) from the Paso Robles region of California. After all, Edmunds St. John’s proprietor Steve Edmunds traveled to Ohio last month to speak at a seminar put on by Mason, OH-based wine distributor Vintner Select, and this was one of the wines he chose to share with the attendees.
How does he feel about the wine?
“This is the wine that I set out to make when I started in Edmunds St. John in 1985,” Edmunds said.
Okay, HE likes it …
Edmunds said he made the wine — a blend of 49 percent Mourvedre, 28 percent grenache, 15 percent syrah and 8 percent counoise — “the old-fashioned way, turning a deaf ear to the sirens of high extract, new oak and big points. The grapes themselves seemed to have plenty to say, and I felt compelled to listen.”
And am I glad he did.
Edmunds claims this wine can pass itself off as a Chateauneuf-du-Pape, and whenever you hear a winemaker say something like that, you just KNOW it’s hyperbole. Not this time. The wine’s nose is distinctly European, with black pepper, leather, and a funky forest-floor component reminiscent of Domaine Pegau’s old-style Chateauneufs. The flavors are broad and complex, starting out with fine depth of dark fruits, giving way to black pepper and other spices, wrapped up in a long, lush finish.
This is as good as California Rhone-style wines get.
Let’s hope Steve keeps listening to those grapes.
Cheers!
Mark Fisher
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If ONLY college had been like THIS ….
… I might still be working on my Ph.D.!
You may recall that last week we wrote about Wine’s Youth Movement and some of those who commented gave a great deal of credit for the movement to Tom Davis, the University of Dayton professor who teaches a wine appreciation course at UD.
Well, last Friday, Tom and a cast of helpers put on the “University of Dayton Wine and Food Experience” and — well — take a look. Do you recall any events along THESE lines when you were in college?
(Click on “continue reading” after you get up and strap on your drool cup ….)
Welcoming Wines
2002 Mark West Chardonnay, Sanoma County, California_______________ 2003 Rutherford Hill Rose of Merlot, Napa Valley, California______________ 2002 Paringa Shiraz, South Australia____________________
The Meal Balantine de Canard (Duck pate’ with French Baguette)
2004 Daedalus Cellars Pinot Noir ‘Jezebel’, Willamette Valley, Oregon____________ 2001 Repolusk Gelber Muskateller, South Styria, Austria________________
Coquilles Saint Jacques (Scallops with Cream Sauce & Duchess Potatoes)
2004 Brander Sauvignon Blanc, Santa Ynez Valley, California________________
Mache Fruitsec (Mini Watercress served with dried fruit & honey balsamic vinaigrette)
2002 Folie a Deux Menage a Trois, California____________________
Poire Williams Sorbet (followed by course survey and fifteen-minute break)
Escalope de Veau au Champignon (Veal scallops with wild mushrooms) Avec Pomes Parisian and a Springtemps Medley of Vegetables
2000 Domaine Les Aphillanthes Cotes-Du-Rhone Villages Vieilles Vignes, France_________ 2003 Georges DuBoeuf Fleurie “La Madone�, Beaujolais, France_____________ 2003 Pascual Toso Cabernet Sauvignon Maipu Vineyard, Mendoza, Argentina__________ 1982 Chateau Branaire Ducru, Saint Julien, Bordeaux, France______________ 1995 Josmeyer Pinot Auxerrois, Herrenweg, Alsace, France_______________ 2002 GunderlocH Riesling Kabinett ‘Jean-Baptiste’, Rheinhessen, Germany____________
Marquise au Chocolat avec Creme Anglaise (Chocolate cake with Vanilla Sauce)
1983 Diamond Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Red Rock Terrace, Napa Valley, California________ 1984 Diamond Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Gravelly Meadow, Napa Valley, California________ 1989 Fredrich-Wilhelm-Gymnasium Trittenheimer Apotheke Riesling Beerenauslese, Mosel, Germany____ 1994 Taylor Fladgate Late Bottled Vintage Porto, Duro, Portugal
Good heavens to Betsy! Is it any wonder why this may be the most popular course on campus?
How does this compare to what YOU had to eat and drink last Friday?
Cheers!
Mark Fisher
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Former winery owner Rodney Strong dead at 78
For details, click on “continue reading.”
(Update: for the latest from the Santa Rosa, CA Press Democrat, click here.
I received this e-mailed news release this afternoon (3-6-06) from Rodney Strong Vineyards Public Relations Director Michele Prinz. I’ve enjoyed several wines from this winery through the years, particularly its Charlott’e Home Sauvignon Blanc…. Here, I simply pass along the news:
Rodney D. Strong, 78, died from complications of a stroke on March 5th in Healdsburg, California. He had been in failing health for four years. His wife, Charlotte Strong, died in 2003; they leave no children.
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of this great man and friend, said Tom Klein, the owner of Rodney Strong Vineyards. “From when I first met Rod in the early 1980s while I was working for consulting firm McKinsey & Company, to when my family acquired the winery, Rod has been a tremendous influence and leader. We will miss him,� he continued.
Strong was an exuberant, graceful and articulate pioneer of the wine industry in Sonoma County. He was among the first to advocate vineyard-designated wines in Sonoma County, releasing the first single-vineyard cabernet from the County in 1974—-the Alexander’s Crown Cabernet Sauvignon. After a successful international career in the world of dance, Strong followed his heart into the wine business, launching Tiburon Vintners in 1959. In the 1960s he went on to purchase and plant extensive vineyard acreage in many of Sonoma County’s best appellations. Rod’s passion always remained championing wines from the region.
Rodney Strong Vineyards was purchased by the Klein family in 1989 and for several years following, Rod continued as a consultant, spokesman and advisor. He also was a partner in the winery Toad Hollow.
Details of Rodney’s life and accomplishments can be found at the winery’s web site including information on the auction lot dedicated to Rodney presented at the Sonoma County Wineries Association Sonoma Showcase on July 15, 2005.
Memorial services are being planned. Donations may be sent to the Healdsburg Animal Shelter or the American Cancer Society.
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What irks you most about Ohio’s wine laws?
It’s a gray Monday. Perfect for a bitch session.
Continuing down the path we forged over the weekend, let’s pose the following highly unscientific survey:
which part of Ohio’s antiquated wine laws irks you the most?
A) The state-mandated three-tier pricing structure that at a minimum doubles the price of wine from the producer to the consumer?
B) The blue laws that ban the sale of alcohol until 1 p.m. Sundays?
C) The restrictions that prohibit patrons from taking leftover wine from restaurants?
D) The recently relaxed interstate shipping laws that still make obtaining wine from out-of-state wineries such a hassle that many wineries still don’t ship to Ohio?
E) All of the above
F) None of the above. What frosts my magnum even more than these laws is ____ (fill in blank with your favorite pet peeve).
G) None of the above. The laws make perfect sense.
If you don’t live in Ohio, share your biggest complaint about the wine laws in your state. Maybe it will make us feel better. Just don’t tell us what the weather’s like there. THAT makes Ohioans a bit surly this time of year …
Cheers!
Mark Fisher
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Should Ohioans be able to take leftover wine home from restaurants?
A Saturday grab bag of goodies:
— First up, this intriguing little bit of news out of Massachusetts that wine drinkers can now legally take their leftover wine home from restaurants. Ohio law prohibits this practice, which makes no sense to me. Wouldn’t the ability to take home potentially expensive leftover wine from a restaurant actually encourage moderation? Especially coupled with safeguards (pretty elaborate ones in Massachusetts) that the wine won’t be swilled on the way home from the dining establishment?
Is this something Ohio lawmakers should consider? Do you think it’ll ever happen?
— The best piece I’ve read on the re-creation of the historic 1976 Paris tasting that shocked the world and put California wines on the international map comes from our very own Miami Valley alumnus Peg Melnik, writing for the Press Democrat in Santa Rosa, Ca. What do you think is going to happen this time around, as panels of tasters evaluate a series of 33-year-old wines and newer vintages of French vs. Americans? How many California wines have you sampled that you think could stand the test of time to the tune of more than three decades? This should be quite entertaining ….
— Check out what the Cincinnati Post thinks about the wine wars going on in Ohio and Kentucky over the shipping and distribution of wine. Here’s the radical thought that the Post puts forth: “Small wineries should be free to ship their product themselves, and price it as they see fit. And customers should be able to buy from them as well, either on location or via a catalog or the Internet. It’s not the business of government to artificially inflate the price of consumer goods.”
Pretty radical, huh?
— The “Open that Bottle” night held Thursday at The Winds restaurant in Yellow Springs was a smashing success. It drew about 30 people and a gaggle of fascinating wines that were shared amongst the group. The wines included Caymus Special Select Cabernet Sauvignon (and it wasn’t corked!), Cain 5 (a three-liter bottle), Chave Hermitage red, Rausan-Segla from France’s Margaux region (another three-liter), and a couple of wines fermented and bottled only a few miles away in the cellars of former Wright State education dean James Brandeberry. The “small” plates weren’t so small and included oysters, shrimp, salmon, lamb, saffron risotto and a rich, wine-friendly beef daube made from tenderloin. Suffice to say, no one left hungry.
Enjoy the weekend, and cheers!
Mark Fisher
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Slaking our thirst, feeding our souls …
Okay, maybe I exaggerate. But we do give thanks to the fine folks who offer up the fermented juice of the grape at the following venues and times, and we also thank the local listserve that compiles and shares with Uncorked these wine tastings, dinners, classes and other events. So think of the “Continue Reading” button below as a gateway to a wonderfully enjoyable weekend, and beyond …
Jay’s Kitchen Door
Friday, March 3, 2006 4-8 pm
2004 Lo Tengo Torrontes, 2002 Merryvale Pinot Noir, 2002 Folie a Deux, 2000 Conn Creek Anthology, 1998 Cos d’ Estournel.
Saturday, March 4, 2006 1-6 pm
Joseph Drouhin Batard Montrachet, 2003 Trentadue Old Patch Red, 1999 Calavatto Barolo, 2001 Toderi Luigi Einaudi Nui Cannubi Barolo.
Wednesday, March 15, 2006 E. Guigal Dinner with Gonzague de Luze
Alexander Valley Dinner with Rob Wetzel has been postponed.
Arrow – Kettering
Saturday, March 4, 2006 11-4 pm
2004 Geil Riesling Spatlese, 2004 Kendell-Jackson Chardonnay “Grand Reserve�, 2000 Jaboulet Crozes Hermitage, 2003 Portico Del Castillo “Monastrell�, 2003 Lesec Chateauneuf du Pape, 2003 Penner-Ash Syrah.
Arrow Centerville 615 Lyons Rd
Saturday, March 4, 2006 11am-5pm
2004 Lotengo Torrontés, 2004 Nederburg Stein, 2001 Grove Street Cabernet Sauvignon, 2002 Frescobaldi Nipozzano Chianti Riserva, 2001 Snowden Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Baroncini Il Santo.
Dorothy Lane Market (DLM) Oakwood
Friday, March 3, 2006 5-8 pm
Joel Gott Sauvignon Blanc 2004, R Collection Merlot 2003, Norton Privada Reserve 2003, L’Adventure 2002 Syrah, Rafferties Rules “The Ringer” 2002 Shiraz Blend, Brown Bag!
Saturday, March 4, 2006 1-6pm
Verget Chablis Cuvee de la Butte 2003, Domaine Carneros Pinot Meunier 2003, Rosenblum Zin Richard Saurett Vineyard 2004, Amizetta Complexity Red Blend 2002, Snowdon Cabernet 2001, Ramirez Piscina Grand Reserva Rioja 1996, Bonus Bottle!
Beers: Stone Bewery Old Guardian Barley Wine Style, Ale Smith Speedway Stout
DLM Washington Square
Saturday, March 4,2006 12-5pm
2005 Geyser Peak Sauvignon Blanc, 2004 Hitching Post Corked Dancer Pinot Noir, 2003 Domaine La Remejeane Les Genevriers Cote du Rhone, 2003 R Collection Cabernet, 2001 Coniglio Napa Valley Cabernet, Mystery Wine!
Beers: Franziskaner Dunkel, Boddingtons Pub Ale, Bell’s Rye Stout, Samuel Smith’s Imperial Stout.
DLM Springboro
Friday, March 3, 2006 3-7pm.
Backsberg Chenin Blanc, Backsberg Pinotage, Backsberg Shiraz, Backsberg Babylons Toren.
Saturday, March 4, 2006 12-5pm
Michel Larahe Chardonnay, Belle Glos Pinot Noir, Chateau-Figeac Premier-cru, Ramey Jericho Canyon.
Cuvee Wine Bar and Cellar, 4457 State Route 725 Bellbrook, OH
Tuesday – Thursday 11:30 – 7 pm, Friday and Saturday 11:30 – 8 pm.
Wines beginning Friday, March 3, 2006
Domaine du Landreau 2002 Late Harvest Chenin, Fritz Windisch 2004 Riesling, Lucien Albrecht 2004 Pinot Blanc, Moreson 2005 Sauvignon Blanc, Hunter’s 2004 Pinot Noir, Barrelstone 2003 Syrah, Coniglio 2002 Cabernet Franc, Kongsgaard 2000 Syrah, A New Feature: CELLAR SELECTIONS: Chris is going to pull out various bottles from the cellar. This week’s samplings will be from the 1997 vintage.
Saturday only, Food: Tandoori Chicken and Vegetable Pate’
Upcoming Events:
South African Wine Dinner Monday, March 20
www.cuveewinebar.net
B. R. Scotese
Fairfield Wine tasters! Wednesday, March 8, 2006 4:30 pm
will find many of the Fairfield Wine group at B. R. Scotese!
The restaurant is no smoking on Wednesdays!
L’Ecole Chardonnay, Mt. Langi Billi Billi Shiraz, Hawley Cabernet Sauvignon, Wellington Cabernet Sauvignon, Altos De Luzon 2003.
Market Wine Imports, 2nd Street Public Market
Saturday 10-3 PM
1999 Schmitt Sohne Auslese Bereich Binger Auslese, 2001 Schmitt Sohne Bereich Binger Kabinett, 2000 Weingut K Recherauer Kabinett, 2003 Peter Nicolay Estate Reisling, 2003 Schloss Vollrads Trocken Reisling, 2004 Porcupine Ridge Syrah.
DiSalvo’s Deli and Italian Store
Wine Tasting – every third Wednesday of the month tied in with their Meal of the Month! www.disalvosdeli.com. It’s March 15 this month and the wines will be all cabs! The Deli’s Feature Wines: Ecco Domani Merlot, Chianti, Pinot Grigio, Sangiovese.
Little Sonoma, 6078 West Chester Road, West Chester, OH 45069. 513-942-9463. Located two blocks north of Union Centre Blvd. at the corner of Muhlhauser and West Chester Roads. www.LittleSonomaWines.com
Friday, March 3rd: Wine Tasting, Celebration Wines, 6:30 pm
Saturday, March 4th: Casual Wine Tasting, Sparkling Wines for Special Celebrations, 4-7 pm
Tuesday, March 7th: Wine Class, Understanding French Wines, 6:30-8 pm, $20 per person, registration required.
Trader Joe’s Kettering
Sunday 4-7 and Tuesday 6-8
Villa Cerrina Pinot Grigio-Chardonnay (2004) IGT Delle Venezie, Italy; Ruggero Nero d’Avola (2003), DOC Nero d’Avola, Italy; Manina Carmenere (2004): Maipo Valley, Chile.
Coldwater Café 35 E. Main St., Tipp City
Wine Classes
Tuesday March 14th 6:30-8:00pm “Exploring Great Pinot Noir”
Tuesday March 28th 6:30-8:00pm “Intro To Wine Appreciation”
Tuesday April 11th 6:30pm-8:00pm “California’s Secrets”
All classes are $25 per person. Call the Cafe at 937-667-0007 or register online through www.localwineevents.com.
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Wine’s youth movement
Wine geezers beware: there’s a new kid in town.
Actually, new kids. Lots of ‘em. They’re bellying up to the wine bar, poised to elbow their elders out of their way.
I’ve seen them with my own eyes (once I put my bifocals on, that is). Last weekend, fresh from … (Please click on “Continue Reading”)
… reading this Wine Enthusiast Online story entitled “Young Wine Drinkers Abound”, I encountered ample evidence that the youth movement in wine is real, and that it has actually shown up in Dayton, Ohio.
Usually, such trends that begin on the coasts don’t make it to middle America until the Pony Express brings them here. But in this case, the Pony Express became overnight express.
First, it was Friday afternoon at Jay’s, where I’m a semi-regular but where I encountered unfamiliar and unwrinkled faces of folks who had dropped in on the weekly tasting. One is a fifth-year student studying engineering at the University of Dayton. Her friend is a young mom who works for a large pharmacy chain. They were there, they said, because they had decided, at the beginning of the year, that they were going to spend 2006 learning about wine. They’re off to a fine start, because by the end of the evening Friday, they knew more about wine than they did when they walked into Jay’s. So did I.
Then it was early Saturday afternoon at Cuvee Wine Bar and Cellar. I’ve been less of a regular there lately (I’m slacking on my research), but I usually know most or all of the folks around the wine-tasting bar whenever I do drop in.
Not this time. Several tables were filled with folks who looked half my age (not hard, come to think of it). These appeared to be groups of friends who decided to meet up at Cuvee to share a glass or a bottle of wine. I asked Cuvee proprietor Chris Cavender whether this was unusual. His reply was, nope, it seems to be happening more and more, even moreso on Friday nights.
On to Arrow Wine & Spirits Centerville store, where the once-a-year Mardi Gras bus had delivered more than 50 hardy and hearty revelry-makers to the Saturday afternoon wine tasting. The annual wine crawl is put together by the local chapter of the American Institute of Wine and Food, and its president, Jim Jordan, said through his beaked Mardi Gras mask that this year’s jaunt was a bit different this year because there were so many new, young faces on the bus.
Wow. Maybe the marketers and the surveys got this one right. More young folks are choosing wine as their drink of choice.
So welcome! Pay no attention to the snobbery and intimidation that the wine geezers of my generation somehow allowed to be foisted upon this simple, convivial, potentially healthy beverage. Go ahead and belly up to the bar. We’ll make room for you.
Because we know if we don’t, you really WILL elbow us out of the way…
Let us know what you think of this trend — no matter WHAT your g-g-generation — by clicking on “post a comment.”
Cheers!
Mark Fisher
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Helping out our fellow winos
You may recall that Uncorked has from time to time helped out our friend Cynthia with quandaries and questions on everything from pairing wines with unusual foods to recommendations for the best restaurants in town for wine lovers (we should revisit that one soon, shouldn’t we?). Someone asked me a week or so ago whether Cynthia really existed, or whether I made her up. Rest assured, Cynthia is a real person, and her inquiries are genuine.
She has come up with another one, although this one’s a tad esoteric. But I should never underestimate the expertise and worldliness of Uncorked readers, so here goes: (click on “continue reading”)
Lillian and I are going to Toulouse, France, on business — March 9 through March 17 — and we’re planning to visit local wineries. If anyone has been to Toulouse please let us know what you recommend. Let us know if there is something you want us to check for you. Look for our trip summary after the week of 3/21!
I posted Cynthia and Lillian’s query on the Mark Squires Bulletin Board that is part of eRobertParker.com yesterday and received the following reply from Jean-Claude, a wine enthusiast who lives in Florida:
Toulouse?
There are a lot of interesting wines in this part of France. Here is a bit of advice:
1) Drink/try/buy anything from Alain Brumont or Cauhape. To have a start of what could be worth checking do a search on www.saq.com for Brumont or Cauhape.
2) Make a side trip to Albi (Michelin three-star) to check the Cathedrale St-Cecile (Michelin three-star) and musee Toulouse-Lautrec (Michelin **). Before you leave Albi make sure you check the Gaillac Wines Information Center across the street from the NE corner (if I remember correctly) of the cathedrale. They should be able to direct you to a few Gaillac winery, especially the wineries that specialize in white Gaillac wines. Try to avoid Sunday (the cathedrale is busy and the wineries are closed).
3) But our best souvenir of Toulouse and the main reason we would go back is Le Mangevins (46 rue Pharaon), un “bouchon toulousain”. Reservations are mandatory, preferably by somebody that speak french. There is a non-smoking table for two, and room for about 20 people more in the rest of the restaurant… but you may want to go there with somebody that could translate from french for you. Huge Foie Gras salad (the foie gras is huge, best described as a brick of foie gras on green leaves). The magret de canard is also huge and delicious. The house wines go very well with the food and ambiance, starting with the glass of white they will welcome you with (not free) and the house Madiran (we had two bottles, or was it two liters). People next to us had a fantastic Bergerac as well… they also had a house Cahors.
Can anyone add anything and otherwise help our Dayton-area friends out?
Thanks and cheers!
Mark Fisher
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