Wedding Wines 6 and 7: The Sparklers

For the occasion of New Years Eve, I am skipping ahead to the sparkling wines of the wedding. I absolutely love the Paringa Sparkling Shiraz (2004) from Australia. It is dark purple and bubbly, featuring the rich dark fruit of blackberry and blueberry. This wine is made for dark chocolate and winter festivities! Plus, it is fun and different if you want to impress friends who have never seen a sparkling Shiraz before. I tried this wine for the first time at my friend's graduation party at the Elusive Grape in downtown Deland, FL. This is a wine that is always around at this ever-changing wine store (and sells for around $14.99)--a definite keeper!

The other sparkling wine sampled was the Francois Montand Blanc de Blanc. This delicious and very affordable white-blend sparkling wine retails for around $10. It has an unusual blend of Airen and Ugni Blanc grapes. It's complex and toasty with flavors of crisp apple and lemon. Enjoy!

Christmas Wine

Have you ever, on a special occasion, wanted to perfectly pair a favorite food with a favorite wine, and then realized that neither one of them really matched, so you said, "oh well, screw it," and had your yummy food with a favorite wine which really didn't go together? That's what we did this Christmas (and we had most of the wine consumed before the food). We have a new "tradition" (going on 2 consecutive years when we don't fly out of state to visit relatives) of having a Mexican feast on Christmas. We don't have a particularly favorite wine (yet) that goes well with this type of food (although dark Mexican beer seems to work quite well), and we have been wanting to find a special time to drink a very special wine, La Colombaia Valpolicella Ripasso (2003). We discovered this wine at a tasting about 3 years ago, and although it was less than $20, we realized that this is a very delicious Italian wine meant to be cherished. This red is well-balanced with dark fruit and nuances of vanilla and spice. Muy bien or molto bene!

Wedding Wines 5: A by Acacia Pinot Noir

Typically, under-$20-Pinot-Noirs and I don't get along. I've had a few "okay/drinkable" ones and many more where I'm thinking, "is there any fruit underneath all this alcohol smell, oh yes, there it is, a touch of blueberry, no, it's gone now," and even one that tasted like dirt, which strangely my friend-of-a-friend who bought the bottle really liked. So, needless to say, the first time I had the A by Acacia Pinot Noir, I was Surprised! We were at a steakhouse and my husband and I opted for seafood with a heavy sauce, but were not in a white wine mood. My father in law ordered this wine for us. I was skeptical at first, and almost stopped him, this wine was the most reasonably priced on the menu and a Pinot, but he has good taste in wine, so I sat back for the adventure. We were very impressed! This Pinot is silky and elegant with dark fruit, vanilla, florals and a hint of oak. Perfectly balanced. Sadly, we don't get to have this wine much because the price is toward the $20 end (you can find it at big wine warehouses for $19.99 if you are lucky), but it is worth every penny plus some.

Delicious and Purple

I have a new wine love, it is Pasa Robles Red4 2006. It is a deep purple--beautiful when held up to the light. This delicious blend is 53% Petite Sirah, 38% Sirah, 7% Tannat, and 7% Touriga. It's ripe and fruity (plum and cherry), but not overpowering, and well-balanced with some spice and oak. I had this exquisite wine for the second time at the Elusive Grape in Deland, FL tonight. It was the last coveted bottle in stock, hopefully he will get more in!

Temperature matters!

Some advice that I've found helpful and informative is that people often serve their red wines too warm and their white wines too cold. I definitely agree with this and am now quite bothered when a red wine is served straight from the shelf at "room temperature." We have our wine fridge set at 59 degrees, just perfect so as the wine warms in our glasses, the bouquet and complexity becomes more pronounced. Red wines are best served between 54 and 65 degrees F. Serving reds at this temperature makes them taste more refined and less "hot" or acidic. Pinot Noir can be served toward the cooler side of the range while Cabs flourish toward the warmer end. If you don't have a wine fridge, put your reds in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes before you plan on serving them. It is better for a wine to be too cold at first than too warm as it can easily warm up.

White wines should be served at a lower temperature, between 41 and 50 degrees, which is warmer than if they are taken straight out of the refrigerator. If you serve them too cold, the subtle nuances of of the bouquet and the complexity of the wine will be difficult to decipher. Rieslings and sparklers are best at the cooler end of the spectrum and Chardonnays do well a little warmer. If you don't have a wine fridge, take your whites out of the refrigerator about 20 minutes before you serve them to reach the ideal temperature.

Wedding Wines 4: Chateau Ste. Michelle, Indian Wells, Chardonnay

The '04 and '05 vintages of the Chateau St. Michelle, Indian Wells, Chardonnay received 90 points from Wine Spectator, and the 2006 does not disappoint. It is an excellent Chardonnay which I immensely enjoyed at the wedding paired with fresh shrimp. The winemaker described it so perfectly, I feel compelled to quote him:

“The warmth of the Wahluke Slope consistently produces Chardonnays with an appealing tropical fruit character. The 2006 bottling delivers pineapple, butterscotch, and vanilla aromas with notes of brown sugar and spice. The Indian Wells Chardonnay is soft and rich yet maintains a beautiful elegance. I like this wine with scallops, scampi or pasta with slightly richer sauces.”
-Bob Bertheau, Head Winemaker

Yum!

Napanook and a Yellowtail surprise

I'm only a few entries in to this blogging adventure, and already I'm diverging from it's premise. However, it is winter, and with winter comes the urge for heavy foods, like a big, juicy steak per say. And sometimes with big juicy steaks, one needs a big juicy Cab whose price tag may exceed $20 (especially when your favorite father in law is buying). We indulged in the Napanook 2005 for $28 at Costco. I've read many descriptions of wine on the back of the bottle that claim to be "silky," and this one actually lives up to its claim. It's full-bodied with dark cherry and a lovely long, lush finish that complemented the steak perfectly. With a Wine Advocate rating of 91, the extra few bucks are totally worth it!

To offset the price of the Napanook, I have to tell about a pleasantly surprising wine that I had previously underestimated. I've always liked Yellowtail Shiraz, but have never been a huge advocate. Our house guest bought the 1.5L, so we didn't drink the whole bottle on the first night. The next night when we opened it, it had changed significantly for the better! Vanilla was strong on the nose but very pleasant, and the bold, dark fruit was slightly sweeter and more complex on the palate. It amazes me how wine can change and grow from one day to the next, and I was most impressed with this one!

Wedding Wine 3: Hunter's Sauvignon Blanc

The third wine I chose for my friend's wine-tasting wedding is Hunter's Sauvignon Blanc (2007). I first tasted this wine at a wine tasting at The Elusive Grape, Deland, FL. A representative from the winery came all the way from Australia to show this excellent wine. This is definitely the best Sauvignon Blanc I have ever had. The nose is ripe with tropical fruit and the palate features layers of melon, peach, and more tropical fruit. This is another full-bodied white wine, crisp and refreshing with a lingering finish.

Thanksgiving wines

We had an intimate gathering for Thanksgiving this year with only four of us. Our out-of-town guests arrived just in time for turkey, so there was not much time for wine pairing with appetizers.

As soon as they walked through the door, I popped the cork of the Cristalino Brut Rosé Cava (blend of 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Trepat, made traditionally with the secondary fermentation in the bottle). It was a sparkling welcome to our family from Pennsylvania and Arizona, and at only $8 a bottle, an awesome value. The nose and palate featured lively notes of strawberry, raspberry, and mineral, and the finish was dry and refreshing.

During the main course of our meal, we enjoyed one of my favorite Rieslings, the Chateau St. Michelle Colombia Valley Riesling (2007), another great value which was on sale for $8.99. This versatile wine, with its delicious body of melon and pear, was an excellent match with all the dishes served.

I had planned to open a Pinot Noir to complete the meal, but our food was devoured (hungry travelers!) before the Reisling was gone (shocking, I know!), and our guests decided that coffee was the next step. Maybe next year...

Wedding Wine 2: Chateau Lamothe de Haux, Bordeux Blanc

The second wine showcased during the wedding wine tasting was Chateau Lamothe de Haux, Bordeux Blanc (2006). This outstanding white Bordeaux is comprised of 40% Sauvignon Blanc, 40% Semillon, and Muscadelle. I vividly remember the night we first tried this wine. We went to a wine tasting at our favorite wine bar, The Elusive Grape, in Deland, FL. There was a separate wine tasting going on at the next table for the employees of a new restaurant that would be opening shortly. The distributor, who was serving these wines and who knows us quite well, sneaked a bottle over to us and said, "guys, you have to try this!" I was very impressed with this smooth and fruity (think melon and citrus yearning to be paired with goat cheese or shellfish) yet complex (and rather full-bodied for a white) wine, and my companion and I happily finished off the rest of the bottle!

Fast forward a few months to the wedding for which I selected the wine. After I had gone through the wine tasting table, this was the first wine I returned to for a full glass to have with my appetizers, and it was every bit as excellent as I had remembered.

Wedding Wine 1: Chateau St. Michelle Eroica Riesling

I recently had the honor of choosing the wines for my friend, and fellow wine-enthusiast's, wedding which included a wine tasting. From the comments that she and I overheard from guests, the wines were a huge success. The next few postings will be showcasing these wines, which are some of my favorites!

Wedding Wine 1:
Chateau St. Michelle, Eroica, Riesling, Columbia Valley, 2006 (Wine Spectator 91)
This Riesling simply amazes me. It is rich and fruit-forward with subtle mineral notes that dance on your tongue. For you red wine connoisseurs who have difficulty appreciating most white wines (I used to be one of you), you will be surprised by this complex and bold Riesling. This wine was made in collaboration with the Dr. Loosen estate in Germany's Mosel region (Riesling experts!). Jay Miller from the Wine Advocate described it in a press release as "Light straw-colored, it offers up a lovely floral, mineral, honeysuckle bouquet, crisp flavors featuring melon and pineapple, excellent balance, and a long, pure, refreshing finish." This was the first (and only) wine to run out at the wedding, and it went fast!

Screw Kappa Napa

At the very moment of my first posting, I am savoring the flavors of the Screw Kappa Napa Cabernet Sauvignon, 2005. This wine tastes like a true Napa Cab, rich and full-bodied with dark fruit on the nose and palate with bold but well-balanced tannins.

Amazingly, it retails for around $14. I discovered this beauty during my last birthday party, a blind wine tasting. One of my dear friends brought this awesome wine, and it was easily the best of the bunch!