Making the Most with What You Have

The year 2011 is in the books (I am writing this on NYE so not quite yet) and looking back it was a great one for the Ancient Fire Wine Blog. I’m new to the wine blogging party in my current format and 2011 was the best of the nearly two years I've been seriously dishing my thoughts on beverages, eats, places to visit to get food & drink, my home brewing projects and odds & ends about the food & beverage industry at large. I’ve enjoyed sharing my experiences immensely and intend to keep on keeping on, but I doubt things will be the same in 2012 on my end and definitely not for readers.

In 2011 I confirmed much of my own suspicions about how my effort at expanding my knowledge and promoting my blog with social media could pay off. I’ve made lots of new connections, attended many events, have sampled fare from all over the world and more people actually read my blog. I cannot complain one bit. My expectations for fun continue to be exceeded. When I’m out an about I’ve come to realize that my blog is the least relevant part of my interest in the world of beverages and food, and since people aren’t running off to read it right when I meet them, it doesn’t matter. That means I can spend less time blogging and I lose nothing.

I started writing in 2008 as a means to share cellar updates from my home wine & beer making projects. I’ve made cider and mead many times as well since then and the projects keep coming. In 2011 I shifted my writing on the wine slice of those projects to Wine Maker Magazine where there is a natural audience for the tales. I’m still making lots of homemade beverages and jump behind the bar at home to mix up cocktails, punches and sample unique spirits from all over the place pretty much weekly. There are two aspects to these activities that are most important and will be the focus of my efforts in 2012.

( My wine cellar in 2009. Multiple by 3X currently. )

( Pressing grapes with friends. )

( The krausen on a batch of freshly brewed beer. Real geek stuff. That's me! )

First, the projects take lots of time. Research time, planning, trials, full batches, application in social settings and finally consideration of lessons learned and the “what nexts”. If I’m going to do some of these things I certainly want to use the time I have to make the most of them. If I don’t want to do them I’ll do something else like read, take a walk or play ball with my dog.

( Mack's Apples Pie Competition in 2011. )

( Survivors Rule! Volunteers, fundraisers, marathon walkers. We've raised almost $75K since 2003. 

Cancer Sucks so we Fight Back! )

Secondly, most importantly, and this is where I am most happy to be reflecting on, I get enjoy these activities with the people in my life that I want to spend time with. Margot and I are learning how to make better beer together. We rock! I am meeting new people in my local area that enjoy the same activities and want to hang out and learn from each other. I can’t pass this up. And all the in-real-life trips that I plan and take will reconnect me with birds of a feather from elsewhere. These are “my people” as Margot calls it.

( Grilled pizza party in the backyard. So much fun! )

( Beer tasting at The Drinkery in Londonderry, NH. )

( Bus 1, 1a and local wine drinkers from the Wine Bloggers Conference in Virginia. No sleep till Portland! )

( Cocktails with friends. Loved working the bar! )

( Wine tastings with friends at home are consistently the most fun events we host. )

So, what next? I am going to write when I’m inspired and tweet when there is a conversation to be had. I’m going to be out there doing all the things that I could write about, but without of the stress of “having” write about them or share them on Twitter. I’ll read about what others are up to when I can. The live story and the live event is where I’m going to be focused. Sorry to all if that means I’ll share less of what I am up to post by post, but on the flip side planning to meet up somewhere for a conference or to crash tasting rooms has us making memories together. See, that’s way better!

( I play a salsa judge on TV. International Chili Championship. )

( Getting out for walks in Vermont is one of the things I look forward to the most. )

( Crashing the beer tent or the tasting bar with friends is always a good laugh! )

( Dinner with WineMaker Conference friends. Cheers to Cheryl & Christina. See you in June! )

( Working local harvests is great way to meet other winemakers and wine lovers. )

( Get out! The beach or the mountains, it doesn't matter. Go! )

( The Boston Brunchers at the Harvard Common Press. )

No decision is made without consequences however, and this one comes with anxiety over spending less time interacting with so many people I’ve met through my blog and Twitter. Less time with the people who have been readers and friends along for this ride. Spending less time blogging and on Twitter means I can’t support the efforts of many others who I have been a reader of as well. It makes me sad, but I've got to deal with that. I've created solid ties locally and those will naturally continue in real life and online. Relationships take time and I have to focus on the immediate ones to focus my passion and enthusiasm optimally.  This is the unfortunate result. This is going to mean some disconnectedness’ for me, and keeping tabs on the buzz about events I attend is going to suffer. The rejiggering here is going to take some careful work.

A huge round of thank you’s and appreciative gestures are due to all my readers, friends, followers, likes, et. al. Sharing my adventures with you, interacting with you in comments and following you as well has been a blast. Cheers to meeting up in front of a glass of something exciting in places along our continued journey’s.

THANK YOU!

One other thought is worth closing with. Making personal choices is the right and privilege of everyone. I applaud any person who makes choices and lives with obvious happiness in the offing. Everyone’s circumstances, personal makeup and resources are different, so each of us has to do what we feel is best for us to make the most of what we’ve got. We also then just need to go do it. It’s the most positive way to live. That is my wish for good health for you in the New Year.

And with that I'm off! Gotta clean and prep for a house full of people on New Years Day.

Cheers!

Jason

Kicking it with the #RWTastingCrew

I finally made it to my first Red White Tasting Crew wine tasting last night. With the good weather starting to filter in I hope to get to them on a regular basis.

Last night’s event was at Whole Foods on River Street in Cambridge. We don’t have Whole Foods in NH (yet) and I can’t recall if I have ever been in one before. I bet I have, but just don’t remember it. This particular location has a community room that is open to book events in. David from Whole Food explained that the room was open for booking by the public and for legitimate events there was no booking fee. Pretty cool!

( Dan & Cathy talking wine. )

Cathy from Red White Boston was particularly excited about this month’s event for a couple of reasons. First, Panther Distributing is a new wine distributor to the state of MA was on hand to showcase wines from Oregon and Australia that are just becoming available in the state. Secondly, she was hoping to continue to the conversation and research into using a badging system for identifying wines of note shared by Red White Boston through their smartphone app and other communications. I was definitely interested in seeing what came of this as well. I had been pretty vocal about not really seeing where badges fit during a vibrant Twitter conversation on the topic.

The first person I met was Melanie who tweets with the handle @kissmyglasswine. We have interacted a bit on Twitter before and of course recognized each other by our handles. We tasted the first couple of wines seated next to each other and I definitely enjoyed swapping tasting notes as we went. Her freewheeling, fun filled approach to wine tasting is a refreshing. I am definitely going to be looking for another chance to talk with Melanie.

We started off with the Brookman Wines Chenin Blanc 2008. This wine comes from the McLaren Vale Region in South Australia. The Mediterranean climate, thin soils and limited water during the growing season typically translates in considerable ripeness in the wines. Chenin Blanc is a minor grape, in acreage planted, for Australia and is typically used in blending. The nose isn’t huge on this wine, but it did present some pear and floral notes. I picked up flavors of melon, citrus and experienced the classic oily texture found in Chenin Blanc based wines.

Next up was the Vista Hills Oregon Pinot Gris 2009. I first had Pinot Gris from Oregon last May and my benchmark is the bottle of King Estate Signature Pinot Gris 2008 we enjoyed in a simple wine & cheese tasting in our hotel room in Seattle. I haven’t found anything yet that lives up to it. I found the Vista Hills to have subtle aromas and very light flavors. It was enjoyable, but not a stunner. It would work well with food, but only because it wouldn’t offer much to conflict for the food. This isn’t the type of pairings I am typically after.

From there we moved on to the Conte Estate Primrose Lane Chardonnay from Australia. This was the least exciting of the wines for me. When Cathy asked the crew for thoughts, I responded that I thought “it was hiding in the corner.” There was almost no aroma and while there were flavors of toast, smoke and a little peach the wine exited so fast you could easily miss them. I was surprised at this because Chardonnay from Australia has generally been much more lively in my experience.

I ran into Maureen the Boston Marketing Manager for Second Glass who sponsor the Wine Riots. I thanked her group for reprinting our two posts on their web site from the Boston Wine Riot last Fall. I understand things are going gangbusters for Second Glass as they expand the Wine Riots into more cities. This year’s in Boston is in April and I was sad to realize I would likely be missing it. Oh, always next time!

The next wine was the Linda Domas Shotbull Shiraz Rosé 2008 also from Australia. I have only had a few Shiraz Rosés in my life and each time has been a pleasure just because Rosé made from this grape is distinct. Bold with spicy notes true to the grape were right there for you to experience. I ended up finding that when paired with blue cheese the sweetness in the wine bumped up just a little, and I felt I enjoyed it more. Dan from Panther offered up some lore about this wine with the rumor that Linda (the winemaker) has been known to skinny dip in vats of the wine during its early life. Interesting, weird and a great way to sell wine!

While I filtered around and networked with other tasters I met Meesh from the Just Add Cheese blog. Another first meeting via Twitter handle recognition! We caught up a bit later as Cathy and I were talking about the Rosé. I mentioned my interest in thinking about where the berry flavors in the wine came from and what it might have tasted like prior to and during fermentation. As a winemaker I think of these things. Meesh was obviously curious about such a specific consideration and mentioned she was working to get better at recognizing flavors in wine. No small challenge and noble pursuit for sure. I recommended using foods that express those flavors to help create an imprint. My specific example was to get fresh berries, cut them up and simply sit with them for while. Take in the aromas, let them sit on your tongue for a time. Mush some up in your fingers and really get into it!

Our first red was the La Bete Selection du Cave Pinot Noir from Oregon. This wine is definitely in the Burgundian style which is not typical for American Pinots outside the Willamette Valley. I have enjoyed a few from this area before but have big plans on taking quite a few more down on our upcoming trip out there in September. This had a lighter aroma that I expected, but the earthiness and restraint in the flavors and body were there. I picked up red berries, mushrooms and a little bitter chocolate. I would drink this again, but I suspect in its very best years it would be better still.

The second red was the Brookman Wines “Cool Sands” Cab/Merlot 2009 from Australia. The aromas coming from this glass of wine stopped me dead. So potent and complex. Berries, plums, leafy greens, tobacco. All harmoniously jumping in and out of the glass. When you’ve got it, you’ve got it! The wine was balanced superbly with acid, alcohol and tannins all finely tuned to enjoy. I went back to this one later to enjoy it for just a little longer. This was my absolute favorite of the night and will be something I will be sourcing to have at home.

( The business of wine tasting looks hard! )

I didn’t catch the results from the badge voting, but Cathy promised to have it up in a blog post soon. I did share my additional considerations on badges with her and I can see where some of her target audience should embrace it in their wine pursuits. For me, and I suspect others as well, I may already be too specific in what I looking after for a badge to matter. Not really a problem, clearly an opportunity.

In the middle of tasting the reds I was introduced to Ray & Rachel from French Oak TV. We have been Twitter buddies for a while, but hadn’t had a chance to meet yet. Rachel is new to the team (she was impressed that I had read the blog from 2 days prior announcing her a new team member) and excitedly talked about the whiskey tasting she went to on Sunday at Julio’s Liquors in Westborough, MA. I am pretty jealous of that. I would have loved to take a shot at 200 whiskeys. There might have been consequences though! Her story prompted me to share my experience with the Vieux Marc from Barville the week before when in Provence. I capped that off, as I did in the post, with a reflection on sitting outside in Provence smoking a Cuban cigar drinking a tall glass of it. Man that was good!

The last wine of the evening was the Conte Estate The Gondola Grenache/Shiraz 2006. This wine was definitely richer than the “Cool Sands” but with just a little less aroma. I picked up blackberry in the nose and again in the flavors. Additional flavors of black pepper and licorice were finished with smooth, soft tannins. I definitely enjoyed this, and so did the group based on the voting, but I still gave me nod to the “Cool Sands”. Something about first impressions.

I made a quick exit from the event primarily because I had a train trip and a ride to get home and I was getting tired. Hopefully next time I can stick around for some more networking or an after party! I can’t wait to hang with this crew again!


Cheers!

Jason

The Wines We Enjoyed In Provence

There were several areas that we enjoyed wines from during our visit toProvence last week. We had reds from Cotes du Ventoux and Cotes du Rhone, a nearly 20 year old white from Chateauneuf-du-Pape (CDP), box format reds from Gigondas and Cotes du Rhone, a couple of roses from Cotes du Ventoux and Cotes du Provence and Muscat from Beaumes de Venise. All of these regions are within 30 minutes or so of where we were staying and will make for great future stops while we visit in Provence.

We also enjoyed a surprise in a discount Bordeaux that Marc bought on a whim. I wrote about our visit to and tasting in Chateauneuf-du-Pape for The Unreserved last week. The only bottle from that post that I will revisit here is the Barville Vieux Marc because it was just so amazing and unique.

For the first meal we had Francoise brought out two bottles La Ferme Saint Pierre Roi Faineant (Lazy King). One was from 2007 and the other from 2000. I immediately recognized a great experience in the making. The same producer and style from two different years! The younger wine was definitely juicier and fruitier with less earth and wood showing through. The color was more vibrant of purple and ruby red, where the older was shifted a bit to brown as you would expect. This wine is made from a blend of 60% Syrah, 30% Grenache and 10% Carignan and is aged for 1 to 2 years in oak. Both wines had strength in their noses, with slightly different wood and spice characteristics, and smooth tannins. I picked up flavors of blackberry, black pepper, tobacco and herbs. The 2000 bottling traded down the fruit flavors for more smoke and earth and a bit more elegance in the tannins. It was just as pleasing and the contrast with the pork we had it with was exactly what I expected.

Most of our wine consumption occurred during lunch and dinner and of course at the two wedding parties. We did enjoy aperitifs most of the days, which generally consisted of pastis, some Jack Daniels brought along by my Cuban friends and the Muscat and Rose wines we bought the first day.

In one of the gift shops at Fontaine du Vaucluse we picked up the Pomelo 2009 Cotes du Ventoux Rose and the Cristal Or Muscat Beaumes De Venise 2009, which were opened later that day to be enjoyed by all. The Pomelo Rose presented with a beautiful red/pink color and a nose of strawberries and citrus. It is dry and strawberry flavor was very reminiscent of my first attempts at strawberry wine that I found just a tad too dry. There were also hints of exotic fruits, like mango, and the citrus didn’t feel straight up like oranges, but I didn’t spend enough time to classify it. The wine is very light and at first the dryness seemed to keep people away, but it did finally disappear. The Cristal Or Muscat was absolutely delightful and Margot’s favorite of the trip. The wine glimmers of gold and the nose is enough to captivate you, projecting aromas of peach, apricots and grapes. It has a perfect balance of sweetness and acidity and the alcohol is present but restrained. The flavors of peach, apricot and honey are full on and as an aperitif this wine was excellent. Carla tried a sip and it stopped her mid-sentence. Margot assured her that was the intended effect, and then the conversation resumed.

At a later meal Francoise produced a bottle of Chateau Fortia Chateauneuf-Du-Pape Blanc 1993. I had never had a white from the CDP region so I was excited at the prospect. Unfortunately, and Francoise and Eloy were quick to assess this, the wine had past its prime drinking days and was not an exciting drink. It was interesting thought to sift through the deconstruction of the aromas and flavors to try and assess what it might have tasted like years earlier. I have it tucked in the back of my head to find a good CDP white to try so I can experience it as it should be.

As the group at the house increased in size and then for service at the wedding the wines of choice were in box format. I thoroughly enjoyed the first box that came from a producer (that I didn’t get the name of) in the Gigondas region. The wine was bold and full of fruit, spice and showed a good deal of alcohol as well. It was from 2009 and while there was the clear presence of wood, it wasn’t a leading aroma or flavor. The tannins were a little rougher here but with the wine flexing a bit of muscle I didn’t mind at all.

The second round of boxes (10L no less) were all from Camille Cayran and of the Cotes du Rhone Villages style. I was struck with the exceptional performance of this wine. When I say performance I mean the quality of the drinking experience coupled with the knowledge of its bargain price. What a wonderful convention it would be here in the States to be able to go to a winery, taste a few wines and then ask to have large format boxes filled at bulk prices. This wine comes from the village of Cairanne just a bit farther north than the other areas I have reviewed wines from. The wine was moderately aromatic of black cherry, ripe plum and pepper. The flavors didn’t fail, with the black cherry and pepper from the aromas and a bit of spice, herb and maybe even violets. The tannins were moderate and smooth and the finish was long enough to enjoy, but not extended.

During our tour of the Papal Palace in Avignon we came across a small plot of vines (below right) that were there to showcase each of the 13 grapes permitted in Chateauneuf –du-Pape wines. The vines are young as the project is still early in its life, but I did have to wonder whose job it will be to make that batch of wine when the time comes!

On Saturday during our trip to the Le Thor market we stopped into a local grocery/convenience/discount store. I bought a Cahors Malbec and a Cotes du Provence Rose, neither of which were very good. Sometimes cheap means cheap! Marc saved the trip though with two bottles of Comte De Serac 2007 Bordeaux. At just shy of 3 Euro each I was again struck with the performance. The wine was light and fruity with soft tannins and a good deal of vanilla. The fruit flavors of strawberry and ripe cherries were simply stated and washed down with a hint of acidity in the moderate finish. With roast pork this wine did not last long at all. Rather than take it home, Marc opened the second bottle because it was being enjoyed so much. For that I am most grateful.

The most intriguing thing I drank the entire time I was there was the Barville Vieux Marc 2002 that I purchased at the Brotte museum and tasting room. Marc is a French pomace brandy which is made from the spent pomace from wine production. The pomace is re-fermented and the low alcohol wine that is made from it is then distilled into a flavorful and potent spirit. My first glass of this was like being in another place altogether. The nose is huge of dried fruits and vanilla. The flavors of raisins, dried apricots and caramel with a hint of sweet in the middle were positively engrossing. I liken it to a blend of fine bourbon and aged Jamaican rum. At 86 proof it is quite strong, but for the audience I quickly found that was an asset and not an impediment. When enjoyed with a Cuban cigar I really felt like I had found a very specific and unique experience during my trip.

You can’t really argue how serious the business of wine is in France when there are places you go where you can see vines everywhere.

After we got home I found a bottle of the La Vielle Ferme Cotes du Ventoux Rouge that I had enjoyed on the plane ride over to Paris. We paired it with a Provencal style beef stew I made to help keep the memories of France alive now that we were home. With the familiar aromas and flavors of several of the wines we enjoyed while there I felt I was back for just a moment. One thing I did notice is that this particular wine, for an inexpensive one available at home, did actually smell and taste more pleasing that some other Rhone blends we have had recently, including the Chateau Beauchene from the tasting last Saturday. It would seem I need to explore the Rhone blends that are available to me and see if I can’t find a few that I would want to have around all the time.

Cheers!

Jason

Ancient Fire Wine Tastings Are Back!

( Brian has a great eye for a shot. )

It’s been a while since we had wine tasting at our place. There weren’t any particular reasons for that, it just kind of happened. This past Saturday we gathered a crew of new and veteran Ancient Fire tasters together to enjoy some good food, good wine and great conversation.

( Smiles are always a good sign! )

There were two themes with this tasting, snacks with cheese in them and blind tasting. The blind tasting was based around a mix of commercial and homemade wines and would offer everyone the opportunity to see how many wines they could classify correctly. I was interested in how well I would recognize my own wines against similar styles from commercial producers.

( Just waiting for us to dig in! )

The wine lineup consisted of the following:

• Ancient Fire 2010 Strawberry
• Ancient Fire 2008 Riesling/Gewurztraminer Blend
• Ancient Fire 2009 Petit Verdot
• Ancient Fire 2009 Chateau du Roi (Southern Rhone style blend)
• Ancient Fire 2010 Oaked Chardonnay
• Ancient Fire 2010 South African Chenin Blanc
• Isaaks of Salem 2010 Popp Road Raspberry Mead
• Rodney Strong 2008 Chalk Hill Chardonnay
• Chateau Beauchene 2008 Cotes du Rhone
• Columbia Winery 2007 Cellmaster’s Riesling

I was excited to have Brian from A Thought For Food join us for the tasting. His interest in my Jalapeno Dessert and Chocolate Raspberry Port wines resulted in us meeting up for drinks a while back. We both enjoyed the social time and agreed it shouldn’t be the last time. Both he and Eric made the trip up from Southie to party with us, and I am pretty sure a positive impression was mutual! The rest of the tasting crew, Ed, Jim, Amy, Brian, Wayne, Meredith, Richard, Missy, Melanie and Margot have all enjoyed a number of our wines before and always approach our tastings with curiosity and excitement.

We had just enough food (it seems so often we have way too much) and an excellent diversity to enjoy with the wines.

Rosemary Cheddar Straws (I made these, and will share the recipe later in the week)

Spinach Artichoke Dip

Baked Camembert w/ Carmelized Onions & Sage

Mini Cheesecakes w/ Burgundy or Rum Orange glazes

Italian Skewers w/ 3 cheeses, tortellini, tomatoes and vinaigrette dressing

Make your own fruit skewers

The best pairing was the Chenin Blanc with the baked Camembert. That wine was a late addition after Wayne asked me about the Vouvray Margot reccomended he try. We had had it at Christmas and she loved it so much she was passing on a solid find. While not quite the same style, my South African Chenin is nice and soft with lemon flavors and just a hint of residual sugar. Up against the earthy cheese and sage affected onions, all were taken to a new level. The cheesecakes with the Strawberry wine were also a good match, but I felt the cheesecakes were too good on their own. The cheese straws were best for me with the reds, especially the Chateau du Roi. The rosemary and baked cheddar flavor weren't lost in the wine, which added a bit of spice to amp up the cheese flavor.

( Some bottles got hit harder than others. My reds poured well this time too. )

Margot bagged up the wines so that I wouldn’t know what was what. I did however know what was included so it wasn’t truly blind for me. I was able to guess 8 out of 10, with the two I swapped creating a good deal of curiosity as several others mixed up the same commercial and homemade selections. These two ended up being the Rhone blends. I thought for sure the drier, more acidic selection was my own, but it ended up being the Chateau Beauchene. Having spent the last week tasting Cotes du Rhone wines I was heartened to find that my own version was truer to those I had tasted from the source. I’d surely make that wine again because I definitely enjoy the style.

( One empty and one almost. Definitely a message! )

My strawberry wine is an easy giveaway, but my purpose for including it was to get feedback on the newest vintage which again underwent some recipe tweaking from the year before. The consensus is that I have truly nailed it and improved on it once again. Accomplishing this mission for my flagship wine is a very proud moment for me. Otherwise it was pretty much split as to how many folks could classify the wines as mine or from a commercial producer. My Riesling/Gewurztraminer Blend fooled several folks and based on the feedback should be on my “make” list for 2011.

My heavily oaked Chardonnay wasn’t a big hit, too smoky and too buttery, but when I asked how many people had drank that style in the 70’s and 80’s (we are all too young!) and explained that is was in vogue for a time, it helped with a little context. I also added that there will be some excellent summer BBQ parings, like turkey burgers and smoked turkey, most tasters agreed to revisit it and see how it goes. The Rodney Strong Chardonnay was also oaked, just not as much, and a few tasters compared it and felt that the difference was noticeable, but not extreme. I expect, and hope, my version will calm down a little bit in a few months.

( Richard was digging my Chateau du Roi and appears to be studying it. )

We had a second unfortunate experience with mead from Isaak’s of Salem. The bottle of Popp Road Raspberry poured like a champagne and after two hours of breathing it still poured the same way. There were no flavors in the mead, it was immensely dry and had some off aromas, something Margot likened to perfume or rubbing alcohol. Clearly something has gone wrong and the remedy offered in response to the first experience we had with the carbonation in the Sweet Tooth, let it decant for 30 minutes, was not successful here. I tasted this several months ago and was able to enjoy the raspberry flavor and subtle honeyed sweetness that was intended for this product. I was sad that I didn’t end up being able to share that with my friends.

As always the socialization and conversation was the most fun element to the tasting. Margot and I had the chance to share tales from France with the slideshow going on the computer. Being able to say you stood inside a building that is 1,000 years old, is pretty cool any day of the week!

Our next wine tasting on March 26th will be a fundraiser for our Relay For Life event. Margot and I will supply the food and wine as a thank you to our family and friends for supporting us. Guests are being asked to make a $20 donation, either by check or online, as admission to the tasting. I am also hoping to have folks join us on Twitter during the tasting, raising a glass in support of the fight against cancer.

I also have to thank Brian for taking several great photos (#'s 1,3,4 and 8 in this post) and applying a set of stunning effects to make the pictures look vintage. Be sure and check out his portfolio of photography at http://www.briansamuelsphotography.com/.

Cheers!

Jason