Music & Wine

I read a blog post last week that caught my interest because it was about the fourth dimension of wine tasting (sight, smell, taste are the first three), sound. The author‘s take on the sound dimension had to do with closures, and specifically the sound made by a cork being extricated from a wine bottle. I personally don’t pay much attention to that occasion and from my sommelier training it is clear that learning how to uncork wine (and especially Champagne) with little to no sound is desired. The author DID present an idea that I can get behind, but I have another way to spin the sound dimension with wine. And that would be through music.

The obvious scenarios that come right to mind would be pairing music with a casual glass of wine and friends, or with a romantic meal. Both are situations where the overall experience can be more than the sum of its parts, and the right music could definitely be a contributing factor. But those aren’t the only ways I pair music and wine.

As a winemaker I often have stints in the “shop”, kitchen, basement, spare rooms, etc, where I am might be cleaning equipment, working with a batch of wine, cleaning bottles to be filled, running blending trials, doing tasting of my own or commercial wines or writing up my experiences to share with you. At those times my “wine” music is important in a whole different way. The right music infuses my body and soul with energy, provides imagery for me to explore as I work, and allows me to focus on the task at hand. I am quite certain that batches of wines I have made have been imbued with an essence of the music I was listening to when I did one thing or another with them.

Now if I just stopped here you would be left thinking, “that is all well and good, but why did I just waste time reading that?” And you would be right. I haven't yet provided any examples.

Wine and food pairing is all about the juxtaposition of aromas, flavors and textures between food and beverages to create experiences. So it is with music and wine pairing when you get down to thinking about it. Here are three experiences I have created as examples of this idea.

As I write this article I am listening to a CD entitled “Buddha Hookah Lounge”. This disc which is a collection of remixes designed for lounge and bar listening. You will have to go with this if you aren’t familiar the genre. I have a lot of it and it works really well in the casual drinking and romantic dinner pairings as well. One song in particular is a remix of the 80’s dance song “Let The Music Play” by Shannon. In the background of the remix are guitar riffs from Gimme Shelter by the Rolling Stones. What! No, seriously. Here is why this song worked for me while I wrote this. The Rolling Stones make me think of my childhood when my dad would play records out the back window while we played in the yard or worked in the garden. Those were simpler times and remembering that helped me be clear and concise, think simple, as I wrote. “Let The Music Play” was pretty peppy originally, but the remixed version has some real zip to it which drove me to think and type fast. I had an idea I wanted to get out and the music helped it flow. Combine those two facets and you get what you are reading.

Here is more classic example of pairing music and wine, actually homemade cider with friends. In 2009 I made 35 gallons of hard cider. In April of 2010 we had a cider party with friends to celebrate the release of the liquid gold. Rather than bottle some of it ahead of time I siphoned an entire 6 gallon carboy (glass jug) into a bucket with a spigot and let people serve themselves. Being able to walk up and fill a cup off the “tap” was so “delightfully trashy” to steal a phrase from fellow food blogger Janis. But it was so much fun! For the music we cranked up Kid Rock “All Summer Long”. That song is a look back to fun and freewheeling times through the recollections of the protagonist, and specifically of summertime. The mood that song set was perfect for the cider. It was early spring, still cold in New England, and the music and cider took us to that warm and fun-filled place we could all see on the horizon. We drank a lot of cider, and as the night grew long there were volumes of laughs to go around. I always think of cranking up Kid Rock now when I open a bottle of my cider.

I didn’t finish this article on the bus ride home a few days ago, and it is a lucky thing. Yesterday morning I set about to create a batch of plum wine using plums we had purchased and frozen last summer. For music I selected the disc “The Hopeful Machines” by BT. BT is an electronica legend known for his classical composer like focus on his creations which are high tech in their construction. “These Hopeful Machines” was presented as two tracks with slightly under 1 hour run-time each. The individual songs within those tracks were designed to be listened to together, are heavily textured and offer a diversity of styles within the electronic music space. As I sat down to pit 15 pounds of defrosting plums I very much appreciated the journey the music was taking me on. The track “Love Can Kill You" has thought the provoking lyrics of “love can kill you, or love can save us all.” As I sat their doing something I love, making wine, it made me realize the truth in the story about how I came to make my own wine. After my cancer treatment (in 2003) my wife asked me if I would like to pick up a hobby instead of working all the time. I choose making my own beer and wine. Her love for me and her desire for me to appreciate getting the chance to stick around in this world had saved me. I was miserable when I worked all the time, but I thought I loved it. With my hobby firmly integrated into my life now it is much more clear what I enjoy spending my time doing. I of course still work in IT during the day, but at night and on the weekends I eat, drink, make wine/cider/beer and write about my adventures. Way more fun!

I hope you enjoyed my stories about the sounds of wine (or cider & beer too!) that I experience on my adventures. How do you pair music in your life? Do you have music you like to listen to when you sit down and have a casual drink?

Cheers!

Jason

Vegetarian Red Beans & Rice

I’m not sure what prompted it but last week my wife said she wanted Red Beans & Rice. We’ve only eaten it a couple of times in 15 years so it was a pretty obscure request. No worries though, it sounds good and I can definitely pull that off.

I went looking for recipes to get some inspiration and quickly found a great vegetarian (eating lighter these days) red beans & recipe from the Sortachef blog. I adapted the recipe in three ways. I used chipotle and chili powder instead of straight up cayenne. Margot seems to be more sensitive to cayenne and I wanted her to be able to eat the dish at will. I added 1 tsp of liquid smoke to help offset the missing flavors that you would get in the traditional dish from sausage and/or other meats. I then added the juice of ½ of a lime. I am finding that a slight hit of acid in some dishes helps flavors express themselves.

Vegetarian Red Beans & Rice

2 cups dry Small Red Beans, soaked overnight
1 large yellow onion, chopped
4 sticks celery with leaves, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
4 Tbsp olive oil
6 cups water
3 teaspoons of salt (reserve 1 tsp)
½ tsp of freshly ground black pepper
1 ½ tsp of dry thyme
1 ½ tsp of oregano
½ tsp chipotle powder
½ tsp chili powder
1 tsp liquid smoke
Juice of ½ a lime
3 cloves garlic, pressed or finely chopped
8 ounces of tomato sauce
Cooked rice

Soak the beans overnight covered by 2 inches of water. Drain, rinse and pick out any stones, stems or rotted beans.

Heat the 4 Tbsp oil in a large dutch oven. Sauté the onion, celery and green pepper over medium-high, turning occasionally with a spatula. When the pepper has lightened in color and the onions are translucent remove the vegetables from the heat and drain off the excess oil. Wipe out the dutch oven and return the vegetables to it.

Add the beans and 6 cups of cold water to the sautéed veggies. Now add the salt (2 tsp), black pepper, oregano, thyme, chipotle, chili powder, liquid smoke, lime juice and garlic. Mix well.

Bake in the oven at 325°. Put bean pot on the center rack and bake for 2 ½ hours covered, stirring every half hour or so. After 2 ½ hours, add the tomato sauce and last 1 tsp of salt. Remove the lid from the bean pot. Increase the heat to 375° and cook for 2-3 hours, until beans are tender and the cooking liquid has thickened.

( All done and ready to eat! )

Make a pile of cooked rice. Place 2/3 to 1 cup of the red beans mixture on top of the rice. Enjoy with hot sauce if you like some heat!

( Slightly out of focus. Sorry. It was good nonetheless! )

We enjoyed this hearty, but lighter than the classic, dish with a homemade Belgian White beer and the newest episode of the FX cartoon series Archer. The beer has coriander and bitter orange peel in it. Those flavors together with the creamy wheat body of the beer really worked well with the beans and rice. The pairing with Archer is a different sort of pairing all together. Off-color jokes and sexual innuendo are always good for a laugh and made for great atmosphere to enjoy dinner and a beer to on a Friday night.

Cheers!

Jason

Provencal Beef Stew

( That will get ya thinking! )

We didn’t have any beef dishes while we were in France so when I was home for a week or so and yearning for the aromas and flavors from the trip, I went searching for a good recipe. I found a whole bunch of different recipes for Provencal style beef stews and as I often do I picked different aspects from several to pull together something new.

Provencal Beef Stew over Steamed Vegetables

2 1/2 lbs of stew beef
1/3 cup flour
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
4 tsp olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 cup dry red wine (Cotes du Rhone is perfect)
3 cups low-sodium beef broth
1 pound of diced tomatoes (frozen fresh from last summer), undrained
1 Tbsp. Herbes de Provence
1 lb potatoes, cut into ¾ inch cubes
4 large carrots, sliced
2 Tbsp corn starch
2 oz water
1/2 cup niçoise olives, pitted and cut in half
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1 large zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices
1 large yellow squash, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices
12 oz green beans, cleaned and trimmed

1. Combine flour, salt and pepper. Reserve 1 tablespoon flour mixture. Lightly coat beef with remaining flour mixture.

2. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in stockpot over medium heat until hot. Brown 1/2 of beef; remove from stockpot. Repeat with remaining 2 teaspoons oil and remaining beef. Place beef in a slow cooker that had been sprayed with cooking spray. Set the slow cooker on high.

3. Add onion and garlic to stockpot; cook and stir 3 to 5 minutes or until onions are tender. Add wine; increase heat to medium-high. Cook and stir 1 to 2 minutes or until browned bits attached to stockpot are dissolved. Pour this mixture into the slow cooker. Stir in broth, tomatoes, Herbes de Provence and remaining flour mixture. Add the potatoes and carrots. Cook on high for 1 hour, reduce heat to low and cook for 6 hours.

4. Mix the corn starch into the water. Add to the stew. Add the olives and basil and mix the stew well; cook on high for another 30 minutes until the olives are heated through and the stew has thickened.

6. Steam the green beans, zucchini and yellow squash until tender.

7. Serve the stew over the steamed vegetables with crusty bread and the remainder of the wine used to make the strew.

( Fair herbs, you will soon be making me happy! )

The aromas in the house while the slow cooker did its thing were amazing. The Herbes de Provence blend you might find in the store will vary in the ingredients, including savory, rosemary, thyme, basil and lavender. I often have all of these on hand and will definitely experiment with different combinations in future Provencal dishes.

The wine I selected to use in this dish and then enjoy with it was the La Vielle Ferme Cotes du Ventoux Rouge. As I noted in my post on the wines we enjoyed while in Provence (I had this wine on the Air France plane flight over), this wine has a wonderful nose and for the value price it is a great wine to have on hand.

( The final cut! It was so good. )

When paired with the stew and crusty bread the wine performed exceptionally. The influences of the garlic, onions and herbs flavored the beef wonderfully and the wine’s combination of fruit and earth added complexity to each bite. The steamed vegetables were cooked separately so with a bit of the stew sauce they retained a good deal of own flavors, which when paired with the wine was a lighter and fresher pairing.

Cheers!

Jason

I’m Back with Crispin

In my first post reviewing Crispin Ciders from early February I shared my thoughts on two of the free samples that were sent to me take for a test drive. For this installment I offer tasting notes on three more.

First up is the Browns Lane Classic English Dry Cider which is produced entirely in England and imported into the US for distribution.

Browns Lane

Made from English bittersweet cider apples and comes in at 5.8 % ABV.
Gold color, with columns of small bubbles from the bottom of the glass.
Unripe apple aromas.
Very fine carbonation, but lots of it.
Super tart and dry.
Savory apple flavors, liked with baked ham.

I really liked this, but dry ciders are more my thing than Margot. This is the style I know from Quebec and the UK imports we can get in US. I would never tire of having this around!

For the second review we return to the Artisanal Reserve line and The Saint, a cider brewed with Belgian Trappist Yeast & organic maple syrup.

The Saint Artisanal Reserve

Pale, almost cream colored & unfiltered.
Smells like sweet cider & spices.
6.9% ABV
Tartness in the finish.
Yeasty, with spicy sweet bread flavors.
The flavor combination reminded me of the warm apple gallete w/ caramel sauce and bourbon cream glaze I had over Christmas.

This is one that I would stock at home and could have a good deal of fun with in different pairing scenarios. Dessert pairings are the first to spring to mind, but I also think a roast pork tenderloin would make for a good match as well.

The last review is of a pear flavored hard cider from the Fox Barrel line, which is the brand of a company Crispin acquired in 2010 located on the west coast.

Fox Barrel Pear Cider

Flavor reminds me of the pear wine we made in 2008.
Subtle aromas, I couldn’t pick out the fruits.
Gold color with moderate carbonation.
It had a good bite of acidity and a clean finish.

I can’t say I either enjoyed or didn’t enjoy this cider, it just was. It would be immensely refreshing on a hot day and since it presents itself quite simply, it should appeal to a wide audience.


Cheers!

Jason




Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Sam Adams Noble Pils

I saw the Sam Adams Noble Pils show up in the grocery store last month and although curious about it, I wasn’t prepared to sink the cash for a 6 or 12 pack of it. Sam Adams beers have not been bringing me as much joy as they used to. Several of the seasonal /limited release beers, the Cranberry Lambic & Chocolate Bock for two examples, have lost some of their punch as their volume and availability has increased. When I came across a bomber of the Noble Pils for $2 it made me more willing to give it a whirl.

That fact that it is brewed with all 5 of the noble hop varities, Hallertau Mittelfrueh, Tettnang Tettnanger, Spalt Spalter, Saaz, and Hersbrucker, is what caught my attention. I have no idea if I have had all of these types in other beers, but I doubt I have had them all one sip before.

The Noble Pils is a relatively new seasonal Beer for Sam Adams, having won the 2009 Beer Lovers Choice award. It is released in the late winter when New Englanders (thinking Boston is where Sam Adams is based) are more than ready for spring to set in and are turning to drinking lighter and refreshing beers.

Tasting notes

Yellow/gold in color.
Thick white head and light lacing on the glass.
Complex hop aromas of herbs and citrus.
Very light flavors of grains and ripening corn.
The hop flavors are well balanced and they don’t overpower the beer.
The acidity protracts the flavors on the finish; very refreshing.
I am not a big pilsner fan, but this is pretty tasty.

Though not creating a revival of Sam Adams for me, I would recommend this for springtime drinking. It is light, hoppy and refreshing, and when you aren’t looking for an incredibly complex beer this will satisfy your needs
Cheers!

Jason

Rosemary Cheese Straws

A few months ago Margot and I were watching an episode of Drink Up on Cooking Channel and saw a segment where one of the guest chefs made cheese straws to pair with a featured beverage. We remember the cheese straws, but can’t recall what type of beverage the show profiled in that episode. Oh well, we remember the important part!

We both agreed to tuck the idea in the back of the head for our next wine tasting. When the planning for that occasion rolled around we decided that having all the snacks be cheese themed would add a nice spin to our typical tasting food free-for-all. And, that we would make cheese straws for our contribution.

( How can you go wrong with a big pile of shredded cheese? )

“To the cloud” as the commercials go, in search of a recipe. In the first few search results popped up Cheese Straws from Smitten Kitchen. I knew of this blog through other food bloggers I read so I was sure I would use this recipe. Knowing your source to be a reliable origin for well executed recipes with great pictures always helps.

I doubled the recipe, swapped rosemary for chili flakes and used wheat flour for 1/3 of the flour. I did increase the liquid a bit based on how it came out during the work with the food processor. I used Cabot Private Stock Sharp Cheddar for the cheese. This cheese is one step down from the fresh wheel-cut sharp cheddar you can get in the farmstands all over VT where play on the weekends. I wanted a very rich, super sharp cheese to make the straws pop, and with lots of experience with the Cabot cheeses I was pretty sure it was going to work as expected!

Rosemary Cheese Straws

12 ounces grated extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
½ cup wheat flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon crushed rosemary (frozen fresh from my garden)
2-4 tablespoons heavy cream

Set the oven to 350°F.

Place everything but the cream in food processor. Pulse until coarse crumbs appear. Add the cream by the tablespoon and process until the dough forms a ball.

Flour a rolling surface and a rolling pin. Separate the dough into two pieces and form each into a ball. Roll the first dough ball into a rectangle that is about 1/8-inch thick. Use a pizza cutter to cut 1/3 in strips along the short edge of the rectangle, making as many as can be. Carefully transfer the strips to an parchment lined cookie sheet, leaving at least 1/4-inch between them. Repeat with the second dough ball.

Bake the straws on the middle oven rack for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the ends are golden brown. Remove them from the oven and allow to cool on a rack.

( Golden brown and with a super cheesy aroma! )

These didn’t last long at the tasting. I paired them with several of the wines and found they were best with the Petit Verdot and Chateau-du-Roi (Rhone blend) from my collection. They also went well with the Rodney Strong Chardonnay brought by our friend Wayne.

( And now for your close-up. )

I would definitely make these again and would vary the herb/seasoning to use them in different ways. You could definitely add more rosemary to this recipe. Flavors are subject to individual preference and the I amount I used definitely suited a range of tastes. I can't wait to try the chili flake version and can also envision using Indian spices, sage, and chipotle for other interesting variations.

Cheers!

Jason

Sights From Provence

During our short trip we went off on some type of adventure each day. We saw a lot and came home with lots of ideas for a next trip to France. Here is a photo log of the sights.

( The Sorgue river flowing from Fontaine du Vaucluse. )

( One of the many waterwheels in L'Ilses-sur-la-Sorgue. )

( Notre Dame Des Anges Cathedral. )

( Convergence of two branches of the Sorgue in L'Isles-sur-la-Sorgue. )

( Dormant apple trees and an old farmhouse on Francoise's street. )

( Le Thor Saturday market. Almonds are a local product. So tasty! )

( I wish this outdoor market was at home in February! )

( Mmmmm, cured meat! )

( Fresh seafood from about an hour away. )

( The wines were ridiculously cheap! )

( Ruins at the fortified monastery Thouzon built in the 11th century. )

( More of the Thouzon ruins. )

( Painted on the inside of the Thouzon monastery. Wow! )

( The view from the Thouzon ruins. We had 360 degrees of mountain & countryside views. )

( An almond blossom in Francoise's backyard. They are the only flower in mid-February and are everywhere. )

( Mount Ventoux. I can't wait to see this again, and maybe during the Tour de France! )

( The 14th century Papal Palace in Avignon. )

( Avignon, west from the palace esplanade. )

( Hello kitty! )

( The famous Avignon bridge. )

( And finally, the customary vacation self portrait. )



Thanks for taking a look at our exciting trip.

Jason

Making New Friends in France

I am going to finish this week with to final posts from our France trip, neither about food. I mentioned in my first post, the trip was so special because of the people. It only makes sense to introduce a few folks who haven’t shown up yet in the previous posts.

The task of bringing the spirit of Margot’s family to France so it could be shared with Eloy and his family was what brought us there, and we didn’t expect a return. But we got one. Margot and I came home from the short trip feeling like we had been destined to take it so we could expand our family circle.

Margot and I don’t have children so our family is very much of the extended variety. We never know who we are going to meet that will end up becoming our family and we have occasionally found that members of our adopted family get on better with our blood relatives than us! But the enjoyment we get from building that family more than makes up for the challenges it might present.

The second day we were there I grabbed this group shot while we were out exploring.

( Eloy, Margot, Genvieve, Francoise, Gonzalo, Siomara, Marc, Antolin, Carla, Annabella, Felix, Jose )

Gonzalo, Siomara and Antolin are Eloy’s siblings. A lively “buenos dias” from each of them was a great joy each morning. They were in France for the first time as well so we shared their awe for many of the sights (in my next and last trip post) we took in on our various adventures.

Genevieve is one of Francoie’s friends (and neighbor) and was kind enough to provide transportation for a group of us several of the days we were there. She is spunky, funny and her generosity didn’t go unrecognized.

Jose-Rueben is Jose’s (Eloy’s brother still living in Cuba) son, Carla is Jose’s girlfriend and their daughter is Anabella. We absolutely loved spending time with the 3 of them. Carla and Margot hit it off very well and Anabella made Margot her “loca muchacha” for the week. I think my stock rose higher with Jose-Rueben when I swooped in and grabbed Anabella just before she went crashing to the concrete floor after struggling with a chair. I think everyone was in shock about how fast I moved right then!

Marc & Felix hail from Montreal and for us being lovers of that city we immediately gravitated towards them. For Margot meeting Marc was also special. Marc was a student of Eloy and her uncle Gerry and also worked with Gerry on youth ministry activities when he was younger. He was able to tell stories that Margot had never heard which helped keep her uncle firmly connected with a trip he sadly couldn’t make.

Did we laugh while we were there? You bet we did. Here’s one of the reasons why.

Eloy speaks Spanish, French and good English. Francoise speaks French, some Spanish and some English. Some of Eloy’s family members only speak Spanish and a little English and the majority of Francoise’s family members speak French, but not a lot of English. And Margot and I speak English and can barely eek out a little French and Spanish.

( Marc, Yvon, Margot, Me )

Yvon is a priest in New Brunswick and a longtime friend of Margot’s uncle Gerry. Margot said he reminded him of her uncle, a comment of which Yvon was openly honored to accept. He also shared stories of Gerry, with Margot and he talking many times of adventures Gerry has been on. He extended a warm invitation to visit New Brunswick.

If it weren’t for several of Eloy’s friends from Canada we would have had a much tougher time than we did. Much thanks go out to Mark, Felix and Yvon for helping us make friends in France. Carla (Eloy’s nephew’s girlfriend) skills with Spanish, French and English were essential in making sure we got to know Eloy’s family well during our time at the house. We have a working knowledge of many French words, but don’t have conversational confidence, an impediment we plan to remedy before our return trip in 2012.

( Sylan, Eloy, Francoise, a friend of Francoie’s that we didn’t meet )

We also had the pleasure to met Sylvan, Eloy’s best man, who also lives in New Brunswick. He and Eloy have been friends for years and while we knew of him, only got to meet him how. He and his family clearly enjoyed meeting us, extending an invitation to visit and stay with them in Moncton where they live. We’ve never been to New Brunswick before and with two invitations now, we will have to plan a trip.

We also met some of Francoise’s siblings, their children and their families. We met so many more friends before, during and after the wedding. Unfortunately my camera didn’t keep up. We have warm memories of Marie-Claude, Marc, Alain, Pierre, Nicole, Danielle, Xavier (and his family) and others whose names aren’t coming back as easily as I had hoped.
Family is something magical no matter how you define it, and this trip was powerful proof of that for us.

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