Everyday Wines to Celebrate Summer of Riesling With

So why I am writing about Riesling? I know amongst hardcore wine nerds most of it doesn't have a lot of cred, and furthermore when you write about the mundane and easily available selections you find a lot of even minimally wine-educated people aren't interested.

I am writing about Riesling for a couple of reasons. First off, I like a well made Riesling so trying them is part of my journey. The most compelling impartial reason is because so many people drink Riesling when they first explore wine and some people never move that far because they like what they are drinking. I see a great opportunity in that. I count a lot of food bloggers in my audience and I know from interactions that they aren’t always wine-knowledgeable and are often just getting started. In one of Joe Roberts’, 1WineDude.com, most recent posts he presents a graphic (courtesy of VinTank) about the pyramid of wine consumers and how companies looking to really engage serious wine drinkers are picking from a much smaller group than might otherwise be thought. The same pyramid applies here when strictly applied to the tastes of the wine drinking community at large. The difference for Riesling (vs. online apps for wine & social media interaction) in my experience is you end up with more of the bottom of the pyramid in your audience. If I can share my experiences with these wines it will help people tasting them better appreciate wine and grow their palates, something we all enjoy!

Writing about both easily available (and likely large volume, average quality wines) AND smaller batch, higher quality wines is an attempt at showing the broad picture when my experiences are taken together. There is a lot of Riesling out there, some is passable, some is worthy of frequent drinking and the very best are worth a quiet sip and savor. That’s the forest. The trees will be the details when each of the wines and styles is approached, tasted, paired and reviewed.

Last night I lined up three Rieslings that I could easily obtain at a local store, all with price points under $10 at the time I purchased them. The wines hail from Germany and Australia, two places where value Rieslings are commonly made. Germany clearly has the advantage over Australia in the higher quality, dessert and ice wine style Rieslings, as well as with history of wines made from the grape!

The first is the Dr. L 2007 Riesling. This is the entry level wine from the Loosen Brothers and plentiful at release time each year. When I bought the 2007 some time back I had several enjoyable drinkings and I left one bottle to age with some growth potential in mind.

Intense aromas of tropical & stone fruits, and dry stone minerality. Huge punch of acidity at first, with a sweetening in the middle and a tart citrus-infused finish. It is drier than at release time, but in a pleasing way and not expressly detracting from the wine. It is classically structured with a touch of age.

The second wine is the Lindeman’s Bin 75 2008 Riesling. I know I’ve had this wine before, but I expect it was more than 6 or 8 years ago and I don't have a recollection of it. I’ve enjoyed my share of Aussie Rieslings so I am looking forward to returning to one from days gone by.

Nose of fruit with chemical and alcohol aromas. Dry as expected. Acidity isn’t moderated by any sweetness and it projects an intense lemon flavor in the finish. Not balanced well enough to be hugely enjoyable.

The final wine is the Relax Riesling 2006. This bottle is everywhere! I don’t know how many times I have seen this bottle at parties and I’ve only had at friends’ houses a few times here and there. I recall it to be an easy drinker, but nothing more.

The nose here is the most outright complex, with aromas of lychee and plum and a slightly dried fruit or spiced fruit bent. Medium-dry but not quite balanced. The 2006 had made me think I might have lost track of this bottle a bit too long. It is still quite refreshing, and pucker-inducing as well!

  

I skipped back to the Dr. L when I was done for one simple reason, the wine is balanced, but is declining, and while not wowing me is the most interesting of the bunch. This is the wine I have the safest recommendation on, and the 2009 vintage is supposed to be better than 2007, so who knows how much you might like it too!

I found the initial serving temperatures of all the wines to be a bit high and chilled them down a bit and came back again.  The Dr. L perked up nicely with the drop in temperature. The fruit was more pronounced and the sweet/tart balance was better. The Lindeman’s projected a more focused nose of grapefruit and minerality but I didn’t see a bump in the taste. They nose on the Relax was also enhanced and the pucker-inducing affect was a bit subdued.

So overall my experiences were mixed here and the Dr. L is the clear everyday drinking winner from this bunch. Furthermore when purchased soon after release and in a good vintage (2009) this wine has a price/performance ratio that can’t be beat! I’ll have to find newer Lindeman’s and Relax bottles to taste and see if my experience were typical or not.

And with that Summer of Riesling rages on. Check out the events that might be going on near yet on line.

Cheers!

Jason

#WBC11, Google+ Circles & Frisbee

What do #WBC11, Google+ Circles & Frisbee have in common? Not much necessarily unless you’re me with my weird brain. But I have connected conversations about Google+ at #WBC11 with the metaphor of knowledge Frisbee to Frisbee tossing.

As I was re-reading my recap of the Drink Local Forum at #WBC11 I started thinking about the networks I was creating in different areas that each have their own drink local favorites. The initial Frisbee metaphor came from thinking about seeing these connections just being tossed around at the conference like a ball as local-interested folks connected with people who knew about their local area. Social media was clearly front and center at the conference, as a tool, a conversation topic and an important component of what we as a group might do next.

I am not a big fan of Google+ yet, but that is because I haven’t given it enough attention. It hasn’t been rising high on my priority list on daily basis so you will find no singular “die without my Google+” bent here. What did strike me as I thought of all of the overlapping circles, is that because the connections are organic there is an action and an intent there that could be richly described with an action metaphor. The circle is an important symbol in many cultures and it fits very well here.

The identity disc concept from the Tron movies came to mind. Our little one person circle (disc) contains the connections of all those other circles, their actors, the stories and the resulting new connections. We can share our circles by tossing our virtual Google+ Frisbee.

I’ve been home from #WBC11 for almost two weeks now and I am playing a bit of Ultimate Tron Disc War Frisbee with a few bloggers both locally and in other regions looking to promote their local food and drink. From the exchanges I already know that upcoming local events will be venues for meetups and travel plans are being bolstered by well heeled recommendations. As I build up these networks being able to toss them to interested friends and create new connections is a pretty powerful metaphor.

Back to Google+. Circles has it on imagery and a cool name. Circles and the Frisbee like sharing of them applies to topics of all types, and the networks people create are going to cross many, many boundaries. People are the ones who will make it work, connecting and socializing in that beautifully random and interesting way that we do. Now I just need to free up some time to use it…

Cheers!

Jason

Church & Main – Burlington, VT

Trips back and forth to Montreal take us through the heart of Vermont, along the western border with New York and through Burlington before and after a short stretch to the Canadian Border.

We’ve taken to stopping in Burlington whether it be for gas, a place to sit for a while, or a meal; and Burlington seems to be one of those places to just be. This time as we drove down Main street we got a good glance up Church street and realized we had some new places to check out.

We picked Church and Main based on Margot’s recollections of it being featured on a New England focused restaurant show on one or another of the food channels. As we found a place to park I quickly looked up the establishment and menu. I was left with a sense of joy at finding what looked to be such an interesting place so easily. The menu is as locally focused as it can be, including a house IPA made by Rock Art, one of the preeminent craft brewers in Vermont. Their imbibing menu trends more toward wine and spirits, but if you are looking for beer in Burlington, don’t worry you’ll find it.

Margot ordered the Point Judith Calamari and I snagged the pizza which was newly changed to pesto, goat cheese, grilled corn and shrimp on their grilled pizza crust. You got it!

I also ordered the house IPA, which I was 120% happy with. The aromas were pungent and clean and the smooth texture of the beer was out of sight. The pairing with the pizza was one of the better pairings I have had in a long time. The herbs in the pesto and the hops in the beer were made into a creamy herb soup with the goat cheese. It really was pretty amazing. Margot’s calamari were very tasty, it was seasoned with a spicy and sweet chili sauce that had just the right balance of heat to sweet.

We sat outside and enjoyed our meal. The constant traffic and construction sounds make me sure that Burlington is lot different than it used to be, but for a simple traveler it offered a relaxing place to grab a bite and a beer before pushing on. That’s counts for something.

Cheers!

Jason

New Beers From Montreal

I found myself in Montreal unexpectedly Monday and Tuesday this week. Margot’s uncle Gerry lives in the city making the destination a strong family tie for us. We visit him there at least one or twice per year and despite his failing health (the reason for our spontaneous trip any my shortage of posts and tweets) and its eventual change in our purpose for going to Montreal, we know and love the city and will always want to go back.

We’ve adopted a simple ritual when in Montreal, find new beers. Quebec has its own generation of craft and small batch brewers with a wide range of styles to choose from, and several you can visit in the city. We sampled from the beer selection at the IGA this time, and while we found some interesting beers, the lack of any choices from Dieu du Ciel (a favorite of ours) was disturbing. We’ve gotten them at the market in several other places in the city so location may have played a part.

The slam dunk choice for us was the Noire (oatmeal stout) from St. Ambroise label, produced by a Montreal-based brewery. We discovered their beers on our Montreal Beer Adventure in April so I was happy to see it available to try again. We are going to visit the brewery on an upcoming trip. We’ve had a local confirm their patio overlooking the river is the place to taste some beers! I also saw an Apricot Wheat from the same brewery, and despite not being a huge fan of fruit beers I gambled on it, finding it to be one of the better fruit beers I have ever had. The 3 label mixed pack from Les Brasseurs RJ, a company we tasted new beers from on our last trip as well, offered a white ale, spiced Belgian ale and a spiced buckwheat ale. Interesting and intriguing and the only one with a high alcohol brew in it, so I took it! We bought 3 six packs total assuming at least one bottle of each of the 5 styles would make it home for a second tasting.

I started with the Apricot Wheat. The aromas were solidly fruit and grain driven and well pronounced. After my first sip I immediately was drawn to the length of the apricot flavor and that is doesn’t taste incredible manufactured. The wheat beer is slightly creamy with just the right amount of carbonation. The aromas and flavors don’t fade and the refreshing character of the beer stuck with me to the end of the bottle. I definitely see this is a fine summer beer and one I hope folks get to try when in the area.

The next one I tried was the Cheval Blanc. I really dig hugely aromatic Belgian white ale style beers. The spices, yeast and fermentation aromas are magical to me and make drinking the beers exciting. This beer had a good sized nose on it and delivered in taste very well too. It is a light and cloudy beer true to style. It has a lighter finish than most thought, one that doesn’t last which to me means it isn’t designed to be a dethroner of the more finely crafted versions of this beer.

We headed out to get so dinner at this point. We hadn’t been out to Rueben’s to get smoked meat sandwiches in several visits. This isn’t the absolute best and only place to get smoked meat in the city, but is close the hotel, serves well prepared meals and has great service. We split a sandwich with poutine as a side dish. We also ordered some cereal battered chicken fingers that came with fries and Dijonaise. How freakin’ Canadian is that? Everything was good, despite the heavy emotions surrounding our visit. I didn’t take any photos where I was there so you will just have to imagine the table of food!

Back at the hotel we clicked around on Montreal hotel television looking for something hugely funny (in French) or something relatively mundane and in English, but would likewise make us laugh. Some of our fondest memories of stays in Montreal, outside of visiting with Gerry and his friend Eloy in the city, are of watching Bat Thumb, Fraken Thumb and other hilarious stuff on late night Much Music TV in the early 2000’s.

Next Margot and I split a Noire from St. Ambroise. The beer just smells legit. The malty aromas lift off the surface of the beer. The flavor is bold but not obnoxious with a creamy texture that makes me think that this is what good Guinness used to taste like! Most of these came home with us and we will absolutely be buying a whole case of this on our very next trip.

The next one I tried was the Coup de grisou, a coriander infused buckwheat beer. I didn’t find it to be terribly inspiring, although it was refreshing and does have some merit as a lighter beer with full-character though.

The final taste was the d’Achouffe from RJ. This is a Belgian golden ale infused with spices. I’ve had several of these before and I especially like this when it comes in strong form with significant spices and fermentation aromas in the nose. I actually plan to make something of that ilk in my next round of beermaking in about a month. This beer clocks in at 8%, the only strong one of this tasting for me, and is pretty well nuanced. The aromas and flavors are there, but it felt a bit unpolished, almost rustic. Not having a lot of experience with the style I couldn’t say if this is a good thing or not. I’d definitely drink it again for what that is worth.

Being a commando trip there wasn’t anything more of note from the city. We did enjoy walking around a bit in between family visits, but taking time off on short notice had us tied to the hotel and our PCs helping to keep things moving back the office.

Cheers!

Jason

A roundup of past Montreal beer posts:

Montreal Beer Drinker Update - May 2009
Montreal Pub Tour - April 2010
Montreal Food & Drink - April 2010
Montreal Beer Adventure - May 2011

Summer of Riesling Summer Party

Margot and I generally host at least one open invitation summer party each year, sometimes more if we've got the time. We try to plan different parties each year, switching up activities or picking a theme for the food. This year we organized a blind tasting of four different regional wines for a Summer of Riesling (#summerofriesling on Twitter) event with our guests.

We kicked off the party with some local and homemade wines, a Sauvignon Blanc from Candia Vineyards and our own 2009 Strawberry wine. The strawberry from 2009 is widely regarded as our best. The 2010 isn’t much different, but different enough for it to get a second place amongst friends. The Candia Sauvignon Blanc is light & fruity in the nose and in the mouth with a slightly sulfury finish.  I bought this bottle after a tasting last year and I am not disappointed as I am so much wondering what the cause of the off finish was. I’ll be reaching out the winemaker to inquire.

I next brought out my underwhelming 2010 Sauvignon Blanc. It has too much bell pepper and has an acid imbalance. It is drinkable, but not excitingly so. Blending was suggested, and as a component of our 2010 White Blend where is does better, but not by a lot.

Last week I introduced and kicked off the Ancient Fire Summer of Riesling events with a food and wine pairing. Check out Summer of Riesling online and at local wine & food shops near you. This installment is going to be blind wine tasting of four regional (US) Rieslings.

Margot and Missi bagged up the four bottles of Riesling. I knew the states and labels, but in fairness I had never had the selection from Koenig in Idaho, only had the Ferrente from OH once last week and the NH wine from LaBelle over a year ago at a tasting. The Six Mile Creek (NY) Riesling was from a recent shipment and was something I expected I might recognize. The Salmon Creek Dry Riesling (also NY) was used as a control wine and to dispel the sweet Riesling myth. While some of the wines being tasted blind would be sweeter, others would be similar in dryness to the Salmon Creek.

Everyone got to tasting in any order they wanted. I was taking some notes as I usually do, mostly to classify the attributes of the wine in hopes they might speak to me about which ones were from where. There wasn’t a clear advantage even with my knowledge, but in the end I did guess all four correctly having written it down before the unveiling of each. I don’t take that outcome to be a sign of much. Not being intensely familiar with any of the states’ wines, except NH to a degree, I had no real context. So what I would say is that I was able to nail the NY wine and then got real lucky with the other 3!

I went in numeric order like a good little engineer. I found the Koenig to have a great nose of sweet apple and pear, but the tartness on the palate and in the finish seemed a bit disconnected. Nobody outright said they would never drink it, but there were some quizzical looks about the relationship of first impression in the nose to the very different taste.

Number two was the Ferrante from Ohio. Tammy Colson, one of my new WBC friends, passed this bottle on to me last week as we were heading home. I enjoyed it during the Other 46 tasting and knew I could give Ohio exposure with my friends back home with it. The minerality was the big note for me when I tasted it. It is medium-dry with aromas of peach and pear. I also picked up hints of citrus on the finish. I didn’t immediately attempt to guess the states until I tasted all 4, but even then I was guessing and not confident I had much to work with!

When I got to the third wine, the Six Mile Creek, I pronounced a classically German Riesling character and a well made sweeter style wine. In my head New York was my hands down guaranteed correct answer. There was a good deal of fruit in the nose and an oily aroma/textural element on the palate.

The LaBelle Riesling from New Hampshire was the fourth wine. I believe we have only had this wine at tastings and the last one was a year ago. I got a good deal of melon from this medium-dry wine that has a tart clean finish. It was pleasing, quite drinkable, but not at all forward. It seemed average. I didn’t think it would catch of lot of attention with the group and indeed it did not.

I read off my state choices and other folks weighed in with their ideas as well. Some well reasoned ideas were put forth while others hung back to see what occurred. As we unveiled the order of Idaho, Ohio, New York and New Hampshire emerged. As each one was unveiled I was checking my notes and sure I had gotten then right after the second one. While the mere fact I knew the states involved gave me some constraints, in the end the only one that really distinguished itself was the Six Mile Creek selection.

( red them in order right to left, sorry )

As we cleaned up and shifted gears I brought out a bottle of my own 2010 South African Chenin Blanc and the first taste of our 2011 Orange Vanilla Mead. The Chenin is a light drinking wine, but isn't developing much of any character. Mixing the recently strained mead with a little simple syrup allowed me to test the desired sweetness level on a pretty diverse group. I have three gallons to bottle and I hadn’t yet worked up the proportions. I took a couple folks down to see the wine in the cellar and broke out a bottle of cider. Swigs all around and discussions of what needed to be grilled enused.

Dinner which was served with four different homemade beers, a bottle of 2008 homemade Amarone and a good deal of laughs. Margot's first Stout (being poured in the picture to the right) this year is one of our best beers ever and the Orange Wit is much improved over last year. I love the citrus and herb flavors from the hopped pale ale I made, but it surely is an acquired taste. The brown ale is good, but not super exciting.

The 2008 Amaraone is one of my very best wines as well. The juice came to me in pristine condition and every worked right through to the aging of it! It tasted so good with the burger, I was very disappointed when both were gone! The wine has developed a good deal of flavor concentration and the manageable oak has left it fresh.

My simple beef burger seasoned with Montreal Steak Seasoning was a huge hit. I had prepared a gourmet style burger idea for folks to try. I added sharp cheddar cheese, sautéed onions and “Sassy Mo'Lassy” BBQ sauce from “Burnin' Love Sauces” that I got at the Dewey Square Farm Market in Boston. I’ve got to say that the amount of flavor in the burgers was much bigger than most I have made in the past. I saw a lot of smiles. The Italian-style chicken sausages from Sams got a lot of attention as well.

After diner we set out the desserts and I poured from the first bottle of the 2011Limoncello. I got the balance better this year and the kick the stuff offers gave a few people a nice ride! It was ice cold and very refreshing after the gluttony that preceded it.

By the time the day was done we had celebrated the Summer of Riesling with four different selections, tasted some local wines and drank several styles of homemade wines, beers, cider, limoncello and mead. Not bad!

How was your last summer party? I only ask because I know most of you weren't here...

Cheers!

Jason

Second Annual New Hampshire Wine Festival

( Vines at Flag Hill in June 2010 )

On August 6^th the New Hampshire Winery Association, its members and hundreds of state residents and tourists will meet up at the Rochester Fairgrounds in Rochester, NH for the Second Annual New Hampshire Wine Festival. Information about the event can be found at the New Hampshire Winery Association web site and at Zorvino Vineyards, where you can also buy tickets.

Margot and I covered the first edition of the festival last year, check out the pics and notes in NH Live Free and Wine Festival 2010.

We picked some favorites after tasting wines both old and new. Since first getting to know the NH wines about 10 years ago we have seen a lot of changes. The growth in the number of wineries (now 23+) and how many wines they produce has been considerable for our small state. The quality has bounced around quite a bit with all producers having their high and low spots. We have had some issues with sediment in white wines, re-fermentation, utter lack of concentration and fake tasting fruit flavors, all of which has resulted in some dumped bottles.

I remember a presentation at one of the winery association (we were members for a time) dinners where some history of wine in the state was discussed. I haven’t seen this in print anywhere so I can’t be sure I have the info straight. What I recall was that NH has a grape growing history going back into the first half of the 20th century and winemaking roots starting in the 1970’s. The original generation of businesses crashed, being renewed with Peter Oldak & Jewell Town Vineyards in the 1980’s. My new friend Lorie of Wining Ways just wrote a piece for Palate Press about New Hampshire, Granite Wine, picking up the story from where I just left off. We’ve grown a lot since then!

This year with 17 wineries in attendance, over 100 wines, a larger space and additional tasting tickets available I will surely be ratcheting up my tasting game.

( The line last year! )

I like the wines from New England as a reflection of how I grew up. I lived in no-longer-even-remotely-rural Enfield, CT with lots of farms, local produce and DIY family members. I learned to cook, clean, appreciate the great outdoors and have fun. It doesn’t matter what season you are in, the wines made from local fruits, climate hardy grapes and other, even offbeat, items can cover all the occasions; but probably only if you grew up like me. So the festival is a great opportunity for me to catch up on another year’s offerings, some of which I haven’t conveniently found yet.

So what I am looking forward to?

• Marecha Foch, Noiret, Diamond and LaCrescent from Candia Vineyards. These are my favorite regional grapes.
• Ciders from Farnum Hill. The Kingston Black would be nice.
• Foch, Vignoles and Cayuga from Flag Hill. They are easy drinking AND local.
• Anything from Jewell Towne, and certainly anything new. They are consistent and very well made.
• The meads from Moonlight. This stuff comes in all styles and is always a treat to try!
• Gewurztraminer, Seyval and whole pantload of new stuff from LaBelle!
• Blueberry and anything new from Sweet Baby Vineyards.
• The upstate cold weather hardy wines of Stone Gate Vineyards.
• What’s new from Fulchino. I don’t know them well so we’ll see with some tasting.
• New wineries like Appolo, Hermit Woods and Sap House potentially participating.

See you at the festival!

Jason

Life’s Too Short Not To Be Badass!

“Life’s too short to drink bad wine” is bantered about by many wine lovers who quest to only drink the very best wines. Well, to do that you have to drink a lot of wine, and the math major in me thinks that means you will run into lots of lesser wines that just don’t please ya. But are all of the latter wines bad?

Show me a definition of bad that is universally recognized and I’ll yield. Until then I have to go with making the distinction between flawed (and therefore bad in an objective sense) and not for me (not flawed, but not my style) when I think about wine. Furthermore not everyone is as adept as others at picking up flaws, so that means how people regard a wine is going to vary and a sense of “rightness” becomes elitist. I’ll say this much, if you are lucky enough to drink only “great wine” good for you. Secondly bring your ass and your great wine over to my house more often!

Post -#WBC11 there has been a fair amount of buzz about conference logistics, participant antics and the quality (for some people an apparent lack of) of the Virginia wines available for tasting. Hardy Wallace threw the gauntlet down today with his inspired post, Catfish? Wine Bloggers Conference. His post essentially suggests that because there wasn’t enough critically negative comments about the wines that the lot of conference attendees could be accused of being bottom feeding catfish just looking for free booze. Okay, he has a right to his opinion. And he's asking a question. That's fair game. Since I am comfortable with the diverse goals and voices of the attendees, had critical comments to share, and had some shared with me, I fundamentally disagree however. Even with the meta-message, that we can’t be fair if we aren’t being critical in both directions, being held up I still say it doesn’t fit here. But that isn’t point. We may never agree.

  

But that isn't the only answer. Sometimes in life (and what I am about to say next is a crude male convention, but the metaphor does apply to the critics job) you have to whip out your balls and put them on the table and see how you measure up. I’ve only got the one, but don’t pity me because I have more mojo in the one than most guys will ever have; so I am not afraid. I do want to thank Hardy, the inspiration is welcome and it now makes the most sense for me to act instead of talk here.Part of making great things happen is how great you are doing it. 

I’ll make my point most poignantly by taking a look at my homemade wines I shared at the conference. I brought a 2010 Strawberry, 2009 Hard Cider and a 2010 Dandelion to share with whomever was up for a taste. In the end I didn’t have to worry because the bottles didn’t stay full for long. But that is the rainbow or the unicorn in the story.

These were not my best wines, well maybe the strawberry is one of my best, but I brought them because they reflected my home state and a great DIY ethic, something I am a big proponent of. All three are award winning (and golds too for all you haters!) so I had some confidence to back me up.

The strawberry is off-dry and presents a nose and mouthful of strawberries. It is what is says it is. And everyone agreed on that. I think the acid sugar balance was off in 2010 from 2009. I have already factored that into my 2011 batch that was already resting when I was in VA. Of the tasters I shared it with only a few folks didn’t want to take a second sip, whereas most people gave it a fair taste , only dumping so they could move on with agility. The overwhelming feedback was that it was a well made wine with big aromas and flavors. A good warm weather drinker. Totally fair, it is fruit wine after all. I wasn’t hoping to topple any great wine empires with it.

I popped open the cider during Saturday dinner. The wines on the table (which were slow to come) weren’t doing it for any of us and I thought the change of pace would be nice. My cider is still (no bubbles) and with a few ticks of residual sugar comes across and only slightly sweet. Again, comments about the big aromas. I announced it on Twitter and had people coming running. I used a blend of sweet and tart apples and a variety of yeasts in 2009. This one was made from a sweet mead yeast which left the residual sugar around naturally. I make a dry style that is much more like English ciders, but I find most of my friends don’t like it so I don’t make as much of it. Cider is a fascination to many (sadly) and I think many of the tasters were primarily hoping to try something different and from another place. I’m happy to oblige! I got lots of positive comments and nothing outright negative. And I asked. I handed the partially empty bottle to another table on the way out. I heard it was empty before I was out the front door!

Now for my thoughts the dandelion. This wine was an experiment and a shout out to my great great uncles & grandfathers who made this shit in their basements just because they could. It is a funky wine with aromas of herbs, grass and flowers. The citrus and sugar needed to make the post-fermentation gasoline drinkable resulted in a nice and pleasant, although offbeat, wine a great refresher when well chilled. This wine is the one many more people opted not to take the second sip of and you know what, good for them! It isn’t for everyone, but the shear fact I was able to give them their first taste of dandelion wine and they didn’t spit it out in my face was pretty cool. I wasn’t looking for worship here, and the honest feedback I did get will help me in my future wine-making.

What did I think about the Virginia wine? I found much of it to be undistinguished, with many of the reds coming off like wines from lesser Bordeaux or bulk wines from the Rhone. Some aromas, some flavors with manageable acidity and tannins, but in general not setting off any fireworks for me. For the whites the intense focus on Viognier was an interesting ride, one I wrote a little about while I was still there. After stepping off the Viognier train I was left with a sense that grape and what it can do is still be very much explored in Virginia.

In that Virginia Viognier post I left off with a question as to which of the styles, oaked or un-oaked, was the likely style for which people should expect from the state as its official grape and wine. I prefer the latter style because I like the fresh fruit and pungent floral aromas not to be dried and toasted. So I wondered why the oaked style was so prevalent in the state. The answer is that producers have been making this choice differently from one year to the next based on vineyard conditions and/or a desire to try different things to learn and grow. Some make it, but aren’t set on it, while others believe it to be the expression they want to put forth. Alright, so now to name names.

Of all the Viogniers I tasted these are the ones I was most excited about:

Delaplane Cellars 2010 Maggie’s Vineyard – This was my favorite of the pre-conference virtual tasting. The dried fruit flavors, touch of sugar and the long finish really worked for me.

Jefferson Vineyards 2010 – this was one of the last Viognier’s I tasted on Friday. I realize it is only 75% Viognier, but it is fresh, aromatic with a good deal of fruit on the palate. It was very clean finishing. I’ll be shipping some of this soon.

And more whites I would definitely recommend

Barboursville Vermentino – this was a stand-out refresher at Mount Vernon. Big nose with a crisp, dry finish.

Gabriele Rausse Chardonnay – this is a great drinking wine and one that did some of its best work in the heat!

Ciders from

Albemarle Cider Works 

and

Foggy Ridge Cider 

I wasn’t surprised the cider was refreshing, it’s how I drink the homemade stuff at home! Hats off to both places for using some great apples to make a sparkling product that can be enjoyed by so many people!

Cooper 2010 - had the best balance of oak to stainless.

And a few whites that I felt were under-performers and need to have their game upped in future years

Breaux Vineyards Viognier 2010 – This was served at dinner. Served a little warm and the oak was way too big.

Ducard Signature Viognier – I found heat from the nose through the finish. The lack of balance that created didn’t help me give the nose much time.

Veritas Viognier – Also a dinner paired wine. Light aromas, acid out of balance.

I’ve been pulling together my ideas about the red wines from Virginia. My premise after tasting a bunch of them is that a focus on the blends will be their key to success. Why do I say this? Because most of the Bordeaux varietals on their own were boring and lacking in distinction. I found many of them to be one dimensional and where some of them had good character, I think they should be matched with worthy peers to great more dimension in a blend. There are examples of that, and I think more would be a good thing. The least interesting wines, those with very subtle aromas and flavors, might not good candidates for rescue, what can I say?

Which ones grabbed me or gave me ideas?

Barboursville Octagon – I had this at least 3 times and in vintages 2002 and 2006 (that I found from my notes, but thinking one more). The nose on the 2006 was what got me. The richness of the 2002 in comparison was one of my motivations to think blends was a key story. It is Merlot driven but still not fooling around.

Tarara TerraNoVA – I had this from a magnum twice, and didn’t get the year either time. I like a rich red wine and the Tannat in this is going to create port like characteristics. Bring it on! I enjoyed it both times. I’m buying some!

Barren Ridge 2008 Meritage – This Merlot driven blend from 2008 was tasty, but light in the nose. It needs some time.

Jefferson 2008 Meritage – I thought the Jefferson from 2008 was nuanced with spice and some good sized tannins, though it still tasted young.

Tarrara CasaNoVA 2008 – This is the wine that I speed tasted my first thought about the trend of the blends being the best in show for me. Lovely ideas!

Which reds were worthy on their own?

Ducard Cab Franc Reserve 2009 – I think this wine had a good balance of mint, cherry and a solid structure; but it could use some time.

Blenheim Cabernet 2009 – I found a little density in this young wine and can’t wait to try some as it ages.

Which ones would I blend with?

Afton Mountain Cabernet – I didn’t find a lot of depth here, but a varietal correctness is not a question. Could help with mellowing something bigger.

Sweely Merlot 2007 – this was solid but not potent. A great blender for a Meritage.

Which ones might not have a lot of life left?

Sweely Cabernet Franc 2007 – it was very mellow with any concentration. Might be too light to help blend anything that wasn’t huge to start.

Michael Shaps 2007 Meritage – I almost didn’t take of sip of this wine after a few comments at the table. It was very unbalanced and aggressive.

Ingleside Vineyards 2006 Petit Verdot – This varietal wine came across as very light from start to finish. With the steak at dinner it didn’t really do anything either.

So what are the above named producers supposed to think about how their wines fared in my criticism? I hope they understand the respect I have for them in their pursuits, because making wine isn’t easy, and making good wine is even harder than that. Trust me, I’ve been at it for 8 years and made some sucky wine. But, I am most hopeful that they will see that I am sharing what I perceived and what my experience tells me about where the wines could go. If they are open to feedback and willing to keep striving to make better wine each year, who knows how much the feedback could help?

I’ve read post-conference reviews of many wines I didn’t try while I was there so if something great exists that is made similarly to something I am not hot on, I may well not know it. I aim to be educated so leave a comment telling me what I should know. Who knows I might even order some just to check it out. I’ll put my money where my mouth is.

So for all you catfish out there a roll call is been ordered. I showed you mine, you gonna whip out yours?

Cheers!

Jason

Kicking Off Summer of Riesling

I heard about the Summer of Riesling (#summerofriesling) after last’s year’s edition. The buzz about it being bigger from the prior year and with more wines from different regions peaked my interest.

This year I knew that I could write a number of posts about Riesling that included our friends, reviews, food pairings, stories and promotional events. Earlier in the summer I was busy with the Relay For Life (raised $10K again!) and the pre-conference networking for #WBC11. I had been accumulating bottles slowly the whole time and still have a few, primarily New England producers, to purchase. I have no idea what I am going to do when I feature Riesling for the rest of the summer, I am just going to get inspired to create something interesting each time.

To get things rolling I offer a dinner pairing of a Grilled Salmon (recipe below) and the Salmon Run Finger Lakes, NY 2010 Riesling. There are two things about this wine that prompted me to include it, first it is dry and I wanted to start with a wine that demonstrates the falsity of the sweet Riesling myth. Secondly, I had this wine with a particularly good meal at the Granite Restaurant in Concord, NH a few years back. The dinner was an anniversary celebration for my wife and I, and one not long after my cancer treatment, so one we enjoyed with a newfound appreciation of what we had for sure. I wouldn’t have considered the wine as closely then and I was curious what I would think now.

Salmon Run 2010 Riesling

Aromas of pear and melon. Flavors of pear and green apple. The acidity is intense and the resulting steely sensation is a great attribute. The finish is pretty long with citrus pulling up the caboose. The wine is currently on sale at the NH Liquor store for $11.99.

The pairing of the salmon and the dry Riesling was a really great call. I’ve used sweeter Rieslings for spicier grilled salmon, but here the dry wine saw its fruit extended by the fish, with the creamy texture of the fish melding with the acid in the wine perfectly. I’d serve this again for sure!

The rest of my list is as eclectic as it is a workable survey of widely available and affordable wines. The regional wines are more common at their local level, but some do sell beyond.

• Kendal-Jackson Vintners Reserve 2009
• Loosen Brothers Dr. L Qba 2007
• Inniskillin Riesling Ice Wine
• Ferrante Winery 2010
• Relax 2006
• LaBelle Winery 2009
• Koening Winery 2008
• Trimbach 2007
• Pacific Rim 2007 Vin de Glaciere
• Allenhofen 2007
• Chateau Ste. Michelle Dry 2009

I still have to buy these

• Australia – looking for something dry
• Vermont – already looking for suggestions
• Massachusetts - Westport Rivers
• Connecticut – Sharpe Hill
• Rhode Island – Newport Winery
• Maine – I am going to be in Maine in a few weeks and will pick one up

So with that lineup I have all of the New England states covered, with the states of California, Idaho, Ohio and Washington represented as well. For countries we have Australia, Canada (QC), France (1), Germany (3) and of course the United States. That is a pretty adventuresome list with vintages form 2006 to 2010, and from dry to sweet and dessert styles.

So a couple times a week now Riesling is going to make an appearance. Are you enjoying any of the Summer of Riesling on your own? There are bars and restaurants all over with event-specific menus and wines lists with more Rieslings to pick from than usual. Check it out, you won’t be disappointed!

Cheers!

Jason

Grilled Salmon Recipe

1/3 cup soy sauce

¼ cup water

¼ cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup (minus 1 tsp) brown sugar

Dash of Chili powder

1 large salmon steak

Meyer lemon sugar

Salt

Pepper

Mix the first 5 ingredients. Salt & pepper the fish. Marinate the fish for 2 hours. Grill or broil until cooked.

What In The World Was #WBC11?

The 2011 installment of the North American Wine Bloggers Conference (#WBC11) was held in Charlottesville, Virginia this past weekend. There are so many ways to describe the experience, some I can relate to, and some I can’t. Whatever any particular person did experience the following things were at least the general expectations from the event in the lead up to it:

• A chance to sample local Virginia wines and meet the winemakers and winery owners. This was to happen both at the conference center, at Monticello and at the wineries themselves.
• Socialization with other wine bloggers, product reps, wine & technology advocates, media personalities and all manner of other wine-obsessed people.
• A schedule of sessions on a range of topics of interest to wine bloggers and the broader community they participate in.
• Keynote addresses from Jancis Robinson & Eric Asimov
• The announcement of the 2011 Wine Blog Awards

So how do I think it measured up? Pretty well I’d say. I’ve been to conferences on non-wine topics before and across the boards they all bear similarities making general comparisons and conclusions fair.

I did get to sample Virginia wines. I likely could have sampled more, but other conference attendees might suggest that I did my share and anything more might have been a risk! I did also sample wines poured by sponsors, non-Virginia participants in the speed tastings and the kind folks from Ohio, Missouri, Texas, Indiana and Maryland who brought examples of their states’ wines to share.

The Virginia wines were new to me so I can’t comment on progress made in the region over time. Having now sampled a nice cross section of them and been able tohear from some of the winemakers I certainly can saw a few things of note.

The picture to the right is of the first tasting group at our Ducard Vineyards visit. The tasting room is decorated in reclaimed wood and evokes images of the tasting rooms I am used to in NH & VT. 

I heard it several times, Virginia does not have an ideal climate for grape growing but it offers a slice of opportunity and has some more optimal regions. As a result the grape growers and winemakers are working hard to manage where they find themselves. I hope hard work continues to pay off, and I look forward to going back in time and observing how the region has grown.

For whites I tasted Viognier, Chardonnay, Vermentino, Vidal and several white blends. For reds there were plenty of Carbernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Merlot, Nebbiolo and Meritage or other style red blends.

In only a few cases did I find anything I would classify as a flaw so my overall impression was that there are lots of wineries producing well made wines in Virginia. I’ve already written an article on my observations of the two emerging styles of Virginia Viognier and I also have plans for a post specifically considering the reds and I why I think the blends are the key to future success in the state.

The the left is Scott Elliff from Ducard Vineyards talking about the challenges of grape growing in Virginia and his approach to vine management.

I had plenty of opportunity to interact with others while on the ground in VA, but there is no way it was ever going to be enough for someone who could potentially meet each and every participant as a new connection. I did as much as I could do, and the connections I did make are the highlight of my attendance and something I will be able to use to share and learn.

( Frantz Ventre, winemaker at Sweely, talking about their aging process. )

The session schedule for the conference was interesting and lighter in focused and impactful content than I am used to from the annual WineMaker Magazine conference. That said, there was enough to make something valuable of it. I will be making suggestions for next year and potentially show interest in moderating and/or presenting.

The best session for me was the one kicking around the Drink Local topic. The panel and the audience had a vibrant conversation about what it means to drink local, why it doesn’t happen as much as it could and what could be done about improving this. You can read my post session notes in Drink Local Wine. This is a conversation that needs to continue and spark action in regions all over the country. I for one am already working connections with New England bloggers I met to see if we can’t start thinking and acting more like the folks we met from Virginia!

A notable session was the Aromas of Wine with Winebow breakout. The reason it was notable for me is that is represents a concept I have yet to act on with my friends at home. Using your sense of smell to create solid sensory memories of fruits & vegetables whose aromas are typically found in wine.  We were presented with a tray with small cups of different aromatic food items and given the opportunity to profile 6 wines (blind, 3 red & 3 white) and relate them to the aromas from the food items. Sheri Sauter Morano, MW was our guide and she was both informative and engaging. I am hoping to get my hands on her presentation as motivation to recreate this at home for friends. The tray of aromas can be found in the picture below. Pretty neat!

The keynote addresses were not a huge highlight for me. I was and am more interested in being inspired by what other people like me were doing in their own wine-focused lives. I am not particularly prone to idolatry and from the amount of tweets and posts using both of the presenters names I take it that a lot of people are, and are also using the name recognition to turn eyeballs their way. I actually has to ask who Eric Asimov was. That will tell you that I obviously focus elsewhere. Both Jancis Robinson & Eric Asimov did offer some useful tips but stayed in a safe and pretty obvious space with their thoughts. Two of the themes were to be original and to do your research, and I found that neither to be harnessed well by either. Eric’s word were a better fit for the audience, but could have been even more focused with some additional research into the group and its interests. Jancis seemed to flit from one topic to another and I couldn’t quite grasp what she was getting at. Take it for what you will.

The Wine Blog Awards ended up being a bust for me (for a lot of folks based on my reading of other posts) and is something that could easily be scrapped or completely re-jiggered for some actual benefit. Nothing about the judging process, criteria or what the merits of the winners were was shared. Useless! My very focused suggestion here is that the awards should be based on actual participation in the conference (you have to come and get involved) and be judged and voted on by attendees while we are there. This would be a huge incentive for folks to network with each other and learn what was really out there for wine blogs so the hidden gems and the folks with personality and interesting thoughts might see some recognition. It could be aggressive to do, but we are some of the most technologically savvy, fast moving people in the world so suck it up and figure it out I say!

The picture to the left is the massive grape press at Sweely Estate Winery. I could do some damage with that!

When I got home I collected my action items from all the inspiration I gathered from the weekend and posted them asking for my new community to hold me to it. I want to be a better wine blogger, you are all part of it and I’ll be damned if I’m not going to make what I learned stick. Check out what wrote in Taking Action with What I Learned From #WBC11.

I’ll bring this to a close on the high note that many of use shared. We partied at night. No, seriously, we did. And many of my best conversations were over the glasses of wine that were being consumed and not dumped. Nothing like a little juice to get the juices flowing! Wine is about people and when the day was done the strongest ties amongst the people that I met were because we had no other place to be and no better wine to drink. We dug in to what was in front of us and let it take us where it would. There is no finer testament to the conference being a success than that!

( Some of the crew I mixed it up with. Hanging with locals who asked us if we were wine bloggers! )

Cheers!

Jason

Taking Action with What I Learned From #WBC11

At home I am known as a man of action and someone who works with a swiftness of purpose. Whether it is in my IT job, raising money and awareness in the fight against cancer, my winemaking & home brewing or my blogging, people tell me I work and play equally hard.

It is with this in mind (that as I fly home from #WBC11) I am already thinking about what I learned and how I will apply it to my writing and networking. The lessons are motivating. The time to act is now so I can foster maximum potential. Here’s my plan.

• I am going to get inspired. How? I am going to read more of the writing being produced by you all and this community I am part of. Why? To find and reflect on more examples of others pursuing and sharing their passions, and to be more informed on what is going on in the community.
• I am going to keep my focus on the two topic areas I am most passionate about. Those are winemaking & home brewing and food & beverage pairing. Smatterings of straight-up product reviews and wine travel posts will continue to show up as well.
• I’m going to give my blog a facelift. As my content has evolved the look of my site hasn't. Improving the look of my site will be a positive change for both myself and my readers.
• I am going to get others involved. From the connections I made this weekend several peers emerged that will make great partners through our shared passions. I am expecting guest posts and both virtual and real life events to be the likely outcomes.
• I am going to get more local. I always have been an advocate of my local wine and food scene and I am going to increase my commitment to that. At the Saturday night conference dinner I was already networking with another local blogger about how we can emulate the obvious success of the Virginia wine bloggers in our own backyard.
• I am going to continue to challenge myself to be creative and project my passions in my writing and social interactions.

And to make this all work I expect to be held accountable for these actions by you. I write for myself (screw all of you!) but I highly respect the experience and diverse opinions of the community of readers I have developed. I know that your opinions and questions will drive me to do what I say I am going to do.

Game on!

Jason

#WBC11 Red Wine Speed Tasting

Here’s some more speed tasting notes. Drink it!

Tarrara Casa Nova 2008

Cherry and raspberry aromas. Moderate tannins. Lengthy finish. This (and wines made in the similar BDX or Meritage style are making me think that blending could be the secret to great wines from up and coming US wine regions.

From the Commonwealth Collection which is a selection of the best barrels. Bordeaux style blend. Merlot, Cab Franc, Cab Sauv. Jordan started in restaurant business. Originally from Niagara region.

Barboursville Vineyard Octagon 2006

Huge aromas of cherry and red berries with some dark fruits and grape leaves. Very soft tannins. You feel the teeth chatter, but it slips away fast.

 Merlot, Cab Sauv and Cab Franc driven with some PV. First made in 1993.

Chateau Mukhrani Saperavi 2007

Deep purple color with intense nose with a black pepper and smoke. Dusty finish evocative of the warm climate wines found in Italy and Spain.

From the country of Georgia. New varietal and from a new country for me!

Boxwood Blend 2009

All Cab in the nose. Green flavors in the mouth with fine and smooth tannins. Long, slightly dry soil influence on the finish.

60% Cab Sauv, 36% Merlot, 4% PV. 100% of Estate fruit. 17 total acres, all red. Boxwood is the name of the farm which has a historical designation.

Abourious 2009

Wicked dark. Killer unique aroma. Jammy and wicked fruit forward like Zin. This shit sells itself. Has aromas and flavors with hints of hybrid grapes.

From the Russian River valley. The grape comes from France, south of Bordeaux. Not much is known about.

Sivas-Sonoma Old Vine Zin 2009

Very fruit forward with lots of red berries. Tannins are there but mostly at the very end.

This is the inaugural vintage and not yet in distribution in many locales.

Decibel Hawkes Bay Malbec 2009

A bit of funk in the nose. Very soft. This wine could take a NZ Pinot for a run with some lamb!

50 case production. Malbec is found mostly in Hawkes Bay within NZ.

Rodney Strong Alexander’s Crown Cab 2009

Deep color with a slight blue shift. Big in the nose. Tannins come in but stop short of getting wicked.

Robert Larsen is a funny guy.

Chateau Edmus 2007

Wicked funky nose. Need some brie and stinky fresh goat cheese. Tannins dry out at the end. Definitely a good example of Bordeaux.

Veritas Petit Verdot 2009

Deep purple color. Nice moderate aromas. Hints of deceptive residual sugar. Finish is not super long, but clean.

Lorinon Reserve 2006

Abundant fruit in the nose. Lots of cherry, with subtle wood notes in the mouth.

1 of 600 wines from Rioja. Pia is a cool name!

Artesa Pinot Noir 2009

Flowers and red berries in the nose. Raspberry, graphite and vanilla in the mouth. Nice subtle Pinot for Cali.

Cheers!

Jason

Getting “Viggy” With It – Thoughts on Virginia Viognier

In the lead up to #WBC11 my excitement grew for many reasons, but the opportunity to taste Viogniers made by many of the Virginia wineries was a highlight. I love Viognier and always seek out and try new ones where I find myself.

Last week I had a sneak peek opportunity to taste 6 different styles of what may soon become Virginia’s official signature grape and wine. I had a mixed experience due to what was most likely issues with the shipping of the wines, and not the wines themselves. Read a bit farther for my thoughts on second tastes of those wines.

After two days of tasting Viognier on the ground and in their home environment I feel like I am starting to see two different styles trying to play together in the sandbox. The first, and the predominant, style is an oak influenced version where some or all of the wine is fermented and/or aged in oak, with a few seeing a fraction of MLF. The second style is a 100% stainless with no MLF and the most pleasing (to me of course) selections have a tad of residual sugar to help with the appreciation of the floral aromas. I found the latter style in many fewer instances and on several occasions was told the non-oaked version was not the typical for the maker and may or may not be a annual product.

I like the latter style more, and based on past experience it seems like the one that would be more recognizable by tasters from outside the region. To me the beautiful floral aromas that can be coaxed out of Vigonier are best finished with force with a tad of sugar in the mouth. I’ve had several made in this way from California and France and have also made it is in the same way several times; netting gold medals with very high scores.

On to the most common style. The oaked versions have not disappointed me and I can’t say I found any flaws in the ones I have tried. I am warming to this style, but will clearly state that you must approach it with different expectations. The potent nose filling floral aromas are not often found, and broadly the aromatics shift to baking spices, wood and dried fruits. As I have taken my tour of Virginia Viogniers I have found a wide range in the oaked vs. un-oaked fractions and I don’t believe I can clearly say that within this class there is a clear best practice. The versions that have some roundness and a little residual sugar do in fact evoke similarities to the un-oaked style, but the flavor profile of the finish will then be a bit more like figs or sweetbread.

I hope to try a few more (of both styles) before I go home which will give me a broad cast of characters to pick from for some direct shipping and future enjoyment.

Another great outcome of my magical Viognier tour has been the chance to try the wines from Barboursville and Blenheim again after my question marks from the pre-conference tasting. Furthermore I was able to do my tastings right in front of the winemakers share my honest feedback.  In both cases the makers knew my name before I shook their hand for the first time and also hoped I would give the wines a second chance. How cool! Both wines presented me with increased aromatics and richer flavors than the first time. Nothing I noted, and I checked my blog post, from that first tasting was found the second time around.

Several times today it was mentioned that Viognier may soon become the official grape and wine of Virginia. I don’t think this can be a bad thing, but with two styles clearly vying for attention from mom & dad, which will it be? Can it be the official wine of the state without making this choice? Maybe, but that could be dangerous.

I’d love to hear from others on what they think of the Viognier binge we have all been able to go on this week.

Cheers!

Jason