Three Great Summer Sparklers

As I mentioned in the last post, I've switched my format a bit. I'm now concentrating on a few wines at a time that I have tasted over several days as opposed to tasting all five wines at once. As my first post since I've abandoned the Thursday Night Flight Night theme, I've decided to concentrate three great summer patio sippers. Since exceptional value is a concentration of this blog I chose these wines specifically as selections that will not hurt the pocketbook and more importantly not hurt your culinary pride.

For the first wine I decided to keep things somewhat the same and start out with a sparkling wine. I tasted the Mumm Napa Cuvée "M" Sparkling Wine (retail $22). While Mumm Napa is the American venture of the French Champagne house it is by no means an old world style wine. Sourcing most of their fruit from Carneros, Mumm Napa allows their fruit to ripen on the vine well past the French limitations. This allows for more luscious fruit flavors in this award winning wine. As a side note, the term Cuvée in a sparkling wine refers to the first and best juice from the press. That quality definitely shows in this great California wine offering cream, pineapple, apricot and a hint of citrus on the nose. This wine exhibited mellow upfront fruit with a long smooth peachy finish on the palate. I'd try pairing this wine with grilled jumbo prawns topped with mango-pineapple cilantro salsa and drizzled with a champagne sabynon creme. For More information on Mumm Napa please visit www.mummnapa.com.

The next summer wine selection comes from the Iberian Peninsula. The Broadbent Vinho Verde (retail $12) is simply a must-have patio wine for the summer. As Portugal's most popular white varietal this refreshing wine is what I like to refer to as a lawnmower wine or a wine to drink after a long day of yard work in 90 degree sunny weather. It's mild 9% ABV won't go straight to your head on a warm day. "Verde" meaning "Green" refers to the youth at which the wine is designed to be drank, however, in the case of Broadbent it doubles as a hint toward the subtle lime color of this lightly sparkly wine. For those of you who may have recognized the name Broadbent (Michael Broadbent) this is indeed a wine selection created by him and his son, Bartholomew. I don't suggest picking a wine by its label, but this one is sure to catch your eye. Bartholomew Broadbent's niece Alice painted the label, when she was four. The wine itself is a blend of three Portugese varietals that (50% Loureiro, 40% Trajadura and 10% Pedernã) are indigenous to the Vinho Verde region. This fantastic lightly sparkling wine offers fragrances of citrus, hay and pineapple on the nose. Clean and fresh spicy fruit lead to a tangy and effervescent crisp finish with subtle hints of mineralty in the outro in this Portuguese beauty. It is suggested that you drink Vinho Verde within a year of purchase to preserve its freshness and character. Vinho Verde makes a brilliant pairing with any fish, shellfish, or poultry. I suggest pairing it up with some pan seared sea bass in a creamy citrus sauce with poached broccoli and grilled summer squash. If you're interested in more information on Broadbent and the wines they produce please check out: www.broadbent-wines.com.

I'll end the tasting notes today with a off-dry sparkler reining in the Piedmont region of Italy. Elio Perrone 2006 "Sourgal" Moscato d' Asti DOCG (retail $16) is one of the most pleasant sparkling dessert wines I've had the pleasure of putting to my lips. While most regions of Italy produce some variety of the Moscato grape (known as Muscat in the rest of the world), none is more sought after than the the offerings from around the small town of Asti. The nose offers wonderful essences of peach, apricot, and floral notes. Full off-dry fruit leads to a subtle fresh finish with the slightest tinge of acidity to balance out this beautifully crafted Moscato. This light 5% ABV wine would pair beautifully with fresh strawberry shortcake and hand made whipped cream.

Keep an eye out for new posts as I have recently been tasting some phenomenal wines. If there are any wines that you have tasted and would like to bring to the attention of our readers please feel free to comment on any of my posts. Until next time remember to keep an open mind and an open eye.

Harpersfield Winery Taste

On the second installation of our Winemaker Wednesday series we featured the wine of Harpersfield Winery presented by the owner Patty Ribic. Chef Tim King and Pete Evanovich put out a spread of cold dishes that accompanied the wine perfectly with the Burgundy and Alsatian style wines the winery produces.

The two cold dishes offered was a lovely traditional Peruvian seafood Ceviche with scallops, shark, and whitefish; followed by a roasted vegetable gazpacho. Of course both of these were offered with handmade bread sticks, a cheese platter, and marscapone and chocolate sauce drizzled over crustini.

Before we get to the tasting notes, I'd like to mention a precursor. There was a bit of confusion on the supply of the wine we offered that day and only ended up featuring five of the six wines I promised. For those of you that showed up for this event, I am truly sorry for the confusion. I did however try to make up for it by opening a few bottles of unrelated Riesling to sample out to those who were willing to try. But enough about my downfalls and lets get on to the wine.

Harpersfield Winery is a unique winery located just outside of Geneva, Ohio. While Harpersfield has been around for decades, it only recently was bought and transformed the winemaking into into a French-based wine concept. The winery concentrates most of its 18 acre vineyard on the Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Cabernet Franc and Pinot Noir varietals giving it that extra Burgundian/Alsatian flair. The wine itself isn't excluded from the old world style offered by the wineries French farmhouse decor. For more about Harpersfield please visit: www.harpersfield.com

Our first offering from this great winery was a Alsatian favorite Gewürztraminer. Gewürztraminer is slowly gaining popularity among American Riesling drinkers. The often mispronounced (ga-VERTZ-trah-mee-ner) and greatly misunderstood varietal offers a fantastic floral nose that other white varietals can't live up to. The Harpersfield 2005 Gewürztraminer "St. Fiacre" (retail $18) is deep gold in color with heavy honeysuckle and floral perfume reminiscent of the great Gewürztraminers coming from the Alsace. This great summer varietal is lightly effervescent upfront with a long fruity semi-dry finish. The strong floral tones and lightly semi-dry finish in this wine allow it to compliment any spicy dish. I suggest pairing this with pan seared scallops and Thai fried bananas.

The next wine we featured in the taste is a must have for any Chablis drinkers. While the Harperfield 2005 Chardonnay "Fut de Chene" (retailing at $24) tends to be on the pricier side for an Ohio Chardonnay, it still exhibits great value for its quality. "Fut de Chene" loosely translates to aged in oak barrels in French. John is responsible for introducing me to the elegance of French Chardonnay. Harpersfield does a fantastic job at retaining the minerality and elegance of Chablis Chardonnay but still shows the depth that Chardonnay offers in parts of Napa Valley. This Burgundian beauty offers an earthy nose with slight suggestions of tropical fruit. Full crisp fruit leads to a nice mellow lightly buttery finish. Try pairing this beauty with lobster in a Champagne butter sauce, spinach parpadelle noodles and salmon roe caviar.

For our next selection we offered a varietal that does well in the Great Lakes climate. The Harpersfield 2004 Vin Gris de Chambourcin retails for $18 and is another great summer wine offered by the winery. Chambourcin is a French hybrid varietal that was widely popular in the 1970's. While most wineries offer this full aromatic varietal as a red selection, Harpersfield offers their Chambourcin as a rosé. This light pink wine offers strawberry, watermelon, and pear on the nose. Luscious fruit flavors lead to a long balanced finish. This was my favorite wine of the night and perfect for the patio on warm summer nights. John suggested serving this wine lightly chilled and after tasting I agree with the suggestion. Try pairing this wine with grilled tuna salad sandwiches with lemon-habanero mayonnaise and watercress.

Our first red selection for the evening was the Harpersfield 2005 Pinot Noir "Clos Mes Amis" (retail $25). Harpersfield does a fantastic job crafting cool climate Pinot Noir into an elegant wine that would stand up to many of its Burgundian counterparts. The 2001 vintage of this wine won a bronze medal in a state wine competition. Much like the "Fut de Chene" this wine exhibited a nice balance between old world and new world styles. "Clos mes Amis" offers nice cherry, cocoa, and dark fruit essences on the nose. The palate offers full fruit flavors leading to a long smooth rounded finish. Try pairing this fantastic red with crepes fruits de mer.

We ended the evening with an Ohio offering of a Bordeaux varietal. Cabernet Franc is a tough little black grape that tends to do well in the Northern cooler climates. Thanks to DNA fingerprinting it has been established that this varietal is one of the parent varietals to Cabernet Sauvignon. The Harpersfield 2005 Cabernet Franc (retail $25) is deep ruby in color and has elements of black cherry, strawberry, and spice on the nose. Full and fruity upfront leading to a nice subtle plumy finish this wine is a very elegant example of this varietal. Try pairing this wine with grilled pork burgers indochine and potato frittes.

Thanks again for your ongoing support of events like this and I look forward to seeing you at another one in the near future. All the recipes on this weeks blog were sourced from www.foodnetwork.com. Until next time remember to to keep an open mind and an open mind.

Superior Taste, April 12th 2007

As usual for this weeks Thursday Night Flight Night John and I chose a dynamic group of fine wine for everyone to try. However, unlike any other week we chose all of our wines not only from one distributor but from one portfolio. The wines this week were from Superior Distributors and more specifically from the The Australian Premium Wine Collection. For more information on this wine collection that's imported by USA Wine West, Sausalito, California go to: www.tapwc.com.au

Chef Tim King and Pete Evanovich put out a beautiful spread including an assorted cheese tray, Shiraz and garlic marinated lamb kebobs with peppers and pineapple, homemade potato and onion chips with a chive horseradish dipping sauce, and for dessert chocolate dipped strawberries, bananas, and marshmallows.

We started the taste with the Elderton 2006 "Unwooded" Chardonnay from Barossa Valley, Australia (retail $15). Elderton's South Australian vineyards date back to 1890 and have been family owned since 1979 and prides itself on taking extra measures to keep the wine making process as bio-dynamic as possible. Occupying an old Penfold's fermentation facility this award winning winery uses state-of-the-art machinery to achieve consistancy and quality in their wines. With a slightly floral nose this wine exhibits huge fruit flavors leading to a slightly spicy yet refreshing finish. It is suggested that this wine will be best appreciated within a couple of years from release. This wine is perfect for hot summer days. Try drinking this wine with pan seared scallops with a cauliflower puree, raisins, and capers with a balsamic reduction drizzle. Check out more about Elderton at:www.eldertonwines.com.au

I've never had a huge success marketing white blends at Wine Down. However everytime I can convince somebody to try one, they love them. The Rutherglen Estates 2005 "The Alliance" is no exception to this statement. This $15 blend of 70% Marsanne and 30% Viognier is quite simply an impressive white. Rutherglen (located in the north-east corner of Victoria) is another old vineyard dating back to the 1850's. It saw a huge expansion in 1997 when vineyards were added to the total acreage. Rutherglen concentrates mostly on Rhone varietals in its 360 hectares of vines with "The Alliance" being their only white offering. This pale wine has a nose of melon, citrus, cream, and slight hint of honey and mint. "The Alliance" has smooth, slightly off-dry, delicate & creamy fruit upfront with a long tart acidic finish. Try drinking this wine with romaine lettuce tossed with sauteed shrimp and topped with avacado, bacon, and a lemon vinaigrette. Find out more about the winery at:www.rutherglenestates.com.au

Gearing up for the summer we sampled a Pinot Noir for our first red of the evening. The Hill of Content 2004 Pinot Noir is from the Mornington Peninsula Victoria (retail $19) however, with a blindfold I would have guessed it to be an Oregon or Burgundian Pinot Noir. This crowd pleasing wine is an excellent example of how elegant the Pinot Noir grape can be. I think the back of the bottle explains it best, "Pinot Noir is undoubtedly one of the sexiest grape varieties on the planet earth, and this wine captures much of its magic." Exhibiting a big earthy nose with heavy floral and cherry accents this translucent bright bold fruit leads to a slightly tart yet soft finish. While this wine pairs excellently with a variety of different food I suggest dry-rubbed salmon tacos with a tomatillo-avacado slaw and a side of creamy risotto with edamame.

As much as I like Shiraz, I feel its sometimes unbalanced acidic finish ruins the essence of the grape. Thankfully some wine makers have taken to adding small amounts of Viognier (yes, the French white grape) to their Shiraz to give it a rounded and more subtle finish. Rocky Gully 2004 Shiraz/Viognier is a great example of this blend. At an affordable $15 Rocky Gully is a blend of 95% Shiraz 5% Viognier. This Aussie blend emulates a French Cotes-Rotie style that is undeniably delicious. Deep ruby in color the nose offers a peaty earthy bouquet. This bold Western Australian wine is fruit forward with slight pepper and a long mellow finish. Try pairing this wine with Asian baby back ribs with panko-crusted mushrooms.

We finished the taste with another Rhone blend. Hewiston "Miss Harry" 2004 GSM (retail $23) offered the depth and complexity we needed to finish off the night. Some of these vines in this South Australian, Barrosa Valley vineyard date back to 1853. In fact the winery boasts having the oldest Mourvedre vineyard in the world. "Miss Harry" is a blend of 44% Grenache, 43% Shiraz, and 13% Mourvedre. Winemaker Dean Hewiston recieved his Masters degree from UC Davis, California giving this classic Rhone blend a new world feel. Deep purple in color this wine has elements of black cherry, date, dark chocolate, and tar. Deep red fruit flavors lead to a long slightly tart and subtle finish. Once again the decription on the bottle is worth noting: "She's showy seductive and gorgeous. She's got style. She's from 50 and 80 year-old vines. She's All-Australian. She's Miss Harry." Pair this with herb crusted leg of lamb with a cannellini-and-green bean salad. For more information on this winery please visit: www.hewitson.com.au

I know I have fell really behind on these posts but with the summer ending (and the wedding out of the way) I have had more time to work on these posts. Please continue to check this blog for updates and I hopefully will be up to date very soon. All the recipes from this entry were taken from the April 2007 edition of Food & Wine magazine. Until then I hope to see you at Thursday Night Flight Night and remember to keep an open mind and an open eye.

Vintage Taste, April 5th 2007

John and I are getting better and better at putting together a dynamic selection to present in the Thursday Night Flight Nights. This week's wines are no exception to our success. This week we featured wines from the Vintage Wine Distributors. Not only were these wines very well accepted, but I have found a few new personal favorites in this tasting. As usual, Chef Tim King and Pete Evanovich put out an impressive spread of chocolate dipped strawberries, bananas, and marshmallows, ginger chicken fried won tons, and fresh sage mushroom and roasted zucchini lasagna with ricotta and grand provolone cheese, as well as the standard assorted cheese tray.

We started the taste this week with the Four Vines "Naked" 2005 Chardonnay retailing for $14. This Santa Barbera County wine is from a newer winery and husband/wife wine maker team in the West Coast wine game. They produce nothing but Zinfandel and Chardonnay. Their "Naked" Chardonnay is their expression for Chardonnay containing no oak and undergoing 100% stainless steel fermentation. These California stainless steel Chablis knock-offs have gained a good momentum in the wine industry over the last couple of years. This fantastic Chardonnay exhibits a nose full of pear, grapefruit, and white pepper. Mellow fruit upfront with a floral mid-palate leads to a sharp lush citric finish in this affordable must-have summer wine. Try drinking this with roasted chicken, zucchini, and ricotta cheese sandwiches on grilled focaccia bread.

From Chardonnay, the next natural progression in flavor is Viognier (pronounced Vee-Oh-Nyay). We chose to present the Castle Rock 2005 Viognier (retail $12)for our taste. Viognier is a Rhone grape varietal that had gained popularity in the late nineties. Many Chardonnay drinkers made the shift to this floral varietal that typically carries nice citric fruit flavors and long creamy finishes. Castle Rock (which I continue to call California's best kept secret) has several state of the art wine making facilities across the West Coast and pulls its fruit from several vineyards as well. The Viognier comes from the Lake County AVA in Napa Valley. John and I have yet to find a bad wine coming from Napa's smallest and least understood AVA. Lake County is perfect for Viognier featuring similar red volcanic rock & growing conditions that are comparable to that of France's Rhone Valley. This deep gold slightly greenish hue wine has heavy bubblegum and apricot scents that overpower a more ashy and lilac tone. Nice light citrus fruit tones lead to a soft & gentle spicy finish in this great value wine. Try this wine with roasted sea bass with tomato coulis and fennel salsa. For more information on Castle Rock Winery and the wines they produce check out www.castlerockwinery.com

Our first red was John's choice from Bordeaux. Château Mazeris 2003 (retail $20) comes from the desired Canon Fronsac appelation in Bordeaux. With heavy limestone and sandstone deposits in the vineyards this appellation grows primarily Merlot and Bouchet (Cabernet Franc) varietals. Château Mazeris is a blend of 75% Merlot and 25% Bouchet in this very small (5000 cases) production wine. The winery has been in the Cornouaud family since 1769 and imported by the J.P.Mouix whose name is associated with high quality wines in the appellation. This deep, ruby colored wine has tones of cherry, blackberry, cocoa, and tar. Only 30% of the wine is put in barrels and blended with the unoaked wine to create bold, dry, and rich fruit leading to a long subtle finish. As a note, the 2003 was a bit tight when we first opened it and I would strongly suggest decanting the wine for at least a half an hour before drinking. Try this wine with veal saute with merlot pan sauce and saffron couscous with fresh peas and chives. For more info on this wine check out the importers website at: Château Mazeris

Next we featured my pick of the taste, Four Vines Old Vine Cuvee 2004 Zinfindel (retail $16). As I mentioned earlier, this wine is made by a husband/wife wine making team. However, John and I had the opportunity to meet the winery's money-man, main promotional force, and zin pimp (as his card stated) Bill Grant last November. This fun winery had an array of fantastic Zinfandel's that they drew from vineyards in Paso Robles, Sonoma, Napa and Amador. The Old Vine Cuvee was no exception to the beautifully produced Zinfandel's in their lineup. Aged in small French and American oak barrels this Cuvee offers mocha, cinnamon, black cherry, chocolate, and cigar smoke in the nose. Peppy and bold balanced dark fruit flavors lead to a long silky raspberry finish. Try pairing this Zinfandel with a spicy lamb and chorizo sausage chili. For more information on Four Vines, including a list of restaurant and retailers that sell their wine, (they must not know about us) go to: www.fourvines.com

We ended the taste at the other end of the world with Meerlust 2001 Rubicon retailing for $20. Its rare that I ever rave about a wine from South Africa but this wine is definitely noteworthy. Meerlust Estate is situated 40 km from Cape Town, South Africa, on the banks of the Eerste River in the district of Stellenbosch. Meerlust has been in the Myburgh family since 1757. Hannes Myburgh honed his wine making skills working for the famed wineries Chateau Lafite in France and Von Oetinger in Germany. The Rubicon is a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, and 10% Cabernet Franc and offers a nose full of coffee, chocolate, and cherry. Huge bold fruit leads to a dry tannic velvety finish. This wine would do very well in the cellar or feel free to enjoy right now. Try this wine with pan-seared rib-eyed steak with goat cheese, caper, and tomato butter and a side of broccoli florette.Visit the Meerlust website at: www.meerlust.co.za

Thanks again for your continued support of both this blog and the Thursday Night Flight Night. After a recent trip to the Niles public library I decided to start featuring food from cookbooks I pick up. All of todays food selections were from The Flavors of Bon Appétit 2001 from the editors of Bon Appétit. If you are interested in any of the recipes, check your local library or book store for this cookbook. I look forward to seeing you all next week and remember to keep an open mind and an open eye.

Ohio Wine Taste, March 22nd 2007

This week for the Thursday Night Flight Night, John and I decided to feature wines from the Ohio Wine Distributor. Our selections jumped around the world offering selections in California, Italy, and Australia. As usual Chef Tim King put out a few small finger foods and the standard assorted cheese plate.

We began the taste with a wine I often refer to as a gateway wine. The Sartori di Verona Pinot Grigio 2005 (retail $12) is a great example of why this wine is so easy to drink and understand as a begginer wine enthusiast. Pinot Grigio is no different from the Pinot Gris grape from France and has gained its success as an easy drinker due to its low aromas and highly acidic citric flavors. While it is the same grape as Pinot Gris, Pinot Grigio achives its indistinguishable flavors by not allowing the grape to fully ripen before harvesting. This Northern Italian wine (the vineyards are around Venice) is pale yellow with a floral, apricot, and lightly lemony nose. The sharp citrus fruit flavors lead to a subtle mineral driven finish creating an overall clean fresh feel in this patio wine. I would pair this wine with a broiled whitefish topped with lemon butter and caramelized almond slivers and served with cauliflower florettes. For additional information on Sartori please visit: www.sartorinet.com

The next wine we presented was quite a treat. Ridge Coastal Chardonnay 2001 (retail $21) was one of the most elegant Chardonnays at the $20 mark I've had in quite a while. As I've written before I'm a huge Ridge fan and was extremely exited to get my hands on this hard-to-get Santa Cruz Mountains Chardonnay. Our Ohio Wine rep, Brian Fry, was a bit concerned pouring this wine fearing it may not have bottle aged to his expectations. This wine proved to be a great testament to how finely crafted Chardonnays can bottle age for many years, breaking the "drink a cheap white young" mantra. Ridge used whole cluster pressing and barrel fermentation to create depth in this deep gold Chardonnay that exhibits heavy floral and creamy vanilla with light tones of mushroom and damp straw on the nose. Its full flavored bold fruit flavors lead to a long creamy subtle finish. Pair this fantastic wine with open-faced pork and shrimp dumplings with steamed rice and drizzled with a honey soy reduction. As I mentioned earlier, this wine is hard to find. In fact the winery stopped making Chardonnay from this vineyard, so I strongly suggest if you find some of this Chardonnay (especially under $20) buy as much as you can. For news on the winery or to visit other wines produced by this fantastic winery please check out:www.ridgewine.com

Next we tried Raymond Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 (retail $28). This is a classic example of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon from a reputable wine maker. Like many other wine makers in California Roy Raymond Sr. honed his wine making skills from working for the much larger Beringer Winery until 1971. This family run winery has become one of the most trusted and consistent wineries in Napa Valley offering a wide variety of different teired wines in their collection. The Raymond Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is one of their middle range wines that offers great quality for a moderate price. This wine was deep purple in color with bright cherry, tobacco, and cocoa with a hint of smoke and cinnamon on the nose. Ripe flavors offered bold and full fruit in the mid-palate leading to a long deep spicy finish. Try drinking this wine with pan seared tri-tip sirlion steaks with chive butter and glazed carrots. For more information on Raymond or to sign up for their wine club check out:www.raymondvineyards.com

The next wine we offered at the taste is new to the Northeast Ohio market. When I was approached with this line initally the one that stood out above the rest was the Marquee Signature Series Shiraz 2004 (I reviewed the Chardonnay in an earlier flight night). While $20 can be a bit pricy for a Shiraz in a Shiraz saturated market this bold McLaren Vale wine certainly does deserve the price its asking for. This Earthy Shiraz offers bold scents of prunes and chocolate with slight elements of black licorice and coconut. Heavy and spicy fruit flavors lead to a little bit of heat in the finish of this beauty. Try this wine with braised chicken with corriander sauce over white rice with fresh vegetables. For more on Marquee please check out: www.marquee.com

John and I have neglected to offer a dessert wine in our taste for quite some time and felt we needed to address the issue. We proudly presented Wyndham Estates Old Tawny Port NV (non-vintage) from the famous Hunter Valley Southeastern Australia as a sweet finale to the flight. I think port is often overlooked because people don't fully understand what it is. Port (short for Portugal) is a wine whose fermentation is interrupted by infusing brandy into it. Some of the wine is bottled right away (ruby port) while the rest is transferred to oak barrels for ageing (tawny port). As the port ages more color and flavor is tranfered from the oak to the wine. Like non-vintage Champagne several differently aged ports are blended into a bottle hiding any inconsistencies that occur in a single vintage. The Wyndham Estates Old Tawny Port was aged in small oak casks for up to five years. Wyndham Estates has been crowned the oldest surviving winery in Australia dating back 170 years. Cloudy and copper in color this tawny port offers a nose of caramel, banana, and cashew. Balenced and sweet with a nice woody finish this port would pair perfectly with chocolate brownies or chocolate covered pretzels.

I'd like to end this review with a note on a new promotion at the Wine Down. As I mentioned earlier John and I feel as though Port has missed out in our promotions. With that in mind we now offer a port board that will allow anyone to try three ports, two artisan cheeses, chocolate, and nuts for $25. This is available all the time at the Wine Down. See you soon and remember to keep an open mind and an open mind.

Hammer Taste, March 15th 2007

This week at Thursday Night Flight Night we featured the wines of the Hammer Company. Hammer is one of the larger distribution companies in the country and represents a very nice selection of different high quality wines. We had a phenomonal turnout for this taste and Chef Tim King put out a cheese platter and deep fried calamari tossed in chorizo sausage, hot peppers, and a spicy sauce.

We started this taste with a bubbly from Domaine Chandon. This California sparkler is one among a few of the entry level sparkling wines offered by the sister company to Moët & Chandon. Domain Chandon boasts not only being the first French owned attempt to sparkling wine in the U.S. but has gone though great strides to promote sparkling white as an everyday table wine instead of a dessert or special occasion option. Their restaurant offers wine pairings for all their menu items. The Chandon Rose NV (retail $20) is composed of Pinot Noir from their Carneros vineyard. This light pink bubbly contains strong strawberry tones with a hint of citrus and honey. The light and refreshing sparkler offers suggestions of ripe cranberry & apricot. Try pairing this wine with a grilled chicken cobb salad with warm goat cheese, beets, and candied walnuts drizzled with a lemon peppercorn vinaigrette. For more information on Domaine Chandon or their restaurant check out their website at: www.chandon.com.

We followed our sparkling selection with a wine from the upper Northwest. Snoqualmi "Naked" Reisling 2005 (retail $18) is produced in Columbia Valley, Washington. This 100% organic "au naturel" wine is a classic example of what the ripe riesling grape is like straight off the vine exhibiting a deep gold complexion with heavy straw scents in the nose. The naked riesling is semi-sweet and surprisingly fruity with indications of navel and apricot leading to a long dry finish. Try pairing this wine with a buffalo mozzarella and tomato salad served with a lentil and spicy eggplant relish and fresh basil with a balsamic dressing. For more information on Snoqualmie Winery check out their website at: www.snoqualmie.com.

The next two wines we presented are a new project for the Francis Ford Coppola Winery. The Coppola Winery has purchased a new unnamed wine making facility near Alexander Valley formerly occupied by Chateau Sovrain. Much like the Coppola Diamond Collection wines, the Directors Cut Series of wine offers quality wine at an affordable price. The Coppola Directors Cut Chardonnay 2005 (retail $18) draws its fruit from the Russian River Valley renowned for its cool-climate grape varietals like Chardonnay. This wine exhibits pineapple and peach with a hint of honey in the nose. Lush grapefruit and citrus upfront flavors are followed by a long finish of oak, hay, and a hint of white pepper. Try pairing this wine with seared sea scallops with prawn ravioli, salmon roe & cauliflower puree.

Coppola makes an attempt in this new line of wines to connect his interests of film making and wine making by playing with the idea of the directors cut. As I'm sure many of you know a directors cut of a movie is the film makers most ideal presentation of his creation indicating that this wine is the most ideal presentation of his wine. Coppola also created dynamic labels that mimic zoetropes (a visual illusion that creates motion in a series of pictures). The Coppola Directors Cut Zinfindel 2005 (retail $18) pulls its fruit from Dry Creek Valley producing a sensational red Zinfindel with lots of character and poise. Almost purple in color, the nose explodes with berry and cassis offering a hint of tobbaco and tar. Deep berry tones lead to a long rounded oaky finish with a hint of black pepper on the outro. It was a pleasure to drink from start to finish. Try pairing this wine with beef tenderloin served atop creamed potatoes and covered with a caramelized shallot sauce or a hazelnut & chocolate torte with honey ice cream & a honeycomb.Although the website didn't have any information on this new aquisition check out Coppola's winery at: www.ffcwinery.com.

For our last wine I revisited the Penfolds Bin 28 Kalimna Shiraz 2003 on account of my recent facination with Shiraz and Syrah. For those of you who don't know, Penfolds is one of Australia's oldest wineries in the South Australia (along with Lindeman's). It was founded by Dr. Christopher Rawson Penfold in 1845. He had originally started his winery for a supply of wine that he prescribed to his patients. Over the years Penfold's has been a name that is associated with quality wine. His infamous Grange wine has recieved awards and sells for around the $160 range. However, the wine I was drinking is in the Bin portfolio. This is their middle-of-the-road series of wines (the big seller being the Cab/Shiraz blend Bin 389) retailing around $20. Bin 28 is named after the famous Barossa Valley Kalimna vineyard purchased by Penfolds in 1945 and from which the wine was originally sourced. Today, Bin 28 is a multi-region, multi-vineyard blend, with the Barossa Valley always well represented, providing over 45% of the fruit for this vintage. Bin 28 is 100% shiraz exhibiting a big earthy nose with berry & cassis. With a robust full-bodied mouth it's fruity and sweet in the mid-palate with a long rounded semi-dry finish. Try this wine with shrimp kebobs and long grained wild rice or an Italian antipasto salad. For more information on this winery and their products click this link: www.penfolds.com.au.

John and I have been busy coming up with new promotions at the Wine Down and would like to thank all of you who have been supportive of our efforts. Keep checking this blog for new and upcoming events and promotions. The next post will be a review of our first Winemaker Wednesdays Series featuring the winemaker Benoit Laville from Chateau Laville in Bordeaux, France. I'll see you next week and remember to keep an open eye and an open mind.

Tri-County Taste, March 8th, 2007

This week we got back to featuring a specific distributor in our Flight Night. Tonight we poured wines represented by Tri-County Distributors hosted by Micheal Scannell. Mike has a long history with the Upstairs Lounge and brought in a nice crowd for this taste. Chef Tim King put out mini mild sausage and ricotta calzones with marinara and a Seasoned rice as a side dish.

First we started with a sparkling wine from California, Piper Sonoma Brut Select Cuvée NV (retail $18). Piper Sonoma is a sister company to the Piper-Heidsieck winery based out of Reims, France. Piper Sonoma prides itself in making quality California sparkling wine in a traditional méthode champenoise style. This sparkler is a blend of Pinot Noir, Pinot Menuier, and Chardonnay. Light, almost clear in color with predominantly grapefruit, bready, and lightly creamy accents in the nose. Sharp and slightly acidic leading to a dry clean finish. Try pairing this wine with roast pheasants served with saurkraut and potato pancakes. For more information on Piper-Heidsieck check out their website at: www.piper-heidsieck.com

The second wine in the taste was Beringer Alluvium Blanc 2004 (retail $18). This wine originating from Beringers Knights Valley Vineyard is a classic example of a Napa Valley rendition of a Bordeaux blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon. Deeply floral with light oak and apple tones in the nose compliment a fruity and creamy mid-palate leading to a smooth finish of mown hay and lemon peel with a touch of white pepper. Drink this wine with a swiss chard and arugala salad drizzled with balsamic vinnaigrette and a fresh goat cheese, sundried tomato, and olive oil focaccia bread. Please check out more about Beringer at: www.beringer.com

For our third wine we tried Trinchero Vista Montone Chardonnay 2005 (retail $15).This unfiltered wine was not a crowd favorite at the Flight Night, however, I disagree with the masses on this one. I felt this light gold bold wine had the right balance of fruit and acid making it a easy match for food pairing. The nose had a nice bouquet of bright apricot, carnation, and tangerine with a hint of deisel in this 14.5% ABV beauty. This wine was light and friuty upfront with heavy citrus flavors in the mid-palate leading to a long creamy finish. Try pairing this big Chardonnay with poached salmon topped with hollendaise sauce and served with snap peas and garlic mashed potatoes. So far I have yet to be dissapointed by any of the wines produced by Trinchero which leads me to my next wine:

As I had mentioned in one of my earlier posts (Childrens Hospital Fundraiser Post) Trinchero Main Street Cabernet Sauvignon 2002 (retail $25) and Trinchero Chicken Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 are sister wines. In fact so sisterly they practically come from the same vineyard. Their differences are so subtle they are unmentionable. Main Street is a classic fruit-forward full-bodied Cabenet Sauvignon with a heavy palate that proves to be spicy and complex, balenced with a long spicy oaked finish. As I mentioned before, the Main Street Cabernet (and the Chicken Ranch) is one of the most elegant Cabernet Sauvignon's I've drank recently and certainly can hold up against any other wine in that price point. Drink this wine with a T-bone steak topped with onion fritters and served with a spicy cole slaw and rosemary roasted baby red potatoes. Check out their website at: www.trincherowinery.com

The final wine we tasted Thursday night was Montevina Amador Zinfindel 2002 (retail $18). Amador County is riddled with old goldmines, ghostowns, and of course, wineries that were sprung up by the Italians that took part in the great American gold rush. This fun Zinfindel is deep ruby in color with black cherry, cocoa, currant, and a hint of pommegranite in the nose. A subtle yet fruity body leads to a deep structured mid-palate finishing sharp and slightly tangy. Try this wine with a Chorizo and lamb stew served with vegetable corn bread. For more information on this winery please check out their cool flash based website at: www.montevina.com

Thanks again for sticking with this blog through the lack of recent updates. While I try to make time for this every week, sometimes I just fall short. I'd love to hear some comments or suggestions on how to make this blog better for everyone so please comment if you can. I'll see you next week and remember to keep an open mind and an open eye.

John & Dan's Picks, March 1st 2007

Feburary was a busy month for wine tastes. Numerous other restaurants held their Fat Tuesday tastes and mid-winter tastes to boost their wine sales. Due to so much activity, we were unable to book a distributor this week. So, John and I decided this would be a perfect time to feature some of our favorite wines that we were unable to present before.

As always our wines were accompanied by some food. This week Chef Tim King put out a mixed cheese board, miniature shell pasta tossed in a meat sauce, mini tube pasta with mussels and alfredo sauce, and home made bread sticks to accompany the wine this week.

First we started with a wine represented by the Vintage Company, Nederberg Stein 2005 (retail $15). This white blend comes from the Western Cape, South Africa. While I am always a little reluctant in fully accepting South African wine this little beauty which is a blend of Chenin Blanc, Riesling, and Gewürtztraminer really caught my attention when I first tasted it. While many wine enthusiasts consider the South African Coast to be one of the up-and-coming wine regions of the world, I feel as a whole their wines and wine makers are in their adolescence and have yet to impress me with anything they have released. This does not however mean that I think South Africa will never produce good wine, I just think the program needs a bit more time to develop. However, Nederberg makes a pretty damn good wine indicating maybe South Africa is worth a revisit from time to time. While Nederberg was producing wine since 1937 the winery style and wine making really came around when they hired Gunter Brozel as their winemaker. He led them to their and South Africas first award in winemaking. Deep gold in color this wine exhibits tones of fresh pear and pineapple in the nose. Its light, fruity, and slightly sweet leading to a crisp acidic slightly tangy finish. Try this wine with a pan-seared tilapia with collard greens and dirty rice. For more information on this winery go to: www.nederburg.co.za

Next John and I decided to feature a wine new to the market. Marquee Chardonnay 2004 retails for around $12. Marquee's Classic series produces artisan style wines that are meant to be approachable and affordable small-batch wines. This wine from Victoria, Australia was bright hay in color featuring dried pineapple and hazelnut with a hint of oak in the nose. A nice bold fruit and slightly creamy start lead to a long citric finish. Try this wine with a creamed crawfish bisque or a roast chicken with cornbread and oyster stuffing and seasoned potatoes. To find out more about Marquee go to: www.marquee.com

Moving on to red we featured this new selection from Superior Beverage, Carneros Creek Reserve Pinot Noir 2004 (retail $24). This Pinot Noir is deep ruby, almost opaque in color which is a good indication of the intensity of this wine that shows cocoa, walnut, and heavy strawberry tones in the nose. This 2004 Pinot Noir has bold berry flavors upfront with a long rounded slightly spicy finish. John Webster described this wine as, "Without a doubt the finest Pinot Noir we have been offered in a long time." While I agree with him on the price point, I would be interested to see how well this intense (undervalued) wine would present itself with a little bottle age. I suggest getting some to cellar for a later date. Try drinking this wine with berry glazed roasted quail with carmelized onions and polenta. For more information on Carneros Creek wines check out this link: Carneros Creek Winery

For the fourth wine of the taste we tried Qupé Los Olivos Cuvée 2001 (retail $24). This Rhone blend of 53% Syrah, 27% Mourvèdre, and 20% Grenache is also a blend of the Ibarra-Young vineyard (67%) and the Purisima Mountain Vineyard (33%). Qupe is the brain child of Bob Linquist who is considered among the wine world as an innovative winemaker and along with the other few "Rhone Rangers" of Santa Ynez responsible for the popularity of Syrah in the American palate. This wine exhibits nice black cherry and plum with a hint of cocoa and tar on the nose. It is big and full upfront leading to a long rounded finish that seems to go on forever. This 2001 cuvée is hands down one of my favorite undervalued wines and has yet to dissapoint me every time I revisit it. Try this wine with grilled lamb kebobs served with lentils and wild rice. Find out more about Qupé at: www.qupe.com

We finished the taste with a unique varietal that thrives in South America, Tannat. Tannat is a rare French vareital that is assumed to have got its name from the heavy tannins in the wine. Our representaion of this strange grape is from Don Rodolfo Viña Cornejo Tannat 2004 and retails at $12. Its amazing that these young vines (six years old) produce such a full-bodied rich wine. At 6000 feet above sea level Don Rodolfo boasts being one of the highest altitude wineries in the world. This deep purple wine has heavy bright cherry and plum tones with a slight hint of honey and oak. The wine is dry and heavy with bright fruit that leads to a long acidic smokey finish. Try pairing this wine with beef curry and long grained rice. For some more information on this winery plase check out this link: Don Rodolfo

Sorry it took me so long to post this taste. I know I kind of fell behind, but within the next couple of days I will catch up with the other tastes and be right back on schedule. Until next time remember to keep an open mind and an open eye.

Mastropietro Wine Taste, Feb 15th

This week's Thursday Night Flight Night was a unique experience. John and I decided that as local wine represenatives we should promote local wineries and wine makers. The first in our series of Ohio Wine Makers is our good friend Dan Mastropietro. Dan, being a long time hobbiest, recently realized his dreams and created an new cutting edge wine making facility in Berlin Center, Ohio. While still young in his wine making Dan has proven to create some very elegant representations of California classics. Because Dan currently buys all his fruit (he expects his first yeild on his newly planted vines next year) all of his bottles are labeled without vintage. As he begins to create more wine from his own grapes that should change. But anyway, with good wine comes good food. Chef Tim King put out a roasted red pepper bruchetta and a cheese platter to accompany the wine for the evening.

We started the taste with the sweetest and most popular white the winery has to offer. Dolce Bianco (retailing at $12) is 100% Niagara grape with a 12% ABV & a pale yellow gold complexion. The nose has fresh pineapple, grapefruit, and carnation with a hint of mushroom in the finish. Dolce Bianco is off-dry upfront but not cloying, leading to a subtle acidic tang in the mid-palate and finishing balanced with a slight citrus tone of navel and cranberry. This was definitely a crowd pleaser on Thursday, and as one patron mentioned led to a sense of nostalgia of early wine of the North East States (his grandmother grew Niagara grapes). Try this wine with a grilled chicken breast topped with a pineapple chutney or a deep fried calamari tossed in a Thai vinaigrette and topped with roasted corn and tomato relish.

Next we moved to the Chardonnay (retailing at $14). At 14% ABV this golden hay colored wine had a creamy & floral essence with a slight nutty tone. Mellow and light fruit lead to a smooth effortless buttery finish. The overall simplicity to this wine was refreshing proving that this nicely balenced and quite easy drinking wine could hold up to many of the American Chardonnays in the same price point. Pair this wine with a warm goat cheese and artichoke salad with asparagus and fresh greens tossed with a lemon vinaigrette or an apricot glazed barbeque half chicken with rice.

The people's choice for the taste was the Chambourcin (retailing for $12) at 12% ABV. Chamboucin is a fungus resistant hybrid varietal that was popular in the seventies as a table wine in Bordeaux and the Loire Valley. The late ripening quality of the grape makes it a great candidate for growth in the cooler Ohio climate. This light ruby wine has elements of cherry, black raspberry, and a hint of brussel spout on the nose. Light and fruity in style with a slightly tart semi-dry finish this wine proves to be an excellent representation of the Chambourcin grape. Try this wine with a ricotta and asiago stuffed hungarian pepper in a tomato and red pepper pommodoro sauce.

The fourth wine of the evening was Dan's Merlot (retail $16) with a 13% ABV. His cloudy pale red wine had a unique take on the Merlot grape. The nose led to nutty tones with ripe berry and a slight kick of petrol in the back end. This medium-bodied Merlot is fruity in the mid-palate with a long dry semi-oaked & slightly spicy finish. I could only assume that Dan Mastropeitro takes French approach at this varietal which may be the reasoning in the subtleness of this wine. This Merlot specifically would make a great addition to any blend. Try drinking this wine with orange glazed pork tenderloin served with roasted potato wedges & steamed garlic broccoli.

We ended the taste with my favorite wine (of course). Mastropietro's Zinfindel (retailing at $16) is a modest 12.5% ABV and deep ruby in color, although not opaque. The nose offers light cherry & raspberry with slightly creamy tones. A Fruit-forward Zinfindel with off-dry plum flavors in the mid-palate and a bitter-sweet chocolate oaked finish that leads to a short burst of black pepper in its' grand finale. This is a very elegant example of a light, balanced Zinfindel without overpowering fruit. This wine would go great with a pan seared duck breast finished with a Zinfindel port wine cranberry reduction.

Thanks again, for reading this blog and I hope it's helping you keep your wines organized. This Thursday we will be featuring an all French taste with the wines from European Imports. I hope to see you all there and remember to keep an open eye and an open mind.

Please check out the Mastropeitro website at: www.mastropietrowinery.com
or check out the Ohio Wine Producers Association at: www.ohiowines.org

Children's Hospital Fund Raiser @ the Avalon Inn

On Saturday Feburary 10th I was a guest pourer for the Childrens Hospital Fund Raiser at the Avalon Inn in Howland, Ohio. The event was very nice and had a great turnout. This year the event was arranged by Micheal Scannell from Tri-County Distributors. In total, seven wholesale companies donated wine for the event. One of the highlights of the evening was a toast given to the recently deceased Richard Alberini, who through his personal drive and hard work built a wine community in the Mahoning Valley.

Before I begin i'd like to make a note on the schematics of wine tastes. While there was no rhyme or reason to the order in which I tasted these wines, I've decided to arrange them as if I would in a flight night. There were alot of nice wines at the event, however, being the novice writer that I am, I only chose a few to write about. Besides, with these larger tastes my palate gets pretty stressed after the first 8-10 wines. So I don't feel it would be a fair to anyone if I reviewed all thirty or so (I don't think anyone would want to read that anyway). I did, however, narrow the list down to six fantastic wines.

The first wine I'd like to review is the La Palma Sauvignon Blanc 2004 from the Viña La Rosa Winery.Viña La Rosa is one of Chile’s oldest wineries set in the beautiful Cachapoal valley (La Palma is named for the scattered natural palm trees that spot the vineyard), South of the capital city Santiago. This wine truely was unique. The deep hay color is the first indication of the bold fruit flavors of this wine. Its' light, crisp granny smith apple and light grapefruit tones led to a subtle refreshing effervescence in the finish. La Palma Sauvignon Blanc proved to be elegant and refined for a wine under $10. Try this wine with oysters Rockafeller or a roasted butternut squash soup drizzled with roasted red pepper puree. For more information on Viña La Rosa Winery and the rest of their products check out: www.larosa.cl

Next I tasted another Chilean wine, Montes Reserve Chardonnay 2005. Montes is a brand formed in 1988 by four Chilean wine veterans with vineyards in the Colchagua and the Curico valleys South of Santiago. The winery is known for some of its high end Bordeaux blends (Montes Alpha M). This Chardonnay is pale yellow in color with buttery hints of vanilla, tropical fruits (banana & pineapple), & slight floral tones. A fruity palate, with a good body leads to a semi-smooth creamy elegant finish (45% malolactic fermentation). The 75% oak cask (six months in American oak barrels) & 25% stainless steel fementation lend this wine an added balence and elegance that most cheap chardonnays lack (this retails at about $10). Try this wine with a Pecorino cheese bruchetta bread or a date, goat cheese, and mesculin salad. While they do have an interesting website I couldn't find anything in their product list that indicated this wine was theirs. This may be an oversight on their part or perhaps they discontinued this line. In any event feel free to check out their website at: www.monteswines.com

Next on the list of notable wines was Belle Vallee Cellars Whole Cluster Pinot Noir 2005. This Pinot Noir resides from the Willamette Valley in Oregon. The winemaker, Joe Wright (formerly of Willamette Valley Vineyards), uses 100% whole cluster fermentation to create a deep ruby (nearly opaque) appearance in this Beaujolais mimic. I felt that Belle Vallee was the most unique wine of the taste. The nose is light and earthy with fruity tones of strawberry and prune. Semi-full on the palate this 100% stainless steel fermented wine has floral tones mid-palate and leaves the tongue slightly tingling with a long black pepper finish. Retailing at around $14, Belle Vallee is a very easy drinker ringing in at a modest 12.5% ABV. Try this wine with a blackened chicken cobb salad with a lightly drizzled balsamic viniagrette dressing or a goat cheese, pesto, and sundried tomato flatbread pizza. For more information on the wines from Belle Vallee check out: www.bellevallee.com

While I know Penfolds is a common name as far as Australian wines is concerned, I decided I would review the Penfolds Bin 28 Kalimna Shiraz 2003 on account of my recent facination with Shiraz and Syrah. For those of you who don't know, Penfolds is one of Australia's oldest wineries in the South Australia (along with Lindeman's). It was founded by Dr. Christopher Rawson Penfold in 1845. He had originally started his winery for a supply of wine that he prescribed to his patients. Over the years Penfold's has been a name that is associated with quality wine. His infamous Grange wine has recieved awards and sells for around the $160 range. However, the wine I was drinking is in the Bin portfolio. This is their middle-of-the-road series of wines (the big seller being the Cab/Shiraz blend Bin 389) retailing around $20. Bin 28 is named after the famous Barossa Valley Kalimna vineyard purchased by Penfolds in 1945 and from which the wine was originally sourced. Today, Bin 28 is a multi-region, multi-vineyard blend, with the Barossa Valley always well represented, providing over 45% of the fruit for this vintage. Bin 28 is 100% shiraz exhibiting a big earthy nose with berry & cassis. With a robust full-bodied mouth it's fruity and sweet in the mid-palate with a long rounded semi-dry finish. Try this wine with shrimp kebobs and long grained wild rice or an Italian antipasto salad. For more information on this winery and their products click this link: www.penfolds.com.au

The fifth wine I'd like to review is Ridge York Creek Zinfindel 2003. First off I'd like to state that I love Zinfindel (It was my gateway wine). Not only do I love Zinfindel, but I love Ridge Zinfindel. The reason is simple: blends. Ridge understands that every year is different in the world of wine. Growing conditions change and with it so does the flavor and intensity of the wine. I suppose that's why they beat the French in a great 1971 upset that launched the US wine program into a world market (Click this link for details:1971) Ridge blends are among the best in the world at a moderate price (this one retails around $25). The 2003 York Creek Zinfindel is 84% Zinfindel 16% Petite Sirah. Deep red in color the nose lends offerings of black cherry & currant with just the smallest hint of petrol. The tongue is full-bodied & nicely balenced with chocolate tones and a nice clean cherry finish. I have yet to find a Ridge product that doen't spark my interest. try pairing this Zinfindel with steak tartare or a chocolate-raspberry torte. Not only does Ridge make great wines but they give back to the environment. Cumulatively since system operation began, Lytton Springs' renewable energy production helped avoid the release of 88 tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere or 25 acres of forest saved or not driving 219,702 miles. Check out their website at: www.ridgewine.com

I decided to finish this post with a Cabernet Sauvignon. Coming from a "Cab drinking town" the Trinchero Chicken Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 (sorry, no picture) proves to be a great representation of a elegant single vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon for a low cost (retailing around $25). The Chicken Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon is the sister wine to the Main Street Cabernet Sauvignon. Their differences are so subtle they are unmentionable. Chicken Ranch is a classic fruit-forward full-bodied Cabenet Sauvignon with a heavy palate that proves to be spicy and complex, balenced with a lightly oaked finish. The Chicken Ranch (and the Main Street) is one of the most elegant Cabernet Sauvignon's I've drank recently and certainly can hold up against the Charles Krug Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest in that price point. Drink this wine with a 22oz Porterhouse steak covered in sauteed mushrooms and onions or try it with a Cowboy burger and fries. Check out their website at: www.trincherowinery.com

Thanks again for reading this blog. If there are any questions or comments on any of the beverages I review please post them. I will try my best to get back to everyone in a timely manner. Just a reminder that this Thursday we will be featuring the wines if Masteropietro Winery. Dan is a local guy trying to make it in this crazy business. So come out and try his wines & he'll be there to answer any questions. See you on Thursday and remember to keep an open mind and an open eye.