WineBizNews

Everything Pairs Well with Bubblies, Even Holiday Cookies...

2012-01-13T13:59:00.000-08:00

Holiday cookies and champagne is a perfect pairing, but then everything seems to pair well with champagne. Forty neighbors recently joined me in my San Francisco winter pied-à-terre to toast the holidays and exchange cookies and good cheer. I hadn’t yet received all the notes below from Tahoe-based wine shop owners, so I was on my own at Costco. Since I also love Prosecco, there was plenty of that affordable bubbly too. You will find many nice choices at nearby wine shops without the bedlam of a Big-Box store during this holiday season.

First, a few official definitions, provided by The Champagne Bureau. Do an internet search for more interesting information!

• Brut NV (Non-vintage) is usually a blend of wines from several years and a number of 'crus.'

• Rosé Champagne is produced by macerating the black grapes or by adding locally produced red wine to the blend.

LOCAL CHOICES:

Debby Bullentini, proprietor of the L'uva Bella Wine Gallery in the Summit Sierra shopping center in Reno recommends Brut Souverain NV, which originates in Reims, France. $53.99 the bottle.

“First of all, I love the history of Henriot, since 1808 they have passed down the tradition of champagne making,” notes Debby. “The champagne is well balanced, but delicate. Beautiful small, tight bubbles race up the side of the flute with great white flowers, citrus and acidity on the palate. This wine can be served as an apertif, or even throughout a meal. To be specific, I think it will pair really well with fish, light dishes, and maybe something topped with an apricot/mango salsa.”

Marsha Wagner of Dockside 700 Wine Bar and Grill in the center of Tahoe City notes that they sell Freixenet Cordon Negro, Spain, for $12 per bottle. This is the Number One imported sparkling wine in the world! It is crisp, clean and well balanced with a medium body. Flavors are apple, pear and bright citrus and a crisp touch of ginger. Dockside 700 also offers many wonderful food treats to accompany your festivities.

Caroline Vogt, wine buyer, at the Tahoe House Bakery & Gourmet near Tahoe City offers four bubblies for customers to pick up along with the wonderful appetizers, cheeses and baked goods that would go so well with holiday celebrations. Segura Vindas, a Brut Reserva CAVA from Spain, sells for $11 the bottle. It is created from a blend of reserve and non-vintage wines, and the aroma combines white fruits, citrus and tropical fruits, and light floral notes.

A California producer, J Vineyards, makes a lovely Brut Rose. At $27 the bottle, the winery describes this pinky sparkler well: “crisp, red berries, blood orange, lemon peel, concentrated flavors, perfect balance, effervescent, elegant The other J option is J Cuvee 20, which is their signature sparkling wine, made in a style that’ss both elegant and balanced. This is a blend from the fine cool-climate vineyards in the Russian River Valley. $23 the bottle.

The Piper Heidsieck Champage Brut, $39 a bottle, consistently gets high praise from Wine Spectator Magazine: "Firm and lightly toasty, this offers ripe flavors of quince paste, candied orange peel, grilled nuts and ground ginger. Shows fine balance and a pleasant juiciness that builds to the mouthwatering finish.”

Whatever you choose, your holiday will be so much more fun with a sparkling wine! Happy New Year!

LOCATIONS FOR THE TAHOE-AREA SHOPS MENTIONED:

L'uva Bella Wine Gallery, Summit Sierra Center, 13925 South Virginia St., Suite 248, Reno, NV 89511 tel: (775) 851-1110

Dockside 700 Wine Bar & Grill, 700 N Lake Blvd, Tahoe City, CA 96145. (530) 581-0303

Tahoe House Bakery & Gourmet, 625 W lake Blvd, Tahoe City, CA 96145 (530) 583-1377

Excellent wine-food pairings in Tahoe City at Dockside 700

2012-01-13T13:35:00.000-08:00

I think that Dockside 700 is going to be my new favorite place in Tahoe City for a convivial glass of wine. I really liked the vibe there at their elegant and friendly bar, and the adjoining restaurant features pleasant music, not too loud. Top the experience off with a very good wine-by-the-glass list with reasonable prices and a balance of familiar and more adventurous wines, and they have simply got it all. If that weren’t enough (but it is), the heated-in-winter and screened-in-summer enclosed porch has a wonderful lake view. Suggestion: take your wine out there!

Owners Marsha Wagner and David Richardson have been in the business of preparing delicious food since 2005, starting with Ice Box Kitchen, a take-and-bake “sous vide” concept with freshly-prepared entrees offered in a deli case a few steps from the wine bar. “We think that wine is a complement to food,” says Marsha “We deliberately decided to build a wine list that is unique in the area and features very food-friendly wines.” Almost all Dockside 700 wines by the glass range from $5 to $7 per glass, and can be bought by the bottle too. There are wonderful pairing s with the happy hour appetizer menu. Happy hour begins at 4 p.m. and ends at 6 p.m., seven days a week.

Our tour of the Dockside 700 wine menu started with their top sellers: Cuvaison Chardonnay, Sobon Zinfandel, and Justin Cabernet.

The 2009 Cuvaison Chardonnay uses grapes sourced from Carneros. It is a bright yet light golden-colored wine, with an aroma of honeysuckle and notes of white peach and pear blossom. On the palate you’ll taste apricot and peach, with a hint of nutmeg and a nice toasty oak. Cuvaison is a favorite of Marsha’s, in part because of their commitment to sustainability and their use of solar power. 14.2 percent alcohol.

The 2010 Sobon Zinfandel is a personal favorite of mine too, since you all know by know that I think the wines from Sierra Foothill wineries are among the best that California has to offer. This Old Vine Zinfandel blended from several of Sobon's estate vineyards in Amador county is a fragrant, rich, full bodied zin with very forward, fruit driven flavors. It is 97 percent Zin and 3 percent Petite Syrah, with final alcohol percent of 14.9. Just released in October 2011, it is meant for every day consumption but the winemaker notes that it will improve in the bottle for the next five years. Yummy with Dockside 700’s artichoke dip appetizer!

I was lured by the meatball sub on housebaked bread and the suggested pairing with the Justin 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles. Somewhat of an entry-level Cabernet, the aroma is fruity, and the taste of ripe red and black fruit with a touch of spice makes it easy to drink. Nicely textured tannins provide that underpinning for pairing with burgers, stews, meatballs. 14.5 percent alcohol.

Sold by the bottle only, the Phelps Fog Dog 2008 Chardonnay from the Sonoma Coast is medium-bodied with a fresh crisp initial taste and a spiciness and balance thereafter. The first sip, which is fresh, lean and crisp, follows through with a spicy mid-palate and finishes with firm, balanced and pleasant acidity. 13.5 percent alcohol.

The sister wine to this is 2009 Phelps Fog Dog Pinot Noir. Ask if they have any left! The winemaker notes that it is “loaded with vibrant red fruit, tangerine peel… simply bursting with red raspberry, plump red cherry and rhubarb.” 13.5 percent alcohol.

Dockside 700 is located at 700 North Lake Blvd, Tahoe City. Tel 530-581 0303. Menus (but not wine list) are at www.dockside700.com.

Adobe Road Wnemaker hosts dinner at The Resort at Squaw Creek

2011-12-23T09:49:00.000-08:00

Scorsone pours for Cathy Krauss, my
wine writing assistant at Tahoe Weekly

When an enthusiastic young winemaker comes to a winemaker dinner that is well thought out, that’s the best! This was the case at a recent Six Peaks Grille winemaker dinner, part of an ongoing series hosted in this fine dining restaurant at The Resort at Squaw Creek. This winemaker was Michael Scorsone of Adobe Road Wines, a Sonoma winery that specializes in small lot, handcrafted wines.

Michael Scorsone brings a culinary background to his winemaking, and that means very food-friendly wines. His family is a deeply rooted Sicilian “food and wine family”, he noted. He is also a graduate of one of America’s top culinary schools, The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York.

Adobe Road produces between 3000-4000 cases of wine yearly, depending on the harvest. Adobe Road’s 12 different wines are produced from local grapes, sourced through long-term leases with growers. The winemaking style is “very traditional”, according to Michael, “ and we like to show a lot of personality in the wine.” Winery owners Debra and Kevin Buckler apply the same attention to detail in their wines as was done in their other business, professional motorsports.

We began the dinner with the 2009 Adobe Road Dry Creek Green Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc. “We pick our grapes riper than other Dry Creek wineries, in order to give us that unique texture, resulting in a food friendly wine. We also barrel age our Sauvignon Blanc, which is not often done in California,” Michael said. The result is a delicious wine that’s golden in color, and tastes reminiscent of a Gravenstein liquid apple pie. There’s caramel, vanilla, nectarine and peach tones, with a citrusy tint. Some spice and tropic fruit add to the flavor profile. 14.1 percent alcohol, $19 the bottle at retail, slightly more at Six Peaks’ tableside. Chef Chad Shrewsbury of Six Peaks Grille paired this wine with pan seared scallops with wild mushroom, cockle and carrot touches in this dish.

For the main course of this dinner, filet mignon, the beef practically called out for a Pinot Noir, and the Adobe Road 2006 Russian River Pinot Noir was a great choice. The grapes are sourced from the O’Neel Vineyards in Russian River, and this area is a pinot noir growing region that is among the warmest in California. Only 250 cases of this wine were produced. The wine was full-bodied with enticing aromas of red cherries, cedar and spice. Sadly, this vintage is now sold out, but the 2007, also sourced from the O’Neel Vineyards, also is yummy with aroma of strawberry jam, raspberry and allspice. Fine tannins give a silky mouthfeel. 14.1 percent alcohol in the 2007, $48 the bottle at retail, slightly more at Six Peaks’ tableside. You might consider this for your holiday wine.

The 2006 Adobe Road Knights Valley Bavarian Lion Vineyard Cabernet concluded the dinner, paired with a selection of California cheeses and seasonal fruits. This wine is made from grapes that are grown on the valley floor where the Bavarian Lion Vineyard is located, so the berries are small and the vines must struggle. The result is a concentrated flavor, and it is a rich and almost chewy Cabernet, very classic in style. Strawberry and chocolate flavors follow this wine from the front of the tongue to its long finish. Cedar, dark raspberries, a hint of anise, cloves and black olives make this a classic Cabernet. It was aged for 24 months in French and American Oak. 15.8 percent alcohol, $48 the bottle at retail, slightly more at Six Peaks’ tableside.

The Six Peaks Grille is located in The Resort at Squaw Creek, 400 Squaw Creek Road, Olympic Valley, CA (530) 583-6300 for reservations. www.squawcreek.com. More information on Adobe Road: www.adoberoadwines.com

Orin Swift Wines: A Secret Love, Met Again at Plumpjack Squaw Valley

2011-12-14T15:22:00.000-08:00

I’ve had a secret love with “the Prisoner”, a wonderful red wine from winemaker Orin Swift. I’ve been keeping it a secret for far too long, because, as you know, I rant about high alcohol wines. This is clearly a high alcohol wine, but I can’t help loving it. Ever since wine afficianado Lou Phillips poured some for me at a bistro dinner in Truckee a few years ago, I’ve been captivated. I can’t say the same for my dinner companion of that long-ago evening, but that is a whole other series of stories, this one tagged on the keyline, “Is that all there is?”

Thus, I couldn’t miss the PlumpJack Café winemaker dinner this autumn that featured wines from Orin Swift Cellars. A few years ago, the great winemaking palate behind the Orin Swift brand, Dave Phinney, sold two brands to Huneeus Vintners. One of the brands was The Prisoner. Why does this matter? Because even though Phinney sold the brands and inventory, Phinney remained as winemaker; he retains ownership of Orin Swift Cellars and its other wines. So that great palate is still blending this delicious red wine for all of us who love it. Kevin Fox, who was presenting the wines at the PlumpJack , is the assistant winemaker.

Prisoner pairs with Ahi

The 2009 Napa Valley red wine, “The Prisoner”, was paired by Plumpjack’s executive chef Ben “Wyatt” Dufresne with a Hawaiian Ahi served with bacon confit marble potatoes, truffle salt gel and a porcini-blueberry vinaigrette. The cherry, cassis and black fruit taste is dominant throughout from first sniff to first taste to finish, and the tannins are so well integrated in this wine that I experienced them as very soft. It’s a dark red wine. Add the velvet of American and French Oak, and you’ve got a great big lush wine with a massive entry. Plumpjack has a good program for these high alcohol wines (The Prisoner is 15+ percent alcohol ) by offering 3 ounce and 6 ounce glasses. The Prisoner is $7 for 3 ounces, $14 for 6 ounces.

Papillon & Filet

The 2008 Papillon Red Wine, Napa Valley, is a finely tuned Blend of Cabernet Sauvignon with just a touch of Petit Verdot, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc. The 2008 is their fourth vintage of Papillon, and features grapes sourced from Howell Mountain, Saint Helena, Rutherford, and Oakville. Chef Wyatt paired it with a Durham Ranch filet mignon, accompanied by Montgomery Cheddar Mac n’ cheese. The pairing was perfect, as this is a bit more of a serious wine with good cellaring potential too. Deep red in color, aroma is classic Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon: cedar, rose petal, hints of soft French oak. A nice ripe raspberry and boysenberry flavor to begin, and as it opens up, there is cherry, plum and cassis. 15.5 percent alcohol. $10.50 for 3 ounces, $21 for 6 ounces.

To end on a sweet note, the cardamom opera cake with huckleberry sorbet was paired with the 2009 French wine from Orin Swift’s project there, the “D66” Grenache. The winery and vineyards in Maury, France are in the outer Roussillon very close to the Spanish border and nestled in the Pyrénées-Orientales. These vineyards were planted 60 years ago, and the blend of fruit (Grenache, Syrah, Carignan) results in a wine that is a dark opaque red color with aromas of toasted oak, ripe blueberry jam and dried rose petal. There’s a minerality and acidity that give this wine a nice long finish. 15.2 percent alcohol. $7 for 3 ounces, $14 for 6 ounces.
PlumpJack Café at the Squaw Valley Inn, 1920 Squaw Valley Road, Olympic Valley CA, holds an outstanding series of winemaker dinners, and its wine list and regular menu are spectacular too. Reservations: (530) 583-1576 More information at www.plumpjackcafe.com.

Antonini Wines Featured at West Shore Cafe: Wine Educator George Foote Presents!

2011-12-13T16:25:00.000-08:00

There is absolutely no place on the West Shore of Lake Tahoe that is a beautiful and elegant as The West Shore Café in Homewood. Thus it’s appropriate that they launched their winemaker dinners with beautiful and elegant wines. The Antinori wines presented in the USA in partnership with Ste Michelle Wine Estates provided a wide range of tasting experience and the chance for West Shore’s Executive Chef William “Rusty” Johns to show off his art.

George Foote, the Maryland-based and well-known National Wine Educator, was there courtesy of Ste Michelle to share stories of these Antinori wines.

Marchese Piero Antinori, the 26th generation of his family to sell wine, took the reins of the company in 1966. Somewhat of a renegade, he challenged the Italian authorities on their categorization of wines, and forged ahead with production of highly consumable food-friendly wines at affordable price points. Wines from Tuscany boomed. Now, in this generation, the three daughters of Piero Antinori are continuing the tradition of consistent excellence. This is one of the 10 oldest wine families in the world!

The Sangiovese “Santa Cristina”, Antinori, Tuscany 2009 was originally introduced in 1946 as a Chianti Classico by Piero Antinori’s father. Technically, this wine is a Super Tuscan, although it is not marketed as such. Primarily Sangiovese, it is blended with 10 percent merlot, and new in the 2009 vintage, 5 percent Cabernet. It’s a modern style Tuscan red wine, ready to be consumed, and it is referred to as “italy’s Favorite Wine.” Ruby red in color, the aroma is intense with cherry and raspberry fruit, hints of violet and toast too. It’s a very smooth wine, with soft tannins that are controlled and delicious, and a nice finish. 13 percent alcohol. $12 the bottle. Local distributor Southern Wine & Spirits is a believer in this wine, so in addition to being available at West Shore Café, Dockside 700 in Tahoe City also sells it by-the-glass and bottle. Chef Rusty paired it with Cioppino. Perfect.

The Tignanello, Tuscany, Antinori, IGT, Tuscany 2007 is a legendary Super Tuscan. The winery has focused on Sangiovese clones for years to improve this variety, and lets the fruit express itself through careful blending practices. This is the wine that singled-handedly altered the Italian wine laws, courtesy of the stubbornness and wisdom of Piero Antinori, allowing special wines from all regions throughout Italy to be produced in the new category IGT. The Tignanello is 80 percent Sangiovese and 15% Cabernet, with 5% Cabernet Franc added for balance. It is an intense ruby red, with aroma of ripe fruit and spice, vanilla and toast. Richly textured, the structure is complex and flavors are long and persistent with hints of chocolate, huckleberry and black plum on the finish. Tannins are managed well with this wine, and it is truly elegant. 14% alcohol. $100 the bottle. Paired delightfully with Chef Rusty’s T-bone steak prepared Italian style.

The Marchese Antinori Vin Santo 2006, Tuscany, DOCG , comes only in 500 ml bottles. Made in Tuscany since the medieval times, it maybe have been used during Mass. Antinori Vin Santo uses Malvasia and Trebbiano grapes from the Antinori estates in the Chianti region. Air dried in a loft and then pressed after several months, a long slow fermentation takes place over three years. The result is a bright yellow amber-hued dessert wine, with hints of honey and dried fruit. 15-16 percent alcohol. $42 the 500 ml bottle. The dessert pairing was an apple/pear tart.

The West Shore Café & Inn is on the lakefront adjacent to Homewood Mountain Resort. Phone 530 525 5200 for reservations. More information at www.WestShoreCafe.com

Harvest Report: Oman in Arabia

2011-11-14T02:42:00.000-08:00

Since it was near the end of the harvest in the Sierra Foothills, I decided to switch reporting locale and travel to Arabia – Oman, to be specific.

First, it is important to note that no wine grapes are harvested in Oman, nor are there any wineries. This is a Moslem country. But for the thirsty tourist, almost all hotels set aside Koranic law for us infidels and offer a wine list where you can get a vastly overpriced (and sometimes heat-cooked) bottle of French, Australian, Chilean or South African wine, or, for about 3 to 6 Omani Rial (at 2.6 US dollars to the OMR) a glass of a varietal called “red wine” or “white wine.” I seem to recall that the English have a term for these varietals, and it is “plonk”.

daily life in Muscat

This was a big eye-opener for me, fresh from the reports of great Zins and Syrahs that will result from the 2011 harvest in the Sierra Foothills. I was looking forward to some great Moscato. I mean, Muscat Oman must have something to do with Muscat or Moscato wines. You’d think.

Sadly, I informed my grown sons by email via the 1-rial-an-hour hotel business center computers that since wine was so expensive, I would not be buying any souvenirs, not even the frankincense for which Oman is famous, and would instead devote a ceramic made-to-look-old pot of OMR to the search for a decent glass of wine. This search continues.. but I have great weekend plans for the bar at the Al Bustan, the Ritz Carlton property in Muscat.

Actually, I think the best bet for a local winemaking industry in Oman would be for a date-based wine. Dates are everywhere here, with 35,000 hectares of land planted with date palms throughout the Sultanate, and there are 40-odd varieties grown in the Nizwa region of Oman alone and that’s just one growing area. There is even an historical date-crush process in place. A few hundred years ago when Omani mud-brick walled cities and forts were under siege, the protectors would rush to the date storage rooms, where bags of dates had been laid layer upon layer several meters high on three sides of the room, starting with a platform raised about 18 inches and slightly cantilevered toward the twoinside corners. Date juice would emanate naturally from the weight of the heaped dates, and be collected in ceramic pots strategically placed at those corners.

Nizwa Fort stairs

This is where the Omanis made a grevious winemaking error. Instead of contacting Scott Labs, Lallemand, Chr.Hansen etc for the latest date-juice-fermenting yeast, they HEATED UP the date juice and poured it through slats in their fortress steps as invaders were rushing up the lower steps. Kind of like tarring and feathering, but without the feathers. It seems to have worked, since Oman stayed independent and continued its dhow building and trading even to modern times. Today most of the export trade is in oil, natural gas, copper and aluminium.

There’s a real opportunity to increase their balance of payments with a date wine industry, I think. Wake up, Your Majesty, the world awaits Omani date wine!

(Note to self, next time buy wine at duty free before getting on the plane to Muscat).

El Dorado Wineries and Big Band Jazz: Charity Event at Lake Tahoe

2011-10-30T12:22:00.000-07:00

The autumn colors at Sugar Pine Point State park are spectacular right now, so don’t be shy: go. Pack a picnic, take a bottle of wine and some of those great plastic wine glasses, a blanket, and enjoy. If you need some wine suggestions, look for some of the wines noted below. They were contributed to a tasting event in late August, when the park featured a night of Big Band Jazz and wines from a number of El Dorado wineries. If you can’t find those wines in your nearby wine shop, remember that El Dorado wineries are a mere daytrip away from Tahoe in the Sierra Foothills.

Lava Cap, located near Placerville, contributed a 2009 Reserve Chardonnay. This lovely rich and creamy chardonnay has aroma of toasty oak, apple and vanilla. The velvet mouth feel comes from Burgundy aging techniques and barrel fermentation in separate lots which were then blended. Winemaker Tom Jones handcrafts this wine. It’s won several awards. 14.9 per cent alcohol, $18 bottle.

The 2010 Sauvignon Blanc from Boeger Winery, near Placerville, is an estate wine produced from grapes in their own vineyards. It is a crisp Sauvignon Blanc with a lingering finish and yet is delicate on the palate. Aroma of grapefruit, peach and nectarine. 14.5 per cent alcohol. $14 bottle.

Latcham’s El Dorado Gold Rush White is a nicely blended table wine that hails from their winery in the Fair Play/Mt Aukum area of El Dorado County. This is a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, and Pinot Blanc that has both a refreshing crisp fruit flavor and a hint of sweetness. $12.50 bottle.

Jazz Band at Twilight, Lake Tahoe
shoreline at Sugar Pine Point State Park

Holly’s Hill 2009 Patriarche Blanc is a blend of 50% Roussane, 25% Grenache, and 25% Viognier. “A beautiful floral perfume of orange zest with lemon/lime and melon. In the mouth the wine has a great viscous mouthfeel with a long finish,” notes the winemaker. Holly’s Hill Winery, located just south of Placerville at 2700 feet elevation in the Pleasant Valley region, is a small family winery that produces only Rhone varietals. $25 bottle.

Mount Aukum Winery, located in Somerset, contributed its Petite Syrah 2007 Fair Play. With grapes grown in its own 2615-foot elevation vineyards as well as grapes sourced from other vineyards nearby, winemaker Michel Prod’hon is a great fan of Rhone varietals. This Petite Syrah has aroma of vanilla and exotic spices. “This wine is rich and bold with flavors of blackberry, pepper, and hint of toasted nuts. Drink it now with a hearty meal, or lay it down for several years and let the tannins soften,” says the winemaker’s notes It has won many gold medals, including one in the 2011 San Francisco Chronicle winetasting. 15.5 per cent alcohol, $35 bottle.

Perry Creek, located in the Fair Play AVA of El Dorado county, contributed its 2008 Zinfandel, the Zinman. “ZINMAN is one of Perry Creek’s most recognized and highly successful signature series wines. It is rated among the top 15 best-value Zinfandels by Wine Spectator in 2010 and its popularity continues to grow year by year. What makes it so special is the unique combination of spice and elegance in its flavors which stems from being produced in one of the best vineyards in the El Dorado County AVA,” notes the website. 14.9 per cent alcohol, $14 bottle. More information at www.perrycreek.com

These civic-minded wineries contributed other wines from their production; all were outstanding Sierra Foothill wines. The Big Band event was a fundraiser to benefit the West Shore Association. In addition to the wineries, other contributors to this event were the California State Parks, the North Lake Tahoe Resort Association, and the Tahoe City Public Utilities District.

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copyright 2011 Barbara Keck

Barbara writes the Wine Adventures column about the wine business for The Tahoe Weekly newspaper. She is currently gathering information for iphone app on Sierra Foothills Wineries, to be available in late Spring 2012 through the Sutro World offerings on itunes/Apple app store.

Latin-American Winemaker Sotelo Supports Charity Event

2011-10-30T11:38:00.000-07:00

It couldn't have been a better party -- La Catrina: Keeping the Spirits Alive -- was "the" event of the Halloween weekend in San Francisco. This Day of the Dead-themed party benefited the Mexican Museum, a San Francisco treasure nationally-renowned for showcasing the richness of Mexican and Mexican American, Chicano and Latino art and culture.

Alex Sotelo and "La Catrina" Sofia Keck

Alex Sotelo, Winemaker at Alex Sotelo Cellars, Napa Valley, danced and ate and imbibed with the hundreds of guests who participated in this centuries-old celebration of life and death. He was joined by La Catrina, the flirtatious skeleton always dressed in her finery and whose smile invites us to seize the moment. La Catrina represents the joy of life in the face of our inevitable death. In another life, La Catrina is Sofia Keck, founder of Sell It in Spanish, a bilingual and bicultural full-service marketing firm.

Pastries from La Victoria

The Concourse Exhibition Center was transformed into a colorful village environment with vendors such as Tacos San Buena and Don Ramon's Mexican Restaurant offering traditional food from Mexico and La Victoria Bakery and Kitchen topping off the cuisine with wonderful pastries.

There were many traditional altars created by local artists to remember departed loved ones. As noted in the Mexican Museum explanations, private altars such as these are traditionally decorated not only with the deceased loved ones’ favorite foods and drinks, but also with a glass of water so they may quench their thirst after the long journey. Marigolds are also part of the celebration, and the aroma of these colorful flowers fill the air, creating a path for the souls to find their way home.

The music was great, and very much enjoyed by the living souls at the event! An all-woman Mariachi Band, Mariachi Femenil Orgullo Mexicano, performed throughout the event, and on the main stage, cumbia and salsa sounds of Grupo Los Ejecutivos provided very danceable music.

Band: Grupo Los Ejecutivos

This fundraising event was named in honor of the iconic figure of La Catrina. "La Catrina is an integral part of Día de los Muertos celebrations in Mexico and throughout the United States. On Día de los Muertos it is believed that the souls of those who have died return to visit the living. It is a Mexican holiday that has been celebrated for centuries, tracing back to a similar ritual observed by the Aztecs. It is now celebrated in certain parts of the United States on Nov. 1 and 2. The underlying theme for this holiday is that it is a time of great celebration, not mourning," noted the museum.

Wine Touring in the Sierra Foothills: Avanguardia, Nevada City: "Hedonic Wines"

2011-10-13T14:32:00.000-07:00

The winding road to Avanguardia – Bitney Springs Road, bridge over Deer Creek, Newtown Road, to Jones Bar Road, look for the sign – takes you to an in-winery tasting room that is charmingly set in the midst of cases of wine, bottling machines and winemaking equipment. The sign that finally points in the direction of this purpose-built winery near Nevada City could say “varietal-free zone ahead” and that would tip you off that you are in for an other-worldly wine tasting experience.

Rob Chrisman is dedicated to making wines that provide a maximum sensory pleasure to the wine drinker. He refers to his style of winemaking as “hedonic blending”. Rob has a healthy disregard for the traditional California approach to winemaking, and is carving out a brave new world with his wines. His scrumptious wines have fanciful names, and are handcrafted with an avant-garde flair, You are in for a new taste experience!

Rob’s path to his winemaking philosophy began when he was a computer programmer in Los Angeles. Like many of us, he began his wine drinking career by trying to get bottles of wine on the cheap, and he refined his palate that way. In 1977, he visited the Foundation Plant Materials Service group at University of California – Davis. This independent arm of the university protects, preserves and distributes disease-free plant material, particularly grapes. From the list of 60 or 80 wine varieties available, Rob selected 29 varieties for his experimental vineyard in Tulare.

After many years as a grape grower of the experimental kind, and an avid home winemaker, Rob moved his family to Nevada County in 1990. He had a hunch he could grow grapes quite well on his site at 2500-foot elevation.

“I believed that Sierra Foothill wines could be as good as those from any area, and we planted vines in 2000 and 2001 on 3 ½ acres here.” Now, Avanguardia Wines blends over twenty Italian, Russian, French and University of California-created crosses grown in its estate vineyards. “Many of the grape varieties have been imported by the University especially for us and are available nowhere else, outside of Europe.” To his own estate-grown grapes, he adds other Sierra Foothills fruit. He started to produce cutting-edge blends, and they’ve found a loyal following.

“I call my winery a varietal-free zone because we don’t produce traditional chardonnay, zinfandel and so on. Although several of my wines could be considered varietals because they contain enough of one varietal to be termed that, instead we chose to give them fanciful names,” he said.

Rob sincerely believes that blending is the way to go to get the best quality, tastiest wines. “I do non-traditional blending, what I call “hedonic blending”, because I am looking for the maximum sensory pleasure out of the wine. I want to produce wines that are extremely food friendly.” His wines are not high alcohol, nor are they fruit-bombs. Subtle oak and good acidity are key. He produces 1000 cases of wine each year, and 90% of the grapes in those wines come from his estate vineyards in Nevada County.

A chat about the names of his wines is informative and entertaining. Premiato means “prizewinner”. Sanginet is a 14th century archaic name for Sangiovese. Ampio means ample, generous; Cristallo means crystal. Selvatico is actually an adjective about an Italian wine characteristic that is used to describe a wild berry or undomesticated flavor. Due Fiori…two flowers.

Looking for a daytrip to Sierra Foothill wine county? Head to Avanguardia’s winery at 13028 Jones Bar Road, Nevada City, CA 95959, open Saturday and Sunday 12-5. There’s also a tasting room in Grass Valley at 209 W. Main Street that’s open daily 12-5. More information? http://www.avanguardiawines.com/

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Copyright 2011 Barbara Keck

Barbara Keck is now working on iPhone and Droid apps on Wineries of the Sierra Foothills

Harvest time in the Sierra Foothills, time for visits! Suggestion: Solune WineGrowers in Grass Valley

2011-10-03T18:44:00.000-07:00

“The reward for a daytrip to Sierra Foothill wineries is intense flavorful wines from passionate winemakers” ~ Barbara Keck

Andrea & Jacques Mercier

It’s Harvest Time in the Sierra Foothills, and if you’ve been following my Harvest Report blogs on the MountainHighWines blogpages, you know that the late spring and cool summer are manifesting in a later harvest than usual. It’s a good time right now to take a trip to some of those wineries you’ve been wanting to visit. Suggestion: Solune WineGrowers in Grass Valley (Nevada County).

Not every winemaker has the advantage of bringing the world’s “best practices” to his winemaking. Jacques Mercier of Solune Winegrowers has done that, thanks to an extensive background as a trained sommelier and an esteemed wine judge. From tasting and judging wines around the world – Spain, the Douro, Mendoza, Switzerland, France – he’s gathered wisdom from observation and from other wine judges who are winemakers. The result: award winning wines from his own vineyard and winery.

Jacques and wife Andrea bought their property in Grass Valley in 2001: 15 acres with a house, barn, a 3 acre vineyard in place and another 7 acres that could be planted to vines. “We decided to name our winery Solune, which is a combination of the French words for sun (soleil) ad moon (lune),” explained Jacques.

At 2600 foot elevations where many of his vines grow, he knows that every little valley has its own microclimate. Initially, Jacques planted 24 varieties and at the end of his first decade, he has 11 reliable varieties.

Jacques’ winemaking style is very hands-on. He has an East Coast palate, and fine tunes every wine he makes. “I pay careful attention to the acidity,” he says. “I think that a lot of California wine is too flabby. I make careful decisions about when to harvest; I pick my grapes to give my wines a smooth yet rich quality.”

At 1500 cases now, he wants to keep small in order to keep quality high. Jacques is looking forward to a 50/50 ratio of juice from his own estate vineyards and grapes that he buys in from selected Foothill growers. “If I don’t like my own wines, I’ll throw it out. I can’t hype anything. Solune will produce good wine, smooth wine, great food wine,” he said.

What to taste? Last season when I was tasting at Solune, I had a wonderful Port. I don’t see it for sale on their website now, but ask about it. Try these:

The 2008 Barbera, Sierra Foothills, has intense red berry flavors and aromas, great balance, silky texture, long finish, and this vintage is unoaked, with a hint of smokiness due to the 2008 forest fires. $25 the bottle.

The 2007 Fleur de Lune, Sierra Foothills, is an off-dry blend that combines Muscat Blanc, Orange Muscat and Gewurztraminer. I like the touch of sweetness, which Jacques notes is perfectly balanced by a vibrant acidity, providing a refreshing finish. $20 the bottle.

The 2006 Cinq Etoiles, Sierra Foothills, is a classic five-varietal Bordeaux blend. The website has a great description: Cabernet Sauvignon leads the flavor profile with black currant and plum, Petit Verdot adds color and structure, and the Merlot smooths the texture and brings spicy flavors and a hint of tobacco leaf. Cabernet Franc brightens the nose with a whiff of flowers and the Malbec helps to fill the mid-palate with a fruity lushness. $20 the bottle.

Solune is located at 16303 Jewett Lane (Colfax Hwy), Grass Valley. Open for tastings Saturday & Sunday from 12 to 5. If you want to visit during the week, call 530-271-0990 and perhaps they can arrange a time.

Sierra Foothill Wine Region- Hotbed of Wine Experimentation

2011-09-22T13:51:00.000-07:00

Walking amongst the 14 El Dorado winery tasting stands in South Lake Tahoe, I hailed my friend and mentor, John MacCready of Sierra Vista Winery, Placerville. Under a canopy on Ski Run Way in the early September sun, he poured his fine wines, wife Barbara at his side. Yes, he admitted modestly, he had a role in encouraging this first-ever "Sample the Sierra" event. But of course, that is typical of John, who after all was one of the pioneers of winemaking in the Sierra foothills.

You can read about John on other of my blogposts, but he deserves accolades for another great vintage of fine wines. The 2010 Viognier has a medium straw color with lovely fragrances of honeysuckle, rose petals and citrus blossoms. Tastes of peaches and apricots are balanced with a rich texture and a bright level of acidity. 13.7 per cent alcohol, $18 the bottle.

The Sierra foothill wine region is a hotbed of wine experimentation. For example, Brian Bumgarner of Bumgarner Winery, Camino, poured wonderful Barbera sourced from Placerville’s Stone Vineyard from a tap in a wooden box. Normally I am an all-natural cork gal, but I was surprised at how fresh this wine tasted. Because of the packaging format, however, you can only taste the Barbera in his tasting room on his Silver Fork label and packaged in a refillable 750 ml wine bottle. “Bring your clean bottles back and get a credit on your next purchase. This is sustainable wine making in practice at your local winery! “ Brian noted. Brian poured other nice wines, and these you can buy by the bottle. The Bumgarner 2008 Pinot Noir has an aroma of strawberry and rose petal, s nose redolent of strawberry with subtle rose petal. You can also get a bit of smokiness from this wine; remember those forest fires that put some haze in the region in 2008? 14.1 per cent alcohol, $27 the bottle.

Always a pleasure to meet a female winemaker, and Debbie Knutzon of Synapse Wines, Placerville, is a molecular biologist by background. This accounts for the Synapse Wines logo: a junction of two nerve cells – a metaphor for family and friends coming together. Debbie learned winemaking by shadowing an experienced local winemaker, none other than John MacCready! She poured what she notes is their flagship wine, the 2006 Kspace Resonance Syrah, a deep rich syrah with mild blackberry and spice flavors. It’s won many Gold Medal awards! 14.5 per cent alcohol, $28 the bottle.

Lava Cap, Placerville, poured its 2007 Merlot Reserve, which recently won the Best of Class award in the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. It’s a medium-tannin wine, with structured ripe cherry notes, green apple, chocolate, and a nice clean balance to it. 14.8 per cent alcohol, $20 the bottle.

Shadow Ranch Winery, Fair Play, poured its 2008 Zinfandel. With a deep ruby color, and aroma of raspberry and cherry, this wine has a medium-full body, a nice tangy acidity and good depth. The finish has a hint of spice and a nice tannic structure. 14.5 per cent alcohol, $20 the bottle.

Jodar Vineyards & Winery, Placerville, poured its 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon. Aroma of black cherry and plum with toasty oak, vanilla and spice. Brown spice of clove, colarm, cedar on the finish. 13.7% alcohol, $22 the bottle.

Other El Dorado wineries pouring were Crystal Basin Cellars, Colibri Ridge Winery & Vineyard, Latcham Vineyards, Gold Hill Winery, DK Cellars, David Girard Vineyards, Madrona Vineyards, and Auriga Wine.

A great event, and I plan to go every year! Watch for it at www.samplethesierra.com or http://www.tahoechamber.org/.

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© 2011 Barbara Keck

For more information on dining and the wide range of activities around Lake Tahoe, see the online version of The Tahoe Weekly. This article appeared in my column "Wine Adventures" in September 2011.

Research in Process for Book on : "Mountain High Wine: The Sierra and Its Foothills".

Art and Wine Go Together

2011-09-15T20:35:00.000-07:00

Andy Skaff at Wolfdale's,
enjoying wine, showing
his plein air works

Art and wine just seem to go together. I see art in tasting rooms and wine festivals everywhere. My son Martin is the proud curator of an original Andy Skaff, and so naturally we attended the reception for plein air painter Andy Skaff at Wolfdale’s Restaurant in Tahoe City recently. While there, I tasted through Wolfdale’s nice wine-by-the-glass offerings, and asked Skaff why he thought art and wine were so integrally linked.

Andy paints outdoors
in his Tahoma studio
at Lake Tahoe

“There’s clearly a lifestyle connection ,” he said. “Consumers who appreciate a glass of wine also are consumers who appreciate the arts. I like to show my paintings in an atmosphere of fine wine and food, because just like wines are flavorful and nuanced, my paintings are pungent and saturated with color.” He paints with intent and concentration every day, and often has a glass of wine at 5 o’clock. “If I’m still painting then, it’s fine. If I am drinking a glass of hearty red wine, it will put me in a winter or fall frame of mind. If a pinot grigio, then I think of a hot summer day.”

High August Clouds

For Andy, the Sorelle Bronca Prosecco di Valdobbiandene DOCG Italy, brings to mind his work “High August Clouds.” “ A warm summer day, a nice bubbly wine, a good day doing hiking or painting or whatever you love to do … this is a wine I’d enjoy then,” he said. This Prosecco is a light sparkler, an extra dry wine from the Veneto region of northeast Italy. Prosecco grapes are blended with a small amount of Perera, Verdiso and Bianchetta grapes, all indigenous to the Veneto region. Straw yellow in color, bright flavors of pear, nectarine, vanilla and almond. A long satisfying finish. $9 a glass.

Late Summer Start
(Barbara Keck's fav!)

The Campagrande 2010 Orvieto Classico DOC Italy matches the mood of Skaff’s “Late Summer Start”. In this work, there are yellow tones in the emergent leaves and the nearby meadow. “I remember a fresh green scent as I did this painting,” said Skaff. The wine itself is yellowish with green highlights, and aromas recall flowers, pineapple, banana. Fresh and fragrant, savory and soft, pleasurable and easy to drink. 12 percent alcohol. $8 a glass.

The best-selling red wines on Wolfdale’s wine by the glass list are two fruit-forward California wines.

River Blues III

Skaff’s work “River Blues III”, one of his favorite works of the last three months, is a perfect pairing with the Steven Vincent 2009 Pinot Noir. “This is a Pinot Noir painting. I use considerable deep burgundy in this work, and the reflections in the water on this part of the Truckee near River Ranch during late afternoon in the summer show high summer colors.” This Pinot Noir is a beautiful dark ruby color, with tastes of blackberry, clove, cinnamon. Beautifully balanced with 50/50 grapes from Sonoma and the Central Coast, resulting in soft tannins. 14.2 percent alcohol, $9 the glass.

October Morning Light

An all time favorite for many, The Prisoner from winemaker Orin Swift, has a predominance of Zinfandel. The taste and aroma bring to mind a winter theme, says Skaff, and so his “October Morning Light” work is evoked.

“This painting is the richest painting I have on display at Wolfdale’s; it is very pungent, back lit and intense.” The Prisoner is a deep ruby-hued wine, almost opaque, with aroma and taste of black current, cherry, cassis and dark blackberry. It’s a massive wine on so many scales…at 15.2 percent alcohol, this yummy blend is deceptively easy to drink, so go slow. $15 the glass.

Through January 2012, Andy Skaff’s art is on display (and for sale) at Wolfdale’s, 640 North Lake Boulevard, Tahoe City. (530) 583-5700. You can also see Skaff’s work on his website at www.askaff.com.

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© 2011 Barbara Keck

For more information on dining and the wide range of activities around Lake Tahoe, see the online version of The Tahoe Weekly. This article appeared in my column "Wine Adventures" in September 2011.

Varied and Wonderful Choices at Wine on The Water at Incline's Hyatt Regency

2011-09-09T13:08:00.000-07:00

Sineaan Wines

The Wine on the Water event at the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe benefitted the Boys & Girls Club of North Lake Tahoe and gave the opportunity to taste wonderful wines and nibble on hallmark foods from some of Lake Tahoe’s best chefs. But I missed the effervescent presence of Hyatt’s renowned sommelier Kristi Snyder, who just arrived back from Pinot Camp in Oregon, so I guess I’ll hear about that some other time. The list of winery participants was a who’s who in great wines. So many lovely choices!

It was a sunny day and moderately hot there on the lawn near the Hyatt’s great Lone Eagle Grill restaurant, so starting with a sparkling wine was a good choice. The Domaine Ste. Michelle Brut is easy drinking. Some might call it an entry level sparkler, but it’s very flavorful and neither too dry nor too sweet. Aroma of apple and citrus, and citrus comes through in terms of flavor with a light toasty finish. Ste. Michelle is perhaps most famous for its Rieslings, but they have been making sparkling wine since the late 1970’s. This Brut clicks in at 11.5 percent alcohol, and retails for between $10-13 per bottle.

Keenan Winery from St. Helena is both solar powered and sustainably farmed, and in their last seven vintages, 38 of their wines were rated between 90-97 points by Robert Parker. Reilly Keenen, third generation, was spending his summer vacation from University of Oregon as the classic cellar-rat, which is the bottom of the rung in any winery and pretty much your best place to learn about winemaking from the ground up. He was happily pouring the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon. This nicely balanced wine was redolent of black fruit, and medium tannin on the finish. 14.3 percent alcohol $45/bottle. The 2009 Chardonnay sourced primarilyfrom Spring Mountain District vineyards had aroma of citrus, ripe pear and green apple, and taste of lush white peach with oak character. I enjoyed its crisp acidity and medium body. 1.39 percent alcohol, between $28-32/bottle.

The 2009 L’Ingenue from Elyse sources its fruit from Naggiar vineyards near Grass Valley in the Sierra Foothills. This is an exquisite white Rhone blend of 40% Roussane, 34% Marsanne, 20% Viognier and 6% Grenache Blanc. “Aromas of honeysuckle, lycee nuts, peaches and a hint of orange zest. Explosive fruit flavors,” notes the winemaker. 14.6 percent alcohol. $28/bottle.

Another lovely Rhone blend from Elyse is the 2007 C’Est Si Bon, also sourced from Naggiar vineyards. This red blend is a fruit, berry-flavored wine, with low tannin and, I confess, very much my favorite style in a Rhone blend. The blend is 46% Grenache, 26% Mourvedre, 18% Syrah, 5% Cinsault, 4% Counoise and 1% Viognier. I am a pushover for Châteauneuf-du-Pape lookalikes, and the Counoise grape is the grape is a key component of many of these wines. Legend has it that Counoise was introduced from Spain into France and it was offered it Pope Urban V when the papacy was based in Avignon in the mid-14th century. This yummy wine from Elyse is 14.4 percent alcohol, $28/bottle.

Sineaan poured its 2009 Oregon Pinot Noir, sourced from 6 different famous Oregon pinot vineyards: Resonance, Able, Yates Conwill, Maresh, Wyeast and Schindler. This is a spicy, rich and very delicious Pinot Noir, dark, aromatic and with great natural acidity. 13.6 percent alcohol, $30/bottle.

Laird’s Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc was the perfect end to a summer tasting, with its lovely pineapple flavor at the end of the palate. Aroma of apple, citrus and tropical fruits, and a hint of spearmint in the flavor too. 13.8 percent alcohol, $17/bottle.

The Hyatt Regency at Incline Village is located at 111 Country Club Drive, Incline Village, NV. All proceeds from this event are donated to the Boys & Girls Club of North Lake Tahoe.

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© 2011 Barbara Keck

For more information on dining and the wide range of activities around Lake Tahoe, see the online version of The Tahoe Weekly. This article appeared in my column "Wine Adventures" in September 2011.

Book in Process: "Mountain High Wine: The Sierra and Its Foothills".

Manzanita at Ritz Carlton Northstar- top of the Wine Adventure List!

2011-09-01T18:36:00.000-07:00

The wine experience at Manzanita, the fine dining restaurant at Ritz-Carlton in Northstar, is one of the highlights of wine adventures in the Lake Tahoe area. The enthusiasm of sommelier Gail Oversteg is contagious, and the expertise of chef Joseph Ramos in preparing dishes that enhance the wine experience is almost unbeatable.

At a recent tasting hosted by Steven Holt, market director-public relations for the Ritz Carlton Hotels of Northern California, I was simply in awe of the expertise of both Gail and Joseph. I think that you will be too.

We began with a toast of champagne, specifically the Laurent-Perrier Brut, Tours-Sur-Marne. Champagne is always a great way to begin any celebration, and its relatively low alcohol content (in this case, 12 percent) leaves room for more sipping and dining without that overly buzzed feeling. This champagne offers a fresh and delicate nose, hints of citrus and white fruit. Chardonnay is the predominant grape. Based in the picturesque village of Tours-sur-Marne, this champagne house is ideally located at the intersection between Champagne’s three foremost sub-regions: Montagne de Reims, Vallée de la Marne and Côte des Blancs. $24/glass, $95/bottle. Go ahead and celebrate! Oh by the way, it WAS my birthday.

A Portuguese Vinho Verde, Grinalda, is a white wine that paired perfectly with chef’s Dungeness Crab stuffed in squash blossoms topping a golden tomato gazpacho. Refreshing and light, this wine features taste of white peaches and pears, and is rich and crisp.11.5 percent alcohol, $9/glass, $36/bottle.

Hats off to the 2009 Penner-Ash Riesling from the Willamette Valley of Oregon. I loved its gentle acidity, aroma of tropical fruit, spicy and all about green apple tartness. A perfect pairing with scallop cerviche. 11.5 alcohol, $10/glass, $40/bottle.

For the vegetarians among you, I don’t think you can beat the 2009 Erste & Neue St. Magdalener "Grobnerhof" Sudtirol Alto Adige. It has a lot of spice, very peppery in fact and yet a light tannic structure. Grape varieties used to produce this dark ruby red wine are Vernatsch and Lagrein. Snooth.com notes that the St. Magdalener 'Gröbnerhof' goes very well with light Mediterranean dishes and also with spicy Asian dishes. 13 percent alcohol, $9/glass, $26/bottle.

For you lovers of BIG California Chardonnay, try the 2009 Four Hearts, Hartford Court Chardonnay , Russian River Valley. “It has an opulent Burgundian style,” explained Gail as she poured it, “with layers of flavor, and a balancee acidity.” This winery sources grapes from four vineyards, thus the “Four Hearts” designation, and it is rich, weighty and mineral-driven.14.4 percent alcohol, $18/glass, $70/bottle.

Tasting this chardonnay engendered a discussion with Gail about the pendulum-swing of style preference in wine. She believes, and so do I, that the French style of wine-making, often referred to as Old World, is coming back in consumer preference. Less and less as I sit at various wine bars for an evening with friends do I see people ordering those big oakey showy California/New World style whites. Bravo!

But enough about dinner and appetizer wines; let’s go directly to desserts. After all, it was my birthday! Thank you Gail for pouring the 2009 Brachetto d’Acqui, Piemonte. At 5.5 percent alcohol, I could have the whole bottle! It was so tasty with the housemade coconut ice cream, that I was tempted. $14/glass, $32/375-ml bottle.

To finish, bread pudding, my personal favorite, was served with a glass of Porto, Niepoort Colheita 1995. Didn’t even ask about the alcohol. Birthday. $22/glass.

Manzanita is located in the Ritz Carlton Northstar, 13031 Ritz-Carlton Highlands Court, Truckee, California 96161 USA Phone (530) 562-3000 for reservations or reserve on http://www.opentable.com/manzanita-inside-the-ritz-carlton-lake-tahoe

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© 2011 Barbara Keck

For more information on dining and the wide range of activities around Lake Tahoe, see the online version of The Tahoe Weekly. This article appeared in my column "Wine Adventures" in August/September 2011.

Book in Process: "Mountain High Wine: The Sierra and Its Foothills".

Wine Awards and Good Sommeliers at Wild Goose Restaurant on Lake TAhoe

2011-08-26T11:13:00.000-07:00

The Wild Goose, an open-to-the-public venue of the Tahoe Mountain Club, has an award-winning wine list and unbelievably wonderful food. Lou Phillips, an experienced sommelier with a great palate, recently joined wine expert Patrick Hedderman’s team at the Wild Goose.

“I’ve rarely had the opportunity to work with a wine list that is as deep and mature as this one at the Wild Goose,” Lou said as he poured us a glass of Prosecco Nino Franco “Rustico” NV Valdobbiadene, which is a perfect anytime sparkler of an off-dry prosecco in a true Brut style and well priced at $9 a glass. “At the same time, we’re not afraid to serve our guests wines from up-and-coming regions like the Sierra Foothills.”

In August, The Wine Spectator magazine recognized Wild Goose with its Award of Excellence, bestowed on restaurants that offer interesting wine selections that are appropriate to its cuisine and appeal to all wine lovers. Over 340 wines to select from at the Wild Goose and 4800 bottles on site, the list is divided between a regular and a reserve wine list. We tasted from the regular list, and primarily those in the wine-by-the-glass section.

A true gem is the 2003 Reisling from Dr. PaulyBergweiler Kabinett, which hails from the region of Mosel that could be termed a Golden Triangle. It has a classic aroma with a minerality which some liken to a petrol aroma, and on the back palate a mild white flower taste and honeydew and peach tones. A Kabinett is a high quality German Riesling made from fully ripened grapes, nice and light, semi-sweet with crisp acidity. If you have been drinking German Rieslings for a while, you might recognize this as a Mosel-Saar-Ruwer. Due to a change in wine labeling laws in Germany, it’s now just referred to by the overall Mosel term. Regardless of this quibbling, this wine paired well with Wild Goose’s house-made pretzels served with a mornay sauce, their very good Mac and Cheese, and dayboat scallops. $11 a glass.

The 2010 “Lucy” Rose of Pinot Noir from Lucia Vineyards, Santa Lucia Highlands, California, is a wine that is hand-crafted by the Pisoni family which produces small lots of exceptional wines in this cool-climate growing region of California. This rose offers a fresh acidity on the palate, and its light taste matches the light rose color. Wild Goose pairs it with a butter lettuce and strawberry salad, perfect for a soft summer evening. $10 a glass.

The Perry Creek “Altitude 2401” is a Sierra Foothills Zinfandel from El Dorado County. It is a plummy fruit-forward zinfandel with ripe, earthy, jammy flavor. Winemaker Stefan Tscheppe produced this reserve wine in an old-world style. Named after Perry Creek’s Fair Play Farms Vineyard's that have an average elevation of 2401 feet, only 1000 cases were made. Tasting notes from the www.perrycreek.com website echo my experience: “Exotic papaya and guava play with lively acidity and rich berry, spice and chocolate flavors. Exotic spices and cherries in the long and smooth finish. “ 14.9% alcohol. $35 the bottle at Wild Goose.

The 2009 Broadley Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, has aroma of raspberry and taste of black cherry with a lot of spice on the palate. It paired well with a scampi linguini containing capers and forest mushrooms, $14 the glass. And finally a Nigl Grüner Veltliner Eiswein 2003 Kremstal, an Austrian ice wine that is absolutely delicious. $15 the glass.

Wild Goose restaurant and bar is located at 7320 North Lake Blvd, Tahoe Vista, CA 96148. Open six evenings a week through mid-October, closed Tuesdays. Make reservations for dining via OpenTable or call (530) 546-3640. http://www.wildgoosetahoe.com/

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© 2011 Barbara Keck

For more information on dining and the wide range of activities around Lake Tahoe, see the online version of The Tahoe Weekly. This article appeared in my column "Wine Adventures" in August 2011.

Book in Process: "Mountain High Wine: The Sierra and Its Foothills".

Sierra Vintners Pull it All Together at Nevada City Tasting Event

2011-08-23T18:51:00.000-07:00

As a big booster of wines from the Sierra and its Foothills. I was delighted to go to the recent Sierra Vintners event held in Nevada City. Almost twenty wineries from Nevada and Placer County participated. Tasting tables were set up in a number of retail shops, hotels and restaurants – all within a short walk of one another. Brilliant. I suggest you get on the mailing list for an alert for future events: go to http://www.sierravintners.com/

Marilyn Szabo pours Primitivo

First stop was the tasting of Szabo wines. The 2008 Syrah is produced from estate grown grapes from their 40-acre vineyard at 2100 feet elevation that sits almost exactly halfway between Grass Valley and Nevada City, with views that include the Pacific Coastal Range and the Sutter and Sierra Buttes. The wine has taste and aroma of raspberry, vanilla and black tea. The tannins to my taste were relatively high, which is not unusual for Syrah. There’s a bit of smokiness or teriyaki on the back palate too. $23/bottle, 14.6 percent alcohol.

Frankly, I thought that the Szabo Primitivo was one of the best Foothill wines I’ve tasted in a long time. Primitivo and Zinfandel are closely related; in fact the two varieties have identical isozyme fingerprints. This 2008 Primitivo is redolent of plum, chili and allspice. $19/ bottle, 14.3 percent alcohol. Winery owners Marilyn and Sandor Szabo have done a great job; their first vintage was just in 2006. http://www.szabovineyards.com/

There’s some thought that Primitivo is a Croatian grape relative, but there’s not enough room in this column to go into that. However, this leads me to talk a bit about the intriguing wines of Rob and Marilyn Chrisman, owners of Avanguardia, on Jones Bar Road in Nevada City. Avanguardia specializes in hand-crafted artisan blends. Over 20 Italian, Russian, and French grapes and University of California varietal crosses are estate grown, many of which rootstocks were imported especially for them. They poured their Cristallo, a white wine blend where the dominant grape is the Georgian Rkatsiteli, a grape of high quality that is widely planted in eastern Europe but wines made from Rkatsiteli are seldom exported. At Avanguardia, it’s combined ( at about 70-90%) with Pinot Blanc, Pinot Grigio and Melon de Bourgogne. Melon is the sole variety in the Loire wine known as Muscadet, sometimes referred to as the quintessential “oyster wine”. This is a delicious wine, dry, crisp, taut, and relatively full-bodied; and the fruit flavors are of apples and pears. $14/bottle. 12.5 percent alcohol. http://www.avanguardiawines.com/

If you want an interesting discussion about the history of wine along with some lovely wines to taste, then you will want to go visit Sierra Knolls Vineyards just south of Grass Valley near Lake of the Pines. and chat with John Chase, one of the owners. John is an interesting guy, also keen on alternative energy topics, and Sierra Knolls was one of the first 100% solar powered wineries in the Foothills. They are guided in their winemaking by Mike Foster from Nevada City Winery, and feature handcrafted small lot wines. Their 2006 Sangiovese is a terrific Italian varietal, with a nice spiciness. At $16 a bottle, 13.5 percent alcohol, you might want to stock up. http://www.sierraknollswinery.com/

Bent Metal's Scott Brown
pours his great Viognier

David Winn of Coufos Cellars
pours Buffo Blanc, Rhone blend

Other notable wines
I tasted:

Naggiar Vineyards 2009 Mistero, a blend of 60% zinfandel, 30% sangiovese, 10% syrah, nicely fruit-forward. $22/bottle, 14.5 percent alcohol. http://www.naggiarvineyards.com/

Coufos Cellars Buffo Blanc 2008, a white Rhone varietal blend of 40% Marsanne, 40% Roussanne and 20% Viognier. Tropical fruits, spice at the end. $17/bottle, 14.5 percent alcohol. http://www.coufoscellars.com/

Bent Metal Winery’s 2009 Viognier, fruit forward with a great mouthfeel and smooth finish. $21/bottle, 15.2 percent alcohol. http://www.bentmetalwinery.com/

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© 2011 Barbara Keck

For more information on dining and the wide range of activities around Lake Tahoe, see the online version of The Tahoe Weekly. This article appeared in my column "Wine Adventures" in August 2011.

Book in Process: "Mountain High Wine: The Sierra and Its Foothills".

Skinner Vineyards in Fair Play-El Dorado County is Worth a Visit

2011-08-11T11:41:00.000-07:00

The Fair Play AVA is unbelievably beautiful right now, and an afternoon at Skinner Vineyards is a perfect way to experience these delights. The new Tasting Room at this new winery in the Fair Play AVA of El Dorado County features a state-of-the-art GreenTech winery, as well. The Skinner heritage in the wine business goes back to 1861 in El Dorado County.

Winemaker Chris Pittenger (left) and
Tasting Room Manager Ryan Skinner

The Skinner family has both a passion for winemaking in the Foothills and a dedication to continuing the Skinner winemaking tradition there. The new winery was designed with care to encompass many forward-thinking eco features. Winemaker Chris Pittenger often escorts visitors through the winery and vineyard manager Bryan Rahn has created a first-class vineyard, the Stoney Creek Vineyard, and you may have an opportunity to walk through there, too.

Skinner Vineyard’s winery is primarily solar powered; they installed a 55 kW PV system. They also situated the building so the sun side (south) maximizes the solar-power generating potential, and the solar panels line up to give the largest potential area for sun exposure.

In the winery, they strategically situated the barrel rooms on the north, more-shady side, of the building for better energy efficiency. Each of the four barrel rooms and the main cellar were built with temperature-controlled sensors, which allows for cooling to be supplied by the cool outside air.

All of the fermentation tanks are located within the winery, rather than being isolated outside. This simple design reduces energy costs significantly. The result is the use of much less electricity in order to keep the must and wines at a stable temperature in the tanks. The trellising systems optimize fruit temperatures, and the rows are run up and down the hills to minimize soil disturbance during development, preserving the topsoil and improving erosion control.

Skinner’s flagship wine is its Eighteen Sixty-One. This is a Rhône-style blend, a red wine made in the style of a Châteauneuf-du-Pap.

The vineyard’s warm days and cool nights, coupled with its well-draining granitic soils, provide the ideal growing conditions for Rhône varietals. Skinner Vineyards' current collection includes 10 Rhône grape varieties, in addition to several legacy grapes grown by James Skinner himself. The first releases included a 2007 Viognier and 2007 Syrah, both made with fruit sourced from the Skinner family’s Stoney Creek Vineyard, and also a 2008 Grenache and 2008 Grenache-based Rosé from El Dorado. Skinner Vineyards offers another Rhône-style blend – the Seven Generations white wine, a blend of Roussanne, Marsanne and Viognier.

Mike Skinner, co-owner with wife Carey Skinner, has inherited his ancestor’s passion for growing high-quality grapes and producing premium wines that reflect the unique spirit and heritage of the Sierra Foothills. The Skinner family set out to reestablish the family legacy by planting vines just a short drive from the original vineyard location. In keeping with the spirit of the original ranch and distillery, Mike and Carey designed the new winery in Fair Play by using a drawing dating back to 1885 and the old sepia photographs as their inspiration. The adjoining tasting room, situated at 2,700’, has a breathtaking 360-degree view of the majestic foothill landscape; perfect for enjoying a glass of wine while viewing the snow-peaked Sierra during winter or the rolling acres of green vines during spring and summer. For more information and tasting room hours, call (530) 620-2220 or visit http://www.skinnervineyards.com/

Disclosure: I assisted Skinner Vineyards with marketing communications for their grand opening in May 2011.

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© 2011 Barbara Keck

For more information on dining and the wide range of activities around Lake Tahoe, see the online version of The Tahoe Weekly. This article appeared in my column "Wine Adventures" in August 2011.

Book in Process: "Mountain High Wine: The Sierra and Its Foothills".

Vins du Languedoc: Great Tastes, Fabulous Values

2011-08-05T09:41:00.000-07:00

One of the best wine tasting events I’ve been to all year was the one featuring Languedoc AOC wines, where I tasted wines made from grapes that were unfamiliar to me and learned about the fascinating history of this wine region.

Below is a look at just a few of the 31 wines that were poured. I was impressed with the aroma, taste and food-friendliness of all that I tasted.

Chateau du Donjon’s 2010 Rosé comes from a vineyard situated in Minervois, one of the oldest wine-producing areas in Languedoc. Owned by the same family for 500 years, winemaker Jean Panis produced a ripe, soft and aromatic wine composed of 30% Syrah, 30% Cinsault, 40% Grenache. A lovely pink-salmon color, the aroma is a fruit bowl of strawberries, red cherries and red plums. The flavor is intense and echoes the fruit aroma, and the finish is dry and well balanced. 12.5 percent alcohol. Average internet price (wine-searcher.com) is $14.

Domaine la Croix Chaptal, Les Terrasses Rouge, 2007 is produced on an estate that formerly belonged to Gellone Abbey, founded in 804. Winemaker Charles Pacaud’s red wine combines Grenace and Carignan with a touch of Syrah. The taste is of dark fruits that follow the aroma of cherry and perhaps coffee. It is spicy and fresh, and representative of the Terrasses du Larzac area wines. This growing area is in the western part of the rural district of Saint Andre de Sangonis, about 20 miles northwest of Montpellier, a popular tourist destination due to old abbeys and natural caves. Alcohol is low: 13 percent “because we have an especial terroir which expresses the grapes and so we have flavor at lower alcohol,” according to Pacaud. Price around $20 a bottle. Distributed by www.usawinewest.com or call (415) 331-4906 to find out where to buy it; it’s worth the hunt.

Piquepoul is a wine grape with which I wasn’t familiar before this tasting. About 3,000 acres of the light-skinned Piquepoul blanc are cultivated in France, and it is one of the oldest domestic grape varieties in Languedoc. Although the name means “lip stinger” because these grapes have high acidity, I enjoyed the Domaine Felines Jourdan, Blanc 2009, Grand Vins du Languedoc. Aroma of white flower, a bit frizzante and a clear crisp taste. Delightful. 13 percent alcohol. $11 the bottle. You can find it at several California wine shops via www.wine-searcher.com

Chateau des Karantes, Blanc, 2009, AOC Languedoc, is a blend of 54 percent Bourboulenc, 14 percent vermentino, 16 percent Roussane and 16 percent Grenache Blanc. The result is a wine with aroma and taste of honey, lemon, fruit tones of apricot, a long finish and a nice balance between the fruit and acidity. Again, a new grape experience for me: Bourboulenc. Korbrand’s Web site notes that “Bourboulenc is an extremely old grape variety which is thought to have originated in Greece where it was known as the Asprokondoura. A late-ripening variety, it tends toward leanness and neutrality, but when picked at optimum maturity it retains high natural acidity and shows fresh citrus qualities with floral notes.” 13 percent alcohol. $30 by the bottle. Imported by Eagle Eye Imports at www.eagleeyebrands.com or call (248) 396-3589.

For more information about the Languedoc region, visit www.languedoc-wines.com.

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© 2011 Barbara Keck

For more information on dining and the wide range of activities around Lake Tahoe, see the online version of The Tahoe Weekly. This article appeared in my column "Wine Adventures" in August 2011.

Book in Process: "Mountain High Wine: The Sierra and Its Foothills".

Languedoc, located in the South of France, is the world‘s largest wine growing region and one of the oldest wine growing regions in France. “Today’s Languedoc is France’s wine frontier,” notes the Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins du Languedoc, which sponsored the tasting. “Pioneering producers are employing both time-honored traditions and new techniques to craft wines of remarkable style and character, as well as excellent value.”

2011-08-01T20:43:00.000-07:00

A rose might be a rose might be a rose, but a Rosé wine… now those are different from one another! Here are some you might try.

Rodney, a recent dinner guest, brought a Rosé from Uncorked in Tahoe City: Juliette’s Dazzle, a 2010 Pinot Grigio Rosé from Colan & Weiss Cellars. Grapes came from Horse Heavens Hills and the Wahluke Slope, Columbia Valley, WA. I wasn’t wild about the wax overcap on this bottle (a real pain to remove!) but the wine was fantastic. Bottle notes:”A special block of Pinot Grigio at the Benches Vineyard was left to hang until it developed a bright tint, then slowly fermented.” A nice dry rose, 13.0 percent alcohol. $20 the bottle at Uncorked.

The recent Rosé Avengers and Producers tasting in San Francisco featured a number of Rosés you might want to experience.

A perfect beginners Rosé was the 2010 Isabel Mondavi Deep Rosé, a real cotton-candy of a wine made from Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. Alcohol is 13 percent. $15 the bottle. http://www.imwines.com/

A nice fizzy Rosé, perfect for an aperitif, is the Elyssia NV Pinot Noir Brut from Freixenet USA. Yep, the same folks who make that nice champagne! This is a blend of 85% Pinot Noir and 15% Trepat. This Spanish Cava is easy going, nicely balanced and medium in body, with a strawberry-raspberry-spice taste and a dry and refreshing finish. The Freiexenet website notes that Trepat is an indigenous grape to the region, with only 1,000 hectares of thie grape grown. “Trepat needs a specific soil and can be found close to the coastal regions of the Penedés due to the unique climates there. It is used only for rosado cavas.” 11.5 percent alcohol. $18 the bottle.

Left to Right, Urban Legend and
Six Sigma winemakers.

Six Sigma Ranch, Lower Lake, CA, produces 2010 Marianne’s Rosé, using only Syrah grapes from the vineyard planted in 2008 near the winery’s Diamond Mine Vineyard, Lake County. It has an amazing bright red color, and after a bit of time in French oak, the flavor reflects bright red fruits and spices, candied apples and raspberries. A nice crisp finish. Only one barrel was produced. This wine is limited to the winery’s wine club members… and that might be a good reason to join. 14.5 percent alcohol. $24 the bottle. www.sixsigmaranch.com

Urban Legend Cellars poured its 2010 Rosato di Barbera. Grapes for this wine were sourced in Clarksburg; the winery is in Oakland. “The flavor is all about strawberries. It’s not sweet but not too tart with a surprisingly silky feel. There’s a little bit of lemonade on the finish that keeps it incredibly refreshing,” notes the website. 13.8 percent alcohol. $18 the bottle. www.ulcellars.com

Finally, Terre Rouge Vin Gris d’Amador: This is a dry rosé that’s excellent as an aperitif and with a variety of appetizers. You might try this easy recipe for Goat Cheese Spread with sun-dried tomatoes and capers, concocted by Jane O'Riordan, an owner at Domaine de la Terre Rouge, Amador County.

Jane O'Riordan of
Terre Rouge

Sun-dried Tomato Goat Cheese Spread
Makes about 3 cups. Keeps 4-5 days in refrigerator.

3 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbl. sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil
6-8 oz. fresh-style goat cheese, Montrachet or California log

12 oz. cream cheese

1 Tbl. Capers

In bowl of food processor fitted with a steel blade, puree the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes. Cut the cheeses into small hunks and add to bowl. Pulse/process until all the cheese is blended into a smooth spread with no white lumps. Add the capers and pulse briefly to mix. Scrape into a pretty serving bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve surrounded by crackers, toasted baguettes or sliced bread.

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© 2011 Barbara Keck

For more information on dining and the wide range of activities around Lake Tahoe, see the online version of The Tahoe Weekly. This article appeared in my column "Wine Adventures" in late July 2011.

Book in Process: "Mountain High Wine: The Sierra and Its Foothills".

Tahoe Yacht Club Winemaker Dinners Feature Unique Wines and Wineries

2011-08-01T20:09:00.000-07:00

lef to right, Erik Miller of
Kokomo Wines, Andreas
Papaliolios of VinoClast

There’s a very wine savvy young man, Andreas Papaliolios, who is guiding the Tahoe Yacht Club into a wine program including winemakers dinners that are outstanding. Andreas has a wonderful palate and a taste for the unusual wine and an interest in independent-thinking winemakers. So it was with delight that I attended the Kokomo Wines dinner at the Yacht Club recently.

In part, the delight comes from hobnobbing with a fellow Hoosier, namely owner/winemaker Erik Miller, and in part from enjoying the fine job of paired foods due to the skill of guest chef Scott Yorkey of Tahoe City’s Jake’s-on-the-Lake.

Kokomo Wines is a Sonoma County winery that produces 5000 cases total of some very good wines. We started nibbling appetizers with a 2010 Grenache Rose, with fruit sources from Pauline’s Vineyard in Sonoma. This light and refreshing rose had both aroma and taste of strawberry and red grapefruit. Winemaker Miller attributed the dryness of this rose to the gravelly soils in the Dry Creek area, and also the fact that he decided to go with a cool fermentation process, essentially treating it like a white wine. 14.1 percent alcohol. Only 150 cases made, just released in May 2011. $20 the bottle.

The Kokomo 2009 Chardonnay, Peter's Vineyard, Russian River Valley, was served with a halibut cerviche stack with salmon carpaccio. This Chardonnay has tremendous balance and complexity. Winemaker Miller notes that this is one of the last fruits they harvest each year, as the vineyard is ten miles off the Pacific Coast and these grapes ripen late. “We’ve been told that this is a far west as you can ripen Chardonnay,” Miller said, “and so these grapes have a lot of hang time.” In the winemaking process, Miller decided to keep this wine in French oak for 16 months, resulting in a very creamy chardonnay with a nice citric bite and some interesting acidity on the side palate. 14.5 percent alcohol. $28 the bottle.

A pheasant roulade was the next course, served with a 2008 Pinot, Peter’s Vineyard, Sonoma Coast. This is a winemaker’s reserve wine, truly scrumptious and worth the price ($48 a bottle, only 485 cases produced) . Erik Miller’s grower-partner in the enterprise, Randy Peters, manages the vineyard that produced the grapes for this wine. The vineyard is a former Granvenstein Apple orchard that was replanted in the early 80's by Randy. The wine is redolent of intense black fruit, with mellow tannins on the top palate, a tinge of smokiness, vanilla and spice. 14.1 percent alcohol.

Kokomo’s 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon is also a winemaker’s reserve selection. Grapes were sourced from the Mountainview Ranch in Dry Creek Valley, and it is a jammy jammy jammy cab that paired perfectly with the braised bison short ribs over polenta. Taste and aroma or Blackberry, black cherry, the wine offers a nice tannin on the mid palate as it opens up. Fermented in stainless and then put in 100% French Oak barrels for 20 months. Only 145 cases were made. 14.5 percent alcohol, $45 the bottle.

Finishing the event, the 2008 Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanch from the Timber Creek Vineyard was the perfect dessert wine, sweet but light . Apricot, honey and a little honeysuckle flavor was ideal with the Stilton bleu cheese and Fiji apple serve over basil sorbet. 11.8 percent alcohol, $28 the bottle.

Kokomo Wines is located at 4791 Dry Creek Road, Healdsburg, CA (Sonoma County). www.kokomowines.com

Interested in a tour or membership in the Tahoe Yacht Club? Contact general manager Marianna Dye at (530) 581-4700 or stop by at 700 North Lake Blvd. 2nd Floor in Tahoe City.

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© 2011 Barbara Keck

For more information on dining and the wide range of activities around Lake Tahoe, see the online version of The Tahoe Weekly. This article appeared in my column "Wine Adventures" in July 2011.

Book in Process: "Mountain High Wine: The Sierra and Its Foothills".

Barbera: Food-Friendly Wine from the Sierra Foothills

2011-07-24T07:02:00.000-07:00

Dick Cooper, "The Godfather of Barbera", who hosted
the Festival at his vineyard in Amador, shares a glass
of wine with Barbara Keck

I’m fond of Barbera, and it’s not simply because it’s one wine varietal that I can pronounce easily. Weekly editor Katherine Hill and I went to the first-ever Barbera Festival in June in Plymouth, CA, on the grounds of Cooper Vineyards. Along with the fun music and food tents, the event was truly festive: more than 80 California wineries and a few Italian ones poured for an enthusiastic crowd of 1500.

Barbera originated in the Piemonte region of northern Italy. It was first imported into California in 1884 and the Italian Swiss Colony Winery used Barbera for several of its table wines. After prohibition, a wine labeled as Barbera was produced by Louis Martini in 1954. Today about 7000 acres are planted in California and Barbera is produced by nearly 200 California wineries.

The wineries of the Sierra Foothills are producing great Barbera, and it is a food-friendly wine that you will enjoy. It is characterized by structured acidity, smooth tannins, dark pigments, bright fruit flavor (spice and chocolate too), and it ages nicely – if only you don’t drink all of this scrumptious wine right away!

To my palate, here are some of the best and most interesting Barberas and Barbera-blends sampled at the festival:

Andis Wines

Andis Wines (Plymouth, Amador County, CA) poured its 2009 Andis Barbera. I found it rich and deep, aroma of plum predominating and taste of raspberry, black cherry, and cranberry with a lingering finishing of black cherry and a bit of spiciness. Grapes were sourced from the upper reaches of a hillside vineyard in Amador County’s Shenandoah Valley region. 15.5 percent alcohol. $24 the bottle. http://www.andiswines.com/

Pilot Peak at Barbera Festival

The 2008 Barbera from Pilot Peak Winery (Penn Valley, Nevada County, CA) is a medium-bodied wine with a smoothness in the mouth. It has the classic Barbera crisp fruit flavor of cherry and raspberry. Nice and balanced, it has a lingering finish. Fruit for this wine came from Placer County’s Duarte Vineyards. 13.7 percent alcohol. $25 the bottle. http://www.pilotpeak.com/

Avio Vineyards (Sutter Creek, Amador County, CA) offered its yummy 2008 Barbera for tasting. Aroma of black fruit such as blueberry and blackberry, maybe a hint of mint. On the palate, a delightful juiciness. Stefano and Lisa Watson, owners, say that this wine is “our favorite anytime, any meal, going to the neighbors after a long workday wine It’s rich without being aggressive, our Barbera is simply delicious with your favorite comfort (or take out) foods. “ 14.7 percent alcohol. $28 the bottle. http://www.aviowine.com/

The 2008 Estate Barbera from Lava Cap (Placerville, El Dorado County) is a classic, and, I confess, the Barbera that I tasted last summer that made me a Barbera convert. Winemaker Tom Jones offers these notes: “Lava Cap Barbera Reserve has a complex aroma of dark red cherry fruit, spicy with foresty herbs and a dash of licorice. The velvety taste of strawberry and plum are complimented by the white pepper finish.”. Grapes are sourced from their steep, west facing vineyard and to augment the depth and complexity of flavors, Tom added 8% Petite Sirah, 10% Sangiovese and 6% Zinfandel Reserve. 14.7 percent alcohol. $20 the bottle. They also offered samples of the 2009 Barbera, a very-berry yummy wine that is being bottled soon. http://www.lavacap.com/

Other tasty Barberas we tried:

• Boitano Family Wines (Mokelumne Hill, Calaveras County) - a wonderful 2006 Barbera that won a “Best of Show” at the 2008 Amador County Fair.

• Borjon Winery (Plymouth, Amador County) - a 2007 Barbera with 5% Zin blended in

• Easton Wines (Plymouth, Amador County) – a delightful Barbera with grapes sourced from the Cooper Ranch

• Latcham Vineyards & Granite Spring Winery (Somerset, El Dorado County) the 2008 Special Reserve Barbera

I look forward to the next festival! Many thanks to Cooper Vineyards for hosting!

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© 2011 Barbara Keck

For more information on dining and the wide range of activities around Lake Tahoe, see the online version of The Tahoe Weekly. This article appeared in my column "Wine Adventures" in July 2011.

Book in Process: "Mountain High Wine: The Sierra and Its Foothills".

Toast and Taste of Summer: Atlantis Casino (Reno) Hosts Charity Event with Fine Wines

2011-07-22T08:11:00.000-07:00

There are more than 7600 bonded wineries in the USA, and more than 3300 in California alone. So it is no surprise that I run into many wines from wineries that are new to me. I have to give credit to the organizers of the recent Toast and Taste of Summer event held at the Atlantis Casino Report Spa in Reno for finding 58 very compelling wineries to include in this interesting tasting event.

The function was a fundraiser for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and featured gourmet food pairings from 17 restaurants including Lake Tahoe’s Sunnyside Resort, Wild River Grille, and Wolfdale’s, and also the new Campo soon to open in downtown Reno under the guidance of Mark Estee, executive chef at Moody’s in Truckee.

Among the wines I tasted was the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon from Mi Sueño Winery, Napa, CA. “The 2007 vintage for Napa Valley Cabernet can be summed up in one word, "STRUCTURE". When compared to 2006, slightly cooler temperatues not only produced noticeably smaller berries but also allowed for extended hangtime and enhanced flavor development. For fans of Big, Muscalur, Age-worthy, Powerful Cabernets, this is the vintage for you,” explained Tom Bracamontes, Director of Sales and Marketing as he proudly poured this great wine. Aroma of dark fruit, licorice, fig, and espresso greet you as you taste this full bodied and concentrated wine. Flavors of black fruit, chocolate, vanilla spice and oak work together with great acidity and a nice tannin structure. Only 850 cases produced . 14.5% alcohol. $65/bottle. http://www.misueonowinery.com/

Mt. Vernon Vineyard, Auburn (Placer County, Sierra Foothills), presented its Cuvee Blanc, a 50/50 blend of Viognier and Roussane. This wine, just released, was cold fermented with its own indigenous wild yeast for 32 days. This is a field blend created by winemaker Ryan Taylor. Aroma of honeysuckle, a crispness and a creamy finish characterized this wine. Only 240 cases made. 13.9% alcohol, $25/bottle. www.mtvernonwinery.com

Frogs Tooth Vineyards, Murphys (Calaveras County, Sierra Foothills), poured their flagship wine, the 2009 Pinot Grigio. It’s a perfect summer wine: it is delicate and fragrant, a bit floral, a flavor of lemon, and is a nice rich, round full-bodied white wine. 14.5% alcohol. $16/bottle. http://www.frogstooth.com/

The 2009 Wirsching Silvaner Dry was offered for tasting by Rudi Wiest Selections, a leading importer of fine German wines into the US market. The limestone in the soil of this vineyard shows through with a light citrusy flavor and a bit of frizzante too. Perfect with raw fish such as sushi, and other fish dishes. 12.5% alcohol, $12/bottle. http://www.rudiwiest.com/

The 2009 Chardonnay from Michael Sullberg Wines, Healdsburg CA (Sonoma County), is a Barrel Select blend of grapes from several micro climates, 95% of which grapes were sourced from the Monetery Peninsula’s Central Coast AVA, mostly from the San Bernarby Vineyard. It is crisp and tropical in taste, with aroma of apple and pear, and a buttery finish on the palate. 13% alcohol, $10/bottle. http://www.michaelsullbergwines.com/

Paso Robles winery Kukkula’s Vaalea white Rhone blend is a crisp wine that shows a nice orchard fruitiness and juicy acidity all the way through. It is 50/50 Viognier and Rousanne, with aroma of peach, melon and pear and a gentle spicy finish. 14.2% alcohol, $20/bottle. www.kukkulawine.com

The Atlantis Casino Resort Spa is located at 3800 S. Virginia St. Reno, NV 89502. It features the Atlantis Steakhouse, an upscale dining restaurant with a wonderful wine list. Open Wednesday to Sunday, 5PM to 10PM. Reservations call 775.824.4430 http://www.atlantiscasino.com/

The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International is dedicated to finding a cure for type 1 diabetes and its complications. For more information, go to http://www.jdrf.org/

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© 2011 Barbara Keck

For more information on dining and the wide range of activities around Lake Tahoe, see the online version of The Tahoe Weekly. This article appeared in my column "Wine Adventures" in July 2011.

Book in Process: "Mountain High Wine: The Sierra and Its Foothills".

Celebrating California's Cabernet Sauvignon

2011-07-22T07:23:00.000-07:00

I have a wine savvy friend who doesn’t like Cabernet. I can understand that – not everyone wants that tannin experience in the mouth, what is often described as “little wooly sweaters pulled onto your teeth.”

But Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the great wines of the California experience, and there is much to celebrate. That’s why, next year you might want to maker sure you are in town (San Francisco) for the yearly California Cabernet Society tasting. Get on their mailing list at www.californiacabernetsociety.com.

The 2011 tasting, held at the beautiful Bently Reserve building, featured 62 wineries from many AVAs in California, all producers of Bordeaux grapes and wines. The Bently Reserve was a fitting location for this prestigious tasting; this building at 400 Sansome Street in San Francisco was formerly the Old Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, built in 1924 with an Ionic colonnade that is pure Beaux-Arts.

Lots of wonderful Cabernet s were featured, but right away I must rave about the 2008 Napa Valley “Four Soil Melange” Cabernet Sauvignon from Sequum. The fruit of this wine is lively and integrated, with a bright flavor. The grapes for this wine are harvested from four distinct Napa Valley vineyards located in four separate appellations: Spring Mountain, Stag’s Leap,Rutherford and St. Helena. Winemaker Paul Skinner encourages the wines to express their terroir, and the result is wonderful. 325 cases of this wine were produced. 14.2% alcohol, $40 the bottle. http://www.sequum.com/

Star Lane Vineyard, located at the far eastern end of the Santa Ynez Valley, featured two wines. The 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon is a blend of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot and 1% Malbec. The winemaker’s notes: “Licorice accented black cherry and cassis fruit gives way to sweet herb and mocha shadings. On the palate the wine is full yet fresh, and there is a vibrancy to the fruit character that is unique to the ’06 vintage. A very tightly wound, high-strung wine upon bottling, the 2006 Star Lane Cabernet has opened itself up into a fresh and striking mouthful that begs both immediate enjoyment and long term cellaring.” 15.1% alcohol. $42 the bottle.
The 2006 Star Lane Astral Cabernet Sauvignon tasted a bit rough at this time, but will cellar for later use very well. The blend is 52% Cabernet Franc, 28% Petit Verdot and 20% Cabernet Franc. The mountain fruit really shines through here (the vineyards are at 1600 feet elevation) and this wine is herbaceous like many Santa Ynez Cabs, full-bodied and rich, with nice tannins, and flavor of cherries, chocolate and cedar. 15% alcohol, $80 the bottle. http://www.starlanevineyard.com/

Kenefick Ranch Winery, Calistoga, poured its 2007 Cabernet Franc, Caitlin’s Select. Only 747 cases of this wine were made, and its composition is 100% estate grown fruit, with 91% Cabernet Franc, 6% merlot and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon. The aroma is dark chocolate, Maraschino cherry and fresh raspberries. Black cherry comes through on the palate, with a bit of vanilla. Robert Parker gave this wine 91 points. 15.2% alcohol, $52 the bottle. http://www.kenefickranch.com/

Justin Winery poured their 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon, a new release. Their website tasting notes echo my experience with the wine: “offers a merge of red and black fruits, delicate spiciness from carefully selected American oak barrels, and deep brooding opaque color. A meaty entry gives way to a generous back palate of supple but not shy tannins, a graceful flow across the palate, and a fine, debonair finish.” 14.5% alcohol, $26 the bottle. http://www.justinwine.com/

The California Cabernet Society seeks to expand worldwide regard and appreciation for California Cabernet varietals. For more information, call 707 252 6229 or visit their website at www.californiacabernetsociety.com

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© 2011 Barbara Keck

For more information on dining and the wide range of activities around Lake Tahoe, see the online version of The Tahoe Weekly. This article appeared in my column "Wine Adventures" in July 2011.

Book in Process: "Mountain High Wine: The Sierra and Its Foothills".

Pour House Wine Shop in Truckee features "Bullseye Tasting" to Assist Customers in Refining Their Wine Choices

2011-07-19T12:33:00.000-07:00

One of the wonderful things about The Pour House wine shop and winebar in Truckee is that they help customers figure out what wine really suits his or her individual palate. No more wandering around, deciding what to buy on the basis of label design or promotional pricing – Dean Schaecher and Christa Finn, proprietors, will assure you walk out with a bottle of wine that you’ll really love.

I know this sounds like a tall order, but the standard procedure at The Pour House is to introduce a new customer to this education via a “bullseye tasting.” Four wines are poured, and by tasting those four, you’ll hone in on what you really like in terms of fruit, tannin, balance and weight. “We talk to customers while they are going through this process, and this helps remove the pretention of labels. Then, combined with price, and what you want to do with the wine (sit on deck, roast a chicken), the perfect bottle emerges,” says Dean.

The day I stopped by The Pour House, four interesting wines were on the tasting program. All are available to taste, as well as by the glass and for purchase by the bottle.

The 2009 Cotes du Rhone from Alain Jaume is a French Haut de Brun. This garnet-red wine is a blend of Grenache noir (60%), Syrah (30%) and Cinsault (10%). The aroma brings to mind such fresh berries as wild raspberry, blackcurrant and blackberry, and there is a spiciness too. On the palate, the wine is big and full of flavor, and the tannins are silky and smooth. There’s a bit of licorice and pepper at the end. Ideal with poultry and other white meats including pork, and mild cheeses. 13.5% alcohol. $15 the bottle.

Next in the tasting was the 2009 Dexter Lake, a California red wine that’s a blend of Mendocino and Sonoma fruit. The varietals used in the blend are 40% Petite Sirah, 40% Petit Verdot and 20% Tempranillo. This wine is huge on the nose, and to me, the taste brought cotton candy to mind. This may be just how I was experiencing fruity spicy wine that particular day. But this is a nice wine with both red and black fruit flavors, and it has a lovely ripeness. Not too tannic, with good acidity. 14.5% alcohol. $15 the bottle.

Miro Cellars’ 2008 Petite Sirah from Dry Creek, Sonoma County is spicy and peppery and quite characteristic of this variety. The fruit for this wine is from the northwestern corner of Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma, which is an area known as Rockpile since the 1850s. The winemaker notes “The allure of this appellation is virgin soils, relatively dry soil condition and plenty of sunny, fog-free days and nights. The soils are typical for the region: red, mixed with decomposed granite and other rocks, relatively of poor nutritional values, therefore producing low yields of highly concentrated fruit.” It’s an inky dark wine, with flavours of blackgerry, blueberry and perhaps some caramel on the palate. I liked it long finish, which had a hint of chocolate. 14.5% alcohol. $22.95 the bottle. For more information on petite syrah/sirah, check out the website www.psiloveyou.org.

The 2009 Aquinas Pinot Noir from Napa is a richly textured wine, with smoky cherry flavors. The winemaker describes the wine as unfolding “with the scent of rose petals, plums, maraschino cherries and warm cinnamon rolls. The palate bares flavors of raspberries, cardamom, cloves, orange peel, and huckleberries with a subtle finish of cedar and cassis.” 13.8% alcohol, $17 the bottle.

Located at 10075 Jibboom Street in Truckee, The Pour House is open Monday-Saturday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday noon-5 p.m.. www.thepourhousetruckee.com, (530) 550-9664

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© 2011 Barbara Keck

For more information on dining and the wide range of activities around Lake Tahoe, see the online version of The Tahoe Weekly. This article appeared in my column "Wine Adventures" in June 2011.

Book in Process: "Mountain High Wine: The Sierra and Its Foothills".

Reno's Beaujolais Bistro: Great Wine List pairs with French Food by Chef Bill Gilbert

2011-07-19T12:21:00.000-07:00

Some good French food and some good wines to go with it… if this combination sounds good to you, check out the wine list at Beaujolais Bistro in Reno. Chef Bill Gilbert is responsible for the wine choices, and he did a wonderful job pairing his signature dishes at a recent wine dinner with a range of wines from Calera Wine Company, grown in vineyards where California’s Central Coast meets its Central Valley.

Calera Wine Company's history goes back more than 30 years, to when owner/winemaker Josh Jensen fell in love with the wines of Burgundy and decided to turn that love into his life's work. How perfect to pair wines from his enterprise with French food!

Chef Gilbert built his chef’s resume in the Lake Tahoe area for twenty years before he opened Beaujolais Bistro in Reno in 2002. It’s a regional favorite for wine dinners featuring (of course) Beaujolais, and Rhone, Languedoc, Pinot Noir, Alsatian, Bordeaux and Loire wines from France as well as America.

At this dinner, we began with Calera’s Vin Gris of Pinot Noir, 2009. Chef Gilbert paired a Jonah crab claw fritter with a tomato-horseradish sauce. This bright pink rose is slightly frizzante with tones of European-style dry red wines. On the nose, citrus, with raspberry and strawberry flavors, a bit of a floral accent, but the red-berry flavors giving it a zip that is perfect with rich foods. 14.5% alcohol. $17/bottle

The almond-crusted lemon sole with wilted spinach and a brown butter-lemon sauce paired perfectly with Calera’s 2009 Chardonnay. The grapes for this wine are a blend from several Central Coast vineyards, and it is a nice buttery chardonnay but not overwhelmingly so, with a honeysuckle and peach bouquet and tones of apple and pear. On the palate, this wine offers spicy oak, ripe apricot and a lemon note that persists through a nice long finish. 13.9% alcohol, $17/bottle.

The Central Coast Pinot Noir 2008 was paired with a pork trotter spring roll by Chef Gilbert. This Calera wine offers spiciness and a pungent cherry-oak tannic quality; it is considered medium-to-full bodied. The Wine Enthusiast calls this a “delicious introduction to the Calera style.” Grapes from a four separate Central Coast counties went into this blend, so it’s like a tour of Monterey, San Luis Obispo, San Benito, and Santa Clara. It is bottled unfiltered after aging in French oak for 11 months. Aroma of black cherry, taste of blackberry and cassis results in a wine with a lot of personality. 14.4% alcohol, $25/bottle.

The “Ryan” Pinot Noir 2007, Mt. Harlan, was paired with a black trumpets mushroom mélange with asparagus and cow’s milk cheese. The black fruit richness of this wine will please those who enjoy a tannic experience with earthy foods, and the 93 points awarded this wine by Robert Parker came with this commentary: "From one of the property’s coolest sites, the 2007 Pinot Noir Ryan Vineyard reveals nearly overwhelming notes of sassafras, root vegetables, plums, red currants, and raspberries. It is a spicy, earthy effort with an autumnal-like herbaceousness. Aged 17 months in French oak (30% new), it is a Pinot Noir for those who prefer that varietal’s spicy, stemmy, earthy side. Nevertheless, there is still plenty of fruit in this complex, singular cuvee." 14.8% alcohol. $37/bottle.

Most of the Calera wines are available at Ty Martin’s terrific wine shop, Craft Wine & Beer at 22 Martin Street in Reno, tel 775 622 4333.

For a wonderful French bistro meal, and a great wine list to choose from, make a point to go to Beaujolais Bistro at 130 West Street, Reno. Call 775 323 2227 for reservations. http://www.beaujolaisbistro.com/

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© 2011 Barbara Keck

For more information on dining and the wide range of activities around Lake Tahoe, see the online version of The Tahoe Weekly. This article appeared in my column "Wine Adventures" in June 2011.

Book in Process: "Mountain High Wine: The Sierra and Its Foothills".

AVEC WINE AND FOOD: New Truckee Wine Bar Offers Interesting and Important but Affordable Wines

2011-07-19T11:58:00.000-07:00

Avec Wine and Food, the charming and well-stocked wine bar and wineshop in Truckee, is a refreshing change of pace. I want to give hats-off to the new kids in town – Chris Cooke and Rose Levinson, owners – for establishing an eclectic wine bar that carries wines you are not likely to find in other shops. “We want to expose our customers to relatively inexpensive but interesting and important wines,” notes Chris. Chris and Rose have wine-traveled in Europe, and Chris is a self-professed “wine geek.” But apart from his worldwide searches for interesting wines, he is happy to be back home in the North Lake.

The wine by the glass menu is extensive; all wines are priced reasonably and all are nice explorations in taste and region. Order a tasting flight for $10 of four 1.5 ounce pours, and then move on to a full glass of your favorite.

Summer is around the corner, and white wines just seem right for summer entertaining. Try the 2009 Primosic Pinot Griogio, Friuli. This Italian wine has a pale straw color, and a lovely aroma of lemon, apricot, honey. It has a crisp finish, true to the terroir, which is the terrain near the Italian and Slovenian border where wine grapes have been cultivated for centuries. 13% alcohol, $6/glass or $13.50/bottle.

The 2009 Emina Verdejo from Spain has a golden color, nutty texture, tropical fruit on the back, and is very dry with tones of pineapple. “It’s got a nice color that the eyes like to drink,” commented Chris. Snooth.com notes that the Rueda region of Spain, from which this wine comes, produces blended white wines that tend to be crisp and light, relying on the Verdejo grape to contribute a soft richness to the texture and lightly honied citrus and apple flavors to the finished wine. Serve cold. 13% alcohol, $6/glass, $11.50/bottle.

The Palmina 2009 Tocai Friulano is made from grapes sourced in the Honea Vineyard, Santa Ynez Valley near Lomboc, CA. I don’t want to add to the confusion about names, so here is a clarification from the winery’s website: “Known in Italy for centuries as Tocai Friulano, the name was changed to Friulano in 2008 by decree of the EU courts. Here in the United States, it must be called Tocai Friulano (since “Friulano” is not an approved grape name by our governing authorities). Politics and government regulations aside, “Tocai” is the same enchanting wine no matter what the name!” This wine is the product of a husband and wife team who grow Italian varietals in the Santa Barbara area. It’s a perfect summer wine: floral, fruity, aromatic, tones of apple, pear and quince, silky texture and yet medium bodied. 12.5% alcohol, $21.50/bottle.

Chris next presented a red wine from “the hot new Italian winemaker Arianna Occhipinti”: the Tami Frappato 2009, from Sicily. It is fresh, fruity, and easy to drink… a perfect everyday red wine. Chris refers to this wine as Sicilian Pinot Noir, and he suggests pairing it with salmon. 13% alcohol, $7/glass, $21/bottle.

Another red to try: the 2009 Mas de Gourgonnier, a French Rose. This a very unique blend of traditional Rhone wines (Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsault) and then “it gets crazy with the addition of Cabernet,” says Chris. He swears you can taste the lavender in this wine from Provence. 12.5% alcohol, $22/bottle.

The food at Avec is all wine-friendly, with appetizers, Panini, small plates, and Chef’s Favorite Chicken Pot Pie with Truffle Salt.

Avec is located at 11209 Brockway Road, Suite 101C, Truckee, CA. They are closed Tuesdays, open Monday & Wednesday 11-6 and open til 9 for dinner Thursday through Sunday. Phone 530 582 1903. http://www.avecwineandfood.com/

p.s. Avec offers some interesting Sierra Foothill wines too, like this Grenache Blanc from Skinner Vineyards, Fair Play, El Dorado County, California. I've been writing for and about Skinner and their wines are great!

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© 2011 Barbara Keck

For more information on dining and the wide range of activities around Lake Tahoe, see the online version of The Tahoe Weekly. This article appeared in my column "Wine Adventures" in June 2011.

Book in Process: "Mountain High Wine: The Sierra and Its Foothills".

CHAMPAGNE TOASTS THE WEDDING SEASON

2011-07-19T11:28:00.000-07:00

With the wedding season in full swing, here’s a guide to finding the a perfect Champagne for every wedding celebration. Sharing Champagne with your family and friends is a wonderful way to enjoy all your wedding festivities. Nothing symbolizes celebration more than a quality Champagne. Whether choosing a romantic wine on your honeymoon or celebrating with friends before the big day, the happy pair deserves the perfect pairing.

First, some quick definitions, provided by The Champagne Bureau:

Brut NV (Non-vintage) is usually a blend of wines from several years and a number of 'crus.'

Vintage Champagne is produced exclusively from the wines of a single harvest. As a result, producers will only declare a vintage in exceptional years.

Rosé Champagne is produced by macerating the black grapes or by adding locally produced red wine to the blend.

Special Cuvée is made from the most subtle and distinctive wines, whether vintage-dated or not.

Demi-Sec Champagne does differ from Brut in its slightly sweeter taste.

Blanc de Blanc is made from a blend of white grapes only, Blanc de Noir is a blend of black grapes only.

OCCASION: The Bridal Shower – Everyone there will enjoy the pink color and light, fruity flavor of a delicious rosé Champagne. Rosé pairs perfectly with subtle cheeses, smoked salmon, and fruit salad, as well as many other hors d'oeuvres. Plus, a half bottle makes a lovely party favor.

OCCASION: The Bachelor or Bachelorette Party – For your last night in singledom, liven up your celebration with a rich, full bodied Blanc de Noirs style Champagne. This Champagne is made using only black grapes and pairs well with full-flavored foods—perfect to get the party started!

OCCASION: The Rehearsal Dinner – It can be hard to please a room full of family, but a non-vintage Brut Champagne pairs well with almost anything and can help the evening go smoothly.

OCCASION: The Reception – On the wedding day, Blanc de Blancs Champagne is a perfect wine for your toasts. The name literally means “white of white,” a perfect complement to your gown. This delicate Champagne is made from only Chardonnay grapes and has a light, dry flavor, just right for when you want to dance all evening. Make sure to save a bottle to drink on your first anniversary!

OCCASION: The Honeymoon – When the happy pair is finally alone, make sure there is a a rare Vintage Champagne to share. It’s only made in years that produce the highest quality grapes, and just as love grows over time, these wines have been aged for a minimum of three years before they are released.

Champagne is produced exclusively from the grapes of Champagne, France, under strict rules designed to ensure quality. There are many other wonderful sparkling wines made around the world, but true Champagne only comes from Champagne.

The distinctive natural components of the terroir of Champagne — a unique combination of soil, sub-soil, climate and grape varieties unlike anywhere else in the world — are the underlying factors which account for the uniqueness of the wines of the Champagne region. The harshness of the northern climate is fortunately tempered by two particularities: a deep chalk sub-soil that allows easy drainage, and the way in which the grape vines are planted on slopes where they can receive the most sunlight. Under these conditions, the vineyards can yield their best grapes.

Thanks to the Champagne Bureau for their information! It’s the official U.S. representative of the Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne (CIVC), a trade association which represents the grape growers and houses of Champagne, France. “Whichever Champagne you choose, make sure it is genuine,” says the Bureau. For more information, go to http://www.champagne.us/.

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© 2011 Barbara Keck

For more information on dining and the wide range of activities around Lake Tahoe, see the online version of The Tahoe Weekly. This article appeared in my column "Wine Adventures" in June 2011.

Book in Process: "Mountain High Wine: The Sierra and Its Foothills".

Winemaker Wins Award at Indy 500: Steve Somermeyer

2011-05-30T11:16:00.000-07:00

It isn't quite the usual award in the wine business that Steve Somermeyer, assistant winemaker at Chateau Thomas Winery near Indianapolis, won last week. It was a special award related to the Indy 500.

I've followed Steve's career on various lines related to both winemaking and his love of racing ever since I met him as a judge at the Indy International Wine Competition a few years ago. (click here to see the June 2009 post). Steve, in addition to his winemaking career, has a BS in Chemical Engineering and an MBA too; he retired from Eli Lilly and Company after a long career. Steve is also the Head of Safety, Garages and Pits, Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

His wine industry credentials include Lead Judge, Indy International (35 yr.); judging at Finger Lakes International, Illinois State, and Iowa State competitions. But his proudest award is perhaps this, and he wrote quite modestly: " I was surprised and honored Monday evening at the 500 Old Timers banquet to receive their annual Indianapolis 500 Official award. I'm the first safety person to receive this and it is a reflection of my entire group."

This was his footnote to his May 27 Indy 500 preview, which I am sharing with all you race fans. I'm a Hoosier too, and I was there! It was a great and exciting race!

"Sunday will be the 100th anniversary of the first Indianapolis 500 but not the 100th running due to the track being shut down during World War II. There are some new faces in the Speedway Marketing Department including someone hired from Red Bull and they want to try some different activities to appeal to different customer segments. So it wasn't a surprise that the month of May this year has brought many new events to the track:

- Emerging Technology Day was on the first Saturday and there was a ton of activities including races including college electric go-karts hosted by Purdue, solar cars, and formula hybrids. Electric and hybrid cars could take a lap around the track. Fans could take a demo drive in a Chevy Volt and there were many displays and other activities. This was the same day as the Mini Marathon so the entire day was filled with activity. They even had a large yoga event. It drew a decent crowd and since the track was originally conceived as a technology proving ground, I would expect this new event to continue.

- Celebration of Automobiles was held on the second Saturday in conjunction with the normal Opening Day activities. This was a classic car show featuring 250 vehicles more than 50 years old with half of them being brands which competed at the 500. There were also displays of Mormans and Stutz's which were manufactured in Indianapolis years ago. We had a lot of angst largely because we had never done something like this and anticipated dealing with some 'problem' car owners. My group had to park them in the different classes over much of the infield early Saturday morning but it ended up being easier than anticipated and the owners were very easy to deal with. Entered cars were from across the country and several were shipped in from Europe. A significant number of the cars were valued >$1,000,000 and the display was very impressive. I wish that I had had enough time to see all of them. I did get to talk to several car owners and they were very pleased with the show and would gladly come again. A big feature for them was getting to drive their cars around the track the day before.

- World's largest autograph event - On the Saturday before the race 500 drivers will sign autographs. Normally the qualified drivers sign autographs before the public drivers meeting and 500 Festival Parade downtown but this year all living 500 drivers are invited to participate in an autograph session Saturday afternoon. According to historian Donald Davidson, there are 260 living 500 vets and close to 200 are expected to be here.

Rain has played a significant role this month by limiting practice time and impacting both qualifying days. Let's hope that race weekend is dry.

There were 40 or so drivers entered this year which is the largest field in quite a few years. With 25 or 26 fulltime drivers - participating in all the IndyCar races - that meant that at least 15 drivers and crews were depending on the week of practice to get their cars dialed in. Rain eliminated about 1/3 of the available practice hours so few teams felt comfortable and fully prepared for Pole Day.

The way qualifying worked this year is that 24 starting spots were available for qualifying from 11am-4 pm with the fastest 9 competing for the Pole between 4:30 and 6 pm. The first surprise came during the morning practice session when Ryan Briscoe (Penske) lost control and hit the wall in turn 2. That meant that the team that rarely makes a mistake had to put one of their drivers into his back-up which had only been driven a few laps in practice. Ultimately it meant that he wouldn't be able to go fast enough to qualify the first day.

Speaking of accidents, Simona da Salvestro, last year's Rookie of the Year, had a scary one on Thursday when something broke in the right rear suspension and she hit the wall hard and ended upside down with the car on fire. Getting out of the car she had to put her hands on the burning track surface and suffered burns to both hands. Her right hand suffered 2nd degree burns and the track doctors didn't OK her driving Friday but released her Saturday morning. It had to be painful to pull her gloves on and off. After trying to find sufficient speed during the day she finally made the first day field in the 24th and last spot on her 3rd and final try.

A great feel-good story finished the day with Alex Tagliani, racing for Sam Schmidt Racing, winning the Pole and it's $150,000 prize. This is easily the biggest success, IndyCar wise, that this team has achieved. Sam was paralyzed while racing and started his team on a very small shoestring. He's had quite a bit of success with the feeder series, Indy Lights, but has 3 cars in the field. A low-budget team yet a fan favorite is Sarah Fisher Racing which made the fast 9 with Ed Carpenter driving.

Ho-Pin Tung, trying to be the first Chinese driver to made the 500 field crashed during practice Saturday morning and suffered a concussion which ended his chances for this year. KV Racing and Dreyer & Reinbold Racing both got 4 cars into the field which is good performance for them as they don't have nearly the resources as the prominent teams below.

The large budget teams - Penske, Ganassi, and Andretti - did not perform particularly well on Pole Day. Andretti in particular had a really bad day and pretty much for the whole qualifying weekend. The only Andretti car to make the Pole Day 24 starters was the single-race driver, John Andretti. None of the 4 full-time drivers could get enough speed to not only not make the Fast Nine run for the Pole but not even make the fastest 24 for the day. As mentioned previously, the Briscoe accident cost the Penske team a first day starter and only one driver, Will Power, made the Fast Nine and will start in the middle of 2nd row.

Ganassi provided quite a bit of drama, particularly during the runs for the Pole. While the 2nd Ganassi team of Graham Rahal and Charlie Kimble didn't make the top 24 qualifiers, both Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti qualified for the Fast Nine and their runs for the Pole were eventful to say the least. Dario first three laps were in the 227 range and he was contending possibility for the Pole and certainly for the front row when he suddenly slowed down on the back stretch on his 4th lap. Yes, he ran out of fuel! He coasted into the pits, jumped out of the car, and walked back to the garage with his helmet on and with no comments. A bit later Scott was on his run and seemed to be Pole worthy until his 4th lap speed was announced - It was 3-4 mph slower than his first 3 and he ended up starting second. We later learned that he ran out of fuel coming out of the last turn. For one of the teams that is very organized, the mistake on how much ethanol to put into the cars for their 10 mile qualifying runs seems inexcusable.

One note on the Fast Nine qualifying period - It was supposed to last from 4:30-6 pm but rain prevented it from starting until after 5 pm. With the limited time, each of the cars were given one shot at the Pole. This meant that official runs started after the traditional qualification end time of 6 pm. Had this ever happened before? I asked historian Donald Davidson the question and he replied once before in 1968. It was bump day and the field wasn't full. It was nearly dark when the track got dry enough. Chief Stewart Harlan Fengler told the drivers that if they wanted to they could give it a try. Two drivers, Bill Puterbaugh and another whose name I don't remember, went out and came right back in because they couldn't see the turns. They had to qualify to fill the field on Monday that year.

Only 2.5 seconds separate the fastest qualifier, Alex Tagliani, from the slowest, Ana Beatrize so this is the tightest field ever for the 500 in terms of qualifying time and speed. To put this in perspective, after 4 laps or ten miles, Alex would be 843 feet ahead of Ana if they started the run side-by-side. At straightaway speeds of over 230 mph, that seems like a blink of an eye.

Controversy and Ryan Hunter-Reay: With the poor performance of the Andretti team as a whole during qualifying weekend plus what I perceive as a major strategic mistake as the time ran out on Bump Day, owner Michael Andretti had some significant sponsors - DHL and Sundrop - to appease so it wasn't a surprise that a financial arrangement was made with AJ Foyt to have Hunter-Reay replace Bruno Junqueira in the second Foyt car, #41. Ryan has some history with the Foyt team as he filled in for much of a season when Vitor Meira suffered a broken back in a previous 500. Foyt did not have enough sponsorship for the second team car so he financed it out of his own pocket. It was pretty common knowledge that the seat could be purchased. I have to assume Bruno knew of the possibility beforehand and was handsomely paid for his qualifying work.

The strategy glitch happened because two Andretti cars were adjacent to each other in the bumping order. That meant that it was probable that one team car could get bumped and then when requalifying fast enough to make the field would bump the teammate out. The team could hope that there would be enough time to requalify that car but that's not what played out. Marco pushed away from the qualifying line just seconds before the 6 pm deadline and got into the field bumping out Hunter-Reay. What they should have done is to pull one of the two cars - Marco or Ryan - out of the field and attempt to requalify at a faster speed (faster than adjacent to the teammate) with plenty of qualifying time remaining. Each car had 2 more attempts left for the day. The downside could be a slower speed and not making it back into the field or even crashing. But Andretti yielded control of at least one of the cars by letting the time tick by. Just making the field means a last place paycheck of over $300,000 and that's probably in the neighborhood of what they had to pay for the 41 ride so we're talking serious financial consequences. The team also fired their Director of Competition this week.

Double file restarts: Prior to this year when the races are resumed after a caution period, the race leader leads the field to the green flag in a single file. To generate more excitement, the league has implemented double-file restarts. This has generated much discussion among the drivers as there have been several accidents during restarts so far this year. The 500 will be the first oval race to give these restarts a try and the 1st turn can get pretty narrow. Watch the caution restarts during the race.

In a related note, the start of the race is supposed to be in the traditional 3-wide rows. In the recent past the field, particularly at the front, has staggered themselves out for more room between the cars. If in fact, the field is in formation for the start, it should be a very exciting start.

Who is going to win the race? Despite the bumps that Ganassi and Penske teams had, one still has to consider them as favorites. Helio and Dario have won the race multiple times and Scott Dixon once. Penske's Will Power is perhaps the quickest driver racing today and has already won 2 races this season and Briscoe runs up front. One would normally include some of the Andretti drivers as Mike Conway has already won a race this year and both Marco Andretti and Danica have run strong in previous 500's. It'd be tremendous publicity if a gal won the Hundredth Anniversary of the 500, especially Danica.

With the limited onboard fuel capacity, cars running the 500 miles will need 8 or so pit stops. Races can be won and lost in the pits, especially during green flag stops, and this favors the fulltime, professional crews. It's not a coincidence that Penske Racing has won the last 3 pit stop competitions. They make pit stops a 'science' and seem to practice more than anyone else. One innovation that hasn't gotten any publicity that I'm aware of is that Penske has an electric motor powered Dallara pit practice car. It's pretty quick and even has a reverse gear. I'll be other teams will copy this soon.

Because of owner Sam Schmidt, it would be great if Alex Tagliani or even one of his other three drivers won. Ed Carpenter has been fast consistently fast here and would also be a feel good story. Other veteran drivers to consider would include Vitor Miera and '05 winner Dan Weldon. Former winner ('04) Buddy Rice is back after several years absence. Rice, Weldon, and Carpenter are all starting in the first 3 rows as is Orel Servia driving for Newman Haas Racing. Newman Haas hasn’t had much success the last several years but appear strong this year with Servia on the front row and rookie James Hinchcliffe starting 13th.

Other drivers who could run up front include Tony Kanaan, Tomas Scheckter, Paul Tracy, and Townsend Bell. The downside of these drivers is that either they are driving a limited schedule, some just this race, or are joining a new team. Simona is a very driver but will her burns be a problem over 500 miles. The odds on favorite for Rookie of the Year has to be JR Hildebrand driving for Panther Racing with National Guard sponsorship. This team/car has finished 2nd the last 3 years so their record is impressive.

These cars are very evenly matched and the overall driver field is impressive talent-wise so it's almost anybody's game. Don't be surprised if someone I haven't mentioned ends up in Victory Circle but..... it's hard to bet against the deepest pockets of Roger Penske and Chip Ganassi.

Let's have a fast AND DRY race Sunday! " - Steve Somermeyer

If you are a race fan, I suggest you get on his personal email list. He also sends out notes from his wine judging experiences too. steve (at) somermeyer.com

What's Up in Iowa? How to do a Business Plan for a Winery? Ask Michael White!

2011-05-14T21:34:00.000-07:00

I like to read about Michael White's choices of "Neeto-Keeno WWW Stuff." It is so refreshing! Because...don't we all just get too darn much email? Dozens of newsletters, press releases, wine club blitzes, specials, deals, new lots of this, old vintages of that? Still, the one communication I look forward to every week -- and get this, I live and work in California! -- is the newsletter from Michael White, ag extension agent in Iowa. I learn something from every issue. Can't say that about everything that comes to my in-box... What makes Mike's newsletter different is that this guy really LOVES what he does. And it shows.

He's the go-to man
for winebiz in Iowa:
Michael L. White

Last fall I spent a fascinating 10 minutes watching a home-made netting machine move down the vineyard rows and listened to the inventor talk about that. Okay, I'm a nerd. I'm also a former ag extension agent myself, so, I enjoy this stuff. And if you are in the wine business, you probably secretly enjoy it too even though it doesn't make great dinner conversation. At least, not for every dinner party group.

I got to be on Mike's list when I went to a seminar in Des Moines a few years ago. He's smart, no-nonsense and absolutely dedicated to the wine industry. The newsletter is called Wine Grower News, and it emanates from the Midwest Grape and Wine Industry Institute that's part of the University of Iowa ag extension program. So I've cut-and-pasted it below, altho moving it from pdf to blog format is 'way too much work, so read as far as you want and then... quit. In case you want to subscribe, here's how: send an email to Mike at mlwhite@iastate.edu You will not regret it.

AND, I also learned from Mike's efforts that it is possible to do a business plan for a winery without spending a fortune. Here's where you can get " Eleven Free Online Winery Business Plans to Check Out." CLICK

Wine-Grower-News #166 May 13, 2011

Midwest Grape & Wine Industry Institute: http://www.extension.iastate.edu/Wine

Information in this issue includes:

2011 IWGA Conference Presentations now available Online 4 members|
Iowa Wineries Do Well at Tasters Guild International in Michigan
IL Legislature Considers Cutting Viticulture, Enology & Tourism Funding
5-21, Effective Vineyard Spraying Workshop – Ames, IA (a few openings left)\
6-(7 & 8), Clark Smith's popular "Fundamentals of Wine Chemistry" at ISU
6-18, Winemaking Tips & Techniques – Carbondale, IL
Notable Quotables
Marketing Tidbits
Show n Tell (Red Dog Vineyards & Nursery)
Articles of Interest
Videos of Interest
Neeto-Keeno WWW Stuff
Calendar of Events

2011 IWGA Conference Presentations now available Online 4 members

The conference presentations from the March 18 &19, 2011 Iowa Wine Growers Conference
have now been posted Online at http://iowawinegrowers.org/ While there, check
out the new web page designs. These presentations are available only to dues paying members.

A username and password will be needed. Please contact the IWGA office at 515.262.8323 or 800.383.1682 if you have any questions.

Iowa Wineries Do Well at Tasters Guild International in Michigan

TASTERS GUILD is a nationwide society of wine and food enthusiasts that was established in 1987. It consists of over 40 active chapters throughout the country that bring together consumers, wine, food and the wine and food service industries.

Tasters Guild conducts an Annual International Wine Judging each spring. The Tasters Guild International wine competition that is held in Grand Rapids, Michigan is considered to be one of the top wine competitions in the Nation. Toward the end of summer they also coordinate our Annual Convention & Consumer Wine Judging for members. The results of both events are reported in the Guild's official publication, the TASTERS GUILD JOURNAL, as well as other national periodicals.

Below shows a list of the Iowa wineries who won awards at this spring’s competition. Several wineries from our neighboring states also won awards at this event: IL - 2, KS – 1, MN – 1, MO – 5, NE – 3, SD – 1 and WI – 4. The full list of results can be found here: http://www.tastersguild.com/

Iowa Wineries at 2011 Tasters Guild International and their awards:

Ackerman Winery Blackberry 2010 Gold

Ackerman Winery Red Raspberry 2010 Gold

Ackerman Winery Cranberry 2010 Silver

Breezy Hills Vineyard Frontenac Rose 2009 Bronze

Breezy Hills Vineyard White St. Croix 2010 Bronze

Breezy Hills Vineyard Sassy Girl 2010 Gold

Breezy Hills Vineyard Cabana Boy 2010 Silver

Breezy Hills Vineyard Edelweiss 2010 Silver

Eagle City Winery Apple 2010 Bronze

Eagle City Winery Black Currant 2010 Bronze

Eagle City Winery Cranberry 2010 Gold

Eagles Landing Winery Blues Fest (Blueberry) 2010 Double Gold

Eagles Landing Winery Oktoberfest (Edelweiss) 2009 Gold

Eagles Landing Winery Summer Crush (Frontenac Gris) 2010 Gold

Eagles Landing Winery Campfire Hootch (Mixed Berry) 2010 Silver

Eagles Landing Winery Serenity (Rapsberry Dessert) 2010 Silver

Eagles Landing Winery Frog Hollow (Marechal Foch) 2009 Bronze

Prairie Moon Winery Blushing Moon 2010 Bronze

Prairie Moon Winery Honeymoon 2010 Silver

Prairie Moon Winery Vidal Blanc I.W. 2007 Silver

Wide River Winery Harvest Hurrah 2010 Bronze

Wide River Winery Ms Behavin 2010 Silver

Wide River Winery Ms D’Meanor White 2010 Silver

IL Legislature Considers Cutting Viticulture, Enology & Tourism Funding

5-13-11 “Dear Members

We could really use your help in contacting legislators in your area to ask them to support the House of Representative’s version (H.B.124) of the Department of Ag and DCEO budgets which include the important funding for our viticulturists and enologist and also marketing and tourism programs that provide jobs and bring in tourism dollars to the state.

The Senate’s current budget proposal has eliminated the funding for our viticulture specialists, enologist, and certain tourism programs. Therefore, we encourage them to support the House budget or reinstate funding for our industry in the Senate’s budget.

For your legislator’s contact information, please visit the State Board of Elections website at www.elections.il.gov and go to legislator lookup by address.

Thanks so much for your continued support!

Megan Pressnall, Illinois Grape Growers & Vintners Association
megan@illinoiswine.com or (217) 726-8518

Save the date for two great upcoming Illinois wine festivals! The Art of Illinois Wine Festival will be held May 21 & 22 in downtown Springfield and the Two Rivers Wine and Jazz Festival is being held in Ottawa on June 4 & 5. For more information, please visit www.illinoiswine.com.

5-21, Effective Vineyard Spraying Workshop – Ames, IA

(A few openings left!)

When: 9a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Saturday, May 21st, 2011

(Registration desk opens at 8:30 a.m.)

Who: Dr. Andrew Landers of Cornell University who directs the Pesticide Application Technology Program at the State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, NY. Dr. Landers is the author of “Effective Vineyard Spraying – A Practical Guide for Growers”, 262 pp. Aug. 2010.

Where: ISU Horticulture Research Station, 55519 170th St. Ames IA 50010 (515-232-4786). 3 miles north of Ames on Hwy 69, turn east on 170th St. about 1.5 miles.

Cost: $60 each. (Maximum of 30 participants)

Participants are highly encouraged to bring the book, Effective Vineyard Spraying to this workshop.
Copies of this book will be available for $44 at the workshop if ordered at pre-registration. This is a20%
discount from the regular price.

Pre-registration and payment required: Limited to the first 30 registration’s received.

Contact: Mike White to register here: mlwhite@iastate.edu or 515-681-7286

Learn: New spraying techniques
How to improve spray deposition
How to improve application timeliness
How to reduce off-target drift
How to modernize existing equipment
The latest developments in sprayer design
How one can reduce pesticide use by 30-40%

Sponsored by: ISU – Midwest Grape & Wine Industry Institute

ISU – Pest Management and the Environment

6-(7 & 8), Clark Smith's popular "Fundamentals of Wine Chemistry" at ISU
When: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday & Wednesday June 7 & 8, 2011 Where: 1951 Food Sciences Building, Iowa State University, Ames, IA Who: Clark Smith, Winemaker, founder of the wine technology firm Vinovation, and adjunct Professor at CSU Fresno, CA. Clark writes “The Postmodern Winemaker," a monthly column for Wines and Vines Magazine and directs the Best-of Appellation panel for AppellationAmerica.com. "Smith teaches at Napa Valley College, UC Davis Extension, and CSU Fresno. - David Darlington, Wine and Spirits Magazine Cost: $95 per person. Additional registrants from same company $75 per person. Includes a 450 page comprehensive handout, lunch plus morning and afternoon refreshments at breaks each day. Bonus: Mini workshop on pairing wine with music. Sponsored by: The Midwest Grape & Wine Industry Institute is sponsoring this event to make it accessible to all wine professionals in the area. The normal cost of this workshop is $350. Online Registration and Details: http://www.extension.iastate.edu/Wine/Events.htm (Space is limited. Registration by June 3 required.)

6-18, Winemaking Tips & Techniques – Carbondale, IL
When: 10 a.m to 4 p.m., Saturday June 18, 2011
Where: Kite Hill Vineyards, Carbondale, IL
Who: Domenic Carisetti, is a Winemaker and Winemaking Instructor in New York with over thirty years of professional experience.
Cost: $40 per person, $35 for VESTA students, lunch included
Registration Deadline: June 10, 2011

Notable Quotables

1. “almost two thirds of U.S. smartphone owners perceived their phone to be obsolete now or will be

obsolete before their contract runs out.”

From: Study Finds Consumers Stuck with Obsolete Cell Phones, 4-25-11 - Retrevo Blog

2. “Prior to Prohibition, Missouri was the second-largest wine-producing state in the nation. Now

reclaiming its rightful place as a driving force in viticulture and winemaking, an explosion of

growth is helping advance our quality and recognition. The future of Missouri Wine is very

bright.”

From: Chris West in “The Smell of Bottling”, 5-8-11 – Winedustry

(Chris & wife Jen own and operate West Winery in Macon, MO)

Marketing Tidbits

1.” Let's start with the statistics that almost seem crazy: barcode scanning grew by a whopping 4549

percent in Q1 of this year, when compared to Q1 of the year before.”

From: QR Codes Gain Critical Mass, 5-13-11 – ClickZ

2. “Long thought of as the Baby Boomer search engine, the yellow pages industry has been

redefining itself in the digital age”……. As the original search engine, the yellow pages have

remained a reliable source for local information, with restaurants, physicians and auto repair

shops comprising 22.3% of all print usage. Although resistant at first, the report finds the industry

is continuing to evolve onto a digital platform, with restaurants, local government offices and food

products embodying 11.2% of all online usage.”……. “it is one of the few segments of the

advertising media market that is not suffering a market share decline, but, despite some ups and

downs over the past decade, actually holding the same share of 7.6% in 2000 and 2011."

From: Yellow Pages Market Forcast 2011, 4-7-11 – Simba Information

Show n Tell (Red Dog Vineyards & Nursery)

On Thursday this week I drove up to Johnston, Iowa (northwest side of Des Moines) to visit Jerry Dietz and his son Alex as they were working in their grape greenhouse. Jerry owns and operates Red Dog Vineyards & Grapevine Nursery. The vineyard and nursery is named after their 11 year old Irish Setter dog. Jerry told me that the dog controls the whole family! They are one of three grapevine nurseries doing business in Iowa. The other two are: Penoach Winery, Vineyard & Nursery owned by Stan & Joanie Olson of Adel, Iowa and Iowa Grape Vines Winery, Juicery & Nursery owned by Jim and Mary Kay Sorensen of Preston, Iowa.

Jerry opened Red Dog Vineyards & Grapevine Nursery in 2009 and the business has been growing. He also has 8 acres located at the intersection of Hwy 30 and Hwy 14 in Marshalltown, Iowa just to the east of McDonald's. This is where they are growing bare root vines of many different varieties that will be trained onto several different trellis systems. Jerry also uses tissue culture propagation methods which he presently does in his basement at home. He would later like to use his tissue culture techniques and sterile growing facilities to provide certified virus free stock to his customers. His near term goal is to move the entire operation into a larger facility on the outskirts of Des Moines, Iowa.

What makes Red Dog Vineyards and Grapevine Nursery somewhat unique to most other grapevine nurseries in the U.S. is not only their emphasis on growing the new cultivars available through Cornell University and the University of Minnesota breeding program, but also growing many unknown cultivars available through the USDA ARS Plant Genetics Research Unit at Geneva, NY. Jerry is looking at these unknown cultivars for both fruit production and their use as grafted rootstock material for cold climate cultivars. Many of these unknown cultivars originated from Russia,

Canada and Eastern Europe.

My first contact with Jerry came back in 2007 when he sent some soil samples into Iowa State University for vineyard fertilizer and lime recommendations. He was just thinking about starting a vineyard at that time. Jerry has come a long way since then. He and his son Alex both seem to have the passion and the plan to grow Red Dog Vineyards and Nursery into a successful and unique operation. I have included some pictures of my visit below:

(Above) Jerry Dietz(L) and son Alex(R) holding a flat of Teleka 5C, a cultivar from Hungary that is often used as a rootstock due to its adaptability to clay and clay loam soils. 5-12-11

(photo) Jerry pointed out the “ONE” Baltica grape plant he received from the USDA ARS Plant Genetics Research Unit at Geneva, NY. He will use tissue culture techniques to propagate this one stick into many. 5-12-11
(photo) Red Dog Vineyards & Nursery uses cardboard planting containers to grow their rooted grape plants. These containers are produced and sold by Monarch Manufacturing of Salida, CO. The pot and plant can be planted directly into the vineyard. 5-12-11

(photo) Jerry Dietz shows the bag of PRO-MIX plant medium he uses in his plant containers. PRO-MIX is produced and sold by Premier Tech Horticulture. 5-12-11

(photo) Full length view of the Red Dog grapevine nursery. 5-12-11

(photo) Jerry Dietz holding a tray of rooted Regent grape plants. 5-12-11

Articles of Interest

1. Big Changes Coming to South Dakota‟s Extension. 4-18-11 – Dakota Farmer:

http://dakotafarmer.com/story.aspx/big/changes/coming/to/south/dakota/extension/9/48529

2. Researchers Develop Stink Bug Monitoring Tool, 5-4-11 – Growing Produce:

http://www.growingproduce.com/news/?storyid=5481

3. Agrotourism Project Gains National Attention, 5-6-11 - Journal Standard, Freeport, IL

(Learn about “Discover the Flavors of Jo Daviess County” & Massbach Ridge Winery.)

4. Pre-bloom zinc sprays can improve fruit set, 5-6-11 – UC Davis and UC County Extension Viticulture blog

5. The Big Picture: 10 Dynamic Forces Impacting the Consumer Wine World Pt. 1 of 2, 5-7-11
Forbes Blog by Jeff Lefevere): http://blogs.forbes.com/jefflefevere/2011/05/07/21/

6. Petrol smell in Riesling „a mistake‟: Chapoutier, 5-10-11 – Decanter.com http://www.decanter.com/news/wine-news/525144/petrol-smell-in-riesling-a-mistake-chapoutier

7. Wisconsin distillery aims to reuse liquor bottles, 5-7-11 – Milwaukee & Journal Sentinel:
http://www.westport-news.com/news/article/Wisconsin-distillery-aims-to-reuse-liquor-bottles-1368819.php

8. B.C. Winery Ferments Water, 5-12-11 – Wines & Vines Magazine:

Videos of Interest

1. Check out the new WWW site and videos at Tucker’s Walk Vineyard & Winery in Garretson, SD:

http://tuckerswalk.com/

Neeto-Keeno WWW Stuff

1. Great Lakes Distilling cocktail database: http://www.greatlakesdistillery.com/cocktails.htm

2. Corky‟s of Napa Valley Gives Corks New Life, 5-10-11 – Napa Valley Register:

http://napavalleyregister.com/business/article_f222c9da-7b84-11e0-a024-001cc4c002e0.html

3. 2000 year old wine unearthed in Henan province, 5-10-11 - People’s Dailey Online (English

version) : http://vinoenology.com/wine-news/read/2308/

Calendar of Events:

5-(20-21), WineMaker Magazine Conference, Fess Parker DoubleTree Resort – Santa Barbara, CA.

Full details and registration: http://www.winemakermag.com/conference

5-21, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Airblast Sprayer Workshop with Dr. Andrew Landers author of Effective Vineyard Spraying at the ISU Horticulture Research Station, Ames, IA. $60 each & $44 for the book. Max of 30 participants. Contact: Mike White at mlwhite@iastate.edu

6-4, 4-8 p.m., 5th Annual Swine Festival – where cork meets pork – Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) Details: http://www.swinefestival.com/

6-(4+5), Kothe Distilling Summer Workshop, Kothe Distilling Technologies, Chicago, IL.

Details: : http://www.kothe-distilling.com/en/component/content/article/15-workshop-information/75-kothe-summer-2011-workshop

6-7, Viticulture Field Day, Missouri Grape Growers Assn. (MGGA) & the Institute for Continental Climate Viticulture & Enology (ICCVE). Details here: http://www.missourigrapegrowers.org/

6-(7 & 8), Clark Smith's popular "Fundamentals of Wine Chemistry" short course, 1951 Food Sciences Building, Iowa State University, Ames, 6-3 registration deadline. Details: http://www.extension.iastate.edu/Wine/Events.htm

6-(9+10), Comprehensive Elderberry Workshop & Farm Tour, American Legion Hall and Eridu Farms in Hartsburg, MO. Details at http://www.riverhillsharvest.com or call 573-424-9693

6-18, Winemaking Tips & Techniques, Kite Hill Vineyards, Carbondale, IL. VESTA, Rend Lake Community College and Illinois Grape Growers & Vintners Assn. Contact: Rachel Cristaudo, IL VESTA Coordinator Ph: 618) 437-5321 Ext. 1724 or cristaudor@rlc.edu

6-(20-24), American Society for Enology & Viticulture – Portola Hotel & Monterey Conference

Center, Monterey, CA: http://asev.org/national-conference-2011/,

7-(11-14), 36th American Society of Enology & Viticulture - Eastern Section Conference, 1 Sheraton Baltimore North Hotel Baltimore, Maryland. Details: http://www.asev-es.org/

8-24, Seedless Table Grape & Winegrape Field Day, Univ. of WI – Madison, West Madison Ag Rearch Station, Questions: Please check blog at: www.universitydisplaygardens.com for more information e-mail Judy at jreithrozell@wisc.edu or Rebecca at harbut@wisc.edu.

Post your “FREE” classified ads here at „Winedustry”

http://www.winedustry.com/classifieds.php

Past issues archived as html and/or pdf here:

http://www.extension.iastate.edu/Wine/Resources/winegrowernews.htm

10

Total Circulation of 1,350+ recipients in AZ, CA, CO, FL, OH, IA, IN, IL, KS, KY, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NV, NY, OK, OR, PA, SD, VA, VT, WA, WA DC, WI, Australia, Canada, Israel, Norway & Turkey

Michael L. White,

ISU Extension Viticulture Specialist

909 East 2nd Ave. Suite E, Indianola, IA 50125-2892

ph: 515-961-6237, fax: 6017, cell: 515-681-7286

mlwhite@iastate.edu

Iowa State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, sex, marital status, disability, or status as a U.S. veteran. Inquiries can be directed to the Director of Equal Opportunity and Compliance, 3280 Beardshear Hall, (515) 294-7612.

To Subscribe to this FREE e-mail newsletter, just include the word “subscribe” in the Subject Line. To Unsubscribe Please reply with the word "unsubscribe" in the Subject Line.

A little vineyard humor! (cartoon)

Wines of Portugal

2011-05-10T20:33:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while, I attend a tasting in San Francisco that features wines that might not otherwise be front of mind. This is the instance at the recent 5th Annual Grand Tasting of Portuguese Wines. 45 wineries displayed the diversity of this country’s wine, ranging from the dry red of Bairrada to the delicious whites of the Minho, and from the newly-renamed Tejo and Lisbon regions to the progressive offerings from Alentjo and Duoro.

There are many great Portuguese wines with retail prices in the $10-$20 range. Most importers of these wines are located on the East Coast, so you may have some trouble finding them locally. My advise: if you do see a Portuguese wine on a local wine store shelf, give it a try. If you want to source the ones I mention below, you might have to contact the importer, and so I’ve given their web addresses. A good overall importer who offers many Portuguese wines and will take phone orders is Melanie at http://www.vinosunico.com/ or 415 674 6958 in California.

With so many to choose from, the tasting was difficult. I did not taste a wine that I did not like.

Joao Tamagnini Belo,
Sales Director-Valle Pradinhos

The wines from Valle Pradinhos come from an historic family-owned 350 hectare estate established in 1913. They produce wines that are blends of grape varieties that are native to the region: Touriga Nacional, Tina Roriz, Tina Amarela and Mavasia Fina, as well as wines from international grape varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon, Gewurztraminer and Riesling. I enjoyed the Valle Pradinhos 2009, a white wine from the Trás-os-Montes region that is 90% Riesling and the remainder Gewurztraminer and Malvasia Fina. The predominance of Gewurtz makes it a well balanced wine with good acidity that is very food friendly. Tastes of peach and apple, with a bit of rose aroma, and a medium finish. 13.5% alcohol. $22/bottle. Imported by aidilwines.com

Carm Reserva 2009 is a white wine from Douro. With a nice bit of minerality, it has intense fruit, elegant oakiness and its bright citiric yellow color from the grapes in the blend: Verdelho, Siria, and Rabigato. $25/bottle. Imported by grapemoments.com

Cortes de Cima Family Vineyards is owned by a Danish-American couple who embarked on a sailing trip to find a place to start a winery. They concluded that the Alentejo region of Portugal was just the place, midway between Lisbon, the Algarve, and Seville. It’s been a wine growing area since the time of the Romans. On 130 hectares of vineyards, they produce several delicious wines, and it has been an adventure. Carrie Jorgensen, founder, noted that when they planted Syrah in their vineyards, they were not allowed to call it that, and so it became somewhat of a cult wine in Portugal. Now the wine is well established and the Cortes De Cima Incognito 2008 is a 100% Syrah red that is deep purple in color with ripe blackberry and plum flavors and aroma, a dark chocolate note, oak and herbs, and sweet tannins. 14.5% alcohol, $50/bottle. Imported by vinumimporting.com

No tasting of Portuguese wines would be complete without a port. The Barros L.B.V. Porto 2005 is my choice. It’s made from traditional grapes from the Duoro: Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, Tinto Cao. There is a deep ruby color, a nice mineral touch, and intense fruit flavors with a silky mouthfeel. An aroma that shows its complexity greets your nose, and the finish is superb. 20% alcohol $22/Bottle. Imported by sogevinus.com

For an extensive review of Portuguese wines from this Grand tasting, visit the website of fellow taster Richard Jennings at http://www.rjonwine.com/

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
© 2011 Barbara Keck

For more information on dining and the wide range of activities around Lake Tahoe, see the online version of The Tahoe Weekly. This article appeared in my column "Wine Adventures" in May 2011.

Book in Process: "Mountain High Wine: The Sierra and Its Foothills".

The Prize: A glass of Sierra Foothill Wine on the Beach at Tahoe

2011-05-02T23:58:00.000-07:00

So today I set up a new Twitter account called @SierraFoothill. The intent is to promote the wines of this exciting region that I like to refer to as "the new Napa". I know I'll be blasted about that, but seriously, some darned good winemakers ended up there because Napa land was too expensive and they simply had a passion they couldn't deny: the passion to make good wine.

Now it's time to get serious about these wines and wineries. Just how many wineries are there? If you guess correctly by May 31, I'll personally pour you a glass of wine on a private beach on Lake Tahoe's West Shore. A Sierra Foothill wine. I'll even cook dinner for you, date TBD mutually in June.

Since I did my last count (http://tinyurl.com/4894lwu), I've heard from a few new wineries. Over the next few weeks, I'll be writing about them. Keep track.

There's a great fun time at Tahoe in store for you!

Exquisite Wines at Ability Bash: Charity Event for Disabled Sports USA

2011-04-18T17:20:00.000-07:00

Heibel Ranch Vineyards pours

The Ability Bash benefit held at The Lodge at Alpine in March was a heart-warming culmination of a five-day event that highlighs the abilities of disabled persons. The principal fundraiser for Disabled Sports USA Far West, it honors wounded warriors from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The celebration of accomplishment included an auction of fine wines, and dinner included wine paired with an extravagant menu catered by Alpine Meadows’ Chris Patrick.

Contributors were Dalla Terra, Folio Fine Wine partners, Heibel Ranch Vineyards , Henry Winegroup , Justin Vineyards and Winery, Pennywise Wines, Saracco Adami, Skinner Vineyards, Steele Wines, Talbo, Thomas Coyne Winery, Thumbprint Cellars Winery, Truckee River Winery, and Uncorked at Squaw Valley. Jeff Boyer, a local wine expert, played an important role in sourcing many wines.

Steele Wines, located in Kelseyville (Lake County, CA) poured several of their wines that use grapes from Lake County. Owner/Winemaker Jed Steele honed his winemaking skills at Kendall Jackson; he has made wine in California for 42 years. The Writers Block Syrah primarily uses fruit from the estate Jacobsen vineyard, located on the Kelseyville Bench area of Lake County. The Syrah also contains fruit from four other Lake County Syrah vineyards. The Syrah has a chalky note to it mid-palette, taste of dark berry types of fruit, and has a hint of smoky and bacon-y flavor. 13.5% alcohol $13/bottle

Heibel Ranch Vineyards poured the 2007 Lappa’s Napa Valley Red. This is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel and Petite Sirah harvested from the certified organic estate vineyard on the family ranch in Pope Valley. There is a touch of Cabernet Franc and Syrah, and the result is a taste of rich black fruit and a bit of white pepper, a bit of licorice and mocha. This is a juicy wine with soft tannins that you can drink now or enjoy for many years. Only 186 cases were produced. 14.5 % alcohol, $34/bottle.

Local winery Truckee River Winery poured two of its Library Wines, a 2006 Pinot Noir, Monterey County, and a 2006 Zinfandel, Lodi. There are only a few cases of the Pinot Noir left, so hurry to get them. This delicious Pinot Noir is made with fruit from the famous Gary’s Vineyard in Monterey County. It is an unfiltered wine that benefits from winemaker Russ Jones’ slow fermentation treatment. Aged in French oak, this is a very delicate Pinot with complexity, depth, and soft tannins. 13.8$ alcohol, $45/bottle.

Skinner Vineyards and Winery, Fair Play AVA, El Dorado County, poured its 2007 Grenache and its 2007 Syrah, Stoney Creek Vineyard. I’ve tasted this Syrah many times, and it is a really yummy example of a great Rhone wine from the Sierra Foothills. Winemaker notes tell the story:”This Syrah is from the Skinner family’s Stoney Creek Vineyard, which is situated on a ridgetop that ranges from 2,610 to 2,740 feet in elevation. It offers aromas of blackberry and cherry pie, interlaced with hints of pepper, dried flowers, cinnamon, chocolate caramels, roasted coffee, and vanilla bean… medium-plus in body with a long, polished, and velvety finish.” 15.6% alcohol. $34/bottle.

Thomas Coyne Winery, Livermore, offers several Rhone varietals. Their 2005 Petite Sirah is sourced from the Quartz Hill Vineyard/Placerville of Bob and Margot Scharpf. Fruit is grown at 2700 feet elevation in the Sierra foothills of El Dorado County. After crush, the wine was fermented and aged in American oak barrels for eighteen months. The wine is full-bodied with blackberry and pepper, followed by a rich oak finish. 13.5% alcohol, $20/bottle.

Contributing Reporter for this event was Cathy Krauss, who braved the avalanches at Alpine to give us her tasting notes. She is inspired to go to future events of this group!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

For more information on dining and the wide range of activities around Lake Tahoe, see the online version of The Tahoe Weekly. This article appeared in my column "Wine Adventures" in April 2011.

Book in Process: "Mountain High Wine: The Sierra and Its Foothills".

PlumpJack at Squaw Excels at Food & Wine Pairings

2011-04-05T14:52:00.000-07:00

One of the best wine lists on the lake, paired with one of the best kitchens: that describes PlumpJack’s Café at Squaw Valley Inn. No matter how many times you treat you dine there, or attend one of their great winemaker dinners, you always walk out astounded at how good the wines are and how well they pair foods.

Mike Kirk, food and beverage manager, knows his way around the wine list, and working together with Tim Crockett, chef de cuisine, the food-wine pairings presented the evening I went to taste were incredible. Steve Lamb, Food and Beverage Director, is responsible in part for the great wine list, and the PlumpJack blog notes that long-time wine buyer Paul Birman, who has been with PlumpJack’s wine store in San Francisco for more than 15 years, scours the world for interesting wines and many of those end up on PlumpJack Café’s wine list. It really is an unbeatable team.

One of the nicer things too, is that great wines are on their wine-by-the-glass list. They pour a 6 ounce glass – quite generous – and you can order a half-glass too.

We started with a Werner Schweicher Annaberg Riesling “Kabinett” 2009 Mosel, from an old well-known German winery. It has a bit of sweetness that makes it perfect with spicy dishes. Tones of pineapple, citrus, and with a light minerality and a bit of fizz. Perfect with the Korean Spiced Seafood Cones, a dish that is like a little sushi delight, augmented by pickled cabbage (kimchi), ginger and Tobiko caviar. A mouthful of that, a taste of the Riesling…divine. The Riesling is $9/glass. 9.5% alcohol.

The Bouchard Pere & Fils 2008 Pouilly Fuisse was a great pairing with the Seared Diver Scallops. I’ve personally always been fond of Pouilly Fuisse, since it was my first “aha” wine experience when I was 21. This Burgundy is typical of the type, with aroma of fruit and flowers, perfumey, silky, elegant. I enjoyed the Wine Spectator description: "A white with a sense of place. Acacia, lemon blossom, apple and mineral aromas and flavors abound, all matched to an elegant frame. This is balanced, lingering on the long, mineral-tinged aftertaste.” Drink it now through 2016 to get the freshness you should enjoy with this wine. Only 250 cases imported! $10/glass. 13% alcohol.

And then, my favorite Grenache Blanc a 2009 Skinner Vineyards- Stoney Creek Vineyard, Fair Play, El Dorado County. This was paired with the chef’s special, a Seared New Zealand Queen Snapper with Santa Barbara mussels, Berkshire pork belly, horseradish crème fraiche and herb gelee. This recipe was created by Ben “Wyatt” Dufresne, Executive Chef. The Skinner Grenache Blanc is available only in restaurants, so make it a point to try it. “This wine has aromatics of lemon zest, granny smith apple, and grapefruit, with hints of straw and wet gravel. The mouth feel is racy, with a medium bodied mid-palate and an element of minerality on the finish. This wine is unfined and unfiltered to retain its purity,” notes Ryan Skinner, General Manager. Chris Mascias of the Sacramento Bee raved about this wine recently too. $11/glass.

To end, a Saracco Muscato D’Asti 2008, Piedmont. This was paired with a Tome des Recollets, a cheese that contains five herbs and spices, two milks and a Sauternes wash. The wine has a crispness with a nice acidity, a pear-like sweetness, and a bit of frizziness. $19 for a 375 ml bottle. 6% alcohol.

PlumpJack Café at Squaw Valley is located at 1920 Squaw Valley Road, Olympic Valley, CA. Call 530 583 1576 for reservations. Evening dining starts at 5:30.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

© 2011 Barbara Keck

For more information on dining and the wide range of activities around Lake Tahoe, see the online version of The Tahoe Weekly. This article appeared in my column "Wine Adventures" in April 2011.

Book in Process: "Mountain High Wine: The Sierra and Its Foothills".

Corkage Fees and Deep Deep Snow: The Sufferings of Mountain Restaurateurs

2011-03-23T10:16:00.000-07:00

"Too much snow," declared my friend H, who owns a restaurant at Tahoe that has a wonderful wine list. "That, and so many people bring their own wine now."

I'm fortunate to have my finger on the pulse of on-premise wine sales in this high-income resort area of California, by virtue of my weekly wine column in The Tahoe Weekly. A glass of wine, a loaf of bread, and a look at the wine list late at night when most customers have gone home: that's the dynamic that lets those risk-takers in the restaurant industry let their hair down a bit and tell you what's really going on. I don't care what bean-counting firms follow wine offtake in the bar and restaurant business, their numbers can't give you the accurate up-to-date reading that such chats allow.

So the restaurants and ski lodges are packed on snowy weekends this winter. Except if there is too much snow. Snow like the snow last weekend, and black ice, which caused that truck to jack-knife on Route 80 and crush a car and its occupants. That will keep the skiers away! And it did.

Regardless of snow ice traffic and so on, H's wine list is a wonder to behold. I've enjoyed food & wine pairings at his restaurant that are astounding. But he says he simply is not buying any wine. His cellar is full of good wines ... but so many customers bring their own these days. What's a restaurateur to do?

I understand that the economics of the business are tough. But my recommendation (which I keep to myself late at night) is this: Don't mark up your wines so much. Consumers/diners are not stupid. And now, with a two-second touch of their smartphones, they can find out what a wine sells for at retail and do the math. Corkage fees help the bottom line a bit... but that few extra dollars and moving your inventory and thus eliminating your carrying-cost ... simple B-School principles say, REDUCE YOUR PRICES.

MOVE 'EM OUT, COWBOY.

(This is a repost from my new blog, www.mountainhighwines.blogspot.com. There, you'll have an ongoing look at the Sierra Foothills... or, more properly, the Sierra-and-Its-Foothills ... wine scene)

My Rant About Alcohol-Level Labeling Issues

2011-03-21T20:19:00.000-07:00

Well, goodness bless Jon Bonne for opening this topic again. I couldn't resist making a comment on his great blogpost (http://tinyurl.com/4l2pf36) and here goes:

"Absolutely, alcohol percentages should be prominently printed on wine labels, and in a type size that does NOT require a magnifying glass to read and a type color that does NOT fade into the label color, requiring a laser flashlight to find. Consumers have a right to know this information and to find it quickly and visibly.

I write a wine column for The Tahoe Weekly, at http://www.theweeklymagazineonline.com/din/wine.html , and it is pet peeve of mine that I often have to call wineries to get this information ... which I include on every wine I note in my column.

In my opinion, if you want to call down the ire of MADD and other organizations... then keep your alcohol percentage information hidden, let your guests drive home after a few glasses of a high-alcohol wine, and create a nightmare for all responsible wineries, winemakers, restauranteurs and dinner hosts. WAKE UP!"

Malbec Release: Bodega Del Sur does it Right

2011-03-18T12:00:00.000-07:00

There is a lot of buzz about Malbec, and that's all good. It gets even better when a progessive small winery like Bodega Del Sur, Murphys, CA (Calaveras AVA), produces a nicely balanced wine and a lot of hoopla to introduce it.

The '08 Malbec created by winemaker Chuck Hovey uses grapes sourced from the new Alta Mesa appellation in the Silvaspoon Vineyards. It's fruity, smooth, and pairs wonderfully with traditional Argentine BBQ.

Bodega Del Sur owners Victor and Evelyn Reyes-Umana chose to debut their Malbec at Villa del Sol restaurant in South San Francisco. A great idea, since the restaurant brought out platters of BBQ beef, pork and poultry done in the authentic style... accompanied by live music, a Bondolon musician and Victor himself crooning a few Latin American ballads.

At the event, Evelyn presented the new 2008 vintage of Carmesi , a red blend with a purpose. Portions of the sale of each bottle of Carmesi are donated to charitable organizations that assist needy women and their children. This year, The Resource Connection of San Andreas has been chosen to receive the donations from the sale of the 2008 vintage of the Carmesi.

About the winery (a nice backstory in their own words): Bodega del Sur is the culmination of a dream of Evelyn and Victor Reyes-Umana. Victor began his love affair with wine in his native El Salvador. Moving to California and later in life, traveling around the world, solidified his appreciation for wines and increased his curiosity for the various wine styles of the different regions of the world.

While visiting some friends in Chile in 1993, Victor and Evelyn had the great opportunity to visit many of the small, family owned wineries, and it was then that Victor uttered the fateful words, "This is what I would like to do when I retire". His remark took Evelyn completely by surprise. She thought it was a pipe dream, and mentioned something about him being out of his mind. After all, Victor was already a successful electrical engineer in California's Silicon Valley, and Evelyn was busy raising their sons, Victor Manuel and Luis Edgardo, with a full-time job teaching Spanish at Saint Matthew's Catholic School in San Mateo, CA. What did they know about making wine? But this "nutty" idea started to flourish.

During their visits to Spain and France in 2004 and 2005, they visited various wine regions, spending some significant time in La Mancha, where wines and dreams come together. They spent time talking to the winemakers and gathering information on the production of fine, elite wines. Then, in the spring of 2007, the opportunity arose to purchase a winery in Calaveras County, and they decided to take the plunge. This was the perfect location. Not only was it near their summer home in Arnold, but also, Victor realized the grape growing region of the Sierra foothills mimicked those of Chile, Argentina and Spain, among others. Through the years, Victor had learned to appreciate and admire the wines the region produced, and particularly liked the consistent quality and style of the wine produced by Chuck Hovey for another local winery. It was through Chuck's wines that Victor learned that great wines could be made from Spanish varietals grown locally. It was an incredible thrill for Victor and Evelyn to be able to team up with Chuck, to produce the Bodega del Sur wines. Truly a dream coming true.

On a personal note, I was delighted to help Evelyn and Victor celebrate their new vintages. They are among some of the most interesting winery people I've met while doing research for my forthcoming book, Mountain High Wines: The Sierra and Its Foothills. Drop me a note if you'd like to be on the book party release list! (barbara at winebizpr dot com)

Exceptional Wine at Manzanita Restaurant-Ritz Carlton Northstar

2011-03-18T11:46:00.000-07:00

Just simply walking into the lobby at the Ritz-Carlton at Northstar is a delight, and that feeling of luxe starts from that moment. It’s fitting that Traci des Jardins, the celebrated San Francisco master of French-California, would be comfortable lending her reputation and skills to Manzanita, the exceptional restaurant with an exceptional wine list at the Ritz.

The Manzanita restaurant at the Ritz–Carlton is known for its culinary delights, but don’t neglect the wine list when you go there. It is extensive. Many of the wines also are part of the restaurant’s half-glass program, which started as part of the “flights” or carefully-chosen tastes of three or four wines, generally served at the bar with light appetizers. Enjoying three or four different wines in the course of a meal is a pleasure, and the half-glass program will not break your budget.

A nice way to start is with the Roederer Estate Anderson Valley Brut. It’s a nice minerally sparkler, with tart apple and lemon aromas, and flavors of vanilla, citrus and anise. It’s a great champagne experience, as this winery is the California outpost of Champagne Louis Roederer, and it benefits from that centuries-old tradition of fine winemaking 12% alcohol. $12 glass or $6 half-glass.

The Domaine Laporte Sauvignon Blanc Le Bouquet is a Loire lover’s delight, full of bright and vibrant fresh fruit. 12.% alcohol, $10 glass or $5 half-glass. It paired perfectly with the Agnolotti pasta with ricotta and corn filling in a chicken broth base.

The duck confit, a classic that Manzanita prepares several different ways, is a great pairing with pinot noir. The 2008 Calera Pinot Noir Central Coast is a blend of grapes from Monterey, San Luis Obispo, San Benito, and Santa Clara counties. Slightly herbaceous, with flavors of cherries, strawberry, blackberry, cassis, a bit of orange and a hint of black pepper. Wine Enthusiast gave it 91 points. It’s easy to find in stores (in case you want to fix duck confit or try other pairings at home), and is smooth and delightful. 14.4% alcohol, $12 glass, $6 half-glass.

A slightly lighter-in-style pinot also paired well with duck: Freeman Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast. You’ll experience spicy, slow-ripening Pinot Noir aromas, with hints of violets and roses. A nice acidity and firm tannins differentiate this from Russian River Valley pinot. 14.1% alcohol, $16 glass, $8 half-glass.

Braised shortribs call for good hearty red wines. The Jules Melange red blend from Barrelhead Wine Company, Napa, was created by winemakers Julianna and Chris Corley. It brings together Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Syrah in a slightly offbeat way that results in a juiciness with flavors of black berry and black cherry, and a touch of white pepper. Nicely balanced, and silky tannins add to its great structure. 14.2% alcohol, $16 glass. We also tasted 2007 Mauritson’s Rockpile Zinfandel "Rockpile Ridge", a big bold zin with great richness, balance and structure. 15.5.% alcohol. $19 glass, $8 half-glass.

Just thinking about the dessert list adds inches to the waistline, but do indulge. There are plenty of dessert wines to choose from too. I am a pushover for Moscato, and the Moscato d’Asti Saracco from Piedmont just wowed me with its honeysuckle and jasmine essence. For those who love fig newtons, be sure you try the Domaine du Mas Blanc Banyuls Rimage 2006, made from Grenache grapes. Yum. 17% alcohol.

Let wine director Jessica Norris and sommelier Gail Oversteg guide you in your wine selections. They do a fine job!

Manzanita is at 13031 Ritz-Carlton Highlands Court, mid-mountain in Northstar, Truckee, CA 96161. Absolutely call for reservations 530.562.3050 or book on Open Table.

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© 2011 Barbara Keck

For more information on dining and the wide range of activities around Lake Tahoe, see the online version of The Tahoe Weekly. This article appeared in my column "It's Grape" in March 2011.

Book in Process: "Mountain High Wines: The Sierra and Its Foothills".

Perfect Pairings in Wine and Cheese

2011-02-13T11:45:00.000-08:00

What’s a wine writer doing, writing about cheese? Talk about perfect pairings…I had a great educational session over-the-counter at the Cowgirl Creamery store in the Ferry Building in San Francisco. Cheesemonger Adam Smith patiently looked at my list (Marsanne, Pinot, Red Blend, Malbec, Syrah) and painstakingly gave me tastes and explanations until we found perfect pairings. Here they are…

Montagne du Jura cheese comes from the Jura Mountains, the same region as does Gruyere cheese. This is a full bodied cheese, with a nutty flavor. The high fat content helps to mellow the mouthfeel of high tannins in wine such as Syrah.

The Coolea cheese is hand made from pasteurized cows milk, imported from the mountain farm of Dick and Sinead Willems in Coolea, County Cork, Ireland.. The cheese has flavors which are carmelly and toffee-like, and a lovely richness. It will pair magnificently with a Red Blend wine and also with a Malbec.

The Humboldt Fog cheese, a ripened goat’s milk cheese made by Cypress Grove Cheve in Arcata, California, is an elegant, soft, surface ripened cheese. The texture is creamy and luscious with a subtle tangy flavor. Each handcrafted wheel features a ribbon of edible vegetable ash along its center and a coating of ash under its exterior to give it a distinctive, cake-like appearance. It will pair perfectly with Marsanne.

Marsanne also pairs well with California Crottin, made in Sebastopol by Redwood Hill Creamery. This enterprise started as a farmstead, and was a pioneer in goats milk cheeses. This artisan cheese is made in the traditional French-style . It has a wrinkly, geotrichum candidum rind, a fluffy texture and robust, earthy flavor.

The Appalachian cheese from Meadow Creek in Galax, Virginia, has a supple straw color paste and a white mould rind with glimpses of pink showing through. The flavor is mild and buttery with a spicy finish and just a hint of mushroom. Meadowcreek Dairy, perched in the misty, cool emerald reaches of the Appalachian Mountains, operates a seasonal Jersey dairy at an elevation of 2,800 feet where the water is pure, the air is bright and clean, and the soils are rich and untainted. A great pairing with Pinot.

Another great Pinot pairing is Vermont Ayr, produced by the Crawford Family Farm in 1 and 4 pound wheels using French cheese vats and slow aging. The edible rind gives an earthy contrast to the creamy sweetness of the interior of the cheese. This cheese is named for the Ayrshire cows from which the milk comes. I enjoyed the information from the website, which talks about “terroir”, a term that’s usually reserved for discussions about wine: “We succeed in revealing the complex flavors of our “terroir”—the land that the animals graze. “

By the way, if you want to do your own wine-cheese pairing party at home, cut fresh baguettes into ½ inch pieces, and purchase quince paste as a tasty spread under the cheese. Make the pairing special by adding marcona almonds! You can use regular almonds of course, but marcona almonds are worth the extra price. Marcona almonds solo are a perfect pairing with sherry, too.

You can find Cowgirl Creamery cheeses at good local wine bars in the Tahoe area, such as Uncorked in Squaw Valley and Tahoe City. Cowgirl Creamery has several retail stores: Pt. Reyes and San Francisco, CA, and Washington DC. You can visit the Cowgirl Creamery cheesemaking facility in Pt. Reyes, and a second creamery in Petaluma, California opened in 2008, where you can take a tour. Or, order on the internet at http://www.cowgirlcreamery.com/, where they offer both individual cheeses as well as a selection as Party-in-a-Box.

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© 2011 Barbara Keck

For more information on dining and the wide range of activities around Lake Tahoe, see the online version of The Tahoe Weekly. This article appeared in my column "It's Grape" in February 2011.

Book in Process: " Pioneers in Wine in the Sierra and Its Foothills".

How To Use Your iPhone to Enhance Your Wine Knowledge: GUEST BLOG

2011-02-03T00:32:00.000-08:00

How To Use Your iPhone to Enhance Your Wine Knowledge

Drinking wine and using your mobile phone is rarely a good idea. You might dial an ex-girlfriend and mouth off about why you left her, or drunkenly roam the internet for hours searching for that elusive answer to the debate that you and your friend have been squabbling over and end up with a huge bill at the end of the month. However, with the development of the iPhone, there are now iPhone apps that can help you enhance your knowledge of wine and enjoy the experience of tasting your favourite tipple.

For example, Pocket Wine, ($3.99) is a fantastic new app that encourages you to expand your knowledge of the wine world, whilst simultaneously matching your tastes to specific wines. By listing all of the main Table Wine grape varieties of grapes and blends, Pocket Wine offers you a clear understanding of these wines, allowing you the opportunity to learn a great amount about the world of wine at a fraction of the price of a sommelier course or ten years of drinking in wine bars. The good thing about this app is that it never pushes any wine on you or tries to sell you individual bottles, but rather it matches potential wines to your palate through a series of questions aimed at identifying your preferred tastes in the My Taste section. It also matches and pairs different foods to particular wines and grape varieties, meaning that you will never again have a meal that doesn’t match your wine.

The Wine Enthusiast Guide, ($4.99) is based on the popular wine magazine of the same name, and lists thousands of professional reviews of individual bottles, constantly updated by a panel of experts. As well as being able to search for every wine regarding to grape variety or blend, style, price, variety and region, you can also enjoy the twenty illustrated tutorials that guide you through the art of unlocking the secrets of wine. If you like the lesson, you can follow links to hundreds of pages of web content that will help further your wine knowledge. You’ll never be embarrassed by a snooty waiter in a restaurant ever again!

Now, anybody who has been a tourist or a long-term visitor in the wonderful world of wine is bound to have come across a wine snob. These guys can be pretty unpleasant at the best of times, let alone when they’ve had one too many and they are bubbling with arrogance and disdainful sniffs. However, the iPhone app that shares the same name as these haughty characters provides you with enough ammunition to challenge them when they try to disparage your best efforts in wine-based conversation. Wine Snob, ($1.99) is a particularly sophisticated iPhone app that allows you to track and rate each wine that you try, whilst searching for recommendations, definitions and food pairings. The descriptions of the wines are the apps strong point, separating it from other apps of the same ilk; sometimes its like reading a wine-based novel, giving plenty of vernacular to impress and defeat you snobby opponent.

There are plenty of apps out there for you to collect and select, but these three are an excellent starting point. Above all, the most important thing is that you enjoy your wine, and take pleasure in recommending wines to others; if your iPhone can help you expand your knowledge of wine, then you should utilize this tool and treat your taste buds to the technological advances in the wine world. Now, who said that technology had to be boring?!

Guest author David Harfield blogs at iphoneappcafe.com about iPhone apps, accessories, and also provides tips to get the most out of your iPhone.

What Wine with Your Fish Stories?

2011-01-29T12:19:00.000-08:00

Just what I needed, a little Napa sunshine! It was 62 degrees in mid January when I went to look at the wine list at The Fish Story, a restaurant in the new RiverFront development off Third Street in downtown Napa. In Tahoe: 20 degrees. In San Francisco: 45 degrees. This excursion was a no-brainer.

Fish fish fish fish fish! What wine to drink with fish? Fried, cooked and cold, roasted. Each preparation pairs well with different wines, and there is a reason for that. But first, a word about The Fish Story. It is charming to walk into a restaurant that displays customer’s fish stories with their photos. This is not for the faint of heart or those who talk about the one-the-got-away. (Are we talking about dates or fish?) I was awed by the big fish and manly men who can actually write an anecdote. Come’on ladies, let’s get your fish stories up there! Also, I like the fact that this restaurant sources all its seafood in accordance with the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch Guidelines. “We are committed to the healthy future of the oceans and the seafood it provides us,” noted restauranteur Michael Dellar.

In light of that, we sought a Monterey Bay menu offering, and chose the Fried Calamari from Monterey Bay, served with red pepper strips, lemon slides and a roasted tomato aioli. The perfect pairing was a 2009 Gruner Veltliner from Familie Bauer, Juche, Austria. This crisp wine was positively mouth-watering, with an acidity that’s almost a bit biting and citric, and it certainly enhanced the fried food. Gruner Veltliner has been called the national grape of Austria, and although it often is bottled in tall almost cone-shaped bottles similar to those used for Rieslings or Gewürztraminers, it is very different. It’s naturally sweet and a nice pale blonde color, but with a bit of spice. 12% alcohol, $8/glass and $29/bottle.

Also with the fried calamari, French Chablis was terrific. We choose the 2008 Jean Marc Brochard Domaine Sainte Claire, a Rhone wine. Rhone wines typically do well with spice foods. This Chablis had an aroma and taste of white flower at the beginning, and as it warmed up, the minerality that goes so well with fried foods emerged. 12.5% alcohol, $10/glass, $39/bottle.

It was that fresh Dungeness Crab time of year, and topping a Louie salad, the perfect cold crab pieces just cried out for a California wine pairing. The inexpensive 2009 Saintsbury Chardonnay, Carneros, was both a budget-pleaser and perfectly acceptable. The flavors are classic Chardonnay, with a good structure and palate-feel. Citrus and pear tastes focus in the mid-palate, and it has a long crisp finish. In wine-food pairing, it’s often a sure bet to choose a wine from the same region as the food is sourced, and so a Carneros chardonnay is sensible. Chardonnay is one of the grapes that reflects its terroir of origin quite well. Crab from California, wine from California. This unfiltered wine sports 13.5% alcohol. $7.75 /glass, $32/bottle.

A pan roasted Alaska Black Cod calls for quite a different wine, and here again we turn to Rhone varietals. The 2007 Krupp Brothers “Black Bart” Marsanne from the Stagecoach Vineyard in Napa presented with the petroleum aroma and taste that is characteristic of Marsanne and lovely with a pan-roasted fish preparation The winemaker notes aromas of orange pith, key lime pie, white peach, stone fruits, nut, spice, and a spine of minerality. Delicious. 14% alcohol, $11/glass, $42/bottle.

When you are interested in good seafood, try the Fish Story Restaurant at Napa Riverfront, located at 790 Main Street in Napa. For hours and reservations, phone (707) 251-5600.

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For more information on dining and the wide range of activities around Lake Tahoe, see the online version of The Tahoe Weekly. This article appeared in my column "It's Grape" in January 2011.

Book in Process: " Pioneering Winemakers of the Sierra and Its Foothills".

Winemakers Adopt nanocork, Innovative Eco-Friendly Cork Wine Closure

2011-01-24T10:06:00.000-08:00

Winemakers are adopting nanocork™, an innovative cork wine closure from ACI Cork USA, for its consistent oxygen transfer, eco-friendliness and cost-effectiveness features.

From California to Pennsylvania, winemakers are choosing Nanocork™ as their wine closure of choice because it offers a cost-effective and eco-friendly means to retain fresh fruit flavours and a long finish in white, rosé, and non-reductive red wines without concern about TCA contamination. An alternative to synthetic closures and screwcap, ACI Cork USA offers the innovative nanocork to the US market where it is currently used by Winterhawk, Roland Rosario, Big White House and Tamanend Wineries. The big Portuguese wine company, Avelada, uses nanocork for its vinho verde.

Nanocork features the Bacchus barrier, a specially developed coating with an oxygen transfer barrier, which is adhered to the top and tail of an all-natural colmated cork. “Nano” quantities of oxygen are consistently delivered to wines via the barrier coating, and this feature provides better shelf life for aromatic, fresh and delicate wines than does screw cap and plastic corks.

“I decided to use nanocork on my ’08 vintage because it is truly a breakthrough product that gave me all the benefits I needed for my artisanal wines,” said Martha Rueca-Gustafsson, winemaker and owner of Roland Rosasio Cellars, Copperopolis, CA in the Calaveras AVA. “Now I am bottling all of my red wines with nanocork, and a Calaveras County viognier too. What really convinced me at first was ACI’s excellent service and nanocork’s appealing prices, but I’m happy I tried nanocork. There have been no instances of flawed wines or TCA (“cork taint”) and I have a real cork on my wines, not screw cap or plastic.”

Nanocork is ideal for wines that require low oxygen transfer, and wines with a low reduction potential. Nanocork’s O₂ permeability is the same as a high quality cork, about 0.0005 cc’s per day. Once bonded to the cork using a highly moisture-resistant polymer, the barrier material used on nanocork is completely inert. The film material is thermoformable so it molds perfectly to cork ends, thus completely covering the curved cork edge and obviating any irregularities.

Because nanocork closures use colmated corks, the environmental footprint for nanocork is excellent: this product is one way to use as much as possible of the bark of the Cork oak, a completely renewable and sustainable tree. Nanocork is a closure that is recyclable, has a low-carbon footprint compared to synthetic closures. Other advantages of nanocork are improvement in seal between cork and bottle, elimination of ‘off’ flavors attributed to cork, strengthening of the cork end, and reduction in cork dust. Nanocork is ready for immediate use in bottling after the shipping bag of nanocorks is opened; it is consistent from cork to cork, and nanocork requires no further treatment.

Nanocork was developed by UK innovation company Bacchus Wine Closures in partnership with Alvaro Coelho & Irmãos (ACI), the second largest cork producer in the world. ACI has been testing this technology since 2005 both in-house and with customers before commercializing the product in late 2009. The Nanocork technology will also work well on sparkling wine corks and corks for spirits.

For more information on Roland Rosario wines, contact Martha Rueca-Gustafsson at coffeebnqn@comcast.net or call (707) 428-6977. http://www.rolandrosariocellars.com/

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Disclosure: As part of my portfolio of writing and marketing communications skills, I also do press release writing for a few wineries and a few suppliers to the wine industry for pay. This blogpost originated as a press release for this client.

Using Leftover Champagne

2011-01-14T10:00:00.000-08:00

I can’t bear to throw it out. Leftover champagne can be good for a few days, and in more than one way, so here are a few ideas.

First, hold a Hair-of-the-Dog party and invite your friends on the afternoon of January 1 (or after the next big event where champagne is the dominant drink… Valentine’s Day? Wedding? Bachelor Party? ) to bring their leftover champagne. You can provide the aspirin. That’s what happened at my place on January 1 and it was great fun! A lot of leftover holiday food appeared too, so everyone was happy to ring out the old year and make room in the ‘fridge for the new.

Of course, you might just want to drink any leftover champagne from the event yourself. So make sure you preserve it well. There’s no way the cork will go back into the bottle, by the way.

And forget the silver-spoon-in-the-neck myth. If you want to read a funny dissertation on an experiment done by a truly inventive if somewhat whacky guy that debunks that myth, go to http://www.straightdope.com/ and search for “silver spoon”. Cecil Adams, writer of that dissertation, started his research by asking the Champagne News and Information Bureau in New York and Paterno Imports, a champagne importer in Chicago, about preserving open champagne.

Conclusion: a reusable stopper made of stainless steel is your best bet for preserving the bubbly for a few days. But leaving the bottle open and upright in the refrigerator works pretty well too.

Next, search the internet for drink recipes using champagne. Mimosa (champagne and orange juice, equal parts) is a given. But champagne has a nice acidity that can enhance cocktails in a refreshing citrus-juicy way. The best I found, on the site tastingtable.com, was created by a mixologist at Death and Company, a cocktail lounge in Manhattan’s Lower East Side:

Doc Daneeka Royale
Makes 1 drink

2 ounces Plymouth gin
1/2 ounce Grade B maple syrup
1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice
1 ounce Champagne or other sparkling wine
One 1-by-2-inch piece of grapefruit peel

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add the gin, maple syrup and lemon juice and shake well. Strain into a cocktail glass and top with the Champagne. Twist the grapefruit peel over the drink and discard. Serve immediately.

Many food recipes use leftover champagne. One that will enhance the dessert table just requires mxing, chilling, and serving over fruit. It will also do wonders poured on leftover fruitcake.

CHAMPAGNE CREAM SAUCE
Yield: 1 Servings

1/3 c Sugar
5 Egg yolks
2 tablespoons Whipping cream
3/4 c Champagne

Or for that après-ski experience, how about a fondue made with champagne? This recipe was created by Tessa, a food blogger from South Carolina who posts on the site copykatchat.com.

Three Cheese Fondue with Champagne

4 t. cornstarch
1 T. fresh lemon juice
1 1/4 c. dry (brut) Champagne (NOTE: do not use Asti..)
1 large shallot, chopped
2 cups coarsely grated Gruyere cheese (about 7 oz)
1 1/3 cups coarsely grated Emmenthal cheese (about 5 oz)
1/2 cup diced rindless Brie (or Camembert) (3 oz)
Generous pinch of ground nutmeg
Pinch of white pepper

1 French bread baguette, cut into 1 inch cubes

Stir cornstarch and lemon juice in small bowl until cornstarch dissolves; set aside.Combine Champagne and shallot in fondue pot or heavy medium saucepan. Simmer over medium heat 2 mininutes, remove pot from heat. Add all cheeses and stir to combine. Stir in cornstarch mixture. Return fondue pot (or saucepan) to medium heat and stir until cheeses are melted and smooth and it thickens and boils - about 12 min.
Season with nutmeg and white pepper.
Serve with bread crumbs.

Remember, Keep Tahoe Green. Do not pour leftover champagne down the sink!

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© 2011 Barbara Keck

For more information on dining and the wide range of activities around Lake Tahoe, see the online version of The Tahoe Weekly. This article appeared in my column "It's Grape" in January 2011.

Book in Process: " Mountain Wineries of the Sierra and Its Foothills".

What to Buy a Winemaker as a Gift

2011-01-08T13:07:00.000-08:00

As I look at my receipt from The Wine Club shop in San Francisco, I could have regrets for tagging along with my friend who is a supplier to the wine industry while he bought gifts for his winemaker clients. But no. It was highly educational.

Think of the challenge: you need to buy a gift for a winemaker, and it should be wine. But the truth is that winemakers often develop a jaded palate from drinking their own wines (or wines from other wineries nearby – part of the research, you know). So this is an opportunity to think through ways that you can introduce a winemaker to something special and unique.

We headed to The Wine Club, located on Harrison Street in San Francisco. It’s long had a reputation for great selection and fair prices. I ran into one of my fellow wine reviewers there, so that’s some indication of its quality. Once inside this almost-warehouse, the champagne section was the first stop.

As most of you who have shopped for champagne recently – the real stuff, from the Champagne district of France – a healthy credit line is a good thing to bring along. But in fact, there are many good champagnes from France that will not require a second mortgage and that’s good since no one can get one of those these days!

A Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé landed in the shopping card. $65. This is a beautiful rosé, perfect in color and possibly one of the best values for Brut Rosé. The maison has a reputation for making a steady wine that will not disappoint. Wineaccess.com calls it “delicate, impeccably balanced” and notes that “for many Champagne lovers, especially in the US, this is the house for rosé.” For those of you who are impacted by the point system: Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: 90 points, Wine Spectator: 90 points

Hailing from around the corner, but a tad less expensive at $42, the Guy Charlemagne Reserve Brut Blanc de Blancs shows characteristics of pears, caramel, with some apple and vanilla notes.

A sleeper of a value at $14 is the South African version, called Methode Cap Classique, a Chardonnay and Pinot Noir Brut from Graham Beck. I love South African wines. More on that later.

The cha-ching was already up there, so a quick trip to the Bordeaux section. Into the cart went a Sociando-Mallet 2005, a blend of 55% cabernet, 40% merlot and 5% cab franc. “A great bottle… it’s heaven”, said David Goodwin, a manager at Wine Club. $55.

We shashayed through the sauternes. Splits are really the way to go on these, otherwise a full bottle is a lot of sweetness. The Chateau La Tour Blanche 2003, with gentle honey and quince aroma, is $35 the half bottle.

Next to the Burgundy section. A 2007 Latour-Girard Mersault-Charmes at $60 was lovingly placed into the cart. This lovely wine received a 91-93 score by “Burghound”, the nom de plume of Allen Meadows who has become the definitive reviewer of Burgundies in recent years. A finance executive for 21 years, he retired to focus on his passion for burgundies. Follow him at http://www.burghound.com/

To finish the shopping, we spent a half hour at the shop’s honor-code tasting bar. They supply glasses with a red line to indicate a fair tasting pour, and you pour from the 20 or so open bottles and note what you tasted. You pay 10% of the bottle price per pour. Great concept!

If you don’t have the time now to go into San Francisco, of course they have an internet presence: http://www.thewineclub.com/. Happy wine shopping, wherever you go! Happy New Year too!

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© 2011 Barbara Keck

For more information on dining and the wide range of activities around Lake Tahoe, see the online version of The Tahoe Weekly. This article appeared in my column "It's Grape" in January 2011.

Book in Process: " Mountain Wineries of the Sierra and Its Foothills".

Top Wines as an Asset Class handily Out-perform Gold, Oil and Equities

2011-01-07T11:30:00.000-08:00

"Drinking fancy wine is so last decade. In today's speculative markets, produce from the world's great chateaux is leaving other "hard" assets in the dust. London's Liv-Ex fine wine exchange's index of top 50 wines rose 57% for 2010. That easily outperformed gold's 29.8% rise, converted to U.K. pounds to be on an equivalent basis with Liv-Ex's index, or oil's 15.1% increase, also converted to pounds. As for equities, the FTSE 100, for instance, was up just 9%.

Liv-Ex attributes the price surge to heavy demand from—you guessed it—China, as well as some other Asian countries. Given extreme supply constraints and a surge in the world's megarich, the fine wine 50 index is up 269% over five years.

If the market turns, investors mightn't find the asset as liquid as they would like. But, for now, the lesson seems to be that those wanting to make some greenbacks should target reds or whites."

Source: OVERHEARD on the Wall Street Journal Online, Thursday January 6

Graham's at Squaw : Great Wine List, Great Food, Warm Ambiance!

2010-12-18T13:51:00.000-08:00

There are many places to enjoy Holiday dinners with great wine selections around Tahoe. My choice this year is Graham’s at Squaw Valley. For warmth of both surrounding and personnel, a classic dinner with classic wines, and very attentive wine experts, it’s hard to beat. You’ll find it tucked away behind Granite Chef at 1650 Squaw Valley Road.

Rich Trattnow is the well-versed sommelier who took almost two decades to build the wine list from 45 to over 600 wines. When you go onto their website, http://www.dinewine.com/, you can pull up the 37-page wine list to peruse before you go. My advice? Let Rich guide you with your selections.

He selected the 2006 Barton & Guestier Sauternes to pair with the pear & foie gras appetizer. The aroma of honeysuckle is immediately noticeable, and the taste was the classic dessert wine profile. An interesting pairing, and it worked beautifully. $12/glass.

What’s a sauterne? Here’s a useful tidbit from snooth.com: “The great sweet wines of Bordeaux, Sauternes, are among the most decadent, complex and simply enjoyable wines. Based on a blend of Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc that has been infected with the "noble rot", Botrytis Cinerea, Sauternes are rich, honied wines bursting with notes of vanilla, coconut, dried apricots and subtle spice tones. They are usually very sweet and rich with a soft quality to them that makes them appealing in their youth yet they can age and improve for decades. “ Alcohol content is usually 14% or higher.

Our next small plate was fig wrapped with bacon and served on a bed of watercress. To pair, Rich chose the 2007 Castello Banfi Pinot Grigio San Angelo Toscana. The grassy character of this wine is evident on the nose, and carries through to the palette also. Although most Pinot Grigio is associated with Northern Italy, the climate of Tuscany, where this wine is from, indicates a good growing region here too. This wine has an aroma that is fruity and intensive, and a taste that is clean and refreshing. Some wine writers see if as a superb aperitif wine as well as a food wine. $30/bottle. 12.5% alcohol.

The lambchop with mashed potato paired well with the 2006 Chateau de Pez Bordeaux, Saint Estephe. In a few words, it is ripe and attractive. A blend of 70% cabernet, 15% cabernet franc, and 15% merlot, this wine hails from the Haut Medoc region of Bordeaux. The importer’s notes: ”Warm and spicy fruit, nutty oak, and a ripe and supple character on the palate. It has a well composed style, with a vigorous acid backbone and plenty of tannic grip beneath." In Graham’s wine cellar, the 1995 sells for $95/bottle. See if he has any of the 2006 around, it is quite good. 13% alcohol traditionally.

What to pair with the beef filet with wild mushroom demi-glaze and white truffle mashed potatoes? Rich selected McDowell Valley 2002 Syrah, sourced from the winery’s vineyards 100 miles north of San Francisco nestled in the Mayacamas Mountains of southeastern Mendocino Count. These vineyards are home to some of the oldest Syrah vines in the United States, dating back to 1919. This is a well-priced wine that received an 88 point rating in Wine Spectator, which reviewed it thus: “Lots of ripe, up-front floral and lavender aromas, with spice, wild berry, cedar and black cherry fruit, offering intensity and richness, with firm tannins and a touch of tar and spice.” $44/bottle. 15% alcohol.

There are many other interesting wines to taste: let Rich guide you! Graham’s is located at 1650 Squaw Valley Road in Olympic Valley, California. Call (530) 581-0454 for hours and reservations.

Sherry: The Other Wine for the Holidays

2010-12-14T17:36:00.000-08:00

That wonderful group The Secret Sherry Society keeps me informed about the wide world of sherry, and most of this column emanates from their dispatches. In truth, you cannot go wrong with bringing a bottle of sherry as either a holiday gift, or having one handy to share in upcoming months.

“Sherry is full of vitality and complex flavors. It brings our favorite foods to life and reminds us why people have been drinking wine for hundreds of years. It may be an historic wine, but in the United States, Sherry is new again. Sherry can be described in one word: versatility. There is a Sherry for every mood and every occasion,” says the Society.

Sherry is a fortified wine, which means that it has been fortified with spirits – specifically brandy. The best examples of Sherry can be delicious, complex, exciting and refreshing. Most of us have never tasted a great Sherry because in many restaurants and bars it is often left open too long or unrefrigerated on a shelf. But, wait until you try fresh Sherry from a newly opened bottle.

In sherry, location matters. The Secret Sherry Society notes that it’s only Sherry if it’s from Jerez, Spain.

With the wide spectrum of Sherry styles, there’s sure to be a Sherry that fits every mood and personality. Which Sherry are you or your friends? Take the Society quiz below to find out.

Are you a smart, dry-witted, urban sophisticate who enjoys dry white wines? Your Sherry personality might be Fino or Manzanilla. Fino is pale, dry and delicate, great with seafood and soups or can be enjoyed alone as an aperitif. Manzanilla is made in a seaside town called Sanlucar de Barrameda. The result is a dry Sherry that has a unique, almost briny flavor.

Pairings for Fino and Manzanilla: appetizers, canapés, spring rolls, dumplings, Serrano ham, tapas, chorizo, goat or sheep’s milk cheese, ceviche, sushi, sashimi, oysters, calamari, marinated or smoked fish, shellfish (i.e. shrimp or lobster).

Are you the type who enjoys a hike through the woods on a crisp fall day? Your Sherry personality might be Amontillado. Amontillado is amber in color, dry and robust in taste, possessing a slightly nutty smell. Great as an aperitif, with poultry, meat or after dinner.

Pairings for Amontillado: Everything you would pair with a Fino would also work with an Amontillado, but also consider light meat soups like consommé, rich seafoods like scallops, sardines or herring, grilled fish, poultry, game birds, meat terrines, and ripe, pungent cheeses.

Do you enjoy adventure and mystery? Do your friends describe you as bold and worldly? Your Sherry personality might be Oloroso. Oloroso is dark, full and exotic. They are nutty and fragrant in character.

Pairings for Oloroso: cheeses, foie gras, game meat, red meats, smoked meats, rich foods, and after dinner with cheese, nuts, savory desserts and dried fruits.

Do you have a love of travel and adventure, but prefer a plaid shirt over formal wear? Palo Cortado might be your Sherry personality. Palo Cortado is a rare style of Sherry with the nose of an amontillado and the flavor of an Oloroso.

Pairings for Palo Cortado: rich foods, cheeses, game meat, smoked meat, pork chops, and after dinner with cheese, nuts, savory desserts and dried fruits.

Do you eat your dinner for the main purpose of getting to dessert? You could have a Moscatel or
Pedro Ximénez Sherry personality.

Moscatel is a sweet, soft dessert-style wine. Pairings for Moscatel: foie gras, chocolate, cheese, sip as dessert.

Pedro Ximénez is a rich, dark, raisin-sweet dessert-style wine. Pairings for Pedro Ximenez: foie gras, cheese, sip as dessert, pour over ice cream.

Whatever your preferences, treat yourself and those on your gift list to wine’s best kept secret and discover the deliciousness and versatility of Sherry wines.

(Many thanks to the Secret Sherry Society for these and other interesting tidbits on sherry)

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© 2010 Barbara Keck

For more information on dining and the wide range of activities around Lake Tahoe, see the online version of The Tahoe Weekly. This article appeared in my column "It's Grape" in December 2010.

Book in Process: " Mountain Wineries of the Sierra and Its Foothills".

Stella at Cedar House Sport Hotel features Good Food Wines

2010-11-20T18:30:00.000-08:00

A touch of Europe in Truckee – that’s what Stella restaurant at The Cedar House Sport Hotel on Brockway Road brings to mind. What it brings to the palate in terms of good wines that pair well with food is exceptional.

Owners Patty and Jeff Baird have meticulously crafted a modern and architecturally interesting restaurant using recycled woods and “green” building concepts. The result is a spectacular wining and dining venue that both pleases and rests the eye and lets you concentrate on the wines and food.

To start, sommelier Roger Slabin presented a 2009 Crios De Susana Balbo Torrontes from Argentina. I found the citrusy-flowery aroma compelling, and was delighted with the wine on the palate: a similarity to Sauvignon Blanc but with more delicate fruit flavor and floral tones. This wine is critically acclaimed by The Wine Advocate: ”The 2009 Torrontes remains one of Argentina’s benchmarks for this variety. Sourced from 31-year-old vines in Cafayate (where the finest Torrontes grows), it displays a fragrant bouquet of spring flowers, honey, and tropical aromas. Medium-bodied and dry on the palate, it has ample fruit backed by vibrant acidity leading to a lengthy finish. Drink it over the next 2 years. " 11.5% alcohol. $28/bottle. Chef Jacob Burton presented a tomato bisque soup with fresh mozzarella crostini with this wine. Excellent choice!

The 2009 Husch Chenin Blanc, Mendocino, has an aroma of white lily, with a minerality in the front. It’s an off-dry wine with a balanced combination of bright fruit and zesty acidity, and a full luscious mouth-feel. 13.8% alcohol. $25/bottle. The pairing was headcheese on homemade bread. Very European, quite delicious!

Moving to the red wines, the 2006 Truckee River Pinot Noir, with fruit sourced from Garys’ Vineyard in Santa Lucia Highlands, is one of our favorite locally vinified wines. It’s a a very delicate Pinot with the complexity, depth, and soft tannins typical of the Pisoni clone for which Garys’ is known. 13.8% alcohol, $50/bottle. This was paired with rabbit and dumplings serve with wilted spinach and stuff loin. Incredible.

By the way, at Truckee River Winery, this Pinot is $45/bottle; at Stella Cedar House, only $50. It is commendable that the restaurant keeps its markups low so that diners can enjoy wines with their meals! “That’s intentional,” says Patty.

The 2007 Hatcher Zinfandel, Sierra Foothills, is sourced from fruit from three vineyards: one in Amador County and two vineyards in Calaveras County, where Hatcher is located. The winemaker says of this wine: “In addition to floral notes, this wine starts with caramel, chocolate raspberry, and cola in the nose. Tart raspberries, American wood tannins, smoke and tobacco leaf start the mouthfeel. In the mid palate wheat, cornhusk, cut hay lead into a dry finish that is tart. This tells me the wine has an opportunity to last a long time.” This Zin was paired with their unbelievably-good chicken and waffles dish. 15.0 % alcohol, $29/bottle

For pairing with any of the fabulous desserts, the Pacific Rim Vin De Glaciere, a reisling from Washington State’s Selenium Vineyard, Columbia Valley, was fantastic. This is for wine-lovers with a sweet tooth, made by the famed winemaker Randall Graham. Apricot, pear, orange blossom – candied delights in a wine! 10.5% alcohol. $7/glass

Stella Restaurant at Cedar House Sport Hotel is located at 10918 Brockway Road, Truckee. Reservations recommended as the restaurant is often busy with big parties. 530-582-5655. Click HERE to go to their website, and then click on “dining” to learn more. And consider their culinary bootcamp, where you get to build and bake your own cuisine under the guidance of master chef Jacob Burton.

Talking Turkey: Tahoe House Gourmet Suggests Wines for Holiday Meals

2010-11-12T16:51:00.000-08:00

“Let’s Talk Turkey”, notes the Thanksgiving flyer at Tahoe House Bakery and Gourmet. This shop’s wine offerings offer perfect pairings for the Thanksgiving foods, baked items and gourmet delights available. There on the right wall as you enter the shop at 625 W. Lake Blvd in Tahoe City is the perfect wine to pair with your Thanksgiving dinner and other wine occasions is there, at affordable prices.

Founded as a full service restaurant in 1977 by Peter & Helen Vogt, ten years ago the Vogt family transformed the popular restaurant into a gourmet deli and bakery. Today, Caroline Vogt Lee carries on the fine food and wine tradition by finding good wines that are very food friendly.

“It just goes together, wine and food,” Caroline said. “When people pop in to get items for dinner, it’s nice that they can get their wines as well. And since we have an on-site license, they can also open a bottle of wine with a nice luncheon chosen from the deli items. “

Caroline is joined in the enterprise by her sister Barbara Vogt Melrose, who manages the deli and J. B. Joynt, chief baker.

“To start any meal, I’d recommend a sparkling wine,” said Caroline. She chose J Vineyards Brut Rose, a Russian River Valley non-vintage wine produced from grapes in the pinot family. It is a nicely balanced sparkling wine, with aroma of jasmine, lilac and ripe cherries, and some vanilla and cream with a toastiness in the taste. 12.5% alcohol. $26.99/bottle.

If you want to enhance your Thanksgiving dinner with the Pesto and Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms appetizer or the Sausage Stuffing with Thyme and Sage from the deli, then take home the Pine Ridge 2008 white blend. This Oakville winery got great kudos for this wine, and it was declared one of the San Francisco Chronicle's Top 100 Wines of 2009. The 81% Chenin Blanc, 19% Viognier blend has aroma of white flower, citrus taste, minerality and a nice finish. 12% alcohol. $14.99/bottle.

On to the main course, and right there at Tahoe House to explain his wines the day I visited, was Stefan Tscheppe, winemaker of Perry Creek Winery, Fair Play, CA. I adore Sierra Foothills wines, and the Perry Creek Barbera 2007 Sierra Foothills was magnificent. Stefan brings 6 generations of Austrian winemaking to bear in his alchemy at Perry Creek, and although the winery is home of the famous Zinman (ie, known for its Zinfandel), the Barbera is excellent. It’s a blend of two old vine vineyards, and is made close to the old northern Italian traditions. Only 550 cases were made of this wine. I liked the intense strawberry/blackberry aroma and taste, with a hint of cinnamon and chocolate that makes it dance on your palate. Pairs magnificently with turkey! 14.4% alcohol. $16.99/bottle.

Want to try a Pinot Noir with the turkey? Caroline recommends the Bouchaine Pinot Noir 2006, Carneros. A spicy aroma of blackberry and plum, and a taste that highlights the bright flavor or classic fruit from the Carneros area of Napa: pomegranate, plum, and cherry fruit flavors. A nicely tannic balance, and a silky finish. 14.1% alcohol, $23.99/bottle.

To finish your meal, the desserts from Tahoe House are compelling. I’d choose a caramel walnut torte, and pair it with a Dow’s 10 year Tawny Porto. A perfect match! 20% alcohol, $33/bottle.

Tahoe House is located at 625 W. Lake Blvd, Tahoe City CA 96145. Open Sunday - Thursday 6 am to 4 pm, and Friday and Saturday 6 am to 6 pm. Phone 530-583-1377. Closed Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.

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© 2010 Barbara Keck

For more information on dining and the wide range of activities around Lake Tahoe, see the online version of The Tahoe Weekly. This article appeared in my column "It's Grape" in November 2010.

Watch for my forthcoming book: " Wineries of the Sierra and Its Foothills". Publication date Summer 2011, The Wine Appreciation Guild Publishing Division

Calaveras Wineries support art in Mission neighborhood of San Francisco

2010-11-07T19:51:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday, several Calaveras wineries supported the art scene in the Mission neighborhood of San Francisco by donating/pouring wine at a special event there, the ARTasting 2010.

I enjoyed tasting the Marsanne by Bodega del Sur, and the Deux Rose from Tanner Vineyards.

FOTO: Evelyn Reyes-Umana and son Victor Manuel. From the Bodega del Sur website: "Our 2008 Marsanne exhibits a rich tropical fruit nose with a honey-orange blossom flavor profile. Light hints of oak are layered with pear and apple spice. The wine was barrel fermented in French Oak barrels. This is a wine that is very enjoyable in it’s youth but will continue to develop dramatically for many years to come. The grapes for our Marsanne came from the Dalton Vineyard in Calaveras County, one of the few vineyards in California to grow this temperamental grape. "

FOTO: Dick and Nanette Tanner. The Duex Rose is a light rose of Syrah made in the French style. Extremely drinkable! I loved it. There's nothing on the Tanner Vineyards website about this wine as it is a new offering. Named after Dick's grandmother, Rose. Absolutely worth a trip to Murphy's to taste this delightful wine!

Event organizers noted: " This event is extra special because it also marks ARTdeezine's 5th year in business in the sunny Mission District of San Francisco! To celebrate, the event will focus on the art, food and style of the diverse, colorful neighborhood, the Mission! Local art will be showcased at the event. Sponsored in part by Slow Food San Francisco, ARTdeezine LLC hosts this annual event exploring the culture and style of San Francisco neighborhoods through art and food. In celebration and support of local art, food and wine, we invite local artists of all mediums to participate and promote their art. Then we donate the proceeds from the event to a local charity or individual in our community that we believe is doing positive things locally or is in need of help. "

The tasting was crowded, and a special treat was the opportunity to sample small bites and purchase street food offered by local vendors. And then, there right in front of us: a special guest appearance from the infamous "Tamale Lady", a Mission legend in her own time! We finished the evening with chocolate and other tasty treats also offered by local vendors. What wine pairs well with a low-fat moon pie? All wines!

Hats off to Calaveras wineries for their public spirit. And we know who's behind this one: Evelyn Reyes-Umana, fiercely proud of her Hispanic heritage and a real mover and shaker in the Calaveras winery scene.

Skinner Vineyards Estate Wine Program Announced

2010-11-04T22:26:00.000-07:00

Skinner Vineyards Estate Wine Program Announced;
New 12,000 Square Foot Winery in Fair Play To Open

Skinner Vineyards announced its Estate Wine program for Syrah, Viognier, Grenache and Petite Syrah grown at the Stoney Creek Vineyard, part of Skinner’s 67 acre property in the Fair Play AVA of El Dorado County, Sierra Foothills. The new 12,000 square foot solar-powered greentech winery will soon be complete. Now, the temporary Certificate of Occupancy just granted for the crushpad and fermentation area of the winery allows Skinner Vineyards to produce wines on site beginning with this 2010 harvest season.

“We are thrilled to bring our harvest to our own winery this year,” said Mike Skinner, Owner/President. “The late ripening conditions this year actually helped us, as we were fighting against the clock to get the crucial parts of the new winery built and inspected. As it happens, the timing worked out perfectly for us.”

Skinner Vineyards' winemaker Chris Pittenger (left) and manager Ryan Skinner(right) in Skinner's new Fair Play, CA, greentech winery during the 2010 crush.

Mike and Carey Skinner bought the 67 acres of this Stoney Creek Vineyard in 2007. The Syrah and Viognier vines had already been there for ten years, and Grenache, Grenache Blanc and Petit Syrah were planted shortly after the purchase. These vines, planted between 2600 and 2740 feet elevation, produce grapes with intense flavor. The Skinner’s decided to name the vineyard Stoney Creek after the creek that runs at the bottom of property on Fair Play Road.

Skinner Vineyards also encompasses a 25-acre property in Rescue, CA, the White Oak Flat Vineyard near Green Valley Road. Grapes from this El Dorado land will also be vinified at the Stoney Creek Winery.

“In our Estate wine program, you can taste our rosés and whites in 2011,” said Chris Pittenger, winemaker. “Our Estate reds will be aged in oak before they are released in 2012 and 2013. We expect some fantastic releases from the 2010 fruit.” Approximately 1500 cases of Estate wines will dominate the 2000 total case production of Skinner Vineyards.

Skinner has been a name in the history of winemaking in El Dorado County since 1861 when James Skinner planted his vineyard off Green Valley Road near the town of Rescue in the Sierra Foothills and began to produce native wines and brandy. With a strategic location on the Pony Express Trail, he built a stone wine cellar capable of storing 15,000 gallons of wine. Prohibition intervened, the winery closed, but the new generation of Skinners restarted the venture in 2006.

After the winery is completed in the next few weeks, attention will turn to finishing the new Skinner tasting room in Fair Play which will open in January 2011 and features a panoramic view of the Sierra and the Sierra Foothills. At elevation 2700 feet, visitors to the tasting room can experience Skinner wines while enjoying a view of Pyramid Peak in the distance.

Skinner wines are available online at http://www.skinnervineyards.com/ and to wine club members. The wines are featured at fine dining restaurants including Plumpjack’s in Squaw Valley; and L Wine Lounge and Restaurant, Ella’s, and the Firehouse restaurants, Sacramento; and Bocconato Trattoria in Fair Play. You can also taste the wines at Rhone Ranger events.

More About Skinner Vineyards:
Skinner Vineyards was founded in 2006 by Mike and Carey Skinner. Two vineyards in California’s Sierra Foothills– White Oak Flat in Rescue and Stoney Creek in Fair Play – and a new winery and tasting room at 2700 elevation in the Fair Play AVA comprise the venture. Keeping in the tradition of the El Dorado County winery that was opened by James Skinner in 1861, the winery is committed to producing exceptional wines that reflect the unique spirit of the Sierra Foothills, using the same Rhône varietals that were grown by the Skinner family 150 years ago. The great-great-great-grandfather of current owner Mike Skinner, James Skinner, was one of the forefathers of the California wine industry; his vineyard and winery, started in 1861, was one of the first and largest in California. The old J. Skinner Winery closed during during Prohibition, but Mike and wife Carey opened it again a hundred years later and added the Stoney Creek property to the venture shortly thereafter. The new 12,000 square foot winery is solar-powered and built with many greentech and environmental features.

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Disclosure: As part of my portfolio of writing and marketing communications skills, I also do press release writing for a few wineries and a few suppliers to the wine industry for pay. This blogpost originated as a press release for this client.

Day of Dead winery tour in Calaveras County was Successful

2010-11-04T13:31:00.000-07:00

This note from the newsletter sent out by Bodega Del Sur:

"The Day of the Dead celebration was a hugh success. Thank you for all your enthusiatic support. We had over 100 visitors view the altars honoring and remembering women, men, and children who have contributed and enriched our lives. We will be making this an annual event. Celebrate with us in 2011.

Bodega del Sur hosted the women's altar filled with pictures of the women who have touched our lives and their favorite things."

What a nice tradition to begin!

Halloween and other Wines on the West Shore: Obexer's General Store features Unique and Affordable Wines

2010-10-26T20:03:00.000-07:00

A recent entrant to the wine shop choices on the West Shore of Lake Tahoe is Obexer’s General Store in Homewood, where wine buyer Scott Willers is stocking a great selection of recognizable, unique and affordable wines. By next summer, the shop will be hosting of wine tasting events. Let the fun begin!

“We’ve created a selection of wines that make it easy to find a great bottle for gifting or dining. We’ve got wines for people who know a lot about wine, hard to find wines, and also recognizable brands that everyone loves,” said Scott. “One goal is to stock wines that diners have enjoyed at West Shore restaurants like Sunnyside, Swiss Lakewood and West Shore Cafe, so they can repeat that wine experience at home.”

For fun in October, Obexer’s has stocked wines that are perfect choices for Halloween parties. They are all fun, affordable and very drinkable.

Evil Cabernet Sauvignon, a label of R Wines company, is 100% cabernet sourced from vineyards in Langhorne Creek, Riverland, Barossa Valley. Over 25% of these grapes are aged in French oak for 12 months, resulting in a wine that is a dark red with bright crimson hues. Aroma is fresh yet rich, with hints of black olive, fresh blackberries and raspberries. Taste is nice and complex with fruit and oak both showing through, and some blackcurrant and spicy clove notes, and a fine tannin finish. One wine blogger noted that the fun of the label is “"Evil" spelled backwards is "Live" but "Evil" turned upside down, "It's just wrong". That's what the label says anyway….”14.7% alcohol. $9.99 thebottle.

If you are in the mood for merlot, try the Vampire Merlot, which actually hails from Paso Robles, not Romania. (Sorry to disappoint you). This merlot is blended with 8% Cabernet Sauvignon for some additional depth and structure, and 8% Zinfandel to add a bit of spiciness. The result is a nice plumy bouquet, a dark purple color (keep WineAway on hand for spills!) and a nice soft tannin with vanilla hint from aging in American oak. It is enjoyable now, but has enough structure to age for several years. 13.8 % alcohol. $12.99 the bottle.

Or try a bottle of Dracula Zinfandel, a big and expressive Zinfandel, also from Paso Robles. The wine has full and deep plum flavors, which are a tantalizing lead up to a taste of pepper and other spices. There’s a great refined texture, and on the palate, nice elegance with polished tannins to finish. 13% alcohol. $19.99 the bottle.

You can name your own poison with Poizon Zinfandel, which the winery terms “a wine to die for.” I might not go that far, but it is delicious. This is a Sonoma Dry Creek blend that features almost 80% zin. Aroma of plum, cherries and a hint of green herbs. Nice and velvety, maybe some reminiscence of mocha and buttery cake, and then a nice touch of toastiness from French oak. A mouth watering finish! 15% alcohol, $24.99 the bottle.

Want to slink away from the Halloween festivities to trick or treat? Then you’ll want some Incognito Viognier, a white Rhone wine that’s now grown in a Michael David vineyard on a Lodi Delta island located 25 feet below sea level! Unmask long enough to share this yummy wine with friends: its honeysuckle and jasmine aromas practically jump out of your glass. A great rich mouth-feel, flavors of pineapple, apricot and tropical fruit. 16% alcohol, $14.99 the bottle.

Obexer’s General Store is located at 5300 W Lake Blvd, Homewood, CA 96141. Phone (530) 525-6297 Open all year around.

Watch for my forthcoming book: " Wineries of the Sierra and Its Foothills". Publication date Summer 2011, The Wine Appreciation Guild Publishing Division

Uncorked Tahoe City: Tastes by the Glass, and Great Bottles for Dinner

2010-10-13T22:12:00.000-07:00

Uncorked Tahoe City in the Cobblestone Center is the newest venture of Kali Kopley and partners Debbie and Marc Metcalf. We know that Kali has one of the best palates around. Mark and Debbie bring experience and enthusiasm of wine afficianados to Uncorked.

You’ll enjoy yourself in this revitalized wine bar/wine shop. Originally opened as Corkscrews in 2009, the new décor is warm and welcoming, the noise level is under control, and the selections are great.

Since Zinfandel is a favorite of Mark and Debbie, they have stocked some wonderful Zins. “It is more difficult to make a Zinfandel than anything else,” explained Marc Metcalf. “Zinfandel as a variety is hard to grow. When a winemaker produces a Zin that is varietally correct, it is a spectacular wine.”

A favorite is 2008 Mauritson Rockpile Zin, a single vineyard “hallmark” varietal. A Grand Opening event recently featured Clay Mauritson, third-generation winemaker, who noted why this is such a special wine.

“Our Family’s Rockpile Ridge Vineyard is located at nearly 1,200 ft elevation in the Rockpile appellation, Sonoma County. We pick the blocks at different times, and ferment these separately to insure the integrity and uniqueness of the individual blocks. Working with nine amazingly distinct blocks is a winemaking dream come true, and is what makes our Rockpile Ridge Zinfandel so spectacular. 2008 was an interesting year to say the least. In fact, if we never have another year like it, it will be too soon. One of the worst frosts that we have seen in 40 years, gusting winds during bloom, an uncharacteristically hot September, and we ended up with about 50% of our normal production. Even so, the quality is as good as ever, but there is just not very much of it!” 15.5% alcohol, $36/bottle. (PHOTO: left to right, Clay Mauritson, Debbie and Marc Metcalf)

The wine bar will host a number of winemakers throughout the year, but their daily wine-by-the-glass menu encourages stopping in any day. It changes daily, but here’s what I tasted:

Two offerings by Fort Ross, which draws its fruit from a necklace of small mountain vineyards on the Sonoma coast. The 2006 Fort Ross Pinotage has classic plum on the palate, with a beautiful dark ruby hue and a concentration of bright, bold and luscious flavors. Grapes come from Fort Ross proprietary clones, MM1 and MM3, that were developed from bud wood imported from one of the most select Pinotage vineyards in South Africa. 14.1% alcohol, $12 the glass, $30 the bottle.

The 2007 Fort Ross Pinot Noir is a deep garnet in color, and this is prelude to a full body with aromas of dark fruit and black tea, and taste of black cherry, raspberry, earthy mushroom, and even some hints of sage. 91 points- Wine Spectator. 14.5% alcohol, $12 the glass, $29 the bottle.

The 2008 Voss Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley, has aroma of lemon peel and white flower, taste of grapefruit, honey and a hint of spice and mineral. 11.5% alcohol, $9 the glass, $21 the bottle.

The 2009 Frostwatch Kismet White Blend, Bennett Valley-Sonoma, is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon, leaning this year heavily on Sauvignon Blanc. It has bright and refreshing flavors of passion fruit, nectarine, fig and lemon, and a rich texture. 90 points- Wine Spectator. 14.3% alcohol. $10 the glass, $21 the bottle.

Uncorked Tahoe City is located in the Cobblestone Mall at 475 North Lake Blvd., Suite 151, Tahoe City, CA. Open daily noon to 8 p.m. Telephone 530.581.1106

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© 2010 Barbara Keck

For more information on dining and the wide range of activities around Lake Tahoe, see the online version of The Tahoe Weekly. This article appeared in my column "It's Grape" in October 2010.

Watch for my forthcoming book: " Wineries of the Sierra and Its Foothills". Publication date early Summer 2011, The Wine Appreciation Guild Publishing Division

Calaveras Wineries Host “Day of the Dead: Celebration of Family and Life”

2010-10-04T13:13:00.000-07:00

Calaveras County has many ties to the Hispanic community, including the first Cinco de Mayo held in California . I read about this historical fact in the Columbia State Museum; it’s a featured item from a newspaper from Gold Rush days that is on display, unearthed during my research for a forthcoming book on Wineries of the Sierra and Its Foothills. I shared this tidbit with Evelyn Reyes Umana, owner of Bodega del Sur Winery, and she mentioned a unique event that wineries in Murphys are creating.

Keeping with the Hispanic tradition, but going beyond it, several wineries in and around Murphys are launching the first annual Day of the Dead winery walking tour. The intent of the tour is to celebrate Family and Life.

Participants are Bodega del Sur Winery, Frog’s Tooth Vineyards, Tanner Vineyards, and Beaux Chevaux Tasting Gallery. This a self-guided walking tour through downtown Murphys, CA, on the afternoons of Saturday October 30 and Sunday October 31.

“We are bringing a traditional festival celebrating our loved ones as we honor and remember them, and how they touched our lives,” says the owner of Bodega del Sur Winery. “Cultural traditions from all over the world have mixed and blended to create a larger tradition in which rites commemorating harvest and death will be celebrated in Murphys.” Evelyn and husband Victor were born in Central America.

Each of the tasting rooms will have something special and unique to share with the community. A self-guided tour map will take wine tourists on an unforgettable educational and cultural experience.

“As wine lovers go from one tasting room to another, they’ll enjoy beautifully decorated altars, photos and memorabilia, “ noted Evelyn. “We’ll share personal stories about those who have touched our lives, and hope our wine guests will join in doing that too.”

Each of the participating wineries has a theme:
* Bodega del Sur Winery – Honoring & Remembering Women
* Frog’s Tooth Vineyards – Honoring & Remembering Men
* Tanner Vineyards – Honoring & Remembering Children
* Beaux Chevaux Tasting Gallery – Food and Art

Beaux Chevaux is providing special Day of the Dead bread from Aria Bakery, and hot chocolate. They are also featuring an exhibit of Day of the Dead folk and contemporary art; the art goes on display beginning Oct 15.

The self-guided walking tour is free to the public. Maps will be available starting Oct. 15 at the host tasting rooms. Families are welcomed. No trick-or-treating or costumes.

For more information, please call (209) 728-9030.

###
Contact for more information:
Helen Sumser, Bodega del Sur Winery
457 S. Algiers Street, Murphys, CA 95247
(209-728-9030)

Nanette Tanner, Tanner Vineyards, 728-8229
Gary Grant, Frog's Tooth Vineyards, 728-2700
Becky Lanier, Beaux Chevaux Tasting Gallery 728-1000

Alternative Viewpoint on Harvest from Uvaggio's Jim Moore

2010-09-28T19:40:00.000-07:00

"With the impending Harvest, plenty of news is coming out of Napa," writes Lauren Eastman, who does Public Relations work from her office in San Francisco. "For an alternative viewpoint, esteemed winemaker and owner of Uvaggio, Jim Moore, provides another perspective. Jim’s career spans more than three decades in Napa, and his experience is well versed in the trends coming out of the premier California wine growing region.

"However, he’s chosen to take his wine dream to Lodi and launch his own brand, Uvaggio.

"As Jim is beginning harvest this week, he is seeing good flavor maturity at low brix, and expecting his Primativo to come in under 13 percent, providing a much different outcome for this wine than one might expect of the typical Zinfandel experience. Even for Lodi, he is breaking down the barriers. The high alcohol Zinfandels that come out of the region are often harvested at a much later date, awaiting the residual sugar.

"Jim’s Italian style cultivars include Vermentino, Italy’s most popular white grape this year, Barbera, Moscato (which will be harvested in sweet (dolce) and non-sweet (seco) in early October. Many of these wines will be perfect on the Thanksgiving table moving into the holidays. This week, I’m most excited about Vermentino, as its been hot in the Bay Area and this refreshing white is delightful on sunny afternoons."

With a build-up like that, I was curious about this winemaker. Lauren did a great job piquing my interest. His bio is pretty impressive, so here goes:

Biography: Jim Moore, Proprietor/Winemaker
l’Uvaggio di Giacomo (a.k.a. Uvaggio)

For a person who walked many vineyard rows throughout several decades for numerous others, the creation and development of Jim Moore’s own wine label - Uvaggio - is a gratifying achievement. Jim’s innovative approach toward winemaking in combination with traditional techniques and alternative varietals allow him to create wines with a distinct Italian flare, from grapes grown in the New World. The style of Uvaggio wines is true to everything Italian-ate. Tasting them blind, one might actually imagine they might come from Italy. With just one taste it is evident these are not typical wines from a typical winemaker.

With a career spanning more than three decades, multiple and diverse regions in California and in several parts of Italy, across a range of cultivars - everything from Arneis to Zinfandel – Jim’s atypical breadth of experience differentiates him and Uvaggio wines from the vast sea of California’s Franco-centric offerings.

Jim’s interest in Italian varietals began long before Pinot Grigio became ubiquitous in the marketplace and on wine lists across the county. He was first exposed to wines in college, then a broader segment while working in restaurants and a vast spectrum while working for a wine retailer, launching him on a quest for a career in winemaking, to experience and appreciate how fine wine is crafted. In 1976 he moved to Napa Valley and worked for several Napa wineries throughout the next three harvests.

In September 1979, Jim joined Robert Mondavi Winery in Oakville, beginning a two decade tenure California’s most renowned, if not iconic, winery. Initially, he held various production and supervisorial positions. Ultimately in 1988, he was promoted to the enology department and began guiding the winemaking styles. For the next seven years he continued his education by taking winemaking and business courses at UC Davis.

Jim’s palate for Italian wines was recalibrated after his exposure to the exceptional vintages of 1982 and 1985. These vintages were contemporaneous with an increased awareness of wine quality in Italy and in some instances they involved revolutionary production techniques. Inspired by these wines, he developed two vineyard trial blocks to evaluate the performance and gauge the merchantability of specific grape varieties and different clones - primarily Italian and secondarily from the Rhone. He helped to develop Mondavi’s Burgundian inspired, Carneros appellation Chardonnay and Pinot noir, reintroduced Zinfandel and revamped the wine style and packaging for Moscato d’Oro - a proprietary dessert wine. Additionally he created and developed La Famiglia di Robert Mondavi in California, while helping launch Luce and Lucente from Tuscany - a collaborative effort with the Frescobaldi family of Florence.

Jim’s work at Mondavi earned many accolades. Two of the Zinfandels he crafted were honored by Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines of the Year, as was a bottling of Luce. A subsequent bottling of Luce garnered a coveted “tre bicchiere” (three glasses - their highest rating) from the Gambero Rosso, Italy’s pre-eminent wine guide. Toward the end of his tenure at Mondavi, he was promoted to Assistant Winemaker and worked to help elevate the quality of Mondavi’s entire Napa Valley portfolio while investigating new winemaking techniques while working with the General Manager to incorporate all the applicable ideas into their To Kalon cellar renovation.

In 1998, Moore left Mondavi to develop l’Uvaggio di Giacomo, (“the Blends of James”) which he had begun with the 1997 vintage. Concurrently, he acted as the consulting winemaker for five new Napa Valley start-up ventures, all while holding a ‘day job’ as the general manager and winemaker for a small, family winery in St Helena. In early 2003 he became the Director of Winemaking for Bonny Doon Vineyard/Ca’ del Solo, staying only briefly, leaving to devote himself full time to revitalizing his Uvaggio project.

Today the Uvaggio label proves to have been worth the long wait and considerable effort. The portfolio consists of Vermentino, Rosato, Primitivo, Moscato (both secco & dolce) and Barbera - offering neophytes and aficionados alike with accessible wines possessing vibrant flavors, framed within a classic structure, all offered at moderate prices. With key attributes like lower levels of alcohol, distinctive flavor profiles and harmonious expressions, these wines are crafted for food affinity, bringing an Italian sensibility to the American table. Jim’s philosophy maintains that the primary role of wine is to accompany food, which results in three important attributes: accessibility, harmony and value.

Jim Moore is a graduate of UCLA and has traveled extensively in Italy; especially Tuscany, Piedmont, Friuli and Trentino - as well as Burgundy and Bordeaux in France in studying their vineyards, winemaking techniques and even coopering. He resides in Napa with his wife, a librarian and educator, where they explore new culinary and vinous horizons daily.

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Thanks to Lauren Eastman & Associates for a lively look at Harvest news!

Tahoe's Best Wine Auction: Plumpjack sponsors Biking for a Better World

2010-09-25T15:01:00.000-07:00

Plumpjack’s at Squaw was the magnanimous host for the September Wine Auction charitable event, Biking for a Better World. Some great wines were quaffed, discussed and bought. You won’t want to miss this event next year, as it presents an opportunity to acquire wonderful and rare wines for your cellar and your table.

Kali Kopley of Uncorked Wine Shops and Dawn Bertsch (pictured, right, with Biking for a Better World organizer), a sommelier and wine rep, garnered a group of wonderful wines for auction.

A quick run-down:
Auctioned off at 6 times the opening bid was a Dr. Loosen Riesling vertical, 2 bottles each of the 2004, 2005 and 2006 Erdener Treppchen Auslese Mosel-Saar-Ruwer. These German wines start off with spicy musky aromas, and flavors of pear, melon, pineapple and red berries please the palate. These plump wines are crystalline and pure, with long fruit-driven finishes. Drink the 2006 now, Dawn Bertsch advises, and cellar the 2004 and 2005 for 5 years.

Winemaker Phil Coturri donated 3 bottles each of his 2006 Zinfandel and 2007 Syrah, Sonoma. The Zinfandel is well balanced and tasty, with red fruit, bramble and good minerality. The Syrah has an aroma of bacon and dark fruits, with “everything a Syrah should display – dark fruit, gaminess, pepper, spice and a touch of iron,” noted the winemaker as he presented the wines.

Tony Truchard of Truchard Family Vineyards & Winery, also present at the auction, donated 6 bottles of his Cabernet Sauvignon, in a vertical array. Although Carneros is not known for its Cabernet Sauvignon, the Truchard wines are terrific big wines with wonderful color and structure. Touches of Cabernet Franc are blended in for added softeness and complexity.

Skinner Vineyards grows fruit in El Dorado near Placerville and also in Fair Play. I’ve personally visited with the winemaker Chris Pittenger in the past, and when the new winery and tasting room opens in Fair Play next year, you absolutely must visit. Chris is a talented winemaker, and these are among the best of Foothill wines. Several wonderful bottles donated to the auction included Skinner White Rhone Blend “Seven Generations” 2008 El Dorado. This is a blend of Roussanne, Marsanne and Viognier, with tropical aromas of pineapple and papaya, hints of flowers, hazelnuts, banana bread and nice minerality.

The Skinner winery is known for its Syrah, and two of them were auctioned. The 2007 El Dorado Syrah is redolent of ripe blackberry, boysenberry and blueberry, with spiciness and a lengthy finish. The Syrah “Stoney Creek Vineyard” 2007 El Dorado is sourced from mountain fruit grown at 2700 feet, and it’s magnificent! Aroma of blackberry, cherry pie and tastes of cinnamon, caramel, vanilla, flower, pepper. The addition of 3% Viognier gives it a medium body and a long velvety finish.

Plumpjack Winery produces super premium Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay from Napa Valley grapes, and also some amounts of Merlot, Syrah and Sauvignon Blanc. On auction was the 2007 Plumpjack Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2007 Merlot, and the 2008 Chardonnay. CADE winery, also owned by Plumpjack, is located in Howell Mountain. The Cade Napa Sauvignon Blanc 2009, cuvee Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 Napa, and 2006 Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon were also included in the auction items donated by Plumpjack.

Of course the Plumpjack Executive Chef Ben “Wyatt” Dufresne and the entire kitchen team produced a wonderful menu that paired well with 4 great wines: Mason Cellars Pomelo Sauvignon Blanc 2009 California, Miner Family Chardonnay 2008 Napa, Siduri Pinot Noir 2008 Sonoma Coast, and Dogwood Cellars Zinfandel 2006 Mendocino.

Biking for a Better World (bikingforabetterworld.org) is headquartered in Olympic Valley and this group raises money for schools and bicycles for students in remote villages in Nicaragua.

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© 2010 Barbara Keck

For more information on dining and the wide range of activities around Lake Tahoe, see the online version of The Tahoe Weekly. This article appeared in my column "It's Grape" in September 2010.

Watch for my forthcoming book: " Wineries of the Sierra and Its Foothills". Publication date early Summer 2011, The Wine Appreciation Guild Publishing Division

>>Send an email to Barbara (at) winebizpr.com if you want to be put on the notification list when it is published...

Incline Spirits Hosts CG DiArie

2010-09-16T20:25:00.000-07:00

How did I miss this great wine shop before now? I’m talking about Incline Spirits on Country Club Drive near Austin’s in Incline Village.

But never mind, I got there via a prompt from Chaim and Elisheva Gur-Arieh, owners of C. G. DiAirie Vineyard & Winery, Mt. Aukum, El Dorado County, California. I have great admiration for their wines, and the story of how food-scientist Chaim moved from such innovations as Cap’n Crunch and Power Bars to winemaking is one of the stories you’ll see in my forthcoming book.

They were pouring their wonderful 2006 Primitivo, Estate Grown on 2-acre Block 4 in their Shenandoah Valley vineyard. The new vintage (2008) is now available at a slightly higher price, but the 2006 has all that you’d want in Primitivo, closely related to Zinfandel: floral fruity aroma, such as raspberry, Marion berry, black cherry, plum, blackberry. Also some peach aromas and flavors. This splendid array of aromas carries through to the palate. Nicely structured, complex, good balance and acidity. Long finish of black cherry, mocha and spice. More information at http://www.cgdiarie.com/ 14.6% alcohol, $21.99/bottle at Incline Spirits.

Three years ago, Aimee Miller and husband Will Brigham created Incline Spirits from an empty office space in what’s since become a lively incline Village destination. Aimee loved wine more than the computer engineering field, and she was encouraged by Will, owner of 6 restaurants over several years.

C. G. DiArie was invited to pour at Incline Spirits because both Aimee and Will love wines from California’s Sierra Foothills. In addition to DiArie’s wines, you’ll find wines from Lava Cap, Twisted Oak and Boeger in the shop as well as other small production, small vintage wines.

“We specialize in hard to find wine, and we like to sponsor guest tastings,” Aimee said. “ We look hard to find wines that have scored over 90 points in various wine industry magazines, and yet are under $30 per bottle.”

The wine offerings changes somewhat seasonally, but both Aimee and Will and general manager Michael Tassone have clear favorites.

Aimee’s choice for the months ahead: a Gary Farrell 2006 Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley, California. “It’s a beautiful bottle, fruit forward, well balanced, complex, and it is drinking really well.” 14.2% alcohol, $48.49/bottle.

Michael’s choice is a 2006 Cakebread Cabernet Sauvignon. “It has delicious fruit and is well balanced,” Michael said. “I’d serve it with tenderloin steak topped by bleu cheese and wrapped in bacon.” Michael background includes 13 years as a wine tour guide.

Will’s choice for summer: a 2006 Cowan Creek Vineyard Pinot Noir, Goldeneye/Duckhorn. “The fruit for this wine is grown in the Anderson Valley, and it has a perfect balance, with strawberry and raspberry tones and a dry finish. You can drink it by itself, or with a meal.” 14.5% alcohol, $84.99/bottle.

For winter, Will would walk you to the round rack in the center of the wine cellar and encourage you to try something new. “The wine I’d recommend is not for the faint of heart,” he said. “It’s like a cabernet sauvignon on steroids and is absolutely perfect for cold nights, gamey meats and fatty meats.” This is the Roagna Borolo, a wine that is 100% Nebbiolo. It is big, heavy and tannic. 13.5% alcohol. $59.99/bottle.

Incline Spirits is located at 120 Country Club Drive, # 25, Incline Village, NV 89451. Open 7 days a week, from 10 a.m. to midnight Sunday-Thursday, and from 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday. Their on-premise tavern license means that you can take a bottle of wine outside, pop the cork, order in food, and dine al fresco. http://www.inclinespirits.com/. 775 831 9292.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
© 2010 Barbara Keck

For more information on dining and the wide range of activities around Lake Tahoe, see the online version of The Tahoe Weekly. This article appeared in my column "It's Grape" in September 2010.

Watch for my forthcoming book: " Wineries of the Sierra and Its Foothills". Publication date early Summer 2011, The Wine Appreciation Guild Publishing Division

>>Send an email to Barbara (at) winebizpr.com if you want to be put on the notification list when it is published...

At Hyatt Regency Incline: Kristi Sets up an Astounding Wine on the Water Benefit

2010-09-09T12:48:00.000-07:00

The Boys and Girls Club of North Lake Tahoe benefits from funds raised at the Wine on the Water event at the end of August, organized by master sommelier Kristi Snyder of Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe. (photo left) The 24 wineries poured wines to go with small-plate tastings from 12 great Tahoe restaurants. It was an event not to miss.

Frankly, I have not seen such a stellar list of wineries pouring great wines gathered in one place at Tahoe before. The roster included Benessere, Bennett Lane, BR Cohn, Cakebread, Carol Shelton, Chateau St. Michelle, Dierberg, Domaine Carneros, Duckhorn, Educated Guess, Elyse, Emmolo, Forman Vineyards, Four Graces, Frank Family, Gregory Graham, Keenan, Laird, Mer Soliel, Mi Sueno, Miner Family, Opolo, Robert Hall, Rodney Strong, Schramsberg, Simi, Stags Leap, Talbott, Terra Valentine, Twisted Oak, Twomey, Silver Oak. Truly star-studded!

Wines from small production wineries is what I decided to taste. There’s a special place in my heart for the little guy because often their spirit and persistence and innovation leads to new chapters in the wine history books.

Benessere Vineyards, St. Helena, is family owned and specializes in Italian Varietals. With vineyards located along the Napa River, the growing conditions are ideal for Sangiovese, a fairly fickle and delicate varietal. The Benessere 2007 Napa Valley Sangiovese is made entirely from estate grapes grown on their 42 acres, and the dedication to hand-crafting the Benessere wines shows through. It is an elegant and beautiful wine, with structured tannins that do not overwhelm the ripe fruit flavors of cherries and red currant. 14.4% alcohol, $32/bottle. Only 1200 cases made. http://www.benesserevineyards.com/

At the tasting station for Emmolo Wine Company, there’s a photo of their new concrete fermenter, fondly called “The Egg.” There’s lots of experimentation in the wine business with fermentation types and techniques, and this is one of the newest types of fermenters, developed in Burgundy, France. Cheryl Emmolo, owner, is pleased with the results. Her winemaker son Charlie Wagner produced a bright and clean 2009 Sauvignon Blanc from grapes in their historic Emmolo River Ranch property, Rutherford/Napa. The citrus, starfruit, honeydew and tropical fruit hints are true to the varietal. The finish had a touch of minerality that was classic to this terroir. 12.8% alcohol, $16/bottle. http://www.emmolowines.com/

Mi Sueño Winery, Napa, poured their 2007 Mi Sueno El Llano Red Wine Napa Valley. This blend, 35% Syrah and 65% Cabernet, is named in honor of winemaker/owner Rolando Herrera's hometown of El Llano, Michoacan, Mexico. Begun as a little experiment of 700 cases in 2002, the El Llano has become their most popular wine. A deep, dark, purple-black color leads you to expect the rich aroma of red and black fruits. Great fruit flavor with a touch of roasted espresso and perhaps some sweet cocoa. Ripe-polished tannins and a hint of warm toasty oak. Truly yummy. 14.5% alcohol, $40/bottle. http://www.misuenowinery.com/

Educated Guess 2008 Chardonnay is made from grapes grown in Napa’s Oak Knoll and Mount Veeder districts. This is a delicious crisp Chardonnay, not over-oaked. Wonderful tastes of pear, melon, green apple, and a nice bright acidity with creamy vanilla notes. It is both tasty and affordable – and this is a goal of the Roots Run Deep Winery, which produces Educated Guess Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir. 14.6 % alcohol, $17/bottle. http://www.rootsrundeep.com/

For more information about the Boys and Girls Club of North Lake Tahoe, visit their website at http://www.bgcnlt.org/. It was founded in 1998 in response to a lack of affordable, year-round youth development services on the North Shore.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

For more information on dining and the wide range of activities around Lake Tahoe, see the online version of The Tahoe Weekly. This article appeared in my column "It's Grape" in September 2010.

Watch for my forthcoming book: " Wineries of the Sierra and Its Foothills". Publication date early Summer 2011, The Wine Appreciation Guild Publishing Division

>Send an email to Barbara (at) winebizpr.com if you want to be put on the notification list when it is published...

TRUCKEE RIVER WINERY’s NEW TASTING ROOM: Comfy, Relaxed

2010-09-04T13:58:00.000-07:00

If you haven’t been to the Truckee River Winery tasting room at 11467 Brockway Road, next to Mountain Home Center on the northeast side of Truckee, make a point to go there before it’s too jammed with other folks. The word is getting out rapidly that it is a great place to taste wine and meet friends for relaxation and bocce.

Bocce? You bet. One of the fun things that winemaker Russ Jones installed at the new premises was a terrific bocce court. He runs tournaments, has an expert give master classes, and is even doing a Full Moon Glow Ball Bocce Tournament. There are also Horseshoe tournaments. A game board for cozy checkers in front of the wireplace at wintertime. And let’s not forget the wonderful wines!

Russ started his winery in a two car garage in 1989, moved his winemaking to South River St. in Truckee and in 2009, with case production at almost 1500 cases, created a crushpad and tasting room on Brockway Road. It was a case of local boy (Truckee High School class of 1977) comes home, and establishes the “highest and coldest” winery in the Sierra. He’d graduated from UC Davis’ program in enology and viticulture, worked in the wine industry in Oregon and Paso Robles and then came back home.

Russ’s philosophy is to make good wine, and to make consistent wine. He’s established relationships with good growers and vineyard operators.

“We are proud to source and control 2 acres of Pisoni clone vines at Garys' Vineyard located in Monterey County in the Santa Lucia Highlands . Our Zinfandel comes from Lodi, Gribaudo Vineyard from the old vine section. Bear River Vineyard in Chicago Park, near Colfax, is our source for Merlot. And we produce a Pinot Gris from Eldorado County,” he notes.

There are also the vines he is growing at a small newly-established vineyard within sight of the tasting room on Brockway Road. Those vines, LaCrosse, Frontenac, and Brianna varieties, came from the University of Minnesota and they are cold-hardy vines that can adapt to Truckee’s cold nights. In a year or two, this small vineyard will produce an ice wine to add to the list.

Here is a glance at the wines you can taste, and buy, at the Tasting Room. And if you want to ship them to friends out of state, Truckee River Winery has created a relationship with vinoshipper.com.

2006 Gary’s Vineyard Pinot Noir (Santa Lucia) is one of the winery’s hallmark wines. Only 450 cases were produced of this vintage. The wine is unfiltered and handcrafted in Truckee. The result is a very delicate Pinot with complexity, depth, and soft tannins. $45/bottle. 13.8 % alcohol.

The 2009 White Barn Pinot Gris (El Dorado), at $12.00 bottle, is a lovely wine that pairs well with seafood. “This is a very simple wine, with no oak. It is the product of cold fermentation, cold storage, and is bottled within a year of harvest. “It’s got lots of fruit, a bit of melon character, aroma of rose petals and a crisp acidity,” says Russ. He only produced 250 cases of this wine. 13.4% alcohol.

Only 250 cases were produced of the 2006 Gribaudo Vineyard (Lodi) Zinfandel, which has a taste and texture that’s very similar to their 2003 Zin which won a double gold at the San Francisco Chronicle 2006 competition. This wine has a lovely depth in both color and flavor, and is big and bold. “Intense flavors of raspberry, cassis and cloves wrapped in soft oak and tannins making this one big wine,” says Russ. $25/bottle. 14.3% alcohol.

The new tasting room is open every day except Tuesday from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm. Visit it at 11467 Brockway Road, Truckee, Ca 96161.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
© 2010 Barbara Keck

For more information on dining and the wide range of activities around Lake Tahoe, see the online version of The Tahoe Weekly. This article appeared in my column "It's Grape" in September 2010.

Watch for my forthcoming book: " Wineries of the Sierra and Its Foothills". Publication date early Summer 2011, The Wine Appreciation Guild Publishing Division

>>Send an email to Barbara (at) winebizpr.com if you want to be put on the notification list when it is published...

Wine Walks at Northstar at Tahoe: Great Fun for Wine Enthusiasts

2010-08-30T14:50:00.000-07:00

Northstar at Tahoe has many events, wine bars and restaurants that make an excursion for a wine enthusiast worthwhile at any time. This is true of their Wine Walk events, and the final one is Saturday August 28th. These Wine Walks are fun events, with no pressure to rush. A beautiful day, a glass of wine, and perhaps some friends to join you… a perfect summer Saturday!

The July event featured Clos Bu Bois Reserve wines and some stops on the 11-point Wine Walk also poured a number of other interesting wines.

First stop was Butterbox, where the 2007 Clos Du Bois Calcaire (Chardonnay) was poured. It has the fresh, crisp fruit flavors that make cool climate Chardonnay from Russian River yummy, with aromas of citrus, apple and pear, and a touch of nutmeg. Creamy and rich in the mouth, the ripe apple and pear fruit tones come through, and then a nice surprise of lemon and lime. 14.5% alcohol. $30 on the winery website, $19-22 from internet suppliers.

Earthly Delights poured a Maso Canali Pinot Grigio. This wine originated on the 17-acre, family-owned Maso Canali Vineyard in Trentino, Italy. The Canali family has lived on the estate for 500 years, and has been planting Pinot Grigio grapes there since 1893. On the nose, an aroma of peach and bit of honey. Flavors are tropical with some floral notes, and there is apricot, lemon and pineapple. Good balance, a great finish. A wonderful summer wine! !3% alcohol. $14-20 from internet suppliers.

Olivier Napa Valley paired its creamy mushroom fondue with a very drinkable 2009 Domaine des Lauriers Languedoc Picpoul-de-Pinet. A nice light Mediterranean wine, Snooth.com notes that “this wine is produced in the Coteaux du Languedoc region of southeast France. The terroir is a mixture of limestone, sand and clay. Pinet is a small Languedoc village overlooking the oyster and mussel farms of the Bassin de Thau. ” This wine delivers delivering bright flavors of pear, pineapple, lemon and hints of orange. 13% alcohol. Retail price around $14 a bottle.

Baxter’s Bistro and Lounge poured a Sangria (top photo) made with Grenache, 2008 Evodia, Altovinum, paired with cucumber slices topped with trout rouet. The recipe from Baxter’s manager Emily Schoonover: Grenache, orange juice, fresh seasonal fruit; let the fruit marinate overnight; fill glass with ice and 3/4 full with Sangria, top with Club Soda.

The 2005 Clos du Bois Dry Creek Reserve Zinfandel, a blend of 90% Zinfandel and 10% Petite Syrah, was served at Mine. True to its Dry Creek Valley (Sonoma County, California) terroir, this Zinfandel is ripe and intensely flavored but balanced and not overblown. Color is a deep ruby red, with aroma of blueberry, plum, and hints of vanilla and spice tones of black pepper. Taste follows aroma, with blueberry, plum and raspberry too. 15% alcohol. Should retail between $18-20 a bottle.

The Chocolate Bar featured a Ferrari-Carano 2006 Siena, a blend of 68% Sangiovese, 32% Malbec from Sonoma County vineyards in Alexander, Dry Creek and Russian River Valleys to create a beautifully balanced and medium-bodied wine. It is a ripe blend with aroma of many fruits: cranberry, strawberry, cherry. Juice jammy flavors of strawberry and raspberry, a nice finish that features caramel and spice. Good acidity with round, gentle tannins and a lingering finish. 13.3% alcohol. $22-$27 a bottle where you can find it… sold out at many internet stores.

The Wine Walks are generally summer events, held from 2:30 to 5: 30, tickets are $20 and include tastings at over 10 locations in the Village, a commemorative wine glass, and some light snacks at a few locations. To find the calendar of wine walk events and reserve tickets, go to http://www.northstarattahoe.com/or call 1.800.GO.NORTH.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

For more information on dining and the wide range of activities around Lake Tahoe, see the online version of The Tahoe Weekly. This article appeared in my column "It's Grape" in late August 2010.

Watch for my forthcoming book: " Wineries of the Sierra and Its Foothills". Publication date early Summer 2011, The Wine Appreciation Guild Publishing Division

>>Send an email to Barbara (at) winebizpr.com if you want to be put on the notification list when it is published...

ZoZo's Ristorante, Reno -- Wine Dinners that Get People Out of the Rut

2010-08-19T11:31:00.000-07:00

Looking for a place to take your friends, where the food is good, the wine is well paired with the food, and it’s festive and reasonably priced? Take your group to one of the “A Taste Of…” events at ZoZo’s Ristorante in Reno. Located in the middle of the Moana West Shopping Center at 3446 Lakeside Drive, Reno, the avowed purpose of these twice monthly wine-pairing dinners is to “get people out of the rut”. They do a fine job of that, and for only $35 per person including tax and tip. “The whole reason we do this is so people can try new things,” explained owners Sid and Julie Ashton. “Our customers come in and often order the same wine over and over again; this gets them to try new wines and it won’t break the bank.”

The first pairing was a 2009 Ponzi Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley. This 40-year-old winery, located in Beaverton, Oregon, is internationally acclaimed for producing some of the world's finest Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay and White Riesling. Winemaker Luisa Ponzi, a second generation family member, uses a classic Burgundian style in her wines. Luisa defines this Pinot Gris as "A floral nose with lime zest and green apple, the mouth is ripe melon, clove and citrus finishing with a perfect play between sweetness and acidity. " 13.6% alcohol. Nicely paired with ZoZo’s homemade white bean minestrone soup.

I personally love Rombauer Chardonnay. Call it my California palette or whatever you want, but its big buttery oaky fruitiness always pleases me. The 2008 Rombauer Chardonnay that was served with the next plate, a rock shrimp and artichoke fritta with red pepper aoli, had the classic tones: intense pear, pineapple and tropical fruits, balanced with creamy, toasted vanilla. Refined acidity and hints of apple linger on the finish. 14.4% alcohol.

I’ve been touring the El Dorado and Amador wine country recently, as part of my research for the book that’s going to be published in Spring 2011: Mountain Wineries of the Sierra and Its Foothills. So I was thrilled to see an Amador wine appear on my table. The 2007 Noceto Sangiovese has been called one of California’s best Sangioveses. Winemaker Jim Gullet notes that this wine is a "Chianti-inspired normale” Sangiovese that displays hints of chocolate with a fruit forward cranberry-cherry character. Highly versatile with food, and it compares favorably to its Tuscan forebears.” 14.0% alcohol. Paired with Lobster Cognac ravioli.

The 2006 Earthquake Cabernet Sauvignon, Lodi, is blended with Petite Sirah and Cabernet Franc. The Earthquake label is part of the Michael-David family of wines. It opens with attractive blend of mild blackberry, coffee, cinnamon, and clove-like bouquet. On the palate, this wine is full bodied, very nicely balanced, smooth, and elegant. The flavor profile is a tasty mild black currant with notes of coffee, bacon, and milk chocolate. The finish is dry with mild fine tannins. 15.% alcohol. Paired with slow roasted pork.

It’s a fun experience: vines and tiny, twinkling lights weave throughout trellises, hanging from from the ceiling. Grape clusters and Chianti bottles cling to the lattice, and the foot and wine selections are always good.

ZoZo’s Ristorante, 3446 Lakeside Drive, Reno, NV 89509-4854 . (775) 829-9449 Open for Dinner seven nights a week and lunch Monday through Friday. On many Wednesday evenings, live jazz. Want to join a wine dinner? The menu and wine pairings for future wine dinners are on their website, http://www.zozosreno.com/. You must make a reservation for the wine dinner, and can do that by phoning or by sending an email to zozosreno@aol.com.

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© 2010 Barbara Keck

For more information on dining and the wide range of activities around Lake Tahoe, see the online version of The Tahoe Weekly. This article appeared in my column "It's Grape" in August 2010.

Watch for my forthcoming book: "Wineries of the Sierra and Its Foothills". Publication date early Summer 2011, Wine Appreciation Guild Publishing.

>>Send an email to Barbara (at) winebizpr.com if you want to be put on the notification list when it is published...

Wild Goose - Wonderful Wine, Spectacular Food

2010-08-12T18:39:00.000-07:00

For a truly special evening with truly wonderful wine choices, run, don’t walk to the Wild Goose in Tahoe Vista! For many years a private dining amenity for owners of property in the Tahoe Mountain Club enclaves, it’s now open to the public. What an incredible treat!

Of course you’ll be awed the minute you walk in, as the restaurant design by a famous San Francisco architect is fashioned after the lake cruisers of the 1920’s with the elements of light, water and wood all focusing your attention toward Lake Tahoe. The view from the bar as well as the indoor dining space is exquisite. If you are fortunate enough to make a reservation far enough in advance to be seated outside, prepare for the feeling of Heaven touching the lake and the delight of wines that tease and please the palate, accompanied by the best food I have had in a long, long time.

Pat Hedderman is the wine expert, recently recruited away from some high-toned Tahoe venues by Brad Kohler, General Manager. Both are experienced professionals, and it shows in everything that is presented to you. Hedderman is a confident wine buyer, and he says that development of the Wild Goose wine list was both reasoned and spontaneous. “I tasted it, I liked it, I thought it had a spot on the list, and I bought it,” he said. He is also dedicated to affordability in his wine selections.

We started with some great selections from the wines-by-the-glass list, and Chef de Cuisine Jason DeGuilio matched items from the menu with those wines.

To begin, a lovely Rose from Lucia Vineyards. “Lucy”, a 2009 product of pinot noir grapes grown in Gary’s Vineyard by the famous viticulturist Gary Pisoni, is a perfect smooth summer wine. The very pretty color reminiscent of a near-ripe strawberry may have inspired its pairing with the strawberry summer salad. 14.1% alcohol, $9 the glass.

What a nice surprise to find a Portuguese Vinho Verde in my glass next. This Famega 2008 is an aromatic white wine, with crisp apple flavors, and slightly frizzantei (sparkling). Perfectly paired with the pistachio-tempura softshell crab on a timbale of avocado in a cucumber soup. This everyday table wine from Portugal is very drinkable, with only 9.5% alcohol. $18 the bottle.

An Adelsheim Pinot Noir 2008 from the Willamette Valley was great with a pan-seared halibut crusted in shitake mushrooms. This wine earned 90 points from the Wine Spectator, who termed it “Smooth and velvety, light on its feet, glowing with red cherry and raspberry flavors, with a hint of mint in the background. Lingers easily on the refreshing finish.” That about wraps it up. 13.3% alcohol. $35 for the half bottle.

My absolute most surprising wine-food pairing was the Shabu-shabu of thin slices of striploin of beef, presented with a lobster-infused butter to be cooked for “only 7 seconds” at the table, according to Brad Kohler. Then a touch of Fleur de Sal, and pop it in your mouth with a 2008 ZD Chardonnay. Chardonnay with beef? This is spectacular, trust me. We all know and love ZD Chardonnary, and at 13.5% alcohol and $14 the glass, you must try this combination, it is surf-‘n-turf in a pot! Fantastic.

I hate to sound so enthusiastic, but then there was the Perrin 2007 Cotes-du-Rhone that appeared with the best lamb chop I’ve been served anywhere at Lake Tahoe. This wine is 50% syrah, 50% Grenache, with a peppery first taste that moderated as it opened up. 13% alcohol, $9 the glass.

I could wax eloquent about the desserts, but you’d hate me. So suffice it to say that the Chateau Rieussec 2001 Sauterne was as heavenly as the rest of the wines. I agree with another taster who experienced quince, exotic fruits, mango, pinepple, honey and hints of citrus in this Sémillon-Sauvignon Blanc Blend. $14 the glass. Go to the Wine Doctor’s blog to learn more about this famous estate and its wines: http://www.thewinedoctor.com/bordeaux/rieussec.shtml.

And to end this incredible wine and food pairing experience a Quinta do Tedo 1995 Vintage Porto. From grapes grown on South side of the Douro, this was Tedo’s first port vintage. $7 the glass.

Wild Goose is located at 7320 North Lake Blvd, Tahoe Vista. Reservations strongly encouraged. 530-546-3640

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© 2010 Barbara Keck

For more information on dining and the wide range of activities around Lake Tahoe, see the online version of The Tahoe Weekly. This article appeared in my column "It's Grape" in August 2010.

Watch for my forthcoming book: "Wineries of the Sierra and Its Foothills". Publication date early Summer 2011, Wine Appreciation Guild Publishing.

>>Send an email to Barbara (at) winebizpr.com
if you want to be put on the notification list
when it is published...

Why Tasting Rooms should Charge Fees

2010-08-10T22:29:00.000-07:00

I was visiting a small winery in the Sierra Foothills. I've come to appreciate the passion these winemakers put into their wines, and the sometimes-shoestring nature of their operations. As I pulled into the parking lot, a tour bus was pulling out.

"That was almost a waste of time," John the winemaker said. " Six passengers, one bottle of wine, one pair of earrings."

I did a quick calculation. Maybe a $30 sale. For which he'd poured 24 tastes, and received no revenue. And not even a fare-the-well for use of the picnic grounds and the multiple toilet flushes in the loo at 3400 feet when water is so doggone scarce up there.

What's wrong with this picture?

Another winery owner I'd interviewed last week was Evelyn Reyes-Umaña of Bodega del Sur Winery in Murphys. She'd boldly imposed a $3 tasting fee and has been happy with the results. "That cut down on the 21-year-old-birthday-party nightmare, and that's been great," Evelyn said.

Over the past few months, I've conducted in-depth interviews with more than 20 Mountain Wineries in the Sierra and Its Foothills, for the book I'm writing. About one-fourth charge some small fee for tasting. Three-fourths don't. They all should. I plan to speak up on this topic to the remaining wineries on my interview schedule.

Here's one reason why: when I left the discouraged winemaker and went to downtown Placerville, I stopped at Starbucks and ordered a latte. $3.45 and I didn't give a second's consideration before I forked that over.

What's wrong with THAT picture? Absolutely nothing. Looks like a sound business model to me.

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© 2010 Barbara Keck

Watch for my forthcoming book: "Mountain Wineries of the Sierra and Its Foothills". Publication date Spring 2011, Wine Appreciation Guild Publishing.

>>Send an email to Barbara (at) winebizpr.com if you want to be put on the notification list
when it is published