Barrel Tasting

Our trip to Oregon in May (I know, I'm so late in getting these things posted, sorry!) included our first barrel tasting - and we ended up having two! One scheduled, one impromptu. Having never been to one, we were intrigued. The first one was a private event at Ken Wright Cellars for wine club members and a few guests. We were in the latter category.

A barrel tasting is literally that, tasting wines out of the barrel before they get bottled or blended and bottled. At Ken Wright Cellars we were in for an additional treat. The people manning the barrel tasting were the actual grape farming crew. They were fabulous to talk with about how the wine made it to the barrels and the land on which the grapes grew. We tasted pinot noir barrels from the Canary Hill, Carter, and Savoya vineyards. They were all 2012 barrels. The Canary Hill had good light structure and a young woody nose; the Carter was more fruit forward, but still an earthy nose that we thought would age really well.  The Savoya was the earthiest of all, yet lighter than the others I thought. We also tasted 3 bottled wines, the 2011 Pinot Blanc (shortbread on the finish! yum!), the 2010 Chardonnay (earthy and not very sweet, which is a good thing), and a 2007 McCrone Vineyard Pinot Noir (floral on the nose and a spicy finish, still could use some aging).  The Ken Wright Cellars tasting room is located in the small town of Carlton. Right on the main drag you'll find the Cellars and close by is the fabulous Carlton Bakery. Their breads, baked goods and sandwiches were phenomenal.

The second barrel tasting occurred by luck at Willamette Valley Vineyards. We were on a private tour when the assistant winemaker happened by and offered to give us a barrel tasting. What an amazing opportunity! Having a winemaker tour was so enlightening. He showed us how they rated barrels with a glimpse into how decisions are made on which barrels to blend together. We tasted a  Chardonnay with a coconut overtone and three Pinot Noir barrels that were all very different. We were also lucky enough to get a taste of their port (made from Pinot Noir grapes, fortified with a brandy made from their Chardonnay grapes) that hides in a back, locked alcove. The port was something that his father had started when he was head winemaker as a private project that turned out to be amazing. They now sell it at the winery and we had to bring home a bottle.

For all of you who live in wine country, this may be old hat to you, but for the rest of us, what a treat. If you have the opportunity to do a barrel tasting, definitely do so. It's as much an education as a pleasure.

Oregon Wine Tasting - Elk Cove Vineyards

I am so excited to share with you our second exploration of Oregon wine country. We tasted 45 wines in two days.  That's certainly not a professional-level tasting rate, but I'd say not bad for vacationing.  With the help of our local wine shop (if you follow my blog, you know that's Midtown Wine & Spirits) and wine distributor we started our journey off with a tasting appointment at Elk Cove Vineyards. We drove through some lush green winding hills and valleys and then up to a beautiful vineyard vista on a chilly, but sunny morning. The rhododendrons were at their peak bloom all across the Willamette Valley. The wealth of color they provide in their mostly shaded spots is extraordinary. Spring is one of the best times to be in the Pacific Northwest. 

Elk Cove is one of Oregon's oldest wineries in the relatively young Oregon viticulture area. Begun in 1977 by the Campbell family it remains a family-run winery business and the care with which they make their wines shows. They have about 250 acres in production on four different locations and bottle about 35,000 cases a year. What a great way to start our winery junket. We tried the 2012 Pinot Blanc, a steely wine with hints of butter and lemon. Next was a 2012 Pinot Gris - their 2006 and 2009 were Wine Spectator top 100 wines. The 2012 was delicious, florally, crisp and refreshing with a pineapple nose. We tasted 2 Rieslings - the 2010 Riesling Estate and 2011 Late Harvest Riesling, both were challenging on their own to our untrained palettes, but would be lovely with the right food. We were surprised to find so many Rieslings on our tour in Oregon. We haven't begun to explore or fully appreciate the grape yet, but we're going to find our way there!

The 2012 Pinot Noir Rose we tasted next was wonderful - lots of rose and candy notes. Full of strawberry, red grapefruit and watermelon through the middle and finish.  This is a small production line for them so knew we wouldn't be getting any at our local wine shop - definitely something to bring home. We followed the white and pink wines with 3 Pinot Noirs, the Willamette Valley, Five Mountain, and La Boheme. All were very nicely fruity and earthy. Our favorite was the La Boheme, which had a dark fruit nose and velvety mouth feel. We followed these up with a Del Rio Syrah, which had good spiciness, structure and tannic finish. The last we tasted the 2010 Ultima dessert wine. I've been finding myself fascinated by dessert wines and ports of late because they are so fun to pair with food. We brought an Ultima home and I'm excited to make something to complement its peachy flavors. All-in-all, a winery to keep an eye out for at your local wine shop or visit when you are in the Willamette Valley.

Next up....Ken Wright Cellars.  Coming soon!

I'm so excited!  I just got an ultrabook - the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga13.  Looking forward to writing all my new posts on it!  Coming soon will be posts on risotto, Oregon wine country, and coastal comforts - in no particular order.

Portalicious

Port Tasting and Birthday Celebrations!

Up until our tasting last month, I hadn't a clue what port was really all about. I had used it in cooking a fair bit - two of my favorite recipes are a marinade for rack of lamb and a pear and port fruitcake - and had enjoyed a glass at the end of a meal once or twice a year. However, I had never really known the difference between a basic ruby and tawny, let alone the aged and vintages of both. My, what an eye-opener tasting event! Ruby and tawny are so very different - tawny being the amber adult cousin of the youthful, sweet, Ruby. Both are loveable, but you'll probably prefer one over the other.

In the picture above, you'll notice we tried basic versions of both as well as a 1994 vintage porto and a 10-year aged tawny. The latter two were sophisticated versions of their younger siblings. They were softer, richer in depth, and nuanced.

The main difference between ruby and tawny derives from the aging method. Ruby spends two to three years in stainless steel or wood before it is bottled, but tawny ages only in the cask and is at least three years old.  Indicated aged tawnies, such as our 10-year old above, are made from a blend of vintages with the average age being 10 years old - hence the label, same goes for the 20-year, 30-year and older tawny vintages - labeled age indicating the average vintage of the wine. You might also see Colheita, which we did not taste, but this is aged tawny from a single vintage. They range from 7 to 50 years aged in the cask. I wouldn't be averse to tasting of a Colheita one of these days.

The single vintage ruby, such as our 1994 Dow's, is the rarest and most expensive form of porto. The wine vintages must be declared by the company and approved by the authoritative body - the IVP (i.e., the Port Wine Institute - Instituto do Vinho do Porto). Unlike the tawnies that age in a cask, declared vintage rubies must be bottled between July 1 of the second year and June 30 of the third year after harvest. There are several other types of porto, but we hit a couple of highlights in our tasting.

Our tasting of these fine ports followed a fun birthday feast with fabulous friends. Tasting with friends is a rich experience with ample rewards of good conversation and much laughter - I highly recommend it.  Eric Asimov agrees with me - I just finished his book "How to Love Wine: A Memoir and Manifesto" in which he finds enjoying wine with friends is possibly the best way to taste wine.  I usually read his column in the New York Times so my husband gave me the book as a Christmas present (thanks, incredible husband of mine).  The book is a fun read and makes me feel better about our approach to wine, albeit Asimov wouldn't agree with the blind tasting we usually do. If you've ever felt inadequate about selecting or tasting wines, read his book - it will all make sense as to why you feel that way and how not to do so.

As a bonus at our tasting this time, one of our friends knew his port, which helped us all understand the beverage better than just reading about it in a book. He also kindly brought the upper-end bottles for us to experience!  Many thanks, Chris!

Winter Warming Menu

It was our turn to host dinner club again, but I forgot to take pictures :( So all I give you is a description. You'll have to let your mind fill in the colors and smells. Given the chill of winter - even snow falling the morning of our dinner - I went for warm, hearty comfort food.  The first course was a hot Creamy Mushroom Soup with Mushroom Chips from an old Food & Wine magazine.  The soup tastes velvety, almost cream-like even though there is no cream - it's all in the blending. A bonus is the mushroom chips on top - they are addictable (addictive and delectable). Earthy and crunchy. I recommend making a few extras for snacking!  We served this with a Ferrari-Carano Fume Blanc, which also went into the soup.

The main course was a one-dish wonder - Smoked Sausage Cassoulet. This exemplifies the best of French bistro cooking. A hint of clove, rosemary and sage gives the dish a wintery feel and warms the insides. A Rhone-style wine pairs well with this. We finished off the meal with Chocolate Pound Cake with Raspberry Sorbet and Vanilla Ice Cream, paired with Pedroncelli Port from the Dry Creek area of Sonoma. The best part of the meal?  The company. We love our dinner club friends!

Bubbles!

Just in the nick of time we bring you the results from our latest wine tasting of the year...bubbles!  We upped the ante this time and splurged on a more expensive selection than our previous tastings. Instead of tasting different types of bubbles (e.g., Prosecco, Cava, Spumante, Sekt), we adhered to ones made in the traditional French champagne method (méthode champenoise)--specifically, non-vintage bruts. We tasted three from France and one from California.  Again, a blind tasting, although now that I'm reading Eric Asimov's latest book How to Love Wine: A Memoir and Manifesto, we might have to switch that up (a great Christmas gift from my lovely husband). Asimov argues, quite convincingly, against blind tastings.

Nevertheless, we drank our bubbles blind. The first three listed below (and left to right in the picture above) are from France, the last in order is from Anderson Valley, California.

1. Nicholas Feuillatte, Brut Reserve - $39.99
2. Heidsieck & Co., Monopole, Premier Cru - $49.99
3. Louis Roederer, Brut Premier - $49.99
4. Roederer Estate, Brut - $22.99

Not surprisingly, we loved all of them and would drink any of them if served. I found the Nicholas Feuillatte had a sweet nose and lovely taste, but it was a little sweet for most.  The Heidsieck & Co. had a nice nuttiness to it and seemed to most closely resemble what a few of us think of when we imagine champagne. However, it had a short finish. The bubbliest was the Roederer Estate and was the top pick for most. However, there were several of us that had the Louis Roederer as our top pick. When I first tasted the Louis Roederer I thought it smelled of mushrooms and was a little worried, but second, third and many more tastes proved to me that it had a delightful quality and beautiful small bubbles.

What we missed in the event was a saber opening of the bottles. Just didn't have one handy - nor the skill to pull it off. I've seen it done - by a British Cavalry officer at a "beat the millennium ball" that friends put together in Baltimore to ring in 1999. Now that makes an impression!

So, go out, get your bubbles and saber ready (and a handsome British Cavalry officer, if handy) and enjoy the New Year's celebrations! Happy New Year to you and yours.

Sonoma memories

Summer vacation, ahhh. Only a few months late. We just returned from a week in Sonoma, California. What a wonderful trip full of wine tasting, good food, and beautiful fall colors in the vineyards. I highly recommend the Vintners Inn as a lodging location near Santa Rosa. It consists of three two-story buildings that house the rooms, which results in a cozy, private-like setting. Our room overlooked the vineyard and had a petite patio on which to lounge and enjoy the fall colors. Importantly, it also had a jogging path through the surrounding vineyards. After all the tasting and eating, we definitely wanted to take advantage of an exercise option in the idyllic setting. However, instead of their breakfast, which didn't rank high on my list, go to Flying Goat Coffee in Santa Rosa or Healdsburg. Delicious coffee and pastries are available. I also sampled espresso at Bad Ass Coffee because it sounded fun. Turns out it wasn't much to look at other than the cute ass logo, which didn't come out too well in the photo, but the espresso was very, very good.

From one stimulant to another...the wine tasting is outstanding in Sonoma - over 70 wineries to visit.  Needless to say, we didn't quite get to them all. The sights also delighted. From salmon swimming up streams to beautiful gardens and a bronze wild pig statue. Next post....all the wines we tasted and falling in love with Pinot. Enjoy a few winery pics in the meantime!





Tasting Event #3

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, so we tasted four wines that should go well with turkey and fixin's. With help from our friends at Midtown Wine & Spirits, we picked out four very different wines - two whites and two reds:

1. A German Riesling: Von Schleinitz from Mosel - Weissenberg Kabinett  @ $19.99
2. A South African Chenin Blanc: Secateurs @ $16.99
3. A California Pinot Noir: Belle Glos Meiomi @ $19.99
4. A French Syrah-Grenache blend from the Languedoc region: H & B (Hecht & Bannier) Minervois @ $19.99

In order to determine which went best with thanksgiving food, we also served small plates of fall tastes - tenderized turkey breast steaks topped with stuffing and smothered in provolone with a splash of gravy, roasted sliced brussel sprouts with bacon, and a sweet and gold potato gratin.

So, our results: the Reisling was a little too sweet for most people on its own.  It was much better with the food, but some still thought it was too sweet. The Chenin Blanc was delicious on its own with a good minerality to it.  It had the acidity to cope with the richness of the food, yet it didn't really stand up well against the food. That is, it didn't bring anything to the food and its own flavors disappeared.  The Pinot Noir was the big hit, combining some nice up-front fruit with a bit of spice.  It was delicious by itself but paired extremely well with the food, especially the brussel sprouts. If you wanted something a little heartier than a Pinot Noir, the Minervois was exceptional. The Syrah-Grenache blend and style is similar to that of more widely available Cotes-du-Rhones, should you have trouble finding an offering from Minervois in your wine shop.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Tasting Event #2

Sadly, my write-up from our last tasting is way overdue.  My apologies.  Sincere thanks go to Bradley at Midtown & Spirits for helping us pick out a great selection of five pinot noirs. Our second tasting consisted of pinots from New Zealand, France (Burgundy region), the Willamette Valley in Oregon and another from Russian River Valley, California. The last was an inexpensive, mass market, pinot noir from California.

Here are the details on the five:

1. Mark West, California (mass market wine) - $10.99
2. Nobilo Icon, New Zealand - $14.99
3. Argyle, Willamette Valley, Oregon - $22.99
4. LWC, Loring Wine Company, Russian River Valley, California - $19.99
5. Marsannay, Louis Latour, the Burgundy region in France - $22.99

We paired the tastings with several cheeses, charcuterie and fresh ripe figs wrapped in prosciutto. While we did a blind tasting again, I was certain I knew which one I would like best. Imagine my surprise when what I thought would be my favorite turned out third on my list.  My first and second favorites were as much a surprise as was the group's consensus.  As happened last time, everyone liked all of them and would happily drink any of them (let's just say that no one in the group was sipping & spitting), but side-by-side (don't judge us too harshly) the Mark West, the least expensive, came in first.  Although it was neither a clear nor unanimous favorite (Nobilo & Argyle also got first-place votes), it was the definite winner as a value proposition. Our rank orderings diverged dramatically.  My second place was the New Zealand Pinot Noir.  What I had expected to by my favorite, the Argyle from Willamette Valley, came in as my third favorite. There was no consensus on the least favorite.

As for taste profiles, as reconstructed from sketchy notes and fading memory, the Mark West had a spiciness to it that stood out from the others and, perhaps surprisingly for a wine at that price point, clearly improved with time. The Marsannay had a bit of the earthiness that one associates with Burgundy, LWC had a floral nose and hints of strawberry, the Nobilo was black cherry, and the Argyle was silky smooth with hints of violet.

Next up...Turkey wines. What goes best with a Thanksgiving meal? Paired, of course, with a little turkey and other thanksgiving edibles.

Baked Figs and Bread

Just about ready for the oven.  Old fashioned health nut bread (http://acooksmusings.blogspot.com/2011/04/bread-old-fashioned-way.html) and baked figs with Madeira and thyme (and a little brown sugar).