Weird Wine Grapes

Everyone is familiar with Chardonnay, Cabernet Merlot and other popular grape varietals.
But, what about grapes like Abrusco, Baga or Vermentino? Ever heard of any of those?
These little buggers make good wine too.
Let's take a closer look at one these grapes.
Vermentino.
Let's break down the name:
Vermen, rhymes with vermin. And what is vermin?
Here's what Webster says: small insects and animals (such as fleas or mice) that are sometimes harmful to plants or other animals and that are difficult to get rid of. Very bad
Tino: well, tino isn't really a word.
But isn't vermin bad enough? Don't you feel sorry for the Vermentino grape now?
This little guy probably gets beat up in the vineyard all the time by his fellow grapes.

Seriously though, Vermentino is a grape indigenous to Central Italy and it is widely planted in Sardinia.It is also used in Languedoc, France. The wine is white, and you could say it is similar in style to Pinot Grigio: light, crisp and refreshing with balanced acidity making it a good food wine - like all Italian whites. 
It's also very reasonably priced. I don't recall ever seeing a Vermentino over $20.

So if you happen to come across a Vermentino wine at your favorite wine monger (hopefully that's Balabans)
Don't be afraid.
Give it a try.

Tom 

Vermentino

                                         

STOP PICKING ON ME!!

A great afternoon at a Missouri winery.

Judy and I went to Blumenhof Winery in Dutzow, MO this Sunday.
This is one of our favorite local wineries. The people there are great and the wines are decent. Even though they serve food, you can bring your own picnic, which is what we did.
This Sunday, the weather was ideal.
The live music was a blues band - they were excellent.
Of course, the company was perfect.
We had a dry white blend, a semi-dry white made from the Traminette grape and a dry red made from the Cynthiana grape.
These are about as good as Missouri wines get.
And no, we did not drink 3 bottles of wine.

So you're probably about to ask the following questions:

Tom, Does Balabans carry these 3 wines?
No.
Do you plan on bringing these wines into Balabans any time soon?
No.
Well, what the heck? What Missouri wines DOES Balabans carry?
No.

No.

We're looking forward to our next visit to Blumenhof - probably when Erin Bode is playing in October.

I'll explain all the "nos" in a future blog.

Go Cards!

Tom

                     

Mollydooker: Love story or wine story?

The story of Sarah and Sparky Marquis, owners of Mollydooker wines, is fascinating and very moving.
It's too long for a blog, but, I will provide the link below for those who are interested in reading more.
Here are the highlights:
Sarah Watts and Sparky Marquis met in 1987 and married in 1991 with $1,000 between them and dreams of some day owning their own business.
They got into the wine business and began making wine for many successful Australian producers, winning many awards including Australian winemakers of the year in 1999.
In 2006 they realized their dream and started their own brand - Mollydooker, which in Aussie means "left handed", because they were both left handed.
They had $17 in the bank.
They couldn't even afford to buy labels for the wine.
Read what happens next from their story ....

And then a miracle happened. A local businessman walked in the door, said he had heard that they may be in trouble, and asked to know the story. Half an hour later he walked out the door on his way to a month’s holiday. Sparky stood, tears pouring down his cheeks, holding a cheque for enough money to enable them to survive. 

Fast forward to today: Mollydooker wines have received more 94 point and higher ratings from Robert Parker than any other winemakers in the world.

That's right.  The world.

Whether it's the $25 "The Boxer" Shiraz or the amazing Velvet Glove Shiraz for $200, the wines are exceptional and definitely worth a try.

Here's the link: 

http://shop.mollydookerwines.com/mobile/index.cfm?method=pages.showpage&pageid=c6de25cf-0bab-cfe1-a971-c16089b7ef95

Tom

Best Meal Ever? Could be.

I'm extremely fortunate to have a wife who's a great cook.
Last night was one of her finest efforts.
Now we've been married 37 years (give or take a few years), so that's really saying something.
So Judy goes to Bob's Seafood to get some fresh fish and comes home with the mother lode.
Crab meat, 3 variety's of oysters - 24 fricking oysters in total - salmon, char, trout and striped bass.
We decide on a meal of oysters on the half shell, crab cakes, corn on the cob and asparagus.
That's a lot of food.
So we asked our son Michael, who happens to be off on Monday, if he would like to join us.
Now I have an ulterior motive here.
My son happens to be a professional chef.
So he can shuck all those fricking oysters.
Everything is all set. Judy is cooking and Michael is shucking.
You may be asking yourself about now, "geez Tom, what are you doing, you deadbeat"?
I'm selecting, bringing, opening and drinking the wine. And frankly, I'm getting tired right now thinking about all that work that I had to do.
So here are the wines - available at Balabans, of course:
2010 Patrick Piuze Terroir de Fye' Chablis - $21 (Chardonnay from Chablis, France)
2010 Laporte "R" Sancerre - $31 (Sauvignon Blanc from Loire, France)

Tom

   

Oyster

Crab

Bubbles

Those of you who have been reading my blogs over the years know how much I absolutely love Champagne and sparkling wines. There is a difference, but that's a topic for another blog.
This week I had the joy of drinking two of my all time favorite sparkling Brut Rose's.
Here they are:
NV Schramsberg Mirabelle Brut Rose', Calistoga CA - $23
This blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir was opened on Tuesday to celebrate my daughter in law, Dani's birthday. My son, Michael and Dani love bubbles almost as much as I do, and, I suspect drink a little more than their fair share. But, so what. It was Dani's birthday - not mine.
2009 Argyle Brut Rose', Dundee Hills OR - $41
48% Pinot Noir, 42% Pinot Meunier and 10% Chardonnay.
This wine was served at Balabans on Wednesday evening for our chocolate and wine tasting event. Frankly, I didn't think a dry rose' would pair well with sweet, raspberry white chocolate. But this seemed to work, and everyone commented on how much they enjoyed this particular pairing.
Moment of truth - which rose' was better?
This is such a tough call.
All things being equal, I'm going to give the nod to Mirabelle for the better price.
BTW, Schramsberg has one of the best winery tours in all of California. Beware though - it's by appointment only.

Tom

  vs  

Is more expensive wine always better? Nope.

In KC this weekend to celebrate granddaughter Grace's 4th birthday.
As usual, I bring a bunch of wine to consume over our 2 night visit.
Here are the 4 wines I bought at Balabans:
2012 Castel de Maures Rose - $12  (Excellent)
2011 Irony Chardonnay - $13 (Very good and a terrific value)
2011 Foxglove Chardonnay - $15  (Excellent - also today's newsletter wine)
2009 Haraszthy Zinfandel - $16 (Perfect with our pizza and another excellent value)

Here is the wine I brought from my cellar:
2004 Argiano Brunello di Montalcino - about $50 upon release - 94 points from Wine Spectator (not so good)

Dang! This was the last of 4 bottles I purchased a few years ago, and you can imagine my excitement as I opened the bottle.
It
just
did
nothing for me.
It wasn't corked. It wasn't oxidized. It wasn't too old. It certainly wasn't too young.
It was just "off".
Why? I don't know. Nobody else seemed to be bothered by this but me. But then, I'm weird.
This is just another one of those wine mysteries. You can have 10 bottles of the same wine in a row, and they all taste the same, and then, you have one that's "off".
I feel better now that I got that off my chest.
The rest of the weekend was fantastic!

Tom

Happy Birthday, Grace

How I feel about my Brunello

"Old World" vs "New World" Wine

I think it's safe to say that most of us have heard the terms "old world" and "new world" when it comes to wine.
To put things very simply, old world wines are from countries that have been making wine for centuries, like France, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Germany.
New world wines are produced by countries that have been making wines for maybe 100-150 years, like the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Chile and South Africa.
Now there are tons of differences between old and new world wines.
But this is a blog, not a book.
So let's just compare some wines and see what the taste differences are.
Once again, to keep things simple, I'm going to compare French Pinot Noir (Red Burgundy) to California Pinot Noir and French Chardonnay (White Burgundy) to California Chardonnay.

2012 Rombauer Chardonnay, Napa Valley - $33 (14.5% alcohol)
Vibrant tropical fruit, cantaloupe and butterscotch
2011 Dupont Fahn Bourgogne Blanc, Burgundy - $33 (13.5% alcohol)
Lemon zest, wet stone and a distinct chalkiness

2010 Melville Pinot Noir, Sta. Rita Hills CA - $36 (14.5% alcohol)
Cherries, rose petals and sweet herbs
2010 Domaine Charles Audoin Marsannay, Burgundy - $36 (13% alcohol)
Raspberry leaf, damp earth and subtle mineral notes 

Talk about being stylistically different! Those don't even sound like the same grapes.
BTW, I listed the alcohol levels because typically, new world wines are higher in alcohol than old world. That proves true in this comparison.
"So Tom", you might ask, "what do you prefer, old or new world styles"?
Actually, I like both. But, if you put a gun to my head, I would probably lean toward old world.
I find that they go much better with food given their lower alcohol levels and greater structure.
New world wines also go well with food, but, thanks to the fruit forward character of the wines, they are very pleasant to drink all by themselves.
Whatever you do, try both styles and decide for yourself.

Tom

Winery Focus - Charles Smith Wines

Charles Smith is one weird dude.
But this weird dude sure knows how to make great wine.
Whether it's his $12 "House Wine" Cabernet or one of his $250+ Syrahs, the quality is as good is as it gets for the price levels.
This is a guy who only released his first wine in 2001. Prior to that, he was managing rock bands. And prior to that, well, all he wanted to do was chase women. That's the best way I can put that.
He didn't go to "wine school", or study under a prominent wine maker.
He taught himself how to make wine.
So, is he any good at it?
Here's an excerpt from his website:
A self-taught winemaker, Charles is a true artisan and a pioneer in the wine world. In 2008, K Vintners was recognized by Wine & Spirits magazine as one of the “Best New Wineries of the Last Ten Years,” and as “Winery of the Year” in their annual buying guide. In 2009 Food & Wine magazine awarded Charles “Winemaker of the Year” and in 2010 Seattle Magazine recognized Charles as their “Winemaker of the Year.”
I'd say he's doing pretty well. 
But there's more:  his upper level Syrahs get 94-98 point ratings from the major wine critics nearly every year, and sell out before they are even released. 
Be sure to try Charles Smith's wines next time you get the chance.
You won't be disappointed.

Tom

Charles Smith: winemaker/weird dude

"The Creator" Cab/Syrah