Wine Channel

Happy Holidays

Andrew McNamara, MS — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 14:51:00 GMT

Well, here we are… at the end of another year. I always look back and think about the new wines that I’ve tried – the good, the bad, the great and the awful (fortunately not too many of these this year!). I think about the meals I’ve had, the friends and family I’ve shared them with – and then, I celebrate another year. For all of the good and bad, it’s time to celebrate… and there is no better way to celebrate than with bubbles – Champagne, Sparkling Wine, Cava, Prosecco, etc… Whatever you like that puts you in a happy, celebratory mood.

For me, I am a self-proclaimed bubbles fanatic… I could drink Sparkling Wine with every meal, every day, for the rest of my life and never get bored. It’s the perfect wine for every occasion – celebrating? Of course! Great mood – why not? Bad day – tell me bubbles doesn’t change your mood immediately….

So, as we look back at the past year – be it good or bad – this is the occasion for Sparkling Wine… Here are a few of my favorites that I’ll be toasting with this Holiday Season.

California Sparkling Wine – generally the same grapes as are in true Champagne – Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier

Korbel Naturel N/V. – bone dry – perfect with seafood (especially oysters!) $13-$15 Korbel

Cava - From Northeast Spain (think Barcelona) - perfect for opening just ‘cause…

D’Abbatis Gran Cava 2005– again, bone dry – made from 100% Parellada, an indigenous grape to the area. Try it as an aperitif! $20-$22 Miura Vineyards

Prosecco – the hottest Sparkling Wine on the planet… made from the indigenous Northeastern Italian grape Prosecco…

La Marca Prosecco di Conegliano-Valdobbiadene, 2008 – nice and light with plentiful fruit and a clean finish… fabulous as a gift as well! $12-$15 La Marca

Champagne – When you feel like splurging a little bit…

Delamotte Brut, N/V – Toasty, clean and crisp… what Champagne should be. $50-$55 Delamotte Brut

Splurge – something to really go to town on…

Champagne Salon, Blanc de Blancs, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, 1997 – wow… one of the great wine experiences on the planet. Clean, crisp – incrediblely complex… expensive? Absolutely – but it’s a great value just the same… $450-$500 Salon

3 Tips to Great Thanksgiving Pairings

Andrew McNamara, MS — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 21:58:00 GMT

What to drink for Thanksgiving Dinner… the question that always plagues us. As a wine professional, my family and friends always ask what works and what doesn’t with the myriad of flavors, smells and colors that abound on Thanksgiving. Hopefully I can help shed some light.

1. Get a red and a white. There is simply no way to match all of the flavors with either one separately, so try both. White to start, red to finish.

2. The old standby White with White, Red with Red still works… White wine with white meat, red wine with the dark meat… but don’t forget the cranberry sauce and gravy, which can both change what really goes best.

3. Pick a wine that you like. At the end of the day, no wine will be perfect with all of the flavors, so pick one you’ve tried and really enjoy. Chances are, you’ll enjoy it with your Thanksgiving meal too!

Some specific types of wines I like with my Thanksgiving dinner…

Sparkling

La Marca Prosecco, Italy - $10-12
This beautiful sparkling wine from the area of Conegliano e Valdobbiadine in Northeastern Italy is made entirely from the local Prosecco grape. Light bodied and dry with notes of lemon peel, honeydew melon, Granny Smith apple and white flowers make this the perfect starter for your Thanksgiving Dinner.

Korbel Naturel’, Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, California $12-14
A fabulous sparkling wine from this legendary producer. Bone dry, this blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir shows notes of tart apple skin, apricots and pears. This wine is perfect as a starter and great with the many flavors on the Thanksgiving table.

Whites

Fantinel Pinot Grigio, Friuli, Italy $12-14
Clean, crisp and dry, this classic medium-bodied Pinot Grigio from Friuli in Northeastern Italy has something for everyone. Aromas of lemon peel and pears give way to a bright citrus and apple freshness on the palate. This wine screams for food, and Thanksgiving is certainly the day for it!

La Crema Chardonnay, Sonoma Coast, California $20-23
One of the great Thanksgiving wines, La Crema Chardonnay is as versatile as it is delicious. Notes of red apple skin, buttered popcorn, tangerine and fresh mango compliment the slight touch of oak spice on the palate. Rich and full, this wine will go well with the heavier dishes on the Thanksgiving Table.

Reds

Cono Sur Pinot Noir, Chile $10-12
Chile is becoming more and more known for its outstanding Pinot Noirs and the Cono Sur Pinot Noir is a great Thanksgiving wine. Subtle red berry and earthy flavors compliment a wide array of dishes for the red wine drinker - Cranberry Sauce? No problem. Turkey with Gravey? Perfect. Enjoy!

Jean-Louis Chave “Mon Coeur” Côtes-du-Rhône, France $18-20
On the full-bodied side is this beautiful Grenache and Syrah blend from the Rhône Valley in France. Chave, founded in 1481, is a 100% Biodynamic Estate (think ultra-Organic) so they are good to the environment as well as making amazing wines. The red berry and black plum flavors enhance the delicate oak and allow for a versatile wine – perfect for Thanksgiving.

How to Taste – Part 2

Andrew McNamara, MS — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 14:33:00 GMT

Part of learning how to taste is realizing the differences between wines of different regions and countries. At the most basic level, we often hear wine critics or writers define wines in terms of their “world”. What exactly does this mean? When we talk about Old World wines, we’re generally talking about wines from Europe – France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, etc. New World generally refers to the Americas – United States, Canada, Chile, Argentina; as well as Australia, New Zealand and South Africa (more of a cross between Old and New). Other than a geographical designation, what does that mean to the everyday wine consumer? Well, to generalize (again!), comparing Old vs. New World is like comparing grapefruit to oranges – are there similarities, sure, but the differences are what make the wines unique.

Old World wines tend to come from cooler climates, so they tend to not be quite as ripe – think tart Granny Smith Apple and Lemon Rind for white wines and tart cranberry and unripe blackberry for red wines. They also tend to have a higher level of acidity (part of the reason food and wine go so well together (again, generalities!) is that the acid cleanses the palate allowing you to truly taste the food (or the wine) that comes next…). I tend to think of Old World Wines as “food wines”. New World Wines tend to come from warmer climates, so they are riper – think ripe Golden Delicious Apples and ripe Tropical Fruit for Whites; Ripe Bing Cherry and Blackberry Jam for Reds. The acid isn’t quite as high, so they tend to be more sipping wines, rather than pure food wines. That’s not to say all Old World wines go well with food and all New World wines don’t – it’s just a generality.

I’ve listed some grape varietals below with both Old and New World suggestions – try them next to each other and see what you think. Try them with food and try them on their own. You will see the strengths and weaknesses come to light very quickly…

California Chardonnay vs. French Chardonnay (White Burgundy) – look for subtle fruit vs. ripe, tropical and rich. Any California and French Chardonnay should illustrate the idea here.

Kendall Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Chardonnay, California 2007 $18-20 Kendall-Jackson/ Majestic Fine Wines

Joseph Faiveley Mâcon-Villages, Burgundy, France 2007 $20-22 Wilson-Daniels

California Pinot Noir vs. French Pinot Noir (Red Burgundy) – look for tart fruit vs. jammy, ripe red berry fruit. Again, any California and French Pinot Noir (or any other red grape for that matter) will illustrate the point.

La Crema Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast, California 2007 $22-24 La Crema/ Majestic Fine Wines

Bouchard Aîné et Fils Bourgogne Rouge, Burgundy, France 2007 $14-16 Boisset Family Estates

Here are the wines from last time and my thoughts on descriptors for them – not all, but the prominent ones. Don’t worry if they don’t match – that’s half the fun as everyone has a different palate.

Martin Codax Albariño, Rias Biaxas, Spain 2008 $11-13 E & J Gallo – this wine is all about flowers and peaches - white peaches at that. I also get some tropical fruit out of this Albariño.

Santa Rita Sauvignon Blanc “120”, Central Valley, Chile 2008 $8-10 Palm Bay Imports – this is all about grapefruit – tart, white grapefruit. I do get a little herbal note as well, but compliments the grapefruit and other citrus notes in the wine.

A to Z Pinot Noir, Oregon 2007 $19-21 A to Z Wine Works – Ripe red strawberries and blackberries, with a little bit of earth and spice.

Peter Lehmann Shiraz, Barossa, Australia, 2006 $15-17 Hess Family Estates – Raspberry Jam and blueberries - spicy with vanilla extract and dill (from the oak).

How to Taste – Part 1

Andrew McNamara, MS — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 20:53:00 GMT

Every day I get asked a lot of questions about wine, both from consumers and those in the business alike. The one I hear most frequently is “how do I learn to describe all of those smells and flavors out of the glass and into words.” I always hear “You must be a natural taster” or “I’ll never be able to do that”… the truth is, that I am not a natural taster nor did I think I would ever be able to describe a wine. When I first started tasting I had no idea why it was important for me to describe what I smell and taste in a glass of wine. I soon learned that if you can describe what’s in a wine, then you can tell someone else what you do and don’t like in a wine, etc. When I first started seriously tasting, I would go through a wine in my head, but I wasn’t good at it - I didn’t know if what I thought even made sense! Only after tasting a lot of wines and listening to others come up with similar notes to what I had, I realized that maybe I could learn to be a decent taster.

So, the big question then is, HOW do you learn to describe what’s in the glass? To put words to smells and tastes, you have to have tasted and smelled enough things to have a reference point. By the time we’re 21, most of us have smelled and tasted so many things we can’t hope to remember them all – the sheer volume is enormous! We smell hundreds of things each day but don’t pay attention of most of them - this is the key start paying attention to all of the smells around you, good and bad, and this will help you increase your usable vocabulary when it comes to wine. I used to walk around the fruits and vegetables section in the grocery store, smelling everything. I would buy different fruits and taste them – over and over again – until I got it in my head exactly what a particular fruit smells and tastes like. I pulled the spice rack out and smelled that at least once a week – my wife thought I was crazy!

Today, let’s focus on fruit. Most of us eat fruit on a regular basis and since fruit is in all wines, we’ll start here. Generally, red wines will show red (bing cherry, strawberry, raspberry), black (black plum, black currant, black cherry) and blue (blueberry) fruits – use those descriptors - a little secret… almost all red wines will show some version of cherries! Narrow white wine flavors down to apples/pears (non-citrus tree-fruit), stone fruit (apricots, peaches, etc.), citrus (lemon, orange, grapefruit), and tropical fruit (pineapple, guava, mango) – another little secret, most white wines show some variety of apples!
I’ve included a few wines that show some specific fruit characteristics – see if you can pick them out – and I’ll let you know in the next blog what I’m getting out of them.

Martin Codax Albariño, Rias Biaxas, Spain 2008 $11-13 E & J Gallo

Santa Rita Sauvignon Blanc “120”, Central Valley, Chile 2008 $8-10 Palm Bay Imports

A to Z Pinot Noir, Oregon 2007 $19-21 A to Z Wine Works

Peter Lehmann Shiraz, Barossa, Australia, 2006 $15-17 Hess Family Estates

Welcome!

Andrew McNamara, MS — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 15:12:00 GMT

I want to welcome you to what I hope to be a fun, educational and interactive “blog” of sorts. I love wine - the smells, the taste… though what I love even more than the flavors in any given bottle of wine are the discussions the wine creates – do you like it? Is it good? What kinds of food will pair well with it? To me, wine is about family and friends and enjoying each others’ company. Sure, the alcohol helps with that a little bit, but that’s not why I drink wine.

Wine is a staple in many cultures around the world, and it has been that way for millennia. In the US, we view wine as a luxury - something to drink on a special occasion - I say hogwash. With great wine being produced from every corner of the globe in every price-point imaginable, we too can live the “French Paradox” or “La Buena Vida”.

Whether you choose to spend $5 or $500 for a bottle, know that quality is out there – just maybe from different places that you might be used to. Being a dedicated wine drinker takes a leap of faith. If you have a budget and you need to stick to it, you might want to explore the great wines of Spain, Argentina or Chile to find something that fits both your palate and your wallet. I’ve traveled all over the world tasting wines, and no matter where I’ve gone, I’ve always found great, inexpensive wines that simply blew me away.

To me, the best way to find great values is to visit your local wine shop – talk with them. Tell them about the wines you’ve tried that really interested you and wines you didn’t like at all – this includes producer, grape and region the wine came from. Most importantly –tell them why you did or didn’t like a particular wine. Just don’t let anyone tell you what you like to drink isn’t good – all of our tastes are different!

You don’t have to spend a lot of money to get a great bottle of wine anymore!

Here are some great values I’m drinking this summer (all prices approximate retail):

Domaine de Pouy, Vin de Pays des Côtes de Gascogne, France, 2008 $8-$10
An exotic blend of the indigenous white grapes Ugni Blanc and Columbard. Light, clean and crisp with citrusy-floral notes. Perfect to sip on its own or with a light salad. Robert Kacher Selections

• Chehalem ‘Inox’ Unoaked Chardonnay, Willamette Valley, Oregon, 2007 $16-$18
Chardonnay in its purest form! Loads of apples, peaches and pears in this beauty compliments the steely mineral notes. Great with all of our fresh, local seafood! Chehalem Wines

• Bodegas Vinos Piñol “Ludovicus”, Terra Alta, Cataluña, Spain, 2007 $10-$11
A beautiful blend of Grenache (Garnacha), Tempranillo, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon from an area near Barcelona. Red and black berry fruits with a hint of exotic spice. Fruit-driven, though there is a bit of dust here as well. Really easy to drink, and great with Burgers or Pizza! Ole Imports

• Concha y Toro “Cassilero del Diablo” Carmenere, Rapel Valley, Chile, 2007 $14 -$16
Ever since I visited the winery last year, I have been in love with what Concha y Toro is doing! The perfumed, black-fruit driven grape Carmenere has put Chile on the wine world map in the last few years. Lush and ripe with black fruit and a hint of smoky-mocha. Perfect with barbeque chicken. Banfi Vintners