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Moldovan Wine – Moving forward while not losing track of the Authentic grapes of their past #WorldWineTravel

Oct 3, 2020

I’ll be honest, I’ve not had a wine from Moldova before. I’ve heard and read a bit about the country and its wines and when #WorldWineTravel had an opportunity to collaborate with Wine of Moldova on their National Moldovan Wine Day, I was interested to participate. Our host for this is Lynn Gowdy of Savor the Harvest, you can visit her Invitation post here.

Wine of Moldova and Vinconnexion sent us samples of 4 wines. All opinions are our own. We will start out with a bit about Moldova, dive into the wines and pairings and finish with the pieces by our colleagues at #WorldWineTravel which will give you additional opinions and information on the wines of this region, as well as some spectacular pairings.

Vineyards spanning the landscape in Moldova courtesy Wine of Moldova

A little Moldova History

Moldova, like Georgia, was the source of wine for the Soviet Union. The country is covered in vineyards. At one point in the 80s there were over 200,000 ha of vineyards, this in a space that is slightly larger than Maryland.

In the mid-80s as an anti-alcohol campaign began in the Soviet Union about 1/3 of the vines were pulled up. They continued exporting to Russia through the collapse until the 2006 embargo by Russia on Moldovan and Georgian wines. Russia has since gone back and forth importing Moldovan wines, but they hold their purchases like a hostage, in an attempt to keep the country from leaning too far to the west.

Over ¼ of the country is part of the wine industry in some way. This is their country’s bread and butter. It has divided the country and the industry into those who look back and wish for the return of what they consider better days and those who are embracing the future and finding a way out into the great world of wine, holding on the heritage, but building anew.

The grapes of Moldova

The large wineries here have gone from bulk wines in large tanks to finding new directions with old ways and new smaller wineries are popping up. I have seen multiple sources for vineyard coverage. The documentation from the Wine of Moldova from 2018 listed 74,200 hectares (183,352 acres) of technical varieties. This morning I heard a quote of 112,000 hectares during the My Wine Day with Wine of Moldova conversation. This may be a recent update, and could include private non-commercial vineyards. This is a country, where there are many backyard vineyards and people have a culture of home winemaking .

The most cultivated varieties are International with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Pinot Noir leading the reds and Aligoté, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnay leading the whites.

Old Moldovan vines courtesy Wine of Moldova

Old Moldovan vines courtesy Wine of Moldova

Still, they are also embracing the indigenous varieties like the white grapes Feteasca Alba and Viorica and red grapes, Feteasca Neagra, Rara Neagra, and the Georgian grape Saperavi. Currently, 73% of vineyards are planted to European varieties, 17% to Caucasian grapes (which include Saperavi), and 10% to local grapes.

Moldovan wine regions

Wine regions of Moldova courtesy Wine of Moldova

Moldova is bordered by Romania to the West and South, Ukraine to the North and East. It is a landlocked country. The country sits mostly from around 140 meters (459 feet) above sea level, with its highest point at 430 meters (1410 feet).

The country is divided into three wine regions. Condru to the North in the center of the country focuses on white wines and covers the most area. Stefan-Voda below it to the southeast sits at a lower elevation and is the smallest of the 3 regions. Here you find the indigenous red grape Rara Neagra. Valul Lui Traian sits to the southwest. The climate here is warm and is influenced by the Black Sea. 60% of the wines here are red. These three regions sit within this country which they proudly point out is shaped like a grape bunch.

There are of course the two largest wine cellars in the world are located here, Cricova with 70 kilometers of galleries where they house wine collections from celebrities and dignitaries from all over the world, and Milestii Mici that stretches over 200 kilometers.

The Wines of Moldova

The four wines we received wines from Wine of Moldova as samples, included 2 white wines: Castel Mimi’s Feteasca Alba and a Viorica from Suvorav-Vin.

Castel Mimi – Feteasca Alba

Located in the Condru region, Castel Mimi was founded in 1893. After 50 years in disrepair a restoration project began in 2011. Today this sprawling Castle is home to the winery as well as a restaurant, gardens and terraces and has cottages for overnight guests.

Feteasca Alba is an ancient grape that has been cultivated here for years. At one point during the Soviet era, it was banned, but some growers hid it so save the variety.

The flavor profile I found for this wine included: yellow apple, pear, ripe cantaloupe, rose petal & white flowers.

After tasting this myself, I found much more rich citrus, meyer lemon, lemon zest, a little pith and nectarine. The white flowers were there subtly in the background. Michael was reminded a bit of Fresca, so he must have been getting some grapefruit in there. I did get some briny minerality.

If you like Pinot Grigio, this might be a great wine to explore.

This wine is 100% Feteasca Alva and has notes of rose, pear, honeysuckle, yellow apple, and cantaloupe.

13% abv, suggested retail $18.99

Suvorov Kazayak – Viorica

Suvorov-Vin is named after a monument near the winery called “The hill of Suvorov” from the Russo-Turkish war.

Viorica is the name of a flower and is a woman’s name in addition to being the name of this grape variety. It is an indigenous grape.

This wine is 100% Viorica and has notes of tea rose, candied fruit, nutmeg, lime, lemon curd, honey, peach nectar, and ripe cantaloupe.

13% abv suggested retail $13.99.

Suvorov-Vin is named after a monument near the winery called “The hill of Suvorov” from the Russo-Turkish war.

Viorica is the name of a flower and is a woman’s name in addition to being the name of this grape variety. It is an indigenous grape.

This wine is 100% Viorica the notes I found indicated aromas and flavors of tea rose, candied fruit, nutmeg, lime, lemon curd, honey, peach nectar, and ripe cantaloupe.

The nose on this wine could not have been more different than the Feteasca Alba. My nose was filled with honey and beeswax, white peach, yellow apple, lemon curd and lime.

It hit me like a viognier with the addition of rich citrus notes.

13% abv suggested retail $13.99.

The red wines included Rosu de Purcari from Chateau Purcari and a wine called Ampre made of Saperavi, Feteasca Neagra and Merlot from Radacini.

Chateau Purcari – Rosu de Purcari

Chateau Purcari is located on the Dniester river and is in the Stefan Voda PGI Region. Located in the south western part of the region they are close to the Black Sea and the border to the Ukraine This historic Chateau is surrounded by vineyards and lakes. They do supply the Queen of England with their wine.

This wine is a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 10% Malbec, a Bordeaux style blend. It has notes of forest fruit, plum and sweet vanilla.

When I stuck my nose in the glass I found blackberry, prune, black plum, baking spice vanilla and sweet tobacco.

13.5% abv suggested retail $31

Radacini – Ampre Saperavi Feteasca Neagra & Merlot

Now we are into indigenous red varieties. This blend leans into Saperavi the red fleshed grape originally from Georgia at 70%. 20% of the Moldovan indigenous variety Feteasca neagra, and 10% Merlot.

Suggested notes of ripe black fruits like plum and black cherry, blackberry as well as black pepper, thyme, and fruit leather.

When I stuck my nose in the glass, the first thing I got was fresh cut herbs, followed by black pepper. There was black fruits like plum and blackberry and dark cherries, then the thyme wafted through. It ended with some menthol, eucalyptus notes and a bit of barnyard that was not at all unpleasant.

13% abv Suggested retail $19.99.

2 pairings, one for the white and one for red

Rather than try to pair across all the wines, we broke our pairings into red and white, with lighter dishes pairing with the Feteasca Alba and Viorica and heavier with the Purcari and Radacini red blends.

Light and elegant lunch pairings

I was reading on other tastings with these wines to get a feel for what they would be like, as mine were arriving close to when we would need to post (they have not arrived as I type this). My friend Liz Barrett at “What’s in that Glass” had tasted this wine and said that chicken piccata or ceviche would pair well (not together though, she warns!). I love ceviche and have not had it in a while, so….

We started with prosciutto wrapped cantaloupe (thanks for that suggestion too Liz!). We then did a ceviche on an avocado sauce and a salmon carpaccio.

Ingredients for Ceviche with tilapia, shrimp, garlic, red onion, cilantro, cherry tomatoes, cucumber and lime with avocado for a sauce

Ceviche with avocado sauce plating — Ingredients for Ceviche with tilapia, shrimp, garlic, red onion, cilantro, cherry tomatoes, cucumber and lime with avocado for a sauce

An unorthodox pairing

Rosu de Purcari Moldovan red blend with bacon and eggs

Chateau Purcari Rosu de Purcari 2015 with Bacon and Eggs

The Chateau Purcari Rosu de Purcari 2015 is a Bordeaux style blend. We did a bit of an non-traditional pairing, suggested buy Fiona Beckett of bacon and eggs. It worked wonderfully.

This wine has mellowed with good tannin and acids that are just right and the fat in the eggs was perfect with this. I did throw on some blackberries which picked up the fruit in the wine, as well as a spinach arugula salad with a bit of balsamic.

A regional pairings reimagined

With the Radacini being a blend of Saperavi, Feteasca Neagra, and a bit of Merlot, I wanted to think more regional with flavors, but elevate them. I had read about mamaliga which is a cornmeal dish, like polenta, so fried polenta cakes seemed appropriate. We topped them with shards of parmesan, fresh thyme, walnuts, and arugula to pull out other flavors of the region and the wine. Of course, when you think of this region cabbage rolls or “sarmale” come to mind. My husband won’t eat those (I grew up with them, thanks to a Hungarian mother). We pulled in those flavors with grilled purple cabbage wedges and then grilled steak tips to bring in our protein.

Brined and grilled purple cabbage with a dill sauce

Fried polenta cakes with pamesean, arugula, walnuts and thyme — Brined and grilled purple cabbage with a dill sauce

#WorldWineTravel

With all the research I did, I still can’t wait to learn more. Saturday morning (my time) there is a session with the wonderful Dr. Jamie Goode from London. Sunday morning you can jump in and join the conversation on Twitter by following and using #WorldWineTravel as our group of writers share our discoveries on this region. There are links below to each of their pieces.

Camilla at Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares “Two Indigenous Moldovan Grapes – Fetească Albă and Fetească Neagră – Paired With Colțunași Harnici (Hard-Working Dumplings)”
Wendy from A Day In The Life On The Farm is “Celebrating the Food and Wine of Moldova”
David from CookingChat has “Food Pairings for Moldavan Wines”
Lori from Exploring the Wine Glass shares “Sitting Down with Master of Wine Caroline Gilby to Discuss Moldovan Wine”
Terri from Our Good Life shares “Moldova Wine Day Celebration!”
Linda from My Full Wine Glass is “Celebrating ‘My Wine Day’ and the little country that could”
Susannah from Avvinare writes “You say Feteasca and I’ll Say Moldova”
Jennifer at Vino Travels tells us about “Eye Openers to the Wines of Moldova”
Melanie from Wining With Mel is “Exploring new territory with Moldovan wines”
Jeff from foodwineclick asks the question “Are Local Grapes the Future of Moldovan Wines?”
Lynn at Savor the Harvest will share “Moldovan Native Wine Grape Discoveries” #WorldWineTravel
Jill from L’Occasion discusses “Wines of Moldova: Worth the Adventure”
Payal from Keep the Peas pairs “Kashmiri Yakhni Pulao and Moldovan Wine”
Nicole from Somms Table is “Celebrating Moldova National Wine Day with More Food and Wine Explorations”
Pinny from Chinese Food & Wine Pairings shares “Celebrating Moldova National Wine Day with Chinese Food”
Liz Barrett from What’s In That Bottle shares “Moldova National Wine Day is Here”
Rupal at Syrah Queen shares Celebrate Moldova National Wine Day – Exploring Native Varieties
Gwendolyn with Wine Predator shares “Meet Moldova: 2018 Purcari 1827 Rara Neagra de Purcari Vin sec Rosu Paired with Pasta”
Deanna from Asian Test Kitchen shares “Meatless Moldovan Food and Wine”

Sources, Resources & Additional Reading

As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep up to date on all of our posts.

Robin Renken CSW (photo credit RuBen Permel)

Robin Renken is a wine writer and Certified Specialist of Wine. She and her husband Michael travel to wine regions interviewing vineyard owners and winemakers and learning the stories behind the glass.

When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.

Delle Venezie DOC – Italian Pinot Grigio raising the bar

Sep 16, 2020

The Delle Venezie DOC is a relatively new DOC, replacing the IGT that previously covered this region, specifically for Pinot Grigio. We will talk about the region, the process of becoming a DOC, the impact of the pandemic, their highly entertaining YouTube marketing campaign as well as two wines that we tasted.

I was presented with samples of two Delle Venezie wines for this piece from the Consorzio Delle Venezie DOC, as part of an online tasting and seminar on the region, in conjunction with with the 2020 Virtual Wine Media Conference. All opinions are my own.

Pinot Grigio. We’ve all heard of it. We’ve probably all had a glass or two. This wine comes from a large area covering 3 regions in northwest Italy.

Delle Venezie DOC

Artist rendition of the Delevenzie region, it's cities and landscape. courtesy Consorzio DOC Delle Venezie — Delle Venezie DOC region – courtesy Consorzio DOC Delle Venezie

The Delle Venezie DOC covers the region of Trentino, Veneto, and Friuli Venezia Giulia. This is the northeastern part of Italy encompassing Veneto, the region around Venice with its southwestern edge on the Adriatic Sea and Lake Garda on part of its western border, Trentino sits in the region northwest of here, getting into the Italian Alps and then Friuli-Venezia Giulia which is bordered by Austria to the North and Slovenia to the East. This DOC replaces the pre-existing IGT for the region when it comes to Pinot Grigio.

This is the first Italian consortium for territorial extension. What does that mean? Well, an IGT (Indicazione geografica tipica) typically covers large regions and these are wines that have fewer restrictions on viticulture and winemaking techniques. On the wine ladder in Italy, IGT is on a lower rung sitting just above Vino (basic table wine). Above that, you have DOCs (denominazione di origine controllata) which have more restrictions and then DOCGs (denominazione di origine controllata e garantita) that have some of the most strenuous restrictions.

The new Delle Venezie DOC encompasses 20 DOCs within this region, but it is specific to the variety of Pinot Grigio. The great part about this is the variety. With so many smaller regions in this DOC, there are variations on soil and climates, and you will be able to find multiple styles of Pinot Grigio.

A little bit on Pinot Grigio

42% of the Pinot Grigio in the world comes from Italy and 96% of that is exported. With the primary export markets being North America, Great Britain, and Germany.

In Italy, there are over 32,000 hectares of vineyards specific to Pinot Grigio and almost 26,500 of those hectares are in the Delle Venezie DOC. (Figures as of 2018 from DOC Delle Venezie).

So, what is the difference between this new DOC and the old IGT?

The differences primarily affect the regulations for quality. Here are the most important changes.

Must be a minimum of 85% Pinot Grigio from the Trivento area
Yields are limited. They decreased the amount per hectare by 26 hectoliters per hectare from the previous IGT level.

Creation of the Delle Venezie DOC

Getting to be a DOC is a long process. The DOC was approved in Italy in 2017. EU acceptance has been longer, coming earlier this year. Valentina from the Delle Venezie press office clarified the dates for me.

“…the DOC and the Consorzio were born and founded in 2017 and in August 2020 the DOP obtained the official name protection and consequent registration in the eAmbrosia register by the European Commission and, 20 days after, the Consorzio got also the recognition from the Ministry of Agriculture (Rome).”
Valentina Fraccascia, Delle Venezie DOC August 31, 2020

The affects of the pandemic on this new DOC

I was curious as to how the pandemic had impacted the rollout of the DOC. Valentina said that the new DOC has not suffered economically from the pandemic. They have international large-scale distribution.

“Signs of stability compared to last year confirmed by the trend of DOC certifications and bottlings at the end of June, which have even slightly grown, and which suggest an equivalent absorption capacity in the next marketing campaign.”
Valentina Fraccascia, Delle Venezie DOC August 31, 2020

Entertaining marketing with Filippo Bartolotta

I also inquired as to how they had pivoted their marketing during the pandemic. This is where their highly entertaining video series with Filippo Bartolotta comes in. It allowed their clients worldwide a resource when they could not taste with them live. She shared with me a bit of their April press release.

In the face of the restrictions imposed by governments around the world that have caused the main trade fairs such as Prowein and Vinitaly to be suspended, the Pinot Grigio delle Venezie Consortium looked to the polyglot fluency of the communicator Filippo Bartolotta. Storyteller, teacher and writer with a foreign background and a huge following especially in the USA, Filippo knows how to transport the auditorium with an engagingly cheerful energy and with the professional firmness of competence. His charisma will reach Europe and the shores of North America – which accommodates the largest exports of Pinot Grigio delle Venezie (whose foreign share reaches 95% of the bottled product) – bringing the public of operators in the sector closer to that of wine lovers from around the world.
Therefore, 16 videos that will recount over 100 DOC labels of the latest vintage, 2019, after the introduction of another 3 videos that will lead the listener by the hand to discover the land, the vine and the denomination, revealing the history and the culture of the place but also the ampelographic characteristics of the grape variety and all the processes that make it traceable, safe and guaranteed. But above all, Filippo Bartolotta will raise the curtain on what is the “Italian Style”, that savoir fair that the glass emanates at each twirl, emanating memories of our country, and which is passed on in a sip that is eclectic, fresh and rich in tradition. Pinot Grigio is perfectly able to represent all the facets of the Tre Venezie, thanks to a bond with this land that has historical origins.

The videos are wonderful. They do not lie when they say that Filippo Bartolotta is charismatic. Here is one of the introduction videos, in which he explains how widely Pinot Grigio from the Delle Venezie will pair with food. Additional videos are geared to importers, but…they are highly entertaining as he runs through tastings live on camera and shares with you his thoughts in one take.

The Delle Venezie DOC is raising the bar for Pinot Grigio from this region. With this information in hand, I expected to see some classic Italian wineries, striving for a tradition of quality, or perhaps younger wineries who are breathing new life into the region with thoughtful wines….hmm…Here are the two wines I received.

Tommasi 2019 Le Rosse Pinot Grigio Delle Venezie DOC

Tommasi 2019 Le Rosse Pinot Grigio from the Delle Venezie DOC

Tommasi – This wine is a 4^th generation family winery based in Valpolicella. Yes, of course, they make Amarone. They also own vineyards in Tuscany, Puglia, Basilicata, and Oltrepo Pavese in Lombardy. This is not a small producer.

Filippo describes it at 5:28 into this video. They are very well known in Italy.

The Tommasi Le Rosse is a single vineyard Pinot Grigio from Le Rosse vineyard in the Valpolicella Classico area.

Prophecy 2019 Delle Venezie Pinot Grigio

Prophecy 2019 Pinot Grigio Delle Venezie bottle shot

Contrast that with our other wine. Prophecy Wines Delle Venezie Pinot Grigio.

Here, the company has invested in beautiful labels. They tell a story about each wine, and you can read up on the Artist Victo Ngai. She is an award-winning illustrator from Hong Kong who is New York based and has received numerous awards.

What you won’t find, is many details on the vineyard or vineyards, the name of the winemaker, or any other real details on the wine. They have added a page on their blog about the sourcing of their wines. They source different varieties from their best-known regions globally hence a Pinot Grigio from the Delle Venezie. They do supply a description, full of visuals, and few details on their blog.

“Our Pinot Grigio offers a glimpse into the classic wines of Northeastern Italy, where the grape flourishes against the backdrop of the region’s stunning landscape. The high-altitude vineyards lie in the shadow of snow-capped mountains and vines that thrive in the cool air climate of the Adriatic Coast, resulting in elegant and crisp Pinot Grigio wines with citrus characteristics, delicate hints of white flowers and signature minerality.”
From the Prophecy site

You can see Filippo wax poetic on the label at 13:38 into this video.

The wines? Both were enjoyable. I enjoyed the Tommasi best, it was a little leaner and more elegant, softer and rounder. The Prophecy felt a little larger and in my face. But, in all honesty, I might have been biased based on my research. I want a real story, not a marketing ploy behind my wine. So much of my enjoyment of wine comes from the stories. If this had been a blind tasting, would my reaction have been the same? I think that I would have still leaned toward the subtleties of the Tommasi and referred to the Prophecy as a bit bolder.

I will admit that the Prophecy label is eye-catching and striking, which is great when you are looking for it in the grocery store. I found it at our nearby Smiths when I was last in the wine section there. The price online I found for it was $10.99. the Tommasi from Wine.com retails at $15.99.

The 2020 Harvest

I receive a press release about the 2020 Harvest. The Pinot Grigio harvest in Veneto finished in early September. Overall, quantity was down, and quality was up. With the decrease in supply, the price of grapes increased. We will see if this translates into higher prices on shelves for the 2020 vintage.

This region, so known for Pinot Grigio, has set their sites on increasing quality for their wines. For consumers, that is rarely a bad thing. So I encourage you to watch for the Delle Venezie DOC on the bottle.

Sources & resources

More on Italian Wines

As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep up to date on all of our posts.

When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.

Pour in the Alley Virtual Tasting with Garagiste and 2 Fascinating wines from Greg Brewer

Jul 24, 2020

I watched many Virtual tastings pop up and while I joined in on a few casually, I’d actually been too busy to do a proper Virtual Tasting. Then I saw a friend of mine post that he and his fiance got all dressed up and did a virtual tasting at home with a local wine bar.

Well, that had my attention. 1st “Local Wine Bar”?!! I live in Vegas and there are so few. The ones I was familiar with were on the other side of the valley. But this one was new. Garagiste opened this past year in downtown Las Vegas (no not Fremont street…the cool local section). It sits off of Main street at the corner of California and Casino Center. It’s in my favorite section of downtown, where the Majestic Theatre, ReBAR, and the Priscilla Fowler Gallery are located. It’s across from the delicious Esther’s Kitchen. How did I not already know about this!?

Pour in the Alley

The tasting was scheduled through Fergusons Downtown as part of their Pour in the Alley series. With the pandemic, this series needed to go virtual. Okay…Fergusons is another favorite spot of mine. They are a renovated downtown motel, that now has 2 restaurants, Mothership Coffee, and then lots of small businesses. It’s an incubator of sorts and it rocks! Great people looking to create a community space that supports each other.

As if I was not already sold on this tasting…it came with a cheese and charcuterie platter from another of my favorite spots Cured & Whey. Ding, ding, ding! I was all in. But wait…it gets better.

I go online and set up for the tasting. I’m excited because it’s a Zoom tasting and I’ll get to see my friends, Dean & Amanda, virtually too. Then I jot down the names of the wines and go to look them up. Turns out they are both by a winemaker I am familiar with in Santa Barbara. Greg Brewer was the winemaker for Melville for many years and created with a partner, Brewer Clifton. We had visited their tasting room in Lompoc. They made great wines from Sta. Rita Hills. So I’m extra pumped.

They pick up pack for “Pour in the Alley”, 2 bottles of wine from Garagiste, 2 Fergusons tasting glasses, our cheese and charcuterie from Cured & Whey, plus a tasting card and some other extras from Fergusons.

The night arrives. We set up on the computer and layout our spread. I see that it is part of a Winemaker series. Well, that makes sense, it’s wines from one winemaker. But no, that’s not all, Greg Brewer is actually there on the Zoom to discuss the wines.

This was beautifully put together. The folks from Fergusons, kicked things off and introduced everyone. They also stayed with us to help with managing any online questions. Mario & Eric were there from Garagiste to facilitate the conversation on the wines. Emily from Cured and Whey was there to talk us through the cheeses and potential pairings, and then Greg to give us details on the wines. As a big bonus his wife, winemaker Sonja Madjevski of Casa Dumetz dropped by!

Let’s start with the cheese by Cured & Whey!

"Pour in the Alley" cheese plate from Cured & Whey, laid out on a cutting board with bread, crackers and olive oil. — “Pour in the Alley” cheese plate from Cured & Whey.

Emily with Cured and Whey had put together a Spanish cheese and charcuterie platter for us and talked us through it.

We began with a Los Cameros cheese, which was made from 3 kinds of milk, goat, cow, and sheep. It is a washed rind cheese with olive oil and will tend to have an earthy flavor. Next was the 3-month manchego, of sheep’s milk. This cheese was young, creamy, and salty with notes of hay and fruit.

We move on to the Cana de Cabra, a bloomy rind goats milk cheese. The outside is softer than the center that will have mushroomy notes. For meats, we had Mortadella which is a thinly sliced pork sausage that many may interpret as fancy bologna and finally a salami with white peppercorns. The platter finished with almonds to cleanse your palate and Italian olives.

About Greg Brewer the Winemaker

Greg Brewer of Brewer-Clifton, online with us for the "Pour in the Alley" tasting of his wines. — Greg Brewer of Brewer-Clifton, online with us for the “Pour in the Alley” tasting of his wines.

Greg Brewer is from LA. In 1991 he applied for a job in Santa Barbara Winery’s Tasting room. He didn’t get it. But, the smells, the sounds…he was hooked. In 1996 started Brewer Clifton Estate with Steve Clifton. They started with just 12,000 dollars.

We found out he also worked at Sunstone (that stunning winery that most of you will now know as Jean-Luc Picard’s vineyard in the series “Picard”). You can read a bit more about this winery that we visited in 2014 in our 2014 R etrospect. Scroll down in that piece to July 2014.

In 2015 he and Steve Clifton parted ways, and in 2017 Brewer Clifton became part of Jackson Family wines.

The Wines – Diatom & Ex Post Facto

Diatom 2018 Chardonnay from Bar-M Vineyard & Ex Post Facto Syrah made by Greg Brewer

Diatom Chardonnay from Bar-M Vineyard

A diatom is a plankton fossil. It’s where we get the term diatomaceous earth. There is lots in of this type of earth in Santa Barbara’s Lompoc area.

Los Alamos is a magnificent and relatively unknown region whose sandy loam soil lends itself to fruit with a bit more flesh and weight – perfectly suited to the diatom model.

Diatom Bar-M is sourced from the stunning contiguous blocks of clone 76 Chardonnay planted over 20 years ago in the Los Alamos region of Santa Barbara County.

This vineyard sits near the junction of Alisos Canyon Road and the 101 if you know the area. This is one block from one clone, no oak, no malolactic fermentation.

Due to its weight, it can pair with quite a bit. Greg suggested tater tots (which at this point in the pandemic were in short supply, due to everyone wanting to put them in their waffle maker!),or french fries. Emily suggested a salmon Crudo or another fatty fish, perhaps grilled peaches with an acidic dressing. Pork belly or pork loin would be a good match. She found the buttery cheese with the wine made the acid mellow and the fat comes forward, which she really enjoyed.

Greg spoke of picking this early, pushing the envelope for pH. He did 6 separate picks over 3 weeks for this wine. the wine retains it’s freshness from the malic acid.

You get stone fruit, citrus and saline with lush white flowers (in a humid place). There is citrus blossom and some tropical notes as it opens up.

ExPost Facto Syrah

This idea for this wine came about in 2015 and he started making this wine, once he was with Jackson Family Wines. The name for Greg indicates a law that you cannot be held accountable for breaking, if it was not a law at the time. He finds this a bit naughty and deviant, which is what working with Syrah feels like to him. (He is by all accounts a Chard and Pinot guy).

These grapes are cool climate, and are harvested late. It is whole cluster primarily. With the generosity of fruit in Santa Barbara, Greg feels the stem inclusion helps to fetter the fruit note. It gives the wine structure and is evident in the mouthfeel. It ferments for 2 months (that’s a long time) and then is aged in 20 year old barrels (so super neutral oak).

Mario noted that this felt like a beautiful blend of a California and Rhone style Syrah with California fruit and the white pepper and sage brush of the Rhone. He mentioned a perfect pairing of grilled steak with char and a pepper crust with a drizzle of reduced port and garlic and then a bramble berry sauce. (Are you drooling yet?)

For me this wine had great acid, but was rich with smoke and garrique and a nice funk. You get a little of that olive tapenade in here.

Emily mentions that the Cana de Cabra is perfect with this wine.

At some point in here, Loki, our cat jumps up to say hello and then I disrupt things by adding a hello in the chat to Sonja, who has to lean in front of Greg to type a response. Ah the joys of Zoom. In addition, as the evening wore on, I looked at the Zoom pictures more closely. I got to meet my friends, Dean & Amanda’s, new dog. Then I realize other friends are there! Seb & Lori, fellow Zumans! “Pour in the Alley” really brings people together!

Full Disclosure – this happened in May – so what’s happened since?

The Big Rig Jig the sculpture at the entrance to Fergusons Downtown. Made of 2 18 wheelers held together by an s-shaped structure. — The Big Rig Jig the sculpture at the entrance to Fergusons Downtown.

The view as you sit in the amphitheatre at Fergusons Downtown with Mothership Coffee Roasters and the Big Rig Jig Sculpture as you look out onto Fremont Street. — The Big Rig Jig the sculpture at the entrance to Fergusons Downtown.

This glorious evening with Pour in the Alley occurred back in mid-May. Wow. Time flies when you’re stuck at home! Fergusons Downtown has continued to do their Pour in the Alley events, which include Wine, coffee, beer, and a variety of tasty beverages.

I have not had an opportunity to attend another Pour in the Alley event yet. But, I have escaped on a couple of occasions to sip at Mothership coffee.

Fergusons since they reopened have been following safety protocols. They have what I like to think of as a “concierge desk” at the front of the property. There is always someone there to greet you and direct you. They now also make sure you are wearing a mask, when you enter the property (they actually have artisan-crafted masks for sale there also). You can grab a coffee at Mothership and sit out in the amphitheater to enjoy it. The greeters, roam the property, politely reminding folks to put their mask back up after taking a sip. It is a space that feels safe and for that I am grateful.

As to Garagiste? Well they have become my go-to wine shop! You can order online and pick up and they do have tables outside where you can enjoy a glass of wine. I have been by several times to pick up wine. The last time I went to pick up my wine, I asked Eric if they had anything else interesting. He laughed “Everything we have is interesting, it’s what we do!” He’s right of course. He and Mario only pick things they find interesting for their list. You can’t go wrong with wine here.

I have not, since I have been staying in, had the opportunity to get over to Cured & Whey (great name for a cheese shop, right?). But…they are doing online cheese classes! This week they are doing a virtual “Ultimate Grilled Cheese” class. You order ahead, pick up the ingredients curbside and go online for a cheese and cooking class!

You know, if I have to live through a pandemic, I’m awfully glad that I have great local businesses like these to get me through.

As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep up to date on all of our posts.

When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.

Pantry Pairings – Travel in a Bottle – Affordable Virtual travel in a pandemic

Jul 15, 2020

Ahh…the best-laid plans. When we began sheltering in place in March, we ordered a selection of wines from around the world to do some pairings with! We had set up with Sun Basket to provide some meal kits that would allow us to have fresh vegetables to allow us to do some pantry pairings.

We did pretty well for a while! Getting out posts on our pairings. Then, life happened. Yes even while sheltering in place, we manage to find a way to become extremely busy! We are working on content from our in-depth visits with winemakers across the globe. Then came tastings and online events and I decided to add #WinePW and #ItalianFWT groups to my writing schedule. So…several pairings we enjoyed, but never shared with you! Today I will remedy that with a bit of our backlogged pantry pairings and travel in a bottle menus. Prepare for a bit of a photo montage!

Tertini 2018 Pinot Blanc and a one-pot linguini with spring vegetables – Pantry Pairings

We were able to get a bit of fresh air, back in early May, getting out to our local Gilcrease Farm to pick some vegetables. It’s a large property, outdoors, with plenty of space. We were socially distant and wore our facemasks. We actually met a couple of friends out there. People I have missed terribly. We cried as we stared at each other an could not hug, and took comfort in seeing each other eyes. I picked peas, Michael found zucchini and they had garlic scapes and asparagus at the checkout.

Lady bug in the peas at Gilcrease Farm in Las Vegas.

All the ingredients for the one-pot pasta! Peas, asparagus, lemon, linguini, olive oil, salt, garlic scapes, spinach and cheese. Our Pantry pairing!

One-pot spring vegetable pasta with asparagus, peas, garlic scapes, spinache, lemon and cheese

Tertini Pinot Blanc amidst the pea shells

Tertini 2018 Pinot Blanc from New South Wales Southern Highlands with a one-pot spring vegetable pasta

I made a one-pot pasta with linguini and everything I picked, adding lemon and topping it with finely grated cheese.

Travel in a bottle – back to Australia to the Southern Highlands

Then we did a bit of travel in a bottle to Tertini Wines in Australia. This winery is in New South Wales in the Southern Highlands wine region south of Sydney. We visited with Tertini Winemaker Jonathan Holgate last October and he took us out to the Yarrandoo Vineyard where they grow the grapes for this wine.

Mediterranean salmon with white bean-artichoke salad from Sun Basket

Tertini Pinot Blanc Pairing #2 with Mediterranean salmon & white bean artichoke salad from Sun Basket — Mediterranean salmon with white bean-artichoke salad from Sun Basket

We did not drink this all in one sitting. I think I was trying to stretch it to last as long as possible. We did another pairing the next evening with a Sun Basket dinner of Mediterranean salmon with white bean-artichoke salad. Both pairings were delicious and sadly at this point, we had finished off this bottle that I wished could have lasted forever.

Roasted togarashi salmon with miso-glazed eggplant & a Trimbach 2016 Gewurztraminer

This was a delicious earthy meal with miso and eggplant, lightened by a carrot edamame salad on the side. The salmon got seasoned with shichimi togarashi (a blend of mild chile, orange peel, and nori). Then the eggplant is sliced and glazed with a miso & maple glaze, adding umami and sweetness. These roast and then the carrot and edamame salad with a dressing of almond butter, sesame oil and apple cider vinegar, finishes the plate.

Travel in a bottle – to Alsace France

I chose the Gerwurtz initially to pair with the togarashi. The Trimbach is from Alsace. It was pale lemon in color, with a pronounced nose of Ginger, rose, honey, and leechee fruit. On the palate, it was dry with the alcohol sitting at 14% and medium across the board for body, acid, and intensity. I got tropical and citrus fruit on the palate. This wine did have a bit of viscosity. When I posted a photo on Instagram, I found that this is a popular and accessible wine, with lots of folks saying this was a go-to Gerwurz for them. (SRP $22.99)

Trimbach has been around for a while in Alsace. They were founded in 1626 and are run now by the 12th generation f Trimbachs. Maison Trimbach is located in Ribeauville which is in the northern section of the Haut-Rhin (which is the southern section of Alsace).

Ingredients for the Roasted togarashi salmon with miso-glazed eggplant to pair with the Trimbach Gewurztraminer

Roasted Togarashi salmon with miso-glazed eggplant from Sun Basket

Trimbach 2016 Gewurztraminer with Roasted Togarashi salmon with miso-glazed eggplant from Sun Basket

Steaks with Chimichurri & harissa-roasted sweet potatoes with a Carhartt Vineyards 2016 le f.p.

This is one of those pairings that just falls together and it’s just so pretty. Another where we sourced from Sun Basket. It really is a great way to cut down on needed trips to the supermarket and still keep the fresh veggies in the fridge and our diet! The sweet potatoes just needed to get roasted in the oven the stead gets cooked on the stove, the chard sauteed with garlic and olive oil and then the chimichurri sauce is drizzled on top. It is one of the simpler dishes, but it’s so tasty!

Ingredients for our pairing with Carhartt Vineyards le f.p. 2016

Steak with chimichurri and harissa-roasted sweet potatoes from Sun Basket

Carhartt Vineyards le f.p. 2016 (previously four play) with steaks, chimichurri, roasted sweet potatoes and greens

Travel in a bottle to California’s Los Olivos

We didn’t travel far for this one, just out to California to Los Olivos and Carhartt Vineyard. Their “le f.p.” was previously known as “four play” a play on words for this wine (as you can see by the label with the stork). This is their Bordeaux style blend with Merlot, Cab Sav, Cab Franc & Petit Verdot. It’s a fan favorite and was delicious with this dinner!

Were there more Pantry Pairings? Did we continue to Travel in a bottle?

Were there more dishes? Well if you have seen our Instagram feed, you will know that there were. Pantry pairings from nachos to full dinners, with wines from California, Oregon, South Africa, and oh so many more. Here is a small sampling.

Boschendal 2019 Rose from South Africa’s Western Cape with blackened sole and a corn & black bean salsa from Sun Basket
Nachos and Malvasia Bianca from Larner Vineyard in Santa Barbara’s Ballard Canyon
Randall Grahm’s Riesling to Live, method Champenois Riesling with a frittata and salad
Tablas Creek 2019 Dianthus Rose with a curried chicken with dried fig and cashews
Carhartt 2019 Sav Blanc and a pasta salad
Gloira Ferrer Royal Cuvee 2009 with turkey lettuce cups
Carhartt 2016 Quello Grande
Pairing for that Quello Grande Seared steaks with roasted red pepper ajvar and cauliflower from Sun Basket
Tablas Creek Cote de Tablas Blanc 2017 with a grilled apricot salad
Roasted apricot from Gilcrease Farm with bacon, goat cheese and pecans on greens.
Bonny Doon Vineyard Le Cigar Blanc and Turmeric-mojo shrimp with roasted carrots and poblano from Sun Basket
Take Flight White from Girardet Vineyard and nachos. Nachos are a recurring theme.

Have you been making any pantry pairings or taking an evening to travel in a bottle? Share with us your adventures in the comments!

7 resources for more information

As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep up to date on all of our posts.

When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.

Yakima Valley Cabernet Sauvignon with JB Neufeld

Mar 4, 2020

We’d been up early, catching sunrise in Naches Heights, just outside the city of Yakima. After a quick bite to eat we went to meet Justin Neufeld, to talk about his JB Neufeld wines. We met out at Gilbert Cellars where he is the winemaker. Soon we were to find that there was a connection there. He had grown up in this area.

Justin Neufeld’s journey to wine

Justin graduated from High School in Naches Washington, just outside of Yakima in 1998. Unlike many in this region, he did not come from an agriculture family. His father was a carpenter and his mother a nurse. Like many he was ready to get out of the valley. So he went on to U Dub (University of Washington or UW) to get a degree in molecular biology.

During his junior year, he got the wine bug. UW did not have a oenology or viticulture program at that time. So he did a bit of reading and researching on his own. This pull of viticulture was also the pull of home. Seattle is great, but it takes getting away from rural lands to appreciate them. He returned to the Yakima Valley.

Justin is currently the winemaker and manages the vineyards for Gilbert Cellars as his full time gig. Still, he always knew he wanted to have his own winery. He and his wife Brooke (the B in JB Neufeld) created and run JB Neufeld.

JB Neufeld and Cabernet Sauvignon

Justin didn’t start out planning to make Cabs. Early on he had a couple of Bordeaux wines. That gradually led to exploration into those blends and finding that he was intrigued by the Cabernet Sauvignon in them. Of course there are a lot of cabs in Washington, so he started tasting them. The Yakima Valley is diverse with multiple microclimates.

Justin began by doing vineyard designate Cabernet Sauvignons, working to show the differences in climate and site through the wines. Eventually he found he could craft a better wine by blending these sites. He would use Red Mountain AVA fruit as a base with it’s structure and ripe fruit. Then blend in cab from cooler areas that are softer with almost chalky tannins and more complexity. Then there is Red Willow fruit….

That’s a really unique site. It doesn’t fit that upper valley, cooler site profile of the chalkier tannin and floral notes. You know I’ve only worked with fruit now for 2 vintages, but so far it’s really unique, it takes on a more earthy minerality type character on the nose. There’s still some dark fruit for sure, but almost a similar structure to the Red Mountain. It’s pretty cool.
Justin Neufeld, July 2019

We second the love of Red Willow Vineyard fruit. It’s an amazing site. You can read more about our visit with Mike and Jon Sauer at their beautiful vineyard here. You can look forward to seeing more on our visit to this stunning vineyard run by some truly wonderful people.

New clones

Washington State started with Clone 8 and it continues to be the most widely grown clone in the state giving consistent fruit and yields. But there are other Cabernet Sauvignon clones making their way into Washington. Justin is pretty excited about some of these.

337 I’ve kinda been geeking out about. They’re still really young vines, but they have a different profile from clone 8, they are a little more red fruit. A little bit grittier of a tannin and rather than being vegetal when they are picked green they are more herbaceous. So I’m really excited.
Justin Neufeld, July 2019

I found an interesting piece by Shannon Dininny on goodfruit.com about Cabernet Sauvignon clones in Washington State. Most of the discussion was regarding yields and reliability, as opposed to flavor. None-the-less it’s an interesting discussion if you want to nerd out about that stuff. https://www.goodfruit.com/wine-grape-growers-weigh-in-on-cabernet-sauvignon-clones/

When it comes to the clone Justin is speaking of, clone 337, it came up from California. It is a clone that can make very extracted wines and lacks the typical herbal character when picked late. In a comparative tasting of clones from Bell Wine Cellars, they noted that 337 had the most lush profile when compared to clones 6,4 & 7. What does all this mean? It’s like Justin said, you can blend Cabernet from different clones and different sites to create a more complex wine.

Cabernet a “stubborn” grape

We spoke a bit about Cabernet and how it expresses terroir. Syrah and Pinot Noir are notably varieties that express location. They are wines that take on notes of their climate, soil and anything the winemaker throws at them. Kind of like a person with a full closet in tons of different styles.

Cabernet is noted for being, as Justin calls it “stubborn”. It does not show site as dramatically as Syrah or Pinot. With Syrah or Pinot Noir, when you pick, at what ripeness level, can also have a dramatic affect on the wine that you bottle. Cabernet on the other hand has a wider picking window that won’t show a great difference. It can also handle oak better without being overly influenced.

He noted a tendency to pick late to avoid any vegetal notes. Justin feels that causes you to lose complexity in the finished wine. He prefers to pick a little earlier.

I think, personally, my opinion is that a lot of Cabernet Sauvignons are pushed a little too far. They go to ripe and then a little past because they don’t want any vegetal character. I’ve found that when you take it to that next level, a lot of that wonderful complexity is sort of gone. So that’s what I’m trying to shoot for, timing wise, with picking at a point where there might be a little bit of vegetal. I’d rather it be herbaceous. You just get a lot more complexity in the nose and I think the terroir shines through a little bit more.
Justin Neufeld, July 2019

Soils and microflora

Parts of the Yakima Valley sit in the Missoula Flood Plains. This was the tremendous floods that spanned 2000 years after the last ice age. This flooded the Columbia Valley and down into Oregon. You can read more about these in our post with Rudy Marchesi at Montinore Estate. For more about how it affected the Yakima Valley see our conversation in the vineyard with David O’Reilly with Owen Roe.

The floods deposited soils and the levels in the Yakima Valley get to 1200 to 1300 feet. Above that are older soils. These soils affect the wine, but Justin is digging deeper. He is interest in the microflora. Microflora you hear about these days regarding your gut (kombucha and keeping the micro flora in your gut healthy). But you find them in soils also. Microflora are defined as: bacteria and microscopic algae and fungi, especially those living in a particular site or habitat.

Justin is fascinated by the microflora which has a symbiotic relationship with the plant. These microflora would also be affected of course by the composition of the soil. It’s yet another factor in “terroir” or the sense of place that you find in a wine.

Terroir and all it’s variables

We had discussed the difference in micro climates and soils, and it’s interesting to see all the variables. Red Mountain is hot and early. Bloom can happen here 2 or 3 weeks earlier than the rest of the Yakima Valley. This gives Justin more hang time on that fruit. He spoke with Fred Artz in Red Mountain and discussed the wind they get there. Wind can stress the vine and delay ripening. But if it’s a sustained wind it causes thicker skins, which give you more accumulated tannins. So wind is a significant part of the terroir in Red Mountain.

The full time gig at Gilbert

Being the head winemaker at Gilbert Cellars is Justin’s full time gig. He works with Assistant Winemaker/Oenologist Dusty Jenkins. Other than some extra help at harvest, between the two of them they do most everything regarding wine making.

Gilbert is primarily from estate fruit and they focus on Bordeaux varieties. They do have a wide variety of vineyards from Horse Heaven Hills AVA, Wahluke Slope AVA and the greater Columbia Valley AVA. The River Ridge Vineyard in Horse Heaven Hills AVA is the one with the new Cabernet Sauvignon clones Justin is really excited about.

In addition to Bordeaux style wines they are doing a Rhône white blend of Grenache Blanc and Viognier, called Vin du Vallee. They also do a Rhône red called Allobroges which is a GSM.

Gilbert is a busy spot in the Summer. They do a full concert series on the beautiful grounds that you see behind us in the videos. Music in the Vines celebrates it’s 10th season in 2020.

Getting ahold of some JB Neufeld wine

JB Neufeld can be found through a variety of distributors. You can check out their distributor page.

You can also order direct from their site and feel free to contact Brooke for more details!

It’s Taste Washington Wine Month, so we will be featuring some great Washington wineries and vineyards throughout March. So check back as we visit some other regions in the state! Here are a couple of links in case you want to dig a little deeper into Washington wines.

As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and sign up for our monthly newsletter to keep up to date on all of our posts.

Robin Bell Renken I have always loved people’s stories. I spent a career in Theatre helping to tell stories, as a Stage Manager. Daily enabling artists to freely and safely tell stories through their art. Then I fell in love with wine. There are so many details, so many nuances, not just in the glass, but in the vineyard, the region and the people. As I met winemakers and vineyard owners and even the people in the tasting room excited to pour me a glass and tell me the story of this wine, I knew these were stories I wanted to share. I completed my study and became a Certified Specialist of Wine and continue learning daily as I meet and interview people in this industry.

When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.

12 Days of Wine Day 12 – Syncline

Dec 24, 2019

Syncline

Let’s start with the name. Syncline…where does that come from? It was a new word to me. This winery & vineyard in located in the Columbia Gorge AVA. Vineyards are typically in scenic areas. Grapes like a view. But the Columbia Gorge? Come on…this is a pretty stellar backdrop.

So…back to the meaning of the word Syncline, from their website

syn-cline (‘sin-klin)
a trough of stratified rock in which
the beds dip toward each other from either side
http://synclinewine.com/our-history/

The Syncline winery is located on the Washington side of the Gorge on their Steep Ranch Vineyard. West of the property 300-foot cliffs rise up from the Columbia River…this is the Syncline, locally called the Coyote Wall Syncline.

The Columbia Gorge AVA

Views of the Gorge make this Washington Wine delicious — View of the Columbia River and the Gorge from Syncline’s Vineyard

The Columbia Gorge AVA was established in 2004 and is overwhelmingly known for white wines. This is the sweet spot where the rainy western part of the Gorge and the more arid Eastern Gorge meet. Syncline is on the South Eastern edge of the AVA.

Myself & James Mantone walking the rows at Syncline — James Mantone leading me through the Steep Ranch Vineyard

We spent a wonderful morning, talking with Winemaker, Vineyard Manager and Co-Founder of Syncline, James Mantone. Sitting in their beautiful gardens, we spoke about biodynamics which they are putting into practice here on this vineyard as well among other things before we walked the vineyard to take in the spectacular views at the top of the Syrah block.

But alas…in addition to the wines he makes from grapes grown on the estate vineyard, he also sources some fine grapes from elsewhere to make some beautiful wines. Such is the case with this Picpoul.

Picpoul

Picpoul is a favorite of mine. I have enjoyed Picpoul de Pinet which comes from the South of France right on the Mediterranean coast, as well as some lovely California Picpouls. You can read about those in Picpoul from Pinet and California and a seaside pairing. The name “Picpoul” means lip stinger in French. It is a zippy high acid wine.

Syncline 2018 Picpoul Boushey Vineyard Yakima Valley

We tasted this wine in the tasting room with James when we visited. Since I tend to think of Picpoul and ocean, this was intriguing to me. The grapes for this wine are sourced from Boushey Vineyards in Washington’s Yakima Valley. Boushey Vineyard sits at a high elevation (700-1200 feet) on southern slopes of the Rattlesnake Mountains. Dick Boushey is considered one of Washington States top wine grape growers.

Soil and the long ripening time at this vineyard allow for lots of complex flavors to develop.

The fruit was hand harvested and transported to the winery on October 2nd. It was whole cluster pressed and settled overnight. The juice was then racked to one of our stainless steel tanks. Fermentation completed with no malolactic fermentation. It was aged in stainless steel and bottledin March 2019. 300 cases produced • 12.4% Alc. By Vol.
http://synclinewine.com

The Tasting

Syncline 2018 Picpoul flavor profile

James tasting notes mention “Bright lemon verbena and key lime blossom” as well as “citrus zest and wet stones”. When we opened this wine, the first thing I smelled was chalk and dust followed my notes of tart citrus fruit. It opened further with some floral notes and then lemon zest and yes wet stones. This wine was completely enjoyable on it’s own.

The Pairings

Herbed goat cheese with the Syncline 2018 Picpoul from Boushey Vineyard

We paired this wine with herbed goat cheese and olive oil on bread to start. The pairing sweetened the cheese and brightened the wine and was kind of magical.

Then we went to a classic Picpoul pairing of shellfish. We had mussels in garlic and butter dusted with lemon zest. Which is indeed a perfect pairing with this wine. Often you think of oysters with Picpoul and somehow those didn’t hit me as the right pairing. Perhaps it was me thinking of the photos I had recently seen of the hoarfrost on the vines in the Yakima Valley. None-the-less this wine wanted a warmer version of shellfish and these mussels did the trick, warm with savory flavors and a bit of brightness, they snuggled with the wine and brightened a chilly evening.

Visit them….

I totally told you all about the vineyard at Syncline, but I skipped right over the stunning gardens and grounds at their winery and tasting room. Here…take a look.

Syncline winery entrance
The outdoor tasting bar at the Syncline Winery
Beautiful Foudre that was being refinished for wine at Syncline
The garden at the Syncline tasting room in Washington’s Columbia Gorge AVA
Perfect spot for a summer tasting
Syncline Wine’s tasting garden in the Columbia Gorge AVA
Syncline Wine’s tasting garden in the Columbia Gorge AVA
Syncline Wine’s tasting garden in the Columbia Gorge AVA
Syncline Wine’s tasting garden in the Columbia Gorge AVA

Head up there in the summer, on a weekend. Drive the Gorgeous Gorge and then stop for a tasting and to enjoy the garden.

That’s a wrap!

All the unwrapping is complete on our 12 Days of Wine Celebration. Hopefully you enjoyed the journey and perhaps have a few wines to search for, or a vacation to plan to take in some of these places.

We wish you all a very happy holiday and a wonderful New Year. Here’s to a spectacular 2020!

As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep up to date on all of our posts.

Mont de Milieu Premier Cru Chablis from Simonnet-Febvre and Pôchouse #Winophiles

Apr 19, 2019

Pôchouse. What is that you ask? That was my response when I was researching what to pair with the Chablis I had picked up for this tasting. Quick answer…

pôchouse
La pôchouse, or pauchouse, is a recipe of French cuisine based on river fish, cut into pieces, and cooked with a white wine sauce, traditional Burgundy and Franche-Comté cuisine.
https://educalingo.com/en/dic-fr/pochouse

How did we get to pôchouse? Let’s start with the Wine.

Chablis with the French #Winophiles

Panoramic view of countryside and vineyards in Chablis area, Burgundy, France

This month the French Winophiles are dipping our toes into Chablis. (scroll down to see all the stories by the Winophiles on the subject this month! AND… you can follow the conversation on Twitter using #Winophiles).

I found my wine, a Simonnet-Febvre Premier Cru Chablis from Mont de Milieu.

But lets back up a little more. I suppose we should start with a little breakdown of the region.

Chablis

Chablis is part of Burgundy. Although if you look at a map , you might find that surprising. It sits 80 miles Northwest of the rest of Burgundy and is actually closer to Champagne than Burgundy. (take a look at the small inset map to see what I mean). In Chablis, one grape rules them all and that grape is Chardonnay. In fact, it is the only permitted grape in the region.

Kimmeridgian soils and a bit better sun

This region is has cool summers and cold winters, much like Champagne, but being further south and planted on South facing slopes it is protected from North winds and gets more sun exposure than they do in Champagne, allowing for better ripening. It is perhaps best known for it’s Kimmeridgian soils.

Those south facing slopes are on an outcrop of Kimmeridgian marl, which provides great mineral nutrients for these grapes.

Breaking down the region

Chablis has but one Grand Cru. The Chablis Grand Cru is a 254 acre vineyard that is made up of 7 parcels. Then there are 40 premier cru vineyards, 17 of which are considered “principal” premiers. Mont de Milieu is one of these 17.

After that you have “Chablis” (you can see that in the brightest yellow on the map below), and finally the “Petit Chablis” which are tucked in and around the other vineyards and typically have less ideal slopes for sun and lesser soils.

Map of Chablis and it's vineyards, courtesy Pure Chablis — Map of Chablis and it’s vineyards, courtesy Pure Chablis

Mont de Milieu

So the wine we chose came from Mont de Milieu, and as I mentioned above, this is one of the 17 “Principal” premier crus. It sits on the right bank, on the east side of the Serein river. It is often compared to the Grand Cru site because it has similar sun exposure, which is important for ripening the grapes (remember it’s chilly up here in Chablis). The climate here is one of the warmest in Chablis which creates a rich wine.

The Kimmeridgian marl with clay and limestone rich soil is not as stony here. The soils make the vines struggle and they tend to produce fewer leaves. This again, helps with sun exposure to the berries for ripening.

A Border between Dukedoms

The area gets it’s name, which translates to “middle hill” from the fact that it marked the border between the dukedoms of Burgundy and Champagne.

Simonnet-Febvre

Founded in 1840, this is among the oldest wineries in the area. It has undergone several name changes over the years and specialized in Sparkling Chablis before Crémant de Bourgogne was even a thing. Here is a great story of their sparkling wines and current owner Latour…

Simonnet-Febvre is the only one in Chablis to perpetuate since its origin the production of sparkling wines from the traditional method – now called Crémant de Bourgogne. The grapes still come from the slopes of the Grand Auxerrois area, located a few kilometers away from the famous Chablis vineyards. Ironically, Louis Latour from the 4^th generation had celebrated the purchase of the Château Corton with bottles of Sparkling Chablis from Simonnet-Febvre. These bottles were ordered on December 8th, 1891, which was 112 years before Louis Latour finally purchased Simonnet-Febvre.
Courtesy https://www.simonnet-febvre.com

Alas…we are not talking about crémant, but rather their Chablis. But I did think that was a fun story.

Simonnet-Febvre Chablis Premier Cru Mont de Milieu 2013

This wine comes from vines that average about 35 years old, fermented and then aged for 12 months in stainless steel on the lees.

This wine was clear and golden in the glass. On the nose I got slate and warm golden fruit. On my first taste I got tart fruit, rich like golden raisins. As it opened minerals and chalk became more present.

As it continued to open and warm it flooded into warm blossoms, the rich fragrance of flowers on a hot humid afternoon.

We did taste a Chablis a little while back that I loved also. The difference between that wine and this were pronounced. The other Chablis was young, vibrant and full of mineral. The Mont de Milieu, an older wine and age worthy wine, was richer and fuller, less bright, less mineral driven, but rounder with greater depth. You could see this in color in the glass.

Pôchouse

Okay, back to the Pôchouse. So I was looking for a pairing for the Chablis and searching different sites. One of my go to sites is Fiona Beckett’s Matching Food and Wine. Fiona had lots of suggestions, broken down into the different styles and ages of Chablis’. Of course when I see something that I’m not familiar with, I’m intrigued. “Pôchouse” caught my attention. What was that?

So I googled it. Some of the fish stew recipes, looked delicious but humble. I was looking for something a bit fancier. Then I came across a recipe that looked so elegant and delicious… Gourmet Traveler’s version of Pôchouse was so pretty, I was determined to make it.

Of course I couldn’t find perch, eel, sandre or hapuku all of which they offer as options in the recipe. So we went with rainbow trout for our river fish, which I love anyway. Also, no sorrel or watercress were to be found, so I substituted spinach and arugula. Oh…and I never have Bay leaves in the house when I need them, so I used dry thyme. The dish was fairly easy to make and the sauce…OMG it was heaven!

I’ll let you check the link for the full recipe, but here is the quick version.

Making Pôchouse

Cook sliced onions, mushrooms, bacon, garlic and your dried herb in grape seed oil and butter. Do this in a roasting pan you can then pop in the oven. Lay the fish fillets on top, bake a few minutes then pour about a half of a bottle of chard over it and cook a bit more. (I didn’t use the Chablis…I wasn’t cooking with a half a bottle of that! It was reserved for drinking.)

Pop it out of the oven, put the fish aside and drain the liquid to make the sauce. You will put that delicious blend of bacon, onions and mushrooms to the side for plating also.

Add some more butter to the liquid, plus olive oil and lemon juice and whisk. (This golden elixir is truly amazing).

Now take the sorrel (or spinach like me) and cook it until it wilts in butter.

Okay, now make it pretty! Mushrooms etc spooned in the bottom, top with the fish, then the sorrel butter, a dollop of sour creme, spoon the sauce over (and let it puddle on the bottom) and finish with the fresh arugula (or watercress, if you are lucky enough to have it).

The elegant pôchouse. Rainbow trout, on a base of mushrooms, onions and bacon, in a white wine sauce topped with spinach butter, sour creme & arugula

Our pôchouse made with rainbow trout on a bed of mushrooms, bacon & onions, with a white wine sauce, topped with butter sauteed spinach, sour creme and arugula.

How was the pairing you ask?

The dish was heaven and sang with the wine. The roundness of the wine paired beautifully with the sauce. The mushrooms and sour creme along with the mineral notes in the wine, the tang from the spinach and the peppery arugula all made for a delicious bite that was so well paired. Yep it was a close your eyes while you eat moment. That bit of Zen when deliciousness all comes together in your mouth.

The French #Winophiles on Chablis

On Saturday, April 20, we are convening on Twitter at 10 a.m. CST for a Chablis chat. If you like Chardonnay, ahem, Chablis, join in! Just use #winophiles and you’ll find us. We’ve got a fantastic group of bloggers posting about Chablis. We’ll talk about the region, the wines, food pairings and travel! Here’s a peek at all the posts you’ll be able to explore:

Cam at Culinary Adventures with Camilla Brings Us “Cracked Crab, Cheesy Ravioli, and Chablis”

Gwendolyn at Wine Predator Shares “Chablis is … Chardonnay? Comparing 2 from France, 1 from SoCal Paired with Seafood Lasagna”

Liz at What’s in That Bottle Shares Chablis: the Secret Chardonnay

Deanna at Asian Test Kitchen Writes about “Top Chablis Pairings with Japanese Food”

Jennifer at Beyond the Cork Screw Has “French Companions: Chablis and Fromage Pavé”

Payal at Keep the Peas writes about “Chablis: A Tale of Two Soils”

Jane at Always Ravenous has “Pairing Chablis with Marinated Shrimp Salad”

Jeff at Food Wine Click shares “All the Best Food Pairings with Clos Beru Chablis”

Jill at L’Occasion writes about “Metal Giants: Windfarms and the Chablis Landscape”

Susannah at Avvinare writes “Celebrating France with Chablis and Toasting Notre Dame”

David at Cooking Chat writes about “Sipping Chablis with Easter Dinner or Your Next Seafood Meal”

Pinny at Chinese Food & Wine Pairings writes about “A Delicate Pair: Jean Claude Courtault Chablis and Sichuan Peppercorn-Cured Salmon”

Nicole at Somm’s Table writes about Domaine Savary Chablis Vieilles Vignes with Scallops and Brussels Sprouts Two Ways”

Kat at Bacchus Travel & Tours shares “The Delicate Face of Chardonnay: Chablis”

Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm Brings Us “Chardonnay? White Burgundy? Chablis!”

As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep up to date on all of our posts.

Barrel Tasting with Rudy Marchesi at Montinore Estate

Jan 24, 2019

After a wonderful interview with Rudy Marchesi of Montinore Estate discussing the Missoula Floods, the history of Montinore estate and their wines as well as Biodynamics in the vineyard and garden, Rudy invited us to the cellar for a barrel tasting.

Winemaker Stephen Webber

Montinore_Estate_Stephen_Webber, courtesy of Montinore Estate

On the way, we went through the lab, where we met Montinore Estate winemaker, Stephen Webber. Stephen started with Montinore as Assistant Winemaker over a decade ago in 2006 coming from DiStefano winery in Seattle. He became the Co-Winemaker in 2009 and took over as head winemaker in 2016.

On to the tasting

We stopped briefly in the tank room for a taste of the Red Cap Pinot that was fermenting in tank. Before heading to the cellar with room after room filled with barrels and a few clay amphorae style vessels (which we later found out were on loan from Andrew Beckham).

The original plantings of Pinot Noir in the Montinore Estate Vineyard in 1982 were very typical of the early Oregon plantings and were Pommard and Wadenswil clones.

High density vineyards

Montinore Vineyards vineyard 2380 — Looking down the rows at Montinore

The vineyard we tasted from next were some of the first high density vineyards in the area, planted 2500 vines to the acre. Rudy feels high density works better here. With high density vineyards, each vine is asked to do less work. Here, instead of each vine needing to produce 6 lbs of fruit, they are only asked to produce 2 lbs per vine.

I remember speaking with Jason Haas about high density vineyards. He was very much against them in Paso Robles. But here is where perspective comes in. High density planting in Central California during a drought is much different from high density planting in Oregon, where moisture is much more abundant. So much of vineyard practice is determined by location and climate and available natural resources.

Soils and their affect on the taste of a wine

We moved on to taste from another barrel that came from a block about 100 yards from the first. The difference was immediately apparent in nose and color. This was the same elevation. The soil is Missoula Flood loess over basalt. Rudy conjectured that these 35 year old vines had worked their roots into the basalt and this was where the differences came from. This pinot had more earth with herbal and cherry notes. Basalt, Rudy explained, often had this cherry note. The first block we tasted from had deeper loess. He noted that the basalt in Dundee was different, but still had these cherry notes.

Montinore Estate Vineyard Map1 — Courtesy of Montinore Estate Vineyards

The Red Cap Pinot Noir is a blend of all of their Pinots. Everything is barrelled separately, then they pull reserves from each vineyard and block and the remaining blends into the Red Cap. The very best blocks make up the estate reserve. They then make several vineyard designate wines. They make 200 cases of a single vineyard Pinot Noir from Parsons Ridge. Which we tasted next.

We tasted again, from a block in Helvetia soil. This is a different soil series but still part of the Missoula flood loess and is known as Cornelius. The slope on this block is a little different. The color in this wine was more purple, which they seem to get from the southern part of the property. You could taste a bit more wood (the barrel this was in was newer oak) on this wine. There was more floral, and the fruit on the nose was more boysenberry than blackberry. This is the soil on Rudy and his wife’s 1 1/4 acre property

The next wine was from the Tidalstar vineyard which has marine sediment soils. This vineyard is located in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA on it’s western edge. This wine will be part of the Red Cap, as well as all 3 tiers of single vineyard wines. They are thinking of creating a new brand exclusively from this vineyard.

Michael commented on this being the perfect way to taste wines. Comparing blocks and soils in the cellar and seeing and smelling the differences, guided by someone who knows the vineyard.

This is the beauty of Pinot Noir, it is so expressive.
Rudy Marchesi (our interview in July 2018)

More than just Pinot Noir

As Rudy searched for the right varieties for his early vineyards on the East Coast, he set up a research project to go to Northern Italy and explore indigenous varieties. His father was born there, so he had some people he could contact. They went to 5 different cultural research stations. He learned quite a bit, but didn’t put it into practice until he arrived in Oregon.

Lagrein

We tasted the Lagrein. (disclosure – a varietal I love and find all too rarely). Lagrein’s parentage is Pinot Noir and Dureza (which is also a parent of Syrah). In the glass it is very Syrah like.

You can really see in the glass, something syrah like going on. This has been doing well. We just bottled the 2016. I planted these in 2010-2012, so they are just starting to come in stride.
Rudy Marchesi (our interview in July 2018)

Teroldego

We moved on to Teroldego a grape related to Pinot Noir, Lagrein & Syrah.

Elisabetta Foradori, she inherited her family winery at 19 or so, they grew Teroldego, at the time it was meh. She went through and selected the best vines and clusters and bred for quality….I got material from her. We only have 2 acres of it, like the Lagrien. But I think it needs warmer sites, this might be our global warming hedge.
Rudy Marchesi (our interview in July 2018)

Different Vessels

At this point we came to the beautiful clay fermentation tanks.

Montinore Estate 18 — Andrew Beckham created “Novum”

Clay breathes more than concrete, you can feel it. That’s what we want. I want that evaporation of water through clay just like barrel. In amphorae you get alot more fruit. Pinot producers worry, they get so much fruit…would it have the ageing ability without the tannins from the wood? As a blending component it could be very exciting.
Rudy Marchesi (our interview in July 2018)

Unfortunately, the Clay tanks have no sampling valves. So there was no tasting to be done there. Andrew Beckham is making him several of these clay vessels which Andrew calls “novum”. (these clay vessels are rounded like amphorae but do not have the conical bottom). You will get to hear all about the “novum” soon, as we spent a morning at Beckham and some time with Andrew on this trip also.

This was the end of our joyous trip to the cellar with Rudy. He was off to lunch with the grand kids and led us back to the tasting room for a tasting of their wines already in bottle.

Person of the Year 2018 – Oregon Wine Press

What an amazing visit. Rudy Marchesi has such expansive knowledge and a drive to keep learning. He was so generous with us sharing his time and his knowledge. He was just named Person of the Year 2018 by the Oregon Wine Press

For his work in Biodynamics and its advocacy, and, more importantly, for his generosity of spirit, OWP is pleased to honor him.
Oregon Wine Press, January 8, 2019 by Jade Helm

I knew of his work in Biodynamics. We spoke with him during our interview about it. But I truly had no idea of what a true leader in this field he is.

Most recently, Marchesi was one of nine growers — and the only American — asked to join the International Biodynamic Viticulture Group. This new committee will endeavor to integrate more viticulture into the annual Biodynamic Agriculture Conference held in Dornach, Switzerland, and to create a web-based forum for exchange of information among the world’s Biodynamic winegrowers.
Oregon Wine Press, January 8, 2019 by Jade Helm

Here, here Oregon Wine Press! Well done! And well done Rudy. I am humbled at the time and knowledge you so graciously shared with us.

More on Montinore

We documented all the time he spent with us that morning. The fascinating information fills 4 posts in addition to this one. There are links below as well as a pairing we did over the holidays that Rudy’s daughter Kristin (President of Montinor Estate), so graciously shared with us:

Visit them! Montinore Estate

The Estate is beautiful. You will find it in the Northwest corner of the Willamette Valley in Forest Grove.

3663 SW Dilley Road Forest Grove, OR 97116

503.359.5012
[email protected]

Southern Oregon Sauvignon Blanc from Leah Jørgensen

Sep 27, 2018

We have been talking with Leah Jørgensen of Leah Jørgensen Cellars about her inspirations as well as Southern Oregon. We begin with her 2017 Sauvignon Blanc. We’ve discussed how her love of the wines from the Loire Valley in France influences her wines as well as the depth of history in the soils of Southern Oregon. Now we are finally putting glass to lips and tasting some of her wines.

Leah Jørgensen Cellars 2017 Sauvignon Blanc

“This is our Sauvignon Blanc from Rogue Valley. It comes from the Crater View Vineyard that I was mentioning. Hence we gave her a little makeover (she is a mermaid on the bottle) to inspire the fish and I think she has an oyster shell right there.
So actually, I wanted to make white wines that go with shellfish. We are here in Oregon right, we have incredible oyster beds, crab. My cousins own the fisherman’s market in Eugene. They are fishermen have fishing boats that go up to Alaska, that’s my Nordic heritage coming through.
This wine has got all kinds of bright acidity and gooseberry. It’s not anything like a California Sauvignon Blanc and it’s nothing like a New Zealand, it’s much more along the lines of…sometimes it even gets a “gunflintiness”, so similar to a Pouilly-Fumé. Definitely the Loire inspired Sauvignon Blancs. We use stainless steel and Acacia barrels.”

Acacia Barrels?

“So a lot of the young guns in the Loire Valley have been moving to Acacia barrels for their whites; Chenin blanc, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc. And the reason for that is that if you were to smell an oak barrel versus an acacia barrel, we know what oak is right, it gives that vanilla and caramel and all those wonderful notes coconut too, but if you smell an acacia barrel it’s much more herbal and floral, elderberry flower, gardenia, resin like from a fir tree, so it’s just much more interesting. The grapes like Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc really lifts those herbal-floral notes and it makes a quite pretty difference than using oak. “

This wine was so different from other Sauvignon Blancs from California or New Zealand. It’s softer on the nose, but with great acidity. It’s clean and you get minerals off of it.

“It’s that wonderful thing about putting your nose in a wine glass and getting all these amazing things and then it’s all subjective, because it all depends on things that I have smelled or that I can imagine smelling.”
“And your biochemistry! We are biochemically individual people, so we will experience wine all so differently. That’s why I never really take reviews, you kind of take it as a grain of salt that it should be something experienced Individually.”

This wine retails at $24. It comes from the Crater View Vineyard in Southern Oregon’s Rogue Valley AVA, just outside of Jackson Oregon. This vineyard has some major elevation sitting between 1,500 and 1,675 feet. This site has all the feel good attributes of Salmon-Safe, Oregon Certified Sustainable and L.I.V.E. Certified and… in 2015 they found 250 MILLION year old blue schist rocks and other marine rock as they were getting a new block ready for planting.

Want to find a bottle? Head to Leah Jørgensen Cellars squarespace or look for one of the smart establishments that carry her wine. There is a list here.

We are going to continue our chat with Leah Jørgensen. Next up is her Blanc de Cabernet Franc! And check out our previous episodes with her Leah Jørgensen – Pirate Princess & Winemaker, Grapes of Southern Oregon with Leah Jørgensen.

Check out Leah’s updated website at https://leahjorgensencellars.com/

You can find her on on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram too!

And join us back here at Crushed Grape Chronicles as we continue sharing our conversation with Leah! And don’t forget, you can also find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

Spring Vegetable Frittata to pair with an Alsatian Pinot Blanc

Jun 21, 2018

I recently had occassion to make a frittata. We were doing a tasting of Alsatian Pinots with the French Winophiles, with some beautiful samples provided by @AlsaceWines. When I searched for a pairing to go with the Emile Beyer Pinot Blanc, a suggestion of eggs and spring vegetables came up. I settled on a pairing of a spring green salad and a spring vegetable frittata.

Frittata

So what is a frittata? It is an Italian egg dish. The name loosely translates to “fried”. Kind of like an omlette, it is a great way to use up leftovers. You can create a frittata with almost anything. Use up vegetables, rice, pasta, cheese, meats….you name it. A frittata ideally cooks in a rod iron skillet and the size of the skillet and number of eggs is the key. Typically you are looking at a ratio of 1 cup of cheese, 2 cups of filling, 6 eggs and 1/4 cup of milk or…go for it, heavy cream. Whole milk and richer creme will make a more unctuous frittata with a thick creamy texture. And the number of eggs? Use a full dozen for a 10 inch skillet. And make sure your pan is well seasoned.

Why rod iron? It heats evenly and you are starting this on the stove and finishing in the oven.

I wanted a light spring vegetable frittata. Something bright to pair with the Pinot Blanc. I dug around in the fridge and freezer and here is what I put together.

Spring Vegetable Frittata

1/2 cup broccoli
1/2 cup peas
1/2 cup green beans
- (my broccoli and peas were frozen and my beans were fresh)
2 golden beets
3 radishes
1/3 zucchini
1/2 teaspoon Allium Allure spice blend from Spicy Camel Trading Company (or use a seasoning blend that you like)
Salt
Pepper
11 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 cup ricotta
1/4 cup red onions
Salt
Pepper
Dill

First I got the oven heating to 400 degrees.

Then I needed to cook the broccoli, peas and beans. Just blanching them and quickly cooling them with cold water (I was too lazy to do an ice bath). The beans were cut into 3/4 inch pieces (on the diagonal to make them pretty) and I chopped the broccoli into smaller pieces when it was cooked. It’s important to cook your vegetables first so they don’t let go of all their moisture in your frittata and make it soupy.

Blanched broccoli, peas and green beans for the frittata

I then diced the beets, radishes and zucchini and sautéed them in olive oil with a little Allium Allure spice blend from my friends at Spicy Camel Trading Company. (I’m adding the link ’cause you really should get to know their spice blends! Amazing blends, handcrafted…and really nice people too). Allium Allure is all that onion goodness Onion, Shallots, Roasted Garlic, Leeks, Chives and Green Onions. I tossed in a little salt and pepper (Spicy Camel does not add salt to their spice blends). Radishes are great this way. It tones downs their spiciness and gives them a sweetness. You could also toss all of this in the oven to roast if you wanted. I was hungry so a sauté seemed quicker.

Sautéed golden beet, radish and zucchini with the Allium Allure spice blend from Spicy Camel Trading Company

Now, on to the frittata!

I lightly whisked my 11 eggs (yes I went 1 short of a dozen on this). I say lightly whisked. You want the yolks to be incorporated but you don’t want to get too much air in the mixture, as that will cause the final texture of your frittata to be light, but dry.

I added my milk. I just used whole milk and with the ricotta, it may have been redundant, but the final product came out perfect, so I’m stickin’ with it. I folded in my ricotta so it would break up a little, but still have chunks that would create pockets of creaminess in the finished frittata. Then it’s all the rest, the broccoli, peas, beans as well as the sautéed vegetables, a little salt and pepper and some fresh dill.

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I got out my rod iron skillet and started a little olive oil and butter melting in the bottom, then tossed in my red onions to get a beautiful base going.

Once the onions were soft and translucent, I added the egg mixture. This cooks over medium until the edges begin to pull away from the sides of the pan.

Spring vegetable frittata cooking on the stove in it’s rod iron pan

Then toss it in the oven at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes. You want to be sure it is set, but not overcooked! Poke the center with a knife and if egg is still flowing, it’s not quite ready. When it is ready, pull it out and serve it immediately…OR…you can cut this and store it in the fridge, it is delicious cold!

Finished Spring vegetable frittata just out of the oven

The Pairing

We served our frittata with a salad of spring greens topped with some more of those golden beets and radishes that I quick pickled in honey and white wine vinegar while the frittata cooked and some pine nuts.

Spring Vegetable Frittata and salad with pickled beets and radishes with an Emile Beyer Pinot Blanc from Alsace

This did make quite a big frittata for Michael and I. (8 nice sized slices). I enjoyed cold frittata happily for lunch for a good part of the week.

Emile Beyer Pinot Blanc and an appetizer of fresh peaches, goat cheese, basil and prosciutto

We did need an appetizer to go with this while we waited for the frittata to finish in the oven and we went with fresh peaches (these were still firm) sliced, with a dollop of goat cheese a leaf of basil and then wrapped in prosciutto. This was pretty perfect with the wine that was so bright. The peaches were crisp and picked up on the notes of slightly unripe stone fruit in the wine.

The Wine

This Emile Beyer Pinot Blanc Tradition is made in the picturesque village of Eguisheim, just outside of Colmar. The family estate is now run by Christian Beyer who is 14th generation in the family business.

The wine comes from younger vineyards, and the grapes are pressed pneumatically to gently get those juices to drip from the skins. It’s a slow fermentation and they age the wine on the fine lees for several months.

The soil of these vineyards are made of Chalky marl, sandstone and clay.

It is not 100% Pinot Blanc, they do add some Auxerrois. What is Auxerrois you ask (I asked that too, it was a variety I was not familiar with). This grape is grown mostly in Alsace and it adds weight and body to the wine. If you want to know more, there is a great article on called Auxerrois: A Lesson from Alsace on Wine’s Acidity

This is a beautiful fresh wine for spring time or any time of year when you want to channel a little spring time. And…Suggested retail price is $15. So run out and find a bottle!

Give this frittata a try, or come up with your own combination and let us know how it goes! Oh, and don’t forget to let us know what wine you choose to pair with it!

You can check out all of our Pinot Pairings from Alsace in our piece A Palette of Pinots; the hues of Alsace

And of course to keep up with all of our posts and wine adventures, you can find us here at Crushed Grape Chronicles . You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

Red wine..not too dry

Mar 31, 2017

I often have friends come and ask me for wine recommendations. Mind you, I love wine, but I am not a Somm. My thoughts and recommendations come from the wines that I have tasted and most of those come from places I have traveled. And for me, the story behind the wine is part of what makes it taste special to me. But when you just need to go out and pick up a bottle and you don’t have the luxury of being anywhere near a vineyard as you are landlocked in Las Vegas…well, you have to look at this in a different light.

Most often people tell me that they like red wine, and quite often I also here that they don’t want it too dry. For me of course dry is the opposite of sweet in a wine, but I think they often mean more than just that. Often they are talking about astringency and tannins that “dry” your mouth out. So, I’m hear to brainstorm on what type of wine they would like. I know they often wish I could give them a name of a bottle to search for at the wine or liquor store, but usually I end up giving them a grape variety to look for. California wines were where I first started delving into my wine education, so grape varieties are my way into deciphering what a wine will taste like.

From dirt to glass, Conversations with…

Tobin James Zinfandel & Scent Jars and Art form ACT2ART and Crushed Grape Chronicles Events

Tobin James Zinfandel and Scents

Yep, a little @blairfoxcellars is my glass tonight!

Deep rich smooth..@vinarobles 2008 Petite Sirah. Channeling a little Paso tonight.

Deep rich [email protected] 2008 Petite Sirah. Channeling a little Paso tonight.

The 2010 and 2011 Dedication Syrah from Larner Vineyards and Winery

Zinfandel

Typically I start with Zinfandel. California grows alot of Zinfandel. Paso Robles Zins can be warm and jammy (and likely high in alcohol) with blackberry jam, chocolate and smoky tobacco. It is big and fruity and a crowd pleaser, medium bodied, but it does have medium tannins, so I thought I would dig deeper to find a few other suggestions.

Gamay

There is Gamay for a lighter fruitier wine, with berries on the nose this is the primary wine from Beaujolais in France and you can find this almost anywhere.

Barbera

Into medium bodied wines Barbera is a good bet. It can be rich with cherry, blackberry, plum and licorice. If it has been aged in oak you will also get some chocolate in there. Of course the oak may strengthen the tannins also. If you like all that big fruit, go with a Barbera from a warmer climate like California or Argentina.

Malbec

When you move into fuller bodied reds most have pretty heavy tannins. Malbec often is a little lower in tannins and has delicious red plum, blackberry and blueberry notes. Look for these with little to no oak aging to keep them juicy. Most of the Malbec in the world comes from Argentina, and much of that from the area around Mendoza. Higher end Malbecs “Reserva” will have time in oak and you will get chocolate, darker fruit and tobacco notes on these. I say grab one of each style and try them together! See what you think!

Petite Sirah

I often mention Petite Sirah, which yes, can be high in tannins, but it’s just so tasty! The blueberry and chocolate notes blend with black tea and make such a delicious wine to pair with cheese. I say take the plunge, see if you like it! And those tannins are healthy and full of antioxidants! If you are looking at a big wine store (big box wine store), you will likely find these with “alternative reds”. I had an amazing Petite Sirah in Paso at Vina Robles. If I close my eyes I can still taste it!

Syrah

Now onto Syrah. This wine can be made in so many different styles (see our series on the multiple styles of Syrah in Santa Barbara County) It is typically lower in tannins and a warm climate Syrah is rich and jammy. You can find many of these from California, Argentina and then of course the Shiraz from New Zealand.

There are lots of wines out there. Dive into the comments and give me your suggestions for your favorite “red wines that are not too dry”.

And stop back to visit us here at Crushed Grape Chronicles. You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

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The call of Natural Wine

Jan 11, 2017

I ran by the farmers market to drop something to a friend, say hello and then grab a quick and delicious lunch. I love the farmers markets. Finding the season fresh produce, meeting the farmers and hearing their stories. You walk through the market and smell the season, peaches or citrus, greens or spices…today I had planned to be in and out quickly, but then…someone said wine, natural wine and Mathieu pulled out 6 bottles and asked if I had a minute to hear about them. They will be starting a wine club soon and bringing in natural wine. It doesn’t hurt that Mathieu is handsome with a beautiful French accent (he also makes extraordinary preserves). And today he had a selection of Natural Wines, as well as a beer and a hard pear cider.

Mathieu and the Natural Wines at the Intuitive Forager Farm Shop

Mathieu gave us a quick overview on the wines which got my brain going, so of course I researched further, so you will get some additional insights I dug up on the stories behind the wines, winemakers and wineries.

Costadila Bianco

Vino Frizzante da Tavola

Veneto Italia

Costadila Bianco Vino Frizzante da Tavola A Natural Prosecco

Costadila means “the hillside over there”. This winery was founded in 2006 by a group of partners. Their mission statement is “Articoltura” – Art, Agriculture and Culture. Their goal was to re-invigorate the agricultural traditions of Tarzo a municipality in the Province of Treviso in the region of Veneto. Everything here is farmed organically and they grow more than grapes. The emphasis here is on polyculture with fruits, grains, vines, vegetables and livestock.

This particular natural wine is a Natural Prosecco. They do not add sulphur and the wine is shipped un-disgorged as you see in the photo (note all the sediment, that’s the dead yeast, in the bottom). This wine is fermented with native yeast until completely dry. They then bottle it with passito grapes that are dried for a secondary fermentation.

The note at the bottom of the label (280 sml) indicates the elevation in meters where these vines grew.

Dinavolino

Vino Bianco

Italia

Dinavolino Vino Bianco from Denavolo in Italy

This is an Orange wine from Denavolo. Mathieu tells us that it is made in amphoras in the ground and undergoes a 21 day maceration period, mixed with a stick. The visions that I have of that seem prehistoric, so I did some more research.

For a little primer on Orange Wines, here is Madeline Puckette of Wine Folly!

I have tasted Orange wine at Le Cuvier in Paso Robles where the legendary John Munch is the “Co-owner, Wine Herd/Winemaker & Elliptical Pontificator” (please click through and read his bio,it will make you chuckle). Tasting these wines for the first time you might find the taste and nose decidedly unexpected and those winemakers who choose to make them, well…they are decidedly unexpected also.

So indeed, Orange wines are made with white grapes in amphoras or Kvevri, typically placed in the ground with just the lid above. The grapes get lots of lovely skin contact, which gives them that orange color.

Giulio Armani’s orange wines come from grapes grown high up in the hills of Emilia-Romagna near Piacenza These vineyards grow very small berries so the ratio of skin to must is high. This wine is a blend of Marsanne, Malvasia (di Candia Aromatica) & Otrugo (or Piancentino).

He produces several other wines (he grew up making wine at La Stoppa from age 12!), and is constantly experimenting.

Domaine de Majas

2015 Rouge

Natural wine from Cotes Catalanes

France

Domaine de Majas 2015 Rouge Cotes Catalanes

Tom Lubbe was born in New Zealand and grew up in South Africa. He worked at the only South African Estate that used indigenous yeasts and encouraged low yields (ie low yields better grapes). He did an internship at Domaine Gauby, and ended up marrying the owners daughter. He and Gerard Gauby then started Domaine Matassa making wines from the indigenous grapes in Cotes de Catalans. Then he met Alain Carrere owner of Domaine Majas, together they made the vineyard biodynamic, went to all indigenous yeast, no manipulation and very little sulphur.

Rene Redzepi of Noma (named multiple times the “world’s best restaurant”) did an entire menu paired with the Domaine de Majas wines.

This wine is Carignan with perhaps a bit of Grenache. They are picked early to keep the acidity higher.

I want to be sterotyped

Carbonic Cabernet Franc

Southold Farm & Cellars Long Island NY

I want to be stereotyped Carbonic Cabernet Franc from Southhold Farm & Cellars Long Island

So this is a Carbonic Cabernet Franc made in Long Island. Yep, Long Island New York. This winery has quite the story.

But first..Carbonic wine…Carbonic masceration is a technique used for Beaujolais. Simply put it is fermenting whole grapes in carbon dioxide before crushing them. If you want to be more sciency…well Ask Wine.com had the most satisfying answer that I came across. Now onto the winery story.

Southold Farm + Cellar was a family affair. Regan & Carey met working in Manhattan and returned to Carey’s hometown to start the adventure of telling the story of this place through wine. Southold Farm is in Southold, New York on the Northfork of Long Island.

With some whimsical and beautiful labels they created 2013 Cast your fate to the wind (Whole Cluster Cab Franc), 2013 Devil’s Advocate (Old Vine Chardonnay), 2015 Trust the Pain Langrein, 2015 Quiet Explosions (Teroldego) and sparkling wines Chasing Moonlight Sparkling (Langrein), 2015 You Pretty Things (Syrah/Goldmuskateller Pet-Nat) and then of course I don’t want to be stereotyped (Carbonic Cabernet Franc). The names and labels create a lightness and depth of feeling at the same time.

This story is on hold right now. The town of Southold denied their request for a single variance on their property. They made the decision that they could not sustainably run their small business there. They took a step back and looked at where to go to from there. They are moving their family and the Winery to the Texas Hill Country. So cherish those bottles if you have them and we will keep our ears to the ground and track their progress.

Le Communard

Fausse Piste

Natural Wine from Portland, Oregon

Le Communard Fausse Piste from Oregon

Jesse Skiles grew up in the Pacific Northwest. A Chef by trade he became a winemaker. He graduated from CIA and worked at Owen Roe Winery as well as being the Chef at Savage. A blend of Gerwurtztraminer, Gruner Veltliner & Riesling from a cooler climate, this is a dry white wine. It is basket pressed with native fermentation and extended aging on the lees. You can find the tasting room at 537 SE Ash St. in Portland.

Poire

Authentique

France

Poire Authentique; Natural French pear cider by Eric Bordelet

Before 1992, Eric Bordelet was the Sommelier at Arpege, Alain Passard’s Restaurant in Paris. In 1992 that changed when he took over the running of his family’s property in Normandy. The location is in the south of Normandy on sedimentary rock that dates back to the Precambrian era. Two thirds of the orchards are 40-50 years old, the remainder were planted in 1992. He has 20 varieties of apple and 15 varieties of pears grown bio-dynamically.

These are small hard “authentic” fruit. Think of the original crab apples in the United States. They had pick and then dehydrate the fruit for several weeks before grinding and pressing them. They settle and rack. He calls these “Sydre” or “Sidre” reaching back for earlier spellings of the word cider.

The Poire Authentique made from pears (Poire=Pear in French). and is 4% alcohol by volume.

Loirette

Biere Artsanale de Touraine

Brasserie de la Pigeonnelle

Loirette Biere Artsanal de Touraine from Brasserie de la Pigeonelle

On to beer. This Biere Artisanale de Touraine is called Loirette. The brewery was started by the Hardouin brothers on their family property in Touraine, where they brought in their love of Belgian beers. The Loire is plentiful in natural growers so they began by only using organic barley and grain. They now make several wines as Brasserie de la Pigeonnelle

This Loirette is a simple farmhouse ale.

I look forward to finding these regularly now at the Market as well as others. I have been fascinated with Natural wines, and am thrilled to have a local source to find them.

Check back here at Crushed Grape Chronicles for more on natural wines and details on the Farmers Market Wine Club! You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

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