Wine Lesson Plan

This is a sample of how we prepare for our “wine school”. I hope it will help inspire you to learn more about wine.

Objective:  To explore, taste and experience three unfamiliar Spanish white wines.

Wines:  Martin Cόdax Albariῆo 2010 ($12.99 at multiple retailers); Louro Do Bolo Godello 2009 ($16.99 at The Wine Merchant); Hermanos Lurton Verdejo 2010 ($11.99 at Whole Foods)

Preparation:  This is where our group takes turns being the “teacher”.  We rotate who will host the evening. The host is then responsible for the topic of the evening and background research of the wines being served and the region they come from. With this class the grapes were unfamiliar to us, so we spent a lot of time talking about the grapes, and where they grow in Spain along with the climate and even some interesting historical facts about Spain. We have some great resources listed on the blog that can be used as references. Also, make yourself aware of the wine laws in the countries or regions you are learning about. As part of our research, we find some small pairings that should work well with our wines of the evening. We always have some cheese for pairing, and Spanish Manchego cheese was a perfect pairing with Spanish wines. We also tried pairing Goat Gouda cheese, Rembrandt Extra Aged Gouda, and guacamole. Usually, we add some chocolate too when serving red wines.

Set up:  Place three glasses at each place setting; a tasting note sheet (www.wine-tastings-guide.com/wine-tasting-notes-template.html );  small plate; napkin; and pen. It is helpful that at least one item, example tasting sheet or plate, is white to use a background when distinguishing the color/appearance of the wine. Make sure you have the wines at the correct temperature. Whites should not be straight out of refrigerator, let them sit out 15-20 minutes.

Swirl, Smell, Taste:  Time to begin. Over time we have found it helpful to try each wine one by one without adding any pairings. Basically we follow the tasting note sheet listed above. First we look at the appearance of the wine. Is it straw yellow, golden, etc. Next we give the wine a good swirl to get the aromas going. Take a deep whiff of the wine – what do you smell? Remember there is no wrong answer. It takes practice and helps discussing with others what you smell. A great source I found recently is The Wine Aroma Wheel, www.winearomawheel.com. And finally, it is time to taste. Try to leave the wine in your mouth for about 30 seconds if you can and swish it around if that feels comfortable to you. Don’t be surprised if with the second sip the flavor is enhanced. Sometimes it takes the first sip to coat the tongue with the flavors of the wine. Discuss and make notes regarding the taste. Some things to consider, tannins, acidity, mouth feel, type of fruit, etc. Repeat this with the next two wines. Try and hold off on the snacks until you have tried all of the wines. The food will change the palate.

Add Some Nibbles:  Now it is time to start experimenting with the food. Pick a cheese and try with each wine. Is there a wine that works better with a specific cheese? We like to leave room on our tasting sheet to add notes about the wine with the pairings. Make sure you sniff the wines when you try them again. You will be amazed how the nose may change as the wine opens up.

Final Thoughts: Be creative and do what works for you and your group. This is just a sample from one of our classes. We have done blind tastings as well. Sometimes we have added in the game, Winerd, which is a lot of fun. If you are nervous about starting this up on your own, I highly recommend the book, Great Wine Made Simple, by Andrea Immer Robinson. Her book takes you through the great grapes of the world and has tastings for you to try. Our first classes were based on her teachings; after we started feeling more comfortable we started adapting or adding on to her tastings to fit our needs. Before you knew it, we were designing our own classes. Remember, wine and foods are meant to be shared and enjoyed with friends.

Cheers,

Beth

Wine Fact:  Every wine contain some sulfites. They result as a natural by-product of the fermentation process.

Taste And See!!!

Are you having friends over for wine tonight? How about in thirty minutes? What will you serve with your wine? Do you have something on hand, or will an impromptu get together require a trip to the local grocery store? Are there foods that pair well with both red and white wine? Don't. Stress. (Unless you are having a group of sommeliers over for dinner, then STRESS!!!)

First, pairing food with wine has guidelines, not had and fast rules. And, yes, there are dishes that work with both red and white wine. Further, as the Stay At Home Winos preach, enjoying wine is a subjective experience. If you enjoy wine with a certain dish or a certain cheese, I challenge you to find something or someone to tell you that you cannot drink that wine with that food. Having said that, you may be pleasantly surprised by going out of your comfort zone in pairing wines with food.

There are a few food items that are not recommended with wine. These include: artichokes, asparagus, and egg yolks. Some types of fish (haddock and mackerel) that are high in iodine and won’t work well with red wine. See suggestions for artichokes and asparagus later in this blog. Notice I said “not recommended” not “absolutely prohibited.” :) Never fear, there are still some suggestions!

First, what is the nature of your get together? Is it a few friends mainly coming over for a glass of wine? If so, a couple simple pairings will do, included cheese, crackers and chocolate.

Cheeses range from simple, grocery store cheeses to specialty cheeses that require a visit to a specialty cheese store.

Below are just a few suggestions:

Mild cheddar goes well with Champagne and Chardonnay, while sharp cheddar goes well with Cabernet Sauvignon, Rioja, and Sauvignon Blanc. Cheddar also goes well with Gamay, Pinot Noir, and Syrah/Shiraz.

Aged gouda goes well with Cabernet Sauvignon, Riesling, Syrah/Shiraz and Zinfandel.

Brie goes well with Chardonnay, Gamay, Pinot Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc and sparkling wine.

Manchego goes well with Malbec and Tempranillo.

Gruyere pairs well with Merlot and Cotija.
(Info from gourmetsleuth.com, winemonger.com, marcellathecheesemonger.com)

This is just the tip of the iceberg for wine and cheese pairings. For more complete listings, visit the following sites:
gourmetsleuth.com
winemonger.com
marcellathecheesemonger.com

Also, What To Drink With What You Eat is highly recommended and discussed below.

If you plan to have guests over for a meal, and you want to go by the guidelines, plan your meal out in advance, including appetizers, sauces, side dishes and desserts. The more detailed of a plan you have, the better pairings you will be able to provide. Here are a few generic recommendations:

Beef (roasted or grilled): Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, red Bordeaux, Shiraz and Zinfandel.

Chicken (roasted): Chardonnay or white Burgandy.

Pork (simple): Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay. If you want a red wine, look to the Loire Valley.

Seafood:
Salmon:  Pinot Noir, Burgandy, or Pinot Gris.
Tuna:   Chardonnay
Sole/Snapper:  Sauvignon Blanc
Caviar:   dry Champagne
Mackeral:  While difficult to pair, What To Drink With What You Eat recommends, Muscadet and New World Sauvignon Blanc.
Haddock:  While difficult to pair, What To Drink With What You Eat recommends, Chardonnay and Riesling.

Vegetables: Chardonnay or Chablis. With tomatoes, pair with a mildly acidic wine such as Sauvignon Blanc.
(Info by foodandwinepairing.org)

Asparagus: It is recommended that you grill the asparagus, serve it with a creamy sauce or dressing and combine it with other wine friendly ingredients, such as cheese or mushrooms.
http://sommelierscribbler.com)
Wine suggestions include: Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris/Grigio, Reisling, Semillon and Chenin Blanc.
What To Drink With What You Eat suggests that asparagus with butter or hollandaise goes well with white Burgandy, Chablis and unoaked Chardonnay.

Artichokes: If grilled, artichokes may pair nicely with merlot or zinfandel. A tomato sauce can be paired with a fruity Italian red or dry rose. A cream based or white sauce may pair well with a  Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay. (http://www.oceanmist.com)
What To Drink With What You Eat suggests Chardonnay if you top the artichokes with hollandaise and Champagne with marinated artichokes.

Finally, with BBQ, easy-wine.net recommends chianti or zinfandel.
(info by easy-wine.net)

There are a few great iPhone apps I have found to help you pair wine with food. They are:
 Winestein
 HelloVino
 Selecting a Wine for Dummies

As indicated above, a great print resource is What To Drink With With You Eat by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page. This book is incredibly comprehensive. It is a must if you do any entertaining at all!

Ultimately, if you feel like a red, drink a red. If you feel like a white, drink a white. It is all about your likes and dislikes. There will be no enjoyment in a meal paired with a wine according to some chart, if it isn’t what you want.

As Thomas Jefferson said, "Taste cannot be controlled by law."

Cheers!
Mary Jo

Wine Fact of the Week:  Rioja designates both a political region and a wine region. The political region is known as La Rioja. Rioja, the wine region, has three sub regions, Rioja Alta, Rioja Alavesa, and Rioja Baja. It extends outside La Rioja political region into Alava in the Northwest region of Spain, and to the Northeast, Navarre.

Wine Class Notes (May 31, 2012)

Irony Pinot Noir, 2009, Monterey County

Color: Clear, ruby, bright

Nose:  Earthy, fruity, hint of chocolate, vanilla,

    toasty

Mouth: smooth, cherry on front, long finish, spice on

                                finish, great alone or with food.

        Price:             $15-20

Erath Pinot Noir, 2009, Oregon

Color: Rusty red

Nose:              Smoky, earthy

Mouth: Higher acidity, less cherry fruit, more light

    raspberry

       Price:             $15

Louis Jadot Pinot Noir, 2009, France

Color: Deep ruby

Nose: Floral, perfume, more fruit as it opened up

Mouth: Higher tannins, big fruit on opening but not

                                a lot on finish.  Food tamed tannins.

Pairings

Cheeses

   Manchego

   Rembrandt Gouda

   Applewood smoked cheddar

Lindt Chili chocolate

60% dark chocolate

Oregon Wine Trip - Days 3 and 4

The first two days were quite enjoyable as Beth has mentioned.  On Day 3, we ventured over to the Dundee Hills AVA known for the red-tinged Jory Loam Red Hills of Dundee.

We started off the day with a winery tour and tasting at Archery Summit featuring four of their highly rated Pinot Noirs.  We enjoyed seeing their underground aging caves linked with French oak barrels where the temperature remains between 55-59 degrees throughout the year.  The wines included in the tasting were '09 Premiere Cuvee PN, '09 Looney Vineyard PN, '09 Renegade Ridge PN and '07 Arcus Estate PN (this one we are laying down for our 25th anniversary in about four years).  All of the wines were absolutely delicious!  It will be hard to wait for our shipment to arrive in the fall after the temperatures lower :(.  

After our tour it was tie for lunch so we headed into the town of Dundee.  There we ate at The Dundee Bistro where we enjoyed a delightful meal

Our next venture was to White Rose Estate where the vineyard was plated in 1980 to self-rooted Pommard clone pinot noir.  The 10-acre White Rose Vineyard is one of the oldest and most storied vineyards in Oregon.  One of our favorite wines was the 2009 Appellation Series "Chehalem Mountains AVA" PN which we brought back to the lake house that evening to enjoy with Bart's chicken marsala.

After enjoying wonderful wines, we stopped by Red Ridge Farms to taste some wonderful olive oils where they also have a gift shop, nursery and olive mill.

Our final  destination of the day was to the Carlton Winemakers Studio tasting room.  they are the home to eleven individual vintners that produce some of the region's most coveted wines under one roof.  We picked up a couple of bottles to enjoy with dinner that night, one being an '09 Montebruno Eola-Amity PN and the other was an '09 Brittan Vineyards "Basalt Block" PN.

The last day started out with a venture seeking hike on the Trail of Ten FAlls at the Silver STate Park about an hour's drive east of the lake house.  Not having all day, we hiked for about an hour and a half where we were thrilled to see two beautiful waterfalls and get a little fresh air and much needed exercise (unfortunately wine has calories).

After picking up a quick lunch, we headed to JK Carriere Wines.  While there, we tasted some wonderful Pinot Noirs and met the owner and winemaker, Jim Prosser.  We also learned that the pictures of the wasp on the bottles was due to Jim's fear of the dreaded insect because he is allergic to them!  The name of the winery, JK Carriere is derived from the combined names of his two grandfathers.  Some of our favorite wines were the Provocateur PN, Vespidae PN (named after a particular wasp), and the Shea Vineyard PN.

Next on our journey was Penner-Ash Wine Cellars.  From their tastings we enjoyed the Willamette Valley PN, Dundee Hills Vineyard PN, Yamhill-Carlton PN and for a change of pace, a delicious Syrah!

To round out our trip, our last winery was  Trisaetum Winery located in the southwest corner of the Yamhill-Carlton AVA.  The winery name is derived from the proprietor's, James and Andrea's kids names, Tristen and Tatum.  James is also an artist who has his own 1500 square foot art gallery featuring his paintings and drawings while you can enjoy your wine tasting!  We enjoyed a 2010 Artist Series No 11 PN (featuring one of James' paintings), '09 Trisae PN, '09 Trisaetum Estates Reserve PN and (something different) an '11 RR Off-Dry Riesling.

The four of us thoroughly enjoyed our Oregon wine trip through the Willamette Valley!  If by chance you can make your way out there too, make sure you don't embarrass yourself by mispronouncing Willamette.  For those in the know, it's Willamette, damn it!

Cheers!

Lisa

Oregon Days 1 and 2

Lisa and I and our husbands have made it to Oregon! It is as beautiful as I imagined and the wine is wonderful. There is so much to share, I will try to hit the highlights so far.

We arrived Sunday and settled into our rental home, The Lake House, just outside of Yamhill. It is a charming home that sits on a beautiful pond filled with bullfrogs. It is fitting our needs beautifully. After settling in we had time to visit two nearby wineries, Elk Cove and Willakenzie. Both had sweeping views that we enjoyed while tasting their offerings. Our favorite of the day was Elk Cove Shea Pinot Noir. We brought some home for dinner that night and enjoyed it with an expertly prepared filet mignonette, creamed spinach, and garlic roasted potatoes, all expertly prepared by Lisa's husband.

Day two we met our tour guides, Fred and Marie Gunton from A Nose for Wine Tours. Fred is very knowledgable about wines and seems to know everyone in the area. His wife Marie, brought some great pairings to go along with our wines. We toured a variety of wineries ranging from the well established to some just getting started. My favorite Chardonnay of the day I found at the first site of the day, the Brick House. The tasting takes place in a wonderful old barn. They age their Chardonnay in neutral oak barrels, allowing the wines to have the crispness of an unoaked Chardonnay, but with more body. If I had to pick my favorite place of the day, it would be Winderlea. I love all of their Pinots, but my favorite was their Pinot from the Shea vineyard. I believe you can't miss with a wine that uses grapes from Shea vineyard! (sheawinecellars.com)

Today we are off to the Dundee Hills AVA to try some wine, taste some olive oil, and enjoy another wonderful day in Oregon. The only thing that could improve the day is if our cohort, Mary Jo, could be here with us!

Cheers,
Beth