A Lasting Impression

Just as hearing a familiar song can bring back a pleasant memory, a special bottle of wine can evoke such a response, as well.  While I can say I can associate many pleasant memories with good wine, one bottle, in particular, comes to mind.

A year ago on our fifth anniversary, my Husband and I had the pleasure of dining at a wonderful restaurant called Lucas Park Grille in St. Louis, Missouri (http://www.lucasparkgrille.com/).  Lucas Park was renovated in 2004 and offers an excellent menu.  They offer lunch, dinner and weekend brunch and is home to everything from sandwiches to flatbreads to seafood.  Further, there is a Washington Avenue shuttle to Rams, Cardinals and Blues games, as well as other sporting events and concerts.  It was during this special anniversary dinner that I was introduced to a wine that is one of my most favorites, and has become a favorite of every person to whom I suggest it.  

As I perused the wine list before dinner, I thought I would try a wine that I had not tasted before.  I wanted a red wine, but wanted to try a varietal that I would not typically order.  The wine I chose on this evening was a 2007 Consilience Syrah - Santa Barbara County (consiliencewines.com).  From the moment I tasted this wine, I loved it.  I immediately asked the waiter if Consilience could be found locally and he suggested a local supermarket, Straub's (http://straubs.com), or our local wine store, The Wine Merchant (http://winemerchantltd.com/).  I found myself on my iPhone, at the table, googling the wine and trying to find where we could buy it!  Luckily, I have a Husband who understands my passion for wine and didn't mind that I was taking a few minutes away from our anniversary dinner to hunt down a bottle of wine.  The next day I received a phone call from The Wine Merchant and, while they didn't have any in stock, said they would gladly order it for me.  

Consilience is mainly Syrah with a touch of Petite Syrah, Zinfandel and Grenache.  It is a medium-bodied wine, with powerful berry flavors, a hint of smokiness and structured tannins with a touch of chocolate.  The main vineyard sources for this amazing wine are Rodney Shull and Star Lane Vineyards.  Consilience has garnered several well-deserved accolades for this superb wine.  It received a Gold Medal at the May 2011 Taster's Guild International, a Bronze Medal at the November 2011 Houston Rodeo and Wine Competition and was a Top 20 Pick in the December 2011 Food & Home Magazine.  It definitely received a Gold Star in my wine journal and my fellow Stay At Home Winos agreed.

As I did with my fellow Winos, I have shared this amazing find with everyone I know who enjoys a good bottle of wine.  You may recall our blog entry from this past July when the Stay At Home Winos did the wine tasting portion of the area's first Grilling From the Garden.  As soon as we knew the menu, we agreed that we had to include Consilience Syrah.  It was a huge hit!  So many guests had never tasted a Syrah and were a little hesitant, yet curious.  Everyone was so glad they tried it and it definitely stole the show.  It thrilled me that so many people loved this great wine as much as I do.  It is one of the first wines I recommend when someone asks me for a new wine to try.

I have enjoyed many dinners since that night at Lucas Park Grille with Consilience Syrah in my glass.  And, while any anniversary dinner with my Husband is memorable, I know he would agree with me that finding this wine added to our enjoyment that evening.  There is never a time we are without at least one bottle (and there are usually several) of Consilience in our wine cabinet.   

Cheers!

Mary Jo

Wine Word of the Week

Body - the perceived weight of wine in the mouth. Alcohol is the key factor. In more full bodied wines the alcohol content is higher. When determining the body, think of the difference between the feel of skim milk in your mouth verses whole milk. Skim milk has the the feel of a light bodied wine, while whole milk will feel like a full bodied wine, and two percent milk will resemble a medium bodied wine. Another rule of thumb-the darker the wine-the more full bodied.

Memories and Holiday Wine

     The holiday season is upon us…time to start planning for Christmas celebrations and of course turkey day this Thursday. As I was considering what wine to serve with our Thanksgiving meal, memories of my first “holiday wine” came back to me.

     Growing up wine wasn’t a regular part of family meals. There were always lots of good, hearty Mid-Western meals with meat, potatoes and lots of milk to wash it down.  The exception was at Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter. That was when my wonderful grandma, Bams, popped open the Asti Spumante! I even got to have a little taste on these special occasions as a girl. The wine was served in the kitchen (in her good wine glasses) as she and the other women were making the mad scramble with last minute preparations. It was always a fun time to be in the kitchen with Bams, my mom and aunts, stirring gravy, finishing potatoes, and plating the food. I was the oldest of the grandkids by a few years so these days made me feel like I was a grown up. Once the food was ready, everyone was called to the table, grace was said, and dishes were passed. There was always an empty seat when the meal began. It belonged to Bams who continued to run back and forth between the kitchen and dining room making sure bowls were full and everyone had what they needed. All this was done with her typical smiling face while my uncles teased her. After much insistence from the rest of family she would sit down herself and enjoy the meal. When the day came that it was too much for her to host the meal, she always showed up with her Asti and when the day came that grocery shopping was a chore, my mom took over the task of buying her wine.

 

 

 

     Bams was a wonderful woman, still missed by us all. Whenever I see a bottle of Asti Spumante I remember her with a twinkle in her eye and a little ache in my heart because I still miss her. So my Thanksgiving toast this year is to my dear Bams – I love you and miss you!

Cheers,

Beth

P.S. I gave my grandma the name Bams when I first began speaking. I guess that was as close as I could get to Grams or Grandma.

Word of the Week

 

 Spumante- Italian word for a white wine that is fully sparkling (about 90 psi-a lot higher that the pressure in your car tires).  Similar to Champagne.

 

Wine School-November 13, 2012

Côtes du Rhône, Syrah, and Garnacha

Wines

Rosenbum Vinters Cuvee Syrah 2008

Color:  Purple

Nose:  Dusty earthiness with spice and a bit of dark fruit.

Mouth:  Bright, tart fruit up front with structured tannins, a spicy finish with a touch of minerality.

Price: $12.99

Conclusion:  A great value wine. We loved it with the BBQ pizza. Great for a pizza night date!

Reserve Grand Veneur Cotes du Rhone 2010

Color:  Bright, brilliant purple

Nose:  Raspberry fruit with a bit of spice

Mouth:  Tannins were overwhelming, unbalanced after being opened for an hour and a half.

Price:  $18.49

Conclusion:  The tannins were a bit overwhelming for us. We decanted after the first tasting but it didn't do much opening up this wine. It was better  once we started pairing the wine with food.

Borsao Tres Picos Garnacha 2010

Color:  Deep purple

Nose:  Smokiness with some pepper

Mouth:  Big and bold but tannins are more well balanced

Price: $17.00

Conclusion:  Wonderful big bold wine with a great finish. Another great one with the pizza and Chipotle cheese.

Pairings:

Cheese

• Rembrandt Aged Gouda
• Boar's Head Chipotle Gouda
• Manchego

California Pizza Kitchen BBQ Chicken

Chocolate

• Ghirardelli Cabernet Matinee
• Lindt Dark Chili
• Ghirardelli Intense Dark Sea Salt Soiree

Final Thoughts

Lisa:  Well, I kept going back and forth on which one was my favorite, but in the end I liked the Garnacha. To me it had the least tannins and was the most balanced.  The BBQ chicken pizza paired great with all three wines, however, the Chipotle Gouda was fabulous with all, especially the Garnacha.

Mary Jo:  What a wonderful wine class!  I could tell these wines had higher alcohol content, though!  Ultimately, I believe my favorite was the Rosenblum.  My second favorite was the Granancha, with the Grand Veneur as third.  The pizza was a delicious pairing!  I really enjoyed the chipotle gouda with the wines, as it had a very enjoyable spice and paired well with the spiciness in the wines.  The Grand Veneur was better with food, for sure.  I agree that the Manchego was too creamy of a cheese for these types of wines.  All in all, a great class!!

Beth:  I agree with Lisa, the BBQ pizza was great with all three wines. I thought it was especially good with the Rosenblum Syrah. I also think this was my favorite wine of the evening, although the Granacha was a close second. The big, bold fruit of the Granancha really came out when paired with the pizza and the Rembrandt cheese. The one pairing that we all agreed didn't work was the Manchego cheese. It was too creamy for these bold wines. 

What's in a Barrel

Enjoying a nice glass of wine with my wino friends is always a fun way to spend an evening.  Learning about new wines and all aspects that go with it is a continuous journey.  Not only do we three enjoy drinking wine our husbands have decided to try making some too. So let the new journey begin!

Lisa and Beth’s husband decided the first try would be a Pinot Noir which they purchased the juice from California.  It is currently bottled and aging in bottles in our respective “cellars”, aka, our basements.  After completing the bottling of that batch, they decided to try another varietal and ordered a Cabernet Sauvignon, again from California.  However, this wine was going to get some special treatment!  They decided to age it in a wine barrel. This is where some research began. What oak? What size? New or used?  Too many questions!

Let’s start with a little history lesson.  The Egyptians used wooden wine barrels as far back as 2690 BC  to transport wines.  The reduced occurrences of barrel breakage, as compared to the clay pots the Romans used, eventually saw the wooden barrel overtake its clay counterpart in popularity.  

So what exactly is the function of the barrel?  Wines that are aged in wooden barrels (called casks) gain a unique character from the wood.  It not only gives character to the flavor but also to the aroma.  It can also affect the complexity of the wine.  Wood barrels allow oxygen to slowly come in contact with the wine.  A slow oxidation process is desired to make a high-quality product (wine that oxidizes too fast turns into vinegar).  Winemakers place wine in barrels, typically after the fermentation stage, in order to impart subtle flavors into the wine, often noted as vanilla-like.  Oak barrels are traditionally used for this process.

There are two main types of oak barrels used to age wines: French oak and American oak.  Typically, French oak is harvested from a tree called Sessile oak, from the species Quercus sessilis. The white oak is harvested from closely-managed government-run (formerly shipbuilding)forests in Allier, Limousine, Nevers, Trancais and Vosages. These forests are hundreds of years old.  The oak from each of these regions posses characteristics that are unique to that particular area.  A barrel from Alliers will impart a slightly different flavor to the wine than a barrel from Nevers.  The tightness of the grain (which minimizes the evaporation rate ) also varies among regions. Now I do have to admit, my little tasters are not that sophisticated!

In the United States, white oak (Quercus alba) is harvested from forests in Oregon and 18 mostly eastern states including North Carolina, Virginia, Missouri, Kentucky and Pennsylvania.  The forests are privately owned and the oak can vary from year to year because they are not as closely managed as the French forests.

So what are the some of the differences between the two?  The French oak releases more tannins, phenols and solids in the wine.  These compounds help to give body to the wine as well as astringency.  American oak barrels release compounds like oak lactones and vanillin at a higher rate than French oak.  This is what gives wines aged in American barrels an “oaky” or “toasty” characteristic.

Now let’s see what this little barrel is going to cost us!  American oak barrels are a less expensive alternative to those made from French oak—they retail for around $200 apiece.  French oak is more expensive, with barrels costing around $500 apiece.

If it’s the flavor that is important, then the type of barrel a winemaker uses will depend on how he wants the final product to taste, as French oak and American oak have different attributes.   Wines aged in French oak generally are viewed as more complex than those aged in American oak.  Winemakers will use American oak barrels to create big, bold wines.

With all this information swirling around, a decision had to be made.  Now, where to find one?  More on-line research led the guys to E. C. Kraus website (eckraus.com).  We didn't need a huge full size barrel, so they decided on a 5 gallon hand-crafted French oak barrel. It is made from hand-selected Limousine oak that has been medium toasted to provide velvety aging characteristics which is perfect for our cabernet sauvignon.  Below is a picture of our cute little wine barrel.  I set a bottle of wine next to it just for size reference, otherwise they all look the same!

Now that the wine is aging, all we have to do is sit back and wait!  That's the killer part...

Enjoy!

Lisa

WINE WORD OF THE DAY

Barrel Fermentation:  A winemaking technique in which grape juice is fermented in oak barrels in order to integrate the flavors of the wood with those of the grape.  The lees, or yeast solids, that remain after fermentation are also thought to impart a softer mouthfeel to the wine.

A Beautiful Way to Store Wine!

I have not been a lifelong wine drinker.  In fact, if I were to be honest, I spent the lean years drinking Milwaukee's Best beer and various mixed drinks -- please don't hold that against me.  I was introduced to the wine world in my late twenties and really enjoyed it.  I didn't start with expensive wines and, frankly, it took until my late thirties to truly enjoy good wine.  It was not until I started spending time with Lisa and Beth that I began learning about the history of wine, different varietals and how to really taste wine.  I drank A LOT of cheap wine along the way.  Some good!  Some...not so much.  

My Husband only started enjoying wine when he met me.  We have followed the same general path, in that he did not started enjoying better wines until I did.  I am happy to say, while he also enjoys specialty beers, he and I share a passion for good wine.

As we started to accumulate more wine in our home, we began to discuss proper storage.  We asked ourselves, "did we have enough wine to warrant a wine cabinet?"  We also wondered what size we would buy.  Did we want under cabinet wine storage or did we want to invest in something more?  We discussed this with our Stay At Home Wino friends, as well as others.  Ultimately, we decided, if we were going to buy anything, it would be a piece of furniture.  It would be something that could move with us, if necessary and something that was large enough that we wouldn't one day say, "I wish we had more space in our wine cabinet!"

We began our search on various web sites that sold larger, free-standing wine cabinets.  Beth's husband provided great information as to what we should look for when purchasing such a large item. While there are several companies that sell cabinets, we chose Mr. Wine Cabinet (mrwinecabinet.com). Mr. Wine Cabinet has a wonderful web site, complete with many cabinets to choose from, wine storage tips and testimonials.  I was very happy with the selection offered.

I sent an email with some general questions to John McCabe (john@mrwinecabinet.com).  I was so impressed with the prompt response and the comprehensive information he sent.  He truly went above and beyond in answering my questions and was extremely kind.  I can honestly say that this was true even after the ultimate purchase was made.  He kept in touch and continued to answer questions until the minute the cabinet arrived at our door.  While I have not had any questions since delivery, I know that if I emailed him, he would answer immediately.  This type of customer service is impressive and, honestly, rare in today's day and age.

My Husband and I chose the Riviera Window Wine Cabinet.  This cabinet can be made holding 200 bottles up to 600 bottles.  We chose the 400 bottle cabinet with a cherry stain, lights, locks and casters.  There were several choices of stains available and the lights, locks and casters were options, as well.  All the information about the cabinet was contained on the web site, including how long it would take to make and deliver and how much it would cost to deliver.  There were truly no surprises.  

The cabinets at Mr. Wine Cabinet use a single temperature zone approach.  When I inquired about a dual zone approach for different varietals, John said they didn't recommend a dual zone approach as wine aging temperature is the same for red and white wines.  Dual zone approaches are used in stores due to high turnover of wine.  But since (most) households don't have that type of turnover, it isn't necessary to store at different temperatures.  John has a large wine collection and uses the single temperature approach for his wines.  He says that if he wants a white a little cooler than 55 degrees (the cabinet's temperature) he simply puts it in the refrigerator for a short time before drinking.  The cabinet is also humidity controlled.

The cabinet took exactly the amount of time John said and it arrived and was put into place by the delivery service.  It was even more beautiful than I expected!  It looks amazing and is exactly what we ordered.  The only problem is -- we thought we had a lot of wine until we put it in the cabinet.  It made us realize how much more wine we need!  I won't have any issue with resolving this "problem".

The purchase of this gorgeous addition to our home was seamless from beginning to delivery.  I am so happy to recommend Mr. Wine Cabinet to anyone looking to purchase a wine storage cabinet.  I am confident that John will answer any questions you have and that you will be thrilled with your purchase.  

Mr. Wine Cabinet

mrwinecabinet.com

john@mrwinecabinet.com

(650) 269-6342

Cheers!

 

Mary Jo

Wine Word of the Week

 

Frizzante:  A wine that is slightly fizzy, though less fizzy than a sparkling wine like champagne. Proseccos from Veneto are an example of a wine with frizzante.