Wine School-Syrah, February 19, 2015

Theme:  Last class we covered wines of the Rhone Valley in France which is the birth place of Syrah. We studied the region so the wines were of various grapes or blends.  So for this class I wanted to cover 100% Syrah's from various regions including France, South Africa and California just to compare and contrast the differences.  Let's see how it turned out!

The Wines:

Domaine Jean-Louis Chave 2011 Offenus

• Color:  Deep purple
• Nose:  An aromatic wine with aromas of pepper, red fruit, bacon
• Mouth:  This dry wine is medium bodied with crisp acidity and flavors of tart cherry and mineral notes. 
• Price:  $29.99
• Rating:  3 1/2 out of 5

Keermont Stellenbosch 2011 Syrah

• Color:  Very deep purple
• Nose:  Less pepper on the nose than the first wine, this aromatic wine has notes of cocoa, meat, and dust
• Mouth:  A medium to full bodied, flavorful wine with medium to high tannins with a wonderfully long finish. Definitely not a fruit bomb Syrah, the notes of cocoa on the nose carry over to the mouth.
• Price:  $38
• Rating:  4 out of 5

Ojai Vineyard White Hawk 2010 Syrah

• Color:  Very deep purple 
• Nose:  Another aromatic wine with nice herbaceous notes, dark berry, bing cherry and a hint of floral notes.
• Mouth:  Definite spicy notes on this Syrah with blue berry notes, a bit of tartness and a nice finish. Tannins were medium to high.
• Price:  $43
• Rating:  3 1/2 out of 5

The Pairings

Emmentaler Cheese 

Emmentaler Cheese:  We absolutely loved this cheese, however it was a difficult pairing with the wines. We enjoyed it best with the Keermont Syrah. It brought out the lovely pepper notes but did take away from the lovely finish of this wine. Just too strong of a cheese for these wines.

Monte Enebro Cheese

Monte Enebro Cheese:  A wonderful cheese-a little nutty and a little sweet! Paired nicely with the the Keermont and definitely enhanced an already wonderful finish. It also paired nicely with the Offenus Syrah from France. Brought out the fruit notes of the wine.

Baby Back Ribs:  Was a great pairing with the Ojai Syrah and also delightful with the Keermont from South Africa.

Beef Brisket:  The brisket was the overall best pairing with the wines. 

Pulled Pork:  A nice pairing. We we enjoyed it best with the Keermont from South Africa, but was also yummy with the Ojai.

Ghiradelli Sea Salt Soiree Dark Chocolate:  This pairing was a moderate success. We enjoyed with the Keermont and Ojai, but nothing to write home about.

Lindt Dark Chocolate Caramel:  An interesting and enjoyable pairing with the Keermont and Ojai.

Salame di Cioccolato:  Hands down the best dessert pairing of the evening! Especially nice with the Ojai.

Conclusion

Beth:  What a fun class, exploring three distinct wines made with the Syrah grape. The class really emphasized how important terroir is to the wine. My favorite wine of the evening was the lovey Syrah from South Africa! The finish on this wine was amazing. Definitely not a fruit bomb like a Shiraz from Australia can be. This wine was refined with lovely dusty, cocoa notes. A close second was the Ojai Syrah from California. The herbaceous aromas on the nose were quite distinctive. I enjoyed the spicy finish as well. The Rhone wine was also nice and I would love to revisit that it in 2-3 years. I think a bit of age would really benefit this wine. Overall it was a great class. Always fun to explore the world of wine with good friends!

Lisa:  As Karen MacNeil in the Wine Bible stated "Syrah reminds me of the kind of guy who wears cowboy boots with a tuxedo.  Rustic, manly, and yet elegant--that's Syrah". Now that's a wine right up my alley! I think we were all in agreement on the ranking of the three as favorite to least favorite Keermont (South Africa), Ojai Vineyard (Santa Barbara, CA) and then Offenus (France).  Coincidentally, the higher the alcohol (15.5%, 14%, 13.5% respectively) the more we enjoyed it??  Drinking them alone, they were all wonderful and had different aspects I liked in each.  As for the cheeses,  the Emmentaler seamed to overpower the wines even though I loved the cheese itself.  The Monte Enebro which tasted a bit like Swiss did bring out the fruit in the Keermont which I loved the best.  As for the meats, of course the brisket was the best!  a manly meat with a manly wine :).  The chocolates were a wonderful pairing for all.  As always, it was fun enjoying different wines.  Best excuse for girl time!!  Thanks girls!!

Mary Jo:  Syrahs are such delicious wines and, as most wines, can differ so completely!  I couldn't wait for this class!!  I truly enjoyed all three wines.  Overall, of the three, my favorite was the Keermont from South Africa.  On the nose, it had some notes of pepper, a meaty or gamey aroma, hints of fruit and a dusty component.  On the mouth, I found delicious chocolate and a chewiness that was quite pleasant.  The lengthy finish created a warmth that I felt all the way down my throat.  My second favorite was the Ojai Vineyard, Whitehawk Vineyard.  On the nose it was herbaceous with notes of bing cherries.  On the mouth it was fruity and spicy with some pleasant tartness, blueberry notes and a nice medium finish with pepper.  My third favorite was the Offenus.  The nose was very peppery, with some fruit and earthiness.  On the mouth there was pleasant tartness with a chalky minerality and notes of cherry.  It had a nice medium finish.  With the food, first I have to say that the Emmentaler cheese was an absolutely delicious soft cheese.  Unfortunately, the cheese was a bit overpowering with the wines.  It did bring out some vanilla with the Keermont and fruit with the Ojai Vineyard.  The Monte Enebro brought out delicious fruit with the Keermont and melded well with the wine.  For me, the Ojai Vineyard was number one with all three meats.  With the chocolates, the wines were just okay with the Sea Salt Soiree.  I liked the Keermont the most with the dark chocolate caramel and the Ojai Vineyard best with the Salame di Cioccolato.  Overall, it was a wonderful class with delicious wines.  The food, as always, was amazing and red wines with two great friends....priceless!

Sweet Treat for Valentine's Day

2011 Tenuta Polvaro Dulcis

     Looking for a sweet treat to enjoy with your sweetie this Valentine's Day? I recently enjoyed a delightful Italian white wine that is perfect for your Valentine's Day dessert. I paired mine with biscotti and it was delicious!

     Povaro Tenuta Dulcis is a sweet wine made mainly from the native Italian grape Verduzzo Friulano and blended with other indigenous white grapes from the Veneto region. The sweetness of the wine is a result of  the harvesting process. In September the vines that carry the grapes are partially cut causing the plant and grapes to wither. The sugar is concentrated in the grape resulting in a sweet wine with a fresh acidity!

     Once you pour this delightful wine in the glass you will find aromas of vanilla, butterscotch, and caramel with a bit of nuttiness. This fruity wine has tastes of honey and apricot. Pair it this Valentine's Day with pastries, sweets, almonds, and of course my favorite, biscotti!

Cheers,
Beth

Happy Valentine’s Day

From the Stay at Home Winos

From The Seed to The Glass Part II

We learned a while back about all that goes into cultivating the grapes that will eventually become the delicious wine that graces your glass.  In this segment, we will learn how the grapes are harvested!  This process is an incredibly delicate balance!  

365thingsaustin.com

It is said that harvesting grapes is the most crucial time of the winemaking process, as well as the busiest!!!  Grapes have to be harvested at exactly the right time, depending on the varietal (think sugar, acid and tannin levels) and the weather during that particular growing season (think too much rain, frost, to little rain)  Another consideration when harvesting is whether to hand pick grapes or utilize mechanical harvesting.  The usual picking of the grapes is between August and November above the equator and between February and April below the equator.  

The precursor to this most important time in the winemaking process is veraison.  Veraison [vay-ray-ZON] according to Ken's Wine Guide, is defined as the point in the growing season when ripening grapes begin to soften and change color from green to either red or yellow, depending on the variety. In the northern hemisphere, veraison typically occurs anywhere from late June to mid August, depending on the climate.  (http://www.kenswineguide.com/wine.php?word=86)  This process does not necessarily happen at the same time throughout a vineyard, or, for that matter, even for all grapes on a vine or within an individual bunch.  Grapes exposed to more sun and warmth can begin to change before the grapes in shadier, cooler areas.

Wikipedia.org

Interestingly, and contrary to what common sense might indicate, if during veraison, the crop appears too large, the decision may be made to thin the yield.  The reason for this reduction of grapes is to speed the ripening process by removing unripened grapes, so as to allow the vine to devote its resources to the remaining grapes.  A vineyard may also decide to thin the leaves, so as to increase sun exposure, as well as aiding air flow.

As we said, the varietal is an important point to consider when deciding the proper time to harvest.  For example, sparkling wines are typically highly acidic and, thus, the grapes are harvested early while late harvest ice wines are at the other end of this spectrum.  According to Wine.About.Com, sparkling wine grapes are harvested first, then Chardonnay and Pinot Noir (to allow for decreased sugar levels or brix), then white wine grapes, red wines come next, then ice wines that have highly concentrate sugar for dessert wines.  

So, how will the grapes be removed from the vines?  There are two traditional methods, by hand or by machine, or a combination of the two.  Obviously, harvesting by hands allows for the most precise selection of the very best grapes.  However, for larger vineyards with an enormous crop, it may just not be possible.  Also obvious, is the fact that mechanical harvesting is a more cost effective and efficient method of harvesting.  Ultimately, the winemaker's style will likely be the deciding factor.  High quality, smaller production boutique wines are typically hand harvested.  With harvesting comes sorting the grapes, which is an important task that removes lower quality grapes from the bunches.  This has typically been done by hand, however, WineSpectator Magazine reports, that some of the top Bordeaux Estates have optical laser sorters!  As the grapes come down a conveyor, if they are not of the exact specifications desired, a puff of air from a cannon blows them off the conveyor.  (http://www.winespectator.com/webfeature/show/id/45607)  Amazing!

Shutterstock.com

Finally, the grapes are crushed and destemmed.  The grapes are not smashed during this processed, but opened gently so as to allow the juice to flow as quickly as possible.  Typically, wineries utilize an automated crusher/destemmer which opens the grapes, but does not crush the stems and seeds.  The stems and seeds contain the tannins.  Destemmers can remove the stems before or after the grapes are crushed, it just depends on the winemaker's preference and the wine being made.  Tannins, add to structure and texture, but also contribute to the sense of astringency or bitterness in wines.  If the winemaker prefers a less tannic wine, the stems are removed sooner in the process.  For white grapes, they may go first to a press which separates the juice from the skins to avoid a contribution of color or tannins, or they may go through a crusher/destemmer.  

Thevintnervault.com

This is an exciting and exhausting time for wineries.  A lot of work and manpower goes into this process and it is extremely important that things go well.  Harvest season typically ends with a large party to celebrate this most wonderful culmination of hard work!

Stay tuned for Part III when we discuss the next step in winemaking, fermentation!

Cheers!
Mary Jo