WineLife365

Archive for August, 2009

I’ve been asked the two following questions more than once:

“What’s a great hot weather wine that’s perfect for sipping on the deck?” 

“What kind of wine would you recommend to take to a backyard BBQ?”

The oppressive heat that we’ve been experiencing in the Northeast the past few days reminded me of these questions.  So here’s my answer to both questions:  Loire Valley White Wines!  The great thing about this is that you have 3 options to choose from.

Choice #1: Muscadet.  It’s simple, zippy lemon-lime flavors are easy drinking stuff that everyone will enjoy.  If you’re shucking oysters and clams look no further.  Muscadet and shells go hand and hand!

Choice #2: Vouvray.  This is a little more serious kind of Loire Valley white wine that can range from being dry to semisweet to a “sweet-tarts” kind of sweet.  You can also see the price tags going up higher than the typical Muscadet as well.

Choice #3: Sancerre.  If you like and are familiar with Sauvignon Blanc then there’s a good chance that you will enjoy Sancerre just as much.  Sancerre and Sauvignon Blanc taste very similar to one another.  With Sancerre, be prepared to pony up $15 or more per pop.

The bottom line on all three of these Loire Valley wines is that they will make your lips pucker up a bit because of the tartness. 

So there you have it, three great wines made to keep you cool when the temperature outside is sizzling.

Cheers!

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One of the best ways to judge your local wine merchant is by finding out if they hold free in-store wine tastings.  An in-store wine tasting certainly helps a merchant attract customers, but it’s also a great way for customers to sample wines that they may have never noticed or tried otherwise.  Wine tastings are also a great way to learn more about the particular wines that you’ll be tasting and the wineries that produce them, because the wines are usually being poured by a representative that is very familiar with the winery and the wines that they’re serving up.  Another great thing about free in-store wine tastings is that you’ll often times run into some really nice people that love to drink wine just as much as you do.  So it’s a great way to meet new friends! 

Such was the case on a recent Saturday afternoon when I decided to take a trip to one of my favorite local wine shops.  Free wine tastings have been a regular occurrence every Saturday afternoon at Kreston Wine & Spirits located in Wilmington, Delaware for as long as I can remember.  Kreston Wine & Spirits has been a landmark for fine wine and spirits in Wilmington, Delaware since opening its doors in 1933.  This exceptional Delaware wine shop is operated by a third generation of the Kreston Family.  Robert Kreston and his staff are some of the most knowledgeable and nicest folks in the business.

So on this particularly Saturday afternoon, I took a “taste drive” of several different wines produced by the Frei Brothers Winery, which is located in the heart of Napa Valley, California and is owned by the E & J Gallo Winery.  Jeff Loebs from Tastings.com was on hand to serve as the “Wine-MC” for the afternoon and to offer some further insight about the wines that were on the tasting table. 

First up in the tasting was the 2006 Frei Brothers Russian River Reserve Chardonnay.  This wine retails for $19.99.  The winemaker’s notes indicate that this chardonnay consists of 85% Russian River Valley sourced chardonnay grapes.  As far as tasting notes go, the folks at Frei Brothers say that their chardonnay exhibits,

“Flavors of orange zest and green apple, which are complemented by buttery and toasty notes”.

What I liked most about this chardonnay was that it wasn’t heavy-handed on the oak.  As far as the other flavors – I didn’t pick up on the orange zest, but I did get a mouthful of green apple.  All in all, this is a well-made California Chardonnay.  However, at $19.99 a bottle, the price tag seemed a tad high to me.

Second in the tasting was the 2006 Frei Brothers Russian River Reserve Pinot Noir.  This wine retails for $30.99.  As to how it tastes, Frei Brothers say that their Pinot Noir has,

“A mid-palate of red cherry overlaid with hints of black fruit, typical of the region from which the grapes originate”.

I would agree with the tasting notes.  This Pinot Noir did deliver a very good jolt of red fruit to my taste buds, but I thought that the finish could have been better.  I found the finish to be on the short side and I was expecting this wine to really give my taste buds a workout at $31 a bottle.  I was somewhat disappointed.

Next up was the 2006 Frei Brothers Dry Creek Valley Merlot.  This wine retails for $19.99 a bottle.  This merlot consists of 90% Merlot, 6% Petite Sirah, and 4% Zinfandel.  The Frei Brothers tasting notes indicate that it is

“A medium-bodied wine that exhibits intense flavors of blackberry and cherry from the vineyard with hints of complementary barrel spices.” 

In my opinion, this was the sleeper of the bunch.  The splash of the other two red grapes really gives this wine some punch that is not often found in a lot of Merlots costing less than $20.  This merlot was packed with black fruit and had just the right touch of spices and oak to make me take notice of it.

The last wine in the tasting was the Frei Brothers Dry River Valley Zinfandel. This wine retails for $19.99.  However, for the day of the tasting it was being discounted to $16.99.  The 2007 Frei Brothers Reserve Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel is comprised of 92% Zinfandel and 8% Petite Sirah. 85% of the grapes come from Dry Creek with the remaining 15% coming from Russian River.  There were no tasting notes from Frei Brothers for this bottle.

I have to tell you, this red Zin was a steal at this price point.  It was packed (And I mean packed!) with fruit, and the oak was kept under control.  I personally loved this wine and would consider drinking it any day of the week – especially at this price level.

On a final note, I’d like to give a special shout-out to Ruth, Ed, Jeff and Jim for a great afternoon of wine tasting.  Like I mentioned earlier, wine tastings are a great way to meet other wine lovers just like you.  We were having such a good time talking and sampling the Frei Brothers wines that Jim (one of Kreston’s outstanding wine associates) offered us all a glass of a dynamite Napa Valley cab from the Stags Leap District, called Angels Landing (2007).  Now that my friends was the perfect cap to a great afternoon of tasting!

Cheers!

Origin: Napa Valley, California

Price: $38.00

I can only think of three words that describe this “Estate Bottled” Cabernet Sauvignon – Pure Napa Gold! 

I had the pleasure of sampling this wine a few nights ago, and it completely knocked my socks off!  This monstrous full-throttle Cab doesn’t waste any time grabbing your attention and holding it until the very last drop.  It explodes with dynamite ripe-cherry, blackberry, and spices that are skillfully intertwined with sweet oak.  As you continue drinking it, the wonderful flavors of the 2004 St. Supéry Cabernet Sauvignon just grow bigger and burst all over your palate like a fireworks finale.

In my humble opinion, the 2004 St. Supéry Cabernet Sauvignon is about as close to perfection as it gets.  It also made me consider changing my wine rating system to a facial expression rating system because it only took one sip of this big Napa Valley Cab for my wife’s face to look like the cat that just ate the canary!

I award the 2004 St. Supéry Cabernet Sauvignon 4 Stars out of 4.  It’s gutsy, powerful, and flat out awesome!

This post has been a long time coming… actually a few months to be exact.  You see, back in the spring, my wife and very good friend could have each used a pair of earplugs so they wouldn’t have had to listen to my long rants about going to the grocery store and not being able to consistently find some fresh herbs.  I mean, was I asking too much just to have access to some “Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme”?

To shut me up and to put an end to this weekly agony, my friend took a ride over to the local Home Depot to see if they had any fresh herbs and planter boxes.  Eureka – they sure did!  So without hesitation she proceeded to purchase for me what has turned out to be one of the most valuable gifts that anyone could have ever given to a poor cook like me.

Here are a few pictures of my prized possessions:

As you can see, I’ve got sweet basil, lettuce leaf basil, upright rosemary, cilantro, and dill.  They are all growing like an out of control brush fire off the side of my deck railing.  The best part about it is that it takes nearly no work at all on my part to keep them growing because my friend also supplied me with these cute little worm looking things that let me know when the herbs need to be watered.

I can honestly say that I have used my herb garden every day since they first came to live with us. It’s tough being a Poor Man’s Chef, but if you’ve got an arsenal of great fresh herbs located less than 20 feet away from your kitchen, you’ve got a fighting chance to make a gourmet meal out of only an onion and a piece of bologna!

Thanks Patty for making my time in the kitchen a whole lot better!