WineLife365

Archive for the ‘3-Star’ Category

Wine clubs are a fun and easy way to experience different wines from around the world.  Many offer its members an opportunity to try award-winning boutique wines that in most cases are not available for purchase through traditional retail channels.  One particular wine club that recently caught my attention is the Worthwhile Wine Club.  The Worthwhile Wine Company is an importer of only South African wines that are “made sustainably.”

Founded by Mr. Tom Lynch in May 2009, the Worthwhile Wine Company was formed as a result of an inspirational trip that he took with his daughter to South Africa in the summer of 2008.  Mr. Lynch and his daughter spent part of their trip volunteering in a small, poor remote Zulu village.  When they returned home, Mr. Lynch soon started a nonprofit to help South African villages learn how to sustainably grow more of their own food, and provide the materials they needed to get started.

In the book, The Triple Bottom Line, Mr. Andrew Savitz describes a sustainable corporation as “one that creates profit while protecting the environment and improving the lives of those with whom it interacts.” Or, said another way, sustainability is “the art of doing business in an interdependent world.”

The vision of Tom Lynch and Worthwhile Wines is to only import “wines that go about the business of making great wines with an eye toward taking better care of the earth and those with whom they interact”, taking place in a number of different ways.

Worthwhile Wine Company operates as a Fair Trade Certified Importer that buys carbon offsets for every shipment of wine that they import and uses alternative energy whenever possible (down to the servers that run its website), and the company donates a portion of its net proceeds to charities in both the US and South Africa.

Among the company’s extensive portfolio, I was offered the opportunity to sample the 2008 Rooiberg Winery Reserve Chardonnay (MSRP: $13 US).  I didn’t really know what to expect when opening this environmentally–conscious South African Chardonnay, but I was definitely hoping that the smokiness that I detect and detest in many South African reds like Pinotage was not floating around in my glass of Chardonnay.  To my surprise, I found this wine jam-packed with gobs of butterscotch, citrus, and vanilla-oak flavors.  This Chardonnay reminded me more of a big, “in your face” California-styled Chardonnay – it was a far detour from South Africa’s usual light and lively flagship Chenin Blanc, also know as Steen, wine.

The biggest surprise, however, was that this Chardonnay sustained life in my refrigerator for over 5 days!  I had nearly forgotten about it, but while poking my head around in the fridge looking for the tuna-fish salad that my wife had made the day before, I stumbled across this half empty bottle of wine and decided to give it a go with lunch.  To my amazement, the 2008 Rooiberg Winery Reserve Chardonnay was still very much alive and kicking and was absolutely perfect with my tuna-fish sandwich topped with lettuce and tomatoes on whole wheat bread.

3 Stars out of 4.  Worthwhile Wines is definitely not your ordinary wine club, and from a quality/price standpoint, lovers of the big oaky style Chardonnay can feel good that their dollars are paying it forward to help others and the planet.

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Admittedly, it was only a few years ago that I believed you should set aside sparkling wines for special occasions or other life-changing events only, much in the same way as say…eating chicken noodle soup and drinking ginger ale soda only when you’re sick.  Okay, so maybe this wasn’t quite the analogy that I was looking for, but you catch my drift.  Each seemed to serve a particular purpose in life, and “wine with bubbles” was only reserved for something “Special.”

But I’m all grown-up now, and I realize that sparkling wine is great any day of the week!  It can be great alone by the glass, along with some appetizers, and pretty swanky with dinner on any given night – even an ordinary Monday night!

Such was the case this past Monday night.  It was Monday, August 16^th – that’s it:  nothing on TV and still several weeks to go before the start of the NFL season.  It was just your average, run of the mill, Monday night.

I decided to liven things up a bit for dinner to turn this ordinary Monday night into something “Special.” 

First, I started by putting together a simple tossed salad with an added twist:

Romaine hearts (cut up)
Butter lettuce (cut up)
A couple slices of Virginia Baked ham – lunch meat I had in the fridge (cut up)
1 avocado (sliced)
Several fresh strawberries (sliced)
Top each salad with Briannas Chipotle Cheddar Salad Dressing

Next, for my “Special” main course, I created a “Pan Seared Almond Encrusted Salmon with Charred Sun-Dried Tomatoes.”

I’ve developed quite a love affair with salmon, but on this particular night the salmon dish would become something extra special with the aid of some tiny pink bubbles from Alsace, France and some salty-sweet goodness in the form of charred (i.e., almost burnt) sun-dried tomatoes and toasted sliced almonds. 

Here’s what you’ll need to do with the fresh salmon:

Heat up a large pan and completely coat the bottom of the pan with olive oil.  Next, place your piece of salmon into the pan and season it with Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Magic Salmon Seasoning, which I already had in my spice cabinet.  You can also use a simple combination of salt, pepper and fresh lemon as an alternative to the seasoning mix. *Note: Also adding fresh dill and lemon juice will take this salmon recipe to another level!  Sear the seasoned portion of salmon (skin side down) for about 3-4 minutes on the stove top. Next, top the salmon with sliced almonds, sun-dried tomatoes, and a few lemon slices before moving the pan into a pre-heated 380°F oven, and bake it for about 10-11 minutes. 

Ok, now on to those fabulous tiny pink bubbles.

For the wine, I decided to pair both the salad and the salmon dish with the Lucien Albrecht Crémant d’Alsace Brut Rose (MSRP: $19.99, Sample).  Domaine Lucien Albrecht is one of the oldest and most respected Crémant producers in Alsace, France.  In 2004, this family-owned estate made history by winning an unprecedented four gold medals at France’s National Crémant Wine Challenge.  For those unfamiliar with “Crémant”, bubble lovers can find some high-powered sparkle on the cheap (relatively speaking) in places such as Alsace, the Loire, and Burgundy.  Crémants are made with the same care and attention as Champagne (méthode Champenoise), but because of its lack of name recognition, you can find many Crémants priced under $20 USD.

The Lucien Albrecht Crémant d’Alsace Brut Rose is made from 100% Pinot Noir grapes.  This delicious sparkler was both outstanding on its own and paired incredibly with both the salad and salmon creations.  The Lucien Albrecht Crémant d’Alsace Brut Rose had a light, mildly sweet taste with very subtle hints of strawberry.  It felt right at home with the salty sweetness of the charred sun-dried tomatoes and toasted almond slivers that were on top of the salmon.  All in all, it was a wonderful marriage of flavors that, without a doubt, made this typical Monday anything but ordinary and quite “Special.”

Do you have a food and wine pairing idea that’ll jazz up a run-of-the-mill weeknight?  If so, I’d love to hear about it!

3 Stars out of 4 for the Lucien Albrecht Crémant d’Alsace Brut Rose.

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Talk about incorporating full throttle acceleration in a bottle! 

I recently had the opportunity to sample the 2009 Los Vascos Sauvignon Blanc from Chile (*MSRP: $10.99), and could have used a seatbelt to go along with it!  This Sauvignon Blanc displayed wicked speed in the quarter mile and blew the doors off of my taste buds with its razor-sharp grapefruit, lime and orange peel zing, along with an off the charts acidity that was nothing short of a high octane jolt.

I’m definitely a fan of this Sauvignon Blanc.  I’ll warn you, though: this wine is certainly not for the faint of heart!  Be afraid.  Be very afraid!

3 Stars out of 4.  Going 65 -75 mph is usually enough for me, but if you aren’t afraid of getting whiplash then the 2009 Los Vascos Sauvignon Blanc will be the right speed for you!

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Man, I sure have missed Fancy Dinner Friday.  I’ve especially missed the pre-dinner excitement that our Fancy Dinner Friday Mascots always bring.  Friday night dinner in our home has become something quite special that our whole family looks forward to each week.  Unfortunately though, we’ve been so busy over the past weeks that we’ve had to take a few rain checks on our customary Friday, not so “fancy”, plate of spaghetti and meatballs.

This past Friday though, the four of us were finally able to settle down into our familiar festivities.  And on this warm summer evening, we also welcomed two new faces to the mix.  The first was an energetic and electrifying pre-dinner visit made by our newest Fancy Dinner Friday Mascot – “Spaceman Storm Trooper”.

Spaceman Storm Trooper got things off with a bang – that’s for sure!  But for some reason, our 6 year-old son was nowhere to be found…hmmm?!

Our other special appearance was made by a bottle of 2007 Boeri “Martinette” Barbera d’Asti DOC Superiore that I received as a sample.

“Martinette” is the name for one of Boeri’s oldest Barbera vineyards.  Both the location and microclimate are very conducive for the production of Barbera grapes.  The Boeri estate uses several steps in making their Barbera d’ Asti.  In July, they first start with the “thinning” of the grapes. Harvest then begins at the end of September where clusters of grape bunches are selected and collected into small wooden crates.  Next, the grapes are then gently pressed. Afterwards fermentation (with the grape skins still on) occurs for about 7-8 days in barriques, where the wine is ultimately allowed to rest for the next 12 months before bottling occurs.

The result is a tantalizing, Super-poli grip of a wine. 

Right out of the gate, this wine absolutely fills your mouth, adhering to your teeth and gums, giving your taste buds a vigorous workout.  This is definitely not the kind of wine that you want to drink prior to your six-month dental exam if you hope to get out in less than 15 minutes.

The 2007 Boeri “Martinette” Barbera d’Asti DOC Superiore delivers an impressive jab of bright red fruit, accompanied by sweet spices through its finish.  I was also picking up a violets vibe and a very interesting slate & stone mineral-like finish.  All in all, it worked absolutely fantastico with a plate of thin spaghetti topped with a mixture of meatballs, grilled Italian hot sausage, and marinara sauce.

3 Stars out 4.  The 2007 Boeri “Martinette” Barbera d’Asti DOC Superiore is a distinctive and  gripping red that can moonwalk alone, but will really have your taste buds pulsating when paired with a variety of Italian foods!

(MSRP $10)

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