WINE OF THE WEEK: Scaia, Veneto IGT, Garganega-Chardonnay 2010

Garganega (gahr-GAH-neh-gah) is the primary grape of the famous Soave white wine from the Veneto region of northeastern Italy. Here it is blended with chardonnay and a bit of trebbiano to make a very refreshing and satisfying wine.

The wine has aromas and flavors of citrus, pear and apple from both garganega and chardonnay. The garganega also adds a unique almond note to the medium-bodied wine, while trebbiano helps provide zesty acidity. It’s a lot of wine for the price. Serve it as an aperitif or with light pasta dishes and salads. The sleek glass stopper is elegant as well as functional, with no worries about cork taint.

The Castagnedi brothers, makers of Scaia, own the Tenuta Sant’Antonio. They make all the classic wines of the Veneto including Amarone, Valpolicella and Soave. Scaia means shard in the Venetian dialect and refers to the chalky soil of their vineyards.

What To Drink Now: Soave

Source: D Magazine Side Dish Blog
May 11, 2012
By Hayley Hamilton

When you think of white wine from Italy, you probably automatically think Pinot Grigio because has been one of the top whites imported to the U.S. market.  Italian Pinot Grigio isn’t my favorite–it leaves me feeling a little flat. Pinot Grigio is often made from grapes picked before their ultimate ripeness to preserve freshness and, therefore, doesn’t have much character. Soave, on the other hand, delivers on both freshness and flavor. The wine has a well-rounded palate, balanced acidity and minerality, and a lush finish. It’s called “soft” in Italian. The wine is made in the Veneto region of Italy and contains a minimum of 70% Garganega grape with Trebbiano di Soave (Verdicchio and Nestrano), Pinot Bianco or Chardonnay blended in. Consider one of these when looking for a new white wine. Jimmy’s Food Store carries many of these and more.

Jump for tasting notes: HERE

I’m confused. Young adults are being courted as “kind of a big deal” in consumer circles and that includes and beer, wine and spirits world. So much in fact come of these young adults known as “Millennials” are going around to talk to marketers about how to market to them. Hence the Millennial Wine Circus. Hence the bo-hipster video, above.

And then I read on Business Wire that the Millennial generation seems to have lost a bit of their buying power. Here is a clip from the article:

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Millennial shoppers, those ages 18-34, now represent the highest percentage of Americans who do not have enough money to cover their basic needs according to WSL/Strategic Retail, the leading authority on shopper behavior and retail trends. The finding, which noted that nearly 25% of this young adult market say they are not able to make ends meet – as compared to 17% of adults ages 35-54, and only 13% of those age 55 and over – was revealed as part of the Company’s How America Shops® MegaTrends report, Moving On 2012.
“The young adult market has always been known for being the most fashion forward, first to respond to trends and first to adopt to new retail channels,” said Candace Corlett, President of WSL/Strategic Retail.

“But they’re also the group that’s been hit hardest by the economic recession which has left them struggling to find jobs and pay down student loan debt.”

Wendy Liebmann, CEO of the Company continued, “This decline in Millennial spending power presents a significant challenge to brands and retailers who have long considered young adults to be the ‘golden ticket’ to sales growth. Businesses must begin rethinking their strategy to lure these shoppers to buy. At the same time, they must reevaluate the power of this generation to support new brands and stores.”
The How America Shops® MegaTrends report, Moving On 2012, found that:

• 80% of Millennials believe it’s important to get the lowest price on most things I buy.
• 60% are likely to choose a lower priced brand over their usual, if they can save money.
• 57% of this demographic make a point to search online for discounts before shopping.
• 63% are now sticking to only those brands and stores they know they can afford.

The findings gain significance when compared with results of the 2010 MegaTrends study, showing a full 10% increase in those who now make getting the lowest price a priority – even over long-held brand loyalty..

Like I said, I’m a little hazy on the Millennial’s trajectory. Are they still kind of a big deal, like their video proclaims, or has the sheen on this new crop of apples dulled ever so slightly?

Wine of the Week: Ridge, Sonoma County, Three Valleys 2009

Source: Dallas Morning News
May 9, 2012
By Rebecca Murphy

Ridge Vineyards is a revered California winery, and its wines are included in many seminars showcasing wines from around the world. In 2006, a 30-year anniversary reenactment of the famous 1976 Judgment in Paris was conducted in Napa and London with a blind tasting of the original red wines, now 30-plus years old. The 1971 vintage of the Monte Bello Bordeaux-style blend was judged the best wine by both the Napa and Paris panels, a testament to the wine’s quality and ability to age.

While the Monte Bello is its top wine, Ridge is also renowned for its zinfandels. The climate for its original vineyards on the Monte Bello Ridge in the Santa Cruz Mountains is too cool to ripen zinfandel , but its Lytton Springs and Geyserville vineyards in sunny Sonoma are perfect. Three Valleys is a zinfandel-dominant blend of grapes from several vineyards and is meant to showcase the winemaker’s skill at blending. According to the winemaker, the zin’s blackberry and briary fruit provide the flavor character, carignane the bright acidity, petite sirah the deep purple color and solid tannins, and grenache its juicy fruit.

Enjoy this wine with grilled or smoked red meats.

The following description is lifted from Bon Appetit blog as it is the best description we have found on the subject:

Verjus(vair-ZHOO)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Also known as “verjuice,” verjus is the pressed juice of unripened grapes, and can be red (made from either purely red grapes or a red-white mix) or white (made from white grapes). While acidic, verjus has a gentler flavor than vinegar, with a sweet-tart taste that is often used to heighten the flavor of many sauces or mustards. The word verjus derives from the French term vert jus, literally “green juice,” which refers to its source—the high-acid, low-sugar grapes that winemakers thin from the vines just when the crop is beginning to ripen. This early crop of unripe grapes is pressed, resulting in verjus. Unlike wine, however, verjus is not fermented, and is not alcoholic, meaning that its use in a salad dressing or sauce will not interfere with the flavor of the accompanying drinking wine. Widely used in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, verjus has become more popular in recent years and is produced by many American wineries; it’s also widely imported from France. Red verjus has an earthier flavor, while white verjus has a crisper taste.

HOW TO BUY
Like wine and vinegar, each brand of verjus will have a distinct taste. Red generally varies from gentle and floral to rich and hearty; white verjus can be light and mild or tangy and aggressive. verjus is available in gourmet food stores, or directly from producers.

HOW TO USE
Both red and white verjus can be used in salad dressing, with a proportion of 3 parts verjus to 1 part oil; red verjus is better suited for strong-flavored greens like arugula, while white verjus is better for tender greens, like butter lettuce. You can use red verjus as you would use red wine vinegar or red wine—it is particularly good in sauces for meat or spicy foods, as well as marinating. You can use white verjus as you would use white wine vinegar, lemon juice, or white wine—it is good in beurre blanc, or other sauces for chicken or fish.

HOW TO STORE
Opened verjus will keep, re-corked, in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 months. To freeze for a longer period of time, pour verjus into ice cube trays.

From Bonny Doon winery and the ever active Randall Grahm

“Verjus de Cigare is refreshingly tart on its own or mixed with sparkling water as a beverage. It can also be used as a bar ingredient by creative mixologists. It’s also fabulous in culinary applications, a brilliant tool in the chef’s toolbox. Used in place of vinegar or citrus, it makes for exceptionally wine-friendly dressings, sauces, and braising liquids.”

“But—what is it? Verjus is made from wine grapes trimmed from the vines just after veraison—color change—in order to limit final yield and encourage utmost quality in the wine. At that point, the grapes are fully colored but still very high in acidity—sweet-tart and deliciously fresh. The fruit is gently whole-cluster pressed to make a verjus or “green juice.” We add a very judicious amount of sulfur dioxide before cold-settling the juice, filtering, and bottling.”

Tasting Notes
Stylistically Verjus de Cigare occupies the middle ground— neither excruciatingly tart, nor overly sweet; Goldilocks-like, it is just right.

Wine of the Week: Masciarelli Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 2008

Source: Dallas Morning News
May 2, 2012
By Rebecca Murphy

The Masciarelli family is quite ambitious, with almost 800 acres of land in the Abruzzo region of Italy and a successful import and distribution company in the United States. The Italian properties are located in 14 towns throughout Abruzzo and are dedicated primarily to

vineyards and olives. The beauty of having vineyards in so many different locations is that each imparts different characteristics to the grapes, in turn giving the wine many facets of flavors.

Every whiff of aroma from the glass showcases another scent, every sip another flavor. It’s what makes this wine so interesting with aromas and flavors of plum, cassis and black cherry with side notes of licorice, violets, tobacco and dark chocolate. It’s earthy and savory, with lots of rich, ripe fruit. In the mouth the wine is medium-bodied with balancing acidity and quite chewy tannins. Those tannins will want some protein to smooth them out, so serve it with a sausage pizza or a pulled pork sandwich.

Montepulciano is the grape. It’s considered to be indigenous to the Abruzzo region, which is east of Rome on the Adriatic side of central Italy. There is also a beautiful hillside village in Tuscany of the same name. It’s famous for a wine called Vino Nobile de Montepulciano, made from a blend of grapes including prugnolo gentile, a.k.a. sangiovese grosso. The only thing these wines have in common is the name.

Tim Drake, Flat Creek Estates winemaker enjoys a light moment with beer, water and wine at Buffalo Gap

Last week I blogged a little about one of the wines that was a big hit at the 8^th annual Buffalo Gap Wine & Food Summit in West Texas.

While sitting on a panel next to Flat Creek Estate winemaker Tim Drake, I had a chance to get to know him and learn a little about his style of winemaking. Tim prefers wine that is accessible. Wine that is tasty and when young easy to approach. “I spent 39 ½ years in Washington state and wines there are great, but I missed the seeing the sun.”

Sure enough, Texas has sun. Tim moved to Texas; lock stock and barrel. No job but a dream. Now he is the winemaker at Flat Creek Estate in the Hill country near Austin. Tim has a lot to smile about these days.

His latest wine, Blanco Brio 2011, is a delicious take on the petulant Moscato wines from Piedmont. Fresh, clean, fruity, lively and well balanced between the fruit and the acidity which is the hallmark of a good Moscato. The 2001 is a blend of 43% Muscat Canelli (Flat Creek Estate, TX), 27% Muscat Blanc (Flat Creek Estate, TX) and 30% Orange Muscat (Newsom Vineyard, TX).

We tried the wine, oddly enough, with chicken fried steak and it was a smashing success!

The wine, 2011 Flat Creek Blanco Brio will retail under $20 and is coming into the Texas retail markets this spring.

Check out this wine and let’s all welcome Tim to Texas – Great guns, Tim -  Bravo for Blanco Brio!

Flat Creek winemaker Tim Drake is really excited about his tasty new baby, Blanco Brio

Simply put, the past week has been a pageant of brilliant winemakers and wine estates waltzing across Texas. And while there are still economic challenges for many of us, the state of the wine economy is up and running; or at very least it’s swing dancing. There is an attitude of positiveness in the state, from West Texas to the Central part, San Antonio and Austin, down south in Space City (Houston) and up North in Dallas. Things are looking up.

Over the weekend the Buffalo Gap Wine & Food Summit hosted three fine Tuscan proprietors, who mingled with Texas and Californian winemakers. All sorts of tasting and not a lot of spitting went on in those days, under terrific weather and with a group of happy campers. Guy Stout and Lisa and Tom Perini again put on a great show, accompanied by a support staff that is unmatched in any venue.

Midweek, two events captured the energy and attention of the cities they were held in. In Houston the Novak sisters, Beth and Lyndy celebrated their 30/40 anniversary. Started by their dad Jack and carried on by their mom Mary, after his tragic early demise. 30 years for their first release and 40 for the years when they established the property Spottswoode. At an event at Masraff’s, there were opened up large format bottles s of the 1998 and 1994 Cabernet as well as the 1999, the 2004 and the 2009, as well as the spot-on 2010 Sauvignon Blanc. Great family, delicious wines and a Napa treasure, both in land and in the people that made it so.

No one says it better than Paul Lukas in his book, The Great Wines of America.

 “The women of Spottswoode produce an unfailingly elegant Cabernet Sauvignon—the Grace Kelly of Napa Valley wines, conveying an almost aristocratic impression of refinement and class.”

A very happy and proud John Jordan trying out his new pair of Lucchese boots

Back up in Dallas John Jordan and his team was celebrating their 40^th anniversary as well. Seems like 1972 was quite the year for greatness in California wine country.  Jordan was full-tilt- boogie on the 10^th floor of the Joule in downtown Dallas. A large format bottle of the 1979 Jordan Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon was being passed around. The wine was perfect; good fruit, great balance, round tannins, a delicious and perfect drink on the patio in the twilight of a perfect spring day in Texas.

John Jordan (L) with Glazer's CEO Shelly Stein (R) and Kyle Stein(C) enjoying a good story

Look, folks, life can be tough at times. But this is the wine business and folks in it know when to kick back, let it go and enjoy the fruits of their labors. And this week in Texas was all about that. Pure awesomeness.

 Buon weekend, y’all!

Them gals from Houston sure do like to "cut a rug"

Source: Dallas Morning News
April 25, 2012
By Rebecca Murphy

Jordan Winery, Russian River Valley , Chardonnay 2009

Tom and Sally Jordan made a big splash when they opened their French-style chateau winery north of Healdsburg, Calif., in 1972. They hosted spectacular dinner parties that included guests such as movie stars Michael Caine and Burgess Meredith, est founder Werner Erhard and Stephen Spurrier, who conducted the famous Paris tasting where California wines bested their French counterparts.

Today, though the Jordans have gone their separate ways and are no longer so involved in the winery’s daily operations, their son John carries on their commitment to the estate.

Winemaker Rob Davis has been crafting Jordan’s cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay wines for 35 years. His is not of the over-the-top, blockbuster school of winemaking. Proof is this elegant chardonnay. As Davis explains in a video on the winery’s website, he focused on the fruit, which was harvested at night to keep the grapes cool and fresh. He minimized the malo-lactic fermentation that adds buttery aromas and flavors, and toned down the oak influence with five months in new and used French oak barrels. The result is an ethereal wine with apple and citrus aromas and flavors blessed with dusty mineral notes in a subtle, yet tight structure lifted by crisp acidity. Serve it with avocado and fresh crab with a citrus vinaigrette.

Jordan hosted events in Dallas this week as part of its ongoing 40th anniversary celebration.

]]> http://theblendblog.com/wordpress/?feed=rss2&p=4971 0 http://theblendblog.com/wordpress/?p=4942 http://theblendblog.com/wordpress/?p=4942#comments Mon, 23 Apr 2012 19:56:37 +0000 AC http://theblendblog.com/wordpress/?p=4942 A little ‘ol roundup on the events of the past weekend in Buffalo Gap

The 8^th annual Buffalo Gap Wine & Food Summit, held at Perini Ranch, was a huge success. This year they centered on Italian varieties, including a trio of Italians flown in especially for the event,  representing the Italian wines from the Glazer’s family of companies, a major sponsor of the event.

Lots of buzz in the blogs about this event, I will link some of the more informative ones:

Russ Kane’s Vintage Texas   – Russ has a huge hit on his hands with his timely tome on Texas wine – Wineslinger Chronicles, which is going into an unprecedentedly rapid 2nd printing – get your signed 1st editions – they are going to be worth a lot of money in 100 years!

The Road Leads to The Gap: 2012 Buffalo Gap Wine & Food Summit – nice lead up to the event

Ahh! That’sa Nice. This is What The Buffalo Gap Wine & Food Summit is All About – priceless video (above) of Luciano Castiello of Banfi and Chef Damian Mandola singing Neapolitan songs

More Notes from the Road, Tuscany in Texas, and A Little Wisdom from Mark Twain – if you build it they will come – a field of (Sangiovese) dreams at trails end – who knew?

Kim Pierce – Dallas Morning News Eats Blog – considering Kim was hit by an SUV while jogging barely two weeks ago, that she is posting at all is pretty amazing.

El Bulli vs. Buffalo Gap = a draw – When a famous world traveling West Texas chef and a molecular heat-seeking Basque chef get together to make an Italian dinner, anything goes.

More to come on Buffalo Gap  – a Texas-friendly shout out to Texas Highways for their beautifully photographed article on last year’s event in Buffalo Gap.

Najat to Stephan Pyles: ‘You are the Thomas Keller of Texas’ – A Basque “chapeau” to Texas legend Stephan Pyles from Pilgrim Chef Najat Kaanache, who cooked as part of  a team at the event this past weekend.

On the wine trail in Italy Buffalo Gap, Texas – my other passion – all the posts HERE

Hannah Boen covers the event from her nearby perch at the Abilene Reporter News – the local report – pretty darn good, by the way.

Buffalo Gap Summit offers tasty education in wining and dining – Tom and Lisa Perini carry on with the event they started with Fess Parker.

Global guests impressed with West Texas offerings at Buffalo Gap Wine & Food Summit - Luciano Castiello is in love with Texas!

Not just wine and words, the pictures sparkle too-

Thomas Metthe of the Abilene Reporter-News has some stunningly beautiful photographs of the event HERE .

Wow – all I can say i I want to strive to be as good as he is, someday..

Special thanks to the Italians who traveled to  Buffalo Gap for the event:

Giulio Galli of Terra Moretti USA and the wines from Petra, La Badiola and Contadi Castaldi

Jacopo Bacci from Castello di Bossi, Terre di Talamo and Renieri in Tuscany

and…

Luciano Castiello of Castello Banfi in Montalcino, Tuscany

Un abbraccio tutti!