Source: The Wine Curmudgeon
February 27, 2013
By Jeff Siegel
Wine of the week: Dry Creek Dry Chenin Blanc 2011
This wine and grape are not high on those lists. Which, frankly, is a shame. The Wine Curmudgeon has long been an advocate of chenin blanc, a white wine grape that is fairly well known in France but is known in the U.S., if at all, for indifferently made sweet wine. Chenin blanc is much better than that.
The Dry Creek ($10, purchased) is not indifferently made and is not sweet. In fact, It’s one of the few wines in the world that isn’t riesling that lists the residual sugar on the label — 0.6 percent, which makes it as dry as many red wines. (Though, given that hardly any consumers know what residual sugar is, it’s more a good idea in effort than execution).
Look for lots of white fruit aromas, a little lemon peel fruit, and a sort of slate-like, fruit pit finish. This is a wonderful alternative to chardonnay, especially for salads, grilled vegetables, and cheese courses.
Tags: $10 wine, California wine, chenin blanc, Jeff Siegel, The Wine Curmudgeon, Wine of the Week
My Dream Team of Top Tasters
I have always been fascinated by the thought of assembling a group of tasters to take on say, the Harvard or Oxford wine tasting teams. I have read about these super tasting groups that compete on an international taste off.
I have thought about it and have come up with what I think would be a group to challenge the best of the best. Though my years of sitting both the Master of Wine and Master Sommelier exams I have been privileged to meet and taste with what I think are some of the greatest palates in the world. Not surprising my group would be made up with friends from both organizations. Having passed two out of three of the MW exam and passed the MS exam, I think I have a unique perspective. The essays writing , my obvious weak point, in the MW program was my short coming. It was Doug Frost, who I sat the MW exam with my last time, suggested I might do better in the MS program because there were no essay requirements involved. The MS program does have a service exam that is daunting to say the least, but certainly something I could do with my restaurant background. Doug was right.
My fantasy tasting team, in no particular order:
D.C. Flynt MW – D.C. and I studied together and were roommates and shared cost of wines and practiced essay writing together. We have that shared experience and still remain good friends to this day. He is an amazing taster, with a very lucrative brokerage wine business.
Fred Dame MS – I admit that Fred was the first guy I had ever seen blow through a flight of wines and nailing not just the region, sub region and vintage, but sticking his neck out and naming producers. This is not required in either the MW or MS programs. It is about identifying the birth place of the wine and its quality. The fact he was “spot on” with several producer was amazing. Fred is a special person and almost single handedly pushed the American Sommelier to the top of international standards and winning Top Somm honors. It was in my final attempt at the MS that he gave me a tough love tasting. I didn’t do well. Fred has a unique way of mentoring sommeliers…. with only tasting remaining. I passed.
Paul Roberts MS – One of the original study group members of our Houston team, that has now produced three Master Sommelier. He has managed some of the finest wine program in the country including Per Se, Café Annie, French Laundry and Bond Wine Estates. It was Paul who got me back on track with my tasting. I had fallen into a slump and he told me I had forgotten to actually drink the wines and not just analyze them. I had probably one of my worst blind tasting with him in my final approach for the MS exam. I slept on what he told me and tasted again the next day and knocked it over the fence. I never looked back. Thanks brother.
Peter Marks MW – Another of the MW study group I was part of with D.C. Peter won top honors the year he passed as the top score in the MW tasting exam. He is currently working with Constellation wines as wine educator. .
Alternates –
Robert Parker – I have always admired his palate and have had the privilege to drive him around Houston during the release of one of his fist books back in the 1980’s. The man is absolutely right on with his ability to taste and review wines. His real strength is in the wines that don’t score the 90plus, but in finding gems in the non- blockbuster category. Bob is a pleasant man with a lust for good wine and food..
Rajat Parr – Michael Mina’s wine guru. He was one of the people I counted on during my studies, all be it a very Euro centric palate. Every time I went to one of his restaurants, a flight of wines would appear and he would check back with me later. He kept me on my toes and always a great insight into what I needed to move forward at that time. Raj has impeccable taste for both new and old world wines.
Tags: The Stout Report
Source: The Wine Curmudgeon
February 20, 2013
By Jeff Siegel
Wine of the week: Cusumano Nero d’Avola 2011
One day, perhaps, Sicily will take its place as one of the world’s great wine regions. The Winestream Media will flock there, and its members will write glowing 94-point reviews about wines made with grapes most people have never heard of. The region’s winemakers will become celebrities, starring in glossy cover photos and showing up in wine gossip columns.
Until then, let’s drink the wine and not let anyone else know how well done it is.
Case in point is the Cusumano ($10, purchased), yet another Sicilian wine that is stunning in its combination of value and quality. It’s made with the nero d‘avola grape, common on the island, and one that gives the wine a dark, plummy and almost earthy character. Which, of course, is not what most of us expect from a $10 red wine. There is no sweet fruit, no winemaking alchemy to take out the tannins and smooth out the acid. You get what the terroir and the grapes offer, and that’s a drinkable, impressive hearty red wine of the kind not found often enough in California.
Pair this with a red sauce, roast chicken, hamburgers or sausage. And if someone asks you where you got it or how much it cost, mumble your answer so it stays our secret.
Tags: Cusumano, inexpensive wine, Italian Wine, Italy, Jeff Siegel, Nero d'Avola, Sicily, Wine of the Week
Source: Dallas Morning News
February 20, 2013
By Rebecca Murphy
Wine of the Week: Azienda Lohsa, Morellino di Scansano DOC, Terre del Poliziano 2010
Azienda Lohsa, Morellino di Scansano is a red wine from the Maremma area of southwestern Tuscany. This one is 85 percent sangiovese and 15 percent ciliegiolo, a Tuscan native often blended with sangiovese. Savory cherry and raspberry fruit with highlights of dried herbs are lifted by zesty acidity and finishes with dusty tannins. It’s a great combination of flavors to pair with pasta in a spicy sausage-tomato sauce.
The Poliziano estate in the town of Montepulciano was the creation of Dino Carletti, who bought the land in 1961 to plant vineyards and build a winery. He named the property after a poet known as Il Poliziano, who was born in the village in the mid-1400s. His son Federico has expanded the property from 54 acres to nearly 300 acres. They make all but this wine at the Montepulciano estate. Azienda Lohsa is their property in the Maremma.
Tags: Azienda Lohsa, Dallas Morning News, Italian Wine, Italy, Morellino di Scansano, Rebecca Murphy, Terre del Poliziano, Wine of the Week
Source: The Wine Curmudgeon
February 13, 2013
By Jeff Siegel
Wine of the week: Gruet Brut NV
The Wine Curmudgeon used to regularly pour this wine blind, and dare anyone who tasted it to guess where it was from. It was, of course, a trick question – there’s no way anyone would guess New Mexico.
Unfortunately, Gruet has been a victim of its own success. It was probably the first regional wine with distribution throughout the U.S., and it long ago had to start using grapes from California to ensure it could make enough to meet demand. And its price hasn’t been $10 in a number of years (to say nothing of the company’s other problems).
I was also unsure about quality after the addition of the California grapes. It might have been my imagination, but something seemed to be missing the couple of times I had tasted it. So I was relieved to find that the Brut ($13, purchased), Gruet’s entry level wine, was up to its usual standards this time around.
Look for lots of tiny bubbles, some crisp green apple and a little something than most bubbly at this price has. In this, it’s less austere than a cava but not quite as complicated as a well-made, medium-priced California sparkling. Which means it’s an ideal wine for The Holiday That Must Not be Named; you can still get a smile when you tell the other person the winery is in New Mexico.
Tags: Gruet, Jeff Siegel, New Mexico, sparkling wine, The Wine Curmudgeon, Wine of the Week
Source: Dallas Morning News
February 13, 2013
By Rebecca Murphy
Bava, Piemonte DOC, Thou Bianc, Chardonnay 2011
Italy is not the first place we think of for chardonnay, but the grapes grow very well in the Piedmont region of the northwest. Until the 1970s, growers thought it was pinot blanc, a clonal variation of pinot noir. The discovery that it was chardonnay helped some of the wineries in the area tap in to what has become a worldwide chardonnay craze.
Bava’s chardonnay is called Thou Bianc, in honor of the soil where the grapes are grown. It is an unoaked, lean, crisp, citrusy chardonnay with chalky mineral notes, well-balanced and easy to drink. Serve it with pasta in a creamy sauce or grilled shellfish.
Bava is a family owned winery established in 1911. Today the third and fourth generations are involved in the operation. Roberto Bava is energetic, enthusiastic and charming and he travels the world conducting inventive concept dinners. He’s worked with architects and chefs, with the chef turning architects’ drawings into a dinner course accompanied by a Bava wine. Other times, he matches music to the wine and food being served. He has been known to pour a bottle of moscato into an ice cream machine to make a sorbet for a hot day. He’s a man who takes his wines seriously, but not too seriously.
Tags: Bava, Chardonnay, Dallas Morning News, Italian Wine, Rebecca Murphy, Wine of the Week, wine reviews
Our very own Caterina Miltenberger was highlighted in Cosmopolitan’s Food-Cocktails section for her “Cupid’s Caipiroska”. There may be 14 on the list, but this is the only one I’d bother with.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Cupid’s Caipiroska
2 oz. Smirnoff Iced Cake Vodka
1 oz. The Perfect Purée Strawberry
1 tbsp. cinnamon sugar
1 lemon wedge, quartered
Garnish: strawberry
Combine all ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake and strain into a glass filled with ice. Garnish with a strawberry. Source: Caterina Miltenberger, mixologist
Tags: Caterina Miltenberger, Cocktails, Cosmo, Cosmopolitan Magazine, Cupid, Holiday, Smirnoff Iced Cake Vodka, The Perfect Puree, Valentine, Valentine's Day
Source: Dallas Morning News
February 6, 2013
By Rebecca Murphy
NxNW, Horse Heaven Hills, Riesling 2011
NxNW stands for North by Northwest, as in the Pacific Northwest. It’s a project of the King Estate Winery in the Willamette Valley of Oregon.
King Estate grows grapes on the west side of the Cascade Mountains, the green, rainy part of the Pacific Northwest; NxNW, however, focuses on grapes grown on the dry, high-desert east side. Turns out, eastern Washington is a great place for riesling. For example: this dry, lean, aromatic, floral, citrusy, green apple beauty with bright, lemony acidity. It’s a great drink with grilled shellfish or a tuna salad.
One of the main goals of the NxNW folks was to find the best riesling vineyards in eastern Washington from which they could make an affordable wine. They chose the Wallula Benches on the Wallula Gap, a spectacularly scenic part of the Columbia River between Washington and and Oregon. They chose well.
Tags: Dallas Morning News, Horse Heaven Hills, NxNW, Rebecca Murphy, Riesling, Washington
Source: Dallas Morning News
January 3o, 2013
By Rebecca Murphy
Chateau de Chantegrive, Graves AOC 2010
Graves is an appellation within the Bordeaux wine region in southwestern France. It gets its name from the gravelly, rocky, pebbly soil, which turns out to be great for growing wine grapes. It’s not too fertile, so the vines are naturally limited in production, which can mean smaller grapes with concentrated flavors. It’s also well-drained, so the vines get necessary water, but their roots don’t stay wet, something grapevines don’t like.
The Graves appellation produces red and white wines. This white is a 50-50 blend of sémillon and sauvignon blanc. The sémillon contributes round, ripe apple, fig and waxy fruit, and sauvignon blanc contributes crisp, citrusy, herbal fruit. All those flavors come together in a light body with zesty acidity that will complement fresh oysters or grilled shellfish.
The history of Chateau de Chantegrive began in the 1960s when Henri and Françoise Leveque bought a house and over time began acquiring vineyards in the Graves area. The next generation is now involved in the family operation, which encompasses more than 200 acres producing both red and white wines.
Tags: Bordeaux, Chateau de Chantegrive, France, Graves, Rebecca Murphy, Wine of the Week
Jeff Siegel swore he’d never write another book. Too much work and not enough dough. But it seems he can’t stay away. After the unprecedented success that Alice Feiring had with her Kickstarter funded newsletter, The Feiring Line (she asked for $6,000 and got $17,000) it looks like Kickstarter might be a good place to look for funding. He’s looking for $8,000 to kick start his wine book, The Wine Curmudgeon’s Guide to Cheap Wine.
From the Kickstarter site:
Kickstarter Basics: Kickstarter 101
What’s Kickstarter?
Kickstarter is a funding platform for creative projects. Everything from films, games, and music to art, design, and technology.
Since our launch on April 28, 2009, over $350 million has been pledged by more than 2.5 million people, funding more than 30,000 creative projects.How does Kickstarter work?
Thousands of creative projects are funding on Kickstarter at any given moment. Each project is independently created and crafted by the person behind it. The filmmakers, musicians, artists, and designers you see on Kickstarter have complete control and responsibility over their projects.
Every project creator sets their project’s funding goal and deadline. If people like the project, they can pledge money to make it happen. If the project succeeds in reaching its funding goal, all backers’ credit cards are charged when time expires. If the project falls short, no one is charged. Funding on Kickstarter is all-or-nothing.Why is funding all-or-nothing?
All-or-nothing funding is a core part of Kickstarter and it has a number of advantages:
It’s less risk for everyone. If you need $5,000, it’s tough having $1,000 and a bunch of people expecting you to complete a $5,000 project.
It motivates. If people want to see a project come to life, they’re going to spread the word. To date, an incredible 44% of projects have reached their funding goals.
Here’s Jeff’s pitch from his Kickstarter page:
“Are you afraid to walk into a wine store? Do you feel silly when people talk about wine around you? Do you want to buy wine without worrying that you’re getting hoodwinked by a winemaker who uses terms you don’t understand?”
“My book, ‘The Wine Curmudgeon’s Guide to Cheap Wine,‘ will fix that. Wine should be fun, and you should be able to drink what you want — and have the knowledge to do so — without fear or intimidation. It will follow up on what I’ve been writing about for more than 20 years in newspapers, magazines and on the Wine Curmudgeon blog, which includes the annual and nearly world-famous $10 Wine Hall of Fame: Common sense advice about wine, written in English and not wine-speak, and focusing on the cheap wine that 90 percent of us drink.”
“The book will be published late this spring or early this summer in ebook and print formats. Most wine books are written from the wine drinker’s perspective, and they assume you want to learn the secret language so you can join the club. My book, and all my wine writing, is written from the consumer’s perspective, because you shouldn’t need to join a secret club to enjoy wine. All you should need is $10 for a bottle of wine.”
So all those folks who send Jeff things to write about in his blog ( for free) if you want to send a pledge and be part of his book, “The Wine Curmudgeon’s Guide to Cheap Wine,” now’s the time . Pony up.
Yeah, I’m talking to you.
Tags: $10 wine, Alice Feiring, Jeff Siegel, Kickstarter, The Wine Curmudgeon, The Wine Curmudgeon's Guide to Cheap Wine
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