Wine from A to Z, literally and figuratively

Posted on October 17, 2013 by melsmosaic

To wrap up my winery visits in Oregon, I spent some time with the CEO of one of my favorites vineyards, and found out more about it. I went to what I thought was only A to Z. Well, there is so much more to it! They also produce Rex Hill wines, which is actually the primary one at the tasting room, and a few people who work there produce their own wines in small quantities.

William (Bill) Hatcher gave me a tour of the cellars and I got to taste wines that were still ‘grape juice’ — as in had no alcohol content yet — to slowly working up to perfection. The ones I sampled went from 1-7 days ‘old’ (there is a much more technical name for this) and it was interesting getting a ‘feel’ for what the process entails. There is also a labeling system for each wine as they are being produced, then I got info on bottling, corking, distribution and more.

After that I tasted many of their amazing offerings, from whites to reds, Chards to Pinots. I don’t love Chards but wow! Bring…it…on. I spent more time talking to Bill about the history of the company, what has brought them to where they are and what/where they hope to go in the future. This is yet another location where I wanted to load up on tons of bottles but I did have to travel across the country to get home so it wouldn’t be the easiest thing to do. I somehow left with only three, knowing that would give me reason to go back. The William Hatcher bottle in the middle is Bill’s own and was quite amazing!

OR Winery Visits

Posted on October 16, 2013 by melsmosaic

After checking out the first Oregon winery, I was nice and warmed up. I checked out several others during the rest of my days in wine country.

Adelsheim Vineyard — Not what I was expecting, as in many whites. But, lots of reds, too…

Bergstrom Winery — Took/could taste a ton of influence from France.

Alexana Winery — First, fun road to get there/a little off the beaten path! Great variety of wines, hard to pick from (as in which was best).

Lange Estate Winery and Vineyards — that fishing lure of a logo pulls you in then you get the goods! I love Pinot land!

Sokol Blosser Winery — They just remodeled their tasting room, which was very nice to check out. I had never had a Rose from OR. There is a first (amazing) time for everything! They also make an ‘everyday’/table wine under the name of Evolution.

Great time, great wines, keep ’em coming Oregon!

Oregon Winery Tour

Posted on October 16, 2013 by melsmosaic

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted because I was in a wine lover’s paradise — Willamette Valley (OR) — for a couple days. I visited some wineries, met some great people and enjoyed some phenomenal varietals.

To start off my trip, I booked a tour at penner-Ash. Notice the typing on that. The owners wanted something basic for the appearance of the name/logo, as in lower case, but Ash wanted his name capitalized. But, when you read the logo it’s not the easiest to catch.

While on my trip, it was high harvest season. Grapes were being picked, processed, etc. So, I got to see lots of good stuff! Grapes fresh off the vines:

One of the next processing steps — they start at the top, get pressed and move their way down:

Grapes in the process of eventually making their way to us:

Tasted five great wines while there. All were amazing and it was tough to narrow down which ones to buy.

The tasting room at penner-Ash is so nice — it overlooks fields and hills. It was a beautiful day when I visited so I could see so much landscape. I recommend checking this place out next time you’re in the area.

Wine Class #2

Posted on September 26, 2013 by melsmosaic

Had my second wine class the other day and learned more about that great beverage. There was interesting info about labeling and the differences between Old and New World wines. Think about when you buy a bottle of French vs. a bottle of California wine. Which label is easier to read — ignoring any potential language barriers?

For Old World, they must (still and will likely always) include:

-Protected Designation of Origin (PDO)
-Protected Geographical Indication (PGI)
-Color (red, rose, white)
-Sweetness (dry, medium-dry, medium-sweet, sweet)

For New World, simple:

-brand name
-grape varietal(s)
-geographical areas (Sonoma, Western Cape South Africa)

After that we discussed the background and intricacies of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and of course had to sample some. This week we tasted 8 wines (2 were not of the aforementioned varietals):

Chardonnay

#1 2012 Sylvaine & Alain Norman La Roche Vineuse
Macon – Burgundy, France

#2 2011 Butternut Chardonnay
California

#3 2012 Hendry Unoaked
Napa Valley, California

Pinot Noir

#4 2011 Domaine Bernard Moreau et Fils Bourgogne Rouge
Burgundy, France

#5 2011 Baileyana Firepeak
Edna Valley, California

#6 2009 Maude
Central Otago, New Zealand (this is the most southern wine area in the world)

Gamay

#7 2011 Chateau du Basty Regnie
Beaujolais, France

Pinotage

#8 2012 Ken Forrester Petit Pinotage
Stellenbosch, South Africa

Aussie Wine Tasting

Posted on September 6, 2013 by melsmosaic

Last night there was a call from Down Under to taste their wine. One must answer! How can you go wrong? It was taking place at Bin 201 in Annapolis, MD. For $10 you taste(d) 8 wines and then you could apply those 10 bucks towards the purchase of a bottle. And, if more than one person goes, you can combine your ‘credits.’ The two of us who went walked out with a ‘free’ bottle of wine. Score! They also serve cheese and crackers at the tasting.

So the night began:

#1: Pewsey Vale Riesling. That was originally to be the 2nd in the tasting but turned out to be best as first as some previous tasters decided the notes made it best to go first. Nice and dry. You’re not drinking sugar. The nose was flowery, the taste was lime.

#2: Nautilus Sauvignon Blanc. Hand me the green peppers. Or, if your recipe calls for some and you’re out, you could easily sip some of this instead. Wow, very poignant, yet nice, nose and taste of them. Also had some grapefruit notes.

#3: Mt. Beautiful Pinot Noir. Yes, it’s from New Zealand but they are pretty close together, yet so far away from here. There was a light note of cranberries in the nose. For taste, I found some ash and bit of cranberry.

#4: Misfit Brujeria. I felt it was ‘thick and chewy’ and couldn’t pick up a flavor. If I had to put something to it, the most I could say is chocolate, but that’s me.

#5: Tournon Mathilda. Light wine with some eucalyptus on the nose. Also carried the eucalyptus in the taste with a hint of jam.

#6: Tir Na N’og ‘Old Vines’ Grenache. What a nose — chocolate and molasses. Then it was like drinking molasses cookies with a hint of black licorice.

#7: Yalumba “The Scribbler” Shiraz/Cabernet. I love their Shiraz/Viognier blend so was excited about this. I could not pick up a taste from it though, unfortunately.

#8: Jim Barry “The Cover Drive” Cabernet Sauvignon. The most I can give is mint!

And the entire menu/notes from Bin 201 were interesting. I always try to sniff and taste before reading these to avoid the ‘brainwash.’ The Aussie tasting was great and can’t wait to see/taste what’s next.

Easy Wrap-Up Dinner

Posted on August 20, 2013 by melsmosaic

So I’m a bit late writing about a quick, easy wrap-up dinner I made for Sunday night. It only took a few minutes but gave so many flavors that it was just perfect, and it was lactose free! Served some wine with it and it made going back to work on Monday even worse. Always think…make things easy…use this during the week if you want to.

I had a yellow squash that had been around for a few days that I needed to use before it went bad. So I just sliced that and put it in a pan for a bit until it was cooked to the level I wanted. A few minutes before it was done, I threw some grape tomatoes in the pan just to have them ‘pop.’ I’d been craving shrimp, so I pulled some of the frozen one out of the freezer earlier in the day. I just pan seared those about half way through the cooking of the yellow squash. Oh, for spices on these, I just picked one of my Penzey’s blends.

I looked in my fridge for what else to serve. Had some grapefruit that I always love and they are highly recommended to eat before a meal (if you’re able to) — just having it on the plate was good enough for me. Served a couple pieces of that. And I can never turn olives down. Threw some of the greek ones from Trader Joe’s on there. Had also grabbed some bread earlier in the day and just did some olive oil, S&P for dipping.

Next, the vino! At the liquor store outside of Annapolis this time, Edgewater Liquors, the recommendation was La Mondianese Grignolino. Was about $16… Very light, refreshing…will have to get more.

Also had a little bit of Cline’s Cool Climate Pinot Noir. This is one of my favorites. Since it’s grown where the temps don’t rise a ton (I learned the specs once and don’t remember all the details), it has a different taste than the other Pinot. It’s usually about $18-$20.

Love finishing the week with a nice dinner before starting a new one.

Saturday Wine Tasting

Posted on August 18, 2013 by melsmosaic

Saturday is a great day. It’s the weekend, (hopefully) you don’t have to work, and many wine shops have tastings. It provides the opportunity to sample a new wine — you can explore new regions, new varietals, new everything. You tempt your palette and might realize there is a whole world of grapes out there you never knew about!

Right down the street from me I visited Cork & Fork this weekend for their wonderful sampling. We had five to enjoy.

#1 Kaltern Pinot Grigio. *Note – this is the closest site I could find to link to for info because they don’t have their one. Pretty sharp and heavier than most Pinot Grigio. Very good. You could serve this alone, with appetizers or chicken, shrimp or pasta for dinner.

#2 Bebe Sparkling Rose (scroll to bottom). While seeing it in the bottle I had my doubts about the sparkle. But once it’s poured, wow. Those bubbles were definitely there. The first thing I tasted was strawberries. After that ‘just’ berries. Perfect for summer. And, it’s in a great bottle that doesn’t have a traditional champagne cork, you just flip it off, so you can easily re-use the bottle for olive oil in the kitchen or something of the like.

#3 Barnard Griffin 2013 Rose of Sangiovese. Need to serve very cold. Crisp, fresh with citrus notes. This might be a bit too heavy to drink just alone. Would definitely need something to pair it with, even if just some simple appetizers.

#4 Les Allies Sauvignon Blanc. *Note – no site available to provide more info. This white was so light, its color was close to water vs. some other whites (Chardonnays) that are very dark yellow. Crazy how clear it was. All I can say about it is give me a peach, then a peach, then can you please hand me another peach. Very nice!

#5 Maestrale Barbera D’Alba. Save the best for last — red. Start with some currants then finish off with some black licorice. Interesting how the flavors changed as it went down/through the palette. Very, very nice red.

Another great wine tasting to expand knowledge of wine, taste new varietals and see what else is out there to fill the wine rack. I love going to these because I have my love of Pinot Noir and Shiraz/Syrah and I have become so much more educated about what is out there with a simple sip. All is takes is a walk down the street or a couple mile drive to expand the love of wine. Sip on my friends, sip on.

From Cake to Castle

Posted on May 7, 2013 by melsmosaic

Weekend=great wine. I met once again with my great friends who last time hosted the epitome of wine tasting. This time it was at my place so I had to work my wine rack magic to attempt to match what they offered.

Though none of us seek out whites, sometimes you just have to go off the beaten path. To attempt to match reds, I opted for the well-known name of Cakebread and the nice varietal of Sauvignon Blanc. A refreshing way to start the evening.

After the white, we moved onto the more important stuff (RED!) with Chateau St. Jean. The most important thing to remember is not to get fancy with the name. Yes, the first one is french for castle. But, for the last word, think of denim, don’t go french, make it simple! The red we enjoyed first was the 2010 Pinot Noir…nice and smooth!

I was initially going to serve another Pinot Noir but opted instead to stick with Chateau St. Jean and one of their blends. It’s Cinq Cepages. It brings together five of their varietals for an amazing taste. Can’t do it justice in writing!

And to pair with the wine, cheese it always nice. The other day at Trader Joe’s I found a lactose intolerant’s dream — a package of 3 cheeses that we can eat — the Tapas Sampler! Non-cow milk delights. One of them did have a part of cow milk (with two others — so it had to be minimal), and at least for me, I didn’t have a problem.

So, come the end of the night, had another great time of friends, wine and food.

Visit to the West Coast

Posted on April 14, 2013 by melsmosaic

I was quite surprised at my wine tasting last night (that I was preparing the food for). I thought it would be all Oregon Pinots. Well, not quite.

As soon as I get there, I am served a Cabernet Sauvignon from Washington. My hosts are 90% Pinot drinkers and they said they were blown away by this wine. I had a sip…smooth, velvety perfection. Feather is the name, 2009 vintage.

Next, we moved moved down a state to where I expected us to be — Oregon! We had an amazing Pinot Noir. Penner-Ash is from Willamette Valley and we enjoyed the 2011 vintage. Nothing can describe this wine unless you drink it. Nothing.

Last but not least we took a trip to the most southern state on the West Coast. We sucked it up and visited Cakebread. Darn. We sipped the 2010 Pinot Noir. Life is good.

Making Simple (No-Recipe) Dishes to Pair With Amazing Wines

Posted on April 13, 2013 by melsmosaic

I’m catching up with some friends tonight who are more wine lovers than me. They just received their shipment of Oregon wines and they need me to taste some of them. Oh, the things we have to go through in life. Can all things be this bad? I told them I would provide the food this time (since last time they did both food and wine…come on, let me have at least some of the fun and play in the kitchen!).

I have been debating what to make to pair with the amazing adult grape juice I will enjoy in a few hours. I’m assuming it’s Pinot Noir because of where it’s from (will keep you posted). I wanted to make simple snacks/appetizers so we can swirl, sniff, taste, sip, nibble, sip, sip, sip, nibble, sip, and then, next wine…repeat.

I have decide on the following ‘menu’:

-homemade hummus
-homemade guacamole
-store bought (Trader Joe’s) salsa (yes, store bought)
-Manchego (since even those who are lactose intolerant can eat it!)
-veggies for dipping
-tortilla and pita chips
-chocolate covered pretzels

Had a great time making the dips — short, sweet to the point. For the hummus, today I just used the basics ingredients — chickpeas, tahini, garlic (yes, the cheater kind), lemon juice, paprika, S&P.

After I open the can of beans I always put a tiny bit of the liquid from the can in the Cuisinart food processor before emptying the can and rinsing the beans. Then I use ‘some’ of everything else. Today I blended everything much longer than normal and it’s nice and smooth!

Next up, guacamole!! One of my favorites. Everybody has their own ingredients besides very important one — avocados. Sometimes I switch it up, but my basics are the avocados, lime juice, garlic, cilantro (though most of time I go for coriander because I just have it handy), cumin, onion powder, chili powder, S&P.

Then, grab a bowl, something to mix/mash with and go!

I have everything prepared and packed and will be heading to my friends’ place in a few hours. Will keep you posted on the wine we enjoy and how the food pairs.