Wine Time TV

If you pick up the “Wine Bible”, touted as the “most complete wine book ever” by Karen MacNeil, you will not find Temecula California Wine Country. You will not even find the word Temecula in the index. That’s right folks…a book copy written in 2000 about wine by an American author doesn’t so much as acknowledge that there are vines in Temecula, let alone 40 year old vines, 36 (or is it 37) wineries, and a whole fascinating history more colorful than Sonoma in September. That infuriated me, as person who has been working in the wineries of Temecula for more than five years learning about an ancient craft that has been carried on with passion and integrity by dozens of viticulturists (wine growers) and winemakers here for more than a quarter century.

Alright, so maybe 25 years is not all that long, relatively speaking, when it comes to wine regions. Still, there is much to tell about the success, struggles, and failures of the Temecula vines and their keepers. There is a lot of amazing wine to talk about, and to hopefully have a chance to share with you. Sadly, there are many wines made in this Valley that are little more than expensive, fortified Kool-Aid’s. I cannot deny that. That’s what happens when a wine region is close enough to, hmm, say nearly 25 million people for them to drive an hour to go “winery hopping”. Hey, that does have its place, but it also made it difficult for “real” winemakers to gain clout for many years if the Temecula zip code was attached to their name.

My goal is to share with all of you some of the great wines, eclectic and beautiful wineries, history and goings-on in this largely misunderstood, beautiful and accessible valley of vines. From a huge diversity of varietals due to the microclimates found from the basin to the edges of the surrounding mountains to a great selection of live music, Temecula has a lot more to offer than most people realize. Hell, apparently a lot of people don’t even know we’re here! I gotta change that!

I have been living and working in Temecula for about five years now, but the vines and wineries have been here much longer. And I am an inquisitive one, so I have been asking questions of every wine person I have met since I started in the business, sometimes to the point of annoyance. But I am big into authenticity, which is part of what drew me to wine in the first place. Let’s face it, twenty years ago when I tasted my first French Merlot my tongue didn’t quite get it. I mean, it wasn’t cough syrup or vinegar, but it certainly wasn’t a Margarita or Pina Colada. But I was a bartender in Pavilion French Café, and if a guest bought a glass of wine for me, it was good form to drink it. Within a short time, the allure of the fruit that is the canvas for so many works of art has raised my curiosity (and changed my pallet) enough to start “researching” it. Well, and drinking more of it.

That was back in the mid-nineties. In 2005, my former spouse and I found ourselves buying a very overpriced “lake front cottage”, which was neither “lake front” nor “cottage” in Temecula. Temecula, a suburbia of 100, 000 people who were either military, as we were, in construction (there were lots of “cottages” going up), or were commuting to one of the three metropolises an hour plus away. The saving grace of this generic bedroom community for me was that not ten minutes from the tract homes and Applebee’s was Temecula Wine Country.

Today I work in one of the truly authentic wineries in Temecula Valley owned and operated by the Wiens Family. Wiens Family Cellars is known for producing some of the biggest, boldest reds in Temecula including some stellar, complex blends. Producing around 9500 cases a year, we are too big to be a boutique winery and but not large enough to distribute commercially. I have also worked for Ponte Winery, and moonlighted for Longshadow Ranch and Winery a couple of times.

Until next time….peace, love and vino!
J.

After a very long break, Wine Time TV will be returning to regularity in the world of Winos online. Thanks to the drive from Wine Time TV writer Jodi Fritch and her interest to continue, I’m getting motivated and sparked!

Not having been able to afford wine as of late makes it kind of hard to be inspired to produce content around it. That’s all changing as opportunities and new money are arising. Yay!

I’m sure WTTV will reinvent itself yet again and bring another interesting twist to an old topic that’s often not-so-interestingly explored. Does that make sense?

Now in North Hollywood, I’m looking for the right ‘angle’ to approach the next Wine Time TV edition. Perhaps a wine shop or wine bar partnership? Hm…

I’ll let you know as soon as I figure it out. Meanwhile, chime in with any thoughts anytime.

When I first heard about the World Wine Tour it was announced well before the recent tragedy in Haiti. I thought it important to share this post, just as I read it the first time it was written by Pri Anish Vag. Whether Haiti has been incorporated into their master plan, I don’t know.

How can a bottle of wine help the world? And how can the wine world come together, to change the lives of those in the greatest need? How can those in the wine industry really help the lives of those less fortunate?

In January of 2010 Anja Cheriakova and Georges Janssens will be starting a world wine charity tour. The pair will be visiting over 300 wineries around the globe, inviting them to donate a bottle of their best wine for the cause. Upon completion of their journey, which will include most wine growing regions of the world, they will hold an auction of the wines in the Napa Valley of California, donating all proceeds to charity. It will hope to raise 150, 000 USD.

To make this remarkable humanitarian project possible, the World Wine Tour 2010 project is seeking sponsorship, in return for marketing and exposure throughout the mission. The sponsors will be promoted through media broadcasts, and also directly through visits to wineries and other wine related businesses. For those interested in becoming a sponsor let me know.

The proceeds will support the Lao Rehabilitation Foundation Inc. (LRF). There the funds will go towards a special interest in education for children, by rebuilding a school in Simmano Village that was destroyed in 2008 by massive floods.

Average income per year in the destroyed schools village is estimated to be $16 US. LRF is one of the few foundations that works specifically in Laos to improve conditions there.

Aside from the sponsors to promote, the wineries to showcase, and the charity to raise funds for, the pair hope to motivate young people of their generation to combine their passions and dreams with humanitarian goals, which is what this world needs most.

There is something wonderful about sharing a meal and wine with close friends and family that is like no other experience in the world.  This experience for me is amplified, when the food is prepared at home.

It often occurs to me that I may not be normal.  When I am planning to have people over, I get really into it.  For me this is more than just a passion, this is full blown obsession.  Planning all of the courses (there are usually three to four), making sure that each course makes sense in the scheme of the whole meal.  Sometimes its about the wine and I plan that part first, and sometimes its about the food.  This weekend was a great weekend for cooking.  One of those weekends in which everything turned out perfectly.  Although we cooked several different dishes this weekend, we served the same wine all weekend and it was a great match.

My passion for wine is based on the shared experience of pairing wine and food with friends.  This weekend we were lucky enough to stumble on to a great value Cotes-du-Rhone at my local wine store.  We purchased this wine (a lot of this wine over the weekend) at the incredible price of $4.99.  I approached this wine with caution, fully expecting to have to stick the cork back in it and return it to its retail home of origin.  The great thing about wines at this price point when you are lucky enough to find them, is that you expect nothing.  If the wine is drinkable at all (and this one was), it is almost impossible for it to under-deliver. I realize that with three years on the bottle, the reason why it was on sale–potentially past its prime.  Would we have rescued it in time?  Good with Roast Chicken on Thursday, Good with Mushroom Pasta on Friday night, and I think perhaps the best with Breaded Pork Chops and Sage Cream Gravy on Saturday night.  Success!

I found this experience useful in reminding me that it is easier to match wine with food than many people think.  I believe that there are some matches that are better, but overall it’s pretty easy and nothing that should intimidate anyone.  It also reminded me that I have a sort of rustic style to my cooking that makes a wine like Cotes-du-Rhone a great match for many of the dishes that we enjoy at home.

I have enjoyed wines from the Rhone (as well as Rhone style wines from the New World) for quite some time.  I would have to say that this affair with Cotes-du-Rhone wines was love at first sip for me.  The red wines labeled Cotes-du-Rhone are made for early consumption.  Typically, they are bursting with red and dark fruit flavors and aromas and are very light on tannin.  This makes them generally pretty easy drinking and a nice pairing for a variety of foods.  If you prefer a fuller bodied wine, search for a Cotes-du-Rhone Village, or perhaps a Cotes du Luberon or Cotes du Ventoux (sub-appellations of Cotes-du-Rhone).

Do wine scores matter?

 This seems to be a favorite topic among bloggers and wine consumers, so let me throw ‘what I believe’ into the ring.  You have to love the internet!

What if I like a wine that has been rated poorly?

What if my friends find out?

OMG!  Seriously!  Relax – this is supposed to be fun.  This is wine.  Swirl it, smell it, taste it, and decide one very important thing . . . do you like it.

However, let’s talk about the way wines are evaluated and perceived, and how you can apply some of this to your own wine tasting experience.  The only way to learn this is lots of practice.  I know, terrible news.

Professional wine tasting is based on two things, objective and subjective evaluation of the liquid in your glass. An objective evaluation of wine will provide the taster with information regarding the more concrete qualities of wine (acidity, sweetness, and tannin).  These qualities are roughly measurable and experienced in the same way by most people.  These qualities are measurable when we remember that on a scale of low to high – medium is the norm.

Subjective evaluation of wine will provide information regarding the wine’s smell and taste.  These qualities are interpreted by an individual’s memory.  They are perceived differently by an individual based on their past experiences.

While it is important to note that professional wine critics taste hundreds of wines every year, it is also important

to note that this is done so in a very sterile environment and independent of food and the company of good friends, which in tampawinewoman’s opinion, always enhance the wine drinking experience.

The end game is all about how you interpret the wine, whether you are comfortable with the wine’s value (the enjoyment of the wine versus the price paid for the glass or bottle), and ultimately whether you love or hate the wine.

The thing that wine critics have over us “regular” people, is that they taste more wine then we could imagine (and I can imagine a lot).  Therefore, they are comfortable with the process of evaluating wine.  Learning to taste wine like a professional is a skill, something that with practice you can learn.  Lots of thoroughly enjoyable practice!

I consider myself an ‘everyman wine drinker’. That is to say, I’m far from qualified to speak on the impeccable vintages out there being indulged upon by the upwardly mobile, particularly as I can’t afford the exorbitant prices. No, instead, I pride myself on finding impeccable bargains.

The dictionary defines BARGAIN as follows;

a thing bought or offered for sale more cheaply than is usual or expected : the secondhand table was a real bargain | [as adj. ] household and electrical goods at bargain prices.

I define bargain as;

A great tasting wine at a cheap price.

The last few months I’ve had the pleasure of living in Europe. It’s been a pleasure for a variety of reasons but one
of the things I’ll miss most (I’m off to Cali in Feb.) and I’ve said it before, will be the great many wines they have here. Great wines at everyman prices.

If you’ve been with us here at Wine Time TV.net since the beginning, then you already know that I on occasion like to share the wealth of my worldly wine exploits. Or simply put, I like to brag about scoring killer wines at awesome prices.

Today I was blessed with another bottle of 2007 Toscana Rosso. A soft and fruity Italian wine with a tinge of tang to it. Sparkling rich in color and a friendly nose, this wine has a certain neutrality to it that I imagine it could easily appeal to those who don’t really dig red wine and those who do, will appreciate it’s taste and respect it’s origins.

Oh, and did I mention it costs a mere €1.99 a bottle? Wine on.

Thanks for reading.

One of the things that I love about wine is that there is always so  much to learn.

This passion for learning (some may say obsession) contributes to the rather extensive wine library that I keep at home.

As I was putting some notes together for a presentation I am giving, I  came across one of my favorite wine quotes.

“every single bottle represents a year in the life of  somewhere.” (Matt Skinner)

In addition to being an insightful statement about terroir (more about terroir another time), this statement echoes some of my feelings about tasting and appreciating wine.

1.  Be respectful of the juice

2.  Give credit to the effort that goes into producing every bottle.

and, most importantly …

3.  Slow down

Take the time to get to know your wine.  Smell the wine.  Really get  in there, and not just once.  Great wine will

change dramatically the  longer it is in your glass.  Put away the gadgetry (specifically the Vinturi and other similar aerators) and let the wine do  it’s thing on its own timeline.  Enjoy this experience.  It’s a new year, start it out just a bit slower and appreciate all the aromas in your glass of wine.

When I am working on the floor at a restaurant, and I approach a table to talk about the wine list and their preferences, I have a very brief amount of time to determine a vast amount of information. However, perhaps of equal importance to what they are eating and what style of wine they prefer, is … do they want to “play it safe” or “take a risk on something new and different.”

At home, when I am entertaining and purchasing wine for a dinner or event, I have to make the same determination. If I play it safe, I can get something that I have had many times before that I know has the ability to pair with many foods and ‘plays well with others’ as well as having a general affinity for pleasing people.

As I stood at my local retailer and thought about my plans for the weekend, I decided to try a bit of both.

MY “SAFE” PICKS

Chateau Ste Michelle Indian Wells 2007 Chardonnay, Columbia Valley – Although I have had this wine before, it has been quite a while. Chateau Ste Michelle is a great winery and usually a very safe pick. I found this wine to be quite pleasant but it did not really excite me. I would definitely order it by the glass or drink it at a party if offered (as opposed to dumping in a house plant or empty sink), but I did not find it interesting enough to rush out for a case. I will say that they have done a nice job balancing the components in this Chardonnay, and it did have a pleasant finish.

Cline ‘Cashmere’ 2008, California – This wine is a blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvedre (which you may know as GSM (Australia) or Cotes du Rhone (France). I am a pushover for Rhone varietals. This was a safe pick for two reasons – the first is that Syrah/Shiraz always comes across well with red wine drinkers. The second, is that Cline is an extremely reputable producer of Zinfandel in California. It is retailing for $21 from the vineyard. I picked this one up at $13.99 (if you are in the Tampa Bay area email me and I will tell you where). Although I purchased it at a great discount, I happily would have paid the $21. This wine offered the big ripe fruit and jamminess that made Cline a household name in Zinfandel. It had a beautiful, elegant finish. This all helped the wine to come off as very luxurious and the winery described the wine perfectly when they decided to name it ‘Cashmere’. The biggest problem with this wine, much too easy to drink and the one bottle that I purchased seemed to evaporate in record time. I definitely recommend this wine. I have just made a note in my new IPod Touch to grab some more today. Visit Cline’s website at http://www.clinecellars.com for more information.

MY “TRY SOMETHING DIFFERENT” PICKS

Peter Lehmann ‘Layers’ 2009, Adelaide -In a word this wine left me “irritated.” We have all been to those movies where the trailer has promised us 90 minutes of action packed edge of your seat movie experience, only to realize that the best part of the movie was seen at home in your living room during the commercial trailer. This wine from Peter Lehmann (a solid producer of Shiraz from the Barossa), is a blend of Pinot Gris, Muscat, Gewurztraminer, Chardonnay, and Semillon. Sounds like a nice mix for a tasty wine. It promised “Layers” of complex tastes and aromas. Simply stated this wine did not deliver. We even aerated, which I don’t usually do for white wines. Nothing. It is possible that it may be going through some sort of ‘dumb’ period. So, to be fair, I guess I should give it one more try at another time. But, I will be doing so reluctantly. At around $14 a bottle, I have had better white blends.

Casa de la Ermita Viognier 2007, Jumilla – Several of my wine “geek” friends have mentioned to me lately that thy have had an opportunity to taste Viognier from Spain. However, it seems to be absent from most retail locations in my area. I had just about given up hope when I came across this one. I may be slightly prejudiced because I LOVE Viognier. I love Viognier from France, California, Virginia, and Australia … and now I love Viognier from Spain as well. This was aromatically brilliant, had a great texture and overall was very tasty. If you love ripe luscious stone fruit (think peaches, nectarines, and apricots, with a slight scent of warm hay, and beautiful minerality (think clear stream water running over wet stones) then grab this wine. Don’t be intimidating by its deeper gold color. This wine was like taking a field trip out to a country farm. Under $15 a bottle. As a side note, Viognier can be a challenge to pair with food, but when you find that pairing that makes both food and wine “sing” it is worth the effort.

With 2010 literally around the corner, remember to get outside of your comfort zone and try something new whenever you can.

Cheers!

tampawinewoman

Dear Wine Stores:
It is with heavy heart that I write to you during this holiday season.  I must request that you stop staffing your stores with employees who are completely uneducated about wine and have no desire to learn.  Additionally, I must request that if you insist in continuing this practice that you have them refrain from distributing bad information to customers.
Sincerely,tampawinewoman

Dear Wine Consumers:
If I had only one wish this holiday season it would be that you re-evaluate where you are buying your wine.  We are so lucky to have some really great wine shops in the area filled with both knowledgeable staff and knowledgeable consumers that it would only make sense to support such places.  If you live in the Tampa Bay area, please email me and I will tell you where you can visit such a store close to your home.  
Sincerely,tampawinewoman





I MUST RANT just for a second 

So … here’s the deal … I had a fantastic wine dinner at my house this weekend.  All Australian themed.  My friend called me up and said, I would like to buy some wine for the dinner, can you recommend some bottles.  Happily I responded with a list of bottles that I know are readily available.  

As we were discussing the wine selections over appetizers I could not believe the ‘bad’ and ‘just plain horribly wrong’ information that she had received from the ‘wine person’ at the ‘big and large’ wine store.  There are so many people out there handing out incorrect information about wine and confusing everyone, what’s one more, right.  

During this holiday season find a wine store that you love, and a wine person you can trust.  Let’s support the small wine stores, who staff their stores with love and passion and have in place a staff that can truly assist you with correct wine information.

FYI – they do make sparkling wine in Australia! and you do sell it – as I saw it on your shelf just two days before in large supply.

Talk about a ghost of Christmas past. That was my first thought when I went into the cellar to pull out a bottle of red to go along with our take-out pizza the other night. This Christmas apparition, a 1996 Sterling Merlot, was still dressed in the gold ribbon it wore when it arrived at Club Loco back in the late 90s. It was dustier than I remembered.

Over the past decade, I’ve often thought of Merlot as a wine cliche, much like White Zinfandel was to the 80s. Like aphids among the vines, bottles of Merlot started to pop up everywhere. They appeared at weddings and restaurants and especially at our house during dinner parties and holidays as they arrived with guests eager to spread good cheer. Where there’s a party, there’s Merlot.

Eager to jump on the wine train, I poured and drank, and poured again. This went on for years. I just didn’t like it and I gave up. You can lead a girl to the tasting room but you can’t make her drink.

I tried to figure out what the big attraction was. I was left with the belief that it had to be the cool name. After all, it really sounds chic to say, “I’ll have a glass of Merlot.” Leaving that “t” off of the end makes the coolness official combined with the fact that Cabernet Sauvignon is a bit difficult to roll off your tongue after you’ve had a few glasses of it.

As a result, years have passed since my last taste of Merlot. That is, until this past Saturday night rolled around. You see, I really hate to go against the grape. In addition to my conformist tendencies, I have embarked on a recent journey to revisit wine that I have decided I don’t like. After all, tastes change, right? I was off to test the vintage.

Back to the 96 Sterling Merlot. I grabbed my favorite bottle opener and attempted to open it up. The cork broke. The first aphid in the grape pulp. With some assistance, I was able to remove the cork without any further incident and the wine made it into my favorite, stemless tasting glass.

If you look carefully, you can see the “ghost” in the wine.

I sniffed and swirled. Not bad. I liked the color, a deep garnet. The aroma was earthy and rich with a small bite but nothing discouraging.

I tasted. Better yet. I was greeted by a spicy and flavorful wine that had plenty of fruit and a punch of cedar. Ok. It was downright pleasant.

I’m not going to whine over spilt Merlot and will stand by my assessments of the other Merlots I have tried. They do pale in comparison to the 96 Sterling. As a result, I now find myself with even more of a dilemma.

Do I like Merlot after all? Is my new found affection exclusive to the 14- year-old bottle from Sterling Vineyards? I guess only time will tell. In the mean time, I will, once again, take my hat off to Sterling Vineyards. You really knocked this Merlot out of the Valley.