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  • Special People Sparkle

    Wine Writer Lorrie Lebeaux

    I have wanted to write an article about Sparkling Wines for quite some time. Most people use the term “Champagne” to describe all wines that sparkle; only wines that are made in the Champagne region in France can legally be called Champagne. I read an article in the July 2009 issue of a popular wine magazine and one winemaker noted that consumers still perceive sparkling wine to be a drink for special occasions, and are not able to see sparkling wine as a wine to pair with meals. Well, I want to dispel that myth that is why this article is entitled, “Special People Sparkle.” The whole idea of special people sparkle is that we deserve to have a little luxury in our lives. On the eBacchus Wine Forum one of the wine friends posted a post that basically said, “LLeBeaux shows us how to really enjoy living. Much appreciated!” No matter what your situation is, we have to live, and enjoy each day of our lives. For me, sparkling wine celebrates my life, the love that I give to my family, friends, community, and to the people who read my writings.

    Sparkling wine is wine that is produced in any region of the world that produces wine, except the Champagne region of France, which produces Champagne. The sparkling wines that are produced in France’s other grape growing regions are called sparkling wine or Cre’mants. The Spanish version of sparkling wine is Cava, and the Italian version is Prosecco. I want to focus on California Sparkling wines, which are made in the Me’thod Champenoise. My two favorites are Iron Horse Winery and Schramsberg Vineyards. They produce some of the best sparkling wines that can rival some French Champagne Houses in my opinion.

    The idea of waiting for a special occasion or a special party with great appetizers is not the only time one should have some bubbly. I reward myself when I have the means to a bottle of sparkling wine. Even if you have to have a “secret sparkling wine fund”, which is an envelope, old wallet or empty jar that you fill with the broken change of $10.00 bills until you can afford a bottle. I say this because these are not the best of times, and there is a phrase in wine land, “trading down”, meaning purchasing less expensive wines. Why not look at the flute as being “half full versus “half empty.” In New Orleans we have a saying that goes “Treat yourself; don’t cheat yourself.”

    QPR (Quality, Price, and Ratio) wines are great; you can get more wine that tastes good for a great value. These wines may fill your cellar, but not that desire for a little sparkle in your life that makes you feel special. My best way to enjoy wines, are with a friend; so why not ask them to chip in for a bottle and enjoy the wine with a great appetizer, meal or snack. Sparkling wine is a great way to entertain with a movie. You can pop popcorn and sprinkle finely grated cheese to make gourmet popcorn. Appetizers are one of my favorite foods to pair with sparkling wine. I make an oyster filling and put it in fillo shells and bake them until they are hot and delicious. These oyster appetizers or any oyster based dish would pair well with a Blanc de Blanc sparkling wine. Rose` sparklers can be paired with seared salmon, that has been rubbed with extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, fresh ground black pepper, and some Herbes de Provence; then finish with a squeeze of lemon. I make a sauce with mayonnaise, lemon juice, capers and a pinch of cayenne pepper to serve in a bowl for those who like sauces to accompany the salmon. As for sides, try some rice pilaf and grilled asparagus with sea salt and pepper as the finish. If you want to be fancy, wrap the asparagus in prosciutto. Also, turkey, roast chicken, rack of pork loin, and baked ham can be paired with a Rose` sparkling wine for a Sunday dinner or a dinner for two. Brunch is also a great time to serve sparkling wines. Joy Sterling CEO of Iron Horse Vineyards, likes to have scrambled eggs and smoked salmon with their 2004 Blanc de Blanc as well as roast chicken prepared a la Marcella Hazan. Now, I’ve just given you a food assignment to look up the cooking style of Marcella Hazan! I like to make a brunch dish that my Mama called “fish cakes”, which are Mackerel Cakes made from canned mackerel, an egg, chopped onion, parsley, and Italian bread crumbs and a dash Creole seasoning, then rolled in flour and fried in canola oil; add some biscuits and Tabasco brand pepper jelly and you have an unusual to some, but not for this New Orleanian. I want to make these and pair them with a Rose` sparkling wine.
    Well, I hope that you see where I’m going with this menu monolog; sparkling wines are made from wine; so just remember it is wine, and wine is meant to be consumed anytime and almost anywhere!

  • Behind The Grape-Wall Of China

    Kamary Phillips•Indie Wino
    Do I really want a bottle of wine with a stamp, MADE IN CHINA on it? Even if it’s, good?

    It’s no real secret that many wine producers are betting the future of wine on the Chinese market. This notion is growing just as much as, well, China itself is. It should certainly come to no surprise that the Chinese have discovered an appetite for Wine and of course they know how to make it. What DON’T they know how to make?

    BEHIND THE GRAPE-WALL OF CHINA
    My position on this subject is most certainly based Politically, Nationalistic, and Economical. As for the Culture, to each their own though I couldn’t imagine eating a lot of the things you see sold at markets. 🙂

    Behind The Grape Wall Of China

    Contrary to my other global, human counterparts, I for one am not a big fan of Chinese manufacturing, in general. I guess that’s because the majority of products I personally encounter in my daily life adorning a MADE IN CHINA stamp or sticker on it, are crap. Actually, CRAP.

    So, if you’re listening CHINA, if your plan is simply to crank out bizillions of watered down, tasteless bottles of “Wine”, do the world a big favor and stay out of the vineyard. I’ve yet to taste a brilliant Chinese beer, for example, though I see them popping up everywhere here. Now that China has an official middle-class citizenship, no idea how big that is, production is clearly about quantity, not quality and we continue forking the money over. Well, not we. I’m truly am one of those guys to give an American product a chance first, followed by a German one. Vice versa when I’m abroad. Are there not enough Chinese people in China to market too? Oh, forgot, the majority are still poor by comparison.

    At present, the export sales to most countries are weak, but China will undoubtedly find their way to your dinner table. Let’s hope they at least adhere to wine making best practices. I’d hate to discover some strange, fancy new chemical being added for color and taste which causes children to be born with 5 limbs. You’ll never know, until you know. Bought any playthings for your toddlers that were made in China lately? DON’T.

    Current figures do suggest that China is now the biggest export market for Bordeaux wine, ahead of the UK, though I don’t know the validity of those figures. For those who want to know more about China and about how wine is sold and understood in China, there is a special blog in that very subject. It is written by a Chinese journalist living in France, Jia Peng, so it is in French. Use Google Translate or something to understand the basics. It’s called Le Marché du Vin en Chine. I for one, am far too lazy.

    No, with my limited funds I will continue to support Wines and winemakers I can trust and a bit closer to home. Any huge Chinese wine fans out there, feel free to send us a bottle of your best. I’ll review it along with another more experienced Palate and I’ll be happy to admit being wrong minded. Until then, I’m anti-Chinese manufacturing, no matter what the hell it is. Wine production should not be a mega-mass produced, numbers game. But that’s just me. What do I know, I’m just an American wino with European citizenship who doesn’t knowledgeably support any country that still executes it’s citizens on the streets nor respects the rights of animals. I could go on…

    Viva Sonoma!

    Cheers,
    K.

  • Jakki’s Temecula Wine Tours

    Jakki from Temecula
    One of the biggest mistakes a person can make when venturing out into Temecula Wine Country is just drive down the main drag of Rancho California Road and randomly pick places to taste.  So when I received a request from a new local to write about
    Temecula Rancho California Road
    what a good tour might be in Temecula, I was thrilled.  What a great idea!  Often the establishment of choice is merely the easiest to see (largest) or has signs that clearly indicated that the driveway is….oops, there it goes…guess we aren’t going there.  There are times when the most fun thing to do is have no plan at all and go where the day takes you…but I highly suggest let the adventurous part be that you have arrived in Temecula (look at you…letting your wild, adventurous spirit land you in such an exotic, exciting location) and are ready to take your senses on a great trip by tasting some cool stuff.

    I cannot lie…I haven’t tasted everywhere in Temecula.  Some places I will talk about that I haven’t tasted at in a long time.  However, in addition to the delightful (and some horrific) taste sensations I have experienced combined with what I can draw from the experiences of my fellow wine stewards, I believe I can give you all at least some good general guidelines to places to visit depending on what kind of day you would like to have in this little but very interesting wine valley.

    Tour #1:  I will call this the “Bachelorette/Birthday Party of People who don’t really drink wine but go winetasting anyway” Tour.  Sometimes there are serious wine drinkers in these groups, but actually placing something delectable on one’s palate is really not the focus for these folks.  I base my advice on where to go on a few different aspects of the joint. Things to look for in this case might be:

    – Large rooms (noisy drunk high-pitched voices more tolerable)
    -Sweet wines/Champagnes (lets face it…the point is not to experience the perfect balance of tannins, oak and acidity)
    -Food (there may come a moment when being able to sit and eat is essential).
    -Gift Shop (for those ladies who find even the sweetest, softest wines unpalatable and are along for the ride or for the Moms who don’t want to hover while their daughter gets shit-faced).
    -Places to sit.  So no one has to fall down.

    For this tour I recommend in no particular order, Wilson Creek Winery (home of the famous (or infamous?) Almond Champagne), South Coast Winery (equipped with an entire hotel for serious partiers), Ponte Winery, Longshadow Ranch and Winery (this place is actually on every list and can accommodate any group), Maurice Carrie (great little farmers market on the weekends), and Mount Palomar (purely because they have a deli, which means quick food when you need it).

    Not to say the mentioned wineries don’t have fabulous wines, authentic winemaking traditions and values, but let’s face it those aren’t high on the priority list for this tour.

    Tour #2: This would be the “All around interested in wines but no specific agenda or palate tour”.  This is my personal favorite kind of group to deal with, because people are interested in learning, in stories, and are very open to trying everything.  The best wineries for this tour feature good examples of every wine genre’, an outgoing friendly staff, and a relaxed but still professional atmosphere.
    Things to look for:

    -A tasting list that is balanced and includes at least a few whites, reds and sweet wines.
    -The servers must be friendly and not immediately seem wine-obsessed (even though many of us are) because this can be intimidating.  Servers must also not be “pour and walk away” types.  These are people who are looking to grow their wine spirit, if you will.  So sharing about wine in a way that seems inclusive is very important.
    -A great wine club.  These are the people that will learn from being wine club members, and will remain loyal if their experience is great every time.

    For Tour # 2, I would recommend the vast majority of wineries on the De Portola Wine Trail, which is a road that parallels the main drag about 2 miles to the south.  There are about nine wineries over on the less beaten path, and some of the best experiences and low key atmospheres are found at Frangapani, Oak Mountain (who also feature Avocado Oil Tastings), Robert Renzoni and Cougar.  On the main drag, try Wiens Family Cellars, Miramonte, Baily Winery, Cougar and Longshadow Ranch and Winery.  Vindemia and Doffo are also nice little places, but have limited hours so check first!

    Tour #3:  The “I know wine, I have been to Napa/Italy/France (yadda yadda) so impress me”. This can be a great tour, or the absolute worst.  I had some people the other day who missed out on some great wines because they had already decided they didn’t like them before they walked through the door.  That honestly showed how little they actually know because while most grapes have distinct characteristics, there are no absolutes in wine making.  From the region, the ever-changing terrior, the weather for that vintage, any grape can be almost unrecognizable from its counterparts of past years, other regions, etc.  (I personally have fooled more than one fool who thought they “didn’t care for Merlot” by pouring it for them anyway unbeknownst to them). However, if this tour arrives with an open mind, friendly spirit and a honed palate they may really be the ones to get how special a wine region we have in Temecula.

    Things to look for:

    -Good freakin winemaking.  Bottom line.  First and foremost.  Big place, or little place, family owned or corporate owned, doesn’t matter.  That winemaker just needs to know his stuff.  Period.  With that said, my personal experience has been that the best wines are at places where the winemaker is also the winery owner or at least part owner and it’s a labor of love and a lifestyle, not just a business.
    -Also helpful:  Knowledgeable but smartly humble staff.  It is great when we know our stuff but even better when we can actually be smart enough to stop and listen. This is often how I have learned about wines.
    -Correctly priced wines:  For these folks, it doesn’t matter if your wine costs ten bucks, or a hundred bucks, so long as the taste and quality justifies the price.  The higher priced wines most often are the best tasting, but that often isn’t why they are more costly. The most intensely flavored, more complex wines come most often from grapes that have the lowest yield per acre.  In other words, everything     good at work in a vineyard (soil, minerals, sunlight, canopy, etc) is concentrated in fewer, maybe smaller berries so there may be a lot less juice to ferment but its far more interesting and concentrated.  And thus, you get a lot less wine from your land and therefore it is more costly to make.  Anyway, these people typically know all this stuff.

    My suggestions for this tour are of course mostly the boutique wineries, which currently include Briar Rose, Doffo, Palumbo, and Gordon Baccus.  Also serving high end, seriously good wines that may appeal to these honed palates are Wiens Family Cellars (fruit forward but big and balanced reds), Leonesse, Hart Winery (very highly oaked reds), Oak Mountain, Frangapani, Robert Renzoni, and Longshadow Ranch and Winery.

    Hope this gives anyone who comes out this way at least a general framework to begin from….the rest is up to you!   Cheers and see you on the Wine Trail…..

    Peace, love and vino!

    J.

  • Wine is a Business – Tasting Etiquette

    Sommelier Jodi Fritch

    Every once in a while I abuse this forum to get up on my soap box. This morning being one of those times. At this time I would like to remind everyone that wine is a business. Free tastings are never really free.

    The whole reason that wine retailers and distributors and suppliers provide free tastings is so that consumers (and hopefully customers) can try the wine, determine what they like, and make a purchase. When wine is poured at a tasting someone has to pay for the wine, and the people that are there pouring it. This is a cost of doing business that we all have become accustomed to. After 7+ years in this business, what I have not become accustomed to is the number of people who think that a free wine tasting is a way to get their drink on, for free, before going on with the rest of their evening, the number of requests that I receive to do free tastings, and the countless requests for donations of wine.

    Almost every wine retailer that I do business with is just like everyone else in this economy, struggling.

    So, I humbly request that we all remember what these tastings are for and try to behave with a little more grace at these free wine tastings. Here are three basic tips to help:

    1. Sample each wine thoughtfully

    2. Ask questions of the representative pouring the wine

    3. If a wine does not suit your taste, ask for other recommendations

  • Taking The Mystery Out Of Wine

    Sommelier Jodi Fritch

    The other day I came across the statement “taking the mystery out of wine and making it fun.” For some reason this statement became stuck in my head, like a bad jingle. For days, I walked around wondering why I could not let this statement go, and then it occurred to me . . . the mystery is what makes wine fun for me.

    Wine is a journey of discovery and like any learning experience, there are going to be some mistakes along the way, but that’s okay. I can tell you that after several years in the business, I still pick out bottles that are less than stellar, although far less often that I used to.

    Someone once told me that the most important thing you can ever take to a wine-tasting is an ‘open-mind.’ Especially during the summer months, when the weather heats up, I encourage you to embrace an open minded approach to wine. There are so many delicious white wines from more obscure varietals that pair with summertime foods beautifully.

    I recommend this approach: Instead of buying two bottles of your favorite Chardonnay the next time you are at the wine store, pick up your usual and commit to picking up a bottle of a white wine that is new to you. Invite some friends over and share your new discovery.

    Another great idea is to plan a ‘summer white’ event. We used to hold a dinner at the restaurant at the end of summer. We served five courses paired with only white wine. I find that it is always a surprise to even the most serious wine drinkers how well white wine can pair with so many dishes.

    To help you get started, these are some of my favorite ‘off-the-beaten-path’ white wines for summer:

    Fiano (Italy) – aromas of honey, almonds, and dried fruit.

    Greco (Italy) – rich, fruity flavors, with hints of smoke and pine nuts

    Muscadet (France) – citrus fruit flavors with hints of mineral, toast, yeast from sur lie aging (the wine is aged on its yeast cells) crisp with lovely acidity,

    Torrontes (Argentina) – aromas of stone fruit and dried hay, a perfect summer patio sipper.

    Comment about your favorite off the beaten path white wine. I am always looking for new recommendations.