Weekly Wine Online

Go over a hill in San Francisco, and often you'll end up in an entirely different neighborhood. As a result, you can jump from Vietnamese cuisine to Italian to Chinese in a matter of minutes. Last night, on a perch in Nob Hill overlooking Chinatown and North Beach, I tried a neighborhood restaurant I'd never even noticed before. Tucked into the first floor and basement on a building on Taylor and Washington is Venticello, a warm spot with a fantastic view of the city. The furniture is old and wooden with rug-like cushions on your seat that shift around when you squirm (as I'm wont to do when I get excited). And the food is absolutely delicious!

The friends who were kindly treating me asked that I pick a wine that would go with the food. And since Italian wine is not my forte, I went with the old standby: Sangiovese. I picked the only one of the list, which the waitress later told us it was her favorite wine on the list (phew!).

The Sangiovese we chose is made by a winery called Testamatta or "hothead" in Italian. The grapes are grown in an area of Tuscany called the Fiesole, which is actually on a hill perched high above Florence and dotted in Roman ruins. The ground in sandy and predominantly composed of clay and marl, according to the website of the importer, Michael Skurnik. Marl, for the non-geologists among us, is basically a soil that is a mixture of limestone and clay. What makes it so ideal for grape growing is that it drains incredibly well, so the grapes are forced to work for their nutrients. As a result, they produce berries of more intense flavor.

Testamatta is owned and made by a gentleman named Bibi Graetz, an artist as well as winemaker who paints images for the labels of his wines. Like the paintings, the Grilli di Testamatta 2006 that we drank had a lot of brightness and freshness to it. At first the acidity seemed so bright that it was a little surprising. But paired with my linguine and fennel sausage, the acidity cut through the meat of the sauce and I could taste more bright cherry flavors as well as a little licorice (which could have been the fennel, but I'm not entirely sure).

The Grilli di Testamatta 2006 is a blend of 80% Sangiovese, 10% Colorino and 10% Canaiolo. These three types of grapes are often used to make Chianti, as well, and the wine tastes very similarly, though the youth of the grapes and the terroir give the Grilli di Testamatta more of a brightness, in my opinion. The grapes come mostly from new vines, and the wine is aged in wood for 18 months.

Only 2000 cases are made of this beautiful wine each year, so if you can find it, definitely pick it up. It's the perfect partner to pasta any night.

Yumminess factor: 7.5; Pairing with food: 8 - pasta or ossobuco; Buy it again: 8

Happy tasting!

Bibi Graetz keeps a great wine blog. Click here to read it

For Michael Skurnik's website and tasting notes, click here.

Grilli di Testamatta 2006 was also featured as the LATimes Wine of the Week in March 2009 - click here for the article

Find the wine for $29 at www.winehouse.com

After a long weekend of Halloween fun, the Weekly Wino was ready for a quiet evening on Sunday. Her man knew just the place: a little French bistro on Hyde Street.

"Would you like zomething French... pairhaps a Kir Royale?" the waiter asked us. Oh yes, a Kir Royale.

"So what exactly is the story behind a Kir Royale," I asked myself as I sipped the lovely, bubbly, fizzy cassis and champagne combo. Heavenly tasting, that is for sure. But there must be more...

And yes, there is more. (isn't there always?!)

According to Wikipedia and Food-Worldwide.com, the Kir is named for Felix Kir, the mayor of Dijon, France from 1945 - 1968 (Dijon sits at the north end of the Burgundy Region). The cocktail was previously known as Vin-Blanc-Cassis or Blanc-Cass, for short, since it was exactly that: white wine with cassis. Long before Felix Kir arrived, the cocktail was popular in Burgundy, especially with the bottling of creme de cassis that began in 1841. The original blend made from Aligote, the lesser-white grape of Burgundy, and creme de cassis. Post World War II, when red wine was scarce, Mayor Kir, who supposedly loved to drink the cocktail, encouraged the promotion of the cocktail to spur the sales of white wine and creme de cassis, both of which are products of Burgundy. The cassis also mitigated the astringency of the white wine, which pleased former red-wine drinkers. One creme de cassis maker, the Lejay-Lagoutte Company, requested the right to call their product Kir, after Mayor Kir, and soon others followed suit. Thus was born the Kir.

On an interesting side note, Mayor Kir was also an ordained Catholic preist as well as a French Resistance fighter in World War II. You can read more about him by clicking here.

Since its origination, many variations on the Kir have been adopted, including the Kir Royale, which is Creme de Cassis and Champagne. Others include the following:

Kir Petillant - made with sparkling wine instead of Champagne

Communard or Cardinal - made with red wine instead of white

Kir Imperial - made with raspberry instead of cassis

Kir Normand - made with Normandy cider instead of wine

Cidre Royal - made with cider instead of wine (we also used to call this a Snakebite when I lived in England)

and the list goes on...

The best, in my opinion, is the Kir Royale. It's light, fizzy, tart and tasty. Plus, it's loaded with vitamin C. All in all, it's a recipe for delight.

Official Kir Royale recipe:

1 part creme de cassis

9 parts Champagne

Pour the creme de cassis in the bottom of the flute, then add the Champagne on top

Happy Tasting!

On a cold Wednesday night in San Francisco, I walked down from Russian Hill into the gully of Polk Street. Fog was rolling in making auras around all the lamp posts and headlights, and people walked around cuddled up against each other, ducking into restaurants and houses. Made me want to cuddle up as I wrapped my jacket tighter around me and waddled on to a tasting. A perfect night for some hearty red wine!

William Cross Wine Shop was glowing amidst the closed stores with light and laughter pouring out onto the sidewalk. In the back of the shop, a crowd was gathered around the bar, arms sticking out reaching for more. The owner gave me a nod and a smile as he grabbed a wine glass and I stretched over a huddling mass for my first taste of wine.

The winery of the evening was Owen Roe, a small boutique spot located about 45 miles east of Portland, Oregon. The winemaker, David O'Reilly, is Irish and named the winery after Owen Roe O'Neill, a legendary 17th Century Irish Patriot with a passion for doing what's right. (If you google "Owen Roe," you find not only wine but a lot of Irish folk song sing-a-long albums, too!) I wouldn't say the wine is perfect, but it's obvious from both the passion of the gentleman pouring the wine that night and the beautiful packaging of each bottle of wine that the effort is there. The winery is young - started in 1999 - and I think with each year the wine will get better and better.

We started off with what was actually my favorite wine of the evening: 2008 Pinot Gris "Crawford-Beck Vineyard", from the Eola and Amity Hills. On the nose was a faint scent of lemon and pear. But the palate was surprisingly good! While still delicate, it had great lime and mineral qualities. There was no risidual sweetness either. It tasted quite similar, actually, to a very limey gin and tonic (and that's just how I like my gin and tonic!). Unfortunately, the store was already out of the 12 bottles they were allocated, since there are only 100 cases made of this wine. Guess I'll have to stick with the gin and tonics.

Yumminess factor: 8.5; Pairing with food: 6 (drink it on its own, too weak for food, I think); Buy it again: 10 (if only I could find it!)

Next up was the 2008 Sharecropper's Pinot Noir from Oregon. When I heard the name "Sharecropper's," I imagined visions of the great sharecropping story, "Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry." But the story of the wine is that when Owen Roe was first starting opened, a neighbor tried to sell the winery his grapes to make wine. David and team were skeptical, so they said, "ok, we'll make it. But we're not buying the grapes. We'll make the wine, and we'll split the profits." The wine was a hit, and the arrangement still stands today.

As for the wine, it had a very intense deep cranberry color to it, which caused me to ask if there was any syrah in it. But no, it was 100% pinot noir; 2008, they said, just had a very long harvest resulting in dark, juicy fruit. On the nose were rasberry & cranberry, and the palate had bright red fruit with some dusty earth and a general juicyness. While being tasty, and especially tasty for its fair price in the mid-$20s, I have to say that I did not go bonkers for it like I usually do for Oregon pinot (see entry on Amity Vineyards).

Yumminess factor: 6.5; Pairing with food: 6; Buy it again: 5 (doubtful)

I kept anticipating that the next wine would be a knock-your-socks off upscale pinot noir, but instead I was served a strange combination of Zin, Sangiovese and Malbec in the Abbot's Table 2008 from Columbia Valley. Clearly, this is an experimental wine. And while I appreciate the uniqueness of the blend, the nose was a strange combination of cayenne, pommegranate, earthiness and some stewed vegetables. And on the palate was all menthol. Perhaps I am just a simple taster, but the vastness of flavors on the nose followed up by the taste of ben-gay caused me to dump and move on.

Yumminess factor: 4; Pairing with food: 0 (too many flavors on the nose to pick one food); Buy it again: 1

Sinister Hand 2008, a GSM (Grenache-Syrah-Mourvedre) blend in the Rhone tradition had a nice dirty, dark red color, which got me excited for what I was hoping would be a stinky, old-fashioned Southern Rhone-like wine. The wine was pretty nauseating, though. Like the Abbot's Table, it was medicinal, and there was hardly any fruit. Needless to say, this was a dumper, as well.

Yumminess factor: 1; Pairing with food: 0 (too many flavors on the nose to pick one food); Buy it again: 0

I loved the name of the next wine - Ex Umbris Syrah - and I've attached below a link to a blog of a gentleman that gave it a great write-up. "Ex Umbris" means "Out of the Shadows," and by this point, I was very ready to get out of the shadows of mediocre wines 3 and 4. This 100% syrah wine had a  nose of dark molassas and huckleberry jam. On the palate was the taste of a balsamic reduction and stewed cherries. I didn't love it, but I could tell it was very well made. Kudos to the winemaker on this one. My favorite part, though, was definitely the name.

Yumminess factor: 5; Pairing with food: 4 - maybe a savory beef stew?; Buy it again: 3

By the last wine, I was one of the only winos left in the bar. I had been there for an hour and a half scribbling notes on the back of balance sheets leftover from my day job and hoping that one of the wines would move me. Finally, Lady Rosa Syrah came to my rescue. This dark purple wine from the Yakima Valley and Rattlesnake Hills and Washington State was the ringer. With lovely blackberry and stinky earth on the nose, it represented the syrah family well. The palate was dark and tangy with fantastic acidity. The chewy cassis flavors almost caused it to resemble a well-made Napa cab. According to the gentleman pouring the wine, this wine will only get better. With all that acidity, I can see that this wine will be fantastic about 2 years from now. And at $40-ish a bottle, it might be worth the investment...

Yumminess factor: 7; Pairing with food: 7 - steak; Buy it again: 6 (but only if they didn't have the Pinot Gris available)

All in all, it was a fun tasting. I wouldn't say Owen Roe is a star, but it is a quality family of wines. And on a cold night, mixed in with great neighbors and a great ambiance, overall it tasted pretty darn good.

Other blogs that have written about Owen Roe:

"Riding Shotgun on the Hell Express": http://www.rperro.com/

RJ's Wine Blog: http://www.rjswineblog.com/2009/08/owen-roe-winery.html

Best deals I could find online:

2007 Pinot Gris, 2008 Sharecropper's Pinot Noir and 2008 Abbot's Table: all $20.95 at www.northwest-wine.com

2008 Sinister Hand: $23.95 at www.northwest-wine.com

2007 Ex Umbris Syrah: $19.99 at www.klwines.com

2008 Lady Rosa Syrah: $44.95 at www.northwest-wine.com

Fello winos... it has been a long time. But we're back, and thank goodness for that!

After a 15 month hiatus in which I've been mired in financial data, I dipped my toe back into the wine world and found myself blissful yet again!

What got me back: a good friend and a chance to pour wine in St. Helena on Saturdays.

What made me want to write: Duckhorn Cabernet Sauvignon 2006, Monitor Ledge Vineyard.

And what a wine it is!

Duckhorn is, in my opinion, one of the classiest wineries in Napa. You can bring your parents and grandparents here, but you can also bring the boyfriend or girlfriend you’re looking to impress. Sitting in the middle of a sauvignon-blanc vineyard, abuted on one side by mountains and the other by the Napa River, it is just hard to beat. And the wines – they’re extraordinary! The one that blew me out of the park this week was Monitor Ledge:

My boyfriend and I opened the Monitor Ledge Cab after on dreary Saturday in San Francisco. After a day of fog, he was hankering for a stew; and like usual, I was hankering for some wine. What yielded was a beautiful compromise: he cooked, I poured and all was harmonious.

The Monitor Ledge Cab initially smelled like your typical California cab: big blackberry and blueberry on the nose with a hint of cigar and leather. The first taste to me also tasted cigar-like with a powdered sugar quality. But as the wine oozed over my tongue, blackberry jam and cassis flavors emerged. And the longer the wine sat in the glass, the more the powdered sugar sweetness dissipated and real, dark and luscious fruits emerged. I felt like I was bathing in a dark, velvety soup.

And speak of soup, the stew, which was a tomato-based beef stew, brought out the darker qualities of the wine. Since the stew had so much acidity, the sweet fruit and earthy qualities that had been previously overshadowed by blackberry could emerge. Nice coffee and dark chocolates were underneath with just barely a hint of earthiness. Both with and without the food, the wine was excellent. And much to my delight, resulted in absolutely zero headache the next day – the sign of a truly perfect wine!

Wino Rating:

Yumminess: 9/10

Pairing with food: 8/10

Buy it again: 7/10

(It was a little out of my price range for every day... but perhaps for a special occassion)

Unfortunately, I was unable to find any other semi-objective write-ups about Duckhorn’s Monitor Ledge Cabernet Sauvignon. But you can read about the soil and grapes by clicking here or visiting www.duckhorn.com.

For those hankering for a try, you can purchase Duckhorn Monitor Ledge Cabernet Sauvignon at Wine.com by clicking here or at LaMaisonGournmet.com by clicking here.

Enjoy!

Pictures found at www.duckhorn.com

4 glasses: 4 letdowns.

It’s not that they have been horrible – it’s worse. They’ve been mediocre. In our visits to restaurants in San Francisco over the past few weeks, my wine tasting friends and I have been shocked at how boring the wines have been. Last night, after taking a sip of his glass, a friend looked up at me with a raised eyebrow and the expression of someone who has been duped yet again:

“Well,” he sighed. “Should I even say it?”

Uninspired.

Lately, it has seemed almost like restaurants are afraid to take a risk on a wine lest they overhwhelm their patrons. (Granted, we patrons have probably asked for this, since we are often so quick to complain or send something back.) But we are now left only with limpid sauvignon blancs that lack freshness and pizzazz for fear of the grassy blast or cat pee stink they might find were they to try something new; figgy, flat zinfandels lest they take a chance on too much spice or charred wood.

So where does one go to seek inspiration? I go to 2 places: my cellar and SPQR.

My cellar really isn’t a cellar: it is 2 boxes under a table in my hall where I keep my favorites hidden. I have a few precious pinots, a couple of old Bordeaux blends, and a bunch of random gifts of wine that I’m a bit intimidated by truthfully. But I think now just might be the perfect time to pull out those bottles: not only does this wine taste better, but it also mitigates the cost of an evening out. I mean, in these recessionary times, who doesn’t love to save a penny or two? Plus, sharing a treasured bottle really does add a special charm to the evening. Thus wine-hoarders of the world, now is the time to pull out your good stuff. Save yourself from the tepid waters of mediocre wine!

As for those who want to go out for a meal and be assured of a good glass, head to SPQR on Fillmore Street. You can’t make a reservation, and the restaurant is crammed to the gills, but the sommelier, Ehren Jennings, knows what she is doing and won’t lead you astray. On top of that, she’ll introduce you to wines that will send your mind racing as it tries to figure out all the new flavors you are experiencing!

Recently, Ehren recommended to me a wine variety called Pecorino. I knew this name from the delicious Pecorino sheep's milk cheese of Italy, but I had never had such a wine. This golden-hued, slightly viscous wine absolutely surprised me! Though it had a lemony freshness, I felt almost like I could bite into the wine, much I like I would a piece of sponge cake, and sensed the honey-like crystals of honeycomb I love to accompany with sheep’s milk cheese. It matched perfectly with my fried Brussels sprouts, mollifying their bitterness with its tender sweetness.

From the Pecorino, I turned to a Falanghina for the rest of the evening: a light-bodied grassy wine, much like a very mild Sauvignon Blanc / Chardonnay blend. It was perfect with my cream-based gnocchi, adding a freshness to the otherwise heavy dish. I left the restaurant feeling grateful not only for the great meal and good wine, but also for the bravery of the SPQR team for fending off the banal choices most restaurants make and selecting brilliant, risky wines instead. I have yet to find a wine there that I haven’t admired, if not adored, and I will certainly be back again soon for more!

SFGate article about SPQR and its wine list: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/12/16/CMQHTJOIR.DTL&type=food