Weekly Wine Online

Saturday night is a sparkling-wine kind of night. And this Saturday, a great friend came to visit from Chicago, making it a doubly sparkle-worth evening. I joined her and a few others mid-bottle of Prosecco, nestled into a corner of Uva Enoteca in San Francisco’s Lower Haight District, a seedy-yet-trendy, up-and-coming section of town (and yes, I love to hyphenate words).

Uva Enoteca, it's worth noting, is totally hip and fabulous. I haven't eaten there yet, but I loved the ambiance, and I especially loved the wine list.

So back to the sparkles: the crew was sipping on Prosecco wine in celebration of Kate’s return. When I sat down, they immediately handed me a glass of Prosecco by Foss Maria and said, “Ains, what do you think?”

My first impression: "Weird." The wine was sweet!

A little research revealed that Prosecco was actually traditionally a sweeter sparkling wine, and that it has been made in Italy since Roman times. Only in the 1960s did Prosecco begin to become a drier wine, and that was thanks to both technology and taste preferences of consumers. It also turns out that we were sipping on a Prosecco wine from Cartizze, the most prestigious of all Prosecco vineyards that is comprised of only 260 acres and is located on a 1,000 ridge in the Veneto Region of Italy. This small plot of land is divided up between 140 winemakers who traditionally harvest these grapes at the end of the growing season, resulting in a slight residual sweetness.

The grapes harvested for Prosecco wines are actually Prosecco grapes that are made almost solely for the production of sparkling wine. The name “Prosecco” comes from an ancient Northern Italian village named Prosecco, which is near Trieste. Prosecco wines are made in the Charmat Method, which is slightly different (and cheaper) than the Méthode Champenoise that is used for making Champagne.

All sparkling wines must undergo a second fermentation or else have bubbles injected into the wine (though only the cheap ones do that, and they give you seriously gnarly hangovers). During the second fermentation, a little bit of sugar and yeast substance or liquer triage is added to the wine that has already undergone a first fermentation in barrel. This mix of sugar and yeast results in carbonation as the yeast converts the sugar into alcohol. However, whereas Champagne undergoes a second fermentation in bottles, during which time the bottles must be turned each day, the second fermentation for Prosecco and other wines made in the Charmat Method, occurs in a large stainless tank and the wine is then bottled afterwards. The bubbles in Prosecco are usually smaller as a result of this method, but the wine is also cheaper to make and often results in a brighter, fresher taste.

As for the Foss Marai “Cartizze” Prosecco, truthfully, I wasn’t too impressed by it. It smelled almost exactly like the banana Lifesavers you find in the “Tropical Fruits” Lifesaver rolls. And on the palate, it had a sweet burst of lemon but quickly dissipated into a pear-like juice. Additionally, the wine went flat almost immediately. It was fine, but I was hoping for something drier and, truthfully, a little more sparkly.

It turned out that the whole group wanted something drier, as well, so we finished off the bottle and ordered another – and much cheaper – Prosecco.

The Col Vetoraz Prosecco was everything I love about Prosecco. The bubbles ran right off the glass into your tongue bringing bright lemon and fresh acidity that left your mouth watering for more. It was dry, lacked any yeast-like breadiness that sometimes comes with sparkling wine, and was just generally refreshing. As the cheapest Prosecco on the list, it was also my favorite of the two. Just the right sparkle, just the right price, just how I like it. Cheers!

Learn more about Prosecco by visiting a fantastic website, www.lifeinitaly.com/wines, which has ample information about all Italian wines.

Foss Marai “Cartizze” Prosecco: $54 at Uva Enoteca

Yumminess factor: 5; Pairing with food: n/a; Buy it again: 0 - Nope

Col Vetoraz Prosecco: $29 at Uva Enoteca

Yumminess factor: 7; Pairing with food: n/a; Buy it again: 7 – Probably

Learn more about the Foss Marai wines by visiting http://www.fossmarai.com/uk/

Learn more about Col Vetoraz by visiting http://www.colvetoraz.it/storia.phtml

Lastly, below is a link to a very interesting blog entry about Prosecco: http://winesediments.net/2006/06/10/prosecco_more_than_a_poor_mans_spumante/

Image of the Cartizze:

Hi and welcome to the Weekly Wine Online!

This blog started as a record of what I was tasting and has developed into a forum for anything-wine.  At least once weekly, I seek out tasting adventures, which I record here for my own amusement and hopefully yours, as well! 

I was practically weaned on wine and was lucky enough to start traveling to wine regions around Europe world sipping vino from a pretty early age.  I was also lucky enough to taste some of the greats while working at Sotheby’s Wine Department in New York – the first glass of wine I had there was a 1986 La Tâche. La Tâche is a seriously awesome and extremely rare Burgundy wine made by one of the greatest wineries in the world, Domaine Romanee Conti. I probably should have stayed at Sotheby's forever if I had only known how hard La Tâche and her DRC friends would be to come by later on (let alone afford!)  I’ve since gone on to work for other wine makers and vendors, and I continue to propigate my existence as a Cork-Dork, Wine Geek, Soil Foil - you name it - and I love every minute of it!

But truly, my love of wine extends from boxes, bags and cubes to age-old Burgundy and Bordeaux, and I’m willing to give almost anything a chance (provided it's wine, of course).  I can’t promise you’ll love everything I taste or smell all the Cajun spices I associate with Sangiovese, but you’ll hopefully be amused.

Thanks for reading, and hope you enjoy!

Prost!

Ainsley

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