Foxburg Cellars Riverstone Red

Posted on December 28, 2009 by Trish P.

494553353_8429020351_m The moment my Pennsylvania friends discovered my new liking for wine, they immediately began making their recommendations for local vino. From the holidays alone I ended up with seven new bottles on the wine rack to try. Next week will be a trip to a local winery perhaps but for now, it’s an offering from a winery just outside Pittsburgh. The Foxburg Wine Cellars Riverstone Red table wine is my first excursion into the friendly state’s grape supply.

The Foxburg Wine Cellars are located, according to the back of the bottle, along the Allegheny River in Western Pennsylvania’s mountain region. The Foxburg folks also run a very nice inn and restaurant in the region known for its hospitality. The label is interesting and etched in white right into the glass and features a fox surrounded by pine trees.

The color is a very deep garnet bordering on strawberry juice red with a hint of raspberry thrown in for good measure; appetizing to look at if nothing else.

The odor of the wine smells a little strange, sort of a heavily perfumed wine. I smell pears and apple leaves as well as a slight undertone of twigs. There is a mustiness to the bouquet which usually indicates a creamy thick wine for me. I would almost describe it as a gooseberry smell. The wine smells like a rainy day in northern England’s hill country. Let’s hope the taste compliments the scent memory.

First to hit the taste buds is the sweetness of this red table wine, a sickly sweetness that certainly disappoints. There is a lack of clarity and too much creaminess to the structure of this wine. I don’t even want to take a second sip which is not a good sign. But for the sake of this blog’s integrity, here I go again.

No, no improvement. This wine is too sweet, too perfumed and reminds you of those wine coolers of a misspent youth. Not what I was expecting from a small Pennsylvania winery nestled in the mountains and all that. Sweet wines are not something I keep on my wine rack. Maybe I should have mentioned my preference for dry reds to my friends. Lesson learned.

Oh well, on to the next one. Anything is better than the Foxburg red which will now find a new purpose as kitchen sink drain cleaner.

New Wines for January 2010

Posted on December 28, 2009 by Candice L.

85807d

In the wine industry, a new release is not necessarily wine picked this past year, or even the year before. Some varietals are best kept in their barrels for a few years at least before drinking. Over time I guess I’ll learn which ones those are. For now, I’m just going to name a couple of wines which are being released onto the market in January, names I found interesting for one reason or another.

The first is the 2007 Dolcetto from Abacela winery in Roseburg, Oregon. I chose this one for two reasons: one is that I don’t see ‘Dolcetto’ on wine rack shelves nearly so often as Chardonnay or Cabernet Sauvignon. The other is that the vintage is 2007, reminding me of just how much I need to learn about wine, including the benefits of letting wines sit in barrels for longer than a year or so. As a bonus, Abacela turns out to be a multiple award-winner producing a wide variety of wines including Malbec, Cabernet Franc, and Syrah Cuvee.

The second wine I chose was the Napa Valley 2006 Reserve Merlot from Raymond Vineyards. Merlot fascinates me: the name alone makes me want to like this wine, it sounds so warm and the weather is so cold here. The thing is, from my recent experience, if I had ten bottles of Merlot on my wine rack they could be ten completely different experiences. The fact that this is a 2006 is intriguing: 3 1/2 years before the wine lover on the street could taste this red. Another interesting fact about this five generation winery is their involvement with charities such as the ‘National Abilities Center’ and ‘Share our Strength’, a program aimed at ending chidhood hunger in America.

While I’m indulging in a glass of wine I always feel better if, somehow, I’m giving back to the community, somewhere.

Exploring Wine Clubs

Posted on December 28, 2009 by Candice L.

membership

Of the thousands of wineries established around North America, many or just small businesses dealing directly with the public, some are huge corporations, while still others fall somewhere in between. One facator which unites them all is that they rely on you, the drinker, to keep them afloat. One way to establish regular business and keep in touch with wine lovers is the wine club.

Not all memberships are made equal. Beware the club memberships which look too good to be true. Patrons may receive a regular case of low quality wine, mixed with one or two decent bottles, and a couple of wines he or she would never drink anyway. Choose your membership carefully, from a vintner who is making the wine you want to put on your wine rack.

Benefits to wine club membership are many and varied. Wine will appear regularly at your door, with bills going straight to your credit card or prepaid according to your arrangement with the winery. A case might contain exclusive, pre-release or special edition wines the regular public haven’t tried yet or may never get to drink. Members are often eligible for event discounts, special prices on wine and merchandise, and private tastings or tours. Shipments may come with tasting notes and educational information.

There are also organizations which act as middle men, establishing customer preferences then dealing directly with the appropriate wineries to get the customer just what he or she wants. Club membership is often touted as ‘free’, but remember that if you choose this last option, the middle man has to get his money from somewhere, so weigh up the pros and cons of convenience versus price. Membership with a winery would likely be cheaper, though these may not be as flexible.

Writer Ponders Grape Stomping

Posted on December 28, 2009 by Candice L.

I’ve often wondered if stomping grapes with your feet would be fun. More importantly, would I drink the resulting wine? There’s something very unappealing about drinking wine which people stomped with bare toes (not that I’d like it better if they wore shoes), a feeling akin to eating road kill. But people do it, all of the time.

Whole festivals are arranged around this activity, with participants paying money to work (instead of the other way around). Clearly one is expected to wash those toes thoroughly, remove band-aids, dead skin, etc. Some individuals employ this process to produce wine at home. The point is to break up grape skins and other solids from the grape juice. Some of these ‘other solids’ I can easily picture: stems, leaves, that kind of thing; yet, the term ‘solids’ seems to have been left purposely vague if you ask me.

Depending on where you live, autumn takes place at a different time. Antipodian vintners are looking forward to March stomps, while September stomps in North America are a long way off. These can be good places to get wine at discount prices for your wine rack, especially if you look for an event in your own country. If you are traveling to Australia or New Zealand and the idea of grape stomping gives you a little thrill, look into booking tickets early. Regulars have already started flexing their toes in preparation and preparing their chat-up lines. ‘Come here often?’ that sort of thing.

Happy New Year

Posted on December 28, 2009 by Candice L.

Your friends are all away over the winter, or they have children and you don’t. Maybe you have kids too but you really need to get away. Then again, if the children are grown-up you might just want to recapture the party spirit you had before settling down to parenthood. There are lots of reasons to go out for New Year’s Eve, as many as there are places to celebrate, if you don’t mind the price.
Some of these events will be fundraisers, so if your motivation is to begin a New Year’s resolution to support your community, then keep an eye open for these celebrations. Otherwise, think ‘how much is taxi fare home’ or ‘will they be serving good wine?’
As if Kelowna needs to pretend to be something else, the Kelowna Actors’ Studio hosts a New York New Year’s Eve Party costing $125 per/person plus tax. Seating is limited to 42 people, each enjoying a 5 course meal with wine while being entertained by the Neville Bowman Trio.
Try a night at the Napa Valley Wine Train, that unique restaurant which travels along 25 miles of track through the wine region made even more famous than before by the flick ‘Sideways’. Another December 31st option is the Glitter Ball at Domaine Chandon, also in California. Tickets are still available for their lounge party, running from 9pm until 1 am. Cost is $75. Barboursville Vineyards in Virginia, King Estate Winery in Eugene, Oregon, Justin and Robert Hall Wineries in Paso Robles, California, and other wineries around the USA are hosting New Year’s Eve events. Rely upon good wine at these locations. Maybe you can even start loading your 2010 wine rack.
Or save your money, buy three or four really good bottles, invite your friends and ask them to each bring an appetizer. Hang glittering ornaments from the ceiling, place festive wine charms around the stems of your glasses, turn up the music you all like, Better yet, everyone gather around the organ to sing rousing versions of ‘Little Brown Jug’ and ‘The Green, Green Grass of Home.’
Oops, sorry. Flashback. That’s what my parents did, except they made me and my brother join in. Sometimes mom played the accordian instead. Always more amusing when watched sneakily from a bedroom door than when you have to participate and everyone is singing in a different key.

New Wineries of 2009

Posted on December 27, 2009 by Candice L.

While some businesses were closing across North America during the recession of 2009, others were forging ahead fearlessly. Perhaps their owners knew that when times are tough, many of us like a good drink. I am speaking of vintners, and lots of them.

I’ll start with New York, where a dearth of local wines disheartened some wine lovers enough to produce their own. Two such individuals are Jennifer Clark and Andrew Scott who welcomed customers to their Eminence Road Farm Winery of Long Eddy. They sell Cabernet Franc, Gewurztraminer, Chardonnay (which is already sold out), and Dry Apple varieties, 2008 being their first vintage.

There were 8 new Michigan wineries in 2009, including Burgdorf in the mid-Michigan Capital area. There you can make your own wine or purchase theirs, including Morado, a Michigan Concorde varietal ranked at ‘2’ for sweetness.

Indiana saw the emergence of 7 new wineries, including Scout Mountain Farm with Apple Strawberry, Traminette and more.

In Canada the two best-known wine-growing areas are the Okanagan and Niagara. The latter saw 14 new winery ventures this past year. One such is named The Old Third Vineyard which sells Pinot Noir exclusively.

An experienced vintner from Burrowing Owl has opened Black Sheep Winery in Osoyoos, part of Okanagan wine country. He grows Zinfadel, Malbec and Viognier. I’m partial to all of these.

What I’m thinking is that each hole in my wine rack could be filled with a wine from a different state or province. Once I’ve worked my way through all of those, then maybe I should turn my attentions to Europe? Or I could just get a bigger wine rack. Maybe even a cellar. Time to convert the canning room….

Sparkling Wine Suggestions

Posted on December 27, 2009 by Candice L.

Even people who don’t drink wine often associate New Year’s Eve with champagne or some other sparkling liquid. You might think you need to spend a lot of money to add good quality bottles to your wine rack for celebrating, but this is not the case. Lots of good sparkling wines are available at under $30.

I’ll start with the Sumac Ridge Steller’s Jay Brut. Their 2003 and 2004 vintages offer notes of toast and strawberry. The 2001 and 2002 vintages are creamy with the flavors of toast and citrus. Sumac Ridge is also celebrating the 2010 Olympics (due to arrive in our province in a matter of weeks) with a Non Vintage Shiraz. This wine tastes and smells of blueberry, cherry and chocolate, (anything ‘chocolate’ is enough to encourage my interest).

Blue Mountain Brut is made in the ‘methode traditionelle’ of French champagne. This is another sparkling option from the Okanagan, with a texture of mousse and the aroma and taste of toast and lemon. Gray Monk and See Ya Later also offer their own versions of Brut.

Many, many Californian wineries make sparkling wine. If for no other reason than the charming ‘Wind in the Willows’ theme of Toad Hollow, taste their Amplexus Cremant Brut, a mix of Chardonnay, Mauzac, and Chenin Blanc. Chandon, also from California, produces the salmon colored Blanc de Noirs. This extra-dry offering exudes dark cherry, currant and strawberry for a creamy taste. They also sell a Sparkling Red with black cherry, sweet cranberry, juniper berry and nutmeg notes.

These are just a sample of sparkling wines available for the New Year’s Eve festivities: your local liquor merchants should be knowledgeable enough to give you their own suggestions, complete with food pairing ideas (if you are still eating at 11:59 pm).

I will probably be asleep by then, so plan on sending out the old year at around 10 pm after my husband whoops me at Scrabble, a cup of herbal tea clutched in my shivering hands. I suppose I could always drink my tea from a wine glass, or I might enjoy one glass of wine after 9 pm, but no earlier, otherwise I’ll be asleep shortly after my children. Pathetic.

Washington State Wine Lovers

Posted on December 27, 2009 by Candice L.

Please forgive me: I don’t know much about wine yet, and even less about U.S. wines, but I would love to renew my passport just to tour your wineries. You have so many, all the way down your glorious west coast. Among these wineries are a number which host on-going events you may want to check-out during the post-Christmas blah days, before Valentine’s Day gets you excited again (unless, like me, you’re married, in which case Valentine’s Day is kind of pointless).
Fridays look to be the prime days for wine tasting. The first Friday of each month, various businesses in Yakima Valley host wine tasting with live music. In Walla Walla, at The New Waterbrook Winery, try Finally Fridays from 4-8 pm. Here you can enjoy a mix of wine and cuisine. Cave B Estate Winery in Quincy, with its unique acoustics, presents live music for an audience of up to 60. Check them out for more details of who will be playing. Thursdays and Fridays at Vin du Lac in Chelan from 4-6 is Happy Hour with a special menu. Friday isn’t the only day of the week, as you can see. On Tuesdays try Wapato Point Cellars in Manson for prime rib and wine, priced $35 per/person including child care (big bonus!). They also host a wine and dessert evening on Thursdays for $15 per/person. Be sure to RSVP. I would go just for the child care.
It sounds as though Washington state is just hopping with music, food and wine, but without the snow which would prevent travel during these gray winter months. These are great opportunities to spend the money you found in your gift cards from Santa on filling your wine racks with local wines, eat great food, and hear music you might not have heard before. That wine and dessert evening sounds especially appealing: I read something in the events calendar about their cheesecake. How fast can I get a passport, I wonder?

Gehringer Brothers Riesling, 2007

Posted on December 25, 2009 by Candice L.

The tall, slender bottles stood tall in our ‘local’ wine section at the government liquor store, elegant in their simplicity. No goofy names or gimmicks here, just wine. I’m a little bit goofy myself, so I wondered if this stuff was too classy for me. Still, when you’re looking for a medium-dry wine (02 or higher) priced at under $20, your choices are limited. So, I got down the classy wine and hoped the cashier wouldn’t stop me, requiring proof of intelligence and good breeding.

I have heard that Riesling can be a bit sweet: not like a sparkling dessert wine, but a departure from Chardonnay for sure. Uncorking the bottle, a tangy aroma met my nostrils which told me this was not the sweet treat I was expecting. I was reminded of lemons, tart apples, yet with an emergent sweetness beneath the acidic scent. A crisp honeydew color came halfway up my glass before I stopped to swirl. I’ve been a bit unsure about all of these wine tasting ‘techniques’, wondering how much is for show and how much really matters, but I would say definitely swirl your wine. The fruit came out even more boldly after a good spin, after which a sip of crisp liquid was due. I have decided that Gheringer Brothers 2007 Riesling would be a welcome sight on my wine rack. Though there is more residual sugar than in a dry white such as Ortega, there is also a lingering taste of bitter lemon on the back of the tongue. Not down the back of the throat, mind you, just the tongue, and not an unpleasant sensation as the taste sits there, tingling.

I’m not sure what one would pair this wine with: fruit salad filled with citrus fruits and topped with light, unsweetened whipped cream perhaps. My choice would be to drink this white alone, in a beautiful piece of crystal stemware, being careful to look and smell for a while first, just to make the experience last longer. Some wines disappear altogether too quickly.

2006 Georges Deboeuf Reserve Shiraz

Posted on December 25, 2009 by Trish P.

4106290272_165557461e_m I came home from another holiday visit to a nice little surprise on my mother in law’s wine rack: a couple of bottles from the Georges Deboeuf winery. My husband knew how much I had enjoyed the Beaujolais Nouveau offerings from the winery and it seemed like a great time to see if the rest of the product list was up to par.

Monsieur Duboeuf continues to keep my attention. And it isn’t just because his labels are so pretty. Although that helps.

The 2006 Shiraz Reserve is a wonderful deep purple color. I think it’s the most grape like wine I have had to date. A very creamy look to the liquid with a purple currant haze: enticing and curious. The bottle promised blackberries and a creamy finish, but I’ve learned not to listen to wine bottles. I inhaled a pleasing mix of blackberry, blackcurrant, strawberries and crushed green grass.

Fresh grass is something I often detect in the bouquet of a wine and I wonder if it’s because I have yet to distinguish between subtler flavors and aromas. There was also the slightest hint of bananas in the bouquet. Overall, a very fresh, sweet smell.

A swirl around the bowl of the glass enhanced the banana scent so I moved onto the first sip. It is a very smooth first sip, not too dry or sharp. A little crisp but far from overwhelming. I would call this a subtle taste, the flavor being more in the nose than on the taste buds.

There is no distinctive flavor here for me, a light bodied but structured wine with a slightly dry aftertaste. That said, the taste is simple enough to invite a second sip, a third, a fourth and so on. It’s just a nice tasting little Shiraz. This would work well for both lunch and dinner as it lacks the heavy spices I have detected in other Shiraz blends. The price tag of just under ten dollars make this a fresh and affordable sip. Of course, Duboeuf will return to the wine rack. I love the artistic approach to the bottle label, or bottle sleeve should I say as well as the fact the wines seem to invoke sense memory.

Yes, this is one winery I think even a newbee like myself could class as solid.