MD Cru June Offline: Rieslings, Malbecs, Chorizo, Shrimp, Scallops and Flank Steaks- “Life is good.”

“Life is good.” That statement, which was made about halfway through dinner Saturday night by history guru “GF”, would be sufficient to sum up the evening. This was, of course, the monthly meet-up of the MD Cru- a group of food and wine enthusiasts who organize through the Wine Spectator forums to share great food and stories. And of course we open a few bottles of wine as well.

This month we were in D.C., at the beautiful historic home of one of the groups long-time members (there is no official group, or membership, for that matter, but it’s an easy way to refer to what has become a gathering of friends). The wine theme was two fold: German Rieslings and Argentine Malbecs. Other wines made it into the rotation, of course; a couple whites to start, a Champange, dessert wines, and a “pair” of ringers from Chile. Read more

Friday Wine Roundup: Best QPR (Quality to Price) Wines This Week- June 20, 2008

QPR is a measure of a wines Quality to Price Ratio. QPR is used to determine whether or not a wine is worth its price. Each Friday I put up a list of wines that I have recently tasted, that I feel offer great “bang for their buck.” With gas at $4.00 a gallon or more, it’s good to know that you can continue to enjoy great wines even when the budget tightens up. The wines listed here are wines that I feel offer you, the consumer, a great wine that is both well priced, and succeeds at providing a great wine experience. I try to introduce new grape varieties or wine regions to keep things interesting and recommend keeping an eye out for these good QPR’s next time you’re out wine shopping. Most, if not all are available throughout Baltimore. Read more

Meats on the grill and Pinot vs. Pinot: Argentina vs. New Zealand With My Good Friend Carlos

The Pinot Noir grape has a reputation for being difficult to grow and even more difficult to produce into a great wine. Since I’ve never had the chance to grow or make a Pinot, I can only go by the variability in the quality of Pinot Noir at certain price points. Across the board Pinot Noir’s are the most unpredictable wines when it comes to quality and value. Generally speaking, you have to spend two to three times more than you would for any other wine to get a good Pinot Noir.

With this in mind, Kim and I invited our friend Carlos (pictured above with Kimmy, and his leg is pictured next to the food below!) to come over, sit outside on the gravel that is our patio under renovations, and drink a few Pinots in the blind format. We wanted to evaluate the wines on their own, as well as with a variety of foods. I fired up the grill and threw on some lamb rib chops, a porterhouse steak, and a spicy marinated duck breast, as well as sides of pancetta-wrapped asparagus and spicy marinated eggplant. Overall the food went well with all three wines. Read more

20 Great Value Wines: How to drink good wine when gas is $5.00 a gallon or more

The current economy has most of us cutting back on non-essentials, driving less, and trying to find ways to save a few bucks. Below is a list of wines that you can afford by cutting back on two gallons of gas or less (most are under $10!). For specific recommendations on wines, wine regions, wine pairings, or anything related to value wines, leave a comment. Have a favorite wine under $10 that I missed? Let us know about it! (Image: WINE AND MONEY© Kvkirillov | Dreamstime.com)

Here are my top picks for value wines, producers, and wine regions. Keep in mind that an 85 is a “Very Good” wine and shouldn’t be overlooked. Too often reviewers and magazines want you to think that only 90 point wines are worth drinking…this isn’t the case and can become quite expensive! An 85 point wine is a wine that I consider to be very good, and would buy again.

Keep an eye out for my report next week on the best wineries and wine regions when it comes to quality and value!

Twenty Great Value Wines: (Click here to download this as a shopping list in PDF Form)

Sparkling

N.V. Riondo Prosecco Veneto IGT -$12 (Italy, Veneto, Veneto IGT): Sealed with a traditional cork requiring a cork-screw. A little sweet, hint of yeast, a little fruity, not a lot of fizz but quite refreshing. Overall good appertif, nice flavors. My rating: 87 pts, GV (Good Value)

N.V. Roederer Estate Brut -$21 (USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley): This is the most expensive wine I put on the list, with all the others being $12 or less. But for the price, you get good value here. Apples and citrus on the palate, a very crisp wine with subtle nuttiness and caramel. Nice finish- a great bottle of a special dinner on a budget. My rating: 89 pts, GV Read more

Wine Club March ‘08 Meetup: The Recap!

This past weekend the F&WB Wine Club met up for an Easter-eve wine tasting. We had a good turnout this month with 13 attendees including 5 (two of which I am pictured with below near our bar) new people who haven’t been to any previous tastings. There were more than 10 cheeses, multiple salmon-based finger foods, grilled chicken and a bunch of other treats on hand. The theme was to bring a bottle of wine under $20 that was something you have had before and enjoyed. The hope was to find a handful of great value wines that would be outstanding for every-day consumption. About half of the wines fell into this category while the other half were randomly picked. The wines were all brown bagged and tasted blind and rated. We voted on our favorites at the end of the night before removing the bags. Below is a list of the wines on hand in descending order of how they were rated (I present the sparkling wines first which were tasted non-blind). The unanimous winner was the 2006 Fat Catz Cat Amongst Pigeons Syrah/Cabernet blend which I scored blind 91 pts and is an outstanding value.
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Muchas Gracias Carlos

When my friend Carlos went home to visit his family in Argentina this past May I made a request: bring me back any Malbec from Mendoza that I haven’t had before. Well, he did. And almost 5 months later we finally got together on Monday to open the bottle and give it a taste.

This Salentein Malbec Roble comes from the Valle de Uco in Mendoza, Argentina. Yet above the label is the National Emblem, or Coat of Arms (seen to the left) for Holland. It is not obvious why a bottle of wine from an Argentinian winery displays the National Emblem for Holland. In the answer lies a beautiful story.

At the February 2, 2002 wedding of Prince Willem-Alexander of Holland and the Argentine Maxima Zorreguieta (now Princess Máxima of the Netherlands), the Queen’s Sommelier chose the 2000 Salentein Primus Pinot Noir as the official wine for the event. Highlighting this spectacular event was a piece by the great composer Astor Piazzollo entitled “Adiós Nonino.” Piazzolla composed this classic piece in 1959 shortly following the death of his father. Though Piazzolla is famous for many compositions, some considered to be more important and of greater quality, this piece became forever etched in stone as his trademark work. A clip of “Adiós Nonino can be seen here:

I’m very excited to try the Primus Pinot Noir when I can get my hands on a bottle. The bottle we had, a Malbec Roble (Roble meaning Oak), was quite good. We let the Malbec breathe for about an hour before we poured it. Once in the glass, we knew we were in for a treat.

The wine was dark purple and completely opaque. (Don’t mind the wine on the label in the image, there’s a few more drips still in the carpet from two tragic incidents!) Looking down into the glass I had thought my wine was switched out for coffee! On the nose was black fruits, vanilla, pepper, and a good amount of alcohol. The high (14.5%) alcohol content was well integrated in the wine though and was not at all overbearing. Immediately I tasted blackberry and black cherry and as I worked my way through the big yet velvety tannins discovered hints of leather, chocolate, and pleasant sweetness to the wine. The 14 months in new French Oak (wine consultant Michel Rolland has a hand in operations) gave the wine great character and spice. The finish was quite long and kept going until the next sip. I’d really like to try this wine in another 6 months. My rating: 90 pts

With a little searching I found that you can find this wine at some stores in the United States. I would highly recommend this wine to accompany any grilled beef, especially a nice, medium-rare Cowboy Ribeye!
(Note: Top two images from Wikipedia)

Torrontes: Argentina’s White Wine

Torrontes is the main white grape of Argentina and is found in many of the major wine producing provinces, including La Rioja, Mendoza, Salta, San Juan and Rio Negro. The grape itself is medium sized, round and found in dense bunches on vines with dark green leaves and beautiful structure.

Wines made from Torrontes tend to have quite floral bouquets, with ripe peach, citrus, apple and apricot not uncommon. The wines are balanced with mild acidity and mouthfuls of lively fruits. In the first tenth of a second of the sip of wine you might expect something with a velvety texture and sweet, but Torrontes quickly become more crisp and dry and can sometimes be reminiscent of a Sauvignon Blanc. A great accompaniment to chicken stir fry, grilled seafood or spicy Asian cuisine, Torrontes is a great dinner wine.

Twice named ‘Value Brand of the Year’ by Wine & Spirits magazine, winemaker Susana Balboa’s ‘Crios’ label has become a huge hit with the American audience. Susana has traveled the world, studying the techniques of growers and winemakers alike in every country from Australia to France. The results of her efforts speak for themselves.

• Pascual Toso Torrontes Mendoza Maipu Vineyards (2005) - No tasting notes on this one, but I remember thinking it was a steal at $8. Great QPR (Quality to Price Ratio).
• Crios de Susana Balboa Torrontes (2006) - Signature floral bouquet with pear as well as a zest of orange. Apple, peach and citrus palette with a touch of jasmine. Very good. $16 - My rating: 88 pts
• Santa Julia Torrontes Mendoza (2006)- Picked this up last week and was very happy with it.  Great nose, lively fruits, crisp, clean finish.  My rating: 86 pts