Wines for Spring Part II: A Shopping List - 20 wines to kick off any springtime BBQ!

Part II of my Spring Wine Guide (Read Part I here): The chill of winter is ready to be packed away with your snow pants and wool sweaters in exchange for bathing suits and tank tops. If you’re like me, this time of year you’ll also transition from drinking big red wines every night to more Champagne, crisp whites, and Rose. Sure you’ll still have a big Cabernet or Barolo with a nice dinner indoors, but on a warm spring or summer night its best to kick things off with one (or two, or three!) bottles of a light, slightly chilled wine.

Here are my recommended wines for this Spring organized by Country and Price, with truncated tasting notes (Pink text = Rose wine, Green text = white or sparkling wine, Red text = red wine):

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October Wine Club Meeting: 14 bottles of wine, 14 people and one large order of Mexican food…

We had another very fun and successful wine tasting this past week (Oct 25, 2007). The theme was Mexican food and wines that accompany which resulted in some interesting wines that were new to me! A big thank you to Donna for setting everything up! She made the night happen! Below are my notes on most of the wines…I “misplaced” the other notes at some point during the evening! And don’t worry, next month’s tasting is currently being worked out and will be something incredible!

Helfrich Gewürztraminer (Steinklotz) Alsace Grand Cru (2001) - $20: Nose: honey, melon, apricot, mineral, a
lot of grapefruit. The wine had a very delicate texture, concentrated fruits and a touch of acidity. Sweet but not overly sweet with spice notes on the finish. Very good. My rating: 90 pts

J&HA Strub Niersteiner Bruckchen Riesling Kabinett (2005): Light, white peach color with peach and vanilla nose as well as a bit of rubber which was off. Very sweet, lacking balance. My rating: 83 pts.

Elk Run 2005 Gewürztraminer: Was quite impressed with this Maryland made Gewürztraminer. Elegant layers of fruit and spice with a very warm texture. Was great with a Chile Rellano. My rating: 88 pts

MollyDooker - The Violinist (Verdalho) - 2006: This Verdalho (a Portuguese grape) showed a great nose of wet stone, citrus and apple. On the palette the wine was an explosion of tropical fruits and pineapple, with a very smooth texture and a great finish. This was my first time having this but definitely will not be the last! Was a great wine for the food, especially with a chimichanga. My rating: 91 pts

Penfolds Kenunga Hills Shiraz (2005): Great nose of smoke, toasted marshmallow’s, vanilla and a touch of coffee. Big dark fruits, sour cherry, lots of spice. This wine was bought for $10 but could easily stand up to some of the $50 or more Shiraz’s I’ve had recently. Very well done by Penfolds. My rating: 92 pts

Saumur Les Pouches - Loire Valley (2006): Consistent with the last time I had this wine (see notes here). Opened the night before, maybe 88 pts this time around but still very good. My rating: 88 pts

MollyDooker - The Boxer Shiraz (2006): Decanted 1 hour. Giant nose of blackberry, plum, toasted oak, and a good amount of spice. I have to say it again…huge nose! The wine had good balance overall and I look for the tannins to balance out in another few years. Ripe fruits on the palette with chocolate notes and spice, with a big finish lasting quite a while. My rating: 90 pts

Montes Alpha 2005 Syrah Colchagua Valley Apalta Vineyard: This was one of the better values of the night. Great fruits with exciting spice and good tannins. Very good overall. My rating: 90 pts

Barbara d’ Alba (Massolino) 2006 (Two bottles of this): First bottle was corked, so we opened another. This wine showed ripe fruits but was a bit tight. Should have decanted it longer. In any case, good wine. My rating: 88 pts.

Razon 2005 Pythagorean Theorom - Spain: Quite interesting nose of Chile peppers, plum, cassis with a touch of orange rind (yes, weird). A lot of great flavors going on throughout the palette and surprisingly smooth tannins. Would have wanted more out of the finish, but again another good value wine. My rating: 86 pts

Marietta - Old Vine Red Lot#44 Geyserville (2005): Another wine filled with dark berries, plum and toasted oak. Great spice throughout, again with pretty forward fruits. Good acidity carries the wine through the finish. Overall good balance. My rating: 89 pts.

Planning a good weight loss plan would be alternating atkins diet with the blood type diet. Dieticians favour anything but a weight loss surgery.

Albert Seltz Gewurztraminer Reserve (2004) - $15

If you caught my entry a few days back, you’ll know all about Alsace, the region in north-east France where this wine comes from. If you missed it, it can be found here! Tasting notes: Dark straw hue. Apricot, melon and floral notes on the nose - very vibrant. Buttery texture on the palette with mild acidity - long finish with lasting melon and apricot finishing with dried thyme and a hint of spice. Yum, great value! - My Rating: 88 pts

“Al-’zas”

Welcome to part two of the “Learn how to pronounce a French wine region” series! “Al-’zas”, better known as Alsace, is in the north-eastern portion of France on the western banks of the Rhine river, bordering Germany. The Alsace is known for producing exceptional white wines (90% of wine production in Alsace is white), the major varietals being Gewurztraminer, Riesling, Pinot Blanc and Sylvaner. The wines of Alsace used to be more dry and crisp, but today we find many sweeter versions that are a result of later harvest (more concentrated fruits) of the grapes and therefore wines with more sugar.

There are three demarcated AOC regions in Alsace: Alsace AOC for white, rosé and red wines, Alsace Grand Cru AOC for white wines from particular classified vineyards and Crémant d’Alsace AOC for sparkling’s. A good look at the names of many of the producers in the region, as well as the varietals grown in Alsace, you will find that they are very much from Germanic influence.  The area was the site of many terrible battles over the course of the Franco-Prussian War, as well as the center of many brutal conflicts in both World Wars.  A stroll through the cobblestone streets of many Alsatian villages will result in one of the most beautiful landscapes in all of Europe, filled with gravestones marking the final resting place of many French and German soldiers.

As far as wine is concerned, the most important characteristic of Alsace is its climate. With the Vosges mountains to the west the region is somewhat sheltered from a lot of rainfall giving it summers that can be quite dry. Further, cool, long growing seasons give ample time for the ripening of many of the grape varieties, and a late harvest can lead to outstanding, concentrated, fruity wines. The Alsace runs north to south, with the Rhine River to the east. The soil is variable throughout the region.

Food and Alsace Pairings

• Spicy Chicken Stir-fry with Gewurtztraminer
• Roast Chicken with Lemon and Thyme with Riesling
• Cajun-seared Sea Scallops with Gewurtztraminer
• Sushi with a Cremant d’Alsace (sparkling)

Final Note: Any Asian cuisine will do very well with wines from Alsace

My favorite Alsatian producers (look for 2005’s which was a good vintage):

• Lucien Albrecht
• Trimbach
• Kuentz-Bas
• Weinbach

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