Back in the FLX

I'm back at Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard in the Finger Lakes, with a promotion from harvest intern to full-time assistant and the dirty, raw hands to go with it! This past week we were grafting - European Vinifera buds on American rootstock - which involved a fun machine that makes an Omega cut to hold the pieces together and an even more fun vat of hot red wax that we dip the new plants in to keep them together. Also this week we started moving the first of what will be many tanks that have finished fermentation so the wine can clear.  It was fascinating to see the tartrate crystals that had formed (although not as much fun to clean them since I didn't realize how harsh they are and my hands are now thoroughly cut up) and to see how fast the wine cleared once it was moved off the fermentation gunk (by the next day). I'm learning how to sulfur the wine to stabilize it and how to measure residual sugar and alcohol.  It was very exciting to taste what has been made from the grapes we picked and crushed last fall.

Spring in the FLX is pretty nice so far - as long as it doesn't snow tomorrow like they are saying - and I get to see this waterfall every day:

Pink Wine

This post is dedicated to my mom, lover of White Zinfandel, in celebration of her birthday this month.

Note: I am no longer referring to pink wines as "rose" wines, since this is a French word and not all wines are French. So these types of wines will from now on be labeled "pink."



During my travels in Argentina and Chile I learned about how some pink wines are made. To further concentrate red wines, some of the free run juice is bled off the skins after a short amount of contact, resulting in a pink by-product wine that is usually vinified dry. The remaining red wine has a higher ratio of skins to juice, resulting in more concentrated flavor, color and structural components.

This method is not new. In fact, when Bob Trinchero of Sutter Home Winery in California released the first White Zinfandel in 1973, he had made it for the same reason. It was a by-product of his red Zin that he wanted to get more concentrated. He fermented the pink stuff dry and sold it as White Zinfandel. A few years later, while making this wine, the fermentation got stuck and not all of the sugar was converted to alcohol. Bob tried it, liked it, and decided to bottle it that way. The sweet White Zin was a hit with Americans who thought they didn't like wine. And now you know the rest of the story.

Like it or not, and even though my mom prefers Beringer to Sutter Home, we still owe thanks to Sutter Home for starting the White Zin craze and getting more Americans to drink wine. I am happy to report that my mom's evolving palate now enjoys many Rieslings and sometimes a Gewurztraminer :) Happy Birthday, Mom!

Sauv Blancs for Spring - this weekend at Puro Wine

This weekend at Puro Wine, Manhattan's hotspot for Chilean wine, try some Sauvignon Blancs for Spring!

 

Friday, March 26, 5:00-7:00pm  Quintay Wines

Quintay is an affiliation of landowners in Chile's Casablanca Valley, and winemaker Vicente Johnson selects the best plots of each vintage year to make Quintay wines.  The Sauvignon Blancs are fresh, dry and crisp - ideal for the beginning of Spring!  The Pinot offers more fruit and body than you might expect, with concentrated red fruit, dried herb notes and a velvety texture.

2008 Quintay Clava Sauvignon Blanc, $11/btl. or $118.80/case  2008 Quintay Sauvignon Blanc, $16/btl. or $172.80/case 2007 Quintay Pinot Noir, $21/btl. or $226.80/case

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Saturday, March 27, 4:00-6:00pm  Viña Tabali Wines

Puro Wine is proud to introduce Viña Tabali to the New York City market!  Tabali is located in the Limari Valley, where bright sunlight, cool breezes from the Pacific and chalky soils produce remarkable wines.  Winemaker Felipe Müller was named Best Winemaker of the Year by the Guia de Vinos de Chile 2010, and the wines have won high regards from critics around the world.  Check them out for yourself!

2008 Tabali Reserva Sauvignon Blanc, $14/btl. or $151.20/case  2008 Tabali Reserva Especial Chardonnay, $19/btl. or $205.20/case 2007 Tabali Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon, $17/btl. or $183.60/case

Puro Wine

161 Grand Street (at Centre St)

New York NY 10013
212 925 0090

This weekend at Puro Wine: Viña Morande & Haras de Pirque

This weekend, Puro Wine (located at the corner of Grand Street and Centre Street in lower Manhattan) is featuring these 2 Chilean producers for free tastings.

Friday, March 19, 5:00-7:00pm Viña Morande Wines

Viña Morande's Pionero and Reserva wines celebrate the social, welcoming and easygoing qualities of modern Chilean wine.  Morande is based in the Casablanca Valley, a cool region that produces fresh, fruit-forward whites and Pinot Noirs.  Priced at $9 and $12 each, they're the perfect wines to pour for parties too.

2008 Morande Reserva Sauvignon Blanc, $12/btl. or $129.60/case 2009 Morande Pionero Pinot Noir, $9/btl. or $97.20/case 2008 Morande Pionero Cabernet Sauvignon, $9/btl. or $97.20/case 2008 Morande Reserva Pinot Noir, $12/btl. or $129.60/case

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Saturday, March 20, 4:00-6:00pm Haras de Pirque Wines

Haras de Pirque is tucked in the foothills of the Andes Mountains in the upper Maipo Valley, where they produce excellent Cabernet Sauvignon as well as thoroughbred horses.  (Note the winery was designed in the shape of a horseshoe.)  This tasting focuses on two levels of Cabernet - the Equus and the Elegance - that both offer value and finesse well above the price tag.

2007 Haras de Pirque Estate (Equus) Cabernet Sauvignon, $14/btl. or $151.20/case 2005 Haras de Pirque Elegance Cabernet Sauvignon, $45/btl.

ALSO: In support of rebuilding Chile after the recent earthquake, several big importers and distributors are donating their profits to Chile. This month when you purchase the 2007 Errazuriz Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon or any wine from Montes, all profits go to relief efforts. 

Chile's Long Hill - Loma Larga

Last week at Puro Wine in lower Manhattan I picked up this bottle of wine for the weekend. I hadn't visited Loma Larga while I was in Chile, but the manager highly recommended it when I said I was looking for a mid-priced Pinot so I took her suggestion. It was really enjoyable, with a powerful nose and flavors of rose petal, red fruit, chocolate, and a bit of funk. It's a silky, fuller bodied Pinot with 14.5% alcohol, and I sipped it without food (unless chips and dip count?) and quite liked it.

The Loma Larga 2007 Pinot Noir received 90 points from Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, and it retails for $21 at Puro Wine (161 Grand Street).

Rave Riesling Reviews for HJW

Congrats to my friends at Hermann J. Wiemer, who got rave reviews from Wine Spectator for 4 of their 2008 Rieslings!

Here are the reviews and ratings from James Molesworth:

HERMANN J. WIEMER
Riesling Finger Lakes Dry HJW Vineyard 2008
92 points | $39 | 80 cases made | White
Still reserved for now, with white peach, blanched almond, bitter lemon and Key lime flavors all laced up tightly by a note of jasmine tea. Dense and ripe, but tightly wound on the finish. Will need to stretch out in the cellar. Best from 2011 through 2014.—J.M.

HERMANN J. WIEMER
Riesling Finger Lakes Late Harvest Bunch Select 2008
92 points | $100/375ml | 75 cases made | dessert
Inviting with a gorgeous beam of persimmon, apricot and blood orange fruit flavors allied to a creamy, lush frame. Fig, green tea and creamed pear notes then fill out the lengthy finish with great underlying snap. Drink now through 2019.—J.M.

HERMANN J. WIEMER
Riesling Finger Lakes Dry Reserve 2008
91 points | $23 | 400 cases made | White
Though still compact now, this is really juicy and ripe with a great core of yellow apple, melon rind, jasmine and white peach notes backed by a bracing edge. The long, quinine-tinged finish needs a little time to settle in. Drink now through 2013.—J.M.

HERMANN J. WIEMER
Riesling Finger Lakes Late Harvest Select 2008
90 points | $62/375ml | 50 cases made | dessert
Very fresh with an invigorating feel to the dried apricot, ripe peach and creamed melon notes, with a flitter of green tea weaving in on the sweet, succulent finish. Lush, but with good snap for balance. Drink now through 2012.—J.M.

J. Bouchon Wine Tasting this Friday in NYC

Today I was at Puro Wine in downtown Manhattan. Seeing their selection of Chilean wine made me nostalgic for my trip, and I had to restrain myself from not buying the whole store. I picked up a few bottles and learned that this Friday from 5-7pm they will be pouring two J. Bouchon wines - Sauvignon Blanc and Carmenere. I tried these wines when I visited the winery in the Maule Valley and I highly recommend them. Stop by if you can!

J. Bouchon Wine Tasting
Friday, March 12
5-7pm

Puro Wine
161 Grand Street
New York NY 10013
212 925 0090
puro-wine.com

Help Chile - drink their wine

Some of the areas that I visited during my wine trip to Chile were severely affected by the earthquake on February 28. Wineries in the Maule Valley and Colchagua Valley sustained damage to their equipment and cellars, and a significant amount of wine has been lost - hundreds of thousands of liters. Many people lost their homes and some places are still without water and electricity.

These pictures are from J. Bouchon Winery, who lost a fair amount of wine and suffered some structural damage. But everyone there is ok and they are gearing up for their 2010 harvest.

If you want to help Chile, why not check out Puro Chile and Puro Wine in Manhattan at Centre St. and Grand St. - they sell lots of Chilean wines, crafts, olive and avocado oils (there are a lot of avocados in Chile and the oil is really good).

Puro Chile
221 Centre Street
New York, NY 10013
212 217 9362
puro-chile.com

Puro Wine
161 Grand Street
New York NY 10013
212 925 0090
puro-wine.com

Buena Suerte, Chile!

Argentina, Chile, Uruguay: My Wine Awards

I drank a lot of wine in South America! So I thought I'd wrap up the trip with a recap of my favorites. It can be tough for me to choose favorites since I believe wine-drinking is very circumstantial, but I tried my hardest to find my top picks. I've paid homage to the signature grapes of each country plus my other favorites in the major color categories. And I've rated my best food pairings and wine experiences in each country.

ARGENTINA
Fave Malbec: Colome Malbec Estate 2007
Fave Torrontes: Miraflor 2009
Fave other Red: Los Vencejos Aleteo 2006 (Tempranillo)
Fave Rose: Melipal Malbec Rose 2009
Fave Dessert wine: San Pedro de Yacochuya Late Harvest Torrontes 2007
Fave wine/food pairing: O. Fournier Urban Uco Sauvignon Blanc 2009 with steak tartar
Fave overall wine experience: Barrel sampling at Los Vencejos

CHILE
Fave Carmenere: J. Bouchon Carmenere Reserva Especial 2007
Fave other Red: Casa Marin Pinot Noir Lo Abarca Vineyard 2006
Fave Rose: J. Bouchon Cabernet Sauvignon Rose 2009
Fave White: Casa Marin Gewurztraminer 2009
Fave Dessert wine: Errazuriz Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc 2007
Fave wine/food pairing: Errazuriz Merlot 2007 with pastel de choclo
Fave overall wine experience: J. Bouchon Winery and Mingre Lodge excursion

URUGUAY
Fave Tannat: Bouza Tannat A6 2007
Fave other Red: Alto de la Ballena Merlot-CabFranc-Tannat 2006
Fave Rose: Alto de la Ballena CabFranc-Tannat Rose 2008
Fave White: Stagnari Chardonnay 2009
Fave wine/food pairing: Bouza Chardonnay 2008 with creamy spinach ravioli

Fave overall wine experience: Wine tasting and barrel sampling at Alto de la Ballena

Thanks for following my journey! If anyone ever tries any of the wines I tried please feel free to leave a comment with your impressions.

From deserts to glaciers to dinosaurs

I finished my South American journey by cooling off in Patagonia with the glaciers. In the town of El Calafate in the Santa Cruz province of Argentina, I was awed by glaciers and snowy mountains and enjoyed Patagonian lamb in all its forms. I was pleased to see that Patagonia is also a wine-producing region; I had high hopes for this Pinot Noir, figuring it must be more like the cool-climate Pinots I enjoy. Saurus is so named because when the Familia Schroeder winery was being built they found fossil remains of a Titanosaur, one of the largest species of dinosaurs ever known. Pretty cool! I had the 2007 Pinot with fondue and it was an ok match, but it might have actually paired better with meat since it was a fuller-bodied Pinot with high alcohol - 14.4% - and flavors of white pepper, red berry fruit, and vanilla. I was surprised by the alcohol but then learned that the Neuquen region of Patagonia where the wine is made is just south of the Mendoza province, where Patagonia just begins, so it is still pretty warm and dry there. Plus at this point I know how strong the sun is in these parts so ripening of Pinot would be quick and alcohol levels would tend to be higher. An interesting exercise and a reminder that I probably want to stick with meat for these Argentine reds!