Incredibly fun discussion to kick off the first Court of Wine with amazing panelists:

Liz Barrett - https://whatsinthatbottle.com/

Sarita Cheaves - https://www.vinemeupdc.com/ and https://soundcloud.com/swirl-suite

Sandra Everingham - https://www.risingwinescollective.com/

Recorded 24 August, 2022

We discuss news and topics from the following articles:

Author: W. Blake Gray

Publication: Wine-Searcher

Date: July 18, 2022

Title: Direct Wine Shipping Comes Under Fire

URL: https://www.wine-searcher.com/m/2022/07/direct-wine-shipping-comes-under-fire

Author: Paul Vigna

Publication: Pennlive.com

Date: July 15, 2022

Title: Wine Enthusiast decision has more than a few states feeling left out

URL: https://www.pennlive.com/food/2022/07/wine-enthusiast-decision-has-more-than-a-few-states-feeling-left-out.html

Author: Press Release

Publication: Wine Industry Advisor

Date: July 26, 2022

Title: Woodbridge® Debuts First-to-Market Wine Sodas 

URL: https://wineindustryadvisor.com/2022/07/26/woodbridge-debuts-first-to-market-wine-sodas

Author: Harpers Editorial team

Publication: Harpers

Date: July 15, 2022

Title: Friday read: Why bulk is the hot ticket in the face of climate change

URL: https://harpers.co.uk/news/fullstory.php/aid/30467/Friday_read:_Why_bulk_is_the_hot_ticket_in_the_face_of_climate_change.html

This week we are talking about the Wagram wine region which is a viticultural region on the banks of the Danube River in northeastern Austria.

Wine Recommendations

Wimmer Czerny Familien Wagram Roter Veltliner 2017 - priced around $22. 

• This wine has a Pale lemon color white wine with aromas of golden apple, lemon, honeysuckle and minerality
• It’s dry with medium light body, medium plus acidity and flavors similar to aromas - lemon peel, honeysuckle and minerality
• This wine is fruity and crisp with some beautiful floral notes and a nice long finish

Josef Ehmoser “Wagram Terrassen” Gruner Veltliner 2018 - priced around $18. 

• Aromas of lemon, lime, peach, orange blossom and minerality
• It’s dry with medium acidity and flavors of peach, minerality, white flowers and lemon rind on the finish
• Fruit, crisp and a really lovely long finish
•  Food pairings: Appetizers, spring salads, delicate fish and other similarly light dishes

Sources:

• Austrian Wine 
• Wine-Searcher 

This week's episode is all about Sherry. Sherry is a fortified wine made from white grapes and produced in a small region in South West Spain. We talked about another type of fortified wine, Port, back in episode 42. If you are interested in listening to that episode click here. 

In this episode we discuss:

• Where does Sherry come from?
• History of Sherry
• How it's made
• Different styles of Sherry
• Food pairings - check out a handy food and Sherry pairing guide from Sherry.Wine

Dry Styles of Sherry: Light to Heavy

• Fino
• Manzanilla
• Amontillado
• Oloroso

Sweet Styles:

• Pedro Ximénez (PX) or Moscatel
• Cream

Wine Recommendations:

• Lustau Rare Amontillado Escuadrilla - priced around $30.
  • Beautiful amber color with 18.5% ABV
  • Average age is 12 years old
  • Aromas of burnt sugar or caramel, orange rind, kalamata olives and hazelnuts
  • It’s dry with medium plus acidity with flavors of intense hazelnuts, soy sauce, mushrooms, coffee and oak on the finish
  • This wine is very savory and salty with long complex finish that keeps going
  • It’s not like any other wine we’ve had before
  • Serve slightly chilled, 55-57F

• Cesar Florido Moscatel Especial - priced $14 for 375ml bottle. 
  • Truly a dessert wine using the Moscatel grape and 17.5% ABV
  • Nose of buttered pecan, brown sugar, vanilla and herbal liqueur
  • It's sweet but not too sweet, full bodied with medium acidity and flavors of pecans, stewed prunes and orange peel
  • Long finish and the flavors come in stages and lingers long after the wine is consumed
  • Like a warm hug, perfect for a cold, winter day

This week starts a series on dessert wines and this episode we are talking about Sauternes. Sauternes is a sweet white wine from a region in Bordeaux by the same name. A while back, we did a two part episode on Bordeaux. Those episodes talked about history of wine in the area, classification system and climate and geography.

Check out our previous episodes on Bordeaux:

• Ep 038 – Bordeaux and Aquitaine
• Ep 039 – Bordeaux Reds and the 1855 Classé

In this episode we discuss:

• What is Sauternes and where does it come from?
• Noble Rot - it sounds gross but it’s cool
• Why are botrytized or Noble rot wines so expensive?
• When did Bordeaux start making this wine?
• What to expect from Sauternes?
• Food pairings

Wine Recommendations:

Chateau Tuyttens 2011 - Priced around $25.This wine is a deep golden color with aromas of dried apricots or apricot skins and honey. It’s has medium to medium plus acidity, it’s very full bodied with flavors of candied peach, honey, almond and a bit of funk from the botrytis. It’s delicious and very sweet but not cloying.

Find out where you can purchase this wine here

Chateau Doisy-Vedrines 2011 - Priced around $25. Also deep golden color with aromas of apricot, honey and light peach. It has medium acidity, full bodied with flavors of honey, intense apricot, light peach and almond. This wine tastes decadent and both of these wines has similar aromas and flavors but different in which aromas show through stronger.

Purchase this wine from Total Wine here

Welcome to our 100th episode! This is a special episode to celebrate the “big 100” which is a bit of a milestone for a lot of podcasters so this episode we have:

• Voicemails and emails from you, our listener community
• Brief updates about new ways to listen
• We touch on a few things we've learned over course of our first 100 episodes
• What we're excited for in our wine journey for 2018

People featured in this episode:

• Clint in Scottsdale, AZ
• Mark from Connecticut
• Kevin from Michigan
• Chuck in San Diego
• Casey from Minnesota
• Christine from Australia
• John (sorry he didn't tell us where he is from)

Other items mentioned in this episode:

• Treveri Sparkling Gewurztraminer
• Chuck's blog - Exploring.wine
• Cram Flashcard App
• Tunein echo/alexa skill - Say “Alexa play weekly wine show on tunein”
• We are on Spotify!!!
• Wine Bloggers Conference

Thank you for 100 episodes and we look forward to the next 100 episodes! Cheers!!!

Time for us to catch up on some wine news! Check out the links below to read the articles feature in this episode.

• Sonoma’s city council imposes moratorium on new tasting rooms By CHRISTIAN KALLEN in the Sonoma News, December 11, 2017

• Esteemed California Sustainable Winegrowing Program Lodi Rules™ Goes International by Wine Industry Network, January 17, 2018

• Bogle Requires Certification Winery says grapegrowers must abide by Lodi Rules by Jane Firstenfeld, Wines and Vines, January 4th, 2018

• Wine and liquor fraud: NY state fines big alcohol distributor in 'pay to play' scheme by Don Cazentre, Syracuse.com December 20, 2017

• Walgreens is Now a National Drop-off Location for Wine by Liza B. Zimmerman, winebusiness.com December 11, 2017

• A $1,000 bottle of wine grows in Brooklyn on a first-of-its-kind rooftop vine
  by Rene Brinkley, CNBC November 16, 2017

• Calling time on the Champagne flute by Felicity Carter, Meininger's Wine Business International, November 30, 2017

This is  our Four Wines episode for January 2018, our chance every couple of months to share recommendations with you for wines we’ve recently enjoyed but weren’t for an upcoming episode.

Wines featured in this episode:

Alvarez de Toledo Roble 2009

• 100% Mencia grape and aged for 10 months in American and French oak barrels
• Deep purple color
• Medium intense nose of black plum, blackberries, pepper and a hint of floral and smoke
• It’s dry, full bodied with medium plus acidity, light tannins and flavors of black plum, fennel, leather, and a little smoke
• This is a food wine and pair well with cured meats like hard salami
• With the amount of acid we think this could probably be aged longer
• Priced around $10

Domaine de l'Espigouette Vieilles Vignes Côtes du Rhône

• A blend of 70% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 10% Mourvedre, 5% Carignan, 5% Cinsault
• This wine has a nose of black cherry, blackberry, dried prunes, dusty earth and a hint of floral like lavender
• It’s dry, with medium plus acidity, medium - tannins and medium bodied with flavors of blackberry, lavender, dried bay leaf, pepper and a hint of wood
• Really nice blend - complex but not overpowering
• Fruit forward and lots of acid but still can be enjoyed on it’s own.
• Great with a red pasta sauce or pizza
• Priced around $14

Smithereens by Skinner 2015 White Blend

• This wine was given to us for free at the WBC
• This is a blend of 50% Grenache Blanc, 21% Viognier, 19% Roussanne, 9% Picpoul and 3% Marsanne
• It was aged for 11 month, 60% in neutral french oak and 40% in stainless steel
• Aromas of white peach, white flowers, and golden apple
• It’s dry with medium acidity and body
• Flavors of crisp apple, flowers, and yeast
• The texture and body of this wine is perfect for colder months and has a beautiful balance between acidity and body
• We think this would pair well with lots of food - roasted root vegetables or Greek food but can still be enjoyed on it’s own
• Priced around $18
• you can purchase this wine here 

G.D. Vajra Langhe Rosso 2014

• From Piedmont
• Blend: Nebbiolo, Dolcetto, Barbera, Albarossa, Freisa, and Pinot Noir
• This wine smells like a bouquet of flowers - mostly rose with a hint of sweet dried fennel/black licorice- almost like the Good and Plenty candies! The label features a bouquet of flowers.
• It’s dry with medium acidity, light tannins and ripe juicy red plum and blackberry flavors, candied orange peel and rose
• This wine is also fruit forward and floral and we loved the complexity in flavors this wine brings.
• It’s a little lower in acid compare to the other reds wines featured in this episode so if you are looking for a sipping wine to drink on it’s own, this is the wine
• Priced around $16

We’re coming up to our 100th episode and to celebrate, we want to make you part of the show! Call into our new voicemail and tell us how the podcast has impacted you, or a short, fun story from your wine journey, or something you’ve learned about wine that’s made a difference for you. The number to call is 937-889-WINE (937-889-9463).  If you can’t leave a voicemail, you are welcome to email us at weeklywineshow@gmail.com.

This week’s episode features our interview with Wayne Bailey, owner and winegrower at Youngberg Hill.

“Youngberg Hill creates authentic wines and experiences in our tasting room and Inn that will have you fall in love with life again." Oregon’s premier wine country estate and one of Wine Spectator’s favorite locations; set on a 50-acre hilltop surrounded by exquisite vineyards and views. We have an amazing 28-year old vineyard that is farmed organically. We are well known for producing award winning wines. As passionate farmers and winemakers we are thrilled to share, educate, and talk wine. We care for our wine and guests with respect. We are proud of our ‘Green’ approach to wine country living and look forward to sharing it with you.”

Wine featured in this episode: these wines were sent to us for free by Youngberg Hill.

Youngberg Hill Chardonnay 2015

• Light nose of toast, toasted marshmallow and flowers
• It’s dry with medium bodied, medium acidity with flavors of grapefruit pith, cheese, vanilla and a little smoke
• The oak is there but not heavy handed
• Priced around $40

Youngberg Hill Nastasha Pinot Noir 2014

• Beautiful ruby color
• Aromas of black cherry and dusty earth
• It’s dry with light tannins and medium plus, almost high acidity with flavors of black cherry, black plum, earth/dry dirt, dried herbs with a long finish
• To me, this is a real fruit forward, juicy black fruit wine, although a light bodied wine - it’s more ripe Pinot Noir - like Wayne said 2014 was a warmer year in Willamette
• Priced around $50

Youngberg Hill Jordan Pinot Noir 2014

• This block of vineyards is pretty much right next to the Nastasha block.
• Aromas of candied black cherry, sweet baking spice like cloves and star anise and dried earth
• It’s dry, light bodied with light tannins, medium plus acidity and flavors of black plum, black cherry, earth/ forest floor, and mushroom on the finish
• Similar to the Nastasha but more earthy flavors vs. fruit
• Priced around $50

You can learn more about these wines and purchase them here

We’re coming up to our 100th episode and to celebrate, we want to make you part of the show! Call into our new voicemail and tell us how the podcast has impacted you, or a short, fun story from your wine journey, or something you’ve learned about wine that’s made a difference for you. The number to call is 937-889-WINE (937-889-9463).  If you can’t leave a voicemail, you are welcome to email us at weeklywineshow@gmail.com.

This episode is the third in a series of interviews from producers in Willamette Valley. In this week’s episode we are featuring our interview with Tom Fitzpatrick, the winemaker from Alloro Vineyard.

Wine feature in this episode:

2016 Riesling - priced around $30. This is probably one of the best dry Rieslings we've tried. This wine has beautiful aromas of fresh linens, beeswax and white peach. It's dry, with medium plus acidity and flavors of grapefruit, nectarine, white flowers and lime. This wine is everything you want in a Riesling; it's crisp, fruity, and complex. Well done, Alloro!

2015 Chardonnay - priced around $34. This wine has  aromas of fresh toasted coffee beans, sweet golden apple, lemon rind and a hint of herbal quality to this wine. It’s dry, with medium acidity, medium plus body and flavors of salted caramel, lemon pith and a hint of smoke. Such a wonderful balance between the oak and fruit.

2014 Pinot Noir - priced around $35. This Pinot Noir is delicate and feminine with aromas of cherry, dust, dried leaves and a hint of baking spice. It’s dry, with light tannins, medium plus acidity and lots of red fruit flavors of cherry and cranberry with that dusty earth I love.

2014 Riservata Pinot Noir - priced around $45. This wine is more intense in flavors and more structured than the other Pinot Noir and it's a blend from special barrels picked by Tom. It has aromas of cherry, plum and dusty earth. This wine is dry, with medium plus acidity, light tannins and flavors of cherry, black plum, dried rose petals and a salty, meaty flavor - like mushrooms soaked in soy sauce. 

We’re coming up to our 100th episode and to celebrate, we want to make you part of the show! Call into our new voicemail and tell us how the podcast has impacted you, or a short, fun story from your wine journey, or something you’ve learned about wine that’s made a difference for you. The number to call is 937-889-WINE (937-889-9463).  If you can’t leave a voicemail, you are welcome to email us at weeklywineshow@gmail.com.

This episode is the second in a series of interviews from producers in Willamette Valley. In this week’s episode we are featuring our interview with Steve Lutz, owner and winegrower from Lenne’ Estate.  Lenne’ Estate grows “death-defying Pinot Noir in the Yamhill Carlton AVA”

Wines featured in this episode: These wines were provided to us for free.

2014 Pinot Noir - priced around $45. This wine has a medium intense nose of black cherry, wet leaves, dried fennel seeds, and dusty rose petals. It’s dry with light smooth tannins and medium acidity, with juicy, ripe flavors of dark cherries and blackberries. We could tell that 2014 was a warm year in WIllamette Valley because this wine is showing the presence of dark fruit instead of the red fruits like cherry and cranberry we are used to seeing from this area.

2016 Chardonnay - priced around $40. This wine has just the right amount of oak flavors but still allows for the fruit to shine, with medium intense aromas of vanilla, toasted marshmallow, lemon, and apple blossom. It’s dry with medium body and acidity, with flavors of toast, lemon meringue pie, and a little smoke. 

We’re coming up to our 100th episode and to celebrate, we want to make you part of the show! Call into our new voicemail and tell us how the podcast has impacted you, or a short, fun story from your wine journey, or something you’ve learned about wine that’s made a difference for you. The number to call is 937-889-WINE (937-889-9463).  If you can’t leave a voicemail, you are welcome to email us at weeklywineshow@gmail.com.

This episode is the a first of a handful of interviews from producers in Willamette Valley. We are kicking it off with our interview with Mike Bayliss from Ghost Hill Cellars.

Ghost Hill Cellars is located in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA. It’s “a fifth generation century farm and estate vineyard, sustainably tended by the Bayliss family and the ghost of a murdered gold miner.”

Wine Featured in this episode: These wines were provided to us for free

2014 Pinot Noir Blanc - priced around $25. This wine is a beautiful rose gold color made with no skin contact. It has a medium intense aromas of cherry licorice, sweet baking spices like star anise with cherry cola like aromas. This wine is dry with medium plus acidity and medium body with flavors of white flowers, lime pith, cherry, some minerality and a hint of dry hay. Thanks to the crisp, acidity we thought this would make a great food wine with poultry or pork based dishes. 

2014 Bayliss-Bower Pinot Noir - priced around $42. Lots of cherry aromas in this wine but also aromas of dusty earth and sweet baking spices. It’s dry with medium plus acidity and light tannins with flavors of cherry cola, earth and dusty rose of the finish. Tony says he also got flavors of a chocolate colored candied orange peel (Betty not so much). This wine has an understated elegance to it and it’s definitely more of a Burgundy style Pinot Noir.

2014 Prospector’s Reserve Pinot Noir - priced around $55. This very small production (141 cases) is a blend of six barrels selected by the winemaker. It has medium intense aromas of dusty earth, rose and cherry cola. This wine is dry with medium acidity and tannins, with flavors of cherry cola, chalky minerality and a hint of orange. It's elegant and again in that burgundy style but bolder and more complex than the previous Pinot Noir.

We’re coming up to our 100th episode and to celebrate, we want to make you part of the show! Call into our new voicemail and tell us how the podcast has impacted you, or a short, fun story from your wine journey, or something you’ve learned about wine that’s made a difference for you. The number to call is 937-889-WINE (937-889-9463).  If you can’t leave a voicemail you are welcome to email us at weeklywineshow@gmail.com.

We are fortunate enough to have the opportunity to interview several producers from Willamette Valley in Oregon. So over the next handful of episodes we will be share those interviews and some great wines with our listeners.

This is all thanks to Carl Giavanti from Carl Giavanti Consulting who we met at last year’s Wine Bloggers Conference in Lodi, CA who connected us to these producers and provided us with an opportunity to sample their wines.

If you are a long time listener you know we’ve done a few interviews in the past and it’s been a goal of ours to feature more interviews on this show. We are always interested in learning why people decide to get into the wine business and learn more about this journey and what inspires them. But before we start those episodes, we wanted to release this episode to give our listeners a short introduction to Willamette Valley.

We’re coming up to our 100th episode and to celebrate, we want to make you part of the show! Call into our new voicemail and tell us how the podcast has impacted you, or a short, fun story from your wine journey, or something you’ve learned about wine that’s made a difference for you. The number to call is 937-889-WINE (937-889-9463).  If you can’t leave a voicemail you are welcome to email us at weeklywineshow@gmail.com.

Sources:
Willamette Wines

Wikipedia

Wine Folly

Time for another Wine in the News! Check out the articles below that inspired the topics for this episode.

• Wine producers and US importers delay price increases - by Leslie Gevirtz, October 25th, 2019
• Dan Berger, On Wine: The imminent glut: The state industry is facing a major wine surplus - by Dan Berger, Sep 26, 2019
• California Wineries Plan Price Hikes - By W. Blake Gray. October 7th, 2019
• Carbonic Maceration Breaks Out of Beaujolais - By Vicki Denig, October 28th, 2019
• Sustainable Packaging Likely to Become Battleground for Premium Alcohol Producers, Says GlobalData - By Press Release - October 21, 2019
• The sommelier cheating scandal just won’t go away - by Wine Curmudgeon, September 12th, 2019

The holidays is a great excuse to drink Champagne (as well as a Tuesday) but buying Champagne can feel overwhelming; it’s expensive and you might often feel like you're going to mess something up. Not to worry, we have three recommendations that you can’t go wrong with and something for everyone.  We want to give you some options to take with you to holiday time with friends and family (or for just yourself is ok too).

In this week's episode we discuss:

• Why is Champagne is expense?
• How it Champagne made?
• About the blend (mostly)
• Classifications

Wine Recommendations:

Bonnet-Ponson Brut Premier Cru NV - priced around $40. This wine has a deep golden color with aromas of sweet earth, a sweet apple, pear skins and a hint of chalkiness. It has high acidity with flavors of lemon, grapefruit, apple, white lily, and yeast with a long finish.

Laurent-Perrier La Cuvée - priced around $50. This wine is a medium golden color with medium intense aromas of brioche, floral and golden apple. It has medium plus acidity with flavors of yeast, floral, green apple and lemon rind with a medium finish. This wine went amazing with salty and nutty cheese like an aged manchego cheese.

Laurent-Perrier Brut Millésimé 2007 - priced around $80. A wine with a medium golden color and aromas of toast, almond, golden apple and pear. It has high acidity with flavors of floral, apple and lemon pith with a medium finish. This wine has the potential for long aging and a great option for a special occasion.

We’re coming up to our 100th episode and to celebrate, we want to make you part of the show! Call into our new voicemail and tell us how the podcast has impacted you, or a short, fun story from your wine journey, or something you’ve learned about wine that’s made a difference for you. The number to call is 937-889-WINE (937-889-9463).  If you can't leave a voicemail you are welcome to email us at weeklywineshow@gmail.com.

This week we are talking about our recent trip to the tasting room at Breathless wines in Healdsburg which is in Sonoma County

Breathless wines was started by three sisters and focuses on making high quality sparkling wines using Méthode Champenoise. We visited their tasting room and got an opportunity to chat with Sharon Cohn one of the founders.

We really enjoyed our time at Breathless and we think it’s worth a visit if you are in the area. We had the opportunity to taste four of their wines at the winery and below is one of our favorites.

Breathless Wines Brut NV - priced around $25.  With an almost rose color this wine smelled like baked apples and toast. It has flavors of citrus, pink grapefruit (got some bitterness) and apple with a pleasant finish that lingers.
We thought this wine was light, refreshing, crisp, with a hint of tartness, it's not over the top and great with food or on it’s own.

We’re coming up to our 100th episode and to celebrate, we want to make you part of the show! Call into our new voicemail and tell us how the podcast has impacted you, or a short, fun story from your wine journey, or something you’ve learned about wine that’s made a difference for you. The number to call is 937-889-WINE (937-889-9463). 

In this episode, we talk about our visit to Sterling Vineyards in Napa Valley.  Sterling Vineyards was founded in 1964 by Peter Newton, an Oxford Scholar, paper tycoon and London Financial Times writer from England.

Sterling Vineyards sits atop of a mountain overlooking a valley in Calistoga. They have aerial tram which is the only one of its kind in Napa Valley, offering amazing views as visitors on your way up to the winery. When designing the winery, the planners needed a way to transport visitors and staff to the hilltop winery with minimal impact on the hill, and decided on the tram.

Once we got up the mountain and into the winery we enjoyed the Platinum Experience. This included a one hour food and wine education tasting. We had a flight of four of their small production reserve wines, one Chardonnay and three Cabernet Sauvignon wines, each paired with an amuse-bouches. The thought behind this experience is that food pairings help keep the wine flavors on your plate longer and change how you perceive the texture of the wine.

We enjoyed all of the food and wine pairings but the one that really blew us away was the Chardonnay pairing. Their 2014 Reserve Chardonnay was paired with house made ricotta cheese with agrumato olive oil and lemon zest. Chewing the wine with the food really changed the flavor of the wine and brought out the fruit of the chardonnay. It’s definitely a pairing that we are going to recreate in the future. This experience is not cheap and will set you back $95 per person.

If you re not able to spring for the Platinum Experience, the General Admission experience was also wonderful. The $35 fee includes a ride on the aerial tram and self-guided tour of the lower portion of the winery. During the tour there are different stopping points where someone pours you wine, which is awesome, and you learn about each stage of the wine making process. You can also enjoy the view of the valley from their patio area.

Something that you don’t normally get at Sterling is time with their Director of wine making, Harry Hansen. Tony was able to capture Harry talking about a newly release wine from Sterling called Iridium as well as his philosophy around wine making. So in this episode, we play some of that conversation.

Overall, no matter what experience you choose, I believe Sterling Vineyards is worth a visit the next time you visit Napa Valley. 

We’re coming up to our 100th episode and to celebrate, we want to make you part of the show! Call into our new voicemail and tell us how the podcast has impacted you, or a short, fun story from your wine journey, or something you’ve learned about wine that’s made a difference for you. The number to call is 937-889-WINE (937-889-9463).

Recently we attended the annual wine bloggers conference which allowed us to spend some time in Sonoma and Napa Valley. These next few episodes will cover some of the information we learned as well as some of the wines we sampled.

This week we discuss:

• Where is Napa Valley?
• Wine production and impact
• Climate and geography
• Grapes grown and why the focus on Cab?
• What to expect from Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabinet Sauvignon

Wines and Wineries featured in this episode

Chardonnay:

• J. Moss 2015 Los Carneros - $42
• Handwritten Wines 2016 Los Carneros - $55
• Castello di Amorosa 2016 Reserve, Napa Valley - $50

Merlot

• J. Moss 2013 Napa Valley - $64
• Castello di Amorosa 2014 Napa Valley - $42

Cabinet Sauvignon

• J. Moss 2013 Coombsville - $84
• Handwritten Wines 2014 Los Carneros - $100
• Handwritten Wines 2014 Stags Leap District - $115
• Castello di Amorosa 2006 Il Barone Napa Valley - $185

Unusually Napa Valley wine varieties

• 2014 Nichelini Family Winery Chiles Valley Petite Sirah - $43
• Antica 2014 Napa Valley Antinori Family Wine Estate Atlas Peak Pinot Noir - $35
• Hess Collection Small Block Series 2016 Mount Veeder Gruner Veltliner - $28
• Silverado Vineyards 2016 Miller Ranch Yountville Sauvignon Blanc - $25
• Schramsberg 2013 Querencia Napa Valley Brut Rose - $55

A big thanks to Napa Valley Vintners, Castello di Amorosa and Las Alcobas for hosting us as well as all of the wineries who shared their wine with us!

We’re coming up to our 100th episode and to celebrate, we want to make you part of the show! Call into our new voicemail and tell us how the podcast has impacted you, or a short, fun story from your wine journey, or something you’ve learned about wine that’s made a difference for you. The number to call is 937-889-WINE (937-889-9463).

Four Wines is our chance every couple of months to share recommendations with you for wines we’ve recently enjoyed but weren’t for an upcoming episode. This week is all about California wines and we have four tasty and affordable options.

Belle Glos Pinot Noir Blanc Oeil De Perdrix 2016 Sonoma - priced around $22. In France, this wine is traditionally known as oeil-de-perdrix, which translates to ‘eye of the partridge’ and refers to its pink and copper color. This is a Rosé wine with berry aromas almost like strawberry rhubarb as well as fresh mineral  with hints of floral notes. This wine is fruity, light, and crisp with a strong strawberry flavor, with a touches of vanilla-cream and floral notes. The vanilla cream comes from the winemaker using French oak to ferment part of the juice before bottling. Serves as a refreshing break from heavier wines of the cold season.

Church and State Wines Lost Inhibitions 2014 California White - priced around $20. This wine has a fairly aromatic nose of stone fruit, minerality, melon, and rose. A blend of Chardonnay, Muscat of Alexandria and Sauvignon Blanc, it tastes rich with flavors of white peach, citrus, intense floral notes, plus hints of dried grass on the finish. It's round and complex and although this wine is intensely aromatic, it’s still light enough to pair with lighter dishes - seafood, fresh cheese, or buttered popcorn - or sip on its own.

Carmenet Reserve Pinot Noir 2015 - priced around $9. Typical California Pinot Noir aromas of cherry cola with dried herbs like fennel seed and sage. This wine is so savory with a strong mushroom flavor but still has light cherry and dusty notes. We thought this wine was not as acidic as I would expect from a Pinot Noir and it's not jammy and flabby either, nicely put together.

Michael David Freakshow Red Blend 2014 - priced around $20. This deep, dark wine has aromas of dark fruit, spice, pepper and smoke. It's full bodied with medium velvety tannins and medium acidity that striking a nice balance of textures. This wine has flavors of black plum, blackberry, pepper/spice and jammy fruit. It's high in alcohol with 15.5% ABV making it a jammy, ripe wine but not too overpowering. There is a lot of hype around red blends currently, and this lives up to that hype.

We’re coming up to our 100th episode and to celebrate, we want to make you part of the show! Call into our new voicemail and tell us how the podcast has impacted you, or a short, fun story from your wine journey, or something you’ve learned about wine that’s made a difference for you. We’ll even throw in a weekly wine show sticker for the first 20 people who call in. The number to call is 937-889-WINE (937-889-9463).

This week we explore the Livermore Valley AVA. Livermore Valley AVA is located just 35 miles east of the San Francisco Bay and is part of the larger Central Coast AVA.

In this episode we discuss:

• History of wine in Livermore Valley
• Climate and geography
• Grapes grown and wine style (or lack there of)

Wine Recommendation
Wente Morning Fog Chardonnay 2016 - priced around $15. This wine is fermented in 50% neutral American oak barrels and 50% in stainless steel tanks. It has a light nose of tropical fruit like pineapple and flavors of tropical fruit, green apple and toasty oak on the finish. This wine is medium bodied with medium acidity and we thought this wine was the best of worlds (fruit and oak). It’s everything you want in a California chardonnay - crisp, fruity but still that creamy texture.

Murrieta’s Well The Whip 2013 - priced around $24. Aromatic nose of melon, pear, floral and a touch of minerality, this wine is a unique white wine blend of mostly Semillion and chardonnay. It's medium bodied with medium plus acidity with layered flavors of stonefruit, melon, lemon, floral and bitter almond. It’s fruity but dry, and mellow but still crisp with a heavy texture. It’s more of a sipping wine for us, and it almost reminds me of a Bordeaux blend.

Concannon Vineyards 2014 Petite Sirah - priced around $20. This wine has a aromas of dark fruit, brownie and black pepper. It has medium silky tannins and medium plus acidity with flavors of black and blue berries and spice. This wine is mellow and is similar in style to the Shannon Ridge Petite Sirah we recommended in our Lake County episode. A great cool weather wine, fruity but not jammy and can work in multiple situations - food maybe with a burger or sipping on it’s own.

Time for us to catch up on some wine news! Check out the links below to read the articles feature in this episode.

• Deadly fires hit wine regions in Spain and Portugal by Amanda Barns from Decanter, October 19, 2017

• Sorting Fact from Fiction: An Important Message from Wine Road Executive Director, Beth Costa, About the Wildfire Situation in Sonoma County Wine Country from the Wine Industry Network, October 18, 2017

• Amazon Dealt a Distribution Blow by W. Blake Gray from Wine-Searcher, September 29th, 2017

• Should City put stopper on tasting rooms? by Jason Walsh from the Sonoma INDEX-TRIBUNE, September 21, 2017

• Tasting room embargo sours over recusals by Jason Walsh from the Sonoma INDEX-TRIBUNE, October 3, 2017

• European vine rules stunt Italian winemakers' ambitions by Isla Binnie
  from Reuters, October 4, 2017

• Study Reveals That Wines Sealed with Cork Are Perceived as 15% Better in Quality Than Screwcap a Press Release from the Wine Industry Network Advisor, September 27, 2017

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This week we explore Mendocino County, California. Mendocino County is an appellation that makes wine from grapes grown mostly in Mendocino County, California and is a part of the larger North Coast AVA to the west of Lake County . Mendocino County is huge covering 2.4 million acres and almost 19,000 acres have is grapevines, which accounts for about 1% of the land use in the county.

In this week's episode we discuss:

• History of wine in the region
• AVAs of Mendocino County
• What makes this place so special (aka climate)
• Grapes grown

Wine Recommendations

Roederer Estate Brut NV - priced around $24. This wine was aged a minimum of two years on the yeast and that aging is apparent in the nose with aromas of toast, pear, minerality and golden delicious apples. It has medium plus acidity so it's a great pairing with food like sushi, cheese, appetizers or potato chips (one of our favorite pairings). It’s light, clean and crisp with flavors of green apple skins, lime and white lily. It was amazing and sadly, we only purchased one bottle.

Toad Hollow Vineyards Chardonnay 2016 - priced around $14. This is 100% unoaked Chardonnay with a very light nose of melon like honeydew, mango and some minerality. It has a medium acidity and medium bodied with flavors of melon, mango and green apple skins. This wine isn’t the CA Chardonnay style that we’ve come to expect but it’s also not Burgundy, it’s kind of it’s own thing. We thought it was light and crisp, with a pleasant finish - inviting you to sip this wine over and over again.

If you tuned into the news, you know about the fires devastating parts of the North Coast including areas of Sonoma, Napa and Mendocino County. The Community Foundation of Mendocino County has set up a fund to provide disaster relief and recovery services in the aftermath of the wildfire that is affecting that part of California. You can go to their website to donate.

This week we continue our journey into California wine country with Lake County. Lake County is an appellation of origin designating wine made from grapes grown in Lake County, California, which is east of Mendocino County and north of Napa County. This area is best known for Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc, but around 40 varieties are grown in the appellation.

This week we discuss:

• History of Lake County wine region
• Lake County grapes in other area wines
• Climate, geography and what makes this place so special

Wine Recommendations

Shannon Ridge 2015 High Elevation Petite Sirah - priced around $20.  This wine is made from 100% Petite Sirah and spent 9 months in French and American oak. It has aromas of star anise, black currant and minerality. It’s full bodied with medium acidity and medium plus tannins with flavors of blueberry, cranberry, coco, wood, and a touch of green. We love the texture of this wine and it's pleasantly complex. To us, it's kind of like drinking a dark chocolate covered blueberry and it's an interesting style of Petite Sirah.

Find out where to purchase this wine here

Looking for another Petite Sirah from Lake County? Check out episode 30 of our podcast.

Jed Steele’s Shooting Star Merlot 2011 - priced around $14. This wine has a nose of red and dark fruits like plum and baking spice. Also, a fuller bodied dry wine with medium plus acidity and medium tannins. This wine is fruit forward which is what I would expect from a merlot but still complex with flavors of red and dark fruit, spice and vanilla. It’s a soft and round wine without being flabby and still has quite a bit of acidity so it probably could age longer. The 2011 might be hard to find because their 2014 is the current release.

Find out where to purchase this wine here

Did we peak your interested in Lake County wines? Or were are already a fan? Let us know you thoughts on this episode and any recommendations by leaving us a comment below.

Paso Robles Wine Country AVA was established in 1983 and located in San Luis Obispo County, California. It's a part of the larger Central Coast area north of Santa Barbara County. With approximately 40,000 acres of wine grapes. it's known for its history with varieties like Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Rhône-style wines.

This week on the podcast, we discuss:

• History of Paso Robles wine
• Paso Robles's large size and diversity in terroir
• Newly formed sub-AVAs
• Grape varieties and wine style

Wine Recommendations

Opolo Summit Creek Zinfandel 2015 - priced around $19. This wine is 100% Zin sourced from 9 different vineyards all in Paso Robles. Lovely nose of dark fruit, blueberry, baking spice like clove, as well as leather. It's dry with medium acidity and medium level of smooth tannins with flavors of freeze dried strawberries, blueberry jam, and a little dark chocolate. We thought this wine was very easy drinking, it’s ripe, juicy and lush. It has a decadent feel, almost desert like and this wine is 16.5% ABV but doesn’t taste like it so be careful!

Justin Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 - priced around $27. Paso Robles is also known for their affordable, tasty Cabs and look no further than Justin. This wine has aromas of black cherries, flowers like violets, and a smoky charred smell with a touch of anise. It's dry with a full body, medium plus acidity, medium smooth tannins and flavors of cherry, black currants, vanilla, baking spices and toasty oak. You can taste the oak aging on this wine but it’s done with such finesse and care. This wine lives up to the hype of California Cabs. This is a great cool weather sipping wine. Great balance of fruit vs. oak and acid vs. tannins. Buy now and drink soon!

This week we are talking about Getariako Txakolina or also known as Txakoli de Getaria.

Wine Recommendations

Gaintza Txakolina 2014 - priced around $20. 

• This is the traditional wine of the region
• Slightly fizzy wine with aromas of green apple, lime and crushed granite
• It’s dry with medium plus acidity, medium light body and flavors similar to aromas
• Crisp, tart, fruity and refreshing wine
• We loved this wine and it would pair great with seafood, salads, sushi  and light vegetable dishes

Ameztoi Rubentis 2018 - priced around $22.

• Very light salmon color Rose with aromas of strawberries and pink lady apples
• It’s dry with a medium light body with medium plus acidity with flavors similar to aromas plus lemon
• This rose is its own style of rose - more tart, less floral, very crisp
• It’s like a Rose influenced white wine

Sources:

• Getariakot Txakolina
• Wine-Searcher
• Jorge Ordonez Selections
• Wikipedia

This episode starts a series focused on California wine regions. We spent most of the summer learning about wines from Europe and now we are looking to explore wines from the state that produces about 85% of US wine, and we’re starting with the Russian River Valley.

The Russian River Valley is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) in Sonoma County, California. There are more than a million acres of land within Sonoma and the region produces twice as many grapes as Napa. With such a diverse landscape, it’s difficult to make generalizations about the region so we are going to focus on just one of its 12 AVAs.

This week's episode we discuss:

• Where is Russian River Valley and what's its impact?
• History of wine in the region
• Climate and geography in the Russian River Valley and its impact on the grapes grown
• What to expect from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines in the Russian River Valley

Wine Recommendations:

Frei Brothers Reserve Chardonnay 2015 - priced around $20. This wine is definitely a bridge between what you would expect from California and Burgundy style Chardonnay. This wine has a beautiful lemon color with aromas of baked apple and a touch of baking spice and reminds me of fall.
It's medium bodied with quite a bit of acidity so pair it with food like soft/young cheeses and dishes with cream or butter sauces. We experienced flavors of baked apples, almost like apple pie with a nuttiness to it. The malolatic fermentation is evident in the smooth and creamy texture. The oak flavors are there but it’s not heavy handed - there's a real finesse to the wine.

Kenwood Vineyards Pinot Noir 2014 - priced around $18. This wine has aromas of cherry cola, star anise, and dusty earth. Beautiful balanced wine with medium body and medium acidity. It tasted so savory, with flavors of mushrooms and smooth, soft tannins that gave us a velvet texture on the tongue. This wine can pair with all kinds of food, especially with mushroom or meaty dishes, or enjoyed on its own just sipping.

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Priorat is a Spanish DOQ (translates to “Qualified Appellation of Origin”), located in the north-eastern part of Spain, in Catalonia. This is on the Mediterranean side of Spain, only about 10 miles from the Mediterranean sea. DOQ (also called DOCa outside of Catalonia) is the top “qualification level” for Spanish wine regions, and Priort is one of only two DOQ wine regions in Spain, along with Rioja .

Although Priorat is a small region, with 4,700 acres of vineyards from about 600 growers and 100 wineries, their wines are big, bold and known as some of the best red wines that Spain has to offer. This week we dive into the region to learn what makes Priorat such a special place.

In this week's episode we discuss:

• Where is Priorat?
• What grapes are grown?
• Wine history of this area
• Climate and geography
• Flavor characteristics and food pairings of red Priorat

Wine Recommendations

Black Slate Porrera 2011 - priced around $20. This one needed to breathe - nose wasn't so great at first… so we put it through the aerating decanter and it still took an hour to open up.
Black slate is an apt name, it'll stain your teeth and it had that dusty minerality you'd expect from the name.  The nose is sweet and pungent with plum, raisin, black pepper, and pipe tobacco. It tastes is dry, with medium acidity and medium plus tannins. This wine is fruity and savory at the same time, with flavors of dark berries, leather and dark chocolate.

Clos Mogador Nelin Priorat Blanco 2010 - priced around $60. This is a white Priorat so it's special because there are so few white Priorat wines. This six year old wine has a deep golden color. The smell of this wine is intoxicating with aromas of fresh apples, baking spices like vanilla and star anise and it has a nutty quality as well. It has medium acidity with intense flavors of apples, vanilla, minerality and baking spices. We loved this wine and though it had a beautiful balance between the fruit and other flavors and we really didn’t taste the age, in fact it tasted very fresh to us. This is well worth the price for a special occasion.

Time for another four wines! We have a little of everything this episode, red, white and rose but all French wine and all fantastic. Our tasting notes are below.

Domaine de Bellevue La Galoche Beaujolais Rosé 2016 - priced around $15.  This beautiful pink colored rose wine is made from 100% Gamay. It has strong fruity nose of strawberries, watermelon and some minerality. It's a light bodied, dry wine (although the fruitiness really tricks you into thinking it's sweet) with crisp acidity and flavors of strawberries with a touch of flowers. This is everything I love in a rose - dry, crisp, super fruity, what I would call a fancy patio wine. It's unique because most wines from this area are red but with the popularity of Rose wines I would expect to see more of these wines coming out of Beaujolais.

Château Larose - Trintaudon Haut-Médoc 2010 Cru Bourgeois - priced around $24. Strong aromas of blackcurrants, dried herbs, oak and dusty notes. It's a dry wine with medium plus acidity, and medium, smooth, lingering tannins. This wine is full bodied, dark and lush with flavors of dark fruit, leather and dirt. Decant this wine with a couple of hours and pair with your favorite fatty meat or hard cheese.

• Read more here 

Willm Pinot Gris Reserve 2015 - priced around $13. This is one of the most complex Pinot Gris I've ever had! Intoxicating nose of honey, apple, slate, and stonefruit. It's medium sweet (try with with some spicy Thai or Indian food) with a medium plus acidity and a creamy texture. We tasted flavors of citrus like lemon, mineraity, stonefruit, apple and a touch of honey. This wine really does the fruit justice very ripe and crisp.

Chateau Puech-Haut La Closerie Du Pic - priced around $26. A blend of Syrah and Grenache, this wine has aromas of dark fruit like plum and blackberry. It's full bodied and has light tannins, lighter acidity and flavors of mushrooms, dark fruit and cocoa nibs. t’s lush, dark and doesn't taste like a wine with 15% ABV making it easy to over indulge. A really great sipping wine and a great option it you’re looking for a dry red wine you can just drink without thinking about food pairing. 

This week we head back into obscure wine grapes and regions with Greco di Tufo. There is still some warm weather left so don’t break out your sweaters and cabs just yet. We have one more crisp summer weather wine to talk about.

Greco di Tufo wine is made from the Greco grape and it's ancestor is thought to have been brought to Southern Italy by the ancient Greeks. Although the grape variety is permitted in blends in several DOCs in southern Italy, it shines in the Greco di Tufo DOCG in Compania. Therefore our focus this week is the Greco di Tufo DOCG region.

This week we discuss:

• History of the Greco grape
• Why is the Greco grape so confusing?
• Where is Greco di Tufo and why is it so special?
• Flavor characteristics of Greco di Tufo wine

This week’s episode we are talking wine news. The articles listed below are featured in this week’s episode:

• Alcohol as a study tool? Drinking after learning boosts memory by Beth Mole ARS Technica August 3, 2017

• New Zealand: thousands of bottles of allegedly fraudulent wine exported by Eleanor Ainge Roy The Guardian August 5, 2017

• The year in California wine by Mark C. Anderson SF Gate August 21, 2017

• Blue Wine Is Finally Coming to the U.S. by Rafael Tonon Eater August 25, 2017

• This Wine Brand Wants Hardcore Bikers Drinking its Rosé by Megan Graham Ad Age August 4, 2017

If you are a listener of the show for any length of time you know we love to talk about rare or unknown grape varieties and regions. This week is no exception with the rare and mysterious grape from Austria known as Saint Laurent. It’s a highly aromatic dark-skinned wine grape variety used in blends and varietal wines. As of 2013, there are about 5,000 acres of St. Laurent vines with major plantings in Austria, Germany, Czech Republic and Slovakia. Many compare it to Pinot Noir but to us, that is a short-sighted comparison. St. Laurent is unique and therefore we believe it should stand alone in it's critique.

In this week's episode we discuss:

• St. Laurent's grape lineage
• Why it's a challenging grape
• What does St. Laurent wine taste like?
• Food pairings

Over the next couple of weeks we’re changing pace from summer whites and trying some delicious red wines that can be enjoyed in warmer weather. Cinsault is a red wine grape mostly used in blends like the reds of the Southern France and there is a lot of it! As of 2010, there were about 90,000 acres of vines making it the 25th most grown grape.

This week's episode we discuss:

• Where it's grown?
• What climate is best?
• Flavor characterisitics
• Food pairings

If you’ve listened to the podcast in recent weeks, you may have noticed a small focus on Italian white wines as well as white wines in general. It’s not that we don’t enjoy reds in the summer, but rather, we wanted to give you some light, crisp wine options for summer instead of the usually sweet wine or Pinot Gris that dominate the shelves in wine shops. So this week we continue that journey into lesser known varieties with a white wine and grape from Southern Italy called Falanghina.

This week's episode we discussed:

• The history of the Falanghina grape
• Campania wine region
• There are actually two different Falanghina grapes!
• Flavor characteristics
• Food pairings

This week we're talking about Vermentino. Vermentino is a light-bodied white wine and grape that grows mostly in Italy on the island of Sardinia. There is about 22,000 acres worldwide so it's not a very common grape variety and information on this wine hard to come by.

This week's episode we discuss:

• where Vermentino gorwn
• Sardinia, Italy
• Vermentino di Gallura DOCG
• Flavor characterisitics
• Food pairings

This week we’re talking about a wine region in Italy you probably haven’t heard of called Lugana which produces a light, dry white wine of the same name. We were able to get our hands on a couple of bottles and found it to be a perfect addition to our summertime wines. So let’s get into it.

This week we cover:

• Where is the Lugana DOC?
• Geography and climate
• What grape is in Lugana and why is it so confusing?
• Styles of Lugana
• Flavor characteristics and food pairings

Wine Recommendations:

Ca Lojera Lugana 2016 - priced around $20. This wine has aromas of Asian pear, flowers and lime. We experienced a crisp acidity and lighter body with flavors of flowers and lime. We really enjoy the lime flavor and thought this wine served chilled makes a perfect crisp summertime wine to add to your collection.

We purchased this wine at France 44.

Ottella Lugana 2015 - priced around $20. Lovely aromas of wax, slate and a touch of flowers, this wine has lots of acidity and flavors of lemon and arugula. We thought this wine was zippy, crisp, and tart almost lemonade-like making it very appropriate for summer.

We purchased this wine at France 44. 

This week we are talking about the Mosel wine region in Germany.

Wine Recommendations

Hild Elbling Sekt NV - priced around $20.

• This wine comes from the Upper Mosel area
• This wine has a pale lemon color with light aromas of lemon, apple, minerality and a hint of bread
• It’s dry with medium plus acidity and flavors of lemon rind, apple peel and minerality
• This wine is crisp, intensely fruity and what I want in a sparkling wine
• Great with cheese and cured meats

Julian Haart Riesling “1000L” 2017 - priced around $22. 

• This wine has a little more sugar than would allow them to be legally called “Trocken,” or dry.
• It’s made from Fuder(s) or the traditional 1,000 liter barrel of the Mosel 
• This wine has light aromas of lime, beeswax and wet rock
• It’s dry with medium acidity and flavors of lemon, grapefruit and minerality
• This has a nice round, soft texture thanks to that barrel aging
• Also, it’s fruity and not super complex but tasty wine

It's time again for another four wines episode. A time to talk about four different wines we've enjoyed recently that don't fit in an upcoming episode but we love them so much we had to share with you. These wines are awesome and definitely worth trying out this summer. Check out the recommendations and tasting notes below. Cheers!

Bründlmayer Brut NV - priced around $35. This wine has a nose of fresh bread, menthol cigarette, and pear. It has high acidity with a medium body and flavors of apple, pear and hotdog water. I know it sounds gross and a little funky and a bit weird but it's oddly, surprisingly captivating. Also, it's not fruit forward and not as fresh as we were expecting.

Purchase this wine here 

Teutonic Wine Company’s Recorded in Doubly 2015 - priced around $15. This white wine is 100% Muscat which means it’s super aromatic, a rare gem from Willamette Valley! It's straightforward - floral and fruity, with aromas of honeydew, rose and tangerine with flavors of lemon, rose, honeydew and tangerine. It's medium-dry with medium acidity and body. Great served chilled on a hot summer day or with your favorite spicy dish.

Purchase this wine here

Faustino V Rioja Reserva 2010 - priced around $20. This full body red is a beautiful balance of acid and tannins with aromas of blue & Blackberry, cherry, dates, star anise, dried sage and touch of oak. It reminds me of a sweet and smoky BBQ with flavors of forest floor, soy sauce and dried cherry with lots of fruit and umami flavors. The texture of this wine is very smooth, almost velvet like and makes a great pairing with grilled red meats.

Purchase this wine here

Poet’s Leap Riesling Columbia Valley 2015 - priced around $20. This is not what you would expect from am American Riesling with aromas of whoopee cushion, pear and flowers. It's off-dry with a touch of sweetness with flavors of flowers, honey and apricot. It has almost high acidity and will make the back of your throat water. Also, it's not super fruity, in fact this wine is more about the flowers and honey flavors.

Purchase this wine here

This week's episode we are talking wine news. The articles listed below are featured in this week's episode:

• Rioja Grapples With How to Define Its Best Wines By Eric Asimov New York Times May 25, 2017

• P.F. Chang's Created Two Wines to Pair with your Favorite Asian Food By Sarah Whitten of CNBC June 8, 2017

• For Total Wine, it’s total war against alcohol regulations By Dan Adams Boston GLOBE MAY 20, 2017

• Record number of English and Welsh wine companies launched in 2016 By Rob Davies, The Guardian Monday 29 May 2017

• “Getting Really Good at Wine Tasting Can Help You Learn How to Trust Yourself” By Melissa Dahl New York Magazine May 11, 2017

his week we are talking about German Sekt. Sekt means sparkling wine in German and in our opinion you can never have too much Sekt in your life. As you know we love all sparkling wine, but Sekt is not the easiest to find. This is because Germans love their sparkling wine, so much that the annual (German) per capita consumption of about five liters (of sparkling wine) is the highest in the world. Most Sekt doesn’t leave the country; in fact as of 2011, of the 420 million liters of Sekt that was produced, Germans drank nearly 80% of it - this translates to almost 450 million bottles! Even with it's short supply outside Germany, you can still find some fine examples that express their varietal and place.

In this week's episode we discuss:

• Scope of Sekt wine and it's production
• The rise of Sekt in Germany
• How to pick out a quality bottle of Sekt
• major grapes and flavors
• Pfalz wine region in Germany

This week we continue our series on lesser known white wine varieties with a french wine called Muscadet. The name of this wine is rather confusing; not named for the region it hails from (Pays de la Loire) or the grape used (Melon de Bourgogne). Some believe the name originates from people believing the wine had a "musky" aroma but that is also confusing since the flavors of this wine are subtle and anything but musky.

In this week's episode we discuss:

• Melon de Bourgogne the grape. Where did it come from and how did it end up in Loire?
• The sub-region Muscadet-Sèvre et Maine
• Muscadet has different rules than other French AOCs
• Sur Lie winemaking technique
• Flavor Characteristics and food pairings

Once one of Italy’s most famous white wines, Soave has had its ups and downs, and can now be a little tough to find. Fortunately, there are some great Soave out there if you’re willing to look. Mostly made from the Garganega grape, Soave dedicates 20,00 vines to this once popular wine.

This week's episode we discuss:

• Where is Soave?
• Why is Soave the perfect place to grow Garganega?
• Soave's bad reputation and what they are doing to overcome it
• Wine styles, flavor characteristics, and food pairings

We enjoy discovering wines made from lesser known grapes or regions so this episode we talk about Grüner Veltliner, which after this episode might be your new favorite summer white wine. Grüner Veltliner is a grape that makes a dry white wine by the same name that is grown almost exclusively in Austria. The name translates to “Green Wine of Veltlin” - an area in the lower Alps during the 1600’s that is now part of Valtellina, Italy. There are about 50,000 acres of Grüner Veltliner worldwide with over 75% of Grüner Veltliner wines coming from Austria. The rest of the vines are mostly in Slovakia, Czech Republic, and parts of the US.

In this week's episodes we discuss:

• History of Grüner Veltliner
• Austrian Wine Country
• Flavors characteristics and styles of Grüner Veltliner
• Food pairings

This week we’re talking about the sparkling wine Crémant d’Alsace. You know we have a love affair with sparkling wine so we’re excited to talk about this region and its delicious wines. We did talk about the Alsace wine region in episode 21 of this podcast when we covered Gewürztraminer.

This week we discuss:

• What is Crémant wine?
• Review the method for making Champagne
• Alsace the wine region and it's terrior
• Crémant d’Alsace scope and styles
• Flavor characteristics
• Food pairings

It's time for another edition of Four Wines! About every eight weeks or so we spend an episode talking about four random wines we drank recently. These wines might be varietals or regions we covered in a previous episode but the wine is so delicious that we can't keep it to ourselves. This week's episode takes a journey to Italy and the Western part of the US.

New Zealand is known as the “Sauvignon Blanc capital of the World” which we covered way back in episode seven of this podcast. For this episode we're going to learn more about New Zealand wines and focus on the second biggest varietal after Sauvignon Blanc, which is Pinot Noir.

In this week's episode we discuss:

• History of wine in New Zealand
• Climate and Geography of New Zealand
• Sustainability in New Zealand Winemaking
• Pinot Noir in New Zealand and why it grows so well.
• Flavor Characteristics of New Zealand Pinot Noir
• Food Pairings

Summer is fast approaching which means it’s time to swap your boots and Cabs for sandals and light fruity wines. Some our favorite warm weather wines are dry Rosé. Rosé is a type of wine that incorporates some of the color from the grape skins, but not enough to qualify it as a red wine. They're made from a wide variety of grapes and can be found all around the globe. It can be made still, semi-sparkling or sparkling and with a wide range of sweetness levels from highly dry Provençal rosé to sweet White Zinfandels and blushes. Since there are so many types of Rosé wines, in this episode we are going to talk about winemaking techniques, flavors and recommend some awesome Rosé wine from four different regions.

In this episode we discuss:

• Different production methods of Rosé wine
• Brief history of Rosé wines
• Flavor characteristics
• Food pairings

This week we are talking about Chilean wine. Check out our wine recommendations below!

Wine Recommendations

Vina Aquitania Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 - priced around $20.

• Aromas of red fruits - cherries and strawberries, earth and some spice
• It’s dry with medium acidity, medium tannins, full body and flavors similar to aromas - red fruit, earth and spice
• fruit -forward wine, very approachable cab that still taste very fresh even after a few years of age
• Really well made, good quality Cabernet Sauvignon

Errazuriz Max Reserva Sauvignon Blanc 2014 - priced around $ 16.

• Pale lemon color with aromas of peaches, minerality and a hint of white flowers
• It’s dry with medium plus acidity and flavors of nectarine, minerality, white grapefruit, some salinity and a white flowers on the finish
• A really clean, crisp and refreshing wine and a fantastic Sauvignon Blanc 
• To be honest we think they should be charging more for this wine, it’s one of the best Sauvignon Blanc  I’ve had

Errazuriz Max Reserva Chardonnay 2013 - priced around $16.

• Aged for 10 months in French oak
• Medium gold color with aromas of lemon meringue pie
• It’s dry with medium acidity and flavors of lemon curd, grilled pineapple and white flowers with a long creamy finish
• The oak is very restrained
• We haven’t had an oaked chardonnay we’ve like this much in a long time
• Also priced around $16 which is seriously under priced for the quality of wine you are getting.

Sources

• Wine Folly: The Best Wines from Chile 
• Vinepair 
• Wine Folly: Chilean Wine 
• Book: The World Atlas of Wine
• Book: The Oxford Companion to Wine
• Wikipedia
• Vine Connections

This episode we bring you interesting wine news for Spring 2017, plus our reactions and opinions. Articles we cover:

• “Ignore the Snobs, Drink the Cheap, Delicious Wine” by Bianca Bosker. New York Times. 
  • Summary: Bianca Bosker says mass-produced, committee-designed wines deserve love too.

• “Wine Legislation Roundup: A Consumer's Guide to 2017 State Politics” by Emma Balter. Wine Spectator.
  • Summary: We touch on bills being considered in Indiana regarding a tax break for beer made with locally grown ingredients, and labeling standards in Texas

• “Minnesota wineries challenge state law requiring use of homegrown grapes” by David Chanen. Star Tribune. 
  • Summary: Two Minnesota wineries are suing the MN Department of Public Safety over a law that says 51% of a MN winery's production must come from grapes grown in MN.

• “How a biotech start-up is making expensive wines without grapes“ by Chris Morris. CNBC
  • Summary: Ava Winery, a start-up out of San Francisco, is making wine without grapes. They analyze the molecular profile of a famous wine and recreate it by combining “amino acids, sugars, ethanol and other elements.”

• “The Contrarian Cellar” by Matt Kramer. Wine Spectator
  • Summary: Opinion Piece. Matt begins with a story about an experienced trophy-wine-drinking friend he tries to impress with little-known wines when they get together and how the latest attempt was amazing. He says it was a triumph of the “Contrarian Cellar”, that you too can have one because it’s feasible and affordable. You need to be willing to do a bit of research and drink w

he first Friday in May is International Sauvignon Blanc Day; to honor this popular grape variety, we’re going to explore major regional Sauvignon Blanc styles and their flavors.

In this week's episode, we discuss:

• Where Sauvignon Blanc comes from
• How the vine grows
• Winemaking styles
• Food pairings
• Three main regional styles, where to find them and flavor characteristics

May is Finger Lakes Wine Month and to celebrate, this episode is all about Finger Lakes!

New York state makes more wine than any other US state after California, and it's centered around the Finger Lakes AVA, which was established in 1982 and includes 11,000 acres of vineyards. It's the largest wine-producing region in New York State, located in Upstate New York, south of Lake Ontario and is home to 130 wineries producing about 90% of the state’s wine.

This week we discuss:

• The History of Finger Lakes wine region
• Climate and Geography of Finger Lakes
• Diversity of wine grapes in the Finger Lakes