Trivia question: An Australian lab technician noticed that oxygen leaking into wine vats turned the contents into vinegar, and a slimy, rubbery layer grew on top. Can you guess what the enterprising Aussie decided he could make from this disgusting substance? Bonus question: When asked about how she coped with the stress of her upcoming wedding, what star said: “I have two words for you — champagne.”
A tale of two syllables
First, let me say that I hope that my readers and I sound a little brighter than the star quoted in our bonus trivia question. To give her the benefit of the doubt, maybe she was thinking of what keeps athletes feigning injury in the whirlpool and out of the game: sham pain. But probably not.
Patience, longing and settling: a tale of the wine rack
My wife Trina gets to see more of my sometimes silly, neurotic behavior than most people. One of these is the Calhounian Dance of the Wine Rack. I have been practicing this since my spouse bought me an incredibly wonderful wine rack that doubles as a tasting table last Christmas. She was not counting on my chronic inability to make a decision and my compulsiveness creating this odd bit of choreography.
It usually starts around dinnertime when I have a hankering to select a good bottle for the meal. I walk to the wine rack and begin pacing back and forth, from the Pinot Noir on the left to the whites on the right and all the wonderful choices in between: Brunello di Montalcino, Amarone, Cabs, Zins, Shiraz and the cast of supporting characters. I bend down and rise again, over and over, puling out bottle after bottle, checking the labels, putting the bottles carefully back. My wife frequently experiences this little rack rumba, but she can’t hear the music in my head. The words go: Too expensive for a simple meal. Doesn’t have just the right “feel.” Isn’t there something I want more? Needs some bottle age to mature.
You would think that the culmination of the Dance of the Wine Rack would be our hero pulling out the perfect bottle with aplomb, bringing his quarry to the table with the thrill of success in his eyes, and opening the bottle to let it breathe while he and his wife go off to make the meal. But no. Typically, the dance ends with a sigh, an angst-filled shake of the head, and me settling for a beer or whatever leftover wine I have open.
I’ve taken steps to end my dancing days, though. Realizing that part of this behavior is caused by an overabundance of high-quality wines in my collection — like an overabundance of money, not really a bad thing — I set out to buy some everyday wines that I should have less trouble selecting from. You know, the kind I write about in Ten Dollar Tastings. (Wow, I should have thought of that earlier!) Let me share with you some of these everyday wines, which you can find at The Wine Merchant and other discriminating wine stores. Then we’ll talk about some Summer Solstice Sippers — tasty whites that are just perfect for lazing along with on a weekend afternoon — that I promised you in my last column.
Everyday wines, penny-pinching prices, outstanding value
I’m going to stick with reds for this section, because I’ll cover whites in Summer Solstice Sippers. Let’s start with XS Red, a tasty California Cabernet Sauvignon that retails for around $9.99. It’s from the highly regarded Hess Vineyards, and it’s an amazing deal for all it delivers: A fruit-forward taste with chocolate, mocha and spice and tannins that form a great backbone. This is one that you’ll want in your rack for sure, along with the excellent Avalon California Cabernet, another steal at $9.99. The 2004 vintage has a dark purplish-red robe and like the XS Red is filled with fruit and berries and chocolate. As I said in my January column, “it’s big enough but not intimidating, satisfying for the connoisseur, surprising for the everyday drinker and a thrifty spend for all.”
Last month, I mentioned some of those tasty Spanish Rioja Reserva and Gran Reserva wines in the Digging deeper section. But if you are adamant about spending under ten dollars for a bottle of Rioja, have I got a wine for you. It’s the Mi Villa 2004 Rioja, an unoaked wine with lots of fruit — cherries, blackberry, raspberry and that peppery spice that Tempranillo is noted for. Comparing it to its older Reserva and Gran Reserva brothers is like comparing a playful puppy with a wise old dog, and there’s enough life and fun here, not to mention complexity for a wine at this price, to delight anyone.
Featured wines: Summer Solstice sippers
I’m confident that you can go back through the column archives on the right nav bar of the Web page and fine many great whites that are knockout summer patio wines. This time around, you’ll find a mix of new favorites and some featured in my earlier columns. What they have in common is that they are all great for sipping outdoors, whether on your deck or porch, on a picnic or at an outdoor movie.
The one that really had our guests — including Charlie Hart, of Pick for Charlie renown — raving at this year’s Memorial Day cookout was Garden Party White. This French blending of Chenin Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc that is a steal for $7.99. At 11.5 percent alcohol, it’s a smooth-drinking wine that’s perfect for drinking alone, as an aperitif or with salads, seafood and picnic fare. It’s crisp, dry and refreshing, tart but not overly tangy and filled with citrus and apple notes. And it’s got that great mineral fruit that the French do so well.
While you’re at it, another great French quaffer is Colombelle, from Producteurs Plaimont Vin de Pays des Cotes de Gascon. The 2006 vintage of this $8.99 blend of French Colombard and Ugni Blanc is full of zest, from the lemony, green-apple aroma through to the melon and peach on the palate. Like the Garden Party White, it’s great with salads or appetizers or picnic food and is low in alcohol so you can sample aplenty. Some other great summer wines include:
Les Jamelles Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. I featured these wines some months ago, but they are classic examples of French wines of their respective varietals. The chardonnay is crisp and fruity, not overly oaked and with a long, satisfying finish. And the influence of the Mediterranean climate is evident on the Sauvignon Blanc, which is dry but fruity with citrus and gooseberry. To me, it’s more like a New Zealand sauvignon blanc than a French one. Both are affordable for $8.99 a bottle. And while I haven’t tasted it, Les Jamelles has now made a Cinsault Rose available. I have no doubt that it is the equal of the others.
Alamos Chardonnay, 2005, $9.99. This Argentine wine is made from grapes grown on the eastern slopes of the pre-Andean mountains of Mendoza. I know this because the label told me so! However, I also know that this $9.99 gem is a unique Chardonnay. For one thing, you can hardly taste the subtle oak, and from the greenish-yellow color to the citrus, kiwi and flowers on the aroma, this is one different Chard. It’s got some of the apple you expect in a Sauvignon Blanc but here it’s mixed with pear, hints of vanilla and a clean, crisp finish. This is a real winner. Find out more about the other wines offered by the Bodegas Catena Zapata folks in the Frugal focus section of this column.
Kumkani Viognier/Chardonnay, 2005, $9.99 and Kumkani Chenin Blanc, 2005, $9.99. The Chardonnay: spicy on the end of the tongue, pronounced peach and light butterscotch aromas and taste. The Viognier adds a really nice breezy floral aroma. It finishes satisfyingly with a hint of melon. The Chenin Blanc is incredible for the price, with a Chardonnay-like and plenty of pineapple, violets and nice fruit. Good acidity and a tangy, lingering finish. Both excellent patio wines, as summery as sunshine and a bright breeze.
Falling Star Sauvignon Blanc, $5.99 and Montalto Cataratto/Chardonnay, $6.99. There should probably be a law against pricing such great wines so affordably. The Falling Star is a Chilean steal, proof that our friends in South America know how to do sauvignon blanc. The 10 percent Semillon rounds out the sprightly, acidic citrus that positively pops from this little crowd-pleaser. The aroma, like the taste, is tangy and alive with lime and grapefruit. And did you know that the Catarratto grape is the second-most planted grape in Italy, next to Sangiovese? Most of it is used to make the dessert wine Marsala, but it shines when blended with Chardonnay in this fresh, blossomy nectar. As golden-green as a Granny Smith apple and flowery as a field of clover, it’s well structured and flavorful. You can have both of these for what you’d normally pay for one bottle of wine of this caliber.
Don't forget the trivia question: An Australian lab technician noticed that oxygen leaking into wine vats turned the contents into vinegar, and a slimy, rubbery layer grew on top. Care to guess what the enterprising Aussie decided he could make from this disgusting substance? Bonus question: When asked about how she coped with the stress of her upcoming wedding, what star said: “I have two words for you — champagne.”
Frugal focus:
The story of Bodegas Catena Zapata winery is a good one — go to “Family” on the Web site and you’ll see — and the wines are excellent too. From the Mendoza region of Argentina, bordering Chile midway down the country, these high-altitude grapes produce high quality in the hands of the vintners. While the Catena wines run over ten dollars, their Alamos second label is affordable and an excellent deal. The Chardonnay, mentioned earlier in this column, is only one of many great values. Their Web site says that “… our goal is to be true to our ‘house’ style of rich and concentrated wines that have distinct varietal character.” They succeed, with Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and others that are tasty but affordable.
Pick for Charlie
This time around, I’d like to recommend two wines that I mentioned a few months ago: Bulletin Place Shiraz, Australia, $7.50 and Falling Star Merlot/Malbec, Argentina, $5.99. What’s not to love: Both are inexpensive, both are screwtops, and both drink like wines three times their price. The Bulletin Place — the 2003 vintage rated 88 points from the Wine Spectator — it is a peppery, full-bodied dream with lots of black currant and berry. The Falling Star is aromatic and chock full of dried fruit and jam and soft but pronounced tannins. Grab a few bottles for your summer barbecues!
Digging deeper
Last month, my wife and I and two friends tasted wines from Australia’s Clarendon hills winery at a tasting sponsored by The Wine Merchant. The 2004 vintage, led by the flagship Astralis Syrah — a steal at only $299 a bottle — is fresh, balanced and full of fresh fruit. The Astralis ages well, and even the 1996 vintage is still considered relatively young as far as drinkability. We also tasted a number of less expensive but still not “everyday affordable” wines and were impressed by many of them. For me, a confirmed Shiraz and Zinfandel lover, the surprise was the relatively affordable Romas Grenache, which blew me away with its black cherry and raspberry notes and its mineral and spice undertones. It was a steal for only $92, but I don’t steal, so I just asked for a second sip.
If you wealthy enough that you don’t need to read this column for cheap wine tips, go ahead and buy some of this stuff. It will be worth the money, especially considering that it will only get better with age. Which I’m fairly sure is more than I can say about you.
Surf in for more Tastings next time …
I had said that I might mix in a few beer reviews with my Summer Solstice Sippers. I lied, not surprising for a marketing writer. But just so I don’t totally let you down, I will say that I love a Corona or Sol or Modelo with lime after mowing the grass. But the folks at The Wine Merchant have me hooked on a German smoke beer called Schlenkerla Rauchbier Marzen that is not what most people would drink on a hot summer day. It’s heavy, smoky and totally delicious, though, so I drink it anyway. Before summer goes away and I sink into my usual Seasonal Affective Disorder funk, please send me your favorite post-grass-mowing beer. I’ll try it and let you know what I think in the next Ten Dollar Tastings.
Until then, in vino veritas … and que syrah, syrah!
Answer to trivia question: What will they think of next? What else would you make from some oozy mess that grows on top of vinegary wine? Why, a dress, of course! The inventor spread the stuff over a mannequin and let it grow together because, well, it’s still alive. And it smells like rancid wine and has to be kept wet at all times. That sounds tres practical for those beach weekends where you want to take a dip in the surf right after dining! But don’t take my word for it. Read about the dress de la vin for yourself.
And the star whose IQ is apparently running a race with her bust measurement is none other than Pamela Anderson, commenting on the pressures of her upcoming marriage to Kid Rock. Of course, that’s history now, but I’ll bet she finds other stresses to keep her drinking the bubbly. (By the way, Pam, “bubbly” isn’t two words either.)
If you’d like to talk more about wine, other fun uses for vinegar, buxom bubbly-imbibing babes or whatever else is on your mind, you can contact me at HarryC13@aol.com.
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Thanks as always to The Wine Merchant for providing excellent wines, wine education and support. Prices are based on the author’s experience and may vary.
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