Blood Of The Vines: Withnail And I

Wine Goes to the Movies with 

Now And Zin and Trailers From Hell

In "Withnail and I," two English chums go "on holiday by mistake" and seek refuge from their horrid lives in a bottle of whatever is nearby.  The movie is loaded with writing that is memorized and used by the film’s fans in their daily lives as often as possible.

How can anyone resist lines like, "We want the finest wines available to humanity.  We want them here, and we want them now!"  And, of course, "There must and shall be aspirin!"

"Withnail and I" centers on two actors who can't get a role if the rent depends upon it - and it does - who take a bit of R & R at uncle Monty's English country shack for the weekend.  This film features plenty to drink: there's wine, there's sherry, there's more wine, there's a pint of something and there's lighter fluid.  Oh, there's also an enterprising drug supplier and an eel poacher at the pub.  Now you're hooked, right?

Richard E. Grant's performance in the role of Withnail is a masterpiece, particularly since he had to learn how to act drunk.  He Withnailed it.  Paul McGann as "I" plays the foil to Withnail's drunken bluster.

The opening sax version of "Whiter Shade of Pale" by King Curtis signals good things from this movie.  The inclusion of recordings by Jimi Hendrix and the Beatles indicate some deep pockets on the production side.  George Harrison had some fairly deep pockets and an inside track on getting a Beatles song licensed.  This is George's movie, and he made sure it sounded like it.

Hard times hit early on when the guys are caught without anything decent to drink, so a can of lighter fluid becomes a topic for quick debate.  And if you are drinking lighter fluid because even the bum wine has run out, don't chase it with anti-freeze.  "You bloody fool, you should never mix your drinks!"

When the pair run out of wine in the bucolic English countryside, uncle Monty comes to the rescue with a case of the good stuff.  As Withnail says about Monty, "He keeps a sensational cellar!"  A little Chateau Margaux gets the boys into the realm of real drinking.  That wine was also featured in "Intolerable Cruelty."  I don't, however, recall George Clooney knocking back a swig of lighter fluid.  Or anti-freeze.  And you shouldn't, either.

Chateau Margaux 1953 is the pick here - since the wine is used in the movie.  If you are uncorking a bottle for a viewing party, DM me on Twitter.  It's the only way I'll ever get any.  On second thought, skip it.  That last blast of lighter fluid ruined my palate.  Recent vintages of Chateau Margaux start at over a hundred dollars a bottle, and go up to the stratosphere for the more desirable years.  Expect to pay in the thousands for the best of this grand cru wine.

For derelicts on a budget:

Wild Irish Rose gets some serious attention from aficionados of cheap wine aimed at people who drink to get drunk.  Alcohol at 18% certainly gets you a headstart on the party, for less than a fiver.  The White Label is said to have a nose of rubbing alcohol, and a palate that's even meaner.  Better than lighter fluid, though.  Sort of.

Sure, Gallo brought us Night Train and Thunderbird at higher alcohol levels, but there's a warm spot in any drunk's heart for their Ripple brand.  Of course, that might be due to a peptic ulcer.  Hey, it was Fred Sanford's wine of choice.

It should be noted somewhere in here that Ronsonol Lighter Fluid, after all the jokes are done, is not intended for internal consumption.  It is intended for internal combustion.  Those great videos in which an idiot blows up his barbecue grill?  That's Ronsonol.

And after the '53 Margaux is done, "I have some extremely distressing news.  We've just run of wine."


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Blood Of The Vines: More Movies You Never Heard Of

Trailers From Hell is featuring more movies you never heard of this week, so my wine selections should be easy pairings - more wines you never heard of.  Wine aficionados and movie buffs say those are the best ones, anyway.  Everybody likes to think they are a cult of one.  In my younger days, music at my place was like "stump the band."  If you had ever heard it anywhere else, it wouldn't find my turntable.  My fondness for Bruce Springsteen's music knew no limits in those years, but diminished with each of my friends who signed on as believers.  Oh, I still liked him as a superstar, it just wasn't the same with everyone else on board. 

Admiral is a 2014 South Korean film, one of the many which did not receive an Academy Award for Best Picture.  The South Korean director who did win mentioned that he would proceed to drink until dawn.  That is something, I am told, directors are sometimes given to do - whether they win an Oscar or not.

Admiral Yi Sun-sin has just 13 battleships against a 300-ship Japanese fleet in the Battle of Myeongryang.  So this is a movie you've never heard of, as well as a movie the details of which you cannot pronounce.  Perhaps it pairs with a Scotch whisky, most of which no one can pronounce, either, like Bunnahabhain.  Or an ornery beer, like Westvleteren 12.  Let's get sweet with a German Riesling classified as Trockenbeerenauslese. 

From 2004, 800 Bullets is a Spanish film by director Álex de la Iglesias.  He is listed further down in the Iglesias Google search than Enrique, Julio and Gabriel combined.  Much further.  A film which is a tip of the Pale Rider hat to Spaghetti westerns should be an easy Italian choice, but hold on, amico.  Those films were shot in Almería, Spain, as was 800 Bullets, just across the Alboran Sea from Morocco.  A wine from the southern reaches of the Iberian peninsula? Sherry, perhaps!  Not unless granny was a stunt double.  Those daredevils deserve a strong, spicy, peppery red wine that lives it up and ages fast.  Break out a cheap Garnacha from anywhere in Spain.  Screwcap!  Action!

Documentaries often appear on lists of movies you haven't seen, and that goes double for non-narrative documentaries like 1992's Baraka.  Maybe you also didn't see the 2012 sequel, Samsara.  Filmed in 23 different countries, Baraka shows image after image after striking image, without many words.  As a wine writer, I am always looking for words to describe what I taste.  Pictures are for marketers, so they can grab your attention on a crowded wine store shelf with kittens and kangaroos and such. 

If you are adventurous enough to watch Baraka, you are probably adventurous enough to seek out the namesake Croatian wine, produced across the Adriatic Sea from Italy.  The Baraka Prisbus Riserva is a Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot blend that's been in the cellar for three years and sports a very conservative label, sans critters.

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Blood Of The Vines - Feeling Peckish

Pairing‌‌‌ ‌‌‌wine‌‌‌ ‌‌‌with‌‌‌ ‌‌‌movies!‌‌‌  ‌‌‌See‌‌‌ ‌‌‌the‌‌‌ ‌‌‌trailers‌‌‌ ‌‌‌and‌‌‌ ‌‌‌hear‌‌‌ ‌‌‌the‌‌‌ ‌‌‌fascinating‌‌‌ ‌‌‌commentary‌‌‌ ‌‌‌for‌‌‌ ‌‌‌these‌‌‌ ‌‌‌‌‌movies‌,‌‌ ‌‌‌and‌‌‌ ‌‌‌many‌‌‌ ‌‌‌more‌,‌‌ ‌‌‌at‌‌‌ ‌‌‌Trailers‌‌‌ ‌‌‌From‌‌‌ ‌‌‌Hell.‌‌‌  This week, a trio of film classics starring the great Gregory Peck.

I have always thought - hoped - that Gregory Peck took his Hollywood name after looking up while standing on the Beverly Hills street corner of Gregory Way and Peck Drive.  I feel that a lot of inspiration has come from street intersections which have a good ring to them when spoken out loud.  Hollywood and Vine, Pico and Sepulveda, 3rd and Fairfax.  Of course, it is hard to imagine a celebrity by the name of Hollywood Vine or Pico Sepulveda or 3rd Fairfax.  In Peck's case, that is not the case.  He was born in San Diego as Eldred Gregory Peck, and he simply lost the nerdy first name for show business.

Yellow Sky is a 1948 western directed by William A. Wellman, starring Peck, Richard Widmark and Anne Baxter.  Yes, Peck alone would make us watch, but the deal is sweetened considerably with the addition of Widmark and Baxter.  If only Harry Morgan would appear… Oh, there he is, playing a guy named Half-Pint.

A group of bank robbers on the run through the desert run out of water.  That's a tough break, because then you have nothing for your scotch.  They come upon a ghost town - well actually a town of population two - and decide to recharge themselves there.  A woman is involved, and a gold strike, so things get crazy like they do when money and sex are involved.  

That's a genuine desert you see there, by the way, which is possibly why you get thirsty watching Yellow Sky.  Some of the filming happened at the Death Valley National Monument.  Spoiler alert: At the end, the bad guys give the money back to the bank.  *cocks head*  "Huh?"  The tellers must have been confused, since they get very few bands of outlaws making deposits.

For Yellow Sky, how about a yellow wine?  The French call it Vin Jaune in Jura, where it is made somewhat like sherry and tastes like it, too.  Benoit Badoz is the tenth generation of his family to make wine, and he makes the Vin Jaune as prescribed, from the Savignin grape.

In the 1976 horror flick, The Omen, Peck hides the death of his newborn son from his wife by secretly adopting another child.  Hey, they all look alike at that age, anyway.  However, they aren't all the Antichrist.  You win some, you lose some.  Just don't let that nanny from Hell get him a dog..

The kid - Damien, in case you haven't heard - wields a lot of power behind that cute little smile.  In most homes, Rottweilers would be considered a threat to a small child, not a minion.  The Omen features some truly horrifying death scenes.  You won’t un-see the impaling or the decapitation anytime soon.

Speaking of that nanny from Hell, two breweries had a beer named Mrs. Baylock, but they are sadly out of production.  I hate it when a good wine-and-movie pairing goes away!  So, let's go back to France for a pairing with The Omen.  Domaine Saint Damien produces a blood-red Gigondas wine from old vines.  Don't let your Rottweiler anywhere near the bottle.  Or your nanny.

Moby Dick, in 1956, cast Peck as the officer with a one-track mind, Captain Ahab.  John Huston directed and co-wrote the script with Ray Bradbury.  

Ahab's obsessive search for the elusive white whale is a character study like no other.  Everyone has their own obsessions, to one point or another.  The only thing I have in my life that compares to Ahab's fixation is my futile search for the original version of the 45 rpm record "Nyquil Blues," by Alvin Crow and his Pleasant Valley Boys.  That's my white whale.  Ye damned record!

Newport Vineyards had a blended wine known as White Whale, but the label has been dropped from the menu.  Too bad, that would have tied up this pairing with a bow.  Gray Whale Gin?  Off-color, but at least you can get it.  Let's go for a beer, from Massachusetts' Moby Dick Brewing Company.  I like the Ishm-Ale, but you can pick anything you like.

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AMERICAN WINE AND FOOD FESTIVAL

The 28th annual American Wine and Food Festival kicks off Saturday night, September 25, 2010 at Universal Studios in Los Angeles.  It benefits the Meals On Wheels Programs of Los Angeles, and since 1982 the event has raised more than $15 million for that institution.  Through Meals On Wheels, thousands of meals are served each day to the homebound, senior and disabled citizens of Los Angeles.

The Saturday night event, at Universal Studios backlot, features 30 top chefs and 80 wineries and spirit labels.  You'll be able to sample the best the culinary world has to offer, with food and wine placed face to face, where they belong.    
Saturday at 5:00 p.m., the Wolfgang Puck VIP Cooking Demonstration gets the festivities underway for VIP ticketholders, while the festival opens an hour later and runs until 11:00 p.m.  You can cap off the night in “Sherry Yard’s Sweet Sanctuary Champagne and Port Lounge” – an after-hours retreat.  Dance the night away to a live band or simply mingle among the 3,000 or so food and wine lovers that are expected to attend.  Tickets  for the festival are $300 per person.  For details and cost for VIP tickets, please call Joan Wrede at 310.574.3663.

The Chefs Grand Tasting Dinner is slated for Sunday, 6:00 p.m., at Spago Beverly Hills.  This dinner features celebrity chefs who will each prepare one course, which are paired with select wines.  This year’s featured chefs will be Nobu Matsuhisa of Matsuhisa Beverly Hills, Charlie Palmer of Charlie Palmer at Bloomingdale’s South Coast Plaza, Paul Bartolotta of Bartolotta and Ristorante di Mare, Michael White of AltaMarea Group, Santi Santamaria of Restaurant Can Fabes, and Dominique Ansel of Restaurant Daniel. There will also be a live auction.  Reservations for the Chefs Grand Tasting Dinner are $750 per person or $7,000 per table.  To make your reservations for this limited-seating dinner, contact Ellen Farentino at Spago: 310.385.0880. 
You can "like" the American Wine and Food Festival on Facebook, and follow them on Twitter.

EXPLORING BEAUJOLAIS: FLEURIE

This taste of the Beaujolais region concerns a wine by Alain Coudert, Clos de la Roilette, Fleurie 2010.  The label indicates it's a red Beaujolais wine - 99% of the wine from Beaujolais is red, produced from the Gamay grape.

Fleurie wines are often indicated as having a fruity and floral bouquet.  That would be underselling the case, here, as we will find in a bit.

Louis Dressner Selections imports this wine, and their website describes the evolution of Clos de la Roilette:

"In the '20s, when the Fleurie appellation was first created, the former landowner was infuriated with losing the Moulin-à-Vent appellation under which the clos had previously been classified.  He created a label, using a photograph of his racehorse Roilette, and used the name Clos de la Roilette, without mentioning Fleurie.  The owner vowed not to sell a drop of his wine on the French market and the production went to Switzerland, Germany and England.

"By the mid-1960s, the owner’s heirs had lost interest in the clos and a large portion of the land had gone wild and untended.  In 1967, Fernand Coudert bought this poorly maintained estate, and replanted the vineyards.  His son Alain joined him in 1984, and has been the winemaker since."

The racehorse remains on the label to this day, although the Couderts apparently have no ill will at this point about the appellation.  The wine is labeled as Fleurie.

This is a complex Beaujolais Cru which retails for $20 and is a little stronger than a typical Beaujolais at 13% abv.  The average age of the Coudert's vines are 25-33 years and I am told it should age well for 5-10 years.

An initial cork sniff had me thinking I'd opened a bottle of sherry by mistake.  There's a huge nuttiness and something akin to caramel on the cork.  Once in the glass, the nose of the medium dark wine displays leathery cherry fruit, allspice and a hint of something burnt.

The palate is equally serious.  A very dark expression of cherries and roast come forward right away, and an almost muddy taste plays with the fruit as it shows black cherry, then blackberry, then a campfire flavor.  There is a fantastic acidity and a lingering tartness which begs for another sip to be taken.

In my sedentary travel through the Beaujolais crus, this is the darkest and most impressive wine I have tasted.

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Monopole: Rioja Blanca Wine

Spanish wine is a thing unto itself, but I suppose one could say that about French wine, German wine, Portuguese wine, Israeli wine, and on and on.  But it seems especially true for Spanish wine.  It was the wine of Spain that originally got me interested in vino - in fact, Viura was one of the grapes that initially caught my attention.

The 2019 Monopole is produced by the big Spanish wine company CVNE, which stands for Compañia Vinicola del Norte de España.  The outfit was founded in 1879 in the Rioja town of Haro by two brothers and is still run by their descendants.  The Monopole name harkens back to a wine they used to make some 40 years ago, one that featured Manzanilla sherry blended with the white Viura grapes and aged in oak casks. 

This wine is not so complex - made fully from Viura grapes, in stainless steel tanks.  The grapes were harvested from mid-September through mid-October, on the heels of a terrible drought.  The region got ample rain over the winter and spring of this vintage.  The packaging is a little unusual for the Rioja region - a tall, slender Rhine-style bottle is used.  Alcohol tips 13% abv and it sells for under $15.

The nose is full of citrus - lemon, lime and bit of orange, a splash of grapefruit - with some excellent minerality and salinity on the other side of the scales.  The palate follows suit, with an acidity level that is nice, but not quite as racy as I expected.  Minerals linger on a finish that serves as a lovely reminder of a beautiful sip of white wine.

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Santa Barbara's L.A. Road Trip: Chardonnay

Living in Los Angeles, Santa Barbara is "our" wine region. A mere two hours north of L.A., Santa Barbara wine country offers nearly 200 wineries producing truly world class wines. We take a lot of road trips up there to visit Santa Barbara Vintners, so it was nice of them to return the favor and come down here.

Santa Barbara County is home to the only transverse mountain range in North America, where the wind from the Pacific Ocean is channeled right across the Santa Barbara County Appellation.  The sub-appellations - Santa Ynez Valley, Santa Maria Valley, Sta. Rita Hills, Ballard Canyon, Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara and Los Olivos District are distinct and varied. The region is also home to an unrivaled growing season with the aforementioned coastal influences giving great grapes a place to thrive.  Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Syrah, Grenache, Roussanne, Marsanne, Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and more are found in Santa Barbara County.

Santa Barbara Vintners brought their best to Los Angeles for four days in May. Instead of overwhelming us with close to 50 different varieties at one tasting, each day was broken down into a specific wine theme for more focus. Monday was given to Chardonnay, Tuesday Pinot Noir, Wednesday featured Rhone varieties and Thursday gave us the Bordeaux grapes.


Monday, May 16 - CHARDONNAY
Tuesday, May 17 - PINOT NOIR
Wednesday, May 18 - RHONE VARIETALS
Thursday, May 19 - BORDEAUX VARIETALS


Here's what I found at the Chardonnay tasting.


Jim Clendenen’s Au Bon Climat Chardonnay stole the show.  I don't remember what Clendenen's quote was about, but he said, "Only cuz I can," which is a great winemaker quote, even taken out of context. His 2013 Au Bon Climat Chardonnay Nuits-Blanches Au Bouge, Santa Maria Valley has a full mouth and great flavor. The Los Alamos and Bien Nacido Vineyard Chardonnays are sublime.

Brewer Clifton's wines all had great acidity. Their 2012 Brewer-Clifton 3D Chardonnay, Sta. Rita Hills is a standout, with tropical fruit and lemon showing prominently.

Foxen's Jenny Williamson Doré was kind enough to pour for me her 2013 Foxen Chardonnay Tinaquaic Vineyard, Santa Maria Valley. A dry farmed, Wente clone with amazing salinity and minerality.

Cambria Winery's 2014 Cambria Benchbreak Chardonnay, Santa Maria Valley had its lees stirred and shows some pretty funky, savory minerals.

The Cambria table also tasted me on the ‘93 Byron, still very nice with a Sherry-like taste coming out, and the ‘87 Talbot, also tasting quite nice

The 2014 Pence Sebastiano Chardonnay, Santa Maria Valley shows some great, savory fruit.

Qupé’s Bob Lindquist wowed the crowd with his 2013 Qupé Chardonnay Bien Nacido Vineyard Reserve, Block Eleven, Santa Maria Valley. It's very savory, has a lovely salinity.

The 2013 Sanger Family Chardonnay, Santa Ynez Valley is perhaps a little unusual coming from the warmest part of Santa Barbara County. Aged 16 months, the wine has a really nice, savory edge.


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Holiday Wines

Ask twenty people which wine to serve with Thanksgiving dinner, and you'll probably get about a hundred different answers.  Some swear by the Dynamic Duo, Riesling and Gewurztraminer.  Some say you can't go wrong with Pinot Noir.  Others are touting their bubbles, Merlots and Zins, oh my!  Personally, I have about a hundred different opinions myself.

The right wine can really make a holiday meal come alive.  Personal preference plays a big part in choosing what to drink for the holidays.  My first rule of wine pairing is, "There are no rules."  As you do the rest of the year, you should drink what you like and like what you drink.  If you would feel more confident in your holiday entertaining with some guidelines to follow, allow me to steer you in some good directions.

For starters, a big feast like a Thanksgiving or Christmas spread features so many different types of food and diverse taste elements, it is nearly impossible to choose just one wine to go with everything on the table.  You can match a Pinot Noir with the turkey, but what about the sweet potatoes with marshmallow topping?  The Riesling that goes so nicely with your holiday ham may be a bit overwhelmed by a standing rib roast.

If you really want all the food paired perfectly, you can turn your holiday meal into a tasting session - an interesting idea, admittedly not for everyone.  A dry white wine may serve reasonably well if there's no heavy beef on the table.  A good sparkling wine is cited by a number of wine pairing experts as the best way to go if you only want one wine on the table.  A dry sparkler can fit in well with nearly everything, even beef.  And how festive, anyway!  And even a nice dry rose should be tucked away somewhere, if only to serve as a great accompaniment to the inevitable turkey or ham sandwich the next day.

Here is a short list of wines I think would serve anyone well over the holidays.  You can use the varietal as a starting point and pick your favorites from there, or you can choose from my selections.  I am taking the liberty of keeping the price level of my suggestions mostly in the $20-and-under range.  Feel free to splurge on a $100 Cabernet to go with that Christmas roast if your wallet can take it.  If the holidays have your budget stretched thin, look here for some very nice wines that will add a little extra cheer to the season in affordable fashion.  I'm suggesting primarily California wines here, but feel free to make an international affair of it.  Champagne, after all, is the king of sparkling wines; nobody does Riesling like the Germans; and if you took the Zinfandel from the menu and replaced it with a nice Primitivo or Barbera, who really could argue the decision?

Included on this list are a variety of wines that fall into one or more of the following categories which I feel address the holiday spirit:

• Rich flavors


• Full-bodied


• Pairs well with roast, turkey or ham


• Dessert wines


• Bubbles

Chardonnay - It's the holidays.  Let's skip the pristine, austere beauty of the stainless steel Chardonnays.  Lay in a supply of rich, buttery Chards with seasonal flavors bursting forth from them.  Try -

Wente Vineyards Riva Ranch Chardonnay 2008 ($19) -  Described as having "aromas and flavors of honey, graham cracker, cinnamon and light floral notes," it is blended with small amounts of Pinot Blanc and Gewurztraminer.


Cambria "Katherine's Vineyard" Santa Maria Valley Chardonnay 2006 ($19) -  Cambria says the nose is "deeply aromatic with apples, peaches, lime blossoms and vanilla," while the palate is "intense and powerful, yet surprisingly elegant and nuanced."


Cakebread Chardonnay Reserve, Carneros, Napa Valley 2006 ($55) - This is a splurge.  It's a rich and luscious Chardonnay that spent 15 months in French oak to bring holiday aromas like spiced apple.  It's a big, creamy wine with peach, apple and melon on the palate, along with toasty oak notes.

Riesling - This is one of the more versatile white wines, owing in part to the fact that there are different styles of Riesling that taste very different from one another.  You can run the gamut from sweet to quite dry with Riesling.  All are food-friendly wines with a relatively low alcohol level.  Rieslings pair well with cheese, ham, seafood, vegetables, spicy food and even fruit plates.  Riesling purists prefer German.  Washington state and New York's Finger Lakes region also make good ones.  Try -

Trefethen Estate Napa Dry Riesling 2008 ($22) - This one is on the dry end of the spectrum.  Trefethen says the 2008 vintage has more tropical notes than usual, with aromas of "delicate jasmine flower, coupled with pineapple, guava, tarragon, and lemongrass."  The palate shows "cantaloupe, lemon, fennel, and especially white peaches playing off each other in delightful balance. A little bit of slate minerality rounds out the finish."

For a slightly sweeter take on the grape, Fess Parker's Santa Barbara County Riesling 2008 ($14) offers crsip acidity in an off-dry setting.

Pinot Noir - Despite its reputation for being a finicky wine to make, Pinot Noir is a fairly affable wine on the holiday spread.  Pairing well with cheese and crackers - try Brie, Swiss or a nice Chevre - Pinot Noir also gets comfy with stuffed mushrooms, ham, turkey and duck.  Often featuring a cinnamon or clove flavor profile, Pinot Noir can be a hit with foods of a similar makeup.  Try -

Bogle Pinot Noir Russian River Valley 2006 ($13) - Wine Spectator calls it "pure and complex, with ripe, vivid wild berry, raspberry and blackberry fruit...ending with a dillish oak edge."  Sounds tailor made for the Thanksgiving table.

Edna Valley Vineyards Paragon Pinot Noir ($22) - Their description makes me salivate: "Hints of rose petal, caramel and forest floor weave through the jammy fruit core. The mid-palate is pleasant and smooth with fine tannins. Subtle cola and perfume nuances alight the finish for lingering enjoyment of this pretty red wine. Enjoy with gamey flavors such as duck, venison or wild mushroom pasta."

Syrah - The dark fruit and peppery spiciness are a match made for smoked meats.  Big, fruity Syrahs will pair well with roast, ham or smoked turkey.  Try -

Stolpman Vineyards Estate Santa Ynez Syrah 2006 ($27) - International Wine Cellar says: "...perfumed bouquet of dark berries, Christmas spices, violet and minerals...red and dark berry flavors stain the palate...long, juicy finish."

Mandolin Syrah Central Coast 2007 ($14) - Dark fruit and layers of spice and rich vanilla hit the holiday notes.  They run in tandem with a dense molasses, leather and plum profile.  Firm tannins make it ideal for for a roast or steaks.

Zinfandel - Black cherry and blackberry often dominate the flavor profile of Zin to the point of jamminess.  It's can be a big wine that calls for big food.  Find a Zin with lighter profiles and bright fruit flavors to be more flexible in pairing it with lighter fare.  Try -

Cline Ancient Vines California Zinfandel 2007 ($18) - Cline says this one has "flavors of dark berries, coffee and chocolate with great vanilla oak character and a long lingering finish."  Some say it has a sweet, port-like side.  It also has the tannins to handle steaks, roast - or that barbecued turkey you've always wanted to serve.

Bogle "The Phantom" Red Blend 2006 ($15) - This is actually even parts Zin and Petite Sirah with a splash of Mourvedre.  It's luscious, with anise and figs on the nose and clove and vanilla peeking around the fruit on the palate.

Cabernet Sauvignon - Cabs find themselves at home before, during and after dinner.  Pair the big reds with blue cheese on the appetizer plate, heavy beef or smoked meats on the dinner table and even dark chocolate desserts.  Try -

Rutherford Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 ($18) - They describe their Cab as having "lush fruit aromas of raspberry and Bing cherry, hints of cedar box, bright mint and spicy cinnamon."  It's a full-bodied wine with silky tannins. Serve with blue cheese, marinated steaks or dark chocolate after dinner.

Francis Coppola Diamond Series Claret 2007 ($14) - Not a true Cab, it's a Bordeaux-style blend of Cabernet, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec.  Aromas of plum, anise, dark chocolate and sweet spices will make it a hit for the holidays. Rich flavors of blackberry, currant and strawberry are festive and exciting, just like the season.

Trefethen HaLo 2004 ($175) - With bay leaf on the nose and clove and nutmeg in the flavor profile, this wine had me thinking of Christmas at first sniff.  I think this would pair fabulously with turkey - but at $175 a bottle, this may be better as one of the gifts under the tree.

Merlot - Complex and accessible at once, Merlot got such a bad rap pinned on it in the film Sideways that sales actually fell.  Hopefully, saner heads will prevail during the holiday season.  Different Merlots offer different pairing opportunities, so depending on whether the wine is full- or medium-bodied you can match with everything from roast to salmon.  A fictional character's ranting is no way to make decision on what wine to drink.  Try -

Silverado Napa Merlot 2004 ($25) - A medium-bodied wine that's abetted by 11% Cabernet Sauvignon, there's a nutty spiciness that duels with a sweet cherry flavor to produce a complex and enjoyable drink.


Robert Mondavi Napa Merlot 2006 ($17) - Wine Spectator says this Merlot "offers an appealing blend of structure and plushness, with currant and espresso aromas and black cherry and anise flavors."

Dessert Wines - Depending on your tolerance for sweets, dessert wines can complement an after dinner treat or stand alone and be the treat.  Late harvest varietals, muscat, Port and sherry all make for a delicious way to finish a feast.  The French do a particularly fine job with wines from Sauternais and Banyuls.  Try -

Bridlewood Syrah Port 2006 ($20) -  If the words "Syrah Port" don't do it for you, listen to these descriptive words from the the winemaker: "heady aromatics of blackberry, cassis and licorice...dark jammy fruit framed with spicy oak and vanilla accents...notes of strong dark chocolate with hints of pecan, tangerine peel and earth...soft chewy tannins and a sweet vanilla oak backdrop...luscious licorice finish."  Now, if my football teams don't win on Thanksgiving, I'll hardly care.


Mer Soleil Late 2004 ($34) - The Viognier grapes came down with a case of Botrytis, and that's good news all around.  This dessert wine is the result, a rich shade of gold with honey, apricot nectar and orange zest in the flavor profile.

Sparkling Wines - Champagne can get expensive, and for some it's that or nothing.  There are, however, plenty of good sparkling wines from places other than France.  A nice Italian Prosecco, a Spanich Cava or a California sparkler can make a festive showing, too.  Sparkling styles range from Extra Brut (the dryest), Brut, Extra Sec, Sec, Demi-Sec and Doux (the sweetest.)  Try -

Roederer Estate Anderson Valley Brut ($19) - The American arm of Louis Roederer produces this great-tasting, affordable sparkler with notes of cinnamon, creme brulee and baked apple.  They also make a pink bubbly with a touch of Pinot Noir for color.

Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs Sparkling Wine 2006 - This producer made America's first sparkling wine, back in 1965.  It's thought by many to be America's best sparkler, coming as close to real Champagne as it gets in the States.  An apple cobbler note on the palate should sit well with autumn celebrations.

Rhone-style white blends - These wines typically match up well with autumnal foods like squash, apples and chestnuts.  Look for blends involving Grenache Blanc, Roussanne or Marsanne.  Try -

Lone Madrone La Mezcla 2008 ($17) - An interesting Paso Robles blend of Grenache Blanc and Albarino!  Not only will it fit, it's a conversation starter.

Big House White 2008 ($8) - This white blend features Malvasia Bianca, Muscat Canelli, Viognier and Roussanne.  Aromas of lemon meringue and wintermint grace the nose, while the palate enjoys tropical fruit and toast.  A wildly popular wine, it was listed atop Wine Enthusiast's "Top 100 Best Buys of 2009."

Rhone-style red blends - Look to Rhone-style reds for full-bodied, spicy wines that usually dip a bit more into the earthy, dark side of the flavor line.  They make an excellent partner to roast beef.  Try -

Tablas Creek "Cotes de Tablas" Red 2003 ($20) - Cherry liqueur, white pepper, leather and sage highlight this blend of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre and Counoise.

Bonny Doon Le Cigare Volant 2005 ($32) - From the Bonny Doon website: "Aromas of spiced meat, kirsch, mushrooms, a soupçon of truffle and dark chocolate make for a richly perfumed red wine." This blend is mainly Grenache, Mourvedre and Syrah, with some Carignane and Cinsault in the mix.

Suggested holiday meal:

• Before the meal - Sparkling wine will set a celebratory mood.


• With your cheese plate - Chardonnay or a bubbly with Brie; Riesling or dessert wine with blue cheese; Cab, Merlot or Zinfandel with cheddar; Riesling or a Rhone-style white with Swiss; Pinot Noir or Port with cream cheese.


• For roast turkey breast - Viognier or Chardonnay are good.  Dark meat likes a Pinot Noir.


• With the baked ham - Pinot Noir or Riesling.  A Beaujolais Nouveaux will work, and it is the season for it.


• Beef roast or steaks - Call for Cabernet Sauvignon.


• Goose or game - Pinot Noir.  A rich Chardonnay, Zinfandel or Merlot could fit, too.


• Cornbread stuffing - Pinot Noir.  If it's made with sausage, break out a Syrah or Rhone-style Red.


• Pumpkin & Pecan Pie - An aged cream sherry or tawny Port will bring out the brown spices in the pie; a white dessert wine like a late harvest Riesling, Viognier or Chardonnay will also provide a lip-smacking accompaniment to the holiday pie.

AMERICAN WINE & FOOD FESTIVAL: HOT TICKET

The scene was set at Universal Studios backlot Saturday September 25, 2010.  The extremely hot - and humid - weather during the day persisted into the evening, but the makeup stayed in place and all the participants were ready for their closeups, Mr. DeMille.  Lights, sterno, clapboard, please!

The American Wine and Food Festival went off almost without a hitch.  That's saying a lot considering how the hot weather caused quite a few last-minute changes for chefs who had planned on serving hot food, only to realize something cool would be more appropriate.

In fact, the biggest hitch I found was at the end of the evening.  When waiting to board the tram back to the parking garage, I found about 300 other people already waiting.  A nice Universal employee named Dave informed me that due to hydraulics problems, they were down to their last tram.  They were trying to cope as best they could by pressing vans and small buses into service.  Those options were not much help in replacing trams which carry 160 people at once.

The event itself, though, was nothing short of spectacular.  The food samples handed out by some of the best chefs in the world were of uniformly high quality.  The wine tasting was great, too.  I only wish the food temptations hadn't been so great.  I wanted to spend more time in pursuit of the grape, but I can't honestly say I was disappointed by dabbling in one culinary treat after another.

The backlot - which you've probably seen on TV and in movies a thousand times - provided several different settings to walk through.  As I turned one corner after another, the cobblestone streets were lined with food and wine booths.

O'Shaughnessy Estate Winery was my first stop.  Eager to pour some big Napa reds, the guy manning the booth seemed a little peeved that I asked to start with the Sauvignon Blanc.  I had just arrived, and already I was dry and thirsty.  The O'Shaughnessy Sauvignon Blanc hit the spot with bracing acidity and a cool grapefruit profile with a sweetness to it that relieved my palate.  I liked his reds, too.  Two Cabernets, the Howell Mountain and the Mount Veeder, were full, rich and intense expressions of the Cabernet Sauvignon grape.  If I had to choose one, It would be the Howell Mountain, but the Mount Veeder runs behind only by a nose.

C. Donatiello Winery offered a wonderful Chardonnay, lightly oaked, crisp and laden with citrus.  The Healdsburg outfit has five different Chardonnays available, and I have no idea which one this is.  I liked it, though.

The Whitcraft Winery table was capably manned by Drake Whitcraft.  He talked a little about how his father Chris got him into the family business, and he seems to be getting the hang of it quickly.  Drake is a 100% whole cluster guy.  His winemaking setup includes actual foot-stomping of the grapes, for real, not for show.  As I understand it, he's working on the second vintage which is all his.  His father is battling poor health and couldn't be prouder of the way Drake has stepped in to handle things.

Drake poured a really nice Chardonnay he had just bottled two weeks ago.  His Grenache is bright and full of cherries on the nose, with a very fruity taste and a great finish.  A pair of Pinot Noirs are Drake's real pride.  The '07 vintage is clone 667 from San Luis Obispo, while the '08 has 20% Anderson Valley fruit.  Drake likes the '08 better, and I have to agree with him.  It's full of bright cherry flavors and has an excellent finish.

From Au Bon Climat: Hildegard, a white blend showing bracing acidity and an interesting blend of grapes.  Hildegard is 55% Pinot Gris, 40% Pinot Blanc and 5% Aligote.  It's a very complex white wine with a zesty lemon finish.

Hitching Post Rosé '09 is made from what used to be called "Napa Gamay."  Turns out the grape is actually Valdiguie, with roots in the southern France region of Languedoc-Roussillon.  There is some Pinot Gris in the mix, as well.  This is a bone dry pinkie that's loaded with fruit and great acidity.

Paraduxx, the pun-laden label from Duckhorn, poured a stunning blend of Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon, vibrant and rich.

Lest you think it was all California wine being poured - not that that's a bad thing - Dr. Loosenwas there.  A dry, bracing Riesling was tasty, of course.  I asked for something with a bit of gasoline in it, but the pourer shook his head and said, "Sorry, nothing is showing the petrol yet."

An attempt at getting into the "Sherry Yard's Sweet Sanctuary Champagne and Port Lounge" proved successful, in that I was able to get into the roped-off area.  Live music and the promise of an after-hours "scene" produced such a crushing throng that I was unable to navigate within the area very well, and was completely unable to locate any Champagne or port.  Which was sort of the idea.  As the kids say these days, "#fail."

That's when I decided to check out, completely satisfied.  A full evening of snapping photos of celebrity chefs left me unfortunately unmoved when I saw Robert Wuhl, the guy who plays Arliss Michaels in the TV show "Arli$$," looking about for the next sample to go for.  I might have been more impressed had some other member of the cast been present, say, oh, I don't know, Sandra Oh.  She was after all in "Sideways," too!

Talking with Denise afterward, we ruminated on how much money must have been raised for the Meals On Wheels Programs of Los Angeles in this event and the accompanying auction.  It was inescapably ironic that an event in which food is handed out as a disposable commodity - we noticed how many "unempty" plates went into the garbage cans - was actually helping get food to people who are unable to get out and get their own.

The American Wine and Food Festival 2010 was a success from the standpoint of a food and wine lover who likes to scarf down free samples from world class chefs and winemakers.  It was also a success from the standpoint of someone who is old or ill and can't get to the market to buy broccoli.  And that is the real achievement.

Please see Denise Fondo's guest blog on the American Wine and Food Festival.

Bonny Doon: Four Rosés

Randall Grahm's touch with Rhône reds is masterful, his work with Iberian and German whites is close behind. But it’s what he does with rosé that really endears him to me.  Imagine my glee to find that Grahm is now pushing not one, but four rosé wines under the Bonny Doon banner. We will visit each of them in the coming weeks, to get you ready for rosé weather, whatever that is.

Here in Southern California we have had rosé weather since February, but don't start throwing things at us because of it. People here are actually complaining that the promised El Niño rains have been noticeably scant since the January downpours. Maybe scheduling a month of rosé will bring the cold rains that California needs so badly.

2013 Vin Gris de Tuilé  (Online Exclusive)

This rosé is a big blend of some great Rhône grapes. The name, Gris Tuilé, means "brick-colored wine," but it does not appear that way to me. This 13% abv pink wine is really just barely pink, and sort of barely orange, too. Maybe old bricks? It is cloudy in appearance and was aged outdoors for nine months in glass demijohns, or carboys, which allow for the wine to pick up some solar radiation. Uh, that means it’s exposed to light. Grahm credits the "solarization" for giving the wine such extreme complexity.  He admits that it’s not for everyone, and adds, "mais c'ést très cool, quand même." Showoff.

 I have always considered Grahm to be King in the land of Savory, and on this wine he has added a few jewels to his crown.  The grapes for this rosé are 55% Grenache, 23% Mourvèdre, 10% Roussanne, 7% Cinsaut, 3% Carignane and 2% Grenache Blanc.  Whew! Did we leave anybody out? Everybody in the carboy? Let’s go.

The nose is amazing, and if I have ever used that word to describe a nose before, let me retract that one so I can use it freely here. It’s amazing. Upon opening the bottle there is a distinct whiff of butterscotch. In the glass, that turns into more of a nutty, savory note. It is quite unusual, and quite delightful. Oh, there are some cherry and strawberry notes in there, but they are way, way down and you have to work a bit to get them. On the palate, it’s a cross between rosé and dry sherry.  A definite caramel note is a great surprise. Grahm says there is curry in there, too, but I don’t get that. I find a sort of sharpness at one point in the sip, which goes away quickly. The finish is quite long, with that note of caramel reappearing. It’s the most unusual rosé I have ever experienced.


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Cava Sparkles, Delights

Vilarnau is a Spanish cava house located outside Barcelona.  I understand they date back to the 1940s, although their parent company goes back much further.  Manuel María González Ángel founded his sherry winery in 1835, then joined up with his English agent Robert Blake Byass.  Importer Gonzalez Byass continues today under the descendents of Señor González.  They sell a large variety of wines, like the cavas of Vilarnau.  The bottles are wrapped in the avant-garde garden design of Antoni Gaudi

The Cava Vilarnau Brut Reserve was made from 50% Macabeo grapes, 35% Parellada and 15% Xarel.lo.  Aging in the bottle took place over 15 months.  Alcohol is quite restrained, at 11.5% abv, while the retail price is an easy $15.

This sparkling wine from Spain has as much on the nose as it does in the bubbles.  Peach and Meyer lemon aromas mix with toasty notes, while the bubbles froth up nicely - although they do dissipate quickly.  The palate is fresh and alive, with lemon, minerals and bit of orange peel for a festive flavor.

The Cava Vilarnau Rosé Délicat Réserva combines 85% Garnacha grapes with 15% Pinot Noir.  Alcohol sits at 12% abv and the price tag is $16 .

This sparkler colors up in a beautiful salmon orange.  The nose has a cherry note added to the peach and lemon.  The toasty aspect is gorgeous, the acidity is lively and fresh and the finish is long and vibrant.  This is a great bubbly for the holidays.

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Dow's Port

Before the Port season slips away, here's a 2012 Vintage Port you should try.  Of course, it's always Port season for some, but the style does fit better with cooler - colder - weather and more robust meals.

Houston Porter writes on Petaluma360 that Port is just one in the family of fortified wines, which includes Madeira, Marsala, sherry and vermouth.  True Port wine comes from Portugal, although many wineries use the term to market their own bottlings.  Technically, Porter writes, to be called port the grapes must be grown, crushed, fermented and initially aged in Portugal's Douro Valley, the world’s "oldest demarcated wine region."

Port wine blossomed in the 1700s when England was at war with France and sought to replace the French wine they couldn't get anymore.  Many Port houses still have English names, like Dow.  The reds are made from grapes with names like Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barroca and Touriga Nacional.

Port requires at least two years aging.  Ruby Ports are aged mostly in bottles, while the tawny style is aged in barrels.  Ruby generally shows more fruit flavor as a result, and tawny is a more savory wine.

Dow 2012 Late Bottled Vintage Port

Late Bottled Vintage Port is made from a single vintage of Ruby Port and gets up to six years in the barrel before being bottled and released.  Dow's says they only produce Late Bottled Vintage Port from the best of years, passing over lesser vintages.

Dow's 2012 LBV comes from the Quinta do Bomfim and Quinta da Senhora da Ribeira vineyards.  The Symington family winemakers have tended those plots for five generations. I'm told that 2012 was a very dry year in the Douro Valley, but cooler-than-average summer temperatures helped offset the drought.  The alcohol hits a typical 19% abv level and the wine retails for $24.

I won't beat poetically around the bush.  This vintage Port (2012) is nothing short of astounding.  It's got the savory nose one expects on a tawny, but bigger, blacker, more brutish.  A heavy whiff of smoke never goes away, and the earthy aromatics stay right behind.  The palate lets the fruit shine through, sweet and sultry, with an amazing level of acidity and oh-so-firm tannins.  It's a great sip, but I'm saving the last glass to have with a steak.


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RIBOLI FAMILY WINEMAKER DINNER AT SAN ANTONIO WINERY

The winemaker dinner I attended at San Antonio Winery in downtown Los Angeles  on October 9, 2010 was eye-opening in more ways than one.

Not only was it my first visit to the oldest working winery in Los Angeles, I’m ashamed to say,  but it was also the first visit for many at my table - including someone who lives next door to one of the principal figures in the winery!  I was also corrected on my uninformed opinion that San Antonio Winery was a lonely, neglected building hidden among a bunch of warehouses.

True, the landscape in this part of downtown L.A. is a bit industrial.  True, Lamar Street, on which the winery is located, has a fairly large population of big trucks - even on Saturday afternoon.  But forget the notion that San Antonio Winery is a forgotten building.  Denise and I sat in the car for a few minutes before going inside.  The foot traffic we observed going in and out of the front door was amazing.  It seemed to never stop - or even slow down.  Paso Robles or Santa Barbara wineries would kill for that kind of business.

Once inside, looking to the left - where the tasting bar is - there was no way to muscle my way in.  It was was simply too crowded.  I was told by one of my table mates that the crowd on this early October Saturday was nothing.  “Just wait until the holidays,”  she said.  “They really start getting the crowds then!”

History

For the uninitiated, San Antonio Winery has been a historical landmark in Los Angeles for about 45 years.  The winery was founded in 1917 by Santo Cambianica , at a time when the California wine industry was changing from sweet and fortified wines to dry red wines.  The winery is still family-owned and operated.

For this once-a-year event, Michael and Anthony Riboli presided over the festivities, sharing time talking about the various wines and pouring them, too.

The dinner was staged in the barrel room in the rear portion of the winery.  There were about a dozen or so large round tables seating up to eight diners each.  At our table, we joined Adrianna, Virginia, Diane and Jim.  I think I was the one person at our table most interested in the wine - it’s usually that way for me.  Jim admitted he was “not much of a wine person,” but even he was really getting into the fun of tasting and pairing.

Tasting the wines was somewhat eye-opening for me, too.  I was actually familiar with only one of the wines served at this dinner, so I had the chance to sample a variety of the San Antonio Winery’s product.  I was impressed by all of them.

Heritage

The Riboli family takes their tradition very seriously.  The word “heritage” kept popping up throughout the evening as Michael and Anthony spoke of the winery and wines that are their own heritage.  The word even appears on a series of wines designed to celebrate the history of the winery and the family.

Grapes for the Riboli’s wines are estate-grown, not sourced from other growers.  They own vineyard land in several areas of California you may have heard of - Paso Robles, Monterey County, Napa Valley.

“The vineyard is the most important part of winemaking,” Anthony explained.  “If the grapes aren’t good, the wine won’t be good.”  Echoing a wine industry axiom, he said, “The best wines are made in the vineyard.”

Michael got philosophical when ruminating on his family’s history as winemakers.  “Making wine is our business,” he said, “but it’s great to have a business where making people feel good is the end result.”

Anthony selected the wine pairings for the evening’s meal, and the pairings were very smart.  Having good wine is a great first step, but knowing how to pair it with foods that will accentuate the wine’s highlights is a special ability.  Anthony showed he knows how to pair wine as well as make it.


Maddalena Sauvignon Blanc, Paso Robles 2009 - served with glazed, marinated albacore salad with an avocado and ginger paste.

The 100% varietal wine sees mostly steel - just two months in neutral oak.  It shows a slightly grassy nose with abundant minerals.  On the palate, it’s rich and round with a citrus tartness and lemon zest.  I wish for the finish to last longer, but I’m left with the bracing sensation of wet rocks afterward. 

This was the pairing of the night for me, as the wine and the food combined to create an entirely new taste.  The wine, mixed with the avocado and ginger paste, spawned a mustard-like flavor which surprised and delighted me.

Heritage Blanc, Central Coast 2009- served with seared sea scallops with white frisee, Dijon vinaigrette and tarragon puree.

An “oddball blend” of Viognier, dry Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc.  The different wines are blended and stirred during the two months the wine spends in neutral oak barrels.  The nose is aromatic and floral, with honeysuckle predominant.  The taste is of tart apples with a layer of minerality and citrus.  This is a zesty wine, too, with great acidity. 

It scores in combination with the scallops.  It’s one of three wines now offered with a distinct “retro” label which images the winery’s own heritage.

Windstream Pinot Noir, Santa Lucia Highlands 2008 - served with grilled, five spice marinated quail, with bacon fried rice and an orange hoisin sauce.

I had tasted this wine at a Pinot show in Pasadena earlier in the year, and it was my favorite at that show.  Still showing a huge nose of cherries and plums, this wine seems very dark for a Pinot Noir, both in color and taste.  The effect of the French oak is tastefully apparent..  The palate is huge and intense, with cherries and raspberries on a dark earthiness.

It paired quite nicely with the intense flavors of the five spice and hoisin, and brought an extra dimension to the slightly gamey bird.  I would love to have this wine with a steak, too.

San Simeon Syrah, Monterey 2007 and Heritage Red Rhone Blend, Paso Robles 2006 - both served with pappardelle pasta with white chanterelle mushrooms.

The Syrah has a nose of blackberry and black pepper with an intense palate showing jammy, spicy fruit.  The wine is in French and American oak for two years, and it shows the effect of both.  There are nice vanilla notes from the American oak and spiciness from the French.

The Red Rhone Blend contains Syrah, Petite Sirah, Mourvèdre and Grenache.  This wine shows earth on the nose and tastes of fruit and beef.

To choose one of these wines as the pairing winner, I’d go with the Rhone blend because of its earthiness, matching so well with the mushrooms.

Riboli Cabernet Sauvignon, Rutherford 2007 (Library Selection) and Riboli Cabernet Sauvignon, Rutherford 2008 - both served with herb-roasted beef tenderloin with sautéed Porcini mushrooms.

The ‘07 has an earthier nose with plummy fruit, while the ‘08 has a fruitier taste and a graphite edge.  Both are drinking very well and have a nice, full mouthfeel with very smooth tannins.

Both of these wines paired well with the beef.  I couldn’t name a favorite between the two Cabs.

La Quinta Crema Marsala, California NV - served with chocolate terrine with spiced dried fruit compote and a cinnamon cream.

The Marsala’s nose of raisins, spice and honey could serve as dessert on its own, but you really wouldn’t want to miss tasting it.  A sherry-like flavor of candied fruit pairs well with both the fruit and chocolate. 

This brown-colored, fortified wine is 18% abv and would be right at home after a big Thanksgiving meal or Christmas dinner.