WINE AND BEER AT LUCKY DEVILS

Meeting friends for a beer is a time honored tradition.  The beverage isn't really important, it's the company and the conversation that count.  However, if all you're talking about is how lousy the beer - or wine - is, it sort of defeats the purpose of the get-together.

There was no such discourse at Lucky Devils in Hollywood.  The beverages spoke for themselves.  A great beer list, a wine list in which brevity left little choice and some tasty snacks combined for a nice little Saturday soiree.

After the usual Hollywood Boulevard hassles - two-dollar an hour parking at the meter, men looking semi-dangerous doing some sidewalk preaching about something or other, LAPD staring intently into the place for an undisclosed reason - we managed to settle into our kitchen-style chairs and let the festivities begin.

Even though it was intended to be a beer gathering, one of the few wines offered caught my eye because it was from the Sonoma County town of Geyserville, a place I visited a while back.  I was impressed with the wines I found there, so I chose a red table wine from Mercury Geyserville called The Jug.  It was an easy-going $7.50 by the glass, but a bit pricey at $19.50 in the 500ml jug.  It appears to be a Bordeaux-style blend from Alexander Valley vineyards.

The Jug is very dark in the glass, inky in fact.  A fruity nose also displays an earthy darkness and some spice.  It really tastes great, with cassis and black cherry flavors accented by spice and smoke.  The finish is a little weak with a sour cherry aftertaste.

Others in the group opted for brewski.  The Hornin' Nettie Madge Black IPA from Anderson Valley Brewing Company is stout-dark with a licorice nose and a tan head that hangs around a while.  The taste reminds me of dates and almonds.  The Craftsman IPA is a more standard-issue India Pale Ale, with characteristics much like Sierra Nevada's Pale Ale.  A golden color and lots of hops will make plenty of summer afternoons more tolerable.

MEASURING THE TANNIN FINGERPRINT IN WINE

Wine scientists at the University of California at Davis have developed a way of identifying which grape varietal a wine is made from by looking at the “fingerprint” of the wine’s tannin.

In an article in Wine Spectator, Dr. Eric Anslyn says the process involves an array of chemicals with which the wine’s tannic structure reacts.   “It really relates to the DNA coding of the wine,” says Dr. Anslyn.

Another UC-Davis scientific bigwig says that identifying a grape’s DNA is easy - well, by scientific standards - but until now, no way existed of getting to the DNA level of a finished wine.

The discovery of this process was actually a happy byproduct of scientists looking for something else.  The researchers were actually trying to study the way mammals taste and smell to develop new ways of diagnosing disease.  They chose tannins in wine as the focal point because they are complex and because wine is popular.

The scientists have yet to try the method on blended wines or aged wines, but they expect to do so in the future.  Also, the error rate has not been determined, but even in its preliminary state, there are indications that this process could be a leap forward in medicine as well as wine.

WINE COUNTRY: GEORGIA

The West Coast of the United States gets most of the attention for domestic wine production, but wine is made in all 50 states.  The “Wine Country” series is my effort to taste wine from all the states.  The recent series on Norton wines got me started, with fine efforts from Missouri and Virginia - so fine, we may revisit those states along the way.  This isn’t an alphabetical journey, nor is it ordered geographically. 

Today, we kick off the official “Wine Country” trail where the Norton series ended - in the state of Georgia.

I sampled a Norton wine from Tiger Mountain Vineyards, in Tiger, Georgia.  You can see the article on their Norton wine for more on the vineyard.

Tiger, Georgia is a tiny burg of just over 300 people.  The town sits at about 2,000 feet above sea level at the foot of Tiger Mountain, a 2,856-ft peak in the Blue Ridge Mountains.  Tiger is in Rabun County which has a slogan - "Where Spring Spends The Summer" - indicating a place where the average temperature in January is about 49F and just under 80F in August - very pleasant.  An annual rainfall of over 70 inches no doubt helps the flora along.

One of the treats I’m looking forward to in this series is the opportunity to sample grape varieties which are not readily available to me in California.  The Norton grape is a prime example.  Tiger Mountain also throws a little winemaker love on the Petit Manseng grape.

Petit Manseng 2008 

The white Petit Manseng grape originated in southwestern France.  It is said the wine of this grape was used to baptize Henry IV.  This particular Tiger Mountain wine was entered into the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, where it took a silver medal.  Tiger Mountain’s Petit Manseng has won 11 awards, 5 of them gold.  It sells for $35 from the winery.

Sitting in the glass with a rich, golden color, the smell of this Georgia white wine’s bouquet immediately put me in mind of Chardonnay, then Viognier, then Albariño.  The aromas lean toward green apples, with a nudge toward some tropical fruit which is never fully realized.  There is also the scent of vanilla spice and a trace of nutmeg!  On the palate, a vegetal flavor comes forward first, with spiced apples following; a hint of pepper lingers on the finish.  It’s a full-bodied white wine, with a lively mouthfeel.  The 13.5% alcohol level is moderate and the nearly bracing acidity makes this a wine that pairs well with food.  I had it with a holiday feast of sweet, brown sugar ham, bourbon pecan mashed sweet potatoes and chestnuts on the side.  The Petit Manseng paired well with everything on the plate, especially the ham and the chestnuts.

The next scheduled stop on the Wine Country express is Alabama.  We’ll try some Muscadine from the Deep South.

TERRE DE TRINCI SANGIOVESE UMBRIA 2008 AT VIVOLI

Vivoli is one of those restaurants we don’t favor too much, even though the food is good.  There are two reasons we slight them, and it’s not really intentional.

First, the restaurant is in a Sunset Boulevard strip mall with another restaurant we like a lot.  Vivoli sometimes loses out at the last second, as we pass the door to the other place and decide to go there instead.

Second, we tend to measure all Italian restaurants against the yardstick of our favorite, Il Buco.  When compared to Il Buco, everybody loses out.

As I mentioned, though, the food at Vivoli is good.  They also have a nice wine list.  It’s not very extensive, but there are a few good selections of Italian wines at decent prices.  The cheese and tomato sauce pizza was simple and rustic, done with a very thin crust which was a little burned around the edge.  We ask for it that way.  I chose a Sangiovese from Umbria to accompany it.

Terre de’ Trinci concentrates on Sagrantino wines, but they do a few others in addition.  The Sangiovese is one of them.  It’s $8 per glass at Vivoli.

Medium red in hue, this 100% Sangiovese goes purple around the edge of the glass.  The nose is earthy with black cherry notes dominating and an almost minty overlay.  The palate is smooth enough - it’s a very drinkable wine - and the medium mouthfeel carries flavors of currant and cherry.

I would have liked the finish to be a bit longer, but the pairing with the pizza was good enough to keep me from thinking about that too much.

MADDALENA MERLOT 2006 AT THE FARMERS MARKET BAR

I had a little time to burn while waiting for a movie to begin at The Grove in Los Angeles, so I ambled over to the adjacent Farmers Market to have a glass of wine at the bar.  I could have gone to any of several enocentric restaurants at The Grove for a glass of vino, but the bar at the Farmers Market always attracts me.

I don’t even know its name - if it actually has a name.  There’s no mistaking it, though.  It’s the bar in the middle of the Farmers Market - not quite outdoors but not quite in - where accents from all over the world always seem to be enthralled in debate over a televised soccer match.  There always seems to be a soccer match on when I visit this bar, no matter what time it is.

The bar is actually more of a beer drinker’s haven, with plenty of good brews on tap and decent pitcher prices.  Get your food from any of the countless eateries in the Farmers Market and settle in at a table near the bar for a good time any time.

The wine scene at the Farmers Market bar is a little more limited, but it does offer some interesting choices on a rotating basis that change with great frequency.  It’s either that, or I just don’t get there as often as I think I do.

The ‘06 Maddalena Merlot is produced by the Los Angeles winemaking Riboli family.  They produce wine at their downtown San Antonio Winery using grapes from some of California’s best winegrowing regions.  This Merlot hails from the Paso Robles AVA in San Luis Obispo County, the Spring Creek, Cass and Batdorf vineyards.  The different vineyard lots are produced separately and aged in American oak.  The wine has a robust 14.5% alcohol content

The nose features blueberry with smoke on it.  Other dark fruit meanders through the sniff, too.  On the palate, a vegetal angle seems a little out of place.  The dark fruit I taste has a smokiness through it as well, to the detriment of the fruit.  The tannins are soft, which is rather unusual in red wines served in this bar.  Rather than coming off as simplistic, though, the wine tastes rustic.  It’s a good table wine and a pleasurable quaff.  Maddalena Merlot is poured at the Farmers Market bar at just $7 per glass - as long as it is still on the chalkboard.

WINE TRENDS

American spending on wine was greater than ever in 2010, according to an article in Wine Spectator.  The U.S. wine industry posted its 17th straight annual gain, with an increase in sales of 0.9%.  The numbers come from a report in The U.S. Wine Market: Impact Databank Review and Forecast, 2010 Edition.  The report shows that Americans spent over $40 million on wine last year.

The magazine cites the report as showing that large producers had the most to gain, increasing their sales by almost twice the overall number.  WS figures this means that wine drinkers were looking for more value in last year’s bad economy.

According to the report, Franzia led the way as the nation’s largest case producer, while E & J Gallo nailed down the top spot as the country’s largest marketer overall.  Gallo was also one of the fastest-growing brands, along with Barefoot Cellars and Sutter Home.

WS also reports that good upward moves were made by Ménage à Trois and Cupcake Vineyards.  The fastest-growing sparkling-wine brand was the Italian Verdi.

AMERICA’S WINE HISTORY

There’s a new wine column which appears to be well worth seeking out.  Eater.com has started a new feature called Vintage America: A Brief History of Wine in America.  It’s a weekly column penned by Talia Baiocchi.  She will explore winemaking across the breadth of the nation.

In the introductory column, Baiocchi remarks on the path wine took from Bordeaux to Thunderbird, and the hard climb to respectability the American winemaking effort has endured.  She writes of how the American wine industry has grown by embracing those who were put off by wine snobbery, of how the domestic wine industry “offered a way in to those who had once felt marginalized by a culture of wine that was not their own.”

Touching on the more accessible jargon used for describing wines and the “democracy” of the 100-point scale for rating wine, Baiocchi outlines the rapid rise of the American wine culture since the 1970s and promises to reach back further into America’s winemaking history.  She also promises to delve into wine from states other than the big four producers of California, Oregon, Washington and New York.

That is of particular interest to me, since I recently began an effort to taste wine from all fifty states.  You can follow my “Wine Country” series on the Now And Zin Wine Blog, and follow Talia Baiocchi’s column on Eater.com.

AUSTRALIAN WINE DINNER AND TASTING, LOS ANGELES

The Australian wine industry has seen more than its share of troubles recently.  Wildfires, floods and overproduction have been aggravating at best, tragic at worst.  Thursday January 20, 2011 at Twist Restaurant in the Renaissance Hotel in Hollywood, it was "no worries, mate" at least for a few hours.

A dinner showcasing fine Australian wine and cuisine was hosted by Chris De Cure, the Australian Consul-General in Los Angeles on behalf of the G'Day USA Australia Week Committee.

The purpose of the event was to feature some of the culinary facets of the land down under which often take a backseat in an American media happy to portray Australia as all koala bears, shrimp on the barbie and supermarket-level wines.  This event showed just how much Australia has to offer in fine wine and dining.

Mr. De Cure had many good things to say about Australian food and wine, and was so affable that when he slipped up and referred to Champagne, he quickly covered by stating that, "Australian sparkling wine is better than Champagne."  He offered that comment as a humorous aside, but it's not hard to believe that it was heartfelt.  Australia could not ask for a better proponent than the Consul-General.

The wines of the evening were, of course, all Australian.  The food, too, was flown in especially for this event.

Dinner was prepared by two of Australia's best chefs, Mark Best and Peter Gilmore.  Gilmore'sQuay Restaurant is a Sydney showcase, while Best's Marque Restaurant takes a quieter profile in the Sydney suburb of Surry Hills.  The dishes served by these two men were exquisite, and the wines paired with them matched almost perfectly.

I had the good fortune to be seated next to Best's wife, Valerie, who compared and contrasted both restaurants while acting as a one-woman public relations team for her husband.  She explained that Quay is an opulent restaurant where diners face outward to a beautiful view, while Marque is more reserved and inward-facing.  She said many people refer to Marque as "Melbournian" in atmosphere.

The description of the two restaurants fit the cuisine presented by each chef.  Best's compact, Asian-influenced dishes contrasted with Gilmore's more sumptuous European-styled fare.  The two chefs alternated menu items and gave diners a taste of the best of both worlds.  There was no problem with too many chefs in the kitchen - I was told the collaboration was easy, as the pair are friends and hold each other in high esteem.

They aren't the only celebrities looking to upgrade Australia's image in the eyes of the American public.  Australian television personality Jamie Durie - host of HGTV's The Outdoor Room - is working with YouDontKnowOz.com on a campaign to educate Americans on all things Australian in hopes of debunking stereotypes.  Wine education is the focus of the campaign, with wineries like Wolf Blass, Rosemount, Lindemans, Greg Norman Estates and Penfolds working together to capitalize on Australia's wine tourism cachet.

The wines showcased during the dinner event - during a mixer/tasting beforehand and with the dinner itself - showcased Australia's ample winemaking talent.  The country has been producing wines since the 1820s, and boasts a number of well respected wine regions.

Tablemate Gavin Speight of Old Bridge Cellars was there promoting several of the wines on the dinner menu.  He broke out a small map of Australia's wine regions to show me some of the wineries of South Australia, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania.  Great wine also is produced in Western Australia.  When I asked how much time I should allow for an Australian wine vacation, he told me to "imagine that you are in Los Angeles and Napa Valley is in New York - that's how far it is from Sydney to Perth.  Coupla weeks ought to do it."

Although Perth native Speight has been in the States for ten years, he says, "I haven't lost my accent.  I want people to see Australia's diversity and terroir, and know that they haven't lost their accent, either."

The Menu, and The Wines
CanapésPrepared by Chefs Mark Best and Peter GilmoreBeetroot & Foie Gras MacaroonsTomato & Parmesan MarshmallowTuna Sashimi, Shiso and LimeTart of fresh Goat's Curd, Pickled Beetroot, Radish, Olive Crumbs, Chard, Pine Infused Balsamicpaired with
DB Family Selection Sparkling BrutEmeri De Bortoli Pink MoscatoClover Hill Vintage Brut 2004

First Course
Prepared by Chef Peter GilmoreSmoked Eel and Eggwhite Pearl, Sashimi Kingfish, Pickled Kohlrabi, Horseradish Cream, Octopus Tapioca
paired withd'Arenberg The Last Ditch Viognier 2008
Second CoursePrepared by Chef Mark BestPetuna Ocean Trout with Lemon & Dill Jelly, Burnt Vanilla
paired withKilikanoon Mort's Block Riesling 2009
Third CoursePrepared by Chef Peter GilmorePoached Lobster, Lobster Custard, Lobster Consommé
paired withGiant Steps Sexton Vineyard Chardonnay 2008
Fourth CoursePrepared by Chef Mark BestRoast St Helens Oyster with Mustard & Abalone
paired withDe Bortoli Yarra Valley Estate Grown Pinot Noir 2008
Fifth CoursePrepared by Mark BestAll Natural Free Range Roast Lamb with Licorice, Eggplant & Burnt Leek
paired withPenfolds Bin 407 2006
Sixth CoursePrepared by Chef Peter GilmorePoached Fillet of Angus Beef with Truffle Infused Potato Puree, Baby Spinach,
Bitter Chocolate Black Pudding Crumbs
paired withYarra Yering Dry Red No. 1 2005
DessertPrepared by Chef Mark BestSauternes Custard
paired withDe Bortoli Noble One 2007

THORNTON CUVEE DE FRONTIGNAN, TEMECULA SPARKLER

While all my wine world pals seemed to be filling the Twitter timeline to the “fail whale” point about which Champagne’s cork they’d be popping on New Year’s Eve, I was chilling a bottle of California sparkling wine.  From Temecula.

Two summers ago, Denise and I visited Thornton Winery and picked up a bottle of their Cuvée de Frontignan.  We both loved the taste, and it was at a sale price well below $20.  We thought we’d ring in 2010 with it, but a rush of bubbly over that holiday season pushed it into the crowd, and there it waited patiently for the year to pass.

This Temecula sparkler is made from Muscat grapes in the Méthode Champenoise.  It reminds me of Asti Spumante - all the celebratory bubbles of Champagne, just lighter and fruitier.  It has an alcohol content of 12.5% abv, so we could enjoy several flutes without becoming tipsy.

We had secured some of our favorite snacks from Whole Foods Market - Denise calls them Lovely Little Things - and the Cuvée paired quite well with the wide variety of crackers, cheese, olives, grains and rice-based salads. 

The Cuvée de Frontignan has medium-fine bubbles that form a sparkling white froth about a half-inch thick.  The nose is full of fruit growing up against a wall of minerals.  It’s yeasty and spicy on the palate, with fruity flavors tasting so very fresh.  The creamy mouthfeel leads to peaches which linger on the finish.

The bottle lasted three days for us, and on the second day it took on a much earthier and more substantial tone without sacrificing too many bubbles.

Don Reha, Thornton’s winemaker at the time this Cuvée was bottled, has moved on to  R.Merlo Estate Vineyards.  He had been with Thornton since 2003.  David Vergari is now Thornton’s winemaker.  He interned at Napa’s Sonoma-Cutrer and the Hess Collection after studying Enology and Viticulture at UC Davis.  Working abroad for a bit, Vergari now returns home to California, although somewhat south of his native Sonoma County.

THE PARING WHITE 2008

A recent dinner at the Capital Grille, in the Beverly Center in Los Angeles, provided me with my first look at the restaurant operating from the space the old Hard Rock Cafe once occupied.  More than once during the evening I heard the comment, "Boy, it sure doesn't look like the Hard Rock, does it?"  No, it doesn't.  This place features a lot of "steakhouse browns" and dark red leather upholstery in the booths.  It also features some outstanding food and a very nice wine list.  Master Sommelier George Miliotes has done a nice job.

There were some issues at the maitre d' stand resulting in a rather long wait, but we were offered something to drink during the delay.  Once we were seated, the service was stellar.

I like to see plenty of local options on a wine list, and there were a few here.  I went with a wine I had only sampled at a tasting event a couple of years ago.  The Paring White comes from the folks who brought you the Napa cult brand Screaming Eagle.  The Santa Ynez winery Jonata is their Central Coast high-end producer, and The Paring is a second label featuring wines which are much more moderately priced.  The white blend sells for $13 by the glass at The Capital Grille.

Winemaker Matt Dees oversees both labels.  Dees has a degree in soil science from the University of Vermont, so it's no surprise to find that he feels great wines are made in the vineyard.

Dees honed his winemaking chops in Napa Valley and New Zealand, and his specialty is wine made from Bordeaux grape varieties.  The Paring's estate vineyard is in Ballard Canyon, in the Santa Ynez Valley.

The Paring White 2008 is a blend of 55% Sauvignon Blanc, 28% Sémillon and 17% Viognier.  The 2007 vintage had only Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon in its makeup, and the addition of Viognier makes a difference.  The wine is made utilizing equal parts new French oak, neutral French oak and stainless steel, and is bottled unfined.  375 cases were produced.

Our server advised that it was a good choice to pair with my lobster bisque - which is incredible - and she was right.  She told me many of her customers find it's a bit like Conundrum, also offered by the glass, but not as sweet.

The Paring's nose shows only a slight touch of the Sauvignon Blanc's grassiness and a good whiff of the Viognier's floral aspect.  I also smelled fresh pears and nectarines.  Tropical flavors come first on the palate with a lovely herbal/floral quality.  It has a pale green tint in the glass and feels medium-to-full in the mouth.  There's a great acidity - razor sharp - which makes it pair very well with the bisque and also with Denise's salmon, a bite or two of which I sneaked from her plate.  Pear juice on the finish leaves a beautiful memory of the wine's taste.

CELEBRITY WINE

Fame and fortune seem to be attracted to the wine business.  Celebrities - especially rich ones - are well-suited to winemaking.  First of all it takes a fortune to run a winery  Secondly, all that fame comes in handy when promoting a product.  Here are some celebs from different areas of fame who have ventured into the wine world.

Sports

Golfers seem to be very much attracted to the wine industry.  Greg Norman has long been involved as a Napa Valley winemaker with his Greg Norman Estates.  Jack Nicklaus has teamed with Terlato for his own Nicklaus label, while Arnold Palmer partnered with Napa Valley’s Luna Vineyards for his line.  Fred Couples recently formed a partnership with winemaker Mitch Cosentino for his Couples & Co. brand.  Nick Faldo fronts wine made in Australia while Ernie Els and John Dalyboth have labels for wines made from South African grapes.  Annika Sorenstam works with Wente Vineyards to produce Annika Vineyards wines and Christie Kerr has partnered with Napa Valley’s Pride Mountain Vineyards for Curvature.

Auto racing legend Mario Andretti founded a winery with the former CEO of K-Mart, Joe Antonini.  Frank Arciero, who was involved in auto racing as an owner, founded and owns the Arciero Family Vineyards in Paso Robles, California.  Jeff Gordon shares the driver’s seat with Napa’s August Briggs Winery for his Jeff Gordon Wines label.  NASCAR owner Kevin Buckler also owns the Sonoma County Adobe Road Winery, while fellow NASCAR owner Richard Childressowns the North Carlina-based Childress Vineyards.

Athletes like skater Peggy Fleming, hockey great Wayne Gretzky and former baseball hall-of-famer Tom Seaver are all in the wine business to one degree or another.

Actors

Plenty of actors have been bitten by the winemaking bug.  Dan Akroyd has paired with Diamond Estates to produce a line of Canadian wines, from southern Ontario and the Niagara Peninsula. Gerard Depardieu bought Chateau de Tigne in the Loire Valley in 1989.  Lorraine Bracco has her Bracco Wines based in Italy.  The late Raymond Burr bought a Sonoma County winery in Dry Creek Valley, which is now run by his partner.  Desperate Housewives star Kyle MacLachlanworks with a Walla Walla, Washington winery to produce a red blend he calls Pursued By Bear.  The late Fess Parker would occasionally hold court in his Santa Ynez Valley hotel, leading singalongs while his guests enjoyed his wines, produced just up the road.

Singers

Madonna has a line of wines, thanks to her father!  Ciccone Vineyards, owned by one Sylvio Ciccone, celebrates the superstar in vino.  Dave Matthews owns a Virginia winery, Blenheim Vineyard, Rapper Lil Jon has a line of wine, although he has claimed to know not very much about wine, except that he likes the taste.  Olivia Newton-John founded her Australian label Koala Blue in 1983.  British star Cliff Richard owns a winery in Portugal.  

Tommy Smothers has a Sonoma County vineyard.  The other half of the act is Tommy’s brother,Dick.  He’s into auto racing, so maybe someday he’ll join Tommy amongst the vines.

Rockers

Jonathan Cain, of Journey fame, partnered with winemakers Dennis De La Montanya and Daryl Groom for the delaCain label.   Mick Fleetwood hooked up with Langtry Estate for his Private Cellar label.  Vince Neil has a vineyard and winery named after himself.

Politician Nancy Pelosi owns two vineyards, but doesn’t make wine.  She sells the grapes to other winemakers.

Wine critic Robert Parker owns a vineyard and winery in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, Beaux Freres.  To avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest, he abstains from rating any wines from Oregon.

WINE COUNTRY: WINE BY THE STATE

After having the good fortune recently to taste a few Norton wines from Missouri, Virginia and Georgia - and with the knowledge that there are wineries in each of the United States - I have decided to embark on an effort to taste wine from all 50 states, and report my findings on the Now And Zin Wine Blog.

A brief Google search showed me that others have attempted this endeavor and some are currently involved in it.  I thought it sounded like fun, so I've decided to give it a shot and see what I can learn.

My expectations are not set too high.  This is not due to a fear that the wines from other states - I live in California - will fail to live up to my hopes.  I already know there are good wines coming from some unexpected places.  My fears center on the practical side.  Will I be able to have wine from every state shipped to me?  I'm not an expert on state-by-state alcohol shipping laws, but I'm guessing there will be some trouble along the way.

I have a wide open mindset for the experiences which lie ahead and will no doubt enjoy the wines of different regions as they are enjoyed by those to whom they are readily available.

From the research I have done, I expect that in some states - Alaska and Hawaii pop into mind - I may try wine made from fruit other than grapes.  I'm open to that.

These Wine Country experiences will appear in this space on an irregular basis as I am able to procure the product.  I'll shoot for one state per week.  I hope you'll keep reading!

NORTON WINE COUNTRY: GEORGIA

When Georgia is mentioned in wine circles these days, it is more than likely a reference to the Eastern European country, not the state in the southeastern U.S.  The seat of the Old South, though, does produce wine.  The home of Savannah and Hot ‘Lanta has a small town by the name of Tiger, Georgia, where you’ll find Tiger Mountain Vineyards.

This is the final article in my brief study of wine made from the all-American Norton grape, so it’s no surprise to find that variety growing at Tiger Mountain.  They also have Petit Manseng, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Tannat. Viognier and Touriga Nacional planted.  You have to love these guys for their brazen devotion to heritage grapes alone!

Dr. John Ezzard and his wife Martha planted grapes in 1995 on the farm where he was born.  The good doctor says 2,000 feet of altitude, mineral rich soil and well drained slopes make for great terroir.  With all that as a starting point, the step to good wine is a short one.

The Ezzards watched and learned about grape-growing from Virginia's Horton Vineyards.  Tiger Mountain’s winery manager Jabe Hilson assists in the winemaking process.  The Tiger Mountain Norton varietal wine sells for $17.  A sample was sent to me for the purpose of this article.

Tiger Mountain Norton 2005

Subtitled “Georgia Red Wine,” Tiger Mountain Vineyards’ Norton registers the lowest alcohol content of the Nortons in this series - only 11.5% abv.

It is very dark in the glass, almost black, and difficult to see through at the edges.  The core allows no light through.  A cassis aroma dominates the nose, abetted by a fair whiff of licorice.  The jamminess is undeniable, but a faint scent of tar comes through on its coattails.

The palate is surprising, given the fruity nature of the nose.  There’s a big bell pepper play made by this wine, with a white pepper spiciness underlying.  The fruit seems constricted in comparison, but a mix of blackberry and cranberry come through on the substantial finish.  That fruit is somewhat tart - not something I am accustomed to tasting in wine, but something I got used to quickly.  People who love to drink fruit bombs might turn their noses up at this wine, at least at first.  A trace of baker’s chocolate strains to come through late in the game.

The tannins are soft but the wine is nice and dry.  The acidity level is good in this well-balanced effort, and it paired very well with a sweet, maple-glazed ham.  It would probably be a good choice with sweet barbecue sauce, too.  The sweetness of the glaze helped offset the tartness in the wine and balance out the meal.  Semi-sweet chocolate is a nice match, too.

PINOT DAYS GRAND TASTING EVENT 2011

An airplane hangar full of great Pinot Noir is a hard thing for a wine lover to ignore.  The huge Quonset hut that is Barker Hangar at Santa Monica Airport held plenty of the wine world’s magic elixir on Saturday January 15, 2011.  That’s when the second annual Pinot Days event came to Southern California.

Several large airplanes could have been rolled inside the man-made cavern.  Instead, close to a hundred wineries were there for Pinot Days, pouring 300 or so different Pinot Noir wines.  The entries were mainly from the California wine regions known for the variety - the Russian River Valley and several AVAs in  Santa Barbara County were well represented in the large space.  There were a little less than a handful from Oregon, I saw one table from Washington and a winery from Tasmania ventured into the northern hemisphere for the day.

During the week, there were a couple of winemaker meet-and-greet situations which I could not attend, but were reportedly smashing successes.  So was the Grand Tasting event.  If you did not make it to Pinot Days for this second annual soiree, you really should keep an eye out for the 2012 event.  It's well worth the time and reasonable expense to see that you are there for it.

Two hours was not enough time for me to taste all the wines in the hangar, but I did get to sample quite a few I thought were truly exceptional.

Fess Parker Winery poured four wines which captivated me - they always do.  Their 2009 Parker Station has a funky nose and is drinking smooth and easy.  The acidity is very good, and selling for under $15 makes it the value of the day.  Parker’s 2008 Santa Barbara County shows black cherry and minerals on the nose with a dark floral taste.  The 2007 Ashley’s Vineyard rocks a little spearmint note and the 2008 Santa Rita Hills Clone 115 offers a peppery nose and subdued minerals on the palate.  Its bottle was also sporting a little coonskin cap on the tasting table.  Any of the four Fess Parker wines poured could qualify as my favorite Pinot of the day.

La Fenêtre’s Joshua Klapper talked about picking fruit in the same way a gambler talks about the time his team beat the spread on the last play of the game.  Klapper was absolutely riveting as he spoke of determining when grapes were ready to be picked.  “Throw all that scientific junk away.  Look at them!  Listen to them!  The grapes’ll tell you when they’re ready!”  His tone softened somewhat when he recounted how - with the pickers working on getting his grapes into trucks - he saw other winemakers roll the dice and leave their fruit on the vine another day.  The weather that day would prove to be hot enough to ruin a substantial amount of that fruit.  Those winemakers did not listen to their grapes.  La Fenêtre’s 2008 Sierra Madre has a wonderfully smokey, floral nose and a dark, brooding presence in the mouth.

Kenneth Volk’s table featured the 2007 Santa Maria Cuvée.  Seven vineyards contribute to its smoke-filled cherry nose, luscious mouthfeel and great acidity.

Gainey Vineyard’s winemaker Jeff LeBard brought the light side and the dark side  over from Santa Ynez.  His 2008 Light Label shows the bright, red fruit while the Dark Label - well, it’s dark.  It also has an interesting cinnamon and nutmeg flavor profile.  Keep it in mind for the holiday season.  Also keep in mind that production was extremely limited on both these Pinot Noirs.

Wes Hagen, the winemaker at Clos Pepe Vineyards, was drawing a crowd again this year.  His way with a story and easy manner with strangers turn him into a people-magnet at wine events.  He vacated the table for a while, and enough of his adoring throng dissipated so that I could have a few pours with his second-in-command.  The Clos Pepe vertical tasting of the last four vintages of Pinor Noir showed the ‘08 and ‘09 to be bright, fresh and well scrubbed, while their older brothers were very interesting indeed.  The 2007 Clos Pepe is fantastic, with an edge that is almost like citrus.  The ‘06 vintage has a minty aspect to fall in love with.

Cargasacchi was situated on Clos Pepe’s immediate left, and they had a pretty good sized group as well.  These two seemed to be the busiest tables in the hangar during the trade tasting.

Santa Rosa’s Martinelli Winery offered their 2008 Moonshine Ranch.  The fruit comes from a densely planted vineyard near the Russian River Valley which was named for an old still, dating back to Prohibition.  This Pinot has a huge, earthy bouquet, mineral-laden dark fruit on the palate and a very lively acidity.

Thomas Fogarty’s winemaker made it down from the Santa Cruz Mountains to show off three of his Pinots - Santa Cruz Mountain, Windy Hill and Rapley Trail, all ‘08 - and they were pretty, floral and delicate.  Nathan Kandler told me that his Pinots are aged for a year-and-a-half in barrels and another year in bottles, so these are almost new releases.  I commented favorably on them, but I had to tell him how much I loved Fogarty’s unoaked Chardonnay, too.

Pacific Coast Vineyards - Todd and Tammy Schaefer - served up a couple of bright and fruity Pinots sourced from Babcock Vineyards in the Santa Rita Hills.  They both regaled me with stories of millionaire winemaking in Malibu, of which I hope to hear more when I see them in February at the Beverly Hills Wine Festival.

Talley Vineyards poured three ‘08s that were full of dark and dusty Arroyo Grande earth.

Tantara’s 2008 Solomon Hills Santa Maria Valley showed great minerality and very good acid.

Ancient Oaks Cellars was represented by Ken & Melissa Moholt-Siebert.  Their family has farmed the estate for quite some time, only recently delving into winemaking.  Their ‘08 Russian River Valley includes some grapes from neighboring small vineyards as well as their own, while they also have a Pinot which is made exclusively from estate-grown grapes.

Frogmore Creek - from Australia’s island state of Tasmania - produces a Pinot under the banner of Forty-Two Degrees South as well as their Frogmore Creek estate wine.  The former sports a great nose and a cola flavor profile while the latter has a bold bouquet and dark flavors.  Both have a good, long finish.

MICHAEL-DAVID 6TH SENSE SYRAH LODI 2007 AT TART

"I need a cocktail."  That's a common expression for many who are departing a tough day at the ol' salt mines, but one that's not heard too often from my wife.  So we stopped at Tart as we made our way through the thick evening traffic on Fairfax.  She was not as taken with the caramel apple-tini as she thought she would be.  Maybe that's an indication that one should avoid cocktails which sound more like something on the board at Starbuck's.

My wine was a different matter.  I was very happy with the 6th Sense Lodi Syrah from Michael-David Winery.  It's $10 by the glass at Tart.  The Lodi winery is noted for their Zinfandel, 7 Deadly Zins, and they also do a fine job with Rhone Varieties.

Dark purple in color, the nose has tons of blackberry with a smattering of black pepper and traces of cinnamon and clove.  The taste is very earthy.  Dark fruit is blanketed in minerality, which gives a smokey texture to the dark plums and currants on the palate.

WINE AND FOOD PAIRING: HAMBURGER

If you’re about to dig into a big ol’ hamburger and would like to pair a wine with it, think about what’s there besides the burger!

If you like a burger with bacon, try Zinfandel, Syrah or Tempranillo. All three are fruity red wines with either a spiciness or tartness which will pair well with the pork element.

For a burger adorned with ketchup, you can go jammy and spicy with Syrah, full and earthy with Cabernet Franc or fruity and spicy with Zinfandel.

If your burger is dressed with with Mustard or Relish, you might find Merlot's smokiness a good match. Cabernet Sauvignon might pair well, but it might be overkill, too.  A Beaujolais Cru orBeaujolais Villages will bring some light berry flavors along with the spice.

Burgers with onions and mushrooms call for Chianti or another Sangiovese-based wine.  Those Italian reds will bring cherries and peppers to the table.  Tempranillo's tart edge will hit the mushroom notes just right.

Your cheeseburger will find paradise with a Cabernet Sauvignon or Pinot Noir.  Both fit the profile for beef and cheese, but Beaujolais will score again with this meal in a wrapper.

Plain ol’ hamburger likes Merlot's fruity earth notes, while the black cherry flavors of a niceBarbera will also liven up the naked burger.

WINE THEMED AFTER CHILEAN MINERS

A British Design firm, Unreal, gave its clients a rather unusual gift during the Christmas season.  According to the website FastCoDesign.com, the firm labeled a designer line of wine as "Chilean Winers."  The reference point, of course, is the group of Chilean miners who were trapped underground for 69 days in late 2010.

You might remember that while they were trapped, the 33 miners sent a request to those at ground level for some wine to help make their internment more tolerable.  That request was denied.

One bottle for each trapped miner - 33 in all - were produced by Unreal, and they were named and numbered after the miners in the order in which they were rescued.  The bottle came packed in a tube representing the Fenix 2 rescue capsule, underneath a bit of gravel the recipient has to dig through in order to get to the wine.

The design firm - noted for their unusual and sometimes irreverent marketing ploys - claims the wine's packaging was conceived as a tribute, but others say it was merely a tasteless scheme that cashed in on the miners' suffering.

Image courtesy of Unreal

THE SPARKLE IN SPARKLING WINE

What puts the sparkle in sparkling wine?  The short answer: carbon dioxide gas.  But a half dozen French scientists and all the Pommery champagne they could sample offer a few sidebars to this fact.  This information comes from a story in the Montreal Gazette .

This research - did they know they'd get a gig like this when they signed up for science? - shows that the main thing that makes those bubbles disappear is the act of pouring the wine into the glass.

Pouring sparkling wine into the glass so that it hits the bottom of the glass actually promotes the dissipation of bubbles.  If you want the nose tickles to last a while, the guys in the lab coats say you should pour it gently down the side of the glass.  That results in twice the bubbles of splashier methods.

The study also found that using a tall, narrow flute instead of a wide champagne glass will help preserve the bubbles longer.

Finally, the scientists advise us to serve the sparklers cold - there's something about density and surface tension which is enhanced when the wine is refrigerated.

Keep these items in mind when breaking out the bubbly and you'll be ready for the champagne lifestyle.

NORTON WINE COUNTRY: VIRGINIA

Some folks probably questioned the sanity of Rappahannock Cellars’ owner John Delmare when he uprooted his family from California's Santa Cruz Mountains to the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.  Huntly, Virginia was not exactly showing a big blip on the winemaking radar screen in 1998.  He and his family have never looked back, though.  His 20 acres of vineyard land - Glenway Vineyard - bear Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Viognier, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec, Norton, and others.  Delmare calls his style "old world" and notes that "Virginia fruit style is very similar to Bordeaux."  Like most great vintners, he believes "great wines are made in the vineyard.  Vintage-to-vintage variation is a struggle in Virginia, but it also tends to define the personality of Virginia wine."  Winemaker Jason Burrus and vineyard manager Tom Kelly receive due props from Delmare for the inestimable contribution they make to Rappahannock’s wine.

These wines were provided as samples by Rappahannock Cellars for the purpose of this article.

Norton Virginia 2008
This blend of 75% Norton and 25% Cabernet Sauvignon has an alcohol level of 13.9% and  retails for $21.

The nose of this wine very much reminds me of Cabernet Franc.  Its very bright and fruity aromas stand as a counterpoint to the dark, brambly Norton wines of Missouri.  This blend really brings the fruit strongly.  The taste is fruitier than the Missouri Nortons, but that earthy tartness I found so intriguing is here in abundance, too.  The Cab, believe it or not, is almost buried beneath the qualities of the Norton.  There’s plenty of that mouthwatering acidity, which plays directly from the luscious blackberry-meets-raspberry flavor profile.  As the wine opens and breathes, good things happen.  On the third - and final - night the bottle was open, the wine stood in the glass for three hours before I touched it.  To say it was magnificent is an understatement.  The flavors turned positively primeval.  The darkness and intensity of the blackberry left me aghast.  Paired with Santa Maria tri-tip, it was exquisite.  No wonder it is the best seller in the cellar.

Rappahannock Cellars Virginia Red Dessert Wine 2007
This Port-style wine comes in at just under 18% in alcohol content, but really doesn’t feel boozy at all.  It’s produced in what the label calls “traditional European method” at 8% residual sugar.  Not an overly sweet wine, it strikes me as off-sweet.  And as with the Missouri “Port”, there’s no need to reserve this for dessert.  It will pair well with a variety of meat dishes, especially if you like to eat meat which is somewhat unadorned with a sauce - like a steak right off the grill.  It retails for $39.

The richness and density of the nose throws me for a loop.  Simply citing a thick blackberry aroma wafting past the alcohol seems so insufficient.  The fruit is so dark and earthy it almost masquerades as something else.  It’s definitely a pure and concentrated bouquet.  The palate is as aromatic as the nose, tasting floral - but not at all delicate.  Blackberries and black plums are jammy and thick, with what has by now become familiar to me in the Norton grape: that extreme streak of minerality which makes the taste so interesting.

See previous posts on Norton wines.

LE BINE VALPOLICELLA CLASSICO SUPERIORE RIPASSO 2008 AT VIA ALLORO

The Drago family operates a number of fine Italian restaurants in Los Angeles - so many it's difficult to get around to all of them. Via Alloro in Beverly Hills had been on my list for some time, and a Saturday afternoon "park-and-dine" experience afforded me the perfect opportunity to have lunch there.

"Park-and-dine" is a method Denise and I resort to occasionally that helps us deal with the frustration of trying to find a parking space near a restaurant where we'd like to dine.  Due to the fact that so many Los Angeles parking meters are taken over by valets these days - and we don't do the valet thing - we will simply find a place to park, then look for a restaurant near the parking space.  As backward as that is, we have actually found many good restaurants through the "park-and-dine" method.

We parked in Beverly Hills on the way to another restaurant, and passed Via Alloro on the way there.  I suggested we cut the walk short and find a table.

Via Alloro is a Tanino Drago establishment.  Good Italian food - as expected - comes simple and rustic, just the way we like it.  I ordered the Le Bine Valpolicella Ripasso by Giuseppe Campagnola on recommendation of our server, and I liked it.

Dark in color with a lighter purple ring at the edge, the wine shows dark leathery cherry and raspberry aromas, while the taste is full bodied and mellow.  Soft tannins make it a great sip and nice acidity make a good choice for food.  It went very well with my risotto with sausage and broccoli despite the "greenness" of the dish.  The wine is $12 by the glass.