WINE EXPERTS PONDER FUTURE WINE

At the recent Wine Future in Hong Kong event, three noted wine experts looked into their crystal balls and spoke of changes on wine's horizon.

An article by Richard Siddle in Harper's Wine & Spirits Trade Review cites some oeno-prognostication from California winemaker Randall Grahm, wine critic Stephen Spurrier and Master of Wine Tim Atkin.

Grahm, the visionary head of California's Bonny Doon Vineyards, sees  winemakers going for a more nutritional approach.  Grahm envisioned wines in the future would have a "life force" element resulting from winemakers gaining an understanding of how to get the most from their soil.  This would be useful, according to Grahm, as a means of coping with climate change.

The panel presented a unanimous vote for wine regions around the Black Sea having enormous unrealized potential.  

Spurrier identified what he feels are the three best areas of opportunity for wine's future: Vermentino, Cabernet Franc and English sparkling wines.

Atkin branded Turkish wine as his pick for great growth, although he added that it's possible the greatest wine region worldwide has not yet been discovered.

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BLOOD OF THE VINES PAIRS WINE WITH MOVIES

Wine Goes To The Movies -
Blood Of The Vines
With Now And Zin Wine and Trailers From Hell

Now And Zin is pleased to announce a series of wine articles in conjunction with TrailersFromHell.com.

The series is called “Blood Of The Vines,” and each Thursday on both the Trailers From Hell blog, From Hell It Came, and Now And Zin Wine, Randy Fuller presents a wine and movie pairing - in tongue-in-cheek fashion.

In case you don’t know about Trailers From Hell, it’s the brainchild of film director Joe Dante.  On the site, Joe and other movie “gurus” screen movie trailers and add some personal comments about the films in question.  It’s highly entertaining, and highly addictive.  Browse the library of titles and see for yourself - betcha can’t watch just one!

Many of the movie gurus are wine lovers as well as film lovers, so this pairing of two different parts of the blogosphere came easily.  We hope you find the pairings entertaining, too.

Trailers From Hell began as a haven for horror movie fans, hence the hellish blood references and preponderance of horror movie titles in the trailer library.  Over time, the site has broadened to include other types of Hollywood offerings besides the horror genre.  It is there, though - in monsters and mayhem - where the roots of Trailers From Hell remain.

Now And Zin has dabbled in mixing wine and movies before - “never mix, never worry” - and we’re starting to get a taste for it.  We’d love for you to check out “Blood Of The Vines” on the Now And Zin Wine Blog or the new Trailers From Hell blog, From Hell It Came, as wine goes to the movies.

WINE COUNTRY: MAINE - MAINE MEAD WORKS

Maine's wine industry is a tiny one, as is the case with many of the "other 47" American states.  Their 43,000 gallons per year production is ahead of only Montana in volume.  With only a handful of vineyards in the state, Maine's wine producers often rely on cold-weather hybrids or fruit other than grapes.  Grapes are also sourced from New York and California.  You are likely to find Maine wines made from cranberries or blueberries, or cider, made from apples.

Maine, unfortunately, led the nation by passing the first state law prohibiting the sale of alcohol except for "medicinal, mechanical or manufacturing purposes."   They are, to their credit, making up for that error.

Mead is also popular in Maine.  As we have learned in the Wine Country series, mead is wine made from honey, not grapes.  Not always sweet - as one might expect from a product made of honey - meads are produced using only honey, but are also produced using a mixture of honey and fruit.

Maine Mead Works operates out of Portland.  Portland is Maine’s largest city, with over 66,000 residents, but the Greater Portland metro area boasts a population of over 500,000.  One third of the people in Maine live near Portland.

Technology entrepreneur Ben Alexander founded Maine Mead Works in 2007 with the assistance of award-winning South African meadmaker Dr. Garth Cambray.  The meadery makes their meads using Maine wildflower honey and other locally-grown products.  Their meads are sold under the Honeymaker label, and the eight varieties all register a 12.5% abv number.

Honeymaker meads come in a variety of styles - Dry Mead, Blueberry, Semi Sweet, Apple Cyser, Cranberry, Lavender, Strawberry & Dry Hopped Mead.  They also do an Elderberry mead for the winter.  They recommend you enjoy their meads by the glass, as a mixer in a cocktail or as a secret ingredient in cooking.  Maine Mead Works provided me with two samples of their Honeymaker meads.

Honeymaker Apple Cyser is a blend of 84% apples and 16% honey.  It's a light golden color with a trace of efferevescence in the glass.   A very nice nose of apples and honey is no surprise.  A slight hint of caramel apple dipped in honey flutters beneath the fruit.  The caramel hint comes across on the apple-laden palate, too.  The cyser has a nice acidity and is quite refreshing.  They recommend a pairing with turkey or pork - sounds good to me - but it's born to pair with a cheese plate.  I find it really good with smoked cheese and almonds.

Honeymaker Dry Mead is 100% Maine wildflower honey.  It shows a pale greenish-gold hue in the glass and a nose offering an herbal quality right up front, with the notes of honey coming underneath.  It should be noted that the honey aroma is not sweet at all, and neither is the taste.  The mead’s palate is as dry as advertised.  The herbaceous quality found on the nose comes through as a flavor profile, too.  That taste becomes most prominent on the finish, where it lasts a good, long while.  There’s a fruity taste as well - a green apple component that stops just short of tartness - and the honey again plays a supporting role.  Pair it with shrimp, if you like, or a fruit salad chock full of herbs.  Frankly, though, this mead is great all by itself as an aperitif.  The lack of sweetness may take you by surprise, considering it is made from something sweet.  The taste reminds me a bit of white vermouth. 

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BLOOD OF THE VINES - THE PHANTOM PLANET

You may not have seen this little slice of fifties sci-fi.  You probably didn't miss it.  Trailers From Hell guru Mick Garris says "The Phantom Planet" opened - and possibly closed - in a theater in La Mesa, California.  At least it was Academy-eligible, even though it was understandably left out of the Oscar nominations.  

If you can't find it, the trailer may be just as entertaining as the feature.  In fact, the "Let's all go to the snack bar" commercial may provide more bang for you viewing buck.

"The Phantom Planet" rocks along in Saturday-matinee fashion with fakey effects, ridiculously staged "man-in-space" scenes and comedic monster suits which, in another setting, may have actually been scary.  In other words, it's a near-perfect example of the kind of movies we so looked forward to on Fear Theater, Chiller Theater or whatever they called the Friday night late show on the television station where you grew up.

The alien monster from the Phantom Planet has a face which looks like a cross between Droopy and Donald Duck by way of The Outer Limits.  Maybe the fact that he comes from a planet that's really just a big rock - well, not all that big - has a lot to do with his ill temper.  A warning for the socially-impeded among us, there is some kissing.  It doesn't last long, however.  Sadly, it doesn't involve the alien. 

The wine for "The Phantom Planet" is a no-brainer.  Bogle Vineyards makes - for my paltry amount of money - some of the most enjoyable and affordable wines around.

Bogle's The Phantom red blend is mainly Zinfandel and Petite Sirah with a splash of Mourvèdre.  The $15 price tag means you have better than a ghost of a chance of enjoying some with "The Phantom Planet."

Other phantoms to try and see:

Phantom Rivers Wine - This Arroyo Grande producer is inspired by the coastal fog which helps give Central Coast wines their character.

Phantom Wines - A part-time winemaker with a Napa Valley Merlot/Cab blend.

Phantom Canyon Brewing Company - Colorado Springs is home to this brewery with everything from root beer to cocoa stout.

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NOW AND ZIN WINE COUNTRY

In the United States, California grabs the lion's share of attention when it comes to wine.  New York, Oregon and Washington get quite a bit of notice, too - but wine is produced in all fifty states in America.

What about the "other 46"?

Wine Country is a Now And Zin series spotlighting the wines of the "other" states.  The idea is to try wine from every state and write about the experience.  Along the way, we hopefully will learn about many different grape varieties from all the different American growing regions.

It should prove to be an interesting tour, and we hope you'll join us for all the whistle stops as the Now And Zin wine train makes its way across the nation.

By the way, if you are a winemaker in one of the "other 46" states, we'd love to hear from you about the grapes you use in your area, your winery and the challenges you may have encountered.  You can email me at nowandzin@gmail.com.  We're always ready for a great story about wine.  Check for Wine Country updates on the Now And Zin Wine Blog!

The Wine Country List:

Alabama

Morgan Creek Winery

Alaska

Glacier Bear Winery

Arizona

Arizona Stronghold Vineyards and Winery

Arkansas

Circle T Vineyards and Winery

California

There's a lot of California wine on Now And Zin!

Connecticut

Saltwater Farm Vineyards

Colorado

Canyon Wind Cellars

Decadent Saint

Delaware

Harvest Ridge Winery

Florida

Keel and Curley Winery

Georgia

Tiger Mountain Vineyards

Hawaii

Tedeschi Vineyards at Ulupalakua Ranch, Maui

Idaho

Sawtooth Winery

Illinois

Illinois Sparkling Co.
Lynfred Winery

Indiana

Turtle Run Winery

Iowa

Schade Creek Vineyard and Winery
Tabor Home Vineyard and Winery
Tassel Ridge Winery
Iowa Winemaker Fights City Hall

Kansas

Holy-Field Vineyard and Winery

Kentucky

Elk Creek Vineyards

Louisiana

Amato's Winery, Pontchartrain Vineyards

Maine

Maine Mead Works, Honeymaker Mead

Maryland

Elk Run Vineyards and Winery

Massachusetts

Cape Cod Winery

Westport Rivers Vineyard & Winery

Michigan

L. Mawby Vineyards

Two Lads Winery

Mari Vineyards

Hawthorne Vineyards

Chateau Grand Traverse

Minnesota

Fieldstone Vineyards

Mississippi

Missouri

Stone Hill Winery

Montana

Hidden Legend Winery

Nebraska

Big Cottonwood Winery

Nevada

Pahrump Valley Winery

New Hampshire

Moonlight Meadery

New Jersey

Valenzano Winery

New Mexico

St. Clair Vineyards and Winery

New York

Finger Lakes Rieslings
Red Tail Ridge Winery
Shaw Vineyards
Red Tail Ridge Rieslings

North Carolina

Biltmore Estate Winery

North Dakota

Pointe Of View Winery

Ohio

Meier's Winery

Oklahoma

Oregon

Elizabeth Chambers Cellar
Cornerstone Cellars Oregon

Abacela Vineyards
Lenne Estate
Oregon Trail Wine Company
Troon Vineyards
Troon Zinfandel

Pennsylvania

O'Donnell Winery
Lakeview Wine Cellars

Rhode Island

Greenvale Vineyards

South Carolina

Irvin-House Vineyard and Winery

South Dakota 

Strawbale Winery

Tennessee

Grinder's Switch Winery

Texas

Duchman Family Winery
Duchman Family Winery

Llano Estacado Winery
Piney Woods Country Winery and Vineyard
Bruno and George Winery
CapRock Winery
Brennan Vineyards
Eden Hill Vineyards
Pedernales Cellars Tempranillo 2010
Pedernales Cellars Tempranillo 2012
Messina Hof Riesling
Messina Hof Merlot

Utah

Vermont

Eden Vermont Ice Cider

Virginia

Rappahannock Cellars
Stinson Vineyards
DuCard Vineyards

Washington

Interview with Bob Betz
Betz Family Winery

West Virginia

Daniel Vineyards
Kirkwood Winery

Wisconsin

Wollersheim Winery

Wyoming

TRENZA TINTO 2008 AT THE GRAND CALIFORNIAN HOTEL

The Grand Californian Hotel is one of my favorite rides at Disneyland.  Right, it's not a ride, it's a hotel, but I find it a very enjoyable place to relax a bit after waiting in lines for the actual rides.  After 5:00, the Napa Rose restaurant is the place to go, but during the day it's the Hearthstone Lounge.  A really good Disneyland adventure involves more time here, less time in those lines.

I tried the Trenza Winery Tinto on a cool afternoon.  This San Luis Obispo County red blend is produced by the Niven Family of Edna Valley, the folks who bring you Baileyana, Tangent and Zocker wines.  Winemaker Christian Roguenant hails from France, but has a love for Spanish grape varieties and does not feel constrained by Old World winemaking rules.

Offered on the menu as a Tempranillo-Syrah blend, the Trenza Tinto is actually a mix of 35% Edna Valley Syrah, 31% Paso Robles Grenache, 22% Arroyo Grande Valley Tempranillo and 12% Mourvèdre from Paso Robles.  Aged 16 months in mainly French oak, this hearty red carries a 14.9% abv number.

The wine is quite dark in color, but the nose seems rather slight to me.  I do pick up nice cherry aromas with hints of oak spice.  The palate certainly isn't shy, showing huge blackberry flavors and spices.  Clove, black pepper and black licorice augment the fruit, and the mouthfeel is full.  It's a very smooth drink, with fine tannins and a nice acidity.  The long finish leaves hints of dark chocolate.

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THE NIGHT TIME IS THE RIGHT TIME - FOR HARVESTING GRAPES

Grapes being harvested to make wine once conjured images of a tired crew of grape pickers laboring under the sweltering afternoon sun.  While that was the correct image once upon a wine, it's not anymore.  An article in USA Today described how grapes are picked these days.

About two-thirds of California's wine grape harvest is plucked from the grapevines in the dark of night, lit up like daytime by an array of 1,000-watt lights towed through the vineyard by a tractor.

There are quite a few benefits for harvesting grapes in overnight hours.  For one, winemakers like to take the grapes when it's cool, so the daytime heat won't have a chance to change the sugar level and affect the end product.

It's also greener to pick at night.  Grapes picked under the hot sun have to be refrigerated after picking, or put through some other process to bring their temperature back down.  When picked at night, that energy - and money - can be saved.

The people who pick the grapes don't mind getting out of bed in the middle of the night to go to work - it beats working in what might be temperatures of 100 degrees or more during the afternoon.

The lights which are moved along the rows of grapes are similar to the ones construction crews on the highways use for night work.  Some vineyards are now moving past that, giving the pickers head lamps to wear so they can illuminate their own workspace.


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THE DONALD BECOMES A VIGNERON

Virginia's Kluge Winery has come under new management.  Businessman Donald Trump and his son Eric now head the respected estate winery after Donald snapped it up after it went bankrupt.  In a report from a television station in Charlottesville, Virginia, Dannika Lewis says Eric - Trump The Younger - will be the president of the winery.  The facility will operate under the new name of Trump Vineyard Estates.

The father-son team plans to bring the winery back from bankruptcy by utilizing 100% Virginia grapes and a staff which will retain many of the people who know the estate vineyard best, including former owner Patricia Kluge.  The winery's website now sports a big picture of Eric, out in the vineyard.  Presumably, his office will have a nice view of that vineyard.

The Trumps plan to put Virginia wine on the national map through nationwide distribution.  If they use Trump's chain of hotels for this purpose, they could be on the right path.  There is some speculation as to whether or not the winery can attain that high profile using only Virginia grapes, but time will tell.

Trump's involvement with the winery will no doubt bring more recognition to Virginia wine, and many are hoping his success will lift the wine industry statewide.


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ANCIENT PEAKS RENEGADE 2009

Nearly every wine lover has some favorite producers, a wineries you turn to when you want either "tried and true" or "pleasantly surprised."  One of mine is Ancient Peaks Winery in Santa Margarita, California, about 20 miles south of Paso Robles at the foot of the Santa Lucia Mountain range.

It was indeed a pleasant surprise to open the box and find that they had sent a bottle of their 2009 Renegade red blend for me to try.  This may read more like a heart on my sleeve than a full disclosure, but so be it.  I like the AP folks, and I like the wines they make.

Renegade is made from grapes grown in Ancient Peaks' estate Margarita Vineyard.  The winery's press release claims its historic site - the Santa Margarita Ranch, near Paso Robles, California - has played host to missionaries, gunslingers, roughriders and outlaws.  The legacy of this varied cast of characters provided the inspiration for the name.

I've written before in Now And Zin about the Santa Margarita Vineyard and its wonderful terroir.  The wines made from its grapes have never failed to impress me, and are among my favorite California wines.

The varieties used in Renegade - 46% Syrah, 31% Malbec and 23% Petit Verdot - give the promise of a substantial and complex wine.  The individual lots were aged in oak barrels, 35% of which use new oak.  The oak is 60% French and 40% American.  The wine is aged for 18 months in these conditions.  Ancient Peaks Renegade brings a 14.5% abv level - a little below standard issue for the region - and just over 1,000 cases were produced.  The wine retails for $23 per bottle.

The nose shows big blackberry aromas, along with coffee, black cherry and a waft of black olives.  The second night the bottle was open, a note of tar made itself known.

On the palate, the flavor of plums is joined by a meaty characteristic and firm tannins. The savory aspect increases after a day’s rest.  The wine displays a vary dark and earthy fruit expression, which isn’t surprising considering the grape varieties used.

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BLOOD OF THE VINES: FORBIDDEN PLANET

Wine Goes To The Movies 

With Now And Zin and Trailers From Hell

If you want to see where everybody got the ideas for their science fiction films of the past half century, watch "Forbidden Planet."  This movie is out of this world.  In fact, it was the first film to be set entirely on a planet other than Earth.  It's not unusual in Tinseltown to find folks operating on a plane of their own, but a planet of their own was simply unheard of in 1956.

The special effects - groundbreaking stuff that became an industry standard - were nominated for an Academy Award.  The Oscar was won by The Ten Commandments that year.  Another 1956 space flick was nominated for the short subject Oscar - "Gerald McBoing-Boing On Planet Moo" - but it didn't win either.  It was beaten out by "Mister Magoo's Puddle Jumper."  Aah, the scales of justice can tilt harshly.

The eerie electronic score was so far ahead of its time, it wasn't even recognized as music by the Academy, so a nomination wasn't even considered.  I'm sure the committee members saying, "That's not music" sounded much like parents in 1956 commenting on Little Richard.

"Forbidden Planet" had a robot as a supporting character - the first non-living supporting actor?  There might not have been another one until Kevin Costner played the corpse in "The Big Chill," one of his most wooden performances. 

Robert Kinoshita designed Robby the Robot, as well as the robot used in the television series "Lost In Space."  That TV robot was a precursor to a Clint Eastwood character, in that it was a Robot With No Name.

The monster in "Forbidden Planet" turns out to be an invisible trick of the mind, but it is brought into view through the use of some new-fangled 1950s technology like energy beams and force fields.  The monster appears as a big, red, flaming vision of evil, just the sort of thing you'd expect to find while vacationing in deep space.

What would a trip to another planet be without a hot blonde who likes to skinny dip?  Anne Francis does the honors while Leslie Nielsen tries not to look.

Let's try two wines for this sci-fi.  You won't need force fields to see the Big Red Monster.  This other-worldly California blend of Syrah, Zinfandel and Petite Sirah shows the kind of flavor this planet is famous for.

In honor of Anne Francis, let's look to the same company for the Blonde Bombshell, a Riesling which should help temper things after the flaming red evil appears.  It may not cool things down after the swimming pool scene, though.

Other forbidden wines:

Forbidden Fruit Winery - A Canadian winery using all sorts of fruit for their organic wines.

Robot Wine Rack - In case you're worried that watching old movies and sniffing wine isn't nerdy enough, the Robot Wine Rack is for you.  It's no Robbie, but it does come with an optional moustache. - $45

Wine Tasting Robot - This is a real creation, from NEC System Technologies.  The cyber-sommelier can actually tell the difference between different types of wine and make a recommendation.  It probably can't write very eloquently about it, though.  I hope.

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ANNIVERSARY CHEESE PLATE WITH PINK WINE

Part of the celebration for our 13th wedding anniversary included a nice lunch break at Morel's Steakhouse at the Los Angeles shopping mecca known as The Grove.  The 13th anniversary is the cheese plate anniversary, right?  Fourteen is the guacamole anniversary, and I'm already looking forward to that!

Morel's is restaurant I have mixed emotions about.  We love their cheese selections, but the wine list often seems like an afterthought.  I liked the look of a rosé from Spain's La Mancha region and I ordered it.  Glancing at Denise's menu, I saw there was a different rosé offering, so I asked the waiter which one I was served.  As it turned out, neither.  I was shown a bottle Borsao rosado.  I have nothing against a cheap wine - in fact, Borsao makes some really good wine that sells for $10 or less.  I would have liked to have known that was what I was ordering, however.  I decided not to send it back.

The Borsao Campo de Borja rosado is made from 100% Garnacha grapes, and it sells at Morel's for $7 by the glass.  It's a pretty pink wine with an earthy strawberry nose showing funky herbal notes.  On the palate, earthy berries and a bit of greenness shows here, too.  The acidity is nice, if not great.  It might be a nice choice on which to stock up for pairing with those post-Thanksgiving turkey sandwiches.


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ART AND WINE IN BEVERLY HILLS

The Beverly Hills Art Show - which occurs twice yearly - usually finds Denise and I wandering around, checking out the artists' works in the warm sunshine.  It often rains on the Saturday Affaire In The Gardens, so Sunday is when we generally make our rounds.  This time, Saturday was a warm autumn day in Beverly Hills, which means it was like summer.

We like the woodcut prints of Igor Koutsenko, the pop art of Nelson De La Niezand the West Virginia coal mine images of Thomas Elmo Williams.

In addition to the art, there is a beer garden and a wine garden.  I was in the mood for a beer in the summery weather, but the wine garden beckoned and I answered.  Fortunately, they had a nice beverage for a warm day, too.

The Line 39 Sauvignon Blanc 2009 caught my eye because I have enjoyed a couple of their red wines before.  The white didn't disappoint.  It was a windy day, so I had a bit of trouble getting the aromas.  The flavors of peaches and grapefruit were not shy, though.  The wine has a great finish and a very refreshing acidity.

The wine comes from Lake County, California.  It hits an alcohol number of 13.5% abv and retails for about $10 per bottle.  While I liked Line 39's Petite Sirah and Cabernet Sauvignon better, the Sauvignon Blanc was a great choice for the day.


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MORE RESTAURANTS SERVING WINE FROM KEGS

It's becoming increasingly more likely that when you order a glass of wine in a restaurant, it will come from the tap on a keg.  A recent Wine Spectator article cites a growing trend in restaurant wine service to pour by-the glass options from a keg rather than from a bottle.

This trend is underway all across America, but is particularly noticeable in California and New York dining spots.  Kegs aren't just for the bargain brands, either.  There are quite a few top-shelf wineries delivering their wine to restaurants in kegs.  Wine Spectator notes that customer reaction has been positive, with many diners expressing surprise at how good the wine tastes from the tap.

From a restaurant's view, there are many benefits to serving keg wine.  The wine stays fresher, longer than it does in bottles.  The kegs can be reused, so the cost of the bottling is eliminated.  Less storage space is required for kegs than for an equal amount of wine in bottles.  Shipping costs are less and there's no worry about broken bottles.  Also, a customer will never have to send a wine back due to cork taint.

The environment catches a break, too, since the reusable kegs mean that no bottles have to be recycled or thrown out with the trash.

It's thought that millennials are driving the popularity of keg wine.  The younger segment of the wine crowd seems to like trying new things and they are more green-conscious than their elders.

Wineries do need to purchase the equipment which will allow them to sanitize the used kegs, and distributors need to make sure the restaurant is set up with the right kind of delivery apparatus.  Once those elements are in place, roll out the barrels.


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WINE COUNTRY MASSACHUSETTS - WESTPORT RIVERS VINEYARD AND WINERY

The Massachusetts wine industry is a relative newcomer to the national wine scene - the state's first winery of the modern era opened in 1971.  

Massachusetts boasts only about 30 wineries, but they are making a name for themselves.  Several folks who know a lot more about Massachusetts wine than I do have told me it's high time that wine from the Bay State got its due.

The grapes you'll find growing in Massachusetts are likely to be Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Blanc or Pinot Gris.  They are also growing some American hybrids like Vidal Blanc and Cayuga.  Wine made from fruit other than grapes is also in the picture, and mead - wine made from honey - figures in to the winescape.

Wine Country has already visited Massachusetts - Cape Cod Winery - which gave us a chance to try a wine made from hybrid grapes.  This time, we taste some more traditional winemaking grapes.

Westport Rivers is a small, family-owned farm in Westport, Massachusetts which has been growing grapes and making wine for 25 years.  Over that time they have racked up a lot of gold medals and good press, but they are most proud of the fact that their wine has been served in the White House under two administrations.

Their website sings the praises of their "dark, rich, New England loam on well drained gravel."  The cool New England weather is tempered by the Gulf Stream, which warms the South Coast of Massachusetts.  Westport Rivers is situated in the Southeastern 

New England AVA, where most of the Massachusetts wineries are located.  They are also a member of the Coastal Wine Trail of Southeastern New England.

The folks at Westport Rivers also sing the praises of their wines.  They point out that their wines are literally tailor-made to go with the seafood and cheeses of their region.  Westport Rivers was kind enough to provide six of their wines for the Now And Zin 

Wine Country series.

Westport Rivers Pinot Gris 2009 - After harvest they let the grapes sit in the press for a few hours before pressing, to give the wine some color and aromatics from the skins.  It works!  The wine has a great golden tint and the nose is bouquet of flowers - a big bouquet.  There's also a touch of minerality in the aromas which comes across more like a gentle earthiness.  The palate plays peaches against melons with a lovely herbal quality rising along with some acidity to keep things food friendly. 

Westport Rivers Pinot Noir 2010 - At 13.2% abv, this is much more old world than new.  Medium ruby in color, the nose on this Pinot Noir shows muted raspberry and a strong herbal aroma that smacks of greenness. It's nothing like a whiff of high octane Cali Pinot, that's for sure. The palate shows that same herbal edge, reminiscent of Cabernet Franc, and it weighs in nearly equally with the red plum and sour cherry flavors. The minerality is strong, the acidity lip smacking. It's herbaceousness and acidity show that the winemakers were thinking of the state's seafood bounty when they crafted this one.  It's a light, even delicate, framework for a wine that's more about feel than flavor. 

Westport Rivers Chardonnay 2009 - 100% estate-grown Chardonnay, this wine is 80% aged in French oak, sur-lie.  Letting wine rest on the dead yeast during fermentation imparts a richer, fuller feeling.  That does not come at the expense of acidity, though - there’s plenty of acid to tingle the taste buds.  Big tropical aromas and spices dominate the nose, while the palate also gets the palm-tree treatment - there are traces of pineapple, guava, banana and even a little coconut in the flavor profile. There's also a trace of lemon peel and even a ginger-like quality that flirts on the palate.  That earthy minerality shows up here, too, as it did in in Pinot Gris.  It's quite a complex little Chardonnay, and - once again - not very California.  A 12.2% abv number makes for a very drinkable wine.

Westport Brut RJR 2006 - A traditional method sparkler comprised of 65% Pinot Noir grapes and 35% Chardonnay, the Brut has a light golden hue.  The frothy head dissipates quickly.  Its nose reminds me of earthy peaches, very ripe.  I swear I smell mayhaw jelly.  On the palate there's a distinct banana flavor and a toastiness with that earthy quality.  A light mouthfeel and a lingering sense of banana candy give me plenty to ponder while sipping. This is a singular sparkler in my tasting experience.  It's fascinating.  By the way, RJR stands for Robert James Russell, Westport Rivers' winemaker. 

Blanc de Blancs Ultra Brut 2000- This yellow-gold sparkler offers one of the most pungent noses I've ever experienced in a sparkling wine. The tropical aromas I found in the Chardonnay are here, along with a heaping helping of toasty earthiness. The Blanc de Blancs is made from 100% Chardonnay grapes and is aged over seven years before finishing.  The palate is rich and citrusy, with plenty of bubbles and a bracing acidity.  There's a very intense nutty quality i find fascinating  It does wonders for a handful of peanuts!  The winery recommends you pair it with oysters, and that would seem to be an even better choice. 

Grace Chardonnay NV - This is their aperitif Chardonnay, one of those gold medal winners they like to brag about. Westport Rivers blends their eau de vie of Chardonnay with fresh pressed Chardonnay juice, then they age it in French oak.  Repeat for seven 

vintages and you've got Grace.  It has an alcohol content of 17.5% abv, so you'll want to go easy on it before operating heavy machinery. This wine looks terrific in the glass.  It's a rich shade tending towards amber, almost like bourbon.  Gorgeous aromas of caramel and honey just about knock me off my feet. The palate is awash with flavors of lemon peel drenched in dark honey.  After regaining consciousness, I realize what great acidity this wine has - feel free to bring on the fattiest cheese and pâté for it.

The one thing that keeps appearing in the wines of Westport Rivers is the amazing terroir, the sense of earth that permeates each of the wines I tried.  It marks each wine as a distinctive representative of Wine Country Massachusetts.

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