WINE COUNTRY: IOWA - SCHADE CREEK VINEYARD & WINERY

The Iowa wine industry has seen dramatic growth in the 21st century.  The Hawkeye State now features somewhere around 92 licensed wineries and over 300 vineyards in Iowa, according to Iowa State University's Midwest Grape and Wine Industry Institute.  That organization cites 13 wineries and 15 vineyards in Iowa back in 1999, so the growth of Iowa's wine indistry has been on the fast track.  Iowa produced nearly 223,000 gallons of wine in 2009, which puts the state about in the middle of the pack for wine production by state.

The Agricultural Marketing Resource Center notes that the growth of the Iowa wine industry since 1999 has actually been a rebirth:

"During the early 20th century, Iowa was the sixth-largest grape producer in the nation. The industry declined as a result of Prohibition, the growing market for corn and soybeans, damage to grapevines caused by the drift of herbicides and the Armistice Day blizzard in 1940."

Iowa's hot summers and cold winters make grape growing a challenge.  Iowa winegrowers rely heavily on French hybrids and grapes native to America.  There aren't a lot of vineyards doing much with vitis vinifera grapes due to those extreme conditions.

Just five minutes west of Des Moines - in Waukee, Iowa - a Tuscan-inspired structure is home to Schade Creek Winery and their tasting room.  It also serves as a beautiful wedding location, an event with which they have a lot of experience.  For wine lovers, it's hard to beat getting married on a spot that overlooks a vineyard.

Kurt and Jana Schade run the winery, which is no small feat considering it's not the main occupation of the household.  From what I could gather in a flurry of hurried emails while I was sampling their wines, they both wear more hats than many of us would care to.  That's the glamour of the wine business, eh?

All the grapes used by Schade Creek are estate grown.  Since Iowa has no appellations, however, they can’t claim the status of an “estate wine” on the label.  The Schades were kind enough to provide samples of their wines for this edition of the Wine Country series.

Soul Mates White Table Wine 

This is a blend of half Steuben and half Golden Muscat, a red and a white grape.  The skins were removed before the red color could escape, leaving a wine tinted with only a golden straw hue.  It offers "a touch of sweetness,” according to the Schades, and is dedicated to loved ones the Schades have lost.

The nose shows an intense earthiness and a strong herbal note, too.  The herbaceous quality isn't really grassy, but it shows a sense of earth with a layer of sweetness.  It's a semi-sweet wine, characterized by flavors of apples mixed with cherries.   Razor sharp acidity is a lip-smacking delight at room temperature.  Served chilled, that herbal aroma is just as forceful, while the acidity is diminished in the lower temperature, but still zippy.  Not at all cloying, Soul Mates' sweetness is kept in check by the earthy minerals.

Creme de la Creme Blanc White Table Wine   

This is another white wine.  The grapes used here are 100% Niagara variety.  Niagara is the leading white grape variety grown in America.  You usually see them as table grapes, or made into jelly or grape juice.  In Iowa, they make a pretty good wine with them.  Creme de la Creme Blanc has a lighter tint than Soul Mates. The nose shows a bit more sweetness, and the herbal scent is there, too, but there is not so much earthiness. The palate also has more sweetness to offer, with golden apple flavors and a slight hint of butterscotch. The acidity is just as brilliant as in Soul Mates. There's no flabbiness here.  It’s a delicious drink.

Laguna Aftanoona & Sunsets Red Table Wine   

This wine is my first experience with the Foch grape, a French hybrid.  It’s an early-ripening, cold-hardy grape, which makes it ideal for growing in Iowa.  The wine is medium dark and ruby red, and the mouthfeel is light and easy with red fruit - raspberry and sour cherry.  The 

acidity is very good.  An earthy mineral note on the nose comes through on the palate, too, and brambly cherry notes highlight the finish.  I am really taken with this one - it reminds me quite a lot of a Beaujolais wine - the fresh fruit and nice acidity imitating that French region’s Gamay quite well.

Harlan Henry Red Table Wine 

Harlan Henry was named for the winemaker’s father.  It’s a product of 100% Noiret grapes.  Noiret is a hybrid of vitis labrusca and vitis vinifera.   The folks at Schade Creek say it’s Iowa’s version of Pinot Noir, and they may well be right. The nose is just gorgeous, full of ripe cherry and raspberry with a touch of red licorice.  On the palate, the fruit is bright and playful, but a dark undercurrent cuts through and brings complexity.  The acidity is marvelous, and there's an outstanding tannic structure to this wine.  Lambrusco meets Pinot Noir meets Cabernet Franc is how it strikes me, and that strikes me just fine.  I would imagine every wine lover in Iowa is drinking Harlan Henry.  If they're not, it's their loss. 

Kurt Schade has acheived something winemakers in all 50 states strive for: he has identified the grapes that work well in his growing region, and he makes good wine from them.

Further interesting reading about Iowa wine can be found at these links:

The Iowa Winegrowers Association has links to Iowa wineries and information about the four wine trails in the state.

The excellent web publication Drink Local Wine has covered Iowa wine a few times, and you can see their articles here.

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BLOOD OF THE VINES - THE COURT JESTER

Danny Kaye was one of my family's favorite entertainers when I was a kid.  His movie career was (mostly) before my time, although I relished seeing his films on television.  His variety show in the mid-'60s we never missed.  It was a bittersweet joy when he skipped that giant circle around the soundstage.  It was great fun, but it also signaled the end of that week's fun.

Kaye was known as much for his physical comedy as for his verbal jesting.  Both are on display in "The Court Jester."  In fact, our wine pairing for "The Court Jester" will be served this time in some very special glassware.  Just keep in mind that a witch dropped a poison pellet into one of the vessels.

"The pellet with the poison's in the vessel with the pestle; the chalice from the palace has the brew that is true!"  No, wait.  "The pellet with the poison's in the flagon with the dragon.  The vessel with the pestle has the brew that is true."  What a mess.  It's a good thing they called off the toast.

Speaking of toast, Danny Kaye was quite a whiz in the kitchen.  His work as a chef earned him the "Les Meilleurs Ouvriers de France" culinary award.  He was the only person to gain that honor who was not a professional in the culinary arts.  His specialty was Chinese cuisine.

Kaye was remembered in an article by Ruth Reichl in the Los Angeles Times after his death in 1987.  According to Reichl, Kaye liked to talk of the French chefs who said, "the best restaurant in California is at Danny Kaye's house."

As if comedy, acting, singing, dancing and cooking weren't enough - oh, and he was a pretty fair golfer, too - Kaye was also an accomplished pilot and a huge baseball fan.

"Life could not better be."

Let's go Italian by way of Australia for something to pair with "The Court Jester."  

Mitolo Jester Vermentino - Frank Mitolo lets his Italian heritage show through in this Australian Vermentino from McLaren Vale.  Its flavors - like Kaye's comedy - are crisp, fresh and very approachable.  Try it with Chinese take out.  $22

Some other handy wine items:

The Danny Kaye Theater at the Culinary Institute of America New York campus is where cooking demonstrations and wine tastings for the Institute are held.

Mardi Gras Jester Wine Bottle Holder - At $32, you'd better down a hefty portion of the Jester Vermentino to make clicking that "BUY" button a little easier.

Mardi Gras Jester Wine Bottle Holder - Oh, wait, here's one for only $28!

The Cork Jester - A wine writer/sommelier with the vessels to prove it.

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BARON HERZOG OLD VINE LODI ZINFANDEL 2008

Sometimes, when you take a chance on a wine by the glass, you get lucky and like it a lot.  Sometimes you just sit and ponder on it.  I pondered on an $8 glass of Baron Herzog Old Vine Lodi Zinfandel at Wood Ranch at the Grove recently.  It's produced by Herzog Wine Cellars in Oxnard, California.  They source the grapes from the Watts Vineyard, far, far away in Lodi.  The wine cost $8 by the glass and retails for $13 per bottle.

The reason for my pondering is not that it is a bad wine - it's just not what I expect from a Zinfandel.  The nose is candied up, which doesn't bring images of gnarly, old, head-trained vines to my mind.  There is some bramble on the palate with a big, spicy blackberry flavor which I do find appealing.  Gentle tannins also lead me to believe that maybe these vines aren't as old as they are cracked up to be.

A little research showed that Watts Winery in Lodi has some vines which date back to 1937 - old vines, to be sure, even though they're just teenagers by California Zinfandel standards.  To my knowledge, there are no government regulations on the use of the phrase "old vine" on a wine label, but, as I pondered, I thought, "maybe there should be." 

The thing that may be making me ponder this wine so much is the fact that Herzog ages it in stainless steel, not wood, for a year.  The Herzog website indicates that they feel this preserves "the fruit's essence."  I can't argue with that.  It's a fairly pure fruit expression.  Most of the Zinfandel I drink has the stamp of oak on it, to one degree or another, and this unoaked version left me a little baffled.

I suppose I prefer a little oak spice with my Zin, but this is a Zinfandel worth trying.  Its clean flavors and candy-like aromas are a different shade of Zin - one that's worth pondering for a glass or two.

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PASADENA PINOTFEST 2012 RECAP

The wintry weather - well, for SoCal that’s 58 degrees and a threat of rain - didn’t dampen the passions of Pinot Noir lovers who flocked to the fourth annual Pasadena PinotFest on February 11, 2012.

The PinotFest is the creation of Mike Farwell, managing partner and wine director of Pasadena’s Noir Food and Wine.  Not only does his event bring Pinot to the people, it also helps raise money for deserving charities.  This year, Hathaway-Sycamores Childrens Services benefited from money raised.

It’s billed as the Pasadena PinotFest even though the event is now held at the Altadena Country Club.  The drive north from Pasadena toward the foothills is a short one, and the surroundings are absolutely beautiful at the ACC, even on a gray day.  

Hundreds of Southern California wine lovers made their way through the circuit of wine stations set up in two different rooms, across a hallway from one another.  The aisles in Hall One seemed to offer plenty of space at first, but as the crowd grew in size the space diminished.  

After bumping my way around the room, I took refuge in Hall Two every so often.  It was a lot roomier and there was a food station there.  Chef Claud Beltran (left) and his crew made sure we all had plenty of tasty treats with which to refresh our palates.

I’ve been seeing Joshua Klapper (right) so often lately my wife is starting to get jealous.  I’ve run into Klapper and his La Fenêtre and À Côté wines at a string of tasting events dating back to last fall.  His table was my very first stop, and he was unusually unoccupied at the moment.  “I don’t mind,” he said.  “It’ll get busy.”  It always gets busy when he pours his ‘09 À Côté Central Coast Pinot with the pretty nose and the ‘09 La Fenêtre Santa Maria Valley, $23 and $30 respectively.  Klapper said the latter is “from the Bien Nacido and Sierra Madre Vineyards.  Some pretty old vines there.  Both vineyards were planted in the early seventies.” 

Winemaker Ryan Zotovich was pouring elsewhere, so his dad, Pete, stood in for him ably.  Pete told me his brother Steve - the owner of the vineyard - thinks so much of Ryan that he often likes to claim him as his own.  After offering a Rosé of Syrah -produced in response to the Viognier crop resulting in disappointing yields - there was the Zotovich ‘09 Pinot Noir Santa Rita Hills and the Reserve Pinot.  Both show earthy notes and great acidity, with the reserve displaying more of a floral aspect.

Ryan Carr (left) poured his Carr Vineyards & Winery '09 Sta. Rita Hills, which utilizes three vineyards and feels brambly with a sense of rocks and dust.

Harmonique calls themselves “Harmonique Pinot Noir,” even though they also offer Chardonnay.  This Anderson Valley winery gives their Pinots names: Delicasé has a slightly sour cherry palate, while Eleganté is fruitier with a cola finish.  The Noble One shows a touch more spiciness.  They also poured Cima Collina ‘07 Chula Viña Pinot Noir, with  gobs of spicy black cherry.

The Hitching Post label is the home for the wine creations of Gray Hartley and Frank Ostini.  Ostini’s Hitching Post Restaurant is one of the Santa Barbara County businesses to have gained a sky-high profile in the aftermath of the film, “Sideways.”  The Hartley-Ostini ‘09 Hometown Santa Barbara County Pinot shows great acidity along with coffee and tea notes, while their ‘08 St. Rita’s Earth is a Sta. Rita Hills entry loaded with black cherry aromas and flavors.  A splash of their 2001 Clos Pepe Vineyard Pinot shows that one coming along very nicely, a dark and earthy experience with coffee and tea notes.

Graner and Bobbie Thorne (right) provided a delightful representation for their Thorne Wine.  I asked if they are married, or just dating.  Bobbie laughed while Graner replied, "We finally tied the knot 53 years ago.”  Rio Vista Vineyard is their estate property and Ken Brown makes their wines.  The Thorne '08 and '09 Estate Sta. Rita Hills Pinots both have great acidity and big notes of tea, with a long cola finish.

Moshin Vineyards' 2009 Lost Ranch Sonoma Coast Pinot has a full, earthy nose and plenty of black cherry flavor.

The Riboli Family has winemaker Arnaud Debons (left) working out of their San Antonio Winery near downtown Los Angeles.  The Ribolis have vineyards in other parts of California.  I'm still taken with their '09 Windstream Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot.  Dark fruit and fantastic acidity make this one a real winner.

The Kenneth Volk Vineyards '09 Solomon Hills Pinot has beautiful chocolate notes.  I wish I could have tasted longer, but the thirsty mob surged and literally pushed me down to the Longoria table.

Rick Longoria (right) seemed happy to have me end up there.  His 2010 Longoria Sta. Rita Hills Lovely Rita brings great minerality to a beautifully soft palate.

The Toretti family poured their 2010 Pinot Noir Santa Maria Valley, full of dark fruit.

Bob Cabral, the director of winemaking for Williams Seylem, was named last year’s Winemaker of the Year by Wine Enthusiast Magazine.  His 2010 Sonoma County Pinot shows beautiful black cherry on the nose with a delightful sour cherry palate.  Great notes of black tea decorate the 2010 Russian River Valley.

Paul Clary says his Clary Ranch Vineyard is "farthest west in the Petaluma Gap for vineyards producing grapes for still wine."  He calls his '06 Pinot Burgundian, with tea on the nose and a great minerality.  The '04 is more fruit-driven.  Clary told me, “This was a warmer vintage.  I harvested in mid-September when i normally harvest in late October or even early November.”

Scott and Lisa Neal (left) are a husband/wife winemaking team of Coeur de Terre Vineyard in McMinnville, Oregon.  The division of labor works out this way: she grows, he vinifies.  Their Willamette Valley Pinot is only $21, yet it's incredibly smooth with great acidity and a dark, black cherry cola palate.  Lisa explained, “We lost a lot of fruit to birds - they love those small berries.  For the first time in 13 years I got out the shotgun.  At first I was shooting to scare, but as we lost more and more fruit, I was shooting to kill.”  Don't get between a winegrower and her grapes.  The Coeur de Terre 2009 Estate Pinot shows an impressive array of very dark fruit, while the '06 Renelle’s Block - a $65 bottle - is dark yet soft with gentle, supple tannins - an extremely drinkable wine.

Brandon Sparks-Gillis (right) was a busy man - a pouring machine, in fact, when I showed up.  The Dragonette Cellars 2010 Fiddlestix Vineyard smacks with a great acidity, its big fruit tempered by an herbal aspect and spiciness he attributes to whole cluster pressing.

Phantom Rivers Wine of Arroyo Grande sources their fruit.  Almost all their wines are vineyard-specific.  The 2007 Wolff Vineyard shows Edna Valley minerals and some great spice and chocolate.  Rich cherry dominates the '08 Wolff while the '09 Mar Vista Vineyard, Arroyo Grande, is quite earthy.

At the D’Alfonso-Curran Wines table, the '06 Badge Sta. Rita Hills has a lovely, bright cherry expression. 

I could barely get close enough to the Flying Goat Cellarstable for Norm Yost (left) to give me a pour.  Fortunately, he has long arms.  His 2009 Santa Maria Valley Garey Vineyard displays one of the best sour cherry expressions I've tasted.  He also has a hit with the gentle fruit of his '08 Rio Vista Vineyard Pinot.

Stephen Ross Wine Cellars had three Pinots from what Paula Dooley called "extremely small vineyards."  A nearby wit chimed in, "How small? One grape - that's all."  That's an exaggeration, of course.  The Stephen Ross '09 Chorro Creek Vineyard - in San Luis Obispo County - is a lovely purple, smooth and mineral-laden.  Their '09 Stone Corral Vineyard from Edna Valley also shows great minerals - a given for Edna Valley - and a cola finish.

Randy Rozak, (right) of Rozak Vintners in the northeastern corner of the Sta. Rita Hills, poured two 2007 Pinots.  "A Block" features the Pommard clone and "C Block" is the Dijon clone.  Both show big fruit and great acidity.

Solvang's  Bratcher Winery 2009 Santa Maria Valley Pinot is just about the darkest ever, while their '09 La Encantada Sta. Rita Hills shows red fruit with cola notes.

Arcadian Winery's Jill's Cuvée Soloman Hills brings that Santa Maria Valley earth to the forefront - it's downright smoky.  They like to keep their wines in tight-grain French oak for quite a while.  2006 and 2007 are their current releases.

Rebecca Work (left) poured at the Ampelos Cellars table.  The Ampelos 2008 Estate Sta. Rita Hills shows sour cherry and tea.

Sonoma's Sojourn Cellars is fronted by Craig Haserot and winemaker Erich Bradley.  Their 2010 Sangiacomo Vineyard effort is a lovely 95-point wine showing minerals and creamy fruit.  Their 2010 Gap’s Crown Vineyard is all about the luscious red fruit.

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BLOOD OF THE VINES - THE BEAST WITH FIVE FINGERS

In "The Beast With Five Fingers,"  the severed hand of a dead piano player comes back from the grave to... play the piano some more!  There's plenty of melody in those ghostly tunes, even though the hand appears to be a left hand.  If that were true, wouldn't it just be playing the bass notes?  Aah, I 'm overthinking it, again.  A dead hand plays the piano and all I can think of is "It's the wrong hand!"  Hey, is that a class ring on its finger?

I shouldn't be so quick to point fingers.  The music the hand plays turns out to be Bach's Violin Partita in D minor - but it's Brahms' transcription for the left hand!  Those movie makers think of everything.

The hand actually came back to do more than play a few scales.  It's a dangerous hand, a killer hand - even more killer than aces and eights, known as the "dead man's hand."  That's the hand Wild Bill Hickok was holding when he was murdered in Deadwood, South Dakota - but I fear I'm losing my grip on the article.

When you get your hands on this film, you might want to hold hands - if only to make sure your left hand knows what the right hand is doing.  Then put your hands together for the filmmaker, Robert Florey.  No need to give him a hand, he's already got an extra.  Now, hand me a bottle of wine.

What better wine to pair with the five-fingered beast than Owen Roe's Sinister Hand Grenache?  I could hand you a lot of digits - 70% Grenache, 25% Syrah, 3% Mourvedre, 2% Counoise - but let's just say the label pictures a severed hand.  There's a gruesome story that goes with it, too, if you click their link.

Handing out some more wines:

Two Hands Wines - You'll need both hands to handle this Australian negociant's whopper Shiraz.

Six Hands Winery - The fingerprints of the Sacramento River Delta are all over these wines.

14 Hands - A Washington winery named for the height of the wild horses which once populated eastern Washington.  14 hands is not very tall in horse jargon, but it's a lot of hands by anyone's count.

Sleight of Hand Cellars - You've gotta hand it to Washington - another hand-related winery.  Don't try and palm a bottle on your way out of the tasting room for a five-finger discount.

Purple Hands Wines - This Oregon producer shows what happens when hand meets grape.  

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MOSBY SAGRANTINO SANTA BARBARA COUNTY 2006

Bill Mosby specializes in growing and making wine from Italian grape varieties at Mosby Winery and Vineyard in the Central Coast town of Buellton, California.  Since 1998, when he left his dental practice to follow his passion for wine, he has produced some award-winning wines using grapes like Sangiovese, Nebbiolo, Pinot Grigio and Dolcetto.

His Sagrantino Santa Barbara County 2006 comes from the Mosby estate’s “Vigna della Casa Vecchia” (vineyard of the old house) which, according to the Mosby website, has "clay loam and shale soils supporting approximately 18 acres of Italian varietals."

The wine's label explains that Sagrantino is “idigenous to the Umbrian region of Italy, particularly around the hilltop town of Montefalco,” and is usually deep red in color and fairly tannic.  His Sagrantino has an alcohol content of 13.9% abv.

Sure enough, the color of this wine is deep ruby red with just a little light getting through.  There is a lot of fruit on the nose and a lot of alcohol, too.  Upon opening, the palate is hot with alcohol and shows flavors of black cherry and plum.  Clove spice also shows. 

On the second night, this wine is still smokin' hot.  The alcohol on the nose blows off fairly quickly leaving darker plummy aromas.  Tannins are still very pronounced, but they begin to mellow after some time.   It's really starting to be enjoyable now. 

The third night's nose is beautiful - full of fruit and earth, without the smell of the alcohol   It's amazing.  The tannins have smoothed out nicely and the flavor- still dark, plummy and spicy - is the dominant feature.  This wine needs a lot of air in which to open up.  I recommend a lengthy decanting, after which it should be a thing of beauty. 

It is, however, a beauty with a mole.  Even on the third night there was a faint scent of paint present at times.  The aroma would come and go, and it was not present to a disagreeable level.  Overall, this wine is extremely enjoyable, provided it has had ample breathing time. 

The label is a beautiful work of art done by Robert Scherer of Appiano, Italy.  Mosby commissions Scherer to do labels for Artist Series of wines.

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ROSSESE DI ALBENGA "U BASTIO" BIO VIO, LIGURIA

A high point of a doctor's visit in Beverly Hills - and they are few in number - is a lunch visit to Da Pasquale Trattoria.  The family-run restaurant on Little Santa Monica Boulevard features Southern Italian cuisine in a cozy setting with some very nice wines on the list.

The tuna salad sports big chunks of the fish with cucumbers and black olives.  Taking a cue from the spring-like Southern California weather in January, I went directly to the rosé on the menu.  It turned out to be not a rosé, but a lightly-hued red wine made from the Rossese di Albenga grape grown in Liguria.   

The wine is made by a producer called Bio Vio in Italy's Liguria region.  They farm organically, they say, not because of an economic or technical issue, but because that's the cultural attitude in that region.  In addition to grapes, Bio Vio also grows olives and herbs for export.

The Rossese Di Albenga grape is thought to have originated in France, and is a fairly obscure variety today, even in Liguria.

The U Bastio cost $9 by the glass, and appears cherry red in the glass, somewhat like a rosado.  The nose shows off some brilliant strawberry aromas with raspberry and an herbal note, with some earthy qualities as well.  The taste is earthy, too, with flavors of cherry and black cherry dominating.  The tannins are almost nonexistant, so it drinks quite smoothly.

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PRINCESS BRIDE WINE? AS YOU WISH!

In my position as author of Blood Of The Vines - and the wine and movie pairing guru for Trailers From Hell- I try to keep up with what's going on where the film and wine worlds collide.  That facet of the job doesn't keep me extremely busy, but I try to make it look like I'm swamped.

Across my digital desk comes news from the Alamo Drafthouse.  In case you are not familiar with them, the Alamo Drafthouse screens movies you can watch while enjoying a beer and even dinner, if you like.  Now you can add a special wine to the list of options.

Alamo Drafthouse has commissioned a pair of wines to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the film, "The Princess Bride."  The "Bottle of Wits" line - named after the scene in the movie known as the "battle of wits" - offers two varieties to choose from.  "Inconceivable Cab" and "As You Wish White" will be available for purchase at all Alamo Drafthouse locations beginning February 14, 2012.  The wines will cost $7 per glass and $28 per bottle.

Their blog states that both wines will "most likely be iocane free," although governmental regulations will prevent that bit of inside humor from appearing on the label.

The "Inconceivable Cab" is a California Cabernet Sauvignon, while the "As You Wish White" is a California white blend.  That's not a lot go on in wine tasting circles - I couldn't find a tech sheet on the wines - but maybe the movie-goers will just want to concentrate on how they taste, rather than why they taste that way.

"The Princess Bride" will be screened as part of the Valentine's Day celebration and a Quote-Along Feast features a five-course dinner - paired with the wines, of course.

The Alamo Drafthouse operates theaters in Texas (Austin, Houston and San Antonio), Colorado, Virginia and Washington D.C.

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CIMARONE RESERVE SYRAH 2008

Cimarone Estate Wines, in the Happy Canyon AVA of Santa Barbara County, deals in Bordeaux and Rhone grape varieties grown on their Three Creek Vineyard.  Cimarone was kind enough to send me a few of their wines to sample, and this time we're tasting their 2008 Reserve Syrah.

These $40 bottles are numbered, and mine was bottle 1,316 of 1,380.  115 cases of this Doug Margerum wine were made.  Winemaking duties at Cimarone have been taken over by the capable Andrew Murray.  He will be in the cellar from the 2011 vintage forward.

This Syrah - the first Reserve produced by the winery - has a 14.5% abv number printed clearly and legibly on the label, no magnifying glasses needed.  The blend is 60% Syrah 383 clone, 20% Syrah Noir clone and 20% Syrah 877 clone, for those who like to get geeky about it.  Not that there's anything wrong with that!  The wine is aged for 18 months in oak which the winery describes as “very tight-grain Seguin Moreau and Hermitage hand crafted barrels.”

Upon pouring, I notice the wine is very dark.  Let's get real, it's practically black except for a little band of purple around the edges.  A gigantic blackberry nose shows oak spice and some clove notes.  An initial whiff of alcohol disappears after it settles down.  Big blackberry fruit is displayed on the palate, too.  A really warm expression of the oak rides along, with black pepper on the finish.  The sweet fruit and the savory, leathery aspect make for an intriguing sip, and big, toothy tannins plead for a filet seared quickly on both sides.

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BLOOD OF THE VINES - THE ST. VALENTINE'S DAY MASSACRE

Valentine's Day isn't all greeting cards, wine and candy hearts.  Despite the obvious love connection of February 14th, there is a strong anti-Valentine's Day sentiment out there, too.  Our wine choices will deal with both sides of that heart-shaped coin, while our movie choice for V-Day breaks out the tommy guns.

If you are among the anti-Valentine's Day crowd, you should find "The St. Valentine's Day Massacre" right up your alley.  You'll enjoy it - all alone, we guess - with some of the nastier beverages we have selected.  If you like Valentine's Day, and are lucky enough to have a sweetheart with whom you will share your sweet hearts, you won't even bother with the television.  We have some nice, loving wine ideas for you.

"The St. Valentine's Day Massacre" was the esteemed Roger Corman's first studio picture.  It's a hard-hitting look at the fabled gangland killing of a bunch of Chicago mobsters.  

If Corman had gotten his way, Orson Welles would have starred as Al Capone.  The studio convinced Corman that Welles was undirectable and Jason Robards got the role.  After viewing outtakes from a Paul Masson "California Champagne" TV commercial in which Welles was the spokesman, maybe they were right.  But, hey, he stops when the director says "cut," doesn't he?  That seems directable to me.

If the movie doesn't fit into your Valentine's Day plans - and, by all rights, it shouldn't - maybe we can tempt you with a nice bottle of wine for your sweetheart.  A lot of wines would be appropriate for the day, but some are more appropriate than others.

Valentine Vineyard has been owned by Bob Valentine since 1987.  The Valentine wines have won so many awards, the mantle has broken off the fireplace.  The vineyard is in Mendocino County, and if you were to throw a wine bottle from there you could probably hit the Alexander Valley appellation, although we don't condone such behavior.  The "heart-in-the-V" logo makes for a nice gift, this month especially.

You'll heart these, too:

Domaine Cheveau Saint Amour En Rontey 2009 - From the Beaujolais cru named for love.  $23

Iron Horse Wedding Cuvée Brut 2007 - Tinted pink, this bubbly pairs well with wedding cake (hint, hint).  $25

Rosenblum Cellars Desirée Chocolate Dessert Wine - Zin, Syrah and Touriga Nacional infused with chocolate. $20

Terra Valentine Winery, Napa Valley - Terra means earth, and Valentine pays tribute to owner Angus Wurtele's father, Valentine Wurtele.  You can even stay at Villa Valentine, with its beautiful view at the top of the hill (hint, hint).

Valentine'n'Wine in Ventura County - Perhaps a little wine tasting getaway is just what Cupid ordered.

Temecula Wine Country events - There's plenty of activity in Temecula for lovers of all sorts, especially wine lovers.

No more candy hearts, please:

Bitch Bubbly - I haven't tasted it, but I'd guess it teases without delivering.  Should I mention, it's cheap?  $8

Stone Brewing Company "Double Bastard" Strong Ale - Give a bottle to someone you used to love.  $8

Anti-Valentine's Day card - A weak effort, but if you hate Valentine's Day this much, you probably won't buy any cards to announce that fact, anyway.

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