A Tasting of Four Corn Whiskeys

This weekend my brother-in-law expressed a new interest in whiskey - without his normal tendency to mix anything with cola. Thus I subjected him to a lecture on the various types of whiskey (i.e what is bourbon, Tennessee sour mash, Scotch, moonshine....). We then sampled a few styles from Virginia, North Carolina, and Georgia that I had open on the bar: two moonshine styled whiskeys and two bourbon styled whiskeys. The Bowman Brothers Pioneer Spirit was a clear favorite, followed by the Junior Johnson's Midnight Moon. Tasting notes are below. Cheers.




Piedmont Distillers (Madison, NC)- Junior Johnson's Midnight Moon ($25)
Aroma - weak neat, but opens to dirty corn after a few drops of H2O
Mid - very smooth, corn sweet
Finish - clean finish; very, very short burn

Stillhouse Distillery (Culpeper, VA) - MOONSHINE - The Original Moonshine from Stillhouse ($40)
Aroma - very weak neat, but opens to dirty corn after a few drops of H2O
Mid - smooth, some sweetness
Finish - clean finish; short burn -> works best in a cocktail

Thirteenth Colony Distilleries (Americus, GA) - Southern Corn Whiskey ($30)
Aroma - honey nut cheerios
Mid - kerosene
Finish - mid level burn

A. Smith Bowman Distillery (Fredericksburg, VA) - Bowman Brothers Pioneer Spirit ($40)
Aroma - burnt honey
Mid - candied walnuts
Finish - coats mouth; smoothest, slight burn

A #VirtualVines Tasting with Old York Cellars

Last night Old York Cellars hosted their second Virtual Wines online tasting where consumers can watch and/or participate in a tasting of two wines from one New Jersey's oldest wineries - active since 1978. The winery encourages consumers to participate at the winery, by hosting their own tasting party, or follow along via the Virtual Wines Livestream site, Facebook, or Twitter.  For me, I was fortunate to receive a complimentary sample. On June 20th, I participated in Old York Cellars' in inaugural online tasting focusing on their new What Exit Wines brand - where consumers can actually customize the label of every purchased bottle. Pretty cool. Last night's tasting was hosted by winemaker Scott Gares and featured two vinifera wines: the 2011 Chardonnay ($17) and Cabernet Sauvignon ($21).

We started with the  2011 Old York Cellars Chardonnay and during the webcast, winemaker Scott Gares described the vineyard and winemaking practices for this wine. Because of New Jersey's hot and humid summers, they pull leaves off the vines in order to help the grapes dry from the moist humidity. The grapes are then fermented in stainless steel, undergo a secondary malolatic fermentation and then ed four months in medium oak.  The result is a wine that balances between the "naked" and buttery spectrum. The nose and initial flavors are a creamy pear-apricot whereas it finishes with green apple and nice acidity.  This is a decent wine, low in alcohol (12.2%) and right in the drink local priceline. The winery also recommends several pairings - basically anything with creamy butter - but also includes crab - old bay; risotto; Gruyere or creamier cheeses; Caesar salad; pork loin; apple, pecan, or key lime pie; and pound cake with strawberries. The final touch is that the sample pack we received included chocolates from Laurie's Chocolates - and the I really liked the pairing with the milk chocolate caramel.

Moving to the 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon, this wine spent 16 days on skin and after fermentation, aged 6 months in medium oak. The result is a fruit forward, medium bodied wine with ripe cherry flavors. The finish is easy, with soft tannins.  This is not your California cab or even a Bordeaux, but a very tasty option.  As for food pairings, the winery suggests burgers, beef stew, pizza, Italian seasoning, short ribs, dark chocolate, aged cheddar, or colby. As for Laurie's Chocolates, the Cabernet truffle was spot on - a truffle made from the very wine.

I look forward to visiting Old York Cellars. You got to respect a winery that takes the time to create a virtual tasting. Plus they host live music.

Del Maguey Minero Single Village Santa Catarina Minas Mezcal

Recently I had dinner had my favorite Vienna restaurant, Alegria, and for the first time, skipped the tequila and sampled some Mezcal. This spirit is the original Mexican spirit, first distilled by the conquistadors after they ran out of rum. They noticed that the indigenous population drinking pulque, a fermented beverage from the maguey agave plant. Distillation soon commenced and today it is distilled throughout Mexico - although its epicenter is Oaxaca. 

In the past, I had avoided mezcal primarily because I had only tasted lower end versions (with the worm) which didn't compare favorably to Mezcal's tequila offspring. No longer - particularly after a round of Del Maguey (ma–gay) Minero Single Village Santa Catarina Minas Mezcal ($70).  This is as  tasty as any fine 100% blue agave Tequila,  with a mango nose and flavor followed by an enticing shot of motor oil - think rich and smooth. This mezcal is completely organic, not because they strive to reach that certification, but because that's how they've been producing the spirit for centuries. This particularly brand comes from the village of Santa Catarina Minas and palenqueros, Florencio Carlos Sarmiento and his sons Florencio Carlos Vasquez and Luis Carlos Vasquez. They pound the roasted agave by hand and then distill the fermented pulp in a clay still with bamboo tubing rather than a copper still and tubing. Now that's cool. And major kudos to Del Maguey for singling out individual family palenqueros in small villages in every mezcal in their collection. I'll keep looking for the green bottle.

#wbw80: Château Montaud - 2012 Vignobles Ravel, Cotes de Provence

Thanks to original founder Lenn (@lennthompson) and Tim (@WineCast) for resurrecting Wine Blogging Wednesday, starting today, with dry rosé wines. I hightailed it to our local Whole Foods and found a value Cotes de Provence - the Château Montaud - 2012 Vignobles Ravel ($12). I believed I sampled an earlier vintage at a Wines of Provence tasting, but this #wbw80 allowed me to concentrate on just this wine.  The rosé is a blend of two of the major Provence players (Cinsault & Grenache) as well as a touch of Syrah and Tiboure.The grapes macerate on their skins for some color and flavor, then the grapes are gently pressed. This flavor is more cherry than strawberry, a slight peppery and silky mid, and a nice acidic finish. And we finished the bottle in less than 30 minutes - very drinkable and a bargain. Cheers to rosé, Provence, and #wbw80.

Learning About Greek #Wine via #winestudio

For the past few weeks, Tina and Guy have been introducing us to Greek wine during their Mondya night #winestudio chats. Their schedule can be found at  Protocol Wine Studio. My knowledge of Greek wine is very basic, almost singularly geared towwards Santorini. Thus during #winestudio, I was able to learn about other growing regions such as the Macedonian region of Northern Greece, the Peloponnese, and other Aegean Islands.  The final night, I was fortunate to be included in a media tasting of three Greek wines:

• 2012 Domaine Skouras Moschofilero [mos ko fee' le ro] Peloponnese $18
• 2011 Domaine Sigalas Assyrtiko-Athiri [a seer' tee ko] [ah thee' ree] Santorini $18
• 2009 Alpha Estate Xinomavro [zee-NO-mav-ro] Hedgehog Vineyard Amyndeon $24

Starting with the Domaine Skouras, the Moschofilero is a white wine grape with a purple skin - making this a vin gris wine. It is grown throughout Greece, but has found a noticeable home in the Peloponnese. It has an inherent spicy character which reminded me of a Rkatsitel, with the floral aroma of a muscat. Although many others thought the aroma seemed very Viognier-ish. The finish was tart and acidic - very refreshing and pleasant.

I've become very fond of Assyrtiko wines from Santorini and one popular style is to blend this grape with Athiri. The latter adds some weight and depth along with more fruit flavors to the mineral-salty rich Assyrtik. The Domaine Sigalasis a fantastic wine; the finish goes on forever. The flavor profile starts with yellow fruit and ends with great acidity and mineral balance. Give me some oysters.

The final wine was the Alpha Estate Xinomavro, harvested from the Amyndeon AOC northeastern Greece. In this region, winters are wet with moderate temperatures; summers, hot and dry.  The result is intense fruit which produce intense wines, and that describes the 2009 Alpha Estate Xinomavro. It was much bigger than I had imagined, full of purple fruit flavor - very plummy - plus a black pepper spice. The finish was acidic and tannic - no wonder Alpha Estate ages this wine one year in the bottle before release. Regardless, the wine benefits from an aerator - maybe even a blender. It screams for rich red meat. Not surprisingly, the following day the wine had mellowed - still plenty of plum flavor, but the tannins had dissipated to leave a smoother - easier to drink wine.

Go out and explore Greek wines. They area affordable, very drinkable, low in alcohol, and becoming more accessible - what more incentive do you need. 

Tasting White Wines from Santa Barbara County

On July 17th, I was fortunate enough to be included in a #winechat tasting of several white wines courtesy of the Santa Barbara County Vintners' Association. The county consists of more than 21,000 acres of vineyards with most of these within Santa Maria Valley and Santa Ynez Valley. There are over 100 wineries and vineyards in the county all benefiting from the micro-climates associated with the valleys and Pacific Ocean. This evening we sampled six wines which displayed the diversity of the regions

This diversity included two Sauvignon Blancs, the Fontes & Phillips Santa Ynez Sauvignon Blanc  ($18.00) and Baehner-Fournier Vineyards Vogelzang Vineyard Happy Canyon of Santa Barabara 2012 Sauvignon Blanc ($20). That's a mouthful. The first is said to be made in the New Zealand style and possesses that lemony flavor and layered texture associated with this style. Plus the finish is clean and refreshing. The latter is quite different which I described as "creamy apricot flavors - no lemon grass - instead sea salt". And yes, the Pacific seemed to contribute some extra nuances to this wine - one of my favorites of the evening. Plus, apparently Happy Canyon is the warmest area in Santa Barabara County - so perfect climate for Sauvignon Blanc.

Like the Sauvignon Blanc, there was also a pair of Chardonnay - Brewer-Clifton Winery Gnesa 2010 Rita Hills Chardonnay ($48) & Summerland Winery 2012 Sierra Madre Vineyard Chardonnay ($35). The Gnesa Vineyard is a four acre site on a north faving slope in the Ste. Rita Hills AVA and according to the owners "Sta. Rita Hills (AVA in SB county) provides such great conditions for naturally-hi acidity & balanced wines!". This is a fruit forward wine, no ML, with loads of lemon-lime flavor followed by a nice salty minerality and refreshing acidic finish. Nicely done. The Summerland is sourced from the famed Sierra Madre Vineyardin which the proximity to the Pacific instigates a large diurnal temperature variation in the evening. In other words the grapes cook during the hot days and cool dramatically in the cool evenings.  This is an elegant wine in the classic Chablis style - displaying a creamy mid-palette from ten months in mostly neutral oak. The flavor profile wavered between green apples and grapefruit with another refreshing finish.

The final two wines of the evening really demonstrated the vineyard diversification of Santa Barbara County: Imagine Wine 2010 Viognier Santa Barbara County ($24) & Palmina Honea Vineyards Santa Ynez Valley 2011 Arneis ($20). The Viognier is far from the Virginia Viognier we are accustomed to. It has a characteristic floral aroma, but diverges with a more peachy flavor instead of the Virginia apricot and possesses a creamy butterscotch mid based on 10-12 weeks in new or neutral oak.  Another nice wine. We finished off the evening with the Palmina Arneis in which the winery is probably one of a half dozen to produce wine from this Italian grape. The best part of the is wine was its spicy character with its orange tinted finish. This one paired well with clams - giving life to the salty mollusk. A very intriguing wine - as was the entire evening. Cheers.

The United Grapes of America - North Carolina - Shelton Vineyards Riesling

One of the many benefits of attending the annual conferences is exchanging wine with friends from other states. One of the wines I received was from our friends at Nomacorc, who brought along a wine from their Tar Heel state - the Shelton Vineyards 2011 Yadkin Valley Riesling ($12.99).   The Yadkin Valley is Carolina's premier wine growing region, located just south of Virginia along Highway 77 and has successfully transitioned from tobacco to grapes.  Closing in on their 15th anniversary, Shelton is "the largest family-owned estate winery in North Carolina" and a popular Yadkin Valley destination. The Riesling is made off-dry and exudes a flavor profile of apricots and peaches. The one area lacking is acidity, would like to see more acid to balance the sugar. Maybe the valley is a bit too warm. In any case, this is a decent wine, affordable, and one I'd quaff down again. Cheers.
DrinkLocalWine.com

StarChefs.com: The United Grapes of America

The United Grapes of America - South Dakota - Valiant Vineyards Wild Grape Wine

One of the most interesting wines I sampled at this Spring's Wine American Congressional Reception, was the Wild Grape Wine from South Dakota's Valiant Vineyards Winery. As the name suggests, the wine is produced from wild grapes - ative vitis riparia (riverbank grape) that grow along the Dakota's rivers and streams.  Being native grapes, they are innately very cold-hardy and disease resistant. During the reception, proprietor Eldon Nygaard informed me that his property is located on the Vermillion River which is a tributary of the mighty Missouri River and that Lewis & Clark camped on his site. Looking at a map, one sees the influences left by the explorers, particularly the Lewis and Clark Lake and Recereation Area not far away.

StarChefs.com: The United Grapes of America

Valiant Vineyards Winery is South Dakota's first post-prohibition winery, and like compatriots inother states, Nygaard helped draft South Dakota's Farm Winery Act in 1996. The Wild Grape Wine itself is quite good, somewhat jammy as are many native grapes, but with a chocolate texture and a smooth tail. And the wine has international appeal. Nygaard showed me pictures of the wine on display in Paris wine shops selling for over 70 Euro. You don't have to pay that much in dollars - it's closer to $30 domestically. I hope my paths cross with the Wild Grape Wine one day in the future. Cheers.