WineCompass

Monday, February 17, 2014

My take on Novelty Wines v Class Wines

First Robert M Parker Jr and now Jancis Robinson have written lengthy columns on what Robinson describes as "Novelty v classic wines". Basically Parker had a hissy fit about the rise of obscure indigenous grapes such as Trousseau, Savagnin, Grand Noir, Negrette, Lignan Blanc, Peloursin, Auban, Calet, Fongoneu and Blaufrankisch - at the expense of the royal court of Cabernet, Merlot, and Chardonnay. Alder Yarrow of Vinography posted an outstanding rebuttal and I, for one, good use some obscure Blaufrankisch right now.

Jancis Robinson then jumped into the debate with an article titled Bottle fight: Novelty v classic wines which is an unfortunate start - depicting indigenous grapes in a carnival sense and not as grapes that have thrived in their terrior for centuries. This is odd considering Robinson's many books portray her as a fan and expert on the world's indigenous grapes. Robinson starts by criticizing Parker's tone and states that she would provide a "sturdy defense of the thrilling quality and distinction of some wines" from these indigenous grapes, but then agrees with Parker that these indigenous grapes will never exceed the great wines made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Chardonnay.

In defending this position, she then makes two interesting claims. First she says that 90% of Chardonnay is dull; but because there is so much Chardonnay planted by the laws of averages some must be delicious. Then she says that she agrees with Parker that "that viticultural rarity does not necessarily bestow wine quality". Well obviously the same holds true for planting Chardonnay if 90% is dull. Personally, I would rather drink a dull Savagnin and learn about Jura then drink another dull Chardonnay from anywhere. I don't think anyone has argued that indigenous grapes make outstanding wines simply by existing, but as Yarrow attests in his rebuttal - there are examples of outstanding wines outside of Parker's domain.

Maybe what Parker and Robinson fail to perceive that the public is growing tired of the same old choices when going to restaurants or wine shops. Perhaps we are thirsting for something new besides the big three. Seems like American winemakers have foreseen or driven this trend by planting more Rhone, Spanish, German, and Italian grape varieties. And do we really want to see hectares of indigenous grapes ripped apart to plant more international varieties? Do we want our wine choices to be more homogenous? I don't think so, and I'm quite satisfied with the current status of Novelty wines. Cheers.

Friday, February 14, 2014

The Beer Scene in Raleigh: Trophy Brewing Company

This week I spent a couple snow covered days in Raleigh, North Carolina as a guest of Nomacorc, the world's leading producer of synthetic corks. In between a factory tour and seminars, I discovered that Raleigh has a decent beer culture with a fair number of breweries located within city limits. Big Boss Brewing Company is one I've encountered before and during lunches and dinners I was able to sample their Hell's Belle Belgium ale, Bad Penny dark brown ale, and Blanco Diablo Wit ale. All nailed their respective styles and were quite pleasant.

On my last day I had a couple hours free and planned to walk to a few that were closest to the hotel. However, because of the snow storm two were closed(Natty Greene's Pub & Brewing Co and Crank Arm Brewing Company), so using theCompass mobile app I sloshed my way to Trophy Brewing Company, a 3 barrel nano brewery and pizza joint. The restaurant was lively with all bar seating taken - as were most tables. Finding a seat, I immediately noticed the shelves of sports trophies - donated by generous patrons.

I ordered a four beer sampler and soon was Casanova Export Stout, Best In Show “American Saison”, Slingshot Coffee Porter, and Loner Berliner Weisse. The later is a low abv wheat beer, brewed to be tart and sour with very little of hop bitterness. Their version was true to form, although it is also brewed with peaches and ginger and I really didn't pick up on those flavors. The Slingshot was true to its name with the coffee sourced from local Slingshot Coldbrew Coffee. I definitely enjoyed the inter-play of the chocolate and coffee in the palette. In a similar fashion, the Casanova had a nice balance between the chocolate roasted malt flavor and hop bitterness. However, once again I failed to notice the additives, this time the vanilla notes as described on the chalk board. My favorite of the four was the Best In Show - a very appropriately named farmhouse ale. From the citrus nose to the bitter tail, this beer was completely enjoyable - well done. Next time, I'll try the pizza and expand my visit to the other breweries. But when in Raleigh, pair any of these breweries with American Aquarium. Cheers

Friday, February 7, 2014

Notaviva Vineyards Hosts Melodies of the Danube 2015 - a European River Cruise

Stephen Mackey, owner of the Virginia winery Notaviva Vineyards (Purcellville), is hosting a wine and music European river cruise next year - where travelers can enjoy fine European and Virginia vinifera and Central European music. The Melodies of the Danube 2015 starts in romantic Budapest where you spend the day touring Buda and Pest. I highly recommend an hour in the Central Market Hall and the Tokaji wine bar. Learn to appreciate dry Furmint as I did many years ago. Also, if you have a chance to sample Soproni Kekfrankos or anything from Villany - drink it.

From Hungary, the boat travels to Austria and while gently cruising along the Danube, Mackey will be leading several wine lectures throughout the journey. He will be pouring wine from Notaviva and showcasing why Virginia is a rising wine region as well as leading comparative tasting between the Virginia and Austrian wine.

1) Onboard Wine Tasting - "Austrian Varietals in America" Host Stephen Mackey leads a discussion of Blaufrankisch, Zweigelt and Gruner Veltliner. Enjoyed with Notaviva Vineyards "Vierzig" Blaufrankisch inspired by Mozart's 40th symphony.

2) Onboard Wine Lecture #1 - "Wine and Music Pairing Experience" -- Led by host Stephen Mackey, guests will enjoy two blind tastings of Virginia wines, accompanied by diverse music playlists and and engaging, interactive evaluation of how various musical genres accompany different wine styles. Includes discussion on the science of cognitive neurology and emotional receptors as they relate to the sensory perception of wine.

3) Onboard Wine Lecture #2 - "Introduction to Music Theory" -- Enjoy a carefully chosen selection of Virginia and Austrian wines while host Stephen Mackey analyzes works from Beethoven, Mozart and Strauss and explains the core technical elements of Western music such as melody, harmony, texture, rhythm, dynamics, form and tone color. Each composer's work will be paired with an appropriate wine, and there will be fun quizzes and prizes!

4) Paired Wine Dinner - "Ottantotto" barrel-fermented Viognier, "Vierzig" (Mozart) Blaufrankisch, "Ode to Joy" (Beethoven) Meritage

5) Onboard Wine Lecture #3 - "TasteLive!" -- Host Stephen Mackey will conduct the first-of-its-kind live International tasting of Austrian and Virginia wines from the ship while connected via social media and video conferencing with passengers' friends, family and Virginia wine industry colleagues back in Loudoun at the Notaviva Vineyards tasting room.

Wachau - courtesy of AWMB / Gerhard Elze

The boat spends four days in Austria - Vienna, Krebs, Durnstein, and Linz where the spotlight remains on wine but the classical music of Strauss and Mozart as well as traditional folk music are introduced. There are several opportunities to explore medieval villages and sample wine from various Austrian wine regions: Wein, Wachau, Kremstal, Wagram, and more. Here you will get your fill of Grüner Veltliner, Riesling, Zweigelt, Blaufränkisch, and perhaps a smooth Pinot Noir (Blauburgunder). The final destination is Passau, Germany where Octoberfest and beer come into play. And for even more fun, AMAwaterways, the host travel agency, is also offering pre and post cruise tours of Budapest, Munich, and Prague. To learn more about the host winery, Notaviva Vineyards, check out this profile in Northern Virginia Magazine. Cheers and happy
cruising.

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Crashing @DCBeer at Beltway Brewing to Promote #theCompassApp

This past Saturday I noticed a tweet from @DCBeerBill Braun how DCBeer had organized a bus trip with Reston Limo to three Virginia breweries: Mad Fox Brewing Company, Port City Brewing Company, and Beltway Brewing Company. Since I had a kids birthday party in Sterling that afternoon, I decided to crash their visit in order to show him #theCompassApp and to learn more about the brewery. Glad I did. Although I didn't have much time to converse with the DCBeer folks, I sampled some nice beer and learned more about the only full service contract brewery in the area. Currently Beltway Brewing offers two house beers, the Batch One Amber Ale and the Suite Dee Session IPA. Both beers were brewed basically in order to test the brewing equipment because their business model is to contract wholly for other breweries. In the past they had produced the brews for Adroit Theory Brewing Company before they moved to their Purcellville location and currently they are pouring a couple from Hilton Head's Wooden Skiff Brewing Company. Once their beers sell out, Beltway will "buyback" a few kicks of each contracted brew that they will pour on Thursday and Friday nights in the tasting room. A great concept for us consumers as our options increase with each contract.

It's too bad Beltway won't continue their house brand because they are quite tasty. The Batch One was malt forward but had a nice hop finish to balance the sweetness. The Suite Dee has a powerful refreshing citrus aroma followed by a light bodied beer and a clean refreshing finish. And at 4.8% abv - love this style of beer. Going forward, we will have to check out the recipes from the contracted breweries - the Wooden Skiff Blonde was nice and I'll have to head a little further west to sample the Adroit Theory. Fortunately Beltways also sells cans and bottles and not just growlers so I will be able to enjoy the Suite Dee until my stock runs out. Cheers.

Monday, February 3, 2014

Three Keswick Vineyards Viogniers for #VAWineChat

Last week we were invited to participate in the monthly twitter tasting #VAWineChat, feauring a trio of 2012 Viognier from Keswick Vineyards.The winery is situated due east of Charlottesville and with 16 acres, has one of the state's largest planting of Viognier - perhaps the largest. The three wines were produced from 100% estate fruit and are 100% single varietal. 2012 was a typical growing year for Virginia and winemaker Stephen Barnard also explained that they "backed off on ripeness for racy lower alcohol wines". In the winery, Barnard believes that neutral oak gives the palate some lift and enhances the texture and using a small percentage of new oak adds to complexity.

We started off the tasting with the 2012 Viognier ($24, 13.5% abv), where 70% of the juice was tank fermented, the other 30% fermented in neutral. The fermented juice then maturated for 6 months on lees. The result is an assertive fruity wine with a mouthful of citrus cream followed by a clean, refreshingly acidic finish. A rather nice start to the evening.

Next was the 2012 Reserve Viognier ($27.95, 14.2% abv) , where the juice was whole cluster pressed and then fermented wholly in neutral barrels. This wine possesses more of the peach & apricot notes usually associated with Virginia Viognier as well as more oak creaminess with hints of coconut on the nose. There's a bit of white pepper as well, which initially threw me off, but as the wine breathed, integrated nicely into the overall sensation.

The final Viognier was the 2012 Signature Series Viognier ($34.95, abv), a bold project where the juice was whole cluster pressed and racked straight to barrel without being inoculated with custom yeast strains or primed with sulpher. The hardest part for Barnard was waiting for the various yeast strains moving about the winery to begin fermenting the juice. These yeast strains could be natural strains that exist in all around us or perhaps commercial yeast that is still floating in the winery. 30% of the oak used in fermentation and aging was new French oak; thus the resulting wine is heavier than the other two with more of a toasted vanilla and honey character. The finish is still citrusy with plenty of balancing acidity - definitely the best of the bunch.

The Keswick wines showed why Viognier has great potential to be the Commonwealth's signature grape. If only the grape was not so finicky in the vineyard, more wineries could participate in the Virginia Viognier movement. But cheers to those who do, particularly Keswick Vineyards. Pair with Charlottesville based rock band Sons of Bill and Green PA Broadleaf cigars from Cigar Volante.

Friday, January 31, 2014

A Vidal & Syrah #VirtualVines Tasting with Old York Cellars

Last night Old York Cellars hosted their January edition of the Virtual Wines online tasting where consumers can watch and/or participate in a tasting of two wines from one New Jersey's oldest wineries. 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.

The tasting was hosted by winemaker Scott Gares and sommelier Laurin Dorman and featured two wines: the 2012 Vidal Blanc ($15) and Syrah ($18). And quite frankly, these were the two tastiest wines I've tried from the winery.

This webcast started with a discussion on the cold hardiness of Vidal - particularly its use in ice wines or late harvest styles; I learned that it is even grown in Sweden as an ice wine. But the Old York Cellars 2012 Vidal is bone dry - zero R.S.. On the nose and palette it displays a Sauvignon Blanc character of lemon citrus, followed by a nice refreshing acidic finish. Always enjoy sampling this French-American hybrid and this wine shows Vidal is enjoyable dry just as much as semi or sweet. Dorman suggests several food pairings with the Vidal which include goat cheese, triple creme, brie, feta, risotto, shellfish, pasta with cream, poultry, and Greek or Caesar salads.

The Syrah was made from 50% estate grown fruit, maturated on skins for 20 days and then treated in medium oak. The finished wine starts with a dark cherry almost black berry nose followed by a nice balance of dark cherry flavor and a tasty peppery spice that lingers in the finish. This finish is also soft - just enough tannins to maintain a chewy affect, but not enough to overshadow the delicious flavor. This is an old world styled wine; very impressed - nicely done. Dorman's food pairings include Gruyere and smoke cheddar, beef stew, brisket, grilled lamb, London broil, sausages, and salmon.

And it wouldn't be a Virtual Wines tasting without Laurie's Chocolates -Madagascar Single Origin 65% and Hawaii Single Origin Milk Chocolate with Macadamia & Sea Salt. The latter was paired with the Vidal so that the wine's acids mingle with the chocolate's milk fat. The darker Madagascar chocolate was paired with the Syrah, adding a litter bitterness to the fruit and pepper flavors. Like I wrote previously, these were the two tastiest wines I've tried from the winery. I hope to be included in the May addition as they introduce their SF Competition Gold winning 2012 Merlot. Cheers.

Sunday, January 26, 2014

NFL Super Bowl XLVIII - Where to Drink Local

Are you ready for some football. As you are aware this is Super Bowl week as game XLVIII kicks off this Sunday February 2nd at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Yes a cold weather venue so attendees should be prepared to stock up on warming wines, brews and spirits. Since the game features two teams whose host cities (Seattle and Denver) are well versed in the local craft wine, beer and spirits movements, here is where these fans can find their equivalent in New Jersey and New York. Better yet, theCompass Alcohol Locator mobile application can navigate you to any of these destinations as the image to the left depicts.

The closest establishments to the stadium in New jersey are the New Jersey Beer Company in North Bergen followed by the Bolero Snort Brewery in Ridgefield Park. I've never tried their beers, but I'm sure there are flavors for everyone. Furthermore west there are a plethora of breweries plus two distilleries, the Black Prince Distillery and Jersey Artisan Distilling. Distillery tours are now allowed in New Jersey, but contact the distillery before visiting to ensure that they are open and offer tours.

For those visiting or staying in New York City, there are a host of establishments in almost all of the boroughs - Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx. The most well known would be Brooklyn Brewery and the brewery offers a nice tour and tasting experience. Another well known Brooklyn brewery, Sixpoint Brewery, has put their tours on temporary hiatus while they renovate the distillery. While in Brooklyn schedule a weekend tour at New York Distilling Company or The Noble Experiment NYC and see why craft distilleries are popping up in the "City of Churches". Across the East River, in Manhattan there are several new brewpubs that have serviced and from previous visits we recommend the Chelsea Brewing Company.

Looking forward to a great Super Bowl and if you plan to visit one of these establishments beforehand, call ahead to verify hours. Cheers yo drinking local and an entertaining Super Bowl.

New Jersey Breweries & Distilleries near East Rutherford