Holiday Bubbles

While we never need a special event to pop the cork on a bubbly, many people regrettably think of sparkling wine only for special occasions.  With the holidaze quickly approaching, below are my suggestions for bubbles in categories ranging from less than $20 to $300.  All pair beautifully with most foods. 

·        Roederer Esatate Anderson Valley Brut:  Made by the same company that produces’s France’s legendary Cristal Champagne ($200), this American sparkler is consistently on my best buy list.  <$20

·        Le Colture Prosecco:  This is one of the best crafted sparklers from the Prosecco region (the hills above Venice).  Viva Italia.  <$20

·        Argyle Brut:  While not known for its sparkling wine, Oregon soars with this one.  Make sure you have plenty of it in your cellar throughout the year.  $20-25

·        Ca Del Bosco Franciacorta Brut:  Made by one of my fave producers in Italy, this luscious bottle is a magnifico way to ring in any New Year.  $50-55

·        DMZ:  Made by Mumm’s Napa, this super-star is aged for at least 6 years. DMZ is one of the finest American sparklers I’ve had and worth every penny.  $55

·        Piper Heidsieck Millesime 1999:  For a very special event, this one is très spécial.  I’m a lover of vintage Champagne and this one completely seduced me.  $300-350

Best Choices for Thanksgiving Wine

By now all of us are scrambling to finalize plans for Thanksgiving.  In addition to the seemingly endless decisions about the menu (brine the bird?  anyone dislike brussel sprouts?  new dessert recipe or my never-fail standard?) one of questions always includes which wine?   

Assuming you’re serving turkey, my suggestion is either a dry Gewurtzraminer or a Pinot Noir.  For the dry Gewurtzraminer, I recommend one from Alsace (this tiny piece of eastern France makes the best "Gewurtz" on the planet.)  Great producers with good penetration in the U.S. market include Trimbach, Weinbach, and Albert Mann.  Prices for these Alsatians range from $25-100, depending on if it’s a Grand Cru.  If you want an American Gewurtz, look no further than Claiborne and Churchill (California, Edna Valley).  This one is a steal at $20.

Pinot Noir can be pricey, especially those from Burgundy. But, don’t despair as there are some great American Pinots that won’t break your bank.  The best bang-for-the-buck coming in under 20 bucks is Point Conception’s Salsipuedes from Santa Barbara.  In the $30-40 range the following wines from California’s central coast represent solid value:  Melville, Stolpman, Alma Rosa and Alta Colima.  If you can spring for $50, I suggest Dehlinger from the Russian River in California.  Oregon is also making some good pinots in the $30-$50 bracket, including Drouhin and Ken Wright.  Want to try a reasonable international pinot?  Can’t beat New Zealand’s Craggy Range $30.  (The Wine-Knows harvest trip to New Zealand in 2014 will visit this producer.)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Great Bang-for-the-Buck Pinots

I’m a member of the San Diego chapter of the American Wine Society (AWS).  Recently they had a BLIND tasting of Pinot Noirs from around the world.   I loved that the tasting was blind so that none of our prejudices could stack the deck…in my way of thinking, all wine should be tasted blindly.

The group was told in advance that there were wines from Burgundy, Italy, Argentina, New Zealand, Oregon and California. We were also told that the wines were poured in a random order that had been determined by drawing numbers from a hat prior to the tasting.

AWS provided a scoring sheet that was based on a 20 point system.  Categories and points were as follows:

• Appearance (0-3 points)
• Smell:  (0-6 points)
• Taste (0-6 points)
• Finish (0-3 points)
• Bonus (0-2 points…given for any outstanding attributes)

We were asked to analyze each wine and score each.  After tasting and scoring all wines, we were then asked to rank them from highest score to lowest.  I was sitting between 2 men, one of who was my husband, the other a friend.  The 3 of us did not compare our thoughts until after the tasting.  While our point values were different for each of the wines, it was uncanny that the 3 of us had all ranked the same wine for the #1 spot, the same wine for #2, and the same wine for #3.  Considering the number of wines, our same rankings for the top 3 wines were very unlikely due to chance.

Three wines floated to the top with high scores well beyond the others (i.e. for the 3 tasters mentioned above).  The best news of all is that all of these wines were terrific buys for the generally pricey Pinot…each came at (or less than) $20.   First place?  Point Conception Salsipuedes from Santa Barbara County 2010.   The close runner-up was Decoy’s rendition from the Anderson Valley, 2010. (Decoy is owned by Duckhorn, one of Napa’s longstanding powerhouse’s for Merlot).   The bronze medal (again, according to myself and 2 compatriots) went to a Kiwi, the 2009 Vavasour.  (When Wine-Knows heads to New Zealand in 2014, Vavasour will be sure to be on our list!)

For more information about AWS chapters in your area, check it out:  http://www.americanwinesociety.org/

What Wine to Serve at Thanksgiving?

The first day of November finds many of us contemplating our Thanksgiving dinner.   Should I brine the bird?  Smoke or roast it?   Who in the crowd likes Brussels sprouts?  Who doesn’t?   Pumpkin pie or one of my new recipes---or both?    The plethora of questions often include what wine?   

Assuming you’re serving turkey, my suggestion is either a Pinot Noir or a dry Gewurztraminer, or both of the varietals.   These two wines work beautifully with turkey and most of the trimmings (with the exception of asparagus which is a horrible pairing with most wines.).   My preference is to conduct an informal experiment using both the Pinot and the “Gewurtz.”  I place two glasses at each setting and ask folks to try both wines with their dinner.  Guests are asked them to keep their preference to themselves during dinner and unveil their favorite after.  At the end of the meal, choices are revealed.  I  am always amazed that we typically get the same answers over and over:  50%  prefer the Pinot; the other 50% prefer the Gewurtz.  Often the majority are surprised at their preference.

For a dry Gewurztraminer, I recommend one from Alsace (this tiny piece of France makes the best Gewurtz on the planet….but just make sure the wine is dry.)  Great producers with good penetration in the US market include Trimbach, Domaine Weinbach, and Albert Mann.   Prices for these Alsatians range from $25-100, depending on if it’s a Grand Cru).  If you want an American Gewurtz, look no further than Claiborne and Churchill (California, Edna Valley).  This one is a steal at $20.

Pinot Noir can be pricey, especially those from Burgundy.  My suggestions for California Pinots are Dehlinger or William Selyem, neither of which are cheap ($55-75 for the latest vintage).  A good alternative for less is Melville’s Verna Vineyard at $26.  Oregon is also making some lovely Pinots---I suggest Domaine Drouhin or Ken Wright (both in the $30-50 range).  New Zealand’s Craffy Range

Te Muna Road   

by Martinborough offers an excellent quality/price ratio at $29.  Want to up the ante with a Burgundian?  Opt for Dujac or Meo Camuzet, both of which can be plucked for $50-450, depending on vineyard and vintage.