Category Archives: Cool Wine-y Things

Earth, Wind and Wine

 Happy Earth Day, everyone!

A while ago, I wrote about vegan and organic wines and in that post touched on sustainable farming and winemaking.

While a good portion of sustainable winemaking is in California, I wanted to find out whether any wineries here in Ohio were making the move to being sustainable.

 

For a vineyard to be sustainable it has to meet much if not all of the following criteria:

  • Changing from power usage to solar power, thereby cutting energy consumption.
  • Reusing and recycling all water and making their own compost as fertilizer.
  • Practicing Integrated Pest Management: Using owls, bats, hawks or other wildlife, as well as cover crops to help control insects. Also using weed control/ border management by goats or sheep to cultivate the vineyards instead of traditional chemical pesticides and herbicides.
  • Using low-gravity flow techniques to move wine steadily downward through the winemaking process, decreasing the use of energy consuming conveyor belts and equipment in the process.
  • Recycling all materials used in the winemaking process.
  • Erecting or modifying buildings to make them energy efficient.
  • Using biofuel or alternately powered farming equipment; preferably using horsepower instead of tractors when workable.
  • Ensuring that workers, employees are fairly treated, paid and housed (when necessary). If you’re going to go sustainable, you need cover all the bases.

Maple Ridge Vineyard in Madison, OH appears to be one of the only sustainable wineries in North East Ohio. They have been certified by the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association since 1997 and along with specializing in European style wines, cultivate vegetables, flowers, herbs, eggs and maple syrup that is sold to local farmer’s markets. According to their website, their grapes are hand-picked and processed manually and they use minimal filtration, with some wines being 100% unfiltered. Their winery is a fairly small, exclusive operation, with small production and yield, which would account for why I couldn’t find their wines stocked on any local wine store’s shelves.

At this time of year, their hours are very sporadic; I was unable to get my schedule to work with when they were open. But I’m looking forward to making it a stop on my North East Ohio summer winery tour.

There are benefits to the philosophy of winemaking, be it traditional or exclusively sustainable. For the wineries that have it as their inherent philosophy ~ and the consumers who mirror it ~ the choices about wine become very clear.

I’d like to think that in the future, we’ll see most wineries incorporate sustainability as much as possible into their winemaking practices: For themselves, for the earth and for all of us.

Cheers!A little love from the Earth...in every drop :)

Sweet Treats and a Sunny Day

Okay, this post hasn’t much to do with wine. First of all, it’s not 5 o’clock in the Cleve yet -though I know it is somewhere- and I’m enjoying a little sweetie I wanted to photograph and share with you. It’s Cake Balls. I know, for most gourmands, I’m coming into the game a little late. And go ahead, feel free to make the inevitable double entendre. Actually, it’s difficult to choose words to describe them without having to hit delete a few times.

I found this treat at The Cute Little Cake Shop here in Cleveland. I could go on about how delightfully tasty and wonderful they are but pictures speak louder than words. As for a nice pairing, it might be cool to venture back into the world of white: A tasty Chardonnay or Riesling, or maybe a little of both. And I think it might be more fun for a girls’ wine night ~ balls out ~ so to speak.

Until then, I’m going to sit outside, bask in a glorious afternoon and savor my cake balls. One at a time.

Cheers!

 

 

 

 

Maddicted With a Little French Kiss

It’s been said that confession is good for the soul, so I will tell you quite candidly: I’m a Maddict. And I have been going a little batty these past 17 months, waiting on my Victorian fainting couch for the premier of season 5 of Mad Men.

I dusted off my cocktail shaker, rescued my best Betty/Joan dress from its plastic dry cleaning bag, and dug my pearls out of the jewel case.

But what wine-based cocktail could I enjoy tonight? Luckily, I didn’t have to look any further than the Mad Men cocktail guide. With a short scroll down, I found the French 75, a kicky concoction of simple syrup, lemon, gin and Champagne.It seemed like a hip little mix to enjoy while watching the show.

I have to admit that when I make a cocktail, I like to shake it. It feels more…cocktail-y. Even though the recipe didn’t call for it, I shook up the first three ingredients and then topped off the glass with sparkling Dibon Cava Brut Reserve. While it wasn’t a true Champagne, the price point of $9.99 combined with the delicate, bubbly character made it very easy to pop my cork over. To make the simple syrup, I took equal parts water and sugar and…shook. And shook some more. About 2-3 minutes of vigorous shaking did the trick, and gave me a nice little workout. You can make the syrup a little richer with 1.5:1 ratio of sugar to water. That way you can have the same sweetness with less water in your cocktail.

The sparkling wine took enough of the sweetness off the rest of the cocktail, and provided a good balance with the gin, of which I’m not usually a fan. You could probably try this with vodka and it would be really fab.

I’m so excited for tonight’s premier, and I can’t wait to see what will become of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce. A few more cocktails and I might even be ready to take their job interview quiz.

Cheers!

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Bookish

A New Favorite!

A New Favorite!

One of the things I love about being a student of wine is the research. And I’m not talking about the drinking part, although that is definitely a plus. It’s the discovery of books, old and new, on the subject. And there are many out there. ‘The Food Lover’s Guide to Wine” by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg was published in 2011 and boldly goes where many have gone before. But it does it in a way that’s accessible and fun.

What I like most about this book is that it is well laid out and is written in a relaxed, conversational tone. There’s no heavy use of wine jargon (which can be confusing and off-putting if you’re not an expert in the field). And if they do use it, they make sure to explain what it means. The contributing sommeliers who offer their advice, do so to help the reader get more enjoyment out of their experience with wine. It’s an approach that’s appealing and very easy to savor.

Cheers!

The Ice Wine Cometh…

The Sweet Escape: Ice Wine

The Sweet Escape: Ice Wine

It’s sweet and rare, and if you knocked back a whole bottle by yourself, you might need a trip to your local ER to check your blood glucose levels. It’s ice wine and it’s mighty fine.  It’s taken me a little while to put these next couple of posts together. For one thing, there’s so much information about it, for another, I wanted to get it right.  Producers of true ice wine work very hard to accomplish what they do and in some chilly, low temps. Shrinkage is a given. So here we go, into the land of ice wine and snow …

Ice. Wine. Baby.

Ice wine is a rich, dessert wine made from the juice of partially frozen grapes. They must remain on the vine and harvested when temperatures dip to between -8 and -12 degrees Celsius over three consecutive days. The sugar content of the grapes at this time will be at its most concentrated. The water inside the juice is minimal resulting in extreme concentration of flavor, sweetness, aromatics and viscosity.

Iced Vineyard [image via David Boily|AFP|Getty Images]Canada (primarily the Niagara region) and Germany are the leading producers of ice wine (with an increasing number of good producers in Western New York and Ohio)  and yet it is still quite rare; yielding 5-10% of a normal harvest. The brisk temperatures that we complain about when we scrape off our cars are ideal for ice wine, but it’s a delicate balance. The colder the temperatures become, the more the grapes freeze and it can become more difficult to extract the juice. Most ice wine is harvested in late December to mid January when the lower temperatures stay constant. Before the harvest, ice wine grapes must be netted for protection from birds and animals. Picking is generally done by hand and much of the time at night, when the low temperatures stay most consistent.  The crush is also done outside to keep the must at a constant, cold temperature. If any thaw occurs, the water content inside the grapes will increase, potentially spoiling the sugar concentration. It’s these factors that make ice wine a premium wine product and legitimize the price of $30.00+/ 375ml. Think about it: you’ve got to give it up to those who go out in the middle of the night to pick and press grapes for you to enjoy.

The best grapes for Icewine are those with thicker, more durable skins that will hold together during the freeze ~ thaw cycle common in cold weather. Grapes with higher acid, extremely high sugar yield the best. As with any wine, differing varieties produce different characteristics: Riesling has a green apple and honey vibe; Cabernet Franc produces a rich, berry, buttery character and Vidal, a good, hearty hybrid used commonly because of it’s durability gives a traditional raisin-y essence. Troutman Vineyards in Wooster, Ohio make an ice wine using Chambourcin, a rare, red varietal.

Grapes are 80-90% frozen to give the required concentration of sugar, which is measured by degrees Brix, typically 35 degrees. Brix is measured using hydrometer or refractometer. Both provide vital information about the amount of sugar that been dissolved and that will help the winemaker determine how much yeast to add, since yeast converts sugar into carbon dioxide and alcohol. The yeast used in ice wine must be one that can handle high sugar and not go too high in alcohol.  The yeast must be gradually acclimatized to increase the sugar environment. Fermentation can take 3-6 months and the percentage points in alcohol must progress slowly as this can increase spoilage if progressed too quickly.

After 3-6months, the ice wine needs to be filtered again, and very slowly or you get a fizzy wine. It’s a sticky process. Bottling is also slow so the wine doesn’t end up like fermented Hawaiian Punch.

Storage

Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc and Merlot are best when to drink when young. Gewurztraminer and Ehrenfelzer: 3-5 years maximum. Vidal and Riesling tend to be the most hearty and are best to cellar the longest at between 5-7 years. They make the best bet for long term cellaring because they are able to retain their acidity.

Like revenge and ice cream, ice wine is best served cold:

Ice wine should be served chilled but not frozen; extreme variations in temperature can compromise the quality of wine, so just chill in the fridge. The ideal temperature is around 12 degrees. As with most chilled wine, allow it to stand at  room temp for about 15 minutes to open up the bouquet.

Raise your glass

The glassware you choose is also important. I’ve made the mistake of serving it in liqueur glasses. I was wrong. So very wrong.  The common viewpoint among experts is that ice wine, like any other fine wine, should be served in glassware with a larger bowl (about 9 oz). All the better to sniff and swirl with. When you think about it, it makes sense. By swirling, you can better open up the intensity, bouquet and flavors of the ice wine. You also want to use a glass that has a stem, and hold by the stem or base to not heat your ice wine; it’s very delicate! While you might want it to stay cold as you sip, don’t you dare put ice in your ice wine. Considering what you’re paying for this rich nectar, you don’t want to water it down with melting ice. An option to keep it cold would be  whiskey stones. You can put in them the freezer, and they’ll keep your wine chilled but  won’t dilute it.

The best pairing for ice wine are chocolates, fresh fruit, and delicate, lighter cheeses. Yum.

After it’s been opened, ice wine can be re-corked and stored in the fridge for 3-5 days. But why would there be any left?? If, by chance, you’re looking for another way to use what remains, why not make an ice wine martini?

Ice Wine Martini:

10 large seedless grapes (2 halved grapes for garnish)

2oz Ice wine      (red gives a nice blush vibe to the ‘tini)

2oz Vodka                  (I use the Goose, but any will do)

ice       (yes, here you’re watering it down, so shoot me)

In your blender, puree 10 grapes with ice wine and vodka. Pour through a small strainer into the ice filled shaker. Shake it like you mean it! Strain again into a chilled martini glass and garnish with the grapes that you’ve dipped in lemon juice and sugar. Enjoy!

My Ice wine Martini

My Ice wine Martini

Next post, I’ll talk about the difference between Ice Wine and Iced Wines. And, yes, there is a difference between the two.

In the meantime bundle up, butter cup. We’ve got a little more ice on the horizon.

Cheers!

A Hot Kiss on a Cold Winter’s Night

The Hot Kiss: Chard and Dark Chocolate with Chipotle Pepper

The Hot Kiss: Chard and Dark Chocolate with Chipotle Pepper

I’m spending tonight on my own. It’s cold and blustery here in the Cleve, so I’m settling in with the leftover Enon Chard that I had in my fridge. I had bought some dark chocolate for my research on IceWine, and wondered what it would be like paired with the Chard. I thought if the spicy rice from the other night lit off some fireworks, maybe lightning could strike twice with a sweeter offering.

After the Chard loosened it’s chill (using the 15 minute rule), I took a little bite of the pepper-laced chocolate. As the heat began to swirl, I took a sip of the Chard. Lightning did strike again. And again. The chard took just a slight edge off the heat of the pepper, then sparkled into it’s own flavor; combining sweet and hot. Very nice.

I think tonight I will take my time, pair slowly, and enjoy the watching the snow fall delicately from the night sky.

Cheers!

Vegan Wines and the Big O

I used to assume that all wines were essentially Vegan. It’s of the earth, made of fermented grapes, and that’s about it. Or so I thought. And the big O to which I’m referring is Organic wine, not…Ohio.

Vegan and organic wines are often mistaken as interchangeable; because a wine is labelled organic doesn’t necessarily mean it’s vegan. Yet vegan wine is usually organic. Got it? You will.

A vegan wine is due to the process it goes through, specifically the fining or filtering process. During wine production, elements are introduced to clear the wine, ridding it of cloudiness, bitterness –  removing ‘off’ tastes and aromas. Fining agents tend to work like a magnet, collecting the unwanted constituents that settle to the bottom of the tank. The filtered, clear wine is filtered once again before it is bottled, so there are no traces of the fining agents that remain in the final product.

 Fining agents include:

        • Egg Albumin
        • Milk Proteins
        • Edible Gelatin (from bone)
        • Isinglass (from fish)

Since vegans do not consume anything with animal components, you can understand why this would go against the grain. In a truly vegan wine, the most common fining agent used is Bentonite Clay, a safe element that absorbs proteins in the wine causing that pesky, hazy cloudiness and bitterness.

Multiple Organic-isms

Organic wines are produced without the use of conventional pesticides, petroleum-based fertilizers (or sewage-sludge fertilizers…ew), bio-engineering or ionizing radiation. Organic vineyards have a government approved certifier to make sure that USDA organic standards are met.

Types of Organic wines:

    • 100% ~ Organically grown with no added sulfites. NSA wines use only naturally occuring sulfites (from fermenting yeast that’s already present on the grapes). It can be considered an NSA wine if any added sulfites or total added sulfites don’t exceed 10ppm/bottle.
    • Made from Organic grapes ~ (adhering to the above USDA standards). These wines may have additional sulfates.
    • Biodynamically Farmed ~ This uses the vineyards natural resources to produce high-quality grapes without using pesticides, fungicides, herbacides, synthetic fertilizers or growth stimulants. Certified biodynamic vinyards meet and usually exceed standards of organic certified farming.
    • Sustainable Farming ~ For a farm to be sustainable, it must maintian productivity while supporting the long-term health of the eco system. They do this in a vairety of ways including encouraging and attracting insects that are beneficial to the vineyard; they attack the nasty ones while maintaining integrity to the vines and ripening fruit.

I Love “Ewe”

Got Weeds?

That’s a really bad pun. Every time I write a bad pun, you should take a drink of wine. You’ll be through that bottle of vegan wine in no time.

A growing number of organic, biodynamic sustainable farmers are using sheep to groom their vineyards. In fact, there are those who specialize in training both sheep and goats to eat only the weeds at their hooves, leaving the grape leaves, vines and emerging fruit to flourish. It’s a delicate balance; if they’re not trained, they’ll eat everything in front of them. And they might be pretty ticked if you try to tell them any different.

I’ve never had organic wine, much less  vegan and I’m looking forward to seeing whether there is a discernible difference between organic, vegan and traditional.

In my next post, I’ll compare and contrast, but I am having a bit of a challenge finding a true vegan wine at my local wine store. I’ll keep looking because the best part about being the wine student is experimenting.

Cheers!

Top Five Wine-themed Crafts

With the holidays underway, and everyone having a bit of a break, there have been cries in my home of, “I’m. So. Bored!”  My daughter replied, “well, mom, why don’t you find a craft?” Damn, my own words coming back to haunt me. But she had a point. I began to troll around to find my top five picks for wine-y crafts.

Rather than just writing about them, I thought I’d actually try them.  And if they weren’t simple for me, I’d never recommend them for you. I’m all about the easy craft that doesn’t take too long or make a big mess.

I read about one that involved using a ‘diamond bladed wet-saw’. In my hands, with or without wine, this would not be good.

Here are my top five, in no particular order:

Wine Label Collage

This one takes a little work but is still pretty simple. I did my collage on the bottom of an old wooden serving tray. You could do one on card stock and frame it as a poster.  Many wineries are using wonderful artists to design their labels, it’s a shame to toss the bottle in recycle without trying to preserve the label art in some way.

The real trick you’ll find with this craft, is getting the labels off the bottle; some slip off easily, some you have to finesse a little more ~ kind of like the shirt of that hot date you once had.

In a dishpan or sink, use enough hot water (hot enough for your hands to stand) and a drop or two of dish soap. Let it soak for a few minutes and beginning with the edges, slowly peel the label off (without ripping). At this point, I recommend having a sip of wine, a deep breath, and keep trying. Once you get the labels off, dry them on a paper towel, removing them every so often to keep them from sticking. You’ll need decoupage medium from an art or craft store. I used ‘Mod Podge’. For the tray, you’ll need to make the surface water resistant so when the labels have cured, cover with a final coat or two of clear acrylic sealant.

Wine Label Collage Tray (in progress)

Wine Label Collage Tray (in progress)

Frosted Wine Bottles with Salt

After you’ve successfully soaked off your labels for your collage, you can spray your naked wine bottles with a white primer. As the bottles are drying (and still sticky) roll them in an inch of Epsom Salts you’ve put on a foil-covered cookie sheet. I mixed a little iridescent glitter with my salt to give the appearance of ice. I found that I had to work quite quickly to get the salt and glitter to adhere. Let the bottles dry completely, spray with a sealant and display. I put a few of mine into my Christmas tree, securing them with white pipe cleaners.

[www.stylelist.com]

Frosted Salty Bottles

Frosted Salty Bottles

Cork Place Card Holders

These sound like a no-brainer, and they are. They can look pretty cool if you have some decent artwork or logo on the cork. I was lucky to find this one from Chateau Bianca. Take a sharp knife and slice a lengthwise groove into the cork. If you’ve made your groove a little too large (which I did), simply glue the paper to card stock, which will make it a little heavier and more stable. A couple of drops of glue in the groove can help secure the card. They are really simple to make and would be great for a wine-themed wedding or dinner party.

[www.thebubblybride.com]

Cork Place Card Holder

Wine Cork Garland

Again, this craft makes great use of any corks you have lying around and you have a tree with a wine motif (like I do). This is very simple; using a 3/8″ drill bit, drill through the cork, end to end. Take care with this; some corks can splinter and split so extra attention is needed. Synthetic corks tend to stay in tact more consistently. Also: you have to hold the cork steady as you drill, so save your quaffing until you’re ready to hang the garland. To string, I used a shiny metallic cording which was really easy to use.

Corky Garland (an awesome stage name!)

Corky Garland (an awesome stage name!)

Cork Magnet

This is as easy as opening a bottle of wine and drinking it. Except that you may have to use superglue and you want to do that before consuming any wine. Take your cork and a magnet piece (available at any craft store). Cut the magnet to fit the side of the cork, not the ends. Glue. Hold until dry. Put on fridge. Admire your awesome craftiness!  These are cool but are really more for show; mine slid oh-so-slowly down the fridge when I tried to stick up any notes.

Wine-y Magnets

Wine-y Magnets

And there you have it, a few projects to get you through the waning holidays, when you’re not recovering from that overexposure to turkey or wine buzz.

Tonight, I’ll be going to a Champagne tasting to learn how to pick a great bottle of bubbly to ring in the new year.

Cheers!

A little more about Amador County

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With the hustle of Thanksgiving, and the bustle last week of writing with a deadline, I haven’t had much opportunity to finish my thoughts about my trip to Napa.

And I have to apologize, when I post my pictures in gallery format, I can’t get the titles to work properly. Try as I  might to acknowledge the people and places I’ve shot, it just doesn’t happen the way I’d like. So bear with me and please feel free to click on any thumbnail to see the larger version.

When I spoke with those who’ve often travelled to Napa, especially the Lodi and Amador regions, they told me about the qualities that distinguish what you’d experience in the wine. Lodi has loamy soil and the wine produced here is more fruit forward;  Amador County produces wines that tend to be high tannin (?) and hi pepper. They really aren’t that far geographically, so it was noteworthy the vast difference with seemingly little boundary between them. With that, we were on our way for a day of tasting. We hit five wineries, beginning with Young’s Vineyards.

Young’s at Heart

Young’s provided a photographically rich experience and they seemed to pay great attention to detail in the esthetic presentation of the winery; providing a lush environment in which to feature their wine. I have to admit, between the gorgeous scenery and sweet dogs for me to pet, I found myself a little distracted. What I did enjoy was their 09 Sangiovese. It was bold and bright and a flavorful entree to our day of tasting.

As someone who is attracted by label art, and I admit this freely, Young’s Vineyards doesn’t disappoint. The distinctive labels are designed by watercolor artist Jeanie Vodden.

A Little Taste of Tuscany

We were then off to VillaToscano, which was like driving up to, well, a Tuscan villa. It’s certainly an impressive looking winery, with the interior designed in frescos with a generous giftware and tasting area.  We were pressed for time and had to choose one station to sample. I spied the Barrel Futures, which looked interesting to me. I’d never sampled from a barrel before and wanted to spend what little time I had available, there. I sampled the 10 Sangiovese, which, to me, tasted very green and young. While I realize it had just gone into incubation from the first crush a few weeks earlier, I found myself wondering how this wine would develop in the coming year. From what I’ve studied so far about Sangiovese, it shouldn’t have a vegetal quality to it; I expected it to be a little more full-bodied, even at this early stage. Perhaps with a some time, TLC and the qualities from the barrel itself, it’ll grow, evolve and gain it’s depth over the next twelve months.

Historical Vines

Before the weather took a bad turn, we wound our way to Sobon Estate, winery and designated California Landmark. Located at the former D’Agostini Winery, one of the oldest in the state, Sobon boasts old vine Zinfandel as well as Rhône varietals. It also houses the Shenandoah Valley Museum within it’s tasting room and gift shop. It has a very quaint, pioneer-esque feel to it when you walk in. The walls are festooned with ribbons from the many awards won for their wines. I’ll be honest, I can’t comment about the wines here since I didn’t sample at Sobon. The reason: we decided to pace ourselves with tasting, and some wineries one of us needed to sit out and just drink water. Sobon was my sit out. Of my friends who did sample, the pick was: their 09 Zinfandel Port.

Amador Foothills: “Get good grapes, and don’t screw up!”

That great quote was from Katie Quinn, winemaker at Amador Foothill. We soggily rolled in to her winery at a time when I think she might have wanted to call it a day. I can’t blame her; the rain, by this time, had made things cool, grey and drab. She was kind enough to take her time and indulge us with some of her latest offerings.

My first pick was an 08 Late Harvest Semillon. Most late harvests tend to be more dessert-like: thicker and viscose with lots of heavy sweetness. Thsi one was very different; light and refreshing, bouncy with a vibe that made me think of a fresh pear salad: green and sweet.Most late harvests I’ve tried have been Vidal, which for me, have a tendency towards a heavier sweetness, that could pair with a richer dessert at the end of a meal. I’d place this Semillon at the very beginning of a meal, with a light salad of greens, pear,  and honey dressing or with some light cheeses.

Bev recommended trying the Côte du Rhone ~ another varietal I’ve never tried before. The 07 Katie’s Côte was a blend of 52% Syrah and 48% Grenache. I found this to be beautifully fruit forward, nicely jamm-y at the start then evolving into a complex, rich, butterscotch on the finish. I had to taste it again to be sure that the butterscotch wasn’t just wishful thinking. It was real … and consistent on the second sip. Especially, with these two wines, Katie did get some good grapes, and she didn’t screw up.

I bought a bottle of each to bring back to the Cleve.

Deaver Vineyards~ Mission Statement

Our last stop of the day was Deaver Vineyards, boasting mission vines that were planted by winemaker Ken Deaver’s great-grandfather John A. Davis in 1853. They are called ‘mission’ vines because they were brought from Mexico by Jesuit and Franciscan missionaries. While they are noted for their Zinfandels, Port was their featured tasting this visit.

Levi, our helpful guide, set out a variety to try, with appropriate sweet pairings such as: Orange Muscat Light Port paired with Mandarin Pumpkin Marmalade with graham crust, Petit Syrah Port with blueberry orange cheesecake, Golden Nectar Port, Black Muscat with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream. It was all pretty sweet.

My favorite was the Orange Muscat Light Port. The light sweetness just paired so well with the rich earthiness of the pumpkin marmalade and graham crust. My second runner-up was the Golden Nectar Port, which, on its own, had a sweet/scotch-y vibe. Being a Scotch drinker, it really appealed to me because of the complexity and contrast of sweet and smoke.

Our tasting at Deaver made me feel like the proverbial kid in the candy store: a candy store that had taxi’s waiting outside in case you sampled too much and needed help home. And for the record, we sampled very responsibly throughout the day and got home safely.

What’s wonderful to experience, no matter which winery you visit, is the unique fingerprint of each one. It might be the friendly dog who greets you, an Etruscan fresco on a wall or a journey back into history; each winery has a way that they want to present themselves to you. So far, I haven’t been to two that are even remotely similar.

I think that’s the beauty of exploring wine and the distinctive wineries it comes from.

Cheers!

Of Port and Sherry

I wanted to add a little more about my experience at the Fabulous Food Show on Sunday. I went as I normally do for the wine sampling. I was particularly interested in the seminar on chocolate and wine pairing given by Joe Fink of Fantasy Candies and Marianne Franz of the American Wine School. I wasn’t disappointed.

Joe and Marianne

Joe and Marianne

 

Four Sips of Yum

Four Sips of Yum

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We started with four wines in front of us ranging from a hearty Cameron Hughes Bin 257 Cab Sav, a Warre’s Warrior Special Reserve Port, Warre’s Tawny Port and finally an Osborne PX Sherry. Starting from left to right we paired the Cab with a dark chocolate containing about 72% cocoa. The wine on it’s own was great but pairing it with the  exotic richness of the dark chocolate opened up and new level of deep rich berry and  added a light caramel finish I didn’t expect. While I’d pair chocolate with just about anything, I hadn’t thought of enjoying it with a Cab, which I generally save for a hearty beef dinner on a cold winter’s night. But that’s why I’m the student, and this is a learning experience.

We moved on to a 65% cocoa and paired that with the Special Reserve Port (alright, I tried some of the 72% with this as well, and it was really good). I’m not really a port drinker; in the past I’d found it to be too sweet, almost cloying, so this was a nice way to open my eyes to the world of port and how it could be served. As Marianne noted, sometimes two sweets together can cut down the sweetness you actually experience. But maybe it was the high I got from all the great chocolate that made me feel so accepting. Either way, I was enjoying the combination of the port and chocolate. Of the two, I found the tawny port much richer, complex when paired with the 65% cocoa sample.

Samples of the day ~ Vote for Pedro!

Samples of the Day ~ Vote for Pedro!

As the tasting went on, I became more interested in what the PX in my last glass would taste like. For years, I’ve had the cliched idea that sherry was something you kept in a cupboard and threw into a crock pot when nothing else was available. I was about to be schooled. I found myself intriqued by the color: a rich, golden brown with thick legs when you swirled it. Thick legs, in this case, is a compliment. The bouquet was of a buttery caramel toffee with a hint of a sweet cigar. Yes, cigar. You know when you smell a waft of a sweet tobacco in the air on a warm summer night? It was like that. When I told my friend Terri (who was also sampling) what I tasted, she looked at me like I was crazy…or needed to be cut off. I was neither. We paired this with with a honey-like milk chocolate and it brought out even more depth of the flavours. Once Terri tried the chocolate and sherry  together, she understood what I meant. When I researched a little further, I learned that Pedro Ximenez is actually made from a sweet vinegar made from grapes that have been sun-dried.

We had a great hour of decadence.  The best part was we didn’t get kicked out of class.

Cheers!