Night of the Vampire

Oct24

A couple of years ago, I tried Vampire wine ~ I don’t even remember what variety it was. I wasn’t too sure about it; the taste was metallic, the mouthfeel a bit thick and viscous. It was a little like…blood. Or at least how you might imagine blood might taste.

Did rip my bodice? Not exactly. It wasn’t the worst red I’d ever had but I wasn’t sure it was a wine to constantly search the catacombs for, either. Rather than write it off as a gimmick wine, I thought I’d again check out a couple of newer offerings ~ a lot can change in two years. I scared up my friends Shelly and Terri to sample with me. And, yes, creatures of the night ~ that was a Halloween pun, so raise your goblet and drink.

On the menu: A ’10 Cabernet Sauvignon and a ’10 Pinot Noir.

Vampire Vineyards ’10 Cabernet Sauvignon and ’10 Pinot Noir

We cracked open the Pinot first, moving from the lighter wine to full-bodied. The first pour was without any aeration because I wanted the girls to experience firsthand the difference. It was a clear and bright ruby with predominant jammy top notes. As expected, it had a light, thin mouthfeel, and, overall, was fairly pleasant. Being drawn to a more full-bodied wine, Shelly wasn’t a huge fan but Terri found it easier to drink. When we poured the second taste through the Rabbit, it became much more complex and enjoyable. Pairing it with a creamy Brie and fruit brought even more dimension to what started out as a fairly basic Pinot.

The Cabernet was deep blood-red in color and beefier; everything you’d expect from a Cab. It had a distinct, almost heavy spice vibe to it before aerating and the mouthfeel was velvety with a bit of bounce. After we Rabbit-ized the wine, it softened,gradually developing a flavor that became more sophisticated. Shelly mentioned that she really enjoyed it the more she sipped.Terri found that by aerating the cab, she was able to enjoy it without any reflux-like side effects. We paired it with a sharp Wisconsin cheddar, sweet peppers and tomato.

I was impressed that the wine I’d sampled a couple of years before was not like what we tasted tonight. Overall, we found the Cabernet to be a willing beauty that we could definitely sink our teeth into.

I wanted to take this moment to give credit where it’s due and thank my daughter, Andrea, for all of her hard work producing the first video for The Wine Student blog. I’ll be posting it right after this and, I’ll keep my fingers crossed that it’ll load!

Love you. Now go to bed!

Cheers!

Is That An Aerator in Your Pocket or Are You Just Happy to See Me?

Oct10

When my husband came home the other day and told me he’d just bought me a ‘rabbit’, I had to think about my response. If you ever watched early episodes of ‘Sex and the City’ you’ll know what I mean. If you haven’t then, yes, I was concerned about the small, furry animal with the twitchy nose. In this case, he meant the Rabbit aerator.

When you aerate wine, you expose the wine to oxygen. Like decanting, there are clear reasons why:

When wine has been closed in a bottle over time, they need a little boost to open up the bouquet or flavors ~ exposing wine to oxygen will help the wine to ‘open’ more quickly.
If the wine is heavily tannic, it may be quite strong and unpleasant for the first tastes. The amount of time the wine is exposed to oxygen softens this quality Aeration helps to soften the wine more quickly so you can enjoy the wine at first sip.
Wines constantly change after bottling, which is why they are aged but the resulting chemical reactions can produce a gas that may be unpleasant. Different varieties can produce this gassy by-product, noticeable upon first opening ~ yet doesn’t mean the wine has turned. Aeration can help to separate the developed wine from the off-putting gas. I think the rule here is: Classy, not gassy.
Aeration can substantially bring out the complexity and expression of a wine that just pouring in a glass (guilty) never can. And it can do it more quickly than letting sit in a decanter or in your glass.

As a caveat: if the wine you’ve poured has, in fact, turned ~ aerating won’t help. We tried that with a recent bottle and it just made it worse.

A Matter of Style

Like decanters, the choice is yours. You can find a multitude of aerator styles, all that work on the same principle: fully oxygenating the wine. When I go to wineries, most are using them and are loyal to the ones they use ~ and sell~ in the tasting room.

: The Rabbit

: The Trudeau Aerator

Glass vs. Plastic ~

The choice should be obvious, glass makes sense. Would you prefer wine served in a glass or plastic goblet? There are many expensive aerators fashioned in hand-blown glass and they are beautiful. Being the wine noob that I am, I have plastic.

Keep them separated ~

Do you really need a separate aerator for white and red wine? Many experts agree that decanting should be used for all wines; oxygenation can clearly benefit all. So, too, does aeration. But I wondered if having two different aerators was more marketing tool than necessity. In thinking it through, it would make sense; over time and use, you’d have residue from the red wine that might transfer flavours to any whites that are poured through. That wouldn’t be as much of an issue with glass, as it would rinse more completely. But if you have plastic, better get two.

We decided to take advantage of the wine we had on hand for Thanksgiving and put the aerators to the test. This wasn’t very scientific, we didn’t do a double blind tasting but we did have the two main variables, some nice wine to try. Carefully rinsing between tastings, we each had two glasses, one to try the unaerated and one poured through the Rabbit, then the Trudeau.

	Rabbit	Trudeau Classic
Vineland ~ Pinot Meunier	3	0
Strewn ~ Cab Merlot	2	1
Inniskillin ~ Cab Shiraz	3	0
Lailey ~ Vidal	3	0

I admit, I was somewhat skeptical about how the aerators could actually affect the taste of the wine. When we tried the Vidal through the Rabbit, it immediately opened up, making the wine more complex and flavourful. After testing three other wines, it was almost unanimous (except for Strewn) that the Rabbit was the better aerator. Clearly, design made all the difference: The Rabbit was almost shower head like; allowing rivulets to flow down and slide off the curve of the bowl to cascade more specifically in the glass. While the Trudeau brought good amount of air into the pour, it streamed in a way that was similar to just a straight pour from the bottle.

I didn’t know what to expect from my aerator experiment. To taste a distinct difference in one sip after aeration was really surprising and cool. And I enjoy being surprised out of my skepticism, even if this Rabbit was very different from what I expected.

Cheers!

Celebrity Skins: The Grapes of RUSH

Oct4

Finally! I had to take a step away from working on my aeration post to give a hearty congratulations to RUSH on their Rock Hall nomination. After so many years of not even being a bridesmaid ~ much less the bride, they are being recognized. And it’s about time.

While their reputation as a preeminent rock band is legend, it’s the commitment that both Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson have to Grapes for Humanity Global Foundation that’s very cool indeed.

Founded in 2001 by Arlene Willis, who lost a brother to a land mine accident, GFHGF works to support land mine survivors by building prosthetic clinics and aiding survivors in welfare issues. Their chief means of fundraising is putting on wine related activites such as wine tastings, wine pairings and wine auctions. Over the years, their philanthropic endevours have expanded and direct proceeds of the events go to specially selected projects that strive to make the world a better place.

It was seeing the direct effect of the money raised from the events that appealed most to Lee. He tells Samaritan magazine (via ultimateclassicrock and noisecreep), “I was very drawn to it because we did small projects. If we raised $50,000, we’d go to Honduras, build a clinic, and you saw the direct result of that money in action. And that’s something, to me, that makes you feel really good because you know there’s no waste there.”

Geddy sortin’ da grapes @ Tawse Winery, Grimsby ON ~ image via John Gundy

He and Lifeson hosted the maiden “Excellent Adventure ~ Grapes Under Pressure Tour” in 2009 at Tawse Winery in the Niagara region. The excursion featured a day trip to the winery in a private car generously supplied by VIA rail. There, participants spent the day out in the vineyard picking and sorting grapes, then enjoyed a luscious lunch with wine while bidding on items in the silent auction that featured RUSH memorabilia. The event raised $37,500.

The venue changes each time to feature a different local winery in a different Canadian wine region. Huff Estate Winery in Prince Edward County played host in 2011. The Excellent Adventures have raised over $350,000 for Grapes for Humanity Canada which is awesome. Touring this way is a great way for the GFHGF to gain more exposure to a wide variety of communities, and for the participating wineries to gain new visitors.

I’ll definitely keep good thoughts for RUSH next spring for the Rock Hall induction. I’ll keep even better ones for the their continued success raising funds and awareness for Grapes for Humanity.

Cheers!

Decant ~ Be Serious

Oct1

I’ve been a bad girl. Not in the Fifty Shades way but as a wine student. Lately, I’ve found myself simply popping a cork and pouring my reds just in the glass. No decanting, no mandatory two hour plus wait time. Sometimes, I aerate but not every time. Most aficionados would slap my wrist (ooh!) and tell me that by not decanting, or at least aerating, my wine is not all that it could be. And they’d be right. So I dusted off my crystal decanter and became very curious about decanting and why it’s important.

Historically, decanters were important because most wines weren’t filtered prior to entering the bottle, sediment was more prevalent and needed to be separated out before drinking. Wine drinkers of yore probably didn’t want crunchy bits in the wine they sipped. Who would?

i heart decanter – Image via lh5.googleusercontent.com

Decantation is used for the separation and transfer of mixtures. Especially consequential with reds, the wine is separated from sediments or crystals that are a natural component of aging. Another benefit is the removal of any unwanted bitterness and pungent flavors. A certain amount of oxygenation will happen with the transfer from bottle to decanter but it isn’t the same as aeration, which intertwines oxygen into the wine to improve the taste. I’ll write more about aeration in my next post.

Decanting can be applied to white wine but it isn’t as necessary as decanting reds, especially those aged 5+ years that require more delicacy when serving. There usually isn’t as much sediment in younger wines but they can benefit greatly from decanting by enhancement of the flavours, bouquet, and by bringing the character into full effect.

Slow and steady ~ the art of the pour

As important as the decanter is, the way in which wine is poured matters. I’m sure that even doing the quick pour can provide some of the required oxygenation, it might not leave the all sediment out. The slower pour is more deliberate and accurate. And don’t forget, you want to hit that sweet spot, or the curve of the decanter, for maximum distribution.

Joseph Nase from New York Magazine recommends decanting all wines, even whites and that younger wines can be poured directly into the decanter and left to sit for as short a time as 20 minutes. But if you want to do it the old school way you’ll need two items, as well as the wine:

a wine cradle
a light source such as a flashlight or candle(very old school and romantic)

An easier approach involves using a wine funnel and sieve.

Wine Funnel and Sieve – Image via Artisans on Web

Insert funnel with sieve into the decanter
pour and let stand
enjoy

The sieve will take care of any sediment and bits of cork that may have found their way into the bottle. The funnel is usually shaped with a gentle curve to cascade the wine towards the sweet spot of the decanter. The slower the pour, the more oxygenation and the better the release of the flavors and character of the wine. You can also swirl the wine inside the decanter to provide more aeration before serving.

Keeping it Clean:

Don’t use detergent. The design of most decanters makes it very difficult to rinse away the residue. And any that remains may effect the taste of the next vintage you pour into it. You pay enough for a good bottle and don’t want it tainted with soapy residue. Ew.

All you need is some coarse sea salt (I’ve used fine equally well) and crushed ice. Place both in the decanter and shake (or swirl) until it’s clean.

Decanters come in myriad shapes, styles and colors from the classic to the bizarre. I once saw one that had the unfortunate shape of a hand-held urinal, so I just couldn’t buy it. It’s usually recommended that clear crystal or glass is best, that way you can see the color and clarity, but the choice is up to you.

Also works as a Vuvuzela – Image via Riedel.co.uk

Antlers or Arteries? – Image via Etienne-Meneau

Wine is a thing of beauty and meant to be enjoyed at a slower pace, not rushed through. Part of the experience is the presentation of your chosen wine, slowly poured and displayed in a decanter that reflects your individual taste and style.

Cheers!

Mangia! Mangia!

Sep4

The Beautiful 07 Ruffino Santedame Chianti

It’s a drab, rainy Tuesday night in the Cleve, and I wanted to pair my weekly pasta dish with something special. Looking in our wine rack, I found an 07 Ruffino Santedame Chianti. I’ve always enjoyed Ruffino in the past, and thought I’d pair it with my freshly made tomato basil sauce with (leftover) meatloaf crumble ~ yes, I’m frugal and, yes, it’s better than it might sound.

The bright, rich color, as it poured into my glass, was very inviting but the thing that was most intriguing was that I couldn’t place what was going on with the nose. It smelled of a lovely perfume, which was a new vibe for me. And it was bugging me that I couldn’t quite place it. Finally, it dawned on me: It was rose. And it wasn’t the kind of rose you associate with the cheap stuff; it was the light-scent-that-delicately-wafts-on-the-air-of-a-summer-breeze rose.

The mouthfeel was on the grippy side with a velvety finish and the predominant flavor was of a bold, sour cherry. The sour of the cherry beautifully counterbalanced the savoury of the sauce that made the pairing really terrific. For a back- to- basics dinner the night after summer’s last long weekend, a few fireworks still managed to pop.

Cheers!

Back to the Books!

Sep1

books and wine: homework can be fun!

Summer, what summer? It’s been crazy busy and now that my daughter is safely into her new school routine ~ I still can’t believe she’s actually in high school ~ I thought I would do a little reading to help me come back to earth, so to speak. ‘The Geography of Wine” by Brian J. Sommers was a great exploration of various world wine regions and what makes them unique from a geographer’s perspective. What I liked about his approach was he took a subject that had the potential of being very dry (wait ~ was that a pun? you know my policy on puns ~ bottoms up!) and boring but made it very accessible and interesting.

If you’ve ever been curious about terroir and the role geography plays in the concept, this book summons all aspects. In a way that’s easily read for the lay person, Sommers deftly explores the biogeography of the grape, how urbanization affects wine geography, and economics ~ including the politics of wine with respect to its’ unique growing regions. In the last chapter, he discusses his own love of wine and how in each glass, not only do you taste the grape but you taste a great deal about the culture of where it’s grown, nurtured and loved.

I’ll write more about terroir in another post but in the meantime, I’d like to recommend this book as a great reference for discovering that what goes into your glass is so much more than just fermented grapes.

Cheers!

Crabby night

Aug11

The Lovely Lugana

Tonight we dined on crab. It’s a treat we don’t have very often. And we don’t have it often because it’s somewhat pricey and also it makes my feet swell. I wrote swell, right? I’d hate for you to think it made my feet smell. It doesn’t. Anyway. HubbyDoug came back from his most recent trip to Italy with a lovely ’11 Le Quaiare Lugana. Wait. A white wine? It’s true, I’ve spent much of this blog writing about red wine and, for the most part, we do prefer the reds. Yet this white was something special. And it needed to be paired with something just as special. I think what I enjoyed most about this wine was that it had a light, playful grape and honey essence on the nose. It tasted of delicate apple that seemed to enhance the light, salty brine of the crab while adequately cutting through the fattiness of the butter. To paraphrase Cole Porter it was de-lovely!

Cheers!

2012 Cleveland Wine Festival ~ Sun, fun and wine

Jul29

I didn’t think we’d make it downtown. The forecast was shaping up to be rain with a chance of more rain. But the thing about Cleveland weather is what might be happening in one ‘burb might not be happening in another. On the other hand, there’s nothing worse than trying to quaff when your glass is filling with rain instead of wine. As luck would have it, when we arrived at the Giant Eagle Cleveland Wine Festival at Voinovich Park, the clouds parted and we were treated to great sunshine, a warm lake breeze and some interesting wine to sample.

Cheers!

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Hot Child in the Vineyard

Jul21

The last little while, I’ve been hitting the study hall, partly to get a break from the heat, but mainly to learn about the first two components of the growth cycle of the grape: spring and summer. And with August quickly approaching, it’s pretty clear, we’ve passed one season and are well into the next. So here we grow ~ remember, every time I make a bad pun you have to sip some wine. Since that was particularly bad, make sure you have a big glass.

After hibernating from mid December to April, we come into a time when the newest tendrils of the vine shake off the winter shroud and wake up ~ too flowery? Okay, I’ll keep it real. The first stage of the cycle is known as bud break ~when the initial shoots start to grow. This happens around May 1st through May 24th. If the temperatures are warmer earlier, the buds will pop a little sooner. Early bud break can be a positive because there is the potential for a longer growing; season and riper fruit. The downside is there is an increased vulnerability to late spring frost. Early shoots will not regrow if exposed to 0 C (frost). While this can be fairly tragic if the shoots are damaged, all is not necessarily lost. The crop size will decrease but quality of wine can increase..

In Ohio and most of the mid-west and Southern Ontario, this spring was particularly complex, with temps in March hitting in the 80’s and then diving back down to seasonal cool in April. It’s kind of like waking up on Mr. Toad’s wild ride when you’ve been having really long nap. For the newly emerging buds, it’s not something they want to ride too often.

Every fruit begins with a flower

Summer in the vineyard begins approximately June 21st when flowering occurs; this is usually a reference date because harvest is approximately 100 days after flowering. The flowering cycle in June, is typically 10-14 days. Flowers are delicate and really need clear weather to set. Fruit set happens in July and means that everything that is going to happen to the plant has happened, and all usable fruit is set to grow to be harvested and made into wine.

August or late summer is the last time the crop size can be affected. As I mentioned before, a smaller crop size gives greater quality fruit, but to a point. Again, it’s a fine line to tread when making a high-caliber wine from a less than ideal start.

Thinning on top

The deliberate harvesting of unripe grapes to encourage concentration of flavor or character in the remaining bunches is called grape thinning or green harvest.

The percentage of fruit removed depends entirely on the grape variety; some ripen all the grapes and some only half. It also depends on the vigor or how much fruit the plant can support. Grape thinning also depends on the vintage, variations in the growing season, the style of wine and the philosophy of the winemaker and grower. Thinning involves removing any unhealthy fruit on the plant. This allows for the remaining fruit to receive all the nutrients. The concentration of energy of the plant moves from the inside, or main stock, to the outer fruit and leaves. It’s around this time that veraison occurs. Veraison marks the onset of ripening, when grapes soften and change color. This happens around 6-7 weeks after flowering.

Hanging loose

Canopy management of the current year’s fruit keeps the growth loose and separate to prevent disease and to maximize airflow and sunlight. I could liken it to wearing boxers versus briefs but I think that would be all kinds of wrong. And while it isn’t a bad pun, per se, feel free to quaff now. Canopy management is also employed to control the height of the plant; maximum canopy height is based on spacing, vintage and vigor. In September, leaf thinning occurs. This also promotes airflow and increased exposure to maximum sunlight to advance ripeness. The inefficient leaves that take vital nutrients from the efficient ones are removed.

There’s so much to look after and nurture throughout the growing season, and that’s before you even get to the harvest. With the hot, dry growing season this year, my prediction is that harvest may begin well before September.

With the plants stressed as they are, and knowing that sometimes stressed grapes can create more complex wine, I’m really looking forward to seeing what this year’s vintage tastes like.

Cheers!

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Getting Naked on a Friday Night

Jun9

I have no idea whether this was a bad wine; just because I wasn’t a huge fan doesn’t necessarily mean it was ‘bad’ per se. This Naked Grape Chardonnay was an oake-y, light, basic wine; refreshing~ in a way, but not really anything to write home about, at least in my novice opinion. At first taste, I thought it might be a bit ‘off’, but as I continued to sip, it got a little better. And I found it difficult to determine what, other than oak, I could really taste. For the most part, it seemed more watery grape than anything else. There wasn’t much depth or complexity at all. In this case, keeping it simple made it drab and colorless.

Perhaps the most interesting thing I can say is that a blackfly actually did end up in it. Isn’t that ironic?

Cheers!

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