MORE MADEIRA, MY DEAR?

                                          
After a very lengthy hiatus, Madeiras are coming back, alas more with a whimper than a roar.

Do you need proof that the Uptown Tasting Group (referred to in an earlier blog) is always on the cutting edge? No sooner had we decided on one of our monthly Friday tastings to check out Madeiras, then the very next Sunday the San Francisco Chronicle had a whole spread on the renaissance of Madeira.

The isles of Madeira (madeira =wood - wooded islands) lie about three-hundred miles off the Atlantic coast of Morocco. They were discovered by Portuguese seafarers in the early 1400's. No humans inhabited the isles. I hate to think what the seamen would have done with the natives. Soon land was cleared to grow food and terraces built to cultivate the vine.

The wines, like most others at the time were unstable and spoiled easily. Still, some of them were shipped to Portugal and even to England. Eventually the vintners learned to stabilize the wines by fortifying them with neutral brandy. Madeiras have about 20% alcohol.

British penetration of the West Indies, the East Indies and the founding of the American colonies made Madeira the wine of choice for these far off places. Ships in great numbers passed by the islands on their voyages and picked up barrels of wine.

Lo and behold, the greatest enemy of wine -excessive heat - proofed to be a boon to Madeiras. Barrels were lashed onto the deck of ships sailing to the Indies and their popularity grew in those far off locales.

When the British fought in the French and Indian War against the French for dominance in North America and later tried to put down the uprising of the thirteen American colonies, they came to know Madeira and upon return the demand in England for Madeira grew.

What better testimony as to the popularity of Madeira could there be than that the signers of the Declaration of Independence toasted its adoption with Madeira? To this day there exists a Madeira club in Savannah, Georgia, which somehow survived Prohibition.

Catastrophe struck Madeira's vineyards like those in Europe when powdery mildew and phylloxera from North America were inadvertently carried there in the middle of the 18th century. Madeira didn't really recover until the middle of the previous century. Now the vineyards are again planted with the classic grapes Verdelho, Sercial, Bual and Malvasia (Malmsey). This order also pretty much gives you the span of Madeiras from almost dry to very sweet (but never cloying).

The Rare Wine Company of Sonoma, California recently cooked up this great idea to get old stocks of Madeira and issue Madeiras whose bottles are graced with handsome labels showing historic depictions of East Coast port cities where Madeiras were unloaded during the hey days of its popularity. The Company issues wines in all styles (i.e. Verdelho, Sercial, etc) and most bottles are around fifty dollars.

There are other very good, less expensive choices available. We were impressed with the Vinhos Justinos 1997 Colheita which is available at twenty-five dollars. I have also enjoyed the Henriques & Henriques Madeira Verdelho (aged 10 years in cask) that sells for about thirty five dollars. Right now I'm working on a Blandy's Verdelho ("Matured in Oak Casks For Five Years") that I bought for twenty odd dollars. Once opened you don't have to worry about spoilage. Madeira can sit around for months without going bad.


The best source for Madeiras in the San Francisco Bay Area is the "Spanish Table" in Berkeley and their other store in Mill Valley's Strawberry Village shopping center.

The dryer style Sercial and Verdelho would best be served at about fifty-two degrees, while it is recommended to drink the sweeter Buals and Malmseys at around fifty-seven degrees.

Nuts, in particular walnuts and pecans, go really well with Madeiras. According to Hugh Johnson, the great British wine writer, "a Cox's Orange Pippin and a digestive biscuit is a classic English accompaniment." The sweet Bual and Malmsey styles are fantastic foils for dark chocolates and cakes made with dark chocolate.

The members of the Uptown Tasting Group were happy as clams that the finesse and character of the Madeiras gave them a break from their usual fair of First Growth Bordeaux and Grand Cru Burgundies. Right!

TEETOTALER ENTHRALLS THE WINE WORLD

                         

Is GREEN the new BLACK? It sure looks like it. Check the ads. Huge energy companies and global conglomerates are competing in a contest called "who is the greenest of them all?"

While we are waiting for the outcome, let's examine how the wine industry is responding to environmental issues. Three years ago, I researched an article on "natural wines" for a wine magazine. At the time there was already a groundswell of wine growers on both sides of the Atlantic, moving into "organic" or even "biodynamic" wine making.

For the wine trade, quality is the bottom line. "Green practices" are welcome as long as the wine is not below par. "Green" importer "Beaune Imports" told me that certification for organic wines from abroad is so onerous that they just don't bother. Check their website where they provide info on their wines.

The odd thing three years ago was that many estates kept their "green practices" under wraps. Organics was one thing but Biodynamics with its"voodoo practices" (e.g.: stuff cow horns with manure, bury for a season, dig up, water down the contents and spray on soil) was assumed not to be every wine consumers cup of tea.

Horses are becoming a common sight in French vineyards.

Biodynamics is the brainchild of Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925), founder of Anthroposophy, best known for its Waldorf schools. Biodynamics sees agriculture as an organic whole and maintains that everything that grows on earth is an expression of cosmic forces. Besides restoring abused soil to health and protecting natural flora and fauna surrounding the fields, the biodynamic grower links his work to cosmic forces like moon phases and planetary positions. The land is nourished with specific composts and cultivated plants are sprayed with infusions brewed from plants like stinging nettles and chamomile.

"Demeter," the certification authority for biodynamic growers does allow dusting with sulfur and spraying with Bordeaux mixture (copper sulfite and lime mixed in water), if the vines have been attacked by either powdery or downy mildew.

Ironically, wine estates more so than farms are now adopting the biodynamic practices developed by Steiner, a teetotaler who abstained from alcoholic beverages and thought of them as unseemly.

Biodiversity in the vineyards of southern France 

When prestigious French domains adopted Biodynamics in the belief that it would lead back to vineyard identity (terroir) that makes for individuality in wines, some of the tonier California estates (e.g. Phelps) followed suit. A heated debate in California is currently pitting believers in Biodynamics against viticulturists who think it's a hoax. Chief among the latter is Stu Smith, maker of remarkable wines at his Smith-Madrone winery. Follow the discussion on his website www.biodynamicsisahoax.com. Very interesting stuff.

WHY WOULD YOU CARE? 

Organic food has gone mainstream. Surprisingly, most wine drinkers are oblivious about the chemicals that are used in vineyards and wineries. If one strives to eat local, sustainable, and organic foods, it might make sense to check out how the wine was produced.

Terms like  "sustainably grown," "organic," and "biodynamic" are no longer just used by fringe elements of the wine world. I see them more and more on wine lists and on wine labels.

Most of California's wine growers now practice "sustainability" in the vineyard. It means that the grower maintains healthy soils and reduces waste of water and energy. Vague, but at least it's a start. Growers are encouraged to adopt organic or biodynamic farming.

Organic grape growing follows the guidelines laid down by the United States Department of Agriculture for any organic produce: no synthetic pesticides, fungicides or other non organic chemicals; soil enrichment must be natural (e.g. compost) and natural alternatives to pests, weeds, and vine disease management must be used.

If all of this is appears confusing, it is. There is fluidity in the nomenclature.

WHAT THE WORDS ON THE LABEL MAY MEAN:
"Contains sulfites" - The USDA forces every producer of sulfite containing food or beverages, to print "contains sulfites" on all labels. Sulfites have been used for centuries by vintners to battle wine-spoiling bacteria and it seems to have little ill effect on the average wine drinker. Nevertheless some people are extremely allergic to it.

"Contains No Detectable Sulfites" - Surprising claim, since sulfites occur naturally in the soil.

"Contains Only Naturally Occurring Sulfites" - No sulfites were used in the wine making process.

"Sustainibly Grown Grapes " - Grower and vintner use "sustainable practices." Chemical pesticides, herbicides, and artificial fertilizers may have been used.

"Made With Organic Grapes" - Winery used organically grown grapes only. Chemicals may have been used in the wine making process.

"Demeter Certified Biodynamics" - Winery underwent lengthy conversion and certification to Biodynamics.




VINS DE PAYS -  COUNTRY WINES FROM THE HEART OF FRANCE

Believe me, every Frenchman/woman you'll ever meet abroad is "from Paris," unless they are part of a mission to promote, say, the wines of Bordeaux. But deep down, all these Parisians, real or pretending, are still attached to the cow towns their families came from. Best case scenario: the family kept their modest dwelling in the Provence or their humble cottage in Bretagne.

If this family retreat happens to be in wine country, they'll  drink the little country wines that are produced locally. If you think French wines are all from Bordeaux, Burgundy or Champagne, you are in for a very pleasant surprise if you get off the beaten path while traveling in France.

From the French part of the river Moselle in the far north to the foot of the Pyrenees, there is a patchwork of wine producing areas and their wines can be delightful. It's from these vineyards that the Vins de Pays come.

Vins de Pays are the perfect antidote to overblown, overextracted, overoaked wines. They are cheap and should the wolf be at the door, you can still enjoy delicious wines.

Don't read any further if your luncheon wine is Lynch Bages, "lunch bag" as the Brits endearingly call it, and your dinner table is graced by a bottle of Chambertin. Lucky you.


Mere mortals who are looking for little nuggets of interesting and tasty wines that cost less than a king's ransom have some remarkable choices among these Vins de Pays. Lower your gaze as you examine the shelves of your wine shop and you will discover French country wines in greater and greater numbers at real budget prices.

Vins de Pays can come from all corners of France. They have not yet been allowed into the pantheon of the French appellation system. The Vins de Pays classification is now morphing into a system called "Indication Geographique Protegee" (protected geographical region). Too bad. Vins de Pays sounds much quainter.

Producers have to submit the wine for analysis and tasting. There are also regulations on grape varieties and blends. If a Vin de Pays is predominately made from one variety, it's name can be mentioned on the label. That should give them a leg up with the American wine drinker who is used to buy wines with the variety displayed on the label.

"Vins de Pays d'Oc" is the name you are most likely to encounter. These wines come from France's largest wine growing region, Languedoc-Roussillon. Its a pleasant surprise that in this  Mediterranean climate winemakers produce whites which are crisp and lively.

A delicious and very inexpensive example is the 2008 La Closerie des Lys, "Les Frutiers." This is a blend of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Vermentino (Importer: Vintage '59 Imports LLC). I found it at my local wine shop for eight dollars. Another great producer of whites in the area is Jean-Louis Denois. He delivers with Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc and he even makes Pinot Noir with a nod to his Burgandian roots .Denois wines and a number of other Vins de Pays producers are available at K&L Wines (www.k&lwines).

Reds made from Syrah, Grenache and Carignan from other producers and the roses made mostly from Cinsault will usually be just as well-made.

The Vins de Pays d'Oc have a few subcategories.Two of them, Vin de Pay de L'Herault (Languedoc) or Vin de Pays de Cote Catalane (Roussillon) are sometimes mentioned on a bottle.

Second in volume are the Vins de Pays de La Loire. This growing area encompasses the entire Loire valley that hasn't been classified yet. I keep buying the remarkable  2009 Domaine de L'Aujardiere Chardonnay (Vins de Pay du Val de Loire) that is available for about ten dollars. This producer is imported by Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant (www. kermitlynch.com).

Other gems that I have encountered came from the Rhone valley and Provence and are called "Vins de Pays Rhodaniens" and "Vins de Pays de Vaucluse" respectively.

MISCELLANEA

BARGAIN ALERT: Best ever Loire sparkling wine must be the  Chateau de L'Aulee "Elegant" from the Touraine Appellation (mostly Chenin Blanc), made in the Champenoise method. It's sold at DeeVine Wines (www.deevinewines.com) for thirteen dollars a bottle (10% off for case purchases). Pull the cork ever so slowly. Exuberantly foamy stuff.

THINK SWEET FOR VALENTINES DAY: There are fabulous sweet wines that are under appreciated and therefore affordable. Why pair chocolates with Zin or Cab when there are better alternatives available?

FORTIFIED WINES (around 20%alcohol): Try your ultra dark chocolates with a sweet style MADEIRA (Bual or Malmsey), a great wine from the Atlantic isle of Madeira, whose wines are making a comeback. Don't worry about leftovers. They wont spoil for months. Best selection at the Spanish Table.
A great, alternative, fortified as well and also going well with Chocolates is PORT. It doesn't have to be a 1970 Taylor Fladgate. All prestigious Port houses are putting out "Late Bottled Vintage Ports" which cost around twenty dollars.
MALAGA is a legendary sweet wine from Spain that is now being restored to its former glory. Get the 2007 Jorge Ordonez & Co. No. 1 Seleccion (half bottle) for around twenty dollars at the Spanish Table.

NOT FORTIFIED:
VOUVRAY: Great Chenin Blanc wines from the Loire Valley in France. The sweeter styles are called
"Semi Sec" or "Moelleux," the latter being a sweet, late harvest wine.
GERMAN RIESLINGS: All go great with Asian food, in particular the spicy kind.
For a splurge, go with a 2006 "Scharzhofberger Auslese" a great wine that is available at DeeVines Wines (www.deevinewines.com) for thirty-six dollars, a real bargain. Drink it as a treat by itself.
SAUTERNES: The great sweet wines from Bordeaux are still undervalued, considering the laborious process that wineries follow to make them. 2005 was a very good vintage for Sauternes. Check out the
'05 Chateau Guiraud or Chateau La Tour Blanche which both go for fifty dollars each at the San Francisco Wine Club.

SPARKLING WINES

BUBBLIES are ubiquitous during the Holiday season. There are huge numbers out there, some great, some good, some fair, and many dreadful.

The first sparkling wines were made in France. There is no agreement where that happened. Some swear it was in Limoux in Southern France, most carry the torch for the ancient province of Champagne, which gave its name to the beverage that so many people swoon over.

Imitation is the highest form of flattery. In no time flat, "Champagnes" were made everywhere. But count on the French to rule the roost. It took them decades, but it finally came to pass that only sparkling wines made in the Champagne region of northern France are entitled to use the magic word - CHAMPAGNE.

When in Champagne country, don't miss a tour in the cavernous cellars of one of the great Champagne houses in Reims. The town sits on a maze of man-made caverns which are used for production and storage. During your tour pay close attention to your tour leader and don't be rowdy. My elegantly dressed guide, decked out in the latest Paris fashion, gave the evil eye plus a tongue lashing to some oafs who began to chat during her tour.

A generation ago, the head of the great Champagne house of Bollinger was Lily Bollinger. When asked how she enjoyed her own product, Lily Bollinger is reported to have said, "I drink it when I'm happy and when I'm sad. Sometimes I drink it when I'm alone. When I have company I consider it obligatory. I trifle with it if I'm not hungry and drink it when I am. Otherwise I never touch it - unless I'm thirsty."

Sparkling wines come in so many incarnations and at so many price points that in a fashion, it's not that hard to imitate Lily Bollinger.

California has become a hotbed for French Champagne houses. Naturally, they call their products "sparkling wines," even though they use the same grape varieties (Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier), the same method - "Methode Champenois," and the same nomenclature (i.e. "ultra brut" means totally dry, "brut" or "extra sec" is dry, "sec" means slightly sweet, and "demi-sec" is sweet) as they do at home in Champagne.

"Methode Champenoise" refers to the traditional laborious method of getting bubbles into Champagne by refermenting wine in its bottle. Producers in other parts of France (e.g. Loire Valley) must use the terms "methode classique" or "methode traditionelle."

RECOMMENDED CALIFORNIA SPARKLERS: Roederer from Anderson Valley in Mendocino, Domaine Carneros from the Carneros District, Napa Valley, and Domaine Chandon, Napa Valley, are all making excellent sparklers.

A Spanish outpost in California is Gloria Ferrer, whose wines are very good value.

Homegrown sparkling wines include  the excellent "J" from Jordan Estate in Sonoma, Schramsberg based in the Napa Valley and the small production Terra Savia "Blanc de Blanc" from Mendocino.

NEW MEXICO: Who would have thought? The French Gruet family produces a good sparkler that sells for around twelve dollars and is widely available.

CAVAS FROM SPAIN: "Cava" is the name of the sparkling wines that come from Catalunya near Barcelona.The method for Cava is the same as the one used in Champagne, but the grapes are all indigenous. Some great values, but the really good stuff is only now trickling into the U.S. Check out the Spanish Table for best selection.

The ubiquitous "Cristalino" at seven or eight dollars is unbeatable as a PARTY WINE.

ITALY: Prosecco is a grape as well as the word for a sparkling wine from the Veneto region north of Venice. It is popular as an aperitif. Prosecco is not made according to the Champagne method. Instead, the producers use the less expensive Charmat bulk process.

Truly great sparkling wines are made in Franciacorta, Lombardy. They follow the Champagne method. Grape varieties are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Blanc. Not cheap, but worth looking for.

FRANCE: Many wine regions of France produce good sparkling wines that are made in the Champagne mode and can be delightful and are much less pricey than Champagne itself. Check out sparklers from Alsace, Loire, and Bourgogne (Burgundy) for some impressive deals.

LIMOUX has a good claim to be the fountain head of sparkling wines. Blanquette de Limoux, or better yet, Cremant de Limoux, are the names of of the region's sparkling wines. Try to locate sparklers from Domaines De Fourn, Martinolles, De Flassians, and Les Caves du Sieur d'Arques. Limoux sparklers are not going to break the bank.


CHAMPAGNE: Most Champagne sold throughout the world is pretty mediocre stuff. The massive quantities that the standard brands produce make it virtually impossible to produce sparkling wines of distinction with the exception of their over priced luxury bottles.

However, there are some well-known houses whose sparklers I would happily drink in the Lily Bollinger fashion, some pricey, some not. Ayala, Deutz, and Lanson are reasonable.  Gosset, Henriot, Joseph Perrier, Philipponat, Pol Roger, and Pommery occupy the middle ground while Bollinger and Krug roost in the realm of luxury Champagnes.

Importers are now bringing in Champagnes from small houses who usually grow all or most of  their own grapes, unlike the mass market brands, and their quality is often excellent. Prices are quite fair.

French law dictates that every Champagne label must carry an acronym of the producers status followed by a  six-digit license number. The acronyms are in such tiny print that they require a magnifying glass to decode them, but they can mean the difference between getting rot gut or excellence .

N.M. (Negociant-Manipulant - dealer/producer):   quality excellent to less than inspiring.
C.M. (Cooperative-Manipulant - co-op producer): quality decent to poor.
M.A. (Marque d'Acheteur - buyer's own brand):    don't touch  
R.M. (Recoltant-Manipulant - grower/producer):    quality excellent to very good.

Final words on Champagne: It seems to be part of the French genius to make silk purses out of a sows' ears. Non-sparkling wines from Champagne are usually dreadful, especially Pinots. The growers and producers turn it into Champagne, the ultimate status wine, and reap huge profits in the process.

TREAT YOUR FRIENDS AND YOURSELF TO SPARKLING WINES IN MAGNUM (equals two bottles) WHICH ARE REASONABLE AND TASTE GREAT:

Sommariva Prosecco - $32. Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley

Roederer Estate "Brut" - (one of California's best sparklers) - $45. The Wine Club, San Francisco

MISCELLANEA

JUST OPENED: Premier Cru Wines on University and Sixth Streets in Berkeley, California. It has been part of the East Bay (SF Bay) wine scene for a long time. They now occupy their own building, conveniently located near the freeway. The show room looks fabulous and prices are reasonable. Seek advice from the knowledgeable and friendly sales staff.

BUMPER STICKER SPOTTING: "Live long enough to become a burden for your kids." appears to be the secret wish of some aging baby boomers. Moderate wine consumption might just be the the ticket to success.

"MODERATE WINE CONSUMPTION" (1 to 2 four-ounce glasses of wine) promotes longevity (Journal of Gerontology, 2007). Wine drinkers have a 34%  lower mortality rate than beer or spirits drinkers. Finally, drinking wine slows brain function decline (Neuroepidemology, 2006).












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BEAUJ-OLÉ

Now that the 2010 “Le Nouveau Beaujolais Est Arrive" madness is over where we paid more for a bottle of  “Nouveau” ("because it's air freighted"), than the vastly superior 2009 regular Beaujolais, it's time to talk about the treasures that the '09 Beaujolais vintage delivered.

Incidentally, I happened to be in a wine store on the evening before the official release date of the “Nouveau” which is set by the French authorities for the third Thursday in November.  I asked the clerk whether I could have a bottle of “Nouveau” and was told in no uncertain terms that that would be a violation of French law. Huh? Since when do we abide by French law?
   
Beaujolais is part of Burgundy and vintages are highly variable, just as they are in Burgundy. The grape of Beaujolais is called Gamay.

Beaujolais is one of the best food wines on the planet because of its great fruit and acid balance. It even works with fish. Also, Beaujolais is perhaps the only red that can cool the burn of spicy dishes. It’s  the ultimate guzzling wine as well.

Once upon a time, long before the Wall came down, I was living in West Berlin. As often as possible during fall and spring we escaped from Berlin's frigid clime and dashed down to sunny Provence.
On one of those trips I wanted to explore St. Louis in Alsace, where my father was born. There wasn't much to see and finally we stopped at an inn, went inside and were greeted with a handshake by a young woman in native costume. We sat down and I asked her about the contents of the kegs that sat on the counter. “Why, it’s Beaujolais, “ she answered with a sweet smile. From the moment we tried Beaujolais, we were hooked. We slept well that night, under the stars of Alsace, snug in our sleeping bags in a field outside St. Louis.

BEAUJOLAIS QUALITY LEVELS:

“BEAUJOLAIS” is the cheapest and “simplest” level in the Beauj hierarchy. Prices range from eight to fifteen dollars. An excellent choice would be the Depardieu (imported by Kermit Lynch in Berkeley) for about fifteen dollars.

"BEAUJOLAIS-VILLAGES” are wines that come from the northern and better part of Beaujolais. Depending on producer or negociant (dealer), these tasty wines retail from about twelve to fifteen dollars.
A good example is the Chateau de Piron, imported by Beaune Imports in Berkeley

The best (and sometimes age-worthy) Beaujolais wines come from ten villages (e.g. Morgon) but you will NEVER see the word “Beaujolais” on these bottles, which are referred to by the wine savvy as “Cru Beaujolais.”

"CRU BEAUJOLAIS" refers to ten villages that have earned this special quality designation. They are  FLEURIE, ST-AMOUR, JULIENAS, CHENAS, MOULIN-A-VENT,  CHIROUBLES, MORGON, REGNIE, COTE DE BROUILLY, and BROUILLY.

Wines from these villages may be be bottled by huge producers like Georges Duboef or artisans like Marcel Lapierre, Guy Breton and Jean-Paul Thevenot (the latter all imported by Kermit Lynch, Berkeley) and many other wineries.

Crus Beaujolais start from about fifteen dollars. I bought the tasty Maison Loius Tete "Morgon" for fifteen dollars and the same firm's "Moulin-a-Vent" for sixteen dollars at K&L Wine Merchants in San Francisco. At these prices you can experiment and it's worth it, but you may encounter some Crus Beaujolais that are quite a bit pricier.

Beaujolais is an ideal wine for holiday feasts with all their different dishes because it's so food-friendly. And yes, Beaujolais always tastes best when slightly chilled, say to about fifty-five degrees.


MISCELLANEA

It's the season....to think about your impecunious friends who love wine and perhaps want to learn more about them.

BOOKS THAT COVER THE WINES OF THE WORLD:

Hugh Johnson's  Pocket Wine Book 2011- $15. Updated yearly, with input from experts around the globe. A handy reference which fits into your hand bag or coat pocket. Excellent cheat sheet for restaurant and wine shop visits.

Hugh Johnson, The World Atlas of Wine - $50. Demonstrates the close relationship between geography and wine. Indispensable for wine aficionados who want to get a grasp of the vast world of wine.


CALIFORNIA AND PACIFIC NORTHWEST:

Bob Thompson, The Wine Atlas of California and the Pacific Northwest. Does pretty much for the American West Coast what Johnson does for the world. In addition, it lists wineries and gives travel info. Out of print, but worth searching for.

Matt Kramer's New California Wine - $25. Great survey of the current California wine scene.

REST OF THE WORLD:

Mitchell Beazley's Pocket Guides: Champagne and Other Sparkling Wines, Wines of Australia, Wines of Bordeaux, Wines of Burgundy, Wines of the Loire, Alsace, and the Rhone, Wines of New Zealand, Wines of Spain. Wines of Italy, etc. Individual guide books, discussing wine regions and their producers and recommending regional restaurants.

Under the auspices of Hugh Johnson, the British Publisher Mitchell Beazley puts out a series of Wine Atlases, focused on the wines of specific countries (e.g. Stuart Pigott, The Wine Atlas of Germany). These atlases are treasure droves of information about the wines. The also double as travelers guides.


Willie Gluckstern, The Wine Avenger - $12. Off-beat and provocative.

LIQUID GIFT IDEAS:
Magnums (with a content of 1500ml=two bottles) look impressive and wine often tastes better from large format bottles. If no purveyor is mentioned go to www.winesearcher.com

MAGNUMS FOR THE HOLIDAYS:
REDS:'08 Clos de la Coutale-Cahors (Southwest France - Malbec country) $32 - Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, California

'05 Chateau St. Eulalie - "La Cantilene" (Languedoc, Southern France - mostly Syrah with the rest Mourvedre and Grenache, great vintage) $41 - DeeVine Wines, Pier 19, the Embarcadero, San Francisco

'00 Paramo de Guzman - Crianza (Ribera del Duero, Spain - Tempranillo from a great vintage) $45 -  DeeVine Wines

'05 Chateau Lanessan, Haut-Medoc (Bordeaux - mostly Cabernet Sauvignon from a great vintage)  $70 -  K&L Wine Merchants, San Francisco

WHITES:
'09 Muscadet Clos de La Papiere, "VV Clos des Briards, $38

'07 Weingut Erben von Beulwitz "Kaseler Nies'chen" Riesling Kabinett (classic, off-dry German Riesling) $46.75 - DeeVine Wines

'09 A. J. Adam, "Dhron Hofburg"Riesling Kabinett (off-dry German Riesling) $55

THE RIESLING CONUNDRUM

THE RIESLING CONUNDRUM

Folks, before you completely go bonkers over the Nouveau Beaujolais (release date is Thursday, November 18) and then go into hibernation, only sucking down brooding Reds, Wine Meister has an issue to bring forth that is very dear to his (German) heart.

When I reported in an earlier blog on the pleasures of shopping for wine in a small store in my neck of the woods, Ludwig’s Tobacco and Liquors in San Anselmo, Marin County, California, USA, I was shocked that the store didn’t carry a single bottle of German Riesling. Dolefully, owner Magid Nazari revealed that nobody buys them because people don’t understand them.

Imagine this. Sommeliers at the finest eateries all over the country have been extolling the virtues and versatility of Riesling for years now and it's still not catching on with wine drinkers.

Don't worry, I don’t want to put you through the same ordeal as the famed NYC sommelier and restaurateur Paul Grieco did with his customers at his two wine bars called “Terroir” (www.wineisterroir.com). Beginning last June 21 until September 22, the only “by the glass” selections were Rieslings. Mr. Grieco called it “The Summer of Riesling.” All other wines had to be purchased by the bottle.

Believe it or not, German Rieslings were America's most popular wines before they were pushed aside by overoaked Chardonnays. Ask your grandparents, if you doubt the Wine Meister's words.

SOME BACKGROUND

Germany is the northernmost wine growing country in the world. Before the onset of global warming, this often meant that bringing grapes to total maturity was almost impossible. To boot, Riesling is one of the grape varieties with naturally high acid levels. The German wine maker (Kellermeister) would balance the high acidity by either adding a small amount of sweet, unfermented grape juice, or more traditionally, s/he would stop fermentation before all the sugar in the must had been converted into alcohol. This accounts for the fact that traditionally made German Rieslings are extremely low in alcohol (7.5% - 9.5%) and are wines which are light, fresh, fruity, and easy to enjoy by themselves or with many foods.

With rising demand in Germany for dry Rieslings, wineries after global warming brought riper grapes, responded and are now also producing dry-style Rieslings by making sure that the must is wholly fermented. German winemakers have recently turned out very good examples of this new style. In my own experience however, Americans who continued to be fans of the traditional style Rieslings (containing some residual sugar) from way back, often reject the new, dry style Rieslings coming out of Germany.

That’s what I call the Riesling conundrum. Most wine consumers now display what one could describe as a "sweet wine phobia" and often confuse "fruity" with "sweet" when it comes to German wines. On the other hand, the "traditionalists" reject the dry style German Rieslings, which means that you won’t find many dry German Rieslings on the shelves of wine stores in the US. Even the homegrown (often inferior) versions usually follow the slightly sweet German style.

It turns out that German Riesling is the wine that really goes superbly well with all Asian cuisines and when that Asian cuisine turns up the heat, only Riesling with a bit of residual sugar can “stand up” to it. It's the low alcohol and the residual sugar in these wines that do the trick.

WHAT SHOULD I BUY AND WHERE DO I GET IT?

The least expensive bottle would be a "QbA" from a recent vintage. But you must make sure that it comes from a top German producer (e.g. ’08 Kesseler “R”or Dr. Loosen “Dr. L,” both available for $15 at the Wine Club (www.thewineclub.com) in San Francisco). Actually, for a dollar more you can climb  into the next quality category, called “Kabinett,”and get their ’08 St. Urbans Hof “Ockfener Bockstein” Riesling Kabinett.

2009 was another successful vintage in Germany and a good choice would be the ’09 Moenchhof “Uerziger Wuerzgarten” Riesling Kabinett, sold for $18 at K&L in SF.

The ultimate purveyor of German Riesling in the San Francisco Bay Area, if not the whole West Coast, is Dee Vine Wines (www.dee-vine.com). They are located at Pier 19 on the Embarcadero in  San Francisco and they carry Rieslings going back to 1862. Yes Sir, top quality Rieslings are almost immortal, a bottle of which would set you back by only $15,000. For about 0.1% of that, try the 2008 Josef Rosch “Leiwener Klostergarten for $15.50. I’ve tasted Rosch wines on numerous occasions and he is one of my all-time favorite producers.

RIESLING MISCELLANEA

If you want to know more about other quality levels of German Rieslings (Spaetlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese, Trockenbeerenauslese (don’t you love the poesy of endless German words) and Eiswein, I’ll be more than happy to oblige.

For potential or actual collectors,  Rieslings are a must. Top German Riesling is the only White (perhaps a top, late harvest, Chenin Blanc from the Loire Valley in France comes close) that ages and improves fantastically.

Speaking of the longevity of German Riesling, the bottle in the picture above is of a 1983 "Maximin Gruenhaeuser Abstberg" Auslese. 1983 happens to be the birth date of my beloved daughter and this bottle was consumed at her birthday this February. It had gotten much drier than when I first bought it for her future wine stash in 1985 and it was simply superb.

MISCELLANEA

You just met Riesling, one of the great vitis vinifera (wine-bearing) grapes. Others are the Bordeaux varieties Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc, the Burgundy grapes Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and Gewuerztraminer from  South Tyrol (Alto Adige) in Northern Italy. They are called “great," because they originated in Europe, but eventually succeeded in the far corners of the earth. All are of Eurasian origin.

Thomas Jefferson and other gentlemen farmers attempted to grow vitis vinifera grapes from Europe in the United States, but the vines soon withered and died.

This riddle was only solved when European vineyards were virtually wiped out in the second half of the 19th century by a pest dubbed phylloxera, accidentally imported from the United States. Phylloxera is an aphid that attacks the rootstock of the vine and kills it.

European vintners flooded their vineyards (if they were flat) and tried a variety of bizarre schemes to get rid of the pest, but to no avail. Finally it dawned on the people searching for a cure, that native American grapes (called “vitis,” such as the Concord grape, source of the great Manischewitz wines) were immune to the pest and American rootstock, with vitis vinifera  budded  upon it, became the salvation of European vineyards.

News from the boonies: “123 Bolinas,” Marin County’s great new wine bar in Fairfax, (www.123bolinas.com) will host an oyster extravaganza (Hog Island Oyster Company) on Sunday November 21, from 4 – 7 pm. Reserve your oysters by e-mailing them at oysters@123bolinas.com.

WINE MEISTER’S CREED

SWABIAN ROOTS AND THE WINE MEISTER'S CREED

Some of my devoted fans expressed sticker shock after reading my very first blog. I reported on a Spanish tasting (price range $18 to $99) by the “Uptown Tasting Group". That’s exactly the point of belonging to a tasting group. You average out the expense of the wines. I love tasting highfalutin wines, but being a cheapskate is in my blood.

Frugality is as German as Mercedes Benz or BMW. Their owners race along the Autobahn, screech to a halt at a rest stop during lunch time, and munch on their Wurst sandwiches, which Mutti had made earlier at home.

Let’s dig deeper into the German soul. Germans identify with their dialect groups or tribes.

Bavarians love beer, weisswurst, lederhosen, oompah music, and rough play.

Swabians, like the Wein Meister, drink wine, love spaetzle, grouse, and make fun of their peculiar outlook on life.  "Schaffe, schaffe, Haeusle baue, verrecke" (Toil, toil, build your own four walls, kick the bucket) is our central creed. The Swabians are a laconic lot. We are notorious for our penny pinching ways.

A recent story in the New York Times looked into this thriftiness business that helped Germany weather the global financial melt down. The reporter ended up talking to the Hausfrauen of Memmingen, where the Wine Meister spent the first ten years of his life.

Has the Wine Meister street cred for bargain hunting or what?

BARGAIN HUNTING

The Wine Meister lives in Marin County and the greater San Francisco Bay Area is where his happy hunting grounds lie. Until further thorough research, I can only give you thumbnail sketches of the places that wine consumers in Marin County think of as bargain stores and then some.

Trader Joe's:

Regrettably, I belittled “Two Buck Chuck," when I threatened people with a subscription to the “Two Buck Chuck” wine club, should they refuse to read my blog.

These $1.99 bottles are marketed under the name “Charles Shaw Wines,“ and for obvious reasons became known as "two buck chuck." They are exclusively sold at Trader Joe’s.

The man who brings us these super bargains is Fred Franzia of Bronco Wine Company. Fred has long been a thorn in the tender side of Napa producers. They forced him to abandon an earlier bargain brand called “Napa Ridge.” Its grapes didn’t necessarily come from Napa and thus besmirched the image that clings to everything grown on the hallowed grounds of Napa Valley.

Fred Franzia, though, had the last laugh. He purchased the name of the defunct Charles Shaw winery, built a huge bottling plant at the entrance to the Napa Valley and prints on his back labels “bottled in Napa and Sonoma” both names associated with high quality California wines.

The Larkspur Trader Joe's has a small, but well organized wine department with a staff person on hand to advise customers. As in all Trader Joe's wine departments, the ubiquitous pile of Two Buck Chuck is displayed on the floor. There are other "super bargains" galore. However, despite my better judgment, I bagged the last bottle of a high end Pinot for $20, that usually sells for twice as much.

Barolo and Barbaresco are some of Italy’s most prestigious wines. They come from the Piedmont region and are both made from the native Nebbiolo grape.  Normally, prices start at around $30. The Trader offers ‘05 Barbaresco for $13 and '05 Barolo for $14.  Both are labeled “La Loggia.” The Barbaresco was exactly what I had expected a good Barbaresco from a fair vintage to be like. Bravo! I found the Barolo less appealing, but still good.

Cost Plus:

Small, but decent selection, handsomely displayed, with very helpful staff on the floor. Lots of “bargains” from obscure producers.

Beverages and More (BevMo):

Lots of “bargains,” and massive numbers of wines from all over the world. The ones I am most familiar with are not cheap. No staff person was on hand. How are you supposed to decide whether to buy this $80 bottle of Bordeaux or that $79.99 California Cab as a gift for wine savvy Uncle Bill?

I got the feeling that BevMo is one of those “loss leader” shops. There are indeed some good deals. They have the excellent Naveran Brut Cava (Spanish sparkling wine ) at $12, but then the Deutz Champagne that I see around for $35 costs $58.

Wine Meister’s delicate system doesn’t deal well with hard liquor. Still, I gave the hard stuff a cursory glance and spotted a bottle of German brandy for $35 that I saw later at Ludwig’s for $20.

Ludwig's Liquor and Smoke Shop:

This shop has been a San Anselmo institution for decades. When you enter the handsomely appointed store with its faint, sweet, tobacco smell, you don’t expect this to be a bargain hunters paradise, but it is. The affable owner, Magid Nazari, tastes everything that he sells. His selections from high end to bargain basement specimens are all good values in their class. Emphasis is on California wines, but there is plenty of esoteric foreign stuff around. I bought a very tasty bottle of '99 Valpolicella ($10) that stood me in good stead during Halloween and the Giant's victory in Game 4.

Further issues will deal with bargain hunting in San Francisco and in the East Bay.

MISCELLANEA

Photo above: Wine Meister during a visit to Chateau La Louviere (Bordeaux). The chateaux produces excellent reds and whites. The owner, Andre Lurton, makes bargain wines at his other properties, Ch. Bonnet, Ch. de Cruzeau, and Ch. de Rochemorin.

What did Thomas Jefferson and Richard Nixon have in common? They were both fond of Chateau Margaux. At White House dinners for assorted dignitaries, Nixon would serve his guests ordinary red swill and instructed his server to pour him Margaux on the sly (and you always wondered why they called him “Tricky Dick”). Then again, maybe he was just trying to balance the budget.

PINOT ENVY?

“SIDEWAYS”, PINOT ENVY, AND THE CREATION OF  "LE VIN DU JOUR"

Goodness gracious, what has Hollywood wrought? Here we have an amusing, low budget movie called "Sideways", in which a nerd bad-mouths Merlot (one of the world’s most celebrated wines is Château Petrus – 95%, Merlot,  5% Cabernet Franc – pre-arrival price for the 2009 is $2,475 dolares per bottle).

In a moment of deep depression, the protagonist drinks a bottle of ’61 Château Cheval Blanc (60% Cabernet Franc and 37% Merlot) from a foam cup. Throughout the movie he extols the virtues of Pinot Noir, while he “treats” himself to a fabulous bottle of wine with a goodly amount of Merlot in it. Thanks to Hollywood ignorance, a new industry was born. Pinot became king and every winery worth its salt has to make one.

Wine Meister's Recent West Coast Pinot Noir Tastings:

I. Saturday, October 2, 2010: San Francisco Wine Club
As a rule, their tastings cost $10 for 10 tastes and take place from 2:00 to 4:45.

My favorite bottle was the Central California Coast ’08 Foxen (Santa Maria Valley) at $30, closely followed by the ’07 Lynmar Estate (Russian River Valley) for about the same price .

II. Saturday October 16, 2010: Solano Wine Cellars in Emeryville, California
Solano Cellars had recently sent me an e-mail, expressing “fear”,  that Pinot may soon lose its exalted status. The e-mail came with (fake) photographs (see example above) of Pinot lovers holding up signs, defending their beloved Pinot.

At the Solano tasting, Oregon Pinots came out on top. My favorite wine was the ’08 Cooper Mountain Reserve Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon for $27. Even less pricey and almost as good was the '08 Amity Pinot Noir “Amity Cuvee” at $21.

The nicest surprise of the whole California bunch was the “second wine” of Talley Winery, the 2009 Bishop’s Peak Pinot Noir, San Luis Obispo, at $19.  It had that typical Pinot stink that I love. (In Burgundy, they say “ça sent la merde” or “ça sent le purin” – it smells of shit or manure. Us sensitive souls over here prefer to call it “barnyard” smell.)

BEAUJOLAIS ALERT

What? Yes, wine lovers, good Beaujolais is one of the greatest quaffing wines in the world. The region also produces more serious stuff that benefits from a few years in the cellar.

With a suicidal marketing ploy called “Le Nouveau Beaujolais Est Arrivé,” celebrated around the world in November, the Beaujolais growers have besmirched their image and now most everybody thinks of Beaujolais as the insipid drink that "Nouveau Beaujolais" usually is.

’09 was a fabulous year in Beaujolais and wonderful wines were made at every level, starting with the lowest category, simply called "Beaujolais". All bottles that I’ve tried were scrumptious, some costing as little as seven dollars.

Make sure you lay your hands on some “Morgon” Beaujolais from Marcel Lapierre when it hits the shelves at Kermit Lynch in Berkeley and at other wine stores. Last year’s edition was $22. Sadly, Monsieur Marcel Lapierre, a true pioneer of the “Beaujolais Improvement Society”, died recently.

MISCELLANEA

Thomas Jefferson, my hero, collected Lafite, Margaux, and d’Yquem, besides TBAs  (fabulous dessert wines) from the Rhine, while he was U.S. ambassador in Paris.

Rumor has it that he fathered several children with the slave lady Sally Hemmings, a claim which now seems to be backed up by DNA. The Wine Meister is dying to know whether our third Presidente had the decency to share his precious first growth bottles and TBAs with the beautiful Sally.  Jefferson scholars, please contact me.

By the way, the so-called "Jefferson Bottles", who supposedly survived the author of the "Declaration of Independence", are still hanging around with the likes of the Forbes family and a certain Mr. Koch, who is suing the guy who sold him the bottles, claiming that they are fakes.

News from the Boonies: Believe it or not, funky Fairfax in Marin County, California, has now a classy wine bar called “123 Bolinas” (www.123BOLINAS.com). Naturally, this being FX, the furniture is made from recycled wood, the wines are mostly organic or biodynamic, and the food is locally grown or produced. Your congenial host and manager is Jason Rupert. The small but superb menu is created by Chef Jeremy Goldfarb.

Cheapskate alert: Two friends of mine, Vernon Jacobs and Anna Maria Knap, wrote a great wine book called “The Cheapskate’s Guide to Wine”. The book shows you how to get and enjoy the best wines for less. What a novel idea.

Here are two wines they might have mentioned had they been available at the time when they published their book:  ’09  Targovishte Traminer and ’09 Vini Vidi Vici Sauvignon Blanc (www.BULGARIANWINE.COM).  Both wines were tasted at Woodlands Market in Kentfield/Larkspur and cost about ten bucks, mas o menos.

One last thing before I down my foam cup of ’61 Château Cheval Blanc, vines have been cultivated in Bulgaria for three millennia.