Where I buy wine: Living in the Triangle in North
Carolina, I buy wine at local outlets in Chapel Hill, Durham and
Raleigh. Wines for my wine classes at Duke (see BE's Bio) come
primarily from A Southern Season in Chapel Hill and The
Wine Merchant in Raleigh, and Chapel Hill Wine Shop.
I also like its sister store, Hillsborough Wine Shop
(good, friendly service at both!) as well as Whole Foods and
the bold new concept retail wine at Durham's new wine shop, Wine
Authorities, also in Raleigh. Also fun to browse the
wine-stuffed aisles at Total Wine, which boasts the
broadest selection in the area.
Books for the
Wine Lover -- reading about wine
can be as delightful as drinking it (especially with a
glass in hand!). |
DECANT IT!
Another reason to decant is with older red
wines that have "thrown" sediment as they
mature. Any red that is 10 years or older may
have sediment. Vintage Port definitely will!
|
Wine List Tips
Wine lists: I’ve noticed here and there
that some include wine ratings in their brief
descriptions—the notion being, one supposes, that this
offers a clue to quality. Maybe. But it’s not always a
good guide for choosing wine with your steak. A
Cabernet or Bordeaux with the exalted rating of 95
(often very pricey) is seldom ready to drink.
It’s young, loaded with tannin vying with ripe fruit
and a dose of new oak. Your first sip may be
impressive in its thrust of fruit but after that the
muscle takes over—tannin, alcohol and oak assert
themselves and hammer the palate like a sledge,
overwhelming the food. It will take time for all those
components to meld together in harmony.
|
|
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GREAT MATCH-UPS!
Got a question about matching food and wine--or any aspect of
wine, in fact--email queries to: b_e@bewinewise.com
Sautéed
mushrooms
and...buttery Chardonnay: Sautéeing
mushrooms--especially the flavory ones like shitake, maitake,
criminis or portobellos--in butter or oil brings out the
succulence of these fungi, and it matches up extremely well with
oaky (not over-oaked) Chardonnay. Wonderful over pasta, with
shavings of parmesan, or chicken breast or fish such as halibut,
chunks of grouper, as well as shrimp and sea scallops.
Your wine merchant can recommend nicely oaked
Chardonnays.
Grilled sausages and juicy reds or... Whole Foods selection of toothsome sausages are terrific grilled. I have them often--over pasta or pilaf or with mustard potato salad--lamb and feta, chicken and roast red pepper. There's a nifty range to savor. With them I like juicy reds, the likes of Rioja crianzas or Jumilla, chilled Beaujolais-Villages, Dolcetto, or a good but not-too-heavy Shiraz. Or, in warmer weather I'll choose one of the fresh, young, tasty dry rosés now streaming onto the market for summer--look for young ones (a year or two old, max) from the south of France, the Rhône, Italy, Argentina, California.
Wine Glasses: Not to be a snob about it--I
often drink wine, reds mostly, in short tumblers; thin glass
rather than thick, of course--wine tastes better in
thin. Glasses are important, however, especially for
fine wine. The master glassmaker is Austria's Riedel,
a centuries old firm that has perfected the correlation of
glass shape to type of wine, and produced a stellar glass for
each. Numerous taste tests have proven the difference a glass
makes, many of which I have participated in. Riedel glasses
are exquisite and expensive, definitely worth having if you
can afford it. Stores and shops like The Wine Merchant in
Raleigh regularly have comparison tastings, and offer specials
from time to time.
Other glassmakers have taken note and
come up with some very good designs. At the January S.F.
Chronicle tasting in Sonoma, all of the glasses used for
tasting blind were Schott Zwiesel's new Forte line --
lead-free titanium glasses that are thin and elegant but
definitely dishwasher-safe, since the thousands of glasses
used for the wine competition were washed and re-washed and
seemed to come through fine. General price range for the
Bordeaux, Burgundy or Chardonnay Forte glasses is around $55
for boxes of 6.
CHILL IT!
Many light red wines, such as Beaujolais, Bardolino, and lighter Pinot Noirs are often more appealing served on the cool side--especially in the heat of summer. I also cool down the lighter red Zinfandels and inexpensive Merlots--as long as they're fruity and not tannic (chilled tannin tastes bitter). Thirty to forty-five or so minutes in the fridge will do it.
DECANT IT!
A quick way to soften stiff young reds that are a bit tannic
is to pour them into a carafe--with flourish if you can manage
it so they'll mix with a lot of air and open up faster.
You can either decant them back into the bottle (young reds
won't have thrown sediment) or leave them in the new vessel
and pour from there. It works great for young Cabernets,
Syrahs, Zinfandels, though it's no substitute for aging with
serious reds that need ten years or more to mature.
Another reason to decant is with older red wines that have "thrown" sediment as they mature. Any red that is 10 years or older may have sediment. Vintage Port definitely will! The day before you plan to serve it, stand it upright so the sediments can sink to the bottom of the bottle. Shortly before serving, carefully uncork the wine trying not to disturb the sediment. Using a lighted candle or a flashlight as light source, pour the wine into a decanter or carafe with the light source under the neck of the bottle. Pour in one continuous stream until you see the dark line of sediment move into the neck of the bottle; stop pouring immediately. Swish the wine around in the decanter to aerate it further and serve.
CHEESE!
People in my wine classes know my first recommendation for
cheese to serve with wine: goat cheese, chèvre
in French. Goat cheese shows off just about any wine--whites
(especially sauvignon blanc or fumé blanc), reds (especially
Rhône varietals and Pinot Noir), dry rosés, even
Ports such as Cockburn's Reserve or the Late Bottled Vintage
Ports on the market now, though Stilton is still the prime
choice for Vintage Port and a nutty hard cheese for Tawny, or
perhaps a creamy blue.
>>> And thanks to Lars Hoiby of Oslo for
reminding
me about the glories of Roquefort, genuine French
Roquefort with its creamy texture and salty intensity, and
Sauternes, the powerful late-harvest white wine from
Bordeaux. Sauternes's intense honeyed apricot
flavors are the perfect foil for the unique French
cheese.
Got a question about matching food and wine--or any aspect of
wine, in fact--email queries to: b_e@bewinewise.com
START YOUR OWN WINE CELLAR--IT"S EASY
from Metro Magazine
Cork Report: Start Your Own Wine Cellar
By Barbara Ensrud
START YOUR OWN WINE CELLAR
I hear the comment these days that people don’t have the patience to lay down wines and allow them to age. Really? Then why do so many new houses create space for wine storage — sometimes quite large? Why are wine storage/cooling units selling like hotcakes? Actually, I think the whole concept of buying wine is changing as people are discovering the advantages of having their own wine cellar.
“Cellar” probably isn’t precisely the correct term. I had a cellar in my last house, in the basement built into a hill where temperatures were cool and steady year-round. Ideal, or pretty close. The house I’m in now doesn’t have a basement, so I built a well-insulated wine room in the back of my garage, cooled by a small air conditioner in summer and a thermostat heater for temperature drops below about 53 degrees. While many houses don’t have basements, “wine cellar” has become a symbolic term for any collection of wine, however large or small — it’s a convenient term, so that is how we’ll use it here.
Reasons To Start a Wine Cellar
Convenience. How nice to be able to walk a few steps and
choose wine for dinner instead of always having to make a
special stop by the wine store. And not have to worry about
running short. How convenient to have wine on hand for
spontaneous occasions — if friends drop by, for instance, or the
notion strikes to whip up a special dinner and make an evening
of it on the spur of the moment.
Economy. It seems expensive to start a cellar at
first, but it will save money in the long run. When you buy by
the case, there are discounts anywhere from 10 to 15 percent —
that’s like getting a bottle free. Buying more than what you
need for a single evening allows you to take advantage of wines
that are on special. Often, when you go back for more, they may
be sold out.
Investment.
Fine wines, especially reds, appreciate in value as they
mature. Good Bordeaux, Cabernet Sauvignons, Meritage blends
invariably improve with age and become more enjoyable to
drink. Prices are lower when they first come out, but
exceptional recent vintages — 2009, 2010, 2015 for red
Bordeaux — usually increase in value. Château
Mouton-Rothschild 2003 cost around $185 a bottle on the first
offer; buy it today and you’ll pay over $500. Lesser wines,
lesser vintages, of course, won’t increase that dramatically;
better ones, however, such as 2010 and the recent blockbuster
2015, will most definitely.
Fun & Pleasure … they’ll taste better with age!
Given the chance to evolve in bottle, most reds develop more
interesting aromas and flavors and become smoother in texture.
Some white wines will also (well-balanced Chardonnay or White
Burgundy, Alsace Riesling). It’s fun to browse through your
accumulation, discover wines you forgot you bought, check up on
what’s ready to drink ... and pull out something special and
delicious for dinner tonight. See B.E's
Discoveries
Getting
Started
First you need a cool, quiet storage spot, away from light and
vibration (definitely not atop the fridge!). If you don’t have
a real cellar, the back of a closet or a cool corner can
serve. Though the ideal temperature for storing wine is 53 to
57 or 60 degrees, they’ll do OK at 65 to 70 degrees as long as
the temperature is stable and doesn’t fluctuate above
that--not recommended for fine wines or aging longer than 5
years.
Then, start buying. Browse a few shops, see what’s out there in terms of specials — and taste when you can. Most of our wine shops have weekly tastings, many are free, so take advantage of them to see what you like … and don’t like.
Caveat. There’s a trick to getting started: Make sure you always have wines for current drinking, so you won’t be tempted to dip into bottles that will get better if you can keep your mitts off them.
The Three-Tiered Cellar: $250, $500, $1000 +
Determine an amount you want to spend to get started, but whatever it is, divide it into three parts:
1. Wines to drink now. Depending on the amount you buy, this should make up a sizeable chunk of the whole. If it’s a single case, at least six bottles for current drinking — which you replenish as soon as you’re down to three. This is vital if you want to leave the ageworthy wines alone.-
2. Wines to age two to four years from when you buy them — three bottles or a case.
3. Wines that need five to 10 years minimum to be at their best — three bottles or a case.
Ramp up the quantities if you are spending more — one case for drinking, a mixed case of wines to age two to four years, and five to 10 years.
4. Replenish the stocks you deplete. If you do, you’ll be surprised at the nice little cache you will accumulate over time. Collecting wine can be addictive but an awful lot of fun, and you receive the satisfaction of drinking wines that improve with time (check out my Web site: www.bewinewise.com/discover.html).
Working with a wine merchant you trust can be a big help. Some, such as Durham’s Wine Authorities, even keep track of purchases you make, with notes on the wines so you know the styles and types of wine you liked.
Here are some suggestions for stocking
up. We’ll revisit the subject from time to time, with
cellaring recommendations at the various levels. Check out
wine auctions such as winebid.com,
Hart Davis Hart and
others, especially if you're looking for more mature wines
in older vintages no longer on the market.
Current drinking: Choose a variety of whites, dry pinks and reds that drink well now. Inexpensive whites are best when young and fresh, so buy only what you will drink in a month or two. Reds: one to three years old: Beaujolais; Dolcetto and Chianti, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo; Australian Shiraz, such as Stump Jump, Penfolds Bin 28; Côtes-du-Rhône; Spanish Rioja Crianza, Monastrell, Jumilla; Latin American reds: Malbecs from Alamos, Maipe, Terrazas, Trapiche; Merlot, Syrah and Cabernets from Chile: Cousiño Macul, Los Vascos, Veramonte. Replenish often.
Age two to four years, $18-$28:
California Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah/Shiraz, Rosso
di Montalcino, Chianti Riserva, Rioja Reserva, Ribero del
Duero; Aussie Shiraz, such as Pikes, Taltarni, Torbreck,
Kilikanoon Oracle, Penfolds Bin 389; Gigondas, Minervois,
Faugères, Corbières from the south of France; Pinot Noirs,
$18 to $28, such as Au Bon Climat, Santa Barbara Winery,
Ramsay, Rodney Strong, Russian Hill, Wild Horse; red
Burgundies from Givry, Mercurey, Côtes de Beaune-Villages;
Portuguese estate reds such as Prazo de Roriz, Vale do
Bonfim
Age five to 10 years or more: Red Bordeaux from 2012, 2015, 2016 especially grand cru Saint-Emilion, which are good values; California Cabernet, Merlot and Syrah, $35 and up; Brunello di Montalcino, Super Tuscans, Barolos; Spain: Pesquera, Ribera del Duero, Rioja Reserva, Priorat.
Other: It’s always nice to have a bottle of two of
Champagne or sparkling wine on hand; also a good wood-aged
Port, such as Fonseca Bin 27, Croft Distinction, Cockburn
Special Reserve or perhaps a 20-year-old Tawny Port for
after-dinner or the cheese course.
Questions? Comments? Email me: b_e@bewinewise.com
Vintage Dates Do Matter
By Barbara Ensrud
What does the year on a wine
label mean? Some consumers aren’t sure: is it the year the
wine was made, the year it was bottled or something else? Even
some wine professionals, including restaurateurs, marketers
and certain critics say it hardly matters since 95 percent of
wine sold is opened and consumed the day it was bought, no
matter the year.
But I don’t agree because 1) I want to know the age of the
wine, and 2) vintages vary, ranging from great to average or
poor. The vintage date is the year the grapes were harvested
in the vineyard. It’s particularly important for white wines
such as Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier and dry rosés.
As a rule I want to drink these wines as young and fresh as
possible, within a year or two of the vintage date, maybe
three, but anything older, may taste tired and stale.
Vintage variations matter too, more so for red wines. One year
may be rainy and cool producing thin fruit; others may be hot
and dry producing overripe, raisiny wines. Some vintages,
however, are picture perfect. It explains why a classified ’15
Bordeaux costs more than the 2011 — a lesser vintage — from
the same property.
Some restaurants don’t include vintage dates on the wine list,
an annoyance for me because I always want to know the vintage
of the wine I’m ordering. If it’s not there, the waitperson
has to go and check the bottle. Whether the list has dates or
not, I look to make sure it’s the vintage I wanted. You’d be
surprised how often the wine list states a certain year but
the wine you receive is a later vintage. Sometimes it’s OK and
I accept the bottle — but if I ordered a 2015 red from
California — likely to be smoother and more ready to drink
than the 2018 they now stock — I may switch to another wine.
No vintage date on table wines usually means that earlier
vintages are in the blend. By law, a vintage date means that
at least 85 percent of the wine is from the year stated.
Sometimes adding wine from other vintages can improve a wine,
but it can also be a way of using up leftover, unsold wine. I
recently had a non-vintage Chardonnay that was oxidized. I
suspected the addition of old, tired wines.
My advice to consumers: don’t buy wines without a vintage date
unless you already know and like the wine. My advice to
wineries: sell non-vintage wines at your winery, so people can
taste before buying.
There are a few exceptions for non-vintage wines. Fortified
wines such as Sherry, Madeira and wood-age Port are not
vintage-dated. They are intentionally blended from several
vintages for consistency of style.
Another exception is Champagne from the Champagne region of
France (and some sparkling wines from elsewhere). While top
cuvées (blends) of Champagne are vintage-dated in superior
vintages, by far the largest volume of French bubbly is
non-vintage. It’s a long-standing tradition and a part of
appellation controlée laws that govern winemaking in every
region of France. The practice here is to allow small amounts
(as little as five, as much as 15 percent) of previous
vintages in order to give consistency to house style.
Non-vintage Champagne from quality producers can be an
excellent value.
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© Barbara Ensrud
©Barbara Ensrud
email B.E.: b_e@bewinewise.com