Book Review - How to Taste – Janice Robinson (Completely Revised and Updated) 2008

How to Taste – Janice Robinson (Completely Revised and Updated) 2008

A great book. Probably her best because it communicates to everybody. It shows you the steps of tasting in a way that makes you love not only the wine but the process you go through as you learn as well. This is the poetry of a textbook; so practical. The benchmark so far.

The aging of excellent Spanish Rioja! Cosecha, Crianza, Reserva, and Grand Reserva

Spain is known for it’s rich history and culture. It’s terrific food and incredible wines that rival those of Italy and France. Spain’s premeir wine region is called Rioja (ree-oh-ha). There are other great regions but Rioja’s wine region goes back about 2000 years and today it’s among the most cutting edge. That in itself is incredible.

Rioja usually does refer to the region but a lot of the time it can refer to the wine itself. For example, one might say “Do you have a good Rioja?”

My friends always ask me to explain Rioja. Well... Rioja's main grape is Tempranillo. You can find it all over Spain; but arguably it's best expression is in Rioja. There are other varieties like Garnacha and Graciano as well. Great red wine.

Just like the French, Spain has a serious set of rules that protect the integrity of the wine. These laws are called the D.O.

In Rioja the aging process gets listed from youngest to oldest. These terms are Cosecha, Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva. Each wine has its own distinct flavors and alot of it depends on the terroir. Rioja wines can be powerful and subtle and contain a dustiness which I think is similar to Rutherford California wines. A little toasty and a little spicy yet vibrant with good acidity, strawberries, dark cherries and raspberries come through. Some Tempranillo can be very Burgundian, very lush too...These wines are very food friendly; especially with agood hard sheep's milk cheese.

Cosecha requires the least amount of aging of them all; requiring barrel and bottle aging of less than 6 months. But to be honest there is alot of wine being called Cosecha. That's not to say that that it's wrong. Cosecha can be mindblowing but it's getting harder to distinguish the process.

Crianza wines require aging in oak barrels of at least 12 months with a minimum of another year in bottle.

Reserva wines require 36 months of aging between barrel and bottle. It must have at least 12 months in barrel.

Gran Reserva requires 24 months of aging in barrel and a further 36 months in bottle before before release sometimes a bit longer.

Some of the greats include Muga, Faustino, Marques de Riscal and Sierra Cantabria. Try one today.

A little history on Malbec

Malbec grapes originated in France and play the starring role in the wine production of Argentina. The flavors and aromas of wines made from Malbec grapes include dark blackberry, black pepper, cherry, plums, and chocolate. Other characteristics of Malbec wines include inky-black coloring, soft or high tannins, and high acidity. It can be chewy too. It’s earthy and is great with pizza or pasta with tomato sauce, barbeque pork, roasted meats, Asian and spicy foods.

Malbec grapes are reasonably small, very dark, and juicy. Monitoring the fruit on the vines is important to ensure good concentration of flavors. Luckily, the Argentine wine industry's almost 100% reliance on irrigation, it almost never rains, which gives the winemakers the tools they need to improve quality of the fruit.

Yet, Malbec is fairly sensitive to its climate. In cooler conditions and in Mendoza, which means in the higher the altitudes, it makes it a thick-skinned grape which develops high acidity and tannic content, leading to more robust wines. At lower the altitudes the grapes have much thinner skins, a lot more more juice, and make wines that are light-bodied and better for drinking young.

Malbec was initially one of the minor blending varieties of red Bordeaux, it now accounts for a very small percentage of local production. But its real home now is just about totally in Argentina, where after about 100 years of cultivation it has come into its own both as a pure varietal, and also gets blended with Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot.

As a varietal in Argentina is where Malbec flourishes and produces both complex wines and also wines of softer tannins and strong fruit flavors. I urge you to keep these in mind and enjoy these regularly for some great values and also while having some good tasty food. Some of my favorites are the 2009 LaMadrid, the 2009 Pascual Toso, the rich and supple 2008 Trapiche (Jorge Miralles Single Vineyard), the 2008 Bodega Norton Reserva and the any of the last 2 or 3 vintages of the Norton blend called Privada.

Sauternes Semillion and the Nectar of the Gods

There’s nothing like a great French Sauternes! Some call it the nectar of the gods. A lot has been written about Sauternes and how the wines can last 20 or 100 years if botrytis(noble rot) is brought into the picture. The flavors of Sauternes are of marzipan, apricots, graham crackers, mangoes, honey, nuts, orange, coconut, peach, pineapple and toast surrounded by a creamy, silky pliable and rich ingratiating texture. It’s as awesome as it sounds and after tasting it you may want to add more flavors to the list.
A Classed Growth Sauternes will improve in the bottle and should not be drunk for at least 8 to 10 years. Sauternes are usually delicious when young and it takes a lot of self-control and determination to put the wine away until it reaches its full complexity and maturity.

Semillon is the main grape in Sauternes but it is not the only great place in Bordeaux where this sweet grape grows. In fact sweet white Bordeaux grows throughout Sauternes, Barsac, Monbazillac and lesser sweet places like Cadillac and Loupiac. In the Pessac-Leognan and Graves, the Semillon wines generally have a substantial addition of Sauvignon Blanc which adds acidity and brightness to the fore.
With all this glory, you would think that Semillon is the ‘bees knees’ and is just fantastic but in reality the grape generally creates pretty dull juice even in great weather conditions. Semillon has been grown in many countries including South Africa, Argentina and all over South America but eventually it was replaced with Chardonnay as the go to grape.

With some exceptions, it seems that Semillon only grows great in Sauternes and Australia’s Hunter Valley(which actually thrives in terrible weather…go figure). Nature has made Sauternes perfectly suited for this grape. The area provides decent summers and the rivers of Garrone and Ciron provide fog during the fall, which are the conditions for the noble rot to thin the skins and deepen the sugars.

After all this, is really worth the fuss the answer is a resounding YES! What’s interesting is that Semillon is not very fruity at all. It’s concentrated and full of complex aromas and has a fresh and silky mouthfeel which make it go great with desserts especially creamy ones. It’s incredible with many cheeses including Maytag Blue, Stilton blue and Roquefort. Drizzle honey on the blue cheese and watch what happens! The new world Semillons match up well with Spicy foods and meats. With those Bordeaux Blancs try some shellfish.

Sauternes can be very expensive wines . Among the most famous are Chateau d’Yquem, Chateau Doisy Daene and Chateau Climens. A good recommendation is to try some new world Semillon; wines such as Tim Adams from Clare Valley, Australia; Le Ecole No. 41 from Washington, USA; Tyrell’s Hunter Valley, Australia and Yalumba’s Eden Valley Botrytis, Australia.

And always remember these wines are generally always drinkable immediately without delay, yet can improve with a little extra aging.

My day with Australian Barrossa and some fine tasty sausages

I was having something called a Metty sausage that I bought with some kangaroo burgers(which I bought in a specialty market) that I haven’t tried yet. The Metty sausage is full of meat – not fatty. almost none it seems!... and lots of flavor, smokey bacon, tangy brandy…

I paired it with The Barossa Peter Lehman 2007, Penfolds Bin 28 2007. Both wines which I like a lot; year in and year out.

All this made me reflect…

I think Syrah from the Barrossa are exceptional and diverse and often provide great value. In the early 2000’s Australian Barrossa was a revelation. Big black fruit jammy opulent wines, rich with pepper and smoke, which I like. But later in the decade became a little homogeneous from folks cashing in on the craze of this wine hitting its stride. But now appears to be back on track.

To dig a little deeper…Syrah style changes depending on the climate, region and of course the winemaker. The aromas and flavors from most Syrah include pepper, blackberry and leather or smoke. Australian Shiraz and Central or Southern California Syrah are usually more thick in fruit flavors, some quite jammy even chewy and in the warm environments leads to riper fruit. On the other hand, in France the Northern Rhone style of Syrah classically shows more pepper and leather notes, with a lot less upfront fruit. The other place that makes a knockout Syrah is Washington state .

Getting back to the Barrossa, I think one of the prominent reasons for it being one of the world's best wine regions is it's home to some of the oldest vineyards in the world and with this history, and the soil that is low in fertility, which makes for intense wine, and the age of these vines bring a lot to the table.

The region is renowned for its Shiraz, but the Barossa is much more than Shiraz. Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Mataro (also known as Mourvedre), Merlot and also Semillon are in ample supply and the wine styles include the well-known GSM Rhone style blends. They are marketed as such!

A lot to ponder, especially while having a snack of sausages…and now for that kangaroo!

Tuscany wines are the great food wine

Tuscany has a distinctive culinary tradition and the region is certainly famous for its wines.

In Tuscany wine is usually the highlight of the meal and the food and wine go so well together. Sangiovese is king. Tuscan wines are typically reserved for meats whether in the form of sausages, salami, pepperoni or different cuts of beef, pork or lamb. A big juicy porterhouse steak, slow cooked short ribs, marinated ox tail, or game such as wild boar is normality. It's great food wine!

In addition, bean soups, hearty stews, acidic salads and antipastos; large portions are the standard too; sort of like the ‘American-way’; very straight forward.

It’s fair to say Tuscany is considered the origin of the Renaissance being the home of the likes of Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Dante and Galileo. Tuscany has been admired for its wines for over a thousand years. It’s a major part of the fabric. There is loads of tradition and a lot of rulemaking.

Tuscany is an enormously diverse area and there are four key regions of importance when thinking about wine and food: Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and the Maremma. All make a smashing combination with food with plenty of acidity and dry earthy and juicy flavors with deep aromas that keep opening up to different levels of layers and textures.

In a country with about 1500 different indigenous grape varieties, Tuscany won’t present the sheer varietal diversity of Campania, Piedmont, Sardinia or Veneto; yet it gives back in a major way with the deliciousness, the nuances and what seems to be a measureless number of choices in wines.
For instance, In Tuscany, the ‘Chianti Classico’ appellation was created only in 1966. It was created because the heart of the area produced the better wines(hence the word Classico). Yet there are seven surrounding subzones that produce fantastic Chianti.

In 1966 the Tuscan Government also made the recipe of Chianti into law which had to contain 50 to 80% Sangiovese, 10 to 30% Canaiolo Nero, and Malvasia and Trebbiano at 10 to 30%. Over time this did not sit to well with some winemakers which led to the birth of the Super Tuscan wines which blend in Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah with the Sangiovese grape. Eventually room was officially made for these wines on the Tuscan stage because these Tuscan wines are among the greatest. Yet there is still plenty of debate. Because now people are asking… What really is a Super Tuscan? What really is a Chianti Classico? In fact it’s in Maremma an immense area bordering the Tyrrhenian Sea is where many Tuscan producers started blending in the late sixties and early seventies making great wine and forcing classification changes. It’s on going. Try a producer like Antinori and Castelli Di Bossi.

Which leads us to Brunello di Montalcino; Brunello is a wine that’s been made in Montalcino since the early 14th century and the feelings there were that its wines were above all others in Tuscany. The wine which is made from 100% Sangiovese that is darker, richer and more powerful than the Sangiovese in Chianti region and can age for decades. It’s a little more expensive that Chianti as well. During meals the Brunello is usually the focus. On the other hand, the simpler Rosso di Montalcino(Rosso meaning red wine) appellation was carved out Montalcino only recently in 1983 to allow declassified lots to make a tasty alternative to the Brunello. These ‘Baby Brunellos’ are great for their early drinkability and more affordable. Try Antinori, Caparzo and Poggio Antico

Vino Nobile di Montepulciano ( not to be confused with Montepulciano d’ Abruzzo) is made primarily from the Sangiovese grape and the town was already in existence way back in the 3rd Century BC. In this area of southern Tuscany the wine is aged a minimum of 2 years with an additional year for Riserva.

Montepulciano is a very proud area that is constantly tinkering with their wines and only recently in the last 10-15 years taken note of the modernistic wine world and has realized that it doesn’t matter what you’ve done in way back in the past. They are resisting the modern blending though and pushing for the new identity. Its’ potential is to be a sturdy and substantial wine that can outlive Chainti Classico’s. It’s more compared to a Brunello in that respect. Yet, preferably its profile has attributes of both Chianti and Brunello. It has the violet minerality of the Chianti with the muscle and structure and aging of the Brunello. Avignonesi, Bosscarelli and Valdipaiatta ones worth seeking out.

Now go enjoy some Tuscan’s and a hearty meal!

Spreadable Cheese and Good Wine

There’s nothing better than spreading good cheese on a cracker or a baguette; especially with fois gras or any kind of pate’. Having some jams and jellies and figs along with spreadable cheese works well too, it’s just sinful.

There are some places in town such as Datz on Macdill , Bin 27 and Mise en Plas on Kennedy that can fix you up an excellent tray of exotic cheeses and the lot. Those establishments are good place to experiment with wine and cheese in a setting outside the home. Sometimes that’s all you need. A couple of bottles of wine and a couple of cheese platters are great for sharing and very filling.

It is totally in good taste to ask your server to help you select. Even if they don’t know that much about the cheeses, they should be able to distinguish for you whether it’s a fresh cheese, soft white cheese, semi-soft cheese, hard cheese or blue cheese. That’s where the fun begins.

A semi-white cheese like Camembert will have a creamy interior with a mushroomy taste and melds well with several wines like a Chardonnay(Burgundy or California) or a Cabernet Sauvignon(Bordeaux or California) even California Zinfandel. How about Spanish Tempranillo! A Brie may yield similar flavor notes. Feeling frisky? A hard cheese like Cheddar would be a great partner with the same wines. It’s great to experiment and pay attention. It’ll just make you say “sheesh that’s cheese!” it tastes darn good and the flavors can be out of left field.

Your local Publix has a spreadable cheese made in France that apparently went through almost a year of back and forward taste testings to get it right for the American market. So you can imagine there was a lot of compromise and debate on what’s good and not. French cheese is sometimes hard to get over here in the states for the masses to enjoy. It’s called Creme de Saint Agur. Check it out and try it with some grapes, figs or blackberry jam. Glop in the bread and crackers! It’s a fine place to start if you want to jump in with both feet in a general way.