Rioja wine: Crianza, Reserva, and Gran Reserva. Each of the levels increase the grape quality

Placed up near the top of Spain is the Rioja winemaking region which is known for producing classic red wines based on the Tempranillo grape often blended with Garnacha

Tradition has it that there are clear ways of making this wine that make it what it is. Much like great Bordeaux wine or the wines of Italy there are rules to follow. But what makes Rioja wine individual is the process to bestow quality....and it works, due to the ability of these wines to age and maintain their Spanish essence.

There are three distinct quality levels of Rioja wine: Crianza, Reserva, and Gran Reserva. Each of the levels increase the grape quality along with the oak and bottle aging requirements.

Crianza

This is a fresh, fruit-forward youthful red wine that is aged in oak for a minimum of one year and then spends another year aging in the bottle. The Crianza is well-priced and averages at around $10 -  $15 a bottle and packs the reputation a a wine made with quality. The will age, no problem.

Crianza has a reputation for being very food friendly – give it a try with tasty Spanish offerings like appetizers, croquettes, cheeses and tapas....even oysters and clams. This is an easygoing, everyday wine that will not disappoint and offers good, consistent value year in and year out.

Reserva

The Reserva ups the ante a bit from the Crianza both in complexity and in price. Again, Tempranillo is the major red grape and makes its presence known with commanding cherry flavors along with acidity. This combination makes the wine very palatable on it's own and with food. Some wines a re just food wines; a Reserva can most of the time be drunk as a big wine and a crowd pleaser. The aging requirements for a Reserva are a minimum of one year in the barrel and another two years aging in either the barrel or bottle.

The price point for a Reserva ranges from around $15 to over $35, with super value packed into every dollar. Think about what you often have to pay for a good Cabernet. What's often great about the Reserva is that it's a very versatile red wine that eagerly complements an assortment of food options. Consider pairing it with grilled dishes, fish, octopus, beef, lamb, it has a 'sweet-spot' for ham (or jamón as they say in Spain).

Gran Reserva

​The creme de la creme of the Rioja Reds is the fittingly named, Gran Reserva. These wines require barrel aging for two years and must have another three years (minimum) of bottle aging before they are released, making them a terrific wine find as they have already enjoyed 5 years of aging before they may even grace the merchant shelves. So you'll notice the bottled years are much older on the shelf. Great wines to store away. The oak and the aging can make the wines a standout for years to come.

In many cases the  Gran Reserva is not made every year but enjoys its high status because it is only made in extraordinary vintages. The Gran Reserva is assertive in  both depth, body and intrigue It's elegant and in many cases won't breaking the bank, as it starts at around $25 - $30 a bottle and rivals many New and Old World reds that are asking three times the price. At the restaurant check the Gran Reserva out.

Spanish wines are so hot these days. Some of the best values are coming from all over Spain and many are adhering to the Rioja method of making their wines; which says a lot about it and its' history. So pick up a Rioja today and enjoy the taste and versatility.

New Cocktail Appreciation, Raising the Bar, the South taking a a Front Seat

Just like wine, whiskey requires a master blender to take an strong and interesting palate. Often he or she practices an old art of mixing to bring things into balance for the final product and like second and third wines there needs to be constant sampling to be able to separate the exceptional from the acceptable. Today's bartenders are similar in the same way.

There is definitely a southern cocktail revolution going on out there. Whether it's a restaurant, saloon, neo-speakeasies, hotel bars or club a barrier has definitely been broken. I've been all over the south in the past year or so; it can be Asheville NC, Mobile Alabama, New Orleans LA, Charleston SC across the low country, Oxford Mississippi, Decatur GA, down all the way to Tampa FL. There's a movement of fakelore or folklore whatever you want to call it that has folks paying homage, exhuming lost recipes, trying to respect the old ways. It's even seething into the mainstream restaurants....and let's be clear; a lot of labor goes into conjuring a proper cocktail and the food the goes with it (but that's another story).

It's happening. So ask for a Gin Fizz, a bottled Sazerac, a Julep del Professore, Rum Negroni or a Rum Old- Fashioned or any of these playful libations and see what you are in store for. It's going to be a modern rebound of a drink that'll be refocused on the classic with a liberating variation. Take a chance trust the uncommon palate.

2015 Bordeaux looks like a Big Winner; Get ready to stock up; Margaux may be the Champ of Vintage.

I have had a few bottles from the 2015 Bordeaux vintage and they have been very good; which bodes well for the vintage. For what I’ve been able to gather is that the vintage is fantastic and the main worries are that there may be the tendency for the wines to be over extracted or very powerful to say the least. But that was said about the 2003 and 2005, the better vintage. Seek out your favorites for 2015 as they arrive in stores.

One wine is hitting 100 points on most tasting reports and that’s the great Chateau Margaux and it will come in a commemorative. What started as $500 a bottle has quickly grown to up $1000 a bottle and waiting lists…

Château Margaux 2015 will come in a black bottle with writing and a design of the estate in gold. Margaux communicated that it was the first time it had ever commissioned a one-off design for its grand vin for any vintage. So, it’s becoming a real keeper.

It is a mark of estate owner Corinne Mentzelopoulos’ respect for Paul Pontallier, who joined Margaux in 1983 and became Managing Director in 1990. He passed away and was a very close friend and was credited with steering the wine in the last decade. Together, they have been praised for significantly modernizing and improving the winemaking.

Bordeaux 2015 was Pontallier’s final vintage at Margaux. He died of cancer in March 2016, one week before the beginning of en primeur week for the widely praised 2015 vintage; not seeing the 100 point accolades. The bottle is now in his honor.

Special Report, 2017 was a year full of some memorable wines. Here are 5 of my favorites

By Ralph Del Rio, Wine Correspondent

2017 was a year full of some memorable wines. Here are 5 of my favorites of the year I've handpicked. Each year I try to come up with wines that stand out for me and try to describe them for you. My top 5 wines for the year are 4 from California made my list this year and 1 great value from Australia:

PlumpJack Syrah 2014 Syrah/Shiraz from Napa Valley, California

An intense concentrated aroma of blackberry, blueberry. Boysenberry pie. Structured. Pepper spice on the finish, the oak gives off smokiness to the nose cacao chocolate to the finish.

2015 Flowers Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir California

Sweet red cherry, plum, dried flowers, tea and tobacco flavors. Soft and cagey, totally approachable; Firm tannin yet subtle, Very polished.

2014 Louis M. Martini Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Over performing Champ’ of the year. One of the strongest efforts. eucalyptus, cedar and blackberry jam. Underbrush tones; Multilayered chewy tannins, fresh, good acidity with good fruit finish.

 2015 Turley "Estate" Napa Valley Zinfandel, California

Great aromatics and intense fruit. Wild berries, rich raspberry fruit ; powerful wine. Hints, of burnt cherry pit, smoke and cedar Elegant big and plush.

 Paringa 2015 Shiraz South Australia

This Aussie Shiraz takes me back to the style of the early 2000’s when Aussie Shiraz shook the world. It’s bold, full-bodied, warm and plush, oozing with blackberries, gobs of plums and big with vanilla and mocha flavors. Very obscene and hedonistic. Try the sparking version too!

Pierce's Diease...What is it and Why It's important to fight it

Pierce's Disease is a deadly disease of grapevines. It is caused by the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa, which is spread by xylem feeding leafhoppers known as sharpshooters. There's no way to stop it right now. Scientists are conducting volumes of research to fight this insect and reduce disease infection on vines. Moreover, scientists are studying methods to prevent the spread of Pierce's Disease on wine grapes entirely.

Pierce's Disease is known to be prevalent within the USA from Florida to California, and outside the USA in Central and South America. Xylella fastidiosa works by blocking the xylem, which conducts the water around the plant. 

Symptoms include chlorosis and scorching of leaves, and entire vines will die after 1-5 years. Pierce's Disease is less prevalent where winter temperatures are cold, such as more northern areas, high altitudes and inland areas.

Basically in grapevines, unlike some other fruits it gets detected too late; it is too late fight it when that signal comes; the plant is already dead. So heavy research is being done in modifying the rootstock of vines to automatically generate that same protein for when the bacteria enters the plant, the bacteria can shut down. It is hard work finding success.

Pierce’s disease has been the limiting factor in bunch grape production in Florida. Symptoms include a general loss in plant strength, followed by death of the vine. Different species of grapes have a range of tolerance to Pierce’s disease. High vulnerability of premium wine grapes has practically eliminated the possibility of a wine industry in Florida.

DISEASE SYMPTOMS

• Delayed leafing in the spring
• Shoot dwarfing
• Marginal scalding of leaves
• Leaf mottling and interveinal chlorosis and necrosis
• Wilting and premature coloring of fruit
• Uneven maturity of canes
• Eventual death of the root system
• From IFAS Database (EDIS)

CAUSAL AGENT

• A fastidious bacterium, Xyllella fastidiosa

HOST RANGE

• Grape

GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION

• Southeastern United States
• California
• Southern Ontario

SPREAD OF THE PATHOGEN AND CONTROL OPTIONS

• Spread by leafhoppers known as sharpshooters
• Control options: none

MORE RESOURCES

• Photograph of Leaves
• “Xylella Fastidiosa Diseases and Their Leafhopper Vectors” (IFAS)

Wine and War: The French, the Nazis, and the Battle for France's Greatest Treasure...A great book to thumb through...

I came across this paperback. over the spring and it's quite a read. Check it out if you can find it. It's called; Wine and War: The French, the Nazis, and the Battle for France's Greatest Treasure.

The synopsis is...

France fell to the Nazis and almost immediately the German army began a campaign of pillaging one of the assets the French hold most dear: their wine. Like others in the French Resistance, winemakers mobilized to oppose their occupiers, but the tale of their extraordinary efforts has remained largely unknown–until now.

The book came out in 2002.

This is the thrilling and harrowing story of the French wine producers who undertook ingenious, daring measures to save their cherished crops and bottles as the Germans closed in on them. Wine and War illuminates a compelling, little-known chapter of history, and stands as a tribute to extraordinary individuals who waged a battle that, in a very real way, saved the spirit of France.

It's a good book to thumb through as well. It's like an adventure story and fits in good with other World War II books.

When you drink a White Wine. Ask if it has Malolactic Fermentation (MLF). Better yet ask if the Red Wine has it.

It is really is up to the winemaker to decide to what extent he or she will allow a wine to go through Malolactic Fermentation (MLF).

MLF is the transformation of malic acid into lactic acid by specific strains of bacteria during secondary fermentation.

Malolactic Fermentation is a series of metabolic effects carried out by a group of bacteria that breaks down malic acid into lactic in wines. Lactic acid is the acid profile found in smooth creamy milk. Mostly it happens spontaneously throughout a wine’s life.

The theory though is… by depleting the malic acid early on; the less chances there are of fermentation spoilage later.

MLF usually happens on its own and if not controlled can end up with wine smelling leathery, sweaty and cheesy and even spritzy because of extra carbon dioxide. 

A lot of New World reds and white wines get smells like artificial popcorn butter and desirable aromas that fit well together like buttery oaky chardonnay that not only consumers like the taste of. The critics do too. This aromatic profile especially desirable in quality red-wines. It adds a rounded feel, glycerin, even chewiness to the fruit to the wine when done right. 

Just consider different food and combinations like Crab or Salmon and California Chardonnay. A Rich and Oaky Red Zinfandel and BBQ Grilled Steak...or a moist Mushroom Risotto with an Australian Shiraz.

From French Wine to California Wine and beyond; when you hear subjective wine sensory terms referring to feeling of fullness, viscosity and astringency the MLF has had an effect on the wine.

With that said Red Wines like Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and almost any dry table wine that will be aged for more than 6 months for consumption at least a year after it’s first fermented are encouraged to go through MLF.

In White Wines, Chardonnays makes good candidate for malolactic fermentation for stylistic reasons. Other whites like Riesling are not much… They are better when they retain their freshness, fruity zippy acidity.

So again, it’s up to the winemaker how much if any malolactic fermentation is allowed in a wine.

How do they stop it?

How do they prevent Malolactic Fermentation?

MLF is usually arrested by chilling, adding Sulfur dioxide (SO2) and filtering. Some winemakers want to discourage Malolactic Fermentation at all costs. Even many consumers feel the same way, so they always keep the wine cool and cellars under 62 degrees F. Malolactic Bacteria does not thrive in cold temperatures, it flourishes less in high alcohol, High SO2 and the use of fresh cultures.

That’s a strong reason for making and storing and monitoring wine in cooler environments. It helps fight off potential spoilage.

Malolactic Fermentation has a lot of other things to it that can affect it including racking, enzyme analysis, PH levels, different malic acid powders, concoctions, egg whites, etc. Sometimes MLF bacteria is hard to control and just doesn’t convert into lactic acid as expected.

When you drink a white. Ask if it has MLF. It might start an interesting conversation. 

What’s interesting is that sometimes-experienced winemakers just use their ears during MLF you hear popping and burping and once the popping and burping is done the bacteria is probably finished their job.