Oregon Wines versus their (90+ Point) European counterparts! - Wednesday February 26, 2020 at Vizcaya Restaurant - 6:30-9:30 PM - $75 - A Very Special Wine Dinner

A Very Special Wine Dinner is coming soon – An American Wine Society Tampa Event

Join us for a Night of Award-Winning Oregon Wines versus their (90+ Point) European counterparts!

Coming Wednesday February 26, 2020 at Vizcaya Restaurant - 6:30-9:30 PM - $75

Vizcaya

3671 S West Shore Blvd,

Tampa, FL 33629

Chef and restaurant personality; Vizcaya Restaurant’s Felix Piedra with Tampa’s Wine Correspondent, Ralph Del Rio, have prepared an exclusive wine dinner experience just for you. Each of Felix’s deliciously made courses is perfectly paired with a new world vs old world selection of wines from Northwest winery of the year winner Reustle-Prayer Rock Vineyards.

Owner/Winemaker and wine judge Stephen M. Reustle will present wines from Umpqua Valley’s AVA and compare them with their European counterparts. Traveling from Rioja, to Burgundy, Northern Rhone Valley, and Austria would take a great deal of time and effort.

…But located below Willamette Valley in the Umpqua Valley of Oregon you can experience wines that rival wines these European prestigious wine regions.

For this American Wine Society Tampa Bay event; we will present four award -winning wines from the Umpqua Valley match and them up with a delicious chef inspired plate… Grüner Veltliner, Pinot Noir, Syrah, and Tempranillo and taste them side-by-side with their (90+ point score) European counterparts.

...Featuring some of the Top Wines of 2019

“After tasting these wines an knowing how great Oregon terroir is; I know that this a one of a kind event that’s going to be a lot of fun, educational and hedonistic.” – Ralph Del Rio, Certified Somm

Seats are limited and filling up quickly, contact to reserve today

Contact winecorrespondent@gmail.com or americanwinesocietytampa@gmail.com

Wines of France - COMING SOON! JANUARY 30, 2020 THURSDAY 6:30 PM-9:30 PM - Beaune's Wine Bar - Ybor City (Tampa)

Wines of France

…A night with wines from arguably the world's most important wine-producing country

Wine and Charcuterie - $40-50 Thursday January 30, 2020 6:30 -9:30 (a supercharged assembly of charcuterie plus any surprises) this will be an assortment of cured meats and veggies paired with different accompaniments, such as toast, fruit, cheeses, and sauces. It’s going to be great! Good wine good education and food pairing! Along with French wine from different regions.


Beaune’s Wine Bar/West Palm Wines

located at:

2009 N 22nd St.

Tampa, Fl 33605



You will have access to their wine cave/cellar with some incredible wines. (Seriously folks…)

There will be discounts on wine purchases too!


Beaune’s (pronounced Bone’s) is the wine capital of Burgundy in the Bourgogne region of France. It’s known as “a wine lovers paradise.” Beaune’s Wine Bar bears the same name and reputation.


*In regards to Beaune’s Wine Bar …. Very few establishments in the Tampa Bay area have been granted Wine Spectator’s Best of Award of Excellence. Nine, to be precise, Bern’s, Bob Heilman’s, Forlini’s, Island Way Grill, Tio Pepe, Charley’s, Columbia, SideBern’s and Beaune’s.



Get ready for French Wine paired with a variety of fromages and other culinary musings.

Terroir, Terroir Terroir! It's difficult to study on a scientific level...

Terroir, Terroir Terroir!

Terroir is a key concept in viticulture because it relates to the bodily characteristics of wine in respect to the environmental and socio- economic conditions in which the grapes are grown.
Grading the quality of wine and wine style most likely, to a large extent, can be explained by terroir. (The winemaker and his process may quibble at that)

But, terroir is very difficult to study on a scientific level because many factors are involved, including climate, soil, cultivation and human practices, all of these factors interact.

The best expression of terroir is achieved when the capacity of the grapevine variety is suited to the local climatic conditions in such a way that full ripeness of the grape is reached by the end of the growing season; Not every grape can be grown in very place.

Also, grapes are an extremely climate sensitive crop and vines have been cultivated for several thousand years. What has happened is that over time many grape growing regions have been recognized, whose specific climatic conditions matched the capacity of certain varieties to produce wines of distinctive character.

To produce high-quality red wines, environmental conditions should encourage reasonable vine strength, either through practical water shortage stress or through low nitrogen supply which comes from surroundings with shallow or stony soils, in temperately dry climates. Likewise, regular but not excessive vine water and nitrogen supplies are needed to produce high-quality white wines.

However, great terroir emerges almost only when socio-economic conditions are satisfactory to the establishment of quality-orientated wine production. These conditions are is often measured as a combination of education, income and occupation. As we know, examinations of socioeconomic status often expose inequities in access to resources, plus issues related to privilege, power and control.

Those with more money and better access have more opportunities...and you have chances at better Terroir because of it. It's just the way it is.

The Best up and coming Oregon region is not Willamette Valley it’s Umpqua Valley!

The best up and coming Oregon region is not Willamette Valley it’s Umpqua.

The Umpqua Valley of Oregon has 3 separate AVA’s Elkton, Red Hill and Umpqua. It’s approximately 25 miles due east of the Pacific Ocean and extends a further 20 miles east.

“The Hundred Valleys of the Umpqua” because it is made up of a series of interconnecting small mountain ranges and valleys. Umpqua Valley is a result of the collision of three mountain ranges. 

Oregon’s AVA’s are becoming increasingly more popular. One of Oregon’s more diverse climates, the Umpqua Valley can successfully grow both cool and warm varieties. It’s comprised of three distinct climatic sub-zones which makes it very interesting because it’s not only Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris that call attention it’s Merlot, Syrah, Tempranillo and Pinot Noir. The soil is a mix of metamorphic, sedimentary and volcanic rock, though more than 150 soil types. What’s interesting is the Diurnal temperature variations can vary by as much as 25 degrees F. The result is a complex jigsaw of meso climates, aspects and soil mix that create a wide-ranging assortment of growing environments.

Just to know, most of the Pinot Noir grapes produced in the Umpqua Valley are slated for sale as bulk fruit to wine producers in California or Oregon’s Willamette Valley. You are drinking it already! It’s just plain good stuff.  In fact, Copper Cane, with it’s top-selling Elouan, Pinot Noir a Napa Valley, California, winery sells more Pinot Noir made from Oregon grapes than anyone else, and often at a lower price. 

Yep, sounds unfair. That’s why you scratch your head and say How much Pinot Noir can California produce! Copper Cane's owner, Joe Wagner and Jim Blumling their VP of Operations, are meeting with Oregon Liquor Control to try to resolve this imbalance. That’s another story…

Umpqua Valley Pinot Noir would lend itself gamely to the production of rosé. No doubt…A Pinot Noir-based rosé could easily emerge as the region’s signature wine.

As times moves on The Umpqua Valley appellation continues to evolve as new winemakers discover the area to make great wine.

The justifiably popular wineries like Abacela, Spangler, Girardet, Reustle-Prayer Rock, Henry Estate and Brandborg (to name only a few) of Umpqua are being joined by a new group of wineries. Top scores and reviews too! Seek them out or better yet; take a trip and make a visit.

Wines of Spain.- Rioja !!! Wednesday December 11, 2019 - 6:30 – 9:30+ - at Vizcaya Restaurant in South Tampa

Wines of Spain. Wednesday December 11, 2019  -  Rioja  6:30 – 9:30+  at Vizcaya Restaurant in South Tampa

Wine and Tapas - $35 (it covers the wine and 3 or 4 Tapas plus any surprises) ...after that if you want to explore their menu you 're on your own; feel free. It's good and authentic. It will be fun. Good food pairing!

Vizcaya

3671 S West Shore Blvd

Tampa, FL 33629

The wines will be CAVA, Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva along with some Spanish Tapas. The wines will be from Rioja and there maybe a Ribera Del Duero in there... But it's guaranteed to be a good time and a learning experience. 

Crianza: A wine labeled crianza has spent one year in oak barrels.

Reserva: A wine that says reserva on the bottle has been aged for two years; one of these years has to have been spent in oak.

Gran Reserva: These wines are aged for two years in oak and three years in the bottle.

Cava: Spain's iconic sparkling wine style, and the Iberian Peninsula's response to Champagne    

Most Riojas are red, and Tempranillo is the principal red grape used. The native grapes Garnacha Tinta (Grenache in France), Mazuelo (Carignan) and Graciano are also allowed in the blend. The Riojas can be in the elegant Bordeaux style, with hints of vanilla from the oak aging; which is the traditional style characterized by lengthy aging and some sweetness; or, gradually, in a more modern style with less aging, which highlights deep and fresh fruit flavors. All this pairs great with food.

White Rioja wines are usually made from Macabeo, Garnacha Blanca and Malvasia grapes. Their will be some of that too.

Hope to see you there.

This Holiday season do something a little different, host a Holiday themed Wine and Cheese tasting party. Here are some tips.

One way to break up the madness that comes during Holiday season is to do something a little different, host a holiday themed wine and cheese tasting party. Here are some tips on throwing a good wine and cheese party.

Just gather several of your closest friends, wine, and a whole lot of unique types of cheese.

The perfect size for a seated tasting, in my opinion, is between 12-16 guests.

Pick seven Wines. Place all of the wines inside brown paper bags and assign a number. This way, no one would know which wine is being poured. Everyone will sip wines priced anywhere from $5.00 to $120.00.  Either provide all of the wine or another way to do it is to have everyone bring a bottle of wine of his or her choice. You can assign the type of wine, vintage, etc. as a guide so that the wines are all comparable. Then sample the wines in no particular order.

Nibble on many cheeses: For example; Midnight Moon, Humbolt Fog, Manchego, 5 Year Aged Gouda, Parmesan, English Cheddar, Stilton, and Guilloteau St. Angel. Cheeses like this will be absolutely delicious! Separate the cheeses by milk type: goat, cow, and sheep.

You’ll find that even friends who swore they strongly disliked certain kinds of cheese will happily fill up their plates with them. It just happens 😉

Serve  cold cuts, breads, crackers, fruit, and jams which are gluttonous pairings for the wines. For the jams, make sure you include included lavender honey, sweet mango chutney, and the very fashionable hot pepper jelly….maybe Pate too.

Printed score sheets on white, linen paper. Numbers 1-7 are added to rate each wine and the instructions were printed at the bottom of the page leaving plenty of space for note taking.

After everyone has a chance to feast a bit on all the delightful food, sit down and began to finally try each wine. Each place setting has 7 glasses. This will allow guests to go back and compare the wines.

What makes it so much fun is you have no idea what you are actually drinking.

After much sipping, debate, and laughter, tabulate the scores. The results get posted and listed from highest to lowest score.

You just never know what the result will be at a wine tasting event given everyone’s different palate. It sure is fun to find out! So, this year, do things differently and have a healthy, delicious, and memorable holiday season.

Here’s a quick idea for a wine list:

Col Solare ($60.00)

Caymus ($65.00)

Far Niente ($109.00)

Darioush ($90.00)

Faustino 1 ($25.00)

Yellow Tail ($8.00)

Tignanello ($80.00)

5 Hand-Picked Red Wines that are Great year in and year out. Give them a try!

Here are some red wines that never skip a beat year in and year out. Tasty and delicious and accessible. While even most wines meant for immediate consumption, several reads with quality improve if they're aged a year or two. These can good to drink now or lay down two or three years! 

Even the best wineries do not produce consistent quality year after year; But these wines I have enjoyed regularly and always seem to be available; which is a big plus… serve these in a big wide glass. They go well with an assortment of food as well. Pasta, Steak, Pizza, Burgers, Fish Tacos.. 

No frills. I have hand picked these 5 red wines.

2017 ‘CS’ Substance Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley, Washington

Delicious and structured wine with deep dark cherry, espresso bean, cedar and baked spice flavors. A rich and round wine. Good Length on the finish. Good Stuff from Columbia Valley Washington that continues to impress over the past few years. If it was form California it would be a lot more expensive than it is.

2015 Petra Zingari Toscana 2015 Tuscan Blends, Tuscany, Italy

Savory tobacco notes, earth and herb notes, lots of plums and big tannins. An Tuscan wine with Merlot and Petit Verdot. A juicy wine with cherries, dark chocolate I blind tasted this wine among some solid French Bordeaux and it the comments were fantastic; given that it is about half Sangiovese. It can age too.

2017 Chateau Puygueraud Bordeaux Cotes de Francs, Bordeaux, France

Black fruits, black olives and soy, smoky tobacco and rich. Every year seems to provide a better and better value. A very fine Bordeaux from the Cotes de Francs. Mostly Merlot with a good dose  of Cabernet Franc and the rest Malbec; it’s dense with layers of fruit.

2016 d'Arenberg The Footbolt Shiraz McLaren Vale, South Australia, Australia

I’ve been drinking this one for over 10 years now. Dark fruit chewy and round tannins. These tannins have a long, spicy, peppery finish. Clean, Oaky and complex wine showing tons of fruit like a blackberry pie along with that fresh mushroom and forest floor you want from an earthy Shiraz.

2015 Guigal Cotes du Rhone Rouge Cotes du Rhone, Rhone, France

An always elegant and rich Syrah, from up and down the Western Rhône. Spicy, peppery, and smoky, dark fruit, alive and earthy and more salt notes of black olive on the finish. Year in and year out this wine has always hit the mark. This Côtes du Rhône GSM from Guigal is aromatic and smooth.