Wine tasting.

This weekend I conducted a 12-person winetasting for some friends, as a belated wedding present. They asked for “Virginia wines” with some additional limitations (not many Central Virginia wineries, as they’d done a lot of weekend wine touring this summer and wanted to try wines from other parts of the state).

The lineup I chose was:

Whites
Breaux Vineyards 2002 Madeleine Chardonnay
Chrysalis Vineyards 2002 Viognier
Jefferson Vineyards 2003 Johannesburg Riesling

Reds
Burnley Vineyards 2002 Rivanna Red
Am Rhein 2001 Cabernet Franc
Rappahannock Cellars 2002 Meritage

The hosts suggested to the other guests that they could bring their favorite Virginia wines, so we had four more wines, including a couple of head-to-head comparisons of the same varietal from different wineries.

Horton Viognier
Horton Cabernet Franc
Ingleside Chesapeake Claret (apparently a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon)
Horton Pear Port

The Jefferson Riesling and Rappahannock Meritage were the crowd favorites.

The NY Times reviews India Pale Ales.

And does a fair job of it, although no better than fair. They give some history of India Pale Ales - accurate, to my knowledge - and then review some. Well, they claim to taste 21, but give reviews on only 10 (and the video review has even fewer). The top-rated ones were the Smuttynose Big A IPA, Stone IPA, and Dogfish Head's 90-minute Imperial IPA. Can't really disagree too much with those choices, but I think their methodology was suspect: they were missing Pacific Northwest IPAs - such as Bridgeport's IPA - and they included non-IPAs in their tasting (Imperial IPAs - IPAs on steroids - and Imperial pale ales, where "Imperial" in the style designation indicates a lot more barley in the mix, resulting in more flavor and about 2% more alcohol than is normal for the style). And they were missing standard East Coast IPAs, as well - I can understand their not having Cottonwood's Endo Pale Ale, but leaving Tupper's Hop Pocket Ale out of their tasting?

Instant winery.

Interesting in-depth article about "instant winemakers" - negociants - out on the West Coast. (One of the negociants they look at does Castle Rock wines, previously highlighted here.) People who buy excess wine, perhaps age it a bit more, and bottle it under their own label. And one thing I learned from the article is that the wine they buy often isn't just "excess" that the original winery couldn't sell - sometimes it's awfully good wine that didn't fit into the blend that the winery wanted to make that year, and it wasn't enough for them to bottle on their own. Or they've lost access to grapes that they've been putting into a single-vineyard bottling, and rather than continue to market a wine they know they can't make next year, they'll sell last year's wine to a negotiant, and move on to other wines.

Selling my own wine without having to be a farmer - perhaps this is what I'll do after I win the lottery.

2002 Cline California Ancient Vine Zinfandel.

I seem to be on a bit of a Cline kick, of late. This zinfandel is described as coming from a couple of vineyards, one planted in 1911 and one where the vines are 80 to 100 years old, in Lodi and Oakley respectively.

Young-looking medium strawberry/cherry red color. Aromas of ripe strawberry and blueberry; very intense, with a sweetness in the nose. Crisp yet intense fruit flavors, with a touch of black pepper at the finish. Good tannins, right at the edge of being overwhelmed by the fruit, but will be a better balance in perhaps six months.

I'd drink it by itself for now, as the vibrant fruit flavor cries out to be enjoyed on its own. When it ages some and the fruit isn't quite so bold, it'll go better with the usual zinfandel foods: grilled and barbecued meats, pastas, pizza.

The label says to drink now, or cellar for five to seven years. I'd agree that it's ready to go now, as a fresh, young, jammy wine, but I'd wonder how long it could really age. I'd be a bit more conservative, and suggest aging for no more than 5 years. But now really would be fine, too.

World Market, Richmond, $13.99 (the Cline website's suggested price is $18).

2001 Allan Scott Marlborough Pinot Noir.

Refreshing little pinot noir, from New Zealand. I've long loved NZ sauvignon blancs, so I'm delighted to see some of their reds making to the East Coast. And there are some similarities: fresh, vibrant flavors explode in your mouth with with crisp (or even sharp) acidity. It's not as serious or portent-filled as an Oregon pinot noir, but it doesn't intend to be.

Light to medium shade of red - no mistaking it for a serious burgundy. Red cherry aromas with a hint of spice. Red cherry and strawberry flavors to knock you over. Medium finish. And if you're looking for the complex, earthy, mushroom flavors and aromas of higher-end pinot noirs, you'll be disappointed. But you shouldn't be looking for them here.

Great wine to drink by itself, for the sheer enjoyment of a young wine. Possibly with fruit, but I wouldn't pair it up with food for fear of missing out on the fruit in the wine. And for nine bucks? I can see drinking a lot of this out on the deck this spring.

Wine Warehouse, Charlottesville. $8.99.

2002 Red Truck, California red table wine, Cline Cellars.

This is a delightful blend of mourvedre and syrah, and doubtless some other odds and ends. Very full, accessible fruit, with the ripeness of the fruit accentuated by the .26% residual sugar.

Ruby-purple in color, cherry-fruit acidity in the nose. Flavors of red cherry and blueberries, a little harshness still in the tannins. Nice long cherry notes in the finish. Good workhorse red, goes well with tomato-sauced pasta, and priced to be an everyday house red.

While I don't often recommend that you buy a wine for its label, this one is surely worth looking for: an antique red farm truck, in use, under a summer sky.

Wine Lovers, Richmond. $ 8.99.

Hearts on the Vine wine festival.

Interesting wine festival here in Richmond last weekend. Described as 150 wineries and 325 wines, from all over the world. A lot of California wineries - many were small Napa and Sonoma producers - but the Pacific northwest was represented, as were international producers: from France, Italy, Australia, New Zealand. It was a fund raiser for the American Heart Association, so it was a bit on the expensive side, but the majority of the wines you could taste were very good.

A couple of disappointments - there were some wineries that were present, but only barely. Cakebread Cellars was there, but represented only by their chardonnay, when I'd have loved to have seen some of their cabs. Kim Crawford wines were represented only by their unoaked chardonnay, which I certainly enjoy but I'd have expected to see at least their pinot noir and sauvignon blanc, as well.

My favorites: Barboursville's viognier, Smoking Loon's viognier, and Arrowwood's syrah.

The event was a lot of fun, and I hope that it was sufficiently successful that they'll do it again next year.

Midnight Sun Brewing Company: Sockeye Red IPA and Cohoho Imperial IPA.

My Super Bowl beers. A couple of Alaska-brewed beers that have made their way out to Virginia, and survived the trip.

The Midnight Sun Sockeye Red IPA was wonderful. Deep mahogany red color, lots and lots of citrusy hop goodness, great balance between malt and hops - not always achieved with 70+ IBUs. It was so smooth and drinkable that I'd pour it from the bottle into my glass, and could drain the glass in one happy gulp. I'd happily have many more.

The Cohoho Imperial IPA was certainly drinkable, but had some flaws. The alcohol - higher, as you'd expect in an Imperial IPA - was the most noticeable taste, and made the beer seem hot, almost astringent. The malt and hops hadn't yet had a chance to duke it out and settle down into smoothness, so the hop bite was pronounced. As a result, the balance wasn't there yet, and you had to take it in sips - and there are a lot of sips in a 22 oz. bottle. I'd imagine that if you could take the bottle and hide it in a cool cellar for next winter, it'd go down a lot more smoothly.

Sockeye Red IPA: $4.50. Cohoho Imperial IPA: $6.95. Westpark Wine & Beer, Richmond.

Brewery Ommegang Three Philosophers Quadrupel Belgian-style Ale.

A bit of a change tonight: beer, instead of wine. And a pretty good beer it is. This is a wonderful, interesting beer, a mixture of a rich, dark quadrupel ale from Ommegang Brewery and a kriek (cherry) lambic from Lindemans brewery in Belgium. Rich, caramel flavors, balanced with the subtle dark, sour cherry flavor from the lambic. Probably good with a hearty stew; I enjoyed it on this cold winter evening, watching TV.

$6.99, Westpark Wine & Beer, Richmond.

2002 Matariki Hawkes Bay Sauvignon Blanc.

Nice, crisp sauvignon blanc from New Zealand. Not quite as citrusy as I've come to expect from a New Zealand sauvignon blanc, but still delicious.

Pale straw in color, absolutely clear. Green pepper and feline aromas. Vibrant, sharp acidity. Intense grassy, green pepper, melon flavors.

Good by itself, with salads, seafood. I had it with a a shrimp pasta with a white sauce; great choice.

$12 - 14, I think (misplaced the receipt), Richmond.

Under the weather.

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. I've suffered through a cold since before Christmas, and haven't wanted to drink anything - and couldn't taste much of anything, anyway. I expect I'll be back online with some wine reviews soon.

New Year's Eve? I opened a bottle of Zardetto prosecco. Robert Parker gives it 88 points; I find it to be light, interesting, lemony, and fun. And I drink it often during the summer.

Available most everywhere; around $8 or $9.