Wines had during Vernon Party

Saturday evening in Sussex County was a backdrop for a birthday celebration of two cousins. It was also a platform to partake in some vino--with wine supply exceeding demand in recent months in my house, it was high time to tap into a few bottles that have awaited their chances to be showcased. Keeping with the theme of 'trying new wines' that we've all adopted this year, I kept true to this, and pulled out and dusted off two reds and one white.

This was shocking--you have to expect that for trying several wines in a sitting you're apt to find one or more that disappoint, and hope to find a diamond in the rough. But, what if you encounter three diamonds?

Ranked from worst to first, below are my results:

3. 2005 Cortese Piedmonte Il Cascinone (Italian Cortese, $12.99)--this fruity smelling treat bore the nose of green apples and ripe fruits. The taste was dry and well balanced, having flavors of sour candy. The incredible length of this light treat made the experience an enjoyable one. Score: 3.5

2. 2006 Tasmorcan Barbera D'Asti (Italian Barbera, $16.99)--having a very vanilla and caramel candy aroma to it, this slightly brown colored gem had a very pronouned oak and cream taste to it. It had a very smooth flavor and lasted especially long. In the end I could pick up hints of black cherry soda. All in all, wow. Score: 4.0

3. 2002 Merlot Umbria Falesco (Italian Merlot, $14.00)--also having a very oaky and candy aroma to it, this wine had a more pronounced fruity bouquet on the nose than it's competitors in this comparison. The taste quickly reminded me of cream soda mixed with maraschino cherries, but slightly lower on the sweetness scale. It was a light to medium bodied wine with a nice all around profile and very enticing but not prolonged length. Another terrific find, and the best of class. Score: 4.0

Let's just hope we have that kind of luck next time!

Results of the October 18 Wine Tasting

A cool and clear night with a steady flame in the firepit on Dawson's patio was the backdrop of the first winetasting in nearly two months for us. This first of it's kind 'pot luck' theme was simple to follow--bring two bottles of something you haven't had before, red or white, already masked in either a paper bag or foil for a double-blind approach to this event. With the autumn air rolling in, it certainly made sense that we'd likely be tasting more reds than whites. The final count was two whites and 6 reds.

The results of this tasting (from worst to first using the traditional 1-5 scale, 5 being the highest) are listed below:

1. 2004 Chateau Gardey Minervois (French blend, $7.99)--a lot of pepper was detected on the nose and pallate with this one. It also offered up a vanilla and oak scent, with some vegetal tones as well. Despite the length this wine presented to the group, it's awkward delivery and finish did not convince us of it's overall drinkability--Total Score 7.0, Average Score 1.75

2. 2003 Chateau Greysac Bordeaux (French blend, $18.00)--this wine offered the anticipated oaky and vanilla components on the nose, but upon tasting seems to have somehow been 'watered down', quickly killing any lasting efforts on the pallate--Total Score 9.5, Average Score 2.375

3. 2006 Frog's Leap Napa Cabernet Sauvignon (California Cab, $40.00)--the group was in agreement that a very tight nose gripped this wine. A sweet yet very dry impression was had upon tasting, with the group also catching strong tanins. Dark fruits were abundant, but not enough to slot this effort any higher than 6th place out of 8 wines, especially at this price point--Total Score 11.5, Average Score 2.875

4. 2003 Cantina Zaccagnini Montepulciano D'Abruzzo (Italian Montepulciano, $12.00)--a candylike scent was sensed early on, with the expected oak, vanilla, and pepper components to the smell and taste. It had a nice length and reasonable smoothness. For the price a nice job! Total Score 12.0, Average Score 3.0

5. 2001 Hunt Cellars Syrah (Paso Robles, California Syrah, $27.50)--no recent tasting has been complete without some contribution from Paul Santinelli's arsenal of California faves. This reasonably sweet effort had a nicely balanced oak and vanilla nose and taste, with subtle pepper and seasonings in the mix. It was deemed serviceable and one to seek out again up the road. Total Score 12.5, Average Score 3.125

6. 2007 Cederberg Chenin Blanc (South Africa Chenin Blanc, $14.99)--the first of three to have distanced themselves from the rest of the pack was this white, which came across on the nose with a citris rind. It also had minerality and grassy hints to the smell. The taste was acidic and dry, having a minimal but detectable amount of lemon and/or lime in it's profile. Total Score 14.0, Average Score 3.5

7. 2007 Chateau St. Michelle Reisling (Columbia Valley, Washington Riesling, $9.00)--just edging the Cederberg out for 2nd place honors was this pear and melon scented effort from the Pacific Northwest. The citris and mineral tones to it's flavor composition were nicely organized, and when complimented with it's acidity and dryness, the group had no choice but to give this terrific selection a resounding 'thumbs up', except for Anthony, who preferred the Cederberg as the white of choice this evening. Total Score 14.5, Average Score 3.625

(Before unveiling the winner, it should be made clear that this was a major upset)

8. 2006 Alba Vineyard Old Mill Red (New Jersey Chambourcin, $17.00)--wow, the Garden State edging out Italy, France, South Africa, and the West Coast? This time, YES. The nose on this gem was very enticing, bearing lots of candylike tones, such as cinnamon and caramel. Vanilla and oak were detected both on the nose and pallate, and the medium tanins made this a VERY drinkable and enjoyable play. Upon tallying the scores, it was obvious this 8 wine contest had a clearcut winner--Total Score 16.5, Average Score 4.125

Once again another wine event has come and gone, so be sure to check on Wine Legends for updates on the next event!

Winemaking 101: Part I

Okay folks, Friday was the first part of our winemaking experiment. Myself, Mike, Hany, and Mike's friend Pete, (DUMB AL, not showing up!) met at a “Littletasteofpurple” on Dorsa Ave in Livingston, N.J. and began the crushing. We crushed enough grapes to make 1 barrel and 1/2. When finished, we will have created two types of wine, Bordeaux blend and an Old vine Zinfandel. We all pitched in and getting the grapes into the crusher and watched how the machine amazingly removed most of the stems and fed the juice, skins and seeds into a huge vat. We sampled the mixture after straining it and I have to say it was the best grape juice I've ever tasted. Tasted much like a grape milkshake, minus the milk of course.

Once in the vat, sulfites and super food were added and we began to punch it down and mix it. Once thoroughly mixed we covered the vat with plastic and set it aside for a week. In this time, the super food will help the mixture produce the yeast needed for fermentation. We are going back in a week’s time to press the mixture and siphon it into the barrels. Below are some pics of the process. I can't speak for the others, but I had a great time and would highly recommend it.

Return to Wine Library

Hey folks. In a last minute decision, I dragged my son down to Wine Library in Springfield, N.J. to take advantage of some heavily advertised sales today that I've seen on Wine Library TV over the past several weeks. In particular, 2005 Bordeaux was an offering discussed (see http://tv.winelibrary.com/2008/09/29/secret-pack-tasting-after-a-jets-offensive-explosion-episode-548/) that was available in vast quantities. So, I thought I'd take a look and see if I could find something at a decent price that I could pick up or even sample. Before starting my shopping, of course Max wanted to poke around and see the place. He found the huge aquarium on the 2nd Level not too far from the Wine Tasting tables. Well, call it good timing or call it whatever else you like, but right when we were there looking at the fish (and dodging the folks browsing all the sampling stations) an employee from the Wine Library came out stating that Gary Vaynerchuk would be doing a taping of Wine Library right where we were at the tasting table in a few minutes. As that was said, Mr. Mott appeared carrying his camera and tripod ("Mott", as Gary refers to him on Wine Library TV). Soon enough he and his guest(I think he said his name was 'Joe') came out and began talking to a few folks nearby as well as ready their set. I took an opportunity to introduce myself to "Mott", and he seemed appreciative for my acknowledging me being a regular viewer of the show. Afterward, Gary took a look over and saw Max staring at him (since he's seen him enough times on the computer while I watched shows) and said 'hello', to which Max quickly responded back with a hearty 'hi'. I waved to Gary figuring he had recognized me previously at Costco, but he went right into the start of his show--oh well.

After a few minutes Max had his fill of watching the taping of the show as well as watching the fish, so we had to take a walk and began our search for something to buy. We headed back downstairs and looked at the numerous opened cases of French wines available. I came across a small tasting station and began reading about a wine on sale for $14.98 (http://winelibrary.com/reviewwine.asp?item=42146). The fellow at the station had me try a small shotglass sized cup of this wine (it had been decanting for a few hours). The nose was very fruity, mostly a dark berries type of aroma--a very nice start! The body was medium- heavy and fruit filled, high in tanins, and very complex. It also had earthy, almost vegetal, overtones to it. What I really enjoyed was the tremendous length across my entire pallete. Nice wine. So, with that experience, I thought a bit, and after thinking back to my experiences with previous medium to medium-heavy reds like this, they really mixed nicely with hard cheeses and cream-based pasta dishes (such as my Tri-Color Tortellini Alfredo). This compelled me to pick up not one, but two of them--I also visited the gourmet foods part of the store, and decided upon a wedge of California Monterrey Jack cheese (I did originally have my heart set on picking up a package of Cowgirl cheese-any variety, but for $28, I had to pass on that). I didn't get a chance to chat with Gary this time around, but I think Max got a kick out of being acknowledged by him!

A New Bottle, A New Learning Experience

I stopped by my local Bottle King this weekend looking to pick up an everyday wine for the week's dinners. Not surprisingly, a sale item caught my eye in the Italian reds section. It is no secret that my bias toward Italian wines runs pretty deep. That notwithstanding, I've been known to be quite harsh on vino from the sunny peninsula that disappoints my pallet. Well this time, not only was the wine a pleasant tasting experience, it was a chance to increase my wine Q.

The wine that I chose was called Ramitello, Molise Terra Degliosci, 2004. This is a blend of 85% prugnolo and 15% aglianico. I made my choice based on two factors, first price: on sale of $11.00 a bottle, and second on the desire to taste a wine made from a grape or grapes I did not know. The nose of this wine was nothing special or unique. I detected an odor of Black Cherry and Burnt Rubber. However the actual flavor of the wine was much more intriguing. It started out with fruit, again most reminiscent of cherry. However, once the wine crossed the mid pallet it turned bitter and had the distinct taste of black Licorice. The final round of the tasting experience was quite pleasing with a coating of dark chocolate. The tannins were in the low to medium range, which made the wine very smooth and amicable to drinking without food. And what was must exhilarating was the long lasting taste. I would say the tasting experience lasted for about 2 minutes after the wine had made its way to my stomach. Overall, I would give the wine a solid 3.5 on our traditional rating scale. It definitely made my list for repeat purchase.

But you might ask, what about this learning experience? Well this occurred after I took to the Internet to learn more about the grapes and that region that the wine came from. By the way, the town/village of origin was Campomarino. Campomarino, in the region of Molise is located on the Gulf of Taranto, The best way to describe this location is inside of the heel of the boot that is the Italian peninsula. http://www.mediterraneo-sailing.it/immagini/CAMPOMARINO.jpg So what about the grapes? Well I learned that prugnolo was not new to me at all. In fact it is simply another name for the Sangiovese grape that is used to describe that grape when it is grown in the town of Montepulciano. Why the different names for the same grape and why the producers chose to use this name in an area so far from Montepulciano? Well, I really don’t know and I’d be very interested in hearing anyone’s theory on the subject. In any case, despite the fact that my efforts to try a new grape were foiled, the wine drinking experience was quite enjoyable and I engaged in the proverbial practice of “learning something new, every day.”

Personal Wine Making

I realized that it has been some time since this blog has been updated. Therefore, in a last ditch effort to avoid this blog fading into cyber obscurity, I thought I'd share an experience I had this past Saturday. Michael DeChiara and I spent a stormy afternoon (the remnants of Hurricane Hannah) at "A Little Taste of Purple" (formerly the Wine Room) in Livingston, New Jersey. This is a personal winemaking establishment that has been in business since 2001 and Mike has used for the last couple of years to make his very own, high quality wine. Saturday and Sunday were their tasting days. This was an excellent opportunity to taste virtually every wine the establishment offers to its customers. Throughout the afternoon we tasted wines made from Barbera, Brunello, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Petite Sirah, Cabernet Franc, Zinfandel,Sangiovese, Pinot Noir, Grenache and various blends. All the grape varieties are grown in six California regions and shipped out to New Jersey within days of harvesting. The six regions are Mendocino County, Lake County, Sonoma County, Suisun Valley, Sierra Foothills, and Lodi.

So, all the wine we tasted was made by amateurs, here in New Jersey, with the assistance of a professional winemaker. Having tasted my share of homemade wine and its often 200 proof alcohol content, it goes without saying that did not expect much in terms of quality. Well, I'm happy to report that I was wrong. For the most part, the wines that we sampled were professional quality. I will even go as far as to say they were indistinguishable from the low to medium cost professional product that most California wineries put on the market each year. Unfortunately, I didn’t bring my notepad and didn’t really feel up to rating the wines individually.

With that being said, I saw little to discourage me from participating in the winemaking experience this year. Although the cost is not insignificant, the amount of wine you end up walking away with in a year's time amounts to about $11 a bottle. I say not a bad bargain when you add in the take a way of actually having made the wine yourself. Mike and I agreed that we, along with a couple of others, would make a barrel's worth of a traditional Bordeaux blend (which was my favorite of the samples)

So, stay tuned as there will be more to come as I go through the wine making experience. If the idea of making your own wine excites you, I'd encourage you to check out one of these establishments. They website of the place in Livingston is www.alittletasteofpurple.com. Check it out today.

Next Wine Tasting

I am willing to host the next tasting. I suggest we capitalize on the good fall weather of September and have a tasting the last weekend of September, Saturday the 27th. The weather may be good enough to be outside, at least we can enjoy the post tasting affairs by the fire pit.

Please let me know if the 27th works for everyone.