Catalunyan Red

Another new wine--for us--this week: Priorat from Catalunya, Spain. This was another wine we read about, like the Pinot Blanc, but hadn't seen until recently. It's a great find.

Barranc del Closos 2002 Priorat (denominacio d'origen qualificada): 70% Garnacha tinta, 30% Carinena. Very nice red wine. Medium bodied, low acidity, medium tannins for a red--"just smooth and nice" to quote Daryl. Great for relaxing after a steak dinner. Priorat has a reputation of producing high quality wines (see above link), and we weren't disappointed. This wine is more complex than a Rioja, more dense...but not as complicated as a California Cab or a Syrah. At $20, this wine is a great value. The other day, Daryl found a Priorat in our local wine shop priced over $100.

This is a great, uncommon wine--if you come across one, pick it up!

Hi, Arnold!

A New White

We had read about Pinot Blanc in Food & Wine maybe a year or two ago and were intrigued. However, we never came across a bottle (nor did we look very hard) until this past week, when our local wine store offered as part of their weekly tastings. It is a new favorite, and we'll keep an eye out for it as we move into the warmer months.

Saint Gregory Pinot Blanc 2006 (Mendocino): Very, very nice white! Vibrant. Nice acidity and sparkle to it (not to say that it's bubbly--rather light and crisp). We tasted tropical fruit, but nothing specific popped out. How to compare it: it's not quite as light and crisp as a Sauvignon Blanc; it has a certain richness, a depth. But it isn't oaky or dense, two things we don't look for in whites.

From the label:

...we employed traditional Burgundian winemaking methods such as 100% barrel
fermentation in French Burgundy oak barrels...

We tasted absolutely no oak--a plus as Daryl doesn't care for oak, and Kath can take it or leave it but feels a little goes a long way.

We'll add this wine to our summer rotation.

Celebration Part II

Happy Belated St. Patrick's Day! Hope everyone had a great celebration. We kept ours low key: Daryl stopped at the wine bar for some Smithwick's and Pinot Noir, and Kath stayed at home enjoying the last of a delicious Riesling.

Last weekend's celebrations went very, very well. The par-tay was well attended; everyone mingled, ate and drank. We weren't expecting many wine drinkers, so to start, we only offered a 1.5L bottle of Fetzer Chardonnay and a Charles Shaw Shiraz. However, we kept opening more and more bottles! Good times.

Our new bottle for this weekend was a gift from our friend Pascale, who travels to Napa once a year. This was a bottle she brought back from last year's trip, and it's one of her favorites: V. Sattui Winery 2004 Johannisberg Riesling (St. Helena, CA). Daryl's reaction: Fun and exciting. Vibrant fruit flavors, including a touch of kiwi. Dry but not red-wine-dry. We both noticed that unlike other whites we tend to drink, this one wasn't "crisp"; instead, we'd describe it as smooth--but not syrupy, a common feel for sweeter, smoother wines. It's a clear yellow with a slight hint of green.

Interesting to note that V. Sattui's wines are only available at the winery or online.

From this year's trip, our friend brought us a 2005, same wine. We'll keep that for another time.

Wine Book Review #1

FRENCH WOMEN FOR ALL SEASONS, Mireille Guiliano

One of the joys of learning about wine is reading about it--for pleasure. We subscribed to a couple wine magazines, and while we gleaned some useful information from these publications, we didn't renew our subscriptions, preferring to learn by recommendation and tasting. However, in our library we have a few books dedicated to wine, and we thought we'd discuss some of these here.

(In today's case, this is only my opinion [Kath]; Daryl wasn't keen on reading what I would describe as a women's lifestyle manual.)

In 2005, Mireille Guiliano's French Women Don't Get Fat became a bestseller, and I picked up a library copy, wondering what the fuss was all about. Turned out it was a little gem of a book. Guiliano, President and CEO of Clicquot, Inc., advocates adopting a traditional French woman's lifestyle to avoid obesity. Eating simply and moderately, choosing fresh, seasonal foods, incorporating simple, natural exercise into one's daily routine (she doesn't get our obsession with fancy gyms when a simple stroll will do wonders for the body and mind)--these are some of the secrets that help keep French women among the slimmest in the West.

French Women for All Seasons elaborates many of her previous suggestions and includes more tips and secrets on how to be a French woman--anywhere, in any season. She discusses ways to eat seasonally, recommending buying local produce only when it's in season. Ever wonder how to wear a scarf? Guiliano gives pointers throughout on how to use this versatile accessory. There are plenty of recipes, ranging from simple ("Leek Soup") to complicated. There are more tips on entertaining and exercise--all keeping with the seasonal theme of this book.

And wine? Well, there is an entire chapter devoted to wine and food pairings. And you couldn't ask for a better advisor, given her life-long involvement in the world of wine (both her books are also part-memoir). She simply describes well-known varietals and how to effectively taste each and partner with food. After mastering the basics, she encourages her readers to seek lesser-known wines. And always, she recommends Champagne as the perfect wine (true Champagne, not sparkling wines from other regions). She considers wine an everyday food, something to be enjoyed in moderation and for good health.

It doesn't get any better than that!

Celebration Part I

It's celebration season...one promotion, two birthdays, four visitors. Yes, I am constantly cleaning the house. On to the fun stuff: the wine.

On Thursday, Daryl was promoted and while the official ceremony takes place next Wednesday followed by a party at our place next weekend (that'll be "Celebration Part II"), we still had to pop open some sparkling wine to celebrate. Our pick? L'Hereu de Raventos i Blanc CAVA Brut. It's one of our favorites: dry, grapey, light. We opened it that night and still have about two glasses remaining.

Last night, some friends stayed with us for their last night in Ohio before they move to California (near wine country, lucky!). We'll miss them, but we had to celebrate their new venture with a special wine. We opened L'Aventure Optimus 2003 (Paso Robles). It's a blend of Syrah (64%), Cabernet Sauvignon (33%) and Petit Verdot (3%). Marvelous. Smooth, dry, but not overwhelming. As we drank together, we didn't take notes nor reflect upon the finer nuances of this wine. Rather, this bottle marked a special moment--a gathering of good friends before a long separation.

(And now we have to go to California!)

We'll continue promotion and birthday festivities this week...look for an update next weekend.

Cheers!