Dry and delish

Although many people equate "Riesling" with "sweet", Rieslings come in styles which run the gamut from bone dry to super sweet dessert wines. What all of them have in common, though, is good acidity to balance any sugar present in the wine (Riesling is a grape which retains its acidity, so as the grapes ripen on the vine and sugar levels increase, acidity levels still stay high, unlike many other grapes whose acidity drops off as sugar levels get higher.)

I really enjoy all Rieslings, and those with a hint of residual sugar go really well with spicy Asian food (the sugar counters the heat in hot Indian and Thai curries and other spicy dishes.)

Chateau St. Michelle has been a great American producer of Rieslings for years now. Their Columbia Valley Riesling is off-dry, with just a touch of sugar, along with peach and apple flavors. Their Eroica offering, a collaboration of CSM and Dr. Loosen winery from the Mosel region, is gorgeous, with minerals, rich fruit and great acidity.

For those of you who like Riesling's fruitiness and acidity, but prefer dry wines, try CSM's Columbia Valley Dry Riesling. More along the style of a dry Austrian riesling, the wine is full of beautiful apricot, mandarin orange and apple flavors, along with a bit of minerals. It is full of flavor but finishes dry. Try it all by itself, with a cheese and fruit plate, or with Asian food.

Wine slushes--update

The nice folks at Quady Winery just sent me 2 sample bottles of wines that they suggest to use in wine slushes--Electra and Red Electra. (They contacted me after reading my article on wine slushes on Wine Enthusiast's website). We are having out of town guests this weekend, and I can think of nothing more refreshing during a muggy VA summer than one of these out on the deck. We'll try them this weekend and post our thoughts them next week. In the meantime, here is some info from Quady Winery about these wines:

Made from the Orange and Black Muscat varieties, Electra and Red Electra taste like a bowl full of fruit with a bouquet of flowers thrown in.

To add to the enjoyment, we made them a little “frizzanté”. It was this tingle on the tongue which gave rise to the name: Electra.

Enjoy on the rocks, on the deck, or lounging next to the pool. Take them on a picnic and you won’t need a nap after lunch.

Here’s a fun idea for entertaining at home: Slushies. With only 4-5% alcohol, the Electras freeze beautifully. You don’t even need a machine. Just pour the wine into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and place in a freezer until the wine crystallizes. It will break up easily into an attractive granité like consistency. The frozen wine can then be scooped into a glass and garnished in various ways.

Another interesting fact: the Electras are sweet wines but, because the alcohol is low, the caloric content is the same as regular dry table wine.

Everyday retail nationwide: $12.99

The Essential Wine Tasting Guide

The Essential Wine Tasting Guide is a great little pocket tool for the wine lover (full disclosure: Glen Green, the creater, sent me a free sample to check out.)

Just the size of a credit card when folded, it fits easily in your purse, wallet or pocket, and offers a wealth of information. Once unfolded, you can use it to find the right adjectives to describe the texture, aroma and flavors of a wine (everything from "freshly cut grass" to "honey" to "red cherry to "smoke"). It also offers a handy guide to a wine's hue, wine faults, and a temperature serving guide, among other useful things.

Total price comes to around 12 bucks for shipping to the U.S. (the guide is produced and shipped from Australia.) But it's a very helpful tool to take to the wine store, restaurant, or to a meeting of your wine club. I was really impressed by how much is covered in such a small space.

Divas Uncorked--Sisters Who Sip

Divas Uncorked is a group of women who love to enjoy and learn about wine. Their "Sisters Who Sip" series is a once-a-month teleconference hosted by the Divas, with a different guest each month--typically a woman sommelier, wine author or educator (previous guests include author Leslie Sbrocoo and sommelier Nadine Brown.) Attendees of the teleconference sip wines they have purchased ahead of time (guests provide a list), and learn more about them during the call. It's a heck of a lot of fun for a Saturday afternoon.

I'm pleased to announce that I will be the guest for the August 4 Sisters Who Sip. The theme is "great wines for grilled foods," and we'll talk about wines that go with everything from steaks to shrimp skewers.

If you are interested in learning more, and registering for the teleconference, here is the link to Sisters Who Sip. Hope you can join the Divas and I on August 4!

Bachelorette party options

Thanks to the folks at Washington Post's "Going Out Gurus" blog, who included my business in their annual list of ideas for bachelorette parties.

You can read the article here.

Wine and food ideas for dear old Dad

Looking to make a special meal for your dad on Father's Day? Check out my article on Father's Day barbeque ideas, as well as wine suggestions to make the meal complete.

Steele Carneros Pinot Noir

I did a few wine tastings for clients over the weekend, and tried a CA Pinot Noir that I really enjoyed...the best part is that it's in my general price range for a weekend wine (and for me, that means no more than $20. Though if someone else is buying then the sky's the limit.)

At around $18 a bottle, the Steele Carneros Pinot Noir is textbook Carneros Pinot for this price range--low yet silky tannins, flavors of black cherry, and a slight hint of that can't-quite-put-your-finger-on-it "earthiness" so common in Pinots.

It's easy-drinking and easy on the wallet, and went over really well with the crowd at the tasting on Saturday night. I'm going to add it to my list of "reasonably" priced CA Pinots--along with Acacia, Angeline and (cheaper still at less than $10 a bottle) Camelot. It was really lovely and very enjoyable.

Hot wine

My schedule unfortunately didn't allow me to make it out to this year's Vintage Virginia wine festival, which was held this past weekend at Bull Run Regional Park. But my webmaster Pierrette attended on Sunday (the better day to go this year, as the off and on rains kept the crowds light...)

She passed along some information about some very unique wines from Peaks of Otter Winery in Bedford. Wine purists--brace yourselves, as this winery specializes in fruit wines. Their Chili Dawg wine is made with 97% apples and 3% chili powder, resulting in a wine that tastes like hot pepper jelly. Pierrette said it was unlike anything she's ever had, and it was a fun change. She also recommended it with with sharp or cheddar cheese.

They also produce a wine that's more for cooking than drinking (except maybe if you are a masochist...) called Kiss the Devil Chili Pepper.

For more information on these wine concoctions, check out Peaks of Otter's products page. And thanks, Pierrette, for the "hot" tip.

Host a Wine Swap

Looking for a way to get rid of some bottles of wine that you don't really like? Then host a wine swap. Read here for more details.

Gin gets its due...and here's a new one to try

You can't turn the pages of a food or wine related magazine, or browse a culinary website, these days, without reading something about the "comeback of gin". I'm proud to say that I have been a faithful gin drinker for years (Tanqueray, with fresh tonic and lots of lime juice, to be exact. Or Seagram's if I'm on a budget--less expensive and still makes a decent G&T). No matter the brand, gin is aromatic, refreshing and delicious (no offense to lovers of that "other" clear beverage...)

Artisinal gins seem to be where it's at these days (for more on the subject, check out the current issue of Bon Appetit, which offers a primer on the latest small batch offerings.) But Tanqueray, one of the major players in the game, has released a new bottle to add to their "default" style and their No. 10. Called Tanqueray Rangpur, it's infused with "rare Rangpur limes, ginger and bay leaves." Just released nationwide in February of this year, it retails for around $22 for a 750 mL bottle.

Not wanting to commit to a full bottle without trying it first, I opted for 2 of the single serving "airplane" bottles. We chilled them in the fridge, and then tried drinking it straight. The botanicals were apparent, but not overly so (it certainly wasn't as "limey" as Seagram's Lime Gin, etc.) Rather than drinking it naked, we actually preferred it in our beloved G&T, where it was very smooth. But if you are a martini lover, this would make a mean one.

I'll probably end up buying a (full-sized) bottle next time I'm gin shopping. We seem to go through more of it in the summer, when G&T's taste especially good, so that will most likely be soon.

Learn how they got their drink on through the ages

Just read a review of this book in the Washington Post. It's all about the history of imbibing, written in an easy, breezy style, with some recipes and humor thrown in.

Would make a great addition to a home bar, or a fun Father's Day gift. I gotta get my hands on a copy, and enjoy it with a large gin and tonic on the deck...

Chill out this Memorial Day

To celebrate the unofficial start of summer, here are some cool beverage ideas for wine lovers.

Have a great Memorial Day weekend!!!

Very cool food and wine pairing tool

Author and wine educator Natalie McLean has a really cool new food and wine pairing tool on her website. With over 360,000 potential pairings, you can find a wine to go with everything, from Peking Duck to pizza, and from cheesecake to creme brulee.

Although there really are few (if any) hard and fast rules these days when it comes to matching food and wine, it's always helpful to have some suggestions and guidelines--and maybe try something that you hadn't considered (like one of my favorite pairings--potato chips and sparkling wine...)

You can try the tool here.

Cheers, and bon appetit!

La La Limoncello

Anyone who knows me or reads this blog knows that while I like all kinds of wine (among other beverages...), I'm always drawn to those that make my mouth tingle. Call them acidic, crisp, tart, zingy, zesty, whatever, I love the refreshing feeling that these drinks have, and the way they pair so well with food, making you want to return again and again for another bite. My mouth is watering as I type this...

Enter limoncello. This favored Italian liqueur, made from lemons, sugar and vodka or grain alcohol, now has a place in my freezer--I splurged on a bottle this past weekend. Kept chilled, a shot of it is a lovely ending ("digestivo") to a big meal, or a great little patio sipper with good friends and good conversation on hot summer nights. Both tart and sweet, and not TOO high in alcohol to be enjoyed in the summer months (my bottle is 26% abv), limoncello is just. simply. delicious.

There were several brands from which to choose at my local ABC store, and I opted for Pallini. Pallini also makes similar liqueurs made of peach and raspberry--I haven't tried those, and I think they might be a bit too sweet for me. The fact that limoncello is made from lemons from Italy's Amalfi Coast also draws me to it. I remember watching so many episodes of "Molto Mario" where chef Mario Batali waxed poetic about the beautiful Amalfi Coast.

Look for Pallini, Caravella and, later on this summer, actor Danny Devito's Limoncello, on store shelves. The ones I saw on the shelf this past weekend all cost about $22, and I'm not sure how much Danny's will retail for.

Or you can try your hand at making your own. Though patience is needed--authentic limoncello needs to steep for about 80 days. Maybe buy a bottle to drink now, and then enjoy your homemade concoction when it's ready at the end of summer...

What the heck are they drinking???

It's a small pet peeve, to be sure, but it bothers me just the same: what tries to pass as red wine when characters are drinking on television?

Last night, on Desperate Housewives, Gaby and Susan got together one evening to share a bottle of "red wine" and a box of chocolates. The bottle was Bordeaux-shaped, so one would expect a Cabernet or something equally opaque. But what they showed in the glasses looked more like Kool Aid or cranberry juice--and it just didn't look authentic enough.

This isn't the first time I've noticed this on a TV show, and I don't know why, but it bugs me.. If producers want to keep things non-alcoholic, (maybe union laws require it?) then it makes sense to use some kind of fruit juice. But come on, you gotta at least make it LOOK like wine--add some food coloring or something. I'm sure a mixture of grape juice and cranberry juice would even look better.

I just had to vent about that. :-)

Portugal just *starts* with "Port"

Mention "Portugal" and "drink" in the same sentence, and thoughts often turn to Port. While I'm a big (though admittedly, recent) fan of tawnies, rubies, LBV and vintage port, I've been recently discovering their "other" wines. Portugal is a virtual treasure trove of inexpensive, decent (mostly red, except for the extremely refreshing and crisp Vinho Verde) table wines. Many are from the Douro, Alentejo or Dao regions, made with many of the same grapes as Port--Touriga National, Tinta Roriz, Touriga Franca, etc. But these wines are not fortified like Port, but made completely dry.

The other evening, we opened a $6.99 bottle of 2004 Vila Regia from the Douro region. This is a red blend of Bastardo, Touriga Francesa, Tinta Barocca and Tinta Roriz. It had great red fruit, as well as approachable tannins and a hint of coconut and vanilla from oak treatment. It was a lot better than many other $7 bottles of reds I have tried, and was just very enjoyable to drink. This particular bottle was pretty versatile, and I could see it pairing with chicken, steak, pizza, pasta, you name it.

I'm going to start seeking out other budget-friendly bottles from Portugal--most are $10 or under, and worth exploring.

The great cork debate rolls on...

George M. Taber, the author of the book "Judgement of Paris," which chronicles the legendary 1976 tasting that pitted French wines against those from California, with CA taking the prize after the blind tastings, is penning a new book. "To Cork or Not to Cork: The Billion-Dollar Battle for the Bottle." Wine Business.com's article says this work will analyze and describe the great debate of real corks vs. synthetic ones vs. glass closures vs. screw caps, and is scheduled for release in October.

A large part of the case against the cork, of course, centers around "cork taint," the presence of TCA (trichloroanisole (2,4,6-TCA)), a chemical compound that can make a bottle of wine smell and taste like wet dog, wet newspaper or a moldy basement--not exactly attractive qualities in a wine. It's estimated that between 3-7% of the world's wines are tainted, mostly due to affected corks.

One of the most interesting facts mentioned in this article is that people can detect TCA in as little as 2 ppt (parts per trillion). This article gives a good analogy--it's akin to 1 second in 320 years. A speck, to be sure, and the fact that noses and palates can pick up this small amount is simply amazing, and a true testament that the debate against using corks is a strong one.

Of course, there are also lots of reasons to use corks--tradition, a tight seal, the "romance" factor. I'm looking forward to reading this book when it's released to see all sides of the issue.

Another winner from Mumm Napa Valley

I did a wine tasting a few weeks ago, where the hosts served flutes of Mumm Napa Valley Brut Prestige as guests were arriving. I've always been a big fun of this domestic sparkling wine house, and one of my favorites is their Cuvee M--reviewed on this blog awhile back.

The Brut Prestige is another gorgeous offering. Guests were raving about it at the event, commenting that it was one of the best sparklers they had ever tasted--domestic or not--and that they couldn't believe it was under $20 a bottle (it's about $18 in wine stores in No. VA).

It's medium-bodied, with hints of melon and vanilla, rather than crisp fruits, but there is still great acidity and structure. My husband and I drank a bottle of it last evening with my Mother's Day dinner--sushi--and it paired perfectly. My husband is not a big fan of the "yeasty," "bready" notes that are often found in Champagne and other traditional method sparkling wines (I am, but I also enjoy other styles as well...), so he was happy that the Brut Prestige didn't have these flavors.

It was a great ending to a great day.

Mother's Day gift ideas for the wine lover

Stumped about what to get your mom for Mother's Day? Well, if she's a wine lover, here are some wine books geared towards women:

"The Wine Club: A Month-by-Month Guide to Learning About Wine with Friends," by Maureen Christian Petrosky: This handy guide gives instructions, wine information and recipes for hosting a monthly wine club. It's a fun, easy read and the author is very approachable.

"Wine for Women: A Guide to Buying, Pairing, and Sharing Wine" by Leslie Sbrocco: This is a great introduction to wine for any woman. Leslie is very knowledgeable and witty.

"Great Tastes Made Simple," by Andrea Immer; Not geared just towards women, per se, but this book by a Master Sommelier appeals to anyone who likes to pair food and wine.

Raise a toast to your mom on Sunday! Cheers!

A Royal Menu

Here is the menu served at the White House State Dinner last evening in honor of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. I am glad to see that a rose sparkling wine from Napa Valley's Schramsberg Vineyards was featured. They are one of my all time favorite producers of sparkling wine, and their wines have been featured at state dinners since the Nixon administration.


* Spring pea soup with fernleaf lavender
* Chive Pizzelle with American cavier

* Newton Chardonnay "unfiltered" 2004

* Dover Sole Almondine
* Roasted artichokes, pequillo peppers and olives
* Saddle of spring lamb
* Chanterelle sauce
* Fricasse of baby vegetables

* Peter Michael "les pavots" 2003

* Arugula, savannah mustard and mint romaine
* Champagne dressing and trio of farmhouse cheeses

* "Rose Blossoms" Schramsberg Brut Rose 2004