Don't be shy...pop the cork!

On Saturday night, I went to a friend's house who always throws a good soiree, especially food and wine-wise. In his copper wine chiller, I noticed an unopened, chilled bottle of Piper Sonoma Blanc de Noirs. Being a huge sparkling wine lover, and not really that shy, I asked the host if he minded if I opened it. He told me to go right ahead, as he was waiting for someone else to open it so he could have some, too. When I popped it, heads turned, and others came for a flute. Lesson to be had: if you want the bubbly, don't be shy--open it up! It'll really get the party started, and chances are, someone else is really hankering for a flute.

Bubbly shouldn't be relegated to holidays and special occasions, but holiday season is upon us, so here are some tips for opening and serving a sparkler:

*Make sure the sparkling wine is well chilled. Beyond making it taste refreshing and delicious, serving it at the properly chilled temperature will mean less of a chance of the bottle exploding when you open it.

* As soon as you start removing the foil, point the bottle away from people. Sparkling wines are under tremendous pressure--hence the wire basket--and the cork can start to slip out even before the wire cage is removed. For safety's sake, I do the entire ritual in the kitchen sink.

* When removing the cork, put the bottle at a 45 degree angle. And be sure to turn the bottle, not the cork. If it's stubborn, use a towel or non-slip gripper to ease it out.

* Easing out, by the way, is the goal for removing the cork from sparkling wine. Although it's dramatic to pull it out quickly, you will lose much of the wine and a lot of the bubbles. And aren't the bubbles why we drink it to begin with?

Eiswein on a Dime

Eiswein is incredibly delicious, but you're often hard pressed to find a bargain bottle. Last night while facilitating a "Wines for Your Thanksgiving Table" tasting at a local wine shop, we tasted a 2004 Rudolf Muller Eiswein that for $22.99 was absolutely divine.

True Eiswein is made by freezing the grapes on the vine. When the grapes are pressed, the frozen water is discarded, and what remains is pure, intense, clean fruit flavors. Wineries in warmer climates, or who are looking to save money, replicate the process by picking the grapes and then freezing them before pressing. Either way, Riesling is often the grape of choice, though the Canadians tend to favor Vidal.

This wine has gorgeous apple and pear fruit, along with honey notes and a line of acidity that keeps it refreshing and far from cloying. If you are serving apple or pear pie for Thanksgiving, it would be a perfect match. Or, serve it with an assortment of cheeses, some apricot marmalade and dried fruits for a beautiful after dinner cheese plate.

Can't remember the great wine you had for dinner last week?

How many times have you tried a great bottle of wine at a restaurant or at a party, didn't write it down, and couldn't for the life of you remember what it was the next time you were staring at the shelves of your local wine store? I know it's happened to me...even though I have a wine journal, I don't always remember to write down my memorable bottles. And removing the label can be time-consuming and impractical in certain situations (although the "label saver" stickers are cool and useful.)

At a wine dinner last night here in Carmel, a fellow diner pointed out to us how Rosenblum Cellars offers a pull-off tag on many of its bottles. The tag says ""Pull tab to remember." The tag lists the varietal, vintage, and the specific vineyard (if there is one.)

This is a really smart idea, and I hope other wineries take a cue and add this to their packaging and labeling.

Great Wine Escape Weekend

Greetings from Monterey, California, where I have been taking part in the Great Wine Escape Weekend, full of good food and lots of wines, especially Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Syrah.

I'll be back on Monday, reporting on some of the great wines I tried this weekend. Until then, cheers!

Wine Tool for Techies

Yesterday I came across this wine-related USB drive from Chateau Pontet-Canet in Bordeaux. Opening up the wine-bottling packaging reveals a USB drive that has lots of useful info, from information about Bordeaux, to Chateau Pontet-Canet's wines, to wine management software, screen savers and cell ring tones.

It's an interesting piece of marketing, combining technology with the wine world. The USB drive retails for 35 euros. I'm interested to see if other wineries pick up on this idea and release similar products.

Decanter as Art

While thumbing through the latest Dean and Deluca wine catalog, I saw this limited-edition, $4000-a-pop decanter from French artist Etienne Meneau.

Yes it's gorgeous, and I would love to watch wine cascade down its "roots." But my practical side couldn't help asking 2 questions:

1. How many uses would you actually get out of it before you broke it? (I just keep picturing in my mind a well-meaning guest at a cocktail party whose elbow just happened to bump it as he or she was gesturing while sharing a witty story.)

and, more importantly:

2. How on earth would you clean it??? I love my wide-based Wine Enthusiast decanter, but that's difficult enough to clean--I recently found out that they make metal beads just for this purpose, and I definitely have to invest in a set. But this decanter has nothing on mine. As far as I know, there is no brush or any other device that could effectively clean it out. The only idea I have is to immediately run it under water after using it, before the wine gets sticky and dries. But if you are in the middle of hosting a party, it could be all too easy to forget to do that. And the thought of cleaning it brings me back to question #1...

Then again, I guess if you can afford this work of art, you can afford to hire someone to clean and protect it.

Smoke, Wood, Fish and Pinot

Salmon and Pinot Noir is one of those sublime food and wine matches. When the salmon is wild caught Alaskan Sockeye grilled on a cedar plank, and the Pinot is a quality bottle from Oregon, it's even better.

To prepare cedar-planked salmon, you'll first need to soak your wood--the directions that came with my planks said for 10 minutes or so, but a half hour, or an hour, is much better. After soaking the plank, I topped it with my salmon fillet (with the skin still on), and sprinkled on some chili powder, paprika, fresh chopped rosemary, sea salt, freshly cracked pepper, and garlic powder. While the herbs set for 10 minutes or so on top of the fish, I made a simple glaze of honey and rice wine vinegar. I made sure the glaze was thick enough so that when I drizzled it over the fish, it stayed put and didn't make my spices run.

I grilled the salmon on medium high for about 18 minutes (the fish was about an inch thick, and I could have even pulled it off a few minutes before that to make it even juicier.) When you are grilling on a plank, be prepared for flare ups, even if you soak the board. If that happens, just douse the board with a bit of water.

The fish skin usually stays on the board, or peels right off, so serving it is a breeze. And that delicious cedar is imparted all the way through the fish (my clothes also smelled delicious...)

With this meal, I served a bottle of 2005 Estate Pinot Noir from Yamhill Valley Vineyards in Oregon. It had bright fruit (raspberries and cherries), along with the distinctive Pinot smoky/earthy notes (which made it pair all the better with the smoky salmon.) And it actually had surprisingly firm tannins for a New World Pinot Noir, but they weren't over the top.

This wine is available in the DC area at the Vienna Vintner. And cedar planks, which used to be found only in barbecue and specialty stores, are widely available now in most area grocery stores. Now is actually the time to buy them--I've seen them on sale and clearance in a lot of stores now that summer is over. They can be used on the grill, or in the oven.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween, faithful readers of Kelly's Grape Times. Here's to hoping you get lots of treat tonight--maybe some high quality dark chocolate and a glass of tawny Port. Mmmmmm....

For those of you who subscribe to my feed, you may have inadvertently seen a post about pumpkin carving, complete with pictures of my family and I. I accidentally put this post on Kelly's Grape Times instead of on my family blog. I pulled it off right away, but just in case some RSS readers picked it up, sorry for the confusion!!!

Enjoy the day!

American Roots Winery

Thanks so much to all of you who emailed me about my recent article "Sip for the Cure" on Wine Enthusiast, which listed wines and wine-related products whose proceeds go towards breast cancer education and research.

Here is another option for wine lovers. American Roots Winery was founded after the winemakers' mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. One dollar from every bottle goes towards fighting the disease.

Although October, National Breast Cancer Awareness month, is almost over, many of the companies I listed in my article donate all year round. Keep that in mind as you are looking for meaningful host gifts for the holidays.

Sip for the Cure

Following up on my entry last week about wines and wine-related products whose purchase goes towards breast cancer research and education, here is an article I wrote that gives even more ideas.

Have a great weekend!

Blue Ice Autumn Cocktails

Just in time for cooler weather, Blue Ice Vodka has some great recipes on their website for autumn cocktails, including:

All-American Chilled Apple Pie
1 1/4 oz Blue Ice Vodka
3/4 oz Tuaca Liqueur
1/2 oz Sweet & Sour
Fill with Chilled Apple Cider
Build in order over ice in a 12 oz glass, garnish with a lemon slice, a long cinnamon stick, and a straw.

Blue Ice Pumpkin Pie Martini
4 parts Blue Ice Vodka
1 part DaVinci Pumpkin Pie Syrup
Cinnamon Sugar
Add Blue Ice and Pumpkin Pie Syrup to a cocktail shaker, shake well and strain. Garnish with an orange slice and pour into a cocktail glass rimmed with cinnamon sugar.

Candy Apple Martini
1 ½ oz Blue Ice American Vodka
½ oz Butterscotch Schnapps
¾ oz Apple Schnapps
1oz Cranberry Juice
Add ingredients to a cocktail shaker. Shake well. Strain into 8oz cocktail glass.

Blue Ice is made in Idaho with Idaho potatoes (makes perfect sense), and it was rated the #1 tasting American vodka in 2003 by the Beverage Tasting Institute.

I think the recipe for chilled apple pie is a great one for the grownups to try while the kids are carving pumpkins...

Raspberry on the Rocks

I read recently about all the awards won by Jip Jip Rocks 2005 Limestone Coast Shiraz from Australia (silver medals in the Australian and NZ wine competitions, etc. etc.) Considering it's about $10 a bottle and I'm a fan of Shiraz, I figured I might as well see if what's inside the bottle lived up to all of the award stickers on the front of the bottle.

When I sniffed it and sipped it, one word came to mind: raspberries. They wafted out of the glass, and nearly exploded on my tongue. The wine is chock full of juicy raspberries, which linger on the finish, along with decent tannins and some vanilla.

Wine Spectator recently named Jip Jip Rocks (actually named for large rock formations on the Limestone Coast) a smart buy, and I agree. If you like Shiraz and are looking for a new name to try, just remember "Jip Jip." It's not easy to forget...

The Wine Lover and The Cure

Looking to donate to help find a cure for breast cancer? October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, and here are two options for the wine lover. If you purchase either, part of the proceeds will go towards breast cancer research:

Riedel Vinum Pink Rose Wine Glasses: These are limited edition offerings from Riedel, and 15% of proceeds go to the Living Beyond Breast Cancer Foundation. They are lovely options from which to sip a rose or blush wine, and they also make great gifts for people who just love the color pink. Wine Enthusiast is currently offering free shipping on a set of two.

Wines from Cleavage Creek Cellars: Owner and California winemaker Budge Brown lost his wife of 48 years to breast cancer. He turned his anger and devastation to action, creating a winery that celebrates survivors, and works to find a cure for breast cancer. On the wine's labels are pictures of breast cancer survivors, and 10% of sales go towards research to find a cure.

For more information about breast cancer, visit National Breast Cancer Awareness Month's website.

The comeback of the coupe? No thanks...

Food and Wine did a piece in their October issue about the return of the coupe, that shallow glass for Champagne and sparkling wines with which many of our parents toasted at their wedding receptions years ago.

This is one product that I wish would remain dusty and unused in the dining room cabinet. Coupes are sparkling wines' worst nightmares. The shallow bowls leave the gorgeous bubbles no place or time to bead or trail, while the wide mouths dissipate too quickly the often subtle aromas.

Not to be a codger, but I would rather drink sparkling wine from a cheap flute than a designer coupe. Thanks, but no thanks.

Organic Sauvignon Blanc

Organic wines are becoming more prevalent on store shelves, and more popular with wine drinkers who care both about the environment and about what does (and does not) go into their bodies.

At a local wine store tasting last weekend, I had the Bonterra Sauvignon Blanc from Mendocino, California, which retails for about $10 a bottle. It's an extremely light style of Sauvignon Blanc, and the grapefruit just jumped out of the glass. It had a nice line of racy acidity, along with grapefruit and tangerine on the palate. You could enjoy it as an aperitif, or with light chicken or fish dishes. I usually prefer more of the intense, pungent style of SB, but this was a refreshing break from that.

I wish I would have discovered it in the heat of summer, because it's one of those wines that doesn't make you wilt after a glass or two.

A Super Fruity Aussie Red

Aussie winemakers aren't typically known for having a subtle winemaking style, and I usually really enjoy the over-the-top fruit in their Shiraz and Shiraz blends. The 2005 Terra Barossa Cuvee from Thorne Clarke is made with 47% Shiraz, 29% Petit Verdot, 16% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Cabernet Franc, and it's full of sweet, jammy fruit like dark berries and sweet plums. The wine tasted a bit overly extracted for my tastes--almost cloying for a dry wine. Chilling it for a bit took away some of that sensation, but it was difficult for me to finish a second glass of it.

But if you like your red wines a la Yellow Tail, with soft and sweet fruit and tannins, then this might be a bottle to try.

Grape Misconceptions

If you live in the Washington, DC Metro region, check out the October issue of Washington Woman for an article I wrote on wine myths debunked.

Otherwise, I'll be featuring the article on my website soon.

Silverwing McLaren Vale Grenache Shiraz

Rarely, if ever, do I open a bottle of wine on a weeknight that costs $10 or more. Dinners during the week are often hectic, not leisurely or gourmet, but that doesn't mean that I don't want a decent glass of wine to go with my meal.

Enter Silverwing 2005 McLaren Vale Grenache Shiraz. At around $10 a bottle, it's just the ticket for a Wednesday night. It has easy-going cherry and plum flavors, as well as just a bit of spice. We chilled it for a half hour, both because the addition of Grenache, a higher alcohol grape, sometimes can make a wine feel "hot" in the mouth, and because it was 85+ degrees in the DC area yesterday...

Our dinner was simple grilled sausage and peppers and a cucumber/tomato salad. Gourmet? No. But enjoyable for an Indian summer October evening.

2007 Weblog Award nominations are under way!

If you like reading my blog, please consider nominating me for a 2007 weblog award. Although there is not a separate category for beverage blogs, they have added one for Best Food Blog this year, and since Kelly's Grape Times often offers food pairing suggestions, I'm hoping that I'll be eligible. I am also eligible for Best Invididual Blogger.

The more nominations I receive, the more consideration my blog will get from the panelists. So if you like reading Kelly's Grape Times, please vote today!

To vote for the Weblog awards, visit this site.

Thanks for thinking of me!

Vanilla Porter

Beers infused with fruits and other flavorings can be interesting and delicious--so long as the flavor is well-integrated and doesn't overshadow the actual beer flavor.

While browsing for some wine to restock my rack, I also perused the create-your-own-six-pack section of my local beer and wine store, and noticed a Vanilla Porter made in Colorado by Breckenridge Brewery. It's brewed in the traditional method, so there is some dark chocolate flavor , but the brewmasters have also included real vanilla beans from Madagascar and Papua New Guinea. I picked up a few single bottles (I wasn't ready to commit to a full six pack...)

We tried it the other night, and the first sip was surprising--the vanilla flavor was definitely there, but it wasn't over the top or cloyingly sweet. Unfortunately, I didn't get the "smooth" finish that the label promised. To me, it was a bit too hoppy (i.e. bitter.). But if you like dark beers and want something a bit different, the Vanilla Porter can be a fun choice for cooler weather.