Dancing Spoon

Beaujolais Nouveau for T-Day

Wine About

by Eric Olson
Years ago we always looked forward to the arrival, just before Thanksgiving, of the Beaujolais Nouveau wines from France. Bottled and shipped almost immediately after being picked, these wines were fun, interesting, another reason to celebrate and highly anticipated. Success almost ruined the idea as more and more large shippers got on board and would ship anything that was red, some tasting more like colored water than wine. I've always liked the idea, however and this year sought out a small producer who neither chaptilize (adds sugar) or uses artificial yeasts, in other words "real wine".  Wild yeasts exist on the outside of grape skin and are a critical piece of the wine making puzzle. They are more difficult to handle than artificial yeasts but make much more interesting wines. The '09 vintage is excellent and, like all Beaujolais Nouveau vintages, cannot be delivered to any store until the Thursday preceding Thanksgiving. We all have an equal opportunity to discover the "vintage." If you've been part of a Nouveau celebration and came away unimpressed, try some made by small farmers who do it the old fashioned way. Fortuitously Beaujolais is an excellent choice with Turkey and all the trimmings.

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Choosing Bordeaux Wines

Wine About

by Eric Olson
Well, it's Tuesday evening about five o’clock in the early evening and as the temperature is going down outside, my feelings for Bordeaux go up inside. Haven't touched one all summer as I find them too aggressive in warmer weather but not so in the fall and winter. Just opened the newly arrived Ch. Haut-Gacherie, 2005 vintage and find it a nice "transition" Bordeaux. Certainly not too aggressive, but fairly mild with some modest tannins, and simple fruit and earth flavors. Good beginner wine if your interested in trying what I'm talking about for a modest $12.

The Bordeaux region is close to the Atlantic Ocean in the southwest section of France and produces an enormous amount of wine. The world's most famous wines, Latour, Lafite, Mouton, Margaux, Haut Brion, and Petrus to name a few, make up only a minuscule amount of what is produced and are out of most mortals reach. The good news: this vast ocean of wine produces many very fine affordable wines.

Bordeaux wines are, when made well, rich, layered, fruity, and very, very dry, with complex earth and mineral components that compliment a wide array of foods. They are made from predominately Cabernet Sauvignon grapes when grown on the left bank of the Gironde River, or Merlot grapes when grown on the right bank. A must for all serious wine drinkers, Bordeaux wines are the apex of drinking pleasure when served properly. But, with over 7000 chateaux and over 40 sub appellations, they are a wine student's nightmare. Some thoughts...

All Bordeaux must be made with only five grape varieties: the Cabernet grape dominating on the left bank (or Medoc side); on the right bank (St. Emilion, Pomeral and many other "lesser" appellations), Merlot is the main ingredient. It's takes a real expert to discern the right bank wines from the left, and so my point is, why bother? To search for a St. Emilion, for example, is not necessary. Vintage and price is much more important than appellation. If you want to spend $20 on a St. Emilion, fine, but you might be better off with a wine shop that can guide you to a better $20 Medoc or St. Julien. In other words, it should be a good Bordeaux you should seek, not any particular region over another. Vintages are important in Bordeaux, but as I said earlier they are sometimes self leveling (But What About Vintages?). You will pay less for the 2004 vintage than the highly acclaimed 2005, so the ‘04 may, in fact, be the better value.

On and on we can go but I do not want to confuse or scare you off. The best thing to do is visit your local wine shop and talk about the wines and taste some examples. It is much easier to talk about wine than to write about it. Especially after a few tastings.

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But What About Vintages?

Wine About

by Eric Olson

I realize that there is an awful lot of stuff you have to know to make informed choices about wine, and vintages probably scare more of you than anything else. What should you know about vintages, and should you really even care about them? Well, to be succinct, the more you know the better. But vintages sometimes are self-leveling: in other words, an inferior vintage of a wine will cost less than a good vintage of the same wine. So might you get a decent value buying a better wine in a lesser year? Hopefully.

We can take off a little vintage pressure for California wines by saying, "don't worry about vintages in California."  A very argumentative statement, but with very few exceptions, very true. California weather is not as variable as most European countries, so unless you like to worry, don't worry.

Some Summer Wines

Wine About

by Eric Olson

As most of you know, and to a fault more than likely, I love to find new things. I've always said, "I'd rather be disappointed than bored." The wine doesn't exist that I'd want to drink all the time. Some wines, when you try them for the first time, transport you to a new world that you never knew existed. One sip and your hooked with an entirely new flavor profile of a wine and your choices will never be the same again. St. Peray Blanc, from the Clape winery in Cornas (northern Rhone), France, was one such experience. One hundred percent Marsanne (a northern Rhone white wine grape), it has beautiful texture, flavors of peach and wet stone with good acidity and a long ingratiating finish. Truly an old world gem from a great winemaker of the old school, August Clape. About $28.

Wine: Healthy & Happy

Wine About

by J. Michael Wheeler
Eric Olson sent us some thoughts about wine and health:

How good is a glass or three a night for your health? Many of you have, no doubt, been reading the latest about wine and health and, like me, are quite pleased. Not in a told you so attitude, but you had to wonder why we feared a natural product from the earth that's been around for centuries, if not longer. "Wine is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy" just about sums it up (Ben Franklin).

I came across a nice succinct piece from an article in Wine Spectator’s Wine & Health News entitled "Wine and Health Round-table" that had many quotes from doctors and other professionals in the health field. Amid all the claims and counter claims one quote stood out, from Dr. Mitchell Krukoff, Duke Medical Cardiac Center, as making, I thought, the best sense: "Wine is at the core of some of the most balanced human lifestyles. I'm sure you've heard of the Mediterranean diet. I think as much as chemistry is interesting – at the end of the day, the real message is where does (wine) fit in your lifestyle? How does it help balance this very amped-up, stress riddled culture that we all live in, with the ability to feel relaxed, to breath and to actually enjoy what God has given us.” Good job, Ben and Mitchell. Pour yourself a nice glass of wine tonight, swirl it around, breath deeply, relax and smile. It just might be good for you.

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Aerates your wine while you pour it!

Soiree Bottle-top Wine Decanter
The Soiree is a wine accessory that fits into any standard corked wine bottle, and comes with an extra gasket that will work with any screw cap bottle; allowing you to pour, without dripping, directly through the Soiree. Once you place the Soiree in the wine bottle, the Soiree aerates your wine as you pour it. The Soiree allows you to decant just the portion of wine you want - a glass or a carafe. The Soiree can also be used to pour the wine into a decanter, further expediting the "opening" of your wine. Soiree fits securely into any wine bottle allowing you to pour, without dripping directly through the Soiree. In using the Soiree to aerate your wine, you will notice the subtleties and character of the wine emerge immediately upon entering your glass. Soiree delivers a truly open wine just by pouring through it!

Hand selected wine accessories are at Foodie's Emporium! Click here.

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Wines for Easter Dinner

Wine About

by J. Michael Wheeler
There's a jewel of a wine shop in Salem, Massachusetts run by Eric Olson. Eric has some sage advice on pairing wines with your Easter Dinner:

Many of you have either one of two main courses for dinner, Ham or Lamb and I thought I'd put my 2 cents worth in concerning what wine to compliment said dishes. Lamb is pretty easy, as I don't believe there are many red wines that would fail to please. Rich, flavorful, fatty lamb does require some heft in the wine however to match perfectly... in order of personal preference, Bordeaux (big, bold, dry, and tannic to match richness and fat), Chianti Classico for the very same reasons, except the mellowing agent for the fat would be acid and not tannins. Burgundy, or Pinot Noir, Temranillo from Spain, and even, if the Lamb is cooked with a fruity sauce or accompaniment, Zinfandel from California. In short, just about any substantial red will do fine.

Ham is far more problematic due to its salty and less robust flavors. If you prefer red, than a young fruity Beaujolais or Pinot Noir (slightly chilled) will work. White and you might try a dry or off dry Chenin Blanc or a Riesling. An interesting compromise would be a dry French Rose.

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Aerates your wine while you pour it!

Soiree Bottle-top Wine Decanter
The Soiree is a wine accessory that fits into any standard corked wine bottle, and comes with an extra gasket that will work with any screw cap bottle; allowing you to pour, without dripping, directly through the Soiree. Once you place the Soiree in the wine bottle, the Soiree aerates your wine as you pour it. The Soiree allows you to decant just the portion of wine you want - a glass or a carafe. The Soiree can also be used to pour the wine into a decanter, further expediting the "opening" of your wine. Soiree fits securely into any wine bottle allowing you to pour, without dripping directly through the Soiree. In using the Soiree to aerate your wine, you will notice the subtleties and character of the wine emerge immediately upon entering your glass. Soiree delivers a truly open wine just by pouring through it!

Hand selected wine accessories are at Foodie's Emporium! Click here.

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