Flag night: Rose at sunset at Croteaux

Stopped at Croteaux Vineyards for rose with friends of Claire and Chris on Memorial Day Sunday.
After sipping rose by their private pool, we wandered in and out of their outdoor al fresco tasting area. I was captivated by this old flag they had hung in the doorway of their old barn.

Discovering Northern Climate Chardonnays from Canada

Tony Aspler (left) and Tony Bachelder at the seminar that
preceded the Canadian Chardonnay tasting event. 

Years ago, at the beginning of my wine education, while I was working at Food & Wine magazine,  I signed up for the famous---and rather pricey---Kevin Zrally wine course at Windows on The World. (I paid for it myself, and it probably represented two weeks of take home pay).
I quickly discovered Kevin was not a fan of Chardonnay. He didn't simply dislike the heavily oaked versions of Chardonnay that California was famous for producing back then,  but he really didn't like that this style of Chardonnay had become not simply the most popular wine to buy but also to order in restaurants and bars in the U. S. In the weeks that followed, this room full of aspiring oenophiles in that iconic restaurant, tasted dozens of wines, while Kevin seemed to make it his personal mission to have his students "get beyond drinking Chardonnay." His dislike for Chardonnay was as strong as his passion for Russian River Pinot Noirs. He was very persuasive and a snobbery about Chardonnay stuck with me.
What I didn't take away from that class, was that not all Chardonnays are made in this buttery, oaky, Jack Daniels flavor kind of way, and that French wines made with Chardonnay grapes from certain regions can produce a very different taste profile. This week, I had an opportunity to taste through a lot of Chardonnays made with the goal of achieving this different taste profile, and the results were very revealing. On Tuesday, March 8th, I attended a tasting of Ontario and British Columbia produced Chardonnays, and came away with an idea of another wine (besides ice wine and sparkling) that Canada may become very well known for. Tony Bachelder was especially articulate about the effect of American oak barrels which "pushes the oak flavor forward" and doesn't allow the wines to really reflect the characther of their particular terroir. He referenced the Cote de Beaune style of winemaking with Chardonnay grapes that emerge with a taste profile that displays a sense of place as being a style Canadian winemakers favor. (The Cote de Beaune is the furthermost southern part of the Cote d'Or and is home to many of the great wines of Burgundy.)

Nine different chardonnays to try from Ontario and British Columbia.

Natalie Spytkowsky and Renata Roman guiding tasting
of Rosewood Estate Winery's 2007 Reserve and 2008 Reserve.

Four panelists, Tony Aspler, Thomas Bachelder, John Szabo and Tara Thomas participated in the seminar under moderator Bill Redelmeier of Southbrook Vineyards. Then seminar participants were invited to walk through the grand tasting of 54 producers of Canadian Chardonnay in a sun bathed massive conference room at the end of the hall on the 50th floor of the McGraw-Hill building. 

Maggie Belcastro of The Grange of Prince Edward County, Ontario
poured 2008 Victoria Block Barrel Fermented Chardonnay.

Alex Harber, Retail Manager of Ravine Vineyard Estate Winery, Ontario. 

Consulting winemaker Peter Gamble for Ravine Vineyard
Estate Winery of Ontario.

Norman Hardie of Norman Hardie Winery & Vineyards in Ontario.

Winemaker, Dan Sullivan and winery owner Cam Reston
 of Rosehall Run in Prince Edward County, Ontario.

The selection committee chose the Cuvee County Chardonnay 2008 from Rosehall Run as one of nine wines to explore during the tasting seminar. The wonderful levels of acidity to this wine comes from contact with the almost powdery limestone soil of that terroir. The mild oak flavor on the finish comes from old Hungarian barrels of 500 litre capacity, which allows for less wood contact than smaller barrel fermentation.

--Monica Forrestall

Lovely Spanish wine in the tucked away east village Carrera wine bar

   Wandering out of a movie last night in the east village, one of my two friends made a "hoist a drink" hand gesture and I nodded. When you've laughed out loud together over  a movie as much as we had, the idea of re-living the laughs, with of course a nice glass of wine, is more than enticing on a chilly Friday night. My friend Mary had a destination in mind, and we wandered over a block and up two. The first one we hit was empty and fully exposed to the street. Her husband, Neil picked out the spot we eventually went into, of three possibilities on the block: Carrera Wine Bar, a sweet spot with frosted windows on the outside, and warm lighting and a long bar on the inside.   http://www.barcarrera.com/

The list was interesting looking, all Spanish. Categorized under regions, the Montsant area's Negre Samso 2008 from producer Clos de Noi spoke to me. The descriptor of old vines and high elevation and layers of dark berry flavors on the wine list was a good selling point. $10 a glass, fine since I was only planning on having one glass, although curiously the waiter tried to talk us out of this selection. Then poured from a bottle that was almost empty, with a regular cork stuck in the top. The wine was flat, but he did offer us a sip to assess that. When my friend Mary gave the taste a tepid response, he offered to open a fresh bottle. As he should have. In the first place.

The Montsant DO (Denominacion de Origen) region was carved out of the Terragona region in 2001, when it was recognized that the wines from their prime, high-altitude vineyards were producing such high quality wines that they deserved their own identity. Less than 60 wines are produced in this region.

Made with the Carinena (Carignan) grape variety, a late ripening black grape, it produces wonderfully full bodied and a fruit heavy flavored wine.

Great everyday wine to enjoy with appetizers on a chilly night.

And it sells for a reasonable $14.99 at Astor wines.


Click here to buy Clos de Noi at Astor Wines







--Monica Forrestall

Days of wine, and..well..more wine

In September and October, when wineries celebrate the harvest and introduce their new wines, the number of events one gets invited to can attend can weigh down an engagement book. The ones I can't pass up? Events where it's highly unlikely I'll have the opportunity to taste a lot of wines from one producer, side by side. (I'm still beating myself up over missing the Amarone seminar)

Monday, October 25th was such a day, the day Italy came to Manhattan! An early 11:00am  start with a seminar at The New York Public library, and extraordinary space to hold events. A Grandi Marchi event, organized by this prestigious Italian association of wine producers that includes a range of producers from Tuscany based Antinori to Sicily's Donnafugata.

Piero Antinori, President of The Grandi Marchi Association gave the opening statements, with a brief overview of the enormous range of wines in different terroirs from the foothills of the Swiss Alps, Piedmonte area, to  Sicily. The speakers who followed included Augosto Buffo, representing the Pio Estate as well as the very dynamic Jose Rallo, daughter of the family who owns Donnafugata of Sicily.

Later at The Simply Italy trade/media wine tasting downstairs, I tried several new introductions including this exceptional Amarone from Masi. This producer, Masi, is from the Veneto region (north-west Italy) just south-west of Venice. Amarone is a style of winemaking that is in use in other areas (even Long Island!) This Amarone was very full bodied, a rich, dense wine with strong stone fruit (cherry and plum) as well as cocoa flavours and aroma. The vines that face Lake Garda reap the benefits of the reflected sun's light, not to mention its mild climate. The Amarone production method involves the vinification of grapes that have been semi-dried for 3-4 months. This Costasera Amarone 2006 expresses a particular complexity and makes it a great match for mature cheeses.

Another outstanding wine, I tasted at the Simply Italy event was Ben Rye from Donnafugata. This sweet dessert or "meditation" wine as the Italians charmingly describe wines to enjoy on their own, has a bright amber yellow color. Intense notes include apricots, peaches, dried figs, honey, herbs and mineral notes. To pair with blue-veined or ripe cheeses or desserts.

Ran into a friend Frank DeFalco (left), who was pouring a delightful blend of Sangiovese and Canaiolo varietals: Rubesco Riserva Monticchio 2005 from the Umbria region.

Events today, overlapped and I had to exit early to get to the recently opened 42,000 square foot Italian Market, Eataly for the Vinitaly wine tasting event. I'm certain on paper this must have seemed like a natural match up of event and location, and a fabulous way of promoting wines, side by side with Italian food, but the reality was chaotic. Getting jostled by shoppers (who all seemed confused by the tasting tables that they were not welcome to stop at) as you're trying to focus on tasting was distracting and difficult. The acoustics are...well, like a marketplace ie: LOUD and shouting questions at wine sales reps, half of whom had a glancing familiarity with English,  (winemakers seemed scarce here) was un-fun. I tasted some nice Sicilian wines from the producer Tema and ran into Lidia Bastianich, who runs the cooking school there. I had the company of my friend Sarah, a fan of wine who lived in Italy for many years and picked up some minuscule cheese raviolis for my sons dinner.


Capped off the day by zipping across town to the Gramercy Hotel to a dinner at Danny Meyer's Maialino (famous for their all Italian wine list) hosted by the Consorzio for Chianti Wines. There was a tasting of seven Chiantis set up from the lightest bodied wine from producer Badia di Morrona a 2009 Sodi del Paretaio (left) to the fullest, a Chianti Superiore 2008 from Ruffino. My second visit to Maialino, the pork dish, which had been delicious the first time there, was overcooked and sat on people's dishes as guests raised their hands requested more of the juicy roasted chicken from the servers circling the table with platters of meat. Couldn't help thinking my friend Les makes a better pork dish. Altho the cracklin' still rocked.

--Monica Forrestall

Persistence Pays Off: Or if you hang out at a table long enough, they bring out the really good stuff

Case in point, this Imperial Riserva 2004, being poured at the Rioja table at the 17th annual Great Match Spanish wine tasting event in New York on October 7th. This is an annual event that features 130 wines being poured for tasting from many of Spain's 74 denominations of origin.

The eloquent ladies at the Rioja tables had this rare bottle of Imperial Reserva 2004 squirreled away, and brought it out to pour after tasters had diligently worked their way up through the newer introductions. This medium bodied wine shows plum, blackberry and spices on the palate. Made using 85% Tempranillo, 10% Graciano and 5% Mazuelo grape varieties, this velvety-textured wine was aged in new French and American oak for 24 months.

---Monica Forrestall

Tastings and Pairings: The Best of the Best of the height of wine tasting season.

This time of year the invitations for wine tastings are coming fast and furious. This week I had four on my calendar (I made it to three).

As incredibly useful as the huge tastings that I go to are, in terms of tasting a lot of different styles and quality from dozens of producers, I honestly prefer the more intimate invites I get. Here hosts organize a very thorough, guided tasting with the winemaker. And there is nothing more engrossing (or enchanting) than listening to a winemaker passionately describe how the wines you drank came to be. Details like what the weather was like that year in the vineyards make for a riveting seminar.
Yesterday I was invited by the owner of the Chilean winery Montes Premium wines, Aurelio Montes, to taste through their new introductions, which included their Kaiken Mai 2007.

Along with the information on aging techniques, and descriptions of the terroir where the grapes were picked, Mr. Montes offered food pairing tips with the wines we were tasting (with the exception of his Montes Alpha M 2007---which he said he would take to his room and drink alone.)

When the tasting was complete, we were invited to stay and have lunch with Mr. Montes in a private room of Aureole. After hearing about how well Kaiken Mai's would pair well with big meat dish, I couldn't pass up the chance to have that experience (especially since in our highly vegetarian home---deer, venison and wild boar have never been on the menu.)

The first course was a Montes Alpha Chardonnay 2008, which they nicely paired with sweet, moist Nova Scotia lobster.  This soft gold colored wine showed banana and tropical fruits on the palate and nicely balanced the rich, sweet lobster meat.

The next course, Pork Belly Pastrami, served with a Raclette cheese and cole slaw and the powerful 100% Malbec, Kiaken Mai 2007 was a good pairing, but I liked the combination of the Star Angel "Aurelio's Selection" 2007 even more. The Star Angel's smoky spiciness was a great combination with the smoky pastrami.

The third course, a Flat iron Steak in a sauce Au Poivre dotted with floating English peas and delicately sliced smoked fingerling potatoes went well with the Kaiken Mai 2007, a bold wine, with plenty of structure and tannins to stand up to this hearty meat dish.

Although their premium wines that I tasted fall into the $60 to $90 category,  Montes also produces a lot of wines in the under $20 price point.

---Monica Forrestall

Sentimental Journey visiting wineries in the Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia

I wrote a piece for Brix magazine on wineries and travel for their summer issue.

The wines are getting better and better, and this summer's hot sunny days in July and August are adding up to one of their best seasons in years.

http://brixmag.com/?p=467

---Monica Forrestall