Vine Talk

From time to time, I get an e-mail asking to check out something new on the booze scene.  Usually, I ignore any e-mail that doesn't involve a free bottle of liquor being sent to my house.  Hint.

I received a trailer for a new show called Vine Talk, featuring Stanley Tucci.  He's a fine actor, but I don't know if that gives him the chops to wax on about wine.  Other than the obvious access that money brings to the table.  I was ready to ignore it, then suddenly, I saw something special in the video.



Bed Bath & Beyond 2005.  Delicious.

At least I know that they saved money on coasters and invested it in the wine.



Nigl Brut de Brut 2007

This is a quite tasty sparkler from Austria.  A blend of grüner and chardonnay.  This wine is tart, minerally, and rapidly disappearing from my glass.

Cost: $23.99
Grade: B

Rutz Cellars 2005 Dutton Ranch Russian River Pinot Noir and the Venturi Wine Aerator

For those who care, the release notes can be found here.

I had this at a tasting.  It's beyond my usual price point, but a quality wine is worth it.  Cousin David was at the same tasting, and he left with a case.  He's moving from the boonies of Tennesee to the boonies of Ohio, so when he finds something he likes, he buys in bulk.

I felt like having a good red with dinner tonight, so I grabbed this one off of the rack.  My first thought was that it was good, but it was too tight and needed to breathe.  "Too tight" and "needs to breathe" are expressions that us so-called-wine experts use so that people like you think that we are smarter than you.  We like to keep the rabble in their place.  (Once again, drinking while blogging,)

Behold!  My Valentine's day gift from Mrs. Rye.  The Venturi Red Wine Aerator.  The idea is that instead of decanting a good bottle of wine, you pour it through the aerator and get a similar result.  I don't think that it completely replaces the decanter, but when you're opening a bottle for yourself, and not a dinner party, it's an acceptable substitute.  When you pour the wine, it emits a weird hissing noise, kind of like when you are fixing that drip your bathroom sink and the under-the-sink shutoff valve sounds like it's going to explode when you try to close it.  Aaah, the joy of do-it-yourself plumbing in an older house.  I think that the aerator does make a difference.  There may be some placebo affect, but I don't care.

So how did it taste?  It has nice acidity and a nice velvet texture on the tongue, with some cherry, plum, and leather notes in the flavor.

Cost: $34.99
Grade: B+
Cost Adjusted Grade: B

Villa Sparina Gavi

I have some friends that really love this wine.  I thought that I'd give it a shot when I put together my case for the month.  This is a standard Italian table wine.  It's acidic with some mineral quality that reminds me of Grüner Veltliner. 

Gavi is a region in Piedmont.  It's made with the Cortese grape.  It's a nice drinkable wine, just not at this price.

Cost: $19.99

Grade: B

Cost Adjusted Grade: C

Chateau Greysac

A much better review of this wine can be found here.   I know this guy, and he knows a hell of a lot more about wine than I do.

It's an odd thing.  I crave balance in the beer that I drink, but when it comes to red wine, I like them to err on the fruity side.  This wine is very well balanced, but I doesn't work for me.  It's still a little tight.  I bought four bottles and I'm going to let the other 3 lay down for a few years and see how it goes.

How would Two Parts Rye review this wine?  I went to Tijuana during college spring break and came home with a raging case of Chateau Greysac.  A shot of penicillin cleared it up.

I'm not going to grade it because I think that it still needs a few years of aging.  Wine Enclave called it approachable, which I translate to C+ to B-.

There are no such thing as stupid questions, just stupid people who ask questions

A couple of weeks ago I was at Weiland's for their weekly wine tastings.  Somebody asked the guy working there if they had any fermented red wine.  A question so stupid that it immediately causes your brain to shut down.

We looked at one another and we were both speechless.  The idiot said something about Italian wine with bubbles.  I was still too stunned to pull Lambrusco out of my brain.  I mentioned a sparkling shiraz that they have and the clerk recovered enough to assist the customer.  Fermented red wind?  Dipshit.

Gregory Graham 2006 Sauvignon Blanc

I think that his red wines are quite impressive.  Lets take one of his white's for a spin.

Label Stuff:  The rocky, red volcanic soil and clear, crisp mountain air at out Crimson Hill Vineyard provides the optimum conditions for the production of premium wines.  Quality is paramount in every detail from pruning to bottling. 

How does it taste?  It's a nice mellow example of the grape.  Crisp, somewhat sour, with a hint of pine.  When I jam my nose deep in the glass, I get a nice grapefruit aroma.  It's good, but not quite $20 good. 

Cost: $20
Grade: B
Cost Adjusted Grade: C+

Gregory Graham 2006 Grenache

Crimson Hill Vinyard
You won't see me reviewing many wines over $20, because that's out of my blind purchase price range.  I had this one at a tasting and it's one of my favorites.  It's a holiday/dinner party/gift wine.  Impress your friends.

Web Stuff:  The crimson red, volcanic soil of our vineyard provides the the perfect site for growing red wines. This wine is an example of the quality that can be attained by the vigneron "wine grower," where the grower and winemaker are the same. This unique and exceptional wine is the creation and result of Greg's experience, passion, and effort.

How does it taste?  It has a nice balance of fruit with acidity.  If you like your wines more earthy and tannic, try his syrah.  It's quite tasty too.

Cost: $21.99
Grade: B+
Cost Adjusted Grade: B+

Kopke Fine Dry White Port

Wine lesson. Port is a fortified wine. A fortified wine is a wine that has had a spirit added to it before fermentation is complete. Therefore, it is sweet, and it has a kick. Most ports are sweet and thick. This one is a dry port. It has a bit of a sour apple flavor. It reminds a bit of dry vermouth. This makes sense, since vermouth is a fortified white wine as well.

I feel compelled to make a dry Manhattan.  Can’t say that I care for it. Add some sweet vermouth and it became a perfect Manhattan. Perfect means that it has both dry and sweet vermouth and is not a comment on the drink's virtues. Having gone through all of this, I recommend just drinking it straight. It’s a pleasant after dinner sip.

Cost: $19.99
Grade: B

Vino Family Vinyards Don Vino

Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 Napa Valley

Label Stuff: This very attractive aromatic invitation weaves together currant, black cherry, tobacco, and forest floor quite harmoniously. The core of mid-palate flavors are deep and thick of cedar, blackberry, and chocolate. All of which leads in to a seamless juicy texture with rich acidity that carry the tannins to a balanced crisp finish.

I don't know about the forest floor BS, but it has a nice blackberry flavor with a little bit of acidity to keep it from being too sweet.  You still get a little bit of berry in the finish.  It's a good wine.  Impress your friends.

Cost: $14.99
Grade: B
Cost Adjusted Grade: A-

Patio Pounder: La Cavée 2007

It may be November, but the sun is shining.

This is a white wine from the Côtes de Ventoux region of France.  It's a blend of 40% Grenache Blanc and 60% Clairette that has been "partly" aged in oak  Whatever the hell that means.  It's an average table wine.  Not bad, but nothing exciting.

Cost: $12.99
Grade: C+
Cost Adjusted Grade: C-

I haven't done a wine review in a month.

La Grange de Piaugier Côtes du Rhône 2007

It's a traditional french wine.  No web site, no extra info on the label.  In the US, we're used to seeing the grape variatal instead of the region.  Some research has led me to believe that the grape in this wine is granache.  I like my granache to be a bit more lighter than this wine.

That's fascinating, what does it taste like?  A little bit of berry, not too much tannin.  Kind of earthy.  The sophisticated palate appreciates a glass of dirt.  This is better known as terroir.

Cost: $12.99
Grade: C+
Cost Adjusted Grade: B-

Château d'Or et de Gueules

Costières De Nîmes. 2006

The name comes from the family crest. It means gold and red. (Gueules is the old french word for red.) Oddly enough, in modern french, ta geuele means shut up or more literally shut-your-mouth. Reminds me of a song.

What's the inexpensive red wine that tastes really good for all the chicks?
Costières De Nîmes.
They say that Costières De Nîmes is a bad mother...
Ta Gueule!
I'm only talking about Costières De Nîmes!
We can dig it.
It's a complicated wine for it's price point....

Web stuff:
WHERE IT COMES FROM :
The Château d’Or et de Gueules is situated in the doorstep of the camargue region, 4 kms from the village of St Gilles on the southern slope of Nîmes. The red stony soil and the exceptional climatic conditions (251 days of sun every year) give the grape a maximum maturity, allowing the production of fruity wines with velvety tannins.





Those tannins are beautiful, what are they velvet?





INGREDIENTS
90% old mourvèdre de 90 years age 10% Syrah
OUTPUT
10hl/ha don't care.
WINE MAKING PROCESS
The grape is harvest by hand early october. Extraction is done by “Pigeage”.
DESCRIPTION OF WINE
Impressive deep-coloured with a light spicy , caramel nose and a mouth filling mixed red and black fruits flavours. YES! A big complexity for a top elegant wine. A big complexity for a cheap red! Decant now to drink.

Cost: $9.99
Grade: B
Cost Adjusted Grade: A. Good cheap reds are hard to find.

Monthly wine tasting: August 09

So, not only do I get to try 4 wines and 4 beers weekly at the local market. They also have monthly wine dinners. It's good food and I get to mingle with my fellow winos.

This month, we had wines of Australia. Here's 8 quick reviews.

DeBortoli Sparkling Brut (100% Chardonnay) $9.99: This is very drinkable and right up my alley, both in flavor and price.
Grade: B
Cost Adjusted Grade: A

2008 Unwooded Chardonnay, McLaren Vale $16.99: The distributor said that is was light and fruity. It's easily overpowered by food and I found it to be flavorless.
Grade: C
Cost Adjusted Grade: D

2005 Turkey Flat Butcher's Block White Blend, Barossa Valley $22.99: This wine is 50% Marsanne, 50% Viognier. Tastes like 100% over-oaked Chardonnay.
Grade: C-
Cost Adjusted Grade: F

2007 Turkey Flat Rosé, Barossa Valley $18.99: This has a buttery texture like a big Chardonnay, but a better flavor. One of the most unusual rosés that I have tried.
Grade: B+
Cost Adjusted Grade: B

This is the point in the evening where the level of mingling makes it difficult to take good tasting notes. Not that my descriptions are all that wordy to begin with.

2007 DeBortoli dB Petite Sirah $8.99: It is a rare to find a red that is both cheap and tasty.
Grade: B
Cost Adjusted Grade: B+

2005 Pretty Sally Cabernet/Shiraz $14.99: Unmemorable.
Grade: C
Cost Adjusted Grade: C-

2008 Thorne Clarke Shotfire Ridge Shiraz, Barossa Valley $19.99: Big fruity inky red.
Grade: B+
Cost Adjusted Grade: B

Willow Glen Tawny Port $9.99: It's a cheap port, and that's what it tastes like.
Grade: D
Cost Adjusted Grade: C-

Rapid Fire Friday

Vina Rebordo: $9.99. Not very exciting. C
Guigal Cotes de Rhone Blanc: $13.99. Not bad. C+
Don Pascal: $12.99 Tannic Red D
Tenuta Ferneta: $19.99 This Tuscan red will probably be good with 5 or so years of aging. Since I drank it today C+.

Trappist Rochefort 6, 8 and 10. The numbers have something to do with the alcohol content. I found a way to enjoy Belgian beers. Drink bad red wine first. It blocks whatever it is that I don't like. These were all good. B. I may buy one again and see if it was a fluke.

Rapid Fire Fridays Tasting

Earlier, I spoke about how I get to sample a lot of wine and beer at a very reasonable price. I've been missing out on a lot of reviews because I didn't want to be the guy who was always taking notes in a public place. You look like a dick. Oh well. I'm tired of always giving out good grades.

Typically when I do a review, the beverage is sitting next to me as a I type. Therefore, these reviews will be really brief. I have to leave one white wine and one red off of the review because I can't read my own chicken scratch. They weren't anything special.

Stump Jump Verdello: $9.99. Thin. C-
Trentadue Old Patch Red: $14.99. Kinda fruity, but not a fruit bomb. It was a meh week. C.

Brew Dog Paradox: $10.99 for a 12 oz bottle. An excellent stout but way overpriced. It's the type of beer that you share as an after dinner drink. Flavor only grade. A. If it was cheaper, I'd buy it and do a more thorough review.
Brew Dog Hardcore IPA: $5.99 for a 20 oz. The first sip is good. But it ends up tasting salty like a cream ale. D.

Patio Pounder: The Wait

It's still muggy-mug-muggy in Columbus. Need cool patio wine

Torrontes 2008

Weird quote from their home page: Without time, Satan's invention, the world would lose its sorrow of wait and its hope of wait.

Wine specific web stuff: Our 100% Torrontes wine exudes perfumed, floral aromas, enhanced by flavors of fresh pear, melon, pink grapefruit, peaches and honeysuckle (I think that it tastes like lemonade. Who doesn't like lemonade? Satan. Now that quote makes sense. Or does it?) lingering in the fruity finish. Pairs well with fresh fruits, all types of seafood and spicy Asian cuisine.

Cost: $10.99
Grade: B
Cost Adjusted Grade: B+

Patio Pounder: Fire Road 2008 Sauvignon Blanc

Marlborough, Wine of New Zealand

It's been a mild summer here in Ohio. Until yesterday, when it hit the 90's. Of course, yesterday was our softball tournament and we ended up playing three games. It's a good thing that I coach and kept mostly in the shade. It's part of being a good coach. I stink, so DH for me.

We finished the game, and went to Coach's Bar & Grille and grabbed some Bud Lites to get rehydrated. Got home late, 9:30 on a work night, scandalous! Woke up this morning and drug my tired butt into into work. Now it's raining and muggy. Fortunately, my patio is covered. Time for a some a reasonably priced white wine while I mull over yesterday's bad umpiring. That ball was fair!

Label stuff: Marlborough's worst ever fire, (I blame the guy on the horse who is always smoking. The guy is smoking, not the horse.), Boxing Day 2000 (New Zealand's version of Wrestlemania), burnt 6000 ha, (Pretend that a hectare is a couch. That's what we burn after beating Michigan.) for over three days, killed thousands of stock and threatened the wine town of Blenheim, as well as a number of vineyards and wineries.

Disaster was avoided by the brave residents, of what is now known as Fireroad (I was wondering when this tale would become relevant to the wine), who battled the blaze, by using buckets and hand held hoses and were eventually assisted by a fortunate wind shift.

The Fireroad vineyards flourish in the same hot and dry climate that was the catalyst for such a mighty blaze. This Sauvignon Blanc is typical Marlborough with flavours of gooseberry, passion fruit, and honeysuckle. (Yeah, I don't know what any of those three taste like.) An ideal wine with fresh seafood or white meat.

Cost: $9.99
Grade: C+
Cost Adjusted Grade: B

Nectar of the gods

Les Monts Damnés 2005
Appellation Sancerre Controlée

What does it taste like? Honey, not the cheap stuff that crystalizes. A good sage or orange blossom honey. Hmmm. Damné that's good.

What kind of grape is in White Sancerre? Sauvignon Blanc. This has a sauvignon blanc finish, but it is less in your face than the typical sb.

No smarty comments? Every now and then, I'm just too impressed.

Cost: Approximately $32
Grade: A
Cost Adjusted Grade: A (A rare wine that's I would pay more than $10 for.)

Patio Pounder: Land of Fire, Wine of Argentina 2008

Label Stuff: Chenin Blanc (Hey, that's a grape!) Fresh and crisp, with floral aromas (not really) and flavors of quince (not a common product in the US. This does not taste like quince.) and pear (I can see that.), this wine is a versatile companion to informal meals, and is an excellent aperitif.

An excellent aperitif? It's french for foreplay. Oddly enough, the older you get, the more aperitif you have and less foreplay.

What do you taste? Pear, and juniper. It is slightly acidic. Not a lot of sugar.

Price: $6.99 That's a dollar more than last year. Grumble grumble.
Grade: C+
Cost Adjusted Grade: B
Last year's cost adjusted grade: B+