What Are You Bringing To The Table?

It’s good to be back writing again after a lengthy layoff, and what better time to jump back in than to do it with Thanksgiving coming up. Last year, I put together a nice little Thanksgiving guide for you, but I can’t just mail in my first post in two months.

So I pose the question to you…what are you bringing to the table? Whether you are hosting or traveling, you are doing something to contribute this Thanksgiving, right? Of course you are, and perhaps you don’t know what to go for or you find yourself needing a change from the usual.

I will be honest…you can bring just about any beverage of your choosing and it will be fine. Seriously! The beauty of the Thanksgiving feast is that you have a lot of different things to choose from. Turkey itself is fairly mild and many wines will work fine. Sometimes the challenge can be strong flavors; maybe you have a lot of herbs and greens as your sides. Cranberry sauce is sweet and sour. What if you are frying or charcoal-smoking your turkey? Here are some guidelines to help you find the right wine for your holiday table.

Skip the “big” wines”

Cabernet Sauvignon and Nebbiolo have a lot of tannins, acids, and power. They overwhelm just about anything on your table. Additionally, oaky Chardonnay (particularly from the New World) will create bitter flavors on your palate. Save these wines for after dinner if you really like them.

Skip the acidic wines

Sauvignon Blanc can be aggressively acidic and feel thin and tart on your palate with all the rich foods, however acidic wines with some texture can be a very good match. Instead, lean on a white Bordeaux, which typically has Sauvignon Blanc, with some Sémillon blended in. Sémillon has a soft, honeyed texture that tamps down the piercing acids Sauvignon Blanc. Chateau Lamothe de Haux ($15) is consistently a good example.

Go classic: Pinot Noir or Gamay

Pinot Noir’s liveliness, fruitiness, and silky texture are great for Thanksgiving. The baking spices and earthiness that comes through in this grape matches particularly well. I tend to lean on Pinot Noir from Oregon or even Chile; both regions give a nice balance of the aspects I mentioned above. Additionally, Gamay from Burgundy, which you will often find as Beaujolais is lighter and fruitier than Pinot Noir and virtually no tannin. Louis Latour released a blend of these two grapes (85% Gamay, 15% Pinot Noir, $15) that to me is the ultimate Thanksgiving wine.

If you smoked your turkey…

Time to go for something a little more intense than Pinot Noir and Gamay, which are delicate and will fade behind a smoked turkey. Here is a spot to try a Zinfandel, Grenache/Syrah blend, or South African red blend. Zinfandel is plush and jammy, low in tannin but full-bodied and able to stand up to the stength of smoking. A southern French red blend (such as the $13 Mas Sauvaire from the Languedoc region) would work here, too. A.A. Badenhorst’s Secateurs ($15) is another fine option if you want to explore South Africa.

Be daring: Go with an aromatic white

Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer are noble grapes in Alsace, with fruity/floral and exotic flavors and aromas. The richness of Alsace Pinot Gris is a great choice. Gewurztraminer has full-bodied tropical fruit flavors and can be very good with a ham if you have guests that don’t do turkey. Viognier is a luxurious white Rhone variety that offers similar aromas to Riesling but with more body and weight. Even better…try a blend of some of these varieties! Willm “Gentil” is a noble white Alsace blend ($13) and Korta “Irune” ($16) from Chile is Viognier, Riesling, and Sauvignon Blanc. Either would be a lot of fun at the table.

Cheat and bring bubbly

No one refuses Champagne, Prosecco, or sparkling wine of any kind. No one, I’m convinced. Plus it is a great way to start the day. Champagne Aubry ($38) is very reasonably priced with an orange zest and brioche character. Mionetto Prosecco ($12) is fun and fruity, suitable for drinking on its own or for making a cocktail. If you don’t have a Champagne budget, try a “Cremant” such as Bailly Lapierre’s Blanc de Noirs ($19).

Try Sherry

Sherry is great for any hard-to-pair meal. Heck, the Spanish drink it with their tapas, since you have so many different foods coming. It has a salty, nutty character with just the right amount of texture. An Amontillado Sherry such as Emilio Lustau’s Los Arcos ($15) is a fine way to introduce yourself to Sherry if you have never tried it before.

No need to go super-expensive…but go ahead if you want to!

I mean, you can if you want to and there is something satisfying about enjoying a high-end wine at holiday time, but chances are higher that Thanksgiving is going to be quantity-driven. I am helping you keep costs down by keeping my recommendations under $20 where possible.

With that, I wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving. Cheers!

Wines "&" Spirits "&" Beers...Oh My!

How come these letters never made it into the English language? Credit: Dr. Seuss' On Beyond Zebra

I can't get enough of the National Days of the Year Calendar. I am always amazed at what topic or category deserves our attention and awareness. There are some that are for a good cause (HIV awareness, POW/MIA Recognition) and some that are simply out there (National Crush a Can Day?). Did you know that tomorrow is National Ampersand (&) Day?

Yes! This little symbol that supposedly used to be the last letter of the alphabet has its own day. The symbol that is supposed to be "e" and "t" mashed together, where the Latin word "et" in fact means "and," is to be celebrated on September 8th every year! My goodness.

Let's have some fun today. Go ahead and give recognition to the ex-27th letter of the alphabet. Let's do this by grabbing a bottle of your favorite alcoholic beverage with a "&" on the label. Need some ideas? I have some outstanding producers for you to seek out.

Here's to you & whoever else is celebrating National Ampersand Day!

Moët & Chandon: The legendary wine you see from this Champagne house is the Dom Perignon range, but you don't have to reach for the top shelf if you don't want to. Brut Imperial will do you just fine.

Bouchard Pere & Fils: This Burgundy negociant offers a wide range of expressions from many villages throughout the region. Here in Connecticut, we have access to many of their Chardonnay wines from the Côte de Beaune region, but a white or red wine simply labeled "Bourgogne" will help you stay under $20.

Nickel & Nickel: This Napa Valley winery specialized in many single vineyard expressions. These are excellent New World wines that are going to be pricey, but they will deliver.

Cooper & Thief: These folks are capitalizing on the newest winemaking craze, aging red wine in Bourbon barrels. Of all the producers making this style of wine, I find Cooper & Thief does it best.

Wells & Young's: I didn't find many beer producers with the "&" in its name, but one thing I remember about Wells & Young's is their delicious Double Chocolate Stout.

Wray & Nephew: Their signature product is the Overproof White Rum, clocking in at an astounding 62.75% abv (125.5 Proof). It is pungent, fiery, and great in any rum-based cocktail like a traditional Daiquiri or a Mojito.

Gordon & Macphail: For 123 years, Gordon & Macphail has sought out casks from Scotch distilleries to bottle as single malts under their own labels. The portfolio is comprehensive, with non-traditional age statements and individual "vintages" dated on the labels.

Raise A Glass To Sending Your Kids Back To School

We have begun a fun tradition at Divine Wine. You see, the first day of school happens the last Wednesday of August around here, and that means it takes us right into Labor Day weekend. So we have chosen to raise a glass to the end of a fun summer, or...sending your kids back to school.

Now I do understand...some of you in the audience are teachers; teachers who read that title above and are not happy with me for pointing this out. But you know what? Pop open a cork for yourselves as you tackle the daunting task of educating our youth, keeping them in line, keeping their spirits up, and after doing all of that tending to your own family and their needs. You deserve a glass of bubbly.

Last year, we exclusively showcased traditional method/Champagne-style sparkling wines. This year we added some Prosecco and tank method wines to the lineup. What's the difference, you ask? "Tank method" or "Charmat process" simply refers to where the second fermentation of the wine to make the bubbles takes place. The hyperlink above gives you a nice overview of the Champagne-making process where that secondary fermentation makes the bubbles inside each individual bottle instead of a tank.

Leave it to Wine Folly to illustrate how processes take place in the wine industry. This is a fantastically simple way to understand how wines like Prosecco are made. Image credit: Wine Folly

After a tank method wine is made with bubbles formed, the wine is filtered and then held in a pressure-resistant refrigerated tank to keep the wine as fresh as possible. Then the wine gets one more filtration before bottling under pressure. The goal of these wines is to be vibrant and fruity with no real impact of aromas and flavors developed from the yeasts (these aromas flavors are more pronounced in traditional method wines and especially in Champagne). Because of the larger scale of production and carrying less prestige than Champagne, the tank method wines are less expensive (frequently found in the $10-$20 range).

So we included two tank method wines along with two Champagnes and an all-time favorite Crémant wine (a traditional method wine made in France but not in the Champagne region). Here is what we sampled on Saturday afternoon.

90 Plus Cellars Prosecco Made With Organic Grapes ($13): Very fruity, with ripe golden apples and pears and a refreshing finish.

90 Plus Cellars Rosé Spumante ($10): 100% Pinot Noir. Strawberry and cranberry on the nose, but more watermelon and herbs on the palate. Very dry finish and an easy buy at this price.

Marie Pierre Manciat Crémant de Bourgogne ($23): I have written of this wine ad nauseum, and we featured it in last year's tasting, but it continues to deliver above and beyond its price tag with gentle, yet persistent bubbles that give you a mouthwatering finish. Keep this one in mind for the Thanksgiving table.

Magic Door La Cle de la Femme Champagne ($31): The Magic Door label is the luxury series within the 90 Plus family of wines. There is 80% Pinot Meunier in this blend; it is a grape that mutated from Pinot Noir to stand up to the frigid conditions in Champagne. The balance is Chardonnay. The result is a fruity and approachable Champagne with apple crumble and almond flavors and aromas. This is a fine way to introduce yourself to a value Champagne.

Charles Heidsieck Blue Top Brut ($37 in 750mL, $20 in 375mL): We like having a traditional Champagne producer in the lineup, and we love having something available in a half bottle for those not looking to blitz through a full one. Butter toast, red berries (thanks to about 70% Pinot Noir in the blend), apples, and a citrusy finish. Very complex for a Champagne under $40.

The Obligatory Wine With Halloween Candy Post

It's that time of year! Get ready for (if you haven't seen them yet) the blitz of articles about pairing wine and other booze with Halloween candy.

Before I get into the meat of this topic, let me start with this: Halloween is quite the production in my neighborhood. Everyone around here understands we have a window of time to celebrate and generally just have a good time. When it's done, it's done; people have jobs to get to and life to deal with the next day. During that time, however, the neighborhood has fire pits and music. Some houses have some tasty beverages for the adults to sample while kids get the traditional range of "fun size" candies, along with a sprinkling of full-size confections from the really awesome houses.

So whether you end up enjoying Halloween with the neighborhood for a few hours, or end up coming back from trick-or-treating with the kids to knock down a beverage or two, there's always one thing to remember if you are going to pair your booze of choice with candy:

Make sure your drink is (or seems) sweeter than the candy you are eating.

I can't stress that point enough. Dry wines and light beers are going to taste very thin and harsh with just about any type of candy, whether it is fruit flavored, chocolatey, peanut buttery, or anything else. Sorry, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, and many Italian white wines...you are out. IPAs and (Insert macrobrew here) Lite? So are you. High-tannin or light-bodied red wines? Brutal. Your beer and wine will just taste astringent and tart. These are all mighty fine adult beverages and I love them all...just not today.

However, there are some ways to get around this rule of thumb when it comes to drinking with candy, especially if you just don't like sweet wine or other alcoholic beverages. Sometimes playing around with flavor composition, illusions of sweetness, and texture can help make a pairing work.

Less than an hour away from home, Two Roads has always delivered on just about any beer I have had from them. The Oktoberfest is no different.

Let's start with the beer-drinkers. While most beers aren't necessarily sweet, there is a component of a brew that can give you the impression of sweetness on your palate: malt. That's right...most malty beers feel full-bodied and creamy with a caramel/chocolate/toffee flavor profile. These are all the aspects of a malty beer that can play nicely with your Twix, Kit-Kats, and Butterfingers. Newcastle Brown Ale and other English Brown Ales work nicely with these candies. Additionally, go for what is readily available at this time of year: Oktoberfest/Märzen style beers. These are a little lighter and not quite as malty as a Brown Ale, but has some of the sweet fall baking spice notes. Whether you go with the ubiquitous-but-steady Sam Adams or a local craft brewery, you can't go wrong (assuming you like the style, of course). If you prefer to steal the fruity candies like Starbursts and Skittles from your kids, try a Fruit Lambic; Lindemans tends to be the most readily available of this style and finishes sweeter than other producers.

Now, what do we do about wine? If you are not a sweet wine lover, then we need to find wines that are full-bodied, fruity, and assertive. Oaked Chardonnay does the trick with the bold, tropical fruit flavor, butterscotch and cream (the byproduct of malolactic fermentation), and sweet spices. Look no further than the outwardly named "Butter" by JaM Cellars. It's going to have all of that for about $15. Great for popping the candy corns or even milk chocolate.

Fruit-forward, full-bodied reds can work wonders with candy.

For a "dry" red, Australian Shiraz and California Zinfandel can be so ripe, full-bodied, and jammy, the wines will leave you with a sweet sensation on the finish. Yalumba Y Series Shiraz ($15) or Bogle's Old Vine Zinfandel ($10) keeps things simple and straightforward. The red fruit bomb that is the Zinfandel and the raisiny/figgy/peppery character of the Shiraz will each give you what you need for dark chocolate candy.

A little off the beaten path, but worth trying if you find it. Alvear offers terrific value with all of their products.

For the sweet wines, Port and dark chocolate has long been an essential pairing; the complexity of each feeds off of one another. You can also consider the syrupy, chocolatey, and mouthcoating Pedro Ximinez ("PX") Sherries; PX can be poured over ice cream for some serious indulgence if rummaging through Halloween candy isn't good enough. It will just overwhelm any confection you throw at it, though it will play well with a Snickers or Reese's since Sherry generally has a nutty character to it. Bodegas Alvear's Solera Cream ($18) is made with 100% PX grapes in the region of Montilla-Moriles, a production area more inland with a hotter climate than the traditional Sherry regions. As a result, the wines are less expensive.

We haven't touched on enough wine to drink with your fruity candies. Go big or go home, I say, with the Hungarian sweet wine known as Tokaji [toe-KYE]. Royal Tokaji Wine Company Red Label Tokaji is peachy, citrusy, and full of honey. There is always Ice Wine from Canada, the Finger Lakes, and Austria that are delicate, fruity, and sweet, but with plenty of acid to prevent the wine from feeling sticky sweet on your palate. Inniskillin is a well-known Canadian producer as is Nigl of Austria. If you are willing to spend $40 for a 500mL bottle, dive in (then save whatever is left in the bottle to enjoy with fruit tarts and cakes on a later date).

A mere ounce of this stuff instantly boosts the flavor of any beverage. Feel free to go inexpensive on the vodka. I won't tell.

Now, what if you are into spirits? Well, one of the easiest things you can do is hook yourself up with a flavored vodka of choice, mix with lemonade, and be on your way to gorging on Skittles, Sour Patch Kids, Jolly Ranchers, and Gummi Bears/Worms/Other Creatures. One concoction we enjoy in the summer is blueberry vodka with lemonade, and honestly you can get away with that year round. Or, grab the magic Cognac and raspberry liqueur known as Chambord ($35-ish) and add that to your flavored vodka. No Twizzler stands a chance.

Here are some others you can work with as well in the spirits department: Bailey's Irish Cream and a Milky Way, El Dorado 12 Year Rum with any caramel candy (or even those banana Laffy Taffy things), and Champagne and pretzels (there will be pretzels in the candy bag, I promise you...and that's a good reason to drink Champagne).

Hey, have fun with this. I have seen some posts out there on the topic that give zero explanation as to why any of the pairings work. Hopefully, I make some sense with my line of thinking, but I would also love to hear what you enjoy with the Halloween haul. Just remember this: alcohol and sugar dehydrate you. Consume both for long periods of time without some water or other food in-between shoveling in the sweets can lead to some wretched hangovers. Enjoy the evening in moderation and, of course, be safe!

A True Labor Of Love

You may have noticed that my post count has dwindled over the last couple of weeks. School has already begun here in Connecticut, yet we are still trying to squeeze every bit of summer in that we can. However, I have also been using the time to plan all sorts of great events, classes, and casual tastings during the autumn months.

That brings me to this past Saturday, where we sent summer off in style by tasting a range of sparkling wines. Parents of school-aged children toasted the various educational facilities taking our kids for another 182 days of our year. Others simply raised a glass to what was a very fun summer in town.

The sparkling wines we tasted all had something in common: all wines were made in the Traditional Method of sparkling wine production. What is that, you ask? In its most basic form, it is the following:

1. Ferment a base wine in a vat
2. Re-ferment the wine inside of a bottle
3. Age the wine with the spent yeast cells (the lees)
4. Remove the lees from the bottle
5. Add appropriate sweetness (if desired)
6. Bottle the wine under pressure

Looks easy, right? Well, I guess when we break it down into six steps, I suppose it does. Truthfully, there is so much more to making a sparkling wine via the Traditional Method. Let's break down each step:

Fermenting a base wine might be the simplest task on here, but even then to achieve the best base wine a winemaker needs some things to work in his/her favor. Grapes need to be high in acid; this is the reason sparkling wine is so refreshing when you sip it. When acidity and bubbles come together, your palate wakes up instantly. Wines low in acid taste flat and boring. If a winemaker is making a non-vintage sparkling wine, it needs to be a consistent product, meaning it should taste the same every time you buy it. Winemakers define a "house style" by blending wines from the most recent harvest with reserve stocks of wine of varying ages.

Next, that blended wine goes into bottles along with the liqueur de tirage, which is a concoction of yeast, sugar, and wine that leads to refermentation in the bottles. The carbon dioxide given off by the yeasts during this process is captured in the bottle and that's where your bubbles come from. This is how they do it in Champagne, Cava, and many New World Sparkling wines. "Crémants," which are essentially sparkling wines made in France that follow Champagne's model but don't come from the Champagne region, use this method for bubbles, too.

After this stage, it is time to age the wine on the lees, which have basically drowned themselves in the alcohol they created. The longer the wine ages on the lees, the more toasty and savory notes develop. There are different requirements laid out for specific regions. Non-vintage Champagne requires a minimum of 15 months bottle aging, while vintage examples must spend at least three years in bottle. In practice, many Champagne houses will exceed those minimums. Cava is required to age only nine months (as in the Crémants of France), Cava Reserva specifies a minimum of 15 months (as in non-vintage Champagne), and Cava Gran Reserva requires 30 months minimum (approaching the level of vintage Champagne as far as aging goes).

These metal cages are gyropalettes doing their jobs of getting the yeasts into the bottle necks.

Once the aging is done, it's time to get the yeasts out of the bottle. Traditionally, the bottles were stored in "pupitres," which look like peg boards with bottles sticking out of them. Over time, the bottles would be "riddled", or manually turned to allow the yeasts cells to slide into the neck of each bottle. This is a time-consuming process that costs the producer money. In the 1970s, the gyropalette was developed to handle riddling in a more efficient way, accommodating about 500 bottles at a time. From here the bottle necks are frozen to turn the yeasts into a solid plug that can be ejected from the bottle. I think the best way to illustrate the process is to just show you with a video:

What you are seeing after the frozen plugs are removed is the addition of sweetened wine (the dosage) that will dictate the sweetness level of the entire bottle of wine (Brut, Demi-Sec). If no sweetened wine is added, the sparkling wine will be labeled "Brut Nature" or "Brut Zero", a bone-dry product.

So there you have it. It's not an easy process to make a sparkling wine by Traditional Method, but the end result is persistent bubbles, a creamy texture, and a liveliness that can't be matched by other methods of production. We sampled five wines this past Saturday afternoon of all different styles, but all are delicious in their own ways.

Saturday's Lineup!

Parés Baltà Cava Brut ($14)

This winery practices organic and biodynamic farming, leading to vibrant wines made from the traditional Spanish grape varieties of Macabeo, Parellada, and Xarel-lo. Green apples, lemon zest, and a touch of earthiness. Makes for a great sipper on its own or as the base for a Mimosa.

Paul Mas Cote Mas Crémant de Limoux Brut Rosé ($16)

Located in the eastern foothills of the Pyrenees, Limoux has a long and storied history as a sparkling wine region in Southern France. This dry, pink bubbly is loaded with blood orange and tangerine flavors and has a pleasant bitter note on the finish that adds to the complexity of a customer favorite at the store.

Gruet Brut ($17)

Who would have known that the deserts of New Mexico would be suitable for quality sparkling wine production? The Gruet family discovered this fact on a trip to the American Southwest in the early 1980s, and they set up shop near Albuquerque. 24 months aging on the lees in this flagship product is balanced by ripe nectarine and tropical fruit flavors and a full-bodied softness on the palate.

Marie-Pierre Manciat Crémant de Bourgogne Brut ($23)

A fine sparkling wine made from 100% Chardonnay in sustainable vineyards. Floral with orange and lemon peel aromas, peachy on the palate, and very lively with persistent bubbles. Killer value. I wrote of this in Building a Case for a Few More Dollars

Ayala Champagne Brut Majeur ($39)

Champagne is not cheap; it can sometimes be a challenge to score something for less than $40, but here is a non-vintage example the delivers well beyond that price. White peaches and flowers are on the nose with fresh baked brioche and savory/smoky flavors on the palate. Long and fruity on the finish.

Building A Case...For A Few More Dollars

Earlier this week, I shared with you an easy strategy for building a case of wine that sought value and quality. Today, we take it to a different level. Assuming you have saved up your schillings, received a bonus, or just feel like spending money on wine, well I have a "version 2.0" guide for you when you are looking to find 12 tasty bottles. Whether you are dropping $10 or $100 a bottle on wine, I am always going to steer you to something that delivers high a quality-to-price ratio.

When you have extra money on-hand for that case, new doors open up not just at higher price points, but it gives you access to regions and styles that just aren't widely available in the $10 range. Here are some points of interest to consider when buying a mixed case of wine when money is less of an object, but not growing on trees by any means.

New Zealand has the highest average selling price per bottle of wine of any winemaking country. While there are some large brands that you can find in the $10-$12 range, there are many that exceed $15. Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Pinot Noir, and Gewurztraminer can all cost you. However, if you like the bold tropical zestiness of Sauvignon Blanc, or the clean, aromatic fruit in Gewurztraminer, now is the time to include a New Zealand wine.

Austrian wines command high prices with the precision and balance that shows in their wines. Grüner Veltliner has become quite popular and doesn't really grow anywhere else in the world, so again while there are some good entry-level wines in the $10-$12 neighborhood, go for a wine from a small producer that has complex citrusy/minerally/peppery flavors.

Wines from Burgundy can be very expensive, partially due to the fact that vineyard land is some of the most expensive in the world. Prime sites in many villages make long-lived wines, but there are also more accessible examples that don't require you to empty your bank account if you want to dive into Burgundy. Try Chardonnay wines from the Mâcon region in the south. Additionally, seek out the wines from a négociant to try any Burgundian region's typical style. Louis Jadot, Joseph Drouhin, and Bouchard Pere et Fils are just a few of the larger examples that you should be able to find for both Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

Oregon makes some outstanding wines, with Pinot Noir being the superstar of the Willamette Valley. Finding a good Pinot Noir in the sub-$20 range can be a challenge and many examples from Oregon start at about $20. Oregon tends to strike the right balance of fruitiness and earthiness.

Wines from Napa Valley aren't cheap, and if you like your red blends to be a Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot blend a la Bordeaux, there are plenty to be found in the $20 and over range. If you had been purchasing some "everyday" Bordeaux reds in the $12 price point, shoot for the wines with a defined geography such as "Medoc" or "Saint-Emilion", which will cost a few dollars more, but it will give you a sense of what a wine tastes like when grown from vineyards within a smaller parcel of vineyards.

In the Rhone Valley, it's up to you if you want to shoot for Chateauneuf-du-Pape or Hermitage, as each of those wines will hit you for $40 and way upward in many cases. However, if you reach for some of the lesser-known subregions like "Gigondas" or "Crozes-Hermitage," you will pay a fraction of the price of their more expensive brethren. This is where chatting with your friendly local wine merchant will help you a lot.

In Italy, you can start checking out the great grape of Nebbiolo, famous in the Piedmont region and most notably in the sub-region of Barolo and Barbaresco. Like the two Rhone wines above, they can cost you plenty, but wines labeled "Nebbiolo d'Alba" or "Langhe Nebbiolo" will often encompass vineyards outside of the Barolo and Barbaresco communes, giving you something lighter in body, but more approachable in youth (which means you don't need to stick them in the cellar to evolve and harmonize).

Spanish wine's most popular export to the U.S. is wines from Rioja. Now is a great time to go for the wines with some extended oak aging. Look for wines labeled "Crianza," "Reserva," and "Gran Reserva," all of which will increase in price thanks to the amount of time spent in barrel. The great news about Rioja is that wines are always released ready to drink, needing no further aging if you don't want to stash them in the cellar.

Let's not forget the sparkling wine here, too! I'm not saying you have to shoot on up to Champagne, which is truly a delicious sparkling wine that deserves the recognition it gets. However, if you seek out "Crémant" wines, which are sparkling wines made in non-Champagne French regions the same way they are made in Champagne. A Crémant can be found for roughly half the price of a large Champagne house's flagship non-vintage wine for regions like Burgundy (Bourgogne), Limoux (Southern France), Alsace, and Loire.

If you are a Port or Sherry fan, go for a nice bottle of one of your favorite fortified wines. If you need something versatile to cook with as well as drink, an Amontillado Sherry is a nice buy here. As we approach fall, if you enjoy time in the kitchen there will be some recipes calling for a Port sauce. A Ruby Port is fiery and fruity enough to add flavor, but also a nice warming beverage on a chilly night. You can typically find an example of each Port and Sherry style for around $15. Each style also gives you a good baseline of what to expect from an individual producer if you were to venture into their other styles.

So here's what that case looks like if we take the items discussed above into account with specific products. Additionally, we will refer back to the Value Case we did earlier this week and use that as a springboard into other wines.

Marie-Pierre Manciat Crémant de Bourgogne ($23): A fine sparkling wine made from 100% Chardonnay in sustainable vineyards. Floral with orange and lemon peel aromas, peachy on the palate, and very lively with persistent bubbles. Killer value.

Weingut Loimer, Grüner Veltliner Langenlois ($19): Grüner Veltliner's peppery character is on display, with green apples, minerals, and soft herbs, along with a creamy texture. Finishes dry and refreshing! 

Dog Point Vineyard Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc ($20): We have been seeing the price of the Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc reach the $18-$19 price point over the last few years. For a buck or two more, it is worth your time and money to try this New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, whose passionfruit and grapefruit character gets a boost of 

Cave de Lugny, Mâcon-Villages La Côte Blanche ($15): The thing I love about the Mâcon region is how it can be a great way to introduce you to Old World Chardonnay, while retaining riper stone fruit and tropical fruit flavors.

Fairview Cape Granite White Blend ($16): I can't help but be an advocate for South African wine. You tried the Tormentoso Chenin Blanc from the Value Case. For a few dollars more, try a white blend of Chenin Blanc, Viognier, and Grenache Blanc for a full-bodied, wildly aromatic wine experience.

Willamette Valley Vineyards Estate Pinot Noir ($25): Fresh red cherry fruit and red plums, with herbs, baking spices, and a touch of smoke. This is a great way to get introduced to an Oregon Pinot Noir if you haven't tried one before. If you have tried one, this has been a consistently good product from vintage to vintage.

Château Lanessan Haut-Medoc ($25, 2014 vintage): Bordeaux feels the impact of vintage variation more than most winemaking regions with its marginal climate. After a string of leaner, more traditional Bordeaux vintages (2011-2013), this 2014 from a solid property located in the upper Medoc peninsula gives you a wine loaded with black cherries and pipe tobacco, thyme, a touch of woody character.

Scavino Langhe Nebbiolo ($20): Nebbiolo's inherent flavors of red cherry fruit and roses are complemented by eucalyptus and tobacco. Nebbiolo can be forceful despite the pale ruby color; it is loaded with tannin and acid meant for long-haul aging, but in this more approachable version, the structural components are as intense thanks to shorter skin contact during fermentation. A great entryway to get to know Nebbiolo from a traditional producer. 

Martin Cendoya Rioja Reserva ($21): Dark berry fruit with earthiness and a noticeable oak component, which smooths out some harsh edges you can get from Tempranillo when it is young. Vanilla and a slight toffee note help illustrate the impact of 14 month barrel aging and additional time in bottle before being released to the market, ready to drink now.

Domaine du Terme Gigondas ($28): I picked this up for my birthday back in December. It is my favorite French red wine region. Neighbor of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas is based on Grenache, with small percentages of Syrah and Mourvedre added to the blend. Gigondas has offered more stability to me in terms of quality and price, whereas Chateauneuf-du-Pape can be all over the map. Fresh blackerry fruit, violets, and Herbes de Provence, show up in this wine that I really enjoyed on my big day.

Domaine Bousquet Mendoza Malbec Reserva ($16): You got the introductory Malbec in the value case. Go back and get the Reserva, which spent 12 months in oak barrel and see what's different!

Quinta do Noval Fine Ruby Port ($17): A single estate Port (compared to a blend of estates produced by the larger companies), this is an easy one to carry in the cellar if you are a Port fan. Raspberry and blackberry fruit, but warming and well-balanced.

So total is $245. With a 10% discount and Connecticut sales tax, this is a $234.50 case, roughly twice the cost of our Value Case earlier in the week. If you had these 24 bottles lined up in your wine fridge/cellar, I think you are off to a heck of a start! Stay with me as we keep exploring. Send me feedback...let me know if you tasted ANY of these wines as I would love to know what you think.

Until next time...

Drinking Through Disney: Hollywood Studios Edition

In our last installment of Drinking Through Disney, we stopped in one of the countries of Epcot's World Showcase. This week, we head to a park that has almost become an afterthought in Hollywood Studios.

A lot of attractions closed since we were last here. No more Phineas & Ferb. The Lights! Motors! Action! Extreme Stunt Show is gone. The Honey, I Shrunk The Kids Playground disappeared, too. There was maintenance going on in other portions of the park, too. Thank goodness for the resurgence of Star Wars!

I'm not sure what it is about this typeface, but it always makes me want to drink something old-school.

That being said, there is still something about this park that is still fun for us. The Star Wars attractions are a lot of fun and Indiana Jones is still prominent. We also always make sure we get ourselves to Toy Story Midway Mania, the most fun shoot-'em-up moving arcade game ever. I also love the art deco classic movie fonts on signs throughout the park...it makes me feel like I should be having a six-Martini lunch. So before heading off to Jedi training with the little ones, what better place to stop than the Hollywood Brown Derby?

The Brown Derby's elegant, classic look with movie star caricatures hung all over the walls is the sort of place where The Greatest Wife In The World and I wondered if we should be eating here with three young children. After remembering that it is Disney World and that kids are everywhere, of course it's fine to have a fancy lunch...and booze, to boot!

A very cool place to grab a bite to eat in Hollywood Studios. It's as if you stepped back in time.

With this being Flight School and all, The Greatest Wife In The World and I each chose to go with a flight of wines. The two we requested had to be edited as the restaurant was in the midst of changing over some wines in their inventory. She went with the Sparkling Wine flight (I am not calling it a "Champagne flight" for reasons I have outlined in the past), while I went with the Belle of Hollywood Pinot Noir flight. With Taittinger Champagne and Belle Glos Clark & Telephone Vineyard no longer in the inventory, they were replaced with Moët & Chandon Brut Impérial and Skywalker Marin County Pinot Noir. No complaints from us.

The Cabernet flight was intriguing, but with duck breast and duck confit on my plate, the Pinot Noir flight was going to be a better food and wine experience.

To sum up the flight experiences on the wines' own merits, let's start with the Pinot Noir. Las Alturas was the lightest and freshest of the group. Skywalker was deep and earthy in comparison to Las Alturas. Dairyman had the deep, dark fruit of the Skywalker, but with additional layers of complexity that I was having a difficult time pinpointing. Once my duck with farro risotto came out, Las Alturas became very fruity with the duck breast and the risotto. Skywalker tasted outstanding with the duck leg confit. A whole range of baking spices (cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, cardamom) came out in the Dairyman with the duck breast. 

The Belle of Hollywood Pinot Noir flight. From left to right: Belle Glos Las Alturas Vineyard, Skywalker, and Belle Glos Dairyman Vineyard. 

As for the sparkling wine flight, Iron Horse has always been reliable with sparkling wines coming from the cool pocket of the Russian River Valley known as Green Valley. The Celebration Cuvée is fresh, vibrant and citrusy. Rosa Regale from Banfi is one we have always liked. Its sweet strawberry flavors are great with desserts, chocolate-covered strawberries in particular, but it is also a nice way to close a meal. The Moët & Chandon Champagne has bright white peach and pear flavors with a touch of fresh-baked brioche bread.

Luke...I am your Pinot (I know...lame joke)

We have never eaten here in our many years of coming to Disney World, and this really hit the spot when we needed to get out of the heat and refuel. I encourage you to go here for either lunch or dinner and explore their extensive wine and cocktails list. We could have spent the day here, but Jedi training waits for no one.

Ask Tony: To Chill Or Not To Chill?

It's time for another installment of Ask Tony: You have questions, I (maybe) have answers.

We are finally about to hit some real summer weather again. I find that when temperatures go up, the preferences for an alcoholic beverage are all over the map. Some just want an ice cold beer. Others like a cocktail (Gin and Tonic or a Margarita, anyone?). Perhaps a little vodka or Bourbon on the rocks on a muggy summer evening. There is really no argument here with any of those choices.

Then there is wine. White wine can provide a foil for the heat with a vibrant, refreshing quality. However, if you are outside grilling, higher alcohol, bolder red wines will make better partners with your food, even if it is not ideal for some in the warm weather. When I talk to fellow wine lovers, I am frequently asked how to treat them as far as temperature goes:

Should I chill this?

How long should I put this in the fridge?

Is it wrong to put an ice cube in this?

We don't ever chill red wine, do we?

Allow me to share a relevant story with you. Years ago, I went to one of my first WSET wine classes to be introduced to all of the basics of wine, including storage and service. I received two white wines and was instructed to smell, taste, and write down notes about flavors and aromas. One tasted of pears and apples and felt more acidic. The other sort of peachy and softer. When it was all said and done, it turns out both wines were the same exact wine (an Italian Pinot Grigio)...one served three degrees cooler than the other.

That was my first introduction to the importance of serving temperature; this is an aspect of wine drinking that should not be overlooked. Because of that experience, I completely understood why I was asked so many questions later on in my wine and spirits career.

There is such an enormous range of styles out there. Wines can be light or full-bodied. There are reds, whites, and rosés. Some are sparkling, others are fortified. Wines might be very high in acid, fruit, or tannin, and what about sweet wines? With seemingly infinite types of wine to choose from, you will discover that serving certain wines in a temperature range will maximize your sensory experience. Let's lay out some simple guidelines (with some of my favorite wines' labels sprinkled throughout:

White is cooler than red

Not more fashionable. Cooler in temperature. White wines in general are lighter in body than reds. There are also more high-acid white wines than reds. Reds have tannins that are not in white wines. If an acidic white wine is served too warm, it tastes flabby and boring. If a high-tannin red wine is served too cold, the mouth-puckering tannins are amplified, making the wine too astringent and tough. Generally speaking when in doubt, chill the white, keep the red out on the counter.

Aromatic wines of any color like the cold

Now, this is something that requires some exploration and familiarity (which I can help you with). Some grape varieties jump out of the glass at your nose, others are more restrained. For white wines, the Alsatian white varieties like Riesling, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, and Gewürztraminer all benefit from temperatures (43-46F). Sauvignon Blanc, white Burgundy/Old World Chardonnays, and Viognier also benefit in this temperature range, too.

Red wines like Gamay (Beaujolais) and Cabernet Franc (from New York or Loire Valley of France) are very fragrant and fruity and pay you back when served around 50-54F. These are also light in tannin, so no worries about astringency wrecking your palate. This temperature range also works well for many New World Chardonnays. Just stick a room temperature wine of these varieties in the fridge for 20-30 minutes and you will get close. 

Treat rosés like white wines

If you are serving rosés, treat them as a white wine. Rosés are just red grapes that were treated in the way white wines are produced. Cold temperatures bring out the strawberry/watermelon aromas commonly found in these wines.

Low-to-medium tannin wines should feel cool to the touch

Pinot Noir can show itself light and juicy (in the vain of Gamay above), or full-bodied and chewy. Get to know what type of Pinot Noir you are working with. Fancy Premier or Grand Cru Burgundy shouldn't be served too cool, but casual California, Oregon, New Zealand or Chilean Pinot Noir should get 15-20 minutes in the fridge. Basic Chianti, inexpensive Bordeaux, and Côtes du Rhône wines are other examples of wines that should feel cool to the touch when you grab the bottle.

"Room temperature" for high-tannin reds

By room temperature, we are talking 64F-68F and that's on the very cool side of what most people find bearable in their homes. However, this is the temperature that wines like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Zinfandel, Tempranillo, Sangiovese, and Nebbiolo-based wines show their best. The tannins feel soft and mature at this temperature and makes for a better tasting experience than throwing these in the cooler. If you have a wine fridge or cellar that you keep around 58F, just take out the wine and set it on the counter for 30 minutes and you should be good to go. If it is a particularly hot day and you are drinking outside, there is nothing wrong with throwing one of these wines into an ice bucket.

Chill sweet white wines

Sweet white wines suffer from the same issue as the high acid white wines when served too warm, but throw in the residual sugar that gives the impression of a sticky, cloying sensation that makes these wines not as enjoyable as they should be. Sweet Rieslings (Finger Lakes, Germany, Austria, etc), and Chenin Blanc (Loire) will taste so much better when served cold. The acids come to life and balance the fruitiness and sweetness.

Others

Champagne and other sparkling wines should be well-chilled. Fruity sparklers like Prosecco and Cava in particular benefit the most from being in 40F temperature, while most non-vintage Champagne should be a few degrees warmer.

Fino and Manzanilla Sherry, Tawny Ports all should be chilled as well.

Sweet red wines like Ruby and Vintage Ports will have some tannins, so keep these at room temperature.

One other tip: to quickly chill wine, make sure your bucket has both water and ice in it. The laws of heat transfer will get your wine chilled in about 15 minutes. It will take two or three times longer in just a bucket of ice.

Here's what you can do for your flight. Pick up a Riesling or Sauvignon Blanc and a Tuscan or California red blend. Taste each one at room temperature. Then stick the bottles in your fridge for 30-60 minutes and see how the wines change if you think temperature doesn't matter.

Just do me one favor: if you are going to drop an ice cube into your wine, give me a heads-up so I can look the other way. I won't tell anyone if you do.

Ask Tony: Why Is Champagne So Expensive?

Looks like Daffy hit the jackpot. Time to go buy some Champagne!

It's time for another installment of Ask Tony: You have questions, I (maybe) have answers.

Today's question is one that has popped up somewhat regularly dating back to my days working the sales floor in New Jersey: Why does Champagne cost so much money to buy? It's a discussion that has several layers and doesn't contain a one-word answer, but it is a fair one and deserves my time and yours.

Let's start with what Champagne is. It is a sparkling wine made according to a set of rules and standards from the Champagne region of France. Chardonnay (valued for acidity and creaminess), Pinot Noir (valued for its structure and aromatics), and Pinot Meunier (a fruity, early-ripening red wine grape suitable for the cool climate of Champagne) are the most popular choices to make Champagne, though other grape varieties are permitted. Champagne invokes an image of luxury and elegance. It is the go-to for celebrations, gifts, holidays, and more. These reasons among many others is why the folks at the Champagne Bureau are fiercely protective of the name "Champagne" and have been doing so since the onset of World War II. There is nothing like it produced anywhere in the world.

Short rant: This includes products that are labeled "California Champagne," which are not anything close to the real thing, but the name has been grandfathered by a loophole that permits the United States to use this misleading label terminology. I would like to see what would happen if a "French Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon" made it onto our shelves and see how well that goes over around here.

So why is it that when we go searching for authentic Champagne, we see price tags that start in the $30-$40 range and climb seemingly exponentially from there?

It is highly stressful being a grapegrower in Champagne.

Late spring frosts can kill buds on the vines, delaying or eliminating the ability for grapes to grow. Early fall frosts can freeze grapes on the vines, changing the composition of the grapes before they are harvested. These vineyard threats, along with a generally short growing season, makes it challenging to have optimal grapes for winemaking. A lot of hands-on care and monitoring of the vineyards is important. Additionally, if a grapegrower is selling grapes or wine to a larger Champagne brand, the pressure is on to perform, even though you can't control nature. It all costs money.

The method of making Champagne is labor intensive.

After base wine is fermented, a second fermentation takes place inside individual bottles with yeast and sugar added prior to being capped; this is what gets the bubbles inside Champagne. After this second fermentation takes place, the wine ages on the spent yeast cells (the lees) for a minimum of 18 months (many producers will go well above the minimum requirements). After that there is riddling, a technique involving a slow maneuvering of individual bottles to get the spent yeasts cells into each bottle's neck before being ejected from the bottles (called disgorgement). Most Champagne houses still employ manual labor to handle these tasks, though there are mechanized options such as a gyropalette that can handle the riddling. After disgorgement, the dosage (the sugar/wine combo that determines a Champagne's sweetness/dryness) is added before being bottled under pressure, ready to be labeled. This multistep process adds cost to the wine.

Blending is both science and art. Image credit: Marc Chauvet

Larger Champagne producers often have stocks of reserve wine on hand that are blended with the most recent harvest to create a "house style" for a non-vintage Champagne. The effort of establishing how the wine of an individual vintage tastes, then seeking out the proper proportions of reserve wine to blend in is what allows your Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label or Moët & Chandon Imperial to taste the same year after year. In a way, this is how blended Scotch whisky is made; no age statement in many cases means stocks of reserve whisky of varying ages need to be on hand with newer whisky to create what Johnnie Walker Black Label tastes like you after year. If the non-vintage Champagne or the blended Scotch does not taste typical of the house style, it damages the credibility of the brand. Champagne houses will pay for the ability to keep the flagship product consistent to help develop brand loyalty.

Want a Champagne from a specific vintage? Be prepared to pay even more money. A vintage Champagne will showcase the character of an individual harvest, but that also takes away juice that could be used for the higher-volume (and more revenue-generating) non-vintage flagship product, leading the Champagne blender to have to find another source for the non-vintage expression. Additionally, vintage Champagnes are required to age on the spent yeast cells for three years, so there is greater inventory management and monitoring that takes place.

Let's also address marketing, advertising and cultural impact.

You will see pages of luxury magazines (real estate, cigars, wine and spirits, cars, etc.) devoted to landing clientele with plenty of disposable income. Cristal, Moët, Dom Perignon, and Ace of Spades have all made their way into hip-hop lyrics (go do a Google search on that for complete NSFW results). This only drives demand further and prices go up.

So what if you want to enjoy Champagne on occasion, but you don't make money hand-over-fist? Seek out some Grower Champagnes. These are individual farmers that don't sell their grapes or wine to the larger brands and produce their own Champagne from start to finish. There are limited funds for farmers to run advertising, so they rely heavily on importers and distributors to promote their products to retailers so you can have access to their Champagnes. The entry-level wines may not be markedly cheaper, but the highest-end products never get out of control (and by that, I mean you shouldn't have to reach triple digits to buy a bottle of killer bubbly).

I'll be honest...I have never been a huge Champagne consumer in my wine-drinking lifetime. All of the steps to producing Champagne made me think it was for high-maintenance, needy types with too much money and a quest to achieve status. But you know what? I eventually discovered there are just as many painstaking steps to create Scotch whisky. And Port. And Sherry. And Madeira. These are all things I enjoy. It would be hypocritical of me to bang on Champagne's meticulous nature.

When you really see what it takes to produce a bottle of Champagne, you gain perspective and appreciation for it. That's the sole purpose of this blog...to get you to open your eyes and your mind to all adult beverages. With that, raise a glass of this distinct, authentic sparkling wine sometime "just because" instead of waiting for a special occasion. The Grower Champagne link above takes care of the recommendations on what to seek out in that category, but if you want to get started with a few of the well-known brands and understand their styles, here's what to look for.

Nicolas Feuillatte Brut ($33)

A cooperative Champagne producer, Feuillatte's entry-level example is floral on the nose with a white peach and apple flavor and fresh baked bread on the finish. This makes an excellent starting point in your Champagne adventures. 

Taittinger Brut La Française ($50)

Creamy and golden with peaches, vanilla, and brioche bread flavors, the texture is enhanced by at least three years of aging on the lees. Very lively and enjoyable.

Bollinger Brut Special Cuvée ($50)

Smoky, rich, and deeply flavored, Bollinger's flagship product has baked pears, apples and roasted walnuts, with a toasty, savory finish. This has plenty of character to stand up to smoked seafood.