Winemaking 101

Have you ever had a really good wine? No, I mean really good? Like great? Probably not, because we just made our first batch and it's not ready yet. But don't worry. In about 9 months, it'll be here. (Was that a bit much?)

Loungin'

The key to a good wine (you know from the wine making experts that we are) is a nice little lounging before the wine making process. This helps get you into the zone. As does a little wine tasting...

Wine tasting

So before we got into our wine making adventure, we begin with a sampling of the options, 11 in all (as best as I can remember, it was a lot of wine). Our host even set up a wonderful spread of wine pairings and each of the wine samples had its own little food buddy.

The spread

I have to say it is amazing how the proper pairing can bring out the flavors. Take this pairing for example:

Cheers!

Or this one:

Right back at 'cha

So, after enjoying the wine flight, we landed on Tempranillo as the varietal of choice - a full-bodied red wine native to Spain. (Here legally with a work visa and everything.)

So how does one make wine without their own vineyard (or bushel of grapes for that matter)? Well, you begin with grape juice concentrate and pour that on into a bucket (sexy, right?)

One part Tempranillo concentrate...

So, the whole wine making thing on your own, isn't really a pretty sight - more like science lab, but it was actually pretty fun.

And so it begins

So once you've got your grape concentrate set up and you've added you filtered water of choice, out come the power tools...

Work it baby

Mix on high power until you have a decent size vortex created. Similar to Stargate, but without the time/space travel. Though that would be cool to jump into the bucket and be transported to a simpler time when people stomped the grapes barefoot. But then again you might run into Keanu Reeves. (No more movie references, I promise.)

After you've successfully vortex-blended the wine, you must take some precise measurements...

Looks perfect

This is much harder to do after 11 glasses of wine. Okay, 2-3 glasses, they were samples after all. But still, precise measurements are required to identify the proper balance. And indicate the alcohol content on the label because apparently it's not simply a yes/no check box (Does this wine contain alcohol? Yes. Check. Done.).

Next, get high.

Inhale deeply and pass the kutchie pon the lef' hand side

Alas, the home wine-maker does not (likely) have French Oak barrels available for the aging process, so we must make do. Luckily, some frustrated wine-makers who did have access to the barrels but not so much luck in making wine, chopped up their entire inventory of barrels into tiny wood chips. Realizing that they still had bills to pay, they bagged up the tiny wood chips, hit the suburbs, and sold them door-to-door.

One more...

Again, precise measurements are necessary here too. The oak chips will mimic the barrel effect adding flavor and complexity to the wine. Too much oak and you could ruin your wine. Not enough and you waste your time and don't get any of the subtle flavors. So taking the advice of our hostess, we tossed it aside, because that's how we roll. We chose the American "Heavy Toast" chips and we went slightly above the traditional 3 oz since we were going to be aging longer and wanted a fuller, bolder wine.

Almost done.

After adding the wood chips and vortexing for even distribution, we added wine's favorite dance partner, yeast, to do all the dirty work. Now the wine can take it easy while the yeast does all the heavy lifting from here on out.

See you in 9 months

Organic Wine Review

Vida Organica - Malbec
2009 Argentina

Though made with organic grapes, apparently, it doesn't qualify under FDA regulations as being organic since sulfites are used to make it shelf stable. I'm not sure if this applies to all wines or if this refers to this one specifically. But how does it taste...

Well, initially, quite harsh and unbalanced, maybe a little bitter? Even running it though my new wine toy, an instant aerator, which speeds up the breathing process, failed to enhance the flavor. However, on day 3 (yes, it lasted that long since it wasn't very good) it finally showed promise, but by then I lost interest. It was softer and some of the fruit flavors became apparent, but who wants to wait 3 days for wine? According to the all-knowledgeable label, this wine is full bodied with flavors of dark berries and plums. Maybe berries that were picked about a month too early. I wouldn't yet write off the producers, but I can't recommend this vintage and since there are plenty of wines to choose from, I'd only recommend this to an alcoholic who has run through the avaiable wine universe and must now choose between this bottle and Boone's Farm.

Crack A Bottle...

Yes, the glass broke. It was that good. (Whatever that means.)

2008 Shannon Ridge Chardonnay ~$15

This was part of the Bevmo 5-cent sale, so I guess it was only about $7.52. A little background - I wasn't feely Chardonnays for a while because all I was finding were apple-y/citrus-y ones and I was really wanting a buttery one. Having no luck on my own, a friend recommended J Lohr, which was excellent and buttery. That led me to find out a little more about the buttery trait and I found out that those Chardonnays that had gone through malolactic fermentation tended to have the buttery qualities. So, I found this little wine at the Bevmo sale and sure enough, right on the label, malolactic fermentation. So bam, $15.05, two bottles. You see because you have to buy 2.

Anyhoo, this one is not as buttery as the J Lohr, but still quite refreshing. A little pear flavors and a slight butteriness and overall smooth and crisp. I would recommend this at $7.50, but any higher and I'd steer you to the J Lohr, which runs about $11.

The glass in the picture actually broke as I tried to get a good angle to snap a few pictures of Nathan not-eating.

Temecula Trip

We just took Nathan on his first ever trip/vacation and he was amazing throughout the whole weekend. We were a little nervous about how he would take the 6.5 hour drive to Temecula (normally 5-5.5 hours, but we were expecting a few baby stops. No, not small stops, like baby steps, but stops to tend to the baby, you know feeding, diaper changes, that sort of thing). But to our amazement and delight, Nathan was perfect. He sat in his little car seat either sleeping or looking around the whole way. Even when he was a little fussy it was only for a few minutes when we were looking to stop for lunch and he was getting hungry. Even during the wedding he was a calm, happy baby and instead of loud crying at bedtime (which he has been known to do) he simply fell asleep, even with the loud wedding music playing. I don't know what everyone is talking about, this baby thing is cake! (knock on wood and all that stuff so as to not offend the karma guy from high atop the thing)

This was also our first time to Temecula, heading out there for one of my best friend's wedding at Falkner Winery. And since we enjoy wine country, we stayed an extra day to do a little wine touring. But first the rehersal dinner and wedding.

Rehearsal at the winery: Nathan rehearsing his crawling while daddy rehearses walking down an imaginary aisle.

Nathan enjoying the winery

"Fake grass? But it feels so real!"

"ASU!! ASU!!"

So we didn't think Nathan could get any cuter, and then we put him in his little ASU jacket and took turns squeezing him to bits.

Friday night at the wedding:


And then we put him in his little red vest and took turns squeezing him to pieces.

In the hotel room (obvisouly):

Don't you just want to pick him up and squeeze him?

Winery Picnic:

We only visited two wineries on Saturday. Normally (as in the few times we've been to Napa/Sonoma) we hit 4-5 wineries per day, but we figured we would need to cut back to accomodate the teenie guy and stay relaxed. Also, we usually plan a winery picnic during our tour because, well, it's fun, we get hungry, it helps to sober us up, and it refreshes our palate for the next round of tastings. So to continue with our tradition, we picnicked on the picturesque hill atop which sits Cougar Winery. Picturesque, beacause, well I took this picture. A little arid, but still not a bad way to enjoy some grub with the teenie guy. The wines were so-so, but we did pick up a rosé that was surprisingly good.

The other winery we visited was Ponte, which turned out to be better than our first impression. I say that because as we entered it was packed and looked very commercial, which in our experience tends to coincide with a lack of personality and character and when tasting wine, we like a little character. But we bellied up to the bar at the right place because our server was friendly, knowledgeable and engaging. On top of that the wines were pretty good too. We each had 6 tastings and the bartender offered generous pours, which was fine since we had planned to eat an early dinner there anyway.

If you are considering a trip to wine country, Temecula provides a great value as it is a short drive away and offers a variety of unique wines that you will not find anywhere else, mainly because the wineries are fairly small and are not sold anywhere else. So if you've never been I would recommend a visit.

Wine Review - Bulk Discount

So I've been slacking a bit and now I have three bottles stacking up.

The good news is that I recommend all three of these wines, though not at the same time. Of course I didn't have them all at the same time, so I guess I can't really not recommend them at the same time. Sort of like "don't knock it until you try it" - an expression I've never liked because I am pretty sure I can recommend not getting punched in the face without ever having tried it...pretty sure it's gonna hurt. Wow, I went off on a tangent there...

Back to the post - the Dancing Bull Zin I believe I have reviewed before and saw it on sale so I picked it up again. It's always good to have a favorite on hand.

Now the Tapiz Malbec (2007) was excellent! I've had a few Malbecs over the past few years, but unless I hit up Cost Plus or Bevmo I don't come across them too often. So the last time we were at Bevmo we picked up this one. I must say was surprised. Not sure what I was expecting, but man was this one good - very fruity/jammy, soft and well balanced. At only $12 I'd recommend this to anyone, especially to anyone who has never had a Malbec before. And if you do end up buying this one to enjoy with a good ribeye steak, I think I'm free that night and I can bring my own glass if you like.

Marquis Philips - Sarah's Blend 2007: I think the first time we had this one (or a similar one - I only remember the eagle/kangaroo creature) was at a wine bar when we were looking for something new and exciting. This is an excellent blend of Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot and very juicy and smooth. A quick google search shows this wine also receiving high ratings from those with better palates than mine. You can find this one at Bevmo too for about $15.

Up next, some Fry's clearance wines (that I am enjoying right now) - Lindeman's South Africa a Cabernet and a Merlot.

So I forgot to take a picture of this before recycling the bottle, so I just grabbed a stock photo, but I really did drink it...I just don't have the proof. Anyhoo...

As I mentioned before, this is our Sonoma wine that we drink in celebration of our wonderful puppy, Sonoma. I don't actually recall how Laura and I selected it, but I'm sure the region had a little to do with it. So how was it? Refreshing as always, especially in the summer. Not too oaky and light flavors of fruit - well it is fruit, so that doesn't really tell you much, so how about faint pear and honeydew melon (which to me barely has any flavor, so take that how you will). The honeydew melon is more after the fact. Laura has been buying a few melons after a melon comment I made. So after munching on some honeydew I was brought back to the chardonnay (no not literally, but that would have been cool - a melon time machine!).

Checking the back of the bottle suggests:

"Pleasing aromas of pear, mango and clove along with a hint of vanilla mingle on the nose of this classic Sonoma County Chardonnay. The well-balanced acidity wraps around a luscious core of pineapple, lemon and melon flavors and creates a creamy palate. The wine has a refreshing finish."

Well okay, I get some ponits for the pear and the melon, maybe bonus for being specific on the honeydew. Pineapple? Not sure about that, or the lemon, but creamy it was (-1 point). Given that this is a favorite of ours I will give it 5 bottles out of 5 - highly recommend!

Why Not Join In On The Next Wine Review

Each weekend the Wall Street Journal has a wine section where the authors review wines and this past weekend was California Chardonnay, which led to a hankering for Chardonnay, go figure. Laura and I probably drink red wine 90% of the time, but it's summer so a cooler beveage may be in order. Usually their reviews are for wines in the +$20 range, but this week had a few reasonably priced wines that I've actually seen in stores, so I figured I'd share.

***Clos du Bois (N. Coast) $12 "nice, light Chardonnay fruit; lightly toasted"

***Simi Winery (Sonoma) $14 "lemony and crisp, with a touch of cream...plenty of fruit-shows that you can have big oak if you have good fruit"

***Chalone Vineyard (Montery County) $10 "tighly wound fruit, intensity and sunshine-like acidity" - Not sure what any of that means, but for $10, I think I'll find out.

The only white wine we have on hand is our Sonoma wine (the wine we drink to celebrate our puppy, Sonoma). Of course it is a wine from Sonoma, and we landed on a Chardonnay from Chateau St. Jean. So look for the review here a bit later, but if you'd like to participate just pick up a bottle (about $10-12) and let me know how you like it. In the meantime, I'll be searching for the above for a future review, so if you pick one up, let me know how you like it.

Clearance Wine: The Sequel

The second bottle of clearance wine was a 2006 Frei Brothers Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (Alexander Valley) for the low, low price of $12.58 ($18 regular Target price). This one, however, not as good as the other clearance wine, though I doubt it was the fault of the "clearance."

The first night I had this with some Orange Chicken. Yeah, I know, Orange Chicken and a cab?!?!? Well, you know what, you're absolutely right - It doesn't pair well. I kind of assumed that, but Laura didn't want wine and it was the only bottle that we had that she wasn't interesting in partaking in, so there you go. I was hesitant at first, so I started with some Muenster cheese and a glass while the Orange Chicken was cooking. I know what you're thinking, it's not even Orange Chicken from a restaurant. But you know what, Trader Joe's has a frozen Orange Chicken for $5 that is actually quite good. But I digress...

My initial reaction was this really isn't that well balanced - too much on the tannic side, so much that I couldn't distinguish any flavors. Pretty much tasted like a cab, but overly tannic, nothing special that would warrant $12.58. Maybe it will be better with night #2.

Nope, not so much. A night in the fridge didn't help, still too tannic, but it's wine so I'll drink it. I'm glad I didn't pay $18 for it. So the current score is 1-1 for the Clearance Wine Adventure. I'd still delve into the uncharted lands of the clearance aisle for a little adventure, because who knows when you'll find a new favorite.

Clearance Wine

Man I love clearance items at Target. They seem to put everything on clearance, even things that don't necessarily go bad, like pencils? Or air filters? Or batteries that say they're good through 2015? Or wine? Okay, wine can go bad, but a cabernet should age well, right?

As we were scavenging for food, we came across the wine aisle and saw many a wine on clearance, including tonight's selection, a 2005 Beaulieu Vineyard Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon for only $15 (see the red sticker in the photo?). Now you might be saying, $15 that's a lot for wine (or maybe you're saying, $15? My dog won't even drink that!), but either way, this wine normally retails for $30, so half price is a pretty decent deal.

If you have had the BV Cabernet, then I suppose this is the next step up from that (just before entering the $50+ bottles). So is clearance wine as good as the non-clearance version? Were we about to find out why this wine was clearanced in the first place? Well let's see...

Initial impression: YUM!!!! This is a great wine. Maybe the best $15 wine I've purchased, which is limited company to begin with, but still... Now my palate hasn't yet gotten back to it's fighting weight, but (and not to sound redundant) I did pick up a little cherry action on the tongue. The aroma wasn't quite as distinctive for me, but did remind me of the wine tours we have been on, specifically the cellar room with the oak barrels (which is good because the reviews I've read highlighted oak aromas). According to the label, I should have picked up some black cherry (okay, so I guess a cherry isn't a cherry), crushed blackberry (which I assume tastes different in its non-crushed form), licorice (what, no black licorice?), and cocoa. One out of 4 isn't bad. I will agree that it is full bodied and bold, and I would added very well balanced with tastes that linger on the palate.

I would definitely recommend this wine at $15. At $30 (full price) it is kind of a stretch, especially for those of use who rarely venture past $15, let alone $20. I think I would choose the regular BV Cab more reasonably priced at $20 vs. this one at full price. But, if you happen to be at Target, check out their wine aisle and see if they have any clearance BV Rutherford Cabs left. Who knows, by now they maybe 75% off.

Wine Review: Il Vecchio Maneggio - Chianti "Colli Senesi"

Our friends Steve and Val gave us a bottle of wine last year that we recently enjoyed for our 7th anniversary. Originally, we were planning a Europe trip for early summer 2008 and they were also going to be in the same region so we were discussing meeting up for a wine tour. However, our trip didn't happen, but Steve and Val did go and surprised us with a bottle of wine from their trip. And since Laura was pregnant, we decided to save it until after our little Bugamoo arrived.

So, we decided to pop the cork on our anniversary. Laura was so excited for her first glass of wine in over 11 months and we were both eager to try a new wine, straight from Italy. According to the website, Il Vecchio Maneggio is in the "medieval town" (ooo, spooky) of San Gimignano (Tuscany) region of Italy, which just so happens to be the same region as one of our original favorite wines, Vernaccia. The wine is a Chianti from the Colli Senesi area (never heard of it). Apparently, the Chianti region is divided into several regions with Classico being the most famous, but according to the word on the street, all regions produce fantastic wines. Our bottle was made from grapes that are typical of traditional Chianti: Sangiovese, Canaiolo, together with white and red Malvasia, and Colorino and produced with wine-making methods that "strictly follow tradition" (of course).

To accompany our wine, we had Pugliese bread (an Italian bread to go with our Italian wine), bruschetta (an Italian appetizer, notice a theme?), and Muenster cheese for appetizers (nope, it's French). And the main course was grilled steak with a baked potato. We looked into Tuscan fare, but according to our wine bible, Tuscany is traditionally known for some bland food. Apparently, when other Italians want to be derogatory towards Tuscans, they refer to them as "mangiafagioli," (bean eaters - I know, not to witty, but whatever). Having never been Italian or been to Italy, I don't know if this is "traditionally" true, but since every American brand overuses Tuscan to death, you'd think they'd have some decent grub. But back to the wine...

Now, the website offers a bit of a description, suggesting cherry and violet notes. Having never eaten a violet, let alone been around many flowers to distinguish a violet from a tulip, I can't comment of the flower aspects. And maybe because I was eating some blackberries I didn't pick up on the cherry initially, but I'd say our bottle had an unripened cherry flavor. Overall, a bit too tannic for my tastes (think of how your mouth feels after eating a very green banana), but enjoyable nonetheless, making me think of the green, rolling hills of the Italian winery where I've never been. I think we'll have to make a visit to this winery when we do finally take out Europe trip.

Thank you Steve and Valerie for thinking of us on your trip and bringing us back a little sample of Italy. Oh, and happy anniversary too!

Wine Review: Little Penguin Cabernet-Merlot

The Little Penguin - Cabernet-Merlot

South Eastern Australia (Trader Joe's: ~$5)

Overall a good wine. My palate is still in spring training, but I convinced myself that I tasted a little cherry flavor, ripe and juicy. I'd put it in the same class as Yellow Tail or those other animal character brands, which come to think of it are all from Australia. What's up with that - Wine must have and animal associated with it to be good? In the end this wine is good and dependable. If your looking for a blend or haven't tried this one before, give it a try.

Dancing Bull Zinfandel

I meant to post this sooner so I would remember more about it, but unfortunately, no dice. So you will only get a limited review, very limited. But I will try to be better in the future. In a nutshell it was pretty good - smooth, balanced, basic. We (I) haven't had many wines over the last 9 months, so my palate is a bit out of shape, but that will now change as we enter wine season. I had the '06 and if I remember correctly, it was about $7 or so. I think it was on sale, plus we bought 6 and got an additional 10% off. Definitely worth the price. I would give Dancing Bull Zinfandel 3.5 wine glasses.

Anyone have any recommendations?