Chateau St. Michelle Gewurztraminer

Well, I haven't been trying any wines for a bit, been indulging in some other yummy things. But today I decided to crack open a bottle I bought for Thanksgiving and forgot to open.

This one is a Chateau St. Michelle Gewurztraminer.
A what?
Geh-VURTZ-trah-meener.

I like this one, though it's not something I would seek out and buy again. Crisp and acidic, it almost seemed to have a bit of an effervescence. It had a nice aroma, but nothing to really write home about in my opinion.
A bit on the dry side for my liking, but good nonetheless. Some would probably say it's more in the middle, which I guess it is.

I would recommend this one to customers because it is pleasant. A nice wine.

Yellow Tail Sweet Red Roo

Well, here's one I thought I would enjoy but didn't.

Nice bottle. I liked the red, made me think of Christmas.
Now don't get me wrong, it wasn't bad, just not as sweet as I would have liked, a bit dry for my liking. Though it is a couple days later and as I sit and sip it, I can honestly say I taste the "hints" of black cherries.
I wouldn't buy it again, but it was nice to try. I didn't even get a nice fruity aroma from it. I was disappointed.

I wonder what I should try next.

Cooking With Wine

Wow! It's been a while since I've been able to get on here! Finals, now the holidays. Madness!

Well, here's another question I get all the time; "I need a wine to cook with. All it says is a dry white wine, what should I use?"

Well, honestly, in my opinion, any dry white will do. Most of the time I steer people toward a chardonnay or a pinot grigio. You really don't need an expensive wine if you are cooking with it. If you are going to drink it, well, then I would say go for a little more, but otherwise the $4.99 bottle on the bottom shelf should suffice. The alcohol cooks off so you don't have to worry about that.
I am going to try the difference in recipe taste between an oaked chardonnay and an unoaked one. I tend not to like the "oaky" flavor too much.

If your recipe calls for a dry red, cabernet sauvignon is where I will be sending you. But really, any one will do. Again, not necessary to have an expensive one unless you will be sipping along with your cooking.

Now when I say you can cook with almost any wine, I am referring to the dryer ones, I doubt a sweet wine will go well in your sauce. But who knows, somewhere out there is probably a recipe that calls for a sweet wine like moscato. If you find one, let me know, I'd definitely try it.

Chateau St. Michelle Harvest Select Riesling

Now here's a bottle of wine I really like. Chateau St. Michelle Harvest Select Riesling. When you pour it in the glass it has a very nice pale gold color and it smells very fruity. It is slightly sweet which I really enjoy with a nice crispness to it. What a great glass of wine to sip on. I guarantee this one won't last too long.

Wine Labels

What attracts people to a wine? Is it the brand? Is it the type? Word of mouth? Or is it the label?

I would bet dollars to pesos for most it is the label.
Of the almost 3000 codes at my store, I would say more than 3/4 are wines. Many of them with interesting labels and equally interesting names. Every so often companies change their labels to refresh themselves in the eyes of the purchaser. Some have bright, attractive labels to draw your eye to them and pique your curiosity. Some have elegantly designed labels to convey a message of a "refined", more "mature" beverage. Some have cute pictures to conjure up ideas of a fun, tasty glass of wine.

I suppose you could buy a wine by its label for just about whatever mood you may be in. If you are feeling snobby you could get a more stodgy looking bottle for the night. If you are in the mood for a fun night, a bottle that makes you think "fun" when you look at it will be on the agenda. I suppose if you were entertaining, who your guests are and the reason they are coming by would dictate what "style" of wine and label you would choose. I'm sure for a dinner with the boss you aren't going to buy a bottle with picture of a pair of flip flops on it. If the girls are coming over for an afternoon chick flick, that bottle would serve just fine.

There are a few that I am interested in trying just because the label caught my eye, or the name of the wine "sounded" fun. Of course there are the word of mouth ones as well. Lots of different categories and thousands of different wines to try. Maybe I will do that. Create categories like "fun" or "reserved" and try different wines that give those impressions from their labels.

What Should I Try Instead Of...

Sometimes I get the question of "well I like (insert varietal here) but I want to try something different. What do you recommend?"

Well, I have read that if you like Cabernet Sauvignon, you might like a Petit Verdot, a Petit Sirah or Nero D'Avola.
If you like Merlot, Cabernet Franc or Carmenere might tickle your fancy.
If Pinot Noir is your style, perhaps a Grenache would satisfy your craving for something different.
Those that like Syrah or Shiraz might enjoy a Zinfandel or Tempranillo.

I'd like to do side by side taste tests to see how similar these are to each other, ought to be interesting. A veritable "this or that".

Roscato - Rosso Dolce

Now here is something I really do like a lot. I've had this before. It is an Italian wine that is apparently served at Olive Garden. There was such a high demand for it that we finally are able to carry it. It is a red wine, on the sweeter side, and has a bit of an effervescence to it. Very yummy. Sure its got a screw top, who cares. Perfect for my sweet tooth. I have it after dinner as "dessert". Its deep red color is pretty and it smells delicious. Maybe not for the wine snobs out there, but it's a fun wine and I would recommend it to anyone looking to try something a little different with a bit if fun to it.

Wine As A Gift

Well, here come the holidays. Along with that comes tons of customers wanting to buy wine as a gift for people. Honestly, that is one of the hardest things to buy for people in my opinion. Unless you know they like  something specific, like a particular brand, I wouldn't suggest wine as a gift. Wine is a personal thing in my opinion.

If you know they like something like horses, you could probably locate bottles of wine with "horse themes" to tie into their hobby or their passion. I plan on getting my step daughter a couple bottles of a wine we have that have flip flops on them because she loves flip flops. Not necessarily because I know she'll like the wine, but she might like the labels and it fits in with her "passion", if you can have passion for flip flops.

People are loyal to certain ones, not to mention what you may like, they may not like, everyone's tastes are different. I have people come in wanting to buy a bottle as a gift. When you ask them what the recipient likes, their answer usually is "I don't know". Or when you ask how much they want to spend, the answer is "I don't want to look cheap".

Here's my suggestion; buy a relatively "cheap" bottle of wine, but one with a good reputation and buy a gift card for whatever amount you were going to spend. Put the bottle in a nice bag and attach the gift card. This way the recipient has something to open, not just an impersonal gift card. Plus, they could try that bottle of wine, giving them the opportunity to try something they may not have had before. Then they take the gift card and buy what they really want.

The White Wine Sangria

Well, the other night we decided to experiment and make a white sangria. We had a half bottle of the Cupcake Angel Food left (which I didn't particularly care for), so I had to do something with it. I poked around on the internet and found a recipe which I doctored to my taste.

I added what was left of the wine, sugar, orange juice, crushed pineapple and ginger ale. It almost tasted like a Mimosa. Over lots of ice. I liked it, though I made it a bit too sweet I think. I would do that again, except maybe not with a wine with so much Chardonnay in it, a little too buttery for my taste. Maybe I'll pick up a bottle of something today.

I actually have some red wine left over from another bottle. Red Sangria coming up!

Alcohol Content?

I was putting together a page for my Booze book on the alcohol content of wine. Well, here's what I got;
a wine with a high alcohol content (14.5% or higher) will tend to be a heavier bodied wine and also drier. The yeast had the opportunity to "eat" more of the sugars.

A wine with a medium alcohol content (11 - 13%) is usually a medium bodied wine.

A low alcohol wine (10%) or less will be lighter bodied and sweeter, more leftover residual sugars.

In some cases, a lower alcohol content wine could mean it was made from under ripe grapes meaning less sugars.

High alcohol content can sometimes indicate a sweet wine as well. Wines over 14% alcohol are either made from grapes left to ripen longer (late harvest wines) or are fortified with a neutral spirit.
Also, a high alcohol content increases the perception of a wine's sweetness.

I think from now on I will include the alcohol content of wines I try, just for giggles. Could make for interesting comparisons.

Cupcake Angel Food

Picked up a bottle of Cupcake Angel Food. It is a white wine blend. I admit, I was drawn to the bottle and the name. I mean, Angel Food? Doesn't that sound yummy? And the description sounds wonderful as well. Looking over the bottle and the website, I tried to find out what grapes were in this blend, all I come up with is it is a proprietary blend with an emphasis on Chardonnay which is what I think I taste the most. It is dry, but a little crisp and has a nice aroma to it. As for the hints of "pears and Granny Smith apples", wellllll, no. I never really taste all those little nuances as I've said before. At first sip I didn't like it too much, but it did grow on me a bit. I don't think I would buy it again though. I could see it pairing well with a salad.
I will have to give other Cupcake wines a try, I do hear they are very good.

Medium Bodied Wines

Well what does that mean?
The way it feels in your mouth, kinda hard to describe to someone what a "mouthfeel" is with a wine. You have to taste the different wines to understand what that means.
Some of the medium bodied wines are the same as the light bodied ones. It can depend on where the wine is from and which winemaker is it by. A Pinot Grigio from Italy might feel heavier than one from California, whereas a Pinot from one area of California might feel heavier than one from another area.

In any case, here is a list of some medium bodied wines.

Chardonnay (Chablis, Mersault, Pouilly Fuisse)
Pinot Grigio (Pinot Gris)
Viognier (Condrieu)
Barbera
Cabernet Franc (Anjou)
Grenache (Garnacha, Cotes du Rhone)
Malbec
Merlot
Nebbiolo (Barolo, Barbaresco)
Pinot Noir (Bourgogne)
Sangiovese (Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino)
Temperanillo (Rioja)
Zinfandel (Primitivo)

Red wines go well with red meats, red sauces and mild cheeses and are best served "room" temp.
Whites go well with heavy white sauces, roasted chicken or fowl and aged cheeses. Serve whites slightly chilled for best flavor.

Cheese!

Such a little thing; cheese. But, I will say this, the right cheese can make a wine taste awesome. They can weirdly complement each other. During my wine classes, I tried so many different cheeses with the different wines, I'm just upset that I didn't write down which cheeses they were (tried to rely on my memory. Shouldn't have done that). And, quite honestly, I can't really find any truly gourmet cheese shops around here. I may have to broaden my search. I did learn I like Bleu Cheese with certain red wines. I have a "cheese table" I found clicking around on the internet. Not quite sure where it came from, but it is interesting. I may try some of the combinations it suggests. Assuming, of course, that I can actually find these cheeses at my local store.

White Zinfandel anyone?

White Zinfandel. One of the most popular wines we have. It is the go to for everyone, almost like a regular punch or something. People that don't like wine will drink it just to say they drink wine. Want something not too sweet, not too dry, something right in between? Head for the White Zin. Don't know what someone likes and you want to take a wine for a gift? Try a White Zin.

White Zin is sort of the geeky child in the wine household. Often snubbed by wine aficionados, but it can have its redeeming qualities. On a hot day it can be refreshing if chilled well. There are quite a few different companies out there, so trial and error can bring you to the one you may like. I personally am not too much of a fan, but then I haven't tried all the different ones that are available. We even have a White Zin Chardonnay blend and a new White Zin Moscato blend which I actually do want to try.

White Zinfandel just sometimes seems so run of the mill, it runs out our doors faster than we can put it on the shelves at times. There are so many other choices available, some with much more character. Maybe I will give it another go, one of them might change my mind about it.

Beaujolais Nouveau!

It's here it's here! The new Beaujolais Nouveau! Woohoo!

At least that's how people act.

Beaujolais Nouveau is basically the first release of the grape for any particular year. It's young and has just barely fermented to wine from grape juice.

Well, just for giggles, I bought a bottle. We aren't allowed to put it on the shelves until the third Thursday of November, so I put up the display yesterday. Such a big deal is made about this wine, I had to get one to see what the hubbub was all about. Well, I gotta say, I was completely...

UNimpressed. It had a nice smell, very enticing. Unfortunately for me, the first sip of this drink fell flat for me. It was, well, flat. No structure that I could find and did nothing for me. Too young, too green. I had it slightly chilled, I think it could have been chilled a little more. There are very little tannins and it is very light, which I did like, but really, I don't see what all the hype was about.

I'm thinking maybe if I pair it with some chocolate or a nice piece of cheese it might make it easier to drink for me. Ah well, I tried it. I'll continue to drink it and experiment until the bottle is gone, maybe I can find what it is that everyone rants and raves about.

Pretty bottle though.

Light Bodied Wines?

I think I prefer lighter bodied wines.I haven't quite found a heavier bodied wine that tickles my fancy yet. The body of a wine basically refers to how "heavy" it feels in your mouth.

Some of the more lighter bodied wines out there are Chenin Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, White Zinfandel, White Merlot, Rose, Gamay (Beaujolais) and Pinot Noir.
Most whites are lighter bodied. Chardonnay can go either way, light to medium bodied, depending on where it's from. A lighter bodied Chardonnay would most likely be an unoaked one.

I thoroughly enjoyed that Beringer Chenin Blanc, and the German Riesling, the Spatlese, both lighter bodied wines, and I can handle a Pinot Noir. I am definitely going to pick up a Beaujolais one of these days.

Lighter bodied wines go well with fruits, salads, chicken and fish and of course, cheese! There's more to the whole food pairing thing, we'll leave that for another post.

Gluten Free Wine? Really?

Yes really.

Wine is considered a gluten free product. I had gotten this question a few times before and was never quite sure what to say. I did some poking around on the handy dandy internet and found out that wine is considered gluten free and a safe choice for those with gluten sensitivities.

Some winemakers may use a wheat paste to seal the barrels wines are aged in. This paste is washed away before the wine gets into the barrel; they use hot water to wash out the barrels and help the wood expand for a better seal.
Some may use a gluten substance to fine the wine. It adheres to particles to take them out of the finished product. This gluten is being removed with the particles, plus the gluten levels are below 20ppm, which is the threshold to be considered gluten free.

If someone is super sensitive to gluten products and are concerned about it, I would recommend going for unoaked wines as they are aged in stainless steel vats with no oak influences. There are reds and whites available. Even call the winery to inquire whether they use any kind of gluten products in their fining process.

And don't worry about the corks, they do not contain gluten.

It was recommended to contact manufacturers of wines with added coloring or flavors just to be on the safe side.

German Riesling

So I wanted to try a German riesling. I had one in class a while back and actually liked it. It was slightly sweet, apparently German rieslings tend toward the sweeter side. Anyways, I picked up Carl Reh riesling, a Spatlese (which just means a late harvest). Very nice. Not terribly sweet but refreshing. Nice light straw color to it and a pleasant aroma. I can actually say I taste a minerality to it. Still a newbie at the whole "what do I taste" thing, but I do know that I like this one. I will have to try a couple different ones as from what I understand, different areas will give a different taste. This one was from Mosel. Very tasty.

The Cork, or the Screw Cap; which is better?

Does it really make that much of a difference? A cork or a screw cap?
Well, screw caps have a bad reputation and are often associated with cheap wine. But honestly, that is not necessarily the case anymore. Wine snobs turn their nose up when you mention the word. So what.

I mean really; screw caps are easier to open and close, plus, they can't crumble if they get dry, nor can they infect the wine if they get contaminated. It's important to remember, though, to lay a wine in it's side here and there to keep the cork moist so it swells and creates a better seal with less chance of drying out and therefore crumbling into the wine when you try to take it out.

Although they do say that corks are good for the wine because they allow a bit of air in which helps the wine "evolve". I don't know. Sure it's fun to pull a cork out of a bottle, and yes it's basically a renewable resource, but I don't think screw caps are all that bad.

I say to each his own; if you believe a screw cap makes for an inferior wine choice, then so be it, but you may miss out on some excellent choices just because you are eschewing screw caps.
I like the idea of a screw cap just to reseal wine a little better. Either way, I am choosing a wine for the wine, not the way it closes.

And corks make for a cool collection.

Organic Wines?

Another question I get a lot at work is about organic wines. I won't name any of the ones we carry, I'm not endorsing any, but we do have a few. Now, organic is a funny thing. It basically means no chemicals or preservatives are used during the growing period, nor can it have any added sulfites, only naturally occurring ones. This means they should be consumed within a few years, they are not made to hang around.

If preservatives are used in any way, they cannot label themselves as organic, they can only say "made from organic grapes". It's all how you word it, isn't it? These can have added sulfites. More on sulfites at a later time.
I am going to eventually try one, just to see if there is some sort of difference in taste. Doubt it though.