COPAIN SAISON DES VINS VIOGNIER

Winery: Copain Wines
Location: California, U.S.A.
Blend: Viognier
Tasting: Wednesday, November 30, 2011 - 4:00 - 7:00 p.m

Every winemaker we have spoken with has had an interesting story behind their chosen profession.  Wells Guthrie’s story, too, is an interesting one.  Wells worked for Wine Spectator in their San Francisco office as a tasting coordinator.  Not only had he fallen in love with wine, but he had a very strong desire to become a winemaker.  He left Wine Spectator and then he and his wife packed up and headed off to the Rhône Valley in France.

It was in the Rhône that two men had an incredible influence on his love of wine and winemaking.  Michel Chapoutier and Jean Louis Chave.  Wells worked as an apprentice to vintner Michel Chapoutier for two years.  You might be wondering why he wanted to work with Chapoutier.  Credentials, quite frankly.  The Chapoutier family has been in the wine industry in the Rhône Valley for more than 200 years.  If you drink wines from this region, then you most likely know the Chapoutier name.  Then there is Jean Louis Chave.  His family has been in the ‘vine’ business since the late 15^th century and is considered to have one of the finest wineries in the region.  Ironically, Jean Louis did his schooling at the University of California Davis.  We can only imagine the depth of the impact that these two ‘star’ Rhône vintners had on Wells.  His French winey name, Copain, in English means ‘buddy/friend’.  He gave it that name because he feels that wine is best shared with friends and family.  Hear hear.

Wells founded Copain in 1999 in the state of California and quickly became known for his big Syrah and received a lot of press.  Like all good winemakers, Wells believe that quality starts in the vineyard.  Over the years the alcohol has lowered in the wines and they have become longer lasting and more, shall we say, elegant.  He wants to be a winemaker forever.   Although they make many lovely wines, we are lucky to have Wells’ Viognier to sample this week.

Wells describes this wine:

“This stainless steel fermented Viognier combines candied lemon rind, subtle white flowers, and dried apricots in a steely mineral nose.  Aromatics carry well to the palate which is clean, crisp and lively with a zesty lemon curd and chalk finish.”

CSPC:                   722095
Winesday Price:

$25.19 (Includes Winesday 10% discount.)

Regular Price:

$27.99

*Price correct at time of printing.  Price subject to change without notice

Rutherglen Estates Burgoyne’s Block MSG

Winery: Rutherglen Estates
Location: Rutherglen, Australia
Blend: 60% Mourvedre, 20% Shiraz, 20% Grenache
Tasting: Wednesday, November 30, 2011 - 4:00 - 7:00 p.m.

Although we did not plan it this way… both of our wines this week have their roots in the Rhône Valley.  They are not made there, of course, but the history leads us back to that region.

“Rutherglen Estates was conceived with the ambition to redefine the traditions of one of the world’s best fortified wine regions, by producing premium table wines from varieties most suited to the climate and conditions of the Rutherglen region.”

In the mid 19^th century, the Rutherglen region of Australia was one of the largest wine producers in the southern hemisphere.  However, they were mostly known for their fortified wines.  The United Kingdon was the recipient of most of these wines, which really isn’t that surprising.  They seemed to have an insatiable taste for all things fortified.  Peter Burgoyne was considered to be a ‘wine pioneer’ in his day and he had the idea to make the Rutherglen region the principal winegrowing area in Australia.  This wine was named in his honour.[1]

Modelled on the Rhône Valley classics, this blend heralds the delightful reunion of these varieties. Although Mourvedre is rarely the dominant variety in these traditional blends, the colour, structure and intensity of flavour from our Mourvedre, allows us to make a unique version, adding an extra gamey and rich dimension to the Shiraz and Grenache. Shiraz offers lovely berry fruit, pepper and colour richness, while Grenache is the strawberry, candy, vanilla and spicy support variety.  This wine is very drinkable, yet is sophisticated and elegant with great length, rounded tannins, truffles, pepper, spice and red berry fruits.”

CSPC:                   738576
Winesday Price:

$18.89 (Includes Winesday 10% discount.)

Regular Price:

$20.99

*Price correct at time of printing.  Price subject to change without notice

Can you believe that next Winesday we will be a mere 18 days from Christmas?  We will be celebrating with two wines from Guardian Peak in South Africa.   We are looking forward to see you this week and next.

The word ‘sangria’ is said to come from the Spanish word, sangre, for blood (or bloodletting), referring to the colour of this summertime drink.  Actually, we say ‘summertime’, but in fact it is a drink for anytime.  If you are visiting Spain you may also see Sangria referred to as ‘Zurra’ in some regions.  It is a very refreshing drink made of fruit that is soaked in red wine (or sometimes white wine).  It started as a summer drink in Spain and Portugal, but is enjoyed the whole world over.  I have heard that Sangria made its way across the ocean to our fair shores sometime during the 1960’s.

Our friend, Vivian, has made Sangria from a few different recipes including a white Sangria.  I didn’t try the white one, but I did try the red and they were delicious.  My first bottled Sangria that I tried was the Don Simon Sangria that I sipped at ‘The Taste of Wine’ at ‘The Taste of Edmonton’ last year.  We went through I don’t know how many cases of both the regular and Organic Don Simon.  Every day we got shipments.  It was incredibly popular.  So Richard and I thought we should have it for a Winesday this year.

Producer: J. Garcia Carrión
Location: Spain
Blend: Organic Red Wine, Water Sugar, Citric Acid, natural fruit and cinnamon extracts
Tasting: Wednesday, July 20, 2011 - 4:00 - 7:00 p.m

The various Don Simon Sangrias are the #1 selling sangrias in the world.[1] There is the regular (red label), organic and sparkling (unfortunately not available in Alberta as of yet).

So here is what you do:

Chill the Sangria, freeze some grapes (great in wine too), cut up some fruit like oranges, lemons, etc.  Pour  the sangria into individual glasses garnished with the fruit.  Or have the fruit cut up and put in a pitcher (Looks pretty cool.  Everyone will be impressed).  Now we have chosed the Organic, but the regular is pretty darn tasty too.  We don’t have the sparkling one here, but we have an idea.  How about pouring some club soda into the sangria?  Yes it will dilute it a little, but our guess is that it will be pretty darn good.

CSPC:     761148
Price:

$11.50 (Minus Winesday 10% discount.)

*Price correct at time of printing.  Price subject to change without notice

This is a family run winery with Dominique and Benedicte Ricome at the wheel. This winery is located in Costières De Nîmes in the southern region of France. If some of you have been into wine for a while, you would know this region by the name Costières Du Gard. The name change was done over 20 years ago. This area is located between Nîmes and the Petit Rhône at the point where Languedoc meets the Rhône. The wines, although quite different than either the Rhône or Languedoc, tend to lean more to the style of the Rhône.

The Valcombe vineyards are a mere 20 miles from the Mediterranean Sea. The south facing hillsides provide a fabulous growing area. The vineyards are made up of Grenache and Syrah. The average age of the vines is 40+ years with the oldest vines heading on their way to 60.

Winery: Château De Valcombe
Location: Costières De Nîmes, France
Blend: 50% Syrah and 50% Grenache
Tasting: Wednesday, July 20, 2011 - 4:00 – 7:00 p.m

No matter what the vintage, this wine displays a deep ruby/purple colour. That seems to be quite consistent with the vintages that we have received. Some Blackcurrant, Blackberry, strawberries, dark chocolate, a little peppery spice and roasted meat are the notes we get from this wine. This is a very popular wine in the store. Come by and have a taste. Incredible value.

CSPC: 857243
Price:

$12.50

*Price correct at time of printing. Price subject to change without notice

Next week we are having a ‘bubbles times two’ week.  Oh wait ‘til you see.  There is something for everyone… beer drinkers and wine drinkers alike.

Boutinot Limited

Paul Boutinot is the son of a very successful restauranteur. Over the years, Paul became frustrated with the quality of wines that were available to restaurants and decided that he would do something about it. He travelled to France and brought back some wonderful house wines for his dad to serve in his restaurant. He would do this on a regular basis and then word got out to other restaurants and soon people were knocking on his door and asking him to do the same thing for them.

So in 1980 Paul opened Boutinot Limited in his home town of Manchester. Yes Manchester. For those of you who are big football (soccer) fans, you will know this area for its two Premier League Football teams of Manchester United and Manchester City.

Nine years later things changed for Boutinot Limited. Boutinot established production facilities in France “to provide total control over the winemaking process”. They made the move because they were “unhappy with the homogenization of wine styles and poor quality winemaking.” Paul Boutinot “has built a thriving business doing things differently from his competitors.” Being different is a good thing. If everything was the same, then all the wine would be the same and who in heaven’s name would want that to be the case?

Since early this century, Paul Boutinot now has a production base located in Schaapenberg in South Africa, which also gives greater control over what happens from the vineyard to the bottle and everything in between for his wines from that country.

Boutinot Limited has a team of talented winemakers. One of the best known is Eric Monnin. Eric has a talent for finding the best grapes that wine growing season has to offer. Boutinot has been working with grape growers in the Languedoc for over twenty years. So there are a lot of wonderful grapes to choose from. At the 2010 Sommelier Wine Awards Eric was given the honour of being chosen The Critics Choice Winemaker.

We have a fun line up of wines for you this week… a white, a rosé and a red.

Chat-en-Oeuf Blanc
Languedoc

Producer: Boutinot France Languedoc Roussillon
Vintage: 2009
Location: Languedoc, France
Blend: 60% Grenache, 30% Marsanne and 10% Roussanne and a dash of Rolle (Vermentino) and left un-oaked
Alcohol: 12.5%
Tasting: Wednesday, September 15, 2010 - 4:00 – 7:00 p.m

Okay, before we go any further, we just have to talk about this name… Chat-en-Oeuf. What a great cheeky name to have fun with Châteauneuf-du-Pape the famous wine from the Rhône wine region in southeastern France. Chat-en-Oeuf literally translated means ‘cat in egg’. As you can see by the label, the cat isn’t actually in the egg, but on the egg. Close enough. A South African winery pulled a funny on the French a number of years ago and made a wine called ‘Goats Do Roam’, after the Côtes du Rhône in France. Then they came out with Goats Rotie to have fun with Côte Rôtie, another wine region in France. I had heard many years ago that the French were not amused, but I guess some of them decided they might as well join them instead of fight them. Good on them, we say.

Eric Monnin is Boutinot’s winemaker for the Languedoc region. He seems to have the ability to find grape growers who have something special in the vineyard. He also helps to advise these growers so that the harvested fruit will express exactly what he wants, whether for the whites, rosés or the reds. “The grapes for the Chat-en-Oeuf Blanc come from selected growers around Beziers in the South of France and expertly blended by Eric Monnin and Kim Tidy of Maison Boutinot who produce the wines for the Chat-en-Oeuf range.”

The tasting notes for this wine are: “This scrumptious dry white is wonderfully aromatic and mouth-filling - crammed with citrus fruit flavours, a touch of apricot and a subtle twist of spice.”

This wine won a silver medal at the 2010 Decanter Wine Awards.

Food Pairing:

Roasted chicken; Roast of pork; Atlantic cod poached; Pork chops with a light mushroom sauce.

CSPC: 65433
Price:

$ 11.25 (Minus Winesday 10% discount.)

*Price correct at time of printing. Price subject to change without notice

Chat-en-Oeuf Rosé
Vin de Pays d’Oc

Producer: Boutinot France Languedoc Roussillon
Vintage: 2009
Location: Languedoc, France
Blend: Cinsault 50%, Grenache Noir 30%, Syrah 20%
Alcohol: 12.5%
Tasting: Wednesday, September 15, 2010 - 4:00 – 7:00 p.m

First of all you need to know that this wine is a Rosé, not a blush. I am going out on a limb with my percentages, but I would say that 95% of Rosé wines are dry. Now, there are always the exceptions like Mateus and Gazela. On the other side of things, blush wines are made to have some sweetness. If you see the word ‘white’ in front of ‘zinfandel’, ‘grenache’ or ‘merlot’ to name a few, then it will be a wine with a sweetness generally speaking of anywhere from a 2 to 4. Our Chat-en-Oeuf Rosé is dry and flavourful.

“Made by the ‘rosé de presse’ method where the grapes are not macerated on their skins but go straight to the press where the finer aroma and the flavour compounds located just under the skins are gently extracted on a slow cycle.”

Here is how they describe the wine: “A fruity, mouth-filling Rosé packed with juicy red berry flavours, a touch of floral aromas and a subtle twist of sweet spice.”

This wine won a Bronze Medal at the Decanter Wine Awards.

Food Pairing:

Mild tomato based pasta dishes; Trout; White fish; Green Salad with a light fruit dressing.

CSPC: 79236
Price:

$ 12.50 (Minus Winesday 10% discount.)

*Price correct at time of printing. Price subject to change without notice

Chat-en-Oeuf Rouge
Ventoux

Winery: Boutinot France Rhône
Vintage: 2007
Location: Rhône, France
Blend: Grenache 70%, Syrah 30%
Alcohol: 13.5%
Tasting: Wednesday, September 15, 2010 - 4:00 – 7:00 p.m.

I love this quote from the Boutinot website: “The affair with the southern Rhône is both enduring and unswerving. We believe to our marrow that we can make great wine here.” ‘Enduring and unswerving’… that almost sounds romantic. For those people growing grapes and making wine, it truly is a love affair.

You will notice that the grapes for this wine come from a different area. Ventoux is not an area extremely well known to most of us. However, there is a little bike race (tongue in cheek) held every year call the ‘Tour de France’ and on a number of occasions the participants have had to gather every bit of strength to climb the steep grade of Mont Ventoux, which is nearby.

The new vintage for this wine is the 2007. The 2006 vintage was ‘Commended’ at the 2007 Decanter Wine Awards and was also given note at the 2007 IWSC.

The tasting notes describe this wine as follows: “A truly mouth-filling red packed with rich, juicy and ripe berry fruit flavours, a touch of soft tannin and a subtle twist of spice and ‘garrigue’ herbs.”

Food Pairing:

Beef Casserole; Grilled or broiled sausages; Cheese.

CSPC: 21113
Price:

$ 12.50 (Minus Winesday 10% discount.)

*Price correct at time of printing. Price subject to change without notice

Next week Richard and I are travelling a beautiful estate in Montalcino, Italy. Come join us for some Italian hospitality.

Winery: Bodegas Ateca
Vintage: 2008
Location: Calatayud, Spain
Alcohol: 14%
Blend: Old Vines Garnacha (Grenache)
Tasting: Wednesday, April 14, 2010 - 4:00 - 7:00 p.m.

Map courtesy of vinisimo.com

When people think of exports from Spain, they think of Hollywood actors like Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz to name just a couple.  Well, let me tell you Spain has some incredible wine.   Let’s step back a little in time…

As with the history in many Mediterranean countries, the cultivation of wine grapes in Spain began with the Greeks and Phoenicians.  After the conquest of Spain by the Moors in 711 A.D. the wine industry took a huge hit.  The Moors forbid the drinking of alcohol, so land that was previously under vine was used for other crops.  In some areas, the Christians were allowed to keep some land under vine for their own use.  When the reconquest of Spain took place the wine industry came alive again due in part to the monasteries, as they needed sacramental wine for Communion.  In the 19^th Century Phylloxera hit a lot of Europe before it hit Spain.  When it devastated France, a number of French winemakers moved to Spain to not only work their art, but they also gave the Spanish priceless information on grape growing, and they also imparted their wisdom of more modern winemaking techniques, the effects of which are still felt in the country today.  When Phylloxera did come to Spain, the Spanish were better equipped to handle it.  They had learned that grafting the vines on root stock that was resistant to Phylloxera was going to be their saving grace.  The damage was not felt as hard as it was in a lot of Europe.  Fast forward to the 20^th Century…  many people around the world associate Spain with Sherry.  Yes, Sherry is made in Spain, but there is a wide range of wonderful wines from this country.  I hope this is the first of a number of articles we get to write on Spanish wine.

The wine we are sampling today, Atteca Old Vines 2008,  is from Northeastern Spain in an area called Calatayud.  This probably is not one of the best known regions of Spain.  Ribera del Duero, Rioja and Priorat are probably much better known on this side of the water.  Calatayud is an area of 5,600 hectacres of land in the Province of Zaragoza in Northeastern Spain.  The wine region is made up of 15 vineyards (Bodegas) which produce about 14 million liters of wine each year.

There are many different grape varieties grown in the Calatayud region including for the reds:  Garnacha Tinta, Tempranillo, Mazuela, Monastrell, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Merlot.   For the whites:  Macabeo, Malvasia, Moscatel de Alejandria, Garnacha Blanca and Chardonnay.   Unlike Germany and some other countries, Spain doesn’t usually have a problem with grapes not fully ripening due to cool temperatures.  The climate in Calatayud is mainly continental with warm to hot summers and cool to cold winters.  Most of the rain that falls comes between April and July.  The later part of the summer is very dry with only a scattered thunderstorm to leave a little rain for the vineyards.

This particular wine is made from 100% Old Vines Garnacha (otherwise known at Grenache).  The vines used to make this wine are between 80 to 120 years old.  Now when the vines get that old, they don’t produce a lot of fruit, but the fruit that you do get is amazing.  It is full of flavour and something just out of this world.   The vines were selected from hillside vineyards at 3000 feet above sea level.  These vineyards were planted in the last few decades of the 19^th Century and the first decade of the 20^th Century.

Richard and I sat down on Friday night to enjoy this wine with our dinner.  I had decanted it about 90 minutes prior.  Richard was enjoying a barbequed steak with various veggies and the like.  Being the rebel that I am, I had some chicken with a balsamic reduction and of course like a good girl, I had lots of veggies. The wine is a very deep ruby colour.  The aromas were awash with blackberries, black cherries and even some raspberries and a little vanilla.  In the mouth you could taste those berries along with some good acidity with a medium body feel.  On the finish, that is when you notice a wee bit of pepper spiciness.  We found it was about a medium finish.  The tannins are very noticeable, but not overbearing by any means.

Food Pairing:

Grilled/roasted beef and lamb; chorizo sausages (grilled or fried); veal; pork; Moroccan stew.  Or try grilled chicken with a balsamic reduction.

CSPC:     1025227
Price:

$23.99 (Minus Winesday 10% discount.)

*Price correct at time of printing.  Price subject to change without notice

Atteca photos courtesy of corksandcaftans

Richard and I are heading back across the pond to Chile next week.  As usual, I am running behind, so I better get my suitcase packed.  See you Wednesday!

2008 The Stump Jump Red

Winery: d’Arenberg
Vintage: 2008
Location: McLaren Vale, Australia
Alcohol: 14%
Blend: Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre
Tasting: Wednesday, March 3, 2010 - 4:00 - 7:00 p.m.

What a great name… The Stump Jump!  Of course you can’t have a name like that without there being a story to go along with it.  “The name ‘Stump Jump’ pays homage to a significant South Australian invention - the Stump Jump plough.”   This plough cleared the land around McLaren Vale.  It had the ability to “ride over stumps and gnarled roots”, which saved a lot of time and money.  Because of that, it was adopted worldwide in the late 19^th century.

In 1912 Joseph Osborn, who was a director of winemaker Thomas Hardy and Sons, purchased 25 hectares in what is now known as McLaren Vale.

Along came Joseph’s son Francis Ernest (‘Frank’) Osborn.  Frank had originally decided he wanted to be a doctor.  Well, that was not to be.  He left medical school, “choosing to forsake the scalpel for pruning shears.”  Not too long after he joined his dad, the size of the vineyard increased to 78 hectares. Up until their cellars were completed in 1928, the family sold their fruit to local wineries.

In 1943 Frank’s son Francis d’Arenberg Osborn (nicknamed d’Arry), was just 16 years old.  He came home from school to help his dad, who was ill at the time.  At the age of 30, d’Arry assumed full management.  A mere two years later in 1959 d’Arry decided he wanted to start his own label.  He named the winey d’Arenberg after his mom, Frances Helena d’Arenberg.

Fast forward through the 60’s and 70’s when d’Arenberg won the attention of many.  There were medals… many medals and the winery garnered attention not only nationally, but internationally as well.

As a young lad, Chester d’Arenberg Osborn, d’Arry’s son, would help in the vineyards and in the cellar every chance he got.  He was there during school breaks and Christmas holidays. Chester was very keen on “continuing his family’s winemaking tradition.”

Chester graduated from College with a Bachelor of Applied Sciences in Oenology and toured wine regions throughout Australia and Europe returning to d’Arenberg.  He took over as Chief Winemaker at d’Arenberg in 1984.  ”He immediately set about returning the family’s vineyards to their traditional grape growing practices of minimal inputs and no fertilization, cultivation and irrigation wherever possible, therefore achieving natural soil flavours with very low yields.”  Since Chester took over the wheel, the winery has won numerous awards and accolades.

“All grapes, red and white, are basket-pressed. The reds are still traditionally fermented with the grape skins (caps) submerged in open wax-lined concrete fermenters utilising the age-old technique of foot-treading.”  Yes that is exactly how it sounds.  They stomp the grapes with their feet.  Why would they do that when there are machineries that can do it?

Although technology has come a long way, it is tough to mimic the gentle pressure of walking on the grapes, you gently express the juice and extract colour and press the pips.  The pips (or seeds) don’t get pounded by the machines and therefore you don’t get that bitter taste that you can get sometimes from the seeds if they are over manipulated.  If you don’t know what that taste is like, the next time you have a grape with a seed in it, bite into the seed and see what happens.  If you haven’t peeled a red grape before, try that too.  Don’t just eat the pulp, however.  Eat the skin all on its own.  That drying feeling in your mouth is caused by the tannins in the skins and the seeds.  Tannins are a good thing.  The tannins and the acidity give the wine good balance and longevity.  You just want to make sure that they are extracted gently.

I digress.  Back to the d’Arenberg family…

“In June 2004 Chester’s dad, d’Arry was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for his contributions to the wine industry and to the McLaren Vale region.”  D’Arry has overseen over 65 consecutive vintages.  Since Chester took over the wheel, the winery has won numerous awards and accolades.

“If you travel to South Australia, visit d’Arry’s Verandah Restaurant, one of South Australia’s most loved and highly awarded restaurant, set on a picturesque hilltop with the Cellar Door tasting room adjoining.”

Talking about tasting… on to our wine.  Australian wines are known (what us wine nerds say) as being fruit forward.  What the heck does that mean?  Well, it is just as it sounds.  As soon as you smell the wine, even if you are new to wine, you will smell fruit right away.   In Stump Jump Red, there are nice ripe and juicy red fruit, red plums, dark cherries, rhubarb and even some cardamon spice.

The taste… fresh red berries (yum) a little pomegranate.  After you taste all that, just sit back and have another sip.  Hmmm… plum stone, star anise and a wee bit of cinnamon.  Okay, now I am hungry after talking about all those flavours.

Food Pairings:

Roasted Duck, Lamb Lolly Pops, Grilled Beef with mushrooms, Stew (I would even add a little of the wine to the stew beef).

CSPC: 1024961
Price:

$15.99* (Minus Winesday 10% discount)

*Price Correct at time of printing.  Price subject to change without notice.

Thanks for taking this journey with us.  See you on Wednesday

Next week we are off to the all time highest Gold Medal winning country of (drum roll please)… C A N A D A.