Bull’s Blood

Posted on July 2, 2012 by thewineraconteur

Bull’s Blood is not an inviting name for a wine, but then I also think that Blood Soup does not sound enticing either.  This is a famous wine from Hungary from the vineyards that surround the town or village of Eger, hence Egri Bikaver.  Most wines from Hungary would list the town first and then the grape varietal next.  Bikaver translates to Bull’s Blood and that is how the wine is known, not only in Buda and Pest but the rest of the world as well.

 

 

It is a full bodied robust red wine with a deep color that is made from the Kadarka grape.  It pairs wonderfully with all the rich offerings of Hungarian foods and their great sauces.  I have enjoyed it with beef, veal, chicken and duck dishes that have been prepared with an Austro-Hungarian style or with a Romany style of cuisine.

 

 

As a blended wine from the assorted vineyards around Eger, and it is not necessary to remember  vintages.  All of the Egri Bikaver wines are offered through the government monopoly of Monimpex (at least during the Soviet years).  I should look at and try a bottle of it since the change in governments to see if there is any difference that I can discern.  The next time I get a strong yearning for Hungarian food.

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A Party of Quaffers

Posted on July 1, 2012 by thewineraconteur

Years ago, when I was first teaching myself about wines, I developed a reputation of being a “wino.”  I was having a party where there was going to be about twenty people.  It was a very casual affair with casual food, but everybody hinted that they wanted to taste wine and most claimed that they would bring their own choice of beer to the party.

Beer drinkers are quaffers, as I refer to them, especially back in the seventies.  Beer was guzzled then, today there are beer aficionados.

 

 

I was in a quandary; my cellar could be depleted by friends who like alcohol and the euphoria that can be achieved from it.   I had already started a collection of perhaps five dozen assorted bottles of wine that were aging.   What should I serve?   I went to one of the local wine merchants that I had started a relationship with.  I explained the situation and he smiled and brought me a case of Coteaux du Languedoc.  It was a red table wine with the V.D.Q.S. designation.  This appellation is for districts that have had a proven record of making wines of distinction from lesser areas.  This wine was from the south of France; just north of Spain in an area know as Midi.

 

 

While it was not a wine that I would want to serve with a great meal, it worked very well with the crowd, and it got me rave reviews.   At the end of the evening I discovered that I had acquired a large holding of assorted beers as the wine was a hit.  Through the years I have read more positive articles about the Languedoc and the Midi, so I am sure that I will repay the area with a visit.

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A Junior High School Reunion and a Chardonnay

Posted on June 30, 2012 by thewineraconteur

I grew up in Southwest Detroit and I attended a Junior High School that was fed by four elementary schools.  From the Junior High the students because of geographic boundaries and potential school achievements went on to five or six different high schools.  Most students from the first grade in other school systems end up finishing high school together.  This quirk in the Detroit school system created a center of relationships for a large group of students.  I just attended the second annual non-class year Junior High School reunion, and it was a pleasure.  There were alumni from the 1960’s to the 1980’s, and we numbered around 200 with a couple of teachers in attendance as well. The first was held in a large bar/tavern and this time it was held in a hall with a BYOB request.

 

 

I naturally decided to bring a bottle of wine to go with the furnished dinner, the camaraderie, conversations and a background furnished by a disc-jockey.  One fellow graduate brought two distinct craft beers that he made for the occasion.  As I walked around I saw an assortment of wines like Pinot Grigio, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Chardonnay.  I did see a Mountain Valley Merlot on one table, this I know for a fact, because of the quirk of the BYOB, there was no bar service furnished.  There was no ice, soft drinks and the worse situation – no cork screw.

 

 

I laughed then, and I laugh now, because I became a rather popular fellow.  I had the only cork screw in the establishment.  Actually it was a waiter’s style cork screw which proved very fortuitous as there was not a bottle opener available either.  Being a former Scout I was prepared, as my wine carrier has the potential for two bottles of wine, a cheese knife and cutting board, an extra wine bottle stopper, two wine glasses and the waiter’s cork screw.

 

I had brought a 2010 Pelerin Chardonnay from the Sierra Mar Vineyard in the Santa Lucia Highlands just south of Carmel and Monterrey.  It had enough personality and true Chardonnay qualities to satisfy me on that warm spring evening.  It was crispy with a touch of tartness, as opposed to a buttery “Oak” finish.  The perfect wine I felt for the occasion, not thin and not heavy.

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The Wineries of Harbor Springs and a Side Trip to Petoskey

Posted on June 28, 2012 by thewineraconteur

While we are up at Boyne Highlands, we had a free afternoon to ourselves.  Some went on a pontoon boat; some enjoyed the amenities of the resort.  I went searching for wines.  Are you not surprised?

The first winery we visited was Pleasantview Winery in Harbor Springs.  They also had a Bed and Breakfast on the grounds.  I must have been told a dozen times that they only did American Cold Hardy Grape Varietals.  I guess it must not have registered with me after the second time.  They also informed me that they begun the paper work to get the area a wine designation, hence all of their wines had product names instead of the grape that produced it.  Some of the names were Moonstruck, Persilka, Ethereal, Honeywood etc.   The tasting was done in the same room where the wine was produced.  Hence there were several large plastic vats of wine sharing the space with us.

We then went to Harbor Springs Vineyards and Winery at Pond Hill Farm.  This was a very eclectic and fun location.   There were animals roaming around for children to see and pet, a full working farm and winery.  They had a country store that sold the food that they harvested and above the country store was four hours of serving restaurant that featured food from the farm and behind that was a lovely tasting room.   I was informed that the building that we were in was built from the trees removed to create the farm and winery.  I also met a young intern in the tasting room from Louisville, Kentucky who was going to a culinary program in Cincinnati, Ohio.  They were doing a tasting of Pinot Gris, two different vintages of a Chardonnay, a Riesling, a Cherry wine and two different hard ciders.   I really enjoyed the Chardonnay which was very crisp and carried some back with us.

We then drove to Petoskey, which was only about nine miles away and went to a tasting salon of Mackinaw Trail Winery.  The winery is in Petoskey and they had two other tasting salons; one in Manistique and the other in Mackinaw City.  Here we sampled their Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, a Dry Riesling, a Cabernet Franc, a Cabernet Sauvignon, a Cabernet-Merlot, a Merlot a Pinot Noir and their Razzbery wine (which exploded with the taste of raspberry, they suggested pouring it over homemade vanilla ice cream).  I looked at my notes from here and two notes really caught my attention.  The Pinot Noir which their write up claimed “mingles blackberry and cranberry with hints of tea and spice,” while all I could taste was tea.  The other item that I found curious was that neither of us enjoyed the Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc or the Merlot; we really enjoyed the Cabernet-Merlot and we took some home with us.

Wherever I go, I look for wineries, and I am especially grateful when I leave with a purchase or two.  This is even more fun, when an area is not touted for wines.

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Ziplines and Wines

Posted on June 27, 2012 by thewineraconteur

 

 

We just returned from Boyne Highlands in Harbor Springs, Michigan.  My wife was up for a business meeting and I got to tag along.  I was very impressed with the quality of food and service, this year round resort offered.  Breakfast every morning was a buffet with an omelet bar, fruit service and all of the other items that make a great breakfast.  Lunches were private affairs of custom sandwiches and salads.  The dinners were excellent.  They offered chicken in boursin sauce, salmon, steaks, ribs and all sorts of comfort food.  Two nights were out on the patio and one night was a cocktail reception.  After the reception some of us drove over to Charlevoix to have dinner at Terry’s Place where I enjoyed a dinner of veal and morels.

 

 

The wines that were poured for us at Boyne Highland were an eclectic mix and all enjoyable.  Through the course of the meetings and dinners I made it a point to sample what our host was offering.   There was a 2010 Red Rock Reserve Merlot from Sonoma, a 2008 McWilliams Shiraz, Harwood Estate, South East Australia, a 2008 Starmont Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa, a () Louis M. Martini Pinot Noir from Napa, a () Don Migule Gascon Malbec from Mendoza, a 2010 Frei Brothers Chardonnay and a 2010 Ecco Domani  Pinot Grigio from Venezie.  Nothing stellar, but all sound picks for the type of wine poured.  These are the times when I can try a couple of different wines at the same time and pair them with foods.

 

I must admit that the wine sampling that I did, fortified my spirits and I tried their Zipline through the trees.  This is something they offer when there is no snow on the ground, because this resort is known for their skiing as well.  A fine time was enjoyed by all.

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Cote Rotie

Posted on June 26, 2012 by thewineraconteur

This is a wine from the Rhone Valley.  Cote du Rhone wines are always a dependable go to wine.  I learned this very early in my wine tasting days.  Cote Rotie is such a full big body wine that it can easily overpower a lot of dishes.  The Rhone Valley is a very hot climate area that produces high alcoholic wines.   Cote Rotie is not only big, but it ages very well and it has more terroir in the mouth, than most other wines that you will find.  The terroir is so evident; I am inclined to say dirt, but what a glass of dirt.

 

 

The first bottle that I ever had was a 1971 and it bowled me over with its boldness.  This may have been the first or second bottle that I had ever encountered such evidence of the terroir.  I forget the restaurant that I found this bottle at, but I remember that the entrée was never even a contender when it went up against this champ.

 

 

It is not a wine that one sees very often either in a restaurant or even in a wine shop.   The next time I encountered it was at a dinner club that specialized in aged grilled steaks with grilled vegetables that evening.  This was a much better pairing for this wine, which was a 1967 vintage, it was more mature than the first bottle that I had, but it still had that distinctive mouth and feistiness.

 

 

Last month I had my third bottle, and it was a 2001 vintage.  This had the most maturity in age of any bottle that I have had.  I looked forward to seeing if it would be mellower.   I did warn my Bride to expect a strong taste of terroir, which she has encountered more than a few times.   I was surprised at how robust and firm this wine was, with no sign of mellowing.  It was still full bodied, in your face and still brought such a case of déjà vu to my taste buds after almost a thirty year hiatus.

 

If you can find this wine in a store, by all means try one, but make sure that you pair it with a big dinner.  This wine demands an equal, not a light weight dish.  Go for the gusto.

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Saumur de Champigny

Posted on June 26, 2012 by thewineraconteur

I remember having dinner at the Viscount Hotel in Windsor when I was in high school on a date.   They had a very formal old school restaurant that was very elegant.  That is how I remember it as a young man.  I thought it was classy and had a style that I had not encountered before.  Not only was I impressed, but so was my date.  Not only was I at a classy restaurant for the evening, I was also in another country.  How suave was that.

 

 

We both had dinners featuring pork as I recall.  So I was going to be “Joe Cool” and order something different.  Since we were in Canada, the restaurant had a large grouping of French wines, and then Canadian and the rest of the world followed.  I remember that there was a large selection of Bordeaux and Bordeaux Superior wines.  I knew I didn’t want anything that heavy to go with pork.  Already I was becoming an “authority.”

 

 

As I was looking for alternatives to a Bordeaux wine, they had a couple of offerings from the Loire Valley.  From my readings at the time, I knew that these would be a softer red wine and not sweet like a Beaujolais type of wine.  There were a couple “generic” wines from the Loire Valley and a Saumur de Champigny.  I did not know this wine, but I figured that it was from a more delineated area, so I would get a better idea of what to expect from the wines.   Turns out it was a wonderful wine made from Cabernet Franc grapes.

 

A couple days later, after I had soaked the label off of the bottle, I did some further research in my reference book by Alexis Bespaloff.  Here is what he had to say; “The village of Saumur produces white wines from the Chenin Blanc and roses and red from the Cabernet Franc.  The reds are attractive, especially those from the village of Champigny.  If you come across a bottle of Saumur de Champigny, it’s worth trying.”

 

So I guess I made a wise decision.

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A Romantic Airport Setting and a Great Bottle of Wine

Posted on June 25, 2012 by thewineraconteur

On one of our many trips to Louisville, we went to a French Bistro Les Relais.  It is in a historic airport terminal at Bowman field.  Charles Lindbergh even landed at Bowman field in the twenties.   The restaurant has the feeling of Rick’s Café Americain from the cinema classic Casablanca.

There was a wonderful menu of updated classic bistro selections from appetizers right through to dessert.  I had the Chef’s selection that evening which was focused around duck compote, and my Bride had Chilean Sea Bass.

Our wine selection was Beringer Alluvium Knights Valley.  The vintage has been lost to me, but the label has a featured spot on one of the walls in my cellar.  Knights Valley has its own AVA designation and Beringer did a great job with this Meritage wine.  Alluvium is actually a word to describe loose soil, and I am sure that this must describe the terrain of the vineyards that the grapes came from.  I also am a great fan of the names that the some of the vintners come up with for their wines, when they are not members of the Meritage Association.  If that had belonged to the association the wine would have been labeled “Meritage.”  This was an excellent Bordeaux blended wine, that one does not always encounter even on great wine lists.  If you get the chance to try this wine, you will not be disappointed

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Estancia Reserve Pinot Noir

Posted on June 24, 2012 by thewineraconteur

I belong to several wine clubs and earlier this year in one of the packages was a 2007 Estancia Reserve Pinot Noir from the Santa Lucia Highlands in California.  The whole Monterey Peninsula and southward is an area that I have enjoyed for years.  I have enjoyed a myriad of wines by different growers throughout the years.

Estancia is a label that I have trusted for years as a good yeoman-like workhorse.  In some restaurants I have been in, it is their top of the line, which is fine, because it is always going to be good and dependable.  What had me curious is that I had never encountered the “Reserve” before.

It was a far better bottle of wine than I had been used to drinking from Estancia, so the word “Reserve” was not just hype.   There is nothing worse, than buying a hyped up label with superlative words and mediocrity in the bottle.   This was a classic Pinot Noir from the area with a richness that one would expect.  I shall continue looking more closely at my future Estancia purchases.

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A Rose of Malbec

Posted on June 23, 2012 by thewineraconteur

My brother-in-law had also brought to the barbeque for earlier enjoyment a wine that he and his wife had discovered.  It was Parrot Mountain Rose of Malbec 2010 from Mendoza, Argentina.

 

 

It was not a wimpy Rose that has given that name a second rate status.   The color was soft and so was the nose.  The taste is what separated it from most of the Rose wines one encounters.  There was a nuance and a couple of layers to the taste.  It was perfect for being next to the pool, or munching away with cheese and crackers, hummous, and even with the cut vegetables and fruit.  It even seemed to hold its own with the shrimp and a very spicy cocktail sauce.

 

 

All in all, it was a good choice for an early afternoon wine in the hot sun, before it was even time to think of starting the barbeque.

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