If music be the food of love, play on -- WBW #58

O.K., so Shakespeare was talking about love, not wine, but if you reach in far enough, there’s an appropriate metaphor about music enhancing one’s experiences, whether they be falling in love or wine-tasting.

For this eye-opening experiment I tasted two wines with each track:

Channing Daughters
Rosata / Cabernet Sauvignon
Mudd Vineyard
2008

And

Monchiero
Rocche
Barolo
2001

1) Artist: Moby CD: Hotel/Ambient Disk Track: 1

For my first tasting, I felt that the pulsing bass line and throbbing synth overwhelmed this gentle pink wine.

With the Barolo, I noticed the smokey nose and meaty flavor distinctly. The Barolo was a better match for Moby’s intellectual reaching on this Phillip Glass-like track. But, the pulsing rhythm outran the mellow appeal of the wine.

Result: Double Fail

2) Artist: Belle and Sebastian CD: Boy with the Arab Strap Track: Sleep the Clock Around

I really like the high energy and light harmonizing on vocals. Belle & Sebastian is a Scottish band that provides bouncy pop music with a twist. The song was a great match to the Rosato’s strawberry punch. This wine is fun and so is this tune.

Drinking the Barolo while listening to the same song, I’m less aware of the high-pitched vocals and more clued into the deeper acoustic guitar strum and bass line that run under the happy sounding voices. I’m compelled to grab the lyric sheet to find the dark words that lie hidden like the Loch Ness in their bubble-gum pop sound…”And could this be the time when somebody will come/To say ‘Look at yourself, you’re not much use to anyone.’” The Barolo was not a natural match, but somehow the music lightened the wine’s serious palate, and the wine brought out the gravity in the song.
Result: Good pairing with Rosato, Qualified success with Barolo

3) Artist: Taking Back Sunday CD: Louder Now Track: Liar, Liar

This is a fast-paced song with drilling bass lines. The young band offers tight musicality, but this close-but-not-quite-headbanging (head nodding?) tune is best played loud. The rollicking guitars on the break overwhelm my poor rosé, although the tart fruit nose is definitely sharper when smelled against the backdrop of this song.

When I replay the song for my Barolo, I notice the length on the wine much more. Its heavy tannic structure is blunting Taking Back Sunday’s best attempt to capture my sensory perception…the finish on the wine coincides with an awesome guitar neck slide, which is a cool moment in the tasting/listening. But this match is too competitive: my ears and mouth are fighting for my brain’s attention. Love these, but separately.

Result: Double Fail

4) Artist: Kate Bush CD: The Whole Story Track: Wuthering Heights

Kate’s eerie high voice sings about the moors of England and the ghostly romance of Wuthering Heights. This pairing is a triumph. The berry flavors of the wine put me in mind of the fresh-mown English lawns and gardens in spring bloom, rosebushes which Cathy’s gowns may have swept by. This song is based on my favorite novel, a Gothic romance, and it lends a depth to the Rosato. With its deep salmon color, the wine even appears to be a romantic choice. Its sweet fruit structure is heightened by the ghostly Cathy’s soulful howling at the end of the track. Beautiful.

“Oh it gets dark, it gets lonely,” sings Kate Bush, channeling the ghost of Cathy. The Gothic drama of this dark tale of star-crossed lovers is underscored by this big, complicated Italian wine, which reminds me of the broad-shouldered, heavy browed hero Heathcliff to whom she sings. The finish lingers and Kate plaintively sings while a rich guitar riff extends the melodic vocal line. This pairing is the clear winner of the night.

Result: The Rosato is Cathy, the Barolo is Heathcliff, both pairings enrich each other.

Wine Blogging Wednesday 54 – Piedmont, Albeisa Barbaresco

I hurried over to the Wine Library after work to pick up an appropriate Piedmont wine for Wine Blogging Wednesday. I’m very glad I did—because I came home with a delicious 2005 Albeisa Barbaresco from Produttori del Barbaresco, a cooperative of winegrowers founded in 1958.
I was thrilled to participate in this month’s WBW because I’m planning a trip to Italy later in the spring, and I’m on a mission to taste and learn as much as possible about Italian wine before I go.
The distinctive Albeisa bottle, which originated in the 1700s, is brown glass with deeply sloped shoulders. Albeisa is rendered in raised letters on the bottle itself—an attractive touch. The label shows an old castle with a rectangular tower—very medieval looking--and a raised copper seal with a beautiful bearded Roman on it. Also, Vendemmia 2005 is listed. I love the use of Italian language on the label; it makes me pine for my trip. On the back label, a nice paragraph of description is given in Italian and English which lets us know that the wine was made entirely from Nebbiola grapes. The vintage clocks in at 14% alcohol.
On to the wine—I let it breath for about an hour, and when I came back to it detected a nice sweet nose with floral characteristics such as violet, which is typical of the variety, and perhaps rose as well. An attractive medium ruby color that pales to salmon near the edge and ends a bit watery at the very outer rim. There is a roundness to the mouthfeel; the tannins are really evident and I feel them strongly on the attack. But after that, the wine shows real grace. It’s medium-bodied, with really satisfying fruit. There’s the slightest bit of fizz when poured.
I bought this bottle about $26, and thought it was a very good value. I drank this with a raw cow’s milk aged fontina and really enjoyed this match. I’m looking forward to drinking more of this lively Barbaresco. Cheers!

WBW #50: The Great Outdoors

I am late to post, but couldn’t resist participating in this theme, which is near and dear to my heart. From the very first time I went hiking and camping with the man in my life, we’ve always packed a couple of bottles of wine along with the tent. It’s got to be big, tannic, and red to ward off those chilly nights on the trail. We have even given the wines a name. They’re our “Camping Wines.”
Nothing beats sitting around a campfire, enjoying rustic red wine in plastic cups. It’s a pleasure I’ve enjoyed many times and it brings back great memories of relaxing weekends in the Connecticut wilderness. If I had the chance to go this fall, I’d probably reach for a Ravenswood Old Vines Zinfandel and see what Cotes du Rhone strikes my fancy. Sadly, a weekend away is not in the offing, but we can always make do in our own back sitting by firepit we dug, surround by our maples, which are turning golden this month. A toast -- to all things autumnal!

A Sip in Time

This month’s Wine Blogging Wednesday asked us to go back to a wine we drank back in the day. So, I’m thinking early 1990s, on a trip to visit my dear friend Bernadette out in San José. I saw her a few times when she lived there, and we always fit in a trip to Napa or Sonoma. Living in California, she got into wine before I did, and I was impressed when she and her husband would talk about the Chardonnay they were pouring with dinner in their little house with the lime trees in the back.
Gallo was still one of the biggest names in wine, and our excursions often included visiting their tasting room, which was large, impressive, and ready to welcome busloads of tourists. In those early days, learning about wine was new and exciting, and to my young mind, it reeked of a sophistication I was yearning to have.
So for this month, I picked up a Gallo Chardonnay. This one was the 2005 Sonoma Reserve. The front of the bottle includes four little gold medal seals, and the back label talks about the fact that Gallo has won Winery of the Year multiple times.
Gallo is a name I avoid in wine stores, not because I don’t think they can’t make decent wines now, but because of bad associations with the large jug of Hearty Burgundy that I often saw poured at my Italian family dinners. The jug packaging, the false use of a French appellation, it all adds up to bad memories of American wine making.
But I keep an open mind as I pour this wine, which has a pleasing light gold color. I get full-on fruit at the nose, mostly yellow apples and over-ripe cantaloupe. The taste continues with lots of fruit, but there’s a fair share of oak—although not nearly as heavy- handed as I was expecting. The oak somewhat flattens the fruit flavors without really enhancing them. The bottom line was this was a very fruity chard, 13.9% alcohol (what did they do to get it below 14, I wonder?), which, according to the label, was aged partially in French and American oak. I prefer a dry Chard—give me a Chablis or Macon--or, if oak is involved, yes, I’ll take a Burgundy style, thank you very much. So, the style was not my preference. It is a pleasing wine, though, nothing really offensive (except perhaps the over-ripe quality), and, when all is said and done, I’m sure that many people would like it very much. So, thanks to Lenn for suggesting a trip back in time. The wine was o.k., but the memories were much better.

Wine Blogging Wednesday #46 -- Rhone Whites

Wine Blogging Wednesday is here and the electricity isn’t, thanks to a fire at the transformer station and a nasty thunderstorm. In fact, my county declared a state of emergency today. So I’m out on the grass of my front yard (it’s getting dark in the house), draining my laptop’s battery as well as my wine glass. The posting will wait until Thursday, because the blackout knocked out my WiFi.
I actually visited the Rhone River, and really tied one on with some red CDR (talk about rustic!) at a youth hostel in Avignon (but that’s another story). However, I never tried a white, so I turned to a really helpful employee at the Wine Library (Gary Vee’s domain), who pointed me towards the Domaine Philippe Plantevin 2005 Côtes de Rhone for $19.00. In a departure from the usual French labeling, the back label provided detailed information about the blend: 40% Viognier, 30% Grenache, and 30% Marsanne.
I opened the bottle two nights ago and was knocked out by the high acidity. Tonight, I wondered if it would have softened a day after opening. It did, barely. I can enjoy many wines on their own, but to me, this is definitely a food wine. I took out some creamy goat cheese and the acids were tamed by its richness.
On the nose, there are a lot of interesting things going on. I get a little bit of lemon, a hint of peach, the barest amount of floral. It’s a pleasing aroma and quite full. The color is mid-range for a white wine, not quite golden but darker than straw. For a wine that’s three years old, the Domaine Phillipe had a tremendous amount of fruit. The acid was so high that it really left things a bit unbalanced, although I did enjoy the wine’s fresh fruit. The finish was scant. This wine isn’t my style, but I’m curious about trying other white Rhones now to see how they compare.

Wine Blogging Wednesday #45--Old World Riesling

Straw colored, with lemons and a touch of honeysuckle on the nose, the Hugel Riesling 2004 I tried was fresh, fruit-forward, and highly acidic. In fact, it cried out for food to soften the acids. I was having one of those, I’m not eating dinner nights (who says cooking has to happen 7 nights a week?) and I buttered some water crackers and happily munched. The acid from the wine was softened by the butterfat, which would translate easily to a more civilized evening enjoying sole with buerre blanc. I’m partial to bone-dry Riesling, and I am more familiar with the Alsatian ones than German. Hugel is Appellation Alsace Contrôlleé and very reasonably priced at $15.99. The winemaking tradition in this region is centuries old: the Hugel family has made wine there since 1639--talk about the family business! Michael Franz said in France Magazine that Alsatian Riseling is “the most lamentably under-appreciated of France’s greatest wines.” I am discovering more about Alsatian wines all the time, having blogged recently about a complex grand cru Gewurtztraminer and a fascinating Sylvaner. I’m loving learning about this wine region, and the Hugel & Fils Riesling is one more winner from eastern France.

WBW #44 French Cabernet Franc

Olek-Mery
2004 Chinon Cuvée des Tireaux
12.5%
First of all, shout-out to the Wine Library where I bought this wine. Now that WLTV is so hot, being from North Jersey is something to brag about. But onto the wine.
Being a newbie to Cab Franc, I can better describe what this wine isn’t than what it is. It isn’t dark. It isn’t heavy. It doesn’t smell like jam. I drink a lot of French wine and this is a different animal than the Bordeaux/Burgundy/Côtes de Rhône/Beaujolais/Chateauneuf du Pape I’ve had. It seems to have a mineral quality I’m much more accustomed to in white wine. It’s a light-colored red, light bodied as well. It slips over the tongue without packing a wallop of fruit and tannin, unlike many Cabernet Sauvignons (which, by the way, I often enjoy). On the nose, I’m probably picking up something slightly vegetal, as is said about the varietal. I quite enjoyed this wine. There was a nice amount of acid, good balance, and nothing overpowering—very food friendly. I’ll be back to try more.

WBW #43 – My Comfort Wines

Wine is many things at many times—-convivial when shared with friends, romantic when poured with a lover, celebratory when free-flowing at a party. But one of the nicest things that wine can be is a comfort.
When my muscles ache and my mind is spent, there’s a ritual that soothes me body and soul. I turn on the tap to the hottest water and fill the tub (yes, I use bubbles). I light a candle. If I’m really into it, I’ll put on Enya. Then I go into the kitchen and take out a lovely little cordial glass and pour something sweet.
I have a bottle of Taylor Fladgate 10 year old Tawny Port that is my go-to unwinding wine. I fill the glass to the brim and slip into the tub. Aahhh. I’ll stay there for half an hour, and sometimes I’ll call to my husband to bring me a little more. The nutty, caramel flavor and stronger alcohol work like charms for me.
One reason this is so calming is the ritual of sipping. It immediately slows everything down. I savor the liquid in my mouth. I breathe its aroma deeply.
I also like to fill my cordial glasses with ice wine. We picked up a bottle when we were on Niagara-on-the-Lake from Chateau des Charmes. The Vidal grape produces honey-like wine that is satisfyingly mouth-filling. And for my most decadent evenings: Sauternes. The only wine I packed in my suitcase from my trip to Bordeaux was a bottle of Chateau Closiot Sauternes. So perfumed was this wine that it was like drinking flowers. I was transported when I sipped this treasure.

Wine Blogging Wednesday 42--Seven Words or Less on Saladini Pilastri Pregio del Conte Vendemmia 2003

Brash fruit, bright acid straddle tight tannins.

WBW #41 Friuli Venezia

This varietal from northeast Italy was a real eye-opener. So much richer and fruitier than many of the crisp yet bland Pinot Grigios I've had. The aroma was very rich, full of ripe apricot. The flavor was equally lively. The Vigna Traversa Ribolla Gialla I tried was bursting with fruit, had very nice acidity and a long finish. Very satisfying and refreshing. This 2006 was about $16. Thanks for the topic!