Yearly Archives: 2011
Zinfandel has long been considered California’s “own” grape varietal. The truth is that all of the grape varietals we know today, such as Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and so on, are all European imports. We previously believed that Zinfandel was an actual American varietal, and claimed it as such, but after tracing its roots back for the past decade or so, we have other possible origins to consider. Zinfandel was thought for some time to actually be Primitivo from Umbria Italy, and now it allegedly has Croatian roots, as an offshoot of the grape Crljenak Kaštelanski. Whatever it might be (it’s hard to keep up), I do believe that California does best with this varietal, and the best place to locate the “Zen of Zin” is the Dry Creek Valley AVA in Sonoma.
I can’t speak about Red Zinfandel without mentioning its evil twin White Zinfandel. Yes, it’s the same grape, but White Zinfandel spends less time on the skins (which gives wine its color) and rather than fermenting it dry like most wines, sugar is left in the wine. White Zinfandel was made famous in the 70’s by Sutter Home…it was created by accident when Bob Trinchero was making a rosé from Zinfandel and the fermentation stopped, leaving more sugar in his wine. Bob decided to put some of this juice aside, tasted it a couple weeks later, and decided to sell it. BOOM! Thus began the White Zinfandel craze, and it hasn’t stopped since! Don’t get me wrong; I’m not a hater to anyone drinking White Zin! I started there just as many other people have and will continue to do in the future. It’s a perfect gateway to start developing your palate for wine.
Let’s get away from the “non-serious” Zinfandels—those with the clever, over-the-top names or the wild, eye-catching packaging; I’m want to spotlight the people that are making crazily complex Zins in their sacred home in Dry Creek Valley. Famous names include Dry Creek Vineyards (a pioneer in Dry Creek), A. Rafanelli (only available on fine wine lists) Dashe, Seghesio, Pezzi-King…and the list goes on. These are not the over-heated, super-ripe wines of Lodi, these are the complex, nuanced, fine wines of a cooler climate. The morning fogs from the Pacific help retain the acidity in the wines, yet it’s still warm enough here to get the grapes fully ripened without being “overcooked.”
The Dry Creek “Beeson Ranch” Zinfandel has such an explosion of potpourri, pepper, anise, damp earth, black and red fruits on the nose and has even more of these on the palate. It keeps evolving and surprising you with each sip you take. Finding wines like this for a $35 price point can be difficult, especially when you think of the Cabernet family and how much you’d normally have to spend to get this kind of complexity. Next time you are thinking of BBQ ribs, for example, pick up a bottle of a Dry Creek Zin, then sit back and let the magic happen!
Wine writer Maggie Bernat Smith contributes to the Strongbox blog each Friday.
If you refrain from drinking “bubbly” all year long (although I can’t understand why you would!) then this might be the perfect time to indulge. Champagne comes from all over the world, and each bottle is as different in style and flavor from each other as they are in price range.
Champagne usually makes special appearances at celebratory occasions, but it’s really just wine with bubbles in it! I think you can drink bubbly with any occasion, and so do other people that appreciate it. It’s the perfect way to start a meal—the acidity livens up the palate to get you ready for dinner. It’s perfect during the meal—champagne can accompany anything from fish to steak filet. It’s perfect after the meal—it pairs wonderfully with a cheese course for dessert. As you can see, I’m very much an advocate for bubbly, but it can be difficult to understand all the nuances of purchasing and enjoying it. Here’s a start to your bubbly education!
The most revered—and therefore most pricey—is true Champagne from the Champagne region of France. This is where bubbly was first developed. The French wineries of this region perfected the methods to make it, and they still make the best bubbly in the world. True Champagne starts in the $40 price range, and the sky’s the limit for a ceiling price. If you really want the most flavor, finesse, and elegance then buy true Champagne.
If you want really good Champagne at reasonable prices, then I suggest asking for a good “growers’ Champagne” the next time you’re shopping at Binny’s. These growers are small producers that make great tasting, high quality bubbly at lower prices, because they don’t spend all their money on marketing like Veuve Cliquot or Moet Chandon.
If you don’t want to go the true Champagne route, take the Cava highway. Cava is from Spain and makes excellent sparkling wine for the money you spend. Cava is made in the traditional manner, however, they use different grapes than those from Champagne. The climate is warmer in Cava, which produces a different style. Cava is my favorite substitution for true Champagne. It’s dry, crisp, clean, has apple and pear flavors, and also comes in rosé. Good Cava starts at $12 and goes up from there, but there’s no need to spend a lot for this bubbly.
If you like a slightly sweet or riper style of bubbly, then I suggest Prosecco from Italy. It’s not made in the same way as Champagne or Cava, but it is light, on the sweet side, and has of course plenty of bubbles for your enjoyment!
Whichever bubbly you choose, remember that you don’t need a wedding or other celebration to pour yourself a glass. Champagne can be its own special occasion!
Wine writer Maggie Bernat Smith contributes to the Strongbox blog each Friday.
Here’s a little treat for the wine enthusiast who also has a keen interest in science. Winemaking is, as we’ve pointed out before, both an art and a science, but so is the production of the goblets we use to drink our favorite varietals. Anybody who has seen a glass harp in action knows that every wineglass has a particular resonance, and that adding a certain amount of liquid to each glass will allow you to produce distinct notes. However, this resonance also gives each glass a unique weakness related to those tones—being exposed to a sound of the same pitch can cause the glass to bend, even shatter.
Below, a science exploration show takes the principles of resonance to show, in super slow-motion, the way that sound waves bend the very structure of a regular wine glass, and how these glasses shatter.
Now, it’s probably unlikely that you keep your sound system right next to your wine goblets, or that you have virtuoso opera singers practicing their high notes in your dining room…but just in case you find your wine glasses suddenly exploding, you’ll know what to start looking—or listening—for.
The omnipresent wine score has long intrigued me, and as such I’ve sought to understand why critics have given certain wines certain scores. I’ve had many mixed feelings about these numbers, so I needed to write this to get it off of my chest.
I still can’t get over Wine Spectator’s #1 wine of 2009: the Columbia Crest Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. That decision made me lose faith in the scoring system entirely and it hasn’t been restored as of yet. However, despite my reservations about the reviewers and their reviews, I do believe that scores are a good thing. You just need to remember that a high score alone does not mean that you personally will love the wine.
Here’s an explanation of the 100-point scale that most reviewers use today. This is Wine Spectator’s score card, which will give you an idea of what the reviewers mean with their scores.
| Score |
Explanation |
| 95–100 |
Classic, a great wine. |
| 90–94 |
Outstanding, a wine of superior character and style. |
| 80–89 |
Good to very good, a wine with special qualities. |
| 70–79 |
Average, a drinkable wine that may have minor flaws. |
| 60–69 |
Below average, drinkable but not recommended. |
| 50–59 |
Poor, undrinkable, not recommended. |
If a wine receives a score of 88 points or higher, the winery will begin to claim bragging rights; below that score you won’t see it mentioned. In Chicago’s retail wine industry a wine that scored over 90 points was an easy sell. A high score makes a consumer feel warm and fuzzy—especially if the wine ends up costing less then $20—but it’s no guarantee that the consumer will actually enjoy the wine. A large segment of the wine-drinking population will get intimidated by a high-scoring beverage and won’t trust their own palate, deferring instead to what the critics think. I do feel that scores are a great tool, but I come across more and more of these 90 point wines and I just ask myself: “Who tasted this wine and scored it as Outstanding?”
I tasted a Carneros Chardonnay in Sonoma Square yesterday and the man pouring his wine was bragging about the 90-point score they received from The Wine Enthusiast. Always interested in tasting good wine (and curious about scores), I gave a swirl, a sniff…and a grimace. The nose was pure oak, vanilla, and butterscotch with just hints of banana, guava, and apple. The palate confirmed the nose, while adding softened margarine to the mix. Most of these tasting notes are a result of what the winemaker did to manipulate the wine; the varietal expression came second. When you encounter wines like this (whether you love oaked and buttered wines or not), the wine is very much out of balance. How could this be labeled a 90 pointer?
Because I do think that this type of rating is not the norm—although I am coming across it more frequently—I still love a good score. You should always defer to your own palate. Just because Tom Collichio likes his steak cooked rare (and so do I), it doesn’t mean that you’ll like it the same way. You should have faith in what you love in wine just as you have in your favorite foods, restaurants, clothing, etc. My advice to you is to put a wine’s region of origin into your memory bank. This can guide you to more wines you may like.
It’s also a good idea to keep track of descriptors: do you like or dislike spice (pepper, cinnamon, allspice, etc.)? Do you like wines that are jammy, or more subtle? Do you like earthy wines? Do you like red fruits, black fruits, oak, herbs or floral notes? All these adjectives can help you identify what you like or what you don’t like and help you narrow down what you will like again. I always jot down the names of wines in my phone with a couple of tasting notes and the region it hails from. This way, I can always access it at a restaurant or wherever I may be, and a good sommelier or retailer can take my notes and point me in the right direction.
My wine ratings are as follows for my customers. I wouldn’t sell anything I didn’t deem as good quality, so my ratings start at:
- Good
- Delicious
- Amazing
- Mood altering, life changing, transcendent, unforgettable (unfortunately, this typically costs the most)
Wine writer Maggie Bernat Smith contributes to the Strongbox blog each Friday.
The University of California at Davis has one of the foremost viticulture and enology departments in the country, and possibly the world. The faculty and graduate students, both committed scientists and wine enthusiasts, spend years analyzing the various chemistry that goes into the production and aging of wines, striving to advance or even perfect the ways that we craft and enjoy them. However, recent technology designed with wine in mind may also soon help make our airports more secure.
Nearly ten years ago, prompted by a graduate student’s newfound interest in wine, UC-Davis researchers, led by professor Matt Augustine, began developing a “wine scanner” using the principles found in a medical MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) machine. After years of fine-tuning, the scanner has been able to accurately determine whether a sealed wine bottle still contains potable wine or whether that wine has degraded into vinegar.
As all air travelers are aware, a 2006 attempt by terrorists to blow up commercial airliners using liquid explosives prompted the Department of Homeland Security to adopt strict regulations on the size of any carry-on liquid containers, including beverages and toiletries. Augustine and his team are currently working to adapt the wine scanner so that it might be able to detect other liquids. The ideal situation, of course, will be to finally remove these restrictions due to a foolproof system that instantly differentiates between dangerous chemicals and harmless shampoo or fruit juice.
Here’s a short news report on this still developing, but exciting story…
 Today is President’s Day, a holiday that specifically observes the birthdays of George Washington (February 22nd) and Abraham Lincoln (February 12th). However, for as great and important as these two men have been to our nation, to the American wine enthusiast no Commander-in-Chief may have been as intriguing as our third president, Thomas Jefferson.
A lifelong wine connoisseur, Jefferson was a man of the wine world at large, collecting bottles from all across Europe and sharing them with his friends, while extolling at length about wine’s superiority to other liquors. He was especially enthusiastic about finer French wines—which were probably only magnified by his six-year tenure as American envoy to the royal court of France. It was believed that, while President, the majority of his salary actually went towards the purchase of these fine French wines, which he preferred to buy personally and directly from the chateaus that produced them.
Jefferson did not merely appreciate wine, however. A scientist as well as a gifted politician and philosopher, Jefferson yearned to bring the vineyards of Europe to American soil. At his estate of Monticello, he dedicated two large patches of land to a years-long experiment in cultivating the vitis vinifera—the cornerstone of European grapevines. Unfortunately, a number of conditions in the American environment stymied his attempts to bring the European vine to America, although in 1985 the Thomas Jefferson Society finally succeeded in producing a grafted version on the grounds of Monticello. Not one to be discouraged, of course, Jefferson also experimented with growing New World vines such as the fox grape. Although Jefferson never made his own wine from his estate, his obvious love of wine was infectious, and as a highly influential and respected statesman, it’s very likely that his tastes sparked a trend in American society towards wine just as the country was still in its infancy.
Jefferson believed that wine was a necessity of life—it would be easy to assume that a glass of a fine Bordeaux immediately came to mind for him when he considered that famous phrase from the Declaration of Independence: “the pursuit of happiness.” Indeed, taxation on wine was something he considered distinctly un-American, as evidenced in the below quote:
“I think it is a great error to consider a heavy tax on wines as a tax on luxury. On the contrary, it is a tax on the health of our citizens.”
Even if you don’t celebrate President’s Day, if you decide to have a glass of wine, consider raising it to Jefferson…one of the nation’s true wine heroes.
Wine and cheese have shared a harmonious relationship for thousands of years, almost since the very invention of wine. They are soul mates, meant to be…you won’t find a 51% divorce rate here! Although wine and cheese understand how exactly they belong together, for us on the outside, looking in, the question of how to choose a certain cheese to pair with a certain wine can often make us dizzy.
As with food and wine pairing in general, there are rules, but rules are meant to be broken…everything has an exception. For instance, Cabernet Sauvignon traditionally pairs with Sharp Cheddar. However, this doesn’t mean that all Napa Valley Cabs or French Bordeaux taste the same from every producer and every vintage. At the same time, Brie will have many different possible tastes, depending on that particular Brie’s origins. Wine and cheese are living, changing products, which is why people all over the world are fascinated by these delicious partners.
But despite my “no rules” policy, there are general guidelines to use when you go shopping:
- White wines generally pair well with soft cheeses and stronger flavors
- Red wines pair best with hard cheeses and milder flavors
- Dessert wines match best with blue cheeses and pungent flavors
- Using these guidelines will help you get past the intimidation you might feel from wine and cheese pairing. You’ll also feel freer to experiment with different wines and cheeses. Both the wine and cheese together are supposed change each other’s tastes, thereby heightening both experiences. I recommend tasting the wine before the cheese, and then tasting them together so you can clearly notice the differences in both when they are paired.
To be even more specific:
- Sauvignon Blanc & Chenin Blanc: Try goat cheese (Chevre). The high acidity and mineral undertones of these wines from Loire Valley (and beyond) love the richness and earthiness of chevre.
- Chardonnay: Taste this with Brie, Camembert, Gouda, or Provolone. The full-bodied, rich Chardonnays work well with washed rind cow’s milk cheeses as well as many cow’s milk blue cheeses. The apple, pear, and citrus flavors of this grape usually meld with the acids found in goat’s milk cheeses as well.
- Champagne: In my opinion, champagne can pair with anything and everything! Its high acidity cuts through rich and creamy cheeses such as triple-cream Brie but also pairs perfectly with Edam and Gruyere.
- Pinot Noir: If you have a “stinky” wine then pair it with a stinky cheese! Pinot Noir from a region such as Burgundy is heavenly with Epoisses (pronounced ay-PWAHSS). Epoisses has a pungent flavor and washed rind, and comes as spoonable, silky paste. Spread onto a French baguette and enjoy!
- Merlot & Cabernet Sauvignon: These wines tend to favor cow’s milk cheeses. The high acids in goat cheese tend to clash with the tannins in these wines, making for an unmemorable experience. Try hard, aged cheeses such as Cheddar, Stilton, aged Gouda, Parmesan, or some milder blue cheeses.
- Port: Port with Stilton is one of my all-time favorite combinations. This sweet wine seems to cut through the creaminess and saltiness of the cheese and classifies this pairing as a rule-breaker in every sense of the word. For dessert wines, the more pungent cheese flavors pair best.
Cheese and wine should act as a symphony playing in unison—delicate cheeses go with lighter wines, strong cheeses with more powerful wines. Experimentation is key. Try multiple cheeses with multiple wines and see what you like best. Pastoral, in Chicago, is a wine and cheese shop with a good handle on pairings—they really understand both wine and cheese. They have a small but well-thought-out selection of wines and amazing off-the-beaten-path cheeses to choose from. Use the guidelines I mentioned above, and let them know which wines you are pairing—they can help make the best choices for you!
Wine writer Maggie Bernat Smith contributes to the Strongbox blog each Friday.
 Since winemaking is such a long-lived art form, it might be easy to cast it primarily as a wonder of nature—that grapes, in particular, are amazing on their own with but a little help from talented growers and viticulturists. However, wine enthusiasts today should be aware of those who have gone above and beyond the ability to tend a robust vineyard—somebody like the late Dr. Harold Olmo.
California wines, in particular, owe a great debt to Olmo, who first established a quarantine facility for the state. This facility allowed foreign vines to be imported and planted. By expanding the variety of vines available to California growers, the wine industry of the state was able to begin developing into the powerhouse it is today.
Olmo also created over 30 different varieties of grape, which are today known as Olmo grapes. The most famous of these include the Ruby Cabernet, Emerald Riesling, and Rubired varietals, as well as the Symphony grape, which took Olmo nearly 30 years to develop and is today the principal grape used in wines from Hawaii.
Viticulture remains a lively and exciting science, and there are surely new pioneers working on their own discoveries right now. Even if the details of that work doesn’t strike your interest, though, you can expect to enjoy the fruits—quite literally!—of their labors.
Since we gave some tips for Valentine’s Day last week, we thought we’d celebrate the (perhaps temporary) return to warmer weather here in Chicago with a look at the art and craft of vineyard management. Brad Sorenson of Silverado Farming Co demonstrates the basics of training a vine to grow – and ensuring it doesn’t grow too quickly.
But maybe there’s some hidden wisdom here for romance as well: who hasn’t felt their significant other needed a little “training” at one time or another? Or that their love life might occasionally benefit from a little “selective pruning”?
One of the great things about living in wine country—and actively exploring it—is having access to wines I would never have discovered outside of the region. Some wineries are simply too small to distribute their wines to the Midwest, or even outside of California. There are so many artisan producers out here that are off the beaten wine touring path; not only do they not have tasting rooms, some of them don’t even have a proper winery! What these winemakers do have is custom crush facilities, such as that used at the Napa Wine Company.
If you want to make your own wine and you don’t have millions of dollars to invest in a winery, then this is where you want to go. These custom crush facilities have often been the key to Napa’s most sought after cult wines, and have launched many celebrity winemakers. They provide everything you could need to make your own wine and distribute it: equipment, labeling, bottles, even a staff if necessary. The Napa Wine Company is located right on the main drag of Hwy 29 and has a tasting room where you can sample a wide variety of lesser-known and also well-known brands at one stop.
Speaking of lesser-known brands; I have recently had the privilege to discover some gems that have never made it to the Chicago market, but come highly recommended by people “in the know” out here in wine country. Relic Wines, created by husband-and-wife team Mike Hirby and Schatzi Throckmorton, started in 2001 with three barrels of Pinot Noir. Mike is the chief winemaker for Relic but also acts a consulting winemaker for highly regarded wineries such as Winter, Realm, Husic, and D.R. Stephens (whew, what a busy man)! Mike regularly receives high scores on not only Relic wines but for all of the other wines he makes as well.
If you don’t feel like shelling out $200 for Winter ultra-luxury Cabernet, Relic is such a great deal. Relic’s 2009 Ritual is a statement of pure decadence. It’s a blend of southern Rhone varietals, but I just think of it as “ginormity” at its finest. If you like huge red wines, then this is for you. It’s packed with big red fruits but combines the complexity of forest floor and red meat. It’s a very intense wine with tannins that are just crying out for a Kansas City bone-in ribeye. His Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir stays true to the Sonoma Coast style of dark fruits, with lots of spice and amazing acidity that is so nicely integrated that it just glides around your palate gracefully.
I was really impressed with all the wines in his portfolio that I tasted, and for the price this wine is hard to beat. Relic wines are wonderfully approachable now but also built to last and gain more complexity with age. You can easily buy from Relic’s website to get a taste of what the insiders—and now myself—love about their wines.
Wine writer Maggie Bernat Smith contributes to the Strongbox blog each Friday.
Tagged DR Stephens Estate Wines, Husic Vineyards, Mike Hirby, Napa Wine Company, Pinot Noir, Realm Cellars, Relic Wines, Schatzi Throckmorton, Sonoma Coast, Wine, Winter Wine
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For those wine lovers who enjoy taking tours of wine country, the Napa Valley Wine Train sounds like an experience not to be missed. This luxury restaurant offers not only gourmet dinners but also rare and hard-to-find wines for sampling, wrapped up in the classically romantic setting of an antique train. In addition to its normal operations, the venue also offers occasional “event” evenings, including that most tantalizing of thrills—the murder mystery on the moving train.
Considering their flair for the romantic, it’s natural that the Train would also produce this short video, which presents a couple of Valentine’s Day tips for all sorts of lovers.
Only a few days left! Don’t forget to include a bottle of wine in your plans for the evening!
 Although Strongbox is a company based in Chicago, we know that many of the city’s wine enthusiasts hail from other parts, including our northern neighbor of Wisconsin. And since we’re good sports, despite the traditional rivalries, we congratulate fans of the Green Bay Packers for yesterday’s Super Bowl victory.
In honor of our Packer-backing, cheese-headed friends, we’d like to draw your attention to the Frugal Oenophile’s Wine & Cheese Matching Chart — a handy reference tool that you can purchase for yourself or as a gift for your friends. Use the chart to explore new wines, new cheeses, and the perfect combinations of both!
Wine-loving Bears fans—remember, there’s always next year!
 This week’s exploration of Napa Valley wine country brings me to the Oakville sub-AVA (American Viticultural Area). This part of the Napa Valley is just north of Yountville on Highway 29 and continues north, ending at Rutherford. It stretches east to west from the Mayacamas Mountains to the west and the Vaca Mountains to the east. Its history is rich and dates back to the original, quality plantings done in the Napa Valley during the mid 1800’s. Wines from Oakville are some of the most expensive and sought-after wines from California. It’s home to such cult producers as Harlan, Bond, Screaming Eagle, Dalla Valle, and Opus One, just to name a few. Despite being in the wine industry myself, I never even get to taste most of these wines (the exception being Opus One) — they are so coveted and produced in such limited quantities that they immediately sell out to people on the wineries’ mailing lists and to high-end restaurants, but are rarely found elsewhere.
Oakville is particularly famous for its blissful relationship with Cabernet Sauvignon. Oakville is home to the world famous To Kalon vineyard, which is credited with some of the original plantings in Oakville and is now considered a “First Growth” site for exceptional grapes. To Kalon is owned by Andy Beckstoffer and Robert Mondavi, and if you were to purchase a To Kalon single vineyard wine, you should plan on shelling out about $250, depending on the producer. Oakville maintains the perfect climate for growing Cabernet Sauvignon: not too hot, not too cold, but just right. Oakville Cabernets perfectly express the ethereal qualities you hope to find in all Cabernet Sauvignon.
I have had the privilege of tasting the wines of Oakville, including Rudd Estate, Paul Hobbs, Swanson Vineyards, and others. I found their wines to be of the utmost ‘ginormity’. The structure of these Cabs is meant to last decades. I found hints of herbs, eucalyptus, layers of dark ripe fruit, and the subtle earthiness that makes them the “heavenly bodies” of the wine-loving world. If you can hold onto these wines for 10 years, then do it: the flavors will deepen, the tannins will soften and the pleasure will be all yours.
Wine writer Maggie Bernat Smith contributes to the Strongbox blog each Friday.
Tagged Andy Beckstoffer, Bond, Cabernet Sauvignon, Dalla Valle, Harlan, Maggie Bernat Smith, Napa Valley, Opus One, Paul Hobbs, Robert Mondavi, Rudd Estate, Screaming Eagle, Swanson Vineyards, To Kalon
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Since July of 2007, Washington DC-area wine enthusiast Alison Somerville has been maintaining the Wandering Blonde Wine-O blog, offering tips and recommendations of wines from across the globe. With a casual, personable tone that belies her sharp wine knowledge, Somerville is honest and fearless about her tastes and ideas. When DC was hit with a massive, city-shuttering blizzard last winter (similar to what Chicagoans are experiencing now), Somerville decided it was the perfect opportunity to hold a quick wine-tasting outdoors. Check her out here as she gives her assessment of a California Snapdragon:
Hope all of our readers are keeping safe and warm—and if they’re stranded indoors, that they have a bottle of wine to keep them company!
Every Chicagoan knows that February can be one of the hardest of the winter months, as the season almost seems to double its efforts to chill us to the bone. Luckily, wine lovers know that one of the best ways to beat back February’s onslaught is with a warm room, good company, and of course, a quality bottle.
We’ve pointed you to Local Wine Events () before in this blog, but it’s a good time to check in again and see the many, many chances you’ll have in this short-but-brutal month to experience some fascinating wine events. To spotlight just a few:
Just Grapes Chicago First Wednesday Tasting (Wed, Feb 2) — This month, Chicago’s Just Grapes takes a look at quality bottles of wine with a lower price tag ($25 and under).
Wine and Dine for Valentine (Sun, Feb 13) — Valentine’s Day is a traditional night to pop some corks with somebody you care about, and this event provides you with a six-course meal and six wines that complement each professionally prepared food item.
Vins de Nouveau Monde (Thurs, Feb 24) — The Alliance Francaise de Chicago, a group specializing in French cultural events, presents an evening for curious wine enthusiasts to learn more about the history and cultivation of French wine.
 Since I first moved to Napa, I’d wanted to explore the different “neighborhoods” in the valley. In a previous article I had written about Napa, I compared it to different neighborhoods in Chicago. There are 15 “sub” American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) in Napa. I’ve decided to taste my way around them, compare notes, and report back (I know—what a terrible life I have!).
Yesterday I drove down the Silverado Trail, which is off main highway 29. If you look to the east, Silverado Trail is the road right before the Vaca Mountains start to rise up. While traveling down this path, you will spot wineries peppering both sides of the road that are known for their amazing wine quality. Wineries such as Clos du Val, Chimney Rock, Shafer…the list of historical wineries goes on and on. If you are planning a trip to the valley and want to visit some of these places, I suggest calling ahead. A lot of these wineries require appointments for visitors and are in the pricier range for tasting (but are worth the experience).
When grapes were first planted in the valley in the mid-1800’s, the focus was not on European varietals (Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay – basically all the wine we drink and know today). Missionaries from many different places settled here and planted their native grape varietals. Although it had been discovered that Napa’s volcanic soil was ideal for grape growing, global recognition of the valley as a top quality growing region for Cabernet and Chardonnay didn’t arrive until the 1960s and 1970s. The infamous 1976 Paris tasting (dramatized in the movie Bottle Shock) was a huge turning point: it brought California wider notice, and the Stags Leap district in particular. You may know the story: a snooty Englishman owned a snooty wine shop in Paris, and wanted to increase his sales of French wine, so he organized a blind tasting pitting the relatively new California wines against the best wines of France. In a surprising turn of events, the nine French judges awarded first place to the 1973 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon over first growth Bordeaux such as Mouton-Rothschild and Haut Brion. Ten years later the exact same wines were tasted and judged a second time. The winner was yet another wine from the Stags Leap District: the 1972 Clos Du Val Cabernet Sauvignon!
Tasting my way through this historical district I encountered mainly Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. The Cabernets, while all tasting different—each winemaker puts their own stamp on their product—were each very soft and elegant. I didn’t experience the harsh tannins that you might find when tasting in this price range (Stags Leap wines generally are sold at around the $75 price point). I primarily tasted the 2007 current releases, which is what you will find in the stores right now. The wines from Stags Leap seemed to have a lot of expression and were really enjoyable for such a young age. Although I’d recommend aging these wines for five years, you certainly don’t need to do that. I tasted generally dark fruit notes (plum and black berry) with mocha, tobacco, and some elegant spice. I tasted more French oak on these wines than traditional American oak, which is more subtle and not overpowering on the palate.
I especially loved the Chardonnays I tasted; again, the movement away from American oak is such a happy change for me. These are much more Burgundian in style (soft and dreamy). I am hoping people will revisit Napa Chardonnays. They are not what they used to be (at least in Stags Leap…I’ll update you about what else I find on my travels). When looking for wines in the stores from Stags Leap, go to the Napa Valley wines. Wines labeled Stags Leap will contain at least 85% of its grapes grown from that district. Happy drinking!
Wine writer Maggie Bernat Smith contributes to the Strongbox blog each Friday.
 Politics can often play a part in the culture of wine enthusiasts; we’ve spent quite a bit of time discussing, for example, the ongoing debate over HR 5034. Debate over commerce statutes is one thing, but what about when the very bedrock of a nation involves the regulation or prohibition of wine?
In the Islamic Republic of Iran, alcohol is forbidden by law, consistent with the strict interpretations of religion practiced by the nation’s leaders. Each year the state initiates crackdowns on bootleggers and smugglers, making rough examples of them and publicly dumping their goods into the gutter. What many people may not realize, however, is that this same region has a very long and glorious history with wine—even if the inhabitants are no longer allowed to enjoy it.
Modern-day Iran developed from the ancient empires of Persia, and in Persia, wine—known as mey or badeh—was an important and pervasive aspect of the culture. One Persian legend claims that wine was first discovered by a young woman who was rejected from a king’s harem; despondent, she attempted to poison herself by eating from a bowl of rotten grapes. As you could guess, the grape juice intoxicated her instead, and when she awoke the next morning she found herself believing that life was worth living. She brought her discovery to the king, and as a reward was allowed into the harem.
In fact, archaeologists believe that the existence of wine in Persia predates even the first wines of France! Pottery from approximately 5000 B.C. was discovered and analyzed, and found to contain trace elements of acids associated with wine. The cultivation of wine was a source of pride in Persia for centuries, and today the varietal red wine Shiraz (also known as Syrah) takes its name—if not its origins—from the Persian city that was the most celebrated for its fine wines.
The influence of wine on Persian culture is most easily seen in the works of Persia’s most famous poets and artists. Omar Khayyam’s Rubaiyat extols in passionate, romantic verse the virtues of wine, and many of the works of Hafez speak positively of wine’s intoxicating qualities. For Persia’s artists, wine was a way to release and experience the most vivid of human emotions.
Although Iran today is not the safest or most inviting place for a wine collector, the history can prove to be very inspiring beyond the borders of the nation. Does your own passion for wine match that of the ancient Persians?
 Wine enthusiasts often speak of their passion in artistic terms and florid adjectives, so it can be easy to forget that for as much as wine production is an art, it is also a carefully considered science. For 8,000 years, winemaking has used the most basic of scientific principles – trial and error – to determine the exact processes and materials required to produce the wines you enjoy today.
Neil deGrasse Tyson is a rare breed of celebrity scientist—an astrophysicist and research associate at the American Museum of Natural History, devotees of PBS perhaps know him best as the host of NOVA scienceNOW. He has also repeatedly been a guest on such popular programs as Jeopardy!, The Daily Show, and The Colbert Report.
Last year, deGrasse Tyson began a radio show called StarTalk, in which deGrasse Tyson and his co-host or co-hosts – usually comedians – discuss the nature of outer space. However, astrophysics is hardly his only passion. He is also an eloquent and energetic collector of wine, whose collection has been featured in both Wine Spectator and The World of Fine Wine. Last week, breaking with his usual focus, deGrasse Tyson devoted an entire episode to the science of wine.
You can find the radio show and download it here. It’s a long episode, but the time commitment is well worth all of the fascinating facts you’ll learn.
 Mt. St. Helena - Napa Valley © Brent Miller, WineCountry.com The Chicago wine scene has grown so much over the past ten years. I remember the days when we only had Sam’s, Binny’s, and the dreaded grocery store selections to choose from. There are thousands of wines out there and we have warehouses filled with choices from all over the globe. How did we pick and choose what to bring home that night—a flip of the coin, a cute label, country of origin, or just price? It wasn’t until recently, when smaller boutique wine shops such as Just Grapes burst onto the scene, that wine education was promoted to consumers so they could make more informed decisions on their purchases. I have always believed that giving wine lovers even the most simple of tools (such as a broader vocabulary to describe the wine they like) can empower them. Let’s face it: the more informed we are as a society, the better decisions we’ll make and the happier we’ll be—even if that decision is just to have a great glass of wine after a hard day’s work.
Being a wine buyer and educator in Chicago was wonderful. It gave me the chance to get people excited about what they were learning, and inspire them to try things they may never have even glanced at or been able to pronounce. The old-school philosophy, that wine should remain a mystery that only the elite can appreciate, is dead. No one benefits from this attitude, and it has been my mission since entering the business to demystify wine in every aspect. With several great little wine shops offering tastings and classes every year, you can now see people who were once complete novices to wine talking about the intricacies of Burgundy and Bordeaux.
Although Chicago still has a long way to go, we’ve also come a long way as well. Chicago has a plethora of Michelin-rated restaurants, and supports grocers such as Fox & Obel and Whole Foods who carry a variety of finer wines. I’m very proud of how far we’ve come and will continue to grow as a culture and a city.
As of a few weeks ago I left my beloved city and moved to Napa Valley to further pursue my career and passion for wine knowledge by living and working among the vines. After a stint in Williamette Valley Oregon this past season working the wine harvest, my perspective changed. Seeing the entire operation and observing how the same varietals (I worked mainly with Pinot Noir) could have different colors, sizes, or tastes; and how they were treated differently depending on the clone, location in the vineyard, or the age of the vines made me truly realize I wanted to find out everything—and communicate it to you.
I hope you stay tuned! I will not only be writing about California wine country and my experiences here, but also about wine worldwide. I despise dry, technical articles about such an intriguing, complex, and seductive beverage…I’ll provide real-world, working knowledge to better prepare you when you’re tackling that 15-page wine list, or perusing the shelves of your favorite wine store. We might even be able to make you into the “wine snob” you’ve always wanted to be!
Wine writer Maggie Bernat Smith contributes to the Strongbox blog each Friday.
 The production of wine has long been dependent on the quality and use of wooden barrels—a practice that survives to this day in part because of a romantic attachment to the tradition and in part because the wood of the barrel helps create the rich variety of tastes to be found in the wine. Still, despite the great debt wine enthusiasts owe to this ancient art of barrelmaking—called cooperage—very few of them might know just how intricate a barrel is. Here’s a quick primer for those interested in learning more.
The wooden slats that make up a wine barrel are called staves, which are shaped into their curves to create a bulging cylinder, and then held together with metal hoops. The ends of the barrel are also referred to as heads. The specific curve of the barrel, called the bilge, is designed specifically for ease of rolling and steering—an empty barrel weighs almost 150 pounds, so you can imagine how heavy a full barrel must be!
Most wine barrels are made of oak from French forests, many of which were first planted in the 18th Century by Napoleon Bonaparte for purposes of shipbuilding. More recently, American oak has begun to grow in popularity as a barrel material. Initially considered inferior wood for winemaking barrels, it was determined after several years that the American wood was fine, but the methods used to prepare the wood and construct the barrel were faulty. With these methods corrected, American oak barrels now present a less expensive alternative for wineries looking to save money.
Constructing a barrel requires the skilled cooper to first choose the best possible staves. They will then utilize a precise combination of moistening and charring the wood to first render it flexible enough to be bent into shape, and then carefully assemble it to ensure that the barrel is made with an airtight seal. The entire process of creating a single barrel may take eight hours for a single cooper.
Cooperages exist throughout the world, still practicing the craft in much the same way as it was first practiced generations ago. Some cooperages, such as Speyside Cooperage in Scotland even maintain a visitors’ center, where you can watch the process right before your eyes!
If you’re a fan of both winery tours and traveling by car, we’ve found an excellent resource on the web for you. Using the Google Maps engine, The Wine Web has produced an excellent interactive map of all wineries in the United States, allowing you to either bring up a list by region or even see exact coordinates!
Check out this map from WineWeb. It lists over 6300 different wineries nationwide, and will even tell you if it’s possible to purchase wines online, if you’re not able to make the trip this time but still want to try a bottle. Look for the “shopping cart” icon…but remember to be mindful of your home state’s shipping laws.
 We are overjoyed to announce today the arrival of our first guest blogger: Maggie Bernat Smith. Formerly a wine writer for the Chicago Examiner, we profiled Maggie’s work in a post a few months back. Since then, she’s moved to Napa to pursue further adventures in wine – and we’re happy to have her sharing her experiences here!
For a full bio, read on:
Maggie Bernat Smith began her love of wine at 20 years old with her first taste of Franzia white zinfandel, which she proudly admits. “I think Franzia started America’s love affair with wine as an ‘every day’ beverage – instead of something just for fancy dinners,” she says. She traveled to wine regions around the world to explore the different cultures, native grape varietals, viticulture and varietal expression. She decided to make wine her career 5 years ago and quickly moved up in the industry: her work has been featured in Today’s Chicago Woman, the Chicago Reader and The Wall Street Journal for her food and wine pairing expertise. As wine buyer for Just Grapes in Downtown Chicago, she diligently hand-selected each wine and gained quite a following for her “easy speak” – a non-intimidating language she brings to her wine writing. “There is so much wine information out there and so much of it is dry, confusing, and for people that already have an education about wine,” says Maggie. “I want to bring wine knowledge to the masses because the more people understand the beverage the more enjoyable it becomes.” She has recently moved to the Napa Valley to further her career and continue her education on this magical beverage.
Every industry has its prognosticators. Sportswriters begin each season predicting who will win the championship, arts writers try to decide what shows, movies, or albums will generate the most buzz, and even in the wine industry, the experts will rely on their powers of observation and their investigative skills to guess what the next year will look like on shelves.
The state of the economy often plays a role in the state of the wine industry; with positive signs of recovery, the possibility for consumers to spend more on pricier varietals also rises.
Below are a few links to wine writers reporting predictions—and responses to those predictions—for 2011:
What predictions do you have for the coming year? What are you planning to experience?
People who enjoy Italian food are aware that wines often play an important role not only as a companion drink with the meal, but are often cooked into the rich, flavorful sauces prepared as well. There’s no one way to make a wine sauce—sometimes it’s just another ingredient in a mix, other times it’s the basis of the creation.
In the below video, Le Gourmet TV gives you a basic recipe for a red wine Marsala sauce that is being used for homemade sausages, but could also be used for other meats or even vegetables.
Remember, of course, that cooking isn’t just about following a recipe to the letter. Experiment, using your own favorite wine, and try the sauce on your own prepared meals.
For most people who made New Year’s resolutions, “losing weight” was probably pretty high on the list (especially if you had a decadent holiday season). Although there’s no one right way to achieve this goal, and any diet program should be undertaken with a doctor’s consultation, the simplest method is simply to take in fewer calories than you burn, thereby forcing your body to burn fat to make up the difference. If you’re looking for an extra leg up on your weight loss aspirations, you might consider which wines can be considered “low-calorie.”
Alcohol content is the easiest indicator of a wine’s calorie count—the higher the proof, the greater the alcohol, and therefore the more calories per glass. Informational website WineIntro offers the following equation for determining the exact number of calories, if you’re being meticulous:
1.6 x (alcohol content percentage) x (serving size in oz) = calories
Red wines tend to have more alcohol in them than white, although each different wine will vary depending on both the type of wine and the winery that makes it. Some wines that will usually offer less than 100 calories per glass include Chardonnay, Chablis, Sauvignon Blanc, White Zinfandel, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Obviously, even more importantly for calorie-conscious wine lovers is that you enjoy your wine in moderation…and of course, wine tastings in which you only hold the wine in your mouth to experience it will do less damage to your diet!
Today the new Congress takes office, with the power shifting dramatically from one party to another. We’ve spent quite a bit of time on this blog discussing House Resolution 5034 (the CARE Act) and explained the possible ramifications of the last election on this bill. Alcohol in general is a deeply regulated item, not just at the federal but the state level. We are, after all, a country that maintains an entire federal agency and have two separate amendments to our Constitution related to the sale and legality of alcohol.
Here’s a look at some of the odder alcohol laws still on the books in many states. Some date back to the years before Prohibition, others are surprisingly recent…and many of them are still on the books!
- In New York state, it is illegal to ship wine and cheese in a single container. This means no gift baskets…although you can send the items to your recipient separately, and they can assemble the gift themselves!
- In Alaska, it is illegal to get a moose drunk; in Ohio it is illegal to get a fish drunk.
- In Oregon, before 2007, it was impossible to buy any wine labeled “Petite Sirah.” Oregon law dictated that any such wine was to be labeled “Durif”.
- Florida bans the sales of larger champagne bottles, such as the six-liter Methuselah.
- The sales of certain wines have been banned in states simply for their name or label. FAT Bastard wines were, for a time, banned in Texas or Ohio for its rude-sounding name, and Cycles Gladiator wine is banned in Alabama for the 1895 advertising image on its label, which depicts a nude nymph.
Many more laws relate specifically to beer sales, but if you’re a wine enthusiast and you’re traveling, it might be a good idea to take a quick look at the local regulations so you don’t end up looking at the ugly end of a fine!
When we discussed dessert wines last week, we left out one very special variety—the ice wine. As we embark into the bitterly cold month of January, now is probably a good time to let you know that some good can come of such weather. If you’ve never tried an ice wine before, you’re missing out on an especially sweet experience, created under very unique conditions.
As the name implies, ice wine is made from grapes that are harvested and processed at freezing temperatures. This leads to a wine with a higher sugar content and notes you might not expect to find in an average dessert wine.
Many ice wines come from Canada—as you might expect, the climate of our northern neighbors is especially suited to this varietal. The Inniskillin Winery in Ontario, just on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls, produced the below video to give you a peek into how they create their well-regarded ice wines.
Something to keep in mind if you decide to purchase a bottle and serve it to your guests…even though the wine is produced in temperatures below freezing, it’s best to store the wine between 45 and 50 degrees Fahrenheit, and serve it only slightly chilled, between 41 and 46 degrees.
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