Monthly Archives: January 2011
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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