On this Blessed Easter 2010, Mary picked up what was to us an unknown Portuguese red wine, Vale Do Bomfim 2007 from the renowned Douro Valley. Mary had decided to go with a rich baked ziti for the main course at dinner. A nice hearty red seemed to be a natural as an accompaniment. I wasn't sure what to expect having never imbibed this particular wine. Before getting into the tasting notes perhaps a little background is in order.
Vale Do Bomfim is produced by the Symington family. The Symingtons have been a major producer of Portuguese port wine for many years. The family can trace its port producing history through 13 generations. In addition, they manage two major wineries, Bomfim and Sol in Portugal's Douro Valley. The family history is of interest. I suggest you go to Primium Famillae Vini to read a fascinating history of the family and its commitment to quality wine.
The wine itself is a blend of five Portuguese grapes: Tinta Barroca (58%), Tinta Roriz (15%), Touriga Nacional (14%), Tinto Cao (8%), and Tinta Amarela (5%). I decanted for about an hour. I will try a longer process next time around. This blend of grapes is very satisfying and a fine accompaniment to the baked ziti. It has a deep, pleasing red color, nice legs, and a nose that is full but short. It is sensually seductive with a slight astringent whiff at the top. The taste is of strong red cherries and berries and an assertive spiciness. The spice was not dominant, however. At one point, I thought I noted both the aroma and taste of chocolate. It is well structured with good tannins. The overall sense is of balance and solid medium body. It feels good in the mouth, not too big, not too small but does come in at a hefty 14.5%. My only criticism is that of the other red Portuguese wines, they lack a certain complexity that would put them in a class with the world's great wines. Having said that, I totally enjoyed the blend and look forward to future purchases. It is a bargain, as so many Portuguese wines are, at about $12.00 a bottle.
I'm not a Pinot Grigo fan. So much of what passes as acceptable is rather weak and tasteless. But there are exceptions. The other night, Mary produced a wonderful dinner consisting of a pan fried veal chop with sweet peppers and onions, with a sweet potato and mushrooms as perfect side dishes. The wine at hand was a Santo Stefano 2008 Pinot Gregio. This wine comes from the Veneto region. It was a very pleasant surprise. It was crisp, lively, with nice fruit and an almost honey flavor. The finish was long and elegant, very fresh and exciting. At first taste the fruit exploded to the roof of my mouth and lingered downwards. It was straw colored with an odd pinkish hue. Very different. The Wine Grapevine reviewed it very favorably:
"The De Stefani family have been tending their vines and producing wines for four generations in the Veneto region.Their Pinot Grigio is produced from grapes from their Pra' Longo estate and their belief is that the clay soil there, combined with its proximity to both the sea and the mountains, gives the wine a unique character and produces impressive complexity and depth of flavour. Its delicate and elegant nose offers attractive fresh fruit, which follows through to a rich, smooth, full-bodied palate. Although the sumptuous fruit dominates, there is underlying nuttiness to add interest and it feels smooth and well-balanced throughout the long, flavoursome finish."
I recommend this wine. It's enjoyable and gives much more than the usual Pinot Gregio. You will enjoy the price, as well.
Mary and I opened a Ruffino Orvieto Classico, 2008 for lunch today. It was surprisingly good with crisp acidity and a wonderfully floral bouquet. At first it showed a strong hint of green apple but later it turned to a lush scent and taste of ripe pear. The finish was long and opulent. Most surprising was the subtle taste of honey and hints of lemon zest which were complimented by great balance and structure. We had found the 2007 vintage rather bitter and unappealing. What a nice surprise on a snowy winter's day. Oh, and it's very affordable at around $10.00. I highly recommend this wine for nice light dishes.
Ruffino Orvieto Classico is 50% Procanico, 30% Grechetto, 10% Verdello, and 10% Canailol Bianco. Vinification is all stainless steel. No oak here.
This wine begs for fish dishes such as scallops, shrimp, flounder in butter sauce, etc. Its crisp acidity does wonders for all fish based recipes. We actually had it today with a home made guacamole dip made from fresh avocado. It was superb and complemented the oily base of the avocado. We normally have this wine on a warm, summer's day but it showed itself well during mid-winter. This is clearly the sign of a versatile and pleasing wine.
I hope you enjoy this wine as much as we did. Give it a try.
Portuguese table wines are gaining in popularity. In my younger days I drank my share of Mateus. I really liked the bottles. Mateus is a sweetish, carbonated wine that is still sold ubiquitously around the world. But Portugal has come a long way and has moved beyond not only Mateus but the also the traditional Port and Madeira wines for which it has been known for many years. Good Portuguese wines are grown in both the north and south. The northern regions consist of Douro, Dao and Barraida. In the south there are Estremedura and Ribatejo, which includes Peter Brights very interesting efforts. Of course, there is Madeira known for its port wine.
Today I want to talk about two Portuguese wines from the north. The first is Cardeal Reserva 2007. This wine is produced from the Touriga-Nacional grape. Although this grape is used largely for port wines of the Douro, it is also being used for good quality table wines. The Cardeal was very pleasant to drink. The color was not a fully deep red but quite attractive. The legs were copius with a 13.5% alcohol content. The nose was lively and full of berries and I think plum. I immediately had the feel of an earthy, rustic element. I had the sense of really smashing those grapes with my feet. It was down home. The wine lingered on the tongue but not overly long. There was the hint of oak although I'm not sure how it is produced. The wine overall seemed to lack a certain integration. It also seemed a tad too simple. It is a very enjoyable red but not all one would want in a great wine.
The second wine is Monte Da RavasQuiera 2007 from Alentejo-Catavino. From the estate of the same name this wine is a very nice blend: 40% Trincadeira, 20% Touriga-Nacional, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Tempranillo, 10% Touriga Franca and 5% Alicante Bouchet. The color was deep and red with a nose of cherry, blackberry and spice. It had great balance, fullness and some complexity. The tannins were smooth. The finish was long and enjoyable. Although not as complex as it might be the smoothness and the balance were very enjoyable. There was a regal, upper class feel. I felt like a member of the royal palace. Not bad at all. I found that with some time the wine grew more enjoyable. In fact, the second day was superior to the first. It takes quite a bit of time for this wine to find itself and open up to higher potential.
Both of these wines are very enjoyable, if not the most complex. They are worth the time and effort to purchase and are reasonably priced.
Recently, Mary and I were invited to the home of Phil and Mary Gallagher. Phil is a professor at Brooklyn College while Mary splits her teaching and research between Queens College and Columbia University. The occasion was a reunion of sorts with our dear friends Adele and Eric Steinberg, who now reside in Florida. Both Adele and Eric worked formerly at Brooklyn College, Eric as the Associate Provost and Adele as a financial aid adviser. Our gracious hosts, Phil and Mary shared their home with us for a most enjoyable gathering. All of us are lovers of wine. However, it is Eric who is our guru and spiritual wine master. Eric has been a collector of fine wines since the 1970s. He is superb judge of wine with a generosity of spirit that would make the most dense of palates feel comfortable and willing to learn, as I can attest.
Appetizers, Saint Peray and Vouvray
The day started with appetizers from assorted olives to superb cheeses. Mary and I brought a bottle of Saint Peray, Tardieu - Laurent 2007 from Young's Fine Wines. This was a very pleasing wine with a hint of honey and oak and a delicate minerality, in addition to great balance and sophistication. According to Tom Cannavan's Wine Pages "The fruit is all from very old vines of at least 40 years or so, with much of it 80 years old more more. There is natural concentration without over-extraction, which results in powerful yet balanced wines with real poise." As we finished off the Saint Peray, Phil brought out a 1997 Domaine Sylvain Gaudron Vouvray (Loire Valley). This was a superb wine. Chenin Blanc is a favorite of mine and I was very pleased when Phil started pouring. It had wonderful body, a mild sweetness, overall great texture and was thoroughly refreshing. The color was an astounding, deep yellow which stood out next to the pale Saint Peray. In fact, the color reminded me and Eric of a well aged German wine.
Risotto
The first course consisted of a lobster risotto. I may say this was the best risotto I have ever enjoyed. Bravo, Mary. Never have my wife and I had a risotto of such refinement and subtle complexity. It was as they say "like butter." We've been talking about it ever since. Phil was nice enough to send me the recipe. Superb!
The Main Course with Chateau Latour a Pomerol
The main course was braised quail on a bed of palenta, stuffed with cotechino sausage and accompanied with fresh asparagus. Not having had quail before we didn't quite know what to expect. Needless to say, it was superb. The palenta was a perfect compliment. The asparagus was perfectly done with a mild flavor that did not over power the quail or palenta. All of this was served with a 1982 Château Latour à Pomerol; a perfect match. Phil insisted the Pomerol was not as good as it was a year ago. However, to my taste it was an exquisite wine. Wine Advocate put it best: "WA 93 (6/2000): A mature dark plum color with considerable amber at the edge is followed by copious aromas of caramel, coffee, jammy cherry fruit, and sweet herbs. Fleshy, succulent, and low in acidity, this seductive, sweet, fat Pomerol has reached its peak of maturity, where it should remain for another 5-8 years. It is an impressively complex, delicious wine, although not a blockbuster." What more can I say.
The pleasure of seeing our good friends, the Steinbergs from Florida, and our generous hosts Phil and Mary Gallagher was extraordinary and uplifting. Phil and Mary created a wonderful and exciting meal, the quality of which is rarely experienced. Adele and Eric added a warmth and humility Mary and I find so enjoyable. Good friends all. We left the dinner basking in enduring friendship. We are looking forward to meeting again.
Mary and I attended an excellent wine tasting at Young's Fine Wines and Spirits in Manhasset, Long Island this past Sunday. The tasting was moderated by Kim Caldwell who covered the wines of Veneto, Italy. I will summarize some of what we learned. The leading wines of Veneto are Amarone (red), Proseco (white sparkling), Soave (white), Valpolicella (red), Bardolino(red), etc. Veneto is the most prolific wine region of Italy. Unfortunately, this does not translate into fine wines. For some time now the philosophy in Veneto has been largely commercial with industrial amounts of Bardolino, Soave and Valpolicella being produced. These wines are inexpensive, easy to drink and of little distinction. There are some exceptions.
Amarone
Amarone is made from the same grapes as Valpolicella along with rondinella, molinara, and prehaps negrara. The difference is that while making Valpolicella the grapes are picked during the regular harvest but for Amarone, the grapes are left hanging to achieve extra ripeness and higher amounts of sugar. The more sugar in the grape the higher the alcohol content during fermentation. The grapes are then placed on bambo mats and placed in cool drying lofts for up to four months. This causes the grapes to shrivel which further concentrates the sugars. The wines that result from this are very full-bodied, almost opulent with an alcohol contest of up to 16%. The wine is then aged for 5 years or more in contrast to the regular Valpolicella which is rarely aged.
The top producers of Amarone are Allegrini, Bertani, Tedeschi, Masa, Quintarelli, Tommasi, and Zento.
According to wineintro.com "Amarone is the fourth biggest seller in Italy, behind Chianti, Asti, and Soave. This fine wine has flavors of licorice, tobacco and fig, and goes well with game and ripe cheese. Hannibal of Silence of the Lambs fame, of course, had his with fava beans. In the movie version, they had him drinking the more pedestrian chianti wine type. While some styles of amarone can be very bitter (that's where the name comes from), new styles are more fruity.
Amarone can be drunk young, while still a ruby purple, but they also age magnificently to a dark garnet for thirty years or more. A typical drinking age is 10 years. Amarone should be served around 60 F."
Proseco
Proseco is made primarily from the proseco grape. Sometimes very small amounts of pinot grigio and pinot bianco are added. The very best proseco is grown in towns of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene which are both north of Venice. Proseco is a spumante and more fruity and less crisp than Champagne. The difference between proseco and Champagne is that the proseco is fermented twice in pressurized tanks.
We used Proseco at our son's wedding recently rather than Champagne. It was a great hit.
Regarding Amarone and Proseco my brother James who travels to Italy frequently says "Amarone is my favorite wine and it can be pricey. In italy you can get a great bottle relatively less costly. Last week I had a proseco as a dessert wine. I don't remember the name."
Soave and Valpolicella
Much of Valpolicella sold in the US is of commercial grade and not of great worth. However, there are five grades of Valpoolicella. There is Classico, Classico Superiore, which is aged for a year, and an even higher grade called Valpolecella ripasso which is added to amarone pomace (the pulpy mass left over from the fermination of the amarone). The highest grade of Valpolicella is recioto della Valpolicella. In this version the grapes are dried and allowed to raisinate.
Like Valpolicella the Soave sold in the US is cheap, white jug wine. But there is a Soave Classico which is grown and harvested in the original Soave area. Above this is the Soave Classico Superiore which has to be aged for eight months before it is sold.
Kim does a great job at these tastings. Here is a video introducing Young's and introducing you to Kim Caldwell.
One of the greatest joys of drinking wine is pairing it with specific foods. The combination of food and wine enhances the taste of both. I find nothing more satisfying than researching which wine may go perfectly with a meal. I'm especially heartened by the success of getting it just right for Thanksgiving Dinner or a Memorial Day barbecue. Cheese is especially good for combining. It's no mistake that wine and cheese have become mainstays in our repasts.
The problem for most of us confronted with the task of combining food and wine is to decide exactly which wine may go with that special meal we are planning. Pairing food and wine seems to bring a high level of anxiety to those burdened with getting it right. The question I am asked most is "What do I serve with...?" A common response from experts is that there are no rules. Go with what you like. Well, this postmodern response has some truth to it. But it expresses the sentiment that all is chaos and that there are no rules to follow. This is far from the truth. There are clearly helpful guidelines that can be followed that make it easier to enjoy both wine and food.
I have found a helpful video that very quickly and precisely identifies the basics of wine and food pairing. The video comes from Everything Wine which is the largest wine store in British Columbia. I quote from their YouTube page explaining that Everything Wine "is BC's largest wine store with locations in North Vancouver and Langford. Everything Wine is an upscale, service-oriented wine warehouse that focuses on wine discovery in a stylish environment. With over 3,000 domestic and international wines, a Vintages premium room, wine lessons and a tasting bar open everyday from 2pm-6pm, this one-stop shop upholds its name Everything Wine."
I hope this video was helpful. Here are a few good web sites that address the issue of wine and food. Good luck and have fun.
If you have any questions about your wine and food pairing don't hesitate to ask. Keep in mind that this is not a competition. The object is to enjoy the pleasure of drinking wine and eating food.
