Truant Zinfandel – Four Vines

There nothing quite like Sunday night dinners with the family and the few here in North Carolina is really only half of mine. For the next few weeks I’m going to plan, buy, create and blog about a dish and wine pairing randomly chosen. (Well, not too random, I’ll choose the varietal) I’m going to pick a dish and the varietal I believe to pair nicely with the food, then go and choose a wine from one of our fabulous North Carolina owned and operated wine stores.

Trying new wines is one of the ways we learn more about wine. There is something to be said for finding our favourites and always buying those, but new wines are being made everyday! Our flavour profiles change as well. One day you may not like beets and the next you find you love them. Beets have an earthy flavour, which could in turn change your love of earthy tasting wines. It happens!

I’ll be doing these Sunday night dinners until Thanksgiving. Hopefully you’ll learn something new, either about wine, about food or about yourself. Let’s get started.

Dad and Bro’s 3 Meat Chili – paired with “Truant” Zinfandel – Four Vines, California 2010

I never really liked chili until I had my father/brother’s recipe. It’s got ground beef, chunks of sirloin steak and italian sausage. It might even have chorizo, who really knows… It also has strange ingredients like chocolate and espresso powder, but there is just something about it that makes it the epitome of comfort food. With a little cheddar cheese and cornbread or like last night we had blue corn chips; it just screams home.

I knew that the chili was going to be made so after work I ran over to Great Grapes in Cary. I had forgotten they were have a huge sale and wine tasting, but managed to slip in and out pretty easily. It really is Great! now that they have more room with that newly built other side. I walked in and found the Zinfandel section, I knew I needed fruit forward, depth of flavour and a medium amount of tannin. (Fruit because of the chocolate and the spiciness. Depth of flavour to mingle with the chili’s depth and tannin to melt with all the meat.)  I chose two different kinds, Truant and another from the same area, California – chili is such an American food and California has the best zins. I asked Lisa, a lovely woman I’ve spoken with before about wine, which she thought would better handle spice and stand up to the intense flavours in the chili – Truant.

Truant is very new the Four Vines, formerly without a name, now fits nicely in their line. On the bottle they describe “Truant” as a student who intentionally steps away from compulsory schooling without authorized leave or explanation. As Four Vines describes it on their website, “someone who slips away from the confines of everyday routine.” Four Vines is a cool winery because they use grapes from all over and don’t simply pick from one appellation*. In this case Four Vines uses grapes from all over California to make Truant, it also blends other grapes with the main grape, “zinfandel.” Truant is 77% Zinfandel, 13% Syrah, 5% Petite Sirah, 3% Barbera and 2% Sangiovese.

Tasting notes from the website are dead on, “On the nose there are dark berry notes and spicy notes from oak aging. The wine drinks of juicy blackberry, ripe plums and a touch of blueberry. Generous in fruit flavors, plenty of structure and a velvety finish.” I loved that this wine wasn’t too spicy because it didn’t try to overpower the chili. It also cooled the palate and increased the underlying hints of cumin, sausage and sweetness of the tomatoes. I thought this was a good wine and good varietal for chili because they worked so well together!

If you’re going to be serving chili as we move into these Winter months, choose a wine to complement the chili’s good aspects – whether that be intense spice, intense flavour, lots of earthy beans or more beef. Whatever you’re chili is like, it’s hard to lose with a nice Californian Zinfandel.

*Also from the website if you were curious as to where in California the grapes were grown. “Grapes from vineyards in Paso Robles, Mendocino County, Cucamonga Valley, Lodi, Amador County and Russian River Valley go into Truant. Our Old Vine vineyard sources typically range from 30 to 100 years in age.”

No Way, Rosé

Ruby, salmon, coral, cerise, puce, cherry blossom, fuchsia, petal, ballerina, pink, and rose – it’s no wonder you may be confused. Some big time winemakers are talking about their newest pink creation and you’re sitting there wondering how they could ever make white zinfandel.  Well, they aren’t. White Zin certainly has its place and by the millions of people who swear by the stuff, you can’t deny that it’s loved. But the real hang-up for a lot of people is straying from rosé wine before you even get to know it!  Does it happen to be pink in color? Yes, but for good reason.

Raise your hand if you like Grenache, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Sauvignon or Cabernet Franc. I sure do, but at a summer party may not be the best choice. (Milk was a bad choice…) Heavy reds warm you up and make you sleepy…a complete drag for a party.  Still you’re struggling with the fact that you don’t care for white wine.  Rosé might be the answer to you problems.  It’s dry, crisp and light enough for the summer. Find yourself one with a little fizz and you’ll be unstoppable. Well, at least your wine bottle will be.

I had the opportunity of visiting Great Grapes wine store in Cary off Kildaire Farms Rd. for their South African wine tasting.  The tasting was free and the winemaker was pouring.  There were about 7 or 8 wines being served; 2 white, 4-5 red, 1 rosé.

South Africa grows an exceptional Chenin Blanc (so I wanted to mention it here) a nice light white with full flavors of tropical fruits, pineapple and mango.  I always like to mirror foods and therefore would love to put this with some kind of fish (swordfish, tilapia or scallops) with a pineapple mango salsa.  Being a huge fan of Bobby Flay, I want to feature a recipe of his that I’m hoping to try soon.  Fire Roasted Swordfish Steak with Pineapple Mustard Glaze and Grilled Pineapple Salsa.

The Chenin Blanc being served was good, but wasn’t the wine that caught the attention of my taste buds.  Though it is one of South Africa’s most famous wines the others at the tasting were excellent in comparison.

De Morganz Chardonnay
Indaba Merlot
Kanonkop Pinotage
KF Petit Cab-Merlot
Mulderbosch Rosé
Rustenberg John X Cabernet Blend
Raats Cabernet Franc

I wish I could have bought all these wines, but stuck to those that fit my budget more. I grabbed two of the Mulderbosch Rosé bottles.  This rosé, made from Cabernet Sauvignon tasted just like a Cab should with all the tannins and flavor, but was light enough to drink in 100 degree weather.  To check them out, visit Great Grapes in Cary.

As stated above, rosés can be made with many different types of wine. The wine also holds the integrity of the grape itself, which makes rosé a great choice for mixed company parties. (By mixed company I mean red lovers and white lovers.)  So before you say “No way, José” to that beautifully pink liquid, give it a chance!

I recommend the Mulderbosch Rosé at Great Grapes in Cary, the Meichlits Pinot Noir Frizzante Rosé at Sip…a wine store in Cary, Skull Camp’s “Confusion” and the Dry Rosé at Grove Winery in Gibsonville. These all sell for between 10 and 14 dollars. Enjoy!

There is a lot to do this next weekend for Father’s Day! Chatham Hill Winery and Grove Winery are both having Father’s Day wine tasting specials. Also, the local wine stores all have their regular tastings set up through the weekend. Follow @breeze386 on Twitter for more information.

Let Everyday Be Chardonnay, Because Life is a Cabernet

Part 2

1. I was really excited to try Chateau Montelena’s Chardonnay, even if it was a different year, it is the same type that beat out French White Burgundies all those years ago.  To effectively taste wine you are supposed to see, swirl, sniff, sip, slurp, swish and swallow.  Seeing, swirling and sniffing are important, sipping and swallowing are givens and slurping and swishing are annoying.  The Chardonnay’s color reminded me of the Brothers Grim fairy tale about Rumpelstiltskin who spun straw into gold.  On the palate, the Chardonnay was creamy and buttery, which is normal for California Chardonnays because they are aged in oak barrels.  (An interesting tidbit about French White Burgundies is that some of them are aged in stainless steel barrels that give the wine a more acidic taste.  Due to aging the wine in oak barrels in California, the wine takes on the oak flavor and that’s what makes it taste creamy and buttery.) The wine was also rich, but light on the tongue, with a bit of acidity and just enough spice.

2. Another wine that California does very well is Zinfandel.  The Estate Zinfandel smelled like sweet raisins.  It was the color of raspberry jam and was smooth and spicy with lots of tannin.  The dark fruit flavors came through with hints of plum, currant and dark cherry.  The sweetness that I originally smelled came through at the end with the aftertaste.

Here, an older man approached me about my note taking. He started telling me about a book I should read and how the main premise was just four words: “don’t think, just drink!”  I liked the man and his maxim and couldn’t agree more!  As I walked to catch my next taste of wine, I couldn’t help but people watch and laugh.  Wine drinkers are a funny crowd; so enveloped in the deliciousness to remember any norm of human behavior.  Maybe the only reason that I notice it is because I used to be the one serving it.  So I patiently waited my turn, reveling in the man who asked how long the wine had been opened… looking as though he might cry if the pourer had said only a few minutes, through the series of women who came up squinting to see the bottle, unsure of whether they had forgotten their glasses or were just straight up drunk.  The pourer was extremely nice and answered all my questions even though he had a large group of thirsty bourgeoisie in front of him (I think he was even taken aback when I said thank you).  He suggested an ’86 Cabernet Sauvignon (a GREAT year 😉 ) that could be found at Angus Barn… interestingly enough I will be there this evening!  Alas, I continued.

3. Cabernet Sauvignon has never been my favorite red, but I couldn’t stop drinking this one.  Despite how dry it smelled it was actually fairly light, smooth and jammy. Mmmm if there’s one adjective that really makes you want to drink wine, I bet it’s jammy! This Cab was aged in oak barrels for 16 months, whereas the next Cab, the… I hope my rich Uncle leaves this wine to me in his will because I’ll never be able to afford it Cab… was aged for 20-23 months.

4.  The Estate Cabernet was similar to the Napa Valley Cab, but it was a tad sweeter, had more tannin and was darker in color.  It’s always a treat to have the opportunity to taste really expensive wine.  I rarely get to taste wine that costs more than $50 a bottle.  The Estate Cab was a perfect wine to end the tasting on, complex and full of flavor, always leaving you wanting more.

I was born in California and I will completely blame my love of wine on that.  It’s a great state so if you get a chance, head out there.  If you are looking for good wine, you’ve probably heard of Napa and Sonoma, but take a trip to Temecula.  Southern California is sunny, the perfect temperature all year long and they have lots of terrific wineries.

I’m already thinking about how I’m going to make it out to Napa Valley to visit Chateau Montelena for myself. Make sure you check out their website http://www.montelena.com and follow them on Twitter @ChMontelena.  Grab Bottle Shock, pour a glass of wine, sit back and relax.  From my own little 2011 Judgment of Cary, Chateau Montelena still ranks #1.

(Photos from Great Grapes and a few other staged pics… don’t try this at home)

I Only Drink Wine on the Days ending in Y

“Are you a wine distributor?” the beautiful bright-eyed girl behind the counter asked me, “no, ha, I just love it.”  Great Grapes is a small wine store in the Salt Box Village on Kildaire Farm Rd. in Cary, but it felt even smaller during my lunch break on Friday.  I was even 10 minutes early and yet, the store was packed with eager wine drinkers, buyers and sellers to meet the one and only Bo Barrett of Chateau Montelena.  With my red wide-ruled (yea, not even college-ruled with 20 more lines a page) notebook, array of colored pens to keep my notes organized, photo ID and camera, I strolled into Great Grapes like I was actually important.

I can’t even tell you how many stares I got as I nonchalantly walked to the back of the store and approached the wine tasting from the rear.  Though a sneaky move, those bank robberies really paid off because I found myself directly behind a very tall, jovial Bo.  As he spun around after signing a bottle, I think he had to squint to make sure I was real as I was the only 20-something in a 5-mile radius. He said the best pick-up line I’ve ever heard… “Hi!”  If I was nervous at all, the nerves quickly flew away and we struck up a very short, but fun conversation about his trip to China!

Quickly, I got my bit in, bear with me – Mydadremembersthe’76tastingandheandmymomweretherein’78fortheirhoneymoon!!

It is pretty cool that my parents were there just 2 years after the “Judgment of Paris” on their honeymoon.  Bo told me that he made a trip out to China and loved the tiles on the pagoda’s roofs so much that he brought some back from China to use at the Chateau.  I’m hoping that I make it out there to see it because it sounds amazing!

After our chat, I started the tasting, slow and steady.

1. 2008 Chardonnay, Chateau Montelena – Store Price – $44.99

2. 2007 Estate Zinfandel, Chateau Montelena – $27.99

3. 2007 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Chateau Montelena – $44.99

4. 2007 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Chateau Montelena – $110.00

(Tasting Notes to Follow)