I have always loved the packaging on Xanadu wines. That ambiguous golden dragon that looks like a knarly old vine really appeals to me. This is a blend of 73% Margaret River and 27% Frankland River shiraz. Dragon is a recent addition to the Xanadu range. It sits above the Secession and below the Estate in the portfolio.

Aromas of crushed boysenberry, cherry jam, spice, meat, pepper and toasty vanilla oak. On the palate medium bodied with fresh fruits of the forest, pepper, spice and meaty toasty oak. Dry quite assertive tannins and very fresh acidity. Good flavours but suffers from some hardness.

When you spend more than $20 for a bottle of Napa Valley chardonnay, no one can blame you for having high expectations. via Fond du Lac Reporter

I would like to thank Earl, who posted comments and the following question on my recent Tempranillo in the Americas post: ?Why was there such a long interval between introduction of the vine into Argentina and exportation of varietal labeled wine??

Here are some important factors to consider:

It?s important to recognize the fact that culturally, there is a stark contrast between the way in which wine has been regarded in Argentina versus our very international, varietal-minded, label-aware atmosphere where getting to know the world?s wines is something many people have expressed interest in doing. Fine wine production for the gentry, in terms of seeing wine as a prestige cultural/material good simply wasn?t priority for Argentines until fairly recently. While it is true that many progressive vintners have been dabbling in exciting varieties in the past few decades (after the familiar 19^th century French varieties arrived), the very first vines in the 16th century were planted by monks and priests near their newly built monasteries and church compounds in order to provide wine for masses and other celebrations. In some of the official correspondence that Spanish monks had to regularly exchange with royal authorities in the 1550?s to justify expenditures and building projects, the planting of vines was mentioned briefly and only in passing?the degree of pomp we would show in describing how we installed a light bulb today. Certainly, my modern concerns would be: Which varieties were planted? Surely this mattered to the priests, right? Not really, since in the letters they mention the generic Latin term for all wine-producing grape varieties, ?vitis vinifera.?

Records of colonial correspondence available at the Archivo General de Indias (Seville) indicate that a certain priest named Juan Cedrón (late 1550?s) first wrote of planting various types of Spanish vitis vitifera needed to carry on with life in the Argentine Northwest. The correspondence indicates that Cedrón was in charge of settling to the south of Santiago del Estero, Spanish settlers? first outpost after leaving their stronghold at Cuzco. As settlers made their way in a southwesterly direction, they encountered the dry, elevated Andean foothills of today?s provinces, the first of which is interestingly named La Rioja, then San Juan, and then Mendoza.

In terms of answering the above question about which varieties were planted, there are some interesting parallels we can draw between Northern and Southern hemisphere Spanish colonization patterns and viticultural practices. Since Valdepeñas from La Mancha was considered to be one of the finest expressions of Tempranillo by 16^th century Spaniards, this is precisely the name used in correspondence to introduce the variety into Nuevo León (México) and the area that encompasses California and parts of the American southwest. In the 16^th century, Spaniards didn?t refer to prestige wines by variety but as Italians did at the time, according to their region or commune of origin. On a whole and as is evidenced in classics such as Don Quixote (1605), Spaniards enjoyed drinking ?Valdepeñas? and not ?a really nice Tempranillo,? as we would say in the U.S. today.

If we take these considerations into account, it is a very well-sustained assumption that Tempranillo made its way across the Americas alongside Spanish settlers given that it was the red variety of choice. Other varieties planted for other styles of wines (acidic and sweet whites, etc.) in colonial times were Criolla Chica (also known as Criolla Sanjuanina) , Pedro Ximénez, Cereza, Muscat, Ugni Blanc (Trebbiano) and ?mónica? as it was known in Sardinia, Sicily and Spain (the famous ?Mission? grape introduced by Spanish Jesuits in 16^th century California).

Tempranillo (then referred to as ?Valdepeñas?), alongside the abovementioned varieties was cultivated at the Andean foothills for home consumption since the 16^th century. Much trial and error ensued, and areas with relatively higher elevation and dry weather (La Rioja, San Juan, Mendoza) and select areas in Mexico (including present-day California) became prime for producing these wines for settlers? purposes.

Here are a couple of additional ideas to support the hypothesis that Tempranillo was one of the original vines planted in the Americas. Ethnographically speaking, a great deal of Spanish settlers in the early conquest of the Americas included an overwhelmingly large number of natives of the following Spanish regions where Tempranillo was the most important red variety?the provinces encompassing Castille and La Mancha such as Avila, Ciudad Real, Albacete, Badajoz, Guadalajara, Cuenca, Toledo, Salamanca and Madrid. It?s also important to keep in mind that in terms of actual planting area, Tempranillo vines are of relatively low incidence on a worldwide scale, with Argentina being second only after Spain, of course.

Earl, I?m afraid that your question still hasn?t been fully answered: Why is it that Tempranillo has been around in Argentina since the 16^th century yet the world hasn?t seen any exports of ?fine wine? versions until the early 1990?s?

Wine globalization and the consumer trends that underlie it have shown the potential to create some sink-or-swim imperatives for wine producers to expand production of different varieties and innovate in the vineyard. In fact, given many recent trends, it is likely that this projected consumer has developed tastes and accumulated enough disposable income to not want to consume the kinds of table wines that Argentines don?t mind. How does the Argentine producer see this consumer, who needs an ?international? style of their table wines? Well, the customer is someone who most likely lives abroad, and because he does not likely come from a culture were wine is a major part of his cultural identity, he is perhaps well educated and would like to learn more about wines and adopt other interests that can be considered, pardon the term, a bit bourgeois. While I don?t entirely see it the way Argentines see it because I grew up between both cultures and thus, can see each point of view, this is more or less the situation.

To answer your question, let?s think of timing and marketing. Who do many Argentine and Chilean producers wish to please? Why do the ?Wines of Argentina Awards? even exist? Spanish wines in the U.S. market at least, have really become fashionable in the past four or five years. Americans have been very receptive to various styles of Tempranillo-based Spanish reds and South American producers have realized that for the first time, the North American market is genuinely thirsty for different expressions of Tempranillo (this relic left by Spanish settlers, as far as Argentines are concerned).

What do I make of this all? The ambiguity created by the correspondence of priests such as Juan Cedrón in the 1550?s regarding vitis vinifera has unfortunately opened the gates to opportunists. One such example of opportunism can easily be seen by an article I came across in a major Spanish daily?s wine section (El Mundo Vino). In the article titled ?Argentine Wine is Not Only Malbec,? by Harold Heckle, Juan Carlos Rodriguez Villa of the venerable Finca Flichman in Barrancas (Mendoza), claims that Tempranillo vines are a relatively new phenomenon in Argentina and that it was precisely his grandfather who visited Spain and subsequently introduced the variety to the Argentine wine industry in 1940. Although the Familia Zuccardi website does not make claims this sensational, they still care very much that today?s North American grape-variety-hopping, cosmopolitan Gen. Y-wine consumer regard them as pioneers in the Argentine industry when it comes to traditionally European varieties that exclude the Bordeaux and northern Italian varieties that pan-European immigration brought to Argentina, Chile and Uruguay in the 19^th and early 20^th centuries.

And so, I walk down the aisles of many American retailers and see bottles of Argentine Tempranillo from producers I?ve never heard of, from the conventional Mendoza winery all the way through La Rioja, San Juan and down into Neuquén and even a general Patagonia appellation. The same question comes the mind for a native Argentine like myself?under which rock have all of these wines/producers been and why are they suddenly available now on shelves dominated by oaked Catena Chardonnays and endless rows of Malbec? Makes one think?

Tasting notes:

Bright nose of peach and lemon

Nicely textured on the palate; fruity and acidic

Finish of citrus, melon, and lingering vanilla

This South African beauty is a steal at just $6! Well, that was the sale price. Regardless, the regular price is more like $10 which is still a good deal for a fruity, elegant, and nicely textured wine.

I could see this pairing well with a variety of dishes, and it also was delicious to drink on its own. I encourage you to seek out South African Chenin Blanc. Some wineries use the grape name Steen, however, it seems more of them are reverting back to the French name for the grape on the label. Either way, it's often great stuff at a modest price. Raise a glass!

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This is a dry, slightly sparkling wine, with a pleasent, rich, complex aroma. A pleasure to sniff and taste, there’s a fruity note and there’s quite an undefined spicy note, definitely requires another bottle of researching . The producer specifies it as a wine “with characteristic Muscat taste and smell carrying combination of spicy tones of incense, cinnamon, basil and fruit tones of pine apple and strawberry”.

Although it does have the muscaty taste it’s a dry wine, but still does go well with desserts such as nutty cakes. Also goes well with lighter meat dishes and on it’s own.

The Ivanovi? winery is a winery with a long tradition, one of those where the younger generation has embraced it’s ancestry recipes and combined it with modern trends. Some of the details are available online. It is located in the ?upa region in southern Serbia.

Score: 8/10
Price: 500 RSD (?6)
Retailer: Chardak, ?ika Ljubina 7, Belgrade

Technorati Tags: Serbian Wines, Tamjanika

I somehow weaseled my way into a Vegan cooking class this weekend to give a talk about organic wines. Shameless self/company promotion? Why do you ask!

SO, if you have nothing to do between 1:30 and 3 on Sunday, December 2nd, feel free to register to learn how to cook all sorts of yumminess (which is, apparently, a heavily-used wine descriptor) sans animals or animal by-products. I don't claim to be vegan (as the mountain of cheese in my belly can attest) but I do agree with the principles of it all.

Anys.

Come to Shakti Yoga Studio at 220 Lexington Ave this Sunday to hear me and to get your vegan feedbag on. I think it's $20 per person. Call 716 884 YOGA to register. I'll be the one with a cork in my hand stinking of butter.

Whether you're envisioning open-air fields of grapevines or the intimate mystique of a wine cellar, there's something thoroughly romantic about a vineyard wedding. via Today's 6

Today, I have a treat for myself. I need a treat. It’s been one of those weeks that leaves you wondering why you even bother going to bed, since you’ll be up at back at work the minute you wake up again. Recently, my days have started to feel drawn out and full of ups and downs, and to be honest, I really didn’t want to participate in this month’s Wine Blog Wednesday even though the theme, Old World Reisling, is something I truly adore. I just don’t have the energy, but then I decided to change my attitude to become a little more relaxed and calm.

The reason I love Old World Reisling is for one simple reason, or rather one particular man, Terry Theise. If you’re not familiar with his name, please stop reading and go to his page at Skurnik Wines. Download all of his wine catalogs and start reading veraciously. I can wait. In fact, if you don’t make it back here, I excuse you, because these catalogs are too good to be true.

To be honest, I’m not much of a writer, nor am I much of a reader. And because I love them both, we call this a conundrum. I write here, and I read there, and I sometimes find myself feeling a little empty. Maybe it’s the content, the subjects or both. I’m not really sure, but when I went looking for information on one of my Reislings today, I found Terry.

Mind you, if it weren’t for this man, I wouldn’t be appreciating these bottles of wine right now. It would be equivalent to using the 100 point system and not knowing who Robert Parker is. So, I quickly downloaded his catalog where I thought I might find reference to my German Reisling, but suddenly, I was lost. Lost in his words, wit and wisdom. Terry’s catalogs, whether you like wine or not, are a must read for his frankness, honesty, word play, and humor. If you don’t love German Reisling, well, you may change your mind when you read Terry’s words.

To start his report, he always places his manifesto at the top, before you get to the meat of the report.
Theise Mannifesto

• Beauty is more important than impact.
• Harmony is more important than intensity.
• The whole of any wine must always be more than the sum of
  its parts.
• Distinctiveness is more important than conventional
  prettiness.
• Soul is more important than any thing, and soul is expressed as
  a trinity of family, soil and artisanality.

This is a manifesto that I can get behind! Drinking Iberian wine everyday, I often forget how much I love the world of wine and not anyone region. These words are timeless, and in my opinion, great advice for anyone just getting into wine. Live by these words and you can’t go wrong.

But this post is not about Terry Theise, but rather Old World Reisling. Today, we have 2 wines in front of us, one from the heralded 2003 vintage in Germany, an Auslese from one of the premier wine makers in Terry’s collection. I bought this wine as a future at a tasting in Minneapolis back when I still sold wine. A guided tasting with one of the sharpest palates I’ve ever been with, Terry showed us that despite “Crazy-ass heat” one could still make a Reisling full of nuance and character. In truth, I can’t tell you why I bought this one versus the many others that were in my price range at the time. I was relatively new to German wines, and excited to explore a region that seems totally frightening when you look at the complicated labels. But on this particular night, I learned that I had to at least try and dig through the odd characters, strange accents, and unpronounceable names to get at the heart of these treats. And consequently, I fell in love.

Today I sit in a Reisling wasteland. I’ve tried Reisling from around Spain, and I believe that I’ve even had a Portuguese Reisling once. But I wouldn’t recommend them. Nonetheless, I’m here to taste, so you don’t have to. Therefore, to balance the pie a bit, I’m also about to open a 2007 dry Reisling from down the road, a Penedes treat that has never offended me, though that is not much of an endorsement either.

From the moment I open the Sumarroca 2007 from the Penedes, I’m instantly happy and sad. Happy that it’s still fresh and lively. Sad, because there is not much to it. Reisling, I’m afraid, is not meant for Iberia. It loses its soul. The land of the Toro, and the feisty Spanish persona, is not a home for something with a delicate nature. Spain is land of bold wines with bright flavors and complex traits, and for me, I want something more subtle when I drink Reisling. The Sumarroca is easy to drink, simple and a great example of muscat, or a simple summer white blend. From their site (annoying flash, don’t bother visiting it):

Entirely produced from grapes grown in the Sumarroca Estate, only the best 50% from the first juice (free-run) of these carefully selected Muscat varieties has been used for this wine. Fermentation took place during 3 weeks under strict temperature control at 15º C in stainless steel tanks. It has been gently filtered and stabilized at a low temperature before bottling.

Reisling was never meant to be 100% dry, or at least not very often. Alsace is an exception, however, and the sugar makes a big difference. Now I know that some of you are saying, “I don’t like sweet wines”! To you, I say, “give me a break”! Put down your dry Coca-Cola and listen. Sweet is good. Sweet is nice. And just like in dry wines, if the wine is NOT balanced, than it will taste bad. Mogan David tastes horrid, because it’s like drinking syrup! Good Reisling doesn’t have this problem, due to its high acidity. I’ve served very sweet Reislings to friends who have quickly responded, “what a nice dry wine this is”. 50 grams of sugar dry! The acidity balanced the wine, whereby keeping your tongue from becoming a syrup slick. Ok rant done…Now on to what has made my afternoon pleasant.

Joh.Jos. Christoffel, 2003 ÜRZIGER WÜRZGARTEN Auslese***, that’s a mouthfull! Let me preface the next few lines with this, I love Spanish and Portuguese wine, but I needed this. This is a pure stroke of bright light through my Tempranillo stained tongue. New flavors, aromas and textures, dance though my mind, and I feel handicapped describing the wine before me. Because I am so tied up in Iberia, I almost forgot why I loved wine, diversity. In my glass sits some of the most gorgeous honey flavors with minerals, petrol, fruits and flowers, exotic and rare. Here are Terry’s own notes from his report on this wine.

2003 Ürziger Würzgarten Reisling Auslese*** ++
“This is always from the same parcel, and it cannot produce more than forty hectoliters per hectare,” says Hans-Leo. “We’ve had at least Spätlese from this site in every vintage except 1991. I could make these wines heavier, but it goes against my philosophies. The day I can’t make wines like these any more is the day I’ll pack it in.” It’s down below, to the right of the sundial, in case you want to locate it. This 2003 has the extra note, the Grand Cru flavor, now glazed with the finest botrytis maltiness. As always what amazes here is the density and delicacy, and here, in 2003, the siren-song of minerality.
SOS: 3 (between ten and thirty years)

I’m glad I wrote this!! I’m glad I opened this treasure before it’s time (I wanted to wait 5 more years), and I’m glad I still have 2/3’s of a bottle left for dinner tonight. Although, I’m not sure I want to drink this with the meal. It is perfect for some many dishes, as its balance would complement more treats than you might expect. But no, I think I’ll grab the bottle, sit up on my roof, watch the sun set over Montserrat, and let my mind drift. That’s what wine is for. Thanks Terry!

Cheers,

Ryan Opaz

Ryan

Gabriella

Ryan

Gabriella

2007 Sumarroca Reisling Penedès - Spain, Catalunya, Penedès (5/7/2008)
Light golden in color with a slightly green tinge, showing a lovely and expressive white floral bouquet, bolstered by aromas of white peaches, honey, lychee and a slight barnyard aromas. In the mouth, the wine is slightly off balanced, as the racy acidity shows shows a tartness that is quite frankly, a little unpleasant. Full and round in the mouth with a medium body and a nice gentle finish. Candy mandarin and honey on palate, with hints of orange peach and gravel. Paired with a fresh pasta salad with garden picked cherry tomatoes, however, I think this would be a nice wine. 3.5/5

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Leelanau Cellars markets this unique spiced wine as Witches’ Brew around Halloween, but let me assure you that it is a great wine to have on hand throughout the winter. This wine has two labels, the Halloween one (Witches Brew) and the label for the rest of the year, simply named Leelanau Cellars Spiced Wine.

If you’re looking for something fun and unique to bring to a holiday party this year, this is your wine! This wine is best served heated! Simmer in a pot over low heat until it is warm (the temperature of a witches’ tongue, if you’re celebrating Halloween). This spiced wine should not be served with dinner, but rather as dessert, with some good, dark chocolate. I suppose it could also be good before dinner, while folks are still arriving to the party. It would make a great ice-breaker!

Witches Brew is obviously a sweet wine, with aromas of cinnamon and cloves. It has very different characteristics when heated vs. room temperature. Try both!

Rating: 9/10 — Truly unique!
Price: $5.99
Where can I get it? Many places in Michigan carry this wine, especially around the holidays. I found it at Meijer. You could always visit the Leelanau Cellars north of Traverse City to stock up!