A Double Dose of French Wine

Most of us have tasted French wines. After all, they are the grandfather of wine making. For the most part, French wines are focused on the terroir, or the growing environment. You can really taste the earth and soil in their wines. I have two picks to share with you today:

Domaine de Mourchon, Seguret, Cote de Rhone, Family Reserve Grenache, 2009: $12 (http://www.domainedemourchon.com/). This wine comes from Rhone, or the the Southern part of France. The main grape is the Grenahce, but it also has 35% of Syrah in it as well. It has a deep, beautiful,  purple color, and smells of earth, cinnamon, and black cherry. It also tastes earthy. It is acidic and very tannic. This wine has huge potential, and the tannins will soften over a couple of years. I would hold this wine for at least 3 more years before trying.

Chateau Vrai Caillou, Bordeaux Superieur, 2009: $13 (http://www.vrai-caillou-darius.com/index2.php). This wine comes from the Bordeaux region of France. It has a ruby red color, and is a bit cloudy. It smells of plum, blackberry, vanilla, and spice. The taste is tangy, with cranberries and blackberries. It is full in body, somewhat acidic, and tannic. Again, I would age this wine for at least 3 years before trying, so the tannins can soften. On another note: this wine does not do well on its own. It needs to be paired with food, (I tried dark chocolate), to bring out its flavors and smooth texture.

Bottle Shock

http://tastespeachy.com/bottle-shock.html

Most of us have probably heard the term "bottle shock," but what does it mean? (And no, I'm not referring to the movie!)

Wine, for the most part, is a living thing. And, like most living things, we like our space. We really don't like enclosed/tight spaces, and neither does our wine! Wine is usually fermented in large barrels. The wine is able to ferment freely in the large space. However, when the fermentation process is finished, wine is then put into its bottle. When you put it in its bottle, it changes completely... this is bottle shock, (or bottle sickness as some people call it).

Conclusion: never drink a wine that is newly bottled because it needs to rest, or "age." The wine is still finding its home in the bottle, and therefore you won't get its ultimate bouquet and flavors when it's first put in the bottle.  For most wines, it takes about a month for it to overcome bottle shock. So, if you just bought a 2010 vintage, you might want to hold on to it for a couple more months, just to be safe.

Pinot Noir wines are the only wines that go into bottle shock for 6-18 months after being put into their bottles. No one is really sure why it takes them such a long time to get over their "sickness," but a good rule of thumb is to let your new Pinot Noir wines sit, or only buy older vintages.

Make Your Own Wine!

www.water2wine.com

I work at a winery in Denver called Water 2 Wine (http://www.water2wine.com/denver/?p=home). It is a unique winery because we get the "must" or juice from grapes that have already been crushed. (No stomping grapes with this job!) We ferment close to 100 wines in house! Our wines range from the very sweet to the very dry. All of our wines are available for tasting; so out of 100 wines, you are bound to find something you like. (Of course, it would be impossible to try all the wines in your first visit; I recommend trying 3-4).

Not only are we a winery, but we also have a "wine bar" atmosphere as well in the front of the house. As a Sommelier, my favorite thing to do is educate our customers on different types of wines we make, and help you find one that best fits your palette.

One of the greatest things about our winery is you, as a customer, get to make your own wine! We will help you mix the wine of your choice, and 45 days later, you get to slap your own label on the bottles you make. (45 days is how long it takes to ferment the wine).

For those of you who live in Denver, stop on by and try our wine. If you don't live in Denver, Water 2 Wine also has other locations in California, Texas, and Wisconsin.

Cooking with Chianti

Chianti is a dry red wine that usually has a cherry, dark fruit taste to it. It is a great wine to cook with because not only can it enhance the flavors of the food you are cooking, you can also pair this wine with most foods.

My husband and I found a recipe with Chianti I had to share with you. We put a little spin on the original recipe and came up with this:

Beef Stew with Chianti:
1. 3 Pounds of rib roast (cubed).
2. Spice to your liking (ground red pepper, oregano, salt, peeper, etc) 

3. Can Beef Broth
4. Bottle of Chianti (Yes a bottle)
5. A couple of vegetables you like. (We used green beans).

Throw all of the ingredients in the Crock-Pot and set it on low for 10 hours. The meal was not only easy, but it tasted great as well. The Chianti blended well with the stew. I would suggest a fuller bodied Chianti that can stand up to the flavor notes of the rib roast.

A Rosé Trio

When most people think of rosé wines, they think of the cheap box or bottles they get in the refrigerated section of the liquor store. However, rosé wines can be quite elegant! Rosé wines are a little bit of red, and a little bit of white. They are made in several different ways; the most common is to have the juice be in contact with the grape skins for only a short period of time. (Whereas red wines are constantly in contact with the skins). Rosé wines can range from very dry to sweet. Since they are served chilled, they are a great springtime and summertime wine. I have three very different rosé wines to share with you.

Côtes de Provence Rosé Saint Roch "Les Vignes" (2008) - $11.99: (http://www.klwines.com/detail.asp?sku=1046970). This is a Cinsault and Grenache blend from France. The bouquet smells of of Welch's white grape juice and champagne. It is crisp and dry, with tastes of apple, pear, and citrus. It has a touch of sweetness to it at the end. 

Robert Oatley Rosé of Sangiovese (2010) - $15.29: (http://www.wine.com/V6/Robert-Oatley-Rose-of-Sangiovese-2010/wine/109765/detail.aspx). This rosé comes from Mudgee, Australia. The bouquet is very faint, but has a light, sweet fruit smell. It is slightly effervescent, and the taste is very dry. This wine would do well paired with something slightly sweet to bring out its flavors.

Garrett Estate Cellars Rosé (2009) - $11: (http://www.garrettestatecellars.com/page18.php). This Colorado wine is a White Merlot Rosé. You will get a  floral and sweet perfume bouquet. The taste is sweet, light, and oaky, with notes of perfume and melon.

On to Level 2!

This morning was the first class for my Level 2 Sommelier certification. If all goes well, I will be an Executive Sommelier in 12 weeks! This just brings me one step closer to making my dream of opening a wine bar a reality! In the meantime, I continue to develop my wine tasting event planning company, A Crushed Grape, as well as work for a local winery.

http://www.internationalwineguild.com/

I have been taking my classes at the International Wine Guild in Denver,  http://www.internationalwineguild.com/. I chose them over other certification schools because of the one on one attention and expertise I get with my instructors.

Wine with Soup

http://seriouslysoupy.com/soup-and-wine-pairings/

Summer is just ahead, but we still have time to make some of our favorite soups for these last few cold nights. Soup and wine pairings may seem very tricky, but it doesn't have to be. Soup has many elements to it which actually makes it very easy to find wine for a pairing.

What you have to do is think of the soup in terms of it's base ingredients (i.e. the meat or vegetables), and the spices in the soup. If you think of soup in that way, it will be the same wine pairing theory with other foods I've blogged about before. Is it acidic, creamy, or sweet? Does it have red meat or fish in it? All of these elements are your keys to finding the right wine for your soup. Below are some examples to help you:

Clam Chowder with an oaked Chardonnay: The creaminess of the chowder needs a big, bold, buttery Chardonnay to stand up to it.

Short Rib Stew with a Red Zinfandel: The heartiness of the stew needs a wines to cut the fat with tannins and stand up to the spices. A Zinfandel's smoky flavor and medium tannins will be a nice pair with this meal.

Tomato Soup or Gazpacho with a Sauvignon Blanc:  The acidity of these soups will pair nicely with the crisp, earthy, and tropical fruit tastes of a Sauvignon Blanc.

Kansas Wineries... They Do Exist

I visit the wonderful state of Kansas every couple of months to visit my dad. The last time I was there we decided to stop by one of the wineries outside of Wichita. Well, we were in for a very weird experience! The Winery is called Wyldewood Cellars" (http://www.wyldewoodcellars.com/mainhistory.html). They make most of their wines from the Elderberry fruit, and not grapes. Having never tasted an Elderberry wine before, I HAD to try it.

Conclusion.... not so good. All of the wines were very sweet to the point of overly sweet. However, I can now say that I have had Elderberry wine. 

Next time you happen to be in Kansas try it out, just for fun. I do believe that this state can have great wine, they just need better wineries! So, if any of you entrepreneurs out there want to start a new business, I suggest opening up a winery in Kansas!

An App to Help You with Wine and Food Pairings

www.hellovino.com

I'm really big into finding awesome wine apps these days, and I found one that is a perfect tool to help you pair wines with food. It's called "Hello Vino," ( http://www.hellovino.com/).

Say you want to make Tandoori Chicken, but have no idea what wine to pair with the meal. Well, go under the first tab and search for Tandoori Chicken. The app will then list the wines that would pair well with the meal, and will even give you descriptions and prices on each of the wines.

Another thing this app does is help you find the perfect wines for say, Easter Dinner! Or, already have a wine in mind but don't know which foods to pair with it? This app will help you with that desicion as well!

Now, my fellow Sommeliers would probably cringe at the fact that I'm sharing this app because they think it will take away some of our credibility and business. But, my job is to help all of you have the perfect wine experience! So, if that means that occasionally you might go to this app instead of one of us, then that's fine with me. However, I still ask that you seek "expert" advice from someone, (preferably me), for special occasions, parties, or for your personal collection.

Serving Order

http://drinknectar.com/2011/12/27/little-white-lies/red-white-rose-wine/

Most people think that you have to serve white before red. However, I'm here to tell you that you can have reds before whites. When it comes to wine, the color does not matter. What does matter is the style of wine.

Always serve:
- Lighter to fuller body, (example: light bodied Pinot Noir before a fully oaked Chardonnay)
- Dry to sweet, (example: Sauvignon Blanc before a fruit forward Merlot)
- Higher acid to higher tannins, (example: Sparkling white wine before a Cabernet Sauvignon)
- Higher acids to higher tannins and sugar, (example: Steel Barrel Chardonnay before a red Zinfandel).

While white wines tend to be lighter and higher in acid, it won't be the case for every wine out there. A good way to impress your friends to is serve different wines at a dinner party that go against the "norm."