Wine Blogging Wednesday #47 brought to you by letter “S”

We love the babes who sponsored this month’s WBW inspired by Sesame Street. The babes at Grape Juice said to pick a wine involving the letter “S.” Well, prepare susurrations of sensation for the simply superb. OK, we’ll raise our voices but isn’t the alliteration cool? In our case, we had opened the 2006 Taste White from Bedell Cellars on the North Fork of Long Island. It’s a white blend with a percentage of sauvignon blanc, thus fulfilling the sponsorship requirement. This is a sensual summer wine with complexity, depth and endless surprises. Is it still around? Not sure since Bedell doesn’t make much of this blend and ups the snob factor by comissioning artists to do the labels. This one is by Barbara Krueger. Granted, it’s not about the packaging of course, but who doesn’t drink sometimes for the mystique and the memories.  Songs like Public Image’s “Seattle” or Sparks’ “Tryouts for the Human Race” spilling out of the car stereo on my way back from knitting night with the girls (some off wine cos they’re pregnant; others just not interested) make me heady with anticipation. I’m drinking around the Web tonight and I don’t have to leave home.

The cold truth

If you are a wine person/nut/geek/raver, you must read Eric Asimov sometime. His story today on cool red wines was a brilliant and you can read it here. I have shouted this from the rooftops whenever I am on a rooftop, and hope more people will realize that red can be cool all year round. I polished off a 2005 WillaKenzie Willamette Valley Pinot Noir that was an excellent example of a red wine that benefits from a little chilling. This was clasic Oregon Pinot Noir with a bearable lightness and agreeable fruit. I cellar everything at 55 degrees Farenheit so this had to warm in the glass a bit. Smashing wine.

However, even evangelist for the chill of the hunt revert to type every now and then. Last night I cracked a bottle of Bedell’s 2006 Taste White. It’s a blend off 44 percent Chardonnay, 27 percent Sauvignon Blanc, 16 percent Viognier, 8 percent Gewruztraminer and 5 percent Riesling. It also features artwork by Barbara Kruger on the label.  Thanks to the usual weird liquor laws in these United States, it say this is a white table wine. i always assumed this was to distinguish it from a floor wine. You know, the high alcohol wines that you end up on the floor after drinking. Raise a glass on the U.S.’s birthday to more table and less floor.

Hello Cleveland (but don’t eat the cream sauce)

I did manage to spend an hour and a half at the Cleveland Wine Festival and was planning to go back but I entered a state of chronic mayhem that found me pulling back from a variety of commitments including a minor league baseball game, a trip back to the wine fest to sample the wines of Ohio and a dinner with one of the more imperious grand dames of the group the Negress is here to hang out with. This all started with a gang lunch with said grand dames and other babes in the organization. The Negress ate some pasta with cream sauce and tomatos and shrimp, and it’s been off to the races ever since. The Negress kept eating — hey, it’s a vacation — but much didn’t set right. Strickland’s frozen custard at the ballpark did. So did the filet mignon. But several Burning River drafts and some Shiraz probably didn’t help matters. So with gurgling belly in tow, we headed to Voinovich Park to the festival. Admission was $20 in advance and $30 at the tent. This included a plastic wine glass with a line denoting the 3 oz. tasting pour. Stopped at Fetzer, got ecotote and info on all their organic growing. Pleasant enough wines that fit in nicely with the story I am doing on value wines. Moved on to a Korbel Sweet Rose champagne that was a stunner in the same sense a bullet in the leg is a stunner. Noted Little Black Dress brands for story. Moved on to one meatball of uncertain provenance then to some wines from Macedonia. In the story’s price range and intriguing. Topper is they are coming to New Jersey soon. Talked to maker of 7 Deadly Zins. He noted that wines under $10 were likely to be financial losers for wineries. Methinks this is also true for drinkers, Three Buck Chuck notwithstanding. Went to a rain-delayed game with Indians and Reds. Sabathia pitched quite well. Noticed the Park Formerly known as the Jake that armed police roamed the concourses. Even in New York in the bad old days, I don’t remember seeing that much identifiable security. Very disturbing that only Bud Light was available at the upper deck concession stands. Like, Leinekugel anybody?  Came back to the hotel and burned the river and some shiraz before retiring. Also led some folks around the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame. This will probably end up being a better weekend in hindsight. Right it’s on the bubble. Sore throat not helping.

Why they eat late in Spain

The Cervantes Institute in Manhattan is a haven for Spanish wine lovers. Helio San Miguel has forgotten more about Spanish wine than I will ever know. He offers classes at the Institute in Manhattan. This was sign up day for next semester and there were only 19 people ahead of me so I got most of what I wanted. I couldn’t catch a single class in the Ribuera del Duero or Rioja regions last year, but next year I will be paid up and awash in knowledge. My studies for my advanced certificate at the IWC are proceeding apace. If I can just keep the Dying Media folks from chapping my ass, life will be golden.

To celebrate the end of the year for language and wine classes, there was a tapas party. In addition to some awful sangria and paint thinner jug solera sherry, there was some decent Serrano ham and a decadent, mouthwatering sheep’s milk cheese with some crusty bread. Also blood sausage, some sort of potato-egg thing and what I will call European Union meatballs. Unlike the Swedish or Finnish varieties, these don’t taste like anything and come with gravy that leaves even less of an impression.

Also memorable was the Duque de Alba brandy but don’t drink a lot of this if you want to stay upright and coherent enough to drive. A small sip was rewarding with some rich, raisiny notes.

Upon arriving safely home, thankful that Manhattan empties out on Fridays, I drank some more of this EXP Shiraz 2004 that I bought completely on a whim. As I deepen my knowledge, one bit of autodidact behavior is to go out and buy a bunch of wines of one varietal. You try them and see what please you; what’s characteristic and what’s just plain crap.

The EXP is pleasing and drinkable but more food is definitely in order. Which brings us back  to the title of this post.

What wine spells relief? Opa!

The Negress is huddled by her large window air conditioner as the East Coast boils in the sun. She has been attending to the needs of Dying Media here at home because she was waiting on a birthday miracle that has actually come to pass. Nine months after the ominous rumbling and crashing sounds that were the death knell for a 3 by 5-1/2 foot piece of my plaster ceiling, the ornamental plaster repairers are here. Doing work. They are not on the phone telling me there is another two weeks until they can come as they did every two weeks for the past three months. I have dropcloths over the couch and chair that couldn’t have their delivery delayed for another week. Work is going on. I would weep with joy but I don’t want them to stop to see what’s going on over here at the computer.

In the preceding days, we finished off the Cotes du Rhone and also quaffed a 2005 Vegas Sindoa Tempranillo/Merlot blend from Navarra. These are the kind of solid citizens of the wine world that keep your spirits up. They offer pleasure, some complexity and a few surprises.

Not like the Magnus 2005 Clare Valley Leasingham Riesling. I took this to a party and made sure it got opened so I could leave it with the hosts. This was one lemony pill to swallow. I expect maybe a hint of citrus in a Riesling, but this was more war club than jeweler’s hammer. A wine devoutly to be avoided.

We have this week off from my IWC studies, which is not a bad thing. I need to organize my notes and read up for the next couple of weeks. I might even able to do so in My New Living Room. Excitement abounds.

The Stanley Cup ended and decided to finish off the Bandit 1-liter box chardonnay by way of toasting the Penguins’ heroics. Unfortunately, the easily seen hand of the Negress (as opposed to the unseen hand of fate) knocked over the glass, splashed the walls of the bedroom and the floor. Clearly, I was channeling Marc-Andre Fleury, whose ample, padded butt provided an own-goal for his team. On to baseball season, where I haven’t quite let go of the Astros but am dating the Mets.

Also, slogged through the New York magazine issue on the area’s top physicians and was delighted not to see a single member of Team Perry listed there. The last thing any good chronic wants is to have mere wannabes with a few paltry symptoms delaying her access for serious matters. Much is right with the universe.

Wine Blogging Wednesday #46 sort of

The Negress got some good news about a skin issue and wandered off to her favorite wine store in search of a wine from the Rhone Valley. Did the Negress read the part about it being a white wine under $20? Uh no. Did the Negress talk some poor customer’s ear off about the merits of Viognier? Sure. Did the same Negress force said customer to rethink her dysfunctional relationship with Pinot Grigio? She’d like to think so.

Anyway, my getting the WBW assignment wrong led to something right, true and good in the way of drinking. I picked up a 2006 J.L. Chave Selection Cotes du Rhone Mon Coeur for $17. I had thrown together a meat loaf with red pepper, sweet onions and crushed pretzel crisps in lieu of missing bread crumbs. Quite frankly, few whites — Rhone or otherwise — would have been able to put their shoulder into this meatloaf. Well, Mon Coeur stole ma coeur. According to the producer, this wine has some old-vine carignane in the blend. Whatever else is in there, it’s rich and deep like the memory of the best lover you’ve ever had. You have some red fruit here, and it unwinds a bit with more time in the glass. The tannins whisper and the finish is langorous.

Anyway, if WBW ever assigns a Red Rhone under $20, I’ll write about something white then. In the meantime, here are the headlines in Negress Land. I now own a Euro Cave 100 and spent much of the afternoon installing shelves and installing wine on the shelves. I will need to modify my baseboard heat to make the Euro Cave happy but I have a plumber with some gifts in this area.

Meanwhile, I have successfully completed transferring some capital to a cousin I adore so she can refinance her house. We celebrated with Flora Springs Trilogy 2006, some Frey Zin and a Gnarlyhead Zin. With my pals Tim and Carrie, I drank bourbon. Sometimes the Negress thinks D.C. stands for Drinking Constantly.

Meanwhile at Dying Media, they are excited about the alt-packaging story. I am still drinking the Bandit Chardonnay, which comes in a Tetra Pak festooned with reasons why this is better than a bottle. The lightly oaked chardonnay got the Penguins a triple overtime victory in the Stanley Cup finals. The do-or-die game starting ins about 34 minutes. I’ll go back to drinking the rest of the Bandit if it looks like the Penguins are in trouble.

In my certificate class last night, we blew through Bordeaux and I spilled wine all over the place but fell in love with the Madiran wines, which are not for the faint of heart. The previous week, one of the educators tried to summarize Italy in two and half hours less time for tasting. My personal summary? Italy has rules except when they don’t and there are exceptions to when they don’t. We spend 7 weeks on France and one week on Italy. This somehow seems out of balance.

I did manage a caregiver triumph today, faxing much pertinent information to the nursing home where my mother — Alzheimers in full bloom complete with echoalia — is being well cared for. Saw her this weekend and tried not to cling to the idea she’ll sit up and say she was joking. You never know how much you miss something until it’s in reach but you still can’t have it.

Running with the Bandits

Because the Negress doesn’t often get to show her unalloyed brilliance at her day gig, she was pleased to offer the idea of a story on alternative wine packaging to the powers that be at Dying Media. They took her up on it so she got busy. Sort of. Not right away. Jonathan Reynolds, Lee Remick’s cousin, once said all writers could easily answer the question, “How are you not writing?” The Negress entertained her visiting sister, cursed the Greeks who are working on her Never Ending ceiling project, wondered why her commitment to baseball is waning and watched some of the Stanley Cup finals. Somewhere in the middle of all of this was a trip to the outskirts of Boston to eat herself senseless and celebrate a young man’s calling to the Torah. Good people and Chateau d’Yquem were involved. Also a Nobel Prize winner. And a visit by a college friend and her Mom.

Anyway, Game 3 of the Stanley Cup found the Negress cracking open the 2006 Bandit Pinot Grigio. The Bandit wines come in Tetra Paks and offer a full liter of wine goodness, plus less packaging and a lighter carbon footprint. The Pinot is lightly fruity and very drinkable but should not be served what I have come to call “American cold.” I popped that puppy after about 20 minutes in the fridge, and it was lovely. So was the Penguins victory.

Of course, more research was necessary so I drove down to my ancestral home of Washington DC to visit my cousin Leslie and her fiance, Chef Charley. There will be a family dinner this week and I brought some classier wine for that, but also additional Bandit boxes of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Well, we drank the Bandits and some more wine after that. Our consensus was that the Cabernet was more structured and lightly tannic, which adds up to drinking immediately. The Merlot was youthful, fruity and, to this palate, wasn’t as impressive as the Cabernet. If you like immature, fruity reds, it’s a hit. The Chardonnay awaits my return to Jersey. More about that later unless I can find some other ways not to write.

Crafternoon at Potter Craft

You can’t drink all the time, now can you? Last week, the Negress journeyed to Random House to visit with the men and women who produce the Potter Craft imprint of craft books. We got to fondle proofs and finished books, eat a lovely lunch and chat with other craft writing and publishing types. It was a drop-in buffet event, which was perfect because you could spend as much time as you needed there without trying to slither out of a sit-down event. My knitting screeched to a halt with the delivery of several baby hats, but the itch is strong now to pick up the needles and fly. After all the Mason-Dixon knitters have inspired me, Kaffe Fassett has overwhelmed me (his use of pattern and texture is truly artful, but trying to make one of his pieces would be a lifelong event for most of us. Call it aspirational.) and the seamstress who made the iPod friendly gloves made me smile. All of the offerings blended nostalgia, wit and deft patterning. The Potter gang share their wizardry in a blog that their authors share. The Negress is trying to come up with wine pairings for knitting projects. Any suggestions are welcome.

Wine Blogging Wednesday #45 Old World Riesling (sort of)

With this month’s charge for Wine Blogging Wednesday, I was almost stumped. I’m between Old World Rieslings at the moment and one of the New World ones I have would certainly lend credence to the assertion that much of the New World Riesling is craplike (can you say Grapefruit Bomb?). I will be gifting those wines to the uninformed at various intervals. So what to do for this virtual tasting? Why cut corners of course. Taking a cue from the Walla Walla Wine Woman, I bent the rules until they needed chiropractic intensive care. Jamesport Vineyards, a lovely little winery on the North Fork of Long Island released a Late Harvest Riesling in 2003. I’ve been caring for it with cool temperatures, light handling and waiting for an occasion to uncork this puppy. WBW gave me the excuse I was looking for. It smells woody and honeylike and the color is a deep gold. It’s actually pretty light on the palate as dessert wines go, but the finish is smooth and lovely, like my skin used to be. Anyway, this wine should be served colder than I am drinking it right now (about 55 degrees and rising) so I’m going to let it chill in the fridge for a while and then sample it again.

Enough time had passed for me to pop the bottle out of the fridge and try some more. It’s more luscious cooler and deserves slow sipping. How am I going to feed myself with this one? Probably a veggie burrito but some time will pass between wine and food so don’t count this as a pairing.

International Wine Center Advanced Certificate Class One

In a tiny classroom on the 12th floor of a nondescript building on Seventh Avenue in Manhattan, I’m being baptized by fire. I decided to take the WSET Level 3 certification because I like to learn things, I might want to change jobs at some point and my Tuesdays were open for the next three months or so. We dug right into to EU wine labeling and gradations, then tasted six wines, each of which was poured to teach us something. As Linda Lawry, the imposing and impossibly correct instructor, said, “You will not go home from this class telling your friends about the fabulous wine you’ve had. All of the wines we pour are perfectly fine, but they each illustrate something you need to learn.”

Things we learned; the difference between ruby and garnet; how fino sherry can taste like some weirdly oxidized white wine if you’re not looking for sherry; how Pedro Ximenez sherry tastes like molasses with a hint of coffee; how an older Barolo looks compared to a new Pinot Noir; how oaky California chardonnay all tastes exactly the same to me; how sauvignon blanc can get the job done even if it’s not particulalry special.

I’m taking a study break to prepare for Wine Blogging Wednesday. More about this whole lifelong learning business later.