Water into Wino

Gnocchi porn

I get the feeling that I am not updating enough lately. My procrastination has infected my blog and I will not stand for it. With the realization that I cannot drink a bottle every night, comes the idea of adding some non wine review entries. Maybe I should read my own introduction again to see what my original plan was. Anyway this is the dish I ate with the last bottle discussed, the Negroamaro/Cab. If you haven't made gnocchi, I suggest trying it sometime. Be forewarned though, I tend to cover the whole kitchen with flour in the process. Oh yeah, if there's one tool you need for gnocchi, it's a potato ricer.

Hungary for Wine

Every time I go into a generic wine or liquor store for the first time I will scour every shelf for that one bottle. The forgotten wine that the average consumer has no interest in. The wine that lacks marketability. The bottle that has a layer of dust on it. I am looking for that under $10 wine that should have sold out two years ago. In NYC there are thousands of liquor stores that carry some random ass wines. Last year over the course of a few months I bought up all the Agriolas Vallone Salice Salentino reserve 2000 bottles at my local shop. The 2000 vintage in Puglia is a great one and this wine opened me up to southern Italian wines. A good find I dare say.

Since my ongoing Can Franc delirium started, I always check for it in every store. Most likely I will find a Californian, and here in NY you might find a Long Island version in stock. The wine boutiques carry a few French Loire Valley bottles, and if I'm lucky, some Friulian Franc from Italy. A recent search on the web brought me to a Vinography entry about a Hungarian Cab Franc. At $80 it's a bottle that one will have to remain a dream. But, the knowledge of this varietal being grown in Hungary is priceless info that I've reserved some brain cells for.

Finding good wine is easy. Finding wine that you can drink any day for under $10 and still have that excitement about the varietal is another thing altogether. With more popular varietals like Cabernet or Syrah, you can find a number of wines from new world producers under $10. The not so popular Cab Franc, at least on the east coast, is more of a boutique varietal. This leads to $20 price tags and a not so easy find unless you are shopping in a wine specialty store. So I'm always looking for one under a ten spot. You can imagine my excitement when I found this bottle at a liquor store I checked out the other day.

Craftsman Cabernet Franc 2003
Hungary, Szekszard ($9)

You can't miss the pink label on this one. The Szekszard region is not something you see everyday either. Apparently the grapes are from there and it's bottled at Hilltop Neszmely Vineyards. It's 100% Cab Franc and aged for a year in Hungarian oak barrels. The 12.9% alcohol is at level that I like, not too high or low. Ruby red color. Cherries and strawberries on the nose. Tart cherry flavor with a slight herbal tinge. Juicy texture with a quick finish. Feels light bodied in mouth. I can't really tell that its been in oak. Overall not bad. Obviously not a $20 bottle. It's sufficient for a dinner wine though. My girlfriend loved it. My grade: B

I've been slackin lately

Damn it's been a while since my last entry. A few long days of work and my ability to drink AND write fizzles. So since there was only time for one, I chose to drink and drink, then write. So what have I been drinking?

Well last week my friend and I went to Vino in Manhattan for a Brunello di Montalcino tasting. (Advertised as four Brunellos and one Rosso) I guess some hardcore wino might accidentally take a sip of the rosso and do a spit-take reaction at the horror of it not being Brunello he was tasting. This place is a great Italian wine boutique with great selection from every region including those hard to find Friulian reds. The tastes were poured in standard sized red wine glasses by a well dressed and well informed pourer that answered every question I had. Even though we walked in fifteen minuted after the tasting was scheduled to stop, he poured for us anyway. The truth is I would have been quite intimidated by this place as recent as a few months ago. These $40- $60 bottles tasted are out of my usual price range and my knowledge of fine Tuscan wines is from generic info at best. As for what I thought of the wine, it was quite tasty. The first few tastes were dulled by the chewing gum that I had to swallow as I walked in though the door. I don't remember the producers, but the vintages were from 1998 to 2000. In the future I'd like to taste some Chianti with the Brunellos, and other Sangiovese based wines next to each other to really get a feel for the region.

A few days later I ventured to Vintage New York with my girlfriend as a sort of buzz inducing tailgate party for the game of going to pick up several bottles at Astor Wines. As she drank the fizzy wines from NY, I went into Cab Franc investigator mode. I tasted the Schneider "Le Breton" 2004, the Lamoreaux Landing 2002, and the Peconic Bay 2002 Cabernet Francs. The Schneider was tight and it wasn't bright and peppery like I expect. The Lamoreaux was as I remember it from the first bottle I had, not like the second bottle that had some cork taint. Smooth and well rounded with a silky feel and a greater density than those from Long Island. That leaves my favorite from the three, the Peconic Bay 2002 Cabernet Franc. It's blackberry and cherry flavors and soft tannins are what I love about this grape on the North Fork. The finish has a hint of pepper and just feels right in the end. Not too heavy, not to light, a perfect food wine.

This week there are a few organic wine tasting events here in NY. I may cruise by the free ones and rub shoulders with that crowd if I can make it. Astor wines is also opening their new location next week too, with a grand opening event the following week. I'll try to take a few pics in between pours. Cheers!

It's what you don't buy that counts.

Pindar Cabernet Franc 2000 New York
Long Island (Peconic) ($15)

The way things have been going lately, I should probably just classify my blog as "wines not to buy." I don't like writing negative criticisms and I try to avoid passing sweeping judgments of a winery based on a single bottle. In this case I feel I should write something because I believe that people do make judgments of Long Island wines by the wine they can get their hands, which in most cases, is Pindar. Oh, and yeah, my girlfriend called me out on the subject with her last comment here. She gave me a lot of shite about bringing home an undrinkable wine with her hard earned $10.

Pindar Vineyards has a huge selection of wine. You can buy their wines on national online wine stores. If a local liquor store has one Long Island vineyard from which to choose, it's usually Pindar. I've visited the winery a few times and can't complain about their free tasting practices. It has the largest tasting area of any I have been to. When my girlfriend and I have been there, we are usually shoulder to shoulder with people who act they're on a frat party field trip. Anyway, the last time we were there, it was loud. Many high fives were given. I think I almost saw a couple cat fights break out -- seriously. We brought a friend that we know from our days at "The U" (of Miami) that was more interested in the pouring chick's low cut jeans, which left nothing to the imagination, than the wine. Needless to say we had polished off a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc ( yum! ) at Osprey's Dominion and biked ourselves from winery to winery already.

So. I had several of their reds and came to a conclusion that they all had this certain taste that identified them as Pindar. It's hard to pinpoint, but there was something that bled into each of the wines I tasted. The one I enjoyed the most was a non-vintage red blend called Pythagoras, a blend of Cab Sav, Cab Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec. It's low in tannins and seems to have a complexity that I do not expect in a medium to light bodied non-vintage blend. I found the Pythagoras for $10 at my "take fifty steps and make a right for fifteen more steps" NYC liquor store and was pleased with the price to enjoyment ratio.

The other night I went back to the same store with a $10 purchase on the mind. Turns out they had a Pindar Cabernet Franc 2000 for the same price. It lists for $15, so I thought that if it tasted half as good as other L.I. Cab Francs I've had, it would be well worth it. Surprise surprise.. I was wrong. It was turned. Poured it down the drain and opened a bottle from the cellar. It could be that the 2000 just can't be expected to age gracefully. Maybe the liquor store's storage methods leave something to be desired. Maybe it's just a bad wine, but I doubt it. Chances are you've already visited Lenn's Long Island vines, wines, and dines blog, but if not, go there forthwith to open your mind to the best L.I. has to offer.

Since I keep trying wines I've never had, I often take a chance and skip the wine I know I will enjoy. I guess it's just the risk I take for science. Not only that, my garage sale mentality of "hey, this bottle is only half its retail price" is not fit for the wine store. As I write this I am drinking a Red Hook ESB beer. At $1 a bottle it's so satisfying. Next week Astor Wines has a 25% off sale on Italian, German, French, Austrian and Greek wines. I am going to help them clear out some wines for their new store that opens next month. Any suggestions?

A diamond in the rough?

Too good to be true?

I recently picked up a bottle at Warehouse Wine and Spirits in Manhattan. I usually stop in on my way to Astor wines just to see if there are any obvious bargains. My attention was drawn to a french Cab Franc marked down to $6 from $12. This table wine from the 1999 vintage suckered me into a purchase based on blind hope and faith that a wine store wouldn't sell wine gone bad. I figured that if I could just get a simple dinner wine for $6 it would be worth it. My Cab Franc explorations has made me naively optimistic about any bottle I come across.

I schlept the wine around the city all day, took it home and opened it with dinner. Smelled alright. At first it tasted ok. Then it broke down into a bunch of rancid flavors that scattered like roaches across my taste buds. My fear of the 1999 vintage's age was just. My sink seemed to enjoy it though, it went down smooth and quick. I was only out $6 and wasn't too surprised, but it left me wondering. Are there wine bargains? Have you ever found a bottle marked down to almost half its price and been satisfied with its contents? What about those "last bottle" mark downs? Any luck with these?

Friday at Lupa Osteria Romana

Feudi di Romans Refosco Italy, Friuli

Last Friday was an ideal day in New York City for late January. Sunny skies and temps in the mid 50's was all I needed to motivate a day of walking in the city. My girlfriend and I met up after work for some dinner at Mario Batali's Lupa Osteria Romana. Known for its authentic Roman fare at reasonable prices, this place is good eats. The wine list is large and also reasonable. While we both ordered salads to begin, her's was a bit more memorable. It was parsley greens with lemon, red onions and shaved pecorino. The waiter held a separate sizzling plate of pancetta that he topped the salad with at the table. It was delicious! I choose the Saltimbocca for my main dish. This always blows me away. It leaves every taste bud satisfied.

Although I thought a good earthy red from Puglia would pair nicely I ended up trying something different. I've never had Refosco before, but I knew I liked the mineral qualities of wine from this region. Slightly smoky aroma with hints of blackberry. Mixed berry on the palate with a smooth texture. Light tannins. Earthy bitter notes on the finish. It was a good food wine, but there was so much in the flavor of the Saltimbocca, I'm not sure which wine could show a complex palate next to it.

What are you trying to hide with that cheese?

New Scientist, my favorite science news source, released a fascinating article today about how cheese affects the taste buds. It claims that cheese actually hides subtle flavors that mark out a good wine. Is that why free wine at wine and cheese events like art openings is always so drinkable?

The suspect...

Does this look corked to you?

Truth be told I've been lucky in the past. The number of bottles I've opened with a bad cork can be counted on one hand. So I was surprised when my Lamereaux Landing Cabernet Franc 2002 had evidence of cork mutiny. The wine didn't seem to make its way out of the other end, but it didn't look normal either. There appeared to be little grains of sand on the inner part of the cork too. Since the wine didn't seem hopelessly spoiled I proceeded with my plan. Home cooked brisket with buttered egg noodles and peas to complement the wine.

Lamoreaux Landing Cabernet Franc 2002
New York, Finger Lakes ($17)

I've had this wine a few times since I first tasted it at Vintage New York. So my expectations were high. Blackberry aromas with a touch of pepper were present along with a muted smokey background. I don't remember it having that smoke to it in the past. It was that stale smoke you smell on your clothes after a night around the bonfire. It could even be mistaken for oak aging, but I do believe it was coming from the cork. The smooth tannins and refreshing medium bodied style of this wine was still showing, but the overall bright fruit and lingering spice of this grape stayed home with a bad case of the cork that was going around. So overall, not bad, but just not what I was counting on. On the bright side it's a good excuse to head over to Vintage New York again for a few tastes.

Instant karma smacks me in the face!

I have written a few times mentioning the fact that screw caps are not for me. My respect for tradition and my impulsive nature to open a wine without thought or planning combine for my dislike of these caps. Even when it comes to opening a coke or a beer for that matter, I prefer the bottle opener. Twist off is for the advil I take the next day. This past weekend may have changed my perspective.

The first incident might not even have to do with the closure. I had a bottle of Pinot from the Niagara Escarpment that I was saving for a rainy day. With a slight chance of rain last Friday, I decided to try it. Before opening I noticed there was a lot of sediment floating around the bottle. It didn't seem to settle on the bottom as easily as it should have. Whatever, I'll decant and press my luck. After opening I noticed a cloudy appearance in the decanter. The aroma of this wine was powerful... extremely floral with even a hint of coconut. There seemed to be this spike of aroma that was very off putting in there. A sudden kick that knocks your head back. After hours of breathing, it didn't subside. It may have even gotten worse. The cork looked fine and it wasn't the smoky sulphur smell I associate with a corked bottle. Long story short, I dumped the rest of it after drinking a glass and making contorted facial expressions with every sip.

Let me apologize now for not remembering whose wine blog pointed me to an LA Times article explaining tainted wines and their causes. If anyone does know, please leave a comment so I can give credit accordingly. The causes include the everyday corked bottle, a bacteria called Brettanomyces, severely high acid levels, and high sulphur levels. The first bacterial explanation (brett) seemed possible in my case. High levels of acid might also be a cause. I do remember thinking of a nail polish or even worse, a nail polish remover scent. The only cause I can truly rule out is the sulphur explanation.

My girlfriend and I emailed the winemaker just to inquire into what he thought the problem might have been. It's a small winery and I'm sure he'd like to know if there's a batch of bad wine turning people off of his winery. So we wait. If anyone has had an experience like this, please comment.

Spanish Wine Buzz

Jens over at Cincinnati Wine Warehouse commented on his experience with a bottle of Luzon Verde yesterday and even gave me credit as to bringing it to his attention. His blog was one of the first I read and eventually motivated me to write my own, so I'm flattered to have influenced him and any other wine buffs out there.

I often check my referrals and stats associated with my blog, and day after day I notice that I get several visits from people searching the few Spanish wines I've commented on. Some days it seems like 25% of my hits are from these searches. There must be quite a buzz out there. I've been a big fan of Jorge Ordonez selections for their consistent quality and value. It must be said that his name is on wine of all price ranges though, but my buying tendencies tend to stay below $25. I just wonder how long they will stay this affordable with what seems to be a rising demand.