Vintage Eve 5/2015: Cabs of Distinction = Dinner at Opolo and The Quaff Report Panel

July 17, 2018 by evebushman Leave a Comment

Dinner at Opolo Vineyards after our first day learning and tasting at the Paso Robles Cab Collective Cabs of Distinction was a special treat booked for us by the public relations company marketing the event, Parker Sanpei. Starting with an after hours tasting in their tasting room – their Zin and Sangio stood out uppermost in my mind the next day – we also took a brief tour.

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Dinner at Opolo Vineyards!

The winery now houses not one but two copper stills in which chief distiller and vineyard manager Paul Quinn has been making a freaking outstanding grappa, and just that day, had completed distilling a pear brandy. Come to find that several Paso wineries are getting their license to distill alcohol from fruit and sell from their tasting rooms. I told Paul that since Opolo is SIP certified this is a natural following, to use up every scrap…for our pleasure.

We then toured the grounds. We visited a large welcoming grassy area that is used for the 8,000-strong club member parties, the rooms for overnight guests and a main house with plenty of windows for vineyard views set up for our dinner.

Starting with a lovely fruit-forward Roussanne we dined on a spinach salad with dried cranberries, apple slices, walnuts and then buttery scallops over Parmesan risotto. The owner, Rick Quinn, who had already wowed us with his smoked pork salami and smoked pork loin as appetizers, had created a meaty Goulash with grilled artichoke which I believe they served with their reserve Zinfandel. For dessert, our only store bought item, was a light cheesecake covered in berries and compote.

If you haven’t been to Opolo and like big friendly wines paired with friendly people, don’t miss them on your next trip to Paso.

The Quaff Report Panel Discussion

On day two of our visit we were invited back to the Paso Robles Inn Ballroom for a sommelier led seminar.

While the panelists got ready Meredith May, publisher of Tasting Panel and SOMM Journal, announced that she will soon be unveiling a chef-focused cannabis magazine coming in the fall, contact info@TheCleverRoot.com if you want to learn more. This was news!

Then it was time for the panel.

Okay, right off the bat, this is my first experience watching others – as the audience wasn’t participating – taste and comment on wine. One thing I did learn came from sommelier Mike Madrigale, the moderator, who discussed helping restaurant staffs by blind tasting wines and discussing them on their merits.

Then he asked his fellow panelists to taste and only comment on any remarkable attributes found in the wines poured out in front of them.

Like a silent movie, with no music as an accompaniment, we waited for what seemed like several minutes for ANYTHING to happen. May took the opportunity to talk about the reach, 90k readers, of the Tasting Panel. She then explained that she had offered to take over the Sommelier Journal when it was about to fold, revamped it as the Somm Journal and offered it up for free to trade – and now up to 60k are reading it.

That time spent allowed our panel of Somms and wine directors to come up with some ideas of what was in their glasses. Savory, dusty, no oak…was it a Cabernet Franc or straight Cab? Across the board they had differing opinions other than what we already knew: all are Bordeaux, the only questions is new or old world?

The MS at Giada at the Cromwell Hotel, Darius Allyn said for us, as he believed that many lay people were in he audience, that they have to look at cost and how the wines offered up to pair with their cuisine.

Madrigale commented that the first wine, once revealed was a $200ish Bordeaux, wholesale would be about $125 and then about $300 on a wine list – for a wine that needs age, he wouldn’t buy this for a restaurant. He gets better deals looking for this and others at auction.

Allyn mentioned that he is given a budget by the restaurant, and he can’t speed up time on a bottle that needs age.

Both commented that Burgundy may triple in value with time, while current Bordeaux would not, and the price of Bordeaux is somewhat inflated. Which was another reason they routinely chose not to invest money in them for their wine lists.

As they worked their way through the remaining wines, we tweeted along with them, but there was more discussion about if the blind wines were new or old world and less about things I could get into, like what their customers would think, what would they pay, if it was unexpected would a customer send it back. In conclusion: if you want us to watch while you drink you better engage us. Oh well.

Story in photos: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10205508500739325.1073741916.1455706632&type=1&l=dbb4543053

Eve Bushman has been reading, writing, taking coursework and tasting wine for over 20 years. She has obtained a Level Two Intermediate Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust, has been the subject of a 60-minute Wine Immersion video, authored “Wine Etiquette for Everyone” and recently served as a guest judge for the L.A. International Wine Competition. You can email Eve@EveWine101.com to ask a question about wine or spirits that may be answered in a future column. You can also seek her marketing advice via Eve@EveBushmanConsulting.com

Vintage Eve Circa 4/2015: Cabs of Distinction Welcome Reception and Tasting

July 10, 2018 by evebushman Leave a Comment

The Paso Robles Cab Collective is a group of wineries that are focused on creating Bordeaux wines and blends in Paso Robles. This is the third year of the Cab Collective, this year called the Cabs of Distinction event, that gives trade and media a 3-day opportunity to taste and go to seminars to better our knowledge of the region’s wines – and give equal time and thought to Bordeaux varietals over the the Zins and Rhônes that Paso is famous for. (Just like Rhone Rangers and Pinot Days type events, the Cab Collective’s goal is that we will share what we’ve learned with our readers, etc.)

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Daniel Daou and Eve.

At the Paso Robles Inn Ballroom for our first seminar and tasting we experienced a few minutes of audio problems, but no one really cared because, heck, we were at a wine event so while we waited…we tasted.

Besides getting started on the tasting I did a check off in my head of what was to come: first the brief welcome, barrel and new release tasting from some of the Cab Collective member wineries, dinner (and a grappa tasting!) would be at Opolo Vineyards, a sommelier-led class in the morning, lunch (I didn’t know this yet) at Rotta Winery, maybe some wine tasting on our own (which ended up being a spirits tasting at Re:Find Distillery in Villicana Winery) being shuttled to more wine tasting and a dinner at Villa San Juliette Vineyard and then the last day at J. Lohr Vineyards having lunch, learning how to blend and then finally to Vina Robles for another lesson and tasting.

Before I could think about it any further…the audio was corrected and the reception began.

Daniel Daou, the rock star looking winemaker with microphone in hand, greeted me with, “I still like your bikini photo best…” and then picked up the mike to address the crowd. I can now see why this charming winemaker gets so many “likes” on my Facebook page. Of course the fact that he makes killer wines also has something to do with it!

Daou told the crowd, “We don’t get a bad vintage often…it’s our trademark” as “our region achieves ripeness year after year” delivering wines of “perfect balance.” Daou continued, “Several years ago…we set on a path to work together…required a lot of work, resources, money…even replanting…wineries joined in and accomplished today what you are about to taste.”

Daou then thanked the Cab Collective sponsors for their funds and resources…gave us a teaser about the seminars to come and introduced Wine Country Alliance President Jennifer Porter, who, in turn introduced Chris Taranto, Communications Director of Wine Country Alliance.

Taranto said that what he is presenting “could be presented by all of the people here today” that had come to represent the wineries. The slide show began with Zinfandel…the grape that got Paso Robles on the map. Established in the 80s, Rhone and Bordeaux varieties are the largest in the region, Taranto said, and most are family owned, small-case production. There are now over 200 wineries and 3,200 vineyard acres, 146 of that 200 have tasting rooms.

What makes Paso unique? According to Taranto Paso Robles is the hottest of the coolest regions, depending on how close to the ocean, and that calcareous soils prevail all over the area – more than any other California AVAs.

In a slide of a side view, from Morrow Bay, we saw the mountain ranges, and how the fogs can get trapped in the area; as well as wind and cooler air. Taranto said that Paso “benefits from proximity to the ocean, and proximity from the ocean.”

In 2007 59 vintners came together to set 11 separate AVAs as the land was very diverse. Approved by Nov 9, 2014 wineries could now use new labels with their set district. So “preserving Paso as a whole” was accomplished.

Porter added, “We are really friendly…non judgmental, approachable…” our manifesto includes the words, “there are no rules…this is the Place to Grow Wild.” Porter said that we would see that in the blends the winemakers are making as they are “just trying to be welcoming…taking the snobbery out of wine.”

Now, back to the tasting.

As usual I photographed all of the wines I liked in particular. But here are a few comments to the photos:

Justin Winery winemaker Scott Shirley’s barrel tasting of his latest was freaking outstanding and we hoped he could make single bottles from that one barrel instead of making what will definitely be a killer blend. No such luck unless we get his home address.

Red Soles was a new one for me, and of equal interest to some great wines is that they are distilling spirits – must learn more about that soon in another visit. Suffice it to say if you make if from grapes (or any fruit) they are allowed to sell it from a winery tasting room. Rumor is that there are twenty wineries in Paso now doing this!

The latest Suendero 2011 blend from Vina Robles blew my socks off. And their 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon was great too.

Bon Niche was new for me, we had two blends, loved both, especially the 2011 Chemin blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot.

My new fave find of the tasting, Rotta, and his SBR blend – you’ll read about more as we ended up getting over there for a full tasting over lunch in Part II of this tale running on May 22.

Halter Ranch killed me with their first 2012 Malbec, gotta get me some more of that as well as their latest Ancestor 2012 vintage.

Loved J. Lohr, and we had a two hour tasting coming up with them and Vina Robles during this same trip.

The latest Soul of a Lion blend from DAOU was very remarkable. Need more.

Michael Mooney’s latest for Chateau Margene, the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon, was yummy and good to drink now.

Corkage: Do You Want to Hear From the Professional’s Point Of View?

July 6, 2018 by evebushman 2 Comments

Restaurants are faced with a new reality that consumers clearly are on to corkage – beyond the BYOB backyard BBQ! Corkage is a critical component of a restaurant’s beverage program, its ROI and hospitality.

From CorkageOnline Founder, Judi Laing

Welcome to the Good, the Bad and the Ugly Corkage panel! – Judi Laing, founder of CorkageOnline.com, a national directory where you can find corkage policies for wine, beer – and spirits.

So, we’re here to discuss all the merits and demerits of corkage. If Freud were here, he might ask, “What do Customers want?” as they vie for first position in the hospitality universe. After all, without customers…well, you can finish that thought! But there is a bottom-line reality to running a restaurant successfully and Freud might then ask, “What do restaurants want?” There needn’t be an us vs. them mentality so for one last famous quote, “Why can’t we all just get along!”

From the Panel

Mandy Woodward: Somm at Faith & Flower, freelance consultant and wine educator; Hunter Hall: President LA Board of Directors California Restaurant Association and Principal at Archetype Hospitality & Development; Lou Amdur: Wine Guru with an astonishing palate and Proprietor of Lou Wine Shop in Los Feliz; Bonnie Graves: Sommelier, Founder & President of Girl Meets Grape a wine & lifestyle advisory; Ting Su: Co-Founder of Eagle Rock Brewery , craft beer evangelist, founder of the Women’s Beer forum, a monthly meeting about craft beer and Moderator: Piero Selvaggio of Valentino, dean of Italian cuisine in America.

Selvaggio got the conversation started by recalling his own start: 45+ years ago, a one page wine list that grew to what it is today. He felt, and some of the panelists echoed his thoughts, that people don’t bring food (someone called it a possible “steak-age” fee for bringing in food) into a restaurant so why do they feel so compelled to bring wine? The restaurant establishes a corkage fee for the service – opening, decanting if needed, glasses (high rate of breakage on fine glassware like Riedel) and clean up.

Hall said that some restaurants are changing their business model – providing one type of service during the day and full service at night – and there’s less discussion regarding corkage issues. Later he did say that restaurants and wineries should discuss fees, customers don’t understand the mark up and maybe a different pricing structure, or deals with wineries, could be made.

Woodward felt that people have no respect for paying corkage fees yet readily pay for expensive cocktails. Some diners make a big scene – opening their own bottles and/or bringing their own glassware – and don’t expect to be charged for corkage. She said it was an insult to the professional when a customer brings in a $20 Cabernet Sauvignon to go with oysters.

Customers don’t understand retail verses winery prices, or restaurant pricing, according to Graves. She felt customers should call a restaurant in advance regarding corkage policies, which is basic etiquette. The general public needed corkage education. She also thought that having different sizes – not just bottle or glass – could be offered.

Wine store owner Amdur felt that it’s a magical moment in a restaurant when they serve wine so why do consumers want to discount that? When we “strip away the magic it’s not a great experience.” However there is a “shift in culture” to bring wine in. Do people look up the prices of food like they do wine? He didn’t think so.

Woodward then added that no one should feel excluded. Her restaurant offers both lower priced wines as well as pricier ones. The somm can then move the client up to a better wine during the dining experience.

Selvaggio said that a compromise is a good wine by the glass program. Millennial diners have moved from Pepsi to wine, but they don’t yet understand the value compared to food.

Brewery and restaurant owner Su said that she has a corkage policy that applies to both wine and beer brought into her restaurant (she has a wine list) but not for one in the brewery.

What I Thought

I have to admit that more than one thing members of the panel said didn’t sit right with me. Comments about customers making poor pairing decisions (I suggested they delicately educate) and comparing Two-Buck Chuck to a high-end bottles was an insult to them. Of course a somm has been educated beyond the average consumer, but the average consumer that dines at a high-end restaurant shouldn’t expect to feel insulted.

I also have to admit that I wanted to solve the problem, and my idea of adding a few words onto their menu and/or website to explain their corkage policy along with the fee was rebuked as “people don’t read.” Err…but I’m a writer. The only speaker that I found myself in line with was Piero himself. As a restaurateur for over 45 years his role as a moderator reminded me of the middle child, the one that can negotiate both the smarter older child (somm) with the baby (that may not have the same wine smarts but has tastes that should be respected). Of course Piero didn’t say that, that’s only my perception.

So, in regards to actual corkage, I’m not going to lecture you on how and when to bring in a bottle of wine. It’s ultimately your choice if you do so or not. My job is just to share thoughts from the other side of the (dining) table, from the person that is supplying you a service. Something to think about.

Eve Bushman has a Level Two Intermediate Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET), a “certification in first globally-recognized course” as an American Wine Specialist ® from the North American Sommelier Association (NASA), Level 1 Sake Award from WSET, was the subject of a 60-minute Wine Immersion video, authored “Wine Etiquette for Everyone” and has served as a judge for the Long Beach Grand Cru. You can email Eve@EveWine101.com to ask a question about wine or spirits. You can also seek her marketing advice via Eve@EveBushmanConsulting.com

Perlis Picks: Elevating Zinfandel

June 30, 2018 by Michael Perlis 2 Comments

You may ask…why does Zinfandel need to be “elevated”?

It wasn’t that long ago that Zinfandel was thought of either as a sweet pink wine made for mass consumption or as a highly alcoholic monster meant to get you where you want to go as quickly as possible.

Neither version was taken very seriously.

But in more recent years, Zinfandel has been produced as a serious wine, producing wines equal to or better than those made from the historically “noble grapes”. With wonderful wines made in a variety of styles, Zinfandel has certainly found its place in the wine world, which makes this “zin fan” very happy.

Still, there is some prejudice, as was evidenced by a seminar I attended several months ago wherein the speaker, discussing the wines coming from a particular region, expressed delight over the reduced reliance on Zinfandel, the clear message, at least to me, was to imply that it was of lesser quality.

The struggle is real.

As I mentioned above, Zinfandel wines can vary quite a bit, due to terroir, winemaker decisions both in the vineyard and the winery, as well as whether the wine is 100% Zinfandel versus including other varieties. My own observation is that Zinfandel vineyards, perhaps more so than those planted with other grapes, tend to be inter-planted with other varietals, especially when looking at the historic vineyards that were planted several decades ago.

This is all a build-up to an annual event that is very near and dear to my heart, WineLA’s annual Elevating Zinfandel tasting, this year held at the Montage in Beverly Hills. Karen and I had the pleasure of attending.

As usual, Ian Blackburn assembled a veritable “who’s who” of many of the great Zinfandel producers, mostly from Northern California:

Rafanelli Winery

Bedrock Wine Co.

Beekeeper Cellars

Bella Vineyards and Wine Caves

Brown Estate Napa Valley

Gamba Vineyards and Winery

Grgich Hills Estate

Hendry Winery

Kreck Wines

Lamborn Family Vineyards

Mauritson Wines

Quivera Vineyards

Rock Wall Wine Company

Seghesio Family Vineyards

T-Vine Winery

Turley Wine Cellars

Williams Selyem

Wonderment Wines

Each winery had a winery representative [winemaker or owner in most cases] pouring multiple wines, including special selections for VIP attendees.

[I’ll say it again – spring for VIP tickets for events when you can. Get in early, taste the special stuff, enjoy the food and beat the crowds.]

No duds in this list at all. Some of the standouts for me were…

Bedrock Wine Co. – This winery is on our must-have list for our personal cellar. It was fun to taste the 2012 Bedrock Heritage Wine against the 2016 Bedrock Heritage Wine. This is one of those field blends I was referring to above, with the Bedrock vineyard actually planted to 27 varieties, about 50% being Zinfandel.

Beekeeper Cellars – This is WineLA’s own Ian Blackburn’s winery. But, I don’t have to say I liked it if I didn’t. And I did, especially the 2015 Secret Stones from Rockpile. Rockpile is one of my favorite AVAs for Zinfandel, so no big surprise here.

Kreck Wines – A brand new winery based in Healdsburg. Both the 2016 Teldeschi Vineyard (Dry Creek Valley) and the Del Barba Vineyard (Contra Costa County) were excellent. Tiny production, so don’t snooze on this one.

Lamborn Family Vineyards – Napa Valley Zins are getting rare [the money’s in Cabernet] and Howell Mountain Zinfandel are perhaps even rarer. Lamborn does a great job and the 2010 Middle-Aged Vine bottling showed what a little bottle age on a Zin can do – good stuff!

Mauritson Wines – Speaking of Rockpile [see above], Clay Mauritson’s family has been a big part of pioneering the area. The 2015 Black Sheep from Rockpile was a great example.

Robert Biale Vineyards – another rare Napa Zinfandel specialist. Winemaker Tres Goetting continues to shine; the signature Black Chicken did it for me.

Rock Wall Wine Company – it had been a few years since we last saw Shauna Rosenblum and if anything her wines have just gotten better. Hard to pick a favorite here, but if pressed I’d go with the 2016 Alegria Vineyard from the Russian River Valley.

Turley Wine Cellars – Another winery that will always have a place in our cellar, Turley has possibly done more than any other winery to “elevate” Zinfandel. Christina Turley poured four different wines, but I have to give props to the 2016 Dusi Vineyard. Not only was this the only Zin from Paso Robles being poured, but it is typically our favorite of the Turley lineup.

Williams Selyem – Most people think of Pinot Noir when they think of this winery. But winemaker Mark Malpiede also makes great Zinfandel. Especially liked the 2016 Papera Vineyard [Russian River Valley].

As usual, we didn’t taste everything. If we had, we would have had more favorites, I’m sure.

Check out www.winela.com for other great events from WineLA.

Michael Perlis has been pursuing his passion for wine for more than 25 years. He has had the good fortune of having numerous mentors to show him the way, as well as a wonderful wife who encourages him and shares his interest. After a couple of decades of learning about wine, attending events, visiting wineries and vineyards, and tasting as much wine as he possibly could, he had the amazing luck to meet Eve Bushman. Now, as Contributing Editor for Eve’s Wine 101, he does his best to bring as much information as possible about wine to Eve’s Wine 101 faithful readers. Michael is also Vice President of Eve Bushman Consulting (fka Eve’s Wine 101 Consulting) http://evebushmanconsulting.com/ and President of MCP Financial. Michael can be contacted at michaelthezinfan@aol.com or michael@evebushmanconsulting.com.

The Circuitous Path from Network News to Fine Wine, by Tim Ortman (Part Four, Conclusion)

June 28, 2018 by evebushman Leave a Comment

In the wine business, there are many qualifications and titles that project accomplishment, and numerous organizations that offer the necessary education and testing. Sommelier had a nice ring to it, so I decide to enter the gauntlet that is the Court of Master Sommeliers, having no idea what lay ahead. I learned there are 4 levels to that program: 1) Introductory, 2) Certified, 3) Advanced, and 4) Master. The mentoring from which I so benefitted during my news days would be mandatory if I hoped to survive this brave new world.

Fortunately, the wine world isn’t just full of wine snobs. There are countless educated people in the wine business who genuinely enjoy sharing their knowledge with others. I quickly hitched my wagon to a friend who was studying to become a Master Sommelier with the Court of Masters. His level of study was fare more intense that mine, but he was happy to have me tag along and join his tasting group, an integral component to unlocking the secrets of ‘blind tasting’. Concealing a wine’s identity and trying to determine its origin and age solely by what’s in the glass is a daunting task. But, with the right methodology (the Court of Masters’ methodology) and plenty of practice, it can be mastered.

However, for someone who had never worked in a restaurant, the Court’s required service component would be far more frightening for me. Luckily, the same gracious tutor also offered to mentor me on what would be expected for the exam’s nerve-racking service component.

In addition to the blind tasting and service elements, as with most tests, there would be a written portion. The course syllabus’ suggesting reading listed about 20 scholarly wine publications written by renowned wine authors, each of them encyclopedic in size. Unlike the group tastings, this would be independent study. But where in the world would I find the time to read through tens of thousands of pages on the world’s wine types, regions, clones, soils, maps, graphs, and history, not to mention myriad different grape-growing and wine-making practices?

During my previous decades in news coverage, I had tried to understand the elusive path towards middle-Eastern peace. That path looked far easier than the Sommelier track, which I was contemplating.

Through the course of the next year, and after numerous blind tastings, early morning map studies, and a crash course in wine service, I somehow survived the first two levels of the Court of Master Sommeliers to become an official Certified Sommelier. Both the process and the achievement were a confidence-builder in my new profession. Whether with clients or colleagues, I could more freely and comfortably discuss all things wine-related. Additionally, that confidence opened up doors. Job opportunities appeared and introductions were made to collectors and vintners. I worked with a Paso Robles winemaker to produce two vintages of my own wine; Cab2, a blend of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. It was an enlightening and successful endeavor but the long-distance relationship proved too challenging. I began attending casual wine groups with friends. Eventually, I was invited to join and inducted into the esteemed Confrèrie des Chevaliers du Tastevin. Regardless of how lofty or pedestrian the group may be, the goal is to enjoy fine wine with good friends… which always pairs nicely with any wine.

While my passion for wine became a full-time focus, professionally, I carved out a comfortable niche consulting for restaurants on a part-time basis, sharing my knowledge when needed. This allowed for an occasional return to journalism, producing interesting projects, also on a part-time basis. I was able to simultaneously pursue my two interests; wine and journalism.With two part-time pursuits, I could devote attention towards writing a memoir about those halcyon days spent abroad. As that rough manuscript became a finished book, I reflected on my earlier journeys. And, it became apparent that two different seeds had been planted at the same time. My young journalistic roots had grown intertwined with a budding love of wine. It would be a long and fruitful evolution that would last a lifetime.

Tim Ortman is an Emmy Award-winning cameraman and producer and author of the new book, Newsreal: A View Through the Lens When… He is a certified Sommelier and member of La Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin. Connect with him on Facebook, @TimOrtmanWriter.

Vintage Eve Circa 4/2015: Sensational Soave Master Class for Wine 101ers

June 19, 2018 by evebushman Leave a Comment

Greetings! It has been said that there is often more than meets the eye. This is certainly the case of Soave, home to Italy’s leading white wine of place. Soave dates back to 1931 when, along with Chianti, it was among the first two regions to be geographically delineated in recognition of both its impressive popularity and importance to Italy’s wine market.

Fast forward some 80 years later and we find this dynamic region is again flexing its muscles, led by terroir-driven Cru bottlings and complex hillside efforts which, when complemented by the lush dessert Reciotos and small amounts of bubbly (yes, there is Soave Espumante), paint a much more complex picture than what meets the eye!

Soave is a key DOC in the Veneto and is the most heralded white wine region in Italy. In fact, Gambero Rosso reviewed over 100 Soaves for 2015 (as opposed to just six in 1991) and awarded five Soaves with the coveted “Tre Biccheri” designation.

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Evan Goldstein MS, not drinking Soave wines, photo from his public Facebook page.

Led by Master Sommelier Evan Goldstein and Soave Consorzio Tutela’s Goivanni Ponchia, we did what Goldstein called a “kick start blind tasting” of ten wines to begin my education. Best to have them fresh and cool rather than sitting in front of us for a while, in what Goldstein called a “Sadie Hawkins” tasting, and then have the lecture afterwards. Ponchia agreed with Goldstein, that the wines should be tasted cold. We would taste 17 in all by the end of the lunch and the conclusion of our 3 1/2 hour tour of Soave.

General Tasting Notes of Blind Wines

As I would have zero chance whatsoever of making an educated determination of which wine was in which glass I looked for general aromas and flavors that I found in most. I was sitting at the big kids table of experienced wine buyers…slightly intimidated by some snobbish remarks towards others but I muddled through.

Color: All clear, with varying degrees from pale yellow to pale gold.

Aromas I found: Peach, pineapple, creamy unsalted butter, jasmine, brown butter, lemon zest, lemon furniture polish, browner/darker ones had some hay/oak aromas, and some were more pungent while others had a paler taste.

Flavors: Acidic, viscous, tropical fruit, pineapple spears, lemon, green apple, hint of cherry, pink grapefruit, medium acid, seemed low in alcohol overall.

Our last wine, #10, must be their version of a late harvest or made from grapes with Botrytis. Caramel, butter, cling peaches and candy apple on the nose followed by a full mouthfeel of honey and buttered popcorn.

Conclusion for Wine 101ers: I found that the aromas and flavors were very similar to a Sauvignon Blanc but with much less annoying acid and more fruit. Would be lovely cutting through a sharp cheese or creamy pasta sauce, and equally nice with a chilled seafood salad or fruit compote on pancakes.

Wines Revealed Were From: Latium, Stefanini (about $12 retail), Cantina di Soave (1 of every 2 bottles made in Soave and the greater area is from Cantina di Soave and the one we tasted retails for about $15 retail), Cantina de Gambellara, Sandro De Bruno, Cantina del Castello (used to use barrels now only stainless steel vats, volcanic soil, $17 retail), Vincentini Agostino (gets 40 tons per acre), Gini, Monte Tondo and Franchettto. Our sparkling was from Riondo, retailing at $9.

Goldstein and Ponchia Lecture

Soave is near to Verona if you are visiting Italy.

Ponchia said there are two main DOCG municipalities, Soave Superiore DOCG and Recioto Di Soave DOCG. About 82% of Soave is exported; in 2002 more was added to DOC production (see map). Delineations are not yet noted on labels as not to confuse consumer.

Goldstein explained a little history of the wine. There is an iconic castle in the center of the town of Soave proper. Soave was the leading white wine while Chianti was the leading red. The Cru system was revisited in 1971 on the labels. Also in the 70’s names, like Soave, took off and became wildly popular. “Now is the time to re-impress people,” Goldstein said. Four percent of DOC wines from Italy are under the Soave appellation.

There is rare barrel use and the wineries are pushing a sense of place and terroir. Goldstein recommended that we all read the thick text, “Native Wine Grapes”, as it’s the best comprehensive lesson on Italian wines.

The grape, Garganega, “is a chameleon” in that it’s an old and prolific grape. Some chardonnay was planted but it’s not on the rise in Soave. Vines are not pulled out and replanted at a 30 year prime; instead they can go 35 to 40 years, some over 100 years, before the winery chooses to replant. A Soave mush have 70% Garganega, and only up to 5% of any other grape varietal may be added.

The soils in Soave range. They can be dark volcanic on northern and eastern parts, and produce richer wine that requires more time for ageing; while the southern and western side is calcareous, producing a more linear and floral taste, and ripening earlier.

Pair with: Pesto based foods, citrusy/sharp ingredients, light meats, light sauces, desserts with marmalade, dried fruit, toffee or nuts.

A Remarkable Lunch (See photos)

The first course, calamari and shrimp, was served with a 2014 Dal Cero (sweet pear flavors) and the 2014 Fattori (tangy grapefruit).

Our second course, Risotto with sausage and Parmesan cheese, was paired with a 2013 Casarotto (acidic lemon-lime) and 2013 Suavia (peach and pineapple).

The third course, Veal Scaloppini, Prosciutto and Sage, was alongside a 2013 Marcato (honey and cantaloupe) and 2013 Cantina di Monteforte (pear and sweetened green tea).

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The Circuitous Path from Network News to Fine Wine, by Tim Ortman (Part Two)

June 14, 2018 by evebushman Leave a Comment

My budding intrigue with wine remained closeted until one fateful night at an Italian restaurant in Frankfurt. I was dining with a dear friend and colleague. He’s about my age, but with Italian-Uruguayan heritage, he was more culturally savvy than I’d ever hoped to be, given what my Dayton, OH. upbringing had provided. Naturally, he took control and, to accompany our Italian meal, ordered an Italian wine. Without taking notice of what it was, I took a drink to get the evening going.

And that’s when it all started. Or, more accurately, stopped. All movement in the room seemed to cease as I savored the entirely new nuances dancing over my tongue. I no longer heard my friend or the waiter. Didn’t see the surrounding tables or menu in front of me. I was solely focused on the glass in my hand and the flavor in my mouth.

When I finally snapped out of my self-induced trance, with the seriousness of a surgeon, I inquired, “What did you just order?”

To which my friend replied, “Brunello di Montalcino. Is like liquid velvet, no?”

Damn right, and Voila! The light bulb above my head was shining brightly. As the taste still lingered in my mouth, I ordered another bottle. Even the name was seductive… Brunello di Montalcino. What did it mean? Where did it come from? I had to know more. This thing had grabbed me by the so-called palate and wouldn’t let go. At that point, I was fully seduced – or worse, hooked. Even as we left the restaurant, the thought was unshakeable. “Brunello di Montalcino.” There was no turning back.

Not long after that dinner, NBC News transferred me from Germany to Italy. Rome, Italy. I would be just a stone’s throw from the city of Montalcino, home to my beloved Brunello. But this proved to be both a blessing and a curse. Yes, Brunello di Montalcino would be much more accessible. Yet, the Italian shops and restaurants featured not just one Brunello, but 20 or 30 different Brunellos from a variety of producers and vineyard sites – offering many separate vintages for me to choose from. Making sense of it all was almost as maddening as deciphering that first German label had been.

Somehow, I mustered the courage to tackle the course, and with a glass in each hand I tasted my way through the many producers of Brunello. The legendary leader was Biondi Santi, whose winemaking roots could be traced back to the 1800s. And there were others, many others, of whom I would become a lifelong fan – like Ciacci, Il Poggione, Col d’Orcia, and Sassetti to name just a few. Being employed by a television news network has its perks. Occasionally, we’d take a well-deserved break from the hard news of the day to file ‘feature stories’ from scenic locations like… say, Montalcino. Visiting picturesque wineries was a photographic must for these assignments. Our Italian hosts would insist on educating and sampling us on the local grape. Persistence pays off, as well, and I was just beginning to learn one piece, the Brunello piece, of the much bigger puzzle.

(Editor’s Note: This story is broken into four parts, please return to this website on the same weekday next week for part three.)

STARS of Pinot at the Montage Beverly Hills on July 11th, 2018

June 11, 2018 by evebushman Leave a Comment

Beverly Hills, Calif. – Pinot Noir has been a very important grape since the ROMAN era. In fact, Pinot Noir has two times as many acres/hectares planted in France than it does in California, even though Pinot has been in a huge growth mode for almost 20 years! To honor this majestic grape, WineLA is thrilled to present our 4th annual STARS of Pinot event on Wednesday, July 11, 2018 at The Montage Beverly Hills. With over 40 top Pinot Producers set to participate, WineLA invites you to join us and taste over 100 different wines at this annual gathering. The Montage Beverly Hills expects to welcome hundreds of wine enthusiasts to meet the makers and celebrate the best Pinots’ from many of world’s top producers.

Wineries set to participate: Clos Pepe Estate, Croix, Kanzler Family Vineyard, King Estate, Iris, Mail Road Wines, McIntyre Vineyards, Tolosa, Wrath, J Vineyards and Winery, Fess Parker Winery and Vineyard, Willamette Valley Vineyards, Bernardus, Hyde Vineyards, Old Bridge Cellars, Robert Talbott Vineyards, Hartford Family Winery, Alma Rosa Winery and Vineyards, The 50 by 50, Bouchaine Napa Valley + Carneros, Roadhouse Winery, WeatherBorne Wine Corp, Artesa Napa Valley, Carmel Road, Russian River, Sonoma Coast, Oregon, Burgundy and yes, Champagne is anticipated to be there! (more brands joining daily).

All guests will be able to participate to bid on wines and collectables during our silent auction, benefiting the T.J Martell FOUNDATION for Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

The event will begin at 6PM for VIP DINNER TICKETS (Advance tickets for the VIP experience may be purchased for $150; price increases as sell out approaches, remaining tickets will be $200 at the door). 6PM entry grants a delicious VIP PINOT PANEL Dinner and a beautiful Los Angeles Magazine gift bag lined with artisan products and thank you gifts. There are a limited number of VIP (6 p.m. admission tickets). 7 p.m. doors open for General Admission. Advanced tickets may be purchased for less than $80 per person with day of tickets (if available) at $95.

The VIP PINOT PANEL DINNER – Hosted by Master of Wine, Jennifer Simonetti-Bryan (the most famous MW in the world)! This VIP panel dinner gives you a chance to enjoy a great MONTAGE dinner and drink a special set of VIP wines served with the discussion at the panel. The Winemakers debate and discuss various topics and the audience is typically filled with wines most enthusiastic. Panelists’ Include: Jeff Stewart of Hartford Family winery (SONOMA); Richard Sanford of Alma Rosa winery (SANTA BARBARA); David Coventry of Robert Talbott Vineyard (CARMEL/MONTEREY); Brandon Sparks of Dragonette (SANTA BARBARA); and Jay Somers of J.Christopher (OREGON).

Come and meet with the who’s who of Pinot Noir while enjoying unlimited wine tasting, great MONTAGE tray passed appetizers and a wonderful audience. WineLA welcomes wine fans of all experience levels.

For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit http://www.winela.com/stars-of-pinot-2018

About WineLA

WineLA is about enhancing the wine culture of Los Angeles one event at a time. To do so, wine must be in rhythm with fashion, music, food and other beverages. It must take advantage of the geography, the architecture and the centers of interest. Los Angeles is a giant playground with an amazing array of venues, spaces, wine bars, restaurants, beaches, rooftops, gardens, and magical views. We are a part of the LA lifestyle, the wine lifestyle, and celebrate the people, the place and the passion.

For more information call 310-451-7600 or email PR@winela.com

Perlis Picks: Hospice du Rhône [Part One]

June 9, 2018 by Michael Perlis Leave a Comment

INTRODUCTION

Over the years that I’ve been writing for Eve’s Wine 101, I’ve probably used the expression “if you only attend one event per year” often enough that it’s become almost a cliché.

Now I can say “if you only attend one event every two years, this is the one you should attend.”

GUIGAL

Hospice du Rhône is, per their website, “…a non-profit business league with the specific purpose of improving the business conditions of the grape growers and wine producers of Rhône variety wines and grapes throughout the world. We serve as an international vintners association, providing promotional and educational opportunities.”

Based on California’s Central Coast, HdR holds regular events at Blackberry Farm in Tennessee and last year participated in Découvertes en Vallée du Rhône in France’s Rhone Valley. Every two years, HdR brings it all back home to Paso Robles for a multi-day extravaganza to showcase wines made from Rhône grapes, not just from local wineries but from international ones as well.

I write a lot about Rhône varieties. Other than Zinfandel, the Rhônes are where my palate usually takes me. For a refresher, there are 22 Rhône varieties, called as such due to their origins in France’s Rhône Valley. Most well-known of these for the reds would be Syrah, Grenache and Mourvedre and for the whites Viognier, Roussanne, Marsanne and Grenache Blanc. If you’re interested, you can see the entire list here.

The most recent HdR event in Paso Robles took place April 26^th through April 28^that the Paso Robles Event Center. Attendees had options of attending seminars, onsite lunches, grand tastings, offsite dinners, or the onsite farewell dinner, in any combination. Most popular seemed to be the purchase of the weekend pass which gave the pass holder all seminars, both lunches, both grand tastings as well as the farewell dinner. Individual event tickets could also be purchased a la carte.

THE SEMINARS

The schedule of events covered by the weekend pass spanned Friday April 27^th and Saturday April 28^th. But the fun actually started on Thursday April 26^th with a group of seminars held at the nearby Paso Robles Inn. Not included with the weekend pass, these seminars could be purchased individually by those who were looking for a true immersion experience. Called the Focus 22 [after the 22 Rhone grape varieties] Master Classes, each of the three seminars focused on a different region producing Rhone-style wines.

Unfortunately, Karen and I were unable to attend the first two of these Master Classes, but they definitely looked interesting, featuring wineries and regions that I did not have much familiarity with.

The first was called Elevating Arizona: Height Matters, presented by Todd Bostock of Dos Cabezas WineWorks and Maynard Keenan of Caduceus Cellars and the second was The Rhône Rocketeers from Walla Walla, presented by Ali Mayfield of The Walls Vineyard, Billo Naravane of Rasa Vineyards, Steve Robertson of Delmas, Todd Alexander of Force Majeure and Dr. Kevin R. Pogue of VinTerra Consulting. Both classes were moderated by esteemed wine critic Jeb Dunnuck of JebDunnuck.com.

We did make it into town for the third Master Class, and I was definitely glad that we did. I suppose it would be technically incorrect to say that this class was also about a region that produces Rhône-style wines as we got to learn about the Rhone Valley itself: Romancing the Rhônes of Rhône Valley. Presented by Eileen Fabunan of Rhône Valley Wines along with Jeb Dunnuck, we got the opportunity to learn about the Rhône Valley and taste eight wines in total from both the North and South Rhône Valley. This was great for someone like me as I have had limited exposure to Rhônes other than those from California.

The HdR event officially kicked off bright and early Friday morning with Seminar One | South Africa’s Cinsault Renaissance. Moderated by Lauren Buzzeo of Wine Enthusiast, the presenters were Ryan Mostert of Silwervis, Andrea Mullineux of, Mullineux & Leeu Family Wines, Tremayne Smith of The Blacksmith and Danie Steytler of Kaapzicht Wine Estate.

Tasting through nine wines in various styles made from a grape that is usually [but not always] a blending grape in California was pretty interesting and gave additional exposure to a wine region that is still little known to many.

The second seminar on Friday was Seminar Two | A 6th Generation Crusade in the Barossa Valley. This seminar was moderated by Chuck Hayward of Vinroads and the presenters were Adrian Hoffmann of Hoffmann Vineyards, Paul Heinecke of Soul Growers, Russell Johnstone of RBJ Vintners, Chris Ringland of North Barossa Vintners Collaboration and Michael Twelftree of Two Hands Winery & Twelftree.

Karen and I used to drink a lot more Australian wine than we do now, so this was especially fun, made more so by the nine wines we tasted all being from one vineyard owned and managed by Adrian Hoffmann, a man as dedicated to growing great wine grapes as the winemakers making the wine.

Not to take anything away from any of the other sessions, Saturday morning’s first seminar was probably the one I was most excited about. Titled Seminar Three | Lost and Found: Old Vine Rhônes Across California, it was presented by Morgan Twain-Peterson, MW of Bedrock Wine Company and Tegan Passalacqua of Turley Wine Cellars and Sandlands. Tegan and Morgan are also two of the founding members of the Historic Vineyard Society, an organization near and dear to my heart and one that I have written about in the past. We got to learn about and taste through 10 wines from nine of these old vineyards. Some of the wines were made by Tegan, some by Morgan, but there were also wines made by Pax Mahle, Angela Osborne, Bruce Neyers and Ian Brand as well as two of my person favorites, Mike Officer of Carlisle and Joel Peterson of Once & Future Wines.

It was time for the final seminar of this year’s Hospice du Rhône event, Seminar Four | The Majesty of Guigal, kind of taking us full circle back to the Rhône valley and learn about this great winery and taste 11 of the wines made there.

Read more about the Paso Robles HdR event in my next article.

The Circuitous Path from Network News to Fine Wine, by Tim Ortman (Part One)

June 7, 2018 by evebushman Leave a Comment

Many roads can lead to a real love of wine. And I’m not talking about flirting with Chardonnay because “everyone else is doing it.” Or, a casual steakhouse affair with a glass of Cab, after which you return to your beloved Vodka martini. Nope. I’m talking about the head-turning, life altering, seminal moment many have experienced that plunges them head-first into a mesmerizing and totally foreign journey. The moment from which there’s no turning back.

I was a content and happy-go-lucky 25-year-old cameraman working in Chicago, the city of broad shoulders, and slowly becoming polished in my profession if still a bit culturally frayed around the edges. With so many deep-dish pizzerias and Italian beef options, I was leery, even fearful of fine dining where wine was a four-letter word. However, my Chicago bliss was rudely interrupted.

Unknown to me, I had been evaluated and selected for a life-changing upgrade. My talents (not my sophistication, I promise you) were deemed worthy of a promotion… a big one. As a result, my wife and I packed up and headed for Europe, where I would join the International Press Corps. as a staff cameraman and member of the NBC News Frankfurt bureau.

From the outset, the job was a dream come true. I was traveling through all of Europe (and the world, too, soon enough) covering news for a major American news network. But when I would gather with my colleagues for crew lunches, or when my wife and I would join friends for dinner, we felt like the gourmet’s version of a square peg in a round hole. Trying to blend in, we replaced my Coke and her Sprite with bottles of something called ‘mineral water’. (Who came up with that name, by the way, and was it intended to sound appealing?) And the meals were marathons. Lunches could last THREE HOURS and dinners often had no end in sight. The common thread throughout went something like this: once seated, a senior colleague, usually European, would utter some unidentifiable words to our waiter and, like clockwork, completely different bottles would appear. Their labels seemed to contain a secret code of uninterpretable French or, God forbid, German writing. Deciphering these codes was foolhardy at best and maddening at worst. Instead, we mimicked our friends and my coworkers and forced down the ubiquitous liquid, pretending to enjoy every drop. At least we no longer stuck out like sore American thumbs.

Eventually, I broke from the pack of lemmings and realized that I actually liked some of what I was imbibing. My taste – or ‘palate’ – leaned more to the white stuff over the red. I noticed that the white wines with French labels were subtly different from one another but generally tasted good. Those with German labels were generally off-puttingly sweet. And the red stuff with French labels just tasted like dirt. But the learning curve was mind-numbing and intimidating. What was the difference between a Pouilly Fuisse and a Pouilly Fume? And, what was a Pouilly to begin with? Asking such questions in a public forum would reveal me as the ignorant American rube that I was. Instead, I’d need to keep quiet and steal glances at labels when no one noticed.

(Editor’s Note: This story is broken into four parts, please return to this website on the same weekday next week for part two.)