Category Archives: Wine Reviews

Sips and castles of Loire Valley, France

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In a land southwest of Paris, you can discover over 1,000 castles — in Loire Valley, France. On a City Wonders Tour, you’ll also discover the history of France that leads to the Loire Valley and the river that proved difficult for enemies to navigate, hence the place where the King of France lived during wars. The Loire Valley is also known for producing some of the best cabernet franc grapes, as well as 80 types of goat cheese.

Two hours of a history-lectured bus tour led us to the first tour stop: Chambord, which was the inspiration for Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast.” The palace was built by King Francis I, styled in comparison to what he loved in Milan, Italy. It was built as a mere hunting lodge in the forest of Chambord. Today, the forest is a national reserve – the same as it was in the 16th century, except there’s a wall that closes the forest. Within the castle walls of this former hunting lodge, where today you can rent out the space for $150,000 a day, there are more than 300 rooms, 200 fireplaces and 80 staircases.

The City Wonders Tour includes lunch and a wine tasting at Chateau de Nitray. We are served the food of peasants: roasted chicken, potatoes, tomatoes, cheeses, salad and apple dessert, all accompanied with a wine tasting and tour of the castle grounds and rudimentary, barrel-less wine cellar. Chateau de Nitray’s vineyards have been around for 28 years, where six varietals of grapes include sauvignon blanc, chardonnay and chenin blanc as popular whites, and cabernet franc as the known red. The sauvignon blanc is sweeter than anything I’ve ever tasted, with citrus, melon, peach notes that lead to a tart finish. It does have great structure. The rose is made with cabernet franc; they utilize the red skins for about 10 hours to get that beautiful rose color.

Chateau de Chenonceau proves to be the most elegant of our stops. Home to the six ladies: Catherine D. Medici (Henri II’s mistress, then wife after she ‘removed’ Diana), Diana Poitiers (the castle was dedicated to Diana by husband King Henri II), Louise of Lorraine (Henri III’s wife), Louise Dupin (artist who saved the chateau during the Revolution), Marguerite Pelouze (transformed the castle to a luxury estate) and Simone Menier (of chocolate fortune and who nursed the wounded during World War II). The interior will leave you in awe, but my goal was to check out the cellar — the wine cellar, where a tasting bar lures a crowd for sips of three wines. This is also where you can buy some bottles to take home. My advice, however, is to avoid the three-pack. Choose your personal favorites, such as the cabernet franc.

Visit http://www.citywonders.com/en/france/paris/paris-tours to view the list of tours offered from Paris.

Vendanges de Montmartre

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If you happen to be in Paris this weekend, spend an afternoon in Montmartre, by the Sacre Coeur. Through Oct. 12, the annual wine harvest festival “Vendanges de Montmartre” takes place to celebrate the first grapes grown in Paris. But first, begin on the corner of Saint Vincent and rue des Saules to appreciate the only and remaining working vineyard of Paris – called Clos Montmartre, which dates back to 1932 and grows gamay and pinot noir grapes, as well as some sauvignon blanc and riesling. Don’t expect to taste wines made in Montmartre, however, as they are auctioned off at steep prices for collections only. You do not want to drink these. Not only are they inferior tastes, they are also known to be diuretic.

Now that you’ve appreciated the small vineyard, head back up the hill and take the funicular to the butte of Montemarte – unless you want a good step workout. Once at the top, you’ll be able to browse through endless tables of artisan food and wines. Many of these tables offer samples, but do not expect to sample tastes of wines complimentary; you’ll pay between 2-6 euros a glass. But you will get samples of many incredibly tasty cheeses, some Armagnac, almond/honey nougat, and more. My suggestion is to begin with a glass of Champagne, served in a flute you can keep as a souvenir. And then, browse through the tables until the end, check out a street performance, some artists in action, and head up into the Sacre Coeur to check out the interior beauty. Before you leave the area, hop on the carousel for a short ride and giggle, and then head back to taste and make your purchases if you please. End with a stop for some mulled hot wine, as the beautiful sunny days turn to chilly nights.

As you make your way back to the Metro stop: Anvers, you’ll walk through the souvenir street shops where you can participate or watch some live gambling in action. Yes, there are men with large cardboard boxes they use as a table where they place three hockey puck sized discs for you to choose which one has the two stickers underneath. Winner takes all.

Whatever you decide to do, here are a few of my suggestions of wines tastes I would highly recommend:

– A glass of Champagne Brut A Villers Marmery Premier Cru U.V. made in Champagne, France, made with chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot blanc grapes. A perfect blended wine, this one pairs well with rich fish, shellfish poultry, vegetarian dishes and venison.

– Taste the Comte De Lauze Chateauneuf-Du-Pape U.V. from Southern Rhone, France ($78), made with roussanne, marsanne and grenache blanc grapes. Pair this with pork, shellfish, rich fish or poultry.

– Finally, Jean Lecellier Santenay Passetemps 1er Cru Grand Vin de Bourgogne U.V. from Cote de Beaune, France.

Bonne degustation!

Chenin blanc from Loire Valley, France

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If you’re in the mood for a neutral white wine, the chenin blanc grape is the way to go. A good pick is the golden yellow Anjou Blanc 2010, which hails from Chateau Soucherie in Samur, France, in the Loire Valley. The Loire Valley is known for its 1,000 castles and sordid history, but it’s also a superb growing region for chenin blanc grapes.

Chateau Soucherie’s Anjou Blanc is a supple wine offers white floral aromas and a long finish of creamy caramel that indicates a slight oak aging. It’s best served with shellfish, lean fish and fruity desserts. I’d enjoy this with oysters.

This 2010 Anjou Blanc won a silver medal at the 2012 Concours Mondial Bruxelles, which is a prestigious honor. And you can purchase this wine for 8,40 euro (U.S. $11). Oh, and you actually can find this in the U.S.

Sipping a 2 euro bottle of Bordeaux

Wine Destinations, Wine Reviews

Not since the days of Trader Joe’s 2-Buck-Chuck have I seen anything like what I experienced upon my arrival in Paris. Once settled in at my apartment, a trip to purchase miscellaneous supplies at the Monoprix led me to a display of Bordeaux wine bottles on sale if you bought two or more. I could only carry so much, so I bought one bottle at full price: 2 euro. My goal was to unpack my bags until I found the corkscrew I had packed. By the third bag, I had found it and called it a night. I opened that bottle and poured my first glass into a drinking glass, as there were no wine glasses in the apartment (there is one now). This Vin de Bordeaux proved young, but grape-forward delicious. 

It did not have the intense complexity of a 2011 Louis M. Martini cabernet I enjoyed in the U.S. before I left for Paris, but it was definitely worth sipping. I can’t wait to try out more wines that aren’t available in the U.S., including some of the Brancaia wines I tasted in Tuscany a few years ago, as well as variations of LaMarca Prosecco. I did manage to get a bottle of 2011 Brancaia TRE, IGT Rosso Toscano while in the U.S., which brought me back to the hills of Chianti, where I once enjoyed a surreal experience dining on the Brancai Estate, hosted by the uber talented winemaker, Barbara Widmer.

Wines certainly break the barrier of communication throughout the world, but for now, I’m concentrating on Bordeaux, a destination I will surely visit soon.

My return to France

Wine Destinations, Wine Reviews

On my third trip to France, in 2009, I enjoyed a day spent driving in a convertible Citroen with a winemaker in Chablis, who toured me through the terroir and educated me in tasting some of the best white wines in the world. As far as the U.S. is concerned, Chablis brings back memories of jug wine. But that is simply not the case; Chablis is sophisticated and elegant, with perfect acidity and grape-forward loveliness in taste. So, while on a Holland America Line ms Westerdam cruise, I dined at the Pinnacle Grill, where the sommelier offered two choices: I chose Laroche Chablis 2011, and I was not disappointed.

The bright gold color gave way to intense notes of almond and white blossom, and paired perfectly with Alaskan salmon.With every sip, I was sent back to Chablis, a trip that began and ended in Paris, where I am now living for the next year, and where I plan to sip my way through every wine region possible. 

Sante!

Malbecs of value

Wine Reviews

The bottle is taller than most, and the label is a sophisticated deep purple with an etched silver logo of a framed image of the mountains in Mendoza, Argentina. Script letters spell out “Reserva” and you know it’s got to be good. This is a bottle of Don Miguel Gascon 2011 Reserva Malbec. Although it is priced at $25, you could probably find a bottle for $19, according to my Vivino app, that is.

I love the Vivino app that automatically rates wines simply from a picture you take of the label using your iPhone. This reserve malbec received a 3.8 star rating out of 5, and some of the review comments included:

– dry with light fruit afternote

– ripe flavorful fruits upfront with a dark chocolate finish. Easy drinking malbec.

– Very fruity

I agree with the fact that this is an easy drinking malbec (with 3% petit verdot), as you don’t need to drink it with food. It’s a good standalone. Globally, this wine ranked 304,417 out of 1,963,762 in the Vivino rating, with a high ranking of its winery, wine region and country. It notes food pairings of beef, spicy food, mature and hard cheese and poultry.

Another wine I tried was the Don Miguel Gascon 2012 malbec ($15), which is 100% malbec grapes from Mendoza, and intense with aromas of dark berry, plum and maybe even some mocha. Taste-wise, you can feel some spice, licorice and chocolate leading to a delightful long, velvet finish.

Go Garcon!

Happy 50th to Gallo Family Vineyard wines

Wine Reviews

What better way to celebrate Gallo’s 50th anniversary than with its throwback Hearty Burgundy signature wine, best served with friends coincidentally named Gallo during their Fourth of July cookout. Well, that’s when I opened this bottle of Gallo Family Vineyards Hearty Burgundy, and it was shared throughout in toasts and in celebration.

Two grapes were used in making this wine: petite sirah and zinfandel, remain in the contemporary blend. But over the past 5 decades, the blend has been fine-tuned with petit verdot and alicante bouschet — all California grapes in this large bottle that costs a mere $9, and tastes, well, actually pretty darn good.

Dark berries and plum flavors of this wine pair well with Italian meats and hard cheeses — or anything hearty. This is a wine to celebrate in the spirit of Gallo! 

Three cheers for 2 reds: Frei Brothers

Wine Reviews

Cookout season is in full swing and if you’re the lucky host, you should be receiving lots of host gifts in bottle form. So, whether you’re a host or a lucky guest, here are two really great choices to ensure you’ll be invited back next year:

1) Frei Brothers Reserve 2011 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir ($22.99)
This is a wine worthy of applause. So spectacular is this Russian River Valley gem, you’ll want to stock up before it’s gone for good. Made with grapes from the cool climate of the Valley’s vineyards, this wine is bright in color and rich with cherry and black fruit flavors. It’s got depth, and that’s a good thing.

2) Frei Brothers Reserve 2011 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($22.99)
There are more bottles of this wine on the shelves, so it’s not as urgent to stock up, but you’ll want to grab a bottle or two whenever you see this smooth cab from California’s Alexander Valley.

What’s even more special about Frei Brothers wines is that they are produced with eco-friendliness in mind. They have reduced their electricity enough to power 20 homes for an entire year; they’ve reduced their water use enough to supply 54 homes for a year, and their goal is to use half of the propane, which is the equivalent to removing 80 vehicles from the road in a year.

It’s all about the earth in mind when this wine is being produced, and it’s funny because when you taste it, all you think about is the terroir of earthy, richness that comes out in flavors so elegant and smooth, your mood is sure to lift off into a feel of luxury when you enjoy a glass given to you — merely because you wanted to host a cookout.

Celebrate Fourth of July ‘Barefoot’

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Fireworks and Champagne go hand in hand, at least in my world. A toast of bubbly puts a smile on my face while watching the sky explode with colors. The only thing better is being surrounded by people I love while sipping and gazing above.

Aside from the fun and festivity that goes with Champagne is the wallet.

The misconception of Champagne is that you have to pay more than your budget allows to buy a bottle or two. But that’s not true at all. You can get affordable and tasty bubbly, and Barefoot Bubbly is the perfect example. For $9.99 a bottle you can get a Brut Cuvee California Champagne or a bottle of Extra Dry. Both are delicious, with notes of crisp fruity apple and lemon and kiwi. The best part is the pairings: brie cheese, roasted, salted nuts, gazpacho soup, oysters, pizza, dessert – it all works well with a bottle of bubbly.

Check out more possibilities at www.BarefootWine.com or Facebook.com/BarefootWine.

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A South African sip on a hot summer day

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While spending time on Tybee Island in Georgia, more specifically at the highly recommended Surf Song Bed & Breakfast, I was gifted this bottle of wine to sip while enjoying my stay on the island. As temperatures hovered in the mid 80s, the bottle was immediately stored in the refrigerator of the kitchen inside the B&B, where I would grab it later during an impromptu moment getting to know a German woman traveling alone and staying in the room across from mine. She proved a brave soul, and adventurous, so it was a long conversation spent on the porch swing sipping and chatting about our travel experiences and life.

This Beach House wine was gone before we knew it, and paired well with the complimentary snack foods we opened, available to B&B guests. This wine was perfect for the occasion – a South African blend of chardonnay, sauvignon blanc and semillon grapes enjoyed while viewing the ocean and absorbing the sea breeze on a hot day. After a bit of research on this wine, I found out it’s best served with pork or rich fish like salmon or tuna. Next time, for sure.

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