Des Moines Wine and Food Connection

2011 Wine Industry Tasting Pt. VI

2011-10-22T13:23:50-05:00

MJ Distributing tasting; 45 wines tasted

MJ Distributing is one of the newer (2004) distributors in the marketplace but they have assembled a nice portfolio of smaller and mid-size wineries/importers from around the world. They do carry some big boys like Guigal, Stelzner, David Bruce, etc... but they have many wineries that one doesn't find in every market and party store around the state. There's always something new to taste at their show, held every year at their warehouse in Ankeny and the tasting is always fun and relaxed. This was the final industry tasting of the season so your wine and food guy will compile a list of all my recommended wines in my next blog so you the reader will have a holiday checklist to take shopping with you.

To begin, Fritz Winery out of the Dry Creek area in Sonoma is producing a great rose (2010) from syrah. zinfandel, cabernet & petite verdot that isn't one of those light, delicate rose's that pair with light flaky fish. Fritz' rose is big and spicy with the body to stand up to holiday meals and hearty food like grilled brats and tailgate food. This wine and salmon would form a wonderful duet. Cajun, Asian and other spicy dishes work well too.

From South Australia, the 2010 Boxhead Chardonnay shows beautiful bright citrus fruit and apple character with a steely note reminiscent of French Chablis. This wine is perfect for sipping, as well as paired with sushi, shellfish and any kind of appetizers.

New Zealand is making it's name in reds with the pinot noir grape. The Otago region of the south island seems to be the heart & soul of this production and Wild Earth winery has produced 4 great vintages in a row now. 2009 was an exceptional vintage for NZ and this pinot proves it. Red and black cherry, black liquorice, musky oak and a hint of mushroom on the nose. The palate is full with ripe black cherry, plum, orange peel, cassis and mushroom with mouth caressing tannins and a lingering finish that won’t quit.

Zinfandel anyone? Predator Old Vine Zin 08' from Rutherford Wine Company is one to enjoy year round. Good with food or by itself, this zin starts of sweet on the palate then opens up to show red & blue fruit and some spice on the finish. Not too alcoholic nor overbearing, this zin knows it's place and doesn't overreach. Drink it over the next 2-3 years.

Finally, three sherries from the San Francisco Wine Exchange impressed me. The "very old" Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez (375 ml) were both super but rather pricey (approx $50 ea.). The Solera 1847 Oloroso showed nearly as much character and a price (approx $20) that's much more user friendly. Pass this around after a meal to enjoy with the evening's coffee & dessert.

So that's the holiday show round-up. There are many superb wines to enjoy with friends, family & associates as well as with food or by themselves. Have a super holiday season and if you have any questions contact me here or at my CdV e-mail. I'll pull together a comprehensive list of all my holiday show recommendations asap.

Eat well, drink well, live well,

All the best,

Howard

Howard Bernstein
Wine & Food Guy
Des Moines Wine and Food Connection

2011 Wine Industry Tastings Pt. V

2011-10-20T12:18:02-05:00

Okoboji Wines tasting; 37 wines tasted

I've been a bit slow getting back to this. Sorry for the delay.

Okoboji Wines have an extensive, diversified portfolio of wonderful wines from all over the world. Their tasting each year is the most work for me because they pour many wines that aren't available to taste year round due to small allotments or availability. Plus I want to get caught up on the current vintage of some of my "standards". On top of that there are many new wines to try each year. I tasted 110 wines one year and over 160 another year. This year the show was scaled down quite a bit which was understandable, economy being taken into consideration. The tasting was still extremely nice and much more manageable from the tasting perspective. Des Moines Golf & Country Club is a beautiful setting and the food superb. Could have used a bit more room for notes but vintage and pricing were nice.

So what was good?

A nice, crisp and brightly fruited Italian white, Contesa Pecorino Colline Pescaresi 2010 is a wonderful wine to pair with fish, cream sauces and it's namesake cheese.

A few tasty reds stand out including;

Warwick Estates 2008 Three Cape Ladies, a wonderfully drinking blend of Cabernet, Shiraz & Pinotage from South Africa. Great by itself, even better with food. Sharp cheeses, red meat as well as stews, chilis and casseroles would smile.

Villa Giada 09' Barbera "I Suri Russ", a northern Italian red that can go with most anything but shines with tomatoes is a great every day drinker.

Domaine la Garrigue Cotes du Rhone "Cuvee Romaine", a southern French red that stands out most every vintage as a standard for CDR's. Black & blue fruit, earthy and spicy, this is cassoulet wine. Or whatever game or fowl you can haul in.

Raptor Ridge 2008 Reserve Willamette Valley Pinot Noir - From an Oregon winery that's making a lot of good pinot, the 08' Reserve was my standout. Beautiful nose of autumn leaves and blue fruits turns into blackberries, blueberries & black cherry on the palate accented by earthy notes. This is the pinot this wine and food guy wants on his table Thanksgiving Day.

Lastly, to finish off the evening Broadbent Selections makes a wonderful line of Madiera's to sip on. Yes, madiera is for cooking but there are also luxurious ones to sip on over coffee or with a cigar after a meal. The 10 yr. old Malmsey was superb with dried fig, date & orange peel as well as toffee and caramel notes.

That's the lot. I'll get out my review of MJ Distributing's holiday show in the next couple of days.

Eat well, drink well, live well.

Howard Bernstein
Wine and Food Guy
Des Moines Wine & Food Connection

2011 Wine Industry Tasting Pt. IV

2011-10-05T13:19:55-05:00

Johnson Brothers tasting: 34 wines, 1 tequila, 1 vodka, 1 Jones soda

Johnson Brothers are one of the big dogs in the Iowa market as well as across the country. They're in something like 26 states and are the 5th or 6th largest disrtributors in the country. They're actually 4 divisions that encompass wine giants Gallo Wines & Constellation Wines. They put on a large tasting in the conference rooms at Prarie Meadows (the past 3 years) and it includes beer, wine & liquor + sodas, waters & Riedel glassware. It's big, crowded (around the tables) and lots of fun. The food spread includes carving stations and it's a good opportunity the get caught up on all the current vintages of favorites like Peter Lehmann, Hess, Caymus, Mt. Veeder, Coppola, Montes & more. Plus it's a chance to try new items that your wine & food guy may not have had exposure to. The tasting can be leisurely, the wine booklet is good, spit buckets & water plentiful but there are a lot of folks that show up there to party and they park in and around the tables and yap so it can be a challenge to get to those buckets. So, what was good?

As always, the bubbly rates highly with Bollinger NV and Gloria Ferrer topping the list. I usually prefer the Ferrer Blanc de Noirs over the Blanc de Blanc but this years BdB is rich and toasty and wonderful. This is a great choice to sip by itself or to drink with food. As it's well known, Bollinger is the bubbly choice previously of Casa di Vino and ALWAYS of Casa Bernstein. Only Krug compares.

As far as whites go, Lagosta Vinho Verde from Portugal, my first 2011 is bright, crisp and lively and should be very reasonably priced. Buy it by the case and pour it freely throughout the holidays.

Winery Alert*** A fun pair of Greek wines, Elios White (Moschofilero/Chardonnay/Roditis & Savatiano) & Elios Red (Agiorgitiko/Cabernet & Syrah) are both fun, fruity, crisp & spicy. These are great all-purpose wines to drink on any occaision. With food or by themselves, these two make a nice change when you want to try something new.

Another new winery (for me), was Brophy Clark out of central California. Producers of Chardonnay & Pinot Noir, I tasted two pinots from them preferring the 2009 Santa Maria Pinot over the 09' Santa Barbara. A nice balance of red and blue fruit with mild acidity and a bit of earthiness, this is a fine wine to grace holiday tables this coming season. Only 300 cases are produced so get out and grab a few bottles while you can. It should run you about $20 in the shops.

As far as reds go, the 2009 Joel Gott 815 Cabernet is a pleasant mouthful of northern California Cabernet and a good bang-for-your-buck wine. A beautiful dusty nose leads to a rich and satisfying wine that you'll want to drink with a bold, aged cheddar or gruyere or a nice hearty steak. This is cabernet to drink as the nights grow cool.

Lastly, for the big bucks crowd, the 2004 Ruffino Brunello and the 2007 Colome Reserva Malbec should put a smile on your face. The Ruffino (Italy) is drinking beautifully now as it reaches seven years old and will continue to show well for the next 6-8 years. Decant and enjoy. The Colome (Argentina) fills the glass with wonderful smells that translate on the palate to blueberries, tobacco, white pepper & tar. This is definately a winter red to go with red meats, stews & game. Not much of it around so get while the getting is good.

That's the lot. Next up is Okoboji Wines Fall Tasting. Until then may your glass be full.

Eat well, drink well, live well,

Howard Bernstein
Wine and Food Guy
Des Moines Wine & Food Connection

2011 Wine Industry Tasting Pt. III

2011-09-21T16:17:10-05:00

Ruby Fine Wines tasting: 45 wines tasted

Two industry wine tastings were held yesterday (9/20). Ruby Fine Wines out of Iowa City and Des Moines distributor Johnson Brothers. Today I'll focus on Ruby's tasting.

Ruby Fine Wines is a small, eclectic distributor out of Iowa City. Their portfolio leans more towards imported than domestics. This is the first tasting of theirs I've been to here in Des Moines. It was held at Mojos on 86th in Johnston and was very tastefully done. The food & wine were nicely displayed and buckets & water were prevalent. Ruby's price book was easy to maneuver and had plenty of room for notes. Here's some of your wine and food guys finds:

Chateau Renni Brut non-vintage Cava from Spain: Great bubbly for the $$$. Rich, full mousse with brioche & baking spices on the nose. Bright and lively on the palate. Try it with a salmon mousse (as I did at Mojos) or spicy Asian fare.

Pardevalles 2010 Albarin (85% albarino/15% verdejo) is a crisp, slightly spicy (think gewurtz) white from the Leon region of Spain. This will be a great white to go with holiday meals (think turkey & ham), appetizers & cream sauces. Drink over the next 2-3 years.

Sticking to Spain and looking towards reds, two very nice tempranillo based wines from "De Bardos" stood out. 2007 Ars Romantica is a straight tempranillo from the Ribera del Duero region that has beautiful, sweet fruit and soaring aromatics. The 2006 Ars Mitica is a cabernet/tempranillo blend that's fuller and deeper but still maintaining that beautiful ripe fruit. When beef is for dinner, de Bardos is the pour.

From Argentina Dominia del Plata winemaker Susana Balbo has won many accolades. The 2008 Balbo Cabernet Sauvignon is likely to win many more. From the winemakers notes:

"If Cabernet Sauvignon dreamed at night, this is what it would dream about! Pairs well with a wide range of foods from beef and pork to lamb, quail and other game birds, and cream-based sauces. This wine will age very well, so don't forget some bottles for the cellar too." Blend: 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Malbec

Lastly, keep an eye out for Virna di Borgogno 2006 Barolo. This is a great value barolo that hits all the right notes. Nice now, it will hit it's peak in 2014 and drink well through 2022 at least.

There are many more great wines in Ruby's portfolio. For the average consumer, if you see a Ruby deposit sticker on the bottle it's worth picking up and giving it a try. If you have any questions about it give me a yell.

P.S. For fans of the La Posta line of wines, the former "Cocina Blend" is now called simply "Tinto". Same blend of malbec, syrah & bonarda, just a different look.

Thanks Liz

Eat well, drink well, live well,

Howard Bernstein
Wine & Food Guy
Des Moines Wine & Food Connection

2011 Wine Industry Tastings Pt. II

2011-09-15T11:55:40-05:00

Dimitri Wine & Spirits tasting: 71 wines tasted

Dimitri Wine & Spirits put on their holiday show last night (Weds.) at the "new" Embassy Club on the 34th floor of the Ruan Building. I didn't think the new location could possibly equal the Club's previous location at the top of the 801 Building. I was wrong. The new location is every bit as spectacular and the space and setup of the club may even exceed the previous one. Very well done.

Dimitri W & S is not one of the "big boys" in the local wine scene but Dimitri Papageorgiou conducts business the old school way. A personal touch, a shake of the hand, looking you in the eye. You know his word is good. His business is local (Davenport) and is family oriented instead of a corporate, multi-state, big business operation. Sometimes there can be confusion but the intent is always good.

Dimitri always puts on a classy holiday show. It may be the one show I look most forward to each autumn. Their portfolio is a little more eclectic, not a bunch of mass produced juice. The people pouring seem a bit more connected to their product and proud of it. The food & service is always top notch. White tablecloth, good spacing, accessible spit buckets & water pitchers. And a easy to use booklet with pricing and space to write (good on ya' David). A beautiful day to look out over Des Moines and the scene was complete. The tasting was a pleasure. What about the wines???

Your wine & food guy found a number of "new" wines and wineries that should grace all of our tables and gatherings this fall;

For whites there's a lush, almond & mineral tasting Pecorino (yes, grape not cheese) from Monti Guido del Carmine in Italy. Somewhere along the line I saw a recipe for an "almond sauce". That sauce needs this wine.

Jackson Estate (N.Z.) showed a nice Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough, "The Furst" 07' Pinot Gris from Alsace (Fr.) was drinking beautifully and for the fruitier (but not too sweet) crowd the Valkenberg 2010 Gewurztraminer (Ger.) is showing very nicely as well. These last two will both pair well with turkey, ham & the fixins' thinking ahead towards the holidays.

There's plenty of good reds to go around. A great little Malbec from Argentina, Las Vides comes from the little know appelation of Famatima Valley from the La Rioja district northwest of Mendoza. Nice blue fruit and black licorice shine through.

The 2006 Badia a Coltibuono Chianti Classico Riserva is a blockbuster that's pure Chianti with no fillers (merlot, cabernet, syrah...) This is Chianti for a big, juicy steak and needs to be decanted now (15-20 mins) or can be laid down for future drinking (best 2014-2022).

A super Garnacha (Sp.) for the price, Evohe 09' Garnacha has nice dark fruit and good body without being to bold or over the top. This is a good red to keep red wine drinkers happy when paired with white meats. Anyone hunting fowl this autumn could do worse than pairing this wine with your prize.

My first taste of the highly touted 09' Bordeaux lived up to expectations with the 09' Haut Plantey. 60% merlot/40% cabernet, this wine has a green edge to it with nice richness and structure. It will continue to improve for the next 3-5 years and drink nicely through 2020. Think leg of lamb for pairing.

For the Cab. Sauv. lovers out there, Smith Madrone's 2005 Spring Mountain (Cal.) Cabernet is a brawny lad that's drinking nice now and will show well for the next 10 years. Vineyard manager Stuart Smith said he considers this wine to be "silky". Yeah, like a velvet gloved fist!

Winery Alert!!! New to my palate and very impressive, Left Coast Winery out of Willamette Valley, Oregon poured a beautiful portfolio of wines including a super pinot gris (The Orchards), a nice chardonnay & two lovely pinot noirs. Keep an eye on them. They're going to get press if they're not already.

That's the scoop. Next up are Ruby Fine Wines & Johnson Brothers both on Tuesday, Sept 20. Two tastings in one day. It's difficult, arduous work but your intrepid wine and food guy will risk the peril. All in a days work.

Eat well, drink well, live well,

Howard Bernstein
Wine & Food Guy,
Des Moines Wine and Food Connection