Summer Reds to Help You Chill

Thoughts of quenching summer heat are usually followed by thoughts of Pinot Grigio, Chablis, or a light sparkling wine. Our wine group gathered to taste four reds perfect for picnics: Pinot Noir, Garnacha, Barbera d’ Asti, and Sangria.   

Pinot Noir has different styles ranging from light-bodied to rich and earthy. One of my favorites in Oregon was a small production Pinot that poured almost like a rose out of the bottle, then became darker and more complex as it sat. Pinot Noir is an ancient grape, with known references dating to the first century. It’s a tricky grape to grow and likes cooler temperatures, such as the Burgundy region of France and the Willamette Valley in Oregon. Many California Pinots tend to be fruitier than their Burgundy counterparts because of the warmer growing temperatures.

For summer pairings, salmon is a classic with Pinot Noir and is especially good when the wine has some oak. Cherries and strawberries are also good with Pinot, and I paired our tasting bottle, Estancia Stonewall Vineyard (California) with fresh cherries and goat cheese with honey. Tasters found this wine smooth and “plummy” with a little chamomile on the nose and just a bit of oak.

Garnacha, or Grenache, also has a range of styles that could span the seasons. It’s one of the most widely grown grapes in the world but prefers dry, hot climates like Spain, southern France, and parts of Australia and California. Its most notable flavors are raspberries and strawberries, but with finesse, the wine can develop more complexity, richer layers, and darker flavors.

Our tasting group’s Garnacha, Honoro Vera, was a lighter Spanish red with black pepper on the nose and flavors of plum and cherry. Good with charcuterie and barbequed pork, I served this Garnacha with jamon (a cured Spanish ham, like prosciutto) and Manchego cheese.  

Barbera d’ Asti is a drier medium-bodied red, which, per regulation, must have at least 12.5 percent alcohol. The Piemonte region of Italy is believed to be where the grape originated, probably around 1200, and the Barbera grape is grown predominantly in Italy still, though other countries have been adding it to their production. California has some nice Barbera wines.

The Araldica Albera Barbera d’ Asti that we tasted had a toast aroma and smooth, plum and blackberry flavors with some spice and a dry (“like vermouth”) finish. Tasters did prefer this wine with the salt and pepper cashews and the salmon dip. This is another good wine for charcuterie and cheeses and for pizza and pasta with red sauce.

A favorite summer refresher, Sangria is a blend of wine (usually red,) fruit juice, liqueur, and fresh fruits. It’s served cold from a pitcher or punch bowl and is light and easy to drink. Depending on the type of wine used, it can be dry or sweet, but can always be blended to taste. Sangria’s origins are in Spain around 300 years ago. It’s a great picnic wine drink that pairs well with casual foods like burgers, baked beans, and pasta salads.

For our tasting, I used Ed Hardy’s Red Sangria, a premixed red wine blend, and I added peach schnapps, blueberries and strawberries. I served it with watermelon slices, chocolate dipped shortbread cookies, and a Pinot Noir and fruit granita.

To keep the Sangria cold without watering it down, fill suitably sized plastic storage containers with one part water and two parts wine, add fruit and freeze completely. Place the blocks in the pitcher or punch bowl when mixing up the Sangria.

So red wine lovers, take heart and save your Syrah for cozy fall days. There are some lighter-bodied reds that refresh and fit right in with summer fare.

Article and all photos by Glynis Valenti

Pairing Wine with Fall Flavors

This article was published in The WEDGE Newspaper, October/November 2017. 

Fall conjures up shorter days, cooler temps, and comfort food. Flavors transition from light and fresh salads, chicken, and berries to savory spices, baked pies, and buttery squashes. Remarkably, some of the summer’s favorite wines transition well into this season. Here are some popular tastes of fall and the wines that will give them more dimension.

Apples are synonymous with autumn and range from crisp and tart to sweet and juicy. Enter Chardonnay, a wine that has been vilified because of its popularity two decades ago. It’s incredibly versatile, though, and has its own range of flavors from tropical and citrus to buttery. Chardonnay is a French grape that produces white Burgundy and Champagne—two very different wines. People who don’t like the traditional oak and butter style of Burgundy have choices in varying degrees.

Naked, or unoaked, Chardonnay can be as crisp as fresh apples and often have a hint of apple flavor. Try unoaked from California, Oregon, or Washington for more of the apple coming through. Those from Australia and Chile may have more of the pineapple, citrus, and peach flavors.

Serving baked apples with cinnamon? Butternut squash with apples and maple syrup? Or apple dumplings with vanilla ice cream? A buttery Chardonnay with oak would be an excellent match, for instance Bread and Butter, Kendall Jackson, and Franciscan from California. Lightly-oaked Chards are also available from Chateau Ste. Michelle, Sonoma-Cutrer, and Rutherford Ranch.

Chardonnay sparkling wines, i.e. Champagne and Blanc de Blancs, will be drier and pair well with many apple dishes, as well as cheeses.

When it comes to squash, there is a range of wine choices, depending on the squash and how it’s served. A buttery Chardonnay would work with butternut squash, but, because of its ginger, floral, and herbal qualities, Gewurztraminer may be what you’re seeking.

This white wine originated in Germany, but more is grown in France and the United States, including in New York state, than in Germany now.  The nose generally has a distinctive rose-but-sweeter aroma, or lychee fruit. They may have a sweeter taste, but are low in acid and sugar, with flavors or aromas of red grapefruit, honey, pineapple, apricot, and spices. A dry or off-dry Gewurztraminer can enhance zucchini with herbs or balance spaghetti squash with chunky marinara sauce.

Earthy mushrooms in soups and stews and Thanksgiving dressings are complemented by the slight earthiness and cherry or tobacco notes of a Pinot Noir. Generally medium-bodied, Pinot Noir is drinkable all year, but is a nice transition from light, summery wines to the heavier Cabernet Sauvignons and Zinfandels of winter.  The wine also pairs well with foods like roast pork, wild rice with mushrooms, and dishes with truffles. 

France is the leading producer of Pinot Noir, most notably in the Burgundy region, the home of some of the most expensive wines in the world. The French style has more of the earthy aromas, floral qualities, and cherries considered the classic red Burgundy. In the United States, California and Oregon are the major Pinot Noir producers, though New York wineries are also working with this tricky varietal. Oregon Pinots are closer to the French style in part because of the cooler climate, typically with flavors of cherries, truffles, and tobacco, spice or leather. California Pinots are more fruit forward with flavors of cherries, raspberries, spice, and caramel.

One of fall’s most popular flavors of late is pumpkin spice. This flavor is made up of several other flavors combined: usually pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, and allspice. As it happens, all of the wines noted above would pair with pumpkin spice, depending on the dish. If the food is prevalent with pumpkin, a buttery Chardonnay would be a good option. If ginger is strong, an oaked Chardonnay or a Gewurztraminer may work well. Gewurztraminer, Champagne, or Pinot Noir will pair nicely with dishes where cinnamon or allspice come through.

If planning a special dinner, do a trial run with a couple bottles of wine to see which works better with the dish. If unsure, the wine shop should have some suggestions based on the types of wine that you normally drink.  

Article and all photos by Glynis Valenti

Wine Pick of the Week: January 28, 2016

La Merika 2012 Pinot Noir (California)

Pinot noir is a versatile wine. The grapes are tricky to grow, needing just the right climate, but once in the bottle the wine produced is compatible with a variety of foods. Quality pinots are not one or two-dimensional, but have the ability to complement and enhance many food flavors.

The La Merika 2012 Pinot Noir comes from Central Coast grapes, earned a gold medal in the 2014 Los Angeles International Wine Competition, and fits in the comfort wine price range ($10-12.)  

It’s a ruby color with just a hint of brown appearing around the rim. The nose gives off an initial slight earthy/oaky wisp, then goes to red berries and cherry. The immediate flavors are fruit and a little oak, mellowing quickly to cherry, then tobacco and coffee or cocoa. This has medium body with soft tannins that transition to a soft mouth for a nice balance. The finish is fruit and a coffee/leather.

I like a Burgundy style pinot noir with less fruit and a little more body than most California offerings. However, Burgundies and Oregon pinots are not, for the most part, budget friendly. This one is a good, affordable option for that style.

The macaroni and cheese pairing brings out spice in the wine, and the fats in the cheese eliminate the tannins. This pairing also softens the fruit and enhances the coffee/leather-type flavors. While true Burgundies could stand up to heavier dishes like beef stew, the lighter California pinots would probably pair better with beef, vegetable or French onion soups. Pair the La Merika with cherries, lighter beef dishes (like beef au jus or beef on weck,) tuna steak, eggplant, goat cheese, bacon, prosciutto.   

Next week, the first wine in the “amore” posts, a romantic wine for St. Valentine’s Day.

Wine Pick of the Week: December 30, 2015

Lucien Albrecht Cremant d’Alsace Brut Rose NV(France)

This is a lovely way to end the year. The beautiful pale salmon color of this sparkler comes from soft pressing hand-picked Pinot Noir grapes and leaving the skins on briefly—and this is 100 percent Pinot Noir. The Albrecht family of Alsace has been making wine since 1425 and was instrumental in the evolution of cremant.

 I get a light scent of strawberries at the very first, then fresh baked bread. Strawberry comes through right away at first taste, too, and transitions to tangy citrus and lemon. This is not a sweet wine, nor dry. The finish is soft and more off-dry with a hint of minerals. It’s refreshing, and the bubbles make it tingle.

It’s also under $20, which is reasonable for a quality French sparkling wine. I know that it’s available at Malcho’s Wine & Spirits on Empire Blvd. in the Rochester, NY area.

This would be beautiful with a strawberry in the glass. Pair it with a strawberry or raspberry swirl cheesecake, mild cheeses like brie with a raspberry glaze or Port Salut, and charcuterie that isn’t too spicy.  

Thank you for your support of ArtSoulWine.com this year, and best wishes for 2016! 

Review: Adams County Winery (Pennsylvania)

Pennsylvania isn’t the first place that comes to mind when one thinks of wine, and probably isn’t the second or third place either. The truth is the first vinifera were planted there before 1650, and 200 years later Pennsylvania was the third leading wine producer in the United States. Its climates are actually conducive to a wide range of grapes.

While other states’ wine industries recovered and thrived after Prohibition ended, Governor Gifford Pinchot, a Prohibitionist, established the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board intending to “discourage the purchase of alcoholic beverages by making it as inconvenient and expensive as possible.” In 1968 lawmakers finally passed the Limited Winery Act, allowing wineries to sell their own wines instead of selling through the LCB or out of state.

Today there are over 200 licensed Pennsylvania wineries (#7 in the United States) and it is the fifth largest grape producer in the country.

My introduction to Pennsylvania wines begins with Adams County Winery. A friend of mine, Chris Hughes, has a blog called CUontheRoad.net about her family’s travel adventures in an RV. They’ve used a hospitality program called Harvest Hosts to stay overnight at participating wineries and farms, and one of those is Adams County Winery near Gettysburg. Chris invited me to do a wine review in conjunction with her travel review. If you are thinking of visiting the Gettysburg area, do check out her blog.

Located in the fruit belt of south-central Pennsylvania, ACW, aka Gettysburg Winery, was established in 1975 and is one of the state’s oldest wineries. The 15 acres of estate grapes include Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Lemberger, Chambourcin, Vidal, Traminette and native Niagara. There is a website that is under construction, so it has limited information, but the staff is very friendly and accommodating and can email a complete wine list for orders.

I ordered three wines to taste: Tears of Gettysburg (white,) Metrose (rose,) and Turning Point (red.) Each label has a story.

Tears of Gettysburg, a Niagara/Vidal blend, was originally released in 1988 and is their top award-winner. It has the unmistakable Niagara nose. The expected strong Niagara sweetness, though, is tempered by the Vidal and gives it a clean finish. In the mouth, it is full and tastes of flowers, honeysuckle. There is also a slight buttery flavor and hint of oak as it progresses.

I would pair this with a buttery cod dish (or Pacific Northwest black cod,) tuna with sweet pepper salsa or pork tenderloin with sweet corn salsa. It’s kind of a sweet wine for the tartness of citrus, though grilled green apples with grilled chicken breast might be nice, too.

Turning Point was quite good. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Chambourcin, it's packed with flavors of spicy blackberry that develop into plummy cherry. It has a pretty, dark garnet color but isn’t heavy like a Zinfandel. There is just a hint of chocolate in the nose. The wine’s fruit gathers around the sides of the tongue, and the finish is dry in the center of the palate.  

The Chambourcin grape is a French-American hybrid. Its origins are hazy, but it has been used since 1963 mainly for blending. It grows in the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest of the US, and in Canada, Australia, Portugal and France.

I did pair Turning Point with mild Italian sausage and whole grain pasta with tomato sauce. This turned up the spice, the heat and the plum flavors, and the finish wasn’t as dry.

Both of these wines—as well as the Rebel Red and Traveller--are part of ACW’s Historic Gettysburg Collection which commemorate aspects of the battle there, according to Dan Baumgardner, retail manager. He says the label on Tears of Gettysburg depicts a canon located outside of the Soldier’s National Cemetery, near where President Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address. Turning Point’s label depicts the 72nd Pennsylvania Monument, where Pickett’s Charge took place, and which is said to be the turning point of the Civil War.

Metrose is very fun. This is not a sweet, 1980s-style pink wine. The salmon-y pink color is luscious, and it’s a blend of 80 percent Pinot Noir and 20 percent Chambourcin. While it bathes the mouth in strawberries, it has a touch of cinnamon and a semi-dry finish. Open one bottle for a nice sipper, and pair a second bottle with charcuterie, grilled sausage, summer salads, and strawberries.

The horse on the label is Metro Meteor, a Belmont and Saratoga racer who retired to a career in painting abstracts. Every bottle sold makes a donation to the New Vocations Racehorse Adoption program—another reason to buy two bottles of this wine. 

Thanks so much, Chris, for this opportunity to explore new territory (or terroir.) I'm looking forward to learning about and visiting more Pennsylvania wineries. 

Wine Pick of the Week: March 29, 2015

Estancia 2011 Stonewall Vineyard Pinot Noir (California)

As a Pinot Noir, this is a naturally versatile wine. It was a nice sipper as my Friday “happy hour” choice, and I decided to pair it with a pasta dish for dinner this evening. It’s grown in central California and is fuller-bodied and heavier than many of the Oregon Pinots.

Just after opening on Friday, it showed a lot of berry and some spice with a hint of oak. Two evenings later, the purple tinge has developed into ruby color. Flavors have developed into ripe berries with spice to black pepper. Tonight there was more pronounced spice which went back to fruit (plum,) and a bit drier finish.

I paired it with vegetable pasta (made with zucchini and spinach) in a simple sauce of pureed butternut squash, cream, Herbes de Provence and black pepper, topped with some grated Pecorino Romano.

The food smoothed out any tannins and brought back more fruit. The black pepper in the solo wine diminished into rosemary herb toward the finish.

With this Pinot other successful pairings would include lean beef (not too well done,) grilled tuna, grilled lamb, mushrooms, eggplant parmesan, vegetable lasagna.