Over the past few weeks, a few wine alerts have crossed my desk. Most recently, the release that Prosecco di Conegliano e Valdobbiadine will - as of the 2009 harvest - be elevated from a DOC to a DOCG. The resulting wines will be crafted from lower yeilds giving the wine more concentration. That said, we can also expect the wines to increase in price. Moving forward, perhaps we will all think twice before we add a bit of peach puree to our Prosecco. Better yet, we may substitute “Glera,” the new name given to Prosecco made outside the delimited DOCG region. Cheers.

Just when rose wine hit its stride, the European Union is set to make a move that could bring the quality levels tumbling down. Get this. A group of “experts” have decided that it is OK to permit European winemakers to make rose by blending red wine with white wine instead of traditional production methods. Are they crazy? Traditional rose production happens in two ways; 1) leave the juice in contact with the skins for a few hours and then press like white wine or 2) bleed off some pink juice from red wine production. While the former shows dedication to making quality rose, both result in quality wine. It is a fact that many New World winemakers blend wines to craft a rose, but when was the last time you raved about a rose from South Africa? Me - never. Ask about the latest rose from France, Italy, and Spain and I can give you a list. Sure rose is inexpensive, quaffable and festive - but for my money it must be held to the same quality standards as white and red wines.

It is no secret that I am a huge lover of rose wines. In fact, I typically stretch the often touted “rose season” from Thanksgiving to September leaving October as my only solid red wine month of the year. In our Cellar Door tasting room, I get more questions and comments about rose than anyother wine style including ”Aren’t all rose wine’s sweet?” For this reason, I have developed solid calendar notes for keeping it pink each month.

1. November: Rose pairs well with just about any food including Aunt Betty’s overly sweet yam dish.

2. December: Rose looks great on a holiday table.

3. January: Rose bubbles ring in the New Year like no other.

4. February: Rose’s lovely color is a perfect match for Valentine’s Day.

5. March: Rose is the new green.

6. April: Herb-crusted spring lamb and rose - need I say more?

7. May: A sign of summer, bring on the rose. This past weekend I sipped nothing but rose with my friends. Weekend favorites included: Gran Feudo from Spain, Lenotti Chiaretto Bardolino from Italy, Miguel Torres Santa Digna From Chile, Zoe from Greece, Chateau Campuget from France and Schramsberg Mirabella rose from California.

8. June: Nothing makes you feel like you are on vacation like a glass of rose sipped in your backyard on a warm summer day around 11:30am.

9. July: Pink sparkling wine on the 4th makes an excellent partner for grilled sausages.

10. August: Chilly, yummy and refreshing, rose wines are value wines making them the perfect choice for large backyard gatherings.

11. September: One last sip of the season before celebrating fall. Try pairing up Gazpacho with a Rose from Spain. 

Cheers

Marianne 

Thanks to my frend-in-wine Gary Twining, I was lucky enough to attended a Chateau Montelena tasting yesterday at Moxie. While leaving the office mid-day is difficult, the time away from my desk was well spent.

Our host, Master Winemaker ( and son of the owner) Bo Barrett, opened with a 10 minute film highlighting the “specialness” of the vineyard followed by an update on the proposed sale of the winery. If you follow the trades, then you probably know Chateau Montelena was up for sale last year. In fact, the Swiss businessman who gobbled up Cos d’Estournel in Bordeaux was slated to buy it - until the economy took a turn.  My first thought? If this place is so special - why sell it? For starters, Bo tells us that the vineyards need to be replanted. Seems his father was not a champion of replanting and now they have aging Cabernet Sauvignon vines. Plus, the winery is due for a face lift. Bo wants to bring more efficient technology into the cellar as well as smaller fermentation vats. With the sale off the table, the family will seek conventional financing to make the changes. 

 The tasting featured eight wines from the Chateau Montelena cellars.  First up, 2007 Riesling from Potter Valley. Seems this winery has been making Riesling since the 70s and decided to keep in in the line up. Warmer in style, the wine featured a perfumed nose of honeysuckle and melon with a bit of weight on the palate. Only sold at the winery, Bo describes making Riesling “like walking down the street in a Speedo. You better have it all together.”

Next up, the winery’s famous Chardonnay. The 2007 offered citrus, lemon curd, yellow apple, white peach and a dose of oak and spice on the palate. Well balanced. While we all think of Chardonnay and Bordeaux-styled Cabernet Sauvginon blends when we hear the Montelena name, I doubt that any of us actually think Zinfandel. Right? But Bo makes a very approachable Zin that is not in the big, fruit-bomb fashion we often associate with California. Instead, the wine’s firm tannins, medium plus alcohol and higher than normal acidity was balanced by lovely strawberry, pepper, tobacco and cherry aromas resulting in a slightly bitter finish. This is a Zin for the table more in the fashion of an Italian Primitivo. Fun.

Finally, the Cabernet Sauvignons. During this tasting we sampled the 2006 Napa Valley “ready to sip” wine perfect for by-the-glass pours, followed by the 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2005 Montelena Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. For me, the 1999 was a standout wine with layered aromas of orange rind, tobacco, leather, dill, thyme, violet and turkish spices. Medium plus acidity, soft tannins and a long finish made it quiet memorable. These “library” wines are now on the market again in limited supply. The current 2005 release showed all the signs of an age-worthy wine. Mouthwarming alcohol, medium plus acidity with firm tannins supported by loads of fruit and spice aromas incuding tobacco, chocolate, red fruits, herbal notes and spice. This wine is built to age - and according to the press - at $135 offers a great value. I would have to agree.

Last night, I sipped a glass of Pinot Grigio at the bar of Moxie while munching on an appetizer of grilled shrimp with grit-cakes and watching the Cavs beat the Hawks on the tele. About halfway thru the game (and my dinner,) I realized that I had no idea whose wine I was drinking. Better yet - I did not care. At the end of the day, I have a habit (good or bad) of ignoring wine lists and simply nodding to the bartender and asking for a  glass of Pinot Grigio. For me, Pinot Grigio is a simple wine that washes down food. Sure a good quality rose can do the same trick, but for the most part I rely on Pinot Grigio. With so much chatter about vintages and age-worthiness, sipping a Pinot Grigio is a welcomed relief. A simple pleasure. Why? You never hear anyone discussing the merits of Pinot Grigio or boasting stories about how much Pinot Grigio they have in their cellar.  It is a quaffing wine. No more no less. And while some producers such Lenotti, Santi, and Filadonna make noteworthy examples that offer more than just lemony flavor, the name on the label has little value. For Pinot Grigio is a working-class wine. Much needed, underappreciated and a great quaffer by the glass, Pinot Grigio gets the job done.