Que Syrah, Shiraz

Or you say potato and I say poh-ta-toe. Same grape, two names, go figure.

The syrah grown in a cooler climate, like the northern Rhone Valley in France, shows thick dark fruits, tannin, earthiness and just a little bit of funk. They are wines that usually require several years to soften and mature. In the warmer areas of Australia and California, shiraz exhibits an exuberant fruitiness, a more get along personality and a higher degree of alcohol. Same grape, two names, two personalities, go figure.

There are wonderfully exotic tales of where the syrah grape came from and how it got to France. One version includes the Phocaeans carrying vines all the way from the ancient city of Shiraz, Iran to Marseilles, France where it eventually found its way up the Rhone river. Another variation of that story has a Crusader carrying it back from Shiraz and planting it next to the famous chapel at Hermitage in the Rhone Valley. And we even have tales of the Romans getting in the act with an excursion involving the syrah plants coming from Syracuse, Sicily to France. Same grape, two names, two personalities, multiple stories, go figure.

Syrah’s true origins, confirmed through DNA analysis in the late 1990’s, demonstrate that syrah is the overachiever in its family. Turns out that it is the descendant of two obscure grape parents, the Dureza (papa grape) and the Mondeuse Blanche (mama grape) that both grow in France. So even though the other stories are much more interesting, it appears that syrah was born, grew up and until the 1800’s never traveled far from its home in France. Go figure

The Australians planted syrah cuttings from France in 1831. By the 1860’s it was an important red variety for them and by the 1950’s put Australia on the world wine stage. Somewhere along the way the name got changed from syrah to hermitage to its current name of shiraz. Might be as simple as a pronunciation problem, but no one is quite sure how or why. Go Figure.

Bottle King’s November wine of the month, The Seeker, is an Australian shiraz from the Barossa Valley . This area is synonymous with high quality and reasonably priced shiraz, and the Seeker does not disappoint. Its black/purple color and dark fruit and spice aromas give way to a smooth textured palate of blueberry, blackberry and spice. A perfect quaffing wine, it can also easily sit on your Thanksgiving table. And when the relatives ask if shiraz is the same wine as petite sirah you’ll have to tell them it’s not. But that’s a story for another day. Go figure.

Francis Mastrangelo
Bottle King Wine Consultant

The Misunderstood Brut

Perhaps from the title you’re expecting an analysis of the nuances of Mongo’s character in the movie Blazing Saddles. Nope, this is an overview explanation of another much loved though often not understood Brut ….. Champagne.

By trade treaty, a sparkling wine can only be called champagne if it is made in the Champagne region of France by using a specific process called ‘methode champenoise ‘. Otherwise, it is a sparkling wine and called by some other name (eg. Spain = Cava; Italy = Prosecco, Asti Spumante). However, the U.S. is not bound by this treaty so some producers, like Korbel, place the word champagne on the label. To the rest of the world Korbel is not champagne, it is a sparkling wine.

French champagne wine regulations permit the use of only three grapes, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. It may come as a surprise that the last two grapes are red and make up about three quarters of the planted acreage in Champagne. The champagne makers selection of grapes has a big impact on the characteristics and taste of the champagne. A ‘Blanc de Blanc’ or white from white champagne is made from chardonnay only and will be a crisp, leaner style. A ‘Blanc de Noir’ or white from black champagne is made from only red grapes and will have a fuller, rounder style. And a ‘Rose’ is usually made by blending the red Pinot grape juice in with the cuvee and produces a red fruited (strawberry, cherry) pinkish colored champagne.

If there is a year (Vintage) on the bottle then all of the grapes came from that year’s harvest. Otherwise the champagne may be a blend of several different years’ grape harvests. Vintage champagnes often benefit from some bottle age and when stored correctly are capable of lasting twenty to thirty years. Non-vintage champagnes are best consumed within a few years of their release.

The amount of sugar added to the cuvee and the corresponding sweetness level is indicated by the following : Brut – dry ; Extra dry – Semidry ; Sec – Semisweet ; Demi-sec – Sweet. Common misconceptions about these categories inspired the title of this article, as customers often choose Brut because they believe it to be sweeter than Extra dry. I firmly believe that if we choose more Extra dry and Rose champagne we would be enjoying our bubbly more and more frequently.

Bottle King has selected a wonderful Extra dry champagne for the holidays, the Mumm Carte Classique NV. This Extra dry style strikes an elegant balance between round fruitiness and vibrant liveliness. It will delight on its own or can be enjoyed with a wide variety of foods, including both appetizers and main courses. And you don’t have to wait until that New Year’s Eve toast to pop the cork, in fact, why not try one this weekend.

Francis Mastrangelo
Bottle King Wine Consultant

So Valpolicella Is A Place Not A Grape

The name Valpolicella is sometimes prominently displayed on a wine bottle label. Other times it may be on the label as a part of a longer phrase, such as Amarone della Valpolicella. In all cases Valpolicella or ‘ Val Polis Cellae’, meaning “the valley of many cellars”, indicates that the wine has come from a designated grape growing area near the city of Verona in Northeast Italy. The three main wines that come from the Valpolicella area are Valpolicella, Amarone and Recioto. All three wines contain a portion or all of the same red grapes from the region, Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara. The winemaking methods are quite different for each of the wines, resulting in a wide variety of flavors and textures.

Valpolicella is vinified using traditional methods, resulting in a lighter style, cherry flavored red wine that can show just the right amount of tartness to make it a great match with lighter tomato sauced foods. When the word Ripasso follows the word Valpolicella on the label then the wine has been enriched by the addition of dried grapes during the wine making process. These dried grapes add more texture, richness and flavors, making it a more suitable match with heavier styles of food.

Amarone della Valpolicella, generally recognized as one of Italy’s great red wines, is a distinctive taste experience that will either become love at first sight or leave you wondering why all the fuss. All of the grapes are dried for several months after the harvest to eliminate most of the water and super concentrate the sugars and flavors. The wine ferments until completely dry (no residual sugar) and the result is a thick, sappy, high alcohol taste experience that is like no other.

Recioto della Valpollicella is a dessert wine and is sometimes described as Italy’s answer to vintage Ports. It is actually the original wine from the area, back to Roman times when wines were made in a sweet style and high in alcohol so they would hold up under less than ideal conditions. The grapes are handled in a similar fashion to Amarone but the winemaker purposely leaves some residual sugar, resulting in a syrupy, velvety mouthful of fruit, alcohol and sweetness.

Bottle King’s wine for October, the Allegrini Plazzo della Torre IGT is a delicious wine that is made in the style of a Valpolicella Ripasso with a slight twist, it contains 30% dried grapes. The blending of the wine from the dried fruit gives Palazzo della Torre a wonderful richness, density and complexity. It tastes of black cherry jam, chocolate, licorice and other spices. This wine has been critically acclaimed for over a decade, earning Wine Spectator’s Top 100 wines ratings in five of the last nine vintages. It is also universally considered a lot of wine for the money.

Here’s an idea, as the cold weather of fall approaches, plan an evening to get to know these wines. Start with a light Valpolicella matched to Bruschetta and other appetizers, the Allegrini Plazzo della Torre with your favorite rustic pasta dish, an Amarone with a hearty meat dish like Veal Osso Bucco and finish with a delicious Recioto with some Gorgonzola and other cheeses. Two other suggestions if I could, don’t try this alone and stay away from the traditional Venetian choice of meat for your main dish.

Francis Mastrangelo
Bottle King Wine Consultant

Vineyard Block Estates….Whats the deal?

Whether you’re a wine consumer located in Northern New Jersey or you’re an advocate consumer of wine on the web you most likely have come by these bottles of wine with simple no frills labels. The concept behind Vineyard Block Estates starts when they purchase excess barreled juice from highly regarded yet anonymous wineries which have a surplus. Each vintage is unique in its own based on which appellation they are sourcing from and which winery. The Block label has made it possible to buy vineyard specific Cabernets such as Stag’s Leap, Rutherford and Yountville for under $25 a bottle when this juice is normally priced above $40. The wines are only available until the last bottle is sold. The first number of every block represents the appellation the juice is sourced from. Such as 713 for Stag’s Leap, 613 for Yountville, 214 for Oakville, etc. etc…

The story began only a couple of years ago with the labels first wine release, the 2004 Block 713 Stag’s Leap Cabernet. This wine put Vineyard Block Estates on the map. Not just because it was another Stag’s Leap Cab from an outstanding vintage but because it retailed for under $20. Stag’s Leap Cabernet at this price was unheard of and this was before the recession.

Since they Vineyard Block Estates has been release winner after winner and they have broken away from just the Cabernet varietal. Over the last two years we have seen the Block 106 Meritage and the Block 548 Russian River Chardonnay. Of course their true passion is with the Cab and you can look for the Block 214 from Oakville, Block 613 from Yountville and the Block 823 from Saint Helen.

Visit one of 14 Bottle King locations in New Jersey to pick up a bottle today.

Don’t live near NJ? Visit www.TheWineBuyer.com to order the latest release from Vineyard Block Estates and have it delivered right to your home or office.

Over 600 Years in the Making

The renowned Antinori family’s international wine business based in Florence, Italy is currently run by the 25th and 26th generation, a father and his three daughters. They offer more diverse, more innovative and more critically acclaimed wines than ever before in the company’s history. In addition to several wine estates and an enormous wine making presence in Tuscany, the Antinori’s maintain operations in Piedmont, Lombardy, Umbria and Puglia, Italy and Napa Valley, California.

The Antinori’s success is all the more remarkable when you consider that a recent survey found that only 15% of family businesses survive past the 2nd generation. Their story so exceeds just beating the odds that they are one of the oldest family businesses in existence. The enclosed link will take you to an April, 2009 60 Minutes news program piece on the family, their philosophy and their wine empire back (at http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/10/10/60minutes/main4514254.shtml ).

Bottle King is proud to offer a selection of the Antinori wines as the September/October 2009 winery feature. These seven white and red wines carry distinctive personalities while maintaining the typicity of their geographic origins. There is a wine for everyone and each offers exceptional value at a wide range of prices. For example, the Santa Cristina Sangiovese, a blend of Sangiovese and 10% Merlot, is an easy drinking, medium bodied red wine that will compliment your next pizza dinner. The Marchese Chianti Classico Riserva, a blend of Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon, is a more serious, full bodied and spicy Chianti that belongs on the table at that special Sunday gathering. And Tignanello, the innovation that started a revolution in Tuscany which improved the quality of all Italian wines. It represents Italian wine royalty and is the perfect idea for that wine collector friend or relative that seems to be so hard to surprise or please.

Entering their 635th year in the wine business, this is a very old and well established story that sets the standard for others to imitate. But with a visionary patriarch and three young, dedicated and talented winemaking women at the helm this also remains a very new and exciting story. Stay tuned ……

Francis Mastrangelo
Bottle King Wine Consultant