La Crema 2010 Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley

It’s no lie to say that the 2010 La Crema 2010 Pinot Noir had us flying high. After a frenzied week-long trip to San Diego for our annual conference, it was time to unwind. Unwind we did during a Royal Caribbean cruise to the Bahamas and Key West.

Joining Green Dragon and me were Ace of Bass and Glorious T and their son. One stereotype about cruising was certainly true – you can gain a pound a day if you aren’t careful. The meals in the dining room give you the option of several different appetizers, entrees and desserts. If fact, the servers encourage you to try more than one of each if you like. There’s also a nice wine list.

On this particular day, Green Dragon and I had gone on our first parasailing adventure during our stop at Coco Cay in the Bahamas. After enjoying snorkeling on the pristine beach, we hopped on a speedboat and bounced along the water.

We were then strapped into a harness and sitting on the back of the boat as the parachute was played out into the brisk breeze. Soon we were going up, up, up – like going up an escalator backwards.

It was a peaceful, exhilarating experience. While the water was choppy below – the ride hanging from a parachute five stories in the air was smooth as could be. 

When we touched down, it was time for dinner and some vino. One challenge for the person selecting wine is pairing just the right one with up to four different entrees. I reckoned that Pinot Noir would be the right move.

This Russian River Valley gem was certainly the right pick. This is a plush wine bursting with concentrated berry flavors. The wine has long black cherry flavor notes entwined with vanilla. It has a nice structure but maintains a graceful smooth texture.

Glorious T commented that Russian River Valley is one of her favorite wine regions. This part of Sonoma County is cloaked in coastal fog which protects the grapes from the sun and allows the fruit to ripen slowly.

La Crema Pinot Noir is as smooth as a parasail floating over crystal Caribbean waters. It is about $40 and is recommended.

Technorati Tags: wine,Russian River Valley

Rating: 4.5 of 5   Value: 3 of 5

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Wood County Humane Society Wine and Cheese Benefit Scheduled for June 1



Photo by Robert S. Donovan

The Wood County Humane Society's Wine and Cheese Benefit will be held Friday, June 1, in Olscamp Hall on the campus of Bowling Green State University from 6:00 to 10:30 PM. This is a relaxing, elegant evening where guests will enjoy a dinner of chicken or Portobello mushrooms, desserts and fine wines to benefit the animals in our community.

Also featured will be silent and live auctions with auctioneer Jerry Anderson from WTOL, Channel 11 and music by CK’s House of Music and the Joe Baker Band. Tickets are $45 per person.

For more information or to donate an auction item, please e-mail wchsevents@gmail.com . For tickets, use the order form at the Wood County Humane Society website.

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Yangarra Estate 2006 Cadenzia, McLaren Vale

The musically named Cadenzia is a red blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre. Although this classic combination is a hallmark of the Rhone region of France, the Yangarra GSM comes from the McLaren Vale area of South Australia.

I picked up this bottle at Anderson’s annual closeout. This year I decided that I would look for wines that were originally priced in the $20 to $30 price range and were significantly marked down. This bottle was purchased for $13 and was a very good value.

We popped it open with Sax Man and Wine Chick during an evening when the moon was full and at the closest point to the earth of the year. As the orangey moon emerged above the tree line and danced in and out of the clouds, Sax Man scrambled to set up his telescope. I dashed inside to get my binoculars (and also open this wine).

The image of the moon was a little blurry, but the Yangarra was really focused. It opened with a blast of herbaciousness and melted into a tasty blend of cherry and fig flavor notes. It is a juicy wine with medium body and a deep red color.

It was a great wine to savor on this moonlit evening – not too aggressive and with smoothness to show what makes Australian wines so appealing.

Technorati Tags: wine,Australian wine

Rating: 3.5 of 5   Value: 4 of 5

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Toledo Area Wine Tastings & Events: May 16-19, 2012

Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. Photo taken at Skillogalee Winery in the Clare Valley in 2006. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Wednesday, May 16
The Andersons, Sylvania, Wine Tasting. 6-8 PM. Red and White Blends: 1. Concannon Crimson & Clover, 2. Kitfox Foxy Red, 3. Kitchen Sink White, 4. Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc Viognier Flight $8 or nominal fee per sample.

Beer and Wine Cave, 4400 Heatherdowns, (419) 382-6221. 6-9 PM. Cabernet Sauvignon. $15.

Thursday, May 17

Andersons, Maumee, Wine Tasting. 5-7 PM. Fun and Affordable: 1. Quattro Leoni 2008 Vino Bianco Monferrato Italy DOC, 2. Castillo de Monseran 2009 Garnacha Carinena Spain, 3. Asunto Carmenere Chile, 4. Alta Alella 2005 Dolce Mataro Spain. Flight $4 or nominal fee per sample.

The Andersons, Talmadge Road. Wine Tasting. 6-8 PM. Our Annual Last Great Cabernet Tasting Before Summer: 1. Concha y Toro Grand Reserve – Chile, 2. Fitch Mountain Cellars - Alexander Valley, California, 3. Ben Marco - Mendoza, Argentina, 4. Obsidian Ridge Red Hills, Lake County, California, 5. Fritz - Dry Creek Valley, California, 6. Fransican Stylus - Napa Valley, California, 7. Regusci - Napa, California, 8. Beringer Kinghts Valley Reserve
Knights Valley, California. Nominal fee per sample.

Beer and Wine Cave, 4400 Heatherdowns, (419) 382-6221. 6-9 PM. Cabernet Sauvignon. $15. Come out and taste Jet's Pizza.

Corks Wine and Liquor, Promenade Plaza, 27250 Crossroads Pkwy., Rossford – (419) 872-6800. 6-9 PM. Nominal fee per sample.

TREO Wine Bar, 5703 Main St., Sylvania, (419) 882-2266. Wine & Cheese Thursday. Explore the wonderful world of wine and cheese. Try four different wines with a sample platter of the day’s cheese.

Friday, May 18
Aficionado Wine and Cigars, The Shoppes at RiverPlace, 26567 N. Dixie Highway, Suite 135, Perrysburg, (419-873-4444). 5:00 – 8:30 p.m. Italian Wines: 1. Terredora Dipaolo Falanghina, 2. Montaribaldi Moscato d'Asti, 3. Perazzeta Sara Sangiovese, 4. Tacchino Barbera del Monferrato. $15 tasting.

Saturday, May 19
Aficionado Wine and Cigars, The Shoppes at RiverPlace, 26567 N. Dixie Highway, Suite 135, Perrysburg, (419-873-4444). 5:00 – 8:30 p.m. Italian Wines: 1. Terredora Dipaolo Falanghina, 2. Montaribaldi Moscato d'Asti, 3. Perazzeta Sara Sangiovese, 4. Tacchino Barbera del Monferrato. $15 tasting.

The Andersons, Woodville Mall. 1-3 PM. Delicious New French Reds: 1. Gauthier Cotes du Rhone, 2. Chateau des Leotins Bordeaux, 3. Chateau les Terrasses de Bouey Bordeaux, 4. Les Forts du Moulin Syrah/Grenache blend. Flight $2 or nominal fee per sample.

Walt Churchill’s Market, 3320 Briarfield. Maumee, (419) 794-4000. 12 – 5 PM. Gigondas & Wines of the Southern Rhone in France. Fresh from the 1^st Ever ‘Unofficial’ Walt Churchill’s Market Wine Tour, our wine guy Austin Beeman has a new appreciation for Gigondas and that appellation’s role in the wines of the Rhone Valley. Come and taste these awesome red wines. They are dark and powerful, but also elegant and graceful. Premium tasting. Nominal fee per sample.

Walt Churchill's Market, 26625 Dixie Hwy, Perrysburg, (419) 872-6900. Wine Tasting. 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM. Nominal fee per sample.

AREA WINE BARS

• The Bistro at Maumee Wines, (419) 893-2525, 2556 Parkway Plaza, Maumee.
• Tres Belle Wine and Martini Lounge, (419) 874-4555, 3145 Hollister Lane, Perrysburg (Levis Commons).
• Zinful Wine Bar & Restaurant, (419) 878-9463, 7541 Dutch Road, Waterville.

Technorati Tags: wine

[Information on tastings can be sent to TWAV@ATT.NET.]

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Niagara, Ontario, To host the “The Rebirth of Cool” During Cool Climate Chardonnay Celebration

This July, the Niagara region of Ontario will once again welcome the world’s top cool climate Chardonnay producers to celebrate the rebirth of a seriously cool grape. Wine enthusiasts and food lovers are invited to discover and enjoy the many reasons to celebrate everything Chardonnay throughout a weekend full of activities from July 20th to 22nd, 2012.

“It’s about time we had a festival that celebrated the greatness that is Chardonnay” –says Eric Hamacher, Owner and winemaker at Hamacher Wines, Oregon.

The second annual International Cool Climate Chardonnay Celebration (i4C) will showcase over 110 cool climate Chardonnays. Guests will have the ability to ‘blend’ their own Chardonnay experience by choosing from twelve unique events over the three day celebration. Friday evening’s official Kick-Off Party will feature a wandering feast at Jackson Triggs where guests can meet all fifty-five winemakers, followed by a concert featuring a Juno-award winning band in the picturesque vineyard amphitheatre. Connoisseurs can participate in an in-depth winemaker discussion hosted by 2012 i4C Keynote Speaker Stephen Brook of Decanter Magazine on “Extreme Winemaking” then mingle with winemakers at one of eight gourmet

Chardonnay-inspired luncheons at some of Niagara’s most striking wineries. The i4c’s signature event – the Cool Chardonnay World Tour – offers the only opportunity to sample all 110 wines and is set this year in the stunning rhododendron gardens at the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre. After the tasting, guests can stroll to the al fresco Taste of Canada dinner and cap off the evening with dancing under the stars.

Chardonnay grown in a cool climate is “Chardonnay with vibrancy and life. When Chardonnay ripens properly in a cool environment, the fruit flavors are zesty and strong, but retains an acidity and minerality that makes the wine refreshing” says Michael Brajkovich, winemaker at New Zealand’s Kumeu River, one of 55 International and Canadian wineries participating in the event this July.

The 2012 i4C offers attendees the opportunity to discover the many ways that Chardonnay can be “cool” - from latitude and attitude to misty ocean breezes, from steep alpine vineyard sites to extreme variations in weather conditions. Guests will taste how these various “cool” factors affect Chardonnay, and can also participate in a “Chardonnay Boot Camp and Challenge” at the exclusive Vineland Research and Innovation Centre Sensory Lab. “Our goal is not only to celebrate this fabulous grape, but to empower our guests to discover more fantastic cool climate Chardonnays after the event weekend” says Ron Giesbrecht, winemaker at Henry of Pelham and i4c co-chair of the Educational Program.

Tickets and information are available at www.coolchardonnay.org. Until May 23rd, guests can enter for a chance to win a “Cool i4c weekend” – 2 passes to all i4c events with accommodation.

Technorati Tags: wine,Chardonnay,Ontario wines

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Evodia 2010 Old Vine Garnacha Calatayud

This Spanish wine comes from importer Eric Solomon, the same person who brought us the highly rated Las Rocas Garnacha several years ago. He has scored another direct hit with Evodia.

The wine is produced from old vine Garnacha (Grenache) grapes grown in the slate soils of the Calatayud region in Spain. As with most old vine wines, the vineyards produce less grapes with more concentrated flavors. The source is the highest elevated Garnacha vineyard in Spain.

Quite frankly, I was initially drawn in by the striking label. Upon further investigation, it seemed to be a cool Garnacha at a surprisingly low price.

The wine has pepper on the approach with medium body and noticeable tannins. Although black cherry plays a leading role, the overall impression is savory, with earth and mocha. This vino is a nice pairing with dark chocolate.

It’s a great value at less than $10 and an exotic choice for those whose red selections are usually limited to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Pinot Noir. Get caught up in old vine Garnacha!

Technorati Tags: wine,Grenache

Rating: 3 of 5   Value: 4 of 5

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