Moscofilero - One Greek Word You Should Know!

I'm the first to admit that I don't know a lot about Greek wine.  I'll also be the first to admit that I am happy to drink sweet wine (when it's tasty and balanced). When I came across this Skouras Moschofilero at a tasting I was pleasantly suprised.  It was a particularly hot day (yes, this was several months ago) and the slight sweetness, coupled with the honeysuckle aroma and crisp acidity also made this the crowd favorite.

After doing a little research I found out that Moschofilero (spelled several different ways but pronounced Moscow-fee-lay-rah) is a relative of the Muscat grape.  That would explain it's striking similarity to Moscato d'Asti and other Muscat wines.  There is the rosy and grapey nose, extremely floral and delicate like orange blossom.  There is a crisp acidity and a refreshing sweetness.  There's nothing complex going on, but its intense monodimensional floral/fruity fragrance is very satisfying.

This Moschofilero is made by the Skouras family and  grown in Arcadia.  The vineyards are high in the mountains on northern Pelepennese where it is harvested at night to preserve the delicate aromas.

The grapes are fermented in stainless steel vats. There is limited skin contact because the grapes are actually "grey" like a pinot-grigio and they can give the wine a rosy hue with more skin contact.

As you are preparing your winter feasts, think about this Grecian perfumed beauty.  Not only will it please your guests (most people enjoy drinking sweet wine even if they don't admit it). It's not so sweet that it will interfere with food. I think it would be quite tasty with turkey - not unlike a Gewurztraminer or even with a handful of Chex Mix as an aperitif!

price: $18 approx.

color: lemon yellow
nose: roses, violets, orange water, grapey goodness
palate: pleasant sweetness, honeysuckle, roses, blossoms

There once was a vodka from Nantucket... Triple Eight Cranberry flavored vodka

I was first introduced to Triple Eight vodkas three years ago in Massachusetts.  You know how I love to support a local economy, so I promptly bought a bottle of their blueberry vodka for my boyfriend.  We've become addicted.  Stoli Blueberi is pretty good, but the Triple Eight is amazing.  We add a little squeeze of lime, a little seltzer and there you go!  It's a gorgeous blueberry color too.

When I saw the Triple Eight Cranberry Vodka in a Boston area store, I snatched it up.  The possibilities are pretty endless.  I think I could have probably incorporated it into a Thanksgiving meal, but I chose to go the Cosmopolitan route.  My man fixed me up an amazing cocktail (see recipe below for Three Day Weekender).  Although this is a flavored vodka (compared to the infused blueberry version), the flavors are really nicely integrated and there is obviously no addition of artificial flavorings.  You can also feel good knowing that this is an artisinal product, done on a small scale, using local ingredients.

Triple Eight Distillers is located on Nantucket Island.  Dean and Melissa Long are the owners and distillers.  They use local grains (not sure which kinds, but there was a picture of corn on their website) to make the base vodka and local cranberries to flavor the vodka.  They pick the cranberries when they are in season and cook them with a bit of sugar and hot water before sending them to be pressed in a hydraulic press... YES - just like wine!  Then they store the juice for the winter and blend it in when they make the vodka.  Pretty awesome!

Their water source is drawn from  #888 well - that's what they named the vodka for.  They've only been around since 1997 and they have been growing in popularity ever since.   In addition to the straight vodka, they have 4 flavored vodkas; orange, cranberry, blueberry and vanilla (with bean).  They also make gin,  a rum and some bourbons. 

The Three Day Weekender
2 parts Triple Eight Cranberry Vodka
3 parts Cranberry Juice
1 1/2 parts Triple Sec
dash of Orange bitters

color: orangy, salmon
nose: bitter orange, cranberry, alcohol
taste: tart, orangish, cranberry

Little BittyVerdot- Petit Verdot from Gallante Vineyards 2007 Carmel Valley, California

We just came back from California and we skipped our usual jaunt out to Napa and Sonoma, and instead headed South for Monterrey, Carmel and Santa Barbara County.  It was charming, and beautiful and I only wish we'd had more time to explore.

On one gorgeous foggy evening we ate at a place in Pacific Grove called Passionfish http://www.passionfish.net/.  The food was amazing and the wine list was equally (if not more) so.  They wine prices we basically comparable to what you would find in a wine store AND  on top of THAT, he had cool, esoteric wines along with some of the famous-er ones.  I almost went into shock there were so many outstanding bottles for $50.  I settled on a Petit Verdot from a local vineyard; Galante Vineyards.  We'd seen their tasting room in Carmel-by-the-Sea ( no we didn't see Clint Eastwood).

The bottle was super squat, like a little weapon and the label looked like leather.  Apparently it's a picture of this leather work that someone at the winery does.  Well, I had never heard of Galante, I'm not too familiar with the wines from Monterrey at all, but I chose wisely!  It was 100% Petit Verdot and perfect.  I rarely see a stand alone Petit Verdot.  It's such a powerful varietal and can often be masked with way too much vanilla oakiness (yes, Australia - I'm talking to you!) 

This one was well crafted to say the least! There was a exotic tea and cardamom spiciness that I love about Petit Verdot in general, and then it was tempered with the right amount of oak so that a lushness and velvetiness was brought out.  If you ever see a straight Petit Verdot or any PV, you should grab it. I luuurve it's black cherry, raspberry, earthy, spiciness. Soo good!

Galante is a small family owned winery with cowboy souls. They've been making wine since 1983. The owner; Jack Galante knows his Monterrey micro climates and he's just trying to grow the best grapes for the land he has and make the best wine he possibly can. His great-grandfather; J.F. Devendorf actually founded the town of Carmel!

A little 411 on Petit Verdot:   This is one of the 5 blending grapes used in Bordeaux (along with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Malbec).  Winemakers tend to use this grape as chefs use seasoning. The "spice box" attribute of Petit Verdot gives a wine dense fruit, dark color, intense flavors, and heavy tannins.

Similar to Malbec and Carmenere (the 6th blending grape of Bordeaux back in the day), Petit Verdot is a late ripening grape -- so it doesn't always ripen well or consistently in cooler climates (like Bordeaux).  That's where it gets it's name too, Petit Verdot means "little green" referring to the little green berries that often do not ripen along with the other berries.  The most PV is grown in Australia now, and Chile and California also have a lot of plantings

Oh, and this was on the back label:

Cowboy Philosophy:  There are two theories to arguin' with a woman. Neither one works

color: inky violet/garnet
nose: cardamom, cinnamon, black cherry, wild raspberry, earthiness
palate: rich black cherry, vanilla spice, velvety tannins, liquorice

On the Dôle! 2007 Favre et Fils Dôle, Valais Switzerland

Rarely do I see a wine from Switzerland in a store.  Switzerland doesn't produce a huge amount of wine, so not much of it is exported.  When I saw this lone bottle of 2007 Dôle from the Valais (Favre et Fils), I grabbed it.   Unfortunately, I did not pair it with racelette, fondue, or a Swiss Colony snausage log.

A little background on Dôle.  It's not the name of a grape, it's the name of the wine.  Primarily made with Pinot Noir grapes, there is also some Gamay blended in. Yes, our little friend Gamay that is synonymous with Beaujolais.  Some of you will say... comment?  pourquoi would you mix Pinot Noir with anything, let alone Gamay?

For starters, the French have been doing it for 100's of years.  Sometimes you'll even see a bottle here; it's called Passetoutgrains (meaning literally, press all grapes).  Pinot Noir is found in Burgunday, and Gamay is the starring grape in the Beaujolais region due South. 

Back to Switzerland.  This wine is from the Valais region, in the southwestern part of the country.  Can't visualize... it's right above Northwest Italy.  Not surprisingly some of the same grapes like Pinot Noir and Petit Arvine grow well on both sides of these Alps.  At any rate, the famous Rhone river flows east to west through the valley creating steep slopes that equal awesome in wine growing terms.  It allows for maximum sun exposure in a place that can often be a little chilly.  I just got an image of a St. Bernard and a chalet.

This wine totally tastes like you think a blend of Gamay and Pinot Noir would taste.  It has a medium body, a brambly, cherry, and somewhat burnt molasses nose, and on the palate there is an earthiness, a slight bitterness and a big burst of black cherry.  It's the perfect harmony of the these two grapes.  I'm just not sure I want to drink a blend of these two grapes.  This Dôle was about $24 and I think I would have preferred an Oregon Pinot Noir or a Beaujolais Cru for that amount of money.  The novelty factor was very enjoyable and it made me happy to support the Swiss wine industry.  I know that there are amazing Swiss wines out there, and I will be happy to drink them when I find them!

color: dark black cherry red
nose: burnt sugar, boysenberry, black cherry
palate: lean and high in acid, earthy and minerally, black cherry

The Sweetest Aunt on the Top Shelf; Tia Maria!

I happened to belly up to a bar in Connecticut this weekend with some friends (you know who you are).  Since I was in a sweet mood, I ordered an Amaretto Sour for myself.  My boyfriend had a Tia Maria on the rocks and I couldn't stop drinking his drink.  Sorry! 

I don't generally like coffee flavored anything.  I am not a big coffee drinker in general.  This is why my high praise of Tia Maria really a huge accolade! 

So there is a crazy story that the brand would love you to believe that involves a Jamaican uprising in the 1800's, a rich noblewoman, and a loyal maidservant who managed to spirit out an old family secret recipe for a unique coffee liqueur.  We all know that a story is very important in selling; however, what we really need to know is how it tastes and what goes in it!

Tia Maria is a coffee liqueur made with the base of a sugarcane spirit.  Jamaican coffee, roasted coffee beans, vanilla, and sugarcane also go into the mix. Kahlua seems to me to be a little more mainstream.  The difference is that Kahlua is made from Mexican coffee instead of Jamaican and the neutral spirit base is different.  Although I can't seem to get onto their website, I'm guessing that it's a wheat or corn based neutral spirit as opposed to the sugarcane spirit base of Tia Maria.  The sugarcane gives a lightness to the liqueur.  Although Tia Maria is sweet, it's not cloying.

The color is cola brown.  It has a beautiful vanilla mocha aroma.  The palate has a rich coffee flavor along with a hint of chocolate.  It's really delicious!!! 

Maybe you think of Tia Maria as a throwback to the 1950's and 1960's.  Maybe you remember Iman's commercials from the 80's hawking it as a 'dark spirit'.  Perhaps you have a bottle of Kahlua instead.  I strongly recommend that you give ole' Auntie Maria a chance to be a sweet end to your meal!  or a starring role in a cocktail!  yum!

color: cola brown
nose: roasted coffee bean, cocoa powder, Mexican vanilla
                   palate: smooth coffee, not overly sweet, vanilla fudge

Funky Furmint

I was at Clo earlier last week.  It's a cool wine bar in the Time Warner Center on the 4th floor at the doorstep of PerSe.  They have over 50 wines in an oenomatic machine and you can buy a pre-paid card and get little tastes of this and that.  It's been unacceptably hot out lately, so I sauntered over to the white wine cases.   They had some cool things; Rieslings, Verdicchio, a gorgeous Sancerre, and a little nicely-priced Austrian wine made from the Furmint grape.  It's the Heidi Schrock Furmit from Austria.

Furmint is best known for producing the amazingly complex and sweeet Tokaji wines made in Hungary.  Those are awesome, but Hungary is also producing some dry wines made with Furmint, and so is Austria.   Heidi Schrock was one of the few winemakers that re-introduced Furmint to the Bergenland (borders Hungary anyway), her part of Austria, in the 1990's.  It's name has is from the french word "froment" meaning wheat.  It often makes a wheat colored wine.

They also had some nibbly-bits available at Clo.  I suppose it was Happy Hour after all.  I grabbed a few almonds and a little hunk of Parmesan, and they were the perfect accompaniment to my Furmint!  There is a certain honey and almondy quality about the nose of this wine and a bit of spice.  The palate has more of a quince-like, refreshing zesty quality to it.  It's also not a light bodied wine even though it looks like it might be.  You really get a bit of heft.  I thought it was really cool.  It was the first Furmint that I have tried (outside Tokaji) and I will try one again!

color: straw colored
nose: quince, honey, lanolin, linden flower, spiciness
palate: somewhat weighty for a white, definitely some heft and unctuousness, more quince on palate with a little lemon and pear, lots of minerality.  Great balance - very interesting.

Going Wild at the Winebar

When I am in Portsmouth New Hampshire I love eating at this amazing Spanish restaurant called Cava http://www.cavatapasandwinebar.com/.  It has a great atmosphere and the servers are knowledgeable and friendly.  The kitchen is exposed and you can eat at the bar that overlooks their cooking areas. It's great!

You wouldn't think that in New Hampshire you could have some of the best Spanish food, but it's true. Last year the entire staff went to Spain for 2 weeks and now their menu is inspired by their trip, and so is their wine list.

A few food highlights and then I'll move onto the wine.  Amazing variety of pinchos like dark chocolate on toast with sea salt and pistachio oil is a must have (dessert first, yes!) and here are a few other MUST HAVES:

• roasted medjool dates, manchego, serrano ham
• grilled asparagus & ramps, romesco sauce
• day boat scallop, plums, serrano chips, saffron
• ellensburg spring lamb loin with berbere spice, cantaloupe, almond, mint

 The food excels, and the wine list is also a lot of fun (would be more fun when my wine is on the list).  At any rate, I tried a few tastes of some different vinhos.  It was really perfect - just a few swallows. Lots of little things to drink and lots of little things to eat.  I love to try and break out of my comfort zone when I'm at a wine bar.  Most of the time they will offer tastes of their wines by the glass and that is really a perfect excuse to go wild and order away.  Take notes, at least take mental ones.

Here's what I drank:

El Perro, Verdejo, Spain.  Verdejo is a lovely crisp and minerally white grape from the Rueda region in Spain.   It is super refreshing.  This particular one had lovely lemon and apricot on the nose and was very crisp and clean on the palate.  I felt like I could drink an entire bottle, easily.

Sartori Ferdi Garganega, Italy - Garganega is a grape usually found lurking in your Soave.  It is medium bodied and smooth.  This one from Sartori Ferdi was pretty full bodied for a white, it had a lot of pear and honey on the nose, followed by honey and lemon on the palate. 

Losada Mencia, Spain - Mencia is one of my favorite grapes. It's a little off the beaten path.  It's from the Bierzo region in Spain near Madrid and makes wines that are spicy and rich.  This one was full bodied and earthy with aromas of blackberry.  It mirrored those same blackberry and brambly tastes on the palate.  Yummy yum. 

Clos St. Thomas Blanc, Lebanon - I ordered this one because it was from Lebanon and I love Chateau Musar from Lebanon so I had to try.  I was pretty disappointed when it came.  It was a blend of Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc and it tasted so overdone.  There were super-duper apricot and peach aromas and pear candy - it was like a gross fruit cocktail.  The palate was viscous and fruity too.  It's like Conundrum, if you've ever had the misfortune to try that.  Yuck, stay away!

Drinking En Rose!! Channing Daughters Merlot Rosato 2008

I always scan the Rosé section of stores.  I'm always on the look-out for something new and exciting.  This summer, I have not been disappointed.  Retailers in NYC are stepping up their Rosé sections and I appreciate it!

Poo Poo New York State wines all you want and poo-poo Merlot!  I dare you to try this Merlot Rosato and I dare you not to love it.  This is created from 100% hand-harvested Merlot that is then fermented in stainless steel tanks.  A little over 600 cases were made so if you see a bottle; grab one!  I just bought some on their website. https://www.channingdaughters.com/about.php  Buy some so I don't have to share with you!  They also make a Cabernet Sauvignon Rosato, Cabernet Franc Rosato, AND a Refosco Rosato! 

You may say, "Why Rosato and not just Rosé? What's the deal?"  Rosato is Italian for Rosé.  I know, the last time you checked Long Island's second language was not Italian.  However, the Channing Daughter's Winemaker is heavily influenced by Italian varietals and winemaking methods.  Try their Ramato Pinot Grigio - an "orange wine" made by fermeting the Pinot Grigio on their skins.

 Don't be afraid, they don't just make nerdy wine-geek wines, but Channing Daughters has been quietly pushing the envelope every since they started in the early 1980's.  From the beginning they have been experimenting with different grape varietals with the hope that they will pair the perfect grape with it's ideal terroir.  They were spot on with this Merlot Rosato!

Long Island is suited to Merlot.  This Merlot Rosato is no exception.  It has a beautiful balance of fruitiness and minerality.  It is crisp and yet medium bodied.  It has character and style, and when I served it at my house last Friday (a particularly steamy night), it was gone in about 15 minutes.

Try Channing Daughters' Wines whenever you have the chance, or go out and visit them.  They will not disappoint.


color: pale pink
nose: strawberry, red plum
palate: mineral, crisp, lively, watermelon, spiced strawberry, red plum

Limoncello in Maine? You Bet!! Street & Company's Housemade Limoncello

I'll be honest with you... Portland Maine is one of the last places that I thought that I would sample some of the best limoncello of my life.  I've been to Ischia, Naples, Sorrento, Vibo Valencia, Cosenza, Siracusa, Agrigento, etcetera.  What I mean to say is that I've headed out to Southern Italy where literally everyone and their nonna make their own limoncello.  They are surrounded by lemon trees! What do you expect?

Having been to Italy, and having sampled nonna-made limoncello passed down from generation to generation,  you can see why I feel a little guilty for loving a limoncello made on the east coast of the USA.  It's not even from Florida!  Mamma Mia! It's from Maine!  We can't help who/what we fall in love with.  I'm telling you, it is superior.  This extraordinary limoncello can be found at a cool Portland restaurant called Street & Company.  Some of you may be familiar with their famous sister restaurant Fore Street Restaurant.  If you are in Portland, Maine you MUST go!! Look at their Menu: http://www.streetandcompany.net/menu

This is made mainly (no pun intended) by the bar manager Mark, who has NEVER even been to Italy before!! He's never experienced the sun dappled lemon grove of Sicily or the ripe sweet scent of the lemon as you pluck it off the tree in Campagnia stare off into the Mediterranean and bring it home to Zia Rita to make into her famous-in-the-village limoncello.  Yeah, I still feel really guilty.  However, good is good no matter where it comes from and this was my kinda limoncello!!!

Perche? What makes this so good?  It is a perfect balance of sweet and tart, lightness and viscosity, acid and sugar. It's like the perfect lemonade - except potent and  in tiny little glasses.  What makes the housemade limoncello at Street & Company so great it that it has a balance that I have not experienced yet in limoncello.  I said potent earlier, and this is indeed alcoholic, but it didn't taste like lemon Pledge rocket fuel as so many do.  It was fresh and subtle, natural and zesty.  It was totally in keeping with the food on their menu.  Clean flavors, great products, fresh, fresh and fresh.

Now that you know where to get the best, let me give you a little 411 on Limoncello in general.  This is usually made from a neutral grain spirit - like vodka and lemon zest is added to sugar and water and then left to steep in the booze for up to 3 months.  Everyone has their own magical cut off time, and honestly if I had been less tipsy at Street and Company, I would be able to tell you their secret formula.   Really all you need to know it that it should be served chilled and frosty.

If you ae interestested in making your own (and then inviting me over to sample) check out this website:

http://whatscookingamerica.net/Beverage/Limoncello.htm

Torrontes Tasting - 100% Organic Boxed and/or Bubbly Yellow+Blue Torrontes 2009 & Familia Schroeder Deseado Sparkling Torrontes

Spring is finally here!  Even in New England (which is where I am at the moment).  Some wines just scream SPRING to me and one of those is the emblematic Argentine grape; Torrontes.  Just like it's signature black grape cousin; Malbec, I am seeing Torrontes more and more on menus and I am seeing it represented more and more in wine stores.  This is a good thing! It certianly gives us an alternative to Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc and encourages us to be keep our palates open to aromatic varietals like Albarino, Gewurtztraminer and Viognier. 

There are many good examples of Torrontes out there in the market today - most ranging from 10-20 dollars.  I am focusing on two today; The Yellow and Blue Torrontes $13 (1 liter tetrapack ie, boxed wine) and the Sparkling Torrontes Deseado Saurus from Familia Schroeder in Patagonia $35.  Some say that Torrontes is an indigenous varitetal to Argentina, but most sources I could find (including the website) say that it is from Spain and in the Muscat and/or Albarino family. However, Torrontes is fairly exclusive to Argentina and it is a very drinkable and very aromatic grape.

I used to thumb my nose at boxed wines - and still do at Franzia... sorry!  However, there are tons and tons of very good "bag-in-a-box" wine and tetra-packed wine.  Yellow+Blue is a great example of innovative marketing married with good drinkable wine.  Bottles are heavy to ship and the heavier the load; the more expensive the bill.  If the winery can cut back on some of that weight (ie, the bottle weight) then the savings go to the consumer and back to the winery. Oh, and you get a liter of wine instead of the normal 750ml.  I should have mentioned that first.... YOU GET MORE WINE!!!

The name... Yellow and Blue....what does that make?  That's right, children: GREEN!!!  Of all the gimmicks out there - I completely buy into this one.  This is wine made from biodynamic (ie, super-organic) grapes served in biodegradable packaging, and it tastes pretty good, too.  The Yellow+Blue Torrontes is very true to it's varietal.  Very delicate and aromatic.  Beautiful floral notes with tinned peach and mandarin orange aromas.  It's dry on the palate thankfully and still that orange water and apricot carries through. 

From this boxed wine we move onto another suprising representation of this grape; this time a bubbly version.  I encountered the Deseado Saurus  Sparkling Torrontes at a trade show on Cape Cod.  My Massachusetts distributor; Arborway represents it.  I, true to form, was sampling others' wares and fell in love at first sip.  Firstly, I'd not been aware of sparkling Torrontes.  B, it was a little sweet.  In conclusion, I was smitten!

This wine is a boutique family owned winery in the Patagonia area of southern Argentina.  They grow the grapes organically.  They hand harvest all of the grapes.  They are amazing.  What does Deseado mean?  That's the name of the river that flows through the region.  And Saurus... well that's for the dinosaur bones they excavated when they were building the winery.  Uh huh!  Just gives you an idea of the age of that terroir!

The sparkling Torrontes is light, it's done in the traditional Champagne method (charmant) so the bubbles are relativly small.  There is a cleaness and brightness to the wine.  There is a touch of sweetness.  It's not as cloying as a moscato d'asti, but it has that same fragrance of orange blossom and sweet limeade.  I thought it was gorgeous.

 

 

A NASA inspired Vodka? Rangtang Vodka from Three Olives

In my travels through the Northeast I visit hundreds of wine and liquor stores, bars and restaurants and every month, it seems like there is a new flavor of vodka out in the market.  Pear and Acai/Blueberry are old news of course, but what about Bubblegum and Rootbeer? Those two are from Three Olives.  Smirnoff (the #1 vodka internationally in volume) just came out with Espresso and Rootbeer in addition to their line of 15+ flavors of vodka.

Last week I was in a tapas place called Embargo on Cape Cod when I spied the frosty orange Rangtang vodka from Three Olives perched on the bar.  I asked the bartender and he said that he didn't even know about it!  Then he tossed some ice in a shaker, poured the Rangtang and gave me and my compadres a chilly shot.  Very cool of him!

We all were not particularly impressed!

Let me tell you - it smelled and looked exactly like Tang.  That's not a negative comment - It was kind of an alcoholic twist on a childhood favorite.  I haven't had Tang since 1987.   Their press calls it a "mixture of juicy oranges and tangerines". Ahh I get it!  oRANGes and TANGerines!  To me, it tasted like a pre-mixed drink of Tang with vodka.  The vodka was pretty rocket-fuel smelling at that.  Even the juicy orange and tangerine couldn't mask it.

Three Olives, I think is a tragic name for flavored vodka line.  However, it's very popular and they are certianly a major contendor for shelf and bar space.  Three-O(as they like to be referred to) is  from England and their wodka is distilled from wheat (aspirate that 'wh' please)  This Rangtang is the first in the line to be colored and the bottle looks a little more jazzed up their their other bottles.  I've seen Grape, Chocolate, Bubble, Rootbeer, Citrus in the market a lot, but they also have Cherry, Watermelon and Tomato! 

I'm glad I didn't buy a bottle out of curiosity's sake from a wine store.  I won't be drinking it again even though I certianly don't thumb my nose at flavored vodkas.  I'm a HUGE fan of Charbay (Meyer Lemon, Grapefruit, and Green Tea) and Van Gogh (Pineapple, Green Apple, and Espresso) and Grey Goose Poire.   I thought the Rangtang Three Olives tasted syntheic and cheap.  Judging from my drinking companion's O-faces, they agreed. We were not convinced!!

I take it back...I may drink it again, but only as a shot called the Fuzzy Astronaut - a classic cocktail made with Tang, peach schnapps and vodka.  I think the Rangtang could just be mixed directly with the schnapps for the same effect!!

On a different artificial flavoring vodka that is celebrating it's artificial flavors, apparently this is a HOT TREND!! Infusing vodka with Skittles!! Hello summer project!!!   I can't wait to taste that rainbow!

http://mixthatdrink.com/skittles-vodka-tutorial/

Rangtang Vodka, Three Olives
color: creamy orange, frosty tangerine
nose: Tang powdered drink mix
palate: Tang mixed with rubbing alcohol

Maine Root Sodas (WWSKD part II) Mandarin Orange, Blueberry and Lemon Lime

I'm on a huge Maine kick at the moment.  Between reading Stephen King's The Dome (you can also use it as a dumbell - it's over 1,000 pages) and visiting Portland,  the Allagash brewery, and local restaurants,  you could Kathy Batesian say that I'm their number one fan. 

Earlier this year I said goodbye to an old friend... actually a couple of old friends.  You might know them too: Diet Dr. Pepper (known as DDP in this house) Diet Coke, and the occasional Diet Pepsi.  I said goodbye to that whole subspecies at the urging of several real people friends (you know who you are).  I still have an occasional Coca Co' if the mood strikes me, but it's rare.

I really splurged when I saw these sodas from Maine whilst working the Nantucket market earlier this week.  The cool rep I was with (her name is Leslie and she also has an amazing wine store on Nantucket - check it out http://www.thecellarnantucket.com/) took me to the Dancing Pickle http://www.thedancingpickle.com/
where I couldn't resist several things - among them; these three sodas.

These beauties are from Maine.  They are made with organic and fair trade pure cane sugar. I have had Boylan's sodas and they are OK. I've never been completly or overly wowed by them.  I generally find their stuff too sweet... I know - I didn't think it was possible that I would EVER say that.  Anyway, one thing I loved about Maine Root was their subtle and delicate flavors.  My favorite was the Mandarin, followed by the Lemon Lime and then the Blueberry - which was more of a novelty for me.  I'd love to try the Root Beer.  

These are completly artisinal sodas, they happen to be organic and made with fair trade products, but they are still good.  They are not like those faux sugary cereals at Whole Foods like Panda Puffs - that look like Cocoa Puffs but are just lame wannabes,  Now these are really delicious beverages that just happen to be organic.  Just a nice excuse to feel good while you're drinking it!  Not only are you supporting a cool company, but you're greenly responsible to boot!!

Mandarin:  color: tangerine nose: delicate clementine, citrus palate: sweet orange, but not cloying, refreshing and crisp!

Lemon Lime color: lemon yellow nose: fragrant, zesty, lime rind,  palate: zesty and sweet lemons also not cloying - very refreshing

Blueberry  color: purply blue  nose: fresh blueberries and the same scent as Stoli Bluberry w/o alcohol palate: blueberry pie, hint of lime a little sweeter than the above two.

Fee Brother's Rhubarb Bitters -

I had an amazing beverage last weekend.  It wasn't a fancy expensive wine or a cool microbrew beer.  It was home-made seltzer and bitters!!  Our new friends, Emily and Josh saw me eyeing their shelf o' booze during a cut throat game of Pictionary Man.  I spied the Rhubarb bitters and Emily jumped up and said "You have to try this - it tastes just like Dr. Pepper".  Well, I love Dr. Pepper so I was game.  She then went over to their Seltzer Maker... yes you heard me - they have their own soda maker in their house (I ordered mine about 24 hours later) - she carbonated a glass of NYC's finest tap and sprinkled a couple of drops of Fee Brother's Rhubarb bitters and the rest was fruity tart goodness!

I'm not very familiar with the world of bitters so I tried to do a little research.  The Fee Brothers are from Rochester NY and they have a whole huge line in addition to the traditional flavors, or rather the bitters that I was familiar with: Agostura and Orange.  They also have mint, peach, lemon, grapefruit and Aztec chocolate.  The Bitter Truth also has cool flavors like Mole and Celery.  The Fee's website is not particularly helpful with info about their products and/or recipes.  Here's what they awesomely say about the Rhubarb Bitters: 

The delicate flavor of Rhubarb combined with other flavors available in 1800's America.

Don't know anything about bitters?  Here's the quick history.  They were originally used as medicine, curing digestive issues and nausea, and the old mal-de-mer, It's not too different from amari like Fernet-Branca, Averna, and Strega.  People used to just consume the bitters solo,it wasn't until the late 1700's that  people started adding them to cockatils ( so says this cool how-to-make bitters blog http://spiritsandcocktails.wordpress.com/2008/04/22/how-to-make-bitters/)   

Basically bitters are made by macerating herbs, spices, and/or fruit in alcohol.  It doesn't have to be macerated in booze, but it greatly increases the shelflife. You only use a couple of dashes of bitters, so their alcohol content isn't usually noticable, but it can be quite high - around the 40 proof area. 

I ordered all 9 bitters from Fee's from Amazon-- and I can't wait to use them to season my seltzer and my cocktails.  I read once where bitters should be used like salt and pepper to raise a cocktail to another level and to bring out flavor and complexity.  I really like that!  Stay tuned for more bitters revelations.. I might even make my own this summer!!  I saw a recipe for cardamom vanilla bitters... sounds amazing!

color: pinky red

nose: I don't remember!!!

taste: I only tried it in the seltzer - but it was tart, rhubarb, cherry and cranberry yumminess

Allagash Beers - a trip to Portland Maine! WWSKD (what would Stephen King Drink?)

The last time I visited (which was also the first time) Portland, Maine I had a fantasico food and alcoholic beverage combo... Duck Fat fries and Allagash White Beer.  It was a crisp, cool and fragrant orangy beer that cooled down the spicy and perfectly crisp fries... yes that had been fried in duck fat.  It really turned me on to the beer. This time 'round, I drove so I figured I could load up on a few 4-packers of Allagash.  Well, with a few hours to spare, my thirsty mother along for the ride, we just went and visited the brewery!  Why not!  The prices were amazing, we got a tour and tasting, and I left with more than a four pack!

Allagash is not a huge operation.  They started in 1995 and even up to three years ago, they only had 6 employees.  Now there are more than 20.  If you've never had or never heard of Allagash, go out and find some!  I will tell you that they make delicious Belgian inspired beers. They make some Trappist style ales, wheat beers, and some barrel aged beers as well.  They get their bourbon barrels from Jack Daniels because the owner loves him some Jack! These are definitely hand-crafted, lots of love and care, thought and trial and error is going into these beers.  They are also using 100% wind generated electricity, so you can feel ever better about this beer!

We sampled 4 during the tour:

Allagash White - traditional wheat beer this has been brewed with orange peel and coriander. color: cloudy, lemon yellow nose: very frangrant, citrusy/ palate: crisp, honeysuckle, spiced citrus -- subtle. VERY refreshing!  yum!!! This is their best seller - it accounts for 70% of their sales.

Allagash Dubbel - darker in color, made with 5 different toasted malts. Rich and slightly bitter, a distinct toasty espresso finish. color: dark mahogany nose: toasty slightly pleasantly burnt brioche palate: roasted coffee, chocolate, toasted malt

Allagash Tripple - this is one of those celebration ales that those wild and crazy monks would drink.  It's higher in alcohol -- closer to 9% so you can really rock the monastery! I really liked this one too.  color: golden nose: herbal, passionfruit, honey palate: slightly bitter with a counterbalance of crisp fruit.  really tasty!

Allagash Fluxus 2009 - Every year the experimental folks at Allagash come out with a new beer under the Fluxus line.  Even though the ingredients of the brew may change, it is always a saison style (traditionally a lower alcohol beer, consumed during the summer months by farm hands who were entitled to 5 liters of beer a day during the harvest season. They were generally brewed in the previous winter with a lot of hops - which has preservative and antiseptic properties) The 2009 is brewed with sweet potato and black pepper.  I am a HUGE sweet potato fan, but there really isn't a sweet potato taste as much a creaminess to the beer which is so smooth and luscious - that I don't care what it was brewed with.  color: golden/slightly orange a la sweet potato nose: honey and citrus  palate: citrus, papaya.  Also for every bottle sold they donate a BUCK to pediatric nurse scholarship!

In NYC you can buy most of these at Whole Foods. Let me know what you think of them!

http://www.allagash.com/

Weinhof Scheu - Grauer Burgunder 2007 - no Pfaulting this Pflaz wine!

                                            Ja! I love white wine.  I usually stay away from German wines, because I still can't navigate the label correctly.  Last week, I found myself in Winestone http://www.winestone.net/, a fantastic and smart wine store in Chesnut Hill neighborhood near Boston. Patrick, the owner nudged me towards this slim bottle.  I was drawn to the Burgunder part of the name.  I know Weissburgunder is Pinot Blanc and trocken means dry, but that's about all the German I know besides Weingut (winery) and maybe Sacher Torte.  Okay, so I know quite a bit!  At any rate, I thought I had discovered a new varietal.  I was thinking it would be some kind of exotic Traminer or Veltliner variation in the Pinot family.  Patrick patiently endured my jibber jabber and said, "That's Pinot Gris, and it's very good".

Pinot Gris eh, the doppelganger (ooh another German word) of Pinot Grigio.  I'm no huge fan of that bulk lemon water (as a colleague of mine calls it) but this was a $20 bottle, it looked serious and the owner of the store looked seriously trustworthy! 

First of all, let me tell you about this bottle, it's minimalistic and has manageable German words on it.  The winery is Weinhof Scheu, the region is Pfalz.  It's a Kabinett - that means it's of a certian quality and it's Troken (dry).   Pfalz is the second largest wine growing region in Germany and it's really close to the border of France where Alsace is.  It's no wonder then why Riesling is not the overlord here in Pflaz.  There is a lot of Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, Traminer, Scheurebe, and Muller Thurgau and of course, Pinot Gris.   There are a lot of small growers and sassy wine makers.  This bottle also come with a cool glass enclosure (see photo -- btw - not actual bottle I drank)

I cracked this bottle open this week on St. Patrick's Day (it IS a green bottle) while my mutter is in town visiting.  This Pinot Gris ahem.. Grauer Burgunder was delicious.  Perfect everyday wine, aromatic, weighty enough, a gorgeous copper color, with a palate and nose full of spiced poached pears and yellow apples.  The acidity was balanced and at 12.5% alcohol - it goes down effortlessly! 

If you're in NYC you can get this at Astor.

www.astorwines.com/SearchResultsSingle.aspx?p=1&search=22338&searchtype=Contains


color: copper, bronzy
nose: spicy pears, lychee, and yellow apple
palate: lychee, roasted pear and sweet baking spices

Got Malbec Fatigue? Try Bonarda! Familia Mayol Bonarda 2006

I don't want to bad mouth any grape and I don't want to gossip.  It's just that... everyone is CooCoo for Malbec and I feel like there are a lot of one-dimensional Malbecs out there riding the It-Wine Wave at the moment. Malbec is loveable with it's blueberry raspberry richness.  It certianly is accessible - and I'm not saying that's not appealing... I'm just saying that there are other things that South America has to offer.  There's chocolaty dense Tannat from Uruguay.  There is the raspberry tobacco Carmenere from Chile.  What's that?  You want to stay in Argentina?  Fine!  Try a Bonarda.  It was until recently the most widely planted red grape in Argentina.

There is some dispute about Bonarda's origins.  Some say it's Uva Rara from the Peidmont region of Italy (can be blended with Nebbiolo in Gattinara) and other's say it's from the Savoie regioion of Alpine France under many names (Corbeau or Douce Noir, etc.)  I think it's beautiful that there is dispute as everyone always describes Buenos Aires to me as a mix of Rome and Paris.  Parfait/perfetto! 

I grabbed this Bonarda from Familia Mayol today at a small Massachusetts retailer (who was also selling Girl Scout cookies behind the register) and after looking on-line at the prices - looks like I overpaid - $18.99 where most places are charging $14.99.   Even though I paid too much, I still enjoyed this wine.  That's the true test, isn't it?  The rich black cherry/ berry were a divine match with my tamales.  There were sweet baking spices on the nose, but it didn't over power the palate.   I think this would also be a great pizza and burger wine.  It's a great grape to add to the easy drinkin' arsenal!

Verdict: go against the grain! I root for this underdog, unassuming Bonarda!

color:  dark purple
nose: plummy spice, cinnamon blueberry
palate: rich, vanilla plum blackberry spice

Sommelier To-Go! 4 Wines in 40 Words - Chile Week!! Odjfell, Aresti, Terra Andina & Vina Tarapaca

Its been over a week since the tremendous earthquake in Chile.  We can all do our part to donate to help heal, repair and rebuild.  We can also help by supporting their economy.  Lucky for us, there is an enormous selection of Chilean wine and A LOT of it is pretty darn tasty.   

I'm introducing a new format where I talk about 4 different wines using only 40 words (it's a challenge for a chatty gal like me!).   This segment is dedicated to Chile.  These are four wineries that are not super dooper mass produced commercial wineries.  They are a little under the radar in some cases, family owned in some cases, and interesting varietals in other cases.  One thing they all have in common is that they are all around or well under $20.  They are all really good and they all over-deliver for the price. Most of these wines are available here in NYC at Puro Chile, the all-Chilean wine store downtown.  If you haven't gone yet - you must check it out!!  http://www.puro-wine.com/eng/

Here's my Sommelier To-Go advice for you all:  Explore Chile.  Drink wine from Chile -- your dollar will go far... oh! It will go VERY far!!!  Salud!

Vina Aresti Gewurztraminer 2008 - Lively. Feisty. Floral.  Lemony rose petals. Dares to be different

Vina Tarapaca Gran Reserva Merlot 2006 - Smooth. Blackberry sweet spice cobbler. Raspberries and cream,  Guilty pleasure

Terra Andina Reserva Carmenere 2007 - Lush. Violets.  Cardamom roasted plum and pepper.  Velveteen.  Seductively delicious.

Odjfell Carignan 2007 - Intriguing tart cranberry raspberry spice. Delicate note of earthiness, pure!

Rose Sneak Attack! Calcu Rose Cochagua Valley, Chile 2008

I found this gorgeous bottle of Rose at Puro-Chile a new wine store in NYC that only sells Chilean wine (http://www.puro-chile.com/).  It's awesome - and next door they sell very cool Chilean products like honey, avocado oil, chutneys... I am a sucker for chutney! 

So when I opened this the other night with my friend Catherine, it made me think of the study my boss told me about. He mentioned that these testers tinted white wine to make it red and stripped away color to make a red wine appear white. The wine scholars would still note “hints of plum” on the “red wine” even though it was only a tinted white wine. We often judge more from sight and then compensate for taste based on our expectation. I know that if I’ve spent $80 on a bottle of wine at a restaurant, I want to make sure I enjoy it - $80’s worth!

As I vigorously inhaled the aromas of the wine I became perplexed.  Let me tell you what I was drinking... it was a Calcu Rose 2008 made from Malbec (50%), Carmenere(40%), and Syrah(10%). Even though the color was pink lemonade pink, I still was expecting a fuller bodied rose because of these heavy hitter red varietals. Catherine sipped it first and told me that she smelled a lot of sulphur. I thought she might just be experiencing a barnyard-y quality from the Syrah. Yes, I assumed she was wrong (it goes back to the study mentioned above - people who claim to be "in the know" come out with different expectations), but she wasn’t wrong. Initially, there was a lot of sulphur on the nose, but it blew off and what was left was not berry, or hints of plum, or raspberry. It was GRAPEFRUIT!  Pink Grapefruit to be precise - a little Indian River to be exact! Grapefruit is something I would normally attribute to a fresh and zesty white- like a Sauvignon Blanc.

Respectable rose is made by allowing red grapes minimal contact with their skins (that’s where red wine gets its color and also where that miracle Reversitrol is located). Sometimes, in very frownie faced situations, Rose is made by blending white wine with a touch of red wine. This Rose drank so much like a white wine that I thought it might have been blended with some Sauvignon Blanc, but there was a backbone of very tart cranberry and wild strawberry that made me reconsider.   Also, the name.  Calcu means  magician in the Mapuche language.  There was definetly a little sorcery at work in the bottle.

Even though this rose was not what I expected, I tried to keep an open mind (it was fantastic with my blue cheese, pecan pear salad.  I fought to not let my expectations get in the way of my wine enjoyment and experience.  Hmmm as Stan Marsh would say, " I think we learned something today!"

And then... she ordered a beer! La Fin du Monde by Unibroue

The other day I was cozied up to the bar at a French bistrot by Columbia University.  It was a cold New York February afternoon and if you used a little imagination, you might have believed you were in Montreal.  I ordered the Moules Frites and instead of checking out their wines by the glass I looked at their beer menu. Given my Canadian faux realite it seemed like the right thing to do!

They had a lot of cool Belgian beers and craft beers. I couldn’t resist – I was overwhelmed by the list – but they had good descriptions (I imagine) of each the beers – so I ordered the Fin du Monde because it promised to be floral and aromatic.

Appropriately, it was poured in its designated glass and that description was no lie – it was floral without being perfumy and it was quite aromatic. It was citrusy, spicy, caramelly and fragrant. With the salty fries and the shallot /garlic butter-broth goodness; it was a perfect pairing! The Fin du Monde (a trappist style Golden Ale) was refreshing and yet substantial. I totally left with a buzz – it made it that much easier to brave the subway!

This is a Canadian beer from a microbrewery called Unibroue. They are pretty serious about their craft beers and they triple ferment this beer in the bottle according to ye olde tradition. They don't completely filter everything out of the beer.  That's why savvy servers take their time in gingerly pouring these trappist style ales.  The lees (dead yeast cells) are at the bottom of the bottle.  However, this adds to the flavor profile, you get your vitamin B, and it adds to the logevity of the beer.  The company states that the beers can last up to 9 years.  Whoah!  Oh and it's 9% alcohol (similar to a sweet German Riesling or a Vinho Verde) that's more boozy than the average beer bear!

If you see these in the craft beer section of your store - give it a shot.  Craft beers are gaining more and more shelf space in the liquor stores and supermarkets.  It's easy to see why.

http://www.unibroue.com/products/fin.cfm

Color Blond like me


Palate Smooth, slightly tart with the balanced flavors of wild spices, malt and hops


Aroma: Caramelized orange, cardamom, brioche