In last week’s column on Madeira, I didn’t mention much about the way it was aged — and didn’t really mention much about the way Madeira was aged in last week’s column and that is an integral part of the story, even with younger wines.
Gone are the days when Madeira casks make six-month voyages on warm ships. Today, estufagem, which is the process of deliberately heating wine, is employed.
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Madeira is the world’s eighth wonder.
Created pretty much by accident, it is the longest living of all wines, even outlasting elephants and turtles. What makes Madeira so special is not just its mountain terroir, but also the process by which it is made.
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Here’s the deal with Thanksgiving: It is really a hodge-podge of a bunch of different foods, and there is not any one wine that universally works well with sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry relish, overcooked green beans and turkey. So, as is the case with most wine-and-food pairings, the protein takes center stage, with the bird being the dish that needs a most suitable mate.
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While I don’t think Champagne really has a season, we are getting to that time of year when corks inappropriately pop with abandon and bubbly is the toast of the town.
Champagne is in a class unto itself. Other great sparkling wines are made, but few are as complex and seductive as Champagne. Those that match it are usually just as expensive, and I’d rather have the real thing.
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Hard to believe it, but once again, it is truffle time. These dear little fungi fetch a pretty penny, so this year, many of us might be relegated to the joys of truffle salt or olive oil infused with truffles instead of the real thing.
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Today is the finale of the 2011 summer rosé trilogy. Rioja was first, back in June, then came domestic pink wines in July, and before we head into real fall weather, let’s go to the Loire Valley.
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As a former history major, I think that in order to fully appreciate the present, you need to grasp what came before.
I never wanted to be an obituary writer, but as a wine journalist I need to honor two people, Joe Dressner and Robert Finigan, who recently passed away. Both of these men had an impact on the wine industry that has been and will continue to be felt for years to come.
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It almost seems like an obligation to write about Sancerre once a year, though it may actually be longer since I last mentioned this popular appellation.
Located in the eastern part of the Loire Valley, Sancerre has become the standard for Sauvignon Blanc. In the way that California chardonnay producers may say their wine has Burgundian characteristics, you will hear folks even in New Zealand try to grab the Sancerre–like mantle at times.
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In spite of the glut of tourists, a lot of the really good wineries in the Napa Valley do not have public tasting rooms. With some wineries, getting an appointment is as easy as sending an email; however, many require the taster to be in the wine or hospitality industry. Many producers are small, do not have tasting rooms and lack the human resources to accommodate the general public.
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Everyone seems to have a food allergy these days. I have an allergy chart with my friends’ names on it, listing the various things they cannot eat — lest I have a dinner party where I am the only one enjoying my fine cuisine.
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Argentine malbec has become very popular. So much so that many people do not realize it is actually a French grape varietal that has been grown in Bordeaux and France’s southwest for centuries. It arrived in Argentina in the 19th century, but really started to make a splash in the 1990s. It is now the most widely planted grape in Argentina and is most at home in Mendoza, the country’s largest wine region.
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I am often asked, “How can I create a wine cellar?”Collecting wine means first possessing wine that you believe will be better at a future time, and being blessed with the patience to wait. Equally important is having a proper place to store your wine.The ideal conditions for long-term wine storage are consistent temperatures ranging between 54 and 58 degrees, ample humidity and darkness. If you have a corner in your basement that fits this criteria, you’re my hero. If not, there are wine-storage facilities in many places or storage units you can buy for your home.
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Dessert wines are often passed over because they are served at the end of a meal after other wines have been consumed and our full gullets have little room for anything else. However, they have a place throughout the meal and can even make fine aperitifs.Cheese goes very well with sweet wines and different savory dishes including foie gras, pate and spicy curries. While there is tremendous range when it comes to dessert wines, the one thing that all must have is enough acidity to balance the sugar; otherwise they will seem cloying and clunky on the palate.
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Dessert wines are often passed over because they are served at the end of a meal after other wines have been consumed and our full gullets have little room for anything else. However, they have a place throughout the meal and can even make fine aperitifs.Cheese goes very well with sweet wines and different savory dishes including foie gras, pate and spicy curries. While there is tremendous range when it comes to dessert wines, the one thing that all must have is enough acidity to balance the sugar; otherwise they will seem cloying and clunky on the palate.
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This may not be the time of year when sherry is most popular, but for some reason, the wine gods keep putting them in front of me, so I’m going to just go with it.
The most coveted of all the sherries is oloroso.
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