Taste The Aromas

Kimberly Grasso

Chateau de Montfort Vouvray 2005

Vouvray is made from chenin blanc, which is one of the world’s least-known and appreciated great white wine grapes. The plight of chenin blanc can be captured in two words: fish and river. Fish from the river is the classic food paring suggested by wine experts for chenin blanc, and as one might agree does not sound that sophisticated, or the least bit appetizing. And yet, if you think of the food paring for cabernet sauvignon as steak, or poultry for pinot noir, you begin to get the picture of how chenin blanc might get a bad rap.

I’ve come to realize the world worries far too much about food and wine parings. This might be one of the reasons chenin blanc has not received the recognition it deserves. Others might include chenin’s home, the Loire Valley of France. This area is a collection of poorly marked appellations like Coteaux du Layon and Jasnieres. The labels on the bottles only have the names of these obscure appellations and never say “chenin blanc”. Then there is the grape, which produces a diversity of styles, from dry to syrupy sweet to sparkling. And finally chenin blanc, primary seen outside of France in places such as California and South Africa, has been used to make vast volumes of jug wine which also gives it a bad rap.

With all that being said, here’s a little boost for one of my most favorite white grapes. The Château Montfort has abundant fruit and honey flavors with just the right balance of sweetness and acidity. The dry yet full taste will immediately be apparent, and it’s great with all types of fish or seafood. The aromas of grass, melon, honeysuckle, and fruit are present immediately. Being a bit crisp and semi-dry on the finish, it makes a nice alternative to Chardonnay. Give this one a swirl. I think it might change your thinking about river fish!
Cheers!

Dave’s Tasting Tips

David Ferrie

I’m asked every year, “What wine should I pair with turkey dinner?” And I usually answer, “Well…you could be like everyone else and bring home a Pinot Noir (ho-hum) or a Beaujolais (blah) or a Late Harvest Riesling (sorry grandma, I know that’s your favorite). But how about trying something completely different?”

In red wine, the flavor profile I look for is something fairly light and simple; red fruit like strawberry, cherry or cranberry that finishes lightly refreshing. The reason is because with a dinner that has so many complex, competing flavors, you don’t want the wine to be fighting for attention. Rather, it should take a back seat to the main event, and truly complement the food.

Sutton Cellars has a Carignane that offers a mouthful of strawberry and cranberry flavors without the tartness one might expect. Another good match would be a Southern Rhone blend from the Faravel Vineyards called “Les Amis de la Bouissiere”. This wine is soft and lovely with concentrated, tightly orchestrated red fruit that fills the palate then cleans up nicely. But my all time favorite is Rumball Sparkling Shiaz. “Sparkling Shiraz!?” Yep. This is serious Shiraz; dark and deep, and yet refreshing. Served cold, it complements without taking a back seat. It’s the red wine lover’s answer to turkey dinner.

For whites, I would go to the extremes. A soft, round Chardonnay with big fruit and an oaky finish provides that savory blending of pear and apple with a toasted nut finish. The Estate Grown Chardonnay from Chalone fits the bill. At the other extreme would be a light, refereshing, diminuative White Bourdeaux that primes the palate with mouthwatering citrus and spice then opens airily, bright and clean. I’m thinking of the Graves by Chateau Graville-Lacoste. If you want bubbly for the festivities, look for something that expresses more toastiness and yeast than austere citrus. I like the “J” Cuvee 20 for this.

There now. You see? With a little daring, you can have an exciting new experience without sacrificing the tradition. Not everything at Thanksgiving dinner needs to be the “same-old same-old”. (No, Uncle Ed…I wasn’t talking about you!)

Why Women Love Coffee

Kimberly Cheatham

Turkish bridegrooms were once required to make a promise during their wedding ceremonies to always provide their new wives with coffee. If they failed to do so, it was grounds for divorce. I like to think of this as the good old days.

Dorothy Jones of Boston was the first American coffee trader. It was in 1670 that she was given a license to sell coffee. Boy, we’ve come a long ways since then.

Grapes or Beans?

Kimberly Cheatham

At one time in England, certain merchandisers were upset when coffee was introduced. Those selling wine felt threatened when coffee became more popular. They even started a campaign to get Charles II to issue an order to surpress coffeehouses. Public outcry forced the order to be retracted. That was on January 8, 1675.

The word “coffee” was once used as a term for wine, but was later used to describe a black drink made from the berries of a tree. This black drink replaced wine in many religious ceremonies because it kept the Mohameddans alert during their nightly prayers. They honored it with the name they originally gave to wine.

Feudo di San Nicola Negroamaro Puglia IGT 2007

Deanna Savage

It was out of sheer curiosity that I chose this wine consisting of 100% Negroamaro. The region of this particular variety is in Puglia, Italy and visually identified as the heel of the country’s boot. I figured with its southern location on the Gulf of Taranto and Adriatic Sea, this wine would be quite a mouthful. And so it was… but first, the color: a deep and thick shade of ruby immediately stained the sides of my glass. Aromas were intense with plum and mocha; flavors were layered the same, with a distinct black liquorice finish and a full body on my tongue. Match the intensity of food to this wine – try it with a strong cheese or barbequed meat. It’s a great value for a unique and hearty Italian wine.

Taste the Aromas

Kimberly Grasso

Cantina di Terlano Terlaner Classico 2007

We’ve introduced a few new salads at Kafevino including the Apple Orchard Salad, the Mediterranean Marinated Vegetable Salad and the Caprese Salad. On a recent wine tasting I discovered a wonderful wine that would pair nicely with all three salads, the Cantina di Terlano Terlaner Classico 2007.

This fantastic wine is made up of 60% Pinot Bianco, 30% Chardonnay and 10% Sauvignon Blanc. These three different grape varieties have been blended successfully for over 100 years and are grown in the classic district of Terlano, South-Tyrol. Immediately you get a nose full of perfumed bergamot, flowers and fruit. This medium bodied wine was accented with apple and lemon that turned to aniseed on the finish. It is a lovely wine to drink alone or as an aperitif. Cheers!

Taste the Aromas

Kimberly Grasso

Mendoza 2007 Malbec

After recently being introduced to the wines of Susana Balbo, I realized why I loved these wines so much. Susanna Balbo is one of Argentina’s most respected winemakers. She has been making wine since she earned her enology degree in 1981, and she has perhaps produced a wider variety of wines than any other wine maker in Argentina.

On this particular tasting I discovered the Malbec 2007. This was 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 90% Malbec. The first thing I notice with wines and with this one in particular was the aromas. This wine had a rich aroma of coffee, baking spices, allspice, cinnamon and mint. The layers of this wine were most impressive, as the full frontal fruit started to fade, the spice helped to finish and then a nice hint of fresh mint, a very nice balance. This wine was definitely made with lots of love, as her wines are seamless and well structured with an elegance that is certainly not from the new world cheers!

Peter Lehmann of the Barossa

Lee Barczak

Peter Lehmann is one of Australia’s legendary wine makers. The story goes that while working as a grape buyer for a huge, multinational wine conglomerate he always concluded transactions with the farmers on a handshake. They knew him and his word was his bond. One year, his bosses told him after all deals had been struck that they would not buy because of a surplus of wine on the markets. Unwilling to let down his growers and destroy his reputation, he begged and borrowed the money needed to make good his pledges. After finding a winemaker to make wines that would allow him to recoup his money, the wines now bearing his name were so good that he never looked back and a brand was born. Oh, and when that multinational conglomerate went back to these farmers to buy…let’s just say those Aussies were direct with their response about where the conglomerate could put their contracts!

Recently, I sampled Lehmann’s 2008 and 2009 “Layers” blend. These wines are made from varying combinations of grapes, usually featuring Semillon, Muscat, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris or Chardonnay. Combinations vary with the vintage but several obvious characteristics were constant. Both wines were pale, straw yellow in color with a fragrant nose of floral and citrus aromas. While delicious cold, I would suggest drinking them “cool” to get a full appreciation of the nose and the palate. Both also tasted a bit spicy at first with a quick turn to a touch of sweetness that spoke of pear, melon and that curious fruit from Asia, the lychee nut. I could suggest them as an easy drinking white throughout the holidays that would be as good with Thanksgiving Turkey as with party nibbles. It also stood up to a spicy, Thai chicken with peanut sauce, so having it with Asian food is certainly a good bet. One more wine that proves you will seldom be disappointed by Peter Lehmann. Cincin!

Coffee Liqueur Cookies…Yum!

Kimberly Cheatham

If you love the taste of coffee then this blog is sure to get you salivating. There are lots of different recipes out there for coffee flavored pastries, but I have found this to be one of the best. It captures the taste of the coffee and adds a little savory sweetness to balance it out. Enjoy!

Prep time:15 min
Bake time:25 min

2 TSP instant coffee
2 TB coffee flavored liquer
1 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 TSP baking soda
1/4 TSP salt
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 300. In a small bowl, dissolve instant coffee into
the coffee liquer and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar and white
sugar. Gradually add the eggs and coffee mixture.

3. Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Stir into the
creamed mixture. Finally stir in the chocolate chips.

4. Drop dough by rounded tablespoons onto the cookie sheets. Cookies should be at least 2 inches apart. Bake for 23 to 25 minutes.
Immediatly transfer cookies to a cooling rack after baking.

Courtesy of allreceipes.com

Mont Tauch Fitou ‘06

Deanna Savage

This blend of Grenache, Carignan & Syrah from the Languedoc region of Southern France is a delicious fusion at a beautiful bargain. Select grapes reflect an Old World style with flavors representing four different vineyards of the Mont Tauch Cooperative. It releases black, luscious berry fruit on the nose with a deep, rich hue of garnet in the glass. Loads of the soft black fruit delivers on the palate and brings with it lush spice, a full but soft mouth feel and a finish with dark chocolate bitters (from the Carignan component). Pair it with a hearty beef roast or an Indian dish and encounter a taste sensation!