Wine in Japan

Tokyo is the epicurean's delight with an incredible selection of international restaurants and excellent wine shops. Japanese wine isn't very visible, however. During my stay in Tokyo I visited the YaMaYa wine shop in Akasaka. YaMaYa has a very good selection of imported wine, especially French Bordeaux, but only a half dozen bottles of Japanese wine, some of which are quite expensive and by reputation not good value. I did try a Chateau Mercian Niitsuru Chardonnay with seafood pasta and found the wine to be clean and crisp with good varietal character and tasting not all that different from a California unoaked Chardonnay. I did some internet searching to find out more about the wine and the winery and discovered that the Mercian Katsunuma Winery, which produces Niitsuru, is a large international operation that owns Markham Vineyards and Chateau Reysson in Bordeaux and began growing grapes in Japan in 1970. I also found a dated website on the winery that claims that vines are planted at a density of 300 vines to the hectare, producing 15 tons of grapes per hectare. Now that I would like to see! Another website says that to deal with the frequent problem of harvest rains the vineyard now spreads plastic sheeting over the vines at harvest time. Given the claim that 300 vines produce 15 tons of grapes, I'm not sure that's true, but it sounds interesting.

London International Wine Fair

This year's London International Wine Fair (LIWF) is being held on May 12-14. It is a superb three-day event for wine professionals filled with masterclasses, industry briefings, sommelier awards and workshops. Last year almost 15,000 people attended this event which is undoubtedly one of the most important in the international wine and spirits calendar. For adventurous and enterprising wine professionals on this side of the Atlantic the LIWF offers a great opportunity to taste wines from all over the world, network with European and international producers, importers and sommeliers, and to enjoy all that the UK has to offer. For more information on the event consult www.londonwinefair.com

Mike Potashnik
Publisher, International Wine Review

Solano Cellars East Bay Winemaker Pair-Off

I had the opportunity to participate in yesterday’s East Bay Winemaker Pair-Off held at Solano Cellars in Berkeley. Five small but prominent East Bay garagiste winemakers showed their wines, which were paired with delicious cheeses, duck pastrami, glazed venison, and other tasty tidbits. Several of the wines were absolutely delicious, and all were great values. This entry continues the International Wine Review exploration of East Bay wines that began with our December 11, 2008, posting on A Donkey and Goat Winery: Berkeley Garagiste.

Two Mile Wines of Berkeley, CA, showed their 2008 Central Coast Viognier ($25), my favorite white wine of the Pair-Off. It has a gorgeous varietally correct nose of white peach perfume and is beautifully balanced on the palate with a brisk acidity unusual for a Viognier. They also presented their 2006 Jacob’s Landing Cabernet Sauvignon/ Merlot ($30). The fruit for this 65/35 Cabernet/Merlot blend comes from Dickson Napa Ranch. It has an herbal cedar nose reminiscent of Cabernet Franc, but the rich, full-bodied palate is more traditional in character. This goes to show one doesn’t have to pay $50+ to get a good California Cab.

Eno Wines, also of Berkeley, showed a food-friendly, fruit-driven 2006 Pinot Noir “Never Say Never” Santa Lucia Highlands ($32), which also includes some Russian River fruit. But the highlight for me was winemaker Sasha Verhage’s 2005 Syrah, Las Madres Vineyard, Carneros ($25). This Côte-Rotie style wine is fermented 10% whole cluster and aged 16 months in 20 percent new barrels. It is opaque ruby purple in color with blackberry and cedar on the nose and a delicious, smoky palate of blackberry, cedar and black pepper. It finishes long with a distinct black raspberry note and quite gripping tannins. I can attest that this is an excellent food wine, too, as later in the evening my friends and I shared a bottle over restaurant Postino’s famous Coda di Bue (brasato of short ribs) in Lafayette.

Winemaker Chris Brockway of Broc Cellars specializes in Rhone varietals, and he showed two good examples at the Pair-Off. The 2006 “Vine Starr” ($25) is a blend of mainly Zinfandel and Syrah with small amounts of Mourvedre, Petite Sirah, and Graciano. It paired beautifully with duck pastrami. However, it was the 2006 Ventana Vineyard Grenache “Cassia” Monterey ($24) that captured my attention with its nose of earth and dark cherry that carries over to a beautifully balanced, medium-weight palate. Chris ages this wine in 300 liter French Hogs Heads, so the wood is subtly integrated with the fruit.

Edmunds St. John, also of Berkeley, showed an interesting white blend, the 2008 “Heart of Gold” ($23) blend of Vermentino (59%) and Grenache Blanc (41%) fruit from El Dorado County. It has a perfumed citrus nose and is clean on the palate with good acidity and a long, flavorful finish. Winemaker Steve Edmunds also showed his 2007 “Bone-Jolly” Gamay Noir ($19) from Witters Vineyard fruit, also in El Dorado County. At 3400’ elevation near Placerville in the Sierra Nevada foothills, Witters Vineyard is one of the highest altitude vineyards in the state. Edmunds St. John is the only California producer currently working with the Gamay Noir Au Jus Blanc. The wine is delicious and reminiscent of a first-class Beaujolais. It has a slightly candied nose of raspberries and a very flavorful, medium weight palate. This wine is lovely just to either sip or, better yet, to combine with a nice, healthy California brunch.

Finally, Aubin Cellars showed two Pinot Noirs from the Russian River Valley and a Syrah sourced from Columbia Valley fruit. The 2005 Verve Syrah Columbia Valley ($28) has good varietal character and shows unusual finesse, but the delicious nature of the Pinots drew most my attention. The 2005 Verve Pinot Noir Russian River Valley ($35) revealed earth and forest floor on the nose and on the palate, where tasty dark cherry fruit also came to the fore, finishing long and complex. The 2006 Verve Pinot Noir Russian River Valley ($35) includes fruit from Aubin Cellars’ new vineyard. It is quite different from the 2005 vintage, with lovely purity of fruit and minerality on the palate. It was one of my favorite wines of the entire Pair-Off.

Cata de vinos de Bodegas Heredad Ugarte y Bodegas Eguren

El pasado Lunes 16 de marzo tuve la ocasión de visitar la Bodega Heredad de Ugarte gracias a la amabilidad de Josu Galdós, su responsable comercial en USA, y de José Luis Hilera, director de la bodega.

La trayectoria de la familia Ugarte en la elaboración de vinos se remonta a 1870 aunque es en 1989 cuando se inicia la construcción de la actual bodega en el municipio de Laguardia (D.O.Ca. Rioja - España).

Además de Heredad Ugarte, en Rioja Alavesa, también cuentan con una segunda empresa denominada Bodegas Eguren donde comercializan vinos de la Tierra de Castilla.

La Bodega Heredad de Ugarte es una instalación moderna con una decoración muy tradicional donde predominan la piedra y la madera. El subsuelo está horadado con numerosos calados donde descansan botellas y barricas. Es una bodega realizada con intención de recibir a los visitantes que se acercan a esa zona de Rioja Alavesa.

Sus vinos tienen el carácter tradicional de la zona, con frescura y facilidad.

La cata comenzó con los vinos de la Tierra de Castilla. El primero de ellos fué Mercedes Eguren Blanco Sauvignon Blanc 2008 ($12-€6), un vino con carácter del varietal, frutas blancas y de hueso, aromático, fresco y ligero. Un vino agradable para el aperitivo.

Continuamos con tres vinos tintos de la Tierra de Castilla:

Condado de Eguren Tempranillo 2007 ($12-€6); frutos rojos, frambuesas y grosellas envueltos en tonos de vainilla y especias. Fresco y ligero. Fácil de beber.

Mercedes Eguren Tempranillo-Shiraz 2007 ($12-€6), elaborado al 50% de cada variedad, con 6 meses de barrica. Aromas de frutos negros y rojos con tonos tostados y de chocolate. Fresco aunque mantiene una sensación ligeramente tánica (necesita algo más de tiempo en la botella).

Mercedes Eguren Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 ($12-€6). Fruta madura con notas de especia, pimienta negra, goloso. En boca se perciben ciertas sensaciones secantes de tanicidad que denotan poco tiempo de botella.

Tras esta primera tanda, continuamos con los vinos de Rioja:

Ugarte Cosecha 2007 ($11-€10); elaborado con 80% tempranillo y 20% garnacha. Al descorche aparecen aromas de reducción que van dejando paso a los tonos característicos del tempranillo, frutos rojos, con buena acidez. El final es bastante goloso sin perder frescura.

Heredad Ugarte Crianza 2006 ($14-€7). 92% tempranillo, 8 garnacha. Característico de los vinos tradicionales de Rioja Alavesa, frutal de media intensidad, con frutos rojos y un punto de cereza combinados con toques de madera y vainilla clásicos del roble americano.

Heredad Ugarte Reserva 2005 ($21-€12). 95% tempranillo y 5% graciano. Aún no comercializado. Frutos rojos con toques especiados y tonos tostados. Este vino evolucionará en la botellas.

Martín Cendoya Reserva 2005 ($40-€25). 80% tempranillo, 15% graciano y 5% mazuelo. Aún sin comercializar. Un vino con mayor concentración que los anteriores, compotado y de color más intenso. Al cabo de un tiempo aparece una combinación de aromas dulces y balsámicos. Goloso, con tonos de vainilla y canela.

Anastasio 2005 ($120-€97). 100% tempranillo. Comercialización prevista para Mayo o Junio de este año. Elaborado con uvas de la variedad tempranillo en injertos sobre viejos pies de cepa de pinot noir. Segunda cosecha de este vino. Color rubí intenso con matices violáceos aún de juventud. Fruta muy concentrada pero sin sensación de exceso por la buena acidez que lo compensa. Balsámico, hierbas aromáticas, toques de monte bajo. Final largo. Este vino permaneció durante 10 meses en barricas, mayoritariamente de roble americano.

Tras la cata disfrutamos de una agradable comida donde tuvimos ocasión de comprobar el maridaje de los vinos con alimentos tradicionales de Rioja.

En la fotografía:

José Luis Hilera, Miguel Reinares y Josu Galdós

The Excellent Wines and Super Values of Bottega Vinaia and the Cavit Collection

This past week i-WineReview Editor Don Winkler and Publisher Mike Potashnik lunched at Eric Ripert’s West End Bistro with Andrea Faustini, winemaker for Bottega Vinaia and the Cavit Collection in Trentino, Italy and Massimiliano Giacomini, Export Manager. The luncheon was arranged by Cavit importer, Palm Bay International.

Cavit is one of northeast Italy’s largest producers of wine. It includes 11 wineries that joined forces in 1957 to collectively improve winemaking and marketing. Cavit has had a long relationship with one of Italy’s most important center’s of viticultural research, the Instituto Agrario provinciale at San Michele all’Adige. Institute students frequently intern at Cavit’s wineries, and Andrea Faustini is himself a graduate of the Institute. The estate-bottled Bottega Vinaia wines are sourced from a select group of family-farmed vineyards in the Trentino region.

Our luncheon got off to a magnificent start with the elegant sparkling wine Altemasi Riserva Graal 2000 ($36). Given Andrea Faustini’s winemaking experience at what may be Italy’s most famous sparkling wine maker, Bellavista, we had high hopes for this wine, and we weren’t disappointed. Produced by the metodo classico Italy’s version of the methode champenoise, the Graal 2000 is a rich and tasty sparkler made of 70% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Nero. Spending 48 months sur lies before disgorgement, it offers a rich creamy palate of ripe fruit flavors, hazelnuts and nuances of toast. It reveals moderately high acidity and a rich elegance on the finish. It was also terrific with some Kumamoto oysters on the half shell some of us had for starters.


Our next two wines consisted of the Bottega Vinaia 2007 Pinot Grigio ($18) and the 2007 Estate Bottled Pinot Noir ($20). Both wines were beautifully made. The starbright Pinot Grigio showed floral aromas an minerality on the nose and a lovely, round texture in the mouth that is not often found in Pinot Grigio. The Pinot Noir was one of our favorites of the tasting; it’s produced from Dijon clones and has fresh dark cherry and raspberry aromas that carry through to the medium weight palate. This easy drinking wine has good acidity, excellent balance, and is a great value. The Pinot Noir was divine with the restaurant's tasty roast salmon.

The bigger red wines of the tasting consisted of two relatively unknown 100% indigenous varietals--the 2004 Teroldego Rotaliano ($20) and the 2005 Lagrein, ($25)—and a Bordeaux blend. Both the Rotaliano and Lagrein showed pleasant and tasty plum and black fruit flavors and were silky smooth on the palate. The Lagrein, which spends 12 months in old barriques, was especially noteworthy for its depth of flavor. Our favorite of the big reds, however, was the 2004 Quattro Vicariati ($25), a juicy blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot that displayed perfumed black cherry, cassis fruit and smoke on the nose and a silky smooth and richly textured palate black fruit with licorice notes. This is a beautifully balanced wine that spends 18 months in medium toast French oak barriques and may be the best value of the portfolio.

The final wine of the afternoon was a superb 1997 Arele Vino Santo ($90) made of 100% Nosiola, Trentino’s only indigenous white grape variety. Only 50 hectares of this varietal remain in the Trentino area. This lovely Vin Santo is amber in color, with aromas and flavors of dried apricot and is a perfect accompaniment for rich desserts and creamy cheeses. The Nosiola grapes are traditionally dried on mats until Holy Week in the spring, at which time they are made into wine. Hence the name Vino Santo, or the Holy Wine of Trentino.

These are all versitile food wines and authentic expressions of the Trentino region.

Bottle Shock - The DVD

Last night my wife and I viewed the just released DVD of "Bottle Shock", the movie "version" of the 1976 blind tasting French and California wines in which the 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay bested some top French competition. California also did quite well with there red wines too.

The movie is quite good for a low budget movie and it has some good DVD extras. Get out a bottle of your favorite Chardonnay and a bottle of a big Red, make some popcorn, sit back and enjoy the movie. We did.

If you've tasted any of the wines from this competition, post your comments.


Visit the Internet Movie Database for more details about the movie:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0914797/

The Washington Post's Dave McIntyre Pairs Sherry with Chinese Cuisine

I was pleased to read in Dave McIntyre’s article on Wednesday January 21 “This Lunar New Year, Raise a Glass of Sherry” how he successfully paired Emilio Lusatu’s fino, manzanilla and amontillado sherries with Chinese dishes.

In the i-WineReview’s recent special report on Sherry we offered readers a Sherry and Food Pairing Chart which identifies the wide variety of possibilities for pairing Sherry successfully with different cuisines. Most wine enthusiasts don’t realize how versatile Sherry is for pairing with food, especially sherries like manzanillas, finos and amontillados .

In our chart, we recommend manzanillas for traditional Spanish hors d’oeuvres and soups like Marcona almonds, green olives, gazpacho, but also with fish and seafood like fried white fish, sushi, smoked salmon and oysters; finos for fried Serrano ham, shrimp frittata, asparagus, cold or poached chicken, and amontillados for mushroom dishes, rare tuna, grilled salmon, veal and mushroom stew, Manchego cheese and more. For real spicy Thai food or fois gras, pale and medium cream sherries are good accompaniments.

Sherry is indeed undervalued by most wine enthusiasts and is generally not well understood or appreciated. That is why the i-WineReview prepared a Special Report on Sherry with the goal to help our readers become more familiar with this fascinating wine, explore its many facets, and ultimately enjoy drinking it. In addition to explaining the origins of Sherry and how it is made, we provide tasting notes and ratings for more than 75 sherries on the market.

Thanks, Dave McIntyre. We share your enthusiasm for Sherry—and especially as a food wine.

Mike Potashnik
Publisher
International Wine Review

Affairs of the Vine 7th Annual Pinot Noir Shoot Out

Affairs of the Vine, the California-based wine education and corporate team building events organization, recently completed its 7^th Annual Pinot Noir Shoot Out. This unique annual event brings together hundreds of Pinot Noirs from California and across the world for evaluation and special recognition. The evaluation of the wines is carried out by panels of tasters consisting of winemakers, sommeliers wine writers and other wine professionals. This year some 57 judges participated in the process which involved the evaluation of 267 Pinot Noirs from California, Australia, New Zealand, Hungary and elsewhere. The Shoot Out is managed by Affairs of the Vine CEO, Barbara Drady, who brings enthusiasm and professionalism to the tastings.

As a partner of Affairs of the Vine, the i-WineReview lends its technical and operational support for the shoot outs and other AOTV activities. I thus participated as one of 23 judges who were given the job of evaluating 64 wines that reached the final round of the competition. The judges met in San Francisco on January 19-just prior to the inauguration of Barrack Obama -and we completed our work in time to enjoy the inaugural celebrations the following day!! Our work was not easy-judging wines never is--but it certainly was enjoyable! By the way, the judges in this competition evaluate the wines blind and on their own and don’t negotiate scores as they often do in other competitions.

The results of the Shoot Out will be announced soon by Affairs of the Vine. Suffice it to say at this point that the competition brought together some attractive wines from producers all over the world and confirmed to me that Pinot Noir is alive and well outside of Burgundy. What was particularly striking to me was the wide range of styles of Pinot Noir being produced today in California from big Syrah-like wines to delicate Burgundian ones. Likewise, I was amazed by the number of up and coming small wineries that are currently crafting Pinot Noir. With more and more producers getting into the game, California is perhaps the most dynamic Pinot Nor-producing region in the world today.

I will be looking forward to the results of the Shoot Out. On April 5, Affairs of the vine will also hold a Pinot Noir Summit in Marin County to give Pinot lovers from the general public the opportunity to taste the top 40 wines blind and compare their impressions with those of the judges. There will also be workshops and receptions, at which wines are paired with food.

I will be particularly interested in learning whether there are meaningful differences in the evaluations of the wines between women and men judges. Barbara Drady believes there are notable differences in the way women and men judge wines. I also believe there are differences, but I can’t prove it and it sounds sexist.

Mike Potashnik

Publisher,

International Wine Review