Leading the tasting was vivacious Marco Caprai, who introduced each wine and discussed the vintages including 2007, 2005, 2001, 2000, 1998, 1997, 1995 and 1993. The wines are aged in French oak for 18 months and across the board had intense structure, tannins, medium + acidity, intense concentration of fruit, and notes of spice, red fruit such as rhubarb, red current, and cherries, and wood.

Sagrantino is a powerful wine to taste alone, so tasters were treated to a variety of small dishes from the Eataly chef, which all paired nicely with the wine.

Perhaps the most interesting conversation revolved around the wine's high alcohol, which is very well integrated into the wine and is balanced in every vintage. The question arose about lowering the alcohol, and Marco explained that the grapes needed to attain full phenolic ripeness in order to be an excellent wine. Marco also underscored the fact that Sagrantino is a very exclusive wine, perhaps highlighting the fact that "everyday drinkers" who target under $20 bottles and may prefer lower alcohol may not be the target audience.

Fabulously organized event that really brought the power and beauty of Sagrantino to the New York market.

“I’ll have what she’s having,” says a woman sitting at an outdoor café in Soho, watching a couple enjoy a refreshing glass of a pale pink wine, the bottle chilling in a silver ice bucket. Just what is it about Rosé wine that brings out the joy of summer?

Rosé wine is just what you need to bring a little St. Tropez magic into the hot summer afternoons and evenings of a Manhattan summer, whether in a restaurant, the park, or your own home. More refreshing than a tannic red wine, yet with more “kick” and “bite” than a white wine, Rosé wines today are crisp and dry, most with high minerals and a cleansing citrus appeal. Most often, Rosé wines are actually blends of two or more grapes, with each varietal undergoing a separate maceration period before the final blending.

I’ve discovered two fabulous new Rosé wines in the American market you need to try – both are under $15, widely available, and pair great with food and alone as an aperitif.

2010 Vidal-Fleury Cotes Du Rhone Rosé

Founded in 1781, Vidal Fleury is the Rhône Valley’s oldest continuously operating winery, and actually hosted President Thomas Jefferson in 1787 when visited France to learn about winemaking. Grown on the calcareous stone and sandy soil of the Southern Rhone valley, the Rosé is made up of Grenache (which is bled off the skins in a saignee method), Syrah (which is vinified liked a white wine, with short skin contact to extract a bit of the grape’s red color), and Cinsault, which is directly pressed without color. Each pressing is fermented in stainless steel tanks with selected yeast, then aged on the lees (dead yeast cells) for four months until bottling.

It is a bright cheerful rose that personifies summer with its gorgeous color, uplifting floral fragrance of ripe berry fruit and flowers, and long finish with a pleasant nectarine pit kick. Great with salads and fish.

2010 Xavier Flourent Nationale 7

Founded in 1864, the name of this Domaine comes from the “Real Mauresque” (the river of the Maures) which runs though the vineyard, and was one of the few vineyards in the region to be awarded “Cru Classes” status in 1955. Lying at the foot of the Maures mountains, the terrain is composed of crystalline rock with sand and gravelly soil which gives the wine its intense mineral content. Three grape varieties (Grenache, Cinsault, Tibouren) are crushed and destemmed, then undergo cold maceration on their skins for several hours for color before being pressed, with the ‘free run juice’ separated and undergoing a period of cold stabilization prior to fermentation for 2 to 3 weeks. It remains in stainless stel tanks for six months with “battonage” (stirring) of the lees, or dead yeast cells before bottling.

This wine is a pretty pale rose color, with racy acidity and intense minerality. Red wine lovers will admire the slightly tannic kick on the finish, which gives the wine a very crisp dry finish.

Both these wines are fabulous with salads and fish, and will get your summer off to a spectacular start!
 

We've all heard the story of Cleopatra's legendary powers of seduction over Julius Caesar and later, Mark Antony. Yet consider this. What if the tool of seduction wasn't Cleopatra's famed beauty, but her secret stash of a bright ruby red sparkling wine with a bouquet of roses and violets?

Ancient historians write of a sweet, aromatic wine with the distinctive flavor of musk and a candied, floral aroma. Over the years, historians - and connoisseurs of gourmet cuisine and good wine - have lost track of this wine, now believed to be made from the Brachetto grape (grown in areas in small towns in the provinces of Allesandria and Asti, Italy).

In the early years of the previous century, self-styled Brachettos made of moscato nero, malvasia, or aleatico grapes flooded the market unchecked. In 1992, the Consorzio di Tuela del Brachetto d'Acqui was founded to control the growth and development of the true Brachetto wine and in 1996, played a key role in obtaining DOCG (Designation of Controlled and Guaranteed Origin) status.

With its scintillating ruby red color and bouquet of rose petals and raspberries, this delicious, pleasantly sweet, effervescent wine is a natural to begin or end a romantic dinner, or break out for friends and family to enjoy for holiday parties and New Year's Eve. At only about 5.5% alcohol, Brachetto d'Acqui DOCG makes a great afternoon aperitif and pairs well with bitter chocolate, light sweets, fruit tarts, and Italian cookies such as Gli amaretti di Mombaruzzo, a traditional amaretti biscuit indigenous to the area.

In America, many celebrity chefs are discovering this increasingly popular wine as an adjunct to their tasting menus. Terence Feury of the celebrated Striped Bass restaurant in Philadelphia paired Banfi Brachetto d'Acqui Vigneto La Rosa 1998 with white nectarine carpaccio with cherry Breton and brown-butter ice cream when he was invited to prepare dinner at the prestigious James Beard House in NYC. An unconventional, creative way to use the wine is to freeze it into a granita (frozen flavored ice) to refresh the palate between courses.

According to the regulation of DOCG status of 1996, Brachetto d'Acqui must be produced from 100% brachetto grapes from the specified terroir. Brachetto grapes are harvested from the end of August to mid-September. The must soaks with the skins for two days in order to obtain the desired ruby color, then aged three months in the bottle. It should be drunk young to reveal its tantalizing scent of Bulgarian roses, must, and fruit.

DOCG status serves to establish the finer quality and characteristics of Brachetto d'Acqui compared to the more generic Piedmonte Brachetto. At a price of under $20 dollars a bottle, you don't have to wait for the holidays to roll around to try it. Try popping the cork in the heat of summer when your thoughts turn to rose. Or even in the dead of winter, for its rose perfume and effervescence is sure to cheer you up and remind you that warm, sunny days are just around the corner.

Marenco "Pineto" Brachetto d'Acqui DOCG 2005, $20.00

Imported by VIAS, Inc. - 212 629 0200 - http://www.viaswine.com

Honeyed notes of violets, honey, orange blossom and raspberry on the nose and palate, delicious.

"Braida" di Giacomo Bologna Brachetto d'Acqui DOCG 2005, $16.00

Imported by Vinifera Imports - 631 467 5907 - http://www.viniferaimports.com

Lush, aromatic bouquet with hints of ripe red fruit and fragrant rose.

Gatti Piero Brachetto d'Acqui DOCG 2005, $9.99

Imported by Summa Vittis, Inc. - 707 933 0906 - http://www.summavitis.com

Intense and aromatic, with notes of rose, strawberry, and wild cherry.

Rosa Regale Brachetto d'Acqui DOCG 2005, $16.00

Imported by Banfri Vintners - 516 626 9126 - http://www.banfivintners.com

Dark wild cherry on the nose and palate, along with strawberry and roses. A perfect foil for bittersweet dark chocolate.

Cantine Neirano Brachetto d'Acqui DOCG Dolce V.S.Q.P.R.D., $10.00

Imported by Biagio Cru & Estate Wines - 516 299 4344 - http://www.biagiocru.com

Sweet and delicate, with accents of raspberry, rose, and wild cherry.

Or, you can try http://www.wine-searcher.com

“I’ve never had a wine that could be altered in so many ways!” said a bewildered friend after blind tasting three different versions of the Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio grape.

And it’s true … some might even call Pinot Gris/Grigio the multi-personality wine because of the way it takes on so many different expressions. This is due to terroir, of course. Yet what also adds expression is the way it can be manipulated by producers to create a specific style.

Pinot Grigio, in its most innocuous and mild form, is available on the by-the-glass list in virtually every restaurant in the world. One can only assume people like it because it doesn’t kick up too much of a fuss, goes with most white meat/fish dishes, has refreshing acidity, and in worst case scenarios has a few extra grams of residual sugar that most American white wine lovers seem to enjoy.

Pinot Gris/Grigio without Tears

Sommeliers have told me they have guests who demand a Pinot Grigio no matter what other fantastic wines are on the list, or worse, even if it does not pair well with their dish.

In this Pinot Gris/Grigio without tears article, I intend to save you the angst of trying to taste your way through and analyze all the different styles. So the other night, I asked my local wine shop to send over three PGs (Pinot Grigio/Gris) in plain paper bags so that a friend and I could taste them blind, and try to figure out several things:

1) If they were New or Old world
2) What country they were from and what year
3) Residual Sugar and winemaking techniques

Yes, of course I know that three styles are very small in a world flooded with Pinot Grigio, yet three it will be.

Cutting to the chase, please allow me to introduce the three wines:

Albert Boxler Pinot Gris Reserve 2008
Tiefenbrunner Pinot Grigio 2009
Maysara Oregon Pinot Gris 2009

Full disclosure here: my wine store also indicated to me that one wine would be from Alsace, one from Italy, and one from Oregon.

Now if you’ve been in the wine world long enough, you probably correctly guessed the Pinot Gris from Alsace would be easiest to pick out. First, it is off-dry, with at least 30 grams of residual sugar. On the nose, a signature is super ripe pear – imagine the most decadent vanilla-infused, slow-baked pear of your life, perhaps paired with vanilla ice cream, and you can imagine the nose and palate of this wine (add just a hint of spice like nutmeg and cinnamon). Acidity, despite the sugar, is quite refreshing so it could pair well with a dish like carmelized scallops.

The Alto-Adige Pinot Gris and the Oregon Pinot Gris were harder to tell apart.

Oregon

Let’s talk Oregon first … it is one of Oregon’s most successful varietals so competition between producers is fierce. This Maysara 2009 is very pale in the glass, with dry spiced pear on the nose, and on the palate the wine is very dry, with medium acidity, low tannin (lees, oak?) medium body, and moderate alcohol. You will find some minerality here, which could indeed lead you to the old world.

The style of this wine is very dry, delicious, yet structured and clean. It could very easily be confused with an old world wine, yet that last word “clean” also hints at the purity of fruit that is often found in Oregon.

Alto Adige

The Tiefenbrunner 2009 Pinot Grigio from Alto Adige is deeper in color, a bit shy on the nose, yet the palate has the more characteristic flavor of an Italian Pinot Grigio across all price levels. For me, this translates to a rustic, slightly vegetative flavor on the palate marked by high acidity.

In the last few years, I’ve met with winemakers from Italy who have shown me their Pinot Grigio and I’ve been amazed by the complexity of their wine. Often, I’ve asked if they added oak. Often they smile and say no. “Stirring of the lees?” More smiling, and often again the word “no.”

So what can cause such incredibly richness and complexity in a PG? The answer in many cases is Italian winemakers adding some mature/botrytized grapes to the mix, which gives the wine that fullness and richness most PGs do not have. Other producers do nothing to produce this complexity, and explain the fullness and richness solely on their terroir.

I’d love to hear your thoughts about Pinot Grigio and favorite style … here are some links to some other Pinot Grigio advenutes …

If you liked this you might enjoy:

Lunch with Albino Armani

Dinner with La Tunella wines
 

If you were the clerk, what would you advise? A briny Muscadet? A buttery Chardonnay? Perhaps an exotic Albarino from Rias Baixas in Spain? All are appropriate, but the keyword here is “summer in a glass.” If you know your way around a wine store, your suggestion would probably be a Sauvignon Blanc from either the New or Old World.

Though its home is in Loire Valley of France, most Americans are more familiar with the fresh vibrant taste of Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. California produces some good wines from this grape, yet as a whole the region lacks the characteristic soil and microclimate of its foreign competitors. Despite its herbaceous, fruity aromas the grape thrives in cool but sunny climates, as cool nights allow the grape to retain its high acidity, while sunlight allows the development of its characteristic aromas. All wines from the Sauvignon Blanc grape pair excellently with grilled seafood, cervice (thin slices of seafood or fish “cooked” in lime) and fresh goat cheese, a classic pairing in the Loire valley.

This week, let’s taste three Sauvignon Blanc wines, each a popular representation of their region. Traditionally these wines are fermented in Stainless Steel to preserve their freshness and lively acidity, and should be consumed within a year of purchase. Prices vary depending on store and region.

Chateau de Sancerre 2006, Sancerre AOC

This Sauvignon Blanc is a classic from France’s Loire Valley. Chateau de Sancerre is an ancient estate now owned by the Marnier-Lapostolle family, makers of Grand Marnier. The nose offers assertive aromas of pebbles, flint, minerals, and wet stone (reflecting the varied soils of flint, clay, limestone) as well as pronounced citrus notes of lemon and lime. On the palate, citrus dominates and you can actually taste the sharp minerals and stone. 90/100 points, roughly $18

Brancott Sauvignon Blanc 2007, Marlborough, New Zealand
Though the Sauvignon Blanc grape was born in the Loire Valley, it gained its current popularity in Marlborough, in the South Island of New Zealand, the sunniest part of the country. Brancott is one of the well-known and largest wineries in the region. Fresh and lively, this wine offers pronounced aromas of lime, cut grass, and the sharp gooseberry aroma characteristic of New Zealand wines. 85/100 points, roughly $18.

Kunde Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2007, Sonoma, California

Kunde Estate has created a wine that falls between the lime and fresh herb dominated Brancott and the mineral-driven Chateau de Sancerre with its aroma of white flowers and citrus, and softer palate of yellow grapefruit and white magnolia flowers. Though acidity is substantial, the wine seems less assertive than its more pronounced and confident brethren. Unlike the previous two wines, this may be a result of two factors. First, though the majority of the wine is fermented in stainless steel, 20% of the cuvee is aged in French oak. Second, this wine is a blend including 14% of Semillon (a richer grape) and 2% Viognier. A solid wine for the price. $13, 75/100 points.

So which wine to choose? As you can see from the scores, the Chateau de Sancerre represents an Old World style in terms of the minerality yet also has the concentrated citrus profile characteristic of a New World, New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. If you love classic Sancerre yet desire a high-acid zing, this is your wine. With its lively, lime-driven acidity Brancott really needs to be paired with the right cuisine to work its magic. Kunde Estate offers tremendous value and balance between high acidity and fatter, fruitier flavors and can work well as an aperitif or wine to pair with foods.

Salud!

Marisa D’Vari

One of my favorite movies of all time is A Good Year with Russell Crowe, which tells the story of a hard-living London banker who inherits his uncle’s vineyard in Provence, meets not one but three women of his dreams, and by the end of his film learns to enjoy life a la Provencal. Watching the film, the viewer is immediately caught up in the gorgeous blend of bright yellow sun, wide blue sky, green trees, and the aroma of lavender.

For a few hours in New York recently, the sunny region of Provence touched rain-drenched Manhattan in order to introduce the many rosé wines of the area. The venue, the trendy and very sleek Fig & Olive restaurant, was turned into a mini-Provence with a large screen showcasing all the natural attractions of the region. Dozens of winemakers – many of whom had never had their wines imported in the United States – stood behind cloth-draped tables pouring tastes and explaining their wines.

Côtes de Provence is an AOC (delimited) region in France with a warm Mediterranean climate that seems tailor made for creating the dry, pale pink wine known as rosé that pairs so well with many summer foods. Thirteen grape varieties are allowed to be used by AOC rules, though the most popular are Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault, and Carignan. Many people do not realize that red wines are produced in the area as well. Though rather rustic overall, many five-star restaurants in Manhattan carry red wines from Provence, and they can be delicious value.

A curious observer will notice two very key things upon entering a trade tasting of rosé wines from Provence. The first is that the wines appear to come in two distinctive colors, a baby pink and a light peach color. The reason for this is because a larger amount of Syrah in the blend produces a pinker wine, while Cinsault produces a more tangerine color. The second thing people may notice is that while many producers continue to market the wine in the traditional skittle-shaped (like an hourglass) bottle, many wines are now produced in the generic bottle shape.

After speaking to some producers, there are advantages and disadvantages to both. The traditional bottle is attractive to look at and sends a romantic marketing message to potential buyers. The problem with the traditional bottle is that it is hard to affix a label, and packing the irregular sized bottles for shipment can be challenging.

During the tasting I had a chance to chat with Julien Camus, President of the French Wine Society in Washignton DC. Mr. Camus’s objective is to train wine educators about the wines of France and the educational program appears very rich. We discussed the region a bit and the good news for Provence is that dry rosé sales are seeing double-digit growth in the United States. Why? The reasons are many, but in my estimation the key reason is that young wine drinkers see dry rosé as the sophisticated drink of summer.

Now that it is May, rosé sipping season is in full bloom. If you want to try dry rosé before you buy, find a wine store near you and ask if they will be holding any rosé wine tastings. Then just make a plan to attend and make notes of which wines you like. Typically rosé wines from Provence are well balanced in terms of medium acidity and slightly lower tannins. Each wine differs, yet the nose is often floral with hints of sweet fruit, and the palate is medium bodied with a crisp finish.

Rosé wine goes with a wide variety of picnic and brunch fair, especially composed salads. Even if you are stuck in the city for summer, when you pour yourself a glass of rosé you can feel as if you are on a St. Tropez beach.

"I don't get it," said a friend, holding two green-colored bottles of wine in either hand. We are in a wine store on a sunny day in New York City, and the store is buzzing with customers, but not a clerk to be found. "Both these wines are Sauvignon Blanc from Brancott. The producer — Brancott — is the same. The country — New Zealand — is the same. The year is the same, but the price is different. What's up?" I look at the bottles and see that one is "Reserve" (which often means different things, in different countries) and that the other one has an enormous, very fancy looking "B" in gold lettering directly etched into the bottle. Clearly they are different wines, but why?

The label of the reserve ($17) reads like a travel brochure, to visit New Zealand's Marlborough region with its description of bright sunshine, more than anything else. (Okay, the label did mention the alluvial soils, presumably to satisfy the curiosity of people who look for such information). The label on the Brancott Letter "B" series is more helpful, explaining that the wine is handcrafted (key word) from grapes grown on key Montana estates (another very key word) in Marlborough. Basically, this translates to a different quality of grapes (the Montana grapes are perhaps grown in areas where they have more access to the sun or better soil), and the wine is hand crafted with more personal attention. So, an extra six dollars ($23) buys you all the extra care.

Is the six-dollar difference worth it? Could anyone tell? To find out, I bought both (we needed two bottles for our dinner party) and rushed home to try them. Now before I continue, I'm sure you read about the study in which people rated a wine they were told was more expensive higher than they rated a more inexpensive bottle. Common sense might tell you that researchers have any number of psychological tricks (er, I meant "techniques") up their sleeve for them to get the data they want, depending on who might be financing the study. For that reason, I asked my friend to serve me the wines blind (meaning I could not see which one was poured) so I could make independent tasting notes.

Both Brancott wines had the crisp acidity characteristic of the Marlborough Region, with lots of grapefruit on the nose and palate. Yet I did prefer the Letter "B" series when it was revealed, even though someone very new to wine would find it hard to tell them apart. The difference — for me — is easily described as the difference between a picture taken of an attractive person using dated photographic technology, and a very crisp picture of the same person taken with the newest technology. The latter picture snaps out at you with its sharp-edges, while the other seems softer, rounder, and possibly less defined.

Guests at the dinner party struggled to find the difference, however, so you should decide if paying for the Letter "B" series is worth it. The "B" in particular lends itself well to aperitifs with its crisp flavors, and when served with a meal, is a great pairing with scallops and all manner of shellfish.

"Help!"  says over the telephone, her voice frantic. It’s nine o’clock on a Sunday morning and I was wrapped up in an intriguing dream. “My husband just text messaged me — he invited his soccer team to join us for brunch after practice, and I’ve just made a quiche! What wine should I serve?”

Silly fool! Don’t you know ‘real men’ – especially bankers who play soccer on weekends – do not eat quiche?

Of course, we all know that isn’t true (real men love quiche, especially if it is made in an actual home), and that irreverent quips like this are not good manners. I held my tongue and gave it some thought. Men. Quiche. Brunch. Then I said it.

“It’s spring, so try a crisp Sauvignon Blanc,” I began, thinking about regions. Most people think New Zealand these days, but I had just been to a tasting of wines from Washington state and remembered the dry but fruity and brunch-food friendly appeal of .

With its sweet, floral noise of honeysuckle, jasmine, and ripe fruit, the wine’s aroma almost tricks you into thinking it will be off-dry (meaning will have some residual sugar) but this wine is actually dry — it’s the fresh, fruity aroma, and also the ripe yellow-fleshed fruit on the palate that give you the perception of sweetness. More than that, Sauvignon Blanc is a great wine to pair with egg-based dishes like quiche and omelets.

Washington state is becoming quite popular for wine these days. Horse Heaven Hills AVA (American Viticultural Area) is named (I hear) because of the tricky ridge where so many horses leapt to their own private heaven. It is located adjacent to the Columbia River in Paterson, Washington. The area is actually a desert that relies on irrigation for the grapes. 2006, the year of this vintage, was a year of extremes in weather as it was cooler than normal, with a wet spring followed by a long, hot summer. What helped the vintage is the diurnal effect of warm days and cool nights, with the cool nights allowing the grapes to keep their natural acidity. Also helpful was the cool spell in mid-September, slowing the ripening down and allowing for more “hang time” for enhanced flavor development. This particular vineyard is characterized by gentle south facing slopes and sandy loam soil.

These days, more than sunlight and water go into grape growing. The yeast for this wine, for example, was specifically designed for the Sauvignon Blanc grape. Fifty-eight percent of the wine was barrel fermented for slight spice and texture, while 42% was stainless steel fermented to preserve the Sauvignon Blanc’s fresh fruit character. And “sure lie” aging (meaning the wine was aged on dead yeast cells) for three months gave it the complexity and structure the winemaker aimed for.

And at about $15, it is a good value for a sunny Sunday brunch when a soccer team just happens to descend on your home.