If you've been reading this online magazien for a while, you know wine from the Languedoc is my favorite. Last summer, I spent three weeks visiting producers all over the region. So today, I had to stop and try some wines. Sadly, the same volcano that cancelled my flight to the UK (where I had arranged several wine related events) also cancelled many of the producers.

What was available was terrific -- I spent some time talking to Matthieu Danglas, Maitre de Chai at Chateau de Paraza about his wines.  Picture below
 

Matthieu Danglas

In addition to the different wines a chef was engaged to present some typical dishes of the region, along with
cheese.
 

chef at work

The winemakers will return soon, and you will get an update!

.... so by now, you've seen the film Sideways, tasted Pinot Noir, and count yourself as one of the varietal's many fans. Yet do you like Pinot Noir from around the world, or just certain locations? Have you taught yourself to tell the difference between a Pinot from New Zealand and Burgundy?

The folks at Craggy Range in New Zealand put several wine journalists to the challenge recently by creating a blind tasting of twelve Pinot Noir wines from California, Oregon, Burgundy, and New Zealand. Guests were given time to write tasting notes on each wine, rate them from one to twelve, and guess its origin. Among the many familiar faces were writers such as Howard Goldberg of Decanter and the New York Times, and Andrew Dorenberg, who with his wife Karen Page is the author of many award winning books on food and wine.

Speaking for myself, I could tell the difference between the "new world" wines and the "old world" wines, yet the youthful 2007/2006 vintage meant that the Burgundies weren't showing as well as they would in a decade's time. I also discovered that from a pure sensory point of view, I really instinctively liked the what turned out to be the New Zealand wines, all from Craggy Range individual vineyards (Te Muna, Zebra, Aroha, Calvert, and Sluicings). These wines range from $39 to $85, and reflect the individual soil, as well as the percentage of new French Oak they are aged in. To my palate, they were lighter and fresher than the Burgundies and the Oregon producers, and had a signature ripeness of red berry fruit I associate with New Zealand.

At my table for lunch was winemaker Rod Easthope, who is passionate about Pinot Noir and all the other wines they make. from this vineyard. The property looks gorgeous - if you go to http://www.craggyrange.com you will see the famed mist near the mountains, and can even arrange to stay on property and taste through the wines.

Yes, it takes time, but it is possible to train your palate to detect the subtle differences between new and old world PNs first, and then differentiate between California and Oregon and New Zealand. A very dramatic effort on behalf of Craggy Range which underscored that the time is right for those who love Pinot to try quality wine from New Zealand as opposed from considering Burgundy the benchmark of good wine.

... so you can imagine how surprised I was when a business colleague gave me a bottle of Ehret Family Winery 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa's Knight's Valley upon hearing I was a wine person.

This is a delicious wine with exotic spice, black berries, plums, coffee, and a never-ending finish. Knights Valley is a tiny AVA, known for its volcanic, well-drained soils. Care was taken in the winery, with the fermentation skin contact lasting 21 days before the wine was aged in 100% French Oak barrels (70% new) for 20 months.

I am hearing more and more about this region, and will make an appointment to visit the next time I am in Napa. The winemaker is Nick Goldschmidt, who had worked with many world class wineries such as Atlas Peak. Maybe he'll give me a personal tour ...

Scientists have recently noted that red wine kills fat .. at least that's what the experts at Science Daily tell us.

"When cells were exposed to resveratrol, our studies showed a pretty dramatic reduction in the conversion to fat cells and a lesser but still significant increase in the mobilization of existing fat, or the rate at which the cells metabolized stored fat," said Mark Leid, a professor of pharmacology in the OSU College of Pharmacy. "This clearly could be one of the explanations for the health benefits that some researchers believe can be linked to moderate red wine consumption."

Thoughts?