Saturday, February 25, 2012


Earlier this week I was in Washington, D.C. for business and was lucky to have some time to visit some great restaurants.  All had very good wine lists, but one in particular, Agora, had the added benefit of an excellent sommelier.  As much as I love to dig into a wine list and find old favorites, I like it even more when the person who designed the list can take me through it and recommend new favorites.

Agora is a Meditteranean restaurant and my friends and I planned to order a variety of dishes ranging from seafood to red meat.  We were looking for a medium bodied red that could accommodate a lot of different flavors and I've found that Pinor Noir and Gamay both fit the bill.

Rather than pick a Pinot Noir or Gamay, the sommelier steered me to Blaufrankisch, a light to medium bodied red wine out of Austria.  I'd had one Blaufrankisch years ago and found it to be far too acidic and unbalanced for my taste, but the sommelier seemed to be really passionate about the wine so we ordered it.  Good call.  The 2008 Judith Beck Blaufrankisch was a smooth, medium bodied red with bright cherry notes and good acidic structure.  It paired perfectly with almost everything we ordered - from the creamy hummus to the lamb flatbread to the filet.

In true wine-o-crat fashion, the Judith Beck Blaufrankisch retails for about $20 per bottle.  Unfortunately, Beck only produces 500 cases of this wine each year and it can be very hard to find so if you see it, buy it or order it.  It is a crowd pleaser as my friends Jenny, Jill, Chris and Matt can attest. 

Until the next sniff, sip or quaff,

Cheers,

Alli M.

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Looking for a good chardonnay - check out Domaine Corsin Saint Veran

I just returned from another great dinner club outing. We went to Fin in Montclair, NJ. We didn't have a good experience at Fin's sister restaurant, Salute, this past summer so we were a bit weary. Despite a rocky start - thnks to Fern for navigating us to a much better table - we ended up having a great time. Very good service, excellent food and as usual, stellar wine. My favorite of the evening was Meg's 2010 White Burgundy (Chardonnay) - 2010 Saint Veran Vielles Vignes by Domaine Corsin.

The Saint Veran was clean and crisp with classic notes of citrus and green. Moreover, it has a nice, supple body. It went with everything from my garden salad to my honey and balsamic glazed cod. The next time I plan to have seafood, this would be a go to bottle.

Until the next sniff, sip or quaff,

Cheers,

Alli M.

Saturday, February 11, 2012

South African Wine - Shudder No More


South African red wine.  This phrase usually sends shudders up my spine.  No matter how wine-o-cratic I aim to be, I think of South African wines as one step above white zinfandel.  So I was a bit wary of the latest Essex Wine Society Tasting focusing on the red wines of South Africa.  That said, I believe that South African wines have improved over the years and I am confident that one day I will find at least one South African wine that I love.

Unfortunately it didn't happen at the Essex County tasting, however; I found a few South African reds that I enjoyed and one that I would purchase.

My two favorites of the ten we tasted:

Ernie Els Signature 2006 - Classic Bordeaux Blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec, and Cabernet France with bright plum, berry and black currant notes.  Exhibits some vegetal notes, which tend not to be my favorite, but which add some structure.  The longer the wine sat in the glass, the more I liked it.  Unfortunately, it was also the 2nd most expensive wine we tasted and I'm not sure I'd spend $90 - $95 on a bottle.

Grangehurst Pinotage 2003 - I was shocked to find out that one of my two favorites of the evening was a Pinotage.  I have never liked a pinotage, but the best part of blind tasting is that you are not as swayed by pre-conceived notions of particular varietals or regions.  This pinotage was a pleasant surprise.  Smooth red berry notes give way to a medium, somewhat oaky finish.  I don't see switching this out for my favorite pinot noir anytime soon, but for $20 - $23, I would likely pick up a bottle if I came across it in a wine store.

It might be awhile before South Africa breaks into my list of favorite wine regions, but I'm starting to turn the corner.  However, I still stand behind some wine biases and I do not believe I'll ever see the day when I accept white zinfandel as a wine.

Until the next sniff, sip or quaff,

Cheers,

Alli M.