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Red, White and Brews: Tait Ball Buster Shiraz 2006, Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc-Viognier 2007, Duvel Belgian Ale, and Dogfish Head Punkin Ale

The 2006 edition of Bruno Tait's Ball Buster is true to form. Like Barack Obama, it's a velvet glove on an iron fist. This I verified on the night of the third Presidential debate of 2008, by drinking the third bottle to date.

Mind you, writing about it is not as easy as drinking it. It's so smooth on the surface, you get carried away, as if the Bush years are a thing of the past. If I were on death row, I would request as many glasses of Tait Ball Buster as I could get, as a prelude to the lethal injection that would be the ultimate anti-climax. I imagine a last supper of long-suffering Shiraz grapes, basket pressed to my lips before I turn blue.

Robert Parker's Jay Miller, a true hedonist of a reviewer, sees the virtue in Ball Buster '06, to the tune of 92 points. I first tasted Ball Buster 2005, drawn to the name. It was quite good; the 2006 seems even better, but that's probably just my eternal optimism getting the best of me.

Fact is, Bruno says this year's blend is 78% Shiraz, 12% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot. The iron fist manifests itself by way of the alcohol level that soars into the stratosphere without a trace of ethanol in the nose. The velvet glove is the cloak of the grape skins preserved from the vineyard into the glass.

Tait Ball Buster 2006 is deep dark purple ruby, as expected. You get aromas of loganberry, expresso, cedar and forest. Lush jammy red-to-black fruit, vanilla, then chocolate emerge, at first sweetly on the edges of the tongue. The finish is dusty dry with soft astringency on the center of the tongue.

Price: $19 (Nashville). Closure: Screw cap. Alcohol content: 15.7%.

Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc Viognier expresses the very irrational exuberance that got us into this economic mess. But it didn't, it just tastes that way. Like Sarah Palin, it's fresh, attractive and uncluttered, but alas, it's well crafted.

This alternative white wine blend will connect and resonate with most any white wine drinker. It tastes like perfectionism in a bottle. It comes out of left field but has the power to bring people together. I've tasted this wine in previous vintages, always found it to be pleasant, but this vintage really grabbed me.

Expect perfumed aromas of melon, pear, grapefruit and cold blossoms, plus overtones of sweet spice. On the tongue, bright acidity gives it a mouth-watering crisp edge. The finish, like Sarah Palin, gives a wink of sweetness, but the overall effect is palate-cleansing. Robert Parker himself rated this one 90 points, a real bragging point for an under-$15 USA-made white wine.

Price: $14 (Nashville). Closure: Screw cap. Alcohol content: 12.8%.

Oktoberfest! I must confess that October has found me drinking more beer. Maybe it's Oktoberfest, or maybe I'm turning into a beer advocate. My paying job has me promoting brews, so I have a vested interest in gaining first hand experience. Research must involve all the senses. Yeah, that's it.

Not knowing much about beer, I stumbled onto a couple of good ones right off the bat. First, Duvel Belgian Strong Pale Ale. If you've tried it, you know about that amazing head. If you haven't tried it, and you're not dead yet, go get a bottle, chill, and pour it into a glass. The head defies gravity. It's like what I hoped whipped cream would be when I first learned of it, but it never was. Lightly bitter, unlike the hop-head brews that gather the limelight, beautifully crisp, like a champagne, refreshing and smooth, Duvel is the creme de la creme, literally and figuratively. It's not the latest thing, but no one appears to have improved on it. Expect to pay about $3-$4 a bottle (330 ml.). Alcohol content: 8.5%.

And then there's Dogfish Head Punkin Ale. 'Tis the season, and unlike the imitation over-hyped or over-hopped brews that pretend to convey the harvest, Dogfish really does. The color is beautiful, somewhere between a new minted copper penny and an October sunset. The aromas are complex, hinting at sweet baking spices and pumpkin, but also conveying lots of malt and even some hops. The flavor is a bribe that could make you do most anything.

Expect to pay about $8.99 for a 4-pack of 12 ounce bottles. Alcohol content: 7%. Don't miss out!

By way of a "plug", I recently installed high-proof beer sections into Frugal MacDoogal's web sites for Nashville and Fort Mill, SC (Charlotte, NC area). These sections combine my original bottle photos with a pinch of clever programming, some worthy graphics, and information from all over the place. So far, Frugal's is getting good results from this effort.

A Taste of Havana BC (Before Castro)? Hey Mambo Swanky White 2006 and Sultry Red 2006

Don Sebastiani and Sons has a new label out, and it captures the mood of the new wine buyer quite well. Hey Mambo is in step with young wine consumers who are just discovering what they like. The dynamic duo of winemaking, Richard Bruno and Greg Kitchens simply can't not make great wine for the money. And the Sebastiani marketing magic shows no signs of running out of steam.

There was a time when Havana was the world's playground, dwarfing Las Vegas. Anything went. People danced the Mambo and let loose of all inhibitions. Unfortunately, shortly after I was conceived, Havana went into a coma by way of Castro's "revolution". I must rely on the memories of my aunts and uncles, movies, books and interviews to get a sense of the sensuality that played itself out before New Years' 1959.

The Hey Mambo "Brand" is in its first year, vintage 2006, for both Swanky White and Sultry Red. The packaging is very successful, with the glossy "black and white and red all over" photographics case packaging, the screaming to-the-point label and the red "waxy" Zork closure.

The wines don't disappoint. Hey Mambo Swanky White 2006 is a category-defying fruity blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Muscat Canelli and Chenin Blanc. These are grapes that, for the most part, are known perhaps no better in the USA, than by Richard Bruno. Once quirky, now these grapes are becoming the staples of many so-called "alternative" whites, but fine-tuning them is a trick not every wine maker can pull off.

Swanky is an apt description. The nose is absolutely alluring, sexy, intoxicating, with its crosscurrents of honey, apricots, apples, ginger spice and cold blossoms. But then on the tongue, you are awakened from your stupor with a slap of citrus, the likes of grapefruit and lemon-lime, perhaps even green apple crispness. Another reason this wine is dead-on for the newcomers of wine is the finish. It's pretty much dry, but not DRY! The fruit is sweet, so the finish plays out in a way that makes friends of both the experienced and not-so-experienced taster.

Sultry Red is a blend of Barbera, Zinfandel, Syrah, Petite Sirah, Carignane and Alicante Bouchet. In other words, this is a true, old-timey "field blend", albeit reinvented. Once again, this is the type of composition Richard Bruno is well acquainted with. "Bistro Style" is written all over the wine, as it is also captured in the small print on the front label. Imagine the glaze that will appear on the eyes of the guests you are pouring for, when you get to recite all six varieties that are contained within. No Cab, No Merlot? No kidding!

Hey Mambo Sultry Red 2006 is worthy of its burning hot name. The color is deep candy apple red. The aroma is Zin-like, a bit smoky like a Havana cigar, loaded with raspberry, loganberry, and redcurrant preserves, hovering over new leather club chairs. A bit of clove-y baking spice asserts itself on the tongue, as well as dusty cocoa and more of those sweet berries. The finish is dusty dry like the old vineyards land that bore the fruit.

Both wines' stats are identical, and either (or both) are capable of putting you "in the mood".
Price: $12 (Nashville). Closure: Zork. Alcohol content: 13.5%.

Don and Sons have some great food pairing suggestions for these wines. I can vouch for Swanky White paired with USA-wild-caught shrimp quesadillas, and Sultry Red with free-range spicy chicken sausages with sundried tomatoes and herbs. In other words, get out the spice, the cheese, the onions, and go wild. If you're wearing a button-down shirt, unbutton it!

Mozares Rueda Verdejo 2006 (Just for the Halibut)

Drink this one by the glass, by itself, or drink it for the halibut. Mozares Rueda Verdejo 2006 is an ideal accompaniment to a wild halibut taco and broccoli slaw.

Verdejo is the predominate grape variety in Rueda, a trendy white wine region located northwest of Madrid. The Rueda wine industry dates back 1000 or more years, but has seen a resurgence since the end of Franco's rule (1975). White wines from Rueda are required to be at least 50% Verdejo, with Sauvignon Blanc typically blended in.

Mozares Verdejo is bright, pale lemon gold in the glass. You get aromas of green apple and quince, plus herbal undertones of fennel or dill, plus a flinty minerality. The taste is tart, crisp, and refreshing, without a hint of manipulation or wood anywhere to be found. Those herbal tendencies are just perfect for cold water mild fish, which for me means halibut - when I can find and afford high quality wild caught from the northwest. The fish is the star, and the Mozares Verdejo makes it sparkle plenty.

Price: $10 (Nashville). Closure" Plastic cork. Alcohol content: 13.5%.

Besides wine, Spain is also known for its sunflowers. The bright sunny quality of Mozares inspired me to capture this photo in my Tennessee garden today. The sunflowers are all mixed in with the heirloom tomato plants this year, a result of feeding the birds this past winter. We resisted the temptation to "weed" them out and they make great companions to the tomatoes, as they help hold up the tomato vines and attract bees and butterflies.

"The butterfly is a flying flower, the flower a tethered butterfly." - Ponce Denis Écouchard Lebrun

Yard Dog Proprietary White Blend 2006 and One Fierce Shrimp Quesadilla

Being a health and fitness nut is not incompatible with a love for eating. Summer is the season for fresh produce, so this evening I went out and picked some tomatoes, peppers and herbs. My plan: to do some simple culinary blending that will illustrate the beauty of Yard Dog White 2006, a creative blend that's selling very well here in Nashville.

The garden is just starting to provide a yield. But I was able to pick a bunch of sweet banana peppers, and a "Holy Mole" pepper, as well as several small heirloom tomatoes, called Lime Green Salad and Black Cherry. I also gathered up a bunch of onion chives, flat leaf parsley, and sweet basil. Now, it's time to make a Shrimp Quesadilla.

I google shrimp quesadilla and find a number of similar approaches. Now I'm ready to improvise. Nobody mentioned garden fresh peppers, but I'm going to incorporate them. To make one fierce shrimp quesadilla, here's what I put together:

Shrimp: 1/2 pound thawed, USA wild caught, 30 per pound, de-veined. I look for USA wild caught, because they are not on the Monterey Bay Aquarium's list of seafood to "Avoid", unlike imported farm raised and wild caught shrimp, which are. These shrimp, I marinate 20 minutes in Stirrings Margarita Mix, plus copious chopped chives and parsley, as well as a shake or two of Mrs. Dash Garlic and Old Bay seasoning. I set these aside in the refrigerator.

I chop:

• 1/4 to 1/2 sweet Vidalia onion, depending on size
• 1/2 good sized fresh "Holy Mole" pepper, seeds and membranes removed
• 1 sweet banana pepper, seeds removed
• 1/5 sweet red pepper, seeds removed
• These peppers and onions are sweated in olive oil for 5-10 minutes on low-medium heat.

Meanwhile, I begin heating and browning 2 whole wheat soft tortillas.

Once the onions and peppers are transparent, I add the shrimp and marinade and reduce the mixture as the shrimp poach. This only takes 5 or 6 minutes. Now, it's assembly time.

Leave one browning tortilla in its non-stick pan, and put a little handful of "Mexican Cheese" (I used 2% milk variety) on the bottom tortilla. Now add half the peppers and onions. Next add all the shrimp (except the ones you ate already). Add the other half of the peppers and onions. Add another small handful of "Mexican Cheese". Finally, add the top tortilla. The skillet is on medium heat. Once the whole quesadilla has melted together, turn it and brown it on the other side.

Serve with a side of chopped heirloom salad tomatoes (I used the Lime Green and Black Cherry ones from the garden), mixed with fresh sweet basil. You might also serve with some rice, seasoned how you like. Finally, drizzle the quesadilla with a sour cream concoction that is thinned out with the Stirrings Margarita Mix that I mentioned earlier. Lastly, top with chopped flat leaf parsley and onion chives.

Yard Dog proprietary white blend is a summer wine, ideal for creative fusion dishes, because it's a perfect blend of white wine flavors and textures. A little of this and a little of that comes together resulting in a very successful bottle of wine that will disappear quickly as it keeps you guessing what all is in it.

What's in it is Chardonnay (55%), Sauvignon Blanc (15%), Riesling (15%), Semillon (10%) and Viognier (5%). The color is bright lemon straw. It's not sweet! It's crisp and dry, yet refreshing. On the nose you will pick up a citrus medley, plus some cold blossoms and a slightly peachy keen-ness. On the tongue the citrus dominates, playing out as lemon, lime and grapefruit, plus you might get some nectarine and green apple. The whole thing stays together, creating a flavor that's charismatic. And it's sure to be the perfect thing to wash down a shrimp quesadilla, or even potato salad on the way to a hot dog off the grill.

Red Head Wine Studios, out of the McLaren Vale area in Australia, did a great job with keeping the price down on this fun white. Their Yard Dog proprietary red blend is equally impressive. 5,500 cases of the 2006 white blend were produced. Both of these wines are selling extremely well in Nashville this year.

Price: $9 (Nashville). Closure: Screw cap. Alcohol content: 13.7%.

Yard Dog is imported by Vine Street Imports out of Philadelphia. Winewaves has reviewed several of their wines recently. We are in no way affiliated with Vine Street. They are obviously on a hot streak right now, which is why we have featured several of their wines.

First Love White 2006

Let's keep it simple. There is a season. You are here. Be in the moment. When it's hot and Mercury is retrograde, a vacation is the best prescription.

It may be turning winter in Australia, but First Love White 2006 stops time and delivers the essence of summer just as we hit our longest and warmest days. Head to a coast. Gather up the fruitful fresh bounty of the season, and unscrew a well chilled bottle of wine. This white blend from Australia really is what the bottle says it is: "Fruit salad in a bottle".

The blend is Semillon (65%), Riesling (30%), and Viognier (5%). The color is light golden straw. You may experience aromas of apple, apricot, and melon. Delightfully dry yet quite fruity, expect a nice body and a refreshing wet finish.

Price (Nashville): $11. Closure: Screw cap. Alcohol content: 13%.

Pierre Boniface Apremont Vin de Savoie 2007

As luck usually has it, I frequently show up just as a "Research and Development" session is just underway at Frugal MacDoogal's. A wine like this one might not otherwise cross my palate. Noteworthy as it may be, one of Dan Kravitz' "Hand Picked Selections", who knows if I would take a chance on an unknown commodity such as this. But take it from me, and lots of others, if you see it, pick it up. You will value the experience.

The grape is Jacquère, and Vin de Savoie is located in the Foothills of the Alps. My first reaction was "Perrier with a REAL twist". Pale greenish straw and lively around the edges, this is a very tactile sip, but one that treads lightly on your senses. The aromas are citrusy, maybe a bit herbal, even floral, and reminiscent of a mountain stream. Yes you CAN taste minerals in wine. In this one you may even find the fountain of youth.

Price (Nashville): $16. Closure: Real cork. Alcohol content: 11.5%.

Birds of a Feather: Light Sophisticated French Values

Like a good rain falling after a long drought, that's the way these two unoaked crisp French white wine values refresh your palate after a long run of big bold reds. Both of these wines are proof positive that you don't have to spend a lot for a superb glass of French wine.

First, Kysela has introduced La Petite Frog, a 2006 vintage Picpoul de Pinet from Coteaux Du Languedoc, an impressive example of how the bag-in-box format continues to get more interesting and go further upmarket here in the states.

Josh Wesson, a regular guest on The Splendid Table radio program, recently outed Picpoul de Pinet as one of France's finest values in a white wine. In the box it's an even better value and and what better way to keep a sensational house white wine available on tap.

Style: Crisp, light (in alcohol), citrusy, sophisticated. Appearance: Pale yellow straw with a greenish tint. Aromas: Grapefruit and tropical notes. The tart lime flavor is dry, refreshing, clean and does not overwhelm your palate. Pair it with a herb roasted bird or hors d'oeuvres or anything in between.
Outstanding value: $28 (3 Liter bag-in-box). Alcohol content: 12.5%.

Next, Kermit Lynch brings us Kuentz Bas Alsace Blanc 2005. Here's the perfect occasional counterpoint to the big high-alcohol fruit bombs we love.

In Alsace, Kuentz-Bas blends 60% Sylvaner, 15% Muscat, 15% Auxerrois and 10% Chasselas to make an economical and harmonious sip of the region. With an alcohol content of a mere 12.5%, a real cork and a modest $13 price this is a must. Great with fresh steamed mussels, expect aromas and flavors of quince, tart lime, citrus rind and almost salty minerality. Style: Crisp, light (in alcohol), minerally, sophisticated.

You can't go wrong with either of these picks. Because the "Frog" is in the bag-in-box format, it's a no-brainer and now occupies a position in my fridge until something better makes its way into a box with a tap.

Hook & Ladder Tillerman Russian River White 2005

Some of you will be trying to guess the blend; others will just relish in the discovery of such a great affordable alternative white wine with a delicious personality. It's not sweet at all but neither does it turn your mouth inside out on the way to its refreshing finish.

Cecil DeLoach made 2400 cases of Hook & Ladder Tillerman White 2005, which I'm guessing includes Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer and Sauvignon Blanc. The processing definitely didn't include any oak.

Excellent value ($14). Closure: Real cork. Alcohol content: 13.8%.

Style: Unoaked, crisp, dry, somewhat tropical and very refreshing.

Tasting Notes: Appearance: Light golden straw. Aromas: Apricot, peach, grass and hints of pineapple. On the tongue, the feeling is tart, dry and light-to-medium bodied. The fruit forward palate carries through the aromas with nice acidity leading to a refreshing finish.

Comment: A great wine for a wine aficionado and his mother on vacation at her house in Holden Beach, North Carolina (view pictured above). I can say it was great with some very fresh grouper and field fresh vegetables.

Winewaves reviewed Hook & Ladder Gewurztraminer in April, 2007.

Chateau Ste. Michelle Dry Riesling 2006

Usually when I mention a Riesling to an experienced wine customer who is looking for something different from Chardonnay they say "no thanks - I don't like it sweet". But I think it's really neat that Riesling can be sweet or it can be totally dry, and if it's made well, it can be really good all along the residual sugar spectrum.

For those who find this post later, I posted it on June's Wine Blogging Wednesday. The topic, hosted by Catie at Through the Walla Walla Grape Vine, is Washington State Cabernets. Now Winewaves has posted some beauties, and Walla-squared is one of my favorite places in the world to be. If I had one, I would open and review a bottle of Bergevin Lane, Chatter Creek, Powers (Champoux), Januik, Whitman Cellars, Amavi, K Vintners, Hedges Red Mountain, Hightower Cellars, Bonair, Harlequin Cellars, or 3 Rivers, to name a few. Unfortunately I haven't stopped in at Pete's in Seattle lately. Therefore, I'm reviewing an excellent Dry Riesling from the "oft considered rather dead common but really amazingly good" Chateau Ste. Michelle. As I write about it I am drinking a beautiful Cab which I will tell you more about later (it's a keeper) - a 2004 Sonoma Valley Cab from my friends at Schug in beautiful downtown Carneros, a day or more drive south of Walla-squared. (You go past The Dalles, Portland, Eugene, Weed, and turn right just past Sacramento).

Let me get back to Ste. Michelle's Dry Riesling 2006. Bob Bertheau is as good a wine strategist as director of winemaking. He has delivered the goods and stuck his neck out a bit with a dry Riesling, something more frequently seen coming from Alsace or Australia, and something much misunderstood in the states. No oak of course, just 100% Riesling from the Columbia Valley. Until this vintage you had to live in or around Washington State to get the dry bottling, but now even those of us as far away as Tennessee can get it. Thanks Bob!

Outstanding value ($9.50). Closure: Real cork. Alcohol content: 13%.

Style: Palate cleansing, vibrant, unwooded and refreshingly dry.

Tasting Notes: Appearance: Pale to light gold. Aromas: Apricot, lime, citrus rind, and maybe a bit of green melon. Lively tart and crisp as a freshly picked Granny Smith, the appley, white peachy fruit flavors are backed by mandarin lime acidity and sensibilities before your mouth is stripped naked in the pole dance of a finish.

Comment: Have you ever seen the ice fog that hovers over the Columbia Valley hills? I was actually pulled over by a Washington State trooper last January for weaving a bit on the highway as I couldn't keep my eyes from wandering all over the landscape in awe of that scene. The trooper suspected I had been drinking but I had not had a drop that day. Anyway this wine reminds me of the ice fog in Washington's Columbia Valley.

Martin Codax Rias Baixas Albarino 2006

Martín Códax is a Galician Troubadour who lived some 7 centuries ago; his writings were rediscovered in the last century by an antiquarian bookseller in Madrid. The name was given to the winery what produces this Albariño by the same name. Bodegas Martín Códax also produces Burgans Albariño as well as herb and coffee liqueurs.

Like the medieval troubadour Martín Códax, the namesake Albariño is an unwashed expression of the place as well as the grape.

Outstanding value ($14). Closure: Neocork. Alcohol content: 13%.

Style: Exotic, juicy round, fruity and refreshingly dry.

Tasting Notes: Appearance: Pale straw with a greenish tint. Aromas: Mandarin, lime, pear and cold blossoms. Medium-bodied, juicy and tart on the tongue, the pear and citrus medley flavors play out over a lengthy dry finish.

Comment: “In Spain, the dead are more alive than the dead of any other country in the world.” -  Federico Garcia Lorca

Winewaves reviewed Bodegas Martín Códax Burgans Albariño 2005.