winewaves

When in Nova Scotia

Halifax Harbor September 14, 2007 (click to enlarge)

Continuing on the theme of picking up affordable road bottles that come from local sources, I want to share a new discovery from Nova Scotia. This quick trip landed me at the Halifax airport and took me over to Moncton, New Brunswick and back to Dartmouth (across the bridge from Halifax). Along the route, the exit to Pugwash included a sign for Jost Vineyards (rhymes with toast) which is located in Malagash.

Even with the tempering winds of the Atlantic it surprised me that you can grow red wine grapes this far north in the land of Christmas trees. I didn't get a chance to visit the winery but I did get to the Provincial package store and pick out a bottle of Jost. The label says Cote de Bras d'Or Nova Scotia Marechal Foch 2005. A dry wine of 12% alcohol, it's light and surprisingly very much a delight as well. The color is ruby, the body light, and the flavor is brimming with berries like the berry-laden fresh fruit cups they sell at Canada's Sobey supermarkets (another discovery from my recent excursions north of the border).

I only paid $11 Canadian for this little gem with a cork, in a store alongside Yellow Tail that costs nearly $15.

It turns out Marechal Foch (don't ask me to pronounce it) is, as you might expect, a hybrid grape that winters over well and ripens fairly early. But it's being put to good use here. And what's more, this Marechal Foch was grown in Cape Breton, which is further north and out there than Halifax. The story goes that John Pratt (Johnny Grape) was the first to grow grapes commercially in the area, which proves the old adage, "where there's a will there's a way".

You probably won't hear people going on about Nova Scotia's wine industry but give it a try next time you drop in to Halifax.

This trip also revealed that my Sirius radio works up here, so I happened to hear Friday's NPR program "Forum" with Michael Krasny, and the topic was "wine snobs". Fred Franzia, whose Bronco Wine Company makes Two Buck Chuck and markets a host of anti-wine-snob geek-slapping generic-looking labels, was the most outspoken of the guests. He was joined by Julia Flynn Siler of the Wall Street Journal (author of "The House of Mondavi: The Rise and Fall of an American Wine Dynasty") and Leslie Sbrocco, wine author, consultant and host of Check, Please! Bay Area on KQED television. Fred pounded away at his message that wine is wine or if there is any difference, his wine "is probably better than Opus One". The callers were mostly on his side although it seems most don't want to do away with "geek speak", the language of wine.

I suspect my feelings are pretty close to the middle on this subject. I don't want to spend much for most bottles of wine. I might overspend for a label just to mark a special milestone or close a deal. But I need variety, I like to know a wine's story even if it is contrived, and presentation makes a difference to me. At the end of the day I like to talk about wine as well as enjoy drinking it. The good side of the Two Buck Chuck story is that there are now more competitors making better cheap wine, a trend that I hope continues. But just because it's cheap, it doesn't have to be devoid of personality or come with an unwritten rule that it can't be talked about in purple prose.

Maybe next year will bring the debut of my new line of value wines positioned for affordable anti-wine-snob enjoyment: Steak Wine, Chicken Wine, Burger Wine, Spaghetti Wine, Seafood Wine, Lobster Wine, and Barbecue Wine. We've got varietals and appellations, but what could be simpler than wine made to go with what you're eating. One second thought maybe I need to get back to Nashville tomorrow. This cool Canadian air has clearly gone to my head.

When In Boise, El Dorado, or Alberta...

For years I brought wine with me when traveling by air. It's been a year since the rule went into effect prohibiting bringing a bottle of wine through security, and my tactics have adapted. As soon as we get where we're going, I'm bottle shopping. I feel I've hit the trifecta when I find a convenient grocery with nice fresh fruit offerings, a Starbucks inside, and a well stocked wine department.

Recent trips have turned up some notable local quaffs that make the grade and don't cost a lot. They're not Opus One, but it would be a shame to pay a lot for a "road bottle" since usually I only get halfway through it (alright, two-thirds) before going to bed. The next day I'm on to the next place. If a road bottle has a screw cap, all the better since corkscrews are a no-go in carry-on baggage and not all hotels have one available. Fortunately it's still okay to bring wine glasses on board and I'm never without my Reidel "O"s which occupy the center slot in my padded camera and laptop case.

Here are some local finds from the latter half of August.
Boise, Idaho: Sawtooth Winery 2005 Skyline Red. ($10 at Safeway, Screw Cap, 14.5% Alcohol). Think of a stout glass of berry-ish coffee-esque wine. The blend is 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Syrah, 10% Merlot and 5% Primitive (Zin-like cousin). Aging was 6 months in oak barrels. Rustic with dusty tannins, the coffee roaster aromas frame black cherry, berry and vanilla oak flavors.
El Dorado (Placerville), California: Boeger Winery Hangtown Red Lot #34. ($10 at the Winery or Safeway, Real cork, 14.1% Alcohol). Definitely a guy's wine, what with the wild west motif and sensibilities, it's the kind of wine I could be happy with if I had to pick only one. The deep cherry fruit is ample, there's comforting oak spice plus a little tobacco note like that sweet loose variety that makes you wish you smoked a pipe. Expressive and dusty, you get a mild hit of tannins and a warm finish. Then you're ready to be tucked in for the night. The blend changes from lot to lot but the San Francisco Chronicle states this lot is 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Tempranillo.
Calgary, Alberta: Tinhorn Creek Vineyards 2004 Okanagan Valley Cabernet Merlot. ($15 CDN at Howie's, Screw Cap, 14.7% Alcohol). Released a year ago, the texture is smooth and you get a nice combination of bright red fruit, oak spice and Canadian forest earthiness. Nicely tart, it was the perfect partner for the takeout burger I grabbed at a place called Joey's Tomato. The blend is 63% Cabernet Franc (not Sauvignon as you might expect) and 37% Merlot.
Grand Island, Nebraska: I don't have a clue. I arrived too late and somebody will have to tell me where the wine is.

My recent trips to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally and California allowed me copious opportunities for picture taking. As usual, the pictures I missed were better than the ones I got, but you can view the slide shows from those trips now.
The Sturgis slide show can be seen at http://www.gusset.com, by clicking here.
The California Wine slide show can be seen at http://www.frugalmacdoogal.com.

Here's another wine tip. Good friend Ed Young does a monthly wine letter for Frugal MacDoogal's, the Nashville and Charlotte area wine and spirits retailer whose website and email program I manage. This month he assembled a nice group of humorous and familiar wine and spirits quotes. Be sure to check them out (http://www.frugalmacdoogal.com).

Where's Winewaves? Gone West.

My August story appears to be my deliberate attempt to escape the oppressive 100-degree heat in my home town of Nashville, or to keep moving to avoid thinking too much about having lost our little Opal (see my last post).

Before telling where I've been, this is a good time to thank those who left sympathetic comments about the loss of our dear companion cat. My sympathies are returned to you for your losses.

At the same time I'd like to scold those who are leaving spam comments. I'll just have to keep deleting them I suppose, in the interest of keeping this forum open to legitimate comments.

I've also noticed many people are still looking for Bitch Barossa Grenache. Unfortunately I cannot help because Winewaves is neither a wine producer or a retailer. Please retailers: If you have some Bitch, let the readers know.

Since Sturgis I've been to Boise in Idaho, Sacramento, Napa, Sonoma (see Kenwood grapes just above), Amador (the top picture is Montevina under an August moon) and El Dorado in California, to Edmonton and Calgary in Canada. I've tasted wines from all these places and unearthed some finds back home as well. I will share these value packed finds soon, but meantime here are three pictures from my trips.

My escape act worked! It's clear blue and actually cool enough for a jacket outside tonight in Canada.

The town of Placerville, home of Boeger Vineyards (pictured above) used to be known as Hangtown. It's just up the road from Nashville, California, not to mention Cool, California.

A Funny Thing Happened on the way to Buffalo

Last week on the way to Buffalo I had a connection at BWI (Baltimore Washington International) and there was a delay on my outbound flight. I got a glass of green tea and went walking around and discovered Vino Volo over in concourse A. I had forgotten about this location's opening but was glad to see them. As anyone who travels through BWI knows, delays are common.

Twice before I've stopped at the Vino Volo in the Sea-Tac airport and written about them for Winewaves.

Before I settled into this Vino Volo for a flight of wine I figured I should go back to B concourse and check with the Southwest Airlines gate person to make sure I would have time. The delay was now showing longer than before and it seems we were going to be put on another jet that wouldn't arrive until at least 8:00 PM. It was a quarter till 7 so I figured there was time. "Is there any chance the flight will go any earlier?" I asked, "Because I'd like to get a glass of wine over in A concourse". "Just be back here by a quarter till 8", I was advised.

When I got back over to Vino Volo, I ordered the California Kings flight for $10. The three wines included: Teatown Cellars Napa Merlot 2004, Vinum Cellars Slow Lane Cabernet 2004 and Melville Estate Verna's Syrah 2005. I took my time smelling all three as per usual and finally took a slow sip of the Merlot. How civilized! I thought and then the loudspeaker said, "This is a gate change announcement for Southwest flight 2651 to Buffalo. You are now leaving out of gate B7. Please report immediately to gate B7 for boarding now." It turns out several of the people at the wine bar were on the same flight. We paid up. Determined to finish my wine flight, I downed the wines like doing shots. We all hurried back over to concourse B just in time.

As for the wines, they were all good. And I guess I can't complain that our flight left much earlier than expected. However, I look forward to my next delay at BWI so I can spend more than a minute on a wine flight.

Slideshow | Napa Valley Petite Sirah Harvest

Harvest came late and abundant in 2005. On October 13th, I went driving up Silverado Trail looking for a harvest crew to photograph and found one at this vineyard across from Picket Road. It turns out this is an old Petite Sirah vineyard under contract to Stags' Leap Winery. It took only a few minutes for the crew to hand pick a load of grapes. The whole thing was like a dance in the afternoon sun.

The slideshow format is a new feature here at Winewaves. You may click here or any picture above to be transported to a slightly larger version of the same slide show.

Tuesday Night at Enoteca Vin in Raleigh NC

The much acclaimed Enoteca Vin is located in the old Pine State Creamery building in the now trendy Glenwood South District near downtown Raleigh. Fortunately my inaugural visit last week was with my Mother and Grandmother on Tuesday night.

Actually both "Mom" and "Granny" know the building for what it originally was, the old birthplace of the local favorite ice cream brand, Pine State. Raleigh may have changed a lot in recent years, but Mom and Granny are true natives.

Tuesday night turned out to be a good time to visit Enoteca Vin. The atmosphere is laid back like a rehearsal for the rest of the week. The crowd is low key, the staff accommodating and the performance fresh.

Enoteca Vin feels more like the genuine item than a copy. The mixture of city modern and down home tradition walks the line definitively. For example, chicken liver pate ($5) and deviled eggs ($5) reside comfortably alongside wild striped bass with mussels ($17) and steak frites with olive butter and red wine jus ($19). Chef and co-Owner Ashley Christensen succeeds at composing the menu with beauty, hedonics and passing notes of humor.

The wine list managed by co-Owner Chrish Peel is just enough out of the ordinary, and it's ever changing, affordable and flexible. For example, you can order wine in 1.5, 3, and 5 ounce glasses or by the bottle, and you can spend as little as $1.50 for a 1.5 ounce wine sample. This turned out to be perfect for my mother's needs.

As the driver for the evening, my wine tasting was limited to two very enjoyable wines, both from Bedford Road Estate in New Zealand: Sauvignon Blanc ($7.25/5oz.) and Pinot Noir ($6.20/3oz.).

The more adventurous (and non-drivers) might also select one of the delicious sounding cocktails such as the Pomegranate Punch or Lemon-Cucumber Gimlet made with Hendrick's gin.

Desserts and matching sweet libations rival the savory courses in their creativity, although we had to take a rain check on this trip.

Everything on the menu sounds like a winner, and you can view the current choices on Enoteca Vin's informative website.

The space itself is a visual treat, clean, comfortable, minimal yet warm and cozy. Service is crisp and professional.

The entire staff deserves a round of applause.

Viva! ZAP's 16th Annual Zinfandel Festival

Speak easy and carry a big stick (a sourdough baguette that is).  The Zinfandel was pouring freely, baguettes abounded, a moon full of cheese was consumed, and the sun even peered out for this annual Bay area festival of red.

Chris Lynch of Mutt Lynch Winery pours his Portrait of a Mutt. 

Hundreds turned out for the 16th annual ZAP (Zinfandel Advocates and Producers) Zinfandel Tasting on Saturday at Fort Mason in San Francisco.  And that was just the Trade and Media session from 10 AM to 1 PM. A larger public was queued up for their session as we left the buildings.

This was my first trip to ZAP and my first time to cross the Golden Gate Bridge since the mid-1980s. I spent the first 150 minutes of the tasting without a glass in my hand, sizing up the big event with my lens and trying to maintain a clear head. Only in the last half hour did I grab my glass and taste a few excellent values.

Most everyone else went right to the business of tasting, leaving me in the gustatory dust. Suffice it to say that Zinfandel "freaks" are a happy lot, unencumbered by rules and sporting good humor in addition to an infinite capacity for enjoying good Zin.

Look for more thoughts on this event forthright; meanwhile my West Coast trip has already taken me across the Golden Gate Bridge to points north, as I'm now headed for Oregon's Pinot Noir country and Walla Walla Washington before the next week gets away.

Golden Gate Bridge January 27, 2006

You can view my photo album of the ZAP Zinfandel Tasting now on Winewaves.

Sonoma County Carneros Rainbow

Yesterday evening (January 26th) after completing some business totally unrelated to wine in sunny Sacramento, I decided to make my way to San Francisco via Sonoma.

My intention was to pick up a few items at Sonoma Market before settling into the Holiday Inn where the food and wine choices are, let's face it, scant. My layover in San Francisco was to attend the ZAP (Zinfandel Advocates & Producers) annual trade tasting on January 27th.

There was just a little break in the clouds right as the sun was low in the sky, and suddenly in front of Nicholson Ranch's Visitor Center a big rainbow appeared. My Taurus rental car veered into the parking lot and I was forced to snap off a few pictures. Apparently this phenomenon is common in Carneros, but my being in Carneros is not. And this year January has been dry.

Nicholson is a Pinot Noir producer, and the tasting room was busy at the time of the rainbow, although it seems I was the only one impressed by it. That wine must be pretty good.

San Diego Wine Company

With only 24 hours in San Diego on this trip, and business in Otay Mesa, San Marcos and downtown, plus eating, sleeping and airport arrival time, that left me only about a half an hour to find a case of value-oriented wines. A little upfront web research revealed the place to stop, right along my route from San Marcos back to the harbor area.  San Diego Wine Company was the place.

I emailed Matt Francke (pictured below), the new owner as of a year ago, and he assured me there would be no problem choosing a mixed case in a hurry and getting them packed in a shipping box ready for checking as baggage. Less than a week prior to Christmas, amid the crowd, Matt and the staff accommodated my requests cheerfully, right down to my fussy need to have bottles whose seams did not run through the labels (seams can mess up a label picture).

This is the type of wine shop I look for, the perfect place for a Winewaves "random walk".  There are no wine racks, only case stackers and wooden boxes overflowing with the best values in the market today.  There is nothing expected; and according to Matt, the selection is ever changing.  Do not expect to walk in and pick up the standard fare, but do expect to get a deal on some wines you need to know about.  It is rare that a guy my age feels like a kid in a candy store but I did.

The San Diego Wine Company is a no-nonsense retail outlet located in a warehouse park on Eastgate Mall, 15 minutes north of the San Diego downtown waterfront.  Matt Francke worked for seven years as Assistant Manager before seizing the opportunity to purchase the store from the previous owner and he has not missed a step in the transition.  There are no frills, just fun.  There are no bar code scanners or sophisticated inventory management systems, because it's all in Matt's head.  Together with his staff of Mark, Daniel and Shane, they taste every wine before it gets in the back door and onto the floor.  They take the concept of QPR (quality-price-ratio) to a new level.  With a relatively small (approximately 5,000+ square foot) space, long and narrow, only wines with the potential for turning in a heartbeat make the cut.  That means buying in volume at the best price, with no promises about future buys, and pricing their finds with a razor thin margin.  You could drink very well and never spend more than $10 a bottle here.

Case in point: The very excellent Avalon Napa Cab that Winewaves just reviewed cost nearly a third less here than the best price I found in Nashville.  Similar deals abounded.  What's more, the staff's tasting notes are posted all around, and every member of the staff knows every wine and can quickly steer you in the right direction for your tastes.

The selection is slanted towards California reds, but there are plenty of eclectic selections from other parts of the world, including Bordeaux (they offer great deals on 2005 futures as well), sparkling wines and Champagne, white wines (especially Chardonnay), and wines from Spain, Australia, Chile and more.

I am thinking about using a Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards coupon and Priority Club rewards night for a return trip to San Diego, just to buy more wine here.  Who would have guessed this store would turn out to be one of the best attractions in the area.

My case came to $162.23, including the $8 Styrofoam shipping container and sales tax.  All the wines ranged from $4.99 to $16.95 except the one bottle I had to have, the Orin Swift "Prisoner" 2005.  This bottle has been on my shopping list ever since I had a glass of the '04 at the Rutherford Grill in Napa Valley last year, and I was happy to get it for $29.95.

Here's what made it home to Nashville, all of them reds: Poppy Monterey Pinot Noir 2005 ($10), Abundance Lodi Old Vine Zinfandel 2003 ($10), Fuentespina Ribera del Duero Tempranillo 2003 ($5), La Planta Ribera del Duero Tempranillo 2005 ($10), St. George Sonoma Cab 2004 ($7), Tobin James Notorious Paso Cab 2004 ($14), Semler Malibu Cab 2003 ($17), Orin Swift Napa The Prisoner ($30), Kings Ridge Oregon Pinot Noir 2004 ($13), Mas Neuf Costieres de Nimes Red 2004 ($8), Ch. Anglade-Bellevue Cotes de Blaye 2000 ($10), and Huntington California Petite Sirah 2005 ($9).

I asked Matt if anybody is ever disappointed by the SDWC's shopping environment.  "If you're looking for the antithesis of us, if you need to see expensive store fixtures and predictable labels, this isn't going to be your kind of store."  Something tells me Matt really enjoys his job. Thanks for the hospitality.

Vino Volo (Wine Flight) Small Bites at Sea-Tac Airport

How civilized!  Vino Volo is a new concept for the airport, offering wine flights, small bites, carry-out gourmet, carry-on ready bottles of wine, gifts and accessories.

I almost missed my flight from Seattle-Tacoma to Boise when I settled into this outpost and became too comfortable, enjoying three wine flights and a plate of delicious smoked salmon rolls with crabmeat, radish sprouts and crème fraîche.  Joe LaPanna, New Store Opening Manager says that is pretty common.  In fact, Joe told me Vino Volo patrons have been known to switch to a later flight in order to hang out at the wine bar a little longer.

Seattle-Tacoma is location number two in the up-and-coming chain which began with the first store at Dulles International Airport (Washington DC).  The Dulles store opened back in September, and the Sea-Tac location opened around November 1st.  LaPanna reports there are plans for more Vino Volo locations, with Sacramento, JFK and BWI (Baltimore-Washington) coming very soon.

It's about time.  Finally there is an alternative to the typical noisy crazy chain restaurant and its predictable low-end wines and pedestrian dishes.

Leaning to minimalism, the interior is crisp and clean like high-thread-count white cotton sheets, with just enough luxurious rich wood and very comfortable seating.  The lighting is excellent.  The people are professional and knowledgeable.  Each store has a relatively short list of well-chosen wines and wine flights, which rotate every six weeks.  The offerings are tailored to the region, with the Sea-Tac location specializing in hard-to-find yet affordable Washington State selections.  The Dulles location actually has a Virginia flight as well as selections tailored to the east coast traveler.

The food menu is also nicely short.  You won't have to wonder what is good, because if it's on the menu, it's good. Vino Volo uses local caterers for each store, scrutinized carefully.  In addition to the Salmon Rolls ($10), other small bites on this visit included plates of Artisan Cured Meats ($9), Chilled Seafood Paella ($8), Duck Confit and Lentil Salad ($12), Tuscan Chicken Sandwich ($8), Beecher's Ziti and Cheese ($8), Artisanal Cheese Plate ($9), Olive Plate ($5) and Roasted Marcona Almonds ($5).  Everything on the food menu is available to go.

There is a nice selection of maybe 50 wines by the bottle, priced attractively, well-chosen to represent the world, and because the store is beyond security you can take these bottles on the plane with you.

Wine flights are three pours (except the Sommelier Series which is two), about two ounces each pour, served in high-quality stems.  At Sea-Tac, you can select from four Washington State flights and four World flights.  The three Washington State flights I went for were "Washington Kings" ($10), "Christmas Cabernets" ($13) and "Winery Showcase: Alexandria Nicole ($9).  There really wasn't a wine in all nine that wasn't up to par.

If you're in the mood for the World flights, they consisted of: Sommelier Series, a two pour flight including Caymus Special Select Cab 2003 and Chateau Latour a Pomerol 2001 ($23), World Value Reds ($7), Northwest Noirs ($11) and Celebration Sparklers ($12).

Knowing I had to go through security once more before returning to Nashville, I held back and purchased two bottles I was really impressed with, with plans to check them through after my next stop in Boise.  Look for upcoming Winewaves reviews of Ash Hollow Walla Walla Merlot 2003 ($25) and Alexandria Nicole Quarry Butte Red Blend 2004 ($25).