COLLIVO  2010  Merlot  Ticino  Switzerland

I bought this wine during one of our visits with family in Switzerland, it had been mentioned in Hugh Johnson's pocket wine book as one worth seeking out if you happened to be in country.

The reserve was only $5.00 more than the regular bottling, so that's the one that came home with me. I had purchased 2 bottles, and opened one there to gauge where the wine was in its development. Based on my impressions from other young red wines, I felt it needed some time in the cellar. It had great fruit and structure, but the tannins were very strong and needed food that had plenty of fat to balance them. So it's sat on a bottom rack in the cellar for 5 years, and I'm glad that I waited for it to come into balance.

At 9 years of age it's in the sweet spot, notes of cherry, raspberry, red plum and tobacco leaf in the nose, cherry and plum on the palate with just right tannins, acidity and a hint of underbrush that reflects the warm, dry conditions found in the Italian speaking region. A nice, not too thin or thick mouthfeel with a pleasant finish of the fruit flavors that fades nicely. So good...

You can sip it by itself, or enjoy it with food. I tried it with some good Parmesan, no bread or crackers, it was a very good match. I also had an antipasto plate that had herbed kalamata olives, cherry tomatoes, Mozzarella pearls, fresh basil leaves, and a sliced, grilled Italian sausage.  It brings me back to evenings hanging out with my cousins on their patio on a nice evening... enjoying life one moment at a time.

You'll have to travel to Switzerland to find this wine, or any of the other very good wines that are produced there by dedicated Winemakers working small vineyards. The cost was about $20 for this bottling, a great value for a well made wine that reflects where the grapes were grown.

Put a visit to Switzerland's wine growing regions on your bucket list, and you'll understand why 95% of all wine production is consumed in country or within 20 kilometers of the border. They know a good thing when they taste it...

Cheers!

Ed

2017  ANEW  Rosé  Columbia Valley

I like the Riesling that this winery produces, so when I saw their Rosé on the shelf I figured there was a good chance it was worth a try.

The winery is part of the Chateau Ste Michelle stable of wineries, so the winemaker has access to good fruit and top shelf equipment to work with. David Rosenthall started with Ste Michelle in 2007 and then interned in Australia and Oregon before returning to be the Winemaker for the Anew label. He started with a delicious Riesling which has won numerous awards, and now also makes a Rosé and a Pinot Grigio.

The Rosé is made predominately from Sangiovese, with some Syrah. The label says it has aromas of strawberry, watermelon and peach, and I would agree. It also has a subtle note of tobacco leaf that a good Sangiovese red wine would have, but it works with this wine.

The palate has matching flavors and finishes with pleasant lingering fruit flavors, it's not bone dry but not sweet either. I tried this wine with a crumbly aged Cheddar dusted with powdered espresso beans from Ann's in Plainfield, no crackers, just the wine and cheese.

 The Cheddar was old enough to have the salt crystals in it like a good aged Gruyere will, and that's a perfect match for a Riesling so I figured the rose would pair well with this... and it does. What a nice simple appetizer to enjoy before a meal, I'm thinking some other hard cheeses would also work. I also could see this wine working with grilled veggies, thick cut grilled pork chops, and perhaps dry rubbed baby back ribs cooked to fall apart condition....

Available at the NH Liquor outlets currently on sale for $9.99 per bottle, and at Total wine in Natick MA for $11.49 per bottle. This is a good value for the money, and supports a USA winery.
If you like a good Riesling, try their bottling which is also from WA state. I think you'll find it very tasty.

Cheers!

Ed

Dezzani  2015  Rosso - Passito  Appassimento  Piemonte Italy

When I saw the label on this bottling, I remembered reading an article about the appassimento method of drying grapes on beds of straw in a climate controlled room to concentrate flavors and sugars before pressing them.

This is the same process used in making Amarone wines, which can be sublime to drink, and can age for decades in good to great vintages although different varieties of grapes are used for an Amarone.

The grapes used in the Dezzani are Barbera (51%) and Dolcetto (49%), which make good wines on their own. So I was interested to see them used in this style of wine. After doing some research I found out that wines from the Piemonte area were not allowed to be made by this method until 2014.

Upon opening notes of cherry and red plum in the nose, along with a hint of tobacco leaf. Definite flavors of cherry, plum and perhaps red raspberry/strawberry with a pleasant fruit finish and balanced acidity.

I served this with our Christmas day dinner that included an oven roasted turkey, a ham with a Dijon/brown sugar/aged Balsamic vinegar glaze, and a grilled, herb crusted eye of the round roast, sweet potatoe casserole, squash, baked potatoes, etc... and the wine went well with all of the various dishes and flavors.

After the wine had been decanted for an hour or more, deeper notes in the nose developed reminding me of black plums and darker berries. The palate also reflected the change in the wine as it opened up, and had a nice slightly thick mouthfeel. Everyone who tried the wine liked it, and wanted to know where to find it.

I think you could pair this bottling with a number of different foods, from pizza to prime rib, red sauce pasta and more. Let me know what you tried it with....

In the power buy section of many NH Liquor stores for $12.99, a good quality wine at a good price.

Cheers!

Ed

Primarius  2014  Pinot Noir  Winemakers Cuvée

I had read a review about one of the wines available at Costco a few months back, (Primarius) so when I saw this wine in the power buy section of the local NH Liquor store I knew I had to try it.

The winery is one of many labels in the Precept Wine Co's portfolio, but they have a rock star winemaker in Sarah Cabot. She had been making high end Pinot's in Oregon for 8 years + before being contacted by Precept with the proposition of making a quality Pinot Noir in volume for around $20 per bottle. Usually this can't be done, but she wrapped her head around the challenge, got some advice from people she knew in the business and came up with a winner.

Upon opening notes of red cherries, raspberry, cinnamon or nutmeg, and spice in the nose, matching flavors in the palate, with a nice mouth feel, good acidity, and the fruit fades pleasantly. The wine has a beautiful color, but is translucent. Done in an old world style, like what you see in much of Europe.

After 20 minutes the nose changed, it reminded me more of black cherry, cola, hints of plum, a touch of blackberries, the spice note is more pronounced. The flavors also deepened making this a great food friendly wine at a great price.

Available at most of the NH outlet stores in the power buy section for $11.99 per bottle,  also available at most Total Wine stores for $15.99 per bottle and Costco.

Cheers!

Ed

Zocker  2015  Grüner Veltliner  Paragon Vineyard  Edna Valley CA

I've enjoyed a few Grüner's before when visiting family in Europe, and occasionally you see one on a wine menu in a good restaurant in the upper valley. So it was a pleasant surprise to see this wine in the powerbuy section of the West Lebanon Liquor outlet.

When I first looked at the label I thought it was from Austria, the writing looked like ones from Europe. As it turns out the wine was from California, but it is very much in the style from Austria or Switzerland.

The Niven family has been farming this land since the early 70's, the grapes are sustainably grown and they are SIP certified. This means they have to adhere to strict standards for land management as well as treating their employees well and working with the community. 

Upon opening there are notes of apple, honeydew melon, gooseberries, and a hint of peach in the nose, the palate brings matching flavors, with a bit of a spicy note (in a good way) and the fruit flavors fade away nicely on the finish. There is good acidity, which helps clear the palate when enjoying certain foods such as cheese fondue or a dish with a higher fat content.

This was a perfect match with the Chicken Marbella recipe from the Silver Palate cookbook, which has all kinds of ingredients. This would also pair well with a number of cheeses, aged Gruyere, Gorgonzola, a 3 year old sharp Cheddar. I also think grilled shrimp or scallops would pair well with this wine, as would grilled chicken rubbed with garlic and paprika.

Or you could sip this wine by itself, it's pretty darn good. I'm thinking this would be good on a warm summer evening out on the deck or patio.

 Available at most of the NH Liquor outlets for $10.99, and a few other retail sites for $17.00 to $20.00 per bottle. It's a good value, and there is also a 15% case discount which brings the price down to $9.35 per bottle. At that price buy a case and save a few for this summer....

Cheers!

Ed

I spotted these napkins at a holiday party we went to, my first reaction was to raise my glass to Santa....

Holiday wine selections

I have been asked recently about suggestions for wines to serve during the holidays, something special, not the everyday glass. I usually counter with 2 questions.... what are you serving for food, and what do you like to drink for wine?

It's not always easy to pick one wine that will match with everything on the table, I like to pour both a white and a red wine with the meal. Of course a sparkling wine can always bring a nice touch to a festive holiday meal, either before or with the meal.

It really comes down to personal preference, but here are a few wines that my family and I have enjoyed with our holiday meals over the years. If you try any of them please let me know what you think of them.

-Chardonnay-

Buehler - always a nice balanced, elegant food friendly wine. Usually about $20 per bottle but sometimes on sale for $12.00

-Riesling-

Ch Ste Michelle - Eroica Riesling,  $17.99  a joint effort between Dr Loosen of Germany and the wine makers in WA State. A delicious well made wine that is consistant every year, and pairs well with a wide range of foods.

Salmon Run Riesling - $11.99  The "second" label of the Dr Frank Winery out in the Finger Lakes of NY State. A great introduction to how good the Rieslings can be from this area, and food friendly to boot.

-Champagne/Prosecco -

Domaine Ste Michelle - Brut Rosé  $12.99 - a nice sparkling wine at a good price from WA

Mionetto - $11.99  a nice bottle from Italy at a great price.

-Pinot Noir -

Erath - $24 Oregon  Estate bottling, this winery has been a consistant producer of very good Pinot for years.

Argyle - $19.99  Oregon  Another good Pinot that will be nice with dinner.

Rodney Strong - Russian River Valley CA  $14.99  this wine is a good value for the money, and goes   well with food.

-Merlot -

J. Lohr - Los Osos $14.99  CA  a very smooth tasty wine that will match well with fowl, prime rib or rack of lamb.

Rodney Strong - Sonoma  $17.99  always a good bottle of wine, and makes a holiday meal special.
                              Sku code 25994

-Cabernet Sauvignon-

Hess - Allomi Vineyard  Napa $29.99  a very nice wine that drinks like it should cost a lot more, decant for an hour prior to the meal.

Frei Brothers - Alexander Valley  $21.00  a beautiful expression of Cabernet from this area, I keep some of this on hand all the time. Decant for an hour prior ...

Ch Ste Michelle - Cold Creek Vnyd  WA $24.99  a big cabernet from a special site that would be great with rack of lamb, or prime rib.

Wishing all of you a special holiday season....

Cheers!

Ed