In “Restaurant Man,” Bastianich chronicles his life in the restaurant business, from working at his parents’ Italian restaurant in the New York City borough of Queens to his success as a winemaker and restaurateur.

Viewers of the reality television show “MasterChef” know Bastianich as the most jaded and acerbic of the show’s three judges. He’s much the same in his book except he’s now free to curse, which he does almost as punctuation.

Between expletives, Bastianich dishes dirt about the business: Some restaurants dilute expensive Parmesan cheese with less costly knockoffs, desserts are almost pure profit, and no bottle of wine costs more than $5 to make.

Bastianich also tells some interesting stories, particularly for diners who know the New York City restaurants he and Batali opened, including Babbo, Del Posto and Esca. He talks about spilling a drop of wine on the pope during a visit to New York in 2008 and former President Bill Clinton, who would “stop traffic” when he got up to use the restroom.

Mostly, however, Bastianich’s stories make him sound like a jerk. He says Mexicans are the hardest-working restaurant employees but Ecuadorians and Peruvians generally have “more culinary aptitude.” He once stole flowers from a church cemetery to bring to a legendary chef of Roman cuisine. He claims that if you tell him what restaurants you frequent, he has a good idea of how much money you make.

Readers also have to wade through some score-settling. Bastianich has less than nice things to say about one wine importer, a genius gelato maker and people in the fashion business. He trashes a critic who gave one of his restaurants a bad review, calling the man a “puffed-up real-estate columnist who moonlights as a restaurant critic.”

Of course, diners don’t care if Bastianich is a jerk as long as he delivers delicious food. And the starred reviews of his restaurants prove he does. But his memoir is different. It has a sour edge, a distinct bitterness, and readers may not have the appetite for that.

Article source: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/review-restaurateurs-book-bitter-aftertaste-155936293.html

“After experiencing the worst recession in 70 years, the California wine
business is emerging from this difficult period in good shape and it
seemed an opportune time to explore the sale of Kenwood Vineyards,”
remarked Gary B. Heck, President and Owner, F. Korbel and Bros. “This
will allow us to focus the company’s resources on its leading California
champagne and brandy business.”

“We are thoroughly impressed at the incredible achievements of Mr. Heck
with Kenwood, and hope to become a worthy custodian of this historic
brand,” said Banfi co-CEOs James Mariani and Cristina Mariani-May. “We
want the transition to be as seamless as possible.”

F. Korbel and Bros. acquired Kenwood Vineyards in its entirety in 1999.
At that time, Kenwood was producing less than 300,000 cases and under
the F. Korbel and Bros. stewardship, it grew to more than 550,000 in
2011. Founded in 1970, Kenwood has been recognized consistently as a
leader dedicated to producing premium wines that capture the best of
Sonoma County vineyard character. Included in the sale are the Kenwood
winery and trademarks, bottling facility and the Merlot and Zinfandel
vineyards at the winery. The sale of Kenwood Vineyards is expected to
close June 2012.

Gary Heck is strongly committed to being a major player in the sparkling
wine and brandy categories. The Heck Family will retain Korbel Champagne
Cellars and its related assets. Its 47-year marketing and sales
agreement with Brown-Forman will remain unchanged. Having a stronger
focus on Korbel will provide Heck’s company with greater investment and
growth opportunities in the future.

Banfi Vintners is a privately held family concern, founded in New York
in 1919 by John F. Mariani, Sr. and built into America’s leading wine
marketer for the past four decades by his sons, John and Harry Mariani,
fathers of Cristina and James, respectively. They founded the Castello
Banfi vineyard estate in Montalcino, Tuscany and Vigne Regali Cellars in
Strevi, Piedmont. In 2009 Banfi and Gruppo Italiano Vini formed an
equity partnership in Italy’s Bolla wines, and last year established the
Excelsior Wine Company, a joint venture sales and marketing firm with
leading Chilean wine producer Concha y Toro. The Marianis first foray
into US wine was with their 2010 purchase of Washington State’s Pacific
Rim.

“Our family is dedicated to the global wine business,” said Mr. Mariani.
“The next logical step in building on our success as brand builders is
involving ourselves with a significant California wine estate. We are
making a long term commitment to round out and complement our
partnerships in Europe, South America and Australia.”

F. Korbel and Bros. is comprised of Korbel Champagne Cellars, Kenwood
Vineyards, Lake Sonoma Winery, Valley of the Moon Winery and Heck
Cellars (brandy production facility). The history behind each operation,
whether dating back to the 1860’s or as recent as 2011, showcases a
commitment to producing varietal wines of excellence which reflect the
unique characteristics of the world-renowned appellations of Sonoma
County in addition to fine California champagne and brandy.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50224227lang=en

Article source: http://news.yahoo.com/f-korbel-bros-sell-kenwood-vineyards-banfi-vintners-010000964.html

ASPIRIN

The claim: A daily pill helps prevent cardiac events and even cancer.

Science says: Three different studies published last month in the medical journal The Lancet found that daily aspirin use reduced a person’s risk of a cancer death by up to 37 per cent, and that it reduced the spread of several cancers. As well, previous studies have shown that aspirin can help prevent a second heart attack or stroke, thanks to its anti-clotting properties.

Swallow it? With caution. Studies, including one published in February, have shown that taking a daily aspirin has no demonstrable effect on preventing fatal heart attacks or strokes in healthy individuals. It does, however, significantly raise the likelihood of gastrointestinal bleeding, as well as increasing the risk of brain bleeds, known as hemorrhagic strokes.

WATER

The claim: You need to drink eight glasses of water a day to be adequately hydrated.

Science says: Not only is that idea nonsense, it is “thoroughly debunked nonsense,” according to a commentary by Dr. Margaret McCartney in the British Medical Journal last summer. The eight-glass myth has persisted simply because it’s easy to remember, but multiple sources all concur it’s just that – a myth. Health Canada does not specify how much water should be consumed daily since a review of data on the subject found a wide range of intakes are compatible with normal hydration.

Swallow it? No. Drink when thirsty, experts say. One caveat: With increasing age our sense of thirst declines. Since you can be dehydrated but not feel thirsty, look at the colour of your urine. If it’s light, you’re well-hydrated; if it’s dark yellow or amber, you need fluids.

FISH OIL CAPSULES

The claim: Omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil capsules lower your risk of a range of illnesses, especially heart disease.

Science says: Multiple studies suggest that omega-3 fish oils can reduce the risk of heart attack, hardening of the arteries, strokes and risk of death, as well as lowering blood pressure. As well, low levels of omega-3 fatty acids have been linked to prostate, breast and colorectal cancers as well as dementia, macular degeneration and Type 2 diabetes.

Swallow it? One or two servings of fish each week can cut your risk of dying from heart disease by 36 per cent, according to estimates. Or you can take a daily capsule.

APPLE

The claim: One a day keeps the doctor away.

Science says: It might not keep the doctor away, but a large Dutch study published last year suggested it might keep strokes at bay. Each 25 grams of apple and pear (about one-sixth), consumed per day lowered stroke risk by seven per cent. And a separate study released last year by researchers at Florida State University found that women who ate a third of a cup of dried apples every day for a year had lower levels of bad cholesterol compared to a second group who ate another dried fruit. The apple eaters also lost an average of 3.3 pounds over the course of the study.

Swallow it? Apples may be a “miracle fruit,” as the Florida State researcher called them, but they shouldn’t be the only fruit you eat each day.

VITAMIN D

The claim: Take vitamin D to boost overall health.

Article source: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health/new-health/health-nutrition/nutrition-features/chocolate-red-wine-or-aspirin-which-should-you-be-ingesting-daily/article2387450/?utm_medium=Feeds%3A%20RSS%2FAtom&utm_source=Home&utm_content=2387450

Cupcake Vineyards is the product of Underdog Wines Spirits – owners of the flipflop and Fisheye wine brands – which launched the label in Soledad, Calif., in 2008. After building their West Coast brand using grapes from the Central Coast, it introduced a sauvignon blanc from New Zealand, then a malbec from Argentina. Today it sells wines under the Cupcake label from such locations as Austria, Australia, Washington state, Germany and Italy.

The company has grown from making 10,000 cases in 2006 to a whopping 1 million cases today.

Serious wine collectors will frown on this concept of a worldwide brand, but there is no disputing its brilliance.

We met with winemaker Adam Richardson, a native Australian, recently with considerable skepticism. But the winemaker and international wine director made a good case.

First, the name Cupcake. Is there anything not to like about it? Richardson said that the name makes you feel good and reminds you of the rewards you got for doing some right as a child. Normally, we would scoff at such market-babble had we not witnessed the theory at a Navy tailgate. A woman brought out a bottle of Cupcake moscato and said, “How can you not like a wine named ‘Cupcake?’” She was attracted to the wine because of the name and the colors on the label.

Cupcake’s growth is a result of it identifying consumer tastes. Adam said the brand is having great success among millennials who are less particular about conventions and more driven to enjoy tasty wine. If they like Cupcake’s California chardonnay, it an easy transition for them to choose Cupcake’s Italian prosecco – just another flavor but the same reliable producer. This is a different concept than that of Gallo, a world-wide producer that represents wines from around the country but sold under different labels.

“People who drink Cupcake are comfortable about moving from one region to the other,” he said.

Richardson says he develops these wines for the American market, but is diplomatically careful about defining the prejudices of the American palate. We’ll do it for him: despite what consumers say, many like their wines a little sweet. The Cupcake chardonnay has some residual sugar, for instance, and a zinfandel-based blend called Red Velvet is as jammy as Smuckers.

In fact, millennials have taken a real liking to sweet wines, a point we’re hearing more often from the younger generation. Producers are seeing double-digit growth of these wines in the South and Midwest. According to the Nielsen Co., the sweet red wine market has grown 247 percent in sales over the last year. E.J. Gallo and Sutter Home launched sweet red wines last year – a sure sign the trend is afoot.

Richardson said the common themes of Cupcake are that the wines are very generous in fruit, user-friendly, flexible with food and made with structure and region identity.

The wines we sampled were all priced at $14.

Cupcake Vineyards Italian Prosecco. We’ve seen this sparkling wine frequently at weddings and receptions this year. The name is a conversation starter and the price is right. Very aromatic, low in alcohol and representative of the region.

Cupcake Vineyards New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc 2011. This was our favorite. The herbaceous and tart personality associated with Kiwi sauvignon blancs were muted. Grapefruit and mineral notes with soft mouthfeel made for an enjoyable wine even if it wasn’t classic New Zealand. Very generous aromas.

Cupcake Vineyards California Chardonnay 2010. Richardson said the objective is to make a creamy textured wine with soft mouthfeel. Nice spice and apple notes. He achieves that from these Central Coast grapes but it’s a generic chardonnay.

Cupcake Vineyards Barossa Shiraz 2010. Very pleasant and forward shiraz with rich, ripe berry flavors that aren’t over the top.

Some of the wines recommended in our column may have been provided for review by their producers. The authors can be reached at tmarquardt@capital gazette.com.

Article source: http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2011/10_12-36/FNW

It is not surprising that the wine made within sight of the famous towers of San Gimignano in Italy’s province of Siena in Tuscany goes well with the local foods. Vernaccia is a low-volume white wine, made from the Vernaccia grape with a small amount of other grape varieties, usually Chardonnay. It was the first wine in Italy to gain the DOC classification back in 1966. In 1993 it was recognized as a DOCG wine, the only white Italian wine to bear this esteemed classification (Denominazione di origine controllata e garantita).

Vernaccia is a full-bodied white wine, golden in colour, crisp and clean, that should be drunk young unless it is a Riserva, which means it will last from three to five years after harvest. Only 10 percent addition of other grape varieties is permitted. San Gimignano was mentioned as early as 1276 and Dante wrote about it in his “Divine Comedy.”

In general, soups, pasta dishes, and chicken and fish dishes go well with Vernaccia di San Gimignano, as well as appetizers and some desserts.

Artichoke antipasto

12 small artichokes
50 mL (1/4 cup) lemon juice
15 mL (1 tbsp) white wine vinegar
375 mL (1 1/2 cups) Vernaccia
2 small bay leaves
2 cloves
3 peppercorns
1/2 lemon, thinly sliced
Olive oil
2 additional bay leaves
2 additional peppercorns

Remove outer leaves and tops of artichokes. Cut off all outer stalks and dip hearts into lemon juice. Mix wine, vinegar, two bay leaves, cloves, peppercorns and lemon slices. Add artichokes and simmer for 10 minutes or so, until artichokes are tender. Drain well and place in glass jar. Cover with olive oil, additional bay leaves, and peppercorns, and let stand for three days. Add more oil if necessary and cover jar. Store in a cool place. This keeps for several months.

Pike with raisins

1 kg (2 lbs) pike
500 mL (2 cups) Vernaccia
1 carrot, sliced
10 mL (2 tsp) minced parsley
1 bay leaf
1 small onion, chopped
1 mL (1/4 tsp) salt
125 mL (1/2 cup) seedless raisins
10 mL (2 tsp) butter

Wash pike. Put it in a deep skillet, add wine, carrot, parsley, bay leaf, onion, and salt and cook for 45 minutes. Remove fish, put on serving dish and keep warm. Strain pan gravy, add raisins and boil gently for 10 or 15 minutes. Add butter, mix well, and pour over the fish. Serves two.

Panforte di Siena

This Tuscan specialty has been famous since the 15th century. The original recipe is secret but this one approximates it. In North America, the cake is usually bought in Italian specialty stores and eaten for Christmas or special occasions. In Siena you can buy a piece and eat it on the way home. It’s excellent with Vernaccia!

125 mL (1/2 cup) blanched almonds
125 mL (1/2 cup) hazelnuts
15 mL (1 tbsp) butter, divided
250 mL (1 cup) candied orange peel
175 mL (3/4 cup) candied lemon peel
175 mL (3/4 cup) flour
250 mL (1 cup) honey
250 mL (1 cup) white sugar
15 mL (1 tbsp) confectioners’ sugar

Toast nuts lightly in a teaspoon of butter. Cut orange and lemon peels finely. Mix all ingredients except for honey and sugars. Pour honey into a large pan, add granulated sugar and cook at low heat, mixing and stirring well until almost at boiling point. Add dry ingredients, stir well and remove from heat. Butter and flour a springform cake pan and pour the mixture in. Bake at 150º C (300º F) for 35 minutes. Serve cold, sprinkled with the confectioners’ sugar.

Susan Hallett is an award-winning writer and editor who has written for The Beaver, The Globe Mail, Wine Tidings and Doctor’s Review among many others. Email: hallett_susan@hotmail.com

Article source: http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/life/tuscan-foods-and-vernaccia-the-white-wine-of-san-gimignano-62786.html

The now legendary 100-point scale popularized by wine criticism’s doyen, Robert Parker, Jr., is receiving a frontal assault in the form of a web site and manifesto called the Score Revolution.

Developed by Hedges Family Estate (who, it should be noted, had received well above average scores for their wines from leading critics in the past before they stopped submitting wine samples for review), they state in their manifesto:

The 100-point rating system is a clumsy and useless tool for examining wine.  If wine is, as we believe, a subjective, subtle, and experiential thing, then by nature it is unquantifiable.  Wine scores are merely a static symbol, an absolute definition based on a singular contact with a wine, and thus completely ineffective when applied to a dynamic, evolving and multifaceted product.

Since launching the manifesto, not only has the Score Revolution received a significant outpouring of support by “signers” of the “revolution,” but Hedges has also been placed in the middle of the points v. anti-points brigade conversation for the last seven weeks as story after story in the wine blogosphere explores the merits for and the negative aspects of wine criticism.  Hedges Family Estate, at the center of the tableau, is a crucial point I’ll address in a moment.

Of course, Hedges is right in their stance on points scoring.  It’s an inarguable fact that rating a wine is, at best, a signifier of a moment in time by a lone, fallible palate.  What Hedges fails to recognize, however, is that critical wine rating has grown in ubiquity on a parallel path with the growth of wines available to the consumer, who mostly, are inundated with a wall of wine and abundance of choice when all they truly want is a lovely bottle of vino for dinner.

Pure and simple, points scoring help relieve buying anxiety in the wine aisle.

And, with wine quality at an exceptionally high-level, wines scores aren’t so much a warning to stay away from bad wines, but rather a decision-making tool when all other things are considered equal.

Absent significantly excellent critical scores, a winery and wine better darn sure have excellent branding while presenting an incredibly powerful and captivating story.

The Score Revolution aside, it’s the “captivating” part where Hedges excels, absent critical review.  Their labels are a marvel of engaging opacity inviting a long loving examination in order to decipher its meaning – part DaVinci Code symbolism, rich in back story, part homage to the Old World with its attendant focus on place instead of varietal.

The lesson I take away from all of this is that if a winery shuns points and leading critics then they better have excellent PR and a gripping story to go alongside it.  The folks at Hedges aren’t dumb, and they’re working both the PR and the “captivating” story angle.

Fortunately, in this impasse between paths of philosophy in wine marketing, the tiebreaker is what’s in the bottle and Hedges wins on that count, as well.

Article source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/jefflefevere/2011/09/18/forbes-wine-of-the-week-2009-hedges-family-estate-dld-syrah/?feed=rss_home

Our tastes in wine shift as much as yours. But we are united in having the spirit of adventure to try something new. We’re always amazed at the willingness of wine consumers to break away from their comfort zones.

Such was the case when we recently poured a number of French wines made with the picpoul grape variety, also known in France as folle blanche. Grown in the Languedoc outside the village of Pinet, this ancient grape nearly faded from existence when the phylloxera scourge decimated French vineyards in the early 20th century. But a resurgence of popularity has given new juice to this delightful grape.

There are more than 8,000 grape varieties harvested in the world, but most wine enthusiasts couldn’t name 25 of them. Have you tried charbono, tannat, or ugni blanc? They’re among the common grapes.

With that, we’d like to introduce you to three grape varieties whose wines you may not have tried. They are picpoul, muscato and grechetto.

Picpoul

The bone-dry picpoul has been compared to muscadet and sauvignon blanc, but it’s truly unique. It’s name means “lip-stinger” for the big acidity that you find in a muscadet from Loire. Its aromas are subtle and its citrus, apple flavors are compelling. Surprisingly, it’s more complex than you would expect. It is not, however, anything close to chardonnay.

A subappellation of the Coteaux du Languedoc, Picpoul de Pinet is one of the named crus that produces the best picpoul wines. The grape is also grown in the Rhone Valley where it is used primarily as a blending grape.

It is a great wine to serve as a summer aperitif and it will do well with seafood, particularly scallops and shrimp. Picpoul has some nice mineral notes too.

Cave de Pomerols Picpoul de Pinet 2010 ($10). Lime and grapefruit aromas abound in this simple but exquisite picpoul. Good acidity and bone dry.

Terre de Neptune Picpoul de Pinet 2010 ($10). Excellent length and varietal grapefruit and citrus notes with the classic acidity picpoul is known for. We served this at a party and guests were flocking to the store the next day to stock up. At this price, how can you go wrong?

Grechetto

This Italian grape variety had fallen off the horizon for us until we recently paid a visit to the Italian Market. Owner Raymond Lubrano insisted that Tom buy the Antonelli Colli Martani Grechetto ($16). Holy cow, what a wine. This could be our favorite white wine discovery of the year. It was richly textured and full-bodied with tantalizing peach and mineral notes.

A grape variety with Greek origins, grechetto has been used primarily as a blending grape with chardonnay, malvasia and trebbiano. However, it is a very fragrant grape that can be vinified by itself by good producers. Antonelli is one of the most respected producers in Umbria, where grechetto is most commonly found.

We haven’t seen much grechetto on the local market, other than the exquisite Antonelli, but we know that another good producer is Arnaldo Caprai.

Moscato

Moscato is making a very surprising comeback. Quite different from picpoul, muscato is vinified sweet and sells for well under $10 a bottle. Sales have tripled in the last three years and the new audience is primarily among the millenials. Gallo is one of the biggest producers – its Barefoot brand joins Gallo in controling 43 percent of the market.

Although it represents only 2 percent of wine sales, its number doubled in 2010. Experts suggest that moscato is replacing white zinfandel as the wine for those with a sweet palate. Sutter Home doubled its sales, and sales at Woodbridge are tenfold over the previous year.

Moscato can be a sweet fortified dessert wine or it can be an effervescent aperitif. In both cases, it is very fruity, always sweet and packed with peach, citrus and honey flavors. Often it is effervescent, like asti spumante, and sometimes it is a sweet dessert wine.

We can’t say that we personally like these wines, but we can’t deny their growing popularity among first-time wine drinkers. If you prefer something sweet, this may be your ticket.

Umberto Fiore Moscato d’Asti DOCG 2010 ($13). With just a bit of effervescence, this Piemont-area wine is perfumy with sweet fruit flavors. A good match to fresh berries topped with cream.

Robert Mondavi Moscato d’Oro 2010 ($20). Sweet but well balanced with peach flavors and a flowery bouquet.

Barefoot Moscato Spumante ($11). This bubbly sweetens the palate with apricot and peach flavors.

White Knight California Moscato 2010 ($13). From The Other Guys, this is a blend of muscat de alexandria (50 percent) muscat canelli, pinot grigio and orange muscat. It doesn’t make a lot of sense to us, but the wine has a quaffability factor for sweet palates.

Some of the wines recommended in our column may have been provided for review by their producers. The authors can be reached at tmarquardt@capitalgazette.com.

Article source: http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2011/09_21-34/FNW

The issue of structure came to mind after a recent wine panel tasting of 20 New Zealand pinot noirs from the 2008 and 2009 vintages. After we were done, I was left to wonder about the wines, which in general we found underwhelming.

Oh, they were all acceptable. Many of them were friendly and approachable, the kinds of wines you could serve at a neighborhood block party and nobody would complain. Yet few were exciting. I’ll just say it: many of the wines were boring.

For the tasting, Florence Fabricant and I were joined by the husband-and-wife team of Scott Mayger, the general manager of Telepan on the Upper West Side, and Beth von Benz, a sommelier and wine consultant.

What was the problem? In our discussion, the usual suspects came up. Many of the wines were lacking a sense of place, Beth said, which may have been true but did not, I thought, explain our lack of excitement.

A sense of place — the idea that the wine you are drinking expresses the specific qualities of a particular place and a particular culture or people — develops over time, as farmers and consumers come to understand the qualities of a piece of land.

Production of pinot noir in New Zealand is still a recent phenomenon, a couple of decades old; centuries have gone into understanding Old World vineyards.

In past tastings of New Zealand pinot noir, we have similarly concluded that the wines lacked a sense of identity, and I have likewise attributed that to the youth of the industry. But this seemed a step backward. It was not merely that the wines were not expressing terroir. Many were not engaging in that come-hither dance in which a glass of wine implicitly says, “Drink me, drink me.”

We discussed other problems: wines that were overly concentrated, wines that were not concentrated enough; wines that seemed too sweet, and wines that oddly enough seemed both too sweet and too bitter, and a host of other issues.

But the thing that kept coming back to me was a lack of definition in the wines, a sort of muddiness that prevented many of them from expressing themselves with clarity and precision.

So what do I mean by that? Structure is like the skeleton of the wine. If you removed the bones from a human body, you would have a quivering, gelatinous mass of organs, muscles and the rest. These components are useless without the skeleton, which allows the body to stand tall and to move with purpose and authority.

The same is true of structure in wine, even if the skeleton is figurative rather than literal. A properly structured wine advances through your sensory apparatus in an assertive, decisive manner. It is focused rather than blurry. Without a proper structure, a wine can simply arrive with a thud.

In red wines, structure comes primarily from two elements, tannins and acidity. Tannins are mostly found in the grape skins, though they can also be imparted by the wood in oak barrels. Acidity is generally found in the grape juice. As grapes ripen on the vine, tannins become less harsh and acidity diminishes as sweetness rises. The relationship of tannins, acidity and sweetness is integral to a grower’s decision about when to harvest the grapes.

Structure itself is not a simple thing. It can be coarse: heavy, mouth-gripping tannins or teeth-jarring acidity. Or it can be fine, in which case the structure itself is almost imperceptible, except for the shape it gives the wine, which will seem precise and clear. I love this quality in a wine, especially in pinot noirs, which should never be coarse.

Article source: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/28/dining/reviews/pinot-noir-from-new-zealand-wine-review.html

Rioja is divided into three regions: Rioja Alavesa, Rioja Alta and Rioja Baja. Alta has the highest elevation and thus the shortest growing season. On the other hand, Baja is hot and its long growing season leads to wines that are high in alcohol and low in acidity. Most of the juice is used for blending.

The wines are classified by three categories that reflect oak aging. “Rioja” spends less than a year in oak. “Crianza” is wine aged one year in oak and at least an additional year in bottle. “Rioja Reserva” is three years in bottle, one of which is in oak. The “Rioja Gran Reserva” must spend two years in oak and three in bottle.

The generous use of American oak in Spanish wines has been a problem in the past, but producers have moved to Spanish and French oak to tame the woody flavors.

We have really enjoyed the wines from Muga, located in the Rioja Alta region. Family run, it makes wine in small batches with traditional methods. It is the only winery to employ coopers and makes its own vats. Eschewing American oak, Muga quality is from its barrel profile.Our picks

Muga Reserva 2007 ($30). Garnacha, mazuelo and graciano are blended with tempranillo to give this wine breadth and aromatics. Generous raspberry and black berry aromas with bright cherry and blackberry flavors and soft mouthfeel.

Muga Seleccion Especial 2005 ($46). The blend is the same as the reserva, but this version – made only in certain years – has more concentration and oak aging (28 months in barrel). Black cherries and spice dominate the palate.

Montecillo Reserva 2005 ($23). We like all the wines from this Rioja producer, but the reserva shows off generous, quaffable fruit and is cloaked in depth and concentration. Lots of bright black cherry and raspberry flavors with mocha notes and long finish.

Rioja Vega 2009 ($12). Generous young fruit, simple and medium bodied, with fresh dark berry flavors.

LAN Vina Lanciano Vina Reserva 2004 ($25). Tom visited this cooperative a couple of years ago and discovered a lot of interesting wines, including this reserve blend of tempranillo and mazuelo. Toasty and tobacco aromas with layered espresso and black cherry flavors. Very elegant and lush.

Marques de Caceras Red Rioja 2007 ($15). Very simple but well balanced with focsed rasberry and cherry notes, easy tanninsand hints of pepper and spice. Good value.

Artadi Vinas de Gain 2007 ($32). Made in a more modern style, this wine made entirely from tempranillo from old vines has an expressive aromas of smoke, mineral and blueberry. Concentrated and balanced.

Spanish wines

Altovinum Evodia 2010 ($10). Made entirely from garnacha this lush wine is a knock-out. Lots of black cherry and raspberry flavors with intriguing aromas and nice mineral notes.

Tarima Monastrell ($10). This is an incredible buy from the Jumilla region of Spain. Loaded with ripe blueberry and dark berry fruit, it’s simple but delicious. Hints of licorice and chocolate.

Terras Gauda O Rosal Rias Baixas 2009 ($24). This wonderful Spanish white wine with a tongue twisting name illustrates why albarino is quickly gaining recognition in the U.S. Lovely apple cider color with a hint of green. It is 70 percent albarino, 20 percent loureira, and 10 percent caino blanco. This wine exhibits a lively bright peach floral nose with a hint of citrus. Peach and mineral flavors with bright acidity. A wonderful expression of the albarino grape.

Bodegas Castillo de Monjardin Chardonnay 2009 ($14). A good value from Spain, this wonderfully lush chardonnay has a lot of fruit forward, tropical fruit flavors. Very enjoyable.

Some of the wines recommended in our column may have been provided for review by their producers. The authors can be reached at tmarquardt@capitalgazette.com.

Article source: http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2011/09_07-41/FNW

New Zealand Wine: Making Progress in
Tough Times

* Wine exports reach $1.1 billion, up
5% * June year end 2011 NZ wine sales total 221
million litres, up 11% * Rising $NZ seen as a major
challenge to exporters * Strategic Review
commissioned to plot the path forward for the wine
sector

The New Zealand wine industry is making progress
despite the tough economic times according to the June year
end 2011 Annual Report of New Zealand Winegrowers.

‘Three
years ago, the New Zealand wine sector was reeling from the
combined effects of the 2008 supply shock and the global
financial crisis. Today excess inventory has been sold
through and we have the confidence to take in a record
harvest based on anticipated demand’ said Stuart Smith,
Chair of New Zealand Winegrowers.

Mr Smith noted that
total New Zealand sales (export and domestic market) rose
11% to 221 million litres for the June year end 2011 while
export value rose 5% to $1.1 billion.

‘These achievements
represent real progress against a background of increased
uncertainty in the global economy.’

Mr Smith is clear,
however, that significant challenges still remain for the
sector. ‘Profitability is a key concern for wineries and
growers, as many still struggle with the legacy effects of
the past three years. The wild gyrations of the New Zealand
dollar are a major problem for wine exporters, and threaten
to de-rail the recovery that we are starting to see.
Domestically, annual excise increases impact winery
financial returns because those increases cannot be passed
onto consumers.’

Mr Smith noted that in a rapidly changing
environment there was a need for a clear path forward for
the sector and the industry organisation, New Zealand
Winegrowers.

‘For this reason we have commissioned a major
independent strategic review of the sector and our own
activities. Consultants PWC have been appointed to conduct
the review which we believe represents an exciting
opportunity to build on the progress of the industry to
date, and to position New Zealand wine for greater success
in the future’ said Mr Smith.

ENDS

Article source: http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1108/S00739/new-zealand-wine-making-progress-in-tough-times.htm