Vinturi Helps Wines to Breathe Faster, Taste Better! - 03 October 2007

Wine, Women, and Robert Parker - 24 October 2007

Who Needs Robert Parker... - 18 December 2007

Free Downloadable Wine Book - 05 September 2008

For those of you who haven’t been keeping up on our sappy stories from the European Wine Blogger’s Conference that took place in La Rioja last weekend, allow me to catch you up. For three days, Robert McIntosh, Ryan and I gathered together several wine bloggers from around the world to meet and chat about…yup, wine blogging.

However, what you, nor anyone else, has known up until today was that we didn’t have a location set for the keynote tasting / dinner until a few weeks before the event - I kid you not. Don’t get me wrong, we were looking! But try as we might, from June to August, getting anything planned and confirmed in Spain is impossible. So with literally days remaining, we used one of Robert’s many Rioja connections - also known as the golden enchufe - to get us a reservation at La Chata.

Now mind you, none of us had ever been there, but the restaurant came on good authority as a wonderful place that would actually seat all 40 bloggers. But get this, they wouldn’t only make room our entire crew, but they even had a separate area where we could host our wine tasting consisting of cases upon cases of wine! This, my friends, was a miracle, and a reservation based on complete faith, because for all we knew, it could have been a mess!

So what made La Chata such an incredible find?

The Perfect Feeling

The historic restaurant is nestled inside the old part of Logrono on a tiny Gothic style street called, Calle Carnicería, just a stones throw away from the Plaza del Mercado and the Catedral de La Redonda. Stepping through the door, you enter a small room holding a set of wooden stairs, a long hallway to the right of the stairs that lead to a white tiled kitchen, and a narrow wooden bar that sits about 6ft in front of an enormous stone oven. Built in 1821, this monster of an oven has seen more carcasses than I hope any of us will have seen in a lifetime, and was the first of its kind in Spain. Two stone ovens were later constructed in the Plaza del Mercado in the early 19th century, primarily for bread, but La Chata had already gained a reputation for creating the first of its kind.

Walking up the stairs, you enter a long cozy room with wooden floors, thick wooden tables and chairs, and cozy atmosphere that feels more appropriate for a large Sunday brunch with a Riojan family than a restaurant filled with foreigners. But strangely enough, that is exactly how they try to make you feel, like part of the family.

La Chata is owned and managed by the Belber family, a patient and loving group of people who were eagerly willing to not only endure my 1001 questions on cooking a suckling pig, but also handling a loud and passionate group of international wine bloggers who were ridiculously excited to experience a traditional Rioja meal. With grace and professionalism, they handled the most inquisitive and cautious among us with a humor, entertainment and kindness. For me, it was a feeling of complete acceptance regardless of whether or not I enjoyed the food. As stated by the chef and owner’s wife, Estela, “How cool that you all came from around the world to appreciate our food and culture. I appreciate that!”. So do we Estela, so do we!

Fourths Anyone?

And as if the service and atmosphere wasn’t cozy and heart-warming enough, the food was quite good. Granted, the caveat being that the conversation and gales of laughter may have influenced my perception, making every dish seem incredible, but hey, take my impressions for what they’re worth. From what I remember, between Juan mistaking Ryan as my brother and Emidio training his child how to differentiate aromas from various wines, in the end, it all tasted good to me

Our meal began with four appetizers:

Ensalada Templada de Perdiz Escabechada con Endibias (Partridge Endive Salad)

Jamón Ibérico de Bellota (Traditional Cured Ham)

Espárragos Especiales de la Ribera (White Asparagus served with Sliced Tomatoes and Mayonnaise)

Revuelto de Boetus Edulis con su Cebolleta Fresca (Scrambled Eggs with Fresh Onion and Edulis Mushrooms)

Of these four, I’d like to call attention to the Revuelto de Boetus Edulis con su Pebolleta Fresca. Having only had Huevos Rotos (scrambled eggs with chorizo and a touch of vanilla) in Rioja, I was extrememly happy to have tried another version. The eggs held a perfect delicate, yet firm texture, while the mushrooms added that earthy flavor that paired beautifully with the 2007 Pazos de Lusco from Rias Baixas. I´m still dreaming about this dish today!

Once the plates were cleared, a large heaping pile of Cochinillo (suckling pig less than 6 months old) was placed on the table with a crisp skin to contrast its tender and juicy meat. This was paired with Escarola de la Tierra con su Aliño de Ajitos, a stiff and curly leafy green lettuce (similar to frise) in a light garlic dressing. The crisp green texture and spicy garlic flavor added that perfect touch to the slightly sweet meat.

In short, this restaurant is a must visit, a place I would highly suggest you go if you wish to experience a traditional Rioja meal in a cozy and quaint family run restaurant, where good service and a big smile are a normal part of the experience. Sigh, only a few months to go before we’re back again. I can’t wait!

Que Aproveche!

Gabriella Opaz

Restauranta Asador La Chata

Carnicerias, 3

26001 Logroño, Spain

+34 9941 251 296

lachata@teleline.es.

http://geo.ya.com/weblachata/bienve.htm

• Some of the Food Culture of La Rioja (warning may cause salivation)
• Dinner at Terete in Haro, La Rioja
• Aromas & Sabores in Campo de Ourique, Lisbon
• Tapas at El Xampanyet
• Wine Bloggers Dinner during Alimentaria in BCN, Hosted by Bodegas Tintoralba

Don't miss this opportunity to peek behind the cellar door and taste the wines of 2008 long before their release!

Visit Lodi Wine Country for an amazing weekend of wine tasting, educational activities, chef demonstrations, barrel sampling, blending seminars, winemaking contests and food pairings! Meander from winery to winery to experience all that Lodi Wine Country has to offer!

40 Lodi wineries are poised to make this pre-holiday event memorable! Take the "First Sip" of Lodi's 2008 vintage wines straight from the barrel. Enjoy the fruits of our vintner's labor. Help to celebrate the end of another successful harvest!

Take advantage of advance ticket prices! For $35 each, a ticket grants you two days featuring the best of Lodi Wine Country! Click here for Ticket link to make your purchase today!

As some of you know, there was a time when I didn't really care for Champagne. But like so many preferences formed early in our lives, it turns out that I just hadn't had the good stuff. Unfortunately for my pocketbook, I eventually did find out what all the fuss was about, and now I enjoy it immensely. That is, as long as it is good.

And good Champagne, invariably means expensive. I run the risk of coming off as snobbish, or at the very least elitist by saying this, but more so than most wines, you really get what you pay for when it comes to Champagne. It's hard to find a really great bottle under $30, and even harder to find an amazing one under $60. I'm not sure about the $200-$300 range -- I've tasted a few, but only recent vintages -- but I do know that if you're willing to pay $100 for a bottle of Champagne, you can get something truly excellent.

Which brings me to this wine.

The house of Perrier-Jouet was formed in 1811 with the marriage of Pierre Nicolas Perrier and Adele Jouet. He came from a family with many generations of grape growing experience, she, from a well-to-do family in Normandy. The Perrier family's vineyard holdings in the region that would later become known as Champagne were as impressive as they were extensive. Some of the vineyards would eventually be classified as Grand Cru, and a few are still owned by the family, more than eight generations later.

Because of Perrier's wealth in land and experience, the couple wouldn't move far to settle down after they were married. They purchased an estate at the address 28 on the main avenue of Epernay, a street that would eventually be known as Avenue de Champagne. In that stone building they built what has become of the wine world's most successful brands (thanks to its latter day owners, which included at one point the larger Champagne house Mumm). The house continues to operate out of the same building, at the very same address.

Perrier-Jouet is certainly not the oldest Champagne house in existence -- it's a young pup compared to some houses that can claim to have been in operation since as early as the 16th century -- but it has several ties to history that make for good stories. One of my favorites being the tale that Oscar Wilde ordered bottles of the 1874 vintage of his favorite Champagne to his prison cell. Presumably because he couldn't bear to drink the inferior stuff they were serving him at the time? Perhaps a more important story would be the fact that in 1854 Perrier-Jouet effectively pioneered the Brut, dry style of Champagne, departing from the sweeter profiles of the times to create a wine that quickly became a standard in the region.

Perrier-Jouet, now a brand in the portfolio of drinks giant Pernot Ricard, currently owns and operates about 161 acres of vineyards in the Champagne region, of which, quite impressively, nearly all are Grand Cru classified. This is an achievement that should not be underestimated, as Champagne is famously fragmented among many, many different farmers, estates, and large Champagne houses.

The estate produces several vintage and non-vintage wines, of which this Cuvee Belle Epoque is their top bottling. Made from 50% Chardonnay and 45% Pinot Noir and 5% Pinot Meunier, it is made through careful blending and barrel selection of the winery's best fruit by winemaker Hervé Deschamps.

It's not often that a wine's label begs to be commented upon. In a world where many wines are indistinguishable from one another at a distance of 10 feet, the Perrier-Jouet bottle makes an immediate, striking impression. Whether it is the most beautiful Champagne bottle in the world I cannot say with authority, having not seen them all, but it is certainly one of the nicest pieces of packaging design that I know of in the wine industry.

The bottle is adorned with an enameled image of anenomes, the work of the artist Emile Gallé in the Art Nouveau style, which he created as a work of art in 1902 for the family, and which has been their signature bottle ever since they put it into production for their top cuvee starting in 1969.

Full disclosure: I received this wine as a press sample.

Tasting Notes:
Bright gold in the glass with very fine bubbles, this wine smells of citrus oil, yeast, and the skin of yellow apples. In the mouth it is sunshine bright with a velvet soft mousse that supports flavors of lemon zest, toasted oats, and freshly baked brioche. Great acidity makes it a joy to drink, as the wine sings the whole way down. Delicious.

Food Pairing:
This wine is quite bright and airy, making it a slam dunk with oysters, goat cheese, or egg dishes of all kinds. I'm not sure I can think of anything I wouldn't drink this with, to be honest.

Overall Score: between 9 and 9.5

How Much?: $130

This wine is available for purchase on the Internet.

Sometimes nothing sounds better after a long hard day than an ice-cold Dos Equis or a glass of pinot noir.

http://www.urbania.us

We are moving this blog to Urbania.us. If you would like to write wine reviews for Urbania, visit this link. Write Wine Reviews

A few weeks ago, a friend of ours gave us the skinny on a new wine shop in Barcelona called, Neyras Vins. Located on Calle Laietana, a short jaunt from the famous Barcelona Cathedral, it is a cozy and comfortable space that welcomes both tourists and residents alike.

It’s owner, Antonio Gomez Neyra, is also the owner of Restaurante Neyras, founded back in 1989. Albeit not an ancient restaurant by European standards, it has gained a solid reputation as a high-end seafood and wine establishment. Consequently, the creation of a wine shop two doors down from his restaurant seemed like an easy investment when your customers continually inquire about your fine Spanish wines. Unfortunately, as of yet, one cannot meander over to the Neyras Vins and pick out a bottle of wine to pair with your meal, but we’re hopeful this policy will change in the future.

What makes Neyras Vins unique is that its manager, Juan Manuel Gonzalvo, prides himself on actively seeking out a personal relationship with their producers, over 90% of which are Spanish. Many of these producers can also be read about on his blog Y Vinos, a point of pride and joy for Juan Manuel, as its creation came well before that of the store. However, there is not relationship between the blog and the store. Neyras Vins, sadly, does not have a website as of yet, but we’re hoping this will also change in the near future, and if we’re all lucky it will be blog based.

Neyras Vins is well organized, designed, and most importantly, affordable. Constructed primarily of wood, with bottles organized by regions, and plenty of wide open space to peruse while sipping on wines open and available to the customer, its a great little shop worthy of checking out. And if for whatever strange reason, you’re in the mood for a Japanese scotch (fun Japanese whiskey site!) or an exotic Tequila, while in Spain, you don’t have to look any further, as their glass case is stocked with a variety of liquors from around the world.

During our visit, we also had the opportunity to learn about a new producer, Heretat Montrubi located in the Alt Penedes. We tried two of their wines, one of which was an incredible sweet wine made with 73% Xarel.lo and 23% Parellada. The 2006 Advent is claimed to be the first ever sweet wine made with Xarel.lo. What’s more is that this wine is made in a very similar way Pedro Ximenez, where the bunches are individually hung from metal wires to naturally dehydrate over the course of 75 days. The grapes are then pressed, fermented at a low temperature with a specific yeast, and finally, placed in two 225 oak barrels where they finish off their fermentation for 11 months on lees. This process results in a delicate and radiant golden color with a lovely and bizarre range of aromas including: cereal, honeycomb, orange zest and a touch of white, mature fruit. In the mouth, the wine shows incredible acidity, medium body and a nice, lingering finish full of honey, lemon custard and raw nuts. And as if this sweet wine wasn’t interesting enough, we also experienced the 2004 Gaintus, an incredibly unique wine made exclusively from Sumoll! This is a rarity, and one clearly highlighted by the winery as, “the first single variety wine from the Sumoll grape”.

If you are in Barcelona, stop by and say hello from Catavino, and please share your impressions of the Neyras Vins here on our site.

Additionally, I’d be interested to know your thoughts as to whether retail stores need an online presence, and if so, how? How do you find a wine shop when you’re traveling to a new country, and what is the criteria that helps you decide if you want to swing by and check out a wine shop?

Saludos,

Gabriella Opaz

Neyrus Vins
Via Laietana 41 (Esq. Joaquim Pou. 2)
08003 Barcelona
Phone: +34 93 301 30 35
Map

• Sumoll
• Vila Viniteca
• About Us? - Wine bloggers to your blogs!
• Japanese Food - Spanish Wine a Food pairing made at Freixenet?
• 2005 Sumoll Rosat, Pardas, Catalunya

Quite an unusual combination for the Balkans, since Syrah is fairly rare in the region. Skovin is probably trying to follow the world commercial trends with this Syrah Cabernet Sauvignon combination, and it’s not doing a bad job. Syrah brings in the spiciness and the earthy taste, which brings memories of those strong South African tastes of Syrah wines. Cabernet softeness it a bit, so overall it’s a nice wine, but distinctively dryer than the famous Australian Syraz-Cabernet’s.

Rating: 6/10
Price: 400 RSD (5 euro)
Retailer: Super Vero

Technorati Tags: Macedonian Wine, Skovin, Shiraz, Syrah, Syrah Cabernet

Every fan of Pinot Noir will undoubtedly know the name of John Haeger.

As author of the highly acclaimed “North American Pinot Noir,” John literally wrote the book on the fascinating history and evolution of Burgundy’s illustrious grape variety here in the United States. John’s academic approach to both the research and the writing created an instant hit and a must-have treatise for most wine lovers. But, more than anything, it was destined to become THE book for domestic Pinot fanatics. Of course, its appearance at booksellers just months before release of the movie “Sideways” didn’t hurt sales either.

Now, four years later John Haeger has written another wine book, “Pacific Pinot Noir.” Since, as he notes, “96% of North America’s Pinot Noir comes from an area I call the Pacific Pinot Zone,” it was only natural for him to focus on an area extending from mouth of the Columbia River in Oregon to Santa Barbara in California and extending up to thirty miles inland.

Pinot Noir’s rise in popularity over the last several years owes much to the different personalities of the grape itself. Join us as we talk with author and lecturer John Haeger about Pinot Noir, and discover its unique place in the world of wine.

For more info on John Haeger: www.ucpress.edu

Sponsor: Bagged Wine: www.baggedwine.com

Click Below to Play the Show:

Download audio file (GR-ENG-USA-2008-10-13.mp3)

I helped out at a trade event in London devoted to Sauternes and Barsac the other week. Entitled ?Sweeties with Savouries? it set out to show how both Sauternes and Barsac can be drunk not only with the usual foie gras and desserts but also with all the courses of a complete meal. With courses ranging from roquefort crème brulee with figs (see picture) through roast Moroccan quail with sweet potato mash to blue cheese cheesecake, the food was absolutely wonderful. Attendees were then asked to vote for which wine made the best match with which course. There was quite a lot of agreement about which of the 16 wines went with which of the 5 courses but there were also many individual opinions. As with wine tasting there is no definitive answer in the area of food and wine matching.

Tasting through the 16 wines was an education in itself. Considering they were all the recently bottled 2005 vintage, there was a range of aromas from honey, peach, minerals and smoke to flavours on the palate of marmalade, peach, citrus and honey. There were also subtle but significant differences in the weight and texture on the palate. The differences can be understood when looking at the percentages of grapes with everything from 90% semillon and 10% sauvignon of the premier cru classe Chateau Clos Haut-Peyraguey through to the 70% semillon, 25% sauvignon and 5% muscadelle of Chateau d’Armajan des Ormes. The aging process whilst broadly similar in length of between 18 and 24 months, varies according to the percentage of new barrels used.

The key to good Sauternes and Barsac, apart from the terrroir, is the botrytis that is required to shrivel up the grapes and concentrate the sugar in the grapes. From talking to several of the producers the 2007 vintage was going to be a worry as the summer was cool. However the autumn was as hoped with cool misty mornings followed by sunny afternoons, the perfect environment for the ?mushroom? spores of botrytis cinerea to develop.

There is a much history associated with the ownership of the chateau in Sauternes with many of them having been in the same family for generations. Check out the web site of Chateau Dudon if you want some history of a typical family owned Sauternes producing chateau.