Wine Bloggers Conference Live Blogging White Wines

It is now Day 2 of the Wine Bloggers Conference in Charlottesville, Virginia and one of the main events is upon us. It's a live wine blogging event where we are seated at round tables and every five minutes a new wine is introduced to us by either the wine maker or a representative from the wineries. The idea is in those five minutes to furiously taste the wine and blog live about each one.

I did taste through all the wines but decided rather than to blog live, I would prefer to take the time to reflect upon my favorites and offer my notes and humble opinions now as the day has come to its conclusion.


2010 Keswick Vineyards, Verdejo, Monticello, VA ($18.95)
97% Verdejo, 3% Viognier
On the nose: candied green apple, lime and lime blossom.
On the palate: candied green apple, lime, white peach skins and brilliant minerality.
Only 219 cases produced!


2009 The Williamsburg Winery, Acte 12, Chardonnay VA ($17.99)
100% Chardonnay
On the nose: Baked apple, hazelnut and flinty minerality
On the palate: Baked apple, hazelnuts with skins on, and pain grille
Burgundian style at the fraction of the price!

2009 King Estate, Domaine Pinot Gris, OR ($13)
100% Pinot Gris
On the nose: Subtle peanut shells, peach and tangerine
On the palate: Peach, tangerine, green apple, and stony minerality
Craving some oysters!

2009 Emma Pearl, Chardonnay, Central Coast, CA ($17.99)
90% Chardonnay, 10% Viognier
On the nose: Fresh ginger, nutmeg, butter cream, apple, and pear
On the palate: Fresh ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, apple, meyer lemon and pear
A beautiful wine with structure and elegance and a website with style

Slainte!

Everything Is Coming up Rose

Now that Summer has arrived, so has the heat and lighter fare. My go to wines are always roses...they vary and can be light and floral or hearty and fruity. Roses are beautiful as aperitifs or with cold refreshing salads and can be absolutely stunning with bbq. Check out some of my favorite go to summer roses from both the Old and New World!

2010 Swanson Rosato, Napa Valley, California
100% Sangiovese. This is my absolute favorite domestic rose. Swanson is so serious about this wine that they have dedicated a block of their Sangiovese strictly to its production! It offers notes of strawberry, watermelon and rose petals along with great acidity.
Pairs great with: Roast chicken or fried chicken and I adore it with some French Mimolette cheese!

2010 Domaine Tempier, Bandol, France
50% Mourvedre, 28% Grenache, 20% Cinsault and 2% Carignan. Any lover of rose will have Domaine Tempier on the tip of their tongues. Domaine Tempier, as once claimed by Robert Parker, is believed to be the greatest rose in the world! It offers up notes strawberry, raspberry with notes of black mission figs and orange on the finish. Treat yourself to one, if you can find it!
Pairs great with: New England lobster rolls or salmon

2010 Mas Carlot, Vin de Pays d'oc, France
60% Grenache, 40% Syrah. This is one of those roses that is always a fantastic value year after year. I have been known to purchase a case of this one as a everyday go to with notes of ripe red raspberries, cherries and watermelon rind. Juicy!
Pairs great with: BBQ...perhaps with a raspberry chipotle glaze?

2010 Grand Cassagne, Costieres De Nimes, France
45% Grenache 45% Syrah and 10% Mourvedre. This pretty wine is another great go to rose. As well as ripe red fruit ; strawberries and cherries, this wine also has a fantastic underlying note of minerality.
Pairs great with: A refreshing summer salad with strawberries

2010 Chateau de Pampelone, Provence, France
40% Grenache, 30% Cinsault. 20% Syrah, 10% Tibouren (a French red grape that offers intense aromatics and a garrigue character) This is a classic and elegant example of Provencal rose...rose petals, strawberries, melon, dried herbs and brilliant minerality.
Pairs great with: Stuffed squash blossoms, ratatouille topped with a fried egg or just sip as you relax on a lazy summer afternoon

2010 Cune, Rosado, Rioja, Spain (pronounced "coo-nay")
100% Tempranillo. It's easy to look straight to France for rose but Spain offers a lot of luscious roses as well. Fruity and bursting with notes of watermelon, cherry and pomegranate.
Pairs great with: Spanish omelet, grilled chicken or turkey sausages

Cool off and enjoy a glass of rose this summer!

Slainte!

Springtime Rose Sparklers

As much as I adore Autumn, Spring is another season I eagerly anticipate. Last weekend as I wandered through the Farmers Market it was apparent from the scents and sights that Spring had indeed arrived. Vibrant green English peas, mint, artichokes,asparagus and sweet strawberries all led my mind to thoughts of a lovely Spring inspired brunch...and every brunch needs its share of Rose Champagne and bubbly! SO...below I have come up with some of my favourite Springtime sparklers:
NV Pommery, Springtime Brut Rose, Champagne, France...the perfect Champagne for Spring with it's pale, tender pink color, and bursts of red berries, kiwis and bright acidity!
NV Lucien Albrecht, Cremant d'Alsace Rose, France Strawberries, cranberries and cherries with a tangy finish...an industry favourite!
NV Chapel Down, English Rose Sparkling, Kent, England Try a delightful sparkling from across the pond...Fresh and crisp with notes of red berries and vanilla cream
NV Domaine Carneros, Brut Rose Cuvee de la Pompadour, Carneros, California From the domestic house for Tatittinger Champagne and named after the great courtesan and mistress of Louis XV,Madame Pompadour... beautifully floral...red roses, wild strawberries and white peaches
NV Freixenet, Cordon Rosado Brut Cava, Penendes, Spain One of the best values available...Cherries, raspberries and a whisper of watermelon with a long finish.

So to plan your own quick and easy brunch...Collect some tulips for your table, quiches full of fresh Spring vegetables, strawberries with a heaping bowl of cream and any one of these sparkling rose beauties! A toast to Spring!

Autumnal Favorites

"There is no season when such pleasant and sunny spots may be lighted on, and produce so pleasant an effect on the feelings, as now in October."
- Nathaniel Hawthorne

As the weather becomes crisper and the leaves begin to fall I thought it the opportune time to reflect upon some of our new and unique wines perfect for Autumn!

All of these wines are available to you now...and better yet...all are under $20 at The WineSellar & Brasserie!

NV Capdevila Pujol, Cava, SpainTry Cava! It's a delicious alternative to Champagne. This limited production bubbly with notes of pears, baked apples and lingering minerality is truly a showstopper! Try with apple pie or an apple tart tatin!

2009 Crnko, Jarenincan, SloveniaA delightful blend of 40% Riesling, 30% Sauvignon Blanc and 30% Chardonnay from an area of Slovenia just south of the Austrian border that is thirst quenching and light with amazing aromatics. Serve this with a mustard seed encrusted pork loin!

2009 Mas Grand Plagniol, Rose, Costieres De Nimes, FranceA beautiful rose produced from Grenache, Syrah and Cinsault full of luscious red fruits and citrus. This rose with butternut squash or pumpkin soup would be an ideal Autumnal treat!

2009 Berger, Zweigelt, Austria Fun and funky, this wine comes in a 1L bottle with a crown cap just as it is served in Austrian cafes and bars! Zweigelt can best be described as having the body of a pinot noir with the spice of a zinfandel and it's 100% delicious! Put a twist on your turkey dinner with this one!

2005 Avante, Mencia, SpainNever heard of the grape varietal Mencia? Not many have, be one of the first stateside to try this phenomonal wine...notes of roasted coffee, chocolate, raspberries and dark cherries. Cutting edge and delicious with a cocoa rubbed flank steak!

R.L. Buller & Son, Muscat, Rutherglen, AustraliaFor starters this muscat just scored 96 pts from Robert Parker! It's similar to a tawny port...flavors of toffee, melted caramel, hazelnuts and maple syrup...perfectly pairs with coffee cake or gingerbread!

Tis The Season....

Anyone that knows me knows that I adore anything pumpkin. I think it comes from growing up in New England. Fall has always been my favorite season; the weather starts getting crisp, the leaves begin to change color and pumpkin delights start appearing everywhere. Now that I am older my love for pumpkin has met my appreciation for beer and it has become my quest to find well made and delicious pumpkin beers. SO, I thought I would break down some of my recent favorites I have tried:

My absolute favorite...and of course the one I can't seem to get a hold of on the West Coast is Southern Tier's Pumking Imperial Pumpkin Ale. Pumking has the ability to embody all that is warm and comforting and displays flavors of a spicy pumpkin pie; cloves, allspice, cinnamon and fresh pumpkin, and a kick of hops all without being too sweet. It is extremely well balanced. Another charming fact about Pumking is it comes in 22oz bottles (and is 8.8%abv) so there is more to love if you are lucky enough to get your hands on some!
http://www.southerntierbrewing.com/beers.html

Coming in second for me is Dogfishhead's Punkin Ale (7%abv) I discovered Punkin on a recent trip to Bev-Mo as I was on the hunt to find as many pumpkin beers as I could. I did find a few others, but honestly they aren't worth mentioning as they were either too sweet, or oddly enough...just plain clumsy in their execution. Punkin however is a beautifully full bodied ale with hints of roasted pumpkin and brown sugar and almost a kiss of orange on the finish. Yes, Punkin is available on the West Coast but I still have come across difficulty acquiring it due to it's cult following. So I would advise to get at least 2-4 packs if you do find it, as it will only be available until around Thanksgiving.
http://www.dogfish.com/brews-spirits/the-brews/seasonal-brews/punkin-ale.htm

My third and final pick was an absolute surprise to me as I walked past a cooler at Target just today and noticed a Samuel Adams Harvest Beer 12-pack (of course only available for a limited time!) that contained Samuel Adams Harvest Pumpkin Ale (5.7%abv)! This is extremely exciting to this former Bostonian girl who loves Samuel Adams! What a wonderful treat! For Sam's Harvest Pumpkin it is brewed with over 11 pounds of pumpkin per barrel and has a roasted, and almost smokey quality to it due to the smoked malts and finishes with a subtle ginger note.
http://www.samueladams.com/enjoy-our-beer/beer-detail.aspx?id=fa331e9c-604f-4ccd-9a29-4dd64c9a993c

If you have found any of these fantastic brews and are wondering about some food pairings I'd suggest any of these for your Thanksgiving meal of roast turkey. How about Dogfishhead's Punkin with Duck a'la Orange!? Or...of course on their own to enjoy as a seasonal treat!

Slainte!