Wine Tasting

We will be tasting new releases of California Cabernet Sauvignon, for inclusion on our list. John Fagan of Calmont Beverage, will be on hand to discuss the wines and answer any questions. DNA genetic fingerprinting research at the University of California at Davis has revealed Cabernet Sauvignon to be a cross between the Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc grapes.

The variety is California's most widely planted red wine grape, with 75,622 acres reported in 2007. Napa Valley, Sonoma County and the Lodi-Woodbridge area have the most plantings. Cabernet Sauvignon is a tough-skinned, late-maturing variety that is more impervious to rain damage and disease. Cabernet Sauvignon has been referred to as the king of red wine grapes. Cabernet Sauvignons and blends where the variety predominates are some of the most prized wines produced in California.

The grape is also the main ingredient in blends for many of the most famous red wines in the world. Cabernet Sauvignons are dry, full flavored and made to be long lived for many labels. The aging potential can be upwards of 10-20 years, though 5 to 9 years is more usual. Fans of Cabernet Sauvignon are familiar with the wine's common descriptors: berry, currant and cassis or herbaceous, bell pepper and toasty oak aromas and flavors. The format will be casual, walk around with cheese and bread. The wines featured will be:

Bogle, California 2007
Avalon, Napa Valley 2007
Dry Creek, Dry Creek Valley 2006
Smith & Hook, Central Coast 2006
Raymond, “Reserve”, Napa Valley 2006

A sign-up sheet will be available at the front desk (253-5742 or 800-826-7000) and there will be a $15.00 fee per person.
 

We will be tasting new releases of Red Bordeaux, for inclusion on our list. The Bordeaux region in southwestern France has been famed in the wine trade for centuries. Bordeaux produces more classified wine than any other region in France. The quality of this wine ranges from some of the best in the world to some that is less than perfect. Bordeaux is most noted for the red wines of exceptional quality that it produces.

The Bordeaux region stradles the Gironde Estuary that is formed when the Garonne and Dordogne rivers converge. It has a rich history and was especially important in the wars between France and England. Bordeaux is also the name of the major city within the region. Based on the centuries of grape growing and winemaking history in the region, the local regulations allow only six grape varieties to be used in the production of red wine. (You can actually grow whatever you want, but only the 6 authorized red grapes can be used in red wines labeled 'Bordeaux'). Of these grapes, only 5 are really in use today.

They are: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Pitit Verdot. The sixth grape, Carmenere, is nearly impossible to find in the region today. Many of the chateaux of Bordeaux have been rated as to the quality of their wines. The best known was the Classification of the Medoc of 1855. The format will be casual, walk around with cheese and bread. The wines featured will be:

Côte de Blaye, Château Haut Sociondo 2007
Saint-Emilion, Château Picau-Perna 2006
Saint-Emilion, Château Fleur de Barbeyron 2005
Pomerol, Château Grand Moulinet 2006
Margaux, Château les Barraillots 2006

A sign-up sheet will be available at the front desk (253-5742 or 800-826-7000) and there will be a $20.00 fee per person.
 

We will be tasting new releases of California Zinfandel, for inclusion on our list. Anthony Wagner of G. Housen, will be on hand to discuss the wines and answer any questions. Zinfandel was for many years somewhat of a mystery grape, as far as its origins are concerned.

Recent research in Croatia and at the University of California at Davis, using DNA profiling, has proved Zinfandel is a clone of the Croatian variety Crljenak. While it had been theorized that Zinfandel's genetic twin, the Italian Primitivo, was the source, this grape also originally mutated from Crljenak. Zinfandel came to the United States in 1820, when New York nurseryman George Gibbs carried back various cuttings from the Imperial Austrian plant species collection. Over the next two decades, Zinfandel became a popular table grape in the Northeast U.S. Although there are some commercial claims that Agoston Harazsthy brought Zinfandel to California, records show that a Massachusetts nurseryman introduced it here.

In either case, Zinfandel is now considered indigenous to California, where it has thrived since the mid-1850's. Because of its vigor, generosity and resistance to vine disease, many zinfandel vineyards exist that are 75 to 100 or more years old. Zinfandel aficionados believe these "old vines" produce the best wines, because the older vineyards set smaller crops and the grapes tend to ripen more evenly. At its best, Zinfandel (red) has a very fruity, raspberry-like aroma and flavor and a "jammy" quality.

Zinfandel is one red varietal that is probably best enjoyed in its youth, within three to five years of the vintage. With more bottle age than this, the luscious fruit that distinguishes Zinfandel drops markedly. The format will be casual, walk around with cheese and bread. The wines featured will be:

Norman, “The Classic”, Paso Robles 2004
Brazin, “Old Vine”, Lodi 2007
Wente, “Smith Bench”, Livermore Valley-San Francisco Bay 2005
M. Cosentino, “CigarZin”, California 2006
Ridge, “Benito Dusi Ranch, Paso Robles & San Luis Obispo County” 2007

A sign-up sheet will be available at the front desk (253-5742 or 800-826-7000) and there will be a $15.00 fee per person.
 

We will be tasting new releases of Austrian Reds, for inclusion on our list. Robert Boehme of Vermont Wine Merchants Company will be on hand to discuss the wines and answer any questions. The vineyards in Austria cover 51,000 hectares which, for the most part, lie in the east and southeast of the country.

Amongst the wines produced here, white wines unquestionably make up the larger portion - cultivated in 70% of the vineyards are 22 white wine varieties permitted for high quality wine production. Nevertheless, red wine (13 varieties) has come to represent 30% of the vineyards in recent years. Zweigelt is Austria's primary red wine grape and is a crossing of Blaufränkisch and St. Laurent. This easy to manage variety produces fruit-driven, approachable wines with soft tannins. St. Laurent is closely related to Pinot Noir and is rarely found outside of Austria. Like its close relative, St. Laurent is difficult in the vineyard, but steadfast efforts produce silky, rich wines with generous red berry fruit and an earthy, spicy background. The best Austrian Blaufränkisch are concentrated, velvety wines with dark berry fruit, mineral flavors and an exciting spiciness not found in the variety elsewhere. Austrian reds at their best are, medium-weight, fruit- driven wines with poise, grace and elegance but also with length and density.

Austria has approximately 20,000 small wine producing estates, many of whose financial existence is based on the selling of wine directly on the premises. However, more than half of the wine-growing country features estates with over 5 hectares of vineyards, with most of these highly competitive export-wise. Wine estates regarded as large, according to an international standard (consisting of more than 200 hectares), are rare in Austria. The format will be casual, walk around with cheese and bread. The wines featured will be:

Zweigelt, Berger, Niederösterreich 2008
Zweigelt, Hugl, Niederösterreich 2007
Zweigelt, Glatzer, “Riedencuvée”, Carnuntum 2007
St. Laurent, Sattler, Burgenland 2006
Cuvée Bertrand, Schloss Gobelsburg, Langenlois 2005

A sign-up sheet will be available at the front desk (253-5742 or 800-826-7000) and there will be a $15.00 fee per person.

We will be tasting new releases of German Riesling, for inclusion on our list. Of all the grapes of Germany, the most noble is the Riesling — a variety that can do well even in stony soil and can subsist on a minimum of moisture. It is also frost-resistant and a very dependable bearer of high quality grapes which have an acidity level that gives the wine a racy freshness and contributes to its long life.

To reach its full potential, Riesling needs extra days of sun; ripening is very late, usually not until the latter half of October. German Wines are categorized by the degree of ripeness measured in natural grape sugar upon harvest. These ripenss categories are determined by the sugar content in the grapes, which is measured in degree Oechsle. The Oechsle requirements for the respective categories vary by growing region.

Riper grapes have more sugar but more importantly more extract and flavor in the grape, hence a more expressive wine. The higher the ripeness of the grapes used for the wine, the higher up in the pyramid the wine will be categorized. The dryness of a wine is independent of the ripeness level of the grapes upon harvest. If the fermentation is interrupted before all sugar is transformed, it will result in a sweeter style wine. If the fermentation continues until little or no sugar is left, it results in a dry wine.

In contrast to the common belief that German wines are sweet, close to 2/3 of the entire production in Germany is dry. Dry is the preferred vinification style consumed by the German wine drinker. Riesling produces elegant wines of rich character with an incomparable fragrance and taste, often reminiscent of peaches, or when young, apples. The format will be casual, walk around with cheese and bread. The wines featured will be:

Rhein River Riesling, Fritz Hasselbach, Qualitätswein, Rheinhessen 2007
Schloss Vollrads, Riesling Kabinett, Rheingau 2007
Rüdesheimer Magolalenenkreuz, Leitz, Riesling Spätlese, Rheingau 2006
Schloss Wallhausen, Riesling Spätlese, Nahe 2005
Bockenauer Felseneck, Schäfer-Fröhlich, Riesling Spätlese, Nahe 2006

A sign-up sheet will be available at the front desk (253-5742 or 800-826-7000) and there will be a $15.00 fee per person.
 

We will be tasting new releases of Loire Whites, for inclusion on our list. Rafael Flores of Artisanal Cellars, will be on hand to discuss the wines and answer any questions. The Loire is the longest river in France, the last wild river in Europe, and has been designated a World Heritage area by UNESCO. For much of its 630 miles - from the mountains of central France to the coast of Brittany - the Loire is vineyard country.

Total wine production makes up the third largest AOC (appellation d'origine contrôlée) viticultural area in France. It is France’s second largest region for sparkling wine and the leading region for white wine production. The Loire River is the cradle of the French Nation. It is where the cultures of north and south meet. Charles Martel stopped the Saracen invasion of Europe at Tours in 731 AD. Joan of Arc met the Dauphin at Chinon in 1429 and convinced him to fight the English. In the 16th century, kings and nobles built their great Chateaux in the Loire Valley, preferring it to all other parts of France.Loire Valley wines include 65 appellations that include every style of wine – red, white, rosé, still, Sparkling, sweet, dry and everything in between. One reason for this diversity is the size of the Loire Valley.

The vineyards grow along a 300 mile stretch of the river, so there are several distinct climates and a wide variety of soils that divide the Loire Valley into 5 distinct regions, each with its own characteristic varietals and wine styles. The white wines can be crisp and dry, or rich and aromatic. Their fruity aromas and refreshing acidity make them ideal food wines and the absence of oak makes them especially refreshing. As you can tell, there is no single predominant grape variety in the Loire Valley. This is in part tradition and in part because within such a large area, there are numerous soil types and micro-climates where certain grapes are more successful than others.

However, within the variety, all Loire Valley grapes have certain qualities in common. All of them can ripen fully in the relatively short growing season of the Loire Valley. The mild climate also insures relatively high acidity, which gives the wines, no matter how ripe, a refreshing leanness. The format will be casual, walk around with cheese and bread. The wines featured will be:

Muscadet Sèvre et Maine, Pierre-Luc Bouchaud, “Sur Lie” 2008
Vouvray, Vigneau-Chevreau, “Cuvée Silex”, Vendanges Manuells Sec 2008
Sauvignon, Domaine du Pré Baron, Touraine 2008
Reuilly, Michel Cordaillat, “Sauvignon” 2008
Sancerre, Vincent Grall 2008

A sign-up sheet will be available at the front desk (253-5742 or 800-826-7000) and there will be a $15.00 fee per person.
 

We will be tasting new releases of California Red Zinfandel, for inclusion on our list. Zinfandel was for many years somewhat of a mystery grape, as far as its origins are concerned. Recent research in Croatia and at the University of California at Davis, using DNA profiling, has proved Zinfandel is a clone of the Croatian variety Crljenak. While it had been theorized that Zinfandel's genetic twin, the Italian Primitivo, was the source, this grape also originally mutated from Crljenak. Zinfandel came to the United States in 1820, when New York nurseryman George Gibbs carried back various cuttings from the Imperial Austrian plant species collection.

Over the next two decades, Zinfandel became a popular table grape in the Northeast U.S. Although there are some commercial claims that Agoston Harazsthy brought Zinfandel to California, records show that a Massachusetts nurseryman introduced it there. In either case, Zinfandel is now considered indigenous to California, where it has thrived since the mid-1850's. Because of its vigor, generosity and resistance to vine disease, many zinfandel vineyards exist that are 75 to 100 or more years old. Zinfandel aficionados believe these "old vines" produce the best wines, because the older vineyards set smaller crops and the grapes tend to ripen more evenly.

At its best, Zinfandel (red) has a very fruity, raspberry-like aroma and flavor and a "jammy" quality. Zinfandel is one red varietal that is probably best enjoyed in its youth, within three to five years of the vintage. With more bottle age than this, the luscious fruit that distinguishes Zinfandel drops markedly. The format will be casual, walk around with cheese and bread. The wines featured will be:

Cline, “Ancient Vines”, California 2008
Sobon Estate, “Fiddletown”, Amador County 2007
Hayman & Hill, “Reserve Selection”, Dry Creek Valley 2007
Marietta Cellars, “Angeli Cuvée”, Alexander Valley 2005
Ridge, “York Creek”, Napa Valley 2007

A sign-up sheet will be available at the front desk (253-5742 or 800-826-7000) and there will be a $15.00 fee per person.