A Little This ‘n A Little That

Thanks to those of you who have responded so positively to the articles posted on this blog, both in writing and in person. I received a few questions this week, but before I answer any of them, there’s wine stuff to cover!

First, I need to correct an oversight. Somehow I completely neglected to mention Jimmy’s Café’s wine club, Grape Beginnings. The fee is $49.00 annually, and each member receives at 10% discount on the prices of wines by the glass or by the bottle, free corkage on Wednesdays, once a month wine dinner discount, and invitations to winemaker’s dinners. I think there are a couple of other perks, but these are the ones that I’ve used. I especially like the free corkage Wednesdays because it has allowed me to bring a couple of my treasures out to share with friends, and that paid for the membership after just a couple of visits. If you don’t understand anything else about me, know that I’m all about the budget!

Roy’s! Roy’s wine club met last Tuesday at the Roy’s restaurant on E. Flamingo. I was not able to go because of a prior commitment, but several of my friends attended. One of them reported that two of the wines had been damaged by heat. I haven’t covered Roy’s (yet), but plan to in the future. I thought that this observation was an important one to mention now, however, because the heat in enclosed cars can be a killer. Never, ever, ever leave wine in a car during late spring, summer, or early fall here in Vegas. You’ll have boiled juice. A couple of friends of mine always keep a portable cooler in the trunk of their cars so that if they run across a deal in wine (or food or whatever), they have a place to store it until they get home. Just by opening up the cooler and purchasing some ice, whatever is put into the cooler won’t be overheated and will keep until it can be properly stored at home. At about $20 +/-, it’s well worth the investment. That’s on my purchase list. As soon as I can fit it into my budget.

By the way, Roy’s made good on the cooked wines, and undamaged wines were poured in their place.

Website News! The tentative launch date for Vegaswineaux.com will be the weekend of July 21/22. We are working diligently to make sure that when the website is launched, it is attractive, usable, and informative. I will let you know how the progress is going and hope to be able to give you an exact date in about two weeks.

Red Wines for Summer! Next week is July 4, and what are you drinking? With my mother and aunt (who are, incredibly, not wine drinkers) over to the house, my choices will be limited to something along the lighter and fruitier side of the spectrum. I had wonderful luck with a great brisket at the Tex and Fritz’s Wine Club thing a couple of weeks ago, and the wines were all Zins from California. So I plan to smoke another brisket for the girls and serve Riesling and Zinfandel. I understand that Rieslings – preferably along the demi sec lines – are a great accompaniment to barbeque. We already know that Zins are. I have served Riesling to them before and they loved it. I will be forced to try both types with the different foods I’ll be cooking. Damn.

I don’t enjoy Cabs and Merlot as much as I usually do during the summer, but Zinfandels, Syrahs, and Petit Sirahs, although bruiser wines, still are great with summer fare. They go well with the heavier foods of summer – barbequed ribs, roasts, briskets, lamb, etc. – without losing their character competing with rubs, spices, and sauces. Incredibly, a big fruity Petit Sirah (a là Rosenblum Heritage Clones or Four Vines Heretic) is also a fantastic pairing with chocolate. Who knew that a big red like Petit Sirah and dark chocolate could be considered health foods!

Of course the backbone of oenophilia for the summer is light white wines. I have lots of basil and an alien life form tomato plant growing in my garden this year, which, along with Mozzarella from Trader Joe’s and fruity extra-virgin olive oil and black salt from Pasolivo, make wonderful Caprese. Pairing that with a Pinot Grigio (Issa Khoury introduced me to Kris PG), add up to near perfection. The bright green leaves of the basil, the snowy Mozzarella, the tiny, perfectly red grape tomatoes all drizzled with golden green EVOO with a grinding of black salt make a beautiful presentation. The Kris is not an overdone bomb such as Santa Margherita, and is what a good quality (and budget friendly at about $12) Pinot Grigio is supposed to be. Crisp and fruity without being sweetish, it is the quintessential Pinot Grigio. Tastes like summer! Having that meal out on the patio on a warm evening is summer personified. Are you jealous?

I have Answers!

I received one question that asked, “how do you find the restaurants?”

I have a secret formula that I use in order to decide which restaurants to patronize. It is called “word of mouth.” Nothing is better than a first-hand recommendation from someone whose palate you respect. Once you remove yourself from the “only the Strip has restaurants” mentality, you will find that Vegas is rich in small, wine-friendly establishments that aren’t out to gouge you because you happen to be vacationing here. Most of the locals restaurants that I’ve visited have had reasonable prices, great services, and restaurant-decent wine prices. As an aside, you should know that with very few exceptions, you will always pay too much for wine in a restaurant. However, it’s often a good opportunity to try a wine that you may have only heard about or to try a new wine and don’t want to experiment with it without having a meal for accompaniment.

The next question asked me about myself.

While I do have some general information about myself in the “About me” link on the right side of this page, I will go into more detail when the website launches. Stay tuned!

There were several other questions, but I answered them in this week’s posting!

My Rant for the Week! As you know from my review of a local restaurant a couple of weeks ago, high restaurant wine prices rankle me. Unfortunately, those high prices feed into people’s perception of wine as a snob drink and not as an integral part of the meal. Beer, for instance, is considered part of a meal in the U.S. I think that explains the discrepancy in relative prices between beer in wine. As an example, a restaurant customer can purchase a 16oz glass of imported beer on tap for about $5.00. On the other hand, a wine of relative quality and retail price may cost twice that or more for about 1/3 the amount of beverage. Once restaurateurs and customers buy into the idea of wine as food, then I think we will see more sensible pricing on menus.

News Flash! In the May 16, 2007, issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, the following has been reported:

The large research team did a pooled analysis of 12 prospective studies that included 530,469 women and 229,575 men with maximum follow-up times of 7–20 years. Compared with nondrinking, alcohol consumption (…equivalent to slightly more than one alcoholic drink per day) was associated with a decreased risk of renal cell cancer. …Associations between alcohol intake and renal cell cancer were not statistically different across alcoholic beverage type (beer versus wine versus liquor). …Conclusion: Moderate alcohol consumption was associated with a lower risk of renal cell cancer among both women and men in this pooled analysis. (JNCI, Abstract, May 16, 2007)

Next week, we’ll talk about White Zin and how even that has a place in a Wineaux’s cellar!

Sphere: Related Content

Grape Expectations!

After pondering a question that was posed to me Tuesday night at Jimmy’s, I finally came up with a suitable answer. The question was why do I do what I do; in other words, why the Blog and why this particular niche? The answer is simple: I am a regular person. Like most other regular people I know, I like to get the most out of every dollar (I’ve been told that I know how to pinch a penny till it screams), but at the same time, don’t mind spending a little extra if the quality is there. I don’t like getting ripped off, and I like to be taken seriously. Bundle all those together along with a gift for writing and a passion for wines and good food, and you have, well, *me.*

One of the reasons I like Paso Robles so much, for instance, is because there is a real Wine Country with people who have a genuine passion for their wines, make wines of wonderful quality, and except for a couple of notable exceptions (i.e., Turley and Linne Calodo), sell their wines at everyman prices. Most of the winemakers - and their staff - are also so very *nice*! In other words, they make you want their wines, love their wine country, and want to learn more, just by being genuine, regular folk.

Jimmy’s Café had a tasting of Stanley Lambert wines Tuesday night for members of the wine club, Grape Expectations. The whole evening fit beautifully into my philosophy.

Lindsay Stanley – an unpretentious, craggy Aussie with a wicked sense of humor – was the MC Tuesday night and regaled us with stories about his life down under and his lifelong interest in wines. I was fortunate enough to be seated at the table where Jeff, Ali, Jody, and Chris were also being entertained by Lindsay’s ribald stories and sparkling banter.

I have to share some Lindsayisms with you:

Sphere: Related Content

Lunch at Marché Bacchus

As an addendum to last week’s review of Sweet Water, I discovered a little tidbit. Food & Wine July 2007 issue just happens to have an article about wine prices in restaurants. Interestingly, the author, Lettie Teague, indicated that high prices in Vegas restaurants are normal. I inferred from the article that she covered only the “Strip” establishments. Many of them, however, do have BYOB policies, even if their corkage is outrageous (does it really cost you $50.00 to open my bottle of wine and bring a suitable glass?!? Gimme a break!) Repeat after me: “Unscrupulous.” “Greedy.” “Unconscionable.” Very good.

And now, to a real food and wine experience that should be experienced by anyone who is living in or visiting Vegas. The Tex and Fritz’s wine club thing that meets nearly every Saturday at noon-thirty at Marché Bacchus had its usual gathering. We generally arrive early to enjoy the free tastings out on the front patio, even on days where there are wine events/tastings at other members’ homes. We’re a pretty dedicated group of wine folks! This also gives us time to shop for wine, which they will hold for us when we’re finished with lunch.

This last Saturday, June 9, there were nine (count ‘em) of us there. I don’t go regularly enough, but felt that this would be a good day to enjoy the warm Vegas sunshine and have lunch and wine with friends by the lake. Marché Bacchus is located in Desert Shores, a gorgeous community in NW Las Vegas, well off the beaten path. The back of the restaurant/retail wine shop *is* the lake and makes for wonderful ambiance.

Their wine list is the wine store, and the prices are what you’d expect in any low cost retail establishment. You can order your food and then browse among hundreds of bottles of wines for something suitable for your meal, or you can ask Rob, the ubiquitous sommelier, to choose something suitable. He’s good. Really good.

Because we as a group are always in learning mode, we have our wine poured into decanters so that we can blind taste our way through it to figure out what it is. This can be a humbling experience. This weekend was no exception.

The usual number in the group is less than six, so one bottle of wine is usually enough. However, we decided that two bottles would be perfect for such a large number of people.

Because we are regulars, Rob and Agathe (one of the owners) conspired against us. We were served two wines, both red, both decanted.

The first wine had us nearly reduced to fisticuffs as we argued whether it was old world or new world. It was new world, in my opinion, because of the fruit on the nose. It was old world in others’ opinions because it had a lot of earth along with the fruit. (Don’t even ask. I was wrong. But I digress.) The nose indicated cherries, plum, leather, and a touch of vanilla, and the earthy quality began to assert itself more as the wine opened. However, the one quality that totally scrambled the nose at first was the amount of alcohol. It smelled hot! Once the alcohol blew off, a bit of blackberry, earth, and flowers started appearing. Then we tasted, and the confusion continued. It was fruity, but this is where the earthiness really came through along with lots of spice. It was almost Zin-like in character. I finally threw up my hands and declared that I had no clue. The “old world” “new world” argument is the only thing that continued. The verdict? It was 2003 Pigmentum Malbec, from Cahors, France.

We were stunned. Several of us (me included) did not know that Malbec was still being grown in any amount in France. Apparently, it is. What’s more, this bottle of tasty wine retails at Marché for only $11.95. Quite a bargain. By the way, in spite of the heat on the nose, the declared alcohol level was 12.5%. Tex called the winemaker a liar.

The next wine was poured once the ruckus subsided, and we were transported into olfactory heaven. Tex asked the group, “what do you get on the nose?” My reply was, “I don’t know. But I want to bathe in it.”

The nose was incredible. Dark fruit, berries, flowers (I told Agathe that it smelled like Red Viognier and she rolled her eyes, lol), romance, perfume, spice, along with oak characteristics. It had an incredibly rich, velvety mouthfeel, and the taste validated the nose. The one thing we all agreed on (finally) was that it was new world. Stunning wine and completely luscious.

We didn’t realize that we’d been given a very special treat. 2004 Duckhorn Merlot, Three Palms Vineyard. Completely worthy of worship. The retail price made us gasp, but because we hadn’t been expecting anything so dear, Agathe and Greg gave us a break. I love them!

By the way, we all bombed out on figuring out the varietal on this one, too! But as our waiter said, many of us are so used to drinking blends that we don’t recognize single varietals easily any more. Because this is the most high-end merlot I’ve ever had, this was an epiphany. We decided that in order to sharpen our palates, we need to drink more wine! Good wine.

We were there for about two hours. Marché’s prices on food and wine are extraordinary, and we had a glorious time. This is how a restaurant experience is supposed to be. There were nine of us, the conversation was constant and flowing (even when we were arguing), the food was wonderful, and the wines were spectacular. Can’t get much better than that.

Prices? I have had lunch there which consisted of a bowl of soup and a sandwich, a glass of wine (French Rosé which they pour by the glass. Can you imagine?!?), and the total came to about $22.00 which included tax and tip. All of this while dining on the patio, contemplating the beautiful landscape. A bargain in almost anyone’s book.

If you’re from Vegas and haven’t been there, shame on you. If you’re going to be visiting Vegas, you must make this a destination spot. It’s out of the way (wayyy out of the way if you’re on the Strip or all points east), but well worth the drive. If you’re there on a Saturday, join us!

http://www.marchebacchus.com

Next week, back to Paso Robles!

Sphere: Related Content

Sweet Water Experience not so Sweet

Whenever I go into a restaurant, I’m always in “what’s on the wine list” mode. If a wine list is not available, then I enjoy the food without it or will ask if I can bring my own.

I have to admit that I was intrigued when Sweet Water was decided upon as the destination restaurant last Friday night. We had received several informal opinions of the establishment, ranging from “fantastic” to “save your money.” Because I trust the palates of all of those who had eaten there, I figured that our own first-hand experience was the only way to go.

Sweet Water is brand new and the décor is very attractive. The seafood market just inside of the entryway showcases beautiful fish and seafood. I can’t give you a comparison on the prices, but I can tell you that it looked incredibly fresh.

The four of us were seated immediately and were given a complimentary sample of pistachio-encrusted tuna pâté with black sesame seed crackers. Delish.

Unfortunately, that was the last really positive thing that happened.

Read more

Sphere: Related Content

White Wines Rock!!! finally.

I know many of you are reading the headline and thinking that I’ve lost my mind. Not really. Bear with me here.

First of all, I love red wines. Period. In fact, I call myself a Pinot Ho. Okay, I’m *the* Pinot Ho! Most of my friends also love red wines and have given themselves various designations. One of my friends calls himself a Syrah Slut. Another calls herself a Zin Bitch, borrowing from the Four Vines description of lovers of their Zinfandel. My oldest son admits to loving Cabernets, but as of yet has not given himself an appropriate title. I’m working on that.

Now that you know the crowd I run with, you can appreciate how I’m risking my credibility by writing an article based on *gasp!* white wines.

Many years ago, I had the fortune of drinking a really good California Chardonnay. It was an ethereal, life-changing experience. I actually tasted a white wine that had substance in my mouth, and for the first time, I understood what the word “epiphany” meant. That was in the early 90s.

Until just a couple of years ago, I was still on the quest for the great Chardonnay experience and kissed a lot of frogs in between. Most Chards I experienced were either overoaked butter bombs with very bitter finishes, or could hardly be differentiated from lemonade.

Meanwhile, my experiences with red wine were positive as I learned more about varietals, terroir, blends, aromas, characteristics, countries of origin, blah blah blah. Once I got my wine feet underneath me – so to speak – I began to get in touch with my inner wine snob. Honestly, I never thought I’d move from my early days of “Smells like grapes! Tastes like wine!” to the point where after sniffing and tasting a wine, I’d be able to name the year, place, and type of wine. I’m finally a Wineau!

I never forsook my quest for a great Chardonnay, and because of that, I began to taste (and enjoy) a complete range of white wines. And in the process, I lost my ABC attitude. Oh, that means Anything But Chardonnay. Here are some of my favorites:

Pinot Grigio/Pinot Gris – Grigio is from Italy, Gris is from France. Although they are somewhat different in character due to their places of origin, they both offer a well-balanced, minerally wine that pairs well with light summer fare. In fact, one of my favorite summer meals is a plate of Caprese (made with my homegrown basil and tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, Hawaiian red salt, and drizzled with Pasolivo Kalamata Olive Oil) paired with a nicely chilled glass of Pinot Grigio.

Albariño – this is the elegant white wine from Spain. And, as far as I know, it is still grown only in Spain. Its bouquet hints at apples, flowers, and lemon/lime, and it possesses a silky mouthfeel with the taste corresponding to the nose. There are a few of quality that are now available in this country, and they are carried by our favorite wine stores.

Torrontés – Wow. What a nose. This smells like flowers in a bottle with just a bit of orange juice. Although it *smells* sweet, it is a bone-dry wine. I served this at a home wine tasting last year, and both bottles quickly disappeared. And to the person I told that this was from Chilé, I’m sorry to say that I was mistaken. It’s the signature white grape of Argentina. I knew it was from somewhere south of the border.

Sauvignon Blanc/Sancerre – Hard to believe that this is the same grape, particularly if you’re comparing a New Zealand Sauv Blanc to a Sancerre from the Loire Valley. The NZ version is bright and fruity, where gooseberry, grapefruit, lime, melon, passion fruit, grass, and the ever-present “cat pee” aromas dominate. The Sancerre (depending upon which area of the Loire in which it’s grown) has, of course, a more Old World profile of herbs, wet rock, and the attributes mentioned above. Take note that in California, it’s often called Fumé Blanc. This is a very food-friendly wine and goes with just about anything you’d think to serve with white wine. As a side note, the pairing of Sancerre and goat cheese is legendary.

Viognier – Ahhh. Let’s talk flowers. Honeysuckle, apricots, peaches, spring blossoms, and touches of spice coupled with a contradictory dry palate make this wine amazing. I have more bottles of this than any other white wine because I find that I can drink this with or without food. Its crisp, clean flavors go well with mahi-mahi and fruit salsa or can be poured just to enjoy on its own. Pairing not required.

All of these wines are readily available (some more so than others), are generally ready to drink now, and are not very expensive. Sancerre, because it’s French, from the Loire, and has an aging life, will be more expensive, usually ranging from $20 to $27. Viognier has a range of prices as well, but the upper end is rarely above $23. It’s rarer than the other varietals, but as more of it is grown, I think the prices will at least moderate. The others are much less expensive, with 90+ NZ Sauvignon Blancs available for as little as $13. Even less in some stores! In fact, the tasting at Khoury’s on Wednesday revealed a surprisingly nice Sauvignon Blanc for $8.99. A steal at any price. By the way, my favorite Viognier is from Villicana Winery in Paso Robles. I can’t tell you how much it costs because I don’t care. It has the best balance of wild nose and dry, fruity palate with a lip-smacking acidity that I haven’t found anywhere else. Many Viogniers, alas, are somewhat “flabby” (that means that they’re nice tasting for juice, but not good wine).

Now for my nemesis – the eternal search for the perfect Chardonnay. And yes, I’ve finally found Chards that took me back to my first “real” experience with Chardonnay, with rich mouthfeel, apple, citrus, and tropical fruit aromas and flavors. Unoaked Chards showcase these fruit characterstics and make good quaffing wines. However, in my opinion, the best Chards copy the Burgundian model of fermenting in French oak barrels and then go through secondary malolactic fermentation. This process gives the best California Chards and white Burgundies their famous characteristics of cream, vanilla, butter, and toast. Combined with the fruit elements, this is what makes the perfect Chardonnay. Unfortunately, this process is what makes the best Chardonnays expensive. And OF COURSE I love the expensive Chards! However, if you do your homework, you can find a wonderful Chard at a great price. For instance, Chateau St. Jean Robert Young Vineyard Chardonnay, is wonderful at about $20 at Costco if you can find it.

Don’t let price be your only guide, however. You must taste the wines. I have found many oaked Chards with a bitter aftertaste (“finish”) that detracted from the enjoyment of the wine, and that were so heavy in the oak characteristics that the fruit was lost altogether. The prices varied from inexpensive to “you’ve got to be kidding!!”

So there you have it. While I’ve hardly touched on all of the wonderful white wines that are available, I’ve shared a few of my favorites. Red wines will always be my first choice. But as we slide into warm summer days, it’s hard to beat a memorable glass of a slightly chilled white wine, fresh food of summer, and great company by the pool or on the patio on a sultry evening. That’s the closest thing to nirvana I can imagine.

Sphere: Related Content