Wine Unwrapped - Wine Unwrapped Blog

Pinot Noir 2024

Sat, 16 Nov 2024 15:00:29 GMT

I was offered a chance to make a small batch of California Pinot Noir this harvest season. It was too hard to say no. After crushing I added yeast nutrients and Anchor Alchemy yeast.

Once fermentation starts the must needs to be punch down so the cap is submerged. The carbon dioxide that is given off as the yeast consume the sugar causes the grapes to rise up above the liquid.

Once fermentation is complete the next step is to press the must to get the young wine separated from the left over solids.

The cake

Many thanks to my friend Harry. I could not have done this without his help. Cheers!

Summertime Treats

Mon, 08 Jul 2024 19:11:46 GMT

Now that we are in the dog days of summer it is time take advantage of the great seafood available to us.

Like wine grapes, oysters vary in taste depending on where they are raised. Tasting them from various locations it is easy to recognize how they are different. Some are more briny, others more meaty while some can be silky. There are many wines that make great pairings when served with oysters. Some of my favorite wines are Sauvignon Blanc or dry Riesling. But to kick it up a notch Champagne can't be beat.

Little neck clams also make a nice partner for bubblies.

We are blessed to have access to fresh, live lobsters here in New England. Many supermarkets will cook them for you to take home. After picking out the cooked meat a short heating with plenty of butter is all you need.

While many people choose the cold version of lobster rolls my preference is for the warm buttery style. Chardonnay is usually my choice for lobsters. This bottling comes from Jones Winery in Shelton CT. I have been working with the Jones family in various capacities since 2008 and have enjoyed many vintages of their wines. So before summer slips away, take advantage of the treats from the waters around Connecticut.

WUNDERWEIN German Wine Dinner At Artisan In Southport

Sun, 26 Mar 2023 13:47:25 GMT

Photo courtesy of Artisan

There has been no shortage of wine dinners lately. It is a good way to showcase wines that are selected to pair with foods that complement them. I came across one sponsored by WUNDERWEIN , an importer of German wines. The focus was on wines from Germany and featured a couple of wines from a grape, Silvaner, that I don't have much experience with. The dinner took place at Artisan in Southport on March 1, 2023.

The opening wine was Sekt, a sparkling wine that has several quality levels and methods of production. Click here for a Wine Enthusiast Magazine article on Sekt. The Gut Hermannsberg Brut is made using the Champagne method and is 100% Riesling. It was delicious- fresh and bright, a great way to begin. Sekt is not well represented in many CT wine shops. I did a search for Sekt online and found very few available. Hopefully that will change as importers like WUNDERWEIN introduce it to the public.

Achim Kirchner, Managing Director of Gut Hermannsberg presented the Sekt and a Riesling that was poured with the first course.

Simon Guiot, Export Manager for Battenfield-Spanier presented his Riesling from the Rheinhessen.

Christopher Catansei was in charge of the wine service. He suggested pouring two wines for each course. The first course included two different Rieslings. In my opinion Riesling is the most under appreciated wine on the market today. Riesling can be made in many styles from bone dry to dessert style. The pair for the first course were both dry and from 2020. As they were from two different producers and regions it was interesting to pick out similarities and differences. They both were fine matches for the first course.

Local sea food crudo with radish, cucumber, vanilla-calamansi elixir. A great match for the wines.

I was very impressed with the preparations for the dinner. Quite often a restaurant will need to collect the used wine glasses between courses to wash them. That can slow down the pace. Not so at this dinner. A room adjacent to the space we were in was set up with clean glasses ready to go. My compliments to the wine staff and servers for putting in so much time and care into making sure service went off without a hitch.

The last time I was in this room was in 2016 for a dinner with Jean Trimbach of Alsace.
Click here for link to the Trimbach post.

Robert MacGregor, Export Manager for Burgerspital zum Heiligen, Franken presented a pair of Silvaners for the second course. At one time there was more Silvaner planted in Germany than Riesling. Many are bottled in an interesting bottle known as Bocksbeutel. The best Silvaners come from the Franken region of Germany. It can also be found in Alsace were it is known with a slightly different spelling, Sylvaner. The wines showed off flavors pear, peach and citrus along with an interesting touch of herbs.

Quenelle De Poisson Lyonnaise & Nantua Sauce- Traditional Fish Dumpling
with Crayfish Sauce.

Kevin Gagnon, Tasting Director for Fritz Wassmer, presented the next set of wines. The first was a Chasselas, a grape well known in Switzerland but German versions are not often seen here in the US. It ripens early and can be over productive. When yields are managed they can produce fine wine with floral and fruity flavors like this one.

The Fritz Wassmer was a Grauer Burgunder, known as Pinot Gris or Pinot Grigio in France and Italy. A 2017, this wine was quite complex and a pleasure to drink.

Great Lakes Walleye with leeks, fingerling potatoes and Genevoise Sauce

Next up were 2 Spätbugunders, known as Pinot Noir. Spät is German for late and the grape does ripen later than others. Spätburgunder is the third most widely planted grape in Germany. I wish we saw more of it here in the US. Generally speaking most show nice fruit and have a little less tannin than you see in Pinot from warmer climates. With a nice level of acid they pair well with many foods. Like Sekt, we don't see a lot of them here yet.

Roasted French Rack of Veal with celery mousseline, root sofritto, hen of the woods mushrooms, Madeira sauce

The Pinot Meunier was presented by Bernd Kost, Managing Director for
Stromberg -Zabergau. Apologies to Bernd, I did not get a pic of him.

Photo credit Wein Heimat Magazine.

A fitting end to the dinner was the Stromberg-Zabergau Pinot Meunier Rosé Sekt. With aromas and flavors of stone fruits and raspberries it paired well with the Valrhona Chocolate Pudding with crème fraiche and raspberries. Pinot Meunier, a red grape, and one of the three grapes allowed in Champagne is not often seen on its own. I have had a few, both sparkling and still. I hope to have a chance to try some other versions of this grape.

The group I sat with all agreed that the food, wines and service were outstanding. I would like to thank Bill Goldberg, the WUNDERWEIN importer and his partners, Jeff Himmel and Jan Schüler for bringing representatives of the wineries together for this dinner and for help with background info for this post. Bill's enthusiasm for the wines he brings in is quite evident. It is nice to see wines of this quality available and on store shelves. Several of the wines are being carried at Greens Farms Spirit Shop in Westport. My compliments to Artisan and Chef Frederic Kieffer along with his team for putting together a great night. Cheers!

Click here for pics from Germany I took in 2013

Gordon's Wine Bar- The Oldest Wine Bar In London

Thu, 21 Jul 2022 13:20:28 GMT

The underground wine bar

After not travelling due to Covid it was great to finally take one of the trips that had been booked but put on hold. A family trip to London and Paris in early July was just what we needed to get on with our lives.

My daughter had been looking for things to do in London and came across Gordon's Wine Bar. It was just around the corner of our hotel. I checked it out briefly online and put it on my list of places to visit. When we got there one evening after dinner there was a small line to get in. I assumed from the few pics I had seen that the place was small and wondered how long the wait would be. After about 10 minutes we were led to an outdoor seating area.

As glad as I was to be seated I really wanted to see the the underground cellar. After placing our order I went inside and asked if I could take a few pics. It was like going back in time.

After seeing how small it was inside I was glad there was outdoor seating.

Gordon's does not offer beer or spirits, just wine. The list is compact but pretty much has something for everyone. Click here for list. Since we were there after dinner we mainly ordered dessert wines. I had the Tokji and and as I was sipping I wondered what the list might have looked like in 1890. The staff was friendly and the cheese and charcuterie looked really good. Would certainly go back again.

Memories of Maltose Express and Veracious Brewing Company

Mon, 30 May 2022 14:52:34 GMT

After many years, Maltose Express and Veracious have closed. It is a bittersweet moment, I have known and worked with Mark and Tess many times over the years. They and their staff have supported and nurtured countless wine and beer makers for over 30 years and opened a successful brewery. They will be missed. Here are some images from those years in no particular order.

Wine from our farewell dinner, March 8, 2022

The last canning session on May 18, 2022

These next few pics are from a great Italian tasting we did.

The following pics are from various events over the years

My grandson Ethan in 2014

An all Italian staff dinner, April, 2018

One of my favorite nights was the beer versus wine dinner. Everyone voted on their favorite pairing that went with each course. Fittingly it came out a tie. 2 courses went to beer, 2 courses went to wine and 1 course was a tie.

Tess and Mark at the beer vs. wine dinner

We also did many tastings of wines from all over the world. Here is an example.

I know that Mark and Tess will move on to other projects and I wish them the best of luck. I'm grateful for the times we collaborated on dinners, parties and classes. I also know that we will get to share a bottle or two of wine in the future. Until then, Cheers!

A very special tasting

Sun, 19 Dec 2021 15:45:15 GMT

All three are magnums

Getting a group together safely during this time of virus risks has not been easy. For years our wine friends have shared many great bottles and enjoyed each other’s company. We have done several Zoom meets early into it so staying in touch was not a problem. Once everyone in the group was vaccinated it was time for an in person evening. Two of the group had several good things happen and wanted to celebrate. That brought us all back together after for a much needed reunion.

The warm up wines

Our hosts are very generous with the wines they have collected and this became an opportunity for them to share some amazing wines. When the invite says DRC will be poured how can you refuse?

Domaine de la Romanée Conti La Tâche 1990

The wine was glorious! Black raspberries, strawberries along with other fruits, enough acidity to keep it fresh and some tannin to round it off. This is a rare wine, I felt honored to have a chance to taste it.
Some DRC info- click here

Roberto Voerzio Sarmassa di Barolo 1999

Roberto Voerzio is known for extremely low yields. He achieves incredible concentration and intensity. This may have been the most highly colored Barolo I have ever had. A wine at its peak with many more years ahead of it. Info here

Taylor's Vintage Port 1970

What better finale than a nice Port? Maybe a 50 year old one. The wine was a great way to end a very special tasting. Many thanks to our hosts for getting us all together and for the opportunity to to taste history in a bottle. Taylor info

A tasting with some fun pairings

Sat, 04 Sep 2021 14:23:29 GMT

I recently did a tasting for tasting for a group of medical professionals. Jeff, the host, contacted me and we worked together to set up an event to celebrate with his team. As we worked on details Jeff mentioned he went to a tasting and the presenter spent some time going over food pairings that can have a negative effect on the way a wine is perceived. So we incorporated some pairings that demonstrated good and bad examples of wine and food matchups.

Photo credit Big Macs and Burgundy

As we got close to the date of the tasting I mentioned some pairings from the book Big Macs and Burgundy by Vanessa Price with Adam Laukhuf. The book matches up many of the everyday foods we eat with a specific type of wine. While some of the reviews of the book I have seen concentrate on the junk food pairings there are quite a few of the classic pairings as well. What I was glad to see is the author makes a point of giving background on the wine suggested and what it is about the pairing that makes it work. When you read about the white-cheddar popcorn pairing with white Burgundy you get a concise but very clear lesson about Burgundy. You also get some suggested wines at various price points with icons that let you know more about the wine mentioned. Besides the pairings there is information on the components of wine, how to taste, the science behind pairings and much more. This is a book I recommend for beginners and experienced wine folks alike.

August 21, 2021

Carpene Malvolti 1868 Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore Italy

Thomas Labaille Sancerre L’Authentique 2020 France

Southern Right Sauvignon Blanc 2020 South Africa

Baron De Ley Rioja Reserva 2015 Spain

Substance Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 Washington

Castelnau de Suduiraut Sauternes 2016 France

The Sancerre's acidity joined with and washed away the salty cheesy goodness.

After we settled on the wines I suggested two of the book’s pairings, Cheetos with the Sancerre and Twinkies with the Sauternes. Jeff was interested right away. We also had conventional pairings for each wine and Jeff provided a variety of bites that reinforced the idea that what you taste now depends on what you just tasted. A sweet bite can make a dry wine taste extra dry. Some spicy foods can make a big tannic red taste off. But if you try an Asian dish with some heat with an off dry Riesling, the wine complements the food and can put out some of the fire. These are some examples of what we hoped to show during the tasting.

The Castlenau is a second label from Suduiraut, one of my favorite Sauternes. It was a beautiful wine, rich with botrytis influenced flavors, sweet and a kick of acid to balance it. It was a prefect match for the airy cake and creamy filling.

Our hosts put out a wonderful spread of dishes all through the tasting. We had a great time and got to experience some unexpected pairings. Check out the book, it is well worth a read and will liven up your next wine and food experience. Cheers!

I Fabbri Chianti Classico Lamole 2018 in Fiasco

Sat, 10 Jul 2021 19:21:17 GMT

Chianti Classico has been one of my favorite wines for quite a while.
There is something about the Sangiovese grape, that makes up most and sometimes all of a Chianti Classico wine, that keeps me coming back to them again and again. When I came across an offering for I Fabbri Chianti Classico Lamole 2018 bottled in fiasco I was intrigued.

A fiasco is the name of the iconic straw covered bottle that has been in use for centuries in Italy. The straw covering helped make the bottle better suited for being transported. During the 1970’s fiaschi were often seen in Italian restaurants and college dorms as a candle holder. The sad fact is that the wine in those bottles was not always very good. More on that later.

Photo credit I Fabbri

Before I placed an order for the I Fabbri I did some research as I had not had any experience with the producer. The more I read about them the more interested I got. The estate has been in the Grassi family since the 1600’s. Wine was produced there along with a blacksmith operation. The blacksmith term would later provide the name for the I Fabbri winery. Over time the vineyard was abandoned. Daughter Susanna Grassi had spent time away from the estate and worked in the fashion business. By the end of the 1990’s Susanna decided to return to the estate and began the rebuilding of the of the family wine business. In 2000 I Fabbri was born.

Photo cedit I Fabbri

There was quite a lot of work needed to bring the property to where it is today. By 2002 the ancient stone terraces were restored. In 2003 integrated pest management began, part of the move to be sure the vineyards are grown using sustainable practices and is now fully organic. They also began using recycled cardboard for packaging.

Photo credit I Fabbri

In the past two weeks I have read several articles about the push for reducing the weight of wine bottles to make them have less of an impact on the environment. In 2007, Susanna was ahead of the times and switched to bottles that weighed less lowering I Fabbri’s carbon footprint. In keeping with her concern for the environment a photovoltaic system was built in 2008 to provide cleanly generated electricity. It would be nice to see more properties follow Susanna’s lead.

Photo credit I Fabbri

The estate in Greve has vineyards that range in elevation from 1,900 to 2,000 feet above sea level. The Lamole vineyard is one of their highest. The fiasco bottling is 100% Sangiovese and is aged in cement tanks. The wine is light to medium bodied and tastes of a variety of red fruits along with some savory notes. Dry and pure, bright with acidity it has just a hint of tannin to round out its structure. It tastes like the essence of Sangiovese to me. This is nothing like the wines from the 1970’s.

Photo credit I Fabbri

I reached out to I Fabbri with a few questions about the wine before I wrote this. Susanna graciously responded with the answers. They first started doing the fiasco bottling in 2017. The 2019 was just bottled. The wine has to be hand bottled, the straw is hand finished and the final touch is a manual knot. Approximately 3,000 of the fiasco bottling are produced along with 9,000 done in a regular bottle. Susanna said that they are trying to change the perception that wine in a fiasco is of low quality.

Photo credit I Fabbri

So why does Chianti in straw covered bottles generate such bad memories? In the book Vino Italiano The Regional Wines Of Italy, authors Joseph Bastianich and David Lynch offer a few reasons. The original zone that historically was known as Chianti was expanded from seventeen thousand acres to forty-two thousand acres. A recipe for making early drinking Chianti was made mandatory in 1967. That recipe called for adding up to 30% white grapes to Chianti wines. That pretty much changed the wine to a shadow of what it had been. The Italian government also began a program of financing planting in the now larger Chianti zone. Most of the planting was aimed at high production, not quality wine. So into those straw covered bottles went a watered down version of what was once known as Chianti.

There is a happy ending to the Chianti saga. Some producers did not want to accept the mandate of using white grapes in their wines. There were some that wanted to add grapes that were not allowed like Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Others wanted to make their wines from 100% Sangiovese which went against the rules. This was part of the beginning of what became known as Super Tuscans. Many of these wines became recognized for their high quality even if they carried the lowly vino da tavola or table wine label. The Chianti Classico consorzio also worked to raise the quality level of the wines with great success. The wines of Chianti no longer contain white grapes and other rule changes have raised the bar for Chianti and Chianti Classico wine production. The rules continue to be tweaked, recently new sub zones of Chianti Classico were established. The Gran Selezione category, the highest level in the Chianti Classico hierarchy, must be at least 90% Sangiovese and can no longer contain non traditional grape varieties.

Italian wines in general and Chianti Classico wines in particular have never been better than they are today. Producers like Sussana Grassi are showing us how old traditions can revived and combined with thoughtful winemaking practices.

Photo credit I Fabbri

I would like to thank I Fabbri for allowing me to use their photos. For a link to their complete line up of wines click here. For more information on the unique fiasco bottle click here. The link leads to a great blog by Adriano Stefanutti.

Parkwood Cellars- 33 years of winemaking

Tue, 13 Oct 2020 13:36:44 GMT

The name Parkwood Cellars came from my living on Park Street and Tony living in the Woodmont section of Milford

2020 Cabernet Franc being pressed

Back in the 1980s my friend Tony and I decided to try our hand at making wine. We had both been getting into wine over the years and this seemed like a good way to learn more about it. We had a lot to learn.

Cabernet Franc on left, Malbec on right

For our first vintage we went to the fruit and veggie whole-sellers at Long Wharf in New Haven. Without knowing what to ask for we ended up with grapes we had never heard of. Ruby Cabernet, a cross of Cabernet Sauvignon and Carignan and Carnelian, a cross of Grenache and the cross of Cabernet Sauvignon and Carignan. Both were developed to thrive in a warm climate such as California's Central Valley.

When we inquired about getting yeast an old timer told us, "Yeast is for bread, not wine." So off we went to crush the grapes using a $3 fruit crusher I found at a tag sale. Without knowing it, we were making "natural wine." No additives were used at all those first few years. We did not know that most grapes are loaded with natural yeasts and after being crushed fermentation can start by itself.

Yeast being hydrated before adding to the crushed grapes

During fermentation carbon dioxide is given off pushing the the crushed grapes to the surface.

Punching down the grapes

After a few years and reading a few books like From Vines to Wines by Jeff Cox we learned that many of the grapes we purchased had been dosed with a sulfite solution to prevent mold and to control unwanted fermentation during shipping. We also learned the hard way that some natural yeast may not be able to ferment the wine to complete dryness. We had a batch of Zinfandel that stopped fermenting at about 8% alcohol and went bad. We now use cultured yeast that produces reliable results. If we grew the grapes or had a source of truly freshly harvested grapes I would go back to the more natural methods. The California grapes shipped to us often spend time picked and loaded into boxes that hold between 36 and 40 pounds. Many then sit in a refrigerated place waiting for shipping by truck to make the journey east. Some of the grapes are not always at their best and not the greatest candidates for a completely hands off style of winemaking. Fortunately, the quality of today's shipped grapes is better than ever and make some very good wines.

Following fermentation the grapes are pressed. The young wine is transferred to 5 gallon glass carboys.

My partner Tony

My neighbor Harry lending a hand

The masked winemakers. Tony and I with our 33rd vintage

Circa 1988, Tony and I with probably the world's smallest press. Still have it

This was 1990 I believe, still using the $3 fruit crusher

We have two 5 gallon French oak barrels. Each red gets some time in the barrel.

As our winemaking progressed over the years we started entering competitions. If things went well we would get recognized by fellow winemakers and receive a medal. We had the good fortune to make quite a few wines that were good enough to qualify as award winners.

We've come a long way from the early days. We have embraced many of the modern techniques such as using chromatography to check on progress of the malic acid to lactic acid conversion in the reds. Using various temperature controls for fermentation of whites (cooler) and heating jackets for reds when cellar temperature drops too low to finish the malo lactic thing. But we have found ourselves moving away from some of the additives. We use less sulfites than ever before and never filter our wines. I'd like to try whole cluster ferments for one of the reds next year. Hopefully we won't need a mask then.

This year we are making Cabernet Franc and Malbec from California grown grapes. We also have some Sauvignon Blanc hope to do a Riesling. Every year is different, some with challenges that teach us something new.

Thanks to our friends Mark and Tess at Maltose Express for all their help over the years. My wife deserves some recognition for putting up with my hobby and for times like lining up bins of wine in the dining room because it was too cold for malolactic fermentation to take place in the basement. Thanks to Tony for hanging in there with me and and all the friends and neighbors that helped over the years.

Virtual Wine tasting

Mon, 04 May 2020 13:11:27 GMT

Now that we are practicing stay at home routines and social distancing there is only one way to do a safe tasting. Through Zoom and many other platforms we can connect to each other remotely. I have started doing virtual tastings and have enjoyed them, as long as everyone sips along with me. With a little bit of preparation a group can find wines that are part of the theme chosen, even if we may not have the exact same wine we can still taste and discuss what we have in the glass. In this case our theme was South African wines.

Chenin Blanc was one of the types of wines I suggested everyone should try. The group was pleasantly surprised with it. Most had not had a Chenin before this but said they would buy it again. A couple that shopped at the same store as I used was able to get the exact same wine as I did. Thanks Kevin at Kindred Spirits in Shelton! That was the only wine that more than one of us had. The groups' Chenins shared some of the same qualities as the Secateurs so it was easy to see a common thread.

The Sauvignon Blancs were also enjoyable. Somewhere between a Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc and a New Zealand version. They had a similar characteristics but not an overwhelming grapefruit component. One couple tracked down the Southern Right Pinotage that I have yet to find but want to try. They specialize in just Sauvignon Blanc and Pinotage.

More of the wines that were included. These were available in Santa Monica. The Cabernets and Cab blends were very well received.

The Stark Condé was the same bottling as the one from Santa Monica but a 2 year vintage difference.

We all had a great time and I'll have to say that even when my part was done I stayed on for a while to chat. I enjoyed meeting such a warm and friendly family. They made it easy for me. Thanks to Eileen and Maura for including me in the event which was done for a recently married couple that was not able to take a honeymoon in South Africa due to the the current conditions. Cheers!

Wine Unwrapped - Wine Unwrapped Blog

Pinot Noir 2024

Many thanks to my friend Harry. I could not have done this without his help. Cheers!

Summertime Treats

Categories

WUNDERWEIN German Wine Dinner At Artisan In Southport

Local sea food crudo with radish, cucumber, vanilla-calamansi elixir. A great match for the wines.

Gordon's Wine Bar- The Oldest Wine Bar In London

As glad as I was to be seated I really wanted to see the the underground cellar. After placing our order I went inside and asked if I could take a few pics. It was like going back in time.

Memories of Maltose Express and Veracious Brewing Company

A very special tasting

A tasting with some fun pairings

I Fabbri Chianti Classico Lamole 2018 in Fiasco

Parkwood Cellars- 33 years of winemaking

Virtual Wine tasting