Bulgariana Cabernet Sauvignon & Syrah (2011) Wine Review

When I think of different countries and/or regions known for wine production, I must be honest, Bulgaria isn’t one of the first that comes to mind.  This week’s Wine Wednesday feature, the 2011 Bulgariana Cabernet Sauvignon & Syrah Blend piqued my curiosity and caused me to do a little research.

In the 80’s, Bulgaria was the world’s second largest producer of wine, but the collapse of communism caused the industry to decline. However, it is on its way back to the extent that the Thracian Valley is one of Wine Enthusiast’s Top 10 Wine Travel Destinations for 2017. Who want's to go?

The Thracian Valley (Southern Bulgaria) produces Mavrud (a red varietal thought to be indigenous to the area) as well as Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon among others.

Bulgariana is a 50%/50% blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. It has an intense deep garnet color.  On the nose, blackberry, cassis, very very ripe plum and coffee. On the palate, it wasn't as aggressive as I might have expected from a wine of 14.8% alcohol by volume. It started out very fruit forward, slightly sweet and sort of jammy in the middle with a welcomed peppery finish.

Incidentally, the wine wasn’t quite as sturdy the second day. It was a touch sweeter, though it kept its peppery finish, which made it a great pairing for barbecue and sloppy joes. We enjoyed this with Grilled Lamb Chops with Walnut and Herb Pesto the first night and Chipotle Chili Sloppy Joes the next. Try also with venison or bison. Click the links below to print or save the recipe pairing suggestions. 

Grilled Lamb Chops with Walnut and Herb Pesto

Chipotle Chili Sloppy Joes

La Quercia Montepulciano d'Abruzzo (2015)

My basil plant has become a basil bush.  What does that have to do with this week’s Wine Wednesday feature you ask? Well, it has to do with how I arrived at serving it. You see, I decided to use some of my fresh basil to make a double batch of my homemade marinara. 

Whenever I’m making “sauce” I usually freeze most of it for future meals, but after smelling it slowly simmer for a good part of the day, I had to reserve some for dinner that night.  So, I browned some hot Italian sausage, sautéed some mushrooms and heated it with my marinara – then decided to choose my wine.

 I had used some Chianti in the sauce, but when I noticed that my wine fridge was now void of Chianti, I spotted the bottle of 2015 La Quercia Estates Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. I thought to myself “Montepulciano – Sangiovese – Chianti – same thing – that’ll work”. That could all be true if not for the d’Aburzzo part I had hastily overlooked.

To clarify, Montepulciano is a town in Tuscany. It is also a red wine grape varietal. The key grape varietal grown in Montepulciano, the town,  is Sangiovese which is also the key grape varietal in Chianti.  However, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo is the Montepulciano varietal grown in the Abruzzo region of Italy. The good news is that though the wines are uniquely different they do share some common characteristics which still made my choice a delightful pairing for spaghetti with marinara.

Both wines tend to be very fruit forward and this one certainly was. On the nose, blueberry with a hint of spice and cassis. It was slightly sweet on the tongue but exhibited a well-balanced acidity with pleasant pepper on the finish. I actually preferred this over a Chianti with my sauce as my sauce is on the zesty side and with the addition of the Italian sausage, the wine stood up nicely to the bolder flavors. This wine is fermented in stainless steel with no barrel aging which in my opinion usually makes the wine a little brighter and more lively on the palate.

With a price point of $11 - $12 a bottle, this versatile wine for pairing makes for a great weeknight choice.

I would also recommend with pork loin or Baked Chicken and Wild Rice. Click the links below to print or save the recipe pairing suggestions.

Homemade Marinara

Baked Chicken and Wild Rice

Aveleda Praia Vinho Verde Wine Review

Vinho Verde is one of my favorite summer pleasures and this week’s Wine Wednesday feature the Aveleda Praia Vinho Verde is among the best I’ve had. 

Vinho Verde translates as “green wine”, but really means “young wine” as there are red, white and even rosé Vinho Verde.  It is “young wine” because most are meant to be consumed within a year of bottling. Therefore, most bottles don’t show a vintage year, though some list a bottling date. When shopping for Vinho Verde, the younger the better. Vinho Verde is not a varietal, but rather a growing region in the northwestern most area of Portugal.

The word Praia means beach in Portuguese and the name was possibly chosen because of the vineyards proximity to the Atlantic Ocean. Or maybe, it’s because it’s an exceptional wine for an afternoon on the beach.

Praia is a blend of 40% Arinto, 30% Loureiro, 20% Trajadura and 10% Azal. The wine exhibits a pale straw color with slightly grassy and herbal notes along with pronounced lemon. As with most Vinho Verde, it is effervescent. Though not enough to be considered a sparkling wine, it is lively and refreshing on the tongue. I particularly enjoyed the luscious not-too-tart lemon and minerality on the finish. This one was a little more interesting (I hesitate to say complex as it goes against the nature of Vinho Verde), but more interesting than most.

It is the perfect complement to a salad or seafood.  Serve with Lobster BLT Salad or nosh on Tortilla Chips with Garden Fresh Guacamole. Click the links below to print or save the recipe pairing suggestions.

Lobster BLT Salad

Garden Fresh Guacamole

Savor the Flavors of Sangria!

In last week’s Wine Wednesday feature I mentioned that I used the Beaujolais I reviewed (that I wasn’t all that impressed with) to make Sangria.  As a result, I’ve gotten several requests for my Sangria recipe. I’ll be happy to share, but first, a little about Sangria. 

First of all, if you can roll your R’s, please do, it seems to elevate this red wine punch into something a little more posh.  Say it with me, “sahn – GDEE – uh”.

Sangria is Spanish in origin and typically made with red wine. The name is believed to be derived from sangre, the Spanish word for blood, likely referring to its deep red color. Americans were introduced to Sangria at the 1964 World’s Fair in New York City, where it was the featured drink in Spain’s pavilion.

There are likely as many Sangria recipes as there are people who make it. In addition to the red wine, there is usually some sort of brandy or liqueur, sometimes spices, fruit juices and of course fresh fruit.  The mixture is refrigerated for several hours or overnight while the fruit imparts its natural sugars and flavors.  Sangria is served chilled over ice without the fruit.  You may choose to garnish with additional fruit.

There are now many premade Sangria’s and Sangria mixes on the market. I would encourage you to make your own. It’s so easy and so much better.  Serve it with tapas, tacos, or whatever you wish.  Just Savor the Flavors!

Red Sangria

Brittany Allyn
www.savortheflavors.tv
Serves: 1 Pitcher (6 glasses)

Ingredients:

1 bottle of Beaujolais-Villages wine (I like Louis Jadot)
¼ cup Triple Sec Orange Liqueur (Cointreau miniature)
1 cup White Grape Juice
2 TBSP Super Fine Sugar
2 Plums (preferably one red and one black) sliced
1 Orange sliced
7-8 Strawberries hulled and sliced
Additional fruit for garnish

Directions:

Pour the bottle of Beaujolais in a pitcher.  Add the grape juice, orange liqueur and super fine sugar.  Stir until the sugar dissolves. Add the fruit and stir.  Refrigerate for 4-5 hours or overnight – stirring occasionally.  Pour over ice and garnish with an orange slice and strawberry. I like to freeze strawberry slices into ice spheres for presentation.

Les Vins Jean-Claude Debeaune Beaujolais Special Selection (2014) Wine Review

Beaujolais – a white wine lover’s red! As the summer starts heating up, I tend to gravitate more toward lighter dishes and white wines.  However, there are exceptions, and a Beaujolais is always one of them. Beaujolais takes its name from the wine producing region of the same name in France.  The primary varietal in Beaujolais is Gamay. 

Beaujolais is a light-bodied easy-drinking red wine that is generally very fruit forward and low in tannins. There are different classifications for Beaujolais; Beaujolais , Beaujolais Villages and Crus Beaujolais (which usually doesn’t say Beaujolais on the label, but rather the name of the Cru or sub region – these being of the highest quality).  The classification is determined by the area where the grapes are grown, with basic Beaujolais and Beaujolais Nouveau being the largest area and producing the most wine, and Cru Beaujolais being the most exclusive.

Beaujolais is a great “staircase” red for those trying to introduce themselves to more red wine, because for a red wine, it is very low in tannins. This is due to the unique way that Beaujolais wine is made.  It is made by a method referred to as semi-carbonic maceration.  I may be oversimplifying here, but basically instead of grapes being crushed, whole grape clusters are placed into vats or tanks. The weight of the fruit presses down on the grapes at the bottom, releasing their juices. When the juice comes in contact with the inherent yeast of the grape skins, it starts to form carbon dioxide which in turn forces the oxygen out of the tank. The lack of oxygen causes a chemical reaction where the grapes start to ferment on the inside making them explode. This process takes 4-8 days after which the juice is drained and then the remaining juice is pressed. The two juices are then combined to create the finished wine. Beaujolais/Beaujolais Nouveau (always released on the third Thursday of November) is intended to be consumed within a year of harvest, Beaujolais Villages, 2-3 years and Crus can be aged even longer. Often, Beaujolais Crus are produced with a more traditional method other than semi-carbonic maceration.

This week’s Wine Wednesday feature, the 2014 Les Vins Jean-Claude Debeaune Beaujolais Special Selection is a basic Beaujolais. Ironically, I found this to be a little too basic for me.  There are some very good Beaujolais on the market, but sadly, in my opinion this wasn’t one of them. Perhaps this should have been sold/consumed earlier? The nose with notes of currant, violet, cedar and plum was quite enjoyable, but the wine did not deliver what the nose suggested.  I found this one to not be as fruit forward as I like, rather lackluster with a finish a little too tart and short for my taste. However, we added fruit, refrigerated it for a few hours and voilà – Beaujolais makes delicious Sangria.  We enjoyed this with Fajitas.  Try also with Grilled Chicken Tacos. Click the links below to print or save the recipes.

Beef Fajitas

Grilled Chicken Tacos

Pebble Row Sauvignon Blanc (2016) Wine Review

When I see a Marlborough, New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc on a wine list, I pretty much know I’m going to like it. They all seem to have a certain commonality.  One can usually expect a dry, crisp, refreshing experience with pronounced (bowl of grapefruit) citrus notes -  which I happen to enjoy.  Though to some extent they are “alike”, each still has its own personality - some can be grassier and others have more pronounced tropical fruit notes, which is the case with this week’s Wine Wednesday feature, the 2016 Pebble Row Sauvignon Blanc.

Something I'd like to point out, is the importance of drinking wine at the right temperature in order to appreciate it completely. On Saturday, I took this from my wine fridge set at 41° F for white wines.  On the nose, serious tropical fruit notes, especially lychee and slightly floral.  I noticed a subtle more rounded and silky mouthfeel than some of the other NZ Sauvignon Blancs. The finish was crisp with lingering, mouthwatering citrus.  It struck me as a very well-balanced wine. On Sunday, (the bottle had been in our regular refrigerator) I poured a glass and the experience was similar but not the same. Our regular refrigerator is set at 35°F.  It always amazes me what a difference temperature makes.  In this case, the colder temperature masked that rounder mouthfeel I had enjoyed the night before, and the nose wasn’t near as intriguing. After letting the wine sit (warm) a bit, the experience was more like it had been on Saturday night. 

This Sauvignon Blanc from the Wairau (river) Valley of the Marlborough region of NZ is named after the river stones that line their vineyard rows.  Pebble Row Sauvignon Blanc has earned a reoccurring spot in my wine fridge.  We enjoyed it by itself, but also with Grilled Shrimp with Wasabi Remoulade. Try also with Grilled Sword Fish with Lime Crema. Click the links below to print or save the recipes.

Grilled Shrimp with Wasabi Remoulade

Grilled Swordfish with Lime Crema

Willamette Valley Vineyards Estate Rosé (2016) Wine Review

Salmon-Safe Certified. While reading the label of this week’s Wine Wednesday feature, the 2016 Willamette Valley Vineyards Estate Rosé, I noticed that this wine is Salmon-Safe Certified.  I don’t believe I’ve seen that before so it caused me to do a little research. No, this doesn’t mean that the wine is safe to drink with salmon, though it most certainly would be. It refers to ecologically sustainable viticulture.  With winegrowers, the certification focuses on reducing runoff from hillside vineyards and enhancement of native biodiversity on vineyard sites. I also learned that nearly half of the wine grape acreage in Oregon’s Willamette Valley is Salmon-Safe Certified.

I recently visited Willamette Valley Vineyards while visiting family in Oregon. The location and facility are quite impressive and the view from the entrance, breathtaking.

This is one of the wines we tasted and decided to bring home with us. I always like it when I taste a wine at the winery and then when I get home and try it again, it’s as good as I remembered it being.  Sometimes, especially in cases like this, where the setting and ambience contribute greatly to the experience, I worry whether the wine will hold up without it. FYI, it most certainly does.

A rosé made from Pinot Noir, it is left with skin contact for 48 hours resulting in the medium pink color.  On the nose, slightly floral, hints of citrus and a pleasant minerality. Having been fermented in stainless, it is lively on the tongue with strawberry and honey notes on the palate.

This is a great summer picnic wine, quite versatile for pairing with lighter fare. We enjoyed it with Oven-Roasted Cornish Game Hens and Sage and Garlic Infused Whipped Potatoes. It occurred to me that this could be my Thanksgiving 2017 wine. As I think about it, in all sincerity, it would also be perfect with my Salmon Cucumber Canapés.

I also noticed on the label that if you bring the bottle back to the winery, they’ll give you a 10 cent refund.  Perfect, I was looking for an excuse to go back. Click the links below for recipe paring suggestions.

Salmon Cucumber Canapés

Sage and Garlic Infused Whipped Potatoes