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

Kitchen Sink Reserve White Table Wine Review

Everything but the kitchen sink! This idiom came to mind as I was tasting this week’s Wine Wednesday feature, Adler Fels, Kitchen Sink Reserve White Table Wine.  I have to admit, the label lured me.  With a name like Kitchen Sink, I knew it had to be a blend and I always enjoy a blend - trying to figure out what each varietal is bringing to the table, or in this case the sink.

Adler Fels sources their grapes from top producers all across California - maybe that's where the "reserve" comes into play. The varietals and the percentages used for this wine are a well-kept secret. This happens to be an NV or non- vintage wine, which could be part of the secret - a blend of different vintages.  On the nose, tropical fruit and faint floral and vegetal notes. On the palate, pear and citrus with a somewhat herbaceous, almost medicinal ( but not necessarily in a bad way) finish. 

What varietals are in this blend? Well, it’s more like, what varietals aren’t. I found this wine to be more of a hodge podge than a blend.  There was too much going on all at once.  The wine didn’t unfold or evolve. It seemed as though the winemaker was trying to be everything to everybody, but that's sort of what the name implies.

We paired this with Spicy Chicken Lettuce Wraps. Try also with Shrimp Po' Boys.  Click the links below to print or save the recipes.

Spicy Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Shrimp Po' Boy

Domaine Loubejac Willamette Rosé - 2015 Wine Review

Willamette, damn it! Years back when I went wine tasting in the Willamette Valley of Oregon for the first time, this is the expression the locals used to help the visitors remember how to pronounce Willamette -- rhymes with damn it.

This week’s Wine Wednesday feature, the 2015 Domaine Loubejac Willamette Rosé is described as a rare rosé blend. Generally, this term means that the wine is a blend of an unusual combination of varietals. At the same time, rosé wines are usually made from the varietals most widely grown in the area that they are from – and usually, red varietals, though white can be used as well.  Pinot Noir is highly likely to be part of this blend since one of the more popular varietals in the Willamette Valley is Pinot Noir. Other varietals in the blend may or may not be, Shiraz/Syrah, Grenache, and Mourvedre.

As the days start getting warmer, this wine conjures up thoughts of a picnic. The beautiful salmon color makes one think of May flowers soon to come.  One the nose, apricot and peach and a pronounced minerality. It is sweet on the tip of the tongue but then is lively – evidence of stainless steel fermentation.  It has a crisp, short, yet juicy (wait for it) finish. We enjoyed this with a Cajun Shrimp Boil. I think this wine is extremely versatile, but for some reason I want to pair it with spicy foods.  Try also with Chicken Tortilla Soup.  Click the links below to print or save the recipe pairing suggestions.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Cajun Shrimp Boil

Cantine Di Dolianova Dolia Vermentino Di Sardegna (2014) Wine Review

Happy Wine Wednesday! I'm back. I chose to give up wine as my Lenten sacrifice  and decided during that time I would refrain from writing about it as well.

If I had to choose (thankfully I don't), I tend to prefer white wine, crisp and dry and also enjoy exploring alternative whites. One I particularly like is Vermentino. If you like Sauvignon Blanc or Albariño, I would encourage you to try Vermentino.

Half of all Vermentino comes from the Italian island of Sardinia as does this weeks featured wine, the 2014 Cantine Di Dolianova Dolia Vermentino Di Sardegna.

There are generally two styles of Vermentino; one more silky and creamy and the other more crisp and floral. This weeks feature is more like the first and probably the style I prefer, especially with food as pairing options are a little broader.

On the nose, notes of pear and honey, herbs and limestone. On the palate, citrus with a subtle salinity perhaps from the sea air, a touch of pepper on the finish and that slightly silky mouthfeel - the result of malolactic fermentation.

Vermentino is my go-to pairing choice with Mexican food, especially seafood or chicken based dishes. Try with Grilled Squid Tacos or Tempura Fish Tacos. Click the links below to print or save the recipe pairing suggestions.

Tempura Fish Tacos

Grilled Squid Tacos

Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) Sélection Prestige Bordeaux Blanc (2015) Wine Review

What temperature is the best for storing/serving white wine? I was reminded of this question as I was tasting this week’s Wine Wednesday feature the 2015 Barons de Rothschild (Lefite) Sélection Prestige White Bordeaux.

On Monday night my husband got home before I did and poured a glass that was waiting for me when I arrived. On the nose prominent minerality and subtle floral notes. It had a nice round mouthfeel leaning toward a medium bodied wine with a fresh crisp finish with lingering citrus notes.

White Bordeaux are generally a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon. Sometimes there is Muscadelle and small amounts of other varietals as part of the blend. This wine is 55% Sauvignon Blanc and 45% Sémillon. On Monday night I enjoyed the best of both varietals. The Sémillon providing the body and the floral notes and the Sauvignon Blanc, the crisp finish with citrus notes.

On Tuesday night, it was another story. You see, my husband put the unfinished bottle in the refrigerator on Monday night. When I got home Tuesday evening, the wine had seemingly lost its floral notes and only minerality lingered on the tongue.  The mouthfeel had lost its body. Had the wine gone bad?  No, I just wished my husband had put it in the wine fridge where the temps for white wine are set at about 50 degrees.

Depending on the wine, the optimum serving temperature can vary. In fact, you may notice that same labels indicate the winemakers’ recommendation for serving temperature. Most refrigerators are set between 35 – 40 degrees Fahrenheit which in my opinion is too cold for wine. The cold temperatures mask the nuances and in a sense the wine seems locked and bland. Often, white wines that are of less quality are served extra cold to mask their shortcomings. Thankfully, allowing the wine to warm a bit brought the wine back to life and allowed us to enjoy it with Clams alla Puttanesca (use some in the recipe). Click the link below to print or save the recipe.

Clams alla Puttanesca

Undivided Chardonnay (2015) Wine Review

Undivided. Honestly, I swear it was by sheer coincidence that this happened to be my Wine Wednesday feature this week. But as ironic as it may be, I find the name most fitting. Perhaps we can all come together over a lovely glass of wine – the 2015 Undivided Chardonnay.

The label indicates that this is a product of France. It is most common in French wine that the label indicates the appellation (where the grapes were grown). In this case, it does not which leads me to believe that this wine was not bottled at the vineyard but rather at a large facility which may not actually be in the appellation where the grapes were grown, or that it’s a product comprised of the grapes or wines from several producers.

In the glass, it is the color of light golden straw. On the nose, notes of tropical fruit, melon and almond. The mouthfeel is silky and buttery as the wine reveals well-balanced acidity on the finish. On the palate there are subtle woody notes, though not necessarily oak. This wine has spent very little time if any in oak barrels.

We enjoyed this with Salmon with Dill Sauce. Try also with Italian Chicken Veggie Wraps. Click the links below to print or save the recipe pairing suggestions.

Salmon with Dill Sauce

Italian Chicken Veggie Wraps

2011 Montecillo Rioja Crianza Tempranillo Wine Review

Have you ever wondered what the date (year on the wine bottle) meant?  Is it the year the wine was made, the year it was released, or the year the grapes were harvested? Though wine laws vary in different parts of the world, the vintage year in every case is the year the grapes were harvested.  

In the case of this week’s Wine Wednesday feature, the 2011 Montecillo Rioja Crianza Tempranillo (TEM-pra-KNEE-oh), the grapes for this wine were harvested in 2011. Tempranillo is the primary red wine varietal from the Rioja region.

This wine comes from the Rioja (Ree-OH-ha) wine region of Spain. There are four classifications for Rioja wines; Rioja, Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva. The difference is predominantly the amount of aging before it reaches the shelves in your wine shop. To be classified as Crianza the wine must age a minimum of one year in oak and one year in the bottle. Thus, the earliest this wine was released would have been 2013.

Crianza is likely the most widely available and is usually reasonably priced (under $15) which makes this a great “weeknight” wine. On the nose, dark fruit, baking spice and hints of tobacco. I found this wine to be fruit forward and well balanced with a nice amount of acidity. I loved the subtle smoke that lingered on the palate after the finish.

Pair with Chipotle Chili Sloppy Joes or Lasagna. Click the links below to print or save the recipes.

Chipotle Chili Sloppy Joes

Lasagna