The Bordeaux wines tasted Friday night.

Bordeaux wine lovers packed into Wine World Friday night for another delightful evening with Jean-Pierre Chambas, founder of Aleph Wines and an expert at finding great wine from Bordeaux.

Jean-Pierre is a storyteller, and he kept the crowd entertained, talking about history, culture and language as well as the wine.

He brought a dozen wines, priced reasonably. He said he brought them “to show you won’t have to mortgage your house to drink good French wine.”

Jean-Pierre said everyone knows about the legendary first growths of Bordeaux, but they are priced beyond the reach of most wine drinkers. The trick, he said, is to find good wines that are getting better and buy them before their prices go up.

Jean-Pierre talking to the crowd.

“Wine in Bordeaux is changing,” he said. “Grapes are ripening better, alcohol content is going up. Also, better viticulture practices help make better wines.”

That means there is more good to great wine in Bordeaux than ever before. The 11 red wines and one white wine tasted Friday were fine examples of that. Jean-Pierre said all will drink well over the next 5-10 years.

“When you look at the structure of a wine, you are looking for good acidity and how the wine he built,” he said. “A great wine is a harmonious wine.”

The white wine was a 2010 vintage, but the rest were from 2009, a vintage many in the wine trade are raving about. Judging from the wines tasted Friday, there is a lot to like about that vintage.

There also was a good selection of food to sample.

Here’s the wine list:

Ch La Graviere 2010, Entre Deux Mers   
Ch Val de Roc 2009,  Bordeaux
Ch du Bosquet 2009,  Cotes de Bourg
Ch Croix Mouton 2009,  Bordeaux Superieur
Ch L’Estang 2009,  Cotes de Castillon

Ch Fonbel 2009,  St Emilion Grand Cru
 Ch Lyonnat 2009,  Lussac St Emilion
Ch Lanessan 2009,  Medoc
 Ch Pavel de Luze 2009,  Margaux
Ch Clarke-Rothschild 2009, Listrac
Ch Moulin Riche 2009,  St Julien
Ch Le Crock 2009, St Estephe

Where: Wine World, 133 Georgia Ave., North Augusta, SC
803-279-9522

e-mail: wineworld@wineworldsc.com.
When: Friday, May 18, 2012, 7pm.

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“Cosentino Winery is prestigiously located in Yountville, California and is the first winery located on the Saint Helena Highway 29. The Tasting Room is a very popular site attracting a myriad of visitors from all over the world, including connoisseurs, experts, Hollywood celebrities, rock stars, great chefs, locals, lovers, dreamers, enthusiasts, and beginners alike!

The winery is prominently located in the heart of the Napa Valley, situated on the border of Yountville and the Oakville Appellation, one of the most prestigious AVAs in the world that is home to some of the Napa Valley’s greatest vineyards.

In 1980, Mitch Cosentino began making wine from small lots in Modesto, California. Moving his operation to Napa Valley nearly 10 years later, he pursued his dream of becoming a great Napa winemaker. His highly skilled and artistic style of winemaking has enabled him to craft award winning wines with an old world attitude.

Many of the wines we will be tasting will be priced below the Winery pricing! This will be a fantastic weekend tasting not to be missed!”

Here’s the line-up:

Cosentino “The Chard” Chardonnay: $14.99
Cosentino Pinot Noir Flagship Sonoma: $43.99
Cosentino “The Zin” Red Zinfandel: $19.99
Cosentino “The CigarZin” Red Zinfandel: $19.99
Cosentino “The Franc” Cabernet Franc: $18.99
Cosentino “The Cab” Cabernet Sauvignon: $18.99
Cosentino “The Poet” Red Meritage: $54.99
Barrel Aged for 27 months! Cab, Cab Franc & Merlot.
If you love wine you’re going to love this tasting! Bring a friend and enjoy on of the finest weekend wine tastings we have done in our seven years in business.

Thunderstorms be damned. A little rain and lightning wasn’t going to deter me from stopping by Wine World Thursday night for their Third Thursday tasting.

If you are looking for an Old World style Chardonnay rather than a California Chardonnay then the Louis Latour Chardonnay Grand Ardeche 2010 is a wine you want to try. 

It was also nice to have for the second time in a week the Atalaya Laya and the Multiplicity Red. Both were featured at last Friday’s Tasters Guild Garden Tasting. I’m glad I dodged a little rain to stop by especially when I got to sample some of my favorite Da Vinci cheese. It’s a Dutch cheese that has embedded Mediterranean herbs.

I hated to leave but the good news, it’s only 14 days until the First Friday tasting.

Where: Wine World, 133 Georgia Ave., North Augusta, SC
803-279-9522

When: Thursday, May 17, 2011, 5 to 8pm
Cost: $5 per person with rebate on purchase of a featured wine.

Here are the wines presented (click to see more):

1. Gazela Vinho Verde 2011
2. Shaya Verdejo Old Vine 2010
3. Louis Latour Chardonnay Grand Ardeche 2010
4. Hazaña Rioja 2007
5. Multiplicity Red
6. Atalaya Laya 2010

Here are the detailed wine notes:
Gazela Vinho Verde 2011
A fresh, lightly spritzy white wine, perfect for warm weather. The bouquet is a lively mix of citrus and floral aromas with hints of melon & minerality. Flavors of apricot and citrus, nicely balanced by crisp acidity. Light alcohol.An ideal aperitif and a perfect picnic wine. Fine match for seafood and lighter fare. Shrimp & ham paella. Havarti with Dill.
From: Portugal
Winery: Gazela
Year: 2011

Shaya Verdejo Old Vine 2010
A beautiful crisp, dry white. Green apple, pear, lime and floral aromas with hints of white pepper, spice and herbs. Tropical fruit flavors balanced by vibrant acidity. Refreshing, with attractive herbal and mineral accents. Long finish. Wonderful with shellfish. Lemon-marinated chicken breasts with green olive tapenade and roasted red peppers. Fontal. Sweet Grass Dairy (Georgia) Tomme.
From: Rueda, Spain
Winery: Bodegas Shaya
Year: 2010

Louis Latour Chardonnay Grand Ardeche 2010
A fine traditional style oaked Chardonnay from the great French Burgundy house of Louis Latour, still family-owned since its founding in 1797. floral aromas with hints of vanilla and toasted almonds. Flavors of ripe apple and peach with a buttery creamy texture and subtle notes of spice. A rich and complex wine which will mature for two to three years. Aged 9 – 10 months in French oak barrels (made in house) with 100% malolactic fermentation. Aperitif. Fish, chicken, pork, vegetables in a cream sauce or butter-based sauses. Enjoy with roast chicken and scalloped potatoes. Camembert.
From: Ardeche, France
Winery: Louis Latour
Year: 2010

Hazaña Rioja 2007
100% Tempranillo. A more modern style Rioja, which still shows some traditional Rioja character; i.e more concentrated, fruit-forward, and intense. Red berries and a touch of tar and vanilla in the aromas. Full flavored with generous red berry flavors, and soft, ripe tannins. Enjoy with tapas. Chickpea and spinach stew. Spicy chicken & pork dishes. Beef stew. Manchego cheese.
From: Rioja, Spain
Winery: Hazaña
Year: 2007

Multiplicity Red
A friendly blend of Petite Sirah, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Refosco. Ripe, round fruit aromas and flavors of red cherry and plum with hints of chocolate & spice. Easy finish. A long-time favorite. Great for cookouts. Burgers, grilled meats, pizza. Robust cheeses. Vermont Smoked Cheddar.
From: Paso Robles, California
Winery: Le Lapin

Atalaya Laya 2010
A full-bodied, food friendly blend of 70% Grenache and 30% Monastrell. Dark and concentrated, this is a big wine with blackberry and dark fruit flavors along with vanilla-oak and spice notes. Another winner from this excellent producer. Serve with slow braised lamb shoulder or grilled
venison. Grilled sausages, steaks. Flavorful cheeses. Gouda with Mediterranean Herbs.
From: Castilla La Mancha, Spain
Winery: Bodegas Atalaya
Year: 2010

 OK, all you sangria lovers and creative mixers. Here’s your chance to win a trip for two to New Orleans.

Sandeman Porto wants your recipes for sangria made with Sandeman Founders Reserve Porto. Put on your thinking cap and your mixing gloves and come up with something special. Then submit your original recipe and a photo to the Sandeman Facebook page by June 1.

Sandeman will share the sangria recipes and photos on its Facebook page. A judging panel will select the winner based on taste, creativity/originality and how the ingredients represent the summer season. The recipe should be for a pitcher of sangria that includes a bottle of Sandeman Founders Reserve Porto. You’re on your own for whatever else you want to put in it.

Sangria is a great summer drink, usually filled with fresh fruit and a good red wine, such as port. I love just going to the farmer’s market and finding fresh, juicy fruit to toss in a nice sangria. Nothing better on a hot summer day. It makes a refreshing treat.

So get those entries in. Check in at www.facebook.com/SandemanPorto to submit your entry. The winner gets a trip for two to the Tales of the Cocktail festival in New Orleans this July. That sounds like it would be fun.

If you end up winning, let me know and we’ll do something special on Bottle Report, and we hope you would send us updates from the festival. We’d like to know what we’re missing.

Gary Swiggett and friends.

A sellout crowd that jammed Calvert’s Restaurant Wednesday night for a dinner featuring Burly wines had a real treat. As always at Calvert’s the wine and food were perfectly matched.

You run out of superlatives talking about the food at Calvert’s, and they never bring in a winery with mediocre wines. The wines always are first rate.

Hank McCrorie

That was the case again Wednesday, but in addition to the great food and wine, there were some extra added attractions. For instance, Gary Swiggett–known as the unofficial mayor of Napa Valley–was there to show us how to enjoy wine and chocolate together. (More on that later.)

Hank McCrorie, owner of McCrorie Family Vineyards and Burly, was in Augusta for a Calvert’s wine dinner last year. The wine drinkers remembered that great evening, and they packed the house for the return engagement. The mood was festive from the start.

McCrorie spent his working life in the pharmaceutical business. When he retired his California wife wanted a home in California. McCrorie is from North Carolina so they built homes in both states. Eventually he got lured into the wine business and named his winery with his nickname from his college football days at Lenoir-Rhyne. It’s an apt description of the man and his wines.

The label features an immense oak tree, reminding McCrorie of the live oaks of Carolina and his wife Bernice of the oak trees she remembers from California.

Because Burly produces only Cabernet Sauvignon and one Sauvignon Blanc, Calvert’s and Ninth Street Wine Market partnered with Prime Wines and Spirits to supply a sparkling wine, a Chardonnay and a Pinot Noir.

We started with light hors d’oeuvres and Chameroy Brut, non vintage. It’s a French sparkling wine from the Burgundy region, made in the methode champagnoise. That means it’s made the way Champagne is, with fermentation in the bottle.

It was an excellent, inexpensive sparking wine, light bodied, with good structure. The flavors were citrus and tropical fruits, with nice bubbles and a pleasant finish.

Garden gazpacho

The first course was garden gazpacho with olive-pesto grilled cheese, accompanied by Burly Sauvignon Blanc 2011. McCrorie said he only made 80 cases of this wine, the first white he’s made, and he designated 5 cases for Georgia. Halfway through the evening four of those cases had already been sold, so it’s unlikely there will be any more on the local market. If you can find it, buy it. It’s spectacular. McCrorie hopes to buy more of the grapes from the vineyard next year and produce 400 cases.

The wine is light and crisp, with a bright finish. It matched the gazpacho well. It probably would be good as a sipping wine, but it is much better with food.

Scallop strudel

The second course was curried scallop strudel with Chardonnay sauce paired with Mount Eden Vineyards Saratoga Cuvee Chardonnay 2008 Santa Cruz Mountains. What a wonderful explosion of flavors, with the curry and the pastry and the silky smoothness of a nice Chardonnay.

The wine is a medium-bodied Chardonnay with a minerality and a fruit-forward style. It has a long, pleasant finish and matched the scallop strudel very well.

Pear salad

The third course was Pinot Noir poached pear salad with pecan-crusted goat cheese and Vidalia onion vinaigrette paired with Evening Land Blue Label Pinot Noir 2010. The salad had a marvelous mix of flavors, ranging from the pungent goat cheese to the silky sweet pears and the onion vinaigrette. I thought it would be difficult to find a wine to pair with this, but the Evening Land Pinot did fine.

Joe Bowden

The blue label is considered Evening Land’s entry level Oregon Pinot Noir from the famed Seven Springs Vineyard. There are three other tiers above blue. The wine is good, with well-balanced cherry fruit, but the finish was a little short and with a slightly unpleasant aftertaste. It would be interesting to taste the other levels of Evening Land because the Seven Springs Vineyard is known for supplying fruit for great wines from Adelsheim, Bethel Heights, Domaine Druhin and St. Innocent, among others.

The fourth course was spicy lemon and garlic marinated flat iron steak with roasted Yukon home fries and Cabernet chipotle sauce. The wine was Burly Cabernet Sauvignon 2006, Napa Valley. This was the most spectacular course and pairing.

I didn’t get to eat the steak and fries until they were cold because I was busy talking to people, but the food still was incredibly good. The flavors in the steak were beautifully complex and were matched by the layers of flavor in the wine.

It’s a difficult wine to describe because so many flavors race across your mouth, but I picked up notes of blackberry, blueberry, licorice and plum. The wine is still tight and likely will keep developing in the bottle for another 5-10 years.

Chocolate roulade

The final course was a decadent dessert, chocolate raspberry roulade paired with Burly Cabernet Sauvignon 2007, Napa Valley. This was the wine of the night, combining a wonderful complexity of flavors with a warm mouthfeel. It is a silky, seductive elegant wine.

There are dense blackberry flavors with an overlying minerality and a balanced structure. This wine will be drinkable for another 5-10 years.

Gary Swiggett and Craig Calvert.

Gary finishing the chocolate.

When we had the dessert course Craig Calvert brought Gary Swiggett up to show us his technique for tasting Cabernet Sauvignon with chocolate. Basically he said take a piece of chocolate, start chewing and then take a big gulp of the wine. It was sensuous and wonderful. I’ve long enjoyed red wine and chocolate but mixing them together was a new treat.

Wednesday, May 23, 6:30 PM: Your Best Pick Blind Tasting! Here is how it will work. We will limit this tasting to 16 people. Come in and purchase a wine you consider to be the best wine we carry or the best wine you like. We will place it in the mix of the 15 other wines. All wines will be covered and blind! You and all the others in attendance will taste the wine and vote on it. We will continue till all the wines are tasted and scored. Then we will tally up the scores and see which wine comes out on top. You may be shocked!! The winner wins a $50 gift certificate to The Vineyard!

This will be a sit down type of tasting. As with all tastings, no heavy cologne or perfume please!

Reservations  required.

I realized I hadn’t really reviewed a good cheap wine in a while. Unfortunately I found a cheap…. uh… value wine but I can’t say I found a really good one. I had Mr. Ben in the car and needed some milk and bread. I decided to stop at Fresh Market, even though I would spend a bit more for milk and bread, because I would save money getting out the door. That’s because they don’t have toys strategically placed so kids will have public temper tantrums and their frustrated parents will buy a toy to shut them up.

Hogue Cabernet Sauvignon

I saw a special display near the front hawking Hogue Cabernet Sauvignon for 2 for $12. The good news I didn’t have to buy 2 to get the $6 price.

I opened it with Mrs. Dan later and it was okay. Not great, just okay. It was too dry for my palate. Not heavy on the taste side either. Medium-bodied at best.

I think Mrs. Dan liked it better than me because it was so dry. I would not buy this one again. There are too many wines out there to sample. The bottle says “finely balanced with flavors of blackberry, blueberry and cheery with a touch of vanilla and oak.”

To me this one has a light mouthfeel for a cab. It doesn’t have much of any distinctive flavors that I can pick out. Very dry dark berries is about the best I can taste.

Goes well with a hot dog as long as you don’t put catsup on it. Too dry and slightly tart for my palate. I don’t have any grilled steak to go with it which is the recommendation on the label. It might make a nice food wine. I’ve had their wines before and generally liked them.

Remember where I said I went to Fresh Market to avoid buying a toy. Well Mr. Ben wasn’t paying attention as we wove through the maze of displays and knocked a container of parmesian toast off a display and turned it from little pieces of toast to bread crumbs. I did the right thing and bought it. So much for saving money.

Score: 2 Corks
Dan’s Rating System:

1 Cork: Not good enough to feed to your Vinegar Mother (Goggle that!).
2 Corks: Good enough to go with crushed bed crumbs and a hot dog.
3 Corks: Yummy enough to get you to buy some $20 per pound cheese to go with it.

The toast crumbs

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Wild Horse Unbridled Chardonnay 2010

Cost: $23-25

What: A lot of white wine drinkers will tell you they drink ABC–anything but Chardonnay. If you are one of them, give the Wild Horse Unbridled Chardonnay a chance. It just might change your mind.

Wild Horse gets intense flavors from the fruit in its Bien Nacido Vineyard on the Santa Barbara Coast. There are beautiful notes of green apple, pear and lemon with lots of crisp acidity and minerality.

The key is everything is in balance. The oak adds just the right nuance, the flavor is a bit buttery without being cloying, and the acidity keeps it lively and fresh, a perfect combination for summer sipping.

The grapes were gently pressed and fermented in 100% French oak barrels. The wine was stirred weekly for three months to enhance mouth feel and to draw out sediment. The wine then was aged for 12 months in 35% new French oak and the rest in one- to two-year-old oak.

Wild Horse Unbridled Chardonnay

I understand the aversion to Chardonnay because so much bad Chardonnay has been foisted on American wine drinkers when the grape became popular. Some winemakers cut corners, using inferior grapes or too much oak or oak chips. That sent some of us scurrying to Chardonnay fermented in stainless steel, which gives the wine a flinty, sharp quality.

But with the right grapes, and proper techniques, good winemakers get incredible Chardonnay such as this Wild Horse Unbridled.

Wild Horse also makes a fine Central Coast Chardonnay for about $7 less. It’s not as memorable as the Unbridled, but it delivers a great taste at a moderate price. You can’t go wrong with either wine.

Winery: Wild Horse Winery and Vineyards has been exploring California’s Central Coast, experimenting with new growing and winemaking methods since its inception in 1981. The name comes from the wild mustangs that once roamed the hills east of the vineyard estate in Templeton, just south of Paso Robles.

While they concentrate on Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Viognier, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Zinfandel, they source grapes from 16 diverse appellations and more than 50 vineyards throughout California’s Central Coast.

For many wines they ferment individual lots from different terroirs and then blend them into complex wines with a multi-layered finish.
The winery’s small lot experimentation has led to production of some rare varieties such as Malvasia Bianca, Verdelho, Negrette and Blaufrankisch. Most of those small production wines are available only at the winery.

The diversity of soils and climates along the Central Coast also allows the winemakers to work with virtually any grape variety they wish. In 1999, for instance, Wild Horse crushed 30 different varieties.

The winery’s motto is “Live Naturally, Enjoy Wildly.”

Goes with: We had the Unbridled with homemade chicken soup and it was delightful. The lush fruit and crisp acidity cut nicely through the flavorful chicken fat. It would also be an ideal wine to pair with sauteed scallops, fried or steamed shrimp or something with a tangier flavor, such as rosemary roasted chicken.

I think the Unbridled will be fine in the cellar for another 3-4 years. Serve slightly chilled.

Tasters Guild members talk with Mary Alice and Bear Woodrum as they stroll about

[Editors Note: Some of the recipes from the evening are posted at the bottom. More will be added shortly so please come back]

Its difficult to review wines at a tasting when you find yourself sitting back and forgetting why you are there. I think of the Irish proverb that accompanied the announcement to the Tasters Guild Wine Evening in the Garden.

For several years the local chapter of Tasters Guild has been graciously invited by Mary Alice and Bear Woodrum to their home near North Augusta to enjoy the fruits of their labors. Those labors being an amazing collection of plants and artwork that mesh together to create a magical place to walk about, relax and on this evening enjoy some nice wines.

The wine selection of the evening was selected and presented by members Dale and Sue Siliko. The appetizers that accompanied them were prepared by other members of the chapter (we will be posting some of their recipes in short order-it takes a while to retype them so come back).

The evening started outside with four very nice whites. Each taster stopped by to get their sample then set out to explore the extensive gardens, stop to chat with old friends or simply sit on the balcony of Mary Alice’s studio and watch the sunset.

The Woodrums have approximately 5 acres, 3 of which are irrigated. Bear likes to joke that he writes the checks and pushes the shovel while Mary Alice is the inspiration for many of the fanciful touches that grace the property. There’s some 7,000 wine bottles, according to Bear’s estimates, being used to line walkways, provide low accent walls and even mark the location of water junction boxes (usually a gin bottle).

On a tour of the front of the property we came across a Pineapple Guava (Feijoa sellowiana). This beautiful shrub has white pillow like petals with a cascade of red stamen topped with bright yellow anthers. Mary Alice surprised us when she said told us to eat the white petals. They were amazingly sweet, tasting something like a honeysuckle but with pineapple-like fruit flavors. Makes you wonder about the dessert possibilities. Shame it only blooms once a year.

The place is so calming you have to remind yourself there was another wine to try and migrate back to Dale and Trudy who were presenting the wines.

One of the Guild members, Fritz, prepared a Fish Terrine that was an excellent match for the Chateau La Graviere, a white Bordeaux.

When it was time for the red wines it was also time to go inside where once again other interesting things are for there to attract your attention: the granite curbstones acting as steps into the kitchen, the ceramic petals that form a flower around the stove vent at the ceiling (or maybe they are blue flames or ….. they are what your imagination makes of them).

The reds were from California, Spain and Argentina. Here the presentation was a little less formal, allowing the taster to taste in the order they chose. The Multiplicity is a really nice blend especially if you want a fruit forward full-bodied wine. Lots going on considering it has Petite Sirah, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Refosco grapes. The retail price on this wine is $7.99 which make it even more amazing.

But if you wanted a wine that was more complex and a bit drier then the Laya Garnarcha/Monastrell blend from Spain is the wine for you. Or the Tinto Negro Malbec from Argentina. When you taste it your mouth waters for a nice steak or marinated red meat to go with it (and it went nicely with the marinated beef tips someone prepared).

(If you missed out Friday night you get another tasting opportunity of the Multiplicity and the Laya at Wine World’s Third Thursday tasting this week)

And to end the evening there was a nice trifle loaded with fresh raspberries, crumbled macaroons, whipped creme, French Vanilla pudding and whipped creme. Oh, did I mention the Framboise Raspberry liquor.

It was a nice evening and especially nice that I got to share it with Mrs. Dan and my brother Charlie and sister-in-law Chris. We all have new friends, new inspirations and some new wines to add to our regular wine lists. But I suspect me and Charlie’s special project lists are about to get full. Maybe a wine bottle lined walkway or a nice flowing fountain. Bringing a bit of magic home from the Woodrums would be nice.
Where: Directions will be given at the time of rmaking the reservation.
When: Friday, May 11, 2012, 6 PM
Cost: Members $20 per person. Non-members $26 per person.

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Here are the wines presented (click to see more):

1. Di Paolo Prosecco
2. Callia Torrontes
3. Beach House White
4. Chateau La Graviere
5. Le Lapin Multiplicity
6. Laya Grenache / Monastrell
7. Tinto Negro Malbec
8. Primo Amore Moscato

Here are the detailed wine notes:
Di Paolo Prosecco
Fresh and gently fruity fizz from northeast Italy (Veneto) with citrus and green apple aromas. Delicate and lively on the palate with ripe, lightly grapey fruit, zesty acidity and a clean, refreshing finish.–From Tasting Notes.
From: Veneto, Italy
Winery: Di Paolo

Callia Torrontes

Callia Torrontes
Bright yellow with greenish tints. A delicate aroma with floral notes of roses and orange trees. Exotic and well-balanced in the mouth; very fresh, with balanced acidity.
From: Argentina
Winery: Bodegas Callia

Beach House White
A playful personality of lemon grass and gooseberries typical to Sauvignon Blanc. Giving way to a characteristic contribution by Semillon of honeysuckle, tangerine and lemon blossom. –From Tasting Notes.
From: Western Cape, South Africa
Winery: Douglas Green
Grapes: 80% Sauvignon Blanc, 20% Semillon

Chateau La Graviere
This is a white Bordeaux.
From: Entre deux Mers, Bordeaux, France
Winery: Château La Gravière

Multiplicity

Le Lapin Multiplicity
Le Lapin is the value label of Rabbit Ridge (Le Lapin is French for Rabbit). Rich and round with bold black cherry, plum, and herb nuances. This is a blend of Petite Sirah, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Refosco.–From their Website
Dick Benjamin comments “A friendly blend of Petite Sirah, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Refosco. Ripe, round fruit aromas and flavors of red cherry and plum with hints of chocolate & spice. Easy finish. A long-time favorite. Great for cookouts. Burgers, grilled meats, pizza. Robust cheeses.
Vermont Smoked Cheddar.”
From: California
Winery: Rabbit Ridge

Laya Grenache / Monastrell
This wine spends 4 months in French oak barrels. Deep red cherry in color. Elegant, fresh and complex nose that highlights ripe fruit and floral notes. Nice and fresh on the palate, well-balanced with sweet but still young tannins, a delicious mouthful sensation that lingers on the very long and smooth finish.–From their Website
Dock Benjamin says “A full-bodied, food friendly blend of 70% Grenache and 30% Monastrell. Dark and concentrated, this is a big wine with blackberry and dark fruit flavors along with vanilla-oak and spice notes. Another winner from this excellent producer. Serve with slow braised lamb shoulder or grilled
venison. Grilled sausages, steaks. Flavorful cheeses. Gouda with Mediterranean Herbs.”
From: Spain
Winery: Bodegas Atalaya
Grapes: 70% Garnarcha, 30% Monastrell

Tinto Negro Malbec
Sourced from Mendoza’s Primera Zona of Lujan de Cuyo and Maipu the Mendoza blend is meant to showcase the exceptional value and approachable profile of Malbec. The wine’s soft, drinkable style is accompanied by light oak aging for additional complexity.–From the Distributor’s website.
From: Argentina
Winery: Tinto

Primo Amore Moscato
This was a nice way to end the evening. “Straw-yellow with golden reflections and a delicate mousse. Fruity and very inviting, with intense scents of peaches and exotic fruit. Fresh and pleasantly sweet with a taste that reveals its varietal characteristic. Excellent as dessert wine it matches perfectly with jam tarts fruit salads and pastry. Also delicious with ice cream, or just on its own as an accompaniment to conversation among friends. This refreshing and fruit Moscato wine comes from the warm Southern vineyards of Puglia. Primo Amore, or first love, expresses the joy of discovery experienced when a wine drinker first encounters the sweetness and enticing fragrance of the delicate wine.” –Tasting notes from the Winery
From: Puglia, Italy
Winery: Primo Amore

Pineapple Guava bloom

• Fritz’s Fish Terrine
• Ingredients
• How to Make

1/2 lb cod filets

1/2 lb tilapia filets

1/2 lb lobster tail, crab meat, large shrimp or crab flavored seafood

4 eggs

1/4 lb reduced fat sour cream

1/2 cup cream<

2 shallots

1 teaspoon curry powder<

2 table spoons olive oil

Salt, pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Cut the cod and tilapia filets in small, regularly sized, pieces. Heat a large volume of salted water to the boiling point and add the pieces of cod and tilapia. Simmer for 10 min. Remove the fish with a slotted spoon and let it cool. Put the fish in a blender and homogenize but not to a mush. Clean and cut the shallots and simmer the pieces in the olive oil until transparent.

Carefully mix the fish, shallots, sour cream, cream and curry powder. Add salt and pepper according to taste. Thoroughly mix 2 whole eggs and 2 egg whites and fold that in the fish mixture.

Lightly butter a terrine and cover the bottom of the terrine with the fish-egg mixture. Place some pieces of lobster etc on top of the fish, followed by fish mixture. Repeat this and end with the fix mixture as last.

Place in a double boiler and heat for 60 min in the pre-heated oven. Check whether the terrine is sufficiently done by inserting a knife in the body of the terrine. It should come out dry.

Let the terrine cool. Serve with a curry mayonnaise and/or with diced tomatoes and olive oil.

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A nice crowd gathered at Ninth Street Wine Market Monday to taste some wines and hear about wine cruises offered by Travel Planners of Augusta and AMA Waterways. One lucky taster even got a wine shop gift certificate.
Where: Ninth Street Wine Market
12 Ninth Street, Augusta, GA 30901

When: Monday, May 7, 2012, 5:30-7:30 pm
Cost: $10 per person. 706-724-1442.

Travel Planners of Augusta talked about wine cruises.

There were about 15 wines in all, and the tasters really enjoyed them. Most of them were at great prices. The folks from Travel Planners were fielding a lot of questions so there seems to be a good bit of interest in wine cruises.

They offer one river cruise later this year: November 4-18 from Barcelona to Paris. The prices range from $2,699 for a 7-night cruise only to $4,259 for the cruise plus three nights in Barcelona and three nights in Paris. Prices are for Category E deluxe outside staterooms, based on double occupancy.

They will soon have a brochure out for another dozen cruises in 2013. For information about the cruises contact Beverly Dorn, 706-863-7458 or brdorn@bellsouth.net; Susy Wimmer, 706-733-0598 or wimmer05@comcast.net; or Nancy Connaughton, 706-736-7999 or travelplanners@birch.net.

Here are the wines tasted:

Malvasia

Caccia Moscato

Xamfra Cava

Hannah Nicole Chardonnay

Caccia Nero

Mureda Syrah

Mureda Tempranillo

Tossals Junior

Yellow Tail Rose Brut

Twomey Sauvignon Blanc

Kunde Sauvignon Blanc

Louie Jadot Macon Village Chardonnay

Handcraft Pinot Noir

Stump Jump Shiraz

Halter Ranch Cabernet

The Mureda Syrah at $8.99 was an incredible wine, with smooth, silky tannins and lots of bold fruit. Everything came together perfectly. I also liked the Tossals Junior at $15.99. It had a little more boldness and finesse, but still smooth.

In the whites the Kunde Sauvignon Blanc and Twomey Sauvignon Blanc were excellent, but for $13.99 I thought you couldn’t go wrong with the Louie Jadot Macon Village Chardonnay.