Fooooouuuuurrrrr

     With lush green fairways, beautiful azalea's & the roar of the galleries just around the corner it has me thinking of wine.  Yes boys and girls Augusta National and the Masters is here.  Not only do I look forward to the competitive golf & beautiful scenery, but I am extremely excited about the pimento cheese sandwiches.  That might sound silly to some but a ice cold Budweiser and a pimento cheese sandwich is what I look forward to the most.

     Why does this make me think about wine?  If cold bud wasn't an option...what wine would I drink with a pimento cheese sandwich?  Pimento cheese, that southern staple of cheese, mayo, & pimento's.  Often served with crunchy bread and veggies.  Something so simple yet so fantastic(5&10, The National, George's Low Country Table, & Lindsey's are some of my favorites).  If white is your choice, maybe a Pinot Gris from Alsace.  Trimbach Reserve Pinot Gris offers the right amount of weight but crisp acidity on the back end to cut through the mayo.  Let's not forget Riesling!  How many of you wash your pimento cheese down with a glass of sweet tea?  Dr Loosen "Dr L" might not be to bad with its balance of sweet fruit flavors.

     Now what about red?  I personally would look for a Grenache or little Cote du Rhone.  E. Guigal CDR with its fresh red fruit and light body sure would be tasty.  Crumble a light bit of bacon(we all love bacon) on top and watch the smokey spice of a grenache shine through. 

     All in all, a few option to try the next time you whip up a batch of pimento cheese but I would be lying if I didn't tell you that the ice cold bud taste pretty damn good as well!

Enjoy,

What's New in the Spectator

Hot off the press, the current Wine Spectator Selections:

Bodega Catena Zapata Cabernet Sauvignon, Mendoza Argentina 2008

This is solid, with dense but polished structure holding the weighty core of plum, fig paste and black currant preserves together. The dark, lengthy finish lets a nice Kenya AA coffee note chime in. 

90 Points Smart Buy

 

Bodegas Esmeralda Chardonnay, Mendoza Argentina 2009

Spicy pineapple and tangerine aromas and flavors are backed by vibrant acidity, with a touch of chalky mineral chiming in on the finish.

86 Points Best Values

Study Question Answers

The answers I know that everyone has been waiting for....

1.  What is the oldest vineyard in Europe?  Pape Clement 1331

2.  Describe Organic vs. Biodynamic vineyard management.  "Organically grown", meaning that no industrial pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers are used in the vineyard. The objective is to protect the long term health of the soil and the vines, and so make better wine.



3.  What is Weeping?  When the soil reaches 50 degrees at 25cm, the roots draw water and sap rises and oozes out of the pruned cane.
4.  Vines on a slope absorb (more/less) of the suns rays than vines on flat ground.  More


5.  What is the traditional size of a Bordeaux cask? 200 liters

6.  What are Tartrates?  Harmless crystalline deposits formed when a wine is subjected to low temps 

7.  How many AVAs are in the Napa Valley? 16  Name them.  Calistoga, Oak Knoll, Chiles Valley, Napa Valley, Wild Horse Valley, Diamond Mountain, Spring Mountain, Howell Mountain, Atlas Peak, Mount Veeder, Rutheford, Los Carneros, Oakville, Yountville, Stag’s Leap, St. Helena
8.  Which four varietals can be grand cru Alsace? Gewurztraminer, Tokay Pinot Gris, Muscat, Riesling

9.  This appellation has just one Grand Cru vineyard  and it is massive by Burgundy standards. Vougeot (Clos de Vougeot)

10.  True or False.  The grapes that produce a Cremant  de Loire must be from Saumur.  False they can come from all over the Loire.

Study Questions

In honor of my fellow comrades that passed the Graduate Level Test(equivalent to WSET1) offered by Atlanta Wholesale Wine, I thought I would share some of the questions and see how all of you do.  Here is a taste...

1.  What is the oldest vineyard in Europe?

2.  Describe Organic vs. Biodynamic vineyard management. 

3.  What is Weeping?

4.  Vines on a slope absorb (more/less) of the suns rays than vines on flat ground.

5.  What is the traditional size of a Bordeaux cask?

6.  What are Tartrates?

7.  How many AVAs are in the Napa Valley? Name them.

8.  Which four varietals can be grand cru Alsace?

9.  This appellation has just one Grand Cru vineyard  and it is massive by Burgundy standards.

10.  True or False.  The grapes that produce a Cremant  de Loire must be from Saumur.

This is just 10 of the 140 questions that are asked.  I will post the answers on Monday and maybe throw you a couple more bonus questions.  I find them easier to answer the more wine that I have.....

Hedges Family Estate Wine Dinner

What makes Hedges Family Estate so special.....location.  As they would tell you, the family is doing everything they can to showcase what makes the wines so great....Red Mountain AVA Washington St.  Viewed as one of the pioneers of the region, Hedges is a biodynimacally-farmed Red Mountain property that continues to treat their wines with reverence and let the Red Mountain terroir speak for itself.

"Our devotion and love for this land, from our commitment to biodynamic farming to its presence in our very souls, allows us to become one with it—to experience a fluid, breathing body shared between humans and nature. Out of this bond comes Red Mountain's offering: a wine that could come from no other place on earth and tells such a distinct story, that the experience of drinking it becomes singular and transportive."...Hedges Estate

I will, with the help of Tall Boy Beverage Co. & the wonderful food of George's Low Country Table, be presenting the Hedges Family Estate line up of wines on Wednesday March 23.  $45, 4 course, 5 wines, and a lot of fun!  Come see what makes the wines from Hedges Family Estate so great.

Wines we will be tasting:

Independent Producers Chardonnay
Independent Producers Merlot
Hedges CMS White
Hedges CMS Red
Hedges Family Estate Red Mountain