Tag Archives: red wine

Aug 25 2013
9 Comments
Chile

Whine and Cheers: A Cuban and a bottle of Carménère on Prince Edward Island

Somewhere, beyond the Sea

Somewhere, beyond the Sea

This is the second to last installment in my summer guest blogging series “Somewhere Beyond the Sea”. I am proud to present to you the writing of Ernest Gonzalez of Whine and Cheers for Wine. Ernest is living the dream: From a wine lover he took the steps to become an educated wine professional and changed his life because he wanted to. He is now “the wine guy” at a Whole Foods branch in Florida. I really like Ernest’s writing style, in which he weaves information gathered about a wine and grape with his own tasting notes and impressions. I have been lucky to have followed his path from early when I started blogging and seeing him make his way has been awesome and inspiring. Oh, and we also share a love for Riesling, which naturally helps…so, thank you Ernest, for being a part of this!

A Cuban and a bottle of Carménère on Prince Edward Island

PrinceEdwardIsland1

When The Winegetter first approached me with the theme of Somewhere Beyond the Sea I have to admit I was a bit lost at sea.  What on earth could I write about? I have always appreciated wine, but most of my travels abroad were prior to my true love of wine. Ireland; beer and whiskey. England; beer and cider. Hawaii; pineapple sparkling wine but lets not go there. Amsterdam? Let’s really not go there!

Which lead me to a trip taken a few years ago as I was careening towards the proverbial fork in the road. Wine was still a hobby at this point in my life. No blog or wine job in sight. These would come later. Perfect timing for a much-needed first time visit to Nova Scotia and Canada’s Prince Edward Island. I realize some may say a sea was not technically crossed but having experienced the Gulf of St. Lawrence and ferry rides across the Northumberland Strait I would beg to differ. At least for this story.

An adventure with dear friends. Driving and hiking the Cabot Trail of Nova Scotia prior to ferrying over to Prince Edward Island and the incredible accommodations of the Johnson Shore Inn. Owned by friends of ours who many can attest are beyond wonderful hosts.  This bed and breakfast sits on a red rocky cliff overlooking the Gulf of St. Lawrence who’s coastline kept us in awe for the entirety of our stay.

PrinceEdwardIsland2

Wonderful memories come to mind including fabulous home cooked meals, PEI mussels, roasted pig, a visit to a dance hall where yes we danced into the cold night, a fresh steamed [salt water from the beach a few steps away] lobster dinner party for 18 where guests were asked to show off a talent which included poetry, song, and even tap dancing. Not aware of this tradition of entertaining others at dinner my impromptu talent became speaking Spanish. Luckily the other guests were very welcoming and pretended to be in awe of this talent as I babbled on. A few of my new friends had recently been to Cuba [Beyond the Sea!] so this became quite the topic as I was asked about my people, politics and family lineage.  A visit to our hostesses  Prince Edward Distillery to sample their award-winning potato vodka and many a day sitting along the red cliffs pondering, taking in all the natural beauty surrounding this very special place also made for incredible memories.

The wine portion of this story came near the end of our trip. After days of being pampered we decided to cook dinner for our hostesses. We spent most of the day researching and shopping for ingredients that included a stop at the state-run liquor store where the cashier had now started to recognize us after more than a few visits.  Not accustomed to such government operated stores I was first taken aback by their small selection of U.S. wines but at the same time impressed by their also small but varied choice of South American wines. Chile and Argentina were very well represented and Chile’s Carménère became my choice for our farewell dinner. Those who frequent my web-site may know that I enjoy spreading the gospel of this signature Chilean, albeit originally Bordeaux varietal. In fact in reviewing my earlier posts I even referenced the PEI adventure in my: Our Wednesday night choice; Santa Rita Reserva 2008 Carménère review from last year.  And as fate would have it a wonderfully written recent guest post by The Armchair Sommelier: Drinking Carménère With the Devil.

Carménère, thought to be extinct for years, was discovered in Chile during the 1990′s inadvertently being grown as Merlot.  This lush somewhat exotic grape has earthy and leather aromas with a sweet dark fruit taste of plum, blackberry, and cherry.  I would describe it as deliciously rustic.

PrinceEdwardIsland3

On this occasion our last meal turned out to be a delicious Rib-eye Pot Roast laden with fresh spices and root vegetables that cooked slowly for about 5+ hours. In my mind at least, it was to be perfectly paired with my chosen Carménère. If only I could remember which one in particular I painstakingly decided on that day. But as it turned out I would come to learn years later forgetfulness was to be shared that evening. As our meal progressed to the main course I poured the Carménère along with a little history of the grape and it was an instant hit. Those in our party of six that I had previously introduced this varietal to were excited to be sharing our secret. For the newbies it was love at first sip. As I recall dinner went off without a hitch. All courses were better than expected and I would to this day forever be trying to match the perfect pot roast recipe from when we were on Prince Edward Island. Yes, still trying.

Fast forward a few years to our Canadian hosts coming south to Florida for the winter. A reunion dinner planned! My assignment; wine. What better choice but to relive our last supper, so memorable to me, by bringing a bottle of Carménère. A joyous reunion. As dinner was served, I poured the wine and pointed out the varietal I had chosen. Yes the same one we had devoured and shared before on our last night on PEI! To my surprise I was met with blank stares, a lack of recollection and the comment; “Oh, we’ve never had that varietal”. What?? Could I have possibly made up the entire experience or more likely romanticized the event that defined our last night together? We laughed as I reminded them of our first time at the last supper and then we just moved on to the dinner at hand and wonderful new conversations. Our soon to be memories being created.

I find it interesting that as I bonded with the wine with friends for my memory of the event, others bonded with the dinner with friends or just the quality time of friends together. The one common denominator: friendship. This realization has made me think about how I may attach too much weight to factors that surround us all instead of what truly is important.

So yes, I’d like to take this opportunity to admit: My name is Whine and Cheers and I appreciate wine. But, I love friendships!

PrinceEdwardIsland4

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Aug 14 2013
6 Comments
1961, Australia, Year

The Wine Raconteur: Torbreck “The Factor” 2001

Somewhere, beyond the Sea...on Zanzibar.

Somewhere, beyond the Sea…on Zanzibar. 

This is the eleventh installment of my summer 2013 guest blogging series with the theme “Somewhere, Beyond the Sea”. Let me briefly introduce today’s blogger, who was most generous in sharing an earlier post with us. John “The Wine Raconteur” was new to blogging, like me, when I stumbled on his writing. We both had started our blogs in May 2012. His was actually one of the first blogs I came across and followed. We have since interacted on numerous occasions and met in person. I consider him a friend. In his blog, The Wine Raconteur, he explores restaurants, foods and wines. For John, wine and food is about moments and memories, not scientific analyses or tasting notes. With this approach, he covers an under-appreciated side of wine and food writing. His undying curiosity and vast knowledge in wine as well as the combination of fresh and old memories keeps me coming back to his blog again and again. Thank you, John!

Torbreck “The Factor” 2001

“Somewhere, Beyond the Sea”

Torbreck "The Factor" 2001

Torbreck “The Factor” 2001

It is my honor and privilege to make another appearance on the pages of this popular wine blog.  My name is John and I write about wines as “The Wine Raconteur” and I am guest writing another article for my good friend Oliver at his request, while he and his wife are on holidays.  The word “raconteur” is an old way of saying a story teller, and most of my articles are woven around a memory and a wine, as I do believe that wine should be enjoyed and there should be a great memory of the occasion.   As I stated in my other guest article, Oliver gave me the theme of “Beyond, The Sea” and I have presumed that he meant that I write about a non-domestic (American) wine.   Since my last article was across the pond about a French wine Chateau Latour 1961 a famed wine from the Commune of Pauillac of the Medoc, I thought I would traverse the other body of water and discuss a wine from the Barossa Valley in South Australia, Australia.

I was managing a clothing store, that was popular at the time, and we had plenty of customers that not only enjoyed quality clothing, but also quality wines.  This was a major “pro” for the store, but unfortunately there were a few more “cons” to this establishment, but that is not germane to my story.  There were always some beverages on hand for the customers, and there were times when the customers brought in their selection to share as well.  One memorable day a customer brought in two different vintages of Opus One wine from Napa Valley, suffice it to say that it was a great day, but not business wise per se.  Let me just add, that one of my unlisted duties when I was hired was the ability to wash and maintain a collection of crystal wine glasses, as we had both stemmed and stem-less wine goblets for the customers.   Thankfully most of the customers that drank beer did not require a glass.  Sometimes there were discussions about wine and other subjects, with the least interest in adding to one’s wardrobe at the moment, but that was a rare time.  I have found that the subject of wine is a great “ice-breaker” when meeting new people and it is popular discussion point and that some people have very strong opinions of certain wines and areas.

As I sit here looking at a wooden box which is my temporary muse, that at one time held a magnum of wine this is another story.  The marketing of magnums especially in individual wooden wine boxes, I think is a great plus, while it may add a small cost to the total package, I do believe it proclaims to the customer that yes, this wine should be taken seriously.  The wine was a Torbreck “The Factor” 2001 from the Barossa Valley in South Australia.  Torbreck Vintners, the winery was founded by David Powell in 1994 and he signed the back label of the magnum near the numbering of number 195 out of a count of 240 magnums that were bottled of this wine.  Mr. Powell named his winery after the Torbreck forest in Scotland.  The wine “The Factor” was his homage to the great old Shiraz vines of the Barossa Valley and one of the mainstays of most of the wineries of this area.  The manager on a Highland estate is referred to as “The Factor,” hence the proprietary name.  This particular varietal grows well in several parts of the world, but I must say that Australia has been a big promoter of this type of wine, and now other areas have also had great results with it as well.  One of the reasons that this wine is so full and rich in flavor is that it spent twenty-four months in French Oak barrels with thirty percent of them being new.  This is not a wine that was made for quick consumption, as the nuances and traits of these old vines were allowed to mature in the barrels properly.  Torbreck Vintners also produces several other varietals as well as some other “named” wines.

As my regular readers know, I tend to soak off labels and store them in scrapbooks as an easy way to remember wines that I have enjoyed.  Also many other labels have become the “wallpaper” on a couple of walls in my cellar as well.  This particular set, alas though empty now, has been kept intact as a curio in my cellar and a great talking point.  I guess my collecting interest goes beyond just cellaring and drinking wines with good friends.

“We’ll meet, I know we’ll meet.  Beyond the shore.”

 
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Jul 14 2013
12 Comments
Chile, Guest Blogging

The Armchair Sommelier: Drinking Carmenere with the Devil

Somewhere, beyond the Sea

Somewhere, beyond the Sea

This is the third installment of my summer 2013 guest blogging series with the theme “Somewhere, Beyond the Sea”. Today’s blogger is Kirsten, “The Armchair Sommelier“. Kirsten is married to a German and has spent considerable time in Germany, to be more precise, Bavaria. But that is not the reason why I asked her for a contribution to this series. As you will be able to tell from this post, she has a wonderfully chatty tone that keeps me floating right through her blog. It is a quality I enjoy a lot. She mixes information with impressions and keeps you entertained while at it. Most of all, I am drawn in by her awesome food and wine pairings, which have put me on a mission to get myself invited to her table. One of these days…Thank you, Kirsten!

Drinking Carmenere with the Devil

I always thought the Devil lived on a cul-de-sac in Hell.  He doesn’t.  He lives in a wine cellar at the Concha y Toro winery in Santiago, Chile.  A couple of years ago, I visited The Devil’s Cellar (El Casillero del Diablo).  The Devil and I hit it off, and before I knew it, we were drinking Carmenere together.

This is the Devil’s Cellar, and there’s the Devil, pitchfork and all.  This picture makes me think about that little kid from The Shining — Redrum  Redrum  Redrum.  Creeptastic.

So how did the Devil wind up living in a wine cellar in Chile? 

Don Melchor de Santiago Concha y Toro founded his eponymous winery in 1883.  Many of the first grapes he planted were vines he brought from Bordeaux.  That will be an important detail in about 4 paragraphs, so stay with me.

According to legend, over 100 years ago, Don Melchor hid some of his finest wines deep in his cellar.  Over time, some of those bottles started disappearing.  Don Melchor was convinced the locals were stealing his wine.  And, knowing the locals were a highly superstitious lot, he started a rumor that the Devil lived in his wine cellar . . . and the stealing stopped.  Cue dramatic music.

The bars on the cellar amuse me.  Like bars are going to keep the Devil inside.

Bars

The bars

Even without the Devil’s red party light, this kind of dark and creepy makes the hairs on the back of my neck twitch.  Would you steal the Devil’s wine??

The cellars

The cellars

When Don Melchor wasn’t hanging out in his wine cellar with the Devil, he and his family lived in this Devil-free manor house.  Not too shabby, eh?

The mansion

The mansion

After we emerged unscathed (mostly) from The Devil’s Cellar, our tour guide told us the story of the Carmenere grape – a story that reads like a CSI script.

Before phylloxera decimated French vineyards in the 1860s, Carmenere was considered one of the great red wine grapes of Bordeaux.  When French vineyards replanted with phylloxera-resistant North American rootstock, Carmenere didn’t take well.  And so it was written off as collateral damage — lost forever.  Nobody even bothered to put Carmenere’s picture on a milk carton.

BUT . . . rewind.

Back in the 1850s, some pre-phylloxera Carmenere vines had been exported to Chile.  People in Europe forgot all about those vines because they were so distracted by the phylloxera plague.  Don Melchor planted some of those Carmenere vines at Concha y Toro.  And because Chile’s terroir is largely immune to phylloxera, Carmenere survived . . . and thrived.

But Carmenere can’t catch a break.  Somehow, the Carmenere got lost in a Merlot vineyard, and everyone just thought it was Merlot.  Whose job was it to babysit the Carmenere vines?  My money is on the Devil.

Can you find the Carmenere?

Carmenere Vineyards

Carmenere Vineyards

Chilean wineries unwittingly sold and marketed Carmenere as Merlot for over 100 years.  Until about a decade ago, when a few folks with ultra-sensitive palates noticed that Chilean Merlot had stronger and spicier flavors than Merlot from anywhere else in the world.

Several DNA tests later, Chilean “Merlot” was identified as Carmenere.

Pre-phylloxera Carmenere.  Carmenere wasn’t extinct –- it had survived the phylloxera plague!  This is the viticultural equivalent of finding a dinosaur egg in your backyard.

Just to clarify, this is not the Devil.  This is the Devil’s Hostess.  She poured us a glass of Carmenere from The Devil’s Cellar.

Tasting Carmenere

Tasting Carmenere

And you know what?  Carmenere from the Devil’s Cellar is pretty tasty.  For a bargain red ($10ish US dollars), it’s tough to beat.  I’ve been buying Casillero del Diablo Carmenere as my party red for years now.  It’s not overly complex, but always reliable and fun.  It’s also widely exported, so you can find it almost anywhere.

Casillero del Diablo

Casillero del Diablo

 

So the next time you’ve got $10 burning a hole in your pocket, pick up a bottle of Casillero del Diablo Carmenere . . . and have a drink with the Devil!

Salud!

 

Special thanks to Oliver at The Winegetter for inviting me to write a guest post for his blog.  I had fun writing it . . . I hope you have run reading it!

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