Eat Drink Think

It is March, and I can’t help feeling some excitement for Spring.  I know I am a little early, but I have been a hurry most of my life, so why change now? Part of what is wonderful about living in New England is the changing seasons.  It doesn’t ever get old for me.  Yes, I love all four seasons, and with equal fervor: truly, I love them all. That said, winter sometimes overstays his welcome. I am eager to open windows, pack up hats and gloves, and get out into the dirt.  With that comes an entirely new set of fresh flavors for the table—and that is the true gift of our changing seasons.  We want new flavors and styles of cooking for each.  Isn’t that glorious? With crocus popping up, asparagus will be soon to follow, baby artichokes, spring peas, so the question is, what do we drink with the onset of Spring? I want wines that taste of the aromas of spring—freshness, red and blue fruits, and a little sticks and stems with the minerality of fresh running water from the winter thaw. Ok, we don’t need to pack up our sweaters just yet, but it is happening, and these wines will help to hasten it! 

The Super Value 3 pack always gives me a chance to think about great values.  Wines that are easy, approachable, but delicious, organic, well made, and affordable for everyday drinking.  This month, I found all of that in an obvious spot, Portugal. 2020 Cabriz Rosé, 2020 Azevedo Loureiro Alvarinho, and 2019 Esteva, Douro, all come to us from Portugal, where we can still find some supreme values.  Wines made with a conscious effort to elevate the meal and go easy on the wallet.  These three wines speak of freshness and intensity.  The rosé is bright and refreshing, ideal for an aperitif; the white offers a surprising richness on the palate that would pair great with egg dishes; and the red is rustic and intense, which makes it ideal for meats and roasted vegetables. 

The additional Value wines include another white wine that will pair beautifully with spring meals like pasta and peas or quiche and salad, the 2020 Gunderloch, Hasselback Dry Riesling will even stand up to those challenging vegetables like asparagus and spring greens. These vegetables can often be astringent and acidic, which is hard to pair, but not impossible, and Riesling is a versatile grape with bold flavor, a full mouth feel and the wonderful addition of a bracing acidity. This one is fermented dry, so don’t make that face—it is delicious. (Repeat after Sam I am, “I do like them, I do like green eggs and ham!”) 

If you are still feeling the last blasts of winter coolness, you may prefer to stick with red a bit longer, and I picked two that offer intensity of flavor and some warmth.  The 2018 Pres’quil Syrah is a real treat at the Value level, but I got a great deal on it thanks to our club’s volume.  (That’s right, get more people to join and I can do more for you...tell two friends to join!) This Syrah is made at a family run winery in Santa Barbara County, and they have a gentle touch with a grape that is not always easy to control. This one is supple, fruity with good acidity and structure. It is a delicious glass of wine for a cheese and charcuterie platter, grilled and roasted meats, particularly lamb. Grab some chops from Martha at WIndmist and marinate in olive oil, balsamic, and loads of rosemary, and throw them on the grill for a couple of minutes on each side. 

If pasta is more your style this weekend, grab the 2018 San Ferdinando Il Gargaiolo Chianti, the name is a mouthful but the wine is easy on the palate. This Sangiovese blend has bold flavors of brambly fruit, good acidity to balance the fruit and brighten your food, and supple tannins on the finish. I am going to enjoy this with some eggplant parmesan that my friend kindly gifted me this weekend. The wine will love all the salt and fat in that dish, and because of its fruit and acidity it will pair perfectly with the think baked gravy (that’s New England Italian for “tomato sauce”). 

At the Select Level the wines offer a little more complexity and an elevated style. It is ideal to have a few of each level, so you can pull of what is appropriate for your moment. To begin with, a wine that is to begin with...an ideal aperitif or great while you are cooking, the 2020 Monticello Rosé from Rioja is fresh with loads of candied citrus and a touch of herbal earthiness. It will cleanse the palate, so it is refreshed and ready for supper. The savory quality of this wine is where you see its complexity. It would go well with cheeses, salads, or light fish dishes as well. 

Both of the whites are on my immediate favorite list because they absolutely taste of spring, which makes me this of TS Eliot’s The Wasteland, “breeding Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing Memory and desire, stirring Dull roots with spring rain.” That is what I smell right now when I step out into the fresh air. It is an aromatic mix of rainwater, soil, budding bulbs, and fertile ground. It is a bit dramatic, I admit, but what can I say, it makes me hungry and thirsty. 

The 2020 Jurtschitsch, Grüner Veltliner Terrasen has this deceivingly delicate color and light aromatics, but don’t be fooled. This is no wall flower. The wine hits hard right at the front palate with bright expressive stone and exotic fruits, loads of citrus, a supple and alluring mouth feel, and a crips, refreshing finish. This is a new wine for me, and for the Rhode Island market, and I am so pleased it is here! I suspect this one will get us through spring’s teasing, into summer’s heat, it will likely carry on frolicking in the autumn leaves and cleanse our palates after racing down the slopes next winter! But, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We still have a spring table to address. 

There is another white that made the short list for the Select 6. The 2020 Lieu Dit Melon de Bourgogne, from Bien Nacido Santa Maria Valley is a mineral driven white with a brine quality on the nose.  It seriously smells like a fresh rain on a spring day with a hint of freshly popped corn.  The wine would be divine with some linguini and clam sauce or just shuck some oysters and enjoy.  This project of Justin Willett and Eric Railsback, friends and wine makers, is an effort to celebrate old world wine varietals solely grown in Loire, but they are doing it in California.  I love what they are doing together, and the wines are solid and thought provoking. 

For reds, I wanted to provide some variety. As this is the shoulder season, we want to wear cotton, but we still need to hold onto the wool, and the same theory holds true for wines. Our palate is seeking refreshing, but our bodies are still hungry for warmth. With that in mind, I choose three distinct reds to satisfy whatever mood you are in. The 2019 Failla Pinot Noir comes from Sonoma Coast, so cool Ocean air moderates warm sunshine, giving the fruit a longer hang time. Ultimately, those conditions are not the only thing at work on this beautiful and delicate Pinot. The wine making follows suit in treating the grapes gently, and the wine is just stunning. It has a light ruby color, inviting berry and earthy notes on the nose, and a well balanced palate with soft front red fruit that is kissed with the slightest earth and spice. I love this for those challenging spring vegetables. It has acid, but the low tannin structure doesn't compete with the astringency of the vegetables. Make a Spring Veg Medley of blistered asparagus, broccoli rabe sautéed with garlic, and some roasted shallots, cut some thickly crusted bread and prepare for a feast. 

The other reds are more full flavored and have more body, as well. You will need that. I am still going to pan sear some thick cut pork chops this weekend, and the 2020 Le gras c’est la vie! From Famille de Boel France is the perfect match for that meal. The name speaks for itself, The fat is life! It is the family’s tribute to pork butchers, and I take it to mean that the fat is the best part. It is what gives flavor to meats, sunshine to my toast, and life to even the most austere wine. This Caladoc, Grenache, Carignan blend is intensely flavored with bright red and black fruits, spice and earth. It wants fat, so save salad for after the meal! The 2018 MastroJanni Rooso is 100% Sangiovese, and also has some of the same grip, and will shine when paired with some fat. That doesn’t mean meat, it can also come from cheeses, eggs, cream, and for vegan diners you can rely on nut-based products and everyone’s favorite fat, EVOO! 

The Collector's wines come to us from Sicily, and I am super excited that they have returned to the Rhode Island market. COS is a benchmark producer for the Vittoria appellation of Sicily, and beyond.  The wines are made with precision and elegance.  The winery was founded in 1980 by Giambattista Cilia, Giusto Occhipinti, and Cirino Strano.  These three friends took over a winery that dates back to the late 19th century, when phylloxera had yet to effect Sicily and they were producing much wine for Europe and beyond.  In the early 80’s, COS showcased the potential of Sicilian wines as terroir driven, complex, and elegant.  They come to us from the southern tip of the Island. I expected a more concentrated and rustic expression, and I was quite wrong. The wines are compelling, and I am eager to try all 7 of the cuvees that we received.  For your club selections, I picked the 2020 “Rami,” a white that gets a little skin exposure (Orange wine) and the 2017 Cerasuolo di Vittoria, both of which have depth of flavor, surprising freshness, complexity of aromatics and flavors.  I would go with regional dishes to allow these to truly shine. 

Whatever you are doing as you pour a glass, I hope you will smile as you allow yourself to relax, to be in communion with friends and loved ones, to join in a meal or a celebration, or simply enjoy a glass of wine. It is one of life’s simple pleasures, and I hope you enjoy my selections. 

Cheers, Maria 

February 2022 Indulgence 

NWCG Wine Club 

I have heard a theory about how time feels more accelerated the older that we get.  I can’t articulate for you the exact statistics, but it has something to do with the depletion of the time we have left.  I wonder if it isn’t more to do with a growing appreciation for what we have and that which is so easily lost.  In this period of a global pandemic, time has become more precious, and it seems like time is just flying by.  The wine club is my calendar of sorts, and it reminds me of how quickly the months and years pass.  It is a wonderful reminder to seize the moment, take a sip and slow down.  I hope that the delivery wine will do the same for you. 

Our weather has gotten considerably colder, and I am finding myself eating like a lumberjack despite the reality that I don’t labor to support my calorie intake. Luckily, keeping warm and brisk walks seem to be doing enough for me!  I have been enjoying warming winter stews, hearty soups, and roasted...well, everything.  Roasting is hands down the best approach to cooking anything.  I am sure I have sung the praises before, but you are going to hear it again and again.  It brings out intensity of flavor, invites broader wine pairing possibilities, and typically can be accomplished in one pot, so clean up is easier. With that style of cooking in mind, I compiled the following wines to come to the table with me. 

For February Value Wines, I began with something refreshing to have while I prep.  The 2020 Casa Smith ViNo Rosé is light and fresh and tastes of sunshine, which we could use more of these days.  It has a vibrancy that elevates my spirit!  There is a touch of strawberry and cheery notes that translate onto the palate, and a racy acidity and a supple mouth feel that makes you want to snack on some salty pistachios while you cook.  As you snack and snip, go ahead and prep some winter vegetables—mushrooms, squash, potatoes, onions, carrots, and other roots.  Just clean them, and roughly chop them. Line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment, toss the vegetable with olive oil, mince some garlic and throw it in there, sprinkle with your favorite dried herbs or spices, and pop into a preheated 400 degree oven.  Fast and furious, let’s roast those veggies. 

While they roast, for about 25-35 minutes (totally dependent upon the size of your chop), go ahead and open up your white or red to go with dinner. Keep an eye on the oven, you want there to be a browning of the outside and I highly recommend turning them twice during the roast, to get a more even browning on the outside. 

For whites, you have two wonderful options, 2020 Legado del Moncayo Garnacha Blanco from Campo de Barja, La Balsa vineyard.  This is a whole cluster press, so the wine has lots of flavor, and it spends some time on the lees prior to bottling which gives it texture and softness that I love.  It also has enough acidity to make it a great pairing for all sort of full-flavored foods, like those roasted vegetables.  If you are seeking something even richer, try the 2020 Nemorino Blanco, a blend of 50% Trebbiano and 50% Semillion. There is a very gentle floral note on this one that is so appealing.  It is compelling and complex, honey, wildflowers, salty notes, touch of yeast, and all with a fruit forward and acid backbone that comes together in harmony with a nice long mineral finish.  It also has a fabulous opera reference on the label! 

If your dinner includes a protein, like roasted cod, which I love to add on top of the vegetables, about half way through the cook time, drizzle with good oil and lots of cracked black pepper, then I suggest you go for a light body red.  I know conventional thinking would say white, but who wants to be conventional these days?  The 2020 Luyt Pipeno Pais “Coronel del Maule” will appeal to both the white and red wine drinkers in the crowd.  It is rustic but light, flavorful, but easy going, fresh, bright, and very tasty.  It is a blend of Pais and Cinsault, dry harvested bush vines on decomposed granite soil, and perhaps those vines work a little harder than most, which I think gives the wine its intensity.  there is a real pop of tart cherry that you can almost chew on.  Think Chilean Gamay, and pop that liter and enjoy every drop. 

You may have decided to add a roasted pork loin to the dinner, which can of course be thrown right into the veggies, just do it straight from the beginning and check the meat temp for doneness.  I like to cook my pork to 125 degrees internal temperature, then allow it to rest for 10 minutes under some foil, it stays moist that way.  If this is the case, or maybe another read meat, you have two more full bodied reds to select from 2016 Alpha Zeta Ripasso della Valpolicella and the 2018 Domaine d'Aupilhac Lou Maset.  The wines are both built with some structure from tannins, and they are equally full bodied, but the flavors are decidedly different.  The Ripasso has loads of black fruit, ripe and even a bit stewed, raisoned and wonderfully layered.  The Languedoc red is more rustic, dark brambly fruit, a bit more moody and wonderfully dark.   

The 2020 Caprice de Clementines Rosé kicks off the February Select Wines with both a pop of color and flavor.  Equal parts Grenache and Cinsault give the wine expression with a gentle, elegant delivery.  It is enough to give a meal some backdrop, like a soft winter sunset, or it would make an excellent aperitif to wet your whistle before dinner.  I love this one with some Pico, a French goat cheese that is soft and ripe and runny.  The flavors sing together! 

Another favorite simple meal for this time of year is a root vegetable gratin. All you need is 1-2pounds of root vegetables of your choice—I like Kohlrabi, both russet and sweet potatoes, and turnips, but you really can do whatever you like. Slice thin or use a mandolin, layer with 1 cup of gruyere, and pour 2 cups of milk over it. Salt and pepper ever layer and then top with the last bit of cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 50 minutes uncovered. Make a simple green salad, and enjoy. With that you can do a lot of different wines depending on your mood.  It maybe an obvious choice, but the 2019 Denis Meunier Vouvray, Expression de Silex, Chenin Blanc from the Loire would pair great. It has a precision to it that produces a pure, lively and crisp chenin that has layers of flavor that will stand up to the layers of richness in any dish, but particularly this gratin. This young vigneron is makes old school Vouvray that will make you swoon from your first sniff of the complex aromatics to the last drop of this honeyed nectar. 

There is a second very compelling full-bodied white in our Select picks for February, the 2015 Winslow Family Chardonnay from Russian River. As you would expect from the Russian River Valley, where I think great Chardonnay’s are produced, the wine is robust, full bodied, but with lively acidity to balance the fruit, crisp citrus and apple flavors with lush texture, and a rush of minerality to finish. This is a new one for us, and I love it. Yes, it sees oak, but the integration is seamless, and a great example of oak used wisely. 

For our reds, which would also compliment the gratin, but would be equally wonderful with a whole roasted chicken—which I rarely go a week without.  

I could not resist a little surprise for you, and I hope you love it too. The Sanctum Piquette Stix & Bugs is a Blaufrankish dry frizzante from Slovenia. All the cool kids are loving this stuff, and you will too. It is a fun casual sparkling red with berry and forest floor aromas. It is fresh and light but has a curious depth of flavor intensity with lots of fruit and earth notes. It is great with food but can be enjoyed on its own. This is a spectacular example of a trendy wine that is done right. It is clean, fresh, and delicious, albeit a little weird. This is actually a second pressing of sorts. Piquette is made by taking Pomace from winemaking and soaking it in water for 1-2 weeks and then pressing it again. This 2nd pressing then ferments naturally in the bottle, producing a light bubbly and very low alcohol wine. It’s fun! 

The 2019 Perez Bierzo Tinto “Ultreia St Jacques” is a Mencia heavy blend from Castilla Y Leon, and it is a project of two great wine makers’ techniques. It is a whole cluster fermentation with a long fermentation which results in a fresh but full-flavored Bierzo. Innovative, old world techniques may sound like an oxymoron, but it is true, they are making use of traditional techniques with a modern sensibility to make a delicious wine that is impactful in flavor and elegant in style. The fruit is gamey and concentrated but not heavy.  

Similarly, the 2018 Vila Voltaire "je suis tombé par terre” is a bush vine Carignan, Grenache, Cab, Merlot blend that rocked my world. It is a unique blend that introduces Rhone and Bordeaux together to produce a robust, complex wine with a lot of character. It has a dark ruby red color that is immediately alluring, inviting you in like dark red velvet curtain that suggests it will envelop you in comfort. And, it does. Think loads of brambly dark fruit, forest floor, minerality that invokes a walk in the woods after a heavy snowfall (or maybe that is just where we are right now!). Hints of cherry and licorice, touch of spice, and a little vanilla tells me that there was some oak, though used sparingly so as to allow the bright fresh fruit to shine. Therein lies the cool thing about this wine. The fruit is fresh, not dried or cooked, as the color might suggest, so the wine has a nice freshness that balances the full body and flavor. 

For our Collectors, I decided to take a more focused look at one Cru in the Beaujolais, Morgon. Eric Asmiov argues, and I agree, that Morgon produces some of the best wines coming out of the Beaujolais, and they are also more readily available in our market, so it is a good Cru to get to know. I suspect that the amount is a direct result of the style of the wine, it has a lot of depth and character and flavor for a Gamay, and that appeals to my customers, for sure.  You have three to choose from, 2016 Domaine Cote de Berne Morgon Grand Crus, the 2020 Guy Breton Vielles Vignes Morgon, and the 2020 Lapierre Morgon. While the Beaujolais is often thought of as approachable, easy wines, these three will challenge that idea. These are Cru Beaujolais with a depth of character and richness of texture. There are complex aromas, red and black fruit, earth, and gamy notes, the wine on the palate is so satisfying, with a wonderful silky texture. Keep it simple and stick to the bistro meals for these wines and let them shine. Yes, a slight chill on these reds is advisable. 

I am going to feature the wines of Beaujolais for our Makers & Mongers Virtual Tasting on Friday, February 18th. Join me with Jon LoPresti and Pascal Schildt in a one hour discussion of the wines of this very special region, specifically featuring the wines of Domaine Cote de Berne with the winemaker! Jon will give some menu ideas for pairing!!  

To purchase the wines, contact me at maria@newportwinecellar.com or click here. As club members, you are welcome to participate. 

Makers & Mongers Package: $95, serves 6-8 people, includes 3 wines—2020 Domaine Cote de Berne Beaujolais Blanc (Chardonnay), 2019 Domaine Cote de Berne Morgon Grand Cras & the 2019 Brouilly, Brillat Savarin, Rustic Bakery Crackers, Paté Compagne, Marcona Almonds, and a spread for cheese.