A good introduction to Canadian wines while hiking in the Canadian Rockies

I am just back from 8 days of hiking in Banff National Park and I am still in awe of the spectacular landscape of the place—ice-carved mountains, hanging glaciers, turquoise blue lakes, and roaring cascades. I was also impressed by the dining scene —we were literally famished after hiking up and down hills on rugged mountain trails—and the good Canadian wines we found on the local wine lists.

Lake Louise from the top of the Little Beehive

On the first night, after a day of hiking in the wind and rain on the Iceline Trail, a raclette with a bottle of 2011 Quails' Gate Dry Riesling helped restore our energy. You need a wine with a firm backbone and a good level of acidity to cut through the creamy richness of the cheese, and the Quails' Gate Dry Riesling was more than up to the task: crisp, mineral, with citrus and floral aromas.

A couple of days later, we hiked to Shadow Lake Lodge, a back country lodge in Banff National Park. Although he day started with some snow, the skies turned deep blue by the time we reached the lodge.

On our way to the Shadow Lake Lodge

The Shadow Lake Lodge

After our nine mile hike, we happily rested around a fire burning in the old iron stove in the main cabin with a glass of 2011 Tinhorn Creek Pinot Gris. The wine was dry, crisp, fruity, and totally comforting, a mouth-watering treat before the hearty dinner that would later be served.

One of our last dinners was in a steak house in Banff where we ordered a bottle of 2009 Jackson-Triggs Proprietors' Reserve Merlot. The wine had black berry aromas, a smooth palate and a refreshing acidity uncommon in California. I enjoyed it but I guess it was slightly too acidic to my friend's taste.

Hiking Johnston Canyon

Technorati tags: wine food & drink

A hearty Sauerkraut with some wines from Eastern Europe

A little while ago, we had a small gathering at my house to taste some Eastern European wines around a sauerkraut dish cooked with carrots, onions, apples, riesling, and juniper berries, and accompanied by braised pork chops, sausages, and potatoes. Most of our wines came from Austria, a major producer of aromatic dry white wines made mostly from the local Grüner Veltliner grape, although red wine production accounts for 30% of all Austrian wines. We also had a red wine from Slovenia, a country that has been producing wine since the time of the prehistoric Celts. Finally, we ended that excellent evening with a Tokay from Hungary, a wine that is believed to be the world's oldest botrytis wine.

We had our first wine, the 2008 Bäuerl Stein am Rain Grüner Veltliner Federspiel with an appetizer of hungarian peppers. Grüner Veltliner is the most widely planted grape variety in Austria. Grüner means green in German as the grape tends to produce fresh and youthful wines. It grows well along the Danube river on steep, rocky river banks, as steep as those found in the Mosel wine region.

Weingut Bäuerl is located in the Wachau, the part of the Danube valley between the village of Melks and Krems and one of Austria's westernmost wine-growing regions. The estate grows only white varieties: Grüner Veltliner (55%), Riesling (35%) and Muskateller (10%), and practices organic and sustainable viticulture. My notes: medium golden color, nose of green apple, pear, and honey. On the palate, smooth, juicy, and quite mineral. Good finish, nice appetite opener.


Hungarian Peppers

The next two wines were served with the sauerkraut. We started with the 2008 Heidi Schröck Ruster Furmint. Furmint is most widely grown in Hungary and is the main grape variety of Tokay, Hungary's famous dessert wine. It is also found in Austria's Burgenland, near the Hungarian border.

Heidi Schröck is a small 8 hectare estate located in Rust, Burgenland, on the west side of Neusiedlersee. Neusiedlersee or Lake Neusiedl is the second largest steppe lake in Central Europe at the border of Austria and Hungary. The lake stores heat and regulates the region's climate. Thanks to warm and humid autumns, it also provides the best conditions for the production of botrytized dessert wines. My notes: this Furmint is actually completely dry. The wine is crisp, mineral with aromas of ripe apple and spices. Very distinctive and quite popular with the dinner guests.

Also with the sauerkraut, we also tasted the 2007 Salomon Undhof Kögl Riesling. Founded in 1792, Salomon Undhof is a Wachau estate that produces white wines from the best terraced sites along the Danube River. The 25 hectares of Salomon Undhof's vineyards are planted with roughly half Riesling, half Grüner Veltliner. All the grapes are harvested traditionally by hand. Undhof Kögl is a south facing terraced single vineyard with highly weathered soil of crystalline schist bedrock. My notes: light color, acacia flowers, stone fruits on the nose. Dry, slightly fizzy on the palate, fresh and crisp with citrus flavors and spices on the finish. I thought it worked really well with the sauerkraut.


Our Sauerkraut

We had the next two reds with cheese and a berry pie. Our first red was the 2004 Wenzel Bandkraften Blaufränkisch. Weingut Wenzel is located in the Neusiedlersee-Hügelland wine-growing region. 60% of the 11 hectare vineyard is planted with the white varieties Furmint, Gelber Muskateller, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, and Welschriesling, the remaining 40% is planted with the red varieties Blaufränkisch, Pinot Noir, and Merlot. Blaufränkisch is the second most important red grape variety in Austria after Zweigelt. It produces spicy wines rich in tannins. My notes: medium red color. Mocha and vanilla aromas on the nose. Full-bodiedood with wood and black cherry on the palate. Not as easy to drink as the next wine.

Our second red was the 2007 Santomas Big Red Refosk. Located in the village of Smarje in Slovenian Istria, just southeast of Trieste, Santomas is a family-owned winery overlooking the Adriatic Sea. The area is the warmest wine region in Slovenia so the local wine production is mostly red. The winery currently farms 19 hectares of vineyards planted with traditional varieties like Refosco and Istrian Malvasia, as well as international grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Refosco is a Northern Italian red grape variety that mostly grows in Friuli, Gavi, and Trentino. In Slovenian Istria, it is also known as Refosk. The grape produce deep colored wines that can be quite powerful and tannic. My notes: dark purple color. Smoky nose with black cherry and blackberry aromas. Fruity with bright acidity on the palate. Quite popular with the cheese.

Our last wine was the 2001 Hétszölö Tokaji Aszu 5 Puttonyos. The Tokaji wine region, in northeastern Hungary, is characterized by long, warm autumns and misty mornings that favor the development of noble rot. The botrytis-infected grapes called Aszú are harvested manually, one grape at a time. They are then crushed and added to a dry base wine. The proportion of Aszú grapes added to the base wine is measured in puttonyos or baskets. One puttony represents 30 kilos of grapes that are poured into a traditional 126 liter barrel of base wine. The number of puttonyos can vary from 3 to 6 (the highest being the sweetest). The wine is then aged for three years in oak barrels stored in underground cellars. My notes: the Aszú 5 Puttonyos is 90 to 100% Furmint and has a minimum of 120 g/l of residual sugar. Deep golden color. Fresh, fragrant nose of apricot and tropical fruit. On the palate, unctuous texture with lively acidity, zesty kumquat notes on the finish.

Technorati tags: wine food & drink

What we drank for Thanksgiving

In November, it's funny how so many newspapers publish the requisite Thanksgiving wine column, in order to help us find the ideal wine that can work with turkey, stuffing, gravy, casseroles, cranberry sauce, and pies, thanks to a list of smart pairing tips.


What should we drink with this turkey?

For my part, I think it's quite easy to decide what to drink for Thanksgiving: just open a good bottle and enjoy it with your family and friends.

We started the evening with a bottle of 2008 Kendall-Jackson Vintner's Reserve Riesling that our friend Christophe had brought. Kendall-Jackson Vineyard Estates was founded by San Francisco based attorney Jess Jackson in 1982. It is one of the few remaining family wine businesses of this size in the country. Since 1982, the winery has acquired many vineyards and it is now totally estate-based, maintaining 11,000 acres of vines. It also owns 17 additional brands, including La Crema, Pepi, Camelot, Cardinale and Cambria. As of 2010 Kendall-Jackson was the top-selling U.S. brand for wines over $15 a bottle.

The wines under the Kendall-Jackson Vintner's Reserve label come from cool vineyards in coastal regions including Monterey County, Lake County, Mendocino County, Santa Barbara County, and Sonoma County. They are all managed by the Kendall-Jackson viticultural team. The Riesling is a blend of 83% Riesling, 12% Gewürztraminer, 2% Muscat Canelli, 2% Chardonnay, and 1% Viognier. According to the winemaking notes, “87% of the Riesling comes from Monterey County where the growing season is long and cool adding apricot, almond and honeysuckle flavors. The Gewürztraminer adds orange blossom and spice. Muscat Canelli brings tangerine and mango tones. Chardonnay adds tropical lushness to the palate. Viognier for hints of floral on the nose”.

The wine had a fragrant nose of pear, apple and stone fruit and was moderately sweet on the palate with enough acidity to keep it clean and fresh. It was good with the smoked salmon and a natural accompaniment to our Sweet Potato Casserole (that we made with yams).

After the Riesling we opened a 1999 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou. This was a gift from Christophe and his wife Virginie and I was waiting for a good occasion to share the bottle with them. Château Ducru-Beaucaillou is a second growth Bordeaux in the Saint-Julien appellation. The estate sits between the village of Beychevelle and the Gironde estuary, farming 50 hectares of vineyard. The soil is characterized by well drained gravel and large stones up to 2.5 inches in diameter, which gave the estate its name (Beaucaillou means beautiful stones). The vines are 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot. Grapes are harvested and sorted manually. The Grand Vin is aged 18 and 20 months in 50-80% new oak.

The wine had a distinctive nose of spices, blackcurrants, and berries. On the palate, it was medium-bodied, well-balanced with smooth tannins and more elegance in the finish than power. I enjoyed it a lot and thought it worked perfectly well with the turkey, the stuffing, the gravy, the casseroles, the cranberry sauce, the pies, and my friends and family.

Technorati tags: wine food & drink

Tasting the wines of Oregon

At the end of the summer, I had a call from our friend Jean-Frédéric. His brother and his wife — both wine lovers — were coming from France and he was wondering whether we could organize a wine tasting at his place sometime during their visit. We agreed that we should taste some wines from Oregon since I had visited a few Oregon wineries earlier in July. Moreover, his brother and his wife were not very familiar with Oregon wines.

While wine grapes have been grown in Oregon for nearly two centuries, it is only since the 1960s that wine production has become a significant industry in the state. Oregon is now the 4th largest wine producing state in the US, after California (89% of the wine production), New York, and Washington. In 2006, it had more than 370 wineries, up from 70 in 1990, and only 5 in 1970. In 2007, four grape varieties made up more than 80% of the state's wine production: Pinot Noir (55%), Pinot Gris (17%), Chardonnay (5.6%), and Riesling (4.2%). Additionaly, Oregon has recently become a leader in green viticulture and winemaking with more than 140 vineyards and 20 wineries certified by LIVE: Low Input Viticulture & Enology, Inc.


Oregon Wine Regions

Oregon's largest wine producing region is the Willamette Valley, which runs from the Columbia River in Portland to the Calapooya Mountains outside Eugene. The valley has a relatively mild climate with cool wet winters and warm dry summers. The long growing season enjoys warm days and cool nights, allowing the grapes to develop their flavors while still retaining their acidity. The Willamette Valley AVA includes six sub-appellations: Dundee Hills, Eola-Amity Hills, McMinnville, Ribbon Ridge, Yamhill-Carlton District, and Chehalem Mountains.

Here are the wines that we tasted:

• 2009 Evesham Wood Blanc du Puits Sec: founded in 1986, Evesham Wood Vineyard makes Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, and Gewurztraminer in the Willamette Valley near the town of Salem. The estate vineyard is located on a low terrace (300-420 ft. elevation) on the eastern side of the Eola-Amity Hills ridge. It was named Le Puits Sec, which means the dry well in French, because there is one in the vineyard. The winery and Le Puits Sec vineyard are certified organic. The wine is a blend of 80% Pinot Gris and 20% Gewurztraminer with minute quantities of Rieslaner and Kerner, two German varieties. My notes: very pale color, a bit shy on the nose, more mineral than fruity. The guests didn't find it very exciting.

• 2008 Chehalem Reserve Dry Riesling Willamette Valley: Chehalem is a small winery established since 1990 in Newberg in the Northern Willamette Valley. It produces wines from Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Blanc, Grüner Veltliner, and Gamay Noir. The Reserve Dry Riesling is produced in very limited quantities and is sourced from the Corral Creek vineyard that surrounds the winery and Stoller Vineyard, a 175-acre vineyard on the southern slopes of the Dundee Hills in Yamhill County. My notes: light color, mineral nose with aromas of honey and tart apple, medium-bodied, crisp on the palate with stone fruit flavors, lively finish, tasty.

• 2009 Evening Land Celebration Les Gamines: Evening Land Vineyards is based in both Oregon and California. It owns two vineyards in California, Occidental Vineyard in the Sonoma Coast and Odyssey Vineyard in the Santa Rita Hills. In Oregon, it leases Seven Springs Vineyard, a 65-acre Pinot Noir vineyard in the Eola-Amity Hills appellation. The Oregon wines are made by winemaker Isabelle Meunier with the help of consulting winemaker Dominique Lafon of Domaine des Comtes-Lafon in Burgundy. Inspired by the Bourgogne Passe-Tout-Grains, Les Gamines is made from a small block of Seven Springs Vineyard old vine Gamay Noir (60%) and Pinot Noir (40%). My notes: medium purple-pink color, bright strawberry nose, fresh aromas of plums and berries on the palate, quite pleasant.

• 2007 Argyle Pinot Noir Willamette Valley: owned by Petaluma Winery of Australia, Argyle Winery was founded in 1987 by Australian vintner Brian Croser and winemaker Rolin Soles. Housed in a former hazelnut processing plant in Dundee, the winery is well known for its still and methode champenoise sparkling wines. The Willamette Valley Pinot Noir is sourced from the Knudsen Vineyard in the heart of the Red Hills of Dundee, Argyle's primary vineyard source since 1987. My notes: medium color, fresh fruity nose, soft texture, mid palate on the light side, easygoing and not really popular among the guests.

• 2007 Ponzi Pinot Noir Willamette Valley: founded in 1970, Ponzi Vineyards is one of Oregon's oldest wineries. It is located just 30 minutes from downtown Portland in the city of Beaverton. The Willamette Valley Pinot Noir is a blend of several 100% Certified Sustainable vineyards. The fruit is hand sorted and destemmed and then fermented in small lots with five days of cold soak to increase aroma and color. The wine is aged in French oak barrels (30% new) for 11 months. My notes: medium garnet color, attractive nose of red and black cherry, medium-bodied, well balanced acidity, quite tasty, more complex than the Argyle.

• 2008 Shea Wine Cellars Pinot Noir Estate Willamette Valley: Shea Wine Cellars was founded by grape growers Dick and Deirdre Shea in 1996. The winery produces wines from the Shea Vineyard, a 200-acre vineyard property located in the Yamhill-Carlton District that also supplies fruit to several of Oregon's and California's premium wineries. Roughly 25% of the vineyard production is used by Shea Wine Cellars for its releases. My notes: dark color, sweet nose of blackberry and spicy cherry, full-bodied, more power than finesse, somewhat too bold for a Pinot Noir.

• 2006 Francis Tannahill Syrah Mason Dixon: Sam Tannahill was winemaker at Archery Summit before founding Francis Tannahill Wine Co in 2001 with his wife Cheryl Francis, who was co-winemaker at Chehalem. They are also co-owners of A to Z Wineworks. The Mason Dixon Syrah is a blend of several vineyards including Deux Vert, a small vineyard planted on a low elevation southern slope outside the town of Yamhill and the only producing Syrah vineyard in the northern Willamette Valley. My notes: dark color, pepper, plum and violet aromas on the nose, dry, complex, well-balanced palate with some good acidity, spicy finish without being very fruity, a northern Rhone style of Syrah and one of the best wines of the evening.

Related posts:
•  Touring the wineries in Oregon's Willamette Valley
•  Our Oregon trip: wine tasting at the Ponzi Wine Bar
•  Our Oregon trip: The Beaux Frères Vineyard
•  Oregon Trip: Dinner at the Painted Lady Restaurant
•  Oregon Trip: J.K. Carriere Wines
•  Last but not least from our Oregon trip: Brick House Vineyards and The Eyrie Vineyards

Technorati tags: wine food & drink

A discovery: Riesling from Marin County

Marin County? A little known wine region for sure. Located north of San Francisco and just a stone's throw from Napa and Sonoma, this county has more suburbs than vineyards, with just approximately 200 acres under vine, planted to Pinot Noir, Riesling, Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Merlot & Cabernet Sauvignon.

It's a coastal region, bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the west and the San Francisco Bay to the east, with a climate marked by relatively warm winters and very cool summers. Thanks to a long growing season, the resulting wines are characterized by a high acidity, low alcohol, and bright flavors.

Winegrowers and winemakers Jonathan and Susan Pey of Scenic Root Winegrowers are pioneers in the production of wines grown exclusively in Marin County. Their Shell Mound Riesling was named after the many mounds of oyster shells left by early Americans settlers across western Marin County. The wine is estate grown in an eighteen year-old vineyard located less than eight miles from the cold Pacific Ocean. While the vines require meticulous work, very little is done in the winery. After hand-harvesting and hand-sorting, there is no oak, no blending, and no malolactic.

The 2007 Pey-Marin Vineyards The Shell Mound Riesling Marin County is only 11.8% alcohol. It had a bright color and a mineral nose with notes of citrus. On the palate, it was dry and crisp with a nicely concentrated mouthfeel and aftertaste. Try it with an Alsatian onion tart, it's delicious!

Technorati tags: wine food & drink

WBW #45: Old World Riesling, awesome!

This is once again Wine Blogging Wednesday time! This month, our host is Tim Elliot of the Wine Cast blog and the theme he has chosen for us is Old World Riesling.

My favorite Rieslings are usually dry and either from Alsace or Austria. So for this 45th edition, I selected a wine from Schloss Gobelsburg, a historic estate in Austria's Kamptal region. Founded in 1171, it is the oldest winery in the region. A Cistercian Abbey purchased the estate in 1740 and monks had been making the wines there until 1992. Since then, the winery has been successfully managed by Austrian winemaker Michael Moosbrugger. The estate has approximatively 35 hectares of vineyards, half dedicated to Grüner Veltliner, a quarter to Riesling and the rest to red varieties.

The 2006 Schloss Gobelsburg Gobelsburger Riesling is the estate's entry level Riesling. The wine has a pale straw color with green reflections. The nose is floral with sweet cooked apple and brown sugar notes. On the palate, it is dry, light-bodied, mouth-watering, with rose petal and citrus aromas. It works really well with sushi. But I have one more bottle so next time I think I'll try it with grilled weisswurst and apple compote.