Tag Archives: Wine education

Happy World #SauvBlanc Day

17 May

Darlings, let me be the first to wish you a very feliz World Sauvignon Blanc Day. And it’s such a happy occasion that I’m hittin’ the road for a little R&R in beautiful Palm Springs, California. Which is why I’m re-blogging last year’s Sauvignon Blanc Day post. I think you’ll enjoy it, and the information is still relevant today. Cheers and enjoy!

That’s right, chicas y chicos, another wine holiday! Can I get a salud?

Today is World Sauvignon Blanc Day, and to commemorate this auspicious occasion, I’ll be tasting four different Sauvignon Blancs from all corners of the world: Chile, New Zealand, France and California.

Sauvignon Blanc has a special place in my heart because it’s the first wine my husband and I discovered together when we were dating. If you join the celebration today, you’ll see why it’s so easy to love. Who knows, you may even channel your inner Señorita Vino and find true romance over a glass. (El Disclaimer: Señorita Vino makes no guarantees that you will find your soulmate today. So don’t quit the Match.com membership just yet).

There’s a Sauvignon Blanc for almost every palate. If you’re a passionfruit and nectarine kind of chica (or chico), try a Sauv Blanc from New Zealand’s Marlborough region. Oyster Bay is one of my personal favorites; you can find it for around $10 at a wine shop or grocery store.

 

Love the refreshing scent of grapefruit and fresh cut grass? Northern California has some beautiful Sauvignon Blancs with fresh citrus and herbal aromas. St. Supery is the California Sauv Blanc that my husband and I bonded over, and it happens to be the first wine club I ever joined back in 2000, the year my husband caved to relentless nagging and asked me to marry him. (El Full Disclosure: St. Supery was kind enough to provide this bottle for today’s festivities. And no, it’s not because I’m a member of their wine club. In fact, they had no idea I was a member until I did an El Full Disclosure on them and said so. Aren’t you glad I’m so ethical? St. Supery, you guys ROCK. And no, they didn’t pay me to say that.)

 

If you like mineral notes with olive and lemon aromas, France’s Loire Valley produces Savignon Blanc in the classic style. I found this one at Total Wine for $13.99.

Last but certainly not least, if you’re looking for a lighter-bodied wine (less alcohol) that you can sip casually on its own, you may want to show your amor for one of our own by trying a Chilean Sauvignon Blanc. A complete steal at $5.99.

You’ll hear people describe Sauvignon Blanc as having some characteristics beyond the aromas and flavors mentioned above. Bear in mind that the country in which the wine was made will have a big influence on what flavors you’ll detect. Some people can smell guava, cilantro, fig, bell pepper, lemongrass and dill. If you’re drinking a Sauvignon Blanc that was aged in oak, you’ll notice some aromas that are associated with wood, such as vanilla and sweet spices.

One scent that you may also detect is kitty pee. Yep, you read it right, and no, I don’t make this stuff up. Sounds weird, I know, but I have actually smelled this in some Sauvignon Blancs, and it’s not a flaw (nor did they let the cats loose in the winery); it’s just a characteristic of the grape.

 

On that note, let’s talk food pairing. The crisp acidity of Sauvignon Blanc can act as a palate cleanser, making it a perfect starter. That same acidity makes it a good match for salads with vinaigrette dressings, and it ‘cuts’ through foods with cream or butter-based sauces. It’s also a great match for ethnic foods with a little kick, like Thai or Indian dishes. The wine’s lower alcohol content feels refreshing after the burn from spicy-hot seasonings. And it goes great with guacamole.

Sauvignon Blanc complements just about every cheese I love. For you purists, the classic pairing is Sauvignon Blanc with a French chèvre, or goat cheese. The acidity in the wine matches the tang in cheeses made with goats’ milk.

So there you have it. Stop reading, go pour yourself a glass of Sauvignon Blanc and join the fiesta. ¡Salud!

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Bordeaux Basics for Wine Novices

23 Apr

Wanna learn about France’s fabled Bordeaux region? How about over lunch at the Peninsula Beverly Hills with 32 of  Bordeaux’s most prestigious  winemakers? If  ”anxiety attack” was the first thing that came to mind, fabulous! I’m not alone.

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Moments after I RSVPd for a sit-down trade luncheon featuring Le Cercle Rive Droite, a French society that represents 143 vineyards from the Right Bank of Bordeaux (more on that later),  my top three wine tasting insecurities materialized: How early would I dribble red wine all over my chin while using the spit bucket? Would I be able to keep up with the wine lingo? And would I drown in a sea of old guys wearing tweed jackets and silk cravats?

Chicas y chicos, yesterday’s luncheon offered more proof that wine anxiety is très passé, and I managed not to get a single drop of wine on myself (wish I could say the same for my notebook).

Best of all, I was happily swimming in a sea of  hip, young winemakers, some of whom were women, and one of whom encouraged me to unleash my très broken français on her. We chatted about weddings, food and her childhood growing up in a chateau. C’est cool!

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Before I describe some of the highlights of the lunch, here are six things you should know about Bordeaux:

  • The Bordeaux region is near the southwestern coast of France, and its vineyards are located in three distinct areas: the Left Bank, the Right Bank, and the Entre-Deux-Mers area, which is between the two banks.
  • Bordeaux wines are made with the primary grapes of the Bordeaux region. There are several approved varieties, but the most widely used are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec for the reds; and Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon for the whites.
  • Wines made in the Left Bank of Bordeaux typically feature Cabernet Sauvignon as the primary grape.
  • Wines from the Right Bank will be made mostly with Merlot.
  • Wines from the Entre-Deux-Mers region are generally white and feature Sauvignon Blanc.
  • Three of the world’s most expensive wines come from the Bordeaux region: Chateau d’Yquem, Chateau Cheval Blanc, and Chateau Pétrus. But don’t worry – you can find a great Bordeaux wine for anywhere from $15 – $70.

Wasn’t that stress-free?

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Because Le Cerlcle Rive Droite represents winemakers from the Right Bank (rive droite, pronounced reev dwat, is français for right bank), the wines served  at the lunch were a blend of 70 percent or more Merlot with some Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon or other approved grapes. So if you dig Merlot, chances are you’ll enjoy a Right Bank Bordeaux.

Merlot is not as tannic as Cabernet Sauvignon, so it pairs well with chicken. No surprise, lunch was a chicken breast with mascarpone polenta, tomatoes, sweet corn and chicken jus. Délicieux!

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Merlot also pairs well with cheese. Perfect, since dessert featured a cheese plate and an assortment of cookies and macarons. Apologies to you sweets lovers–I bypassed the cookies and went straight for the cheese.

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Careful readers are probably wondering about the old guys in tweed jackets. I saw none.  In fact, a jacket-less French winemaker at my table reported that the only jacket he brought “was an alcoholic.” Egged on by his peers, he described how a bottle of wine had broken in his suitcase, thereby giving his jacket “plenty of time between New York and Los Angeles to drink the entire bottle.” And that, mes amis, is living proof that Bordeaux wine–and winemakers–are nothing to fear. Santé!

When a wine bottle breaks in your suitcase, pour yourself a glass of wine.

A glass of Bordeaux is the best cure for a broken wine bottle in your suitcase.

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Popes and Bonarda: Argentina’s newest exports

14 Mar

I almost fell off the pew at the news that our new pope was from Argentina, home of tango, soccer stars and Evita. Of course my thoughts turned to wine, and whether Torrontés and Malbec would see a surge in sales thanks to Pope Francis I’s new stint at the Vatican.

Scenes from a Cathedral: The main cathedral in Buenos Aires, former home of Pope Francis I.

Scenes from a Cathedral: The main cathedral in Buenos Aires, former home of Pope Francis I.

One Argentine grape I’d love to see more of at my friendly neighborhood wine shop is Bonarda. Depending on who you talk to, this luscious red grape originated in France or Italy, and it’s fast becoming a rising star in the Argentine vino world (look out, Malbec!).

Earth First is an organic Bonarda produced in Argentina and available in the U.S.

Earth First is an organic Bonarda produced in Argentina and available in the U.S.

Bonarda is slowly making its way into the U.S. market, where I predict it will gain a following thanks to its exotic, spicy profile and food-friendly pairings. Want to know more about Bonarda? Read my article, published yesterday by TheLatinKitchen.com, Latina magazine’s fab foodie website.

Oh, and say a prayer that one of Pope Francis’s first reforms is to serve late-harvest Torrontés at Communion.

Amen y ¡salud!

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Vino 101: Wine Tasting Tips, Part 2

28 Feb

Still ticked off about the spit bucket being your new BFF? If you don’t know what I’m talking about, take a look-sie at Wine Tasting Tips, Part 1 for the first in this two-chapter primer on how have a fabuloso wine tasting experience.

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So now that you know about reds before whites, the five S’s, and the infamous dump bucket rule, here are three more tips to make your next winery-hopping weekend a snob-free breeze:

4. Be vino-lingual. Consider the Wine Snob, that pompous dork (or dorkita) whose contrived geek-speak upon taking a sip of Chateau-de-Je-Ne-Sais-Pas makes me want to douse their ecstatic rapture with the contents of a dump bucket. If you remember anything from reading this blog, it’s this: Don’t. Let. The. Big. Words. Scare. You.  Now that we’ve got that straight, here are some basic wine-tasting terms you may hear:

Astringent. A puckering sensation caused by a wine’s tannins (see below)

Bouquet. Not quite the same thing as “aroma,” “bouquet” refers the smells a wine develops as it ages in the bottle

Complex. A wine that displays various characteristics, such as fruit, earth, acidity, floral aromas, etc. Usually a mark of quality.

Dry. The opposite of sweet

Earthy. Your tío Pedro may have an earthy sense of humor (i.e. raunchy). In wine, earthiness is like the smell of a garden after it rains.

Finish. What happens after you’ve taken a sip of wine. Think about how long the flavors linger, and whether the wine has a kick or leaves a smooth sensation.

Fruit forward. A wine in which fruity aromas and flavors are dominant

Full-bodied. A wine with high alcohol or a heavier feel on the palate

Jammy. The taste of ripe, almost preserved fruit. Usually an indicator that the wine is made from grapes grown in a hot climate.

Minerally. The taste and smell of gravel, chalk, wet stones, granite. Some French and Spanish wines are prized for their minerality.

Mouthfeel. A wine’s texture. Think silky, velvety, soft, mellow, supple, coarse, rustic, etc.

Residual sugar. The sugar left over in a wine after fermentation

Tannic. Tannins are natural compounds in grape skins and seeds. They also can be found in the wood from barrels used for aging wine. Heavily tannic wines leave an astringent, puckering sensation in the mouth.

Terroir.  The influence of climate, weather, soil and geology on a grapevine. Can also be used to describe the earthy aromas and flavors of a wine.

Well-balanced. A wine in which acidity, tannins, fruit and alcohol are evenly present.

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5. Food sold separately–somewhere else. A tasting room is simply that – a space for tasting wine, and not a café or wine bar. On occasion, a winery may serve water crackers, but these are more a kind gesture than a snack. If your wine tasting sojourn spans the lunch hour, you may want to pack some sandwiches and fruit (or any portable, fuss-free food you may like) and have a picnic in between tastings. Most wineries allow visitors to bring food and eat in designated outdoor areas.

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6. Save dessert for last. You may see dessert wines being offered on tasting room wine lists. Going back to the picnic for a minute, you wouldn’t eat the cupcakes before the turkey and brie baguette, would you? For some of the same reasons, you should taste the dessert wine last. Dessert wines, as you may recall from previous posts, are often honey-sweet and heavier on the palate. If you start with a late-harvest or dessert wine, any dry, lighter-bodied wines you taste after that will seem watered down and flat.

Now go forth and taste wine, chicas y chicos, and let me know how you fare. ¡Salud!

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Vino 101: Wine tasting tips – part 1

7 Feb

What could be more exciting than a day of wine tasting with your BFFs? Maybe a one-on-one soccer lesson from Diego Forlan, but I digress…

Is it hot in here? Credit: Fotitos21

Last night I ran into a fellow Latina blogger and her über-wonderful mom. The striking pair had just attended a culinary trade event in Beverly Hills, where industry representatives from wine labels and restaurants were plying their wares. The ladies found the place crawling with that pesky critter, vinus snobus, a.k.a. the wine snob.

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What’s a chica to do?  Whether you’re road tripping to Napa, tangoing through the vineyards of Mendoza or visiting your neighborhood wine shop, these three tips can give you a confidence boost on your next wine tasting journey.

1. Whites before reds.

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If you’re asked which wine you’d like to try first, always taste white wines before reds. Why? Because white wines are lighter in body than reds, and if you start with a heavier red wine, your palate will miss the more delicate flavors and aromas of the white wines. It would be like having your main course before your dinner salad.

2. Remember the five S’s: See. Swirl. Sniff. Sip. Spit.

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We’ve all seen those self-important dweebs making a Shakespearean drama out of sipping a glass of wine. You can learn to appreciate wine and its lovely, delicious components without the theatrics:

See. A wine’s visual characteristics can tell you a lot about what’s in your glass. For example, the younger a white wine is, the paler it will look in your glass. Conversely, the older a red wine is, the lighter it will appear.

Swirl. The reason people swirl wine around in their glass is to release the little odor molecules that give wine its flavor. Some red wines may need a little more swirling if the bottle has just been opened. The only wine you don’t want to swirl is a sparkling wine. Exposure to air will cause the wine to lose its fizziness and some of its characteristic flavor.

Sniff. Smelling a wine can give you more clues about its origins and how it was made. If you’re smelling vanilla, cedar or tobacco, chances are the wine was aged in oak barrels. If you’re smelling a lot of fruit, it’s possible the wine comes from grapes grown in a warmer climate. Mineral aromas like gravel, flint or wet stone may mean the wine is from the Old World, or a European wine region.

Sip. Notice I said sip and not gulp. A smaller sip allows you to discreetly swirl the wine around in your mouth so that you can pick up more aromas, and thus  get a better sense for the wine’s flavor.

Spit. I know, I know…why would you want to waste perfectly good wine? Read on…

3. Your new BFF: The dump bucket. If you’ve ever started your winery-hopping early in the day, you may have noticed how quiet tasting rooms are around 11 a.m. By about 2 or 3 p.m., the decibel level is noticeably louder. Wine loosens us up and makes us chatty. I’ll drink to that!  But if you overdo it, your ability to distinguish flavor characteristics plummets. Save the major drinking for dinner later on.

Oh, and winery staff will not get offended if you spit or dump part of the wine they pour. And if they do, they probably could use a glass of wine. ¡Salud!

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Stay tuned for Wine Tasting Tips, part deux!

 

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Vino 101: Old World vs. New World Wines

25 Jan

Feliz Friday, chicas y chicos! The weekend is here, and it’s time for a whirlwind tour of the “Old World” and “New World” of wine. Yes, right now. It’ll only take five minutes. Fasten your seat belts, make sure your tray tables are locked and your seat is in the upright position, ¡y vámonos!

Old World wines come from Europe and the Mediterranean.

Old World wines come from Europe and the Mediterranean.

Simply stated, Old World refers to a wine from southern or central Europe (France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria and other Mediterranean regions). The New World covers wines made in North and South America, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and South Africa.

You’re probably wondering why this matters, right? The short answer is that an Old World Chardonnay (made in France, for example) is going to taste a lot different from a New World Chardonnay made in California. Here’s why:

1. Winemaking

Old World winemaking relies on traditions that have been around for centuries, while New World winemakers tend to use modern science and technology, giving them a little more control over how the wine will taste.

2. Terroir

Think of terroir as the environmental factors (climate, soil, rainfall) that give a wine some of its characteristics. For instance, grapes grown in hot climates ripen more easily and have a higher sugar content, so those wines will have more alcohol (remember that sugar is needed for fermentation, the magical process that turns grape juice into wine). Wine made from grapes grown in cooler regions tends to have less alcohol and will be more acidic.

The soil where vineyards are planted is an almost literal example of terroir.

The soil where vineyards are planted is an almost literal example of terroir.

Okay, got all that? If not, all you need to remember is this:

Old World wines generally…

- Are higher in acidity

-Taste more “minerally”

-Have fewer fruity aromas or flavors

-Tend to age better

New World wines generally…

-Taste more fruity

- Have less acidity

-Are higher in alcohol (because the grapes have more sugar)

- Tend to be less diverse (“international” grape varieties such as Chardonnay, Merlot and others are used more in New World winemaking than lesser-known grapes like Müller-Thurgau, Tempranillo, Nebbiolo and Cinsault)

How can you tell which style you like best? If you’re a fan of black cherry flavors in your Cabernet Sauvignon, go for a New World option from California, Chile or Australia. If you like your Cab with a touch less alcohol and a little more acidity, an Old World wine from France’s Bordeaux region is a fine choice.

We’re going to hit a little turbulence now, so hold on to your wine glasses. The lines between the Old and New Worlds are beginning to shift as younger winemakers in Europe experiment with New World techniques. My philosophy: Explore both worlds and let your tastebuds be your guide.

Salud, and thank you for flying Señorita Vino!

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How to uncork a Champagne bottle

28 Dec

Happy holidays, my darlings! Señorita Vino has been on a much-needed Navidad break, so just in time for New Year’s Eve, I’m re-blogging a popular post on how to open a bottle of bubbly. 

My longer-term readers may recall that I originally wrote this post to coincide with the Academy Awards and my annual Oscars party. So just insert “New Year’s Eve” where you see “Oscars” or “Academy Awards” and you’ll be fine. Most important, here’s hoping your wine glass is always full in 2013.

Champagne will be flowing freely Sunday evening as Hollywood celebrates the 84th annual Academy Awards. Seeing the stars decked out in their finest is nothing like the kind of stars you’ll see if you’re hit with a rogue champagne cork at an Oscars party. If you’ve ever dreaded opening a bottle of sparkling wine, fear no more. Here, in five easy steps, is how to open a bottle of bubbly without losing an eye, your dignity, or a close amigo.

Step 1: Remove the foil.

Step 1: Removing the foil. Easy-peasy!

Some sparkling wine bottles will have a small tab, much like a bottle of olive oil or balsamic vinegar, that makes it easier to remove the foil.

Step 2: Remove the cage.

Step 2: Opening the cage. Six twists is all it takes.

That wire you see at the top of the bottle  is called the cage. Find the little piece of metal that looks like a twisted loop, pull it straight and untwist it six times so that the cage opens. Fun fact: Every twisty loop on every bottle of bubbly in the world takes six to six-and-a-half turns to come loose.

Step 2a: Wipe the bottle dry with a dish cloth.

Step 2a: Towel off! You don’t want a slippery bottle.

If the bottle has condensation on it, you may want to wipe it down with a towel so that you can get a firm grip without it being slippery. This will prepare you for Step 4.

Step 3: Hold the bottle at an angle and cover the cork firmly with one hand.

Step 3: Cover the cork, don’t pull on it.

Take note: cover the cork, don’t pull on it.  You’re preventing the cork from going flying by placing your hand on top of the bottle and pressing down with all your strength, or, as my mother would say, sin asco.

Step 4: Turn the bottle gently while keeping a firm grasp on the cork.

Step 4: We’re almost there! Twist the bottle, not the cork.

Sí, you heard right. You’re not pulling on the cork. Trust me – it has all the motivation it needs to dislodge. Instead, you’re rotating the bottle itself while firmly grasping the cork until you feel pressure escape from the bottle. Make sure the bottle is not pointing at anyone, yourself included! It’s important not to panic here, chicas y chicos. Ideally, you should hear a fiesta-inducing pop, not a heart-attack-inducing BANG.

Keep the bottle tilted to avoid getting sparkling wine all over your outfit, hair, pets, furniture, etc. It’s that dignity thing we mentioned earlier. See step 5 below.

Step 5: Keep the bottle tilted unless you’ve  just won the Monaco Grand Prix.

What happens when you hold a just-opened bottle of sparkling wine upright? Two words: Champagne volcano. So resist the urge to turn the bottle upright once the cork comes off. Unless of course you’re christening a new cruise ship, winning the World Cup, or channeling F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald.

Step 5: Keep the newly-uncorked bottle tilted at an angle and pour the first glass.

Wasn’t that easy? Before your big Oscars bash, you may want to practice uncorking the bubbly on your own a few times, or with close friends who’ll still speak to you if you inadvertently shower them with a mini La Bufadora.

May your Academy Awards fiesta be a showstopper.

My 15-second acceptance speech:
I would like to thank my wonderful husband for taking these photos, for sharing a toast afterwards, and for making life one big Oscars party.

A disclaimer:

I took artistic liberty in using the word ‘Champagne’ in this post. The only sparkling wines that can be called Champagne are those that are made in the Champagne region of France. Generally speaking, all others can be considered ‘sparkling wine.’

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Wines for the End of the World – Part 2

20 Dec

Gotta love the Mayans. They built some epic pyramids, started a centuries-old love affair with chocolate, and now they’ve given doomsday prophets something to scribble on crude, handwritten signs. In case you’ve been hiding in a wine cellar, the world as we know it is scheduled to end mañana, 12-21-12.*

That means I have a lot of wine tasting to do in the next 24 hours. And if you’re reading this blog, you should get busy, too. Not sure where to start? No worries–here for your sipping pleasure  is my End-of-World Wine Bucket List.

*The world was supposed to end last year on May 21, but to the complete mortification of the doomsday-tripper who raised all the fuss in the first place, we were all still here the next morning. In case you want to take a peek at ‘Wines for the End of the World – Part 1,’ here you go.

Señorita Vino’s End-of-World Wine Bucket List 

1.Château d’Yquem Sauternes, 1945

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. I have no idea who took this. If it was you, let me know and I'll make sure you get proper credit.

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. Photographed by Megan Mallen.

I know, I know. I’m starting with the dessert wine. But hey, it’s all over tomorrow, so who’s keeping tabs? One of the world’s most prized wines, Château d’Yquem hails from France’s Bordeaux region and is worshipped for its exquisite apricot aromas and nectar-like taste. The 1945 vintage will set you back about $5,000, but if the world ends tomorrow, so do Visa credit card statements. Santé!

2. Domaine de la Romanée-Conti 1978 Grand Cru

The Romanée Conti vineyard. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. Photographed by Andrea Schaffer.

The Romanée-Conti vineyard in France’s Burgundy region. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. Photographed by Andrea Schaffer.

Quelle horreur! I’m going from a dessert wine to a red! But all’s fair in love and wine on the eve of the apocalypse. Some time ago I came across a study that said people are more inclined to like a wine if the price tag is on the high side. Currently, the average price for a bottle of  the world’s most expensive wine is $17,361, according to WineSearcher.com. Can’t say whether I like it since I’ve never tried it, but if the world ends tomorrow, this is the wine I’d want to have in my glass as the sun explodes.

3. Château Cheval Blanc 1983

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a bottle of 1983 Chateau Cheval Blanc. Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. Photographed by schuey.

Yes, another red, but I’m partial to reds (and dessert wines), and if the Mayans are correct, today’s my last day to indulge, so that’s why I’m rounding out my list with a Merlot blend from Bordeaux’s Saint-Emilion  appellation. The tasting notes for this wine mention meaty aromas followed by earthiness. Give it a few swirls and you’ll be sniffing plum, cedar wood and beeswax. It sounds too good to be true, and at about $600 a bottle, I should have ordered a case for my Last Days libations. But I figured the purchase would have triggered the fraud alert at American Express, thwarting my plans for toasting the demise of the planet in style.

So there you have it, chicas y chicos. And don’t get all teary-eyed over that pesky Mayan calendar. Look on the bright side. If we really are toast tomorrow, you don’t have to deal with the horror of last-minute holiday shopping this weekend.

I bid you a fond ¡Salud!

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Guest Post: Señorita Vino for a Day

6 Dec

Where does the time go? Holidays, work, wine certification exams and simply thinking about new ways to sharpen my scintillating wit and verve can tap the ol’ brain cells. Which is why I am making one of my readers do all the work this week.

Chicas y chicos, allow me to introduce you to my esteemed fellow wine blogger, Ernesto, author of the wine-tastic blog, Whine and Cheers for Wine. Ernesto has been a vino aficionado for nearly 30 years. He began taking wine classes three years ago and subsequently landed the prestigious position of wine steward for a national grocery store chain. All that and he’s a Cubano, too!  Ernesto, take it away!

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I have to admit I like the title.  I think it makes me sound younger. Señor Vino? Nah, maybe in a few years…. As a big fan of Señorita Vino and her very entertaining and educational writings, I was surprised and honored recently when she asked me to do a guest post. I guess I could have been Señorita Vino for a Day but in my eyes, those shoes (OK, pumps) are too big to fill.

Latino wine lover? I never really thought of myself as such but I must admit the title fits; my parents migrated here from Cuba in 1961. I work in a community that is over 60 percent Hispanic. On a daily basis my customers come from Venezuela, Colombia, Honduras, Perú, Jamaica, México, Trinidad, El Salvador, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, and the list goes on.

As each Hispanic customer—and most are Latinas—brings their heritage into the mix, it’s great to see that we all have a lot in common, in particular, a love of vino! Sometimes they buy wine just for the pleasure of drinking it, but other times they get together with their amigas and learn about the wine to better understand its heritage and what it is about a particular varietal that they enjoy the most. One of my biggest pleasures is having a customer return to share a wine experience that they have had after learning more about wines through one of our meetings.

So, with this I present Vino 101 Tidbits, information that I have found educational along the way and can be great tools for sharing with others over a glass of vino in any social setting, including Girls’ Noche Out.

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Aroma is derived from the grape. Bouquet comes from fermentation, wood (oak), aging. Eighty percent of what we taste is attributed to our sense of smell.

What is BODY? Body is the weight of the wine on the palate. A good measuring trick would be the following scale: Light (skim milk), Medium ( 2 percent to whole milk), Full (whole to half & half).

White Wine Styles: CRISP unoaked, refreshing, higher in acidity. ELEGANT seamless balance of acidity with an oak component. OAKY lush, round, creamy, buttery and lower in acidity. SWEET usually fuller in body, lower in alcohol and acidity.

Red Wine Tannin Levels: EASY DRINKING no drying sensation, smooth. SOFT mostly aged wines, barely noticeable. RIPE not overpowering but definitely detectable, in balance with fruit intensity.  FIRM: drying sensation is apparent, most prevalent in higher end young wines.

Tempranillo grows in the Rioja region of Spain. In Portugal Tempranillo is known as Tinto Roriz and is one of the grapes used in making Port/Porto.

Burgundy (except for Beaujolais) is mostly made from Pinot Noir.

When in doubt, Beaujolais goes with practically everything.

Chardonnay and Riesling are white wines that can age.

Chardonnay is a component of Champagne, Burgundy and Chablis wines.

Wine most sold in USA: White Zinfandel

STELVIN: a screw top bottle closure

And finally, a rhetorical question for you all: If a bad wine with a cork closure is referred to as CORKED, would a bad wine with a screw cap be classified as SCREWED? 

¡SALUD!

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At last – a wine for your Cuban sandwich

26 Nov

There’s rumba in them thar hills! One Oregon winery  owner has put some ritmo into the Willamette Valley winemaking community, and he’s all about passion for sabor.

At Cubanísimo Vineyards in Salem, neurosurgeon and Havana native Dr. Mauricio Collada named his winery for the ‘very Cuban’ flavor he brings to one of the top Pinot Noir regions in the U.S.

Forget about lame ambient music on winery sound systems. Visitors to Cubanísimo’s tasting room can enjoy a little rumba with their award-winning Pinot Noir, and if you’re lucky enough to live in the area, you can sign up for salsa lessons every third Saturday of the month.

Not a local? Then take home a souvenir guayabera with the Cubanísimo logo embroidered on the back. Low on TP? Not to worry – you can pick up a few rolls of Fidel Castro toilet paper for a revolutionary way to–ahem–take care of business.

Read the whole story (penned by yours truly) on TheLatinKitchen.com and find out how Cubanísimo is merengue-ing its way through Oregon wine country. ¡Salud!

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