Wines for Halloween

With Halloween coming up, there is the inevitable party or dinner that screams for fun labels. Luckily there are a host of Halloween friendly labels out there that identify some very good wines. Vampire Merlot 2012 is a perfect party wine, with soft supple tannins supporting bright fruit flavor and a hint of vanilla from the French and American oak used in its aging, and costing $10.99. Next up is Spellbound Petite Sirah 2012 , and it is a bargain at $13.99. Petite Sirah is a grape that produces big, often very tannic wines, but this one is very approachable. There aromatics of black fruits, vanilla and coffee. On the palate there is lush black fruit with supple tannins lending just the right amount of support. This is a really nice wine.

Charles Smith is a very irreverent winemaker form Washington who makes big flavorful wines. His Velvet Devil Merlot 2011, at only $11.99, is typical of his and of Washington state wines – jammy,  and big on fruit and flavor. There are aromas of dark cherries, cedar and tobacco. When you take a sip, black fruit and chocolate covered cherries comes to mind. The tannins are soft, making for a very easy drinking wine.

Michael David winery  from Graton, California, is a very hot winery right now. They are known for their Seven Deadly Zins, Sixth Sense Syrah, Petite Petit, and their Earthquake series, all big bold fruit driven wines. Their Incognito wines, with the simple mask on the label, are no different. The red is a blend of primarily Rhone Varietals (up to eight different ones) and is full of fruit and spice. The white is a full bodied Viognier based blend with rich flavor and decent acidity for this varietal if grown in California. These wines run about $18  and are worth it.

Ghost Pines is actually a separate label owned and bottled by the Louis Martini Winery, known for its luscious Cabernet Sauvignons. Several varietals are found under this label, but my favorite by far is the Zinfandel. California Zinfandels can sometimes be overblown and hot with high alcohol levels and almost a raisiny quality from over ripened fruit. Ghost Pines has a more laid back and elegant style that is very enjoyable and makes it very food friendly. It is worth the $17.99 price tag (a bit high for a California Zinfandel unless you are looking at Turley, Storybook Mountain and Ridge, wines that can top out over $40).

In 2009, three college buddies form the Midwest and the East Coast met up in California, pooled their money and made a Pinot Noir from purchased grapes. The wine sold out in three months and by the end of the year Banshee wines was their full time pursuit.  While they bottle several varietals, the Sonoma Pinot Noir 2011 and the Mordecai Red Blend are particularly noteworthy. The Pinot has tons of red fruit, but also has the earthiness and complexity to back it up. This is an excellent wine for the $22.99 price tag. The Mordecai is a true kitchen sink wine…containing something like thirteen different varietals. The main grape is Cabernet Sauvignon, with some Syrah for spice, some Grenache for red fruit and some Mourvedre for a lift. All the others add complexity and richness – Bordeaux meets the Rhone. This is about as much flavor you can fit in your mouth for $22.99.

Last, and by all means not least, are Reaper Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 and Pinot Noir 2012. These are the wines you’ll want to pour for your Halloween dinner. The truly macabre labels (complete with blood red faux wax capsules) will certainly catch the attention of everyone at the table. The Cabernet is made by Jake Bilbo, the owner of Limerick Lane and Marietta Cellars wineries. The grapes come from the famed Chalk Hill appellation, one of California’s greatest sources of this varietal.  The nose is of super rich black fruit, leather and tar. On the palate there is a mouthful of blackberry and mocha with vanilla notes from the oak. Well balanced and utterly delicious, it is well worth the $33.99 price tag. The Pinot Noir is even better. Made by Pinot Goddess Penny Coral Gadd-Coster of J vineyards fame, there are aromatics and flavors of cherry, pomegranate, strawberry, and persimmon with notes of earthy mushroom and sweet herbs.  This is what California Pinot Noir is supposed to taste like. $27.99 will seem cheap after you taste this wine.

Hopefully I’ve been able to scare up (sorry) a couple of good ideas for Halloween at your house. Just because the atmosphere may be frightening, there’s no reason the wines have to taste that way. Enjoy!

Easter Wines

Easter means a food fest and a food fest means good wine.

Ham

One of the most popular main courses for Easter is, of course, ham. Ham is not as easy to match as you might think, although the mix of sweet and salt brings some great possibilities. For the white drinker, Riesling is an excellent choice. Get one with just a touch of sweetness, which rounds out the saltiness and has the good acidity to support the sweetness and fruit of the wine. My choice from Washington is Kung Fu Girl. From Germany, go with a Kabinett, like Dr. Loosen Blue Slate ($20.99.) Another white to try is Joseph Cattin Gewurztraminer from Alsace. Big fruit, spice, and a bit of residual sugar work very well with the ham.

For the red drinker, a big fruit-forward wine works well, such as a California Zinfandel.  Seven Deadly Zins or Dashe are good examples. Even better would be a Nero D’Avola or Negroamaro form southern Italy. These are similar to Zinfandels only a little lighter on the alcohol, a little earthier, and a little more elegant. Occhipinti’s TAMI Nero D’Avola is awesome at $18.99 and N Zero is a $12.99 Negroamaro that will make your ham wonderful.

Lamb

If you are lucky enough to live in a house where your wife doesn’t think lambs are too cute to cook, then nothing is better for Easter dinner. As far as I’m concerned, the perfect match for lamb is a red from the northern Rhone. These earthy Syrahs bring out the gamey rich flavor of the lamb like nothing else can. J.L. Chave is one of the Rhone’s great producers, and his Croze-Hermitage Silene ($27.99) or his St. Joseph  Offerus ($29.99) will guarantee a return invitation to dinner. For less money, a southern Cotes du Rhone blend such as Chateau Pesquie Terrasses ($15.99) will do fine.  If you don’t want French, a nice Spanish Rioja like Zuazo Gaston ($14.99) or a big Nebbiolo such as Dominico Clerico’s Capisme-E 

($37.99) are excellent choices.

Prime Rib

A marbled prime rib literally screams out for a big tannic wine like a California mountain Cabernet. Staglin’s 2007 Salus at $89.00 is epic, but Mt Veeder ($35.99) and Educated Guess ($20.99) are both very nice. Even better is Aglianico, a tannic, rustic monster from southern Italy. San Martino’s SIIR at $19.99 is a true bargain. Taurasi is the world’s greatest expression of this grape. If you brought a bottle of Mastroberardino Radici 2006 ($63.99) to my house, you’d get a lifetime invitation to dinner anytime you want. But you don’t have to spend a lot of money to enjoy your prime rib properly. 1907 Madiran from southwestern France (home of the Tannat grape) is a wonderful accompaniment for a whopping $12.99.

Brunch

Last but not least, Easter Brunch. If you are looking forward to those mimosas, Spanish Cavas and Proseccos are great bang for your buck and they have big exuberant bubbles that will stand up to your O.J. Sonim is a great Cava for $13.99 and Le Colture Sylvoz at $12.99 is my favorite Prosecco for the job. Don’t bring a nice Champagne from France. The very fine bubbles will flatten in about ten seconds if you add O.J., peach nectar, or Kirsch…very unimpressive indeed.

These are by no means your only choices, especially if you’re having a different or unique food for Easter. And for dessert? You may have to consider a nice Port for all that chocolate.

Above all, though you may not eat responsibly, please drink that way. Happy Easter!

Turkey Friendly Wines

Thanksgiving is again upon us, and the store will be full of people looking for that special wine to go with their holiday meal. I have a few suggestions.

A white wine must stand up to the myriad flavors that assault our taste buds at the holiday table, not be overpowered by them. My favorite choice is Gewurztraminer, especially those from Alsace. These spicy, full-bodied wines are an ideal choice to go with the yams, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, and everything else…especially the bird. Domaine Trimbach does an especially fine job with this varietal.

Riesling, with its touch of sweetness and generous minerality works well too. Donnehoff Estate from Nahe and Darting Estate Kabinett from the Pfalz are both classic examples of what the Germans can do with this grape, and Kung  Fu Girl does Washington state proud. Vouvray, the Loire’s version of Chenin Blanc, is another appropriate choice, with its symbiotic blend of minerality, fruit, and flinty acidity. Try Varennes Du Clos.

Choices abound for the red wine lover. Probably the most commonly chosen is Pinot Noir. Its medium body, fragrant aromatics, and cherry flavors mingle gracefully with roasted fowl. Baus Family is a good example from California. Llai LLai is an extraordinary value from Chile, while Regis Bouvier’s En Montre Cul and Drouhin’s Chorey Les Beaune admirably represent Burgundy.

While I’m a big Pinot fan, especially of those from Burgundy, this year my red is going to be a Chinon, probably Jean Dumont Les Mureaux. This wine is from the Loire Valley and is 100% Cabernet Franc. Most commonly known as one of the Bordeaux grapes, Cab Franc can be awesome on its own. The nose has a characteristic herbaciousness that combines with nice berry fruit and round tannins in a medium body with a food-friendly acidity. This varietal goes very well with turkey and other fowl.

Best wishes for a very Happy Thanksgiving!