Welcome 2010 - and all new wines!

Hope everyone has a fantastic New Year. Though we've focused mostly on Pinot Noir this week, but never fear - I've got a bottle of Banear Prosecco chilling in the fridge for midnight (or 9pm PST if you're on the East coast!).

Here's to drinking lots of great wines in the coming year.

Cheers!

Fruity, food-friendly Barbera is anything but barbaric

La Famiglia Pirovano Barbera (NV)
Cantine Pirovano
Barbera
Calco, Oltrepó Pavese DOC, ITALY

Italy is incredibly diverse in terms of many things, not least of which are their wines. Produced nearly everywhere a grape can grow, including neighboring Mediterranean islands, the Italians only hold their cuisine to higher esteems. Chianti (a Tuscan stand-by) and Pinot Grigio (Italian for Pinot Gris) are well known Italian wines. Today however many other Italian names are becoming more familiar to consumers throughout the world - Barolo, Nebbiolo, even the difficult to pronounce Montepulciano - a town and a grape, neither of which have any relation.

Not to be overlooked however is Barbera, the third most planted variety after Sangiovese and Montepulciano. Finding it's home mainly in northwestern Italy, Piemonte and Lombardia, Barbera is a early-ripening, high-yield variety. The most famous wines come from the towns of Asti, Alba, and Monferrato, and like many Italian red boasts bright color and full acidity. Alo used in blending many new-world wines, Barbera has gained popularity in other parts of Europe, South Africa, South America, and California.

This particular Barbera is made from grapes grown in Calco which is located withing the Oltrepò Pavese DOC (Denominazione di origine controllata) near the city of Milan. The region is well known for making red wines which are more rustic in style than many of the other large producing locales.

Appearance: A clear, bright wine with medium intensity and a vibrant ruby color. Unlike many of the deep garnet to inky reds found in Italy, Barbera is usually lighter and trending toward more purplish-reds than brick.

Nose: The nose is clean and fruity - not overwhelmed by oak by any means.This is definitely a younger wine, despite it's lack of vintage displayed on the bottle. Fruit aromas of strawberry, cranberry, and raspberry are prevalent. Also there are very soft vegetative hints deeper in the glass, maybe fresh herbs or grass.

Palate: It is a dry wine with a medium weight - not heavy like Cabernet, but not as soft as Pinot Noir. Like many Italian wines the acidity is noticeable, but not overpowering. More about how this will work with food later. Tannins are gentle but persistent, lingering on my tongue and gums for several seconds after swallowing. Concerning flavors there are fruits consisting of cranberry, sour cherry, and blackberry. A very small amount of oak comes through on the palate, but not until late in the game.

Most of the Barbera I have tried has been blended with other grape varieties (one of my favorites being Meeker's Barberian, a $32 California blend of Barbera and Zinfandel) I really believe this well-priced pick is a quality purchase. On it's own it is easy-drinking and fruitful, but could easily be matched to a number of dishes. As mentioned earlier, Italy loves their food, and I often say that Italians only make wines to compliment their food! Examining the kinds of wines produced you'll find that nearly every type has something to eat with it.

Reds in particular are very well suited to the abundance of tomato-based dishes and sauces found all over the country. Foods with higher acidity pair well with wines of similar characteristic. While I wouldn't put the Pirovano up against a Tuscan Sangiovese, it delivered a lingering level of acid on the palate. It would pair nicely with any dish topped in a quick tomato sauce, tomato-based stews (Minestrone?), and especially roasted meats such as veal or mutton. Don't shy from trying these wines with hard cured Italian cheeses either.

Italy is too large to conquer in a week, a month, or even a year. Sure, Caesar perhaps made it look easy, but see where ambition got him? My advice is to taste your way through the country choosing from a multitude of wines and foods, letting your bravery help you try new and sometimes unpronounceable things. Try this and other Barbera-based wines, or find something you've never heard of. There will always be plenty to choose from.

Cheers!

Sparkling wines for more than just holidays & special occasions

Recently I attended "Counter Culture: Fizz-tivity," a wine and food pairing dinner at my local Whole Foods Market. Every month these dinners are held at the Osteria, a free standing cafe within the specialty foods department which serves fresh prepared foods to customers at a long, curved counter - thus the event name. December was all about sparkling wines getting everyone well prepared for the holidays.

Sparkling wine is an interesting segment of the wine world. Many of us think of sparkling wine as something only for special occasions - anniversaries and New Years Eve. Unfortunately that means that everyone only gets to enjoy it twice, maybe three times a year. Isn't that just utterly disappointing? Luckily there are many different styles and types of sparkling wines to suit any occasion and this dinner was a perfect opportunity to explore them.

We started with a cheese course consisting of Robiola, a sheep and cow's milk soft cheese, served with dried currants, fresh raspberries, and almonds. Paired to this was a special beverage called Deus Brut de Flandres Cuvée Prestige 2006. Surprisingly not a wine at all, this was a specialty Belgian Ale which is unique in that it follows the Traditional method for making Champagne. This barley ale was a light straw color with aromas of ripened pear and honey. The pairing with the cheese board was great, and I can understand why they market this as "the Dom Perignon of beer." Check out the brewer's lively website here: Brewery Bosteels

After our cheese and Belgian/French ale we transitioned to a more Mediterranean course with Presto Prosecco Brut ($10.99) served with a zippy roasted tomato fondue. Prosecco is an Italian white variety and is used to make really fun sparkling wines. The Presto was gold in color and had fresh aromas including citrus, yellow apple, and pear. A dry wine with similar flavors it offered nice crisp acidity which simultaneously paired very well with the acid from the tomatoes and cleansed the creaminess of the cheese from my palate. For the price this is a great wine to serve to friends. It's mild-mannered and easy to drink - definitely a great everyday bubbly to consider.

Next up on to French Champagne with Nicolas Feuillatte Brut Extrem' ($39.99) paired with pan seared pierogies with spinach, fontal, and roasted pear. Sadly the first two bottles we opened were corked but the third was in much better quality. Nothing you can do, right? I'd say create a synthetic Champagne cork but the French would never go for it. Golden in color with aromas of citrus, cooked apple, almond, and a soft yeastiness. The best match from our dish with this Chardonnay was the poached pear, making a perfect compliment to the lemon and citrus flavors. This makes for a great sparkling wine to pair with food.

An American-made rosé accompanied the next course, Gruet Brut Rosé ($17.99) made by Gruet Winery in New Mexico. Clear and with a soft salmony pink, this wine boasted mostly red fruit aromas like raspberry and cranberry with softer fragrances of apple and grapefruit. As expected from the nose I wasn't disappointed by the crisp acidity from this wine. More of the red fruits and a soft citrus made this Chardonnay and Pinot Noir blend very refreshing. The paired dish offered grilled swordfish, winter greens, root vegetables, and a blood orange reduction. Very, very cool! This was probably the best pairing of the entire dinner.

Our fifth wine was another French Champagne from Bouzy, Jean Vesselle Oeil de Perdrix ($42.99). This was paired with chicken and boursin roulade, proscuitto, ratatouille crepe and reduced cream. The Oeil de Perdrix is a blanc de noir (white from black) Champagne made entirely from Pinot Noir grapes, so it has a very pleasant peach color. Aromas were concentrated around tart stone fruit (peach, apricot), apple, citrus and raspberry. It also had a distinct minerality, offering a nice sense of terroir. The rich ratatouille crepe and reduced cream stood up well to the crisp acidity, full body, and refreshing citrus on the palate. This was my second favorite pairing of the evening.

The final course of walnut encrusted lamb chops with green lentils, beet, and feta salad was paired by the intriguing Australian Shingleback Black Bubbles Sparkling Shiraz ($24.99). Deep purple ruby with very small bubbles made for one of the more interesting sparkling wines I've seen. The aromas were reminiscent of any other big Aussie Shiraz - black cherry, plum, licorice, and spice. Plum also dominated the palate and was a great match to the lamb and lentils. More rich flavors of chocolate and coffee lingered on the finish. For being named after an animal also known as a skink I always enjoy the wines Shingleback makes.

Completing our dinner we were served a decadent double chocolate cake with espresso mousse and cherry compote. What kind of sparkling wine would you possibly pair with this to make it better than it already is? Cinzano Brachetto D'Aqui DOCG ($19.99), a sweet sparkling wine from northern Italy. Made from the Brachetto grape - known also as Braquet in France - this wine is a bright pomegranate red in color and displayed aromas of cherry and strawberry, as well as honeyed and floral notes. All these followed through to the palate and made a remarkably good pairing with the chocolate, espresso, and cherry dessert.

This Counter Culture was a truly delightful experience and I was so pleased to be able to try so many different types of sparkling wines. In an unabashed plug for Whole Foods, if you're local and interested in coming to one of the dinners just call the store and ask for someone in the specialty department. Cost is usually about $45 and is entirely worth the amazing food and wine that is served - and is a great reason to have dinner cooked and served to you! A huge thank you to wine specialist Maggie Harrison and chef Eric Colby for making a great evening for all of us attending.

So when you go out to grab your bottle of bubbles to celebrate the beginning of 2009 check out some of the others sitting there on the shelf. Nothing needs to be expensive - just ask for a recommendation and you should be able to find some great sparkling wines for everyday enjoyment.

Cheers!