06.05.06

SummerFest Begins

Posted in Blogs, Wine, friends and family at 10:33 am by spryken

Well, Kate has still not started posting on London Calling. So, I guess I will have to try to make her jealous of all the good times we are having on this side of the pond…..

Summer Fest has started!! Here in the Raleigh/Durham area of NC, in the town of Cary, the NC Symphony has a summer series of concerts. They play in the Koka Booth Amphitheatre. The venue is lovely and you can bring your own picnic. The concert featured Beethoven’s Fifth.

We met up with some friends, including Kate’s husband (Steve) and dad (Jim). We have been doing this for years. We each bring some wine, food to share, tablecloths and wine glasses.

This time we had Chicken Masala, Sesame Noodles (Kate’s specialty - from Harris Teeter), Dilled Meatballs, Bean Salad, and a Cheese and Meat Platter. The Chicken Masala was a little spicy, so it suited me just fine, others thought it was too hot.

We didn’t coordinate on the wine too well. We had an abundance of white and very little red. Oh well, it was still good.

The weather behaved, the symphony played. We ate and drank and fellowshipped. We even lent out our corkscrew. Seems like some sad soul always forgets to bring one…..They see us set up with tables and glasses. They just know we have a corkscrew.

I’m looking forward to this week’s concert already, Fairy Tales & Fantasies. Of course it doesn’t matter what music is scheduled. The food, wine and friends combined with the beautiful venue and NC Symphony is always a winner. Even if the weather gets a little rough. Just need to remember to bring more red wine this time.

05.25.06

Rebirth of WineWiki

Posted in Blogs, Cooking, Wine at 8:32 pm by spryken

Yes, WineWiki is reborn.  I have converted it to a Blog on Wine and Food.  I haven’t finished choosing a theme yet, but the site is up and running.  Actually, it is just another instance on spryken.com.

So far, I have completed copying my food and wine posts from “Rants and Raves” to WineWiki.

More to come……

04.17.06

Easter and a Paraduxx

Posted in Wine, friends and family at 10:42 am by spryken

Over the Easter weekend, Slee and I hosted an Easter cookout. This was the second time that we have invited friends over for roasted Leg of Lamb, wine and fellowship.

This time we had a friend, Thornton, offer to bring a Vertical tasting of Paraduxx. How could we refuse????

Here is a little history of Paraduxx. Paraduxx is blended California red wine. The Winery is Duckhorn Wine Company, located in Napa Valley. Paraduxx is their proprietary red blend. From their website, they explain….

Paraduxx is a unique Napa Valley Red Wine in the tradition of the world’s great blends. From the Super Tuscan wines of Italy to the Shiraz-Cabernet Sauvignon blends of Australia, each great winegrowing region has created its own authentic varietal pairings. Paraduxx’s goal is to craft a world-class blend with a distinctly Californian personality by using Zinfandel, a grape synonymous with California, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.

So, the two wines that are in each vintage is Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon.

The vintages that Thornton brought were the 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2001. He would have brought the 2000, but he only had a Magnum and we did not need that much for our guests. After all, most brought a bottle to share…..

The 1997 is 65% Zinfandel and 35% Cabernet Sauvignon with a recommendation to drink now to 2008.  It tasted of cherry and chocolate.  Rich and drinkable.  You could definitely taste the Zinfandel influence.

The 1998 is 65% Zinfandel, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Merlot with a recommendation to drink now to 2007.  At first it seemed closed, as if it needed to breathe more.  The fruit was definitely there, but so were the tanins.  A little time in the decanter and it opened up.  There was even more cherry than in the ‘97.

The 1999 is 60% Zinfandel and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon with a recommendation to drink now to 2009.  Lots of fruit, mainly berries.  Raspberry, cherry, currants.  Still some good tanins which give it a good finish.  This was lovely with the lamb.

The 2001 is 70% Zinfandel and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon with a recommendation to drink now to 2010.  Like the ‘99, the 2001 was rich in fruit.  Lots of cherry, dried cherry.  Paired with the lamb, it was out of this world.  Good structure and a long finish.

I would recommend any of these wines for any occasion.  But if you are having lamb or game, they rock!!  The jamminess of the Zinfandel which matches so well with game, paired with the structure of Cabernet Sauvignon is a great combination.  The winemaker has been able to get a blend that remains true.  That is you can recognize the wine from year to year.  The core taste and value is there in each vintage with some distinction each year.  This is not some mass marketed blend designed to be the exact same year in and year out.  It is artistically crafted each year, adding just the varietals required to get the depth and palette that can be indentified as Paraduxx.

Thanks, Thorton for sharing with us… and maybe next time we will try with rabbit, venison or maybe even duck.

04.13.06

Pink Wines Making a Come Back

Posted in Wine at 2:10 pm by spryken

Originally posted on WineWiki, 02/07/2006

Do you remember the Pink Wines? You know the White Zinfadel and Grenche. Sweet, almost cloying wines. The wines that people love to hate, now. I’ve heard the snickers and seen the smirks. What self-respecting wine lover would ever drink pink wine?
But Pink Wines are making a come back. No, not the white zins, but the Dry Rose’. I have enjoyed dry Rose’ wine for many years. Often enduring the misguided snickers and disdain of the misinformed. But I now see that there are more Rose’ in the stores.

A misunderstood wine, the Rose’ can be sweet but usually is dry. I have had some that were “bone dry�, crisp and refreshing ice-cold. Lovely as an Apertif or with grilled seafood. Some of the best were Tavel from Rhone. When I suggested Rose’ for some wine friends, I got the “Pink Wine� look and questions. Isn’t it sweet? How can you drink it? But when I finally convinced them to try it, they were hooked. Now, they are always looking for a new Rose’. And I can’t blame them.

There are some really good new Rose’ out there. Winemakers are working on varietal Rose’. I’ve seen Barbera Rose’ and Shiraz Rose’. Both fruity but not sweet. While not as dry and crisp and the Tavel Rose’, still very good with seafood and served ice-cold.

I think that is what is appealing about dry Rose’. It can be served ice-cold. It is dry, crisp and refreshing. It makes a perfect summer wine. During the summer here in the Raleigh, NC area, I attend summer outdoor concerts with a group of friends. As is typical with these outdoor concerts, we bring a picnic to share. There is almost always 1 or 2 bottles of Rose’. It is so refreshing!! And it goes with almost all picnic food. Of course, we all have to try and out do everyone else with the food, so we get some high end food, not the typical fried chicken.

With the summer approaching, I for one am glad to see the Pink Wines. It is time for me to stock up on my favorites and seek out some new offerings. My favorite has been and continues to be the Tavel Rose’ Canto Perdrix.

So, if you haven’t tried a Pink Wine recently, don’t hesitate. You may be surprised!

04.12.06

Every Day Wines

Posted in Wine at 8:07 am by spryken

Originally posted on WineWiki, 01/30/2006

What makes a wine into an “every day� wine? Is it price, drinkability, quality (or lack of) or is it the ability to go with lots of different foods? I don’t know. Perhaps it is a combination of all these traits.

Here are some of my criteria for an “every day� wine.

  1. Price - My current price point for an “every day� wine is under $10/bottle. I enjoy searching for bargains.
  2. Drinkability - Is always a top concern. A bottle of wine for $2/bottle that tastes like swill is the same as a bottle for $100 that tastes like swill. I won’t drink either one.
  3. Quality - This goes right along with Drinkability. Besides being drinkable, I like my wines to have some character, some depth of flavor. Just because a wine is drinkable doesn’t mean it is good.
  4. Flexibility - Because I don’t eat the same thing every day, I want a wine that is able to adapt to a variety of foods. Of course, I like to have some variety in my “every day� wines too.

My Every Day Wines

I’m not going to mention any by name; instead, I’ll talk about varieties and types.

For an every day red, I usually go with something a little fruity. Maybe a Pinot Noir or a Shiraz. Pinots go well with a large variety of foods and can be enjoyed alone. The Shiraz goes well with red meats and spicy foods, which I really like. (Some time I’ll have to tell you about my Habenero Vodka.) I’m not talking about the really big Shirazes. The big ones wouldn’t meet my price criteria. Of course, they aren’t as flexible either. I’m not a fan of Merlot, at least not the run of the mill Merlots. I have had some excellent Merlot. And I usually describe them as “This doesn’t taste like a Merlot�. Most of the Merlot I have tried in my every day price range, I didn’t like.

For an every day white, I usually go with a Pinot Grigio or other Italian white. They are reasonably priced and go with a variety of foods. I also like Sauvinon Blanc, its typical crispness is great with grilled foods. It is also good alone. I don’t usually like the Chardonnay at this price. It seems to be too “oaky� for me. I’m not a fan of that big buttery taste.

Of course, as usual, this is just my opinion.

Ken - Drink what you like and like what you drink!

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