Wine Moment of the Week

Serving a screw cap bottle of wine with a black cap after consuming multiple glasses.

Pouring as if the cap was off.

Nothing comes out as cap is clearly still on.

Table of friends laugh.

Amateur mistake...Professional idiot!

Randall Graham is a genius. It was tragic that he got swept up into the messy business of mass produced, mediocre wine for a minute there. But for those of you who aren’t following along, I’ll go ahead and let you know that Randall Graham is back in the game, and Boony Doon received a makeover from head to toe. The yearly production was slashed in recent years from 450,000 cases to 35,000, and the winery was moved from the Santa Cruz Mountains to an urban complex on the southwest side of Santa Cruz. The vineyard now adheres to strict biodynamic practices and the winery now lets the vineyard do most of the work.

That’s right folks—Randall Graham has reverted back to his Old World roots! And I, for one, am thrilled. And I can tell you someone else who’s pretty excited about it too--my best friend, Anna. She lives in Santa Cruz and is now reaping the benefits of having both a super cool winery AND restaurant to frequent. I was recently visiting Anna and helped her host a small gathering in honor of her birthday. About an hour before the guests were due to arrive, we were running around adorning ourselves and prepping little appetizers. Anna yanked a bottle of bubbly out of her fridge. “Should we drink this?” she said, “It’s a sparkling Riesling from Bonny Doon?”

To be honest, I wasn’t sure what to expect. It ended up being not only the first, but the BEST wine of the evening. In fact, this 2006 Mèthode Champenoise ended up being our Riesling To Live.

Varietal Blend: 100% riesling (Neustadt clone)
Vineyard: Ca' del Solo (Estate)
Appellation: Monterey County
Alcohol by Volume: 13.5%
Cellaring: Drink now - 2015 (maybe beyond)
Production: 800 cases

On the nose: caraway, sun tan lotion and coconut. The palate gives way to yeast, toast and bracing minerality. No dosage—the wine is bone dry. Stainless steel fermentation and aged on lees for 30 months.

Needless to say, Anna’s birthday party was a smashing success. Not only was the Riesling was off the hook, but the appetizers and other bottles to follow were tasty as well. Plus the Giants won, which made everyone happy.

“The Blind Duet” is a once-a-month tradition for The Sarkus, in which we each blind taste the other and no pre-determinations are made. No guidelines are set in regard to region, varietal, etc. Anything goes!

Markus went first.

His guess: vs. Actual:

Vintage – 2006 Vintage - 2006

Alcohol – 14.6% Alcohol – 14.27%

Region – California Region - California

Appellation – Santa Barbara Apellation – Santa Barbara

Varietal – Merlot Varietal - Syrah

Producer - Nipa

SIGHT: Ruby with garnet edge. Rim Variation. Medium+ viscosity.

NOSE: New World. Oak, vanilla, candied cherry.

PALATE: Confirms the nose. Not much tannin, American Oak.

Markus basically got everything right except for the varietal, which in this case, I don’t blame him one bit. Syrah is known for being one of the most tannic grapes out there and this wine was severely lacking in tannins, which really threw him off. In addition to the fact that the wine was not varietally correct, it just wasn’t good.

I went next.

My guess: vs. Actual:

Vintage – 2006 Vintage - 2006

Alcohol – 13% Alcohol – 13%

Region – Italy Region - Italy

Appellation – Piedmont Apellation – Chianti

Varietal – Dolcetto Varietal - Sangiovese

Producer - Fattoria Di Pancole

SIGHT: Rim variation. Garnet to brick rim. Medium viscosity.

NOSE: Old World, dust, dried herbs. Secondary notes of oak, violet.

PALATE: Confirms nose. Not much fruit. Past it’s prime. Light bodied. Light tannins and acidity.

I called out a “used up” Dolcetto, but I knew in my heart that this wine wasn’t from Piedmont because there wasn’t enough funk on the nose. (I usually know Piedmont when I smell it, because I love it!) Like Syrah, Sangiovese is also known for being very tannic. Most of the tannins had precipitated out of this wine, however, and there was little to no fruit left, which is another thing that threw me off.

Lessons learned:

When blind tasting, don’t forget that a wine might show atypically if it is either A.)past its prime or B.) poorly made.

Stay away from 06 Nipa Syrah and 06 Fattoria Di Pancole Chianti!!!!

Almost Famous

Sarkus Fans!

Don't miss Sara's live radio performance Wednesday morning, November 24th, on These Days! She'll be "talking turkey" with Chef Bernard (Marine Room) and Chef Melissa Mayer (Suzie's Farm) at approximately 9:30 a.m. on KPBS (89.5 FM).

CHECK IT OUT!

Wine Moment of the Week

While giving a presentation with the computer out...

1. Set wine glass down.

2. Stem of the glass breaks.

3. Wine pours onto computer keyboard.

4. Visit Best Buy to purchase new computer.

As wine and beer drinkers, we’ve been trained to snack on cheese and peanuts with our libations. These are great if you don’t have allergies and are not worried about your health. We’d like to suggest a healthy alternative, however, that we think you’ll enjoy--not to mention it can save you some money.

I recently participated in the Gourmet Experience Exposition at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, where I was pairing KIND bars with the wines and beers available at the event. KIND bars, if you’re unfamiliar, are all-natural fruit and nut bars. KIND claims their bars are made with ingredients you can see and pronounce, and they’re right! They are extremely healthy and are quite delicious.

During the event, many people were shocked to find the bars were gluten free, wheat free, dairy free and low in sugar. Additionally, they have a Plus line of KIND bars that have added health benefits like Omega-3’s and Antioxidants.

There are currently nineteen flavors of KIND in all.

The four pairings we did for the event were:

KIND bar: Almond & Apricot
Wine: Sauvignon Blanc
*The dried apricot cut perfectly through the crisp acidity of the Sauvignon Blanc.

KIND bar: Cranberry Almond + Antioxidants
Wine: Zinfandel
*The tartness of the cranberry is a great compliment to the juiciness of the Zinfandel.

KIND bar: Fruit & Nut Delight
Wine: Cabernet Sauvignon
Beer: Firestone DBA
*This bar has raisins in it, which pair nicely with the Cab and are also able to stand up to the ‘hoppiness’ of the DBA.

KIND bar: Almond Cashew + Omega-3 KIND
Beer: Trumer Pilsner
*The cashews in this bar are right at home with a light and refreshing Trumer Pils.

The trend has turned much more towards health in all aspects of the food and wine industry. Many wineries are turning to organic and biodynamic practices, and restaurants are finding that the farm-to-table concept is what most customers are looking for.

In going with the trend, we’re offering you a healthy alternative the next time you have that craving for munchies when you’re out drinking. Grab a KIND bar and keep it with you! You’ll save some money and be making a much healthier choice than that cheese plate or that germ-filled bowl of peanuts!

Today KIND will be at the San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival http://www.worldofwineevents.com/ pairing KIND with some of the great wines that will be available for tasting. Stop by and tell them the Sarkus sent you for a special treat!

2007 Karl Heinz Piesporter Michelsberg 9.5%ABV

Mosel

Sight: day bright, clear, pale straw, lemon juice,

medium minus viscosity

Scent : hazelnut creamer, honey dew, lime, banana, plastic

Palate : light, banana taffy, medium acid, low alcohol

2008 Domaine Ostertag Vin d’Alsace 12.5%ABV

Alsace

Sight : bright, straw colored, slow legs, high viscosity

Scent : chalk, whip cream on apple pie, sweet jasmine,

slight honey, high acid

Palate : bubble gum, green apple, pear, medium plus alcohol, high acid

2006 Barth Charta Riesling 12%ABV

Rheingau

Sight : bright, yellow, medium viscosity

Scent : peach, green parsley, dandelion, light flint,

peach jolly rancher

Palate : minerality, bone dry, green apple, bright kiwi, high acid

2005 Barth Hattenheimer Hassel Spatlese 11%ABV

Rheingau

Sight : day bright, gold, gas evident, high viscosity

Scent : botrytis, sugar, honey, honeysuckle, peach, melon, petrol

Palate : rich honey, caramelized apple, off-dry, effervescent, long complex finish

2007 Siegrist Rothenberg Auslese 9%ABV

Pfalz

Sight : bright, hazy, yellow pale straw, high viscosity

Scent : acid, day old honey, petrol, wet stone, very complex

Palate : residual sugar, honeysuckle, honey, baked sugar

Wine Moment of the Week

Sarkus making Sangria with $4 bottles of Syrah.

Markus: Hey there are two bottles left of the Syrah.

Sara: Don't even think about using one of those for our Blind Tasting Duet this month!

Thanksgiving Dinner is notoriously difficult to pair wine with because it is always such a cornucopia of flavors. Uncle Johnny’s chorizo stuffing, Mom’s marshmallow & sweet potato soufflé, canned cranberry sauce, green bean casserole…….one just never knows what to expect, let alone figure out what bottle will compliment all of it. And what kind of wine blog would this be if we didn’t make an attempt to help our loyal readers through this tough time?!?! So, here’s the scoop:

Sparkling is certainly a great way to kick things off. It’s festive, refreshing, and great with appetizers. So many options….so many price points….so much fun!

Gewürztraminer offers a delicious white wine option for Thanksgiving Day. Both dry and off-dry styles will work. The grape is extremely versatile and can really stand up well to the vast set of flavors brought to the table. Personally, I love Gewürztraminer from Alsace and think there are great values to be found, but there are some fantastic domestic producers out there as well.

Rose is another safe bet for Turkey Day. I think a drier style would fare better in this situation. Rose is one of my go-to wines for all occasions, as you can rarely go wrong. Get one with some guts. It will be a fantastic compliment to the savory flavors on the table.

Gamay is the only way my friends. No brainer. Beaujolais is the quintessential red for Thanksgiving dinner. These are light bodied wines with lots of red fruit and great acidity. And for those of you who haven’t heard, 2009 will likely go down as one of Beaujolais' best vintages on record. It was a good year…for real. I suggest skipping the Nouveau and go straight to the Cru.

Pinot Noir wins the runner up prize for reds. Earthy cranberry goodness—it’s like the liquid version of cranberry sauce! But Pinot is certainly more elegant than cranberry sauce; not to mention more expensive, so be ready.

Barbera is another fine choice if you can’t afford Pinot Noir. Barbera, with its racy acidity, is a food wine all the way. I sort of think of it as the Beaujolais of Piedmont.

Dessert wine depends on which pie flavor you go for. With pumpkin, I recommend Sherry. With apple, a little Muscat is always nice. And with chocolate, I always go for Port.

As with most industries, the wine industry is dominated by men. There are a number of women entering the industry and the scales are starting to lean a bit more towards even, but we aren’t there yet. One of the most interesting female pioneers in the history of the wine industry, was Madame Veuve Cliquot-Ponsardin. She was not only ahead of her time, but well ahead of the men of her time.

The house of Clicquot was founded in 1772 by Philippe Clicquot and was known for Champagne produced primarily from Pinot Noir--most notably the rose style of Champagne. Clicquot was also the first producer to ship Rose Champagne in 1775.

The business was then handed over to Philippe’s son, Francois Clicquot. In 1803, Francis married Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin. Just two short years later, he passed away, leaving his entire business to the widow (Veuve in French) Clicquot. She was only 27 years old and at that time, a woman of that age taking over such a project was unheard of.

Well this young woman may have been “unheard” of, but she certainly wasn’t incapable!!!

Not only did she take the company in a new direction, she took the entire industry in a new direction. Ms. Ponsardin created technological innovations and inaugurated overseas business that changed the industry (and Champagne) forever. Her motto is still used by the company today:

“Only one quality-THE FINEST!”

One of her most powerful innovations was the riddling rack. Thanks to this invention, we now enjoy clear Champagne that without the cloud of yeast floating in it as was customary before Veuve Clicquot’s time. She came up with the idea during an experiment. She cut holes in her kitchen table, tipped it onto its side, and then put the bottles in; slowly turning them once the yeast had settled in the bottle. As a result of the slow turning, she was able to delicately move the yeast to the top of the bottle, and then eventually out. This process sparked a new line of work within the industry known as “riddling”. Many famous Champagne and sparkling wine houses around the world still employ master ‘Riddlers’ to this day. (Although, modern technology has replaced many ‘Riddlers’ with Gyro-Palates.)

Another very interesting part of Veuve Clicquot’s success was her secret shipments of Champagne to Russia in 1814. This was in complete defiance of Napoleon’s blockade. She attached special importance to Russia who, at the time, was the most prestigious court in all of Europe. It was really her continuous efforts to develop a market in Russia that eventually turned Clicquot into an international super star, as she went on to develop export markets worldwide. The anchor of a ship is still the emblem on all Clicquot bottles for this very reason.

Madame Veuve Clicquot-Ponsardin is the perfect example of ingenuity, passion and power. She was one of the most powerful people of her time, and remains an icon in the industry to this day. So the next time you pop that bottle of Veuve-Clicquot-Posardin, you can think of the widow, and how she changed the wine industry forever.

Wine Moment of the Week

While Ordering Drinks at Brunch:

Waiter:

Would you like a Bloody Mary?

Friend of the Sarkus (Laura Dove):

I don't like vegetables in my drinks, I'll have the Vouvray please!

Accomodations

Thanks to priceline.com, we landed at Sleep Over Sauce for the evening. Sleep Over Sauce is an “urban guest house” conveniently located at 135 Gough St., in the heart of Hayes Valley. They offer 8 guest rooms above their award winning supper club, Sauce (hence the name “Sleep Over Sauce”). The rooms are quaint, comfortable and clean; complete with all the San Fran charm and quirkiness you would want. The bartender was a true Renaissance Man. In addition to making us a drink whenever we fancied one, he also checked us in to our room, carried our luggage up 2 flights of stairs and constantly called us cabs.

Dining

RN74 is a San Francisco urban wine bar and restaurant by Michael Mina, Rajat Parr and Jason Berthold featuring modern interpretations of refined American and regional French cuisine along with an extensive wine list highlighting the Burgundy region.

first

Friulano, Bastianich Friuli, Italy 2008

Grilled Monterey Bay Sardines/Cauliflower, Celery, Capers, Aged-Balsamic Vinegar

second

Chenin Blanc, Taille Aux Loups Montlouis Les Dix Arpents, Loire 2008

Roasted Beets/Anjou Pear, Pumpkin Seed, Greek Yogurt, Black Truffle, Frisée

third

Gamay, Lapierre Morgon, Cuvee Lapierre, Beaujolais 2007

Grilled Quail/Mission Figs, Cipollini Onion, Vin Jaune, Sauce Á L’Hydromel

*Waiter took a liking to us and brought us each a free taste of the Pinot d’ Aunis, Pascal Janvier Coteaux du Loir 2009.

fourth

Syrah, Domaine Faury Saint Joseph Vielles Vignes, Rhone 2007

Braised Kurobata Pork Short Rib/White Polenta, Root Vegetables, Huckleberries, Brussels Sprout Gremolata

dessert

Warm Beignets/Nutmeg, Whipped Crème Anglaise, Chicory Caramel

HELL YEAH. Wine list rocks. Food is very good. Service was impeccable.

Shopping & Lunch

Head to The Mission, folks--you can’t go wrong. Check out The Candy Store and Vintage by the Pound. Then grab some lunch at Mission Beach Café. Parking can be brutal. We pumped a meter with an hour limit the whole day. Either go equipped with dozens of quarters or be prepared to pay for a garage/lot.