DOCG or DOC what’s the difference

Wine night is going to Italy in May. In researching our trip a question came up on DOCG or DOC – what's the difference. Basically DOCG is the premium wine. I'll let the Italians expain…

Classifications -- In 1963, Italy's wine fell into two classifications, table wine and DOC. DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) wines are merely those a government board guarantees have come from an official wine-producing area and meet the standard for carrying a certain name on the label. A vino di tavola (table wine) classification merely means a bottle doesn't fit the pre-established standards and is no reflection of the wine's quality .

In 1980, a new category was added. DOCG (the G stands for Garantita) is granted to wines with a certain subjective high quality. Traditionally, DOCG labels were merely the highest-profile wines that lobbied for the status (getting DOC or DOCG vastly improves reputations and therefore sales, though the costs of putting up the wine annually for testing are high). In 1992, the laws were rewritten and Italy's original six DOCG wines (three of which were Tuscan) jumped to 15. Six of these are Tuscans (Brunello di Montalcino, Carmignano, Chianti, Chianti Classico, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, and Vernaccia di San Gimignano) and two are Umbrian (Sagrantino di Montefalco and Torgiano Rosso Riserva).

Though vino di tavola usually connotes a quaffable house wine from some indeterminate local producer, in recent years this classification of table wine was the only outlet for estates that wanted to experiment with nontraditional mixtures. Many respectable producers started mixing varietals with French grapes like cabernet and chardonnay to produce wines that, though complex and of high quality, don't fall into the conservative DOC system. Such a wine could, by law, only be called a lowly vino di tavola. These highbred wines became known as Supertuscans or super vini di tavola. There's no guaranteeing the quality of these experimental wines, yet most self-respecting producers won't put on the market a failure or something undrinkable. If you come across a $30 bottle with a fanciful name marked "table wine," it's probably a Supertuscan.

Wino TV

Applewood Winery located in Warwick New York has created Wino TV. Wino TV is hosted by Michelle Hull – co-owner of Applewood. She talks about the winery, their wine and how to pair their wine with food. You can find the video casts by going to their website www.applewoodwinery.com

Here is their current episode

Harvest 2008 Down Under

Just when we are thinking Spring, down in New Zealand they are thinking Fall Harvest. Looks like they are having a harvest just like the Hudson Valley's 2007 Harvest. Gibbston Valley Wines managing director Mike Stone says "We've never had a harvest like this where everything is coming together at once, the flavours are great across all our vineyards," Mr Stone said.

The long, dry summer this year had ensured early ripening, sugar levels were excellent with very good flavours and the bunches were all the same size.

Also, because of the early ripening the wine should contain 1 percent less alcohol, which made it smoother, he said.

To read the entire article click here

I am looking forward to tasting some of the 2008 Pinot Noir from New Zealand….not to mention my favorite..Sauvignon Blanc!

Weekly Vocabulary

Pinotage - The name of both the red wine and the grape grown and made mostly in South Africa. The Pinotage grape was originally bred in 1925 from a cross between the grapes pinot noir and cinsaut. Well-made Pinotages are medium- to full-bodied wines, with rich red fruit aromas and flavors. Poor versions often have a rubbery aroma. This wine pairs well with hearty meat dishes.

Angel's share - The portion of the wine that evaporates through the porous oak barrels during the aging process. In cellars or caves with low humidity, most evaporation is water. In high humidity conditions, more alcohol than water is lost, reducing the alcoholic strength of the wine, but making the angels a lot happier.

Trivia Question

The answer to last months triva is French Oak. I will post a new trivia question shortly.

Brotherhood Winery Cellar Dinner

Chef Demonstration with dinner in the wine cellar of Brotherhood Winery. Chef Demonstration done by Pamela's Traveling Feast

Wine dinner in the cellars of Brotherhood Winery

Last week I had the opportunity to attend a dinner in the wine cellar of Brotherhood Winery. It was a very unique experience. The meal was catered by Pamela's Traveling Feast and she also owns Pamela's on the Hudson. We started off dinner with some of Brotherhood's Blanc de Blancs Champagne. Also offered was their Riesling and Pinot Noir.

It was a weee bit chilly in the cellar that evening. We all made the best of it. Pamela's food was very good. We had a choice of Carved Top Round with Aujus, creamy horseradish & Veal Demi Merlot, Chicken Marsala, of Talapia Francaise. She did the chef demonstration which was desert of Strawberries with Balsamic Vinegar in Port Wine Sauce.

It was quite the evening. Suggestion…the cellar is a great place to host a dinner…do it when the weather is warmer.

Weekly Vocabulary

Jammy - The natural berrylike taste of the grape.

Late Harvest  - Produces grapes that are riper and sweeter. This makes sweet, dessert-style wines.

Leafy -Describes wines that smell like leaves and sometimes herbs. A hint of this can add to the complexity of the wine, however a strong whiff of it is unpleasant and vegetal.

Lees -A heavy sediment consisting of dead yeast cells and other solid matter such as grape pulp, seeds and other grape particles.

April is New York Wine Month

More than 160 restaurants and 200 wine stores throughout New York State will be celebrating New York Wine Month in April by offering their customers hundreds of fine New York wines from about 90 wineries. The restaurants and stores are listed by region on a special dedicated web site, www.newyorkwinemonth.com.

"April is the perfect month for celebrating New York wines," said Jim Trezise, President of the New York Wine & Grape Foundation which is orchestrating the month-long promotion. "The 2007 vintage was the best in at least 15 years, and many of the wines will be unveiled for the public in April. In addition, a major 'Taste of New York' public television series produced by WXXI in Rochester will begin airing in April, along with publication of a 'Taste of New York' cookbook featuring New York wines and foods. And it's the onset of the wine country tourist season when consumers start planning their trips to New York's great wine regions."

The promotion extends throughout the state except in New York City, where a separate promotion is being planned. The other markets include Long Island, the Hudson Valley and greater Albany area, Syracuse, Rochester, Buffalo, North Country and the southern tier (Ithaca, Corning, Elmira).

April is a perfect time to go out and visit some of your local wineries or purchase a bottle of New York State wine at dinner or from your favorite liquor / wine store.

Whitecliff Vineyard explains winemaking in the Hudson Valley

There is a great interview from Slice of New Paltz with Michael Migliore of Whitecliff Vineyards. He explains about winemaking, the grapes he grows, winter pruning of the vines and the wines he will be releasing. This is a great video with insight into Hudson Valley Wine.

http://www.sliceofnewpaltz.com/Slice_of_New_Paltz/EP.20.html

Arlington Wine & Liquor 25th Anniversary Grand Tasting

If you find yourself with time to spare on Saturday, head over to Arlington Wine & Liquor's 25^th Anniversary Grand Tasting. There will be over 48 different wines from all over the world to taste. It's all happening between Noon and 5pm March 15^th.

Pouring your tastings will be representatives from their best wine importers. There will be food sampling catered by Lola's of Poughkeepsie

New York Wine Expo

Yesterday I had the opportunity to attend the New York Wine Expo at the Javits Center it New York City. Who do you think we run into but Joe from Arlington Liquors. Actually we were all on the same train..the 9:33a from Poughkeespie.

The show ran from 12p – 4p, so we had a lot of ground to cover. There were wines from all over the world. We started with California. Our friend Pam from J. Lohr was there. Since we had tasted their offerings at Mohegan Sun, we passed on what they were pouring. There were lots of wines to cover.

We started with Joseph Carr of Napa Valley, with THE Joseph Carr pouring our wines. His Chardonnay was very good, as were all his wines we tasted. I did find out that he is coming out with an affordable brand (under $15) called Josh Cellars. You can look for that come late spring.

We spent a lot of time in Zin Alley. There were many tables of Zinfandel producers from California. I lost my husband here. Most of the Zins we tasted were very good. I didn't care for the "organic" Zin. One that stood out as a must purchasae, was "Redemption Zin." This is produced by Alexander Valley Vineyards. They also produce Sin Zin. They did tell us that Redemption Zin is a small production..I will have to find and order a case. If you want to know more about the Zinfandel producers there's a website www.zinfandel.org where you can find out all about Zinfandel.

There was a table of New Zealand producers, but I will tell you, I didn't like any of the Sauvignon Blanc I tasted it.

Argentina was represented by a good turn out of producers. I stopped by Bodega Catena Zapata to taste their wine. When I've sent clients to Mendoza, Bodega Catena Zapata is always included on their wine tours. It was fitting that I stop by and say hello and taste their wines. Their06 Chardonnay was very good, aged 9 months in French oak. Nice and buttery. Retails for $15.99. Also their 2006 Malbec which was aged for 12 months in 70% French oak and 30% American oak was good. This too retailed for about $15.99. Many of the Argentina wines that I tasted were very good and inexpensive.

Also represented was New York with an isle of Finger Lake producers and Long Island producers. One producer Warwick Vally Winery was present representing the Hudson Valley.

The pictures here are of Patricio Gouguenheim who is the owner and winemaker for Gouguenheim Winery in Mendoza, Argentina. He came all this way to NY to pour wine and introduce the public to his product.

We had a good time and tasted some wonderful wines.

Trip to the Wine Store

On this dreary rainy day, I needed go out and gets some white wine for dinner. Even though the UPS man usually brings my wine, we seem to be running low on Whites. I dressed for the weather and ran out to Arlington Wine & Liquors.

I purchased a Kunde Chardonnay, Artesa Chardonnay and two of my favorite Sauvignon Blanc's. Babich and Giesen. While I was looking at the different brands there was a 2006 New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc called "Cat Phee on a Gooseberry Bush" from Coopers Creek. The label showed a cat with a grin to kill and footprints on the cap. I'm a label person, so in the cart went the Cat Phee. I will have to have my friend Ann over to do the Phee tasting, or maybe bring it to the next wine night.

As I was strolling the store, I came across a wine labeled "Mom's Time Out" This came in white and red. I asked Bob if the wine was any good and he informed me that it was a nice house wine. I'd say that's a great gift to give the "Mom to Be" at her shower. She will need it as time goes on. Forget the bottle, get her a case!

Wine Goddess on the Radio

If you didn't get a chance to hear me on 97.7 yesterday morning here are the links to the interview.

Part 1
Part 2

 

Wine Country in your backyard

So often we don't realize what the Hudson Valley has to offer right in our backyard. As the weather becomes warmer, we are going to want to turn off the TV, and get out of the house. Why don't you spend the day in Hudson River Valley Wine Country. Yes..wine country in our own backyards. Honestly, you don't have to wait until the weather is nice to do this.

The Hudson Valley has more than 17 wineries with tasting rooms…all throughout Dutchess, Orange and Ulster counties. Did you know that the Hudson Valley is also home to the "Oldest" winery in America and the "Oldest" continuous operated vineyard in America? They are Brotherhood "America's Oldest" Winery and Benmarl Winery at Slate Hill Vineyards. Yes..more history in our own backyards.

What's really nice about spring is when you visit the vineyards you get to see what's called "bud break." This is the term used when the vines begin to wake from their winter sleep. The first indication is bleeding–when water begins to appear at the cuts from pruning. Soon after, the buds will start to make their appearance, with new leaves unfolding more and more. It's a lovely way to mark the coming of spring.

With 2007's harvest being spectacular…the best ever, I have great expectations on what will be available for tasting this year in the tasting rooms. When you have nothing to do on a weekend and want to get out of the house, take a ride to the nearest winery for a tasting. You will be pleasantly surprised at what you will find.

To find the nearest winery and tasting room hours visit Dutchess Wine Trail or Shawangunk Wine Trail. There are also wineries in the area that aren't members of any trails. Don't hesitate to stop in their tasting rooms too.

Wine Goddess on Radio

Tune into Bob Miller's show on Mix 97.7 - Thursday morning at 7:30. Bob will be having me as a guest on his show. I will be bringing some gifts for you to win on the radio. What will I be bringing...you will have to listen to find out.

Trivia Question Answer

The corkscrew was designed in the mid 1800's