For the LOVE of Cabernet Franc - Celebrate Cab Franc Day December 4

Cabernet Franc is a very under appreciated grape and it happens to be one of my favorites. Now there is a day to celebrate the grape, December 4.

Cabernet Franc Day is spearheaded by Lori Budd of Dracaena Wines. She has created a website all about Cab Franc Day . It needs its own day of celebration just like all the other grapes.

Here is some information about Cabernet Franc and what makes it special

• The grape originated in the Loire Valley
• It's one of the 5 grapes found in the classic Bordeaux Blend
• The union between Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc produced Cabernet Sauvignon
• It's lighter in color and tannins than Cabernet Sauvignon
• Some of the aromas you will find coming from your glass are: tobacco, raspberry, cassis, violets, earth, cigar box
• Some fruit you will find on your palate included cranberries and red cherries
• It will age well 3 to 5 years.  Although I had a 10 year old Cabernet Franc recently that was very good.

On December 4th join all Cabernet Franc lovers in conversation on twitter and facebook. Hashtag your posts #cabrancday and tell us what Cabernet Franc you are drinking and how your like it.  If you are on twitter join the conversation at 8pm with #CabFrancDay and chat about the grape and what's in your glass with everyone.

What will I be drinking.  A Hudson Valley Cabernet of course.  It will be a toss up between Millbrook, Whitecliff, Fjord and Tousey. If I find any other buried in my cellar I will add them to the choices. See you online December 4.

Below is a Facebook live video I created for the event. Not the best video as my phone was horizontal and not vertical. Lesson learned.

Thanksgiving Wine Picks

It's that time of year again, the beginning of a month of entertaining.  It all starts with Thanksgiving and the turkey dinner.  Some people stress over the food and some over what wine to serve.  Honestly, don't stress over either. It's time to spend with your friends and family and they will enjoy everything.

I like begin the festivities with a bubbly.  An inexpensive Anne de Codorniu Blanc de Blancs NV, Brut Rose or both are just the bottle to pop and welcome your guests to your home. The Rose is a blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay and the Blanc de Blancs NV is a blend of Chardonnay, Parellada, Macabeo and Xarel.lo. Both will put you and your company in the festive mood. SRP $14.99

Some people question what to serve with your main meal, red or white.  Me, both.  Always have that choice.

This Domaine Du Tariquet, Tariquet Classic blew me away.  It is such a beautiful wine, a blend of Ugni Blanc, Colombard, Sauvignon Blanc and Gros Manseng rom Gascony, France. This wine is nice and fresh with hints of floral and lime coming out of the glass.  It's nicely balanced with nice minerality, pineapple and other citrus flavors ending with soft lime on the finish.  SRP $9.99

Tousey 2013 Pinot Noir from the Hudson Valley is a nice red to serve, especially if you have sausage in your stuffing. This will pair beautifully. Smooth and soft on the palate with notes of strawberries and cherries. SRP $26

We really shouldn't forget a Rose.  Rose wines aren't just for summer.  In fact they will pair beautifully with your Thanksgiving dinner.  Back in June I tasted two nice Rose's that I think would go great with Thanksgiving dinner.  Ellipsis Rose and Passaggio Rose.  You can read about the Ellipsis 2015 Rose of Pinot Meunier here and it retails for $25.  You can find the review of the Passaggio 2015 Merlot Rose here and it retails for $29.

We can't forget dessert and that Apple Pie.  I would go for the Millbrook Vineyard & Winery's 2014 Late Harvest Riesling.  Sweet enough but not overly sweet to give a nice balance to accompany your pie. SRP $34

Wine Word Wednesday: Tinta Roriz

The Gardens of Two Hands Wine

The "Garden" Series from Two Hands Wine is from six of the Shiraz producing regions of Australia.  In Australia, especially in the areas where there are German settlements they called their vineyards "gardens." The "Garden Series" translated means vineyards, each bottle from a distinct vineyard. The names of the vineyards all come from Michael's family members.

If you notice on the above bottle one is red and one is blue.  They actually have a meaning too. The red label on Bella's Garden signifies Barossa Valley soil and the Blue on Lily's Garden signifies the cooler climate of McLaren Vale.

I paired both of these wines with Chili. I felt the 2014  Bella's Garden went better with it.  It was a little lighter in the tannins and the spices didn't clash.  2014 Lily's Garden brought out the spice in the chili where it was overpowering.

The 2014 Two Hands Bella's Garden Shiraz is from the Barossa Valley.  Alcohol content clocked in at 15%. The color was a beautiful dark garnet. Complex aromas coming from the glass were light floral, lavender, black cherry, blackberry, chocolate, There was a bit of anise in the distant back.  Dark fruits showed on the palate with black cherry, blackberry, currant and clove.

The 2014 Two Hands Lily's Garden Shiraz was very dark when poured in the glass. Reminded us of Coca Cola, but not in taste.  Aromas were blueberry, plum and a hint of oak.  This wine also clocked in at 15% alcohol.  The palate brought blueberry jam, black berry a bit of spice on the finish.

Both the wines above retail for about $69.

In all, it was a great month exploring and being introduced to the wines of Two Hands. I am going to leave you with some quotes by Michael Twelftree and a video recapping the wines and foods we paired with it.

"The sad thing about the Australian wine industry is that 80% of it is controlled by three major companies." -Michael Twelftree

"The trouble we've done in the new world is we've made the winemaker the hero not the vineyard." -Michael Twelftree

"The aging curve of my wines is a lot slower than I ever anticipated." -Michael Twelftree

"You just can't get away with a dud vintage anymore..." -Michael Twelftree

"You can't turn up to market with a whole lot of leafy green, thin, hard and herbal wines." -Michael Twelftree

Twelftree Model: "Acid is like the train tracks, Fruit is like the train coming into the station & Tannins are like the brakes."

Meet Matt Spaccarelli of Fjord Vineyards & Benmarl Winery

Many people know Matt Spaccarelli as the winemaker at Benmarl Winery in Marlboro, New York.  What you may not know that he and his partner Casey started Fjord Vineyards just a stone throw away. This year at the Hudson Valley Wine & Spirits Competition Fjord Vineyards swept the top honors for their 2015 Albarino. They won Best Hudson Valley Winery, Valerie Cup which is the best wine made with 100% Hudson Valley fruit and Best in Show all for his 2015 Albarino.

Having known Matt since the day he began his wine career at Benmarl I felt like a proud mother presenting him his awards.  When I stopped by we talked about Fjord and Benmarl, the grapes, the wine, the equipment and the soil.

Grab a glass of wine and hear about Matt's new venture with Fjord Vineyards, what the 2016 harvest looks like. See he new tanks and chilling system and learn about the soil on both farms and why he planted Albarino.

Wine Word Wednesday: Kabinett

Around the World with Codorniu Raventos Selections

I had the wonderful opportunity to attend a seminar in New York City featuring the winemakers of the Codorniu Raventos brands: Bruno Colomer of Codorniu, Diego Pinilla of Bodegas Bilbainas, Ana Diogo-Draper of Artesa, Richard Rofes of Scala Dei, Paula Borgo of Bodega Septima, Elizabeth Figueras of Raimat and Jorge Bombin of Legaris. The seminar was moderated by Kevin Zraly as each winemaker took the stage and spoke about the winery, winemaking and the wines.



I hope you take some time to listen to the recording and meet the winemakers of Condorniu Raventos.

Adding to the experience, I recently went to a dinner featuring their wines.  It was "Around the World Wine Dinner" at the Avalon Links in Cape May. (I apologize my flash wasn't working on the camera)

The dinner began with  a Pork Belly and black beans paired with 2013 Septima Obra Malbec. The grapes are grown at high altitude of 3100 feet. As the wine opened up it showed that it was fruit forward with flavors of blackberry, black currant and dark fruit. It is a wine that does very well with food.  Paired nicely with the Pork Belly.

The salad was paired with Raimat 2015 Rose.  This Rose was a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Tempranillo. It has a beautiful floral nose with flavors of apple, apricot, strawberry, cherry and raspberry.  It really brought out the apricot in the salad.

The main course was a choice and all three of us chose the Duck. We did get to taste the Albarino that was paired with the Shrimp.  The 2015 Vina Zaco Albarino was stellar. The Vina Zaco Tempranillo was a nice pairing with the Duck. The nose had a bit of chocolate, berry, earthiness, spices of clove and nutmeg.  The palate showed dark fruit, molasses, black cherry.

You have to save room for dessert especially when it's Creme Brulee paired with Anna de Codorniu Cava.

All these wines are very reasonably priced - all under $20 and good too! I would suggest them for sipping and pairing with your meal.  Think about the Rose and Albarino with your Thanksgiving dinner.

Rating the Barrel with Two Hands

In our continued discussion with Ben from Two Hands Wine we learn not all grapes are grown equally. There can be many reasons. Weather has an important role in the growing season as does the terroir of where the grapes are planted. All this changes year after year. Not just Australia, but everywhere.

At Two Hands they have a very distinct way of selecting the wine for each of their labels. You have their Picture Series (that I posted about here ) The Flagship Series that I will talk about below and the Garden Series next week.

The selection process is long but no Shiraz is left behind. Think of it as an entrance exam into college. Some get accepted some don't. It's all about how you perform on that exam.

During the selection process winemaker Ben Perkins and owner Michael Twelftree sit down and blind taste through all the barrels and rate them. There can be anywhere from 1,800 to 2,200 barrels, however they only taste 100 barrels a day and they have to be the same variety and from the same region. They give every barrel a score from A+ to a D-.  This not only determines where the barrels are used, the score determines how much the growers get paid.

The scoring is as follows:

• A+ goes to the Ares which is the Flagship Series and priced at $199 bottle
• A and A- make up the Garden Series which are constantly outstanding. These are priced from $65 to $80 a bottle
• B and B- make up the Picture Series which sells for $36

What are they looking for when scoring.  They look for the length, depth of flavor, balance, and the depth of the tannins in the wine,  This process takes place six months after the vintage.

With the Ares, it is only from grapes sourced from the Barossa Valley.  So if there is an A+ score on a Shiraz from the McLaren Vale region it will be put in Lily's Garden in the Garden Series.

What makes up a $199 bottle of Shiraz? Complex flavors, long tannins and a wine where thing is getting along.

The Two Hands 2012 Ares Shiraz is just that. Very complex and very dark red in color this wine was aged in 100% new French oak. When I first opened the bottle and took a quick sniff I got chocolate notes. Once I poured it in my glass, there was notes of chocolate, blackberry, chili and clove.  On the palate there was a little chocolate, dark berry, blackberry with a hint of ash on the finish and a burst of pepper accompanied with soft sexy tannins.

I served this with a Flank Steak marinated in wine and herbs, Sage Potatoes Au Gratin and for dessert I made Lydia's Crown Maple Chocolate Pots de Creme. While the steak really soften the tannins of the wine and highlights the flavor of both the steak and the wine, the Pot de Creme was my favorite. The wine made the chocolate creamer and the chocolate mellowed out the fruit in the wine but still leaving the berry presence.

Lydia Higginson's Crown Maple Pots de Creme

5 egg yolks
1/4 cup Crown Maple sugar
1 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup whole milk
1/4 cup Crown Maple dark syrup
1/4 tsp salt
8 oz bittersweet chocolate 1/2 tsp vanilla
Crown Maple pearls for sprinkle on top (I used sea salt because I didn't have the pearls)

In a bowl, mix/whisk yolks and sugar.  In saucepan over medium heat, combine cream, milk, Crown Maple syrup and salt; pour in yolk-sugar mixture. Stir constantly until mixture reaches 180 degrees F.

Pour hot contents over chocolate in bowl and cover and let stand for 3 minutes.  Uncover, add vanilla and whisk completely.  Pour into 4 oz ramekins and cool (I got 6 out of it).  When they reach room temp, cover and refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight. Before serving sprinkle with Crown Maple pearls or sea salt.  You can add whip cream on top.

Wine Word Wednesday: Nero d'Avola

Book Review: A Perfect Score

I was thrilled when I got asked to review A Perfect Score: The Art, Soul, and Business of a 21st Century Winery. This  book is the story of Craig and Kathryn Hall and Hall and Walt Wines.  As a former wine club member (due to shipping restrictions once my mailing address went to NJ) I realized I didn't know much about the story of the winery or their owners.  All I knew is they had some great red wines!

Boy was I fascinated with this book and the history of not just the winery but of the owners themselves. Every winery has a story.  What might look big and glamorous didn't happen overnight and unless you are friends you really don't know of the struggles people have to get to the point they are today.

First visit to Hall (Rutherford) 2012

The Hall's were novices with a dream. Kathryn having grown up on a vineyard in Mendocino, CA ran the vineyard after her parents passed, she actually lived in Dallas TX. She met Craig when she was running for Mayor of  Dallas. A political career that took her to be the US Ambassador to Austria.  When you visit Hall, you will see many of the touches  from her trips abroad.

The journey of  Kathryn, Craig and Hall Wines had it's ups and downs.  They lost their very first vintage to a fire. Kathryn and Craig speak in their own voice about the experiences and struggles. You will see and understand why they created the Walt brand. Very good marketing behind that decision. Everything is very well thought through.

Never did they ever think they would achieve a perfect score. Deciding during a rainy vintage, not to pick the grapes can be risky. But that risk paid off along with skilled winemaking for their 2010 Exzellenz.

Sit down with a glass of Hall Cabernet and read their story.  It might just have you wanting to be a part of their community when you are finished. 

My Hall collection

One thing I did when I finished the book was to go through my wine cellar and see if I had a bottle of the 2010 Exzellenz.  Unfortunately I did not.