Rocking the Holidays with Rose

So much to do this time of year. Shopping, cookie swaps, wrapping, entertaining and more, so when I found myself deep in the action of cookie swap there was no better wine to accompany it than Trumpeter Rose.

Trumpeter Rose is made by one of my favorite Argentina winemakers (I'm admitting it!) Mariano Di Paola of Rutini Wines. Yes, Trumpeter is part of Rutini.  Rutini has over 900 acres of grapes planted throughout the different regions of Argentina and some of the Malbec clones date back over 100 years.  Serious old vines! All their grapes are hand harvests and they are constantly experimenting and looking for new techniques to improve the quality of their products and it shows.

The 2016 Rose de Malbec (remember their harvest time is during our spring time) is lively with it's light salmon color bringing excitement to the room. The grapes were harvest at nighttime to preserve its fruity freshness which really comes through on the wine. It was then aged in second use French oak.

The bouquet was fresh with hints of strawberry, raspberry, soft cherry and lilac coming from the glass.  I found it quite complex and rich for a Rose.  One sip and I was, wow!  That's big coming from me who just recently began to appreciate Rose. Flavors of strawberry, raspberry and even a hint of peach were dancing on my palate.

As I was drinking this wine, I was sorting out 7 dozen cookies for my cookie swap.  This wine was the perfect accompaniment to this task.  The liveliness just puts you in a great mood. It didn't end there.  Afterwards I sat down to a bowl of leftover pork chili and wasn't quite sure how this wine was going to react to it.  Wow again!  It really stood up to the chili. The chili didn't negate the flavors.  While the flavors of the chili really complimented the wine. Nothing was lost.

This Rose is a great find!  Even better is it's SRP $12.99

Visiting Trumpeter Torrontés

It's been a few years since I've had Trumpeter Torrontés by Rutini Wines.  Back in 2012 was my first introduction to Rutini wines and the Torrontés grape.  I was also very privileged to attend a lunch in New York City at the time and met the winemaker, Mariano Di Paola. It was one of the best wine tastings I have ever been to.  You can read about it here.

I'm happy to say that 4 years later the price point of the wine is relatively the same. 

The 2015 Rutini Trumpeter Torrontés did not disappoint!  Fermented in stainless steel floral aromas filled the glass along with white peach and hints of jasmine.  First sip gave way to flavors of lemon and jasmine with a mid palate of white peach. As the wine warmed up hints pineapple began to mix with the lemon and you became aware of the minerality backbone of the wine and the nice acidity.

This wine is a keeper! It retails for $10.99.  

This wine will go well with chicken, pork and seafood.  I paired it with Kielbasa, caramelized onions and sauerkraut.

Memorable Moments and Tastings from 2012

So often I get caught up with the blogging that I don't take time to reflect and look at the year in review.  I am humbled to know that many of you seek out some of the noted selections I review and enjoy the wine.  I want to thank Tyler Philp for inspiring me to dig deep into the past year and come up with my most memorable moments and wines.

TasteCamp, 2012

I got to travel this year to Napa, Oregon,Virginia New Jersey wine country.  Napa is Napa and I was only up there for one day as I was visiting some friends.  I really enjoyed my time in Oregon and Virginia learning about the region and their wines and hanging out with fellow bloggers.  I can not say one was better than the other, but learning about the wineries their history and what brought the owners or winemakers into wine industry, the grapes of the region and tasting the wine was truly enjoyable.

I have seen such growth over the years in the South Jersey wine industry.  When I began going to Cape May in the '80's there weren't many wineries.  Now there are 6 wineries and  2 breweries in the area.  I hope to report on them more, as I will be down in the region more frequently this year.

This year I had three wonderful tasting experiences in NYC.  The most fun was had at the Rutini lunch where it was very laid back.  Almost to laid back as I was disgusted to see a distributor rep attend the lunch in shorts as if he was stopping in on his way to the beach.  A little professionalism goes a long way buddy.  I have become a fan of Rutini and both their Rutini and Trumpeter brands are well worth the purchase. Both are reasonably priced and the Torrontes is a great summer sipper.

I was so honored to be invited to the Barons De Rothschild Champagne launch.  What an honor it was to meet and have lunch with Philippe.  Their Champagnes....outstanding!

Then there was Winegrowing Boot Camp at Millbrook Vineyards & Winery.  I took this one step farther and stopped by almost every week and took pictures of the progress of my grapes. (I will be putting together a photo of them all) It was an all hands on experience and I learned lots.  I think Summer enjoyed the experience as much as I did, as I took her every Tuesday with me to the vineyard.  She even struck up a friendship with John's lab, Carmella.

Great wines to come in the  Hudson Valley with the addition of Nostrano Vineyards! Nic and Kayleigh should have their first vintage out in 2013. I am looking forward to tasting it!  So nice to see new, young winemakers getting involved in the local wine industry! My interview and tour with them shows great commitment to region.  

Most improved Hudson Valley winery goes to Brimstone Hill Vineyards.  I have reviewed various wines this year from Brimstone and was very impressed at the improved quality of winemaking.  Kudos to Dick.

I am going to end with a post to look forward to in 2013.  Ever purchase a wine on futures? We did back in 2006 in Santa Barbara and slowly drank the Syrah.  There was a point in time that we didn't think the Syrah was tasting to good.  In fact it got real sweet.  Opened the last bottle a few weeks ago and..........

Have a wonderful New Year everyone and Thank You for your encouragement and for hanging out here with me.  

A Wine & Cheese Pairing

A few months ago I was asked to do a wine & cheese seminar for a group of approximately 30 people from the Mid Hudson Food & Wine Society.  I immediately differed to my friend Wendy Crispell who is wine and cheese pairing expert. She knows wine and cheese like nobody else I know.  Unfortunately Wendy was attending the European Bloggers Conference that weekend so she encouraged me to do the seminar.  I agreed with a little advisement from Wendy and began my quest for 6 good wine and cheese pairings.

Good thing there was some lead time and I had a trip to NYC planned so I pick up and sample the cheese from Murrays in GCT and pair them with some wine. Experimenting was the fun part!   One thing I learned about is the aging of Mimolette Cheese and you have to have the correct aging to go with the Malbec. Mimolette aged 6 months is a lot creamier than when aged for 22 months.  As you can see from the above photo, I chose the 22 month old (orange cheese)

Many cheese produced in Europe are governed by similar AOC rules as wine. In fact Comte St. Antione cheese must pass an evaluation of 12 or more point out of 20 to be able to put Comte St. Antione on the label.  If you purchase the cheese and it's more yellow it is because it was produced in the summer from cows dining a pasture rich in carotene.

Also right here in the Hudson Valley, Old  Chatham Sheepherding Company has over 1000 East Friesian purebred and cross bred ewes.  This makes them the largest sheep dairy farm in the United States.

The table was set (there were 2 tables of 15) and I waited for everyone to arrive.  They were a chatty group of people.  Many of them I knew from a ski club I use to belong to and it was great to see them as it's been a while.

Here were the pairings:

Le Colture Fagher Valdobbiadene D.O.C.G. Prosecco - Bright lemon and green apple notes with a hint of breadiness.
Pairing: Old Chatham Sheepherding Hudson Valley Camembert

Trumpeter 2011 Chardonnay- Aromas of rich tropical fruit lead into flavors of citrus fruits followed by a refreshingly crisp finish with hints of vanilla.
Pairing: Comté St Antione

2011 Dr. Loosen Erdener Treppchen Riesling Kabinett- Subtle and pure  notes of cassis, slate, white orchard fruits as well as a touch of passion fruit.
Pairing: Epoisses De Bourgogne

2008 Clos La Coutale- Smoky berry aromas., dark cherry, plum. Dark fruit, black currants, leading to a smooth plum vanilla finish.
Pairing: Mimolette Cheese

2006 Finca Loranque - Syrah/Tempranillo - Aromas of black fruit , the palate dances with blackberry and raspberry. As the wine opens up plum and dart fruit enter. Finish with soft spice.
Pairing: Manchego Cheese

Taylor Fladgate 2005 Late Bottle Vintage- Fresh intense blackcurrant & cherry aromas with subtle notes of liquorice, spice and raisin. Palate is rich and concentrated black fruit with firm well integrated tannins.
Pairing: Stilton Blue Cheese

I think the two winning wines of the afternoon (if I had to pick from the comments and re-pours) were the 2011 Trumpeter Chardonnay and the 2006 Finca Loranque Syrah/Tempranillo.

I want to thank the Mid Hudson Food & Wine Society for a wonderful afternoon!

The Rutini Portfolio - Good Value, Good Tasting

Two weeks ago I had the opportunity to attend a lunch in New York that featured Rutini Wines with their winemaker Mariano Dipaola.  Rutini has two lines out one being the Trumpeter and the other Rutini.  While I was familiar with the Trumpeter and really like the Torrontes, I wasn't with the Rutini line. Let me tell you both are very nice and affordable!

When I arrived I was greeted by a 2010 Trumpter Torrontes from Mendoza.  Crisp and fresh it had a nose of peaches and a bit lychee.  Hints of mineral latched onto the palate and hi had nice acidity.  Mariano feels this is the best expression of the land.

I was then given a glass of Rutini's 2009 Chardonnay. This was very nicely balanced with aromas of minerals, lime citrus and a little notes of honey and vanilla.  It had a soft butterscotch finish.  (Take note of this, because a post in the future will deal with this wine and a food pairing)

When we sat down for lunch it was more like a dinner.  Five courses all paired with a wine.  The Trumpeter Torrontes was paired with Langostino Encendido which was a grilled spicy prawn and homemade peach chutney.

The Raviolinis de mi Vieja were paired with the 2009 Rutini Chardonnay.  Mariano told us the the grapes sourced for this wine come from the Tupungato region of Mendoza.  It's high in the Andes on an elevation of 300-5--- feet above sea level.  They have hot days and cool nights.  He prefers to make his wine on the minerally side and he's been reducing the oak used.  The aging takes place for 9 months in French oak that is 50% new oak and then he uses barrels that are 1 - 2 years old and goes through 50% malolactic fermentation.

Rutini 2009 Malbec was paired with a Gazpacho which was nice and refreshing.  This wine is made for pleasure.  It's elegant and drinkable and has nice expressions.  The Malbec vineyards are 65 year old vineyards in the San Carlos district. I found aromas of wild berries and vanilla and a palate full of black fruit with a nice black pepper spice finish.  (love that spice finish)

Right about now I was ready for a walk around block but it was time for the beef.  Grass fed short ribs paired with Rutini 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon.  The nose was very complex.  Aromas of coffee, black cherry and chocolate lead way to a palate that had was soft and fruity with a hint of spice.

Free range chicken was next paired with Rutini 2009 Encuentro.  First I was concerned, red wine with chicken, especially this which was a blend of 5 reds, but it went fairly well due to the mushrooms in the chicken and the thyme sauce.  The Encuentro is a blend of 50% Merlot, the rest of the blend is Petit Verdot, Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc.

The last course of the afternoon was grilled grass fed rib eye served with argentine blue vein cheese sauce and grilled asparagus tips paired with Rutini 2009 Apartado.  This wine is 100% Malbec but from three different regions and terrior.  This wine goes under a 20 day fermentation with 100% malolactic fermentation in custom designed conical fermentation tanks for better extraction and phenolic concentration.  Aged for 18 months in new French oak.  Each barrel is fined with one egg white and the wine is unfiltered.  The wine had aromas of cigar box, dark cherry with a silky palate of cherry, coffee, and was very complex.

The Trumpeter line of wines retails around $10 and the Rutini line retails between $20 - $30.

Here is what winemaker Mariano Dipaola has to say about his wines.