WEINGARTEN

 
WEINGARTEN #13 OCTOBER 2011
WINE, FINANCE & ASTROLOGY

 
1. WINE NEWS & TRENDS
2. WINE 101 & WINE CLASSES
3. WINE TASTINGS & EVENTS
4. CROTIAN WINE
5. BOOK REVIEWS:
6 THIS AND THAT
7 LETTERS
8. VOTE!
 
1.  Ice, Ice Baby
 
Is Long Island Wine Country Still a Wine Destination?
 
2. When the recipe calls for wine
 
Fun Ways to Learn Your Preferences in Aged Wine
 
ASTOR CENTER: Sommelier’s  Secrets of Wine & Food Pairing  Marnie Old
Class Premise: Food and Wine taste BETTER together then they do alone.                                                                       
 
·                                 European (classical) style wines are made to be enjoyed with meals rather than drinking solo: You betcha!
·                                 Key principle:  1 + 1 = 0  e.g. Salt & Acidity -  High acid and salt together reduce rather than emphasize each other.
Sweetness has the opposite effect of salt; Fat (oils) minimize tannins bitterness.
·                                 Match intensity of wine and food.
 
This was a fun & informative class for foodies and wine neophytes by a fast paced, entertaining and knowledgeable educator.  Here you experience how the taste of wines change with different food combinations (sugar, salt and fat). 
Food and wine matching can be done with Compare (like vs. like) or Contrast principles.  However, it is far easier and less risky to simply match - fewer misteaks are likely!
Note: Astor Center has ideal facilities for wine tasting/education.
 
3. Champagne Tasting, Institute of Masters of Wine, October 13
 
October 4 Amarone Families
Amorone wine is from Northwest Italy (Valpolicella).
Best food pairings: Risotto, meats such as game, lamb, veal and parmesan cheese.
Suggestion: Socialize and Drink Amarone at the end of a meal.
Two Favorites: 
              I.      Speri  Amorone Della Valpolicella Callisco 2007  $80
            II.      Tedeschi Capitel Monte Olmi Amarone Della Classico 2006  $100 was my overall favorite wine and winery.
 
WINEMAKER LUNCH with Carolina Wine Brands Chief Winemaker Andres Caballero
Carolina brands Wine Brands hosted a most delicious and informative dining experience at Le Cirque, matching their wines with delicious Marinated Tuna, Lasagnette of Lamb (with veg medley) and Paupiette of Black Cod: Yummy!
 
My two favorite wines were:
1.                              Reserva Sauvignon Blanc 2011 $10.99 Leyda Valley – This a very good value, inexpensive yet flavorful.
2.                              Herencia Carmenere 2007 $89.99  Colchagua Valley foods – Smooth: Old vines and good for at least 10 years aging. This matches especially well with spicy foods.
 
Memorable quotes from Andres:
·                                                         I choose winemakers by how they do the samba!
·                                                         Lesson from Chilean earthquake: It is better to drink bottles than put them to age in the cellar
Note: Following the 2010 February earthquake,125 Million liters of wine were destroyed.
 
While generally not a great fan of wine brands, wineries like Chile’s Carolina are slowly converting me.  They are continually improving quality and learning how to best express the Terroir of each of their vineyards. Salud!
 
4. IRENE ON CROTIAN WINE
I’ve heard about Croatian wine, but I’ve never actually tried it until my recent trip to Croatia. It’s not that easy to find in a wine store, probably because Croatians consume more wine than they produce.  And the wine drinking culture is very strong: grapes grow all over the country and the majority of restaurants make their own wine.
 
The Croats were the first of invading Slavs to take up the cult of the vine in the 7th century B.C. Croatia hosts more than 100 indigenous grapes – second only to Italy. Hard to decide where to begin the tasting process! It is generally considered that the Plavac Mali grape produces the best red wine. Even though the variety is genetically identical to Zinfandel grapes, Croatians manage to make many different styles from the same grape, varying in body and nose quite significantly.
 
Croatian white wines show a lot of similarity to the whites from Northern Italy, which is not surprising considering the geographical proximity. Among the ones appreciated by locals and international wine lovers alike are Malvazija from Istria and Posip from Korcula. Croatia even has its own version of Prosecco, which comes from Bogdanusa grape variety, and can beat most Italian ones with its delicate nose and balanced acidity.
 
A wine renaissance is occurring in Croatia today. The country and the wine business were both troubled in the past few decades with economic problems, war and phylloxera, but currently the industry is rapidly recovering, and perhaps, in a few more years, we’ll see more wonderful Croatian wine represented in US wine stores.
HW: Personally, I found the Plavac Mali grape far tastier than either Zinfandel or Primitivo and recommend trying it if you are a wine lover of either of these two grapes. However, currently these wines are not generally available in New York.
 
5. BOOK REVIEWS:
Authentic is the New Natural: Reviewing Authentic Wine
A new book by scientist-turned-wine writer Jamie Goode and Master of Wine Sam Harrop, seeks to change the tone of the natural wine debate while adding a voice of reason.
 
6. READER: I like your approach to wine and wondered if you'd be interested in contributing wine reviews to my site?
Cheers, Natalie
HW: Would love to.
Note: Over time I will be posting my wine reviews on this site as well as WEINGARTEN. Natalie Maclean Delicious Wine picks and pairings.
 
READER: A Jerusalem even the biggest wine snob can fall for
HW: Yom Kippur services end with the prayer: “Next year may we be in Jerusalem”- >From your link, it seems Jerusalem can not only spiritually be "the joy of all the earth”!
 
7. Please feel free to forward our WEINGARTEN newsletter to your wine loving friends.
You and they are most welcome to subscribe by emailing wine@afund.com.
Then Vote for My Blog on LocalWineEvents.com!
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Salute
Henry Weingarten 
WEINGARTEN
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