Ponzi’s Scheme: Fantastic Oregon Pinots

I know that the title of this post is a little predictable and cheesy, but I can’t help it – there was a slow softball pitched to me and I took full advantage of it. And I’m glad I did, because that means that I can relive my recent experience with Ponzi Vineyards, a pioneering family in the Oregon wine industry. Maria Ponzi, one of the daughters of the founders, current Director of Sales and Marketing, and sister of the winemaker, was recently in DC as part of the Capital Wine Festival. The wines were some of the most complex Pinot Noirs I have tasted in a long, long time. The food was delicious – especially the Pinot-braised pork osso bucco that Chef Mark Timms prepared that was paired with Ponzi’s 2008 Reserve Pinot Noir. The event was another success for the Capital Wine Festival and I am glad I got to spend some time sampling Ponzi’s wines and meeting the people behind them.

Ponzi’s history dates back to the start of the Oregon wine industry – the early 70s - when the Ponzis moved from Northern California with the sole purpose of making Burgundian wine in a cooler climate. Listing to Maria retell the story of her family leaving California to start their winery in Oregon, I was shocked by how piecemeal the whole move seemed. They knew that they wanted to move to Oregon, make wine made with Pinot grapes, and that’s basically it. They were basically making wine out of a garage for much of their history. Knowing how much time, energy, effort and money opening a winery nowadays costs, it’s amazing that the Ponzis gambled on starting a winery in what was then a remote hinterland far removed from the center of the American wine industry.

The gamble paid off, and Ponzi has been making fantastic wines ever since. My favorite wine was their 2008 Reserve Pinot Noir that’s complex and elegant with spiced cherries, licorice and a hint of earth throughout that ends in a long, velvety finish. It was one of several Pinot Noirs sampled, along with a crisp and refreshing Pinot Gris and a fuller-bodied Pinot Blanc that had pears, honeysuckle and floral hints on the nose and palate.

Throughout the dinner, I enjoyed speaking to Maria about her family’s history and the wine that they make. While their wine receives rave reviews from the usual suspects – both Wine Spectator and the Wine Advocate have scored Ponzi wines highly - they are now one of the deans of Oregon’s wine industry. At their core, though, Ponzi is still very much a family business that is run with a start-up’s mentality.

I also kept thinking about how far the Oregon wine industry has come since the Ponzis first arrived to work with cooler climate grapes. Oregon wasn’t anywhere close to being on the wine map then, and it now has a reputation for making some of the best Pinots in the world. Virginia is in a similar situation now. While the state is making some great wine, it is still seen as a novelty, an offshoot of the locavore movement, or the passion of a few dedicated wine enthusiasts. With the same sort of dedication to producing great wines that the early settlers of the Oregon industry had, and with the patience and desire to see the industry flourish, it is only a matter of time until Virginia is as synonymous with Cabernet Franc and Viognier as Oregon is with Pinot varietals.

Washington Wine Academy’s 1K Wine Walk for the Cure of Boring

The Washington Wine Academy’s 1K Wine Walk was not for any cure, cause or awareness raising of any kind. Unless you count awareness of the Wine Academy itself and different wines from around the world. If you do, then it was quite successful. The event was well-attended, and I hope the inaugural Wine Walk was the kickoff to a new annual event on the DC wine calendar.

One of the things I really liked about the Wine Walk was the diversity of wine that was available for participants. There were wines from all over the world – ranging from well-known to more obscure regions and varietals. Virginia wine was well represented with a Viognier, Cabernet Franc and Norton available to taste at the different stops along the walk. I was a fan of the Cono Sur Pinot Noir from Chile, which was a light-bodied, easy drinking and smooth Pinot that was brimming with cherries, raspberries and just the lightest smack of mulling spice to round it out. Another standout was the Jefferson Vineyards Cabernet Franc. Go figure, I liked a Virginia Cab Franc. This one was a nice full-bodied offering that was loaded with spiced cherries, vanilla, and an earthy, smokiness that yielded to a nice, dry finish. I was glad to see Virginia wines mixed in with wines from other regions and not segregated into a Virginia Stop on the walk.

The 1K wine walk is a new offering from The Academy that I hope becomes an annual event. It was certainly popular enough this year – so popular, in fact, that they had to add a second day. Participants ranged from those decked out in running gear - emphasizing the 1K part - to people in wine-tasting gear - including those ridiculous wine glass-holding necklaces – to people who just came out for a fun afternoon of wine tasting.

There is some room for improvement, though. Next year, I would like to see information on where participants can purchase the wine they are tasting. There was no information available to the walkers regarding where to buy bottles this year, nor was it possible to purchase the wine during the event. I am sure a store like Whole Foods or Total Wine would love the partner with the Washington Wine Academy for this event in order to drive a captive audience into their stores.

Overall, the event was a great success that was put on by a great organization. The Washington Wine Academy does a lot to raise awareness of wine in the DC area. From their Movie Nights at the Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse to their weekend Virginia Wine Tours to their more rigorous classes on wine appreciation and scholarship, they stand at the forefront of wine education and wine events in the region.

We All Watched the Game. At Least the Wine was Good

Football is a sport that is intimately associated with beer. The bevy of beer commercials - none of which mention the taste or quality of the product, by the way - during the Super Bowl only reinforces that relationship. There have been many a tailgate, game watch and trips to the concession stand in the stadium where I have been given funny looks, mocked or ridiculed for coming back with wine instead of beer. And those are my friends and family doing the mocking. Still, I prefer wine. Caitlin does, too. And I refuse to drink crappy, watery beer just because I am watching sports.

I get that beer and football go together. Even though I was watching a game between one team I don't particularly like and one team that I could never, ever cheer for as a loyal Bears fan, I watched the game. And I watched the halftime show – poor sound and all. And I watched the commercials. I watched the pregame pomp and pageantry. And I watched Christina Aguilera botch the National Anthem.

I watched it all with a glass of wine in my hand because, to be honest, watching the Packers dominate for most of the game then hoist the Lombardi trophy over their collective heads was painful enough without drinking bad beer. We were drinking wine that I enjoyed but Caitlin wasn’t a fan of: Anakena Single Barrel Rapel Valley Pinot Noir. There was a bit too much spice and earthiness to the wine for Caitlin, which were the characteristics I liked in this wine. For a light-to-medium bodied wine, I appreciated the tobacco, spice and earth flavors that dominated the palate. With a darker color, more spice, and far less berry flavors than many California Pinots I’ve tried, I found the Anakena Single Barrel to be well-balanced, complex and enjoyable, especially for the price.

When Green Bay was doing well, I could think about the tastes and flavors in the wine I was drinking instead of the game I was watching. To be fair, the game was pretty good, especially compared to some other Super Bowls that have been totally lopsided and uninteresting. The exception being, of course, the 46-10 Super Bowl XX beat-down between the Bears and the Patriots, which was awesome.

There were points during this game, and all the coverage leading up to and after the game, that I just didn’t want to watch. During those times, I was glad I was able to have a decent glass of wine that would take my mind off the madness of a Packers championship instead of a weak, watery beer. I made the right choice and am sure that as wine becomes more approachable, more people will, too.

An Unbiased Look at Finger Lakes Reds

To recap what I have said in the past about wine from the Finger Lakes: they make some fantastic Rieslings, a few other notable whites, and their reds tend to be on the light, watery and not terribly interesting side. It really wasn’t all that long ago when the difference between a New York white and a New York red may just as well have been a few drops of food coloring. There is a good reason why most people—myself included—are skeptical of reds from the Finger Lakes, namely that for a long time, they haven’t been very good.

As the region’s wine industry continues to evolve, some of the reds produced in the Finger Lakes are starting to hold their own. Heart and Hands Winery, for example, is focused on producing a high-quality pinot noir. They produce two types of non-sparkling wines: Riesling and pinot noir. Pinot is, if not an obsession, certainly, an area of intense focus for this small winery. Their obsession is starting to pay off in the form of a medium-bodied, silky pinot that has both fruity and spicy notes with a great, satisfying finish. As a young winery that is taking an extremely focused approach, Heart and Hands sets a good example for what Finger Lakes reds can be.

Anyela’s Winery is also doing their part for the red wine cause. Like Heart and Hands, Anyela’s is relatively new. And like Heart and Hands, Anyela’s makes very good reds for the region. Heart and Hands has very much of a “work-in-progress” feel to it—from its grounds that under construction to its pinot noir obsession which is nowhere near exhausted. Anyela’s demonstrates what is possible when good wines and beautiful, natural settings come together. No wonder why Caitlin and I held our rehearsal dinner here.

Perched atop Skaneateles Lake, the inside of the winery looks like a grown-up’s clubhouse with big, comfortable chairs, a central fireplace, wine barrel tables and natural wood walls. Panoramic views of the vines and the lake are available from just about everywhere. To top it off, their wine’s good, too. Taking a page out of Heart and Hands’ playbook, Anyela’s produces a pinot noir—and a very good one at that. There is an initial sweet and mellow aroma and fruit-forward taste of raspberry that evolves into a pleasant smoothness and finally finishes with hints of figs and exotic spices.

Another red that Anyela’s offers is their very approachable and drinkable Overlay blend. Comprised of 35% Cabernet Franc, 15% Pinot Noir, 20% Shiraz, and 30% Merlot; this thick, jammy, velvety red could, in a blind test, have people convinced they were drinking something from Napa Valley. I lost track of how many people complimented us on the wine served during our rehearsal dinner, and how impressed they were that it was local.

I would be remiss if I didn’t also mention Goose Watch Winery. They have been around for longer than either Heart and Hands or Anyela’s, but are also contributing to the Finger Lakes red march towards respectability. We served their chambourcin at our wedding. The deep, ruby red color and thick, well-rounded aromas of dark fruit and hints of leather, cherries and oak went perfectly with the steak that was served.

Heart and Hands, Aneyla’s and Goose Watch all serve as the exception, and a good example, for the caliber of reds that the Finger Lakes region can produce. With the influx of new wineries opening up in the area, let’s hope at least some of them put the same amount of care and effort into producing interesting, well-made reds.

Thanksgiving in The Finger Lakes

First and foremost, an apology for not having posted recently. The good news is I have collected many anecdotes from Virginia wineries regarding how they celebrated Virginia Wine Month and am compiling those stories and will write a much-belated summary of how wineries fared during October soon.

Second, I have read, and will write a post reviewing The Wine Trials in the near future as well. It is a fascinating book with some very good suggestions for some stellar wines for under $15. Pick up a copy, or wait for the Beltway Bacchus Book Review that will be coming soon...

Finally, with Thanksgiving having just passed, and most of us now in serious leftover mode, I hope everyone had a pleasant holiday and were able to pair their traditional Thanksgiving meal with good wine. We spent the holiday with Caitlin’s family in the Finger Lakes. There was lots of family, more food, and plenty of wine that Caitlin picked up after perusing the list of recommended wines from the Wine Trials.

The standout wine, in my opinion, was Gnarly Head’s Old Vine Zin 2007. The 2007 zin is medium-bodied with a spiciness that worked well to accentuate the tastes of the traditional Thanksgiving foods. I especially enjoyed this wine with the mashed sweet potatoes, where the wine’s kick was nicely balanced by the sweetness and butteriness of the dish, and with the stuffing and gravy - because who doesn’t like stuffing and gravy?

Although zinfandel is not necessarily the first varietal people think of when they think of wines for Thanksgiving - I would wager that most people assume that the white meat of the turkey would good well with a white wine - introducing reds that are a bit bolder make for an even more interesting meal. The zinfandel certainly worked well, if not better, then the Mirassou Pinot Noir that was also served and is another of the recommendations from the Wine Trials. I found that the silkiness and fruitiness of the Mirassou did not go as well with the heavy food, though it is still a fine-drinking red in its own right.

Teriyaki Flank Steak, Baked Potatoes and a Decent Pinot Noir = Deliciousness

Sundays are for grilling. As I have mentioned in a previous post, I rely on the trusty bucket grill from Crate and Barrel because a) it is a real grill, b) it saves me the indignity of trying to cook a full meal on the Foreman and c) even though Arlington prohibits gas or coal grills on balconies, the bucket grill is easily portable. It allows me to combine convenience with the ability to cook things over an actual fire. I like this. And, as I noted, Sundays are the best day to do this. I’ll leave it to either science or religion to determine why that is, but there really s no better way to observe the Sabbath than to throw some meat over an open flame, and serve it with wine and potatoes.

In this case, the potatoes were baked, covered in spray butter, sour cream and cheese (known as a light snack back in the Midwest) and the wine was a Ropiteau Dupuis 1848 Vin de Pays D’Oc 2008 Pinot Noir. I did not find this exact wine on their website, but it is a decent, reasonably priced and enjoyable pinot. Maybe I am biased towards New World, specifically Central Coast and Oregon pinots, but this one wasn’t bad. In my experience, French pinots lack that certain something that makes New World pinots so interesting. I stopped myself from writing that they lacked a certain je ne se qua because then I would have had to punch myself. And with its price point around $10 means that it can serve as a good red wine to bring with you on a picnic or bring as a gift to party if you want to bring a distinguished-looking, yet inexpensive bottle for the host. 

The Ropiteau was a good, albeit very light, pinot noir that would compiment lighter fare much better than the red meat that we paired it with. I couldn’t help but think that it was missing something. It looks and smells like a pinot, but there was a certain lightness, thinness even, that makes the wine more complimentry to chicken or fish than the steak that we had.