A Wine Indiana Jones would Love

The label description reads like a plot line to one of the title character's eponymous movies:

"Located in the Calchaqui Valleys of Salta in Northwest Argentina...The estates range in altitude from 1700m - 2700m above sea level, which makes them among the highest vineyards in the world."

Rugged, inky and leathery. This is not  the typical fruit-bomb Malbec

The label does such a good job of describing the remote, high-altitude growing region where the Colome Estate Malbec comes from that it doesn't even mention that the wine is made with fruit grown on pre-phyllexora vines that are over a 150 years old.

So yes, Indiana Jones, if he were a wine drinker, would enjoy the Colome 2010 Estate Malbec - and not only because it would be an adventure just to get to the winery. It is also one of those very masculine wines that if full-bodied, earthy and heavy that's perfect after a long day of treasure hunting and Nazi fighting.

"Here, Dad. Try this Malbec. It'll make you feel better" 

I was intrigued when I read a description of Colome because of both its growing altitude and that it comes from vines that are over a century old. Since I am usually an inexpensive Malbec drinker - one who rarely spends more than $10 for a bottle and usually select it for its versatility and crowd appeal - I was expecting a wine of similar, but more complex, flavors.

What I discovered when I tried the Colome was quite the opposite. While there was some dark fruit present, the flavors were way more hearty and the fruit more subtle. "Inky," "leathery" and "earthy" were my first impressions. The wine does open up in the glass, and given that this is a big and bold wine, it is also incredibly well-balanced after opening up a bit.

Not only that, but the Colome is another of a rare breed of wines that shows what a good Argentine Malbec can be if you are willing to spend a little bit more on the bottle. The other one in this rarefied club is the Serrera Malbec, which I have written about previously. Both show the full potential of the Malbec grape, though is totally unexpected when compared to most people's idea of what a Malbec "should" taste like.

Colome Estate Malbec is a great conversation wine. It has a great story, an exotic growing location, and most importantly, is an interesting and enjoyable wine to drink.

Special thanks goes to Jim Caudill at The Hess Collection - the owners of Colome - for providing me with such an enjoyable sample!

Super Bowl of Wine

It looks like the chicken wing crisis has been averted and America's drinking and snacking will continue unabated tomorrow during the Super Bowl. While that crisis has not come to pass, the crisis of faith - whether or not to show up to a party with wine or not - will continue. Given that there are now breweries spending millions of dollars convincing beer drinkers that they are using a "chalice" rather than a "glass," now is the time for wine drinkers to enjoy the game as full participants. 

This year, more than previous Super Bowls, is the perfect opportunity to show up at a party with a bottle of wine or offer it to your own guests. San Francisco is the home team for some of the best winemaking regions in the world. Baltimore is Robert Parker's home team. Given that this year's game pits brother against brother a la the House of Mondavi and this year is the perfect opportunity for wine lovers to show all those chalice-sippers that wine is as good - if not better - than beer when combined with game day foods. 

And speaking of wine, what kind of wine should you bring or serve? Zinfandel is always a crowd pleaser and works great with BBQ and spicier foods. Considering that you can get a decent bottle for $10 or under and a really good bottle for $15 or other, you really can't go wrong. 

Other options are Shiraz, Cotes du Rhone or Chilean Merlot, all of which will appeal to a wide array of people and all of which cost you about $9 for an enjoyable bottle. Chilean Merlot has been my go-to wine recently, and given its cost-to-value ratio, unique flavor profile and wide appeal, is a great option for anyone who wants to enjoy the game and a glass of wine at the same time. 

Big Pippin

View from the Porch at Pippin Hill

Recently I was cleaning out some of the junk in our garage to make room for more baby gear and I came across an empty bottle of Pippin Hill's Summer Farm Rose. I had meant to write about the wine and the winery back in rose season, and clearly I haven't. Seeing the bottle reminded me of how much we enjoyed our time at Pippin Hill winery over the summer. Although a newer winery, Pippin Hill is fast becoming a popular destination in its own right. And why shouldn't it? It has some of the most spectacular views of any winery in the Commonwealth - as captured both by my amateur hand as well as the professionals they had populate their website with beautiful photos. 

Of course, being such a scenic location can have its drawbacks. Too often the quality of the product suffers when the location can't be beat. Luckily, that is not the case with Pippin Hill. Their wines are quite good - with the rose, Cabernet Franc and Merlot Reserve being the key standouts. I particularly liked the Merlot Reserve with its abundance of dark fruit, oak and cedar flavors, it gave me a new appreciation for Virginia Merlot. 

After a long day of tastings, I go for an artsy shot

Of course, the drawback of making wine in a beautiful setting is that the place can get packed on the weekend. Couple this with the fact that Pippin Hill pushes its wedding packages heavily and you may find yourself in a situation where you aren't able to sit and enjoy the wines and the scenery. Not to bemoan Pippin Hill's success. They are popular because they deserve to be popular given their atmosphere and the quality of their wines that continues to improve. 

Bachelorette parties and weekend throngs aside, Pippin Hill is well worth a trip, and they still are committed to producing good wines. True, there is a link to booking a wedding on their front page, but they're also are water and soil nerds - hyping Pippin Hill's unique terrior and sustainable winemaking practices. Why else would they have one of the most unromantic paragraphs possible on their website: 

"Pippin Hill Farm is underlain by a granitic pre-Cambrian formation that provides a stable foundation. Water is sourced from a sustainable aquifer groundwater. Our soils are comprised of six distinct soil series with an abundance of rich texture: two ancient and four alluvial fans."

I'm glad I found that empty bottle in the garage and hope to get back to Pippin Hill sometime in the future. 

What Would Downton Drink?

I will admit right off the bat that my wife and I are late to the Downton Abby party. As much as I love history, the idea of a period piece focusing on a crumbling British class system that airs on PBS made me skeptical. Luckily, based on the suggestions of many, many people, my wife and I started watching it. We're now hooked.

Yet this is a wine blog, not a TV blog. If you want reviews, spoilers, or gossip about the show, I can't help you. Wine does, however, play a significant role in Downton, hence I have an excuse to write about it. Though we are only about five episodes in, there have been numerous scenes where the butler, Mr. Carson, is seen taking inventory of the estate's wines, decanting bottles and generally preparing wine for meals.

Curious about how often the butler is seen working with wine, I wanted to know if this was simply a plot device of if there is a reason behind it. Over to Wikipedia I went to find the following information about butlers:

"The word "butler" comes from the Old French bouteleur (cup bearer), from bouteille (bottle), and ultimately from Latin. The role of the butler, for centuries, has been that of the chief steward of a household, the attendant entrusted with the care and serving of wine and other bottled beverages which in ancient times might have represented a considerable portion of the household's assets."

So there you have it. Butlers do, indeed have a wine responsibilities. Radical speculation on my part - not tied to the Wikipedia entry - is that this is why many stereotypes surrounding both wine connoisseurs and butlers are similar. With the snobbery, rituals surrounding wine, and condescending attitude towards those who don't share their appreciation or outlook, both butlers and wine enthusiasts seem to be cut from the same cloth. 

And what kind of wine was Mr. Carson inventorying, decanting and serving? Most likely, it was Bordeaux. England was, for centuries, the primary export market for Bordeaux wine, and  specifically the dark rose wine, Claret, was popular. Claret became a catch-all term for Bordeaux wine and even today is used to describe some Bordeaux blends. Most people are probably familiar with Coppola's Claret, which comes in the gold wiring, and is that winery's Bordeaux-style blend. 

Unlike the Clarets that Mr. Carson likely served, which had an appearance that was darker than modern roses but lighter than most Bordeaux, Claret now means "Bordeaux," so any blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot and  Cabernet Franc can be used  - similar to the the term Meritage.

Next time you want to watch Downton Abby with a glass of wine, try something from Bordeaux, or if you want to support Virginia wineries, Cobbler Mountain Cellars produces a nice Meritage blend that would work quite nicely. 

For the Wino on Your List

For anyone who is wondering what to get the wine lover on their list this holiday season, for anyone who is going to ask me the same question over and over again - what should I get the wine lover on my holiday list this year - and for anyone who is thinking of asking me or anyone else what to get the wine lover on their holiday list this season, the answer is very simple... In fact, you have already answered it.

If the questions was, "what should I get the wine-trinket lover this holiday season" or "what should I get the person who loves wine-themed kitchenware this holiday season," the answer may be different. However, I speak for all wine enthusiasts when I say what all wine lovers really want for Christmas is wine.

Yes, that $60 vacu-suck/pump wine opener is neat, but if the person has become the "wine-lover" on your holiday list, they already know how to open the bottle. Similarly, the wine-lover on your list doesn't need a cheap wire frame that is shaped like a wine bottle for their corks, silicon replacement corks that look like Star Wars characters, charms to distinguish wine glasses from one another, a necktie with wine names and labels on them or even bedazzled wine glasses.

All of these purchases seem like a great idea after two or three different wine tastings. That is why every winery on the planet stocks them. But all these gifts, while well-intended, won't be as appreciated and may not even go to use. I have a good-sized box of wine accessories that I have been given over the years tucked away in a closet. I doubt I am alone.

Unless the wine-lover/wino on your list has specifically asked for a new corkscrew, bedazzled wine glasses for special occasions or any number of other wine-related items, get them wine. It will be much more appreciated than any sort of wine-related gift could be.

"But I don't know anything about wine," is a common reply when I tell people to forgo the gimmicks and just give the wine-lover on their list wine. To that, let me just say that it doesn't really matter. It's the thought that counts. If you aren't a wine lover, you aren't expected to be one. Nor are you expected to shell out more than you are comfortable with to get an exclusive wine.

One of the great things about the current state of the wine industry is you can get really good, interesting bottles at just about any price range. I have sung the praises of Chilean Merlot in a previous post. You can get really good bottles of the stuff for under $10. If you are looking to spend a bit more, there are plenty of options under $20, under $30, under $40... You get the point. What's even better, if you are shopping for a wine-lover and know nothing about wine, staff at whichever wine store you go to will be happy to help you.

The few suggestions I would give is stay away from wines with cartoon animals on the label, and during colder months, more people drink reds than whites. Sparkling wines are always a good alternative - and given the growth in cavas from Spain and some really good domestic brands - sparkling wine does not need to be a bank-breaking gift, either.

If you choose to go with the tried and true, Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley, Barolo from Italy, the famed wines from Bordeaux, Burgundy or the Rhone are always great go-tos.

If you want to get your wine-lover something from an less well-known appellation, try Pinot Noir from Oregon, Carmenere from Chile, Malbec/Merlot blends from Argentina, Pinotage from South Africa or Petit Verdot from Virginia.

Whatever you get for the wine-lover on your list, they will appreciate it. It's always easier to find space for another bottle of wine than it is to cram yet another trinket into a box of wine-related gifts of Christmas past.

Wines I'm Thankful For

This time of year, there seems to be a lot of chatter both in the wine blogger world as well as in the dead tree wine press about two topics: great wines for Thanksgiving and great gift wines. The former is a rotating crop of up and coming wines from new regions - one year Malbec from Argentina was the greatest wine ever for Thanksgiving. Rioja, Pinot Noir, Cotes du Rhone and Chianti have all also held that distinction for reds, while Riesling, Gewurztraminer and Torrontes have all had a share of the limelight for white wines for Thanksgiving. Ultimately, these reports all end by saying that people should drink what they like - and maybe get something a little nicer than usual for the occasion.

Holiday gift writing tends to explain why wines in the $30 and up are worth it for non-wine drinkers and explain why certain wines cost what they do and why, for a gift, they are worth it. These usually end with a little joke that the card should indicate that in five years, the giver would be happy to help the recipient drink the gift wine.

To do something little different, I wanted to offer up a list of the types of wines I am most thankful for this year. These are not, necessarily, good wines for Thanksgiving. Nor are any of them really good gift wines unless you are a cheapskate. Rather, these are the wines that I find myself cracking open more often than not on a regular evening, or that I have come to appreciate throughout this last year.

1. Chilean Merlot. Chile and Washington State have put Merlot back on the wine map, and Chilean Merlots - with an abundance of dark fruit, chocolate, spice and earth - almost always punch above their weight. Usually under $10, Chilean Merlots have become some of the best value, versatile, everyday drinking wines out there.

2. Virginia Cabernet Franc. I have written a lot about this wine on this blog, and with good reason. The quality and diversity of the Cabernet Franc produced in Virginia continues to grow and is helping to pave the way wider acceptance of Virginia wines in general.

3. Virginia Viognier. Viognier is doing for Virginia white wine what Cabernet Franc is doing for reds. If word gets out on how good Virginia Viognier really is, it could become a go-to white of choice for Chardonnay drinkers looking for something a bit more complex and aromatic as well as Pinot Grigio drinkers who are looking for more body. With its melon, slate and honeydew flavors, it is also a great brunch wine.

4. Cotes du Rhone. While these wines are still gaining and popularity - and increasing in cost - you can still get some very good ones under $15 that are full of clove, spice and blackberries.

5. Grenacha. Spain's second major red wine varietal is starting to gain attention. While these big, bold and smokey wines can be a little rough around the edges, there are some great values out there - especially if you are looking for bigger, more full-bodied wines that pack a punch and are a great value.

6. Argentine Sauvignon Blanc. Let's face it - California Sauvignon Blanc under $15 is rarely good, and the New Zealand stuff is good, but can be fairly acerbic. Argentina is coming into its own with this varietal. There is still the minerality and slate of the New Zealand stuff, but without the over-abundance of gooseberry that turns some people off. These are great light, crisp and refreshing wines.

7. Blends. While pretty much all wines are blends - you only need 75% of a single varietal to put the name on the label - winemakers are becoming more comfortable to put "red blend" or "white blend" on the label. Of course, Bordeaux is still making great wines which, by law, need to be blended, but the trend is catching on in the New World, too. Blends offer depth and complexity that you can't get otherwise. And as long as you stay away from the overly-sweet blends, there are some really good values available.

All of the wines are simply the ones I have developed a greater fondness and appreciation for this year, and all of them tend to have great cost-to-value ratios. During the season of holiday parties, dinners and happy hours, any of these wines would make great gifts or things to order off the menu that won't break the bank, but will leave you satisfied.

Thank You, Vets!