Brew Hops & Wine Stops

Early last year I wrote a blog on the "horrible" hail that plagued parts of Germany, making many vineyard owners worry about their 2011 vintage.  I just received a vintage report from Klaus Dillmann, (Dillmann wines) and thought I'd pass the results of the vintage on. 

Though the hail that fell in late August was quite intense and received a fair amount of publicity, it was restricted to a fairly narrow storm path.  The 2011 vintage had cool, dry, sunny weather in September, which prevented the onset of rot following the hail, and also extended the necessary ripening time with just the right amount of rain, creating ideal conditions for quantity and quality.  Picking began the beginning of October to the middle of November.  An early start meant a long hang-time of more than 120 days.  There was very early bud-break and flowering with this vintage due to the unusually warm spring. The 2011 Riesling is expected to be a structured wine, with more integrated acidity and immediate appeal than the 2010 vintage.

2011 had almost no botrytis and very healthy grapes.  Conclusion:  2011 is a good Kabinett and Spätlese vintage with very few wines from the higher Prädikats.  They don't expect to make an Eiswein this vintage since it's January and temperatures are in the fifties! 

Mosel hillside vineyards

Enjoy the 2011 vintage when it arrives on our shelves.

Marie Griffin, Wine Supervisor, North/West Florida

Several weeks ago I was afforded the opportunity to attend a beer dinner at Charley’s Steakhouse here in Tampa. The event was hosted by Canada’s Unibroue and featured one of their Belgian-inspired beers as an accompaniment to and integral part of the recipe for four separate courses. Between each course was also a nice talk about the upcoming pairing from Unibroue’s Master Brewer, Jerry Vietz. For me, this was a doubly welcome respite from a usual day at work as I geared up to enjoy another hockey season. What could be better than a dinner featuring one of my favorite Canadian breweries?

             The dinner started with Ephemere Cassis, an ABC exclusive, as an aperitif. This served as an excellent wake-up to the taste buds with its crisp, dry, and satisfying mix of sweet and tart. Jerry, as we came to know him, was a very jovial and knowledgeable fellow. He mingled throughout the growing crowd of hungry guests spreading little tidbits of knowledge as he passed, which was also an aperitif of sorts for the little talks he gave between courses. One such tidbit was the proper way to serve a Unibroue beer, which is to tilt the bottle upside down and gently swirl a bit before opening. This serves to reincorporate the yeast that has fallen out of the beer since bottling and bring the flavors the yeast imparts back to the beer. Also, don’t be shy about pouring a nice fluffy head. Eating and drinking should be feasts for all the senses, the head of a beer is not only visually pleasing, but it also releases the aroma of the beer, adding to the full experience.

             With our appetites and anticipation growing the meal began in earnest. The tables were set with a fresh Unibroue glass for each course and the food arrived. Course one was a beautiful onion soup with crostini and parmesan reggiano and provolone cheeses prepared and served with La Fin Du Monde- “The End of the World” in English. The smell was rustic and intense. The play between the soup and the beer was remarkable. The soup brought out sweetness in the beer while the beer served as a light balance to the heartiness of the soup. Even the light mouthfeel of the beer served to complement the thickness of the soup. Jerry’s tidbits this course included a little of the beginning of the brewery to accompany La Fin Du Monde. The company started in 1990 by purchasing an existing brewery and moving it from Lennoxville to their current headquarters of Chambly, which is easier to do in Quebec than starting a brewery from scratch. They were also the first to commercially produce Belgian-style beer in North America with the introduction of Blanche de Chambly.

             The second course was crab encrusted Chilean sea bass served on a cedar plank with a microgreen salad paired with Ephemere Pomme, the more common incarnation of the beer with apples infused. Normally, this beer is fairly sweet on its own, but this pairing brings out a complexity that was never apparent before. The sweetness of the crab shines and brings out the apple peel from the beer and the must and dust from the yeast while the meatiness of the fish rounds out the meal and gives balance and a fullness to the beer. This course was probably the most impressive pairing, as evidenced by the statements from Jerry, who said he does not typically enjoy seafood, especially crab, but the interplay between the crab and the apple notes of the beer were something he, as well as the rest of us, greatly enjoyed.

             It now came time for the steak. This course consisted of a Harris ranch tenderloin fillet marinated in Trois Pistoles (for two days!) with mushroom gravy (also containing the beer) and garlic smashed potatoes paired with Trois Pistoles. I thought this course was the no-brainer of the bunch. Obviously, a world-class steakhouse such as Charley’s would showcase their steaks and what goes better with steak than a nice, rich, dark beer? In fact, leading up to the event, we debated whether it would have been this beer or Maudite (“The Damned”) that would have had the honor of this pairing. The deep, rich flavors of the steak and garlic potatoes bring out the rock candy, caramel, sweet plum, and fig in the beer while the beer likewise accentuated the garlic and wood char on the steak. The sweet mushroom gravy rises above and unites the beer and steak. This is a robust beer perfect for a robust meal. Charley’s is known for their aged steaks and the pairing with a beer that Jerry recommends to be aged (his preference is three years or so) is sublime. Aging a beer is a thought that would never occur to some, but there are styles that were made for the long haul and this is definitely one of them. The flavors will meld together after a period of time, heat from alcohol dies down, and the yeast gets a better chance to carbonate the beer and add a little more complexity to the flavor. Just like a steak.

 The final course came all too soon. Unibroue’s Don de Dieu (“Gift from God”) was paired with a chocolate crème brulee containing the beer and an assortment of fresh berries. Per Jerry’s instruction we took a sip of the beer, then a taste of the dessert, then back to the beer. It was amazing the flavors that came through with this pairing. There were some nice sweet notes of apple and fruit with a hint of barnyard funk. The crème brulee was all chocolate, caramel, and spice- the last presumably from the beer it contained. On its own this is an intense, deep beer. The pairing brings out some of the lighter qualities that are otherwise lost while maintaining the deep, rich fruit and spice notes. And this is where we were, diners pondering the interactions of food and beer, the flavors growing and changing. In the end it was all so simple. Beer is food, why not pair it accordingly?

Beer blogger Stephen Schmitt can be found pairing beer and food at our Gandy Blvd store in Tampa

Coq au vin is one of the most popular of classic French recipes, and for that reason I’m surprised no one has yet presented their take on it on this website – an omission I will happily rectify now.

            Legend traces the recipe back to ancient Gaul at the time of Julius Caesar, but it was never actually documented until the early 20^th century.

            The name coq au vin translates literally as ‘rooster in wine’. The rooster, or cockerel, is a tough old bird, which is why marinating is utilized to make the meat easier to eat and enjoy. Nowadays it is generally accepted that capon (which is a castrated cockerel) or just plain chicken is used. For the finest results you might try Bresse chickens. These are an AOC status chicken from the area of Bresse, in the Rhone-Alpes region of France. They are famed for their deep, gamey flavor, their tender flesh, and their delicious fat. Unfortunately, Bresse chickens are very pricey, and such is the demand for them in France that few are exported abroad. An (also pricey) alternative would be a Canadian Blue Foot chicken, which is raised in a similar way.

            Now for the wine part of the equation: Traditionally a half bottle of Burgundy is used in the recipe (don’t forget to sip on the rest while cooking!), though there are a number of variants – coq au vin jaune from Jura, coq au Riesling from Alsace (sounds interesting!), coq au pourpre which uses Beaujolais-Nouveau, coq au Champagne, etc.

            The dish is prepared with chicken braised in red wine, with lardons of pork, button mushrooms (or morels), onions, and garlic. Sometimes, if the recipe needs to be prepared quickly, a little brandy is also employed. Traditional seasonings – salt, pepper, thyme, parsley, bay leaves – are added, and the juices are thickened either by making a small roux at the beginning, or by adding blood at the end.

            An excellent recipe for coq au vin can be found at www.cuisine-france.com/recipes/coq_vin.htm  

            What wine pairs with coq au vin? A traditionalist might want to try a Burgundy such as René Lequin-Colin Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2009. But Rhone wines also work well and there’s no need to break the bank - try Ch. Cabrières Côte du Rhone Villages 2010 or the delicious Cave de Rasteau Côtes du Rhone Villages Dame Victoria 2010. A good wine from Beaujolais would also pair well. I suggest the Jean Saint Honoré Beaujolais-Villages Les Côtes Saint Cyr 2010.

            When you think about it what’s better to drink with your coq au vin than your favorite red wine?

Bill Stobbs, ABC Wine Supervisor

(Follow me on Twitter at abcwinebills)

On June 6^th 2011 our ABC Wine Team visited the producers at Cave de Tavel, a wine cooperative of 60 growers located in the village of Tavel in the Southern Rhone Valley.

Cave de Tavel is one of the oldest wine co-ops of France. Built in 1937, it produces France’s most famous rosé wine. The 2010 Domaine des Carteresses Tavel Rosé exhibits raspberry, strawberry and fresh lavender aromas and flavors and bright, refreshing, lively finish. This new 2010 vintage is now available at the incredible for Tavel Rosé price of $12.99.

The 2010 Lirac, Les Acanthes ($12.99) from Cave de Tavel is the new find; all hand-picked fruit from selected parcels, the wine is a blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre and exhibits bright ruby color and aromas evolving from crushed red berries and cherry to blueberry and blackcurrant; the fine tannins are well present and the finish is long lasting. Decant for an hour before serving with your favorite Italian pastas, grilled meats and other Mediterranean style dishes.

Atanas Nechkov, Wine Supervisor, Central Florida

Follow me on Twitter @abcwineatanas

Had a memorable dinner in the last week, with some very good friends. A week ago Friday night, friends that live in Amelia Island, Florida, were entertaining two friends of theirs from Seattle, whom they had known for over 30 years. We have our occasional dinner parties and with Michael and his wife in town it was a good time to get together. Vince and his wife Holly, who hosted the dinner, are and have been friends of the grape for many years and have accumulated some very nice wines through the years. So it is always sure to be a night of good company, delicious food and great wine, and this night was just that.

 As I was greeted at the door, a glass of Champagne was in my hand nearly before the gift of flowers had left…not a bad trade. As we sipped, nibbled and caught up with each other’s lives the two bottles of Laurent Perrier Brut were soon quite empty. Dinner at Vince’s is about the wine, but he always prepares a fantastic meal that sometimes gets lost in the shuffle, but this was, as usual, a perfectly prepared meal. So after a cool salad of sliced tomato, fresh mozzarella, basil, Kalamata olives and olive oil a bottle of 2005 Kistler “Kistler Vineyard” Chardonnay was opened. What a beautiful expression of California Chardonnay, rich with citrus, pear, mineral and spice flavors. This golden-colored, elegant wine had an incredibly long finish and wowed us all. While we finished the Kistler, the medium rare, bone-in beef tenderloin, gnocchi w/wild mushrooms and the hericot verts were served with the magnum bottle of 1991 Dominus. If any one of your “they can’t make Bordeaux-like wines in California” friends were ever to taste the ’91 Dominus, they would quickly change their mind. This is truly an amazing bottle of  California Cabernet Sauvignon. After being decanted for an hour or two the hugely concentrated aromas poured out. This wine is getting better as it goes, I had a bottle of the 1991 six or seven years ago and it is every bit as good or even better. I can see now why the French judges picked California Chardonnay & Cabernet over the French wines in the 1976 tasting in Paris.

 Oh, and the meal was phenomenal. Vince and Holly, as always were the consummate host & hostess and we all had a memorable evening. I don’t know if I will get a chance to try the ’91 Dominus again, but I would really like to see how it tastes in another five or so years…what a wine! If you have had one of those wine dinners that you want to share, blog back.

Until then, Cheers!

 Ken Amendola, Wine Supervisor, North Florida

Follow me on Twitter @abcwinekena

For more than ten years now, Nadia Galati has been importing the finest Italian wines to sunny Florida. Some of the first wines to find their way into our stores courtesy of Nadia were the wines of La Calonica.

The La Calonica estate was founded in 1973 by the Cattani family. The property covers about 45 hectares in the municipalities of Montepulciano and Cortona. [Cortona is the town where Frances Mayes' bestseller,"Under the Tuscan Sun" takes place.] Since 2002 La Calonica Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG, Girifalco Cortona DOC and Cortona Sangiovese DOC have been staples of our Italian portfolio.

Last year our wine buyer, Brad Lewis, spoke with Fernando Cattani about expanding our selection of Italian wines. Fernando crafted two wines from his Capanne Vecchie vineyard. One a blend of 80% sangiovese and 20% cabernet sauvignon; the other 80% sangiovese and 20% merlot. If you are a fan of Tuscan wines and have not had a chance to taste these two gems your wait is over.

Fernando's son, Giovanni will be arriving in Florida on February 8th. He will be in our Boca Raton store on the 8th from 6 to 8 PM sampling his wines and answering any questions you might have. He will then be making stops in Naples, Orlando and Palm Coast in the coming days before heading back to Italy. [See our website for specific dates and times].
Capanne Vecchie Sangiovese-Merlot and Capanne Vecchie Sangiovese-Cabernet Sauvignon. Incredible values at $12.99 each.

Paul Quaglini

My next set of blogs will be a “beers of the world” series where I will try a different beer from every country I can find.  Today I travel to beautiful Italy to sample Birra Moretti.  Birra Moretti is brewed from Udine, Italy and is a Euro Pale Lager style.  The story about the cover art (a green suited man in a matching fedora about to quaff a tall, frothy mug of Birra Moretti) goes like this: in 1942 the brewers happened upon the gentleman at a local Trattoria (Italian eatery) and thought he captured the essence of the beer.  They immediately requested his image for the bottle and his only desire was another Birra Moretti.

 Appearance: I am serving this well chilled in my Samuel Smith tumbler.  It pours a bright straw yellow color with an eggshell white, two finger head.  The body remains lively with many tiny bubbles continuously rising to the top.

Smell: There are mild malty aromas and some graininess.

 Taste: It is light and creamy like a cream ale style with a cereal grain flavor and a honey after taste.  There is very little hoppiness with a hint of grassy and citrus notes.  This can be a decent session lager.

Look for Birra Moretti as well as Moretti La Rossa, a doppelbock rumored to be one of the best beers with pizza, at your local ABC store.

Adam Shugan

Beer blogger Adam Shugan is also the manager of our Silver Springs Blvd, Ocala, store.

Andalucía.  Anytime someone mentions the name, a big, impish grin comes to my lips. Why? Why indeed.  There are many aspects of my job that I truly love (and like everyone, there are some I do not).  But all things being equal, I consider myself to be very fortunate.  My profession affords me the opportunity to travel in wine country, and often to magical places.  Andalucía, the land of Sherry, Tapas, and Flamenco is undoubtedly one of them.   Add one more delightful facet to this list: Malaga.  

 

One of the oldest in the world, Malaga is a city along the sunny Spanish Costa del Sol.  But it is also an official wine denominacion, named after the sweet dessert wine bearing the same name.  I had a chance to experience both last July with a visit to the Jorge Ordonez & Co winery.  Jorge Ordonez, a Malaga native, is most noted here in the US as an importer of quality Spanish wines.  However, since 2004 he and his sister Victoria also run a family winery in Axarquia, located on the steep slopes above the city.  The winery was started as a joint venture with the late Austrian winemaker Alois Kracher and his family.  Today the wines are made by Alois’ son, Gerhard. 

The significance of Jorge Ordonez & Co in the area cannot be understated.  Prior to its founding, Malaga wine had almost disappeared – a victim of the phylloxera epidemic at the end of the 19^th century.  Until recently, its Moscatel grapes (a.k.a. Muscat of Alexandria) were primarily used to make raisins, not wine.  The little wine that was still made at the time was often of marginal quality.  Jorge, Victoria and Alois managed to change the minds of the local raisin growers into selling their grapes to the winery for the purpose of once again making quality Malaga.  Currently, there is a quality wine production revival in the area. 

 

Gerhard makes just five wines, all from 40 to 100 year old Moscatel vines.  The portfolio includes the 2010 Botani, a dry Sierras de Malaga white and four dessert-style Malagas.  Tasting all of them with Victoria Ordonez revealed wines with amazing purity, richness and depth.  The Botani was crisp, fragrant, refreshing and delicious – the perfect match with the fresh local seafood we had at a cozy beach-side restaurant.  Each of the dessert Malagas was a procession in intensity and opulence.  Here are my tasting notes from the afternoon:

Seleccion Especial 2008: Gold rim, with exotic pineapple & grape nose.  Rich apricot, golden currant, mineral and Valencia Orange on the palate. Nice acidity. Superb.

Victoria 2008: Made with partially air-dried grapes.  Gold rim with green glints, deeply rich nectar with mango, apricot, tangerine, acacia blossom and minerals.  Long finish.

Old Vines 2008: Deep golden hue with slight burnish rim.  Flavors and aromas of golden raisin, apricot, sweet spice with good acidity. Thick texture but not cloying.  Big finish.  Awesome wine.  Made from 80 to 100 year old vines.

Esencia 2006: Air-dried grapes barrel fermented in French Oak.  Deep gold rim, with heady floral and exotic tropical fruits on the nose. Palate is dense with orange marmalade on brioche, saffron, all-spice, crème brûlée, caramel, white chocolate, and apricot. Extremely thick but with lovely acidity. Exceptionally long finish.

Jim Greeley, Wine Supervisor, SW Florida

Follow me on Twitter @abcwinejimg

One of my favorite things during December, besides work and the actual holidays themselves, is the food and wine. We upgrade both, and it helps make the month more memorable.

 One of my favorite things during the month of January, oddly, is that we come back down to the ground, getting back to regular food and everyday wines. As wonderful as it may sound, I think I would become numb to the actual quality if I were to consume top flight wines all the time. Enjoying everyday wines is fun too, and it reminds you to appreciate the better wines even more when you do find a good reason to open them!

Some terrific everyday wines to try this month might include  Cave de Tavel Lirac “Les Acanthes” 2010.  Brad Lewis, our wine guru, reviewed this one in his January newsletter, commenting "We tasted this wine last June before Vinexpo and were impressed by the quality level for the price.  The blend is 45% Grenache, 40% Syrah and 15% Mourvèdre.  The high proportion of Syrah and Mourvèdre creates a wine with deep purple color, blackberry and spicy pepper notes, a richness in the middle that is rare at this strata and a bright, lively finish." At around $13, it's a good value.

Our Alliance wines--French red and white--blended by Brad Lewis with one of our French winery partners, are terrific Bordeaux values that are around $10 a bottle (750ml). The Alliance red is 60% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot, with forward fruit of currant and plum with medium body and a balanced, round finish. The white is 72% Sauvignon Blanc, 20% Sémillon, and 8% Muscadelle cold-fermented in stainless steel with no malolactic fermentation. It gets tropical fruit notes from the high percentage of Sauvignon Blanc, some roundness from the Semillon and a bit of flower in the aroma from the Muscadelle.

Shayne Hebert, Central Florida Wine Supervisor

Austrian wines are mostly dry white wines made from Grüner Veltliner grape.  About 30% are red, made from Blaufränkisch, (also known as Lemberger)  Pinot Noir, and Zweigelt.  After World War I, Austria was the third largest wine producer in the world, much being exported in bulk for blending with wine from Germany and other countries.

In 1985 a limited number of Austrian wineries illegally adulterated their wine with diethylene glycol (primary ingredient used to make anti-freeze).  Several poor harvests produced grapes that were "light and acidic" making them unsaleable.  Using diethylene glycol gave the wine sweetness and body! It's said the anti-freeze scandal was discovered when one of the producers tried to claim the cost of the chemical on his tax return! After this whole mess came to a head, the Austrian wine industry suffered for a few years, but in the long term it compelled them to tackle low standards in bulk wine production and reposition itself as a producer of quality wine that can be compared with the best in the world. Today, in fact, Grüner Veltliner is one of wine's rising stars, rivalling wines like Riesling as a food-friendly alternative to traditional favorites.

Austria is also the home to Riedel, makers of some of the most expensive crystal wine glasses in the world.  The company has been owned by the same family for more than 250 years.

Marie Griffin, West Florida Wine Supervisor

 In Florida, you're going to find Roscoe's Hop House ales only at ABC Fine Wine and Spirits, so we handed some to beer guru Stephen Schmitt at our Gandy (Tampa) store and asked him to taste.

Roscoe's Hop House Amber Ale

• Gold Medal "Exceptional" - World Beer Championship, 2009


• 88 Points "Highly Recommended" - World Beer Championship, 2011


• 86 Points/ Best Buy - Wine Enthusiast, March 2010

Stephen's notes: Smells mostly of sweet grain with a little citrus. The taste is mostly sweet bread with some citrus and pine hanging around.

Roscoe's Hop House Pale Ale

• Gold Medal - Monde Selection, 2011


• Silver Medal  - World Beer Championship 2011


• 86 Points "Highly Recommended"
  86 Points - Wine Enthusiast, June 2010

Stephen's notes: Pours amber with a light head. Citrus, lemon zest, and pine up front. This has a great citrusy nose. Pine resin, citrus, and some sweet tangerine are the start of the show. This is a great beer to pair with food. 

Roscoe's Hop House IPA

• 86 Points "Highly Recommended"
  Silver Medal  - World Beer Championship 2011

Stephen's notes: Pours light amber with a white head. The nose is light with whispers of citrus and a hint of pine. There is a healthy dose of pine resin up front with some citrus hanging around. Unsurprisingly, pine dominates the finish.  

At last – the New Zealand wines I’ve been waiting for have arrived!

            It’s been almost a year since my wine trip to New Zealand and long time readers of this blog may remember my seven-part missive on this Antipodean Adventure! But now – finally – after a good ten months’ waiting, ABC has received the wines that were among the very best that I tasted and they are now available at your local ABC store – Elephant Hill Hawkes Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2010 ($20) and Elephant Hill Central Otago Pinot Noir 2009 ($32). To make it more special – ABC is currently the only retailer in the U.S. to offer these great wines!

            Allow me to refresh your memory about these wines by quoting from part of my previous blog ---

I was sitting on my hotel room balcony in Napier, sipping on some spring water, listening to Van Morrison, and looking out over Hawke’s Bay. Brad and Alex had gone to the beach across the street for a swim. It was a sunny late afternoon with temperatures around 80 degrees F, and I was quite content to relax, read an occasional line or two of my book, and soak in the scenery. At six o’clock we were going to be picked up and taken to our final appointment in New Zealand.

We were met promptly at six by Günter Thies – who was a longtime business friend of Brad’s from Günter’s days at Schloss Schönborn in the Rheingau – and who was now Managing Director of Elephant Hill Estate and Winery here in Hawke’s Bay. When Günter heard that Brad was visiting New Zealand he extended a warm invitation for us all to come and visit the winery. So we dutifully climbed into his Rolls Royce – you just know you’re in for a special visit when you’re picked up in a Rolls! – and headed for the coastal village of Te Awanga.

Elephant Hill was the result of owners Reydon and Roger Weiss visiting the area in 2001 and falling in love with it. Together they envisioned creating a state-of-the-art winery that produced world class wines. The first plantings were made in 2003 and their first vintage was as recent as 2008. Cooled by nearby Pacific Ocean sea breezes – the winery is as coastal as you can get – and warmed by long sunshine hours and low rainfall, the wines show wonderful purity and elegance, rich concentration, and a lively acidity. The grapes are 100% hand-picked and 100% sustainably farmed. Walking around the winery you immediately get the impression that every detail has to be just right.

(Günter Thies and Brad Lewis at Elephant Hill)

But Elephant Hill is not just a state-of-the-art winery in a gorgeous coastal setting. It is also a renowned restaurant that was a finalist in Cuisine’s 2010 NZ Restaurant of the Year Awards.

We sat in the comfortable sunken lounge where we were met by winemaker Steve Skinner who was to join us for dinner, and tasted a couple of wines. Günter and Steve could not have been more gracious, and from our first sip we knew that the wines were something special.

It was a beautiful evening so we sat out on the huge terrace that hugs the restaurant and ordered dinner. Everything was so relaxed and yet meticulously organized. The food was excellent, as were the wines we sampled.

By the time we finished, the sun had set behind the mountains and now the faces of the many guests were warmed in the glow of soft candlelight – or perhaps it was the wine. Feeling fully content with so much excellent food and wine, we said our thank yous, climbed back into the Rolls and returned to our hotel, agreeing to meet Günter again in the morning. And so I sat once more on my balcony, at midnight, sipping on some spring water and listening to the silence and the soft roll of the surf before going to bed.

(With Gunter Thies, Elephant Hill)

Bill Stobbs, West Coast Wine Supervisor

Follow me on Twitter @abcwinebills

The 2009 Château Cabrières Châteauneuf du Pape is now available at your favorite ABC store!!!

Don’t miss out on one of the best wines from Châteauneuf du Pape currently available from the outstanding 2009 vintage. Robert Parker rated the 2009 Château Cabrières Châteauneuf du Pape red 89-91 points and acknowledged that this large 70 acres “could be one of the leaders of the appellation”.

A blend of 65% Grenache, 15% Syrah, 12% Mourvedre, and  8% Cinsault, when I tasted it the 2009 Château Cabrières Châteauneuf du Pape exhibits dark, saturated ruby color and aromas and flavors of black cherry, cassis, blue flowers and black pepper; full-bodied with solid tannins and  a long-lasting finish.

 The wine requires a proper decanting for at least an hour before consumption or could be cellared for extended aging for up to 10 years.

 It is offered at $29.99 and selling fast!!

At the same time check out the 2010 Château Cabrières Cotes du Rhone ($15.99), a personal favorite of mine.

Santé!

Atanas Nechkov, Central Florida Wine Supervisor

follow me on Twitter @abcwineatanas

What a wonderful word to a football fan: the NFL playoffs leading up to the Super Bowl™ on February 5^th, the holy grail of events for a sports fan. It’s still early in the process; we won’t know who’ll be in the game for a couple of more weeks, but rest assured whichever two teams meet, the entire country and much of the sports world will be glued to their flatscreens to see who will walk away with the Lombardi Trophy. And though cheering for your favorite team has usually been with a cold beer in your hand, there are plenty of good wine choices to go with your next football party. Here are two wines that will go with just about any bowl game foods.

 The first is a really fun red wine called Dalliance from the Lake County winery Shannon Ridge. This wild blend of Zinfandel, Tempranillo, Syrah, Barbera and Grenache is a fruit-forward, lip-smacking, flavor-packed bottle of wine that takes all the snobbery out of wine drinking. I remember drinking wine thirty years ago, watching football on Monday nights with friends at my downtown apartment. They would be knocking back Bud Lights and a buddy of mine and I would be drinking a bottle of something red. I think back to those days and wish I’d had a bottle of this to quaff.

   Another fun wine to try is a white wine from a South African winery, Graham Beck, a blend of Chenin Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc. This medium bodied white has bright fruit flavors of grapefruit, apricot with a touch of residual sugar that makes it a delight to open and pour. These wines are both priced around $10 or so, and are neither complex nor pretentious, just really a joy to drink and very food friendly. So, when game day comes around, you don’t have to immediately grab for a can of beer; instead, try these two wines. You will see that they both will go great with any chips, dips, sandwiches or food platters you may find at the buffet.

Ken Amendola

Wine Supervisor, North Florida

I recently attended a seminar in Miami conducted by the Consortium of Morellino di Scansano. If your first thought is what the heck is "Morellino di Scansano," you are not alone. And that is precisely why this group of Italian winemakers traveled to south Florida to promote their wines.

For those readers who don't know much about this hidden Italian gem, here is a quick rundown. Morellino di Scansano is a DOCG wine made from at least 85% sangiovese grapes. Up to 15% of other allowed Tuscan grapes are permitted. The wines are commonly labeled as coming from the "Morellino" grape but this is simply a dialect word for sangiovese. The majority of the vineyards are on hillsides that surround the medieval village of Scansano. Wine has been produced here since Etruscan times. It was very popular in the 1800s but fell out of fashion. Today Morellino di Scansano is heavily overshadowed by the more popular Tuscan wines such as Chianti and Brunello di Montalcino. These facts combine to make Morellino di Scansano a very affordable alternative.

At the seminar, eleven different winemakers presented their wines in a classroom setting. As the wines were poured, the room filled with the aromas of ripe cherry fruit and plums characteristic of their Tuscan heritage. All of the wines showed well and each was distinctly different, depending on what complementary grapes were used, as well as the use of oak for aging.

While I thoroughly enjoyed several of the wines, my favorite of the afternoon was one of the lighter examples. The Rinaldone dell'Osa Morellino di Scansano 2010 was just fresh and delicious. (Ask your local wine consultant for the Querciarossa. At just $13 it's a great value, too.) Comprised mainly of sangiovese with a small amount of ciliegiolo [a native Tuscan grape], this wine had an intense nose of cherries and licorice with great acidity on the palate. 

This wine sees no oak aging and tastes even better slightly chilled. Try it with grilled, herb-marinated swordfish. Sorry, no ocean whitefish dinner this time.

Paul Quaglini

Welcome to California’s Napa Valley, where you can find some of the world’s finest wines and...beer?  That is right, tucked in the midst of lush, sun-drenched vineyards bursting with deep purple bunches of cabernet grapes lies Napa Smith Brewery.  They offer a CCOF certified organic India Pale Ale, which I will now sample.

Appearance: I am serving this well chilled in my Strongbow tumbler.  It pours a rich pinesap color with a nice tight head.  The brew stays hazy as I hold it up to the light.

Smell: big grapefruit notes with some hints of butterscotch and faint pine resin.  It is actually very similar to a barleywine.

Taste: sweet candied dark fruit seems to dominate with piney and floral hops. The taste is good but unbalanced.  The hops seem to be all over the place.  The finish is dry with faint hop oils.

This was a decent IPA with some nice flavor, just needs a little cleaning up.  The bottle states it can be paired with curry, Buffalo wings, and aged blue cheese.    Look for other Napa Smith brews at your local ABC.

Beer blogger Adam Shugan lives and breathes craft beer in north central Florida. He's also the manager of our Silver Springs Rd, Ocala, store.

Follow us on Twitter @abcbeercountry

Happy New Year!!!!  Yes, I know that 2012 is already well underway and, no, I didn’t just awake from a post-Christmas, Rip Van Winkle-like slumber to discover the New Year’s Day fanfare had already arrived and left town.   My apologies to y’all, but it seems that the current blog posting lineup had me on hiatus during the final week of '11.  So I’m a little behind in wishing everyone all the best.  

Anyway, what better way to celebrate the first “week” of the New Year than to recall one more golden nugget from the recently departed Old Year: my list of the Top 5 most exquisite new wines tasted by yours truly during 2011! (Go ahead and admit it, you were waiting with bated breath, weren’t you?)  :-)

Without further ado (drum roll please), here’s my semi-professional and completely biased opinion:

5) Cave de Rasteau Cote du Rhone Rosé Les Rastellans 2010

Dry rosés from the south of France are all the rage lately, especially here in Florida.  They offer wine lovers the perfect combination of refreshment, flavor intensity and food pairing flexibility.  They're terrific values as well and this wine is no exception.  I had an opportunity to visit this well-run cooperative in Rasteau and tour its vineyards back in 2005.

4) Cicchitti Malbec Emkem Mendoza 2006

Malbec is the crown jewel of red grapes in Argentina and this delicious wine is representative of the best from the Mendoza region: violet aromas, rich plum-skin fruit with the unique warm fig sauce mid-palate that is Mendoza Malbec’s calling card.  It received a 90 point rating from the Wine Advocate.

3) Bodegas Altanza Lealtanza Rioja Reserva Especial 2004

A sensational Rioja Reserva from a benchmark vintage, this wine will reward short-term cellaring.  The winery is located in Rioja Alta in the tiny village of Fuenmayor.  93 points, Wine Advocate

2) Finca Sandoval Salia 2008

I had the pleasure of tasting this wine with winemaker Victor de la Serna over a scrumptious lunch at Las Rejas Restaurante in La Mancha.  Not only is Señor de la Serna a very talented winemaker, he is also one of Spain’s most respected wine writers.  Salia is his entry level wine, and the 2008 (a blend of Syrah, Alicante Bouschet and Grenache) is an amazing value.  90 points, Wine Advocate

1) Bodegas Godeval Vina Godeval Valdeorras 2010

For me personally, 2011 will always be the year I first experienced Godello.  It was a wine epiphany.  An obscure Galician white grape variety that was nearly extinct 40 years ago, Godello is an exotic riot of white stone fruits, pineapple, citrus, flowers and honey, all wrapped up in crisp, mouthwatering acidity, with a fine minerally spine to boot.  My kind of white wine!  Valdeorras is considered the best denominacion in Galicia for Godello and Bodegas Godeval is one of its pioneers.

New Zealand winemaker Alistair Gardner is making this luscious white wine from hillside fruit grown in metamorphic slate sub-soil.  The wine is steel tank fermented, with a portion allowed to rest on its lees. 91 points, Wine Advocate 

I have since had several other tasty Godellos from other producers in Spain.  Wine fans looking for a complex and versatile white should seek this grape out.

Here’s wishing everyone a belated, but Happy New Year!

Jim Greeley, Wine Supervisor, SW Florida

Follow me on Twitter @abcwinejimg

Remember the "pop" wines of the 60s?  Boone's Farm Strawberry Hill comes to mind.  Cost about a dollar or so and was a sweet treat that made us feel "grown-up" sneaking it!  Then, of course, Sangria had its heyday, and still does in many areas. 

Even earlier, I remember when the Portuguese roses such as Mateus and Lancers were a must in my grandparents' home for special occasions.

How about cold duck ?  Did you know it originated in Germany and was first produced in this country in 1937 !?!  The secret formula for this big seller was to blend one part Concord grapes with New York state "champagne."  

Next we come to the Liebfraumilch craze.  Remember Black Tower and Blue Nun?  They're still around, but their sales aren't near what they were.  This light, floral and slightly sweet wine was a refreshing well balanced drink that we all seemed to drink at one time or another.

The early 80s started the Lambrusco fad.  As I recall, Riunite dominated that category.

Then, Robert Mondavi laid the foundation for varietal wines.  Around the years 2000 and 2003 the Aussie wines hit our shores with Yellowtail driving the sales.  Aussie wines are still popular.

We had the Chardonnay, Merlot, and Pinot Noir craze in recent years, so what do you think will be the 2012 hit?

I'm betting on Moscato. It seems as though our area of Florida is on a Moscato craze right now, and I think that's going to continue.  This sweet, sometimes evervescent wine is a refreshing style for the warm weather we have here. 

Marie Griffin, West Coast Wine Supervisor