Brew Hops & Wine Stops

Beer blogger Adam Shugan is still on his virtual world tour, tasting beers from just about everywhere.

I have traveled to Biyagama, Sri Lanka in my virtual expedition of beer.  I was very happy to find this unique brew at the ABC in Gainesville on Newberry road and it is a stout to boot!  The brewery: Ceylon/Lion Brewery Limited, the beer: Lion Stout. 

It is a foreign export stout, which is a style I relish for its full body and richness.  I wrote about the
delightful Guinness Foreign Extra Stout many moons ago.

Appearance: serving it slightly chilled to capture the full flavor profile in my Guinness tumbler. The bottle depicts a full mane alpha male lion barreling toward me in suspended animation.  On the back label is a portrait of the late and great beer writer, Michael Jackson (he is sort of my idol).  He gives a quote featuring his own tasting notes. It pours a dark cocoa brown with a massive turbulent head almost like it was in a nitro bottle.  As it ebbs, it leaves a nice lacing on the sides of the glass

Smell:   Roasty and creamy with a hints of dark cocoa powder and plum.  It is an intoxicating aroma.

Taste: Smoky with a fresh brewed espresso essence and a twang of mocha leading to a silky finish. 
It is uber drinkable despite its 8% ABV.

Bravo, Sri Lanka, for making such a savory stout and sneaking it into the states right under my nose. You do not see Foreign Extra Stouts too often, either.  Ask your local ABC beer guru if he or she can get it to a store near you... then turn to the dark seidel ;).

Adam Shugan is the store manager at our Silver Springs Blvd store in Ocala.

As the mileposts in our fast-paced, hectic lives go whizzing by at breakneck speed, we all can appreciate those rare calming respites that come along too infrequently.  And so it was, on the tail end of a week-long mad dash through the Rhone and Burgundy, a purposeful pause came in the guise of the most succulent plate of bivalves in the City of Light.  It was just one of life’s flawless moments, an epiphany on the half-shell: L’Huîtres de Normandie.

Our group spent the warm spring day embracing our inner tourist: strolling the Champs-Elysees, walking along the Siene, visiting the Arc de Triomphe and the Louvre, standing before La Tour Eiffel (twice!).  By the evening we had worked up an appetite.

Paris is well regarded for its bistros and brasseries alike.  Our dinner destination was Le Vaudeville, a classic 1920’s art deco brasserie on the Rue Vivienne near the Paris Bourse and around the corner from our hotel.  We were greeted at the ornate marble topped bar by our host, Jonathan Shiekman of Margate Imports, and treated to a luscious glass of Vranken Grande Reserve Brut Champagne before settling into our leather chairs for a sumptuous meal. 

Everything would turn out to be delicious, including a perfectly pan-seared cod fillet with buerre blanc and silky truffle mash.  But it was the first course that really put the moment on a pedestal.  With the Maître d’s recommendation, a dozen of the most pristine, impeccably shucked Normandy Oysters arrived at the table, accompanied by bottles of S.A. Jean Durup Chablis 1er Cru Fourchaume. 

But, these weren’t simply oysters, my friends.  These were Grand Cru Huître Spéciale Utah Beach!  Plucked that morning from Utah Beach tidal beds on the cold Normandy coast and transported to our table still perfumed with the fresh fragrance of the sea.  Today, Utah Beach is duly noted for its refined oysters, and “Specials” are apparently the crème-de-la-crème.  But in 1944, history also recalls this stretch of coastline as one of the WWII landing sites for American GI’s during the tide-turning Normandy Invasion.

Being a bit of history buff, I paused and reverently eyed the shimmering platter in front of me before giving in to temptation.  The taste of these beauties was sublime - slightly sweet, with firm, plump flesh, and mouthwatering, briny liquor.  Slurping these oysters was like a kiss of the ocean on my lips!  They were served with a classic mignonette sauce, which while delicious, was quite unnecessary.  Just a tiny drop of fresh lemon was all that was needed.  That and several glasses of the deliciously vibrant, mineral-laden Chablis – a match made in heaven!

What a great way to slow things down.

 Jim Greeley, Wine Supervisor, SW Florida

Follow me on Twitter @AbcWineJimG

 Stephen Simm's Far Niente post, part II. Stephen is the wine consultant at our east Naples store (E. Tamiami Trail)

Far Niente's Estate Bottled Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon uses hand-harvested, hand-sorted fruit to produce a young wine aged 18-20 months in 75% to 100% new French oak barrels. Rackings every three months remove sediment, or lees, and after a year in the barrel, a gentle fining with egg whites softens and clarifies.

 The resulting Cabernet has the typical cassis and blackberry notes along with spicy oak aromas recognized as the Far Niente house style. Time enhances the flavors and nurtures the bottle bouquet, offering elegance, and earning Far Niente the reputation for creating age-worthy wines.

The wine is produced by Nickel & Nickel winery in Oakville, Napa Valley. Established by the partners of Far Niente in 1997, Nickel & Nickel makes single-vineyard Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and a selection of single-vineyard Chardonnay, Merlot, Syrah and Zinfandel.

 Along with stunning vineyard vistas and impressive architecture we were treated to a viewing of Gil Nickel’s classic car collection, housed in the Carriage House on the winery grounds.

Spectacular vehicles from Italy, Britain, Germany and America, including a 1966 Ferrari 500
Superfast, a 1961 Corvette roadster, are among the collection. My favorite was the 1967 Shelby GT 500 Eleanor Mustang Fastback. Almost all of the cars are road ready and driven regularly along the winding roads and hillsides of the wine country.

Great wine and beautiful cars all in a unique, historical setting. Art, indeed, and a little more than “doing nothing.’’

We've had several members of our wine team visiting California and Washington over the past month. Guest blogger Stephen Simms is the wine consulant at our east Naples (E. Tamiami Trail) store.

The day after arriving in Napa Valley, our first stop in the morning was the prestigious Far Niente
Winery. We were graciously greeted by by Ms. Peggy Alamano, who is the Trade Specialist, with a glass of Far Niente’s latest release of Chardonnay at the Sullenger House, a restored, 1884 Queen Anne-style home on the official list of the nation's historic places worthy of preservation.

On our tour we learned the history of the world-class Far Niente wines and the precious fruit used to make them that started with John Benson’s search for precious metal – specifically gold. Benson, a forty-niner of the California gold rush, founded Far Niente in 1885, and hired Hamden McIntyre,
creator of the former Christian Brothers winery – now the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone – to design the building.

Peggy also informed us that Far Niente was a gravity flow winery, which gently moves the grapes through each stage of production, and that Far Niente prospered until Prohibition in 1919, when it was abandoned and left to fall into disrepair. Sixty years later, in  1979, Gil Nickel purchased the winery and adjacent vineyard and began a three-year restoration of the property. During restoration, the original name, Far Niente, from an Italian phrase that can be interpreted as "without a care," was found carved in stone on the front of the building, where it remains to this day.

Gil Nickel had a 60-foot wine cave dug into the hill behind the winery in 1980, the first to be constructed in North America since the turn of the century, spawning a new wine-country industry.

Tomorrow: the wines and more

(Ready for anything!)

Why does it always happen this way? This weekend I leave for a wine trip to South Africa along with our esteemed Director of Wines at ABC, Brad Lewis. With one week to go before I leave, why do I always seem to have three weeks of work that has to be done before I depart? I mean, this week I’m teaching eight wine classes, attending an all day planning meeting at which I have to make an hour-long presentation, participating in a great annual wine and food event for The Centre (formerly The Centre for Women) in Tampa, and that’s not half of it.

            Luckily, I’m not one of those people who have to pack their bags days or weeks in advance. (I do know people like that.) No, I’ll throw some appropriate clothes into a suitcase a couple of hours before I leave the house. And I’ll choose two or three good books – this is going to be a lo-o-o-n-g flight! I rarely take a lot of electronics with me – just a phone on which I can get my emails and send the occasional tweet and take a picture or two. Occasionally I’ll bring an MP3 player, but really – international flights usually have tons of inflight music of all varieties, and I usually don’t have time to listen anywhere else. No, I like to keep it as simple as possible.

            So what will this wine trip entail? Most of it is centered around CapeWine 2012, which is the largest annual trade show of wines from South Africa. It’s a real thrill to be able to attend it. We’ll be participating in a Durbanville Sauvignon Safari in which we drive in safari vehicles off the beaten path to experience South Africa’s Sauvignon Blanc terroir firsthand. We’ll be attending a Green Tie (eco-friendly) wine and food event complete with local music, song and dance.

            We’ll be taking part in a lot of wine seminars and we’ve already received dozens of invitations to taste wine at various booths and stations. There will be a Born in Africa Bash – an evening of African hospitality – and so much else. After the trade show we are invited to get out into the countryside and visit the vineyards and wineries of the area. This will be particularly exciting.

            So all I can say is wish us a safe trip and keep reading these ABC wine blogs. You’ll hear a lot more about this trip in the future! Cheers!

Bill Stobbs, ABC Wine Supervisor (west coast)

(Follow me on Twitter at abcwinebills)

“Father and son winemakers don’t make good a team in the same winery.” We kept hearing this comment from several small family estates in Bordeaux, and France in general.

 Following this popular wisdom, when Jean-Louis Despagne retired a few vintages ago in 2003, he didn’t move into the house next door to still keep an eye on the business. Instead he moved as
far as possible from Bordeaux, to Brazil.

 His children, Thibault and Basaline Despagne are now in charge of the family’s five properties in
Bordeaux: château Rauzan Despagne, château Mont-Pérat, château Tour de Mirambeau, château Bel Air Perponcher and château Lion Beaulieu - and now are getting more recognition and accolades from the wine critics than ever. The 2009 Girolate, Despagne’s top cuvee from a small parcel of high-density Merlot in Entre-Deux-Mers, received a commendable 93 points from Robert Parker. And if you have traveled on British Airways in the past 25 years you’ve probably had the Entre-Deux-Mers white wine from Tour de Mirambeau.

The château Mont-Pérat red became one of Asia’s most popular red wines after its appearance in volumse 1, 3 and 4 of the famous best-seller Japanese manga “Drops of God” (a mus- read for any
wine enthusiast); after taking a sip of the 2001 château Mont-Pérat red, the main character of the manga imagined he was in the middle of a live Queen concert.

We at ABC Fine Wine and Spirits are proud to announce the two new wines from château Rauzan Despagne, Thibault Despagne’s home property.

They are offered at $12.99, an every-day affordable price for these high quality wines.

Château Rauzan Despagne Réserve red 2009 – Bordeaux, France

85% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc: “Plump and forward, with soft, fleshy plum and blackberry fruit laced with a cocoa powder note. Drink now. 87” Wine Spectator





Château Rauzan Despagne Réserve white 2011 – Entre-Deux-Mers, France

The 2011 Rauzan Despagne white is 34% Sauvignon Blanc, 33% Sémillon and 33% Muscadelle. The wine is a super value for Entre Deux Mers with grass and gooseberry aromas, crisp citrus fruit and racy acidity to match shellfish, grilled fish and grilled poultry.

Atanas Nechkov, Central Florida Wine Supervisor

Follow me on Twitter @abcwineatanas

  I’m on my way Wednesday for a quick trip out to the Central Coast to visit Laetitia Vineyards, one of the exciting producers of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Sparkling Wine and assorted Rhone Varietals. As Laetitia Vineyards, located in the Arroyo Grande Valley, is preparing for a very successful harvest season, it reminds me of how difficult the last two vintages have been in California. Early frosts, cooler temperatures, hail, rain and other assorted maladies had been the norm in 2010 and 2011, but it looks as though ripe grapes will be plentiful in 2012.

The two-night frost that heavily damaged the Central Coast in April of 2011 was minimal at best in 2012, as typical seasonal warmth, an average amount of rainfall and the rising mercury  is leading up to a ripe and rather large harvest. When I arrived to the Central Coast around this time in 2010 the wineries were in a holding pattern as they waited patiently…or more like nervously, for the grape crop to ripen. The grapes eventually did ripen, though it was four or so weeks later than normal. I’m sure I will see more of the usual high-energy level that a winery encounters this time of year, as some of the white varietals such as Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris are being harvested.

  I always enjoy watching a winery go into action this time of year. An incredible energy is in the air and for us visiting, it becomes a difficult task to watch what is going on while trying to stay out of the way at the same time. This can be a challenge in its own right, but I can’t wait to give it a go.                  

I will let you know how the trip went on my next post in a couple of weeks, until then…cheers!

Ken Amendola, North Florida Wine Supervisor

Follow me on Twitter @abcwinekena

Last week while attempting to help a guest with a sparkling wine selection, I recommended one of the newest additions to our portfolio, Contadi Castaldi Franciacorta Rose. The blank look on her face was my first clue that I had some explaining to do if I was going to sell her a wine from Franciacorta.

I proceeded to tell her that Franciacorta is a sparkling wine produced in the Northern Italian region of Lombardy. It is Italy's closest rival to French Champagne and has rapidly acquired a reputation as Italy's finest sparkling wine.

As with all great wines, terroir is a key to success. Long ago glacial movements carved out the local landscape leaving behind rolling hills which shelter the vineyards from wind. Given its proximity to the Alps, the climate is moderated by the effects of a large lake, Lake Iseo. The gravely, well drained soils are perfect for high quality viticulture.

Just as with French Champagne, the second fermentation takes place in the bottle. Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Blanc comprise the blend. Extended lees aging results in a complex, creamy style of sparkling wine.

I then pointed out the flattering reviews for both the rose and brut and assured her she had just made an excellent choice.

  Contadi Castaldi Franciacorta Rose-"This alluring rose sparkler is laced with delicate aromas of small berry fruit,citrus and fresh rose. In the mouth the wine feels smooth and silky and offers a playful, refreshing bite of acidity at the end." 88 Wine Enthusiast

Contadi Castaldi Franciacorta Brut-"Chardonnay is the base of this creamy sparkler, with the additions of Pinot Bianco and fragrant Pinot Nero. Together these varieties produce a balanced and rich offering, with lingering aromas of nectarine, apricot, white almond and honey." 90 Wine Enthusiast

Paul Quaglini, SE Florida wine supervisor

Follow me on Twitter @abcwinepaulq

Today I have a special entry in my virtual beers of the globe.  My coworker Luba, who was born in Moscow, Russia, recently visited her homeland for a few weeks and graciously brought me a beer. 

It is pronounced Zhiguli Barnoe and hails from the brewery Moskovskaya
Pivovarennaya Kompaniya (Moscow Brewing Company).  They are a young brewery, founded in 2008, claiming to be Russia’s most modern brewery.

Appearance: I decided to serve this chilled in appropriate Pilsner style glassware.  As you can see from the picture, a nice bone white head was produced from a moderate pour.  The camera lighting does not do
with color justice.  It is actually a very nice polished gold with orange hues throughout. 

Smell: As I stand to take the pictures, I can sense the
European funk wafting from the glass.  A closer smell reveals a grassy and flowery aroma. 

Taste: bold sweet malts with a flash of raw grain and a
twang of herbal malts in the back.  It is actually quite flavorful for the typical Euro pale lager.  The grain on the palate is rather appealing to me.  The flavor profile does wane as it warms up, though, leaving an undercooked bread dough quality.

Not a bad brew from the Mother Land.  I want to thank Luba for her generosity in bringing me this once in a lifetime brew. While you can find Zhiguli in the US, it doesn't seem to be widely distributed.

A very good Russian brewery that can be found more easily in the states is called Baltika.  They have a whole line up of beer styles from the brewery located in St Petersburg.  The “#9 Extra” strong ale is very nice. 

Adam Shugan is store manager at our Silver Springs Blvd store in Ocala. 

It’s hard for me to believe that it’s practically fall already!  The last time I honestly remember taking a conscious breath, I’m pretty sure that it was the beginning of summer.  Yep, that’s right.  It appears that in midst of all the staff meetings and wine department resets I’ve been inundated with, I managed to misplace a whole season. 

Where did it go?  I could swear I left it laying around here somewhere…

No, wait!  Now I know what happened.  Last month was just a cosmic blur!  That’s it!  All the days ran into each other and must have warped space and time (That would explain why everything’s a bit fuzzy).  It went by as quick as a blink of the proverbial eye!

So, while I’m having a moment of clarity, check out these new wines now at your local ABCFWS store:

Elm Tree Malbec Mendoza ($7.99) – No one does outdoor grillin’ better than the Argentines.  Courtesy of Jonathan Shiekman & Margate Imports, here’s a tasty medium-bodied red with ample plum and mission fig notes that’s just perfect for a smoky Choripan with extra Chimichurri slathered on the bread.

Abrazo Garnacha & Abrazo Tempranillo (each $7.99): Grilling a little lamb or pork?  Wrap your arms (Abrazo means ‘hug’) around a mixed case of these juicy Spanish reds from the Carinena denominacion.  Even better, uncork a bottle of the Tempranillo and use it as the main ingredient for a refreshing Sangria; make it from scratch with added cane sugar, brandy and sliced citrus!

For a top-notch dry Douro red we have the stunning 2008 Roquette & Cazes ($35.99) from Portugal.  A blend of 60% Touriga Nacional, 25% Tinta Roriz and 15% Touriga Franca and aged 18 months in French oak, this is a wine of pedigree.  The collaboration of two winemaking titans, Jorge Roquette of Quinta do Crasto and Jean-Michel Cazes of Chateau Lynch-Bages, it’s a complex, full-bodied, black raspberry and violet fruit bomb.  An approachable wine now, especially with beef, it has enough structure for a bit of cellaring too.     

Jim Greeley, Wine Supervisor, SW Florida

Follow me on Twitter @AbcWineJimG

Two new wines I had the fortune of trying for the first time last week, just as they were making their way to the stores.

The first was the new Dalliance white, from Lake County. Honestly, I am not always a fan of white blends from too many parts of the world, excepting, perhaps, the Rhone Valley.

Often, they either put oak on varietals that should not be anywhere near a barrel, or they blend low quality with a touch of residual to get it gone. Not that this is what I expect from Clay Shannon, but I was excepting a soft, slightly off-dry white blend niche wine. What I tasted is nothing like that at all.

The blend contains 60% Viognier and the wine benefits from the floral character that Viognier can deliver. It is fresh and crisp, with wonderful fruit, pleasant acidity and nice balance. A wonderful picnic wine, but also something to sip while the sun is up and the grill is going. I was very surprised!

The second wine, tasted not long after the


Dalliance white, was the new BLOCK 627 Cabernet 2010 from Yountville. Yountville is a quaint village in the heart of Napa, and also an A.V.A. (American Viticultural Area) in Napa, where a small number of wineries, including Dominus, make their home.

The Block 627 delivers the purity and focus of Napa’s top Cabernets at so much less money. Slightly dusty and well-balanced, with nicely integrated oak. It is the proverbial ‘steel fist in a silk glove’ and is a fine example of the quality from this A.V.A. The first BLOCK wine we introduced was the 2002
Cabernet from the Stag;s Leap District A.V.A. and was simply delicious….we have done many fine wines since, but this new Block 627 is my favorite since we began. Get it before it is gone!

Shayne Hebert, Central Florida wine supervisor

Follow me on Twitter @abcwineshayne

While I was looking through photos of past wine trips, I came across pictures of the Andalucia region in southern Spain.  This is where you’ll find the “Sherry Triangle,” not to be confused with the Bermuda Triangle!

Three places that sherry is produced to make up the “triangle” are Sanlucar de Barrameda and Puerto de Santa Marie, on the coast, and Jerez, which is inland.

I was intrigued by the mystical winemaking term flor that is essential in the making of certain types of sherry.

Flor is a film of yeast on the surface of the wine that acts as a cover to seal out air in the barrels, avoiding infection by bacteria and yeasts that tend to spoil it.  The barrels are filled only 5/6 full of
young wine to deliberately allow room for flor development.  This yeast development gives the wine a distinctive fresh taste with residual flavors of fresh bread!  Depending on the development of the wine, it may be aged entirely under the veil of flor to produce a fino sherry, or manzanilla sherry, or it may be fortified to limit the growth of flor, allowing it to oxidize, producing an amontillado or oloroso sherry.

A demonstration of serving sherry directly from the barrel with a “venencia” was one of the trip's
highlights.  I bought a venencia to take home with me.  Unfortunately, even after years of practice I still can’t get the sherry to fill the glass!

VENENCIA:  A cup attached to a long handle which is thrust into a small hole in the barrel of sherry and then lifted above the head and poured into the small glass.  Harder than you think!

Marie Griffin, Wine Supervisor, North-west Florida

Follow me on Twitter @abcwinemarieg

Stephen Northrup, wine consultant at our Venice store, recently toured Canoe Ridge

Canoe Ridge is located outside of Patterson, WA, on 500 acres with panoramic views of the Columbia River and Horse Heaven Hills. It is the red wine facility for Ch Ste Michelle.  The ridge was named by explorers Lewis and Clark, who thought it resembled an upside down canoe.

     We were greeted by the extremely knowledgeable vineyard manager Mimi Nye, who gave us a tour of the vineyards.  Mimi has been with CSM since vines were hand planted here 21 years ago. Starting in the vineyards Mimi gave a great lesson on thinning out grape clusters, weather and irrigation.  Did you know that Washington vineyards are planted on original root stock?  Also,
eastern Washington gets only 4 inches of rain yearly.

    We then ventured 900 ft up, by van, to the top of Canoe Ridge. Standing on a 9 million year old lava flow Mimi filled us in on the geology of Horse Heaven Hills and the Columbia River Valley.  All that basalt and sandy, gravely soil makes for some excellent Old World small scale styled wines.

 

   Now it was on time to meet enologist Brian MacKay for a tour of the winery.  Brian explained how he and his team are running a large operation but are given the freedom to craft those small scale wines.  His Ethos Syrah is one such wine. It was ready for bottling and Brian gave us a tank sample of this dark, fruity, intense Syrah. 

Walking past the 50 ton
tanks and endless stacks of barrels we made our way to the portable bottling
facility. It’s an 18 wheel tractor trailer outfitted with an assembly line.
Very impressive.  Finally, and most importantly, Brian led us to the tasting room where we enjoyed a glass of 2009 Canoe Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon and 2009 Cold Creek Cabernet Sauvignon.  A very nice way to end a memorable experience.

Beer blogger Stephen Schmitt, of our Gandy Blvd store in Tampa, recently reviewed Napa Smith's Hopageddon.

Stephen's notes: I really like this beer at this price point. $6.99 is a great buy for a 22oz bottle of this style where others will be in the $10 range.

 The beer pours a nice hazy orange with a respectable head. Pineapple and a bit of pine lead the way in the nose while on the palate the same pineapple and pine are augmented with a light grassy note and the added depth of citrus notes and a bit of balanced sweetness. This is a good introduction to anyone wanting to make the leap from a regular India Pale Ale to a stronger version.

Want more info? From the brewery notes:

144 IBUs...The added character given by the Chardonnay and Cabernet barrels accentuates explosive papaya and lychee flavors along with herbaceous aromas. ... The distinct Barrel- Hopped flavors and shockwave of bitterness lingers on the palate and leaves hopheads with a Post-ahopalypticTM yearning for more.

On Friday, August 3^rd, we flew over the Cascade mountain range into Seattle.  From the Sea-Tac airport, we went on a VIP tour and tasting at Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery, located in Woodinville.  This is part of the Puget Sound AVA, established in 1995.  On the tour we received tank samples of all of the Chardonnays, starting with CSM Columbia Valley, Indian Wells, Cold Creek, Canoe Ridge, and ending with the Ethos, their premium Chardonay (a 50/50 blend of grapes from the Cold Creek and Canoe Ridge vineyards).

They had just received 3000 new barrels from France for the 10 % rotation, done on barrels each year. 13,000 cases are bottled each day.

We ended the tour with lunch, an amazing pairing of wild king salmon; grilled corn, heirloom tomato, and black bean salsa; chipotle potato cake; and French green beans with the 2011 CSM Horse Heaven Sauvignon Blanc, 2009 Canoe Ridge Estate Chardonay, and the 2010 Indian Wells Red Blend.  The Red Blend was my favorite wine with the meal, as it was a mouth-filling, fruit-forward, velvety blend of seven different grapes: Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache,  Malbec, Cinsaut, and Mourvedre.

 Dessert was orange-infused olive oil cake, with fresh summer fruit and berry coulis, coupled with CSM 2006 Lake Harvest Chenin Blanc from Horse Heaven Hills. 

 We returned the next day, Saturday August 4^th, for a VIP reception and concert, where we saw Alison Krauss & Union Station, featuring Jerry Douglas, perform. 

 There was an endless buffet of little morsels, including lamb sliders, chipotle Terriyaki pork skewers, brie with wild mushrooms in phyllo, plus much more.  With this bountiful spread were several wines from which to choose.  I started with the Domain Ste. Michelle Blanc de Noir, made from 100 % Pinot Noir. This is practically the only time that you will see wines made from Pinot Noir in Washington.  Across the Columbia River, in Oregon, they make outstanding Pinot Noir, but it is just too hot in Washington for that grape.  Very little of it is grown and most of it goes into sparkling wines.

 





During the concert, we could make unlimited trips to the VIP tent for wine and dessert.  My favorite
wine that evening was the 2007 CSM Artist Series Meritage. 

It was the perfect way to end our stay in Washington – with any luck, I'll be back again next year.

Château Montaud is a family owned and operated winery located in the heart of the Massif  des Maures, the authentic and quiet back-country area away from the coast and its crowds of tourists and source of some of the world’s best wines.

Our ABC Wine team visited Château Montaud for the first time in June 2011.

We were warmly greeted by the Ravel family; Fred Ravel, owner and winemaker showed us around the vineyards and the winery. We were later joined by his parents, François and Béatrice, who sampled with
us the current vintages of the estate’s wines.

The red and white Château Montaud wines were recently added to the already popular rosé.

Château Montaud, Côtes de Provence red 2010 is a medium-bodied, unoaked red blend of 40% Grenache, 30% Syrah, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Mourvèdre with aromas and flavors of red berries, black cherries, black currant, spice and licorice.

Pair this typical Provence red with your favorite Mediterranean and Italian style dishes, grilled meats and mixed salads.

Château Montaud, Côtes de
Provence white 2011 is a blend of 50% Rolle, 40% Sémillon and 10% Ugni Blanc. The wine is well balanced with bright acidity, rich minerality and flavors of ripe citrus, star fruit, and honey melon. Perfect served as aperitif or paired with fresh sea food, grilled and fried fish, grilled vegetables, spicy olives and vegetable spreads.

Atanas Nechkov, central Florida wine supervisor

Follow me on Twitter @abcwineatanas

Not too long ago ABC introduced a new and interesting wine to our portfolio called “Frenchie.” This
is a favorite wine of one of my counterparts, Marie Griffin,who likes to tell the story of how the wine got its name. How the producer of the wine, Jean-Charles Boisset, dedicates each wine to his wife, Gina Gallo, by dressing their bulldog “Frenchie” in unusual costumes for the label of each the wines he makes.

 Well, now Monsieur Boisset has not only married American wine royalty, he has now added one of the oldest wineries in Sonoma, Buena Vista Winery, to his holdings. The Buena Vista Winery
was started in 1857 by the original “Count of Buena Vista,” Hungarian Agoston Haraszthy. Mr. Haraszthy was famous for bringing around 100,000 European rootstocks to Northern California comprised of 350 different varieties. These were very important highlights of Mr.Haraszthy’s that lead to the development of the commercial wine industry in California.

 Jean-Charles Boisset, who also has Hungarian roots, has made plans to renovate completely the existing winery with the aim of bringing it back to its former glory. With plans to restore the Champagne cellar, which was originally built in 1864, Jean-Charles would like to see this as a showplace for visitors to see back to the past and take a glimpse of the true roots of the California
wine history.

 I had the opportunity to visit the Buena Vista Winery in 2007 and take part in the 150th Anniversary Celebration of the winery. It was a wonderful experience to hear from those
that have been a part of the winery, even hearing a speech from Agoston Haraszthy’s great-great grandson Val Haraszthy. Now this continuing history of the famous Buena Vista Winery is in the capable hands of the new “Count of Buena Vista” Jean-Charles Boisset and his wife Gina Gallo.

Ken Amendola, Wine Supervisor,  N. Florida

Follow me on Twitter @abcwinekena

Last month, members of our wine team headed off to Washington State. Wine consultant Heather Hitson (Lady Lake) shares a few of her favorite memories from the trip.

Here I go again into Washington wine country, with some new friends and new experiences.  Read on for a few highlights from this trip.

 Among the wineries visited were Spring Valley, Northstar, Columbia Crest, Chateau Ste. Michelle Canoe Ridge, Col Solare, and Chateau Ste. Michelle.

On Wednesday, August 1^st, we visited Northstar Winery, located in Walla Walla.  Walla Walla became an AVA (American Viticultural Area) in 1984, and currently has 65 wineries and more than 1200 acres of vineyards.  Cabernet Sauvignon is the leading variety planted, while Merlot, Chardonay, and Syrah are other predominant varieties.

Northstar first starting producing wine in 1994.  During fermentation, all wines go through punch-down, both hand and pneumatic, with no pump overs.  This allows for maximum extraction of color and tannin, and is gentler to the fruit.

The juice is aged in 65 % to 75 % new oak, mostly French and American.  Winemaker Dave Merfeld likes to use barrels with medium-plus toast.  They just received their barrels for the 2012 vintage.  At Northstar, Dave Merfeld and his team take great pride in producing award-winning Merlot. 

The 2008 Walla Walla Merlot was my favorite this year.  A blend of 82 % Merlot from Anna Marie, 14 % Cabernet Sauvignon from Spring Valley, and 4 % Petit Verdot from Stone Tree Vineyards, it's been described by Wine Advocate – which awarded it 92 points - as “silky in texture, with notes of dark fruit and spice on the nose, leading into a palate rich with flavors of vanilla, chocolate, raspberry, and earth, before a long seductive finish.”   

 Along with this wine we tried a 2008 Columbia Valley Merlot, 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon, 2009 Malbec, 2009 Petit Verdot, 2008 Stella Maris red blend, and the 2011 Stella Blanca Semillon.

After our tour and tasting, dinner was outside on the patio.  We had a lovely pairing of wine with our Tuscan-inspired meal.  The Stella Blanca Semillon with a salad of fresh greens, olives, and prosciutto; and Northstar Merlots from Columbia Valley and Walla Walla with marinated flank steak, roasted potatoes, peppers, olives, and long beans.  All this,  and then a cheese course and desert!

Chef Tamara came out to tell us about our menu, and to answer any questions.  She also gave a lesson on cheese tasting, and informed us that all the cheese we were sampling were different types of Gouda.  Gouda is a style of cheese, not a type, and it ages from the outside in.  Some of the Gouda we had was made from goat's milk (Tamara said that not all goat milk has a strong flavor – that only happens when they keep the billy goat too close to the female.  If she can smell him, she produces an enzyme that gives the milk a more “goaty” flavor.)

 A perfect way to end the evening, we watched the full moon rise over the Blue Mountains, and the sun set behind us.