Brew Hops & Wine Stops

By definition, a “fad” is an interest that’s popular for a short time.  Conversely, a “trend” is a prevailing course or tendency.  Now a “tradition” on the other hand, is a time-honored practice, something that involves a group for an extended period.

It’s hard to believe that our ABCFWS blog space (formerly Notes from Wine Country and currently, of course, Brew Hops and Wine Stops) has been churning out pearls of beverage wisdom (now cigars, too!) since it’s inauguration in the summer of 2010.  Astounding, isn’t it!?  My how the time flies!

As a result of our dogged persistence, our dedicated determination, once again I’ve been afforded the immense duty to reveal my fourth annual Number 1 wine selection of the year.  And that smacks of tradition IMHO.

Selecting a top wine from the vast lineup of wines personally tasted over the past year, my friends, is no easy task.  So as per usual, I will choose five!  (This way I’m bound not to miss someone).

5) 2011 Bodegas La Val Orballo Albarino

I could have easily picked five great wines solely from Spain for this blog post.  But this zesty, mouth-watering white from Rias Baixas was my most frequently consumed wine of the year.  So it has to be on the list!

4) 2005 Chateau Angelus

Jean-Bernard Grenie hosted a special wine dinner in Naples with us early in 2013.  This legendary Chateau in Saint Emilion is one of Bordeaux’s crown jewels and routinely produces great wine to stand the test of time.  Absolutely awe inspiring!

3) 2010 Carlton Cellars Cape Lookout Pinot Noir

A fall trip to Willamette Valley greatly enhanced my appreciation for Oregon’s best wine region.  The 2010 vintage impresses with understated elegance and delicacy. 

2) 2004 Domaine Berthet-Bondet Chateau-Chalon

This one is a true oddity.  Essentially a vin jaune made from the obscure Savagnin grape in the Jura region of France.  Reminiscent of a great Fino, this was a real treat paired with an aged Gruyere.

1) 2011 Graham’s Vintage Porto

A visit with the Symington family in DC presented the opportunity to taste their full lineup of substantial 2011 declared Ports.  In an afternoon spent sampling other great wines, including Dow’s and Quinta do Vesuvio, this one stood out personally and will offer great enjoyment for decades to come.

Best wishes to all in 2014! Cheers!

Jim Greeley, SW Florida Wine Supervisor

Follow me on Twitter @ABCWineJimG

Naysayers and doomsday prognosticators be still! (Or at
least pause for a bit and take another breath). Having just returned from Oregon’s premier wine producing region, I can be counted  amongst the glass half full optimists when it comes to vintage 2013.  After spending last week trekking through Willamette Valley’s prime AVAs, tasting wines, picking fruit and working a sorting table or two (in weather both idyllic and fickle) there’s only one thing I can confirm for certain: it’s way too early to definitively predict any outcomes. 

Early indications point to parallels like the recent 2011 vintage that, while challenging, ultimately produced many successful wines.  Having a chance to taste several of these during my visit and buoyed by the elegant, complex versions that resulted, leads me to believe that 2013 could be a similar triumph.

Accompanying me throughout the journey were my ABCFWS colleagues Arthur Maille and Glenn Sudnick; two very fine wine professionals indeed and assuredly good natured travelling companions as well.  Heck, anyone who can put up with my erratic driving for several days without complaint should readily qualify for the extreme patience merit badge.  Readers should eagerly anticipate future comprehensive postings from them in this blog space. 

I plan to chime in too with a more in-depth musing once I get a handle on these exciting, albeit labor intensive, guest-centric store sets I had a short reprieve from.  

Very special, heartfelt thanks must go to the entire Momtazi family at Maysara, Dave Grooters at Carlton Cellars, Athena Pappas of Papas Wine Company, and Stewart Boedecker of Boedecker Cellars for making this a memorable trip.  Cheers!

Jim Greeley

Wine Supervisor, SW Florida

@abcwinejimg

Guest blogger Andrew Shulga works in our Vero Beach (20th Street) store.

    A few years ago ABC began carrying a new wine from the Willamette Valley in Oregon, vinted and bottled by Boedecker Cellars.  I had to try it.  Once in the glass, this unoaked chardonnay had a subtle nose of fig and pear with a nice clarity.  I fell effortlessly in love with this wine upon my first sip.  With notes of pineapple, pear and green apple, it was surprisingly full bodied with a nice creamy finish. 

    I believe that Boedecker's Chardonnay was so nicely balanced due to the fact that they used the "sur lie" style of aging, in which the vintner periodically stirs the residual yeast that settles in the bottom of the vat.

    I pictured it going well with a lemon pepper chicken or even a shrimp scampi.  The complexity of this wine left me with endless options.  In the long run, I went simple.  My choice?... mozzarella on bruschetta.  Simple yet delicious, the texture and flavors of the cheese matched up agreeably with
this wine.  Since I discovered this wine I have looked forward to its unique complexity year after year.

Got a favorite you'd like to tell the world about? You can place a review on our website (on the shopping site for the wine), or drop us a line and you may see it here!

   As it’s getting a lot warmer each day we get more and more of our guests asking for a white wine they can enjoy in the hot days to follow… that isn’t Chardonnay. The ABC: Anything But Chardonnay wines. This is not an unusual thing to occur this time of year; people are looking for wines that are a little lighter and maybe a little fruitier to drink in the summer. Chardonnay sales seem to dip a bit this time of year as sales of some alternatives increase. For those alternatives, we have many wines to choose from, especially wines made in California & Oregon.

   From Lake County, in Northern California, the people at Shannon Ridge Winery produce a few very good examples of Sauvignon Blanc. These crisp, bright and fruit forward Sauvignon Blancs really hit the spot when the weather turns from hot to hotter. One of my favorite of these is the Vigilance Sauvignon Blanc, which is a steel-tank fermented white allowing the beautiful pineapple, melon and grapefruit flavors and aromas of Sauvignon Blanc to show through. Which I guess is, in my mind, the difference between a clean, crisp summer white wine and an oaky, smoky Chardonnay. Now there are some good unoaked Chardonnays, Paradise Sound for example, but for the most part this is a good time of year to try a new ABC wine.

   A very refreshing new wine from Sugar Plum is their Riesling. This an off-dry style that is full of green apple, pear and apricot flavors with some sweetness, but a lot of fun. The kind of wine to have in plenty in a tub of ice while you and your friends are playing volleyball, bocce or an intense game of cornhole. Another delicious wine to enjoy in the heat is the Pinot Gris from the Maysara family of wines. This Oregon wine has a brilliant golden color and a nose of pineapple & spice with the flavors of fresh mangos, pears and honeydew. A perfect wine with Asian foods or some grilled shrimp on top of some coconut rice.

   Regardless which way you turn, there are many white wines to try outside of the realm of Chardonnay. So take a look around your favorite wine shop and see how many great choices you have from white wines like Chenin Blanc, Viognier, Rousanne, and Pinot Blanc along with many others. Another good way to experiment with new wines is to attend one of your local ABC Fine Wine & Spirits wine tastings…ok, shameless self-promotion, but wine tastings are a fantastic way to be exposed to new wines.

Ken Amendola, Wine Supervisor, North Florida

Follow me on Twitter @abcwinekena