Quick Review: Brooklyn Winery Rose of Zinfandel

US, NY, Brooklyn Winery Rose of Old Zinfandel 2011

+ // Fruity  // Berry, Plum, Vanilla // Tart cherry, Sawdust // Medium
Layered, not too sweet

Did you know? . . . About Cotes du Ventoux AOC

Learning about wine gets difficult when you begin to explore the various AOC regions in France.

AOC stands for "appellation d'origine contrôlée" and signifies a designated quality area. It is important to learn your AOC's because French wines are almost always labeled by AOC, not by grape varietal. This is where wine gets particularly confusing. Our wine bottle from James read only "Cotes du Ventoux" and the winery name. From that, we were to know that, by regulation, grapes grown here for red wine must be Syrah, Grenache, Cinsault, Mourvèdre, and Carignan and that red wine from this AOC is almost always a blend. While this area does grow grapes for white wine, red wine is the vast majority of production out of this AOC.

Cotes du Ventoux is in the southeastern edge of the southern Rhone Valley. The Rhone Valley is split into two regions - Northern and Southern. Reds from this southern area are mostly blends.

The Rhone Valley - Cotes du Ventoux in the southeast

Quick Review: Wine at James

France, Rhone Valley, Cotes du Ventoux, Chateau Valcombe, "Signature," 2008
+ // Fruity // Strawberry, Petrol // Berry, a long leather finish // Medium to Heavy

Red wine from this region (Cotes du Ventoux) is composed of a blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Cinsault grapes. Oz Clarke notes in his book Let Me Tell You About Wine that 2008 is a vintage to be avoided--but we would never have known.

Dinner at James

An interesting development in the food scene is the idea of the “locavore” restaurant. Using local ingredients whenever possible, they work to procure the best and freshest produce, and support the local farming community. We love this, because it mirrors own goal of supporting local wine growers as much as possible. We’ve stumbled across a few of these restaurants in our travels, and now we are working on seeking them out.

 

How-To: Store an Open Wine Bottle

It's not always feasible to finish a bottle of wine in a single sitting. In addition to knowing how to store your unopened bottles, it's important to know how to store the one's you've opened, so you can enjoy them later.

• The cork: Often, the cork can be flipped over and pushed back into the bottle. This can be very useful for resealing a bottle of wine while you enjoy the first glass, or even overnight.

• Stoppers: There are many commercial stoppers available, from basic corks to complex sealing devices. The tighter the seal, the longer the original flavors of the wine will last.

• Improvised stoppers: Most improvised solutions will do nothing to stop air from getting in, and won't really help preserve your wine. The more air that gets in, the quicker the wine spoils.

Quick Review: Barbera d'Asti Le Mondianese

Italy, Piemonte, Barbera d'Asti, Le Mondianese 2006

+ // Smooth // Petrol, Chocolate, Cherry // Black Pepper, Sweet Cherry, Red Grapefruit, Vanilla // Full bodied

This was a powerful wine, surprisingly aggressive on the attack considering its age, almost crisp, but with a long, smooth finish.

Note: "Piemonte" is the Italian word for "Piedmont," a province in Northwestern Italy.

Did You Know?... About Negroamaro

Negroamaro is a red grape from Italy, most often found in the Puglia region. With deep colors and heavy tannins, it is often used to create "rustic" red wines, but can also be used to create some nice rose wines, as well.

For more information, visit a great post on By the Tun.

Negroamaro gets it name from two words that both mean "black." Photo (c) By the Tun