The Good Stuff

Rare But Tasty- Fie Gris

2/11/2014

We've been talking a lot about rare or unusual varietals at work lately, and I thought I'd take the opportunity to share a little info about one of my faves.
Depending on where you live, and what kind of wine stores you have access to, you might have a hard time finding Fie Gris. But if you can, it's worth it. (It's so unusual, it doesn't even have a wikipedia page!)

Fie Gris is thought to be an ancient ancestor of Sauvignon Blanc and is, to this day, really only grown in France's Loire Valley. Furthermore, not many winemakers are making 100% Fie Gris wines, let alone exporting them (I'll give you a few to look for below.) However, if you can find them, you won't be sorry!

Like Sauvignon Blanc, Fie Gris is often juicy and full of fruit, though has much less fruitiness than many American and Australian Sauvignon Blancs, and no grassiness of South African SB. It is lightly perfumy, crisp, and tart- making it a lovely summer wine, but also a great food wine. Because most of the soil in the Loire is pretty flinty, they also get a touch of mineral flavor to them (not a BS wine term, I promise- think of licking a wet stone.)

If you feel like stepping outside the box and trying a new, unusual variety, give Fie Gris a shot. It's delicious and worth the hunt. Don't believe me? Ask my parental units! My stepsister gifted my mom and stepdad a bottle at Christmas, which they thoroughly enjoyed- so much so, they say they may be ruined on Chardonnay- something I never thought possible!

Here are a few to look out for at your local wine shop (we've carried both, and the internet seems to tell me they're out there in other places too.)
Prey et Fils
Eric Chevalier (incidentally, the importer, Kermit Lynch tends to import great stuff. Dependably really good. If you see his name, it's a good bet it'll be a tasty bottle.) I have a bottle of this stuff in the fridge, waiting for a special occasion! We'll pretty much never carry it again at the shop, so I feel glad I snagged a bottle!

Let me know if you try any and what you think- also, if there are any other good versions out there that you know of, let me know!

Cheers!

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California Dreamin'

2/1/2014

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Well, as Chicago moves from Polar Vortex number two and into yet another Winter Storm Warning, I think we're all channeling the Mamas and the Papas, just a little bit...

Lucky for me (and thanks to an abundance of airline miles to redeem,) I managed a little escape last week to the Bay Area- not long enough, but it'll get me by. It was a great trip out to visit an old pal from high school- we ate lots of great food, spent an afternoon in The Haight, and best of all, took a little trip up to Sonoma! The highlights included a stay in lovely Petaluma, dinner on the square in downtown Sonoma, and, of course, wine tasting! Though it was my first trip to Sonoma, I was lucky enough to have a relatively seasoned tour guide, along with some recommendations from friends and colleagues (thanks, Mindy and Mark!)

The scenery was breathtakingly beautiful with sunshine and rolling hills- just what the doctor ordered to combat the winter blahs. Our three stops were pretty spread out, which allowed for lots of sightseeing, and moderate tasting. We started the day at Lambert Bridge Winery where we tasted a pretty wide variety of reds. We saw lots of Zinfandel growing on the way up, which I'm usually not a fan of- but I have to say, their Zin was balanced and tasty- not the fruit bomb I was expecting! The wines were pretty good (though I thought the prices were inflated for the quality) and the tasting room was gorgeous!

Next we headed out into the absolute middle of nowhere (dirt one-way road) to Iron Horse Vineyards. We carry some of Iron Horse's wines at the store, and my boss wholeheartedly recommended we visit. I decided to not let myself be put off by the fact that Reagan commissioned their wines for the summit with Russia. They are known for their sparklings, and they were very tasty. Though I was really surprisingly impressed by their Pinots! Though I'm not normally the biggest fan of pinot, several of theirs were medium-bodied and spicy. Yum! If they hadn't been a little out of my budget, I'd have brought one home with me. As was, I brought home a bottle of Blanc de Blancs made for National Geographic. $4 went toward coastal reef preservation- how could I resist? Also, it tasted good.

Next, we headed towards downtown Sonoma to hit up Gundlach Bundschu. Their grounds were gorgeous and many of their wines quite tasty! They were much more affordable, and hoppin' at the end of the day. If I'd had more room in my suitcase, a bottle of their Tempranillo would've come home with me. It was priced perfectly, spicy, but with a really great tannin/acid balance. Me likey!

All in all, I wish I'd had five more days to laze around the region, eating and drinking wine. The temps in the low 70s were AMAZING. But, it's nice to have a place to dream on going back to! Plans for the future!

And, if any of y'all have any recommendations for other Sonoma gems, let me know in the comments! You know, for next time! (Brewery recommendations also accepted!)

Cheers- stay warm out there!

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And a little something extra on the side...

1/23/2014

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Thanks to this darling blog, I was approached in the fall about doing some writing for the International Wine Accessories blog. And (drumroll please,) ... here is my very first post! I'm a real, paid blogger now! Whod've thunk!?

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Happy Birthday, Baby!

1/17/2014

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Goodness, January 16th came and went and I forgot to celebrate the 1 year anniversary of Chicago Uncorked! It's been quite a year. I haven't been as great about posting lately as I'd like, but here we are- I'm back, and in honor of the 1 year anniversary, I'm going to do a recap of some of my favorite wine-related news stories, new items to hit the market, and other fun stuff. Here goes!

1. The trial and conviction of Rudy Kurniawan. If you haven't followed this story, you should. It is fascinating, and sort of taps into a little bit of what I was talking about in my "cult booze" post. The guy basically forged very pricy wines, and made a hell of a lot of money doing so!

2. Wine for Cats. I love my cat, and I have been accused of being a bit of a cat lady, but even I am not crazy enough to buy her her own special wine. (Though I confess, I'm still a little curious.)

3. This video, courtesy of my friend Amber. I really DO want to try it, but think it is best done sober, so it may not be on the table for my next Wines of the World group.

4. The discovery of this awesome ancient wine cellar in Israel! Archaeology meets enology! Love it.

5. The news that wine is on the rise! People are getting on board, and craft wineries are taking off!

6. I want to try this cool product. Apparently, you can just sort of needle on down through the cork, suck out some wine, pull the needle out, and it is as good as never opened. The possibilities! As a single gal, I love it, but also, think of how many high-priced, aged wines could be sampled without ruining the whole bottle!

7. And some news I don't love so much- we're potentially facing a global wine shortage! Nooooooooooo! China! Get your own wine! (good thing I'm essentially a wine horder, eh?)

I think that about covers it. Did I miss anything? Do you have any cool/useful/funny wine related stories or products to share from the past year?

Happy Birthday little blog! And thanks to those of you who've kept reading!

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Stop and smell the rose(s)

1/4/2014

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So I know I've mentioned I'm pretty wild about rose. Rose, in my humble opinion, is great year-round and with almost any food.
I also love thinking about the care that goes into making it!
Most rose is made by taking red wine grapes (truly, almost any red wine grape can be made into rose, though it is usually the lighter bodied, fruitier ones) and then depending on how much color and flavor is wanted, processed one of the following ways:

Letting the weight from the grapes on top of the bin break up the grapes on the bottom, and in doing so, the skins of the broken grapes give just a hint of color and flavor to the juice. Only a little bit of juice is obtained here, and it usually will be bled off, while the remaining grapes will be crushed, fermented, and made into red wine (this process is called "saignee" which means "bleeding" in French.) It is difficult to control just how much color you'll get here, but it is economical, and when done well, very, very tasty.
If the grapes are very dark and bold, then sometimes they are brought into the winery and pretty much pressed right away. In the pressing, a little bit of color will be extracted (in cases where white wines are made from red grapes, this is the method used. With light grapes like pinot noir, you can manage to get almost no color at all!) but the skins and seeds are kept out of the juice enough to keep it from becoming red wine.
With lighter grapes, often the winemaker will crush as with a red wine, but rather than letting the juice ferment on the skins for a few days, it'll be pressed off after a number of hours. This gives the winemaker control over just how much color and flavor they want brought into the wine. It can involve staying up all night checking the juice!
Finally... Some roses are actually made by blending red and white wines... To me, this is a cop-out, but it does happen...usually in California- get it together, California.

At this point, the pink juice will be fermented, usually to dryness, and processed much as a white wine would be.

Hopefully, reading that list helps you realize just how much care a winemaker has to exert in order to get a good rose! You can't just set it and forget it with this one. If you know what color and flavor profile you want your wine to have, you have to keep checking the juice as you go along- making sure it doesn't get too dark or bold. Once it slips too far, you've got red, and can lose the delicacy and lightness associated with rose.

Some the roses I've liked best have been made from Syrah, Cinsault, Gamay, Grenache, and even Pinot Noir (which isn't always my fave as a red, but lends itself to a light, earthy rose.)

You'll notice I didn't go into the pink moscatos, white zinfandels, and other overly-sweet abominations... This is because I think they've given rose a terrible reputation, and I don't like them! My choice!

Go find a nice bottle of rose, chill it, and as you sip it, think about all the care and love that went into its creation! Mmmm!

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Cult Booze...

12/29/2013

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This post is much more about me trying to make sense of the crazy world in which we live.
Apparently, there are people in the world who are so obsessed over cult beverages that they will pay thousands of dollars for them. THOUSANDS. OF. DOLLARS. For something that is meant to be consumed. Not a house, not a car, not surgery, or chemotherapy, or college, or a trip to Europe, but alcoholic beverages.
Call me naive, but until I started working in the retail industry this past year and got my first phone call asking for Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon, I didn't really realize this was a thing. But boy is it!
Here in Chicago, people took to following around the distribution trucks from store to store, hoping to catch them on the day the shipments came in. "People, how are you going to pay for this stuff (retail was "only" about $300) if you don't go to your jobs!?" I wanted to yell at them.
Then this fall, people waited in line for hours outside large liquor stores, and our phone rang off the hook with people looking to get their hands on Goose Island's Bourbon County Stout series. NUTS, I tell you.
I understand that 80-90% of the fervor of these fans is the idea that they could possible get something no one else can. I get that. But it still seems NUTS.
However, I was thinking... I haven't seen really this much cult attention drawn to wine. Why is this? I can't figure out what cultural differences there are between die-hard bourbon fans, beer fans, and wine fans that lead them to not be scrambling for highly allocated, small-batch wines. Whither the wine geek love?
What do you all think? Why the difference, and is a bottle of bourbon really worth $2500?
Thoughts?
Also, I should squeeze in an apology for skipping a week. The holidays got me! But I am back, and the 1 yr anniversary of the blog is coming up! I'll have to cook up some fun posts!

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Taste the price

12/17/2013

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I give a lot of thought to wine quality vs price. I would dare say that most of the time, (yes, most,) more expensive wines are of better quality than cheaper wines. When you jump up to $20 and $30+ bottles, the care exercised by small, boutique winemakers, the quality of the fruit, and the craft of the winemaking really begins to shine. It is difficult for small producers to offer bottles below $15. Some can do it, but will then wind up using their lower quality juice in those batches. I know I've harped on this before. I know... But now, I'm going to give you an assignment.

Pick a varietal from a region of the world- let's say Washington Cabernet, (I'm pre-disposed towards WA wines, I confess.) Purchase 4 bottles.
1. One that falls near or under $10
2. One that is between $10 and $20
3. One that is around $20
4. And one that is closer to $30 (or even $40 if you're feeling spendy.)

Do not research first to see what you know about the producers. Just base your decisions on price. This is important.

Place each bottle in a paper bag once opened and mix them up so you do not know which is which. If you can get help with this, even better (though this assignment is more fun with a friend.)

Write A, B, C, D on the mixed up paper bags. The letters should have nothing to do with the wine inside at this point.

Take a piece of paper and set 4 wine glasses on it. Then, write A, B, C, D in front of one of each glass.
Pour the corresponding wine from each bag into the glass. Check out the color, sniff, taste. Make notes for yourself about your thoughts on each. (If you're tasting with a friend, try not to influence each other's thoughts just yet.)

Once you feel like you have opinions on each, go ahead and take the bottles out of the bag and write down which was which next to your notes.

How did your likes and dislikes correspond to the prices? Did you notice a quality difference?

Next head to the interwebs. Go to each winery's website. See if you can read up on the winemaker. How many cases were made? Where'd the fruit come from? Did the higher priced wines come from smaller craft producers?

How did all that info fit together in your mind?

If you didn't notice a difference, then congratulations! You can keep enjoying lower-priced wines. It'll be easier on your pocketbook and you're an easy peasy dinner guest (seriously. I'm not being snotty here.)

If you did notice a difference, what will be your go-to price point? Was the most expensive drastically better? Was the middle-priced wine worth it or was the least expensive wine the best bang for your buck?

If you do this experiment, please share your wines and thoughts in the comments!
This would make a fun holiday party activity! (hint, hint!)

Cheers!

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Mull this over...

12/11/2013

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'Tis the time of year in which people are attending a lot of festive parties, wearing ugly sweaters, and trying to make all sorts of warming beverages. I've started getting calls at the shop from people looking for pre-made mulled wines. Usually (since Chicago is a multi-cultural city,) I get requests for gluhwein or glogg, specifically. Now, you can certainly buy this stuff pre-made, but my real question is, "why would you want to?" Not because it isn't tasty and festive, (it is!) but because it is very easy and satisfying to make at home! There are lots of recipes out there, but as with much of my own cooking, I recommend you get creative. Start with a bold, fruity wine- maybe a cheap (hah!) Zinfandel or even a Merlot, some brandy, a little sugar, some cloves, cinnamon, orange peel, apple chunks, whatever you wanna throw in there, go for it! (Candied ginger, anyone? Mmmm.) Add the ingredients to taste, warm it up on the stove for a while and let your home fill with its delicious and delightful aroma, ladle it up, and enjoy with people you love (I'm feeling sappy, can you tell?) My one word of warning- beware the fumes directly over the pot (or don't if you want an extra kicky celebration.)
Cheers and Happy (secular with some Christian and Pagan roots) Holidays from me to you!

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What's your Wine Personality?

12/3/2013

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OK. Another cheaty non-original post. But, one of my classmates shared this a while ago and I found it too delightful to not share.
Those of you who are not familiar with your Myers-Briggs personality type may want to go here first. However, for anyone who has ever suffered through an HR retreat or college dorm retreat, you probably are no stranger to this guy. (I personally am a weirdo and lie right on the border between INFJ and ESFJ.)
Well, some hilarious (and likely bored) person over at Vino Lovers decided to link up your personality type to wine. Enjoy!

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Ancient Booze! (Not the kind in your grandma's liquor cabinet...)

11/24/2013

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This is not really an original post- but I have some interesting news tidbits and miscellany I wanted to share. I've been listening to the awesome podcast "Stuff you Missed in History Class" and quite some time ago, they had a very awesome episode about ancient spirits, wines, and beers (give it a listen- it's fascinating!) Well, this week, an important archeological wine discovery was made- lookee! If they are ever able to recreate the recipe, I'd love to give it a taste! I'm sure that ancient wine tasted nothing like our modern wines, but I'd be so intrigued to find out!
My beer loving friends can, however, indulge in such a trip through time! Luckily, Dogfish Head has worked in conjunction with a team of archaeologists to recreate ancient recipes. Now we just need some wineries to get on top of it!

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Rare But Tasty- Fie Gris

California Dreamin'

And a little something extra on the side...

Happy Birthday, Baby!

Stop and smell the rose(s)

Cult Booze...

Taste the price

Mull this over...

What's your Wine Personality?

Ancient Booze! (Not the kind in your grandma's liquor cabinet...)

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