How to take a chance on a Bottle of Wine

Getting back into my schedule after returning from my trip has proven to be more difficult than I expected. Several missed tastings has been the main casualty, along with my health.

Now that I was finally feeling better I was able to finish my week on a pretty good note while visiting some friends this weekend. An elaborate dinner was planned, so of course I brought a bottle of wine. I have tasted most of the wines that I have in my archives, but a few I took a chance on. The bottle that I brought to share this evening was one of my “Take a Chance on Me” wines. I will probably hum that Abba song for the next bottle!

Due to forces outside of our control, the elaborate dinner turned into a simple cookout. So, after some needed time in the cool healing waters of The Cold Hole of the Magnolia Springs River and a 1/2 mile swim it was time to open the wine I brought.

Is it truly fair to call my bottle, which I hadn’t tasted, a “Take a Chance” wine? It was from a great location, known for growing exceptional grapes of this particular variety, made by a good winemaker. Not expensive but not cheap. I felt pretty confident.

Showing up to a gathering/party/dinner, etc., with a bottle of wine is always a test, especially when everyone knows you as “The Wine Expert” (which I don’t like to be called). I had the wine at the correct temperature (66 F for this hot day) and gave it about 30 minutes of air. My friends’ wives tasted it with me. The first response from one of them was a joyous cuss word, ending with some surprise. I just laughed!

I actually rather enjoy the “pressure” of bring a wine to social gatherings. Nailing it is pretty common for me. Not always, and not to sound arrogant, but when you go to a lot of tastings, begin to pay attention to what you are drinking; the flavors, the feel, and then geek out a little on some wine knowledge, then being confident on a wine that you haven’t tasted should not be a alien concept.

The pictures on this post are the Crowd Favorites from both Aragon on Thursday and The Bottle Shop on Baylen Friday (1 from Aragon, 2 from Bottle Shop). What was my “Take a Chance on Me” wine? Ask me at the next tasting. See you then.

Hacienda Zorita’s Unamuno Vineyard

We travel for so many reasons. To see, to experience, to learn, to have fun. For the wine traveler you can add; to discover.  To discover for both the soul and the palate.

During my summers as a kid on the Portuguese side of the Duero River (Douro in Portuguese) I would look at the landscape of rolling hills and steep canyons, of Olive and Almond trees, of Cork Oaks and Vineyards, and stare across the border to Spain.

The Duero River in our region forms the border between Portugal and Spain. Our house in Portugal, on the edge of a tiny village just four-ish kilometers from the Duero River gorge, allows for one of the best views on the planet. The view imparts the feeling that you are looking at the Earth, as you would look at another intriguing person while at a café.

The view is an experience by itself! Yet one of the things that you can see from our small backyard, on the Spanish horizon ten miles away, is the tower of Hacienda Zorita’s Unamuno Vineyard and Estate.

Both sides of the border here form one of the largest Natural Park Reserves in Europe. Called Arribes del Duero Natural Park in Spain and the Douro International Natural Park in Portugal, it was formed in 2002 to protect several UNESCO recognized natural spaces and several endangered species. It is expansive, encompassing roughly 410 square miles.

The Arribes del Duero area is not “known” for wine, even though quality grapes have been growing in this part of Spain for thousands of years.  The reason for this area not being well known by the modern wine word is very low yield and production. The Hacienda also does not export, and does not ship outside of the Iberian Peninsula and France. Because of this you are not going to find wines from here next to your favorite Rioja. The other surprise at this Estate; superb Syrah!

Yet if you venture to this far edge of Spain you are going to discover what all wine travelers want: an experience! That experience includes exceptional wines in an amazing landscape, and ZERO tourists. Eureka!

A year ago I wrote about Hacienda Zorita’s other, main location; their Luxury Hotel and Wine Estate located about 65 miles to the east (15 miles to the west of Salamanca). It is an exceptional place, full of amazing history (King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella hired Christopher Columbus in the current wine tasting room!!!) and you can find all of their wines in the hotel wine shop and stop there.

But if you pride your travels on discovery and true Immersion of the palate, you are going to want to journey into the Arribes del Duero, to Hacienda Zorita’s Unamuno Vineyard Estate, and get the full experience for yourself!

Quinta do Vale Meão

Translated to mean “of the valley in the meander,” Quinta do Vale Meão is situated in some of the best terrain in the entire Douro River Valley. Quintas are wine houses in Portuguese, Hacienda in Spanish. The Quinta here is on a peninsula where the Douro River makes a 90 degree turn from west to north, then 180 degree turn south, and then a 90 degree turn back to the west towards Porto.What makes the vineyards here so exceptional are, basically, everything. The soil is rocky, forcing the grapes to send their roots down deep, resulting in profound complexity. The climate is dry and sunny but with good ground water. This is essential for disease prevention and good growth…mature grapes at harvest. This combination allows for the best possible product.I chose to visit Quinta do Vale Meão for three reasons. First, I have never been and have always loved their wine. Second, they produce extremely high quality wine and are located not far from my small vineyards. Third, they export most of it to the United States, so we can actually find it back home! Like almost all high quality Douro red wine, it will need age, a minimum of seven years in my opinion. Ten, up to Fifty is even better! It is worth the wait!They produce two relatively easy to find levels; a very good “Tinto” (red table wine) around the $25 a bottle range, and a high end Estate-Grand Reserve level. Expect to pay $100 plus a bottle for those. And of course they make Port Wine, with some of the best Vintage Port in the industry. Good luck finding those, as I was only able to obtain one bottle on this visit for myself.If you find yourself in the high Douro, near the Spanish border, definitely reserve a tour and tasting. They also have a helicopter pad for true ease of movement. Next, on to Spain and some grapes grown inside an internationally recognized nature preserve, very much off the beaten, touristic, path.

What is “Old Vine?”

“Old Vine,” “Ancient Vine,” I have even seen “Gnarled Vines” grace the label of many wine bottles. Like many things in the consumer world we must peel back the marketing to find any true meaning.So what is an “Old Vine,” how old does it have to be? There are no true legal age limits to the term “Old Vine.” In most of Spain, it’s older than 30 years. In California, the vines must be 40 plus. The rest of the world mostly falls into this age range.Why does the age of a grape vine matter? When does it matter? There are two main factors I look at when I specifically reach for true “Old Vine” wine.The first factor I consider is where the grapes are grown. If they are being grown in very rocky, mountainous terrain, then age matters. Like all plants, grape vines get everything they need from the sun and the soil. Grapes grown in rocky terrain really have to fight to get their roots down to the water table, which can be more than 20 feet down. It can take the roots up to 30 years to get that deep. Once there, magic happens. The grapes can have amazing potential at this point!The next factor I consider is grape variety. The two easiest to find are Grenache and Zinfandel. Again, if the vintner did everything correctly, something magical happens as those grape varieties pass 40. The same can be said for the Portuguese varieties of the Douro.Most of my vines are growing in soils of granite, mica, and schist, on steep slopes, in a harsh environment. The majority of my vines are passing 97 years! The roots go very deep, up to 30 feet or more! My vineyard is located in a DOC where, legally, you cannot irrigate the vines after the grapes form, ensuring the highest quality of juice…no dilution.So for my vines to thrive for 97 years, and still going strong, mean that these “Old Vines” can give you grapes with an essence of complexity that younger vines could never achieve. But don’t just trust the label on the bottle, do a little research before buying. And to really get the full experience of my grapes you will just have to share a bottle with me!

Why Portuguese Wine?

“Let’s just go to Porto now.” After one night in Madrid we decided to visit more of Spain at the end of our trip instead of in the middle and head to Portugal.

Everyone that knows me, and most of our readers know, that I am partial to Portugal and Portuguese wine, and for good reason. Family ties aside; few places in the World of Wine can do what a good Portuguese wine can do.

What can it do and why?…should be everyone’s question.

There are two special things happening here; the land and the indigenous grapes.

There are books written about, what the French call, “Terroir.” People have gone to blows about what it actually means. Once you, if you can, scrape away the emotions and marketing you do get to a truer sense of the word. It should not surprise anyone that if you grow two identical things the same way in two different locations (say an apple) they can, and often do, taste different.

The Terroir of Portugal, especially of the Douro, is unique on this planet. Between the steep slopes of Schist and Granite flows the River Douro (translated from low-Latin to mean “Of Gold”). Growing on those slopes are varietals of grapes, many indigenous to the Douro, that have still not been fully explored by the palate of the Wine World at large. The future of Douro wine is bright.

When most people hear Porto (only bad tourists call the city Oporto) only one wine comes to mind, Port Wine. I do love a Vintage Port! If you have had Port and perhaps didn’t care for it go back and read the multiple previous posts titled “So you think you’ve had Port.” Yet it is the red blends that I am after this trip. With the capacity to bring the drinker both the complexity of deep ripe fruit, elegant tannins, balanced acid, and a formidable, long finish. What many call the holy grail of wine.

Not every Portuguese wine on the shelf will give you that experience. Most bottles that do can fetch a very high price once the word gets out, so I do my research and go to the source. One of my favorite shops (of which I mentioned last year in a post of how important a few key translation words are) always has some of the hardest to find bottles at very good prices.

Next week we will travel into the high Douro, the Alto Douro Superior, nearly untouched by tourists, and continue to explore why the wines here have abilities unique in the World of Wine. Until then; A té logo.

French Wine. Location location location!

“Je ne connais pas celui-là,” is what I said to the wine shop owner as she picked up another bottle of French white wine to show me. “I don’t know that one,” is the translation.

In most of Europe when you go shopping for wine and ask for help, or a recommendation, you are going to get a question in return, and that question is almost always the exact same anywhere in the “old world,” especially France: “Qu’est-ce que tu vas manger?” “What are you going to be eating?” It is implied, of course, what are you going to be eating with the wine?

Most people, not all, in old wine country traditionally only drink wine with food. Again, not all. Yet the majority of wine is still tailored as such. For our dinner that night we were going to have fresh oysters from Bretagne to start, then roasted sea bass with garden herbs and rice. So after telling the wine shop owner this key piece of information she directed me to, and started to point out, several white wines.

Pairing food with wine is a true art, although it is based on chemistry. Acid, sugar, alcohol, and the next 400 compounds that make up what you taste in each sip of wine form the foundation of food and wine pairing. But if you don’t know how to translate that science, and language, into a good dinner pairing then all is for not.

So how do you bridge the language and knowledge gap in the hopes that you end up buying a wine that you will like here in France?

First, all French wine is labeled, and named, based on its location. Location location location! There are a lot of grape varieties that grown in France, and more wines than anyone can know. BUT, the locations of where the best wines come from are known to all French people. Location is the key here, and knowing a few of the big names is a must.

Before your trip to France, do a little research of the taste profiles that are common to a certain region.  Knowing a little about the big red GSM blends from the Rhône, the elegant Pinot Noirs from Burgundy, the minerality of the best whites from the Loire, the difference between the left bank vs right bank in Bordeaux will get you a long way. And never be afraid to ask for help, just try it in French first; “Que recommandez-vous?” You will get a MUCH better recommendation!

Now on to Spain, Portugal, and the Douro!

Packing for a Wine Journey

Well you finally made it to the night before of that long awaited, meticulously planned, every-friend-envious, international wine journey. Congratulations!You have several goals in mind for this excursion. First, have a good time. Second, bring some wine back. Sometimes the second goal becomes the first. So how do you prepare to bring wine back? Here are a few things to think about.I have been successfully bringing wine back from other countries since I turned 21. There are several options to safely and successfully transport wine internationally. The first is having the Vineyard, or Wine Merchant, ship it for you. If you are buying multiple cases of wine then this is really your only option, baring the few readers that have access to private aircraft. It can be expensive and, depending on the current rotation of world events, can take awhile.Yet if you are like me and enjoy buying one or two bottles from multiple locations, then bringing that wine home in your checked luggage may be the way to go.Planning prior to leaving home is key!!!I travel pretty efficiently, and I also, usually, have a base that I operate out of on my travels. That gives me the ability to stow all of my stuff and not have to drag it around. Therefore I fit all of my personal stuff, even on a multi-week trip, in a backpack and an international sized carry on roller bag. Then I devote a single, soft sided, semi-rigid roller bag to be a checked bag. This will be my wine carrier.You have two options when considering “wine luggage.” Option 1 is a specifically built (usually hard sided) wine suitcase. They come in a lot of different sizes, are fairly expensive, and even the best ones are a little cumbersome. They also really only have one use, so not the most versatile.Option 2; using a traditional, soft sided piece of luggage, preferably a piece you already own. I use an old carry on roller bag that can be expanded. Studies have shown that soft sided luggage actually lasts longer and protects the contents better than hard sided luggage (they are much better at absorbing impact). The key to filling soft sided luggage with 18 bottles of wine are wine sleeves.I fill my wine luggage at home with wine sleeves, which are made from durable bubble wrap and are sealable. I also take some extra bubble wrap to line the inside of the main compartment. They are essential!! They are also much cheaper and easier to find here at home, so don't bet your wine trip on finding adequate ones on the road!Next thing to consider with a soft sided bag is weight. Not just for the airline, but for the integrity of the zippers. I bring a lockable luggage strap to wrap around the entire bag. It also helps with picking out your bag out on the carousel.Finally, lock the bag and bring a back up lock. TSA, and other nosy customs officials, love taking a look, and often do not reattach the lock properly. I now no longer use TSA locks. If they want to get in they will call you and ask you to open your bag. Once complete, you lock it and don’t have to worry about someone else getting into your stuff. Also, I have had locks break, so having a back up is a good idea.With a good plan and the right equipment you can be confident that your treasure-find-of-a-wine will make it home intact. Being able to bring back that great wine-find to enjoy with your friends will only extend your wine journey when you return home, and will be well worth the effort!Join us next week as we report back on week one of our wine journey, France! Jusque la, mes amies!

What is “Wine Country?”

I have not had a week go by in the last few months where someone hasn’t said; “I cannot believe all of this is going on here!” The “this” are all of the wine tastings. The “here” is the Pensacola area.

According to any map of wine we are not “in Wine Country.” But are we?

What comes to mind when you hear “Wine Country?” Tuscany, Napa, the terraced slopes of the Douro. Places that grow grapes probably, because that’s where you can also drink that fermented grape juice. Sounds like a fun place!

What would it be like to live “in Wine Country?” It would be really fun! Well, look around at any one of our local wine tastings and you will see people having fun. So, I say; We do live in Wine Country! Wine Country is so much more than a place where grapes are grown. Wine Country, just like any Country, is a place that has an identifiable, unique, and ubiquitous cultural.

To me Wine Country = Wine Culture. Pensacola has a unique and super fun culture, especially with wine, and it surprises people constantly. There are many reasons why this culture exists here and not in our closest large neighbors to the East and West. A few of those reasons are our long and diverse history, the constant influx and mixing of people (a lot due to our military bases and not just Navy, but Air Force, Army, and honorable mention to the Coast Guard), and the fact that we live in a part of the world where many people travel to to have fun.

The result from mixing all of that for a long time is a culture that likes to enjoy enjoyment, and wine is a natural fit.

There were SEVEN wine tastings around town last week from Wednesday through Saturday! I can’t even add all of the pictures from them to this article. That should not surprise any of you, but it does surprise many people, both new to our area and those who have been here for quite a while.

That is why we started Gulf Coast Wine; to give a home to our amazing local wine community, and to share our uniquely fun wine culture, to enjoy the experience together!  This week you could have had a great summer sparkling wine at The East Hill Bottle shop tasting, jumped around Tuscany at the So Gourmet tasting, sampled some great food and wine at Anna’s monthly tasting, played in the mystery wine game and Bottle Share night at Aragon’s tasting, and partaken in a few amazing wines from Argentina at a special AJ’s Market tasting. Each one was a great time, with fun people enjoying the company of other wine lovers, not wine snobs!

So, we do in fact live in Wine Country, one that, in my opinion, is actually more fun than several of those listed on the map! Cheers to that!

Congratulations to our Winners

Thank you to everyone for following us this past year as we go on this wine journey with all of you!Congratulations to the four winners of GulfCoastWine’s First Year Wine Experience Give-Away.The winner of the Bodacious/So Gourmet Charcuterie Board for two and $20 toward a Bottle of Wine is:debdroz15The Winner of the Aragon Wine Market’s Free Month in their Wine “Cru” Club, which includes a wine profile tasting and two bottles of wine that fit your profile is;Savannah BaileyThe Winner of Anna’s Wine Shop July Tasting for Free is;devin.guidry7The Winner of 1 Free Tasting at The East Hill Bottle Shop is;Allen KeyesThe Winners were chosen randomly from a list of our News Letter subscribers and our Instagram followers.  The winners' names will be passed to the venues for redemption. Please contact us if you have any issues.Thank you!

Wine Experience Give Away

Gulf Coast Wine was founded a year ago to give a home to the amazing and unique wine culture around the Pensacola area. Yet Gulf Coast Wine isn’t just a page for local wine tastings, but a growing community of wine enthusiasts ranging from wine novices to experts.Our goal is to show people how fun and enjoyable wine can be and are passionate about enhancing your wine experience with each glass.To celebrate our first year we are giving away a few awesome wine prizes this week and next week to thank you, the followers of our Newsletter and our Instagram. This week the prizes are:1. From So Gourmet; A Charcuterie Board for Two and $20 toward a bottle of Wine ($45 Value)2. From Aragon Wine Market: A Free Month of Aragon’s “Cru” Wine Club to include a Private Wine tasting profile to find what wine you like, then Two Bottles of wine that match your palate profile. ($33 Value).3. From Anna’s Fine Wine & Beer: Free admission to their July (the 27th) Wine Tasting. ($25 Value)The winners will be selected by random this Friday, June 30th, and will be notified by e-mail for the Newsletter Subscriber winners, and by Instagram Messenger for our Instagram winners. You will have one week to redeem your prize, instructions and directions will be included in the notification.Stay tuned for next week as we will do round two to celebrate our 1st year.

Summer Wines, Part 2.

What qualities make a wine more enjoyable during the heat of summer? Perhaps quality Number 1 is “Refreshing.” Perhaps also “Crisp.” It would probably have a flavor profile consisting of strawberry, or hints of citrus, or maybe the essence of nectarine. The taste would take you to a comfortable chair on the porch, enjoying the breeze.

Well what wines do that?!?

The first step is to just focus on Rose and White wines, for now.  Reds are much more tricky so we are going to leave those out.

Next we must look at the wines’ sugar/alcohol content and acid. Wines that tend to be more refreshing and crisp are low in sugar (are not sweet), have relatively low alcohol by volume (13% or less), and have higher acid.

Then we want a wine that tastes like summer.  What tastes like summer?  Summer fruits; strawberry, the stone fruits, green apple, and some hints of citrus. 

Our first example is Figuiere “Mediterranean” 2021 Rose from the South of France. It’s description contains the remark “bright acidity and a moderate level of alcohol.” The tasters of this Crowd Favorite at Aragon this week got hints of strawberry with no sugar. Bullseye!  Tasters declared it a perfectly refreshing Porch Wine as we contrasted it to a Sonoma Coast big, but young, red blend.

Our next example, from this week’s tasting at the EastHill Bottle shop, is Fontaleoni Vernaccia di San Gimignano 2022, from Tuscany. This Crowd Favorite runner-up came in with flavor essences of stone fruit (peach & nectarine) and crisp green apple. Light on the tongue with “lively” acid. Winner!

So let’s review. Rose and whites that are low in sugar. Check. Relatively low in alcohol. The Rose, 13%; the White, 12.5. Check. Flavor profiles that contain summer fruits. Check. Two great porch and pool pounders. Just remember; serve chilled! Cheers!

Up-ing your wine game, Part 3

I really like being able to open the door or remove an obstacle from someone’s wine journey. The door is the realization of how fun and enjoyable wine can be, and an obstacle can be anything; like being able to describe what you actually like.Your wine journey can appear overwhelming at the start. Thousands of wines from thousands of grapes and combinations. As a wine guide I enjoy giving fellow tasters a few simple and easy tools that enhance the enjoyment of each glass. Once you realize how fun the journey is going to be it will no longer feel overwhelming.Here is a quick recap of some of those simple tools.In the first part of Up-ing your wine game I said how important it is to go to wine tastings, especially the unique ones, like the monthly tasting held by the Emerald Coast Chapter of the American Wine Society. Going to tastings like these show you how to taste wine. Even just going to your favorite local Wine Shop tasting will help you begin to find what you like.Yet, are you still getting frustrated because you cannot describe what you like? In Part 2 of Up-ing your wine game I gave a few easy words to use. Most important - Think about what you actually taste!So, taste wine, describe wine. The next step is to ASK QUESTIONS. Do not be afraid to ask! Why did that wine taste like that? Why was it dry? Why did I taste grapefruit? Asking questions will allow you to start putting it all together. It will also show you who can you trust to ask your wine questions to, someone who can and will enhance your wine journey.Tonight’s Crowd Favorite at EastHill, Altocedro La Consulta Select Red Blend 2019 from the Uco Valley, near Mendoza Argentina, is a good example. It was bold, had a satisfying level of complex fruit; black plum, blackberry, followed by some coco with medium tannins; all from using six different grape varieties. Could you describe that if you tasted it. If so fantastic. If not don’t be afraid to ask! Just like any puzzle, the help of a second set of eyes finding that one piece can really get you over the hump, and back to enjoying your journey.

Swirling Wine

Can you remember the first time you swirled the wine in your glass? If so can you remember where you learned that quintessential and often cliched action? Unless you grew up as a wine savant in a isolated wine cave in the Douro Valley you didn’t start swirling wine on your own. So why is it done? Should you do it with every wine? Can you over swirl? Let’s take a look.You can type “why do you swirl wine” into any search engine and get a number pretty decent answers. Yet I have not found just one spot that combines and condenses all of them into a single recommendation.So. Should you swirl every wine, every time? No.I am going to address the “How” to swirl your wine first. Do it gently with out spilling it. It’s not a washing machine, slow and gentle, for 6-8 seconds at a time. You CAN over swirl it! There is also an element here on the proper way to hold your glass:  NOT by the cup (the curved bowl section)! If you would like a tutorial please ask me at the next tasting.Whether it’s a wine you just opened at home or at a wine tasting, restaurant, wherever; Smell your wine first without doing anything. Yes, that’s not a typo, smell your wine first. Then taste it.Now, at this point, you can swirl your wine, unless it is a very old wine. Very old wines tend to be very delicate and swirling them can break them down. You don’t have to swirl, it’s up to you, but if you do swirl continue.So you poured wine in your glass. You smelled it, tasted it, swirled it, gently. Now smell and taste it again. Was it better or worse? If it was worse then don’t swirl anymore. If it continues to not taste good POUR IT OUT, it’s probably a bad wine! If it continues to taste better, then give it a gentle swirl each time before you take a drink, smelling often.So why can it get better when we swirl, what’s happening? Oxidation. Just like an aerator, swirling mixes oxygen into the wine, making it easer to smell, which science has proven to be about 75% of what you taste. Smelling wine helps you taste wine.The mixing of oxygen can also begin to break down tannins, making some big wines a little softer and thus more pleasant.Hopefully this gives you a little more guidance on why and when we swirl. Just don’t spill it on yourself or others. Cheers!

Aragon’s Blind Tasting 1 June

Watching some of the world renowned wine experts take a sip of wine and correctly regurgitate the grape varietals, the location, and the year can be akin to watching the stage magician cut the volunteer from the audience in half! Wow, what a good trick, almost seems like magic.Everyone at a blind tasting, or confronted with a mystery bottle wants to “play the game,” to correctly guess everything coming out of that unknown bottle of wine. Yet the vast majority of us have a better chance of picking winning lotto numbers. So if the odds are so against you why bother?Because it’s important! Here’s why, part 1.There are two separate things happening when you take part in a blind tasting or attempt a guess on some mystery wine, an exercise and a game. You MUST do the exercise first, otherwise you will probably fail at the game.The exercise is to actually think about what you are tasting. DO NOT try and start guessing! Just think about if you liked it, didn’t like it, and why. That’s the exercise, the Why. Could you taste fruit, if so what? Was it acidic, did it leave you with a dry mouth, was it amazingly smooth? Think about what you are actually tasting, flavors and feel! Once you have done that, the exercise, then you can begin to play the game.It’s amazing how much, and almost instant, pressure that one feels when trying to guess a mystery wine. That pressure can really throw you off!  But if I were to come up to you and just say “Hey, try this and let me know what you think,” then the pressure is zero.By doing the exercise first, the “try this and let me know what you think,” then the analytical part of your brain is working without pressure, allowing you to formulate what you are tasting.Now when you start playing the game of trying to guess what that wine is you will have a much better foundation to play from. The more you exercise the better you will be at playing the game. Duh!Tuning in your awareness of what you are actually tasting. That’s the key! After a while you will probably find yourself no longer guessing; at that point you will answer because you know what that wine is, and won’t that be magical!

East Hill Bottle Shop 31 May Tasting

Even though Summer hasn’t “officially” begun it’s summer here on the Gulf Coast. Yet we are barely into our Summer and I have already heard, twice, the phrase: “I can’t drink red wine during the Summer!”Really?What a bold wine statement! I still have yet to get an actual logical answer when I ask why. The answers usually revolve around “not refreshing enough” or “it makes me hot.”I am the biggest advocate for drink what you like, but to artificially cut red wine out of your repertoire seems holistically silly! There isn’t much that I can do if you say that red wine makes you hot. Either come prepared for what the Brits call a “Randy Evening,” or take a cold shower before leaving the house!  I mean really!I take it as a challenge to refute the “not refreshing enough” reason. 97% of red wine, especially down here on the Gulf Coast, is served too hot. Red wine should make your glass feel cool to the touch. If it doesn’t then it’s too hot. Just doing that will probably make 9 out of 10 red wines “refreshing.”Tonight’s Crowd Favorite, Atteca Old Vine Garnacha 2019 from the Calatayud region of Spain, was served at the right temperature and sold down to the last bottle. The region of Calatayud is very dry, the grapes get a lot of ripening sun. That along with the age of the vines gives the wine its full complement of complex flavors; black plum with red cherry, deep earth yet with soft tannins. To me a great bold summer red wine.So if you are one who doesn’t drink red wine during the summer do me a favor; try some reds at the correct temperature and see if your opinion changes.

Wine Hunters

I know several people who intentionally do not keep wine in their house. Not because of any health or religious reason, but because they like going out and hunting for a bottle of wine.They go out, search, and buy only what they are going to drink that evening, or in the very near future. This style of wine hunting fascinates me. I also consider myself a Wine Hunter, but one who mostly plans ahead, one who hunts for that unique or rare bottle for a future special occasion.To be clear, I am not a wine collector, I drink everything that I buy. I am also blessed with a basement (yes, I live in Florida and I have a basement), so I have an amazing spot to store wine after my hunting trips.I have written about the proper way to store wine before, but a quick recap:  no need to get overly worried about not having a wine fridge or cellar, only a stable temperature (around 70ish is fine), and absolutely no sun light is all that is required. So if you don’t have those conditions then you should drink that bottle as soon as possible.Yet the Wine Hunters I am speaking about are not doing it due to their lack of a proper storage area, they do it for the love of the hunt, for the search. It gives them the reason to get out and go on a journey. An escape from our hectic world.The word “Safari” is Swahili for “journey,” and because they are going to have that wine post-haste, the satisfaction of the hunt is immediate and nearly audible. This experience is all part of their wine journey.That journey, the Safari, is made up of an untold number of wine experiences. That is it what we are all after! So are you a Wine Hunter? There are many different types, but if that means going on a life long Wine Safari, then YES, count me in!

Treasure Hunting

Do you hunt? A very open ended question to be sure. This is a wine article so you would assume that I am asking if you hunt for wine. If you read this week's first article on Wine Hunters then you might already have an answer.Well, now I am asking in a much bigger sense. All of the great explorers of the world were hunters; both in the traditional sense of chasing wild game, and the metaphorical sense, hunting for what lay over the horizon.I consider myself a hunter in all senses of the word. It is a mindset, an ethos. I am as equally excited for the pursuit as for the end achievement. The hike up the mountain is as enjoyable as the unparalleled view from the top.I am also intrigued by the rare and often overlooked in life. I also very much enjoy history. Wine has A LOT of both. As I traveled this week I had the chance to do some wine hunting, and with history as my guide I was not disappointed.The results were two very obscure, rather rare wines, both from Portugal. The first was a 1997 Carcavelos. A fortified wine from the smallest DOC in the world and a favorite of Thomas Jefferson.There is a book written by John Hailman titled “Thomas Jefferson on Wine” and includes a letter from Jefferson to Richmond Va. merchant James Brown requesting a quarter cask of wine. Jefferson writes “I would prefer good Lisbon, next to that Carcavallo.”Why was Jefferson hunting for Carcavelos so long ago? Carcavelos is NOT Port! It’s profile lies somewhere between Madeira and a aged Tawny Port. It is fortified but with a very unique character. Its profile is very complex; with raisin and citrus, earth and salty air, it dances across the tongue while wearing boots. My Carcavelos is made solely from the Ramisco grape and comes from the tiny region just west of Lisbon near the jet-setting coastal town of Cascais. The entire DOC only totals some 25 acres!!!The next is a 2009 Colares, also made from Ramisco. What makes Colares so unique is that it is some of the only wine in the WORLD that comes from ungrafted vines. The soils here (northwest of Lisbon) contain a lot of sand and were resistant to phylloxera, and therefore were never killed off.Colares doesn’t have anything similar to it in taste. It is like drinking a wine that came from the core of the earth, deeply complex with the hints of red cherry and acid. It is profound, a wine for the consummate wine hunter that will satisfy the deepest of wine geek in any of us.A good week of hunting for me, two true treasures! As I look forward to enjoying the fruits of my labor here are some words of wisdom from Thomas Jefferson: “I have lived temperately. ... I double the doctor’s recommendation of a glass and a half of wine each day and even treble it with a friend.”Cheers to the next hunt!

A Nebuchadnezzar!!!!!

This was quite a week of wine! There were six wine tastings in four days! Our local chapter (the Emerald Coast Chapter) of the American Wine Society had a great monthly tasting featuring California Cabs. Yet the highlight of my week was a friend’s birthday party who is a huge wine lover.

I have seen, and drank, a lot of wine. I have seen those big bottles of wine and have even had some. None of it was memorable. But I have never had wine out of the biggest of all wine bottles, until now.

Pictures do a better job of conveying the shear size of a Nebuchadnezzar bottle of wine, the biggest commercially made bottle on Earth! It holds 15 liters, or 20 bottles (normal 750ml bottles) of liquid, and when that liquid is an amazing wine, hold on. Literally, you could drown in this thing.

The wine; Anderson’s Conn Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, 2012, from Napa. It was fabulous! A Wine of Note! No further tasting notes needed. A perfect wine for a special occasion. Fill a Nebuchadnezzar with that wine and you have a wine party to remember, and we all will!!

Too much wine, and liquor!

I literally got lost in the store trying to follow the order of tasting tables this week at ABC on Bayou. This Florida family owned chain was getting ready for their biannual big wine and liquor tasting. 14 tables with an average of four alcoholic drinks to taste on each one, wine and liquor!!!! That’s 56 for those who do not like public math. Ooooffff!

As I perused the labels across the 14 tables all I could think about was “circus!” The tables where not in any particular order, and the wine and liquor were set up per distributor, not in any logical tasting order.

Yet perhaps the most interesting part was that most of the pourers did not know anything about what they were pouring. You would think that is bad, and it is, but it can also be good. The taster was left to their own devices, to determine if they liked what they were tasting. I think that part is great. The bad part was that if you liked what you were tasting good luck on getting any information on that liquid.

The other bad part was the total lack of any tasting guidance. You don’t always have to drink white before red. What really matters is the balance of acid and alcohol, preferably starting with wines that aren’t overly acidic and having higher alcohol wines towards the end.

One definite: don’t drink liquor before wine! That goes for tasting and good “body” practices.

So be careful the next time you walk into a “tasting circus.” If you just roll right down the line at a big tasting without a plan you will probably end up as the main attraction. Not something that you want!

Aragon’s 11 May Tasting

It is very easy to get overwhelmed with all of the different wines of the world. The complexity of the wine world is a motivation for me, yet the opposite is true for many others. There are thousands of each kind of wine. How do you sort through them and find one you like? Can you even keep them all straight?If this overwhelming feeling explains your experience in the world of wine then I can help. The easiest way to sort through all of the wines that stare you down in the store is to NOT do it.Don’t guess your way down the wine isle, unless you like drinking experiments and wasting money. Picking the prettiest bottle has been proven to get you a sub-standard wine. Ask a vetted and qualified wine expert, we have a bunch of good ones around town. Want an even better way to sort through the world of wine and buy one you like? Taste it first!WOW, what a concept. Go to a wine tasting. If you like it then buy it. Guaranteed that you will like it again back home for dinner or at the next party with friends.If anyone reading this can prove that they bought tonight’s Wine of Note by just randomly bouncing down the wine isle on their own then I will buy them another bottle! Seriously.Taboadella Villae Branco 2021 is a white blend from the Dao DOC region of Portugal. Made from three indigenous grapes; Bical, Encruzado, and Cerceal, it has the citrus notes of a Sauvignon Blanc, the minerality of a Soave, and the body of a Chardonnay. It can go with any crustaceans, white fish, chicken, soup, or alfredo sauce dish.One question from a taster was “So what is it similar to?” Nothing, it is unique with aspects of several that are familiar. Thats the reason it is a Wine of Note. So don’t get overwhelmed by all of the wine out there, leaving your wine purchase to chance. Buy wine that you have tasted and liked, or recommend by a vetted wine expert. You will have a lot more fun that way.