Monday, March 15, 2010

Goldilocks was on to something…

Originially published on 2/5/10 at Rogerspark.com, A Good Pour


Okay, maybe serving time/ temperature is not the sexiest topic, but hang in here with me, dear neighbors, because boy can it make a difference in your wine tasting experience.

I was in the mood for a wine comparison the other night so David and I opened a Rioja and a Chianti Classico. Perhaps because we were getting a bit hungry for dinner, we began our note taking shortly after I opened the bottles. Now I know that ideally, wine should be given the chance to breathe, but like other habits you know are good for you, ( flossing, anyone?) I don’t do it every time.

Here’s what happened. Both wines were true to their varietal in style. The Rioja had mild aromas of cherry, raspberry and oak, the Chianti Classico shared the cherry and added rose petal, but nothing leapt out of the glass. The latter, not surprisingly, was more acidic, but with less body, highlighting the gentler, smoother mouth feel of the Rioja. Okay, that’s nice, two pleasant wines, true to type. Ho hum. We went through the tasting protocol, again. Were we missing something? Let’s sip some more water, cleanse our palates, we’re not getting what we should be from these wines. I wasn’t expecting to be blown away, but I thought they’d be more nuanced, more cohesive. Heck, I just thought they’d be better.

So, we left the wine in the glasses and went to start dinner. A half hour later we returned to pick one to have with the meal and tried them both again. Wow. The difference was startling. Both wines had clearly enjoyed their time basking languidly in the glass, just waiting for us to return and find them in their glory. I swear they were smirking. All the individual, formerly clunky notes we’d been carefully describing were now all harmonizing beautifully together, creating a singular expression of the varietals. They didn’t need to be formally decanted, they just needed to be poured into a glass, swirled a bit and left to do their magic.

Though theoretically, decanting is really only needed for red wines with bigger tannins, I was reminded once again that a bit of time out of the bottle does wonders for whatever is inside. It’s like those of here on the Third Coast in February, getting out of our confines helps us to blossom, too.

Saying that wine needs to breathe may sound pretentious, but it’s true. It’s all about getting the wine aerated so that it can unlock its full spectrum of aromas and flavors. But please note, simply opening the bottle won’t do the trick, the wine should at least be poured into a glass. The surface area of an opened bottle isn’t wide enough to get the party started.
So what about serving temperature? Tradition says that red wines are best served at room temperature, but that idea was born before room temperatures averaged around 70 degrees. A decent medium is 50 degrees, so if the bottle isn’t in a cellar, just let it chill in your refrigerator for 15-20 minutes before serving. White wines need some special handling here as well. They are frequently served way too cold. Many restaurants are guilty of this and it’s a shame because patrons can go away thinking that a wine was so-so or just plain bad when really, it was simply hunched up against the deep chill, its personality in lock down. 45°F is a good baseline temperature for white wines. So, practically speaking, if your wine is in the frig, take it out about a half hour before you want to drink it or if it’s at room temperature, pop it in the freezer for 30 minutes.

No matter what your level of investment, you want your wine to be enjoyed at its best. So this Valentine’s Day, as you try to stay warm and look cool, take a lesson from Goldilocks and shine that same attention to detail on your vino as well. Your sweetheart will thank you.

Pinot Noir -Why all the Fuss?

Originally posted to my column A Good Pour in Rogers Park
Pinot Noir…why all the fuss?

Impressionable, finicky, skittish beauty seeks patient, tender, skillful hands and a Goldilocks environment in which to flourish-not too hot, not too cold. Sound too high maintenance? Well, luckily for us, many intrepid winemakers think she’s worth the trouble and fear not, dear neighbors, she is.

Pinot Noir, a red wine grape used to make still and sparkling wines, is famously difficult to grow. Its very thin skin leaves it vulnerable to mishandling and prone to rotting in warmer climates. It balks at spring frosts since it’s an early bloomer and is choosy about just how much rain it needs and when. Producing pinot noir takes meticulous caretaking, but the end result will reflect all those careful decisions made in the vineyard and the winery. Talk about creative freedom! Vintners are able to truly express themselves and their land through this chameleon, for it reflects its terroir, or sense of place, like no other grape.

Terroir is one of my favorite words because there’s no exact translation, yet it evokes such feeling. Yes, it’s the combined effect that climate, soil and farming practices have on a given crop, but even as I type that I stiffen at how clinical that sounds. Maybe I can best describe it by veering off track a bit and telling you a quick story. (Stay with me.) Several years ago I made a pilgrimage of sorts to Santa Barbara County (before the movie Sideways threw a spotlight on the place ) to talk with winemakers and get a glimpse, close-up, of what it felt like to bring in a pinot noir harvest. I was standing in the Bien Nacido vineyard in the waning hours of an October afternoon talking with a man whose family had farmed that land for nine generations. The road we drove in on shared his last name. He was a farmer and a vintner and he carried himself with the quiet assurance of a man whose work satisfied him deeply. A delicious sense of rootedness warmed me.When I tasted his wine, a rich, fruity pinot with a creamy finish, I could swear that I tasted that land and all the accumulated wisdom and tender care that had gone into it’s cultivation. To me, that’s terroir.

Pinot Noir’s ancestral home in Burgundy has long been considered its ideal climate. Gentle morning sun coddles the vines on the eastern facing slopes of the famed Cote d’or region, allowing the grapes to avoid the bruising afternoon rays. But they have their problems, too. Unpredictable rain and harsh storms haunt the area and have at times, damaged valuable crops prior to harvest. Of course, the French aren’t the only ones making memorable pinot these days. Other notable areas include some cooler CA climes, including the Russian River Valley, Carneros, Santa Rita Hills and the Santa Lucia Highlands. Wines from the Willamette Valley in Oregon have many fans, as do the offerings from New Zealand.

By now you may be wondering, if you haven't yet had the pleasure, what it tastes like. Why all the fuss? Well, it’s almost as hard to describe as it is to grow, partly due to the many ways it can be crafted. But, in general, to give you a baseline, flavor associations include strawberry, red cherry, raspberry, violets and often earthy notes. The wine will be medium to full bodied, but have whisper light tannins and, if it’s a good one, a velvety finish that lasts awhile. Sophisticated and elegant are words that you’ll see attached to pinot noir, as opposed to the boldness and forthrightness of a cabernet sauvignon.

As with all wine and wine tasting, generalities abound, but I’ve found this one to be true more often than not. Some say that old world pinots, (think France, Italy, European countries) radiate an earthiness that is supported by subtle fruit, while new world wines (North America and the Southern Hemisphere) tend to deliver their fruit right up, front and center. Additionally, old world wines benefit from a healthy dose of decanting and really show their colors during a meal; new world pinots can often be delightful on their own as a cocktail. This is where you get to experiment and find out what you like. Do a side-by-side taste test and see if you can tell the difference and, more importantly, if you have a preference. It should always be about what you most enjoy, it’s your palate you have to please. And here’s another bonus- it’s one of the most versatile wines to pair with food. It makes a lovely companion to poultry, beef, fish or pork.

I think it’s a shame we can’t grow pinot noir right here in Rogers Park. Can you imagine the essence our terroir would bring to that wine? Lands cooled by the lake and infused with such diverse cultural backgrounds would surely yield a vibrant wine with just the right amount of berry fruit seamlessly blended with a warm inviting earthiness. Even Goldilocks would approve.