A Sommelier’s Shame

The word “sommelier” is so sophisticated sounding, so beautiful as it rolls off one’s tongue.  Just so…French!  However, even though I am a certified sommelier, sometimes I am forced to not be a sophisticated wine drinker.  Part of this is the area I live and part of this is the circumstances of my life.  I sometimes drink cheap wine (really cheap wine) out of cheap glasses (really cheap glasses).  It happens.  In Wyoming and the Black Hills, not every restaurant is an awesome restaurant; sometimes it is just an amazing burger joint, and not every amazing burger  joint has a wine list.  Or if said burger joint does have a list, it often consists of Cabernet, Merlot, and white Zinfandel, that's all.  I try to stay away from box wines, but I had to try the wine that came in a box that looked like a purse, and I love Bota Box wines for hikes and picnics.  But today I am not talking about that kind of sommelier’s shame, a shame that sommeliers in metropolitan areas don’t have to contend with like I do in my rural surroundings.  Today I am talking about the shame that I have made it my goal to explore and promote all things wine related in the Black Hills and Wyoming, and I have knowingly not done this.  Here’s my confession: 

            About five years ago, I stopped at Stone Faces Winery outside of Hill City, South Dakota.  (Wines made by Valiant Vineyards in eastern South Dakota; Stone Faces is the western SD tasting room with a different name.)  The non-descript sign out front and lack of branding/marketing put me off right away.  I went inside, tasted some wines, and left…never to go back until this past weekend.  Shame.  On.  Me!  I claimed to be promoting area wine businesses, and yet I had chosen to neglect one.  I was so glad I got back to following my own advice; I don’t know why I wasn’t impressed last time, but my second trip made up for this. 

 

The sign welcoming visitors to Stone Faces.

            Once I got past my sign issue, I bellied up to the tasting bar to try my six wines (with no tasting fee).  Because there are still so many newbie wine drinkers in our area, wineries need to have a mix of both sweet and dry wines.  I focused on the dryer reds and whites.  Stone Faces makes wines from both grapes and other fruits, sometimes mixing the two.  The wines also have names primarily dealing with South Dakota or the Black Hills, like the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally and Mount Rushmore.  This was shown in the first wine I sipped, the Full Throttle red that was a brandy-fortified wine with 16 percent alcohol.  I was impressed that this was not too hot from alcohol, though the heat did show up more on the finish.  I then was able to do a short vertical tasting of the Sturgis Merlot 2011 and 2013.  These grapes were sourced from California, as Merlot does not grow well in the harsh Midwestern winters.  The 2011 was dryer with more baked plum notes, while the 2013 was more Pinot Noir-like in body and taste.  (Possibly because grapes were sourced from completely different vineyards, areas, etc.)  Since I was in the process of getting my summer wine palate on, I bought the lighter-bodied 2013…and drank it already!  The next dry red was the Artisan, a mix of California Cabernet and South Dakota St. Croix grapes.  This was also very pleasant, and I liked the idea of the state-sourced grapes. 

 

2011 and 2013 Sturgis Merlots.

            The final red was sweeter, the Rushmore Red.  This was made from California Merlot and eastern South Dakota Noirette.  I transitioned from the reds to the whites with Stone Faces’ pink wine, Pasque (named for the South Dakota state flower).  This was a blend of Frontenac and Niagara grapes, both SD grown.  This was another great summer wine, and I bought a bottle.  It was filled with floral aromas and flavors and had a clean laundry smell--a fun wine with a really beautiful color.  Rushmore White boasted a German style, made from Riesling and Edelweiss grapes—Edelweiss grapes grow well in this area.  The final white, called Sweet White, used Niagara grapes.   There were six other wines on the tasting list, but these were all other fruit wines (like rhubarb and blueberry) and a bit sweet for my palette. 

Stone Faces blueberry wine, with a picture of the tasting room on the label.

            After my stop, I don’t have to be ashamed that I am not experiencing and promoting all aspects of wine in our tiny, budding wine world of the Black Hills as I said I would.  Stone Faces taught me to not judge a book by its cover (maybe I am finally going to get over the issues I have with their poor signage).  I enjoyed the wines I tried, and my tasting associate, Cynthia, was informative, friendly, and energetic.  I could also tell I was not the only one giving more attention to these wines.  The tasting room was quite busy with patrons of all ages:  from me, to distinguished gentlemen, to 20-something couples.  (I always love it when I see young people experiencing wine!  It makes me so happy for the future of the industry.)  Now my sommelier’s shame only has to be when I am forced to drink cheap wine (I don’t mean inexpensive and good quality…I mean CHEAP) out of a red Solo cup (hey, it happens!). 

When it’s Hard to Watch the News

          This is another one of those weeks when I turn on the television, and I inevitably walk away with tears in my eyes.  There just seems to be so much bad news lately:  Sandy Hook Elementary shooting, Boston Marathon bombing, Oklahoma tornados.  It is really hard for me to focus on wine and writing about wine (a subject that makes me so incredibly happy and joyful) with so much sorrow and pain in the world.  I wish I could write words that would help the victims, help the families of victims, help those of us who want to do more…but instead I write about wine.  At first I was thinking of how trivial wine seems in times like these.  Then I realized, wine is very serious business, and it is the livelihood of thousands and thousands of people in the United States alone, not even taking into account how many people in the world rely on wine for the roofs over their families’ heads and the food for their children’s mouths.  Wine is a very important industry.

            According to the National Grape and Wine Initiative in 2007, the wine industry is responsible for over 162 billion (with a B!) dollars of economic impact in the U.S.  Research done by MFK Research LLC in a report entitled The Impact of Wine, Grapes, and Grape Products on the American Economy: Family Businesses Building Value, the wine industry provides over one million full-time American jobs.  Part-time and seasonal work could also be added to this number.  Wine making starts with the grapes, which is essentially an agricultural business, and big business at that.  In 2005, there were 23,856 grape growers—that’s a lot of grapes!  In 2000, there were a total of 2,904 wineries in the U.S.; in 2005 there were 4,929.  By 2012, Winebusiness.com estimates that number at 7,116.  All of these wineries create over 11 billion dollars in winery sales revenue (again from the 2007 article).   Over three billion dollars can be attributed to winery tourism expenditures.  These numbers are proof of the growing importance of wine in our country.  Grapes and grape juice also add to the overall industry (though they may not be as fun for us to consume…wink).  The non-fermented family members of wine add another 1.669 billion dollars to the economy.  All of these numbers add up to a lot of tax dollars:  17.1 billion in federal, state, and local taxes.

            Many of us may automatically think of the large wine producing areas, like California, Washington, and Oregon, when we think about the above numbers.  However, all 50 states now have wineries; my little, old, sparsely-populated Wyoming already has three—only one using state-grown fruit.  South Dakota, a state where agriculture is the number one industry, now has multiple vineyards and wineries.  Though grapes are still in the “other” category of agricultural products here (where corn and soybeans are royalty), growing grapes and fruit for wine on a commercial basis is a part of the ag industry that didn’t even exist twenty years ago!  This can be said for many states in the Midwest, like Minnesota, Wisconsin (both in the forefront of creating and using hybrid grapes), Nebraska, and Colorado (which now has two AVAs—Grand Valley and West Elks).  Wine has turned into a budding (pun intended) and important growth industry all over America. 

 

Scenes from the "budding" wine industry:

Table Mountain Vineyards--Huntley, Wyoming

 

Belle Joli Winery--Belle Fourche, South Dakota

 

Grand Valley AVA--Colorado

            During these hard times that are so much in our thoughts and minds, it may be hard to focus on the fun parts of wine—the smelling, sipping, laughing, and loving.  However, it is essential to remember the serious side of wine.  It is an important industry all over the nation, an industry that a mere two decades ago was non-existent in many states, like the area I call home.  I wish all of the families hit by the recent disasters well and will keep praying for them.  I also wish all the wine industry families well and will keep praying for an industry that continues to strengthen our economy. 

Unfaithful

I admit freely, have admitted it freely for years, I am a wino.  (I often like to spell it wineaux…it makes me feel better.)  I enjoy a glass of wine multiple nights a week with dinner.  I love new and different wines when I find them.  I love experiencing the culture of wine, learning about wine, and teaching about wine.  But lately…lately…I have been neglecting my lover wine and spending a bit more time with beer…and as a friend pointed out, it is as if I am cheating on wine!  The first weekend in May I led a Brinery Tour through the Black Hills, enjoying both wine and beer (see blog post below).  This past weekend, a group of friends and I went to Fort Collins, known as the Napa of Beer, to attend a private beer tasting there with Lauren Hoff, founder of the blog with the same name—Napa of Beer.  Lauren, knowing I was a wineaux, focused the very unique tasting on “Beer for Wine Lovers.”  Then we tried some truly one-of-a-kind beers. 

Beer One:  Funwerks Saison—This beer was produced right in Fort Collins, though I have not visited Funwerks yet.  Saison beers were originally brewed for farm hands to drink in the French speaking areas of Belgium.  Special yeasts were used that made this beer sweet and smooth with “funky” flavors.  It had a light straw color, and at 30 IBUs (International Bitterness Units) was considered not overly bitter.  This was my friend, and fellow beer taster, Jody’s favorite beer of the six. 

Though not sipping the Saison, Jody and Michelle enjoying the tasting.

 



Beer Two:  NoLi Born and Raised IPA—India Pale Ales like this beer are known for their bitterness from the hops used during production, and the NoLi was no exception.  Its score of 80 on the IBU scale shows the “hoppiness” in the drink.  However, people--like my hubby--who love IPAs, love the hoppy bitterness.  This second beer was his favorite in the tasting.  The brew master who makes NoLi beers got his start in Fort Collins, then took his talents to Washington to start his own brewery.  It was made in Spokane, and all the materials used came from within 200 miles of the brewery.    

NoLi Born and Raised IPA.

 



Beer Three:  Midas Touch Clone—When King Midas’s tomb was discovered, beer was found buried with him.  Scientists and beer enthusiasts have broken down the ingredients in the beers found, and this mix of beer, mead, and grapes was a clone of the ancient beer.  (Many ancient beers have been scientifically mapped and then recreated in modern breweries.  Who knew?!)  The hobbiest brewmaster who brewed this beer, Matthew Burton, was on hand for our tasting.  He brews in his garage in his spare time; this particular beer he aged for four years, mostly in bottle.  I enjoyed the mix of the wine and beer world in this taster; the mead (honey wine) was evident on the palette.  This brew was my favorite.  I drank another glass later in the tasting and found I liked it even more when it had warmed up a few degrees.  (This is usually the exact opposite of how I feel about beer:  I want it colder than cold can get.)

 

Midas Touch King Clone.

Beer Four:  Blue Moon Impulse—The only beer we had that was not technically from a craft brewery (must be small and independently owned), Coors produced the Blue Moon Impulse.  It was a combination of wheat beer and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes as part of the Vintage Ale series combining beer and wine.  This beer was lighter, sweeter, and softer than any of the others.  To me it was reminiscent of church wine with some carbonation.  However, many liked the softer style that wasn’t beer-like or wine-like.  My sister enjoyed this one; it was her favorite. 

Beer Five:  Odell Amuste—Odell Brewery’s community room played host (with Lauren and Matthew) to our private tasting, and this fifth beer represented the host brewery well.  Amuste was an imperial porter aged for two years in oak barrels with Tempranillo grape juice sourced from the western slope of Colorado.  Beautifully brown in color, the porter showed hints of coffee and chocolate.  It was a very robust beer, and my Fort Collins friend Rhonda especially enjoyed this one.

 

O'Dell's Amuste porter.

Beer  Six:  Solera Old Ale—A second project from one of our tasting hosts Matthew, Solera started as a group barrel with multiple brew masters adding ingredients to create a sour ale.  From 2008 to 2011, ten gallons were removed from the barrel for consumption each year, and ten more gallons of new brew were added.  Our batch was pulled in 2011, and not long after, the entire barrel was emptied for use.  What that meant was we were truly drinking an exclusive beer.  Many thought this was too bitter for them, but it was actually my second favorite beer of the tasting.  This wine lover found I actually liked the beers MOST that tasted the LEAST like beer.  Go figure. 

 

With Lauren and Matthew--thank you both!

 

Though I don’t usually drink beer, I love the whole culture behind the microbrew and craft beer industry.  People are fun, friendly, and accessible, while the brewery tasting rooms are noisy, boisterous, and vibrant…all qualities I enjoy.  Lauren taught us how to taste beer, and though there are similarities to wine tasting, there were unique aspects just for beer.  Sometimes I think the wine world can be too stuffy and pretentious; the craft beer world takes this stuffiness and laughs in its face!  I don’t see myself ending my love affair with wine anytime soon; however, I truly enjoyed our beer tasting and learning even more about beer.  I may “cheat” on wine periodically to get my fill of the alternative, and entertaining, culture of beer! 

 

Our group enjoying our private tasting.

 

Please visit Lauren Hoff's Napa of Beer.

What the Heck is a Brinery? Black Hills Beer and Wine

And in addition to brinery, what the heck is a portmanteau?  Are these two of those complicated wine terms the average person has no clue about and no use for?  What do these words mean?!? 

Actually, a portmanteau is a word created by combining two words together into one—ginormous, Spanglish, Brangelina.  Lately, our culture is filled with them.  So I decided to create my own:  brinery!  A brinery is a mix of brewery and winery together, and this past Saturday I led a wonderful group on a Black Hills Brinery Tour, getting the best wines, beers, and scenery the Black Hills has to offer. 

Brinery Tour group outside of Crow Peak Brewing.

Stop one:  Naked Winery/Sick and Twisted Brewery Hill City

            Naked Winery is an interesting Black Hills story.  The wines are actually produced in Oregon, primarily from Washington and Oregon grapes.  South Dakota has two Naked Winery tasting rooms; the original in Custer, South Dakota just celebrated its second anniversary in March.  I have been privileged to witness the evolution of these tasting rooms from the very beginning, and what a fast evolution it has been!  The Hill City tasting room has expanded the number of wines it sells, doubled the size of its tasting room, and started brewing its own beer under the Sick and Twisted name.  There are six Sick and Twisted beers, all with some pretty risqué names, adding to the whole naughty, naughty theme of the Naked wines.  Though I regularly admit I am not a beer connoisseur, several in our group who are avid beer drinkers gave the Sick and Twisted beers thumbs up.  (I even remembered to bring the hubby’s growlers from home and filled a growler with the Panty Dropper Porter…I told you, naughty, naughty!)   The wines, as always, were a special treat!  In the past I have I enjoyed the flagship wine of Naked, the Merlot, and the 2009 vintage was no exception.  I also have a special affinity for Oregon Pinot Noirs, and Naked has two that are very nice!  Yes, Naked Winery/Sick and Twisted Brewery is a perfect example of my new word brinery!

Tasting at Naked Winery/Sick and Twisted Brewing, Hill City.

 Stop two:  Prairie Berry Winery

            I have also written about Prairie Berry Winery before, as it was the winery that broke ground for the other tasting rooms and wineries that now call the Black Hills home.  Prairie Berry has also evolved into a premier winery, whether in the Black Hills or elsewhere.  Originally, Prairie Berry produced more (and became famous for) fruit wines from rhubarb, pumpkin, and buffalo berries.  However, as this establishment has attracted more palettes, it has also evolved.  It now produces more dry reds and some very quality dry reds at that!  I happen to enjoy Phatt Hogg Red (a blend in the Pinot Noir class), Rimrock (a Zinfandel), and Sand Creek (a Cabernet Sauvignon blend).  The fruit wines are still incredibly fun and popular, and in honor of the Cinco de Mayo weekend, one could order a Red Ass-arita, a margarita made from Red Ass Rhubarb wine.  We also ate our lunch at this stop.  Though I can rave about how far PBW has come with its wine production, I don’t have the words to talk about the food that can be experienced here!  We had gourmet Paninis and pizzas since we were just breezing through, but the lunches and special dinners here are absolutely amazing!  I am hungry just thinking about the mouth-watering treats served from the kitchen created by specialty chefs Maija and Heidi.

Tastes and lunch at Prairie Berry Winery.



Stop three:  Belle Joli

            Though the Black Hills still has a very small number of wineries and tasting rooms, I love that each one is so unique when compared to the last.  Belle Joli is different still from the last two stops.  Enologist and vintner Matthew Jackson went to CSU Fresno, and then came back to Belle Fourche, South Dakota to grow grapes.  There is the facility and vines in Belle Fourche, but now there is also a small tasting room in Deadwood, South Dakota and more vines between Belle Fourche and Sturgis, SD.  Also, expansion plans include a larger tasting facility outside of Sturgis, hopefully breaking ground this summer.  Jackson grows the majority of his grapes and outsources for some of the fruit used in his dessert wines—cherry, peach, and pear.  The new peach and pear dessert wines I tried this weekend have similar residual sugars to ice wine, and the wonderful smooth flavor showed this.  Belle Joli is still a true family affair, with Matthew’s wife, Choi, and parents taking active roles in the wine production.  I look forward to seeing the continued progress of Belle Joli and its truly South Dakota product.

Purchasing at Belle Joli in Deadwood.

Stop four:  Crow Peak Brewing

            The final stop on our Brinery Tour took us to yet another unique aspect of the growing wine and beer industry:  Crow Peak Brewing in Spearfish, South Dakota.  The brewery started on a small scale in 2007, and then moved to a gorgeous, wood-sided facility in 2009.  (The mantel made of rocks that is in the shape of a beer jug is my favorite part of the décor.)  Many seasonal beers are brewed here, but some of the selections are canned throughout the year for distribution around the multi-state area:  Pile O’ Dirt Porter and 11^th Hour IPA.  Again, I’m not a beer drinker (wine only, thank you!), but I love the ambiance, culture, and environment of microbreweries.  They are just fun places to be!  Crow Peak was no exception.  Our large group split into smaller groups and received tours of the beer production areas from Josh, one of the owners.  We also sipped on many different types of beer, from a lighter cream ale to a hoppy, hoppy IPA.  I was again prepared with the growler that I filled with the hoppiest of the beers for my hubby, since those are his favorites. 

The sommelier had a beer...at Crow Peak Brewing in Spearfish.

            After four stops enjoying Black Hills brinery experiences, the bus ride home was not boring.  (What happens between Sundance and Upton, stays between Sundance and Upton.  Hahaha!)  I truly enjoyed both the wine and beer of the brineries in the Black Hills.  Just like portmanteaus evolve with our culture and society (who would have imagined a word like “sexting” even ten years ago), the wineries and breweries of the Black Hills are evolving into world-class establishments.  My hope is that as these industries boom in all regions of the country, our little corner of the Midwest will also continue to see the expansion of these industries.  Next year’s Brinery Tour can’t get here soon enough!

Storm Chasers--Wine Cellar Restaurant

As March turns into April, Mother Nature is supposed to be having beautiful spring showers that grow lovely May flowers…expect if you live in the Black Hills!  This spring sprouted major blizzards and snowstorms leading to many road closures and poor driving conditions! In between weekly storms, my husband and I found a day that the weather slightly cooperated (but my migraine headache did not), and we made a much anticipated trip to the Wine Cellar in downtown Rapid City. Of course, any restaurant called the Wine Cellar would have piqued my interest.  I also started following the Wine Cellar months before on Facebook, and the great daily specials and pictures of food made me pray (even more) to Mother Nature to let our drive take place to finally get to experience this establishment. 

Warm, intimate ambiance of the small seating area.



            Since we visited the Wine Cellar on a Friday night (and the seating area in the venue is quite small and intimate), I called ahead to make reservations.  The staff member who took our reservation was incredibly friendly, and we were greeted in the same friendly manner when we arrived.  We were given a menu filled with absolutely mouth-watering choices and also handed the wine menu to peruse.  I was immediately impressed with the by-the-glass options on the wine list:  over 20 different wines to choose from—which is uncommon for a restaurant of this size.  The by-the-bottle options were also very nice.  We ordered the Vero Pinot Noir from Burgundy, deciding that it would pair well with whatever food items on which we decided.  (My only wish is that restaurants in general would NOT push for patrons to order wine before patrons know what entrée they are choosing; instead, restaurant staff members need to be trained to wait for the food to be ordered before having patrons order wine, thus allowing for a better food-wine pairing.) 

Some of the by-the-glass options.

Our Pinot Noir

            The winter seasonal menu was still in use, and it was filled with multiple items I would have loved to try, both small plates and large plates.  However, the Facebook special that I had been dreaming about all day was the butternut squash lasagna, so I went with my gut instinct (pun intended) and ordered this.  I was not disappointed!  The lasagna with a slightly sweet cinnamon sauce was even better than I had imagined all day.  My other half ordered the beef special for the night, a filet with the most scrumptious garlic butter!  I really love that the chefs here do seasonal menus.  I enjoy going back to an establishment multiple times and having different options from which to choose.  Today’s Wine Cellar Facebook post stated that the spring menu will be available shortly; I look forward to returning to try it. 

The "back alley" seating area.

            After our lovely food and wine, we did have some room left for dessert, and the Wine Cellar doesn’t disappoint here either.  We were told about their signature flourless chocolate cake, but we opted for the apple cheesecake.  Oh so good!  We were too full to have coffee or dessert wine, but both were options on the menu—again, another reason to go back soon.

            Though we were forced to dodge storms to get there, the Wine Cellar is a great little jewel in downtown Rapid.  The warm, ambiance of the intimate atmosphere started a pleasant experience that was sustained through good food, quality wine, and tasty desserts.  I hope this summer the weather is less of an issue, and it is an easier attempt for me to try my taste buds on the spring/summer menu!

An Indestructible Bond--Someone's in the Kitchen

Food and wine, wine and food--the relationship between these two is so close, it is impossible to separate them.  My favorite part of a good meal is the wine, and my favorite part of a good wine is thinking of the meal that would pair perfectly with it.  Someone’s in the Kitchen in Rapid City takes this relationship between wine and food to a whole new level of enjoyment for all who enter, including me.

First, I must admit that I am a kitchen store and kitchen gadget queen, so I absolutely love kitchen stores.  Even with this slight obsession, there are kitchen stores, and then there is Someone’s in the Kitchen (SITK).  From the moment customers walk in, they are surrounded by the best and latest in all things food and food preparation.  From coffee and tea, to seasonal cookery, to food products, to cutlery, SITK has everything.  I love the La Creuset cookware and all the new colors for spring:  yellow, green, and purple.  (I will soon be the owner of the La Creuset line since I plan on building my collection piece by piece—in the original red color.)  My other favorite areas are the pet area, olive oil containers, and BBQ staples and supplies. 

The newest KitchenAid mixers in the best colors!

Olive oil containers...oh the oil I could infuse.



BBQ supplies galore!



The newest Le Creuset colors; I will have red!



SITK doesn’t just give you the tools for great cooking; this store gives you the instructions for great cooking as well.  SITK offers classes in fall and spring sessions.  The offerings include so many possible cooking and baking topics:  gluten free, La Creuset, Cinco de Mayo, crepes, low carb, dutch oven, knife skills…the list goes on and on.  My first experience at SITK was about five years ago when a friend and I took a sushi class, which still ranks as one of my favorite chef experiences. 

However, don’t think for a minute that food is the only focus of SITK.  Wine has a special place in the heart of this establishment.  SITK has the newest in wine accessories, with everything from colorful wine bottle openers, to fun wine glass and bottle charms, to beautiful crystal stemware.  SITK also goes a step beyond in the area of wine, too, as it has offered wine-inspired classes from area experts for years.  I was lucky enough to be considered one of the “experts” last year, when I taught my first class, Food and Wine Pairing.  I have moved on to teach other classes there, including my French Food and Wine class last weekend.  By saying I taught the class I am giving myself too much credit.  I teach the wine section and choose wines for serving; SITK chef Kirsten does all the food.  She finds the recipes, helps pair with wine, preps all the food, and instructs how to make the individual dishes during the class.  In other words, Kirsten makes my job so easy because she does so much work!  I also can’t forget the SITK staff members, including Roberta, chef assistant extraordinaire (who also teaches her own cooking classes).  These women are part of a well-oiled machine that I am so lucky to get to be a part of several times a year. 

Wine backpacks with travel glasses and corkscrews.  

Fun wine accessories.

So many wine openers from which to choose!



Beautiful stemware.

Kirsten working her magic on the cooktop for French Wine and Food.



Wine and food, food and wine…two of my favorite things!  I love both individually, but when a business makes it so enjoyable to put two of my favorite things together, I am in heaven.  I feel like the luckiest girl in the world to get to be a part of this promotion of my much-loved hobbies (dare I say obsessions???).  I also look forward to going back next month to do an Introduction to Wine class as SITK continues to be a supporter of the culture of wine and food.

http://someonesinthekitchensd.com/index.php

Sunshine and Wine

The beautiful aqua blue water beckoned me.  The heat of the sand between my toes warmed me inside and out.  Everyone around me ordered a margarita.  However, I asked for the wine list!  Our recent trip to Cancun might have seemed an odd place to be looking for wine, yet I wasn’t disappointed.  Margaritas and pina coladas may have been the rage, but for me, it was still a wine adventure!

The first night we arrived, I, of course, had to have a margarita (on the rocks, with salt, please).  It just so happened this ONE drink was the size of my head!  After that, I was ready for a glass of vino.  The hotel sports bar had a wine list:  house red and house white.  Yes, that was the entire list.  My companion and I were quite fearful about ordering the house red, but when the server brought out a bottle of Tempranillo and beautiful Schott Swiesel stemware, we were very pleasantly surprised!  Night one:  wine mission accomplished!

 

 

Night two was pizza, pasta, and vino night at the hotel buffet.  Still basking in the glow from my lucky wine break the night before (and the tan I was working on from eight hours on the beach), my family and I decided to enjoy the buffet.  Again, I was very impressed with the wine list, which included a decent variety and number of bottles.  We choose the Casa Madero 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon.  This reasonably-priced, one-hundred percent Cabernet was from the Baja region of Mexico--on the western side of the country--from the Parras Valley.  It was filled with cherry, currant, and cedar.  Though not as bold as a California Cab, I enjoyed the wine with homemade pesto from the pasta bar.  Night two:  wine mission accomplished!

 

 

Night three found us experiencing a wonderfully, upscale restaurant: Harry’s Prime Steakhouse and Raw Bar, on the lagoon side of the Hotel Zone in downtown Cancun.  The food, the wine, and the service were all impeccable.  This was a wonderful experience!  From Kobe beef to sushi to seafood, Harry’s was such a special treat.  My family ordered sizzling steaks cooked perfectly (medium rare for us:  red, warm center).  I had the crab cakes as my meal with truffle mashed potatoes; my mouth is watering again just thinking of the potatoes!  The wine list was equally impressive.  I could have ordered anything from the U.S., France, Mexico, Spain, or anywhere in between.  My choices ranged from half bottle to magnum in size, and the price was from the very reasonable to the very expensive, like a Petrus, a Mouton Rothschild, or an Opus One. This evening we sipped another Mexican wine:  L.A. Cetto 2009 Nebbiolo.  I am a Nebbiolo lover, and this bottle (about twenty dollars, U.S.) from the Ensenada region of the Baja area was an interesting Nebbiolo.  Aged for 14 months, it was more tannic and not as smooth as a typical Italian Nebbiolo; however, it was a beautiful ruby red, with spice and leather exploding from the bottle.  It was not the best pairing for my crab cakes, but I ordered the crab knowing this.  That being said, the bite of steak I snagged from my husband’s plate was a much better match for the tannic red.  After the meal, and wine, and dessert (for the teenage, growing son) the server brought a HUGE pole of cotton candy, a fun and functional way to end the meal with sweet on the palette! Night three:  wine mission accomplished!

 

 

Alas, our time in the sunshine had to end, and our travels home began.  We faced an incredibly long layover in Houston, at the George Bush International Airport.  We found our gate and sat reading and napping after having breakfast in the airport.  Just before the three hours was over, we decided to go for a short, pre-flight walk to stretch our legs, and just around the corner from where we sat (for three hours…did I say this already!) was the cutest little wine bar, Le Grand Comptoir.  It was such a site for sore eyes; yet, at this point there was only about fifteen minutes left until our boarding time for the flight, so I didn’t get to sit, sip, and enjoy the fabulous selection of wines teasing me from the front window of the establishment.  I spotted Opus One, Louis Jadot, and other reputable producers. I was truly disappointed at being so close, yet so far from one more wine experience on our trip!  If there ever is a next time I layover in Houston, Le Grand Comptoir will be my FIRST stop.  Day four:  wine mission failed.  (Insert sad face here.)

 

 

Though most travelers go to the beautiful beaches of Cancun to have their toes in the water, their “rear” in the sand, and a margarita in their hand, I went for the beautiful beaches, pristine water, Mexican sun, and any unique wine I could find.  I am proud to say, Cancun lived up to my wine standards! 

Wine on the Horizon--Fort Collins Wine Fest

The temperature was dropping, and large, wet, white snowflakes had just started drifting slowly from the sky.  In the distance, the beautiful white-topped Rockies could be spotted hovering over the brown grass of the plains.  However, it was not the snow or those beautiful mountains with ski slopes we were rolling into Fort Collins to enjoy…it was wine, the Fort Collins Wine Fest to be exact!  This was our third consecutive year of enjoying the festival, which is a wonderful fundraiser for Fort Collins’ Disabled Resource Services.  We have greatly enjoyed every year, and one of the special treats is an amazing private wine tasting put on before the actual festing and feasting starts.  This year’s private tasting was as amazing as ever, with a mix of wines from all over the world that were as majestic as the Rocky Mountains on the horizon! 

Wine one:  Marc Hebrart Brut Rose non-vintage Champagne—This sparkler from a small producer was a beautiful baby pink with strong yeast and strawberry aromas.  The mineral and crisp bite was a pleasure, and the incredibly long finish was even better.  This bubbly was a mix of the classic champagne grapes of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinto Meunier and was a classic tasting beauty!

Wine two:  Domaine Bouchard Pere & Fils Mersault “Les Clous” 2006—This white Burgundy ages quite well, and though this ’06 could still cellar a few more years, it had a great mineral aroma.  With some butter on the palette from the old oak yet a crisp, citrus finish, I enjoyed this single vineyard Chardonnay, especially with the soft cow’s  milk cheese provided by the local cheese mongers at the Welsh Rabbit in FoCo. 

Wine three:  Prince Florent De Merode Corton Renardes 1990—From the excellent 1990 vintage, the Corton is slightly cloudy, with baked cherry, anise, and leather flavors and scents.  I am a sucker for a good Pinot Noir, and this Noir from the Cote De Beaune was a great example of a Burgundian Pinot. The fact that this bottle would retail for $350 a bottle had nothing to do with the how much I enjoyed it! 

Wine four:  Tondonia Gran Reserva 1994—Talk about a special wine!  This Rioja was produced in 1994, but not released until 2012.  No, I didn’t do the math incorrectly there (though as an English teacher by day, you all have the right to question my expertise with numbers).  This wine is aged in cask (in French and American old oak) for nine years and then in bottle for nine more years.  I love the Tempranillo grape, and this blend of 75% Tempranillo, 15% Garanche, and 10% other was filled with supple and smooth fruit.  An excellent wine and value for the aging time (at around $100 a bottle), Robert Parker gave this very high 90s scores (not that we go by Parker necessarily; however, it does show the respect for this wine). 

Wine five:  Poderi Aldo Conterno Barolo Bricco Bussia Vigna Colonnello 1989—By far my favorite wine, the Barolo was bursting with baked fig, as if there was a Fig Newton in my glass as I sniffed.  Of course, I love, love, love Nebbiolo, and this beautiful brick-red colored wine cemented that love once again.  From an excellent, “old school” producer and a great vintage, I would have loved to drink this entire bottle to myself (over the course of several days though, of course)!  The $400 price tag?  Yes, that is always my luck; I seem to have very expensive tastes! 

Wine six:  Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 2003—From the Puac in Medoc, this Bordeaux blend starts with 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, and the remaining a blend of Cab Franc and Petit Verdot.  On the nose, the 2003 showed hints of earth, currant, green pepper, and smoke, and on the palette fresh berries.  Though this wine has already aged for ten years, it could still cellar two or three more and be a great example of a red Bordeaux.  (Retail?  A cool $500!)

Wine seven:  Caymus Special Edition 1992—My emotional favorite, I actually bought a bottle of this last year at the wine fest because it was a 1992, the year my daughter was born.  My husband and I opened the bottle on her twentieth birthday last summer and toasted to her and our parenthood!  It is a classic California Cabernet (blended from Cab grapes from eight of Napa’s sub appellations) with an aroma of spice and earth and tastes of berry, spice, and cedar.  It was perfectly aged and timed exactly to drink.

Wine eight:  Joseph Phelphs Insignia 1998—Another classic California Cabernet Sauvignon with a beautiful, almost-black, undertone, the Phelphs smelled like baked cherry and fig.  The very fruit-forward wine would age well for three-four more years since it is from an excellent producer.

Wine nine:  Elderton Command Shiraz 2004—As the only Australian wine represented in our tasting, the Shiraz made Australia look good!  From the Barrosa Valley (and from a very good vintage), the wine was filled with scents of green pepper, spice, and earth.  On the palette, this was a berry bomb with a wonderfully, long finish.  The style of this wine is exactly what Robert Parker likes, and he liked this one; he gave it a 98!

Wine ten:  Barros Vintage Port 1997—Though Ports are not my favorite (because hard liquor burns my throat—see my feelings about whiskey several weeks ago), I have learned to appreciate Port on several levels.  This Port was very special, since only two percent of Ports are actually vintage, and after the initial heat of the brandy, the lovely raisin taste was incredibly smooth.  I imagined my chocolate pot de crème recipe as I sipped this final wine. 

The beautiful and wondrous Rocky Mountains make a superb backdrop for some beautiful and wondrous wines.  Though the picturesque snow storm caused some road blocks to the event and weekend, there was nothing blocking the ten wines we were able to enjoy.  This tasting was just the beginning of a great night filled with three of my favorite things:  wine, food, and shopping!  Look for the explanation to that coming soon…

March Madness--Keg and Cork

Yes, March Madness directly relates to basketball, but in my life, the month of March is just plain crazy!  Luckily, this craziness often lets me blend together a basketball schedule and wine fun!  When in Casper a few weeks ago, getting bleacher butt from the basketball madness, I took time out to relax while enjoying some wine.  My first stop was my favorite wine establishment in Casper, Vintage.  I have reviewed them before and just love the ambiance, food, and wine.  However, I also decided to visit the newest wine and beer establishment in Casper, Keg and Cork.

See my previous blog post about Vintage here:
http://thesweetsommelier.blogspot.com/2012/11/worth-wait.html

When I stopped the second weekend in March, Keg and Cork had only been open for a few weeks.  The owners of this new business also own another of Casper’s popular watering holes, Galloway’s Irish Pub on the other side of town.  I had heard about both spots, and I stopped in for a quick lunch on a Saturday afternoon, thinking the bar would be fairly quiet and slow.  As I walked in the door, I was surprised to see the door sign say no one under 21 could even enter.  In Wyoming, children are allowed to go in establishments that sell liquor as long as the children are with parents and it is before a certain time in the evening.  Keg and Cork wants to keep up a certain vibe, so no children at all are allowed.  It is an interesting philosophy, and I can see how it would be attractive to many customers.  When I opened the door I saw how wrong I was in believing Keg and Cork might be slow because it was a Saturday.  The bar was packed with people eating, drinking, and watching sports. 

I sat at the bar and was quickly offered a food menu and asked for a wine menu.  The food menu read basic pub fare.  I ordered the chef’s salad and was not disappointed as the meal came out in a bowl the size of a trough for a barnyard animal.  The wine list was adequate.  Many of the choices were identical to Vintage, and though this bar specializes in both beer and wine (and is on the other side of town from Vintage), I would have liked to see some different vino options.  (Not sure if this was coincidence or the work of the same distributor through the state working for both establishments.  I could help remedy this problem quite easily! Wink, wink.) 

Though I would have loved to see more “cork” in Keg and Cork, “keg” does come first in its title, and avid beer drinkers will not be disappointed.  There are 28 microbrews available, plus the old standby options. There are also 9 beers from the state of Wyoming, which I really appreciated.  I originally thought that Keg and Cork was brewing its own beer and am just so surprised that no place in Casper--Wyoming’s second largest town at over 55,000 people--does this on a large scale.  (I’m told the Wonder Bar in downtown Casper has the ability, but doesn’t brew.)  Microbrewing is such a huge (and fun) culture right now, I would love to see Keg and Cork, or anyone, take this on for Casper consumers. 

The service was very friendly and quite brisk for the busyness of the bar.  I sat and visited with my neighbor at the bar whose burger looked and smelled delicious.  I was also able to meet and give my card to the manager (again…I could remedy the wine list issue…wink, wink), ending my overall experience at Keg and Cork in a very pleasant way.  I would love to revisit Keg and Cork this summer when my life is filled with much less madness—I’ve heard the outdoor seating area there can hold up to 150 people, and I’m a real sucker for a glass of wine on an outdoor patio!  Good luck on your new endeavor, Keg and Cork.  You helped my March Madness with a glass of wine and a good meal.  I will be back when I can have some summer stillness.