Top 10 Wine Picks of 2010 Part 2

Top 10 Wine Picks of 2010

Last week we started revealing our top 10 wines of the year. 
We'll continue to highlight two wines a week for the next 4 weeks, and then list some "honorable mentions."  If you did not read last week's two wines, you can review them through the archive at on our blog at http://vintageconnectionswineinfo.blogspot.com/

The top 10 are NOT in any particular order.

The top 10 are all different varieties, are from different wineries, and are from the USA and around the world. 

These are all wines we've written about during 2010.  We've updated information about availability in Pennsylvania and costs for those that are still available.

Give us feedback, telling us which (if any) of these were your favorites and if we left any of your favorites off of our list.

Bogle Vineyard Phantom

This excellent dark ruby red dry wine is a blend of 53% petite sirah, 44% old vine zinfandel and 3% old vine mourvedre.  It has rich aromas of black pepper, dark red berries and spices like nutmeg and cinnamon with aromas of blackberries and blueberries.  It was aged in 1, 2 and 3 year old American oak barrels.  Alcohol content is 14% by volume. 

Located along the Sacarmento River in Clarksburg, California, Bogle Vineyards is owned and operated by members of the Bogle family who established the vineyards in 1968. 

Richly complex, it will only get better with age, but wonderful to drink now.  Great when paired with hearty foods like beef and lamb. 

Phantom is still available in PA for $17.99, product code is 13432 but only at a few PLCB stores, and in limited quantities.  Search the PLCB Product Search Website, use keyword Phantom, and check locations near you.


Manatawny Creek Winery Cabernet Franc 2007  

This delicious Cabernet Franc is one of our favorites.  It has been consistently good year after year.  We have used it in many of our classes and benefit tastings and haven't been disappointed yet.  It has won numerous awards at many wine competitions.

It is rich, deep red in color with wonderful fruit aromas and flavors of ripe cherries and a hint of tobacco.  It is aged primarily in Pennsylvania oak barrels.  Available only at the winery, it sells for $14.95 a bottle.  Try it a grilled steak!  Great with a hamburger, too.


BUY THIS WINE SOON.  2007 was a very good year (weather, etc.) so this is the best vintage you'll be able to buy until the 2010 is released.  NOT that 2008 and 2009 will be bad, but 2007 was a very good year.  2010 should be better yet, but in the meantime, we've stocked up on 2007 (and 2005).

Joanne, the winemaker at Manatawny, also uses the Cabernet Franc to make her port.  At 18.95 for a 750 ml bottle, this is a bargain IF you like a slightly sweet port.  Delicious!

Spring 2011 Wine Classesnand  Gift Certificates

Wine Classes

We are reducing the cost of our Wine Classes to $35 per person for the classes below.

Open Enrollment Classes Spring 2010
$35 per person, includes wine, cheese, crackers and LOTS of good information about wine.
Thursdays, 6:30-9:00 PM

New Location - These classes will be held at the *PDIDA Office, 139 East High Street, right in downtown Pottstown.  Plenty of on-street parking.  *Pottstown Downtown Improvement District Authority.  

March 24 - Wine Blending Bordeaux Style - Learn about and taste Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc individually, then blend them and experience how they complement each other and how blending produces a more complicated aroma and flavor.

March 31 - Wines of the Finger Lakes II - Learn about and taste wines from the Finger Lakes in upstate New York. Famous for Reisling, the Finger Lakes region also produces other excellent whites and in good years, excellent bold reds.

April 7 - Surprising Wines under $15 - It's often difficult to find a good wine priced under $15, but some are very good and reliable in this price range.  Learn about very affordable wines and taste a few of our favorites.

April 14 - Wine Gems from Our Cellar - "Someday we're going to drink this!"    Tonight's the night!  We'll pull some of our favorites from our cellar, taste them and talk about wines that should be aged or not, and the effects of time in the bottle. 

Home Schoolin'
Wine Classes and Educational Tastings
·    In your home, at your business (within 15 miles of Pottstown**)
·    $250 for up to 8 people.  Includes wine, cheese, and crackers
·    Add $200 for an additional 8 people*
*  Additional discounts available for more than 16 people.
** Additional distance may require a travel charge.

Sample classes - Many other options are available.

Wine for Beginners      Basic Red and White        Wines of the World
                  Wines of the USA             Wines of the Finger Lakes    
          Wines of Pennsylvania                       What's in a Name     
Blending Wine Bordeaux Style             Surprising Wines under $15
              
OR - We'll design a CUSTOMIZED CLASS FOR YOU (costs may vary)

Gift Certificates for Spring 2011 Wine Classes

What a unique and fun gift!  Give the gift of a wine class.

$35 for a seat in any of our open enrollment Vintage Connections Wine Classes listed above.

$250 for a Home Schoolin' Wine Class as described above, for up to 8 people, provided in your home, business or other appropriate location (within 15 miles of Pottstown  - other locations may require a travel charge).

For more information or to purchase a gift certificate, email us at  Vintageconnections@comcast.net or call us (Dean or Lisa) us at 610-469-6164 or 610-310-9942.

Checks and cash only.

Fun Fact!

Cabernet Franc is one of the five grapes used in Bordeaux Blends. 

There will be another quiz someday!

Top 10 Wine Picks of 2010 Part 1 and Weak Knee Home Brew

Over the next six weeks we'll be revealing our top 10 wines of the year.  We'll highlight two wines a week over the next 5 weeks, and then list some "honorable mentions." 

Originally, we were going to rank our top 10 (from # 1 to #10), but after reviewing our list almost all of them tied for first place.  So, the top 10 are NOT in any particular order.

The top 10 are all different varieties, are from different wineries, and are from the USA and around the world. 

These are all wines we've written about during 2010.  We've updated information about availability in Pennsylvania and costs for those that are still available.

Give us feedback, telling us which (if any) of these were your favorites and if we left any of your favorites off of our list.

Trapiche Sparkling Extra Brut

We only mentioned this wine in passing in our November 10 newsletter and blogs but used it several times at  wine tastings and dinners.  It has become our favorite dry sparkling wine in 2010.

This sparkler is a blend of Chardonnay (70%), Semillon (20%) and Malbec (10%) and is from Mendoza, Argentina.  It rested "on the lees" for 120 days so picked up that yeasty, toasted bread aroma and taste that is characteristic of much more expensive sparkling wines.

Amazingly, this wine is widely available at PLCB stores but usually only in small quantities so buy it soon.  We suspect it will disappear by New Year's Eve.

The product code is 7724 and is on sale now for only $11.99.   This wine was a bargain at the list price of $13.99.  Wow!



  
Sebastiani Pinot Noir

Our favorite Pinot Noirs this year is by Sebastiani.  Many Pinot Noirs cost more than our usual price range but this Pinot from the Sonoma Coast is affordable and excellent.  The 2007 vintage was the top wine in our Bottle Shock Blind Wine Tasting event this past September. 
This wine is made from 100% Pinot Noir and is a multi-vineyard blend which creates fruit-forward wines "with richness and complexity".  It has fresh cherry flavors with hints of maraschino cherries and "hints of oriental spice, vanilla and mocha". The color is rich crimson.  The grapes were cold-soaked before crushing to prevent tearing, keeping the tannins low for early drinkability.  It was aged in Hungarian and French oak barrels for 5 months giving it hints of toasty oak flavors.  Alcohol is 13.5% by volume. 

The current PLCB sale price is $15.99, up from $12.99 earlier in the year.  Only the 2008 vintage may be available now, but because they blend this wine from Pinot Noir grapes from a wide geographic area of California, this wine changes very little year to year.  The PLCB product code is 4985.


Spring 2011 Wine Classes and Gift Certificates

Wine Classes

We are changing locations and reducing the cost of our Wine Classes to $35 per person for the classes below.

Open Enrollment Classes Spring 2010
$35 per person, includes wine, cheese, crackers
Thursdays, 6:30-9:00 PM - Location to-be-determined

March 24 - Wine Blending Bordeaux Style - Learn about and taste Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc individually, then blend them and experience how they complement each other and how blending produces a more complicated aroma and flavor.

March 31 - Wines of the Finger Lakes II - Learn about and taste wines from the Finger Lakes in upstate New York. Famous for Reisling, the Finger Lakes region also produces other excellent whites and in good years, excellent bold reds.

April 7 - Surprising Wines under $15 - It's often difficult to find a good wine priced under $15, but some are very good and reliable in this price range.  Learn about very affordable wines and taste a few of our favorites.

April 14 - Wine Gems from Our Cellar - "Someday we're going to drink this!"    Tonight's the night!  We'll pull some of our favorites from our cellar, taste them and talk about wines that should be aged or not, and the effects of time in the bottle. 

Home Schoolin'
Wine Classes and Educational Tastings
·    In your home, at your business (within 15 miles of Pottstown**)
·    $250 for up to 8 people.  Includes wine, cheese, and crackers
·    Add $200 for an additional 8 people*
*  Additional discounts available for more than 16 people.
** Additional distance may require a travel charge.
Sample classes - Many other options are available.
Wine for Beginners      Basic Red and White        Wines of the World
                  Wines of the USA             Wines of the Finger Lakes    
          Wines of Pennsylvania                       What's in a Name     
Blending Wine Bordeaux Style             Surprising Wines under $15
              
OR - We'll design a CUSTOMIZED CLASS FOR YOU (costs may var 

Gift Certificates for Spring 2011 Wine Classes

What a unique and fun gift!  Give the gift of a wine class.

$35 for a seat in any of our open enrollment Vintage Connections Wine Classes listed above.

$250 for a Home Schoolin' Wine Class as described above, for up to 8 people, provided in your home, business or other appropriate location (within 15 miles of Pottstown  - other locations may require a travel charge).

For more information or to purchase a gift certificate, email us at  Vintageconnections@comcast.net or call us (Dean or Lisa) us at 610-469-6164 or 610-310-9942.

Checks and cash only.


Weak Knee Home Brew

We've heard of this new beer and wine-making supply store in Pottstown for several months, but only recently visited and talked with Bill and Karen, two of the owners.

Wow!  We are impressed with their stock of beer and WINE-making supplies, kits, and books.  Sample a few of the beers and wines, talk with the owners, even take a class about beer-making or wine-making.  Visit their website, visit their shop, make and drink home brew, and have fun!


UPCOMING EVENTS

Vintage Connections Spring Wine Classes
See feature article in this issue.

Wine and Beer Classes at Weak Knee Home Brew
January 11
Wine Making Class

January 18
Beer Making Class

January 25
Wild Game and Beer Pairing Dinner




Contact us to register for classes,  to schedule a wine class or wine event in your home, at your business, or for your organization, or to buy a gift certificate.

Fun Fact!

Why a "Champagne Breakfast?"

Because the effervescence of sparkling wine complements the soft texture of egg dishes.

We even think it pairs well with hot dogs!

There will be another quiz someday!

Wine Tips of the Week - Galen Glen Traminette and Spice Route Pinotage

 Cheers and Happy Holidays from Vintage Connections

Galen Glen Winery Traminette NV
(click the link above for the winery's website)

This delicious white wine is made 100% traminette grapes.  It is lightly sweet with a rich floral aroma.  The bright fruit flavors with light floral hints makes this wine delicious with spicy foods.  It is very pale yellow in color.  Alcohol content is approximately 12% by volume. 

The traminette grape is a hybrid grape made from a cross of the French American hybrid grape Joannes Seyve 23.416 and the German grape Gewurtztraminer.  The grape itself is actually lightly pink.  It was first released in Geneva, New York in 1996.  This grape does well in the Eastern US.

Fall Colors at Galen Glen

We recently purchased Indian "take-out" for dinner and forgot to ask for "mild".  Drinking the traminette with the very spicy Indian dish was a treat!  It cooled the mouth while retaining it's excellent flavor.

Galen Glen Traminette is available only at the winery for $10 a bottle, we feel this one's definitely well worth the trip to the winery.

Spice Route Winery Pinotage 2007

This medium to full-bodied, dry red wine comes from Swartland, South Africa.  It has rich aromas of plums with hints of spice.  The spice aroma carries over into the flavor added to dark red berries.  It's tannins and fruit flavors are beautifully balanced giving a long and lingering finish.  The wine was aged in new and used American oak barrels for 14 months. 

The pinotage grape is a hybrid cross of Pinot Noir and Cinsault. 

Great with barbecue!  Alcohol is 14.65% by volume.  It is currently a Chairman's Selection, though may be hard to find.  We feel this wine is well worth looking for.  PLCB product code is 30919. 

Spring 2011 Wine Classes and Gift Certificates

Wine Classes

We are changing locations and reducing the cost of our Wine Classes to $35 per person for the classes below.

Open Enrollment Classes Spring 2010
$35 per person, includes wine, cheese, crackers
Thursdays, 6:30-9:00 PM - Location to-be-determined

March 24 - Wine Blending Bordeaux Style - Learn about and taste Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc individually, then blend them and experience how they complement each other and how blending produces a more complicated aroma and flavor.

March 31 - Wines of the Finger Lakes II - Learn about and taste wines from the Finger Lakes in upstate New York. Famous for Reisling, the Finger Lakes region also produces other excellent whites and in good years, excellent bold reds.

April 7 - Surprising Wines under $15 - It's often difficult to find a good wine priced under $15, but some are very good and reliable in this price range.  Learn about very affordable wines and taste a few of our favorites.

April 14 - Wine Gems from Our Cellar - "Someday we're going to drink this!"    Tonight's the night!  We'll pull some of our favorites from our cellar, taste them and talk about wines that should be aged or not, and the effects of time in the bottle. 

Home Schoolin'
Wine Classes and Educational Tastings
·    In your home, at your business (within 15 miles of Pottstown**)
·    $250 for up to 8 people.  Includes wine, cheese, and crackers
·    Add $200 for an additional 8 people*
*  Additional discounts available for more than 16 people.
** Additional distance may require a travel charge.

Sample classes - Many other options are available.

Wine for Beginners      Basic Red and White        Wines of the World
                  Wines of the USA             Wines of the Finger Lakes    
          Wines of Pennsylvania                       What's in a Name     
Blending Wine Bordeaux Style             Surprising Wines under $15
              
OR - We'll design a CUSTOMIZED CLASS FOR YOU (costs may vary)

Gift Certificates for Spring 2011 Wine Classes

What a unique and fun gift!  Give the gift of a wine class.

$35 for a seat in any of our open enrollment Vintage Connections Wine Classes listed above.

$250 for a Home Schoolin' Wine Class as described above, for up to 8 people, provided in your home, business or other appropriate location (within 15 miles of Pottstown  - other locations may require a travel charge).

For more information or to purchase a gift certificate, email us at  Vintageconnections@comcast.net or call us (Dean or Lisa) us at 610-469-6164 or 610-310-9942.

Checks and cash only.


Fun Facts

"Body" refers to the mixture of fruit and alcohol and the "feel" of the wine in your mouth.  A full-bodied wine is alcoholic and fruity, a light bodied wine is crisp and low in alcohol. 

There will be another quiz someday!

Spring Wine Classes, Gift Certificates

We are changing locations and reducing the cost of our Wine Classes to $35 per person for the classes below.

Open Enrollment Classes Spring 2010
$35 per person, includes wine, cheese, crackers
Thursdays, 6:30-9:00 PM - Location to-be-determined

March 24 - Wine Blending Bordeaux Style - Learn about and taste Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc individually, then blend them and experience how they complement each other and how blending produces a more complicated aroma and flavor.

March 31 - Wines of the Finger Lakes II - Learn about and taste wines from the Finger Lakes in upstate New York. Famous for Reisling, the Finger Lakes region also produces other excellent whites and in good years, excellent bold reds.

April 7 - Surprising Wines under $15 - It's often difficult to find a good wine priced under $15, but some are very good and reliable in this price range.  Learn about very affordable wines and taste a few of our favorites.

April 14 - Wine Gems from Our Cellar - "Someday we're going to drink this!"    Tonight's the night!  We'll pull some of our favorites from our cellar, taste them and talk about wines that should be aged or not, and the effects of time in the bottle. 

Home Schoolin'
Wine Classes and Educational Tastings
·    In your home, at your business (within 15 miles of Pottstown**)
·    $250 for up to 8 people.  Includes wine, cheese, and crackers.
·    Add $200 for an additional 8 people*. 
*  Additional discounts available for more than 16 people.
** Additional distance may require a travel charge.

Sample classes - Many other options are available.

Wine for Beginners      Basic Red and White        Wines of the World
                  Wines of the USA             Wines of the Finger Lakes    
          Wines of Pennsylvania                       What's in a Name     
Blending Wine Bordeaux Style             Surprising Wines under $15
              
OR - We'll design a CUSTOMIZED CLASS FOR YOU (costs may vary)




Gift Certificates for Spring 2011 Wine Classes

What a unique and fun gift!  Give the gift of a wine class.

$35 for a seat in any of our open enrollment Vintage Connections Wine Classes listed above.

$250 for a Home Schoolin' Wine Class as described above, for up to 8 people, provided in your home, business or other appropriate location (within 15 miles of Pottstown  - other locations may require a travel charge).

For more information about classes, to register, or to purchase a gift certificate, email us at
Vintageconnections@comcast.net or call us (Dean or Lisa) at   610-469-6164 or 610-310-9942.

Checks and cash only.

Fun Fact

Corked wine.  Sometimes the cork can become contaminated allowing the wine to spoil.  A musty, woody or vinegar taste is evident when a wine is "corked".

Wine Tips of the Week - Ehrhart Cremant d'Alsace and Trapiche Broquel Malbec

Cheers from Vintage Connections!

Ehrhart Cremant d'Alsace, NV

This wonderfully dry sparkling wine, made from 100% Chardonnay grapes, comes from the Alsace region of France.  It is clear, light yellow in color with numerous mid-sized bubbles.  With yeasty aromas of citrus, it boasts flavors of fruit with toasty overtones. 

A Cremant is the term the French use for any sparkling made outside of the Champagne region.  Cremants from Alsace tend to be excellent and affordable.  We will be using this Cremant for the upcoming Wines of the World tasting, part of Pottstown's Holiday Celebration series of events.

This wine is excellent when paired with any appetizer.

An excellent, affordable sparkling for the holidays.  It is available at many PA Wine and Spirit stores for $14.99 a bottle and is currently a Chairman's Selection.  The PLCB product  code is 30929.


Trapiche Broquel Malbec

Made from 100% malbec grapes from around the area of Mendoza, Argentina, this medium to full bodied dry red wine is rich, dark red in color with hints of purple and ruby.  The aroma is richly satisfying with hints of black currents, black cherries and smoke.  Flavors echo the aromas with a long satisfying finish.  Not at all tanniny or hot.  

We'll be using the 2005 Trapiche Broquel Malbec at the upcoming Wines of the World tasting as part of the Pottstown Holiday Celebration series.   

Excellent when paired with red meats and chocolate!  Available at many PA Wine and Spirit stores for $14.99.  PLCB product code is 7179.

Wines of the World

A hometown holiday wine tasting.  This fun event is sponsored by PDIDA (Pottstown Development Improvement District Authority).  It will be held on Friday, December 10, 2010 from 6 PM until 8 PM at the PDIDA office in Pottstown at 139 E. High Street and is part of Pottstown's "Hometown Holiday Celebration". 

We will be taking you on a tour of five different countries known for their wines. We will start in France with Ehrhart Crement d'Alsace, a sparkling wine, then "travel" to Marlborough, New Zealand to taste their Brancott Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. 

Our next stop will be in South Africa where we will taste their signature wine Pinotage from Spice Route Vineyards.  Then on to Italy to sample Cantina Zaccagnini Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, ending in Argentina to taste their signature wine Malbec from Trapiche Broquel. 

These wines will be paired with food prepared especially for the event by "Panevino" and music will accompany your tasting by "Zach and Dan". 

Tickets are available for $45 per person.  Contact Leighton Wildrick at 610-323-5400 for more information and to purchase your tickets. 

We look forward to seeing you there!

Click here to link to the beautiful poster which includes more information.


Fun Facts are Back

Allowing a young tannic wine to "breathe" for a short time either in the open bottle or in a decanter lets the flavors open up and soften.  Allow approximately 1/2 hour "breathing" time.

There will be another quiz someday!

Wine Tips - Wines of the World Tasting and Dr. von Bassermann-Jordan 2007 Riesling

"Cheers" from Vintage Connections
Dean and Lisa Foster, Wine Educators and Consultants

Please forward the link to this blog to friends and family who may enjoy reading and learning about wine.  If you have not signed up for our weekly wine newsletter, email us at vintageconnections@comcast.net and receive this same information in our weekly newsletter.

Wines of the World

Click here to link to the beautiful poster which includes more information.

A hometown holiday wine tasting.  This fun event is sponsored by PDIDA (Pottstown Development Improvement District Authority).  It will be held on Friday, December 10, 2010 from 6 PM until 8 PM at the PDIDA office in Pottstown at 139 E. High Street and is part of Pottstown's "Hometown Holiday Celebration". 


We will be taking you on a tour of five different countries known for their wines. We will start in France with Ehrhart Crement d'Alsace, a sparkling wine, then "travel" to Marlborough, New Zealand to taste their Brancott Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. 

Our next stop will be in South Africa where we will taste their signature wine Pinotage from Spice Route Vineyards.  Then on to Italy to sample Cantina Zaccagnini Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, ending in Argentina to taste their signature wine Malbec from Trapiche Broquel. 

These wines will be paired with food prepared especially for the event by "Panevino" and music will accompany your tasting by "Zach and Dan". 

Tickets are available for $45 per person.  Contact Leighton Wildrick at 610-323-5400 for more information and to purchase your tickets. 

We look forward to seeing you there!



Dr. von Bassermann-Jordan 2007 Riesling trocken

This excellent dry Riesling comes from Pfalz Germany.  The vines are planted on the hillside of the Haardt Mountains on the western rim of the Rhine Valley.  Winemaker Ullrich Mell is one of the most respected wine makers in Germany. 

It is a refreshingly dry wine with aromas of minerals and light flowers with flavors of green apple and citrus.  It has good balanced acidity which makes it very food friendly.  Alcohol is 12.5% by volume, so is a little hotter than most German Rieslings.  Great when paired with spicy Asian food and seafood. 

We first tried this wine this past weekend at a friends after Thanksgiving Indian food feast.  It was great with all of his wonderful Indian dishes.  Also delicious and well-balanced for drinking by itself.

PLCB product code is 20801 and is available at many PA Wine and Spirit Stores for $19.99.

Fun Facts are Back

Let's make up for lost time.  Both of these Fun Facts were provided by our winemaker friend Joe.

1. The corkscrew was adapted from a French artillery device.

2. Cremant is sparkling wine originating anywhere in France except the Champagne district, the triangle around Reims. Technically, no other sparkling wine should be called "Champagne."

 

More Thanksgiving Wine Tips

Happy Thanksgiving from Vintage Connections!

If you have not read our Thanksgiving Wine Tips from last week, be sure to read that post as well (scroll down).

More on Nouveau Beaujolais

We tried the Nouveau Beaujolais and liked it.  No tannins, easy to drink.  We bought more. Not as dry as we usually drink, but not too sweet.  We think it is best just a little chilled because of the slight sweetness.

The 750 ml bottle is $12.99 in PA, but only $8.99 in Delaware.  (That's a tax rate of almost 50%.  Why do Pennsylvanians drive to Delaware to buy wine and other spirits?) 

The 1.5 L bottle in PA is $23.99, saving you only $1 a bottle so we don't recommend the larger bottle until after you try it and make sure you like it.  We bought two because we think all of our friends, including those who don't usually like our dry wine choices, will like it.

More on Sparklings

If you like a little sweeter sparkling and don't have time to go to Pinnacle Ridge for their Blanc de Blancs, try Domaine St. Michelle Brut or Extra Dry.  

PLCB codes for Domaine St. Michelle Brut are 4550 and 6480 for St. Michelle's  Extra Dry.  Both are $11.99 and usually easy to find.  Korbell offers a wide selection and even half bottles of a few.  They are widely available and start at $15.

Sparkling wine is categorized on a "dryness to sweetness" scale.  Naturel and Extra Brut are the driest with only a trace of residual sugar (RS) that you will NOT notice, Brut is not quite as dry and is a popular level of dryness.  The RS is not noticeable, but takes the edge of the dryness.  With Extra Dry, you'll probably taste some sweet. This is a good choice if you don't like dry wine. Demi Sec is the sweetest.

Even more about Sparkling
Blanc de Blanc is made with all white grapes, usually with a lot of Chardonnay, but not always as you read in our last newsletter about Pinnacle Ridge. 

Blanc de Noir is usually all Pinot Noir, a red grape. But since the juice is removed from the skins with a minimum of time to absorb color, Blanc de Noir is sometimes still a white wine, but often is pink like Pinnacle Ridge's Brut Rose. 

Of course, sparkling wine can be made from any grape and we have had sparkling Syrah, even thought we thought it was a bit heavy for a sparkling and won't buy it again.  When modeled after Champagne, sparklings are made with Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, or some combination of them.  Adding some juice from other grapes, like in Trapiche, provides an interesting variety of sparklings to be enjoyed.

UPCOMING EVENTS (click on the highlighted links) Pottstown Hometown Holiday Celebration including our Wine Tasting Saturday, December 10 6-8 PM, $45 per person Click here for more details.

Contact us to schedule an event in your home, at your business, or for your organization.

Wine Tip of the Week - Wine for Thanksgiving Dinner Redux

Happy Thanksgiving from Vintage Connections!

Last November, we posted Wine Tips for Thanksgiving Dinner  to our Wine Friends through our Vintage Connections Wine Info newsletter last week and Vintage Connections Wine Info blog.
Since we have many new readers since November 2009, we are repeating that information below, with a few updates, including some updated wine recommendations.

Recommended for Thanksgiving - "affordable" sparklings. Sparklings add a touch of class to any Holiday.  The clean acidity, bright fruit and yeasty aromas pair well with just about everything on the Thanksgiving table. The only hold out will be the cranberry sauce and dessert. But as long as you don’t take a big bite of cranberry sauce and wash it down with a hearty swig of sparkling, things should turn out all right.

If you like your sparklings with a touch of sweetness, we recommend Blanc de Blanc from Pinnacle Ridge Winery. This wine is made from 100% Cayuga grapes, has 2.5% residual sugar, and is $14. This sparkling won a Gold Medal and was judged the Best Sparkling at the 2010 PA Farm Show.

 If you like your sparkling on the drier side, Pinnacle Ridge produces Brut Reserve, made from 100% Pinot Noir and is $18. This sparkling won a Gold Medal at the 2010 PA Wine Competition and a Silver Medal at the 2010 PA Farm Show.

Both wines, plus many more wonderful wines, are available at the winery just north of Kutztown, PA.

If you want the convenience of your local Wine and Spirits store, we've started drinking and had great feedback from others about Trapiche Sparkling Extra Brut from Mendoza, Argentina.  It is widely available in PLCB stores, produce code 7724, and is only $13.99. 

We've also recently tried and like Ehrhart Cremant D'Alsace (from the Alsace region of France).  This sparkling is available at some PLCB specialty stores, so do a product search for item number 30929 and see if a local store has a few bottles. It's a Chairman's Select and is only $14.99.  Both wine are well worth their price. 

Not a big fan of sparklings?  Then go with whites in general, especially those with higher acidity and no oak. Sauvignon Blanc or white Bordeaux/Meritage (blends usually including Sauvignon Blanc) go really well with butternut squash soup and lends a pleasant flavor to salad, turkey, stuffing (not spicy) and vegetables. If you are having a creamy vegetable try “naked” (un-oaked) chardonnay. Excellent choices also include Gerwurtztraminer and Riesling which pair well with all parts of a traditional Thanksgiving dinner except the cranberry sauce and pumpkin or butternut squash soups.

Really a fan of reds? Then you have two good choices: Pinot Noir or Beaujolais (made from the gamay grape, which is a cousin to Pinot Noir). Pinot Noir usually has more body and tannins than Beaujolais, so if you like bolder reds it may be the better choice. If you want a very light red this Thanksgiving, try Beaujolais.

The smooth fruit and low tannins of Pinot Noir and Beaujolais work well with most of the holiday servings.


Note: Nouveau Beaujolais is a variation of Beaujolais and is a freshly pressed and fermented, low tannic wine. The Wine and Spirits stores have a new supply, released on November 18th.  Georges Deboeuf's is widely available in PLCB stores for $12.99 (produce code 5877).  We are buying a bottle today and will let you know what we think early next week, in time for Thanksgiving dinner.

If you buy the French Nouveau Beaujolais, drink it soon. Without tannins or aging like other red wines, it could easily go bad by New Year's.



All for now.

Wine Tips - Joseph Drouhin Red Burgundy and Manatawny Creek Winter Warmth

Welcome to Vintage Connections Wine Info Blog and this week's Wine Tips!

Joseph Drouhin Cote de Beaune-Villages 2007

From Beaune, France, this excellent example of a French Burgundy is a medium-bodied light red wine.  It has aromas of fresh cherries and strawberries  and flavors of cherries, blueberries and a light earthiness typical of a good Pinot Noir.  

At first sip, we didn't like this wine, maybe because we are used to more fruit-forward, bolder US (and other) Pinot Noirs.  But it grew on us and we think it is a good and very affordable example of a red Burgundy.  There are surely better, more typical examples of red Burgundy available in PA, but this one is so affordable at $15 in PLCB stores that it is worth a try, even if only to taste the difference between this lighter, less fruity Pinot and what you may be used to.  PLCB code 16005.  It is certainly much better than other French Red Burgundies in this price range.








Manatawny Creek Winery Winter Warmth, NV

From Berks County, PA, near Douglassville.  This slightly sweet red wine is gently spiced and has aromas of cloves and cherries with flavors of spice, cherries and red jams.  Great chilled or warm, but we prefer it warm.  We hesitated serving a sweeter wine but thought it would pair well with lighter desserts. 

Our guests and we were happily surprised.  Only available at the winery and for a short period of time, and only $10.95.

 

Fun Fact

So here's a twist.  Submit a Fun Fact of your own and we will pick one or more to use in the following few weeks!  There will be another quiz someday!

 

 

UPCOMING EVENTS
(click on the highlighted links)

Nouveau Weekend
 November 20-21 on the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail. 

Visit Lehigh Valley wineries including Pinnacle Ridge, recently listed in Opus One, a compendium of the BEST 4,000 wineries in the world!  Brad Knapp and Pinnacle Ridge were listed as a RISING STAR, and outstanding honor!  Congratulations Brad!!

PLCB stores will release Nouveau Beajolais on November 18.  Read about Nouveau Beajolais here soon.

Pottstown Hometown Holiday Celebration
Wine Tasting, Saturday, December 10.  Time and cost TBD.

Contact us to schedule an event in your home, at your business, or for your organization.

Wine Tips - Galen Glen Gewertztraminer and Bogle Phantom

"Cheers" from Vintage Connections
Dean and Lisa Foster, Wine Educators and Consultants
 

Please send a link to this blog to your friends and family who may enjoy reading and learning about wine.



 Galen Glen Winery Gewurtztraminer 2009

This crisp, refreshing gewurtztraminer has aromas of honeysuckle and spice with delicious flavors of fresh fruits.  It is pale yellow in color and has a long and pleasant finish.  Grown in the shale soil of Galen Glen's vineyards, this wine displays a slight pleasant minerality with good balanced acidity.  There is a hint of sweet roses in the aroma.  Great when paired with spicy foods.

Located in the beautiful rolling hills near Andreas, PA, Galen Glen Winery has consistently created some excellent German style wines.  From Gruner Veltliner, a dry white wine, to their Stone Cellar Zweigelt, a dry red, there is something for everyone with the chance of trying something very different and new.  

We will be serving this excellent wine at an upcoming event in Pottstown.  It will be paired with chicken satay with peanut sauce.

A beautiful fall day at the vineyards of Galen Glen

Bogle Vineyard Phantom 2007 

This excellent dark ruby red dry wine is a blend of 53% petite sirah, 44% old vine zinfandel and 3% old vine mourvedre.  It has rich aromas of black pepper, dark red berries and spices like nutmeg and cinnamon with aromas of blackberries and blueberries.  It was aged in 1, 2 and 3 year old American oak barrels.  Alcohol content is 14% by volume. 
Located along the Sacarmento River in Clarksburg, California, Bogle Vineyards is owned and operated by members of the Bogle family who established the vineyards in 1968. 

Richly complex, it will only get better with age, but wonderful to drink now.  Great when paired with hearty foods like beef and lamb. 

 

UPCOMING EVENTS
(click on the highlighted links)

Annual soup day at Manatawny Creek Winery
Saturday, November 6th.  

Apple onion soup made and paired with Vidal Blanc, on the deck from 12-5.  

Bob Sica, a wonderful guitarist and singer, will be performing 2-5 that day. 

 

Nouveau Weekend
 November 20-21 on the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail. 

Visit Lehigh Valley wineries including Pinnacle Ridge, recently listed in Opus One, a compendium of the BEST 4,000 wineries in the world!  Brad Knapp and Pinnacle Ridge were listed as a RISING STAR, and outstanding honor!  Congratulations Brad!!

Pottstown Hometown Holiday Celebration
Wine Tasting, Saturday, December 10.  Time and cost TBD.

Fun Fact

Though Gewurtztraminer is a white wine the grapes themselves are pale rosy pink in color.

There will be another quiz someday!

Contact us to schedule an event in your home, at your business, or for your organization.

Wine of the Finger Lakes - Summary

This posting is a short summary of our week of winery visits and wine tasting in the Finger Lakes in upstate New York.

We visited 44 wineries, not even half of the total in the Finger Lakes, averaging about 8 tastes per winery, so we estimate that we tasted about 350 wines.  Most wineries limit customers to tasting 6 wines, usually for a $1-5 fee.  But often they'll allow an extra taste or two if they are not busy and if you are genuinely interested in wine and seem like you are going to buy. Often, we were offered several additional tastes.  Sometimes, we each tasted different wines and shared with each other when the pours were large enough to do so.

We bought several good examples of affordable Finger Lakes wines, some of which we thought would be interesting in our Wines of the Finger Lakes class.  However, we found that most wineries were serving and selling their 2008 vintage, which was a wet year in the Finger Lakes, often leading to lighter, thinner wines, especially reds.  We found many good examples of Riesling, the wine the Finger Lakes are famous for, as well as some good Gewertztraminers and Traminettes, and a few good Chardonnays and Sevals.  Some wineries were still serving and selling 2005, 2006, and 2007 vintages.  The 2005 and 2007 wines were good and we found a few examples of excellent reds from those vintages, especially 2007.  We also found a few unique blends.

Riesling is the signature wine of the Finger Lakes.  A few years ago, most Rieslings were made to be semi-sweet and sweet, but as wine drinkers have matured and drier wines have become more marketable, many wineries are producing a range of Rieslings. The Rieslings ranged from very dry (almost no residual sugar) to Late Harvest and Ice Wine, which are semi-sweet and sweet (high in residual sugar).  Many were unimpressive as many wineries were serving and selling the 2008 vintage.  However, some wineries made excellent 2008 Rieslings and some were still serving and selling the 2007 vintage.

Good red wines were harder to find, but we found a few very good Cabernet Francs, some good Baco Noirs, and some good red blends, often from the 2007 and even the 2005 vintages.  Good red wines were more expensive (often $25 or more) than the good whites ($15-20).  We found a few bargains, including some blends that were unique, interesting, and tasty.

We had some extraordinarily good experiences wine tasting, and many just so-so experiences.  So many people travel to and taste wine in the Finger Lakes, sometimes the servers seem disinterested and are obviously just doing their jobs.  Other times, the servers are very interested in wine, in the people they are serving, and help create a wonderful, educational wine-tasting experience.  We would never visit most of these wineries on a weekend as they get hundreds, sometimes thousands, of visitors each day and have to move people through the tastings as quickly as they can.  On weekdays, however, staff are less harried and sometimes we were the only people in the tasting room, especially earlier in the day (most open at 10 AM and close at 5 PM on weekdays).

A few of our favorite wineries this trip, those where we found good wines at reasonable prices and friendly, knowledgeable staff, included Lakewood, Hermann Wiemer, Heron Hill, Prejean, Red Tail  Ridge, Fox Run,  Billsboro and White Springs on the West side of Seneca; Leidenfrost on the East Shore of Seneca;  Goose Watch and Sheldrake Point on the West side of Cayuga, and Heron Hill, Hunt Country, and Keuka Spring on Keuka.  Many other wineries were fine as well, but the stars were especially well-aligned this trip when we visited these wineries.  We had many other good experiences and found some good and affordable wines at other wineries, but in retrospect, these are the most memorable and where we bought the most or some of the best wine.

For our Wines of the Finger Lakes class this coming Thursday, we have narrowed down our examples to Red Tail Ridge Semi-dry Riesling or Heron Hill Single Vineyard Riesling, Chateau Lafayette Reneau Cuvee Rouge, Fox Run Arctic Fox, Bellhurst Golden Pheasant, White Springs Gewurtztraminer and Lucas Cabernet Franc.  Registrations can still be made for this class by calling MCCC's Continuing Education office at the Pottstown Campus at 610.718.1861 until 4 PM Thursday.

We have some other good examples as well, so plan to offer an Finger Lakes II class sometime soon.

All in all we had a good trip, a great time, and look forward to returning to the Finger Lakes in a couple of years when the 2010 vintage is released.  Like Eastern Pennsylvania, 2010 was a dry year in the Finger Lakes so most of the 2010 vintage wines should be much more concentrated, intense, and tasty than most of those we found this year.