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A few days ago I had the opportunity to taste a large sampling of wines from Croatia. With twenty-two wineries represented, my palate was treated to some very impressive wines.  Today’s post is a general overview of Croatian wine. I will be getting into a more in-depth study of each region, the wines, producers and some history in future posts. Croatia stretches over Central and Southeastern Europe with a very long coastline hugging the Adriatic Sea.  There are four wine regions throughout Croatia with twelve sub-regions and 66 appellations. The climate and soils vary throughout these regions. The Adriatic coastline enjoys typical Mediterranean climate of hot, dry summers and cool, rainy winters. Further inland in Central Croatia, the Dinaric Alps run parallel to the Adriatic Sea creating an alpine climate at the higher altitudes. Depending on the region, one can find a variety of soils, with white soils of limestone, iron-rich clay soils and stony karst soil being the most dominant. Here is a fun fact: Croatia is home to the Slavonian oak forest, which provides oak for the casks preferred by many European winemakers for aging their finest wines!  There are 130 indigenous grape varieties in Croatia of which 40 are in production. Over 60% of wine produced in Croatia is white. Here is a list of just a few of the indigenous grape varieties: Red grapes Tribidrag is genetically identical to Zinfandel and the oldest recorded name for the variety. Plavac Mali (offspring to Zinfandel) and considered “king of the Croatian wines”. Teran found mostly in western Istria region Babić found mostly in the Central Dalmatia region White grapes Graševina (most planted grape variety in Croatia) Pošip found mostly in Dalmatia region Malvazija Istarska (second most planted grape in Croatia) Grk found mostly on Lumbarda, a small island off the coast Debit found primarily in the Dalmatia region Generally speaking, the majority of white wines that I tasted were very aromatic, dry, crisp, light and fresh, with a perfect balance of fruit, citrus, and minerality. I must admit that the white wines were my favorite. The red wines run the gamut from soft to chewy tannins with layers of dark fruit, spice and herbs that are full-bodied and robust to softer medium-bodied reds of cherry, sweet berries, spice and floral. I tasted a few rosés that were very impressive, including a standout from Vina Laguna Perla Rosé NV made with Teran grapes. Vina Laguna is located in the Istria wine region.  Vina Laguna Perla Rosé Among the many producers present was Grgić Vina Winery, owned by winemaker Mike Grgich, who became famous in 1976 when his Chateau Montelena Chardonnay won first prize at the “Judgment of Paris.” Both his Pošip 2016 (white) and Plavac mali 2015 (red) were outstanding. His winery is located in the Peljesac Peninsula, part of the Dalmatia region.  In addition to the wines, I tasted amazing olive oil from several producers. Wow---just wow! As I said earlier, this is just a quick introduction to Croatian wine…I have more to cover! The names of the varietals can be daunting, but I hope I have peaked your curiosity enough to pick up a bottle the next time you’re in a wine shop. If you do, share your thoughts with me!  My mouth was still tingling with delight after tasting and reviewing several bottles of wine from Alentejo, Portugal last week. So, last night I opened a bottle of wine from northern Portugal’s Douro Valley region.  My palate was not disappointed!  Douro is famous for supplying the world with its production of port wine. However, it is now being praised for its succulent and refined unfortified wines, both red and white. Quinta da Zaralhôa is a family owned estate with 12 hectares located in the sub-region of Douro Superior.  Photo courtesy of Wines of Portugal This sub-region experiences extremely cold winters and very hot summers. The vines grow in schist soil on steep slopes with the vineyards facing southwest, exposing them to less sun. With less sun exposure, the grapes are allowed a longer time to ripen, developing flavors without excess sugar impeding the acid levels. At Quinta da Zaralhôa harvest takes place in October. Farming is certified organic and sustainable. Grapes are crushed with the tradition of stomping the grapes with their feet, in the belief that it is the best way to maximize the juice’s contact with the skin without crushing the seeds. Photo credit Quinta da Zaralhôa Quinta da Zaralhôa Rumansil 2012 is a blend of indigenous grapes; 25%Touriga Nacional, 25%Touriga Franca, 25%Tinta Roriz, and 25% Tinta Barroca. The wine is named after Rumansil, a Roman villa of the 3rd century, located next to Quinta da Zaralhôa. The wine is aged in French oak for 2 years. Prior to bottling, different lots are selected for the final blend and then aged for one year in bottle.  The color of the wine is burgundy with intoxicating aromas of dark fruit, floral and spice. The palate is layered with a rich concentration of dark berries, plums, spice, fennel, hints of cocoa and finishes with cherry and pepper. Silky tannins, good acidity, fresh and juicy! Alcohol: 13% SRP: $25 Wines from Douro are becoming more and more popular and run the gamut in price. If you haven’t already tried these wines, I encourage you to treat your palate!  A few weeks ago I opened a bottle of Concha y Toro Gran Reserva Serie Riberas Malbec 2014 from Chile. I intended to give a “shout out” to this expressive wine, but days got away from me and I never got around to writing about it. And then, yesterday I received several bottles of Malbec from Chile and Argentina. One of the bottles was a Concha y Toro Gran Reserva Malbec 2016. So, I thought it would be interesting to compare the 2014 and 2016 vintages.  The Gran Reserva Serie Riberas is also known as “Riverbank Series”. These are single-vineyard wines grown close to one of Chile’s major rivers, the Rapel, Cachapoal and Tinguirica. The Malbec vineyards are planted on the south bank of the Tinguirica River. The Palo Santo Vineyard is located 180 meters above sea level. The climate is Mediterranean with an extended dry season and the river and coastal breezes influence the temperature. Marcio Ramírez is the chief winemaker for the Gran Reserva Serie Riberas. Gran Reserva Serie Riberas Malbec 2014 is made with 90% Malbec and 10% Syrah. The color is deep purple with tantalizing aromas of dark fruit, dark plum, blueberries, blackberries and spice. The palate is layered with dark berries, dark plum, hints of blueberries, nutmeg, pepper and dark chocolate. This wine has a beautiful concentration of flavors and is full-bodied with soft tannins. Alcohol: 14% SRP: $17  Gran Reserva Serie Riberas Malbec 2016 is made with 85% Malbec and 15% Merlot. The color is dark purple with concentrated aromas of blueberries, plum, spice, pepper and hints of floral. The palate offers lush dark fruit, black cherries, plum and spice with a long finish of pepper and sour cherry. It is medium-bodied with soft tannins. Alcohol: 13.5% SRP: $17  The 2016 vintage has a tad more spice and has earthiness, but both vintages are easy to drink and they will pair well with many foods.
Until next time! Cheers! Penina To leave a comment or if you have an inquiry, please contact me at [email protected] The other day I had the opportunity to attend a seminar and walk around tasting of many impressive Brunello wines from the Consortium of The Brunello of Montalcino Wine. Although the emphasis was on the 2013 vintage, I also sampled wines dating from 2010 through 2015.  The consortium was founded in 1967 and started with a membership of 20 producers. Today there are more than 200 members of which 31 estates were represented at this event. Montalcino is located in the Tuscany wine region of Italy.  Montalcino is a small wine region with 3500 acres of vineyards and roughly 250 wineries producing Brunello di Montalcino. Brunello di Montalcino was awarded the first ever DOCG designation in 1980 and is considered one of Italy’s most famous and distinguished wines. DOCG stands for Denomination of Controlled and Guaranteed Origin and it is the highest designation given under Italian wine law.  Brunello di Montalcino wine is made exclusively with 100% Sangiovese grapes (named ‘Brunello’ in Montalcino). The skin of the Sangiovese grape is thick and tends to deliver a wine that is fruit forward with bright acidity and high tannins. Of course climate, soil and production play a big part in the wine’s outcome. The village of Montalcino sits high up on a hill with the vineyards sloping downward into the valley.   The climate in Montalcino is warm and dry, typical Mediterranean weather. Vineyards are planted up to 500 meters in elevation with north facing slopes experiencing a cooler microclimate and more winds, while the southern and western facing slopes are exposed to extreme sunlight and maritime breezes. The vines are planted in a variety of soils such as limestone, clay, schist, volcanic soil and galestro, all of which contribute to the difference in quality, complexity and character of the wine. DOCG Regulations require that Brunello di Montalcino age for 2 years in oak casks, 4 months in bottle (6 months for the Riserva) and bottling must take place in the production area. Brunello di Montalcino must be aged for a minimum of 5 years (6 years for Riserva) prior to release for sale.  Most of the 2013 vintages I tasted were quite approachable and gentler than the more aggressive and bold Brunello I’ve had in the past. My palate was treated to a gamut of flavors such as dark berries, cherry, aromatic wood, anise, leather and spice. “Lush fruit, round tannins, quite aromatic, good structure and high acidity” seemed to be the theme for most of the 2013s with variations according to soil and plot locations. Brunello wines are impressive and I look forward to trying the 2013 vintage again in about five years!
Montalcino wines also include Rosso di Montalcino DOC, Moscadello di Montalcino DOC and Sant’Antimo DOC. I will be exploring these wines in another post. If you like collecting wines, do yourself a favor and pick a bottle or two of Brunello and tuck them away to enjoy at a future date. The aging potential of these wines is 8 to 25 years. Cheers! Penina To leave a comment or if you have an inquiry, please contact me at [email protected] One doesn’t need a special occasion to open a bottle of wine in my home. There are no hard and fast rules for those “special” bottles to only be opened when celebrating something momentous. In fact, my only reason for saving a special bottle of wine these days is because I just can’t bring myself to open it! I love the anticipation of drinking the wine, but once the bottle is empty, there’s no going back! But little by little, I’ve been opening some gems such as 1969 and 1989 Petrus, 1961 Chateau Haut Brion and 1983 Far Niente Cabernet. Let me be clear that a “special” bottle of wine as far as I’m concerned doesn’t always mean that it is an old or rare vintage. It might convey sentimentality, be a particular grape or blend or country of origin that makes it special to me. And so, I finally opened a wine last evening that I considered special. I’ve been hovering over this particular bottle since I received it several months ago. The occasion for opening this wine you might ask? “Just because” is my answer.  Mille e una Notte is the flagship red wine of Donnafugata which is located in South-western Sicily. Giacomo and Gabriella Rallo, the founders of Donnafugata, wanted to create an iconic Sicilian red. With the help of Giacomo Tachis, enologist and “father of Super Tuscan wines”, they succeeded in fulfilling their dream. The first vintage of Mille e una Notte made its debut in 1995. The 2012 vintage of Mille e una Notte is an artistic blend of Nero d’Avola, Petit Verdot, Syrah and a small amount of other grapes. The grapes are hand harvested from Donnafugata’s Contessa Entellina Estate and other areas close by. The best grapes of the year are carefully selected and used for production. The wine spends 14 months in new French oak barriques and 36 months in the bottle.  I decanted the wine for about one hour prior to drinking so that the flavors could gracefully emerge. This is a very expressive wine with seductive aromas of dark berries, plum, sweet spice, cocoa and vanilla. The palate is layered with dark fruit, prune, blueberry, pepper and hints of oak, cocoa and herbs. The wine is rich with silky tannins and is a perfect blend of flavors that complement each other. The finish is long and the wine is elegant! It paired beautifully with seared scallops and pasta with roasted cherry tomatoes, asparagus and mushrooms. This wine has the aging potential of 20 years, but I am too impatient to wait that long! Alcohol: 14% SRP $80 As with every Donnafugata label, there is a story. To quote from their website: “The palace shown on the label is the one where Queen Maria Carolina took refuge fleeing from Naples and was the favorite house of the writer Tomasi di Lampedusa in Santa Margherita Belice. Gabriella Anca Rallo –founder of Donnafugata, with her husband Giacomo- captures the image and embeds it into the sky from “Arabian Nights”, full of stars and full of promise. The strong and passionate character of this wine has inspired maître chocolatier Ernst Knam in his creation of the “Mille e una Notte with chili” pralines.”  To learn more about Donnafugata and Sicily, please use the menu on the right to explore more stories.
Cheers! Penina To leave a comment or if you have an inquiry, please contact me at [email protected]  Whenever I see a wine store, I like to go in and peruse the shelves. It is a fun way for me to discover and learn about lesser-known wines. On this particular day, I was looking to see what the store had to offer for under $15. When I reached the Italian section, I saw a bottle of Ninety+ Cellars Chianti Riserva selling for $11.99. I must admit that I was not familiar with the label, but I was intrigued by the accolades that the wine store owner was giving it. So, I decided to purchase a bottle and see for myself.  First of all, Ninety+ Cellars is a wine brand based in Boston, MA. Founded by Kevin Mehra in 2009 and with Wine Director Brett Vankoski at the helm, their concept is to buy a percentage of a winery’s production for a reduced price, bottle it in Ninety+ Cellars bottles and sell the wine for less. The website states, “We are a modern day wine négociant–working with highly rated wineries and vineyards to curate a portfolio of fine wines from all over the globe”. Every wine bottle is given a lot number and has the 90+ stamp of approval. Their wine portfolio includes Napa Valley, New Zealand, Italy, and France. Wines range in price from $10 to $40.  90+ Cellars Classic Series Chianti Riserva 2013 Lot 144 Sangiovese grapes are sourced from the Chianti region of Tuscany. The wine spends three years of maturation before release and therefore is given the Chianti DOCG Riserva label. The color is ruby with aromas of cherry, spice and floral notes. The palate offers red fruit, spice, with hints of white pepper and oregano on the finish. Mild tannins, beautifully balanced and impressive for the price. Alcohol: 13% SRP: $11.99  It’s hard for me to pass up a wine store, bookstore or knitting shop!
Have a great weekend! Cheers! Penina To leave a comment or if you have an inquiry, please contact me at [email protected] “Oh the weather outside is frightful But the fire is so delightful And since we've no place to go Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!” From “Let It Snow” Songwriters: Jule Styne / Sammy Cahn With unbearable temperatures outside this weekend, it was a good time to focus on a few indoor projects that I’ve been putting off for way too long. As much as I wanted to go snowshoeing, the high winds and below 0-degree temps held me back. I braved the elements only once so that I could buy a few ingredients for Tomato Lentil soup that I was making for guests who were far braver than I am and didn’t mind venturing out in the cold and windy evening.  Although I had planned to open a Carmenere from Chile to serve with the soup, one of my guests brought a few bottles of Josh Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon for us to drink. So I decided to open the Cabernet first.  Cabernet Sauvignon is grown worldwide and the characteristics of the wine vary depending on the climate and soil of the region, among other factors. California has many wine regions ranging from Northern California to Napa Valley that are well suited for Cabernet Sauvignon production. In fact, according to California Agricultural Statistics Service for 2016, Napa had the most Cabernet Sauvignon acreage planted of all the counties, 20,759 acres. Joseph Carr formed his own wine company in Napa Valley after spending a decade as a world-class sommelier and another decade as a wine industry executive. His dream was to have his own family-owned winery and so in 2005 he began making wines under the label ‘Joseph Carr’. In 2007 Carr launched Josh Cellars as a tribute to his dad, Josh, who inspired and influenced the man Carr is today. “Every bottle of Josh Cellars wine produced honors and acknowledges his father”. Grapes for the Josh Cellar wines are sourced from top California winegrowing regions to create wines with character and complexity.  The 2015 Josh Cellars North Coast Cabernet Sauvignon is a blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon and 17% Merlot dominant blend. This is a full-bodied wine with aromas of dark fruit, oak, spice and currant. The palate offers a silky mouthfeel with dark cherry, blackberry, plum, spice, vanilla and pepper. It was a long finish of pepper with hints of oak. Outstanding price for the product! Alcohol: 13.5% SRP: $15  The Tomato Lentil soup is hearty, packed with protein and quite filling! It’s perfect for a cold night. In addition to onions, carrots and celery, I added a blend of herbs, a little dry white wine and lots of love! The soup takes about three hours to cook, but is well worth it.  The wine paired well with the soup and didn’t compete with all the subtle flavors the soup had to offer. We eventually moved on to taste the Carmenere, but that will be the topic of another post. When I left my house this morning, it was a chilling -6 degrees! I think that a glass of wine and a bowl of soup are on the menu for later today!   It was a cold and blustery night, the car temperature read 6 degrees outside, but Don Melchor and I were determined to reach the restaurant no matter what. As I was driving I kept looking anxiously at the passenger seat to make sure Don was safely strapped into the seatbelt. Having traveled thousands of miles from Chile to partake in the evening’s festivities, it was important for my journeyer to have a smooth ride. Concha y Toro Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon and I go back a few years. I’ve had the pleasure of drinking several vintages, all of them outstanding. My last story and review was on the 2013 vintage. Please take a moment and read it to learn the history of Don Melchor, the region, climate and soil so that you can appreciate the beauty of this wine. http://thewineknitter.com/1/post/2016/11/day-532-don-melchor.html  Enrique Tirado Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon is Chile’s first and most renowned icon wine. With winemaker Enrique Tirado at the helm, each vintage of Don Melchor is expressive and elegant. Every year Tirado chooses grapes from 50 to 60 parcels, out of the 142 located in Puente Alto on the north bank of the Maipo River. Tirado says, “each parcel not only offers a unique expression, but that expression varies from year to year”.  The 2014 Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon is a blend of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Cabernet Franc. Prior to tasting, we decanted the wine to allow the aromas and flavors to open. The color is ruby red with seductive aromas of dark cherry, plum and dark currant. The palate offers dark and lush berries, plum, cocoa, and spice. The wine is full-bodied with velvety tannins and a long black cherry finish. We paired the wine with a variety of dishes such as baked Brie with truffles, oysters, halibut and scallops with leek fondue. And yes, I saved a sip to pair with the apple and blueberry strudel. Alcohol: 14.5% SRP: $125  This is a wine to savor and share! Drinks beautifully!
I look forward to our date same time next year, Don Melchor! Cheers! Penina To leave a comment or if you have an inquiry, please contact me at [email protected]  On the eve of the summer solstice in June, I wrote about Ferraton Père & Fils flavorful Samorëns Rosé 2016 and Samorëns Blanc 2016. And now that we are just fifteen days away from the winter solstice, I decided it was time to open a few reds from Ferraton Père & Fils.  Ferraton Père & Fils estate is located in Tain l’Hermitage in Southern France and was founded in 1946 by Jean Orëns Ferraton. His son Michel, inheriting the same passion as his father, introduced the first Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage and Saint-Joseph wines to the world. Michel Chapoutier, a highly regarded winemaker and close friend of the Ferratons’ introduced organic viticulture to the vineyards in 1998 and he eventually formed a partnership with the Ferratons. By the year 2000, all of the vineyards were converted to biodynamic farming and are now certified organic. What began in 1946 as a .3 hectare estate (some of these vines still produce fruit), Ferraton now has an annual production of about 350,000 bottles and is headed by oenologist Damien Brisset.   La Matinière Crozes-Hermitage 2015 is 100% Syrah. Crozes-Hermitage is the largest appellation in the Northern Rhône and is known for its exceptional Syrahs. The grapes for the La Matinière are sourced and blended from a mix of estate and neighboring vineyards in the Mercurol and Beaumont-Monteux districts of central and southern Crozes-Hermitage. The wine is the color of dark plum bordering on purple. It is very aromatic, filling the nose with cherry, dark berries, spice and earth. The palate offers a beautiful dance of dark cherry, red berries, pomegranate, pepper and cocoa. Smooth tannins with a long finish of cherry, plum and pepper add a nice kick to the finale. This is a versatile wine when it comes to pairing with food! Alcohol: 13% SRP: $23 Côtes-du-Rhône is in the Southern Rhône. The region enjoys a Mediterranean climate conducive to grape growing which also reflects in the characteristics of the wine.  Samorëns Côtes-du-Rhône Red 2015 is a blend of 85% Grenache, 10% Syrah and 5% Cinsault. The grapes are sourced from estate and smaller growers mostly located in the Northern Rhône. The color of the wine is dark ruby with aromas of lush red fruit, cherry, raspberry, floral and spice. The palate offers tart cherry, raspberry, fennel and pepper. It has a lovely mouthfeel with spice and pepper on a long finish. At $14 a bottle, this is a steal! Will pair well with pasta, meats and hearty fish. I popped a chocolate kiss in my mouth and took a sip of the wine. Wow! Alcohol: 14% SRP: $14 All of these wines, including Samorëns Rosé and Samorëns Blanc, will drink beautifully at any time of the year. Don’t limit your selection of wine based on what season it is. Be adventurous and have some fun with mixing it up a little. I have white and rosé wine chilling in the refrigerator all year long!
Cheers! Penina To leave a comment or if you have an inquiry, please contact me at [email protected] When it comes to making and/or eating red sauce, the pasta itself tends to be an excuse for me to devour the sauce! In fact, whenever I eat pizza, I love a side of sauce so that I can spoon extra on my slice. I love tomato sauce in all its forms. Whether it’s arrabiata, basil, mushroom or plain tomato, I love it all! On a recent excursion to The Market at Pepper Place in Birmingham, AL, I happened across a booth selling marinara sauce. Of course, I had to stop and investigate!  Maw Maw’s Marinara is a beautiful blend of flavors sourced from the freshest and all natural ingredients available.  The company’s slogan which is written on the jar says it all. Big Italian taste from a small town in Alabam’.  Jamie Tolbert grew up eating a variety of meals made with his mom’s (aka “Maw Maw”) home canned tomatoes. She never actually made a marinara sauce with the tomatoes, but her creativity and passion for cooking inspired Jamie to take all he learned from his mom and developed his own recipes over the years. One of the recipes that Jamie created is an amazing marinara sauce that he has named Maw Maw’s as a tribute to his mom for inspiring him. Jamie and his wife Nancy sell the sauce to retail stores throughout Alabama. However, I’m sure that they would be more than happy to take your order and ship some to you! https://www.mawmawsmarinara.com When my package of Maw Maw’s Marinara arrived, I immediately opened a jar and ate a few spoonfuls. The sauce is light, with just the right amount of spice added. I love the fact that it’s “chunky” as opposed to so many pureed sauces that one finds on the supermarket shelves. Although I could have easily eaten the entire contents of the jar spoonful by spoonful, I made spinach and cheese ravioli to go with the sauce. It was a perfect marriage!  And, what would a meal be without a nice bottle of wine? So, I opened Concha y Toro’s Gran Reserva Serie Riberas Carmenere 2015 to pair with the dinner.  Gran Reserva Serie Riberas Carmenere 2015 is produced at the Cachapoal winery in the Rapel Valley of Chile by head winemaker, Marcio Ramírez. The grapes are harvested from the Peumo Vineyard, which runs along the Cachapoal River and the Coastal Mountains.  The wine is a brilliant color of purple with heady aromas of berries, cherries, plum, spice and cocoa. The palate offers a silky mouthfeel filled with dark berries, pepper and a long finish of fruit and spice. The wine is medium-bodied that has structure and depth. It was a good choice to pair with the marinara! Alcohol: 14.5% SRP: $17 Although the ravioli was delicious, the marinara sauce and the wine were the stars of the evening!  |
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