GrapeLines

A review of the Terrenal Yecla Valley Tempranillo 2009 and the tale of the Daiquiri.

Spain continues to be a source for wine values, particularly with their signature grape, Tempranillo. This grape typically produces medium-bodied wines displaying spicy red and dark fruits including cherries, berries and plums often accented with tea, vanilla, tobacco, or leather notes. A very good, value-priced example is the kosher Terrenal Yecla Valley Tempranillo 2009 ($7), which opens with cherry and red berry aromas that lead into raspberry, dark cherry and blackberry flavors with hints of earth and chocolate.

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Reviews of red wines from Phelps, Castello di Amorosa, Quivira, Frei Brothers, St. Clement and Tempra Tantrum.

Winter weather is best faced with a glass of red wine. Properties like Joseph Phelps Vineyards provide the comfort of consistent high quality. Its flagship Joseph Phelps Insignia 2006 would make a wonderful gift since it needs a few more years of bottle-age before its complex, spicy earthy blackberry, licorice and cherry flavors fully develop. Made from Cabernet Sauvignon (95 percent) and Petit Verdot (5 percent) exclusively from its estate vineyards, it will drink beautifully for at least 20 years.

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Suggestions for pairing wine and cheese.

Wine and cheese have been enjoyed together for centuries. Served either side-by-side or, like the ancient Greeks, mixed together in goblets, it remains a classic combination. There are no fixed rules regarding the pairing of cheese and wine; however, being careful is necessary to avoid gastronomic conflict. With some combinations, the flavors of one can overwhelm the other. And other pairings dramatically change the flavors from enjoyable to offending. A few guidelines to consider are pairing soft cheeses with white wines and trying to match the flavor intensity of the cheese with the wine to avoid conflict.

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Some wine related New Year’s resolutions.

Nowhere does it say that New Year’s resolutions have to be limited to diet and exercise. For those who wish to enhance their wine experience and knowledge, here are some wine-related ones.

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Some wine recommendations for your next family gathering.

So, the entire family is coming into town for your simcha and that includes a dinner at your house. Besides figuring out what everyone will eat, you also want to have the right wines to serve without breaking your budget. Fortunately there are a large number of wines from around the world that your guests will enjoy that also are excellent values.

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A review of some recently released Kosher Wines.

“Good kosher wine” is no longer an oxymoron. Due to increased demand for alternatives to the traditional sweet wines, the quality and variety of kosher wines has steadily improved. The wines available for this year’s Passover demonstrate that this trend is continuing. For a wine to be designated kosher, the wine-making equipment can only be utilized for kosher wines and only kosher materials can be used during production. Shabbat-observant Jews supervise the entire process and no artificial colorings or preservatives are added. Kosher wine which will be handled by non-Jews is briefly heated to make it meshuval. Using current techniques, this does not affect the quality of the wine. Wines certified “kosher for Passover” do not come into contact with any unleaven materials during production.

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The world is filled with wonderful wines.

When choosing a wine, most Americans have a very narrow perspective. We tend to limit our selections to a few well-known varieties such as Chardonnay or Merlot and rarely do we venture out of California, Australia, Italy or France. And even within those areas, consumers seldom try wines with unfamiliar names. But great wine is being made all over the world, from South Africa to South America, from Oregon and Washington State to the Niagara Peninsula of Canada including locations that have been making wine for centuries such as Germany, Spain, Israel and Portugal.

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