Maxwell Park: My New Favorite DC Wine Bar!

Last night we finally made it out to Maxwell Park, a new wine bar in DC's Shaw neighborhood...and it is officially my new favorite DC wine bar!

At Maxwell Park, the theme changes every month and so does the wine list. When I first heard about it opening, and that the theme of their first month was "ABPG, Anything But Pinot Grigio," I knew it would become another home away from home. A little background: I've had a few decent Pinot Grigio's but I am staunchly against the idea that most restaurants and importers think that PG its the only white Italian varietal Americans want to drink. If we only had access to more varietals like Vermentino, Arneis, Grillo and Cortese (the grape in Gavi di Gavi), I think wine drinking Americans would become just as obsessed as I am!

The August theme at Maxwell Park, "How Big is My Bubble?" highlights bubbly, my favorite type of wine, and anything that isn't Champagne, Cava or Prosecco. It was phenomenal. In fact, it kind of blew my mind (or bubble)!

The Founder and sommelier Brent Kroll came to our table to take our order and patiently answered all of our (ok- mainly my) questions and provided excellent recommendations.

I think my absolute favorite was the first bottle we had, a Pet Nat wine*, the 2016 Channing Daughters, “sylvanus,” from Long Island.

This wine was unlike any I've ever had. It was cloudy and unfiltered and had notes of peach, tangerine and lemon zest, and a very juicy and mouthwatering finish. 

Pet Nat, which stands for Petillant Naturel, is a bubbly made with an ancient ancestral method, similar to Champagne, but a little different too. 

With this wine, the grapes are hand harvested and whole cluster pressed, fermented in stainless steel tanks and then coarsely filtered and bottled, with no sulfur dioxide or stabilization in sparkling wine bottles and sealed with a crown cap, and fermentation is continued in the bottle. 

There is some sediment in the bottle from yeast lees because it isn't disgorged like the traditional Champagne method, which gives it its cloudiness!

I was also totally tickled to see a bubbly version of a fantastic Txakolina Rose I had in New Orleans on the list, which I ordered a 2.5 oz pour of- it was excellent. I love that they have this option in addition to the option of a bottle or glass. 

They also had excellent food to snack on. We tried the Burrata and the salmon crudo.

Some of the other wines we ordered, all his recommendations and all fantastic:

We were lucky enough to snag a big table inside because we had a larger party, and got there on the early side, but they have outdoor seating also. And for those who don't like bubbly, they have another by the glass list with interesting non-bubbly selections that changes every month as well. 

Bottom line, I would highly, highly recommend this place- its my new favorite DC wine bar, and I absolutely can't wait to go back! 

More on Pet Nat wines in a future post.

Cheers! 

Skylark wines: Pinot Blanc and Grenache

Did you know Pinot Blanc, a white wine grape, is a genetic mutation of Pinot Gris, which comes from Pinot Noir? It originated in Burgundy, France and is widely grown in Alsace and Austria. 

The Skylark Orsi Vineyard Pinot Blanc 2016 is a dry white wine with notes of green apple, pear and lemon zest and refreshing minerality and acidity. It's medium bodied and unoaked with slightly tart but crisp, clean finish. 

The Grenache grape, also known as Garnacha in Spain, is one of the most widely planted red grapes, and is a key grape found in the French Cotes du Rhone wine, Châteauneuf-du-Pape. It does best in hot climates where it can be left on the vine for late ripening.

The Skylark 2012 Grenache is medium alcohol, low acidity, but medium to full bodied red, with notes of black cherry, strawberry, dark chocolate and mint, with a smooth grippy finish. It was aged in French oak and bottled without fining or filtration. 

Make sure to decant this wine for at least a half an hour before drinking, it really opens up the flavors! 

The wines come from the Mendocino AVA is part of the North Coast of Cali, which has a similar climate to the Mediterranean. 

They were part of this month's traditional and Club Red wine clubs at Screwtop Wine Bar in Arlington. Cheers! 

July 4th Wines

July 4 is almost upon us. If you're looking for some wine and food pairings, look no further!

Recommendations:

Hamburgers, steaks and other red meats: These foods pair well with red wines that are medium to full bodied and have a little spice to them. Look for a wine made with Cabernet Franc grapes, a Cotes du Rhone red from France (usually a blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre grapes), or a Zinfandel.

Scallops, shrimp, crabs, white fish, other seafood: A curveball suggestion is a Soave Classico, a dry and light-bodied white wine from Northern Italy's Veneto region made with the Garganega grape. Classico means it is made in the most traditional style and more tightly regulated. Since this region was once mainly for bulk grape production, the designation is a good indication the wine will be of higher quality.

Soave is similar to Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Gris but has a little something extra, and is certainly a great conversation piece.
Bonus: If you see a "Superiore" on the bottle, it means it was made with higher quality grapes and aged for at least eight months. 

Another unique white wine from Italy is made with the Vernaccia grape, a dry acidic white wine that also pairs excellently with seafood.

All-around crowd pleasers: Dry sparkling wine pairs well with salty food because the bubbles cleanse the palate, similar to the way that beer does. It also pairs well with almost anything aside from a dessert (go for a Demi-Sec or Sec, which means partially, or wholly sweet). 

I would suggest Champagne from the region in France, or Cava, a sparkling wine from Spain, made with native Spanish grapes, also in the same method. 

Look for the words Brut, Extra Brut or Brut Nature (the driest) on the label. With Cava, look for 'Reserva' on the label, and a green sticker on the bottle. The aging requirements are similar to Champagne, producing a higher quality wine. 

Rose wines are also a great choice and go with almost anything. For heavier dishes, go with a darker colored rose, so it can stand up to the food, like one made with Garnacha grapes from Spain. Or for lighter dishes, a lighter rose pairs nicely. And sparkling rose is always an excellent choice.

These are just some of the possible combinations. Throw the rule book out the window and start sipping and eating. Its the only way to find out what you like. Cheers!

Wine Conversations: Amanda Page, Kysela Pere et Fils, Part One

Amanda Page works for a fine wine importer and distributor, Kysela Pere et Fils, and teaches wine classes at Screwtop Wine Bar, too. As one of her students at several of these classes, I could see her passion for the subject matter and loved how she made the classes super fun and interesting! After learning that she started out as a chef, my curiosity got the better of me and I just had to know more about her story. She was nice enough to sit down with me over a few glasses of Zweigelt rose at Screwtop and fill me in. This is part one of my interview with her!

Amanda said it all started with a cooking class in high school, which led to attending the Culinary Institute of America in New York City, where she met her now husband, who also used to be in the restaurant industry. 

She moved to DC in 2004 to help open the restaurant at the Mandarin Oriental. But some changes in the kitchen and a tough schedule left her wanting more. She decided to try her hand in the beverage business and got a job at a now-closed wine store in Clarendon called Best Cellars. Her goal was to someday return to the kitchen, but...that never happened.

However, she does still cook. She said her favorite thing to make is coconut curry broths, with chicken or tofu. She also teaches cooking classes: ranging from sushi making, to food and wine pairing, and she comes up with all of the recipes herself. 

Amanda ended up becoming the general manager at the Clarendon store and then she moved to the company's Dupont Circle store in DC. She said she loved the concept of making wine something everyone can relate to, not something snobby. When the store was sold to another chain, she found herself replying to an ad for Screwtop, and was part of the team that opened the wine bar for the first time during a winter snowstorm about 7 years ago! 

Now, Amanda works in distribution as a fine wine sales rep, and holds a DWS, or a Diploma of Wine & Spirits, which is the highest level of certification from Wine & Spirit Education Trust, which is based in London. (These courses are no joke, I just finished my level 2 exam and it was not easy at all)!

She said at first she was hesitant to enter a sales-related job, but she ended up loving it because of the flexibility of the schedule, which has brought her more of a work life balance, and the part about establishing and building relationships with her customer base. And obviously, because she gets to deal with awesome wine for her job!

Her career has also taken her all over the world to places like South Africa, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, in the Cotes du Rhone region of France and to her favorite place of all so far, Champagne, France, which she referred to as the happiest place on earth.

Part two of my interview with Amanda will be coming soon, as part of a new project.Cheers!

Bordeaux: A great rainy day wine

Bordeaux is great wine to drink on a rainy day! 

The Chateau Plaisance 2014 comes from St. Emilion on the right bank of Bordeaux in France, which means it is made mostly of Merlot grapes. Wines that come from the left bank are predominately Cabernet Sauvignon.

This one is blended with 20% Cab Sauv and 10% Petit Verdot and is classified as a second tier wine, a Bordeaux Superieur, which is one level up from regional, the most basic classification. The second best is Cru Bourgeois, and the best, Grand Cru.

With Cru Bourgeois, the vintage (year) of the wines are tasted by a panel who decide if the wine from that heat is worthy of this classification. Grand Cru wines are actually based on a designation established in 1855.

This wine is spicy and has a nose and palate of blackberry and black cherry with a little oak and smooth tannins. It pairs very nicely with grilled meats and hamburgers, and is quite nice to drink on its own as well.

It retails for around $20 and was part of the Screwtop Wine Bar wine club last month. Cheers! 

This wine was imported and distributed by Kysela Père et Fils.

Ostatu Rioja Blanco: A True Gem

The Bodegas Ostatu Blanco 2016 Rioja comes from Rioja Alavesa, one of the three sub-regions of Rioja in Spain.

Most Riojas are red wines made with the Tempranillo grape, Rioja Blanco only makes up about 10% of the region’s production, which makes this wine a total gem!

Rioja Blanco must be made with at least 51% Viura grapes, and this one is made with a blend of that and Malvasia, making a light, refreshing and dry wine with a nose and palate of citrus, and a long finish.

This wine comes from vineyards that are between 30 and 80 years old! Ostatu is a family owned winery in Samaniego that is over 200 years old.

Most of these wines are meant to be consumed young or fresh, but a small percentage are aged in oak and have more nutty and oaky flavors.

The Ostatu has not been aged and is meant to be enjoyed right away. Although, you could age it for 4-6 years.

It's available at Arrowine in Arlington and is a total steal at $16 a bottle.

Imported by DeMaison Selections, also the importer of the amazing Txakolina Rose I had in New Orleans, and based in Chapel Hill, NC, my hometown. Cheers!

Kerner: An aromatic white

Another new grape varietal to check off my list, Kerner! Kerner is a cross between the Riesling grape, a white wine grape, and Vernatsch, a red wine grape.

The 2013 Eisacktaler Kellerei - Cantina Valle Isarco is a full-bodied aromatic white wine with notes of nectarines and peaches and nice minerality and balance.

The Valle Isarco in Italy's Trentio Alto Adige region closely borders Austria so oftentimes,  the 'Valle Isarco' name on bottles of wine from here will be also labeled with its German-language equivalents Eisacktal or Eisacktaler, according to Wine Searcher.


Picked this up at Oby Lee Winery in Arlington. I always find little gems there, and they have great food as well, especially the crepes. Cheers!

Imported by Monsieur Touton Selection, LTD.

Sonoma Restaurant and Wine Bar

Super excited to check another grape varietal off my list, and visit an awesome wine bar in DC at the same time!

At Sonoma Restaurant and Wine Bar I had the Viña do Campo 2015, from Bodegas Do Campo in Galicia, Spain at  in DC. This wine is made with the Godello grape and is a dry and full bodied white that's refreshing and perfect for spring-summer!

The Castello di Bossi Rosato is a dark rose from Tuscany made with 70% Sangiovese and, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon grapes with notes of cranberry and cherry and a dry finish. This is a fuller bodied rose that pairs well with many different foods.

The Domaine Gouron Chinon Rouge 2015 is a red wine made with Cabernet-Franc grapes from the Loire Valley region in France. It has notes of cherry, strawberry and oak on the nose and plummy with notes of currant and spice on the palate.

And an excellent burger and fries, which would pair with either the Chinon or the rose. Scrumptious! 

Cheers! And visit Sonoma!

Wine Conversations: Danny Lledo, Slate Wine Bar, Part One

If you haven't made it to Slate Wine Bar, nestled between Georgetown and American Universities in Washington, DC, you're missing out. This place is a total gem.

I was super excited to sit down with Slate's chef and Sommelier Danny Lledo at the wine bar for a conversation about Slate's story and how he came to work in the business.

Lledo grew up with both food and wine as a large part of his life and comes from Spanish and Portuguese heritage. His family even owns a vineyard and farm in Portugal!

He started off as a financial advisor and said it wasn't fulfilling, and wanted to do something he was more passionate about. So after meeting Elizabeth Banker, the founder and owner of Slate, he came on board to run day-to-day operations.

But, when Slate's chef left unexpectedly, Lledo had the opportunity to take over, and he did. He began making seasonal changes to the menu and it developed organically from there. Lledo said he is very proud of the dinner menu now (which he should be, the food here is excellent).

Scallops and Polenta

He said that while he has incorporated some of his family heritage into his cooking, the dinner menu is more new-American and French. However, his seafood Paella won first place in a cooking competition last year in California. He said he is going back this year to compete again!

Lledo said one of the best parts of working in the business is getting to know his customers. He even crafts menus for special occasions, noting that on the day I interviewed him, he was making a suckling pig for the dinner menu as a special request, and a birthday cake, for one of his customers and her family.

Slate's versatility is one of the things Lledo said he is most proud of. It can be a great spot for affordable food and wine (with two happy hours, even on the weekends), or customers can opt for the three and five course dinner menus.

And one of my favorite things is they have several rotating wine flights and many wines by the glass, that are all pretty unique and come from a wide range of countries. Lledo stressed the importance of a global perspective for his wine list. (Their house rose, the Bodegas Castano from the Yecla region of Spain, made with Monastrell grapes, is the best house wine I've had yet).

They also carry more high-end wines by the bottle, for customers that are seeking that out.

Chardonnay is Lledo's favorite. At his suggestion, I even tried a Chardonnay from Alexana Winery in Oregon's Willamette Valley, which is hands-down the best Chardonnay I ever had, and I am not ordinarily a Chardonnay drinker really at all.

Slate also has several events coming up, with regular wine tastings and dinners. Lledo said this helps introduce his customers to new grapes and new regions (something I also love).

This is part one of my conversation with him. Part two will be coming soon. Make sure to stop by Slate soon for excellent food and wine. Cheers!

Pecorino: a refreshing and under-rated Italian wine

If you want to try a new white wine from Italy, Pecorino is a great choice!

Pecorino is an Italian white grape that was thought to be extinct until the 1980's when some of its vines were rediscovered! It's primarily grown in the Abruzzo and Marches regions of Italy and reportedly hardly ever leaves the country because it's not considered as marketable, which is a total crime if you ask me.

The Cantine Galasso Corno Grande Pecorino is refreshing and dry, but not too dry. A floral nose, with some minerality and notes of citrus fruits and jasmine.

This wine pairs well with oysters, other seafood and salami, and the cheese which has the same name!

It retails for under $10 a bottle, which is a total steal. I tried this wine at the Cosmos Club in Washington. Cheers!

Argentinian Red Blends

Did you know that Malbec and Cabernet Franc grapes actually originated in Bordeaux, France? They are still used in some Bordeaux blends today!

The Clos de los Siete 2013 has notes of violet, licorice and dark chocolate with an elegant finish. This wine comes from the Uco Valley and is a Malbec-dominated red blend that also contains with 23% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Syrah and 4% Petit Verdot. 

The Enemigo Wines 2011 is a Cabernet Franc from the Mendoza region with notes of red berry and cherry and earthiness. Imported by the Wine Bow Group. 

Both are full bodied wines and unique and excellent and some of the best I've had from Argentina. 

Available at Screwtop Wine Bar and Total Wine. Cheers!

Wine Conversations: Wendy Buckley, Screwtop Wine Bar

Screwtop is one of my favorite wine bars in Arlington, if not my favorite. I was lucky enough to sit down for tea and espresso with the owner Wendy Buckley at Blumen Cafe in Arlington.

Buckley said the idea for the wine bar was born when she moved to the neighborhood with her husband and they just wanted a place to grab a good glass of wine, without the fuss of a big meal to go with it. At the time, she was working for AOL and commuting to New York City from DC every other week and said she "wanted something simpler."

Buckley credited her upbringing on a farm in Texas, where she had horses and other animals to helping the development of her "supernose." Her family also had a farm stand, with fresh fruit like strawberries that played a large role, she said. 

"All of the memories of the smells I associate with wine these days take me back to my child hood a little bit," she said, adding that her family always relied on her for wine selection. Especially, with aged Burgundy [Pinot Noir-based wine] or even some Pinot Noir from California, the "barnyard" smell always stands out to her. [Yes, this is actually a smell listed on the wine chart I have at home].

Buckley's love for wine, however, really took off when she began working for a now shuttered store in Clarendon called Best Cellars at 22, for fun, which helped expand her knowledge. 

The Best Cellars concept took something that was "almost unapproachable for people and simplified it in a way that anybody that walked into the store, you could direct them towards a flavor profile," she said. "You like smooth reds, not a lot of tannins, here's your section."

This helped when she was developing a concept for Screwtop. "The biggest thing I wanted to be was approachable," Buckley said. "Anybody that walks in, to be able to come in and have a look at the wine list, and also appreciate the friendliness of the place, and be at ease."

The goal was to be friendly to those customers who were already wine-knowledgeable, but to also people completely new to wine. Buckley also emphasized that she wanted something geared towards women, someplace "you could go out with your girlfriend and catch up and feel comfortable, feel at ease, without someone shouting a basketball score over your head."

So she took a big risk and quit her AOL job, and began working towards her Advanced Sommelier degree through the Court of Master Sommeliers (yes, like the Neflix movie, Somm) and then maneuvered her way to a job at a wine distribution company. She said she begged her friend Al, who owned the company, for a job so she could learn the ins and out of the business. 

"Al was a huge influence on me, he gave me a job when everyone else would have shut the door in my face, because I didn't have any experience," Buckley said. She then sold wine to retailers and restaurants, which she said was very difficult. But, that experience helped after opening the bar, because she understood what it was like to be on the other side of the business. 

When selecting wines for the menu, which rotates every month, "a lot of tasting and spitting" is involved, Buckley said, adding that she likes to go for themes like "grillin and chillin," in the summer, or focuses on a certain country or region. 

She noted that Screwtop has its annual rose party coming up soon, and this month's wine club theme is Bordeaux. Next month, will be Provence and Bandol. 

All of the ideas for Screwtop have come from experiences she has had herself, including having wines available in a sip size. She said she thought one day "what if you wanted to try to taste a bunch of different things?" Screwtop also allows customers to make their own flights. 

All of the foods items on the menu are Buckley's creations, which sometimes originate by just throwing on her apron and going into Screwtop's kitchen and seeing what ideas hit her. But, also, like the wine, she noted that the food is based on seasonality. 

At home, Buckley said she rotates the wine she drinks but her favorite right now is dry sparkling wines, and a visit to Champagne is on her bucket list [mine too]!

Buckley also tries to incorporate local Virginia wines at Screwtop, and carries wines from Early Mountain Vineyards, Thibaut-Janisson, and several other local wineries. 

She said in the next five years, she could see Screwtop expanding to another location, maybe in Charleston or Nashville.

I made my own wine flight!

The nachos, my favorite food item on the menu!

*Full disclosure: I am a member of Screwtop's wine club. It's awesome. Find out more here. Thanks so much to Wendy for the interview. Cheers!

A Vino Frizzante at Bacchanal in the Big Easy

The Glera 2015 Vino Frizzante wine comes from a joint project of Enoteca Bisson, which is in Genoa, Liguria in Italy and Torre Zecchei in Valdobbiadene, Italy.

I was beyond excited when I read the part about Genoa because we were there last year and we fell completely in love with it. If only I had known this place existed at the time. Oh well, we will just have to go back!

See some snaps from our trip below!

The Wine

What does "Frizzante" mean? This word designates a slightly sparkling Italian wine, while "Spumante" means fully sparkling.

Valdobbiadene is a special designated wine production area for Prosecco, located in the province of Treviso in Veneto, Italy.

While this wine does come from that region, the Glera 2015 bubbly is known as a "declassified" Prosecco, according to the importer Rosenthal Wine Merchant, a company that works directly with wine growers, with the goal of producing special and unique wines, emphasizing terroir.*

The Glera is not classified under the DOCG because of the closure on the bottle. Yes, you read that correctly. Wine laws can be pretty strict. This wine has a crown cap like glass bottled beer, which is in conflict with recently changed appellation laws that require a cork closure.

But, the wine is still made in the Prosecco style with the Glera grape, the main grape used to make this wine, using a process called the Charmat method, where the wine undergoes its second fermentation in a steel tank rather than the bottle. 

Méthode Classique or Méthode Traditionnelle (also goes by several other names as well) is the process used to make Champagne, Cava and Cremant, as well as other sparkling wines, including some Italian sparkling wines, and involves fermentation twice in the bottle. 

Tasting Notes

The Bisson 2015 bubbly is almost completely clear in color had a nose of apricot and a palate of lime and lemon zest. It's super light in body with refreshing minerality.

This wine was also made using as little sugar as possible, which I really liked, and it was very refreshing. 

This wine was about $30 for a bottle at Bacchanal Wine Bar, which is a good value considering the labor and time that goes into making it, which also includes harvesting the grapes by hand, not machine.  

The Wine Bar: Bacchanal

Bacchanal was absolutely amazing. I was there for a bachelorette party and we sat outside in the back for several hours. There is a huge courtyard with tables and listened to live music the whole time, ate amazing food and drank amazing wine. 

The employees in the wine shop were extremely helpful, and suggested the perfect wines that were right up my alley, and exactly what I asked for. One of those was the Frizzante above, and another, a unique white wine, my first Croatian wine, made from the Posip grape from Zlatan Otok Winery. Read about it here! They also indulged my inner wine nerd and talked about some other cool wines, which I bought and plan to blog about soon.

Also, this wine bar was recommended to me by a sommelier at a small restaurant at a hotel we stayed in on our honeymoon in Quebec City. Small world! 

They also had a great selection and variety of rose wines which we enjoyed!

Cooler than Cool

Bisson also makes several other sparkling wines that...drumroll, please...are submerged in the bay in Portofino for the second fermentation. HOW COOL IS THAT?! I'm going to have to chase the winemaker, vignaiolo in Italian, Pierluigi Lugano down for an interview the next time we're in Genoa. I hope my wine-nerd enthusiasm doesn't scare him away. Cheers! 

*Terroir refers to how a particular wine region’s climate, soil and terrain affect the taste of wine.

Snaps

Ugni Blanc: Not just for Cognac!

My husband and I are on a quest to try as many new grape varietals and wines as possible, and now I have another checked off my list.

This unique white wine, the Domaine Mont de Marie Anatheme Blanc 2012, is made with Ugni Blanc grapes. The same grape goes by the name Trebbiano in Italy, where it originated, and is Italy's most widely planted white grape.

Ugni Blanc is primarily used to make Cognac, which is why I was surprised to see a wine made from it, but it made me even more curious to try it.

We found it at MacArthur Beverages in Washington, DC, on a quest to find unfiltered wines (more about that in a future post), and also because we had never been there and wanted to check out their selection. We have been back many times since, I strongly suggest checking it out!

The Wine

The winemaker's name is Thierry Forestier. He began making wine in 2004 in the village of
Souvignargues in the sub-region known as the Terres de Sommières in France. 

No herbicides or insecticides are used and the fermentation process takes place in stainless steel tanks, so no oak, with little intervention and it is bottled with no fining or filtering and a very small dose of sulfur.

Tasting Notes: The wine is slightly cloudy and off-dry. It's medium bodied and plump, with a notes of moss and earth and a hint of lemon on the nose, and on the palate, anise, candied apricot, pineapple and star fruit. It's a French table wine, which normally I am not too crazy about, but this is the best one I've had by far.

We purchased it on sale for $12.99 at MacArthur, a great price. And it's truly different from any white I have ever tried. I feel like I have been saying that a lot lately but I mean it every time. 

I will cover more info about unfiltered and natural wines in a future post.

Cheers!

Viña Tarapacá Etiqueta Azul: An Excellent Chilean Red Blend

The Chilean Wine Industry

Despite the wine industry in Chile being established in the 16th century by the Spaniards, the country's viticulture was actually more heavily influenced by France.

Chileans traveled to France and brought back vine clippings before the phylloxera bug basically destroyed France's vines in the 18th century, and winemakers who were out of jobs also brought their tradecraft to Chile. That's how grapes native to the French region of Bordeaux, like Cabernet Franc and Carménère made it to Chile!

The Wine

The Viña Tarapacá Etiqueta Azul 2013 is a wonderful red blend of 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Syrah, 16% Petit Verdot and 10% Cabernet Franc that comes from the Maipo Valley in Chile, located just south of the capital Santiago. 

Chile's climate is great for wine, with the Pacific ocean and mountain ranges blocking much of the country from extreme weather and tempering a pretty hot climate.

According to the winemaker, the Gran Reserva Blue Label is vinified only in years where the crop is considered "extraordinary."

Tasting Notes

This wine is medium to full bodied, earthy and bold, with notes mocha, tobacco, and oak on the nose, and on the palate, hints of blackberry, dark cherry and spice, with chewy but smooth tannins (the dryness and astringency you taste in your mouth after drinking some red wines).

 

It is well structured and will drink well on its own or with food. Suggested pairings would include beef dishes or game, sharp cheeses, or for a vegetarian dish, eggplant parmesan. 

It's around $40-45 a bottle and totally worth it. I got it as part of January's club red wine club selections at Screwtop Wine Bar in Arlington, but it is also available online. 

Cheers!

Unique white wine of the week: Moldovan Blanc de Cabernet

Albastrele Blanc de Cabernet 2015 is my pick for a unique white wine of the week. It's from Moldova and it is one of my favorites from the past year- one of the most unique and notable in my book! This is a white wine made with red grapes! How is this possible?

Red wines get their color from letting the dark grape skins sit with the juice of the grapes, which is white. If the grape skins are removed after being gently pressed, almost immediately, the resulting color is that of a white wine, not a red.

This wine is medium bodied and has notes of passion fruit and pineapple, and lemon, and on the nose, blades of grass. It is different than any wine I have ever tried and I love it.

Moldova has been making wine for the last 2,000 years and the climate is influenced by the Black Sea and its hilly landscape. Wine was a key export of Moldova during the 15th century, under Stephen the Great, who helped the country develop better quality wines. The wines here were also thought to be influenced by the Greeks and Romans, as were the wines in much of Europe.

You can find this wine at Whole Foods in Arlington, Screwtop Wine Bar and Northside Social. It's about $13 a bottle.

Did you know two of the main grapes used to make Champagne, Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir are also red grapes?! Cheers!

Unique white wine of the week: Grillo

My pick for a unique white wine of the week is made from Grillo, a Sicilian white wine grape. It's one of over 377 indigienous grape varietals in Italy!

Italy's white wines are so much more than Pinot Grigio, so if you have written them off before, I would suggest giving it another shot! I tried this one a few months ago through the awesome wine club at Screwtop Wine Bar, but it is available online also.

The Grillo grape is thought to be a cross between Moscato and Catarratto grapes.

Grillo is also known as Riddu, or Rossese bianco, and is used mainly to make Marsala, a sweet fortified wine.

The Tasca d'Almerita Cavallo delle Fate Grillo 2014 comes from Palermo, Sicily and is aromatic, fresh and crisp. Notes of pineapple, lemon and apple, medium bodied and dry with some minerality, but structured with a smooth finish.

This wine goes very well with seafood, but is also excellent on its own.

Fun fact courtesy of Wine Folly. Cheers!