Welcome to your Black Winer Newsletter for Thursday, December 31, 2009

Table of Contents


It's been a long year, but we've made it through!

Well folks, it's the last day of the year, and so far we've witnessed some once in a lifetime things, as well as the lows and highs that go along with life. For those that don't realize it, most of us are truly blessed and have many things to be thankful for (health, friends and/or family), employment, a roof over our heads, food, and working utilities -- note to self: pay electric bill on Monday morning).

I am going to make it brief as I have a couple things to do before the end of this decade. I want to thank you for reading, thank you for supporting my events, and thank you for your interest in wine. Make some resolutions to try a new varietal each month during the year, and a wine by another producer, but for varietals that you have already enjoyed. For example, if you have had a Cabernet Sauvignon from France, try one from the same region but a different producer, or from a different country.

That's it folks. Happy New Year and I wish that the next year as well as decade is very blessed.


Latest Articles

I'm drinking Saint-Hilaire tonight!

Thursday, December 31, 2009

It's the end of the year, and while many people will be drinking a bevy of sparkling wines and incorrectly calling it champagne (that always gets me when some folks think that it having the name 'champagne' makes it a better and more classy drinking experience).

The more I learn about wine, the more I learn about wine.  I have written on Champagne, as well as other sparkling wines, or bubblies, such as Prosecco, Asti, Franciacorta, Fresita, Cava, and Brachetto.  I haven't touched upon Sekt yet, which is sparkling wine from Germany and Austria), but I have had that as well as Crémant, which is a term for sparkling wine from France but not from the Champagne region.

Well, this time, I was looking around for a nice bottle of bubbly to have for New Year's Eve, and while I saw a couple nice interesting bottles that were quality and a nice sugar level (demi sec of course; for those that don't remember, brut is extra, extra dry), I cam across a bottle that caught my eye before, but never my interest.  This time, it changed.  The wine is a white sparkling wine made in the traditional method (secondary fermentation in the bottle), but from a different appellation than Champagne, and this appellation is Blanquette de Limou, which is produced in the famous Languedoc region of France.  

And on the bottle, it claims to be France's oldest sparkling wine.

What differs mostly from Champagne is the grapes, with the main one being Mauzac, locally known as Blanquette, and then Chardonnay and Chenin blanc (the latter also known as Vouvray).  It also has to be at least 90% Mauzac.  That said, the taste should be generally and predominantly that of apple.

The most famous aspect of this wine is that it's also the oldest example of sparkling wine, which was first produced in 1531.

And while other people are drinking champagnes and wines that they think are champagnes, I'll be content with opening my mind, my vision and my palate, and drinking what they are having in Limoux, France.  You know I poo poo on the French, but this year, I am going to give some of their lesser known folks a little praise.

Happy New Year's folks!




Respecting red wine and giving it a second chance

Thursday, December 31, 2009

For those that know me personally, I am a stickler when it comes to words and their true definitions (this means that what the word really means versus what people have assumed and improperly redefined the word to mean).  One of my favorite words is "respect," which is from the Latin, with the prefix 're,' meaning again, and 'spect,' which means look.  Quite simply it means to look again, or realistically, to properly analyze something, giving it a second look.  An example would be in not either underestimating, nor overestimating your opponent.

Over the past week, I have been sampling a number of wines from four brands that were delivered to me, and most of what came were red wines.  With the last wine sampled, a low-priced Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile, I almost made the mistake of judging the wine too soon… in essence, not giving it respect.  Wine production is a process, and even though not all producers put the same love in it that others do, it still is a process.

With red wine, you have to give it time to open up, which doesn't happen immediately after it comes out of a bottle just opened a few minutes ago.  It usually is great after ten or twenty minutes, and I have been known to enjoy a red that has had time to sit for a couple of days (strange, but true).

And it's a shame that many people immediately turn away from red wines in general, having experienced something that was either too dry, had too much tannins, wasn't properly decanted, or simply not their style of taste.  The reality is that there are a lot of red wines that have more 'sweetness' to them via being more full bodied, and some of those wines aren't even expensive.

Red wine, being one of the three major types of wine (rosé and white would be the other two; I am specifically leaving out fruit wines right now) is a wonderful thing.  And it can run the gamut from very dry to what seems to be very wet (again, technically in most cases red wines are dry, but the level of body in them can change things).  This time around, is was red wines under the Lucky 7 and Friday Monkey labels which surprised me.  I also have a Cabernet from someone else that is supposed to knock my socks off.  There is also a bottle of Zin, a 'Sweet' Shiraz, a Syrah (same thing as Shiraz) and four other reds to try from this delivery.

For those that haven't tried a great red that they love, this year I have had some interesting red wines from the country of Georgia made from the Saperavi grape, which actually are quite sweet.  I have also had some phenomenal Zinfandels that would satisfy anyone's sweet tooth.  There have been great wines, good wines, so-so wines, bad wines, and even sour wines (two Syrahs I've had were the worst).  However, on the whole experience, it was mostly rewarding.

Summarily, or as some people would say, in closing, red wine is not to be taken lightly, nor to be cast judgment on too quickly.  Served within the proper amount of time, it can be a wonderful libation.  Served too soon, it can be the winning lottery ticket that you threw away without double checking to see if you are a winner (I did that once, but found my winning ticket in the trashcan when I went to check another ticket from an entirely different day).  Give it some time to breathe, and you'd be amazed at what you might find.

Good drinking to you!


Latest Reviews

Inky purple, woody, dry

Brand NameLucky 7
Wine NameCabernet Sauvignon
AVARapel Valley
CountryChile
Wine ClassRed
Wine TypeCabernet Sauvignon
Alcohol Percentage13.5%
Price$10 and Unders
Site Rating8 (on a scale of 1-10)

It's a shame when a wine reminds me of another wine which is a different grape. Actually, that's not too bad when you're introduced to another varietal, but not good when a Cab Sauv reminds me of a Cab Franc, or even a Ruby Cab. Well, that's my first thoughts, as I can smell a tannin laden wood component to the smell, though the color is a rich inky purple.

However, as you give this wine some time to breath, the fruit flavors come through. In this case, it is composed of raspberries, blackberries and dark cherries, moreso than plumns, but still with the woody nose to it.

The finish is gradual with the taste lasting in your mouth for a good fifteen seconds after your swallow.'

It will be interesting to see what they would bring out in a reserve line.


A meaty Cabernet with the smoke and spice of Shiraz

Brand NameFriday Monkey
Wine NameCabernet Shiraz
AVASouth Eastern Australia
CountryAustralia
Wine ClassRed
Wine TypeCabernet Sauvignon, Syrah/Shiraz
Alcohol Percentage13.5%
Price$10 and Unders
Site Rating9 (on a scale of 1-10)

This is a wine that I wasn't expecting to like, though I have had great combinations of Cabernet with Shiraz before. Seventy percent of the former with the remaining thirty of the latter, this is a wine with an exceptionally long finish for the price, and some strong spice in the end that settles slowly down your throat.

Let's get past both color and texture, and talk about the taste, which is the most important thing anyway. You start out with the traditional dark fruits of Cabernet which has been infused with the meaty-ness of Shiraz. This gives way to lighter (but not light) tannins which convey the flavor of a wood barrel. The spice reminds me of something from the islands, Allspice and Nutmeg, but with a little dose of fire in it.

I've got one more bottle of Friday Monkey to taste and review. They are amazing me I must say.


This wine battled for a 10, and got it

Brand NameLucky 7
Wine NameCarmenere
AVARapel Valley
CountryChile
Wine ClassRed
Wine TypeCarmenere
Alcohol Percentage13.5%
Price$10 and Unders
Site Rating10 (on a scale of 1-10)

I was just introduced to this Lucky 7 brand wine last week in regards to trying it and writing some reviews. I will admit that I wasn't expecting anything to wow me, since the Sauvignon Blanc left me wanting a good Sauv Blanc, but this Carmenere actually is quite good.

I remember the first time that I had a Carmenere; I was at a wine tasting at Swanky Bubbles, and Greg Cohen of Southern Wine and Spirits had provided the wine. It was a wonderful bottle by Casillero del Diablo, and several weeks later, I would convince a customer at Canal's that was looking for a nice bottle for a New Year's party to pick up a case.

Well, this wine floored me. I was high on giving it a 9, but finally decided on giving it a ten. As soon as I opened this bottle, I smelled it, and it had a lovely aroma of mild tannins, smoke and plums. The color is deep purple and reminded me of the fact that I have talked much about the colors of red wine in quite awhile. It definitely is an inky purple, but also reminds me of a nice scarlet red (not the color, just the sass of the taste).

The taste is thoroughly infused with a smoky essence, and the tannins are quite soft, with the texture being very velvety. The flavor is nothing more than dark plums; no more fruit flavors, and no less than this in its purity.

This is definitely amazing for a bottle of wine that comes in at around $8.


A mid-grade Aussie Chard

Brand NameFriday Monkey
Wine NameChardonnay
AVASouth Eastern Australia
CountryAustralia
Wine ClassWhite
Wine TypeChardonnay
Alcohol Percentage14%
Price$10 and Unders
Site Rating7 (on a scale of 1-10)

Chardonnay is one of my favorite grapes and at the same time, one that I don't want to get locked into. Sometimes, I come across an exceptional one, sometimes one that is bad, and other times one that is just bad for me. I hate the heavy oak and the butter expressed in some styles of Chardonnay.

I consider this wine middle of the road. It is a competent Chardonnay without to much oak or butter, but it doesn't rate up against my favorites. But then again, this wine is at least $5 a bottle less than those too. That's why I consider it mid-grade, but better than average for its price.

Summarily, I think that this wine is pretty much part of a label that will replace a lot of other staples for pubs and restaurants, and does so quite admirably. Let's see if it gives YellowTail a run for the money.


Clean and inexpensive, but missing that sharp citrus

Brand NameLucky 7
Wine NameSauvignon Blanc
AVAMaule Valley
CountryChile
Wine ClassWhite
Wine TypeSauvignon Blanc
Alcohol Percentage13%
Price$10 and Unders
Site Rating7 (on a scale of 1-10)

There are many styles of winemaking; two different wines, for example, can be made with the same grape, Chablis and Chardonnay being a prime example of this. Then there are styles of making a wine out of certain grape which differ either by appellation within a country, or by country. Being an African American, I tend to like the brighter styles of some white wines which are mainly evident in South American and Australia & New Zealand. However, sometimes some folks stick to the traditional French methods of doing something.

That is the case in the Sauv Blanc, which lacks the sharp citrus aspects normally found in New World Sauvignon Blancs. The bouquet is wonderfully florid, the taste very clean, but it is definitely missing that over-the-top citrus experience that has come to define Sauvignon Blanc to me.

Now, this is not to say that this a bad wine; it falls closer to a pH of 7 [metaphorically] and in that, is more palatable for those that hate the high citrus appeal. The taste is more rounded, with a slight buildup of acidity in the end, which drops off rather quickly.

As the label says, this is a young wine, especially since the vintage is being the same year of consumption. I am wondering what this wine will yield a year from now in regards to flavor. However, it is affable, and for the price, can easily be a staple for many, as well as many restaurants and bars.



 

Our Mission: The Black Winer strives to expose African Americans [and others] to wines, without the flair, stuffiness, and airs of elitism and snobbery that you get from sommeliers and high level wine enthusiasts. We believe in finding something that you like the taste of, outside of the basic brands that you have been force-fed over the years through a combination of ethnically targeted advertising, and what people in your family have historically been drinking.

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