Recent Wine Discoveries

7May 2012

Yesterday, my sister-in-law sent me a video related to emotional intelligence, and more specifically about finding a Noble Cause-the why you live your life. In the wine business I think the answer is because there are wines that make you feel better about yourself and others. Without getting to profound here, wine is a beverage of pleasure and sometimes of insight. We should drink it because we like it, it enhances our day, it makes our food taste better, and we enjoy the people and conversations we share with it. That said, here are some of the reasons I love being in the wine business, some wines that have brightened my day and answer the question of why I like selling wine.

Herencia Altes is a project a long time in the making. For generations the Altes family has been grape growers in a region tucked away in southeastern Catalonia, Terra Alta. Not well known, it is one of the largest areas in Catalonia (think Priorat, Monsant, Penedes) under vine. Here Granatxa bush vines (head pruned Grenache) flourish in both the red and white strains, and have for centuries. Most of the grapes are sold to cooperatives but Nuria Altes, the newest generation, has just changed that. She has taken the old vines growing on the hills around her home town of Batea and made wines to show the true quality of her area, literally she wants to put Terra Alta on the map.

When I first tried these wines with our staff I played the “what should these sell for game.” They realize they may be asked to sell the wines and they want to have the best chance for success so they lean to the low side of what the wines might fetch in the market. To a person they all guessed 3 price points higher than the suggested retail price. You simply must try both the Garntxa Blanca and Negra for about $10 they are wines of soul that will inspire you. And for a lucky few, the designated vineyards of Benufet and L’Estel will be found for under $20 they might change your life.

Italy has long been a favorite destination of tourists, and especially for those that love food and wine. La Dolca Vita has drawn pilgrims to Tuscany and Piedmonte, Emilia-Romagna and increasingly to Sicily and Sardinia. Each area produces world worthy wines and deserve our attention. Yet tucked up in the North East corner of Italy is an area that isn’t as flamboyant as much of the peninsula, perhaps it is the influence of the Dolomites or the crystal clear cool nights that keep the Sud-Tyrol out of sight for many, but for me the laser like intensity and minerality of these wines set them apart.

A few weeks ago Christof Tiefenbrunner was in Denver working the market and showing his wines to the trade. These are wines that deliver a purity of fruit and place, that capture the flavors of the crisp apples that grow in the river valleys, along with pears, but with a tenseness that you don’t find in warmer climates. Pinot Grigio and Pinot Blanc can be insipide white wines indistinguishable from many others, but in Christof’s hands they are nervy, high toned beauties that will enhance a summer’s evening for you and for those you choose to share your new discovery.

Ken Theobald
Classic Wines
General Manager
6489 E. 39^th Street
Denver, CO 80207
(303) 825-1360, Ext 230

ktheobald@classicwines.net

A Rose is a Rose is a Rose

18Apr 2012

With apologies to Gertrude Stein, a rose is not always a rose though what Stein really was trying to unveil is the temporal quality of all things and wine might fit that lot; a rosé today is not the same rosé as it was 5 years ago. rosé drinkers today are not scoffed at as inexperienced Neanderthals who simply want some colored sugar water as rosé is no longer a compromise wine, neither as light and refreshing as white nor as rich and satisfying as red. It is a legitimate category with unique characteristics and can be a very satisfying wine experience.

rosé is not merely a color but a style of winemaking. In the beginning it may have been the simple mixing of red and white, though this technique is rarely used today and in fact is illegal in most classified wine regions (the exception is with Sparkling rosé where red wine is added to the cuvee to give color and body-most experts find this technique to give as good a result as the skin contact method). The most used technique involves short skin contact time perhaps as little as 8 hours or up to 48 hours. During this time some of the color of the red skins is leached into the liquid along with other flavor properties found only in the skins. One other method is prevalent, the “bleeding” of a bit of juice off from a tank of red grapes that have just been crushed. Remember the juice of all but three red grapes is clear and the color is found in the skins so fresh crushed red grapes have clear juice. A time proven technique to concentrate red wines is what the French call a “Saigne” bleeding off perhaps 10% of the juice thus leaving more skin to juice for your red wine and a very pale extract that is often made into a delicious rosé. One last technical note, nothing about rosé suggests they need to be sweet, in fact with very little skin involvement and lower acid than white wine (rosés are made from red grapes) they have lower acid and no need for balancing sweetness. Today a $10 rosé is almost certainly dry (without noticeable residual sugar), and as a dry wine they are a lovely compliment to food.

Provence doesn’t hold a lock on rosé production though they certainly enjoy their rosé in the south of France and in fact all over Europe. Today delicious rosés can be found all over the world made from a wide variety of grapes from the power of Syrah or Mourvedre or other Rhone varietals, to the delicate aromatics of Pinot Noir you will find a larger selection of rosé in Colorado than in years past. They are great for Mother’s Day brunch, Outdoor Weddings or simply enjoying the sunset.

Here are some recommendations to narrow your search-rosé is a somewhat seasonal product and is usually at its best within a year or two of its vintage and as such is imported and stocked on a somewhat limited basis so get in synch with rosé season at your favorite outlet today!

Saintsbury Vin Gris 2011 Carneros, California Approximately $17
Classic pinot notes, wild strawberry, mint; light on its feet. Try with grilled Salmon!

Puech-Haut rosé Prestige 2011 Languedoc, France Approximately $20
Grenache at the base, very delicate (saigne method) a Colorado favorite

Tasca rosé de Realeali 2011 Sicily, Italy Approximately $14
From Norello Mascalese (Indigenous Sicilian grape whose name means-rosé Petals) cherry a floral notes, warmer flavors indicative of its Mediterranean origins

Castano Rosado 2011 Yecla, Spain Approximately $10
Made from Monastrell (Morvedre)this is a richly styled pleaser, deep in color as rosés go, perfect for a BBQ

Routas rosé 2011 Provence, France Approximately $12
Grenache, Cinsault at the base, the most listed French rosé in Restaurants-quintessential Provence experience here in the Centennial State!

Ken Theobald
Classic Wines
General Manager
6489 E. 39^th Street
Denver, CO 80207
(303) 825-1360, Ext 230

ktheobald@classicwines.net

Some great wines on a budget or go all out!

7Mar 2012

This weekend like many Americans I worked on my tax return, fun huh! I needed a glass of wine with my hamburger helper but wasn’t feeling up to raiding the cellar so I reached for what I call a Tuesday night wine. A simple, fresh wine correct and refreshing, and I felt better (maybe it was the second glass). We all need wine for different occasions and the wine world is happy to deliver; there is quality wine out there at $10 and $100 and like filet you don’t always want the $100 bottle. So here is an insiders list on some wines to brighten up your day.

Some of the best for $10 or less

Herncia Altes Garnatxa Tinto Terra Alta, Spain
You haven’t heard of this wine, it just hit Colorado but oh my is it good; pure flavors of low yielding old vine Grenache grown on poor soils at high altitude. Drink with anything!

Oxford Landing Shiraz Southeast Australia
Bashing Australia has been good sport lately but when you want a big glass of wine for a price no one does it better for less; from the first family of wine in Australia (Hillsmiths), spicy and ripe but not overripe.

Tilia Cabernet Sauvignon Mendoza, Argentina
Here’s a secret, the best red grape in Argentina may be Cabernet and this one way over delivers.

Stella Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Abruzzo, Italy
Spaghetti Red is not just for film, this is what you want when red sauce meets pasta.

Riff Pinot Grigio Dolomitti, Italy
Inspired by the Dolomites (actually an ancient reef-riff in german)this is crisp lively Pinot Grigio, great for light foods or sunsets.

Casal Garcia Vinho Verde Minho, Portugal
Slightly petulant, fresh, light and utterly refreshing; you better get two because you can’t drink just one

Around $15

Firestone Estate Chardonnay Santa Barbara, California
I was served this blind and swore it was a “Gucci” Chardonnay-so complex and balanced

Capcanes Mas Donis Monsant, Spain
Old vine Grenache and Syrah grown on rocks at over 2500 feet, complex, long, begs for grilled meat

Yealands Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough, New Zealand
Fragrant Thyme, grapefruit, lively acidity and minerality, the first Carbon Neutral Winery in the World.

Parker Station Pinot Noir California
You remember Sideways the movie, this is a wine from that area, some of the scenes were filmed there, real Pinot at a price that you can drink (ignore the raccoon on the label he doesn’t bite)

Punto Final Malbec
Malbec is the “it” grape because it delivers rich flavor and is slightly softer (lower tanning) than Cabernet; this is pretty sexy stuff

About $25 – When you need to show off but are still on a budget

Charles Smith Chateau Smith Columbia Valley, Washington
Charles Smith isn’t subtle but he does get it right, an homage to Bordeaux Washington style.

Vietti Barbera d’Asti Tre Vigne Piedmont, Italy
Luca Coraldo is one of the nicest most inspiring people in all of wine, Barbera that will make you forget Barolo and Barberesco.

Allegrini Pallazo della Torre Veneto, Italy
Another “ first family” wine, a baby Amarone, 2/3 the flavor and 1/5 the price (top 100 in 2011 )

Saintsbury Chardonnay Carneros, California
Pure flavors, rich without being ponderous, a standard bearer for the California Chardonnay

Notables-sometimes you want to go crazy

Paradigm Cabernet Sauvignon Napa, California $65
Made by Heidi Peterson-Barret from grapes grown in the same soil as Araju, Staglin, and other notables all the flavor none of the hype

Talley Chardonnay Arroyo Secco, California $35
First Cabin Chardonnay, hillside, indigenous yeast, new French oak, hazelnut and pear and brilliantly smooth

Ken Theobald
Classic Wines
General Manager
6489 E. 39^th Street
Denver, CO 80207
(303) 825-1360, Ext 230

ktheobald@classicwines.net

Just Desserts!

7Feb 2012

Just Desserts!

This is an article that might make Michelle Obama draw a red circle around Colorado, not because we are a battle ground state but because the skinniest state in the Union has jumped on the sweet band wagon. It is not enough that American’s drink more soda than they do tap water and that sugar in one form or another is found in almost all our processed foods, no today we have wines that advertise that they are sweet and we can’t get enough of them!

In the 1980s Helen Girly Brown instructed Cosmo Girls to drink white wine as a cocktail because it’s relatively low in alcohol (12%) and the lack of residual sugar (most table wines contain less than 6 grams of sugar per liter) made it the low calorie sophisticated drink. The white wine revolution was born and at cocktail parties no one dare ask for a sweet wine. But this wasn’t always the case, for centuries the best dessert wines of Europe Tokay from Hungary, German Rieslings and French Sauternes were the most desirable for the “want-to-be” rulers of Russia or the Far East far out stripping the dry wines of Bordeaux or Chianti. Ironically, while Cosmopolitan was exhorting the virtues of dry white wine, the best-selling wine in the US was Blue Nun, a Liebfraumilch with notable fruitiness.

In the 1991 we had the “French Paradox” the 60 Minute episode that asked if the French eat a diet rich in fat why don’t they have high cholesterol like Americans, one of the factors, resveratrol found in red wine. People who drank no wine walked into their local liquor store and asked for red wine, “because it is good for my heart,” they said. I happen to know because I witnessed this many times, they asked for sweet red wine and outside of some Concord wines, found virtually none.

As the wine revolution swept America in the last decade of the 20th century Americans drank a lot of red wine, about 2 to 1 Red versus White and they became very enamored of densely fruited highly concentrated red wines. These California or Australian “lotsa” wines as a winemaker friend calls them are easy to make, you leave 8-10 grams of residual sugar and the wine tastes richer. No expensive oak barrels, you don’t have to wait for that super ripe year, you can have these wines all the time. He made wines for Folie a Deux and put a healthy dollop of Late Harvest Zinfandel in the blend and made sure it wasn’t fermented to dryness. It caught on like wild fire; in fact the winery was purchased by the Trinchero Family, the makers of Sutter Home. And other industry heavyweights have noticed the trend as well; Gallo is in the game as is the Wine Group (makers of Franzia Box Wines).

Today we have wine labels that unabashedly say sweet on the label (some are recommended below) and consumers are picking them up as soon as they get to the shelf. What makes for a delicious sweet wine? Balance, complexity, flavors that are appealing not just sweet and acidity that makes for a clean, not a cloying finish. What do you do with these wines-drink them! They are fun on ice, very cold, with soda and a twist, or with fruits a la Sangria. It is fun to see Coloradoans drinking what they want and enjoying it!

Sweet Bliss Red Washington State $10-11
A blend of Barbara, Syrah, and Sangiovese and made by a burgundian wine maker, here is a sweet red that is fresh and tastes of chocolate covered cherries.

Kitchen Sink Moscato California $9-10
Moscato is a grape so perfumed it seems almost unnatural. The explosive exotic aromas remind you of kiwi fruit, lychee nuts, and tangerines. A terrific party wine.

Pacific Rim Sweet Riesling Washington State $10-11
Riesling has the highest natural acidity of wine grapes and so it is one of the best wines to make “lemonade” lively fruity and zippy acidity, by itself or with a fruit pastry dessert this is just plain delicious.

New Wines for a New Year

1Feb 2012

Those of us in the wine trade know there is a tax (sometimes referred to as the “bozo” tax) on those that have to drink the most popular varietal or need to show up to a party with a known producer. You are welcome to continue paying the tax (thank you it keeps many of us in business) but if you want better wine and most often at a lower price, take the wine road less traveled and see where it leads.

First you need to be willing to try a varietal you may not have heard of.

Of the four “noble grapes” Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir (both reds) and Chardonnay and Riesling, so named because they produce memorable wines in many regions, Riesling is currently the caboose.

This was not always so, a century ago Riesling fetched the highest price at auction and was the most desired wine by Kings and peasants alike. It is starting to enjoy resurgence as it makes compelling wines in styles from bone dry to fantastically sweet and is a great ager. It holds two other important distinctions; it is probably the singular best wine with food (I kid you not) and is uncanny in its ability to show where it was grown. Riesling is characterized by wines that are light in body and alcohol with a ratio of fruit and acidity that is in a different class, fruit notes that range from Mandarin Orange to stone fruits, earth notes-often the slate-minerality of the River Valleys of Germany or Austria, the racy acidity cleans up the pallet and makes every sip as fine as the first. With age from a classic producer you will find notes of petrol and a synthesis of fruit and minerals that you simple must taste. Luckily, Riesling is charming in its youth as well so buy a case now and enjoy it for years to come.

Here are some Rieslings to look for in Colorado and start the New Year by making a new friend that will be true for the rest of your days:

Two Rivers Riesling 2011- Grand Junction, Colorado about $15

Off dry style, Lime notes keeps it fresh, the winery is tucked between the two entrances to the Colorado National Monument.

Charles Smith Riesling Kung Fu Girl 2010- Columbia Valley, Washington about $12

Dry, Racy acidity, from the erasable Charles Smith, rock promoter turned wine maker, to quote Charles, “this wine kicks-ass.”

Koehler-Ruprecht Riesling Kabinett Steinacker 2003-Pfalz, Germany about $15

KR has been producing dry style wines since the 18^th century and are kind enough to share some of their library with the consumers of Colorado, straight from their cellar to Colorado

Pacific Rim Riesling Sweet 2010-Colombia Valley, Washington about $11

Two years ago Pacific Rim Wine Company put “Sweet” on the label, much to the chagrin of industry experts (Americans drink sweet wine but don’t are allergic to the word) in two years this is their largest seller-pear and apricot, noticeable fruitiness but refreshing as only Riesling can be.

Yalumba Y Riesling 2009-South Australia about $12

Australians drink Riesling and export Shiraz to America, recently they have let a little bit escape; Dry, big flavors of lime and watermelon, lip smacking good

Ken Theobald is the GM for Classic Wines a Colorado Estate Wine and Artisinal Spirit Wholesaler. For over 30 years he has been a part of the Colorado wine scene both on and off premise and is has obtained the Advanced Sommelier Certification from the Court of Master Sommellier.

Ken Theobald
General Manager

6489 E. 39^th Street
Denver, CO 80207
(303) 825-1360, Ext 230
ktheobald@classicwines.net