How To Wine Travel

Vino della Settimana–09 Dolcetto d’Alba, by Cappellano

tonifad — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 16:01:00 +0000

We have been pondering this for a while – would we dishonor the late Teobaldo Cappellano’s wishes if we wrote about the winery or their wines here? This was up when we thought the 99 Barolo Pie Rupestris Otin Fiorin was the best wine bar none for sale in Norway in 2010. And then again last summer, when the best wine we had for any lunch or dinner on hour annual Piemonte visit was the 07 Langhe Nebbiolo. Should we? Could we? Well, as you are reading this it must mean that we finally decided we could. As we are not really reviewing wines here, just praising them, and their winemakers. And the wine that got the honor? Well, Cappellano’s 09 Dolcetto did the trick. At 123 Norwegian kroner, it makes a great case for being the cheapest high quality wine for sale up here in the snow.

Cappellano who, you might say. As wines are not reviewed, they are also seldom written about, and thus this icon sometimes goes unnoticed. Famously, Teobaldo Cappellano, the father of today’s proprietor of the estate, Augusto, did not think much of wine critic’s point scores – so little in fact that he humbly asked journalists not to review his wine with points (when you get your hands on one of the Cappellano bottles, read the label on the back). Except from a well known Norwegian sommelier and journalist, I do not know of any journalists to this day who has not honored his request. On the other side of the scale, Cappellano is, for the same reason, not included in, say, Gambero Rosso’s annual Vini d’Italia book, and thus readers of these publications only miss out on one of the greatest winemakers in Italy, and thus the world. A pity, really…..

The Cappellano estate is an historic one, dating back to 1870. Already in 1889, they won a Bronze medal at the Paris Exposition Universelle in 1889. For many, Cappellano’s fame is related to the Barolo Chinato, invented by Giuseppe Cappellano at the end of the last century. The spicy Chinato, made of Nebbiolo, tree bark, and herbs, is today a classic dessert wine, and the standard by which all others are measured.

Cappellano was one of the first in the Langhe to shed unnatural fertilizers and herbicides in the vineyards, and was early on in the search for tradition and terroir in their wines. Cappellano founded ViniVeri, a group to promote the preservation of nature, tradition and terroir, together with winemakers sharing his passion for this, at the time unfashionable, way of making wines.

Cappellano’s offers two Barolos to the world: the Gabutti (a vineyard in Serralunga) Pie Rupestris (vines planted on American rootstock), and the Pie Franco (vines planted on French rootstock) Michet (michet-clone vines). Hard to come by, but if you do, do not hesitate to buy. Every wine cellar should have some bottles with the trademark red color of Cappellano. And, they age notoriously well.

Cappellano also makes a Barbera and Dolcetto, and as with all the top winemakers in the Langhe – Altare, Roberto Conterno, Vietti, Cavallotto – they do not make any bad wines. Thus, their Dolcetto and Barbera are sure bets for a good wine experience.

This week’s wine of the week, is a fresh and fruity dolcetto, Dark berries and hint of spice on the nose, precise and elegant. Some earthy notes on the end, which is surprisingly long for a dolcetto. As good an everyday wine as there is, and it’s all natural, and thus, good for you!

Well deserved WOTW honors to the Cappellano estate.

Vino della Settimana – 2008 Bourgogne Rouge Roncevie, by Domaine Arlaud

tonifad — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 08:33:00 +0000

In Calgary, Alberta (that’s Canada for those of you who missed most of your geography classes) this week. And thus my mind was on Canadian (Ice) beer, rather than fine (value) wine. But then I walked by this place called Home Tasting Room, and thought I should give it a chance. A restaurant dressed as a winebar, a wine bar camouflaged as a restaurant, you pick. Anyways, had a comprehensive menu, with local twists on a number of international “dishes”. And a semi-OK wine list, with a little bit of everything really. I went for what I saw as a safe bet, and chose a 08 Bourgogne Roncevie from Domaine Arlaud. To accompany the wine, with the help of the waiter (who in retrospect was much more of a foodie than a vino), we had scallops on cauliflower puree, canadian cured bacon, and anchovie pesto, a plate of the local crudo (including bison!) with mustard sauce, Duck Confit (a bit on the dry side), and a “caprese” with local mozzarella, tomatoes, and pesto. This is not a foodie blog, so I’ll only say that not all of these sample dishes were wine friendly, adding to my notion that this is a restaurant more than a wine bar with food.

Anyways, the Roncevie has for long been one of those wines toted for being top value and a secret gem of the area. Hence, our choice of wine for the evening. The wine is made from a vineyard that is surrounded by Gevrey village vineyards (I guess it should rather be classified as a Gevrey Chambertin village wine), and only a stone’s throw away from grand cru Mazoyeres-Chambertin.

As from 09, wines from Domaine Herve Arlaud are certified organic. Herve’s daughter, Bertille, uses hand and horse in the vineyards, and her brother, Cyprien, whilst using the most modern of modern winemaking facilities, intervene only slightly, if at all.

Allen Meadows says of the 08: “…nicely energetic and punchy flavors that possess good precision and enough finishing complexity and persistence…Solid for its level. ”

We totally agree, although (even with decanting for half an hour) the wine should really stay a couple of more years in the bottle before opening. Very floral, fruity, and, for this price level, very long.

If now the wine was only easier to find. If you can get your hands on one, we strongly recommend picking it up. Decant it for a couple of hours, or cellar it for a couple of years, and you should not be disappointed.

Wine Journalism–Apples and Apples, or Apples and Pears?

tonifad — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 14:02:00 +0000

The world’s best wine magazine (according to itself), Decanter (of UK), calls Bordeaux 2010 vintage “an embarrassment of riches”. The same magazine says “Tight, Tannic” (a clever attempt at “Titanic” – the vintage is going down…?) about Barolo 2006. One of their tasters also says “where was the energy I want to see in a really fine wine?” As a reader, should I now stock up on 2010 Bordeaux, or go for the (much cheaper) 06 Barolo?

Well, dear Decanter, for the Bordeaux review you came to the conclusion by reviewing an almost complete offering , including ALL the First-, Second-, Third-, Fourth-, and Fifth Growths, as well as top of the list wines from St Emilion and Pomerol. Robert Parker did his conclusion, including ALL of his Magic 20. Decanter’s review of Barolo is more or less missing the (Barolo) Magic 20.

If one looks at this from a winemaker’s point of view, where is Giacomo Conterno, Beppe Rinaldi, Cavallotto, Bartolo Mascarello, and, dare I say it, Giacosa and Gaia? A few Americans would add La Spinetta to that list. And what’s the story about taking the top two winemakers in La Morra are Roberto Voerzio and Elio Altare (although very different), and the up and coming dude Marengo, out of the tasting – would a tasting of Pauillac wines without Chateau Lafite-Rothschild, Chateau Latour, and Chateau Mouton Rothschild make sense? From the Cru perspective, although there are samples from many, the top wines from Brunate, Lazzaraisco, Vigna Rionda, Monprivato, and the like, are not here. Again, you would not judge a red Burgundy vintage without including the best wines from Musigny, Clos Vougeot , Bonnes-Mares, and Chambertin-Clos de Bèze, would you?

Capella delle Brunate, or Barolo Chapel, overseeing the Brunate vineyard, where 06 produced some of the most profound wines ever made in Italy, by Rinaldi, Altare, Voerzio, and Marengo.

Decanter’s 06 Barolo review had one wine over 19 points, and 7 over 18, and thus there’s no comparison at all with Bordeaux 09 or 10. Add the “First Growths” and the “Grand Crus”, and perhaps the 06 Barolo would make the headline on the front page (like the Bordeaux pieces did).

Asking the top winemakers in Piemonte, and they will tell you that 01, 04 and 06 are the top vintages this decade, and many will have 06 as their favorite. Ask me, and I will agree.

Two things then:

People: Buy 06, from the Barolo Magic 20 if you can, but it is hard to go wrong if you stick to the (next 30) renowned winemakers too, or the top vineyards.

Decanter: If you want to live up to the tag “the world’s best wine magazine”, be as thorough with all regions as your are with Bordeaux. Then we can take the review sections seriously. As we do the rest of the mag!

PS! There no such thing as a Barolo Magic 20 list, either consisting of winemakers or wines. Yes, we do have our own “personal” list, but yet not the swagger of a Mr. Parker to make it public……

Top 11 favorite wines of the year (2011)

tonifad — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 08:38:00 +0000

How can one possibly distinguish between all the great wines in the world, and in a world that ultimately is defined by personal differences in taste? Especially people like us, who has no professional wine title to our name, nor are we “about 100 points on that” week in and week out. Well, this is a way for us to think through, and evaluate, the wine year 2011. There are perhaps people among our readers that share our taste, or at least our passion, in and for wine, that find our choices of interest. And if there’s not, here’s the list anyways. Note that our choices will sometimes be colored by the circumstances of our tasting (or drinking) of the wine, the experience with the wine maker, or, of course (although we will never admit to it), that we are tainted by marketing and/or the tasting notes and scores of the wine professionals out there. Also, they are not any kind of order, it’s merely a list. And, no, it’s not true that we did not taste and drink a lot of wines from other regions and winemakers than those below. It just happened that we liked these better.

1) 04 Mersault les Grands Charrons, by Michel Bouzereau & Fils. A mix of being from a wine from Jean-Baptiste and his wonderful family, and the fact that I think we hit the “drinking window” of this wine smack in the middle. This is what white burgundy is all about, keep those new vintages locked up in the cellar, people!

2) 04 Barolo Riserva Vigna San Giuseppe, by Cavallotto. Of more than 80 wines tasted on our annual visit to Piemonte, this wine stood out. Authentic, earthy, and here to stay. Much like the Cavallotto winery itself.

3) 07 Barolo, by Elio Altare. From the same trip as the Riserva above, this ended up being drunk rather than tasted. While getting all the latest gossip from the entire Langhe region from Silvia, Elios daugther. Which in itself is a treat, but, yes, you’ll also find it hard to come by a better “base” barolo from the 07 vintage.

4) 07 Langhe Nebbiolo, by Cappelano. Still in Piemonte, from the same trip (have you guessed by now that this visit was a good one?), this was the wine we had that showed best there and then. Of course, the fantastic food (you always get) at Osteria del Vignaiolo, helped it along, but we’re sure it would stand well on its own too (anyone out there who knows how we can get our hands on a couple of cases of this?).

5) Cavallotto Langhe Nebbiolo 07. Our 2011 house wine. Nuff said.

6) Arianna Occhipinti, , Il Frappato 09. We’ve had this a couple of times now, and it keeps on fascinating. Some sips are like “hey, this is a new category wine altogether”, and then others reminds you of something you’re used to from Chambolle Musigny or in the villages nearby. In any case, this wine, and its wine maker, is on the rise.

7) 06 Barolo Lazzairasco, by Guido Porro. Wine is a hundred percent subjective experience, but I’ll go out on a limb and claim that this barolo is one of the best (pound for pound, eh, dollar for dollar) around.

8 ) 09 Macon-Verze, by Domanie Leflaive. A magnificent white in itself, but also a great way to drink white wine from one of the world’s top producers, without having to sell your car.

9) 03 Meursault-Blagny, La Piece Sous le Bois, by Domaine Matrot. One of our favorites, period. Red burgundy at diet-cola prices. Still some 05s left to go around I think.

10) 08 CinqueTerre, by Campogrande. Buy, drink, rejoice, and help save the “five lands” from sliding into the ocean while you’re at it.

Riomaggiore, Cinque Terre, Liguria, Italy. Summer of 2011

11) 97 Tignanello, by Antinori. Happened December 29th. Profound. A memorable ending to a good wine year.

Happy new year. Salute to a prosperous 2012.

Vino della Settimana – 2008 Langhe Nebbiolo, by Ca’Viola

tonifad — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 08:05:00 +0000

Although the Ca’Viola winery was founded as long ago as 1991, Beppe (probably known to his mother as Giuseppe) Caviola has been mostly famous for his consultancy work for other wineries. Among them the likes of Einaudi, Vietti, Bruno Rocca, Umani Ronchi, and Elvio Cogno. But, for those lucky enough to find his own wines around somewhere, we know that he makes some pretty good wines himself too. Or, as Beppe would say, we make wine – and include Maurizio Anselmo and agronomist Gian Piero Romana.

Originally in Montelupo Albese, the winery has since 2001 been established in Dogliani, a town famous for their many great Dolcettos (including a number of my favorites – Papa Celso by Abbona, Briccolero by Chionetti, Vigna Tecc by Einaudi, and Beppe’s own Il Vilot). They produce around 35 000 bottles a year (destined to move to 40 000 when newly planted vines are ready for “production”), with most of it in Montelupo (17 acres of dolcetto and barbera, and a few rows of nebbiolo and pinot noir), but also 5 acres of nebbiolo in Novello.

In 2002, Beppe received the award “Winemaker of the Year” from Gambero Rosso. Timely, and in its place then that he, 10 years later, gets his and this year’s first “Wine of the Week”, the 2008 Langhe Nebbiolo.

The 06 Ca’Viola Langhe Nebbiolo, at Fior di Sale, Dogliani

Brick-colored, the first sniff is almost burgunderesq. Dark fruits, tobacco, and tad licorice. Complex. Fruity, silky tannins (but, yes, we recommend cellaring it for a couple of years to get them even more integrated), and refined. Gets better with every sip. Had the 2006 at Fior di Sale (an absolutely wonderful restaurant in Dogliani) this summer, and it was a stunner. Beppe is proving that he not only can help others make great wines, and that his own wines are more than the wonderful Dolcetto Il Vilot and Barbera Bric du Luv. His wines are hard to come by, but if you can, getting a couple is highly recommended.

Birthday wine of the week: 08 Barbera d’Asti Tre Vigne, by Vietti

tonifad — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 23:57:00 +0000

To avoid having two wine’s of the week, and to honor the great Luca Currado on his birthday, we have today our first ever Birthday Wine of the Week!

Why not Vietti’s Barolo Brunate (one of the best wines in the world), say the 06? Or their Barbera d’Asti La Crena (one of my personal favorites), any vintage really? Well, both their entry Dolcetto as well as the two entry barberas, are some of the best values around. Not only is a 08 Barbera d’Asti Tre Vigne great value for the money (below USD 20), with great availability (hey, you find it at Whole Foods Market), but it also keeps the other quality barbera winemakers honest, keeping the price level where we like it, and can afford it.

In addition, Luca Currado and his wife Elena Penna are among the nicest people in the wine business. A visit here is more than just tasting some of the best wines around, it’s a learning experience, and a laugh. Hard to experience more love, passion, and hospitality, anywhere.

Buon compleanno, Luca!

Top 10 Wine Shops in 2011

tonifad — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 02:10:00 +0000

It’s that time of year again! Where everybody and anybody throws out their top 10 , top 100, or top whatever lists. You either love them or hate them apparently. We, well, we just think they’re a good way to categorize your thoughts, and, yes, they are fun too.

One of the popular advice given to people who gets into wine, is: find your wine store, and become friends with them. Ask them for advice, discuss wine with them, consult them for wine pairings, and, hey, they’re often a good way to “store” your wine before drinking it (if you do not have your “cellar”).

Over the years we have found many. And as we travel a bit, we’ve found our friends in different parts of the world. With different perspectives, stock, and philosophies.

At the top of our list? A liquor store (really) in Amherst, Massachusetts. That supplies the students of Amherst College and UMass with their party liquids. In between all the discounted beer kegs, cans, and bottles, you’ll find Gary. Gary is a wine guy, through and through. He’ll love for you to stop by, and talk vino. And if you graduate from the wine racks in the actual store, he’ll take you down to the basement where you’ll find treasures from Burgundy, Piemonte, and Tuscany. The place to go for everyday wines? Spirit Haus. For vintage Barolos and burgundies? Spirit Haus. For new, up and coming winemakers and their (soon to be renowned) great wines? Spirit Haus.

At number two, Systembolaget just edged out Vinmonopolet. What made the difference was the Swedish retail monopoly’s knack for finding high value everyday wines (price/quality), as well as the fact that the Norwegian trade monopoly’s monthly “releases” of rare wines have not been up to their normal standards.

1) Spirit Haus (Amherst, MA). Hard to find a better wine buddy, than Spirit Haus’ Gary.

2) Systembolaget (Sweden). I know being a monopoly makes life easier, but they’re not resting on their laurels

3) Vinmonopolet (Norway). Strong portfolio from most regions around the world. You can find real steals if you look hard enough.

4) Spec’s (Houston, TX). Whichever wine you cannot find, ask if you can go “upstairs” and have a look, or ask them what they can do if it’s not even there.

5) Enoteca Fracchia & Berchialla (Alba, Piemonte, Italy). Will get you most of the wines from the region. Even the really sought after wines that fly out of the winemakers’ cellars, just be quick to order.

6) Lea & Sandeman (London, UK). Berry Bros gets most of the press, but L&S have quietly built a list of wines that can compete with the best of them. Especially on Burgundy, but also a few “value finds” from Italy.

7) Caveau de Puligny Montrachet (Puligny-Montrachet, Burgundy). Not only do they carry most of the P-M wines, and not only can you taste them here, but the owner will taste with you!

8 ) Bottega del vino Dolcetto di Dogliani (Dogliano, Piemonte, Italy). Simply gets the nod, because here you almost every single wine from the best unknown wine region in world right now.

9) Enoteca Cava Turacciolo (Bellagio, Lake Como), A wonderful, wonderful wine shop that doubles as a wine bar with some grub to accompany the wines. And, a wonderful host there is too!

10) Cave Croisette (Cannes, France). Expensive, but here they’ll have more Bordeaux and Burgundy than your wallet can handle, and if they do not have it, call it advance, and they’ll bend backwards to get it for you.

A comprehensive list? By no means. A personal list? You betcha. But hopefully it will inspire to find good wine friends in wine stores around the world.

Adding Red Burgundy to a Norwegian Tradition

tonifad — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 10:14:00 +0000

Pinnekjøtt is a traditional Norwegian (at least on the west coast) Christmas dish. It is made from salted-cured lamb ribs, very juicy and tender meat. It directly translates to “stick meat”, a name it has got from the birch sticks you put at the bottom of a large pot, before putting the meat on top and adding water, to steam. There are as many ways to serve it as there are people on the west coast of Norway, but do not expect any salad or similar healthy stuff to accompany it. We serve it with mashed sweet potato/cauliflower/horseradish, traditional Norwegian-goatcheese-infused gravy, and Vossakorv (traditional sausage from Voss). Most people serve beer and akevitt with their pinnekjøtt, but we do wine (of course). We’ve found nebbiolos and red burgundies to be a great wine pairing with this dish, and every year we experiment to find the optimal pairing.

Needless to say, this is heavy stuff, and it’s not something you eat often (and you do NOT eat it outside of (holiday) season. We have a tradition where the first pinnekjøtt we eat every year is from the best (and only, really) butcher in Norway, A. Idsoe (www.idsoe.no), and yesterday was the big “event”.

We went with the 05 Blagny La Pièce sous le Bois 1er Cru, by Domaine Matrot. Spec’s, the best wine store in Houston, US, had some 05 lying around, and we could not resist, of course. More on Domaine Matrot and the wine here http://bit.ly/v8suVB. Highly recommended. With pinnekjøtt. And without.

Vino della Settimana – 2007 Barbaresco Roccalini

tonifad — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 11:04:00 +0000

Perhaps the most fun thing to do in the wine world, is to find a wine (almost) all by yourself. A wine that no one has heard of (yet), that you can (for a while) call your own, and, when it eventually becomes famous (and expensive), you can brag about having known the winemaker (way) before anybody else (using his first name), and having bought his or her wines at a fracture of the price they will cost then. You’re now officially among the wine elite, the one that leads the way in revealing the world’s great wines to the public.

This just happened to me. Well, almost. I came across a blog that raved about this young wine maker in Piemonte (it turned out to be a guy by the name of Strappo (or maybe it was Terence Hughes), of a wine importer by the name of Domenico Selections. Then, his name turned up on Tom Hyland’s blog, and I got nervous that this “trade secret” was going public before I’d even tasted the wines. Hey, even Bruce Sanderson of Wine Spectator fame found time to review them. It did however quiet down, and I have not heard or read anything since then, so my secret is safe for now.

Getting hold of the wines was a whole other matter. The winemaker has only 3.5 hectares of Nebbiolo (with vines up to 50 years old it shuld be said), and another hectare divided between Dolcetto and Barbera. With only 14,500 bottles produced, supply is scarce, you can imagine (up to 25.000 cases are yearly produced of the currently a bit more renowned Chateau Lafite Rotschild.

Anyways, I am lucky to have a great (wine) friend in Gary of Spirit Haus, Amherst, MA, and he showed foresight and got a sizable allocation from the US importer. And I was lucky to get his last 10 bottles of the 07 Barbaresco, and what was left of the 09 Dolcetto.

And, the winemaker? Well, he left Oenological college in 1998 and after a stint with Cinzano, dedicated himself to the family wine business in 2003. Having sold the grapes to other winemakers, most famously to Bruno Giacosa, that changed it 2005 when they started to make wine under their own label. Speaking of Giacosa, our secret winemaker is running the danger of being most famous for being the young winemaker that Dante Scaglione (Bruno Giacosa’s wingman for many many years, and after a couple of years’ absence, again his right hand man) approached when he set up his consultancy in 07. However, given the wines that I have been lucky enough to taste, as well as the quality of the family vineyards, I think his name some day will stand strong on its own. Much more about him here on the Muddy Boots blog http://bit.ly/cPb4id.

And, the wine? The 07 Barbaresco. From south- to southwest facing vineyard, in calcareous soil. Spends 12 months in Slovenian grandi botti. Plum and blackcurrant aromas, violets, minerally. Rich, but elegant. Complex. Very long finish. It’s probably a shame to drink it this young, as it should be an even more stunning wine some 10 years from now, but it is more than approachable today.

An slam dunk wine of the week, the 07 Barbaresco Roccalini from Cascina Roccalini. Way to go, Paolo (Veglio).

Vino della Settimana – 07 Langhe Nebbiolo Gavarini, by Elio Grasso

tonifad — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 08:32:00 +0000

Thanksgiving and wine pairing has been a ongoing debate forever. It’s so much more than Turkey, more a feast of diverse food if you like. With a variety of sweet pies to round it all of. As the old rule of white wine with white meat, red wine with red meat, has been thrown out by the wine establishment, what to do? Red Burgundies, including Beaujolais, barberas and nebbiolos, as well as a dry non-oaky Chardonnay and Champagne does the trick, but like with all wine pairing challenges and you’re stuck: choose a wine you like, and you cannot go all wrong. If you’re all into Thanksgiving being a celebration of a good harvest, you should go for Beaujolais Nouveau, which in turn celebrates the grape harvest of the year, thus making it a positive double whammy (if such a thing exist).

We’ve kinda settled on Pinot Noir (the Burgundy kind…) and/or nebbiolos from Piemonte. This year 11.6 kg of Turkey went down with Waldorf salad, mashed sweet potatoes, creamy sauce, and pumpkin and pecan pies to boot. Turkey spent 24 hrs in an apple and sage dominated brine, before being covered with bacon, and thrown in the oven.

This year, we went for a wine from a winemaker not a stranger to WOTW honors, Elio Grasso (more on Elio Grasso and his wines here http://bit.ly/rfJLoL). One of the gems in his lineup is the Langhe Nebbiolo, from 15 year old vines in limestone-based, south-facing 1.2 hectare vineyard in Monforte d’Alba. Elio, Marina, Francesca and Gianluca Grasso, together with their winemaker Piero Ballario, produces around 6,500 bottles of this wine, which has been bottled since 1987.

Delicate aromas, with dark fruits, tobacco and minerals prevalent. A hint of rose petals. Red burgundy-like light, tannic (still), and very long. A dry, fresh, and elegant wine, representing good value for the money. Hard to find sub-par wines at the Grasso family’s estate!

Elio Grasso recommends you drink this wine 3-4 years inn the first 3-4 years after the bottling. The 07, however, and likewise with the 06, will keep well for a lot longer, we think. A good choice for WOTW, and an alternative to the Perbacco from Vietti, and the Langhe Nebbiolos from Elio Altare, Cavallotto, and Cappellano.