Grape variety: Malbec
Region: Mendoza, Argentina
Food pairing: Gorgonzola-topped filet mignon
Chosen By: Kathy Brindle, Wine Associate, Wayne
Region: Mendoza, Argentina
Food pairing: Gorgonzola-topped filet mignon
Chosen By: Kathy Brindle, Wine Associate, Wayne
to the sun as it set behind the mountains each evening, giving thanks for the "fruits of nature." In our stores, Ocaso means good affordable Argentine Malbec. And as Kathy Brindle discovered one night when she took a bottle home, it's all about versatility. "What really impressed me about the Ocaso Malbec was how food-friendly it was," Kathy says. "It stood up to a gorgonzola-topped grilled filet mignon, but it didn't overpower a side dish of angel hair pasta and summer veggies. And I could imagine how the ripe blackberry fruit flavors and long smooth finish would also make it a great match for BBQ chicken." It seems that the challenge may be in finding a number of dishes that don't pair well with this soft and pleasant red wine. Of course, it should be no surprise. It hails from the good-food-lovin' country of Argentina. And there is a goddess involved. That never hurts. For more info: http://www.garyswine.com/fine_wine/argentina/06160.html
Not that we've conducted serious analytical research on the topic, but lately as we've perused our aisles, we've noticed that our shelves have been graced with quite the plethora of impressive bottlings from talented women winemakers. Now we won't enter into the debate over whether women really do have superior taste-buds and olefactory sensors (although there is some evidence to support the theory of "female supertasters"), and we won't get into the glass-ceiling politics behind women on this career path as opposed to that.
If you're familiar with Merry Edwards and her notoriously short-supplied wines, I'll give you a minute to finish jumping up and down. If you're not, begin jumping now. I'll give you a minute.
Though we covered the whole "green thing" last month, it would be difficult to talk about Spottswoode winery and the ladies who run it without talking about their nature-loving ways. If there's one humble phrase you hear a lot when speaking with the Novak women of Spottswoode, it's "stewards of the land." This family counts themselves truly lucky to take care of this special piece of property, if only for a few generations, and as such they see it as their duty to take good care of their little corner of the earth. They've been farming their vineyards organically since 1985, earning their California Certified Organic Farmers certification in 1990.
If you think Karen Culler's good with Syrah (and she is), then wait until you try her Cabernet. The fruit is sourced from Ladera's two estate vineyards, the Lone Canyon Vineyard in the western foothills of the Mount Veeder, and one in the higher elevations of Howell Mountain, where Ladera's winery is located. The former vineyard receives sun-drenched days (being closer to the valley floor) and a shorter, more dynamic ripening season, while the latter, situated above the fog line, benefits from cooler (but still sunny) days and warmer nights, allowing for longer hang-time.
Though there's certainly no shortage of women winemakers, particularly in California, we decided to go out on a limb and highlight two different wines from the same winemaker for this month's Cellar Club. While many winemakers have their "go-to varietal", the one they make really well, and then perhaps dabble in another grape or two, Karen Culler does an absolutely phenomenal job with both Syrah (produced under her own Culler label) and the Cabernets that she produces for Ladera.
This find is the collaboration of not one but two visionary women in wine. Winemaker Ana Martin paid her dues learning to make great wines in the Ribera del Duero and her home appellation of Txakoli de Bizkaia during the 1980's -90's. But in 1998, while interning at a local cooperative, Ana met Maria Pinacho, whose family owns a vineyard in the Cigales appellation, just west of the Ribera del Duero.
Michele Edwards was a pre-med student backpacking across Europe when she got the first hints that wine might play a role in her future, but it wasn"t until after she graduated with a degree in anthropology that she took a job in a tasting room...which led to her first foray into the cellar. Today, this young, energetic winemaker feels lucky to have ended up where she did. "Being the winemaker at Cliff Lede Vineyards is a dream job on so many levels." she says.
The great thing about selecting the very smallest and most special lots of wine for a premium bottling is that there's a lot of great juice left over when they're done. Knowing that she had lots of great grapes left over after crafting and nurturing her more expensive Susana Balbo wines, Susana Balbo had the idea to create a second bottling under the Crios label. "Each harvest," Balbo explains on her label, "I try to create the grandest possible Susana Balbo wines. To achieve this, I make a rigorous selection of the finest barrels prior to making the final blends, dividing them into the parents (Signature wines) and offspring or Crios. Wines under my Crios label display ripe and vibrant fruit flavors, excellent balance, and are meant to be enjoyed in their vibrant youth.
We're hearing the word green thrown around quite a bit these days, in reference to everything from household cleaners to transportation. But in the wine world, calling a bottling "green" hasn't always had positive connotations. In less eco-conscious times, a "green" wine was a wine made from grapes that had been picked a little too early, before they were fully ripe, resulting in a thinner texture and tart vegetal taste on the finish.
Silverado Vineyards have become quite a recognizable wine brand, but that doesn't mean that they've compromised quality or commitment to the sustainability of their vineyard land in doing so. Among the "green" practices they can boast are a solar powered winery, 
If you're going to create an entire winery based around one species of wildlife, then it's only fair to say you've got to be wildlife supporters in the long haul. The folks at Duckhorn (who create varietal wines under the Duckhorn, Paraduxx, Goldeneye, and Migration labels), 