The Cork Chronicles

For many of us, Yellow Tail was our first introduction to Australian wine.  It’s not a bad entry level wine, but if you never go beyond Yellow Tail, you will miss the greater value of Australia’s wines.  Australia produces a vast number of top flight wines, offering relatively good value.  Though it ranks 8th in wine producing countries, it is close behind France as the third leading wine exporter to the U.S.[1]  That’s a whole lot of Yellow Tail!

Australia’s wine industry is known for its innovation in winemaking.  The industry invented state-of-the-art equipment and employs cutting edge winemaking techniques.  Just about every vineyard task—from pruning to harvesting—is automated in Australia.[2]  Such practices promote high levels of efficiency and hygienic standards.[3]  Fortunately for us, Australia’s cutting edge practices allow for high-yield and large-scale wine production, resulting in good value wines.

Australia’s wines are packed with lots of flavor—ripe fruits and full-bodied texture.  Chardonnay, Semillon, Cabernet Sauvignon, Riesling and even Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc are produced in Australia.  Shiraz, however, is what Australia does best.  Shiraz is most produced in South-East Australia—a massive super zone including New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, Western Australia, Northern Territory, and Queensland.  Here’s a quick look at the top Shiraz-producing sub-regions in South-East Australia[4]:

Barossa Valley – The Shiraz produced in this South Australia sub-region is rich and full-bodied with notes of dark red fruit, chocolate, and eucalyptus.

Clare Valley – This sub-region in South Australia often blends Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon.  Both varietals are rich in flavor, but Shiraz softens the Cabernet.

Coonawarra – Known for its high quality Cabernet Sauvignon, the cooler climate results in Shiraz with peppery and earthy notes.

Eden Valley – The cool climate of Eden Valley produces spicy and peppery Shiraz with plum, blackberry licorice, and earthy notes.

Heathcote – The unique Shiraz produced in this Victoria sub-region is rich in dark cherry, plum, sweet spices, and fine tannins.

Hilltops – Situated in New South Wales, the Shiraz produced here is spicy with notes of chocolate, mint, black cherry and briar.

McLaren Vale – The Shiraz from McLaren Vale tends to be rich in flavor and color with a velvety texture and higher percentages of alcohol.

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On a beautiful night under the stars in Chicago, Vibrant Rioja hosted Rioja Kick-Off Tasting on the open air rooftop at Benchmark.  Though the tasting was limited to wine trade and press, it was sexy event.  Dark lighting, modelesque servers passing hors d’oeuvres, and a hot venue set the stage perfectly for the Tempranillos of Rioja.  Indeed, the best Rioja Tempranillos are sexy—robust in flavor yet smooth on the finish.

These days, Rioja is producing a lot of “modern” style Tempranillo that is fruit forward with more pronounced notes of red and black berries.  I am sucker for the classic style of Rioja Tempranillo that is heavily oaked and earthy, even more so when it is a Gran Reserva (2 years barrel and 3 years bottle aged) or Reserva (1 year barrel and 2 years bottle aged) that has nicely aged into a full-bodied wine with elegant finesse.

A few highlights at the Rioja Kick-Off Tasting nicely fit that profile:

CONDE DE VALDEMAR GRAN RESERVA RIOJA 2004

This Tempranillo nicely integrates its elements of oak, fruit, and spice.  It is well structured with meaty tannins and notes of cedar and tobacco.  A little minerality and red cherries round out its nuanced profile.  The finish is long and smooth.

Rating*:  

Price:  $45

FAUSTINO I GRAN RESERVA RIOJA 1999 

Toasted Oak, herbs and fruit are seamlessly integrated into an old school representation of Tempranillo.  Notes of leather, baking spices, black cherry, and dried herbs constitute its complexity.  In more than a decade of aging, the tannins have nicely softened and moderate acidity adds additional balance.

Rating*:  

Price:  $32

MARQUES DE RISCAL RESERVA RIOJA 2005

Still packed very tightly, this Reserva could use a few more years of ageing.   Not unlike many classic style Tempranillos, this one is for the oak lovers.  The robust notes of toasted oak threaten to overtake this wine’s complexity.  Nevertheless, with aeration or additional aging, it is a very good wine with lots of spice as well as prune, black and red berries, cedar, and tobacco.

Rating*:  

Price:  $18

*Rating Scale: 1 Cork = Bad, 2 Corks = Palatable, 3 Corks = Good, 4 Corks = Excellent, 5 Corks = Classic

Someone once observed that new wine drinkers often gravitate toward sweet wines.  Then, as their palates develop, they gravitate to big-bodied, robust wines.  After their palates sufficiently mature, wine drinkers will develop a preference for wines that are more subtle in complexity; elegant with finesse.  Biological changes in your palate, as you age, also have something to with this progression.  But, I digress.  If this, indeed, is the typical pattern, I skipped right over step one and on to step two.  My enthusiasm for wine began with a preference for “big” red wines, and I often looked to Spain to satisfy that desire with Rioja and Ribera del Duero’s Tempranillo and the oh so delicioso wines of Priorat.  Wherever your palate preferences fall on the spectrum, Spain has something for everyone.  From sweet Sherry to crisp Verdejo to the boldly flavored Tempranillo, Spain produces fantastic wines worth getting to know.

Spain grows more acres of wine-producing grapes than any other nation with over 2.9 million acres planted.[1]  It is the third largest producer of wine behind France and Italy.[2]  Spain produces a number of distinctive grape varietals that are native to the country including Tempranillo; Monastrell; Albariño; Verdejo; and, Macabeo, Parellada and Xarel·lo (used to produce Cava) .[3]  How many of these varietals have you tasted?

Here is a quick reference guide to the key wine regions in Spain and the most notable varietals produced in such regions:

JEREZ

Sherry is a fortified wine made in several different styles.   Sherry is most often served as a dessert wine.  Lighter, dry styles of Sherry may be served as an aperitif.

LA MANCHA

Admittedly, Bobal is probably not the varietal that La Mancha is best known for producing, but apparently, it is the hidden gem of La Mancha.

NAVARRA

Rosado, or rosé, made from Garnacha is fuller in body and very flavorful.  Rosado is great for sipping on a warm day or pairing with tapas.

PENEDÈS

Cava is Spain’s best known bubbly, produced mostly in Penedès.  Cava is a sparkling wine made by the Champagne method with Macabeo, Parellada and Xarel·lo grapes.

RIAS BAIXAS

Albariño is an acidic, aromatic white wine with notes of citrus and stone fruit.  It pairs well with a variety of dishes from seafood to poultry.

RIOJA

Tempranillo is a full-bodied red wine aged in oak barrels for at least one year.  The classic expression of Tempranillo is very earthy while the modern style is more fruit forward.

RUEDA

Verdejo tends to be a crisp white wine with notes of citrus.  Its acidity allows it to pair well food.

The next time you see these varietals on the wine list or in your local wine store, don’t be afraid to try them, and let us know what you think.

Albert Mann “Cuvée Albert” Riesling Alsace 2009 is a fantastic dry Riesling. Its notes of bright citrus dance on your tongue but are held in balance by the undercurrent of limestone minerality and fresh notes of lemongrass, peach stone, and toasty baking spices.  It is complex and yet so fresh.  Cuvée Albert has enough weight and vibrant acidity to pair well with a variety of dishes.

We enjoyed Cuvée Albert with miso salmon, and it was a perfect pairing.  The round texture of the Riesling matches the weight of salmon.  Just as the Riesling’s minerality balances its own fruity notes so well, it also balances the sweetness of miso sauce.

Cuvée Albert is a Riesling for everyone.  Even those who don’t typically like Riesling really enjoyed this dry style.  This is the perfect Spring wine that you can sip and savor with food or alone.

Rating:  

Price:  $21

How many times have you had a few friends over and opened a couple bottles of wine, but didn’t know what to pair with the wine?  My life is much too busy to have a full spread of tea and crumpets ready when my friends decide to drop by.  On those impromptu gatherings, it always goes something like this: Wine? Check.  What to serve with it…hmm?  I open the cabinet to find crackers, but I don’t have any cheese.  Cheetos just doesn’t seem appropriate.  Chips and salsa will overwhelm the wine.  Granola bars? Nah.  This is where Brix Bites chocolate and Cookies & Corks come in handy.

If you thought those late nights sitting around the kitchen table with your BFF and a bottle of wine couldn’t get any better…just add chocolate.  Brix Bites chocolate for wine are tasty bite-sized pieces of chocolate that are made specifically to pair with wine.  The chocolate comes in four varieties: Milk Chocolate pairs with Port, Ice Wine, Rosé, and Pinot Noir; Medium Dark pairs with Zinfandel, Rhone, Merlot, Shiraz;  Extra Dark pairs with Cabernet Sauvignon, Bordeaux, and Barolo; and, Smooth Dark pairs with Champagne, Riesling, and Pinot Noir.  These are great because they actually do pair well with the suggested wines and are individually wrapped.  If there are any left over, you can just put them back in the box and store them in the cupboard for next time.

Cookies & Corks has a variety of sweet and savory cookies that can be purchased in variety packs for pairing with red wine, white wine, or sparkling wine.  In addition, six of the cookies are available for purchase in a single flavor box.  Some of the cookies are very tasty, but pairing them with wine can get a little tricky.  Each of the cookies in the white wine pairing box, for example, does not pair well with all white wines.  You have to be sure to pair each cookie flavor with the specific type of white wine it was designed to pair with.  I particularly liked the savory cookies: parmesan thyme, apricot sage, and white cheddar rosemary.  Cookies & Corks make fun and unique pairings.

Try Brix Bites and Cookies & Corks and let us know what you think in the comments.