Wine Blogging Wednesday- North vs. South

Remy, at The Wine Case, hosts this month's Wine Blogging Wednesday. The theme? North vs. South. So tonight, the Wooden Guys and I will be looking at Garnacha from Spain and Grenache from Australia. I am just going to compare first nights for both. The wines will be reviewed over two nights individually.



First, the Garnacha:

2005 Viñedos y Bodegas Pablo Garnacha Cariñena Menguante

Type Red
Producer Viñedos y Bodegas Pablo
Variety Garnacha
Designation Menguante
Country Spain
Region Aragón
Appellation Cariñena
Price $8.99

Night One

This has a powerful nose, full of blackberry, mulberry, and orange peel.

The palate is extraordinarily complex for an under $10 wine. It starts with blackberries and pepper, then adds orange peel, intense spices and licorice. The wine is medium-bodied and tannins are smooth, adding leather to the finish. The finish is long.

This is absurdly good for an under $10 wine. Is it great? No, not really. Is it great on a price to quality ratio? Heck yeah. Come back on Night Two to see it it stands up.

And now, the Grenache:

2005 Yangarra Estate Grenache Old Vine

Type Red
Producer Yangarra Estate
Variety Grenache
Designation Old Vine
Country Australia
Region South Australia
SubRegion Fleurieu
Appellation McLaren Vale
Price $25.98

The nose opens with some jammy dark fruit, mostly elderberry, with black pepper, earth and brambles. It also has an underlying lingering licorice aroma.

The palate is very true to the nose. The wine opens with jammy dark elderberry and black pepper. It has earth and brambles, giving it underlying depth and keeping it from qualifying as a "fruit bomb." Licorice is more pronounced on the palate than the nose. A bit of dried orange peel appears on the mid-palate. The finish is mid-length and trends away from the fruit and toward black pepper and orange peel.

North versus South

The first obvious difference is the price difference. The Garnacha is under $10, while the Australian Grenache is over $25. The Australian is not two-and-a-half times better than the Spanish. In fact, I think I like the Spanish one better. It is more balanced, offers a far more interesting and entertaining nose, and has a better mid-palate. In the Spanish wine, and Spain is a warm weather country, too, the fruit is not big and jammy. Tannins and acid balance nicely, and the different tastes balance out. On the other hand, the mulberry dominates in the Australian wine, while everything else plays second-fiddle.





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Wine Blogging Wednesday #51- Bodegas Hidalgo Manzanilla La Gitana N.V.

Today's post is brought to you by Wine Blogging Wednesday, hosted this month by 1 Wine Dude, who is not only a great wine blogger, but also the only one who tops "2 Days per Bottle" in link lists. The topic this month? Baked goods:

"Baked Goods" - wines that are deliberately heated, or Madeirized. According to the way-cool wine glossary at RedWineBuzz.com, Madeirized wines describes the "intentional oxidation of grapes in an estufa (hothouses used for this purpose in Madeira, where these wines are made). The resulting wines (typically whites) are sweet and caramelized in taste."

These wines often also have nutty aromas, a honey-like mouthfeel, and distinctive bronzed color. Yumminess! Examples include (of course) Madeira, but also wines in other parts of the world such as Australia's Rutherglen Tokays.

Now, Lenn and I do realize that these wines are not always easy to come by, so we're also allowing sweet Fortified wines into WBW 51(WineDude), which should provide enough options for everyone to contribute.

Bodegas Hidalgo Manzanilla La Gitana N.V.

Vintage N.V. Label 1 of 4
Type White - Fortified
Producer Bodegas Hidalgo
Variety Palomino Fino
Designation Manzanilla La Gitana
Country Spain
Region Andalucía
Appellation Manzanilla de Sanlúcar de Barrameda
500 ml
$11.95 from Chambers Street Wines

Night One

The color is a very light bright yellow straw.

The nose on this is bright and delightful, fresh apple peel, nuts, and the frothy salty tops of waves on an Atlantic beach. On the palate it is very crisp and tight. The taste on the initial attack is very fresh tart apples dipped in kosher salt, followed by lightly toasted salted almonds. The finish lingers for a long time.

Night Two

The nose has not changed from Night One to Night Two. On the palate it is just as salty, with less fruit and some liquid smoke and toasted nuts. This is incredibly flavorful, but the flavors are unusual in a wine, even a fortified wine. Salt is really the predominant flavor, so if you are not a greek olive and feta fan don't bother. The finish is different, fruity with apples as an aftertaste.

I don't really love this wine. I am, however, quite fascinated by it.

UPDATE- a hat tip to Alex of Eating Leeds for the reminder, for Manzanilla is most definitely a food wine. I drank think with mixed salted nuts and dried fruit (almonds, pistachios, cherries, raisins). Even with the salted nuts this was too salty for my personal taste, but that is most definitely a personal palate observation, not a criticism of the wine itself.

WBW Special Release- A toast to the end of the Bush Era

What will you drink to toast the end of the Bush era? Will it be something to honor the 43rd President, or are you just looking forward to 44? Will it be something from Texas, which Bush calls home, or Connecticut, where he was really raised? Maybe a nice French champagne, a bit of a poke in his eye? Or do you prefer Italian prosecco, since they supported the "War on Terror"? Whatever it is, get ready to lift a glass and toast the end of an era that America will never forget.

This diary is brought to you by my own site, 2 Days per Bottle, and Wine Blogging Wednesday, a cooperative venture of the wine blogging community. Wine bloggers, meet political bloggers. Political bloggers, meet the wine people. And please come back to see the results of the first WBW Special Release, when the world's wine bloggers review their choice for January 20, 2009.

Wine Bloggers around the country and around the world will post their choices on Wednesday, September 17. I will post a compendium of them here, but hope you will visit all the sites to see what everybody was drinking.

(The reviews below are from Cellar Tracker, the most people-driven wine site on the internet.)

Will you be drinking Marietta Cellars Old Vine Red Lot Number 43, Karthäuserhof Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel #43, or Cameron Hughes Zinfandel Lot 43 Dry Creek Valley, in honor of our 43rd President? Or will it be Cameron Hughes Cabernet Sauvignon Lot 44 or Marietta Cellars Old Vine Red Lot Number 44 because you have already moved on to 44 and any new President will be an improvement? Will you turn to Texas in honor of the departing President, to drink one of Texas's sparkling wines, like Delaney Vineyards Texas Champagne Brut, or do you prefer your Texas wines red, like Fredericksburg Baron's Bach Burgandy or Grapevine Texas Winery Grapevine Red? Maybe you remember Bush is not really a Texan, but a rich boy from Connecticut, and you will turn to Priam Vineyards St. Croix or Chamard Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon to fill your glass.

Maybe you want something bubbly to celebrate the end of an era. Champagne, real Champagne from the Champagne AOC in France, is traditional. A small label single grower blanc de blancs is certainly the way to go here, like Pierre Peters Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut Cuvée de Réserve. On the other hand, the French were not very supportive of Bush, so if you're mourning the end of his Presidency, you might want to go with something Italian. After all, the Italians actually sent troops to Iraq, and more than 30 of them died. Nino Franco Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Rustico is always a good, moderately priced choice.

Marietta Cellars Old Vine Red Lot Number 43

This is actually getting better. Nice berry flavor.

Are Bush and his supporters right? Will the "Bush Era" get better as we look back on it?

Nice table red, though I think I prefer the Menage a Trois for that -- at least it's not trying to be more elegant than it is. A little heavy on the zin spice without the thick jammy payoff I'm generally a fan of. Still, good alongside pasta with some kick.

Well heck, don't we all prefer a menage a trois, given a choice? Actually, he's refering to Menage a Trois, a ubiquitous grocery store red table wine. Funny story. I was in a grocery one day looking at the wines and a woman, actually a pretty attractive woman, picked up a bottle of the stuff, looked me in the eye and held it for about three seconds, and said rather pointedly "my husband and I like this one, how about you?"

The last one I had was around 6 years ago, and was substantially better. This one has nice fruit flavor, but the aftertast is a little sour and misses tannins in the middle.

Will this be history's comment on Bush, not so bad up front, but a crappy middle and terrible aftertaste?

Karthäuserhof Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel #43

Opened a month ago and it was nice, but I just had the last glass from the bottle and its really improved with a month of sitting (post-opening) in my fridge. Lots of tropical fruit, and has developed better acid.

Nose is the essence of lime peel and acacia. The palate is very sweet but does not have the acid at present to balance it. Perhaps with time it will improve. Still a very enjoyable (BA-like) wine.

This is clearly a wine for people who found the Bush years to be sweet. I'm guessing it won't be a big seller come inauguration day, but I could be wrong.

Cameron Hughes Zinfandel Lot 43 Dry Creek Valley

Maybe its just me, but I was quite disappointed. Found this wine rather flat. Fruity and very little complexity on the nose or palate. Even @ $11, this wine just isn't worth it in my opinion.

Wonderfully balanced wine with sweet fruit on the nose and a traditional darker fruit with some pepper in the glass. Not overly done or a new world fruit bomb nor is it an over the top hot or heavy zin. Nice finish and great smoothness.

Is this the perfect Bush-toasting wine? Is it either terrible or wonderful, and all in the eye of the beholder?

Cameron Hughes Cabernet Sauvignon Lot 44

Take that 86 with a grain of salt.. It's a young bottle, too young hopefully. I have a case of this and I was curious what was going on with it right now. It had some funk right after opening it but that seemed to clear up. Drinkability improved with time. I really shouldn't even be writing this, as it's probably unfair to try and rate an 05' cab right after finishing a bottle of Elizabeth Spencer Special Cuvee 1999

Maybe this is the way to go. Whoever takes on the mantle of 44, he will be new, full of promise, with little show and a lot to prove. Any new President starts with hope and optimism.

Marietta Cellars Old Vine Red Lot Number 44

Lot 44 is a tad disappointing compared to the last few, and seems a little more reliant on carignan, with a strong presence of the trademark carignan roughness. It also seems just that much lighter that than previous lots, with a shorter finish. There is still that nice spice on the front end, and for a $10 wine, one could do vastly worse. I still stand by these wines as something wine lovers watching their pocketbooks ought to seek out, as the overall quality far outpaces the price. Lots are typically nicely balanced, and this one is no exception.

Or are you ready to be disappointed, just sure that 44 can't be as good as 43? If so, this might be the wine for you.

Delaney Vineyards Texas Champagne Brut

Surprisingly good -- nice acidity, and freshness -- the best sparkling wine I have had from Texas. Good complexity and a pleasant, fairly rich finish.

Were you surprised at how well the Bush Presidency worked out? If so, we have the sparkling wine for you.

Fredericksburg Baron's Bach Burgandy

Yuck! Disgusting.

I have a feeling this might be a big seller.

Grapevine Texas Winery Grapevine Red

What is this horrendous creation? Blueberry sweet tarts. Unbalanced and unenjoyable. May be good to cook with... maybe...

The perfect wine for lefty bloggers to remember Bush.

Priam Vineyards St. Croix

Horrible. Tasted like a bad homemade wine.

This whole Texas/Connecticut thing is showing a trend, don't you think? Maybe we should pick our Presidents based on the quality of their state's wine? Fortunately, both candidates' states seem to produce something drinkable, like Illinois' Lynfred Winery Petite Sirah Private Reserve and Arizona's Dos Cabezas Wine Works Cabernet Sauvignon Cochise County. Pick up a bottle of each and decide who you're voting for.

Chamard Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon

This wine was undrinkable. I poured out the entire bottle.

I'm thinking a lot of people wish they could have done the same thing with Bush.

Pierre Peters Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut Cuvée de Réserve

From magnum, disgorged 12/05. Lovely champagne with baked buscuits on the nose. The flavor profiles are citrus peel with bright acidity. The wine continues to open up in the glass showing more intensity. The finish is clean and lingerng. An excellent NV and I get the excitment behind this particular producer and this bottling lot.

Tasted by Dieter Klippstein on 12/9/2007 & rated 87 points: Lot 092007, which I believe to be based on the 2005 vintage. I have never had such a young Champagne, both from the perspective of vinatge composition and disgorgement date. Yet it's also one of the most flattering flushest and most physiologically ripe Champagnes I've ever had. Probably little in the way of dosage keeps it balanced -- though I don't see bigtime cellarability.

This French Champagne is clearly a wine for those looking forward to the change. It is young, new, fresh and delicious, filled with bright bubbles and promise. It also comes from the little guy, not a big wine corporation. I'm guessing this will only be quaffed if Obama gets the nod. If he doesn't

Nino Franco Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Rustico will get the nod.

Good light prosecco, but not quite as good as expected based on prior and recommendations.

Oh gosh, that does not bode well.

flawed bottle: flat, lost all carbonation, purchased in April 2006. Cork says 2003. Must have been sitting to long in a wharehouse someplace. Sour, lost all sweetness.

Is that a shot at McCain's age? How did they know?

Better than the last bottle we drank about two months ago. We drank it over several days and both us noted that each time it seemed to have a different level of sweetness.

This is the perfect wine for Republicans settling for McCain. Better than Bush, but with "different levels of sweetness." Is that a shot at his famous temper?

I don't know what you will drinking come January 20, 2009. I don't know if you will be mourning or celebrating. But I do know there is a wine for every mood, a perfect glass to mark the occasion. And I hope you will come visit all the different bloggers who make up Wine Blogging Wednesday, get to know some of them, and start to enjoy the fruits of their labors. And you wine bloggers, energy costs, conservation, and global warming are issues that effect every bottle we pour, every glass we drink. I hope you will get involved between now and November, and remember that what you do November 4, 2008, will effect what you drink for decades to come.