I am extremely fortunate that I don’t need to be in an alcohol induced haze when I spend time with my family.  The one I was born into, the one I married or the one I choose.  This does not mean we don’t drink when we are together.  It just means it isn’t a necessity.  Wine adds more silliness and laughter, of which we have more than our fair share of when we are completely sober, so imagine the fun when we all get a little buzzed.

Other families are not so lucky.  They do require alcohol to even consider spending the holidays together.  I honestly do not have the credentials to deal with other peoples familial  issues.  I do, however, have the credentials to suggest some awesome wines to pair with a terrible turkey, glorious prime rib, awe inspiring turducken, or whatever your odd group enjoys when you are all together.

I like to begin with a glass of bubbles.  Try a Cava from Spain.  Made in the same way Champagne is made in France.  Cava is generally more reasonably priced.  Cava is a balanced, fruity sparkling wine that is less sweet than Prosecco and less biscuity than Champagne.   If you like to start your celebration with a mimosa, I love to add a little amaretto to my mine.  I got that tip from an extremely friendly flight attendant on a very early morning flight to Miami.

Because I am who I am, I always serve both a white and a red wine.  Gewurztraminer (traditionally grown in Alsace, France and Germany) entices people who generally drink red to take a walk on the white side.  Gewurztraminer is an aromatic wine with flavors of lychee, pineapple, apricot and cantaloupe.  I have heard it referred to as a grown ups Moscato, with higher alcohol, more complexity and lower acidity.

This year we are going to enjoy a Tempranillo, from Spain, but also grown in Portugal, Australia and the US.  Tempranillo is a a medium to full bodied red wine, similar in style to a Cabernet Sauvignon or Sangiovese.  In traditional Tempranillo I taste cherries and leather along with tobacco and clove.  It has medium acid and tannin.  The Spanish wine laws require that the winery list the aging terms on the label.  The first, Vin Joven, we don’t usually see in the US, the other three are what you will most likely find in your local store.  Crianza, aged 6 months in oak, Reserva, aged 3 years with 1 year in oak, and Gran Reserva (only made in great vintages) is aged 5 years, 18 months in oak.  You will find a noticeable difference between the quality of Crianza and Reserva due to the length of barrel aging so it’s worth it to buy a Reserva Tempranillo.

Good luck this holiday season.  Whether you love this time of year or hate it, at least now you have a few wines to bring with you to your family gathering.

Cheers!

J Mac

 

 

I adore summer and it’s wines. The Rose, the Gruner Veltliner, Sauvignon Blanc, and Gewurtztraminer. They are my summer loves. But it’s clear they need to be retired for the next eight months. I ease into my fall wines with Pinot Noir and Beaujolais. As of yesterday I broke out the big guns. 

Wines I love for this time of year include Melville Syrah. Since my fella and I found this wine on a wine tasting trip to Santa Barbara, it has been our Thanksgiving wine. It pairs so perfectly with the turkey and all the trimmings. And, trust me, no one complains when we pour this wine, even the ones who “don’t drink red wine”. But honestly I never listen to anyone who starts a sentence with “I don’t drink”.  It just means they have not found the one they enjoy yet. 

Aglianico is always a favorite of mine. I actually love this varietal so much that I once named a dog Aglianico….true story. They tend to be complex and rich. I get sensation of walking through a bramble bush. Dry, delightfully dusty with juice dark red fruit. 

Speaking of Italy, the first red wine I ever drank was an Amarone and I fell in love instantly. Amarone smells and taste as the inside of a red raisin box smells, the ones my mom used to try and pawn off as dessert when we were growing up. (Side note to my mom….we knew they weren’t dessert. We just trying to be nice by not telling you but we all threw them out when you packed them in our lunches. XOXO) 

Last but certainly not least the Blend. Those delicious wine varietals mixed together to bring out the best that each grape has to offer. I’ve lately been enjoying a wine I found locally made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Syrah and Petite Verdot.  They can be labeled as meritage, table wine, or just red wine. I usually try to find the blends that include my favorite grapes. 

Hope you enjoy these suggestions as the weather gets chilly and the leaves start to turn. 

Cheers!

J Mac 

A few years ago, I was introduced to a wine, Curvature, while working in a high end steakhouse. I sold the wine because I loved it. A guest took my suggestion and ordered it. I bring the wine out, he tastes it, thinks it’s great (bonus points for recommending a wine he’s never heard of) and starts to ask me questions. As I discuss the wine with him, I happen to look at the back label and see Curvature donates a portion of the proceeds to breast cancer charities. Awesome!! Now I love a great wine from Napa Valley that wows a guest who thinks he only likes big name producers and  it gives back.  It’s like multitasking! 

OneHope also gives back.  They donate half of their proceeds to charity! Each varietal is associated with a different charity. For example, Sauvignon Blanc helps save the planet. The California Zinfandel supports the troops. Cabernet Sauvignon donates to autism research and Chardonnay to breast cancer. 

Ehlers Estate donates 100% of their proceeds to cardiovascular research. They also use organic and biodynamic growing practices. Ehlers wines are beautiful and truly good for your heart. 

Lookout Ridge donates a wheelchair to a needy individual with every bottle sold. Their wines are about $100 per bottle which means they give more to charity than they make. That’s pretty impressive. 

I like to look for these wines as I peruse the aisle of a wine store or the pages of a wine list. Some are more expensive than others. Some are better than others. But it always feels good to give to a great cause…..and get to enjoy a glass of wine. 

Cheers!

J Mac

Champagne and sparkling wine is NOT just for special occasions!!  While obviously this is my opinion, it should be a fact.  It can be enjoyed in many ways.  With brunch as a mimosa, with lunch because it makes you smile, with dinner to accompany your first course or throughout your meal.  Or while you are more than a little hungover in Vegas and you mix it with redbull as a morning beverage…..yup, that really happened. 

I had an experience while on a cellar tour at a champagne house.  The woman directing us, telling us the incredible history, story and wine making techniques was continually interrupted by four young women who just could not seem to understand how champagne is made.  I was getting super annoyed and then it dawned on me! Not everyone is a wine geek. Not everyone reads books on wine. Most people probably don’t care about words like riddling.  So here is a very simple explanation of how champagne is made. 

Champagne can only be made in the champagne region of France. Every other wine with bubbles is called sparkling. There are three grapes that can be blended, or not, to make champagne: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunière.  I am going to just discuss champagne production. 

Step 1: Grapes are harvested and brought to the winery. 

Step 2: Grapes are pressed.

Step 3: Grape juice goes through the first fermentation.  This will turn the grapes into a high acid, still wine without bubbles. 

Step 4: Blending the still wines that will create the base wine of the champagne. 

Step 5: The base wine, sugar and yeast are put into a bottle and topped with a crown cap, it looks just like a beer cap.  Bottles are laid on their side and the second fermentation begins, producing alcohol and carbon dioxide (the bubbles). 

Step 6: Aging, which can last a minimum of 15 months.  During this time, the wine rests on the now dead yeast cells.

Step 7: Riddling.  This step pushes the dead yeast cells to the neck of the bottle. 

Step 8: The neck of the bottle is quickly frozen in an ice and salt bath.  The crown cap is removed and the pressure of the carbon dioxide pushes out the frozen plug of dead yeast cells. 

Step 9: Dosage.  A mixture of wine and sugar is added to top off the bottle and adjust sweetness.

Step 10: Cork is inserted and a wire cage is placed on the bottle to ensure that the cork doesn’t shoot out. 

And that’s it! Voila! Now we have champagne!  Always use caution when opening champagne.  If not done correctly, you run the risk of the pressure building up and having the champagne overflow and losing some precious drops of this perfect bubbly beverage. 

I was once given great advice: Tiny bubbles, little troubles.  As in the headache you’ll have the next day. 

Cheers!

J Mac

Riddling

    
  

I love Pinot Noir.  It is a stunning wine, however the popularity of Pinot Noir has made it so everyone loves it.  I sometimes do not want to be a part of “everyone” so I have some secret ‘sort of like Pinot but cooler cause not everyone knows about them’ wines.  These are the varietals I try to steer my guests, my friends or even strangers in the wine store towards when they might be looking to try something different but still stay in their comfortable Pinot zone.

Gamay gets the top spot for me, but don’t be fooled because the label will say Beaujolais.  I prefer a Beaujolais Cru.  A Cru is a vineyard or group of vineyards that has been recognized for its quality.  These wines are light bodied with fruity cherries and raspberries on the palate.  It is a great choice to pair with Thanksgiving dinner.  Don’t worry if your local wine store only has a Beaujolais Nouveau or a Beaujolais Villages.  Just try one and you will see what I mean.

There are so many incredible wines from Italy.  I adore almost every one.  Pinot Noir, also known as Pinot Nero, is grown in Italy.  I find they are a bit heavier than I like my Pinot to be. From the Piedmont region in north-west Italy comes Barbera.  Dark cherry, plum, blackberry, violet and nutmeg are some of the notes you will notice.  Barbera is low in tannins, has bright acidity and  can be enjoyed young.  A fun fact about Barbera…..in Italy there are actually a few slightly sparkling Barberas.  I have never come across one since they usually aren’t exported so if anyone goes to Italy, please bring me back a bottle!

Cheers!

J Mac

 

I did not grow up in a household that drank fancy wine.  I grew up in a household that drank jug or boxed wine.  No exaggeration.  My mom used to drink Chablis from a box.  My first memory of wine is my mothers friend pulling into the driveway in her dark blue VW Rabbit with a jug of Ernest & Julio Gallo chardonnay.

Once I started going out to bars I drank beer or mixed drinks.  I did not start out drinking white zinfandel or Riesling .  Wine didn’t enter my life until I was 23, a Northerner brand new to a charming Southern town, and her first grown up restaurant job.  Meaning, it was a very expensive, white tablecloth, fancy schmancy joint.  I think the general manager hired me because he honestly felt bad for me.

I knew nothing about fine dining, did not know what half (ok, more than 1/2) the words on the menu were and the wine list terrified me.  I left my first shift, drove home to my first grown up apartment and burst into tears.  I was terrified to go back.  I did go back and while the whole staff was nice to me, one person saw my lack of knowledge and insecurities and decided to help.  For the purpose of this persons privacy, I will call him S.P.

By my second week, S.P. had taken me under his wing and was going to teach this little duck how to not make a fool of herself.  By week three I was drinking Pommery Brut Rose champagne.  I then graduated to Babcock chardonnay.  And then, finally my first red wine, Tommasi Amarone.  S.P. taught me to adore Pinot Noir.  How to respect winemakers and the people who sell wine.  I have never looked back.  I jumped in with both feet.  Because I had a teacher who would accept nothing less.  I am lucky enough to have found the person who really wanted to share his knowledge and was genuinely interested in my learning. Who wasn’t the intimidating wine snob we all hate.

Once I left that delightful Southern town, I started to learn more and more.  And then for a little while I refused to learn more because I figured out that wine is one of those subjects that you can never learn everything about.  I got scared and did not want to look like an idiot.  Wine professionals can be intimidating.  I got over that fear once I figured out that no one knows everything and sometimes we all look like idiots, especially if there is enough wine involved.  I just keep learning, keep taking tests, keep reading and tasting.

So, thanks, S.P.  You are an amazing teacher and a treasured friend.  I hope someday that a little duck will need me and I can help them the same way you helped me.

Cheers!

J Mac

I feel as though Chardonnay gets most of the white wine attention.  For deeply personal, and embarrassing reasons (that my mother actually told me not to write about), Chardonnay and I do not share the same space….usually.  There are ethereal Chardonnays, unfortunately they aren’t usually in my budget.

There are varietals that are similar to Chardonnay. They might not be as readily available as Chardonnay but when I find them, they are ordered or bought almost without hesitation. I have found that these wines share quite a few characteristics with the Reigning Queen of white wine, without the personal humiliation of having to actually drink Chardonnay myself.

Viognier, traditionally grown in the Northern Rhone Valley of France, but also the US and Australia, is the first example.  It is textural and aromatic.  On the nose it can have lots of herbacious notes: chamomile, thyme and lavender.  Viognier tastes like white flowers mixed with tropical fruits. Both Viognier and Chardonnay share the same creamy mouth feel and tropical fruits.

Also from the Northern Rhone Valley, Marsanne and Roussane.  The two are traditionally blended.  Think almonds, slightly spiced pear and white peaches.  All with a voluminous mouth feel.  A yummy choice.

I saved my absolutely favorite of this group for last…….Fiano di Avellino.  It is grown in Campania, Italy, as well as in Sicily.  I fell in love with Fiano di Avellino years ago when a wine director named Cindy taught me how to sell it to a guest who says they love Chardonnay.  It is dry, fruity and nutty.  No really, toasted hazelnuts and almonds.  Fiano is a glorious golden color.  With a lively acidity and the aroma of honey, flowers and pears, what’s not to love? Fiano di Avellino was also my first ‘Holy Cow Italian Wine Corks Are Different’ wine.  They tend to be a bit longer so I might have made a complete fool of myself trying to open a bottle that I had just suggested to two lovely ladies.   Thankfully they were very kind to me so I wasn’t scarred for life, as I was with the above not to be discussed Chardonnay experience.

Cheers!

J Mac

I am going to put a disclaimer on this one, my Fella hates Napa Valley Wine Coolers.  Clearly, he is wrong.  I love him dearly despite his poor taste in weird beverages.

My parents gifted me this recipe.  I know, I know, most parents pass on meatball secrets or holiday cookie recipes.  We have those too but this one is infinitely more fun!

The legend goes that in the 1970’s when you went to a bar in California and ordered a wine cooler, you got this concoction.  Bartles & James had not yet bottled their wine/malt beverage yet so bartenders made this up.  I use this when someone has lovingly brought a bottle of wine to my home and it isn’t one I enjoy.  Or it is hot and I would like something refreshing.  Or I have just had an excruciating evening at work.  Or I am having a summer gathering and kind of want to show my wine loving friends how fun wine can be when not taken remotely seriously.  I have had Certified Sommeliers literally raving about Napa Valley Wine Coolers.  I may, or may not, have seen a grown woman near tears after a particularly grueling shift, brighten at the mere mention of a Napa Valley Wine Cooler.

So, here it is.  Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.

Napa Valley Wine Cooler Recipe:

Solo cup (I guess a glass works just as well but somehow a Solo cup makes it taste better)

Ice (I prefer crushed)

Red wine (any varietal)

2 lime wedges

2 lemon wedges

Ginger Ale

Put ice in cup, fill half way with red wine, top with ginger ale, squeeze lemon and lime.  garnish with a straw.

That’s it.  And it is wonderful!!!!

Cheers!

J Mac

 

I am not friends with pinot grigio.  Not because I drank too much at a wedding once but because what I have found, especially by the glass, is mundane.  It lacks imagination. I want a varietal with crisp acidity and a lovely personality. For example, one of my favorites, Picpoul, a Southern Rhone (France) varietal, tastes like a more mature pinot grigio. Picpoul has bright acidity, minerality, an upbeat freshness, citrus, and apricots on the palate.  It is a delightful summer wine.

I do understand that a very large part of the population for some reason enjoys  it….or just orders it because they are afraid to ask questions.  When I experience someone say “Oh, I will just have a glass of pinot grigio” I want to literally scream.  JUST READ THE WINE BY THE GLASS LIST AND SEE WHAT ELSE MIGHT BE OUT THERE!!!!!  (That is my inner sommelier scream)

Wine professionals spend hours, days, weeks and even months designing a wine list. They meet with suppliers, smell wine, drink wine, spit wine, have purple teeth by the time “normal” people are stopping by for happy hour.  They deal with pricing and then once they decide on a wine to offer by the glass, they start to pray that the winery or the state actually has enough to supply a wine by the glass program.  I believe a lot of other wine professionals feel the same way I do about pinot grigio, they are just far too polite to say so on a public forum.

So the next time you are going to just order the same glass of wine you always order, think of that purple toothed wine person who sweat blood to design a list with something for everyone.  And just read it.. Maybe you will find a glass of picpoul or gruner veltliner (Austrian wine that tastes like sauvignon blanc and reisling had a baby).

Cheers!

J Mac

Anyone who knows me would tell you I am not quiet.  In fact, I am a loud person.  I am opinionated, not the least bit shy.  I am emotional and passionate.

I want to write about wine and wine culture.  Not because it is trendy or snooty but because wine truly amazes me.  It is changing all the time.  From the moment the vine starts growing, through harvest, fermentation, aging, bottling, and until the moment you drink it, wine is changing.  Sort of how people evolve as they mature.

I am certain I will make mistakes and offend.  These are my thoughts and stories and experiences.

Hope you enjoy the journey.

Cheers!

J Mac