Vico Riviera Numero 99

Wine Name: Vico Riviera Numero 99

Wine: Falanghina
Country: Italy	Region: Avellino Province
Rating:  Good	Price: $15
Every so often, I discover a new wine, or new wine region, or a blend that I have not tried before and this week’s wine is a new discovery for me. The wine is a Falanghina from Italy and it was a great find. We sampled the wine as an appetizer for our Thanksgiving meal, and it went well. It would be a little fruity ordinarily to go with a fully fledged turkey meal. Falanghina is an old Italian grape variety, apparently originating from Greece, and used to make white wines. The wine is mostly grown in the south, thrives in the volcanic soils surrounding Mt Vesuvious and benefits from the climate influenced by the nearby Mediterranean Sea. Falanghinia wines have been gaining in popularity recently and make a great alternative to the more common Italian whites such as Pinot Grigio. The wine is a light straw color, has a hint of green and has a bouquet of tropical fruits. The taste is fruity and clean, slightly dry with overtones of green apples and pear. It would go well with seafood, soft cheeses, pork and even light tomato based pastas. It would also be a good summer wine and would complement certain summer salads well. The winery is owned by Mario Ercolino who is also the chief wine maker. The winery concentrates on wines produced exclusively from grapes native to the region. All grapes used are also grown on land owned by the winery. The literal translation for the term “Nativ”  is “that from which comes from”   As far as our food pairings, I decided that, being a relative newcomer to Thanksgiving, I could not do a Thanksgiving Turkey justice compared to those that have been doing it for generations, so I decided to focus on a wine we had as a starter to the meal. We had some cheeses, olives, raspberries and blackberries. The wine went well with most and was especially good with the cheeses and olives.

Recommendation: Recommended with appetizers or with seafood, cheeses or even light tomato pasta. If you have not tried Falanghina, I also recommend seeking out this wine and trying it.

 Just in case anyone is interested, the following is what our Thanksgiving meal looked like.

Newton Unfiltered Chardonnay 2011 & Takeout Chinese

Wine Name: Newton Unfiltered Chardonnay 2011

Wine: Chardonnay
Country: USA	Region:  Napa Valley
Rating:  OK	Price: $30
Recommendation: Not recommended, at $30 I don’t think the wine is good value for money. Recently, I found a bottle of unfiltered Chardonnay and became very curious to find out more about it. Wine filtering is a process used to remove particles, such as small skin and stalk, and cells, such as yeast and bacteria. The most common reasons to filter wines are related to cosmetics and risk. From a cosmetic perspective, filtering results in a “clearer” and “cleaner” appearance, especially in white wines. Filtering wines reduces the risk of wine “failure” due to fermentation in the bottle or contamination at a cellular level. So the big question, does it effect the taste of the wine? Well, that depends! This is a matter of considerable debate, many people say that unfiltered wines have enhanced flavors and aromas, on the other hand there is apparently no scientific evidence to support this. So, it is a matter of opinion. I would be interested in your opinion and experiences.   The Newton Vineyard is located on Spring Mountain in St. Helena, around 65 miles north of San Francisco. Spring Mountain is in the Mayacamas range separating the Napa and Sonoma valleys. The vicinity is quite hilly and the vines are grown in parcels that range from relatively flat to steep. The approaches used by the winery for producing their grapes and making their wines strongly support sustainable practices, biodiversity and conservation, which I applaud. The result is a beautiful balance between agriculture and the natural environment. The wines from the winery are produced using natural fermentation and no filtering processes. The grapes are hand-picked in small batches and fermented separately to enhance blending options. The final barrel aging process occurs in a cave in the mountain below the winery. http://www.newtonvineyard.com/wine The Newton unfiltered Chardonnay is a beautiful golden color, a little cloudy, but to me, this only enhances the beautiful color. There is a slight oak fragrance, which adds to the pleasant appearance. The taste is very bold, yet a little harsh with strong acidity. Surprisingly, there was little complexity to the wine and it was low on distinguishable fruit flavors. There was minimal to no oak flavor, which I like in a Chardonnay. If you like very strong un-oaked Chardonnay with some acidity then you might enjoy this wine. Personally, I was disappointed in the wine and the overarching acidity and harshness. It would be preferable with cheeses and cheese based food to counteract the acidity. In my opinion, the wine does not represent good value for the price. I will be on the lookout for other Newton wines as I like their natural concept approach to winemaking. Due to time constraints this week, we had the wine with a takeout Chinese meal from a Chain Chinese restaurant called Pei Wei’s. The food at Pei Wei’s is prepared in open kitchens complete with bursts of flame coming from the woks as the various meals are cooked. It makes for a great visual experience and the food is prepared quickly in full view. The food is good and they claim to include fresh ingredients and no MSG, however, they do not mention the levels of salt and sugar used in their cooking. The prices are reasonable and we like their food.

Rating: I am giving this wine an OK because I felt it was a little too harsh, with too much acidity and lack of fruit character. The overall taste did not support the price tag in my opinion.

Available from HEB supermarket in Houston.

Rioja Bordon Reserva 2007 & Roast Beef

Wine Name: Rioja Bordon Reserva 2007

Wine: Rioja
Country: Spain	Region:  Rioja
Rating:  Good	Price: $15
Recommendation: Recommended, the wine is mellow, subtle, and drinks well with or without food. For this week’s installment, we bring you a wine from the Rioja region of Spain, with Roast Beef and Yorkshire pudding. The Rioja region is in north central Spain, south of the Cantabrian mountains, near the Ebro river, and around two hours drive south of the French border.  Winemaking in Rioja has a long history, dating back to mediaeval times. Rioja wines are famous for Oak aging with influences from Boudreaux winemakers. There are four classifications of wines from the region and the Rioja Reserva classification specifies wines that have been aged for at least three years and at least one year in Oak barrels.   The Franco-Españolas Winery has existed for over 120 years and is the result of a Spanish and French partnership that was created when the French settled in the area due to the devastating Phylloxera plague in France. Today the winery is owned by the Equizábal family and is one of the largest in the region. http://riojabordon.francoespanolas.com/en/ The wine is bright to medium in color, has a slightly earthy bouquet with only hints of oak. The taste includes; blackcurrant, plum, a touch of  chocolate, and slight acidity. It went well with the meal however, it may be a little mellow for beef if you like a full bodied bold red with dark red meats. It may complement meals like lamb and tomato pasta dishes better than beef. Rioja can be made from several different varieties of grapes, the varieties used in this wine are Tempranillo (80%), Granacha (15%) and Mazuelo (5%). Tempranillo is historically the main ingredient in It is a native grape to Spain and has been used as long as wines have been produced in the region. Tempranillo grapes typically provide color, bouquet, and flavor to the wine but lack acidity and sugars and therefore need to be blended. Tempranillo grapes characteristically ripen several weeks prior to most other Spanish red grape varieties. Grenache (Grenache) is a common grape worldwide. It depends on hot dry conditions, which is perfectly suited to many Spanish winegrowing regions. The Grenache grape is often used to add body, and fruit flavors to wines. Conversely to Temppranillo, Grenache is a late ripening variety. Mazuelo is common throughout the world and particularly common throughout the western Mediterranean. Often used to provide “coloring” to wines, the grape is also a late ripening variety. The meal was a simple roast beef with roast potatoes, vegetables, and Yorkshire pudding. I will not provide a specific recipe for the roast beef as it was a relatively straightforward roast, I will however, provide a recipe for the Yorkshire pudding.  Yorkshire Pudding This is a traditional English accessory to the traditional “Sunday roast”. Strangely, the origins of Yorkshire pudding are unknown, the first written record dates back to the early 1700’s. I had not even heard of it before I left Australia to travel the world, but now that I have discovered Yorkshire pudding, I must admit, I love it! Ingredients Plain lower – 1 cup Eggs – 2 Milk – ½ cup Vegetable oil Activity Mix ingredients into thinish batter Let stand for 30 minutes Heat oven to 395° F Place ½ teaspoon of vegetable oil in the wells of a muffin pan Place pan in oven until piping hot Add a splash of cold water (approximately one tablesppon) to the batter Beat vigorously Remove pan from oven Add pudding mixture immediately while pan is very hot. Place in oven for around 10 to 15 minutes until the puddings have risen and are golden brown. Do not open the oven while the puddings are cooking as they may not rise properly or may deflate. Rating: Good. Would blend well with mild red meat like lamb and with tomato pastas, represents good value for money. Available from HEB supermarket in Houston.

Doña Paula Los Cardoso 2013 Malbec

Wine Name: Los Cardoso

Wine:  Malbec
Country: Argentina	Region:  Mendoza
Rating:  Very Good	Price:  Under $10
Recommendation:  Very good wine representing excellent value for money

For a long time, I have been interested in finding a good Malbec but unfortunately I have not had much luck finding one and therefore had been reluctant to keep trying them without a good recommendation. Recently my friends in the Wine Warehouse in Scottsdale (http://www.winewarehousearizona.com/) recommended a Malbec and I was really pleased with the results. It is with great pleasure that I report on the Doña Paula Los Cardoso 2013 Malbec from Argentina.

The Doña Paula winery heralds from the Mendoza region in Argentina. Mendoza is nestled at the foot of the Andes mountains in North\Central Western Argentina. It is famous for producing strong Rugby teams, olive oil and of course wine. The region is the largest and most famous wine producing region in Argentina.  The winery, located at an elevation over 3,00 feet in the foothills of the Andes,  was acquired in 1997 to produce “high quality Malbec. Since then three additional wineries in the region have also been acquired.

The name of the wine, Los Cardos, is Spanish for “the thistles” after flowers that are “known in Argentina for their intense and surprisingly vivid color as well as their sharp thorns”.  Apparently, where these flowers grow in Mendoza is a sign of a good wine growing location.

This wine was very enjoyable, I am a big fan! It has a dark color with a purple tinge and a very pleasant earthy scent, including cherries, plum, and other dark berries. The flavor is smooth and the dark berries shine through with hints of pepper and cocoa.

When I think of Argentina I also think of beef, which is a perfect accompaniment for this wine. We went for a simple grilled steak and it complemented the wine superbly.

When I was cooking the steaks it was a beautiful evening, so I have included some photo’s.





Recommendation: Strongly recommended, exceptional value for money.