VinoWeek Episode 26 - Culinary Schools, Wine Parings and More

Vino101

Happy New Year!

Thirty-one cases of the world's most expensive wine have disappeared from a northern port in France while awaiting shipment to the Liquor Control Board of Ontario in Canada.

Lettie Teague pens a piece titled 'An Insider's Guide to Weird Wine Words'. It's a good primer for explaining some of the jargon used by people in the wine business to describe wine characteristics and flaws.

If you ever wondered why some food and wine pairing work and others don't, this article by Bill St. John will help you understand the key elements of pairing wine with food.

The Culinary Academy is closing all sixteen of its schools in the U. S. Steve Heimoff comes up with a few reasons for the closure and we come up with a few of our own.

Guy Fieri is attempting to dissolve his popular chain of Johnny Garlic's restaurants. The problem is his partner doesn't want dissolution; he wants to purchase Guy's shares of the chain. We'll watch as this one plays out in the court system.

Bill Swindell reports for the Press Democrat on the upward trend of tap rooms opening in Sonoma County.

Levi Dalton provides a detailed accounting of why sommeliers may be facing a difficult year in 2016.

Wines of the Week:

Bele Casel Asolo Prosecco Superiore Extra Brut

Imported by Chambers & Chambers of San Francisco this is not your average supermarket brand Prosecco. To start with it has pedigree. Coming from the Asolo Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita, one of the two areas in the Prosecco growing region that has the D.O.C.G. designation. The difference between a D.O.C. and a D.O.C.G. Prosecco is that the latter comes from the hillier regions of the growing zone and is subject to stricter quality controls and because of the terrain is more likely to be farmed by hand. Bele Casel is a small family owned farm and use no chemicals at their 100% organically farmed twelve hectare site in the Asolo region, in the province of Treviso, north of Venice.

In the glass the wine shows a light straw color with aromas of white peach and green apples. On the palate green apple and lemon, bright acidity with a clean refreshingly dry finish - elegance personified. This is our house bubbly for the month of January. Serve with oysters on the half shell, ceviche, salads, fried calamari and light seafood dishes. 11.5 % abv $12 - $14

2012 Kaiken Ultra Malbec/ Mendoza

Hand harvested 100% Malbec, raised in one, two and three year old French oak barrels for one year - In the glass a deep violet color, the nose shows black fruits, cocoa and vanilla. On the palate blackberries, chocolate and vanilla, full bodied with firm but round tannins. Rich, showy and superbly balanced with good length on the finish. Enjoy this one with fondues, strongly flavored cheeses and grilled steaks. A ridiculously great value at $14 - $16. Readily available at the moment, be forewarned wines of this quality, at this price point get snatched up quickly.

Shone Farms 2012 Estate Pinot Noir

Made by Santa Rosa Junior College Students under supervision of winemaker Chris Wills this Pinot delivers cherry cranberry and earthy mushroom flavors. Smooth and satiny on the pallet.

From the Winemaker: Pinot Noir was hand harvested in the middle of the night to ensure cool fruit and then placed into small bins and transported by forklift to the cellar door before dawn. The morning fruit was hand sorted by SRJC Wine Studies students then destemmed and gently placed into an open top fermenter. The must cold soaked for three days and was then inoculated and allowed to ferment to dryness. The fermentation cap of grape skins was hand punched down three times per day to extract color, flavor, and body components. The must was pressed to dryness, settled and racked to medium-toast French barrels where it aged for 16 months.

As always thanks for listening and tell a friend about us. Cheers!