The WineMadeEasy Blog

Recently I returned from a trip to Tuscany for work.  Okay… you can stop laughing now.  Really. It was for work. I’m not saying it wasn’t glorious, because it was.  But it truly was a work trip.  My colleagues and I visited nine wineries in five days and drove several miles on winding roads with tricky signage and a GPS system with a voice that sounded a bit like Helen Miren on Quaaludes.  But close calls (including driving down the wrong way on a very narrow one way road) and screaming back seat drivers aside, how often does one get to experience some of the most beautiful vistas, eat some of the most extraordinary cuisine or taste some of the finest wine on the planet in one relatively small region?

It is no secret that I am a big fan of French wines, particularly those that are tasty and affordable.  My older brother Bob, who also used to be in the wine business, loves French wines as well. For years we sipped and discussed various Burgundies, Bordeauxs and Rhones.  Occasionally we’d find something out of the ordinary that struck us as being a hidden gem.

The Fair is over, it’s getting darker earlier, parents are thinking about getting “back to school” clothes for the kids…Summer is ‘setting’.  I’m not saying it’s over, so please don’t panic.  There is still plenty of nice days left before the big chill comes.  But nights have been a bit cooler and with that change brings the return of red wines which may have taken a back seat to Roses and crisp whites in the last couple of months.

Once in awhile we stumble across a wine that we find delicious and expect to pay a premium price, but are pleasantly surprised to find that the wine is actually a great bargain. Sometimes it happens with a Cotes du Rhone that tastes like a Chateauneuf du Pape or a Cremant de Loire that could stand in for a fine Champagne.  This is the case with 2013 Gran Passione Veneto Rosso.

When I was a kid, I used to get a kick out of the quirky eating habits of my Dad.  He wouldn’t eat a sandwich without a pickle on the side, had to have his coffee in a cup with a saucer, never a mug, and instead of vanilla ice cream with his apple pie he liked a slice of sharp cheddar cheese. At the age of 9 or so, I thought that was just plain gross.

Last week I wrote about a less sweet alternative to Moscato in the form of the off-dry Jacob Heims Steep Slope Riesling. This week I’d like to do the same for those searching for a simple, dry, yet somewhat fruity alternative to a Pinot Grigio. I recommend giving a Mueller Thurgau a try.

In the not too distant past, this was the Rodney Dangerfield of grapes. It was initially from Switzerland, then made its way to Germany where it was widely grown after World War II to help save the vitaculturial economy. Hardy, easy to grow, the Mueller Thurgau produced easy to drink table wines. Low and behold it took off and in some ways helped the German cheap wine craze in the 1960’s that Americans embraced.

After a period of time where higher end German wines were catching on, particularly off dry and dry Rieslings, sales of Blue Nun, Black Tower and wines made from Mueller Thurgau decreased. Of course what goes around comes around, and this light, simple, crisp dry white is back in favor.

In the midst of the Moscato craze that has been dominating the sweet-white wine drinking world of late, it might be time to step back and enjoy a wine that is still fruit laden and refreshing without the excessive sweetness that some moscatos contain.  

In the hot days of July, it’s always nice to find a white wine that has a good amount of flavor that isn’t heavy and laden with oak.  One such wine is vermentino.  In general, vermentino is a dry, crisp, and herbal white wine from the Mediterranean Islands of Corsica and Sardinia, as well as the Ligurian-Tuscan coastline of Italy. 

When we think of Pinot Gris we generally think of Alsace or Oregon.  Finding a Pinot Gris from New Zealand was unexpected.  Down there we think more about Sauvignon Blanc.

At first I was somewhat skeptical of the Jules Taylor Pinot Gris because my mind kept calling it a Sauvignon Blanc and I expected something very dry with considerable grapefruit notes.  But even though we don’t think of the Marlborough region of NZ famous for Pinot Gris, they certainly are capable of making very good ones.

Last weekend I recommended the Rubus Cabernet Sauvignon to pair with filet mignon, hot dogs or hamburgers for your July 4^th picnic. For those of you who want something cooler, yet still dry and easy to pair with many summer foods; I recommend the Chateau Lamothe 2013 Bordeaux Rose.