Thursday, October 29, 2020
Thursday, October 1, 2020
Merlot: Varietal of the Month
After years of being maligned due to the preferences of a grumpy character in the movie Sideways, Merlot is back. Again. Merlot never went away really, it’s just been patiently waiting for you to rediscover it’s many charms.
Dark and inky in in the glass, with soft to medium tannins, Merlot remains one of the most popular grape varieties. Flavors range from strawberry, red berry, plum, cedar, tobacco to blackberry, plum, and black cherry. Merlot is one of the primary grapes used in Bordeaux wine, and it is the most widely planted grape in the Bordeaux wine regions.
Merlot pairs well with Italian fare and also great with roasted meats, grilled veggies and many tomato based dishes.
Cast 2016 Merlot Windsor Oaks Vineyard Chalk Hill
The Cast 2016 Merlot, Windsor Oaks Vineyard, Chalk Hill is dark garnet in the glass with aromas of black cherry, chocolate and hint of cedar. Flavors of blackberry, mulberry and mocha predominate with good acidity and a velvety mouth feel. Each sip builds upon the last with a long lingering finish. Pair with hearty lamb stew or lamb kabobs.
Colagrossi 2016 Merlot RRV, Sonoma County
The Colagrossi 2016 Merlot from Russian River Valley is a bit of a chameleon at first. The pale ruby color shows a tinge of gold about the edges. At first, bright fruit notes of pomegranate and tart cherry dominate the palate, then as it opens it glides gracefully into a plush crush of dark berry fruits with a top note of vanilla and a intriguing touch of sage. Nice structure and good acidity make this Merlot a great prospect for pairing with rich cheesy lasagna.
DeLoach 2018 Merlot Heritage Reserve
Dark purple in the glass, the De Loach 2018 Merlot Heritage Reserve floats like a cloud across the palate. Soft and supple it’s full of dark plum and blueberry jam flavors with grounding notes of vanilla and candied violets. Long finish, with an edge of bay leaf linger on the palate. Pair with charcuterie board of pate, rich cheeses, salami, and grilled vegetables.
Hook and Ladder 2015 Merlot Los Amigos Ranch, Chalk Hill
The Hook and Ladder 2015 Merlot, Los Amigos Ranch, Chalk Hill is a sight to behold in the glass with a dark purple glow. A rich scent of mocha, violets and vanilla prevails and sets the stage for an earthy blend rhubarb, tobacco leaf and tart cherry on the palate.
Nice medium body with a good balance of fruit and acid. Pair with juicy lamb burgers.
Pedroncelli 2017 Merlot Bench Vineyards Dry Creek Valley
Dark garnet color in the glass, the Pedroncelli 2017 Merlot, Bench Vineyards, Dry Creek Valley has velvety smooth tannins and dark fruit flavors. The aroma is floral but spicy with scents of violets and rosebud with a note of thyme. Flavors of ripe sugarplum, tart cherry, blueberry, and cedar notes fill the palate with vanilla and graphite on the finish.
Pair with pork roast and apple, sage, mushroom stuffing for a festive occasion.
Taft Street 2017 Merlot Alexander Valley, Sonoma County
The Taft Street 2017 Merlot is red garnet in color with scents of dusty rose petals and anise. Tart red raspberry and red cherry flavors on the approach settle into deep grounding notes of cedar, tobacco leaf, turtle truffle and chocolate. Medium body with fruity finish and stalky tannins. Pair with roast chicken and stuffed mushrooms.
This post first appeared on Along the Wine Road Blog here.
Thursday, September 17, 2020
Tuesday, September 1, 2020
Chardonnay: Varietal of the Month
Chardonnay is one of the world’s most planted white grapes.
Its many styles, oaked and unoaked, make it a versatile choice for a variety of
pairings. Chardonnay is typically full to medium in body and acidity with low
to no tannins. From bold and rich, to lean and lithe it’s guaranteed you’ll
find a Chardonnay to suit your palate.
Here are capsule reviews of Chardonnay’s you’ll find along
the Wine Road.
On the nose the 2018 Bowman Chardonnay has an unmistakable
scent of buttered popcorn that opens up to aromas of fresh baked bread, coconut
and an intriguing chalky-peach note. Steady acidity carries the lush flavors of
gooseberry, vanilla, apple, straw and tomato leaf to the finish. Pair with
something rich such as a lobster risotto.
Focused and polished, the 2016 Chalk Hill Chardonnay is
full-bodied and appealing on many levels from start to finish. Rich scents of
vanilla, baked apples, and orange blossom lead seamlessly to a lush mouthful of
creamy peach and caramelized pineapple. Beautiful balance of fruit and acid
shapes this Chardonnay into an instant classic with good aging potential. Indulge
with high-low pairing of potato chips and caviar with dollop of crème fraîche.
Bright yellow-gold in color, the 2015 Dutton Estate Kyndall’s
Reserve Chardonnay is buoyant with aromas of lemon, peach and vanilla butter cream.
Upon opening, the flavors continually shift and change, it’s like a DJ
scratching a record back and forth and then—BOOM, the groove drops and
everything falls in to place. Rich, full, and satisfying it offers a seamless
connection between the fruit and acid with a medley of apple, bosc pear, and zesty
lemon on the palate. Pair with crab cakes.
Straw pale yellow in color, the 2017 Gary Farrell
Chardonnay, Russian River Valley is bursting with an intoxicating array of
scents from citrus blossoms, jasmine and lilac to creamy white peach.
Structured and balanced with great vibrancy, the initial flavors offer bright
zesty lime and tropical notes, followed by a soft finish grounded with rich
notes of piecrust and crème brulee. Pair with truffle popcorn! A classic
deserves a classic.
I’ve always liked Chardonnay, but I do admit I’ve ignored
its charms over the past few years. Recently my love for the grape was
rekindled by this 2015 Jigar Chardonnay from Peters Vineyard in Russian River
Valley. It’s a delightful balance of earthy dried apple and spicy carnation on
the nose with a lift of lemon curd and creamy peach on the palate and a pop of
acidity on the finish. Nice body with a touch of oak that minds it P’s and Q’s.
It definitely punches up in its weight class.
In the glass the 2016 Paradise Ridge Chardonnay, Bazzano
Vineyard, Russian River Valley glows pale yellow with a slight tinge of green
at the edge. Bright, clean and lean the aromas are fresh and fruity bursting
with green apple, a touch of lanolin and a lovely lingering white floral scent.
White peach flavor predominates at the start, and then segues into honeydew
with a light lime finish. Pair with a Croque Monsieur (grilled ham and cheese)
or Croque Madame, which is essentially the same as Monsieur sandwich but with an
egg sunny side up, on top.
Gosh this is a nice Chardonnay! Pale straw yellow in the
glass, the 2018 Sbragia Chardonnay, Home Ranch Dry Creek Valley presents with
butter and vanilla on the nose initially, then gives way to bright notes of
lime and mandarin. Full bodied with creamy flavors of white peach, honey, citrus,
green apple and tropical fruits make this a pleasant journey from start to
finish. Enjoy on it’s own or break out the Brie and crackers for a simple
pairing.
Lizzo would like this Juice!
Bright, rich and plush, with texture in all the right places the 2017 Zialena
Chardonnay exhibits the earmarks of a classic. It’s fresh and zesty with flavors
of tropical citrus and ripe nectarine, and balanced with notes of toasty
marshmallow and butterscotch. Pair with eggplant caponata.
(Ya-ya-ee, ya-ya-ee….)
https://www.alongthewineroad.com/chardonnay-varietal-of-the-month/
Sunday, August 23, 2020
Follow Up Thoughts on the WMC Travel and Wine Writing Panel
Zephyr did a great job hosting a virtual online conference.
But by not being in person, it was difficult to get a bead on the immediate needs of the audience by a
quick “show of hands’ type poll to determine how to best tailor the content.
We never did mention that what our panel was really discussing-- wine tourism.
Wine + Travel = Wine Tourism.
I think it’s important to think about your travel writing from
wine tourism perspective because it will help focus your pitches and how you
approach a story, be it for outside media or your blog. I actually have a Wine
Tourism tab on my blog. Please Note—I
have not updated this blog regularly (or at all really) in the last several years because paying
work is my priority. Some posts are courtesy posts about trips for stories I
could not place out.
One thing I wanted to say on the panel is it helps to know
what your goals are. What do you want to achieve by adding travel content into
your wine writing?
* Do you want to be published in high profile print media
(National newspapers or glossy magazines) or online media?
* Are you looking to start a freelance career? Or transition
into full-time freelance writing? (Spoiler alert: It’s not easy or profitable.)
* Do you just want to augment your wine blog with travel
writing?
* Do you want wine samples and press trips?
You must know what you want before you can get it. I believe once you
truly know what you want—nothing can stop you.
The Pursuit of a Published By-Line
Some people are obsessed with getting published because they
think it gives them legitimacy. Yes, in many respects it does, but your work is
worthy regardless of whether it is published or not. You don’t need anyone else
to confer status upon you. Own it for yourself first.
I have travel writer friends who have “by-line fever” they just
want to see their name in print. That’s their motivation. (The only place I
want to see my name is on the check!)
Unfortunately “by-line fever” can lead to the dreaded “work
for exposure” trap. Meaning no pay, work
for free. You may feel it’s a quick ramp up to publishing riches but it’s not.
It just serves to drive down quality and pay rates across the board and hurts
all writers. Don’t work for free or “per click” rates. That’s what your blog is for!
Blogs
Blogs are back again. I see more and more PR’s happy to see work published on blogs as they too are faced with the disruption and
collapse of the traditional print industry as they try to get their message out.
Your voice and opinion is worthy and you will
find an audience and attract notice if you bring a fresh perspective to the
topic and inject it with your personality and sensibilities.
—Be yourself but have a point.
—Inform and entertain.
NOTE—do not
publish anything on your blog that you think you might want to pitch out. If
it’s been published, even on your blog, it will not be considered.
Pitching
These days more and more work is assigned in house. So it’s
difficult to pitch unless your story is newsworthy, you have a special
knowledge in some way, or the pretty much guaranteed to be accepted—it’s about
a celebrity and you have secured an interview.
To break in to print try pitching the personal page or the
essay portion of the magazine.
Always read several issues of the periodical you are
pitching to get a feel for the tone and style before you pitch.
Think beyond the standard glossy Wine and Travel periodicals
—affinity group periodicals often have money and budget. Look to alternative print
outlets in travel such as:
—Airline magazines although these are budgets are shrinking
and the wonderful Southwest Air magazine folded recently.
—Regional AAA publications.
—Lifestyle publications in which feature wine/travel content
Golf, Boating, Etc.
—Professional Trade Organization Magazines
Doctors, Dentists,
Insurance, Realtors, etc.
The “I” in Travel Writing
In the panel discussion I said that historically there was
no “I” in travel writing, but I think that’s no longer the case—what I meant is
I do think it is acceptable to inject some of your personal experience into a
story—but not at the expense of the subject matter.
There are instances where you may be you the lynchpin or
conduit through which the story or an element of the story is told or
illuminated. This type of storytelling is normally only in the personal essay,
although I see it happening more in other types of articles.
But I do agree with Per that the tedious regurgitation of a
trip in the form of a travel diary entry such as —I did XXX, and then we went
to XXX —is always to be avoided.
Editor Feedback and Improving Your Writing
Getting feedback from an editor on your work is valuable and
important. But these days you may not get much more than a few minor changes.
Anthologies are a good way to break into travel writing and
editors do spend considerable time with you to shape your story. It’s a great
learning experience, you will get paid (usually just an honorarium $100 and a
few copies of the book) but you are published and now have a good
credit/example of your work.
There are many annual Travel Writing Anthologies that have
open submissions throughout the year. Just Google calls for submissions. Unfortunately there are not really any Wine Writing
Anthologies—but someone should get right on that! ;-)
I totally agree with Per that you must READ.
If you want to be a writer you must first be a reader.
Take a class or attend a writing conference. There is very
little that you can learn in a one hour panel talk or workshop on writing. You
really need to spend the time and money on qualified instruction.
Some Conference Examples:
Consider taking a local writing workshop or online travel writing class.
Final Thoughts
Wine or Travel Writing as a full-time career is not
impossible—just improbable given the shrinking of outlets, reduced staff and
continual pay cuts.
That being said —this pandemic will eventually end, and
while the virus might linger forever, preventative methods and vaccines will
allow for resumption of travel. But what remains to be seen is what the travel
and wine tourism industry will look like—what will change, what will end and
what new ideas and modes will emerge? What types of destinations will rebound
first. What about the cruise industry—winemaker cruises have been popular in
the past, how may that change?
As you consider what topics you want to write about, seek to
observe and note what’s changing, what’s just beyond the topic, the story
hidden within the story.
There’s a thing astronomers call averted vision—it’s how
when you look at a star or bright object you need to look slightly away to the
edge to see it clearly —and I think that’s the same technique you need to find
a good story, be aware of what’s happening on the periphery.
Additional Resources:
Per Karlsson’s notes on the panel
Additional Resources:
Per Karlsson’s notes on the panel
Books
Good luck!
Thursday, August 20, 2020
Wednesday, August 5, 2020
Pinot Noir --Varietal of the Month
Pinot Noir can be finicky and difficult to grow, but when the conditions are right it creates one of the world’s most popular wines. Here in Sonoma County, in the Russian River Valley and along the Sonoma Coast, we have some of world’s best vineyards and growing conditions for producing classic Pinot Noir of elegance and complexity.
Here are capsule reviews of Pinot Noir wines you may find along the Wine Road.
Balletto 2017 Pinot Noir Estate Grown RRV
Oh yes, it has the unmistakable scent of Russian River Valley—loamy and earthy with complex notes of cigar box, dusty rose, black cherry, licorice and a whiff of bacon. Medium bodied with taut yet well-integrated tannins, the 2017 Balletto Pinot Noir Estate Grown RRV, is full of bright acidity with flavors of black cherry, cranberry, all spice and white pepper. A classic Pinot from a classic region.
D & L Carinalli Vineyards 2018 Estate Pinot Noir RRV
Light and floral this 2018 D & L Carinalli Vineyards Estate Pinot Noir from Russian River Valley opens with a distinct notes of sage and chamomile. The bright juicy red fruit flavors of raspberry and black cherry are tempered by a grounding undertone of vanilla and cedar that deliver great texture and knit into a bright yet silky finish. Elegant and structured it’s well suited for aging or enjoy now with friends from a distance or over Zoom.
Furthermore 2015 Pinot Noir La Encantada Vineyard, Sta. Rita Hills
Pale garnet in color, the Furthermore 2015 Pinot Noir La Encantda Vineyard, Sta. Rita Hills opens with notes of baking spice, a hint of thyme and a floral scent of crushed rose petals. This Pinot hails from the central coast and is full of juicy black fruits, cherry and a touch of fig preserves with a long and lingering finish that floats softly on the palate. Good structure and balance make this age-worthy if you have the self-control not to drink it immediately.
Papapietro Perry 2016 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast
This Papapietro 2016 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir is a little bit country and a little bit rock ‘n roll— and by that I mean it hits all the right notes to create a symphony of flavor. On the nose it displays classic notes of dark berry fruit, brambles and allspice. The rich flavors offer a back beat of juicy tart pomegranate, black cherry and licorice with great balance and racy acidity. Each sip takes you deeper into a concentrated melody of pure Pinot pleasure.
Sonoma-Cutrer 2016 Pinot Noir Vine Hill Vineyard Russian River Valley
Bold and spicy this 2016 Sonoma-Cutrer Pinot Noir is grown in the famed loamy Goldridge soils of the Russian River Valley. Dark garnet in color it presents a rich and multifaceted flavor profile full of ripe raspberry, dark plum, and blackberry with a lift of earthy sage and notes of cinnamon and black pepper. Texture abounds with round firm tannins and juicy acidity that carries through the lengthy finish.
Woodenhead 2015 Pinot Noir RRV
This brilliant ruby red Woodenhead 2015 Pinot Noir RRV has a pretty nose of dusty lavender and sagebrush. The palate presents a dichotomy of flavors—from ripe sweet blueberry and raspberry jam notes to tart bright cherry, strawberry and rose hips. Then, just when you think you’ve got it pegged, it opens up with surprising savory notes of leather, juniper and clove. It’s a complex kid that strikes a balance of soft tannin and zesty acidity as it continually evolves in the glass. A boost of French oak gives it a round and toasty warm finish.
This post was first published on Along the Wine Road here.
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