Fred Tasker's Wine Beneath The Palms

"Uncorked" rules wine world from Dayton, Ohio

        You want to know about all things hedonistic in Dayton, Ohio, you check with Mark Fisher. He writes food stories, reviews restaurants, turns out a wine column and a daily blog called “Uncorked” -- all for The Dayton Daily News.

       "There’s a fairly active wine scene here," he says. "It’s not a closed society; we have new faces in it all the time. We have our big wine festival coming up in a couple of weeks."

       Fisher has developed a lot of clout for a guy writing from a city of 156,771 in a metropoliltan area of 835,537 in southwestern Ohio. In March, one of his readers visited a wine shop and noticed that different bottles of an inexpensive Italian wine were of distinctively different colors. Suspecting that two batches had been bottled as a single wine, Fisher led his readers in poking fun at the distributor until it removed the bottles from shelves nationwide.

       "It was a viral response," he says.

       Fisher has won an avid following with his humor, upbeat tone and by engaging his readers in conversations with him and each other. He has taken on on such sensitive topics as a discussion among young men about whether wine is naturally a “girls drink” that needs to be made macho by drinking it among the tailgating beer swillers at Cleveland Browns football games.

       Fisher, watching the game, cast an audacious vote for the manliness of wine by sipping a 1975 Chateau Lafite-Rothschild. And rooting for the Cincinnati Bengals.

       When I started my wine blog in The Herald, Mark was kind enough to welcome me to the world of wine blogging. The two of us have swapped links now, so you can click over to him from my blog at any time. You'll be entertained.

      

Wine festival season winding down on Las Olas

     Fella named Eddie Zubric e-mails all the way from Vienna to say:
      Hi Fred. My sons and I are going to be in South Florida in May. We’d appreciate information about some nice wine festivals there. Thanks a bunch.

     Eddie, you’re just in time. The outdoor wine festival season is winding down quickly as hurricane (sigh) season approaches.

     But there’s a good one on Thur., May 1. The Las Olas Wine and Food Festival takes place from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Las Olas Boulevard between Southeast Eighth Avenue and Southeast 11th Avenue, with 44 wine and spirits tables and 57 restaurant tables. Price is $75.

     And there’s a VIP Reception from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Las Olas and Eighth Avenue. Price is $200.

     “We’re cutting off attendance at 2,000,” says event director Paula Ettline. “There won’t be any feeding frenzies.”

     Tix must be purchased in advance. See www.lasolaswineandfood.com or call 954-524-4657.

A Kentucky Derby fan deconstructs the Mint Julep

Louisville native Kevin Jones, on my assertion that the Mint Julep is the most too-sweet drink on the planet:

    "The sugar crash is real.. Sipping cocktails while doing a roller coaster ride of adrenaline due to the races, does take it's toll at the end of the day."

      See his full comments below.

Lyn Farmer nominated again for James Beard Award

      Congrats to wine pal Lyn Farmer, senior editor of the Coral Gables-based Wine News magazine, who has been nominated again for the James Beard Journalism Award in the magazine category of “Writing on Spirits, Wine or Beer.” 

       It’s for his article Something Old, Something New - a global thirst for Champagne ushers in refashioned cuvées in the December 2007/January 2008 issue of Wine News. Lyn won the award in 2003 for another champagne article. Guess we know what he likes to drink.

Kentucky Derby question: Is Mint Julep too sweet?

       Wine consultant Barry Alberts suggests that I start a regular “Wine Question of the Week” feature – posing trenchant questions and asking readers to comment. It’s a good way to get wine discussions going, he says.

       Good idea, Barry. Here goes.

       But, see, I’m violating the rules with the first question, because it’s not about wine. It’s about liquor.

     The question: With the 134th Kentucky Derby coming up Sat., May 3, can it be argued that its official drink, the Mint Julep, is the worst mixed drink in history?

       Could any other drink be as cloyingly sweet? The official Kentucky Derby Mint Julep recipe calls for equal parts of sugar and water, for gosh sakes -- then adds mint and Early Times Kentucky Whisky, a form of bourbon, the sweetest liquor on the planet.

     And Early Times claims to sell 120,000 of them over the two days of the Derby and Kentucky Oaks race. By race’s end, the crowds must be dropping like flies from “sugar crash.”

       Well, now the people who make Wild Turkey are entering the fray, arguing that their bourbon is better for mint juleps because it’s 101 proof, meaning 50.5 percent alcohol, compared to 80 proof/40 percent alcohol for the other stuff.

       So what do you think, race/wine/julep fans? Are there any defenders of the traditional julep out there? Any votes for a different recipe?

       Click on the “comments” icon below to reply.

Questions? Comments? This is the place.

Q & A:

        Have a question?
        Want to make a comment?
        Want to tell about your latest favorite wine, your fabulous wine trip?
        It's easy: Click on the word "comments" below.

I'm looking for a few good blogs

  Do you have a South Florida wine or food blog? If so, let me know, and I will feature it here.

       Do you know of someone who has such a blog? Let me know.

       Click on the “comments” icon below and tell me about it.

Reader finds a good cabernet franc

     Reader Chris Noble, whose question prompted the item below about cabernet franc, found a good one. He writes:

      "I was at a wine tasting at my local shop last night; the owner had just returned from a California trip and was sharing some of his favorites.

       "We tried a Lang & Reed Cab Franc that was quite nice.  Apparently they are committed to making the best CA Cab Francs around.  They have 3 tiers or price point bottles, and this was the "good", but at $25 retail I thought it was well worth it."

Cabernet franc can be very nice all by itself

         E-mail from loyal reader Chris Noble: “I’m interested in anything you can share about cabernet franc. I was able to visit the Pride Mountain winery in Sonoma recently and sample a terrific bottle of theirs. I also understand the Kinkead Ridge Cab Franc from my own state of Ohio is very well regarded, but I'm embarrassed to admit I have yet to try it. I'm quite unfamiliar with this as anything but a minority grape in blends, so I’m curious to learn more. Thanks!”

         Chris, cabernet franc is a grape that doesn’t get a lot of respect, especially when it’s made all by itself with no other grapes blended in. Some people think it’s too light-bodied, too vegetal, too wimpy.

       So for the most part, it is used as one of the five grapes that make up the famous Bordeaux wines of France -– along with cabernet sauvignon, merlot, petit verdot and malbec. Its role there is to add some lightness and peppery, flowery aroma to the blend.

       But these days, cab franc all by itself can be very nice when it’s made right, and grown in the right place.

       One of those places is France’s Loire Valley, especially in the Chinon region. I remember visiting the tasting rooms in that area – actually caves cut into the limestone rock. The limestone soil gave the cabernet franc a little more backbone, and the wines were excellent.

       The tradition there is to serve cabernet franc with the little round pieces of goat cheese that they called crottins de chevre –- literally goat droppings (but try not to think about that).

       Cab franc does best in cool climates, so it’s being planted in Northern California, Washington state, New York’s Finger Lakes area, and, as you say, Ohio.

       Some recommendations.                                                                                       

       Andrew Lampasone, owner of the Wine Watch shop in Fort Lauderdale, says his favorite cab franc from the Loire is Domaine Daniel Chauveau, from Chinon in the Loire Valley, at $35. He also likes the 2002 Soter “Little Creek Cabernet Franc, Napa, $70. The Wine Advocate magazine says it has “aromas of spice, sweet black cherries, cassis, licorice and flowers.”

       In Dade County, Ben Naji of Wine69 on Biscayne Boulevard, has two recommendations.

       · Adobe Road, 2005 Knights valley, California. Owned by the race car driver Kevin Buckler.  It has delicious raspberry & lavender aromas with subtle mint undertones. Cocoa and licorice flavors, as well as black cherry and ripe berries are evident. This is a robust wine with zing, smooth tannins and a toasty finish. Retail Price: $37.00.

       · Botalcura, 2004 Maule Valley, Chile.  Rich, ripe red fruit mingle with smoky, vanilla-laced oak elements. The palate is full yet elegant with supple tannins and a sensuously smooth finish, made by Philippe Debrus famous for his Cabernet Franc crafting. Retail Price: $23.50

             

       

Look! I found another local wine blog!

       It turns out that, despite my fears, there are some other wine blogs in South Florida. I will be describing them to you over the next few days.

       Today’s group began several years ago when a local wine fan and lawyer, Leo Bueno, started a wine blog. Over time it evolved into a the Miami Meet Up Group and the Yahoo Miami/Wine group, including Bueno’s friend, Kevin Jones.

       It’s not exactly a blog –- it’s a coordinating group for wine parties and a listing place for local wine shops to announce their upcoming sales, wine dinners and other events.

       Then the two hooked up with Miami graphic designer Teena Calderon -- that's Teena and Kevin in the picture -- and they centralized their groups into Miamiwinetasters.com. This group also organizes wine dinners, specializing in those that benefit charities.

       On Thur., April 24, Miami Wine Tasters is teaming with VINO Miami, the Loews Miami Beach Hotel and artist Melanie Rosen for a wine party to raise money for a charity called Modest Needs.

         And on May 16 they’re planning a social event at a new Brickell Key wine bar about to open called Cavas.

       “We have about 500 members,” says Jones – “mostly professionals in their 20s and 30s, but also some in their 50s and 60s. We started it because so many of the events are put on by wine reps, and the focus is to sell wine. We thought it was a good idea just to have good wine and food.”

Best wine I've tasted recently

                                                                                                                                                                                    

    2006 Ponzi Vineyards “Tavola” Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon: Black cherries and dark chocolate flavors, crisp acids, mellow tannins; $25.

      You could serve this with a complex chicken stew, or even a slice of chocolate cake. Or simply serve as an aperitif. No hard edges here.

      Oregon for some time has been known for its pinot noirs. If you follow Oregon's wine country, this wine is from several Ponzi vineyards, pictured here, in the Willamette Valley – the Aurora, Madrona, Estate, Dion, Alloro and Gemini Vineyards.

       It’s all 100 percent “certified sustainable” grapes, which is a step below organic.

Questions? Comments? This is the place

Q & A:

        Have a question?
        Want to make a comment?
        Want to tell about your latest favorite wine, your fabulous wine trip?
        It's easy: Click on the word "comments" below.

I'm looking for a few new blogs

       Do you have a South Florida wine or food blog? If so, let me know, and I will feature it here.

       Do you know of someone who has such a blog? Let me know.

       Click on the “comments” icon below and tell me about it.

Flying with wine? What's a fan to do?

       You finally take that dream trip to Tuscany, and discover a dozen fabulous wines that are sold only at the winery –- not imported to the States. You want to take some home, but you know the TSA screeners won’t let you carry them aboard the plane. What do you do?

     A survey of wine fans at last month’s Food and Wine Expo in Washington, D.C., found this:
     * 24.4 percent no longer buy bottles of wine when traveling by air.
     * 41.2 percent wrap bottles in clothing or bubble wrap and put them in their checked luggage.
     * 18.1 percent ask the winery to ship the wine directly to them.
     * 10.4 percent never travel with wine.

     Of course, one little mistake in shipping the wine in your checked luggage and you’ll be wearing purple clothes for the next year.

     Naturally, entrepreneurs are leaping into the fray. A company called Bottlewise, which did the survey, will sell you a padded bag (pictured here) about the size of a big purse with two liquid-proof inner sleeves to protect the wine. But it’s $48.95 –-kind of pricey for two bottles.

   Other companies -- U-Haul is one -– will sell you cardboard boxes with Styrofoam padding. A 12-bottle box costs $14.95. I’ve used these successfully, but it’s pretty hard to take it empty on the plane flight to Rome. When they boxes are full, airlines usually accept them as checked luggage, although they want you to sign a waiver that it isn’t their fault if the bottles break.

             So, readers, what do you do?  If you have a solution -– or an amusing horror story to share -– click on the “comments” icon below and tell us about it.

        Life’s not all beer and skittles even when you run a wine shop. Just ask Howard Lavine, president of Leon’s Wine & Liquor on Southwest Eighth Street.

        About 10 years ago his daughter, Karyn, 16 at the time, had Crohn’s Disease, a digestive tract disorder. Two years later one of Lavine’s twin sons, Greg, 11, had the disease.

        They’re doing better now, but after much pain and hardship. And, Lavine has become a trustee of the Florida Chapter of the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America. 

       Last week he helped organize a charity walk in Fort Lauderdale that raised $200,000 for the foundation. Usually he also holds a spring wine sale at his shop to benefit the foundation. But this year the two dates coincided, making the sale impossible.

         So instead of the sale, Lavine is asking his customers to mail checks made out to the foundation to his wine shop, Leon’s Wine and Liquor Center, 6874 SW Eighth St., Miami, 33144. He will match each donation at 50 cents on the dollar. Call 305-261-0221

       “We’ve got to raise money to find a cure. Everybody knows somebody who knows somebody who has the disease.”

More kosher wine and food

        My current wine column is about kosher wines. The Herald’s online food page has kosher recipes.

       If that isn’t enough, here’s more:

       The 2005 Taperberg Meritage Red Wine from Israel’s Judean Hills is packed with firm red plum and berry flavors, with chocolate and spice on the finish, says Wine Spectator online.

       To Passover cooks parched for new ideas, wandering in a desert of matzo and dried-out brisket, Susie Fishbein is like a tall, icy Coca-Cola — the kosher for Passover kind, made with sugar instead of corn syrup, says The New York Times.

Wine fans, meet Nevada the parrot

       
Meet Nevada the parrot. She’s the Jungle Island bird who posed so nicely for the sig picture that runs with this wine blog.

She’s a patient bird. She sat on that wicker chair for half an hour without moving while the photog did his thing.

Only problem was getting her to look at the camera.

It’s hard to explain to a parrot.

In any case, thanks to Jungle Island for the loan of Nevada.

Vine Wine Shop & Tasting Loft goes virtual

                                                                                                                                                                          A door closes, a door opens. The Vine Wine Shop & Tasting Loft, which opened in 2005 under Cary Quintana & Steven Bowles at 7657 Biscayne Boulevard, is closing. "The road construction that went on for 18 months and is still going on was too much," said Quintana.

       But they’re planning to keep the concept alive by becoming a "virtual neighborhood wine shop'' within about 30 days.

       How does that work? They will advertise a virtual wine tasting on their Website and give customers time to order the wines online from the shop and have them delivered before the tasting. The tasting will then be done, including guest speakers, by streaming video.

       Quintana and Bowles have some interesting ideas about making the virtual tastings interactive, but they’re not ready to talk about them yet. Watch this space for further information.

Old Mr. Sun can be hard on wine

Hi Fred,
       This week I found one of the white wines you recommended in your column.  Since I planned to take it to our boat, I left it in the car for a few days. Does keeping a wine in a hot Miami car negatively impact the quality?  Of course, it will be chilled before serving.
Susan from Key Biscayne

Hi Susan,

        Ohhhhhh, I'm afraid you might have committed vinocide by leaving a bottle of wine in your car in sun-drenched, heat-blasted South Florida.  It's probably not ruined, but some ifs crispness and fruity flavor will have been lost. It won't hurt you, but it won't be as good as it was.

     Tell you what: Toss in a few pieces of fruit, maybe a shot of brandy, a few ice cubes, some seltzer if you want and call it Sangria. That's a nice, refreshing drink for a boat.

Fred         

What goes well with real estate? Wine.

Check out Miami real estate exec Christopher Zoller’s blog and you can do two quite different things. You can buy a condo on Indian Creek for $539,999. Or you can read his thoughts on wine.

His real estate blog, subtitled “Wines for the Weekend,” is a nice discussion. It has cogent ideas such as checking out a restaurant’s wine list on its website before dining there. And praise for restaurants that describe wines not just as merlot or chardonnay but also as “crisp” or “weighty” or “rich” and so on.

“In the bad old days,” he writes, “your server would drop a big old leather-bound volume on your table with your menu and leave you without a clue.”

Interesting stuff. But he notes: “All this blogging takes a lot of time when it's not my vocation.”

I'm looking for a few good wine blogs

       Do you have a South Florida wine or food blog? If so, let me know, and I will feature it here.

       Do you know of someone who has such a blog? Let me know.

       Click on the “comments” icon below and tell me about it.

Drinking wine helps keep your mind in shape

       Another entry in the long list of reasons wine is good for you. Swedish researchers in a 34-year study of 1,458 women issued a report that said those who drank wine were less likely to be diagnosed with dementia than those who drank beer, liquor or nothing at all.

       So you should have a good time this weekend.

Burgundy lover finds a better price

                                   Burgundy lover Patrick Sessions of Coconut Grove sends this e-mail:

Dear Fred:
       “I'm a big fan of Louis Latour Puligny Montrachet, but since it's pushing $45 a bottle and I'm trying to cut back a little, I was wondering if you could recommend a good but less expensive substitute Puligny Montrachet or a similar tasting wine with the smoothness of the Louis Latour.

Dear Pat:
       I called my friend Chip Cassidy, wine buyer for Crown Wine & Spirits.

       “Tell him to get over here,” he said. “I’ve got the 2005 Louis Latour Puligny Montrachet on sale for $29.99, with a 10 percent discount for a case.”

       Cassidy also recommends another white Burgundy similar to the Louis Latour but cheaper. It’s the 2005 Marc Colin St. Aubin “Les Combes,” also at $29.99.

       The shop is at 1590 South Dixie Highway,  786-621-9463.

Fred

Star-struck Americans prefer celebrity wines

       You’re in a fancy restaurant and order the Supreme de Volaille. Would you turn to former NFL coach Mike Ditka for a wine recommendation? To Lorraine Bracco? Paul Newman?

       The Nielsen survey people say yes. They did a poll and found that star-struck Americans are 17 to 68 percent more likely to buy a wine if a celebrity’s name is attached. And we’ll spend $2.75 more per bottle for it than for non-celebrity wines.

       You can buy wine today bearing the names of  Martha Stewart, Greg Norman, Dan Marino, Mike Schmidt, Eddie Murray and lots of others.

       Sometimes a good cause and a charity are involved. Buy a $13 bottle of the 2005 Marino Estates ''Vintage 13'' Cabernet Sauvignon and $1.25 goes to the Dan Marino Foundation for work in autism, etc. It’s pretty good stuff, made by the Selby Winery in Sonoma County.

       In addition, Francis Ford Coppola and The Smothers Brothers actually own wineries.

       And there’s Marilyn Wines, of Napa County, which makes Marilyn Merlot, Blond de Noirs and others, with some pretty steamy labels -- including one "peel and peek."

       No wonder those celebrity gossip shows are so popular.

Museum wine and food event is Friday

 

                                               Another weekend, another wine fest. South Florida’s endless feast continues. Now the 13th Annual Bank of America Wine and Culinary Celebration will take place at the Museum of Discovery and Science on Friday, April 11, from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. 401 S.W. Second St., Fort Lauderdale.

           The evening includes a VIP martini reception, wine seminars and a Grand Tasting with wines from America and the world and snacks from 30 local restaurants from Big City Tavern to Bonefish Grill.

          Tickets are $150 for the VIP events and $85 for general admission. Proceeds benefit the museum. Check it out at www.mods.org or 954-713-0954.

Miami Wine and Food Festival raises half million

       The three-day Miami Wine and Food Festival over the weekend did well, drawing 1,600 fans and raising $553,698 for Camillus House and the United Way.

        Recently-retired Carnival Cruise Lines president Bob Dickinson and his wife, Jodi, donated prizes that were auctioned off for more than $145,000 -- including an 11-bottle vertical of Chateau Petrus, with various vintages between 1975 and 2001, and a cruise aboard the their new 97.5-foot yacht, C’est la Vie.

         Then the couple raised their paddles and bought more than $70,000 in wine donated by others.

          Most of the sales, and purchases, were among a small group of wine friends.

          “It’s a win-win-win situation, Bob Dickinson says. “It helps the charity, I get a tax break. And I get to drink better wine when I go to my friends’ houses.”

          Dickinson is board chairman of Camillus House: “I’m very interested that it does well.”

          (The couple is pictured here in in their wine cellar in a 2001 photo by Herald staffer Candace Barbot.)

Wine fans: Ask a question, make a comment

    Q & A:

        Have a question?
        Want to make a comment?
        Want to tell about your latest favorite wine, your fabulous wine trip?
        It's easy: Click on the word "comments" below.

Wine and Food Fans Enjoyed the Wine Fest

        The fans who attended the Miami Wine and Food Festival over the weekend seem to have enjoyed it. I got this comment on my blog from Christopher Zoller: “The Walk Around tasting in the Village of Merrick Park was terrific. Lots of great wineries and most of Miami's top restaurants were displaying their wares. So much wine, so little time. The interactive cooking dinner is the most fun. Last night we even cooked with the wonderful wines at the table. Deglazing the scallops with Madeira and softening the risotto with chardonnay. And all for two very worthy charities [United Way and Camillus House].

       Be sure to check out the video and the slide show from the Interactive Dinner at www.MiamiHerald.com/wine.

       And if you want to ask a question or make a statement about the Wine Fair or anything else, go to Wine@MiamiHerald.com.

A civilized evening of wine and snacks

                                                                                                                                                                                           
       Civilized. That’s the word for the Miami Wine and Food Festival that began Thursday night with a walk-around tasting featuring 60 wineries and 30 local restaurants at the Village of Merrick Park. It wasn’t as big as the South Beach Wine & Food Festival in February, but it had some nice advantages.
       At SoBe, 3,500 guests braved 90 degree temperatures, slogged through hot sand to reach tents. I got there three hours early so I could find a parking garage within seven blocks of the event.
       At Miami Fest, 800 guests dallied in 78 degree temps, wearing their good shoes to trod the fancy tile courtyard at Merrick Place in Coral Gables. I got there just as it was beginning, parked in the mall’s garage and took the escalator down two flights to the tasting tables.
       Disadvantage: Miami Fest didn’t have young women in silver bikini tops handing out glasses of French vodka.

       The most interesting wine: I finally got a chance to try Soñador, the Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon made by, from left, Miami neurosurgeon Sergio González-Arias, his wife, Maria, local biz tycoon Doug Gallagher and his biz whiz wife, Sue, not pictured.

       The two couples created the wine in 2001 under a company called Two Crazy Couples, to fulfill lifelong dreams and help charitable causes. Every January they travel to Yountville to supervise the blending of their wines. All four take part.

       “They say women have better palates,” says Doug Gallagher. “They take Sergio and me out for a walk in the vineyard, and when we come back the blending is finished.”

       On Thursday they were pouring the 2003 and 2004 vintages of Soñador, a blend of  cabernet sauvignon, petite verdot and merlot. How were they? Fabulous. Check my Thursday wine column in print and online for complete tasting notes.

Best appetizers I found:
       · Cindy Hutson, center, of Ortanique was serving a zingy ceviche made with an exotic fish called Golden Tile, with what I thought was guacamole. “It’s not guacamole, it’s avocado salsa,” she explained. “It has bigger chunks.”

       · Laura Cullen of Clarke’s Irish restaurant in Miami Beach was handing out a tasty mixed metaphor called Shepherd’s Pie Empañadas. “I figured the restaurant is Irish, but we’re in Miami, so…” she said.

       Tonight (Friday) is the “Interactive Dinner,” in which chef Stephen Lewandowski will try to lead guests through cooking their own gourmet meals.
       Check it out at www.miamiwinefestival.org

Miami Wine and Food Festival starts today

                            
       The big wine event this weekend is the 13th Annual Miami Wine and Food Festival. Tonight’s (Thursday, April 3) walk-around tasting and appetizer sampling is at Merrick Park in Coral Gables. Fri., April 4’s interactive dinner, in which guests cook their own gourmet meals under the direction of star Chef Stephen Lewandowski, and Sat., April 5’s Great South Florida Fine Wine Auction and Dinner are at the InterContinental Miami at 100 Chopin Plaza, Miami.

      Check it out at miamiwinefestival.org or call 305-371-9463.

      Tip: Saturday’s wine auction includes some really top stuff donated by some of South Florida’s top wine collectors.

Americans drink more wine despite hard times

        I hate to say I told you so (but I did). Back in February, I wrote a story that said Americans, especially South Florida hedonists, drank more wine in 2007 than in 2006 despite the slumping economy.

       Not everybody believed me.

       Now the California Wine Institute backs me up. Its latest report says U.S. wine sales from California hit a record high of 457 million gallons in 2007, up 2 percent from 2006 despite the housing woes.

       That’s 11 bottles for each adult in the country.

        Oh, and while the volume was up 2 percent, the dollar total was up 6 percent. So we’re not only drinking more wine, we’re also drinking better wine.