Friday, September 28, 2007

Thirsty Travelers



The ecWino crew just returned from a trip to Maine to attend the Maine Organic Farmers and Growers Association's Common Ground Fair. We try to attend this celebration of rural living every year, and this year was phenomenal.

On our way up, it dawned on me that we'd be passing Freeport, home to Maine Distilleries. We just had to stop for some goodies...

Cold River (showered that morning)

Maine Distilleries is the maker of Cold River Vodka ($$-$$$), which I've mentioned before. I still feel that this is the most underrated vodka in America, and a must buy.
I chatted with one of their employees about the lack of advertising or promotion in Connecticut and how that has led to poor sales. They've just introduced 187ml bottles (nippers, you drunks) that are retailing for about $4 in CT. If you see one, buy it, as this is the only real way I could ever convince you to buy a $45 vodka you've never heard of.
We checked out the distillery, as well as a collection of artifacts related to the Cold River Aquifer. We checked out tons of press they've received, including The Spirit Journal's rave, "Smooth as silk, yet complex and layered. A coming superstar." Then we drank.
Normally when one tastes a new vodka for the first time, the edge of the glass is held 2 1/2 to 3 inches from the nose. Not with Cold River, however. You can jam your schnozz right into the glass. It doesn't overpower on the nose, delighting you with the scent of farm-fresh potatoes. The smoothness of the nose gives you an idea of the taste. It's smooth, refined, and elegant. It has a sense of lemon zest on the tongue, and then it leaves. There is almost no aftertaste.
We loaded up with some goodies -- t-shirts and such. We did not buy large quantities of the vodka at unbelievably low distillery pricing, because CT law won't allow us to drive it back into the state. Ya heard that, Rell?! We did NOT buy large quantities for return to the state. Then we headed off to the fair.

We set up camp just outside of Unity, Maine, and headed on down to the local gas station to pick up some beers (BEE-UHHS). Yes, Connecticut, beer and wine are sold at gas stations in Maine -- you can guess what the selection is like. Troy General, the all purpose gas/beer/deli/deer-check station, has a better beer selection than most however.
Feeling "touristy", we opted for Portland, Maine's own Shipyard Brewing Company's Export Ale ($). This American Pale Ale pours a crisp body with a golden color and a fragile head that doesn't last after the first sip. It has a "citrusy" taste with a very light mouthfeel. This isn't a remarkable beer, but definitely a good daily-drinker. I would buy it again.

During our first day at the fair, we found some locally grown blueberries at the Farmer's Market. Heading back to camp, we stopped by Troy General again, this time grabbing Atlantic Brewing Company's Bar Harbor Blueberry Ale ($). Atlantic is out of Bar Harbor, Maine (and will be discussed later).
Stealing an idea from Salem Beer Works in Salem, Mass., we poured the blueberry ale over the fresh blueberries in our lexan pint glasses (even backpackers need proper glassware!).
The beer itself is a deceiving pale copper color, with only a hint of the blueberry in the nose. Blueberry is in the taste, but it's not overpowering. There's a generous amount of malt to balance out the fruit, but again, not overpowering. The perfect amount of hops finishes out the taste, and reminds you that you're drinking BEER. This is no stunt-brew. Quite possibly the most balanced fruit beer I've ever tried, this is a must buy.

That night we attended a large bonfire with other area campers on the grounds of a local hunting lodge. Our host brought out some homemade wine that his wife kept referring to as "Pear Champagne". Pear Champagne apparently is what happens when you scare off all the pear-eating deer with your big guns and now have an overabundance of wild pears and a bucket of "Champagne yeast". There's no real need to describe pear champagne other than to offer this advice:
If you find yourself in the Maine woods, and a man with a large rifle offers you a drink, play dead.


Two of our lexan wine glasses (yep, backpackers need those, too!) were summarily destroyed, as I just couldn't rid them of the pear champagne smell.


Mo had never been to Acadia National Park, and as it turns out, they've got a few wineries out there. So we packed up and headed down east.


It doesn't really look like this area could offer the type of environment to grow grapes properly, so I just had to sample as much as I could.
We stopped first at Sweet Pea's Farm in Bar Harbor, home to Bar Harbor Cellars, a division of Atlantic Brewing Company. They've only just started to plant their own grapes (see below), mostly hybrids, due to the almost yearly 42 inches of frostline. They currently purchase their grapes from Tuscany.

ecWino at Sweet Pea's Farm and Winery, Bar Harbor (3 days, no shower)


I really got the impression that the place was a typical Maine tourist trap. It was chock full of bad fruit wines, served overly chilled. They had a couple of grape wines (merlot, Pinot Noir) that were awfully balanced as a result of making them without any tannins. "No tannins means no headaches!" was repeated often enough to become their mantra. They did, however offer a decent Zinfandel, full bodied and peppery, which I would have purchased, if only I had a way to get it back into CT.

That day we also went out to the home of Atlantic Brewing to check out what they had to offer besides blueberry beer.
I was immediately impressed by their Mount Desert Island Ginger Beer ($). A wheat ale brewed with copious amounts of ginger, this beer was spicy enough to be interesting, but well balanced by its malt. If you can find it, this beer is a must buy.
We grabbed a few of their beers and headed down to the town of Manset, where we camped out near a natural seawall.


The MacFoochies Scottish Ale ($) poured a nice coffee color, with a creamy thick head. This beer was complex with notes of barley, chicory, coffee, chocolate, and toffee. The aftertaste was big and smoky. It lingered for just a bit and then was gone, inviting the next sip. This was possibly my favorite beer of the entire trip, and definitely a must buy.
Brother Adam's Bragget Ale ($-$$) was a barleywine style ale brewed with honey (sorry, vegans). The taste had notes of cherry and apple, cut into by a brandy-like flavor of honey. It was by no means the best bragget I've ever tasted, but if I saw it again, I'd probably pick it up. While it showed no signs that it would improve with, or stand up to, aging, I was assured by the brewery staff that it could go for up to ten years.



outside Bartlett Maine Estate Winery (4 days, no shower)


The next day, we headed out to Schoodic Peninsula and to the Bartlett Maine Estate Winery.
I was impressed to find that they were not attempting to make grape wines, but were instead using the exact methods of normal winemaking with fruits grown on their own estate.
These fruit wines were nothing like Grandma's old Boone's Farm. These wines had character and complexity that one would expect in a California Cult Wine or rare French Vintage.
I swore their Wild Blueberry Oak Dry wine had all the elements of a fine Merlot, with the perfect balance of fruit and dryness.
Their French Oak Dry Pear, aged in new french oak, was reminiscent of a fine Riesling.
The more we sampled, the more we were amazed that with the proper technique, equipment, and passion, these fruits could be made into something actually deserving of the title, Wine.
We of course, did not purchase several cases, what with CT law and all. It's a real shame, though, because I'd really be into trying a bottle of the Wild Blueberry Oak Dry Winemaker's Collection in the autographed bottle right now.

Cheers from Maine!


p.s. best bumper sticker seen in Maine...
If they call it "tourist season", why can't we shoot them?

Sunday, September 16, 2007

forwarded e-mail

As a rule, I generally discard any e-mails I receive that are forwarded. It's not that I don't enjoy looking at thirty or so pictures of fat cats, or hearing a new joke. I'm just completely paranoid about opening things -- the intrawebs are sooo scary!

I did, however open one recently (tip to spammers and scammers: put the word "wine" in the title line)...

Water vs Wine

In a number of carefully controlled trials, scientists have demonstrated
that if we drink 1 liter of water each day, at the end of the year we would have absorbed more than 1 kilo of Escherichia coli, (E. coli) bacteria found in feces. In other words, we are consuming 1 kilo of Poop.

However, we do NOT run that risk when drinking wine (or rum, whiskey or other liquor) because alcohol has to go through a purification process of boiling, filtering and/or fermenting.

Remember: Water = Poop,........................... Wine = Health

Therefore, it's better to drink wine and talk stupid, than to drink water
and be full of shit.

Saturday, September 15, 2007

The Mystery of the Cuvinet Solved

We've mentioned the cuvinet system at 116 Crown before. It is said a cuvinet keeps wines served by-the-glass impeccably "fresh" for up to two weeks. It dispenses a layer of nitrogen into the bottle, to prevent oxygen contact with the wine.
I have a hard time drinking wine the day after it's been opened, let alone two weeks, so I just had to perform a little experiment.
We went down to 116 to try out the system. We had mustachioed bartender Drew pour us two glasses of wine from the cuvinet, and two glasses from a freshly opened bottle. We were not to see which was which, but Drew was to keep track. We chose Clio ($$$), because we'd had it before.
It was impossible for either of us to tell any difference from the nose of the wine. There was a difference in taste, but it was so subtle, we had to discuss it for a while before either of us would conclude there actually was a difference.
We guessed the cuvinet glasses correctly. Mo found the cuvinet glass to show less black pepper notes, a Clio "trademark".
With each glass held up to a white board under decent light, we could see that the wine from the freshly opened bottle was a bit clearer. The from-the-bottle and cuvinet wines both had the deep oxblood color.
I can't recommend by-the-glass wines from the cuvinet enough. If you're not out to finish off an entire bottle, this is a great alternative that still gives you a taste akin to a newly opened bottle.
The 2004 Clio normally retails for around $45 per bottle. On 116's cuvinet, it's fetching $9 per glass. This could very well be the steal of the century for a wine Wine Advocate gave 97 points.

2004 Lorca Malbec Opalo Vistaflores

Carlos at Firehouse 12 has a fever, and the only prescription is not more cowbell, but rather, Malbec. Just about every time I visit Firehouse, 'Los whips out some new Malbec that he is completely in love with. I can honestly say I've yet to have the same Malbec twice -- and none of his suggestions have been bad.
Thursday night, he pulled out 2004 Lorca Malbec Opalo Vistaflores ($-$$). And, as usual, there was no disappointment. Another Argentinian wine from Mendoza, this red hails from the Vistaflores vineyard. This vineyard is actually the site where Clos de los Siete is bottled, and the Lorca Malbec has not escaped the influence of Michel Rolland (insert sound of angels' trumpets).
The Vistaflores vineyard sits high in the Andes, where the vines are vertically trained, rather than set upon trellises. The "bushes" are trimmed often to minimize yield, but maximize quality.
The wine itself is lively, without being overbearing or too fruity. It hints at blueberry and apple. The tannins are smooth. The wine has a very Old World feel. It is unfiltered, and aged in concrete and stainless steel, as opposed to oak.
Buy this wine as an alternative to higher priced items such as Clos de los Siete or Cuvelier los Andes (mentioned before). They've got a full case, and per the norm, will probably not replace it, so you'll need to get down there ASAP.
Firehouse is also serving up the Tannat Reserva from Bodegas Carrau by the glass (previous review).

Monday, September 10, 2007

Edumacational Videos...

I was contacted a while back by a fellow wino from Edmonton, Alberta named Sorin Mihailovici. Sorin is currently taking classes at Grant MacEwan College in television production. One of his classes required some educational videos.
As any good wino will tell you, anything can become an excuse to open a bottle of wine -- Sorin naturally chose to do his educational videos on wine.
This one shows you an ingenious way to open a bottle of wine without a traditional corkscrew...


Open A Bottle Of Wine Without Corkscrew - Sorin Mihailovici

I found it pretty interesting, although technically there is a cork and a screw.

He also has a video showing how to remove red wine stains with milk (sorry, vegans) or white wine.

Sorin has a MySpace page, so give him a shout.

Saturday, September 8, 2007

Clio



I had been hearing good things about Clio ($$-$$$) for a few years now. Robert Parker gave the 2002 vintage 93 points; he gave 96 points to the 2003. I'm not sure why it took me until the 2004 vintage to get around to trying it, but it seems there is a consistency in its quality. The wine is a blend of 60 year old Monastrell (Mouvedre) vines and 25 year old Cabernet grown in the Jumilla region of Spain.
This wine is brought together by Australian Chris Ringland, who started his own label, Three Rivers, in 1989. Since, he has traveled the world, bringing his knowledge to several top producers.
The wine itself was reminiscent of dark red fruits, coffee, and black pepper. The black pepper overpowers the taste at first, so allow this one to breathe. It's mouthfeel and long, smooth finish made me think of Silver Oak, a much higher priced California cult-wine.
The wine is currently being sold by the glass at 116 Crown (Crown St., New Haven) through their fancy shmancy super duper nitrous system (actual technical term), that keeps by-the-glass wine at by-the-bottle quality for up to 2 weeks.
Also running through the nitrous system are Chateau Villerambert Julien and Chateau Pontac Monplaisir.
Check out a video review of Clio on Winelibrary.com.

Chateau de Fifteen Bucks

French wine labels, while carrying all the necessary information, tend to be misleading. A $200 Bordeaux will carry a very similar label to a $5 bottle, and it's possible neither are very good. Some foodie friends of ours from Wallingford had us over tonight and offered Chateau Chantemerle Medoc 2005 ($). At $15, this bottle is a steal. The wine is a blend of merlot, cabernet, and malbec from vines that would be described in the U.S. as ancient. In Europe, obviously, they're still considerably young at 20. It was well balanced, flavorful, and structured. This is a very drinkable Bordeaux at an easily digestible price.

Friday, September 7, 2007

Revisiting Firehouse 12

I ran into Carlos from Firehouse 12 (45 Crown St., New Haven) at a wedding recently, and realized it had been a while since I had stopped in for a visit.
Carlos has been busy researching new wines and bringing in some new by the glass items. They almost always have a few specialties hidden away somewhere, so it's a good idea to ask your server before selecting something off the wine list.
I found Capezzana Barco Reale di Carmignano ($) off list. The wine is a blend of sangiovese, cabernet, and canaiolo, and was rated 90 points by Wine Advocate. This is a super value for a Tuscan wine. Earthy cherry and tobacco give way to a medium body and fine tannins. It will pair well with spicier dishes or stand tall on its own.
I was glad to see this wine at Firehouse and I hope it becomes a regular item.
They were also offering the Carrau Tannat Reserva ($) by the glass. For a previous write-up, check here.
One of the Caymus Belle Glos pinot noirs will be available soon by the bottle, although I couldn't figure out which one.

Firehouse also has a fairly progressive beer list.

Tuesday, September 4, 2007

It's Red. It's Cheap. It Works.

The original concept behind the ElmCityWino project was to offer a sort of Wine For Dummies-type reference, while keeping the bottles affordable. I have never thought much of spending $30 for a bottle of wine, as wine tends to be consumed for a special dinner or occasion. I had never considered a $30 bottle as anything but affordable for such an occasion. It turns out many of my friends are more deserving of the title, Wino, than maybe even I, and I have been getting requests for a decent wine closer to the two-buck-chuck set.
Not one to run out and grab every "flavor" of Boone's Farm (Grandma Joyce warned me of that), this proved to be a daunting task. Various $10 and under bottles were purchased, consumed, and dumped.
One ecWino fan suggested I try hitting up South Shore Wine & Spirit (10 Coe Ave. East Haven, 203.466.9463), as they have a nice $10 section. Even there, I ran into the Aussie hurdle. It's not that an Aussie wine can't be good, it's just that there is definitely a marketing research survey behind every cuddly critter emblazoned on a wine bottle. The French don't put animals on their bottles, now do they?
So I looked into France. Unfortunately, most French wines require at least some knowledge of the wine other than what is printed on the bottle. A $200 Bordeaux and a $7 Burgundy will have deceptively similar looking labels. I tried a few of the cheapies, and with the exception of Chateau Cazenove, most were simply terrible. I decided to head further South.
As I perused the Spanish sections of several local shops, I kept leaning towards Rioja, when it came to me. I know of a certain wino stuck in the CT "heartland" (read: Marlborough) who buys Eguren Protocolo by the case.
Dominio de Eguren Protocolo ($) is a Tempranillo grown in the oft-overlooked appellation of Tierra de Castilla, located in Don Quixote's Central Spain. Jorge Ordonez's name is on the back of the bottle, so I knew I was on the right track.
The wine is surprisingly big, with tastes of chocolate and cherries. The tannins are grainy and dissectable (not a word?) with a spicy aftertaste (ole!).
This wine will not change your life in the ways that many of the wines of Montsant will, but it works. It exceeds any expectations I would have had regarding an $8 bottle, and will probably end up in the rack often.

Ferrari Carano Alexander Valley Chardonnay

We've still been getting some unbearably hot days this month (well, unbearable to this dude from Maine), so the search for decent summer whites continues.

Ferrari Carano's 2005 Alexander Valley Chardonnay ($$) is another spectacular white from Sarah Quider, FC's Whites Winemaker. Having various appellations and unique micro-climates at her disposal ensures the quality of most, if not all, Ferrari Carano whites of recent vintage. A pleasant, fruit-forward Chardonnay, this wine boasts aromas of papaya, pineapple, and mango. The taste features more tropical fruit and toasted almond with lemon/citrus subtleties.
This wine is barrel fermented and kept in stainless steel for two days before being aged in French Oak. It features fruit from eight of FC's vineyards, located in four regions -- Alexander Valley, Russian River Valley, Dry Creek, and Napa. 2005 was a mild season, allowing the vines to reach full maturation before a Fall harvest.
This wine will pair well with salads, fish, even heartier dishes. Its complexity, multiple pairings, and price point make this a MUST BUY white.