This Week’s In-Box to the Wine World

By Frank Mangio
When I was going through San Diego State University as a “late-blooming” student chasing a Journalism degree, I used to ponder the role of the “gatekeepers,” those news editors who had the
responsibility of using press releases for articles, or flushing them into the round file, never to return to see the light of day.

TASTE OF WINE is now my “gate” and I am up to an average 200 e-mails daily that feature information on wines. At times I wish it were less.  But every so often I see fascinating, game-changing news nd I want to share it all.  So, every so often I put a column out that is a sort of roundup of nice stuff that I love to uncork for my readers, like this one. Last night, I had the pleasure of tasting through the current vintage of Castello Banfi wines from Montalcino Italy . The winery’s signature Brunello vintage 2009 has been released after 4 years in barrel. ($58.) The building of Brunello to its most elegant position among the famous wines of the world, is an
inspiring story.

 John Mariani, right, co-founder of Tuscany’s premier winery, Castello Banfi,

with family members as they were honored recently at Cornell University in New York.

As co-founder John Mariani says “It was a revolution that sparked a fine wine renaissance.” Recently, the renowned Cornell University in New York bestowed the 2014 Icon of Industry Award on the Mariani Family for their leadership and contributions both in
industry research and education. I affectionately like to call John my electronic “pen pal” for his comments and insights on my Taste of Wine columns.

Congratulations John and to all members of the Mariani family for all you have done to elevate the quality of wine everywhere.

My friend Claude Robbins, who operates one of the highest quality International Wine & Spirits schools, out of Denver Colorado , found some research on how private tastings for wine club members are much bigger sellers of wine than public tastings. The private gatherings averaged $294. per person compared to a $70. per person sale at public tastings, although it needs to be said that public tasting room fees are growing, generating revenue growth. Caymus Winery in Napa Valley scored a big success with their 40th Anniversary 2012 Napa Valley Cabernet keepsake bottle.  Owner Charlie Wagner shipped the special edition in May and sold 60,000
cases that month alone. ($58.).

The word is spreading up and down California about an early wine grape harvest and what it will mean for the quality of the wines.  At Laetitia Vineyard and Winery in Arroyo Grande, south of San Luis Obispo and makers of premium Pinot Noir, they got bud-break in February, way too early and now are looking at picking their 12 different clones of Pinot, managing sunlight, leaves, soil and water.

 Eric Hickey is the Laetitia Winery President and Head Winemaker,
balancing Old World tradition with cutting-edge California style wines.

Although the current vintage for Pinot Noir, 2012, is getting some mixed reviews due to over production, Laetitia’s lineup is crisp and clean, refined by the winery’s dedication to limited production craftsmanship.  Its best example is the Laetitia Whole Cluster Pinot Noir, with notes of cassis, tobacco and peppercorn with a touch of sweet oak and black tea ($40.).  The delicate berries are removed from the stem prior to fermentation.  The wine is taken to a whole new place
and is a top new pick for Taste of Wine.

Another great new pick from the Central Coast is the Niner Wine Estates 2010 Fog Catcher, a blend of 29% Cabernet, 29% Malbec, 24% Cab Franc, 9% Carmenere and 9% Petit Verdot.  It won gold at the Central Coast Wine Competition 2014. ($65.) The Paso Robles appellation  is getting bigger, expected to be split up into 11 districts within the existing 612,000 acre area.

Wine Bytes
Europa Village Winery in Temecula invites you to its La Tomatina Festival, modeled after Spain's famous food fight, Sun. Sept. 7th from 4 to 7pm.  Tickets are $35. ea.  Music, wine and food. RSVP at: 951-216-3380.

Capri Blu in Rancho Bernardo has an Oveja Negra Chilean Wine Dinner Wed. Sept. 3rd at 6pm. Five course dinner with wine for $55. pp.  RSVP at: 858-673-5100.

South American Wines on a Roll

by Frank Mangio
Sensing an opening for their quality wines, Chile has been moving smartly in the American market to consolidate their wine sales gains and find new markets to present their Cabernet, Chardonnay and Syrah.  Their “home-town” grape, Carmenere, is getting a reputation as the national grape but has a way to go for quality, with a distinctly “bell  or jalapeno pepper” taste.

It was February 2010 when the earth shook tragically in Chile just before the harvest ( seasons are reversed in South America.) Steel tanks were flattened and broken bottles were strewn all over the land as Chile lost some 20% of their wine. Leading wineries such as Concho Y Toro,  Emiliana,  Casa Lapostolle and Montes made sure their vineyards were restored and muscled their way to save the 2010 crop still on the vines.

Emiliana, located in the Colchagua Valley just south of Santiago the capital of Chile, is the foremost organic winery located in the foothills of the Andes Mountains, similar to the Central Coast of California.
 

Noela Orts is one of Emiliana’s winemakers at the Chilean Los Robles Estate.
She has also made wine in Spain and New Zealand.

 
It produces rich, dark fruit from a  lineup of Syrah, Carmenere, Merlot, Cabernet, Petit Verdot and Mourvedre.  Their Coyam 2010 Blend caught my attention. ($24.50) Winemaker Noela Orts emphasized the high standard for production and full expression of terrior. The Los Robles Estate is certified organic and biodynamic. See more at www.emiliana.

Alberto Siegel is a distinguished gentleman farmer from Santiago Chile and of Austrian descent.  He started out selling fertilizer to Colchagua Valley wineries, before selling wine as a broker with his own brand, Vina Siegel.  Varieties grown are:  Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Cabernet and the Gran Crucero blend 2010. “Our wines have rich minerality and we do well in America, our 2nd largest market behind England,” he said.  “Americans like to try different wines and this helps us with our lower prices than similar California wines.

This year’s harvest was a challenge for us as the weather was colder than most, so we lowered yields to keep up the quality of the wines.”

Chilean wines were spotlighted at a recent wine dinner at Twenty/20 at the Sheraton Carlsbad Resort.
Food and Beverage Director Chris McNally was very excited to display the recently arrived Executive Sous Chef Andres Hinojosa, originally from Chile, who created a wine pairing dinner with the master winery Concho Y Toro. It is considered Chile’s finest wine due to its popular Don Melchor brand, a 100% Cabernet.
 

Twenty/20 at the Sheraton Carlsbad hosted a Chilean wine dinner recently.  Organizers included:

Food & Beverage Director Chris McNally, Sous Chef Andres Honojosa and Concho Y Toro rep Art Pinn.

McNally emphasized the importance of Chilean wines when he stated “we see great growth from that region.  We are creating menus with that influence, and Chef Andres is giving us fresh insight with his dishes like Pollo Arvejado, a Paprika Chicken, paired with the 2011 Chardonnay Marques Casa De Concho.” ($16.99).

The most acclaimed wine in Chile is easily Concho Y Toro’s Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon (2008-$90.).  This ripe, dense red shows mocha and toasty oak with a rich cassis flavored black cherry and plum character.  Ripe tannins lead to a long, juicy finish.  Concho Y Toro, based in Santiago, is the largest producer of wines from Latin America and a global leader.  See www.conchoytoro.com.

Wine Bytes
Bacchus Wine Market downtown San Diego has an Italian  Sangiovese Tasting Sat. Dec. 14 from 2 to 8:30pm.  Some of Italy’s finest wines are based on Sangiovese.  Sample 6 for $20.  Details at 619-236-0005.

Tuscany Italian Restaurant & Lounge in Carlsbad presents Jazz & R&B Christmas Songs featuring The Tuscany All Stars House Band Sun. Dec. 15 at 2pm. In the Copa Room.  Tickets $30. in advance.  Call 760-929-8111.

RELM Wine Beer Bistro Carlsbad returns with events starting with a Holiday Wine Tasting Sun. Dec. 15, 5 to 8pm, with over 70 wines to try for only $25. pp. Appetizers served.  Details at 760-434-9463.
Wine Steals in Cardiff has a holiday dessert wine tasting Wed. Dec. 18 from 5:30 to 7:30pm.  Taste these wines for $5. ea.  No RSVP needed.

Vittorio’s Trattoria, off the 56 in San Diego is planning a Robert Sinskey Sonoma/Napa Vineyards wine dinner Thurs. Dec. 19 at 6pm.  Cost is $49.50 pp. The vineyard’s rep will speak about the wines. A Pinot Noir and the winery’s blends will be featured.  RSVP at 858-538-5884.

Quake Rocks Chilean Wines-Argentina OK

by Frank Mangio
On Saturday February 27, an 8.8 magnitude earthquake rocked Chile leaving 800 dead and wiping out 125 million liters or 12.5% of Chile’s respected wine industry (mostly cabernet) with estimates of a 250 million dollar loss. Most of the 288,000 acres affected were up and down the wine making corridor between the capital of Santiago in the north to near the epicenter at Concepcion, Chile’s 2nd largest city, in the south. Damage was extensive to the infrastructure of the vineyards and wineries leaving “millions of liters” of barreled wine on the floor as the country prepared for the new harvest.

By some miracle of nature, the actual grape vines had not been affected and picking and de-stemming is moving forward as the 5th largest importer of wine in the world gets back to making great reds at value prices, according to the Chilean Association of Wineries.

“Work has been re-established and bottle lines are in generally good condition,” said Rene Marino, President of the organization. Meanwhile Argentina, separated from Chile by the Andes Mountains, escaped the shock.
Chile’s leading winery, Casa Lapostolle is shown de-stemming its Merlot harvest after the country’s devastating earthquake of February 27th

Jim Barrasso, the affable owner of Firefly Grill and Wine Bar in Encinitas and a firm believer in the Chilean-Argentinian wine story, was set to fly into Santiago Chile, then on to Argentina, for the vineyard tour of a lifetime. 24 hours before the earthquake struck I shook his hand and wished him the best on his trip and requested a story on his travels, never dreaming of what was to happen.

“We found out about it when we got the call that all flights were cancelled into Chile. Scheduling was adjusted so that we were able to get into Santiago’s airport 10 days later. It was still heavily damaged and operating out of tents,” he recalled. A connector flight to Argentina was set up a day later and they were finally in the biggest producer of wine in South America and the maker of the now-famous Malbec wines.

“I always wanted to go there and had to scramble to get winery visits adjusted for private tours and tastings,” he told me. “The winemakers and owners were even more hospitable after the ordeal of the earthquake. We tasted lots of Malbec, the most popular wine in Argentina’s biggest wine district, Mendoza.

Jim Barrasso of Firefly in Encinitas, with Denise Cerelli, tastes Argentina Wines at Catena Zapata with winemaker Celeste Pesce, shown on the right.

The altitude averages 5 to 7,000 feet, which makes Malbec thrive,” he pointed out. He named Catena Zapata as one of his favorites, with its widespread, highly focused source vineyards and over a century of family experience. I recently tasted the 2006 Catena Cabernet and found it to be an aromatic, taste-filled berry and spice red, right up there with the premium cabs of Chile. You can learn more about Catena by accessing www.catenawines.com. For the latest on Chile’s recovery, access www.winesofchile.org.

California Wine Festival comes to Dana Point

This Doheny State Beach located wine festival, planned for Saturday April 24 from 1 to 4pm is a hybrid to the celebrated California Wine Festival in Santa Barbara that will happen Thursday July 15 through Saturday July 17th. The Dana Point event also has Thursday and Friday parts to it. A Taste the Future with sustainable seafood and wine tasting happens on Thursday evening April 22 at the Ritz-Carlton Resort Hotel; and a Rare and Reserve Tasting is Friday evening April 23 with elegant food pairings at the Dana Point Yacht Club. Both are from 6:30 to 9pm. Saturday’s Doheny Beachside Wine Festival features unlimited tasting of fine wine and foods plus regional craft brews. The event is on a grassy area with lots of shade.

You can combine events and get entrance privileges for discount pricing or order an “All Gold VIP Pass” so you don’t miss anything. Call for full details at 800-595-4849 or check it out at www.californiawinefestival.com.

Wine Bytes
The Zinfandel Associates and Producers ( ZAP) has a Zin Tasting event at the Island Hotel in Newport Beach Sun. Apr. 18 from 4 to 7pm. Some 40 wineries, many from Sonoma and Paso Robles, will be pouring. A culinary competition will offer samples for all guests. Tickets are $49. ea. and can be obtained at www.zinfandel.org or call 530-274-4900.

R&R Wine Marketing presents a Spring Portfolio Tasting Mon. Apr. 19 from 6 to 8pm at Loungesix on the Hotel Solamar Rooftop Terrace, downtown San Diego. Meet winemakers and owners, taste current release wines and sample Hors d’oeuvres. $20. entrance fee. RSVP at 619-221-8024.

Bordeaux style Lucas & Lewellen wines are the featured star wines at a special dinner at Thee Bungalow in Pt. Loma Wed. Apr. 12 at 6:30pm. Owner Louis Lucas will be there. 5 course meal and wines for $59.95. Reservations 619-224-2884.

Lewis Cellars wines are spotlighted in a special wine dinner at Amaya in the Grand Del Mar Resort Fri. Apr. 23 from 5:30 to 10pm. Dennis Bell from Lewis will present the wines. Amaya chef Camron Woods has prepared an eventful 4 course menu to match the wines. $70. pp. Call 858-314-1988 for an RSVP.