Wining Around the San Diego Wine Scene

by Frank Mangio
Some of the most creative people I know are connected to the wine scene. From winemaker to wine server, they get it that wine has a special place in our lives. Wherever people gather, wine plays a role in adding to the success of the evening. So let’s get a taste of some recent wine events that left everyone smiling.

Ferrari Carano, always a quality winemaker from Sonoma, presented its new releases recently at Capri Blu, the Italian Bistro and Winebar in the 4S Ranch area west of Rancho Bernardo. The new and summer-style 2009 Bella Luce was introduced, a light wine of mostly Chardonnay, with 6 other world-class white grapes to produce its own individuality. ($14.) Other winners were the 2008 version of Siena, made of mostly Italian Sangiovese and Argentina’s Malbec ($18.), and the limited release PreVail West Face, a rich-bodied dark ruby red wine of mostly cabernet with a healthy dose of Syrah ($55.).

Up north on the 15 freeway and into Escondido, Holiday Wine Cellar filled its underground wine tasting room with eager fans of Frank Family from Napa Valley. Catherine Uzeta, the Frank Family rep and Jim Kern of Holiday offered 5 Frank Family varietals for tasting and had attractive discounts on sales for that evening. I was most attracted by the 2008 Pinot Noir from the Carneros district of Napa Valley. ($31.99). Fresh strawberry fruit impresses the palate, with hints of hibiscus tea, cinnamon and honey.

Word just in that Jim Carter’s South Coast Winery Resort & Spa in the Temecula Valley has won some 56 medals at the California State Fair, including 15 Best of Class. It’s still another tribute to the determination of Carter to raise the level of quality wines in Temecula, with the expertise and wine wisdom of Master Winemaker Jon McPherson. The 38 acre property also has a world class restaurant and spa, and is a major concert venue.

Many of the awards were for the Wild Horse Peak wines, with grapes grown up in the hills near Palomar Mountain. The 2006 Sangiovese is a distinguished version of the Tuscan great.

The Shores Restaurant in La Jolla, recently rejuvenated by restaurant manager and sommelier Lisa Redwine, presented Chris Brockway of Broc Cellars in the San Francisco Bay area. Five different tasting stations made it a pleasure to participate. There were five Rhone varietals presented including a Granache. Brockway underlines his small production quantities and a hands-on approach as keys to his recent success since 2004 in making pocket-friendly drinkable wines.

Did you know that the family of the late Frank Sinatra now has Sinatra Family Estates wines, starting with a high quality 2007 Cabernet from Calistoga, Napa Valley (79.99). It’s starting to show up at finer wine shops.

The highest quality magazine for searching out the most contemporary information on food and wine is San Diego’s own Dining Out, a complimentary glossy publication available in finer restaurants and wine bars. The Summer/Fall edition is out with fascinating revelations about Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, as well as full menus of your favorite restaurants.

Carlsbad Wine Merchants Friday nights are really rockin and getting a fun reputation with live music, small bites cuisine and memorable wine tastings. First music set is usually 6:30pm. Caesar or Berry salad, gourmet pizzas, chicken wings or cheese boards compliment the wine tastings which go from 5pm to 8pm. $10. for wine club members, $20. for non-members. TGIF never felt so good.

Notes from the Wine Warehouse Spring Tasting

by Frank Mangio
I have reported several times this year on the extraordinary number of wine events and outreach that have been staged in an effort to get before the trade and public. The pace has been dizzying ( no pun intended ) to keep up with all of them and bring you up to date on the newest and best releases.

One of the most influential wine marketing and distribution companies in the world is Wine Warehouse. For 30 plus years it has offered more 10,000 wines other beverages for sale to the retail trade in California. Retail and restaurant customers look to Wine Warehouse for superior wine and related products.

Over 500 new release wines were brought by recently by some 120 wineries from all over the world. Many of the owners and winemakers were at this gathering at the Hilton Bayfront in San Diego, to engage first-hand with potential and current customers. When I arrived, I went over right away to Temecula’s Thornton Winery to visit with owners Steve and John Thornton with winemaker Don Reha. They were excited about the seven new Spring wines that have just been released that I will be reporting on in a future TASTE OF WINE. Then I moved over to Enrico Nicoletta’s booth. He manages the Italian wine portfolio for Wine Warehouse and was anxious to have me taste the latest from Felsina and Barone Ricasoli, both Chianti Classico front-runners from Tuscany. The Felsina 2007 “Beradenga” with 100% Sangiovese sells for $20. and is made by one of the master makers Guiseppe Mazzocolin. Barone Ricasoli is a bigger winery that is just North of Felsina. Its Chianti Classico 2006 was in the top five wines in the world awarded by Wine Spectator in 2009.

My TASTE OF WINE Top Ten Tastes for 2009 had the Brolio Ricasoli Chianti Classico Tuscany 2003 listed. Price is just $11. if you can find it. Just a dash of Merlot and Cabernet adds great depth to the Sangiovese base.

Finally I want to mention a strong, fruity find in Consilience from Santa Barbara County and its 2006 Syrah. Brett Escalera is the owner-winemaker. Brett also served at Byron and Fess Parker wineries. Normally I don’t think much of wines with over 15% alcohol, but this one is balanced to perfection. It’s a true premium Syrah and one to watch for at just $18. Look it up at www.consiliencewines.com.

Water in Wine is the Purest
Most people know that wine is made up of mostly water but what they may not know is that the water in wine is the purest available. As the wise and humble Ben Franklin once said: “In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is freedom, in water there is bacteria.” In the fermentation for wine, there is a process of boiling, filtering and fermenting. So, enjoy that glass of wine. Not only does it taste good and make you feel good, your body is getting the most healthy irrigation known to man.

Wine Bytes
VINZ Wine Bar downtown Escondido is back with Vinnie Griffin as owner with the wine bar and German beer garden linked up. The V Lounge again has Friday entertainment with guitarist Jimmy Patton from 7 to 9pm. Details at 760-743-8466.

Wine Steals in San Diego, Hillcrest and Cardiff now has a wine cask feature with wine on tap! They are offering great low prices on wine by the glass. Call the location nearest you for more.

St. Germain’s Café in Encinitas has a “Yappy Hour” on Fridays and Saturdays with special incentives for your dog and you from 4 – 7pm. Sat. and Sun. June 18 and 19 enjoy Pannini “Yappetizers” and a glass of local Poway Old Coach Wines. Local music and raffle drawings. Call 760-753-5411.

La Costa Wine Company in Carlsbad has light and refreshing German Riesling wines for tasting Fri. June 18 from 5 to 8:30pm. $15. ea. And on Fri. June 25, Sonoma wines for tasting. $20. pp. Call 760-431-8455.

San Diego Wine Company on Miramar Road is pouring ten terrific Pinots for $10. Sat. June 19 from 11-4:30pm. Erath is one of the featured wines. Phone 858-586-WINE.

Island Prime on Harbor Island in San Diego is hosting a Great Fathers Day Wines sale Sat. June 19 from 11:30 to 2pm. Sample select wines and hors d’oeuvres and win prizes with each purchase. Contact Maurice at 619-557-9441 ext 203 for the wine list.

Café Merlot in the Bernardo Winery in Rancho Bernardo extends an invitation to join them for a TAPS benefit dinner and wine tasting to help troubled teens and their families, Sat. June 26 from 6 to 9pm. Cost is $75. per person or $120. per couple. For tickets, call 858-668-2273.

Tuscany in the Desert

by Frank Mangio
It was a sunny, temperate day in Palm Desert recently, adding a lively garden atmosphere to the driveway leading to the grand entrance of the JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort and Spa. I was there to renew my friendship with Paul Bologna, the wine sommelier for the restaurants, and to review the lush Italian style Tuscany Ristorante that sits by a lake within the property. Paul was guiding guests through a holiday wine tasting of California and Oregon Pinot Noirs at the boat dock.

His “Pinot Showdown” pitted Oregon names like Domaine Serene and Chehalem Reserve against California’s Sequana and MacPhail Toulouse. All were lovely picks, but I am partial to Pinot in Oregon so my favorite was the ’05 Chehalem from the Willamette Valley.

Tuscany’s menu, with its Northern Italian cuisine, is the creation of Executive Chef Oliver Wolf. He contributes to the relaxed, sophisticated atmosphere with a lovely selection of wines and fresh, seasonal flavors. The venerable Lobster Ravioli is chef’s favorite and has been on the Tuscany menu since its inception.

Tuscany Executive Chef Oliver Wolf, 2nd from the right, with his kitchen staff, prepares a menu of the finest flavors in the desert at the JW Marriott Desert Springs.

When you go, you must ask for Elena Sembenini for table service. She has been with the ristorante for 18 years. Her presentation is show business quality as she guides her diners through the history of each menu item. It is classic Italian. She personally selected my wine, Castel Ciocondo Frescobaldi 2004 Brunello di Montalcino. Its elegance cannot be overstated.

The wine list, a world tour of all that is superb, touches all budgets and is a credit to the selection decisions of Paul Bologna.

Life is beautiful when it’s spent dining at Tuscany Ristorante at JW Marriot’s Desert Springs. www.desertsprings.com.


What’s in your Cooler?
Keeping wine for years, to open and enjoy at another time, was the last thing I thought I would do when I began collecting my knowledge and thoughts about the qualities of great wine. After a while I began to realize that some red wines do get more magnificent with age.

They become like prized possessions, stored away developing flavors that would be unknown without years of aging.
Old world red wines, whether from the country of origin or a new world adopted country, do best when aged. These are big in tannins, those character-building components of the skins and seeds of grapes that make wine live longer.

My wine storage and coolers hold about 300 bottles of reds, the oldest being 10 years old. All will be consumed as I don’t believe in “collecting wine” just for the sake of name-dropping. Tuscany Italy and Napa Valley California are the wine countries I favor. Varietals I prefer to keep in storage for increased body and flavor include: Cabernet, Brunello di Montalcino, Chianti Classico, Tempranillo, Barolo, Barbaresco, Syrah, many blends from France, Super Tuscans from Italy, Sonoma, Napa Valley, Paso Robles and Temecula.

My prize wine, until I drink it, is a Sassicaia Super Tuscan.

A couple of last thoughts on storing wine: Always keep the bottles laid down horizontally to keep the cork moist, and keep a record of what you have, when you bought it and exactly where it is stored. Salute!


Wine Bytes
San Antonio Winery in downtown Los Angeles has a wine seminar luncheon, Understanding Bordeaux Varietals, on Sat. March 20 from 1 to 4pm. Call 323-223-1401 for pricing and details.

The 9 DePortola Trail Wineries of Temecula are presenting a Zinfandel and Pasta Fest Sat. and Sun. March 20 and 21 from 11 to 5pm. Each winery has pasta, wine and a logo glass for guests. $45. fee. Tickets at the wineries or access www.deportolawinetrail.com.

West Steak, Seafood and Spirits in Carlsbad is hosting the Caymus Napa Valley Family of Wines Mon. March 22 at 6:30pm. Enjoy a five-course dinner featuring seared Prime Angus Filet Mignon paired with Caymus Wines. $95. ea. RSVP at 760-930-9100.

BICE Restaurant in the Gaslamp District downtown San Diego celebrates several winemakers from Italy with a 4 course dinner paired with Chianti Classico, Barbaresco, Barolo, Montepulciano and other Italian districts, Tues. March 23 from 7 to 10pm. $80. pp. RSVP at 619-239-2423.

The Napa Valley Vintners will be well representated at a wine tasting at Fleming’s Prime Steakhoue in La Jolla on Thurs. March 25 from 6 to 8:30pm. Enjoy small bites and big wines with winemakers. $45. ea. Contact Fleming’s at 858-535-0078.

Italian Grape from Chianti Revealed in California

LEON SANTORO, the FAMED "RHONE RANGER" TASTING THE NECTAR OF ORFILA WINERY (Foto by Frank)

by Frank Mangio

Italian winemakers are a romantic lot. The language of wine, especially in Tuscany, is meandering poetry, words of love and some hyberbole.

Take Chianti, or more recently, Chianti Classico. Over the years Chianti was getting a bad name, so some of the more influential vintners coaxed the government to crack down and raise the standards. Now, Chianti can only be made in a district called Chianti Classico. It not named for the grape, which in my judgment is one of the most lovely in the world: Sangiovese. Sangiovese has relaxed elegance with a taste of the terroir, the earth from which it was raised. You will taste a lively acidity that begs for cheese, olive oil and rustic breads. I find that newly won disciples of wine that may not know wine terminology, just simply like it a lot!

Sangiovese in California is the focus of this week’s column. From north to south, unlike Italy, this grape is boldly proclaimed on the label of an increasing number of wineries and is gaining in popularity. In the north, look to Sonoma for some delicious examples as wineries like Pedroncelli grow it in Dry Creek Valley near Geyserville. Their ’05 is just out and is pleasing to the palate. The Seghesio family, back in the late 1800’s, was bottling a Chianti containing a blend of Sangiovese, considered America’s oldest Sangiovese planting. On the Central Coast, a small winery, Javardi in Paso Robles has an ’04 Sangiovese that is tasting beautifully.

I am most excited about what I see and taste in Southern California, namely Temecula’s wineries like Palumbo Family, La Cereza, Falkner, Briar Rose and others. In Escondido, Orfila Vineyards and Winery with Leon Santoro ( see accompanying photo) brings 13 years of Sangiovese love to the table. Leon himself comes from Tuscany. In 1995, his Sangiovese “Di Collina” (means hillside) won Gold at the San Francisco Fair. He smiled and said “we would have won double gold then but the Tuscan vineyard we received our plantings from, Fattoria Le Bocce, won with their ’93.” Each year since that first accolade, Orfila’s Sangiovese has medaled, including five double golds. See more at www.orfila.com.

Italian and Rhone Valley French style grape-growing represent the single best hope to put Southern California wineries on the map. The wave of wineries gaining success with Sangiovese is a real trend that is here to stay.

One Closed Case of 1982 Chateau Mouton Rothschild...
What’s it Worth?

Twelve bottles, a case of the above named wine treasures, have been sitting since 1984 in perfectly temperature controlled storage, owned by Gary Parker of WineSellar Brasserie in San Diego. This “vintage of the century” was one of the first to receive a 100 point rating. The wine, in the Bordeaux appellation, is considered a benchmark for the greatest wines ever made. This unopened case is being offered sealed and aged for some 25 years. A single bottle has been priced at an average $2,000.

The public has a unique opportunity to participate in an on-line auction for this case of wine. Between now and midnight March 20, Parker will be taking offers for this rare case. “I urge you to make your best offer right away…I will certainly envy the fortunate person who will ultimately possess one of the most amazing cases of wine on the planet” he said. You can send your offers or any questions you may have to Parker at GParker@WineSellar.com. His phone is 858-450-9557.

PORT: It Isn't Just for Dessert Anymore...

by Frank Mangio

I have noticed that many more wine dinners offered by upscale restaurants, are serving some lovely sweet or dessert wines. Most delicate pastries demand a sweet Port, late harvest Riesling, Ice wine or my favorite, the Muscat Canelli.
This southern French and Italian style dessert wine is made from the Muscat grape. More about that later.

I was interested in how the wines get so sweet as to be a dessert in itself. Grapes that are used have to be very high in sugar content. They get that way by being picked after the normal harvest. The sugar may be maximized by allowing the grapes to “raisinate” by laying out on racks before crushing. This waiting process is labor intensive and makes for a more expensive price point for the wines.

Alcohol levels are higher, usually 16 to 19% due to the very high sugar level.

Now to the lovely Muscat Canelli. Muscat grapes were known to have been some of the oldest in France and Italy, brought in by the Phoenicians and Greeks.

The aromas on these dessert wines are captivating. They reek of racy tastes like orange, melon, peaches and apricot. With the holidays fast approaching, the popularity of these dessert wines increases. They have a settling quality about them after a king-size meal. Now here’s a large sized tip for you. Some of the best Muscat Canellis in the country are from the Temecula Valley. Recently the Wall Street Journal profiled this lovely dessert wine and found two from this neighborhood appellation that they thought were among the best. Another surprise was these Muscats were lower than normal on the alcohol, about 10 to 12%, and although sweet, contained enough acidity to balance the innate sweetness. Served chilled, it relaxes the mind, and the heart.

The two Temecula wineries that made the short Wall Street Journal list of best Muscat Canelli Wines were: Maurice Car’rie ’06 for about $12.95 and Callaway’s ’05 for about $18. Check them out at www.mauricecarriewinery.com.
and www.callawaywinery.com.