VinVillage

I know there is a lot of misunderstanding out there when it comes to wine and sulfites, so I am here to clear the air a bit :-) Firstly, SO2 is a by-product of the fermentation process, so if it's wine, it's got sulfites. There is no such thing as a wine that has no sulfites, period. Organic wines do not add sulfites to their wines, as that it considered illegal according the extremely strict guidelines organic winemakers follow. Usually wineries go for organic grape-growing, so they can use sulfites in the winemaking process. So, now the question becomes, why use sulfites? Sulfites help protect the wine from oxidizing (or turning brown), and it prevents bacteria and germs from making a home in the wine. All in all, sulfites lead to a more stable wine.

Now, I hear a lot of comments from misinformed folks who claim that they are allergic to sulfites. This is not usually the case. Why? Well, in fact, white wines undergo more sulfiting because they are usually made without the skins. The skins in red winemaking is where you get the color and tannin to the wine. Tannins act as natural preservatives to the reds aiding SO2 in preventing spoilage and bacterial growth, and allowing reds to age more than a lot of white wines can. So, red wines usually have 40ppm of SO2 and whites and champagne have up to 70ppm. So, you see here, that the ill effects of red wine, in fact does not come from the sulfites. My opinion is that it comes from the higher alcohol levels and the tannins, as I, myself, become quite fatigued if I drink much red. In fact, the FDA says only about .4% of the population or 1 million people are considered highly allergic to sulfites. There are sulfite-sensitive types out there, and the recommendation is to veer away from commercial wines (as they have higher levels of sulfites) and stick with organic wines or organic grapes or biodynamic wines. This should help keep the sulfite perception below the threshold level.

I hope this helps clear up the confusion with sulfites! Cheers :-)

Lindsay Pomeroy

The California Organics Fundraiser for the Challenged Athlete's FUnd was a definite success!  We were able to raise $1300 for the cause, yay!!  So thanks for all of your participation.  I wanted to recap the wines used for this event:
1.  Joseph Prum Riesling Spatlese 2006- This was a very hot year in the Mosel Germany, but this wine still retains it's enamel-ripping acidity known in the world of Rieslings.  Lots of melons, pears, hints of peaches, this 100% organic white is great for the hot weather we are experiencing in San Diego.  I choose this wine as part of the wine line-up because of the German winemakers purity.  They don't manipulate the musts, so Maloactic fermentation, lees stirring, oak aging, etc is not part of the traditional winemaker's repetoire ther.  Hands-free winemaking=clean and pure wine, just how I like em!
2 and 3> Tablas Creek cote du Tablas Blanc and Cote du Tablas Rouge-  Tablas creek is one of my favorite organic winemakers in California. They are located in West Paso Robles, amongst the scenic windy roads and hills of the region.  Their wines capture the essence of the Rhone Valley, here in California.  The grapes they use for their wines are all estate grown on Calcerous clay, like in the rhone valley.  This region faces a major diurnal shift between daytime and nightime temperatures, allowing for intense ripe flavors, but always with a high level of natural acidity!   Their Blanc is a mainly Viognier blend, with roussane, and marsanne and grenache blanc added to the blend.  Their Rouge is a Grenache-dominant blend with syrah, Counoise and Mourvedre. 
4.  Old River Red, sierra Foothills, California 2004- this was a very tasty cab to add to the line-up.  Grapes are grown in Nevada County, CA, so we are talking inland!  All grapes were farmed organically meaning that there was no pesticides, herbicides, or fungicides used, ever!  Instead organic winemakers like this use cover crops to plant between vines, owls and bats to counteract pests, and replanting and encouraging natural wildlife to dominate the landscape.  Cheers to this small production family run winery!  We support their work!
Cheers!
Lindsay Pomeroy
 

I just recently returned from taking a 2 week tour through Italian and German wine countries. I know, poor me :-)  Well, it was well-deserved, mind you, and tax-writeoffable!  I want to share with you some of the highlights of my trip. This week, I will share with you my observations from Italy!
 
I visited Piedmont and Tuscany and tasted through most of the current releases winemakers had to show.  I visited Paitin, Mauro Veglio, and Marchesi di Barolo in Piedmont.  In Tuscany, I visited Banfi, and La Gerla in Montalcino and Felsina, Castello Volpaia, and La Massa in Chianti Region.  Overall, all wines tasted were enjoyable, however, it was very interesting to see the American influence on these smaller producers.  Let's begin with the winemakers of Piedmont.  To respond to the oaky and extracted styles celebrated by WS, and RP, winemakers in Piedmond are using less of the large casks made of Slovenian Oak and opting for more barrique.  Between Paitin and Mauro Veglio, I definitely preferred the more traditional Paitin style over the oakier Mauro Veglio.  To me, Nebbiolo is big enough it doesn't need a massive influence of oak. 
 
This barrique vs. Oak cask palate debate continued into Tuscany as well.  Banfi, the largest winery of Italy (and largest I've ever visited) has in fact come up with a patented combination of oak/stainless steel fermenters.  it is indeed half stainless steel and half oak.  It's pretty impressive machinery.  Again, the response to the new world market was a focus here as well, as the more traditional La Gerla used more Oak Cask than did Banfi, and again, I preferred the Brunello by La Gerla, it was fantastic!  In northern Tuscany, in Chianti,  I was quite impressed with all of the producers.  Felsina and Castello di Volpaia offered fantastic hospitality to us weary travellers and their Chiantis  were clean (but not too clean) and quite lovely.  I didn't feel as though oak was a dominant flavor profile in the wines tasted here.  La Massa was a fantastic off-the-beaten path discovery.  The Enologist and our tour guide, Francesco, was so hospitable and informative, I felt as though I recieved a mini-class on viticulture!  They don't make Chianti, and instead focus on Super Tuscan style blends of Sangiovese, Cabernet, Merlot and a touch of Petit Verdot.  We tasted these wines out of the barrel separately in addition to the final blended products.  Their Giorgio Primo was very aromatic and well-structured.  Both my travelling companion and I started to get the thirst to open up some older vintages to see how it ages.  Luckily, Francesco gave a six pack of his wines, so that I can age and try them myself.  Yay! 
 
That's all for this week.  Stay tuned for Part Two: The German Adventure...

I recently did a food and wine pairing event that went exceptionally well, and I wanted to share with you some of my pairings and the observations and reactions from guests on the results.
Here are the pairings and their tasty results:
 
Start the Night of Sparkling:
Segura Viudas Heredad Spanish Cava Reserva paired with Asian Nachos.  The Nachos were topped with salmon, ahi, and red snapper, tomatoes, cilantro and avocado over a spread of cream cheese.  This was a fantastic pair!  The creaminess of the cheese and avocado were refreshed by the snap of the Cava's lemony finish.  The delicate melon and mineral notes make a nice complement to the sushimi grade fish, neither overwhelming each other.  The sparkler was defnitely a hit, event the non-bubbly lovers were sucking it down!
 
The Femme Fatale of Grapes:
Kunde Estate Viognier, Sonoma paired with Alaskan King Crab Legs.   This pairing was created for those who love rich and voluptous whites.  This viognier isn't your over-the-top orange and peach fruit bomb like you see from many California producers, no, it has the weight of a full-bodied california white, but without any new oak or ML, it's only the fruit that shines through!  I chose the crab for it's sweeter and super rich flavor.  The pairing would have been dead-on, but the chef over-salted the crab, and you know what happens to wine when there's too much salt?  It makes it taste metallic and the crab too fishy.  Granted the fish was served cold, but if the crab was totally left in it's natural state, this wine would have been absolutely perfecto!  A bit bummed by this result.  This wine would have also stood up nicely to scallops or lobster (again not too much salt!!!!)
 
Bringing Back Merlot:
Luna Merlot, Napa paired with Filet Mignon Bites topped with horseradish sauce.  Right now is the perfect time to buy merlot.  Why?  Well, the tables have turned the other way around with Pinot NOir and Merlot.  Now you pay way too much for sub-par pinot, and way too little for killer Merlot.  This is a killer bottle of affordable merlot.  Luna uses biodynamic farming, again only the fruit shows through on this well-balanced red.  Smoked roasted walnuts, blackberry, figs and anise dominate the experience.  The tannins are all merlot: soft, lush, ripe.  Excellent acicidty to boot!  I choose filet to pair with Merlot because Filet, like merlot, has a softer and less gamey flavor.  A steak would've been overpowering to this red.  This pairing rocked and the Merlot was definitely brought back, as this was the first red to go!
 
Lamb and Shiraz!
Ok, it's a Shiraz-Viognier blend from Victoria, Australia.  This is the Terlato Chapoutier blend I blogged about last week (go and read it if you want more info.).  This pairing had the most wow-factor.  I choose shiraz to pair with the Rosemary and blue cheese topped lamb chops because lamb is intense and needs a bold and intense red to stand up to it.  In fact, the super ripe blackberries, plums, and blueberries with the lush tannins not only tempered the innate gameyness of the lamb, but the lamb brought out that 3% touch of viognier...the floral-violet flavors.  This pairing was the best because the wine made the lamb taste better and the lamb brought out new flavors to the wine. 
 
I encourage all of you to get out there and explore with your palates.  It's not that hard, just remember the basics: intense food or sauces require more intense wines, more delicate dishes and flavors require more delicate wines. And don't forget to factor in weight and intensity of tannins when you're pairing. If you have some menu ideas you want to run past me, I am all ears!
 
Happy Hedonism!
 
Lindsay Pomeroy
Director of Events and Marketing, VinVillage
Wine Director Dussini Mediterranean Bistro
Principal Consultant The Wine Smarties

I was doing some R &D for a wine event I have coming up where the client wanted to do a wines-from-off-the-beaten path sort of event.  So, I called up some of my reps and told them to bring some really 'out there 'wines.  Well, the tasting was certainly successful and I ended up using 2 of the wines for the event: Steele Vineyards 2005 Blue Franc Lemberger and a 2-country 2 varietal blend from Australia.  Why am I sharing this with you?  Well, I think it points to the future of the wine industry.  I think, just like the screw cap movement has shown us, we will be seeing more and more cross-state and cross-country blends like these wines.
The Lemberger is an Austrian grape that has few plantings in the New York fingerlakes region as well as Washington State.  This wine is made from a California producer (Steele Vineyards of Lake County) using an obscure Austrian grape grown in Washington State.  Confused?  Gone are the days when X winery owned X acres on his estate and made wines solely from that estate.  Since we don't have the regulations of France, we aren't limited to growing X grapes in X regions, in our great country, as you can see, X winery can buy grapes from wherever and make whatever wine he so pleases.  Good for creativity, bad for the novice who is seeking out rules to grow their understanding of the wine world. 
This other unique wine is collaborative effort between 2 renouned winemaking families: French legend Michel Chapoutier of the Rhone Valley and Napa Valley vintner Anthony Terlato.  This concept, of winemakers teaming up around the globe, is something that we will be seeing a lot more of in this global market.  As we’ve already witnessed with our ‘new world’ styles of wines emerging in traditionally ‘old world’ countries, the future of the wine industry, I believe, will become even more unified, as this wine exemplifies.  To add to the quirkiness of this wine’s concept, it is also a unique blend of a red grape and a white grape.  It is mainly Shiraz (or Syrah..same thing), the grape that put the Aussies on the global market. In addition, it is blended with Viognier, an extremely aromatic white grape that is also grown in the Rhone valley.  The viognier adds a layer of floral charm to the nose of the otherwise black-fruit dominated Shiraz.  So, this cross-country, red-white blend really represents something new to the world of wine. 
What's my opinion on this, you ask?   I am all for experimenation and orgininality in the world of wine.  However, as the French and great producers swear by, a grape should represent the terroir from which it is grown.  Are these cross-breeds consistent with this tried and true concept?  Or are they showing us that these concepts no longer apply to today's global palate?  Just like the recent Brunello Scandal has showed us, those wineries cheated because they were trying to construct a wine that stylistically appeals to the new world palate: the style that RPJ and the WS have told the world what good wine should taste like.  Maybe in the end, we will become divided in the world of wine: divided amongst the traditionalist clinging to the tried and true and then the blenders, who truly blend their styles into something that the new world palates (Americans) will want to buy. 
I think that if a wine is well made AND still retains the integrity of the grape's spirit and/or terroir, then I am all for whatever strange new blends winemakers show us.

I want to position this blog as an opportunity for you readers to share with me insight into something I don't quite understand.  I went to a couple of nice bars recently in the gaslamp and noticed that not only was the wine selection tiny, but it was absolutely horrendous.  I am wondering, if like me, when you go to bars with horrible wine lists, that you instead choose to drink something that is not wine?  So, you'll opt for a beer or a martini instead, right?  Even if you wanted to order a glass of wine, and was hoping for something memorable, you would rather not drink the crap served and choose a different drink.  Does anyone else approach bars in this manner? 
Personally it's a real bummer.  Having a good or at least halfway decent wine list, it seems, it underrated in this town.  Do bar owners not understand that if they served better tasting wines they would get more orders for it?  And the most baffling thing to me, is that a bar/nightclub/restaurant wine buyer will order wines that we all know are garbage and then mark them up to like $8 a glass.  As a buyer, I'm letting you know that what they paid for that bottle (not even the glass that you buy) is double what you pay for the glass!  And why don't these confused individuals realize that because they serve mainstream garbage wines, the consumer knows how much he's getting screwed for the glass he considered buying.  When I choose wines for my wine list, I choose wines that aren't so well known so that I can mark them at reasonable prices, as I don't want to compete with the grocery store bottom of the barrel wines (some are good at those places, mind you :-))
I plan to help this situation by offering my consulting services to these venues.  What I need is ammunition, from you who are reading this blog, to tell me that you too, won't order cheap wines in situations as described above, but will instead opt for a different libation for the evening.  If I can approach these venue owners the evidence that the reason why they don't sell much wine in their program is because the wines are horrible, I think we could see a better selection of quaffalbe choices when you're out and about.  How super would it be to know that when you go out to certain bars you know you can have a nice glass of wine to sip on. 
Thanks for your help with this!  I look forward to your responses.

I am dedicating this blog to my upcoming 4-20 class.  As you know, I am doing a blind tasting of wines that a. don't hurt your wallet and b. that are eco-friendly.  Hey, I actually care about what I put into my body.  I don't want to drink wines that have been manipulated with god-knows-what, over-sulphited, inferior grapes, and the winemaker's chemical touches (which are god  knows what!).  So, this class is designed to show you how to disriminate against horribly made wines that don't hurt your wallet.  I usually always use wines that cost around $15 for my events and it's amazing to me how many people tell me how awesome the wines are.  It's all about knowing what to buy, so come join me on the 20th and I will give you some insider trade secrets on which regions around the world and which wines are truly worth trying.  And I will also be pouring organic stuff, so you know that you're drinking quality juice!  I hope to see you there, and if you have additional questions, please contact me at: lindsay@vinvillage.com
 
 

This blog is dedicated to some of my favorite (and your favorite) wines that won't hurt our recession-faced wallets.  It's true, times are tough and everyone is looking to save a penny or two, so here's what I suggest trying:
For light tasty whites:
-Can't go wrong with an Albarino from Spain (this is the grape varietal).  The peach and apricot aromatics of the Burgans Albarino is wallet-friendly AND delicious!  The wine is creamy on the mid-palate, and really expressive, and is sincerely some of the best value-dollar AND seafood-friendly wines on the market.
-Also, go and explore the world of Italian whites. Prosecco is great, but if you can get your hands on a Franciacorta sparkling white from Piedmont, you will be in heaven, I promise.   Others you should try come from southern Italy: Greco di Tufo, Fiano di Avellino, Falanghina...
For Lighter Reds:
-Palmina winery from Santa Barbara specializes in Italian varietals.  All of their wines have the feminine touch (it's a husband-wife team).  My favorite is her barbera.  She also makes a Tocai to die for (it's a white from north eastern Italy)
-Lane Tanner (again another female winemaker) makes the most sensual, delicate and complex pinots around.  She's based out of Santa Barbara, but her style is right out of burgundy..her wines are ethereal, all of her pinots are amazing :-) 
-I can't help but mention Barnett Vineyards based out of Napa.  His Russian River Pinot is truly layers upon lavish layers of palate pleasure.
-Oh, and Milla Handley of Handley wines also makes fantastic pinots..yummy! (they aren't super cheap, but worth every single penny)
For Bigger Bolder Reds:
- Sick of paying California real estate?  me too...get out and get your palates to Washington.  I love the Cabs and syrahs coming out of that neck of the woods.  Try the Dunham Cellars Syrah..it's huge but is so dark wild berries, you feel like you're eating them fresh..blueberries, blackberries,  you get the drift... Or try the DiStefano Cabernet, another berry tasty big red. (I'm cheesy, I know)
-Go with Spain!  They offer great value to dollar.  The Bodegas Nekeas Garnacha is totally affordable and has some depth and complexity to it, not to mention a nice spicy finish.  I also have grown fond of wines coming out of Priorato and Jumilla regions. If you can find the Pico Madama, buy it! 
-2001 Brunellos 2003 Barolos you can't really go wrong.  The marchesi di Barolo 2003 is drinking insanely good right now (still really young, but if you're a impulsive wine buyer, this is right up your alley)
Okay, that's enough wine shopping homework for now!  See you soon :-)
 
Lindsay Pomeroy, CSW
Director Events and Marketing
Wine Director, Dussini Mediterranean Bistro, The House of Congress, Dudley's Wine and Gifts
Principal Consultant, The Wine Smarties
 
 
 

I get a lot of folks looking to somehow start a career in the wine industry, and really don't know where to begin.  So, this blog is dedicated to all of you folks who may or may not want to quit their day job for your favorite hobby.
Firstly, unless you are indeed quite wealthy to begin with, it's common knowledge amongst industry folks to accept that the wine industry won't make you too rich (unless you have a brilliant idea).  So, this industry is perfect for folks who aren't truly expecting to make much money, but are looking more for the social/educational experience of it all.  That being said, there a few directions that you can consider:
1.  If your fascination with wine truly revolves around the social element (you just love sharing and drinking it with people), you should consider volunteering with Vinvillage.com :-)  We need folks to help set up and run events, especially as we grow.  There are other wine social networking groups out there as well, groups that also do events, but I would say that would be a great direction to start with. 
2.  Get a job at a wine bar/retail store.  It's a great way to get to know products and other wine industry professionals, and would satisfy that social butterfly in you.  The main drawback to this, is you usually have to carry and lift cases of wine around, or at least multiple bottles, so you must be in decent shape. 
3.  Take some classes. to see which aspect of the wine industry intrigues you most.  Dustin is rolling out his list of classes, and I will soon follow.  If you actually want credentials, read Dustin's blog from a few weeks back, he wrote about different credentials.  SDSU also offers wine classes.  Unless you are serious about working in a restaurant as a buyer, you really don't need tons of credentials (however, things are becoming more competitive).
4.  Are you a ham?  Do you have thick skin? Do you get off when people take your advice?  Consider becoming a broker for a small portfolio.  There are tons out there.  Ask one of your favorite industry people about which books you could represent?  The big wine distributors are much more difficult to tap into, so I would start out small.  Again, a lot of reps don't have any certifications, so it is not a prerequisite if you don't feel like going to class. (Slacker!)
5.  The next level along these lines is becoming a winery representative.  Perhaps you know someone who owns a winery?  Ask if they need help with sales/promotions.
6.  Become an intern.  Especially at harvest time, there are ample opportunities to help pick and crush grapes, usually you work for almost free, but it's great experience and connections! 
7.  Perhaps your a very scientific-minded person.  If so, take some classes and become a winemaker. 
8.  Check out the www.winejobs.com website. They also post internships there as well. 
 
I hope this helps!  If you have further questions, please email me, I am happy to help.
Lindsay Pomeroy
Wine Director, Dussini Mediterranean Bistro
Director of Events and Marketing, Vinvillage
Principal Consutant, Wine Smarties
 
 

When you're out and about with your friends, and want to look like to Smartest Wine person at the bar, here are a few handy tips you can easily remember and use for identifying those aromas in your glass of wine:
a. Think in General terms or categories:
 Fruit /floral aromas, herbal aromas, Wood/spice aromas, Chemical aromas, Earthy aromas
b.  Now think specific, and use logic:
The aromatic profile of white wines will be indentified with white fleshy fruits, so you won't find any dark berry fruit flavors in whites.  Think apple, lemon, grapefruit, kiwi, pineapple, peaches, apricots.  For reds think red berry fruits or dark berry fruits, so raspberry, cherry, black cherry, blackberry, plum, currants, etc. 
Now for wood/spice aromas, these are imparted by wood aging or fermentation in oak: toast, vanilla, cinnamon, spices all have to do with oak.  Now, most whites are NOT aged in oak (except your chardonnays and sometimes sauvignon Blanc), but for the most part, white wine flavor profiles are too delicate and become masked by the heavier flavors of oak, so they are fermented instead in stainless steel, which is totally neutral.  Most all reds are aged in oak. 
Chemical aromas are usually reflections of sulphur and blow off as you let it open up.  However, it also can indicated the wine is truly faulted, in which case you shouldn't drink it at all and should send it back.  The general rule for sending a wine back, is if it makes you cringe with an unpleasant smell, it most likely is faulted.  The wine should smell clean not polluted.  When in doubt, return it! 
I hope this helps you on your next first date, or when you're showing off with friends.  Use logic, aroma identification doesn't have to be such a mystery!
 
Lindsay Pomeroy, BA, CSW
VinViillage, Director of Private Events and Marketing
Director of Wine, Dussini Mediterranean Bistro
Principal Consultant, The Wine Smarties