The recent heatwave has ushered in the summer season. I am reminded of last summer's distraction from the heat with my foray into the world of Rose' wines. I would visit a liquor store that had no idea what they carried, and sample Roses to learn for myself the various types and styles. There I was, sitting on the back porch watching the sun go down, planning the opening of the store and thinking to myself there is good pink to drink. So refreshing, and versitile with many foods, especially grilled foods. I was like many, rose' is like White Zinfandel, and I am not interested. I was so wrong. Rose' opened a whole other world of wine gifts to humans. On another note, there is controversy brewing in the wine world as there are some that want to permit the blending of white and red wine to create the rose'. We will see what develops there.
Here is the quick version of rose' production. Remember the color of the wine is a result of the length of time the skins of the grape are with the juice. There are basically two ways of making rose'. The main one is leaving the red skins on the squeezed juice for a just a few hours and then removing them from the tank. The other is called bleeding which means they "bleed" off some of the juice from a soon to be red wine and leave the remaining extra skins to stay with the remaining juice to concentrate the tannins, color, and flavor. The first process is specific to doing the rose', where the second is producing rose' as a kind of by-product of the real purpose, making red wine.
Dry rose' is very refreshing and should be served chilled. The prominent flavor is strawberry but depending on what the grape is, you have lots of other interesting flavors. Syrah and Grenache, Mourvedre, Cabernet, Cabernet Franc are some of the grapes used to make delicious rose wine. Rose' is an excellent appetizer wine with its versatility to a wide range of food flavors. It can help mellow spicy dishes such as Mexican & Thai, and they can have the body to hold up to many meats.
The wine shop has rose wine from Germany, Italy, Spain, France, South Africa, and California. The wines can be so refreshing on a hot summer day. I now understand the attraction to rose from winemakers and critics alike. I encourage you to try one or two this summer. But I must warn you, you may get the pink bug.
John
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Monday, June 1, 2009
Organic
Organic is word that continues to grow and grow in importance to a lot of people. From food to wine, our hopes are we are enjoying a product that is better for our bodies. There are several wineries that are branding their wines to be organic to appeal to this growing market. Isn't any growing plant (grapevines) "organic"? Yes it is, but did they use pesticides and fertilizers?
Organic farming in the wine world (in simple terms) means no synthetic pesticides and fertilizers were used in the growing of the grapes. There are several different types of organic farming, 1) Practicing Organic, 2) Certified Organic Europe, 3) Certified Organic with label approval in USA, 4) Bio dynamic, and 5) Sustainable. It is shame the world cannot agree on what is Certified Organic, but perhaps down the road their will be some organic unity.
The consumer must rely on the retailer to help them in their organic search. Some winemakers practise organic farming but will not pay the expenses of certification and label approval. Some in Europe will not pay the costs of USA certification. The retailer has the challenge of knowing whether or not a producer is organic, or sustainable or bio dynamic or neither. Some labels promote their "organic" which is big help, but these are only a fraction of wines available that are "organic" in some form.
Some consumers are having adverse effects to some wines they drink, and with those headaches the blame goes to sulfites. Sulfites are a natural byproduct of wine making process. There are sulfites in every wine, and thus every bottle label must say "Contains Sulfites." It is true that some winemakers add sulfites to the wine as a preservative, but the labels will not say "Sulfites Added". So it is guessing game with which producer adds and which doesn't. I hear story after story of people that travelled to Europe and drank wine there with no physical effects from the wine. Was it the lack of sulfites, or did this producer practise organic farming or did they eat with their wine?
In conclusion, I suggest organic wines in the experiment of wine causing headaches. Sulfites could indeed be the cause, as some people are more sensitive to certain things than others, but I believe the problem could be synthetics, not sulfites. Our wine store now has a special Organic Section (our bottle tree) that has bottles of wine that are labelled organic and wines that practise organic farming but have no label approval.
Cheers!
John Myers
Organic farming in the wine world (in simple terms) means no synthetic pesticides and fertilizers were used in the growing of the grapes. There are several different types of organic farming, 1) Practicing Organic, 2) Certified Organic Europe, 3) Certified Organic with label approval in USA, 4) Bio dynamic, and 5) Sustainable. It is shame the world cannot agree on what is Certified Organic, but perhaps down the road their will be some organic unity.
The consumer must rely on the retailer to help them in their organic search. Some winemakers practise organic farming but will not pay the expenses of certification and label approval. Some in Europe will not pay the costs of USA certification. The retailer has the challenge of knowing whether or not a producer is organic, or sustainable or bio dynamic or neither. Some labels promote their "organic" which is big help, but these are only a fraction of wines available that are "organic" in some form.
Some consumers are having adverse effects to some wines they drink, and with those headaches the blame goes to sulfites. Sulfites are a natural byproduct of wine making process. There are sulfites in every wine, and thus every bottle label must say "Contains Sulfites." It is true that some winemakers add sulfites to the wine as a preservative, but the labels will not say "Sulfites Added". So it is guessing game with which producer adds and which doesn't. I hear story after story of people that travelled to Europe and drank wine there with no physical effects from the wine. Was it the lack of sulfites, or did this producer practise organic farming or did they eat with their wine?
In conclusion, I suggest organic wines in the experiment of wine causing headaches. Sulfites could indeed be the cause, as some people are more sensitive to certain things than others, but I believe the problem could be synthetics, not sulfites. Our wine store now has a special Organic Section (our bottle tree) that has bottles of wine that are labelled organic and wines that practise organic farming but have no label approval.
Cheers!
John Myers
Monday, May 25, 2009
Full Circle
Greetings to all that read my first posting. Strange to be a huge wine fan and then open my blog with a restaurant review of sorts. Upon further review, this is full circle type of event that helped shaped who I am.
My wife has few friends, the main one, Carol, and her husband are moving from Denver, CO to Indiana in a week. We made the quick 100 mile drive north to spend some time with them and grab some dinner. We looked online for the information about a place called Farro. The Owner/Chef is a guy named Matthew Franklin, whom was the Chef at another favorite place, 240 Union. Matt is a self-taught culinary guru that can do no wrong in my book. He is good guy too!
There website is informative with Menus and Wine List as well as hours of operation and they are open on a Sunday night, Yeah! We called and made the reservation and head out.
We arrive to find the restaurant in a King Soopers Shopping Center on County Line Rd and Holly St. There is nice comfortable neighborhood feel to the place yet a step- up in ambiance. The menu is all Italian but what grabbed my attention was the Carpaccio. There are not a lot of people in my neighborhood that do raw meat, let alone know what Carpaccio is, but I love it and this version was delicious. Some of the others tried it and were pleasantly surprised. This was topped with some arugula that gave it a wonderful peppery flavor that accented the beef. I could have eaten several more, but there were other wonderful things to taste.
The others wanted Calamari and this one was amazing. Cooked perfectly, no rubbery rings, just the right amount of coating and perfect seasoning.
I order Lasagna as I am a huge fan and I wanted to see how basic dish would taste in this great place and I was not disappointed. It was like cheese fusion inside and great tomato flavors covering the portion, which was perfect sized as well. My wife had linguine and clams it was delicious. So full flavored and not complex or over the top. All the food was exceptional to me and then we, I mean, I, had to have some Tiramisu, which followed suit in the excellent category.
Knowing how deprived I would be for living so far away I ordered a pizza to go that we will enjoy tonight. It was Gorgonzola, fig, prosciutto, as the main ingredients. I can't wait to try it.
Matt's new place exceeded my expectations by a large margin. Service was excellent, timing perfect, and the whole experience was wonderful. Did you think I wasn't going to mention wine?
I had the house Montipulciano and my wife the Pinot Grigio to start and then we had a nice Sangiovese from Emilia-Romagna that was perfect with the lasagna (both are from the same area) and moderately priced at $25.00 a bottle. Great evening.
In the late 80's I had the opportunity to be a server at Strings, in Denver. I learned so much in those 3 years, but it was at this time I became greatly interested in wine and the wine business. I loved selling a great bottle to a table to enhance their experience and make their evening with me more memorable. My manager at the time asked me if I wanted to attend a wine tasting for those in the trade, and I did. It was at this event I realized I wanted to make wine my hobby and maybe even my livelihood.
The owner of Strings opened a Italian Trattoria called Ciao Baby! and I had the opportunity to help manage the place. He also had interest in another place on the west side of town, called 240 Union, which is how I met Matt. Always a treat to eat there, and the owner, Michael Coglin, put together great staff and wine list. Michael bought some of my wines when I was selling wine, for which I am grateful.
I have had an interesting life. I had a hard time figuring out what I wanted to do with my life, or what I wanted to be when I grew up. In that search, you do different things to see if that is just interesting work or just another means to pay the bills. Wine is always interesting to me for several reasons. One is the combination of history, geography, and farming. There are many variables, which creates this ever-changing world of flavors. My exposure to great food and wine has lasting memories and continues to create new ones. I want to share those feelings with any that will spend any time with me. To turn my back on these things would be a sin to me. I opened my wine store with intent to provide an alternative source to great wines, and perhaps share my passion and experience with my friends that patronize my store. I am fortunate to have Bill Pershin as a dear friend and culinary talent that prepares meals just short of Matt in his home. We have been fortunate to enjoy his excellent meals and share great wine. He produces the best food in Pueblo, and the company is the best too! Maybe that is why I do what I do now, to enjoy those great moments with friends.
John Myers
My wife has few friends, the main one, Carol, and her husband are moving from Denver, CO to Indiana in a week. We made the quick 100 mile drive north to spend some time with them and grab some dinner. We looked online for the information about a place called Farro. The Owner/Chef is a guy named Matthew Franklin, whom was the Chef at another favorite place, 240 Union. Matt is a self-taught culinary guru that can do no wrong in my book. He is good guy too!
There website is informative with Menus and Wine List as well as hours of operation and they are open on a Sunday night, Yeah! We called and made the reservation and head out.
We arrive to find the restaurant in a King Soopers Shopping Center on County Line Rd and Holly St. There is nice comfortable neighborhood feel to the place yet a step- up in ambiance. The menu is all Italian but what grabbed my attention was the Carpaccio. There are not a lot of people in my neighborhood that do raw meat, let alone know what Carpaccio is, but I love it and this version was delicious. Some of the others tried it and were pleasantly surprised. This was topped with some arugula that gave it a wonderful peppery flavor that accented the beef. I could have eaten several more, but there were other wonderful things to taste.
The others wanted Calamari and this one was amazing. Cooked perfectly, no rubbery rings, just the right amount of coating and perfect seasoning.
I order Lasagna as I am a huge fan and I wanted to see how basic dish would taste in this great place and I was not disappointed. It was like cheese fusion inside and great tomato flavors covering the portion, which was perfect sized as well. My wife had linguine and clams it was delicious. So full flavored and not complex or over the top. All the food was exceptional to me and then we, I mean, I, had to have some Tiramisu, which followed suit in the excellent category.
Knowing how deprived I would be for living so far away I ordered a pizza to go that we will enjoy tonight. It was Gorgonzola, fig, prosciutto, as the main ingredients. I can't wait to try it.
Matt's new place exceeded my expectations by a large margin. Service was excellent, timing perfect, and the whole experience was wonderful. Did you think I wasn't going to mention wine?
I had the house Montipulciano and my wife the Pinot Grigio to start and then we had a nice Sangiovese from Emilia-Romagna that was perfect with the lasagna (both are from the same area) and moderately priced at $25.00 a bottle. Great evening.
In the late 80's I had the opportunity to be a server at Strings, in Denver. I learned so much in those 3 years, but it was at this time I became greatly interested in wine and the wine business. I loved selling a great bottle to a table to enhance their experience and make their evening with me more memorable. My manager at the time asked me if I wanted to attend a wine tasting for those in the trade, and I did. It was at this event I realized I wanted to make wine my hobby and maybe even my livelihood.
The owner of Strings opened a Italian Trattoria called Ciao Baby! and I had the opportunity to help manage the place. He also had interest in another place on the west side of town, called 240 Union, which is how I met Matt. Always a treat to eat there, and the owner, Michael Coglin, put together great staff and wine list. Michael bought some of my wines when I was selling wine, for which I am grateful.
I have had an interesting life. I had a hard time figuring out what I wanted to do with my life, or what I wanted to be when I grew up. In that search, you do different things to see if that is just interesting work or just another means to pay the bills. Wine is always interesting to me for several reasons. One is the combination of history, geography, and farming. There are many variables, which creates this ever-changing world of flavors. My exposure to great food and wine has lasting memories and continues to create new ones. I want to share those feelings with any that will spend any time with me. To turn my back on these things would be a sin to me. I opened my wine store with intent to provide an alternative source to great wines, and perhaps share my passion and experience with my friends that patronize my store. I am fortunate to have Bill Pershin as a dear friend and culinary talent that prepares meals just short of Matt in his home. We have been fortunate to enjoy his excellent meals and share great wine. He produces the best food in Pueblo, and the company is the best too! Maybe that is why I do what I do now, to enjoy those great moments with friends.
John Myers
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