WINE WITH DINNER – “Wine & Cheese” … is it always a good combination?

Mention wine and cheese to most people and they will no doubt agree with you that this is a marriage made in heaven and that one of the best ways to really enjoy a truly great wine is to serve it with cheese. But, at the risk of sounding a bit like a wine curmudgeon (which I am not), I would make the following observation.

While it is true that serving cheese with flawed wines makes a lot of sense, it is only because the cheese tends to mask the faults in the wine (just like chilling it does). Hence the success of so many neighborhood (jug) wine and cheese parties and dinners served with small glasses of cold Chianti in inexpensive Italian restaurants!

But serving cheese with really good wine, especially top-of-the-line reds, does not make much sense to me (with the possible exception of the classic, time honored combination of vintage port with Stilton cheese). Why? Because cheese not only masks a wine’s flaws, it also hides many of the qualities that make great red wines worth their price. That's why cheese is often served with great Bordeaux that is really too young to enjoy - not because it highlights its qualities, but because it masks its unpleasant tannins. There is sound logic behind the old French vintner’s axiom, “Buy on apples, sell on cheese”

In general, I have found that beer goes better with cheese but, if you want serve a really good wine with your cheese course, then I would suggest a fruity white, rather than most reds. But, even here, the field is fairly narrow with gewürztraminer leading the pack and brut Champagne close behind – Jay Roelof – www.suburbanwines.com

Michael In Austria, Part II

The Heat is On: A cluster of Zweigelt grapes in Burgenland are literally sun-burned, a new and unfortunate condition in the region, according to young winemaker Anton M Iby of the world-class and exclusively red wine-producing IBY. Anton indicated that the climate is clearly beginning to change in this area, and it’s no longer unusual for spring temperatures to exceed 38 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit) for extended time. This heat, combined with new rainfall trends which mimic Southern Spain, were not what his family had in mind when they planted the sensitive and somewhat vulnerable variety decades ago. His father, Anton Sr, has been cultivating in the region for 25 years, and appears to be convinced that global warming is real and closing in fast on this part of Europe.

Down Time: The view down a leisurely street in a commercial section of Graz, the second-largest city in Austria. This clean and colorful place has a feel that reminds me of a larger-scaled Hudson River town, complete with shops, cafés, bicyclists, students and esoteric goings-on. Yeah, I could live here.

Michael in Austria, Part I

As part of an educational program launched by the staff at Domaine Select Wine Estates, importer and distributor of scores of fine European wines, I spend 5 days in Austria last summer exploring wine and food. My host was DSWE’s German/Austrian wine director, the genuine, tireless and well-immersed Daniel Hubbard, who reintroduced me, along with 4 of his regional reps, to the vinous wonders that emerge from this part of the world. This posting will be the first of many documenting my experience.

The producers that Daniel single-handedly discovered are true artisans, many of whom are responsible for stirring worldwide interest in the Central European wine paradigm at the dawn of a new century. Most of them produce wine in tiny amounts, focusing on cru and indigenous grapes, while remaining loyal to the winemaking practices developed by their ancestors. A modern trend of returning to the organic farming techniques of centuries past is widespread in the region, and many winemakers are passionate about keeping it that way.

All in all, this was a thorough trip with very little down time. I had the opportunity to sample better than 200 wines made from 20 different grape varieties, 85% of them white, and many of them mature to the tune of 15-35 years! What I experienced astounded me, and my outlook on the wines of this part of Europe has radically transformed. The wines of Wachau, Wagram and Styria, for instance, have proven to be some of the most place-specific in the northern hemisphere, varying broadly in degrees of minerality, textural density and sugar content at the digression of both the winemaker and his/her terroir.

Many thanks go out to Daniel and Co. for their hard work toward making this brilliant experience happen for me. Look for more postings about my specific experiences in the coming days and weeks. -Michael Koehler - www.suburbanwines.com

Impressions from a Southern Rhone ramble.

Our own George F returned last week from a week of tasting in France’s Rhone Valley and Provence. Clearly his visit to Paul Vendran’s La Ferme Saint Pierre estate in the Cotes du Ventoux made the biggest impression of the dozen or so winemaker visits he made.

“Paul Vendran showed the best array of wines I encountered on this trip.
I’m always impressed by winemakers who make a range of terrific wines. Anyone who can make a delightful rose, a stunning Viognier, and three separate exceptional and sharply priced bottlings of Cotes du Ventoux – each one with depth of character- gets a gold star in my ledger.

Vendran’s vineyards are in a gorgeous area of gently rolling hills that lead up to the base of the imposing Mont Ventoux. Many of his vines are grizzled veterans of 45 years or more, particularly the Carignan and Grenache. During a tour of the estate in his minivan he explained his approach to viticulture, which is essentially bio-dynamic – ground cover between rows, no chemicals used etc etc.

Back at the cellar (really an aluminum pull barn) , we were all amused by the chaos and disorganized tangle of crushers, fermenters and palleted wines that makes up the top floor. There was even a small scale bottling and labeling unit in the midst of everything – evidence of a one man show to be sure. His barrel room downstairs was much more orderly and negotiable…

The wines we tasted were all wonderfully precise and joys to drink, which was not the case everywhere we stopped. The Cuvee Juliette rose should arrive in late June but Suburban has the 2007 Viognier (think Condrieu at ½ price), the 2007 Cotes du Ventoux Rouge (think CDR with lovely mouthfeel and texture) and the 2005 Cotes du Ventoux Cuvee Roi Faineant (rich and unique in flavor bringing to mind certain CDPs and Rasteaus) currently in stock. These are food friendly and delicious wines that should please just about anyone. Don’t miss them.” – George Feaver – www.suburbanwines.com