WINE WITH DINNER – A less expensive alternative to Veuve Cliquot Yellow Label

Choosing a good quality French Champagne, as opposed to a domestic sparkling wine, for that special Happy New Year’s Eve toast does not have to be all that expensive. Of course, you do have to accept the fact that finding the real thing (i.e., a good quality Champagne made in the Champagne district of France) for under $30 a bottle is close to impossible in today’s market.

Because Non-Vintage (NV) Veuve Cliquot Brut “yellow label” Champagne is so well known and because it is often discounted well below its $45 to $50 price, many people think that it is a “good buy” and don’t look any further. Certainly you can easily find stores that sell it for less than $40 and at Suburban we always have it on sale for $38.97 or less. But is it a good buy from a quality perspective even at that price? In the basic wine classes that I teach, we often address this question by comparing NV Veuve Cliquot Yellow Label with NV Brut Grower Champagnes, whose undiscounted retail price is lower than the Veuve Cliquot discounted price and the Grower Champagnes always win!

For those of you who are not familiar with the term “Grower Champagne,” these are sparkling wines made by individual(s) who actually own their own vineyards in the Champagne district of France, grow their own grapes there for the base cuveé, and then produce and age the resulting sparkling wine in facilities on their own Champagne estate. To learn more about Grower Champagne, you can find all the basics you will need on http://www.interactiveheet.com/bottledup/2007/12/Grower-champagne.html and once there, you will also find several excellent additional links on the subject.

So far, in our less expensive Grower vs. Veuve Cliquot NV Brut Champagne tastings held at Suburban Wine & Spirits, my classes each time have unanimously selected Christian Etienne Tradition and Charles Ellner Cuvee de Reserve as clear winners. They both are available at our store for $31.99 and $35.99 respectively. – Jay Roelof – www.suburbanwines.com

Surrendering Our Wine Badges

The boys and I were at it again last Wednesday night, giving it our best tries to stump each other with our wines concealed in brown bags. Bedford’s lovely Bistro Twenty Two was our accommodating host this time, and Lance, George and I took the opportunity to bring out some serious juice…..3 bottles of which turned out to be major league ringers! We were so off-course with some of our guesses that we’re thinking of perusing alternate careers.

If Lance’s aim was to improve his record after last session’s zero-for-two performance, then his mission was accomplished, starting with his first entry. This white, which became unanimously voted Wine Of The Night, had George and me convinced beyond the shadow of a doubt that we were drinking white Burgundy. We threw out guesses like Jean Grivot and Comte Lafon. So when 2005 Aubert Chardonnay Lauren was revealed, we were instantly reduced to boys. Now, last August’s Kistler Chard was rather Burgundian, but this stuff proves that great Mersault can be duplicated in Sonoma. What a gem, and a triumph for Lance. Brilliant! And generous.

George threw one of his reds into the mix, and Lance & I instantly narrowed it down in our minds to either Italy or Spain, leaning toward Italy. The wine was clearly mature, and offered numerous Euro-style secondaries, but was all-the-more difficult to pin down. After a barrage of pitifully-inaccurate guesses, off came the bag, revealing 1994 Ridge Geyserville! Another American ringer mistaken as European. Fine job.

If this all wasn’t humiliating enough, Lance’s red contribution had George and me, yet again, eating our words like a side of fries. Examining it, we were confident that we were drinking mature Italian……clearly a Nebbiolo, if not a Sangiovese. We threw out long-shot guesses of top-flight Barolo and Brunello producers. Thus, we flipped our wigs when Lance tore away the paper from a bottle of 1989 Vieux Telegraphe Chateauneuf-du-Pape! This one takes the prize as the most un-guessable wine ever bottled. Never has a Grenache blend exhibited fennel, anise, tar and balsamic in such a Piedmont-esque manner. Lance, are you sure you didn’t switch the labels? Nice work!

Beyond these three ringers, the evening included a cracked-pepper and lavender-laden Rhone Syrah/Viognier blend from Yves Cuilleron, a clearly identifiable and beautifully-acidified Pinot Noir from Hirsch Vineyards, and a brawny and youthful single-vineyard 1999 Barbaresco Riserva from Giuseppe Cortese, all of which were narrowed down nearly to producer in a 20-questions fashion. This was truly the most humbling round yet for our crew. Thanks to B22’s staff for the fantastic meal and service. Until the next one……-Michael Koehler – www.suburbanwines.com

WINE WITH DINNER – A Tasting Tour of the Finger Lakes

Fox Run Vineyard Barrel Room

From October 26th through October 29th, I was part of a select group of a dozen journalists, professional wine buyers and restaurateurs who were the invited guests of the Finger Lakes Wine Alliance for a tasting tour of about two dozen Finger Lakes wineries. We made new or renewed old acquaintances with about three dozen Keuka Lake, Seneca Lake and Cayuga Lake winery owners and winemakers as we tasted and enjoyed multi-course meals together at major wineries such as Sheldrake Point Vineyard and Restaurant; Lamoreaux Landing Wine Cellars (where we were also given vineyard tour); Fox Run Vineyards and Barrel Room dining facility; Glenora Wine Cellars, Restaurant and Conference Center (where we attended seminars on Rieslings and other aromatic whites); Fulkerson Winery; and Red Newt Cellars Winery and Bistro. Wines of all kinds – red, white, rosé, sparkling and late harvest - were evaluated and discussed with their respective owners and winemakers, but the focus was on Riesling and other aromatic whites such as Gewürztraminer, Traminette, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Vidal Blanc, Vignoles and Rkatsitelli, all of which seem to be well suited to the Finger Lakes terroir.

Owner Mark Wagner conducted a vineyard tour of Lamoreaux Landing

Riesling is without question the signature white wine grape of the Finger Lakes. Of the 11,000 acres of Finger Lakes Vineyards, over half are planted with Riesling grown mostly by small and passionate producers each of which make an average of 2.5 styles of Riesling wine a year. In the November 2008 issue of Wine Business Monthly, Nielsen Scantrack data showed that Riesling sales are up 17% by value over the past 12 months (#1 in growth value) and Riesling is up 16% by volume over the same period (#2 in volume growth behind Pinot Noir). By value, Riesling’s market share is equal to Zinfandel and by volume, Riesling has now passed Zinfandel by 11%.

Lots of other interesting New York wine statistics were given out as well. Did you know that New York is the 3rd largest wine grape producing state following California and Washington? Or that the Finger Lakes viticultural area is New York's largest wine producing region, and it is the second largest in the United States behind California’s famous Napa Valley? To get an idea of the incredible growth in winemaking taking place within our state (10%-15% in each of the past 10 years), did you know that in just the past 30 odd years, New York State has grown from only 9 wineries to 220 – 102 of them in the Finger Lakes and 60 of those on Seneca Lake? It’s time for you to give New York wines another try, especially the aromatic whites from the Finger Lakes - Jay Roelof - www.suburbanwines.com

The Per Se Experience

I now refer to it as the Per Se “sexperience”, since few things are more enjoyable. For those of you who are not tuned-in to the New York restaurant scene, Per Se, the sister restaurant to Thomas Keller’s French Laundry in Napa, is widely considered to be the finest dining experience in New York, and one of the finest in the world (Michelin 3 stars and New York Times 4 stars). After the extended wait for reservations, I finally sat down at the Columbus Circle hot spot with my lady Deborah last Sunday afternoon anticipating the feast of a lifetime. And that is exactly what we got.

Sparing you most of the decadent details (as to assuage any inadvertent jealousy), I’ll abridge the experience for you with the following assessment…..This 5 ¼ hour gastronomic marathon was a sheer delight for all of the senses (for instance, no music was playing in the background and many courses featured specialized utensils, all to heighten the effect of the cuisine). We sat in an elegant, minimalist dining room overlooking Central Park while the city’s most meticulous and professional wait staff presented to us a seemingly-endless 18-course lunch with 9 world-class wines to match. Put simply…..to work your way through the Per Se tasting menu is to enjoy oysters, sablefish, poached lobster, caviar, 3 types of foie gras, black truffles, white truffles, duck pastrami, pork shank, Wagyu beef, Himalayan sea salt, olive oil ice cream, homemade chocolates, Zind-Humbrecht Riesling and René Rostaing Cote Rotie all in the same sitting (whew!). Not to make a blanket statement about everything I ate, but there was a common thread of extraordinary textural refinement throughout, and a fundamental sense of ümamí that I have yet to uncover in European fare. This meal will rate as one of my top 5 to date, and is the only one of those 5 to be consumed in the U.S!

I won’t tell you how much the “sexperience” costs, but I will declare that, for the passionate foodie, it is one of those endeavors that are painfully expensive but worth every penny (I think we’ll start saving now for the winter menu). I want to extend kudos to the brilliant Per Se staff, warm gratitude to Alice and Stanley for generously making it all possible, and my love to Deborah for picking me as your chow mate. Cheers, all! –Michael Koehler - http://www.suburbanwines.com/

WINE WITH DINNER – Hudson Valley Wine & Food Festival

Earlier this month, I drove up to Rhinebeck, NY to attend the eighth annual Hudson Valley Wine & Food Festival, not only because I love New York wines, but also because I am Suburban’s New York wine buyer. Over the years, the Festival’s attendance has grown to such an extent that it had to be moved last year to the Dutchess County Fairgrounds! Close to 20,000 people were expected to attend this year’s September 5-7 weekend wine and food event. More than 50 wineries participated - representing New York wine regions from the Finger Lakes to Long Island - and food was prepared and served by over 20 local restaurants.

The Hudson Valley is the oldest winemaking region in the country - it was first planted by French Huguenots in the 1600’s and is still the home of New York’s oldest continuously producing vineyards. There are now at least 33 wineries in the Hudson Valley. In Suburban’s New York wine section, I have chosen Millbrook Vineyards & Winery to represent the 10 wineries on the East side of the river and, indeed, their wines showed well at the Festival – especially their 2007 Estate Tocai Friulano, which was a best seller at our June 21st New York Wine Expo. Tocai Friulano is the most widely planted white wine grape in the Friuli region of northeastern Italy. It produces a dry, but fruity, wine that has no connection whatsoever with Tokay d’ Alsace or the great Tokaji dessert wines of Hungary. It is the signature white wine for Millbrook, and very few other domestic vintners even grow this grape!

Of the 23 wineries on the West Side, I have always had a particular fondness for Benmarl Vineyard in Marlboro and I knew its original owner and winemaker, Mark Miller, who died this month on September 9th at the age of 89.

A recent New York Times article about him said, “He was widely regarded as the father of the winemaking renaissance in the Hudson Valley … although he was not the first modern winemaker in the region, he was for decades the best known, becoming a highly visible public advocate for small artisanal wineries, known as farm wineries. Praised by critics, Benmarl wines were featured at prominent restaurants, including the Four Seasons and the Quilted Giraffe in New York City.”
In honor of all that he did to promote New York wines, Mark was awarded New York State Farm Winery License No. 1. In 2006, he sold his vineyard, which he bought in 1957 (originally planted in the early 1800’s) to Victor and Barbara Spacarelli. They renamed it Benmarl Winery at Slate Hill Vineyards and continued the winery’s tradition by hiring as their winemaker Kristop Brown. Kristop apprenticed under Eric Miller, who was the former winemaker at Benmarl and, yes, was Mark’s son. Kristop also worked at Millbrook for a year (small world!). Eric is currently owner and winemaker at the Chaddsford winery in Pennsylvania.

So, Benmarl represents the west Hudson River wineries at Suburban and we currently stock their 2007 Estate Seyval Blanc. This inexpensive, dry white wine showed well at the Festival and also was a best seller at Suburban’s June 21st New York Wine Expo. The Seyval Blanc grape is a well-known, winter-resistant, French hybrid that is widely grown in Canada, the Finger Lakes and the Hudson Valley. – Jay Roelof - www.suburbanwines.com

Coming Clean on Kistler

If you have been reading our blog you know that I had both of my blind wines pegged (almost perfectly) at a recent outing. I wanted to take a minute to write about one of those wines, the 2004 Kistler Vine Hill Chardonnay. I thought the wine was fantastic.

Truth be told, I have never been a fan of Kistler wines. Having tried several different bottling’s on half a dozen occasions, they left me quite uninspired. I had the ’04 Vine Hill in my cabinet and was actually planning on selling it because I did not think I would enjoy it. When we planned on this dinner, I thought…let’s bag it and see what happens.

My past experience with Kistler has always led me to believe that it was really just another overdone California chardonnay. Way too much oak…so much of it in fact that the fruit was nowhere to be seen. No true of the ’04 Vine Hill…yes, there was oak (and a fair amount of it). But it was perfectly integrated and not over the top at all. The other two people at dinner that night thought it was Grand Cru White Burgundy, and I would have agreed with them if I was tasting it blind.

Why was this bottle different than what I have seen in the past? I have come to the conclusion that perhaps Kistler needs some time in the bottle for the oak to integrate. In any event, I have been talked off the edge and am now looking forward to trying another appropriately age Kistler to see if I can duplicate the experience. – Lance Cerutti – www.suburbanwines.com

Wine With Dinner – The Finger Lakes Wine Festival

Over the July 18 weekend, I attended the 2008 Finger Lakes Wine Festival held for the past dozen years at Watkins Glen International on the southern end of Seneca Lake. Once a year, this huge racing complex is transformed into the Finger Lake’s largest tasting room. The 2008 event hosted a record number of 89 New York State Wineries – there are over 100 in just the Finger Lakes, which is the largest wine producing region east of California. Wineries from Long Island to Lake Erie were also in attendance. Festival goers, numbering in the tens of thousands, paid $40 ($35 advance sale price) for the weekend tasting and were given a souvenir wine glass and a 130-page Tasters Guide to help navigate them through the 500+ wines poured at this huge event.

I was reminded of the first annual Finger Lakes Wine Festival, which I attended back in 1994. It was held on the grounds of the New York Chiropractic College in Seneca Falls and was also a weekend program with, at that time, a record breaking attendance of about 8,000. We tasted wine in three large tents manned respectively by 30 Cayuga Lake, Seneca Lake and Keuka/Canandaigua Lakes vintners. Nevertheless, the program was basically the same as it is today. There were booths set up featuring the work of local artists and artisans plus purveyors of gourmet and ethnic foods. Live music was featured as well by several bands and there was an Education Tent, in which I gave wine & food seminars along with several other featured speakers. All this for a single admission price for the two-day event of only $15 ($12 advance purchase price).

The Festival was conceived by, planned for, promoted and put on by a local vintner couple, Doug and Suzie Knapp, with the help of a few fellow vintners and close friends, all of whom believed in the project. It took at least a year to put together and Doug and Suzie even designed the logo themselves (which the current logo quite closely resembles). I knew Doug and Suzie for many years prior to this event, through my various trips to the Finger Lake that I made for local newspapers for whom I wrote wine articles. So, I helped staff the education tent and my wife, Georgia, joined a group of Suzie's local friends selling tickets at the main entrance.

But we all ended up doing more than one thing. Georgia, and I drove up on the Friday before to help with the set up. We pounded in tent pegs, ran water lines, strung up signs and, in general, joined the other willing volunteer workers in doing whatever we could to help Doug out. I recall seeing young Amish children in their severe black attire, pitching in with the adults in a myriad of chores. It was refreshing to see how these children of local farmers were able to take time away from their farm chores to help the vintners out getting this show up and running.

There was a "barn raising" atmosphere that day. Whenever one vintner was struggling to get something right with his tent, several other vintners dropped what they were doing to give him a hand, making jokes and laughing all the while. It was a beehive of activity and, like a beehive, everyone was working, not only for themselves, but for the Festival as a whole.
This was truly a grass roots project, led by a leading Finger Lakes vintner with a vision for what the Finger Lakes could eventually do for New York and the New York tourism industry. Doug and Suzie sold their Knapp Vineyard and Restaurant to Glenora Wine Cellars eight years ago and are now happily retired. – Jay Roelof - www.suburbanwines.com