Grooooooovy Grooner! Gruner Veltliner to the Spelling Police...

Gruner Veltliner continues to make inroads in the domestic market as an alternative to Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio. It's the number one white grape in Austria and is also grown in small quantities in Oregon and California. I don't mean to suggest Gruner is better or worse as the aforementioned varietals though. What Gruner can do is provide a wonderfully refreshing, food-friendly, sometimes complex white wine to explore.

The wine drinking public is growing more and more aware of Gruner. Some of the best examples can have a complexity and texture that rivals the top Sancerre's and Oregon Pinot Gris'. Trouble is, Gruner Veltliner can be hard to find in the United States. A lack of consumer awareness contributes to the relative scarcity of the wine. As it turns out, a lot of people also have trouble pronouncing the name, which is understandable since it's got all sorts of funny dots and letter-pairings.

Enter winemaker Meinhard Forstreiter and his creation: "Grooner". Imported by Monika Caha and retailing for between $12 and $15, this example of Gruner Veltliner is designed to introduce wine drinkers to the grape.

2009 "Grooner" Gruner Veltliner Kremstal, Austria

 

Originating in the Kremstal region of Austria, which is in the northern part of the country, Grooner clocks in at a modest 12% alcohol by volume. According to the critics and industry commentators, 2009 was a very good vintage, quality-wise. A somewhat uneven growing season was saved by a last bit of great fall weather to properly ripen the grapes in most regions. Luckily for me (and you), this included the Kremstal region.

Interestingly, the Austrian wine industry has a theory that vintages in the "9's", 2009, 1999, 1979, etc..Are usually absolutely amazing. This first came about in 1959 and has continued to this day. They have scores and wine-drinker consensus backing them up in this theory as well, so there's probably something to it.

Now, how was the 2009 Grooner? In a word, delicious.

I'm a sucker for high-acid white wines, always have been and always will be. With that not-so-subtle disclaimer out of the way, I tasted this wine without knowing the price. After finding out the price, I was surprised, in a good way.

Right off the bat, I liked the pale-greenish hue and impressive clarity. I could immediately tell this was a type of wine I didn't have too often. My first few sniffs revealed freshly sliced green apple, a whiff of perfumed lemongrass, and even some gooseberries. That kind of nose to me immediately signals a dry, crisp white wine.

At nearly room temperature, the acidity was very lively across my palate. I could feel a washing effect all the way back through the finish. That carried flavors of grapefruit peel, hints of herbs and green apples, lime juice and wet rocks across the back palate. I felt that perhaps the finish was a bit quick, but this seemed to work with the Grooner.

All told, I was impressed with the accessibility of this wine along with the well integrated flavors. That acidity easily won me over and I'd love to try this wine with sushi, tempura vegetables and even grilled crustaceans. I highly recommend the Grooner, giving it a B+. Wonderfully expressive flavors carried through by crisp acid make the wine perfect for hot weather, food, and most importantly, perfect for you to start to explore Gruner Veltliner.


This wine was provided as a sample.

For more information, please visit http://www.grooner.com/


Beau Carufel

San Diego Syrah Smackdown! Feat. San Diego Wine Mafia.

It was time once more for a San Diego Wine Mafia tasting event! While some within the SDWM may not approve of that name, I don't care. It's my blog and I can use it as I please. Enough of us thought it was a brilliant name and that's what counts. Democracy baby!

Anyways, after the last event, we all had to sober up and pick a new theme. One of us, perhaps Bill aka Cuvee_Corner or Keith aka BrainWines, suggested Syrah. Expanding on this theme, it was agreed that we should do a head to head blind tasting of Paso Robles AVA Syrah versus Red Mountain (in Washington) AVA Syrah.

And so, the emails went out to wineries in those regions. A lot of wineries actually, and even I got into the act. As a newbie blogger, I was hesitant to ask for samples. That being said, I got precisely ZERO replies from the wineries I sent emails to. Yes, it's ridiculous that no one even took the time to say a polite "No thanks" to me.

Luckily, fellow SDWM members like Bill and Nanette of WineHarlots were able to exert their considerable influence and get us some samples for the event. Myself and Katie aka LaJollaMom, contributed wines we'd bought.

Here are some pictures from the event, courtesy of Keith. 

In these two pictures, the Paso Robles Syrahs were on the left, the Red Mountain/Washington Syrahs on the right. We had Keith's wife tag and bag the wines to keep things as impartial as possible. For us tasters, the only information we had was the varietal and region. We didn't specify a vintage so they were all over the map, from 2004 to 2008 if I recall.

Here are my tasting notes, starting with Washington's wines. They're labeled 1-5.


1. 2005 Skylite Cellars Columbia Valley Syrah
Meaty, savory, and earth notes on the nose. I also found cherries and bramble, which was a good contrast. Great minerality and spice on the palate. Firm tannins that echoed a good Rhone. I marveled at the balance and wish I had a case sitting there waiting to be drank. This is classy Syrah and one that I feel is terrior-expressive.

2. 2004 Terra Blanca Reserve Winemaker's Barrel Select Red Mountain Syrah
Delicate, aromatic nose with lots of red fruit. Equally light, almost delicate on the palate. Very quick finish too, I found myself wanting more. I think this Syrah would be very food-friendly and there was a great little hit of spices on the mid palate that had me wishing that continued throughout the wine.

3. 2004 Matthews Red Mountain Syrah
Very earthy, almost a barnyard quality, yum! Reminded me of some Northern Rhone wines I'd had. I also liked the spicy black cherry and cranberry notes. This one was soft on the front palate but balanced out with earth, baking spice and dark chocolate on the finish.

4. 2006 Desert Wine Winery Columbia Valley Syrah
Very bright, a friendly, happy wine. This could be a crowd-pleaser at a party. I smelled loads of candied fruits and hints of baking spices. On the palate, soft, jammy wine dominated by red cherries. If you like your Syrah fruit-forward, check this one out. I'd pair Desert Wind's Syrah with something fresh off the grill, like dry-rubbed pork ribs.

5. 2004 Terra Blanca Block 8 Red Mountain Syrah
Spicy, intense nose grabbed my attention. There was some heat which was a bit of a turn-off. I liked the dried berries, earth and an interesting note of something charred/savory. The tannins were at first almost overpowering but then I got a sense of how well they were integrated with this wine and I appreciated it.

Overall I enjoyed the Skylite Cellars and Matthews Syrahs the most. They were absolutely superb and show how amazing Washington Syrah can be. I hope you get the chance to taste these at some point.

Onwards to Paso Robles! I confess to not having a clearly defined idea of what Paso wines are about. Often, to me, they're overbearing, over-extracted, too loud and just plain too much. That being said, I was really happy to taste some examples from the region because they're obviously popular wines and tend to be well made.

A. 2007 J. Lohr South Ridge Paso Robles Syrah
I called this a "big, super-ripe" wine. Loads of jammy currant and red cherry, very soft and approachable. I'd call this highly extracted and then oaked up for a while. This is a wine I'd bring to a group of non-Syrah drinkers, to introduce them to the varietal and show how fruit can dominate a wine. If you're grilling a burger on a summer afternoon, J. Lhor's Syrah would go great with it.

B. 2006 Vina Robles Paso Robles Syrah
I loved the subtle, complex nose. It was more approachable for my palate however it retained that big, ripe fruit structure that Paso Robles is known for. I was exceedingly happy to find some tannins weaving their way through the blackberries, cherries, plum and vanilla notes. A good wine from a producer I hadn't tried before.

C. 2007 Tablas Creek Paso Robles Syrah
I wrote: "YUM! Elegant yet rich, would be superb but for the alcohol on the nose!" I don't like having to wait for alcohol to blow off and this had been open for almost an hour as I recall. Good structure that integrated tannins, earth (dust), dark chocolate, plums and even a hint of grape-y-ness. Interesting wine save for one small flaw.

D. 2007 Mitchella Paso Robles Syrah
I wrote: "A nice nose, but just nice..somewhat muted" and that's my biggest issue with this wine. The flavors were so hard to discern for me. Perhaps 3-4 hours in a decanter would fix that though. What I did find was candied fruit and some nicely rounded tannins that carried through from beginning to end. A good wine, just didn't show that well on this day.


E. 2008 Herman Story Nuts 'n Bolts Paso Robles Syrah
My notes: " Grippy, structured, very very good! Ripe fruit balanced by the grippy tannins, finish is superb!" I called it California's answer to Northern Rhone Syrahs. Black cherries, spices, mocha, oak, and blackberries all showed through. Easily in the top three wines I tasted that afternoon.

So overall, ten wines were tasted. I picked the Skylite Cellars and the Herman Story as my top two picks. They were superb wines and both received ratings of A+ from me. I should note that the only place you can get the 2005 Skylite is by calling the winery and begging for them to sell you a bottle out of their library. You should. Seriously.

To sum it up, I had another awesome time with my San Diego Twitter Taste Live friends. What a great group of wine lovers to hang out with. I invited my buddy Justin along to experience a wine tasting and he came away impressed, even if he didn't understand half the stuff we were talking about.

Here's the before picture, where we all were just beginning to sip our wines. Look at everyone even taking notes! Granted, without those notes, I'd have been lost.

And here's the after-shot. Unfortunately Justin and I had to leave to attend a going-away part for one of our coworkers so we couldn't stick around for the after-party at Keith's place.

For your consideration, here are the websites of my fellow San Diego Wine Mafia friends:

Keith aka BrainWines
Bill aka Cuvee_Corner
Nanette aka WineHarlots
Katie aka LaJollaMom
Megan aka WineForBlondes

Next up, Pinot Noir versus Burgundy! I'm excited about this one as I am a huge huge huge fan of the varietal.

Beau Carufel

My Cabernet Day Experience

A week ago, September 2nd, the world of wine drinkers enjoyed Cabernet Day. It was a wine tasting combined with social media, creating a virtual tasting experience. Don't get me wrong, many wineries participated too, hosting tastings at their facilities. Further, there were many events around the world where Cabernet lovers got together to taste many examples. My blog post, here, summed up what I planned to drink as well as gave a bit of background on what exactly was going to be happening.

Earlier this week, Josh over at DrinkNectar.com posted a great recap of the event here. He was able to distill some stats regarding who tweeted, how many tweets there were, and other metrics. Suffice it to say that "#Cabernet Day" was a smashing success. Imagine 7,200 tweets from almost 1750 individuals, in one night, devoted to one subject.

You don't have to have a degree in Marketing to realize the impact, especially considering that the event cost all of $0 to promote via Twitter and Facebook. The massive turnout was a chance for wineries to build brand awareness as well as bloggers to promote themselves while interacting with more casual wine drinkers. Furthermore, the word of mouth promotion (free) generated by this event only increased the ROI for the wineries that participated.

Yea, I opened the 2005 Concha y Toro Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon. Was it stunning? Yes. Am I happy I opened it and was able to tweet with my fellow Cabernet Day participants? Yes.

Imagine a wine that tastes like rich, dark earth with a vein of minerality running through it.  Someone crushes some blackberries, ripe and sweet, along with a handful of black currants into that. Baking spices, dark chocolate and oak finished out the train of flavors that I experienced.

Then again, for $60 a bottle, this wine had better deliver an amazing sensory experience. I loved the Bordeaux-like structure, with beautiful tannins and even some acidity to build a framework where all the flavors could interact, building layer upon layer of tastes.

If I had a few bottles left, I'd let them age for three to six more years, just to see what would happen. I can imagine this gem becoming more elegant, refined and just plain classy.

My grade, an easy A. If I can find any more bottles at the original price, I'll probably buy a few to hold onto for a while longer. I'd recommend this wine if 2005 was a special year for you, or if you have the means to drink a wine at this price point. I don't get to drink wines like this every day, or even every week, so it was a special thing for me and I'm very happy to have been able to share it with you.

Beau Carufel

Do the Cabernet Sway..On Cabernet Day! September 2nd!

Tomorrow is a big day in the...wait..what do I call the point where the wine world meets social media? The wine virtual-space? The Wine-o-net? How about calling it the Wine-Social-Media-Place? Nah that's a horrible name. All of them suck, let's not kid ourselves.

Some readers will ask why I devoted a few sentences (and a considerable part of my brainpower) to trying to decide what to make of wine and social media; blended together like a good Bordeaux or Super Tuscan. Being the social media newbie that I am, this phenomenon (I'm still going to call it that) fascinates me because of it's reach and power to harness people from literally everywhere under one theme or idea.

I'm examining the upcoming "Cabernet Day" event and adding my thoughts. Tomorrow, September 2nd, wine lovers will open bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon around the world, then utilize Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, etc to discuss what they're drinking. Wine and social media, not exactly a new concept, certainly not an old concept either.

Cabernet Day, created by Rick Bakas at St. Supery, has moved beyond the digital realm and his own employer to feature many wineries around the country (and world) who will be hosting special events during the entire day. The specials and promotions include "Cabernet Packs" at reduced prices, special flights at their tasting bars and even catered events! At last count there are 41 different events, "Meetups", around the world. Impressive!

Down here in San Diego, I know my wine friends (San Diego Wine Mafia! #SDWM on Twitter) will be joining the fun. As I watch my friends (both real and online) on my Twitter stream, I can see the vast majority of Tweeps (Twitter Peeps) will be doing something or going somewhere to taste and talk Cabernet.

What will I be doing? Drinking Cabernet Sauvignon of course! I've chosen a 2005 Concha y Toro Don Melchor to drink tomorrow. It's been sitting in my cellar for about two years now, just patiently waiting to expose itself to the world. Umm..You have a dirty mind. That is all.

Why this wine? That's easy for me to answer, I tried it two years ago, loved it then and am excited to taste it again. While the Don Melchor is my last bottle of the 2005 vintage, the fact that I'll be able to sample and share it with people both virtually and live (hopefully) excites me to no end.

A bit of background from Wine Spectator Magazine: "This is still very tight, but the tannins that lead the way now are sleek and refined, and should easily meld into the huge core of roasted chestnut, black currant paste, warm fig and tar. Has a long coffee-and-loam-tinged finish. Best from 2009 through 2019." (06/08) - 96 points

Concha y Toro says: "Puente Alto Vineyard is located in the highest, coldest region of the Maipo Valley. Don Melchor is harvested from 114 Cabernet Sauvignon hectares within this larger vineyard. In this section, vines are 20 years old on average and yield fruit of extraordinary quality. Don Melchor is a blend-wine, made with selected grapes harvested from carefully drawn plots. The 2005 has a nose expressive and complex where chocolate, black cherry and ripe plum notes mingle in a pot of coffee and cassis. The palate features a dense, full-bodied wine whose fine, ripe tannins extend the concentration and lead into a big, long and juicy finish."

 I had originally decided on a backup bottle of 2004 D.R. Stephens Cabernet Sauvignon, but after discussions with my friend, who basically said "What the hell is wrong with you, save that stuff!", I'm leaning towards something from Washington or even a Bordeaux. I've got a bottle of 2003 Chateau Desmirail, which at 63% Cabernet Sauvignon does qualify for Cabernet Day. Plus, it's from Margaux and I do love Margaux wines. I just can't afford to buy them very often.

I'm predicting an overwhelming success for Cabernet Day, watching tweets and Facebook comments is going to be a lot of fun. More importantly, the sense of community this event will build serves to bring more people into the world of wine. That's precisely what we want right? A bigger community of people who enjoy wine and talking about the wines they're drinking.

You can catch me on Twitter here or on Facebook here.

Beau Carufel

Can We Taste Colors?

An interesting discussion arose about five days ago when I was trying to explain how a wine tasted to a friend of mine. We were drinking a 2006 Pinot Noir from the Russian River Valley. I won't name the producer but suffice it to say it's about $50 a bottle and they consistently score in the low 90's from Wine Spectator and Robert Parker. I'd never had this wine before but knew it's reputation and he was a big fan.

We had opened the bottle about an hour prior and were excited to give it a shot. As soon as I tasted the wine, I told him "Dude! This wine tastes red to me, I like it". He was surprised and said "What do you mean, red? Do you taste some red fruit?". I was adamant, and told him "No, seriously, this wine tastes red, that's what my palate is telling me right now". In my mind, I could only ascribe the flavors to the color. It's hard to explain, but as soon as I sipped that first little bit, my senses screamed at me "this is red!". In my mind's eye, I saw red, in dot form. Cool dot, isn't it!

The debate continued and he asked me if I'd ever tasted colors in wines before. I told him about a 2005 Amon-Ra by Glaetzer that tasted deep blue to me, and a wonderfully dry 2006 Airlie Muller-Thurgau from Oregon I had a few years ago that tasted like light, lime green. Each time this has happened, the first instance of sensory perception has been a color, not a flavor.


(img src: http://prime.premiergroup.net)

My theory is that there's something going on with my perceptions of fruit notes and how they interact on my palate. Perhaps it's sensory overload, too many flavors manifesting and therefore my brain takes a step back and throws a color at me instead of trying to discern each flavor individually. Maybe I'm seeing red fruit notes as a color because I'm not focused enough, my neurons are working on something else up in my head.

 Back to the Pinot Noir, I was eventually able to search out some more traditional flavors. The wine itself never tasted off or like it didn't have ripe fruit, lively acidity and a touch of oak. I just saw and thought "red!" as soon as I sipped it. Meanwhile, my friend was happy with his wine and enthusiastically described what he tasted, which could be described as a normal set of flavors and textural notes. The Pinot rocked, I hope there's some left and I may review it at a later date.

I don't know if he agreed with me or thought I was full of shit, but he's still my buddy if that says anything. He'd never experienced anything like I was trying to describe.

  

The discussion was interesting and I have been thinking about it for a few days or else I wouldn't have written this post. Has anyone else ever tasted a wine and been able to relate it to a color or shade versus a set of flavors? Was it easy or hard to do? I've heard of people who hear sounds as colors, that's pretty awesome. This isn't the same thing because it doesn't always happen to me, in fact it's very rare that I drink a wine and think of colors versus specific flavors.

One day I hope I can taste a wine that makes me think of a lot of colors, hopefully it'll be something ridiculous like a 1990 Romanee-Conti or 1947 Cheval Blanc. Now that would be interesting, maybe I'd just pass out and you'd see that old Windows "Blue Screen of Death" in each of my eyeballs as my brain reset itself.

Interested to hear your thoughts.

Beau Carufel

Another Foray Into My Kitchen...

Often times I pair food with wine, not the other way around. I suspect most of you do too or you wouldn't be reading this blog.

Tonight is no different, I had a new Pinot Noir I wanted to taste and decided to make something to complement the wine. First, the Pinot. It's new (to me at least) from Trader Joe's. Their VINTJS (get it, vintages?) label is juice they buy from people who need to make room for the next vintage or don't want to dilute their own brands.

Typically the VINTJS wines are good to very good (B to B+ on my scale) and this wasn't any different. From the Willamette Valley in Oregon, I can't say who makes it but it's quite good for $8.99. I would strongly recommend it to Trader Joe's fans. Nice spicy nose, good acid across the palate that's balanced by cherries and hints of raspberry with a back end of mocha and neutral oak. I'll be buying some more myself.

Now for the food!

I wanted to make something for dinner versus ordering Chinese or going to get Mexican or Sushi. Therefore I was limited to whatever I could forage for within my fridge. Tomorrow is shopping day and wasn't in the mood to walk up to Vons for a few items.

What you see in the picture to the left is a majority of the things in my fridge that would fit together somehow. Here's the list:
Heavenly Light cheese
Deli Mustard
Sun-dried tomatoes
Rosemary ham
Margarine
Eggs
Willamette Pinot Noir
Heirloom tomato
Garlic
Foccacia Roll

I layered the ham, cheese, ham, sliced tomato, cheese, and ham on the bottom of the sliced roll. That wee bit of mustard was for a spice element.

For the top half of the roll, I sliced a chunk of garlic up and rubbed it all over the bread, then drizzled some sun-dried tomatoes and their oil onto the top as you see in the picture.

The garlic was then sliced very thinly and I slipped them back into the bottom, between the tomato and cheese slices.

Me frying an egg. I really need to work on my egg-frying. That and slicing things. I want to be one of those people that can slice quickly and consistently, like you see on the Food Network.

Back to eggs. I turned the stove up too high and that scorched the oil, next time I'll remember to turn the heat to slightly below medium. That's one of the things with cooking, you have to keep trying and testing in order to get better.

There's my dinner! Cooking away in a George Foreman grill..I only use my Foreman for a few things but one of those is doing sandwiches. I personally don't think it does beef well at all. Chicken works great, not fish. You can do hot dogs and sausages quickly and easily too.

Fresh out of the foreman, I'm getting excited! The trick is to rotate the sandwich 1/4 turn every 3-4 minutes, so the sandwich should cook for about 15 minutes. Why, you may ask? When you put the sandwich in, the floating hinge of the Foreman can allow it to unevenly cook, leaving a half-melted, half-cold creation. That isn't fun at all.

Quickly now! Pull apart the sandwich, slide the egg in, and reassemble dinner. While the food isn't much to look at, it smelled wonderful. Garlic, toasted bread, and ham wafted through the kitchen.

Now I can only speak for myself in this case, but that looks mighty tasty. The verdict: The sandwich was a winner, very flavorful and texturally appealing. Crunchy, soft, creamy, salty, spicy. My palate enjoyed the experience.

What I'd do differently: 
Cook the sandwich longer
Fry the egg properly
Use a different, creamier cheese like Provolone
Add some more spice



Another food entry is in the books. I had fun creating this quick and easy meal, the total time was about 20 minutes and it filled me up very nicely. This wasn't all I ate though, there was a small salad but honestly, who wants to see pictures of me mixing a salad? I know I don't want to take any pictures of the process, maybe when I make a fancy salad I'll do a blog.

The wine paired quite well, I didn't want something too heavy or sweet. Light, good acid and just enough of that savory ripeness to balance the elements of the sandwich. Yum!

Beau Carufel

Kitchen Exploits, Fun With Leftovers!

I'll preface this food post by saying do not try this at home, I'm not a professional, I just love cooking. Are we cool? Good.

So this evening, I got the itch to cook. Within the domain of my fridge are the things you will see in the pictures below. A lot of the ingredients tonight were leftovers or things that you wouldn't normally associate with dinner. Why not then turn the tables and create dinner from breakfast and lunch foods?

Luckily, I had tortillas. That saved the day, no lie. Had I not had those, this blog post would be one of me begging, pleading even for someone to bring me or send me food. Wine too! Now that I think about it, my wine fridge is running suspiciously low, that's a bad sign.

Enough about me, let's check out what I did tonight in the kitchen - besides making it dirty and stinky.

Here we have some of the raw ingredients for my meal. No, the corkscrew isn't an ingredient, it's for opening delicious things like wine and beer. I just realized too that everything I created this meal with was bought at Trader Joe's. Go me!

Why oh why did I buy Lite Mexican Blend though? Since I've now gone about 13 days without red meat, maybe I blacked out and accidentally bought the low-taste..er...low-fat version of my preferred shredded cheese blend.

I cut up everything into small bits, the better to fit into a tortilla. You have had a burrito before right? Great, there goes my international readers, moving on to a better blog like 1WineDude's.
So what you see there is:
Fingerling potatoes
Red bell peppers
Sliced ham
Two eggs
Cayenne powder
Lite Mexican blend shredded cheese
Mild salsa (more like a pico de gallo actually)

What I did was add some grape seed oil to the pan and let it heat up, then toss in the sliced up potatoes. The objective was to get them fried and crispy, to add both a flavor and textural component to the burrito. This is where I added cayenne powder but in hindsight, I should have also added some to the eggs when I cooked them up. Next time. Before I forget, at this point you should add salt and pepper, I neglected to do that.

While the potatoes cooked up all nice and brown, I felt that adding in the ham would speed the process. That means I could eat faster, which was my priority.

My stove (or pan) apparently has a gangsta lean to it, making things easier in this case. I moved the spuds to the right, out of the pooled oil and in their place went the ham. That stuff jumped, crackled, browned, and smelled absolutely delicious! YUM!

This was supposedly a splash guard. Yea right. Total b.s. I still had to clean up a filthy stove-top after my cooking session. Not that I mind because it signifies I've done something in the kitchen and well, I'm used to it. Making messes seems to be my specialty. One day I'll make better food than messes though, so stick with me!

What you see are bell peppers cooking up ever so nicely. If you don't like bell peppers, just don't add them in, but I love the things especially after browning them up real nice. Add salt here too by the way.

Action shot of me pouring eggs into a pan! Beyond that there isn't much to say about this picture. Just remember, add some seasoning at this point but not too much! I think that garlic salt might add an interesting dimension, next time I'll be trying that too. Oh and I drained the oil, probably a wise move on my part (a rare occurrence in itself)

The eggs took literally 30 seconds to cook, the pan was that hot. Plus I absolutely hate over cooked eggs, it's an insult to how delicious eggs can be.

I transferred the eggs to the tortillas. I'd prepped them by adding a bit of cheese then the potatoes and ham from earlier, thus heating and partially melting the cheese. My intent was to fully melt the cheese once the heat of the eggs made contact with my lite cheese. Still can't believe I bought that crap.

I have a confession to make..I'm out of hot sauce. Please don't be mad, I'll rectify the situation as soon as I can. At this point, add Tapatillo or Cholula brand sauce. Or whatever you want. Had I been smart, I'd have bought some fresh jalapenos and put them in too. Just gotta remove the seeds first.
 

This one's easy. 2007 Toasted Head Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir. Delicious! Balanced spice, lively acidity that washes across your palate. Nice fruit and silky but subtle tannins. Since this is what I had open, I decided to go with it instead of opening up something else.

What wine would you pair with the dish I created tonight? Red? White? Rose? Bubbles? I'm not sure what I'd pair with it but the Pinot went well or so I thought. Those peaches are going into a peach margarita tomorrow, thanks to my friend Anthony (@acfoodandwine) for that suggestion!

There you have it, my leftover-breakfast-style-burritos. And a glass of wine. There are those elements I'd add, nothing I'd subtract. Taste wise, I really liked all the flavors together. Texturally, it was wonderful with the crispy potatoes and ham, soft eggs and slightly chewy tortillas. The cheese and bell peppers were great complements to the aforementioned ingredients. The result was a lot better than my previous attempt at food-blogging, where I nearly burned down my kitchen.



Beau Carufel

Napa, Sonoma, Job Hunt, Why I'm Doing This

I'm searching for a job in Napa and/or Sonoma. There, I've said it. Publicly, for you and everyone else to see. I keep asking myself why I waited so long to pursue my passion. So far, I can only come up with the singular idea that I truly didn't know the depths of said passion like I do now. A combination of attending the Wine Bloggers Conference, being pushed by my friends and family, and time itself have conspired to light the proverbial fire under my ass.

(img source: http://www.nist.gov/public_affairs/images/)

For over a month I've been sending out resumes and cover letters to wineries and vineyards. My success rate is dismal, or else this blog post would be full of rejoicing and the announcement that I'd found a job. To date, I've had one polite rejection, for a job I was (and I knew it) under-qualified for. I've had one job offer at a very well known Napa winery, but the pay was so low that I couldn't take it and survive up there. Disappointing but not entirely unexpected, a decent enough first step into the eddies and currents of the great river of jobs. Maybe not so great in this economy but you get my point.

(img src: http://www.century21bhj.com/)

Every so often I allow myself some frustration and am tempted to put the job search on hold, but the reality is that for me to be happy and successful in life, I need to go after my passion. If I were to put that pursuit on hold, to wait until the economy improved or other factors changed, I might never have this energy again. The thought of being another unhappy worker in a dead end job, the implications of that scenario, are terrifying to me.

I'm awestruck by the help I've gotten too, from people I've never met in person to my good friends and family all over the country. Wine people take care of their own and are always ready to lend an hand, to keep their ears and eyes open, to offer feedback and guidance. Reminding myself of how lucky I am all but eliminates the frustrations that come with job hunting. If there's a God or god or gods, or some omnipotent deity up there, he or she or it has blessed me with this great network of people in my life.

(img src: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Grape-vine.JPG)

So what's the nitty-gritty of what I want, where I want to do it, and why? Breaking down the generic sounding "I want a job in wine country" helps me figure out what the hell I should be doing about it. I want to work at either a winery or a vineyard, and I'd do basically any job they asked of me, provided the pay was what I need to be making to pay my expenses. Simple, right?

But what can I do? Wine education, hospitality, accounting/finance, retail sales, tasting room, cellar rat and more. Unfortunately where I fall short would be in the formal wine education department. Times like this are when you want the time machine to take you back to college and change your major/university to something more conducive to your passion. Still, the past is static, the future isn't.

How quickly I can move up to wine country has been asked of me as well, the answer is that I can move within 30 days, given the right job. That's pretty quick right? Enough time to do the right thing with my current job and train a replacement, enough time to find a place to live and enough time to pack and transport my belongings 14 hours north. To avoid confusion, when I say "wine country" I refer to Napa and Sonoma counties and the wine industry present there.

Why? I love wine. I'm absolutely fascinated with how wine is made, from vine all the way to bottle. Why a glass of wine tastes the way it does, why one wine tastes different than another, how that comes about, those questions fly out of my brain, exciting the neurons in there and driving me back into this business. Up to this point I've done plenty of retail work, some marketing and wine education too. Returning to a career in wine would help me learn instead of only teaching others. One word I keep coming back to is fulfilling. That is what pursuing my passion means to me.

About six weeks have passed since I began, in earnest, to look for jobs in the wine industry. I do not know how long the search will take or where I'll end up. I ask that my friends keep their fingers crossed for me as I begin to follow my dreams. If by chance you're a winery or vineyard owner looking at this blog and want a passionate, dedicated, energetic person on your team, you can email me here and I'll send you my resume and a cover letter.

Beau Carufel

No Wimpy Wines While You're Having Flies

Does anyone else remember the old Frog's Leap slogan "Time's Fun When You're Having Flies!"? Or how about the much more well-known Ravenswood "No Wimpy Wines" tag-line?

Imagine those two slogans were thought up today instead of 20 years ago. The pervasive nature of social media would get those out to perhaps millions of people in the span of a few short months. Tweeting, re-Tweeting, Facebook, Myspace, and Tumblr would broadcast a brand's tag-line to even the most casual of wine searchers. But, would the brands grow as fast in say a year or two as they have over the past 20+ years?

In Ravenswood's case, their slogan was printed on basically everything, short of babies. Back then, it was a little edgy, a bit of a thumb of the nose at the establishment even. Ravenswood drinkers demand their wines be big, bold, juicy, full of flavor...Does that remind you of anyone today? Can we draw any parallels to the wine market as it stands at the present day?

Frog's Leap went the cuter, friendlier route. We all giggled a bit at the clever wordplay but still, the intent was to get that brand into the consciousness of wine drinkers. Frog's Leap wanted a positive memory association which would then hopefully spark the person standing at the wine section of their store to think: "Oh that's the winery with the funny slogan, I like them!" and buy a bottle. I should note that the original slogan appeared many, many years ago in a one panel cartoon. I suspect the saying has been around even longer, but the point is that Frog's Leap seized on a great way to generate brand awareness.

Both seem to have worked because Frog's Leap and Ravenswood are still viable brands, producing some stellar wines and some more modest examples. The average wine drinker knows of each brand, both are poured by the glass at all kinds of restaurants and most wine stores carry them. It's entirely reasonable to call them each a huge success.


So then, if a winery today comes up with a phrase like Ravenswood's or uses a cute one like Frog's Leap did, can social media act as a brand awareness multiplier? Take a phrase that is easy to remember, plaster it on everything you can, short of babies. Engage people/users (paid or not) to use social media in all it's forms to mention your brand to their friends/followers. The way you present the slogan or tag-line and the phrase itself will get talked about over and over. At least some of that chatter will make it past the subject-focused people using social media and leak into the mainstream-brand-conscious population. Your brand will capture their attention too, further increasing awareness which ultimately results in more sales.

I think if you do each of those steps, and produce quality content (wine, in this case..get the pun!), your market will basically create itself. Therefore, my answer is a resounding yes, social media can and will work, imagine what would have happened to the two brands I've mentioned had they had access to such tools two decades ago. It's working right now with a few brands. That's perhaps saved for another post though.

See the things I think about when I'm bored?! It's scary..

Beau Carufel

Fiftieth Post, a Recap of the Bus Tour From Walla Walla

Three wineries, five hours, one hangover, fifteen wine bloggers, some delicious wines, free lunch, and the U.S.A. losing to Ghana in the World Cup.

So describes Saturday, June 26 of this year. After an epic Friday, all most of us Wine Bloggers Conference attendees were up early to go on bus tours of local wineries. There were 15 buses and 15 bloggers per bus. Regrettably I do not recall my bus number. We started the morning attempting to go to Cougar Crest, then we got lost, then backtracked, and finally did find the winery.

Here you see winemaker Debbie Hansen unloading in the midst of Cougar Crest's vineyards

The wines poured were:

2007 Viognier - Light straw color, great florals and hints of apricot on the nose. Lively acidity, very palate friendly. It was a nice way to start the day's tasting. $20 per bottle. B


 2008 Grenache Rose - Lovely salmon color, smelled like flowers and strawberries. Dry, clean fruit and a nice finish. Very food-friendly.
$18 per bottle. B

2007 Cabernet Franc - My first experience with a Cab Franc from Washington. 76% Cabernet Franc, 15% Petit Verdot, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Malbec.
Garnet in color with cherry, earth and mocha on the nose. Smooth, chalky mild palate that reminded me of fresh berry pie. Hints of spice..cinnamon across the finish. I liked it!
$36 per bottle. B+

After an informative but relaxing time walking around Cougar Crest Winery and tasting their delicious wines, our next top was Skylite Cellars. Their Syrahs made such an impression that I actually did an entire blog entry devoted to their wines and those of Robert O. Smasne.

You can find that entry here, along with descriptions of the wines I tasted and why I loved them so much. While not as big as Pepper Bridge, Skylite Cellars was incredibly cool and really gave the feel of being a small production winery with a specific focus.

One wine I do want to mention is the 2007 Riverhaven Cellars Syrah. Another small production (150 cases) wine from a relatively new producer. Dana Dibble of River Rock Vineyards produced this wonderful Syrah and was kind enough to pour it for us bloggers.

Dark ruby in the glass, a great nose of dark cherry and vanilla. Blackberries and hints of fig go with smooth tannins and a smoky finish.
$28 per bottle. B+

Finally the last stop was out at Pepper Bridge where we had our lunch and I took some of my favorite pictures of the afternoon. This was the one winery I was somewhat familiar with, having looked into some of the history of Washington wineries before I left on my trip.


The winemaker, Jen-Francoise Pellet spent a great deal of time explaining the sustainable viticulture practices at Pepper Bridge. You can't help but admire a winery so dedicated to making great wine but also taking care of the environment.

The wines poured were:

2009 Amavi Semillon - I found this wonderfully light and refreshing. 86% Semillon, 14% Sauvignon Blanc. It was at once ripe with notes of lychee and pear, and balanced with a deft touch of acidity. $20 SRP. B

2007 Pepper Bridge Seven Hills Vineyard - 52% Merlot, 39% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc. Great coloration, very ripe notes of red and black fruit. Grippy tannins and a streak of earthy richness that carried through to the finish. $ N/A. B+

2007 Pepper Bridge Cabernet Sauvignon - 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 4% Malbec, 1% Petit Verdot. I loved the nose, it was reminiscent of cocoa powder-wrapped blackberries. A slight touch of heat tickled my nostrils. On the palate the wine was very strong, brawny even. The tannins hit fast and hard but devolved quickly into a fleshy mid-palate. I suspect this wine would be better after 2011. $ N/A. B-

2007 Pepper Bridge Vineyard - 48% Merlot, 44% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Malbec, 4% Petit Verdot. Smelling of ripe, non-threatening fruit up front, I was reminded of a summer fruit bowl with a dollop of vanilla cream on top. On the palate unfortunately, I felt the tannins up front too much, at the expense of the other elements. My notes show a nice depth of flavor with riper fruit and spice through the mid-palate. The finish was somewhat disjointed, leaving me wishing for a more elegant effect. $ N/A. B

Wrapping this up, we all piled back into the bus, hangovers gone, needing more wine. Luckily there was a wine dinner coming up that night, along with lots of other ridiculously fun things. As I keep saying, the 2010 Wine Bloggers Conference was epic. I want to thank all three wineries for taking the time to pour their wines and share their passions with us bloggers. I had a wonderful time at all three places and was happy to expand my knowledge of Washington wine.

Beau Carufel