2009 Solis Winery Fiano Estate

So I can’t say I was angry, but I will say I was disappointed. The wine was nothing short of superb, but my fellow panelists simply didn’t get it.

To set the stage, the “other” whites category at large wine competitions are, shall we say, is The Land of the Misfit Toys. If you’ve never tasted these sorts of wines, well, generally you aren’t missing much. Often times they are comprised of the end-lots of what didn’t make the cut of better quality wines, all mixed up, given a fancy name and sold over the counter at tasting rooms. A winery marketing director will pay a small fee to enter the obscure blend into the competition hoping it will get some recognition to help sell the inventory which would otherwise be flushed.

Fiano is a relatively obscure grape (unless you are from the Campania region of Italy). As a single varietal it absolutely stands on its own. However, because it is not chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, riesling, or another widely cultivated grape, in competitions it stands alone. But it must have a caterogy, so among the “other” category it falls.

Hum drumming through many of these drinkable-yet-uninspired wines I was stopped dead in my tracks. I tasted, sniffed, and re-tasted again. I set it aside, completed my flight, and went back to it again. In judging approximately 500 wines this summer, I awarded Gold just over a dozen.

The 2009 Solis Winery Fiano Estate was absolutely without question worthy of the highest award. Unfortunately, my fellow panelists couldn’t figure the wine out. Was it aromatic, was it fruit forward, was it a food wine, or was it just an “other”? Silver was all it was awarded this time.

When any subject is spoken on at length, it is a tribute to its own powerful nature. Unquestionably, this wine was spoken about more than any other at any wine competition I participated in over the last number of years.  In fact, it was the only wine from this major competition I sought out to discover its true identity after the event was completed. 

NOTE:  We taste all the wines blind at these events to avoid any predisposed bias.

It sings of floral aromatics, expresses distinctly new-world fruitiness, and offers a luxurious combination of a mildly creamy texture and perfectly balanced acidity. If you could blend the absolute best characteristics of sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, and gewürztraminer you can start to paint a picture of what this special wine has to offer.

Due to the rainbow of flavors in concert with the backbone of acidity one could enjoy this wine a huge variety of aromatic dishes. From grilled chicken Caesar salad to Thai food and anything in-between.

Or, as I have been, just sip it on the patio under the setting sun and enjoy the most exciting wine find of the summer. No categories. Just pure pleasure.

Oh yeah, the 2009 Solis Winery Fiano Estate did receive its much deserved Gold at the 2010 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. Ahhh…redemption.

www.soliswinery.com

Taught by San Diego’s own award winning BBQ Pitmaster Dave Vindiola from Smokealicious BBQ and CookingwithChefDave.com, the class offers a great introduction to the entire BBQ process.  The August 7th event will cover everything from types of wood and fire, how smoke and spice work together, selecting the proper cuts of meat, as well as prepping, and of course cooking.

During this hands-on class, students will work with and taste various small batch and gourmet dry rubs and BBQ sauces. Participants will sample smoked cheese, spice crusted BBQ’d pork and mouth watering smoked chicken, alongside select wines from your host, San Pasqual Winery.

Following the class will be a BBQ – themed winemaker dinner with tasty mini-entrée’s prepared by Chef Dave himself, again paired with a selected San Pasqual wine specifically chosen by San Pasqual’s own winemaker, Linda McWilliams.

The August 7th class and dinner will be held at the San Pasqual Winery Tasting Room located at 8364 La Mesa Blvd. Both are limited in size so make your reservations today. (619) 462-1797

BBQ 101 Class Only: $40 (SPW Club Members $35) 4 – 6PM

Winemaker Dinner Only: $65 (SPW Club Members $60) 7 – 9PM

Class and Dinner Combined: $95 (SPW Club Members $85) 

Scheduled Menu:

Hot Smoked Salmon with Green Apples and Horseradish Cream Sauce

Crostini of Black Pepper Crusted Tri Tip with Grilled Maui Onion Marmalade

Applewood Smoked Pulled Pork Sliders with Dr Pepper Cole Slaw

Baby Back Ribs with San Pasqual Winery Syrah BBQ Sauce

Penne with Mesquite Kissed Texas Style Brisket and Fire Charred Tomato Cream Sauce

Chocolate Mousse Martini with Passion Fruit Wine Whipped Cream and Sand Cookies

About Chef Dave

Dave Vindiola was classically trained in the Culinary Arts at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City. Following his formal training he apprenticed at a bistro in Greenwich Village under New York Chef Sebastian Maczko. Upon returning to San Diego he continued to work in the culinary arts as a private caterer, personal chef and culinary instructor. He is a highly popular teacher at Great News Cooking School in Pacific Beach, the head pitmaster of the award winning competition BBQ team Smokealicious, and the Chef at an organic farm in Orange County.

About San Pasqual Winery

In the late 1700’s, vineyards were planted at the Misión San Diego de Alcalá, making San Diego the first area of California to witness wine-making. Centuries later, San Pasqual Winery draws inspiration from the mission legacy, its connection to the famed Rioja region (Alcalá) of Spain, and the uniquely cosmopolitan-yet-frontier old California city of San Diego.

San Pasqual Winery seeks to highlight the communities and people who make San Diego what it is in the past, present, and future. Each varietal or blend is thoughtfully named after places and famous figures of San Diego history, fostering a strong sense of pride in our heritage.

***UPDATE!!! 

Go San Diego cards on sale from 6/22 – 7/1.  Save 10% instantly at checkout.  Also, enter code “Hasslefree” at checkout to receive a free trip protection waiver.

As a longtime San Diego resident and someone who used to manage beach vacation rentals, I’ve been asked countless times about getting the best deal on family entertainment while visiting San Diego.  While surfing the web yesterday I stumbled upon The Go San Diego Card, an absolute no brainer for the tourist season.

If you are like me, I hate to worry about money on vacation.  I’d much rather have everything paid for ahead of time and not feel like I’m getting “nickel and dimed” to death.  This card accomplishes both goals, making all of San Diego act like an all-inclusive resort and saves you money at the same time.

The ultra biggies like Sea World, San Diego Zoo, Wild Animal Park, Legoland, and The Midway Museum are all included, but it just starts there.  La Jolla and Balboa Park museums, the new Children’s Museum, the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center (highly recommended), and on and on.

For those who are doing Saturday to Saturday vacation rentals in the Mission Beach and Pacific Beach area, the card offers another benefit–an unlimited rides wristband to Belmont Park, and an hour on the FlowRider at The Wave House right next door.

Basically, the card can be purchased to be used for any number of days, but for weekly renters I recommend the 5 day option.  Let me explain.

A family of four visiting 4 attractions–The San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park (using the combo discount provided by each venue), Sea World, and Legoland will spend $804 for all admissions.  The 5 day Go San Diego Card costs $224 per adult and $174 per child, or a total of $796.  Alright, $8 bucks doesn’t sound like much.  But it gets better because you still have another day on the card to use!

Now, if you are a Mission Beach or Pacific Beach renter, then you also will certainly be visiting Belmont Park (where the big rollercoaster is) and want to ride the coaster and enjoy the other attractions there.  The card gives each holder an unlimited rides pass which for the family amounts to nearly $100 of savings right there.  Or, if you wanted to visit any of the other included attractions, similar savings holds true.

This is why I recommend the 5 day card for weekly renters in San Diego.  Most of the families we rented to wind up doing exactly the above scenario, plus lounge around the beach for a couple days.  The 5 day card saves a pile of money, gives access to all the attractions most people visit, while leaving ample family time on the sand.

The Go San Diego Card can be easily purchased and downloaded here.

I certainly hope you enjoy your time in America’s Finest City, and let me know how you used your Go San Diego Card!

The Cork Head

I’ve proclaimed 2010 as “The Year of Happiness”.

Heck, local real estate prices have been on the rise for 8 consecutive months and the stock market has risen nearly 37% over the last year. We certainly have not seen that in a while!

Now is the time to treat yourself (or your Mom!) to something special, and I’m here to offer my own little incentive to do so.  Keep this email as a “Buy one super fun entertaining and informative wine class, get one super fun entertaining and informative wine class free” coupon.*

Each of my 1.5 hour classes cost $250 for up to ten people (do the math, it’s pretty cheap) and includes glassware, printed materials, all wine, and some great memories.

Here is a link to my newly updated “classes” page, which includes videos (the production value is SWEET!) with more info on some of my signature courses.

In addition to those on the website, I also am offering for the first time a “Points vs. Preference” class where we blind taste 88 point wines vs. some that have scored 92 or higher and see what all the hubbub is about, and to put your palate to the test and see if you can taste the difference.

Give me a call at 858-454-8519 or write me an email for more info or to inquire about available dates.

Finally, I kept the Dom Perignon Champagne Truffles recommendation below as they absolutely thrill all who try them.  Mother’s Day is right around the corner…hint, hint.

Life is short. Rejoice in it!

Mark the Cork Head

www.thecorkhead.com 

Dom Perignon Champagne Truffles 97 points (TCH) FIND IT HERE I kept these in here as a leftover from the last email because they are just so darn amazing.  If you didn’t get them for Valentine’s Day, get them now for Mother’s Day.  I promise you’ll email me and say thanks!       Price: $40.00

Centuries ago, temperature controlled environments in which to produce wines were not available. The now famous wine destination of Champagne, located about an hour-an-a-half drive north and east of Paris, experiences very cool fall and winter temperatures. Cold enough to slow down and eventually halt the fermentation process of the wines being produced. Early winemakers would see that fermentation had stopped and therefore bottled what they had

As one could imagine, the springtime brought with it warmer temperatures allowing the yeast to come out of dormancy, creating a secondary fermentation and hence bubbles would form in the bottles. This frothy byproduct of producing wine in Champagne was originally considered a nuisance—a flaw in the wine from this region.

Dom Perignon helped change all of this in the late 1600’s with his innovative winemaking techniques. He is credited with, among other things, creating a gentle basket wine press and insisting the wine be stored in flasks instead of wood to maintain its color and freshness. It was during this time that Champagne became fashionable.

The year 1818 saw another major advancement in the making of sparkling wine. The Champagne house called Veuve Cliquot created the process called “remuage”, or the settling of the yeast in the neck of the bottle through riddling. Expired yeast could now be removed from the bottle in one quick step providing for a crisp and clear end product.

Wines made in these traditional processes are allowed to be labeled “methode champenoise” and produce complex, nutty, and often times age worthy selections that are mostly produced in Champagne and premium California wineries.

Modern technology has brought about other, more cost effective ways to make bubbly.

In 1907 Eugene Charmat invented the bulk process, self titled the “Charmat Method” where the wine is placed in large glass lined pressurized tanks throughout secondary fermentation and bottled under pressure.

The “Transfer Process” is another modern method where secondary fermentation, just like methode champenoise, takes place in a bottle. After the secondary fermentation is complete, the wine is then poured in to large pressurized tanks where it is filtered and bottled avoiding the costly and time consuming remuage.

Finally, there is the very simple “injection method” where carbon dioxide is injected directly into the serving bottle.

Prosecco from Italy, Cava from Spain, and inexpensive American sparkling wines are wines often made with these more modern methods. They are marked by a strong bubbly texture and a fruitiness that is perfect for casual occasions.

When purchasing a sparkling wine the following notations may be on the label.. Blanc de Blanc is a white wine made from the white grape chardonnay. Blanc de Noir indicates white wine made from red grapes—pinot noir or pinot meunier. Sparkling wine can also be labeled by its sweetness. The list in order of sweetest to driest is as follows: Doux, Demi-Sec, Sec, Extra Dry, and Brut.

Most sparklers are not created from a single vintage, hence the reason the majority of these wines do not display a year on the label. Producers will blend multiple vintages together each year to help maintain a consistent “house style”.

However, after a special growing season, producers may declare a “vintage”. In these rare years the growing conditions were exceptional allowing them to bottle a single vintage wine that typically has superior aging potential. While these wines are very special, the “Tete de Cuvee” is the most important wine that comes from a producer each year. This is the flagship product each house offers and can be a blends of all three Champagne varietals, chardonnay, pinot noir, and pinot meunier.

Typically this strategy finds me scouring competition results for under priced stars and other moderately priced choices.  However that doesn’t mean I won’t recommend bottles from the upper end of the market when warranted.  

The 2006 Staglin Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is warranted indeed.  

Napa Valley Vintners, the trade association dedicated to protecting and promoting the region’s wares, passed through San Diego’s recently transformed Liberty Station as it completed a  road show featuring many of the best wineries Napa Valley has to offer. 

Internationally recognized pillars of the industry such as Shafer, Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars and Paradigm uncorked their current releases, among the over 100 wineries in attendance.  With such a stellar field of participants, the fact that Staglin stood so tall among it’s peers says even more about how thrilling this wine truly  is.

Owners Garen and Shari Staglin brought in their first vintage in 1986.  These were not exactly the swashbuckling Napa days circa 1960 but certainly before it became the Disneyland of wine.  Their vision and courage to move their life from the corporate world to become farmers and vintners resulted in some of the most sought after wines in the United States.

OK, now to the price.  It retails for upwards of $175 a bottle.  Yep, it ain’t cheap, but there is nothing but goodness behind the label, and I’m not just talking about the wine.  More on the wine itself in a jiff.

To the Staglin’s credit, the family has as strong of a focus on charitable activities which may, as hard as it is to believe, outperform the quality of their wines.  Since 1995, Staglin Family Vineyard has sponsored and hosted The Staglin Music Festival for Mental Health.  100% of the festival costs are underwritten by sales of Staglin’s second label, Salus (named after the Greek Goddess of Health).  Since inception, the festival has raised a jaw dropping 53 million dollars to support research of brain disorders such as schizophrenia, depression and bi-polar disorder.  The 2010 version of the festival features Dwight Yoakam and takes place September 11th at the estate. 

Oh yeah…about the wine.  Wow.  When Shari poured me my first taste of her 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon, I looked at her and exclaimed while the wine was still in my mouth, “I just don’t think I can spit this out!”  And I didn’t. 

Rare indeed does a wine pass a professional palate at an academic tasting without winding up in a frothing cup of expectorated juice.  Personally it has only happened to me once before where a 2000 Margaux found its way to my lips.  I digress…

This wine expresses everything a Napa Valley cabernet is supposed to be about.   Power, complexity, and a finish so long I literally am still tasting it nearly a week later.

So, indulge me for a brief moment.  Slow down your reading, take a deep breath, and play along with this little experiment. 

Ready?  

Paint a detailed picture of yourself getting behind the wheel of a brand new 7 series BMW.  Feel the firmness of the seat.  Smell the aromatics of the interior.  Imagine the color.  Close the door and fire up the engine.  Feel the gentle vibration as you put it in gear and gently pull out of the drive before punching the accelerator, feeling your body being forced back into the seat while racing down a back street.  Notice how quiet the ride is, allowing you to acutely focus on the handling of the car and the peaceful soft music playing in the background. 

Firm.  Aromatic.  Moving.  Emotional.

The 2006 Staglin Estate Cabernet Sauvignon can have the exact same affect on your mind, body and soul.  Such a passionate experience will mark a place in time for years to come.  Now that’s a long finish if I’ve ever heard of one!

Great quality wine at a fair price–no matter the price. If there is a single bottle you purchase for a special occasion this year, make it this one.  

When considering everything tucked away behind the Staglin label, even at $175, it is a bargain in my book.

Find the 2006 Staglin Estate Cabernet Sauvignon in your market with Snooth.

North San Diego County’s Fallbrook Winery showed up prominently in the final tally.

Lead by owner Ira Gourvitz and winemaker Duncan Williams the winery has gone from a fledgling estate 15 years ago to to the forefront of the major wine competition circuit.

Sunday afternoon at the SDIWC has the best of the best come out for one final shot at the best red, white, rose, sparkling, and dessert wines.  The little underdog from Fallbrook had 2 wines that made it through to the finals, or “Sweepstakes” round. 

Considering only 60 wines out of the nearly 2000 (roughly 3%)  entered made it this far is stastically significant in itself.  Further consider that each had votes for best overall red and best overall white, with the sauvignon blanc missing Best in Show White by a singular vote speaks volumes to the effort and vision of their team.

(On a personal side, as a judge at this and other competitions, I’ve never seen so many medal worthy wines poured at a single competiton.  Picking and choosing the best was more difficult than any other competition in which I’ve participated making the  accomplishment even more impressive.)

When the judges raised their hands in a final vote for ”Best in Show Red”, Fallbrook’s 2007 33 Degrees North Bordeaux Blend came up a few hands short, but showed these locally estate grown grapes can compete against some of the best in the business.  This flagship red outlasted high profile names such as Robert Mondavi, St. Supery, and Franciscan to come out the only Platinum award winner in it’s category.

Fallbrook Winery wasn’t done there.  In fact, it’s 2009 Fallbrook Sauvignon Blanc Reserve won Best Sauvignon Blanc and found itself in the “Best of Show White” category shortly thereafter, where it fell one single vote short of being the overall white wine champion.

Just a few votes from winning in the two most important categories in one of the most respected competitions in the United States.  Congratulations to everyone at Fallbrook Winery for their ongoing success. 

Not too bad for a little guy from San Diego.

The “iconic” Lindsay Lohan is suing E*TRADE because one of the babies they use in their commercials shares her same first name.  Yep, for real!

I guess I didn’t know that Lohan now owns the rights to that particular name.  Maybe parents should be paying her royalties every time the legion of American Lindsays write their name on term papers, create a YouTube or Facebook account, or even-dare I say-get a job as a radio or television personality.

Lohan claims by default is this case that her first name is as recognizable to her as Oprah, Tiger or Madonna.  Hmmm…

Here’s the funny part to me, and really the answer to why this is so rediculous.  Lohan’s attorney, Stephanie Ovadia, suggested to The New York Post, “They’re using her name as a parody of her life.  Why didn’t they use the name Susan?”  Are you friggin’ kidding me! 

Here’s to hoping Sarandon, St. James and Lucci aren’t as sensitive as Lohan, as they are all clearly more important in the entertainment industry.

Ovadia, as an attorney, isn’t it your job to have some sort of grip on the real world?  Perhaps someone in your position could provide some measure of level-headed thought to clients such as Lohan who obviously are living in a world more akin to Alice in Wonderland than planet Earth?

Check out the commercial here and let me know what you think?

Thank goodness B. Anthony has passed and she has her own coin.  Hopefully that is enough for her ego.

I really wasn’t in the mood to blog tonight, but when I opened and tasted the 2007 Dry Creek Vineyard Russian River Valley Chardonnay I just had to sit down and pound out  a few paragraphs!

I must admit that I’m a RRV chardonnay honk, as I much prefer the characteristics that come out of this AVA’s best vineyards over her sometimes more heralded Napa and Carneros bretheren.  However, I’ve had more than my fair share of really bad RRV chards before too.

Anyway, I was immediately taken aback by the balance on the nose.  Fruit, oak, and minerality were readily apparant and in a beautiful balance.  The fruit is more on the apple-pear side of the ledger but is certainly not devoid of subtlety.  RRV fruit can often show a minerality not often found in New World chardonnay–always a pleasant surprise.  The oak is again in balance…not overpowering or showing tannic astringency. 

COMPLEXITY!!!

Oh yeah…did I say L-E-N-G-T-H on the finish?  The best wines finish last.

Wonderfully round, no more than mid-weight, and integrated acidity keep this wine lively and a worthy food partner to grilled salmon, bacon-wrapped shrimp, or other foods of that nature.

Hmm…I thought I was just in for another long night of Olympic figure skating, but now I have something to look forward to–the next glass!

I guarantee this will be one of the best chardonnays I taste all year.

Mark the Cork Head

FIND IT HERE

His unique story began in the 1960’s when wine in the United States was not what it is today. Truth be told, at the time there were actually more orchards than vineyards in the Napa Valley. To receive the best instruction available he would be forced to move overseas.

France’s University of Bordeaux offered the world’s premier wine education, however Osterland did not speak the language. Not to be deterred, he moved to France to study the language for 9 months just so he could enroll. For each hour spent in the classroom, it took him three more just to translate the lessons. Four grueling years later he had attained the highest wine accreditation in France, the D.U.A.D, roughly translated as a professional tasting degree.

Not satisfied with this remarkable accomplishment, his internal drive to be the best took him to London where he sat for and passed the Master Sommelier exam. By doing so, he became the very first American to be awarded this revered title. Since Osterland earned this honor over 35 years ago only 103 total Americans have been able to wear the pin of a Master Sommelier.

Osterland has manifested this pioneer spirit by fusing his psychology background with his singular understanding of wine to create a package of services for corporations called “Power Entertaining with Food and Wine”.

“I’m part speaker, part educator, and part entertainer” says Osterland. His splashy engagements have served some of the greatest corporate names in the United States including American Express, Merrill Lynch, and Citigroup.

Power entertaining is all about introducing premium strategies that will allow his executive clients to impress corporate and personal guests on the same high level at which they have excelled at in the business community.

“My services are not about food and wine as much as they are about developing relationships with clients”.

His signature tool to commence a corporate retreat or seminar is his “Passport to Wines of the World”. During this exercise he pairs specific foods and wines and stations them throughout the room while arming each guest with a passport to each station. Osterland invented this format to create physical movement around the room which provides an improved opportunity for attendees to get to know each other in an enjoyable atmosphere.

When addressing groups as a keynote speaker Osterland specifically avoids preaching the straight and narrow. “I’ll never tell people how food and wine taste”, he says. “Each of us has their own palate and should connect their own dots.” He will however arm his listeners with some useful insight on how to get the most out of tasting wine and combining it with food to assure a lasting impression when entertaining.

Four decades after the courageous decision to become the first American Master Sommelier he continues to be on the leading edge of the industry. In just the last few years he has led hundreds of events, including functions as far away as China.

“I’m thrilled with what I do,” says Osterland.

For more information on Eddie Osterland events or to contact Mr. Osterland, visit www.eddieosterland.com.