It’s important to stock up on white wine at the holidays.  Even though I advise sharing your favorites, this is one area where it’s also an opportunity to be a gracious host, prepared for guests that “don’t drink red” or drink only Chardonnay. And please don’t serve 2 Buck Chuck; you may like it but there are plenty of other inexpensive wines that say “I care” while not breaking your piggy bank.

Here’s a few of my favorite interesting white wines that I’ll share with my guests this holiday season.

2009 Glen Carlou Chardonnay Paarl South Africa Another Donald Hess gem, this Chardonnay is nicely balanced, not too acidic or tart and not too oaky. It goes with food and is also very enjoyable on it’s own. Just a beautiful example of what the Chardonnay grape can be. Since it’s from South Africa with only about 10,000 cases imported to the USA, it might be a new and pleasant discovery for your guests. (Tip: Usually $16, now on sale at wine.com)

2009 Haute Cabriere Franschhoek Chardonnay Pinot Noir South Africa 2009 was a great vintage for South African Chardonnay which may have something to do with this wine’s exceptionalness. It’s the only 60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Noir blend that I’ve ever tasted so I can’t say if others are as wonderful or not. The Haute Cabriere is flavorful and balanced with a long finish. With low alcohol (12.5%), it’s food friendly or great on it’s own. (Tip: Use wine-searcher.com to find where to buy it.

2008 Leyda Chardonnay, Lot 5, Chile.  Just a little reminder that Chile makes some fine Chardonnay, this one is hard to find unfortunately.  The link above goes to my review earlier this year in Alana’s Wine Picks. (Tip: Look here for other ideas too.)

2006 Laurenz V Charming Gruner Veltliner, Austria  It’s minerally, rich and has a hint of well-balanced light pepper spice. I highly recommend trying it and sharing it, especially if you’re tired of the same old whites. (Tip: This is not a budget wine at $30 but it is comparable to buying a Napa Chardonnay and it has the fun factor of trying something new. The 2009 is the current vintage. For more information about where to find this wine, contact the good folks at Folio Wine.)

More holiday picks Red  & Sparkling.

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It Begins in the Vineyard

I have repeatedly promised never to write anything negative on my blog but I feel compelled to save budding wine drinkers. I recently tasted Charles Shaw Chardonnay and for a few more bucks, you can do better. I promise. Two Buck Chuck was created as a consumer brand, just fermented grapes in a bottle, no winery, no family history, etc.  Making products for profit while not caring about quality is not unique to 2 Buck Chuck.  The good news is there are plenty of other brands that do care about quality, for just a few more bucks.

One label that is super easy to find is Cono Sur, from Chile.  Cono Sur imports 1.7 million cases to 65 different countries.  Cono Sur has wines under $10 as well as over $10, you can easily replace your Charles Shaw reds and whites as well as enjoy super Pinot Noir and red blends for under $30.

An added benefit, the company is run by an innovative group of people who care about the environment.

Our fruit is harvested in vineyards farmed in the spirit of organic management or sustainable agriculture, two comprehensive agricultural systems that allow us to take advantage of the healthy and clean environment. Cono Sur.

A few of my favorites…

Cono Sur, 2009 Bicycle Viogner Fresh, zippy, great aromas, serve cold. Widely available in the US (5,000 cases). The Bicycle brand sells for under $10.

Cono Sur, 20 Barrels Limited Edition Pinot Noir, Casablanca Valley 2009 Tried too many watery Pinots? This one is full, smooth & complex. New world fruit, old world wine making. This wine is around $20 USD, very inexpensive for Pinot Noir.

Cono Sur Vision Single Vineyard Block 68 old vine Pinot Noir, 2009 Cono Sur’s fruitier style. Cherries & soft tannins. (Around $15 USD)

Look to other producers to replace your 2 Buck Chuck, especially wines from around the world. Many of them are great quality, care about the environment and just happen to be inexpensive.

** no family trees, no dusty bottles, just quality wine is the tagline for Cono Sur Wines.

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After years of concentrating on California wines, I’m wholeheartedly drinking and learning about wines from emerging markets.  My wine refrigerator is now stocked with Chilean Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, Austrian Grüner Veltliner, Greek Assyrtiko, South African Pinotage and Argentine Malbec.

The style and flavor of these international wines are fascinating.  Here’s some tips and recommendations for your own international exploration pleasure:

• I’ve found that food really brings out the light style of the Austrian and Greek white wines. Look for the Assyrtiko grape from Santorini and Grüner Veltliner from Austria.  There are many enjoyable wines for under $20.
• Don’t let unfamiliar grapes fool you into thinking they are going to taste unfamiliar.  You’ll probably associate a foreign grape with something you already love. For instance, the Charming 2007 Grüner Veltliner reminds me of a rockin’ Sauvignon Blanc.
• South Africa has fascinated me as I’ve watched so much dramatic change in the last 20 years. The signature grape is Pinotage, a cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsault.  Good Pinotage has the earthiness that I love in a good Pinot Noir. I highly recommend Silkbush’s Lion’s Drift 2009 Pinotage that will be available in Summer 2011. I received a pre-release sample and it rocked my world. (Review to come soon.)
• I suspect consumers have no idea how fantastic Pinot Noir from Chile’s Leyda Valley can be. My favorite so far is Leyda Las Brisas 2009 Single Vineyard Pinot Noir.  Stylistically it reminds me of Oregon Pinots, ripe black cherries, dark with a honey texture. (Look for my post soon about a perfect pairing.)
• It’s pretty much an open secret that I’m in love with Argentina. There are so many great values and excellent wines, enjoy Malbec but also look for red blends, Torrontes, Bonarda (a very special post coming soon about aged Bonarda), sparkling Malbec and Chardonnay. In other words, explore the world of Argentine wines. (Links go to some of my favorites.)

In case you are wondering, I’m not really leaving California in the physical sense, but if you stop by my house, we can transport ourselves to almost anywhere in the world with some fine wine and matching food.

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Carmenere, Maipo Valley, Chile, April 2011

Chile is a fascinating sliver of land. I first paid attention to Chile when a friend introduced me to Isabelle Allende and her husband years ago.  The famous Chilean writer of the House of the Spirits and other novels, was reportedly influenced by Pablo Neruda, Chile’s Nobel Prize winning poet.  Neruda died many years ago, but I visited one of his fascinating homes in Santiago.

The land of Chile is doubly fascinating when you discover it’s diverse wine regions.  Grapes are grown at the high altitude sunny slopes of the Andes, next to the cool hills of the Pacific Ocean and on the edges of the waterless desert. In terms of  public awareness, Carmenere is to Chile as Cabernet is to Napa.  But in fact, Chiles’ many microclimates support ideal growing conditions for Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Chile’s most popular exported variety is Cabernet Sauvignon.  It’s easy to find in the USA and has an excellent value to quality ratio.  TerraNoble makes a Cabernet Sauvignon Gran Reserva ($18.99) that is food friendly. The 2008 was shy and pretty on the nose unlike big Cabernets that leap out of the glass like ghosts of dead grapes. The TerraNoble winemaking team aims for fresh, modern, elegant wines with fruit flavors that highlight each variety.  The Gran Reserva achieves it. There are many winemaking styles in Chile, so my recommendation (as always) is to purchase some and try it.

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Leyda Lot 5 Chardonnay 2009 Leyda Valley, Chile

• Wine Name: Leyda Lot 5 Chardonnay 2009
• Varietal: Chardonnay
• Designation: Block Nº 5, the coolest parcel of their vineyards located in the recently discovered Leyda Valley, 12 km from the Pacific Ocean.
• Appellation: Leyda Valley, Chile, South America
• Alcohol: 14.3%
• Website
• Awards: Descorchar Magazine 2011, 90 pts.
• It sells for around $20. Unfortunately, this wine is hard to get (only 500 cases) but you can contact the importer.

In my opinion~ This is a fascinating area of South America in general and Chile specifically. It’s cool from the Humboldt current (wind coming from the ocean up the hills), and there’s a lot of experimentation going on. Many people only know the hot regions that support Chile’s famous Carmenere.

Alana’s Tip: Find where to buy any of Leyda’s Chardonnay or Pinot Noir in your area or online. Prices vary from $12 – $30. You may or may not like it but it’s a pretty small outlay for potentially finding a favorite Chardonnay.

Pairing: This is a complex wine.  It’s crisp with nice acidity but has a touch of vanilla on the end. I would try it with scallops, toasted nuts and white wine sauce, and a salad with pear vinaigrette dressing.

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I’ve always been interested in fine wine and low prices. As my palate is maturing with experience; inexpensive and great wine is harder to come by.  I’ve found that reading, learning and tasting is the quickest route to success.  Here’s what I look for:

• What countries or appellations are up & coming?
• Is the region consistently getting great reviews?
• Are flying winemakers with established reputations settling in and investing their time & energy in a certain appellation?
• What is the terrior like?

Some regions have fairly distinct goals (although there are always dissenters–bless them).  It’s my belief that Australians want to make palatable table wine for the masses. Like their casual attitude towards food & fun, for them wine is simply a good beverage to be enjoyed without a lot of fuss. My experience with New Zealand wines leads me to believe that they strive for a very distinctive, New Zealand flavor profile and their image is easy-going as opposed to complex (unlike France which is distinctive with an image of complexity).

Wine regions like Chile are attracting flying winemakers & established winery owners that love the terrior, the relatively low price of entry and the potential for huge international sales. This is the region that I’m really into at the moment.  South Africa is a close second. Chilean wines are fun to experiment with food or without.

I’m also interested in newer or less well-known wine regions closer to home like Livermore (Northern California), Pope Valley (east of Napa), Mt. Veeder (above Napa Valley) to name a few.  But alas, this regions don’t have the price points that the overseas wineries do.

If you want to learn, keep your eye out for articles like this one, read Wine Enthusiast online or Google a country/region and the word wine. Attend tastings offered by distributors and wineries, but avoid trying to learn too much at one tasting.  Taste 7-8 wines over 4 hours and spend the majority of your time asking questions, looking at maps of the region and getting a sense of the terrior, grapes and winemaking style.

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This is an easy sauce that you can serve with any fish or shellfish.  The picture shows a breaded scallop (with egg, milk & Panko) but I would just pan fry the scallops in olive oil next time. I didn’t make enough sauce either; the recipe below will give you more sauce. Serves 2.

Cilantro Sauce

• 1 cup fresh cilantro
• 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
• 3 scallions
• 1 jalapeno (no seeds)
• 1-2 tbs olive oil

Finely chop the cilantro & scallions. Put in a bowl.  Add lime juice and finely chopped jalapeno.  Add olive oil to create the sauce texture you want–not too thick or thin. (You can use a food processor, but it is not necessary in my opinion.)  Mix and refrigerate while you make the rest of the meal.

Scallops & Angel Hair Pasta

• 7-10 large scallops
• angel hair pasta for 2
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 1/4 cup white onion
• EVOO
• salt & pepper

Put the pasta water on to boil.  Chop the white onion and place it in a small bowl of water (takes the edge off). Defrost the peas in the microwave.  After the water is boiling, add salt*, make it like the Mediterranean.

Remove Cilantro Sauce from fridge; bring to room temperature.  Drain the white onions. Microwave the peas in a small bowl.

Heat olive oil in a frying pan.  Add scallops. Salt & pepper to taste. Gently cook them for 3-4 minutes depending on the size.  Remove from heat.

When the pasta is done, drain and add peas, onions and add a little EVOO for texture.

Place the scallops on the pasta, generously dollop the scallops with the Cilantro Sauce.

Pairing

I paired it with Cono Sur Sustainable Agriculture Sauvignon Blanc, San Antonio Valley, Chile, 2008, ($13 or less)  Find it at places like Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods or specialty shops that carry organic wines.  If you can’t find this wine and want to try another Chilean SB, look for one from the Casablanca region which includes the San Antonio Valley.

Tips

• Stainless steal pots can be ruined by salt sitting in them.
• I recommend coated cast iron frying pans because they cook evenly.  Ikea seems to have the best deals.
• Scallops: undercooked is best, overcooking turns them to rubber.

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I am quickly falling in love with the idea of visiting Chile.  It is a sliver of a country bordered by Peru, Argentina and Bolivia, and an amazing climate for growing grapes.

The Atacama Desert to the north, The Andes Mountains to the east, the Pacific Ocean to the west, and the Patagonian Ice Fields to the south define the limits of of this beautiful and geographically diverse land we call Chile.  They also influence the climate and help make this one of the most ecologically friendly places on earth to make wine. (Excerpted from a map produced by Wines of Chile)

Look for Wines from Chile at your local wine shop or online.

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