Had an opportunity to have a wonderful dining experience with family in Michigan. The wine list was impressive with a 1999 Chauteau Lafleur Pomerol, 2003 Shafer Hillside Select and a 2004 Dominus.

We began dinner with the Pomeral. The light bodied wine had an aroma and taste of black cherries, mineral, and licorice. The tannin and fruity finish paired well with a variety of appetisers. We wanted a heavier more tannic wine for our dinner. The Shafer Hillside Select hit its mark with a black fruit (black cherry, black raspberries) aroma and taste. It offered caramel and licorice neuances. The finish offered heavy tannins and fruit.

The 2004 Dominus by Dominus Estate Corporation, California is a Bordeaux-style blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc and 7% Petit Verdot. The aroma and taste offered black fruit especially black berries and black currant. There were licorice neuances. Mild tannins finished with a fruity aftertaste. We drank this wine after dinner and as such it was a good epilogue to our dining experience.

I received an unusual gift of wine for my birthday, or that was what I was told. The Hautes Terres de Comberousse Roucaillat had a simple yellow label with a small elephant image. I was told there was a story about this wine but could not find a story on the Internet. I did enjoy the wine nonetheless. The Hautes Terres de Comberousse Roucaillat is a blend of 50% Roussane, 30% Rolle and 20% White Grenache. The wine had a golden yellow color with a smooth medium to heavy body. The aroma offerend layers of pear, apple and melon. The pear and apple taste gave way to minerality on the finish.

The Roucaillat was purchased at the BRIX wine shop located in South End area of Boston, Ma.

Is there still a chance that Maryland can have  a direct wine shipping law passed or will it go down to defeat again this year?

If you visit the Marylanders for Better Beer & Wine Laws website, you will find links to newspaper articles and blogs that highlight the issues of why the Maryland legislature has not passed a law allowing direct wine shipping to consumers. Rather strange is that a good number of state legislators appear to be in favor of direct wine shipping and see the benefits including freedom for consumers to purchase wine and have it sent to their home directly just like televisions, candy, books and flowers. Another benefit is that the Maryland state government, which is having economic difficulties, would obtain more money through licensing fees etc. That is what has happened in other states where direct shipping is allowed.

Unfortunately one name has become associated with the anti-direct shipping laws-Senator Joan Carter Conway. Why is she against Maryland direct wine shipping? Any of the few problems she mentions as to why the state shouldn’t have direct shipping, have been disproved in other states. What is interesting is a recent blog detailing the source of some of Senator Conway’s contributions. The blog March 13, 2010 HoCo Rising Blog: Senator Joan Conway’s Drinking Buddies, details money given to Senator Conway by groups who stand to benefit from not allowing consumers to have direct wine shipping. The blogger was able to detail more than $17,000 worth of contributions from those associated with the Maryland liquor establishment.

In a blog on All We Can Eat, Dave McIntyre, ends his blog with, “The direct shipping legislation remains before the House Economic Matters Committee, and Conway has scheduled a hearing on the issue for March 17. So the issue is not dead for this session, but Boyce (Ed Boyce, co-proprietor of Black Ankle Vineyards) is not optimistic about the bill’s chances. ‘Insiders can block it even though it has the support of most of the Legislature,” he said. ‘That’s not how democracy is supposed to work.’ Maybe someone needs to explain to Senator Conway that this is not how democracy is supposed to work. Represent the people not the special interests with deep pockets.

Learn all you can about how Maryland is denying consumers the right to have wine shipped to their own homes. Write, fax and visit Annapolis and let legislators know they are out of line. Let democracy reign!

Cheers! Kathy

While in Boston I spied a Petite Syrah while in the BRIX wine shop in South End on Washington Street. The Crusher Growers Selection Clarksburg Petite Syrah 2008 turned out to be a great find. Although a few dollars more than the average Internet price, this wine is reasonably priced. This Petite Syrah can stand on its own and doesn’t need to be blended.

The dark opaque to black color gave way to a ruby rim. The aroma had several fruits and a black fruit cocktail would describe it. The taste was smooth and offered black berries, raspberries, black cherries and plums. Although the wine offered some tannins, they were mild. The fruity finish lingered. At a gathering, everyone who had this wine first paused, thought about the wine and stated, “This is good.” My problem is that I only purchased one bottle.

Although not a Cab, this Petite Syrah can stand up to Cabs in just drinking alone or paired with food. The text on the cork ties in nicely with the name of the wine.

Haiti’s earthquake was in January. Since then there was a major earthquake in Chile and many other smaller weather and climate issues throughout the world. Somehow it seems that the earthquake in Haiti was long ago and not foremost in the news any longer. Hands for Haiti  Now has been created and features master celebrity chefs dinners.

Hands for Haiti Now reminds us that Haitians are still in need. Just imagine if your city or town was destroyed in a few minutes how long it would take to rebuild it and make sure that people had ample food, shelter, clothing and medical supplies.

Next weekend, on March 20, 2010 South Coast Winery Resort & Spa will be hosting the first in a series of major dinner events prepared by five chefs. This five-course meal will be paired with five South Coast wines.  The cost is $125 per person. For more information about this South Coast Winery dinner, visit their website. To discover more of these special dinners to be held throughout the country to benefit Haiti, visit the Hands for Haiti Now website.

Kudos to Hands for Haiti Now!

Cheers! Kathy

St. Patrick’s Day will be here soon and it’s never too early to start celebrating. We came across a recipe for Leprechaun Punch at Kreutz Creek Vineyards in Pennsylvania while we were visiting. The winery is located in the Philadelphia countryside.

The ingredients for Kreutz Creek Vineyards Leprechaun Punch include Vidal Blanc, sparkling water-lime, melon liquor, ground ginger, lime slices and green food coloring. This easy recipe is on the Wine Trail Traveler website.  Give it a try and this may be a recipe to remember and use every St. Patrick’s Day!

Cheers! Kathy

Barrels have been produced for thousands of years. The process is basically unchanged in those millennia. For years, as the children were growing up, we would observe the coopers at Colonial Williamsburg craft barrels. Similar observations were made at the Seguin Moreau Cooperage in Napa. In early America barrels were made in different sizes and used for shipping materials. Later as the Bourbon industry took flight, a barrel industry was created in Kentucky. Bourbon barrels are toasted differently than wine barrels. Some of the first barrels made in the United States for wine didn’t resemble the craft in France for making wine barrels. It was of interest to talk with companies that make wine barrels during the 2010 Wineries Unlimited Trade Show in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.

Many wine barrels are made the way the French make wine barrels. Today, sourcing the wood is important. Barrels are made from growers who have a tradition of growing trees for barrel making. The industry now regularly checks for tainted barrels. TCA, which causes a wine to be corked, can also reside in barrels. The industry has improved their inspection of not only the barrels, but also the plastic covering that is used when shipping a barrel. Even facilities that make barrels are tested for TCA.

Many barrels now have a bar code on them that provides information about the barrel. Today, there is more accountability for making the barrel and if there is a problem, it can be traced. Barrels have a higher quality today than in the past. With this better quality, there is also a higher price.

Although wine barrels are mostly made from oak, acacia barrels are beginning to be popular. Virginia wineries are beginning to use acacia barrels for their Viognier and Petit Manseng. Acacia barrels have also been used in Austria.

The barrel making process is an old craft. Even though the process is similar and unchanged, the industry is producing a better product today.

Last night we enjoyed a Spanish wine while visiting family in Boston.  This wine was produced in Rueda, a region of Spain, using  60% Verdejo and  40% Viura (also called Macabeo) grapes. This wine is similar to a Sauvignon Blanc. Inspiracion Pampano, with 12 percent alcohol, was a crystal yellow color. The aroma was a striking citrus reminding one of fresh cut grapefruit. The taste was of citrus fruits especially lemon and grapefruit. The wine was dry and finished crisp and citrusy.

The wine paired well with the risotto and shrimp dish and a green salad. It reminded us of a Sauvignon Blanc.

The Rueda region of Spain is located northwest of Madrid in Castile and Leon. The region is home to both red and white varieties. Reds include Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Garnacha. White varieties include Verdejo, Viura, Sauvignon Blanc and Palomino Fino.

Enjoy exploring wines from the Rueda region!

Cheers! Kathy

Wine is a romantic drink. The romance of wine often extends to the bottle and its closure. Some believe that a romantic evening begins with the sound of the cork popping out of the bottle. Are all wine bottle closures equally quixotic?

We met a couple that certainly had different ideas of what indicated romance concerning wine bottles closures. Although the male was happy with a wine with a screw cap, the female refused to touch a wine that didn’t have the cork “pop” sound when opened. He continued to purchase wines with screw caps and simply opened them and then put in a cork so she could hear him removing it. Perhaps it’s the sound that conveys romance.

If sound is the important factor, then screw caps are less romantic than bottles with corks. But corks have their challenges. The first of which is removing the cork from the bottle. It isn’t very romantic to see someone struggling to remove the cork. A humorous commercial by Zork USA shows a man struggling to remove a cork. The force applied caused his arm to move backward making contact with his female companion and knocking her out. Romance for that evening was lost.

On rare occasions a bottle of wine with a cork closure will be corked. Depending on how badly the wine is corked, will dictate how much romance is lost due to the wine. A heavily corked wine can quickly ruin a romantic moment. It is important to note that the cork industry has made advances in cork closures over the past four years. A corked wine is more rare than it use to be.

Zork makes a plastic closure that is easy to remove by hand and has the accompanying “pop” sound. The sales of these closures are increasing.  Whether this closure will be considered romantic has yet to be seen.  From a distance, the closure looks like wax. Add some candlelight and listen for the “pop” sound.

Besides the wine, what makes a romantic evening has many variables. Perhaps it is a sound of opening a wine bottle. However I believe the wine will trump the sound or what closure is used.

Yesterday while attending the trade show at Wineries Unlimited, I kept running into numerous people and after saying I was from Maryland, added “the state where democracy isn’t happening … direct wine shipping issue.” Many of these winery enthusiasts nodded their condolences or shook their head in disbelief. I met two great people from New York who began lamenting their concerns over New York States wine laws. At some point in the conversation I mentioned that in Maryland even wineries cannot ship to consumers, and these New Yorkers were shocked! How is it that a legal product cannot be shipped directly to consumers? It defies logic and common sense.

It seems that many Maryland legislators are accepting money from the liquor lobbyists who do not support direct shipping in Maryland. It is time for the voters of Maryland to stand up for what is right and fair. Perhaps boycott businesses by not purchasing wine at any establishment, including restaurants, in a district that has a legislator who does not support direct wine shipping.

What suggestions do you have for changing the direct  wine shipping laws in Maryland?

Cheers! Kathy