Cheap and Cheerful

Vinho Verde for cool summer sipping

By Robyn James

When the thermostat goes off the chart in the summer what is the top adult refresher to reach for in the wine world? The Portuguese have a lock on it — Vinho Verde!

Vinho Verde, translating to “green wine” or “young wine,” is Portugal’s day drinking low alcohol quaffer. It can be red, white or rosé, but the majority of what’s sold is the white, and it definitely needs to be consumed in its youth.

Vinho Verde is a grape growing region in Portugal with proximity to the Atlantic Ocean and the inland Mediterranean region giving the grapes a lip-smacking saline influence.

Practically the entire population grows alvarinho grapes (same as Spanish Albariño) and they are a beautiful and unusual sight to see. The vines are trained to grow in trees or pergolas as a cover crop for vegetables on the ground underneath, protected by the grapes from the pounding sun. Pickers have to mount ladders when it’s time for harvest, and the grapes are usually rushed to a large community cooperative to go through fermentation and get a shot of CO2.

There are no oak barrels, no secondary fermentations and no aging. It’s so cheap to grow and produce you will be hard pressed to find a bottle over $11. Generally, they are priced between $7 and $11.

This is the wine industry’s gin and tonic for hot weather. With high acidity the wines are fresh, crisp and fizzy, with great minerality. They are perfectly refreshing on their own, but also make a great food pairing with seafood, especially cold shrimp or seafood salads.

Octave Vinho Verde is a new favorite on the market. At about $8, this wine is a tongue tickler with citrus and green apple notes. The bubbles give a great punch, and the color is practically crystal clear. With only 9 percent alcohol, you can treat yourself to a number of glasses.

Arca Nova is a rare player in the Vinho Verde region. A family-owned winery, all the grapes are estate grown and picked. There’s a little more going on texturally here and the wine is crisp, fresh and effervescent, with notes of newly cut grass. It’s at the top of the line, selling for about $11, so indulge yourself.

Vinhas Altas makes a delicious, pale rosé Vinho Verde from espadeiro grapes. Only 10.5 percent alcohol, this fizzy treat has light notes of strawberries and a pleasant floral quality. At about $8, this is a great match for Asian cuisine and summer salads.

Casal Garcia does make a Vinho Verde that goes through a secondary natural fermentation to give it lots of bubbles. Casal Garcia Sparkling Meio Seco is produced from loureiro and avinto grapes. Super refreshing on its own, it’s also the perfect low-cost mixer for a mimosa, coming in at about $7.

So, grab the picnic basket, head to the pool or the beach, but don’t forget the cooler of Vinho Verde — it’s a must have summer beverage.  PS

Robyn James is a certified sommelier and proprietor of The Wine Cellar and Tasting Room in Southern Pines. Contact her at robynajames@gmail.com.

South Africa’s Shining Chenin

For spectacular summer sipping

By Robyn James

Talk to your average wine-savvy consumer about chenin blanc and chances are they’ll immediately reference the Loire Valley of France.  Truth is, since the 1600s chenin blanc has been the most widely planted varietal in South Africa, where they grow twice as much as in the Loire.  South Africa’s alias for chenin blanc is “steen.”

During the dark days of apartheid South Africa’s wine industry suffered deeply. Embargoes prevented them from ordering modern equipment, and American and European winemakers boycotted consulting with them. The government placed demanding, unrealistic restrictions on how much they could grow, where and what grapes they could plant. They were at least 50 years behind the rest of the world.

Chenin blanc’s potential was going unrealized.  It simply created a neutral-tasting bland base for inexpensive table wine and brandy. Post-apartheid winemakers began to experiment with the grape that many in our industry consider to be the most versatile.  They discovered the effects of terroir on chenin (meaning different flavors from different vineyard sites influenced by soils and climate). They tried fermenting some in stainless tanks and others in small French oak barrels, creating two completely different results. 

Winemakers formed a group called The Chenin Blanc Association.  Ken Forrester, owner of Ken Forrester Winery, is the current chairman of the group.  His winery produces five different kinds of chenin blanc, including a sparkling and a dessert wine.  His unoaked Petit Chenin Blanc is the most affordable at about $11.  Robert Parker of The Wine Advocate gave it 86 points, and says it: “Has lime flower, orange zest and just a touch of almond in the background.  The palate is well balanced with a fine line of acidity, composed in the mouth with a touch of bitter lemon and orange peel towards the finish.  You cannot argue at this price, as with all Ken Forrester’s ‘Petit’ range.”

The Mulderbosch winery is located in the famous Stellenbosch region and has been considered one of South Africa’s premier wineries since its inception in 1989.  American investor Charles Banks purchased Mulderbosch in 2011 and helped take the winery to a new level when he hired winemaker Adam Mason, who built strong relations with growers.  Now the winery is recognized to be Integrity and Sustainability Certified by the Wine and Spirit Board of South Africa.  Mason’s steen is 100 percent chenin and partially aged in small French oak barrels and stainless tanks. In The Wine Advocate, Parker describes the current vintage: “There’s a prevailing nuttiness to the nose and mouth of this Chenin, with assertive tones of toasted hazelnut and straw throughout.  Flavors of honeydew and baked apple unfold on the medium-weight palate, ending on a spiced orange-cream note.”

Another chenin blanc, Essay, is a play on words for the abbreviation of South Africa (SA).  At just under $10, it has 15 percent viognier blended in for touches of floral notes.  It’s unoaked and earned a Best Buy, 85 points from The Wine Enthusiast. Its description of the wine was: “Bright aromas of tart apple, melon rind and fresh chrysanthemum dance in the bouquet, while the lively, lightweight palate offers notes of white peach and citrus pith.  A subtle astringency graces the close.”

Be sure and check out a steen this spring. It’s the perfect warm weather wine.  PS

Robyn James is a certified sommelier and proprietor of The Wine Cellar and Tasting Room in Southern Pines. Contact her at robynajames@gmail.com.

Wagner Family Values

A continuing Napa Valley legacy

By Robyn James

When it comes to iconic families in the wine industry, the list is short. There are the Jacksons, the Mondavis — and then there is the Wagner family.

It would be difficult to find a rival for this family’s roots in Napa Valley.  Multiple generations of Wagners have spent their entire lives there.

Chuck Wagner’s history in the Valley traces back to the 1850s, when his great-great-grandfather on his mother’s side captained a wagon train to California from Bible Grove, Missouri, and purchased 70 acres of farmland in the Oak Knoll district. In 1906, Chuck’s paternal grandfather, Carl Wagner, who came from a French Alsatian wine family, bought land in Napa to start his own winery. Producing bulk wines, the family did well until Prohibition kicked in, and they had to turn to fruit and walnut farming. 

One year after Prohibition ended, Carl’s son Charlie married a local Napa girl, Lorna Belle Glos, and they later bought acreage in Rutherford to plant fruit orchards and wine grapes.

Charlie couldn’t resist the notion that the American market wanted top quality wines, and he ripped up his fruit orchards and planted cabernet sauvignon from clones he purchased from Stag’s Leap winery. He grew quality grapes and sold them to local high-end wineries. Charlie’s only son, Chuck, caught the passion, and father and son would gather at the dinner table mixing different wines in glasses to find the perfect blend to accompany their food.

  However, Charlie wasn’t achieving the financial success he had envisioned.  When Chuck was only 19 his dad presented an ultimatum.  He wanted Chuck to join him full time in pushing the success of the winery, or he and his wife would sell everything and move to Australia. Chuck didn’t hesitate and committed himself to joining his dad in the quest for great Napa cabernet on their winery named Caymus, after a Mexican land grant.

Charlie and Chuck noticed one year that they had a few exceptional barrels and decided to create a reserve wine, Caymus Special Selection.  The business was going well when the big break came in 1989. The Wine Spectator named the 1984 Caymus Special Selection as the No. 1 Wine of The Year.  Five years later they won again with the 1990 Caymus Special Selection becoming the only wine in the world to win that accolade twice.

It is probably safe to say that Caymus is the most well-known winery in California and perhaps in the world.  Their reputation for cabernet is impeccable and untouched.

Chuck enjoyed blending so much that he introduced a white wine called Conundrum, a mix of chardonnay, sauvignon blanc and muscat, to their portfolio, and although his dad thought the wine was too sweet, it became so popular they introduced Conundrum Red in 2011 and two more wines in 2016, Conundrum Sparkling and Conundrum Rosé.

Chuck Wagner’s dream was that his own four children would continue his legacy in the family business. All of them had worked in the winery and vineyards after school and in the summers all of their lives. He created a variety of new brands to allow each of them to create their own opportunity.  The oldest son, Charlie Wagner, is responsible for production of Mer Soleil, Wagner’s chardonnay project.  He is also the director of winemaking for Conundrum Red and runs the family’s newest venture, Red Schooner, whose fruit is grown in Argentina, shipped to Napa and finished in the Caymus style.

Chuck’s older daughter, Jenny Wagner, joined the family business as winemaker for their Emmolo project, launched by and named after her mother, Cheryl Emmolo, who dreamed of keeping the family name alive by making a wine label using her father’s vineyards. Their focus is on sauvignon blanc and merlot.

The second oldest son, Joe, took over Wagner’s pinot noir project, Belle Glos, named after his grandmother, Lorna Belle Glos Wagner.  He came up with the idea of a lower priced pinot noir called Meiomi, hitting the mother lode with this idea of a higher alcohol, big, full-bodied, fruity wine that proved to be a direct hit with American consumers.  He did what Chuck never would have done and sold the Meiomi label to Constellation Brands for $315 million. 

Joe left the Wagner umbrella to create his own wine company, Copper Cane, housing seven different brands he hopes to pass on to his own six children, guaranteeing the Wagner name will remain synonymous with top quality and innovation in Napa Valley for generations to come.  PS

Robyn James is a certified sommelier and proprietor of The Wine Cellar and Tasting Room in Southern Pines. Contact her at robynajames@gmail.com.

Cheers to 20 Years

A little slice of wine, cheese and life

By Robyn James

A little over 20 years ago, I was an on-premise sales rep for a large North Carolina wine distributor. I sold wine to wine and cheese shops and upscale restaurants in the Piedmont area. It was a great job. I trained at many popular wineries — Robert Mondavi, Sterling and Jordan. My company sent me on recruiting trips to California wine country as well as trips to France and Germany. If I wasn’t necessarily married to my job, I was married to my boss. When we decided to divorce I moved into my parents’ basement in Whispering Pines with my 10-year-old son in tow.

I couldn’t find work, and it was becoming clear that my mother was descending into the early stages of Alzheimer’s. I got a referral to a new doctor in town to be treated for depression. I filled out my paperwork, and Dr. Bobby Maynor stepped into the room. He said, “I see you say your interest is in wine. Where do you go to take wine classes?”

I said, “Oh, I don’t take wine classes. I give wine classes.” We had a long discussion about our shared passion for wine and speculated about creating a cool project in town. Three days later he phoned me and said, “If you want to do this, I am on board and I know someone else who may be interested.”

Bobby introduced me to Dr. Charles Durell, a true wine aficionado and diehard Francophile, and the three of us opened a small retail wine shop on Pennsylvania Avenue in Southern Pines. In the early days we were just sliding by. I worked mostly by myself with Charles filling in as much as he could. I met Andie, a graphic designer with an office next door to our store. She told me she was looking for a smoke-free place to meet her friends for drinks one night a week and wondered if we would consider being a little wine bar on Wednesday nights. I thought, sure, why not?

We started opening one night a week, calling it Wine on Wednesday. The crowd started to grow, more people catching on to it, enjoying the varied selections of wines by the glass. We tried staying open Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. It bombed. People came for Wine on Wednesday. That was it. We tried serving food and nobody bought it. We threw it all away. Sometimes timing is everything.

Our space was small, and I felt like we didn’t offer much in the way of ambience. Parking was a serious challenge for our customers. One day, my Dad called and said, “Guess what, the building you always wanted on Broad Street next to the ABC store is for rent.” I said, “Grab the number!”

But we were struggling, and moving a business is a serious expense. That was when Bobby introduced me to his friends Neil and Sole Griffin. They became our third set of partners, and we moved across town knowing there is no better location for us than next to the ABC store. We had great landlords who were awesome supporters of our business and worked hard to convert it from a nasty, dive bar to a cool, shabby, chic wine bar.

Today, we’re a 50/50 retail store, wine bar open seven nights a week, selling tons of food. We’ve added two additions to the inside space and extended the patio three times. We started offering a printed menu of the foods we offer and the wines by the glass and half glass, a balanced, eclectic selection that changes daily. In 2011 we purchased the first set of Napa Technology machines in Moore County so we could offer eight different very high-end wines by the taste, half glass and glass. Preserved by argon gas, they allow the customer to try wines they may never have had the opportunity to taste.

Three years ago, Taylor Norbury joined us as manager of the store. She and her husband added an edgy craft beer selection, hunting down awesome draft equipment so we could offer an ever-changing selection of craft beers on tap. She streamlined the staff, recruiting personnel with sharp customer service skills.

Two decades of life and work. And the doors are open.  PS

Robyn James is a certified sommelier and proprietor of The Wine Cellar and Tasting Room in Southern Pines. Contact her at robynajames@gmail.com.

The Rise of Roussillon

Where red wine is roi

By Robyn James

Roussillon has been the redheaded stepchild of the French wine country for many years, a fact that is slowly changing due to the efforts of several ambitious and talented importers and winemakers.

This region connects Spain and France with the Mediterranean to the east and the Pyrenees Mountains to north, west and south.

The most important red grape grown in this region is carignan, accompanied by grenache noir, cinsault, syrah, mourvedre and some obscure local grapes. Red wine is king here, although they do produce about 25 percent rosé wines but only 2 percent white wines. Grenache blanc, roussanne and marsanne are the most popular white grapes grown.

The wines of Roussillon have been considered unremarkable for centuries, but 10 years ago, rock star importer Eric Solomon of European Cellars began to focus on the area. He previously imported wines mostly from Spain and other pricier areas of France such as the Loire Valley and the Rhône region. Ten years ago, Solomon met Jean-Marc and Eliane Lafage in Spain, where Jean-Marc consults with some Spanish wineries. Lafage suggested Solomon visit his vineyards in Roussillon, and a beautiful partnership was formed.

The Lafage family owns almost 400 acres of vineyards in various sections of Roussillon benefiting from the diversity of soil compositions. The knowledge and dedication of Lafage combined with the incredible palate and direction of Solomon have created wines that, in my opinion, raised the bar on quality/price ratio. An added bonus is that everything is farmed organically. Robert Parker, famous critic and owner of The Wine Advocate, says of Solomon, “I first tasted with Eric in 1991 and I have watched him grow as an importer to the point where he may be the finest in the United States.”

One of their projects in Roussillon is Saint Roch, a property in Agly Valley. The white they produce is Saint Roch Vieilles Vignes Blanc, a blend of grenache blanc and marsanne. It’s very rich and full-bodied with pronounced notes of tangerine and pineapple. As big as it is, it still pairs beautifully with food and usually sells for under $15. One of the reds from Saint Roch that I tasted is the 2014 Saint-Roch Chimères Côtes du Roussillon Villages. This wine is under $17 yet was awarded 92 points from Parker, who described it as mostly grenache, but including 30 percent syrah and 10 percent mourvedre. “Aged in a combination of concrete tank demi-muid (large oak barrels), it makes the most of this difficult vintage and has terrific purity in its raspberry, violet, licorice and olive-laced aromas and flavors. Ripe, nicely textured and with bright acidity,” wrote Parker.

The Lafage estate produces a Miraflors Dry Rosé that is an organic blend of mourvedre and grenache gris. It is a must-have for summertime quaffing. It has gorgeous notes of strawberries, framboise and rose petals. At under $18 it rivals the great rosés of Bandol that sell for $40-$60.

Two more reds they produce are the 2014 Tessellae Grenache-Syrah-Mourvedre Old Vines, under $15 and 2014 Domaine Lafage Bastide Miraflors, a blend of syrah and grenache that is under $17. These two wines are the same blends that you would find in Châteauneuf-du-Pape selling for three to five times the price. Parker gave Tessellae 90 points and described it as a remarkable bargain from Lafage. Aged in concrete, this blend of 50 percent grenache, 40 percent syrah and 10 percent mourvedre “. . . comes from 70-year-old vines planted in limestone and clay soils. A delicious, dense ruby wine with notes of red and black cherries, earth, spice, pepper and a touch of Provençal garrigue. Fresh vibrant acidity is also present, and the wine is uncomplicated, but rich, fleshy and very well balanced,” writes Parker.

On Bastide Miraflors, Parker identifies the 2014 Bastide Miraflors, which is a Côtes du Roussillon that blends 70 percent syrah and 30 percent grenache — with the grenache aged in concrete tanks and the syrah in 500-liter demi-muids — as a particularly notable bargain. “Lafage makes more expensive wines than this, but certainly excels with his value lineup. He has really hit a home run with this 10,000-case cuvée,” writes Parker. “It is deep, ruby/plum/purple, with fresh notes of blackcurrants, plums, Provençal herbs as well as licorice. Deep, medium to full-bodied, with amazing fruit, the purity, authenticity and Mediterranean upbringing of this wine are obvious. Quite deep, round and succulent, this wine should drink well for another several years. This is one to buy by the case.”

Clearly, there is a bromance going on among Lafage, Solomon and Parker, but the proof is in the bottles. They are amazing blends. PS

Robyn James is a certified sommelier and proprietor of The Wine Cellar and Tasting Room in Southern Pines. Contact her at robynajames@gmail.com.

Relishing Sparkling Reds

Put a little color in your Valentine’s Day

By Robyn James

During the month of Valentine’s our thoughts always turn to Champagne and other sparkling wines. Some choose white, some like pink, but how many take the road less traveled and sample a sparkling red?

My generation carries a heavy grudge toward sparkling reds because we remember the cheap, stomach-turning Cold Duck beverage and the fake bulk processed lambruscos like Cella and Riunite.

However, there are some gorgeous, quality sparkling reds in the market and the visual of the red bubbling froth in a flute is impressive and romantic.

Italy is definitely the mothership for sparkling reds. It’s a little ironic that one of the most famous sparklers comes from the Piedmont region of Italy, usually famous for the hard, tannic reds from Barolo and Barbaresco.

Brachetto is a dark-skinned grape grown almost exclusively in the Piedmont region but planted primarily in the provinces of Asti and Alessandria. It is often considered to be the red counterpart to Moscato D’Asti, although the grapes are not related.

Fizz 56 is one of my favorite brachettos and costs about $18. Although it is higher on the residual sugar scale, the acidity in the wine keeps it from tasting cloyingly sweet. This wine is truly a basket of berry flavors: strawberries, raspberries and touches of blackberries. There is even a nuance of candied rose petals, which is interesting because often Barolo can have a drier rose petal note. There is no wine that complements chocolate better than brachetto.

Not many American consumers are familiar with quality lambrusco; however, you will find them on the wine lists of authentic Italian restaurants in New York City.

Lambrusco is an Italian grape grown primarily in Emilia-Romagna and Lombardy. It is finished frizzante (sparkling in Italian). Mederfil Lambrusco Reggiano is labeled rosso dolce, meaning “sweet red.” This wine is about $10 and also has bountiful berry and violet flavors. Strawberries, cherries and blackberries are deliciously wrapped with an herbal earthiness that almost gives an impression of fruit in balsamic. Although sweet, it has a nice beam of acidity that would pair well with pizza or pasta.

There’s no way to talk about sparkling reds without a tip of the hat to Australia and its fabulous sparkling shiraz. When I visited Australia over 15 years ago, I was delighted to find that literally every winery I visited produced a sparkling shiraz. I predicted it would become all the rage in the U.S., and sadly I was mistaken. It’s still difficult to find sparkling shiraz in the U.S. when it is all over Australia. I guess importers lack faith in the marketability of the wine.

One of my favorites that is available stateside is The Black Chook Sparkling Shiraz, about $21 a bottle. The winemaker explains that his shiraz follows the centuries-old tradition of northern Rhone French syrahs by adding a very small amount of viognier, a white grape that actually deepens the dark color of the wine. He spotted a black chook (chicken) in the vineyard and compared the small white egg it came from to their small white addition of viognier to the wine. Hence the name Black Chook. This is a serious sparkling red.

Sourced from great vineyards in McLaren Vale, a premiere shiraz location, this wine is aged in small French oak barrels. The barrels contribute a smoky, slightly tannic edge to the black currant, blackberry and chocolate-cherry flavors. Try it as a party aperitif wine or with duck, grilled tuna or any chargrilled meat.

February is the month to branch out and experiment with a great sparkling red!  PS

Robyn James is a certified sommelier and proprietor of The Wine Cellar and Tasting Room in Southern Pines. Contact her at robynajames@gmail.com.

Toast of the Town

How the custom got its beginning

By Robyn James

Beginning a new year is a classic time for a toast. So are weddings, anniversaries, birthdays and basically any occasion for a social gathering of family and friends.

But where did the custom of clinking glasses come from? There are many theories of the origination of the toast, but the most common is attributed to the Greeks in sixth century B.C. when deliberately poisoning people was a frighteningly common practice.

Sick of your spouse, neighbor or politician? Just a pinch of hemlock and be done with it. So, in order to convince people that you didn’t intend to off them, the Greeks would pour the wine from a common jug, then clink glasses together. By clinking, the wine would slosh back and forth between glasses, demonstrating that the host was willing to drink what everyone else was drinking and the wine was untainted.

The Greeks made a practice of offering libations to the gods and toasting to each other’s health. The Romans took it a step further by actually passing a law that everyone must drink to Emperor Augustus at every meal. Apparently, the wine was of such poor quality that the Romans discovered if they placed a piece of stale bread in the jug it would not only absorb some of the acidity, making the wine more palatable, but the bread would become edible again. Hence the name “toast.” 

In the 1800s, the Toastmasters Clubs were founded to practice the art. Supposedly they became the referees of toasting, making sure participants kept it simple and civil. It was common then to toast beautiful women, which coined the expression “toast of the town.” One famous toastmaster compared a good toast to a short skirt: “It should be short enough to be interesting and long enough to cover the essentials.”

Here’s mud in your eye? Why would you wish that on anybody? OK, two theories exist on the origin of this common British toast. The first is a reference to horse racing, since this was a popular toast in fox hunting circles. The winning horse in a race is kicking mud into the eyes of the spectators, so it was a desirable thing. The second, and probably more common, theory is a biblical one where Jesus spat on the ground and rubbed the mud into a blind man’s eyes, restoring his sight.

“Cheers” is a term associated with toasting, and is believed to have originated from the French word “chiere,” meaning “face.” By the 14th century it was interpreted as a mood on the face, and by the 18th century it became the term it is today, a show of support and encouragement.

Here are some of the more popular and clever toasts of our times:

Here’s to Champagne, the drink divine,

That makes us forget our troubles;

It’s made of five dollars’ worth of wine

And twenty dollars’ worth of bubbles.

***

Here’s to the nights we’ll never remember with the friends we’ll never forget.

***

May the friends of our youth be the companions of our old age.

***

May we live as long as we want, and never want as long as we live.

***

May misfortune follow you the rest of your life but never catch up.

***

Here’s to mine and here’s to thine!

Now’s the time to clink it!

Here’s a flagon of old wine,

And here we are to drink it.  PS

Robyn James is a certified sommelier and proprietor of The Wine Cellar and Tasting Room in Southern Pines. Contact her at robynajames@gmail.com.

A Glorious Glühwein Christmas

Add a little “glowing wine” to your holiday traditions

By Robyn James

This holiday season, consider adding some European customs to your festivities for an Old World feel. Here’s a concoction that dates back to the 1400s in Germany and the 1300s in cookbooks in Great Britain.

Glühwein, known throughout Europe and South America by many other names, is a staple at Christmas and throughout the winter months.

Glühwein literally means “glowing wine” in German and is reported to be originated by folks who had red wine that was on the cusp of spoiling, so they added cinnamon sticks, cloves, star anise, oranges and sugar, then heated the wine up to make it palatable so it would last longer. Occasionally they would drink it “mit Schuss” (with a shot) of rum or another liquor. The glowing wine term stems from the contraption (irons with long handles) they used to heat up over a fire and then dip into the Glühwein mix to mull it (warm it up).

Throughout all the little villages in Germany, there are pockets of charming outdoor markets that sell goods and feature their own Glühwein by the glass and the bottle during the holidays. Each individual market has its personal recipe of Glühwein and the signature little pottery mug you can purchase to drink its particular Glühweins. They are coveted German souvenirs.

What food does Germany pair up with Glühwein? Yum, “Lebkuchen,” a chewy German spice cake, along with roasted almonds, potato pancakes and “stollen,” a very dense fruitcake. In Sweden the typical accompaniment is gingerbread and “Lussebullar,” a type of sweet bun with saffron and raisins. Norway pairs its Glühwein with a traditional cold rice pudding.

Glühwein is not exclusive to Germany and England; it is common in the Alsace region of France and many other European countries, including Sweden, Denmark, Romania and Hungary. They all have their native names and twists on the recipes. In France it is referred to as “vin chaud,” meaning “hot wine.” The French back off on the honey and sugar in their Glühwein, preferring a drier version.

It’s not the norm but you can find some German markets that sell white Glühwein, and a little bit is imported to the United States. A small amount of spices and fruits are just infused into a full-bodied white wine.

While Glühwein is a very traditional drink for the entire Christmas holidays, there is a traditional German version for New Year’s Eve called “Feuerzangenbowle” that uses the same recipe but incorporates a rum-soaked, cone-shaped sugar loaf that is set on fire and drips into the wine.

In Great Britain they traditionally use a combination of orange, lemon, cinnamon, nutmeg, star anise, cloves, cardamom and ginger. They may boil the spices in sugar syrup before they add the red wine. They have been known to blend the spices with port, brandy or ginger wines. They often use a tea bag of spices added to the heated wine and served in porcelain or glass mugs with a garnish of an orange slice studded with cloves.

St. Lorenz winery out of the Mosel region of Germany exports its Christkindl Glühwein into the United States in a colorful one-liter bottle priced under $10. This wine is already infused with cinnamon, cloves, oranges, lemon and sugar so all you have to do is gently warm it up and break out the gingerbread cookies! Give Glühwein a try this holiday season! PS

Robyn James is a certified sommelier and proprietor of The Wine Cellar and Tasting Room in Southern Pines. Contact her at robynajames@gmail.com.

When Whiskey Woos Wine

Wine aged in bourbon barrels may be a passing fancy — or a taste here to stay

By Robyn James

My mother was a bourbon drinker, and to my surprise, my father and I were able to convert her to a wine drinker. At least I think we did: Knowing my mom, she may have faked it to make us happy. I say to my surprise, because she never could have swayed me in her direction. I would smell her bourbon drink, turn up my nose and refuse to even taste it. I couldn’t imagine two more polar opposite drinks.

The wine industry, unlike so many industries such as fashion or food, really doesn’t have any “trends.” We are steeped in tradition, the old ways are the best ways, and “fads” are frowned upon.

Recently, it has become impossible to ignore that we have, dare I say, a “fad” to contend with. Maybe it will stay, maybe it will go, but suddenly wine aged in whiskey barrels has become all the rage in my industry.

Weird because the opposite is usually true. Winemakers generally use new French or American oak barrels to age wine, a very expensive investment. Once they have gotten their one to three years’ use out of the barrels they usually sell them to whiskey distilleries to attempt to recoup some of the high investment. American distilleries are very patriotic, using only American oak. They appreciate the open grain of American oak that helps to soften the harshness of the whiskey. Winemakers lean toward the tighter French oak that imparts subtle vanilla flavors. Winemakers buying used barrels from distilleries seems totally backward.

What is the difference between a whiskey barrel and a wine barrel? Apparently a lot. When using a barrel for whiskey, the barrel is actually charred inside so the interior of the barrel acts like a carbon filter, softening and calming down the contents. The whiskey may stay in that barrel for 15 or more years. That never happens with wine. A wine barrel is never “charred,” it is “toasted” to different degrees. The toasting of a French wine barrel doesn’t filter or remove any flavors. It is destined to add flavors of vanilla and light tannins to the wine, enhancing it.

Because of the “aggressiveness” of the old whiskey barrels, the standard routine is to leave the wine in these barrels for only about three months to attempt to add a super subtle nuance of the bourbon.

The idea for this new “fad” came from Dan Phillips, an importer of French and Spanish wines and his good friend Julian Van Winkle, the owner of the cult crazy Pappy Van Winkle Distillery. Pappy Van Winkle whiskey is so sought after and has such small production that most liquor stores hold a lottery to sell the one bottle a year they may be allocated. And, that bottle may sell for anywhere from $750 to $2,000.

They launched the Southern Belle Spanish red wine, a blend of 50 percent syrah and 50 percent monastrell from Spain that is an absolute fruit bomb and delicious. I really didn’t get a big taste of bourbon influence here. It was extremely subtle, but I can see that winemakers are pushing up the alcohol content of the wine to compete with the whiskey flavors, so we have big, bold, fruity reds that knock your socks off. Southern Belle, made by Chris Ringland, one of the best winemakers in the world, is about $20 and worth every penny. It’s produced at Bodegas Juan Gil, one of the best vintners of monastrell in the world.

Mendocino’s 1,000 Stories zinfandel is aged in wine barrels prior to the old bourbon barrels from Heaven Hill and Four Roses that are as much as 13 years old. This wine, again, tops out the alcohol at 15.2 percent. It’s very ripe, with big raspberry and black pepper spice flavors, and sells for about $15. This wine has small amounts of syrah and petite sirah that add to the delicious complexity of the wine.

Cooper & Thief Cellarmaster’s Red Blend has become a big favorite of mine for the bourbon-aged blends. A kitchen sink California wine that is a blend of 38 percent merlot, 37 percent syrah, 11 percent zinfandel, 7 percent petite sirah and 4 percent cabernet sauvignon, it’s aged in bourbon barrels for three months.  Almost port-like in style, it’s 17 percent alcohol, a little higher in price at about $23 and has velvety tannins and a long, velvety finish. What the heck, give them a try, see what Kentucky brings to California.  PS

Robyn James is a certified sommelier and proprietor of The Wine Cellar and Tasting Room in Southern Pines. Contact her at robynajames@gmail.com.

Focus on Furmint

From Hungary comes a white wine to savor

By Robyn James

Sometimes in the world of wine geeks, the hot new thing on the scene turns out to be the oldest. Such is the case with the dry white wine, furmint, from the ancient Hungarian region of Tokaj. Presented with a sample bottle of Evolúció a few weeks ago, I was fascinated to taste and learn about the furmint grape finished dry. Never an expert in Hungarian wine throughout my career, I always had a vague perception of their incredibly sweet, beautiful dessert wines that came from the region of Tokaj. Louis XIV of France declared the wines “Vinum Regum, Rex Vinorum” (Wine of Kings, King of Wines). They were labeled with a number of “puttonyos” measuring the degree of sweetness and quality.

Tokaj is geographically located between two rivers, the Danube and the Tisza. In the fall, the fog influence from the rivers creates the perfect dampness for the “noble rot” to occur on the furmint grapes, resulting in their super sweet famous dessert wines.

However, if you harvest the furmint early, before noble rot occurs, you come up with a delicious mineral-driven white wine that is a fabulous alternative to sauvignon blanc, pinot gris and chardonnay.

Hungarian winemakers in the Furmint Society visited Napa Valley recently, wowing California winemakers who likened the wines to Chablis, stating, “I would put them against the great whites of Friuli, Bordeaux and Burgundy.”

Located on the same latitude as Alsace, France, the Hungarian native grape derives its name from the French word “froment” for the wheat gold color of the wine.

The Evolúció that I tasted is fermented in all stainless steel, and is described by the winery as, “Intense aromas, ripe peach and floral. Elegant, rich and mineral, great balance between (the) intense acidity and discreet residual sugar, it is pleasing and refreshing. Some summer fruits with white pear, citrus and hints of almond.”

Retailing for around $12, Evolúció’s high acidity would pair well with fish and chicken dishes or even beef short ribs.

Furmint also makes a delicious sparkling wine. Affinitas makes a methóde traditionnelle (same painstaking method as French Champagne with the secondary fermentation in the bottle) that sells for around $18, a bargain. Another Hungarian grape, harslevelu, is blended into this sparkler that the winery describes as “clear with a fine mousse. Citrus blossoms, grapefruit and crisp apple. Fresh acidity, it is precise without being austere. Rich backbone, exotic fruits and brioche, great acid and mineral.”

Furmint is grown in other European countries and blends well with other grapes. The Dveri-Pax Winery in Slovenia makes a $15 “Yanez” that is 40 percent furmint, 40 percent pinot gris and 20 percent riesling. Scoring 87 Points from The Wine Advocate, it is described as “fresh, clean and perky, refreshing demeanor and very enticing.” The Boutique Wine Collection out of Philadelphia is one of the main importers of furmint and I love their logo, a little heart on top of a dollar sign with the statement, “Love Over Money.” I guess you won’t get rich importing furmint, but it sure is fun to try.  PS

Robyn James is a certified sommelier and proprietor of The Wine Cellar and Tasting Room in Southern Pines. Contact her at robynajames@gmail.com.