Dave McIntyre's WineLine

Celebrate the Year of the Ox – with Sherry, Baby!

The smartest thing I ever did was marry Chinese, but it does make wine pairing problematic sometimes. Chinese cuisine, with its variety and wide range of dishes, salty and fermented flavors, is traditionally considered a difficult match for Western grape wines. Ask a wine lover what to drink with Chinese and he’ll probably say “beer.” Then he’ll default to Riesling or Gewürztraminer, explaining that the sweetness matches the spicy complexity of the food.

So as we say good riddance to the Year of the Rat and welcome in the Ox this Monday, I suggest a new departure – a new beginning, if you will: Toast the new year with a glass of sherry!

Sherry is as versatile as Chinese cuisine is varied. Its oxidative character even resembles the nuttiness of Shaoxing jiu, the aged rice wine of central China. It seemed an ideal match for a Chinese feast.

I put this theory to the test for my January 21 wine column in The Washington Post. You can also read about the meal and my recommended sherries here on my Web site.

Cheers, and Gong Xi Fa Cai, Hong Bao Na Lai in the Year of the Ox!

Cave Spring Riesling "CSV" 2007, Niagara $28

Niagara-on-the-Lake is known for its ice wines, and Cave Spring Cellars makes some mighty fine ones. But the region also excels in table wines, especially Riesling, and I'm especially excited that a few producers are making the effort to jump through the regulatory hoops in the various U.S. states and market their wines "south of the border," as it were.

Cave Spring has several Rieslings available in the Mid-Atlantic region, most notably an off-dry wine simply called Niagara Riesling. The CSV is a single-vineyard wine from the Beamsville Bench, the prime vineyard land that stretches across the mid-slope of the Niagara peninsula, from vines more than 30 years old. It is medium-dry, according to , but it tastes dry because of its fine acid/sugar balance, the hallmark of well-made Riesling. It is fine and delicate in a style that remindes me of the stylish wines of the Mittelrhein in Germany. It is not cheap, and it is not plentiful. But it is a lovely wine, with hints of talc and exotic fruits. Its flavors are haunting, like a beautiful woman's perfume that lingers long after the elevator door has closed.

Cave Spring is distributed in Maryland and Washington, D.C., by Boutique Vineyards of Annapolis, Md.

For more Riesling recommendations, see my January 7 column in The Washington Post.

 

Gobelsburger Riesling 2007, $20

I'll admit it - I'm a fan of dry Riesling. Sure, I like the sweet ones, too, but a good, crisp dry Riesling can be just as thrilling as an unctuous, honeyed nectar of a late harvest wine. The problem with dry Riesling is that the grape's naturally high sugars and high acidity - the very qualities that make it so versatile - are a danger. Winemakers trying to produce a "dry" Riesling to cater to market demand risk disrupting the delicate balance between sugar and acidity that make Riesling so exciting.

To be honest, I don't care about a wine's residual sugar, acid levels or pH. That's the stuff for wine geeks and German winemakers named "Doktor." But I do appreciate a good Riesling when those harmonic forces come into balance.

The Gobelsburger Riesling 2007, from Schloss Gobelsburg in Austria, is a delightfully dry Riesling. With light body and great acidity, it tastes like a cornucopia of tropical fruit, with some vibrant citrus notes. It makes a great partner to Riesling brauten, a beef roast marinated and braised in Riesling, or more expected seafood dishes.

(A Terry Theise Selection, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines.)

Bex Riesling 2006, Mosel, $10

This is a simple Riesling - semi-dry (meaning it has a touch of sweetness but doesn't really come off as sweet, because its acid keeps it in balance) - with textbook flavors of apricot and peach. No complexity, really, no slatey minerality, nothing to suggest it should inspire poetry or revolutions. But it is just the type of wine every Chinese restaurant should be hoarding to offer under $20 a bottle. It will moo goo my gai pan just nicely, thank you!

Imported by Purple Wine Co., Graton, CA.

Warning! A Threat to Regional Wine!

Disturbing news came in my e-mail today, courtesy of an article in the Rochester (N.Y.) Democrat & Chronicle. New York Gov. Patterson, trying to cope with the economic downturn and a rising state budget deficit, is proposing to eliminate funding for the New York Wine and Grape Foundation. The state executive branch currently provides $1 million per year to the foundation, an amount matched by industry. The legislature contributes $1.8 million.

Jim Tresize, the foundation's director, told the paper that the proposed cuts could mean the end of the foundation's promotional efforts on behalf of the state's wine industry.

Trezise said if the proposal becomes law, the foundation would have to shut down its efforts to push juice, wines and wine trails — industries he said have a $3.4 billion impact.

Wine lovers around the country should be alarmed at this. Why?

As Jeff Siegel, aka "The Wine Curmudgeon" and my co-conspirator in creating DrinkLocalWine.com, wrote to me: "If they get cut – and they’re one of the most important – everyone will get cut."

State governments around the country are facing severe budget crises and will have to make painful cuts in services and support to various industries. That is an unfortunate fact of life. Gov. Patterson is also proposing to increase New York's excise tax on wine from 18.9 cents per gallon to 51 cents. That's a matter of maybe, oh, a quarter per bottle of wine? If even that? No biggie, there.

But cutting the foundation budget could have a lasting negative impact. Tresize, whom I've met several times over the years, is probably the most forceful advocate of regional wine in the United States. Sure, his job is to promote New York wines. But in doing so he has brought attention to the rise of regional wine throughout the country. He serves as a judge at wine competitions from coast to coast and is a tireless promoter of Wine America, the national winery trade association. His foundation helps sponsor viticulture reseach at Cornell University - one of the nation's leading viticultural programs - which benefits wineries all over.

The foundation also sponsors an annual Governor's Cup competition to crown New York's best wine. I had the pleasure of judging once a few years ago when one of the regular judges canceled at the last minute. I was impressed not only by the quality of the wines but by the professional and efficient way Tresize managed the competition. I've begged him to invite me back, but the regular judges don't give up their seats easily - the wines are that good, and the event is that fun.

I've written several articles about New York wines over the years, most notably for The San Francisco Chronicle just after the 2005 Supreme Court decision prompted the state to allow direct shipping to consumers. I don't know how much wine New York sold as a result, but the article would not have been possible without Tresize's help in getting word out to wineries that I needed samples and interviews.

New York wines are finally creeping onto shelves in the D.C. area. Not a whole lot of impact yet, but I suspect they owe a great deal of their presence to Jim Tresize.

Jeff Siegel is right. If New York ends its support for its wine industry as a result of the financial crisis, other states may follow its example. Virginia's wine industry would not be as successful as it is today if it did not have state support. Richmond cut off that support a few years ago and closed the state office that was analogous to the N.Y. foundation, only to restore it on a more modest scale later. I haven't had time yet to research how other states may or may not support their wine industries. But whatever support they give - that means product improvement, market expansion, jobs, revenues, and tax income for the state.

I don't know what we wine lovers can do to stop this, given the economic circumstances. And most comments posted on the Democrat & Chronicle article were in favor of severing state funding for the foundation.

But we can at least call attention to the threat this poses to the growth of regional wine - in New York and elsewhere.

And we can contact Gov. Patterson to voice our support - from across the country - for the New York Wine & Grape Foundation.

Eat Local? Drink Local!

Regional Wine Week has been a resounding success so far, with hundreds of readers visiting DrinkLocalWine.com to discover   the wonderful variety of wines being produced today in the United States and Canada.

Tonight, my column inThe Washington Post highlighted this effort, along with some emerging trends in Virginia and Maryland wine. Virginia is developing its own wonderful expression of Chardonnay, and Jim Law's Linden Vineyards is a prime example. Petit Verdot is gaining favor as a potential rival to Cabernet Franc as the Old Dominion's premier red grape. Michael Shaps produces the state's best. And surprise! Virginia may be on the verge of a breakthrough in producing sparkling wines of great character. Kluge Estate is in the vanguard, especially with its lovely 2004 Rosé.

In Maryland, Black Ankle Vineyards is rewriting the book, winning acclaim and medals with its debut wines even before the winery opened for business (just this last week!). Elk Run continues to impress with a delightful, floral Gewürztraminer, while Boordy Vineyards, an historically important winery for its promotion of French-American hybrid grape varieties, produces a sprightly Vidal.

Remember - Wine Country isn't just California anymore!

Regional Wine Week is Underway!

Regional Wine Week may not change the way we think about wine or life, but if it prompts readers to give a little more thought to their local wines for dinner - and not just as novelties to be purchased once a year at a festival - then it will have been a success.

RWW is underway now at DrinkLocalWine.com, a modest little Web site conceived by Jeff Siegel, "The Wine Curmudgeon," and myself. You won't find much content there, just two brief manifestos by Jeff and me, plus links to a host of writers around the United States and Canada who are writing this week about wines "from around here" - wherever "here" might happen to be for them.

If you go to the site now, you can click to Charmian Christie's evocative post on the fruit wines of Niagara. You can also find Rob Hagman's treatise on Pollak Vineyards, which he calls "the future of Virginia," as well as Richard Leahy's account of a 20-year retrospective tasting of Virginia's best, held last week in Richmond to mark the 20th anniversary of Virginia Wine Month. The Old Dominion is developing a successful wine tradition, and we've got it on DrinkLocalWine.com.

You'll also find Richard Leahy's account of Tierce Riesling, a cooperative effort by three wineries in the Finger Lakes to develop a terroir-based style of Riesling. It's a grape this region has long been noted for, but one that has struggled to develop a consistent style and flavor profile. Tierce is on the cutting edge.

Regional Wine Week includes some major wine writers from top publications. Sandra Silfven has already posted on the Detroit News Web site about her favorite wines from Michigan and Ohio. On Thursday, Gil Kulers will report on the emerging wines of Georgia in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and Scott Greenberg will profile Maryland's Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyards in the DC Examiner. On Wednesday, I will highlight emerging trends in Virginia and Maryland in The Washington Post. Later this month (editorial schedules being what they are), Bill Daley will report on Illinois wines in the Chicago Tribune and Lou Marmon will feature some Maryland wines in his column for the Gazette papers in the DC area.

I hope you'll revisit DrinkLocalWine.com throughout the week as we post new links to posts about Colorado, Arizona, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York - and somewhere near you.

Got Wine? It's not just from California anymore.

A Winning Riesling from ... Rhode Island!

Winemaking on the East Coast keeps getting better and better! This was on display last weekend at the 4th Atlantic Seaboard Wine Competition, when Best of Show was won by a 2007 Riesling from Newport Vineyards in Rhode Island. This wine featured zesty lime flavors and great acidity - a classic Riesling that had me convinced it was from the Finger Lakes.

I was one of 20 judges that swirled, sniffed and spit our way through 458 wines from 100 wineries in 12 states, and having participated in all four contests, I can say this year’s field was the strongest yet. (Or else my table was luckier than in early years.) The Best of Show taste-off featured 19 wines among the 56 that received gold medals; the judges awarded 117 silver and 153 bronze medals as well. (I wrote about last year’s competition in the October 2007 issue of Washingtonian.)

Can three-quarters of East Coast wines be medal worthy? Yes, if you consider wineries self-select by sending their best and many simply choose not to participate. You can say all you want about these competitions, but they provide a worthwhile barometer of how the market is progressing. That’s precisely why the Vinifera Wine Growers Association sponsors the event.

New wineries continue to do well. Maryland’s Black Ankle Vineyards (profiled in the August issue of Washingtonian) scored four medals, including a gold for its 2006 Crumbling Rock Bordeaux blend. Other local names that figure prominently in the medal lists are Pearmund Cellars, Chrysalis, Horton and Barboursville. Kluge Estate wowed the judges with its 2004 rosé sparkling wine.

Some of these Virginia medal winners will be on display September 27 and 28 at the VWGA’s 33rd Virginia Wine Festival at the Prince William County Fairgrounds in Manassas. If you want to snag a bottle of that Best in Show Riesling, you might need to plan a trip to Rhode Island - but hurry, before it sells out!