Some of the Best Names in Fine Wines Come to Florida!
One of the most respected wine distributors in the metro-Orlando Florida area, presented a tasting of the Bond Estates portfolio including such respected wineries as Melbury, Quella, St. Eden, Vecina, and Pluribus.
Our customer and friend Keith also has a wine blog where he has a great review of this event!
As he says;
“The material covered over the course of the two-hour tasting cannot be effectively covered in a single post. Over the next several posts we will examine why this was such a heralded event; provide details about the winery, the wine owner, and the wines; and provide our impression of the wines based on the tasting and other independent perspectives.”
So, in the interest of sharing great information about wines, please make sure you read what he has to say:
Winter Wine Producer Tour Highlights Wineries and Winemakers
Continuing with my personal impressions and notes from meeting some of the finest minds and biggest names behind wines. If you missed the first installment, you can catch up and read about meeting the people behind the wines.
The Cult of Wine; Meeting Greg Brewer Master Winemaker
In 1989, Melville Vineyards was founded in Sonoma County’s Knights Valley. The Melville Estate, with winemaker Greg Brewer, at the helm achieves quality through the integrity of its farming practice and its respect to the microclimate, allowing the true terroir of the vineyard to shine through in the wines.
Born of an obsession with Santa Barbara County terroir, Brewer-Clifton was formed in the early 1990’s by Greg Brewer and Steve Clifton. Both men previously worked for the other area producers, and had expressed a desire to fully integrate their tireless work ethics with the cutting edge wine making techniques they were beginning to employ in their various projects.
Greg Brewer
At first glance, I assumed the man I just meet was the CEO of Melville/Brewer-Clifton. I would never have guessed it was Greg Brewer “the wine maker”.
He was dressed in what looked like European business attire, very stylish! He looked just great. Now, I don’t want you to think that I *think* that all “winemakers” are poorly dressed and monotone, because that is untrue. I was just pleasantly surprised when I meant him. He was super up beat and had a great personality as well.
Patz & Hall’s Donald Patz & the Buffalo Coat!
Patz & Hall began producing wines in 1988 in order to fulfill a life long dream of making elegant Pinot Noir and chardonnay. Partners James Hall, Anne Moses, and Donald and Heather Patz created their first vintage after years of experience working for other wineries in the Napa Valley.
Now into their third decade of fine winemaking, Patz & Hall has refined their focus to include small production, single vineyard wines, while expanding their portfolio to include over ten different bottling of elegant Chardonnays and enthralling Patz & Hall Pinot Noirs.
Donald Patz
When I meet Donald, I felt his happiness. He greeted me with a huge smile and firm handshake. He is one of those “cool” ones.
He had a slideshow of pictures on his laptop that he showed me. One picture I will never forget. It is a picture of him in a buffalo jacket. He told me that the jacket weighed 20 pounds. It was coolest looking jacket I have ever seen! Thank God, PETA was not around.
***
Donald is scheduled to come back to Orlando to have a wine dinner with us. Well, actually, it will be with Adam and the board meeting. No girls allowed, but that’s OK; I have a bottle of the Patz & Hall 2007 Dutton Ranch Chardonnay!
Don’t Forget the Best Romantic Wines, oh Valentine!
Valentine’s Day gift ideas are often hard to come by. The traditional “romantic” Valentine’s Day present ideas of flowers and chocolates can sometimes feel a bit boring. For someone special, we often want to really DO something special to show them how much we care.
Valentine’s Day Gifts for Men
Don’t dismiss the Valentine’s Day idea of a romantic dinner! They say the path to a man’s heart is through his stomach. This does not need to be scientifically proven since our grandmother’s have been heard saying it for generations! Plus it’s very logical:
Cooking is a caring and nurturing task
It takes time and thought and preparation
A full stomach on top of delightful taste sensations equals a very satisfactory situation. (more…)
Winter Wine Producer Tour Highlights Wineries and Winemakers
Recently, I took part in the “Winter Wine Producer Tour”. I went to Fisher’s Island, FL and Orlando, FL and was able to have the opportunity to meet the people and personalities behind some of the wines that we offer at Wine on the Way.
Tasting with the Staglin Family Vineyard
Shari and Garen Staglin, presidents and founders of Staglin Family Vineyard talked about the direction and motivation behind their production.
The Staglin Family Vineyard is a family owned Napa Valley winery devoted to producing extremely limited quantities of the highest quality wines from its own vineyard. Staglin has been rated one of the top five vineyards in all of CA. The vineyard manager, David Abreu, has over 20 years experience. Their commitment to farming the property as organically as possible has provided the winery an outstanding source of consistently high quality fruit which makes high quality wines, such as the 2005 California Cabernet that we carry.
Garen Staglin
What I loved most about this vineyard is that they formed a nonprofit organization for mental health. Since 1995, Staglin Family Vineyard has raised over $710 million for charitable causes.100% of profits from two of their wines go directly to the organization. Great wine, great people and personal ethical integrity makes for a winning combination!
Chehalem, Wine and Bacon
Harry Peterson-Nedry-president & founderof Chehalem came all the way from Northern Willamette Valley in Newberg, Oregon.
He was kind enough to have dinner with the group of us in Fisher’s Islan
Harry Peterson Nedry
d after the trade show was over and it was a great chance to get to know him personally. Can you tell by his face just how fun he was? If you doubt me, then just take a look at their website and be sure to check out the wine and bacon tasting for Valentine’s Day.
Shafer Vineyards and Doug Shafer
Doug Shafer
Doug Shafer from Shafer Vineyards is a legend in the wine world. Doug Shafer became winemaker in 1983 after graduating from the University of California at Davis with a degree in enology and viticulture. I have to admit, I thought he was going to be a jerk. I was so surprised at how cool he was.
His station at the Orlando show was right next to the golf course. When we tasted his wine a group of older ladies were playing golf. Every time a lady hit a ball well he would walk over onto the green and offer them a glass of wine. They all refused. We just could not stop laughing; if they only knew who he was!
Our group decided to award him with “having the least amount of wine in the dump bucket”. Cool cat for sure!
Von Strasser Winery & Rudy Von Strasser: out of the caves!
The Von Stasser Winery,located in the Diamond Mt region of Napa Valley nestled between the towns of St Helena and Calistoga, sent us Rudy Von Strasser himself.
Rudy Von Strasser
Prior to the trade show, we had a wine dinner at the Ravenous Pig with Rudy. It was a huge success. Rudy is a very down to earth type of guy. He took control of the wine dinner and had everyone on the edge of there seats just listening to his story. At Fisher’s Island, he was also kind enough to have dinner with us. Even though, he was the one who ordered a weird pizza pie.
He told us that he plays a lot of scrabble with his wife and children.
I told him that is what happens when you live on top of a mountain and hang out in caves. Not much to do.
The Girl Power of Lail Vineyards
Being with another woman in the wine business was a personal highlight to me. Robin Lail, president & founder of Lail Vineyards has a rich history in winemaking stretching back over five generations, to Robins Lail’s great granduncle Gustav Niebaum, whose Inglenook Vineyards was widely recognized in the late 19th century as the finest wine producer in the country.
Robin Lail
Robin Lail is a very soft spoken woman. She is so elegant and when she speaks she just demands attention even with that soft voice. It was very interesting to me that she is a Mormon and has a strong belief that women can take over family businesses. After speaking to her for a while, I told her I was very proud to have meet her. It was so refreshing to meet a very powerful woman. GO GIRL POWER!
Drawing the line between a bad wine versus a good wine with a distinct taste and smell, shall we say, comes easier with time. One kind of bad wine is called the corked wine, which has certain telltale factors. There are certain wines however, such as Madeira that is made in open outdoor vats that encourage oxidation and affects the taste of this wine. In general, there are certain signs that indicate a bad wine…
1. Protruding Cork
If you’ve ever noticed that the cork extends beyond the tip of the bottle, this is a pretty good sign of a bad wine bottle. This may be the result of heat exposure, which causes the wine to expand. You could also try to turning the wrapping to see if it may be stuck by residue.
2. Corked Wine with a Musty Taste & Aroma
Sometimes during the aging process, a cork will become a microorganism meal. The result is that the wine, which comes into contact with the cork becomes contaminated with a chemical known as TCA; this is the corked wine definition. This type of bad wine tends to subdue a wine’s flavors, making it bland and sometimes bitter or when it’s more obvious, there will be a distinct moldy smell. Wine that has pieces of cork in it is not considered corked wine.
3. Oxidized Wine with an Off-Taste & Color
Some tastes that are associated with bad wine included, as mentioned above, moldy wet cardboard and smelly socks. Other tastes that may indicate a wine going bad are vinegar or a strong raisin smell. Also if a wine is fruitless or is reminiscent of paint thinner, this may also indicate a bad wine.
Looking at a wine’s color requires a more acute sense of a wine’s quality, however in general a brown tint in red wine and a deep yellow or brownish color in white way may indicate a bad wine.
4. Fizziness in a Still Wine
When yeasts that have lied dormant decide to wake up, the result is a second fermentation that occurs and causes a bad wine to form. This effervescence may be difficult to detect on the tongue, so incorporate all your senses and see if you perhaps notice bubbles.
5. Sedimention – Not a True Fault
Sedimentation is not generally seen as a true fault. Sedimentation in the form of little white tartrate crystals that accumulate at the bottom of a wine bottle or on the cork often occur in older wines and ports. They are a natural side-effect that occurs in unfiltered wines, but do not constitute a bad wine. But do decant such wines, since drinking this sediment is not a pleasant experience.
Steps to Avoid Corked Wine
Storing in a dark room around 60 degrees is a general suggestion to prevent a good wine from turning into a bad wine. Even , when shipped during the summer months, our very good wines have a greater danger of their tastes becoming compromised due to heat. In fact, if you look at our Wine on the Way shipping information; when it is really hot out, we will hold off shipping for the good of the wine. Shipping, while possible, during those times, is at the customer’s discretion.
It’s also important to rotate your wine bottle every few months to prevent sediment build-up from occurring. Some vintage wines, if aged for too long, will turn into bad wine. Many of our wines will clearly state how long the bottle’s scan be cellared for that reason. If you have questions about shelf life or proper storage of your wines, feel free to drop us a line.
Today, winemaking has improved a great deal to maintain consistency, though certain wines may not appeal to one’s palette. Unfortunately, there might come a time when you may come across a bottle of corked wine. If you happen to come across such a situation, please just give us a call or email and Wine on the Way can send you another bottle of the same wine.
Just recently, my wife, Gigi, and I had the pleasure of meeting THE Dr. Loosen at Luma on the Park in Winter Park, Florida. Needless to say, the experience was just about as unforgettable as the wines he creates.
The setting was perfect. The invitational wine tasting was held in the “Cellar” of Luma, a beautiful and very impressive wine vault. They use this space as a private dining room that can seat up to 48 for gatherings and event and, if you are in the area on Mondays, host some nice wine tasting events.
The deserved height Dr. Loosen (aka Ernst—we didn’t have to call him Dr all the time, but a part of us certainly wanted to out of sheer respect for this gentleman’s accomplishments) has earned throughout the wine world certainly hasn’t diminished his personable characteristics, and his readily approachable attitude and his exceptional expertise are no doubt two very crucial reasons for his success. (more…)
There has never been a wine tasting of this magnitude in the city of Orlando. Period! Over 60 very high quality wines, all rated 90 points and higher, will be available for tasting and purchase at special reduced prices.
In addition, yummy appetizers will also be served and complimentary valet parking will be provided.
Save the Date! Savor the Wine!
Please join us at The VUE at Lake Eola located at 150 East Robinson St. in Downtown Orlando on Saturday, October 24th between 5:00-7:30pm
Reserve your Spot at the Wine Event!
Call 407-733-9463 for wine tasting reservations! The nominal admission price of $20 per person is non-refundable, but with a minimum purchase of $100, you receive a $20 credit towards your purchase!
Space is extremely limited so please call now, reserve your spot with your with credit card: 407-733-9463.
Drink Wine; Help Children!!
Also, as part of the festivities, a silent auction will take place to benefit “Bridges of Light Foundation”, a local charity helping children in need. There will be plenty of exciting stuff being auctioned off!
Sneak Peek at our Wine Tastings?
Just look at this list, and explain how could you resist??
2006Chappellet “Pritchard Hill”, Cabernet Sauvignon,Napa Valley [96 pts Wine Spectator].
2005Altamura Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley [95 pts Wine Advocate].
2005Blankiet Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley [95+ pts Wine Advocate].
2004Philip Togni Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley [95 pts Wine Advocate].
2006Lewis “Reserve” Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley [95 pts Wine Spectator].
2005Pahlmeyer “Proprietary Red”, Napa Valley [96 pts Wine Advocate].
2006Snowden “Reserve” Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley [95 pts Wine Advocate].
2006Buccella Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley [93 pts Wine Spectator].
2006Cliff Lede Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley [91 pts Wine Advocate].
2006Blackbird “Illustration” Proprietary Blend, Napa Valley [90 pts Wine Spectator].
Spanish Cava Sparkling Wine For Less Than $20 – 91 Point Rating
I attended a house warming the other night and, of course, the evening started off with a round of bubbles. There were some nice champagnes and a couple of roses. I have to admit, I am partial to roses! Since the first several bottles were real champagne (i.e., from France) I made the assumption that the roses were as well.
The best sparkling wine since 1887
The two roses were excellent, although one stood out as the best sparkling wine. When it was revealed that it was a Spanish Cava, I was really surprised. It was a Llopart Rose Brut Reserva. The bottle said the cava had been there since 1887 and the wine had spent three years sur lie.
A fine Spanish sparkling wine that's easy on the pocket.
Inside, I was struck by the color – a very clear, sparkling medium pink wine.
The nose on this cava was very pleasant with some lovely strawberries, perhaps some cherries. The wine had plenty of small bubbles, but the style was a creamier, elegant style than what I was expecting. The finish on this balanced wine was very nice.
An Unexpected Price For A Spanish Cava Sparkling Wine
I have pretty much identified Spanish Cava’s with lower priced bubbles appropriate for Mimosas. This wine had more class than the rougher, less expensive bubbles from Spain. It got me thinking about price and value.
What would I pay for this sparkling wine in a retail shop? I thought the wine was worth mid-$20s, perhaps even $30. Later, the next day, I learned that the wine sells for under $20. It is a super deal at that price and worth every penny.
A Sparkling Wine So Good It Was Gone
This wine pairs well with food, by the way. We were having a tapas dinner, but unfortunately, by the time we came to eat, it was gone. Folks were surprised by the quality of this wine. It also dispelled a couple of myths about Spanish sparkling wines.
The Llopart Rose Brut Reserva Cava sparkling wine was one tasty bottle of bubbles and WineOnTheWay.com has it for just $18.00.
All wine dinners purport to have one thing in common; the wine pairs well or uniquely to the food it is paired with. There is always the presumption that somewhere along the way of planning for the event, the chief and the sommelier (or the persons in charge of food and wine) actually met and discussed what they proposed pairing and how they complemented each other.
I also assume, probably not with a lot of confidence, they may have prepared actually proposed dishes, selected some possible wines and tried them together. What the cost of a reasonable wine dinner these days? $55-$85 ++? Yes, I understand that the consumer gets their money’s worth, but so does the restaurant. The wine dinner menu is prepped for known number of people, and it brings people to a restaurant or event in good numbers. I am sure I could list other benefits, but I am not a restaurateur and this is a wine blog, not a food blog.
Much Experience with Wine Dinners
I have been drinking wine more or less seriously for thirty years or so and have been going to wine dinners for, let’s see…..thirty years or so:
I’ve been to wine dinners and sat next to real winemakers. I still remember sitting next to Tom Rinaldi and Dan Duckhorn when their wine was being introduced into Florida.
I’ve been to wine dinners featuring the wines of a single winery.
I’ve been to wine dinners focused on a specific varietal of wine.
At some dinners the wines are all pre-poured at your place. Some our poured as you go. There are probably as many variations on how to do wine dinners as there are restaurants, sommeliers, wine directors, chiefs, distributors and winemakers combined. But the end result is that the food and wine parings are suppose to knock you out of your socks.
The Art of Pairing Wine with Food
I went to a wine dinner recently:”Napa vs. Sonoma: Cross-Valley Rivals Go Head-To-Head.”
After some bubbles as a greeting wine to open up our palets, we sampled one Napa and one Sonoma Chardonnay which were paired with a crab cocktail and citrus relish. The wines were (from Napa Valley) Merryville, Napa, 2006 and (from Sonoma) Picket Fence, Russian River Valley, 2006.
Both wines were very enjoyable, but in my judgment, neither went with the food exceptionally well. The food didn’t give the wines a chance to show themselves and did not bring forth either wines best features. The citrus relish and crab tried to be the star over the wine, but as a dish it too failed pretty miserable. The wine did not make the food taste any better at all and the poor crab did need some help.
Matching Wine with Food: take two -Cabernets
The Napa Cabernets were paired with a filet mignon and wonton crusted Ahi tuna with a Cantonese mushroom sauce. Both foods are strong and heavy with protein, usually a strong contender for a Cabernet to stand up for itself.
In this case of food wine matching, the wines paired were not on an equal footing. The Napa Valley Freemark Abbey 2004 has something else going on; Merlot, Petite Verdot, Cabernet Franc and Petite Sirah. On the other side, the Sonoma wine contender, Rodney Strong Alexander Valley Reserve 2005, was a different vintage plus an 100% Cabernet Sauvignon.
As part of this wine dinner, we were handed sheets with tasting notes, probably from a review or perhaps winemakers’ notes. A statement of what each wine brought to the food pairing was included for those who did not, I assume, want to think too much or perhaps to suggest what they were attempting to do with the wine and food paring. A scoring sheet of 1-5 on Aroma. Taste, Finish and Pairing was also part of the Wine Dinner kit. After the second food pairing failing, the wine dinner notes were doing little to impress me.
Cute Gimmicks do not make up for poor wine and food parings
At this point, suffice it to say, this would not have been my favorite wine dinner, but it gets worse.
The sommelier and waitstaff were dressed up in referee uniforms; the ever so classy zebra shirts. They had “contests” to see which table could get the most trivia questions right. The crowd became louder and louder and eventually I would have thought we were in a bar in downtown Orlando watching the Magic beat the Lakers in Game 6.
I adore fine food with well pared wine and I use to really like wine dinners, but after this experience, it might be awhile before I can be convinced back to a wine dinner any time soon.
Perhaps 15 years ago a number of us who drink wine on a regular basis decided to do a blind tasting of the California Chardonnays. I am pretty sure we focused on Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley Chardonnays. We did this tasting over several weeks since we wanted to get a broad representation of wines, all from the same vintage.
California producing some rather mid range Chardonnay
There were some very highly rated California wines included in this Chardonnay wine tasting and some rather expensive entries as well. After the tasting, many of us reached the same conclusion: the wines were all good and on a simple 5 point scale, scored 3ish. What was striking was how similar they were. They had that big, oaky, malelactic style. And as wine people tend to do, we discussed this for some length over more bottles of Chardonnay over the ensuing months.
The California Chardonnay Conclusion
At that time, Napa and Sonoma Valley wineries, on balance, were making their wines to hit a perceived, and perhaps actual, American palate. This was an American palate that grew up on sweeter wines and loved the oak to match this taste preference.
Leaving Chardonnay
So, we went the opposite extreme. We had “ABC Tastings” as in Anything But Chardonnay.
We yearned for winemakers that would let the fruit do the talking and provide less influence on the outcome. We reminded ourselves why we liked French White Burgundy so much. We also found refuge in other California wine growing areas. Central Coast, Edna Valley, St. Luis Obispo (SLO) struck that balance of tropical fruit and traditional chardonnay flavors. The wines were lively, friendly and great wines by themselves or with food.
Fast Forward, Back to California’s Mount Eden:
Tiring a bit on Sauvignon Blanc, I decided to revisit Chardonnays. I began with a bottle of Edna Valley’s 2007 Mount Eden Chardonnay from Wolff Vineyard in California. The color was slightly lime green (but then I was wearing a lime green shirt), exceptionally clear and bright. The first thing I noticed was that Edna Valley fruit. This wine had the fruit talking with some lemony citrus and lots of forward fruit; pear, spice, hint of apple. The Mount Eden Chardonnay was ripe and intense with a pleasant, long finish.
Priced at only $19.00 a bottle, this is a great price for a wine this complex and accessible. I bought a few more.
Chardonnay Wine Tasting part deux
Pleasantly surprised by my delight with the Mount Eden Chard, I went to another California Chardonnay tasting.
This time it was a brown bag night at my favorite wine retailer. Folks bagged up their chardonnays and we tried perhaps 10-12 Chardonnays blind. Only a couple had that big, buttery, oaky taste that I ran away from years ago. Most of them were truly lovely and worth drinking much like the Mount Eden.
This made me wonder if the vineyards were changing or the wine producers had changed their style — or perhaps the American consumer had finally matured their pallet away from that sweeter preference.
Either way, I’ll be tasting more California Chardonnays in the weeks and months to come, rediscovering a wine that I left many years ago.
the Bond Estates portfolio including such respected wineries as Melbury, Quella, St. Eden, Vecina, and Pluribus.
Valentine’s Day gift ideas are often hard to come by. The traditional “romantic” Valentine’s Day present ideas of flowers and chocolates can sometimes feel a bit boring. For someone special, we often want to really DO something special to show them how much we care.
Don’t dismiss the Valentine’s Day idea of a romantic dinner! They say the path to a man’s heart is through his stomach. This does not need to be scientifically proven since our grandmother’s have been heard saying it for generations! Plus it’s very logical:
Just recently, my wife, Gigi, and I had the pleasure of meeting THE Dr. Loosen at 
Wine Tasting of the Year!
Tiring a bit on Sauvignon Blanc, I decided to revisit Chardonnays. I began with a bottle of 
