Happy Birthday!

I can’t believe it. A whole year has passed since my inaugural Wine Doctor post! And what a year. Ok, let’s not go there…

Instead, let’s go to some of the glue holding this whole show together - wine! If you have been a loyal reader from the start, you’ll know that we kicked off The Wine MD with “Thanksgiving Wine”.

As I noted right up front in that first post, this is an ambitious topic: There is no clear right or wrong when it comes to what to serve with this traditional American holiday feast. Furthermore, I stand by my recommendations from a year ago (a little more on those at the end). So, with Turkey Day bearing down on us, where do we go from here?

I want to give you two more options for your holiday meal, one red, one white. One of these is a more recognizable (but sometimes misunderstood) grape, often mentioned as “turkey friendly”. The other you may not know at all. Expanding your wine horizons. Isn’t that what this site is all about?

Wine #1

Our white wine is a grape that conjures up all kinds of reactions, in part because it can be made in many different styles. Today we are talking about Riesling. In the spirit of full disclosure, your Doctor is not known to reach for Riesling, so maybe a little learning here for me as well!

Riesling is an aromatic white, often thought of as a “sweet” wine. And if that is how you think of Riesling, you’d be right…sort of. Germany is far and away the biggest producer of Riesling, and they certainly make a lot of it in a sweeter style, meaning a higher level of residual or unfermented sugars after the fermentation process is complete. However, Rieslings in Germany and other parts of the world (U.S., Australia, France, Austria) are also produced in a dry or “off-dry” style, making them very versatile.

Our Wine: The 2016 Airlie Winery Estate Dry Riesling from Willamette Valley, Oregon. About $18-$19 at my local Heinens. May be tough to find broadly as only 375 cases were produced.

Airlie 2016 Estate Dry Riesling

One thing you notice right away is the shape of the bottle. This tall bottle with narrow shoulders is sometimes called a “Mosel/Alsatian” style. The name refers to the Mosel River area of Germany and the neighboring region of Alsace in France, where Riesling is king. You will see other aromatic white wines from this region such as Gewurtztraminer and Muller-Thurgau use this bottle as well.

Once again, we have a simple New World label. Tells you what you need to know. Note the word “Estate”. Wine 101 reminds us that the grapes used to produce this wine come from vineyards (in this case Dunn Forest) owned by the producer, Airlie.

So who are these Airlie guys? Actually, they aren’t “guys”. Airlie is owned and operated by women: Owner Mary Olson and Winemaker Elizabeth Clark. The winery sits on the southern edge of the beautiful Willamette Valley. Mary Olson says it is a “sip and stay” destination:

Wine time! Oregon isn’t as well known for Riesling as neighbor Washington, but you should give it a try. The wine comes from old vines planted in 1983. Fermentation was of course in stainless steel, and bottled for the first time with a screw cap. Alcohol is low: 12.7%.

Tasting: This wine is a beautiful deep yellow in the glass. On the nose, you get a classic Riesling wave of green apple, honeysuckle and melon. Taste follows the nose: Those tropical fruits combine with the green apple and maybe a little lemon zest. In some Riesling descriptions & reviews you will see a reference to “beeswax”. Not sure about that one, but I do get some slate/minerality, which provides a great balance. As you would expect, this wine has really good acidity, yet the finish is smooth.

The Bottom Line: This is predominantly a dry style Riesling, although it seems to lean slightly to “off-dry”, which is a positive when it comes to our Thanksgiving table. With so many different food flavors in play, this bright, refreshing wine should serve as a nice compliment.

Wine #2

Our red wine may be unfamiliar to many of you, but is a name I have known and enjoyed for years. It deserves a spot on our Thanksgiving roster. For this very American holiday, we are going to Italy, specifically to the northeastern region known as the Veneto. Our wine, Campofiorin, is produced by Masi Agricola. Masi has been making great wine in Italy since the 1770s. Owned by the Boscaini family, now under 6th and 7th generation leadership. The name Masi refers to a valley where the original vineyards were located.

Check out the map. We are in that dark brown area.

Masi sits in the famous Valpolicella region, northwest of Verona about halfway to that big lake on the left (Lake Garda).

As we know, Old World wines don’t often tell us what grapes make the wine, and that is the case here. In the Veneto, they make rich and somewhat unique red wines principally from 3 varietals you may not recognize: Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara.

What makes these wines unique is their use of dried grapes. This technique, known as Appassimento, is the process of natural partial dehydration of grapes to produce a greater concentration of colors, aromas and flavors in the wine. The technique dates back to the times of the Ancient Romans. After picking, the grapes are laid out on bamboo racks in special drying rooms for more than 100 days, during which they lose 30-40% of their weight. The end result is a concentrated, rich and complex wine.

Masi bamboo drying racks

These grapes, and this process, are used to make the most famous (and expensive!) red wine in the Veneto: Amarone. Campofiorin borrows from the Amarone playbook. Using the best Veronese wine made from native grape varieties, it is re-fermented with lightly dried grapes from those same varieties. The finished product is a full-bodied, smooth but approachable (and affordable) wine. This technique is often referred to as “ripasso”, and is a category sometimes referred to as “baby Amarones”.

Our Wine: The 2015 Masi Campofiorin. About $17-$19 retail. Regularly available at my local Heinens. Masi wines are distributed worldwide, so the Campofiorin should be easy to find/order.

Masi 2015 Campofiorin

One thing to note about the label. Below the Campofiorin name are Latin words which translate to “Angel’s Nectar for Mankind”. Masi has been making its Campofiorin for over 50 years. The wine is 70% Corvina, and was aged 18 months in oak barrels followed by a shorter period of bottle aging.

Tasting: In the glass the Campofiorin is a medium ruby/almost garnet color. The nose is intense, with cherries, spices and a little vanilla. On the palate, you definitely get dried cherries, along with some cinnamon & spice notes. The tannins are there, but smooth, and a decent acidity helps deliver a clean, long finish.

The Bottom Line: This is a great fall food wine. The cherry and spice notes should easily find good partners on the Thanksgiving table. We normally think of Turkey as center stage for this meal, but lots of people also serve ham. The dried fruit aromas and flavors should be a great match with ham and other harvest sides, and the acidity is a good palate cleanser for rich gravies.

THANKSgiving

As I said at the open, I stand by last year’s recommendations, and encourage you to re-visit my inaugural blog for a refresher as you plan your holiday meal (even if that is a gathering of just 2 -4 in these crazy times).

Pinot Noir remains a go-to. Having recently returned from the Willamette Valley in Oregon, you better believe my Pinot will come from there. A Cru Beaujolais (NOT Nouveau) or a Syrah from the Rhone are also good choices. For whites, find a dry to off-dry style of Chenin Blanc from either France’s Loire Valley or South Africa, or maybe Washington state! And don’t forget Bubbles!

But if your menu (and palate) are still open to suggestion, please give today’s suggestions a try. I think you and your guests will appreciate them.

And finally, it is time for me to give thanks, a BIG thanks, to all of you who read this humble blog. It is my labor of love and nothing makes me happier than to hear from you when you like one of the posts.

Until next time,

Cheers!