This week’s wine of the week is from that new line and is simply called, Urban Maule Red Blend 2009 (Maule is the Chilean valley where the grapes are grown). The winemaker, Juan-Manuel Ortega, is no stranger to the U.S. As a Wharton graduate and former investment banker, he found out that it is a lot more fun making wine than making money on Wall Street.

Urban Maule Red Blend 2009 is one of his newest wines, a Bordeaux-style blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Cabernet Franc, 20% Merlot and 5% Carignan. It offers sweet spice notes in a ripe and fruity body that comes with an easy-to-like price tag. It’s solid with flavors of damson plum, black raspberry, red licorice and toasty oak, while stays fresh and focused on the mid palate all the way to the vanilla uptick on the finish. Mark this one down in the “easy to like” category.

Vino Bello Wine of the Week: Urban Maule Red Blend 2009, $14.99.  Check out our website at http://www.plazawine.com.

In the Alsace region of France, wines are names  for their varietal (type of grape) such as Pinot Blanc, Riesling or Pinot Gris.

Reading a French wine label takes a lot of knowledge about regions and districts and varietals.  I have a fairly base of information from which to work.  And then…just when I have all of the rules down…the  exceptions start to pop up.

One of these is Muscadet.  It is not named for the Loire Valley from whence it comes.  It is not named for Melon de Bourgogne, the grape from which it is made.  Nope.

It is named for a trait of muskiness that wines from this grape had once-upon-a-time, when they were grown in Burgundy.  Of course, they’re not grown there anymore.  And, equally confusing, they have no hint of muskiness whatsoever.

What Muscadet does have is lovely.  It is light and dry, but not tart.  It has an inherent creaminess, cut by a slight fizziness on the tongue.    It has a distinct mineral quality, but is not sharp.  It has floral and fruitiness  on the nose and on the palate.

So…while its label breaks all of the French labeling traditions makes it sound like it’s:  ‘not one thing or the other’.  It turns out that Muscadet is ‘one thing and the other’…and the other and another thing besides.

This is a white wine drinker’s white wine.  It has something for everyone and nothing to offend anyone.  It goes well with all kinds of fish and lighter dishes, but the minerality has the ability to cut through richer items like cheese and cream sauces.

It’s perfect for the fall when we don’t know from one minute to the next what the KC weather will be like.  If it warm, serve the Muscadet with some grilled seafood.  If it’s cool outside, sauté that seafood with a little cream and garlic and serve over pasta.   Really hot out?  Marinate that seafood with lime and chiles and then throw in some avocado for a quick ceviche.  Freak September snowstorm?  Turn that seafood into  chowder.

Or, have a glass of Muscadet while you’re cooking any of the above (or anything else, for that matter.)  It’s a perfect aperitif.  Wine of the week:  Domaine de l’Aujardiere Muscadet, Cotes de Grand Lieu 2010  $14.99 available at Vino Bello.  Check out our website at http://www.plazawine.com.

With that in mind, here is another fabulous white wine with enough acidity to stand up to those tomatoes:  Hanna Sauvignon Blanc.

Dr. Elias S. Hanna was born and raised on a farm in Syria.  After successfully establishing his practice in California, he found he missed the connection with the land and wanted his children to  experience it also.  This led him to purchase twelve acres in the Russian River Valley in the 1970′s.  Over the years, the family has obtained 600 acres of which 250 are planted with wine grapes.

As they near the 25^th anniversary of the winery, the running of the vineyard now belongs to the doctor’s daughter, Christine.  Along with winemaker, Jeff Hinchliffe, she has continued the tradition of taking wines worthy of the family name with the 2010 Sauvignon Blanc.

Picked from the vineyard off Slosser Road in the Russian River Valley, this complex and refreshing wine has a vibrant straw color with a slight greenish tinge.  There are notes of grapefruit, tangerine, quince, mint and pear on the nose with a slight mineral note reminiscent of the French whites.  There is a dominance of kiwi and lime flavors rolling into lemon, peach and honey on the mid-palate.  The complexity of flavors harmonizes gorgeous and leads into a finish that will make you pine for the next sip.

This wine is the perfect combination of styles:  the flavors of New Zealand, the minerality and complexity of France, and the imagination and boldness of California.  I dare any Sauvignon Blanc fan notto be intrigued by this selection.

Conveniently, Hanna themselves have offered some seasonal pairing suggestions:  muhummara (roasted red pepper and walnut dip); grilled eggplant and feta cheese.  Actually, if you don’t feel like cooking, pick up a cold appetizer plate at any Middle Eastern restaurant and a bottle of Hanna and you have a stress-free, cool evening meal.  If you’re feeling more adventurous: layer some tomatoes with basil and mozzarella for a Caprese salad or here is my recipe for a quick gazpacho:

In a large bowl combine: one each:     red, yellow and orange bell pepper, chopped one medium red onion, chopped two medium cucumbers, seeded and chopped the juice of 3 limes or 2 lemons half a bottle of good italian dressing (Good Seasons is ‘good’) 32 ounces of spicy vegetable juice (V-8 or whatever) two tablespoons of prepared, minced garlic.   Throw all of this in a plastic pitcher with a lid and shake it up.  Serve when cold.  If you prefer a smoother soup, put it in the blender.  Garnish with sour cream and fresh cilantro, if desired.

Wine of the week: Hanna Sauvignon Blanc Russian River Valley 2010 $20.99 available at Vino Bello.  Check out our website at http://www.plazawine.com.

Well, to begin with, Piesporter is not a type of wine.  It simply means ‘from the area of the village of Piesport’.  The cheap wines, generally made from Muller-Thurgau or Eibling grapes are named ‘Piesporter Michelsburg’ which means they are made somewhere in the vicinity of the village.  They will be labelled ‘Qualitatswein Bestimmter Anbaugebiete ‘ or ‘Qba’.  All German wines are regulated by law; this ‘Qba’ designation is assigned to the 80% of wines judged to be of lower-to-average quality.  The Qba wines are also often ‘chapitalized’ which means that sugar is added to the grape juice before fermenting in order to increase the alcohol content.

Wines that meet the strict criteria required to be considered of the highest quality only account for 20% of German wine made.  These wines will be labeled ‘Qualitatswein mit Praedikat’ or ‘wines with special qualities’.  These wines are never chapitalized and express nuances and flavors specific to each vineyard.  Beautifully fruity white Praedikat wines are always crisp and clean, never cloying.

Piesport, in the Mosel Valley, has many vineyards renowned for their exquisite Riesling wines.  Of these, Goldtropfchen is the most famous.  The grapes from this vineyard are purchased by several producers.  This particular wine is made by  Leonard  Kreusch, a family whose own vineyards and winery have a long history in the region.

All Praedikat wines have a special designation that corresponds to the level of ripeness of the grape when harvested.  The term ‘Spatlese’ means that the grapes have hung longer on the vine and are bigger and juicier with a high sugar content when picked.

Have you got all that?  It’s a lot, I know.  To recap:

A producer called Leonard Kreusch purchased grapes from the Goldtropfchen vineyard in the village of Piesport located in the Mosel Valley of Germany.  The wine has the high quality designation of Praedikat and the grapes were harvested at the ripeness level of Spatlese.  

Whew!…now for the important part: what does it taste like?

This wine is a beautiful golden color with a round mouthfeel redolent of pear and apricot with citrus and honey notes and a floral nose.  It is crisp, clean finish is refreshing on the palate.  This wine struts its stuff as a perfect patio slammer, but shines when paired with spicy foods as do all wines with a little residual sugar.  Try it with Thai, Chinese or even chicken fajitas.   

For those of you who shy away from sweeter wines: here is a chance to experience how spicy food cuts the sweetness of the wines while the wine cuts the burn of the food (and tastes a lot better!) than milk can ever hope to do.  For those of you who lean towards the sweet stuff: meet your new best friend.

Wine of the week: Leonard Kreusch Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Spatlese $16.99 available at Vino Bello.  Check out our website at http://www.plazawine.com.

NOPE… Not This Time!

Malbec, one of the five main grapes allowed in a French red Bordeaux, is usually used there to add color to a blend of other grapes.  The grapes are not cultivated with color in mind, not flavor, so they tend to be harvested early.  This practice does not allow Malbec the ‘hang time’ needed to develop the  fabulous plum flavors unique to the varietal.  While there is nothing wrong with the easy-going French style of the wine found offered by-the-glass in many
restaurant, the Llama is as distinctive as the animal for which it was names.

Estate-bottled by Belasco de Baquedano, this red wine is cultivated in the premier region for Argentinian Malbec.  The 220 acres located in the foothills of the Aconcagua mountains is planted with 101-year-old original French vine clones.  These grapes are not only allowed to ripen to maturity, but do it in a pollution-free atmosphere fed by pure melted Andes-mountain snow.  Winemaker Alfredo Santos further intensifies the flavors by keeping production per acre very low and aging this wine in new French oak for six months and still six months more in the bottle before release.

This robust wine has the typical inky, purple color and dark berry flavors of Malbec, but with the additions of big plum and spice on the palate.  This balanced, well-structured wine is not only powerful now, but will age for several years unlike its French-style counterparts.  It has a mouth-filling, yet silky, intensity that will stand up to heartier meat and fowl such as lamb or duck as well as complementing games meats like venison.  As with all Malbecs, though, it is terrific with beef-especially the more marbled cuts like our very own KC strip.  Spicy sausage, sharp cheese like Parmigiano and mushrooms are classic choices with this wine.

So…if you plan on staying in the air-conditioning during this heat wave, order a sausage and mushroom pizza and crack a bottle of Llama.  Or…if you’re brave enough fire up the grill outside…Malbec is still great with hamburgers.

Wine of the week: Belasco de Baquedano Llama Old Vines Malbec available at Vino Bello for $14.99.  Check out our website at http://www.plazawine.com

No, they are not all the same thing.  While there are similarities between these three white grapes, no definitive genetic connection has been made as yet.  Verdello is from Italy; Verdelho is portuguese; and Verdejo is indigenous to the Rueda region of Spain.

This acclaimed bottling of Verdejo is from Bodegas Shaya, a joint venture between the Gil family of Jumilla, Enrique Busto and Jorge Ordonez, a long-time Spanish wine exporter with a nose  or great talent and great wine.  The Shaya bodega, (which translates into ‘storage house for wine’), can be found in the far southeast of Rueda in the Segovia province.

These vineyards have very sandy soil which allows theVerdejo vines to thrive without needing grafts of new vines.  Hence, the vines in this 2009 stunner range from 75 to 111 years old.   winemaker Belinda Thomson who hails from Victoria, Australia, has brought her experience to fruition with this ripe, deep and creamy wine.

With a bright nose of spice, kiwi, peach and spring flowers, this medium straw-colored wine delivers tropical fruit consistently on the palate from the start to its long finish. A perfect balance of fruitness and vibrant acidity, the wine has a heft to it provided by the aging of 40% of the juice in French oak.  More subtle than  American oak, this accounts for some of the ‘baking spice’ notes.

Pair Verdejo with seafood of any kind and fresh green which are in season right now at your local farmers’ market.  Roasted red bell peppers and mushrooms complete this wine beautifully as do most types of olives.  Lemon-marinated chicken breasts on the grill are a great idea.  If you are feeling adventurous, try stuffing them with Spanish olive stuffing (there are plenty of terrific recipe on the internet).  If you are feeling as lazy as this heat makes me, just served a jarred olive tapenade from the grocery store with French bread and salad to accompany your chicken.

This is wine is a great value for the money.  The Wine Advocate (91 points) and the Wine Enthusiast (90 points) apparently agree with us that Verdejo is a great sipper and food wine and that the top-of-the-line is this pick from Bodegas Shaya.

Wine of the week: Bodegas Shaya Verdejo 2009 available at Vino Bello for $14.99.  Check out our website at http://www.plazawine.com

Finding a quality, affordable Pinot Noir is not as easy task.  Pinot Noir is an extremely delicate grape so it has to be picked by hand and all of that labor translates into higher production costs.  People with a passion for Pinot were further piqued by the popularity of the movie, “Sideways”, which premiered in 2004.   Allegedly, starring Thomas Hayden Church and Paul Giamatti, the true star was Pinot Noir.  Those two words were mentioned so often in that movie that the demand for wine from this noble grape skyrocketed…and so did the prices.

How, refreshing, both literally and figuratively, then, to discover this jewel, Lucas & Lewellen Pinot Noir 2007.  It is from Santa Barbara County which is one of the premier regions world-wide for growing this grape.  Santa Barbara has warm days and cool nights making its climate similar to that of Burgundy, France from whence this grape began its travels to the New World.

Louis Lucas grew up in the vineyards; his father, a Croation immigrant, was one of the premier table-grape growers in California.  Meshing the techniques learned from him with those Lucas learned through extensive travels through the great European vineyards, he became a pioneer of new wine-grape growing strategies in the early 1970′s.  He bucked the current trends by planting more vines per acre and implementing different trellising systems for each varietal.

After years of selling grapes to vineyards such as Fess Parker, Sanford and Robert Mondavi, Lucas entered into his current venture with retired judge Royce Lewellen in 1996.   Missouri-born and bred, the judge graduated from the University of Missouri at Columbia in 1952.  His lifelong love of wine and community involvement with the economics of farming in Santa Barbara County have culminated in Lucas & Lewellen Vineyards.

The commitment to grow the highest quality Santa Barbara fruit is displayed to perfection by winemaker Megan McGrath.  McGrath has a degree in Soil Science as well as a Certificate in Winemaking from UC Davis.  She has a love of mixing old-world techniques with cutting-edge technology.

This 2007 red is 100% Pinot Noir from the Goodchild and Los Alamos Vineyards near the Santa Ynez River.  Aged in neutral French oak for 9 months, this superbly blended wine is ready to drink NOW.  It displays cheery bright red fruit flavors with a creaminess and mineral notes rarely found at this price.  It has touch of herbs on the nose and a nice length on the tongue.  It’s medium body has some buoyancy, but is the perfect weight for a summer red.

Salmon and Pinot Noir are a classic combination, but this gem would certainly stand up to filet mignon or strip or dress down for burgers.  The herbal notes lend themselves to encrusting any of those with fresh herbs or pesto or this quick and easy for Chimichurri sauce: Take a big bunch of fresh parsley and blend in the food processor with olive oil; puree in some fresh garlic cloves (no such thing as too much garlic!).  Add red pepper flakes to taste.  While the traditional recipe calls for some acid such as vinegar or lemon, when serving with wine, it’s safer to leave it out or substitute some roasted red bell pepper in the blend.  This can be used as a marinade or right on top of any grilled meat.

Wine of the week:  Lucas & Lewellen Pinot Noir 2007 available at Vino Bello for $14.99.  Check out our website at http://www.plazawine.com

‘Shebang!’ White is a perfect example of this anarchical spirit. It is made from a blend of juice from several vintages, something rarely done with still wines. In addition, While the bulk of the wine is Semillon from the Monte Rosso Vineyard, it is blended with ‘a couple of barrels of this…and a few barrels of that’: this and that being 2010 Pagani Ranch Muscadelle, planted in 1920 and 2009 harvest from a field planted in the Compagni Portis Vineyard. This ‘blended’ field has a much diversity as a field of wildflowers; it contains vines of Gewurztraminer, Riesling, Trousseau Gris, Green Hungarian and ‘some other stuff’.

The resulting white wine has an herbal nose with a slight hint of licorice. It exhibits a fresh, clean flavor rounded out by slight pear and stonefruit flavors. Medium-bodied, the creamy texture and long finish are a stunning surprise in a blend of these grapes. It is big enough to stand up to grilled fish or seafood of any kind, but with a green crispness making it the perfect pairing (at the perfect price) for guacamole on the patio. Get it while it lasts: Morgan’s promise to ‘dream big and keep production low’ is evidenced by the fact that he only made 300 cases of this gem.

Wine of the week:  Sherman and Hooker’s Shebang White NV available at Vino Bello for $13.99.  Check out our website at http://www.plazawine.com

Sauvignon Blanc expresses aromas and flavors ranging from herbaceous and grassy to tropical melon and citrus.  The 2009 ‘Le Bouquet’ balances both ends of the spectrum with a nose of both flora and fruit.  Fermented and aged three months completely in stainless steel, this summery white has mature fruit flavors set off by freshness on the palate. Under the clean finish lurks a ghost of lingering mineral qualities.  This wine shines in the mouth and shimmers in the glass with a color of the palest straw gold.

The versatility of Sauvignon Blanc is unparalleled when it comes to summertime food.  It is one of the few wines with the acidity to stand up to fresh tomatoes and salads.   Just remember to stick with creamy dressings like garlic or Caesar; since vinegar is just wine that has gone bad, pairing a vinaigrette with any wine will make both taste sour.   The verdant aroma of this patio slammer will complement fresh veggies or artichoke dip while the crisp acidity makes it the perfect foil for a fried chicken picnic or pasta with cream sauce at home.  The lake-water mineral qualities in the 2009 ‘Le Bouquet’ show shellfish of all kinds in its best light.  Try a salad with Green Goddess dressing (oh, so retro) and grilled shrimp.

Domaine Laporte Le Bouguet Blanc 2009 is available at Vino Bello for $16.99.  Check out our website at http://www.plazawine.com

The premier red grape of the Rioja and Ribera del Duero regions of Spain, Tempranillo is characterized by bright, juicy raspberry flavors complemented by an aroma with notes of strawberry and smoke.  This entry from the fourth generation of the Eguren family was crafted of grapes from their El Ribazo Vineyard planted in 1986. With a brilliant, crimson color, this medium-bodied red displays notes of orange zest and minerals on its clean, gentle finish. There are no “rough edges” here; this wine is the epitome of precision and balance, reflecting the family’s commitment to maintaining equilibrium in the environment through responsible use of land and energy.

Hailed as “delicious and an incredible value” by Stephen Tanzer (International Wine Cellar), the 2007 vintage has great flexibility for summer entertaining. A lighter alternative to Cabernet Sauvignon, this Tempranillo has the backbone to stand up to grilled steaks and game meats while not overpowering lighter grilled fare such as swordfish, halibut or barbecued chicken. Gruyere, blue cheeses and walnuts showcase it nicely in a cocktail setting and it’s surprisingly good with egg dishes.  While a great wine for a party, this Spanish red is affordable enough to make grilling burgers in the backyard an excuse to open
a bottle and celebrate. 

Wine of the week:  Pagos de Eguren Tempranillo 2007 $8.99 available at Vino Bello.  (http://www.plazawine.com)