PHG Wine - Omaha Nebraska

Saddleback Leather Messenger Bag

2009-05-25T14:37:00.000-07:00

Saddleback Leather Messenger Bag
Quest for "The Ultimate Wine Bag"
by Tony Arnold

As the husband of a certified sommelier, I am the designated wine pack mule for lugging wine to more dinner parties, events, and restaurant outings, than I care to remember. My marital task drove me on a two-year quest for a better wine bag and littered my basement with dozens of bags in all shapes, sizes, and styles. Until recently all the bags failed me in one or several areas of function, durability, capacity, style or utility, however the search is finally over for the "ultimate wine bag".

Over the last two years, I made some observations about all the bags I tested. Functionally, I looked for a bag to safely and comfortably carry the magic three bottles of wine. Duffle bags had the capacity, but I broke at least two bottles from bottles tossing around inside and a duffle is not the most stylish of things.

The three bottle capacity out'ed more than a few stylish briefcases and the combined requirements of durability and style made me pass on anything synthetic or trendy. Messenger and computer bags held the wine, were durable and offered daily briefcase and computer lugging utility outside of wine toting, but lacked a timeless style and made me look like a middle-aged graduate student.

Hours of web surfing netted bag salvation in the form of a classically styled leather messenger from Saddleback Leather (www.SaddlebackLeather.com). Saddleback focuses on classic legacy quality leather suitcases, briefcases, and messenger bag designs with a promoted slogan of "they'll fight over it when you are dead". Saddleback's classic styles remind me of a time long gone when bags were functionally built tough to last generations instead of months with the ability to show daily wear and tear as beauty marks of pride instead of scars.

Given my growing "Imelda Marcos" type bag collection, I thought why not and picked up the Saddleback Messenger bag. In an era of marketing hype, the Saddleback Messenger bag surpassed my highest expectations. Not only did it hold three wine bottles perfectly, but it was the epitome of durability. The bags are made from 1/8" thick full grain leather, thick industrial thread, and has no zippers or snaps to break - imagine a messenger bag made to Harley Davidson leather specifications and you get the idea. That type of quality is not inexpensive. Saddleback's Messenger is priced at $350, which is just under upper tier'ed leather competitors such as Cole Haan, Coach and Hartmann. The difference is that Saddleback delivers a different type of product, where Coach and Cole Hahn deliver more of a purse quality feel and Hartmann more of a luggage style, Saddleback has a feel of classic brutal durability. When you are hauling around $1000+ worth of wine, the security of knowing the bag will not fail is the most important feature, but this messenger bag has style as well.

The 14"x 12 3/4"x 4" pictured bag has now endured almost a year of torture and still looks great, hasn't lost a thread, split a seam, or popped a rivet. It has survived being tossed & thrown, dropped, an attempted tug-a-war theft, daily commutes and numerous cross-country trips. It has hauled untold amounts of wine, pulled daily duty as a laptop case and even used as a food transport cooler - slip a 9x9 panned gratin into the messenger and it will be piping hot at the party. The Saddleback leather messenger has become my Leatherman multitool of bags and even has room for said tool, wine key, and pens in the internal dual pockets. On the exterior, a couple exterior pockets are perfect for sunglasses and electronics and rear stash folder pocket is handy for my earplugs, iTouch, and blackberry or when I am just too lazy to open the bag. The Backpack conversion feature is especially handy just as you realize you are late for your connecting flight... at the other end of the terminal and need to dash. Sometimes perfection is simple, handmade craftsmanship, full grain leather, and a size that is perfect - I think I have found bag'utopia. The Saddleback Messenger is so good you don't have to wait until I'm dead, I'll fight you for it now.

Sources - www.SaddlebackLeather.com - Saddleback Leather Messenger Bag

Sage Student Bistro Sokol Blosser Dinner

2009-03-13T12:50:00.000-07:00

When - Tuesday March 31st, 2009 6pm

Where - Sage Student Bistro - Metro Community College, Fort Omaha Campus, Click for directions http://www.mccneb.edu/culinary/sagedirections.asp

Menu -
Course 1 - Goat Cheese Tartlet, Sokol Blosser Evolution Glaze, Pear Granite, Caribbean shrimp salad coconut vinaigrette.

Paired with Sokol Blosser Evolution - Every new bottling has its own subtle and fresh personality. The 9 grapes tie together perfectly, creating a smooth, layered white wine that can hold its own or stand up to just about any food pairing you dare to serve it with. Grape varieties included in this fun and delicious blend, Muller-Thurgau, White Riesling, Semillon, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer, Muscat Canelli, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Sylvaner

Course 2 - Creamy Citrus Poached Salmon, Crab Agnolotti, Beurre Blanc.
Paired with Sokol Blosser Dundee Hills Pinot Gris - The grapes were not de-stemmed or crushed, but pressed as whole clusters and given a slow, cool stainless steel tank fermentation lasting about three weeks. This was followed by an extended period of lees contact prior to blending and bottling in March of 2008. This wine is showing lots of development and complexity – mineral, stony, earth, and spice aromas, with flavors of apricot, peach, and fig. The mouthfeel is both crisp and very rich, concentrated, and creamy, with a long, lush finish.

Course 3 - Lamb Sausage, Eggplant Roulade Roasted Garlic & Tomato Filling, Chickpea, Feta, & Scallion Salad, Meditrina Gastrique.
Paired with Sokol Blosser Meditrina - There is a core of rich, lush berry from the Syrah. The Zinfandel provides spice, tannin and structure. And the Pinot Noir brings flowers, earth and elegance. It all adds up to a luscious, juicy, easy-drinking mouthful of red wine that's both bright and vibrant yet round and soft. Every sip of the wine, Meditrina, honors the goddess of the same name. Grape varities included in this complex red blend include, Pinot Noir, Syrah and Zinfandel.

Course 4 - Cocoa Crusted Beef Tenderloin, Truffle Pecorino Risotto, Stewed Onions and Green Beans,Seared Chanterelles, Sauce Bordelaise.
Paired with Sokol Blosser Dundee Hills Pinot Noir - Extremely concentrated yet delicate and elegant – soft, supple, harmonious, and packed with intense black cherry and berry fruit, mocha, and distinctive Jory soil forest-floor earthiness.

Dessert - A tasting of desserts to match all four wines

Reservations - 402-330-6900 or email me and let me know, who, how many,etc..

Cost - $50/person includes pouring of each, food (of course), pairing of each wine with the courses, additional bottles are available for purchase (in advance) to drink with your table.

Funny How Time Flies!

2009-03-13T11:49:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe, but it's been a decade since PHG first opened it's doors in Omaha's Old Market and a quick five years since we signed the lease for our current Legacy location. In that time we have made some great friends, had fun, and enjoyed success. We now find ourselves in the midst of nationwide economic uncertainty and our lease contract coming to an end. We have spent much time, thought, consideration and debate on renewing our 5 year lease. In the end, our decision was not to renew our lease and to close the store. We love providing great wines, our West Omaha location, and especially seeing all of you, our customers, however I think you would agree that renewing a lease for a retail store in the midst of these uncertain economic times, would not be the smartest financial move.

Have no fear we are not going away, even though the retail location is closing. I will continue to work towards and achieve my goal of Master Sommelier, continue to work with the Culinary School, continue to be available and participate in both private and public wine tastings, and take advantage of some opportunities that I previously passed on, due to time commitments to the store. As most of you know we have a number of things that keep us busy, so you will definitely see us out and about and appearing, in the near future after some time off, at new adventures and endeavors.

Who knows, if the economy turns around, our landlord has asked us to consider re-opening the shop in the future.

The March 31st Sokol Blosser dinner at the Sage Student Bistro is still on schedule and reservations will be accepted within the next 10 days. If you are interested please let me know or watch for additional details to be posted on the PHG Blog. (http://phgstore.blogspot.com/)

The blog will continue to be a great way to keep up-to-date on events that I am working on, as well as updates on what I am doing. Many of you have my contact info that you will continue to be able to reach me on, otherwise I remain reachable at phgstore@premiumhg.com

Starting immediately we will need to sell all inventory, racks, etc... Items will be discounted for immediate sale.

Recent article

2008-12-11T16:28:00.000-08:00

HTML clipboardI was recently contacted to be interviewed for an article in Las Vegas Food & Beverage Magazine titled "Top Women in Wine Journey to Success". When the author, Kate, contacted me she had many questions regarding my path to the world of wine, my philosophy on wine, etc... and told me that she was interviewing other women within the world of wine. At the time I was answering the questions I had no idea as to who those "other women" were that she was speaking with. This week the article was released and I was amazed that I was included in an article that spoke with so many amazing women that were responsible for blazing the trail that has allowed me to follow in their paths. I am deeply honored to be included with such amazing women. If you would like to read the article, click here.

My wine manifesto

2008-11-20T14:12:00.000-08:00

My 12 Commandments of Wine and Beverages.

1. Do not purchase your wine in a grocery store, if you want service, high quality wines and something out of the ordinary. If you are the kind of person who always buys the same wine every-time, fine purchase from the grocery store. But if you want to try something new, different, unique find a wine shop, any wine shop (see commandment #2) and purchase from them, get to know them and let them get to know you and your wine preferences. This will alter your wine consumption in a pleasurable and innumerable manner. Life is too short to always drink the same wine!

2. In selecting a wine shop, find one that will not talk down to you or treat you like an idiot, they are supposed to be the experts not you, that is why you went there in the first place. Never purchase from a wine shop that does not have at least one person on staff (preferably more) who have tasted the wine they are selling, it makes all the difference when you are selecting a certain flavor. If the staff reads the back of the label when describing the wine, run, run, run - you deserve so much more! Never purchase from a shop that can only sell wine based off of what points that wine scored in whatever wine publication they prefer to quote. Never purchase wine from someone who over simplifies wine flavors with such vague descriptors as "fruity and fun". What does that mean? fun for you or fun for me? fruity like tart green apples or fruity like a perfectly ripe pear? You get the point. Finally when you find a wine shop that you are comfortable with develop a monogamous relationship with them. I cannot emphasize what a difference this will make. They will discover what you like and will watch for wines they think you would enjoy, they can also alert you to special or bargain wines that come in.

3. Never order wine by the glass in a restaurant or bar! OK I say never, I guess I don't really mean never, never, there are a few select places that I will order wine by the glass, the rest of the places I avoid it like the plague it is. I cringe every time I hear about this new place or that new place that just opened up and they have over 30 wines by the glass! Yikes, do you know what that means? Odds are the next wine by the glass you order will have been open for days, possibly weeks, before it is brought to your table. That is not a wine I want to drink no matter what high tech preservation system, they profess to use, that wine should not even be used for cooking. Serving wine to customers when the wine has been opened far to long is wrong, a disservice to the consumer and an insult to the winemaker and we as consumers should demand better. Instead we are overcharged for the wine, possibly paying the cost of the whole bottle with that one glass. Just don't do it, I beg of you.

4. Liquors keep forever, well almost forever, once opened. Vodka, rum, gin (oh my) no matter what your preference is, will keep once you open it, as long as you securely close them. They will not spoil, separate, or experience any loss in flavor.

5. Wine does not keep once opened (see commandment#3), it is a living, breathing, organism and therefore will spoil when kept open, that is life and there is no way around it. There are ways to slow it down, slightly, but it cannot be stopped. A bottle (750ml) contains 4 glasses of wine, if that is more than can be consumed when opened you may want to consider purchasing splits (1/2 bottles 375ml). Splits contain.....2 glasses of wine. Always remember oxygen (air, if you are not chemically inclined) is the enemy of wine, so as a result the less oxygen that comes in contact with your wine the longer it will keep, also exposing the wine to cooler temperatures slows down the reaction. So wine preservation items that remove or displace oxygen will help, but not stop, the death of your wine. Also using those preservation items and then placing the wine in the refrigerator, even red wines, will help. You will only gain another 24 hours on red wines and 48 hours on white wines, in general.

6. Never cook with wine you would not drink! I know you have all heard this a million times before but clearly some of you do not believe it or are not paying attention. What difference does it make you ask? Simple, if you would not drink the wine, why would you want to eat the food you put the wine in? If you have leftover wine that you can not finish drinking, freeze for later use in cooking. Yes I said freeze it! Put small quantities in Ziploc bags or ice cube trays and freeze them for use when a recipe calls for wine.

7. Is there a difference between $6 wine and $60 wine? Put simply, yes! This question is similar to asking, "is there a difference between a Yugo and a Mercedes?" Of course there is, putting aside the obvious statements that people are more likely to point and laugh when seeing you drive a Yugo, but I digress. The real issue is, do they both serve a specific purpose? yes of course much in the same way that a $6 or $60 bottle of wine does. Please understand that I am not saying that you should always drink $60 bottles of wine, that would be ridiculous! There is a time and place for all types of wine, setting in front of the TV eating a frozen lasagna on a Tuesday night (not that I condone engaging in either of those risky pursuits) is definitely a $6 bottle of wine night. However when carefully prepping and preparing a dinner utilizing farmer market fresh fruits and vegetables and cooking organic, free range steaks on a Saturday evening definitely calls for the $60 bottle of wine. Why? Again besides the obvious answer, the Tuesday night frozen dinner eaten in front of the TV means that you are not really paying much attention to what you are eating (otherwise it would not be a frozen dinner) or what you are drinking. So a $60 bottle of wine would be a waste, but that spectacular menu you are planning for Saturday for which you purchased expensive, high quality ingredients to prepare, demands to have as much thought put into the wine served to accompany it. Here is what you will get in a $60 bottle, more complex flavors, more intense flavors, an all around better crafted wine that was made utilizing the best grapes that estate had to offer, the time necessary for the wine to develop before the winemaker releases it, and in most cases carefully monitored time spent in really expensive oak barrels. If you regularly drink wine that costs under $10 a bottle I challenge you to, when your budget allows, purchase a well made $40 (if you need help with a well made wine see commandment #2) bottle of wine and take the time to taste and savor it make it an event, I promise that you will notice the difference!

8. Yes white Zinfandel and red Zinfandel wine are made from the same grapes but they are not, I repeat, THEY ARE NOT the same wine. In fact these wines share absolutely no similarities except in their name. People who like white Zinfandel do not, generally, like red Zinfandel, and guess what? that also works in the inverse. White Zinfandel is, well first of all not white but pale pink, sweet, and created specifically to get candy eating, soda/pop drinking, Americans to drink wine. Red Zinfandel is well, as you may have been able to guess, red, it is a full bodied wine that ranges in flavor from jammy (grape jelly) to spicy (black pepper, nutmeg, pumpkin pie spices) and is an extremely versatile wine that does not have to be expensive to be fantastic. All you wine snobs out there reading this may look down their nose at white Zinfandel drinkers, but here is what I have to say on the issue, if you like white Zinfandel, drink white Zinfandel at least you are drinking wine. I also have a secret to share with white Zin drinkers (stop reading if the bumper sticker on your car does not read "I would rather be drinking a frosty glass of white Zin", I mean it, this does not apply to you). Ok white Zin drinkers, here is something that you must know but don't tell anyone where you heard it, most of us wine drinkers started out drinking white Zin, I know it is shocking but believe me it is true, you are not alone.

9. If you make mixed drinks with crappy alcohol or ingredients, you will make crappy mixed drinks! Remember a simple equation, crap in = crap out, this simple equation will get you through many a tough spot, and is applicable to so many areas of your life, if you will commit it to memory! Don't expect your double chocolate, cherry, cheesecake martini to taste like the one you love and order all the time from "Frou Frou" bar to taste just like the ones you make at home, even with the recipe, if you do not use the same liquors and ingredients they use. It is impossible unless that cheap bottle of plonk also contains a genie and if it by chance it does, you are required to share it!

10. When throwing a "wine dinner" or "wine and food" party, pay attention to both the wine and food you are serving. To many times I help people throwing aforementioned themed party who have purchased expensive, water buffalo skin (Eww - I know), hand painted, wine themed invites, cleaned their home from top to bottom (some individuals even clean their cars!!!), bought new dishes, candles, invited 200 people and we are the last stop. They stroll or more likely crawl in; exhausted, overwhelmed and with $20 left in their budget looking to purchase enough wine to serve the entire 200 people for 4 hours and want suggestions on what type of food they can do that would be easy and inexpensive. Once I stop laughing and snorting at them - Oh like you have ever seen me do that! I am always shocked as they explain to me their planning involved in this said party and how they thought that the wine and food would be "no big deal" and that I would be able to help. Usually the conversation goes in one of two directions; "Well I don't really care what type (varietal) of wine it is, as long as it fits my budget" and then they will generally never inquire about the flavor of that particular bottle of wine and respond with "the label does/does not go with my decor". My personal favorite statement is "Well I was thinking since most people attending know wine that we could do some great Oregon Pinot's and some really highly rated, big, bold Napa Cabernet's", these statements are always uttered with such optimism and hope. So here is my advice, if you are planning a wine themed dinner or party, please, please, I beg you start your planning with the wine and food. Great wine can be poured for very little money, however it does take money and we can help your dinner/party be a success if you start with a reasonable budget for what should be the star of your night. If you choose not to take my advice on this, well then I suggest that you look for the genie in the cheap bottle of plonk (see commandment #9) and hope that genie has a sense of humor!

Well this was supposed to be the 12 Commandments of Beverages and Wine, but moments ago someone just came screeching though in a blandly, generic white, no grey, well maybe a silver car and ran over my soap box and flattened it. The odd thing was the driver was wearing the ubiquitous branded polo shirt with crisply pleated khakis and was hurling insults while spouting things like, "Parker gave this wine 90 points", "this wine is flirty and light", "this is a great wine because I said so", all the while hurling bottles out the car window. Oh well I guess since Moses could convey such weighty info in 10 commandments I can be happy with stopping at 10, also. Besides some of the bottles that were thrown did not break and they look pretty good, so I think I may crack one open and have a glass of wine, while I contemplate the bizarreness that I just witnessed. Cheers!

Warning - This posting was written with tongue firmly in cheek (mostly) and if you are in any way offended, than you should pour yourself a glass of wine and find another blog to read.

The Wine of the Century

2008-11-12T16:00:00.000-08:00

HTML clipboardWine Spectator began unveiling their "Top 100" list this week. While the list is not yet completed there have been several French wines chosen for the Top 10 placement and the French wines that have been chosen have all been, at this point, from the 2005 vintage. Perhaps many of you have heard some of the accolades regarding the 2005 vintage in France, but do you know why?

Very early on in the vinification process reports began to surface that the 2005 vintage was going to be "the vintage" of the century and perhaps "the vintage" of modern vintages. The reason was of course the weather in France during 2005. Many of the wine regions in France undertook harvest at what was universally considered "prefect conditions". The weather of course cooperated during the crucial growing period during which French winemakers enjoyed steady warm, not hot, conditions and right before harvest the weather cooled slightly during the evenings allowing the grapes to become more balanced in sugar, acid and water content.

Of course as reports began to surface regarding the perfection of the vintage, prices of highly sought after wines, soared to levels never before seen. While the prices of these wines reached astronomical levels effectively shutting out those of us who would love to sample these wines, all hope is not lost.

Because of the perfect conditions in 2005 it is extremely difficult to find "bad" bottles of French wines from 2005. This is a great vintage to explore if you are unfamiliar or unsure about French wines particularly Bordeaux and Burgundy. With a little help and guidance in your wine selections you could end up with an incredible bottle of wine that cost you very little money and in some cases much less expensive than a comparable California wine.

So the question is, what are you afraid of?

Day 10 - A bittersweet day

2008-09-22T16:10:00.000-07:00

We all had a wonderful breakfast together before John and Lisa departed for Sacramento, as they had an earlier flight than us.

We headed back to the hotel and loaded our rental car before heading into Napa to ship our wine and pick up a few last items before we headed to Sacramento.

It was a beautiful day, as it generally is in California, for the drive back to the airport.

As is so often said it is fun to travel but wonderful to return home. After a long day that included a very lengthy lay over in Las Vegas we fell into our comfy bed, to dream of grapes, wine and a wonderful trip and planning our next trip to Napa.

Day 9 - The realization we have to leave sets in

2008-09-21T15:47:00.000-07:00

We started the day out by heading back over to Goosecross so that the rest of the gang could have a visit. Geoff was running late, so we headed to the tasting room to taste and shop. We were able to sample the Cabernet Franc and very much enjoyed it, taking a glass with us outside for a nice mid-morning respite. As we were finishing Geoff arrived giving every one an opportunity to say hello before we headed to our appointment at Nickel & Nickel.

We arrived at Nickel & Nickel, despite my brief bubble headed moment of heading the wrong direction, in time for our appointment. Wow what a beautiful winery. We were greeted in the "parlor", of the restored farmhouse, with a nice glass of Chardonnay before being escorted outside for the tour. We toured the barn, that was exported from the east coast and re-assembled with no nails, or metal only peg and groove and is now used for offices, lab and special events. Then on to the crush and fermentation area where we were able to meet Darice Spinelli, the wine maker, and thank her for time in setting this tour up for us. From the fermentation area we headed to the barrel room which was amazing and then to the basement of the farmhouse for a tasting of their single vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. After we all drained our glasses we decided it was time for lunch.

We headed to St. Helena for lunch and to walk around shop and take a break from wine tasting - I know it was shocking when we all said we needed a break. Lisa and I decided that we wanted to find a candle that smelled like the fermentation and searched the St. Helena shops to no avail.

Since we all were leaving the next day we decided to head back to the hotels and get our belonging together for our departure the next day and to prep for our wonderful dinner planned for that evening.

Day 8 - Wine, wine and more wine!

2008-09-20T14:28:00.000-07:00

Early morning start with breakfast at Mr. Sawyer's home with the Sawyer's Wine club members. We had pastries and juice and then headed out to the deck to feed bread to the fish in the Sawyer pond. After socializing and seeing Susan, for the first time since arriving in Napa, we were giving knives, gloves and buckets and told to go pick some Cabernet Sauvignon. Each year Sawyer Cellars has their wine club members pick, sort, crush, Cabernet Sauvignon that they ferment separately and each year you get to sample and purchase the wine made the previous year. So we all headed out for a rousing, dirty, and hilarious couple of hours of picking 1 ton of Cabernet grapes. It took the group longer to pick 1 ton than it did for the (skilled) crew to pick the entire 6 tons of Merlot, earlier in the week. As the grapes headed up to the winery to be sorted and crushed we had to leave and head to our appointment at Monticello Vineyards with Stephen Corley.

Stephen headed us out to the vineyard for a brief tour and then into Monticello. If you have not visited Corley you should, it is a beautiful property and their Monticello is a smaller replica of Jefferson's Monticello. After taking the tour Stephen took us downstairs into the wine cellar. Wow! The Corley family has done a wonderful job setting up a beautiful and relaxing environment for those lucky enough to get an invitation. And we all felt very lucky and privileged for the opportunity - and thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it. Stephen was extremely gracious and opened many bottles of wine for us to drink, I mean sample including their Reserve Cabernet. After a couple of hours we headed back up and out to the fermentation tanks and vats to nose around and then into the barrel room where Stephen pulled barrel samples for us. Reluctantly, we made our purchases and headed for some food.

After a quick stop at Oakville Grocery, again, we headed back to Sawyer.

We arrived at Sawyer just as the Harvest festival was wrapping up and were regaled with stories of all the fun events we missed, so what was left to do but sample some of Sawyer wines. We were given the opportunity to sample their Petite Verdot, which is fantastic. Shortly after our arrival Mr. Sawyer arrived with a 1991 Sawyer Cabernet which he opened and graciously shared with us. It was a spectacular wine and still had a lot of life and flavor left in it. Mr Sawyer and the entire team at Sawyer Cellar's were very gracious inviting us in and sharing this fun event with all of us and we very much enjoyed every minute of it.

We made our purchases and then headed back to the hotels to get cleaned up for our dinner at Greystone.

Day 7 - Ahh the smell of toasted wood in the morning!

2008-09-19T13:06:00.000-07:00

We started our morning with a very fun and fascinating adventure. We had arranged a tour of Seguin Moreau the French, based cooperage, located in Napa. To begin the tour you watch a short video about the history of Seguin Moreau and background facts on wine barrel making and uses. From the video you are sent into the production facility for a self guided tour. When you enter the production facility there is a little walk that allows you to view the entire process of barrel making. We were all totally spellbound and captivated for 2 hours watching this process. Wow! I highly recommend taking this tour the sights, sounds and aromas of this process will captivate you!

From Seguin we headed back to Cuvaison to take a tour, that we had been able to do the previous night, and to give Lisa and John the opportunity to sample their wines. We went on our tour and headed back to the tasting room were they had a new wine, Archilla, available to sample which we all loved and purchased.

From Cuvaison we headed up to Calistoga for our appointment with Chris Madrigal at Madrigal Vineyards. We took a tour of Madrigal's new winery (not totally completed, yet and when it is it will be beautiful) and then headed inside to taste wines. Chris as usual was extremely friendly and hospitable, despite being very ill, and poured us some fantastic wines. While we greatly enjoyed all of the wines that Chris poured for us, the universal winner was Las Viñas del Señor Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. Tony and I were also enamored with the Petite Sirah Port.

While at Madrigal I received a phone call from Mr Sawyer inviting the group to Sawyer Cellars for their wine club party the next morning, which we promptly and graciously accepted. So we will have a full day tomorrow.

After Madrigal we headed for "snacks" at Oakville Grocery after a short detour to Milat Winery for a quick tasting. Once at Oakville Grocery we sat out back, snacked and maybe drank a few more bottles. After our Oakville snack we headed out for our real dinner at Mustard's.

Day 6 - Part II

2008-09-18T15:27:00.000-07:00

After eating we headed back to the hotel to take a little break (read nap), clean up and figure out what we wanted to do as we waited for John and Lisa to arrive later in the afternoon. With no particular place to go we headed toward Carneros when I saw loaded trucks with freshly picked grapes heading toward Domaine Carneros and decided to follow them. As we were pulling into Domaine Carneros we got sidetracked and decided to call Cuvaison, located across the street from Domaine Carneros, to see if they could get us in for a tasting. The tasting room told us they could get us in about 45 minutes so we decided to stick with the original plan and head to Domaine Carneros to see what happened to the grapes we saw heading in. Domaine Carneros is a beautiful place, definitely not a small hands on place, but they produce dependable wine and sparkling wine that are very good and the winery is beautiful. The crush we witnessed of those 10 tons of Chardonnay grapes was very, very different from what occurs at the smaller wineries.

After to heading to Cuvaison we had a very enjoyable afternoon sitting on the patio, looking out over Mt. Veeder and Carneros sipping wine and petting Grace, the resident cat. Cuvaison is in the middle of a construction process building offices, tasting room, etc... So after the winery has closed, for the day, there is a lot of construction traffic on the site but they have done a wonderful job with setting the patio for tastings as far away from the construction (for the moment) as they could. We enjoyed tasting through both their current releases and estate selections, including their new Brandlin Cabernet Sauvignon, which was very well made. After drinking everything in site - just kidding, kind of, we decided it was time to head out and find the next "watering hole" while we waited for John and Lisa.

As I began pulling down the road to exit the winery Lisa called and they had arrived and were heading into Carneros, to meet us. We told them to stop and wait for us as we have moved on and were heading to Elyse Winery in Napa. So they pulled over and waited for us to flash our headlights at them as we passed, pulled behind us and we headed to Napa.

Ahh what to say about Elyse? except fabulous wines and friendly people.We spent several hours tasting their wines, taking a tour and talking. Nancy Coursen, the owner, took us on a personal tour showing the fermentation vats, tanks and barrel room. Then we bellied up to the tasting bar and thoroughly enjoyed every wine they poured (and make) including the Jacob Franklin wines. While tasting we met one of the owners of Falcor winery (Ray Coursen of Elyse makes their wines) and invited us to come visit them.

From Elyse we headed to dinner to eat and drink more wine!

Day 6 - A very early morning - Part I

2008-09-18T09:22:00.000-07:00

After relaxing last night we had a very early wake-up call. We had to be at Sawyer Cellars at 5:30am as they were picking a small patch of Merlot that would be used in their Rosé . Several things struck us that morning as we slowly crawled our way up HWY 29 to Sawyer, first of all it was really early, second there is an amazing amount of traffic at 5am in Napa and wow it was really early. We pulled into Sawyer just as the sun was beginning to rise above the Vaca Mountains - what a beautiful site! Standing in the vineyards watching the sun slowly rising over the valley and beginning to burn off the low lying fog was very spiritual and it turns out, we begrudginly acknowledge, worth getting up so early for.

The pickers who were ready and waiting for the days job were anxious to get started as the light from the sun began to filter across the vineyard illuminating the rows for picking. Mr Sawyer quickly informed their foreman about particulars and they quickly picked up their knives and buckets and began the work. The speed and familiarity of the task was astonishing. They had 6 tons of Merlot to pick that morning and they had no intentions of spending a minute more than necessary to finish the job.
Mr Sawyer had given me a knife to pick, if I was inclined. But I quickly realized that the fastest speed I would move would put directly in the way of the pickers who were much more experienced and quickly resigned myself to observing.

As the pickers rapidly progressed through the vineyard and the 1/2 ton picking bins that were full were taken to the winery for weighing and crushing we decided to head towards the winery to see what was going on.

As the tractor arrives carting the full bins they are quickly unloaded, to get the tractor back into the field. The bins are taken to be weighed, as the pickers are paid by weight, and then were dumped into the crusher. All of this procedure was watched over or completed by Sawyer's winemaker, Brad Warner.

We observed them crush and pump the Merlot into the fermentation tanks and Brad gave us the opportunity to taste the free run juice before we headed inside to warm up. What better way to warm up than to taste wine at 9am - yum! We grabbed a glass of the Petite Verdot (wonderful) and headed downstairs into the cellar to nose around. After spending several more hours walking through the barrel room, reserve room, drinking more wine and heading back outside to observe the wrap up of today's harvest, we decided it was time for food.

After an early morning and a hard days work (hah!) we needed substantial food. So we headed to Taylor's for burgers, fries and malts. Sitting outside eating and watching the traffic, I had Tony nearly convinced that "Californy is the place you ought to be" until we watched someone attempt to pull out of Taylor's and head the wrong way (north on HWY 29) and wait 20 minutes before giving up and turning south we firmly decided, "nice place to visit".

Day 6 Part II coming soon....I told you it would be busy.

Tony Arrived

2008-09-17T22:22:00.000-07:00

I know I am skipping ahead in the blog as you are all anxiously awaiting Day 2, 3, 4 and 5. Today was very busy and then I had to drive to Sacramento to pick up Tony. Here is a photo of his luggage for the 5 day stay and yet we still had to stop and pick up a jacket for the cool Napa weather because as he says, "he ran out of room."

Day 5 - The fun begins

2008-09-17T16:29:00.000-07:00

My day started early with a trip to Goosecross to nose around and see what Geoff had going on for harvest/crush and general wine making. The crew had already picked the Cabernet for the Howell Mountain wine, it had been in the fermentation tank and was ready to be crushed. When I arrived Geoff and his crew were already hard at work, moving the grapes from the fermentation tank into the crusher, so I stood back, observed and enjoyed the aroma.

Side note - if you have ever had the pleasure of smelling Napa during harvest you will understand what I am saying. The smell coming off the grapes as they begin their fermentation is incredible and beyond words, it is a scent that every "wine lover" should experience once in their life. During harvest/crush in Napa the scent is palatable and can be enjoyed simply by driving Hwy 29 with the windows in the car open. Back to my day...

After Geoff had things taken care of the Howell Mountain Cabernet he walked the vines, with me following, taking samples of Chenin Blanc, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes to take back to the lab to determine ripeness and picking times. It was interesting watching and talking to Geoff as he plucked samples always careful to take them from different areas of the cluster (front, back, middle, etc...) to make sure he receives an accurate representation of the ripening of the grapes. All along the way sampling grapes and forming a preliminary opinion. After filling the sample buckets we headed back to the lab to test for ripening signals. After I thoroughly crushed the grapes Geoff tested the "juice" for PH and Brix to determine approximate picking times. As Goosecrosss is a relatively small operation Geoff not only has to take into consideration the ripeness of the grapes but also the available fermentation tanks, prior to harvest. Then Geoff pulled out the beakers and we proceeded to sample the juice, it was very informative to listen to what flavors and qualities Geoff was receiving from the juice, as well as what he was ultimately looking for in the juice. After he completed his testing and determined the Franc and Chenin Blanc would be ready for harvest the following week, we headed back outside with our beakers in hand. Geoff pulled off a little juice from each of the tanks he currently had in fermentation from the 2008 harvest. We sampled the Howell Mountain Cabernet, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier. The Viognier was my favorite and as I stood there slowly sipping on it, savoring the flavors or pineapple and golden delicious apples with a slight effervescence, staring at the vineyard I again had the momentary urge to call Tony and tell him pack up the car and dog and head to California. But yet again I was foiled as Tony was already on a plane headed in my direction!

I went back into the tasting room and proceeded to have a morning tasting of Goosecross wine as Geoff changed and wrapped up some business, before we headed out for an early lunch. Goosecross has a great tasting room staff that have personalities and are well informed, a rare combination. I sampled through their entire line of wines including the State Lane (second label) Orange Muscat and as usual found them well made and generally good value for the money.

For lunch we headed to what Geoff said was one of his favorite places, La Luna market in Rutherford, which I had heard about but had never eaten. La Luna is a very simple but authentic Mexican market that has food to buy to eat outside at the picnic tables or take home ingredients to make later. We quickly ordered and set outside eating and talking about Napa, gossip, winemaking and generally anything else that crossed our minds.

As we headed back to the winery Geoff pointed out other wineries he liked and suggested placed for us to visit when the rest of the gang arrived. One of the places he recommended visiting was Nickel & Nickel and told me his neighbor is the winemaker, Darice Spinelli, and offered to call to see if we could get in. After I thought about it for about umm 30 seconds I accepted his offer. Once back at Goosecross he called Nickel & Nickel and set up a time for us on Sunday for a tour and tasting. As I had to pick Tony up in Sacramento in the afternoon and Geoff had things he wanted to do, I said my good bye's and was sent away with a bottle of the new Amerital blend (Sangiovese and Barbera) to try.

As I left I thought that Tony's plane arrived at 6:40 so I thought I had plenty of time to stop in Yountville and Napa to do some shopping as I leisurely headed back to my hotel to drop off some of my purchases prior to heading to Sacramento, so I stuck with the plan. I arrived back at the hotel booted up the laptop to jot some notes about the day and pulled up Tony's itinerary, just to double check, and proceeded to panic when I realized the plane arrived at 5:10 and it was now 4, and I need to stop and get gas. I quickly left the hotel, gassed up and pulled onto HWY 12, towards Sacramento, and came to a complete stop that lasted for 20 minutes of complete nothingness, going nowhere, I guess the upside was I really got a good look at the Chardonnay Golf Course (not really on my sight seeing itinerary). Finally the gridlock eased and I rocketed towards Sacramento. Amazingly Tony called to inform me he had landed and was awaiting his ride as I was pulling into Sacramento. All in all he waited approximately 5 minutes for me to pull through the airport to retrieve him and my trip to Sacramento turned out to be a harbinger of what the following 5 days would hold when everyone arrived and we had a full schedule booked.

Addition to Day 4

2008-09-16T16:31:00.000-07:00

I forgot to post my adventure in the afternoon on Tuesday 09/16. I took the late afternoon and went to the Copia center in downtown Napa.

I had a very nice afternoon exploring the center, shopping in their gift shop, walking the exhibits and soaking up some sun in their impressive gardens.

If you have not visited the center I do recommend taking some time on your next trip to Napa to do this. Copia is an "American Center for wine, food and arts" and was conceived and funded, partially, by Robert Mondavi. They do many different types of education programs, offer daily wine tastings and food sampling, have food and art exhibits and have a couple of restaurants, including the only one in the world allowed to use Julia Child's name, Julias Kitchen. Througout the summer months they also offer concerts and movies on their lawn, giving you something to do after the tasting rooms are closed.

But for me what really makes Copia stand out is the 3.5 acres of edible gardens that are all organically farmed and are used as ingredients in dishes for Julia's Kitchen. The gardens are laid out in a grid system modeled after Villandry in the Loire Valley of France. The best part is that there are markers in each grid supplying you with more information about the plants, uses of those plants within the grid and a little bit about the history of the plant. There is also an option to use your cell phone to receive further information, if you desire. With 3.5 acres to wander it is quite easy on a nice afternoon to loose track of all time as you wander and suddenly realize that you have spent twice as much time than you thought you would. The only down side was the noisy construction occuring immediately beside the Copia center for the building of the new Ritz Carlton hotel.

I have heard and read that the Copia center is experiencing some financial diffuclties, it is a little off the beaten path, so check before you go regarding hours and activities.

Day 4

2008-09-16T13:29:00.000-07:00

Decided today would be a good day to just take it easy, since I would have a early and long day tomorrow.

I hung around the hotel and did such exciting things like laundry and some work that I needed to get taken care of. Later I went out and did a little grocery shopping since I had a refrigerator in the kitchen and needed to stock up on bottled water and Diet Coke for Tony's arrival - I am such a good wife!

This was really an exciting day and I bet your life is so much richer just having read this posting! Sorry it does get better from here until our departure.

Day 3

2008-09-15T12:47:00.000-07:00

I found myself with another free day to visit some additional wineries and find someplace to get a decent glass of wine! I decided to visit Sonoma hoping I could find a winery that made a drinkable wine, since so far my visit had been lacking in wine.

I began my journey via the Carneros region through Sonoma and headed to Healdsburg before ultimately heading back over to Napa. Along the way I stopped at several wineries to taste, enjoyed the beautiful scenery and stopped in Healdsburg to sample more wine and eat. Sampled wine from several well known places that were good and dependable but not worth listing them all out.

On my journey through Sonoma I heard from Geoff at Goosecross that they would be ready to press the Howell Mountain Cabernet on Wednesday morning if I would like to come by. So another good day in California!

Day 2

2008-09-14T18:56:00.000-07:00

My second full day in Napa started out slowly as I awaited the fog to lift. Having already driven up and down Hwy 29 several times today I decided to begin my journey on Silverado Trail. The first winery on Silverado Trail (coming from Napa) is Luna Vineyards. I knew that they had recently built a new tasting room so I decided to stop and have a look and while I was there I might as well taste some of their wines.

Of course all of their wines were good but the highlight for me was the beautiful tasting room and the Reserve Sangiovese. I am a fan of their Sangiovese and I was completely blown away by the difference in the Reserve and the regular. I also purchased a bottle of their fun white called Freakout, a blend of Ribolla Gialla, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnay for drinking in my room.

As I headed up Silverado I stopped at several other wineries, old and "vegas" style new, that are not worth mentioning, until I encountered Pine Ridge.

Pine Ridge has always been one of our favorites for no other reason than we began drinking wine with Pine Ridge and they are always good and dependable Napa Valley wines. As usual I enjoyed my time at Pine Ridge and was able to taste every wine they had open, including the Malbec and Cabernet Franc (which I was forced to purchase a bottle of and considered drinking before Tony arrived).

Got updates later in the afternoon that there would not be any picking happening until Tuesday at the earliest.

Napa Day 1

2008-09-13T22:26:00.000-07:00

OK so I have been busy and unable to post like I thought I would to this blog. So here is a preview of my first day in Napa, even though it is a few days late. Upon arrival most wineries (those that cared what their wine tasted like, anyway) had not picked any of their red grapes and I was receiving daily updates as to when picking would occur.

I spent a lovely afternoon visiting with one of my favorite wineries, Volker Eisele in the Chiles Valley appellation. Chiles Valley is located in the Vaca Mountains and is actually the geographical center of Napa County (as Mr. Eisele informed me).

The location of the winery makes for a wonderful drive, although treacherous if you are busy looking at the scenery rather than the road. So with great discipline I forced myself to focus on the driving versus looking around, despite the focus I got lost, not once but twice, and finally arrived at the winery 1 hour late. As I pulled in and followed Mr. Eiseles instructions to pull to the top of the hill around the back of the barn I began to wonder what I was about to get myself into.

The "barn" is the original winery from the mid-1800's and as I pulled around to the top it was apparent from the outside that the barn was showing every bit of its' age. Pulling to the front I was pleasantly surprised to see Mr. Eisele waiting for my arrival, as I have already stated I was 1 hour late and as I wound my way through the Vaca Mountains I had no cell phone signal to call for help or inform him I would be late.

Exiting the car I apologized profusely and Mr. Eisele simply shrugged it off. We entered the barn and I was pleasantly surprised as inside the barn had been lovingly restored and made into a wonderful tasting room, office, kitchen, bathrooms, etc... At that time I was good naturedly scolded for referring to it as a "barn" as it was not a barn but the original winery. In fact the original press, grapes buckets and other winemaking artifacts were located on the grounds and assembled into the winery. Mr. Eisele led me to the wonderful tasting room, complete with a piano that had recently been purchased from descendants of the original owner.

Mr. Eisele had waiting a bottle of their Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon blend, the Cabernet Sauvignon and the Terzetto, Bordeaux blend. We tasted through the wines and talked about the winery, his wine making philosophy and then he offered me a tour of the vineyard, which I of course eagerly accepted. We wandered the vineyard for over one hour talking about farming, Napa politics, history, German wines (Mr. Eisele is of German heritage), organic farming, wildlife, dogs, etc.... Along the way Mr. Eisele plucked bunches of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grapes for us to sample and snack on.

In the end I spent several more hours than I had anticipated spending and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. The drive, despite and possibly even because of getting lost, was one of the most beautiful drives and the vineyard, while standing on the hill looking over it all, was absolutely sublime. Nestled into the Vaca Mountains, discussing farming and "country life" made me want to call Tony, immediately, and tell him we were moving, but alas my cell phone still had no service, darn maybe next time!

I swear I will never do it again. Part Deux

2008-07-03T13:36:00.000-07:00

I know I said I wouldn’t, but I had to have other White Zins to compare with that horrendous Beringer. So I did. This last Saturday, I reluctantly partook of Tweedledum and Tweedledee: Sutter Home and E&J Gallo White Zins, respectively.

I suppose I should take a moment to explain why I was drinking White Zinfandel to begin with…not sure if I did in previous posts and too lazy to take a look to verify…

A hypothetic incident at the shop:

One possible day at the store, a walk-in, walk-around gentleman I have never seen before (and haven’t since) may have tottered in with a potentially, distinctively inebriated air about him - literally. He might have hung around the cash register, waiting for others to leave and then perhaps began to ‘soap box’ about his favorite wine. The conversation could have progressed as follows:

Inebriated gent: “I’d be a terrible customer.” Swaying slightly.

Me: “Why is that?” Smiling patiently and slightly amused.

Inebriated gent: “I know for a fact that the besht wine in the world is lesh than $5 a bottle!” Waves hand dismissively towards the cabernet racks. Rocks back and forth a little.

Me: “Which wine would that be?” Curious and definitely amused.

Inebriated gent: “I know the distributor personally and travel to the vineyard every year. My wife and I buy wine by the case from them…drink 3 to 4 glasses eash every night!” Proclaims knowingly, nodding. Gives a sidelong glance to check and see that I am attentive. Steps over to glance around a rack and lands on the side of his shoe.

Me: “Which vineyard do you visit?” Because I have to ask. It’s expected now.

Inebriated gent: “Why Sutter Home, of course! Their White Zinfandel is the best!” (Of course!) Shocked that I didn’t already know.

Me: “Wow. That’s great!” What else would I say? They also produce Trinchero.

Inebriated gent: “So I would be a terrible customer….’cause you could never show me a better wine at a lower price. I’d never be happy!”

Me: “Well, you are probably right!”

The point is, after he made his way out of the shop, I might have looked up Sutter Home online to see what others have to say about it. Most people who know more than a little about Trinchero, probably also know that Trinchero Family Estates owns Sutter Home Family Vineyards and most of the current production of the Trinchero line was facilitated by the invention and subsequent, dramatic success of White Zinfandel. Surprisingly, or maybe I just didn’t dig deep enough; there is little complaint or accolade about either Sutter Home and/or White Zinfandel. If you Google it, though, you do come across at least one or two interesting blogs, one of which by an oenophile who came across two bottles of ’93 Sutter Home White Zinfandel, which had been resting in his grandparents’ cellar. Needless to say, it was not palatable to him, but not terrible or poisonous, as one might imagine it had become – I think he described it as somewhat cooked – like Madeira, but without the overt sweetness and possessing more acidity. Interesting.

Anywho, I began to look back at the wines I've tried and enjoyed and realized that I'd not had White Zin in years and years - maybe even more than ten. Figured it was time to try it again and see if, after all this time, it tasted like I remembered it, like chilled, wet sweat socks smell.

Back to my tasting, then. My six years of wine drinking finds me at a crossroads. I am in no way a wine snob, nor do I qualify as one – see my previous post – however, I know what I like. I just don’t drink White Zinfandel at all. There are plenty of pink and/or sweet wines that are much more palatable at nearly equivalent prices, if you want to keep the tab low. (Some would note here that they are not wine snobs, but that is such a wine snob thing to say. Be honest, people will respect you more! I will just mention that I really don’t like it and would rather drink no wine at all than White Zin. Many love it and that’s great! Doesn't mean I have to, but drink up America! Responsibly, of course.) My PSA for today!

I didn’t hate Tweedledum (Sutter Home WZ) as much as I thought I would. Surprise, surprise! That said, it is incredibly sweet and with the sweetness comes bitterness and sour notes that are nothing like the enjoyable mouth pucker derived from tart, crisp Sauvignon Blanc. The sweetness lacks that nectar-like headiness to it that I prefer with sweeter wines I enjoy, which is why I tend to gravitate toward late harvest whites for desserts or aperitifs. It was dry, which was actually a good thing, but the fruitiness reminded me of unripe, green or yellow strawberries. Despite these qualities, I understand why it appeals to others. It is inexpensive, low in alcohol (9% - so you could drink 3-4 glasses a night if so inclined – but why?) and you could drink it with food, because there is no danger of it ever overpowering your meal. I did, however, drink every bit of it, though, knowing that the few dollars ($5) spent on this wine contributes to the production of better wines, like Trinchero’s Meritage, Zinfandel, and Cabernet. To each his or her own, I say, and keep the good grapes growing for the rest of us!

As for Tweedledee (Gallo WZ)…I can think of a few other occupations for the $5 spent on that bottle. The list includes Taco Bell, a gallon of gas, and a lighter. This wine is like drinking a wine cooler – all you get is a sweaty neck and a headache. I’m done with it.

*The pink or rose wines I mentioned before include Bonny Doon’s Big House Pink and Chateau Beachene Cotes du Rhone Rose – I have had very good results with these two very lovely wines. Yes, they are considered starter wines, but for the value (under and around $10) they are great for everyday or when company comes, does not know the difference, and expects me to drink it, too.

I swear I will never do it again. Part I

2008-06-18T14:23:00.000-07:00

Beringer White Zinfandel.

Is it possible for white wine to get worse as it gets colder? Ask yourself this as you chill this white devil known as the “world’s most popular wine.” For reasons I will not elaborate on -- suffice to say it involves a limited amount of time, a friend beleaguered by a wig-wearing, wedge sandal-walking cleaning lady (unfortunately, not my Kool-aid to blog about), and non-chilled White Zinfandel -- we ended up drinking this wine on ice. Mysteriously, as it went from room temperature to polar, I experienced equal parts warm, sour strawberry cider and chilled monkey piss* from this wine.

How, might I ask, can this bitter drink be considered so wonderful by so many? It is much better warm because there is nothing to it. A tinge of vinegar bleeds out to nothing on my palate. More accustomed to jammy, spicy, and chocolatey Shiraz, my tongue was thoroughly and unabashedly insulted. (No, I don't have cellar palate! But thank you for assuming!) There is no depth to this wine that so many applaud. I will admit to faint (very faint) notes of freshly picked strawberry, which I’m sure draws many people, as does the price - $5.99 at Cost Plus World Market. Most people can’t afford to drink $50, $30, or even $15 bottles of wine every day and I am certainly not a wine snob who turns up my nose at a decent $10 bottle. But this wine? Drinking vinegar is better than what it tasted like cold. I would sooner not drink wine, than drink something that tastes like chilled monkey piss.* Wouldn't you?

Chilled, Beringer White Zinfandel only gets worse. The flavors became more complex, but they aren’t good flavors! Is it ever a positive thing when you actually gag while quaffing a vintage – let alone start to chug it just to end the misery quickly? Green and nasty is the only way I can describe it. This wine (freshly opened) reminded me of a recent, most unfortunate incident at Colton’s Woodfire Grill involving a by-the-glass (I know! I know…. Lesson learned!) Cline Ancient Vines Zinfandel 2006 that had, quite obviously, been open for more than a day or two and tasted as though someone had sent it around the bar and/or kitchen to be repeatedly spat in by people sucking on cocktail onions. (They probably spat on my steak instead when I sent the wine back.)

The old and stale Cline tasted better (by a very narrow margin) than White Zinfandel does to me. Granted, due to time restrictions, we were only able to try the Beringer, so I am left to pick up another bottle or two of different brands and give WZ one more shot.

Oh, goody! :( In the meantime, I tried “Tears of Dew” by Eos – it is lovely! A dessert Moscato with rich, ripe fruit flavors and a velvety mouth feel, it would be marvelous with cool summer desserts!

* Sadly not my descriptor. This was the opinion of a much more learned, experienced, and sophisticated wine drinker than me. Additionally, while I’ve never tried monkey piss (Thank God!), my imagination and gag reflex agree that it is a most affective comparison, if not an aesthetically pleasing one. If I offend, I apologize, but it is no worse than David Rosengarten describing Sauvignon Blanc as cat piss-like, which still bothers me. A lot.

A Precursory Note*

2008-06-14T10:29:00.000-07:00

Visited often in the shop by those who blush and say, “I’m not an experienced wine drinker,” – often after divulging their preference for White Zinfandel - I find that I have developed a fair bit of wine snobbery about “the world’s most popular wine.” After smiling and saying, “Drink what you like!” but hiding a small and secret shudder, I am also reminded that there are people I know and love that enjoy White Zinfandel or have done so in the past.

It is with this in mind, and in the spirit of the season for cool libation that I intend to quaff some wines that I would not normally consider “worthy” and share my thoughts about them with the world.

This weekend I will sample some White Zinfandel with a friend who is not as experienced a wine drinker, but under my tutelage has begun to develop a palate for bolder red wines. She is not as judgmental as I am, but she does know the difference between a good wine and a bad one (If she likes it, it’s good, if she doesn’t, it’s bad!).

I haven’t had White Zinfandel in probably 7 years, so this should be interesting…

* I love the word ‘precursory’ in that it sounds like something that comes before the swearing begins, but actually means something much nicer!

A Wine Novice Six Years in the Making

2008-06-07T13:30:00.000-07:00

A Wine Novice Six Years in the Making

By Autumn

Disclaimer: I do hope you will forgive me in advance for my raw honesty and it does not, in any way, shape, or form; reflect on my professionalism or my respect for fellow wine drinkers when I am working at PHG. (When I’m not working at PHG, look out!) Additionally, this blog does not reflect the opinions of PHG-Provisions for Fine Living or its owners and affiliates.

My earliest exposure to wine was sipping Korbel Blanc de Noirs with my mother on Friday evenings and Franzia White Zinfandel (I know!) with my grandparents when they visited my father. Classy, eh? Needless to say, I was not a tremendous wine fan as I began building my “legal” drinking experience when I turned 21. Despite the damage done to me by cheap (bad cheap) wine prior to this time, it was with an open mind and measured enthusiasm that I began my ‘trial by fire’ wineducation. In 2002, when PHG was still PHG located in the Old Market, I began to understand what all the hoopla surrounding wine was about.

Since that spring, when PHG ceased to define itself as just an “upscale general store,” and became the first wine shop of its kind in Omaha, I have picked up a rudimentary/working wine education. Rudimentary in that I am nowhere near expert level, but actually have enough knowledge to make some pretty educated guesses if need be. Though I work with wine, respect wine and its makers, and enjoy wine immensely (I’ve been known to drool on a bottle of Rubicon or even speak gently to a few of the bottles of Rosenblum as I dust the rack), I am painfully aware of my limited knowledge and consistently reminded that I am still just a novice.

In the world of copious amounts of wine knowledge, I do not fit. My memory for the names of vineyards (French ones) is atrocious, I have a very difficult time understanding why people still hold their noses up at red zinfandel, and when there is discussion of first growth Bordeaux, I must admit I am almost completely lost. It isn’t that I don’t care or don’t pay attention, but that I am very non-academic about wine. After all, it really isn’t my job to be the expert. It’s Aimee’s ball of yarn and she does a marvelous job of it!

I know what you’re thinking and, no, I’m not just saying that because she signs payroll! (A little bit.)

This has me thinking though…what is my job here? Aimee is the expert Sommelier, every bit the professional who can match the wine to the food/occasion/individual effortlessly and Tony is the affable people-person with extensive wine experience, both technical and aesthetically speaking. We are all wine “nerds” who philosophize about corks vs. screw caps and why wine makes us so happy – the dire affects of alcohol aside (minds out of the gutter, please!) Who am I, then? I used to joke that I was ornamental – too hilarious, me! But in reality, I write descriptions (sometimes), manage the store (baby-sit), clean the store (occasionally), assist customers (sometimes badly and with stuttering), etc., etc. – I am sort of an Autumn-of-All-Trades. In my graduate Communications classes, I used to argue that I can do many things very well, which is better than rolling all of your efforts into one field. (To my warped sense of meaning, this defines me as invaluable, because I am flexible and relevant for multiple applications.)

Back to it, then - what is my purpose in this wacky world of wine? How do I fit in? It’s an identity crisis of sorts. It has even kept me awake at night! (Sorry – no, it really hasn’t.)

The answer: I am part of what makes PHG different and approachable by all seeking great wine. I am the semi-casual, but seriously respectful wine drinker who truly appreciates the craft and product of wine making (with the exception of White Zinfandel), which loves to try new things, and who, most importantly, is not tainted with any preconceptions (White Zinfandel doesn’t count and you know it!). When I am excited about a wine, I am REALLY excited! And, in the course of my absorption of wine fundamentals, I am learning more about myself than I ever thought possible.

Wines are relatable, enjoyed by the mood and also based on the occasion. They are the embodiment of an environment we may never travel to and what it experienced in a year we weren’t there to witness. Varietals change every year, every season shows a new aspect of its character, either disappointing or with endless potential, even within the bottle. Finally, and most importantly, wines are so much like people; individuality and character are everything! It sounds sappy and overly altruistic to me, too, but it is what it is and I mean it in a very sincere way. (Notice no tongue-in-cheek add-ins here!)

I may not be able to list all of the regions in France or the sub regions in Bordeaux, but, for me, even a novice’s knowledge of wine – six years’ worth and counting – is nearly as valuable as getting to know people and enjoying every character or varietal that comes my way. (Except for White Zinfandel. Boo!)

A Note on Franzia White Zinfandel:
If I had never tried another vintage after sipping this abomination - this perversion of lush and wonderful red zinfandel grapes - it would have been too soon for me. It ruined me until I was introduced to what I now consider decent wine. No offense to Franzia drinkers; it’s just not my style. I don’t care if it IS the “World’s Most Popular Wine.” Since when have the masses been right about something? Well, something that mattered?

P.S. My next blog will be about why people are like the wines they drink. It will be almost all opinion, of course, with some fact and comic relief at the expense of choice celebrities like Rosie O’Donnell and Tom Cruise. Either that, or I will try a decent White Zinfandel and report on how much I still dislike it. Nothing against White Zin fans: Seriously, though? Why?

How to Build a Wine Cellar

2008-06-07T12:46:00.000-07:00

The Side Bar
by Tony Arnold

Pictured are the Vintage View Wine cellar racking system. PHG is now a retailer of these flexible and simple-to-install wine storage racks. Ask for details

How to Build a Wine Cellar
Wine cellar building, made easy.

Do I need to "build" a cellar with a cooling unit or can I just use a spare closet or cool space in my basement?
The answer is that unless you are serious about aging wine very long term (5+ years) typically a cool, sunless, basement location with a natural 55-65 degrees F temperature should be an adequate environment for your wine.

A simple dedicated cellar is advisable for mid to long-term storage/aging. A properly designed and insulated room in your cool basement with a natural 55-65 degrees F temperature is called a "passive cellar". Passive cellars are just like the old-world cellars and are simply rooms that are built below ground level and stay cool naturally. Just as the basement is always the coolest place in your house, the natural ground temperature will be consistent at about 55-65 degrees F to protect your wine for long-term storage and no cooling equipment is typically required if the room is built correctly. Many people find that a, below ground, corner of the basement, free from windows and doors, enclosed and prepared as recommended below, will maintain it's temperature and humidity well without the need for a cooling unit.

Those individuals focusing on longer-term aging of wine or utilizing a space which is warmer or colder than the range indicated should consider a wine cooling unit such as WhisperKOOL, BREEZAIRE, Koolspace, or CHILLR which regulate not only the temperature to an ideal 55 degrees F but also the humidity of the cellar.

Our general recommendation is to plan and build your cellar to accommodate a cooling unit should it be required at a later time, you may find that your cellar naturally maintains a good wine storage temperature without the additional cost of a cooling unit. To plan ahead for a cooling unit, simply frame in a space in the cellar as recommended by the cooler manufacturer including electrical, but insulate and drywall over the space when finishing the cellar. During the first few months you will know whether a cooler is required and can re-open the covered area to install the cooler.

Wine Cellar Construction
A wine cellar must be constructed like a refrigerator, it should be cool but not cold, should be humid but not to humid, should be fairly air tight but not so tight that there is poor interior ventilation, and finally insulated but only in a specific way. Simply installing a cooling system in the wall of a closet without converting the room correctly will not work properly and could cause damage to your walls, ceiling and most of all your wine. All those caveats noted, converting a room or space for wine storage is very straightforward and fairly inexpensive investment in your long-term enjoyment of wine.

Target Temperature
The ideal temperature to store wines is between 50 - 58 degrees F. However, any temperature between 40 - 65 degrees F will suffice as long as it remains constant. The degree and the speed of the temperature change are critical. A gradual change of a few degrees between summer and winter won't matter. The same change each day will harm your wines by aging them too rapidly. The most important rule when storing wine is to avoid large temperature changes or fluctuations. You'll notice damage of this nature right away from the sticky deposit that often forms around the capsule. Over time the continual expansion and contraction of the wine will damage the 'integrity' of the cork. It's like having the cork pulled in and out, over and over every day. When this happens, small quantities of wine may be pushed out along the edge of the cork (between the cork and the bottle neck) allowing air to seep back in. Once the air is in contact with your wine the irreversible process of oxidation begins and your wine goes bad very quickly. At 50 - 58 degrees F the wine will age properly, enabling it to fully develop. Higher temperatures will age wine more rapidly and cooler temperatures will slow down the aging process. Irreversible damage will be done if your wine is kept at a temperature above 82 degrees F, for even a month. At 55F wines will age slowly and develop great complexity and you will never have to worry about them.

Target Humidity
Moderate humidity is important to keep the corks in good resilient condition and thereby preventing them from shrinking. A relative humidity of 50-80% is the acceptable range, but 70% is recommended. Excessive humidity will not harm the wine but will cause the labels and any other paper products, like cardboard boxes, you have in the cellar to rot. Insufficient humidity may cause the corks to dry out, lose their elasticity and allow air to get into the bottle.

Location
Unlike real estate the location of you wine cellar matters very little assuming construction requirements are adhered to and temperature and humidity can be maintained. I know individuals with cellars in their basements, under their garages, first and second floors, and top floor penthouses. I have a friend who's 500 bottle basement cellar, maintains an almost ideal 57-60 degree temperature year around without a cooling unit. His design has a double shut off for the duct work and air vent in the cellar which prevents warm are from being blown into the cellar during the winter and during the summer the vent is opened to blow cool air-conditioned air into the cellar - this works great and he has never had an issue.

Location will play a very important roll if you are attempting to harness the geothermal cooling abilities of good old fashioned dirt and your already cool 56-62 degree Nebraska basement. If you are like me you would prefer your cooling unit not run constantly and that is where an un-used corner or basement wall can be your best wine cellar location from an efficiency perspective. Generally the North West corner is the preferred location (typically it is cooler due to limited sun light exposure externally and internally), however any underground basement wall or corner without windows or doors will work.

Wall & Ceiling Framing
Cellar walls are typically built with standard 2" x 4" or 2" x 6" construction methods and ceiling joists following the guidelines of local and state codes in the area. The general rule for a cellar is the thicker the walls, the better the insulation factor, and the better the cellar remains at a consistent temperature. Interior walls must have an absolute minimum of R-13 insulation and exterior walls must have a minimum of R-19 with ceilings having a minimum of R-19 insulation rating.

Vapor Barrier
Vapor barrier is REQUIRED if a climate control cooling unit is installed to keep the cellar at the correct temperature and prevent potential moisture damage. The 6 mm plastic sheeting (available in the painting aisle of any hardware store) is applied to the hot side (outside) of the cellar walls. The vapor barrier must be either applied to the outside walls and ceiling, or if it is impossible to get to the outside, then the plastic must be applied from within the cellar. The most common method is to wrap the entire interior, leaving the plastic loose in the stud cavity so the insulation can be placed between each stud. All walls and ceiling must be wrapped in plastic for a complete vapor barrier.

Insulation
Insulation is REQUIRED if a climate control cooling unit is going to be used. The R-value or thickness of insulation is determined by the thickness of the walls and ceiling. For example, fiberglass insulation of R13 is designed to be used in a 2" x 4" wall and R19 is used in a 2" x 6" wall. It is important to use the correct insulation for the wall thickness. A minimum of R13 should be applied to the walls of a cellar. R19 to R30 is recommended in the ceiling. Standard "Fiberglass" or "Rigid Foam" insulation is normally used in cellar construction, or in some cases, blown in insulation is used. It is very important that all walls and ceiling be insulated to keep the cellar temperature as consistent as possible during the summer and winter months.

Wall & Ceiling Coverings
The interior wall and ceiling covering is determined by the decor theme of the cellar. If dry walling the cellar it is recommended to use rot and mildew resistant bathroom type green board versus regular drywall. Other options include Redwood and other rot and mildew resistant woods, granite, marble, tile or stone. All paints and/or stains must be water base type and air completely to rid wine cellar of odors. Once the cellar is at the correct temperature and humidity, smells will only get worse, be careful not to use oil based paints for this reason. The most commonly used covering is cedar closet liner or redwood (depending of the racking materials) tongue and groove material applied to the walls and ceiling.

Cellar Doors
If a cooling system is installed, an exterior grade door must be installed as a cellar door. It is very important that weather stripping is attached to all 4 sides of the doorjamb. A bottom "sweep" or threshold is also recommended. The door must have a very good seal to keep the cool cellar air from escaping out of the cellar. One of the most common problems with cooling units running continually is due to not sealing the door properly. Solid core doors or doors with a full glass insert are most often used. Glass doors must have at least double pane-tempered glass.

Flooring
All types of flooring are used in cellars. A simple sealed or painted concrete basement floor will greatly contribute to a nice cool cellar for wine storage however more attractive floor materials are slate, tile, marble, or vinyl. NEVER USE CARPET. Carpet will mold and mildew in the cool, damp climate conditions of a cellar. As with the case of wall coverings, flooring is normally chosen to match the overall decor colors of the cellar. The flooring should be applied to a level surface. It is best not to apply base trim or moldings to the walls behind the racking. Concrete ground floors need a vapor barrier only (sealed with concrete sealant). Any above ground floors need to be R-19 insulated with a vapor barrier prior to flooring being laid.

Lighting
Lighting a wine cellar is an important part of the overall cellar decor. "Air Lock" recessed ceiling lights are the most popular. These should be put on dimmer switches to control brightness. In most cases, these are used as the main lights within the cellar. Also popular are various display lights to accent different areas of the cellar. Some cellar contractors offer display "rope" lighting that is specially designed and built to fit into the display angle of individual bottle racking. Different types of spotlights are used to highlight picture openings, table areas, or large format display bottles. It is recommended that all lighting be on a timer system or motion sensor switch so they can't be left on for long periods of time. Lights cause excess heat and will cause the cooling equipment to overwork itself.

Ventilation
The necessity of dissipating heat away from the cooling system is critical to the units performance. As the cooling unit operates and cools, an equal or greater amount of heat is generated on the exhaust side of the unit. Adequate ventilation is required in order to dissipate heat away from the unit. If ventilation is inadequate, the exhaust will heat up and adversely affect the unit's inability to cool. Also make sure there is a 3 foot horizontal clearance in the front and rear of the unit. This will assure the unit can vent air in an efficient manner.

Other Considerations for Climate Controlled Cellars
For cellars less than 2000 cubic feet in size, there are two main types of units: "Through The Wall" systems and "Split Systems". For larger cellars over 2000 cubic feet, commercial refrigeration equipment is typically used and must be installed by a certified refrigeration expert.

We recommend that the customer consider purchasing a system with a slightly larger capacity to compensate for the design limitations. Care should be taken to understand the mounting and electrical needs of a cooling unit.

Happy Cellaring!

There are few things in life that compare to good food, good wine, and great company. Eat, drink, entertain, and enjoy! - Tony Arnold 2005

To hell with the vessel, just show me to the wine

2008-06-07T12:44:00.000-07:00

The Side Bar
by Tony Arnold

To hell with the vessel, just show me to the wine

A man who can only enjoy wine from the perfect glass is a man who does not truly enjoy wine.
By Tony Arnold

The other day I was reading through an un-named national wine publication and an article about the annoyance of "improper" glassware caught my attention and struck me funny, actually it struck me as very pompous. The author of the article proceeds to ridicule restaurants, friends, and acquaintances about the use of plastic, Styrofoam, stemless, tinted, heavy cut crystal, champagne, overly thick/thin, too big/small glasses.

I feel for this guy, the guy has a serious OCD hang-up about wine glasses and confesses to going through friends cabinets looking for a better vessel than a Styrofoam cup. Me on the other hand, I identify with one of the last scenes from the movie Sideways where Miles is pouring a wonderful aged wine into a paper fast food cup and sipping it clandestinely at some fast food joint; while expertly pairing it with some greasy fries and a cheeseburger the size of his head. There is something perversely pleasurable about that scene, after all isn't it about the wine not the glass?

What struck me as utterly hilarious when I saw that scene in the movie was remembering an almost accidental trip to Diamond Creek Vineyards, a few years back. Aimee and I had called so see if we could grab a wine tasting slot and were informed that their annual winery celebration was in process and to simply bring a glass. Unfortunately we were half way up the mountain and almost to the winery. Lucky for Aimee she had the one (unbroken glass), I on the other hand had a rinsed, clean, wax coated 22 oz. Oakville Grocery cup that previously held Diet Coke. Guess who ended up with more wine, the pretty girl with the glass or the fat drunk guy with the paper cup? Yep, I imbibed approximately four (full) cupfuls of some of the best wine California produces. Although I was not the only one with a non-glass container, I will never forget the wonderful graciousness of the winery. They were simply thrilled that people loved their wine, not at all concerned with what you were drinking it out of.

My point is, I don't remember ever seeing the words, "Warning - Serve only in Riedel Crystal on the back of any bottle of wine. In fact I have had more than one wine maker confess that they regularly pour wine right from a wine thief (barrel sampling tool) into their mouth, no glass required. This should put those handy little half bottles in a whole new light. I can see it now, your next party everyone gets their own 375ml bottle of cabernet that they can drink right from the bottle.

Provided the choice, yes, I would rather drink wine out of glass then another material (aside from a solid gold jewel encrusted chalice), would rather have the proper weight, color (clear), and would rather the glass have a bowl suited for the wine being consumed. Would George and Max Riedels glasses be at the top of my list? A resounding yes. And if I had just one glassware wish it would be that every restaurant stock one, good, large bowl, general purpose, wine glass rather than three horribly designed ones, so that my restaurant wine, which costs twice as much as it should, can at least have the hope of presenting itself on the table as a wine rather than a margarita. I would still rather have wine in a margarita glass than no wine at all.

My biggest gripe with fine wine glassware is that most people simply don't study a wine to the degree that those Austrian Riedel glasses permit. Quality wine glassware is like putting an expensive frame on a picture, it simply presents itself better. Daily drinker and party wines simply don't require the beauty or exacting analytic ability of a $15-$100 glass. We simply want a nice wine while we eat dinner, socialize, and celebrate the survival of yet another day and on those occasions, any cup will do.

We Americans are just way to up tight about the whole wine thing. We feel compelled to be pretentious, to be considered educated in the fine art of consuming wine. In Europe whatever vessel is at hand is suitable for an everyday wine or even a more special bottle. In Spain, your basic highball glass is the wineglass of choice. Recently Riedel introduced the casual relaxed stemless glasses. Although we have sold them for over a year, we had not tried them until a visit to a friend's house for a tour of their wine cellar. This casual glass was the perfect container for the stellar wines that were poured and the wonderful easy going evening that followed, including some delivered pizza. But don't those stemless glasses warm the wine and aren't they hard to hold? Actually the glasses spent most of their time on the counter, so warming the wine was not a factor and the glasses also seemed to be easier to hold, especially after the third bottle. Causal, fun, and easygoing, I think Max Riedels stemless glasses exemplify the essence of wine enjoyment.

For the host planning a casual get together, don't sweat the glassware, use what you have and make no apologies about providing free food, wine and great company, just enjoy the party. Should you have any wine snobs present who requests a proper glass, attempts to go digging though your glassware cabinet, or sneer when you serve wine in a vessel dujour, ask them "are you so insecure with your wine knowledge that the vessel itself will impair your enjoyment of a great wine, then laugh maniacally.

To hell with the vessel, just show me to the wine.

There are few things in life that compare to good food, good wine, and great company. Eat, drink, entertain, and enjoy! - Tony Arnold 2005

PHG Wine - Omaha Nebraska

Saddleback Leather Messenger Bag

Saddleback Leather Messenger Bag Quest for "The Ultimate Wine Bag" by Tony Arnold

Sources - www.SaddlebackLeather.com - Saddleback Leather Messenger Bag

Sage Student Bistro Sokol Blosser Dinner

Funny How Time Flies!

Recent article

My wine manifesto

The Wine of the Century

Day 10 - A bittersweet day

Day 9 - The realization we have to leave sets in

Day 8 - Wine, wine and more wine!

Day 7 - Ahh the smell of toasted wood in the morning!

Day 6 - Part II

Day 6 - A very early morning - Part I

Tony Arrived

Day 5 - The fun begins

Addition to Day 4

Day 4

Day 3

Day 2

Napa Day 1

I swear I will never do it again. Part Deux

I swear I will never do it again. Part I

A Precursory Note*

A Wine Novice Six Years in the Making

How to Build a Wine Cellar

To hell with the vessel, just show me to the wine

Saddleback Leather Messenger Bag
Quest for "The Ultimate Wine Bag"
by Tony Arnold