Classes are a great way to drink and learn

Sally and I attended a wine and cheese pairing class at Village Vino this week. I'm pretty sure I'd flunk a test on what was taught, but our experience was proof that classes can be a fun way to learn a few new things, meet cool people, and drink great wine.

Our class was facilitated by Village Vino's own Rita Pirkl and cheese expert Mary Palmer. We tasted eight wine and cheese pairings, and were seated at a table with seven other participants so we could discuss our reactions to each one. 

Here were the pairings:

• NV Villa Sandi Prosecco paired with Brillat Savarin
• NV Over the Moon Sparking Pinot Noir paired with Ewephoria
• 2011 Domaine Girault Sancerre (Sauvignon Blanc) paired with Bucheron
• 2011 Dog Point Sauvignon Blanc paired with Chabrin
• 2010 Copain "Tous Ensemble" Pinot Noir paired with Zamorano
• 2010 Cervantes Mt. Cuvee Cabernet Sauvignon paired with Fiscalini 18-month bandaged cheddar
• NV Nierport 10yr Tawny Port paired with 5yr vintage Gouda
• NV Quinta do Noval "Black" Ruby Port paired with Bleu de Auvergne

They were all expertly paired, and I did manage to learn a few things. For example, hard cheese generally works better with reds while softer cheeses generally pair better with white. And, there are actually some really good cheese and port pairings!

More important, our experience was a great reminder that classes can be a lot of fun. If you are in San Diego, check out Village Vino's advanced wine and cheese pairing class on January 22. 

Talk to someone at your local wine shop or wine bar if you'd like to know more about classes in your area. There are also a lot of email newsletters that advertise local wine events. In San Diego, we're big fans of The Juice.

Wine and cheese pairing at Village Vino on January 15

Cupcake Red Velvet – an any day wine

We are always on the hunt for an inexpensive, tasty wine to enjoy any day of the week ~ which means an easy drinker and under $20.  Many of our friends have shared with us that one of their go-to weekday wines is Cupcake Red Velvet.  We decided to pick up a bottle and give it a try. 

Red Velvet is a blend of Zinfandel, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petite Syrah.  This wine has rich, fruit flavors (raspberry and black cherry), with chocolate undertones.  It is definitely a sweeter red, but it is not a ‘fruit bomb’.  The finish was a little rough around the edges, but softened up after it was open for about half an hour. 

Red Velvet is an easy drinker, and paired very nicely with our butternut squash and sausage pasta.  The winery recommends pairing with spicy Hoisin steak, bbq bacon cheeseburgers, or even dark chocolate fondue.  I’m not so sure about the fondue, but agree that this would pair very well with BBQ! 

It definitely fits our criteria on price.  Cupcake Red Velvet is widely distributed and runs for under $10! You can pick up a bottle at your local grocery, as well as BevMo ($9), Specs ($9), or TotalWine ($8).

For more recommendations on any day wines, check out our reviews of wines Under $20

Two very short stories about sharing wine

If you've read this blog before, you know we firmly believe that shared bottles are the best bottles. Over the past week, we enjoyed two excellent bottles that were shared in a roundabout sort of way.

2008 Rusack Anacapa
A rainy day at RusackWe took my parents to the Santa Ynez wine region last April for a weekend of wine tasting. One of the wineries we visited was Rusack, which was recommended by our friends Karin and Jeff. That turned out to be a great stop and we all bought some of their flagship wine, Anacapa.

My parents were kind enough to share their two bottles of 2008 Anacapa with us for Christmas dinner. The 2008 version is 82% Cabernet Franc, 16% Petite Verdot, and 2% Merlot and was a perfect pairing with prime rib roast. It had an herbaceous nose, with cherry on the front palate that gives way to darker fruit tastes like blackberry. The mellow tannins start early and went very well with the meal. This was a very nice Christmas treat!

2009 Storybook Mountain Vineyards Zinfandel
Enjoying a nice Zinfandel at Row 14 in DenverSally and I were in Denver last weekend to watch the Boston University men’s hockey team play Denver University and catch the Broncos – Chiefs game on Sunday. On Sunday night we ventured out for dinner and found a cool restaurant called Row 14.

We were out to dinner on a day that ended with the letter “y”, so naturally we wanted wine. Choosing wine from a restaurant wine list can be a challenge, but fortunately we found a bottle that our friends Gaby and Steve recommended we try. These folks know great wine, so we went for it.

Right they were! The Storybook Mountain Vineyards Zinfandel was pure Zin. A raspberry nose gave way to darker fruit on the palate with a light pepper finish. It was very smooth and went down far too quickly. This winery is definitely a contender for our next trip to Napa!

What wine did you share over the holidays?

Herman Story – White Hawk Syrah

Herman Story is one of our favorite wineries, which we discovered in the best way ~ sharing a bottle with friends (Herman Story – a winery you need to know).  Winemaker Russell P. From has a knack for creating full flavored wines that are just damn good.  We recently opened a bottle of his 2009 White Hawk Syrah, and it definitely held up to reputation.

This wine, which is a blend of 98% Syrah, 2% Viognier, is deep in color, and robust in taste.  It starts with a nose of dark berries with hints of floral and earthiness.  The bold flavors punch right at first sip.  This full-bodied wine fills your mouth with blackberries and raspberries, offering a long, well-balanced, and very smooth finish.  It is very enjoyable on its own, or paired with food.  We enjoyed our bottle with a butternut squash and Italian sausage pasta (also incredibly delicious).  A perfect wine to warm up with on a cool winter night! 

Unfortunately, Herman Story wines are typically only available to wine club members and at the tasting room.  So, find a friend who is a wine club member and get them to share a bottle.  Or, if you find yourself in Paso Robles, we highly recommend a visit to the tasting room where you’ll enjoy great wines with great people! 

An under $20 Zin almost too good to be true

Twist my arm and make me pick a favorite varietal of wine and I'd probably say Zinfandel. It pairs well with all sorts of food, making it a versatile dinner companion. Zinfandel is also just as comfortable kicking off the festivities as a pre-dinner drink or as a post-dinner nightcap. 

The challenge Sally and I face is finding a reasonably priced Zinfandel that still pleases our palate. Most of our go-to Zins are in the $25 - $35 range, which is fine for a weekend night out or sharing with friends, but not exactly an "open anytime" price point for us. We've also spoiled our palates with the likes of Robert Biale Black Chicken, Ridge Ponzo Vineyard, Cuvaison Bald Mountain Vineyard, and Caymus (perhaps the best Zinfandel we've had in 2012).

We may have finally discovered an outstanding Zinfandel that sells for under $20, a 2010 Klinker Brick Winery Old Vine Zinfandel from Lodi, California. It was selling for $13.95 at San Diego Wine Company, and we trust their judgment, so we picked up a bottle to try. Wow - it was terrific!

Zinfandel can range from jammy to peppery, and this one was definitely on the jammy end of the spectrum. The nose smelled like dark berries and it tasted like blackberry with perhaps a hint of blueberry that gave way to a long finish with hint of pepper. There was a mild vinegar taste at the end which disappeared with food. We paired it with roasted chicken, butternut squash, and a spinach salad topped with blueberries and blue cheese.

The 2010 Klinker Brick Old Vine Zinfandel is available from the San Diego Wine Company, BevMo, and Total Wine. Sorry, it's not at Specs, but you can have it shipped.