Noble Grapes

While there are hundreds of types of grapes from which wine can be made, there are only seven ‘noble’ grapes. They are Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Syrah for reds and in the whites Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnay. These are considered the higher quality grapes, otherwise known as noble.

The qualities on which a wine is judged is its acidity, sweetness, alcohol, and with red wine, tannins. It’s not just important to have each of those qualities, but they must be in balance with each other to make a good wine.

Marketta Formeaux of Chateau Potelle says that, “I like to compare making wine to raising children, because both are long-term procedures where you make decisions on a daily basis. And the sum of those decisions makes the final product.” When we raise our children, we want them to be lively, kind, warm, and have strong character. We also want our children to be well-balanced.

Last Sunday, our Pastor led the service even though he had recently lost his father, and had just been to the memorial service the day before. My friend’s son, Ryan, stepped up to be worship leader. He had just graduated from high school the day before, and so was functioning on very little sleep having been up late with friends. During the prayer, our Pastor choked up a bit and paused to collect himself. Without hesitating, Ryan walked over to the pastor, and put his hand on his shoulder, and stood with him.

We’re so proud of our kids when they accomplish things like graduating from high school or earning their PhD from Seminary. At the front of the church last Sunday I saw two sons, one meeting his obligations even though he was so newly mourning. One comforting the other without hesitating. I don’t think either one could have done anything to make his parents more proud of him then these simple acts that expressed for each his noble character.

The Wine of My Ancestors

There once were two brothers, Andrew and Balthasar Ress. They were born in Bavaria in the 1820's. When Andrew grew up, he left Bavaria for America and settled in Ohio. When Balthasar grew up he left Bavaria for Rheingau and planted a vineyard. Andrew is my great, great, great grandfather. I found my fifth cousin, Christian Ress on Facebook. He looks like my brother. He and his father, Stefan Ress, who looks like my father, run the Balthasar Ress Winery.

It took a little work, but I was able to find a local wine store that was willing to order a few bottles of Balthasar Ress Riesling for me. I was hoping I'd love it. The bottle does, after all, have my name on it. I opened a bottle last night to have with pork roast, hot buttered egg noodles, and steamed mustard greens. The smell of it was crisp and citrusy. The first taste was a wonderful lemony, tart apple, that ends with a butter-honey finish. This wine is both refreshing and rich. It's lovely. The wine of my ancestors is a divine nectar.

Mr. McMurphy Would Like a Petite Sirah

My parents are wine people. They’ve been collecting and enjoying wine since the 70’s when whites were all the rage. They have been to wine country…many of them, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Australia, and several times to California. So, when they recommend a wine, I listen. This year for my birthday, they sent me three Pedroncellis from Sonoma. I opened one of them last night, a Petite Sirah. I knew that Petite Sirah (no relation, whatsoever, to Syrah) was a very heavy red. But I did not know what a grown up wine it was. This wine is structured, balanced and tight. There was nothing fruity about it. If it were a person, Pedroncelli Petite Sirah would be nurse Ratched, strict and humorless, yes, but also very focused, disciplined, and intense. The color is a deep purple red. The nose is peppery, cedar and the flavor has hints of licorice. The finish is long with good tannins. All in all, the Pedroncelli Petite Sirah is a very satisfying, grown-up glass of wine.

Lost in Lodi

One of the appealing things about wine is reading the label and letting one's mind wander to that particular village, whether it's in France, Argentinia, or California. The wines that are made from grapes all on one vineyard are especially intriguing. They seem more pure and genuine, as if one vintner has welcomed you to his or her home and shared centuries of a family's work with you, a stranger.

The other day in Costco, the wine lady suggested I try a Cameron Hughes Zinfandel. The deal with Cameron Hughes is that his wines are not from a particular vineyard. Mr. Hughes buys wines from an area and bottles it. He's not a vintner, but a negociant. For the customer that means you can get a better wine for a lower price, you just don't know exactly what it is you're drinking. Last night I tried his Lot 160 Zinfandel, Lodi, 2008. The nose was dirt and cherries. The taste was a raisin cherry with spice. The finish was long and tannic. It's a rich wine with lots of flavors mingling in and out of each sip. Drinking this wine was like being lost in a lush viney forest filled with berries and wet earth. It was rich and delicious. Even though I don't know exactly where this wine came from, nor where exactly this wine took me, it was a lovely place to be.

A Fine Line

Paul Jaboulet Aine, Parallel 45 from Cote de Rhone, this is the Rhone I've been wanting to try since reading about it. I found it at Ben's for $13. It's 60% Grenache and 40% Syrah. The vines are 25 years old. The wine is aged in stainless steel tanks. The wine is from Pont de l'Isere village which is on the 45th parallel. This is soil near Hermitage where vineyards have been in existence for more than 2000 years! That just fires the imagination. The nose is chocolate and berries. The taste is rhaspberry, lemon, and soil. This is a smooth wine with a long tannic finish. Parallele 45 is a fine line.

The Unbearable Lightness of Vinho Verde

Vinho Verde is at the very top of Mark Oldman's body list for wines. It is the lightest wine. It's also a wine I've never tried. So, when I saw one in Trader Joe's for $5 I decided to find out for myself what the lightest wine is like. Espiral Vinho Verde from Portugal is colorless, sparkling, acidic and lemony. It's not unlike tonic water with a lemon twist and an acidic tang. I served it with poached talapia and polenta. It's not a bad wine. I can see drinking it on a hot Summer day... when you don't feel like drinking real wine.

I Know Why the Nun is Blue

In his book, Oldman's Guide to Outsmarting Wine, Mark Oldman prefaces his section on Riesling with the acknowledgment that many of us were introduced to Riesling in college, and remember them as sickeningly sweet and headache-inducing. It's like he knows my life story. I hadn't had a Riesling since college for that very reason. The other night I decided to give Riesling another chance. I found a Chateau St. Michelle Rielsing on sale at Ben's liquor store for $6. I served it with caraway chicken and a very German red cabbage cooked with bacon, shallots, vinegar, and brown sugar. The Riesling wasn't overly sweet at all. It was lemon-crisp with an apply-pear flavor, very smooth and very balanced. Riesling is a very versatile wine that can be paired with many styles of cuisine. This is definitely a wine I'll buy again.