2008 ~ No. 3    

FIVE MUST HAVE WINES

Like a well-edited wardrobe, a properly stocked wine cellar will see you through any occasion with style. From dinner at home to an impromptu summertime barbeque, these are the five wines to always have on hand:

1. Something bubbly. After all, you never know when there will be occasion to celebrate. It’s also really good with Chinese take out. Go high end with Champagne or, alternatively, keep a few bottles of a good cava or sparkling wine on hand.

2. The Crowd-Pleaser. This is the $10 or so bottle that everyone loves and can be opened for a party, barbeque or pizza night. For red wines, try an Argentinian Malbec, a cru Beaujolais or a zippy red from the Languedoc.
   
   For a white wine, try one from Spain’s Rueda region, a Vinho Verde from Portugal or Sauvignon Blanc from California, New Zealand or South Africa.

3. Your House Wine. This is the bottle for you – to open over dinner, enjoy with cheese and crackers, or when you have a small gathering. Think $20 price point with a savory character. This could be Pinot Noir, Sangiovese, Merlot, Grenache, Barbera, Zinfandel – all medium-bodied, food friendly reds.

   On the lighter side, fuller white wines are perfect. Try a Chardonnay, Viognier (such as a white Rhone), or a wine crafted from a lesser-known grape such as Albarino or Arneis.

4. The Everyday Collectible. This category encompasses wines that can be enjoyed now, or over the next several years, ideally from a smaller producer or superstar winemaker. California Cabernet, Bordeaux and Barolo are strong choices, but Aussie Shiraz, Spanish reds and even Pinot Noir can fit the bill here. White Burgundy or Bordeaux are good choices for white wine lovers.

   Note, too, that this doesn’t have to be an over the top expensive bottle – many can be had for $30 to $50.

5. A “List” Wine. This is the collectible that’s primarily available only if you’re on the winery’s mailing list. Sure, you can find these wines at retail or in auctions, but such occurrences tend to be few and far between.

How to get on a list? Sign up at the winery’s web site. Prices can range from a reasonable $60 to $70 per bottle, on up to (gulp) $400 or more.

When picking a “list” wine, remember too that it is an item you need to buy every year in order to stay on the list. Why? Loyalty is appreciated by the winemakers – so if you don’t buy, you’re off the list. It sounds harsh, but when 400 cases are being distributed to 1,000 customers…well, you do the math.

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION…

The wines you ultimately pick will obviously be based on your own taste and style. Use these recommendations as a starting point, and have fun building your collection!

Something Bubbly

Egly-Ouriet, Pierre Gimonnet and Laurent Perrier are three favorite Champagnes. For elegant Cava, try 1+1=3 or Mont Ferrant, though Cristalino is delicious for an under $10 bottle.

There are a lot of great sparkling wines out there as well, including Gruet Brut (curiously
but deliciously from New Mexico), Roederer Estate, Schramsberg and Iron Horse, particularly their Wedding Cuvee.

Crowd Pleasers

The ultimate wine in this category is Altos Malbec, though Domaine de la Solitude Cotes du Rhone runs a close second. I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t like these two wines.

Other thoughts include Georges DuBoeuf Morgon or Fleurie, or the Jadot Beaujolais. From southern France, Laurens Marcillac, Wild Pig Syrah or Les Heretiques Vin de Pays are all good wines to look for.

For white wines, favorites include Con Classe or Casamaro from Rueda and Casal Garcia Vinho Verde. Everything-but-the-kitchen-sink blends like Big House White are also very versatile and delicious.

House Wines

For red wines, recommendations include O’Reilly Pinot Noir, La Spinetta Barbera, Fritz Zinfandel, La Segreta Planeta, Clos de los Siete Malbec/Cabernet Sauvignon, Uccelliera Rosso di Montalcino and Clos Mimi Petit Rousse.

White wines to look for are A to Z Pinot Blanc, Verget Macon-Bussieres “Vigne de Montbrison”, Trevor Jones Virgin Chardonnay (ie, unoaked), Palmina Arneis, Lusco Albarino, Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc/Viognier or Laurus Cotes du Rhone Blanc.

Everyday Collectibles

Red wine fans can try Glaetzer Shiraz, Delisio Grenache, Seghesio Barolo, Chateau les Ormes de Pez, Brainaire Ducru, Artadi Vinas de Gain, Brick House Pinot Noir, and Burgundies too numerous to mention.

White wines in this category are a bit harder to come by, but look for Carbonnieux Blanc from Bordeaux; Niellon Chassagne Montrachet; or La Nerthe Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc.

The List

With the exception of Sine Qua Non (you have to call), all these wineries have web sites where you can register for the mailing list. Be warned though – some have a waiting list to get on the mailing list. Happy drinking!

Amuse Bouche (Merlot/Cabernet Franc)
Blankiet (Bordeaux blend)
Emeritus (Pinot Noir)
Gemstone (Bordeaux blend)
Kosta Browne (Pinot Noir)
Levy & McClellan (Cabernet)
Quilceda Creek (Cabernet)
Sine Qua Non (varies)
Turley (Zinfandel)
Williams Selyem (Pinot Noir)

READING A RESTAURANT WINE LIST

Even for someone who knows what she’s doing, the pressure of selecting from a wine list – particularly if dining with a group of people – is palpable. Will everyone like it? What if one person orders Dover sole to everyone else’s Porterhouse steaks? Can the wine satisfy the persnickety palate at the end of the table?

Very often, I look at a restaurant’s wine list in advance – online, by requesting a copy or even going to the bar before dinner and perusing it over a cocktail. Doing so gives me the opportunity to look at prices, research vintages and generally have a sense of what to order, if not a specific bottle in mind.

Since that’s not always possible, here’s how to make going through that leather-bound book a little easier.

Typically, wine lists are organized by region or varietal – which allows you to simplify things by narrowing the search down to a region or grape that you like. A fan of Shiraz? Head to the Australia or Rhone section. Prefer rich, full white wines? Look for a Chardonnay from California or a white Burgundy from Corton-Charlemange or Montrachet.

If you’re selecting for a large group with diverse tastes, look for versatile, food- and crowd-friendly grapes. These include:

• Pinot Noir, particularly from Burgundy, New Zealand and Oregon.
  
  
• Pinot Blanc/Bianco from Oregon or Italy’s Friuli or Alto Adige regions.
  
  
• Cabernet Franc or Chenin Blanc from France’s Loire Valley. The former (a red wine) will likely be listed as Touraine, Saumur, Saumur-Champigny, Chinon, Bourgueil or St-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil. The white Chenin Blanc grape is bottled under the appellations of Saumur, Savennières, Anjou and Vouvray.
  
  
• Grenache, which can sometimes be found bottled on its own or as a blend with Shiraz, Mourvedre and other grapes. Look for it from Spain (where it’s called Garnacha), the Rhone or Australia.
  
  
• Merlot is maligned but a sure-fire crowd pleaser. Look for a high-end one from California or Bordeaux from Pomerol or Saint-Emilion.
  
  
• Chardonnay can be a polarizing grape, but ones from Burgundy generally lack the oaky, buttery qualities that bedevil some California Chardonnays – and they are very lovely to enjoy with a meal.

Don’t stress too much about vintages. Factors like improvements in winemaking technologies have made vintage – particularly for lower-end wines – somewhat irrelevant. Don’t get me wrong; they still matter, particularly for higher end wines or ones made from finicky grapes like Pinot Noir. But if you’re ordering by the glass or an inexpensive bottle, it’s not worth a whole lot of thought.

And if you are looking for a fine wine, keep in mind that the restaurant’s wine staff does some of the work for you. It is part of their job to seek out good wines, even from bad vintages, thus minimizing diners’ risk. And a restaurant without a wine director or strong wine list is likely to have a lot of wines that, because of the winemaking style at the estate, are probably going to be the same or similar year after year.

That said, making generalizations about a vintage can be useful – and you probably have the knowledge to do so. Think back to 2003, for example. There was a massive heat wave across Europe. Heat isn’t usually so good for grapes, so you probably want to steer clear of French, Italian and Spanish wines from that year.

A basic understanding of climate also helps in terms of being able to identify wine styles. Warmer climates tend to produce wines that are a bit fuller, more luscious and fruitier – think California, Australia, Chile, Argentina, Spain, France’s Languedoc-Rousillon areas and southern Italy.

Wine from cooler climates, inversely, tend to be leaner and more austere. This applies to areas like Burgundy, Bordeaux, cooler California regions like the Russian River Valley, northern Italy, Alsace, Oregon and Washington.

Also keep in mind the rule of specificity, which is particularly helpful for Burgundy wines. The more specific the location, the greater the potential for a better quality wine. So, a Burgundy that is labeled, say, “Les Perriers” means that the grapes come from that specific vineyard site, as opposed to a wine simply designated “Bourgogne,” which means the grapes come from a larger geographic area.

Think of it like a Manhattanite living on the upper reaches of the borough, who boasts about living in “Manhattan” while the Park Avenue denizen flaunts that particular address.

These guidelines don’t guarantee that you’ll get the best-ever bottle of wine – but they will help you navigate even the longest wine list with confidence and aplomb.

Next month: What to do when the bottle arrives.