30 Second Wine Advisor: Road trip!

Today's Sponsor

• Connoisseurs' Series Two outstanding top-tier red wines from California Wine Club's elite program, available this month for 30 Second Wine Advisor readers. www.cawineclub.com/ connseries

In This Issue

• Road trip!
Summer time, the livin' is easy, and it's a splendid time of year to explore a few wineries in your own neighborhood!
• Two from the Eastern U.S.
Salmon Run American Pinot Noir ($13.49) and Persimmon Creek Georgia Seyval Blanc ($12.99) offer us random tastes of wines from Eastern producers.
• Connoisseurs' Series Two outstanding top-tier red wines from California Wine Club's elite program, available this month for 30 Second Wine Advisor readers: Robert Craig Cellars 2003 Mount Veeder Napa Cabernet Sauvignon and Highlands Cellar 2003 "Malvolio" Clone 777 Arroyo Grande Valley Pinot Noir.
• This week on WineLoversPage.com
A report from Campania in Southern Italy, and video from a Napa Vintners Association at the U.S. Embassy in Paris. We'll match wine and barbecue on this week's Internet Radio TalkShoe; on our forums, we're talking about how we organize our cellars, and taking a poll on attitudes toward Sherry.
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Road trip!

Summer time, the livin' is easy, and it's a splendid time of year to explore a few wineries in your own neighborhood!

If you happen to live in Northern California, say, or Tuscany or South Australia, you enjoy the benefits of world-class wineries nearby. But just about anywhere in the world with a climate temperate enough to make wine-grape cultivation possible, chances are that you'll find at least a few of your neighbors making wine and, better yet, offering tastings and tours.

Even if your locale isn't world-famous for wine (yet), and even if you're in a relatively marginal climate where viticulture is constrained by winter cold or summer heat and humidity, the chances are that your nearby small-farm wineries will nonetheless reward a visit. Even if the local vintages are made from unfamiliar grapes or even fruits other than wine, there's still a lot of wine education - and fun - to be had from tasting with the wine maker and touring the facilities to see just how this stuff is made.

You shouldn't have far to go, Even in the East, where the distinct four-season climate may bear little resemblance to the Mediterranean conditions where wine grapes thrive, quite a few wine regions are gaining serious credibility.

New York State (where I'll be judging commercial wine at the State Fair this weekend) is one of the nation's leading wine producers outside the Pacific Coast. Ontario in Canada is famed for its pricey ice wines but actively producing a broader range of table wine. Michigan is gaining real respect for its wines, and Ohio and Virginia claim around 100 wineries each.

Currently there's at least one bonded commercial winery in every state in the U.S. and most Canadian provinces, and virtually all of them reward a visit. Some weekend soon, I urge you to jump in your car, stash any lingering prejudices about local wine in the glove compartment, and head out on the local wine road. Chances are you'll be pleasantly surprised.

WEB LINKS: Creative Googling will uncover scores of Websites with information about wine roads in many parts of the world. Here are just a few favorites to get you started:

• All American Wineries. Honest and non-commercial, North Carolinian Bob Hodge's site is my go-to source for information and links to wineries and wine-tour information across the U.S.:
http://www.allamericanwineries.com/

• Uncork New York, produced by The New York Wine & Grape Foundation:
http://www.newyorkwines.org/

• Michwine, all about Michigan wines, private site produced by old friend and wine enthusiast Joel Goldberg:
http://www.michwine.com/

• Ohio Wine, produced by the Ohio Wine Producers Association.
http://www.ohiowines.org/

• Virginia Wineries, from the Virginia Wine Association.
http://www.virginiawines.org/

• Wines of Ontario, the Ontario Wine Council's guide to the province's wine routes.
http://winesofontario.org/

Now, tying in with today's topic, here are two reports on recently tasted wines from Eastern U.S. producers. Salmon Run is the second label of Konstantin Frank & Sons Vinifera Wine Cellars of Hammondsport, N.Y., one of New York's pioneering wineries, which recently won a Platinum medal for its 2006 Dry Riesling in national competition at Los Angeles; as a result, that wine will be available to California consumers through all the state's Ralph's grocery wine shops, perhaps a first for a Finger Lakes wine.

Today's tasting, the Salmon Run "American" non-vintage Pinot Noir, represents a different side of Eastern wine making: the challenge of weather. Because the successive record-cold winters of 2004 and 2005 severely limited Finger Lakes Pinot Noir production (although Frank's carefully protected vines survived), winery president Frederick Frank said the winery kept up production of the Salmon Run Pinot by blending in some quality Sonoma fruit with Finger Lakes Pinot Noir. The result is an unusual East-West blend but a very good one: We tasted it "blind" against a similarly priced 2005 Bourgogne Pinot Noir, and the Salmon Run showed surprisingly well. Today's second wine is a Seyval Blanc (white French-hybrid variety) from Persimmon Creek, a small but well-regarded winery in North Georgia that's beginning to make a name for itself.



Two from the Eastern U.S.

Salmon Run American Pinot Noir ($13.49)

Salmon Run

Clear ruby in color, its typical Pinot Noir aromas blend ripe red cherries with a cola element that gains presence with time in the glass. Juicy and a bit soft, sufficient acidity shows primarily in the finish. Tasted alongside a decidedly modest 2005 Bourgogne Pinot Noir, this entry was a bit less structured and tannic than the Burgundy, but in all fairness, the wines were much more alike than different. Versatile and food-friendly as you'd expect of a Pinot, it went beautifully with a charcoal-grilled turkey thigh. (June 17, 2007)

WEBSITE:
http://www.drfrankwines.com

WHERE TO FIND THE WINE:
Salmon Run and its parent winery, Dr. Konstantin Frank, has wide albeit spotty distribution around the U.S. Look up "Distributors" on the winery Website,
http://www.drfrankwines.com/drf_store.taf
or check limited online sources on Wine-Searcher.com:
http://www.wine-searcher.com/
find/Salmon%2bRun%2bPinot/-/-/USD/A?referring_site=WLP


Persimmon Creek Vineyards 2006 Georgia Seyval Blanc ($12.99)

Persimmon Creek

This French-hybrid white grape is widely grown in more northerly U.S. and Canadian wine regions, where it is often sold as a legitimate local alternative to Chardonnay. In Georgia's more southerly climes it ripens fully; Persimmon Creek makes it as an aromatic and off-dry white. Transparent and almost watery pale, its aromas focus on white fruit and a distinct whiff of spearmint. It's a bit soft with a hint of sweetness, on the light side at 11% alcohol. Clean, short in the finish, it's a well-made, balanced Seyval, serving well with seafood and fish. (June 13, 2007)

WEBSITE:
http://www.persimmoncreekwine.com

WHERE TO FIND THE WINE:
The greatest challenge for wine lovers seeking wines from small producers in non-traditional wine regions is limited distribution. Under "Where to Find Us," the Persimmon Creek Website lists a number of restaurant and wine shop sources, but only in Georgia. Resources on Wine-Searcher.com are limited:
http://www.wine-searcher.com/
find/Persimmon%2bSeyval/-/-/USD/A?referring_site=WLP


Robert Craig Cellars 2003 Mount Veeder Napa Cabernet Sauvignon ($84 retail, $76 per bottle for half or full case orders by Connoisseurs' Series members)

Robert Craig

Austere and ageworthy, this jewel from Robert Craig is classic Napa Cabernet, very dark reddish-purple with crimson glints in the glass; varietally appropriate blackcurrant aromas gain an accent from integrated oak presenting as a black coffee scent. Black fruit and spice on the palate are shaped by good acidic structure with substantial but silky smooth tannins. Hefty 14.9% alcohol shows a touch of heat in the finish. Very good now, particularly with a good red-meat match and plenty of aeration - it opened up well over a few hours during and after dinner - but it deserves, and will reward, substantial cellar time. Splendid with a medium-rare, pepper-crusted grass-fed local T-bone steak. A total of 1,535 cases were produced. Winery Website: http://www.robertcraigwine.com/ (June 15, 2007)


Highlands Cellar 2003 "Malvolio" Clone 777 Arroyo Grande Valley Pinot Noir ($48 retail, $43 per bottle for half or full case orders by Connoisseurs' Series members)

Malvolio

There's considerable Pinot varietal character in this clear, dark-ruby wine. Ripe red fruit and spicy notes of aromatic cinnamon, heady vinous notes and a distinct touch of cola place it squarely in the "New World" camp, but velvety texture and snappy acidity serve to balance its forward fruit. Significant complexity and flavor interest gain with time in the glass. Considerable potential here, and the flavor invites comparison with Burgundy, albeit Burgs from recent warm-weather vintages. Fine with a juicy, medium-rare steak with plenty of black pepper. Only 250 cases of this limited-production wine were made. Winery Website: http://highlandscellar.com/malvolio.html (June 15, 2007)


Talk About Wine Online

To read and comment on today's column in our non-commercial WineLovers Discussion Group, click:
http://www.wineloverspage.com/forum/village/viewtopic.php?t=8975

Today's article is cross-posted in our Netscape WineLovers Community, where we also welcome comments and questions.
http://community.netscape.com/winelovers?nav=messages&tsn=1&tid=5295

To contact me by E-mail, write wine@wineloverspage.com. I'll respond personally to the extent that time and volume permit.

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This week on WineLoversPage.com

• Italian Wine Guide: Campania's Great Whites
From Naples to the Amalfi Coast, Campania is known for many things. But the wines from this region have never become as celebrated as those from other parts of Italy; and that's a shame, as some of Italy's finest wines come from Campania.
http://www.wineloverspage.com/italwineguide/campania07.phtml

• Wine Video Watch: Napa Tasting in Paris
The Napa Vintners Association held tastings of wines, olive oil, almonds and dates in Paris, and WineLoversPage.com correspondents captured a quick video of the event at the U.S. Ambassador's residence. Click the top video link to watch it ... and stay to browse the rest.
http://www.wineloverspage.com/winevideo/

• Our Internet radio "TalkShoe": BBQ and Wine, Better than Beer?
What exactly is barbecue? Cooking with smoke? Cooking with sauce? Or simply cooking out of doors? We'll be talking 'cue, and the drinks to go with it, on our next live TalkShoe on Saturday, June 23, at 1 p.m. US EDT (2 p.m. in Argentina and 19:00 in Western Europe).
http://wineloverspage.com/talkshoe/
If you missed last Saturday's Talkshoe on the wines of Argentina, you can still tune it in, and audition all our archived editions with streaming audio online. Click to listen:
http://wineloverspage.com/talkshoe/latest.htm

• WineLovers Discussion Group: How do you organize your wine collection?
Whether you have a massive cellar or just a collection of a few prized bottles on a wine rack, as soon as you have more than a couple of dozen wines, organization becomes an issue. Sort them by grape? Region? Age? Or just throw them in at random. Our WineLovers Discussion Group is talking about cellar organization.
http://www.wineloverspage.com/forum/village/viewtopic.php?t=8900

• Netscape/Compuserve Community Poll: About Sherry
There's been a lot of enthusiasm about this month's Wine Focus topic on Sherry, as many wine lovers are fond of this Spanish fortified wine. It's somewhat controversial, though, as many others find Sherry's idiosyncratic style offputting. Where do you stand on Sherry? This week's CompuServe/Netscape forum poll offers you the opportunity to take your stand ... and tell us why.
http://community.netscape.com/winelovers?nav=messages&tsn=1&tid=5294



Last Week's Wine Advisor Index

The Wine Advisor's daily edition is usually distributed on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays (and, for those who subscribe, the FoodLetter on Thursdays). Here's the index to last week's columns:

• Fragrant Oloroso (June 15, 2006)
http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor2/tswa20070615.php

• Geology on the label (June 13, 2006)
http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor2/tswa20070613.php

• A fresh look at Duboeuf (June 11, 2006)
http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor2/tswa20070611.php

• Complete 30 Second Wine Advisor archive:
http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor2/archives.php

• Wine Advisor FoodLetter: Pork chops to go with Sherry (June 14, 2006)
http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor2/food/tsfl20070614.php

• Wine Advisor Foodletter archive:
http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor2/food/archives.php