30 Second Wine Advisor: Mild-mannered Gewurz

Today's Sponsor

Rioja is pure genius for wine lovers
For people who love wine, novices and experts alike, Rioja is a guaranteed choice - in fact, pure genius.
Vibrant Rioja

Mild-mannered Gewurz

Look! Up in the sky!

Remember those excited opening lines of Superman? "It's a bird! It's a plane!" I always wondered why people got so excited about a bird or a plane, but I guess it was a simpler time.

Ultimately, though, it all came back to Clark Kent, a mild-mannered reporter at a major metropolitan newspaper, who'd don his tights and fly out for truth, justice and the American way when duty called, but who spent most of his time being, well, mild-mannered.

Today's wine is something like that, too. Gewürztraminer is not a wine that I choose often, and that's frankly because it's rarely anything like mild-mannered. Call it a Technicolor movie of wines, a TV show with the volume turned way up, your Uncle Charlie who wears bright plaid suits with paisley shirts and polka-dotted ties. I like my wines elegant and subtle, mostly, and Gewurz is generally loud.

But today's wine, an unfortunately hard-to-find Gewurz from California's Castoro Cellars, turns the usual image of the grape on its head. Varietally correct but balanced, Castoro Cellars 2010 Paso Robles Gewürztraminer stylishly avoids the over-the-top aromatic abundance that's too typical of the way many producers handle this grape.

It's a very good wine - you'll find my tasting notes below. But there's bad news: Castoro's Gewuerz is made in tiny quantities, and the California Wine Club's allocation has apparently used up the entire world supply. It is still in stock, with the caveats that it's available only to Club members and only in case or half-case lots, although those cases may comprise a mixed selection of Club offerings. Check the tasting notes below for information about The California Wine Club and to browse the databases at Wine-Searcher.com for Castoro Cellars' other, more available wines.


Wine Focus on Cabernet Franc

November has arrived, and that means we've moved on to a new Wine Focus topic in our WineLovers Discussion Group.

You're invited to join our friendly international crowd of online wine lovers as we taste and talk about this French-born grape that's often used in blending but nowadays inreasingly shows up in single-varietal wines. To participate in the conversation, simply click to the forum topic "November: Cab Franc for Wine Focus!"

All forum discussions are open for public viewing, but you must register to post your comments and participate actively in the conversation. Registration is free and easy; we ask only that you join following our Real Names Real Format system. For your user name, enter your real name in the format "John Doe" or "John D", with the capital letters and the space.

Having a real name on your name tag is so important to us that all non-conforming registrations will be quietly discarded. Redemption is possible, though. If you overlook this rule and get no response to your registration, feel free to contact me personally by Email at wine@wineloverspage.com, and we'll sort it out.

Once your registration has been approved, which usually happens quickly with correctly formed user names, you'll be able to participate in Wine Focus and in all our online wine and food forums.


Today's Tasting Report

Castoro Cellars 2010 Paso Robles Gewürztraminer

Castoro

Transparent, very pale gold. Varietally correct, elegant, pears and apples and subtle whiffs of peach and litchee. On the palate it's medium-bodied, crisp and dry; clean fruit favors that the nose with tart acidity, stylishly moderate 12.5% alcohol, and a distinct touch of peach-pit bitterness that adds to its firm structure. Its blend adds 15% Viognier and 8% Muscat Canelli to the mix for added complexity. (Oct. 19, 2011)

FOOD MATCH: The exotic aromas and flavors of Gewurz do make it a natural with Asian fare; we paired it with Sichuan-style pan-fried tofu with sesame-peanut sauce over stir-fried baby bok choy and onions. This one is much more versatile, though, and would make a great match with pork, poultry and seafood.

VALUE: This is an exceptionally stylish Gewurz, well worth the mid-teens price when you can find it, and a noteworthy bargain at The California Wine Club's current $10.99 restocking price for club members.

WHEN TO DRINK: The winery recommends drinking it within the coming year, and I think that's good advice, although Gewurz can age unexpectedly well, so don't pitch it without tasting it if you should "lose" a bottle or two.

WEB LINK: Here's a link to the Castoro Cellars website.

FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
The California Wine Club offers Castoro Gewurz in case lots to members (including new members) at this link.

Check out Wine-Searcher.com for a broad selection of all Castoro Cellars' wines.


Today's Sponsor

Rioja is pure genius for wine lovers

Vibrant RiojaFor people who love wine, novices and experts alike, Rioja is a guaranteed choice - in fact, pure genius.

Why? For starters, there's a style for every occasion, taste and budget, from crisp whites to refreshing rosés to robust reds, all at great value (very affordable).

Wait, there's more - every Rioja is ready to drink when purchased, providing instant gratification.

Not to mention, Rioja wines are considered by many chefs and sommeliers to be the best food-pairing wines on Earth, created to enhance food, not overwhelm the flavors.

Need more reasons? The quality is guaranteed by the DOCa Rioja, the government body overseeing production of every bottle with the highest standards, ensuring every sip will satisfy.

Try a Rioja today and discover why Rioja is pure genius. Rioja wines make great gifts too - don't be afraid to share the love!

Visit us at www.VibrantRioja.com, join the community, and enter to win a case of Rioja.


Talk About Wine Online

If you have questions, comments or ideas to share about today's article or wine in general, you're always welcome to drop by our online WineLovers Discussion Group, the Internet's first and still the most civil online community. To find our forums, click:
http://www.wineloverspage.com/forum/village

Discussions are open for public viewing, but you must register to post. Registration is free and easy; we ask only that you join following our Real Names Real Format system, using your real name in the format "John Doe" or "John D". Anonymous, cryptic or first-name-only registrations are discarded without notice.

Once your registration has been approved, which usually happens quickly, you'll be able to participate in all our online wine, food and travel forums.

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


Subscriptions and Administrivia

Unsubscribe:
We're sorry if you must leave us, but simply click the "unsubscribe"
link at the bottom of your Email edition to be instantly removed from the mailing list.

Change address:
The quickest and easiest way to change your Email address is simply to register anew, using the link below. If you are keeping your old address but no longer wish to get the Wine Advisor there, click the unsubscribe link below to take it off our list; if you are closing the mailbox, you needn't take any action, as our system will delete your old address as soon as the mail to your old address starts to "bounce."

Subscribe to this Email edition (free):
http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor

WineLoversPage.com RSS Feed (free):
http://feeds.feedburner.com/wineloverspage/tzva

Wine Advisor Archives:
http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor2/archives.php

Sponsorship Opportunities:
For information, E-mail wine@wineloverspage.com