While drinking a bottle of Vietti Arneis the other night I was reminded of a sweet story about the most recent history of Arneis. It goes something like this...So two guys were sitting in a bar....NO, that's not the one.

Wait, let me think....what of Arneis?

Arneis is a grape variety that is particularly close to the history of Vietti because they produced the first Arneis as we know it today. In 1967, Luca's father Alfredo was looking for a white wine but he didn't want to plant Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc.

He remembered there was this very, very old variety, Arneis, but the wine was always sweet, like a Moscato, although not as aromatic. It was also blended with Nebbiolo to make a summer rosé wine, and was called vino de la suocera the wine of the mother-in-law, but it was a terrbile rosé as the Nebbiolo gave it too much tannin.

Much time was spent to find a source for this grape, but it was nearly impossible to find because there were literally no vineyards devoted to Arneis. The variety had all but disappeared with a few vines here and there. Plus, he couldn't just go from grower to grower asking for grapes because farmers were a suspicious lot in this area at the time and with very close family ties, so if the farmer didn't know you, well..... niente.

And then the great idea!

Luca's mother went to the priest of the town where this Arneis was grown and she asked him, "Please introduce us to the farmers of this variety", because it was known if you get the introduction and the presentation from the priest, all the farmers will open their doors.

The priest, who was also their friend, was a wine lover. Let's say a very good drinker. In Italy there is an expression 'happy priest', and so he was.

So it happened one Sunday over 40 years ago during harvest as farmers were attending Sunday mass, because they wanted to and because they needed to because you just can't not go to church during harvest, when midway through Mass the priest starts to talk about wine, and all the farmers look to one another each thinking to themselves '"The priest, he is worse than usual He is already drunk @ 10 o'clock in the morning. What is happening?"

However, the priest was not drunk, and what he had to say to the farmers was this, "It's okay for you to harvest the nebbia bianca before you come to church. Bring your grapes because someone will buy them", (nebbia bianca in Piemontese dialect means 'white nebbiolo', and was used at the time to refer to the grape variety now known as Arneis).

And so in 1967 Alfredo was there the very next Sunday with his tractor and the farmers brought their grapes. He was able to do the first vinification of Arneis dry as it is today. Everybody loved it. The Robert Parker of the time wrote full pages in the food sections of the Corriere della Sera, much like the NYT in America, of the birth of a new white wine-- the Arneis.

The end.

FYI-

There are DOC and DOCG Arneis. Vietti is DOCG, 100% estate everything, and is made much like in the old way with a longer maceration- almost 12 hours and very unusual for a white wine, followed by a long fermentation on the lees.

The wine stays in cement vats that keep a perfect temperature. No oak.

The wine becomes very floral and very fruity, but more rich and with big structure and lovely body.

2008 is the current vintage, but his 2007 bottling was delicious just the other night. Vietti , with its super low yields (I can't think of another with such low yields @ 1.5 tons/acre), makes a great style of Arneis that can age for at least 3 years.

Italy doesn't really have a cocktail wine. All the wine goes with the food. So first off, Arneis is like an apertivo, where you go to the bar and while you are waiting for dinner you have a glass of Arneis. It's also terrific with dinner- salad, poultry, pasta with a nice ragu.

Now I am hungry and very thirsty.

The end.

it's still summer and i'm not done drinking rosé

Not that I'm just going to stop drinking them once fall starts, it's just I'm not ready for fall to arrive. Why should I be- it's only the first week of September and it's gonna be 90 degrees today. Which makes me very thirsty.

When it's so hot outside (and inside) I try to think cool thoughts to keep the temperature down in my mind. Which got me thinking about the awesome trip to Spain's Castilla y León region last February (thank you again Bob, Matt, Classical Wines of Spain and Junta de Castilla y León).

Castilla is considered the fountainhead of Spanish culture. This is where it all began after the Christians drove out the Moors, aided in part by vast under ground passages that still exist and today play a role in Spanish wine making. There are five particular wine districts that settle on or near the great river Duero- Ribera del Duero, Cigales, Rueda, Toro and on the very far reaches of its border El Bierzo.

So, my cool thought for today has taken me to Cigales, land of rosado wine. Just north of Valladolid it's arid looking and flat. Nothing modern here just super rural and agricultural, but the coolest thing about it is the zarceras (chimneys) that dot the landscape, seeming to push up and out of the earth, each marking an underground cellar. Local growers have traditionally made extraordinarily good rosados in these perfectly temperature-controlled underground cellars for hundreds of years.

The main grapes are Tinto del País (local name for Tempranillo), Garnacha Tinta, Garnacha Gris, Verdejo and Albillo. The DO Cigales was established in 1991. Rosado Cigales can only be released after December 31st the year following the harvest. There are white grapes but no white wines made in the area.

While they are not well known here in the States, they are consumed with gusto in northern Spain and in my back yard. These wines are simple, fresh and delicious--giving great pleasure.

Rosados here come in many shades of pink to nearly red which is also quite traditional.

At Bodegas Gonzales Lara, whose 2008 Fuente del Conde Rosado is chilling right now in my fridge, the rosado is quite dark and typically served in a red wine glass. I swear this wine just gets better in the bottle. Fresh red fruits scream with a bite of chorizo.

So, grab some chorizo, a little sheep's cheese, olives, lamb, even something from the sea, and a cool cheers to you to these last days of summer.

Chill wines for hot times

It's been a scorching record-breaking mutha-effing heat wave around here lately and many people are asking me which wines to put on the table that might offer the most relief. Here are a couple thoughts for you.

One thing I think of first is freshness. Secondly, good acidity that just makes your mouth water. Lastly, and 99% of the time, NO OAK.

The following is only a guideline and in no way complete, but it's certainly a good start as you head to the store to reload.

-Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc from Northern Italy's Alto Adige

-crisp Riesling from Germany's Mosel region but stick with entry level QBA as opposed to Kabinett, Spatlese, etc. for these high heat times

-Txakolina from Spain's Basque region and its sister Txakolina Rose if you can find it-awesome,

- crisp Chablis from France not California

- Austria's Gruner Veltliner- may be the only white wine that sings with your artichokes and asparagus

- Portugal's Vinho Verde- too easy to drink and enjoy

- windswept crisp white blends from France's Ventoux

- Loire Valley whites and rose'

- Rose'- rose' is delicious any time of the year, but most people only reach for it during the summer. Maybe it'll garner a more prominent place at the table year round since it's gonna save your butt during this heat wave. The darkness or lightness of the color of Rose' is not that important to me. I do love the pinks from southern France, southern Italy and northern Spain. Definitely Champagne- but that's another story for another time.

- From Italy's Veneto region- Prosecco, made from the grape of the same name. This sparkling will charm you with its easy ways. If you're feeling even more festive, fill a big wine glass with ice, pour in a jigger of Aperol, a few jiggers of Prosecco, a splash of soda, then get yourself a plate of olives or other snack, sit, relax, and enjoy the day with this delightful Italian cocktail.

Okay, that's it in a nutshell. I'd love to hear of your favorites. Stay cool.

Oh, one other killer non-alcoholic drink I had the other day at EVOO on SE Hawthorne was the Elderberry Flower Spritzer. Refreshing and not sweet. Just the Elderberry and sparkling water-that's it.
I think the Elderberry potion is available from Provvista. www.provvista.com

A story and a song from Alejandro Fernandez -- Pesquera, Spain 2009

Earth,Wind & Food- an ode to Spring 2009

We're off to a beautiful start to our summer. It follows what was for me, a spring to savor as well.

Of course, the weather was crap -wet, rainy and cold. But I put on my most durable SAD shield and headed out the door in early March to build a couple of raised beds. With help from my friend Jen we finished three new beds in a day. Man, it felt so good and satisfying to build something again. And they were level!

When I was a kid I spent countless hours hanging out with my dad in his workshop watching him, helping him, just being with him. Before I was born he built our house, added on to it when Twin and I were born (kids five and six), surrounded it with a beautiful deck and outdoor patio as well as a pool (where I got a lot of exercise, running from Twin chasing me around in it), and a huge garden on our half-acre. I still cherish those days as well.

After building the beds, I consulted my Moon Sign Book and started my indoor seed planting. Nothing fancy, just dirt, seeds and water. Stuff was sprouting in six days. Awesome.

So Spring is going along nicely until one Saturday in early May when one minute we're lazily choosing a movie to see that night and the next we're flying around the house slamming windows shut from the 70-mile-an-hour sideways wind and rain. And then, the 50-foot pine tree between our house and the neighbor's unleashes itself from the earth, falling against the neighbor's house, shredding their new roof and gutters as it slides down, where it finally crashes to the ground impaling its limbs 5-6 feet deep into the earth. Silence.
Eventually, as the shock wore off, we called our neighbor at work and left a short message to prepare her. She's a trooper. Later we Skyped her husband, who was in Georgia, with the news and views.

Of course, we scrapped the movie and and consoled ourselves with the most delicious cuvee of Deutz NV Champagne. These guys have never made a better tasting NV than in the last few years. Lots of good things going on at Deutz these days.

We continued to nourish ourselves with fresh morels in creamy pasta with the most tender pieces of chicken, and washed it all down with one of my favorite white burgundies for drinking right now- 2006 JM Boillot Montagny 1er Cru-deliciously delivering all the wonderful attributes of the vintage with its nice minerality, acidity and fruit.

By the end of May things had chilled, but thankfully not the weather. We had a beautiful three-day Memorial weekend. Lots of fresh homemade Ricotta, spring antipasti with fresh vegetables from the garden, great company and fantastic wines every day- 1998 Aubry de Humbert(maturing beautifully-delicious), 2007 Schloss Gobelsburg Gruner Renner (a new revelation), 1995 Altesino Riserva ( gorgeous; Brunello magic, ) and a delightful rose' from the Basque DO Getariako Txakolina (one of the tastiest of the season)- to reminisce.

These wines and the company they keep are the very heart and soul of why I do what I do each and every day. Life itself.
Click here to view photo gallery.

First French Breakfast Radishes of the season

hhhmmmmmmm.....now, and maybe tonight's antipasto plate.

Happy Mother's Day

9:15 am

10:30 am

2:30pm

the greasy beast

Ahhhhhhhhh, the life of the bottlerunner. Lots of time in the car.

Many times I keep fueled up with the gastronomic gifts of my friend Vito DiLullo. This time around he sent me on my way with a porchetta panino.

Porchetta, originally from the outskirts of Rome, is a gutted pig filled with stuffing and fresh, wild herbs then slow roasted on high heat for hours.

Today's version was from Vito's 5th anniversary party at his place -CiaoVito- and like any worthy Italian meal, there were plenty of welcome leftovers.

And today, for me, lunch.

Crackling on the outside and tender and moist on the inside with big, fresh bread and a little mustard.

Thanks man.

2007 Oregon Pinot Noir - no b.s.

2007 is my kind of Oregon Pinot Noir vintage. It fits my Pinot Noir sensibility- it's classic with it's red fruits, minerality, healthy acid and aging ability. I am enjoying my favorite producer's 2007s and buying some to lay down cause I think they're going to be a lot of fun in the next 5-10 years.
So what's the deal with all the downer press about the vintage? What in the heck are people apologizing for?

I reached out to one of Oregon's favorite winemakers with 15+ harvests under his belt, for a clue. Here's what he had to say:

'H.S. came up for his annual visit to Oregon, and the forecast for the next two days was ten inches of rain in four days.

But let's back up.

Here in Oregon the saying goes " When the St. Paul Rodeo happens, it's summertime". But it never happened. It stayed cloudy and cool. Squirrels were gathering nuts in July, yellow jackets disappeared and leaves turned brown in August. For the grapes- super slow maturation.
So, H.S. comes up, sees the forecast and starts asking "Well, what do you think?". And, unlike the Burgundians or Californians, Oregonians are a blatantly honest lot when it comes to spinning on vintages, and pretty much said what they thought at the time "F---, we're screwed". Dick Shea threatened to build an arc.

So, H.S. returns home and blogs just this-- many, many times-- and people read as much.

Yet, on September 28th the cool weather and the rain came, but in reality that ten inches of rain was only two inches, which is pretty normal around here. It stayed pretty cool and cloudy for the rest of the year, and the sun never really came back till the end of November.

Rain happens every year in Oregon. It's just what happens. Yet some winemakers, whether too new or just inexperienced, ran out and picked all their fruit before the rain came. What they got was green seeds, astringent characters and herbaceous flavors. Sugars might have been okay, but the flavors weren't there.

Not the case for the winemakers who were patient and waited to pick. On September 28th the rains started, mostly coming in fits and starts and, because it was such a dry year, was never enough to really soak the ground, and it wasn't enough to get down to the roots so the plant could soak up the water and dilute the fruit. Therefore dilution didn't happen. The other thing that didn't happen was rot because it was too cool for botrytis to grow. So, unlike 1997 where it started raining and it was also 75F and rot spread, it stayed cool.

No dilution and no botrytis. And even without the sun physiological maturity still happened because the vine still thinks 'I've got to ripen my seeds so I can drop them on the ground and grow another plant'. So the seeds did turn brown and flavors went from green banana and herbal to red currant, raspberry and strawberry- the red fruit flavor spectrum-- and the skins started to get a little more physiological ripeness. Just what 2007 needed'.

H.S. never writes the rest of the story.

Finally, one last thought about Oregon's 2007 Pinot Noir from winemaker Josh Bergstrom- " I kind of think great Oregon winemakers have a Bode Miller ski approach to how they make wine, which is either crash and burn or gold medal. And I think 2007 is the vintage for that".

There you have it.

Although many consumers enjoy the higher alcohol and more densely fruity Pinots from a typical Oregon vintage, I am thoroughly enjoying classic red fruits, minerality, refreshing acidity and 12-14.5 % alcohol patiently delivered by many of my favorite Oregon producers of 2007 Pinot Noir, and I look forward to drinking them with another 5-10 years of age on them.

orujo

When I was a kid my dad kept a bottle of Galliano in the living room closet. It was a tall, narrow space perfect to accommodate the bottles' height, but it was also side by side with his putter, a few golf balls, and that little silvery disc thing you hit the golf balls into. Nice combo dad. But I loved the look of that liquid and the shape of the bottle. To this day it's not uncommon to be offered a Harvey Wallbanger should you stop by.

But I digress- just a little. I love cordials, liqueurs and spirits. I love the taste, the labels, the stories, and the cool bottles.
I was really excited last summer when our first batch of Boroli Chinato showed up. I grabbed a bottle, jumped in the car, picked up a bag of ice and a bottle of soda, and drove from account to account making one of my favorite warm -weather cocktails for my friends and customers. A very good day.

Again I digress. Sorry.

So on this last trip to Spain we found ourselves in Bierzo, in the town of Villafrancha, at the end of a long lunch in a warm, smoked-filled room. Our gracious hosts brought out for us an after-meal drink, a local favorite- Orujo. Just the thing to resuscitate us.

Made since the 16th century in Galicia in the northwestern part of Spain, and found in many other areas such as Cantabria and Castilla y Leon, Orujo is now twenty years into an artisan renaissance. It is known in other parts of the world as 'grappa' in Italy, 'marc' in France, and 'pisco' in Peru.

Produced from the distillation of grape pomace where the grape skins, seeds and stalks are fermented in open vats and then distilled in an alambique (copper pot) by a poteiro ( Orujo distiller). The spirit is colorless unless aged in oak where it then takes on an amber color. The pomace can also be distilled with herbs which are added during the distillation process then later all is macerated.

The typical Orujo is fiery and 100 proof. We drank one made from cilantro. It was neon green and man was it intense- in a pleasant, rounded way. Other favorites were the Orujo de Cafe and the Orujo de Crema- a white coffee look-a-like with aromas of vanilla and toffee, and a fine cream on the palate. All were served over a single cube of ice.

I think you can get these on the east coast, and I carted a few bottles home from Spain. I'll keep looking for a local purveyor. It's worth it.

Alejandro Fernandez and Pesquera

a few weeks ago i finally met Spain's wine icon-- Alejandro Fernandez.. i was two days into a trip to Castilla y Leon, and for me, after meeting Alejandro and spending time with him and his daughters, the trip could have ended there and i would have been content.

to sum up Alejandro Fernandez and Pesquera Ribera del Duero-- if the man had been born in France he'd be considered the greatest winemaker in the world.







sunset at Pesquera