Jane Garvey’s Monthly Dozen: Summer Foods & Wines

Tasting Note:
The winery is based in Anderson Valley, in western Mendocino County, northern California. The county lies along the Pacific Ocean, and gets cooling breezes from that source. The Elke family has grown fruit in Anderson Valley for such classic California sparklers as Mumm Napa and Roederer Estate. The grapes for this wine–60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Noir–come from select vineyards in Mendocino County. The wine’s pale yellow color offers lovely eye appeal, while the aromas suggest apple, pear and the scent of honey, which also is picked up on the palate. Fuji apple and pear shape the flavor profile, which concludes with a clean, crisp streak of acidity. Alcohol is just 12.5%. Delectable and very food friendly, the wine should be served at about 55F/13C, and we like it best in white wine glasses, but you can use flutes if you wish. This small winery only turns out about 2000 cases a year total.

Suggested Food Pairings:
Great with our cured salmon above; smoked trout; Asian fare that’s not too spicy; cocktail-size crab cakes; creamy chilled soups; ceviche, chilled raw or lightly roasted oysters with a minced apple mignionette, cold peach soup and other cold soups.

Distributors:
Big Boat Wine Co. (Note: Order in advance)

$25.00

Tasting Note:
Named for one of Italy’s greatest painters, Tiziano Vicellio, this outfit produces both a Pinot Grigio and a Chianti, either one excellent values. The Pinot Grigio is grown in the Veneto, the zone around Verona and Treviso. I don’t typically care for many of the Pinot Grigio wines from this area, as I find them flabby, lacking acidity and character. Might as well drink water. Not this one. It has good acidity, so the finish is crisp and the slight fruit sweetness it shows is not cloying. And it represents good value, making it delightful for a summer pool party. Light-to-medium-bodied, the wine shows a greenish yellow color and aromas of ripe banana and summer flowers. On the palate, pear and apricot/peach intersect with a touch of Fuji apple in the long, clean finish. Quite a lot of wine for the money. Winery recommends serving at 50F/10C, but I find that a mite too cold for my preferences. So I drink this wine at about 55-60F/13-15C in a medium-sized tulip-shaped glass.

Suggested Food Pairings:
Shrimp ceviche with fresh herbs, minced scallion; cured salmon with fresh dill, dill/yogurt sauce; wraps with chicken salad, fresh slivered carrots, lettuce and sprouts; carpaccio of scallop with lemon and olive oil, white pepper, arugula; white bean salad (cannelini beans) with fresh herbs, minced bell peppers, celery, scallion, lemon, olive oil, Russian salad (fresh peas, minced radishes, crisply cooked carrots cut into small cubes; green beans cut into small pieces, tiny shrimp, corn, minced scallions, minced celery, bell pepper, mayonnaise/sour cream).

Distributors:
Atlanta Wholesale Wine/NDC

$9.00

Tasting Note:
From Italy’s far northeast, the Friuli-Venezia-Giulia, comes this unusual grape that we don’t see very often in this part of the world. Ribolla Gialla (yellow). It comes from Greece through Slovenia, which is immediately adjacent to Italy’s northeast border, and while it had diminished substantially through the 1990s, now is being replanted again with enthusiasm. And rightly so. Although most are light bodied, this example, showing a greenish yellow color, veers toward medium-bodied but shows the grape’s classic floral aromas and citrus notes. A good bit of white melon fills out the palate, and the acidity provides a cleansing, bracing aspect of the wine. This example also sees no oak, which is appropriate for a hot summer’s day wine. I don’t think it would be fun oaked even in the dead of winter, though. Serve it chilled, about 50F/10C in medium tulip-shaped glasses.

Suggested Food Pairings:
Elote callejero (Mexican-style grilled ears of corn with queso cotijo, mayonnaise, chili and lime); fried fish tacos with jícama slaw; grilled chicken salad with grilled corn, avocado chunks and mild chili mayonnaise dressing; fried chicken wings or strips with honey mayonnaise.

Distributors:
Prime Wine & Spirits

$24.00

Tasting Note:
Located in northern Portugal, Vinho Verde is that country’s largest wine-growing region. Made typically from alvarinho (called albariño in Spain’s Galicia), these wines are light and refreshing, moderate in alcohol–this example is 9.5%–and usually show a light pétillance or sparkle, as this one also does. Light-bodied and showing a pale yellow color, the wine opens with a vigorous pétillance as soon as it splashes into the glass. Aromatic, with hints of lemon drop and stone fruits, the wine presents a palate that continues the stone fruit characters (white stone fruit chiefly) and finishes with a touch of guava. Some nuttiness–almond–adds interest to both the aromas and the flavors. Clean, crisp and dry in the finish, this is a stellar example of the genre. Serve well chilled, about 45F/7C, and use a medium-sized tulip-shaped white wine glass. Do not cellar.

Suggested Food Pairings:
Cured salmon with yogurt/dll sauce; cold white bean salad with red onion, Italian parsley, lemon-oil vinaigrette; shrimp ceviche with Key lime juice; calamari ceviche with cilantro, lime juice and just a hint of hot pepper, bacalao croquetas with cream sauce (Three Blind Mice in Lilburn); pasta salad with crunchy vegetables, creamy dressing and black olives; grilled or poached chlled scallops with remoulade sauce; couscous salad with feta and black olives, Many Folds Farm (South Fulton County) sheep’s milk Brebis, mild plain goat cheese (Mussgenug, CalyRoad Creamery, Decimal.Point or CapraGia–all from Georgia. Avoid herbed or flavored cheeses–comes off unpleasantly bitter with this wine.

Distributors:
Big Boat Wine Co.

$11.00

Tasting Note:
New Zealand Rieslings can be absolutely awesome, often reminding one of German Rieslings, just with not quite the minerality of the latter. But you’ll find plenty of the other characters we look for in a Riesling–beginning with the slight petrol character that does take some getting used to but that the Riesling fanatic finds essential. This example, made from Central Otago fruit on New Zealand’s South Island, exhibits a bright medium golden straw color. Get past that fusil oil character in the aromas, which I love by the w ay, and you’ll find fleshy yellow stone fruit and citrus flavors with great acidity and a really peachy conclusion. That’s all classic for Riesling. Good Riesling. Brisk acidity, and moderate alcohol, which all good Riesling should have, make food pairing easy. Serve moderately chilled, about 60F/15C in medium-sized tulip-shaped glasses.

Suggested Food Pairings:
Likes assertively flavored foods; spice but not heat. Chilled, poached sockeye salmon with saffron mayonnaise; grilled bratwurst with caramelized onions and Düsseldorf or Dijon mustard; salad of grilled chicken breast and peaches with a citrus vinaigrette; poached, chilled chicken breast with curried yogurt dressing, almonds, celery and apples; smoked white fish, tandoori chicken, butternut squash ravioli with brown butter and toasted pine nuts, tacos filled with carnitas and mild green salsa.

Distributors:
Empire Distributing

$17.00

Tasting Note:
A native Greek red wine grape, Agiorgitiko, grown in the mountains zones near Nemea in the Peloponnisos, provides this full-bodied dry (very little residual sugar) rosé. Wines from this region were known in classical times. The 14-18h part of its name references the fact that the juice is macerated on the skins between 14 and 18 hours. The light red color of this wine shows hints of blue tones, typical of this grape, and the aromas present aromas of red fruits, especially red cherries. Red fruits dominate the flavors, which add some spice notes to the mix. The long finish is rewardingly refreshing. Moderate alcohol at about 13.5%. Good acidity lends balance with the bit of residual sugar, leaving the palate with a sensation of dryness. Handsomely done. The winery recommends 45F/7C, but I would prefer it a bit warmer. Do not cellar.

Suggested Food Pairings:
Splendid with roasted red snapper and grilled tomato halves, eggplant rounds and zucchini (tasted at Kyma); moderately spicy salamis, including the uncured dry chorizo from Colameco’s Primo Naturale at Whole Foods, pizza with tomato sauce, cheese, pepperoni and Italian sausage; grilled chicken, fish and vegetables; blended milk cheeses (cow, sheep and goat); wraps with turkey and/or ham; grilled ham steak; muffaletta (E. 48th Street Italian Market); ham croquettes; ribs with a spicy Memphis-style rub or thick Kansas City-style barbecue sauce; fajitas with shrimp, chicken, beef or pork; legume-based salads.

Distributors:
United Distributors

$16.00

Tasting Note:
The northernmost part of Italy used to be part of Austria, and still today one finds there lots of German influences in the food, the names and the approach to winemaking. Known as the Südatirol or Alto Adige, this region produces some of Italy’s most interesting wines. Lagrein is a grape that we see little of in this country, but it is a mainstay grape in this region, and is related to more familiar Syrah and Pinot Noir. It makes deeply colored red wines, so the rosé comes across as a light decidedly ruby red, rather than pink, wine. Aromas hit on red berry/sour cherry characters, with some floral notes. Fresh red fruit flavors define the palate, which gets added interest from a slightly bitter note in the finish. This grape is tannic, so the rosé has a good bit of grip, great for pairing with food. The ample mid-palate picks up some spice notes. Serve this wine young, within two years of harvest, and chill it to about 55-60F/13-15C. Use a medium-sized tu lip-shaped glass.

Suggested Food Pairings:
Well-seasoned fare, such as barbecued chicken wings; pâtés and terrines, cured meats; grilled sausages; kabobs with chicken or lamb, smoked meats, including chicken, ribs glazed with dark cherry barbecue sauce.

Distributors:
Quality Wine & Spirits

$20.00

Tasting Note:
From Cariñena, a Denominación de Origen located in Zaragoza in the ancient kingdom of Aragón, this wine is entirely made from the Garnacha grape, which is the most widely planted in this region. An intense, deeply colored purple red medium-bodied wine, this Garnacha is designed to be drunk young and fresh, and may be served lightly chilled–iin other words, an ideal wine for a hot weather red. The wine emphasizes fruit, especially black plums, with a hint of dried herb in both the aromas and the finish. Vineyards are located at high mountain altitudes, a cool climate factor that helps preserve acidity and intensify fruit. Moderate alcohol: 12.5%. Serve moderately chilled, about 65F/17C in medium-sized tulip-shaped glasses. Great value. The 2009 vintage, most worthy, is still on shelves in Atlanta. The 2009 currently is still in wide distribution in the Atlanta area, and is excellent as well. Not for cellaring.

Suggested Food Pairings:
Platters of well-flavored cured meats, such as sorpressata, chorizo (the dried, uncured chorizo from Colameco’s Primo Naturale is excellent with this); serrano ham; lomo, grilled mild Italian sausage with fennel; tomato-based dishes; caponata (eggplant, tomato–served cold); legume-based dishes; grilled medium-rare lamb shoulder chop; ribs and other barbecue; grilled duck legs brushed with melted black plum jam thinned with some of the wine; ribs with a spicy Memphis-style rub and either Kansas City-sytle or Memphis-style barbecue sauce (burnt Fork BBQ, Decatur); pasta salads with black olives, feta cheese and creamy dressing; assorted Spanish cheeses (sheep’s milk cheeses such as Manchego, Córdoba; goat-milk based cheeses); dark chocolate torte.

Distributors:
National Distributing

$10.00

Tasting Note:
Bonarda, whatever it is, used to be the most widely planted red wine grape in Argentina because of its propensity for big yields if heavily watered. As Malbec surged, Bonarda’s light began to dim because tt wound up so often in bulk wines along with Criolla. But now it’s beginning to get its day in the sun, as growing techniques and vinification methods bring out its bountiful flavors. This example is a medium-bodied dry red wine that sees no oak. Nor does it need any. The grapes are from 30-year-old vines, so their small berries deliver great intensity. Because it’s still undiscovered by the public, wines made from Bonarda deliver excellent value, especially as prices rise for Malbec. This example presents a medium-bodied dry red wine that offers a deep, intensely colored purple red color and loads of fresh dark fruit aromas touched with vanilla. Forward fruit is balanced by good acidity so while you get flavors of rich, dark fruit marmalades, your palate doesn’t feel ambushed by an overdose of fruit. Solid work, the wine sees no time in oak. Serve at cool temperatures, about 65F/17C or lower in medium-sized tulip-shaped glasses.

Suggested Food Pairings:
Burgers with cheese and all the trimmngs, ribs with a spicy dry rub and Kansas City-style sauce (Burnt Fork BBQ, Decatur), duck leg rubbed with five spice powder, roasted over hardwood (use indirect method) and brushed with a melted dark fruit jam; chili; mole poblano; any red meat cooked over a fire, dark chocolate.

Distributors:
Empire Distributing

$10.00

Tasting Note:
Among red wines for summer enjoyment, Beaujolais ranks among my top five choices. Amenable to light chilling–in fact, it demands it no matter the weather–Beaujolais is pronounced bow –like hair bow not like bending from the waist–jho-lay, NOT bu-jho-lay. Both the region and the wine merit more serious attention from American wine consumers than they typically get. This is one of my three tests if someone tells me he or she is a “connoisseur.” Don’t like a good Beaujolais? Then your “connoisseur” credentials are suspect. (The other two are Riesling and rosé.) Moreover, the landscape, the food and the charm of the region are superb. This example comes from a producer who has been dong Beaujolais for generations, and the vines range from 50 to 100 years old. Right there, that makes a difference. Light-medium bodied, this dry red wine shows a medium deep purple color, and floral and fruit aromas, will flavors that present a wide range of frut characters, from blueberry to blackberry to boystenberry, loganberry, huckleberry, perhaps a touch of red currant?, and aromatic brown baking spices. Fine acidity gives this one structure, and although most sources tell you not to cellar Beaujolais, I would bet on this one for near term cellaring if well stored. (I’ve just tasted a six-year-old Beaujolais Nouveau that knocked my socks off–swore it was a cru.) Serve slightly chilled (including in winter), about 60F/15C in medium-sized tulip-shaped glasses.

Suggested Food Pairings:
Chicken or duck liver mousse; roast or grilled duck brushed with melted seedless red raspberry jam (thin it with some of the wine if too thick); bear-can roast chicken rubbed with five spice powder and cooked over indirect heat; ribs with a black cherry barbecue sauce (Whole Foods); teriyaki; grilled chicken on a bed of greens, red wine vinaigrette with olive oil (go easy on the vinegar); and don’t laugh sausage and pepperoni pizza from Mo’s Pizza (Briarcliff Rd.)–especially important to chill lightly, dark chocolate.

Distributors:
Northeast Wholesale

$16.00

Tasting Note:
While many California Pinot Noirs come across as fruit bombs, some with quite high alcohol and darker color than Pinot Noir usually shows when left to its own devices. (That’s because they’ve been tinkered with by adding Petit Sirah or other red wine grapes that shouldn’t be there.) But this example, from the Russian River Valley in Sonoma County, shows an elegance and pedigree well beyond its price. The fruit comes from vines that are a selection of chiefly Dijon and Pommard clones. This vintage was a cool one, allowing for more hang time, which generates good acidity and complexity. More savory than sweet in style (and thus more the style I prefer personally), this Pinot Noir shows a soft violet color and aromas of black and red fruits with touches of earthiness and dried herb. The palate shows good fruit intensity, but isn’t a bottle of cherry quaff. The acid backbone that stitches together the cherry/black plum flavors creates a savory environment for food and supplies the wine structure and potential longevity if cellared properly. One of the better values in American Pinot Noir, this wine needs to be served lightly cooled, about 65F/17C in Burgundy glasses.

Suggested Food Pairings:
Chicken or duck liver mousse (rather than terrine–textural considerations); duck legs rubbed with five spice powder and roasted, then brushed with a melted seedless, dark fruit jam; beer-can chicken (spice rubbed and cooked over a can of beer, indirect heat); wood-grilled wild salmon (sock-eye especially); wild mushroom ravioli with brown butter and fresh herbs Maybe heresy, but great lightly chilled with sausage and pepperoni pizza (Mo’s on Briarcliff Rd.).

Distributors:
Empire Distributing

$26.00

Tasting Note:
Not your big, chewy, raisiny style of Zinfandel, this mostly Amador County Zin (12% is from Napa Valley) still has big alcohol (14.5%) typical of Zinfandels, but doesn’t drown the palate in numbing sensations nor feed it excessive upfront fruit. The Zinfandel is blended with 23% Barbera, a grape that does especially well in Amador. The back label shows it tilting more toward an Old World style, and indeed this approach to Zinfandel does just that. A study in balance, the wine offers a medium-deep garnet color with aromas of aromatic spices and red fruits. On the palate, supple aggressive tannins lend structure to the red fruit characters, a blend of red raspberry, red currant and red cherry. More aromatic spices dot the palate profile, allspice especially. The wine spends 17 months n French oak, another winemaking feature that sets it apart from the crowd. If Zinfandel can be elegant, this one gets as close to that marker as it can. Still, the alcohol will show if the wine is served too warm, so aim for 60-65F/15-17C, and use a medum-s9zed tulip-shaped glass.

Suggested Food Pairings:
Coarse-textured terrines with game; Cakes & Ale’s pork and rabbit terrine; beef or pork fajitas; muffaletta (E. 38th St. Market); grilled panino wth onions and beef (Alpine Bakery & Trattoria); burgers; grilled or roasted duck legs with raspberry jam glaze; cured meats; dark chocolate (the Barbera in this wine helps with this paring).

Distributors:
Big Boat Wine Co.

$22.00

Tasting Note:
Some wine geeks would have you think it’s an assault on their intellect to be caught drinking a sweet wine, They’re missing out. For summer, a chilled Moscato, whether sparkling or still, can be so refreshing and uplifting when the heat is oppressive. This example, showing a California appellation so the grapes come from multiple AVAs, is delightful and very easy on the wallet as well. Light-bodied and showing a pale yellow color, this moderate alcohol (8.5%) wine is sweet but balanced, not at all cloying. Aromas and flavors present a grab bag of fresh fruit characters, especially white melon and pears, plus a hint of honeysuckle. Fresh and lively on the palate, this wine is 100% muscat blanc à petits grains. Serve moderately chilled, about 50F/10C in medium-sized tulip-shaped glasses. Mostly sold in restaurants, this Moscato limited in availability, but it is on both the wine list (by the glass and bottle) and the shelf at Three Blind Mice in Lilburn. TBM is a restaurant, wine and tapas bar and retail store. Superb with TBM’s strawberry shortcake.

Suggested Food Pairings:
More flexible than one might think. Spicy Asian appetizers; spicy chicken or seafood kabobs; grilled chicken and fruit salad; summer fruit-based desserts, such as strawberry or peach shortcake (if not too sweet); poached peaches chilled and served with crème anglaise; strawberries and cream; cheese plate with soft room-temperature cheeses and assorted fruit (perhaps its best pairing).

Distributors:
Empire Distributing

$8.00