Beers with a Wine Influence

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Beers With A Wine Influence

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Wine Infographic: Argentina Wine Cheat Sheet

Next in the wine cheat sheet series:  Argentina!

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You may also be interested in:
Wine Infographic:  Wine Altitude Cheat Sheet
The Wines of San Juan, Argentina
Wine Infographic: Chilean Wine Cheat Sheet

The Wines of San Juan, Argentina

When we think of wine from Argentina, we usually think of the Malbec grape and the region of Mendoza. In fact, there are many other wine regions and grape varieties in Argentina. Some of these wines are not yet exported to the U.S., but they are gradually becoming more available. Recently I attended an event showcasing the wines of San Juan, a province of Argentina just north of the more famous Mendoza.

Altitude is essential to the character of wines from San Juan (as well as Mendoza). San Juan spans the 29°S to 32°S latitudes, with vineyard altitudes between 570 meters (1870 feet) and 1550 meters (5085 feet). These qualify as moderate-to-high altitudes for grape growing. In general, higher altitudes can produce grapes with higher sugar levels, better sugar/acid balance, smoother tannins, and more concentrated aromas. For more on the effect of altitude on climate, grapes, and wine, check out the Wine Altitude Cheat Sheet I posted last week.

San Juan produces wine from several grape varieties, such as Syrah, Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Bonarda (red), Tannat (red), and Torrontes (white). The Syrahs I tasted had the characteristic aromas/flavors of Syrah, but were lighter and leaner than the Australian style many of us are used to. Torrontes is not familiar to many consumers, but these examples had floral and melon aromas, and were rich and smooth with good acidity. Tannat is a grape historically grown in southern France (in the Madiran AOC) that is now very popular in Uruguay (it's posed to become Uruguay's Malbec). I tasted some good Tannats at this event. The grape can be harsh and tannic, but these Tannats had the flavors of rich, black fruits and well-rounded tannins.

I was fortunate enough to go home with a bottle of Syrah from producer Finca Sierras Azules.  The wine has a deep, purplish-ruby color, aromas of fresh red and black fruits (a bit of blueberry?), herbs, and sweet spice. The flavors on the palate generally match the aromas, with the addition of Syrah's characteristic savory taste. It's somewhat tart, with higher-than-average acidity.  The tannins are definitely present, but not aggressive. Overall, it's well balanced. Sometimes I like to try to guess the alcohol level before reading it on the label. This time I guessed 13 - 13.5%, but it's actually 14.3% abv. I often find wines over 14% to be harsh and imbalanced, but this one is not at all. I enjoyed how it developed as it breathed in the glass.

  

Here is the full list of producers from San Juan who offered their wines at the tasting. Hopefully some of these wines will appear in your local wine shop soon, so keep an eye out for them and give them a try!

Alta Bonanza de los Andes
Bodegas Borbore
Bodegas & Vinedos Casa Montes S.A.
Cavas S.R.L.
Bodega Merced del Estero
Finca del Enlace
Fincas Sierras Azules
La Guarda
San Juan de la Frontera S.A.
San Juan Juice and Wine S.R.L.
Tierra del Huarpe S.A
Viticola Cuyo S.A.
Jose A. Yanzon AICISA

Lenoir and the Georgetown Winery

I recently visited the Georgetown Winery, which is north of Austin on the San Gabriel Wine Trail.  It has a quaint storefront on the beautiful downtown square in Georgetown, Texas, and it's a comfortable place to stop and taste.  

The most interesting wine I tasted there was Lenoir.  Lenoir is a grape, also known as Black Spanish or Jaquez, which is native to the U.S. and grows well in Texas due to its natural resistance to phylloxera and Pierce's disease.  It is a hybrid of two other grapes - one from the species Vitis aestivalis and one from Vitis vinifera (the species of most international wine grapes).  Many Texas wineries produce wine from Lenoir, to varying degrees of success.

I enjoyed Georgetown Winery's take on Lenoir.  The wine has a medium ruby color, with aromas of blackberry, cranberry, spice, herbs, earth, and vanilla.  It's initially fruity on the palate, but then develops a slightly tart, bitter edge, which balances the fruit.  It reminded me of the vegetal/green pepper notes that Cabernet Sauvignon sometimes has.  This Lenoir has moderate tannin and moderate-to-high acid.

Georgetown sources over 65% of its grapes from Texas and about 35% from other places, primarily California.  Here are my notes on the other wines I tasted.  (When I make tasting notes, I use a 4-star scale for how much I liked the wine.)  

• Tempranillo – Dry red with full body, aromas of red and black fruits, spice, potting soil, and vanilla. (***1/2)
• Cowboy Red – Dry red with full body, aromas of red and black fruits, blended from 75% Malbec (from California) and 25% Tempranillo. (***1/2)
• Super Big Texan – Dry red with aromas of blackberry, cranberry, and vanilla.  Tart on the palate, with moderate-to-high acid, moderate tannin, and high alcohol.  Blended from 70% Sangiovese, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot. (***)
• Cabernet Sauvignon – Dry red with full body, aromas of black currant, black pepper, tobacco, and cloves.  Blended from 75% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Shiraz. (***)
• Portejas – A sweet red Port-style wine, fortified with brandy, and made from Red Zinfandel grapes.  It's very strong at 21% alcohol, but fruity and smooth. (***)
• Chocolate Cherry Port – In the style of a ruby Port with chocolate flavoring added. (***)
• Texas Twister – A dry white that tasted mostly like apple juice with some vegetal characteristics and moderate-to-high acid. (**)

Georgetown Winery makes more wines than I tasted.  Here's the full list with prices.  Locally, I believe we can only buy the blueberry and peach wines.  But Georgetown makes an easy day trip from Houston, so I encourage you to visit and taste for yourself.  Also keep your eyes peeled for Lenoir/Black Spanish from other Texas wineries.  It's an interesting grape with a lot of potential.

Mulled Wine Recipe

I love mulled wine on a cold day.  I drank some a few weeks ago at Dickens on the Strand in Galveston, decided to serve it at a holiday party I was hosting, and went in search of a good recipe.  Some of the recipes I found had a multitude of steps and seemed awfully tedious.  Others were more cider than wine, or loaded with a ton of sugar.  Here is my version – not too sweet, highly spiced, and easy.

For the red wine, you want something inexpensive, fruity, and not too heavy on the tannin.  I used a Cotes du Rhone, but nearly anything would work – Malbec, Merlot, Pinot Noir, lighter Syrahs.  I’d avoid using the heaviest, most tannic reds – like Cabernet Sauvignon or the heaviest Syrahs – but most of those are more expensive that what you’d pay anyway for a mulling wine.

Mulled Wine (makes ~6 cups)
1 bottle red wine
3 cups of apple juice (100% juice - no added sugar)
8 teaspoons of honey
2 large (or 4 small) cinnamon sticks
1 whole nutmeg
12 whole cloves
12 whole allspice
1/4 cup brandy
juice from 1 small or 1/2 of a large orange
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1.  Add the wine, apple juice, honey, and spices to a sauce pan and gently simmer it on the stove for 5 minutes.  (Don't worry, not that much alcohol will actually cook off in that short a time! Of course, with all the apple juice, this is not a high-alcohol drink anyway.)
2.  At this point, either turn the heat down as low as it will go, or transfer the mixture to a crock pot set to warm.  The crock pot works very well for keeping everything warm over of the course of a party.
3.  Then stir in the brandy, vanilla, and orange juice.

Taste and feel free to make adjustments.  I like it just like this, but if it’s too strong, or too highly spiced for you, just add more juice or cider until it tastes the way you want.  If you want it stronger, add more wine, brandy, or spices.

You can serve this right away, but it tastes even better after being kept warm for a few hours.  Serve it with the spices, or strain them out as you fill individual cups.  Leftovers will keep for a couple of days in the fridge, but remove the spices first so they don't continue to flavor the wine and become overpowering.

I've been wondering whether this recipe would also work with white wine.  Have you (or would you) make mulled white wine?

Wine-Influenced Beers

I tasted 2 great beers last night, both with strong wine connections.

One was Dogfish Head Brewery's Noble Rot.  It includes juice from Viognier grapes which have been infected by "noble rot," or botrytis, which is a fungus that is essential to some of the world's most highly regarded dessert wines.  The resulting beer is similar to a Belgian pale ale, but with some honeyed, cider-like notes.  It also had some of the tangy flavor that I associate with sours.  If you're in the Clear Lake area, you can get this on draft at Nobi Public House, but I imagine it won't last long!

The other was also at Nobi - Ska Brewing Company's Hibernal Vinifera Stout.  Vinifera is the species of grapes that is best for winemaking.  This stout is fermented along with Malbec grapes, and it's extremely yummy.  Dark, rich, yet not too heavy, chocolately and toasty, but with additional complexity from the Malbec.

If you're a beer snob, get thee to Nobi and try these!  In fact, get thee to Nobi, period.  Any fan of craft beer in this area needs to be a regular there.

Are there other wine-beer crossovers I should know about?

Texas Wineries: The Bluebonnet Trail

October is Texas Wine Month, so it’s appropriate that I do my first post about Texas wineries this month.  The Go Texan Wine web site is a great place to start planning a trip to some wineries, and if you’re in Houston, the Bluebonnet Trail is an easy overnight getaway.  Check out their handy map.

We traveled this trail last year, but didn’t follow the official trail order.  Instead, we drove north on I-45 to Conroe, and then headed west on 105 for the first day.  We spent the night in Brenham, then drove back east toward Houston on 290.  Below I’ve listed the wineries in the order we visited them, with some notes on each, as well as where we stayed in Brenham.