The USA is Tops!

Okay, we are no longer the economic superpower we once were, our congress is incapable of passing a law, and our federal government can't balance the budget to save its soul, but in one respect the USA is top rated!

In wine consumption.

Yes, we have surpassed the traditional wine quaffing countries like France and Italy in wine consumption. And although China is fast becoming one of the world's major wine consumers, this is one area where the US currently beats China hands down:

"By 2015, US consumers are expected to be drinking 13 liters per adult per year, while in China they should be drinking an average of 1.9 to 2.0 liters per adult," reports the New York Daily News.

Turns out Americans are increasingly choosing wine over beer and spending slightly more per bottle for wine than they have in the past, according to this article published by delish.com.

What does this say about us as a culture? To me it says that even in the hard times Americans will not, and do not, give up the grape.

God bless America!

Flickr photo by Gimme a Pabst

Yes, I am an officially certified wino!

This past fall I spent a week in Northern California training and tasting in preparation to take my exam for the Advanced Sommelier Certificate, granted by the United States Sommelier Association.

The blind tasting part of the exam was a killer, featuring two wines that rarely make it onto a US wine list — a Portuguese Albariño or Alvarinho (as the Portuguese call it) and a South African Pinotage (that was markedly uncharacteristic in its flavor profile).

My fellow classmates and test-takers and were visibly dismayed when the wines were revealed as we had all failed to identify these two varietals and we expected we had failed the blind tasting portion of the exam (which included only five wines).

So I was delighted and surprised when I was informed that I had passed the exam and I waited in anticipation for the actual certificate to be mailed to me as proof positive that I was officially certified.

What will I do now that I'm a certified wine educator and sommelier? I'm not sure yet. I have been very busy working towards another certification that enhances my executive, life and transition coaching business. This has nothing to do with wine, of course, but I joke with my friends that if I, as an executive, life and transition coach, I can't help my clients move towards their goals and desires I can at very least pour them a well-chosen glass of Bordeaux.

Cheers!

2000 Chehalem Ridgecrest Vineyards Pinot Noir

I've been working my way through 2000 Oregon Pinots in an attempt to put a dent in the cellar and pulled out two bottles of the 2000 Chehalem Ridgecrest Vineyards Pinot Noir. I had first tasted this wine shortly after its release on a trip to Oregon in September 2002 when we visited the winery and had the chance to taste a sample from every vineyard. I recall that this wine was a bit of a brat at release, tighly wound, and in a bit of a pout. But the structure was there, as was the promise of more accessible fruit, if given the chance.

These two bottles where the renmants of the case we left with that day and I wondered how this wine had held up over the many years. The first bottle showed beautifully with a deep garnet color. The only signs of age was a clear lip. The nose was a bit dusty but with hints of dark cherry,vanilla, and bramble. On the palate there was plenty of lovely, sweet fruit, velvety in texture, but with enough acid to keep it from being cloying or flabby.

The finish was long--40+ seconds--hot and slightly medicinal.

A week later I opened the second bottle, wondering if the first bottle was a fluke. Nope. Another pristine cork, terrific color, and almost identical characteristics, proving that this wine was indeed worthy of the wait.

Wine Cruises on the Waterways of Europe

AMAWaterways is offering 6 exclusive wine cruises this fall starting at $1,999.00 per person for 7 days (cruise only).

Chose your rivers (Rhine, Danube, and Mosel) and choose your hosts which include winemakers, wine educators and critics, and TV personalities. Included in the price are wine lectures and food pairings on board, with wine-themed excursions and winery visits offered at additional cost. You can also add nights in Paris, Prague, or Zurich, depending on the cruise itinerary.

AMAWaterways are known for their elegant ships, champagne breakfast buffets and gracious dining. As you might expect regional wines are included with dinner. No worries--if you overindulge, you need only crawl to your cabin.

Photo by Laura Scott

Bonterra -- A Wine Lover's Restaurant in Charlotte, North Carolina

We should have felt just a bit uneasy about quaffy down a ridiculous quantity of wine in a former Methodist church, but something (maybe it was the quantity of the wine or the ghost of Reverend John Butt) said, "Jesus liked his wine too."

I was at Bonterra in Charlotte, North Carolina, a lovely restored church turned restaurant/wine room, and I was too busy marvelling at the extensive list of wines-by-the-glass and the mouthwatering menu to feel much trepidation about sampling Bonterra's many lovely offerings. It's not often you find a Veuve-Clicquot Yellow Label Champagne or a Patz and Hall Pinot by the glass outside of London's bubbly bars or Sonoma Valley's finest bar/restaurants. I did have a glass of the Patz and Hall Pinot and the value-priced (at $8/glass) Hill Family Barrel Blend which is primarily Cabernet Sauvignon. These paired nicely with the artfully conceived meat and seafood dishes which I shared with fellow foodies and friends Stephen and Carolyn Kwiatkowski.

The menu is built for sharing--the entree portions generous and a starter menu that includes cheese, charcuterie, and olive plates, mussels, and Fois Gras. The ambience and the well-trained servers invite you to linger and revisit the menu for dessert or a glass of port, or late-harvest wine.

Okay, if you insist...

Invino: Insider Access to Wine Deals and Events

Think you can only get wine deals offered by the producers by joining their wine club? Think again! Invino is a free-to-join member’s only website that gives you insider access to wines from noteworthy producers at a discount of up to 75%.

Recent declines in demand and uneven access to distribution channels has posed a challenge to small and mid-sized wineries. Tony and Danielle Westfall, wine industry entrepreneurs and founders of Invino (formerly known as Winery Insider), used their vast network of wine industry contacts and marketing and supply chain experience to create a site where value-conscious wine lovers could easily find and acquire quality wines offered at a significant discount by producers with inventory they want to move out of the cellars and into the glasses of appreciative wine consumers.

A recent offering included a 2004 Castello del Terriccio Lupicaia Super Tuscan Red Blend with shipping included at $74.99. This wine normally retails at $169.00. Also offered on the same day was a 2008 St. Supery Dollarhide Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valley at $19.99, half off the $40.00 retail. Don’t think these are great deals? Find a better deal on the same wine you have purchased from this site and the folks at Invino will refund the difference.

Though Invino offers wines from around the world, this site features an impressive list of wines from Sonoma and Napa Valley, California where Tony and Danielle have developed key relationships with winemakers. These relationships result in exceptional deals and rare finds, such as large format bottles and small production single varietal wines. Members of Invino also have access to critic’s ratings, tasting notes, and information on winery events and special invitation tastings.

My first purchase of wine from Invino was a free shipping deal of half-priced cabs from Napa. Sure enough these wines arrived safely at my door, free of shipping charges and just as advertised. I love a deal!

You, too? Click here to become a member of Invino and see what limited-time sales are being featured today.

Aging Nicely: 2000 Bethel Heights Flat Block Reserve

American Pinots are often thought to be lightweights, not particularly cellar worthy. That may be true for some American Pinot Noirs but not true for the 2000 Bethel Heights Flat Block Reserve I had the pleasure of drinking over two nights recently.

The estate–grown grapes came from a three acre block of Pommard clone vines in the Eola-Amity Hills AVA in Oregon and the resulting wine was barrel-aged in 60 percent new French oak for 14 months. Built for the cellar, this is a big body wine and the color is a deep blood red.

On the nose there is dark fruit and earth and on the palate there is plenty of unctuous fruit—dark cherry predominates. The mouthfeel is smooth and the fruit yields to some nice acid and some licorice. The finish was medium to long with fine tannins and lingering cherry and chocolate flavors. Or maybe I was tasting the dark-chocolate caramel dusted with sea salt that I was nibbling on as I made my notes. Likely, but nonetheless what a dessert it made!

There were less than 500 cases made of this wine so I doubt you will still find it in circulation. However, it proves that some producers are making Pinot Noirs that do hold up and shine after close to ten years in the bottle.

To find out more about this family-owned and managed winery located in Salem, Oregon, click here.