UCA Party Wines

Tonight is the annual holiday party for Utah Chamber Artists, my favorite classical music organization (for which I am also the vocal coach). I love these people and the music they make. Anyway, I volunteered to be the sommelier for the evening, and for those who might be interested in what we are drinking tonight, here is a brief run-down of the wine list:

For the appetizers...

Adami Prosecco sparkling white wine - a delicious green-appley sparkler. My friend Emily Mortensen introduced me to this wine last year, and it has become my favorite inexpensive sparkling wine. It's a steal at $15 bucks a bottle and rated in the 90's by Wine Spectator.

And for dinner...


Dirigutti Malbec Mendoza, Argentina 2008, a hearty, luscious red - #74 Wine of the Year (rated 90 by Wine Spectator). Maybe not my favorite wine of all time, but pretty darn good with a big Italian meal like the one we are having tonight, catered by Citris Grill in Salt Lake City.


Peter Lehmann Clancy's Barossa, Australia 2007 - a complex fruit forward red, blend of Cabernet Sauvigon, Shiraz and Merlot - #77 Wine of the Year (rated 90 by Wine Spectator). This wine has more subtlety than the Dirigutti Malbec, but should also work well with lasagna and heavy winter Italian food.

Lagone Aia Vecchia, Tuscany, Italy 2007 - velvety, dark fruit flavor, blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc (rated 90 by Wine Spectator) - this is what I'll be drinking tonight!

And, for those who want to drink white wine with dinner or dessert...

King Estate Oregon Pinot Gris 2009 - a tangy, bright white with pear and almond flavors (rated 89 by Wine Spectator).

Two Exciting Wines

2009 St. Urbans-Hof Bockstein Kabinett Riesling

I discovered two spectacular wines over the holidays -- a German Riesling and an Australian Shiraz -- thanks to the Wine Spectator list of top 100 wines of the year. I am beginning to think that Riesling is where it's at (no offense to the excellent Chardonnistas of California and Burgundy). The diversity of style and flavor from one Riesling maker and region to another is huge, much more so than Chardonnay, in my opinion. Riesling seems to be more food-friendly, too, probably because they usually use minimal oak during vinification, so the natural fruit flavors are front and center. Grapes are food, after all, and oak is not.

St.-Urbans-Hof Riesling Kabinett Mosel Ockfen Bockstein 2009 (ranked #57 Wine of the Year, rated 92, $19)

Probably the most delicious Riesling I've ever tasted. The first thing you notice with this wine is its intense clarity. Hold a glass of this juice up to candle light and it glitters like white gold. Then comes the bright scent of ripe peaches and lime. The wine itself has an explosive, rich flavor, full of fruit with just a hint of residual sugars and elegant minerality.

Winemaker's notes from wine.com:

"Ockfener Bockstein" which is a steep valley slope with unobstructed southern exposure. The soil consists of hard slate stones, which, in fact, leave a grayish blue powder residue when handled. This is indicative of the solubility of the soil, which allows the vine roots to absorb mineral nutrients quickly and easily during the growing season. As a result the wines of Ockfener Bockstein are especially lively and minerally in character. A forest at the top of the slope retains water which is released into the sub-soils of the vineyards during dry periods, mitigating vine-stress during periods of drought. This 2009 wine has elegance, expression and power. The minerality is almost sparkling. The acidity is ripe but still crisp. The flavours are complex, ripe and well developed. This wine promises to be the most age-worthy of the decade.

Check out a photo of the steep-sloped Ockfener Bockstein vineyard in the Mosel Valley where these grapes are grown:

Two Hands Shiraz Barossa Valley Bella's Garden 2008 (ranked #2 wine of the year, rated 94, $55)

Two Hand Shiraz Barossa Valley Bella's Garden 2008

First I have to thank Drew Ellsworth and the guys at the new wine store in Salt Lake City for setting aside this bottle for me. I loved this wine. It's a deep, red color with rich, powerful dark fruit flavors, and it paired elegantly with the herb-stuffed cornish game hens we had for dinner a couple of nights ago. But it also stands on its own as an "event wine" and has enough complexity to provide liquid entertainment all evening as it changes in temperature and opens up.

CLICK HERE for a video of Wine Spectator's Harvey Steiman introducing this wine:

The name "Two Hands" is explained in red script on the bottle's label. It says:

the sun shines
the vineyard grows,
the grapes ripen,
the hands cut the bunches,
the hands crush her skin,
the hands craft her juices
So now two hands
can open the wine
and she can shine in all her glory.

And she did...

La Beaujolais Nouveau est arrivee.... in Utah!

For those of you who missed my feature on KUER about the 2010 vintage of Beajolais Nouveau, CLICK HERE.

I took this photo while taking a drive through the lovely Beaujolais region of France in October 2009.

Special thanks to Drew Ellsworth for hosting a terrific dinner and tasting at his home for this story.

An Audio Christmas Gift

In addition to being a world famous blogger, with a total of one (1) follower, I am the vocal coach of Utah Chamber Artists. I just got an mp3 of their recent performance of a new arrangement of "Away in a Manger" by music director Barlow Bradford. Stunning. In wine terms, this is the Grand Cru of musical organizations. I hope you enjoy the this -- unedited, live and unforgettable...

Word of Wisdom (REVISED EDITION) by Emily Mortensen

A few days ago I posted about how my neighbors might be less concerned if I were growing Anthrax vines in my tiny vineyard because Anthrax is not officially listed as a prohibited substance in the Mormon Word of Wisdom. My great friend, fellow foodie and emerging writer Emily Mortensen sent me her brilliant and hilarious revision of the Word of Wisdom a few weeks ago. She graciously allowed me to post it here:

1.    A Word of Wisdom for the benefit of mankind whether consumed in public houses of eating or as guests or hostess, with a table set with starched white linens or natural fibers; yea, adapted to the capacity of the high and low powered taste buds and olfactory senses, the weak and weakest of all.

2.    Whether food is prepared in copper, stainless steel, or Teflon, name brand or lesser, seasoned or not.

3.    That inasmuch as any among you drink wine and strong drink, behold, it is meet in my sight so long as the vine is well-attended, the workers legal or illegal are paid fair wages and yea, the vine is a good and pure vine and the wine free trade; yea, pure grape of the vine.

4.    And again, strong drinks are for the belly in moderation and for sauces, reductions, mixed drinks, liquors, and to accompany Mexican food and imported cheese.

5.    And again, tobacco is not for the belly but for the heifer or the redneck, yea, with no mind to their health insurance premiums.

6.    And again, hot drinks are not for the belly in July, and must be iced and not, either hot or cold, be tainted by artificial sweeteners, neither saccharin or Sweet and Lo, or Equal, or skim milk or powdered creamer. Yea, it is meet hot drinks require half-and-half and not foul substitutes. Yea, the grain of the sugar cane is meet for the belly, either white, raw or brown, in moderation.

7.    And thy grounds should also be free trade for the wisdom and benefit of all mankind.

8.    And again, wholesome herbs are for the constitution of all mankind, yea, Genoa basil, fresh dill, cilantro, curly leaf parsley, garlic, fresh ground pepper in moderation over fresh pasta or Caesar salad, yea, and every fruit in the season thereof, imported at high fossil fuel expense, though, yea, imported bananas, figs and Clementines are a right of all mankind, no matter their northern or mountain location.

9.    Jello, or any color, is not pleasing to the Lord in any form, neither maraschino cherries, nor Cool Whip, nor marshmallows except while camping. Wo, the wrath the Lord will inflict upon thy self and thy offspring should these be set upon thy table at any season. Neither Yellow #5 nor polysaturated fats nor products deemed “lite.”

10. And again, moderation in all good things of the earth, lo burritos and fish tacos, hummus and caprese, from all ends of the earth.

11. Yes, flesh of the beasts and fowls of the air, those fish unthreatened, used sparingly and grilled carefully, with marinade, yea, or reduction sauce. Yea, Kobe beef is especially pleasing to the Lord.

12. All grain is ordained of the use of mankind and beast, and thy loaves shall by crusty on the outside, airy and chewy on the inside and eaten with butter or olive oil, yea untainted by margarine, yea, generously slathered in honey or fresh jam, marmalade, or preserves pleasing to the palate.

13. Yea, and shall be seeded, sourdough, ciabatta, bagel, baguettes, pita, cracked wheat, 7-grain, biscuit, boule, brioche, croissant,  foccacia, cornbread, rye, or French, yea, sliced or paninis and with or without condiment.

14. It is meet that one should enjoy carbohydrates in all forms, yea, and the one who professes such blasphemy against carbs is the devil’s hairball and should be thrown to the lions, yea, or broiled.

15. But, lo, Diet Coke, Hostess products (except Ding Dongs), neither Wonder Bread nor sugar cereals are not for the body except in moderation and, lo, never, funeral potatoes nor cream of mushroom soup nor casseroles with ambiguous ingredients.

16. And, so it hath been said, milk chocolate is for bed wetter’s, but dark chocolate in abundance does not contain calories.

17. And thou shalt not partake in the trend toward national obesity, and shall increase thy heart rate and altitude regularly.

18. And if thou followest this word of wisdom, behold, vampires shall not suck thy blood or that of thy offspring because thy house shall smell of garlic, sautéed opaque and golden in fine quality olive oil.

Domaine Zind-Humbrecht 2007 Pinot Gris Calcaire: WOW!!!!

Spectacular wine: 2007 Zind-Humbrecht Pinot Gris Calcaire

Last night we had chicken curry for dinner with a bottle of Domaine Zind-Humbrecht 2007 Pinot Gris Calcaire. I was expecting a nice light dry white wine, and what I got instead was a luxurious, coppery wine with explosive flavors of ripe peaches, apricots, caramel and honey. This wine was a revelation to me of what a high-end Alsatian white wine can be -- at $35 dollars, it's a steal. I'm going back to buy more today. I must thank Gary at the old Utah wine store on 300 east in Salt Lake City who recommended this wine to me. (It paired beautifully with the chicken curry and rice, by the way, its sweet, rich flavor an elegant complement to the spicy tomato curry.)

HERE is a great article about Zind-Humbrecht and their biodynamic winemaking process. Here's a quote:

In the winery, unsurprisingly the wines are made in a hands-off way: the fermentations are slow and the wines spend at least six months on the gross lees. Bottling occurs after filtration some 12–24 months following the harvest. ‘One of my goals before I die is to avoid filtering the wines’, says Olivier: this isn’t possible at the moment because of the risk of refermentation in these wines, many of which are bottled with high residual sugar levels. He waits until after winter to rack because of the risk of the yeast spores waking up as temperatures increase. Olivier only filters once the wine has become clear in the cask. ‘If you push a cloudy wine through a filter you damage it’, he says.

What an incredible result, and another evidence of the importance of non-interventionist vinification.

Also, Wine Spectator did a short video on Zind-Humbrecht's bio-dynamic process. I am fascinated by bio-dynamic winemaking, especially considering the results. Clearly I need to explore more of this domaine's portfolio.

More thoughts on the "public easement" issue

In my first post, I mentioned that a local Mormon lady was complaining about me planting grape vines on the "public easement." She is also purported to have said that the city is "not going to let them get away with this." This interests me on so many levels.

1. I am in violation of no Kaysville City codes. But if this neighbor would like to file an official complaint with the city, the number is 801-546-1241.

2. Kaysville is perhaps the world capital of right-wing, John Birch Society, Glenn Beck-loving, conservative, tea-partying Republicanism (want evidence? My "OBAMA '08" yard sign was stolen during the '08 election; I had to chain the replacement sign to my tree). These people rant and rave about the intrusion of the government in their personal lives, with their pretty yellow "Don't Tread On Me" flags and their "Keep Your Government Hand Off My Medicare" protest signs. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that they are blind to the irony of wanting the city to tell me what I can or cannot plant on my private property.

3. We are talking about GRAPES here, people. Not pot. Not opium. Not anthrax. GRAPES.

4. Come to think of it, they would probably be less upset by anthrax than they are by wine grapes. Anthrax is not officially listed as a prohibited substance in the Word of Wisdom, after all, and wine is.

5. Denial ain't just a river... Many Utah Mormons (and the Kaysville variety in particular) have an impressive capacity to pretend that the world is what they want it to be, despite evidence to the contrary staring them in the face. The neighbors complaining about my little vineyard (which, still, by the way, has no vines) would probably be less upset if it were not visible from the street. Because they have to see it when they drive by my house every day, it's harder for them to pretend it doesn't exit. Poor things...

6. If my agitated Mormon neighbor is reading this, let me assure you, these grape vines will be the prettiest, most well-tended symbols of drunken excess you have ever seen. Three years from now, when I finally get ripe grapes from them and make wine, I would love to let you have a taste. I promise not to tell your bishop. It'll just be between you and me...

Vineyard photos

I took these photos of the vineyard in October 2010 during its various states of preparation for planting in April or May of 2011. The house to the right of the vineyard is that of our fabulous neighbors, Doug and Jamie Hammerschmidt. Best neighbors ever.

Why I'm planting a Riesling vineyard in Kaysville, Utah

I first tasted wine about six years ago when my friends Joyce Kinkead and David Lancy gave me a glass of California Chardonnay while enjoying a golden summer evening on their outdoor patio in Hyde Park, Utah. I loved wine from the very first sip. Joyce and David also lent me a book called "Puligny-Montrachet: Journal of a Village in Burgundy" by Simon Loftus, which I read, then bought my own copy. Loftus's book explores the people and culture of the Burgundian village of Puligny-Montrachet, where they grow the grapes for the world's most famous and expensive white wine. A few years later I visited that village and its famous vineyards, and a photograph of of the Montrachet vineyard is the background photo for this blog.

That first sip of Chardonnay set me on an amazing journey. Since then, I have read dozens of books about wine -- where it's made, how it's made, who makes it and why -- and I've visited dozens of wineries and vineyards from California's foggy Russian River Valley to the spectacularly steep slopes of the Lavaux in Switzerland.

I started thinking about making my own wine a couple of years ago when my friend Spence Mortensen lent me his copy of "Vines to Wines," a how-to guide for home vintners. I decided that the 25-foot square plot of ground next to my driveway would be a nice spot for a small vineyard, so this last summer I ripped out the grass, tilled the ground, and my amazingly talented neighbor Doug Hammerschmidt laid the posts for the trellis system (those posts are so solidly set in the earth, it would take a bulldozer to get them out). Spence also told me that he had done some research on what kind of grapes would ripen best in this climate and soil and that the experts at Cornell University told him Riesling would be the best bet because of its ability to sustain cold winters, late bud break and early ripening.

Yesterday I ordered 20 Riesling vines from Wiemer Vineyards nursery in upstate New York's Fingerlake wine region. They will ship them out this spring, sometime around Mother's Day. I'll plant them and start training them to produce wine-worthy grapes three years from now.

One of the most interesting parts of this whole project has been the cultural aspect of growing wine grapes in an area that is probably 99% Mormon. A couple days ago my neighbor Doug said he was at the local Mormon ward Christmas party, and one of the ladies at his table was complaining about my vineyard (despite the fact that I haven't even planted any vines yet!), saying how "the city is never going to let them do that on the public easement property," by which I assume she means the mow-strip between the sidewalk? I thought that was funny. My response is, bring it on, sister.