From the Cellar

Teth Lee has been publishing a fine, beautifully colored magazine that covers the Eastern Shore for almost 6 years. It’s called This That & the Other. The Wine Stooges have been able to sneak articles in there occasionally. For those of you who haven’t been able to get a copy of the magazine, we thought we’d post this month’s column.

From the Cellar

In the current economic climate, it’s a lot easier to be snobby about beer than it is wine. If you’re looking to buy a world class wine from a recent vintage, you could pay $5000 for the 2005 Pétrus. And then you’d have to wait at least five years for the bottle to age. On the other hand you could get Chimay Grand Réserve at about $20 for a four pack and experience one of the world’s great beers. Sure, there are a lot of very good and occasionally excellent wines for twenty bucks but for the best wines in the world you’re going to pay a lot more.

Chimay is made by Trappist monks in Belgium. They’ve been making beer for over a hundred years. Their blue labeled Grand Réserve is an example of a Belgian strong dark ale. It pours a coppery brown color with a lacy, persistent head. The aroma is of black plums and figs with a touch of cinnamon and cloves. Even though this beer has a hefty 9% alcohol, it is not present in the nose. This is an exceptionally complex beer on the palate with dark fruits and exotic spices predominating. This is also one of the few beers that is age worthy. It develops an almost port like taste with a couple years in the bottle.

Another beer that I’ve enjoyed lately is from Avery Brewing in Colorado. They make an American Brown Ale called Ellie’s that is reminiscent of Pete’s Wicked Ale. It’s got a deep brown color with an incredible nose of caramel, malt, and fresh biscuits. It tastes of roasted pecans and caramel with just the slightest hint of hops bitterness. The finish is clean with toasty maltiness lingering for a long time.

Don’t fret wine lovers; I’ve also got some new choices for you. Summer may not be the season for big reds but I’m guilty of loving The Verdict Cabernet Sauvignon from Shinas Estate in Victoria, Australia. This is a high alcohol, fruit forward treasure made in small batches by a sitting judge in Australia. George Shinas refuses to irrigate his vineyards which means that this wine is intensely concentrated with ripe black currant and plum. The tannins are big but polished and the mouthfeel is absolutely silky. I grilled some porterhouse steaks the other day and I don’t know if I’ve ever had a wine that went so well with beef.

A bit more refined is the Malbec from La Posta’s Pizzella Family Vineyard. This vineyard is located in the high foothills of the Andes which means that the grapes can ripen fully while retaining lively acidity. This is present in the wine that has rich raspberry and fig flavors with touches of dark chocolate that give the wine a smooth grip leading to a finish that features red plums and roses. This is a wine with great finesse that avoids the clumsy traps of burnt coffee often present in Malbecs from Mendoza.

There are also a couple of white wines that are good values this summer. One of the best “any occasion” wines is Grüner Veltliner. In terms of food pairing, this grape is rarely paralleled in spite of its unpronouncabilty. This is a uniquely Austrian grape and Hugl’s 2008 version is affordable and delicious. It is zesty with just a touch of grapefruit and Meyer lemon. It comes in a one liter bottle for under $15.

d’Arenberg is one of my favorite wineries in Australia. They’ve been owned by the Osborn family since 1912. All of their wines, be it Love Grass, Laughing Magpie, or Dead Arm have a story behind them. The 2009 Stump Jump White is a blend of Riesling, Marsanne, and Sauvignon Blanc. Granny Smith apples and white flowers blend with a touch of gooseberry to make a stylish and refreshing wine.

Cheers!

The Wine Stooges

www.vinoebirra.com