TRAVESSIA Winery Blog

Coconut Curry Sea Scallops by Meghan Malloy

Meghan Malloy writes one of my favorite wine/food blogs. She's also a Travessia Wine Club member. So a few months ago I naturally asked Meghan if she could create a pairing recipe for our 2008 Vidal Blanc.  The result came early this Summer:

 

I'm very happy that Meghan accepted the challenge because I think the pairing works really well.  You can read a bit more about how she created this recipe by reading her blog post on the topic.  If you visit Travessia Winery, feel free to pick up one of the actual printed recipe cards... word on the "street" is that people are collecting them (though this is only our second one).

Follow Meghan on Twitter: @TraveleatloveMM to stay up to date on all her food wine travels.

The back label

I don’t buy wine without reading the back label on the bottle, especially if it’s a wine that I’ve never had before.  The front label may entice me to pick up the bottle off the shelf but the back label is one of the most influential factors in my purchasing decision.  What can the producer tell me in about 10 seconds that convinces me THIS wine is worth a try? 

Sometimes though, for example in a restaurant, you don’t usually get the chance to read the back label until after you’ve ordered the wine.  So in this instance, reading the label on the bottle is a way to kill some time while waiting for your food to arrive or to pause during your meal.
 
A couple of weeks ago I was having lunch at the Portuguese American club in New Bedford.  On Friday they serve a Portuguese dish called “Bacalhau com Batata ao Murro” (It’s grilled salted cod with roasted potatoes… a traditional dish that is highly recommended).  I ordered a Portuguese red wine that is available in half-bottle.  While licking the olive oil off my fingertips on one hand, I turned the bottle around with the other hand and started reading the back label.  Can you see me choking on a potato when my eyes came across the word autochthonous?  Ok, I didn’t choke, but what the f**k!?  Why did this wine have to make me feel ignorant while I’m having the time of my life munching down the best lunch I’ve had all week?
 
I hope that I'm not the only one who had to look this one up.  In any case, I don’t understand how anyone could think that this is a good word to use in a label to describe a product… any product.  I do admit that eventually thinking that someone had actually come up with this word made me laugh.  As for the wine itself, it was pretty decent, in fact not bad at all for $7 and it paired perfectly with the salted cod.  And now I’ve added a new word to my vocabulary though I doubt I will ever use it.
 
Is what you read on a back label part of your purchasing decision when it comes to wine?  Do you even read or care for back labels?  In your experience, are back labels generally "bull" or do they accurately describe the wine's taste and origin?

Sparkling Matters

With the Celtics beating of the LA Lakers in the NBA finals, there is no doubt that Boston is the #1 sports city in the world right now.  Over the past few years all of its professional sports teams (all but the Boston Bruins) have reached the finals in their respective leagues and in most cases won it all.  So it's natural that plenty of “Champagne” is being poured not only in locker rooms but all over town.  The Boston Three Party was finally able to pop the Champagne last night, but I wonder how much the three amigos really know about the bubbly stuff.

Technically and legally, “Champagne” is NOT a type of wine, it's a region of France.  The wine itself is called “Sparkling” in English, “Espumante” in Portuguese, “Spumante” in Italian, etc.  So, when you buy a bottle of “Champagne” you are buying a sparkling wine specifically made from grapes grown in the “Champagne” region of France.

There are three main methods used in the production of sparkling wine. The first is simple injection of CO2 just like it is done for soft drinks, but this produces big bubbles that dissipate quickly in the glass.  The second is called the Charmat process in which the wine undergoes a secondary fermentation in bulk tanks and is bottled under pressure. This method is used mostly for Italian sparkling wines and produces smaller, longer-lasting bubbles.  The third and most expensive method is the traditional method or Méthode Champenoise.  With this method the bubbles are produced by secondary fermentation in the bottle - very labor intensive and time consuming.  This third method usually results in a much more complex wine and also higher price.
 
Champagne is typically made from three grape varietals:  Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.  Sparkling wines can be made from any grape varietals and in fact Australia has become known for making some interesting sparkling wines with the Syrah grape.  You can drink Champagne or Sparkling wine anytime, not just on New Year’s Eve or when your favorite team wins a title.  Don't just take my word for it.
 
I still don't know why is it that every champion must proclaim his or her status by quaffing this stuff.  Or for that matter... why is it that we celebrate a New Year and other special events with this type of wine?  Anyone out there know why?

Cork vs. Screwcap

Disclaimer:  I lived in Portugal for 12 years and more than half my family is Portuguese.  I still eat, drink, read and watch much of what is Portuguese.  I grew up proud of the fact that Portugal was/is the number one cork producer in the world... one of the many things Portuguese are proud of, others being Fado, Port Wine, Cristiano Ronaldo, and the fact that we beat the English “futebol” national team all the time.  So, I naturally prefer bottles of wine that have been closed with a cork.

I've been trying to educate myself on this issue of cork vs. screw cap for a while.  I read and talk to a lot of people to try to understand the advantages and disadvantages of both closure types.  Screwcaps came about primarily as an attempt to "fix" an issue with natural corks named tricholoanisole (TCA, or the chemical that causes a wine to become "corked").  I've experienced a corked wine twice in the last year which is well below 1% of all the bottles closed with a cork that I've opened or that someone else has shared with me.  Some would say that I'm very lucky since corked bottle estimates are between 3% and 10%.  But I'll also admit that at times I've enjoyed the easiness of just twisting off a cap and pouring the wine.

I can't bottle any of my wines with screw caps because I do not have the appropriate equipment.  I believe that the true test is to bottle the same wine, in the same bottling conditions, but with the two different closures and then analyze the results over time.  I’ve read somewhere that Tablas Creek winery is doing exactly this experiment.  I hope they can share their findings and conclusions.

So far, it appears to me that some wines will be fine with screwcaps while others are better off with a cork.  By the way... not all corks are natural, there are many types of corks including synthetic ones.  I'll go over the different types of corks some other time.

I've been keeping score of my experiences with the two closure types based on the wines that I drink.  A couple of nights ago during dinner at home, another experience was observed…

Can a 1-year old use a screwcap to scoop mash potatoes?  I don't think so.  In fact screwcaps are dangerous devices in the hands of babies!

So, there you have it... cork scores another point.

2007-2008, Old Traditions and New Hopes

2008 is here and I wish everyone all the best.  Looking back at 2007 I realize how much happened and how it seems that everything is moving so fast.

In 2007 Claudia and I were blessed with the birth of a new baby.  Gabriella came to the world with an incredible smile and a big appetite – she’s going to fit right in with the entire family.  Sofia finally “dropped” her diaper and seems like the binky is on the way out too.  I find myself sorrounded by women... and I wouldn't want it any other way.  In 2007 we sadly also had to say goodbye to people who were part of our lives.  This cycle of life reminds me how fortunate I am for being here today.

In 2007 I spent some time at Running Brook Winery where I’ve learned a lot about the wine business.  Claudia started a new business creating and selling one of her life passions - jewelry.  So far so good, she’s made more money that I’ve ever made with any of my hobbies or business ideas.

Family events around the holidays never seem to change and instead reinforce many of the traditions that have been passed from one generation to the next.  A lot of it, well… most of it, involves food.  Wine is always on the table too.  One yearly tradition followed by my aunt’s side of the family is the opening of the new wine barrel.  At the Freitas house in New Bedford, every January 1st, a barrel of wine which was made just a few months earlier is opened.  The wine is still a bit young and “rough”.  A Rhone-style red blend including Grenache and Syrah fermented in late September and still going through a stabilization stage which may include a partial secondary fermentation.  But that’s irrelevant.  What matters is that there is wine, it is very drinkable, and there are family and friends to drink along with.  New Year’s lunch just would not be the same without the new barrel of wine being opened.

A new year is always a good excuse to jump-start some new ideas or to keep pushing on already existing ones.  I’m hoping to finally be able to launch my own winery.  I’m pursuing a couple of potential ways to get it done but it won’t be quick and easy.  Quite the contrary.  But like an old boss of mine once told me… <<if it was easy, everyone would be doing it.>>

I also hope to post more often here on the blog.  If I get the winery project going, there should be plenty to write about.  I will be looking for your help on naming, label design, etc.  I will for sure need all the help I can get and I’m sure the gazillions of readers who visited this blog in 2007 won’t mind… :-)

2007 Final Blog Stats (by Sitemeter):
 

Wines for Thanksgiving

I received a couple of emails from readers asking for Thanksgiving wine recommendations.  I wish I could recommend my own wines from my own winery, but… uh… I don’t have one!...yet ;-)

Coincidently, a few days ago I came across an article in the November issue of Soco Magazine written by Heather Fleming who is the Wine Specialist at Cardoza’s Wine & Spirits in Fairhaven, MA (arguably the best wine store in the Southeast Massachusetts area).  Heather summarizes the basic guidelines for picking wines that match with your Thanksgiving Turkey meal.

In the Soco article, Heather points out <<The easiest way to understand food and wine pairing is to think of what you don’t want to happen.  You don’t want a clash on your palate (think brushing your teeth then drinking orange juice), you don’t want the wine to overpower the food, and you don’t want the food to overpower the wine.>>

A couple other excerpts from the Soco article:

<<White wines that have a nice acid backbone (think granny smith apples) are very versatile and food friendly.  Riesling and Gewurztraminer are both excellent white wines that are very food friendly and are traditional picks for Thanksgiving.  Riesling and Gewurztraminer can be dry, medium dry, and sweet, so when shopping, keep in mind your guests. >>

<<For red, Pinot Noir is the best match.  They tend to be lighter in body, have nice rich, fruity flavors, but the lack of tannins prevent these wines from being too heavy and overpowering. >>

I contacted Heather and asked her to send some recommendations my way.  Below is the list of wines recommended along with her notes.  I have no affiliation with Cardoza’s wine store or the wines recommended and am not making any commission from this… just wanted to be helpful and Heather knows a lot more than I do about the wines available at retail stores.

Reds

2005 Blackstone Reserve Sonoma Pinot Noir - Sonoma CA - $16.99 or 2 for $30 - A great Sonoma Pinot Noir for the money.  Rich flavors of dried cherry, vanilla, and cranberry.  Very velvety and smooth. 

2005 Steven Vincent Crimson - California - $13.99 or 2 for $25 - This is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah that is a great match for Thanksgiving.  Usually Cabernet Sauvignon would be too heavy and tannic for Turkey, but the Syrah in this wine really softens the Cabernet, and the Cabernet really adds a lot of flavor.  This wine has a ton of flavor, but is soft and easy drinking.  A great match with Turkey without overpowering the Turkey and other dishes on the table.

2004 Prado Rey Ribera del Duero Spain - $16.99 or 2 for $30 - This is a great red for Turkey for those who don't like fruit forward wines, but prefer a bit of tannins and earthiness.  This is a blend of 95% Tempranillo, 3% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Merlot.  Although a bit heavier than the two previous wines mentioned, it is still light enough to now over power the meal.

Whites

2007 Cono Sur Vision Viognier - Chile - $13.99 or 2 for $25 - Dry but fruity - flavors of apricot, peach and citrus.  A hint of oak aging gives this wine a rich mouth feel.  Will stand up to the many flavors on the table.

2006 Willm Riesling - Alsace France - $11.99 or 2 for $20 - A completely dry Riesling.  Classic Riesling flavors of apple, peach and pear.  Fruity but not sweet.

2006 Big Fire Pinot Gris - Oregon - $16.99 or 2 for $30 - Italian Pinot Grigio tends to be too light, but Oregon Pinot Gris is bigger bodied and richer.  Big Fire is rich and fruity, but still has a nice crispness.

Note:  Pinot Grigio and Pinot Gris are the same grape/wine.

I would like to hear what people picked and if they liked it or not.

My pick for Thanksgiving?  Well, my cousin Raul always surprises me every year with a special bottle from his “collection”.  Usually it is a red almost as old as I am which makes me feel young and special :-)  I’m already curious about what it will be this year.  I do plan on buying the Big Fire Pinot Gris that Heather recommends and drinking it as an appetizer with some “Rissóis”.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!