Sauternes producers were not always forthcoming about the real nature of their wines. The thinking was that people would not want to drink wine that they knew came from rotten grapes. That actually seems like a pretty reasonable assumption, nonetheless, no one in Sauternes these days is hiding their rotten grapes. At least not any which have been infected with the beneficial fungus, Botrytis Cinerea, otherwise known as noble rot. This particular little mold loves moist environments and attaches itself to the skin of the grape, then proceeds to remove the water from each grape. Thankfully the fungus leaves behind the sugars and acids in the grape, so, when the grapes are harvested and pressed, the resulting juice is very sweet and acidic.

Located in the Bordeaux area, the Sauternes AOC is about 25 miles from the city of Bordeaux, on the Garrone. The Sauternes region got a relatively late start in the sweet making game. There aren’t any recordings of anyone making sweet wine from botrytis affected grapes (otherwise known as botrytised grapes) until the 17^th century, well after the rest of Bordeaux had become an established wine area. Within the Sauternes AOC there are five sub regions, or communes: Barsac, Sauternes, Bommes, Fargues and Preignac, of which only Barsac is a separate AOC.

The magic happens where the Garrone meets a small tributary river called the Ciron. The little river Ciron happens to be cooler than the Garrone and the temperature difference creates a consistent mist in the autumn months. This mist promotes the growth of botrytis. Unfortunately, the conditions are not met every year, and in bad years Sauternes wine is not produced. Currently, about six out of every ten years give conditions that are favorable to botrytis and Sauternes production.

The fungus does very well on the thin skin of the Semillon grape. This grape is planted all over Bordeaux for dry white wine production, however it generally takes a back seat to Sauvignon Blanc in dry Bordeaux wines. The situation is reversed in Sauternes where the blend usually consists of about 80% Semillon, with the remainder filled out by Sauvignon Blanc and dash of Muscadelle occasionally thrown in for aroma. The wines of Sauternes are marked by many unique characteristics, one of which is the high viscosity caused by the fungus’ tendency to create glycerol in the finished wine. The aroma of Sauternes are generally described as peaches, apricots and honey; the wines have a full load of acid, which is necessary to balance the intense sweetness found in the wines. Sauternes can be an incredibly long-lived wine, with bottles showing the potential to age well for 100 years or more.

Bordeaux, Dessert Wine, Fine Wine, French Wine, International Wine Dessert Wine, France, sauternes, Sweet Wine

How many countries mention wine in their national anthem? Well, Hungary does. That’s how important Tokaji is to this nation. Pronounced “toe-kigh,” this wine has been produced in the same area of Hungary since at least the 1500’s. The wine is distinctive and is produced from grapes affected by botrytis or “noble rot.” Botrytis is a beneficial mold that grows on the skins of grapes and causes the water to evaporate, leaving behind the sugar and acids. Grapes affected by botrytis are extremely sweet.

Tokaji is a sweet wine, it’s produced from Furmint and Hárslevelű grapes primarily, with a few more added in small amounts. The wine can be produced several styles. The first style is called Szamorodni, this is made from botrytised grapes and undergoes a normal vinification process, depending on the amount of grapes affected by botrytis it can end up very sweet or less sweet. The sweetness level is measured in units called puttonyos.

The second style is Aszú. This is the most famous and distinctive Tokaji. The process begins with grapes affected by botrytis. These grapes are smashed and mixed into the juice of other grapes and this mixture is stirred and stored for several days. This liquid is now very sweet and the juice is strained out and stored in casks where it ferments and ages for several years. The resulting is unique for its distinct color and flavors and its high alcohol content compared to other sweet botrytised wines. The amount of botrytised grapes that go into the mix determines the count of puttonyos that the final wine is granted

The final style is called Eszencia. This is the sweetest wine in the world and is made from the juice that the botrytis affected grapes drip out with they are being stored before the production of Aszú. This wine can be 50-60% sugar by weight and only reaches 4-5% alcohol. Eszencia is extremely expensive and rare, it was once reserved only for the kings of Hungary.

Tokaji is wonderfully delicious, sweet, powerful and complex. It’s one of the great wines of the world. It’s only produced in small quantities by a few wineries and is high demand all over the world. If you find some, buy it up, and if you’re able to resist drinking it all, it will age for decades.

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Dessert Wine, International Wine, Sweet Wine Dessert Wine, hungary wine, Sweet Wine, tokaji

Growing wine in Germany is an uphill struggle, literally and metaphorically. The vineyards are located so far north that the grapes struggle every year to get ripe before the chill of autumn sets in. Oh, and many vineyards are planted on impossibly steep hillsides that end in a river. Some of these vineyards are so steep that people tending to the grapes tether themselves to the top of the hill with big ropes in order to work on the vines. These riverside vineyards are difficult to work but make the best wines on account of the extra sun they get from the light reflecting off of the river and back onto the steep hillsides.

The vineyards of Germany are all clustered in the southwest corner of the country, near the border with France. The wine growing regions are centered around the Rhine River and its tributaries. In typically German fashion everything about the quality wine industry is organized, but not strictly regulated. The organization goes from very large to individual vineyard sites.

There are 13 large regions designated in German wine laws, they’re called Anbaugebiete. Within these large are districts called Bereiche, there are 39 of these. Then within the districts there are Grosslagen, which are even smaller districts, a collection of vineyards in a certain spot. Finally there are individual vineyards called Einzellagen, and they’ve counted them, there’s 2,658. Of the 13 regions there are three that are generally thought of as the best: Mosel, Rheingau and Rheinhessen.

Excellent wine comes from all the regions, but these three are home to the best quality German wines. The most celebrated grape in all of these regions is Riesling. Many other grapes are grown in Germany, but the undisputed king is Riesling. German Riesling can come in of the sweetness styles, but it’s always marked by powerful but graceful acidity and dramatic concentration of flavor and aromatics. Pinot Noir, called Spätburgunder here, is the most planted red grape. When it actually gets ripe it can be pretty good.

The Mosel is located in the north of the wine growing regions and includes tributary rivers of Saar and Ruwer. The region is noted for its extremely steep hillside vineyards and the slate in the soil. The slate is reckoned to give the wines their characteristic mineral flavors. The Riesling from the Mosel is light, crisp and bracing.

A bend in the Rhine gives the Rheingau region a broad, south-facing stretch of hillside on which to grow some of the best Riesling in the world. This is most likely where Riesling cultivation started and is still home to the best producers and vineyards in Germany. The style of Rheingau Riesling is a bit weightier than Mosel wines, with more defined aromatics and structure.

The Rheinhessen is the largest production area in Germany. It was once synonymous with cheap, bulk Liebfraumilch. While there is still a significant industry in that most basic of German wine, the producers in the area have begun producing very high quality wines. Many of the best houses are making powerful, dry Riesling.

Dessert Wine, Fine Wine, Riesling, Sweet Wine dry riesling, German Wine, Mosel, Rheingau, Rheinhessen, Rhine, Riesling

Sherry has been called “the most overlooked wine in the world” by many a noted wine author. But really, how could this most ubiquitous of wines be overlooked. It seems everyone who was tried wine has seen or heard of Sherry, right? Well, yes, but Sherry has developed an image problem. First off, it’s unfortunate that producers outside of the real Sherry region are allowed to call their inferior wines “California Sherry” or “American Sherry,” these are not even close to the real deal. Cream Sherry is real Sherry, but is certainly isn’t helping with the reputation problem.

Real Sherry is produced in the southwest corner of Spain in the Jerez district, in and around Cádiz. This area has been growing wine since the Phoenicians introduced the vine around 1100 BC. Wine production has continued since and was even allowed under Moorish rule. Sherry produces wines in several styles using a unique system of wine production and aging.

Sherry is noted for its’ use of the solera system, in which new wine is put into a system of barrels that slowly blends the wines as it ages, and moves down the line of barrels. This process is also used for balsamic vinegar production. Another unique vinification tool is used in the Sherry process, a cap of yeast called the flor. This is a natural yeast that grows on top of the Sherry while it is aging to protect the wine from oxidation. The flor is encouraged to grown on some styles of Sherry and the producers always leave a little room at the top of the barrels as they are filled with wine so that the flor has room to grow.

Most Sherries are produced dry—not sweet—and while some remain this way to the bottling, some receive an addition of sugar. The distinctions in Sherries are referred to as styles and the differences in styles come from the ways in which the wines are produced.

Fino—is the driest style of Sherry, these aged under the cap of flor.

Manzanilla—the lightest style, also dry, made around Sanlucar.

Amontillado—a little darker in style. These start of like Fino, aged under the flor, but then have the cap removed so the wine is exposed to oxygen, giving it a darker and richer flavor. Can be dry or sweet.

Oloroso—these wines are aged in the presence of oxygen so that end up quite dark and rich. Naturally dry, but are often sold sweetened.

Palo Cortado—start as an Amantillado style, but are then exposed to oxygen, a style in between Amantillado and Oloroso

The final style is a sweet wine made usually from Pedro Ximenz, but also Moscotal and usually labeled as such.

The Sherry grapes as we now know them were culled from a huge variety in pre-Phylloxera times and are now down to three varieties: Palomino, Pedro Ximenz and Moscotal. The Palomino dominates production of Sherry with the other two grapes being used for sweet dessert style Sherries

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Port is a wine that congers up images in the minds of wine lovers everywhere. What those images are, depend much on the experiences you’ve had with Port—or wines travelling under the name Port. For those lucky enough to have visited the river valley where Port is made, will no doubt have memories of that beautiful land. For those unlucky enough to have only experienced Port in its generic form—from California or Australia—the image of Port may be of sickly sweet wine and bad hangovers. If you haven’t had the opportunity, now is the time to try the real McCoy—Vinho Porto, the legendary wine of Portugal.

True Port is only produced in three areas along the river Duero in the north of Portugal. The vineyards are jaw-dropping—nearly vertical hills that drop straight down the river. This setup gives the vines ample sunlight from the angle of the hill and from the reflection of the river. Portuguese law dictates that grapes for Port can be grown in only three areas: Baixa Corgo, Cima Corgo and Douro Superior. The second is generally considered the best, but the names won’t appear on labels. The most important grapes that go into Port are Touriga Nacional and Touriga Francesca; but like the area, these won’t be on the label because virtually all Port is blended from several grapes.

Port is made into many styles, and this is how they are labeled, you may have seen some of these names at the store: Ruby, Tawny, Colheita, Vintage. The first thing to understand about Port is that it is separated into two big categories, by the way in which it is aged: bottle aged and barrel (wood) aged.

Wood aged Ports are wines that are stored in big wooden barrels, these wines experience aging in the presence of oxygen—because the barrel allows some air in. Tawny and Colheita are the two main styles of barrel aged port. Tawny ports are aged for extended periods in wood and then bottled just before shipping. You’ll see the designation “10” or “20” on the label, while most people think that is the amount of years spent in barrel, its actually a style of tawny that each producer decides on. A “10” tawny could be much older or younger than 10 years. Colheita is simply a tawny from a specific year. Whereas most tawny Ports are blended as they age, Colheita stays in barrel from its vintage and is bottled just before release.

Bottle aged Ports have several styles, including the most expensive and the least expensive ports you can buy. The main difference is that these Ports receive little or no wood aging, whereas the wood aged Ports remain in barrels their whole life. Ruby is the name given to the simplest and least expensive Ports; these see no wood and are brightly colored red. Vintage Ports are the pride of the Port region. Vintage Port is only produced in very good years, about 3 out of 10; they are only aged for 18 months in barrel, then bottled and aged in bottle for years before release. These are the most prized and expensive Ports. The final category is the Late Bottle Vintage, or LBV. These are wines like a vintage that are from a single year, but are aged in wood for about 5 years, then bottled. The LBV bottles are a great way to drink good Port, and much less of the cost of Vintage Port.

Dessert Wine, Fine Wine, International Wine port, Red Wine, Sweet Wine

The region and the wines of Alsace are just a little different from the rest of France. The wine must be bottled in the signature flûtes, which are tall and thin. The wines are made from grapes foreign to the rest of France—Riesling and Gewürztraminer. Also, they put the name of the grape on the wine bottle. That may not sound like a monumental practice, but for French wine, it is.

Tall bottles, Riesling, name on the label…hmm, those all sound like German wine ideas… Well, they are. That shouldn’t be too surprising given that Alsace has been governed by intermittently by Germany and France in recent history. These days, the population speaks French, but more than a third still speak Alsatian, a German-based tongue.

The region lies in the northeast of France, right on the border with Germany. The wine producing are in the region lies on a narrow strip that runs north and south between the Vosges mountains to the West and the Rhine river to the east. The long strip of grape growers lies in the rain shadow of those Vosges Mountains, this gives the region a rather dry and sunny climate. If you can ever make it this neck of the woods, the Wine Route of Alsace is a 100 miles of wineries in beautiful country that will surely make a few happy days.

Alsace produces several styles of wines from a mixture of grapes. The dominant grape is Riesling, followed by Gewürztraminer and Pinot Gris. A few kinds of Muscat are also planted, but not in a great amount. The wines of Alsace have a range of sugar levels. Fully dry wines are common, especially Rieslings, but it’s up to the individual producer to determine how much residual sugar to leave in. This practice can be a little confusing for the wine drinker because the bottles aren’t labeled as to whether they are dry or off dry. Read reviews online or ask the restaurant staff if you’re ordering out and you should be able to get what you want.

And if the sweet stuff is what you’re after, Alsace has you covered. Semi-sweet Alsatian wines are labeled as Vendage Tardive, or VT for short, which means late harvest. These wines can be made from any of the grapes and the label will say Vendage Tardive. They’re similar to a German Auslese in sugar level. Finally there is the Selecion de Grains Nobles. This is wine made for grapes affected with noble rot (botrytis). This wine is very sweet and is comparable to a Sauternes or a Beerenauslese. These wines can again be made from any grape and will be labeled as Selecion de Grains Nobles.

Dessert Wine, Fine Wine, French Wine, International Wine, Riesling, White Wine Alsace, France, Riesling, White Wine

Wine Club Insider back with you!

Well, I’m back from an out-of-town working sojourn in lovely central Oregon.

My last evening there, I competed in a little “Iron Chef meets Chopped” cooking contest against a local chef, and it was a blast!

The key ingredients were chicken, strawberries, Graham crackers, and the secret ingredient was Bok Choy (?). We could prepare as many dishes as we could, highlighting the ingredients, and using a few other things as well, so with the opening gong, the battle was on!

For my dishes, I prepared a double appetizer that was well received… I made a sauteed chicken taco, stuffed with diced bok choy, cilantro and a sour cream, yogurt and wasabi sauce with a lime wedge on top, and I made a mille feuilles of very thinly sliced chicken breast slices and super thinly sliced red potatoes, topped with a jumbo prawn and a strawberry emulsion.

For my main course, I took a piece of the chicken breast, sliced it and stuffed it with strawberry, graham cracker and a piece of Havarti cheese, and the baked it, wrapped in puff pastry.

I served it over sauteed bok choy with a mustard and white wine sauce, accompanied by diced red potatoes cooked up in the rest of the sour cream – wasabi sauce.

For dessert, I made a puff pastry crust, and coated it with Graham crackers and a butter/lemon cream. While that was cooking, I took rhubarb, lots of strawberries, raspberry liqueur and some sugar, and cooked them down to a nice coulis. I filled the pastry shell, let it chill a bit, and served it with a touch of whipped cream.

My opponent Lisa made a spinach and bok choy salad with strawberries and carmelized almonds (which were really good!)).

For her entree, she went with simple, pan seared chicken breast with a balsamic reduction, and baked bok choy in the same sauce. She served it with rice with raisins and almonds. For dessert, she made a graham cracker pie crust, and made a key lime pie topped with a couple of strawberries.

In the judging, I won the appetizer and entree unanimously, and narrowly lost the dessert, but won the overall. More importantly, we had a great time, and ate 5 terrific courses.

We also had some wine, and I’m not talking just any wine!

We started with the terrific Clos du Bois Zin, which, while not as good as the Ravenswood, was pretty special. Next, we had the Concannon Petite Syrah, which is one of our host’s favorites, and it didn’t disappoint. Then I brought out the Borra “Fusion,” a Syrah, Cab, Merlot, Zin blend from Lodi, and it was AMAZING! Everyone loved this wine… it was one of the best I’ve drank in some time, and even better under the circumstances.

For dessert, I cracked one of my treasures: a 750 of 1982 Renaissance Late Harvest Sauv Blanc. I’m not sure if I’ve had a better glass of dessert wine in a long time, Ice wine included.

I bought the last case a couple of years ago, and have been drinking them for special occasions. The wine is now the color of rich caramel, and the flavor just keeps getting better. What an awesome way to end a great evening!

Cheers,

Wine Club Insider out.

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Wine Club Insider coming at you from on the road this week!

Yup… actually had to go out of town to do some work for a living… I pride myself on being one of the busiest unemployed people I know, but every once in a while, I have to do something at least mildly productive, even if just to keep my wife happy.

With that in mind, I had to make the trip to Bend, Or. to teach a small clinic. I drove down Sunday, and it was an awesome day… mid 80s (warmest day this year around here!), sunny… perfect! By the looks of it, the wine industry isn’t suffering quite as mush as the rest of us in these troubled times… people will always keep sipping their vino, I guess. It was great to see all of the new wineries dotting the Columbia River and Oregon hillsides as I made the trip. I’m planning in hitting a few of them on the way home – strictly for educational purposes, of course!

On a side note, the unsettled weather seems to be following me; the drive down was perfect, it was 86 yesterday, and today, after giving it a chance to catch up, it’s 66 and raining – in the high desert. Oh well… just seems to be my luck this spring. I did get a great run in this morning before the clouds rolled in, though, so no worries!

The folks I’m staying with in Bend are also foodie/winos, so we manage to always find something to drink, eat and chat about, even if it’s just a simple salad, watermelon and cheese like we had Sunday night, accompanied by a very pleasant surprise that I dragged out of my cellar and brought along for the ride…

We opened a 2002 A Mano Puglia, which is made from 100% Primitivo (Basically Zinfandel, or at least modern Zin’s grandfather). It was huge! Rich, full, but not over done. Yup… Zin is my current favorite red grape… it’s been working toward it for a year, and over the past 3 or 4 months, I don’t think I’ve had a bad Zin!

Last night, friends came over for lasagna, salad and bread, and brought, of all things, a Ravenswood Zin. A great coincidence! The Ravenswood was excellent, as usual, but lacked some of the fruit of the A Mano, to my mind. Still a terrific wine, though.

Tonight, I’m facing off against one of the chefs here in town in an Iron Chef-meets-Chopped contest, with pride and a good bottle on the line… I’ll let you know how it goes on Thursday!

(I think I have an edge, because I also brought the fabulous 2003 Borra “Fusion,” the Syrah-Cab Sauv-Merlot-Zin blend from from Lodi for the entree, and with my dessert, I’m serving one of the last 6 remaining bottles of Renaissance 1982 Late Harvest Sauv Blanc in a 750… it’s the color of dark caramel, and will carry the evening for me, I’m sure, no matter what I make!) Almost a shame to have to throw in work in the middle of all of it, but it keeps me in vino, laptops and mountain bikes, so it’s all good!

Have a great week!

Cheers,

Wine Club Insider out.

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Wine Club Insider back with you!

I am going to apologize in advance: We’re hosting a 1300 person event with 24 different sessions over 10 days coming up in early June, and as things get closer, I may be a bit sporadic on my postings… I will do what I can to keep current, and will promise to make up any that I miss afterwards.

This is one of the biggest events we have ever done, and it’s rapidly turning into a 25 hour/day project!

Anyway, I hope you all had a marvelous Mother’s Day! We certainly did around here. My own mom passed away very young from cancer, but my wife not only has her mom, she also has a 96 year old grandmother (Omi) and a 93 year old grandmother, both in excellent health (well, excellent for 93 and 96… I’d settle for being that healthy at that age!) so we had a full table of moms.., my wife and I are also expecting our own first child within the next couple of weeks, so she almost counted in the motherhood department this year.

Being a chef, one of the greatest joys is being able to cook for the family, especially one that enjoys good food, as ours does, so I get the pleasant task of doing the family holiday meals, of which Mother’s Day ranks right up there.

Here’s what we did to keep body and soul together for Mother’s Day; our family are big fish eaters, so I based the meal around some wonderful halibut fillets I found, and went from there.

Appetizers:   Cold smoked sockeye salmon (yes, I smoked it myself) with minced egg, herbed cream cheese and home made croutons, accompanied by a nice cheese tray with Havarti, smoked Gouda, aged cheddar and Berliner, an excellent, aged Irish white cheese.

For our first beverage I made one of our signature champagne cocktails, using Whidbey’s Loganberry Liqueur, and then pouring the champagne in so slowly that the liqueur (which is a rich, deep purple) stays on the bottom. Add a raspberry into the drink and straddle a strawberry on the rim, and you have one attractive drink that tastes good, too!

Salad:  We had a spinach salad topped with strawberries, raspberries, diced pears, candied walnuts, feta, and a hot bacon raspberry vinagreitte dressing, served with warm soft rolls. I served a delightful Argentinian wine called “Chumeia,” which is an off-dry, almost effervescent blend of Torrontes and Chenin Blanc that offset the salad very nicely.

For the main course, I seasoned the halibut with sea salt and thyme, sauteed them in olive oil, and served them up over a bit of cooked spinach in a nice three pepper sauce. We also had some pan fried new red baby potatoes and some crisp asparagus, and I topped the halibut with a sauteed giant prawn.

Our two wines were the single vineyard Ironstone “Rosato de Sangiovese,” a bone dry sangio blush that everyone loved, to some surprise. Since our family are mainly red wine drinkers, I also opened a bottle of the 2004 Isenhower “Red Paintbrush.” I ‘ve mentioned this beauty before, and likely will again, as this merlot based blend is an awesome wine, and is drinking perfectly right now.

A quick note on food and wine pairings:  The days of “white with fish, red with meat” are long gone, my friends. Experiment with all sorts of pairings, and you’ll be surprised with what you find that works well. Also, basically, it comes down to “drink what you like,” though that is NOT an excuse to not try new and different wines, even if they’re white, and you’re a “red wine drinker,” or vice versa!

For dessert, I created something new in the spring time vein, and was pleased with how it came out…

I sliced up an Angel food cake loaf, and then French-toasted the slices in egg, powdered sugar and more of the Whidbey’s liqueur. Yummm. Yes, it tasted as good as it sounds. I covered the slices with a bit of strawberry whipped cream, fresh strawbs, and for a touch of flavor and color, I added a splash of Rhubarb and strawberry coulis I whipped up the night before. It was, I must say, excellent. The grandparents were almost licking their plates! We served it with a bottle of Golddigger Cellars 2002 Late Harvest Sauv Blanc for the crowning touch.

Well, that was it for us. I’d love to hear what you all do for traditions, or what you did for meals to bless our moms… let me know, and I can hopefully post some of the best ones.

Until next time,

Cheers!

WIne Club Insider out.

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Wine Club Insider back with you!

Yesterday, we took part in one of the great festival/sporting events anywhere in the USA; The Lilac Bloomsday Run, a 12 k (7.46 mile) run through the streets of Spokane with 52,000(!) of our closest friends.

In its 22rd year, Bloomsday – www.bloomsdayrun.org – is one of the largest (2nd largest, I believe, behind Bay to Breakers), best organized runs anywhere, and is a giant party that captivates an entire region for several days, including a huge fitness expo, community fitness and training classes etc.

It is also held the 1st Sunday in May, which nicely coincides with “Cinco de Mayo” festivities, which, this year, is being celebrated on the 5th of May…

I have to admit that I spent Saturday evening with my friends Jose and Margarita, rather than wine, but still managed to complete the pretty challenging run in 58 minutes, which isn’t bad for an old guy!

Dessert wines, as I have mentioned, are some of my favorites, with Ice Wine – or Eiswein – topping that list (okay, maybe Port is right up there).

We’ve talked a bit about Port in an earlier article, but I wanted to chat about how Ice Wines are made, since several vintages will be coming to market soon, just in time for your summer enjoyment.

So, what do you get when you let the grapes freeze on the vine, waiting until December or even January to pick them, by hand, in the dead of night, at less than 10 degrees?

Ice Wine, or Eiswein in Germany, is perhaps the most difficult to make, best-crafted wine in the world, and creates wine with such character and depth that it is hard to describe until you have tried it. These are world class wonders of delight and delicacy, with world class prices, to boot. In Germany, Riesling grapes are used for Eiswein, but other varietals are used around the world, including Gewurtztraminer and Sauvignon Blanc, Vidal, Muscat, Pinot Gris, Semillon, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, and even Pinot Noir and Catawba. Canadian Ice Wines are viewed as perhaps the greatest in the world, and can easily fetch more the $90 for a 375 ml bottle! New Zealand, Austria and the US also make wonderful Ice Wines.

Here are just a few of your choices:

Inniskillin (Canada)                             Vidal and Riesling         $65 – 90/375ml (maybe the best in the world!)

Terra Blanca (Washington)                  Chenin Blanc                $50/375 ml

Bonny Doon ‘Vin Glaciere’                    Muscat                         $24

Mission Hill Reserve     (Canada)          Vidal                             $60

Selaks (New Zealand) and Covey Run (Washington) make excellent Ice Wines for under $30!

Of course, there are a whole raft of German Eisweins, including the famous Dr. Loosens, which are spectacular, if a bit pricey.

Some wineries freeze their own grapes, which seems to me like cheating, but there is little argument about the finished product. Dolce from Far Niente Vineyard ($80/375 ml) is a great example.

So, there’s a bit of a primer on “the Nectar of the Gods.” Enjoy!!

Cheers,

Wine Club Insider out.

California Wine, Dessert Wine, Fine Wine, International Wine, Sweet Wine, Uncategorized, USA Wine, Vintage Wine, Wine Cellar, Wine Club, Wine Club Gift, Wine Education, Wine Lovers, Wine Making, Wine Tasting Cinco de mayo, Dessert wines, Eiswein, Ice Wine, Running, Sweet wines, tequila, Wine Club