Say NO to Pinot Noir!

Tired of picking the safe choice at restaurants? Consistency turning to palette boredom? Just looking for something new?? Well look alive, have I got an ace up my sleeve for you! They call it Pinotage - an original varietal from South Africa that has been getting better every year. We'll be using a

2009 Pinotage 'Petit' from Ken Forrester Vineyards

in South Africa as today's example. In 1925 the vines of Pinot Noir were crossed with the roots of Cinsaut, then commonly called Hermitage in South Africa and hence the contradiction Pinotage. Although it wasn't until the 1960's when the varietal became popular and the Pinotage label appeared in South Africa. Cinsaut is a centuries old grape from the Languedoc region of Southern France much like Grenache: light, soft, aromatic, and charmingly fruity. The result is a truly unique variety commonly described as fruity, refreshing, and earthy. Cherry, Banana, smokey wood, and blackberry are typical tastes and aromas.

Some wine snobs may chide you for choosing any South African wine, citing the recent spout of Brettanomyces (yeast contamination) that caused virtually all vintages to taste of chemical-like band-aids. But that problem has come to an end with the first few vintages of 2008 and have remained healthy ever since. Good thing as South African wines have some of the best bang for your buck.

Other, primarily European, wine drinkers will also shun South African wines for their lack of terroir. And while I agree somewhat that South African wines can lack that familiar finish or 'minerally' undertone we've come to expect from certain varietals, it is not valid to ignore an entire countries viticulture simply because they taste different. If you're looking for quality-consistent wine producers to appease all palettes, stay with Spier and Ken Forrester Vineyards.

It's true that Pinotage goes in and out of fashion, but each year new techniques such as the introduction of French and American Oaks, help to tame and cultivate this misunderstood grape variety. Go ahead and stray from the familiar; you'll be surprised how much you enjoy it.

For more information on Pinotage, visit www.pinotage.co..za.

The French terror!

Or rather, terroir. A quintessentially French term with no English equivalent. Scared yet?

It is impossible, I've come to learn, to have a conversation about French wine without the use of this term. And more impossible still to discuss wine with the French without a basic understanding of terroir. A brief and exceptionally inadequate description, terroir is considered to be the holistic combination of soil, local topography, and the interactions between the two which determines each sites unique terroir reflected in it's wines consistently from year to year regardless of variations in methods of wine making - or "somewhereness." Founded on the conviction that there is a perfect place for making wine, where the soil and the weather and the knowledge of the ages (tradition) combine to produce truly great vintages. The French have taken this notion so literally they have divided France into 450 different wine appellations (legal wine districts) based upon terroir.

Now, why do we need to know what terroir means? Well, it helps to explain why many French wines (or any wine for that matter) can taste ever so slightly distinct or unique in aroma or taste from other wines of the same varietal and region. Or maybe it's so you can learn a fancy new word to throw into bar conversation to make you appear très intelligente. It's also a great way to justify the abasement of a detestful wine - "...it has no terroir!" *spit in disgust*

Now, at this point I had intended on taking a wine and describing how terroir related but I just cannot stand long blog posts. And if you're like me your attention span cuts off at paragraph three. Stay tuned next time when I take a classy Châteauneuf du Pape and (attempt to) demonstrate it's terroir. What is Châteauneuf du Pape??? Read my next posting and find out!

To learn more about terroir, read the comprehensive philosophical writings of Dubos and Laville. If you're feeling lazy, refer to this wine forum of experts who contend to explain this centuries old term: click here.

P.S. I love you

Now many of you may be expecting me to start off with an elequent Pinot Noir or a nice safe Zin. But to show my determination to learn the ins and outs of wine world I am starting off with a complete unknown: Petite Sirah.

Sure, we've all had Sirah in the past. But what the heck is a petite sirah and why does it scare me so? To kick things off I've chosen a

2006 Reserve Petite Sirah from Running with Scissors

from California's Central Coast. It was a very inexpensive bottle that I bought a few years back because it was just that, cheap. I've been too scared to try it until now.

As it turns out, I'm not the only one who doesn't know what Petite Sirah is. According to the wine world, the name was attributed to no less than four different vines in California in the mid 1990s. Why would one rename their varietals? Well apparently when the grapes could not be identified, this new name was given to several old growth Italian vineyards, composing of Durif, Sirah, Peloursin (a parent of Durif), and Pinot Noir vines. Talk about inbreeding!

Today, Petite Sirah is used mostly as a blending grape and rarely seen as a stand alone wine. I cannot understand why not! It has a well balanced, very distinctive flavor entirely it's own. It is unlike any other wine I have had to date.

In fact, I enjoyed it so much I attempted to find another bottle only to discover is was a two year run varietal for this vintner and no longer in production. I will have to try my luck with another winery. It's good to hear that PS has seen a resurgence of popularity among others who have discovered it's unique flavors. I've seen a P.S. by Bogle I will have to test - stay tuned!

For more information about Petite Sirah, check out P.S. I love you.

Let the journey begin!

Hello and welcome to all vinophiles who happen about this humble blog.

Since this is my first posting I think it's only appropriate that I begin by stating my intentions. I hope to expand my simple wine knowledge and go from novice to supreme wine-o extraordinaire. Muah, ha, ha!

Modest goals are overrated. Why not set goals you truly desire? And maybe one day I will have enough knowledge to confidently start my very own wine business.

To accomplish this monumental feat, I'll begin by reporting on a different vintage every week and slowly weed out the overrated from the exceptional. Exploring the newest and most traditional of varietals as I get down to the nitty-gritty of how these fantastic libations are made.

So if you're a geeky-wanna-be-wine-o like myself, follow me on my journey. It's sure to be a great time!