Germany 101: A Primer On A Few Important Regions and A Grand Riesling Tasting

I love Riesling.

Love it.

Love it so much that I had no problem having three other wine dorks over and trying 12 of them in a row.

What a cool opportunity! I hosted my own expert panel -- a rare Riesling tasting, provided by both Valckenberg who sent over a bunch of their products from different tiers and different places to try (these were sent as complimentary samples, but I'll be honest in the review, of course) and two from the Wines of Germany. Just so you know what these organizations do...

P.J. Valckenberg is the oldest family-owned wine merchant in Germany and exports wine to the US from smaller, higher quality producers with long histories of production. They sent a slew of their latest vintage for me to check out.

The Wines of Germany is "focused on creating greater awareness and increased sales of German wine in the U.S. through educational and promotional activities." They send kick ass German wines for me to try and review quarterly. It's a great opportunity for me to share with you the joys of German Riesling, of which I'm a huge advocate.

Before I go any further, I've got to give thanks to my wine expert panel -- Michael, Andrés, and Marie -- a group with a special combination of great taste, lots of credentials and expertise, and a normal (and hilarious) take on wine. We dorked out, learned, and laughed. Who could ask for more?

A quick German wine 101 before I get into what we tasted...

Regional Classifications
Like all other countries in Europe, Germans classify their wines based on the quality of the grapes and vineyards. They have 13 large wine growing regions (think Napa Valley, Sonoma Valley, Bordeaux, Tuscany, etc). These are called Anbaugebiete (AHN-bow-guh-beet-uh). There are then classifications that specify area (using Napa as an example, the Bereich are akin to the Rutherford AVA), and then classifications for estate grown grapes and producer/grower made wines. Similar to other places, the smaller the area (estate v. region) the more expensive the wine. (map, left, from Wines of Germany)

Quality and Sweetness Levels
You won't see much of the general Table Wine (Tafelwein) or Country Wine (Landwein) outside of Germany but you'll see a ton from the 13 regions. If you look on the bottle you'll see it's classified as QbA (QUALITÄTSWEIN BESTIMMTER ANBAUGEBIETE). It's a general regional quality designation and some amazing wines are QbA.

The top level classification is QmP (QUALITÄTSWEIN MIT PRÄDIKAT) or quality wine with attributes. These wines are the finest in Germany but to say they represent a quality pyramid is a little strange. It's not really what you think.

Because it's so cold in Germany and often the grapes can't get ripe, Germans created a scale of different ripeness levels (which they equate with quality, although we dry wine drinkers are better off thinking about it in terms of ripeness or sugar levels). Here are the most common levels and what they mean:

Kabinett: Ripe grapes from a regular harvest. They can be dry or they can be slightly sweet.

Spätlese (SHPATE-lay-zah): Late harvest with very ripe grapes. They can be dry but usually they are pretty sweet and they can be fruitier than a Kabinett but not always.

Auslese (OWZ-lay-zah): It means "select harvest," and this wine is made from very ripe, selected bunches and is either sweet, semi-sweet, or rich and dry.

Spätlese and Auslese are tricky because they cover a lot of different styles, so you have to ask or research before you buy one.

Other sweeter styles are Beerenauslese, Eiswein, and Trockenbeerenauslese. These are über sugary and just really for dessert.

That's the sweet stuff, but if you're a dry wine lover, here are some things to look for on the label:
Trocken: A dry wine with no noticeable sweetness
Halbtrocken: Semi-dry
Classic: Dry wines from a region
Selection: Dry wines from specific vineyards
Erste Lage, Erste Gewächs & Grosses Gewächs (ge-WEX): The top wine estates in Germany carry this classification and they have to meet strict requirements to use this. These wines are all dry. Erste Lage is used for vineyards in the Mosel region, Erst Gewächs is for quality vineyards in Rheingau and Grosses Gewächs is for quality vineyards in all the other regions.


That was a lot of info and we're not even up to the wines! Here's the deal, part of the reason Germany is so complicated is that there is great variation between each of the regions, as we confirmed in our tasting. All the wines we tried were Rieslings but the range was so broad we may as well have been trying different grapes in some cases. A key thing I'll keep bringing up is access to sun. Germany is at the very far north of where you can grow grapes, and growers need every trick possible -- south-facing slopes to catch every bit of sun, rivers that will reflect heat, and soils that retain warmth -- to make sure the stuff ripens and makes good wine.

As I describe the wines and the regions from our tasting, hopefully the contrast will become clear!

Nahe
The Johnny-Come-Lately of German wine, the Nahe was planted with grapevines 600 years after the Mosel (right around the Middle Ages, so let's put it all in perspective), in the 8th century (yes, this stuff is OLD). Located on the River Nahe, the area is south of the other wine regions in the tasting. This slightly southern location and the abundance of south-facing slopes on the river makes some areas of the region almost Mediterranean in climate. Rare for Germany, they even grow some red grape varieties here (in cold climates it's hard to get the color and ripeness levels need to grow reds, so this is no small feat).

Still, Riesling, the friend of the cooler weather vineyards, reigns here -- 27% of vineyards are planted with it. Nahe used to be known for some the best quality Riesling in Germany but the modernization of the wine industry left the more rural Nahe in the dust and it never quite regained its golden reputation. This is changing now, but not much of the good stuff is making it out of Germany, so it may be hard to find a wine from Nahe locally. We had a cheapy but a goodie from there...

The Wine: 2010 Two Princes Riesling, Salm-Salm, Nahe, QbA,$10
This wine comes from Schloss Wallhausen, one of Germany's oldest wine estates. Prinz zu Salm, the estate owner, has wine in his blood: he can trace his family tree back to 932 and his vineyards date to 1200. “Two Princes” P2 is the signature wine of Prince Michael (not Jackson, FYI) and Prince Constantin zu Salm-Salm, the 32nd and 33rd generations at Schloss Wallhausen.

Color: This wine was a golden yellow color, darker than some of the other Rieslings we tried.
Smell: It wasn't too aromatic -- it smelled a little like hot rocks and a bouquet of white flowers...maybe with a little salt water thrown in. We all kind of agreed that the wine smelled like clothing detergent -- floral and soapy.
Taste: It tasted better than it smelled, with a little bit of sweetness, and a candied lemon, honeydew melon flavor. There was a touch of wet saltiness but the wine also had a full texture that we all found very pleasant. For $10 this isn't going to rock your world, but it was a perfectly enjoyable wine.

______________________________________________________

Rheinhessen
This is the biggest grape-growing region (Anbaugebiet), but even though there's lots of diversity\ in soil and some great wines made here, Rheinhessen is best known for Liebfraumilch...if you've ever seen Blue Nun, that's what I'm talkin' about. That nasty swag is made in the town of Alzey, here. That wine, in it's memorable blue bottle, is nondescript and cheap and has kind of wrecked the reputation of Rheinhessen, but I think there's still goodness to be had here.

That may just be the optimist in me though. Honestly, most of the wines I've had from here have been kind of lackluster. Apparently along the Rhine river there's a terrace of red slate, which gives a spiciness to the Riesling planted and can create insanely delicious wines, but that hasn't been what I've tasted, so I'm still on the hunt for something good from here. Riesling is important here, but Müller-Thurgau (an aromatic but often blah white) is the big dog in the region. Given the reflection from the Rhine, it's warm enough here to grow red grapes, so you'd find some of that here too.

We had two Rieslings from Rheinhessen.

The Wine: 2009 Valckenberg Undone Dry Riesling, Rheinhessen, QbA $8.50
We unanimously agreed that this was the worst wine of the tasting.
Color: A pale straw color, super light.
Smell: It started out so well! Lemon, green apple, and herb scents hopped out of the glass. It smelled promising.
Taste: Urgh. Completely off balance. It tasted like bitter green herbs, and was like plant stems. It had eye-watering acid and very little fruit flavor. The wine hadn't gone bad...it was just plain bad! It was overly acidic, bitter and left an awful taste after we swallowed. The faces and crinkled noses around the table said it all. Ick.

The Wine: 2010 Weingut Liebfrauenstift "Stift" Dry Riesling, Rheinhessen, $18
Color: Pale yellow, with a little bit of green but nothing special.
Smell: Not really much here, but a little bit of lemon, some wet waterfall smell and then something that reminded me of lemon furniture polish. Let's just say none of us was excited to try this one...
Taste: Very blah. A touch of lemon, that lemon furniture polish note was kickin' and there was a bitter, green plant flavor that was a little gross. The wine was metallic (like aluminum foil when you bite some off with your sandwich by mistake) and had a watery, not-so-flavorful note at the end. We found it simple, and compared to some of the other wines, completely overpriced.


_________________________________________________________________

And now to the titans of German wine -- Rheingau and Mosel (which I've written on before). These areas make distinctive Riesling and this is where the grape really shines, in my opinion. If you ever wanted an argument for how terroir (listen to the podcast for more info on this concept) plays a part in changing flavor of a grape, pick up a Mosel and a Rheingau Riesling of the same quality level and you'll taste it for yourself, plain as day.

This tasting was awesome for that. There was consensus among our little group on which we preferred...the Mosel blew away the Rheingau. This just confirmed what I've found in other comparative tastings, but everyone has different opinions and tastes so I can see the merits of both.

Rheingau
\With nearly 80% of the vineyards planted with Riesling, this region is pretty single-minded in its focus. For this area of the world, which is really far north and cold, they'd never be able to grow grapes, but for a little quirk in the flow of the Rhine River. Unexplicably, it takes a jog from its northerly flow for a bit and flows West on the banks in the Rheingau region. This shift provides a nice southern slope for grapevines. Insulating the grapes even more -- the Taunus Mountains to the north, which deflect all the nasty polar winds.

Rheingau grapes have got it made and for 150 years, the folks living here have taken special pride in that knowledge. Germany has a nationwide classification system based on how ripe the grapes are, but Rheingau has its own standards for quality. Its Charta system, now taken over by the VDP, a quality assurance group that includes the top vineyards and producers in Germany, ranks the best vineyard sites. 35% of all Rhingau's vineyards are considered top quality (erstes gewächs, which I mentioned above). 13 are first class including two you may have seen before -- Schloss Johannisburg and Marcobrunn.

Rheingau was developed mostly by monks and has been wining it up since the 980s. It's got cred. And it hasn't compromised its dedication to quality. I can't argue that the wines are good, but I don't think the descriptors critics assign to the wine are exactly right, so I'll try to do one better.

The Riesling from Rheingau is usually described as full, rich, and flavorful with fresh acidity. But frankly, I've tried a bunch of great producers and never quite found that to be true. More commonly, I find that these wines are subtle and pretty, but without much boldness to speak of. We had three wines in this tasting, all from very reputable producers and all of high quality. One was a favorite for me and Marie.

The Wine: 2010 Weingut Johannishof Charta Riesling, QbA $18
Color: Golden, kind of like honey.
Smell:The wine didn't just look like honey, it smelled like it too. It also had a strange musty note. It was like a day-old peach pit and it had a candied smell too.
Taste: The taste reminded us of candy -- gummy peach rings, the stick from fun-dip, or some other processed peach flavor. It was pretty astringent and slightly bitter. The wine was a little hot too -- compared to the low alcohol in all the other wines, at 13% this seemed high. We agreed that this would be better with food. Michael, suggested pork as a good pairing. Alone, I could have skipped the experience and gone for a peach gummy ring. It definitely did not live up to the promise of Rheingau wines.

The Wine: 2008 Schloss Johannisberg Riesling Kabinett, $20
(Head's up -- This is a really famous wine from a famous vineyard)
Color: The warmer climate means the grapes get riper and darker in Rheingau -- this was just like the previous one -- golden in color.
Smell: Consensus: it stank. It was musty and had a gasoline note too it. There was a light green apple note with some honey and jasmine tea scents, but it wasn't jumping out of the glass at all.
Taste: The wine, thankfully, had a lot more going on when we tasted it. It was elegant and very dry with a crazy fennel, tarragon, and fresh herb flavor to it. There was a little bit of bitterness but it was still delicious and the acidity was in balance with the herbal notes. By far this was the favorite of the Rheingau wines and the only one I would definitely buy again. Both Marie and I thought it was pretty outstanding.

The Wine: 2009 Weingut Baron Knyphausen Michelmark Erbacher Spatlese, Erstes Gewäch (first growth, highest quality), $40
With a great updated package and a slick look, this wine had sex appeal from the outside.
Color: True to the Rheingau Riesling trademark, the wine was golden in color
Smell: Also true to what we were finding and what I've discovered before, this wasn't a real aromatic wine. It had a very slight perfume smell like white flowers or jasmine tea. Different from what I think of as the characteristic Riesling smell of peaches, nectarines, or limes. It was very restrained although unlike the previous wines, it did smell fresh rather than musty.
Taste: We all agreed, however, that this wine missed the mark on taste and it was grossly overpriced, especially compared to the Schloss Johannisburg. It was light, the alcohol felt too high for the low levels of fruit flavor, and the wine was just mediocre. This is not what I'd expect from a 1st growth or highest quality out of Rheingau. That said, this wine is young. It probably needs another 5 years in the bottle before it comes out of its shell. I wish I had waited to open it.

___________________________________________________________

Mosel
We had 6 wines from Mosel, but even if we'd only had two, the result would have been the same. Unanimously we found these wines to be the best in every aspect -- excellent flavor, excellent quality for the price, and amazing with food or without. Mosel was the clear star for us all -- four very experienced wine drinkers who have had our share of Rieslings.

Even further north than Rheingau, Mosel is on the Mosel River and parts on its tributaries the Saar and Ruwer Rivers. Riesling is king, queen, prince, and princess here and cultivating it is not easy. The vineyards are on near vertical slopes of either side of the river, on slate vineyards that are terraced, and need to be harvested by hand. Romans planted these vineyards in the 4th century and Riesling made the area its home by the 18th century. The river reflects light and heat off the river onto the slopes, and slate retains heat that allows for grape growing. For a stretch of 5 miles along the river, great vineyard after great vineyard stretch out.

Mosel is the most esteemed Riesling region in the world and the profile of the wines is everything I enjoy in a Riesling -- sweet or dry, they all have low to moderate alcohol, excellent fruit flavor, amazing acidity, and a slate or mineral flavor that is like licking a rock. Many of them have what wine dorks call a "petrol" or gasoline note -- it sounds gross and some argue it's a flaw in the wine, but I think it's delicious and a trademark of a Mosel Riesling. Most big fans of these wines know that flavor and seek it out. Although I've had some stinkers, if you're a fan of Riesling, it's hard not to love Mosel.

We tasted 6 Mosel Rieslings and all of our top picks were among these gems.

The Wine: 2007 Van Hovel Riesling, $15
This was from Wines of Germany
Color: The wine was yellow-green in color but on the lighter side.
Smell: It had an outstanding fruit smell. It was like melons, peach, nectarine, candied apples, and tangerines.
Taste: The wine was off-dry, or lightly sweet, which was needed to balance out the ridiculously high acidity. My mouth was watering like I had just eaten a lemon! The fruit smells carried over into the flavor and the wine was a little spritzy -- often carbon dioxide is left over after fermentation in Riesling, leaving spritzig, as the Germans call it. Natural and delicious.

This wine was a favorite. You can't beat the price and it is a great example of a Mosel Riesling. Except for some cheese and crackers we didn't have food for the tasting, but this would be amazing with sushi or halibut. Seek this out -- for the price, it is a knockout.

The Wine: 2010 Schloss Saarstein Riesling Kabinett, $25
Color: Light, pale straw in color with some small bubbles from the CO2.
Smell: So aromatic. Full of white flower, peach, and lemon aromas. There was a little bit of mineral to it too and a tiny bit of petrol.
Taste: The wine tasted even better than it smelled. It had an amazing balance -- jasmine flowers, peaches, and a little petrol played off the screaming acidity and the lightly sweet taste. The spritz in this wine also helped temper the fruity, floral smells. I have had this wine before and loved it just as much as I did in our "grand tasting." This was my favorite wine of the tasting and I was impressed, once again by this phenomenal producer. Bravo! I wasn't alone -- this wine was in everyone's top three -- Michael, Andrés, and I all ranked it as our favorite.

The Wine: 2009 Dr. Pauly Bergweiler Bernkasteler Badstube Spätlese, $22
This was from Wines of Germany
Color: A little richer and golden in color
Smell: This wine smelled like wet rocks/a waterfall, red apples, peaches, and petrol.
Taste: A perfect Riesling to smell, the taste was damn good but I think this is one that would be heavenly with food. Spritzy from the CO2, the wine was a little sweet but slightly tart and had more petrol and wet slate or wet rock flavor than we smelled. This wine would kick ass with Thai curries. This was Marie's favorite and Michael and Andrés both ranked it after the Schloss Saarstein as their second favorite. I liked it but it was my third best wine.

The Wine: 2010 Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Kabinett, $27
Color: Super golden in the color, I expected this to be sugary (sugar darkens a wine) but I was surprised by what I smelled and tasted.
Smell: The wine was so floral -- like gardenias, carnations, and lilac. It was a little like fresh laundry hanging outside/clean cotton scent from an air freshner (in a good way).
Taste: The wine was spritzy, very acidic, and light. Nary a peach or petrol flavor, this was pleasant and so elegant. I really loved this wine. It was my second favorite and everyone else liked it too.


The Wine: 2010 Carl Graff Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Kabinett, $15
Color: Greenish and pale in color, this wine was another homerun with us because it was outstandingly different from the others in the tasting.
Smell: The wine smelled like an Asian pear (somewhere between an pear and apple) and like minerals, but the overwhelming aroma was something like root beer.
Taste: It surprised us again when we tasted it -- instead of being sweet and peachy, the wine had a real Asian spice flavor. Tamarind, ginger, and even a salty minerality that was like soy sauce was prominent. Andrés and Michael loved this one and ranked it as the third best -- and it's understandable why. As it was open longer and longer, the wine just kept getting better and better. This was such a pleasant surprise and for $15, one to keep around for spicy dishes. What an interesting wine!

The Wine: 2009 Carl Von Schubert Maximin Grünhäuser Herrenberg Riesling Spätlese, $30
Color: This wine was a dark, golden color, with small bubbles, and it STANK.
Smell: It smelled like a gas station or a lit match -- a sulfur smell was prominent. Sulfur and pears. It was really hard to get past that gross smell to taste the wine, but we were glad we did.
Taste: The taste was so different from the smell. It was honeyed, and like melon and a tropical fruit salad and golden pear. It had spritz, great acidity, and a touch of sweetness. It really was nasty to smell, but so damn good. I loved this wine, but it's a tough one and not for those who are really sensitive to that sulfur smell, which was off-putting.

What a tasting. We learned so much about the different styles of Riesling that are available and had a great time exploring the different regions and analyzing what each brought to the table.

Thanks again to the panel and here is a summary of our faves:

Andrés and Michael Top 3:

• Schloss Saarstein
• Dr. Pauly Bergweiler
• Carl Graf
• (Van Hovel for budget wine)

Marie's Top 3:

• Dr. Pauly Bergweiler
• Schloss Johannisberg
• Van Hovel

My Top 3:

• Schloss Saarstein
• Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt Piesporter Goldtropfchen
• Schloss Johannisberg

Sources:
http://www.germanwineestates.com/understanding_german_wine_labels.htm
http://www.thewinedoctor.com/regionalguides/germanymosel2.shtml
The World Atlas of Wine, Hugh Johnson/Jancis Robinson
Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia, Tom Stevenson
Wines of Germany, http://www.germanwineusa.com/

Wine For Normal People Radio: Episode 38 -- Alphabet Soup…The Business of Wine Certifications

This week we go inside the wine industry again!

MC Ice and I start with some amazing shout outs from iTunes, Twitter, and Facebook. Thanks for all the positive feedback!

Then we tackle a robust listener question that pulls the curtain back on the wine industry. I share firsthand information about big conglomerates' wines that I learned while working for the big hulking winery! In a nutshell, we address the quality, the marketing, & how to figure out what they own.

Then we cover the certifications that people in the wine industry love to tout, what they really mean, and our take on the pyramid schemes of these certification groups:

• The certifications that Pliny the Elder, Ausonius, Thomas Jefferson, and other wine experts throughout history earned/certifications' place in wine history (hint: they didn't have any...this stuff is all very new)
  
• The wine-service-oriented Court of Master Sommeliers and the different levels offered
• The Society of Wine Educators and the Certified Specialist of Wine and Certified Wine Educator Exams
  
• The Wine and Spirits Education Trust (and why it's awesome but really price-y)
  
• The Master of Wine

If you like the podcast, please review it on iTunes, drop a comment below, or join the awesome conversation on Facebook (Wine For Normal People page) and Twitter @normalwine!

If you've got a question you want us to answer, post it and we'll include it on the show!

Thanks for listening! We can't wait to hear from you!

Podcast music: "Café connection" by morgantj / CC BY 3.0, ©2009 - Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution (3.0).

Acorn Winery: The Seed of Something Different and Mighty in the Russian River Valley of Sonoma

Have you ever stepped into a place and felt like you were in the living room of a dear friend's home? Where the people, who you've never met, made you feel like you've known them for years and that they care about you, about what you think, and about how comfortable you are? It's rare to find this anywhere, let alone in the Russian River Valley of Sonoma...unless you go see Betsy and Bill Nachbaur, owners of Acorn Winery. Add insanely good wine to the mix and you've got one of the most fabulous, differentiated places in Sonoma.

After you've tasted all the Pinot, Chardonnay, Zin, and Cab your mouth can handle, go to Acorn for something no one else has...Cab Franc, Dolcetto, and what's called "Field Blends" (a bunch of complementary stuff grown together, picked together, and fermented together to make heavenly wines) and a family feel you won't get anywhere else.

I made an appointment here at the urging of some Facebook fans. When we drove up, the tasting room was full (it only holds about 10 people) and Betsy, harried but enthusiastic, hurried out to tell us that she was running late. We got to poke around in the vineyards outside and after the other group finished (Betsy does the hospitality at Acorn and treats everyone like they are the most important person in the world), MC Ice and I sat down with Bill and Betsy to taste through their amazing line of wines (all reds, so if you're a white wine-only person you may need to opt out) and talk about everything under the sun. Betsy and Bill are smart, insider-outsiders in the wine community (in a REALLY GREAT way) and have perspective.

What do I mean by perspective? The Nachbaurs have had a life outside of wine so they know there's more to the world than just Sonoma and Napa (there are some industry folks who I think have no idea that there is a world outside California Wine Country). Bill was a lawyer in San Francisco and Betsy had a high powered job in business. They loved wine, so in 1990, Bill gave up law and devoted himself full-time to a new venture -- he and Betsy purchased Alegría Vineyards, a property that had been planted with grapevines since the 1880s but was in sore need of care and love. They saved what they could of the old vines and then planted another 17 acres of new stuff, mostly of single varieties to have something different from the heritage vines, which included more of a hodge podge.

For the first four years they sold all their grapes and then decided to make their own wine in 1994. In 1996 the first Sangiovese was released. Today they still sell 50% of their grapes to other high end wineries. They only make 3000 cases of their estate-grown wine. They crush their grapes off site so the operation at Acorn (named because they are small but produce something magnificent: acorn to oak) is largely about farming.

This isn't a corporate place. It's not slick. Betsy and Bill work their asses off farming, making wine, delivering wine, and hosting guests. It's their second act in their careers and they LOVE what they do -- Alegría means "joy" in Spanish, and that's what they feel about farming and making wine. Bill isn't formally trained in wine. He's a really, really smart guy who read books and experimented and figured out how to farm, how to make damn good juice, and he worked with Betsy to learn how to have a business in a crazy industry that probably made no sense from a legal/political/business perspective. The Nachbaurs are fast learners.

Acorn's focus is different from everyone else's in Sonoma, especially in the Russian River Valley where ever place peddles its Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, which after a while can taste very "same-y." The vineyards aren't perfectly manicured. Bill works with nature and farms the old school way -- using mostly organic techniques and letting the vineyard express itself. Their "thing" is field blends. Letting complementary things grow together make it easier to cultivate the grapes and create unique wines. This method also honors the history of the Italian immigrants who settled in Sonoma, spreading their winemaking tradition. Acorn's wines stand out both because they are made from grapes that virtually no one else is cultivating and because they are freaking delicious.

I don't know if it's because they are originally East Coasters (from Connecticut) or whether they are not so entrenched in wine that they are really well-rounded, but these are some of the most interesting, kind, passionate people I've met in Sonoma...EVER. I love the story, I love the wines and I can't recommend this place highly enough. It's for normal people.

And so, let's get to the lineup...

Wine #1: 2008 Cabernet Franc, Russian River Valley, Sonoma, California
Price: $30
Alcohol: 13.5%

Color: The wine was a crimson color with a touch of brown. I always think Cabernet Franc is kind of like the color of mud, with plums thrown in. This one was spot on!

Smell: EXACTLY what I think of when I think of Cab Franc -- earthy, like decaying leaves and tea, with some black cherry and floral notes.

Taste: Earthy, with cherry and licorice flavors and much fuller than I expected. It had great acid and nice mouth-drying tannin but had enough fruit, earth, and nutmeg/cinnamon spice to keep it interesting. Complex, delicious and would be terrific with earthy food like mushrooms or steak au jus.

Drink or Sink: Drink. What a way to start a tasting. This wine was outstanding. It surprised me. I expected that it would be a little like green pepper (Cab Franc sometimes has that note) or overly fruity (some from Sonoma are) but this was Cab Franc done right -- earthy, spicy, fruity, floral. Great wine.


Wine #2: 2008 Dolcetto (dole-CHET-oh, a grape native to the Piedmont region in Northwestern Italy and rarely found in Sonoma, so this is really cool!), Russian River Valley, Sonoma, California
Price: $30
Alcohol: 14.1%

Color: A pretty ruby color with thick legs from the 14% alcohol (thick legs = higher alcohol).

Smell: Light cherry with cooked cherry (like the inside of a pie) and a touch of cinnamon. There were some coffee and raspberry smells too that were delicious and different for a Dolcetto. The smell is a little deceptive -- it doesn't reveal the blast of flavor your about to get when you sip the wine.

Taste: Black cherry and cherry pie filling or raspberry jam with cinnamon. This was like a raspberry, mocha cake! The wine tasted like cinnamon French toast stuffed with raspberry preserves. A little bit of tangerine flavor played against the mocha to make it like an orange chocolate truffle.The wine is soft feeling and a little buttery in texture.

Drink or Sink: Drink. I'm a huge fan of Dolcetto. This one was complex, delicious and even better than many of the watery, bitter versions from Italy.


Wine #3: 2008 Sangiovese, Russian River Valley, Sonoma, California
Price: $28
Alcohol: 14.2%

Color: Looked like cranberry juice -- ruby with just a touch of orange to it. Sangiovese tends to get a little orange/brown quickly in the winery and this one had that kind of color. I liked seeing that lighter shade because when Sangiovese is too dark, it's usually the case that the winery left the grape on the vine too long and it ends up tasting too jammy and fruity and loses its earthiness, which is what I like in the grape.

Smell: Typical Sangiovese smells like red cherry with a good hit of rustic, dirty, dusty scents. This held true to form, but was a bit more on the fruity side than the earthy one. The wine smelled like licorice and had a great spice component from the Hungarian oak barrels, which Bill said suited Sangiovese perfectly. I agree!

Taste: Similar to the Dolcetto, the wine had a cherry pie filling flavor -- baked cherry and cinnamon flavors. There was a little bit of black pepper and some kicked-up-dust-on-a-country-road flavor. I loved the texture -- some nice mouth-drying tannins but the contrast of spice, earth, and fruit was the real homerun.

Drink or Sink: Drink. This isn't a fruit bomb but it has a ton of subtle flavor. Very different from Italian Chianti in that it was fruitier and had more spice to it (the Italian version tends to be very earthy), still this would be amazing with pizza. I brought a bottle home and can't wait to have it with the Neapolitan pizza from my favorite local place.


Wine #4: 2007 Axiom Syrah, Russian River Valley, Sonoma, California
Price: $33
Alcohol: 14.4%

Color: SUPER dark -- this was essentially black in color and had super thick legs that stained the glass. I expected a lot of flavor out of this wine -- dark wines usually = fruit bombs.

Smell: Spot-on for a Syrah. Juicy, ripe black plum, with a huge hit of black pepper and cinnamon. There was a peachy, honeysuckle thing going on from the touch of Viognier used and some salty, earthy, woodsy scents that made this wine so complex.

Taste: YUM! Rich, full, fruity and peppery, this was a flavorful wine but not so overwhelming that you couldn't have it with some food off the grill. GREAT wine.

Drink or Sink: Drink. I love a good Syrah and this one fits the bill. Rich, spicy, earthy, this is a knockout. I can't wait to have it with something off the grill -- the fullness of the fruit with the spice and smoke will be insane with the char/grilled flavor.

As an aside, we tried the bottle Betsy had just opened against the one she had from the previous day. I think the one from the day before was more complex, and I'd recommend you decant this wine for an hour or so before drinking it so it really shows its stuff.

Also, we tried the 2008 version of the Axiom. It was similar in color, and it was also 2% Viognier, but I found it much more floral -- like gardenias and carnations. It was a little more earthy smelling than the 2007. It tasted far smokier, and more like earth and blackberries. I actually liked the 2008 better than the 2007 because it was so complex and powerful. Great wine.



Wine #5: 2008 Heritage Vines Zinfandel, Russian River Valley, Sonoma, California
Price: $35
Alcohol: 15%
Grapes: This is a field blend, so it bears mentioning that although 82% of this is Zin, the remainder includes 8% Alicante Bouchet and 8% Petite Sirah and the rest is a mix of 13 other grapes!

Color: Darker than many Zins (thanks probably goes to the dark Petite Sirah for that!), the wine was garnet colored with a brown rim. It had 15% alcohol, so the legs were super thick and dripped down the glass oh-so-slowly.

Smell: This was a bowl of dark fruit -- prunes, raspberry, and blackberry. It was a little bit of a cilia singer -- you could smell the alcohol, but the burn was tempered by the black pepper and clove smells that warmed it up.

Taste: The wine tasted warm and brandied. It was just like it smelled with fruit and black pepper, and clove. It was powerful, fruit, and spicy. This was clearly Zin, but the other components added spiciness and raspberry flavors that were delicious.

Drink or Sink: Drink. This is a real showpiece for Acorn. A powerful Zin with tons of flavor -- fruit and spice, but more elegant and interesting than a lot of the Zins from Sonoma. Just what Zin should be. I think Zin should always be made as a field blend -- it makes it so much more interesting!


Wine #6: 2008 Medley, Russian River Valley, Sonoma, California
Price: $38
Alcohol: 14.2%

Grapes: This is a different blend every year, that reflect what's in the vineyards. This year it is 33% Zinfandel, 31% Cabernet Franc, 23% Syrah, 3% Cinsault, 2% Muscat, 1% Merlot, and 7% other grapes.

Smell: This was a cool wine to smell -- so different. Oranges, plums, and honey jumped out the glass. There was a black tea smell too and a little bit of black cherry. The fruit, the spice, the honey combined with licorice and earth made this wine heady.

Taste: Flowers, plums and tobacco with some licorice and honey wowed my mouth. The Medley had great mouth-drying tannins and mouthwatering acid. It was so interesting and delicious, and the finish went on and on.

Drink or Sink: Drink. The Medley is knockout! It makes me wonder why more producers don't try this old fashioned method of field blends. What a unique wine! I've never had anything like this from Sonoma and I loved it.

If you can't tell already, I'm a huge fan of Acorn and of Bill and Betsy. Such great wine and TOTALLY for normal people. This is not a place for snobs, it's for nice people who want to sit down with the owners of a winery, learn a thing or two and drink great stuff.

Betsy and Bill, I applaud you both and thank you for making great wine and having no hubris about it. Salt of the earth people! Go see them!

Wine For Normal People Radio: Episode 37 -- Sherry: A Crazy Good Wine That Few People Drink

After a bunch of awesome shout outs (thank you all so much) and a listener question about Viognier "blooming" in the glass, we get to it.

In this episode we talk about Sherry -- and let you in on something you need to go out and get, before everyone else figures out how great it is and the prices go up! Here's a top level summary:

• We’re on a sherry kick – MC Ice explains why he's a convert
• We answer the question -- Sherry: What the hell is it? and discuss how it's not just for bad 70s TV stars
• We talk about the "Sherry Triangle" in Southern Spain and how the stuff is made, including the different types and what they go with, food-wise.
• We top it off with a note on the best darn dessert combination out there -- Pedro Ximenez Sherry and ice cream (divine!) and wrap it up!

Download on iTunes or listen here!

If you like the podcast, please review it on iTunes, drop a comment below or join the awesome conversation on Facebook (Wine For Normal People Page) and Twitter @Normalwine

Also, if you've got a question you want us to answer, post it on any of those places and we'll include it on the show!

Thanks for listening! We can't wait to hear from you!

Podcast music: "Café connection" by morgantj / CC BY 3.0, ©2009 - Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution (3.0).

Copain: A Mendocino Gem in the Russian River Valley?

I’ve heard so much about Copain over the years. Most of the people I’ve spoken to say it’s among the best wineries in Sonoma. But I have to admit, in Sonoma, I enjoy the freedom to explore and given that I had heard that Copain was appointment only (only partially true -- it's open on the weekends to all), I felt slightly constrained. I had never visited this property perched on a hill protected by old gnarled trees that provides a fantastic view the Russian River Valley. It is also the site of a gorgeous winery that is simple, tasteful, and elegant.

The story of Copain (which is french slang for "buddies") is kind of cool. Wells Guthrie, the winemaker, actually started his career as a journalist/taster at Wine Spectator in Napa. His job required that he taste between 4,000 - 5,000 wines in his tenure (obviously I love wine but that sounds like a job that could burn you out on the stuff and never allow you to savor anything for too long!). He developed a love for the Rhône Valley and its elegant, yet powerful Viogniers, Syrahs, and Grenache/Syrah/Mourvedre blends.

Guthrie was a resourceful guy. Rather than attend the famed wine program at UC Davis like all the other aspiring winemakers in Napa and Sonoma, he decided to skip the formal education and learn from a real master - he secured a winemaking apprenticeship with Michel Chapoutier, one of the most famous modern producers in the Rhône Valley. For two years, he learned to farm and to make wine in the French tradition.

He came back to California and after stints at Turley and Marcassin he started Copain in 1999. He took the learnings from those places to heart (which make HUGE wines): his first wines were more like fruit bombs, but a few years ago Guthrie changed his style, getting back to his French roots and aiming for lower alcohol, more balanced wines that are full of subtlety and nuance. Since around 2006 his wines are leading a guard of new wines out of California that show restraint and feature more than just ripe fruit.

Guthrie makes a line that pays homage to Burgundy and the Rhône Valley -- featuring Pinot from the former and Syrah and Viognier from the latter. Most of the grapes come from the cool growing regions of Mendocino -- in this they remind me a bit of Failla. Failla is in the heart of Napa but sources grapes from the Sonoma Coast and Copain is in the heart of Pinot and Chardonnay California gold, the Russian River Valley but sells most of its estate grapes and instead purchases organically farmed grapes (if you want to know more about this, listen to the podcast or read this post) from Mendocino in the north.

Copain produces three tiers of wine. Their "Tous Ensemble," which is their everyday, very affordable (about $20 and amazing value for what you get) wines, the "Les Voisins" series (translates to "neighbors), which they call their "Friday night wine" - nicer and more sophisticated, and the Single Vineyard series, which is top of the line and is serious, serious stuff. I love that Copain does this. It's really democratic and accommodates all pocketbooks. And although there is a difference in the tiers, each one is amazing in its own right

On my visit, I was welcomed in their gorgeous Restoration Hardware-like tasting room by such warm staff. Wells Guthrie himself was in the back scrubbing out tanks. He had given everyone the day off because they had worked nonstop for about two weeks and he wanted them to spend some time with their families. You can never tell how someone really is with their staff, but he seemed like a nice dude and invited me to climb the ladders to look at the Pinot Noir that was fermenting. Very cool.

I wish I'd had more time with him, especially because the "guide" we got was a bit of a cold fish. I've heard from close friends that the hospitality experience at Copain is super hit or miss. It's hard to be unhappy when you taste awesome wines while looking out over the Russian River Valley on a beautiful day, but I will say the guy who was telling us about the wine made it kind of clear that hanging out with me was the LAST thing he wanted to be doing. He made very little eye contact and seemed bored with my questions and he was eager to be done with me.

It was the second experience I had like that in Sonoma that day, only this wasn't anywhere near as bad as the experience at Iron Horse. That said, be forewarned that although Copain has the wine and the view to die for, the hospitality experience is reputed to be lacking and my experience affirmed the spottiness of it. It is what it is and if any of the ladies in the tasting room had taken care of us, it would have been a completely ideal experience.

So to the wines. Not a bad one in the bunch. Wells Guthrie knows how to make wine, there's no doubt about it. If you're looking for what California can do when it's not overdone, here's another example of lower alcohol, cooler climate wines that are unbelievably delicious.

Wine #1: 2009 "Tous Ensemble" Viognier, Mendocino County, California
Price: $20
Alcohol: 13.7%

Color: I look for two things in a Viognier when I look at color, how dark it is (indicates if it's been aged in oak, which happens sometimes in California) and how golden it is (indicates to me how ripe the fruit was when it was picked). This one was bright, golden, and like pear juice but it was still on the lighter side.

Smell: This wine was so aromatic -- a perfect Viognier. It was like honey, orange sherbet, and peaches with a touch of lemon. It was nice to confirm the wine didn't sit in oak. I find when winemakers put Viognier in oak, it strips a lot of the fresh aromas.

Taste: What a great wine. It had the white jasmine flower, honeysuckle, and creamy notes to it, but the lemony acidity kept it very light and bright. It had a touch of bitterness, but the alcohol gave the wine some fullness that offset that green flavor. Apparently the grapes were picked a little early in the cooler area of Mendocino, McDowell Valley -- I wish they had left them on a tad longer to get rid of that stem flavor, but it was still a solid wine.

Drink or Sink: Drink. This is such a great wine for sipping, with cheese, or with lighter fish dishes. I love a good Viognier. Although this is a light style, it's still aromatic, has a great balance of alcohol, acid, and fruit, and is excellent value -- far better than a lot of Viognier I've had for double the price.

Wine #2: 2009 "Les Voisins" Pinot Noir, Anderson Valley, Mendocino, California
Price: $40
Alcohol: 13.4%

Color: Not too dark, the wine was the color of raspberry juice with a pretty, light rim. It was a great color for Pinot, which I think should be light and transparent, given the natural properties of the grape.

Smell: I totally would have mistaken this wine for a red Burgundy (Pinot Noir). It was like minerals and dirt and farm with a touch of raspberry and strawberry to it. It was what I like to call a "dirty wine," and I loved the smell of the earth and dirt. I liked that you could tell it grew in the ground, as opposed to a lot of other California Pinots, which seem like they were created in a winery.

Taste: The wine had a great raspberry twang -- that slight bit of tartness that's in the berry, with lots of mouthwatering acidity. There was a little bit of orange rind flavor to it and it tasted like soil. It had a very long finish, and lingered. It wasn't too complex or layered, but it tasted like Pinot Noir -- raspberries, earth, and acid were all hanging out together.

Drink or Sink: Drink. An excellent Pinot and what I'd term a typical Mendocino style -- earthy with great acidity and a strong tart raspberry note.

Wine #3: 2009 Wentzel Pinot Noir, Anderson Valley, Mendocino County, California
Price: $65
Alcohol: 13.7%

Color: A bolder, richer color than the Les Voisins, this wine was like black raspberry juice -- a crimson, violet color.

Smell: A little fruitier than I expected, this was packed with raspberry, and a combo of fresh red cherry and dried cherry aromas. It smelled like earth and fresh brewed coffee too. Yum.

Taste: Fresh raspberry, strawberry, and cherry flavors dominated but this wine was super complex. There were a lot of low notes -- earthy, mushroom-like flavors with smoke, tobacco, and baking spices like cinnamon. There was great mouth drying tannins and mouthwatering acidity that balanced the fruit.

Drink or Sink: Drink. This is an outstanding, outstanding wine. Heaven. A great balance of fruit, earth, spice, with tannin and acid. What California Pinot Noir should be -- a tempered, moderate style, where fruit has center stage but doesn't steal the show.

Wine #4: 2009 "Les Voisins" Syrah, Yorkville Highlands, Mendocino, California
Price: $34
Alcohol: 13.9%

Color: A dark plum color, this puppy was opaque.

Smell: Perfect smell for a Syrah, this was like plums and black raspberries, leather, black pepper, cinnamon spice, and smelled a little like a horse stable -- earthy and rustic. There was a saltine cracker smell too -- a little salty and bready thing that was really interesting next to the plum aromas.

Taste: A lighter Syrah in style, this was fruity with a good hit of black pepper. There was a ripe plum taste and the wine had great tannin and acid.

Drink or Sink: Drink. This is a simple yet good wine. Whereas the Pinot Noir in this line seemed to be slightly better than a Friday night wine, this one fits the bill a bit more. A good wine, but not a show stopper.

Wine #5: 2007 Alder Springs Syrah, Mendocino, California
Price: $40
Alcohol: 13.5%
Color: Very dark, the color of blackberry or prune juice.

Smell: Wow! This was like crushed raspberries -- fresh but a little bit juicy and acidic. It smelled like blackberries and black plums and then a little bit of cinnamon. I left it for a second and when I went back for another whiff, I got the smell of a Catholic church -- it had this moody, incense and myrrh smell that was INSANE. I loved it.

Taste: A really unique wine. It had subtle raspberry and blackberry fruit flavors but what made it amazing was that incense or myrrh quality that came through on the taste. The wine was elegant, but still had great tannin and acid, and the exotic flavors reminded me of wines I've had from the Northern Rhône Valley, the home of Syrah.

Drink or Sink: Drink. You can really see Michel Chapoutier's influence in this wine. It's so French in style. There's such a balance -- fruit, acid, tannin, spice, alcohol -- it was like a choreographed dance on my palate (more like a ballet, less like the electric slide). Outstanding, especially for the price.

Before I left, we got a sip of the 2007 James Berry Grenache/Syrah/Mourvedre blend (that's the blend in Chateauneuf-du-Pape from France). They aren't making it anymore, because Guthrie has fully transitioned away from the big fruit style wines, which is what you get when you buy fruit from Paso Robles in the Central Coast of California. It was good, but nothing like the delicate, restrained, and balanced wines I had tasted. I think Copain's new track is heading in the right direction.

Although the hospitality was a little like a wet noodle, at least they weren't rude, and the wines and winery were certainly enough to make up for it. Next time you're in Sonoma, this is a must visit.