Sherry Lehmnan Bordeaux Blowout

Check out the Bordeax Blowout at Sherry Lehman. http://www.sherry-lehmann.com/category/121-MASSIVE-BORDEAUX-BLOWOUT-SALE

Really great website with great prices. Check them out. And if you are ever in NYC go visit there store on Park Avenue.
Salud.

Vinturi Aerator - Because Wine needs to breathe

OK. So we all have heard over and over that wine needs to breath. The whole concept of letting wine breathe, or aerate, is simply maximizing your wine's exposure to the surrounding air. By allowing wine to mix and mingle with air, the wine will typically warm up and the wine's aromas will open up, the flavor profile will soften and mellow out a bit and the overall flavor characteristics should improve. And if you've tried it you know that it is true. One cannot argue that the best form of letting the wine breathe is by dencanting it; which can take around 60minutes. Some would argue that as little as 15minutes is enough, but in reality you need more time. If you're like me, married, kids, and enjoy having wine with your meals, time is a very pricey commodity. I don't have 30-60minutes to let a bottle open up.
That is why I use the Vinturi Aerator. All you do is simply hold the Vinturi Aerator over a glass and pour the wine through. Vinturi draws in and mixes the proper amount of air for the right amount of time, allowing your wine to breathe instantly. You'll notice a better bouquet, enhanced flavors and smoother finish. It is quite amazing. And it works. Try it. You can buy it online or pick it up at Crate & Barrel. They make a Red and a White wine aerator, and they go for a very reasonable price.
Give it a shot, you won't be disappointed.
Salud!

Cava: Spanish Sparkling Wine Final

The third and final installment on Cava's is a discussion on the different Cava's out there. There are quite a bit to choose from, and in my opinion there are no bad one's. That being said I do have a favorite, but I'll let you decide.

The first cava on the list is the most popular of them all: Freixenet. I'm sure you've been at a wedding or party and seen the famous black bottle. Freixenet is one of the largest cava houses in Spain, and held with the same high regard as France's Moet & Chandon. The Freixenet house employs the méthode champenoise process to produce their cavas; the same method the famed champagne houses use. Of the eight wines they make, the most popular would have to be the Cordon Negro Brut. The Cordon Negro Brut is a crisp dry, fruity cava that is constantly rated as a best buy. For $12 a bottle you cannot go wrong!

Next up is Codorniu, quite possibly the oldest Cava. (some people still debate that). What is known is that the Codorniu family owned wine presses as far back as the 16th century. But it wasn't until1872 that they produced their first cava. The house of Codorniu claims to have a cava for a thousand moments. And they just might. With eight highly distinctive cava's they have a taste to please any palate. One distinctive factor that separates Codorniu from others is their use of the Pinot Noir grape. This grape is not authorized or accepted for use in the traditional cava production. But the house of Codorniu feels (and I for one agree) that it helps and even improves the quality of the wine. The Codorniu Brut Pinot Noir has a pale pink color and exudes elegance. It has a unique but authentic taste with a hint of raspberry. With a price at around $14, it is a great buy.

Last on the list is a cava which I have mentioned before: Juvé y Camps. Much like Codorniu, Juvé y Camps offers several different cava's for one to choose. From the Gran Juvé, to the Brut Rosé, this winery has it all. My favorite is the Reserve de la Familia. Made from the "free-run juice" of Macabeu, Xarel-lo and Parellada grapes, this is what cava is all about. Bright gold, full of bubbles, and a fruity citrusy kick. The price on this guy ranges a bit. I've seen it as low as $16 all the way to $21. Not a lot of stores carry it, but if you ask, they should have no problem getting it for you.

I hope this was somewhat informative for you. I learned a lot!
Talk to you soon.

Salud

Cava - Spanish Sparkline Wine Cont'd

Part two of our series on Cava will talk about the "technical stuff" that goes into making Cava:

Cava Grape Varieties
Traditionally, three grape varieties are used in cava production: Macabeo (viura), xarel.lo (pansà blanca) and parellada. Today, you can also find cava wines made from chardonnay and subirat parent white wine grapes as well as the red varieties garnacha, monastrell, trepat and pinot noir. Trepat and pinot noir grapes may only be used in rosado (rose) wines.

Cava History and Method
Cava wines are often labeled with the words “método tradicional,” which, of course, means “traditional method.” This production method originated in France but was quickly adopted in Spain, most notably by Josep Raventós i Fatjó of Cordoníu, who created the first truly successful cava wine in 1872.

Cava wine production begins in the vineyard. In many cases, the grapes are picked early in the morning. The grapes are either carefully boxed and trucked to the winery for pressing, or, as is being seen more and more they are pressed right in the vineyard. Next, the still wine goes through a cold fermentation process.

The blending process gives each cava its individual character. This step, in which different amounts of still wines are combined to create a cuvée (blend), can involve traditional proportions of macabeo, xarel.lo and parellada, but the cuvée can also be 100 percent chardonnay or some other combination of approved still wines. At this stage, the licor de tiraje, a combination of yeasts, sugar and wine, is added so that the second fermentation can begin. The cuvée is bottled and the bottles are allowed to “rest on their lees,” or age on their sides, for at least nine months. (Many cava wines rest on their lees for 30 months or even longer; if you see a cava marked “Gran Reserva,” you’ll know it has spent a minimum of 30 months resting on its lees.)

The next step is remotion, or removido in Spanish, in which the bottles are moved to bring the yeast sediments up into the bottles’ necks for removal. This can be done by machine or by hand.

Disgorgement, or removal of the bottle’s cap and the sediment in the neck of the bottle, is the next step. Once the sediment is removed, licor de expedición, which adds sugars and wine to the bottle. Addition of a small amount of alcohol is also permitted at this stage. The wine is corked and labeled for sale after disgorgement is complete.

Salud!

Cava - Spanish Sparkling Wine

In keeping with my last post on New Years,I wanted to write a bit about Cava, the Spanish sparkling wine. Although many have drank it, few know anything about it, including me.
I'm breaking it up into three parts. Here today you will find a very brief history of Cava. Tomorrow will be the more technical stuff, what grapes are used, how its made, etc... And follwing that, we will discuss different options out there.

History of Cava
Found this good description:
The homeland of cava is Penedès, located approximately 40km southwest of Barcelona. The region is surrounded by rough and rocky elevation of Montserrat, and enjoys the ideal climate for wine-making, protected from the heat and humidity of the Mediterranean and the harsh northern and eastern winds, known as levanter. The soil of the Penedès region is excellent for grape-growing, with chalky top layers over clay and a deeper layer of rocky, poor soil, causing the vines to thrive with deep roots.

Cava was born in the second half of the nineteenth century from a change in grape variety and one man's idea: In the second half of the nineteenth century,
the vineyards of Penedès were badly infested by phylloxerae (grape root bugs). When the vineyards were replanted, white grapes were planted instead
of the traditional red grapes. At that time, Jose Rabentos, who was traveling in the Champagne region of France, saw that region's distinctive sparkling
wine and thought of producing such a wine himself. In 1872, he succeeded in producing Spain's first sparkling wine, called cava. In a short time, cava gained tremendous popularity in the market.