Good Morning!

This long weekend was really needed. I needed to relax, rest and also decompress. Two friends of mine came in town from Duluth, MN. We planned very little just pool time and relax. We had not seen each other in about a year and when we get together, it is just great fun. I met my pal Tony when I was about 8-9 years old and he was around 6, we go way back, 40 years back.

We were neighbors and his dad was my 5th grade teacher and we had sleep overs growing up, we would watch Sammy Terry and Nightmare theater on Friday nights as kids and most of the time we would eat Pizza King pizza and stay up all night. Well, not much has changed, we found ourselves eating pizza and watching movies and laughing about things we did as kids and remembered things about our parents and grandparents and laughed.

Well, instead of Pizza King we cooked or went out to dinner and tried about anything we could get our hands on, and this went for our wine selections too. My neighbors had invited over for dinner and it was lovely. The ribs and salmon were to die for and seriously the peach cobbler was so good, it makes my mouth water thinking about it at 5 AM. I brought several wines and the neighbors poured some awesome wines also, but there was a clear favorite called Amavi Cellars 2008 Syrah.

I love wines from Washington and I have always been drawn to the Pinot Noir and Cabernet’s, but I had not loved previous Syrah’s from Washington, this wine is young and vibrant. It had a huge nose and the pepper and black jammy flavors just stopped my taste buds and they said AWESOME! I know I don’t often give you many tasting notes but I could write for an entire day about this wine and the taste of Walla Walla, Washington wines, I have enjoyed.

The more I try the wines from all over the world the less my palate is stuck on BIG ASS REDS from California (which I still love) but it is great to just open my mind to everything. The best thing about tasting wines for me is that my mouth can taste parts of the world, my body might never get to visit.

There is nothing better than family, old and new friends, great food, great wine and lively conversation. I already miss my friends and look forward to the next time we meet up. I just wanted to share with you the name of the wine that really delighted all of us!

I hope you had an amazing weekend too. If you had a wine that you really enjoyed, let me know what you liked so I can try it too!

Much LOVE and wine,

Tammi

Good Morning!

Today is National Cabernet Sauvignon day! I am excited because tonight on Twitter we will all be gathering and tasting and “tweeting” about each wine we try. I love these “National” days. People from all over the world will gather and try wines I have never heard of and maybe never get to try and through the magic of technology, I kinda get to be there.

How these Twitter wine tastings work are pretty easy and if your not a Twitter user or even technology person, you can still have some fun with Cabernet. People gather at home, at restaurants and at wineries and most people bring bottles and they uncork and just start tasting. As they taste then they post their tasting notes on Twitter and many will post on Facebook as well.

There are many groups that have really large tasting parties and their will also be many people at home enjoying some Cabernet and posting their thoughts as well. I log onto Twitter and since many of the people I follow are in the wine biz I will just follow the hashtag #Cabernet and anytime there is a tasting note or comment about the wine, it will pop up on my screen. Then if I see a wine is getting much praise, I will make a note to myself to start looking for that wine next time I am shopping!

I will meet up with 4 of my friends early this evening and each one of us is to bring 2 bottles of Cabernet, we have set a few standards since we all want to try different wines. We are drinking only Cabs from earlier than 2004 vintage and they must be from Napa, CA. Anyone can put together a group to start tasting together, there are no rules except everyone wants to learn more and enjoy more wine.

Let me share with you what it is I know about Cabernet Sauvignon or also just called Cab to most folks. Cab is the love child of two grapes, Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc. Cabernet Sauvignon is the most widely planted red grape in the state of California and in 2000 there were over 70,000 acres planted there. The natural acidity and tannins found in Cabernet is what helps form the structure and longevity this big wine is known for.

Many countries are producing Cabs that are exceptional….I personally found some winemakers in Chile who are making stellar Cabs. But France and Australia have so much popularity and they taste awesome! If you have never had a Cabernet Sauvignon it is a complex, structured wine and most people will describe it as cherry, black cherry, black currant and raspberry flavors up front. In an older Cabernet, I taste the big black fruits along with green pepper and some folks say they get lots of tobacco aromas. This is a big wine, if you are all about a light, fresh, quick finishing wine…this will not be for you. This wine is not for the faint of heart or taste.

Cabernet is a big, bold blast of black fruit with really deep color and when you first open the bottle and pour it, put your nose in the glass, you will smell fresh baked bread and a big whiff of alcohol, you can smell the heat…let it open up and relax, if not, instead of a great taste of berries you will get a kick in the mouth by the Cabernet, it needs a little air to bring the real beauty of this wine, relax and let it have a few minutes and you will be rewarded.

Speaking of being rewarded; when I first started drinking wines, I was into big Cabernet’s from California with steaks and huge fatty meals…and I still love them together, but one night when dining at Ruth’s Chris steakhouse, I found out Cabernet and cheesecake could be best friends…I think it is the black fruit and tangy cheesecake combination that rocked my tastebuds. A few years later someone turned me on to Cabernet and brownies…RIDICULOUSLY decandant. My mouth is watering, because I have my two bottles sitting on the counter for tonight’s “tweet up” and I am baking brownies and can smell them wafting through the house.

The two wines I am taking tonight are 2002 Robert Mondavi Unfiltered Cabernet and the other is Chimney Rock 1998. They both are exceptional wines but I have not had either of them in about 5-7 years, I look forward to tasting and seeing how they have developed.

Enjoy some Cabernet tonight and let me know what you had that you liked!

Much LOVE and wine,

Tammi

Good Morning!

This past Sunday, I got a call from a large rowdy birthday party in Indianapolis and they had questions about how Champagne gets it’s bubbles. First, let me say, these folks are close friends and all of them had a nice “buzz” going and second let me say these people are very smart and are VP’s of corporations, Marketing and Sales Directors and even a semi famous actress was in the group. These friends enjoy wine like no group I have met.

It might do them some good to join a real “tasting” club, but I love how they have 3-4 favorite restaurants and they refuse to order the same bottle of wine, it is their mission to try anything. The conversation started like this…I am gonna put you on speaker phone, cause we have wine questions! I said ok, let me have it! What makes some Champagne more expensive than others? What makes it bubble? Why is it called Sparkling sometimes? What is Brut? What is up with the metal wrapper on the cork? When are you coming for visit? We miss you! What’s the best Champagne you have drank and how much was it? What grapes do they use to make Champagne with? Why is some pink?

OK, guys, let’s start at the top…I miss you and I wish I were there, That said…here we go! Guys, grab your glass take a sip and I will share with you what I have learned….Champagne can only be made in Champagne, France. Any other wines with carbon dixoide in the wine to create a “sparkling” wine can not be called Champagne unless the grapes come from that region in France. Any wine that does not have bubbles is called still wine.

In Champagne they grow 3 varietals of grapes, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meuier. Most Champagnes are made primary made with Chardonnay that is picked before fully ripened, so the grapes will have high acids which is great for making sparkling wines.

Then one friend piped in and shouted how can Champagne be made of Pinot Noir, the champagne is not red? I said ok, great observation…Have any of you ever drank a wine made from Zinfandel? A collective YES, have any of they ever had the wine White Zinfandel? They all said yes! I said there is a perfect example of what you are experiencing. All grapes are white, almost clear on the inside. The skins are what gives color and flavor to the wine.

So when they make Zinfandel it is ruby red, heavy fruitiness, lots of alcohol and beautiful aging capabilities. White Zinfandel is the exact same grape just treated differently. When they make Zinfandel, the juice ferments on the skins, so the extracted color and tannins become part of the wine. When they make White Zinfandel, they only allow the skins to be with the grapes just for a short period of time to only release some color and small amounts of flavor. White Zinfandel is a lighter wine, sweeter finish and less alcohol.

I heard a collective “oh” and felt a light bulb go off over their heads. These folks have never been in a winery, worked harvest, taken a tour of the tank rooms or for that matter never ask much about the wines they are enjoying. Then one friend said so if the Champagne we are drinking is slightly pink, it might have Pinot Noir in it right? YES….Then they all said OK, that is enough of a lesson for today!

Hahaha…They wanted to get back to the party, eating cake and drinking bubbles!

My next trip back to Indianapolis, I plan on hosting a big, fat tasting party and hopefully I can answer more of their questions! My friends teach me everyday more than they could ever know. I love all the questions…keep’em coming!

Much LOVE and wine,

Tammi

Good Morning!

This past week I got slammed with emails but my favorite email question was from my Uncle Fred, he was asking what I know about the wines from down under, he really likes the Merlot that is produced my Lindeman. Well, Uncle Fred will get the family treatment and move to the top of the line…plus his birthday is this week so Happy Birthday!

About 10-12 years ago I was on an Aussie wine crusade. I went to wine tasting at Kuhn’s wines in Carmel, IN and a young guy named Art, said these wines are the next great thing. Me being me at the time, just wanted to taste everything and anything and every time I would head to the wine shop I was picking up anything and everything from Australia.

When I think back to it, I loved the simplicity of the labels from down under. They either had just text like Penfolds or Lindeman or they had great cartoony labels and fun names like Yellow Tail and Little Boomie (meaning Boomarang). I really took a liking to the Shiraz, it was big and bold lots of fruit and high, really high alcohol. I later learned the Shiraz grape is the same grape as the Syrah grape.

While reading about Australia I found out there are 5 major wine regions and then they are divided up yet again into 60 smaller areas with a total of 103 specific geographic locations for wine production. Most wines are all grown in the southern part of the country, I guess someone could be growing something in the north, but I have not read about it yet.

I started poking around to find out when the Aussies really started getting some traction in the US with their wines and I read that Jess Jackson the founder of Kendall-Jackson wines started growing grapes in Australia to off set the opposite growing season. I also know that the most famous wine that had come out of Austrialia at that time was made by Pensfolds called Grange. From what I have read about this wine, it used to be called Hermitage and after 1986 is was just labeled Grange made with mostly Shiraz from the southern part of Australia and a small amount of Cabernet.

The Grange is considered to be one of the best wines ever made in the land of the outback and kangaroos. I tried this wine back 8 years ago at a private winemakers dinner and to be honest, it was really good but I was so new to tasting at that level, I am sure it’s beauty was lost on me. There are many massive amounts of wine being made and consumed from Australia, they are the 4th producer (2007), about $5.5 Billion in sales and though I think their wines still sell very well, I am not sure they became as popular here in the US as expected.

A good friend of mine who owns a wine retail shop in Chicago, Don Sritong Owner of Just Grapes, told me a story about his wife and the wines of Australia and the people there and their love of life and lust for adventure. His wife is an Aussie and he said once you go to the vineyards, meet the people who make the wines and feel their passion, you will have an emotional connection with the wines and you will always be drawn to them. Thanks Don! Hearing about his adventures and experiences with their wines opened my mind.

Plus Shiraz is so yummy with grilled meats…It makes me want to grab a tri-tip, fire up the grill and find a great bottle and say cheers to the great winemakers of Australia and Happy Birthday to Uncle Fred!

Good have a great weekend and find a bottle to join in the fun.

Much LOVE and wine,
Tammi

Good Morning,

Yesterday, I discussed the wines that the wedding guests enjoyed at the Kardashian and Humphries wedding and since I like a shorter blog, I thought today, I would discuss the champagne they chose to serve at the reception, Armand de Brignac Brut Gold (Ace of Spades).

Let me share what I have found out about this wine The blend of grapes in this wine is classic champagne blend of 33% Chardonnay, 33% Pinot Noir and 33% Pinot Menuier. This champagne is a blend of several vinatages, so it is classified as a Non Vintage champagne. (if the vintage year, the year the grapes were picked, were to be stated on the bottle, that would mean 100% of the grapes in that bottle had to come from that year).

But in the year 2006 Armand de Brignac unveiled the stunning gold bottle originally developed by Cattier for the Andre Courreges fashion house. This beautiful bottle was used at the Golden Jubilee celebration for the Queen of England. Each bottle is made of pewter, polished and applied by hand. Each bottle is packaged in a black embroidered velvet bag. This wine is the upper crust of quality both in taste and packaging.

After reading about 30 tasting notes from Champagne experts, I have condensed what they have said about the taste of the wine, Bright display of pear, nectarine, honeysuckle, lemon, ginger and huge perfumed bouquet. Very subtly minerality gentle smoke and long finish with great palate coverage. I can not wait to try it!

The price of this wine is currently, $300.00 per bottle and I am sure with this kinda star endorsement the price might go even higher. Remember when the hip-hop rapsters started talking about Dom and Krystal and before you knew it you had a bottle of fantastic for $500, that used to be $200. I still a struggle paying more than $100 a bottle for almost any wine, but there are splurge wines that I will go for once in awhile. I am 100% sure at some point I will buy a bottle of Armand de Brignac just to try it.

I understand Kim K’s one big splurge for the wedding was this champagne. It is said they spent $150K just for the bubbles for the reception, I got this info from E!, so not sure if it is reliable info. I know once Kate Middleton married Prince William I had to try their champagne and the Pol Roger tasted at luxurious as the bride looked and had that sexy kick that the bride’s sister provided to the wedding party.

I will report back when I try the Armand de Brignac, I hope this champagne has the elegance of Kim…but not the sassy kick of her constantly cranky sisters!

Much LOVE and wine,

Tammi