February 3, 2010

Vino for Valentines!

I make several Valentine's Day wine suggestions in this week's Creators Syndicate Wine Talk column. I have focused on wines that I believe fit the occasion, and in a broad range of prices. You might note that I have eschewed high-end Champagne.

You don't need me to explain a bottle of Dom will impress your date. Besides, I am well aware that profligate spending on wine is a big no-no in this economy.

From my column:

These are the times that try men's souls. Truly, for Valentine's Day is upon us and there is a general call to arms. Only a fool — or a newbie in the ways of love — would show up without a bottle of something!

Ah, but what something? That is the question. There are only two good options, which I will spell out for the Budweiser crowd. One is something bubbly, and it better not be beer. The other is something sweet, all the more impressive if accompanied by a box of chocolates.

That's the easy part. Making sense of the vast array of sparkling and sweet wines available at the corner wine shop is another matter. You get to pick your own poison, but you shouldn't be handed a blindfold and a cigarette and shoved down the Champagne aisle on your own. Any mistakes you make are likely to be very expensive!

No need for that; sparkling wines come in a range of styles and prices. A word of caution on the bubbly, however, since a number of voices will advocate serving Champagne with chocolate. This is seldom a glorious match, for it is nearly impossible to find a Champagne or sparkling wine that is sweet enough to cope with the intensity of a decadent chocolate truffle.

That's when a truly sweet wine, such as Port, might come in handy. There are some fairly sweet sparkling styles, such as Italy's famed Asti Spumante or demi-sec Champagnges from France, but these tend to work better with cookies and pastries than rich chocolates, which overwhelm most sparkling wines. The exception might be Brachetto d'Acqui from northern Italy's Piedmont region.

Without further ado, my Valentine's Day wine suggestions. You need not settle for these alone. A good wine merchant who might not have the specific wine recommended would likely be able to produce a comparable substitute, and in matters of love, a spirit of adventure can often turn to your advantage.

For more, click here!

Posted by Robert Whitley at 9:22 AM

February 2, 2010

Wine Sales Donated to Haitian Relief

The catastrophic earthquake that recently struck Haiti has tapped into the generosity of people around the world.  In these times of dire need, Americans, in particular, show their best side by rallying to the need for aid.

For a number of years, Patrick Campbell, owner/winemaker of Laurel Glen Vineyards in Sonoma County, and his partner Tim Chegwidden have been contributing part of the profits from the sale of Chevere!, a Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon, to the Lambi Fund of Haiti, a peasant-led community organization working toward a strengthened democratic society. Responding to the news of the Haiti earthquake, the partners are turning over all profits of Chevere! For at least the next two months.

Grapes for Chevere! Cabernet Sauvignon come from the Isla de Maipo, an island of land between the Maipo and Mapocho Rivers, just south of Santiago. Campbell says that because the rivers overflow on occasion, the deposits, including beds of gravel, have created a terroir “somewhat reminiscent of the river banks in the Medoc region of Bordeaux.”  He describes the 2007 Chevere! as having “the distinctive sauvage quality of the Cabernet that one finds in many of the classified growths of the Medoc, underscored by deep cassis fruit tones.”  

Chevere! sells for $11 in 13 states, including California and New York, and British Columbia.  If your local merchant doesn’t carry Chevere!, ask him to order the wine.  And if you know of a restaurant sponsoring fund-raising dinners for Haiti relief, ask them to serve Chevere! with the meal.  For more information about Chevere! contact Patrick@laurelglen.org. Information about the Lambi Fund of Haiti is available on the Web Site www.lambifund.org. 

Buy a bottle or a case today and help the disaster relief in Haiti.  You’ll not only have a tasty Chilean red wine for dinner tonight but also the priceless satisfaction that your wine dollars are being used to help people in need.