So, back to the “written” version of my wacky world of wine (see post below on the whereabouts of “WineBoy, the Webcast”). I’ve been cleaning out my recent tasting notes and have come up with several goodies that should provide you with a blend of red, white and rose wines for your consideration. Here are some goodies:

2005 Vincent Giardin Cuvee Saint Vincent Bourgogne Rouge ($25) – The 2005 vintage in Burgundy was a sensational success for both red (pinot noir) and white (chardonnay) wines. It is very rare for Burgundian pinot noir to have both finesse and richness, but the ’05 Cuvee Saint Vincent is a wine that should please both the European and American palate as it is light-bodied, yet round with sweet fruit flavors. This beauty blends the vinification styles of both Burgundy and California to produce a wine with aromas of It would make a superb accompaniment to roasted pork tenderloin in a light mustard crème sauce.

2006 Gramona Gessami ($18) – This unique Spanish wine (from Catalonia) is a blend of 70 percent muscat and 30 percent sauvignon blanc. With aromas of spice and ripe pear, this golden wine is chock full of slightly sweet citrus and apricot flavors that are balanced out by good acidity. It would be a delicious match to spicy oriental foods like Thai curry.

2007 Sierra Cruz Carmenere ($10) -As a member of the cabernet sauvignon family, carmenere (pronounced car-men-yare) originated in Bordeaux as one of the grapes permitted for use in the red blends of that storied region. While it is not now used in France, Chilean winemakers have embraced it and several wineries in that country produce it as a single varietal. The ’07 Sierra Cruz is a very pleasant, soft, medium-bodied wine that has fresh cabernet-like aromas and flavors of spice, dark fruit and black pepper. It is a great value and also would be a nice match with marinated and grilled skirt or flank steak.

2007 Marques De Caceres Rose ($12) – A lovely, fruit-forward and bone dry rose from the famous Rioja region of Spain. The ’07 Marques De Caceres is a blend of tempranillo and grenache and has aromas of strawberry and hay. In the mouth, this wine has a dried cherry and spice flavor profile that gives it a richness that is balanced by crisp acidity. Great for a picnic and it is especially simpatico with grilled chicken.

2007 Sierra Cruz Sauvignon Blanc ($10) This Chilean sauvignon blanc just oozes with bright citrus flavors and a nose of herbs and grass. Stylistically, it is a cross between the herbal, grassy wines so prevalent in Sonoma County and the riper, more fruit forward products of New Zealand. Match it with pasta sauced with arugula, pine nuts, mushrooms and parmesan.

2006 Conclass Rueda ($12) – This is another sleeper white from Spain that is simply delicious! Crisp, yet full flavored, this wine is a combination of verdelho and sauvignon blanc and really delivers with citrus flavors and stony minerality. It is a mouthful of wine, but very balanced and just begs to paired with Chilean sea bass sautéed in olive oil, shallots, a pinch of thyme and cracked white pepper.

Let me address a question I’ve gotten from a whole lot of you regarding the status of WineBoy – the webcast. As many of you have noted, it has been quite a while since we’ve abused the Internet with the rantings of Spud Dumplin, Umberto Lupini and Sir Reginald Winesot Clydesdale. The simple reason is resources. It takes considerable time to shoot, edit and present these exquisite productions and my good friends at the Gazette must prioritize how these resources are allocated.

In the larger scheme of producing a daily newspaper, WineBoy takes a back seat to the need for the Gazette to produce news-related video. I hope at some point we’ll be able to resume a somewhat regular schedule of Webcasts in the future, but that depends on a whole lot of considerations out of my control.

In the meantime, you can still catch some of the WineBoy webcasts at the links in past posts. After all, most of the shows have timeless content related to the world of wine. We might even index the shows we’ve already produced and make them available at the WineBoy website. Let me (and the Gazette) know what you think.

Robert Mondavi’s enthusiasm for all things related to wine and his own winery was both heartfelt and infectious.

One of the icons in the world of wine died last week. Robert Mondavi, 94, passed away at his home in the Napa Valley after a lifetime of literally and figuratively toiling in the vineyard to insure the growth of wine appreciation around the world. Wine to Mondavi represented more than just a pleasant beverage to enjoy with friends and family around the dinner table.

In his 1998 autobiography, “Harvests of Joy,” Mondavi said: “My passion for bringing wine into the American culture was motivated by a desire to plant deep into the soil of our young country the same values, traditions and daily pleasures that my mother and father had brought with them from central Italy: good food, good wine and love of family.”

He was born to Italian immigrant parents in Virginia, Minnesota, in 1913 where his father had a business supplying wine grapes to other immigrants who worked in the iron ore mines of the region. The family moved to Lodi, California and then later to the Napa Valley. During this time, Robert worked with his father and brother at the Sunny St. Helena Winery. In 1936, he graduated from Stanford University with a degree in marketing.

During World War II, he and his brother Peter convinced his father to purchase the Charles Krug Winery. At Krug the brothers managed the moderately successful winery until family differences forced Robert to establish his own winery in 1966. (more…)

One of my favorite blogger/columnists is Eric Asimov of the New York Times. He has a weekly blog called The Pour, where he explores broad issues relating to the fruit of the vine. One of his recent blogs dealt with the premise of a new book, “The Wine Trials” by Robin Goldstein.

The introductory paragraph to Asimov’s April 11 blog reads: “In yet another anti-intellectual effort to take fancy-schmancy wine down a peg or two, a new book purports to demonstrate that price bears little relation to quality and that the experts don’t know what they are talking about. The evidence? Blind taste tests of 540 wines by 500 volunteer tasters.”

That blog and the comments it elicited got me thinking about how we all make choices regarding the wines we select for every day drinking and for special occasions. Certainly, we can all agree that quality wines that offer great value are worth seeking out. So how do we determine what is not only an acceptable wine, but one that is exceptional? Well, let me take a crack at it. (more…)

Each year about this time, I join a group of West Virginia wine lovers who are called upon to select the best wines produced by state wineries in seven different categories (e.g., dry red; semi-sweet white; dry white; dessert, etc.). This annual tasting gives me a pretty good indication and historical perspective on the quality of Mountain State wines since we’ve been judging the competition for about 15 years. I’m happy to report that West Virginia-made wine has improved steadily over the past decade. I’m also happy to report that the number of wineries has increased from just a few to 17 in the past ten years.

While many of these wines can be good to exceptional, wine makers in the state face very difficult growing conditions that force them to use vines that can limit their ability to make great wines. Why? (more…)

Inspiration is a wonderful thing! After attending a spectacular wine dinner at the Bridge Road Bistro recently, I was inspired by the culinary virtuosity of chef Paco Aceves to create my own plebeian version of gastronomic heaven. It’s a dish I’ll call “Doin the Spicy Chicken.”

If you’re old enough, you probably remember doing the “Funky Chicken.” While that dance required a few nimble moves, laying down steps for the Spicy Chicken is a lot easier, and today I’m going to tell you how. I’m also going to suggest a few wines that will not only tame that chicken, but also enhance the flavors of this nifty little dish. If you haven’t done so already, it is definitely time to dust off the old grill and get ready to barbeque some de-feathered edibles! Here’s how: (more…)