The corkscrew and the cork: not as complex as the chicken and the egg, but …

One great thing about researching and writing a wine column is that you pick up a lot of neat facts. Some of these start me thinking, though. For instance, one bit of wine trivia that I encountered said that the Egyptians started using corks as wine stoppers as far back as 4000 B.C. Then I came across another trivia morsel that said that the corkscrew was invented in 1860. Hmmm. I don’t know if you’ve tried to get a cork out of a bottle without a corkscrew, but to me this is like saying that people started using locks in 3000 B.C. and the key was invented in 1965. Maybe I should ask the friendly and knowledgeable people at The Wine Merchant and see if they know.

 Let’s talk about books on wine

Now that you have a bit of mystery on your hands with the trivia question and the chicken-and-the-egg corkscrew dilemma, how about some clarity? While neither my readers nor I are dummies, the book Wine for Dummies, by Ed McCarthy and his wife Mary Ewing-Mulligan, does a lot to demystify wines and their lore. It’s an entertaining jaunt that ends up talking about what wine is, how it’s made and even, toward the end, how to invest in and cellar wines. It’s not all as basic as the title might indicate, and it’s quite informative. But while I thought we were venturing out of mystique and into clarity, we now have the paradox that once you read Wine for Dummies, you will no longer need the book because you are no longer a dummy. 

Well, maybe The Everything Wine Book will be your cup of tempranillo. I have the older edition by Danny May and Andy Sharpe, but I’d wager that the new version by Barbara Nowak and Beverly Wichman (who hosted a radio wine show and are also known as “the saucy sisters”) is just as good. It has the basics on wine and delves into food pairings —well written and entertaining. And anything written by the saucy sisters can't be all bad. 

For more serious readers, I’d recommend Windows of the World Complete Wine Course by Kevin Zraly. This book captures the excitement of wine lore and is fun to boot. One of the best pieces of advice for wine tasters is in a short section called “The 60-Second Wine Expert” on page 19 and 20. Zraly divides the 60 seconds — which he feels is the minimum amount of time you should spend tasting the wine before judging it — into four parts. It’s a great lesson for wine novices and a great reminder for the more experienced. Just for the record, the first 15 seconds are to check for sweetness, acidity and fruit level. The next 15 are to assess the fruitiness and weight of the wine — light, medium or full-bodied. From 30 to 45 seconds, you should be noticing the balance of the fruit and acidity of the wine, and in the last 15 seconds you see how the fruit, tannin and acid are in balance. 

Finally, perhaps my favorite is Karen MacNeil’s The Wine Bible. Not only is it filled with accessible but comprehensive wine knowledge, but it is chock full of passion, anecdotes, tips, maps, wine labels and more. How good it is? Well, Robert Mondavi, speaking of Wine for Dummies, says: “This book is … for everyone who loves wine or wants to know more about it. High praise, but Mondavi calls The Wine Bible “the most complete wine book ever.” I certainly haven’t encountered anything better. There’s also a Page a Day wine calendar available from Workman Publishing, filled with wine suggestions, recipes, trivia and advice from Karen MacNeil such as, “If you wouldn’t drink it, don’t cook with it.” And The Wine Bible also offers great quotes such as this one from winemaker Scott Rich:

“Ultimately, any discussion of the aromas and flavors in pinot noir
comes down to a discussion of sex.” 

Frugal focus:  Cline winery

Cline winery owns some 300 acres of wine country in Oakley, California, that includes some of the oldest surviving vines in California, according to their Web site. The zinfandel, carignane and mourvèdre produced from these vines make some mouthwatering, lovingly crafted wines. Also according to the Web site: “In 1991, the winery relocated from Oakley to the Carneros region of Sonoma County on a historic 350-acre estate with new vineyards and facilities. While much of the cool Carneros region is planted in traditional chardonnay, pinot noir and merlot grapes, Fred Cline pioneered the planting of Rhône varietals including syrah, viognier, marsanne and roussanne. In 1997, Cline ventured further west into an even cooler growing area in eastern Petaluma and again planted more Rhône varietals.” This makes for some interesting and unusual wines. Some of Cline’s wines include:

Cline 2006 Pinot Grigio Chardonnay. This is a great summer wine, a blend of 86 percent pinot grigio and 14 percent chardonnay.  Classic pinot grigio lightness with some of that chardonnay body and texture blended in.

2004 Oakley Four Whites. A well balanced and nicely acidic wine that manages to be delightfully fruity as well. Nice hints of pear and green apple and a little pineapple. It’s a tasty blend of palomino — usuallly associated with port — malvasia, viognier and gewurztraminer that somehow works quite well.

2003 Oakley Five Reds. This spicy, full-bodied wine is fruity and filled with dark chocolaty fruit and invitingly smooth tannins. It’s an interesting marriage of zinfandel and classic Rhone grapes — 41 percent syrah, 27 percent zinfandel, 22 percent petite sirah, ten percent alicante bouschet and one percent mourvedre.

Cline 2005 California Zinfandel

My favorite, although it is not the equal of the more expensive Cline wines (see “Digging deeper”). For the price, it is amazingly complex, showing dark cherries, raspberries and strawberries with a classic zinfandel spiciness and a great vanilla-laced finish. 

Featured wines:  Penascal Sauvignon Blanc, Bulletin Place Shiraz and Falling Star Merlot/Malbec

Penascal Sauvignon Blanc, 2005, Spain, $6.99. I mentioned this wine in an earlier column, but a wine this good at this price bears repeating. Penascal has it all: surprising richness for a sauvignon blanc and excellent citrus fruit. hints of new-mown grass, pineapple and green pear and a crisp acidic tang. It’s a classic wine to pair with a fresh green salad spiced with herbs. It's clean, refreshing and easy on the wallet.

Bulletin Place Shiraz, Australia, $7.50 and Falling Star Merlot/Malbec, Argentina, $5.99. I love keeping a few bottles of inexpensive but tasty screwtops around, and these are two you will usually find in my cellar. The Bulletin Place is an incredible value — its 2003 vintage rated 88 points from the Wine Spectator — and it is peppery and sumptuous, with currants and berries abounding. The Falling Star is aromatic and filled with fruit flavors that you would expect in a much more expensive wine. It’s nicely dry, the tannins are soft, and it’s all about the berries. A great inexpensive summer barbecue wine. 

Pick for Charlie: Patriot Red

OK, Charlie Hart, it’s time for me to pick a good inexpensive red wine for you to try. Last time, I picked 2005 Cono Sur Pinot Noir from Chile.  Jane McQuitty of the Times Online said that it was “the New World's most authentic, best-value Pinot Noir.” I thought it drank like a 30-dollar bottle at $9.99. Here's what Charlie Hart said: “I tried the Cono Sur Pinot Noir. It was the 2006 vintage, as the 2005 was gone. Very rich with dark fruit flavor. It went well with some good olives.” I’ll have to try it with olives … sounds great! 

Now, for this month’s pick: Patriot Red, an Australian wine — no vintage — that is rather mysterious. It showed up at the Raleigh, North Carolina store of The Wine Merchant a while back, priced at $6.99, delectably tasty and in a screwcap. But what grapes was it made from? 

I contacted the winemaker and all that I could find out was that it’s a cabernet sauvignon and shiraz blend. The publicist said that the winery is test-marketing in North Carolina and is planning a nationwide “red, white and blue” campaign — red for the cab/shiraz, white for their chardonnay and blue for their Riesling. Charlie, when you try this wine, which has been priced down to $5.99 the last time I looked, you will find a medium red color, medium body, and nice aromas of licorice, molasses and a bit of game. It’s got an almost sweet jamminess and a briery finish with light but distinct tannins. Let me know what you think … and cheers! 

Digging deeper

I’ve already talked at length about the tasty and inexpensive Cline wines. Here are some that are well worth your money when you are in the mood to splurge: Carignane and mourvèdre are most frequently used as blending grapes, but Cline has made spectacular wines with them as the solo act. The wines include: 

Cline 2005 Ancient Vines Carignane

Cline 2005 Ancient Vines Mourvèdre

Cline 2004 Small Berry Mourvèdre

Cline 2004 Late Harvest Mourvèdre 

Surf in for more Tastings next time …

So many wines, so little time! In the next Ten Dollar Tastings, I’ll keep with my tradition of telling you about inexpensive but drinkable wines. If you have a theme you’d like me to talk about — wine and food pairings, wines for special occasions or anything else — write me at HarryC13@aol.com and let me know. I’ll try to work your idea into the next column. 

Until then, in vino veritas!  

 Thanks as always to The Wine Merchant for providing excellent wines, wine education and support. Prices are based on the author’s experience and may vary. 

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