Wine and Allergies

Do you like wine but cannot indulge because wine does not like you?
Have you experienced these symptoms: blotches, hives,
throbbing headaches, hot flashes, breathing problems?
Many wine lovers experience these symptoms & give up wine entirely.
Wine drinkers reason that they are allergic to wine or sulfites in wine.

What's really going on?
Grapes are grown and a winemaker makes a vinification choice
and ferments grapes with yeast.
The yeast produces histamines from juice toxins.
Now, there are steps a winemaker can make to keep his wines low in histamines.
To keep this simple it's about how you sort the grapes and
keep excellent sanitation practices during the fall grape harvest.
There is another choice winemakers can make.
If sulfite levels are monitored to non-reaction levels, this practice will
create wines that will not trigger allergies.

There is hope for wine allergy suffers.
A small winery in Sonoma Valley CA promotes these practices.
They call it producing a clean wine. 
Google clean wine..... they are the top & only winery hit.
Their grapes are organic with excellent attention to winemaking
for their allergy-suffering customers.
The winery is called Deerfield Ranch.
If you know of other wineries that use these practices, email me with their details.
My allergic friends & I have tried Deerfield Ranch wines and the results were very positive.
Clean wines may be the answer to your symptoms.


Cheers!

   

     

Verde Valley/Jerome AZ Wine Roads

Today we journeyed to the Verde Valley wine trail.
We went searching for Arizona Wines and it was a great experience.
We started driving from Phoenix area on Hwy 17 N, it took about 1.5  hours approx. 105 miles.
We started in the town of Jerome, AZ  5000 feet above sea-level; population just under 500.
The views from the other Mile-High town are spectacular.
This tiny old mining town is full of history.
There is great food and tons of funky city character, good lodgings, shops, restaurants,
and several wine tasting rooms... cha-ching!

We visited Caduceus Cellars winemaker/musician Maynard J Keenan's tasting room in Jerome .
It is a small cozy storefront. There are display racks that hold wine bottles for sale
and informational wine index cards on each wine.
The back wall displays retail swag for purchase logo- hats, t shirts etc.
Caduceus wine-bar is on the opposite wall. It offers small food plates.
Wine Service are 2 flights a Merkin and Caduceus. (note they do not waive taste fees w/purchases.)
The Merkin wines are affordable blends and their grapes are mostly sourced from New Mexico.
The Caduceus wines are of Italian varietals Sangiovese, Barbera, Nebbiolo and much better quality.
These also are sourced in NM and Southeast Arizona.
They are a limited production and they are very good wines.
Jerome AZ has other tasting rooms Passion Cellars, Jerome Winery &
Bitter Creek Cellars all a short walking distance from each other.

We traveled down the mountain & 10 minutes away is the small-town of Cottonwood AZ.
There on their historic Main St is everything you need.
Here we found the Pillsbury Wine Co. tasting room.
This is a spacious tasting room, service & wine information by the staff was very generous.
At this winery the grapes are sourced mainly in Southeast Arizona,
Wilcox, Cochise & Graham county areas.
The wines varietals are much different than Merkin/Caduceus.
Sam Pillsbury the wine maker has more single varietals Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc,
Viognier, Pinot Gris for whites & for reds a Rose and a killer Petite Sirah.
He also has a cadre of red and white blended wines that tasted very good.
There are several other wine tasting rooms around Cottonwood Fire Mountain,
Burning Tree, Arizona Stronghold. The wines complement the many restaurants like
The Schoolhouse and other shops like the wonderful bread-store called Orion Bakery.
The usual long ride to Sedona and Grand Canyon has just got a bit more interesting...don't miss it.

    

 

Arizona's Wines

Been driving the USA and taking in the southwest Tucson AZ area.
I am witness to a transformation in Southeast Arizona.
Where there was barren land, railroad tracks and cattle, there are now planted vineyards.
So cool. If you blinked you thought you were is Paso Robles Ca.
I had no plan to visit these vineyards and farms. My research antenna was buzzing.
Okay, Arizona wines? Where to begin.

Arizona is very new to the wine industry.
In 2005 the Supreme Court brought change to Arizona's wine industry. The Supreme Court ruled against Michigan's direct-to-consumer shipping laws. This ruling deemed all Arizona's laws unconstitutional & opened the door for all Arizona's wineries.

Now, Arizona is a very young, small (50 bonded wineries) and limited market.
What it has is an abundance of land & excellent potential for vineyard farming and wine growth.
Wineries may ship up to 2 cases of wine for Arizona consumers per calendar year as long as the consumer purchases the wine by physically visiting the winery. The wine purchased may then be shipped at anytime during the year to a residential or business address. The purchased wine can be broken down into multiple shipments during the year. No off-site orders are permitted at any time except by wineries holding a direct-to-consumer permit. If Arizona consumers wish to have additional wine shipped to themselves in subsequent calendar years, they will need to physically visit the winery each and every year.

So, as you see there are very tight purchasing & exporting rules... but it's a start, just ask their neighbor, California. The vines will need time (7 years min.) and the grape-growers will need to experiment with their soils and terrior.

Arizona only has 1 AVA...Sonoita AZ, and hopes to get a new designation soon.
There are 3 growing and tasting areas, Sonoita and Willcox in the southeast and The Verde Valley/Cottonwood area in northern Arizona. Do not lose hope, many cities host wine festivals, dinners and restaurants showcase and support the wineries.

Well, 50 wineries... I have tried 2 wineries: Dos Cabezas' Wine Works Red-Blend and Pillsbury Wine's Rhone Red.  Wow, I like what is happening in these bottles. California and the wine world, watch out! Arizona is getting serious juice from the terrior.

Cheers!
























































 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Serving Wine

I have been noticing how people like their wines served.
Most people want whites & sparkling wines chilled.
They usually drop it in a chilled wine bucket and let nature take its course.
Did you know you there is a desirable temperature.
When you observe and dig a bit further with red wines
there is a divide.
Many people want room temperature and are adamant about this.
There are some folks that like it chilled.
This is interesting.
This is the same product and source.
The major difference is the amount of time the grape-skins
are in contact with the grape juice during fermentation.

The recommended and correct temperatures are:

Sparkling Wines    41 degrees
Whites Wines       45 degrees
Red Wines            62 degrees

Chilling wines does make sense because most wines are not transported
or stored at optimum settings.

So always remember wine is to be shared and enjoyed.
To get the best flavors from the bottle use the above guide.

Cheers!


   
  

Palm Beach Food and Wine 2012 etc....

So I get back from Sonoma CA, after participating at their excellent Fall Wine Harvest. To my surprise there are interesting emails about upcoming events in South Florida.

Currently in process is the Palm Beach Food and Wine event.
Tomorrow Dec 11 ends with their Grand Tasting on 150 Worth St
in Palm Beach Fl...oh yeah... I will be there!

Had the great opportunity on Saturday to hear 4 Chefs. D. Boulud, M. Murphy, J. Kunkle and D. Burke spoke about their Brand Marketing issues on selling out in the food industry. It was a very honest, open and insightful discussion. This event was presented by Bullfrog and Baum at the Four Seasons Palm Beach Fl. This event was run very well, kudos to all and by the way, the mimosas and food were excellent.

Next up are events in Islamorada Food & Wine Jan 11 thru 19, 2013.
Key West Food & Wine Jan. 24 thru 27, 2013
and closing out in Miami (SOBE)
South Beach Wine & Food events February 21 thru 24.
So you thought the grapes were hibernating for the winter.

Cheers!          

Touring Sonoma Wine Country Make It Happen!

Is there an easy way to start a conversation with a new friend?
What works for me is to ask if they ever visited the CA wine country.
The topic gets so many to smile & open up instantly.
For many its a vacation they must do.
From my conversations many never get to experience it.

There are many reasons not to go.
It's uncharted territory and too far away.
There are so many places to go.
Where to begin: Napa, Sonoma, Paso Robles, Santa Barbara or Mendocino?
California or Washington? Throw in Argentina, Italy & France as options.
So you can see why many never make it.
I recommend a first-time trip to Sonoma CA.
Do not hesitate, go now during the fall.

How to do this you are asking?
Be adventurous.
Book a flight to (SFO) San Francisco CA airport.
Next, rent a car and follow Hwy 101 North
over the Golden Gate Bridge.
It's a 90 minute drive.
Pay attention to the landscape.
To make it easy, grab a wine map.
Pick a wine appelation.
There are several to choose from: Dry Creek,
Alexander, Russian River or Sonoma Valley.

You can't make a bad choice.
All areas have good hotels, restaurants and wineries.
Now pick out 3 wineries a day.
Stay as long as you can.
Be aware you will never see it all.
Plan on coming back!

Cheers!

Why Punt?

I just finished a bottle of wine & was quizzed.
Is that bottle of wine out?
Yup, then I stopped and stared...at the empty bottle.
Why did this bottle seem to disappear so quickly?

Did I use it for cooking?
Did I share it?
Was I really enjoying it?
Were my pours generous?  No to all of these...
Or...
Was it the punt?
Yeah, it was the punt!

The indentation underneath the bottle---
A very noticeable and generous dimple.
So why have this huge indentation at the bottom of a bottle?
The sentiment is that it helps collect sediment in the bottle.
The bottle is made stronger.
It assists a person opening the wine.
Some believe it says the wine is of a better quality.

When you purchase a heavier bottle and get less wine
well, it's a no-brainer; not a good experience.
Why put the punt in play?
For me the many positive points of the punt
do not outweigh the negative experience.
The expectation is to be memorable, celebrated & shared.
The punt is a flaw, not unnoticed.
Come on man!

Cheers!