Wine Review: Kluge Estate

This wine review is a sad one because a few months after we received the samples, Hubby and I found out that Kluge Estate Winery and Vineyards went into foreclosure. We had good memories of visiting there during our wine trip to Virginia in 2008, although we were a little put off by the wine tasting being served in a test-tube tray (sorry, no pictures). We also got to try some Kluge wine as they expanded distribution into Georgia last year and found it to be better than we'd remembered.

I'd wondered whether to even post this review since the winery has gone under. It's kind of like reviewing zombie wine, but I would imagine that there's still some hanging out in warehouses and with distributors. Even though the sparkling and Viognier are listed as "Sold Out" on the Kluge website, they may still be available somewhere and are worth a taste before they're gone.

We saved the 2004 SP (for sparkling) Blanc de Noir for our anniversary and weren't disappointed with its toasty notes and very slight berry undertones. It paired well with the view from the porch at my parents' cabin in Blairsville:




We tried the 2009 Albemarle Viognier in November. It had the Viognier peachy nose and floral finish, but I expected more in terms of body. It has an acidic bite instead of a smooth texture, almost like a Pinot Grigio. However, the shrimp risotto we paired it with brought out the stone fruit character of the wine, which enhanced it.


Finally, the 2009 Albemarle Sauvignon Blanc was also quite acidic, but good with food. Citrus and melon were the predominant flavors with a little grassiness. This is the only one still listed as available on the web site.

If nothing else, I hope this review serves as a reminder that we need to support our local wineries. Yes, I realize that Kluge got caught with their financial pants down in a tough economic climate (recent article here), but I hope that other local wineries won't disappear as well. As consumers, the best things we can do are to ask for local wines in restaurants and wine retailers and to visit our wineries regularly. And, as a wine blogger, I will try to review samples in a more timely manner. I'm finally getting my writing routine down, so that should help me to post more regularly.

Disclosure: All wines in this review were received free of charge for sampling purposes. This did not impact my review.

Frozen Flakes of Doom!!! Day Two, Cabin Fever Sets In

Well, for those of us in Atlanta, it looks like it's going to be a long, cold road out of this one. As you can see, although the ice on the roads is melting, they're still pretty covered, and it's supposed to go down to 19 degrees Fahrenheit. That's too many degrees below zero Celsius for me to want to think about right now.



Now that we're on our second day of enforced staying home, a little bit of cabin fever has set in. Bailey has taken to attempting mind control to get us to let him out (he doesn't go outside):



Meanwhile, Tabitha has started gazing longingly at one of the pictures Hubby took on last summer's trip to the Pacific Northwest, which makes for some interesting typing and tweeting with her fat self on my laptop keyboard. Maybe she's reminiscing about getting us humans out of the house for a while.



I was going to deal with the cabin fever by baking all day, and I did make a batch of yummy blueberry muffins:


Hubby was also climbing the walls, so we decided to head out to the nearest pub within walking distance, the James Joyce. I typically don’t go there since they allow smoking after a certain time, and I did come home smelling of smoke tonight, but it did feel good to get out. It was especially fun after we ran into some friends and met "head busboy" Daniel Acree. It felt like a real neighborhood pub.

I, of course, forgot all about those healthy eating intentions and went straight for the comfort food, a Barbecue Bacon Cheeseburger, and Chimay Red beer:


Hubby enjoyed the fireplace (they have two on the porch):


No, we didn't sit out on the patio:


Wow, even the fountain lions look cold:


The sun is supposed to come out tomorrow, and I'm hoping to make it back to the office in the afternoon so the week isn't a total loss. Meanwhile, I'll watch out for those killer icicles:

Frozen Flakes of Doom!!! Day One...

Yes, two blogs posts from me in a week! I promised to keep you apprised of the developments at the World Headquarters of Random Oenophile Enterprises as the winter weather moves through, so this is my entry for Day One.

So, as you probably know by now we got some snow:


It started here last night around 8:00 and went steadily to around 1:30, and then I went to sleep and can't tell you what happened after that. Apparently the snow turned into something called "freezing drizzle." It's kind of like the post-nasal drip of wintery precipitation: steady and annoying, and likely to leave a crust on things if you're not careful. Okay, that was gross. Sorry. The cabin fever might be setting in.

Hubby made an executive decision that we'd do the Duck Confit Tacos last night. We had originally thought we'd do a head-to-head comparison of Cab vs. Pinot as a pairing, but after Hubby made the salsa according to directions, he decided it would be too spicy for the Pinot and went a completely different direction: beer. He's the best Hubby ever, so he made salsa for me that was mild, and I had the 2006 Texas Hills "Kick Butt Cab." Medium bodied and with great fruit and caramel notes, it had enough acidity to cut through the fattiness of the duck and enough sweetness to balance out the salt and spice.

Although we hadn't bought milk, bread, and eggs this weekend, I decided to engage in an act of solidarity with our panicked brethren and make French toast. We're out of maple syrup, so I did some strawberry topping:


A couple of friends of ours who have the French Tart blog are absolute Pho addicts. For those who don't know, Pho, pronounced "Fuh," is a type of Vietnamese soup. It's also apparently a really good hangover remedy. We decided we'd make some Turkey Pho, courtesy of Cooking Light and their annual "what to do with leftover turkey" article from a few years ago. It turned out really pretty and tasty, especially paired with the 2009 Montinore Estate Borealis: The Northern Whites. The blend of Miller-Thurgau, Gewurtztraminer, Pinot Gris, and Riesling had distinct vanilla notes at the front, and the savory-salty soup accented the citrus notes and minerality of the wine. Sorry, there's no picture. Blogger kept flipping my bowl of soup on its side, and I didn't want it to spill.

No snowstorm blog post would be complete without a few pictures. I took these around the yard, and you can see that the freezing drizzle had, indeed, coated everything with a thin layer of ice.












Like most other things in the city today, the bird bath is closed:


Frozen berries:


Last night's carnage:

Pondering food and wine to survive Frozen Flakes of Doom!!!

As most of the country is aware, there is a snow/ice/sleet/OMGwe'reallgonnadie storm headed to the Atlanta area. Forget the rest of the Southeast that will likely get it, too… We've got the airport, so we're more important, right?

I admit to some skepticism until the first flakes start falling. You see, I grew up in Birmingham, Alabama. We'd get days of hype about the weather, and then it would end up being rain or nothing much at all, dashing all our schoolchildren hopes of a day off. No, school-age kids never seem to get the concept of "you'll have to make it up later." Kind of like New Year's resolution dieters. But I digress…

My parents live on a big hill, and the only access to it is two roads, both pretty steep, so when the inevitable ice storm came, we were trapped for a couple of days. This typically occurred without power because of the following equation:

Ice + Above Ground Power Lines + Trees (Pine are the worst!) = power interruptions. For days.

After the historic blizzard of 1993, which I remember vividly because my high school boyfriend had just dumped me (I later killed him off at least three ways fictionally – fear the pen!), we were without power for five days. It sucked. Probably even more so for my parents, who had to deal with a mopey teenager. Thankfully, they kept one of these on hand:



Theirs was red. We knew it was serious when the camp stove came out and they hooked up the propane. It was nice to have hot food, especially because that was before they had a generator, and the stove and oven were electric. Ours are gas.

Hubby grew up in Montgomery, which was usually below the snow/ice line, so he didn't get the camping at home experience. You'd think that most of our discussions around the impending Frozen Flakes of Doom!!! would center on important things, like whether and how we'd get to work (more important for me since I have my own business, and if I don't work, I don’t get paid). Nope, we've been discussing food, likely because he plans on working "from home" (aka, the pub). Here's the plan:

1) We'll stick to cooking things that we can make or reheat with only our gas stove, using the grill as necessary. We've decided on Duck Confit Tacos and Turkey Pho.

2) If we lose power, we'll keep the freezer closed and put the refrigerated stuff in a cooler on the back porch or garage. It's going to be cold enough. If you try this, please keep an eye on outside temperatures. Food poisoning sucks. It's even worse with icy roads.

3) We stopped off at Ale Yeah! yesterday to stock up on supplies. Sadly, the Gouden Carolus Tripel didn't make it through the night. We do have plenty of wine, though, and as one of my Twitter friends reminded me, corkscrews do not require electricity.

I'll tweet and blog pictures and pairings as we cook. Meanwhile, I hope everyone stays warm!


P.S. As I'm writing this, Hubby's on the phone with his parents, who are in Montgomery. They're getting snow. I hope they have a camp stove handy.

P.P.S. For all you northerners who are scoffing at us, remember what happened a couple of years ago when the northeast got a true ice storm. You can't drive on ice any better than we can, so stuff it.

Good Day, and Welcome to 2011

First, thanks to all my wonderful blog followers and regular readers! I know I don't get a lot of comments, but I see the hits, and I really appreciate them.

The general sentiment (on Twitter, so it must accurately reflect the opinion of the masses, right?) seems to be that 2010, as far as years go, pretty much sucked. It really didn't for me, although it was weird. I moved my practice from the Northside/Perimeter area to Decatur, which cut my commute time by two-thirds or more. It also hit the two-year mark, and I found myself to be very busy, which was a very good thing. On the down side, my triglycerides fell, but then spiked just in time for disability insurance bloodwork (hmmm…), and I hurt my shoulder, which is still bothering me. So, all in all, it's a mixed bag.

One thing I feel guilty for is my lack of blogging, especially over the past few months with the office move and trying to get back into a routine. Trust me, I've been drinking wine, but I've kept all my thoughts to myself except a few that leaked out on Twitter. Apparently I got burned out on a lot of things, including writing.

One of my fellow writing friends misunderstood me when I told him I was taking a week off between Christmas and New Year's and thought I meant from everything, which, he said, would be a good thing considering how I've been feeling. I decided to give it a try, and my week away from work, writing, blogging, and even from Atlanta (we were in Alabama doing family stuff for most of it) gave me some much-needed perspective. Consequently, I've come up with the following problems and the corresponding changes I need to make in my life:

1. My life is out of whack when it comes to the work/life balance.

Moving my office closer to home has backfired in that I now don't have a long commute, so I can stay later, right? Wrong! Things have gotten much better now that I have an awesome adminion (administrative minion for those who are wondering), but I'm still spending way too many hours there, which is leaving me with precious little time and energy for any kind of writing.

Solution: Be more conscious of work/life boundaries and be home within an hour of ending client contacts. I'm also going to start building in transition/relaxation time at the end of the work day so I'm not as likely to bring work home with me.

2. Writer's block: it's real.

For me, writer's block is actually writer's overwhelm with lack of sufficient support. I have so much stuff I want to write that I look at it all and say, screw it, I'm going to pet the cat/get on Twitter/read… Not that any of that stuff is bad, only when I use it as a procrastination tool. I also feel like I've gotten stagnant with this blog, and it may have started to bore me.

Solution: Schedule time for writing, make it a priority, and reach out to some of the great people I've met through the Georgia Romance Writers and Village Writers Group. I also need to set daily, weekly, and monthly goals. Finally, I'm going to make some changes to this blog that I've been pondering since last year's Wine Bloggers' Conference. I need to do something to make it stand out, which will make it interesting for me as well. Stay tuned!

I do have to include one highlight... I am now a published author! I had work accepted to two anthologies and even got paid for my contribution to one!

I do feel so much better when I write regularly, just like when I exercise at least three times per week, which brings me to…

3. I feel faaaaaaat!!! And my triglycerides are high.

Even if I wanted to be in denial that I'm not taking as good care of myself as I need to, the blood work doesn't lie. I wrote for my oeno-lution last year that I wasn't going to worry about losing ten pounds, but it seems as though that's not an option anymore.

Solution: Yep, gotta exercise and get the eating back under control, and I really need to work harder at sticking to an average of just one glass of wine per day. Not that I'll give up everything I like, but try more for that moderation thing.

I'm avoiding the word "resolution" this year. People expect to break those. These are changes I really need to make to be a happier, healthier person in 2011. I'll let you know how they go!

Travelin' Oenophile: San Francisco Adventures

I'm reading a book called The Psychology of Wine, which is (duh) by a couple of psychologists. One of the points the authors return to repeatedly is the connection of wine experiences with memories. It's well-established that certain tastes and smells can transport our memories to a specific time or situation, and for those who love wine, this can certainly be the case.

A psychology convention brought me to San Francisco the weekend before Thanksgiving. Perhaps it was the influence of my reading material, but during the trip, I seemed to pair wine with experience.

Being at a conference and having professional interactions may have prompted some people to drink before dinner, but I decided to be good (for once). The rain had started by Friday evening, and apparently it's a rule in San Francisco that half the cabs disappear, so the line for a taxi plus the cold, windy, damp weather deterred me from waiting for one. I'd had a recommendation for the Daily Grill, which was a couple of blocks away, so I made a dash through the rain for dinner. Being cold and wet in a city where I was truly missing Hubby, whose work schedule wouldn't allow him to accompany me on the trip, may have led me to turn to an old friend: the Rodney Strong Charlotte's Home Sauvignon Blanc. Yes, this is one of our house wines. No, it wasn't adventurous, but it was "comfort wine," and I could almost believe its citrusy-grassy notes would preserve me from getting sick in the cold and damp.

I started with the special soup of the night, Butternut Squash with Crème Fraiche, which hit the spot with its creamy texture, sweetness, and spices. The Blackened Ahi Tuna Salad seemed a good, healthy choice for my entrée, and although I enjoyed it, it needed some mandarin oranges or something to balance the tangy saltiness of the ginger-soy dressing. I did appreciate that the tuna was served rare and not too spicy. Alas, jet lag caught up with me before I could get to dessert.

I was on a panel on Saturday, so again, the drinking had to wait until the evening. San Francisco "Wine Brat" Thea had invited me to join her at the Night That Never Ends BevMo Holiday Beer Festival. This time I had to wait in the taxi line, so I ended up being late and not able to spend that much time with her. Still, it was a pretty awesome beer festival, not least because I was able to try everything at the Unibroue table while talking to a fun couple from Oakland. I'm a fan of the Trois Pistoles but hadn't realized that their beers are all Belgian-style. I also liked the Anderson Valley Brother David's Triple (not available in Georgia, sadly) and the Scaldis Noel. The other highlight of the beer fest was hanging out with Ashley Routson the Beer Wench, who showed me around to some of her favorites and then drove me to North Beach for dinner so I wouldn't have to wait in yet another taxi line.

This brings me to the absolute highlight of the trip. Vicoletto, which means "little alley," had also been a recommendation. This cozy spot on Green Street is off the main North Beach drag (Columbus Avenue) and worth seeking out. I started with the Insalata tricolore, a salad of bitter greens and reds with parmesan and lemon vinaigrette. I asked the cute young guy behind the bar, whom I assumed was the general manager, what he would recommend for an entree, and he suggested the veal or lobster ravioli. I was in the mood for pasta – yet more comfort food – so I went for the ravioli. Check out the description from the menu:

Ravioli con aragosta: house made lobster ravioli, sautéed prawns and cherry tomato brandy cream sauce

Yeah, it was amazing.

And, of course, there was wine. The 2008 Sabazio Rosso di Montepulciano (100% Prugnollo Gentile, aka Sangiovese) had enough acidity to go with the food, but was fruity and smooth enough to drink on its own.

Finally, I didn't crash out before dessert and had a chocolate soufflé with crème fraiche ice cream. I've come to learn it's hard to do a good chocolate soufflé with a molten center, but this one was perfect.

And the hot Italian guy behind the bar? That was owner Francesco Covucci. Hanging out and observing him interact with his other guests gave me an education in relationship-building from a business perspective, which, ironically, had been part of my panel discussion. The evening helped me to feel like my trip had been as well-balanced as the Rosso di Montepulciano (which he told me was his favorite). The next time Hubby and I are in San Francisco, we're definitely going to Vicoletto.

By the way, as you can probably guess from his blog post while I was gone, Hubby is still pouting. I'll let you add your own sour grapes joke here.

Apologies for lack of pictures. The Blackberry is on its last keys, and its battery was dying that night.

Tasting Notes: A Bar Full of Beaus at JavaMonkey

(or “Cecilia ran off to San Francisco and all you get is this lousy blog post”)

Yes, Cecilia is off at a convention in San Francisco this weekend, so the blogging for this week’s JavaMonkey tasting gets left to me. As is usual on the third Thursday on each November, this tasting was all about the Beaujolais in honor of the release of the 2010 Beaujolais Nouveau.
Before the review, recent sporting events have led me to post this disclosure:

I paid regular market price for this tasting. I received nothing additional for it other than a t-shirt and hideous yellow tie that I won in a raffle. (And if you saw my impromptu traveling fashion show after the tasting, I think you’ll agree that I know how to rock the t-shirt and hideous yellow tie.) At no time did I ask for any compensation, nor did any of my associates. The rumors of a text message containing a proposed payment plan from someone representing me to one of Georges Dubouef’s boosters are completely bogus. As for the allegations that I cheated on a solitaire game once in college, I won’t address something that happened that long ago.

Now that we’ve cleared that up, let’s get to the wines (hangover neutralizing Pho not included):

2009 Macon-Villages Chardonnay
The first thing I noticed about this wine was that something seemed… odd. What was it? Everything about it seemed like a pretty typical Old World Chardonnay. It had the nice golden color and the fruity, slightly tart nose. A little mineral there as it goes down. But something else… And then on my second sip, I got it.

Oak.

I have no idea what, if any, oak this wine sees, but I wasn’t the only one who got a little bit of it at the very end of the finish. (After my infamous declaration of “popcorn” on the nose of a wine once in the presence of the winemaker, you have no idea how much better that made me feel.) It certainly wasn’t California Oak-Tree-In-A-Glass, but it might catch you off guard. I think this warrants some future research, preferably with the assistance of a good chicken and mushroom dish.

2010 Beaujolais Nouveau
Ah, the star of the party arrives! Fresh off its overseas flight from Paris (TSA pat-down not pictured) and into this fine establishment. With the red carpet rolled out, it elegantly strolled through the paparazzi and autograph-seeking masses and into my glass. What wonders would this French star have for me this year? I anxiously lifted the glass to my nose, swirling the red nectar and inhaled…

Cranberry. Bubble gum.

Yup, it’s a Beaujolais Nouveau.

Dan suggested that it would make a good base for Thanksgiving cranberry sauce. I concurred, and scribbled down that it might also make a good base for getting unwanted holiday house guests sauced.

Hey, at least we get wine schwag for drinking it.

2008 Brouilly Flower Label
The very first bottle of this at the tasting was corked. The next bottle was so weak that I’m pretty sure I saw some Italian Pinot Grigios kicking its ass outside Twain’s later that night. Other people seem to be pretty impressed with it, so I’m going to write this off as a bad case and hope to try it again sometime in the future.

2009 Juliénas Flower Label
While researching this wine, I came across an interview with Georges Duboeuf on Wine Review online where he states that the Juliénas is his favorite Cru. I can see why. This wine was surprisingly intense – inky color, tart dark fruit in the mouth, and a hint of earthiness on the finish. My first reaction was to compare it to some of the more intense Oregon Pinots I’ve had, though I don’t remember as much spiciness here as those tend to feature. If you’re jonesing for Beaujolais on your Thanksgiving table, skip the Nouveau and head for this one. (Or save it for yourself after you kick out the house guests for whom Nouveau was bought.)

2009 Morgon Flower Label
This one was supposed to be poured before the Juliénas, but we got crossed up. This was unfortunate, because I think that might have helped my opinion of it. My impression was that it was like a slightly more subtle version of the Juliénas. It didn’t have the earthiness, and the tart fruit was less pronounced. It’s probably the more food friendly of the two.

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Cecilia is returning this evening, and I’m sure she’ll catch you up on her weekend of beer tasting and North Beach pasta touring in the coming days. I could fill you in on my weekend of futile attempts to rid the front yard of leaves, but I’m sure it wouldn’t be as interesting.