Bean's Beverage Babblings

Sometimes being a geek has its benefits.  While helping a friend at Wine World Warehouse with a computer, I was offered a  sip of  Domaine des Tours Vin du Pays Vaucluse 2007.

I am not a wine expert but a student of wine. I have a lot to learn about French wines and this one intrigued me. I was surprised that this was a 2007 vintage because of its raisin, brownish garnet color.  I typically associate that color with age or oxidation.  One surprise led to another with this wine. On the nose it was fruity and boozy, and it had some serious leg action going on in the glass.    I was setting myself set up for something akin to a port with lots of alcohol and sugar but was pleased that both were restrained in this wine. Raisin and anise lead the pack on aromas and continue that lead into the palate. Mid-palate, some dusky graphite notes kick in and then transitions to dried cherry, a hint of  sorghum and  chewy bark.  This is a complex wine that packs a lot into the glass but not necessarily a wine I would want on a daily basis. I gave it a thumbs up after a sniff, a swirl and a sip and went back to work.

Twenty minutes later, I could still that luscious layered wine  in my mouth. An hour later, I was looking to see if another sip was available. It may not be a daily wine, but it is a comforting and intriguing wine to revisit on a cold and gloomy Seattle day.

Domaine des Tours Vin de Pays Vaucluse Rouge is a blend of  Grenache, Counoise, Syrah, Cinsault, Merlot and  Dious

As part of Seattle Beer Week, Duck Island Alehouse held a Sweet and Sour Night featuring Sour, Fruit and Barley Wine beers.

Sweet and Sour Night at Duck Island

• Deschutes Mirror Mirror
• Rogue Old Crustacean
• Elysian Cyclops
• Great Divide Old Ruffian
• Dogfish Head Black & Blue
• Deschutes The Dissident
• Hales Ales Bucephalus Blended Sour
• Jacobins Rouge- Flanders Red

I love my sour beers and Ed loves Barley wine and we both like fruit beers so this was a do not miss event for us. I started off with the Hales Ales Bucephalus Blended Sour. I loved this Washington sour beer last winter but this seemed like a very different beer than the one that I enjoyed at Winterfest.

Ed started off with Rogue Old Crustacean, a deep, dark Barley Wine. This is a malty monster, a bit sweeter than I expect from a Barley wine but Ed was digging it. It was a smooth drinker and with over 100 IBU, this Barley Wine was big but balanced with a bit of bitter on the finish.

For round two, Ed chose the Dogfish Head Black and Blue. This beer may start as a Belgian golden ale but it is fermented with fresh pureed blueberries and blackberries turning it into a deep purplish fruity beer. Although boldly colored this beer is not over the top. You taste the fruit but it never overwhelms the beer. This is a beer first and foremost but an easy drinking beer.  Crisp and light, this is a beer to enjoy with your summer picnics.

The Deschutes Dissident was the polar opposite of the Bucephalus. This was a crystal clear amber sour beer with crisp flavors. The Dissident is a Flanders-style sour brown ale with sour cherry and tart peach flavors. It is an exceptionally thirst quenching, palate cleansing  ale. Even Ed appreciated this sour ale.

Winner's Wine

Recently, The Winemakers hosted a Taste Live to give wine bloggers the opportunity to drink the Winner’s Wine, also known as 45 RPM.

Ross Outon

The Winemakers is  a reality show that gave 12 wanna-be winemakers the opportunity to compete to be the Winemaker and launch their own brand. Winemakers competed in all aspects of wine productions from viticulture through sales and marketing. Ross Outon won the first season of The Winemaker with his 45 RPM, a California red wine blend of grenache, mourvèdre, petit syrah and zinfandel from Paso Robles, California

This medium  ruby colored wine needs some time to open up. After it had been open about an hour, we began to get some cherry, vanilla, licorice, and black pepper on the nose. 45 RPM is a medium bodied wine that is fruit forward with cherry and other soft red fruit. This wine had moderate acidity and moderate tannins. The tannins are soft and subtle. This wine would be a  great choice for the tannin averse but still want a red wine on their table. This is a wine to drink young, but let it open a good hour before serving.

Food Pairings

TasteLive brunch for Winner's Wine

We served this wine as part of a wine brunch so we had the opportunity to sample this wine with a variety of different foods. One of my favorite pairings was the buffalo mushroom bites. Earthy mushroom and savory buffalo amped up the fruit and pepper in the wine. Fresh green pepper can be a challenge in pairing, but Nancy challenged us to try it with the wine. I was surprised how it brought out more fruit in the wine.

Ed’s favorite to pair with this wine was the Sage Derby cheese. The Sage Derby cheese added complexity to the wine.

The Seattle Food and Wine Experience takes place on February 28 at the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall  from 1-5pm. For only $49, you will have the opportunity to taste wines from 10 different countries, including 24 Washington wineries. Northwest restaurants will be providing gourmet samples to pair with your wine selections. Artisan brewers will also be on hand to help you cleanse and refresh your palate. In addition, there will be a number of wine and food related exhibitors sampling their wares and providing information.

Stay up to date on who is pouring and what the chefs are preparing by following the Seattle Food and Wine Experience on Twitter, becoming fans on Facebook and checking out their blog.

Amity Vineyards Pinot blanc was one of the pleasant surprises of our trip along the coast last August. Although it was no surprise that I enjoyed a wine from Amity Vineyards, they have a great reputation, the surprise was the Pinot blanc. This grape is not well known outside of Austria except as a blending grape. This was my first introduction to Pinot blanc and we became fast friends.

Amity Pinot blanc

The Amity Pinot blanc is a crystal clear pale yellow wine. Placing your nose in the wine class is like sticking your nose into a bouquet of sweet smelling flowers. Honeysuckle, Asian pear, cantaloupe and a bit of butter are part of the bouquet.  Don’t be deceived by the sweet nose, the taste of this wine is bright, verging on tart. This Oregon Pinot blanc is a dry wine. I liked the brain warp of sweet aroma followed by the bracing acidity. The taste is crisp green apple that evolves into a soft but lasting finish that reminds me of honeydew melon with a squeeze of lime. Medium bodied, the flavors are delicate enough that you will want to be sure to enjoy this wine this year before the delightful fruit fades.

Pairings

Although this wine is ideally suited for a spring or summer day, we opened our bottle on a dark, grey and rainy Seattle evening. Nancy had raved about a pairing that she had recently experienced: French Onion Soup and Pinot blanc.  My interest was piqued, it wasn’t a pairing that I would have come up with on my own but I have an adventuresome spirit. It was a refreshing pairing with the cheesy, gooey and rich  soup.  I made the French Onion soup myself, another first!

Last night, Vivian made a great Brussel sprouts and apple dish, cooked in butter and apple juice.  It was sweet, bitter and buttery and the left overs were delicious with this Amity Vineyards Pinot blanc. Although this wine was dry, the sweet apples didn’t convert it into a puckering experience. The butter was accentuated in both the dish and the wine but it wasn’t overwhelming at all. Brussel sprouts can be a devil to pair, but this pairing worked.

Other reviews

89 points Wine Enthusiast, Paul Gregutt