Thanksgiving is THE American holiday, and it is THE holiday most likely to find wine on the table. And, it is THE meal for which pairings can stress even an experienced wine buyer. This post, however, is geared toward offering advice to the less experienced buyer…those seeking a single wine (a difficulty) that will pair with a myriad of sides (as well as the turkey) and will stay within their often limited budget. This can be a taunting task.

Thanksgiving will require two posts from me. This one is focused on an All-American lineup (with one required exception) and will offer suggestions of  varietals at or below the $20 price point. The following post will discuss unique wines recommended by a few of our favorite retailers, but at price points that exceed $20.

We begin this post, however, with the exception to the All-American lineup. Beaujolais Nouveau. This ‘young’ French import is the first vinified Gamay wine of any Beaujolais vintage. For many years you could anticipate newspaper photos of wine ‘connoisseurs’ toasting the ‘long anticipated’ arrival of the ‘first’ cases of the Nouveau (generally in New York) just after midnight on the third Thursday of November. Actually, Beaujolais Nouveau, from virtually every producer, had been delivered to wine shops nationwide much earlier. By tradition, however, the new wine cannot be displayed, or sold, until 12:01 am on the third Thursday of November. And, while there are many producers of Beaujolais nouveau, Georges Duboeuf and Joseph Drouhin are both excellent options. Many of these wines are available nationally for less than $15.

Keep in mind that these bottles are not created with aging in mind. It is wise to consume  your Beaujolais Nouveau by New Year’s Day. The fresh and pleasant acidity that is characteristic of the young Gamay vanishes within a few months.

Now for discussion of the main event…the meal…beginning with the most common centerpiece. Turkey, like much fowl, is a challenge because it offers both light and dark meat. Simply, white wines work with white meat and red wines are ideal for the darker meats of the bird. You can resolve the white/dark meat issue with a bottle of a white and a bottle of a red suggested below. The bird and wine is pretty easy, the sides often complicate wine decisions. More about wine options for turkey below.

Potatoes and vegetables generally pair well with every wine listed below.

A warning…one vegetable to avoid from the wine perspective…asparagus. Asparagus overwhelms white wines with a ‘grassy’ element and offers enough resident sulfur to give red wines a metallic (and occasionally bitter) edge.

If you are committed to asparagus, there is only one wine choice that is safe. Bubbly. The acidity of Champagne is ideal and certainly adds a festive flair.

Three Sparkling options:

The Soter 2018 Planet Oregon Rosé Bubbles is excellent. Or, consider California Sofia Brut Rosé. Finally, Scharffenberger NV Brut Excellence Methode Traditionelle. All American wines, and all are excellent.

For appetizers consider the sparkling wines suggested above. All other wine recommendations follow the meal discussion.

Soup: Often a difficult pairing. A Sauvignon Blanc would work with a creamy soup (including tomato), but for a thinner soup, like chicken noodle, consider Pinot Noir.

Salad: I find Sauvignon Blanc works well with tomato-based salads and for salads that include goat/cow-based cheeses. Blue Cheese, however, is another difficult pairing. It is pungent and earthy, and I would avoid using this cheese with your Thanksgiving salad. However, the pungent tones of Blue Cheese work wonderfully with port…consider offering a cheese course.

Returning to the turkey discussion…

If the focus is on white meat, your guests (or you) would enjoy either a Gewurztraminer or a semi-sweet (or medium-dry) Riesling. If the focus is darker meats, consider Pinot Noir, Syrah, or Zinfandel.

White recommendations:

Sauvignon Blanc – Seaglass, Central Coast, 2018; Lapis Luna, North Coast, 2018; Josh Cellars, North Coast, 2018

Riesling – Lobo Hills Columbia Valley, 2018; Fess Parker, Santa Barbara, 2018; Chateau Ste. Michelle, Cold Creek Vineyard, 2018

Gewurztraminer – Pacific Rim, Ramos Vineyard, 2017; Hyland, Old Vine Willamette Vineyard, 2017; Dr. Konstantin Frank, Finger Lakes, Reserve, 2017

Red recommendations:

Pinot Noir – Angeline, Reserve, 2017; La Crema, Sonoma Coast, 2017; Stoller Family Estate, Dundee Hills, 2017

Syrah – Waterbrook, Columbia Valley, 2017; J. Lohr, South Ridge, 2016

Zinfandel – Klinker Brink, Old Vines, 2016; Plungerhead, Lodi, 2016; Cline, Ancient Vines, 2017

And, if you are committed to one of the ‘standards’…consider

Chardonnay – Sean Minor, Central Coast, 2018; Rodney Strong, Sonoma County, 2017

Cabernet Sauvignon – J. Lohr, Seven Oaks, 2017; Layer Cake, Bourbon Barrel Aged, 2016

These wines are available in virtually every state.

You do not need to have a sampling of wine from every category. Select one good white and one good red (and maybe a sparkling to start).

What about dessert? Most of dessert wines are expensive, and there are few United States produced dessert wines. However, if your ‘sweet finisher’ is fruit based, consider Bonny Doon’s Pacific Rim Vin de Glaciere Organic Riesling (375ML). Or, you can safely return to sparkling wine.

Finally, following a mantra that Joy and I have always followed…drink what you like! Wines do not need to pair perfectly with every dish. Wine needs only to be enjoyed.

The next post will focus on some unique wines, many of which are not of U.S. origin.

Puglia is in the southeast corner of along the heel of the boot and wedged between the Adriatic Sea and the Gulf of Taranto. The region is hot and very dry (particularly in the summer). There are, on average, 300 sunny days each year, and mid-summer temperatures often exceed 100˚. High temperatures is great for growing grapes with intense flavors.

If you desire to manage a vineyard with a growing season offering both the length and heat to generate sufficient brix (sugar) to vinify wines with high alcohol…Puglia is your place. However, Puglia for many centuries was a region noted for the production of lower quality/high alcohol ‘bulk wines’ that were largely destined for a jug. Regional websites note that the “wines were rugged, rough and deeply colored, and not of high quality”. Fortunately, Puglia had an excellent reputation for olive oil. The region, in fact, produces 50% of Italy’s olive oil.

Locals liked their wine…but virtually no one outside of Puglia did.

Things began to change in the late 20^th century. Traditional growers and winemakers were slowly replaced by ‘modernist producers’. And, the Italian government has recognized the effort.

Italy offers quality wines one of three designations. The best wines, nearly 75 of them, are labeled with DOCG. There are strict rules and regulations and the wines must demonstrate a consistent level of quality. There are approximately 330 wines that are permitted to include DOC on their label. While these wines are checked to assure quality, the ‘rules and regulations’ are less stringent. Finally, there are wines labeled IGT. This is the least “strictly-defined categorization of appellated wines in Italy”. However, many IGT wines are outstanding, including collectible Super Tuscans.

How about Puglia?

Salice Salentino is a DOC established in 1976. Puglia now has 25 DOCs, but no regional wines have yet to earn DOCG status. And, only 2% of the region’s wines have yet to achieve DOC status.

Most wines from Puglia are red. Limited whites wines, following the global demand, are mostly Chardonnay. “The wines of Salice Salentino are fruit forward. They have a bit of spice to them and a bit of sweetness form the ripeness of the fruit with lots of lush cherry and red berry flavors. They are easy to drink and not wines that require contemplation”. These are wines that you don’t have to think about…just enjoy… a refreshing idea.

Drink them young (five to seven years) and enjoy them with virtually anything from the grill.

Let’s talk for a few lines about the Salice Salentino Riserva, Suavitas, Ionis.

Ionis begins with Dr. Giulio Palmisano who established a 1970s firm to focus on the international sale of Puglia’s bulk wines. However, a decade ago his sons joined the firm and the company shifted from bulk exports to the production of outstanding regional wines.

Cooperative growers across the region allow Ionis to choose the best grapes from more than 20,000 acres of Puglia’s vineyards. Ionia carefully picks and destems, and then ferments in temperature-controlled tanks. The family ages their wine in barrels produced from both American and French oak. While they must age for 24 months to permit labeling as a Riserva, they have as the winery reports, “a non-established period of time because the modern winemaking technology relies on chemical, physical, and sensorial analysis of a product to establish how much time wine must refine in the barriques”.

Vinified from a blend of Negroamaro and Malvasia (introduced to the region by Greek explorers/settlers), the Malvasia “soften the wine’s tannins and offers some aromatic qualities”.

This is a ruby red wine that offers excellent balance and hints of both vanilla on the nose and elements of chocolate and red-berries on the nose. The red berry and chocolate tones carry through the lingering finish.

You should find this wine nationwide (Accent on Wine in the Charleston/Summerville area) for north of $22.00

You might also consider Sterling Cellar’s Castillo Monaci, a Negroamaro in the $14 range. Or Cantale Salice Salentino available nationwide for less than $12. Both of these wines are excellent representatives of Puglia.

Early in the Revolutionary War the British blockaded colonial ports, and Americans were denied easy access to their favorite alcoholic beverage, rum. Not willing to ‘go dry’, the resourceful colonists turned to distilling the most plentiful domestic grain…rye. After the war, with rum still in short supply, Americans turned to other grain-based alcohols. Corn and wheat, in particular, could be distilled to produce beverages that appealed to the American sweet tooth. Moreover, any excess grain converted to alcohol could be stored for years with little threat of decay or pest infestation.

Unfortunately for farmers/distillers, the Federal government, seeking a means of increasing the tax base, viewed the stored grain as a taxable ‘luxury’. American farmers responded with The Whiskey Rebellion (1790s). The rebellion collapsed, but the tax was so unpopular, and the difficulty in finding and taxing ‘bootleg’ stills so severe, the Federal Government repealed the tax in the early 19^th century.

Rye was more difficult to grow than wheat or corn, but it was once again in demand. European immigrant distillers, unable to grow barley, their grain of choice, turned to rye as an alternative. Then came Prohibition. The legal distilling market came to a halt.  During Prohibition, seeking easier grains to grow, farmers increasingly turned to wheat and corn. Rye was largely used as ground cover.

Following Prohibition, the market for distilled rye almost completely disappeared. There had been 7 million acres in 1919. By the turn of the 21^st century there were less than 280,000 acres of rye cultivated. By comparison, there are 50 million acres of corn. The minimal rye distilled throughout the remainder of the 20^th century was found in the ‘well’ of bars as the base spirit for Manhattans. By the late 1980s only four American distilleries were producing rye…all of them in Kentucky.

The past decade has seen a change in the fortunes of rye. U.S. consumers have sought new flavors in distilled spirits. They rediscovered rye, and since 2009 grain production has increased by more than 900%. By 2017 a million cases of distilled rye reached the market. Unfortunately, there was not enough American rye grain available. Canada “came to the rescue”. The grain has a two-century history of agricultural success for our Northern Neighbor, and American distillers (like Dave Pickerall of Vermont’s Whistle Pig) developed a pipeline for excellent Canadian rye.

There has been an increase in U.S. rye production over the past decade with most of that ‘growth’ north of Interstate 80 (Minnesota and the Dakotas). Growers are looking into new hybrids. Rye has traditionally been at risk of insects and disease and tends to lodge…fall over because it grows very tall. New strains of rye have resolved many of these issues. Also, unlike other grains, growers and distillers have discovered that decreasing yields actually improves the quality of remaining rye.

Rye, much like grapes, models terroir. However, unlike Bourbon, which has moved toward ‘heirloom single-varietal’ grains, there are still very few heirloom ryes. Pennsylvania’s Dad’s Hat has been successful in developing a program of heirloom grains. I suspect we soon see others.

A few distinctions between Bourbon and rye. Rye can be produced anywhere in the world…Bourbon can only be produced in the United States. Rye is the secondary grain for Bourbon, and corn is the secondary grain for rye. A spirit labeled as a rye must contain a minimum of 51% rye. Bourbon must be a minimum of 51% corn. Most U.S. rye is distilled with between 60% and 70% grain content.

Two ryes for you to consider.

Templeton Rye is distilled and aged for two years at the MPG (Midwest Grain Products) facility in Indiana. MPG custom distills for more than 50 different brands including Angel’s Envy, Redemption, Bulleit, and High West Rye.

The Templeton Rye, distilled from 95% rye and 5% barley, is then shipped to Templeton, Iowa for additional aging in new American Oak barrels before bottling. Templeton Rye, known during Prohibition as bootlegged ‘The Good Stuff’, has been in the market since 2006.

If you are looking for a classic ‘spicy’ rye with hints of honey this is a bottle to try.  You can find the 4-Year version for around $25 and the 6-Year for $45 nationwide.

A second rye to consider is Minor Case.

Minor Case is also distilled at MGP.  The distillate is then shipped to Steve and Paul Beam’s Limestone Distillery in Kentucky for additional aging in Sherry Casks. This is 51% rye (with 45% corn and 4% malted barley) and offers a hint of spice underlying the “port-like flavor” from the palate and through the finish. The Minor Case is a very soft spirit that offers floral notes throughout the flavor package.

Look for the Minor Case Rye in a new package (with painted lettering reminiscent of 19^th century ‘bar back’ bottles) nationwide for around $40.

Many of you may be wondering why I chose to blog about a grape, Assyrtiko, and a winemaker, Alexakis, from a region, Crete, that is a ‘regular’ on your consumption rotation. Just kidding…but the post does suggest that there are many delicious and unique wines/grapes worth considering.

I recently posted a two-part examination of  the ‘vanishing grape syndrome’ and risk to the wine industry.  As you may recall,  most consumers seek bottles produced from the ‘six classic’ French varietals…Chardonnay, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, and Syrah. Thus,  not surprisingly, most consumers are also reluctant to experiment with wines vinified from other indigenous grapes. The result…consumer choices narrow as those indigenous varietals disappear. The six classic French grapes (and a few their friends) are now the foundation of more than 70% of the world’s bottled wines.  Also, not surprisingly, you will find far fewer bottles of the fresh and refreshing Assyrtiko, a Mediterranean original, then Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc.

A paragraph of wine history. The initial growth in varietal options and vinfication processes is credited to the Minoans, who developed a robust Mediterranean trading culture, and in the process spread a culture of wine.  There are ancient wine presses in the vicinity of the Alexakis’ vineyards that can be traced to the Bronze Age of the Minoans.

The appreciation of wine may be traced to the Minoans,  but the Assyrtiko grape is a recent arrival to the Mediterranean basin. The modern varietal was created in 1983 by oenologist Aggelos Rouvalis for the Santorini Wine Co-op  grape.

Santorini is an island northeast of Crete (the location where we find the Alexakis version of the wine), and “one of the most expensive places in the world to grow grapes”. The goal of grape growers is to “keep the vine close to the ground, where it can take advantage of what little moisture morning mists provide as recompense for the lack of rainfall. Irrigation is prohibitively expensive—and technically illegal—but young vines may be equipped with drip lines for four or five years.” Keeping the vines low to ground also reduces the risk of ‘grape sunburn’. Santorini is an area attractive to tourists (who drink only bottled water), but nature conspires against grapes.

According to Decanter Magazine, the Cyclades islands,  Santorini neighbors, are truly the center of the Assyrtiko ‘universe’. The grape “covers 65% of its vineyard area, where many vines are ungrafted, and vary in age from 60 to 250 years”.

The soil of the region is volcanic ash. Thus, the soil is rich, and the grapes produced are acclaimed for their excellent minerality.  The climate offers maritime humidity and fog, and an annual rainfall average of less than 14 inches per year. These are grapes that would be considered ‘stressed’.

Over the past quarter century Assyrtiko has migrated from  Santorini  to Crete and the Greek mainland (as well as Australia). Vines on the Greek mainland are trellised to increase yields.

The Alexakis Assyrtiko is a product of Crete’s largest privately-owned winery. Owned by “chemical engineer turned winemaker” Stelios Alexakis, the operation is now a family activity. Stelios’ wife Sofia is responsible for ‘quality control’ and his children, ‘who literally grew up in the winery’, have grown into winemakers and are now planning for the winery’s future. Over the years the family has “collaborated with all of the winemakers on the island” and have drawn on their extensive understanding of the land and the climate to produce “some of the highest quality wines in Crete”.

The 1200 case production of Alexakis 100% Assyrtiko is harvested from vineyards planted at 2,000 feet above sea level in sandy soil that is rich in calcium. The grapes are hand-harvested, generally during the second week of August, and often at night to avoid the heat of the day. The grapes are then chilled for 24 hours before destemming and get an eight-hour soaking in a cold tub. The winery utilizes gravity processes and then ferments the free-run juice using ambient (natural) yeast.

The Alexakis Assyrtiko is unoaked and is bottled for months before release.

Look for crisp apple and saline on the nose and excellent acidity that extends from the palate through the lingering finish.

This would be an wonderful accompaniment to shellfish. Consider the Assyrtiko as an alternative to Sauvignon Blanc.

While there are limited bottles of this wine imported, you can find it in most major markets (including New York and Charleston, SC…Accent on Wine) for less than $20.

You should seek new flavors and new grapes…the Assyrtiko would be a good place to start.

Americans are predictable consumers. We like our cars shiny, we like our burgers juicy, and like our our Cabernet to be dark in color and rich in flavor. Unfortunately, mother nature, unlike General Motor’s ability to produce shiny cars and Wendy’s grilling juicy burgers, does not always cooperate in the production of a dark and rich Cabernet. The growing season is regularly impacted by weather that negatively affects ripening, and winemakers are ultimately at risk of releasing a wine that may not appeal to either reviewers or the consuming public. Producers might be tempted to consider improving the likelihood of a positive reaction by ‘enhancing’ the bottled product.

Automobile producers and the food service industry have long manipulated the appearance of their product to improve marketability. Winemakers also need to sell their product to survive economically, this is especially true at the highly competitive under $20 price point.

Thus, we come to a conversation about Mega Purple and its many ‘relatives’.

I was intrigued by, and had written about Mega Purple in a short article for The Sterling Cellars (Mahopac, New York) Weekly Newsletter nearly a decade ago. The product had been introduced by beverage giant Constellation Brands through its Canandaigua subsidiary. Located in Upstate New York, and responsible for selling more than $8B (yes…billion) of wine, spirits, and beer each year, Constellation is also making a few additional dollars as the producer and distributor of Mega Purple.

Mega Red is a teinturier (a style of wine defined by a deep red color and high level of tannins). The Mega Red teinturier is an engineered product of the Rubired, a “hybrid grape created in 1958 by crossing Portugese native grapes Tinto Cao and Alicante Ganzin”.  The hybrid grape is known to generate “generous yields. In a concentrated form Rubired is packaged as Mega Purple. Then, Wine-Searcher reports, “Mega Purple can be employed to deepen the color and enhance the sweetness of mass-produced inexpensive wines”.

Mega Purple would seem expensive…$125 per gallon, but Constellation Brands has developed a market for 50,000 gallons each year. A large percentage of the concentrate is used by home winemakers.

Adam Lee of Siduri Wines is not overly concerned about the use of Mega Purple. He argues that the “whole thing is over-reported” and suggests that only about 20% of the total Constellation production is sold to a U.S. commercial wine industry that produces more than 800,000,000 gallons each vintage. However, even only 10,000 gallons of Mega Purple is sold to commercial wineries…a little goes a long way. The addition of just 0.1% to each gallon of wine is enough to alter color…and flavor. And, there are some winemakers who admit to using higher percentages of Mega Purple. Those producers do warn that the percentage needs to remain below 0.4 per gallon to guard against changes in the flavor profile.

Ellen Landis, a wine writer, sommelier, and international wine judge has studied Mega Purple in depth. She suggests that just one drop will turn a large glass of water ‘purplish black’. And, she indicates, “This is a very sweet product”, and thus it can be used by winemakers for many ‘alterations’ beyond color. Landis believes that many lower priced California Pinot Noirs are adulterated with Mega Purple.

The bottom line, if you do the math, suggests that there are very few gallons (approximately 10 million…remember, 800 million total) of commercial wine that might have been adulterated by Mega Purple. Again, most of those wines are sold for less than $20. Nevertheless, American many wine consumers express ‘outrage’ that any of their wines might be manipulated.

There are rumors that ‘jug’ wines such as Barefoot (noted for its lower priced wines and is the ‘bestselling’ wine brand in the world) might benefit from the use of Constellation’s Mega Purple. However, I found no evidence of Barefoot using Mega Purple. However, there are more expensive wines that are suspected of using additives. Meiomi Pinot Noir, noted for its deep color and rich flavors, is considered a ‘suspicious’ wine. Joe Wagner, son of Napa Cabernet legend Chuck Wagner and the founder of Meiomi, denies the accusation.

Mega Purple can dramatically alter the key components of a wine. Improved color is the primary justification for use, but keep in mind that the brix (solids in the juice of a plant – mostly sugar and minerals – higher brix generally means more flavor) level of Mega Purple is nearly 70. By comparison, Cabernet Sauvignon is usually less than 25 brix. The human palate is especially sensitive to the flavor elements related to the tongue…sour, bitter, salt, and sweet. Ellen Landis argues that a 0.1% addition of Mega Purple to the total volume of wine produced should be considered a maximum. She argues that the 0.1% addition will impact both appearance and flavor.  Many winemakers, as noted above, disagree.

What else could be in your wine? How about animal products? This would be particularly disturbing to vegans and vegetarians. Egg whites and other animal products are often used to clarify wine. Sulfites are added to prevent oxidation. Water is added to reduce alcohol and to reduce taxes. When the vintage is weak and the brix is low, sugar may be added to encourage yeasts to produce more alcohol (a process referred to as chaptalization). Cultured yeasts replace ambient (natural) yeasts so that the wine meets the winemaker’s flavor objectives. Calcium Carbonate and malic acids can increase and decrease the acidity of a wine. Powdered tannins are available. Oak chips are added to fermentation tanks to impart a positive flavor package much less expensively than would the use of an oak barrel. And, mechanical process like micro-oxygenation and reverse osmosis can virtually guarantee a ‘perfect wine’ for the marketplace. In fact, Smithsonian Magazine reports that there are “more than 60 government-approved additives that can be used to tweak everything from color to acidity to thickness”.

The ‘adulteration’ of wine is not a recent phenomenon. Smithsonian Magazine further noted that the Romans added lead to thicken their wine, and by the Middle Ages winemakers were adding sulfur to stabilize the juice and keep it fresh.

So, how would you know if Mega Purple, or its many friends have been utilized in the production of the wine that you are drinking this evening? You cannot. Maybe, following the first swirl of a glass, you may notice that the ‘legs’ have a ‘purplish’ tint. Most wine grapes only produce a clear liquid and as a result the ‘legs’ are also clear. If you notice the purple tinted legs (especially in a varietal with which you are familiar…and if the wine is inexpensive) you may surmise that the wine has been influenced by Mega Purple (or the like).

Mega Purple is not the only culprit. E.C. Kraus offers concentrates from more than 200 worldwide varietals. Midwest Supplies offers Alexander’s Sun Country Concentrates from dozens of varietals, as well as glycerin, that “sweetens, adds body, and smooths and mellows wine”.

There are, of course,‘ natural’ alternatives to a wine ‘cocktail’. Ellen Landis suggests that winemakers seeking darker color should consider blending darker varietals. There are vineyard processes, like reducing yield and removing leaves thus allowing grapes greater access to the sun, that can improve texture, tannin, color, and flavor. However, natural approaches to producing a better wine cost both time and money. And, if your price point is $20 or less, competitive factors may require the use of additives to insure a flavor and color package that satisfies the consumer without ‘breaking the bank’.

Is there any requirement for wineries to share their ‘slight of hand’ with you? Nope. Unlike food and medicine, alcoholic beverages are not “covered by the Food and Drug Administration”. Wine labels need to only provide information related to the Alcohol by Volume (ABV); that the wine contains sulfites (they all do); and any food coloring (for example, Red Dye 40) that may have been added to the final product. There are, however, some U.S. winemakers that have chosen to include ingredients on their labels… most notably California’s Ridge and Bonny Doon. Other producers are considering listing theirs.

Are you now looking for a wine that is absolutely free of Mega Purple? Consider the wines of Oregon. It is a violation of Oregon law to use grapes not currently grown in the state…an example of such a grape would be Rubired.

The question is…do most consumers care what in goes into making a product if it is something that agrees with both your palate and your wallet?  The answer is…assuming no impact to your health…no? Distributors and retailers want to sell wine. Selling a wine for $20 (or less) that tastes like a much more expensive bottle is an excellent business model. It works for the retailer and for the consumer.

There are, as yet, no health concerns that have been reported regarding the use of Mega Purple. It is an agricultural concentrate. And, those winemakers who admit to using Mega Purple, indicate that it is only utilized when circumstances are desperate. A weak vintage tends to drive the decision. One Sonoma winemaker said, “Sure, I use it, but only very infrequently and only for some of my (lower-priced) wines. Look, Mega Purple has residual, so it adds a bit of texture, and that adds a little weight and it pops the fruit.”

Is it cheating? Nope. Information related to additives is readily available. Additives are legal. Additives have been determined to be safe. And, every winery (at least outside of Oregon) has a choice as which tools best make their wine saleable. Consumers may wish to believe that all wine is a natural product produced in a non-manipulative manner, but those consumers are in error. Even if Mega Purple is not used, consider all the other options available to the winemaker.

And, while there is no Mega White, there are multiple additives available ‘to improve’ the appearance, texture, and sweetness of white wines. Oh, by the way, beer is not immune from the ‘adulteration’ trend.  However, that conversation falls outside the scope of this blog.

There are three reasons for you to know Campania.

The first reason is geography. If you consider Italy in its most common designation, the boot, then Campania is the shin of the Italian leg surrounding the city of Naples. The second reason is that Campania is the location of Mount Vesuvius. The 79 BC eruption of Vesuvius destroyed Pompeii killing 2000 people including Pliny the Elder (more on him shortly). The third reason to know Campania is wine.

Italian wines have for many years been divided into the world of the north and the world of the south. The north is home to Tuscany and Piedmont and to winemaking stars such as Antinori and Gaja. The south is the home to rustic wines that are popular with indigenous populations but were largely ignored by the wine consuming population outside of southern Italy.

Okay…so now a little background on Pliny the Elder and his connection to this post.

Although the location and the specific date of his birth are cloudy, there is general agreement that Pliny was the child of a middle-ranking Roman noble. Pliny served honorably in the Roman military, practiced law during the time of the Emperor Nero, and was a prolific writer. He generated a 20-volume history of the Germanic Wars, multiple studies of grammar and rhetoric and eventually a nearly 40-volume study of natural history that was so extensive as to be referred to as the first encyclopedia.

Pliny enjoyed food (as evidenced by his considerable girth) and was particularly fond of beer and wine. His death, likely in his mid-50s, during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, is attributed to a more likely heart attack caused by asthma and obesity rather than inhaling the toxic fumes of the volcanic event.

More to the point, in his study of natural history, Pliny suggests that the Middle East (broadly including Greece) is the origin on viticulture and that wine provided a ‘curative’ value for the consumer. He offered advice to vineyard managers and winemakers regarding both the trellising of grapes and the aging of already fermented juice. And, Pliny particularly liked the ‘nutty’ white wines produced from the Fiano varietal.

Thus, a return to a discussion of Campania.

Campania is ideal for grape production. Rocky and elevated vineyards, not surprisingly dominated by volcanic ash, generate high temperatures during the growing season that are moderated by Mediterranean coastal breezes. Many of the region’s vines are old, and the vines, unlike many of Europe’s, were not impacted by the Phylloxera issues of the mid-19^th Century. The Phylloxera  louse could not survive  in volcanic soil. The growing season is long, and the combination of climate and soil produce fruit that is both crisp (due to high acidity balanced by floral dominated flavor profiles) and food friendly.

Although publications have recently, and rightly, focused on the extraordinary white wines of the region, locally grown Aglianico reds have enjoyed well-deserved attention. Aglianico produced in the Taurasi DOCG area are occasionally referred to as the ‘Barolo of the South’. However, that their best wine can only be appreciated by being compared to another regions best work is an indication that Campania still suffers from a ‘wine inferiority complex’.

However, things are looking up. The region had just 9 D.O.C. denominations in 1975…there are 19 today. In fact, “about 75% of Campania’s production is now D.O.C.G. designated. Those wines labeled D.O.C. meet government mandated standards regarding quality production standards. There are over 300 wines produced in Italy that meet the DOC standards. However, so many wines were earning the DOC designation that a DOCG status was awarded to those wines that met an even higher standard of production and quality. The drive to achieve an ‘alphabet soup’ status has encouraged wineries to improve “vineyard management, harvesting methods, and cellar techniques”.

We recently had an opportunity to taste a 2017 Ciro Picariello Irpinia Fiano from the heart of the Campania region.

There are five geographic provinces in Campania, and each of those five make wine. “The most renowned is the province of Irpinia, which is the historically correct name of the province of Avellino”, and is located just east of Naples, with nearly 100,000 acres of vines.

Among those 100,000 are the 17 acres (two separate locations) of Ciro Picariello that produce less than 900 cases of Irpinia Fiano. The Fiano sourced from nearly 30-year-old clay, loam and sandstone vineyards. They hand-pick their grapes, and those grapes are then “carefully sorted and pressed slowly”. The winery uses stainless steel tanks and the ambient yeast found naturally in the vineyard.

Ciro Picariello limits the use of SO2 and they neither filter nor fine their wines. Finally, the wines spend two months in bottle before release.

The Irpinia is the ‘entry level’ of Ciro Picariello Fiano production. They also bottle an Avellino designation labeled DOCG. The Irpinia offers a medium body with soft elements of honeysuckle and orange rind on the nose, excellent acidity and minerality are added to the fruit on the palate, and through the finish. This is an ideal wine to enjoy with light pasta and shellfish. The Irpinia would also be excellent way to sit on your porch or deck and enjoy the last warm days before Fall temperatures take control.  The wine can age for up to three years.

The Irpinia is the $20 range, and despite its limited production, is available throughout across the United States. In the South Carolina Low-country you could find it at Accent on Wine. Recent vintages of the Ciro Picariello Fiano Avellino DOCG are also available nationwide, but for a few dollars more.

Ric Forman is a Napa Valley legend.

Joy and I (along with friends) had a very interesting visit with Ric at his ‘eclectic’ Napa Valley winery at the base of Howell Mountain more than decade ago. We scheduled an appointment, and as directed we opened the unmarked front gate (carefully closing it behind us) and then traveled up a winding driveway to his house and winery. The note on the door indicated that he would join us shortly. The note also suggested we enjoy the view. Behind the house was a deck overlooking Napa Valley with an extraordinary view of the Forman Vineyards below.

Soon, Ric Forman roared up to the house on a dusty ATV, indicated that he needed gasoline for a crew that was drilling postholes for a new vineyard, collected the gasoline, and roared away. He eventually returned, and thus began one of the most interesting winery tours in our experience.

Uniquely, we were not offered a taste of wine. He makes very little and chooses to sell what he makes. However, we had previously tasted multiple vintages of Ric Forman’s icon extraordinary Cabernet and did not need to taste the wine to appreciate the quality. We knew the wine…we now wanted to know where it came from and how it came to be.

The wine, as it turned out, came from a winery located in a multi-car garage/large basement and aged in a wine cave carved by Ric Forman and his son Toby (and assistant winemaker) nearly 100 feet below the cellars. The cellar was carved in a semicircle and barrels are moved into position for filling by employing small gauge railroad tracks and human muscle. Barrels are aged in a single level. Ric Forman largely works alone (Toby joined the ‘family business in 2003) and a barrel of wine is heavy, and the cellar is too small for a forklift.

So, what prompts this memory recovery?

Joy and recently stumbled across a bottle of a Forman 2000 Napa Valley Cabernet in our ‘abbreviated South Carolina cellar’.  It was outstanding.  Stephen Tanzer awarded this bottling 90 points…impressive given that the overall Napa 2000 Cabernet vintage was rated an 85. The color was still excellent with a just a little brown around the edge. The dark red fruit and leather tones that are a trademark of Forman wines were still evident from the nose through the finish. Tannins were well integrated. The Wine Spectator review suggests that the wine needed a few years to soften, and that you should plan to consume your bottle by 2010. Nine years past the WS ‘drop dead’ date we determined that Forman wines certainly cellar well…

Some background on the man and the winery.

Forman wines reflect their creator. Ric Forman has been making excellent wine for nearly a half century. A late 1960s University of California at Davis enology graduate, he worked for the virtual Who’s Who of Napa Wine. His resume includes time with Justin Meyer of Silver Oak, Nils Venge at Groth, Robert Mondavi, and Peter Newton (before Newton Vineyards) for ten years as the winemaker at Sterling Vineyards. He has directly influenced winemaking at both Spottswoode (convincing them to focus on Cabernet – turned out to be excellent advice) and helping Duckhorn connect with the extraordinary Three-Palms Vineyard.

Forman’s success (especially his multiple 90 point wines) became a model for the UC Davis approach to teaching the production of California Cabernet.

Newton sent Forman to France to study ‘classic’ winemaking techniques. The trip informed the path of his career. He introduced barrel to barrel racking and was one of the first winemakers to vintage date Merlot (starting with the 1969 vintage). The Bordeaux experience clearly influenced his approach to vinification.

He purchased an 8.5 acre vineyard site in 1978 on a ridge at the base of Howell Mountain with a view of St. Helena. His house and his vineyard still occupy that site. He organized his winery in 1983 with the goal of producing “small quantities of classically made Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon”. He now owns nearly 90 acres in both St. Helena and the Rutherford Bench.

His vineyards produce the four ‘classic’ Bordeaux varietals – Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petite Verdot. The vineyard is defined by three soil types that inform the complexity of the grapes grown on them. The soils offer outstanding drainage. The trellis system is designed to expose the maximum leaf surface, and each vine is attended to no less than 16 times during the growing season.

Forman’s approach to winemaking is “traditional as opposed to technological”. His hillside vineyard grapes are handled gently (and hand harvested) and then placed in “small stainless-steel fermenters for white wines and new Burgundy barrels for red grapes”. Reds are aged in new French oak in that cave 10 stories below the winery. Limited fining of Forman wines is accomplished using egg whites.

Following the French model, Forman ‘assembles’ his wine early, and produces just 100 barrels each vintage (or 3000 total cases – 2,000 Cabernet and 1,000 Chardonnay). He stopped making Merlot as a separate varietal in 1998.

Despite the small production you can find recent vintages of Forman Cabernet nationwide at a price north of $75 for the most recent vintages. The wines are pricey, but they are worth it.

And, with every sip you are experiencing the best of Napa’s winemaking tradition.

Washington State winemaker Owen Roe often thinks outside the box. Over the years I have enjoyed many Owen Roe wines. And, the grape composition is not always obvious from the flavor profile. You need to read the back label.

That brings us to Owen Roe’s Abbot’s Table. I spotted this unique wine (there are just 3,700 cases produced) while surveying the always interesting collection at Accent on Wine in Summerville. The blend was intriguing…Sangiovese (40%), Zinfandel (34%), as well as some Malbec and 12% Blaufrankisch(!!!).

I assumed that this was a field blend until I noted the Blaufrankisch. This is a unique grape that is usually linked to Eastern Austria. I was unclear how the Blaufrankisch ended up as a part of the blend. But, interestingly, you can find a few acres of the grape growing in Eastern Washington (Columbia Valley AVA). The creative genius (and creative palate of the Owen Roe team) had discovered the grapes in near proximity to each other and simply blended them. And, indeed, it is marketed by Owen Roe as a field blend (more on field blends later in this post).

First, some background on Owen Roe and Abbot’s Table.

The winery is named in honor of Owen Roe O’Neill, a 17^th century Irish Patriot. Jerry Owen, who manages the vineyards, and David O’Reilly, the winemaker/owner (with wife Angelica), suggest that O’Neill’s dedication to the highest principles of political equality and freedom, established the model that they follow with a motto of “only the best is good enough”.

Owen Roe sources the grapes for its total production from both Oregon and Washington State (Willamette, Mid-Columbia, Yakima, and Walla Walla). The winery has long term vineyard contracts in all of those locations “with strict controls on yields and vine development”. Pesticides and herbicides are not utilized.

In the winery they allow “only minimal handling, racking by gravity, and excellent cooperage”.

The Abbott’s Table is dark with a dense ‘mouthfeel’. There is excellent balance that offers dark fruit elements on the nose and through the palate. The palate also offers a hint of tobacco and earth that extends through a medium finish. This is an excellent wine for virtually any roasted meat meal.

Now for a short discussion regarding field blends.

In the viticulture world before engineered wines, grapes grew in the field simply where they would without regard to variety, and winemakers worked with whatever grapes (often a few white grapes with the reds) grew there regardless of those varieties. There was an assumption that if grapes grow together they are likely to agree with each other in the bottle. Thus…the term ‘field blend’. These “are single-vineyard wines whose grapes are grown, harvested, and vinified together-the blending is done in the vineyard, not in the winery”. The growers and the winemakers must collaborate on the most tricky element of the process. What is the perfect day to pick multiple varieties that are likely ripen at different intervals?

Any differences in the flavor profile of the wine vary by the percentage of each varietal the ‘blend’  might contain. With many field blends the winemakers are unable to identify all the varietals in the blend. Sean Thackrey admits that he can “only identify about 2/3 of the grapes in Orion, his flagship wine”.

Most field blends are reds. There are some white field blends, but winemakers suggest that white varietals do not produce sufficient grapes from old vines, and that white varietals, according to Mike Officer of Carlisle Wine, “have a greater susceptibility to disease”.

Joel Peterson, the founder and for the past four decades, the winemaker of Ravenswood in Sonoma, suggests that throughout history many European winemakers produced field blends (some still do). And, awareness of field blends influenced the work of the ‘father’ of Northern California wine and the founder of Buena Vista Winery, Hungarian count Agoston Haraszthy.  He toured Europe in 1861 (as the American Civil War raged in the East) collecting and eventually transporting more than 100,000 vine cuttings to the California. The cuttings, from multiple varietals, were simply planted, and they made wine.

Unfortunately, many of the vines and their cuttings offspring that survived the Haraszthy efforts, were affected by the phylloxera louse during the 1880s. When replanted, it was decided to organize vineyards by varietal. Zinfandel was dominate in those late 19^th century vineyards although other traditional blending varieties (such as Petite Sirah, Carignane, and Alicante Bouchet) were planted in smaller percentages.

The American palate, however, likes consistency, and field blends do not generally offer consistency. The flavor package of each variety will vary widely  due to the unique climate elements of a specific vintage, and the subsequent joint fermentation in a single tank guarantees each vintage is unique. And, of course, profits come into play.  Labels identified with a specific varietal generally have a higher price point. Some Carlisle and Ravenswood wines, which are produced as field blends, are generally labeled as Zinfandel because their blend is 75% or more Zinfandel.

There are some excellent field blends available. Ridge Geyserville (particular the 2014) is produced from vines that are nearly 130 years old, and Thackery’s Orion has grapes sourced from 111-year-old vines. California producer, Fog Mountain (available at Total Wines) produces a wine labeled as a ‘Field Blend’ and sells for under $15.

There are some ‘unlikely mixes’…like The Prisoner (blended from Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Petite Sirah, and Charbono). Less expensive Menage a Trois and Apothic are also unique combinations of varieties. However, these wines are blended from varietals vinified separately and then blended to assure consistent flavor package.

The Owen Roe is according to the winemaker, “a true field blend, its composition varies from year to year.   Again, the 2016  combines Zinfandel, Sangiovese, Malbec, and Blaufrankisch.  Regardless of the vintage and the composition, the wine is always rich, warm, silky, smooth, and flavorful.”

Available at some Total Wines (not Charleston), and at Accent on Wine. The wine is generally priced at around $25.

From the mid-90s through 2005 you would likely find dozens of Australian wine options on the shelves of virtually every retail shop across the United States.

However, the American taste buds are fickle, and the attraction to wines from ‘Down Under’ waned, and for more than a decade there was a steady decline in Australian imports to the United States. Yellow Tail, still the #1 U.S. imported Chardonnay (as well as four other varietals), was only Australian product to continue growing its sales.

For more than a decade the American palate had been drawn to Shiraz. From Penfold’s Grange and Henschke’s Hill of Grace to Rosemont and, of course, Yellow Tail.  The sweet spicy elements of Shiraz satisfied many American consumers. However, as noted, the American palate is ever changing. The Zinfandel craze was followed by the movie Sideways and an enormous interest in Pinot Noir soon became a varietal of choice. And, while some Americans gravitated to sweet reds like South Africa’s Jam Jar and Italy’s Adesso, others rediscovered Cabernet. Americans associated Australia with Shiraz, and Shiraz  was out, and Australia was off the wine radar.

There has been recent growth in Australian imports…Americans discovered the continent produces more than Shiraz. But, one through the ups and downs one Australian wine remained consistently popular with the American market…Mollydooker.

In a recent outing to Accent on Wine, I spotted a bottle of 2016 Blue Eyed Boy Shiraz by Molly Dooker, the last vintage of Mollydooker to be bottled by the team of Sarah and Sparky Marquis. Joy and I shared it with friends visiting from New York, and in a subsequent trip I purchased another bottle…just in case I might have a ‘hankering’ for a jammy and fruit forward wine.

Mollydooker was the stepchild of the winemaking talent of Sarah and Sparky Marquis and the marketing skill of The Galloping Gourmet’s Dan Philips. The team was responsible for the producing and introducing the public to the outstanding wines of Marquis Philips. The Marquis Philips wines had a excellent 15-year run starting in the early 1990s. The wines received stunning reviews and were highly sought by consumers. Unfortunately, the principals in the enterprise had different goals. Sarah and Sparky had originally made their reputation as the team behind the highly acclaimed Fox Creek, and Dan Philips was the U.S. importer of Fox Creek.

The original goal that Sparky and Sarah had for Marquis Philips was to “produce the best bulk wine in Australia”, but the Australian wine glut of the late 1990s scuttled that plan. Instead the winemaking/marketing team decided to focus on premium wines. The Marquis’ produced the wine, Dan Philips marketed the wine, and Robert Parker loved the wine. He awarded 99 points to the 2001 and 2002 Integrity Shiraz. The team may not have intended to make ‘classic’ wines, but they certainly could.

The winery quickly grew from 8,000 to 120,000 cases in the first four years, and Dan Philips envisioned a production that would eventually reach a million cases. Sparky and Sarah balked at the number. Sarah noted, “We couldn’t do it because we’re very hands on and couldn’t physically taste that amount of wine.”

The company parted ways and Sarah and Sparky intended to take their proceeds and “roll out their own brand”. However, two issues arose.

First, the Marquis were low on cash. Second, the former partners counter-sued each other for breach of contract. The lawsuit was settled in 2007, following the withdrawal of allegations by Philips, without the plaintiffs going to court, and for terms that were undisclosed.

Philips intended to continue the Marquis Philips brand, but that venture was recently abandoned

Sparky and Marquis formed Mollydooker. The name evolved from the term for the Australian term for ‘left-handed. Both Sparky and Sparky are left-handed.

The Mollydooker wines which were highly extracted, high in alcohol, offered fruit-forward flavor profiles, intriguing packaging, and user-friendly prices, were an immediate hit with both American reviewers (particularly Robert Parker), and with the American public. The first Mollydooker inventory sold out in just 19 days. Interestingly, Australian reviewers were not as kind in reviewing the Mollydooker efforts (especially in relation to alcohol level). The winery struggled through a difficult financial period in 2014, but it has survived and now enjoys a robust following.

Mollydooker survived the lawsuits and financial insecurity. Unfortunately, the marriage of Sparky and Sarah did not. They separated in 2015, and in early 2017 Sarah took controlling interest of the winery. She owns 116 acres of vineyards in the extraordinary McLaren Vale and manages another 150 acres in the area. She has retained the services of both the Mollydooker vineyard manager and chief winemaker. Sarah guarantees that Mollydooker wines will continue to exhibit the flavor profile that has defined the portfolio since its inception. Total cases produced exceed 80,000.

Sparky’s future is unclear.

The Mollydooker wines continue to feature fruit over tannin, and the ABV often exceeds 16%. The vineyards are still managed by a unique and carefully timed irrigation program, and the Marquis Fruit Weight standard is still critical. The ‘Fruit Weight’ focuses on “the percentage of your palate that’s covered by the velvety sensation of fruit, before you experience any of the structural components of the wine”. A wine “must have at least 60% Fruit Weight in order to considered as a Mollydooker”.

The winery ‘works closely with coopers to achieve very specific flavor profiles”. They use a blend of French and American Oak and various levels of toasting with a “mixture of medium and fine grains”. Wines are ‘generally’ aged for a total of eight months of “achieve complexity and balance”.

Mollydooker, concerned about the loss of virtually one bottle of every 12 due to cork taint, became one of the first wineries to shift to screwcaps for wines at every price point. Mollydooker uses screwcaps on 10 of their wines, including the ‘flagship’, “Velvet Glove”.

And, don’t forget the ‘Mollydooker Shake’. Most wineries use small amounts of sulfides to stabilize their product, but Mollydooker uses nitrogen, and as a result the flavors are compressed. While the impact of the nitrogen dissipates in an older wine, if you are opening a young red (up to two years old), pour a little in a glass, replace the screw cap and shake the bottle. It works…

So, back to The Blue Eyed Boy.

Aged in 100% American oak (mostly new), the wine offers dark color, dark fruit dominated by blueberry and dark cherry, and a finish that is dominated by chocolate tones. This is a full-bodied wine that achieved an 80% Marquis Fruit Weight. Approximately 7,000 cases of a wine that markets recent vintages north of $40 is available in virtually every U.S. market.

Sarah Marquis and Mollydooker have traveled a difficult and twisted road over the past 15 years. However, they have both survived and wine drinkers are the better for it.

The Kittle House in Chappaqua, New York has a wine cellar that is a temporary home to more than 70,000 bottles and lists approximately 6,000 selections. Paris’s wonderful la Tour d’Argent, overlooking the Seine River and Notre Dame Cathedral, has a wine ‘book’ that is 400 pages in length and manages a cellar of more than 450,000 bottles. You can certainly find a bottle worth drinking on either of those lists. Creating a wine list that includes largely ‘the greatest hits’ of the past half century (or more) is not difficult, however, it is expensive.

I have navigated and reviewed literally thousands of wine lists over the years. Many of you have done the same. And, as I have aged, whether a result of ‘wine list fatigue’, or simply a greater interest in conversing with dinner companions than reading a wine tome, I have come to appreciate a wine list that is both short and well cultivated.

In the June 2019, issue of the Wine Spectator, Harvey Steiman, who has certainly reviewed more wine lists than have I, has come to the conclusion that shorter may be better. His revelation, like mine, came slowly. His began in the mid-1990s when dining at the wonderful Plumpjack Café in San Francisco. Plumpjack offered just 90 wines on its list (although you could bring a Plumpjack Wine to the restaurant with virtually no corkage fee). The wines were carefully chosen to accompany the unique menu offered by the restaurant, and offered a range of prices that could accommodate every budget.

Steiman’s employer, The Wine Spectator, has also begun to recognize the value of smaller lists. The 2018 “Award of Excellence” list awarded 250 lists with “fewer than 100 wines”. For many years the Award of Excellence rewarded lists that offered the greatest number of ‘blue chip’ wines.  Now, the goal is to reward lists that “focus on value and interest”. Likewise, in 2018 the “annual World of Fine Wine” list of restaurant awards included a category for best ‘micro’ lists.

The key according to Steiman, and echoed by me, is that whatever list we are reviewing has been created through a process of “diligent research”. A simply rule of thumb…if you spot wines on the list that you can purchase at your local grocery store…it is likely that the restaurant wine buyer is not doing the research.

Wine blogger Megan Kavanaugh offers specific suggestions for those building a list. Offer a variety with an option for every “diner’s taste buds”; understand that focus is essential, a restaurant “should be a cohesive brand. Just as the music should work with the décor, the wine list should be in harmony with the dining menu”. Make the wine list user-friendly. Restaurants should consider establishing a digital wine list to improve the diner’s experience.

Those who ‘curate’ a wine list should put themselves in the place of the consumer. What does a restaurant wine consumer want to know? For instance, what is a wine’s flavor profile and how does a particular wine work with the dishes those at the table are considering? Don’t price gouge. A restaurant is certainly entitled to make a profit on their wine sales as well as their food. The restaurant pays rent and pays employees. The restaurant must purchase, clean, and replace stems, and they must pay for and carefully cellar wines prior to a patron’s purchase. However, for a recent vintage of a widely available bottle, an all-too-often 300% markup with an additional (and often high) bottle fee will simply not sell as much wine as a reasonable priced product tailored to the restaurant’s menu. Sommeliers should offer samples. A patron may be willing to spend a bit more when they know what they are buying.

However, the shorter list can be a risk for the restaurant. Matt Stamp of Napa’s Compline suggests that “Micro lists are less intimidating and easier to navigate, for sure. Also, there is no room for error. The micro list should exist just like a best hits playlist, with every option the best of its kind for value”. And, Stamp continues, that it should be “a list on one page, with a font that can be read”.

A shorter list permits a wait staff to be better educated to understand and interpret the list and in turn, better able to assist patrons in making appropriate decisions. And, for the restaurant, a shorter list “means less investment up front and more rotation of bottles”.

Which brings me a discussion of Charleston, SC.

Our new home of Charleston, SC is becoming a more ‘wine savvy’ location. Lettie Teague, a wine columnist for the Wall Street Journal suggests that “the Holy Cities” wine reputation is catching up to its food reputation. Beyond the now venerable Accent on Wine, there has been a multitude of new wine bars from the extraordinary Graft on upper King Street, to Josh Walker’s (formerly of Accent on Wine) Wine & Company on Meeting Street.

Hall’s Chop House has a wine list that would make any New York steak house proud, and Leon’s Oysters and Chicken on upper King offers a very manageable choice of ‘cheap’ and ‘good’ wine…and excellent frozen Gin and Tonics.

And, notably, Charleston restaurants have ‘manageable’ wine lists.

I need to add another pet peeve related to this discussion…wine lists that do not reflect the menu focus. You can certainly have a seafood restaurant with just a few Pinot Noir options, but they should explain (on the list) why the other wines chosen for the list would be excellent accompaniments to your seafood option. Steak houses should offer a selection of ‘big reds’ wines, and it would be nice to see a big Zinfandel on a BBQ list. That is not to say that the ‘traditional’ choice is always the right one, but a restaurant should at least meet minimal (and safe) wine expectations relative to their menu. Then the restaurant might challenge the patron’s to consider something unique.

Reviewing the wine list should not be a chore.

Luzon Rosado

My sister-in-law Lisa recommended that I occasionally include a less expensive wine in Vine and Spirits Report posts. She is right. Consider this one at less than $10.

Rosé (Rosado) is no longer just a Summer wine. And, the Luzón Colección Monastrell Rosado could be enjoyed year around.

Jay Gruber at Sterling Cellars in Mahopac, New York suggested the 2018 version of the Luzón when we visited a few months ago, and his recommendation was spot on.

For more than a century Bodegas Luzón has been both a leading producer and exporter of wines from Jumilla. Located in the south-eastern region of Spain, Jumilla is blessed with a continental climate and ideal soil.

The Luzón Rosado is 100% Monastrell for vineyards more than 20 years old. The mechanically harvested grapes are lightly pressed and fermented in a temperature-controlled tanks. The result is a well-balanced, medium bodied wine with a “delicate texture” and light cherry tones.

The winery recommends that you consider the Rosado as an accompaniment to fresh salads, seafood, white meats, and soft cheese. They are correct.

Available nationwide.