Carmenere

This post is about Carmenere, the finest wine grape of Chile.  We've written about it several times in the past, alway recounting its fascinating backstory about how it became what it is today.  Now it's time to move on.  Stop by the store if you want to hear the story. 

Carmenere finds its best expression in the Central Valley of Chile.  The Central Valley is huge with several microclimates going both north to south and east to west.  North and South in the southern hemisphere would, of course, reverse what we know about climate in the Central Coast of California.  The east-west business has no obvious parallel elsewhere.  The Andes Mountain foothills offer much desired elevation for fine wine vineyards while the flatlands closer to the ocean offer a venue for bulk wine production. All within a hundred miles or so!

So, is Carmenere one of the great wine grapes of the world?  Probably not.  Although the usual disclaimer applies here like everywhere else - If you get the right grape planted in the ideal location the wine can potentially be world class.  The Apalta vineyards of the Colchagua Valley are just that and if you want proof, scroll down to our February 16th post.

Today there are just a few hundred acres of Carmenere left in all of Europe.  A limited amount is still found in its birthplace, Bordeaux, where it retains its original name, Grand Vidure. The grape has a legacy there, having parented most of the better known Bordeaux varieties.  Most European Carmenere today can be found in northeastern Italy where it wears the moniker Carmenero.  The name Carmenere, of course, comes from the dark red-purplish color, carmine.

So we said earlier that Carmenere was probably not one of the top tier wine grapes.  It is however one helluva blender and that is what its role was in Bordeaux.  It is most similar to Petit Verdot.  In Chile it is an essential component of the greatest wines of the country.  It adds soft structured tannins and aromas of red fruit (berries) and spices.  On the palate it offers dark chocolate, tobacco and leather.  If yields are restricted, the herbaceousness that puts some of us off, is limited.  

When bottled as a single varietal, Carmenere makes a fine glass of dry red wine.  But when it's in a blend with Syrah, Cabernet and/or the other usual components, Carmenere shows its full potential.  Chile, like California, only requires 75% of a varietally labeled wine to be composed of that grape.  So if you get into a bottle of varietal Carmenere, knowing what we know about its usage, it is probably a 25% mixture of Cabernet, Syrah or any of the usual blenders.  Usually a darker color in the glass shows it's a blend and that is what you want.

Mistral Winds & Matthew Fritz

Mistral (Masterly) Winds are strong cold northwesterly winds that greatly affect the French viticulture in Provence and the Languedoc region as a whole.  Languedoc is where a third of the wines of France come from and Provence is the worldwide model for Rose.  Depending on location, the winds can either be beneficial or harmful to vineyards.  They range from 40 mph to 115 mph and can last for a day or two to more than a week.

Camargue is a natural region south of the city of Arles encompassing the Rhone River delta at the Mediterranean Sea.  It's sizable expanse includes many lakes and marshes providing habitat for its unique flora and fauna.  This region, which has been protected since 1970, faces the brunt of the strongest Mistral Winds.

While the winds don't start in the Rhone Valley it is there that their speed accelerates and their temperatures drop.  Coming from Chicago we are familiar with wind tunnels through highrise buildings.  The Rhone does that but it also channels in the colder air dropping downward from the mountains, further driving the force of the winds. 

Just like the river delta, the winds fan out at land's end with the stronger ones seeming to head eastward toward Provence while the French Basque region gets relatively mild breezes.  While the winds can happen at any time of the year, the winter and spring seasons have the strongest, most dangerous winds.

So why are we writing about the winds of France?  Because similar winds have helped to create one of the finest Pinot Noir venues of California.  Santa Lucia Highlands is an eighteen mile long ribbon of land carved out of the Central Coast wine appellation in 1991.   It lies thirty-five minutes southeast of Monterey Bay in a diagonal groove between the Santa Lucia Mountains to the west and the Gavilan Mountains to the east.  The appellation, of course, is so named because it's on the Santa Lucia side of the groove with eastern facing vineyards.

Matthew Fritz is a wine company formed by the collaboration of Matthew Bonanno and Fritz Stuhlmuller, two gentlemen whose last names are synonymous with high quality California wines.  The Bonanno and Stuhlmuller family wineries lie respectively in Napa and Alexander Valleys, two of the finest venues in the state. 

Pinot Noir, being a cool weather grape, prefers northern latitudes.  In this case, however, it's the Mistral-like winds from the bay that brought Matthew Fritz to Santa Lucia Highlands for their fine pinot.

Red Wine and Seafood, Part 2

Last time we wanted to convey an understanding that while anyone can opt for any pairing they would like, there are some whites that are intended to be served with seafood.  We concluded with the pitch for considering Rose wine because it really does go with anything.

Lets dissect this issue a little further.  Seafood isn't uniform.  There are many types and they can be prepared a lot of different ways.  Skipping to the chase, if you're broiling a lean white fish you really need a light wine, preferably a white or rose.  If you're roasting a hearty, meaty piece of fish, a lighter red sounds good.  If you're grilling salmon or tuna outside or blackening it in the house, all bets are off.  Go for it.  Get that great red you're dying to try and feature it with the meal.

Last time we used the map of Italy as a visual aid to justify Italian white wine as a go-to for seafood meals.  Using the same motivation can we say Italian reds are potentially seafood wines?  I think so, at least a good many of the lighter ones.  Recently we wrote about the rustic reds from the heel of the Italian boot.  They are truly red meat wines.  Would they work with blackened fish?  We'd love to try it!

Now here are three cautions to keep in mind with red wine and seafood.  

    1. Wine Enthusiast says skip the lemon.  Your red wine flavors will take a beating if they have to compete with lemon.

    2. From Phil Berardelli in Science Insider - There is a fatty acid in fish that breaks down rapidly when mixed with red wine.  Iron is the problem.  All red wines contain some level of iron courtesy of the soils in the vineyards.  The ones with a higher level will bring out the fishiness in sea food.  The problem?  How do you know the iron content of your wine?

    3. Want to make your pairing really pop?  Choose your wine to complement the dominant flavor in the dish.  Whether it's an herb or spice or if there is a sauce, stew, gravy or soup in the offing, consider pairing that element with your wine selection.

Red Wine with Seafood

When we got into this business way back in 1976, white wines outsold reds three to one.  Maybe it was four to one.  Anyway, trying to sell reds was difficult.  Now, fifty years later, reds are what everyone wants and that is good.  They are, objectively, better than whites.  More breadth and richness, more developed structure, more character in every respect.

Regularly we hear from our red wine lovers that the food pairing rules really don't apply anymore; like that kind of quaint stuff should be relegated to a bygone time.  If a big California Cabernet is what I want with my dinner, no matter what it is, then that is what I will have.  And that mandate is perfectly fine.  We aren't old Europe.  We do things differently here.  And like I said, that's okay. 

Pinot Noir is the great red grape of the world.  So said Jim Sanders, my long passed fine wine mentor.  Jim was a French Burgundy expert and said amongst other things, "Cabernet Sauvignon opens up in the glass; Pinot noir actually i-m-p-r-o-v-e-s."  It's been at least twenty years since his passing so I think it's safe to say, that subject could be debated.

Recently a customer came in consulting his wine app which said he needed a Pinot Noir with his Asian seafood dish.  Generously, the app said either French Burgundy or Oregon pinot would be fine.  Upon hearing this I wanted to pull out my non-existent hair.  His Asian sauce sounded sweet and a dry burgundy would have been the culinary equivalent of fingernails scratching on the blackboard.  So we sold him the Oregon wine.  And Jim did cartwheels in his grave.  

The customer is alway right.

This post is not sour grapes.  There are reasons for choosing any food and wine combination and they are personal.  But here's the thing: There are wines that are intended to go with seafood.  While you may choose a red with your seafood, and that is perfectly fine if you do, you may also choose a white from, say, Italy, which you may notice on the map, is surrounded by water.

And just for the record, Roses go with anything.