Drink what you like… are you ready for “Rough And Ready Red” Wine ??? Have Happy Holidays
Our winery of the season is a small Sierra foothills gem in Nevada City, CA; appropriately named Nevada City Winery
But first I am exercising my prerogative as the blogger to interrupt this weblog and vent a little about the vagaries of the season and expectations.
The first part of the seasonal insanity has passed us by and we’ve settled down.
I must confess I, too, got caught up again. You ask in what? Not election politics nor the economy; but the brainwashed dogma that certain wine need go with certain foods. That wine parings with food must follow RULES.
The truth is, there are no RULES,
just something someone said then others followed along like sheeple.
Maybe they felt sophisticated or educated or snobbish knowing which wine matches and complements ham, turkey, roast beef, or lamb.
Primarily when you are pairing wines with a meal, find one or more you enjoy drinking. Then savor each sip and bite of your holiday feast.
Wine pairing is an overall sensory experience. It ranges from the taste wine and food provoke in your mouth to the aromas that fill the room when you open the wine and serve the meal. Don’t worry about the quality of a wine or how it was rated in the most recent wine magazines. You should be the one to enjoy drinking the wine. Regardless of what wine experts claim to be the best vintages, .
When you find a wine you take pleasure in, save the cork or write down what is on the label so you can repeat the experience..
If the truth be known, this is how many wine sophisticates find their most precious vintages.
For a group experience at the holiday table open a few wines, both whites and reds, let the group tell you which they like. Compare all of your experiences and write the best ones down so you may enjoy them again. Make a note of who liked what for a later gift or another time you enjoy wine and food with that particular friend.
Tasting new wines and food combinations with friends is the real shared experience. The emphasis is on the people and the wine. This is the reason for getting together in the first place.
Now to the Winery of the season, a small Sierra foothills gem in Nevada City, CA, appropriately named Nevada City Winery. It is located in the historic Miners Foundry Garage on Spring Street in downtown Nevada City. This location is less than two blocks from where the original winery stood over a century ago.
Nevada City Winery makes over 20 wines with 16 of them having won distinction, medals and honors to attest to their desirability and recognition. The breakdown of the wines is 4 Whites, 2 Blush and 15 red varietals and blends.
With the previous suggestion in mind, you could pick a few whites and reds from just this winery and have a great experience on the coming holiday.
In the local area some of these wines are in a tasting on Wednesday, December 10th A Holiday Kick Off Wine Pairing at Butcher Boy Prime 5:30-8:00
Some of the wines I have tasted and enjoyed from Nevada City Winery are:
Sauvignon Blanc, Rocky Ridge Vineyard 2007
A delicious blend of grapefruit, citrus and lime flavors finished in a dry style.
Chardonnay 2007
A blend of Nevada County grapes produced from the Penn Valley Vineyard and the Plyman Vineyard in Clarksburg in the Sacramento Delta.
It offers delightful aromas of pear, green apple and pineapple balanced with the rich and creamy flavors of toasted vanillin oak.
Sonata 2007
Blending is the winemaker’s art, taking different wines, creating one. Here Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc make perfect partners.
This wine balances the crisp and dry, lemon-lime flavors of Sauvignon Blanc with the richer mouth feel of lightly oaked Chardonnay producing a delightfully fresh and fruity sipping wine.
Gewurztraminer 2007
This wine offers exotic aromas of flowers and spice. At 1.2% of residual sugar, the wine is finished with a touch of sweetness but well-balanced with crisp acidity.
Enjoy it as an aperitif or with a variety of foods including Asian-style foods.
What is perhaps most surprising about this wine is how well it ages. Conventional thinking always suggests consuming this style of wine while it is still young and fruity. We are now reaping the rewards of having kept a good selection of now well-aged vintages of Gewurz. With five and even 10 years of age these wines have developed into remarkably complex, flavor-filled wines.
Zinfandel 2006
A full-bodied, elegantly styled Zinfandel with flavors of raspberries, blackberries and black pepper. Medium weight with solid structure and medium-soft tannins this spicy Zinfandel offers delicious flavors now, but cellaring for two to five years will offer even greater rewards.
Syrah 2006
A deliciously rich, full-bodied wine, loaded with juicy blackberry flavors and smoky, chocolate aromas. Boldly flavored with medium-full tannins, it is perfect for your favorite grilled foods.
Petite Syrah 2004
Classic deep Petite Syrah garnet color with a rich purple edging.
Tons of oak spice, black pepper and blackberry aromas.
Big fruit and tannin balanced to perfection, all framed in American Oak.
Rough And Ready Red 2006
This wine is named after the town of Rough and Ready, located in western Nevada County. It is a tribute to the hearty miners and intrepid grape growers who first populated the area in the 1850’s. As such we want it to be flavorful and full-bodied without being overly tannic. This wine shows engaging flavors of plums, cherries and spice with hints of red licorice-berry fruit. The wine is full-flavored with a hint of oak and medium-soft tannins.
Cabernet Sauvignon 2003
Complex nose of blueberries, pepper and chocolate. The wine has medium cherry berry-blueberry fruit, good acid, balanced tannins and a smooth, lingering finish.
Ready to drink now, it will continue to develop complexity and character for the next three to four years.
Which means I’m not quite half way through their offerings and the coming year will be an exciting adventure to complete the task. I know it is a tough job, but somebody has to do it. Their wines are delicious; so I volunteer…
In the nature of full disclosure; we drink the wines, savor the foods, and have a very good time. We also share our experiences and are not concerned with the sourcing.
jmg
Wineosaurus Bibulous
In vino veritas, In diem vivo
(In wine truth, I live for the day)
Posted: December 10th, 2008 under Food and Wine, Wine Events, Wine Tasting.
Tags: wine, Wine Events
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