The Wine Curmudgeon

Fourth of July wine 2012

Some suggestions and a few thoughts about wine with your July 4 celebration next week, whether backyard barbeque or fireworks watching party (the latter with bubbly, of course):

• We’re in porch wine territory this time of year: lighter wines with lower alcohol, and that includes reds. Drinking a tannic, high alcohol wine when it’s pushing 100 isn’t pleasurable (unless you’re a wine masochist).

• Did someone say bubbly? We’re celebrating a birthday, aren’t we? Miquel Pons Cava Brut Nature NV ($15, purchased) is a Spanish sparkler that’s soft and generous, with sweet lemon fruit and bubbles that won't quit.

• Fontana Candida Frascati Superiore ($10, sample) is an Italian white that was a big deal a decade or more ago, and then fell on hard times. This vintage is much better made than it was then, with a fresher, more clean approach, very crisp lemon, and an almost orange tea aroma. Just 12 1/2 percent alcohol.

• When in doubt, go Falesco – the Assisi Rosso 2009 ($16, purchased), in this case. This Italian red blend is a step up from the producer’s wonderful $10 Vitiano line, with an herbal aroma and soft red fruit. But it’s sturdy enough for red wine occasions, including Fourth of July burgers, steak and brisket.

• Regional wine is always a July 4 staple, and Dr. Konstantin Frank Dry Riesling 2010 ($15, purchased) is a regional wine with decent national distribution. Look for candied lemon and the fresh, crisp acidity that New York state rieslings are famous for. And, as nice as this wine is, it's not nearly the best New York riesling available.

More about Fourth of July wine:

• Fourth of July wine 2011
• Fourth of July wine 2010
• Wine of the week: Louis Tete Beaujolais-Villages 2010
• Wine of the week: Luc Pirlet Pinot Noir Barriques Reserve 2010

Expensive wine 40: Pio Cesare Barbaresco 2007

Every once in a while, the Wine Curmudgeon is lucky enough to meet someone like Pio Boffa, whose family has owned Italy’s Pio Cesare in the Piedmont for 130 years. The only thing more interesting than the conversation was the wine.

Every wine we had (even the Oltre, which is made for U.S. palates), was worth writing about. And I’ll probably get to several of them over the next couple of months. My favorite, though, was the Barbaresco ($65, sample). It’s not enough to say that this is classic Barbaresco that will only get better with age and in 30 years should be a gorgeous wine. That’s what all great Barbaresco should do.

Rather, what struck me about this wine is that it was greater than the sum of its parts. All of the things a great Barbaresco requires were there – the cherry fruit (almost sweet, believe it or not); the black pepper spice and Italian acidity; and the mineral finish that you can still taste a couple of swallows later. But they weren’t what made it what it was. There was something else going on that was difficult to pin down. If that seems too vague to make sense, then accept it as part of the mystery of a great wine.

Frankly, given how much ordinary wine costs $65, this is a bargain. And, as Boffo reminded me several times during lunch, though this wine will improve with age, it's accessible and ready to drink now. Think rib eye and a Father’s Day dinner. Highly recommended, and one of the best ones I have ever had.

Father's Day wine 2012

Yes. son, wine is a great Father's Day present

What, you don’t think wine and Father’s Day are a good fit? Then you don’t know all of the dads that I know, since they find wine a fine gift at any time. Whatever you do, though, keep our wine gift-giving guidelines in mind -- "Don't buy someone wine that you think they should like; buy them what they will like."

These suggestions should get you started:

• Hey Mambo Sultry Red ($12, sample): Red California table wine that deserves better than its hokey back label. Simple, basic, and fulfilling, with enough black fruit to be noticeable, but not so much that it tastes like a juice box. Pair with grilled sausages, and don’t be afraid to chill it a little.

• Bodega Amalaya Tinto ($17, sample): Much better than than I thought it would be, with sweet cherry fruit that was more bright than stewed (which can be a problem with Argentine malbecs). It was still soft, but pleasantly so. A terrific barbecue wine.

• Lucien Albrecht Cremant d’Alsace Brut Rose NV ($17, sample): The decline in the euro means this sparkling wine may return to more affordable territory, which is worth waiting for. Crisp and bubbly and refreshing, with subtle cranberry and cherry fruit and just the thing for a hot summer Sunday.

More about Father’s Day wine:
• Father's Day wine 2011
• Father's Day wine 2010
• Wine of the week: Cellar No. 8 Eight
• Wine of the week: Villa Maria Merlot-Cabernet Sauvignon

Cartoon courtesy nanozero87 via OpenClipArt, using a Creative Commons license

Memorial Day 2012

The blog is mostly off today, but will be back tomorrow with our usual features. And what better way to enjoy the holiday than with the incomparable John Cleese? A note for "Fawlty Towers" fans -- this is the epsiode where the phrase, "He's from Barcelona," makes its first appearance.

As funny as this clip is, there is more than an element of truth to it. The Wine Curmudgoen has had waiters do both more than once -- open wine bottles between their legs and argue with me about whether the wine was corked. (Video courtesy of holmleighnyd at YouTube).

Memorial Day and rose, 2012

You'll drink red and white; why not rose?

The Wine Curmudgeon appreciates his readers and visitors more than they will ever know. Without you, I’d have to get a real job, where I would probably not be allowed to drink wine.

Having said that, I must bring up one of your few failings: You don’t much rose. No rose review has ever been a top 10 annual post, and they barely crack the top 50.

I especially pondered that question preparing for this post, the blog’s fifth annual rose extravaganza. And I can’t come up with a good reason. Rose is cheap. It’s better made than ever before. It’s food friendly. You can put an ice cube in it. What more do you need from a wine?

After the jump, the basics about roses and this year’s recommendations:

Mother's Day wine 2012

Doesn't Mom deserve wine for Mother's Day?

Buy Mom wine for Mother's Day. She'll appreciate it. Right, Mom? Or, failing that, buy her wine for Mother's Day brunch. Whatever you do, though, keep our wine gift-giving guidelines in mind -- "Don't buy someone wine that you think they should like; buy them what they will like."

These suggestions should get you started:

• Bonterra Viognier 2010 ($14, sample): Easily the best California viognier I've had in years (yes, damning with faint praise, but praise nonetheless), with crisp, clean apricot fruit. A little oily, which was interesting, and a decent finish. If it was cheaper, it's probably in the $10 Hall of Fame.

• Local wine: We tasted wines from a dozen or so states at our recent DrinkLocalWine conference, and there is plenty of quality and value out there. If you're in Colorado, try the Guy Drew riesling 2010 ($16, sample), with lemongrass, a lot of acid, and a fair amount of residual sugar that is barely noticeable because of all the acid. Excellent example of terroir and high altitude grapes. Not in Colorado? Ask for a recommendation for your Other 47 state in the comments or send me an email.

• Toad Hollow Risque NV ($16, sample): Sparkling wine that takes sparkling wine to a place it doesn't often go. Sweet? Yes, but not just to be sweet, but as a style. And there are plenty of bubbles to balance the sweetness. It was a favorite of the late Todd Williams, who ran Toad Hollow and always told a good story about this wine.

More about Mother's Day wine:
• Mother's Day wine 2011
• Mother's Day wine 2010
• Wine of the week: Luc Pirlet Pinot Noir 2009
• Wine review: Cline Cellars Cool Climate Syrah 2010

Cartoon courtesy Gerald_G via OpenClipArt, using a Creative Commons license

Valentine's Day Wine 2012

The Wine Curmudgeon does not like the holiday that must not be named. The reasons aren't important; chalk it up to my natural crankiness, and leave it at that. Because of this, I have traditionally vacillated about whether to do a post for this holiday.

This year, you get one. Yes, I know, the last thing one expects from me is inconsistency, but that's the effect that the holiday that must not be named has on me. More, after the jump: