Greek Wine Seminar

I had a chance to attend a Greek Wine Seminar this week.
The seminar was held at 18 Reasons in Mission, followed by tasting.

There are international varieties in Greece but most PDO requires the use of local varieties.
Greece has overall hot Mediterranean climate.
Some vineyards experience very hot summer temperatures.
The strong winds from the ocean can even destroy unprotected vines.
The local varieties in Greece, although not very popular in international market, evolved to thrive under these severe conditions.

Santorini PDO is white wine, both dry and sweet, from a volcanic island.
The wine is made from local grape called Assyrtiko. It has high acid, stone fruit and saline flavor. The saltiness doesn't come from the grape. There is no scientific evidence, but it is said that it's because of the strong ocean mists, i.e., terroir.

Tyrnavos PGI is surrounded by mountains and it's very hot in summers, but native vines adapted well to the environment and doesn't need irrigation even when the temperature exceeds 100⁰F.
Domaine Zafeirakis Limniona 2013 is made from native red grape called Limniona.
The wine had red fruit and earthiness. The wines from hot climate tend to be very ripe and jammy, but this wine felt quite fresh.

Zitsa PDO has continental climate with cool summers and cold winters. Vineyards here are located at high elevation.

Domaine Glinavos Protos Inos Zitsa 2013 is made from 100% Debina grape.
The wine had simple apple flavor at first, then other fruit and mineral started to appear. Very good wine.
Paleokerisio is Orange wine. It tasted like whole Kumquat.

Domaine Economou Late Harvest Liatiko 2006 is, of course, late harvest sweet wine. Yet the flavor of concentrated fruit was like Port wine.

Most of the wines I tasted this day were made from local grapes which I'd never heard of.
Some were rustic, others were complex and sophisticated which I wondered why they were not used more widely in other countries.
On the other hand, I also hope these grapes would stay in their native land and keep their identity without being manipulated to satisfy the global market.

Miso Making

We use condiments everyday. It's always there and we don't think about them deeply, but since we depend on them regularly, it would be good if we can make them with fresh ingredients.
Although the idea of making them seemed complicated and daunting, I was surprised when I found out that the Miso making process was much simpler that I imagined. Even more, I could find ingredients here.
Since then, I make Miso every year.

This is all you need: Soybeans, Rice Koji and salt.

The ratio of Soybeans: Rice Koji: salt will determine the flavor of Miso.
I usually use simple 2:2:1 ratio.
More Koji ＝sweeter＝more perishable.

First, cook Soybeans (soaked in water overnight).
Drain and save the water to soak dried Koji.
It tastes better if I use fresh Koji, but I can't find it here so I use dried Rice Koji.
To use dried Koji, soak them in the water used to cook beans. Make sure it's not too hot because Koji will be killed by high temperatures.

Mash Soybeans while they are still warm.

Mix in Koji and salt. Mix really well.
Make the mixture into ball shape, and place them in the sanitized container.

Press as you fill the container so that there is no space in between. If there is an empty space inside the mixture, mold will grow.

It's better if you don't fill the container to the top like I did because water from the beans might come up to the surface later (this water is like soy sauce).

Cover the surface with plastic wrap to minimize air contact, place a lid, and store the container in dark, cool place. Wait for a year.
Since there is no additives so mold will grow on the surface eventually, but you can just discard the part and still eat Miso.

To praise myself is called Temae-Miso in Japan. I really understand the meaning of this word because my Miso is really delicious!

Three Sherries

Tasting of three Sherries.

Bodegas Yuste Aurora Manzanilla had orange, raisin and salt. There was some sharpness.

Jose Luis Gonzalez Obregon Fino El Puerto de Santa Maria had almond, orange, decayed grass and salt. This tasted similar to Manzanilla, but had more roundness.

Luster East India Solera Sherry is sweetened Oloroso, so I guess it's Cream.
This was the most approachable to me. Raisin, caramel, coffee, walnut.

Fino and Manzanilla are technically the same. They are made in a same way, but come from different locations. They both had a balance of fruit and savoriness.

Fino and Manzanilla Sherries are made with biological ageing, in which wine is aged with the thick layer of yeast called flor on its surface.
Flor gives the unique flavors of tanginess or saltiness, and protects the wine from oxidation. Without the flor, wine loses freshness quickly so it is better to be consumed as soon as possible after bottling.

However, I find Sherry quite interesting but not a kind of drink l can drink a lot; therefore, JC created a cocktail from these Sherries.

He used a recipe from Bar Radio Cocktail Book, and arranged it.

I tasted more Campari than Sherry, but good cocktail. Then we had olives with this, and they were great together! The fruitiness of the cocktail and the salt in olives integrated well and became very smooth.

If you ever want to try, here's the recipe:

A dash of Angostura bitters
A bar spoon of Demerara syrup
A bar spoon of Dry Curacao
1 oz Fino Sherry
1/2 oz Manzanilla
1/4 oz Campari
1/4 oz Cream Sherry

Simply stir with ice. Enjoy!

Harlan Estate, Two Vintages

I had a once in a life time opportunity to try Harlan Estate Napa Valley 2001 and 2002 side by side!

2001 had deep garnet color.
The intensity was medium: stewed cherry, prune, dill, tarragon, tomato sauce, and ink.
There were charred wood and coffee from oak.
Complex wine. It felt fully developed and wouldn't age longer.

2002 had more fruit: fresh and stewed cherry, pureed plum, plum skin, candied violet, coffee and vanilla.
A little higher acid and more body. More approachable, too.
There was still freshness and this would age longer.

Same wine, just one year difference. Totally different wine. Interesting.  

Alex Gambal Tasting

There was Alex Gambal tasting in San Francisco.

Alex Gambal is a wine producer from Burgundy.
He is originally from Boston, started to make wine in France as a negocian, and now make wine from his own vineyards, too.
At least some of them are bio dynamic.

Tasting was at La Folie Lounge. It is a casual restaurant with antique-look interior and cozy atmosphere. High-end La Folie Restaurant is right next door.
The space was a little small for this occasion since so many people showed up (Alex Gambal seems popular!), so I couldn't take pictures.

Four whites and three reds:

Aligote 2014 had high acid. Very high.

Saint-Romain 2014
Crisp with ripeness. The texture was round. Chestnut and lime.

Saint-Aubin 1er Cru 2014 had high minerality like oyster shell, and flower.

Puligny-Montrachet 2014 had high but soft acidity. Orchard fruit and yeastiness.

Savigny-Les Beaune 2014 had flowers and ripe cherry with freshness.

Gevrey-Chambertin 2014 had purple flower and purple fruit with savoriness.

Chambolle-Musigny 2014
Coffee and mushroom. Ripe cherry and red rose.

They were all good wines. The price might be a little high, but it's Burgundy.
It wasn't there that day but they have Les Charmes, too.
Hope I'll have a chance to try someday.

Armstrong Brewing

One sunny peaceful day, we went to South San Francisco and happened to  find a brewery at unlike place of the basement of an office building.















Armstrong Brewing is a relatively new place.
Armstrong is the name of the owner: he started to brew beer as a hobby, and now operate this brewery/tap room.
They serve beer brewed on site.

We had Beer which was aged in wine barrel. It was fresh and tasty.
They just started to serve lunch, so we decided to have Pizza, too.
It was late for lunch so we ordered just one personal size Pizza to share, but it was big! Enough for two people.
The Pizza was a little salty side. Of course: it's pub food. Made me want to drink more beer!

Most of the people there were regulars and knew each other.
It seemed like this place is loved by people nearby. No wonder. Friendly and knowledgeable staff, and very comfortable atmosphere.
Very nice neighborhood pub.
They also offer beer class, which I might want to try.

Alentejo Seminar

I had a chance to attend Alentejo Seminar this week.

Alentejo is in the south east of Portugal. This area is also known for its cork trees.
The climate is Mediterranean and the land is relatively flat, but eight sub-regions have small climatic differences, therefore producing different styles of wine.

Grapes used for white wine are Arinto, Antao Vaz, Roupeiro, etc. Grapes for red wine are Aragonez (Tempranillo), Alicante Bouschet, Touriga Nacional, etc.
You can find many indigenous varieties here.

After the lecture, we got to taste wines, three whites and nine reds.
It's from south, so I expected their wines to be very ripe and big, and high alcohol could be a little harsh.

Actually, the wines were more elegant side.
Fruit were ripe but not over-baked, and there were flower and mineral.
Texture was soft and fluid, and it became even softer with food.

This is definitely a hidden gem.
I'm sure that the wines we tried this day were carefully selected good-quality wines, and I don't know if table wines from this region could be also good, but most of Alentejo wines imported to US are PDO and PGI, so we only have chance to see these wines anyway.

Wine is very popular drink: there are so many wines and so many information about wine.
This is good but I sometimes worry that everything about wine has been searched and there are nothing more to explore, so when I encounter these unknown gems, I really get excited, not just by the wine itself, but also by the possibility of wine.

Cain Vineyard & Winery

Cain Vineyard & Winery is in Spring Mountain District which is in the west of St. Helena, Napa, and on the foothill of the Mayacamas Mountains.
After three miles of mountain drive, we found the beautiful winery behind trees.

The winery is on the valley slope, and vineyards are on both hillsides and valley floor.
Cool ocean breezes come from between the mountains and moderate temperature.
The slopes enjoy the sun exposure and the valley floor traps the cold air, so grapes on the slopes are riper than the ones from the floor.

View of the vineyard from the winery

They make Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Sauvignon based blend, and they are a little different from other Napa Cab.
After harvesting, they send grapes to crushing without sorting. They believe sorting may take off grape's individual character and make wine more monotonous.
Harvesting occurs relatively early to retain fresh fruit character rather than making alcoholic wine from fully ripe grapes.
 
We got to taste these three wines: NV 12, Cain Five 2012 and Cain Five 2006.

NV stands for, of course, non vintage. NV 12 was made from grapes mostly of 2012, and some 2011.
This is a kind of Second label, but doesn't mean this is inferior. Grapes come from designated vineyards, not the ones rejected from Grand Vin.
This wine is lighter and would be a good food wine.

Cain Five is their signature wine: they have power, but it's controlled. They are ripe, rich yet fresh. Complex and long after taste. Great wines, especially 2006!

These wines from north of Napa showed me different side of Napa Valley.
It was a good trip.

Grace Family Vineyards in Napa

Grace Family Vineyards is in St. Helena, Napa.

It's a small winery, but this is one of the first Napa Cult winery.
They have very small production so their wine is not found at any store and there is no tasting room, but Mr. Grace, the founder of this winery, kindly invited us to his winery.

While visiting Napa, he and his wife were happened to be introduced to an old house for sale, fell in love with, decided to buy the house and moved to Napa, and everything started from there.

Starting winery wasn't their original idea: they planted vines in the garden as a fun family project when somebody told them that it was a good location for grapes. When grapes were harvested, sent to nearby winery (Caymus Winery) to sell, the winery suggested to make wine separately because their grapes were so good. Therefore their first wine was produced under Caymus Winery.

Mr. Grace told us about those winery's history as well as his very active philanthropic project with passion and sense of humor.

Although they are famous, winery still stays small.

This is all the wines. Smallest winery I've ever visited.
Grace only makes one wine. 100% Cabernet Sauvignon.
They also make wines for Blank Vineyard in Rutherford.
We had a chance to try those wines side by side.

Both were very good. Strong structure and soft and smooth texture, yet they were different.
Blank had more ripe fruit and rich feel, and Grace was more elegant, had floral and fresh feel.

It was interesting to find such difference because the grapes are same clone and wines are made in a same way at the same place. The only difference is that grapes of Blank are from flat valley floor of Rutherford and Grace are from the valley side of St. Helena.
Terroir had spoken!

Blank can be more approachable, but I personally liked Grace more.

The wines were great; however, I was more intrigued by Mr, Grace himself. By his passion and action.
Thank you very much for the hospitality.

Freemark Abbey in St. Helena

It's been a while since we visited Napa Valley last time.
This time, we drove up to the north of Napa, passing by the famous To Kalon vineyards.

The first winery we visited was Freemark Abbey in St. Helena.

St. Helena is the warmer AVA in Napa. It's in the north but farther away from the cooling influence of the San Pablo Bay. This warm climate helps grapes to ripen. Night time temperature is cooled by the Pacific Ocean breezes coming from Chalk Hill Gap, and grapes retain acidity and fruitiness with the cool temperature. Grapes grown under this condition can produce well balanced wine.

We tries several Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.
Both Merlot and Cabernet were good. Structure was strong but not overwhelming, and there were fresh and ripe fruits.

The best wine was Cabernet Sauvignon Bosche Vineyard 2013.

This single vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon had good structure, very smooth texture, and concentrated black fruit and spices. Very good wine.
The production of this wine is limited so it's not for sale at stores (you have to be on their mailing list, I guess).

We weren't planning to go this winery: we just saw the building and decided to pop into.
I'm very glad we did.

Valkyrie Tasting

There was Valkyrie Tasting this week.
Valkyrie makes wine as well as importing wines.
Majority of the wines were Spanish, including Sherry, but there were other interesting wines too.

Hattingley Valley. Sparkling wine from England.
Although the vineyard is facing the southern coast of England, each vine has to have enough space between to get full sun exposure for fruit ripening.
The wine was fresh, fruity and had good after taste.
It was my first time to try wine from England. Much better than I expected.

Maison Pascal Clement
A Burgundy producer with small production.
Their wine was soft, clean and decent. Some were fruity, others were minerally.
Approachable and I liked them a lot.

Botijo Rojo is from Valdejalon (North East Spain).
Garnacha 2014 had cherry and mineral.
Garnacha Vinas Viejas 2013 was old vines. It had fruit, coffee, caramel.
Very good Garnacha!

Bodegas Roda from Rioja.
Tempranillo base red blends.
Red fruit, herb, leather. Soft tannin.
They were good now, but had great potential for ageing.

Bodegas Tradicion
NV Cream VOS 20 years was a blend of youthful PX and ancient Oloroso. Dark coffee.
NV Pedro Ximenez VOS 20 years was 100% PX, average 22 years ageing. This had ripe dark fruit and herb.
I'm not a big fan of oxidative quality of Sherry, but they were interesting drink.

Banshee wine's single vineyard Chardonnay was good, too.

Overall, wines were refined than powerful.

Domaine Ponsot Chambolle-Musigny Les Charmes

Domaine Ponsot Chambolle-Musigny Les Charmes 2010

Chambolle-Musigny is a commune in the Cote de Nuits of Burgundy.
They are known to produce powerful yet elegant Pinot Noir.

The wine had fresh, ripe and cooked red fruit, rose and ginseng-like medicinal aromas.
Acid was high, tannin was very soft, and had long finish.
Very good wine. Good structure and somehow soft. I liked it.

The closure of this wine was a plastic cork but this was not whatever plastic cork.
This is a special plastic cork made with thorough research which allows a small amount of oxygen to enter into the bottle, just like the traditional corks do.

The label had a small yellow dot which would change its color if the temperatures were too high for the wine.
A state of the art wine!

The dish we had with this wine was more traditional: Grilled Lamb Chops.
The pairing was good, but JC thought that Japanese food could be good with this wine, so he coked a small piece of fish with Soy Sause and Mirin (sweet cooking Sake).
The fish pairing was actually better than Lamb.
Interesting discovery.