WineTimers Over the Tapas!

On Friday April 9th, the WineTimers were treated to a "night with Spanish flare" by Anna and Blair. They truly rose to the occasion as only WineTimers can do and put on a fabulous event. The wines of the evening were all selected to pair with various "tapas" prepared by Anna. Tapas is literally defined as "small plate" and used for appetizers or snacks. When Anna and Blair traveled to Spain, they enjoyed opportunities to share tapas at Spanish establishments, equivalent to American bar hopping, with an epicurean twist. As Anna shared with the group, tapas in Spain are served communal style, each person armed with a glass of wine and a fork. The serving of tapas is designed to encourage conversation. It is customary for diners to stand and move about while eating tapas.
The first Spanish wine introduced to the group was a 2008 Salneval Albarino made by the Condes de Albarei winery. This wine has an expressive nose of white florals, green apple, pear and grapefruit. It smells refreshing but also complex. Slightly spritzy with bracing and ultimately refreshing acidity. Racy and zesty, but at the same time, round and soft.
The second wine was also an Albarino, a 2008 Burgans Albarino Rias Baixas. This wine is light, bright yellow in color. Lively lemon and lime aromas are complimented by melon, pear and salty minerals. The Albarino grape can be blended (and often is)! Only wine made from 100% albarino grapes can bear the label "Albarino wine". Most of the Albarino wine hails from the Rias Baixas-- a Spanish controlled appellation.
The last of the white wines served was Marques de Caceres Satinela. Henri Forner established this winery and named it for his friend who was also and investor in the winery. The wine is described as "full in the mouth with delicious fruit flavors of apples, pears and white peaches. It's silky, unctuous characteristic is enlivened by a refined acidity making it pleasantly light" Not one WineTimer knows what "unctuous" means, but it provided a great opportunity for many humorous comments.
To go with the very light and refreshing white wines, the group was served tapas of shrimp, swimming in a butter, garlic sauce and crostini to soak up the sauce-- a perfect pairing with Albarino!
The reds began with Tapena Garnacha. The garnacha grape was born in Spain, but is known to most of the world as Grenache. Garnacha is the most widely planted red wine grape in Spain. This wine is full bodied, but still lively with rounded tannins that combine with the fruit to produce a velvet finish.
Next we were treated to Tapena Tempranillo. Tempranillo (temp-rah-NEE-yo) translates as "the little early one". Think of tempranillo as something like pinot noir in blue jeans. Luscious red cherry fruit wrapped around an earthy, intense center. The finish is long and layered with a hint of coffee and chocolate and a pinch of spice.
The tapas paired with the reds, included a skewer of tender, juicy steak perfectly done, and then a tapas of chorizo sausage with cheese and small potatoes (tater tots!) with a wonderful dipping sauce.
As we learned from Anna, the word Tapena is derived from the combination of Tapas and Pena, which is slang for a group of close friends, a perfect complement for an evening of food, wine and conversation for WineTimers!

WineTimers March On!

The March WineTimers meeting commenced on Friday March 12^th at Nancy and Mike’s. They planned a picnic theme and despite 30 some degrees and a stiff wind off the Lake, Mike grilled fabulous bratwurst from Superior Meats out on his patio. As he said, the weather wasn’t a great deal different than some of the days we have during the summer when the wind is strong off of Lake Superior, with fog and heavy mist.

WineTimers were introduced to 3 wonderful wines prior to our picnic fare. The first up was a 2005 Monterey County Pinot Noir called Irony. The description boasted “layers of sweet cherry, fresh raspberries,cola and earthy mushrooms”. We weren’t too sure about the “mushroom” flavor, but found the wine to be a very pretty, light red wine that would be an excellent accompaniment to any picnic. Mike and Nancy invited the group to share a story of “irony” in our lives, and that provided many laughs for the group… “Embracing Life’s Strange Twists”.

The next featured wine was a 2008 Domaine Pichot Vouvray from the Jean-Claude Pichot winery (France), produced in the family tradition, dating back to 1734. This wine is described as a “fresh, floral chenin blanc with crisp acidity and rich concentration, the Vouvray is slightly dry, pure and intense”. I don’t think anyone goes immediately to vouvray, when we think about a white wine, but what a wonderful selection for a very early Spring(?) picnic.

The third offering of the night is a special wine that Mike discovered at an event at the Kitchee Gammi Club in Duluth, MN. The Triton 2005 Vinas Del Cenit (Spain) hails from the remote region of Zamora, where they have cultivated a unique clone of Tempranillo for centuries. For this wine, small, hand harvested clusters of fully matured grapes were carefully chosen from 100 year old vines which have grown as thick as one’s torso. “The wine has an elegant balance of ripe red fruit flavors and a delicate spiciness. A hint of dark chocolate completes the long finish”. This is a very “grown-up”, rich red wine that is now on my list of favorites. Although not usually available in our area, it can be found online.

Last but definitely not least, Nancy provided a chocolate experience for all. Chocolat by Quintessential Chocolates (California Cabernet), a European style liquid center chocolate with a sugar crust creating a barrier for the true Liqueur Praline found inside. The key is to place the entire piece in our mouth, then bite to capture all of the liquid essence. This was a wonderful chocolate experience and what can be better than chocolate and wine in one bite!

The WineTimers enjoyed a wonderful picnic with fabulous wine and look forward to our next meeting as we forge ahead in our quest to learn about and sample different wines of the world. So much wine… so little time…