Mo's Wine & Spirits

Through the middle of the 20^th Century, there was little question as to where the greatest wines were made – it was France. Although some California wineries had been producing wine since the 19^th century, the French still had the best wines in the world. Even the White House served only French wines right up through the 1960s. It was then that the decree was made: only American wines would be served at the White House. It was thought to be a nice gesture but not a great culinary one. However this perception changed radically in 1976, with a wine tasting in Paris that caused an earthquake across the Wine world.

This famous tasting event is highlighted in a new film called Bottle Shock (as well as a second film called Judgment in Paris, which is still in development). Bottle Shock looks lovingly at winemakers in Napa Valley in the early and mid-1970s, highlighting the creation of the great Chateau Montelena Chardonnay that shook the wine world. The movie is a treat for wine lovers; gorgeous cinematography of Napa and wine country, and the inside story on making great wine. It builds up nicely to the 1976 Paris tasting that was a remarkable upset by Napa wines over French. Organizers had assumed that the French wines would easily win. They didn’t.

It’s important to know that all of the tasters of this legendary event were French wine experts, wine-makers and culinary writers, and included the secretary general of the Association des Grands Crus Classes. This was a blind tasting, so they didn’t know what was being poured. After the judging for the White wines, the event’s organizer Steve Spurrier, (brilliantly played in the Film by Alan Rickman) knew that the California whites had won, and against decorum informed the French tasters: not only had they chosen a California wine for the top prize, but that 3 out of 4 of the top white winners were Californian. In preparation for the Reds, the tasters were determined to choose a French winner, as they made remarks about “lesser quality US” wines. When the Red Wine tasting results were in though, the winner was from Napa Valley!

This historic event provides the highlight of Bottle Shock which was enthusiastically received at the Napa Valley premier in July, and is now in limited release. Comparisons to the great wine film Sideways are inevitable, but whether Bottle Shock reaches that wide an audience remains to be seen. They are radically different films, but Bottle Shock has all the important elements of a great movie – drama, challenges, family, love, and of course, lots of wine!

Summer Vacation! Time to kick back on the beach and relax. This year I took a drive into Massachusetts to pick up my best friend Mollie.  We headed up to the Cape for a few days away from kids, cats, and husbands for a girl’s spa getaway. I had ulterior motives. Any chance to check out wine in stores anywhere is fine with me. I look for wine I can’t buy in Connecticut. There is a totally different thrill that comes with standing and holding THE bottle in your hand then opening a box with a bottle that you have acquired off the Internet. My wine affliction needs to be fed choice bottles to keep the beast at bay.

The Cape was great, the spa was relaxing, Mollie’s company irreplaceable. A few  highlights of my getaway. THEN there was the ride home from our day in Boston. A quick look in the yellow pages headed us toward a shop proclaiming an extensive wine selection and friendly service.

I walked into their store and was anxious, excited, and confused. Where should I look first? Italy? France? Washington? Oregon? Where are the Burgundies?  Bordeaux?  The Morganti family own Fifth Avenue Liquors in Framingham, Mass. I would highly recommend paying them a visit if you are in the area. I brought home a few bottles for my cellar stash.

Owen Roe Walla Walla  2005 Cabernet, St. Innocent Shea Vineyard 2006 Pinot Noir, Farina Vineyards Scholium Project The Prince Sauvignon Blanc 2006 and Revolver Wine Company 2004 The Fury Cabernet Franc were among my cache.  I purchased six bottles that day. Walking out of the store with my wine I felt as pleased and relaxed  as I did after a four hour spa treatment. Mollie however, didn’t agree with me. She preferred the spa treatment.

Vacation can be a great way to pick up a bottle or six especially when you can readily transport them back home. You might find yourself not enjoying yourself  for a  moment. Grab the phone book or GPS and find the nearest packie or wine shop. When you visit Fairfield, CT stop by Mo’s and say Hello! We specialize in wine, liquor and beer souvenirs from all over the world. We value all our customer relationships and look forward to meeting all of you, near or far!

Cheers, Sharon

Back in 1999, Dave Matthews decided that he wanted to take his attitude towards organic foods and bring it into the realm of the grape; he decided to design his own vineyard. However, not being a master vintner himself, he asked for the assistance of Brad McCarthy, who had been working at Acacia, a winery in Canernos, California. Both Brad and Dave had similar outlooks on how they wanted the vineyard to be constructed and, upon combining their ideas, created Blenheim.

Brad believed that the best way to produce a wine is to be as gentle as possible with the fruit by not using hydraulics and motors to move the grapes through the wine production process. What he came up with is an ingenious design that relies on gravity alone to transport everything through the fermentation process to where it is aged in barrels. The winery itself is built into a hill so that this gravity flow system could be made possible. While many winemakers feel that using hydraulics to transport the fruit instead of a gentler gravity system yields little difference in the wine, McCarthy feels that his way enables him to produce a “purer product.”

The real purpose of Blenheim is to produce a wine that exemplifies the characteristics and taste of a true Virginia wine and so all of their grapes are grown in the state. Blenheim has its own four acre vineyard where they grow three different varietals, but they also purchase grapes from other Virginia vineyards as well. Blenheim offers Chardonnays, Merlots, a Meritage, and a couple other varietals that have been recently released. While their operation is small compared to others, their focus has been, and will most likely remain, to produce quality and not quantity. With their unique approach to wine production, Dave Matthews and Brad McCarthy, along with everyone at Blenheim, will surely be turning out sweet music for your palate for some time to come.

You splurged for a good bottle of wine. You have decided to use the glasses you got as a gift. Brand new, so a quick rinse will do. There is great anticipation to try the new wine and the Crystal glasses. A quick shake should dry things up. Grabbing the stem you brandish the glass like it is a light saber in Star Wars, giving it a quick shake shake towards the floor to remove the leftover water droplets.  The bowl of the glass SNAPS off the stem and crashes into a thousand pieces, The stem is left in your hand. Oops! The Riedel Sommelier Series makes a very sad sound when broken.

18th century France saw crystal wine glasses as we know them first being crafted. . Some earlier versions were cast from precious metals adorned with semi precious gems. A Toast Master had a glass that was very thick on the bottom and on the sides. He had to remain standing and drink until everyone completed their toasts. 1961 brought Riedel to the American public. Today Georg and Max Riedel stay true  to the standards and ethics that Claus Riedel and ancestors passed through glass making generations. Riedel makes exceptional glassware for your wine and libations. Machine and handmade glasses are offered in different styles and price points. Spiegleau offers glassware that is more affordable.

Speaking of standards, the International Organization for Standard has an official  glass they have approved for wine competitions and judging. The ISO  have also recommended this glass for our everyday use. The lead content can be up to 9%.  The glass should be 6″tall, have a 2″tall stem, a 4″tall bowl that is about 2 1/2″ at its widest diameter and 2″ across the rim. I would get more exercise if I used the” official glass” when trying to enjoy my wine.

Here are a few tips that might come in handy. The debate goes on about the best way to care for your stemware. Hand washing seems to be the preferred method, using the hottest water possible with one drop of unscented detergent. Rinse with cold water. Stained or cloudy glasses can be treated with white vinegar and rinsed with a hot and cold water. Special racks are made for dishwasher use. To soap or not is STILL the question here also.   You want to end up having clean, unscented glasses to use for your wine. Store your glasses in a dust free area away from odors.

It might be time to try out some good glasses and drink some wine. Your eyes may open a bit wider when you stick your nose into a Riedel or another well crafted choice.  Check it out for yourself and see if you agree with the many of us who use the different series of glassware for our drinking pleasure.

Cheers, Sharon

After Bordeaux and Champagne, Port may be the most famous wine in the world. Perfect on a cold winter’s evening in front of the fire, or as an accompaniment with that triple-chocolate cake. But what do you know about Port? Let’s look at some Port particulars. Port, most often a sweet wine (it’s also available in drys and semi-drys) has strong tasting elements and character.  True Port is produced in the Douro Valley of Portugal, reputidly the second oldest wine region in the world. There are other fortified wines from around the world that call themselves ‘Port’; but like ‘Champagne from Chili”, these are not authentic, but can be very good.

What is Port? Well it’s a fortified wine, created when alcohol (wine brandy) is added to the fermenting vats. This interrupts fermentation with the high alcohol level – and kills off the yeasts, leaving a high quantity of grape sugar behind. Port runs about 20% alcohol on average. And several styles of Port each have its own distinct character - but only those from Portugal should be called Port.

Also like Champagne, producers of Port only declare a ‘Vintage’ in the best of years, with very specific rules, ensuring that Vintage Ports are of a high quality.  Vintage Port is declared about three times every ten years. A ‘Declaration’ starts when the producer believes that he has an outstanding port; the young wine is left to age in wood, and if, after some 16 months it lives up to its early promise, the producer will submit the wine to the Port Wine Institute for approval. Here it must be tasted and then approved as a declared vintage by a panel of experts.

Other Port Styles include…

• “NON-DECLARED VINTAGE”. The finest vineyards produce excellent Port even in years that are not ‘Declared’. These will be ready for drinking earlier than the ‘Declared’ Vintage Ports.

• “RESERVE TAWNEY PORT”. Aged in cask for years, (5-10-15 or more) and then bottled. Because they are aged in wood for so long, Reserve Ports have a tawny color and a different character than Vintage.

• “RUBY PORT” (referred to as Vintage Character or Late Bottled Vintage Ports). These simplest of Ports are made from the off-year grapes, and are not intended to age further.

Efficiency vs. Romance of Wine

It’s a sorry situation for Wine Lovers: the dreaded TCA taint in what was going to be a fantastic bottle of wine.  TCA, short for Trichloroanisole, is that “musty” or “off “ flavor, commonly referred to as “corked wine” as corks are usually the source of TCA problems. However it is interesting to know that that musty aroma can also come from other sources, like wine barrels, other cooperage in the process, and even from wood within the cellar [1] -wooden walls or beams.

Even a very tiny amount of TCA in a wine can ruin the whole bottle. And the wine industry estimates that as many as 3% to 7% of all wines have TCA contamination that can be detected by consumers - representing billions of dollars lost a year.  Yikes! Perception of TCA is variable with the alcohol content of the wine, the wine characteristics, experience and even the inherited genetic capabilities of the taster!

There are options out there to fight TCA; synthetic corks, screw caps, even glass stoppers are alternatives in use now - and new designs are being developed all the time. A design for a new high-tech closure for wine bottles won first prize in the Big Bang! Business Plan Competition (at the University of California, Davis).

The closure design allows the wine to actually breathe more efficiently than corks. (Current screw cap closures essentially don’t allow for any oxidation for your wine to breath and age). The team’s winning design, a “breathing screw cap,” has small vent holes with a liner, made of alternating layers of thin metal and a porous polymer. The liner can be customized to allow different levels of oxidation for specific varietals, impossible with natural corks.

So what to do – stop using corks? Cozy up with your Honey and open a High-Tec 21st century screw cap? Will Wine Lovers accept screw caps, denying themselves the pleasure of opening that special bottle and hearing that nice “POP!”…Will wine consumers even accept a screw cap on a $50 or $100 bottle of wine? Well, some wines have already moved that way, so don’t judge too harshly.  Any move to avoid the scourge of TCA can’t be all bad. But it’s really hard not to think of that scene from the Muppet Movie, when Steve Martin, playing the snooty waiter, asks Kermit the Frog if he wishes to “smell the cap” from the freshly opened bottle of wine…!

Sweet, Sour, Bitter, Salty and Umami. Ooo-ma-mee. Everything you consume passes by these five taste buds.  Kikune Ikeda is the Japanese professor who discovered umami in 1908. He wanted to know why his kombu was so delicious on everything he used it with. Kombu is a Japanese seaweed freely used as a seasoning like we use salt. He discovered at the root of the flavor is glutamic acid. Ikeda’s research led to the discovery of umami. You also guessed right if you were also thinking about the creation of MSG but this is a wine blog.

Umami is loosely translated from Japanese to mean yummminess. Mouthwatering, deliciousness and savory are the proper definitions. Umami can also be a state of mind. If you believe it is the best, and whatever you are eating or drinking makes you feel good, then umami has been achieved. 2002 had  research scientists Zucker and Ryber isolate two specific taste bud receptors which prove the existence of umami,(T1R1+3 and T1R2+3).  By the way, other researchers are working to isolate the 6th element of taste. The taste bud receptors that identify with fattiness in foods. 

Glutamic acid or L-glutamate is a naturally occurring compound that occurs in foods that have umami. Mozzarella, Parmigiano Reggiano, pepperoni, grapefruit, tofu, Beefsteak tomatoes, clams, shrimp and aged beef. Wine can also contain umami, especially red wine. Red wine contains tannins. Tannins come from the skins, seeds and stems coming into contact with the juice of the grapes during fermentation. The wine spends time in oak barrels which also help on the tannin end. Tannins=texture=umami. That’s the abbreviated version.

Umami is why some wines go better using certain foods than others. Adding wine to cooking heightens the umami factor without completely altering the ingredients or actual flavor of the dish. The drink and cook program is a wonderful way for anyone to expand wine knowledge and reap the generous rewards. I am a charter member!  Tim Hanni is the first American to achieve Master of Wine status. He taught food and wine paring classes at Beringer Estates for over ten years. His company Wine Quest helps anyone in the service industry at any leval tweaking wine list and menus. He is an umami guru. His trainings include pairing foods high in umami with wines that have low levels of bitterness or astringency. Umami foods need to be counter balanced using salt and acidity. Then the food tastes great and just about any wine can be served with them. As long as you can recognize umami this should be easy.

One of the controversial facts still debated is that can wines  contain 1-4+ grams of glutamic acid. Others may have glutamate levals approching our favorite cheeses. That’s alot of umami. Does a wine at maturity now  contain optimum umami? Does umami build and crest as the wine matures? Will umami fade as the wine passes its peak? Alot of wine is consumed young. Speaking of wine, I believe my cooking program starts in the kitchen soon. I don’t want to miss the beginning, that’s the best part. We pick out the wine and decide what to cook for dinner. Yummy in my tummy!

                                                            Cheers, Sharon