The danger time for New Mexico grapes is passed, barring some freak storm. Now is the time to watch the grapes grow, ripen and then get crushed for all their trouble. Ah well, it's all to a good cause. Touring the village of Corrales, one can spot the checkerboard fabric of its many small vineyards. Some of these belong to our four wineries, others contract for their grapes. Seeing the verdant green buds expand to form a leafy canopy for the grapes that are now in their infancy is always a glad sight here.
June ushers in summer, but in New Mexico with our 100 degree days, it's already well into summer with its heat, dust, gusty winds and down valley smoke from area fires. I say this because I have to bicycle through it. Fortunately the grapes manage to ignore most of it.
This is the time when even wine drinkers consider switching to beer for relief. As the saying goes, it takes a lot of beer to make wine. Those big, heavy reds are best in the cooler evening, assuming it does get cool where you are. White wines and sparklers will work best to trim the heat. Lower alcohol whites are more refreshing and are less likely to lead to an unplanned mid afternoon siesta.
Moscato wines, both domestic and Italian come in at 7 to 9%, and German Rieslings a bit more than that. The Riesling grape is a good one to focus on during the dog days of summer and many of our New Mexico wineries produce excellent examples. Riesling is also one of the best food-pairing grapes and is produced in dry to sweet styles. Since it does not take to oak, it is usually cold-fermented in stainless steel vats and fruit-forward. Check out my wine recommendations later in this newsletter.
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Winery of the Month: La Vi�a Winery
La Vi�a Winery was established in 1977, making it one of the oldest surviving wineries from the 1970s and still going strong. Ken and Denise Stark have been making good wine and providing warm welcomes to visitors for a long time. La Vina is also our southernmost winery, being only twenty miles north of El Paso in the heart of the Mesilla Valley AVA.
The winery offers 25 different wines from dry to sweet and that includes five dessert wines. Click here to see the entire list. If you don't find what you're looking for here, it probably isn't wine. Some wines unique to La Vi�a include Semillon, a French Bordeaux grape used to make Sauternes, one of the world's most expensive wines. Grenache - C�te De Bravo, a sweet ripe strawberry bouquet, in an off-dry ros�. Primitivo is an Italian grape sporting the same DNA as Zinfandel, but with an earthier Old World appeal.
And finally, La Dolce Vi�a, a sparkling Muscat with bright citrus and floral notes, and their most popular wine. This one sounds like the perfect summer wine with strawberries and cantaloupe slices.
La Vi�a supports a number of special events. The winery celebrates spring with a wine festival the last weekend in April each year. They also host the Harvest Festival in October as well as an old fashioned country picnic and open house on July 4th. If you happen to be in southern New Mexico on the Fourth, mark your calendar for La Vi�a's open house.
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Wine Question of the Month:
Should I worry about the sulfites warning on a wine label?
 Sulfur is an integral element of winemaking. Sulfur derivatives such as potassium metabisulphite are used to suppress wild yeasts and bacteria from infecting wine, particularly during fermentation. Sulfur products also help keep the wine from getting oxidized. The sulfites remaining in the finished product are primarily a concern for asthmatics and others with respiratory issues. Although some drinkers claim the sulfites give them a headache that is seldom the case.
Here is an easy test to determine if sulfites are a problem. If you enjoy dried fruits, raisins, dried apples, etc. with no ill effects, sulfites are not your problems as there are more sulfites in dried fruit than in the typical bottle of wine. However, many mass-produced wines do use insecticides, fungicides and herbicides to protect the grapes. Minute, residual amounts of these poisons can be a problem for many wine drinkers. I know they are for me.
If I taste a wine and get a particular tingling at the base of my neck, I know to avoid that wine at all costs. It has almost always been cheap mass-produced wines that give me this problem. Some wine producers will purchase leftover grapes, which are never from coveted vineyards, and use them to make wine.
Where did the grapes come from? How were they treated, if at all? How were they handled to insure no chemicals were still on the skins? Since red wine grapes do keep the skins in the must for fermenting, one can easily see how the chemicals could end up in your wine. Luckily for us in New Mexico, we are dealing with wine makers who generally have low yields, which insure better handling methods, who take pride in their product, and use chemicals sparingly. It also helps that there are fewer vine pests and other problems that require a chemical solution. That is one of the reasons winemaking in the US began in New Mexico in 1629. |
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Jim's Picks of the Month
Summer is in full swing in the Land of Enchantment and lighter, refreshing wines are a great choice for picnics, tailgating and dining al fresco. If you have not experienced the many styles of Riesling, nor tasted the difference an elegant French Ros� has on one's palette compared to overly-sweet domestic "blush" wines, you are in for a treat. All these wines can be found at Total Wines & More and may be available at other wine shops around Albuquerque and Santa Fe.
Chateau Ste Michelle Riesling, 2011 - Columbia Valley, Washington: $7.00 to $9.00 91 points: Wine Enthusiast "A marvelous effort in a difficult year, this textbook Washington Riesling is bursting with apricot and peach goodness. Round and polished, it's long and textured, with an excellent wash of minerality." Awarded Winery of the Year recently, the quality of their Riesling wines is always very high. And this one is too good to pass up. I know I won't.
Dr Loosen "Dr. L" Riesling, 2011, Mosel, Germany: $11.99 89 points: Wine Spectator "Shows touches of richness to the wild berry, currant and cherry flavors. The plush finish is filled with plenty of mineral and spice, with creamy notes."
Chateau Ste Michelle Riesling Eroica, 2011 - Columbia Valley, Washington. $19.99 93 points: Wine Enthusiast - - "Complex and compelling, this has a luscious mix of fruits that run the Riesling gamut. It's creamy and textural, fresh and primary, with exceptional aging potential and fine, juicy, natural acidity."
Eroica is a joint effort of Chateau Ste. Michele and Dr Loosen in Germany. You might note that I have a bargain wine from this winery, one from Dr loosen and this one, marrying the expertise of German Riesling with the wonderful terroir of Washington State, which is near perfect for this grape.
Domaine Fontanyl Rose de Provence 2011, Provence, France $14.99
89 points: Wine Spectator - - "A firm rose, with plenty of power behind the dried cherry and berry flavors, which feature notes of anise and hints of lavender." I found this to be the perfect summer wine with lots of power in a velvet wrapper and a classic Provence Ros�.
Bougrier Rose d'Anjou Loire Valley, France $10.99 Another classic French Rose from Anjou, Loire Valley. These two regions encompass some of the best terroir for rose wines in the world. Discover why the French drink so much of this in the summer.
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 The 2013 Winemakers Cruise of the Caribbean is taking reservations!!
Combining the delights of a sea cruise of the romantic waters of the Caribbean with an excursion of wines usually only found on dry land, the 2013 Winemakers Cruise is your ticket to culinary delights, a relaxing sea cruise and intimate contact with winemakers from across the United States.
The 2013 cruise begins and ends at the port of Fort Lauderdale. This a regular stop of Southwest Airlines making access to the port easy and affordable. The cruise begins on November 17 and ends back at Fort Lauderdale on November 24. The Holland America cruise ship is loaded with amenities and activities besides the special wine events that only Winemaker Cruise members enjoy.
There are four ports of call. The first is storied and historical Grand Turk; a haven for snorkeling and deep sea fishing. Here the sea drops 7,000 feet into the deep. Stop number two is San Juan, Puerto Rico. It is the oldest city in US territory; founded in 1521 by Juan Ponce de Le�n. Boasting one of the largest natural harbors in the Caribbean, visit the natural wonders of El Yunque Rain Forest, or walk the Camitillo Trail through the Palo Colorado forest. Explore Old San Juan on foot or bike the Pi�ones Reserve.
The third port of call is Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas for sailing, relaxing or sightseeing. Browse the shop-lined streets of Charlotte Amalie which is called the "duty-free shopping capital of the world." The fourth port of call is Half Moon Cay. Visit Stingray Cove or ride a horse to a deserted beach and into the surf.
Mention you heard about the cruise here and you'll receive a personally autographed copy of Wines of Enchantment: 2012 and a guaranteed seat at the Southwestern Wine Guy's table for one night of the cruise and a champagne reception where your copy of the wine book is presented. You will also be on hand to celebrate the wine guy's first non US Navy cruise!
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Wine tip of the Month: Wine Gadgets Part Two
If you are into wine and love gadgets, chances are you also have some wine gadgets floating around. So what wine gadgets are useful, which are just for show, and which ones miss the mark on functionality?
Wine Aerators: the Vinaer™:
The Vinaer, as in Vin (wine) aerator, is a compact unit that uses 6 AAA batteries, mounts on the wine bottle and pours and aerates the wine. That's right six AAA batteries. That was the question Keith Powell asked me when I brought it to a wine cruise overview and Q&A hosted by Sarabande, a lovely bed and breakfast inn near Chavez Road on Rio Grande Avenue. You can read here (link) about the wine cruise that I will be featured on.
Keith is a dynamic speaker and author. He and his wife, Martha, are now in their fifth year doing the wine cruises, as well as numerous wine events. He looked at me doubtfully as he handled the aerator. Six batteries, he asked? So I opened the unit up so he could see how compactly everything was designed. Since Keith had a Black Mesa Petite Sirah and Montepulciano that needed to open and breathe, I had thought this would be a good test for the aerator.
We pretty much sailed through two bottles using the device and it delivered aerated wine at the touch of a button. It is only when one gets near the bottom of the bottle that it begins to foam as air and wine enter the pump mechanism. Of course, by then the wine would have already opened up fairly well.
 Previously, I had performed an independent test of the Vinaer at home. I had three wine glasses of the same size and shape (Pinot Noir style) and a bottle of 2007 Campo Viejo Tempranillo Reserva. I poured wine into the first glass, poured more in the second glass using the Vinturi™ wine aerator and placed the Vinaer on the bottle and poured wine into the third glass.
Both aerators opened up the wine about the same amount and both were markedly different than the un-aerated wine in glass number one. Less tannic and harsh, smoother and more pronounced fruit were produced by both devices.
The Vinturi has to be held over the glass and it can get a bit messy, particularly if one sneezes halfway through the pour. This is true of most of the devices that use the venturi principal. A special stand can be purchased to hold the Vinturi while the wine is poured. The Vinturi retails for $39.95 and the red tower stand also for $39.95.
The Vinaer performs the same task without the mess. One does not even have to hold the bottle, which adds another layer of convenience to the Vinaer. Price and availability have not been established as yet, but this does look like the kind of wine gadget a lot of wine drinkers will find useful, fun and educational. |
June Events
State Fair Wine Competition: June 22nd
This will be my fourth year as a wine judge for the Vine and Wine Society, Middle Rio Grande Valley branch. New Mexico professional and amateur wines are judged. The awards are later published on our website. The organization supports amateur and profession winemakers, sharing information, holding classes in various aspects of wine production, and the fellowship of other wine enthusiasts.
Fun in the sun. Wine in your glass. Come hear more about the Wine Makers Cruise!
Join us on June 7th at 6:00pm to learn everything you wanted to know about our Wine Makers Cruise but did not have a chance to ask!
Have a taste of wine and discover the ports we will be visiting in the Caribbean and hear about what there is to do on a cruise vacation.
I will be there along with Martha and Keith Powell, who have long experience in wine cruises and can answer any of your questions or concerns about the cruise, the exotic destinations, and the great wines we will be enjoying.
Date: Friday, June 7th
Location: Sarabande Bed and Breakfast
5637 Rio Grande Blvd. NW (at Chavez Rd)
Los Rancho de Albuquerque
Time: Promptly at 6pm till 8pm
RSVP Required (by email or phone) - Space is limited
Hope you will join us!
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With the heat rising it is important to stay cool. So, go inside and go online, pour a glass and pour over the blog, and wash those summer time blues away.
Happy Trails!
Your Southwestern Wine Guy
Jim Hammond
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Jim Hammond has been exploring wines in North America, Europe and Australia for more than 20 years. A published author, he includes information about wine
in every book. |
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"Wines of Enchantment the Centennial Edition"
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Wines of Enchantment, 2nd Ed
ISBN # 978-1466453432
$12.95
Available through Amazon.com
Please do me the favor to go to Amazon and rate my book.
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A Unique Party Idea
Spend an entire evening with Jim, the Wine Maestro, and learn fun facts, such as the difference between a Bordeaux and a Burgundy, or what the ritual of tilting, swirling and sniffing a wine before taking the first sip is all about.
You and your guests will delight in Jim's light humorous and information-packed style when you include a Wine Maestro presentation in your
party plans. |
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Wine Trivia
Which two grapes are DNA clones of one another?
- Syrah and Shiraz
- Syrah and Petite Sirah
- Zinfandel and Primitivo
- 1 and 3
- 1 and 2
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Links to Articles, Blogs and other Writings
Examiner.com
Southwestern Wine Guy Blog
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