musings.schelley.org

Sierra Nevada just released their anniversary ale - a nice ale, not too complex, but not too flat. It has a nice and rounded flavor, slightly nutty and not too hoppy. I really enjoyed it. Even Loren, who typically sticks with the "lighter" beers (Bud, Coors, etc.) enjoyed the beer.

I'm not sure exactly which anniversary the good folks in Chico are celebrating; the dates on the label say 1980 to 2007, meaning that they're exactly 27 years old.

Good to know that Sierra Nevada is legal.

Posted by Schelley Olhava at 07:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Every once in a while, a bottle of wine really gets to me. From the first to last sip, I am infatuated, loving the sensations of the wine as it crosses my lips, tasting the nuances as it dances on my tongue, enjoying the lingering after taste of each sip. Several years ago, I remember enjoying a bottle marketed for Valentine's Day; I can't remember much about the wine, but I do that I enjoyed so much, I tried to get extra bottles from my wine club (even though the relationship that marked the bottle's consumption ended a few days later). I felt this way the first time I tasted a Gruner Veltliner and still dream of the amazing 2005 Brachetto d'Acqui Prieto of several months ago.

The other night, my wine seller neighbor Stephanie hosted a little party. I brought along my corn salad, she supplied me with a steady stream of bubbly and wine. I had to duck out for an airport run, returning in time to hang out with a few last stragglers. Walking out of her apartment after getting me a glass, Stephanie grabbed a 2004 Jade Moutain Mourvedre. I inhaled, took a sip, and instantly, felt my knees go a bit wobbly. I was in love.

A red wine, it had accents of chocolate, berries and tobacco. It tasted warm, well-balanced, not to oaky and not too alcoholic. For me, it was the perfect balance of tastes and satisfaction.

I had never heard of mourvedre. At first look, my wine bible, the Oxford Companion to Wine, didn't seem to list the varietal. What the hell, I thought? Then, perhaps due to the glass of wine I was drinking while researching mourvedre, realized that I'd confused my u's and o's and Oxford did cover it (thus restoring my confidence in the heavy tome). My new favorite wine is "Spain's second most important black grape variety after Grenache and once Provence's most important vine". It's also called Mataro in the New World (which I guess would be California).

Mourvedre/mataro wasn't that popular until the 1980s, although, considering the amount of wine I consume, it may still not be that popular. At that time, the Rhone Rangers, a group of California wine makers (including favorites Bonny Doon and Cline) decided to be a bit more creative with the blending, "which provided a useful outlet for the produce of old grenache and mataro (mourvedre) vines which had previously languished out of favor." And, the old vines were located primarily in Contra Costa county, which makes sense; while Jade Mountain Winery is based in Napa, the grapes were grown at Evangelho Vineyard in Contra Costa County (a geographic area also known as Silicon Valley). And, the bottle is labeled "Ancient Vines 1890". Amazing that the vines weren't attacked by phylloxera.

Wikipedia had an interesting notation:

"Mourvèdre, is a variety of red wine grape grown around the world. In Portugal and the New World. It is known as Mataro, whilst in some parts of France it is known as Estrangle-Chien ("dog strangler")."

Great, I've fallen in love with a wine that is also synonymous with dog stranglers.

Posted by Schelley Olhava at 05:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

“You don’t really write that much about wine� Richard noted the other night, while were wine tasting at Whole Foods. I stared at him. “You’re right. Not because I don’t drink wine, but mainly because I can’t remember the names of the wines that I drink.�

I’ve decided to get better about the wine part of my blog.

I joined Richard and Melissa for a wine 101 class at Whole Foods. It was the very opposite of wine tasting at a winery, with the insipid chatter and explanations from slightly tipsy pourers and tour guides. Quite the opposite, our instructor pointed out that he was not allowed to drink on the job and spit out every taste.

We began by discussing the five basic tastes, sweet, acidity, fruitiness, tannin and alcohol, tasting liquids that exemplified each taste. And then we moved into the wine tasting, trying to use our newly discovered taste buds to determine how the wine fit into the taste profile(s). We asked a lot of questions, talked about what we were tasting, looked at maps of where the grapes were grown, munched on cheese.

We tasted four whites and two reds. Richard and I agreed that we liked the reds much more than the whites, enjoying the complexity and presence that I have a hard time finding with whites. Melissa disagreed. Luckily, no chairs were thrown. It was a wine tasting, after all.

Of the whites, we had a Conte Brandolino Pinot Grigio; a Chateau St. Michelle Saint M Riesling (grown in Italy and sold under the Washington-based St. Michelle brand); a Joseph Dourhin Saint Veran (a white burgundy!); and Kendall-Jackson chardonnay. All were from 2005. I liked all, and would happily drink all (especially the white burgundy), with the exception of the last. I just do not like oaky, buttery California chardonnays. However, I did discover that I enjoy unoaked chardonnays, the white burgundy.

I liked both reds, a Barnard Griffith Syrah and a Charles Joguet Chinon, or cabernet franc. The first was jammy, but very drinkable and opened up nicely. I absolutely loved the second (and had a second glass before leaving); inky red, full of depth and rich flavors and complexity.

I put my newfound knowledge to work this weekend. I’m a big sucker for labels, and was seduced by the 2005 “Bitch� from Australia. Yes, that is the wine’s actual name. It wasn’t really that great, not matching up to the promise of the name and cute pink label, incredibly jammy and not in a good way.

Posted by Schelley Olhava at 08:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Last Thursday, I was treated to the pleasant aroma of freshly brewed coffee while walking up the stairs to my office. And I realized, while I was in Chicago, the Starbuck’s machines had been installed in my building. Happy, happy day!

With the click of four buttons and about a minute, beans are ground, brewed and the resulting liquid poured into a cup. The machine also makes fairly decent cocoa and of course, produces hot water. The coffee is a huge improvement over the liquuid produced by the previously supplied industrial coffee pots (which I made the mistake of drinking exactly twice).

When my office door is open, between the melodic waterfall sounds of flushing toilets in the men’s restroom, I hear the gentle clicks of the Starbuck’s coffee machines and the caffeinated chatter of happy colleagues.

Posted by Schelley Olhava at 07:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)