Nose Knows Best

Never take a sip of wine without smelling it first. Many experts would recommend swirling and “nosing” a glass of wine before each sip, arguing that to be able to experience the flavors of wine to the fullest, you need to be able to smell its aroma. Turns out, our flavor-sensitive cells are all concentrated in a small patch at the top of the nose known as the olfactory area, so only when vapors of the foods and beverages we are consuming make it up to that area do we fully experience the essence and full experience of the wine we are drinking. If you don’t believe me, try this test: Put a clothespin on your nose and try to tell the difference in taste between an apple or an onion, or a piece of milk chocolate and a piece of cheddar cheese. You won’t be able to tell the difference!

So unless you’re still a member of the JV team, consuming wine merely for its inebriating qualities, always swirl and nose the wine first. Why swirl? Wine’s flavor molecules are only given off on the liquid’s surface, so by swirling the wine around in your glass, you increase the surface area, allowing more of the aroma to be given off. An interesting thing to do is to always first nose the wine without swirling, then swirl and nose it again. You will be astonished by the drastic difference you get and the much more intense and complex aromas are released after just a few swirls. When smelling your wine, first identify the fruits that the wine’s aroma reminds you of (cranberry, orange rind, mulled prunes, pineapple, pear). Next, note the non-fruit savory/spice/herb aromas you get (black tea, vanilla, cinnamon, tobacco, leather). Then, try to identify any minerality, which to me is the toughest for me to identify by nose alone (limestone, slate, riverstones). Finally, try to identify any wood notes (coconut and dill are common American woods, while vanilla and toasted almonds are common of French oak barrels). Only when you have fully savored the aroma and bouquet of the wine are you ready to finally taste your wine….

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Adventures at Wine School

This past week I fully took the plunge and embarked on my journey to become a certified Sommelier. I will be taking my first exam in October. In the meantime, I am studying up, doing as much tasting as possible (more exhausting than you would imagine…I know, right…) and taking wine classes taught by certified Somms and Wine Professionals at the hip new San Francisco Wine Center in SOMA. In the past week, I have taken three courses: “Tasting and Comparing Old World and New World Wines”, “The Wines of Spain” and “The Grand Wines of Bordeaux”. Each course lasted approximately two hours, each was completely different in style and content (and of course wines), and each was attended by about ten-twelve individuals alongside me. These classes have already opened up my thirst for more knowledge about this incredible living organism we call wine, and I cannot even fathom the incredible amount there is to learn about wine. I am impassioned, invigorated by it, and completely up for the challenge. I will attempt to cover snippets from my classes in my upcoming blogs -please forgive the fragmented information as it may come randomly, but hopefully you will enjoy the little pearls and stories nonetheless.

First though, I’d like to praise The Wine School at the San Francisco Wine Center. Owner Brian McGonigle has hired some incredible wine professionals to teach the classes, and so far our classes haveranged to blind tasting, comparing wines of the same varietal from different countries, varies wines from the same country, and the same wine varietal (Bordeaux) from different crus tasted over many decades of some pretty incredible and diverse wines. The Wine School, which takes place at San Francisco Wine Center, officially opened in April. Located in a gorgeous SOMA venue, it provides the perfect industrial chic. Class is taught around a king table that seats up to 20, lending itself to a great interactive environment. Master Sommeliers, Masters of Wine, winemakers, top chefs, and visiting wine dignitaries including Jason Alexander, Rajat Parr, Christie Dufault, Jesse Becker, Andrea Immer Robinson, and Leslie Sbrocco make up the instructor team. Cheers!

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Ferrari Carano Fume Blanc Weathers the Birthday Storm

With its tropical and oppressive summer heat, air so heavy and dense that it feels like an accomplishment to walk from one’s lounge chair to the pool, Mexico may not seem the ideal country in which to enjoy wine, however, given the fact that we were going to celebrate my birthday this year in Punta Mita, Mexico, I was determined to find a wine or few that would hold up to Mexico’s heat, humidity, and chile-infused food. I definitely enjoyed my share of poolside margaritas, but there were a few special wines that were worthy of blogging about.

Possibly the most romantic restaurant I have ever experienced, Garrett and I celebrated my birthday dinner this year at Carolina, the St. Regis, Punta Mita’s signature restaurant. This elegant restaurant is of such high caliber that my purse got it’s own “chair”, and we were immediately welcomed with a palatial and aesthetically innovative quartet of amuse bouches prior to our “official” amuse bouche. When the waiter proferred Garrett el listo de vino, he was generous enough to give me the privilege of making the executive decision on which bottle to select to compliment our dinner. Not surprisingly, the top three choices were all California whites. We allowed ourselves to dismiss our guilt for ordering California wine in Mexico with silent promises that we would drink more tequila during the heat of the day to make up for ignoring Mexico’s less than intriguing selection of wines. The wine I selected was the Ferrari Carano Fume Blanc – and it was a perfect tropical wine to pair with our hazelnut-encrusted parrotfish and scallops with fresh saffron risotto.

Ferrari Carano is an outstanding wine to enjoy in the summer – especially someplace tropical of when serving fresh white fish or seafood. The nose smelled like a tropical flower, and the wine was crisp on the palette with tropical notes of guava, kiwi, prickly pear, vanilla, melon, and maybe even a touch of lime. While the wine was crisp and even grassy, it had a full, long, lingering finish that was delicious with as well as without food. After moving to a slightly-more protected (though still outdoor) table mid-meal due to a warm and romantic rainstorm, we went back to our wine, which fortunately traveled well and held up just fine despite the move.

I thought I was mistaken at first, but even picked up a hint of mango in the wine, which indeed was a delicious rich, tropical and tangy compliment to our meal. Ferrani Carano’s fun fume blanc is fermented in cool, stainless steel tanks which gives it its crispness, while it is aged in oak barrels, that add complex fullness and the spicy burnt vanilla notes to its finish. We enjoyed the wine with every course and even passed up dessert wine because the fume held up so well and was sweet enough to be the perfect finish to the perfect birthday meal, and complimented our passionfruit and lemon French macaroons so perfectly After the meal, I decided that a visit to Ferarri Carano’s Healdsburg tasting room is definitely in order this months…

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Escape the Fog with Frog

On one of those frustrating early summer days in San Francisco when the sun is shining yet the thermometer can’t quite break 70, and the foreboding sound of the fog horn reminds you that the fog is creeping in under the Golden Gate Bridge and threatening to shroud the sun at any moment, there is onlyone logical thing to do: Head north to 90-degree Napa heat and have some wine while

you’re at it. Thus, our entourage of four packed our swimsuits, sweaters and sunglasses and hit the road for a North-of-SF adventure. We assumed the day would be spent wine tasting, but the enticing sun had us yearning for some poolside R&R.

We settled for Bardessano, a “luxury hotel” that is simply elegant, contemporary, and “trendy-green” as all smart new venues are these days. Bardessano’s approach is appealing – it is bonafied green, even leed certified, yet the crunch you’d expect to feel is replaced by modern sophistication. From the modern art flanking the walls to the chic and minimalist bar and spa, Bardessano is like a perfect blend of the W Hotel, the St. Regis, and Calistoga. We were graciously welcomed to the pool, stealthily hidden on the second floor roof of the spa, thanks to some insider assistance. The little oasis of the pool is flanked with covered cabanas and a trendy little bar and its elevation allows views of the Napa Valley hills and vineyards. The trendy Nikki Beach-inspired sound track lilted smoothly and the sun baked patrons enjoyed the lime-green foam rafts in the pool and so we ordered our first bottle of wine and some sustainable fresh, local, organic food to pair it with. Freshly seasoned herb-citrus infused olives and almonds and a salad made from vegetables so fresh that you imagined they might still be growing while on your plate were a light, delicate treat to accompany Frog’s Leap Sauvignon Blanc.

The Frog’s Leap Sauvignon Blanc is one of those wines that is so crisp, elegant and refreshing, that you can easily lap up two bottles of it – which we did. The Bardessano pool staff did their best to keep the wine iced in a bucket near our lounge chairs, but the wine seemed to heat up to tepid warmth as soon as it was left sitting in the glass for a couple of minutes. This kind of wine is dangerous in the summer for two reasons: The first is that it is as light and refreshing as “spa water”, with hints of white peach, lemon, grapefruit, and minerals, that one begins to drink it as though it is indeed water. The second is that white wine this crisp warms up so quickly in the heat, that to enjoy it at its proper temperature, you must drink it soon after it is poured. Fortunately, the Frog’s Leap Sauvignon Blanc is relatively low alcohol and made in stainless steel, not oak barrels, so it holds up better than most other whites would in the heat.

Still, it made me realize that in sub-three digit degree weather, it might be better to sip a rose that can be enjoyed even when it warms up slightly since it has a it more body. Never one for regrets, I suggested we have a rose with dinner, and so we did enjoy a delicious rose with our pork, pasta and salmon that evening inside the cave-like, sexy restaurant, Bottega...but that is a different chapter.

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