Posted: January 09, 2009

Great wines in 2008

Make divine wines for 2009

By Cathie Beck—The Wine Wench

I’m thinking of a Louisiana woman. She is a master chef in the true sense of the phrase, but she won’t let anyone call her that. I consider a master chef someone who can unassumingly stroll into any kitchen, throw open the fridge and produce andouille and shrimp gumbo with a side pan of cornbread — from nothing.

In my mind, Eula Mae Doré and Beulah Ledner are two Louisiana master chefs; little-known Delta women who made quiet magic for years with little more than a stock pot, a Mason jar for measuring, and a cast iron skillet bought at the hardware store.

The Louisiana woman I’m thinking of now lives in Denver and takes her cooking equally seriously. But what separates her out from the Eula Maes and Beulahs is that when this woman presents her glorious, deep Delta-South food, she brings along mind-blowing wines to her table.

Her innate understanding of wine goes beyond wine-and-food pairing (which, let’s face it, is not the rocket science some would have you believe). Rather, she introduces her audience to wines that can and should be sipped on their own; wines meant to be tasted simply because they are exceptional, food be damned.

To that end, I’ve surveyed a few choice “wine lovers” in Colorado on their great wines from 2008, asking them what wines they discovered last year. The only rules were that they had to like it so much they bought it repeatedly, and it had to cost less $20 or less a bottle.

The Louisiana chef cheated a bit, offering an over $20 choice, as does another wine writer who admits to rarely drinking anything over $10. One is a master sommelier — who, amazingly, offers up her substantial, hand-picked list here — and another divulged her $9.99-a-bottle house-wine secret.

The “Wines Divine for 2009"

From the Louisiana chef 
What I now call my ‘House Wine,’ Chateau St. Jean Pinot Noir ($18) is always in my house and everyone who has tried it, loves it. This second one is pricey, but delicious,” she adds. “It’s a true blend called ‘The Prisoner’ ($25-34).

Petra from PetraLikesWines eNewsletter
I'm a big fan of No. 8 Red Zinfandel and 7 Deadly Zins. I always buy 90 point Spanish wines and I like Balistreri Vineyard's wine and Spero's Cabernet Franc.

From a dear friend who’s also a gourmet and wine aficionado
“Angeline Pinot Noir and Villa Antinori Toscana. The Angeline is around $17; Villa Antinori is around $20. We also buy Monte Antico by the case (any year) and find it for $9.99, sometimes less.  A really terrific dry Italian table wine, a staple.”

And last — but hardly least — Brenda Francis, Certified Sommelier
• Blason 2006 Cabernet Franc, Fruili, Italy, $15 (fabulous old world juice)
• Allegrini 2004 Plazo delle Torro, Veneto, Italy, $22
• Hook & Ladder 2007 Gewurztraminer, Russian River Valley, California, $16
• Canuso 2007 Soave Classico, Veneto, Italy, $14
• Fleur 2005 Chardonnay, Central Coast, California, $15
• Kung Fu Girl 2007 Riesling, Washington, $15
• Gem Tree 2006 Uncut Shiraz, McLauren Vale, Australia, $20.

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$10 and under wines
Pepperwood Grove 2005 Old Vine Zinfandel (great juice for the money and seems to allude the masses), really old vines, consistently complex juice.

JanKris 2004 Crossfire

Raia 2007 Tempranillo, Vino de la Tierra de Castilla, Spain (old-vine juice cheap; blooms when it breathes).
Raia 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, Vino de la Tierra de Castilla, Spain (old-vine juice cheap; blooms when it breathes).

Juno 2007 Chardonnay, South Africa
Juno 2006 Red, Cape Maidens, South Africa (dense and needs to breathe).
Juno 2006 Shiraz, Cape Maidens, South Africa (dense and needs to breathe).

Polka Dot 2006 Riesling, Pfalz, Germany

Cline 2007 Pinot Gris, Sonoma, California
White Truck 2007 White, California
White Truck Unoaked 2007 Chardonnay, California

Rhombus 2006 Chardonnay, Monterey, California (unbelieveably good chardonnay).

Il Bastrado 2006 Rosso, Tuscany, Italy (really complex for its price point).
Stella 2006 Pinot Grigio, Umbria, Italy

El Trofeo 2006 Red, Vino de la Tierra Castilla, Spain (old vine juice that needs to breathe).
El Trofeo 2006 Tempranillo, La Mancha, Spain (old vine juice that needs to breathe)

Domaine St. Michelle NV Brut, Washington (make sure it is a fresh bottle — you'll really be surprised). Killer bubbly, found in many liquor store cold boxes.

Paringa 2004 Sparkling Shiraz, South Australia (ridiculously fun).

Cable Car 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon, California
Cable Car 2005 Merlot, California

Mirassou 2005 Pinot Noir, California
Red Truck 2006 Pinot Noir, California

Insatiable 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon, California.

Should auld acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind. Should auld acquaintance be forgot and tales of old fine wine. Happy New Year!

Word o’ the week
Andouille (ahn DWEE or ahn DU wee) — French in origin, andouille is a word commonly used to describe a sausage made with pork, chitterlings, pepper, onions and wine. Most often associated with Cajun cooking, andouille is usually spiced, heavily smoked and is made with the gastrointestinal parts of the pig, including the intestines and stomach. 

One winning wine tasting
On Thursday, Jan. 15, Mel’s Bar and Grill in Greenwood Village will host “Wonderful Washington Wines Wine Dinner” from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

The evening represents a toast to the great wines of Washington. Chef Chad will present five courses paired with wines from the Northwest. Reservations are required. Contact Brandon Heath at 303.777.8223 to learn more and make reservations.
 
Coming January 23: Paraphernalia to buy in a pinch
A recent high-end TV food gourmet did a bit on how and where he buys cheap wine paraphernalia — and why. In today’s economy, gone are the days of whisper-thin, fragile Riedel stemware. Taboo is the $200 wine carafe.

Today’s the day of Target-inspired glasses and making-do with make-shift decanters. We’ll shop — and share — how and where to get winning wine accoutrements for little or no money.

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