DC Wine Week

5 Wine Drinking Pro Tips

dcwineweek — Thu, 03 May 2012 04:01:37 +0000

Guest post by Rachel Cohen, Marketing Director for Wine Riot

1. Wine: Delicious, Alcoholic Grape Juice

Yeast is added to crushed grapes, er, grape juice, and the yeast eats the natural sugars and converts them to alcohol and CO2. After that, winemakers can do a thousand different styles of aging but booze all the same thing; yeast poop!

2. Swirl, Smell, THEN Drink

90% of taste is based on smell so it’s kind of a big deal. Exposing a wine to oxygen brings out aromas, so when you swirl a wine in your glass you get a lot more oxygen, which allows the real aromas to come out.

3. Drink Local Wine

All 50 US states make wine! It’s easy to forget that 20 years ago people were skeptical about California wine. Soon people will recognize great wine can be made almost anywhere, so get ahead of the curve and buy local!

4. Sh*t Wine People Say

Somehow technical language used by winemakers like, “hints of cherry with a great mouthfeel” became the standard way to converse about wine. We feel “this wine is perfect for a picnic” or “this would be great with a burger” is a better way. Don’t sweat it, unless you’re a wine professional, anyway you talk about wine is the correct way.

5. If You Like it, It’s Good

It’s that simple. You don’t need to know a lot about wine to know if you like it. It’s the same with music, you can love a song without knowing anything about chord progressions or scales.

Check out Wine Riot in DC this Saturday, May 5th! More details on DCeventjunkie.

Grape + Bean “Rolls Out the Rose” Adding Some Warmth to a Cool, Rainy Spring Day

dcwineweek — Tue, 01 May 2012 14:55:25 +0000

Guest post by Sherrie Bakshi

This past Saturday, I attended a Rosé Tasting at Grape + Bean in Old Town Alexandria. I am a big fan of rosè wines so this was a perfect way to spend the evening.

Rosè Renaissance!

For many years, rosés were not the wine of choice for those that “appreciated good wine.” However, that’s no longer the case. and today one would define the taste of a good rose as “refreshing, crisp and simply lovely.” Much of this can be attributed to the experience and knowledge of today’s winemakers who have truly helped make it a Rosé Renaissance.

Our Tasting

On this particular evening, we tasted six different wines—three French, Two Spanish and one Californian.
They were:

2011 Mas De Cadenat: A Grenache/Cinsault/Syrah from the Côtes De Provence region
2011 J Mourat: A “Collection” of Cabernet Franc/Negrette/Pinot Noir from Fiefs Vendéens of France
2011 Fourgeray de Beauclair: A Pinot Noir from Marsannay, France
2011 Clua's El Sola D’ En Pol: Garnatxa Negra/Cabernet Sauvignon/Syrah from Terra Alta, Spain
2011 Shane's Ma Fille: Syrah from Sonoma County
2011 Vinendos De Inthaca’s Odyessus: Garnacha Negrea from Priorrat, Spain

You could sense the shift in tastes throughout the tasting. The French wines carried perfume aromatics while the Spanish and Californian wines were more earthy and berry infused. And, though I enjoyed them all, I have to admit, I had a few favorites:

There is something about a good Pinot Noir. Perhaps I have something for Burgundian wines, but The Fourgeray de Beauclair was simply delightful. The combination of the perfume aromatics and berries allowed me to experience the wine’s aromatics with both my nose and mouth (a great way to experience any wine or food to say the least).
A good California wine is just as good as a French one. The Shane “Ma Fille“, primarily made from Syrah, has a bit of a kick to it. It has a zesty taste with a tingly after taste to it. I learned from some research that I conducted that it could be a hint of white pepper and star annise spice infused in the wine that livens it up.
Labels can be deceiving. Take a look at the bottle and you’d think it is Greek by its label. But, that’s definitely not the case with the final wine we tasted. The Vinedos De Inthaca’s Odyessus, was the opposite of everything we tasted. Many of the wines we tasted were somewhat light.This one--not the case. You could tell by the look of it, which was comparably darker to the other ones, as well as by its taste, which was more like a light bodied red versus a rosé. By far, the best choice to end the tasting.

If you haven’t been to a wine tasting at Grape + Bean, I highly recommend it. They are located in the heart of Old Town Alexandria, VA and the wines are paired with a selection of cheeses and other samplings from the restaurant’s menu. Once you’ve completed the wine tasting, you may find yourself at the bar, enjoying some of the restaurant’s small plates and glass of wine.

Sherrie loves talking about wining and dining. Check out her blog Sher In the City or follow her on twitter at @Sher_32.

A Trip to Sonoma

dcwineweek — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 16:41:32 +0000

Guest post by Tara Newman

During the day, Tara Newman works for Leading Authorities, one of the nations largest speaker bureaus. But after hours Tara spends her time trying to realize her dream of breaking into the wine business, she particularly loves "researching" new wines. You can find Tara on twitter @TaraNewman or meet her at one of the @YoungWinosofDC events.

Today I am sitting at my desk, trying to eat lunch, do work, and write this blog post. I have my outlook up and occasionally I have to stop writing in order to answer a “very important e-mail.” A typical D.C. day - however, a month a go I was sitting in a cherry red mustang convertible, vintage bug sunglasses and driving scarf in place, riding down HWY 101 to my next exciting Sonoma wine destination.

This decision, like all best decisions I make, was made spur of the moment 8 months prior when I saw a LivingSocial escape to the beautiful Auberge on the Vineyard in Cloverdale, CA – which I found out later was at the tippy top of the Sonoma County region. I thought – I like wine and I’ve wanted to learn more about California – so why not! As it turns out, that was one of the most amazing, completely random thoughts I've ever had.

Completely accidentally, I ended up going during Barrel Tasting Weekend Northern Sonoma (Alexander, Dry Creek, and Russian River Valleys). An event that is put on by the ever helpful people of wineroad.com (seriously, if you are planning a trip check this website out). So, while I was treated to a couple of wineries filled to the brim with drunk, partying, bearly-21-year-olds (not that there is anything wrong with that), a number of appointment only wineries recommended to me opted out of this annual tradition.

I ended up going to approximately 12 Vineyards over the course of 4 days. Since 12 wineries is a bit much for me to review, though I definitely have positive and glowing things to say about most if not all of them, I am going to concentrate on the ones that really stood out for me: Sojourn Cellars, J Vineyards & Winery, Unti Vineyards, and Zichichi Family Vineyard & Winery.

Sojourn Cellars

I stayed in Northern Sonoma County and the tasting room for Sojourn Cellars in is Sonoma City - about an hour away. I went for three reasons,

The tasting was HIGHLY recommended;

I wanted to grab a bite at the delicious The Girl and The Fig; and

The drive (I did rent a convertible after all).

I am so glad I went here. This ranked as one of my top two favorites of the weekend. The tasting room is in a quaint little house right off of the square. I had the Director of Marketing do my tasting and while she doesn’t normally do tastings, I thought she was fabulous. We actually got to try seven wines instead of the normal five – one of the “extras” turned out to be my favorite of course! Now, they don’t do any white wines, so white wine drinkers I am sorry. Currently they only make Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon, but they are pretty close to perfect. One of my favorite touches to this tasting were the jars of soil from each of the vineyards where they source their grapes. Delicious AND educational. What I took home: Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir - fruit forward, balanced, and great with lighter foods. The Rodgers Creek Pinot Noir - Mineral first, bold and bright, went amazingly with my herb crusted pork tenderloin.
Sojourn Cellars Website
Sojourn Cellars on Facebook
Tasting by appointment only.

J Vineyards & Winery

During my trip I went to three food and wine pairing style tastings – J Vineyards & Winery’s “Bubble Room” was easily the best. We started out with a tour of this sparkling house – some very serious machinery. I have never seen the production side for sparkling and I got to say it all looked pretty cool – I hope I can see it in action one day! They have a beautiful building and while their bubbles were certainly fun, I feel in love with their Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Their chef’s creations were perfect, utterly decadent and delectable. A picture is worth more than a thousand words right? It looks unbelievable and tasted even better! What I took home: J Chardonnay, Russian River Valley – I have never been a huge fan of chardonnay, that being said this one surprised me! There was a touch of citrus in here that really brightened the experience. In retrospect I should have purchased a Pinot as well, but I was getting concerned about my bags weight limit. There is always next time!
J Vineyards & Winery Website
J Vineyards & Winery Facebook
Walk-ins welcome at the tasting room. The Bubble Room is appointment only.

Unti Vineyards

Not surprisingly, you will find a lot more Bordeaux-style wineries in Sonoma than you do Rhône style. It comes with the territory of decades long rivalry between the two regions. Unti Vineyards, however, is a perfect example of what off-beat varietals and a natural, hands-off wine making style can bring to the region. This small production house is only open by appointment and was not participating in the barrel tasting phenomenon. That didn’t keep it from being super busy though – in fact a weekend visitor from Napa who was staying in the same B&B as I did tried to get reservations the same day I went and was unable to get in. Lesson of the day: Sometimes planning ahead works in your favor. These wines are very powerful in flavor. The folks at Unti are incredibly proficient blenders and as a result their wines are complex and satisfying. My friend bought three bottles (her biggest buy of the weekend)! Sadly, once again I only left with one… What I brought home: 2008 Grenache – Medium bodied, spicy and smoky, this wine is great with the big red meats! Since I mentioned that Unti were blending masters – here is the blend for this Southern Rhône-style wine: 75% Grenache, 13% Mourvedre, and 12% Syrah.
Unti Vineyards Website
Unti Vineyards on Facebook
Tasting by appointment only.

Zichichi Family Vineyard & Winery

Zichichi was my most surprising stop of the entire vacation – if Unti proved it is good to plan ahead, Zichichi proved it’s good to step off the beaten path. When I asked a taster at another winery she said, “Don’t tell my bosses I said anything, but Zichichi is my favorite winery in the whole valley.” High praise from a girl I had just bought half a case of futures from! However, she was right. Unlike most of the wineries I stopped at Zichichi makes wine from only their estate grown grapes – which produced some pretty fabulous wine. This is the only one of my “Barrel Tasting” stops I am mentioning, so I should mention that I only tasted very young futures from this winery (of which I bought ½ a case of, though I wish I had enough money to buy more). Zichichi is also the only “Barrel Tasting” where not only did I get to meet and spend time with the winemaker, but I also met and talked to the owner a little bit as well! The only complaint about this place that I have is that they can’t make more of their wine. Much like Unti, this is an incredibly small production house – I saw all of the barrels they had and it wasn’t that many. In fact one of the wines I bought, their Petite Syrah, is already almost sold out – before bottling! Their wine was complex, not overly tannic, smooth, and delicious and I literally can’t wait to receive my futures. I don’t think I have stopped talking about this place since coming back – maybe this post will end my ranting... nah!
What I brought home:
Sadly, nothing – I had no room left in my bag. I bought a bunch of futures though!
Zichichi Family Vineyard Website
Zichichi Family Vineyard on Facebook (This is really their most up to date information)
Call ahead to make sure they are open.

How Do You Have that Guilt-Free Glass of Wine?

dcwineweek — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 18:53:46 +0000

Guest post by Christie Mims, Career and Transition Coach at The Revolutionary Club.
Follow them on Twitter @revolutionsclub.

There are many times in life when I have sat down on my couch, poured a nice glass of wine, prepared to relax and then....spent the next few minutes feeling completely guilty about all of stuff I should be doing instead of relaxing with my nice glass of wine.
And the wine is not to blame. Oh no -- the wine is a completely innocent bystander in all of this hanky-panky. The wine should be allowed to get off scot-free! (Gentlemen of the Jury, this wine is innocent of all charges! This case should be dismissed!)
Sadly, it is me that is to blame. Because instead of focusing on my values and my choices, I focus on all of the noise in my life -- all of the things that I think I should do, versus the things that I choose to do. Life is so busy these days that I think we all find ourselves saying yes without realizing it. Yes to taking on more work, yes to a promotion, yes to the family obligations or the community fair. It's not easy to say no...and either way, we feel guilty. Guilty for not saying yes, or guilty that we cannot do it all.
So I'm here to say: "Stop it!" Stop torturing yourself and that innocent glass of wine. Take a moment to take a breath, really think through your choices, and ask yourself: "What is it that I really want to do? What is it that maybe I don't want to do but I choose to do because it is important to me? And what is it that I do for no other reason than I feel like I should?" And then give yourself permission to stop doing things that you do because you feel like you should, and start focusing on the things that you do because you actually want to do them!
And if you can't do that, then at least give the wine a break. And give yourself 10 minutes to sit down and appreciate it -- after all, doesn't the wine deserve a fair trial? And don't you deserve a guilt-free moment?

Wine Pairings for the Spring Holidays

dcwineweek — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 18:38:41 +0000

Guest post by Ali Lieberman, CSW

Although it may feel like summer has already hit DC, Easter and Passover are just around the corner. These two holidays don’t have much in common, but there are two things that will likely be on both dinner tables: seasonal spring dishes and wine. Planning a holiday feast can be a bit overwhelming before you even introduce the thought of wine pairing, and on that note I'd like to share some tricks of the trade.
My first rule whenever hosting a dinner party (or any party) is to start with bubbly. It awakens the palate and elicits a festive mood. It’s also the perfect pairing for fried appetizers and most salty food. Think hushpuppies, potato pancakes and bacon-wrapped…anything. And if your Easter “dinner” begins at noon, it’s a perfect booze for brunch. Spending upwards of $40 for Champagne can be well worth it, but a Cava from Spain (which is made in the traditional Champagne method), or an inexpensive Prosecco (if you’re looking for an orange juice topper) will do just fine.
For the main dish, you can go in many directions. Here are some suggestions for the three types of meat you’re likely to feast on.
Ham
Most hams are cured. This means SALT. This also means you want to stay clear of big, highly tannic wines. Off dry (slightly sweet) and acidic wines are best because they counter the saltiness and can really enhance the flavors. “Ham is somewhat tricky [to pair with wine],” says Certified Sommelier and Founder of Vino50 Andrew Stover. “I sometimes enjoy a fuller bodied fruit driven white or a lighter, juicy red. For white, think Virginia Viognier (which is especially tasty with Virginia ham) or Vouvray/Chenin Blanc wines that have big fruit and a touch of sweetness.”
If you’re a “wine is red” person, look for a wine that’s lighter in style, is acidic and has bright fruit flavors. A Cru Beaujolais (not to be confused with Nouveau) can be a fantastic pairing with ham. Italian varietals such as Barbera or Dolcetto or a lighter style Tempranillo from Spain should work nicely. If you ham is buried under a thick glaze of cinnamon, sugar, bacon, clove, and so on, open up a Zinfandel.
Lamb
Lamb has natural gamey and earthy flavors and is rich and fatty. This just screams for a red wine. Some widely-accepted wine pairing rules are garbage, but fatty meats with big red wines are almost always a must. The “big” in big red wine refers to the body and tannins of the wine. Tannin, which leaves that astringent feeling in your mouth, reacts with protein, easing that somewhat harsh, drying sensation and it cuts through fat nicely.
Rhone blends from Southern France are a great match for roasted lamb. Other wines to look for are Riojas, Malbecs and Cabernet Sauvignons. If the lamb is prepared in a lighter style with minimal seasoning, a medium bodied Pinot Noir from California or the Pacific Northwest would also work well.
Brisket
Whether your brisket is smoked or barbequed, you should look for a medium to full bodied wine with prominent, juicy fruit notes which will either offset the smokiness or compliment the sweetness in the sauce. Brisket tends to have loads of flavor and so you need a wine that will stand up to the meat. An Australian Shiraz or a Zinfandel should work well. If you must have a white, look for a rich California Chardonnay or a white Rhone blend.
“When all else fails, bubbles is where I turn,” says Stover. “One of my favorites, especially for ham, is the Tedeschi Vineyards 'Hula O Maui' Sparkling Pineapple Brut from Maui, Hawaii. What better way to enjoy Easter/Passover dinner than with a glass of bubbly pineapple along with roasted ham.”

Images via Flickr (creative commons) by Nikchick and L.Richarz respectively

DC Wine Week Interview with Chris Houk, Bar Manager, Lincoln Restaurant

dcwineweek — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 01:51:38 +0000

Guest Video Post by Tina McCormack Beaty

Chris Houk, bar manager at Lincoln, looks for rock stars in the glass when picking wines with the philosophy of "if you have one great varietal then you don't need five different types of it on the wine list". To bring wine of the people for the people to life, the restaurant is getting ready to host the governor of VA for a wine dinner showcasing local producers. Expert and novice wine drinkers might enjoy a swirl and sip at Lincoln because Chris says all the choices are food friendly, so start your evening off with a cocktail and savor a glass of vino with your meal. At Lincoln they say the proof is in the glass - they will not try to convince you to like a glass of red or white, instead the policy is taste it, enjoy the flavor and the affordability of each wine.

Check out my video interview below:

Tina McCormack Beaty (@TMStrategy) builds brands and brings stories alive to key target markets helping entrepreneurs and consumers brands achieve business goals. PR, marcom, brand policy and events are her tools. Learning to be a foodie, runner, and community volunteer. VP of Washington Women in PR, Miami Alumni Communications Board Member, Guest Lecturer, and Wife.

Were you at Urbana for our Twineup?

dcwineweek — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 01:50:08 +0000

A Twine Up Review by Linah Colgrove
(@LinahsList, www.LinahsList.com)

What better way to wine up the week than with discounted wine, meeting new people, and getting away with checking your phone all night? This past Monday I found myself at the DC Wine Week Twine Up, a Twitter/wine party at the very sophisticated Urbana Restaurant in Dupont Circle’s Hotel Palomar. It was one of those seamless events – just walk in, write your Twitter handle (and name, if you wish) on your name tag, and go sip and mingle. No pretense, no ice breakers, just sheer adult wine-joyment.

Part of the district’s inaugural Wine Week event, the Twine Up was a great way for folks to build relationships and contribute to the buzz (pun intended) that DC Wine Week had been generating. In my opinion, it’s about time we had a DC Wine Week. We have Restaurant Week and Beer Week, Oktoberfest and even Week ‘O Bacon. Wine week is long overdue!

As a wine lover, I thought I would sample a few different types of Urbana’s very generous offering of $5 wine. The chardonnay was excellent – crisp, not too oaky, very refreshing . I had a sip of my friend’s cabernet, which was (as expected) full bodied and fantastic, causing me to order my own. After a glass of that (okay, a few glasses), I remembered this great card I just bought my sister-in-law for her recent birthday when we spent the day at a Charlottesville winery.

No, there were no obnoxious tasting counters, and the wine was not free, but the Twine Up featured enough tweeting, clinking and chatter to make any wine taste great. Salud!

Champagne, Deconstructed: Identifying the Smells and Tastes of Champagne

dcwineweek — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 01:47:51 +0000

Guest Video Post by Mickey Panayiotakis

First, a confession: I don’t drink champagne. I don’t mean the I had a bad experience in college kind of “don’t drink”; I mean the Champagne is for celebrations and brunch kind of “don’t drink”. Dinner is generally accompanied by wine or beer (or both). So when I heard about the Champagne tasting with Food Pairing event at DC Wine Week, I was intrigued. Three courses, from aperitif to digestif, accompanied solely by champagne. And an olfactory experiment to boot!

DC Wine Week, the prodigy of DCeventjunkie and Pivot Point Communications is in full swing by Tuesday, and what a better place to keep the buzz going than Bourbon Steak, in Georgetown. So off I went. But a champagne evening comes at an intellectual cost. A quiz came first: guess that smell. In front of us sat 8 vials and scenting papers. Next to us, an answer sheet with 18 possible answers. Things get complicated before any vials are opened: I can certainly tell the smell of pepper, but the difference between white and pink? Is Citron different than Lemon? How about “White Acacia flower” vs. “Jasmine”? And is there really flint in that champagne? (Not all answers were that tricky: the Lifesavers Pineapple was a softball.) As it turns out, all 8 scents are aromas present in champagne. (Flint is not.) And after much sniffing, running out of the ability to smell, and sniffing some more; after much drinking and cajoling…Nobody got them all. I managed to identify 5, didn’t bother with 1, got 2 wrong, and I do believe mine is the only ballot with a write-in candidate.

What was perhaps least evident in the smell-test was the versatility of champagne: Oysters are often paired with champagne, and the clean, crisp kumamoto oyster with sweet beets and juniper was an unexpected match. But then there were French fries (they’re excellent at Bourbon). There was a Gnocchi Carbonara with salty smokey bacon and a poached egg with a rich yolk. There was, my favorite, smelly house-made soft cheese with Brussel sprout greens. The champagne held its own, everywhere, bringing out flavors with some dishes and cleansing the palate in others. This versatility has led me (usually a beer drinker) to dub champagne, heretofore, the Lager of wines.

The champagne for the evening was Ruinart Blanc de Blancs, from the oldest Champagne house in France. The Cellar Master at Ruinart and a Perfumer from IFF (International Flavors and Fragrances) have identified 8 main aromas in the nose of Ruinart Blanc de Blancs, of which we sensed our way through this evening. Our host and guide was Julian Mayor, Sommelier for Bourbon Steak. It was an excellent event and executed as only the Four Seasons knows how!

So now I’ve done it: would I order champagne instead of wine (or beer) next time I go out? Lastly, since I know you’ve been dying to know: Pink peppercorn is not a pepper at all. While green, white, and black pepper all come from the same vine, Piper nigrum, pink pepper is made from the berries of the shrub Schinus molle. Culinarily, pink peppercorn is purported to have a lighter, sweeter flavor with hints of sweet berries.

Mickey, to date, loves: excellent websites, his boat, snowboarding, awesome new technologies, things sustainable, and eating out. The list is necessarily growing: he believes people should love more than they hate. Ernesto, his business partner, and Mickey run Infamia. (Mickey cares about, but does not always love, the oxford comma.)

Announcing the Winners of Wine Riot & SalesVote Giveaways at Urbana Twineup!

dcwineweek — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 18:41:00 +0000

Did you join us at Urbana last night? If not you missed a smashing event -- and a chance to win tickets to Wine Riot this weekend and restaurant vouchers from SalesVote!

Drum Roll please.... The following individuals have each won two tickets to attending the opening event of Wine Riot this weekend: BethLauren, Dan Berger, Mary Beth Tyler, Candice Duncan and Andrea Smoak - your tickets are on the way!

Hungry?
Jenna Sauber has won a $50 Voucher to Sequoia, compliments of SalesVote - expect via email!
Linah Lubin Colgrover has won a $40 Voucher to Fire & Sage compliments of SalesVote - expect via email!

Check out the pics from Metromix DC and more on our Flickr account

Calling All Wine Directors to Socialize!

dcwineweek — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 14:36:42 +0000

DC Wine Week is hosting an exclusive event for Wine Directors & Sommeliers in the DC area. The event will take place at Vinoteca this Thursday, October 20th from 8-11 PM and welcomes all wine industry professionals and restauranteurs. We will serve delights from Vinoteca and a selection of local wine for your tasting pleasures. Please email us at winedirectors@dcwineweek.com with your company information for an invitation and we'll see you there!

Cheers,
Lisa & Vanessa
DC Wine Week