Category Archives: Atrea

Sami’s Question #2: What is your favorite meal?

Posted on by
Reply

(Second in a 3 part series)

Sami_imageThis question lets me know what flavors you like coming from the realm of food. If someone says steak I ask them how they season it. I admit sometimes this question does not work well. I am relying on the idea that the person is drinking wine with their meal. A lot of the time people just want to drink wine on its own, without other flavors intruding onto the palette. So assuming that the person does eat food while drinking I have one of two options; I can complement the food or contrast the food. For example most people will take a spicy food and pair it with a wine that is on the sweeter and or fruity side in order to counteract the heat on their palette. If you use a high tannin wine you can create heat in your mouth that dries out your tongue. This is not good because heat is actually an oil coming from the capsaicin family of plants. Without saliva that heat will cling to your palette and ruin a dining experience. Think of using a wine like the Praxis Viogner next time you eat spicy shrimp. It has fruity tones and a slight floral sweetness that will help soothe the palette.You can also use your wine to help supplement the flavors of the meal. If I have a customer who comes in and tells me their favorite meal is a steak with just salt and pepper, cooked closer to rare than medium; with a fresh salad with vinaigrette and roasted potatoes with olive oil and rosemary. A simple meal focusing on subtle flavors and the layering of flavors for the meal. Not big explosions of flavor. Taking an almost minimal approach to the large explosive flavor that big reds deal with well. This is where smooth and well constructed wines come into play. Sometimes I say that you can taste the wines bone structure.  OldRedWines like the Atrea Old Soul Red. This is a zinfandel blend that is made to supplement the subtle flavors of a simple meal. This red has a light fruity front with a bit of spice on the back, but has a silky acidic finish that helps the spice slowly come off the palette.  While the wine is helping the flavors of the food blend from one flavor to another, just as sipping on this wine would do if no food was involved at all.

 

Turning Zinfandel Upside Down!

Posted on by
Reply

For 2011, the hot trend in California wine is in the blends.  Customer interest is growing as these savory new ideas come to fruition.  Value abounds, as these quality wines typically range $15-$30, and smart consumers are showing their good taste by trading up a notch from the value wines they discovered during the downturn in 2008.

For this post, we focus on Zinfandel as a component of the wine blends here at Locals.  Great Zinfandel fruit is still harder to come by than some other varietals, which can sometimes be found with great quality, and more inexpensively, at harvest.  Then add the challenge to the winemaker’s muse:  to make a new and unique combination that pleases, raises the bar, and sets their brand apart from the rest.

So let Locals begin your blending!  First up is the new Bedarra 2009 Bonfire ($25).  Composed of Sonoma County fruit, it is made of Cabernet Sauvignon (50%), Merlot (30%) and Zinfandel (20%).  (This wine follows on the heels of Bedarra’s popular Beachfront white, a satisfyingly cool blend of Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.)  Their red blend is fruit forward.  Sweet tones arise from the quality oak along with pleasant tannins on finish.  Blackberry meets tobacco.  With its smooth and satisfying richness, this wine makes a perfect complement to any barbeque, be it on the beach or the backyard.

Second is the Pendleton 2008 Celebration Cuvee ($29).
This is Mike Pendleton’s special blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (25%), Zinfandel (25%), Petite Sirah (30%), Cabernet Franc (15%) and Petite Verdot (5%).  What a yummy mouthful!  Long reach across the palate.  Drinking with the full voluptuousness of a Bordeaux-style blend, at the same time this savory wine is elevated by just a hint of sweet fruit.



Next we suggest the 2007 Atrea Old Soul Red ($25).  Here Mendocino County Zinfandel (43%), Petite Sirah (20%), Syrah (19%) and Malbec (18%) are artfully combined in flavorful American oak.  A delightfully sweet nose and finish rests on a rich meaty foundation with excellent balance.





This wine is a real crowd pleaser, and also this winery’s biggest seller. Still available (!), the delectable 2008 Dark Horse Zinfandel/Cabernet Sauvignon Gunfighter Fifth Notch ($20) is the subject of a separate post, click here to read it.





Finally, the 2008 Peterson Vignobles ($32) conveys elegance and finesse.  A distinctive blend of Petite Sirah (55%), Old-Vine Carignane (15%), Syrah (15%) and Zinfandel turns the Dry Creek’s Zinfandel paradigm upside down on an artful touch of Zin fruit. Medium-bodied, smoky, fruity, with a touch of dark caramel and pleasant across the palate.  Great with ham or prosciutto try it with a PB&J…sliced pears, brie and ham on an artisan roll.  Delish!