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Certificates on the way

Bentonite

If you’ve been waiting a little long for your certificate, please rest assured that they are currently being fined, filtered and finished and will be sent December 1st.

Thank you for you patience. We will mail no certificate before it’s time. . .

Our New Website

New Wine Century Club Site

I hope you like our new site. It was necessary since the old site became corrupted. Not in a political or economic sense, but it just stopped working. If you visited here in the past 6 months, you probably noticed. It was embarrassing.

The main innovation in the new site is the ability to post new events and meetups. I’ve posted the first one, a casual meetup in my local place in London. Have a look and use it as an example if you would like to post a meetup yourself:

Meetup in London

Discovering Tastes: Some Tips for Becoming a Wine Century Club Member

century_glasses_ani

For most people, becoming a Wine Century Club member means starting a quest. It is the very rare wine drinker who can sit down with the application and be able to check off 100 grapes with ease. But although the task of reaching 100 may appear daunting at first – and for most potential members, reaching the goal will indeed require some work – it can be very fun and rewarding.

In many ways, this has to be treated as a research project. I’ve spent 25 years as a market and public opinion research consultant and thus probably have a mind that revels in such an effort. For those who don’t think in research terms day in and day out, here are some tips that might prove of value in meeting your goal; whether it’s the first 100 grapes, the second (Doppel), or even beyond.

The first step for most potential members will be to simply check off those grapes that we have all drunk for years: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir; Chardonnay, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc: grapes that Jancis Robinson would classify among the ‘Classic Varieties’

Preparations for Christmas

some-christmas-suggestions

Although most of us will not commence our preparations for Christmas until the beginning of Advent, without doubt we are already being bombarded with the shops and other commercial operations via TV, newspapers, the mail, and the Internet, all trying to attract our attention to but this and that since the beginning of November, and some even earlier.

The preparation for this religious festival and the season of goodwill has changed dramatically since the end of WW2

Then, cakes, puddings, mincemeat, pickles and even decorations were more often ‘home made’ from October onwards with only the final touches left to the week leading up to the ‘big day’. Oh yes, how we of mature years remember! But that is history and unlikely to return.

It is time to look ahead to the festivities in this, the 8th (or is it the 9th.) year of the new millennium. What preparations can we, or should we, be making NOW?
Presents are one of the priorities, but they are more of a personal item. Selection should be left to the individual and the influence of the sales staff concerned and not from the interference of this newsletter. Cards are mainly an Anglo-American habit, but with rising postal costs, postal strikes etc. may well decline this year in favour of the Internet (unless you are a famer in the heart of rural Wales, Scotland or the American outback).

Some of the traditional preparations have been resurrected due to necessity, like the making of the pudding and making of mincement, and even cakes which may be difficult to obtain in some areas. (Recipes are readily available -. The United Kingdom BBC Good Food website is well worth a look)

Possibly the largest headache is in selection of the main course – what to have and with what to accompany it to make a memorable Christmas feast. To cover all the possibilities would need the writing of yet another book on food. Even in Europe, – country, regional and even area variations abound, so where to begin?

This year the proposal is a change from the traditional turkey to – ROAST GOOSE. Goose was the vogue in many parts of the United Kingdom long before turkey was introduced and became commercially available.

This year our suggested Bill of Fare for 2009 consists of:-

Aperitif –
Nuts (salted cashews, peanuts, walnuts or other types of nut), partnered by Brut Champagne NV. It makes the ideal accompaniment but can be expensive. Any Brut Traditional Method (once called Methode Champenoise) is acceptable. A good choice here is Crémant d’Alsace (Chardonnay- Pinot Blanc blend) from France or one of the many Traditional Method Italian sparklers.

Starter
– a choice of two –
1.Fois Gras – ours will be from Alsace and not the traditional South West of France
Accompanied by:-
Gewurztraminer Tradition 2006 – Hugel
Although fairly expensive, an aromatic, rich, spicy, and lasting wine is necessary to accompany the locally produced fois gras from this region.
Website – www.hugel.com (available in English)
or.
2. Oysters
Accompanied by:-
Gros Plant du Pays Nantais or Muscadet sur lie. My favourites are from Château du Cléray – Sauvion et Fils.
Website.- www.sauvion.fr (available in English)

‘Fat’ oysters – is one of the few dishes that make the highly acidic Gros Plant remotely drinkable. Many people refer to this wine as ‘the nearest thing there is to paint stripper’ It is surprising that when partnering ‘fat’ oysters it is perfect.
With oysters the wine partner must be both dry and fairly acidic. Whilst the Muscadet grape (Melon de Bourgogne) is excellent, Sauvignon Blanc from a cool climate is also very acceptable.

Main Course –

Roast Goose – There are many recipes on offer for making the most of a Christmas goose, but the art of preparing and cooking it is seldom included. Reading the magazine ‘The Poultry Keeper’ a year ago, Melanie Daniels’s article, gave a no fuss, traditional, old fashioned, but simple set of instructions on how to prepare and cook a goose. To her I am very grateful – it works!!! Here it is. The only item missing was the plucking of the bird; my advice – let the supplier do it for you.


Preparation

Goose produces a huge amount of fat and therefore the roasting dish MUST have a draining tray to catch this fat and enable it to be drained off (and reserved) from time to time.
1. Remove the giblets and excess fat from the inside of the bird.
2. Pinch and prick the skin (Do not stab the meat). This helps with the running off of the fat.
3. Rub the skin with sea salt, pepper, and herbs de Provence.
Cooking
As geese come in many sizes, the following instructions are quoted in minutes per kilo (2.25 pounds)
1. Place the prepared bird in a large dish (or double casserole). Place it into the pre-heated oven at 220 degrees C (440 degrees F) for 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Reduce to 190 degrees C (370 degrees F) and cook for a further 25 – 30 minutes per kilo. (This will make for a ‘medium’ cooked bird. If you like the meat ‘well done’ a few more minutes will be necessary).
3. Remove the bird about every 30 minutes and drain off the fat. (The fat should be retained for cooking the potatoes). Baste the bird at the same time.
4. At any sign of scorching, cover that part with foil.
5. At the end of the cooking period, allow to rest for 30 minutes turning the bird upside down to allow for the breast meat to remain moist.

Stuffing and Accompaniments
Keep them simple, roast goose is very rich and is best shown to perfection when not overwhelmed with too many side dishes.
Parsley and thyme stuffing – home made adding in some of the giblets, finely chopped, and a little goose fat to bind. Cook separately from the bird or it may go soggy.
Redcurrant jelly, apple sauce, or whole cooked chestnuts could also be considered.
Finally, (and in my opinion a MUST)
Potatoes – roasted in the oven in goose fat until golden brown.

This is a main dish to satisfy a king.

geoffray-family

Wines to accompany
This is a rich meal; therefore the wines need to have flavour, depth and acidity.

From France – I would suggest –
Brouilly or Cote de Brouilly from the Beaujolais.
Château Thivin en Beaujolais 2006 or 7. Their Brouilly and Cote de Brouilly have all the flavour of the gamay grape plus good acidity. Both are produced on the granitic soils of the area with the Cote having a hint of volcanic heat on the palate. Mount Brouilly is the site of an ancient and now extinct volcano.
The Geoffrey family have been making wines here for 5 generations.
Contact – Claude Geoffrey, 69460 Odenas
Website – www.chateauthivin.com (English available)

or

St. Estephe or Haut Medoc from Bordeaux
Côte de Nuits from Burgundy.
Try to avoid the softer wines from Southern France.
In the United States and Canada, the Pinot Noirs from Oregon and Washington State are highly recommended
From Italy – The Piedmont family of wines from the Nebbiolo grape (Barbaresco, Barolo etc.) or a quality DOC Barbera also pair well with the goose.

Cheese and Dessert

Cheese – If you are having a cheese course, select your cheeses to match the wines chosen to accompany the goose.
Blue cheeses – Stilton and Roquefort are rich and tasty but need to be accompanied with a sweet botrytised wine (or Vintage Port).
The Loire – Coteaux de Layon (again available under the Sauvion label) is not only botrytised but also, with the cooler climate, has better acidity

Dessert – Although many Brits will insist on their Christmas pudding at this stage and continuing with the port, the more weight conscious may prefer fresh fruit to clean the palate.
With the latter and again as a real refresher, the recommendations are:-
Brut or Demi-Sec Champagne
Asti (Moscato grape) from Italy (ideal as it in lower in alcohol – circa 7.5% abv)
Eiswein from Canada or Germany – (pricey, but well worth it – normally in half-bottle)

Digestif
Coffee with Armagnac or a VSOP cognac.

Author’s Note on Availability of Wines

The wines specifically mentioned ABOVE are available in the UK, the USA and Canada, but naturally not everywhere. A quick look at the web for any of them, or at the site of the company itself, may give a satisfactory answer.
As stated in previous articles I prefer to search out my wines from small independent growers, not just from the super- and hypermarkets; the latter cannot be expected to stock lines that may have a production of a few hundred bottles. For example in the Beaujolais alone there are more than 400 producers. Some produce under their own label but the majority sell wine or grapes or both to the ‘larger’ companies throughout the whole of Burgundy. They, in turn, blend the producers wine, or make the grapes to suit their own house style.
This has led to one well known wag of a grower referring to Beaujolais wines blended and bottled in the Cote d’Or around the town of Beaune as BEAUNE-JOLAIS.

From our family to yours wherever you are

Happy Christmas – Joyeux Noel

gm-mucat-or-not

Bouké Wines of North Fork – Long Island

Bouke Wines

lisa-donnesonLisa Donneson, having gained her Wine and Spirit Education Trust Diploma in 2006, set up Bouké wine to promote the wines of Long Island NY. Yes you have it correct – Long Island (NY) wines, – from internationally known vitis vinifera grape varieties. In French terms Lisa became a négotiant – éleveur (a person who buys grapes, – it could be wines, but not in her  case -, for the purpose of making and selling wines under her own name) With many of the French major red and white vine varieties represented (as they are grown commercially in the area around Long Island), what better name for her company than a play on the French word ‘Bouquet’ for the name of her company.

The wine making expertise comes from Giles Martin (no relation to yours truly) who hails from the Rhône Valley in France and honed his expertise with the likes of Roederer and Delas Frères. Together they select the grapes from the local growers and then produce some excellent quality wines.

Due to the complexity (and I put it mildly) of the US state and national wine laws, most of the wines are sold within New York and New York State, although some representation has been negotiated with merchants outside of this region.

Promotion and advertising of her wines is mainly through hotels, restaurants, and specialist functions – often allied to the fashion industry. Full details of these events can be found on her website (www.boukewines.com).

nicole-and-christia-tasting-bouke-red-seot-2009I only wish that I had the opportunity to attend some of these promotions, especially those that are food related. That is not possible as I live in a small village situated in the Hautes Alpes region of France. Lisa and I go back in time to her study days when I was given the task of marking some of her ‘dummy’ essays from past WSET Diploma papers. It was obvious from the research she made before going into print with her essays that it was only a matter of time before she became fully involved with wine. Her strength of character was also indicative of ‘going it alone’ rather than be involved in some multi-national operation.

It is these ‘boutique’ operations that keep variety, quality, and variation in this wonderful world of wine and for those of us that enjoy, without wine snobbery entering the lists, long may it continue. Personally I try to avoid branded wines, produced at a price point, and launched through every major supermarket group.

Tasting Notes on Bouké wines
There are 4 wines currently in the range – a red, a rosé, a white and a white dessert wine that is fortified. By keeping the individual wine varieties separate, the blender can adjust them to suit not only the style of the wine but also the variations in the growing conditions from year to year. It is here that the true ‘art’ of the wine maker comes into its own.

Bouké – White –  2007 – Carefully selected grapes, well blended produce this excellent wine (What a change from just another Chardonnay). The make up here is Chardonnay (of course) but with substantial contributions from Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, and to give a hint of spiciness, 7% Gewurztraminer. Faintly aromatic, crisp and well balanced, make this wine  the perfect aperitif. It will also match with poultry and fish dishes, provided the latter is not too bland.

bajun-mutton-curry-sept-2009Bouké Red – 2007 – A blend of the Bordeaux grape varieties with the addition of 15% Syrah. The latter adds depth to the colour and a hint of spiciness and liquorice to the taste. Using the produce of vines around 15 years of age ensures that there is a maturity in the wine from the onset. Full bodied, around 13% by volume alcohol, makes it a perfect marriage with full bodied red meat dishes, and venison. I accompanied it with a mutton, fruit curry with Caribbean vegetables – the recipe based on a traditional goat meat and fruit curry from Barbados (see photo) was accompanied by okra, plantain, sweet potato mash and Basmatti rice.

Bouké Rosé – 2008 – With the huge revival in the popularity of rosé wine, production of such a wine has become a necessity rather than a fad. Bouké rosé combines both accepted methods of producing ‘pink’ wines – purpose made – short term skin contact and the ‘saignée’ (bleeding) method that is so popular in France. (Taking away some of the juice at an early stage allows more colour to develop for the red wines).
Made from Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot – the major constituents of the Bordeaux blend – , Bouké rosé is salmon pink in colour, with soft summer berry fruits on both nose and in the taste. It is an ideal aperitif, but also pairs well with barbecued fish and chicken, crab or fish cakes and the lighter styles of cheese.

Bouquet Dessert Wine – NV
– 17% by vol alc – (37.5cl bottles) – This is a true bit of innovation. Using Gewurztraminer, mellowed with a small percentage of Chardonnay, fortifying the wine to stop the fermentation (Port style) with chardonnay based grape spirit, the result is a delightfully sweet, spicy wine that still retains a crisp acidity (one advantage of the cool temperatures of Long Island).

Ideally, this is a wine to accompany the ‘petits fours’ at the end of the meal, but try it with ‘fois gras’ (if you like it and can get it!)

If you are around the New York area contact Lisa for her list of up and coming events, or ask for your nearest stockist. Failing that, contact Bouké Wines on their website. (www.boukewines.com or email  – lisa@boukewines.com)

Grahame Martin AIWS
October 2009 ©

Another Reason to Wear Your Official Tastevin

Fellow Centurian Hardy Wallace wore his OFFICIAL WINE CENTURY CLUB TASTEVIN in an video interview for a cushy marketing position at Murphy Goode Winery.  He got the job over 1,700 other applicants!  CONGRATULATIONS, HARDY!

He’s obviously a talented and funny guy, but we like to think that the talismanic properties of the tastevin propelled him to victory!

Remember, it can work the other way:  member Randy Boyles lost his OFFICIAL TASTEVIN last May.  Ten minutes later, he caught gingivitis from a chewable toothbrush purchased from a vending machine at Detroit Metro Airport.1 Don’t let this happen to you.
1This is a dramatization based on a true story. The names and facts have been changed to protect the innocent.

Alternative Varieties in Australia

Hi Guys:
In case you don’t get Grapegrower & Winemaker Magazine, or are too busy to read it, please find attached the latest article on Alternative varieties.
I hope you enjoy it, and with a bit of luck I might see some of you in Mildura on the 10th of November.
Cheers

DAN TRAUCKI – MWCC
WINE ASSIST PTY LTD
Wine Industry Consultants
In: Exports, Marketing, Label designs,
Logistics, Packaging,
Production Efficiency Assessments.

Phone/Fax: +61 8 8382 4920
Cell/Mobile: +61 408 801 795
Postal Address: P.O. Box 1050
Morphett Vale. South Australia. 5162

MWCC – Member The Wine Century Club

Counting to 100

How ironic. One of the most exclusive clubs in the world, and a true wine snob could never hope to join.

I am sipping a half-full glass of spritzy ‘vinho’ from the Vinho Verde region of Portugal on this unnaturally brisk Tuesday evening. May the millionaires with cellars full of 100 point wines gnash their teeth; it is this bottle’s humble $4.75 price tag that gained me entrance into a different ‘100’ club – the Wine Century Club.

Exclusive, like many things in New York City, the Manhattan-based Wine Century Club has just over 250 members worldwide. According to Deborah and Steve De Long, the Wine Century club, founded in 2005, is “for adventurous wine drinkers everywhere.” Adventurous, indeed. To gain membership, wine drinkers must have tasted wines with a sum total of at least 100 different grape varieties. The Arinto, Azal Branco and Louriera grapes in my wine glass tonight brought my total to 101.

As a wine drinker, I am very lucky to live in the Empire state. Though a wine from halfway around the globe helped me finish my trip, I would be nowhere near the 100 mark without the help of the wide variety of grapes grown in New York. From a Hudson Valley Baco Noir tasted in the cellar at Benmarl Winery to a Heron Hill late-harvest Vignoles sampled at the Finger Lakes Wine Festival, New York wines have given me a lot to savor and enjoy.

Since we are all just a day trip away from both Long Island wineries and the wonderful wine shops of New York City or the Finger Lakes, Niagara and Hudson Valley wine regions, most anywhere in New York is a great place to live for wine lovers.

Determined to get a good jump start on filling up the boxes in my freshly printed Wine Century Club application, this spring I traveled to New York City, rubbing elbows with urban wine lovers at a fabulous and crowded French wine tasting at the Chamber Street wine shop in Manhattan. A pour from legendary Beaujolais producer Jean Paul Brun added Gamay to my list. Later that day I stopped in Little Italy to have dinner, and a glass of the house white helped cross Grechetto off as well. The tasting bar at Vintage New York in Soho is also great place to sample New York wines; a pour of ‘Sculpture Garden’ from Long Island winery Channing Daughters introduced me to Blaufrankisch and Dornfelder.

At the midpoint, with over 50 varietals comfortably under my belt, the going got a little tougher. Having only a few dozen untasted grapes to cross of my list led me to drink any wine I came across. Sure, I was feeling particularly sophisticated as John McGregor of McGregor Vineyard watched expectantly as I sampled his exotic blend of Rkatsiteli and Sereksiya Rose, but I also found myself guiltily bellying up to the bar at a local Elks lodge in working-class Cohoes, NY one night to sample Lambrusco and Riuniti from a plastic cup.

By the time I got into the high 80’s, I was absolutely sure that being adventurous and willing to try something, anything, as long as it’s new, is an essential character trait in a wine lover looking to join the Wine Century Club. I will never forget the first taste of Greek Retsina wine and North Carolina Scuppernong.

Though I do love a glass of wine, my Wine Century club ‘field trips’
taught me more than just how to count grapes and swallow a bunch of exotic fermented juice. Visiting wineries across New York gave me the opportunity to ‘increase my number’ at the same time that the tasting room staff helped me improve my palate. At Pellegrini Winery on Long Island, I tasted chocolate in wine for the first time, and Finger Lakes whites helped me appreciate apricot, honeysuckle and peach aromas. Delicious!

I also learned a lot from attending the Golden Nose Wine Judging in Corning, NY, where I was one of over 50 ‘amateur’ judges charged with choosing the best wines that the Finger Lakes had to offer. I added several native grapes to my list as I tasted and evaluated wine flights for the afternoon competition after enjoying the ‘noses-on’
morning workshop on detecting wine faults.

The quest for 100 grapes also led me to discover the amazing variety of beverages that can all still call themselves wine. I sampled Cava, which is sparkling wine from Spain, and Madeira, a Portugese fortified wine that rose to fame because it actually tasted better after oxidizing during long voyages at sea. Closer to home, fun and fruity wines from native grapes like Catawba, especially Hazlitt Vineyard’s Red Cat wine, are at home on the deck or hot tub – tasting nothing at all like a wine snob’s big tannic red.

After learning about and tasting many, many wines, I have made a few new ‘friends,’ the best two being a Viognier from France and Rkatsiteli, a fruity white from Dr. Frank’s Vinifera Wine Cellars in Hammondsport.

Now that I don’t have a wine-stained, dog-eared application sheet to fill out, I have found it hard to stop pulling out dusty bottles from the back shelves of the local wine shop and automatically scanning winery tasting sheets and the wine lists at ethnic restaurants in a desperate search for an untasted varietal. I think my next focus will be in the opposite direction – I’ll pick one grape, like Riesling, and follow it around the world.

In a few weeks I’ll receive my certificate and proudly frame and hang it on my living room wall, but the Wine Century club is more than a piece of paper, it’s a state of mind. It’s a certain type of wine drinker that looks in her backyard and to all corners of the world to learn about her own palate and discover great wines. Wine snobs need not apply.

Kathleen’s Blog is called Wine and Stories from the Vineyard.

Our 2nd Local Chapter: Aiken, SC!

I am happy to announce the formation of The Wrath of Grapes chapter of the Wine Century Club in Aiken, South Carolina with 10 members. They completed their journey mostly as a group (3 more are still working on it). Listed in the front from left to right are: Marianne Scogin, Greg Teese, Caroline Teese, Jeff Brault and Fatina Ann Washburn Clark. Those in the back from left to right are: John Scogin, Mark Clark, Steven Delgenio, Ernest Hammond and Bruce McMurray.

Marianne Scogin is the Chapter President.

Congratulations to all the Chapter Members!