Wine Month

Over the course of wine month, we've discovered each of us gravitates toward certain varietals in our wine collection. I'm usually not one to crave a red wine in the middle of the afternoon, but a bone-chilling day in San Francisco called for a robust bottle of red to warm the office.

Thinking we were in for a heavy, tannic Cab, I reached to open the 2008 Silver Oak Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($70) for a little office tasting. To our surprise, the wine was surprisingly mellow, with brandied cherries, cinnamon, and chocolate hitting the nose and palate. I was fully anticipating a mouth-puckering, fuzzy-sweater finish, but the tannin finish was velvety, leaving only a subtle trace of its presence behind.

Midtasting, I noticed something very rare take place: tasters lingered around the bottle, refilling their glasses with another splash until the bottle reached its last drop in record time, a clear indicator that the wine is worth its weightier price tag. I returned to my desk a little warmer — and with a greater understanding of the potential of an Alexander Valley Cabernet.

Are you acquainted with Grüner Veltliner? This mineral-rich Austrian white is still somewhat under the radar in America, but I'd like to change that, sofort. Grüners tend to share many qualities with Riesling, another popular Austrian grape, and are exceptionally food-friendly thanks to pronounced acidity and a peppery finish. So to say that I eagerly awaited uncorking (or rather, twisting the top off of) the 2010 Domäne Wachau Federspiel Terrassen Gruner Veltliner ($16) is an understatement.

A few notes on the rather unwieldy name: Domäne Wachau is located in Wachau, a wine-growing region whose steep and rocky terraced land is ideal for the cultivation of Grüner Veltliner grapes. Federspiel denotes the must weight, or sugar percentage of the grapes upon harvest, and indicates a wine with low to moderate alcohol (11 to 12.5 percent) and a dry to off-dry finish. Lastly, Terrassen simply indicates that the grapes were grown on terraced land, which generally produces wines with subtle minerality, thanks to the rocky soil.

Luckily, the anticipation was well-warranted. I loved this Gruner's perfume of crisp Fall fruit and grass, as well as its minerality; the slight effervescence made the wine remarkably sippable. I wasn't the only taster coming back for seconds: one taster even proclaimed the vintage to be her "favorite thing ever." The verdict? A resounding win with great value.

Throughout the course of our wine month, we've extolled our fair share of ripe, full-bodied Pinots and robust Veronese blends. But the latest red we've tried is quite the opposite: it shines through in a subtle, understated way.

The 2010 Anderson Valley Pinot Noir ($46) is the latest appellation Pinot to come out of Twomey Cellars, the folks behind the renowned Silver Oak Cellars. We were lured by its intense aroma, a sweet scent of berries, black cherry, and smoke; "I just want to smell this all day and not drink it," one taster said.

But drink this we did, and without abandon. The wine, which was surprisingly light-bodied, had a nice amount of acidity and a silky-smooth finish. "Klassy with a K," another taster declared, in one of her finer moments. Classy indeed: we wish we had some dried fruit and a quality washed-rind cheese to wash down another bottle.

Photos: Anna Monette Roberts

As an educated consumer, I try not to read too much into labeling (after all, it's often naught but a marketing ploy) but was nonetheless intrigued by the 2010 Caricature Red Wine's ($15) claim to be a "wine of character with great legs." While from the outset that statement may seem glib, the LangeTwins Family Winery wasn't joking around: we unanimously agreed that this Cabernet Sauvignon-Zinfandel blend possessed great "legs" and a silky smooth mouthfeel to boot.

I don't generally find big reds to be very drinkable on their own, and prefer to enjoy them with a meal, but was surprised by how smoothly the sips went down, despite Caricature's earthy flavor profile and 14.2 percent alcohol content. Perhaps it was due to a case of the Tuesdays (far more vicious that the Mondays, one might argue), but the wine's velvety texture largely contributed to our copious consumption. Still, I'm pretty sure this bottle would be equally appropriate enjoyed under celebratory circumstances, whether sipped solo or enjoyed as part of a sumptuous meal with friends.

Chardonnay typically runs in two veins: either crisp and apple tart or buttery and oaky. People feel strongly about both sides, but those who gravitate toward latter flavors will love this 2010 Franciscan Estate Cuvée Sauvage Chardonnay from Napa Valley. At $40 a bottle, this is no table wine, but its unique method of fermentation and big, bold flavors make it worthy of opening on a special occasion.

Customarily, winemakers add yeast to the grapes to propel fermentation, but this Chardonnay is a cuvée sauvage. Sauvage in French means "wild" or "natural," indicating the grape juice, stored in a barrel, slowly developed natural yeast strains and fermented on its own. The fermented wine is then aged in oak barrels sur lie — meaning "on the yeast" — which contributes to added flavor complexity.

The wine pours out a golden hue, a sign that our palates are in for a strong, heavy white that holds its own and offers enough depth and intricacy to appeal to red-wine drinkers. On the nose and tongue, the scent and flavors sync harmoniously. Vanilla bean, butter, caramelized sugar, hazelnut, and toasty oak swirl together for a hefty, rich combination. Perhaps there's a slight hint of apple and lemon, but the fruitiness of the wine subtly lingers in the background. With each swallow, the velvety tannins from the oak coat the tongue and throat but don't stick there relentlessly. Red-wine drinkers, I challenge you to taste and enjoy this Chardonnay.

"Don't judge a book by its cover," or so the old adage goes. After a recent revelation, I'm convinced the same should apply to vino: don't judge a wine by its stereotype.

I learned this thanks in part to a recent blind wine tasting organized by SF Chefs and hosted by Wine Spectator's Gwendolyn Osborn. The panel included some of the country's most esteemed wine experts: wine importer and Master Sommelier Jesse Becker, Master Sommelier and CIA wine instructor Christie Dufault, and A16 wine manager Nico Sciackitano.

I've always said I prefer white over red and Old World wine over New World varieties, but that notion was flipped on its head when I blind-tasted the 2006 Clarendon Hills Grenache ($36). From the minute this brick-red wine stained my wine glass, I had an affinity for it, despite not knowing what it was. I was drawn in by the layers of cherry vanilla, spice, and stewed fruit on the nose, then left mystified by a eucalyptus, cinnamon-like flavor on the palate. And despite the moderate amount of tannin in the wine, it lingered with a silky, acid-forward finish. "It reminds me of Big Red gum," one sommelier declared. He was spot on.

I was convinced the wine was an older Napa Zinfandel, and so were all the sommeliers, so we were shocked to discover this wine was from South Australia. It was just proof that wines never cease to surprise. What was the last wine to shock you?

Photo: Nicole Perry

When a bottle of ready-to-pour Madria Sangria Moscato arrived at our office, we eyed it with equal parts suspicion and intrigue: after all, we're obsessed with the stuff and have tried dozens of homemade sangria recipes. Does the flavor of bottled sangria, which goes for $6 a bottle, match up to homemade batches? Find out if the sangria tastes authentic or artificial.

The most common Italian sparkling wine is Prosecco, which is a dry white sparkling wine made from Glera (Prosecco) grapes. However, Glera isn't the only grape to produce lovely Italian bubbly. We tried Santa Margherita's Vino Spumante Rosé ($24), which is a blend of 50 percent Chardonnay and five percent Malbec in addition to 45 percent Glera to achieve its salmon-colored hue.

This peachy wine is floral on the nose with a slight whiff of ripe berries, like a flower-flavored Perrier sans the sugar. On the tongue, rose, jasmine, and vanilla followed; a mouth-puckering finish helped those dry flavors to linger on the tongue. We'd likely pair this wine with a dozen shucked oysters, dressed in freshly squeezed lemon, and light antipasti before dinner. No wonder this wine quickly disappeared among our tasters.

We tried a Tempranillo Rosé earlier in our wine month, but it was time to try a real vino rojo de España, which is why we uncorked the Campo Viejo Rioja Gran Reserva 2004 ($25). Spanish winery Campo Viejo is old indeed and has been around La Rioja, a province in northern Spain, since 1959.

The prestigious-looking bottle caught our eye with its wire netting and regal label, and we quickly learned more about it: this particular bottle contains 85 percent Tempranillo, the indigenous grape of the area. And although Tempranillo translates to "early," because the grape ripens before other red grape varietals, our bottle was aged eight years and in oak barrels for 24 months.

The wine poured brick red and opaque, with a strong woodsy bouquet that filled the room upon opening. Fruits of the Summer like cherry and blueberry hit the nose. It was big and masculine, with high tannins, and after that wash of berries, the wine finished heavy with flavors of cigars and toast that lingered on the palate. Intended to be a slow-sipping wine to savor with fatty, rich foods, the Gran Reserva would be best enjoyed with rich Spanish tapas, stinky cheeses, and grilled red meats.

I don't like to play favorites, but I can't help but gush over today's bottle, the 2011 Eroica Riesling ($22), a superlative vintage from Washington state. Begat out of a partnership between two prominent Riesling producers (Dr. Loosen of Germany and Chateau Ste. Michelle of Washington state), this Washington-bred white marries the best qualities of the pair, resulting in a complex and eminently drinkable wine. Its intensely crisp and fruity perfume (think citrus and white peach) is well balanced by lingering minerality and moderate acidity on the tongue. While this bottle isn't cheap per se, it's an excellent value, and a bottle that I'd happily pay more than its moderate price tag for.

Truth be told, I could easily down a bottle of this wine solo (though I wouldn't recommend that), but I would wager that it would come to life when paired with spicy-sour-sweet Thai food or briny shellfish. I'll be sipping on mine while supping on fruits de la mer — specifically moules à la marinière.