Hopkins
The Cool Grapes of Connecticut’s Wine Trail
Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009 | Favorite Wine Destinations, Hopkins, vineyard | 2 Comments
Cold, snow, leaves changing color, New York City, Martha’s Vineyard….most of you out there might think there’s just a lot of preppy talk going on up here in New England. What many people don’t know is that Connecticut, despite it’s continually changing weather, beaches along the Sound and clam bakes, we’re toting almost 40 different vineyards, 26 which are active wineries!
For The Love Of Wine!
Friday, January 2nd, 2009 | Hopkins, Tasting Room Stories, Wine Stories | 3 Comments
“I really don’t like wine, but I WANT to! How do I learn to love it?”
Do you know how often I hear that question? It’s the strangest thing. I would be in the tasting room at Hopkins pouring wine for someone who has really only ever drank beer or hard liquor, and then they are in front of me tasting something they conceivably don’t even like. But they WANT to!
I guess the most obvious idea would be to figure out what it is they do or do not like about it in the first place. Kind of reminds me of my love / hate relationship with broccoli-rabe. For the longest time I really despised the stuff; I usually love ALL vegetables. But every time I had it, it was bitter and tart and just not pleasing to my palate. That was until one fine evening I decided to cook it MY way: lots of garlic, butter, lemon and sautee for EVER. I tried cooking the tartness right out of those dastardly stalks. And it worked. I now have an appreciated love for the plant. Plus, it’s amazing with Italian sausage, almost a perfect pair, and freshly shaved Parmesan! But I digress……
Ok, so wine. Where does one start? I would say from the majority of folks I talked to about their ‘hate’ of wine, when you really got down to the truth of the matter, they didn’t hate ALL wines. They seemed to like the sweet ones at least, or the semi-sweets. I myself, in my earlier wine days, could not appreciate red wine in all the world, but I liked the whites. I personally really got into Spanish Albarinos mostly because that was what was available to me at the restaurant where I hosted. It was easy, light, not too much crazy flavor going on, good with most vegetable dishes and any and all fish entrees.
I’d say the most important thing to keep in mind is that your palate is kind of like an instrument. You can’t just pick up a violin or sit at a piano and start playing from day one and know how to read the notes. Your tastebuds may or may not like flavor shocks and the brain can’t comprehend all it’s experiencing in some wines. It needs a little easing and understanding about what’s going on. It’s a learned skill, something that can be finely tuned, but can also handle some broad notes. The broad notes in the wine tasting world would be your big 6: Pinot Gris or Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonney, Pinot Noir, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. I usually find that a fellow taster will always find at least ONE of the big grape varietals to suit him or her. Next, start buying that kind of wine from all different regions, like France, Chile, Spain, Australia, California, Italy. You’ll really start getting a sense of flavors, sweetness, dryness, foods you like to go with it. Some wines even act like fragrances that conjure up memories of a past experience or a person or a place. Those are my favorite because you can always remember the wine by how you feel.
After you feel like you’ve tackled a wine or varietal of grape, then move on. You’ll get bored if you stick to the same thing forever. And believe me, there is a VAST SEA of wines out there to experience. Sometimes the best wines are those you stumble upon by accident. And it doesn’t hurt to have a little wine journal handy to jot a few notes down. “Love it” “Hate it” “Great with Lobster” “Too sweet” “Tastes Like horse leather” (it’s been known to happen) whatever. You get the idea. Here’s a form you can download to have around the house for your next tasting experience or with friends.
If you are curious to know what my favorite wines are, send me an email. I’ll have to make a list one of these days as that seems to be the other constant question I get all the time. Until next time…… Cheers!
The Unusual Trio - Foch, DeChaunac & Baco Noir
Thursday, October 2nd, 2008 | Hopkins, Wine Tasting Notes | No Comments
The past few months that I’ve been at the winery, every time I engage some customers in a tasting, I pour them the elusive blend of wine we call ‘Red Barn Red‘. It’s a non-vintage, red table wine, and it sounds so simple, but it’s a blend of grapes that almost no one has ever heard of. Clearly, I had to take it upon myself to do some investigating. That way I’d be ready for the rapid fire of questions that are due to come. So far I’ve been lucky….
The juice is brought in from other vineyards near the NY Finger Lakes, and may change from year-to-year based on availability. The grapes in the wine at hand involve 4 types: Cabernet Franc (which is widely known), but also Marechal Foch, Baco Noir and DeChaunac.
What, pretell, are those?? Well to start, let me just help you pronounce these crazy grape varietals. Please don’t think it trite of me to help you with this, as these get butchered so horribly all the time, kind of like our Sachem’s Picnic is never pronounced on the first try correctly. (But I digress….we’ll save that one for another time.)
Marechal Foch: Mare - esh - all Fosh (as in the ‘o’ in ‘boat’)
Baco Noir: BA-koh NWAHR ( a french type of pronunciation)
DeChaunac: De - show- nack (a softer fluidity, however)
MARECHAL FOSH
- Early-ripening variety, with good winter hardiness.
- French-American hybrid developed by Eugene Kuhlmann.
- Considered to possess Burgundian characteristics, having a vibrant, deep purple color, with a light-medium structure and dark berry fruit characteristics.
- Hard-Cold Tolerance up to -20 degrees Fahrenheit.
BACO NOIR
- Baco noir was first created by French wine hybridizer, Maurice Baco
- Also known as Baco 1
- Produces rich, highly pigmented red wines with pronounced acidity.
- Aromas of the wine are pleasantly rustic and smoky.
- Medium body, deeply tinted, acidic red wine which is fruit forward and often carries aromas of black fruits and caramel.
- Used as a replacement for Cabernet Sauvignon in Northern growing regions, such as Canada / NY Finger Lake regions.
- Interesting to note: This variety does not have tannins like those of the Cabernets or Merlot.
DECHAUNAC
Developed by Albert Seibel circa 1860. It is also known as Seibel 9549.
Hardy to -15 Fahrenheit.
Yields a balanced and fruity wine of good quality, with generally low to mild tannin levels.
Makes a good Rose.
TASTING NOTES FOR RED BARN RED:
Very light, fruity, slightly tannic / spritzy red wine. The first sniff lends itself to lots of sour bing cherry fruit with a very light strawberry aroma lingering in the background. First sip is punchy, lots of tart red berry fruit, with a touch of pepper from the cab franc. Some tastes remind me of a young, bright pinot noir, or a beaujolais-style wine. Dark currant and blackberry fruit sit in the finish. Enjoy with some earthy goat-cheese, like Cana de Cabra, or penne ala vodka.
Ready to drink now.
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