Jane's Weekly Wines from the Atlanta Wine School PRINT AND GO VERSION April 6th, 2006 Offbeat Reds *************************************************************************************** RETAILERS WHO SUPPORT THIS COLUMN AND HAVE HAD THIS LIST OF WINES IN ADVANCE. Pearson's Wines of Atlanta, 3072 Early St Nw Atlanta, GA 30305 -- 404-231-8752 Corner Wine & Art, 1402 N. Highland Avenue, Atlanta, GA 30306 -- 404-875-8810 Home Town Wine & Spirits, 4856 Hog Mountain Rd, Flowery Branch, GA --770-965-6058 The Colors of Wine, 2355 Cumberland Pkwy, Atlanta, GA 30339 -- 770-432-2828 Sigman Bottle Shop, 425 Sigman Road - Conyers, GA 30012 -- 770-929-8797 Shiraz, 675 Pulaski Street, Suite 400, Athens, GA 30601 -- 706-208-0010 Windward Beverage, 12915 Hwy 9, Alpharetta, GA 30004 -- 678-566-3301 IS YOUR WINE SHOP NOT LISTED HERE? HAVE THEM CALL 770-668-0435 *************************************************************************************** Kourous Nemea 2000 Nemea, Greece Light/medium-bodied dry red wine; medium translucent garnet red. Aromas of sweet cured tobacco with dried currants, red fruit flavors with currant notes. Not a lot of acidity (typical of the genre), but lovely flavors and easy tannins. I wouldn't hesitate to get this one fairly cool, especially in summer. Grape type: Agiorgitiko (pronounced ah-gee-or-GEE-tee-ko), a'k'a St. George, is the second most widely planted grape type in Greece. Nemea is in the Peleponiesse, in eastern Greece. Superb value. Great for lighter, casual fare: Spicy (but not hot) salamis; grilled sausages; pizza; sundry sandwiches (such as Philly cheese steak, wraps, braised beef with parsnip mashed potatoes; grilled pork tenderloin; pot pies or similar crust-enclosed stewed meets such as empanadas or Australian meat pies, and even Jamaican meat patties if not too hot spicy; roast chicken, Cornish hen ( very good), quail Savannah Distributing $10 88 ************************************************************************************* Cusumano Nero d'Avola 2004 Sicilia, Italy Big, full-bodied dry but fruity red wine; youthful purple red. Aromas of dark berries with decided blueberry notes. Flavors offer clean, juicy dark berry/blueberry fruit with firm and persistent but not aggressive tannins. Finish is long and clean. Vinified in stainless steel. Excellent value. Sicilia (Sicily) is the island that sits at the toe (Calabria) of the Italian boot. Hang a left, and you hit Tunisia (which explains why there was so much Moorish influence in Sicily throughout the Middle Ages.) Crazy good value. Full-flavored foods: Smoked meats, such as smoked liverwurst, Kansas City-style or Texas-style smoked beef brisket; ribs; smoked lamb shank, Chinese barbecued steaks or pork dishes; duck, Philly cheese steak with peppers and all the trimmings, sausage and peppers, lasagna, moussaka and similar layered casserole dishes, creamy blue cheeses (Gorgonzola dolce) and high-cocoa dark chocolate. Quality Wine & Spirits $11 88 ************************************************************************************* Jesse's Grove "Ancient Vines" Carignane 2004 Lodi, CA Fykk0bidued dry red wine; deep opaqie purple red. Aromas (hefty vanilla) attest to possibility of American oak usage, which sort of lays atop the bouquet. Hefty black fruit. Initial suggestion of brown spices that really bloom once decanted. Clean, juicy black fruit supported by solid fruit tannins. Finish comes out a bit hot. Vineyard is 117 years old, so "ancient" really applies. 15% estate Petite Sirah and 4% Syrah boost color and spiciness. Decanting is crucial. Moderately cool serving temperature, as a cooler temperature would de-emphasize the alcohol. Grape type: Carignane, a French variety also known as Cariña in Spain. Old wine guys in California used to call this grape "care-ee-gun-anne." Sounds like an Irish grape. But correctly, it's "car-eee-nyan." Assertively seasoned and rich foods: Smoked liverwurst; chorizo and other spicy salamis; barbecue with tomato-based barbecue sauce; roast duck; mole poblano; grilled lamb or ham steak; hanger steak with sesame-soy sauce; Chinese barbecue steak; ok with dark chocolate Quality Wine & Spirits $14 86 ************************************************************************************* Peirano Esatate Barbera "Heritage Collection" 2003 Lodi, CA Full-bodied dry red wine; deep purple red. Aromas of caramel and dried red and dark fruits; flavors focus on dried cranberries, red currants, and with a good thread of acidity knitting it all together. Very long finish with fruit leading the way, with a touch of dried herb in the finish.. Barbera is a grape of the Italian Piedmont, but obviously does very well in Lodi, CA. This tastes Italian, but with a California accent. Great value! Black olives, assorted salamis; peppered liver pàté; steak au poivre, with Cognac cream sauce; salami; smoked meats, roast duck or venison, smoked chicken, grilled or roasted Cornish game hen, roast chicken, braised meats and braised chicken thighs with caramelized onions and parsnip mashed potatoes; braised lamb shanks with barley "risotto"; firm, mild, aged cheeses Continental Beverage $14 89 ************************************************************************************* Bokisch Graciano 2003 Lodi, CA Big, full-bodied but fruit-focused dry red wine; deep purple red. Lovely stuff!!! Lively aromas of dark berries (currants, flavors suggest aromatic brown spices-pepper with dark berries, currants, and a slight suggestion of chocolate. Tannins are completely silky. This is just gorgeous. Grape type: Graciano (grah-see-AHN-oh) is grown in Rioja, Spain, and is rarely found in this country. With its voluptuous fruit, this one doesn't taste very much like a Spanish wine, but then it really isn't one. Aged for 16 months in neutral oak, so it's definitely not wood water. Limited production. Very fine value. Peppered liver pâté; Serrano ham; mild creamy-textured cheeses (such as Sweet Grass Dairy's Thomasville Tomme); smoked meats; Chinese beef and pork dishes (not afraid of soy); chicken or pork satay; grilled meats; game (especially venison); high-cocoa dark chocolate Ultimate Distributors $25 93 ************************************************************************************* Domaine Chandon Pinot Meunier 2003 Carneros, CA Medium-bodied dry red wine; bright translucent ruby red. Initial aromas announce use of American oak, with a somewhat disquieting vanilla and overt cola nose. But mercifully that settles, as cola notes and dark and red fruit aromas meld in a few minutes. American oak continues on the palate, with an underlay of vanilla and spice throughout. Tannins are silky soft; finish long and consistent with mid palate. Oak dominates fruit too much for my taste, but many consumers may find that aspect appealing. Pinot Meunier ("meunier" means "miller") is one of the major components of Champagne, along with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. It's most rare to find it vinified as a still table wine by itself. Cool serving temperature is important. All manner of Asian dishes: Chinese barbecue; Peking duck or other Chinese duck dishes; moo shu pork; soy-influenced Chinese pork dishes (but not sweet and sour); Chines barbecued steaks; roast chicken, Cornish hen or duck; roast pork tenderloin; beef-stuffed Malaysian pancakes; soy chicken; lamb with ginger; Asian hangar steak (Whole Foods) National Distributing Company $25 86