Friday, December 9, 2011

How to Taste Wine Like the Pros by Doug Rosen

Okay, there’s no way around it; it takes years of training and experience to taste wine like a pro. However, there are a few things you can learn to be better equipped to analyze and enjoy the wine in your glass.

The first thing is to start out with a clean glass. That would seem obvious but it isn’t. By clean I mean NEVER use a glass straight from your cabinet without first rinsing it with water. All cabinets impart aromas to glasses in a matter of minutes. These aromas taint the wine instantly. Not to mention that many soaps and dishwasher detergents leave noticeable aromatic residues. This is the single most prevalent mistake made.

There are some out there in the wine world who think that rinsing a glass with wine is enough to season a glass but they are wrong. Detergents and their residues are formulated to dissolve in water, not wine, and wine doesn’t get rid of cabinet smells either. Tap water is fine to rinse a glass; if you can then use a little wine in the rinsed glass to remove the water residue and season the glass, even better.

Now how to taste. Start off by selecting a glass that’s generous (at least 8 oz); this gives you enough surface area to swirl the wine and expose it to oxygen without spilling it all over yourself.

Color:

Pour about 1 to 2 ounces in the glass. Use a sheet of white paper, holding it behind the glass to try to get a real sense of the wines’ clarity and color.

Is the wine clear or cloudy? Wine in the glass should always be clear and translucent.

Tilt the glass and observe the color to the rim. Is it consistent or does the color or hue taper off. Young wines have less color variation. Oak aging also fixes color in both reds and whites. The more new wood the deeper the color. Older red wines can take on a brickish tone, while whites become golden.

Not all wines are deeply colored. Malbec, cabernet and merlot-based wines are blue to purple, while pinot noirs, gamays, nebbiolo and sangiovese-based wines have less color naturally and are more red in appearance.

The Nose:

To get started, swirl the wine in the glass to release the aromas. Tilt the glass and really get your nose in there. This is perhaps the most complicated part of the process. The nose tells you many things.

The aroma of the wine should be identifiable as coming from a particular grape variety, for example plums for merlot or lime for sauvignon blanc. The nose also tells you if a wine has been aged in oak and if so what kind of oak was used: spice/vanilla aromas from French oak or coconut aromas from American oak. Keep in mind that the aromatics contributed from the oak aging should never dominate the aromatic profile.

The nose is also the first place to pick up defects in a wine such as:
  • Cork taint, which imparts an earthy, cardboard-like smell, akin to a wet basement
  • Volatile acidity, or a vinegar smell
  • Excess sulphur, like a burned match
  • Oxidation, or a sherry-like aroma
  • Mercaptan, smells like skunk
  • Brettanomyces, which has many unpleasant variations such as barnyard, leather, mouse or band-aid like smells.
Remember, a wine is fermented from grapes and should always smell “fruity.” If it doesn’t, that’s not good! And now for the fun part…

Tasting the wine:

Take a sip large enough to cover your palate and hold it in your mouth, yet open your lips and inhale slightly to oxygenate the wine. Is the wine dry or sweet? Smooth or coarse? Notice the weight of the wine, what we call the body. Is the wine thin/watery or thick/oily? Are the acids in balance? Is the wine refreshing to drink or fatiguing? Are the flavors complex or simple? After spitting the wine out (yes, you have to spit if you’re tasting), do the flavors of the wine stay with you or do they evaporate immediately? Are all the flavors in balance or as I like to say, is the wine a circle with nothing protruding? What flavors come to mind? Get creative!

Throw a party:

The best way to learn about wine is to taste several wines at a time. The most educational approach is to (for example) try several chardonnays from Burgundy; better yet from one a village like Chasssagne Montrachet but from different vineyards in the village. Or chardonnays from around the world: one from California, France, Australia and South Africa etc. That’s fun and educational. Invite some friends and pull some corks!

Friday, December 2, 2011

Your Wine Guy: Understanding Terroir by Doug Rosen

Why drink wine? If liquor is quicker and beer cheaper, what makes us go to such lengths to understand, collect and treasure wine?

The answer is simple: no other beverage — alcoholic or not — has the ability to convey the unique flavors of its birthplace. Wine and wine alone, when deftly made, speaks of the flavors of a unique plot, climate, and growing season.

Have you ever wondered why an Oregon pinot noir doesn’t taste like a Burgundy?  Or why a Bordeaux doesn’t taste like a California cabernet or a Cahors like an Argentine Malbec? Terroir is the first place to look. It’s the expression of a unique signature, of an address that can’t be duplicated; the elusive specificity, driven by the confluence of grapes, soil, and sun. It’s the notion that only fermented grape juice has the ability to sign its own birth certificate.

Even identical grapes planted yards apart can yield different flavors.  The undulating hills of Burgundy’s Côte d’Or (golden slope) are the world’s most famous example. Wine enthusiasts can spend lifetimes trying to understand and master the subtleties and nuances of each of the hundreds of parcels. Each of these parcels can have a slightly different soil structure due to its location on the slope, sun exposure and drainage, creates thousands of unique microclimates that affect everything from taste, to aromas, to longevity.

How to explore the notion of terroir? Taste, taste and taste some more, but don’t just taste one bottle at a time. Taste with a purpose. Select at least four different wines of the same varietal (e.g. cabernet, pinot noir or chardonnay) and taste them at one time (a great party theme), noting the differences in color, aromas, texture, flavors and finish. All four can be from the same viticulture area (e.g. Napa Valley, Willamette Valley or Burgundy) or you can choose to tour the world, and select one from each area (e.g. pinot noir from California, Oregon, Burgundy and New Zealand).  For an even more challenging tasting, select four from the same village and note the differences that can be found within an area of only a few square miles (e.g. Chambolle Musigny in Burgundy).

Have fun, but pay attention to your preferences. Was it the aromas, mouth-feel or flavors that you especially liked? Try to dissect exactly what about those components drew you in. Armed with that information, your local fine wine merchant can serve you better on your next visit.

Shopping List

Sauvignon Blanc From Around the World
 
2009 Wild Rock Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand $13.99
2010 Domaine Joel Delaunay Sauvignon Blanc, Touraine, France $14.99
2010 Yorkville Cellars Sauvignon Blanc, Mendocino, California $17.99
2010 Colutta, Colli Orientali Del Friuli, Italy $19.99

Pinot Noir From Around the World

2010 Over The Edge, Pinot Noir, Martinborough, New Zealand $15.99
2010 Grochau Cellars Commuter Cuvee, Willamette Valley, Oregon $19.99
2009 Jean Michel et Laurent Pillot Bourgogne – $21.99 $21.99
2009 Banshee Pinot Noir, Sonoma County, California $25.99

Wines Within One Area – 2009 Boyer-Martenot Meursault

2009 Boyer-Martenot Meursault “Les Tillets” $49.99
2009 Boyer-Martenot Meursault-Charmes 1er Cru $75.99
2009 Boyer-Martenot Meursault-Genevrières 1er Cru $79.99
2009 Boyer-Martenot Meursault Perrières 1er Cru  $82.99

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Picking The Right Thanksgiving Wine by Doug Rosen

Every year around late November, the phrase “Okay, you bring the wine for Thanksgiving” strikes fear into the hearts of millions of Americans. Thanksgiving dinner is the culinary equivalent to Dante’s Inferno and poses a distinct pairing challenge.

Why is Thanksgiving dinner so difficult? Well, let’s face it — turkey is pretty bland. We brine it, marinate it, stuff it, spice it, and perhaps even deep-fry it. Then we throw the entire kitchen pantry at it in an effort to add some flavor to the Thanksgiving meal.

To further complicate the Thanksgiving conundrum, the meal can be completely different in every home. It’s not easy to try to find the right wine for the hodgepodge that is each of our Thanksgiving dinners. Like a favorite pair of jeans, each of us has familiar and comfortable “traditional family” dishes, without which Thanksgiving just wouldn’t be the same.

From my experience, most Thanksgiving meals are distinctively sweet. Adding sweetness in any form — cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, marshmallows — changes the wine equation.

So here’s the vinous equivalent of a “Get Out Of Jail Free” card: If anything, and I mean anything, on your Thanksgiving table is sweet then you can’t serve a bone-dry wine. It doesn’t matter whether it’s red or white, if there’s anything sweet on the plate, a bone-dry wine will clash with the food.

A great wine selection would be a fruit-focused or fruit-forward California or Oregon pinot noir that is not oaky, like the 2010 Angeline (California) or 2009 Artisanal (Oregon). If you want a little wood, try a California zinfandel like the 2009 Quivira, which has lots of fruit.

If your Thanksgiving dinner is truly savory, then I would opt for a delicious glass of food-friendly Beaujolais like 2009 Chateau Prety, or Red Burgundy (Bourgogne) like 2009 Jean Michel et Laurent Pillot. Another delicious French pinot noir is the 2009 Grosbot-Barbara Chambre d’Edouard from the Loire Valley. Overall 2009 was an outstanding vintage throughout France.

Be sure to stay away from reds with aggressive grape tannins such as young red Bordeaux, Argentine malbecs or most California cabernets. The tannins make turkey taste metallic.

While many people prefer red wine with turkey, I prefer white, such as a pinot gris from Oregon like 2010 Willow Crest, pinot blanc from Alsace like 2010 Fritsch, or a slightly off dry Mosel Kabinett from Germany like 2009 Ehlen Erderner Treppchen.

With the weather turning cooler, a bottle of 10-year-old Tawny Port as a gift for your host is a great idea. Nothing is more welcomed as the autumn nights turn cooler than a small glass of port and it keeps in the refrigerator for months.

And don’t forget to bring Champagne or your favorite sparkling wine to drink while cooking or watching Thanksgiving football. A glass or two of bubbly will keep the cook and guests happy.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Shopping list:



Reds
  • 2010 Angeline Pinot Noir – $12.99
  • 2009 Chateau Prety Beaujolais Villages – $14.99
  • 2009 Sean Minor Four Bears Pinot Noir – $16.99
  • 2009 Grosbot-Barbara Chambre d’Edouard – $16.99
  • 2009 Quivira Zinfandel – $19.99
  • 2009 Jean Michel et Laurent Pillot Bourgogne – $21.99
  • 2009 Artisanal Pinot Noir – $24.99
  • 2008 Baileyana Pinot Noir – $25.99
Whites
  • 2010 Willow Crest Pinot Gris – $14.99
  • 2009 Cave Spring Riesling – $14.99
  • 2010 Fritsch Pinot Blanc – $14.99
  • 2009 Ehlen Erderner Treppchen Kabinett – $15.99
  • 2009 Domaine Larredya Jurançon Sec – $19.99
Champagne
  • Dumont NV – $35.99
  • Jose Michel Tradition NV – $38.99
  • Jean Vesselle Reserve – $44.99
Tawny Port
  • Burmester Jockey Club Reserve – $25.99
  • Quinta de La Rosa 10 Year – $29.99
Sign up for Arrowine’s money saving email offers and free wine and beer tastings at www.arrowine.com/mailing-list-signup.aspx.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Understanding The Master of Milk, Willi Schmid

After spending two weeks with Willi Schmid and his crew at Städtlichäsi creamery in Lichtensteig, Switzerland, I came to understand what makes this cheesemaker and his cheese so special. World famous Swiss affineur Rolf Beeler, the great Swiss cheese importer Caroline Hostettler, and the author of Swiss Cheese, Dominik Flammer all say he is the best. But, I needed to understand for myself, what makes him so great?



Willi Schmid, a lifetime resident of the Toggenburg region of Switzerland, is a master at listening to the voice of the land and translating that voice into distinctive and ever-evolving artisanal cheese. His unprecedented creativity and a very broad knowledge of the science of cheese makes him one of the world’s leading cheesemakers. He has truly taken the craft of cheesemaking to a new level. Simply put, Willi Schmid combines innovation with tradition to create unique cheeses of the highest quality that also happen to be Swiss. But there is nothing simple about how Willi accomplishes this. His understanding of the milk of his region is unsurpassed and he knows how to transform a specific day’s milk into an appropriate cheese expression. He has largely broken free of the classic Swiss cheese types and creates many styles, from goat’s milk blues to pine bark-wrapped washed rinds; about 30 different kinds in all. Though some of these styles are new, they are completely terroir driven; conveying the personality of each milk, the season, and the land.


Willi Schmid thinks and operates and on a very intense level. In the creamery, he moves fast and exacting while juggling three to five recipes at one time in his head, using only his nose and palate, a thermometer, and 28 years of experience to guide him. Before 9 a.m. this man has received milk from a few local farmers, driven to get local milk, driven the whey to local pigs, and made not just one great batch of cheese, but about four different kinds. They are all made with raw or thermised (gently pasteurized) milk from Brown Swiss and Jersey cows, goats, sheep, and even four beautiful water buffalo. After using very unique and innovative techniques in the creamery, the bare minimum is done in the caves in order to let the milk shine. There is little blue mold or white bloom and no heavy washed rinds.

For Willi, the raw materials are absolutely the most important element of cheesemaking.  He lives by the philosophy that only great cheese can come from great milk. Working with the area’s best farmers, he only uses milk of the highest quality. Willi examines the milk each morning by tasting it and only decides then which cheese recipe will best express the milk. He is very aware of the seasonal changes to the milk and isn’t afraid to adjust his production schedule because of these changes.




Just like the different wine varietals, each breed’s milk tastes different and, therefore, some of his cheeses are only made with a certain breed’s milk, and often only a particular herd of that breed. This kind of attention to detail reminds me of great winemakers but, in the world of cheese, this practice is almost unheard of.

I credit my experience and education at Arrowine for understanding the importance of raw materials and the effects of manipulation in regard to wine and cheese. My bosses Doug Rosen and Shemsedin Hassen consistently select wines that are an honest expression of the grape and land it grows on. I have heard them say over and over that, “Great wine is made in the vineyards”.  It is not made with technology and especially not made by just creating a wine for the masses or the reviewers.


Jersey Blue, draining
Willi fills the forms with curd by hand.
Jersey Blue curds

Similarly, the very best cheeses are an honest expression of their breed of animal, it’s milk, and the land it eats from. They are not heavily manipulated in the creamery or aging cellars. Great cheese is made in the fields, but it is also made by great farmers and cheesemakers. 

The author of Swiss Cheese, Dominik Flammer, said to me, “There is always tradition behind innovation”. This is what makes Willi Schmid so great: he has mastered the classics during his 28 year career and yet has risen to a higher level of artistry that we can all admire and enjoy.  


More posts about my trip, Willi Schmid, and the Swiss dairy culture coming soon!

Sunday, May 1, 2011

From Arlington to The Alps!

Katie Carter Journeys to Switzerland

When I became a cheesemonger in 2004, I took it upon myself to learn everything I could from other serious cheese professionals and organizations. My education took me to New York every week for a "Master Cheese Class" at the Artisanal Cheese Center in Manhattan. It was during these classes that I discovered the work of Swiss Affineur, Rolf Beeler. Rolf Beeler does not make cheese, he selects cheese from only the best producers around Switzerland and carefully ages them to perfection in his caves. Beeler then puts his own label on the cheese and sells them throughout the world.

Like most other people, the extent of my knowledge of Swiss Cheese prior to being a cheesemonger was limited to mediocre Gruyere, Appenzeller, and really bad Emmenthaler knockoffs. It was because of Beeler's work that I fell in love with the cheeses of Switzerland.

Swiss Affineur (cheese ager), Rolf Beeler
Arrowine introduced as many Beeler and other great Swiss cheeses as I could to our cheese-loving customers. We all marveled at the diversity of flavors and textures, as well as the fine craftsmanship of traditional Swiss cheesemakers. I was so impressed with the new Swiss Cheeses, that when we began selling "Forsterkase", I declared it to be "life-changing" on its sign. Yes, this cheesemonger got a lot of laughs and funny looks for that one.

Turns out, that cheese IS changing my life.  In January, I attended a tasting in Manhattan to meet the creator of that cheese, Willi Schmid. Beyond tasting almost his entire collection of cheese creations (over 24), I became completely inspired by his work, his stories, his dedication to the craft. It was clear this man was at the forefront of a new movement of cheesemaking. I decided then that I had to learn more from him and that going to his tiny village in Switzerland was the best way to accomplish that.

Willi Schmid
Today, I will be traveling to Lichtensteig, Switzerland to work with Willi at his creamery in order to know as much as possible about him, his cheese, and his unique methods. In addition to working in the creamery, I will be traveling throughout Switzerland visiting other cheesemakers, farmers, and affineurs to learn the details of the country's cheese culture. Expect many pictures, stories, tastings, and lots of fascinating details. Follow my journey on this blog, Arrowine's Facebook page, and via twitter.

Wish me good luck, people! Did I mention I can't speak German...?
~Katie Carter

Thursday, April 21, 2011

The 2011 Cheesemonger Invitational!


Arrowine's Cheese Department Manager, Perry Soulos, will be competing in the 2nd annual Cheesemonger Invitational this July in New York!! The Cheesemonger Invitational is the biggest gathering of the year for cheese professionals. Fromagers, cheesemongers, and other cheese lovers convene at the Larkin cheese warehouse to celebrate cheese and the professionals who support the craft.

So, what do cheesemongers do when they get together? Eat cheese, show off their crazy mongering skills, and party, of course!  The mind-blowing cheese inspired dishes of Chef Tia Keenan, will be served; the thoughtful and creative fare is sure to inspire the visiting mongers to rethink the typical cheese board. Also, cheese-slinging DJ's will rock the warehouse all night. Thankfully, I doubt the music will be cheese-inspired.

The night's biggest event, though, will be a competition between the country's top mongers.  $10,000 in cash prizes will be awarded to the top ten. Wrapping, cutting, displaying, and selling skills will be put to the test in what Larkin describes as, "Iron chef meets American Idol meets Dancing with the Stars FOR CHEESE". Don't you wish you were a cheesemonger?!

We'll keep you updated and let you know how we rank. Wish us good luck!

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Willi Schmid's Millstone


In a land united by wonderful dairy products, cheesemaker Willi Schmid represents the new school of Swiss cheese. Schmid is a true innovator and creates over two dozen cheeses that most wouldn't associate with the grand mountain cheeses of Switzerland. Though making cheese is a relatively new venture for Schmid, his creations have already been recognized as some of the very best in all of Switzerland. Swiss affineur (professional cheese ager) Rolf Beeler said of Schmid, "No other cheesemaker in our country is as talented, as curious and as innovative as Willi".

He creates cheese on a tiny scale in his small creamery in Lichtensteig, about an hour east of Zurich. Each day he personally collects goat, cow, sheep, or water buffalo's milk from his farmers. He only decides what cheese to make after tasting the milk. This is practically unheard of, as most cheesemakers adhere to a rigid cheesemaking schedule and market demands. Not Willi. His artistic nature, the milk characteristics, and the seasons determine which cheese is made. Schmid fervently defends the tradition of using pure, raw milk as he (and most cheesemakers) believe the best cheese is made with unadulterated, raw milk. It is a fundamental notion that flavors of the land shine through if milk is absolutely pure and made into cheese very soon after the animals are milked.


Among his many cheeses is Millstone, a large cheese made into a shape of a wheel (or a millstone), with a hole in the middle. Made from raw Jersey cow's milk, the yellowish paste is semi soft in texture and riddled with many, small "mechanical" holes. The gray rind grows naturally during the cheese's six to ten week ripening period in Schmid's aging rooms. The aroma of the rind is musty but delicate, while the paste has a sweet milky aroma. It does have a cow smell, not to be confused with a farm smell. There are no funky, unclean aromas of a rustic barn. The flavors are clean, rich, and the taste of the pastures that the cows graze on shine through. It also offers a well-balanced acidity which rounds out the cheese.

Millstone differs from the typical Alpine cheeses that Arrowine sells. It is relatively young and does not offer the very deep, complex nutty flavors of say, Hoch Ybrig or Gruyere. This can be a welcome change, as Millstone can be eaten casually everyday on it's own and in cooking.

Though we have developed a strong relationship with Willi Schmid and Caroline Hostettler, the fantastic importer who discovered Willi, we have found it difficult to keep a steady supply of his cheese in stock. Around the world, demand for his creations is huge. Schmid only releases his cheese when he deems them perfect, which we all respect, but sometimes the timing is not in our favor. Be sure to ask the mongers at Arrowine if we have any of his cheeses, they are all beautiful and deserve your attention. At this time, we have about half a wheel left of Millstone. Stop in soon for a taste, this exceptional cheese won't last long.



~Katie Carter, cheesemonger

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Catherine Faller of Domaine Weinbach stops by Arrowine!

Today, we were lucky enough to be visited by Catherine Faller, proprietor of Domaine Weinbach in Alsace, France. She briefly talks to Doug about the '08 and '09 vintages and her switch to Biodynamic practices.

Welcome to the Arrowine Blog!

We are adding a blog to our list of ways to passing on our passion and knowledge for all things wine, craft beer, artisanal cheese, and charcuterie. Our wonderful cheesemongers and wine staff will be contributing to this blog. Feel free to comment and give suggestions on specific topics you would like to hear about. Thanks for the support, cheers!