Wine & Words

Broadbent Sunflower Vinho Verde (Portugal) Everyday low price, $10.95
I last wrote about this wine a year ago when we were getting ready for a thirsty summer. This year, the price has gone up a buck, but at $10.95 it's still a great deal. This refreshingly dry and delightfully spritzy wine is the most popular white wine in Portugal. The name Vinho Verde (VEEN-yo VAIR-day) means "green wine" in Portuguese. Some say this is because of "hints of lime color" in the wine, others that it is "green" as in "fresh." Whatever...this is an ideal warm weather wine, because, at only 9% alcohol, you can quench your thirst with it. It's excellent for lunch and picnics and equally enchanting as an inexpensive evening aperitif to finish the day and get ready for dinner. It pairs well with fresh seafood dishes like steamed shrimp or oysters, and wine writer Jordan MacKay calls it "the world’s greatest pairing for a Caesar salad" (easing the salty tang of those furry fishes).
Customers are immediately attracted to the bright sunflower painting (pictured here) on the label of the tall, flute bottle. It was done by winemaker Bartholomew Broadbent's niece Alice when she was only four years old. The wine inside is as bright as the painting. Try it; it may become your summertime favorite.
 
Heinz Eifel Shine Riesling 2009 QbA (Pfalz, Germany) Everyday low price, $11.35
This is the first Riesling we've had that fits in our "$12 and Under" category. I've certainly tried others, but at this price point Riesling is usually a rather bland and insipid affair. Not this one. It's very refreshing, with a good, clean finish...everything you'd expect in a German Riesling, at way less than the price you'd expect.
 
A note on pronunciation
I struggled with the German language for a year in high school and another year in graduate school. Though I'm usually pretty good with languages, I never did master the long sentences and strange syntax. But I did learn the rules for pronouncing German words. The rule for combinations of "i" and "e" is that the word has the "long" sound of the vowel in second place. Thus Riesling is pronounced "REE-sling" and Weiss is pronounced "vice." Now you know.
That pronunciation problem has been a real challenge to German winemakers marketing their products in English-speaking countries. The wine labels usually have several rows of multi-syllabic German words that follow the German wine law description rules - producer, level of quality, vineyard, region. It's very off-putting to many American consumers. I mean, unless you're a real German wine afficionado, what do you make of a wine that's labeled "Dr. Loosen Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Spätlese Trocken Mosel-Saar-Ruwer"? A few years ago we had an excellent Grüner Veltliner that had a front label with a white background and large green letters saying "GREEN." It sold very well. The Römerhof winery that produces this Riesling from winemaker Heinz Eifel is taking the same tack, with a slash of orange and the simple word "shine" on the white label.
 
The German Fine Print
If you're interested in the details of German wine classification as they apply to this wine, read on. If you're not, skip this section and move on to a visit to your closest Wine & Words store and try it for yourself.
The German wine laws adapted in 1971 set up three categories defining the quality of German wines. The Shine Riesling carries the designation QbA - Qualitätswein bestimmter Anbaugebiet ("quality wine from a specified region"). This is the middle quality category in between Deutscher Tafelwein (DTW), the lowest quality, and Qualitätswein mit Prädikat (QmP), the highest. To qualify for QbA status, a wine must be tested by a local panel to ensure that it shows the typical character of an approved grape variety and of the region. In addition, the must (unfermented grape juice) needs to be a certain sugar level, and the wine must have a minimum alcohol content (the Shine is 10%). The required sugar and alcohol levels vary from region to region and from variety to variety. QbA wines must come from one of the thirteen Anbaugebiete (quality-wine regions) and cannot contain wine from any other region. So there you have it.
The shine Riesling is from the area of Pfalz ("falts"). With about 59,000 vineyard acres, this is the second largest of Germany's thirteen Anbaugebiete (quality-wine regions). However, it's often Germany's largest volume producer, averaging over 25 percent of the country's total wine production. The region's English name, Palatinate, is derived from the Latin palatium, meaning "palace." It refers to the first palace built by the Holy Roman Empire for its governors, who became known as Counts Palatine. The region was previously called the Rheinpfalz, but this was shortened in 1992 to Pfalz, the German transliteration of palatium. Pfalz borders France's Alsace region in the south and Rheinhessen in the north, with the Rhine River forming its eastern boundary.
 
Riesling Likes Food
The combination of a bit of sweetness and a crisp acidity make Riesling wines the summer food pairers par excellence. I looked up a list of "Riesling Food Pairing" on the internet and found everything from barbecued chicken and crabcakes to potato salad and grilled swordfish. Or you can take the modern fusion tack and pair it with spicy Asian foods. The cold sweetness is a very enjoyable way to quench a Thai fire. All in all, this a great new addition to our "$12 and Under" section. Come in and try it and see if you agree.
 
Bota Box Pinot Grigio & Cabernet Sauvignon (California) 3 Liter box $23.65 (equivalent to $5.92/bottle)
Wine in a box? What's my favorite wine shop coming to? Well, a lot of customers asked the same question when we started getting good premium wines bottled with screw caps. Huh? That's for cheap wine coolers like Ripple. Not anymore. Savvy wine drinkers are learning that what's in the container is a lot more important than what kind of container it is. Just as repeated tests have found that a screw cap keeps wine, even over a period of many years, in the condition the winemaker intended it to be, casual wine drinkers have found that wine that's in a plastic bladder with a close-able tap can be "open" for many weeks of enjoyable drinking. The box is perfect for boaters who have limited space and don't want the empty wine bottles rattling around in the bilge. Or for backyard barbecues when you have a wine guzzling crowd that you don't want to serve your Rioja Reserva to.
The Bota Box is named for the Spanish wine skin that was originally made of goat leather and lined with tree sap. The ones we all carried to concerts in the '60s were leather on the outside, with a latex liner inside. The Bota Box gives that same convenience - the equivalent of four bottles of wine in a plastic bag that is contained in a compact box that takes up less space in the refrigerator or can be tucked into your backpack or kayak for al fresco wine bibbing. The Bota Box is trying to be as green as possible, as well. The box is printed on recycled, unbleached Kraft paper using soy based inks. And the internal bag does not contain phthalate plasticizers or Bisphenol-A (BPA).
But is the wine any good? Well, they're not the best wines in the house, but they are most certainly drinkable. We wouldn't be selling them if they weren't. These are California wines made by the large Delicato producer, made to be cheap, accessible and popular.
We've chosen a red and a white that I think will be find favor for easy summer drinking.
For the white we've picked the Pinot Grigio. This is a great wine to keep in the fridge when you just want a glass of wine with friends on a hot day. Wine Spectator magazine gave the wine a very respectable 86 Points, calling it "Fragrant and perfumed, with floral notes. This has a silky smooth texture, a light body and tangy citrus flavors, and a soft acidity provides a refreshing edge."
The red Bota Box wine we're starting with is the Cabernet Sauvignon, because it's probably the most popular red wine that all your guests will know. The Bota Cab got 87 Points from Wine Spectator, with this decent review: "Supple and balanced, this ripe, spicy red shows berry, plum and cherry fruit, with a floral note. Gains depth and complexity, ending with ripe tannins. Drink Now. Tasted twice with consistent notes."
But you need to do your own taste test. We'll open a box of each variety at each store and give you samples as long as it lasts. We're always glad to help you drink more wine!