Wine & Words

As I’ve mentioned before, I get the opportunity to try a lot of different wines and evaluate them for inclusion in our Wine & Words list. Sometimes they fit into some theme that draws them together. This time the only things these new wines have in common is that they are distributed by Winesellers, Ltd. (a rep from Baltimore showed us the wines) and they’re from the Southern Hemisphere, where wine grapes are harvested in March and April. First, we have a new Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand, then we’ll introduce 3 new (for us) wines from Santa Julia, a project of Argentina’s Familia Zuccardi.
 
Fire Road Sauvignon Blanc 2009 (Marlborough, New Zealand) Regular Price $13.25/Feature Price $10.60
New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc has been winning new fans for years. We’ve carried some great ones. But a sort of arms race has developed with these wines, as they try to outdo each other in just how extremely Kiwi they can be. For instance, one of the refreshing notes that make NZ Sauvignon Blanc a great pairing with salads and vegetables is “herbaceous”...a scent of fresh vegetation. If you push that scent, you get “grassy,” considered a good thing in these New Zealand wines. But some of them started to smell like a glass of new mown lawn. Mix that with lime, gooseberry, kiwi (and the ever popular “cat pee”) and you’ve got a wine that’s so extreme it only appeals to cult fans. That’s why I like this Fire Road. It’s fresh and herbaceous, with tangy notes of lime...but it’s not at all extreme. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if this became a customer favorite. It will pair very well with summer seafood, salads and fresh vegetables. And it has enough fruit that it’s very fine for drinking on the front porch.
The wine is from Marlborough, a region that is on the northern end of the south island. This is the main New Zealand winemaking region, representing 62% of the country’s wine production (mostly Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir). The bottle label has what looks like a streak of fire char across it, a tribute to the great fire of Boxing Day 2000 that destroyed livestock and thousands of acres of vineyards. The courageous people of the town that is now known as Fire Road fought the blaze with garden hoses, buckets and shovels. The vines have been replanted, and we reap the benefit.
 
Familia Zuccardi and Santa Julia
Familia Zuccardi is a family-led company, founded in 1963 by Alberto V. Zuccardi and directed today by his son, José Alberto Zuccardi. In September 2007 the prestigious Decanter magazine recognized Jose Alberto Zuccardi as one of the five most influential wine personalities of Argentina. One of the reasons for that influence is that the Zuccardi crew has taken a lead in the introduction of new vineyard and winemaking techniques and the development of wine grape varietals that are not usually grown in Argentina, such as Tempranillo, Bonarda, Viognier, Caladoc, Marselan and Ancellotta. And they made the first late-harvest sweet dessert wine in Argentina, Santa Julia Tardío, made from 100% Torrontes grapes, as well as a fortified Malbec wine they call Malamado. You would think that all of this innovation would come with a price, and for many of their premium reserve wines, that’s true. But the Santa Julia range of wines are designed to be well-made, interesting wines at a mass-market price. Two of our new introductions are from the Santa Julia “Organica” line, wines from grapes that are grown in ways that sustain the productivity of the land, as well as winemaking techniques that handle the grapes carefully, coaxing out their goodness without the use of additives or enhancers. And all at a great price. That works for me.
 
Santa Julia Sparkling Brut Rosé (Mendoza, Argentina) Regular Price $14.40/ Feature Price $11.52
We start with a dry sparkler of 100% Pinot Noir. This is a lovely wine for summer, with a deep rose color and aromas of ripe strawberries. But don’t let first impressions fool you. This is no "fun wine" meant to be tossed off by the tumbler full, but rather an elegant dry sparkler that carries all of Pinot Noir’s great food matching qualities. We served this one the other night with Chef Yvonne's Grilled Salmon with Grape Sauce.  It was a revelation.  Make sure you try this wine before I drink all of it myself.
 
Santa Julia Organica Torrontés 2009 (Mendoza, Argentina) Everyday low price $10.95
Next is the white we’re introducing from the Organica line, a wine of 100% Torrontés grapes. Now, Torrontés (tore-on-TAYS) has never been a household name in the US, but it is becoming the signature white grape of Argentina. The grape is related to the Malvasia family in Europe, a grape that gives many European wines a fruity, floral note. No one knows how it got to Argentina, but it’s been there a long time, so it was probably brought by Spanish monks, whose need for communion wine, (and, I assume, Saturday night pleasures to relieve the boredom of foreign postings) made them a great distributor of wine grapes around the globe.
I would compare this wine to the more familiar Riesling or Viognier. It has very nice fruit, but finishes dry and clean. It’s a very refreshing summertime quaffer, but I’d pair it with seafood, salads, or even spicy Asian dishes. Try it while we’re featuring it. You’ll be glad you did.
 
Santa Julia Organica Bonarda/Sangiovese (Mendoza, Argentina) Everyday low price $10.95
This new red is a 50/50 blend of two grapes that originated in Italy and are doing very well in Mendoza. Bonarda is from Italy’s northern Piemonte region, where it makes light, fruity wines. But it has fallen into disfavor there. Sangiovese is, of course, the main red grape of Tuscany and the backbone of the great wines of Chianti. The Zuccardi people have artfully blended the characteristics of both grapes to yield a wine that is tasty, easy-drinking and very food friendly... and organic and affordable, to boot. You’ll be amazed.