Wine & Words

We're into that long, satisfying season in downeast Carolina when cold fronts from the northwest try to push into our mass of humidity and mosquitoes.  Some mornings I open the back porch door at dawn and smile at a delicious dry chill in the air.  Other mornings I'm hit in the face with mugginess and the sound of cicadas cranking up the heat of the day.  It's the time when we start thinking about getting in some dry kindling for that first night we want a fire in the stove.  And we start thinking about wines that will go with the cooler weather and heartier foods of the season.  This week we're introducing some new wines that will help us make it through.
 
Bosio Moscato d’Asti (Piemonte, Italy)  

Moscato d’Asti is the sparkling dessert wine made from Muscat grapes in the Asti region, south of Turin. The wine is made by holding the grape juice (“must”) in vats at near freezing temperatures until it’s time for the magic to begin. At the right time, yeast is added to the juice and it is slowly warmed until fermentation begins. The fermentation occurs in sealed stainless steel tanks so that the CO2 bubbles don’t escape, giving the wine its characteristic fizz that is lighter than that of Champagne or other sparkling wines. When the right alcohol and sugar level is achieved, the fermentation is stopped by chilling and the wine is bottled.
We’ve had several brands of Moscato d’Asti over the years, but we really like this one because the sweetness is cut by a very clean finish. Serve the wine well chilled with ripe fruit for a light and delicious dessert. Or have it with your meal if you like your wine a little sweet. It’s dee-lish!
 
Ken Forrester Petit Chenin (Stellenbosch, South Africa) Everyday low price $9.95
After a stint in the hotel industry, native South African Ken Forrester wanted a change. He and his wife and their young family had their eye on an abandoned 19th Century Dutch homestead situated on the slopes of the Helderberg Mountain in the historic winemaking region of Stellenbosch. They bought it, fixed it up and now are well settled on the farm, with their horses, all the rescued dogs, the stable cats, resident geese, ducks and an occasional wild buck or porcupine.
Chenin Blanc is a staple of Stellenbosch, where it is often called by its South African name “Steen.” Ken Forrester has made this grape a specialty. The wine keeps the luscious tropical fruit flavors and soft mouthfeel typical of Chenin Blanc, while adding a long, palate cleansing finish that makes this an excellent food wine. Here’s your chance to try the wine that was poured at Nelson Mandela’s 85th Birthday Celebration.
 
Campos Reales Tempranillo (La Mancha, Spain)  

We’ve written a lot about Tempranillo, the principal red wine grape of Spain. It’s the man grape in the great red wines of Rioja and Ribera del Duero. Here it’s grown in La Mancha, a hot, arid plain with rocky soil and Don Quixote’s windmills (and Manchego cheese). Under the hot sun of summer the Tempranillo grape develops all of its potential fruit. This ripeness makes the Campos Reales less lean and austere than some of the great Rioja Reservas, and that makes it easier drinking for every day. A great introduction to Tempranillo.

Kanonkop Kadette 2008 (Stellenbosch, South Africa) 

Kanonkop derives its name from the “kopje” (hill) from which a cannon was fired to alert surrounding farmers of trading ships stopping in Cape Town. This was some 300 years ago, but the Kanonkop winery is still making a big noise with its signature South African red grape, Pinotage. Pinotage was bred in South Africa in 1925 as a cross between the famous French wine grapes Pinot Noir and Cinsault. At its best, Pinotage produces deep red varietal wines with smoky, bramble and earthy flavors. When it’s done badly, however, there’s a funky, burnt rubber and bananas thing going on that’s definitely off-putting. Kanonkop does it right, and in this blend for “Kadette” or “students” they soften the introduction with more familiar grapes: 50% Pinotage, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc. This yields a Bordeaux style blend that is great with grilled or smoked meats. We are very pleased to re-introduce this wine just at the time when we’re getting a hankering for cool nights and warm reds.
The winemakers at Kanonkop say, in the typically sexist South African way:

Pinotage is the juice extracted from women’s tongues and lions’ hearts. After having a sufficient quantity one can talk forever and fight the devil.

Not a bad way to pass an autumn evening.