July 2009 - Mixed Whites

The Fermented Femmes tend to prefer red wines, but as it was summer we decided to try something different and do whites. We discussed doing one type of white (pinot grigio or chardonnay), but the consensus was that we should do mixed whites. Each lady brought a different white wine, and each prepared a little information about the wine to present to the group. (This IS an educational group after all!)

My recollection is that we had Thai food for our meal. Thai food goes very well with some of the whites that we had -- especially Riesling. We also had some veggie sushi. The food was great, but the company was even better.

You will note that in some of my wine comments I wrote "Dad would like." I feel I have to explain this... My dad - the infamous Norm Latner - is a die-hard Manishewitz drinker. That's what he grew up on, and that's what he thinks wine should taste like (ie: sweet). Now to his credit, over the last few years he has moved from Manishewitz (which he still thinks is the Holy Grail of wine) to White Zinfandel (ugg!) to Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio and Reisling. Yes -- he's made some progress, but he's not quite ready for a Cabernet. Anyway, some of the wines that we had this evening I thought he would really enjoy.

Wines for the evening were:

• Pinot Grigio: Sortesele Santi della Venizi. Italy. 2007 - Bright, almost lemony. Dry. Clean tasting. 3.5 stars.
• Sauvignon Blanc: Forefathers. Marlboro, New Zealand. 2007 - Grassy smell, vegetable like. asparagus, dirt, interesting!!! Good with sushi. Buy this again. 4 stars
• Chardonnay - Landmark. California. 2005 - Very good, light, smooth, easy on the palate. 3.5 stars
• Riesling - Joh. Jos. Christoffel Erben. Germany. 2007 - WOW! High acidity, no oak, smells like cold flowers, sweet but good. Yum! Dad (ie: Norm Latner) would like. Delicious!! 4+ stars
• Gewurztraminer - Valckenberg, 2006 - smells like lychee, tastes exotic, tropical, mildy sweet/dry. Dad (NL) would like. 3.5 stars.

My personal favorite was the Riesling. I've never EVER had one as good as that. It tasted almost like an ice wine, but not cloying. A really fine wine -- I wish it were less expensive.

June 2009 - Chianti

When my friend Kally suggested Chianti as a wine for our club, I was a little surprised. I, like most people, really only knew Chianti as the "Italian wine" that comes in those bottles wrapped with straw (that end up becoming candle holders in Italian restaurants). As far as I knew, Chianti wasn't a particularly well thought of wine, and was pretty much just viewed as red table wine to have with spaghetti at a restaurant with a checked red and white tablecloth. Boy, was I wrong.

It turns out that Chianti is far more complex than I remembered or imagined. It comes from the Chianti region of Tuscany Italy -- and there are seven zones in this area that produce Chianti. That's it. You can not get Chianti from any other area than these. It's closely regulated. Chianti wines are made primarily from the red grapes Sangiovese and Canaiolo, and white grapes Trebbiano and Malvasia. Interestingly, Chianti has made it into pop culture on several occasions, including the Merchant-Ivory movie "A Room with a View," The Sopranos (where it often was served at the family dinner table), and most memorably in Silence of the Lambs, where Anthony Hopkins wanted to pair "liver with fava beans and a nice chianti." (We won't discuss the sort of liver he was talking about.)

For our wine tasting we ordered pizza (a natural choice with Chianti). Our wines for this evening included:

• Peppoli, 2004, Chianti Classico - Smells good. Thin/light appearance, but full flavored. Ruby color. Good! Worth drinking again. 3.5 stars.
• I Bastioni, 2005, Chianti Classico - A bit darker than the first one. Drier. More complex. Longer finish. Good. 3.5 stars
• Volpaia, 2005, Chianti Classico - Salty ocean aroma, dry, good. 3.5 stars.
• Nipozzano Riserva, 2005, Chianti Rufini - Dark color, fruity aroma, really dry. Thin but dry and fruity. Very good. 4 stars.
• Castig Lioni, 2007, Chianti - Spicy aroma, great! 4 stars
• Poggio Stella, 2007, Chianti Colli Senesi - good aroma, very dry, nutty, soft mouthfeel. 4 stars.

As you see, we liked all of the Chiantis. They were a great success -- which just proves that sometimes you have to give an underrated wine a chance. (White Zinfandel anyone? JUST KIDDING).

May 2009 - Shiraz/Syrah

For wine club number two, we chose another red -- Shiraz (sometimes called Syrah depending on where it originates from). For those who are wondering -- it is called "Syrah" in France, Europa, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, and most of the US. It is called "Shiraz" in Australia, South Africa and Canada. This wine pairs well with pizza, dark chocolate (yum), dried fruits, cured and smoked meats, cheeses and figs. Again, we had five wines and no leftovers. The wines were:

• Yellowtail, 2007, Australia - Spicy, berry, pretty good. 3 stars.
• Georges Deboeuf, 2006, France - red berry, spicy, fruitier than the Yellowtail, light, refreshing. 4 stars.
• Ravenswood Vintners Blend, 2005, Australia - very dark, smells alcoholic, smoky, very tannic, dry, strong. 2.5 stars
• Marquis Philips, 2007, Australia - peppery and herbal aroma, high alcohol, strong, dry, sour, tobacco - 1.5 stars.
• Dead Letter Office, 2006, Australia - very dark appearance, tobacco, coffee, plum, very long finish, very dry and tannic. 2 stars.

I should note here that the star rating and the tasting notes are just mine and the other ladies each had their own personal favorites (although we usually tend to agree).

April 2009 - Cabernet Sauvignon

For our very first "Fermented Femmes" wine club, we decided to start with Cabernet, since most of us are red wine fans. (Cabernet happens to be my particular favorite). We had five wines, six women, no leftovers (not wine anyway). The food was plentiful -- everyone brought different dishes -- and the wines were all quite good. They were (with my notes):

• Climbing, 2005, Australia. - Good, long finish, full bodied, big fruit. 3 stars



• Los Vascos, 2007, Chile - Less complex, short finish, dry, tannic. 1 star



• Coppola Diamond Collection, 2006, CA - smooth, fruity, can never go wrong with this. 4 stars.



• Peter Lehmann, 2001, Chile - Very complex, great, extremely fruity, strong nose. 3.5 stars



• Clos du Val, 2006, Napa CA - Smooth, rich, full bodied, long finish, slightly bitter. 4 stars.