Riesling is one of those grape types that people either love or hate. Generally, it’s the sweetness that turns people either on or off.

The problem — not all Rieslings are sweet.

So when you voted last week via e-newsletter and Facebook and Riesling won, narrowly defeating Sauvignon Blanc, we decided it’d be a great learning experience and a chance to show the greatly differing styles of Germany’s most famous white wine. We got things started with the true home of Riesling — Mosel, Germany. Then we jumped totally around the world for one from Western Australia, then up to Columbia Valley, Washington, before wrapping things up back in Mosel.

Von Schleinitz Estate Dry Riesling (Mosel)
Von Schleinitz is one of the most popular producers we have in the store. We carry a number of different bottlings of theirs, from the dry one we offered over the weekend to their Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir). The winery calls this wine an excellent aperitif, saying it’s “a delicate, yet fruit-driven white, sporting peach and apple notes backed by lively acidity.” All of the above is true, but what those notes don’t convey is just how dry the wine really is. We had customer after customer say to us, “Oh, well I don’t like sweet wines.” So I’d pour them a taste of this one, and they’d reply with something along the lines of, “Wow! That’s not at all what I thought it would be.” If you like unoaked Chardonnay, this is a great alternative.
$14.99 / 750 ml

Diddley Bow Riesling (Western Australia)
This is the last holdout of the famed “Southern Gothic Series” from R Wines and importer The Grateful Palate. The rest of the series included Southern Belle Shiraz and Poor Thing Grenache, both of which were huge hits and flew off the shelves. Sadly, due to some financial difficulties on the part of the importer, it looks like none of these wines will be available again. But while the reds may be long gone, we still have a couple cases of the Riesling left. Jay Miller, writing in Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, scored it 90 points, saying it’s “light straw-colored, it gives up an enticing aromatic array of spring flowers, baking spices, lemon-lime, and melon. Just off-dry in a Kabinett style, it has lively acidity and the balance to evolve for 2-3 years. It should drink well through 2017.” You can take away from that description the fact that this one does have just a touch of sweetness to it, at least more than the VS. The citrusy notes on this wine were beautiful, and the nose is classic Riesling.
$19.99 / 750 ml

Maryhill Winery Riesling (Columbia Valley)
And now we come to what I called the sweet summer porch-sipper. Maryhill Winery’s Riesling is definitely a sweeter one, but not so cloyingly sweet as to leave your palate feeling sugar-coated. The winery describes it as exhibiting “an enticing nose of spring flowers, lemon, and mineral… It will pair well with spicy Asian cuisine.” They are smart to point out one of the best pairings for all Rieslings — spicy Asian cuisine. Think of a good Thai or Indian dish with curry or some fresh sushi with wasabe.
$7.99 / 750 ml

Monchhof Estate Riesling (Mosel)
We wrapped things up back where we started, Mosel, Germany. We served the Monchhof Estate Riesling last because it has the highest amount of residual sugar of the group, though it impressed us with its balance. Despite the high sugar content, it didn’t come across as sweet as the Maryhill, due to the bright acidity and minerality which left your tongue tingling and wanting more. The Wine Spectator described it by saying it tasted “like passion fruit and apricot jelly, this Riesling is vibrant and focused, with herbs and mineral lurking beneath the surface, followed by a mouthwatering finish.”
$16.99 / 750 ml

If you didn’t get a chance to come by for these wines, you should definitely try to stop in this upcoming Friday and Saturday as we’ll be trying a fun white blend, a Viognier and a couple of bold Zinfandels.

When Sierra Nevada Brewery began exploring the idea of opening an eastern brewery, the city of Alcoa, Tennessee was on their short list. In an effort to draw them to our great state of Tennessee, the legislature passed a bill, which Governor Haslam then signed into law, which makes our state regulations more attractive to the brewery, allowing them to produce high-alcohol content beer and perform tastings on site.

Want a taste?

As a much welcomed by-product of this new law, we can now have in-store tastings of our own and for the last two months they’ve been a huge success. If you haven’t had a chance to come by Midtown for one of them, we’d love to have you join us as we sample four different wines, every Friday and Saturday, from 2-7 p.m.

But since everyone’s schedules are different and you might not always be able to make it by, we thought it’d be good to post our own notes from the tastings and let you know what people have been saying about the wines!

After popular polling on our Facebook page and via our e-newsletter, Oregon won and we’re featuring some delicious wines from that far northwestern region of the U.S, from producers Acrobat and The Rascal.

Acrobat by King Estate Pinot Gris 2009
This was one of our most successful Midtown Online Exclusive offers this summer, and after such success, it seemed natural to select it for our Oregon tasting. Wine & Spirits Magazine scored it 90 points, describing it as “clean and citrusy in scent, with a soft leesy note, this brisk gris has a peppery phenolic bite that makes it ideal for pairing with whole-roasted fish.” We couldn’t agree more with their overall description, but what has really impressed us most is how well the citrusy notes and vibrant acidity balance with the creamy mouth-feel.
$13.99 / 750 ml

The Rascal Pinot Gris 2010
These wines from the Willamette Valley, arguably Oregon’s finest appellation, are brand new to Midtown. And for $9.99, they represent some of the best bargains the entire state has to offer. This Pinot Gris is not as floral or creamy as the Acrobat, instead offering tropical fruit notes and finishing with just the slightest touch of sweetness. It has been the hands-down customer favorite this weekend!
$9.99 / 750 ml

The Rascal Pinot Noir
With the scorching hot weather we’ve had here in Nashville, this light-bodied and fruit-forward Pinot Noir is the perfect red wine. With aromas and flavors of bright black cherry and soft raspberry, soft tannins and a touch of spice, it’s classic Pinot. It’s an easy-drinker that’s sure to be a crowd-pleaser.
$9.99 / 750 ml

Acrobat by King Estate Pinot Noir 2009
The counterpart to our first wine, this bottling also received high praise from Wine & Spirits. They gave it 91 points, calling it “as bright and fruity as a Beaujolais, this youthful pinot leads with scents of raspberries and red cherries and a woodsy bottom note. The flavors are light and fresh, the fruit giving way to a mild amaro-like bitterness. A great pinot to stock up on.” As the second label for Oregon powerhouse King Estate, we would expect nothing less.
$19.99 / 750 ml

We hope you can make it in for our next tasting — the poll is still going over on Facebook so please vote and help select our next wines!

I couldn’t help but laugh when I read the first few paragraphs of Tim Fish’s latest blog entry over at WineSpectator.com. If you’re into wine and have a significant other who isn’t quite as passionate as yourself, you may have experienced this type of situation — I know I have. But now my fiance and I have a nice little agreement that allows us to avoid any confrontations: I don’t ask her how much her purses/shoes/(insert fashion item here) cost, and she doesn’t ask about my wine purchases.

Ain't fancy, but this works just fine for me.

Here’s a snippet of of the blog:

“My first wine cellar was a lame attempt no matter how you looked at it; I was young and my discretionary income bought 10 minutes on a parking meter. But I had the wine bug and had it bad.

Loitering in wine shops became a favorite hobby. I’d buy a good $10 or $20 bottle on the weekends and occasionally splurge. I still remember the day I bought a Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape 1989 for $45 and worried how I’d explain it when I got home.

Like many new collectors, I avoided explaining it and stashed it in the closet when the wife wasn’t looking. Since she didn’t ask, I wasn’t technically lying, right? I couldn’t help it, wine was my mistress, and I rationalized everything, like all cheating husbands do.

I’m not alone in the ‘what she doesn’t know won’t hurt her’ school of wine collecting. A few years back, I wrote a story titled ‘Inside the Mind of a Wine Collector,’ and Michael Davis of Chicago auction house Hart Davis Hart told me, ‘Hiding purchases is not unusual at all.’” Click here to read the rest of his blog.

You don’t have to have a massive cellar to be a collector. Whether you keep 15 bottles tucked away in the corner of a closet or 1500 in a temperature controlled room, your wine collection is what you make of it. It’s all about having a passion and wanting to learn. It’s fun to pick a favorite bottle of wine and see how it evolves over the course of five or 10 years.

Then again, you must have at least a modicum of patience to make it happen. For some, laying a bottle down for even six months may seem impossible to do, but I would encourage everyone to try it.

So tell me then, is wine your “mistress”?

Here’s a tidbit I came across over at The Wine Spectator. Senior Editor James Laube has tasted more than a few Pinot Noirs from the vintage in question, and he thinks it could be one for the record books. Here’s a sliver of his latest blog post:

“Pinot lovers have never had it this good.

We’re finishing our tastings of mostly 2009s and, the trending is amazing: We’ve already rated more outstanding 2009s than in any other vintage. So far, more than 50 percent of the wines reviewed have been outstanding or better, an unprecedented number. In a typical vintage we’ll taste more than 600 wines (and nearly 700 in the magnificent 2007 vintage).

The 2009 growing season is the main reason. It came off without a hitch and early on, as the grapes began their stretch run of ripening, winemakers could see the possibilities. Surely, it was an easier year than 2008, where uneven ripening, spring frosts and summer wild fires contributed to the challenge of making great wines. But a surprising number of 2008s offset those that lacked balance.

I imagine that several factors are in play with 2009 as well. Each year, vineyards mature and growers are more in tune with the grapes’ development. Winemakers gain experience, too, and there is no way to teach experience…”

With the heat and humidity here in Nashville, lighter-bodied reds are in style, and Pinot Noir falls right into that category.

Here are some of our favorite 2009s from the Golden State, good for any budget:

Montoya Pinot Noir Monterey County — $12.99
Cline Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast — $14.99
Belle Glos “Meiomi” Pinot Noir Sonoma/Santa Barbara/Monterey — $19.99
La Crema Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast — $25.99
Black Dog Cellars Pinot Noir Russian River Valley — $27.99
A.P. Vin Gary’s Vineyard Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands — $49.99

It’s that time of year again where we search for our best sangria recipes and dust off the old ones. More than likely, you already have more than one, whether it’s a recipe you pulled out of a magazine, borrowed from a friend, saw on television or made up yourself. Let’s face it, sangria recipes are like opinions — everyone’s got one, and everyone thinks theirs is the best.

Sangria shouldn’t be intimidating or complicated to make. The whole point is to keep it fun, fresh, easy to make and easy to drink! It is nothing more than a sweetened wine punch to enjoy during the warmer weather days, especially beach/poolside. It’s pretty cost efficient, and it is only as invested as you are. Sangria can involve white wines, red wines or even sparkling wines. It can be made with liqueurs of every style and flavor — rums, vodkas, brandies, melon flavors, strawberry flavors and much more. You can make sangria with most any kind of fruit — peaches, plums, berries, mangos, oranges, etc. There is no fixed recipe for sangria, whether it be red or white, fruity or dry, 2 ingredients or 10 ingredients, a little of this, a little of that, or mixed with any kind of fruit you fancy.

The fun of making it is that there are so many options — you go with what you love. I’m not suggesting you change your whole recipe, but I would like to provide a few guidelines/tips that you can follow to achieve the best possible sangria.

Here’s a short list of Do’s and Don’ts:

Read the rest of this entry »

Before diving into our options for wines with your barbecue, burgers and such, let’s all take a few minutes to remember the true meaning of Memorial Day.

While it may be the unofficial starting point for Summer, Memorial Day is really about remembering all the brave men and women who have died in our armed forces while serving the cause of freedom. Be sure to thank a soldier if you see one and take a few moments to remember those who have died so that we may continue to live and enjoy our nation’s freedoms.

And now… on to the wine!

Some people make ribs and grill barbecue chicken. Others whip up some burgers or throw a nice ribeye over some charcoal. Maybe you throw in some hot dogs or sausage to go with the cole slaw, potato salad and baked beans. But then comes the question — what to drink?

Read the rest of this entry »

They brought us into this world, nurtured us and taught us all much of what we know today. So I hope that on Mother’s Day you took the time to call up dear old Mom and tell her you love her. And if you were able, I hope you sent flowers and/or a gift or maybe did something special for her.

For myself, I figure since Mom spent many a night cooking up dinner for my sisters and I, the least I could do was cook her a meal she’d be sure to remember.

I decided veal chops were in order, and with some sauteed spinach and twice baked potatoes, it couldn’t have turned out better. Here’s the recipe if you want to try cooking some up yourself sometime!

Ingredients
Veal loin chops (1 1/2 inch thick)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Freshly chopped oregano, thyme and rosemary
Minced garlic
Salt and pepper

Instructions
The night before, chop up the fresh herbs and in a mixing bowl combine them with salt and pepper. Rub the spice mixture thoroughly onto the veal chops. Then in a marinade bag or large zip-lock, add some olive oil and a couple teaspoons of minced garlic. Add the chops to the bags and put in the refigerator over night. Giving the chops a good 24 hours to soak in the oil and spices really makes this dish.

This would be a delicious choice!

When it comes time to cook, remove the chops from the bags and let them get to room temperature. Preheat your oven to 375. In a cast iron skillet over medium heat, melt one tablespoon of butter. Just when the skillet starts to smoke, add the chops. Cook them on each side for two minutes or until just slightly browned. Place the skillet directly in the oven for six minutes, flipping the chops over mid-way through. This should leave you with juicy veal chops, cooked to a nice medium to medium-rare temperature.

As for the wine, we opted for Fattoria La Lecciaia Brunello di Montalcino 2004 (93 points, WS, though sadly unavailable in Tennessee) and found that the acids and tannin in the wine paired wonderfully with the veal. Any big Sangiovese-based Italian would would go well with this, from a nice Chianti Classico to a Super Tuscan or another Brunello.

Stop by and ask us for our favorite recipes and what to pair with them!

One of the most well-known wines in the United States, Merlot has suffered of late. Don’t get me wrong — it’s still immensely popular. Yet in critical wine circles, it suffers from the preconceived notion that much of it is thin, bland and just downright boring.

And in many cases, this assumption is in fact correct. But in equally as many cases, merlot can provide beautiful experiences. From Washington bargains like Columbia Crest’s H3 bottling to top-shelf Napa bottlings from the likes of Duckhorn and Shafer, this is a wine worth a second look.

And don’t let the signature tagline from Sideways deter you: “I’m drinking any *$%!*@% merlot!”

Take a look at the latest blog from The Wine Spectator’s Tim Fish, “Fear and Loathing with Merlot,” for his take on this perplexing grape variety:

I’ve been drinking California Merlot for 20 years, and it still makes me crazy. It’s one of the most popular red wines in the United States, but so much of it is damn boring.

The funny thing is, I still like drinking it. As Wine Spectator’s lead critic for California Merlot since 2005, I’ve come to appreciate the challenges.

Merlot’s reputation as a soft and supple red is only partially deserved in California. In the 1990s, wineries and growers all over the state planted Merlot with the assumption it would thrive. It didn’t.

California learned what France found out long ago. Merlot is a persnickety grape, good for blending but challenging by itself. It’s every bit as difficult to grow and just as finicky about the growing season as Pinot Noir…”

Read the rest of his blog by clicking here, and come on by to ask us to for our recommendations!

Few people had a greater impact on American wine than Jess Jackson, founder of Kendall-Jackson, who passed away early this morning at the age of 81. He personified the American Dream — he began as a dockworker in San Francisco in the 1950s and wound up a self-made billionaire, revolutionizing the wine industry in the process.

Here’s what The Wine Spectator’s Tim Fish had to say about Jackson in today’s article, “In Memoriam: Jess Jackson” –

Jess Jackson, who built a wine empire around Kendall-Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Chardonnay, becoming a self-made billionaire and one of the most influential and controversial producers in the United States, died in Sonoma County early this morning. He was 81 years of age. The intensely private Jackson reportedly had been undergoing treatment for melanoma for several years.

During nearly three decades, Jackson launched or acquired more than 30 wine brands in California, Italy, South America, Australia and France. Combined, they currently produce more than 5 million cases annually. In addition to Kendall-Jackson, the labels include La Crema, Stonestreet, Cardinale, Arrowood and Matanzas Creek in California, Villa Arceno in Italy, Yangarra in Australia and Château Lassègue in Bordeaux.

Jackson was a maverick by nature, often mercurial and unabashedly competitive. A savvy businessman, he preferred to meet challenges head-on. “I think he enjoyed a good scrap,” said winemaker Richard Arrowood, a friend of many years who later worked for Jackson for four years. “He was a pistol, no two ways about it. But no one could ever call him stupid.”

Jess Stonestreet Jackson was born Feb. 18, 1930, and was raised in San Francisco’s working-class Sunset District. His introduction to wine came while breaking bread with Italian neighbors who made wine at home. Laboring at the docks in San Francisco and as a Berkeley policeman, he worked his way through the University of California at Berkeley, where he also graduated from Boalt Law School…

Click here to read the rest of the article at Wine Spectator.

If you’ve been following the wine industry for any decent period of time, you know about the Niebaum-Coppola Rubicon Estate, or as it was formerly known, Inglenook. Even if you are new to wine, you’ve surely heard of Francis Ford Coppola’s wine along with his films.

Now Coppola has finally acquired the rights to the Inglenook name and plans reunite it with its original vineyards. The Wine Spectator’s James Laube has the full story:

The Rubicon Estate is one of the most beautiful in California.

Making good on a longtime vow, Francis Ford Coppola announced today that he and his wife, Eleanor, have acquired

the iconic Inglenook trademark and that henceforth his Rubicon Estate in Rutherford will be once again known by its historic original name, Inglenook.

For years, Coppola had expressed an interest in acquiring the Inglenook name. Today, he sealed the deal, acquiring the trademark from the Wine Group for an undisclosed amount. Rubicon, a Bordeaux-style blend made from Coppola’s property, will become Inglenook’s flagship wine.

Coppola also announced that he had hired a new winemaker to succeed Scott McLeod, who resigned last year. Starting this summer, Bordeaux winemaker Philippe Bascaules will leave Château Margaux to assume the position of estate manager and winemaker at the renamed Inglenook.

Inglenook was founded in 1879 by Gustav Niebaum, a Finnish sea captain who built the magnificent stone winery. From the 1930s to the 1960s, John Daniel Jr., a descendant of Niebaum, oversaw winemaking with a run of tremendous vintages. Inglenook’s wines played a prominent role in defining Napa Valley as one of the great wine regions of the world…

Read the rest of Laube’s story here…