Fall in Love with Chocolate and Nina Lee

Fall is finally here!

The weather is cooling down. The days are getting shorter. The leaves are turning. For wine drinkers, fall also marks the return to red wine after a long summer of chilled whites and rosés. My husband had just returned from Zurich with a bounty of Swiss chocolate by Läderach. And I wanted something that would go well with the delectable treats.

Fall marks the return to red wine

It may be a romantic notion, but picking a dry red to go with chocolate is surprisingly difficult. The tannins in the chocolate sometimes clash with the tannins in the wine. Not to mention both chocolate and wine have varying degrees of fruitiness and acidity that may result in a poor match.

2012 Nina Lee with Swiss Chocolate

In my experience, the dry red that often has a chance to pair well with chocolate is Syrah. In fact, my go-to for that is Spring Valley Vineyard's Nina Lee. And I am not the only one who thinks so.

Nina Lee by Spring Valley Vineyard

If you go to the Spring Valley Vineyard tasting room in downtown Walla Walla, you will be treated with a whole line-up of outstanding single varietals and blends. Saving the best for last, Nina Lee is often showcased with a piece of chocolate specially made to pair with the wine.

From the stash of Swiss chocolate, I picked a dark chocolate bark balanced with the perfect amount of almond and orange bits. And I matched it with the 2012 vintage of Nina Lee.

On the nose, the Nina Lee was fruit-forward with cherries and berries. On the palate, the full-bodied luscious mouthfeel coated the creamy chocolate flawlessly. The tannins were fine and smooth. The earthiness and hints of spice and even cocoa from the wine complemented beautifully with the chocolate as well as the almond and orange bits - the warm flavors that I often associate with autumn.

What wine in your collection would you pair with chocolate this fall? Share your favorites!

What do Crazy Rich Asians Drink?

Have you seen the movie, Crazy Rich Asians?

If not, you must! Why? Because yours truly is from Singapore. And one might argue that I am two-third of the way to being a Crazy Rich Asian. For fun, I decided that I'd check on a couple of my Crazy Rich Asian friends and find out what wines they drink.

Erica is born in Singapore and lives in Malaysia so she gets to enjoy the best of both worlds. After being a stay-at-home mom for 20 years, she found her passion in educating people about using Essential Oils in their wellness journey.

Jimmy is a Taiwanese American entrepreneur based in San Francisco who has a few technology startups to his name. He now runs an accelerator program to help other startups grow and succeed.

Erica's Bordeaux babies

How did you discover your interest in wine?

Erica: It all started with the first bottle of 1982 Lafite, that I bought when I was only 24. That was when I learned that drinking wine is an art, that collecting wine is also an art.

Jimmy: I was a management consultant when I first started getting interested in wine. We would go out for large team dinners, and the partners would order expensive wine. But I realized that I didn't know anything about it. So I decided to learn more by taking winery tours and reading about wine online.

What is the most memorable bottle of wine that you have drunk?

Erica savoring her red

Erica: 1983 Petrus. I was amazed that it cost so much and over a casual dinner.

Jimmy: 2011 Scarecrow that I had with a good group of friends at my birthday party two years ago. It was special because it was a rare bottle of wine that I had been saving and I was able to share it with a good group of people who appreciated it.

What is your philosophy in wine consumption?

Erica: Drink all round the world. Taste them all, and love them all.

Jimmy: Everyone has different tastes. You should ultimately just trust your own taste buds. It isn't about the price. There are great bottles of wine for less. Just go out there and do a tasting and learn what you like and don't like.

What is a regular bottle of weeknight wine to you?

Erica: A Brunello!

Jimmy: It can be anything that is in my wine fridge, to be honest. My recent favorite is Kunde, but my girlfriend and I also drink a lot of wine from Black Stallion.

Where do you buy your wine?

Erica: I have a friend who is a wine importer. We also go to wine countries in France and Italy.

Jimmy: I have wine club memberships at Nickel & Nickel, Far Niente, Alpha Omega, Black Stallion, Kunde, BR Cohn, Buena Vista, DeLoach, and Raymond. Living so close to Napa and Sonoma means that we can pretty much go there whenever we want and pick up directly from the vineyards themselves.

Jimmy and friends at Black Stallion Winery in Napa

Describe your wine collection.

Erica: I collect wine both as an investment and for personal consumption. I have about 3,000 bottles mostly from Bordeaux left bank. I have a vertical of Chateau Pichon Lalande.

Jimmy sharing wine with friends

Jimmy: I collect wine to share them with good friends and experience them together with others. It isn't about the money or an investment. I have more bottles than will fit in my wine fridge, and the wine fridge fits about 160 bottles. We love red wines and especially Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Merlot, and Zinfandel. Most of my wines are from Napa or Sonoma.

Describe your dream wine cellar.

Erica: My dream wine cellar is in the basement and cool. There will be two barrels with six stools and a see-through glass ceiling so that I can peer at my wine cellar from the level above.

Jimmy: I'm looking forward to building the dream wine cellar, but I'd like to create a basement at my house where I can store thousands of bottles and start saving a bottle from every year so that I can pass that along to my kids in the future.

What is the dream bottle that you'd like to try?

Erica: 1961 Latour. I want to taste a true king of my terroirs!

Jimmy: I've yet to try the elusive Screaming Eagle, and I'd love to get a chance to try that and see what the big fuss is all about.

Home Wine Making, My Accidental Hobby

If you were to ask me a few years ago, I would not have thought of wine making as a hobby. I’m a pragmatist. Let the talented people do the hard work, and let me enjoy the fruit of their labor.


Then a couple of friends told me about a home wine making class organized by the Boeing Employees Wine and Beer Making Club and taught by Steve Foisie, whose list of past students include Ben Smith of Cadence Winery and Tim Narby of :Nota Bene Cellars. The class itself consisted of a day of theory followed by hands-on practice on de-stemming and crushing, primary and secondary fermentation, testing, and finally bottling. The best part is that I got to order grapes from some of the most coveted vineyards in Washington state, thanks to the buying power of the club.

My first vintage with Alisa

That was two years ago, and now I am preparing for my third vintage. So what attracts me to hobby wine making?

It Engages My Senses

I can't think of many hobbies that engage my senses in such interesting ways. I get to smell and taste the sweet juice during crush and as it gets dryer and more alcoholic through the progression of primary fermentation. I see the color deepens as pigments are deposited from the grape skins. And if I am quiet enough, I can just hear the wine yeasts happily bubbling away as they consume the sugar in the must and spit out alcohol.

Then in secondary fermentation, which is also when I start using the barrel, I taste for the conversion of harsh malic acid into softer lactic acid by the malolactic bacteria. But for the most part, I am looking for the mouth feel. Are the tannins softening in the barrel? Is the wine getting more concentrated with the slight evaporation through the porous barrel surface? For the same reason, is the color and quality of the wine stabilizing with micro-oxygenation?

Throughout the process, I am constantly engaging my sight, my smell, my taste, my touch, and arguably my hearing as the grapes are made into wine. It is all too fascinating!

It Engages My Mind

Wine making is about guiding a transformation, and many microorganisms are involved. I coax the yeasts to convert sugar into alcohol during primary fermentation and then provide a conducive environment for the malolactic bacteria to soften the acids during secondary fermentation. At the same time, I am actively protecting the wine from being exposed to acetic acid bacteria. No one wants to drink vinegary wine!

Yeast hydrated with warm water and must

Then there is oxygen, which is great in alcoholic fermentation but bad for malolactic fermentation and maturation. There is carbon dioxide, a by-product of primary fermentation, that comes in handy to protect the wine from oxidation. Finally, there is the much misunderstood sulfur dioxide, that has been wrongfully blamed for causing headache despite its antioxidant properties. I learn how to manipulate each to my advantage.

After my second vintage, I have barely scratched the surface of the biochemistry and microbiology behind wine making. What about the polymerization of phenolic compounds? What about the enzymes? With every vintage, there is an opportunity to go deeper and learn the art and science behind wine making.

It's a Party!

Last but not least, it is all about having fun! For both my vintages, I made wine with good friends. Wine making can be very physical and messy. We learned together and worked together. In the last vintage, we started each get-together with a snack or a feast and a healthy serving of wine. Then we went on with the actual wine making activity of that day. The nourishment kept us in good spirits although the wine clouded our judgement on a few occasions.

Celebrating our final product

Still all is not lost. At the end of each vintage are those beautiful bottles of wine, that we can call our own. Every bottle contains the memory of that crush that was interrupted by power outage, that batch of yeasts that was accidentally starved, or that racking that spilled half a gallon of sticky wine. Yet when we open that bottle, our heart is filled with pride. The wine tastes better than we thought it could ever taste because it is the fruit of our labor.

My Verdict: Even pragmatists need a hobby. I am glad that living in close proximity to vineyards and great resources allows me to pursue wine making as a hobby. Steve Foisie once said a good winemaker has to be a good student first. I look forward to many more lessons.

Vital Response to SOS

These days it seems like there is a rise of xenophobia, and we are constantly confronted with immigration issues. The wine industry in Washington state and around the country is not immune, as migrant workers play a key role in viniculture. The 2017 harvest saw a drastic shortage of vineyard workers, and the outlook for the upcoming harvest is hardly optimistic.

Vital mission buttons

In this environment of hostility towards immigrants, it is timely that a winery was launched to intentionally do good.

Vital Winery in Walla Walla, led by winemaker Ashley Trout, donates 100% of its profits to fund a free clinic in the valley. The beneficiary, SOS Health Services, is an urgent care facility that provides walk-in healthcare services to underinsured and uninsured individuals. No questions asked!

This endeavor expands access to healthcare services for migrant laborers. This is also how Trout sees as closing the loop and bridging the two communities; the migrant vineyard workers and the wine industry.

The Winemaker

Trout has had several years of winemaking experience under her belt before launching the non-profit Vital label. She started part-time on the production floor at Reininger Winery when she was a student at Whitman College. She has since launched a few labels. In addition to Vital Winery, she also owns Brook and Bull Cellars (previously known as March Cellars).


Trout remembered what it was like being uninsured as many small wineries in Walla Walla could not afford to provide health insurance to all their workers. Today, she sits on the board of SOS Health Services and is keenly aware of its financial challenges. That led her to play an active role in providing the solution.

Working in the healthcare industry myself, I too am passionate about the need to provide access to basic healthcare. So in our last trip to Walla Walla, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to check out Vital Winery.

The Winery

Vital as well as Brook and Bull labels 

With Trout leading the charge, Vital Winery relies heavily on the donation of raw materials and services needed for wine production. It runs the whole gamut, with winery partners providing fruit, barrels, bottling materials, crushing and hauling services, and even PR. It is truly a community effort.

Co-located with Brook and Bulls Cellars, Vital Winery is one of the scenic Southside wineries. It is situated just north of the state line that separates Washington from Oregon.

The tasting room was spacious, tastefully decorated with minimum frills. It serves both Vital as well as Brook and Bull wines. The outside patio offers a picturesque view of the Blue Mountains as the backdrop for acres and acres of beautiful vineyards and wheat fields as you taste through the line-up.

We tasted the 2016 Vital GSM (Grenache, Syrah, Mouvedre), which is really dominant on Mouvedre at 45%, followed by Grenache at 36%, and Syrah at 19%. On the nose, it was full of berries, which carried through to the palate. The wine has a rich mouthfeel with bright tannins and a well-balanced acidity. Considering that this was made from donated grapes, it was artfully crafted. At the price point of $28, it is a steal!

2016 Vital GSM

My Verdict: Vital Winery tugs at my heartstrings by making delicious wines while giving back to the community. Such a labor of love and compassion definitely gets a thumbs-up from me. May we all be inspired to be kind and do good. And if you have not tried Vital wines, you must!!

A Wine Geek's Experiment with Oak

Last summer, I wrote My Wine is Too Oaky, a post on oak and its influence on wine. Much of what I knew about the interaction of oak and wine was theoretical. Then I got to experiment with oak when making my 2017 vintage. I had purchased the wildly popular Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon from Artz Vineyards. Cabernet Sauvignon and other more tannic grape varietals make austere wine on their own so they benefit greatly from the softening effect of oak. But how does that really work?

Oak & Oxygen

Wine develops differently in an oak barrel versus a glass container. Oak barrels are porous and release a small amount of oxygen to the wine. The gradual release of oxygen, known as micro-oxygenation, takes the edge off of grape tannins, giving the wine a softening effect. Oak barrels also have their own tannins that further protect the wine from oxidation and reduction. Additionally, many winemakers favor oak for the phenols that impart flavors, such as vanilla, cocoa, and spice, to the wine. Glass carboys offer none of these benefits.

Wine in barrel and carboys

I got a 7.5-gallon tight-grained medium-toast new French oak barrel from Radoux Cooperage. There is a slight challenge with an unused small oak barrel. The newness and a larger oak surface area to volume of wine translates to a higher concentration of phenols in the wine. The amount of flavor imparted can easily overpower the juice, like an over-salted dish. Fortunately, a few friends had joined me in making that vintage so we had plenty of juice among us, about three times the volume of the barrel. The idea was that we would rotate the juice in and out of the barrel till we reached the taste profile we wanted.

Round Robin

After our crushed grapes and juice (known as must) had completed the alcoholic or primary fermentation, it became wine. The wine was pressed and then transferred into glass carboys for malolactic or secondary fermentation. During this process, the tart malic acid found in grapes was converted to softer-tasting lactic acid with the help of lactic acid bacteria.

In the early stage of malolactic fermentation, the wine was moved from one container to another at certain intervals to get rid of sediments. The process is known as racking. The discarded sediments, known as the lees, are primarily made up of dead yeasts and grape debris.

About three weeks into malolactic fermentation and during the third rack, we moved a third of our wine into the new barrel for the first time. The remaining two-third returned to glass carboys. We monitored the wines monthly; topping up, testing, and tasting. The wines remained in their respective receptacles for another two months before they all completed malolactic fermentation. We were pleased that all the wines did well even as different taste profiles gradually developed.

Racking wine from carboys into the barrel

When we were satisfied with the taste of the first batch of oaked wine, we racked it out of the barrel into the carboys. In its place, we pumped in a fresh batch of un-oaked wine. Thus, the round robin continued until all the wine had cycled through the barrel for one to two months.

Taste Test

The fun part of the experiment is the sample tasting! We tasted both oaked and unoaked samples over time. We took notes and observed the evolution of the wine, our ability constantly tested with a bit of voluntary intoxication.

After over five months of tasting during the round robin, the taste profiles of the different samples confirmed our theory:

• The sample with little to no oak was bright with high acidity. The tannins remained coarse, and the wine ranged between low to medium-bodied.
• The sample with at least two months of oak contact had more concentrated cherry, vanilla, cocoa flavors with medium acidity. The tannins were distinctly smooth and velvety, and the body was medium to full.

Tasting wine samples

My Verdict: By the time we were ready to bottle, all the wine had cycled through the barrel. We did a final taste test to ensure that there were no surprises. Thankfully, there were none. We blended the wine together and were delighted with the end result. At the time of this blog post, the wine has been aging for a month in the bottle. For a first vintage with oak, I pronounce it an overwhelming success. I look forward to tasting it after another five months of bottle aging. Stay tuned!

Salud!

Out of Africa

I knew very little about South African wines besides the occasional bottles of Pinotage that I received as a gift or from my wine club. However, a recent safari trip in Namibia has greatly expanded my appreciation for the wines from the southern hemisphere.

Wait! Namibia? 

Let me back up and talk about the prevalence of South African wine in Namibia. Namibia borders the northwestern part of South Africa and has a complex history rich in European and South African influence. Take a look at the brief timeline below:

• 1880's - As a result of the European colonization and the subsequent Scramble for Africa, Namibia

  

  Namibia and South Africa

   became a German colony, then known as German South West Africa. Neighboring South Africa was then under British rule.
• 1915 - During World War I, however, the German colony came under South African administration. 
• 1960's - South West Africa began its fight for independence and was recognized as Namibia by the UN. 
• 1990 - The territory became known as the Republic of Namibia and was truly independent of South African control.

As a result of the proximity and intertwining history, it is hardly surprising that Namibians are fans of South African wines. Every credible wine bar, restaurant, and hotel in Namibia has an extensive lineup of South African wines and sometimes exclusively so. In fact, when we go on our afternoon safari game drives, they always end with a sundowner (African happy hour) that includes South African wines.

Getting ready for African sundowner

Lineup of South African wines at the safari camp

So yes, I enjoyed several glasses of South African wines on our trip, many of which were made from French grape varietals, such as Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah. Even Pinotage, the trademark grape of South Africa, is a cross between two French varietals - Pinot Noir and Cinsault.

My general impression of South African wines is their earthiness and herbaceousness, especially among the dry reds. Many are approachable young and relatively inexpensive. However, I want to share with you the one wine that stood out from the rest on the trip.

2015 Rust en Vrede Estate Vineyards Syrah

Rust en Vrede Syrah

Rust en Vrede boasts of a long wine tradition that goes back to the late 1600's. The winery was founded by Willem Adriaan van der Stel, Governor of the Cape Colony, which was then a way station for the Dutch East Indies Company. Located in Stellenbosch, Rust en Vrede was the first private winery that produces red wines exclusively. Many of these reds have received accolades and were featured in Wine Spectator.

For my last night in Namibia, I ordered a glass of 2015 Rust en Vrede Estate Vineyards Syrah at The Stellenbosch Wine Bar and Bistro, a hip upscale wine bar and restaurant in the capital city of Windhoek. The generous pour cost 92 NAD, which was approximately 7.50 USD, a steal considering the quality! If you can find it, you could probably get a bottle for the equivalent of 20-30 USD.

My tasting note - On the nose, there were cherry, spices, and leather, which carried through to the palate. It was full-bodied with a rich luxurious mouthfeel. Acidity was medium to high, and the tannins were velvety smooth. The wine has a lovely cocoa finish.

My Verdict: I have really enjoyed South African wines during this trip to Namibia. Many are delicious young, making them the perfect sundowner drink after a safari game drive. However, there are others that are fit for fine dining without breaking the bank. So if you have not tried South African wines, I would encourage you to keep an open mind, embrace them and try something different. Use Wine Spectator or other professional ratings as a guide. Be delighted!

Enjoying wine and view of Windhoek from Heinitzburg Castle

Drink Washington Wine, Rulo!

March is Washington Wine month.

For Seattleites, this means thirty-one glorious days of discounts on Washington wine at participating grocery chains, wine shops, and restaurants. The annual celebration of Washington wine culminates in a four-day food and wine festivity known as Taste Washington. The 2018 Taste Washington program brought together thousands of food-and-wine enthusiasts to enjoy a spread of over 200 wineries and 60 restaurants. There were numerous tasting events and seminars to boot.

For this month's post, I'd like to highlight a Washington winery that is a bit of a hidden gem, Rulo Winery.

Rulo Winery

We discovered Rulo through a friend's recommendation and had a chance to try it with dinner at Whitehouse-Crawford, a dining establishment in Walla Walla. Its Rhone-style red did not disappoint.

Rulo is solely owned and run by winemaker Dr. Kurt Schlicker and his wife, Vickie. They do everything themselves, from vineyard checks, winemaking, equipment cleaning, and tasting room management. Their low-key approach also means that their wine distribution can be quite limited, even within the state. However, if you have tasted Rulo, you will understand why it is well sought after.

Although located among Walla Walla's gorgeous Southside wineries and close to famous neighbors such as Northstar and Amavi, Rulo opens its modestly-decorated tasting room to the public only by appointment. However, once you have that appointment set up, your visit is very much rewarded with a delicious flight and fascinating conversations with Kurt or Vickie.

Rulo is 100% screwcaps

An MD from the University of Washington with a BS in Medical Microbiology from Stanford University, Kurt happily geeks out about wine yeasts and the fermentation process. He is chock full of knowledge and loves the process of coaxing yeasts and bacteria to consume sugar, amino acids, and other compounds to produce a delectable elixir from the grapes.

Kurt makes primarily Rhone-style wines and Chardonnay although he has successfully ventured into varietals that are unusual for Washington, such as Petite Sirah and Grenache Blanc. The other thing that sets Rulo apart from many high-quality Washington wines is the 100% use of screwcaps to counter any problem with cork taint. And if price point has kept you from enjoying high quality wine, you'll love how friendly Rulo wines are to your wallet as they range from $20 to $40 a bottle.

Recently, I opened the 2014 Petite Sirah, and here are my tasting notes:

2014 Rulo Petite Sirah

2014 Rulo Petite Sirah Heart of The Hill Vineyard
Price: $35

When I think of Petite Sirah, Washington is not the first region to come to mind. While originally discovered in France in the 1800s, most of today's Petite Sirah is grown in California. 2014 is Rulo Winery's second vintage of Petite Sirah, and the grapes hail from Red Mountain's Heart of the Hill Vineyard.

On the nose, there is plum and berry. On the palate, the dark fruit carries through with a good balance of wood and a hint of chocolate. It is full-bodied with medium acidity and smooth tannins. The finish is long-lasting.

We paired the wine with lamb burger topped with creamy dill ranch on avocado and onion slices. The full body, tannins, and bold flavors of the wine match well with the gaminess and fattiness of the lamb burger and the savory dressing.

My Verdict: The Petite Sirah is a winner.

But whether it is Petite Sirah, Rhone-style (both red and white), or Chardonnay, Rulo wines are definitely worth trying. I would recommend adding Rulo to your itinerary the next time you visit Walla Walla. If you can't make it out there, check this link out on where you can find their wines.