Washington Wine and Cheese

Wine

1. 2005 - Fabula Rosso Monteregio di Massa Marttima (DOC) - $13.00
2. 2003 - Poggio Sughere Morlino di Scansano (DOC) - $18.00
3. 2001 - Vecchia cantina Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Riserva (DOCG) - $21.00
4. 2004 - Casakino Chianti Classico Riserva (DOCG) - $17.00
5. 2001 - Mocali brunello di Montalcino (DOCG) - $44.00

Cheese

1. Pecorino Tuscano (Tuscany) - young cheese by Manciano - $16.00/lb.
2. Gran Cru Pecorino (Sardinia (aged 18 months) - $17.00/lb.

Wines - 1 - 4 Corridor Fine Wines, Laurel, MD and wine 5 Pearsons Washington, DC

Bread and Cheeses - Calvert-Woodley

Tuesday, February 26 promises to be a special night at the Washington Wine and Cheese Seminar. We will present five outstanding wines from the award wining Stryker Sonoma Winery.

Louise Shelly and Jeff Kominers have done an outstanding job of putting this tasting together, and we will all get to enjoy their efforts! Stryker gave us some great discounts, some at 40%, to permit us to present higher priced wines. We’ll start with three terrific lively Zins, then a special blend, and finish with a super full bodied Cabernet Sauvignon.

1. 2004 - Stryker Old Vine Alexander Valley Zinfandel - $20
2. 2004 - Stryker OZ Alexander Valley Old Vine Zinfandel - $25
3. 2003 - Stryker Speedy Creek Knights Valley Zinfandel - $32
4. 2003 - Stryker Jen’s Blend Sonoma County Blend - $20
5. 2003 - Stryker Speedy Creek Knights Valley Cabernet - $38

Cheees

1. Taleggio - $13.99
2. Saint-Nectaire - $10.49

It was my intention to put together a very nice Malbec tasting for this Tuesday evening. I, along with a few friends, went to Pearson’s and asked Michael for his recommendations. We started with a wonderful Malbec which was medium bodied, nice fruit, good balance, etc. All agreed it was a good start to completing a good Malbec tasting.

Then a funny thing happened. Perhaps it was something someone in the background said. Perhaps it was an unexpected astronomical alignment. Whatever the reason, the next wine that we tasted wasn’t a Malbec. Michael opened a blend that was wonderful. Everyone agreed that this had to be in the tasting. Before I could ask if Malbec was one of the grapes in the blend, Michael had opened another amazing wine. This one was clearly not a Malbec, but the reactions of others made it
clear that I couldn’t pass this wine up.

By the end of the evening, I had picked out 5 beautiful reds and only 1 was a Malbec. I thought to myself, “What happened? I wanted to do a Malbec tasting and I only have 1 in the lineup.” No sooner had I completed that thought, I hear Michael say “You really have to try this before you leave.” And thus, the Malbec was replaced.

Join us this Tuesday evening for “The Malbec Tasting That Almost Was…” We will be having 5 wonderful reds, among them a beautiful grenache, a big and bold Rhone, and a bordeaux-style blend that are sure to please. If the crowd as Pearson’s that evening was any indication, these wines will be sure to please.

1. 2005 Bogle Petite Sirah - California $15
2. 2004 Mestezaje - Spain $16
3. 2005 Las Rocas - Garancha Spain $17
4. 2002 Furque Syrah Roble 2002 - Argentina
5. 2003 Grandy Vacqueyras - France

Cheeses:

1. Horlick’s Farm Cheddar - $12.99
2. Belletoile - $11.98

It’s not too late to change your travel plans and leave Wednesday morning!!!! On Nov. 20th, Washington Wine and Cheese Seminar presented a tasting featuring five Zinfandels from California. It seems only fitting that as we prepare to feast on one of the most traditional of American holidays, that we break from the usual tradition with a tasting of a truly American wine . . . ZINFANDEL! Although Zins are not usually considered your typical turkey wine, the fruit and balance of these wines may sway your opinion of the perfect complement for sweet or mashed potatos, gravy, and stuffing.Our wine selections will feature two wines from Napa Valley, two from Amador, and one from Lodi. The wines come from vintners Dominican Oaks, Sobon, Santino, Oak Ridge, and Titus. Two of the wines are characterized as “medium-bodied” and the other two as “full-bodied.” One is organically farmed, and all five will knock your socks off! The wines exemplify the spice, pepper, berry, and rich flavors that characterize Zinfandel. Frankly, the rich descriptions remind me of all my favorite Thanksgiving dishes!

Our selection of Zins will be accompanied by a morbier, a sharp cheddar and crusty bread. If you’re hosting Thanksgiving and your guests are already in town, feel free to bring them but keep in mind that we can only accommodate the first 96 tasters.

As I count my Thanksgiving blessings this year, I am thankful for ZINFANDEL!!!!!!! I look forward to sharing these wines with you tonight.

1. 2005 Domincan Oaks Zinfandel Napa - $14.99
2. 2005 Sobon Reserve Zinfandel - $24.99
3. 2003 Santino Zinfandel Old Vines - $15.99
4. 2005 Oak Ridge Zinfandel - Lodi $15.99
5. 2004 Zinfandel - Napa $24.99

Wine from Total Wine and More

Cheeses:

1. Horlick Sharp Cheddar - $9.49
2. Morbier - $9.99

From Calvert Woodley

Wines from Pearson’s:

1. N/V Cristalino Rose,Cava (Pendes, Spain) - $8.00
2. 2006 Tres Picos, Granacha (Campo de Borja,Spain) - $13.00
3. 2003 Vigne Vecche Primativa (Salento, Apulia, Itlay) - $20.00
4. 2003 Amarone, Zardini (Verone, Italy) - $39.00
5. N/V Madeira, Brodbent, Fine/Rich (Madeira) - $18.00

Cheese and bread from Calvert-Woodley:

1. Blue Castello, Triple Cream Bule from - $??.00
2. Asiago, (the real Asiago),Sheep’s Milk from Italy - $??.00

bo·da·cious (adj.) : remarkable; outstanding.

October 2nd, bring the the return of Two Blondes, A Brunette and Five Reds presented by Lori Draheim, Carol Rentz and Jill LaPanna. Our theme for this tasting is Big
Bodacious Blends Part II. This is a continuation of Part I which was a big hit…and these wines promise to be even more bodacious! I know; I tasted them all.

The wines to be featured are red blends made up of three or more grape varietals. Needless to say extensive “research” has gone into the selection of these wines. We will start with a serious Rhone Ranger blend from Santa Cruz, then enjoy a Chateauneuf du Pape with outstanding character, next we will taste a haunting, fruit forward
blend from California followed by a bright, focused GSM from Australia, our final wine is a complex blend that will evolve beautifully once set free from the confines of the bottle!

1. 2001 Le Cigare Volant (California) - $39.99
2. 2003 Pierre Usseglio & Fils Chateaneuf do Pape (France) - $29.99
3. 2004 Phantom Bogle (California) - $14.99
4. 2003 Rosemount GSM (Australia) - $33.99
5. 2005 Orin Swift - The Prisoner (Napa, California) - $32.99

Cheeses

1. Ariana Goat Gouda - $14.99
2. Monteboissie Morbiere - $9.99

Tuesday, September 18! The return of Two Blondes, A Brunette and Five Reds presented by Lori Draheim, Carol Rentz and Jill LaPanna. Our theme for this tasting is Big Bodacious Blends! These are some tasty juice!

The wines we will feature are red blends made up of three or more grape varietals. We will start the tasting with a gold medal winning Bordeaux style red from Dry Creek Valley, next will be a gorgeous Australian MSG with a 90 point rating, then on to an easy-sipping Cal-Italian blend from Sonoma, from there we will have a Bordeaux blend with classic Napa flavors and texture at a great price, and finally, a big nicely proportioned red said to be spicy with a long finish from THE hot brand from Australia right now. You won’t want to miss this variety of red blends that are additionally great values!

1. 2004 Forchini - Beauseirra (Sonoma) - $12.99 - Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Carigane
2. 2005 Rutherglen Estate - The Reunion (Australia) - $14.99 - Mourvedre, Shiraz, Grenache
3. 2004 Ferrari-Carao-Siena (Sonoma) - $21.99 - Sangiovese, Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon
4. 2003 Paoleti - Piccolo Cru (Napa) - $17.99 - Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Franc
5. 2006 Molly Dooker - The Two Left Feet (Australia) - $19.99 - Shiraz, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon

The two cheese that we had were:

1. Provolone Picante - $11.99 - Provolone originally comes from the south of Italy but is nowadays produced in several regions of North Italy.
2. Fromage d’ Affinois- $12.99 - a creamy French cheese that is silky and smooth.

The wines came from multiple locations listed below:

1. Bell’s Wine and Spirit (DC)
2. Total wine and More (multiple locaions)
3. Total wine and More (multiple locaions)
4. Out of Site (VA)
5. Pearsons (DC)

The cheese and bread both came from Calvert Woodley’s.