Pi’nouf 2009 Languedoc Red, Languedoc-Roussillon, France

Pronounced “peee –nooof,” here is an excellent representative of wines from a part of France considered to be the world’s single biggest wine region, making more wine than the entire United States and “on some of the world’s oldest soils.” Though “Old World” wines are prized for their delicate nature, this Languedoc-Roussillon specimen may throw you off a bit. Even its name translates as “bold, rich, persistent,” and its rich, fleshy Syrah plays heavily in that brashness. With 65% Syrah, 25% Grenache, and 10% Carignan, Pi’nouf presents as regal cherry red with purple sheen. It is deeply fruity with a lushness that evokes bittersweet chocolate-covered cherries with smoky vanilla notes. As the winemaker notes, “the palate is medium-to-full-bodied with a long, lingering finish and enough supple tannins to give some classic ‘grip.’” Watch this wine pair perfectly with your heartiest fare or alongside a potent collection of after-dinner cheeses.

Bonny Doon Vineyard 2009 “Contra,” Central Coast, California

Ironically described as a red Rhone blend, this mix of 55% Carignan, 15% Grenache, 14% Mourvedre, 7% Petite Sirah, 5% Zinfandel, and 2% Syrah is grown and produced nowhere near the Rhone River. Though considered a “New World” wine, it comes mostly from “old-fangled” grape varieties and from mostly older vineyards, even if they are in Contra Costa County. It is gorgeously rustic with a nose of cherry, licorice, cassis and blackberry. On the palate, it holds a bright acidity with silky tannins. The winemaker describes “Contra” as having important contrasts of “luscious, opulent fruitiness” with a certain degree of austerity, concluding it’s got the “yin and yang of soft and hard, of fruit and earth….” The Wine Advocate described it as “stunning.” The San Francisco Chronicle included it among its top 100 wines for 2010. We think it marries as well with a hearty Provencal stew as it does with a medium-rare grilled Black Angus ribeye.

However, wine connoisseurs today know that for Italy’s finest wines, one needs to trek further north to the foothills of the Italian Alps known as Piemonte, where the terroir is so unique that few elsewhere in the world would ever attempt to grow its unique and luxurious grapes.

Piemonte’s most revered Nebbiolo grape has been around for centuries, but its most significant road to fame and deliciousness has actually happened in the past 30 years. The Nebbiolo grape is as ubiquitous to Piemonte as Pinot Noir is to Burgundy, but it hasn’t been easy to tame this thick-skinned, high tannin, late-harvesting grape. Until the advent of temperature-controlled barrels, winemakers had trouble softening those thick skins and strong tannins, especially when the aging process was started at the coldest time of the year that would stall fermentation. Often they wound up with wine that even after decades of aging still wouldn’t mellow. Today, Piemonte’s Nebbiolo, Barolo and Barbaresco wines are highly cherished. Interestingly, they come from different villages, but all from that same high-maintenance grape known as Nebbiolo. These are not wines for the weak-hearted. They are robust and with distinctive qualities, invoking some odd descriptors such as tar, licorice, leather and dried stone fruit. Complexity is undoubtedly Nebbiolo’s calling card, and these wines are considered to be among the very best in the world.

And while Burgundy, to which Piemonte is often compared, may be satisfied with having just two famous grape varietals, this region has several well-known wines to its name. Asti Spumante, a light, semisweet sparkling wine gained popularity in the ‘70s because of its clear and easy quaffability.

Gavi is a dry white varietal that many a wine lover has discovered upon tiring of Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. Italian wine doesn’t necessarily connote white wine beyond that of Pinot Grigio, so it is often a pleasant surprise to taste the crisp, dry Gavi that thrives in the cooler temps of northern Italy.

Other reds of note from this region include Barbera, which is considered the area’s day-to-day, table wine. In fact, this rustic wine is the most widely planted grape in the region.

A lesser-known red but that provides an instantly quaffable wine option is the Dolcetto, which is sometimes compared to Beaujolais because of its highly drinkable fruitiness. It makes an interesting contrast to Nebbiolo because it has little tannin, is much lighter and with very little acid.

While just a highlight of some of Piemonte’s greatest wine assets, wine lovers can enjoy a tasting at Hinsdale Wine Cellars Friday, 6-8 p.m., for some excellent representatives of this region from Sottimano winery.

– Ivy F. Kupec

Fagus de Coto de Hayas, Garnacha 2008

An intense garnet wine, the nose here also conveys an intensity of red fruit, spice and oakiness. On the palate, this luscious somewhat oaky red brings forth vanilla and raspberry jamminess with hints of licorice and chocolate that are made even more impressive with a bit of decanting. This Garnacha is balanced, rich and most definitely satisfying. The Penin Guide on Spanish Wine scored this particular vintage 90 out of 100 points, saying “Never before has a Garnacha wine been so close to perfection.” In 2007, the wine won a silver medal in the International Wine Challenge in London. For a special treat, pair it with wild game, a succulent pork roast or as an accompaniment to ripe sheep cheese.

Don Ramon Campo de Borja, 2008

With an addition of 25% Tempranillo, one might worry that this full-bodied Garnacha would overwhelm the senses. However, this deep ruby-colored smile-maker provides a welcoming, albeit complex and intense aroma that leads to a luxurious full-fruited wine – perfect for quaffing on a cold winter’s night, enjoying with a hearty stew or serving with your homemade tapas of charcuterie and assorted cheeses. It is smooth, well structured and with a soft, rich finish. In other words, this Garnacha is delightfully drinkable and perfect for the red wine lover. You will quickly see why Garnacha is the third most planted grape in Spain.

Finca Os Cobatos 2010 Mencia

Say “ola” to Mencia, a new varietal to many American wine drinkers, but definitely one you are likely to want to taste again and again. Sourced from vines planted in the early 1980s, this wine comes from northwestern Spain in an area sometimes referred to as “Green Spain” because of its lush environment and cooler mountainside temps. Look forward to a lush, complex wine that will surprise and delight the most critical red wine oenophiles. Compared to Beaujolais or Cabernet Franc, this Mencia is ruby red in color with a nose of ripe red fruits and a certain earthy herbaceousness that is ever-so-slightly floral. It’s balanced with good texture that is enhanced by double-decanting or just letting the wine breath for about a half-hour. This 100% Mencia wine has bright acidity with a youthful light to medium body and tannins that actually can pair well with fish, not just your Christmas roast beast or roasted game hens.

Pazo do Mar 2010 Ribeiro (Albariño)

Nothing says special occasion like an elegant white wine from one of Spain’s award winning vintners, and this 100% Albariño is just the thing for your holiday table. Another lesser-known varietal is showcased in this refreshing, yet luxurious straw-colored wine. Often compared to Viognier, this wine has a nose of elegant minerality mixed with citrus and tart Granny Smith apple. Good, yet delicate acids make for a medium- to full-bodied white with grip and long finish. Great for drinking alone, this wine is also a wonderful match for your Oysters Rockefeller, salmon bisque or roasted whole snapper.

Merry Christmas to all our Hinsdale friends!

2009 Fess Parker Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir

For red wine lovers, Pinot Noir is often their wine of choice when it comes to turkey time. And, this particular Pinot is certainly one worthy of a special affair. “The 2009 [Fess Parker Santa Barbara] Pinot Noir is a gorgeous wine bursting with dark cherries, spices and sweet French oak,” says Robert Parker Jr. in an August edition of Wine Advocate. “It shows fabulous textural richness and depth, especially for an entry-level offering. This is a tasty, accessible Pinot to drink now and over the next few years.” Indeed, this ruby-colored elixir composed completely of Pinot Noir grapes from four vineyards with complementary terroir offers an exquisite nose of black cherry, autumnal spices of cinnamon and clove, vanilla and foresty earthiness. On the palate, the black cherry comes through with red currant, cranberry, vanilla and spice. Ten months of aging in new Burgundian French oak adds that impressive depth, and its texture is pure velvet. Enjoy at Thanksgiving or to enhance a meal of bourbon-glazed salmon or crispy roasted duck.

2009 Caleo Inzolia. Sicily

One sniff of this Sicilian white, and you will recall a vacation to the tropics with its captivating exotic fruitiness — most notably of kiwi and pineapple. Made from 100 percent Inzolia grapes, this Italian varietal has a spicy aromatic character that is refreshing and unique. Inzolia grapes, also known as Ansonica, have been traditionally used to make the lighter-colored Marsala wines that come from this region. More recently, as Sicilian wines have become popularized through export, those outside of Sicily are enjoying Inzolia as a well-structured, crisp, clean white wine with an intense bouquet. The cool, breezy Sicilian nights add to the wine’s brilliant straw color and distinctive nose. The Caleo Inzolia is a particularly well-balanced, harmonious wine with hints of citrus that pair perfectly with seafood dishes like a shrimp and fennel risotto, linguini con vongole or sole Meuniere.

2008 Treana White

An intense yellow color, this blend of 55% Marsanne and 45% Viognier provides a flavorful, exotic experience from a northern vineyard in Santa Lucia’s highlands. The Treana White is wonderfully tropical on both the nose and palate.  A Rhône-style wine, it carries bright floral and citrus blossom aromas with hints of jasmine. A slight oakiness augments papaya, guava, mango and other tropical flavors that have clear accents of honey and honeysuckle. This is a surprisingly rich, even viscous white wine with a long finish and full mouth-feel. It’s also wonderfully food-friendly and is a perfect match for those aromatic meals we love at this time of year like a garlic-rosemary roast chicken or savory apple and sage pork roast.

Candor Zinfandel Lot 3

The Hope family aims for perfection with its Zinfandel, opting to mix vintages to create fresh, bright wines that exhibit youthful, vibrant flavors while possessing the rich complexity of more mature wine.  Candor Lot 3 blends the unique characteristics of 2008, 2009 and 2010 vintages from the Paso Robles and Lodi appellation. The result? Another gorgeously rich wine with those strong berry flavors that accompany good Zinfandel.  On the nose, you’ll sense licorice and vanilla. To taste, it’s a mix of strawberries, cherries, chocolate, toasted spice and pepper with a zing of acidity. Silky tannins provide a lush, full mouth-feel and long finish. And with a red wine this luscious, it may serve as the centerpiece to your dinner after a cold-commute home – able to stand up to strong, flavorful cheeses or upgrade even ordinary carry-out pizza into a little bit of heaven.

September’s Inspired Wine Club offers the perfect wine coupling to ease you into autumn. Just as you are performing your final cannonball dives of the season, we present two of Cannonball Winery’s finest. These wines will comfort the soul with their iconic childlike diver on the label placating your last pangs of summer nostalgia. Yes, two wines that happily accompany your grill fare as well as your renewed autumn stews—perfect for Hinsdale weather as it too tries to settle into the upcoming cooler season.

2009 Cannonball Winery Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma County

If you believe the winemaker (and why shouldn’t you? It’s the beloved, skillful Dennis Hill), this Cab may be the winery’s very best vintage ever, and that’s coming from a winery that prides itself on its Cabs. Thanks to Mother Nature, all the conditions were right for creating fantastic Cabs in 2009. And so, here we have a gorgeous, smooth, full-bodied specimen that pushes the fruit forward with just a small addition of Syrah. In addition to the jammy dark berry, cherry and plum flavors is a wonderful bit of warmed dark chocolate, some autumnal spiciness and softened toasted oak. The tannins add dimension but don’t overwhelm, and the acidity makes for a balanced wine with a long finish. Match it to a Porterhouse steak on the grill, a warming beef Bourguignon, or on its own as a sipper. Red wine lovers won’t be disappointed.

2010 Cannonball Winery Sauvignon Blanc, Sonoma County

This limited-release wine promises the perfect send-off to summer during your Labor Day celebrations. The long, cool growing season in 2010 produced flavorful grapes with balanced acidity. The nose overflows with the fruitiness of honeydew, papaya, citrus and a smidge of white pepper. In the mouth, its minerality juxtaposes so nicely with the honeysuckle and melon flavors. This wine won’t weigh you down. It is smooth, refreshing and a great accompaniment to seafood, your favorite pastas and salads, or for quaffing alone as you enjoy those diminishing picturesque summer sunsets from your backyard deck or screened-in porch.

And sure enough, as we made our way to the unassuming vineyard known as Fattoria La Magia, we were soon to learn just how great that wine could be. Winemaker and owner Fabian Schwarz greeted us and casually took us to a hillside overlooking his grapes with a breathtaking view that also included a distant Benedictine St. Antimo abbey that Charlemagne built so many centuries ago. While it is far from being the biggest vineyard in the world (approximately 52 hectares of which you can see all of it from this one vantage point), here is a winery that has flourished, exporting its wine around the world.

“Do you ever get sick of this view,” I said while transfixed by the gentle vineyards with the abbey beyond and a backdrop of the majestic Apennine Mountains.

Fabian chuckled and said, “No, but sometimes they look even better after I have been away traveling.”

The Brunello everybody loves

Most wine experts will say that Brunello is Tuscany’s greatest wine varietal; others say it is the best in all of Italy. Roughly translated as “nice dark one,” this is a red wine lover’s dream with its smooth tannins and robust dark fruit and leather flavors. Brunello di Montalcino was awarded with the first DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita) in 1980, which means it can only be grown and produced in Montalcino, that everything used to make the wine must also come from Montalcino and that it can only be made from 100 percent Brunello grapes, which are a perfected clone of the Sangiovese grape that dates back to the mid-19^th century. Fabian explained that Brunello must age at least two years in oak barrels and a minimum of four years overall as part of the DOCG rules. Riserva Brunello ages at least two and a half years in oak barrels and five years overall.

Like many of the local winemakers, Fabian and his wife offer tastings and tours by appointment, and depending on what you taste and whether you would like some charcuterie alongside your wines, the price ranges between 10 and 18 Euro ($14-25 US).  The tour starts in the vineyard, goes through the cellars and finishes outside under a shady tree, where the family dog is quick to nestle herself comfortably under the tables as well.

It’s this kind of environment that allows one to learn about the challenges a winemaker has and see the parts of winemaking that drive his passion. My friend’s simple question about Fabian’s wine label revealed that when he was just four years old, an artist had come to visit his father to design that year’s label for the Riserva wine. However, on that occasion the four-year-old created art that proved to be longer-lived, still adorning all of La Magia’s wine bottles rather than just one vintage like the work from the more experienced artist.

A satisfying tasting

So, La Magia, like most of the wineries in Montalcino has found the benefits of location and have clearly specialized in Brunello. Like most winemakers in this area, Fabian specializes with the three wines of Montalcino: Rosso, Brunello and Brunello Riserva. While winemakers save their best quality grapes for Riserva and lesser quality grapes for Rosso, a lot of the rules can change depending on a good or bad vintage. Many reviewers will note that in bad vintage years, these wines can prove to be exceptional values. As winemakers downgrade their best grapes, the Rosso’s quality improves. Asking Fabian about which years were good years for Rosso and good years for Riserva proved mind numbing. Compounding the confusing list of vintages was the fact that as we tasted his three wines, they all had impressive aroma, taste and color, despite ranging in price from 12 to 45 Euros/bottle.

Bad quality Rosso?  Not from this place was the conclusion we drew. Yes, the Rosso lacked some of that depth and tannins in which the Brunello and Riserva bathed your tongue, but it definitely held its own as a hearty, earthy, robust red wine. We bought two bottles of each wine for the rest of our Tuscan vacation. However, we couldn’t resist opening them in threesomes to continue comparing and contrasting.

My husband likes to say that the best wines are always best because of context – you’re having a good time, surrounded by friends or family, or the setting is just perfect. Well, for six traveling friends in Tuscany, we decided La Magia has some damn fine context.

– Ivy F. Kupec

– Robert Rex, Winemaker, @Arroba Winery

Since 1972, Robert Rex has been making wines, most famously at his own Deerfield Ranch winery, where he touts the virtues of wine blending to create the perfect wine. This seems utterly appropriate when one learns he is also a masterchef who can wax on about a stock made from 100 percent red wine, a whole lot of vegetables and lovingly roasted beef bones. Thankfully, his artistry, creativity and considered opinion are behind the relatively new wine label @Arroba, which promises Robert Rex quality wines @ a more affordable price. Continuing a traditional French winemaking style, Rex has helped to craft impeccable wines for @Arroba, including a chardonnay and cabernet that wine critics quickly note taste considerably above their price range.

The trendy, social-media centric tone to @Arroba wines, with ads that mimic iPhones and Twitter-esque marketing language, indicate these are iconic wines for today, even when temps are soaring. So, @Arroba puts the “inspiration” in the Hinsdale Inspired August Wine Club: a brilliant Chardonnay made for sipping on your terrace or screened-in porch and a Cabernet Sauvignon richly perfected to pair with your favorite barbecue fare.

@Arroba 2009 Santa Maria Chardonnay

Here is a Chardonnay whose oakiness doesn’t weigh one down in the summer heat. Demonstrating a fine balance of oak aging and buttery goodness, the @Arroba Chardonnay is refreshing, bringing the cool Pacific breezes of the central California coast seemingly right to your wine glass. The golden color and green hues introduce a nose of young harvest fruits and a bit of autumn spice. Swirl it in your glass, and you will be rewarded by the way this young wine opens up and provides lush fruit flavor and a perfect balance of acidity. Perfect for taking on a picnic with its screwtop seal, this wine demonstrates impressive craftsmanship that comes from 100% barrel fermentation and 11 months of aging in artisan coopered French oak.

@Arroba 2007 Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon

Get out your best steaks for this deep purple Cab that is tempered with 8% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc, making for a rich, velvety, berry-luscious wine. Aged in French and American Oak barrels for almost three years, this fruit-forward wine is full bodied with flavors of cherries and blackberries.  Again, Rex craftsmanship with a whole-berry fermentation process allows the wine to retain an opulent fruit flavor with hints of violets and cedar on the nose. Soft tannins and low acidity give the wine balanced structure, making this wine stand out with your favorite grilled foods.

Basil: Or else?

Alexis Zorba: …he never dares cut the rope and be free.

Basil: …Teach me to dance….

– From Zorba the Greek

Breakfast offerings at the meat market.

Meandering around Athens...

One travels to Greece with a certain degree of expectation. Sparkling blue seas should catch the sun and blind you with Greece’s unstoppable beauty. The scents of garlicky, grilled souvlaki and the sounds of energetic lute music should follow you as you travel through quaint, narrow streets lined with quaint stucco buildings. And you should encounter mustached men gulping ouzo and freely dancing their own version of Zorba’s Sirtaki.

So, when my good, good friend and Cellar Door manager Alex Shamsuddin and I spent eight days in Athens and Mykonos, that was the movie playing in my head as we began our travels. While we failed to see Anthony Quinn or have anyone teach us the secret to life, we did hear firsthand experiences about Greece’s recent economic woes, discover Athens’ central market, and become mesmerized by Mykonos’ splendor.

A taste of reality

The first thing we experienced in Greece was a taste of economic despair—not ours, thankfully. Coming into Athens, our hotel was conveniently situated near Syntagma Square, just downwind from the Acropolis and central to everything, including a huge protest. Greece’s economic hardships were hard to avoid in conversations with the Greeks we met. I lost track of the number of people inquiring about jobs in the United States, asking how to emigrate and relaying their own personal financial woes. You would think in that case tourists would find bargains everywhere, but just the opposite was true. Starbucks would have looked like a bargain compared to our coffee, which was selling for 5 euros/cup (about $7). And if the “Best Bartender in Greece” was telling us the truth, he earned the equivalent of $35/day – that doesn’t buy too many cups of coffee!  So, with all this bad news and warnings of pickpockets everywhere, it was a little hard to get comfortable in Greece…at first. However, Greece is a bit of paradise. And if one believes Zorba the Greek, this is a resilient culture that will rise above. Despite its recent travails, Greece is undeniably full of history, culture, and color and still makes for a restful vacation.

Going to the meat market

Jet lag can drive a person crazy. Unable to sleep, Alex and I decided on our second day to explore Athens – cigars in hand – at its least crowded – 5 a.m. And at that time of day, The Agora or central market was where the action was. We found butchers grinding, carving and macerating every meat you could imagine. Fishmongers, too, were sorting and cleaning fish, and flower vendors and vegetable sellers also received their day’s delivery of fresh, colorful produce. The air there was thick and gamey but the sights spectacular. Peach-colored squash blossoms that are sometimes filled and sometimes just lightly batter-fried were nestled among a brilliant array of colors in the many vegetable and fruit kiosks. The next day and the day after we returned to gaze upon the trays of goat heads or cured pork legs hanging along walls – literally the place was a feast for the senses. We would munch on olives and cheeses as we simply enjoyed walking through the market, listening to the Greek banter. On our second trip there, we discovered the Agora had cafeteria-like restaurants where locals were consuming ouzo even in the morning. We joined in, selecting spiced meatballs that went perfectly with a big glass of Greek frosty beer.

Sure we made it to the historic and massive Acropolis that looms above Athens. And through all our exploring we happened upon the bartender who had been voted best in all of Greece and made the most alluring cocktails. But likely the most memorable part of Athens will be the time spent in the Agora.

Magical Mykonos

Mykonos is the kind of Greece that people dream of. It’s what we see in movies, and when one is there, it’s hard to believe that these narrow gray stone-paved walkways are what they refer to as streets. Whitewashed buildings contrast against the azure sky and matching azure-painted balcony rails, window shutters, and doors. At night, the streets fill up with those who have spent their days sunbathing. Unlike the majority of other men traveling in pairs in Mykonos, we were not wearing skin-tight white t-shirts, hanging inside or outside of the discotheques whose house music radiated down the street, drawing in male European tourists like a Pied Piper.

No, Alex and I instead reveled in the pastoral side of Mykonos. It was back to nature for us with the gorgeous blue water, the blinding white sand, and, oh, the nakedness. No, we weren’t naked, but many around us were—even those guys who would later be sweating on a dance floor rather than lingering in a nice restaurant like we would. Yes, food in Mykonos was lovely, and surprisingly not always seafood. At Namma Barbecue, we had an assortment of grilled meats that went perfectly with an ice-cold glass of crisp, slightly salty Muscadet. However, one of my best meals was at Mouragio where you ordered an appetizer and selected your specific fresh fish from a case that they grilled simply with salt, pepper and olive oil. It was flaky, light and so fresh—one of the best fish dinners I have ever had. I’ve tried to replicate the process at home, but honestly, maybe I need the Greek sun and sand to do so.

After five days in Mykonos, I felt sated, re-energized and ready to return to my own hot Hinsdale sun. It had been a relaxing week, but I couldn’t help thinking of Zorba’s words again: “No more fooling around, not in this place. We’ll pull our pants up and make a pile of money.”

– Sean Chaudhry