Feliz Navidad: Spanish Wines just in time for Christmas

While it’s probably not Norman Rockwell’s idea of Christmas, Spain’s way of celebrating Feliz Navidad promises a month of excitement, flourish and color that even overflows into January. Whether it’s their spectacular month-long lottery, their day of pranks on el día de los Santos Inocentes, or their wait until Jan. 6 for three kings to bring their Christmas gifts rather than Santa Claus, each celebration is filled with special foods and hypnotic wine. No surprise then that this year, your friends at Hinsdale Cellars would bring a little of that Latino festivity home, providing Inspired Wine Club members with two very elegant Spanish wines – one red and one white, of course – that are perfect accompaniments to decking the halls and two more great reasons to say, “Joy to the World.”

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!

 

November Inspired Wine Club: Scents for the Season

Autumn is filled with a cornucopia of aromas. The musty smell of golden and crimson leaves gathered into piles. A sweet waft of cinnamon and apples that can permeate an entire house when a pie filled with orchard-fresh fruit quietly bakes. And of course, that alluring aroma of turkey roasting in preparation of a Thanksgiving feast for family and friends. Yes, this is a time of year for wonderful aromas that evoke childhood memories and comforting times. As the writer Vladimir Nabokov said, “Nothing revives the past so completely as a smell that was once associated with it.” So in honor of the great smells of autumn, Hinsdale Inspired Wine Club offers two wines that promise a captivating olfactory experience. Whether you enjoy the earthiness of a perfected Pinot Noir or the exotic fruitiness of a lesser-known Italian white varietal, this month’s selections are sure to fit into this season of sensory delights.

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.

 

Taking the edge off…

It’s only the start of October and an intense autumnal cold front has transformed Lake Michigan into a boisterous, unfriendly seascape, reminding anyone who lives near it why Chicago is indeed called the “Windy City.” Here in Hinsdale, these brisk winds seem to make even the trees shiver as leaves start falling in earnest, and we are forced to bring out sweaters and soft, warm clothes much sooner than we would have liked. The first real chilly weather of the season is always a bit of a jolt to the system, but Hinsdale Wine Cellars has two October “inspired” club selections that will likely take the edge off this gusty weather and provide the perfect calm in these storms. Here is a rich, almost heavy white wine that most definitely is not the white you’d choose on hotter days. Additionally, a soul-soothing Zinfandel provides heartiness and needed warmth after a day in dreary weather. The Hope family produces both wines, which seems amusingly apropos during these times when we could use a little extra “hope.”

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.

 

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