A German octopus with impressive psychic abilities (at least when it comes to anticipating winners and losers in World Cup 2010) has predicted Spain will be victorious at Sunday’s final match against the Netherlands. This is the first time the team has ever qualified for the finals.  And it’s clear why they have done so — the youthful team plays with an obvious passion that is beautiful to watch. For oenophiles, Spanish wines too are attracting more attention and fans this year as wine producers possess devotion, passion and skill, much like the popularized España strikers David Villa, Carles Puyol or Xavi.

Lucky for me, I recently visited Spain and got to experience some of its great wine stars first hand, such as Perfum De Vi Blanc from producer Raventos i Blanc and winemaker Pepe Raventos.  As we approached the vineyard, a striking circular courtyard surrounded a majestic 500-year-old oak tree, unfortunately toppled by a recent storm.  Considered a winery icon, this tree has witnessed the changes and growth in the Raventos operation since 1497—18 generations of winemakers who have worked the 90 hectares of historic vineyard that lie about 30 minutes west of Barcelona in the Catalunya region.  The clean, contemporary architecture with its mix of large skylights and modern arches hints at the family’s keen interest in tapping modern technology to protect the land through biodynamic viticulture to produce truly remarkable wines.  The Raventos are probably best known for their sparkling cavas, but it was this 50/50 blend of Muscat and Macabeo grapes that “wow-ed” me during our tastings.

Macabeo, also known as Viura, is a hearty grape that is often blended into cavas and has become popular in France’s Roussillon area. The grape produces mildly acidic and young white wines that are light, lively, refreshing and perfect for early use as evidenced in this 2009 Perfum.  The grape, however, that puts the “perfume” in the Perfum is clearly the Muscat, which is known for its distinctive floral aroma. (Interesting fact: Muscat grapes have been found to carry large concentrations of flavonoid antioxidants, even at the same level as red wines, which is good for the heart when drunk in moderation, of course.)

The final result of these two grapes is a blend that, as I have said before, is like no other. Initially, it has a hypnotic floral nose, followed by the fresh and lively florality in taste.  There are hints of melon, pear and citrus that make it a perfect match to a hot summer day.  It has a good balance between the mouth-filling character of the Muscat and the freshness of Macabeo. I challenge you to stop at one glass.  I think it’s impossible.

So with a forecast here in Hinsdale of nearly 90-degree weather Sunday for the World Cup finals, it seems like the perfect time to make sure you have some Perfum chilling in preparation.  Whether the octopus is right or wrong, whether he’s a fan of Spanish wines or not, whether you are indifferent to soccer games or octopus, this is a wine that is just perfect for any hot summer day.

Throughout the Iceland’s “erupting” news, I couldn’t help but recall a geologist friend’s comments about volcanoes and wines after he returned from Cape Verde. He had traveled to a remote island with an impressive volcanic landscape, including Cha das Caldeiras, a volcanic plane. “From the (only) town on the island it takes you many hours to drive to Cha das Caldeiras,” said Professor Falk Amelung from the University of Miami in a recent e-mail. “There was nothing there other than lava and…vineyards. At least that’s the way I remember it!”

What’s in a soil?
Many of our favorite wine regions – Napa Valley, Chile, France, Germany, Italy, New Zealand – benefit from volcanic soils that include mineral-rich ingredients like basalt, pumice, perlite, jory and tufa. From glassy basalt that is rich in calcium, iron and magnesium to light, powdery perlite, these volcanic soil components vary in quantity and mineral composition.

“Minerals that come out of volcanoes are, by definition, stable at high temperatures,” said Professor Tim Dixon, University of Miami marine geologist and oenophile. “Upon eruption, they are rapidly chilled to glass, so the minerals are in a metastable state. Hence, they can rapidly break down – quick in a geologic sense, which means tens to hundreds of years. Ultimately, this process releases potash and phosphate, two critical nutrients normally in short supply.” In other words, volcanic soil makes for good soil chemistry.

Geologist colleague, also at the University of Miami, Shimon Wdowinski adds that these soils’ iron and magnesium could also be important. Volcanologists from University of California-Santa Barbara credit mineral-rich volcanic soils, too, noting that many people will risk heavy ash, lava flows and unbelievable damage to grow crops and raise livestock in these potentially dangerous areas because they are so bountiful. For example, except for the volcanic area near Naples, farming in southern Italy is difficult because of the prevalent limestone. Naples, however, has Mt. Vesuvius, and its two eruptions 35,000 and 12,000 years ago left mineral-rich soil that still is considered Italy’s best agricultural land.

According to Jeff Cox in The Wine News, the older, but not necessarily most dominant theory on volcanic soil’s benefits to wine, however, has to do with drainage. “For many years, the conventional wisdom, perpetuated by UC-Davis teachings, was that a soil’s drainage capacity, rather than some ineffable nutrient, had the biggest influence on the resulting quality of a wine.”

Professor Dixon also noted that volcanic soils provide important drainage. “Grape vines hate ” wet feet,” and volcanic terrains are usually sloped, hence drainage is good.” Winemakers will quickly tout the benefits of struggling vines that have to dig deep for their water and mineral sources, establishing stronger root systems in the process that make for heartier plants and fruit that is less fleshy and more concentrated in flavor.

The Santa Barbara volcanologists note yet another reason for volcanic soil’s benefits: its reaction to the sun: heat from the sun releases key elements from the rocks, making them accessible to the plants within. “Volcanic rocks make some of the best soils on earth because they… have a wide variety of common elements and are readily chemically separated into elemental components.”

Terroir, terroir, terroir
Though terroir sounds a lot like terrain, the French say it is much more than the ground and soil—it’s about the interconnectedness of all elements that ultimately produce great wines. It’s fascinating to see areas like the Mosel River Valley and Pfalz regions of Germany, that don’t seem to have any active volcanoes these days but still benefit from volcanic soil that remains to produce vibrant Riesling and Gewurztraminer.

Likewise, according to Cox, Napa Valley has an age-old connection. “Beginning about four or five million years ago, Napa Valley was a region of active volcanism. This ancient volcanic rock comes to the surface today on the lower slopes on either side of the valley.”

According to the Santa Barbara volcanologists, “after the Mt. St. Helens eruption in 1980, people who were living downwind from the eruption were concerned that the ash that fell would be detrimental to the agricultural farmlands of eastern Washington. This concern was countered by a group of knowledgeable earth scientists. Volcanic ash can be considered as a time-release capsule, rich in nutrients.”

While geologists know generally how volcanic ash or soil help better winemaking, it is hardly the only factor. So many variables play into producing great wine that winemakers seem to be able to rely on skill, experience and science only so much. Sometimes, they also need a little luck or magic.

According to the Aussie survey of 1,000 people, only 7 percent could recall the date of Mother’s Day, which happens to be the same at the U.S. celebration (May 9), and apparently, we don’t put on our thoughtful caps when selecting presents for our underappreciated mothers. Most unwanted gift item? Cleaning appliances (aka vacuums), fitness equipment, foot spas, kitchen gadgets, and items purchased obviously at the last-minute.

Mother’s Day Help to the Rescue!

Do I even need to mention this to you again?  Be inspired.  Buy your mother membership to the Hinsdale Inspired Wine Club!  It’s the perfect Mother’s Day gift and it keeps on giving, month after month.  Your mother may like it so much you can do it again next year!

Sure, your mom would like to tour Napa Valley or sit on a sunny terrace in Provence, sipping some refreshing rosé.  Maybe she’d love to enjoy a rich Malbec in the dusty vineyards, watching the sunset in Mendoza.  Those things aren’t necessarily the easiest to give, especially when we have forgotten when Mother’s Day is and/or have waited until the last minute to buy our beloved parent a gift.  (We should know better, but so many things get in the way, right?)

So, here’s a way to capture those travels and wines in one convenient gift – membership in the largest wine club in the Chicago area, boasting more than 400 members. That means more buying power to find better wines and get better values. For $34.95/month (no long-term contract required), members receive:

* Two fine wines each month, valued on average at $50 and selected through a rigorous tasting process

* Informative literature on Wine Club wines, including tasting notes and reviews

* Special discounts on the month’s wine, if you decide to buy more.

* Special alerts on wine specials and store events, and

* 6- and 12-month memberships are available, as well, at $209.70 and $419.40, respectively.

Australians may not know everything, but of the two thirds of “mums” who actually received a Mother’s Day gift last year, 47 percent “weren’t happy with it, with 15 percent saying it was bought at the last minute, the survey indicated.”  Tsk, tsk.  With all that good wine down under, you’d think they’d have a wine club like Hinsdale’s to prevent such a disaster. Hinsdale Cellars, with its Inspired Wine Club, offers helpful, unique expertise and is most likely to introduce you and your favorite Mom to your next favorite wines.

For more information, come visit the store at 12 E. Hinsdale Ave., the Web site at http://www.hinsdalecellars.com or call 630.654.9862.

Wine, not Whines, for Mom

Perhaps talking about Mothers’ Day approximately a month ahead of time would seem a bit premature to some people.  However, as a mother, I have learned that my family doesn’t seem to hear me the first time I say anything unless it’s “hot chocolate chip cookies just came out of the oven…” Even then, I can quickly lose out to a heated Wii game or a captivating episode of The Simpsons.

That said, Mother’s Day is just around the corner on May 9th, and this is one mother who is willing to stand up and speak for the masses: You know what moms like?  We like wine.   Big surprise on a wine blog, right?  Well, but then you must know that the women in your life who also get to be mothers are likely nodding in agreement right about now.

In fact, they are not only nodding in agreement but buying wine as they do so.  According to the Washington Post, women make 57 percent of U.S. wine purchases.  Even more staggering and written in scholarly-speak, scientists from the International Journal of Wine Business Research estimate 80 percent of the wine sold in the United States is to women.  And they know a lot about us, too.  They conclude that women are more apt than men to seek information from wine store employees, a server, sommelier or winery personnel than men.  We actually read those labels and shelf tags that wine guys provide for us, and we tend to love to buy wines with medals and awards. I hate generalizations about any group of people because it can often lead to prejudice, but in this case, I must say I can corroborate those findings.

Mom-Worthy Wine

So, where do you find wine worth your favorite Mom’s time?  She’s obviously dear enough to you that you have suffered through this blog and are now pondering whether a month could possibly be enough time to get her the gift she deserves. The key here is to think about how wines take people on journeys.  A sip of a sensuous Malbec provides immediate transport to vibrant Argentina.  The right kind of Grenache-rich rosé can recall her backpacking experiences in Europe after college that led her to Aix-en-Provence. And a dry Riesling from Australia reminds her of the Outback trip she’d like to take for her next milestone birthday.  There’s a way to capture those travels and wines in one convenient gift, and that’s the Hinsdale Cellars Inspired Wine Club – the largest wine club in the Chicago area, boasting more than 400 members. That means more buying power to find better wines and get better values.

• Women make up 52 percent of the adult population.
• Women buy 57 percent of the wine consumed in the United States.
• In 1890, 10 percent of the winemakers were estimated to be women.
• In 1990, women still only accounted for 10 percent of winemakers.

While women likely play a more prominent role in winemaking than this seemingly low-ball estimate, there is no denying that many of the wines they make – most likely because of skills and experience rather than gender – are some of the best in the world. So, in celebration of Women’s History Month, here are five great winemakers who happen to be women that deserve your attention:

Kris Curran
Sea Smoke pinot noir – as featured in Sideways – is one of the most coveted wines with such limited productions that even the winemaker has to pay for her very limited share, and Kris Curran was there making some of its early 2000 vintages. A dog lover with four German shepherds, she chose to major in animal science, rather than enology because the college she preferred to UC-Davis, didn’t have that program. She says, she still got her fair share of chemistry and biology, and her natural proclivity to producing sensational wines is clear. In 2008, she moved on to Foley Wines for new challenges with Pinot Noir, but this is a winemaker who seems to have a golden touch with the vines anywhere she goes.

Laura Catena
Vice president of Argentina’s famous Bodega Catena Zapata, where she does the research that leads to some of the top blends for her father, Nicolás Catena, Laura Catena is also the owner of her own “Luca” label and has written a book about Argentinean wines. Many who frequent Hinsdale Cellars will remember Sean Chaudhry’s forays in Argentina, which included memorable dinners and tastings at Bodega Catena Zapata. A believer in Cabernet-Malbec blends, Catena is producing some of those most notable and luscious reds we have come to love and even expect from Argentina.

Heidi Barrett, California
Robert Parker Jr. refers to Heidi Barrett as the “First Lady of Wine,” and it’s no surprise as she has been the winemaker behind renowned Screaming Eagle, a Cabernet that consistently thrills wine lovers and collectors. Barrett is the only winemaker ever to have received five perfect scores from the top wine critics in the country, and in 2008, she moved onto Fantesca Estate and Winery, a boutique wine producer in Napa Valley, still leading the way when it comes to unique, special California wines.

Ann Colgin
“Superstar” is how many refer to Ann Colgin, who is known for building a world-renowned reputation for California’s small production, hand-crafted red wines. While her Lamb Vineyard wines have drawn special attention, Colgin Cellars wines are all sought-after, often hard-to-find wines. Reportedly, that is because annual production is limited to just 300 cases, with more than 4,000 people on a mailing list, clamoring to have some of her latest efforts.

Celia Masyczek
Former Staglin Family winemaker, Celia Masyczek is now one of the most sought-after consultants in Napa, having earned her fame with high-end Napa Valley reds. Masyczek cut her teeth in winemaking in Medford, Ore., where she grew up as the daughter of a wine collector and home winemaker. After a fermentation science degree from UC-Davis, she may have started her career with an eye toward chemistry, but ultimately she has let her own sense of taste lead her to many noteworthy wines. As freelance winemaker, Masyczek is based at Laird Family Estate and has nine clients. Some of her past and current clients are: Hartwell, D.R. Stephens, Husic, Rocca, Cornerstone and recently Scarecrow from the JJ Cohn vineyard (whose 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon earned a Robert Parker Jr. 98-point rating.).

With winemakers like these, it makes it irresistible to make a toast to them with some of their latest creations. See what Hinsdale Cellars has in store today!

“What I need to live has been given to me by the earth. Why I need to live has been given to me by you.”

~Author Unknown

From the heart, for the heart
Since 1991 when 60 Minutes’ Morley Safer first reported on the “French paradox,” Americans and others have been fascinated by the way the French seem to resist heart disease despite their culturally-entrenched diet of high-fat stinky cheeses, cholesterol-laden pâtés, and pommes frites bathed in saturated fats like lard. Are butter and cream like vitamins in this culture? Nay, many believe that the wine they drink with their meals offers cardio-protection.

Moderate alcohol consumption is known to raise “good” cholesterol levels and flush out the nasty platelets that like to cling to our blood vessels and create the blockages that can lead to heart attacks and strokes. Additionally, the antioxidants in wine – whether they are flavonoids or nonflavonoids aid heart health. The superstar nonflavonoid is undoubtedly resveratrol, which also prevents fat from clogging our arteries. Additionally, quercetin and catechins are popular antioxidants found in wine and other foods. The reason so many people tout the benefits of red wine is that these antioxidants are primarily found in grape skins, which steep longer in the red winemaking process than white wines, so reds have more resveratrol than whites. However, antioxidants are everywhere, including non-alcoholic foods, like simple, unfermented grapes. Wine, however, has an interestingly larger amount.

Antioxidants prevent cancer, right?
When I think antioxidants, I think anti-cancer. Antioxidants fight the free radicals in our bodies that are said to result from smoking, radiation and certain bad chemicals that have been associated with cancers and other diseases. That’s why marketers love to promote antioxidants. If folks have seen the movie, Idiocracy, my husband compares this worldwide obsession with antioxidants to the movie’s fixation with electrolytes that caused society to replace water with sports drinks and wonder why the grass and plants were all dying. Seriously though, many researchers have long reported wine’s antioxidant properties and their role in preventing cancer.

That’s why many health-minded wine lovers were disappointed to hear the studies this past year that reported an increased risk of certain cancers as a result of even moderate wine consumption. And these weren’t small studies, either. Some researchers believe that alcohol damages fragile cells it comes into contact with, increasing the risk for mouth, lung, bladder, colon and liver cancers. Additionally, a large study involving British women showed consistent increased risk for breast cancer. However, the jury is still out on these issues as researchers wrestle with some of the confounding factors of these studies, such as the roles diet and other lifestyle factors played in increasing cancer risks. Undoubtedly, this confounding scientific evidence will spawn further research.

Super Wine!
Reading the various medical literature on wine might lead one to believe that wine cures most anything, and in some cases the studies, though mostly in animals, do seem promising. Wine has impressive antioxidants, and antioxidants are credited with not only preventing heart attacks, strokes and blood vessel disease, but also thwarting Alzheimer’s disease, other dementia, degenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s, immune disorders, cataracts and macular degeneration. Of course, successes are in varying amounts, but according to Dr. Harvey E. Finkel, a clinical professor of medicine at Boston University Medical Center and chairman of the Committee on Health of the Society of Wine Educators, these claims have solid research behind them, so the outlook is good that antioxidants are likely helpful to people with these health issues.

More preliminary research, according to Dr. Finkel, has shown that wine and grapes inactivated certain viruses and possibly stimulated “fat burning” that helped with weight loss, believe it or not. But my favorite study is the one that essentially says wine makes you smarter. A study of aging twins – one who drank moderately, the other who didn’t – showed that the moderate drinker was smarter, scoring higher intellectually than those who drank significantly more or significantly less.

Everything in moderation
Without exception, studies that purported wine and/or alcohol’s health benefits only saw those benefits with moderate consumption, which is defined as one drink per day for women and two per day for men, who are generally larger and metabolize alcohol somewhat differently. As soon as consumption increased beyond this level, the benefits disappeared and other long-term health risks developed, such as diabetes, liver disease and certain cancers.

That said, if we go back to that original researcher who discussed the French paradox with 60 Minutes, Serge Renaud, we see his research makes a wonderful case for enjoying moderate wine consumption. He and his colleagues from the University of Bordeaux associated moderate wine consumption with a “30% reduction in the death rate from all causes; a 35% percent reduction in death rates from cardiovascular disease; and an 18-24% reduction in death rates from cancer.” Now that is something I can drink to.

– Helen Gurley Brown, the Ultimate “Cosmo” Girl

Naysayers may exist, but I find it hard to believe that anyone is immune to the celebratory powers of Champagne. It’s what’s for weddings, New Year’s, and so many other special occasions. Karen MacNeil, author of the Wine Bible, recounts Marilyn Monroe’s love for the stuff such that the actress reportedly took a bath in 350 bottles of it!

Sure, these days one can find other satisfying bubblies in a favorite Prosecco, Cava or Sekt, but Champagne will always have one thing these others don’t: the name, Champagne.

Folks like Robert M. Parker will say that name has done a disservice to the wine, allowing it to rest on its delicate fizzy laurels and take far longer than it should have in developing into wine that is as great tasting as it is luxurious and festive.

Back to the chalk pit

What makes Champagne unique is what makes so many French wines unique: its terroir. From its start 65 million years ago when prehistoric seas over northern France and Britain receded, leaving huge chalky deposits, Champagne grapes had unique soil composition and an interesting set of microclimates for such a small area (again, very French) that yielded interesting wine stories, if not great wine in its early years in the 1600s.

• Cold temperatures that kept the yeasts from growing during the winter months initially frustrated wine makers. Spring would come, yeasts would grow again and the result was embarrassingly fizzy wine. At this time, that was more likely seen as evidence of spoilage rather than something elegant.

• Theses wines also had a problem with gritty yeast residue. Thanks to a Widow Clicquot employee, a fascinating “riddling” process migrated the residue to the bottles’ stems where it could be frozen and expelled with gas from the bottles themselves before a final topping off with base wine and rebottling.

• The Champagne region winters and springs could be (and still are!) so cold that grapes had a hard time surviving. Not only were vines trained low to the ground to maximize the heat that bounces off the white soil, but winemakers used to employ white plastic sheeting to aid reflection as well. That sheeting has since been outlawed.

The trio of grapes

Interestingly, only three grapes can be found in Champagne: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. And because of the disparity between these grapes, Champagnes, depending on the grape distribution, can fluctuate wine flavors and textures as well – from something light and citrusy to full-bodied and more reminiscent of vanilla custard in flavor and texture.

Champagne makers tend to stick with a style such that Perrier-Jouêt will likely always be a light-to-medium wine. Veuve Clicquot and Pommery will likely always be medium-to-full bodied, and Bollinger and Krug will always be known for their fullness. For someone interested in a more Chardonnay-driven Champagne, a Blanc de Blanc might be in order, which predominantly come from Côte des Blanc, which is one of five Champagne vineyard areas. Along with the Montagne de Reims, the Côte des Blanc is home to essentially all 17 of Champagne’s “extraordinary” villages, according to MacNeil, saying they are “historically rated 100 percent.” Duval-Leroy, based in Vertus, has been making Champagne in this region since 1859, and produces both Blanc de Chardonnay as well as other Champagnes that have gotten considerable attention.

Ringing in the New Year

As New Year’s Eve approaches, finding just the right bubbly to make your festivities special doesn’t have to be difficult. With an ample selection, the experts at Hinsdale Wine Cellars are here to assist, and most importantly, wish you a joyous 2010.

Gordon’s
Touted as London’s oldest wine bar, I had read that Gordon’s specializes in fortified wines, straight from casks. And while many may try to capture the ambience of this relic of a wine bar, I strongly believe that pictures and words will undoubtedly fall short. Located close to Charing Cross tube station, this port and sherry repository is fairly tucked away. Steps lead down into the heart of this dark, oaky-smelling place where side rooms look more like caves with no more lighting than romantic candles. Yes, this place could be romantic if not for the table tents, t-shirts and signs everywhere that caution customers of it being a high-crime area. “Please watch your valuables…. pickpockets abound.” Apparently, they provide “security hooks” under your table for when you go to the counter to get your wine – no servers here, at least during the day shift. However, fumbling underneath our well-used wooden table left us merely wiping our hands and leaving one person to “stand guard” rather than abandoning our “stuff.” The good news: we had no incidence of crime. The best news: we tasted some wonderful beakers of white and tawny port, and schooners of sherry. Tickets to a show prevented us from staying longer and experiencing other wines, which I am sure, reading from reviews, are nothing short of remarkable.

1707 Wine Bar
For any foodie worth her salt, a trip to London should also include a visit to the gourmet department store, Fortnum & Mason, where one can bask in the glow of countless tea tins, cheeses, chocolates and other, more decadent items that tease the taste buds. Lucky for wine lovers, they have a wine bar with wonderful “flights” and single glasses of wine to try in addition to a food menu. Here a flight to Spain, Provence, Italy or New Zealand takes you there by way of three representative glasses of wine. With our French whites, we also opted to try a little local fare, ordering some cheddar and Stilton cheese with typical British crackers and oatcakes. The live jazz music in an elegant and intimate environment suited the tasting well. The Maitre D’ proved as humorous as he did helpful in guiding our selections and seeing to it that we received them quickly.

Kensington Wine Rooms
When I think of wine rooms, I think of quiet, reserved, elegant places where a suited sommelier with perfect posture and a white towel over his bent lower arm act as wine maestros for my tasting experience. And at Kensington Wine Rooms, that is exactly what you won’t find. Instead, it is a lively, loud and fun place with tapas fare as well as beautiful plates of fully adorned duck breasts and other substantial meals. The “sommeliers” are several, but dressed in jeans and button-down shirts. Their casual attire, however, doesn’t transfer to their attitude about wine. With that, they are most definitely serious. We sat at the bar, watching so many of them taste (and spit) the wines before serving newly opened bottles to customers. Kensington boasts its special “enomatic” wine system that allows open bottles to stay fresh between customer orders. Best of all, the sommeliers are knowledgeable and eager to share their personal favorites. From our sommelier’s favorite Rioja to a California Zinfandel and then an Argentine Malbec, I found each wine equally impressive. Accompanied by some simple, but appropriate antipasto and the happy fervor of the crowd there (standing room only by the time we left), Kensington proved to be a perfect spot for exploring new wines.

Now, you may wonder how, when there are at least 30 wine bars in London, I decided on these three to visit, and I must credit professional resources. By that, I mean Sean Chaudhry and his enormous network of wine lovers, which includes a cousin, Anjum Iqbal, who lives in London and gave me the low-down on wine bars before my trip. But that is the beauty of a network of wine lovers and the sign of a good wine seller: guiding the exploration of great wines around the world.