Big Fat Wine

This has been the longest duration between posts since we started BigFatWine and what a strange trip it’s been. It has been extremely difficult to concentrate on writing ever since our oldest daughter shared the fantastic news that she is engaged to be married!

We are all beside ourselves and exuberant as we anticipate what the next 12 months will bring! The “topping of the cake” was when she asked me to walk her down the aisle! I think I have cried every day since! Here I go again….This isn’t a right of passage. Nor is it something I personally consider something that has been earned. It is a gift of honor and I cannot think of anything more special and heartwarming. Enough mushiness.

The wedding is taking place at Maragas Winery just north of Bend, OR. What a cool place to get married. The two of them are wine lovers as well so it obviously meshes with the wine lifestyle. Hopefully we will make the journey soon to visit the winery. They appear to have a great selection of affordable wines and I can imagine the excitement as our daughter and her fiance show us around the property. We promise to share once we check it out!

They are such a cute couple! We are so proud of them both. A few months ago, our  future son-in-law met us for dinner, shared his intentions and asked for our blessings. What an honorable young man! He’s got a great family as well and the two families I hope will be a perfect “blend”. My daughters future mom-in-law couldn’t have stated it better when she said…

My Awesome, Handsome, Amazing Son asked his Awesome, Beautiful, Amazing Girlfriend to Marry him today…..and she said YES!!!!!!!!!

Dittos!

Many “thank you’s” to all of your suggestions and comments! We’ve added more celebrities to our page and will continue to add more as we find more!

Celebs sure know what to do when they want to enjoy life!  Below is a partial listing of celebrities who own commercial wineries, wine brands or vineyards.

Boz Scaggs
American singer, songwriter and guitarist
Scaggs Vineyards
Oakville, California

(If you are a celebrity who owns a winery, wine brand or vineyard or you know of one that we missed, let us know and we will add you/them to the list)

2006 Faithful Hound

Where it’s from: Mulderbosch is situated in the prime Koelenhof area of Stellenbosch, South Africa.

41% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Petit Verdot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 9% Merlot, 4% Malbec. From the winemaker: The grapes were handpicked and crushed into stainless steel fermenters where the must was cold soaked overnight and allowed to begin fermentation spontaneously. The mash was then inoculated with a variety of cultured yeasts. The wine fermented dry on the skins, was pressed and underwent malolactic fermentation before being blended and racked to barrel for maturation. A light fining and filtration was applied just before bottling.

Total production: 6600 x 12 x 750ml
Fermentation temperature: 22° – 28° C
Wood ageing: 18 months - 42% new and 58% 2nd fill French oak barrels (225 litre)

Created as a tribute to Boes (“Bushy” in Afrikaans), the loyal dog that kept watch over Mulderbosch farm for three years after his owner’s death.

We first drank this bottle @ Winestyles in Federal Way, WA. This Bordeaux style South African Blend is deep ruby- rich black in color. An immediate burst of plums and honey hits the rear taste buds. Iron, tobacco, dark fruit and coffee! If that doesn’t make your tastebuds perk up, especially in Seattle, nothing will. The tannins are smooth and the 30 second aftertaste was a “creamy licorice” flavor. If you can’t tell, I love it! It’s what I like to refer to as a “Chewy Red”.

Overall, it gets a “VOLUPTUOUS (+)” Score from Big Fat Wine. An outstanding wine of exceptional complexity and character. Terrific!

[JBC]20August2010 / BFW

Official State Portal

Arkansas is the home of three AVA’s (American Viticultural Areas); all located in the northwestern portion of the state—the large OZARK MOUNTAIN AVA (which Arkansas shares with MISSOURI and OKLAHOMA) and the smaller AVAs of ALTUS and Arkansas Mountain, both subzones of the Ozark Mountain AVA. In the early 1900s, Arkansas enjoyed abundant vineyards, mostly of CONCORD grapes, an indigenous American variety of the VITIS LABRUSCA species. Unfortunately, wines from these grapes don’t have the popular appeal of VITIS VINIFERA species (the basic European varieties like CABERNET SAUVIGNON and CHARDONNAY). Today, Arkansas winemaking is mostly from HYBRIDS and Vitis vinifera grapes.  Area wineries produce a variety of STILL WINES from Cynthiana (NORTON) grapes or hybrids (like NIAGRA and SEYVAL BLANC), as well as from Cabernet Sauvignon, MERLOT, and Chardonnay grapes. Arkansas also produces SPARKLING WINES. The Wiederkehr Winery, which was started in the late 1800s, is in operation today by the founder’s descendants. It has shifted from American varieties and hybrids to grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon, RIESLING, and MUSCAT.

Back in 1880, two European families settled in the Arkansas River Valley, attracted by its fertile sandy soil and moderate climate. The two pioneers of the American wine industry were Jacob Post, who came to America in 1872, and Johann Wiederkehr, who immigrated to Altus from Switzerland in 1880. (*Check out this short 6 minute video of an interview at Post Familie Vineyards in Altus). Area conditions reminded them so much of the fine wine-making regions of Germany and Switzerland that they each established vineyards, which was the beginning of a wine heritage and viticulture in Arkansas. Wine was made from grapes, berries and fruit native to their new homeland. Since those early years, each added new grape varieties, and cultivated, improved and expanded their vineyards. Today, fourth and fifth generations of these two families, plus Robert Cowie and Audrey House, have contributed to making Arkansas the largest and oldest wine producing state in the South. Paris, Ozark and Altus are located in Arkansas Wine Country, just off Interstate 40 northwest of Little Rock and east of Ft. Smith, near where the Arkansas River winds between the Ozark Mountains and the Ouachita Mountains.

Several area wineries that offer free tours, wine tastings and special events are: Chateau Aux Arc, (pronounced “ozark”) established in 1998 by Audrey House, is known for chardonnay and cynthiana grapes; tasting room open daily 479-468-4400 or 800-558-WINE.

Mount Bethel Winery, owned and operated for more than 100 years by a Post family member, produces a wide variety of locally-grown fruit wines: sip some blueberry, strawberry, blackberry, elderberry, peach, wild plum and, of course, grape! 479-468-2444.

Post Familie Vineyards & Winery, Taste some wine, shop for gifts and local wine, juice, jelly and vinegar; tours available by request. Established in 1880. Open daily. 479-468-2741

Wiederkehr Wine Cellars and Vineyard Tour the original wine cellar (listed on the National Register of Historic Places), which has been converted into the Weinkeller Restaurant, which serves Swiss and European specialties, and wine. Closed major holidays. 800-622-9463.

In Paris, Cowie Wine Cellars Vintner Robert Cowie began making wine in 1955; free wine tastings following tours of the cellars; wine making supplies for sale; amateur wine making competition held in April; home to the Arkansas Historic Wine Museum. 479-963-3990. Visitors to the area can also learn more about the region’s coal mining history at the Altus Heritage House Museum 479-468-4684.

Keels Creek Winery opened in 2006 in Eureka Springs in the Northwest Arkansas Ozark Mountains. In addition to its own label, Keels Creek offers one of the largest selections of Arkansas wines in the state. The 10-acre vineyard contains more than 10 varieties of grapes. Co-owners Doug Hausler and Edwige Denyszyn estimate that the optimal production from the vineyard will be about 40 tons of grapes which will make about 5,000 gallons of wine. The retail wine sales and tasting room are located in a Spanish-style building that is shared with Keels Creek Art Gallery. 3185 East Van Buren. 479-253-WINE (9463)

Arkansas’s newest small farm winery, Raimondo Family Winery, operates its tasting room and produces its wines at Blue Lady Resort in Gamaliel. The Raimondo Family Winery has been producing wine in California for more than two decades.

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We have been trying to hit as many new clubs, tasting rooms and wine bars as possible, but after a long hot (95 degrees at our house) Saturday we just wanted to sit down in an air-conditioned comfortable spot for a bite to eat and a glass (or 6) of wine.

Cork! A Wine Bar in Tacoma was our first thought.  I know that we have talked about this place before so I won’t go into all the fall-de-rall.  Cork! never seems to disappoint.    Nick is friendly and knowledgeable and just plain nice to be around.  The staff is always present but doesn’t hover.  The cheese plate hit the spot (you have to try the Oregon Bleu with the Root One Sauvignon Blanc).   We talked, we laughed, we drank, we ate… when we walked outside it was around 10:30 and it was still wonderfully warm… this is the life!

I have a feeling that this is the kind of place where you would feel comfortable whether this was your first tasting/wine bar or your 100th.  I highly suggest this place.  According to their website they have FREE tastings on Thursdays.  We may have to re-think our weekend focus for tastings.   Cork! has quickly become one of our favorites.  Stop by and tell Nick that Big Fat Wine sent you. While you’re there check out their awesome wine flight carriers, of all the places we have been these are the coolest we have seen.  I want one BAD!  Maybe next time we’re in we will sneak a snapshot and have one made… hmmm…

UPDATE: I found the flight carriers. Check this out!

By the way if you see a frizzy headed old hippy chick it’s probably me so come on over and say hi. And if it’s not me don’t worry about it us old hippy chicks are pretty friendly.

As Always,
Love, Laugh, Learn… LIVE!

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Once you’ve realized that you have a passion for the wine lifestyle, it can be a bit confusing as to just where to begin! There is so much information out there and so many opinions!

All of us at Big Fat Wine want to suggest a few essentials to start your journey into the wonderful world of wine. These are only suggestions but they are from our own personal use and experience(s).

CORKSCREW- Purchase a reliable corkscrew. There are some expensive ones out there that you  may want to try but this one we found to be easy and it always works.

AERATOR- We can’t promise this will make a 20 dollar bottle of red wine taste like a 200 dollar bottle, but we have experienced some amazing affects from aeration. Try it! Some young wines need a little boost and this gadget will certainly do the trick.

FOIL CUTTER- A foil cutter comes in handy. Okay, a knife will work just as well but once you slice your finger open in front of your guests, you will definitely want one of these. They are inexpensive so if you try to use it on a screw-top (okay, I broke mine), it can be easily replaced.

TASTING GUIDE- There are multitudes of books out there we can suggest. This one is simple and easy to carry with you. It’s even waterproof! Included is a step by step method for tasting.

WINE COOLER- You can pick up a larger capacity cooler later on once you begin to start your wine cellar but a small cooler is a must.

STEMWARE- The style and quality of the wine glass is highly important. Read our post on selecting the right glass for the right wine. You only need a few to get you started and it is    an essential investment.

WINE- ……………Enjoy!

AGIORGITIKO (Ah-yohr-yee-tee-koh)          Greek name:

Character:

Residence:

The best examples of Agiorgitiko come from the Peloponnesian region of Nemea located on the eastern coast of Greece.

Transformation:

Agiorgitiko is frequently produced by Carbonic Maceration, a method in which whole clusters of grapes are fermented under pressure to acheive maximum extraction from a lighter wine. It is often blended with Cabernet Sauvignon to make the popular table wine Katoi. Agiorgitiko is the 2nd most planted varietal in Greece.  Though lighter in style, when grown at high elevations it can produce serious reds of both quality and ageability, exhibiting aromas and flavors of red and black currants and exotic spices. Agiorgitiko also works well as a rose.

Summer in the Pacific Northwest has finally come! It feels like winter lasts for 8 long months around here. That isn’t an exaggeration considering that Seattle only averages 58 sunny days a year. As for the rest of Seattle’s days, we average 226 cloudy days and 81 partly cloudy days. Of all those days, we get 155 days of rain a year.

Our recent “heat wave” has brought us all into a blissful state of uplifted spirits and a constant party atmosphere (while it lasts). Since we aren’t used to hot weather, it has also brought us to our neighborhood hardware stores seeking out air conditioners and portable fans. Admittedly, I didn’t know what the abbreviation “A/C” was until I was 18 years old while in a rental car in Honolulu. While we try to find ways of keeping cool and comfortable, let’s not forget that our pets and wines need some help coping with the heat as well.

(The title of this post is a variation of the title of a great article by Maureen Finn at Examiner.com regarding pet health concerns during the hot summer months. Don’t forget your furry friends!)

Most importantly, get (keep) your wine collection out of the heat!

When it comes to storing and serving wine, temperature, which is often ignored, can bring the best and worst out in a bottle of wine. High temperature (>65ºF) causes the wine to age prematurely, thus losing its flavor and balance. When chilled too cold, the wine also loses its flavor and aromas. Keep the wines away from sunlight and heat exposure; store them in cellars, wine fridge, and or temperature controlled rooms (thanks to Jona, we now store our wine in the basement). Wide fluctuation in temperature will damage the wine and the cork. Ideal range of temperature for storing red wine is 50-55ºF or 10-16ºC. White wines can be stored at lower range down to around 45ºF.

The wine serving temperature chart below from BetterTastingWine.com recommends serving temperature for varietals. In the meantime, enjoy your summer and think twice before complaining about how hot it is. The sun will disappear soon enough!