Tino Vino

Cincinnati's Newest Winery



I stopped by yesterday to taste some wines from Cincinnati's newest winery, Tino Vino, where you can make your own wine. The Super Tuscan ($19) was very good. I look forward to trying to make some myself. Bon Appetite and Good Luck!

WBW #37 -- Go Native

What: WBW is the international Internet wine tasting event held monthly. Lenn is the mastermind. Details and past postings are here.

Host/Hostess: This month's event is hosted by Dr. Vino.

Theme: "Go Native" with indigenous wines.

The Wine: 1998 Chateau Musar Blanc

Sometimes the journey is more enlightening than the final destiny. Due to the summer heat I considered Albarino from Spain or Torrontes from Argentina (and was going to defend the choice as it only grows in Argentina with a dash used in Chile’s cheap plonk), but then I stumbled onto my final choice, a wine I have loved for years, which has its devotees and detractors. One critic trashed it, and then went on to say he loved drinking it and will keep buying it. Go figure!

It doesn’t get much more indigenous than this. Although vitis vinefera did not originate in Lebanon, as they probably arrived from the South Caucasus via Mesopotamia, wines have been made there since at least 2,500 BC, more than 4,000 years ago!

I have raved before about this wine as one of my favorite white wines, but be sure to decant for at least 8 hours and serve slightly chilled (50 to 55 degrees). Each glass will open over time and improve with stunning complexity.

Château Musar was founded by Gaston Hochar in 1930 in Ghazir, 15 miles north of the capital Beirut. The current proprietor is Gaston's son, Serge. Musar grapes grow in the Bekaa Valley, a fertile sunny valley situated 25 miles east of Beirut. Despite war in Lebanon, wine was produced at the Château every year, even when tanks invaded the vineyard.

The vineyards of Château Musar are located at an altitude of over 3,000 feet (1,000 meters) in the Bekaa Valley where the vines are sheltered by the surrounding mountains running parallel to the Mediterranean coast. They cover 180 hectares and produce a limited yield of about 35 hl/ha. The Bekaa Valley is almost frost and disease free, with long mild summers, rainy winters with an annual rainfall of 20 inches, and an average temperature of 75 degrees.

The white wines are made from a blend of Obeideh and Merwah, which are native to the Bekaa Valley and Mount Lebanon. According to the legend, Obeideh and Merwah were taken back to Europe with the Crusaders and are the likely ancestors of Chardonnay and Semillon respectively.

Both varieties are partly fermented in oak "barriques" where they mature for a further 9 months. They are then blended, bottled and aged for a further 4 years before release.

In Memoriam: Paul Ortiz

The Cincinnati wine community was shocked to hear of Paul's passing. We will miss his dry sense of humor and keen nose! I have heard there will be a local Memorial service Wednesday, August 29th at Morton's at 7pm.

17th Annual Taste of Duveneck

17th Annual Taste of Duveneck at the Cincinnati Art Museum on June 7th at 6pm. Tickets are $75 but the food and wine will be great. I will be pouring wine for any winery that will have me!

Fleurs de Fete

2007 Fleurs de Fete

When: Sunday, May 20th, 1 to 4pm

Where: Dayton, Ohio -- Carillon Historical Park

Cost: $60 at the door

Info: 937-223-4117 ext. 107

Rumor has it this is the best wine festival in the area due to quality of wines and foods, and the fact that it is not a complete zoo with overcrowding. Mark's tips for going to a wine festival are spot on!

If I finish with golf in time I may head up.

Wine Blogging Wednesday #33

What: WBW is the international Internet wine tasting event held monthly. Lenn is the mastermind. Details and past postings are here.

Host/Hostess: This month's event is hosted by Doktor Weingolb.

Theme: Languedoc-Roussillon value wines.

The Wine: 2003 Domaine de la Tour Boissee Minervois Red

2003 DOMAINE DE LA TOUR BOISEE MINERVOIS RED

Jean-Louis Poudou represents the fifth generation of the Poudou family to produce wine on this domaine in the Languedoc region of southern France. He has nearly 100 acres of vineyards in the Minervois. The wine is a blend of 30% Syrah 30% Grenache 30% Carignan and 10% Cinsaut, with the average age of the vines about 60 years old. The wine is unfiltered and aged in steel tanks. Full bodied, the wine has the taste of dark fruits and spice. A wonderful finish adds to the enjoyment of drinking this wine. Food and Wine Magazine rated this wine a “best buy” in September 2001.

In a last minute scramble I ran through the warehouse and stumbled onto this pick. Full-bodied and very accessible with a medium finish. A great quaffer that at $14 tastes like at least $15 to $30!

Road Trip!

I will be on the road to Pittsburgh June 15th to the 18th to catch a few rounds of the US Open. When I last went in 1994, the heat was overwhelming and the fairways were slick as a twisted landing strip. (As a sidenote, after an afternoon round at Fox Chapel on Friday, I also caught the famous OJ slow chase in his white Bronco.)

Wine Spectator - South Beach Wine & Food Festival

Yes, I really was there. Here's the proof in the May 31, 2007 issue of Wine Spectator. After downing all that wine, I managed to nibble on some lunch bites. See you next year on the beach!

New Addition

Welcome to the latest member of the Grandin Road petting zoo. Visiting hours are restricted so call ahead! I am guessing this is the first horse born in Hyde Park in 50 years. Mom and son are doing fine.

Erie Avenue Not So Blind

Monday the 7th about 10 of us got together to share some big and little bottles. The two 3 liter bottles were left for another day. We started with the 1996 Duval Leroy Brut, and then in no particular order: 1993 Robert Mondavi Reserve Cabernet, 2001 Torres Mas Borras Pinot, 1997 Folie a Deux Napa Sangiovese, 1997 Wynns Coonawarra John Riddoch Cabernet, 1989 Vieux Telegraphe, 2000 Vieux Telegraphe, and 1990 Silver Oak Bonny's Vineyard Cabernet. The last three were mags and showed very well. The 90 Silver Oak was the most elegant Silver Oak I have tasted. Time does work wonders!

Wine Porn

Sex does sell! Check out the Wine Dr. at Drinkstv.com.

The Doctor Is In!

The week's offering is much better than last's! This ain't no Snake Oil! Stop by between 1 and 4pm to sample.

2004 Krupp Vineyards, The Doctor, Napa Red Wine ($85) -- This is an unusual blend of Tempranillo, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec. 407 cases produced. Production notes are scarce. I will update the tasting notes when I crack this open on Saturday. Right now I will simply stare at the bottle and drool!

Dirty Jack's

Great spot for live music although a bit smokey! Sketchy neighborhood but good acoustics. The Eric Jerardi Band was great last night! (We wine store owners have to stick together!)

Also the Jon Justice Band rocks the blues!

2003 Opus One

How come I never get invited to parties like this? A customer just picked up some wine for his Derby party. Damn!!

Saturday Wine Tasting Specials

Snake Wine -- Stop by today to sample our new line of wines from Vietnam!

Where can you buy it, and how much?

Available nearly everywhere in Vietnam, snake wine is often made by villagers filling up leftover brandy or Perrier bottles. The jug I bought at the Hanoi airport contained three lizards and cost 335,000 dong, or almost $21. (Okay, I admit, this tempting item cost slightly more than my souvenir price ceiling. But I couldn't resist.)

Wine Blogging Wednesday #32 - Regular v. Reserve

What: WBW is the international Internet wine tasting event held monthly. Lenn is the mastermind. Details and past postings are here.

Host/Hostess: This month's event is hosted by Wine Cask.

Theme: Regular versus Reserve wines

The Wines: Simi Winery Chardonnay

Simi Winery is part of the Icon Estates group, which is one of Constellation Brands’ divisions. Giuseppe and Pietro Simi founded Simi Winery in 1876. The brothers had traveled from Tuscany, Italy, to California during the Gold Rush and by 1876 had settled in San Francisco where they began making wine.

When they discovered the rolling hills of Sonoma County, they were reminded of home. In 1881 they moved their winemaking operations to the little town of Healdsburg in northern Sonoma County, where they completed construction of Simi's first stone cellar in 1890.

The cellars were built from native basalt dug from the hillside and were set back into the side of the hill to enjoy the natural insulation of the earth. Early success in making and selling wine led to doubling the size of the cellars in 1904. Then, tragically, both brothers died within four months of each other. Giuseppe's daughter, Isabelle, took over management of the winery at age eighteen.

Isabelle Simi married local banker Fred Haigh, and together the two continued to grow the winery until Prohibition began in 1920. Forbidden to sell their wine, Isabelle and Fred continued to make and store wine in the stone cellars for the 15 years that Prohibition lasted. Unfortunately, they were forced to sell much of the family's vineyard property to save the winery itself.

When Prohibition ended in December of 1933, Isabelle and Fred were ready with a large supply of perfectly cellared wine to sell. To celebrate the repeal of Prohibition, they planted a grove of still-standing redwood trees around the winery.

2005 Simi Winery, Sonoma County Chardonnay ($15) -- 100% Chardonnay aged 5 months in 100% French oak. Case production is 170,000. Full bodied, apples, pears and butter with a medium finish with a touch of lemon acidity. For a large production wine this is well done.

2004 Simi Winery, Russian River Reserve Chardonnay ($27) – 100% Chardonnay aged 11 months in 58% new French oak. 20,000 cases produced. This is one of my favorite mid-range California Chards. Yes, it has some butter and oak, but not over the top like Rombauer. More Burgundian, long finish. A great weekend wine.

For a party I would select the Regular at $15 (on post-off) over the Reserve, but if I were looking for an elegant California Chardonnay for a weekend dinner I would go with the Reserve.

Wine Festival -- The Good Stuff

1997 Domaines Schlumberger, Grand Cru Ketterle Pinot Gris -- Alsace. Elegant, complex weighty, very long finish. Stunning! This was one of the perks of having the Wine Festival in town last weekend, because the good stuff comes out of the cellars to impress the wine geeks in town. Late Saturday night at Aqua I enjoyed this wine with a local wine rep and a national wine importer. The owner and manager both enjoyed the sample I sent over. Can't wait to see what comes out of the cellar next year!

Cincinnati Wine Festival

Hope everyone had a great time at the Festival. The Trade show was great for unencumbered tasting and networking. When I find my notes I will list the wines I thought showed well.

I heard a rumor that there was an after-party/warehouse tasting. When I find the wine list I will confirm.



I am still working on my tasting notes for the South Beach Wine & Food Festival, but in summary the food, scenery, mojitos, Champagne rooms and after parties in South Beach were better than Cincinnati. (As usual I was the only one spitting!) Plus I got to stand next to Giada De Laurentis for 10 minutes while she signed books until I was escorted away by security. It was worth it!

photo credit: Food and Wine access.com

South Bound

See you next week after the South Beach Wine & Food Festival!

The sunscreen is packed and I'm out of here!

Cheers,

It Wasn't Me!

I get this from the kids all the time when something is missing or broken. This time they all have good alibis as they have been stuck in Cincinnati with back to back Snow Days.

Sometime in the last few days someone snatched the Maltese Falcon again. No clues and no suspects. If the curse is still intact, we should start seeing dead bodies popping up on the waterfront.

I will update you when I hear more, but I am sure Mr. Gutman is involved again.