Perfect Pairings - January 2013

MY WINE WORDS

PERFECT PAIRINGS JANUARY 2013

WINE & WARDROBE:

ANNE KLEIN WINE & SHOES:

WOLVERINE WINE & ART:

ROBERT CANAGA WINE & MUSIC:

PETER GABRIEL WINE & MOVIES:

MATRIX FEATURED WINERY:

SAARLOOS AND SONS FEATURED WINEMAKER:

REBECCA SHOULDIS

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PERFECT PAIRINGS WINE & WARDROBE:

ANNE KLEIN WINE & SHOES:

WOLVERINE WINE & ART:

ROBERT CANAGA

ISSUE

JANUARY 2013 PRODUCED BY

MY WINE WORDS DIRECTED BY

ALLIE MERRICK

WINE & MUSIC:

PETER GABRIEL WINE & MOVIES:

MATRIX FEATURED WINERY:

SAARLOOS AND SONS FEATURED WINEMAKER:

REBECCA SHOULDIS

ON THE COVER: WHAT’S NEXT FOR PETER & ALLIE? TIME WILL TELL. STAY TUNED.

WINE & WARDROBE

ANNE KLEIN Both dynamic and delicate, this suit by Anne Klein and this wine by Ghost Hill Cellars have a similar style. The classic cut of the jacket is mirrored by the make of the 2011 Pinot Noir Blanc which carries with it attractive levels of acid that form feminine angles tailored to suit the wine’s weight.

Anne Klein lines this jacket and pants duo with silky, ivory fabric. Likewise, creamy, light flavors are found inside the glass when this Pinot Noir Blanc is poured.

With timeless taste, feminine fashion is put on with this suit and poured with this wine. For those who seek to wear and sip the essence of strength and style, I highly recommend this combo. Depth of design & wine can be felt in the fabric and tasted on the palate.

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SIPPING SESSION:

WINE WORD

apéritif Hello, class.

Today’s wine word of the day is apéritif.

An apéritif is defined as an alcoholic drink that is normally served before (aperitif) or after (digestif) a meal.

You may choose to ‘bookend’ a meal with serving an apéritif both before and after you dine.

SOUNDS LIKE

(A-PAIR-A-TEEF) LOOKS LIKE

An apéritif can take many forms.

(Click HERE to watch the featured episode.)

In this photo above, Peter and Allie chose a bottle of Veuve Clicquot Rosé Champagne.

Note: It’s not necessary to sip an apéritif shirtless (like Peter) or on the seaside of Cape Cod as seen above.

However, it’s lot of fun to do so!

TASTES LIKE

FABULOUS Your homework assignment is to sip & enjoy an apéritif.

Class dismissed.

WINE & SHOES

WOLVERINE All laced up with no place to go? Not a chance. With this boot (Wolverine’s Sophia 1000 Mile Collection) and this bottle (1789 Wine’s 2009 Pinot Noir), there’s no where you can’t go while stepping and sipping in style.

Solely rooted in tradition and crafted by hand, both this bottle and this boot have a depth of character bound in every detail. The structure and style are laced with elegance and perfected with practicality. Their designs transcend time with a high level of class in their respective crafts.

Allie: Saarloos and Sons seems to be a story of wine with ‘family’ as the foundation. That said, let's talk about your wine in terms of family. If your vineyard estate was a child, how would you describe its personality and its behavior?

Keith: The one (Windmill Ranch) is like my son - chaotic, unpredictable, but has a good heart and will give it everything it has. Kind of like Iggy Pop meets Dennis the Menace. The sinister kid. The second (El Camino Real) is our girl. Beautiful long lines, a little more predictable, but her extremes are MORE extreme. Higher highs, lower lows, but when you know this, it's part of her charm. "I'm aware of the highs and the lows, I want to meet you in the middle but I just lack control."

Allie: Some families chart their lineage with a family tree. It would seem, however, that a family vine would be more befitting for the Saarloos name. Can you chart out your wine in terms of family members from the beginning of the brand to the present?

Keith: My grandfather's dream - to grow something from the ground and raise cattle. My father took on his father's dream and made it a reality. I asked my father what he wanted to do with the rest of his life and he said “live out my father’s dream”. So, I do everything I can to make sure he can. Our family creed is "we live to honor those that have come before us and prepare the way for those yet to come."

Allie: While it's difficult to pick favorites among wines, as is the case with kids, do you have a FAVORITE wine of the many you've produced?

Keith: I name each one of our wines after the personality of someone I love. I love all of my family for different reasons. I love all the wines for different reasons. To be honest I like to see the development more than anything. We are striving to become better farmers, better winemakers, a better dad, a better husband, a better son. Everything is about development more than to a pick up favorite: when you pick a favorite you're finished. You spiked the ball in the end zone, but life does not have an end zone.

But we drank a bottle of wine over Thanksgiving, in Texas at a nice restaurant, with my wife and sister-in-law, mom, dad and brother. We were having such a good time laughing and joking, telling stories, the kind of laughing where you can’t breathe that I don't even remember what the wine was.

I think that was my favorite bottle of wine I have had lately.

Allie: Vines can be like children in that they require a lot of attention and are truly a labor of love.

What are the names (varietals) and ages of your vines?

Keith: Syrah 14 years, Grenache Noir 8 years, Cab, Grenache, Grenache Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Mourvedre, Petite Sirah (7 years Demond Vineyard - a complete replant).

Allie: As the patriarch of what you pour, what makes you most proud about the wine you and your family have produced?

Keith: That something we grew from the ground turned into something that people bring home and share with people they love. I mean, seriously, how awesome is that. I get to live out my grandfather's dream. I get to.

FEATURED WINERY

SAARLOOS & SONS “WE LIVE TO HONOR THOSE THAT HAVE COME BEFORE US AND PREPARE THE WAY FOR THOSE YET TO COME.” - KEITH SAARLOOS (OWNER @ SAARLOOS & SONS)

WINE & ART

ROBERT CANAGA The clock tower at Silvan Ridge Winery in Eugene, Oregon will be forever preserved in this etching print by artist Robert Canaga. A printmaker for 25 years and a wine lover most of his life, pairing wine and art is a gift Canaga shares with the world one etching and one print at a time.

While Canaga is the expert in creating art inspired by wine, I took the liberty of choosing a wine inspired by art. It is Ruinart’s Brut Rosé that pairs well with this print. The hands of the clock are frozen in time - holding history still. While this rosé isn’t still, its history it upheld by consistence in quality. As the oldest Champagne house, Ruinart has had many worthy competitors come and go over time. However, it remains to this day one of the best in all the land.

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SIPPING SESSION:

TOOL OF THE TRADE

filter Hello, class.

Today’s tool of the trade is a filter.

An filter is used to strain wine when pouring it from the bottle into a decanter or straight into a glass.

You may decide to use a filter when drinking an unfiltered wine &/or a wine that has seen some age that may have sediment that has settled over time.

Your homework assignment is to use a filter.

If you don’t have a fancy version on hand, coffee filters will work in a pinch.

Class dismissed.

VIA ITUNES

WINE & MUSIC

PETER GABRIEL What do a bottle of Tempranillo and Peter Gabriel have in common? You’ll have to listen to the lyrics of ‘Sky Blue’ on Gabriel’s album entitled ‘UP’.

In this track, there is a reference in the refrain about stability: So many miles away from home

I keep moving to be stable Volver’s 2009 Single Vineyard Tempranillo is grounded with notes on the nose and on the palate that suggest a sense of place - La Mancha. From 50-year-old vines, this wine vocalizes an homage to home rooted in the land it came from singing with dark cherry, tobacco and the earth from which it came.

Allie: What is your FAVORITE part about wine making?

Rebecca: The fact that every vintage - every harvest is different. It's always a new experience and I never stop learning. As a wise man once said... "We are always "becoming" a winemaker".

Allie: What is your LEAST favorite part about wine making?

Rebecca: The exhaustion! LOL! It often means 2-3 months with zero days off and most of those days are well over 12 hours. My longest day so far? This year we pressed for nearly 4 days straight!

Actually, it was about 8am - 2am for 4 days.

Allie: What is the HARDEST part of wine making for you?

Rebecca: The same thing as my favorite part! I am always learning and that can be a big challenge. Making wine is more of a passion than a job for me. My education is in aviation maintenance NOT wine-making so I am always working towards a better understanding of what is happening in the cellar. But hey, I DO love a challenge!

Allie: What is the EASIEST part of wine making for you?

Rebecca: LOL! The hard work! I love what I am doing! So... even though it is exhausting and my body aches SO much (and my family wants to kill me)... I love it and look forward to it every year.

Towards the end of summer as the vines ripen the anticipation is palpable.

Allie: What is the BEST wine and food pairing experience you've had with one of your wines?

Rebecca: The first time I experienced oysters on the half shell. They were paired with our 2010 Pinot Noir Blanc. They were these beautiful little oysters from Netarts Bay here in Oregon. Only about a 2 hour drive from here. We had them at Thistle here in town and they had a light mignonette of Champagne and shallots on them and they were incredible. The Pinot Noir Blanc had just the right amount of acidity to make the whole thing pop. Another great one was the same wine paired with a grilled salmon steak that had this incredible chimichurri sauce on it. It was made for our winemaker's dinner at the Joel Palmer House. Both meals were unforgettable!

FEATURED WINEMAKER

REBECCA SHOULDIS “FOR ME, WINE IS A CATALYST. IT’S THE SPARK THAT HELPS CREATE THE MOMENTS THAT BECOME THE MEMORIES THAT BUILD THE FOUNDATIONS OF OUR LIVES.” - REBECCA MARIE PITTOCK SHOULDIS (WINEMAKER @ GHOST HILL CELLARS)

VIA IMBD

WINE & MOVIES

THE MATRIX The Matrix is a movie where reality is redefined. A truth of existence is exposed and embraced by those who are brave enough to bare it. It makes one question the norms in their own life, as to whether or not what they perceive is an actuality or an assumption. With this tangent, I pair the Verget 2009 “Cuvée des 20 ans” Chablis with The Matrix.

Many believe Chardonnay is only oaky and buttery. This is an assumption based on their personal experience. Upon ‘unplugging’ and tasting Chardonnay made in Chablis (for example), a new reality of this wine, while unexpected, would be understood.

In the movie, Morpheus explains to Neo that the rules people are bound by in the Matrix can be broken. Likewise, in the wine world, rules can be broken as well. Take for example D66. Dave Finney, owner & winemaker of Orin Swift, breaks rules with this wine as he produces a Grenache that is richer and more forward than most Aussie Shriaz and yet comes from Southern France known for earthy, light to medium bodied reds.

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PETER’S PICK

The ’09 Owen Roe ‘Rose Mystica’ has a bright nose of roasted peppers, cherry and black olive. On the attack, the red fruit gets darker with flavors of blackberry, earth, mulberry, rhubarb and steamed mushrooms. It finishes with great acidity and power.

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JANUARY 21 6PM PST/9PM EST STEP 1:

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ALLIE’S PICK

A brut rosé made in the mitten, this bottle of bubbles doesn’t disappoint on the palate. The M. Lawrence Sex is one of my favorite wines produced in Michigan. Having Sex with Peter or with a group of friends is always entirely enjoyable. The only problem is that I can’t seem to get enough of it, as a glass of this leaves one asking for more.

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HE SAID. SHE SAID. [ PRODUCERS PICKED BY PLACE ]

Have a look at the producers that HE (Peter) and SHE (Allie) pick based on place.

BORDEAUX HE SAID

LEOVILLE LAS CASES SHE SAID

HAUT BRION

BURGUNDY HE SAID

DOMAINE DUJAC SHE SAID

JADOT

NAPA HE SAID

ARIETTA SHE SAID

JARVIS

SONOMA HE SAID

SEGHESIO SHE SAID

FRICK

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