Chateauneuf du Pape - A brief history...

Hello Friends, people keep asking me "What the heck is Châteauneuf-du-Pape?", so let me give you a brief history... Chateauneuf du Pape translates as "New Castle of the Pope" and the name does in fact have a direct meaning with Middle Age Christianity in Europe. In 1308, a former arch bishop from Bordeaux called Clemente was crowned Pope and decided to relocate the papacy to the city of Avignon in France. He bacame known as Clemente V and his subsequent successors "Avignon Popes" were said to be lovers of Burgundy wines, bless their souls, and they did much to promote these wines during the seventy-year + duration in Avignon. First known as "Vins du Pape" which translates to "Wines of the Pope" it became later known as Chateauneuf du Pape which carries the unique symbol of the castle in the town less than kilometers from the banks of the Rhone River. Now which are my favorite Chateauneuf du Papes? Chateau La Nerthe (its the least pricey and always incredible), Beaucastel is always the top leader but a little more expensive, and there are a few that are always pretty good and moderately priced like Roger Sabon's Les Olivers Chateauneuf du Pape which retails around $40 or so. Anyways, Chateauneuf du Pape is one of those wines that is immediately drinkable, however it is recommended to age between 4 and 6 years to acheive its pinnacle in taste. Its my favorite wine in case you are looking for my upcoming birthday present (hint, hint).

Cheers - Alex Andrawes Wines.com and PersonalWine.com CEO

Willamette Valley Pinot Noirs...

Today our CEO Alex came back from an event with two fabulous bottles of pinot noir. One of them was Castle Rock's Willamette Valley (Oregon) Pinot Noir. You should have seen the looks on everyone’s faces when he gingerly asked us if we wanted to have a glass or two to make the day go by. Needless to say it was a no-brainer.
Upon first opening the bottle and pouring it into our glasses there was an immediate fruit explosion. The color of the wine was what a red wine should be. You could tell it wasn’t watered down and that it would have excellent body. We all agreed that it had an appealing plum, cherry, and spice aroma. I was pleased to find that it was not extremely “oaky” or “woody” like many pinot noir’s are tending to be these days.
Do you guys have any favorite pinot noir’s or any other types of wines for that matter out of Oregon? I feel like I haven’t really touched on that region in awhile, and after having this glass of wine today I feel bad, like a negligent grandmother, and now I need to spoil it. So please, spoil Oregon. Make it feel like the favorite grandchild. Put it on a pedestal and tell me about your favorite wines from Oregon. It’s almost the weekend… : )

Wine Storage II....On the Go!

In lieu of the tips we gave a few days back on wine storage, I wanted to share with you this very interesting endeavor by a couple in Paso Robles. Part of the appeal of traveling through Northern California’s Wine Country is the ability to transport yourself into a world where you can try wine that is normally inaccessible by most people in “big city,” USA. Also, a trip to wine country means coming home with bottles that were special to you on your trip which makes sharing with friends extra special. The issue with buying vintage wine and wine that should be stored while on vacation… where are you going to store it?
Safe Haven offers wine country travelers a place to store wines for an extended period of time so that way they can choose to drink the wine whenever they so choose, or have it shipped to their house safely once they return from vacation. I love the concept of Safe Haven, and see this place being quite successful for a number of reasons. For one, I can see many wineries teaming up with Safe Haven to accommodate their customers in order to get their name out. Also, the base price of Safe Haven is rather affordable to begin with.Next time you are on a trip through the wine country, perhaps you should look up Safe Haven to safely store your favorite find.

Wine Storage 101

For the wine freak, like myself, I have wines that I need to store for 6 months to over a year. If you consume the wine you buy within one month, you can store it in room temperature or up to the mid 70's. For long term storage, you'll need something more robust. There are a handful of factors that will kill wine including light, prolonged exposure to heat, humidity (or lack thereof), and of course the wine and cork themselves.

For long term storage, you will want to keep your wine stored between 55 and 62 degrees Fahrenheit, with a relative humidity of 60-70 percent to protect the corks. Dehydrated cork can let oxygen enter into the wine accelerating its maturity and rendering it bad after a very short time. This is most evident in bottles with low neck levels or even on the cork when you find that its been saturated thru the entire cork.

If you are building a storage closet, use insulation and be sure that you are using a proper AC unit, not a window unit. Vinotemp and Breezaire make relatively affordable units that you can put into your cellar. Be sure to lay the bottles sideways as thats the most optimal way to store wine and use racks if you have them available. Don't stain the wood as varnish carries toxins that can seep into the wines over time. If you're building racks, use spanish cedar, oak or pine.

Its a lot of work, and can take a whole weekend, but will be worth your time and investment! Have a great weekend! - Alex Andrawes, CEO Personal Wine and Wines.com.

Wine at the County Fair? Sure, why not!

Ahh the county fair. A time for cotton candy, sodas, rides that have barely passed safety inspections, and miniature animals. But a time for walking around with a glass of wine? Not really what I remember from my childhood.
However, this year at the New York state fair they are allowing participants of the fair to walk around with 10 ounce cups of wine. Quite interesting if you ask me. At many of the county and state fairs I have been to beer has always been allowed in certain areas of the fair, but you never really saw people walking around with it.
So here comes the big question…why? According the article that I found, Senator John DeFrancisco hopes that by allowing people to drink the wine wherever they please, it will “encourage more of the fair-goers to sample New York’s wine varieties.”
I like the idea, and I hope it works. I am all about getting people to try new wines. So good for you New York, and I hope it works! Way to be the wine guinea pig for us all...

Fire and Wine!

It really is everywhere. Not just in Southern California, but now Northern California, Las Vegas, Arizona, and a number of other Western states. The effects are devastating not only to the people that live in these areas and the ecosystems, but the economies.
One particular industry that is starting to get extremely worried about their well-being because of the fires is, as you may have guessed, the wine industry. While many vineyards haven’t been directly hit by the fires, they are getting closer and closer. Each day more and more vintners wake up see a sheet of layer of smoke on their vines from the fires, a sign that danger is quickly approaching. The layer of smoke, on top of the fog from the smoke has affected the way that the grapes are ripening, and in turn will affect the taste and outcome of their wines. Glen McCourty of The University of California Cooperative Extension farm said that “the secondary buds were three weeks late in the photosynthesis process because of the smoke” in an article for Wines and Vines. Three weeks, while it might fly by in our world, makes a HUGE difference in wine making.
Another problem that the fires bring into wine making is that the smoke and the fire leave a pungent taste and smell that is extremely difficult to get rid of. It is often describe of as a bacony flavor, and to most, if not all wine drinkers, it is not something pleasant.
So for now, California winemakers are taking every pre-caution to not let their wine be exposed to the smoke and the fire. However, when it is all around, what can you do? If you live in the ocean, you can’t avoid water can you? I guess we will have to see what may come.