Rhone Zone: Halter Ranch Côtes de Paso Blanc

“I've long believed that good food, good eating, [and may I add good drinking] is all about risk. Whether we're talking about unpasteurized Stilton, raw oysters or working for organized crime 'associates,' food, for me, has always been an adventure”  ― Anthony Bourdain

Thank you Mr. Bourdain for that wonderful bit of inspiration, like Anthony need, no I say desire for food adventures. I also have bit with wine-adventure bug, I have 
developed a need for constant exploration when it comes to wine, I mean there are so many different grape varieties in the viniferous world in which I live, I dare say I may not have enough time left on this mortal coil to give them all a swirl.

But with my last trip to Italy [a country with hundreds of different varietals] firmly tucked under my now bulging belt, and having checked with the "Wine Varietal Scoreboard" it looks like I may have racked-up nearly 20 new grapes in one fell swoop. I had the chance to swirl and slurp wines produced from grapes like, Grechetto, Falanghina, Malvasia del Lazio, Malvasia Nera, Aglianico from Taurasi, Sagrantino from Montefalco to name a few. And big thanks to my new friends from Croatia [of whom I look forward to visiting next year] who were on hand to let us swirl, slurp and gulp new-to-me grapes like; Graševina, Plavac Mali and Pošip. But like our fearless leader in Washington, I won't spike the football just yet, as I'm still in the first quarter.

Almost immediately after I returned from Italy it was time to pack up my wine-wagon, repack my weary luggage and head up the coast from San Diego to yet another wonderful wine destination known as Paso Robles [a short 4-5 hour drive]. Once a well known area for Zinfandel [and in some cases it still is], it's now fast becoming a term I may have coined; called the Rhone-Zone. With that said, I recently unscrewed [I know not the same ring] wine from great little west-side winery called Halter Ranch.

The wine in today's review spot-light is their 2008 Côtes de Paso Blanc. A wine I really didn't think too much of at the time, it was Mrs. Cuvee that insisted that we secure this one bottle to take home and like the good-husband [wink] I gave in, knowing this was not a hill I wanted to die on. It wasn't that I didn't like it, I just thought spending $24 bucks for a drink now and drink often style of wine was a bit more than I wanted to pay. So I socked this wine away in the pantry, where it sat for two years, before chilling and cracking it open just last night. As you may have surmised already, I scored this wonderful yet typical Rhone blend, with Roussane leading the way at 64%, followed by Marsanne at 12% and Viognier bringing up the rear with 4%, on my last trip to Paso Robles for the Passport Weekend.

In the glass this stainless steel tank and oak barrel fermented Rhone blend had a strong straw colored presence, leaning remarkably toward gold. On the palate this wine displayed a nice slap of quince, wet-stone, a pinch of citrus, abundant honeysuckle, and nice dusting of a meaty ripe white peach and crisp apples. Wow, beautiful fruit from the tail to tip, zippy acidity keeping things fresh inviting sip after sip, medium body, all wrapped up in a pretty bow, making for a zesty, personality-filled dry-white that sings a riveting mouth-watering note. My score for this wine is 91 points, a score I would not have given w/o this much bottle age. But that said I'm presently looking for more and I fear that I'm too late to secure a few more bottles [sigh].

It's great to be back in the saddle again, writing, catching up on all my notes and getting things back in order around here. Thanks so much for sticking with me during the couple weeks, I've been out exploring, so that I can bring new and exciting wine-finds to a palate near you. Until next time folks, continue to sip long and prosper, cheers!

McLaren Vale Uncorked: 2007 Marquee McLaren Vale Signature Shiraz

The thrill of giving a new wine a go is nearly paramount to opening up presents on Christmas morning and finding exactly what you wanted in the neatly wrapped package, is just like having that ahh-ha moment with a freshly uncorked bottle that really tickles the taste-buds. In this review you will discover with me just that, the thrill of new discoveries.

It's funny to note, that in direct comparison to most other wine producing regions; that very little of Australia's landmass is suitable for producing wine. Yet, when measured in terms of total production; Australia ranks as number six in the top ten list of all wine producing nations. The wine featured in this review hales from the Fleurieu Peninsular Zone, the home of the McLaren Vale region where fruit forward, soft tannins and bold aromas styles of red wine entice, sip after sip.

We loved this very tasty bottle of Shiraz, it was unusually smooth and less peppery and less inky them most Shiraz on the shelves these days. The 2007 Marquee McLaren Vale Signature Shiraz, is a great example of what Shiraz is and should be.

This delicious wine, is one I encountered while on a cruise through the Panama Canal just weeks ago now; it had a creamy texture, full body and loads of black licorice and mocha café aromas and blueberries hints and tickled my senses with a candy nose. My husband and I enjoyed it very much, too bad the ship only had 3 bottles of this wonderfully balanced food friendly wine in stock, as this was one tasty sexy bottle, worth seeking out and amazingly selling for under $20.

The above tasting note was authored by Honey Bun, who will become a semi-regular contributor to the Cuvée Corner Wine Blog. Just below I wanted to give you some insights into HB [as she will be known]and in her own words. All of her reviews are honest, straight forward and above all organic. She knows her way around a wine bottle and is very passionate about sharing her thoughts and impressions on the wines she drinks. So if you would please welcome her in the comment section below.

About the Author: I truly enjoy wine tasting, it's my passion, it awakens my senses and sometimes ignites a specific sense, that will bring back a fond memory or even a particular smell will evoke an emotion. I love the opportunity Bill has given me, to share this passion for wine discovery with the folks reading this blog. The more I learn and discover about new wine, the more I find that I discover about myself as well. I live in Canada, wine is part of my everyday life, which I love to share with my friends and family. Please look forward to my next review soon, until next time cheers!

Campania Uncorked: A Taste of Taurasi

It has been said that; "wine is one of mankind's oldest inventions, possibly dating back over 3000  years" [according to my WSET book] and its cultivation was brought to fruition by the Roman Empire", who spread the love of the vine to other major-player nations we know today, like Spain and France. It is most likely though, it's the French who can be credited with having refined and perfected the art of the process of turning grape juice into wine.  

But going to Campania is like going back to source of where it all began. Now some folks may want to argue fines points of history pointing in a different direction, so feel free to comment below. But the point of this post is to shine a bright light on a region that may not get as much coverage as I think their wines deserve the quality of their wines demand it.

When you hear Taurasi, just think of one word, and that word is Aglianico. Big dark, brooding grapes, with a great tannin structure meant for aging, as they spend 3 years one in barrel, before being released and if a riserva, it must be four years with 18 months of wood.  Thankfully to stay within the DOCG guidelines, they age the wines for you and when they are finally released
some of the wines are dressed to impress, I would decant for a few hours for best results, wines this big take time to unfold.  

Just as a side note for the ABC folks, they have two white wines produced in the Campania region that you would really dig, one is Fiano d' Avellino and the other is Greco di Tufo a great wine to drink early and often. You'll find great flavors, like a splash of honey, citrus, floral notes and a interesting herbal quality, great wines to help kick the Chardonnay habit.

When I heard about these wines in my WSET courses, I must have been sleeping that day or we spent about five seconds discussing it. Looks like the latter is true, as I reach for the text, cracking open the book once more, the entire region of Campania was discussed in two paragraphs [ouch]. I don't think Campania is feeling the love, especially for a wine touted as the "Barolo of the South". Not much effort for such an amazing region, a region that in my opinion offers even the garden variety vino-sapien some very intriguing wines, well worth seeking out and were not just talking about Aglianico. These are not the type of wines you'll find just sitting on at your local TJ's or even most wine shops. You may have to do a bit of hunting, but believe it's worth the effort.

Now if  this post has piqued your interest in knowing more about this unique region and Campania's Taurasi DOCG, then please click on the links provided here and drink it all in, someone one at wine-searcher has gone to great effort to give a wonderful tutelage about this exciting region. So that said, I'm going to dive in head first into the reviews of four wines from this region, that I encountered at the Romeo Hotel in Naples.

The very last of day of our collective journey found us in Napoli or Naples as it is known by many folks in the U.S. Our fearless bus-driver, of Wine Bus fame, delivered us all in fine shape from the freak snow storm which delayed our arrival to the beautiful Romeo Hotel. A great place to recharge the travel-batteries, it sits just across the street from the harbor, with grand views of the still active Vesuvius off in the distance, and makes a great jumping off place for other tourist and travel destinations like Pompeii [a must see]. The only thing I would recommend that they change is the form over function of the shower and “lukewarm” at best water are definitely not my cup of tea.

Just moments after check-in, our group was invited to an Aglianico Taurasi Tasting, where we encountered four different wines of widely divergent vintages. There was a 1999 Radici Taurasi Aglianico, which I thought was just about over the hill, but still had nice fruit and very mellow tannins. If they had possibly decanted this wine a bit, before hand it may have show better. But still it would have made an excellent wine to have with dinner and would have paired with just anything you through at it, except a spicy dish.

There was a 2001 Feudi di San Gregorio Taurasi Riserva Piano di Montevergine, a wine that left me breathless, wow a real stunner. My score for this wine mirrors Parker's spot on analysis; with a solid 94 points. Of course attempting to procure a bottle [by any means] before returning home, left me empty handed [sigh]. Even when I did get home to search for it online, I was sad to see nearly no shops with it in stock and one's that did were very proud that they still had a few left in their inventory [if you feel me].

Nearly none of the group had a good experience with the Taurasi Riserva Piano di Montevergine Feudi di San Gregorio 2004, it was a bit too tannic, chalky, with too much campfire nuances, overriding the fruit. Finally, there was the 2006 [black label] Radici Taurasi, which was quite good, loads of black-berry, dark cherry fruit, leather and smoke, but pulled up a bit short on the finish.

Overall, it was a great introduction into the Taurasi Aglianico, all wonderfully powerful wines from one of Italy’s premier grapes, along side Sangiovese Grosso, Nebbiolo and Sagrantino. I really hope you will pull together a few of these wines for yourself and give them a swirl, I think you will be as impressed as I was, until next time sip long and prosper cheers!

Umbria Uncorked: An afternoon with Arnoldo Caprai Winery

"Let me tell you now, something’s got a hold on me (Oh, it must be love)" ~ Etta James. Mrs. James perfectly sums up for me, my feelings and impressions about my latest epicurean adventure in Italy. A wonderful trip, from which I had just returned late last night. A good deal of it was spent in Umbria and Campania.

I had the good fortune to hang out with some of the very best food and wine writers [bloggers] in the U.S. and together sample through some of the best wines being produced in the world, wines that far too many folks just don't know enough about, hopefully this review will change that, shining a bright lamp on the unsung hero of the Italian wine scene. 

Frankly, I was guilty of not fully knowing about the many slendid wines from this region as well, but if this experience has taught me one thing, never stop exploring. One thing further, don't just come to a new land as a tourist, become a traveler, that's right drill deep down into the bedrock of the place you visit, soak it in and never let it go, grow from it, I'm pretty sure I did. I am thrilled I got the invitation to explore this great spot in Italy.  

It was on Day two of the Wine Blogger/Media Fam Trip that our group spent the afternoon with Arnaldo Caprai Winery. A winery that produces wines with a soul, capable of evoking memories of a romp through the Umbrian country side. Wow, these folks really get it, their [enoteca] tasting room open 7 days a week, 
making it great place to get acquainted with their wines. It's not only warm and inviting, but is social media savvy. The wines here, are in a word, wow! I was really impressed and quite taken with each wine we tasted. If you're keeping score and I know most of you do; then you will be delighted to know that many of the "scores" on the wines they produce average well above the 90 point plateau from varied wine reporting sources. They have become a champion of the Sagrantino grape in Montefalco, and punctuating that success is their Sagrantino di Montefalco 25 Anni Caprai, bottled poetry. A big thanks to our host for the afternoon, Mr. Marco Caprai whose hospitality and generosity exceeded all my expectations.

2011 Grecante Grechetto dei Colli Martani, DOC, a 100% Grechetto, the quintessential white grape of the Umbria. A wine that sells for about $8 euros. The nose is brimming with fruit, brilliant apricots, a whiff of almonds, with some floral notes stirred into the mix. The color is hued in gold, leaning toward straw. After the first slurp, bam, tropical fruit, apricots and flowers, floating on a canvas of rich, round flavors, but with a nice slap of acidity. My score an easy 90 points and makes a great food wine that easily will pair with appetizers.

The 2009 Montefalco Rosso, DOC is a blend of Sangiovese 70%, Sagrantino 15% and Merlot 15% was the next wine our group sampled. In the glass, a ruby colored core, on the nose it had a lovely bouquet, intense plum, dark cherry and spices; espresso and a pinch of cloves, playing nicely with the supple tannins. After the first splash-down, mature soft tannins, playing nicely with the mouth watering acidity, dark, red fruit finish. An easy score of 88 points, a great everyday wine selling for $11 euros and available here in the states.

The 2007 Sagrantino di Montefalco Collepiano DOCG: In the glass a very dark, near opaque ruby color. A wine produced from 100% Sagrantino grapes, it’s a wine built like a artfully balanced hammer. I found it sturdy, weighty, dense in feel and yet capable of both power and finesse. Each swirl and slurp; revealing ripe wild berries, smoke, underbrush, a light dusting of spice and a touch of Cuban cigar tobacco, meld, which define this wonderful example of Umbrian wine.

The 2007 Sagrantino di Montefalco 25 anni [or anniversary] DOCG: a wine produced from 100% Sagrantino grapes. Another rich, multifaceted wine that will delight any vino-sapien, if you're a fan of explosive, premium Napa Cabernet's, than one slurp of this wine will have you hooked on Sagrantino and you may never look back. In the glass again you have a nearly opaque intensely colored ruby colored core. The nose shoots up from the glass like a blast of potpourri, filled with dark cherry, ripe blackberry, eucalyptus, underbrush, smoke, and leather. I scored this wine 93 points and give it a hearty buy recommendation.  

The first slurp has gives the taster one of the back-ward head snaps, wow. A boat load of finesse, power and concentration, rich spices, dark ripe blackberries and cherries, wrapped in rich Umbrian earth. This wine will pair effortlessly with just about anything you could throw at from off the grill. Drinking this wine, made me think in nodding approval, yeah this how you do it.

While there we also had the opportunity to take part in a cooking glass demo, where I learned how to make my own pasta from simple everyday ingredients. We also learned to make a wonderful, traditional Umbrian style ragu, that was in a word fabulous and paired so well with the Rosso. I attacked the dish like a man with his last meal, I can still taste the sauce and remember its vivid textures and nothing like I've ever made for myself [not that's saying much]. Well this is just a small slice of the many adventures I had in Italy, just nine days ago, hopefully you'll stick around to read a few more. I will be posting all the pictures on

the Cuvee Corner Flicker page, so take a look in the next few days. Until next time cheers everyone, slurp long and prosper!

Umbria Uncorked: Castle Run

Late, last night a group of bloggers and Media types boarded buses bound for the  found high in the Umbrian hillsides, just on the outskirts of Perugia. We were treated to some brilliant appetizers and bubbly to set the evening up in style, with warm crackling fires and inviting late 19th century decor. Later we were invited to dine in what could only be characterized as the "great-hall" associated with the historically significant 12th century tower, but hey lets face it, every true castle must have a great hall to dine in with friends.

We dined late into the evening on many different courses, had brilliant conversation with other bloggers, journalists, winemakers and producers and we were able to explore many different wines. In the pictures below, I will try to give you an idea of the experience.

Just above and to the left-half of the screen is the great hall where we dined, hopeful the pictures will give you just a glimpse of the full grandeur of this wonderful property. In the next set of images below, you will see some of wonderful typical Umbrian foods.

Here's the Pear Risotto [above], that kicked off our evening feast, infused with Sagrantino di Montefalco [hence the purple color] it was very tasty. The second course [below] was a type of Ragu, not exactly sure what it was called, but it was much better than anything I've made at home. Sprinkled with small chunks of wild boar, this dish was a high-light of the evening for me, unfortunately the wines we had on my tables did not match too well.

This was the last pear inspired dish, right before the dessert and paired nicely with the Sagrantino di Montefalco we asked to have brought to our table, a wine that quickly became the favorite.

Now unto the wine, the first red wine I encountered really did not float my boat, but I did give it a swirl, more than once just to confirm experience. The wine that you see pictured here to your left, had some pretty odd flavors and aromas.

But as odd as it will sound this wine displayed the essence of browned, bruised ripe bananas, well worn cherry bubble-gum [as if there was such a thing] and lightly dusted with chalk dust. Most of dark and red fruit flavors were muted by the above and finished a bit short. Not really a wine I could get excited about, but hey that's just me.

The next wine a Sagrantino di Montefalco was excellent right away, the nose immediately opened up with a blast of crushed black-berry fruit, dark ripe cherries grab your senses and don't let go. On the first slurp down, you'll encounter abundant dark fruits [mentioned above], vivid minerality, smooth tannins, a light sprinkle of chalk and long lingering finish, that will have you coming back for more. This wine while not "stellar" did wow me in its flexibleness to partner with many food types as I had enough of it in my glass to get through two of the different dishes. It was the wine that quickly became the favorite of the night at my table last night and we were all sad when the last drop fell from the bottle.

Okay folks that is all from Umbria for today and the 2012 International Wine Tourism Conference and Workshop, so stay tuned tomorrow as I've lots more that I'm excited to share with you about this exciting region, its wonderful wines, great foods and the friendly people that call Umbria home. Until next time continue to sip long and prosper, cheers!