Organic Wine and Food Matching

Mas Estela in Spain's  Empordà region. Steve Miles, a Denver based importer of Spanish, French and Portuguese wines ( Steve Miles Selections ), labored for twelve years under another well known importer until he woke up one morning with the realization that his taste had changed, and he was not selling the type of wines he truly believed in. Basically, according to Miles, “wines were starting to taste all the same… people were making them more for the palate… delicious, yes, but just as often over-extracted, over-the-top in alcohol, and beaten to death with wood… and in the process these wines were all starting to miss a sense of place … the qualities connecting them to where they come from.” So in 2006 Miles did the only thing a conscientious wine man can do, which was start his own company, and comb the nicks and crannies of Europe (especially Spain) for wines that satisfy his newfound thirst for an authenticity related directly to the concept of terroir : wines that taste o...

Pircas Negras Malbec. What would Jesus drink?  Hey, I grew up loving the gospel stories as much as anyone, and I distinctly remember the one where rich men were cited as having as much chance of getting into heaven as a camel through the eye of a needle. And no, I don’t think he was speaking in euphenisms (the “eye” was not a city gate a dude can drive his money laden truck through).  Then there is that wedding in Cana, where wine suddenly reappeared to make the party a success. No, you beer and saké lovers, the vino the gospel writers wrote about did not refer to the fermented fruit of grains. There is plenty of archeological evidence that folks along the Mediterranean cultivated grapes and drank the resulting wines a good 8,000 years (if not longer) before Jesus; and so it was definitely wine wine (the same as what we drink today) they were talking about.  But if you take these stories to heart, you almost have to draw the logical conclusion: Jesus thought wine shou...

Olive tree in Saracina Vineyard John Fetzer’s favorite description of his 2007 Saracina Sauvignon Blanc (about $23) is “a laser beam on the palate.” I can’t think of a more accurate description of this laser sharp, brilliantly scented, dry white wine. It’s everything anyone could ever ask for in a Sauvignon Blanc: a gorgeous honeydew melon aroma with lime, wet stone and tropical (particularly passionfruit-ish) nuances floating above the rim. Medium bodied – not light, not heavy – and silky fine, punctuated by zesty, lively, mouth-watering acidity. Like sticking your head into a brighter, fresher, undisturbed parallel universe. So who is John Fetzer, and why does he sound so familiar? Well, for eleven years he was the CEO of (and driving force behind) Fetzer Vineyards – one of California’s most prominent organic pioneers – before the family brand was sold to Brown-Forman in 1992. Like several other Fetzers, John hung around Mendocino County to develop ...