Desert Wines and Spirits

Saturday, December 15, 2007

4 to 6 pm

$5.00 per person

Home of: ExecutiveGiftService.com

611 S. Palm Canyon Drive, Suite #1,
Palm Springs, 92264, 327-7701

Saturday’s tasting event will be hosted by Madeleine de Jean representing an east coast importer of wines from Greece. She will be discussing the technological advances in winemaking that have occurred in the last couple of decades as well as the wines themselves. There are many new wineries and newly trained winemakers in Greece that are changing the perception of wines from that country. Most are using the indigenous grapes as well as the international varietals such as Cabernet, Syrah, Merlot and Chardonnay. They remain proud of their heritage and insist on making the best possible bottle of wine each varietal will yield. The proof is in the tasting and the opportunity awaits you this Saturday.

2005 Haggipavlu Moschofilero, Mantinía, Peloponnesus
$15.85
This is perhaps the most popular of the white wines from Greece. Citrus remains the center of the flavor profile and some exotic fruits come into play, as well. It functions well as a food wine to accompany Greek spiced meat dishes as well as those of fish and poultry.

2005 Megapanos Savatiano, Sparta, Attica
$15.95
This is a dry wine of low vineyard yield, with good bouquet and soft viscous flavors and some stoniness; an excellent accompaniment to the fresh ingredient cuisine of Greece. The wine is fermented in stainless steel with no carbonic maceration, nor malolactic fermentation. It sees no barrel aging and enjoys a fresh fruitiness with less than 12% alcohol. The winemaker is well-known as a leader in the advancement of Greek viticulture and oenology.

2006 Vatistas Asproudi/Assyrtiko, Lakonia, Peloponnesus
$19.95
Both of these white wine grapes are ancient varietals and are quite popular in Greece. The blend is 60% Asproudi and 40% Assyrtiko and produces a lovely crisp, softly perfumed food wine. This vineyard lies in the same region where the grape, Malvasia, originated.

2005 Pavlou Xinomavro “Klima”, Macedonia
$19.99
Pavlou farms his grapes organically which we are seeing more of in Greece. Klima is a single vineyard designation and the grape Xinomavro is more closely related to the Pinot Noir grape. It sees six months of oak aging and emerges smooth and velvety.

2003 Vatistas Aghiorgitiko, Neméa, Lakonia, Peloponnesus
$29.95
This is one of the most important red wine producing regions of Greece and the star varietal is Aghiorgitiko, which probably explains why it is referred to by its Anglicized meaning: St. George. The grape is indigenous to this area with a recorded history extending back to 2000 BC. The wine is deep and complex with lovely elements of red fruits, and spices including vanilla, probably the result of spending a year in French oak.

nv Etko Commandaria St. Nicholas, Limassol, Cyprus
$19.95
Commandaria is made exclusively from two types of indigenous Cyprus grapes: Xynisteri and Mavro. The grapes are left to overripe on the vine and when sugar content reaches acceptable levels they are harvested. The grapes are then laid out in the sun to further increase the sugar density through evaporation. Fermentation takes place in vats and will arrest naturally due to the high levels of alcohol achieved at around 15%. The process has to take place within the confines of 14 designated villages that lie in the Commandaria Region, and, by law, the wine must be aged for at least four years in Oak Barrels. The flavors begin with black cherry on the palate, showing honeyed elements, and proceed to a strong yet pleasant raisin finish that lingers on and on. The Commandaria Centurion from Etko is a world class wine that sells in the $100.00 range.

Generally, the purchase of an “everyday” wine for an “everyday” meal is a straightforward affair. You uncork or unscrew, pour and enjoy the elixir of the grape. Whether consumed by itself or with a meal presents no big decision making process.

That changes when you step up to an oaky Chardonnay or a fine red wine that is still in its youth. These wines have rough edges that often benefit from aeration. Opening the bottle well in advance of using, say an hour, will serve to smooth out some of its youthful roughness by allowing oxygen to speed up the aging process. This can be done, as well, by pouring the wine into a decanter about half an hour before serving. There are gadgets, by way of technology, that attempt to shortcut the decanting process such as the BevWizard wine smoother and the new “breathable glasses” made my Eisch of Germany. The BevWizard works well on young, tannic wines when passed through a high-intensity magnetic field in the pouring spout. The structure of the tannins is rapidly altered, yielding a softer, silkier mouthfeel. Eisch’s technology involves an oxygenizing treatment of the glass which assists in the aeration of the wine; yielding a more open and generous aroma and palate impression. You would swear there was voodoo at work here.

For red wines that have reached their maturity, decanting becomes a must, especially if the wine was neither fined nor filtered. This bottle will surely be throwing sediment; a layer of fine particles that originally were in suspension and that have now settled to form a carpet at the bottom. Disturbing this layer of muck is not something you want to do, by pouring glass after glass. For this ritual, a decanter, a candle and a match are a must.
First, allow the bottle to rest standing up for several hours before uncorking. The older the bottle, the more fragile the cork, so caution must be exercised while meticulously extracting the cork. Pour slowly and carefully over the lighted candle into the decanter while looking for the sediment to begin its movement towards the neck. If you have performed your act of surgery correctly, you will have trapped all of the sediment in the last ounce of wine in the shoulder of the bottle. Avoid this last ounce. Mixing in any of the sediment will embitter the wine.

Aged wines are not for everyone, but for the true aficionado aging is the final act in the wine maker’s drama. For here is where all of the disparate elements have resolved themselves to become an eloquent work of winemaking art.
To the fortunate consumers of these wines: Enjoy!

COSTA NICHOLS 7/30/2007