Enobytes Wine Blog

Cinco de Mayo is upon us and many question wine pairings with Mexican dishes. Dr. Vino posted this same conundrum on his blog, approriately titled, "Burritos - impossible food-wine pairing!?", for which he asks his readers to recommend what they would pair with a burrito. It’s interesting to see posters recommend everything from sparkling wine to Zinfandel. One poster went as far as to say everyone was wrong with their suggestions, since "Mexican food + mexican wine = the only match".

When it comes to Mexican food, there really isn’t much difference between burritos and grilling up some meat and accompanying it with some vegetables, herbs and a starch. So why do we have such a hard time selecting a wine that compliments Mexican dishes? Some may think it’s an impossible task, but Read the rest of this entry »

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I tried another wine from the Rosa D’ Oro winery down in Lake County California last night and low and behold folks we have another winner! The 2005 Primitivo (a close relative to the Zinfandel grape) was fabulous; deep woodsy aromas with
big, juicy, luscious flavors with intense fruit flavors. These folks are making some of the best Italian varietals I have tasted in a decade.

Speaking of new releases (well if we weren’t we are now) there are quite a few from our neighborhood scheduled for Read the rest of this entry »

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Dolcetto originates in the Piedmont region of Italy, where it is overshadowed by the more powerful and concentrated Nebbiolo and even Barbera. In California, there are less than 100 acres under vine, typically grown by expatriate Italians. The grape produces deeply-pigmented wines, thick with fruit character, high in natural acidity and having only mild tannins. Dolcetto is best consumed young, as its youthful fruit character fades quicker than its acidity.

Lake County can produce phenomenal wines and the 2005 Rosa D’ Oro Dolcetto is one of them. Sticking to old-school winemaking techniques, this winemaker has brought out the best in this grape. Read the rest of this entry »

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Have you ever considered making your own wine but found the quest of acquiring a winery, grapes and a genius that can make the wine an expensive and daunting challenge? The mere thought of following this dream through completion is a strenuous and ambitious endeavor with the results squashing the hopes of almost every enophile; unless you have discovered the possibilities Crushpad offers.

Photo credit, wikipedia

With Crushpad you are allowed to pick the varietal and usually the type of clone from some of the most sought out fruit in the location that suits your desired flavor profile. You will have up to the minute harvest information. The fruit is then trucked to the winery in San Francisco the same day it is picked. Then you choose the method of winemaking or let their accomplished winemakers make that choice for you. If you want 12 months in new oak, that’s your choice. Say you fancy stainless steel and no malolactic fermentation for your Chardonnay; that’s your choice. Check out the Crushpad 30, a menu of options to fully realize the complete list of winemaking styles and choices; Thirty separate choices for putting together the wine of your dreams. Read the rest of this entry »

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When UC Berkeley Professor Richard Mathies began prototyping the Mars Organic Analyzer (MOA), he never expected it would help millions of wine drinkers that suffer adverse reactions from consuming red wine.

Funded through NASA, Mathies set out to develop an instrument to detect life on Mars. His MOA prototype analyzes Martian soil samples to find a broad class of molecules like organic sugars, amines and amino acids, which are key components for detecting life on the planet.

Many of you are probably asking how this all ties into wine and why you would care. Consisting of many minor components, wine consists of many amino-based compounds including Tyramines and Histamines, which can trigger a wide range of symptoms from nausea, headaches and hot flashes to respiratory disorders and high-blood pressure for many wine drinkers. If you are one of many individuals that suffer adverse symptoms, help may be on the horizon. Read the rest of this entry »

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Ok, so I have to admit, I was a little disappointed that Enobytes did not make the cut, but I know I wasn’t the only blogger crying in my bowl of Cheerios the morning Tom Wark announced the American Wine Blog Award (AWBA) finalists.

In light of the loss, I thought it would be amusing to create my own award where Napawood appropriately replaces Hollywood as the metonym for the Global Wine Awards, and the scenario would go something like this… Read the rest of this entry »

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Celebration dates such as anniversaries and births deserve a gift that will never be forgotten. The gift of a wine from the same vintage that commemorates either of these celebrations is enduring and thoughtful. As spring approaches, we all have commitments well into the summer that fit this description.

As most of us will agree the bubbly elixir of life, a.k.a. Champagne, usually comes to mind but as the occasion dictates this event is a celebration of commemoration. That would require a gift with a vintage that matches the date and only age worthy wine would be appropriate. Vintage Champagne of good quality and in good shape (older than 1988) might only be a fantasy. This would be ok for twenty year anniversaries, but you would have to exclude Read the rest of this entry »

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Culture is a funny thing and sometimes it seems as far as we have gone we’ve not gone far enough. Our recent outing (Enobytes) to the 17th annual Boston Wine Expo was an eye-opening experience with the trade and the public attending the largest and one of the oldest wine expos in the country.

The drive to impress was intense among the 500 exhibitors. One common buzz among trade associates in retail and wholesale was the search for better quality at lower prices. There was a noticeable difference between attendees at an East Coast wine event and those of a Northwest event with the most apparent difference being that they are focused on decisively different agendas. Read the rest of this entry »

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The driving question going into 2008 about wine, for me, revolves around integrity. Wine producers have surprised me this year in their ability to market wines that happened by mistake or the cellar rat mixed two tanks. Oreana’s Red Table Wine, from Santa Barbara (available at Trader Joe’s), the label reads mistake or fate, and then they launch into a tale of two tanks being mixed. Wasn’t that the story behind the Non-vintage Chardonnay from the Paso Robles Winery "Eos" (Novella)?

Regardless of the story behind the wine, the bottom line becomes, is it good wine at a price-point that represents value? The value of integrity continues to be challenged regarding consumers and wine producers. It does not only reflect on the producers. Consumers have their own concept of marketing integrity now believing the best quality can be mirrored at any level. A good example would be this scenario; the most asked for wine this year was Rombauer Chardonnay. Well not actually - the question usually goes like this, “My favorite wine is Rombauer Chardonnay”. I always reply, “Regrettably, we do not carry that wine” and most often the customer replies with “what do you have at less than $10 that will taste like Rombauer”? My response is always the same, “nothing", at its current asking price of $30 there is a reason I do not sell anything as good at less than $10. The wine is phenomenal and undervalued. Rombauer continues to make wines that represent integrity year after year.

Hands down, the favorite Cab people ask you to mirror would be Silver Oak “Napa
Valley” Cabernet Sauvignon again at less than $10. Read the rest of this entry »

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To commemorate a great year we’ve released our top 25 wines for 2007. The list showcases the best wines we tasted with a particular emphasis on quality products that represent outstanding values. Making the list for 2007 are the following wines, which scored a 90+ rating based on a 100-point scale in order of points received.

Designation: West Face Vineyard: LookOut Mountain Region: California - Sonoma Value: $50 Score: 94

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We’ve released our top wine surprises for 2007. These wines may or may not still be available for purchase. If you laid some of these down for consumption later, you are a savvy enophile.

Designation: N/A Vineyard: N/A Region: Mendoza Value: $5.00 Score: 87

Designation: N/A Vineyard: N/A Region: Washington Value: $15 Score: 94

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