Chardonnay

Cool crisp Chardonnay.  Whether it's the Summer heat a crisp Fall evening around the fire pit or a Winters night watching a movie, this wine is sure to please.   Why is this grape so popular.  According to the Agricultural Department’s California grape acreage report from March 2013; Chardonnay is still the number one planted grape in California.  At just over 95 thousand acres planted, it tops the highest planted red grape varietal; Cabernet Sauvignon by nearly 15,000 acres.  Chardonnay can be light to medium to full bodied.  The grapes flavor and aroma are fairly neutral.  Before the winemaker’s manipulation it exhibits simple green apple and mineral notes.   Due to this fact winemaker’s have subjected this grape’s juice to a wide variety of winemaking practices.  They may implement malolactic fermentation, barrel  fermentation, sur lie aging or lees  stirring to create more assertive flavors in the wine.  Typical aromas for this wine are:
                                                 flint/stone               green apple
                                                 citrus                      pears
                                                 melon                     nuts
                                                 pineapple               honey
                                                 banana                   peach
                                                 apricot                   ginger
                                                 butter                     vanilla
                                                 smoke                    oak
                                                 burnt sugar             butterscotch                                                                                                                    caramel                  nutmeg

Chardonnay is indigenous to Burgundy France.  Although this grape  grows best in limestone soils in a cool to moderate climate; it is versatile enough to have been planted around the world in all soil types and a variety of climates.  Because this grape is so adaptable and so readily changed by the craft of the winemaker; it is often described in two styles.  Old World and New World.  Old world is high in acid and typically long lived.  The flavors tend to be more green, minerally and have very little wood.  New World tends to have much riper fruit qualities, a lot of oak, low acid and a much shorter life span. And thus the debate begins and battle lines are drawn over what style you prefer.  We tasted 14 Chardonnays and will let you begin your own debates over which style you prefer.  Look for tasting notes to come.

"Wine is bottled poetry"
          -Robert Louis Stevenson-
 

Tom Cook

#Chardonnay, #California, #France, #OldWorld, #NewWorld, #wine, #aromas
















_______________________-

New Jersey Wine Industry

I have been asked often over the years if there truly is  a wine industry  in New Jersey. The answer is a mixed response of yes and no. First and foremost lets face it, the climate in New Jersey is not truly the best for growing wine grapes. The growing season is fairly short lived. I mark the growing season from late April to the very beginning of October if you are truly lucky. What tends to do more harm than good is the hot summer temperatures,the spiking humidity and the insane weather changes we have had over the last 15 years and last but not least the sudden late hard frost.
New Jersey is not known for its cool,  less humid nights that a wide variety of wine stock require to mature. There are more then 40 vineyards producing whites such as Chardonnay because it appears to be the best suited for the weather conditions in NJ. I get it, I truly do, but I am so sick and tired of NJ produced Chardonnay.  I would prefer personally to see more vineyards attempting to grow reds such as the French hybrid Chamourcin. Yes, I understand its a sound business choice to create the best chance for the greatest return but sometimes there are options that are overlooked such as the Chamourin.

The other aspect I would like to address about the New Jersey wine industry is this, for many many years an individual would plant a  few hundred  root stock and call it a winery. Well, I guess it certainly would meet the guidelines but it would never become a active producer of wine. You may be asking how can they be selling local New Jersey wine? Think on it and you will come to the realization they would source grapes or  juice almost 100% from California. This gives me concern that what is being pushed out as New Jersey wine is marketing for most part. The State of New Jersey has now had the same concern on what they call the credibility and authenticity of a "New Jersey"wine. It appears changes are moving forward to expand the required acreage to obtain a plenary winery license. Of course this is general in nature and I am not saying wineries are not being honest. They simply are working with the limitations of the weather.

Until next time,

Drink up, but drive responsibily.

... Marcus Padulchick

Best with Burgers

Right out of the gate I make no apologies for being a carnivore. If you are off red meat, are a vegetarian, or vegan etc. I respect your choice as I hope you will respect mine. Nasty comments will get you booted quicker than trying to spot a shooting star. That being said.

Many do not think about pairing wine with a delicious, succulent burger. However, next time you go to order your favorite beer take pause and think a hardy,rich, spicy Zinfandel. Yes in deed, I tried a 2006 Zin from Ravenswood Napa Valley. If you can find it, a bottle runs between $15-$22. I enjoyed this primarily because it did not give up when it was paired with a Gorgonzola stuffed burger with scallions and shitaki mushrooms. Most wines would simply wimp out with the combination of these flavors. If you are thinking of your traditional burger with or without cheese and bacon. (horrible thought) you may want to even go with a white. A rich robust Chardonnay. You will have to experiment to find one that comes together nicely. I have not ordered a white as of yet, ordering a white with a burger even to this day does not flow easily from my lips.

Til next time, drink up, enjoy and forget about getting behind machinery that goes over 5 miles an hour. #wine, #napavalley, #Bugers, #Ravenswood.


.... Marcus

Restaurant Review Policy

I have to say You Me and Wine as a blog never truly was to be one to include restaurant reviews but they simply became part of the process. Tom Cook, was the first to include comments about wines he found on his travels and it is unfolding from there.

Since this is the case, I wanted to comment about restaurant reviews. We are happy to accept invitations to review restaurants in the Philadelphia metro area and on occasion those in the New York City Metro area. Have no fear, we will only write reviews on restaurants we had a good time in and a great meal. We are not looking to bash your establishment. Please email us at YouMeandWine@gmail.com if you are interested in us reviewing your eatery.

#restaurant, #review,#meals

.. Marcus Padulchick

"Extreme Value" Wines

I was asked some time ago what wine comes to mind when someone comments about "extreme value" wines. I have to say it did not take 3 seconds for me to respond with "2 Buck Chuck". The look upon the face of the person asking indicated beyond a doubt they  had no idea to what I was referring. Allow me to explain. Two buck chuck is a extreme value or bargain priced wine with the label Charles Shaw. Charles Show winery was one that went out of business after attempting to produce  Beaujolais-style wines in the Napa Valley AVA . The name was sold and currently Charles Shaw is produced by the Bronco Wine Company in Ceres California.





2 Buck Chuck which now runs closer to $3 or $4 a bottle holds almost a cult like following for those who frequent Trader Joe's Markets. The wine is almost exclusively a blend of California wines.

I must say that first time someone presented me a bottle of 2 buck chuck I was a little taken back.
But after sampling a few bottles over time I have found it to be a very drinkable wine for almost any occasion.

I suggest you check out Charles Shaw and see if you become one of the minions who find "2 Buck Chuck" to be one to have in your wine cellar. You may be pleasantly surprised as well.

#wine, #value, #TraderJoe, #CharlesShaw


... Marcus Padulchick

Thoughts On This and That. About Wine of Course

I have been given some time to sit and ponder and I ponder as I sit. I have been a wee bit under the weather of late and rather running either tither to meet with clients I have been doing a great deal of work from home via the phone and Skype. I have to say I find it far less appealing than being face to face with someone.

I find it vital to communication to be completely engaged with someone, misunderstandings happen often when we utilize passive communication. Example, a neutral email or text, that when read may be off putting or turn that person to a state that the sender had no intention of creating.

How does this have anything to do with wine? Well, stay with me. When we walk into a store to purchase a bottle or two, or three or oh, OK, maybe a case we only have passive communication to make that important decision. The label may call to us, the vineyard may be one we are familiar with or not at all. We may be drawn to the location from which it came to life, be it France, Chile', Australia, California.. you get the idea.  These are all pieces of information that we as the consumer and lovers of wine have to work with. Yes, we can read reviews, but still it falls upon us to pull the trigger and part with our hard earned cash to eventually, with much anticipation, pull the cork and hope and pray to the gods and goddess' of the vine that what we are about to imbibe will be of satisfaction and great worth.

What I have found to be a valuable asset in making choices that I truly enjoy is consulting with my partner in wine Tom Cook. He is a walking encyclopedia of wine information.

I can not be more passionate about suggesting you reach out to Tom  and pick his brain on all things wine.


#TomCook, #Wine, #Knowledge

... Marcus

______________

Wine, Drink What You Enjoy

Drink what you like. Thats my motto and I am sticking to it. I have been immersed in the culture, history and experience of wine for over 35 years. Yes, in the past and somewhat to this day there is a energy surrounding wine that has an air of snobbery or elitism. I suspect it stems from the not too distant past where good wine was only for those with means. Yes, 100s of years ago wine was accessible to the masses but from all accounts it was less than palatable.

If you are new to wine drinking you do not need to 2nd mortgage your home to build a nice collection. I suggest you begin with trying a variety of wines until you find a few you truly enjoy and then purchasing a two or three bottles of each to hold for future consumption. Keep the price per bottle between 9-15 dollars. There is no need to pay 25-60 a bottle unless you come across something so exceptional you simply can not pass.

A final note, the price no longer reflects the value  of the wine.

#Wine, #drink

... Marcus

The cost of wine

How much would you pay for a bottle of wine? Come on, it's a fair question. We all have our price point comfort zone.  How do we arrive at this number?  Do you reach into your pocket and say, "I have $30 and I need $20 worth of gas. I guess I can spend $10 on wine today." Or do we have some comfort level that says ok I can spend $15 but $20 is too much.

What if I said I had a bottle of wine with soft integrated tannins, a good amount of fruit, earthiness and a great balance.  Would you pay $15 for this bottle, maybe.  Then I told you the bottle also had a great review.  Still a maybe?  Now I tell you this, it's a 2000 bordeaux.  Still maybe or did I get your attention. Maybe 2000 bordeaux doesn't mean anything to you.  

Many wine critics touted the 2000 vintage as the "vintage of the century."  What does that mean to you and I?  Many people thought the vintage was extremely overpriced.  However, the laws of supply and demand won out.  How do I know this?  Go to your local liquor store and look for a 2000 bordeaux on the shelf... good luck.  The vintage sold out despite high prices.  Were the critic's correct about the vintage?  I think so but you may not.  

For me the question still remains, would you pay $15 for this bottle of wine...   10 years ago.  Maybe 10 years ago that was more than you would spend.  You need to factor in the age worthiness of the wine though.  For me this always changes my thinking.  For me an aged wine always takes on a different character.  A softness and smooth balance that makes a wine superb to drink.  But how do you describe this quality if you've never experienced it.  The tannins get very soft and imperceivable.  The fruit gets smaller as well while the complexity of the wine and acidity increases.  

So why age wine and would you pay the $15 dollar price tag?  To answer that you need to understand also that in todays market this bottle will be difficult to find and much more expensive.  This $15 bottle may now only be found on a restaurant wine list for $60 - $75.  Now would you buy this wine?

For me the answer was yes.  I knew the greatness of the vintage.  I also wanted to start a wine cellar.  That is I wanted to put away wines that would be a greater value in the future.  I put together a wine tasting of wines that had good reviews and were described with qualities I thought I would like.  After tasting these wines, I went back and bought the wines that I thought would be good investments for my cellar.  Now I am beggining to be able to enjoy some of these wines.  Thanks to my efforts I will continue to be able to do so  for decades to come.  These wines will become my special occasion wines holidays, weddings and so on.

Age is just a number.  It's totally irrelevant unless, of course, you happen to be a bottle of wine.

                         Joan Collins

#wine, #tomcook, #price

....Tom Cook

Cool Summer Refreshment

I normally go for my wines unadulterated, but this looked so good I had to try it.  Boy am I glad I did. The Yardley Inn's white sangria was a crowd pleaser.  A delicious mixture of white wine with a touch of lemon, fresh raspberries and blackberries.  Best summer cooler I've had this season.  The dining room is a little noisy, but the views are terrific.  The old building has a lot of charm.  Situated in Bucks County right on the Delaware River.  There crab bisque is also wonderful.   If your looking for something cool and refreshing to beat the summer's heat.

Try the Yardley Inn at 82 East Afton Avenue & Delaware Avenue in Yardley, PA 19067.  (215) 193-3800  www.yardleyinn.com

#YardleyInn #BucksCounty, #Sangria, #TomCook, #Delawareriver

... Tom Cook