Dalla Terra tasting with Dawn Gaudini

Giro d'Italia

 with

 Dawn Gaudini & Dalla Terra Wines!!

 

 

Another fantastic night with a well versed wine professional!  Dawn (also known as Madonna del Vino) lead us around Italy with some fabulous wines from her portfolio....from Piedmont through the boot and to the heel with Salice Salentino.  We had a wonderful evening as we enjoyed the wines of Aia Vecchia, Vietti, Li Veli, Marco Felluga and Boroli.  When I told Dawn about the wines I had selected from her portfolio (one of which was the Marco Felluga Pinot Grigio) she said, "Fabulous!  We can talk about what real pinot grigio should taste like!"  She is articulate and full of anecdotes about Italian wines and particulary passionate about the portfolio she represents. In addition we had a chance to muse over some Nebbiolo...my favorite varietal. Tar, roses, finesse and power all wrapped into one...Vietti is a standout producer from Piedmont and a true artist of the Nebbiolo grape. The Vietti Perbacco is one of the best made Langhe Nebbiolos for the price...an extreme value not to be missed. The Boroli "Anna", a blend of Nebbiolo, Barbera, Cab and Merlot is also another outstanding everyday wine for your dinner table under $20.  We finished the evening with Vietti's charming, lightly sweet, refreshingly frizzante Moscato d' Asti...paired with a strawberry tartlette.  Italian wine, with its combination of old World charm and modern winemaking skill, is always one of my favorite subjects. Thank you Dawn. Ba Bene!

 

 

 

 

An evening with Chris Rowe and Old Bridge Cellars!

 

Old Bridge Cellars and Chris Rowe! 

 



 

In August we had two wine events that were a smashing success and a blast! Chris Rowe gave the lively group the lowdown on the wines he represents from Old Bridge Cellars.  OBC does an amazing job of bring to the U.S. many small production wines from mostly family run wineries in Australia. Leeuwin, Penley, d'Arenberg, Chambers, Kilikanoon were among the wines we enjoyed while feasting on an amuse bouche plate and listening to Chris as he described the wines and the history of the wineries.  Did you know that Australia has no native vitis vinifera vines?  All the vines that are planted there today were brought over...originally on the 1st Fleet from South Africa and then late in the 1800's from Europe.  Shiraz is the Syrah grape....just with the local dialect.  It is fairly common in Australia to see Rhone Blends...like G,S,Ms for instance.  A G,S,M is a blend of  Grenache, Shiraz (Syrah) and Mourvedre. You also see Marsanne and Viognier (Rhone whites) grown in Australia.  They are some of the most delicious and nuanced wines. We finished the evening with a much loved dessert wine...Chambers Muscadelle that was outstanding with the pecan tartlettes I had made earlier in the day.  The nutty apricot notes of the wine were sublime with the sweet pecan tart and biscuity crust.  

The Wine University was a BIG Success! 

Honestly...what a blast! 

It was so much fun to get some local wine lovers together...discuss regions, varietals, history, winemakers & flavors while drinking some new and delicious wines! 

Burgundy & Bordeaux:

*Two major red grapes in Burgundy: Pinot Noir & Gamay.

*Under AOC laws...all Red Burgundy is made from  Pinot Noir...except in Beaujolais, which is made from the Gamay grape.

*Pinot Noir has a very thin skin and is known as the "heartbreak grape".

*Chardonnay is the white grape of Burgundy...tho there are many styles. Chablis & Maconnais for the most part are fermented and aged in stainless steel.

*In the Cote de Beaune a good percentage of the wines are feremented and aged in oak barrels...for complexity, depth, body, flavor & longevity.

*The primary difference between the Village wine & Grand Cru is not in the type of wood or how long it is aged...it is in the location of the vineyard...the soil and the slope of the land.

*The Cote d'Or is only 30 miles long and only 1/2 mile wide.

*Bordeaux produces 3xs as much wine as Burgundy.

*The English word “claret” refers to the dry red wines from Bordeaux.

*Bordeaux is much larger in acreage than Burgundy.

*Of all the AOC wines of France, 27% come from the Bordeaux region.

*The United States is the second largest importer of Bordeaux wines.

*The majority of wine produced in this region is RED…but not until after 1970.

*Four main areas:  Medoc, Pomerol, Graves/Pessac-Leognan, St-Emilion.

*2 Main white Grapes of Bordeaux: Sauvignon Blanc & Semillon (and sometimes Muscadelle).

*Whites generally have some oak on them.

*Beautiful sweet wines of Sauternes: always sweet…not all the grape sugars are allowed to be turned into alcohol during fermentation.

*Botrytis Cinerea = Noble Rot.

*The 5 red grapes allowed: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot...and sometimes Carmenere.

*In Bordeaux the wines are almost always blends.

*The 1855 Classification (rating of the Bordeaux Chateaux):

*There are five  1^st Growths…Premier Crus in the Medoc (revised in 1973):

1.       Chateau Lafite Rothschild (Pauillac)

2.       Chateau Latour (Pauillac)

3.       Chateau Margaux (Margaux)

4.       Chateau Haut Brion (Pessac-Leognan)

5.       Chateau Mouton-Rothschild (Pauillac)

*The vineyard, Chateau Petrus (one of the most expensive wines in Bordeaux), is located in Pomerol.  It is 95% Merlot.

*St-Emilion Classification 1955 (revised in 1996:

*15 1^st Growths (Premiers Grands Crus Classes)

*Grape Varieties planted:  70%: Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon

*Great Vintages in Bordeaux:  2000, 2003, 2005, 2009, 2010.



Wine University @ Ridge Street Wine

There are 5 Sundays in April...make the most of them by enrolling in our Seated Wine Seminars.

$25 (* plus tax) includes 6 wines for contemplation, amuse bouche plate & wine education.

5-6:30pm

April Classes:

April 1: Burgundy & Bordeaux

April 8: The Pacific Northwest: Washington & Oregon

April 15th: Rose, Loire Valley & The Rhone

April 22: California Chardonnay, Pinot Noir & Cabernet Sauvignon

April 29: Piedmont & Tuscany

This is your opportunity to learn more about what is in your glass: the varietals, the growing regions and the winemaking history. Learn with fellow wine lovers. Discover new wines.

There are 20 seats available for these tasting seminars.

Call: 970 453 7212 to reserve your seat!

Valentine's Day!

We have a stunning array of gorgeous chocolate boxes and decadent dessert wines...to make a lasting impression on your Valentine! Valerie's Confections exceptional Heart Shaped Truffles, Lake Champlain's colorful and classic boxes, Vosges uniquely exotic chocolate hearts and fabulous heartshaped toffee boxes! Plus, dessert wines from around the world...a rare Muscat from Malaga, Spain...lightly sweet & romantic Moscato d'Asti...to a classic Sauternes! You are bound to find something truly remarkable and insanely delicious at Ridge Street Wine/ Breckenridge Cheese & Chocolate this Valentine's Day!!

Wine Bio:

A lot of people in the wine industry got their start by waiting tables and working in
restaurants. I never waited tables much…but
my mom is an excellent cook and every night we had a home-cooked meal. Instead, I was a competitive skier for much of my growing up years and through college. I was on the US Ski Team for 6 years and spent a lot of time in Europe (summers training in Austria and competitions in the winter all over…but mainly in France and Italy). And I always loved the food and the slowed down lifestyle there. I retired from the US Ski Team when I was 25 and moved to Breckenridge, CO to be a ski coach.

That spring, a friend and I traveled out to California
for a Pro Mogul competition and when it was cancelled for the women…we took off
for the Napa Valley. I fell in love with perceived easy going lifestyle, bountiful culinary scene and pursuit of a quality in their craft…wine. I craved a future in this world…and I read as much
as I could about wine over that summer…and within six months I landed a job as a
wine sales rep. I was hired by a fledging wine company and a mountain manager who
was impressed more by my skiing results and my liberal arts education than my
wine knowledge… but he knew he could teach me. I was eager to learn and he could see that.
The wine company was founded by three individuals who excelled at sales in the
big wine & spirits companies in Colorado…and wanted to build a company
based on boutique, quality driven, small production wineries from around the
world. We represented importers like Kermit Lynch and wineries like Turley,
Flora Springs, Zind Humbrecht, Bonny Doon, Lang & Reed, Peter Michael, Laurel Glen, etc.


These were not huge wineries…and I was not just taking orders …I had to know the grape varieties, the growing regions, the winemakers, vintage variation, case production, barrel treatment etc. This was the part that I loved. They took us to California wine country every May…and the learning curve was huge. I went to Aspen and took (and passed) the Certificate level of the Court of Master Sommeliers in 1998.


After three years…I was tired of my car and I was ready for a change. I flew to Geneva and went skiing in Chamonix…and found the coolest wine shop I had ever seen. No beer, no
spirits…just wine…and stacks of it in a small space. Six months later I opened a wine shop in
Breckenridge, Co. I was 30 years old and determined to be the place that people came to for their bottle of wine…for their dinner that night…or for a special occasion.


Eleven years later…I am still the owner of Ridge Street Wine…though we have grown and now
sell amazing cheeses & chocolates and other gourmet items. We also have a
cuvinet from Italy (the Enomatic) that keeps the wines fresh and tasting their
best. We have seating for 22 and serve wines by the glass and cheese
plates. Come see us sometime!


For the past four years I have also been working as a wine rep again…for a different
company, but with the same ideals… to bring great, small production wines to
Colorado. It keeps me on the learning cusp and allows me to keep bringing a new and refreshed perspective to my shop…and I love it! In addition, I now teach wine classes at our local community college.


Anne Dowling
Ridge Street Wine/
Breckenridge Cheese & Chocolate (www.breckwineandcheese.com)
Synergy Fine Wines