Wine Harvest Time
This Month's Wine Notes
Food Recipe
Newsletter Archives
Dear Wine Lover,
It seems like such a short time
ago that the 2005 harvest was here. And
already a year has passed by. Of course the
southern hemisphere has their 2006 wines
bottled or in aging barrels, since harvest is in
late February and March.
The South American wine regions of Chile and Argentina showed an improvment over 2005. Lots of snow and warm summer temperatures brought out the best in the vineyards. Equally fine was New Zealand, where high quality was matched by a record in volume. Australia showed good to excellent wines coming from less than perfect weather.
South Africa harvest in 2006 was smaller than forecast, but the producers are very pleased with the fine quality wines produced, particularly the white wines.
California and Europe
California’s Napa and Sonoma Valley premium Cabernets are attracting quite a bit of interest from wineries who want to make sought-after wines. The smaller berry size will result in more concentrated flavors. The state’s Chardonnay and Zinfandel crops are smaller than in 2005.
With the extreme heat evident in Spain, France and Italy, harvest was advanced somewhat in these regions.
In France, the heat pushed some vintners to begin harvest in late August, some 2-3 weeks earlier than normal. Yields will remain about the same as in the previous vintage.
It is early still to tell what the wines will be like, but 2006 shows great promise for some very fine wines in most of the fine wine regions of the world.
Fine Wine Adventures
8th Annual Wine & Food Affair; Nov. 4-5, 2006; “Tasting Along the Wine Road” is a weekend of wine and food in Sonoma’s Dry Creek and Russian River. Info: www.wineroad.com…
Cheers!
John Davis
Founder & Chairman
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This Month's Wine Notes …
by Sharon Rosenbaum, Senior Wine Buyer
Monticello Vineyards in the Napa Valley provides our Connoisseur’s Selection Cabernet this month. It is a joy to taste this typically luscious, richly textured, and elegant Cabernet. A full-bodied, ready-to-drink wine that shows great aging potential. Berry, plum and cassis aromatics lead into a wine packed with black fruit, cedar, spice, and cocoa with firm tannins that support a long, supple finish.
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Food Recipes to Enjoy with Wine |
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PUTTANESCA SAUCE (SPAGHETTI ALLA PUTTANESCA) WITH ANCHOVIES, OLIVES AND CAPERS
• 1 Large (28 oz) can crushed tomatoess
• 4 Cloves of garlic, halved
• 5 Anchovy filets, chopped
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp Italian parsley, chopped
• 1 Small red chili, chopped
• Salt
• 1 lb spaghetti or spaghettini
Set aside some of the olives, parsley and capers as a garnish. In a deep pan lightly brown the garlic in hot oil. Add anchovies, crush to a paste with a fork. Add the tomatoes, olives, capers and the chili, cook over medium high heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add parsley and cook for a couple minutes more.
Cook the pasta. Drain well. In a warm serving bowl put the cooked and drained pasta, add the sauce, and mix thoroughly (you can also do this in your cooking pan if it is large enough). Some like to add a sprinkling of fresh chopped parsley at this point.
Cheese is not usually served with this dish.
Serve with a crisp green salad and garlic bread
• Serves 4 • |
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Favorite Wine Quotes:
“For he that loveth wine, wanteth no woes..”
- Anne Bradstreet
“Of the Four Ages of Man”
Puritan poet and first American woman writer (1612-1672) |
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