WHO: YOU & ME
WHAT: GLOU-GLOU
WHERE: ORDINAIRE IN OAKLAND
WHEN: SATURDAY, AUGUST 1ST
WHY: WINE NOT
RSVP! AND SHARE WITH YOUR HOMIES!
Boutari "Santorini" Assyrtiko
Boutari "Santorini" Assyrtiko
Price: ~$20
Year: 2014
Region: Santorini, Greece
For the record, I actually wrote this review and then Squarespace deleted it and then I had a meltdown on Twitter which I then deleted. I'm doing the best I can to remember what I said, but I am very, very sad to say that the original post is lost forever. This is partly my fault because I generally write in two places, BUT MOSTLY SQUARESPACE'S BECAUSE IT ATE MY POST. Here's me doing my best to remember it:
For years now I've tried to convince my boyf--fiancé that we should go to Santorini. Its stark blues and whites and coastal lines make it an aesthetic dream. One of my hobbies is 35MM landscape and architectural photography. Thinking about roaming Santorini's streets with my 1979 Canon AE-1 and a backpack full of film and wine is almost too much for me to bear.
But alas, my Santorini travel fantasies have alluded me. And now that Greece is going through what Americans may call "2008", it doesn't seem like I will be going anytime soon. Luckily, I can live vicariously through Boutari's "Santorini".
This wine is made from the white wine varietal assyrtiko. It's native to the island of Santorini and its volcanic soil keeps grapes acidic as they ripen.
When I first opened this wine, I thought I was going to have to throw it out. I was like, "What is this Grecian bullshit excuse for a Chardonnay?!" But being an optimist and also trying to work on being less judgmental, I did not throw it out. Instead I let it breathe, and thank god I did! It's delicious!
This wine has a heavier weight and mouthfeel, like a Chardonnay, which is probably where my initial confusion and repulsion came from. But in all actuality, this wine needs that weight and richness because without it, the acidity would be too much. It's so bright and has a wonderful, lingering sour finish.
Have you ever gone to the movies and ordered popcorn (just popcorn with the regular amount of butter you normally get with it, no "I WANT TO DIE!" amounts of butter added after the fact) and Sour Patch Kids? And you eat the popcorn and Sour Patch Kids by the handful? That is what this wine reminds me of.
So, who wants to grab a matinee this week?
HA HAAA JK I'M STAYING HERE IN THE AC AND DRINKING THIS ALONE PRETENDING JURASSIC WORLD NEVER HAPPENED!
Tasting Notes: Tart but elegant. It's like that one time Courtney Love went to the Oscars. You wouldn't think it would make sense, but it does! You wouldn't normally put chalky and creamy in the same description, but here it works! The nose is bright but herbal with anise, and the palate is full of apples, limes and faint warm ocean water.
Ross Test: Skip it.
Listen to Jameson Fink's Wine Without Worry Podcast With Special Guest, MEEEE
I had the pleasure of chatting with fellow Saveur Blog Award nominee Jameson Fink about summer wines and all sorts of things. If you like wine information without the pretentious bullshit (which I'm guessing you do since here you are!) you should definitely read Jameson's blog and listen to his podcast, Wine Without Worry. Extremely informational and zero snobbery. He's such a leader in the wine world, and I was very honored to be on his podcast.
During this episode we discuss (I'm ripping this straight from his post because he did it perfectly/I got shit to do):
So first, the wines we drank. I brought a very cool Arnot-Roberts Rosé made from an unusual grape, especially for California. Marissa braved Manhattan traffic to procure a Grüner Veltliner from a top Austrian producer. So what happens in this action-packed half hour? Some highlights:
How to pronounce (or not to pronounce) the grapes and regions of summer wines we love. Why can’t we just love Merlot? (Wait, is it MER-LAHT? Cue anxiety.)
Red wine in the summertime. Can it be done? (Spoiler alert: Yes. But how? And why? And what?)
A discussion on Chardonnay and oak. Which descends into recriminations, then regret, and, finally, reconciliation.
Marissa’s favorite California winery and a Chardonnay (aha!) that turned the tide in regards to her relationship with this grape. (BTW, the wine she’s referring to in the podcast is the Skin Fermented.)
Where it all began with wine writing, and how she developed her style and approach. Also, what the barriers that keep people from being more gung-ho, gonzo, and garrulous about all things fermented grape juice?
I read a passage of Marissa’s, which has really excellent advice on how to deal with ordering wine at a restaurant. And doing so like the champ you are. (We believe in you.)
On VICE Munchies: I Survived Solely on Sparkling Wine for a Weekend at the Chateau Marmont
I Survived Solely on Sparkling Wine for a Weekend at the Chateau Marmont
And tried to bill it to Kelsey Grammer.
La Clarine Farm "Jambalaia Rouge"
La Clarine Farm "Jambalaia Rouge"
Price: $21
Region: Sierra Foothills, California
Retailer: Silverlake Wine
It's Friday and I feel extremely lazy. Being lazy is the worst. I mean, if you're like, "Yo I feel so laaazzyyy" while smoking weed all day on a Saturday and that is how you totally wanted to spend your Saturday, that is chill because that is chilling. But feeling lazy as in you don't have the energy to even give a fuck if you had fucks to give, but you don't because you give no fucks. You're hanging out in a onesie and looking at your dogs for two hours. That lazy is the worst.
Anyway, I'm hanging out in a onesie looking at my dogs AND drinking La Clarine Farm's' "Jambalaia Rouge". So at least now I feel kind of productive. I diiid also buy pet food and pay the electric bill sooo, yeah.
This biodynamic blend of 48% Mourvedre, 37% Grenache, 14% Marsanne and a whole 1% of Fiano/Ameis (hence the name gleaning on "jambalaya") is so summery and spry! As soon as your nose dips into the glass, you swear you're smelling a freshly cut strawberry and rhubarb pie! I've never smelled anything so fruity with a touch of cream cheese frosting from a biodynamic. They're usually much more along the lines of "barnyard" and "seriously this smells like ass".
I love this wine because although it is so light and energetic-- two of my favorite qualities of biodynamic wines-- it also has a real weight to its flavor. The earthy, lingering nearly ripe plum is reminiscent of a big California red, but without any of the shitty parts of a big California red. I'm almost sad I didn't save this for the steaks we're cooking later, but then again, reeeally happy to be drinking it now.
I threw it in the fridge for a bit, and it's even better. Completely ironed out, but still with a faint, sexy grittiness. It tastes like I shouldn't be drinking it; that rather than grapes, this wine is made from juiced garnets.
Tasting Notes: Tastes like you found One Eyed Willy's treasure and you opened the chest and it was garnet wine pies and then you ate them all and then swam in a sea of gold then DIED EXTREMELY HAPPY.
Ross Test: I was expecting to say, "NO! NEVER! YOU DON'T GET THE PIE ON THE NOSE!" but like the rest of this wine, the Ross Test has also proved to be unpredictable. IT IS SO GOOD. SO CHUGGABLE! I feel wrong telling you to chug this bottle but you need to chug this bottle after you've had it in the fridge for a cool 30.
Mushy Love Stuff & Jean Foillard Morgon "Côte du Py"
I had planned to do a big post on Fourth of July, the party we threw, and the wines that I served as well as wines that were brought. But all that went out the window on Friday.
Friday was my sixth anniversary with Ben.
And as Ice Cube would say, it was a good day.
We've been inseparable since 2009, when he met me and was a dick because his friends had told him he would fall in love with me, and he had just moved to LA and gotten out of a relationship and wanted nothing to do with me. No one had ever told me about him though, so when we met, I was bummed because he was cute, but was mostly like, "Whatever, that dude is a dick." Later that night, a guy I didn't know was married with kids was hitting on me. Ben saw it, and said he became oddly protective and jealous, because everyone had told him I was the girl he was going to fall in love with. He awkwardly whisked me away from the married guy to the roof, and we awkwardly looked at the view. We left the roof, awkwardly, but hung out the rest of the night, talking about bands we couldn't believe the other one listened to too and laughing about how horrible my outfit was.
(Seriously, it was the worst outfit of my life: boot-cut suit pants, a raglan sweater, and pumps. It was laundry day, and I was extremely hungover, and I really, really did not give any fucks because at the time, I really, really did not care about dudes [until I was at a party in half a BCBG suit with a hot dude who listened to Olivia Tremor Control].)
Since then, we've been through thick and thin. We've had the most fun, and we've seen each other through some of the hardest times we will probably ever have. If you've ever had the pleasure of meeting Ben, you know first hand what a wonderful person he is. It is hard to find someone so funny, quick witted and smart who is also so genuine, selfless and virtuous, with unlimited kindness and loyalty. He is the best friend anyone could ever ask for. I truly could not be who I am today without him.
Part of me feels like we will always be those silly drunk twenty-three year olds flirting on the streets of Echo Park on a hot Sunday afternoon. And another part of me feels like we have always been who we are now: a team of love, friendship and support working towards personal and shared dreams, rampant happiness and a deeply fulfilling future.
And eating and drinking very well while we're at it.
Because we fucking love that shit!
It's important to get with people with similar interests!
The night of our engagement, Ben had reservations at A.O.C., one of the best spots for wine and food in Los Angeles. I hadn't been since they moved locations, and was really excited to be going back. I immediately wanted a Morgon.
Morgon is a cru of Beaujolais, which you probably have realized is one of my favorite wine regions. Morgons are like most Beaujolais wines in that they have lighter, tarter features but they are aged longer, creating more Burgundy qualities.
They only had one Morgon on the menu, and I was delighted to see it was a Jean Foillard "Côte du Py". First of all, Foillard is one of the premier French winemakers and one of the organic wine community's greatest crusaders. Secondly, Côte du Py is basically like, the Mount Olympus of Morgon. It's only a hillside, but it produces Morgon's best wines that, as far as I am concerned, are actually made by gods. I mean, they sure as hell taste like it!
And then to top it all off, it's imported by Kermit Lynch.
IMPORTANT: Anything imported by Kermit Lynch is gold.
The Foillard "Côte du Py" is to die for. Its texture is straight silk, and its palate plump with plum and gritty cherries. Earthy and fuller bodied, this wine tastes like my youthful, fun, everyday-drinking gamay grew up and got engaged.
Quite fitting to say the least.
Definitely check out this wine, especially with eating. It has a bit more meat on it so it feels more like a dinner wine. And it's extremely food friendly. We had five courses ranging from cheese & charcuterie to pappardelle to Spanish fried chicken, and it worked flawlessly with each dish.
Speaking of Spanish fried chicken, definitely have it at A.O.C. and get lost in their incredible wine list. So many natural and organic gems to explore!
On VICE Munchies: Wine Spritzers Should Taste Like the Beach House You’ll Never Own
Wine Spritzers Should Taste Like the Beach House You’ll Never Own
An article I wrote for VICE Munchies featuring an interview and awesome spritzer recipe from Josh Rosenstein of Hoxie Spritzers
Bridge Lane Rosé
Bridge Lane Rosé
Price: $40
Region: Long Island
Retailer: Lieb Cellars
Boxed wine is a pretty polarizing thing. People generally have an opinion about it. My opinion has always been a very neutral "It's fine." I see the pros, but I mostly taste the cons.
I'm happy to have discovered Bridge Lane, because now I can say, "It's awesome!"
Bridge Lane is not something I would normally drink. It's boxed and it's from Long Island. But the packaging is great, and you get 4 bottles worth of wine for $40. But most importantly, their grapes are sustainably farmed and handpicked! AND STAINLESS STEEL FERMENTED! HOW OFTEN DO YOU HEAR THAT WHEN IT COMES TO BOXED WINE? UH NEVER. MOSTLY IT'S SOME RANDO FROM YOUR DORM FLOOR EIGHT YEARS AGO ON FACEBOOK RANTING ABOUT SOME BOXED SHIT SHE GOT ON SALE AT TARGET AND HOW IT'S MOMMY'S JUICE TIME. Ick.
But that is not the case with Bridge Lane. Yes, some rando may be threatening to kill her children if she doesn't start sucking some down, but at least it is a thoughtful wine. The second label to winery Lieb Cellars, these wines are handcrafted, bright, youthful and fruit-forward. This is actually my second box of Bridge Lane (I've also had the Red Blend) and I have to say, I'm very impressed. It's not easy to maintain a fresh wine in a box, in a bag, but god damn it, they did it!
To me, this is a great answer to the summer get-together where you're like, "Fuuuck, I don't want to buy five hundred bottles of wine but I also don't want to buy four boxes of Franzia." Well, now you don't have to do either. You can buy a couple boxes of Bridge Lane and call it a party.
Even if that party is just yourself on a Monday afternoon.
Tasting Notes: Classically rosé. Bright cherries on both the nose and the palate. Easy drinking and smooth with a friendly finish. It sticks around, but you're totally cool with it. Perfect for a party on your patio or porch. Great alone, but I believe would make for some killer spritzers as well.
Ross Test: Sticky but satisfying
Me, Working Out 💪
Please Please Me & Arca Nova Vinho Verde
Sauvignon Blanc may have been the white wine that converted me from Only-Drinking-Cabernet-FOR-LIFE-I-KNOW-EVERYTHING twenty-three year old, but Vinho Verde was the white wine that I first fell in love with. And that is why I enjoy this Arca Nova Vinho Verde ($9, Silverlake Wine) regularly. Maybe too regularly. Like, more regularly and dependable than my digestive system.
Vinho Verde is the best for my favorite type of drinking: summer day-drinking. Cheap and low in alcohol, you can buy and drink a lot of it. Slightly sparkling, delightfully dry, and just juicy enough to be thirst quenching, I'm pretty sure it's the estival ultimate.
There is nothing better for me than coming home in the summer with the AC blasting, popping a bottle of vinho verde and putting on some early Beatles. Is there anything more fun and poppy than Please Please Me? In my personal opinion, no. And it pairs perfectly with vinho verde. THEY ARE ONE IN THE SAME. If you look up "light & playful" in the dictionary [of my dreams], you will find a photo of the Beatles recording Please Please Me drinking vinho verde. They're laughing and chugging bright green & teal bottles and having a blast and blowing kisses to me through the glass cause I mean, I'm totally there in the dictionary [of my dreams].
The Arca Nova is bright and tastes like grapefruit lemonade, with hints of melon and Paul McCartney's sweat. I say Paul because it's kind of sweet but not as genuinely sweet as George's would be. Paul may write sweet songs but I don't believe he's as sweet as he lets on, and he's not as pure as Georgey boy. That being said, I fucking love that about Paul. You just know he's a bit of an asshole, and not gonna lie, I need my men with a bit of asshole. That sounds like I'm into buttstuff which is fine but I'm not into buttstuff but anyway, okay, ahem.... Anyway, Paul McCartney was my second crush ever after Disney's Robin Hood (yes the fox, the literal and figurative fox). And this is how I always imagined Paul's sweat tasting-- crisp, salty and intoxicating.
THE POINT IS I LOVE IT.
PAUL AND VINHO VERDES.
Sidebar, real quick, uhhhh the guitars on "Anna"?
I listen to that song like 400x on repeat and then have to change my pants.
IT IS SO GOOD. IT'S LIKE THE CHERRY COKE OF GUITAR RIFFS.
