Wine recommendations for Drink Wine Day 2022 and every day Leave a comment
Happy National Drink Wine Day!
Here in the U.S., every Feb. 18 is Drink Wine Day, according to the National Drink Wine Day website, nationaldrinkwineday.org. Who knew?
“The purpose of National Drink Wine Day is to spread the love and health benefits of wine,” the website states. “Wine has played an important role in history, religion and relationships. We embrace the positive benefits of wine such as new friends, reduced risk of heart disease and the enhancement of food and life.”
Sounds like a good enough reason to drink wine.
Not sure what to drink to celebrate the big day? No worries. We asked the proprietors of a couple of local wine shops to each recommend three wines — in “everyday” “moderate” and “splurge” price ranges — to celebrate this special day.
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Let’s celebrate! What wine(s) should we drink for National Drink Wine Day?
“Every day is wine day here,” says Richard Schnitzlein, proprietor and wine guru at Fiske and Main Specialty Wine and Cheese in Upton. The shop, at 62 Main St., Upton, carries small production, artisanal wines, cheeses, charcuterie and other foods. Call them 508-603-1555 or check out their website, Fiskeandmainwine.com, to learn more about their wines. Here are three wines he recommends and his descriptions of them:
EVERYDAY: Viña Laurent 2021 Carmenere ‘Inocente.’ $14
Carmenere is a red French grape that has found a home in Chile and shares one of the same parents with Cabernet Sauvignon, the Cabernet Franc grape. The wine is medium to full bodied, plush with dark berry fruits, tobacco and roasted peppers. I like this wine because it is still an uncommon grape, and while many commercial wine-makers have turned out caricatures, this wine shows the character of the grape without going overboard. Organic.
MODERATE: Forlorn Hope 2019 ‘Queen of the Sierra Red.’ $21
A blend of Zinfandel, Barbera, Tempranillo and a few other obscure grapes from the Sierra Foothills in California. This is a medium-bodied red, loaded with bright red fruits, as well as boysenberry and cherry. Slightly floral and mineral, the wine is juicy and lip-smackingly crushable. I like this because it is a great introduction to natural wines. It’s amazingly accessible and delicious and isn’t marred by flaws sometimes found in natural wines. Naturally made. Organic.
SPLURGE: Claire Naudin 2019 Vin de France Aligoté ‘Le Clou 34.’ $42
Another natural wine, but from Burgundy, France, made from old vine Aligoté grapes. This is medium-bodied and tastes of lemony apples with toasty lees, absolutely brilliant acidity, remarkable concentration, long finish, and a solid core of minerality. This is a great alternative to Chardonnay, as it exhibits some similarities but has its own, leaner, electric personality. One of the best examples I’ve ever tasted. Organic.
White, red recommendations
David A. Tiberii owns Paired, Poured & Plated, 290 West Main St. in Northborough with his wife, Jean Killeen. Open for five years, they call themselves “purveyors of artisanal wine, beer, cheese and provisions.” They specialize in “boutique” wines which usually means they are wines from smaller wineries. If you visit their website, everything looks delicious. Before the pandemic, they offered wine tastings and hope to get back to doing that soon. To learn more about their wines, call them at 508-466-7786 or visit their website https://www.pairedpouredplated.com/
Here are three wines Tiberii recommends and his descriptions of them:
EVERYDAY: Les Deux Moulins, Sauvignon Blanc. $12
This wine, imported by the Paris Wine Company and made in the Loire Valley of France, is an everyday favorite of ours and our customers. Bright crisp Sauvignon Blanc, Les Deux Moulins has vineyards made up of gravel and schist soils which give the wine a vibrant and long-lasting mineral finish. The fruit has very bright notes of lime, gooseberry and a subtle grassiness. It’s a wonderful midway-style between New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and Sancerre. Pair it with goat cheese on a baguette or with a bouillabaisse, cioppino, seafood paella and other shellfish dishes, such as swordfish, salmon and lobster.
MODERATE: Michael Shaps, Cabernet Franc. $40
From Michael Shaps Winery in Monticello, Virginia, Shaps’ Cabernet Franc is 100% Cabernet Franc aged in 52% new French oak for 22 months. This is a medium weight style that has nice red fruit notes, gentle tannins, and substantial length. Very approachable now. Pair it with red meats, including grilled beef and lamb, game, rich sauces and ripe cheeses. This wine pairs well with a wide variety of cuisine.
Michael Shaps is an American who studied wine-making in Burgundy, France and did internships there before returning to the U.S., where he first began his wine-making career in Massachusetts before moving to Virginia. His wines are award-winning.
SPLURGE: Gabriele Scaglione, ‘Passione Di Re,’ Barolo, Nebbiolo. $85
From the hills of La Morra, Gabriele Scaglione grows the “wine of the kings” and makes some of the best wines from La Morra in the Piedmont regional of Italy. The wine has subdued aromas of mature berries, leather and hint of toasted oak lead an expressive palate: dried black cherry, ground pepper and a hint of star anise and coffee. Fine-grained tannins with a supple finish, enjoyable even in its youth. Sustainably farmed. Very small production. Pair it with red meats, games, roasts, charcuterie and aged cheeses, and dark meat turkey, duck, lamb and roast pork.
Here’s some free wine advice
Don’t be snob about it. Drink what you like. Whatever wine you choose, take the time to savor the taste. Farmers and winemakers put a lot of time and effort into the process: developing the soil and the site, caring for the grapes, then harvesting, later crushing them, then working on the fermenting and blending processes, as well as bottling and aging. Each wine has the taste of the place where it came from and is touched by the people who made it.
What’s my own recommendation? Altos Las Hormigas Malbec (Clasico) 2013. Dark and fruity and oaky, it goes well with beef, lamb and is nice just by itself. My family shared a few bottles 10 years ago on my mother’s 80th birthday at the Mohonk Mountain House in New Paltz, New York. Whenever I have a glass now, it reminds me of my mom and my sisters and the great time we had there together. And it’s only about $13.
