-READING BETWEEN THE VINES

-SYRAH

-GREAT WINE VALUES

-SPITTING AT STRANGERS
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* Rodney Strong Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon 2000 – From www.rodneystrong.com: This wine exudes a perfume of juicy black fruits such as blackberry and black cherry. Its brilliant dark color indicates an inviting mouth full of flavors. Nuances of cedar, almond and earth intermingle with sweet currant and blackberry flavors and it finishes supple and rich.
(Found at Discount Liquor: $12.99)
Jenna’s comments: This wine was first introduced to me by relatives in California. It’s practically their house wine. Every time I visit, it is in their wine cabinet. Lucky me! For those that like Cabernet, this wine is consistently good.
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Author’s Note:
Now let’s talk about these wine selections...these are wines I’m recommending to you because I think they are fantastic. That doesn’t mean that everyone else will think they are as good as I do. I’m ok with that. And you should be too. Regardless, I’m stepping out with a few recommended wines in each issue. So if you don’t like them... too bad, so sad. But I’m hoping some of you will say, “Hmmmm, not too shabby.”
Until next issue... DON’T BE AFRAID TO TRY SOMETHING NEW! Talk to your “wine guy” at the local wine shop. Accept wine samples at stores (my first taste of Yellow Tail Chardonnay was at Larry’s Market, , 8737 North Deerwood Drive, Milwaukee , while on a cheese buying mission). Cook a dinner and invite friends—when they ask what to bring, tell them a bottle of wine. And then we’ll gather again and share picks and pans.
As my Dad’s favorite toast goes... “It’s five o’clock somewhere.” I don’t need a better excuse...

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Syrah
a.k.a. Sirah, Petite Syrah, Sirac, Shiraz
“Que Sera, Sera what ever will be will be”
By Michael David Ratkowski
Owner, The Market Basket ~ Brookfield, Wisconsin
What’s in a name? As they say flour by any other name would smell as wheat. When you are browsing through your favorite wine shop’s l’assortiment de bouteilles, you will find many wine/grape types with similar sounding names, which aren’t similar at all, but in fact are very different in character. Just a few examples of this are Pinot Noir, Pinotage, Pinot Grigo, Pinot Blanc, etc.
Adding to the wine drinking public’s bewilderment are cases where precisely the opposite is true. The same wine/grape will have many different names. A notable case in point is Syrah also know as Petite Syrah, Petite Sirah, Sirah, Sirac, Shiraz, Hermitage and Marsanne Noir.
When I was working for the Wisconsin division of highways, we had an Iranian engineering student who came from a village named Syrah. He claimed with pride that the Syrah wine grape had it’s origin in his village. Boastful Iranian students not withstanding, the grape is indeed widely thought to have originated in the Middle East or ancient Persia. What ever its origin, no could argue that this exceptional red-wine grape attained its high status in France’s northern Rhône valley, where this ancient grape has been grown at least since Roman times.
In the northern Rhône valley, Syrah is the primary grape of the well-regarded wines from Cornas, Côte-Rôtie, Crozes-Hermitage, Hermitage, and Saint-Joseph.
When youthful, these wines are deep violet colored and tannic, featuring
robust spice, and fresh pepper corn qualities. Most Syrahs are long lasting, and they age well. As they mature they acquire black currants, and cherries
flavors, often with a whisper of smokiness. In the Southern Rhône, Syrah is used to add zest and structure to the wines from Châteauneuf-du-pape and Côtes-du-Rhône. Several other regions in France have been planting large amounts of new Syrah acreage because it’s established record of improving wine quality.
There is little question that many American wine drinker’s first introduction to this wine/grape came from the land down under. Shiraz, as Syrah is called in Australia, made its way there in the mid 1800s and is now that country’s most extensively planted red grape. Today there is a virtual ocean of Shiraz flowing from Australia to the United States, in many styles and price ranges. Much of this wine is très bon. Some of the best come from Coonawarra, Barossa and the Hunter Valley. The most celebrated Shiraz is the extraordinarily opulent and multifaceted Grand Hermitage, produced by Penfolds.
Back home in the land of bizarre and entertaining politics, Syrah has established a strong foothold in California. On the west coast the petite Sirah grape was long thought to be a small berry clone of Syrah, however many growers now believe it actually may be the Durif variety. The bona fide Syrah has been progressively planted in California over time. Leading Syrah producers like Guenoc, Joseph Phelps and McDowell have been joined by the innovative likes of Bonny Doon, Panther Creek, and Qupé. Today the consumer will find nearly as many California Syrah wines and Rhône-style blends on wine shop shelves, as there were candidates recently for governor of California.

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GREAT WINE VALUES
By BRIAN GUSTAFSON
The year 2004 has barely even begun, but it is shaping up to be a stellar year in great wine values. The sheer volume of superior grapes in many parts of the world has created an excellent buyer’s market in wine, and there some excellent buys in wine available in the local area.
When we talk about “great wine values” we are not referring to any old wine that carries a low price tag. What we are talking about are wines that knock you socks off without giving you sticker shock – wines that taste a lot more expensive then they are – wines that give you the best bang for the buck! The folks here at Suds, Wine & Spirits polled local Chicagoland retailers for some of the best values you can find today in wine, and we present them to you right here.

SAM’S WINE & SPIRITS
Sam’s Wine & Spirits (1720 N. Marcy St., Chicago IL (312) 664-4394 www.samswine.com) is largest single source for your favorite adult beverage within the Windy City readership area. If you have not yet been down to Sam’s – it is well worth the trip. Wines selected by the staff at Sam’s take you on a journey to Spain to sample some of the great values from this country. If you have not tried a wine from Spain lately, or ever, you will be very surprised at the complexity, structure and superb taste that these wines have to offer, and at a very reasonable price.
Dona Paula Los Cardos Malbec 2002 ($6.99) is a deeply colored wine with aromas of ripe plum, currant and dried fruits, and rich with flavors of spice, dark berry and plum that are surprisingly complex, and will stand up to the heartiest cuisine.
Santa Rita Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2001 ($9.99), and intense ruby red colored wine, with an aroma of plums and herbs, with an undertone of vanilla and cloves. It is very well balanced and complex, with a medium body.
Orzus 2001 ($24.99) from the Montsant region is a powerfully rich wine, exceptionally well balanced, very dense with superior structure. Mature fruit aroma with hints of caramel and violet – explosive in the mouth and complex but balanced well enough to compete against wines of two and three times the price.
“Consumers are buying smarter these days,” notes Brian Rosen, Owner of Sam’s Wines & Spirits. “There are a lot of wonderful wines in the $8.00 to $10.00 price range that are very complex on the palate, and these wines account for a large percentage of our business.”

BINNY’S BEVERAGE DEPOT
Binny’s Beverage Depot (www.binnys.com) has 15 locations (see below) in and around the Windy City area, all large, well-stocked stores with an excellent selection. Binny’s is well worth a visit for their in-depth expertise, special events and great everyday values.
2002 Penfolds Rawson’s Retreat Chardonnay ($6.99) has aromas of tropical fruit and melon, complemented with spicy oak. The initial flavor of ripe peach and crisp pear, are enveloped by complex arrays of nutty oak. The acid structure provides a clean, fresh finish. This wine is ideally suited to seafood, chicken and pasta.
2000 Apollonio Terragnolo Primitivo ($8.99) from Apulia, one of Italy’s oldest wine producing regions, is very Zinfandel-like in flavor, and packs a wallop that is not evident in the nose or at first taste. Aromatic berries, bramble, fennel and deep down barrel tones offer plenty of sensory pleasure.
2001 Liberty School Cabernet Sauvignon ($12.99) has very engaging aromas of blackberry, cherry, chocolate and cassis. This California wine builds on the palate from a warm, soft, plush beginning to a rich, fruity finish.
“There are a lot of tremendous values in wine coming from Australia,” said Brett Pontoni, Binny’s Wine and Spirits Buyer. “There is a lot of juice available, and due to strict governmental control and standards, the wine being produced is very good, even at the lower price points. There are also some good wines coming in from the Mediterranean.”
DiCARLO’S ARMANETTI’S
DiCarlo’s Armanetti’s 425 Townline Rd., Mundelein (847) 566-4600 has one of the best selections of wine and beer in Lake County. Founder Carlo DiCarlo is your wine contact at the Willowbrook DiCarlo Armanetti’s (6920 S. Rt. 83, Willowbrook (630) 654-0988) store and Paul Cutler is the Wine Manager in Mundelein. Both stores host major wine tasting events. Paul Cutler offered these wine value recommendations…
Leaping Lizard Cabernet Sauvignon 2000 (under $10.00) from Napa Valley is quite fruit-forward with bright blackberry and cherry fruit, with cassis and a smidgen of cocoa, and plums and dark fruits in the aroma.
Little Stone 2001 Merlot ($11.99) from Napa Valley, features black cherry and plum aromas. Sweet French oak and soft tannins make this wine very appealing with a variety of foods – especially beef dishes or Italian cuisine. 93% Merlot and 7% Cabernet Sauvignon.
Hawk Crest 2002 Chardonnay (Stag’s Leap Cellars, $9.99) has aromas of crisp Granny Smith apples, peaches, a hint of vanilla and oak. The acidity has a mineral edge that keeps the fruitiness in balance. Stags Leap is one of the premier labels in California wine, and the Hawk Crest line represents a significant value with consistent quality.
WINE DISCOUNT CENTERS
Wine Discount Centers, and partners Famous Liquors, have 4 stores (see below) in the Windy City area, and focus on getting you a good value on all the wines they carry.
Castle Rock Cabernet Sauvignon 2001 vintage, from Napa, California, is an excellent value at $9.49 a bottle. This full-bodied, complex wine offers layers of concentrated flavors of cassis, blackberry, cherry and ripe plum, with a light hint of oak. “We have customers telling us they snuck this wine into blind tastings of $20.00 - $100.00 Cabernets and it would come in 2nd or 3rd,” notes Wine Discount Center’s Jim Buckley.
Hughues Beaulieu Picpoul de Pinet 2002 ($6.99) from Languedoc, in the south of France, a medium straw colored wine with fresh pear and apple aromas and flavors, very crisp and refreshing due to the high acidity. “Picpoul is a little-known grape variety, and the word picpoul means ‘lip-stinger’, “adds Buckley. “The acidity makes it a great palate cleanser for a wide range of foods.”
Maison L’Aiglon Grand Reserve St. Chinian 2002 ($5.49) is a blend of Syrah, Grenache and Carigan. It has a complex aroma of spice, pepper, tart cherry and mint, and is juicy and fruit-forward in the mouth.
BIN 36
BIN 36, with two Chicagoland locations, Downtown at 339 N. Dearborn in the Marina Towers (312) 755-9463) and at 275 Parkway Drive in Lincolnshire (847) 808-WINE), is a restaurant, fine wine bar and wine and accessories shop. Customers can choose from over 50 wines by the glass, paired with an excellent menu designed to complement the wines, and after dinner, take home a bottle of their favorite wine.
2001 Mas Donis Garnacha/Syrah Capcanes ($13.95) is a big powerful wine from Taragona, Spain, smooth and fleshy with oak scented blueberries, blackberries, plums and currants. This wine is 80% old vines Grenache and 20% Syrah.
2003 Amberley Estate Chenin Blanc ($14.95) is sourced from a number of premium vineyards in the Margaret River region of western Australia. The grapes are picked at varying degrees of ripeness in order to result in a complex wine which shows elegant fruit characteristics but has the flavor intensities of the late picked riper grapes.
2000 Hendry Ranch Pinot Noir ($19.95) is noted for its excellent balance, as well as the ripe black cherries, red currants, blood oranges and spice character. The finish is long and elegant, and the oak is well integrated adding another layer of complexity.
“This is probably the best time in history to be a consumer of wine,” said Brian Duncan, BIN 36 Wine Director. “The quality of wine has improved around the world. There are incredible values from what were once considered unlikely places, as well as improvement in some well known traditional wine growing regions.”
WHOLE FOODS MARKET
Whole Foods Market has nine stores (see below) in the Windy City area, with a wine selection carefully selected for the value and quality. Whole Foods “shops” the world for superior wines and contracts with the vineyards for exclusive rights to these wines. The three wines selected below are only found at Whole Foods Market.
Riven Rock Chardonnay ($4.99) from California is an exceptional value and a perfect interpretation of what a traditional Chardonnay should taste like – with a good flavor profile, light and drinkable but with a good body.
Tracker’s Crossing Shiraz ($5.99) from Australia has a lot of depth, with a plumy character and good fruit-forward palate. It holds up against bold flavored food, and has more structure than other wines that are much more expensive.
Pumari Pinot Noir ($9.99) has hints of raspberry, strawberry and cherry in the aroma, and subtle smoky and earthy nuances in the flavor, along with undertones of fresh fruit.
“This is a really good time to be buying wine,” notes Will Betts, Whole Foods
Market Midwest Regional Associate Specialty Coordinator, “and wine has been getting a lot of good press lately. These are wines that we waited for, in order to get a good representation of the varietal.”
WRAPUP….
These are only fifteen of the hundreds of super wine values that are available at your Chicagoland local retail beer, wine and spirits stores today! We hope that you will try some of these wines, and others that are recommended by the excellent staff within the wine departments of these stores. If you like them, or if you would like to recommend another wine for us to review in the future, please let us know at info@creamcitysuds.com.

REFERENCE:

- BINNY’S IVANHOE CASTLE & CATACOMBS
3000 N. Clark, Chicago (773) 935-9400
Additional BINNY’S:
* 213 W. Grand Ave., Chicago (312) 332-0012;
* 5100 W. Dempster, Skokie (847) 674-4200
* 124 McHenry Rd., Buffalo Grove (847) 459-2200
* 767 W. Golf, Des Plaines (847) 956-1000
* 7330 W. North Ave., Elmwood Park (708) 456-2112
* 670 Roosevelt Rd., Wheaton (630) 545-2550
* 153 Skokie Valley Highway, Highland Park (847) 831-5400
* 4610 W. Elm St., McHenry (815) 385-3200
* 790 Royal St. George, Naperville (630) 717-0100
* 8935 N. Milwaukee, Niles (847) 966-2300
* 3121 Thatcher, River Grove (708) 456-7400
* 323 W. Golf, Schaumburg (847) 882-6000
- BINNY’S EXPRESS:
* 71 N. Green Bay, Glencoe (847) 835-3900
*1531 E. 53rd St., Hyde Park (773) 324-5000

- WINE DISCOUNT CENTER (winediscount.com)
* 1826.5 N. Elston (773) 489-3454
* 1171 McHenry Rd., Buffalo Grove (847) 478-0300
- WINE DISCOUNT CENTER@ FAMOUS LIQUORS (www.famousliquors.com)
* 7714 W. Madison, Forest Park (708) 366-2500
* 7533 W. Roosevelt, Lombard (708) 366-2755
(Additional Famous Liquors stores are located in Bloomington, Springfield & Decatur.)

- WORLD FOODS (wholefoods.com)
* 1000 W. North (312) 587-0648
* 3300 N. Ashland (773) 244-4200
* 30 N. Huron (312) 932-9600
* 140 Chicago Ave., Evanston
* 760 Waukegan Rd, Deerfield
* 1331 N. Rand Rd., Palatine
(Additional Whole Food stores are located in Wheaton & River Forest)

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"SPITTING AT STRANGERS"
...or a Certain Preciseness
By MICHAEL DAVID RATKOWSKI
Wine Dude - The Market Basket - Brookfield, Wisconsin
C'mon everybody sing now, "The hills are alive with taste of Trockenbeerenauslese." While I wouldn't want to rile my German friends and/or my wife by concurring with the suggestion that the German language was developed solely to afford the speaker the opportunity to spit at strangers under the guise of polite conversation, one must admit the Teutonic tongue can be a tad tricky. Linguistic challenges, not with standing, the Germanic language does lend itself beautifully to a certain very useful preciseness. The categorizing of German wines is an impressive example of this.
Allow me to regress a bit here, have you ever seen one those travelogues of the majestic and breathtakingly beautiful vineyards along steep hillsides of the Mosel or Rhine valleys? Some of these vines are grown on 70-degree slopes! There's a gag among locals that winemakers in Germany are born with one leg shorter than the other in order to work the hills (Teutonic humor). In spite of these difficult conditions -- perhaps because of them - The resourceful, intelligent and hardworking Germans (wife, please note the lavish praise used here) produce some of the most charming, lightest and delightfully delicate white wines in the world. These wines are moderate in alcohol, marvelously balanced and awash with subtle nuances in both their floral aromas and fruit forward flavors.
In Germany, Qualitatswein is a wide-ranging name used to describe wines made from late harvested grapes. These wines fall into two categories. First comes the archetype wines - the Qualitatswein bestimmter Anbaugebiete or QbA wines - this literally translates to; "Quality wine of certain annex zones". This just indicates that the wine comes from one of 13 regions and is produced from an approved grape. The ripeness level is tested to ensure the light, fruity, effortless drink-ability.
Of an elevated class is the QualitÃtswein mit PrÃdikat, this literally translates to; "Quality wine with predicate." This class of wines have been produced in Germany since the late 1700s. The technique employed involves harvesting extraordinary ripe grapes to get an especially sweet and intense, concentrated flavor. These ultra distinctive wines are divided into six categories.
- Kabinett: Possibly the best food wine of the lot, the grapes used are harvested fully ripe at what would be considered the normal harvest time.
- SpÃtlese: (literal translation: late harvest) Technically this is the first true 'late harvest' wine. This is a fruitier, richer flavored and generally sweeter wine. SpÃtlese may be enjoyed with most rich food, which can stand up to their flavors, or may be served as an unaccompanied aperitif.
- Auslese: (literal translation: selected/selection) The second authentic late-harvest wine, these wines are even more intense and fruity. The good ones possess an acidic crispness that balances their natural sweetness, preventing it from becoming cloying. Good dessert wine, great with kaffee und kuchen.
- Beerenauslese: (literal translation: berries selection) Willkommen zu Sugar City, the grapes that are used in this wine are partially dried out and raisined and by definition would have to be considered over-ripe. When pressed they produce more of a nectar that a juice, resulting a rich, opulently sweet wine that is just what Herr Doctor ordered for dessert or zipping.
- Trockenbeerenauslese: (literal translation: dry berries selection) Trockenbeerenauslese was introduced in the 1920s. The grapes used for this class of wine have completely dried up like raisins. They are super rich, super sweet, super complex and super expensive. Just a half bottle may cost several hundreds of dollars. It is also not possible to make Trockenbeerenauslese every year, as the weather and the conditions in the vineyards must be just right.
- Eiswein: Hey! only two syllables! To make, "ice wine," The German winemaker raises before dawn on a frigid, late autumn morning while the frost is still on the Benz. The grapes, which are frozen on the vine, must be picked before the morning sun thaws them and they must be pressed while still frozen. This is the only method allowed by law, the grapes must be naturally frozen on the vine, any artificial method of freezing them is strictly Verboten. Since much of the water in the grapes is frozen, the resultant juice is concentrated, rich in flavor and high in sugar and acid. Eiswein, while uniquely different from Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese are just as astonishingly honey sweet, yet balanced by natural acidity. Ice wines are great candidates for long aging; they seem to only get better and better with time, simular zu einer guten Frau. Ja?
Whereas at first this may all seen a little complicated -- in actuality it is not. Of course, I have just scratched the surface of this subject. But Learning about these first-rate wines is rewarding. Also it's kind of cool learning to pronounce and roll their names off your tongue; Kabinett, SpÃtlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese, Trockenbeerenauslese, Fun, Ja?

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