It Starts With A Grape

So, some of you may have noticed that recently links have been added to some of our wine reviews. These are NOT ads! They are direct links to a website called www.wine.com. Their prices are usually a bargain, and often less than what you will find in your local wine shop, especially if you buy in larger quantities. We have added this feature to benefit you, especially those of you who may not have time to actually stop into a store, or are less than than satisfied with the selections there. Here at It Starts With A Grape, we do a lot of our purchasing from this website and wanted to give you the opportunity to do the same. That’s all for now, happy sipping everyone, and as always, thanks for visiting!

Sincerely,

It Starts With a Grape

Opening with a nose of plum and ripe cherries, accompanied by aromas of black pepper and just enough oak, this is definitely a ‘go-to’ Malbec. The first sip will deliver plenty of those black pepper aromas to your taste buds, complimented by big juicy fruit, and hints of super dark cocoa. Its a fairly heavy red with a wonderfully full mouth feel, and soft tannins. The lengthy finish is primarily made up of pepper and oak, with subtle cherry. If your looking for something east to pair it with, throw some seasoned cubed steak, red and green peppers, and some chopped onions into a foil bag, and let it roast on the grill. Dinner and wine in under 30 minutes!

Packing more of a punch than one would normally expect from a Frenchy, is this delightfully full flavored Cabernet. It opens with quite earthy aromas, nuances of freshly sliced green peppers, while maintaining enough fruit to achieve a nice balance. There’s plenty of diversity on the palate, and the longer you drink it the more the layers will unfold, initially revealing ripe cherries and smokey oak, moving on to blackberries and hints of strawberry, and finishing with ample oak and cassis. Its medium to heavy in body, and would lend itself excelently to smoked chicken with a side of grilled asparagus.

Do you live in up-state New York? Are you sick of your Saturday date night consisting of the same old dinner and a movie combo? Well, wake up a little earlier and get your but to the johnson Esate Winery! Or, if your from out of state, stay a little longer and make a weekend adventure out of the Chautauqua wine trail. Upon entering the tasting room, I was greeted my the most charming woman named Mary, who I would discover was not only charming but also extremely knowledgeable.  Right from the get go I got the feeling that the people who worked here actually cared about their wines and were very proud of them , as they should be. Before I get into the actual tasting, Id like to share a little backround with you…

It all began when Frecerick Johnson purchased the farm house and land on which it sat in 1908. At the time the land was devoted mainly to the growth of fruit trees and concord grapes. You can feel free to look at him as sort of a rebel, during prohibition (I still cringe when i hear that awful word), he made wine from his home grown grapes, and that was un-official start of the winery, kudos Mr. Johnson, kudos. In 1960 his son, Fredrick Spencer Johnson, returned home after a stint in the military and planted the very first French-American hybrid grapes, marking 1961 as the official start of the winery. Today the winery is still in the family, and is producing phenomenal wines at a very pocket friendly price.

The climate in up-state New York lends itself very well to production of ice wine. Its pretty much a safe bet that no matter which you choose you’ll be satisfied with your purchase, which is why I’m not going to mention them in this article, instead Id like open your eyes to the other varietals of the region.

Mary started me off with the 2006 Seyval, $9.99, it was super crisp and refreshing white, with plenty of tropical fruit to go around, a rather creamy texture, and substantial body. It was a good place to start. Next it was onto the 2007 Traminette at $11.99 a bottle. It was a bright white, with unique floral aromas of roses, and a mild citrus finish. Then it was onto their 2006 Riesling, $11.99, which quickly became my favorite with its honey and peach nose. It was elegant and smooth, with ripe apricot on the palate, beautifully balanced citrus notes, and honey finish. Yum. Then, a perfect segway into the reds with their Rose (row-say), also $11.99 a bottle. It was pleasantly tart with notes of sour strawberry and watermelon, reminiscent of a watermelon jolly rancher, and medium light in body. The make up of this delightful spring time treat is 11% Merlot, and 89% Marechal-Foch. The 2006 Chancellor, $9.99, was my first red, and being deep velvet in color, what a red it was! Displaying a barnyard nose, with notes of clove cigarettes, it was sure to be interesting. There was tart blackberry on the palate, accompanied by plenty of earth, ending with a clean but juicy finish. Next was the 2007 Chambourcin, also $9.99. This super versatile red, with its easy going fruit including plum and bright ripe cherry, would be perfect for any occasion. It was simple and delicious. Then it was clearly time to move onto desert, but like I said, no ice wines, I wanted to see what else they had to offer. Mary poured me something called Grapea Granate, which turns out is a blend of Niagra and pomegranate juice. Being a fan of the pomegranate martini, it was clear i had found a new twist, as Mary was quick to point out, mixed with a splash of vodka, it made a perfect summer-tini. Last was a perfect end to my most enjoyable tasting experience, the Red Ipocras, which was being kept nice and warm behind the bar, since there was still a slight chill in the air. At a mere $8.99, I found a great alternative to making my own spiced wine. It was filled with nutmeg and ginger, with subtle hints of black pepper, and is a delicious cure for those lingering chilly spring nights. Its also available in a white, and if you add ice and some sliced fruit, you’ve got yourself some tasty sangria!

All in all, i had a great time, and I look forward to my next visit! You can find them at 8419 West Main rd (aka rt 20), Westfield NY, call for large groups: 716-326-2191, or visit their web site at www.johnsonwinery.com There are some interesting up coming events at Johnson and some of the other wineries along the Chautauqua wine trail, so if your planning a trip, consider planning it around them:

April 2^nd – Thursday

Winemaker’s Dinners

Please check the website for details on price and venues.

www.chautauquawinetrail.org

May 2nd & 3rd

Wine, Cheese, and Herb Weekend ($25/person)

Visit wineries and sample selections of cheeses and special fare using herbs paired with a complementary wine. Cheeses provided by thier sponsor, Heluva Good Cheese.

(We’ll be there!)

This medium bodied, silky smooth Italian is exactly what a Montepulciano (monte-pool-chiano) should be. There’s bright fruit on the nose, consisting mainly of fresh raspberries, with under tones of soft oak. Its the epidamy of easy drinking, (no big oak or boisterous fruit here), with juicy plum on the palate, gliding over your tongue, caressing your  taste buds. Enjoy it all by itself or pair it with wild game, lightly seasoned with Italian herbs of course!

This particular Carmenere is what I’d like to call a mix of new and old world style. It has the smooth drink-ability of an old world wine, mixed with the up-front, in your face flavors and aromas of the new world. It opens with a burst of deep black cherries, ripe plum, subtle toasty oak, and hints of fresh cracked black pepper. Displaying a beautifully, deep, ruby color, and delivering a diverse mouthful of flavor much of which resembles its nose. It has a silky smooth finish of dark chocolate and warm oak. The back of the bottle told me this would be an ‘elegant’ wine, and i can not disagree. I couldn’t think of a better dish to enjoy this one with than a rare, lightly seasoned steak, off the grill. If your not in the mood to grill, it would also lend itself well to a pot roast, throwing about a cup of this wonderfully flavorful wine into your dish will ensure a perfect match.

No, its not a type-o, its really just $3.99. Don’t ask me why or how, because i don’t know. It opens with an ample amount of super ripe, jammy fruit, fallowed by sweet cherry tobacco. This particular petite sirah leans more towards the light-medium bodied side. Its good and juicy, but plenty of smokey tobacco carries onto the palate, with hints of milk chocolate. Cherry flavors are definitely the highlight of this one, along with plump, ripe raspberries. It may not be a huge red, but its simple fruit forward character makes for one easy drinking wine. It good on its own, but i think it would really shine if paired with something along the lines of roasted, rosemary pork or lamb, with a cherry glaze.

There’s something to be said for Chilean Sauv Blanc. They stand out from others grown in California, or New Zealand, in that they posses highly concentrated flavors and aromas. They are heavier in body and pack more of a punch. If you haven’t tried one yet, this is a good place to start. I did find, however that this one in particular took a while to come into its own. Normally you wouldn’t want to leave a sauv blanc open for any length of time, but this one would benefit from being left open for a couple of hours, its a bit harsh otherwise. It has an extremely floral nose, comparable to what you smell upon walking into a garden show, complimented with hints of peaches, and wet slate. This super crisp and fairly refreshing white, has a definite herbaceous taste to it, making for an interesting drinking experience, and one you wont soon forget. Its would be a perfect wine for sipping in the park, on a summer afternoon, or paired with a tropical fruit salad topped with gorgonzola cheese.

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A little fun fact about Chile for you:

Chile remains as one of the only regions in the world unaffected by pyhlloxera, which is a disease that forced grape growers around the world to graft vines onto genetic rootstock which could resist the disease. Not to say that grafted vines produce lower quality wine, its just neat to think about how those vines have been growing un-tutched and un-altered for hundreds of years….

That being said…on to Root:1. Because this is a relatively young cab, i was surprised to find a nose of deep fig and brown sugar, complimented with a super smooth oak, usually reserved for older wines, and a dense ruby garnet color. The first sip glides over your tongue, delivering luscious black cherries, and ultra dark cocoa to your taste buds. Its got a super juicy finish, with hints of tobacco. A perfect pair for roasted black pepper chicken in a cherry glaze, with a side of sauteed red potatoes, and would have no problem standing up to almost any sharp cheese. link

Well, its a beautiful shade of magenta, and has a mighty fragrant nose. As a matter of fact, about five minutes after un-corking you’ll probably find your neighbor on your doorstep asking for a  glass. Its packed with jammy raspberries, soft oak, blueberry, and nuances of vanilla. In contrast to its super fruity nose, its a little on the earthy side, but remains juicy. Being a typical merlot, if there is such thing anymore, its medium bodied with a fair amount of tannin. The finish is lengthy and soft, with traces of tobacco and plum lingering on the palate. It pairs well with a mild creamy cheese, or rotisserie chicken and herb’ed red potatoes.