When is a Winemaker Dinner Like a Fun Date?
When the Warden is Visiting from the Big House, Good Everyday Wines
Aug 10, 2009
Think of one of your most fun dates ever. Good food, good wine, and lots of laughs. An interesting "getting to know you story." That's what a recent winemaker dinner was reminiscent of, right down to the push-up bra. But let's not get ahead of ourselves...
The Wine Group is the third largest wine company behind Gallo and Constellation. Georgetta Dane is the Winemaker, the Romanian emigré and heart of the Big House. Some of their wine labels include Concannon, Franzia, Cupcake, all the boxed wines and of course, Big House wines. They are so named due to their proximity to Soledad State Correctional Facility. This "Big House" is all about fun. The wines are accessible both in profile and in price. All the wines run from about $8.00 to $20.00 suggested retail. Most are sold right around $10-$12.
Big House Wines - "Criminally Delicious"
With a perfumer's nose and a chemist's training, Georgetta Dane, A.K.A. the Warden, is an advocate for the lesser known grapes. Ever heard of Tannat? You will. She's a champion of good, fun, wines. Inheriting over 40 grape varieties and a winery using 15 varietals in a crush, Georgetta had to find a way to approach the complexity of the blending of these wines. She followed her nose. Literally.
Dane used the model of perfumers: defining top, middle, and base notes in her wines the way it's done in perfume blending. Using bigger grapes for the base note (e.g. Syrah), fruitier grapes like Grenache or Tempranillo for top notes, and often the Italian varietals fill out the middle notes.
A Rosé by Any Other Name is Still Pink
Bleeding some of the juice away from red grapes ("saignee" describes the old-world technique) produces a more intense red wine and also yields this lovely rose-colored juice. Why not think pink? In fact, this rosé has won numerous Silver, Gold and Critics' Choice awards. They love to call it pink. Which it is. (By the way if you're wrinkling your nose, guess what rosé means in French?)
This wine is a good example of the complex blending that goes into a "simple, everyday wine." 42.5% Syrah, 16% Charbono, 12% Grenache, 8.5% Tannat, 7% Zinfandel, 4% Barbera, 3.5% Tempranillo, 3% Sangiovese, 2% Cinsault, 2% Sagrantino, 1.5% Petite Verdot.
The crisp, quenching, clean fruit, the explosion of berry in the nose: this wine lingers on in memory, as only the best summer wines do. It's a very food-friendly rosé and perfect summer sipper.
Now, About Those Push-up Bras...?
When Georgetta was describing the role of Chenin Blanc she said it "pushes the best characteristics of other grapes forward or up". A good push-up bra helps present a woman's assets in much the same way. Who could resist drawing the comparison? So it was decided that Chenin Blanc is the push-up bra of grape varietals. And happy we are for its effectiveness.
The Big House Pinot Grigio just received Double Gold in the California State Fair, the premier California wine event. 2,600 wine entries were received from more than 600 participating wineries - 43 Double Gold medals were awarded - one of them to the Big House Pinot Grigio.
The Big House labels and website both convey the sense of fun and ease, balanced with just enough substance to be taken seriously. This is not a gimmicky label that will disappear as quickly as so many do. The fun is deliberate. Take a look at the website's "rehab" room, for example. It looks like a 12 step program set up and still conveys a good measure of info about the Stelvin Screwcaps.
The Birdman, their award-winning Pinot Grigio, is one of the best Pinot Grigios you will find for the price. Whereas so many Pinot Grigios are so light and fleeting that they are utterly forgettable, this Birdman is quite round, but still crisp and quenching. This is a most welcome quality in the summer time. This wine, aided by the push-up Chenin Blanc, has the body to (ahem) stand up to spicier foods year-round, too.
Reds, Lovely Reds
The Lineup is their G/S/M - Grenache 50%, Syrah 30%, Mourvèdre 20% Many winemakers will tell you it's as much about the work done in the vineyards and this is one of those wines. Micro-climates in the Central Coast mimic those of the Rhone, and Dane definitely uses her microclimates to advantage.
Of course the winemaker's skill is in evidence in each of these wines, too. These are not overly oakey wines. The fruit is quite cleanly represented in each wine. Even Georgetta's Zinfandel, a beast in many houses, is a relatively tame Zin in terms of alcohol. It comes across quite strongly as Zin but not overwhelmingly high in alcohol. Her style focuses on balance. She fiddled until she found the lowest alcohol to clearly represent the best of the grape.
The humor too, is clear. In fact the G/S/M is described as having the strong spiciness of Syrah, the feminine floral notes from Grenache and Mourvèdre might be the gay friend that smoothes things over and helps everyone get along. Hello!
The Slammer is their Syrah (85% Syrah, 15% Petit Sirah) a muscular wine that can stand some cellaring (he's in solitary on the website). The Prodigal Son is the Petite Sirah from Paso Robles.
Out of the Slammer, Onto Your Table
With a meal that ranged from marrow bones to s'mores and cheese, with serious steaks in between, the compatibility of the wines with food was well-tested. Creamed spinach, asparagus, corn risotto, not all of these would have natural or obvious wine matches. The Big House wines were so flawlessly integrated with the food during this dinner, had they truly been ex-cons, we'd predict a record low recidivism rate.
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