The Semi-Knowledgeable Wine and Beer Guy

The Velvet Devil

2010-02-25T06:18:00.000-08:00

I know, I know it Merlot!. But here's the thing. Merlot wasn't the problem with Merlot. The winemakers attempting to make a quick buck was the problem with Merlot. Charles Smith of Washington makes an excellent Merlot. Just enough fruit, excellent tannins and yes velvety (if that is even a word). Just an enjoyable experience. If you can find it, you should try it.

2008 Broadside Chardonnay

2009-10-26T09:06:00.000-07:00

Sometimes white wines get a bad rap from “serious” wine drinkers. True wine drinkers choose reds. I’ll admit that I often fall into this category. But I have learned that a well chosen white can be quite enjoyable. And not just for hot weather drinking.

Here is a case in point: 2008 Broadside Chardonnay (Edna Valley). This Chardonnay from the central coast in California is an excellent representation of what is good about California Chardonnay. When first lifting the glass I notice the light yellow, almost bronze coloring and am taken in by the look in the glass. This chard has some meat to eat. Tropical fruit and light oak flavors rule the air in the glass, as I lightly swirl the wine. Upon sipping, I notice the same tropical fruit, including just a hint of pineapple with that oak, and a little toasty buttery vanilla. Wow this is good. This wine, as is the case with most California Chards, benefits from Malolactic Fermentation. Thus turning the harsher, more tart malic acid to lactic acid, providing a very well rounded mouth feel.

The other interesting thing about the wine is that they use wild yeast that is already present on the grape and do not add any additional yeast, even for the Malolactic portion of fermentation. They attempt to interfere with the natural fermentation process as little as possible and let the grape, the land, and the environment do it’s best work. It is exciting to be able to serve a wine at bread&cup that shares some of our core values.

Nebraska Connection: Chris Brockway, the winemaker at Broadside grew up in Omaha, before attending college in California and becoming enamored with the wine industry.

You can find this wine in our “Priced to enjoy at home” section in our restaurant for $24. You can have us open a bottle to enjoy at our restaurant. We will need to chill it for a few minutes and we also add an $8 corking fee.

2007 Turley Old Vine Zinfandel

2009-10-20T20:10:00.000-07:00

It happened again. I was just taking in the freshly poured glass of dark deep red fermented juice. I was looking for a fire to pull a chair up to and sit and ponder life, the past, present and future. I began to think of friends and conversations I wish I could have. I know it is more efficient to write a wine blog when I am by myself. But I do not think wine is intended to be shared this way. Sure some wines lead us to mediate, but I think it can be a group mediation. This is one of those wines.

I walked out to the patio of bread&cup, sat down next to a propane heater and watched the flame (it was the closest I could get to a fire). This wine is really quite beautiful. The nose has a dried fruit or raisiny quality. It is sweet, but not like a lollipop. It is earthy with maybe just a little black licorice. I taste the dried plum or raisins, the licorice is here too, but then comes the little spice. It starts out sweet, but doesn’t stay that way. It is dry and my tongue feels that leathery coating of tannins. Watch the flames, toss a piece of dark chocolate in my mouth. Reese’s eat your heart out. Chocolate has a new friend.

Sometimes we get the chance to sit back and look up at the stars, take a deep breathe. Feel. This wine is for those occasions. It is not for the dinner party or holidays. It is intimate. It is for a few gathered to enjoy conversation, stare at the flames licking the empty space above, and dream of a greater life. Be careful what you wish for…

I know I'm supposed to drink just a little, take it in and then write....I'm pouring just a touch more and heading back out to the fire.

Domaine Serene 2006 Yamhill Cuvee Pinot Noir

2009-10-20T19:04:00.000-07:00

A nice subtle fruity Pinot Noir with oak in the nose and on the tongue. Pinot is so subtle, and yet has so much going on within it is difficult to think about what part I enjoy. Jammy with light tannins and an overall light mouth feel make this a very good food wine. I can imagine enjoying a grilled pork chop with buttery potatoes. Wow, where’s the chef? There is a little earth in the finish. This is tasty! Cherries, a bit of darker berry, some tobacco, and there is that earth again. I could sip on this bottle all night. I was able to taste the Rockport Syrah from Domaine Serene earlier this ear and was blown away. I can tell that this smaller cousin should not be overlooked. If you are a Pinot Noir fan, I would be sure to stock up on this beauty for the holidays.

The Earth Series Volume One- Basel Cellars - WA

2009-10-20T19:00:00.000-07:00

When I first say the bottle I thought to myself, oh no marketing. Sometimes it seems when a wine has a gimmick it is trying to cover for some deficiency. The Earth Series from Basel Cellars in Walla Walla, Washington, has a picture of our great beautiful blue marble we all call home, sitting in a large pair of hands. Why not just sing kumbaya and get it over with. I thought, this is targeting the green folks.

That all changed when I tasted the wine. It is a red table wine from Washington. It contains Merlot, Carmenere, Malbec and Petite Verdot. With an aroma of ripe dark fruit, I tasted all this sustainable vineyard had to offer. A straight forward Bordeaux style red. It was big, but subtle in its structure and tannins. It was pretty silky. I would say this is a very good value considering the price of the bottle ($20 at bread&cup). Plus you are giving back to earth. Hey, with this flavor, I think the earth deserves a little of the credit.

2009-10-14T22:39:00.000-07:00

Donnafugata, Sedara

Every so often our wine distributors invite us to tastings of their selections. This summer I was invited to climb on board a riverboat (well, it looked like one, but was actually just a boat with a fake riverboat wheel stuck to the side) and try the wines from Folio Distributors. Since I rarely decline an opportunity to try wines for free I showed up (with Kevin Shinn, an owner of bread&cup) at the dock just in time to set sail on the Missouri River. Folio wines is run by Michael Mondavi, son of Robert Mondavi. Michael was on board and was a great host. He stood in front of us and talked about how they select wines, why he is still in the wine business and various other interesting stories. Then it was time to drink some wine. At shows like this I general become quite picky. I'm not just going from table to table and trying as much as possible. I become quite selective. I usually hang pretty close to my wine rep and ask what I should not miss. She was very helpful on this occasion and I was able to try some excellent wines.

As the time was winding down I approached Michael Mondavi and asked him, "What do I want to make sure I do not miss?" He quickly brought me to the table with Sedara from Donnafugata. This is a wine from Sicilia (Sicily) and is 100% Nero d' Avola. I was immediately taken by the label on the bottle. I could see the vineyard on an Island in the Mediterranean. I could see the dust on the ground, the sun. It felt old world. When I first caught a smell of the aroma of the wine I was taken off guard. There was a light tobacco or earthy nose with a slight hint of berry far underneath. When I tasted the wine for the first time I noticed really well balanced dark berries and a little cherry. Just enough tannins to allow the finish to linger, but dry enough to clean the tongue. It had a major characteristic that I look for in wine. It was memorable. It made me want to sit down and think about life. Create art. Read a novel. It somehow made me want to long for the greater things in life. I know, it's a glass of wine.

I immediately pre-ordered two cases for our little restaurant. For various reasons it took nearly 3 1/2 months for the wine to get to us. I could not wait to open a bottle and see if it was as good as I remembered. I worried that maybe it had just been one of the last wines I tasted after an afternoon on a boat. I had nothing to worry about. The nose hit me and I knew where I wanted to be. I wanted to be sitting next to a fire enjoying good conversation and sipping on a glass of this Sedara. I am truly tempted to buy it all myself and not let anyone else try it. But alas, it must be shared.

At bread&cup we have a just obtained a license to be able to sell wines off-premise. What this means is that you can buy any bottle of wine from our list and take it with you. We will also have a section (5 or 6 wines) that is intended to be taken away from our store and enjoyed elsewhere. If you want to enjoy one of these wines in our store there will be a corkage fee. It is a great way for us to be able to provide very good wine in an affordable way.

All this to say, Sedara is in our "take away" section (I'm still working on a name for it) for $26 a bottle. As far as I know, we are the only place in Nebraska you can buy this wine. Stop by and pick up a bottle. See where it takes you.

Welcome

2009-10-14T21:16:00.000-07:00

I'm not an expert on wine or beer. I've read some things, took part of a training course, talked to a lot of "wine" folks, worked for a brew pub. This blog will not be written from an expert point of view. It will be written from the point of view of someone who enjoys wine and beer, and wants to help others to do the same. I have the privilege of selecting wine and beer for bread&cup (a cafe/bistro in Lincoln, NE) and so I will be using this space to talk about the items we are offering. It just seems natural for me to be able to share about why I am selecting the wine and beer that we are offering for your enjoyment. So check back often, as I hope to talk about wines that you can enjoy in our place or take with you to enjoy in your home, or with friends.

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