We like to feature comments and suggestions passed on from you, our budding wine geek readers. We publish the entries that are relevant to other readers, such as wines you enjoyed, interesting questions, and cool stuff you've encountered. Also, keep that fan mail coming; our egos can never be stroked enough.
Chad Whelan wrote, "One wine I enjoyed tremendously when I was out in California was Gewürztraminer … the perfect wine for me! Medium dry to medium sweet. I was disappointed it was not mentioned in your ("Wine Poser") article, but from what I understand it is an underrated wine."
Yep, you caught us. We've been remiss in covering this sensual, slightly fruity, and yes, completely underrated white wine. Gewürztraminer (GEH verz TRAM ee ner) originally came from Germany and makes friends easily with spicy food like Mexican or Thai. Try it with your next takeout. Wineries that produce yummy Gewürztraminer: Alexander Valley Vineyards, Pierre Sparr, and Amity Vineyards.
Becky Hartman opined about the lack of wine flights around: " I need to find a wine bar that serves a variety of flights. I came from up north where I worked at a wine bar that served 8-16 different flights, red and white, weekly. I really miss it."
A wine "flight" is a beautiful thing. Typically, a flight consists of three or four 2-ounce pours of either the same grape type of wine (all Cabernet), or glasses of complementary types of wine (Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc & Semillon). The premise is to expose people to a large variety of wines for little cash. We're spotting more and more flights these days, but the best way to increase their availability is to pressure your local restaurant or bar into serving them.
Neil Lynch loves Zinfandel, red Zins of course. So much so, he wrote us and told us all about it: "A gutsy and well-rounded Zinfandel can be a totally different experience than most firm and tannic Cabernets. I would describe a Cabernet as big and square, while a good Zin as round and intensely jammy. This difference in characteristics is what sets the two apart. If that opinion upsets the Cab fan, sorry and so be it! Big and bold Cabs need time and aging to become rounder and pleasing. Full blown, fruit-in-you-face and zesty Zinfandels are ready right now! (And) the great Zins are much more affordable than Cabs or Merlots.
We couldn't have said it better. Zinfandel, an incredible American grape that deserves more attention, is somewhat of a chameleon; it can be either bold or demure, depending on the winemaker's taste. To get your Zin fix, Lynch recommends Rosenblum, Dry Creek Vineyards, and Red & Green Vineyards.
Sandra Rinaldi wrote in to ask about Vinho Verde, a Portuguese white wine: "David Rosengarten, host of a couple of programs on TVFN, raves about a Portuguese wine called Vinho Verde. He says it is crisp, dry, bubbly and inexpensive — all things that make it sound perfect to me. Here's the problem. Where in St. Petersburg do you find such an affordable pleasure?"
We answered Sandra, and became motivated to review an excellent Vinho Verde in last week's column: Aveleda Alvarinho Vinho Verde. It retails for less than 10 bucks, and is all that Rosengarten says it is and more. You can get it at Vintage and Grand Cru wine cellars in Tampa and Pic-Pac Fine Wine and Spirits in St. Petersburg.
Quite a few readers have asked for help finding wines mentioned in the columns. We make every effort to ensure the wine's accessibility before the article goes to print, but sometimes the wines can be difficult to locate. Often there is little available in the market, or the winery just doesn't produce enough to be stocked on grocery stores shelves. If you're having trouble, take the column to your local, friendly wine shop and ask for help. More often than not, they will stock it, and if they don't, they'll be happy to order a bottle for you.
Please keep the feedback coming. We welcome any wine questions, comments and suggestions you can throw at us.
Comments? Questions? Great wine experience to share? Talk to us! We'll feature your comments in our Mailbag. E-mail corkscrew@creativeloafing.com, mail to Corkscrew, 1310 E. Ninth Ave., Tampa, FL 33605 or call 1-800-341-LOAF.
This article appears in Dec 6-12, 2001.