Certified sommelier Kristian LaPlante starts his wine course with the phrase “Wine is food, food is wine.”  By doing so, he is emphasizing how important wine is at an Italian meal.  The two are joined at the hip.  I believe in all of Europe, this could be regarded as true.  Europeans in the big three European countries (France, Italy, and Spain) like to have wine at almost every meal and drink ten times more wine than consumers in the United States.  I do not believe they are sweating out the details of an exact perfect pairing of food and wine every time.  I have several books on pairings and have been trying to learn what makes the perfect paring between wine and food.  Could we Americans be overthinking this?  No, not us!  On your wine and food journey you will discover matches made in heaven.  Relax and let these matches come to you.  Andre Robinson believes if there is food on the table and an uncorked bottle of wine, there is a match.

What is wine’s secret weapon?  What makes it join so well with food?  Tony Porcellini will tell you wine’s acidity is the key to its love affair with food.  Acidity is like a turbocharger for flavor and in such, makes your mouth water.  When your mouth waters, the enzymes in your saliva break down the food unlocking the flavors, making the food taste better.

Chefs know the secret of acidity.  It is no accident that nearly every famous sauce uses some acidic ingredient to enhance flavors: wine, vinegar, tomatoes, mustard, and lemon juice.  Examples would include using lime with Mexican and pickled ginger with Thai food and sushi.

I think we understand the benefits of acidity without thinking about it.  We squeeze lemon on fish, put pickles on a hamburger, and Worcestershire sauce on a steak.

Thanks to acidity, wine is the beverage for food.
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A few simple pairings from Andrea Immer Robinson:
Potluck supper – Beaujolais
Saturday stir-fry – Pinot Grigio
Backyard barbecue – Red Zinfandel
Fridge leftovers – Chianti

PS. Do not forget our friend Riesling!

Cheers!
Hoosier Wine Guy

Wine has legs and “she knows how to use them”!  Sorry, an old Z Z Top song popped into my head.

I have often heard people describe some wines as having long legs.  They swirl the wine in the glass and watch the streaks running down the sides of the glass.  The remark is usually, “Oh, long legs, good quality”.  Does the length of the legs really help determine quality?  I have some wines I thought were great and the legs barely stayed on the glass.

The legs actually do not determine quality.  The legs help to determine the alcohol content of the wine.  The longer the legs last, the higher the alcohol content.  The phenomenon is referred to as “Tears of Wine”.  It starts as a clear ring of liquid near the top of the glass.  Droplets form continuously from the ring and drop back into the wine.  The longer these tears cling to the side of the glass, and the more of them there are, the higher the alcohol content.  Besides legs and tears, I have heard the droplets called curtains and church windows.  Sweeter wines are more vicious as the tears (legs) will flow slower down the sides of the glass.  If you want to get into the sciences of this, Google the Gibbs-Marangoni Effect, as it will explain the mechanics of this phenomenon and why covering your glass will make the tears (legs) disappear.

It is a myth that legs determine quality.  Legs are a guide to alcohol content.  However, I do have some friends that believe higher alcohol does mean higher quality.  The length of legs might be a quality you look for in a date, but they do not tell you the quality of the wine.

For those of you, who really want to know the alcohol content of wine, let me know.  I have a friend who can determine the alcohol by volume after three sips!  She does not need to see the legs.  I usually just cheat and read the label.

So, you may still be wondering why wine drinkers swirl the wine in the glass.  The swirling helps to release the aroma molecules from the wine which in turn improves the ability to better smell and taste the wine.  The swirling action increases the surface area of the wine, which then increases the oxygenation of the wine, thus affecting the flavor.  But at the end of the day, some wine drinkers still like looking at the legs even if they know they don’t mean a thing when it comes to quality!
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Cheers!
Hoosier Wine Guy

Remember that ad campaign?  It was a fun way to promote milk.  But, what does milk have to do with wine?  The answer, understanding wine can be as simple as understanding milk.

We boomers grew up in a milk culture and easily understand the differences in milk.  We know the body of the milk just by looking at the label.  We know skim means watery with a light body and we easily understand that cream means thick with a heavy body.  Our palate can easily feel the weight difference between skim milk, whole milk, and cream.  The same is true with wine.  Start your wine tasting journey with your focus on the body of the wine.  Body is easy to experience and understand.  If you master the weight of wine, you can be comfortable in any wine setting.

We call wine at the skim milk end of the spectrum light bodied.  Those at the whole milk level, medium bodied, with those at the cream end, full bodied.

Examples would include:

REDS
Pinot Noir (Light)                   
Cabernet Sauvignon \ Merlot(Medium      
Syrah or Shiraz (Full)                 

WHITES
Riesling (Light)
​Sauvignon Blanc (Medium)
Chardonnay (Full)

I know, here are the big 6 wines again.  They are everywhere.  We are surrounded!  Learn these grapes and their associated bodies and you will be a famous wine person by Friday.

So, don’t worry if you do not smell black current in your wine.  Truthfully, I don’t know what black current smells like, and besides, aromas can be different things to different people.  But the weight and body of wines are universal.  We all can relate to the meaning and feel.

How does weight apply to food and wine pairing?  Keep it simple.  If you want to enjoy the wine, do not pair a light weight Pinot Noir with a thick, highly seasoned beef stew.  The Pinot would be destroyed.  It would be like asking me to block an NFL lineman!  I would be destroyed and on my way to the doctor!

Cheers!
Hoosier Wine Guy

Most wine guides like to start with the "big 6" wines.  They are: Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah.  These are the baseline wines to get to know first and will help you to find your taste profile.

Riesling, for the most part, seems to be put on the back burner.  Personally I think German Rieslings are some of the most versatile and valued priced wines on the market.  You can find good German Riesling wine for under $20.   But do not confuse these Rieslings with Liebfraumilch wines that were dominant in the 70’s or the mass produced Rieslings such as Blue Nun or Black Tower.

I really like Rieslings ability to pair with a variety of foods.  I think Rieslings pair very well with the foods we eat on a daily basis.  My wife and I are usually eating salads, sandwiches, or takeout.  Rieslings are great for those everyday foods.  It can take you from a BLT to mac and cheese.

The first few books I read on food and wine parings focused on the elegant pairings, such as meals you might have on special occasions.  My mission has been to find wines that pair well with everyday foods ad German Rieslings are one of those wines.  I am talking about Rieslings in the Kabinett and Spatlese categories and even some in Auslese.  These categories will be designated on the label.  Germany has not had a bad vintage in years, with many of the recent vintages being considered great.  Remember, Riesling IS considered one of the "big 6".  Give it a try!

Cheers,
Hoosier Wine Guy

What are old vines?  I have seen “Old Vines” proudly displayed on wine labels, but how old is old?  It seems no one knows.  A lot depends on the winemaker’s definition.  In the U.S., there is no legal definition.  The vines can be 5 years old and still be called old vines.

It would appear that winemakers start calling vines old at about the 30 year mark, but often the term “Old Vines” applies to 100 or more year old vines.  What a range of years!  In general though, 40 -50 years seems to be the most often used dates by reputable winemakers.
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So what is the big deal and why bother with the term?  What does old bring to the juice?  It is believed that old vines have two main advantages:  The first being the roots have had time to grow deeper, allowing them to find more water.  Secondly, they produce fewer berries which increases the concentration of the juice.  I believe both of these advantages can contribute to a better wine.  They are just a couple of the many factors that help make a good wine.  Climate, soil, which varietal, and the winemaker all play a part in a quality wine. 

When looking for “Old Vines” you will probably see the term on Zinfandel wines, but also, it is not uncommon to see them on some Rhone blends from France.  Most good wineries are putting the age of the vines on the back of the label. 

Personally, I believe old can be better than young.

Cheers,
Hoosier Wine Guy

​Does the title scare you?  Does it make you think of stuffy lectures on the nuances of Bordeaux wines?  Does it make you feel that it would be above your wine knowledge level?  Don’t sweat it!  We should really call it a Bordeaux Blending Party!

Our certified sommelier, Tony Porcellini, presents this class and makes it fun and simple.  You do not need to know anything about wine to appreciate the class (party).  Regardless of your level of wine knowledge, the information that Tony presents will be both educational and entertaining.

The class will provide you with a glass of each of the 5 main varietals that can go into a red Bordeaux blend.   Those varietals include Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Malbec.  Tony will take you through a fun filled tasting of each wine.  When all 5 have been tasted and explained, you will then have an opportunity to blend your own glass of Bordeaux.

I have participated in this class (party) twice before and would gladly do it many times again.  I believe wine should be simple, fun, and shared and Tony captures this philosophy perfectly.

Tony also has 9 other classes (parties) prepared for our fun and education.  If you want to have fun and learn at the same time, sign up for our classes (parties).  Remember, you can book private parties too, such as bridal parties, birthdays, office parties or just plain wine parties.

Please contact Jessica at [email protected] or at 904.217.4751 for more information and to sign up for a class (party)!
 
Cheers!
​Hoosier Wine Guy

One evening I was watching the movie Somm while enjoying a glass of my favorite cabernet.  One of the sommeliers that was going for his master sommelier certification had only two years prior, just begun the quest to put himself in a position to challenge the ultimate exam, an exam where only 230 people have passed it since the exam’s inception 46 years ago.  He attributed his rapid rise to the challenge and competitiveness of sports.  He had been an athlete most of his life and believed that the same drive to compete in sports was driving his motivation to conquer wine.

Personally, I have been entangled in the pursuit of the vine for 2 years.  I have not jumped into the somm gauntlet as I am having too much fun exploring wine my way.  I was a good, small town and collegiate athlete, proficient at many sports; not great at any.  I always enjoyed the challenge of playing a new sport and loved the variety that sports offered.  The constant challenge of never knowing it all, nor playing to perfection, kept the drive alive.

Wine is like that for me.  There are thousands of varietals and just as many blends.  I am chasing the juice!  I will never come close to mastering wine, but I think that is why I enjoy the chase so much.  I have learned enough about wine to know I will never know enough about wine. 

Wine enthusiasts and athletes have a lot in common.  Athletes, come on in and we will practice together!
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Hoosier Wine Guy

In those three words, Andrea Immer Robinson learned the true meaning of wine.  Andrea, a master sommelier, writes about the lesson in her book Great Wine Made Simple.  She was at the Cantina Vietti, one of the Piedmont’s great wineries and was lucky enough to be having dinner at the house of the wine maker Alfredo Currado.  Andrea had been writing furiously in her note book and was determined to turn her tasting notes into expertise.  Alfredo finally said “Andrea, don’t think, drink”.  She goes on to state: “The real purpose of wine is not about the snobbery, the fancy labels, the big bucks, and the status symbols that are supposedly going to make you look and feel sophisticated.  Its real purpose is simple; wine is a lube for life.”

I think wine should be simple, fun, and shared.  Sometimes we should just drink wine for enjoyment and not analyze it.  Relax and let your sense enjoy the learning.
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Hoosier Wine Guy

One of our goals at Carrera Wine Cellar will be to demystify wine.  Wine after all is just fermented grape juice. 

Classes will be scheduled throughout the year. We currently have 10 classes in our portfolio, all being presented by sommeliers.  Each class will provide interesting information about wine growing regions, the grapes and the vintners, along with wines for tasting.  Dates and times for all classes will be posted on our website and Facebook page.

We will also offer private tastings and classes at our location or yours.  You can choose one of our classes or ask for a customized presentation.  There is no substitute for hands-on tasting to reinforce the knowledge being presented.  We love to talk about wine.

Hoosier Wine Guy