   |  Newsletter ArchiveBlame It On Rioja, We're Screwed, and I'll Be Back, Mate Blame It On Rioja, We're Screwed, and I'll Be Back, Mate
So if I were France or Italy, which I'm totally not, I would be a little worried about the wine producing dark horse Spain, taking away a big chunk of the affordable European wine export business. Spain has figured out that secret handshake with their vines that somehow allows them to give us fantastic whites and reds under $15. But Spain has varied regions all across their beautiful country so let's focus only on the most popular right now: Rioja. The name is derived from the rio (river) Oja, that flows from northern Spain through the Rioja region, and eventually into the Mediterranean. Rioja reds are dominated by the Tempranillo grape (others allowed for blending are Garnacha, Graciano and Mazuelo) and are typically aged longer before release than any other wine in the world, resulting in delicate, soft and complex reds comparable to Pinot Noir. Typical flavors include earth, spice, cherry and vanilla and as you go into the longer aged wines (and more expensive), you get complex flavors of dried leaves, herbs and leather. The whites of Rioja are dominated by the Viura grape (others allowed for blending are Malvasia and Garnacha Blanca) and tend to have a medium weight to them with great floral characteristics and often a "seawater" scent (we don't mean "dead fish" here). These whites are seafood matches made in heaven. So bottom line, you like Pinot Noirs and soft Cabs? Try a red Rioja. Do you like California Sauvignon Blancs and clean, viscous Rhone whites? Grab yourself a white Rioja. Below are some selections from our store:
REDS Conde de Valdemar Rioja Crianza 2001, Rioja, Spain -- $10.99/btl Marques del Puerto Rioja Crianza 2001, Rioja, Spain -- $14.99/btl Bodegas Las Orcas Decenio Rioja 2002 -- $7.99/btl
WHITES Conde de Valdemar White Rioja 2002, Rioja, Spain -- $13.99/btl
Wine Tasting Schedule
I'll Be Back, Mate: Austrian and Australian Wine Tasting This Friday the 5th 5:30-8:30pm $15/person 5 Wines, Cheeses, Crackers, Bread Reservations Recommended: info@cowineco.com or (323) 478-1985 We're tasting a mixed bag of wines from Mr. Schwarzenegger's homeland, Austria, and Australia this Friday and inducting a new wine representative from Paul Young Fine Wines into cowineco's raucous Friday night tastings (no hazing, please). If you've always wondered where Sudsteiermark is (haven't we all) or have a taste for spicy reds, this is your Friday. And to all the Rieslings I've loved before, this Neumayer is better. Wines Tement Temento White 2004, Sudsteiermark, Austria Neumayer Riesling Berg 2003, Berg - Traisental, Austria
Hill of Content Benjamin's Blend White 2004, South Australia Varied Varietals This Sunday the 7th 1:00-4:00pm $10/person 4 Wines, Cheeses, Crackers, Bread No reservations necessary Does your wine lingo stop at Chardonnay and Merlot? Don't know if Chianti is a grape or a region? Well, this Sunday is dedicated to all those odd red grapes you may not have heard of before and to all those customers who keep harassing us to pour more reds at our tastings. This Sunday it's all reds and it's all off-the-beaten-path varietals (grape names are bolded below). Wines Bedford Thompson Mourvedre 2000, Santa Barbara, CA A Mano Primitivo 2002, Puglia, Italy Chameleon Charbono 2002, Napa Valley, CA Colosi Nero d'Avola 2002, Sicilia, Italy
Back In Stock! Morgan Cotes du Crowes Grenache/Syrah -- $13.99 Renardat Bugey Cerdon Sparkling Rose -- $17.99 Terre Rouge Syrah Les Cotes -- $14.99 Koehler Pinot Noir -- $19.99 Enotria Arneis -- $12.99
New Arrivals! Torbreck Woodcutter's Shiraz 2004, Barossa Valley, Australia -- $19.99 Torbreck Woodcutter's Semillon 2003, Barossa Valley, Australia -- $15.99
We're Screwed Although the topic of cork vs. screwcap vs. synthetic cork has probably been overdiscussed in the wine world, it deserves some quick commentary because almost every week we hear someone whisper to their significant other, as they reach for a wine, "That's a screwcap. We're not getting a screwcap." Granted, when giving a gift or bringing wine to a party, you don't want to have to be the wine dork who goes on about "cork taint", Stelvin screwcaps and the demise of the nearly religious, ceremonial POP! when opening wine. But you should know the facts when spending your hard-earned money on fancy grape juice. Not only are screwcaps better than traditional corks for most wines, they are only surpassed in quality by wine-in-a-box. Yes, the mortal enemy of wine is oxygen and that tinfoil-like bag in a box of wine is vacuum sealed so it shrinks as you drink it, keeping out the oxygen that jumps into bottles of wine when you uncork them. But we're not going to see many gift boxes of wine in our near future (however, it would be interesting to try and smack one against the bow of a boat to christen its maiden voyage). Approximately 10% of all wine with traditional corks has "cork taint" or TCA, a chemical compound that effects cork during the cleaning process. And if you've never had this unpleasant experience, consider yourself lucky. It aint pretty. Synthetic corks, which became the alternative of choice in the 90s, aren't perfect seals so their popularity is on the quick decline. Like it or not, screw caps are probably the future (studies are currently being done to test their long-term viability). We will always have our corks but they will trend towards the more expensive wines that are meant to lay down and cellar for years. Screwcaps mean the wineries lose less inventory, lowering costs to them, and ideally lowering costs to you, the consumer. If the prospect of corkscrews going the way of the Dodo depresses you, we will happily make a popping sound when opening wines at the bar for no extra charge.
See You Soon, John and Jen
"After the muscle-shocking sessions we drank wine and beer and got drunk and carried on like the old-time weight lifters back in the 1800s or early 1900s . . . We got into this trip that we were gladiators, male animals. We swam naked out in nature, had all this food, wine and women; we ate like animals and acted like animals." ~Arnold Schwarzenegger, Arnold: The Education of a Bodybuilder |