2010 Helix Chardonnay Explains the ABC’s
Anything But Chardonnay Movement: Helix Wines
Dear ABC’s, please don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. What do we mean by ABC’s? We’re talking about all you “Anything but Chardonnay” folks. There’s a solid group of wine drinkers today who are instantly dismissive of Chardonnay and think it is trite and overdone. You couldn’t catch them dead drinking anything as passé as Chardonnay. To all of those ABC’s, we say you’re seriously missing out!
Why is Chardonnay so Popular?
The reason Chardonnay became so popular in the first place was because it was so consistently delicious and easy to drink. It is a highly versatile
wine due to its mild mannered fruitiness. The wide range of styles leave room for many different wine drinkers to find their preferred flavors. Because it is such a widely grown and produced varietal, while there are some mediocre Chardonnays, e
ven more are delicious and complex.
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2007 Reininger Carmenere and Beef Brisket Recipe
Carmernere Wine Pairing – Rustic Red Wine
For all Carmenere’s distinguished past it displays a perfectly rustic set of flavors. We’ve told you all about the 2007 Reininger Carmenere tasting notes. Carmenere is smoky, earthy and spicy. The rustic flavors of the 2007 Reininger Carmenere make it a perfect pairing with heartier foods such as beef and fall vegetables. We are sharing our favorite example with you below. You’ll love this meal on a cold fall day! As always, meals are made better when shared with friends, so invite your favorite people over and pop open some bottles of the 2007 Reininger Carmenere.
Beef Brisket Recipe
Adapted from Bon Appétit
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2007 Reininger Merlot: A Customer Favorite
Merlot is Making a Comeback
Given the response we got on our post about how the movie Sideways was wrong about Merlot, we’d have to say you all agree. Merlot fans are coming back out of the woodwork and letting their Merlot flag fly! Merlot has always been a special variety for wine lovers. Historically, it has been one of the great prides of Bordeaux. The easy drinkability of Merlot made it a natural choice for viewers of the 60 Minutes French Paradox report looking to add more red wine into their lives. Merlot fell from favor about 5 years ago and this decline is due to what has been deemed “the Sideways Effect” as well as the saturation of mediocre Merlots in the market. Today, wines such as the 2007 Reininger Merlot are restoring the reputation of this varietal as a sophisticated and delicious wine. But please, don’t take our word for how fantastic Reininger Merlots are, our customer reviews are the true mark of our success! We love nothing more than to demonstrate to sworn Merlot haters how fantastic Merlots should be.
Customer Reviews of Reininger Merlots
“The Reason I joined your wine club was that I actually loved your Merlot. And I detest Merlot.” Nickie Alexander
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2010 Helix Chardonnay and The Judgement of Paris
The Judgment of Paris
Now that you know about the Old World, New World wine debate, we can share some more fun information about Chardonnay. In the 1970′s some seriously good wines started emerging out of North America. Although growers had been experimenting for years, including the venerable Thomas Jefferson, the 1970′s marked a changing of the tides in the history of serious American wine production. Most Old World wine makers and enthusiasts, especially the French, merely scoffed at what they thought was a foolish effort to grow quality wine in the New World. They trivialized New World wines as not having the appropriate terroir and therefore permanently inferior to the well established classics. One well established British wine merchant, Steven Spurrier, was so convinced of the superiority of French wines that he organized a blind tasting to prove it. In 1967 Spurrier pulled together the most renowned and respected French wine authorities and hosted 2 blind tastings. In the first tasting, Spurrier poured Chardonnay, a natural choice insofar as it was one of the noble grapes. The second tasting was comprised of reds. In each tasting, six wines were from California and four from the creme de la creme of France.
A Great Wine Scandal
The results of this blind tasting, known as the Judgment of Paris, astounded Continue reading “2010 Helix Chardonnay and The Judgement of Paris” »
2007 Reininger Carmenere vs. Vineyard Pests
Vineyard Pests 101
When we think of destruction and decimation, we usually think of big menacing forces. In the wine world though, it’s often the smallest bug or nematode that can be the biggest threat. Do you remember when we told you about the history of Carmenere (before it was lost)? As you recall, the initial reason Carmenere disappeared was a massive phylloxera blight. One of the reasons it wasn’t replanted was the varietals susceptibility to coulure and powdery mildew. If you’re asking “what are phylloxera, coulure, and powdery mildew?” you are in luck. Here is our handy brief guide to some of wine grapes’ biggest threats. Just try not to pull these facts out at your next wine tasting, we dare you!
War of the Worlds- 2007 Reininger Merlot
Our Merlot isn't this old yet...
Old World Wine v. New World Wine
All wine makers and drinkers can usually agree on one thing: wine is delicious. Beyond that, there are so many big and little details that split many wine enthusiasts into separate camps. Because there’s so many different styles of wine, even within the same varietals, there are endless opinions on which is the best. One of the classic wine world stand offs is Old World versus New World. The two wine worlds represent distinct growing regions and wine making philosophies. In the wine scene, “Old World” essentially refers to Europe and ancient wine growing regions. It goes beyond region and also refers to the traditional terroir central wine making philosophy. The quintessential example of Old World terroir-ist philosophy is found in Burgundy, where wine makers claim different characteristics can Continue reading “War of the Worlds- 2007 Reininger Merlot” »
2010 Helix Chardonnay: A Tasty Treat
We’ve been remiss. For weeks we’ve been giving you every single detail about the 2010 Helix Chardonnay. We’ve given you tips on how to serve the perfect glass of Chardonnay, we’ve told you about Chardonnay in Champagne, we’ve given you a delicious lobster mac and cheese recipe pairing, we’ve given you history, told you about the styles of Chardonnay, and even talked about Malolactic Fermentation. If you’ve been keeping up with your readings, you’re practically an expert on Chardonnay. But despite tossing out information like crazy people, we’ve neglected to give you the most important detail, the 2010 Helix Chardonnay tasting notes.
We know you read the 2007 Reininger Merlot tasting notes, and the 2007 Reininger Carmenere tasting notes, and you’ve probably been on the edge of your seat wondering when we would finally tell you about the Chardonnay. Well hold your horses, because here it comes! All the facts and history lessons in the world can’t hold a candle to the experience of actually tasting wine, so order the 2010 Helix Chardonnay today, pop open a bottle and compare your notes with ours. Let us know what you think, we always love hearing from you guys!
2007 Reininger Merlot Puts a New Slant on Sideways
A scene from Sideways
Merlot was the red wine darling of America for a number of years. Remember how we talked about the Merlot boom after the French Paradox was explained on 60 minutes? People started drinking more red wine after they learned certain properties were good for their heart. Many people reached for Merlot due to it’s smooth drinkability. After reading the 2007 Reininger Merlot tasting note, it’s easy to see why a large variety of people would be attracted to the varietal. Then the pendulum of Merlot popularity started to swing back down. Merlot started to fall out of favor as the “it” wine and was eclipsed by Pinot Noir. Though the decrease was certainly due to a convergence of factors (including the over saturation of mediocre California Merlots), many people attribute it to the movie Sideways.
The Sideways Effect
The movie Sideways came out in 2004 and quickly gained critical acclaim. To give you a brief refresher, the movie is about two guys going on a tour of Continue reading “2007 Reininger Merlot Puts a New Slant on Sideways” »
2010 Helix Chardonnay and Champagne
Chardonnay is delicious and comes in a variety of styles. Our 2010 Helix Chardonnay has crisp, pleasant light acidity. Do we really need to give you another reason to love this varietal? Well, just in case, here’s another fun Chardonnay fact. Under the right conditions, Chardonnay can transform into something very effervescent and fancy. Let’s play a little word association game. When I say fancy wine, what do you think? How about when I say luxury? Decadence? Bubbles? That’s right, we’re talking about Champagne. Champagne is made out of a blend of a few different varietals (to clarify, there is not “Champagne” wine grape). The other grapes traditionally used are Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Although you can make Blac de Noirs, Chardonnay from only black grapes, it is typically more heavy and rustic. The addition of Chardonnay into a Champagne creates the finesse, lightness and elegance we have come to expect.
Sources of Champagne Grapes
Chardonnay is one of the three dominant varietals used in the Champagne region. Depending upon the house style, Champagne makers will source their grapes from different vineyards which exhibit markedly different grape Continue reading “2010 Helix Chardonnay and Champagne” »
2007 Reininger Carmenere, a Rare and Scarce Wine
After reading the dramatic history of Carmenere, you know how scarce Carmenere is today. You might be wondering then, just how rare is Carmenere? Well, you’re in luck, we’re going to tell you!
Carmenere Leaves Chile
As you hopefully remember, Carmenere was rediscovered in Chile in the 1980′s, and confirmed as Carmenere in the 1990′s. Aside from the original crop in Chile, today Carmenere is found in France, Italy, Washington’s Walla Walla Valley, California, Australia and New Zealand. The amounts found in France, Italy, New Zealand and Australia are fairly nominal and experimental. Carmenere first arrived in the United States shortly after it was discovered in Chile. The proprietor of California’s Guenoc and Langtry Continue reading “2007 Reininger Carmenere, a Rare and Scarce Wine” »
