The Year of Syrah

Happy New Year Everybody!

Every past year's end spurs new ideas and resolutions. I am quite content and inspired at how I've grown in the last year; It opened with a fit of madness in a square in Florence that was followed by a couple months exploring the Renaissance city and its environs, a stint on a farmstead in the Umbrian Countryside, and a brief respite at home in Cedarburg. Soon-after I moved to Minneapolis to commence a new chapter in the city and a new wine-buying job in the North Suburbs. My job is steady and life is good, and I look forward to the year to come.

We had a meeting today at work focusing on projections for the new year. It has been deemed, unofficially, as 'the year of wine'. I hope that as the economy takes an upturn, that wine will continue to grow in the daily lives of my friends, family and customers. It has led me, inadvertently to come up with my own new year's wine resolution (among others). Drink more SYRAH! While I've honed in on the popular tastes and trends of the wine-drinking public, I feel that this lovely, large grape has so much unexplored and forgotten potential as a whole. My goal is to drink more of it, learn more about where it comes from, how its made, its history, and pass that on to anyone I can. From Hawke's Bay in New Zealand, to blends in the Rhone region of France, the beefy Shiraz's of Australia, or the progressive juice in Washington, there's much to be said, and discovered.

I'm about to uncork a bottle of 2008 Zepaltas Rosella's Vineyard Syrah from the Santa Lucia Higlands in central California. Although I'm partial to this producer, one of my favorites not only because I worked there, but because the wines truly tell a story, the bounty that awaits is tickling my tongue. Such a versatile food and party wine with quite a bit of character, there's no reason that people should say, 'Syrah sucks'! It's complex enough to baffle in a blind tasting, yet in the New World, approachable enough to quench the palates of the more pedestrian palate. Therefore, I hereby declare 2011 as 'The Year of Syrah'. Bear, and drink with me friends. We are in for an interesting and enlightening next few months.

Cheers.

Espress-OH

There has been much discussion as of late in my apartment about coffee. Ever since the glass beaker on my French-press coffee maker cracked we've been in a dilemma as to whether or not we should IMMEDIATELY replace it, or opt for a stove-top espresso maker as a temporary (and well justified) fix. Luckily the daily drip-brew machine suffices, and eases the daily grind, but more and more I've been dreaming about espresso. I might just have to splurge on a nice piece of hand-crafted Italian goodness (see: espresso maker.) Given the set of perfect color coordinated mini-cups and saucers that Kolina acquired in Italy, specifically for our NEW apartment, I'd say it's a no-brainer. That being said, the first cup I make will be a-la-Frederico (one of the farmers I lived with in Italy.)
-Fill the cup with two teaspoons of plain sugar, after the batch is complete, splash a dose of boiling espresso into the cup and mix into a sweet paste. Add enough espresso to fill the 'tasse' (excuse my french) and shoot it for a brilliant start to the day. Repeat if desired. Cheers, in a coffee-loving-morning-starting sort of way.

Thanks, Giving...

I've officially reached 'guest blogger' status. My amazing partner in crime has recently launched a stellar blog, TKTwincities and they recruited me to do a little piece on Thanksgiving wines. Check it out! There are SOO many posts out there about what kind of wine should go with a Thanksgiving feast, and to be perfectly honest, many, if not most, of them are complete bullshit! Riesling, Pinot Noir, yadda, fricking, yadda, fricking, yadda. I went at this one with a lighthearted mentality, not taking myself too seriously (as I try to do every time).

All in all, what really matters (in my simple mind) on Thanksgiving is the food you prepare and the people you are with. It's a time to truly take a break from your daily life, and a time when you should truly LIVE! A friend of mine living in Italy recently told me that she had the darndest time explaining our tradition of Thanksgiving to some friends. They looked at her puzzled when she said "It's the one time of year when the whole family gets together and cooks great food, eats, and drinks good wine for the entire day." Perhaps we should make this more of a priority more often, seeing as it's a daily occurrence to many other cultures worldwide? Nonetheless, my wine suggestions are simply that. Obscure, niche-y, and mine. If you have a favorite wine, then this is the time of year when you present it to your loved ones with all you've got. I can only hope you might take my suggestions for mild worth and try them with your festivities. If all else fails, go with bubbly. It's the best.
Cheers, and Happy Thanksgiving!