In this episode, we have a very special unboxing review of our wine club Winter Assortment of wines to help you get the most out of every sip. We walk through each bottle in the box to offer you detailed flavor notes, regional insights, behind-the-bottle stories, and, of course, perfect pairings.
Meet Me At The Club
Are you a Wine Insiders club member? Have you already received an introductory box and are now exploring your Winter assortment? If so, we have a very special unboxing review of your wines to help you get the most out of every sip.
In this episode, we chat for a few minutes about wine clubs in general and what inspires our curations. At 6:05 we will begin walking through each bottle to offer you flavor notes, regional insights, behind-the-bottle stories, and, of course, perfect pairings.
To find out why each bottle was selected we went straight to the source to speak with Tyson Koster, a winemaker and now Director of Wine Strategy, who is the tastemaker behind each Wine Insiders box. Tyson is always on a mission to find amazing wineries and undiscovered gems. As winemaker at Hilliard Bruce Vineyards in California’s Santa Rita Hills, Tyson helped create 95-point Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays that combine the elegance of France’s famed Burgundies with the swagger of California’s fruit-driven flavor profile.
In this episode we review:
White Wines
Goldridge Reserve Pinot Gris
Finca Los Olmos Torrontes
Robert Sarrau Côtes du Rhône Blanc O.V.
Mar Azul Vinho Verde
Senorio De Fenojal Viura D.O.P.
Las Falleras Cava Brut
Red Wines
Flor de Sara Vendimia Seleccionada Tempranillo DOC
Villa Rosa Baga Reserva Bairrada D.O.C.
Finca Los Olmos Selección Especial Red Blend
Château Haut Boilon Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux Rouge
L'arca Negroamaro I.G.T
Free Flight Cabernet Sauvignon
Sniff Sip Repeat is brought to you by Wine Insiders, leaders in online wine. Wine Insiders makes buying great wine easy. Founded in 1982 as a club for California wine enthusiasts, Wine Insiders now offers high-quality wines from around the world for the best value and conveniently shipped to your door in just days. The collection is curated by a host of food and wine industry and lifestyle experts, such as Martha Stewart, Chef Geoffrey Zakarian, and Chef Ludo Lefebvre. Learn more about the wines or shop now to taste alongside our podcast guests.
Visit http://www.wineinsiders.com to learn more.
Sound effects obtained from https://www.zapsplat.com
Episode 2 – 2/3/2021
Kristin: From Wine Insiders, this is Sniff Sip Repeat—a monthly podcast for lively discussions all about wine. In each episode, we’ll be speaking with industry experts from vineyards and tasting rooms to restaurants and retail to give you a little inspiration for what to pour next.
I’m your host, Kristin. I’ve worked in the wine industry for many years now and I’m excited to bring my conversations with peers directly to you.
We are going to dedicate one episode each season to our wine club members. Today we’re going to do a quarterly box review of the winter shipment, so those members who have already received their introductory box will get a walk-through of all of the wines they can expect.
Are you ready club members? Let’s take a sip.
My co-host today is Tyson Koster, in-house winemaker and Director of Wine Strategy at the parent company of Wine Insiders. Prior to this position, Tyson helped create 95-point Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays that combine the elegance of France’s famed Burgundies with the swagger of California’s fruit-driven flavor profiles for Hillard Bruce Vinyeards.
Hi, Tyson and welcome.
Tyson:
Hey Kristin, thanks for having me on.
Kristin:
Yeah, I’m so excited to talk. Before we get started I do want to make a comment—I just feel so grateful that we’re able to work remotely during these unusual times, but I really miss us being in the office with you and your team. You was always so welcoming and the small tastings you used to hold for all of us to review the wines internally were great. They were great meetings; the winemaker-hosted tastings were awesome. They were hugely educational. And I just think it’s really great we’re doing remote tastings now.
Tyson:
Yeah, I’m really looking forward to the one day we can all be back in the office together to get together and talk about wine and share all of the new exciting wines that we’re bringing in for all of our Wine Insiders customers.
Kristin:
Yeah, I really think one of the fun things about tasting is tasting with other people. One of the things we’ve seen happen during the past year is club membership has really taken off. We have so many new members now, so I want to offer them a new perk, so I think the occasional podcast review of their wines is just the thing. Before we go through the wines individually, though, let’s chat about clubs.
The first vineyard I ever went to I think was probably Jepson vineyards because my Dad and my sister came to visit me when I first moved to San Francisco and my dad’s college roommate owned Jepson vineyards at the time. It was so much fun. We got to stay there. We got a nice little tour. They have this really beautiful distillery in back that I guess they make brandy from. And it was so memorable and it was really my first time experiencing wine country and I will never forget it.
After that, I definitely did a lot of trips to Napa and Sonoma when I lived in San Francisco because it was so close by and such a beautiful thing to do—a great thing to take people who are coming to visit you to see. My friend Beth came one time and we went in search of Cakebread because that was her favorite.
And then I moved to southern California, so now I tend to do Los Olivos or Los Alamos. I wanted to ask you about it because I understand you worked at a vineyard in Santa Barbara county, Hillard Bruce, is that right?
Tyson:
That’s right so I was lucky enough to get an internship for an estate project inside of Santa Rita Hills. And Santa Rita Hills is really known for their Chardonnay first and Pinot Noir second, but very much in that French Burgundian style and so the climate of Santa Rita Hills really makes these really expressive wines and interesting wines. And the first time I’d really spent a lot of time in that region I was definitely wowed and fell in love with the idea of what that region can do for these varietals that are grown all over the world and in many different styles and this style in Santa Rita Hills is really what I took to heart, so I was lucky enough to get that internship that began my career into making wine over my tenure.
Kristin:
It’s such a beautiful part of the country. I wish everyone could go visit there. And I know not everyone is lucky as we are to be a short drive from beautiful vineyards. Even when people are lucky enough to live near vineyards, sometimes they like wines from other regions, so I know there are a lot of wine enthusiasts out there that love wine clubs. So I’d like to talk a little bit about how you curate the wine club for Wine Insiders. Could you talk about what your goals are when you are putting together the shipments that you’re sending out?
Tyson:
Absolutely. When I think about club, you know, every time a customer gets a box I want it to be something fun and exciting, comfortable and courageous, really making sure that a customer gets a fun drinking experience. And so, every quarter me and my team are out looking for the newest expression of California Chardonnay in its various styles from unoaked to oaked to the different regions within California; looking for interesting and unique wines from Hungary, as an example, or what’s the latest coming out of the southern tip of Argentina in Patagonia. All of these things are curated to give that experience of uniqueness, a little bit of familiarity, a little bit of surprise and delight, or something completely crazy that they never would have the opportunity to try that we know that is going to resonate well with the customer, we know will it’s going to be a great, pleasing wine, like for example, the red blend from Hungary or the Torrontes from Argentina.
Kristin:
Those are two really great examples and the Hungarian wine, I really like it—I’m partial to it also because I’m taking Hungarian. And last week on the podcast we talked about it. I wanted to introduce it because it is so special and unique that not many people will have tried it. And is it true that many of the wines in these shipments are either exclusive to the club experience or the early release to members—just so that they’re special? Is that the case?
Tyson:
That’s correct. We curate our offers to make sure our club customers get the first experience with a lot of these wines.
Kristin:
Well, I’m really excited to try a lot of the wines in the shipments, so let’s start talking about them. I thought we’d start first with the white wines.
In this shipment we actually have Goldridge Reserve Pinot Gris, which is from Gisborne on East Coast of New Zealand. I have like many of the other Goldridge wines that I’ve tried. This one is off-dry and I know it has a lot of tropical fruit notes and a bit of pear and honeysuckle. Can you mention why it’s special and what made it catch your eye for this collection?
Tyson:
Sure. When people think about New Zealand they probably think about Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc, but New Zealand also grows a bunch of very popular varietals in very small amounts. Pinot Gris is grown all over the world, whether it’s called Pinot Gris in France, in California Pinot Grigio or Pinot Gris, and of course in Italy—the famous Pinot Grigio. And there is only about 3700 acres planted in New Zealand, so we really don’t get to see a lot of opportunity to find really, really great wines coming out of New Zealand that we think are going to be popular with our Wine Insiders customers, so when we were approached by this wine we were very, very excited. And because Pinot Gris is trending in that region so strongly right now we anticipate the overall planting acreage is going to increase over time as well. So, while this is the first opportunity for our customers to see Pinot Gris out of New Zealand, we hope we can have additional references so people can try more and more and more of this very expressive varietal grown all over the world, but really tailored in that unique New Zealand style.
Kristin:
I bet this is a GREAT pool party wine, but if you’re going to have this with dinner—what are you pouring this wine with? What are you eating?
Tyson:
Pinot Grigio has a little bit of a natural salinity to it, a little bit of saltiness to it. So, my first go to is actually seafood, more likely things like ceviche, some oysters, really, really light, flaky fishes. However, this Pinot Gris because of where it’s grown and the higher acidity content that it has, natural with New Zealand wines, it can stand up to dishes with heavier cream sauces as well. Don’t be afraid to through a lot of cheese in there, some butter, because it’s going to stand up to it.
Kristin:
Also, that’s from down under. We have another wine from down under, far away though. This one is Finca Los Olmos Torrontes from Mendoza, Argentina. When you uncork this wine you smell everything from roses and orange peel to chamomile. Can you talk a little about this because I believe it’s an uncommon varietal and maybe talk about how it made it into the winter club collection.
Tyson:
Sure. Torrontes is not a commonly known varietal—at least in the U.S. In Argentina, it’s synonymous with Argentinian white wine. For people in California who love varietals like Viognier and Marsan and Roussan, are really going to love this wine because, like you said, it’s very expressive and floral. It’s fun to throw on the table and it’s very versatile with food—
thinking about things like herb-roasted poultry, root vegetables, some various cheeses—it’s just a versatile wine and you can through anything at it and you’re going to love it.
Kristin:
Okay, let’s move on from down under to the European white wines in this collection. We usually have a lot. Today we’re going to talk about first Robert Sarrau Côtes du Rhône Blanc O.V. We typically have a lot of French wines, but I’d like to know what makes this one unique.
Tyson:
Côtes du Rhône, to me, is always very unique. It’s made in so many different expressive styles. And you can really, people who want to explore this region, can really find a lot to dive into because there’s different blendings. You know, it’s a blend of a couple different varietals. This one happens to be Grenache Blanc, Marsan and Roussan, which are indicative varietals of Rhône. So, you get a nice little bit of structure from the Grenache Blanc, you get that floralness from the Marsan and Roussan, you get that silkiness from the blend, things like honeysuckle, beeswax. Really bright and fruity fresh melon.
A lot of people say it’s more of a wintertime wine. I would agree with that because it’s a little heavier in body, but there’s creative ways to be able to drink this year-round especially when it comes to doing some grilling, some fun salads on the table with a little bit heavier ingredients, like cheeses, etc.
Kristin:
It sounds like this could be a good Spring wine even , for Easter or Passover dinner tables, when people are spending a lot of time with family and eating a lot of different types of foods.
Tyson:
Exactly, because everyone is going to do something different for their Easter dinner or Passover. And, like I said, this wine is versatile, so if a white wine is a must-have, this wine is definitely something you want to consider.
Kristin:
Next stop in the collection is the Iberian Peninsula. We have a few wines from there, so let’s start with the Mar Azul Vinho Verde, which is from Portugal. I understand it’s a blend of three grapes, I probably can’t pronounce, but I’ll try: Loureiro, Trajadura and Arinto. I have heard, I haven’t tasted it yet, that this wine is really crisp and has a little bit of lime zest, grapefruit and a hint of herbaceous notes. I think what makes it special is probably that it’s from Portugal, since we typically don’t have a lot of those. And then if there’s anything else. Can you let me know what made you choose this wine?
Tyson:
Vinho Verde is wine you definitely want to know. When I think about Portuguese wines, I think about two things. Port, for the aged wines, and Vinho Verde for the light, fresh wines that you get out of the region. And it’s a wine you can open and enjoy anytime. It’s a little bit lower in alcohol, it’s very citrusy, it’s very, very, very fresh. When I think about this I think about sitting out on the patio, you know, if you have the opportunity to have some shellfish with it or some fish tacos, or anything like that. That’s a great pairing for this wine. It’s just a wine that is so everyday. You can have it everyday.
Kristin:
That’s really great to hear. You know, when I was looking into this wine and getting familiar with it, it made me think of home. And I think part of it is the lime zest notes. It kind of is the equivalent sometimes when you have a wine of squeezing a fresh cut lime on fresh seafood. And I grew up in the Outer Banks in North Carolina and I used to wait tables at a raw oyster bar. This wine made me think of that. It made me think of an ice-cold glass of this and a plate of mussels and fresh bread is the perfect pairing. You know, I can just picture it. Watching the sunset, lots of Hawaiian shirts, oceanfront deck, open mic night. I feel like this is one I’m going to recommend to friends.
Tyson:
Exactly, I think anything fish is a guaranteed pairing. I was just thinking about ahi tuna tartare, which you can make at home really easily or sear a little bit of ahi tuna, then slice it thinly with a bit of sesame oil. I think anything like that is going to beautiful. It’s going to pair well with the wine. It’s going to make both sides of the spectrum pop.
Kristin:
That sounds GREAT. That sounds good too. That sounds like a perfect pairing.
Also, we have from nearby Spain, we have Senorio De Fenojal Viura D.O.P. This one is from Rioja. It understand the aroma is ripe peach, yellow apple and pear. The flavor notes are apple pastry and green melon. This sounds very complex white. I want to hear more. Tell me more!
Tyson:
Yeah, so it sounds complex, but the wine is actually very, very well-balanced. And this particular wine was the slot in the box where—people familiar with Rioja by name, they know it by name, but they probably think about Tempranillo from Rioja and Red Blends from Rioja. But in reality, Rioja has a lot to offer and this is one of the primary white wine varietals grown within the region. And so, it has a lot of those complex notes, but it’s still super fresh. If I had to equate it to something from California I would say it’s more like a Pinot Grigio style of wine.
Kristin:
Okay that’s good. I don’t think I’ve had this one before. What does that translate to in terms of pairings. Is this light? Heavy foods?
Tyson:
Lighter fare is definitely the way to go here. Pork, chicken, turkey, any of these poultries are great. Hard cheeses from the region of Manchego would be a great pairing. Definitely fresh fruits.
Kristin:
Alrighty—rounding out the white wines we also have another Spanish wine, this one a sparkler that’s in our winter box, Las Falleras Cava Brut from Spain. This one I haven’t tried, so tell me about it.
Tyson:
Yeah, I think Cava is one of those things that everybody needs to get to know. Everybody knows Prosecco. Everybody loves Prosecco. But what Cava offers that Prosecco doesn’t is that it drinks a little bit more like Champagne. It’s very, very light. The bubbles are more pronounced. It has some of that brioche characteristics you get with Champagne when it’s made well—green apple, that lemon curd. So for people that wants something for sparkling whether it’s for daily drinking or celebratory, but if you want something with a little more depth definitely go Cava. That’s why we included a Cava in this shipment.
Kristin:
Okay great. And isn’t it true that Cava is always a good recommendation when someone is planning a wedding I understand because it’s similar to Champagne, as you said, but it’s more affordable and it’s perfect when you’re making a wine bar and you’re buying 3 or 4 cases.
Tyson:
Cava is very approachable and, unlike Champagne, it’s more approachable for your wallet.
Kristin:
Which is good! Okay, so big parties, big weddings. Weddings, parties, anything—as they say.
That rounds out the whites. Let’s go on to the reds, staying with Spain. You mentioned Rioja already with the white wine, but we also have a red from Rioja—2019 Flor de Sara Vendimia Seleccionada Tempranillo DOC. It’s not the first wine that we’ve had under the Flor de Sara label, so I’ve actually tried some of their other wines, but I haven’t tried this one. Their wines are usually pretty complex and delicious. And with Tempranillo my first thought is usually cherry, but I understand this one has some notes of cranberry and baking spice, a hint of dill a little bit of tea leaf. So, this one, can you talk about Tempranillo and Rioja and explain how it made the cut?
Tyson:
Absolutely. This is actually a project that myself and the winemaker, Zuazo Gaston, worked on together. Again, going back to the white Rioja we talked about earlier—Tempranillo, Rioja—peas and carrots. They just go very, very well together. What a lot of people don’t know about Rioja is that you’re actually capped on the amount of production you can make. It’s not an endless flow of wine. Really to be able to find great Rioja at a great price and be able to offer it continuously year after year is going to be a challenge. So when we were approached by Zuazo Gaston to do this special blend it was exciting because we were able to get an opportunity to be able to bring in just the right amount of wine to offer to our club customers and then still have some left over for everybody else to be able to experience.
Kristin:
That’s great. That makes me want to try this one first. Even though it was number seven in the list, I think it’s going to be my recommendation to people listening to try this one first. So, can you give me a pairing in terms of either food or occasion—like what this wine is good for then?
Tyson:
I actually have a lot of Rioja at home. It’s one of my favorite regions to drink on a daily basis. And I usually do a turkey meatloaf with a spicy tomato sauce underneath the layer. Those type of things really blend well with Tempranillo. Anything with tomato, honestly, really makes Tempranillo shine through: burgers, pork chops, even pizza. But for myself it usually sticks to the things with tomatoes because that’s what I feel makes the wines really shine the best.
Kristin:
This one also doesn’t really need food, right? So is this a good wine to bring to a picnic or a barbecue? Can you have this just by itself?
Tyson:
Sure, you can definitely do that. Within the spectrum of Tempranillo Rioja there are a couple of different levels. And you have what they call “joven”, which is a young wine and that’s what I recommend. It doesn’t have the complex layers of aging in the barrel yet, so it’s just an easy drinking wine that isn’t overly complex where you need food to support it. If you do want to drinking wine that isn’t overly complex where you need food to support it. So if you do want to drink a Tempranillo from Rioja and you’re just wanting to have it casually, look for one that’s a young wine. Typically however you can find that is whatever year you’re in the vintage is just one or two years behind you.
Kristin:
Tempranillo is also typically the varietal I think of when I think of Sangria and this is from Spain. Would this be a good Sangria wine?
Tyson:
You definitely can make this wine with Sangria. I think it has enough of that really, really bright, prominent fruity to stick with the theme of Sangria, which is fresh, fruity, vibrant.
Kristin:
Fantastic, thank you. Another Portuguese selection in our shipment this month, not just the white one, but this red one, Villa Rosa Baga Reserva BairradaD.O.C. 2018. I am not as familiar with Portuguese wines, as I said, we don’t typically have them. And I believe Baga is the varietal, and it’s typically medium-bodied like Nebbiolo or even Pinot Noir. Am I right in thinking that?
Tyson:
So, Baga drinks medium-bodied absolutely, but it has full-bodied expression. It is so expressive when you first pour it in the glass and it’s really fun to watch this wine unfold over time, so my advice to all of our listeners out there is when you pour this wine take a sip, then let it sit for a little bit, then take another sip, and let it sit for a little bit and really let the layers unfold. It has enough of just this beautiful structure that allows it to show all these really red fruits at first and then after the first couple of sips you start getting in layers of mocha. And then you get a little bit of toasted notes from the oak-aging and then you get little interesting hints of things like Balsamic, so it’s a fun wine if you want to sniff through it and see what kind of unfolds.
Everyone’s going to get something a little bit different, but it’s definitely one of those wines you want to have fun with. You know, wine is a vast world and not everybody knows everything. Portuguese wines they have a lot of interesting things to offer. It is such an unexplored region, in my opinion, from the mainstream world of wine that anytime we find something really interesting from Portugal, we definitely want to offer it to all of our members.
So Bairrada, being a region, has an immense amount of winemaking history dating back to Roman times. And while not going to deep into the history of the region there is a lot of pedigree of winegrowing there. There are probably from what I recall 400-450 wine growers that participate alone in the cooperative that actually helped us produce this wine.
Kristin:
You know one of the things about the cooperatives, which I didn’t understand until working here, these are different and distinct winemakers or grape growers involved in viticulture, but they kind of pull together to work. I remember a few years ago and I think you were with me when we are at an event in New York and there was a frost in Bordeaux and everyone got messages on their phones. And when those kind of things happen these winegrowers as their part of a co-op they can keep each other afloat year after year, is that right?
Tyson:
That’s exactly it. A lot of these winegrowers, they don’t make wine. They might make a little bit for their family to have on hand to open every day. But the majority of what they do is they’re farmers. And their small farm famers. And so building a cooperative is something that isn’t new to the wine business. The idea of the cooperative might not be something familiar to people who think about wineries versus the cooperative programs, but it really is designed to elevate winegrowers in the region as a whole. When one family has a bad harvest they are carried by the rest of the group to make sure the region and the winegrowers as a whole come out every year with the best quality that they could have.
Kristin:
So it’s really great to hear the story behind a wine. This one is very storied. What would you pair this wine to?
Tyson:
When I was able to go back and enjoy a glass of this wine I was cooking Spaghetti Bolognese. I think it’s just a great pairing. I would say non-cream pasta dishes. Anything else hearty, flavorful, lots of acidity—go for it.
Kristin:
Okay, great. Also in the shipment we have 2019 Finca Los Olmos Selección Especial Red Blend, This is a full-bodied blend from Mendoza, which is arguably Argentina’s leading wine region. What do club members want to know about it?
Tyson:
I just think it’s a fun and exciting wine. I think everybody loves red blends and getting to dissect all of the different types of red blends produced in the world—because the possibilities are really endless—so this one being from Mendoza, which is Argentina’s leading region, I think it was just something that we wanted to include because it’s just fun. It’s something you can open. You don’t need to have a lot of thought with it. You just pop the cork, pour the glass and enjoy it.
Kristin:
Terrific. From France we have 2018 Château Haut Boilon Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux Rouge. This is a dry, full-bodied red blend from the Right Bank. Right and Left Bank—not sure everyone knows what that is. You can mention it if you want. Also, tell me a little bit about this wine. I haven’t had a taste of it, so I don’t know much about the notes.
Tyson:
Sure, so real quickly—the difference between right bank and left bank when we talk about Bordeaux is right up the middle of Bordeaux it’s divided by a river. All of the wines are blended in a style to be Merlot dominant and what you get there are more fruity, supple expressions of Bordeaux wine. When it comes to the left bank most of the wines are primarily blended with Cabernet Sauvignon which gives it a more hearty, rustic style and approach to it. Now left bank requires a little more age right off of the beginning to get it to where you want to first want to start drinking it. Right bank is a little more approachable. For me, my personal favorite is right bank. I think that Bordeaux wines starting in the very early years can still be really beautiful and they age really gracefully as well, so for me my preference is always going to be right bank.
Kristin:
Okay what about the flavor notes for this wine?
Tyson:
Very characteristic of Bordeaux and Merlot. You’re going to get a little bit of red fruit, some hints of black fruits. You’re going to get some interesting things like a little bit of sourness from blood orange—don’t take that the wrong way—and then the licorice. It’s going to be very soft, very supple in your mouth. Very silky. It’s just a great wine to have. I definitely recommend pairing with food though. This is where you can get into things like burgers with mushroom and bleu cheese, beef stew that definitely has some hearty root vegetables.
Kristin:
I understand this wine is from our partner, Yvon Mau, who is one of the people that we work with that focuses a lot on sustainability practices and the environment. And they do have some certifications. Can you talk a little bit about that?
Tyson:
Yvon Mau is a great source for wines that are sustainable from Bordeaux. They work with a lot of Châteaus that produce their wines under the HVE certification. And Yvon Mau is not a wine producer, they are a negociant and they are a source to find really great Petit Château wines just like the one we have today.
Kristin:
That’s great. I love hearing more about the people behind these wines. Also in the collection we have 2019 L'arca Negroamaro I.G.T., grown exclusively in Puglia. Can you talk a little bit about this wine?
Tyson:
The L’Arca program was designed to really bring some of the lesser known varietals in Italy to light. There are over 400 distinct varietals grown in Italy, some people have never heard of, so the mission behind the winemakers behind L’Arca is to bring some of these fundamental and frankly, quintessential, varietals of their native region to market to give them life again. And so, that was the idea behind L’Arca when we first started working with them—is to give grapes like Negroamaro the ability to get in front of customers because their fun. They’re very representative of what Italy is all about and it’s about wines that are drinkable, wines that have unique characteristics, that are grown out of clay soils, you know, with sun-dried tomatoes, fresh herbs. And we really wanted to bring this wine in because we knew our customers—they love Sangiovese. They love Chianti. They love the Montepulciano that we bring in from Abruzzo. We knew that they were going to love this one right away and the result is exactly what we expected.
Kristin:
I think it’s great that they have this project to revive old varietals.I think a lot about grape varietals the way that I think about books. I used to work in a bookstore after college and no matter how many books you read, you can never read them all. And I think it’s the same with grapes. No matter how many wines you taste, you can never taste them all.
Tyson:
Absolutely. 400 varietals just in Italy alone. A world of wine. I think, pretty much, every country makes wine in some form or fashion. There is definitely a lot to explore. Actually I take that back. There is an endless amount of things to explore with wine.
Kristin:
Tell me about the flavor notes for L’Arca Negroamaro. So, this varietal that is unknown to people, what does it taste like?
Tyson:
Yeah, so first of all—Negroamaro essentially translates to black because that is the color of the grapes. They are a deep color grape. What that ends up with is you get a very fruity, a little bit of spicy, a little bit of sweet—not sugary sweet—just ripe fresh fruit sweet that is on the front that leads to these intense flavors that are meant to be paired well with the same foods we’ve been talking about all day. It feels like tomato is the secret ingredient to wine! But yes, fresh pasta with tomato sauce, spicy salami, matured cheeses. All these foods take the intense flavors you’re going to get and make them soft and supple and really just finish very beautifully.
Kristin:
That’s great. I can’t wait to try this one.
Last up, but certainly not least 2018 of Free Flight Cabernet Sauvignon is included. This is a popular wine for us typically, the Free Flight brand. I remember the Cabernet has strong cherry, black currant notes and I think it might have an oaky profile. I’m guessing this is a good example of a classic cabernet from California. Is that right?
Tyson:
I would agree with that. It’s definitely a great example of what a classic Cabernet from California can be. You know—it definitely has some cherry, it definitely has that prominent black currant, a slight little touch of sweet oak, nothing overpowering. Definitely a well-balanced wine. You know, this is where you want to get into having a grilled steak with a red wine peppercorn sauce or pork ribs that are barbecued or beef stew. You know, dishes like that are really meant to go well with a bigger wine such as the Free Flight Cabernet.
And the reason I put in the Cabernet is because every club needs to keep things fresh and fun and always have great examples, but also fulfilling some expectations. I think people want to see some recognizable varietals from California and it’s important to always represent that when it comes to any club collection.
Kristin:
This has been really great. It’s a great deep dive on all the wines in the club shipment. I hope it helps everyone enjoy the wines more. It’s also great to hear your thoughts on why you’re choosing things for the collection because they always come together very special. It sounds like we have quite a few from Spain, Portugal, Argentina, New Zealand this time around, which is great. We also have some classic French and California wines. It looks like we have a really great collection and I hope that all of the listeners are going to enjoy it a little bit more knowing a little bit more about all of the wines.
Thank you Tyson, for sharing everything and why you picked what you picked for the winter box. We can’t wait for the spring box. Is there anything else you want to share with everyone listening.
Tyson:
Yeah, Kristin this was actually a lot of fun and I appreciate you having me on. You know, I just want to say out there to everybody who is listening out there that wine is meant to be fun. It’s meant to be enjoyed. It’s not meant to be scary. It’s not meant to be unapproachable. While there are a lot of things out there in the wine world that people don’t know about the important thing is that you try something and you try something at least every time that you have the opportunity to do so that’s different. You never know when you’re going to be surprised. And you might discover something that might become your new favorite, so make sure when you’re out there to trust the people that are helping you with your recommendations in your store. And we’re all allowed to go back to restaurants trust your bartenders or winetenders because they might be able to introduce something to you that becomes your favorite wine.
Kristin:
Well said. I cannot wait to go have a glass of wine in a restaurant with a meal and have a sommelier tell me what the pairing is and discover something new. But I’m so grateful that you could offer that to people listening at home while we’re all still at home. And I thnk what we want to with this podcast is have it be fun and not be winesplaining. I don’t know if that’s actually a term. It is now. We don’t want to winesplain to people, do we?
Ok. Well,l thank you very much and that’s a wrap. Winter club shipment is a wrap. Thanks everyone!
If you’d like to find any of the wines mentioned on today’s episode or more information about joining our club go to Wineinsiders.com. Wine Insiders.com, leaders in online wine. Get better wine, delivered in just days.