Hug Cellars Winemaker Tasting at My Home!

First of all, I’d like report that due to the overwhelming response to the new look of the website (average opinion: “Eww”), it’s been changed to something less, well, *vivid*! Brighter colors are still there, but it’s definitely easier to read. There’s also some information about upcoming services and the new logo.

And now for the main event: the report of the Hug Cellars Winemaker’s tasting at my home on Saturday evening, December 29. What a fabulous time!

The event was set up in just a few days primarily through MySpace and email. Augie Hug of Hug Cellars contacted me and asked if I’d be interested in having Edgar Torres, his assistant winemaker, stop by to showcase Hug Cellars wines. I hesitated all of, say, 1.5 seconds before I said yes. Edgar and I messaged through MySpace and got everything set up. I then contacted the Tex & Fritz Wine Club thing to invite them. I felt that those who were most knowledgeable about wines would be the best for the tasting. And was I ever right!

I don’t even know where to begin. Edgar brought nine wines, I broke out my last Casa Mireles Rosé – yes, it’s a Hug wine – and we had several pre- and post-wines to enjoy as well.

Augie is all about quality. I found it interesting that he purposely keeps his production small because he is able to be more intimately involved in the process.

Hug Cellars is looking to place its wines in the Las Vegas area. Why? Because Las Vegas residents make up nearly 20% of its wine club! Locals who visit Paso Robles and who are savvy enough to find Hug’s tiny tasting room almost inevitably join the club. It’s easy to understand why. The wines are uniformly rich, delicious, and correct for the varietal. That’s why I’m a member!

So Edgar’s trip was to serve several purposes: first and foremost, it was a vacation for him and his wife, Erika. Second, to share the wines with a group of experienced wine lovers who may not be familiar with the wines of Paso Robles – particularly Hug Cellars - and the third thing was to get in touch with a distributor who would be enthusiastic and work hard for a small winery.

Many questions were posed to Edgar, and I actually got to hear some of them. Hostessing is hard work, you know! And, I might add, the NY Giants/NE Patriots game was on at the same time and was somewhat distracting. NE won, by the way. But I digress.

One of the questions asked was if Hug Cellars owns its own vineyards. The answer was no. They own the grapes in various vineyards, but not the vineyards themselves. They work with the growers on how to care for the grapes (pruning, feeding, irrigating, etc.), so that they can control the quality for their particular style of winemaking. If a grower doesn’t do what is asked of him or is less than cooperative, then that grower loses Hug as a principal.

Another question was about the barrels. While I had heard that they were expensive, I didn’t realize just how expensive they really are. Edgar told us about Augie’s experience in buying up a bunch of barrels and the fact that they are well over $1000 each. Wow. And remember, they can’t be used indefinitely and have to be replaced as they lose their newness and oak character.

I will list the wines below, but if you want to see the bottles, then just check out the special hidden page I placed on my website just for the Blog readers! It is located at:

www.vegaswineaux.com/Hug.html

There is a picture slide show there that shows the wines, bottles, and folks who were at my home. If this does not click through for you, then just copy and paste the web info into your address field in your browser. When you get to the page and hover your mouse over the thumbnails, you will see a written description of that particular picture. There are only about two dozen pics - I kept forgetting to take pictures because we were having such a good time. All of the wines are described on the Hug Cellars website except for those that I describe below:

2006 Cedar Lane Vineyard
Arroyo Seco
Viognier

2005 Casa Mireles
Romanze
San Luis Obispo County
Rosé Wine
This was my last bottle and I just had to share it with everyone. This is an interesting blend of Syrah with just a touch of Pinot. Roses, strawberries, cherries, with a touch of watermelon. It was great hearing everyone analyze the wines!

2006 Paso Robles
Pinot Noir

2006 Rancho Ontiveros
Santa Maria Valley
Pinot Noir
This had to be decanted because it’s so rich and so big. Delicious! The complete descriptions and accompanying accolades are on the Hug Cellars website.

2005 E2dgar
Garnacha (Grenache)
100% Grenache, this is Edgar’s own creation using Denner Vineyard grapes. I got dark berries, spice, pepper, and a rich but silky mouthfeel.

2005 E2
66% Denner Grenache and 34% Cedar Lane Vineyard Syrah.
This one made me bring out the lamb! The Syrah added punch to the Grenache, making this a wonderful blend with Chateauneuf-de-Pape character. Full-bodied, rich, fruity, with enough earthiness to keep it interesting. It was terrific with the lamb!

2006 Paso Robles
Syrah

2005 Bassetti Vineyard
Rena Block
San Luis Obispo County
Syrah

2006 Paso Robles
Zinfandel

And then there were the pre- and after-wines:

2004 Jacob’s Creek
Reserve
Shiraz
This was rated 90-something by Wine Spectator and for about eight bucks at Costco, is quite the deal. Perfect quality/price for a house wine! I had opened it the night before and had a glass, so there was quite a bit left for the early arrivals to share. It maintained its character, and showed beautifully.

Domaine LaFond
Roc-Epine
Lirac
2003
This was a French (surprise!) wine, and while no one had any idea what grapes are in the blend, it is absolutely delicious. This was the other pre-wine. Thanks to Mike and Allisa.

Quinta Dos Quatro Ventos
Douro Colheita de 2004
Fritz and Annie brought this one and I wish I could tell you how it tasted, but it was scarfed in no time! Apparently, it was quite good!

2003 Robert Hall
Vintage Port
Paso Robles
This was ideal with some Stilton (yes, *British* Stilton!) that had warmed slightly. The classic pairing!

All of the food was wonderful, and except for a slight fireplace mishap (damn damper!) the evening went flawlessly. Thanks to everyone who was able to come, and a special, heart-felt thanks to Augie and Edgar. I can’t wait to do it again!

There’s a New Baby Wineaux in the House! WDW, Paso Robles meets NYT, Pinot at Steak, Khoury’s Scores a Coup - Whew!

I really don’t know where to begin!

The festive news is that Elliot had a baby! Well, not exactly *Elliot* (he was just the coach), but he and his wife Kari are the parents of a new baby girl, 7 lbs, 10 oz of healthy sweetness. Her name is Siri, and please join me in congratulating the Pembertons on their new arrival! Great job, Kari!

Elliot is the owner of Pemberton Distribution Company and son-in-law of Jim Stanley of Stanley Lambert wines of Australia. So, yeah. The kid has wine running through her veins.

I had another GREAT time at the last Wine Down Wednesday of the year! As usual, the appetizers were wonderful and the wine was flowing. Last week’s wines – for those of you who missed it – were Rosenblum. The Viognier, Syrah, and Zinfandel were the stars of the evening. Wine Down Wednesday is on hiatus for the holiday, but watch here or on the KSNE website for upcoming dates!

I was surprised to receive a nice note from Monica Villicana (Villicana winery in Paso Robles) regarding an article that had been written in the New York Times about the Next Great Wine Region in California. The Villicana’s winery had been mentioned briefly (hey! It’s still publicity!), and they were stoked that the region had been recognized by such a global presence. I read the article and was jumping for joy, too! As you may know, Robert Parker glowed about the area in the October issue of Food & Wine, and it’s been steadily uphill ever since. Paso Robles is a region that has been long in the shadow of the Napa/Sonoma juggernaut, but I’m happy to see that their wines are gaining the respect that they so richly deserve. Click here to read the article (you may have to sign up for a free account – it’s worth it!) and rejoice with me!

If you haven’t had an opportunity to enjoy one of the tastings at Steak in Henderson, then you’ve been missing out on a real treat. David Droz, the owner, chooses which wines to pour at any given Saturday, and they’re always good. This week’s offerings were the Pinot Noirs of Siduri Winery and two Syrahs from Novy Winery. Siduri has received accolades for its Pinots, and it was easy to understand why. David poured five, including the Terra de Promissio, Van der Kamp, and their much-heralded Gary’s Vineyard. Although the Gary’s was stellar, I liked the Van de Kamp just a tad more, with its almost ethereal silky mouthfeel, a bit more body, and a bit more fruit on the nose. The Novy Syrahs – one from Sonoma and one from Napa – were delicious. I preferred the Napa Syrah over the Sonoma.

After leaving Steak, I headed up the road to Valley Cheese and Wine who has tastings from noon to four. Bob loves French wines, and was pouring five (I’m sure he’ll correct me if I’m wrong). The standout of the group for me was the Chardonnay, which at $16.00 easily rivaled anything more expensive out of Napa. And, no, it wasn’t a white Burgundy! I will contact Bob to get the particulars on this wine, but it was delicious!

Khoury’s has Susan!! Who’s Susan, you ask? She is the Wine Diva/Goddess of Las Vegas. Susan worked for years for Lee’s Discount, and I discovered early on that she has incredible, magical knowledge of wines. Well, she was moved from the Lee’s at Buffalo and Lake Mead to the one at Flamingo and Ft. Apache and I didn’t get to see her as much. When they moved her to the main warehouse, well, wine life without Susan’s vast knowledge just wasn’t fun.

So a Sunday visit to Khoury’s to set up CSE classroom space turned into a news flash when I learned that Issa’s new employee is Susan! Woo hoo! She will be dividing her time between the two stores. As I get more information, I will share it. And for those of you who are asking, no I don’t know Susan’s last name (actually I *did,* but it slipped out of my brain cell) but will be sure to update you as soon as I can. I can just *feel* an interview coming on!

Here's another reminder to Friend Me Up! I have had some amazing things happening on MySpace, and I'd love to see you there! I will tell you more (yes, this is meant to be mysterious!) next week.

In the meantime, may you all enjoy a great Holiday Season. Stay safe, and tune in next week when I’ll be writing about a very special event!

UPDATE!!

I stopped by Khoury's Durango this afternoon ("Madhouse" can be a verb when we're talking about Christmas Eve), and who should be there but Susan! Of course we screamed, hugged, etc. She's very happy to be at Khoury's and loves the atmosphere, the caliber of the wonderful wine customers, and couldn't be happier!

By the way, her last name is Kaumans. Pronounced "Commons." When you're in the area, stop by and ask for Susan and meet one of the nicest, most knowledgeable wine folks you'll ever see!

Thanksgiving fun! Fried Turkey Mishaps, Purple Sweet Potatoes, and Stir-Fried Miso Collard Greens. Oh yeah … and Wine!

Okay, so this may be more about food and holiday than about wine, but it’s all related. Really. Trust me!

First, I’ll talk about the wines. Get that out of the way before I knit everything else together.

For an aperitif, Zach (of 2BC fame) brought a Zinfandel that he had purchased from Trader Joe’s. It’s made up of 81% Zinfandel, 17% Petite Sirah, with dashes of Syrah and Carignan. It has aromas of spice, raspberry, and smoke laced with a hint of clove and black pepper. It’s jammy and fruity with not a lot of complexity or finish, but at $5.99, surprisingly good and very, very drinkable. My mom, who “hates” red wines, drank down a glass with gusto. And for those of you who wondered, yes, she swirls quite nicely, thank you. After all, she's the mom of Vegas Wineaux!!

At dinner, we had a white wine, the 2005 Cuevas de Castilla ConClass Rueda, from Spain. This is a blend of 80% verdejo, 10% viura and 10% sauvignon blanc, and pairs beautifully with nicely roasted turkey breast. In fact, it is almost a perfect pairing, with the fruitiness and acidity making a great foil for the sweetness and juiciness of the white meat.

The two Pinot Noirs were also served. One was the 2005 Cycles Gladiator Pinot Noir. Man. What a nice wine … especially for $10.99!! First of all, it smells like Pinot is *supposed* to smell! On the nose, you get ripe black cherries, smoke, and a hint of spice. Core flavors of cherry coke, smoke, and plum along with notes of berries along with rounded tannins and crisp, balanced acidity stay with the wine’s surprisingly long finish. This fruitiness and acidity made it a perfect mate to my Cranberries in Port Reduction Sauce and the dark meat of the turkey.

The other Pinot was firmer, darker, and more “grown up.” The 2005 Magnet Pinot Noir has smooth dark fruit flavors and a nice balance of oak influence. The silky mouthfeel (always important to me) showcases flavors of cherries, dark berries, smoke, and earth. Firm tannins and tart acidity cut through the fat of the Thanksgiving meal (even through fried turkey!), and is a definite food wine! Delicious!

The ConClass was purchased at Valley Cheese and Wine and the two Pinots were purchased at Khoury’s. Thanks guys!

And now for the fun. Fortunately, my mother doesn’t own a computer, so I can talk freely here. What a story! She decided about three years ago that we were going to start a new tradition of fried turkey. I hated the idea because I’m trying to cut fried foods (except for stir fried, of course) out of my diet as much as possible. So now we were going to have fried turkey (and the subsequent WEEKS of leftovers!) on a regular basis?!? Now, although my mother is now 86, my female bloodline tends to go well into the mid/upper 90s, so I felt stuck. Fried turkey every year for the next ten or more years? Yikes!

The last two years have been, um, *eventful* to say the least. I won’t talk about her frying the turkey in her apartment. It was truly scary. Or the grease that I finally got scrubbed out of my patio concrete. Once again, a long story.

This year, everything changed!! Aunt Joyce (Mom’s younger sister) bought a turkey that was too big to fit into the fryer, which meant that it had to be fried in two parts. We were looking at eating Thanksgiving dinner late at night! This year, however, having had enough of fried turkey, I had surreptitiously roasted a small, free-range bird. It was properly brined for several hours (sea salt, evaporated cane juice, allspice, peppercorns, rosemary, thyme, sage, garlic), rinsed, and slowly roasted. I just happened to mention in passing that I had this bird available, and it was a hit. We were enjoying dinner, wine, and each other’s company while the big bird was frying (and frying and frying and frying) outside. At that time my mother declared that this is the LAST time we’ll ever consider fried turkey. I did the happy dance on my butt!

I did “The” Brisket. It was from Costco, therefore a “company sized” cut, right? Well, I have a piece about 2x5 inches left. Lucky me.

I surprised everyone by baking a purple yam. A staple of Okinawa, it has a beige papery skin and a PURPLE interior! It is creamier than a “regular” garnet yam but still packs plenty of sweetness, and the color is arresting. Aunt Joyce didn’t partake because it wasn’t “normal,” but everyone else dug in with gusto.

The collard greens that I cooked departed (sucked down various gullets and shamelessly stolen from my home, LOL), so I had just enough to “do” something with. Well, I made a Soul Food Asian stir fry starring the collards, Vietnamese tofu, garlic, shallots, choy sum (a variety of bok choy), and Miso. YUMMY! Talk about a melding of cultures!

As you can see, my holiday was fun, and it’s always great to have loved ones around during these special times!

Next entry will be updating you on upcoming classes for 2008, including a wine class with no wine. Huh???? Stay tuned!!

By the way, the fried turkey eventually *did* finish cooking!