I mentioned in a previous post that one of my most remarkable wine finds in Italy was a French wine!

At a wonderful little wine bar (enoteca) just across the famed Ponte Vecchio bridge I discovered French “Vouvray.” The particular wine was a 1996 Domaine Freslier Vouvray. Vouvray is a region in the Loire Valley known for its Chenin Blanc wines.

Chenin Blanc can be dry, sweet and several spots in between. It is a beautiful grape that allows winemakers great latitude in how they’ll make their wines.

The Vouvray I enjoed in Florence was aged, and rich, with a creamy texture. We enjoyed it with some smooth French cheeses for a marvelous lunch. It retailed at about $20 (U.S.)

I have bought a couple Vouvray wines since my return. I opened one tonight – a 2008 Remy Pannier Vouvray. I found this wine in the $13-$16 range online. I bought it at Kahn’s on Keystone in Indianapolis.

The white wine had a beautiful nose and a very light color. Even though this was a very young wine, the rich flavor still grabbed my attention. It’s sweet without really being sweet and acidic without clobbering you with the burn. I’d call it subtle. It’s full and rich wine.

Remy wines date back to 1885. Remy Pannier has been one of the dominant names in white wine in the Loire valley.

Try some Vouvray. I can’t wait to try more and get a better grasp on how to describe it. But I sure know I’ve enjoyed it.

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There’s a lot more to wine than just drinking it. That’s something that is often difficult to explain to those not into wine.

I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately and thinking about my writing, this blog, and such things. I want to continue to review the wines I’m drinking but I also want to do other things here.

I’ve recently found a couple of very unique and interesting wine sites that offer really great deals. No, I mean really great deals. I ordered wine from one today and want to see how it proceeds. I want to check them out and then I’ll share them with you.

I want to do more video interviews of shop owners, winemakers and winery visits. I want to direct blog visitors to other interesting blog sites and wine stories. I want my blog to be a little different than so many others by being more of a clearing house.

It will evolve, but there ya go – it’s off my chest.

For example, today I got a link from National Geographic about a new vineyard photo gallery. Take a look, it’s really great stuff.

Now for the record, the picture at the top of this blog is one I took during my recent trip to Italy. It was one of my favorite shots …. our college guys on a Tuscan hillside with an old villa down the hill, olive trees, and a vineyard!

I love the shot! Enjoy the National Geographic shots too – good stuff!

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I like my Pinot from Oregon and the Russian River Valley. Nothing like a Napa Cabernet. And I’m partial to Sangiovese from Tuscany, Italy.

But whoa!!!! I was surprised when I opened a bottle of Luna Vineyard’s 2007 Sangiovese Sunday night. First, the wine is a blend. It’s 90 percent Sangiovese with seven percent Cabernet Sauvignon and three percent Petite Syrah.

The winery says this wine should peak in 2016. But how many of us, really, buy $20 wine to put away for six or seven years?

When I first opened this bottle I’ll admit I was not impressed. Sangiovese can be very acidic and this juice was burning. But, I have to give it some credit because about two hours later I was loving it. (And no, not because I was continually consuming it!)

The wine got noticably softer and richer with some definite raspberry and perhaps a floral scent. I like raspberry in about anything. As a matter of fact, I returned from a weekend trip with a homemade (mother made) black raspberry pie!

But I digrees! (Thanks Mom!)

The wine spends time in new French oak … so time or some air is going to really open it up. The wine sells for around $20, though this particular bottle was a sample for review.

There is more and more Sangiovese being planted on the west coast. That’s a good thing. It’s always great to see wineries branching out and trying new things.

Luna Vineyards does a nice job with Sangiovese. It’s worth the price point.

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This old Cotes du Rhone estate, M. Chapoutier which dates back to early 1800s, makes a smooth 2007 red wine.

It’s a 50-50 Grenache-Syrah blend that you’ll find easy to drink. It’s a purple wine with some oak on the nose and a hint of spice. I found the tannins and acids both well under control for a young wine.

I liked this wine but didn’t love it. I thought it was a little light on the palate. I picked it up at Cork & Cracker in Indianapolis. You’ll find it anywhere from $10-$13.

Nothing wrong with this wine and it was good with food. Robert Parker gave this wine 89 points. I think you can easily find better Cotes du Rhone wines in the price point sith similar ratings.

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There are some common truths in wine appreciation. I think one of those is the more wine you drink, the more you’re going to seek out bigger wines.

I’ve been drinking wine long enough now – seriously about 5 years – that I like the occasional big, big, big wine. Earthquake 2005 Petite Sirah was my latest great find .. and yes, it’s spelled that way!

Even the winery has fun with the name. “It’s over the top … and it will rock your world.” And as cute as that is, and as much as I hate to admit it, they’re right.

This wine rocks!

Now, it certainly can be characterized as a big fruit bomb. And for those who criticize big California wines as fruit bombs miss the point. I don’t want all wines to be alike. I want some that knock me over with fruit, or with structure, big bold flavor, sometimes with the tannin structure. I like the fact wines can be so different.

This is not a begginner’s wine. It has big flavor and big alcohol at 15.5 percent. That usually is where I start losing interst, and you could tell it packed a wallop, but the huge impact on the palate somewhat lessened the burn of the alcohol in the throat.

This has blackberry, oak and vanilla going on. It has spice and herbs. The word I like best for this big boy is rich!

I bought this wine at Wine Styles in Westfield/Carmel for $24.95. I found it online running $20-$27.

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I’ve been buying up Chianti lately and found some really good ones.

On the recommendation of Ashley at Cork & Cracker in Indy, I recently picked up a bottle of Il Fiorino 2008 Chianti. It retails for around $13.

This was a really satisfying and easy-to-drink Chianti. There are lots of Chianti wines in every wine shop and even grocery stores. It’s difficult, unless you really know your Italian wines, to pick one.

I think I’ve learned a few things in the past month. The Il Fiorino is the classic and traditional blend of 90 percent Sangiovese with 10 percent Canaiolo. The winery Poggio Romita ages the wine in stainless steel instead of oak. They keep it in the tanks just six months and then bottle.

That does two things. First the wine has very mild tannins for that smooth drinkablility new wine drinkers are always seeking out. Second, the Canaiolo is one of many native and traditional blending grapes for Chianti. In recent years, more and more wineries use Merlot to soften the Sangiovese grape.

Simply put: Yuk! It’s sort of like dumbing things down.

I’ve clearly noticed with the traditional blends you seem to get a richer, and more interesting flavor. The natural cherry characteristics of the Chianti jump out of the glass, onto your palate and down it goes for a great wine that pairs well with simple Italian dishes.

What do you serve with pizza? Here is a great wine for that and for newbies to Chianti! By the way, I went back two days later and bought all 11 bottles left in the shop. I have a pizza party in two weeks where I was asked to bring the wine! That’s what I thought of this juice!

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I’ve written here and in my newspaper column about following the advice of trusted wine professionals. I made a wonderful French discovery in Italy over the holidays that led me to re-discover the joys of Chenin Blanc.

The French wine in Florence was a beautiful, and aged, Vouvray but more on that in a future blog post. I went shopping for Vouvray Wednesday at Kahn’s Fine Wines in Indianapolis and found one! But the young man helping me suggested I try a Chenin Blanc from the Saumur region.

So I bought a bottle of Domaine des Hauts de Sanziers 2008 Saumur for $14.95. He described it as a big white wine that would hold up to food with all the structure of red. He was absolutely right!

I loved this wine. Saumur is a region in the Loire area of France. The property has been owned by the same family for two centurries

The nose is light but interesting. On the nose and palate I found strong lemon and maybe a hint of pear. There was a wonderful minerality about this wine.

But the most enjoyable characteristic is the balance between flavor and acidity.

This is a Robert Kacher selection. He specializes in small producers from France. Robert Parker called him one of the 20 most influential wine personalities of the past 20 years.

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I’m still backed up from two weeks out of the country. I have a couple quick posts I want to write about Italy. I also have notes on a couple bottles of wine I need to write up.

But I came across a news story today that I found interesting. There is much ado about “sustainability” and “green” farming in the wine industry.

Here is a MSNBC story on “Eco-Wineries.

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With a background in the newspaper business, I knew Grape Sense would not get a lot of feedback from the column. The column runs regularly in eight Indiana newspapers with a reported combined circulation of about 90,000.

When I do hear from readers, it’s usually questions on where I buy wine. I always try to point out in blog postings where I bought a particular bottle. I buy about 90 percent of my wine in Central Indiana locations.

But I want to introduce you to another shop I’ve mentioned before but not written extensviely about. Pairings – Where Food and Wine Meet at 4040 E. 82nd St. is another great place to buy wine and gourmet food items.

Phil Van Deusen is the proprietor wanting to specialize in making you feel comfortable buying wine.

“I recognize there are lot of places to buy wine around town and now even more so with online sites and other things,” Phil told me. “What I’m able to offer is personal service and the ability to listen beyond what your telling me, to really understand what you’re looking for, and to match the right wine with the right person.

“It’s not that it’s the most expensive bottle for me to sell, it’s more important for me to build relationships. If I get something I think a person will like, I might call them and say, ‘I got a case of this under the counter.’ “

Phil’s shop in a strip mall on 82nd is filled with carefully selected, great value wines. When I told him I liked earthy Rhone wines, he introduced me to Patrick Lesec’s “Bouquet” – which was my favorite value wine of 2009.

Phil is taking his personalized approach a step further. He asks customers to fill out a wine profile to help him guide customers to things they’ll like.

“I’ll have new customers fill out a wine profile and register likes and dislikes and wines they’ve liked in past,” he explained. “That will help me make more and better recommendations.”

Phil also has a nice selection of fine wines at a higher price point. During my first visit, I discovered he carried Lange’s better Pinot Noir bottlings. I was sold on his cred after that!

If you like reading about Central Indiana wine shops, drop me a note at the e-mail address below or leave a comment. I could easily do a bit more on each Central Indiana wine shop I frequent.

I realize not all readers are from Central Indiana, but hopefully others will enjoy reading about good wine shops as well.

Send comment or questions to: hewitthoward@gmail.com

I’ve mentioned my trip to Italy and have more coming. I really lucked out on my day into Tuscan wine country.

New Jersey native Anthony Finta, now a five-year Florence resident, used his personal car to take me and two students for visits at two small wineries. We had lunch in Greve, the heart of the Chianti district.

My newspaper column will be up tomorrow on my other site. I did a brief overview for the newspapers. I’ll have more here on a couple of my Italy experiences in the next few days. And, I have a piece planned for Palate Press on a business Anthony is trying to start bringing small winery wines to the U.S.

Finta currently oversees several websites. He has two Florence websites. The Florence Journal and Florence On-line.

Anthony has posted a short video on Florence Journal of places to stay when visiting Tuscany. The video features me asking Arianna, of Corzano e Paterno, questions about their guest quarters. Check it out here.

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