I opened up a bottle of “Mencia” tonight. Mencia is one of those somewhat lesser-known grapes grown in Spain. I had a bottle a couple months back and wrote about it here.

Tonight’s 2006 Mencia was from The Pilgramage and the Bierzo region. Bierzo is in the northwest of Spain.

I struggled getting a handle on this wine. I frankly didn’t like it much sipping it before dinner. But with some pasta and then a little bit of chocolate, not to mention the extra time out of the bottle, it improved.

My experience with two Mencias is that it is a smooth, inky wine, with mild tannins. There’s a big nose on Mencia. This one was quite dry I thought. But there also has been a tartness with both wines that I didn’t particularly enjoy.

My first bottle was $9.99 and can be found for up to $12-$13.

Robert Parker gave this wine 89 points. The Wine Advocate gave it 88 points. That’s what makes wine so much fun, we all don’t have to agree! I just don’t get Mencia, I guess. I wouldn’t rule out buying another bottle though – just to give it one more try.

Send comment or questions to: hewitthoward@gmail.com

I picked up the bottle of dry Rose I opened tonight at Sahara Mart in Bloomington. If you ever have reason to be downtown, you have got to stop by this unique market.

I purchased, for a very reasonable $10.95, a Rose de Pavie Macquin. This was a nicely balanced and very fruity dry rose. I’ve seen the word “juicy” to describe some wines and this was first one I’ve had in long time that I’d use that word. It’s very pleasant across the palate.

I love the beautiful Valentine’s Day red color of this nice wine.

It’s a Bordeaux blend rose’ from Pavie Macquin. I couldn’t find the grapes anywhere on the web but the more I sipped the less I cared!

It’s a soft and lighter style rose that is awesome well chilled. It would be great on a summer day.

If you haven’t dived into dry rose, buy some today. Sales have skyrocketed in recent years and any decent wine shop will have plenty of choices. Explore them all!

Send comment or questions to: hewitthoward@gmail.com

In the newspaper column and here I’ve urged readers to find a wine shop and wine proprietor they’re comfortable with and can recommend wines to your taste.

Bob and Ashley at Indy’s Cork and Cracker hit it out of the park Saturday. I had made a couple stops in the area and wasn’t really buying wine. But I stopped in the shop to pick up a bottle of the Furmint I had enjoyed and blogged about here a couple weeks ago.

Bob was excited about an Italian Chardonnay. Yes, you read that correctly! There are two words you don’t see in the same sentence often. It was a light, non oaky, Chard. I just had a small sip but did bring a bottle home for under $10. And note, I’m just not a Chardonnay drinker.

But the real find was a Castano Monastrell from Spain. I had not had the grape before and when Ashley emerged from the backroom she described it somewhat similar to Garnacha or a Syrah. The only link I could find on Monastrell was Wikipedia, which I generally don’t send people to, but it had a lot of information that seemed consistent with shorter entries elsewhere. You can read about the grape here.

They bought a bunch of the Castano and have sold a bunch of it. It has gotten nice ratings from several wine writers in the 87-90 range.

I would compare it favorably to the same two grapes as Ashley, leaning more toward a Spanish Garnacha. It was fruity, yet dry, a big-bodied wine with some spice. It was smooth with a pleasant finish. That’s sort of a generic description, I know, but that is one of the strengths of this wine. I don’t think many would call it complex, but it’s definitely an interesting glass of wine.

Now here is the board-the-side-of-head on this wine: $7! Yes, SEVEN dollars a bottle! If you see it, I’d strongly recommend buying it. If you are near the old Glendale Mall in Indy, get to Cork & Cracker and buy some … but don’t wait. Wine this good at that price is not going to last long. Very impressive!

Send comment or questions to: hewitthoward@gmail.com

I made it over to The Grapevine Cottage briefly this morning while having to visit Zionsville, Indiana, on business. Wow, what a great shop!

The Cottage is located in the beautiful downtown village and has an impressive wine selection. But I only had about 15 minutes, which didn’t stop me from grabbing several bottles.

First there was a French Grenache/Syrah blend from Chateau Pesquie and that’s the one I opened tonight. It’s 70 percent Grenache and 30 percent Syrah. Wine guru Robert Parker gave this wine a 92. And the Grapevine Cottage price was a remarkable $10.99. I found it on the web for a $3-$6 more.

It’s a dark purple color with with a mild nose but a big taste. It has a rich berry texture and taste with big enough tannins to satisfy serious wine drinkers. It might be a bit much for some new wine people but it’s a really nice wine in the price range and a pretty great wine at the $10.99 I paid.

And with most young, bigger-flavored, red wines it was better after being open for awhile. I did not decant this wine but did pour it into the glass for a short bit before drinking.

I would think it would be great with grilled meats. I almost always like Grenache and Syrah with pork, as long as you give it a rub or some pepper. And it would be a nice pair with most zesty pasta.

Send comment or questions to: hewitthoward@gmail.com

I’ve just not spent enough time promoting my newspaper column. Every now and then I’ll send out some e-mail, but it’s somewhat surprising how few editors even answer or shoo me away!

The feedback I’ve been getting has been very postitive. Here on the blog I blather on about specific wines and things. I try to keep the column more about issues, education, story telling and sharing some knowledge. I also think my journalism background has helped make it a success. I interview people and try to share others’ knowledge.

I’m happy to make note today that I have picked up two newspapers. The Plymouth Pilot is giving the column a test run for its readers.

And just today the Anderson Herald Bulletin contacted me about adding the column to their food and feature pages.

Those two additions get my circulation up over 70,000 – I’m really pleased. I had hoped to get the column into 10-15 papers within a year and I’m at 7 so I guess I’m on target. I just need to spend more time working it.

You can always read all the columns on the link at the left of this “Grape Sense.” That is just the newspaper columns.

Send comment or questions to: hewitthoward@gmail.com

Maybe I’m just easily bored? Ha! I recently bought a few different bottles of white wine to write about for the newspaper column and for here. And, I think one of the joys of appreciating wine is trying new things.

I honestly go long periods of time without a taste of white wine and I’m learning what a disservice that is to my palate. I’ve opened several of those wines lately, bought mostly on recommendations, and I’m loving them.

For example, I had a little bit of rather spicy pasta sauce left over from the weekend and heated that up tonight. I looked at the reds and nothing jumped out of the rack into my hand then checked the white rack and found a Spanish white wine Ashley at Cork & Cracker had recommend.

The Basa 2006 Blanco was a dynamite white wine. And, it’s a great value – you can find it from $9-$12.

This one is one of my favorites of the recent batch; and I’ve liked them all! This wine has a lime/citrus taste with very tart but mild acidity. Many white wines can have overpowering acidity and this is really just right for most people. This white wine has some body too, there is lingering taste in your mouth and it has a silky texture.

As a reminder: I write largely about these specific wines that you may or may not be able to find at your local wine shop. The education point to be made here is try new things. And in this case, try a Spanish white wine – there are many to choose from.

This Basa blanco just rocked – great grape juice!

Send comment or questions to: hewitthoward@gmail.com

It was an incredible spring day Saturday in beautiful little Story, Indiana, with an incredible crowd for the Indiana Wine Fair.

I haven’t attended this one for a couple years so I have nothing to compare it to, but the crowd had to be a record one. There was a concert-sized crowd listening to the free music. Oenophiles were lined up 50 deep at the main food stand. And the more than 20 wineries pouring frequently had people waiting 10-15-20 deep for a taste of their wines.

What a great event in a wonderful setting, even if it is a bit of a drive and hard to get to!

My only complaint was the crowd was so big, it required a lot of patience to taste the wines. This is a great event and if you missed it, you’ll get another chance in downtown Indianapolis in mid-June at the annual Vintage Indiana event.

About the product. Indiana continues to grow its wine business. There were several new wineries at the Wine Fair. Here’s my complaint, though – there is a certain sameness!

A vast majority of the wineries who grow some of their own grapes, and/or buy some grapes from traditional wine areas have wines that all taste a lot alike. Indiana wine has come a long way and many of these wineries are going to have to find a niche to survive!

I tasted a lot of Traminette, which I like. Most of it was very, very sweet. Huber’s was a bit drier than the others I tasted, but four wineries had Traminette sweeter than I could handle.

Winzerwald Winery takes Traminette a step further. They buy Gewurztraminer from Washington’s Yakima Valley region to make a true Gewurzt, which is usually a bit more dry. I’d recommend you taste it at Vintage Indiana.

Winzerwald also buys Pinot Noir grapes from the same area. I tried their Pinot, the only one I saw of the 7-8 winery tables I visited. It was okay. My taste buds are probably skewed from the recent trip to Oregon, but I was surprised that it was really pretty drinkable.

One of the biggest surprises of the day for me came from Monticello, Indiana’s Whyte Horse Winery. They have a Sangiovese that was absolutely accurate and tasty. They buy the grapes from the Lodi region of California, an attendant told me. It was nice take on the Italian grape.

If you get a chance to attend one of these two major Indiana wine events, go because they are fun. I hope Indiana wineries continue to grow and thrive. But I think they’re going to have to show some differences to compete and survive in the future. Too much of the Indiana product is similar.

Send comment or questions to: hewitthoward@gmail.com

Okay, for some reason I’ve opened a lot of wine this week. It just might be a record for postings in a single week!

That being said, what a way to end the week. I did some gardening, lugging around bags of mulch, soils, and digging holes and was a hungry guy when done. I took to pork America’s Cuts and seasoned both with salt and pepper but one with a smoked cherry rub and the other marinated briefly in beer.

I looked at the wine rack and saw a Spellbound 2006 Petite Syrah I had bought at Cork & Cracker in Indy. This is great red wine for under $15. I found prices online ranging from $12.99 to $15.99!

While not quite a fruit bomb as many Syrahs can be, it was big fruit on the front of the palate with amazingly smooth tannins. It’s an easy-to-drink but big and full-bodied Syrah. One review described it as “big juicy black fruit flavors” and I can’t top that!

In the glass its a very inky dark red wine. It’s great for every day food. It’s not a complex wine but should be really pleasing for those who like a Petite Syrah.

It was a really awesome match with that America’s Cuts pork. This is a really nice glass of red wine!!!!

Now I’m going to grab a couple bites of chocolate, sit on the porch swing, and enjoy the rest of this Friday night!

Send comment or questions to: hewitthoward@gmail.com

The weekend weather looks beautiful so you have no excuse not to head down to Story in beautiful Brown County for the Indiana Wine Fair.

Story is down 135 off of 46 and home of the famed Story Inn. Somewhere between 25-30 Indiana wineries will be pouring their wines. Admission is $20 and you get a souvenir wine glass, other gifts, and the chance to taste many, many Indiana wines.

There will be live music and a festive atmosphere.

There is something for everyone. A tip I offered in a previous blog was try Indiana Traminettes. It’s a great summer wine that Indiana does well. Also, some of those wineries are starting to do well with dry Rose. If they are there and pouring, be sure to try Huber’s dry Rose. I was quite impressed with it last summer.

It’s a very fun event. I have an unexpected work obligation in the morning, but hope to get down in the afternoon and see you there.

Send comment or questions to: hewitthoward@gmail.com

I write in my newspaper column frequently that wine drinkers should find retailers they trust, who can make recommendations they will like and stick with them!

I have about three! And, I recently took a recommendation from Ashley at Cork & Cracker in Indianapolis that was good as it was unique.

I told Ashley I wanted to expand my knowledge of white wines and do some new things. She grabbed an Albarino which I wrote about just a few days ago. Then she said “for something really different” try this Furmint.

That drew the appropriate, “Huh?”

Furmint is grown in Hungary and used to produce dessert wines but can also make a fine dry white wine. I know nothing about it so I’m just going to provide a link to a blog I found which includes copy and a video on Furmint.

The bottle suggested fish or a mild dinner meal and I had it with some simple white fish off the grill. The fish was “so-so” which was my fault, but the wine was really a nice change of pace. I liked it a lot.

My Furmint was a 2006 Royal Tokaji. I got a little apple and oak on the nose and taste. But what is probably the most defining characteristic is how dry this white wine is and the lovely finish which lingers in your mouth. It has some acidity but nothing in the neighborhood of a Sauvignon Blanc or similar wine. It is higher in alcohol than most whites and that’s one of the grapes characteristics. This bottle was 14 percent.

You can find this unique dry white wine for $11-$15. I loved this wine. It’s got the citrus nose, a long finish, and dry enough to satisfy a red wine drinker. If you can find it, buy some and give it a try.

Send comment or questions to: hewitthoward@gmail.com