Several weeks back I heard from Allen “Ole” Olson who writes and does video segments for “Hoosier Wine Cellar.” That blog serves the Bloomington Herald Times newspapers, a couple of other papers served by the same ownership, and a whole wine community.

Ole did an interview with me about my column writing and wine interest. I’m pretty happy with the way it turned out.

If you click here it will take you to the short written intro. And on that page you can click video to see the interview.

We did a second segment with Craig Baker who has started an Oregon winery in the Willamette Valley, Oregon. Chris and Craig formed Ancient Cellar Winery and have produced a Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir.

You can see that video here.

Craig lives on the northside of Indianapolis and markets the wine while brother Chris is the winemaker out in Oregon. I was pleasantly suprised to find that the “Gilt” Pinot Gris is available around Indiana including Ken’s Liquors in Crawfordsville!

I visited Chris during my recent visit to Oregon and will have more on him in the near future.

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The sale of dry rose has gone crazy the last few years. Yes, pink wine is hot again but this is no white zinfandal. I intend on writing one of my newspaper columns about Rose’ in the near future so I’ll save the facts and figures for that!

By the way, if you click on the link at the left of this posting – the “Grape Sense” link takes you to all of my newspaper columns.

I opened a 2006 Cruz de Piedra 2006 Garnacha Rosada – or Rose tonight. I had this one in the rack for over a year and noticed the price sticker at the time was $9.99.

Most Rose’ wine has a nice strawberry nose with a dry mid-palate and finish. They are crisp and refreshing. Rose’ is great on the porch swing or patio and will pair nicely with all kinds of food.

And the best part of good Rose’ is that its a great value. You can buy really good Rose anywhere from $9-$15!

My Cruz de Piedra tonight was odd. It was a bit flat and not the big strawberry flavor I remembered from this wine. I’ve had it several times before. I’m not sure but I’m going to blame the articial closure. I’m not a fan. The great debate between synthetic corks and screw caps is several years old, but my experience says screw caps! (That’s another future column!)

The wine was not bad but a bit flat. This 2006 isn’t old but Rose’ is a wine meant to be consumed while young.

You’ll find Rose’ made from Cabernet, Malbec, Pinot Noir, Sangiovese, and Garnacha grapes … and others as well. I really like the Spanish Garnacha (or Grenache) grapes. But it’s fun trying all the others.

The mother of all Rose’ is Tavel – a region in France that makes fabulous Rose.

Rose’ wine is a big growing market in wine sales. Industry surveys showed a 50 percent growth in US Rose’ sales between 2006-2007!

This one tonight was a bit flat, but I have two or three more I’ve purchased recently and I’m anxious to give a try. And, I’m sure as summer nears I’ll be buying more.

I can’t recommend Rose’ wine enough .. dry Rose’ … it’s a great summer wine! And, it’s easy to drink for newcomers trying to improve their palate!

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I’ve been pretty serious about my red wine drinking for a good 5-6 years now. I’ve not been a big white wine fan. Beyond the occasional Sauvignon Blanc, nah not my thing.

But I think my seriousness about wine, the column and this blog, has gotten my interest piqued into white wine lately.

I’ve tried some new things and tasted a few surprising white wines that I really enjoyed. And I’m happy not to be the stereotypical red wine drinker if that is where this is headed.

First tonight, I opened a bottle of Salneval Albarino, a 2007 that is widely distributed and found in lots of places for $9-$11. I picked up this bottle, on Ashley’s recommendation, at Cork & Cracker in Indianapolis.

Now to the wine. This was my first albarino and I really liked it. This is the widest grown white wine grape in Spain and it is a great alternative to some of the old standby wines.

I’ve had several “ok” Sangiovese wines with pasta lately. I made some simple pasta tonight using ground turkey and canned seasoned tomatoes (Red Gold and Del Monte work great!). This was far superior than of those recent reds.

It is a yellow-ish wine with a beautiful and very seductive nose. You could never just sniff this wine and set it down. There is a little hint of fruit, mineral, and perhaps even floral but not the acidity of many white wines .. and it has a very smooth finish.

This wine would work with seafood, perhaps Asian food, and even mild Italian. I’m anxious to try it with my spicier pasta combinations.

I did my usual research to find that amateur and blogging wine writers, like me, generally rated it in the very high 80s – 87-88 – on the 100 point scale. I don’t do that, but it seems about right.

Pick up a Spanish Albarino and give it a try for something different. I found it very enjoyable. I’d definitely buy more of the Salneval, but I’m anxious to try others as well!

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I’ve gone on and on here a number of times about Bonarda – my favorite obscure grape. Bonarda is grown mostly in Argentina and was the most widely produced grape there until Malbec took over.

Bonarda has a big, silky, smooth flavor with hints of an earthy/smokey flavor that is awesome with big flavored foods. I had picked up a bottle of Colonia Las Liebres 2006 Bonarda several months ago somewhere in Indy. I think it was Mass Avenue Wine Shop. I don’t remember and couldn’t rind the receipt, which I usually keep!

I found a link to a story about Bonarda and Argentina which you can read here.

This was really smooth glass of big-flavored wine. It was unfiltered and unoaked which immediately caught my eye. The tannins were very light and smooth. And since I don’t remember where I bought it, that also means I don’t know what I paid for it. But I found prices ranging from $9.99 to $11.99 on the net.

I threw a bacon-wrapped filet on the grill and the Bonarda lost a little of its pop – just not quite big enough, but it was ok. But alone again after the steak, very enjoyable wine.

For something different, look for a Bonarda. They’re not easy to find. Some of the Bonarda blends are pretty good but I’d urge you to find a 100 percent bottling!

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I couldn’t resist opening a bottle of Oregon Pinot this week. Having spent two days tasting so much great Pinot Noir last week I found myself aching to again enjoy the senusal aroma and the light touch of fine wine making!

Sorta geeky I know, but it’s how I feel about Pinot Noir.

I mentioned in one of my Oregon postings that I had hoped to taste Scott Paul’s Pinot during my visit to Carlton. The winery was closed and I went on about my business. While awaiting my flight at Portland’s airport back home, I found Scott Paul wine at the “Made in Oregon” shop – post security.

By the way, in many places now you can carry on such things as long as the shop is past the security checkpoint and you have a direct flight or secure connection flight!

I picked up a bottle of the 2007 Scott Paul Martha Pirrie Pinot Noir. It’s the winery’s desire to produce a great Pinot under $30. I’d have to say this one comes pretty close. I believe I paid about $26 at the Oregon shop.

It is a lighter Pinot, for sure, but with a nice and traditional nose that I can just enjoy for hours. It had a screwcap, which I’ve come more and more to appreciate.

It is not the bigger and well-structured Pinots you’ll find in Oregon at the $35-$50 price point but I wouldn’t expect it to be.

With some of these wines, particularly a winery I did not visit, it’s hard to know if they distribute or ship to Indiana. But if you see it anywhere it’s worth your purchase for the price!

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Many wine afficianados will on occasion refer to a wine as a fruit bomb. Not always, but more often than not, they are not being kind.

A “fruit bomb” simply means a big mouthful of fruit flavor on the first sip of the juice – and often without much going on behind it.

Recently I had noticed Layer Cake Wines in a number of shops, along with some hullabaloo about their arrival.

So tonight I opened a Layer Cake 2008 Shiraz from lower Australia. It’s a bit of a fruit bomb for sure, but not a bad Shiraz for the $14-$18 price range. I thought it was big, chewy, fruity bang to the palate. That was about what I expected from an Australian Shiraz. I would have liked more of the spicy finish that good Shiraz/Syrah is known for but didn’t think this was a bad wine. It also was very, very smooth but was not as dry as I normally like.

I almost always jot down a few notes before writing these entries then check the internet to see what others are saying. There was some pretty harsh criticism of this wine as one-dimensional. I wouldn’t totally agree with that. I think this is probably a nice step for people into Shiraz. It is unquestionably big when you take the first swig but not badly made at all.

It’s hard to call it structured or well balanced with a bit of a wimpy finish, but this is not bad wine. Pretty good stuff. It held up nice to pasta and seems to be popping up in wine stores everywhere. I’d say if you see it give it a try. I’d be curious to hear from anyone who has had the wine and ask you to share your opinions.

If I get a few responses, I’ll share them here!

Here is more on Layer Cake.

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Indiana has two major wine festivals each year and one is coming up. The 7th Annual Indiana Wine Fair in Story, Indiana, near Nashville, is Saturday, April 25. Approximately 25 of Indiana’s nearly 40 wineries will be pouring their wines. It is a great and fun afternoon.

I’m going to direct you to Ole Olson’s Hoosier Wine Cellar Blog for all the details.

Most of the wineries will be pouring their entire line or close to it. And you want a recommendation? Check out the great Indiana Traminette being made. It’s an awesome summer wine for the porch or light meals. Traminette is quite similar to Gewürztraminer for those familiar with that grape. It’s floral, spicy and several Indiana wines are making great bottlings.

I plan on going down. Hope to see you there!

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Here is a blog entry I wrote for Wabash College, my employer, for a trip I made to the Northwest. It’s about Lange Winery – some of the best Pinot Noir you’re ever going to find. This entry ties to a book about the winery. And, more to come soon on Lange wine. Note at end of this entry, Indiana locations where you can buy Lange wines!

A common thread through my blogging about the trip to the Northwest was Brian Doyle’s great 2006 book, “The Grail: A Year Ambling & Shambling Through an Oregon Vineyard in Pursuit of the Best Pinot Noir Wine in the Whole Wild World.”

Doyle wrote “A Man’s Life” for this issue of Wabash Magazine and his aforementioned book was about Lange Winery in the Dundee Hills. I read the book on my way out to visit alums last summer and that paved the way to ask Doyle to write for the magazine.

The book was a year-in-the-life sort of thing about Lange Winery. The circle was completed April 9 for me when I spent part of the morning with Jesse Lange.

“Brian had been coming out to some of our wine club events here at the winery,” Lange explained. “We got to talking like any other conversation and he mentioned he was the editor of the University Of Portland Magazine. He wanted to do an article on wine coming from a neophyte’s perspective.”

Lange said the two quickly realized after a tour and interview that it was going to take more than one visit. “We just continued to go after a few more visits, a couple more tours, and through different parts of the growing season.

“We decided to get together every month and do a vineyard tour and a winery tour to see a glimpse of the life cycle of a winery and a vineyard/farm. The Grail was a combination of all that.”

While Doyle’s book did pretty well for a niche publication, Lange saw an immediate impact in his tasting room. “We get people who come from all over the country and say, “hey, I read the book or my friend gave it to me.” They come to the winery to taste the wine see the (family’s) dogs, see the farm and vineyard. It’s been pretty fun. It’s nice to be the beneficiary of something like that but also fun to see people’s enthusiasm for the book.”

Lange thinks the book succeeded because it was written not as a technical book, but “it allows people to feel unencumbered and not be afraid of wine.”

To this day, Lange will meet people in his tasting room who mention the book. Lange is General Manager and Winemaker for the winery. His parents Don and Wendy founded the winery in 1987

Lange Winery is a boutique winery in the Dundee Hills of the Willamette Valley known for its outstanding Pinot Noir. It has been praised in Wine Spectator and other industry press. The wines just recently became available in Indiana at Cork and Cracker in Indianapolis, Vine and Table in Carmel, Vintage Spirits in Noblesville, The Corks in Columbus, and served in restaurants including The Saratoga in Terre Haute, Petersons, The Meridian, and Eddie Merlot’s in Indianapolis among others in the state.

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Of all the wines in the world, my wine knowledge thins when it comes to the French. A few weeks back I bought a bottle of Chateau Fourcas-Dupre 2005 at Jungle Jims in Cincinnati. I paid under $20 for it, about $19 as I recall.

If you are around the wine world at all, you know 2005 has been hailed as a stellar year for French wines. That’s the main reason I picked up a couple of bottles.

This is a very smooth and well rounded Bordeaux wine. It was just great with a steak off the grill tonight.

I noted in a little research that both Robert Parker and Wine Spectator gave it a respectable 85-88 scoring range on the 100 point system.

It’s one of those very old French wineries. The Chateau is on one of the highest points in the Medoc peninsula. The wine is a blend of 44% Cabernet, 44% Merlot, 10% Cab Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot. The Chateau dates back into the early 1800s.

Finding a specific Chateau’s wine can be very difficult unless you’re a real Franco-phile. But tasting this wine makes me think 2005 Bordeaux wines are worth pursuing.

I’m trying something here .. but unless you speak French, it will not be worth much. Here is a You Tube video interview with Patrice Pages, the winery owner – in French.

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I wanted to post an entry about the Pike Place Market for those of you who may never have been there. This is for all the foodies out there who are also into wine.

I visited it before my trip through Oregon’s wine country and just never had time to post. Here are a few links to the really cool places I stopped, but there are many many more.

The Pike Place Market is easy walking from about anywhere in downtown Seattle. Going down there makes me want to live there with such a vibrant market of great, fresh products.

Coffee shops, pastry, flowers and fish just start the list of goodies. Some things I bought at some links:

Olive Oil: Sotto Voce sells wonderful handcrafted olive oils and flavored vinegars that are delicious. They import the olive oil from Italy and then season it and blend it to give it their own touch. I tasted three oils and a balsamic vinegar that were awesome.

Pasta: Pappardelle’s Fine Art of Pasta is a really fun place. They have pastas of all shapes, sizes and flavors you can imagine. I counted more than 40 flavors in just the flat-cut dried pasta flavors.

You can probably guess a good 10-15 of the typical flavers about how about: Chipotle Pepper, Dark Chocolate, Veracruz Black Bean, Whole Wheat Toasted Onion, Basil Tangerine, Lemon Ginger, Orange Szechuan, Sweet Potato, and many others.

I can’t wait to try the fruit and Italian blends I brought home.

Cherries: What would a Washington State market be without cherries? Chukar cherries has a big booth in the open market with all types of dried fruits and every imaginable thing you could do to a cherry.

The wonderful lady behind the county had me tasting all sorts of combinations. I bought some dried cranberries and some chocolate covered dried cherries.

The company is based out of Presser, Washington, but has a daily spot in the market.

Hazelnuts: Of course Washington and Oregon are both known for hazelnuts. The tasty nut is found on salads, crusted onto fish and used in all sorts of ways. Holmquist Hazelnuts is one of Washington’s best.

If you’ve never tasted a hazelnut fresh, then you’ve never really had one.

Fish: The Pike Place Fish Market is a working market, sideshow, and big-time tourist attraction. You have probably seen the video where the guys are really hurling the fresh fish around. Trust me, it looks even faster in person.

There is almost always a crowd and the workers could not be more accomodating. They answer questions, hand out samples, and if you’re taking pictures will invite you behind the counter to have your picture taken with them. They also chant, sing, and shout to the delight of the crowd.

I tasted some Applewood smoked salmon and brought a couple cans back with me. They can ship fresh-caught fish to anywhere in the nation overnight .. packed in dry ice.

In the photos: Top left, Pappardelle’s pasta and lower right the Pike Place Market. note the fist flying past this guy taking a phone order. See a more complete photo album from the market from my Wabash College blogging about this trip here.

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