Allison is our hostess for our September VTB meeting, and she has chosen Boxed Wines as our theme. Our meeting will take place at 7:00 PM on Tuesday, September 22nd at her home in Arlington, Va.
"Boxed wine" you say? YES! And here's why...
The Problem: Bottled wines often face problems with their corks- authentic corks have the tendency to crumble when they get older. Also, if not properly treated, corks may contain some residual bacteria and ruin a great bottle.
The Solution: Some manufacturers started to replace traditional corks with plastic ones and others started producing wine in boxes. These wines are placed in a box with vacuum-sealed plastic bag lining or 'bladder' inside. While many people were skeptical to this approach and questioned the quality of the wines, today it is accepted in the industry.
Why Boxed Wine Is Great: They are safer to carry (they will not break when dropped), economical (the packaging is cheaper compared to bottled wines), and most advantageously, it extends the longevity of freshness of a wine (when a bottle is opened, it lasts only 1 or 2 days, but a boxed wine is not exposed to oxygen, and the freshness is extended for about a month).
Maggie hosted the Organic Wine tasting at her home this month. This was a smaller group, so with less wines to get to in the evening, there was more time for conversation about tasting notes, sulfites and what makes organic and biodynamic wines.
Angela brought a 2006 Colina Verde Tinto Tempranillo from Rioja, Spain. Made from Tempranillo and Garnacha grapes, this wine was awarded a Gold Medal in February 2007, at the BioFach Organic Foods Trade Fair held in Nuremburg, Germany.
Martha Jane brought a 2008 Villafane & Guzman Legado De Don Manuel Villafane Torrontes from Menzoda, Argantina. After a lengthy discussion with the store owner about organic wines, she decided to try this non-organic wine which was the favorite of the tasting.
Jenn brought a 2007 Quivara Dry Creek Valley Sauvignon Blanc from Dry Creek Valley, Ca. This vineyard became certified 100% organic and Biodynamic in late 2005 and Jenn’s wine facilitated a great discussion about organic and biodynamic certifications. (More info can be found here)
Becca brought a 2008 Familia Zuccardi Cabernet Sauvignon Santa Julia from Mendoza, Argentina. Prodced by Argentina's largest family-owned winery, the Wine Enthusiast called this a ‘best Buy’ in May 2007.
When looking for an organic wine, it is helpful to keep in mind the types of organic wines: 100% Organic - Refers to wines that are produced with grapes that are certified 100% organically grown and do not have any added sulfites. Organic - Refers to wines that have at least 95% of their ingredients from certified organic sources. These wines may have an additional 100 ppm of sulfur dioxide added to them. Made with Organic Grapes - Refers to wines that have at least 70% of their grapes from organic sources. These wines may have sulfur dioxide.
More information about organic certification can be found here and information on how Organic Viticulture differs from Conventional Viticulture can be found here.
This post is late, apologies to all. I was unable to attend our “Wines in the Media" themed gathering hosted by Martha Jane and Devon last month. However, I had a fantastic on-location reporter (thanks Jenn!) and was happy hear that it was a fun and entertaining evening.
For this meeting, VTB participants were challenged to get a little creative with their bottles. They were to bring a wine somehow related to Media. The wine, winemaker, vineyard, variety, etc had to somehow connect to a play, movie, tv show, piece of art, musician, actor or song. People got very creative, here is what was brought:
Inspired by the film Under the Tuscan Sun, Donna brought: Donelli Lambrusco Dell'Emilia Bianco (Tuscany, Italy)
Inspired by the Alanis Morrisette song, Ironic, Jenn brought: 2007 Chateau Ste. Michelle Chardonnay Indian Wells (Columbia Valley, Washington) Lyrics: "It's a black fly in your Chardonnay, it's a death row pardon two minutes too late"
Inspired by the film Vicky Christina Barcelona, Angela brought: 2006 Torres Coronas Tempranillo (Spain)
Inspired by the TV show The New Adventures of Old Christine, Rosie brought: 2008 Ben Marco Malbec (Mendoza, Argentina)
Inspired by the Don McLean song Vincent, Nikki brought: 2005 Terre Vermeille Vineyard Starry Night Zinfandel (Lake County, California) Lyrics: “Starry, starry night, paint your palette blue and grey”
Inspired by film director Frances Ford Coppola, Rebecca brought: 2007 Francis Coppola / Niebaum-Coppola Black Label Claret (California)
Inspired by film Silence of the Lambs, Allison brought: 2007 Falchini Chianti Colli Senesi Colombaia
Also inspired by film Silence of the Lambs, Becca brought: 2003 Tramonti Chianti Classico (Tuscany, Italy)
Movie quote: “A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti."
This was a fun theme, and although I could not attend, I had a great time researching wines in the media. Here are some other wine- related songs:
Champagne Supernova by Oasis "Some day you will find me caught beneath the landslide In a champagne supernova - A champagne supernova in the sky"
Hotel California by The Eagles "Mirrors on the ceiling, the pink champagne on ice And she said 'We are all just prisoners here, of our own device'"
Elderberry Wine by Elton John "Drunk all the time, Feeling fine on elderberry wine Those were the days, We'd lay in the haze”
Our next meeting will take place at 7:00 PM on Monday, August 17th. Our host, Maggie, has selected Organic Wines as her theme.
Now, the official definition of an organic wine is “wine made from organically grown grapes without any added sulfates” but for ease in locating a wine for the night, wines made from organically grown grapes is perfectly acceptable. (However, if you are a total rock star and can locate a true ‘organic’ wine, then bring it!) Also, please remember to bring a fact about your wine or the vineyard it came from.
