SAUCE MAGAZINE
Posted On: 10/01/2012
Glenn Bardgett, Annie Gunn’s wine director and a member of the Missouri Wine and Grape Board, weighs in on which wines to drink this month. Check your favorite wine shop or liquor store for availability.
Trinchero Meritage 2008, Napa Valley, Calif. Meritage rhymes with heritage and is a blend of up to five grape varieties honoring the incredible wines of Bordeaux. This Napa blend has four of the five: 73-percent cabernet sauvignon, 14-percent merlot, 8-percent petit verdot and 5-percent cabernet Franc, missing only the famed Malbec. Break out the big bucks for this world-class, luscious and stylish red for around $50.
Tahuan (Siesta en el Tahuantinsuyu) Bonarda 2010, Mendoza, Argentina As with many of the wines of Argentina, the extensive Catena family is involved in the making of this estate-bottled Bonarda at the foothills of the Andes Mountains. Bonarda is a full and rustic red for big, red meats and sauces. It’s grown in California under the name of Charbono (not to be confused with Sonny and Cher Bono), and this one’s $15 of fun.
Pasión de Bobal 2009, Utiel-Requena, Spain Even after dozens of years in the wine business, it still excites me to find an unknown grape (bobal) from a region totally new to me: Utiel-Requena. Black fruit, red fruit, aroma, body and character in a $15 price range – this one’s just amazing. The wine world really is a happy series of discoveries.
In Germany, October is festival season, and at no other time during the year are the beers from Germany in more demand here in the U.S. Next time you’re craving something from the land of steins and sauerkraut, give these a try.
– Cory King, certified Cicerone and brewer at Perennial Artisan Ales
Ayinger Oktober Fest-Märzen This seasonal brew pours a tawny honey with a frothy, eggshell-colored head that lasts forever. Aromas of cut hay, chopped nuts and honey cereal blend perfectly with the distinctive lager characteristics. The balanced sweetness and dry finish create a stellar Märzen.
Pinkus Organic Münster Alt Pale gold with a sticky foam that latches to the sides of the glass, this just might be my new favorite Altbier. The peach bubblegum, spring flower and wet dough aromatics precisely complement the palate of tangy straw, white grapes and honey.
Erdinger Pikantus Weizen-Bock This Weizen-bock, a strong wheat beer, was crafted to allow the higher alcohol to offset the richly toasted chestnut, cocoa powder and wheat backbone. A huge sandy-colored head tops a beautiful, mahogany-ruby beer that is delicious to even look at.
