Do you ever have a moment where you go “this just doesn’t happen”? If so, it’s probably associated with an unhappy incident (speeding ticket, IRS audit, explosive diarreha, etc.) Fortunately for me, I am here to report an incredible, possibly life-changing “TJDH” event that will actually happen later this week.

First, some background. Almost 4 years ago I escaped the cube farm existence that corporate life had dealt me. I was excruitatingly unhappy at my place of employment and if not for a few supportive friends I could possibly been involved in a newspaper headline of the likes of “Disgruntled Employee disembowels douchebag Manager” or the sort. Lucky for me I had a good pal who talked me off the ledge multiple times and through the haze of multiple bottles of wine espoused an alternative universe where it is possible to work, live and love it. Eventually we both made the break from our Corporate jobs and I am now very pleased that my career is now centered around being the Happy Wine Guy. Trust me, it doesn’t suck.

Here’s where the story gets really good. My before-mentioned pal is about to live out a “this just doesn’t happen” moment of his life. Through a series of hard to connect circumstances/hard work/good karma he has been chosen to showcase to the world what he loves to do best, he is one of the “Celebrity Chefs” who will be preparing and serving food at the South Beach Food and Wine Festival presented by the Food Network! This is a really big deal and I couldn’t be happier for him. So go ahead and ask me if I know a “Celebrity Chef”…hell yeah, I do, and I couldn’t be prouder of it.

Here’s the Press Release -

Local Kansas City Chef, Craig Adcock, to be Grillin’ and Chillin’ at Food Network’s South Beach Food and Wine Festival, Thursday, February 23, 2012

Chef Adcock will be part of Moët Hennessy’s The Q presented by Allen Brothers Steaks, sponsored by MIAMI magazine, hosted by Emeril Lagasse and Guy Fieri.

Feb. 14, 2012, KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI

Adcock’s upcoming debut appearance at the SoBeWFF is a first for any chef from Kansas City, and he’ll be bringing the heat and some sweet, too, in a big way. By big, this means a signature dish of the “Tomahawk Chop,” a massive 4.5 lb. bone in rib eye cut, and two 35-inch pans of paella to be prepared over a peach wood fire on the beach.

The Tomahawk Chop has a special meaning for Adcock, it was inspired by collaboration with beloved and recently deceased Kansas City chef, John McClure. Following this SOBE event, Adcock will have served well over 200 of this chop from coast to coast over the past year. Adcock is one of a few in the nation that grills the 3.5” steak over an open flame.

The fantastic main entrées will be followed up with Adcock’s famous dessert, Jude’s Rum Cake. The cakes have become a mainstay of Adcock’s catering business, he now ships thousands per year nationwide and they are available at 12 local Kansas City restaurants as well as retail outlets like Dean and Deluca, in Key West at the Rum Barrel restaurant and Adcock hopes to launch the Key West Rum Cake line later this year focusing on cruise lines.

Adcock, with his characteristic gleam in his eyes, jokingly refers to himself as the “only non-catering caterer” he knows. He’s as down to earth as they come, which is quite a feat for a guy who recently cooked at the Playboy Golf tournament, backstage for Elton John concerts, and fired up the grills and 600 lbs. of meat at the SXSW Music Festival.

“I loved sharing my food with 30 of KC’s bands as part of the MidWasteLand Takeover. It was a blast, we set up in an alley and recruited the pedal cabbies to reroute their routes through this alley - we had a buzz…it was cool to hear ‘so did you hear, there’s these kats from Kansas City serving bbq and gumbo out of an alley - - it was very Austin,” says Adcock of the SXSW event.

When he’s not “non-catering” for Playboy bunnies or baking rum cakes, you can find Adcock taking an active role in community service at home. Adcock has regularly volunteered with the Red Cross for 13 years now feeding the homeless. He also teaches at Culinary Cornerstones, a Kansas City based non-profit helping guide adults to stable employment.

“I need to stay true to that inner voice and be nice,” Adcock says. “Hopefully, the success will follow,” jokes Adcock about his habit of giving away his famously decadent cakes, donating his time in the community and his time spent “grillin’ and chillin’” to help promote Central Coast winemakers.

It may come as a surprise to most that Adcock, with his long, curly hair, laid back demeanor and ease behind the grill, was once working in a corporate cubicle just four years ago, moonlighting on nights and weekends to feed his cooking passion. Adcock made the life-changing decision to take his side business and passion, Belly Up Bar-B-Que, into a full time career.

“The leap was one of the best and hardest things I’ve ever done. Kansas City has an amazing food scene with several cool peeps willing to share experiences and lend a hand. I get to share my fare locally and travel quite a bit. It’s not easy, but I have a great supporting cast that keeps me grounded and brings me back to reality when I start to wander. It’s not just about the money, the journey and the experience matter. Being nice matters,” says Adcock.

Adcock’s spirit of doing things his own way is reflected by his catering style — a blend of chef, charismatic host and sommelier.

“I get to cater my way - sort of a modern day tapas experience of “small bites throughout the nite” from 6 pm until midnight. A new dish comes out every 45 minutes or so. I usually fly solo on these events, so I’m part of the experience too - onsite prep, cleaning, and custom menus based on each client and wine pairings.”

Adcock’s menus are eclectic, everything from grilled lobster tail paired with popcorn and a cool Central Coast Marsanne, Roussanne, and Viognier blend, to small plates of bagna cauda, tuna tartare, seafood, or “old skool bbq” of ribs, brisket, pork, salmon.

Given his accomplishments in such a short time, Adcock seems to be taking the fast track to celebrity chef status. Two things are certain, if that happens; it won’t go to his head, and there will be a long line of friends, culinary students, fellow chefs and rum cake fans cheering him on.

Craig Adcock can be contacted online through Belly Up Bar-B-Que and Jude’s Rum Cake, or by phone, 913.526.6708 or email craig@bellyupbbq.com.

###

A Conch and Bull Story

I constantly have to remind myself to avoid pre-judging. Whether it is people, wine, politicians or sports teams. After all, I am so frequently wrong why even go thru the exercise of pre-judging? Believe me, it is a more intriguing world when you treat life as a new experience, a new start, a chance for enlightenment. This was never truer than this week’s wine tasting with my new friends from Concha Y Toro.

Conch Y Toro (CYT) is the largest winery in Chile.  You can forgive yourself if you get confused by the CYT lineup…it is large and varied. HappyWineGuy is most familiar with their popular, mid-priced Castillero del Diablo series which provides a solid Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and blends thereof. But HWG doesn’t regularly dabble in the $10 range of wines so I have pretty much dismissed these wines of late. There I go pre-judging again! My gracious wine distributor invited HWG to taste CYT wines one afternoon and the event including meeting the Regional District Manager and the National Import Manager from Chile! Two cools guys who know and love wine and they were a real treat to taste with.

We started appropriately enough with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc – the 2008 Palo Alto from the Maule Valley. They explained that Chile is going through a phase much like California did 40 years ago…figuring out which wine varietals do best in which regions. As Cali has figured out, Cab grows great in Napa, Zinfandel in Dry Creek Valley, Pinot Noir in Russian River Valley, etc. (don’t jump my bones here about other regions, this just an example). Well, much to my surprise they confessed that Chilean grape growers are just figuring out what grow best where. So, my new friends at CYT claim Sauvignon Blanc does better farther south than the Casablanca and Maipo Valleys, like in Maule Valley. I don’t know if this is always true (no jumping my bones again, it is an example!) but I really liked the Palo Alto S.B. The nose was classic and smooth, almost gentle. HWG liked the high acid and lemon/lime fruits but was most impressed by the poise of this wine. It didn’t try too hard…no baseball bat hit of grapefruit nor sharp sickle of grassiness. HWG would have guessed this wine sells in the high-teens but you can probably find it for about $13 retail. They also explained that the wines grown farther north (warmer) are more tropical in flavor.

Fun Fact – Concha Y Toro claims they are the #2 most recognized wine brand worldwide behind Gallo.

Our next wine was the Concha Y Toro Marques de Casa Concha Chardonnay. Whew! That is a mouthful to say. This wine came on with traditional tropical flavors and was really well balanced acid-to-fruit. Again, I was prone to pre-judge (the fact that I don’t like most Chardonnays) and was gratefully surprised by how nice this wine was. It is above average. Granted, it is a bit above average in price, probably around $17 retail but dang, it is worth it. It was a fabulous compliment to the crab cakes that were served with it.

Now it was time for some red wine. Here comes the before-mentioned Casillero de Diablo…but no Merlot or Cab, instead Malbec. Malbec? What the heck? I thought Malbec came from Argentina? Nope, looks like the Chileans are part of the gold rush to capitalize on the latest American craze for the next hot red wine (bye bye Shiraz). This wine was very dark in color, juicy and plum-y. Plenty dry and what I would call varietaly-correct. It tastes like what Malbec should taste like. After some time in the glass it softened up a bit which is a good thing. If you like a full-blown Malbec this is a great option, if you don’t like hearty, dry wines, take a pass on this wine.

Fun fact – CYT makes 16 million cases of wine each year, U.S.A. is the #1 destination, we get 3 million cases.

HWG had no prior knowledge of the following wine…the 2007 Casillero del Diablo Reserva Privada (don’t pre-judge!). This is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. Generally HWG doesn’t run into a blend of this sort unless you are in Washington State or OZ.  The 85% Cab dominates with a sweet cassis flavor and a nice tartness/dryness. The syrah influence comes on in the finish adding a gentle blueberry component. HWG liked this wine! You might be able to find this wine for about $16 in retail. Give it a try.

Fun Fact – the founder’s name is Melchor de Concha Y Toro. But he was later bestowed with a title of Marquis de Casa de Concha Y Toro and out of respect he was also referred to as “Don” Melchor which is the name of their most prized wine.

Now if you think HWG is giving high praise because he is being plied by free wine and food (try it, it is a nice way to spend the day) you may be right but you are probably wrong. CYT makes some absolutely pedestrian wines under their Frontera and Xplorador labels. I may be pre-judging here so maybe I need to try these again in my lifetime but that is like wanting to re-try Corbett Canyon. Do I really have to? Ugh. Let’s move on.

Fun fact – HWG wrote this article at Grinder’s Pizza on the deck in the sunshine with 4+ beers.

Next up was another new encounter; HWG did not know that CYT made a sweet, dessert wine. The 2005 Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc! Really? That is not very common, a blend of 90%+ S.B. with some Riesling and Gewurztraminer too. (where did they get that?) Sweet nose, melon, papaya and some nutty tones at the finish. Not complicated. Our CYT rep says it goes well with chocolate. This may be a new wine for them, it is not in my price book but they verbalized that it is reasonably priced. Ok, even at a good price this is just not a real, serious dessert wine. It lacks complexity and character. It may work as a stand-in but HWG can’t fully endorse it.

And so ends a fully satisfying tasting. Or so you thought. A tap on my shoulder led me to a side room where a few lucky sots were offered the 2005 Carmin de Peumo. This is CYT’s flagship Carmenere and it is a HUGE wine with tons of fruit but is smooth and delicious. This wine just tastes expensive. The scuttlebutt is that someone named Robert Parker is going to give it 97 points. In the hushed conversation around this remarkable wine it was inferred that this might sell for around $80 retail and that Kansas would only get 6 six packs. HWG respectfully requested one of those six packs. Grab this wine if you can. It is amazing and will only get better over time.

Fun fact – Don Melchor named his wine Casillero del Diablo to keep the workers out of his cellars so they wouldn’t steal his wine. The name translates to Cellar of the Devil and although his tactic worked it has made it hard to export because some countries don’t want “wine of the Devil” inside their borders.

Wow. After all that engrossing wine tasting HWG was headed for the door. But no, somehow one more wine appeared…the Terrunyo Cabernet Sauvignon. Let’s say CYT has 6 tiers of wines, Fronterra, Xplorador, Casillero de Diablo, Casa Concha, Terrunyo and Don Melchor…well, this would next to the top. Maybe it was the contrast to the outstanding Carmin de Peumo but this wine came off as artificial and hot. Maybe it was too young or needed time but this wine did not show well at all. Big cherry fruit but I was expecting something deeper, darker and richer. About $40 in retail. Oh well, chalk it up to experience. And no pre-judging!

Last Fun fact – Concha Y Toro translates literally to Shell and Bull.

I am borrowing (via copy & paste) from a newsletter I received today. I think it is a well written story about grape growing, wine and our relationship with Mother Nature. The author/winemaker is Kent Fortner from Road 31 Wine Company in Napa, CA. Kent is a one-man-band, and makes about 900 cases of Pinot Noir wine each year. HWG has tried his wines and they are quite good. Here is his story:

“A simple concept in winegrowing is that great wine is made at the margins. If you play it safe, you can pretty much guarantee OK wine. But to make truly great wine, you have to push to the edges. Specifically with Pinot Noir, you want the coolest, longest growing season possible, with the fruit getting ripe just before the fall rains (and rot) set in.

2011 started as a glorious potential growing season on paper. First, we had a lot of winter rain (see above RV story). So, the season started out cool, and the rainy spring meant yields were low—both positives for wine quality. But the yang to this yin is that the inoculum for rot was established early. Then, as the season progressed, the temperatures never warmed. My wife wore a fleece pretty much every morning of the summer; you really couldn’t even call it a summer. The fog didn’t lift for days at a time. The vines just sat out there in that coolness, developing flavors, truly intense flavors. It was awesome … until I wondered if it would get ripe at all. The first week of September—the typical start time for Pinot Noir harvest—came and went. A threat of rain materialized, and it was a race to see what would come first: rains and rot, or magnificent ripeness.

Then, Mother Nature decided to assert herself. A large rainstorm descended in late September. I could have picked just before, but that wine would have been just OK. I decided to wait and go for glorious, knowing I was risking disaster. And this is what happened: walking through the vineyards, after the storm, boots caked with pounds of mud, was one of the worst moments of my enological life. Of the already small crop load, half of it had burst or was rotting before my eyes. It was too wet to harvest, and it didn’t look worth harvesting anyway. All the winemakers I know went to the bar, or the therapist, where we bumped into our bankers.

But then something kinda crazy happened. Mother nature cracked a smile. It dried out for 48 hours, and when I returned to the vineyard, I realized that it really was only half of the crop that was ruined. Certain parts of the vineyard—even certain parts of some vines—had fruit that looked pretty darn good. Resurrection?

With slightly optimistic grimaces, we sorted the bad fruit off the vines (talk about a painful process—try picking fruit just to drop it on the ground), and let the rest hang. And hang it did, for two, beautiful, sunny, dry weeks.

The half that did make it through? It’s unbelievable how good it is. I want to repeat that: it is unbelievable how good the wine is. Truly, it’s wine that was made at the ultimate margins: dark, inky, retaining acidity, earthy, beautiful, and powerful at the same time. I can’t wait to share it with you. But there is just so little of it. It was a financial disaster, but it is a winemaking triumph.”

Kent’s web site is www.road3.com

I constantly have to remind myself to avoid pre-judging. Whether it is people, wine, politicians or sports teams. After all, I am so frequently wrong why even go thru the exercise of pre-judging? Believe me, it is a more intriguing world when you treat life as a new experience, a new start, a chance for enlightenment. This was never truer than this week’s wine tasting with my new friends from Concha Y Toro.

Conch Y Toro (CYT) is the largest winery in Chile.  You can forgive yourself if you get confused by the CYT lineup…it is large and varied. HappyWineGuy is most familiar with their popular, mid-priced Castillero del Diablo series which provides a solid Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and blends thereof. But HWG doesn’t regularly dabble in the $10 range of wines so I have pretty much dismissed these wines of late. There I go pre-judging again! My gracious wine distributor invited HWG to taste CYT wines one afternoon and the event including meeting the Regional District Manager and the National Import Manager from Chile! Two cools guys who know and love wine and they were a real treat to taste with.

We started appropriately enough with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc – the 2008 Palo Alto from the Maule Valley. They explained that Chile is going through a phase much like California did 40 years ago…figuring out which wine varietals do best in which regions. As Cali has figured out, Cab grows great in Napa, Zinfandel in Dry Creek Valley, Pinot Noir in Russian River Valley, etc. (don’t jump my bones here about other regions, this just an example). Well, much to my surprise they confessed that Chilean grape growers are just figuring out what grow best where. So, my new friends at CYT claim Sauvignon Blanc does better farther south than the Casablanca and Maipo Valleys, like in Maule Valley. I don’t know if this is always true (no jumping my bones again, it is an example!) but I really liked the Palo Alto S.B. The nose was classic and smooth, almost gentle. HWG liked the high acid and lemon/lime fruits but was most impressed by the poise of this wine. It didn’t try too hard…no baseball bat hit of grapefruit nor sharp sickle of grassiness. HWG would have guessed this wine sells in the high-teens but you can probably find it for about $13 retail. They also explained that the wines grown farther north (warmer) are more tropical in flavor.

Fun Fact – Concha Y Toro claims they are the #2 most recognized wine brand worldwide behind Gallo.

Our next wine was the Concha Y Toro Marques de Casa Concha Chardonnay. Whew! That is a mouthful to say. This wine came on with traditional tropical flavors and was really well balanced acid-to-fruit. Again, I was prone to pre-judge (the fact that I don’t like most Chardonnays) and was gratefully surprised by how nice this wine was. It is above average. Granted, it is a bit above average in price, probably around $17 retail but dang, it is worth it. It was a fabulous compliment to the crab cakes that were served with it.

Now it was time for some red wine. Here comes the before-mentioned Casillero de Diablo…but no Merlot or Cab, instead Malbec. Malbec? What the heck? I thought Malbec came from Argentina? Nope, looks like the Chileans are part of the gold rush to capitalize on the latest American craze for the next hot red wine (bye bye Shiraz). This wine was very dark in color, juicy and plum-y. Plenty dry and what I would call varietaly-correct. It tastes like what Malbec should taste like. After some time in the glass it softened up a bit which is a good thing. If you like a full-blown Malbec this is a great option, if you don’t like hearty, dry wines, take a pass on this wine.

Fun fact – CYT makes 16 million cases of wine each year, U.S.A. is the #1 destination, we get 3 million cases.

HWG had no prior knowledge of the following wine…the 2007 Casillero del Diablo Reserva Privada (don’t pre-judge!). This is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. Generally HWG doesn’t run into a blend of this sort unless you are in Washington State or OZ.  The 85% Cab dominates with a sweet cassis flavor and a nice tartness/dryness. The syrah influence comes on in the finish adding a gentle blueberry component. HWG liked this wine and we are going to serve it at Bottle 12 Wine Bar. www.bottle12winebar . You might be able to find this wine for about $16 in retail. Give it a try.

Fun Fact – the founder’s name is Melchor de Concha Y Toro. But he was later bestowed with a title of Marquis de Casa de Concha Y Toro and out of respect he was also referred to as “Don” Melchor which is the name of their most prized wine.

Now if you think HWG is giving high praise because he is being plied by free wine and food (try it, it is a nice way to spend the day) you may be right but you are probably wrong. CYT makes some absolutely pedestrian wines under their Frontera and Xplorador labels. I may be pre-judging here so maybe I need to try these again in my lifetime but that is like wanting to re-try Corbett Canyon. Do I really have to? Ugh. Let’s move on.

Fun fact – HWG wrote this article at Grinder’s Pizza on the deck in the sunshine with 4+ beers.

Next up was another new encounter; HWG did not know that CYT made a sweet, dessert wine. The 2005 Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc! Really? That is not very common, a blend of 90%+ S.B. with some Riesling and Gewurztraminer too. (where did they get that?) Sweet nose, melon, papaya and some nutty tones at the finish. Not complicated. Our CYT rep says it goes well with chocolate. This may be a new wine for them, it is not in my price book but they verbalized that it is reasonably priced. Ok, even at a good price this is just not a real, serious dessert wine. It lacks complexity and character. It may work as a stand-in but HWG can’t fully endorse it.

And so ends a fully satisfying tasting. Or so you thought. A tap on my shoulder led me to a side room where a few lucky sots were offered the 2005 Carmin de Peumo. This is CYT’s flagship Carmenere and it is a HUGE wine with tons of fruit but is smooth and delicious. This wine just tastes expensive. The scuttlebutt is that someone named Robert Parker is going to give it 97 points. In the hushed conversation around this remarkable wine it was inferred that this might sell for around $80 retail and that Kansas would only get 6 six packs. HWG respectfully requested one of those six packs. Grab this wine if you can. It is amazing and will only get better over time.

Fun fact – Don Melchor named his wine Casillero del Diablo to keep the workers out of his cellars so they wouldn’t steal his wine. The name translates to Cellar of the Devil and although his tactic worked it has made it hard to export because some countries don’t want “wine of the Devil” inside their borders.

Wow. After all that engrossing wine tasting HWG was headed for the door. But no, somehow one more wine appeared…the Terrunyo Cabernet Sauvignon. Let’s say CYT has 6 tiers of wines, Fronterra, Xplorador, Casillero de Diablo, Casa Concha, Terrunyo and Don Melchor…well, this would next to the top. Maybe it was the contrast to the outstanding Carmin de Peumo but this wine came off as artificial and hot. Maybe it was too young or needed time but this wine did not show well at all. Big cherry fruit but I was expecting something deeper, darker and richer. About $40 in retail. Oh well, chalk it up to experience. And no pre-judging!

Last Fun fact – Concha Y Toro translates literally to Shell and Bull.

On a typically crappy K.C. winter day a group of about 20 wine industry types met at The Farmhouse via an invitation from Pinnacle Imports and all-time cool guy Rich Zellich. The mission that day was to compare the wines, styles and vineyard regions and quiz the winemakers on all things Pinot-ish (and sometimes beyond).

Situated at the end of a long narrow table were the “authority” figures of winemakers David Dain Smith of Dain Wines www.dainwines.com and Adam Lee of Siduri www.siduri.com . Acting as referee/foil/instigator was K.C.’s own Master of Wine, Doug Frost www.dougfrost.com . We were about to taste through 15 Pinot Noirs and two Syrahs. HappyWineGuy took notes on each wine but I think what was discussed in regard to growing/making/drinking Pinot Noir is more interesting than my notes so here goes…

·        People get ornery when you compare (American) Pinot Noir to Burgundy but the question is “who else would you compare it to or against”? But also, which Burgundy? Pre-phelloxora? 70’s? Perhaps the important question is if the winemaker can express what makes the “place” special in his wine.

·        Dain said “which Burgs do I compare Pinots to? The ones I like”.

·        Questions on alcohol level, 14.0% vs. 14.5%…there is a tax issue. Dain said “high alcohol lessens the ability to enjoy 3 glasses”. Is the Pinot high in alcohol? It is like the question about pornography…I’ll know it when I taste it.

·        Discussion moved to yields, i.e. 2 tons per acre. Frost said “yields are a Red Herring, it means nothing unless you know the # of plants”. Adam added “that you could even drill down to the # of clusters per vine”.

·        Dain said “proper wine/food pairings are good…if you can, but it is more important to build wine experiences”. Frost added “match wine with people, not wine with food”.

·        Adam said 2008 was a great year for Oregon Pinot Noir and Dain said 2008 was great for Santa Rita Hills, CA.

For the record HWG graded 4 of the 15 Pinot Noirs as above average and each of those 4 were made at Siduri. I think my favorite was the 2008 Siduri Cargasacchi P.N. from the Santa Rita Hills – a real pretty wine, cherry, vanilla and spice on the nose with complex flavors that seemed to have some ginger in it.

If you have any questions for the HappyWineGuy you can write to him at hwg@happywineguy or find him on Twitter, Tumblr and Facebook.

If you are not familiar with the wines of Paso Robles you may be missing out. They have gained some press in the recent years but they don’t have the glamour reputation of Napa nor a “signature” winery like Opus One, Cakebread or Silver Oak. Regardless there are many talented wine makers putting out some great, not good, wines in Paso.

If you have heard of any of the Paso Robles wineries they might be the older, more established wineries like Eberle, Estancia or J. Lohr. But there are many more…from 2000-2006 Paso Robles went from 50 bonded wineries to 170. As you can see, there are A LOT of Paso wines to try! And that is just what we did.

We all met at Bottle 12 Wine Bar and were greeted with the “reception” wine of the night, the2008  Vina Robles White 4. Even the most wine savvy person may have had a hard time discerning what the 4 varietals were in the White 4. If you guessed Verdelho, Vermentino, Viognier and Sauvignon Blanc you would have won a prize. This wine was VERY pleasant with lime, green apple and a light & crisp character that was a crowd pleaser.  Next we had the big brother to this wine, the 2007 Vina Robles Petite Sirah. We all picked up on the mocha and smoky oak flavors in this wine and it was impressive. I remember thinking that “this is what purple tastes like”. After that we tasted a wine from a very small producer, Herman Story. Their 2007 “On the Road” Grenache only 398 cases produced. This wine was rich & juicy, not too complicated but absolutely delicious. We didn’t know it at the time but the wines were going to start getting VERY serious after this.

Next in line was the 2007 McPrice Myers “Beautiful Earth” blend (425 cases made). It is customary to see a blend like this labeled “GSM” for Grenache, Syrah & Mouvedre  but this wine was 70% Syrah so it was more accurately “SGM”…but that is not how we normally do it so let’s call this a “GSM”.  I have to credit the kids at Wine Spectator because they did a decent job of describing this wine…”bold, rich & fleshy with ripe plum, black cherry fruit that is layered and full-bodied, gaining depth and richness on the finish” Yup, that pretty much says it all…except that they left out the part about it being a kick-ass, full throttle absolute winner of a wine.

Although it was a very hard act to follow, the next wine was its equal. 2007 Herman Story “Nuts and Bolts” Syrah (522 cases made). Intense and concentrated, this wine showed hints of leather, cedar and spice and filled your mouth with big fruit flavors. It was a muscle-bound superstar with a kind heart. We all loved this wine.

So ended our fabulous Paso Robles wine tasting. Or so I thought. My wine-o friends surprised us with some bonus bottle that were enjoyed to the last drop. They included:

2007 Vina Robles Zinfandel –a nice, light sipper that was overpowered by the other wines.

2006 Villa Creek Cuvee GSM – I like this wine a lot, the Grenache component was bright and happy.

2004 Kaleidos Morpheus – this blend was a bit sweeter than what we had tasted that night.

2006 Terry Hoague Cuvee Block 6 – a bit more sturdy than the Villa Creek, this big boy held its own.

Spring has arrived and the K.C. golf courses are open. The “hoopla” surrounding Eldrick “Cheetah” Woods and The Masters is in full force so what better time to sip some Golf-themed wines? We gathered at the usual place (Bottle 12 wine bar) at the usual time (Thursdays at 6:30) with much anticipation so see if these wines would be birdies or bogeys. We were especially excited to see some new faces from the Kansas City Singles Golf Club who showed up in support of our Golf-themed event.

Our round started with the 2007 Joullian Sias Cuvee Zinfandel, a nicely balanced wine that does not overpower you with too much fruit or alcohol. A nice sipper. This wine made “the cut” because the winemaker is Ridge Watson, brother of Tom Watson.

Next we teed up the 2007 Arnold Palmer Cabernet Sauvignon which proved to be a fundamentally correct wine. Some in our group noted the dark cherry, raspberry and espresso flavors.

As we made the turn we uncorked the 2006 Greg Norman Shiraz. This 100% shiraz is a huge, thick wine that is fully ripe and dry.

Our finishing wine was the 2005 Engelbrecht Els “Proprietor’s Blend” from a winery that is co-owned by Ernie Els. This South African wine has a distinct personality with notes of cedar and cinnamon and was a crowd favorite.

If you have questions or comments on these wines please share them on our FaceBook page. http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=40515503&id=16924039&op=1&view=global&subj=687841578#!/group.php?gid=64060024902&ref=ts

Meritage first appeared in the late 80s after a group of American vintners joined forces to create a name for “New World” wines blended in the tradition of the wines from Bordeaux, France. The word was selected from 1,000’s of entries in an international contest. Meritage - combines “merit,” (high quality), with “heritage,” (historic tradition) into one word. Meritage wines are crafted from the so-called “noble” Bordeaux grape varieties and usually use the very best grapes of the vintage.

Some Meritage wines have proprietary names in addition/ instead of Meritage. A few examples you may have heard of are Merryvale “Profile” and Franciscan “Magnificant”, & even though they are not members of the Meritage association Joseph Phelps Insignia and Opus One qualify as Meritage blends. 
Ok, enough intro, what is the criteria for a wine to be a Meritage? A Red Meritage is a blend of two or more of the red “noble” Bordeaux varieties — Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Merlot, Petit Verdot and the rarer St. Macaire, Gros Verdot and Carmenère. If the blend includes any other grape variety, it is, by definition, not a Meritage. This means you Menage Y Trois! Also, to qualify as a Meritage, no single grape variety can make up more than 90% of the blend.
In the “New World” most wines are named after the grape variety. However, for a wine to be labeled “Cabernet Sauvignon” labeled it must be at least 75% Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. Many winemakers believe the 75+% varietal requirement does not necessarily result in the highest quality wine. Thus, they created the term “Meritage” to identify wines that more fully represent the winemaker’s art of blending and to distinguish these wines from the more generic term, “red table wine.” It seems like kind of a big deal over little…but that is the wine world for you.

Blending is the personal expression of the winemaker’s vision, a combination of skill and intuition that unites the elements of the winemaking process to create a work of art. It is the magic that gifted winemakers use to create wines of intrigue and enchantment. So there.

White Meritage wines are so rare that we should just skip the discussion. ‘Nuff said.
Here are some quick reviews on Meritage wines HWG sampled for this article.
Lyeth, Sonoma County, 2007 – nice color and body with gentle but not obvious fruit. Thin on the middle palate and back. Meh. $18.
Chappellet Mountain Cuvee, Napa Valley, 2006 – complex on the nose which follows thru to the palate. Mixed spices, full fruit flavor and a good balance. $29
Estancia, Paso Robles, 2006 – oak, dill, oak and oak. Pretty nice fruit and dryness but the lack of balance was less than appealing to HWG. $34

.
If you have any questions or comments you can send them to hwg@happywineguy.com and please be my friend on Facebook.