Headache from wine sulfite allergy- fact or fiction?

Here is a very interesting article by John Kelly, a trained biochemist and master winemaker for Westwood Wines regarding sulfite allergies, headaches and more...
Sulfites, Or Why do I have a headache?

See my review of the Westwood 2000 Sonoma Valley Syrah here.
And my notes on tasting in Sonoma and the Westwood tasting salon here.

The Wine Rack: Red Wine Headache- sulfites, histamines or ??

Canella Prosecco Di Conegliano DOC

Barb thought this one of the most enjoyable sparkling wines or champagnes she has ever tasted. Wine Enthusiast rated this 87 pts. and a best buy- $15.
Prosecco is a sparkling wine from Conegliano in the Venice region of Italy, made from the grape varietal Prosecco. Canella is the winemaker.

Light straw color, hints of peach, pear and honeydew. Slightly dry and acidic with a hint of sweetness make a nice balance. Low alcohol at 11%.
If you like sparkling wines you should try this one.

Italian wine classification system

Carlo, vino and furniture- Hilarious

I was on the Gallo website (its a hugh site a real juggernaut) looking at the E&J line of brandy and cognac (trivia time- both brandy and cognac are distilled from wine).
Anyway, looking around the different Gallo product lines I saw good old Carlo Rossi wines. You remember cheap (err...inexpensive) Carlo Rossi jugs of wine from high school and college days?

Well I bet you never realized the artistic functionality of those jugs- take a look;
Carlos Rossi Wines- Jug Simple
Think of it as Jug Shui for the home.
BTW- I use the brandy to make Separators; 1 shot of brandy, 2 shots of Kalua and milk to suit. Tasty coffee flavored drinks and after a few you separate the men from the boys.

Tasting Notes- Hahn Estates & Cycles Gladiator

I first became aware of Hahn and Cycles Gladiator wines from Phil Paley who had sampled the 2003 Cycles Gladiator Syrah. Cycles Gladiator is an alternate label for Hahn but both lines are exceptional values.
So when I saw that East Beach Wines in Santa Barbara was hosting a tasting of Hahn Estates & Cycles Gladiator wines Barb and I headed down to the beach to give them a try. We had a great time with Jonie and Issac who lead the tasting.
Disclaimer- I did not take notes for this tasting and borrow from the wineries descriptions were appropriate.

2005 Cycles Gladiator Pinot Grigio
Barbara and I do not drink much white wine but we both felt this was one we could enjoy sipping. This would pair wonderfully with fruit, light cheese or mild fish.
Melon and fresh citrus with a delicate floral perfume. The flavors carry that same distinct citrus and melon. The acid lends structure to the wine and sustains the finish but is not so tart that it overpowers the fruit.
Retail- $11 Alcohol- 13%

Awards:
Silver Medal- 2006 San Francisco International Wine Competition
Bronze Medal- 2006 California State Fair
Bronze Medal- 2006 International Eastern Wine Competition
Gold Medal- 2006 West Coast Wine Competition
Silver Medal- 2006 Los Angeles County Fair
Gold Medal-2006 Finger Lakes International Wine Competition
Silver Medal- 2006 San Diego National Wine Competition


2004 Cycles Gladiator Syrah
The cellars notes are right on here-
An intriguing combination of raspberry and plum aromas framed by fresh cracked pepper and pretty oak notes. The mouth is decidedly rich and spicy with big red fruit flavors layered over spice, tobacco, and blueberry. The mouthfeel is full bodied with soft tannins that melt into a medium thread of acidity. We both rate this a must buy.
Retail- $10 Alcohol- 13.5%

Awards:
Silver Medal- 2006 San Francisco International Wine Competition
Double Gold & 97 Points- 2006 California State Fair
Bronze Medal- 2006 Orange County Fair
Silver Medal- 2006 International Eastern Wine Competition
Gold & Best of Class- 2006 West Coast Wine Competition
Critic's Award- 2006 Critic's Challenge Wine Competition,
Gold & Best Wine of the Show! - 2006 Los Angeles County Fair
Silver Medal- 2006 Riverside International Wine Competition
Double Gold Medal- 2006 Finger Lakes International Wine Competition
Bronze Medal- 2006 New World International Wine Competition


2004 Cycles Gladiator Cabernet Sauvignon
We really liked this and brought a few bottles home.
This Cab has aromas of raspberry, mint, and chocolate. Flavors of dark berries and plums with dusty tannins. Lush and mouthfilling from start to finish, good structure and concentration with lingering spice.
Retail- $10 Alcohol- 13.5%

Awards:
Gold Medal & Best of Show Red Wine- Sweepstakes Winner- 2006 San Diego National Wine Competition
Gold Medal-2006 New World International Wine Competition


2004 Hahn Meritage
We enjoyed this, probably the most refined and complex of the wines we tasted that day. Another good value.
The final is 42% Merlot, 38% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Petit Verdot, 7% Cabernet Franc, and 6% Malbec. An inky and intense Merlot-based wine with cherry, chocolate, and cedar on the nose. Overripe blackberry and raspberry flavors up front that expand and develop in the mouth into notes of plum and spice.
Price- $14

Wine Spectator's Top 100 wines 2005

Very interesting reading-
There are 26 California wines in the top 100. And apparently for the first time varietal Syrah or a blend containing the variety lead the list making up nearly one out of four.
I'm most interested in the highly rated value (cheaper) wine list. Yahoo!




The top scoring value releases of 2005-
50 outstanding Wines for $15 or less (90pts +)

Wine Spectator Top 100 wines of 2005-
The Top 100

Purchase
Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines of 2006

2005 Cline California Zinfandel

You can pick this up at Trader Joe's for $7.99- Great Value!
I bought one at the Cline tasting room for $11 :-/
anyway...
Fruit forward aromas and flavors of juicy raspberry and strawberry. Hints of spice with vanilla in the finish from the oak.
In summary juicy berry, soft and mature. This should age nicely, drinkable now give it a try.
Average age of vines to produce this wine are over 50 years old.

I've said this before but we love Cline's organic growing practices and environmental awareness. Since 2000 they have exceeded the industry's standard for organic growing, utilizing zero pesticides, zero petroleum based fertilizers, and zero herbicides. Please read more about their farming practices.

California Wine Trivia- San Luis Obispo County

San Luis Obispo County is now the fourth-largest premium grape-growing region in Coastal California, just behind Sonoma, Napa and Monterey counties (I was surprised about Monterey) and Santa Barbara County is fifth.
Over the past 20 years, vineyard acreage in San Luis Obispo County has increased to 15,300 acres. Those vineyards now account for $58 million in annual wine grape sales.
The two primary growing areas are at opposite ends of the county, Paso Robles in the north with it's very hot, dry climate and Edna Valley in the south with it's cooler, more temperate weather.

2002 Baileyana Edna Valley Syrah

2002 Baileyana Winery, "Edna Valley, Firepeak Vineyard" Estate Bottled Syrah- $18 retail/$34-$39 restaurant.
Aromas of plum, vanilla and a hint of fresh mown lawn (in a good way, I think the official tasting verb is herbaceous), opens to reveal more dark berry.
Primary flavors of plum/prune, vanilla and a touch of spice.
This a profound and classy wine, even elegant. Smooth overall with nice balance and body. It has a medium finish.

Frankly it took a bit for this wine to grow on me, but it was worth it. Perhaps it was my taste at first and the wine opening longer.
It was great with my spicy chicken burrito...lol.
It would be interesting to try this wine again in few years.

You can pick it up from The California Wine Club. for $10.50 if you buy 6 bottles or more.

Edna Valley-
This is the first wine I've reviewed from the Edna Valley region of San Luis Obispo.
I learned that the Edna Valley runs from Arroyo Grande to San Luis Obispo just east of the coastal range from hwy. 101 and Pismo/Avila beach.
The valley is eight miles long is known for its distinctive topography and climate. It was designated as an American Viticultural Area in 1982. It gets fog from its proximity to the coastline and a mild climate, this gives the valley one of the longest growing seasons in California. While the inland areas heat up during the day, the summer fog and afternoon ocean winds act as a natural cooling system keeping the valley’s temperatures far below the averages found in some of the more inland growing regions of the Central Coast. These climatic conditions are ideal for growing concentrated Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and cooler climate Syrah.
There is a surprising number of vineyards and wineries located there.
Here is a map of the valley with contact info for some of the wineries.

FYI- I looked these up in a wine tasters glossary:
Herbaceous- Aromas reminiscent of fresh grass or hay; grassy, as in certain Sauvignon Blancs; also the green pepper character of some Cabernets.
Herby- Reminiscent of herbs, such as mint, sage, thyme, or of eucalyptus.

List of wines rated 90+ points for under $20!

I found this list of wines rated at 90 points and above for under $20.
The wines are rated by noted publications like Wine Spectator, Wine Enthusiast, Wine Advocate and more.
90 Point Wines Under $20
The list is also sortable by Most Popular, Top Rated, A-Z etc.

Borsao Campo De Borja Spain 2003

Borsao has an open, forward nose full of fresh red raspberries and oaky vanilla spice, with hints of black fruit and a touch of violet. A soft, velvety texture in the mouth carries bright berry flavors. It finishes with a chalky acidity, and with mild to medium tannins that round out the structure. This is a soft, pleasant, berry-filled, spicy red wine with a flavor profile that many people will find appealing. This bottle was given to me by the wine specialist at L & K Market in Santa Monica, Amin Ajani, very knowledgeable about wine even though he doesn't drink a drop. I've seen it on the internet for as low as $7.99, I enjoyed it with my sweetheart and some chicken picatta.

2000 Ballentine Napa Merlot

$22 retail/$30-$35 restaurant- This was the second selection we recieved from The California Wine Club.
We were impressed with their first selection, The 2002 Juliana Napa Valley Zinfandel and were looking forward to trying this one.
Ruby color and bright raspberry, spicy aromas. Nice body and finish with hints of vanilla. This wine was a little dryer and less smooth than I would have expected for a Merlot of this age. It takes some time to open fully.
We were a little disappointed with this wine, perhaps our expectations were to high. It went great with our pizza and should pair well with any Italian or grilled meat. At $22 and above I wouldn't recommend it, but you can purchase from the remaining supply at The California Wine Club. for $10.50/bottle, at that price this wine is worth a try.

Awards:
Silver - Florida State Fair
Bronze - Atlanta Intl. Wine Summit

Sonoma Wine Tasting- Castle Wines

Castle Vineyards Tasting Room

Just a few doors from the plaza in Sonoma is the Castle Vineyards tasting room. Its located in a small cottage and has some comfortable lounging chairs and tables inside along with the tasting bar. Outside is on the terrace you can do your tasting in a garden setting. The staff was great- patient, knowledgeable and interesting.
Their wines produced with a minimal amount of intervention and are not over extracted or over oaked, and are very fruit driven, which makes for great food pairings or savored on their own. Barbara and I enjoyed their style.
Castle wines are not sold in stores, only through their tasting room and website .

• 2003 Grenache Noir Sonoma Valley - $20- Rich raspberry and French vanilla aromas lead to bright cherry flavors and a silky finish. We picked this up for Lois, the ladies at the tasting room say they love to sip this wine on its own.

• 2002 Sonoma Valley Zinfandel- $22- Jammy fruit flavors of boysenberry and black cherry aromas and continue in your mouth. Sweet light oak carries the fruit to a long rich finish.

Cline Cellars- July 2006

Cline Cellars
On our way out of Napa, headed back to Rohnert Park, we came across the Cline winery and had a great time there. The grounds are beautiful; flower gardens, ponds, birds and roses. There are picnic areas on the grounds, bring your own lunch. The tasting room staff was knowledgeable and friendly.

We are very supportive of Cline's commitment to organic growing practices and protecting the environment. Since 2000 they have exceeded the industry's standard for organic growing, utilizing zero pesticides, zero petroleum based fertilizers, and zero herbicides. Please read more about their farming practices.

Cline produces Rhone-style wine: full of fruit, light on oak, and makes great matches with today’s more casual and diverse dining trends.

• 2003 Cool Climate Syrah- $16- aromas of tobacco and pepper, this wine is drinkable now. Should be great with a steak or Mexican.


• 2005 California Zinfandel- $11- Great Value! A wide range of dark berries: blackberry, raspberry and strawberry. Hints of spice with vanilla in the finish from the oak. Average age of vines to produce this wine are over 50 years old. Barbara brought a bottle home.
• 2004 Big Break Zinfandel- $28- Robust and powerful. Earthy berries, dark chocolate and spicy oak. This wine will stand up to any food.
• 2004 Live Oak Zinfandel- $28- Black cherry and berries, peppery tones. More refined and laid back than the Big Break, Barb and I liked this better.
• 2004 Sonoma Zinfandel- $26- This wine bursts with strawberry aroma and flavor. It has a velvety texture. Vanilla and toasted oak notes, nice acid balance and firm finish.
  
  More mature and smooth than the 2005 California Zinfandel. This should be great with Italian food. Barb loved the strawberry tones and bought a bottle to try at home. I think this will age well the next few years. I recommend trying this one.

2004 Trinchero Family Lake County Cab

$8 at Costco. This wine is young and a bit raw but has future potential. Dark cherries, dark chocolate and cassis are the dominant aromas and flavors. I don't recommend drinking this on it's own yet although it's probably fine with barbeque or pizza. In the same price range at Costco and drinkable now are the Meridian Merlot and Cab and the BV Cab.

Napa Wine Tasting- July 2006

Barb and I made a quick Santa Barbara to Sonoma run to pick up Amanda, who started her summer spending a few weeks with big sister Jennie.
Since we got an early start and made good time we came up along the east bay and headed for Napa to explore.
Napa is not as user friendly for the "accidental" wine taster as Sonoma. When you hit the old town district of Sonoma, boutique winemaker’s tasting rooms are scattered around the plaza within easy walking distance. Feeling lucky or perhaps naive we pulled into Napa and headed for Old Town. Ahem...old town has a new mall in the center, not quite the ambiance we expected or the quaintness of Sonoma. We couldn't find any tasting rooms in walking distance and the local promotional maps kept pushing the wine bars/tasting rooms. I suggest new visitors to Napa do their homework and some planning before they arrive.
After the long drive and 100 degree heat we headed for a wine bar (and air conditioning!) to relax and do some tasting. We picked one of the closest wine bars recommended by the Visitor Center called "The Bounty Hunter".
The Bounty Hunter is a wine bar, tasting room, café and wine store.
Right off the bat- the air conditioning works great and the ribs in the smoker smelled wonderful, good so far. But they had nothing but cheese to eat between lunch and dinner and they don’t have enough local wines by the glass or taste which is not so cool. This is Napa, why not more local wines? Confusing….

Barb chose to try their blockbuster Cab flight, these were billed as some top California Cab’s from The Bounty Hunter’s own wine club. 3 wines, 2oz pours for $15- ok let’s give it a try.

• 2004 Avalon Cabernet Sauvignon- $18 retail/bottle - herby/floral nose, some blue cheese and something odd that neither of us could name. (Trying to name that aroma was the most intriguing part of our time at The Bounty Hunter). The flavor is flat and watery. Based on this tasting I do not recommend this wine.
• 2003 Ramian Mt. Veeder Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon- $45 retail/bottle - Aromas of leather and tobacco. Again we just didn’t find much if any flavor in this wine. At this price definitely not recommended.
• 2003 Waypoint Hidden Ridge Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon- $65 retail/bottle - The best of these three disappointing wines. Very floral nose. Dark chocolate, coffee bean and cherry liqueur flavors. The right dryness in the finish. Not a great wine and certainly not a great value. Not recommended.

I tried a 5oz pour of the 2003 MacRostie Carneros Pinot Noir- $28 retail/bottle. Fruity grape and dark chocolate aroma. Again juicy grape flavors with earthy tones. Not a spicy Pinot at all, soft yet crisp with that grape on the finish. This wine has potential but could probably use some more time.

Aries Pinot Noir Los Carneros 2004

Tried this wine tonight with my brother. Jammy strawberry rhubarb, toasted rose, licorice, earthy truffle, cinnamon and peppermint stix, Nice balance and structure, and it's organic! $17.99 at Vicente Foods. Let it breathe.

Sonoma Wine Tasting- June 2006

Sonoma-Enoteca
Located right on the plaza in Sonoma, on the corner of 1st. Street East and East Napa, twelve of Sonoma county's boutique winemakers have joined together to sell their hand crafted wines.
Many of these wines can't be bought in stores, only through Sonoma-Enoteca and the wineries own websites. All of Sonoma-Enoteca's participating wineries produce in small lots in the artisan tradition.
For $5 you get to pick six selections to taste out twelve choices. This is a fun stop if you visit Sonoma and a great place to try boutique wines from small artisan wineries.

Sonoma-Enoteca participating wineries:

• Abundance Vineyards- to see the review of their 2003 Old Vine Zinfandel click here.
• Brutocao Cellars
• Brion
• Dreyer Sonoma- we brought their 2004 Chardonnay ($12)- back for Lois and John. Green apple notes, rich, food balance between fruit/oak. Value. Barb and I also sampled their 2003 Alexander Valley Cab and really liked it- rich flavor, cherries, wild berries and dark chocolate.
• Favero
• Madrone Ridge
• Noah
• Manzanita Creek
• Ricci Carneros
• Robert Stemmler

Westwood Wine's Tasting Salon

Just down the block from Sonoma-Enoteca on East Napa St. is a small pedestrian alleyway, at the top of the alley entrance I spied a small sign, simply saying "Wine Tasting". A glance down this walking alley and all I could see was one small alcove and the alley extending to the other side of the block. Feeling adventurous I headed down the alley to explore and found a great treat, Westwood Wines tasting salon. In the alcove there was one door, I hesitated until I saw a small table with a wine bottle and entered. The salon was appointed like a living room; leather couch and lounge chairs, paintings, photos and music. At first I thought I'd entered some private area. From a back room came a tall man who greeted me warmly. This was John Kelly, winemaker and partner of Westwood .

John immediately put me at ease, he was as relaxing as the salon ambiance. Obviously knowledgeable about wine, wine making and the local area, John is also very down to earth. He will make even the novice wine taster feel comfortable. This is a relaxed environment, and John never makes you feel rushed. In fact I spent a few hours in the salon; sampling Westwood's excellent Syrah's and Pinot Noir's, speaking with John about Westwood, wine, the wine business and the Sonoma area.

I loved their Syrah's, even bought a few bottles. See my review of the 2000 Sonoma Valley Syrah here.
The Pinot Noir's are exquisite.
If you visit Sonoma this is a "must" stop.

McManis Family Vineyards Syrah 2003

The medium-dark purple color is suggestive of the roasted berry fruit scents found in this wine. The aromas are of dense, big jammy fruit; raspberries, plums, candied orange peel and Pixie Stix. We liked this one, especially at $12.95.

2000 Westwood Sonoma Valley Syrah

Highly recommended. At $25 this is a more expensive bottle then I would normally purchase, but I would have expected to pay more for a wine of this quality, this is a good value.

Damn I love this wine, this my current favorite. The aroma is fruity, peppery and large right from the cork through the glass. The color a deep ruby. The flavors are strongly reminiscent of berries and some exotic fruit- almost citrus like, this could be from the sweet fruit flavor and acidity. Great big yet smooth finish. This wine is fun to drink on its own and I can't imagine any food it wouldn't go well with.
There is a lot going on with this wine and it will continue to mature, it will be interesting to see what it's like in a few years.
Winemaker John Kelly says it so much better, "The wine opens in the glass over time to reveal blueberries, raspberry syrup, plum preserves and truffle...This is a big mouthful of a wine, still evolving in the bottle".
Read all of John's notes here:
Winemaker's Tasting Notes
Mike

2002 Rosemount Syrah Australia

Winner of 3 gold medals, rated a best buy by several sources and Wine Advocate 90 pt. rating. $6 at Cost Plus World Market.

Blackberries and peppery flavors. A little dry/chalky on the finish for me but overall Barb and I liked it. This would be great with a steak or Mexican. Overall an excellent value. Mike

Zinfandel

2003 Abundance Vineyards Old Vine Zinfandel
2002 Juliana Napa Valley Zinfandel
2005 Cline California Zinfandel
2002 Castle Sonoma Valley Zinfandel
2004 Rosenblum San Francisco Bay Zinfandel
2003 Renwood Old Vine Zinfandel
2003 A-Mano Primitivo

2003 Abundance Vineyards Old Vine Zinfandel

We sampled this bottle with a mixed group of experienced to novice wine tasters. Everyone remarked favorably at the fragrant, fruity aroma. We all agreed it has a full body and burst on the palette with juicy berry concentrate. Barb mentioned a hint of leather.
Mature tannins, well balanced and a long finish.
This wine continued to open nicely in the glass and gave us something to think and talk about.

I thought it went well with our wide cheese selection and everyone remarked it would be great with Italian or barbeque.
This will be hard to find in stores, I picked this up in Sonoma for $14 and you can buy it on their website for $16, it's well worth it.
Abundance Vineyards
Awards:
SILVER - 2006 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition
SILVER - 2005 Orange County Fair Wine Competition

2002 Juliana Napa Valley Zinfandel

2002 Juliana Napa Valley- This was the first wine I received from The California Wine Club, and we were overjoyed with this selection. Mellow full bodied, red ripe fruit flavors- cherry & raspberry. Good structure, nice tannins. We REALLY liked this.
Not found in stores but you can order through the wine club for $10.50/bottle.
Est. retail $18/resturant $29-$34.
Mike

2003 Cycles Gladiator Central Coast Syrah

My good friend Phil Palley (surfer extraordinaire) has a nice review of this wine on his blog, sounds like a great deal.

Read the review here:
The Wine Rumpus

2004 Century Cellars (BV) Cabernet Sauvignon

2 liter! bottle at Costco for $7 w/ rebate. This is a great table wine, we were surprised how smooth and well rounded it was, very drinkable.
I thought of sweet berries and hints of smoky flavor, soft finish with a little dryness at the end.
Barb and Tammy both remarked it reminded them of cherries and was slightly sweet in the finish.
It held up well with our barbecue of spicy Tri-tip with Montreal seasoning, pasta and corn on the cob.
This jug-o-wine is a great value.
Mike