Premier: Wine Made Easy

From Bernhard Eifel’s vineyards along Germany’s Mosel River comes this delectable Riesling, named, presumably, for his son or grandson. It is a bargain at this price, drinking more like a Spätlese than an entry level Qualitätswein. Aromas of honeysuckle and sweet spices introduce a wine of remarkable pedigree: rich and round flavors of honey, peach nectar and Golden Delicious apple meld in a generous and caressing mouthfeel. Its lengthy finish and well-balanced acidity leave one’s mouth watering for more. Perfect with spicy Thai dishes and other piquant Asian cuisines.

From the producer of the highly-regarded, consistently 90+ scoring Châteauneuf-du-Pape “Les Cailloux” comes this younger and less fully-developed sibling, which, nonetheless, does its lineage proud. A blend of 75% Grenache, 15% Cinsault and 10% Syrah from 40 year old vines, this wine has a spicy nose of rosemary and herbes de Provence. The flavors of ripe black cherry and cassis fill the mouth with velvet warmth and silken texture. Its moderate acidity is well-integrated, and the finish is lingering. The wine is bottled unfiltered. I have exhausted my allotment of descriptive adjectives as allowed by my wine curmudgeon, Scottish neighbor Robin Mitchell, who has turned Francophile and taken a position as host of Robert Wilmers’ fine Château Haut Bailly in Graves. Should any of you anticipate a visit to Bordeaux in the next two years, don’t hesitate to call him! As for André Brunel: a luscious wine at a remarkable price!

A shoe-in great find from Puglia, the Copertino is definitely no heel. A blend of 70% Negroamaro, 15% Montepulciano and 15% Black Malvasia, it greet the nose with aromas of black fruits, black cherry, black raspberry and black currants and hints of savory spices. These ripen on the palate with a warm, full, rich and velvety mouthfeel. The wine has solid structure and admirable balance, and finishes long, with a mild but pleasant astringency. The fruit has such jammy concentration that one would never guess the 14% alcohol. I served it with risotto with porcini mushrooms, but it would be an equally good companion with hearty stews, grilled meats and game, or preparations with wild mushrooms.

Intense aromas of blackberry and black cherry explode from the glass, followed by concentrated flavors of grilled meat, tobacco and mocha. Mouth-coating and unctuous, these black fruit and other pungent flavors continue to evolve and integrate on the palate. A Bordeaux-style blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, the 2006 Capaia has great length and a finish that echoes all its initial flavors, with chewy tannins that give structure to its broad palette of flavors. Great with hearty stews, game or lamb. Give Capaia a traia — it will set your taste buds afaia.

The nose of this appealing white Bordeaux is only a prelude to its flavors of lemon zest, quince and tangy lemon meringue pie. The Sauvignon Blanc is softened and fleshed-out a bit by an equal percentage of Semillon, which gives the wine a more rounded texture. Dry, fresh and crisp with a fresh minerality reminiscent of a spring rain on stone, the wine finishes with lively and persistent acidity. For sipping with friends accompanying mild cheeses and with an almost limitless variety of seafood and chicken preparations.

Vouvray is a charming and picturesque town on the Loire River, about midway on the river’s easterly meanderings toward Paris. Perhaps even more captivating are the white wines that are produced from the vineyards surrounding it and that bear its name as their Appellation Controlèe. Chenin Blanc is the grape, and there is evidence of its being cultivated in the region as early as the 6th Century. Although grown elsewhere in the world, it is here that it realizes its most profound and varied expressions. From dry to sparkling, from demi-sec (half-dry) to the botrytised moelleux (mellow), whose wines can live for 100 years, the grape is a chameleon. The 2007 Poultière Demi-Sec entices with a nose of lavender and honeysuckle. Flavors of ripe Asian pear, quince and candied lemon envelop the tongue, and its ample body is silken in the mouth. Its persistent acidity perfectly balances its unabashed semi-sweetness, igniting the salivary glands and keeping the aftertaste astonishingly long. This won’t be a wine for Robin, the wine curmudgeon, mired as he is in Malbec, but his lovely bride might appreciate its more refined qualities. Perfect with Asian cuisine, curries, ham and many pork preparations.

There is neither anything “little” nor “commonplace” about this wine from Henri Bourgeois, one of our favorite producers of quality Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé. If I were a betting man, I would wager that it is the child of young vines from the same vineyards that give birth to its two elder statesmen. It is barely disguised as a mini-Sancerre with tangy aromas and flavors of cut grass, snow peas and Granny Smith apple, and the vibrant minerality and acidity characteristic of wines of the Eastern Loire. At half or more the price of Sancerre or Pouilly-Fumé, it is the perfect summer quaff, and would flatter a crab salad or shrimp on the Weber (charcoal, please!). My neighbor Robin, self-appointed wine review critic and reverse wine snob, might think I’ve been a poseur in this review, but, I assure him, I have meant every word Sancerrely.

Nestled beneath the Alps in northeastern Italy, the region of Valdobbiadene is as inviting as its sparkling wine. Prosecco, made with the grape of the same name, is not a sparkler that needs over-analysis. True, its juicy pear and apple flavors and lively bubbles have immediate appeal, and, true as well, Prosecco made from grapes grown in the most prized vineyards often show more depth, complexity and structure than their more modest namesakes. But it is, most of all, a sparkling wine to be enjoyed without a great deal of ceremony. Recently, I had the privilege to taste the whole product line of Mionetto with its winemaker, Alessio Del Savio: from the simplest to the most complex, all pure pleasure. It is delightful, affordable and extremely versatile: on its own, on any occasion, in mimosas or bellinis, or served as they do in the Veneto in a Spritz — equal parts of Prosecco and Aperol or Campari over ice, garnished with a slice of orange.

Who doesn’t savor the salty sea breezes that carry with them every memory we have of the ocean and all the mystery and majesty it evokes. Pedro Romero Manzanilla Sherry captures all this in a bottle. Made in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, just northwest of Jerez, Manzanilla is the lightest and driest style of Sherry, deriving much of its character and flavor from its proximity to the sea. It is clean, fresh, vibrant and briny, with a salty tang and a persistent but subtle undercurrent of new metal, reminiscent of that gulp of seawater you took by mistake as a kid. Bone dry, it has electric acidity that strikes your palate like a lightening bolt. The aftertaste is long and penetrating. Great as an aperitivo with marcona almonds or with seafood tapas or sushi. As Bizet’s fiery Carmen sings, “J’irai danser la Séguédille, Et boire du Manzaniila. J’irai chez mon ami Lillas Pastia.” (I’ll dance the Seguidilla and drink Manzanilla at the tavern of my friend Lillas Pastia.) Wow, that gypsy sure knew how to have a good time!

Most of us know Pecorino as the hard, piquant Italian cheese we grate on our pasta. It is made from the milk of ewes, for which the Italian name is pecora and, in the diminutive, pecorino or “little sheep.” It is also the name of a little-known white grape variety, indigenous to the central Italian regions that border the Adriatic Ocean, most notably The Marche. For more than a thousand years, in the city of Ascoli Piceno near the southern border of The Marche, the descendants of Count Saladini Pilastri have been among the region’s most esteemed producers. The D.O.C Offida, only recognized in 2000–2001, takes its name from a village, nestled in gently rolling hills and valleys between the Adriatic and the Appenines, where the ocean breezes temper the climate. But there is nothing sheepish about the wine Pecorino produces here. It captivates with spicy, floral aromas followed by juicy flavors of quince, citron, Asian pear and cantaloupe, and hints of other tropical fruits that your own imagination can suggest. Medium- to full-bodied, it is a luscious mouthful with a succulent and lengthy finish and acidity lively enough to keep it from becoming “cheesy.” Try with chunks of its eponymous cheese or risotto with shrimp and arugula. Don’t be b-a-a-shful or let anyone pull the wool over your eyes: this is one of Italy’s newest white wine secrets. Ewe’ll find yourself coming back for it again and again.