She says: We have a habit. It’s a benign habit, but it’s a habit. Often we will take pictures of the light in a restaurant as it shines through the wine in our glasses. Sometimes we capture candle light, sometimes it’s the light above the table. Just depends. Whoa, can you believe how adventurous we are? Ha, ha!! We’ve set a few to music, and we share them with you here. Enjoy!
HE and SHE both say: Wine made in Hawaii? Yes, indeed. There are wineries in all 50 states now, including Hawaii. We were really pleasantly surprised by the quality of the wine here, and the staff was really warm and inviting. Here is our experience visiting Maui’s Tedeschi Vineyards.
Maui's Winery at Ulupalakua, aka Tedeschi Winery
The formal name is Tedeschi Vineyards, the more common name is Maui’s Winery at Ulupalakua Ranch. It is as beautiful as you would imagine, like so many things in upcountry Maui. When you get tired of the beaches and bikinis — and trust us, you will — head to upcountry on the side of Haleakala volcano and have some ranch-style fun at the Tedeschi Winery.
Originally the 20,000 acres of Ulupalakua Ranch was a sugar plantation. The last sugar crop was harvested in 1883 and the land became a cattle ranch. The 22-acre Tedeschi Vineyard (a few miles from the winery) was established in 1974 and their first grapes were harvested in 1980. Because of the warm weather, the harvest is in August and September. The first wine they released in 1977 was a pineapple wine that they still make today. Click here for a more complete history of the land.
Sally took about 20 of us on a short tour of the grounds and gave a brief description of the trees and basic biology of the land. After a quick look at the former sugar mill that is now the winery, it was on to the tasting room where Elena was a gracious host.
The tasting room is in a historic building which is called The King’s Cottage. King David Kalakaua and Queen Kapi’olani were frequent guests of the ranch owners, and so in 1874 this special cottage was built just for them. You can see pictures and read more about the cottage here.
Serve with: In general, Maui wines are perfect for almost any light seafood dinner you might serve, vegetarian dinner, or any island style meal you might have planned for summer – or even Indian Summer. They are great picnic wines as they are light and fun. During other seasons, you might find some of these fit with Asian dinners, since Asian is rather difficult to pair up with many of the heavier California wines we write about.
The Maui winery does not usually bottle by vintages which is a little different, so you won’t see vintage years beside most of these wine names. We tasted 8 wines and enjoyed a completely unique wine experience.
(1) Upcountry Gold, Chardonnay ~ French Colombard blend. (this wine is not listed on their current website. You’ll have to email them and ask when it will be available again. info AT mauiwine DOT com )
HE says: Pure straw color. Dry & crisp, but not much fruit. I gave it a 13 on my scale of 1 – 20.
SHE says: You taste so good, I hardly even notice you’re a chardonnay.
(2) Rose Ranch Cuvee – this sparkling wine is primarily made from chardonnay, with a touch of pinot noir to give it complexity and a little blush.
HE Says: This sparkler had a nice balance. Good fruit, dry. Who knew they could make a good sparkler in Hawaii? – I rate it a solid 14+.
SHE Says: You’re super-bubbly! You can stay all day!
(3) Ulupalakua Red - 40% Syrah / 60% Merlot. The grapes are brought in from California for this wine, as we recall. The blend changes depending on the grapes. The previous blend was Cab-Syrah.)
HE says: Very soft, like violet & velvet. You can really taste the merlot. It’s easy to drink, but needs more body. 13+
SHE says: You’re a little stiff for me.
HE says: Stiff? Are we drinking the same wine?
(4) Mele, 2007 Syrah ~ Estate Grown Mele is a chant or a song in Hawaiian
HE says: This full-bodied red exhibited a beguiling spicy berry and chocolate nose. It had berry flavors and was soft, with little tannin. Spice after-tones rounded out the taste. Yummy! 14+
SHE says: You’re complicated, but I like you. I don’t usually have time for complicated things, but you — I like.
(5) Hula O Maui – Sparkling wine. Made entirely from Maui Gold pineapples, grown on Maui. Pineapples grow year-round so there’s always an ongoing harvest and wine production.
HE says: Despite being made only from pineapples, the pineapple notes & flavors were very subtle. It was a clean sparkler, and would go nicely with Asian food. I can honestly say it was the best non-grape wine I’ve ever tasted. Maui champagne, gotta love it! 14+
SHE says: You’re lovely. You smell like pineapple, but you don’t taste like pineapple – just lovely and fruity are you.
Serving suggestion: A Maui wedding perhaps? Yes, this sparkling wine is perfect for a Maui wedding celebration. Click to see wedding photographer Megan Finley’s inspiration board for a Maui wedding design.
(6) Maui Blanc – from Maui grown pineapples. Non sparkling still wine.
HE says: This pineapple wine had a very floral nose. It has stronger pineapple flavors than the Hula O Maui sparkler, but not much body. 13+
SHE says: Lots of pineapple – ooo0-wee! Love ya. Aloha.
(7) Maui Splash (Pineapple + Passion Fruit and their biggest seller)
HE says: This one smells like a gardenia. Very fruity – almost like a sangria. This is really a fun & simple summer wine, great for a party or for people who like fruity wines.
SHE says: You’re so fruity! I want to invite you home to meet all my fruity friends!
(8) Framboise de Maui – Raspberry Wine (20% alcohol)
HE says: Framboizzzzz! I love saying it like a snooty Frenchman. Like most framboises (framboizzzzzzzes?), it had a really intense nose. It was very smooth & velvety. A bit too strong for me to have on it’s own, but great with ice cream or other desserts.
SHE says: A bit bitter, are we? Guess you haven’t been in Maui long enough to relax properly.
Serving suggestion: Try it with chocolate, over ice cream or maybe with some sparkling water — why not try a pinch in champagne or in the Hula O Maui sparkling wine? That would be fun.
Where do you find Maui wines? Good question. SHE bought her first bottle of Maui Splash when she was dating He and wanted to surprise him with a wine she was sure he’d never tasted before. Cost Plus World Market was where she stumbled across Maui Splash. They almost always have Maui Wines in stock. Click here for a list of where you’ll find Maui wines.
HE and SHE both say: NewsMax Magazine emailed us a few weeks ago while they were writing an article on the best wines of Argentina. Nice work if you can get it. They requested permission to re-print Melinda’s photo of three bottles of Achaval Ferrer wine, a photo taken in the Achaval Ferrer tasting room in Argentina.
So here you go… proof of our emerging clout in the wine industry…ha, ha… It’s two photos of the photo! It appears in NewsMax March 2010 issue. Yeah, it’s that tiny little thing in the middle with a barely perceptible credit on the far right hand side of the page. On newsstands now! Hurry before it shrinks any smaller.
It’s actually a really great photo in it’s original size and you can see the original photo at this post:
http://barrysentials.wordpress.com/2008/11/16/achaval-ferrer/
Melinda’s photo published in NewsMax magazine, March 2010 issue.
Melinda’s photo of 3 Achaval Ferrer wine bottles published in NewsMax magazine March 2010.
HE SAYS: She’s finally published. I wonder if she’ll chill now.
SHE SAYS: Nope. I love to share!
Carl Tashian's Wine Flavor Visualization
SHE SAYS: It is magnificent to cross boundaries of many sorts. An NYU Grad student, Carl Tashian has taken to cross the boundaries between two senses — taste and sight, to create a visual representation of how wine tastes. — W-hat??
“Preposterous!” you say? Ney, possible and beautiful to boot. Take a look.
http://tashian.com/wine-flavors/
Notice how each line curves, is not straight. See that? Yes! Exactly like your thoughts after a few sips. I smell a Nobel Peace Prize in his future. Anyone who can do this, can certainly bring us world peace.
“Peace Through Wine” Yes. This is your mantra for the weekend.
Clos de Chacras – Vineyard and Winery
Clos de Chacras Gran-Estirpe Malbec
SHE SAYS: Want to feel really good? Like you are in love? Then click the link right here and go to the Clos de Chacras website. Listen to the music while you read what we’ve written about this Bodega.
HE SAYS: This is another boutique winery in the city of Chacras de Coria in the Luján de Cuyo area. Bautista Gargantini was one of the fathers of the Argentine wine industry in Mendoza. By 1911, their winery ranked as one of the world’s leading producers. In 1921 they opened a facility in Chacras de Coria, but it was later sold. Then in 1987, Bautista’s granddaughter Silvia Gargantini, and her husband, Alejandro Genoud, purchased it. Some remodeling and updating was required, but beyond that the approval process took an astounding 17 years and they just reopened in 2003. Well, it was well worth the wait.
Clos de Chacras - The gate to the barrel rooms.
SHE SAYS: It’s not very often that someone has the patience to wait for 17 years to create something they love, but here you will see and feel the value of those 17 years. The preservation of their history and the permanence of their long-term choices for the life of their winery are seen and felt in every corner.
Clos de Chacras tour. The cement fermentation tanks.
HE SAYS: We were lucky again and received a private tour of their old wine-making facility and saw some of the new improvements. Their old cement fermentation tanks are located underground, and the original gate that is reflected on their bottles is still there in the bottle storage area.
Clos de Chacras
They have long-term contracts to purchase grapes from the nearby Maipú area and the La Consulta and La Carrodilla areas in the Uco Valley. They make two lines – Cavas de Crianza, with Malbec, Merlot and Cabernet varietals, plus a blend of the three – and Gran Estirpe, their premium Malbec wine. We paid about about $10 US each for the tour and tasting, which included cheese and crackers.
SHE SAYS: The 2004 Gran Estirpe is why we are here. When we tasted the Gran Estirpe at Vines of Mendoza, we knew we had to visit Clos de Chacras. Seek the Gran Estirpe.
2006 Cavas de Crianza Malbec –
HE SAYS: Gorgeously purple colored Malbec from the Maipú region, with fruity and soft flavors. It shows great balance and is very smooth and has a wonderful mouth feel. This sold for about $30 Argentine pesos, or less than about $10 U.S. This is a great wine and a tremendous value. 15+
SHE SAYS: This is our forth winery of the day. I can tell you this one is beautiful, but I have no more words than that.
2005 Cavas de Crianza Cabernet –
HE SAYS: This also comes from Maipú and was deep and dark, with an earthy component to it. It is very good and very complex. It can age for about 5 or 6 years they think. Also a great value at around $10. 15
SHE SAYS: This one makes me cry. In a good way.
2005 Cavas de Crianza Blend –
HE SAYS: A blend of 40% Malbec and 30% each of Cab and Merlot. It was nice, had medium tannins, but was not as distinguished as the Cab or Malbec. As I recall, the blend costs just a bit more. 14
SHE SAYS: I am tired. I will trust you on this one.
2004 Gran Estirpe Malbec –
HE SAYS: We tasted this through the Vines of Mendoza. The grapes for this Malbec come from 100-year-old vines in Lunlunta (Maipú) in the Luján de Cuyo area. It has brilliant purple color and a full mouth feel, soft and warm like a warm brie. This Malbec has merlot and cabernet and was one of the best malbecs I tasted. They only produced 6,100 bottles and it has won a few awards, so it is well worth seeking out. Really delicious. 16+
SHE SAYS: Seek the Gran Estirpe. Since they make only 6,000 bottles, this will not be a part of your scheduled tasting. Just buy a bottle and take it home with you. You will have no regrets.
The Gran Estirpe aging in bottles.
HE and SHE both say: This is a very special wine that we share with you. Melville Winery is a favorite spot of ours. Melville Winery is located in the Santa Rita Hills of Lompoc, California, in the Santa Ynez Valley. Got all that? Hills, Valley, Saints, California, Mediterranean architecture . . . traces of heaven, right? We’ve had a bottle of 2005 Melville every August for the last three years and every year it gets better. Find some if you can.
Melville Winery
Do we have an ulterior motive? Indeed we do. We are sharing our joy with you. 2005 Melville wines were in the oak barrels Aug. 2006 when we celebrated our marriage with a wedding reception in the barrel room at Melville Winery. There were only 30 of us, but it felt like 300 and there was a ton of love, joy, dancing, good karma and laughter seeping into the barrels and “terroir” of Melville that day. When the 2005 wines were released, we bought a case — half pinot noir, half syrah — with the idea that we’d drink a bottle each year to celebrate our anniversary. When we decided we wanted to be married longer than 12 years, we went shopping for more. Uh, oh.
Now, back to the 2005 Melville Estate Pinot Noir, Verna’s
SHE drank her 2005 Melville Pinot with perfectly grilled lamb chops (medium rare, thank you), mashed potatoes, roasted heirloom tomatoes with eggplant, and Parma ham with melon and figs. HE drank his 2005 Melville Pinot with that same tremendous Parma ham, melon and fig appetizer — a pairing made in heaven — and veal saltimbocca topped with more Parma ham. Simply delicious.
HE SAYS: This wine was unbelievably good. From the very first smell to the glory of that first taste, all the way to the last swallow, this wine was outstanding. Beautiful color, with a lovely rose petal and violet scented nose, with a touch of mustiness. In the mouth, a most delicious bowl of strawberries and cherries. Very soft and well balanced, a real treat. We tasted this wine at Melville in May ’07 and my notes say “tasty, nice body, good balance” — a respectable 14+ in my ratings. No doubt the occasion and symbolism of the wine played a part, but this wine has grown up and developed into a seriously terrific wine. It was truly one of the finest California or Oregon pinot noirs I have ever tasted. It could be peaking now — gonna have to wait another year and see. A thundering 18+!
SHE SAYS: Wow. An 18+ Melville, are you reading? I hope he describes me like that someday. So to this lovely Pinot Noir, I say, “Mmmmmm. You are so sexy the way you sneak in and light my fire. Thank you!”
HE SAYS: One more note on Melville wines — I generally prefer their main line from Verna’s for pinot and syrah versus their Santa Rita Hills and other single vineyard designations. I find the fruit more forward and approachable in the Verna’s, which comes from their ranch in Los Alamos. Regardless, they consistently make very nice wines and their winery setting is just gorgeous. And if you’re in the neighborhood, be sure to check out Babcock right next door. SHE SAYS: That is way too much information for me. I just drink it.
HE and SHE both say: If you can find any 2005 Melville wines that were in the barrels that summer, we say pay whatever they want, just buy it!
HE is a former TV sports producer who turned to the more inspiring world of education – and HE’s a constant foodie. SHE is an actress, author, producer, and a stuck-like-a-magnet to HE kind of gal.
HE has spent a lifetime tasting wines. Beginning with the wines his parents brought back from Napa, Sonoma and Santa Barbara area from the 1970′s and 1980′s to his own collections beginning in the late 80′s. Add to that experience a professional wine-making brother (again in Napa and Sonoma), his time selling wine in Beverly Hills, and making taste distinctions for every sort of food and wine imaginable, HE is a true Olympian in the food and wine tasting space. SHE on the other hand thinks fine dining is anytime you sit rather than stand to eat your Cliff Bar and is cursed w/a simpler palate.
HE has perfected the art of the sandwich for tailgating before USC football games. SHE has been to one only two USC games and thinks USC band leader Art Bartner is God.
HE married her to get her family’s spaghetti sauce recipe (3 generations, thank you) and SHE married Him for His wine collection, His stunning memory for restaurants, and becuase HE does his own laundry.
He is a man with a refined palate — She thinks he’s making it all up. He sips wine and tastes fruit, foods, herbs, earth tones. She sips wine and it tastes like, well, wine – but she can tell you the personality behind the wine in just a few words. Check in often to see how their battle of wits and wines will leave you laughing and asking for more.
Eat, drink and be merry now, for tomorrow never comes.
