Aging wine with the hope that it will morph into something sublime is risky, but to me it's worth the gamble.

One of the benefits of surviving youthful excess, war, marriage, physical infirmities, children and several decades of stressful living is that I have accumulated several cases of older wine. As a matter of fact, I continue to collect wines which I feel are age-worthy, despite the real prospect that these bottles will outlive me. Some folks get wiser with old age. I just get more wine! While others were acquiring life skills, maturity, wealth and the wisdom that is evidenced by graying temples, I acquired..... more wine.

Over the years, I have experienced both the ecstasy of sipping liquid nirvana, and the agony of having to discard a wine "too long in the tooth." It can be a wonderfully pleasurable experience when you uncork that special bottle of wine you've allowed to languish for a decade or two in your cellar. Conversely, the experience can be tremendously unpleasant when the stuff from that coveted bottle smells like sewer gas and tastes like slightly spoiled witch hazel with nuances of mold. Yes, aging wine with the hope that it will morph into something sublime is risky, but to me it's worth the gamble. Why? Well, I have been fortunate to have had more good experiences than bad and, believe me when I say that the good experiences are usually wonderful.

In the past year, I have been uncorking some of these older wines and, for the most part, have been very pleased with the results. One particular bottle, a 1978 Borgono Barolo from the Piedmont area of northwest Italy, was a real treat and a shining example of what can result from the appropriate aging of wine. In its youth, Barolo is a purple monster with huge dollops of mouth-puckering tannin and searing acidity which can completely mask the earthy and dark fruit flavors hidden underneath. In the past decade, some Barolo producers have been making wines which are more approachable in their youth. But wines made in the old-world style, like the '78 Borgono, sometimes need decades to reach their potential.

Before opening the wine, I set it upright for two days to make sure that the sediment (which surely had formed over 29 years) would settle to the bottom of the bottle. I then carefully decanted the wine into a crystal carafe and was immediately concerned by the color of the brownish-orange liquid that came out of the bottle. Fearful that the wine had gone over the hill, I quickly poured myself a glass and, with a great deal of trepidation, put it to my nose for the first big test. What emanated from glass was redolent of damp earth, tack-room leather and teaberry mint. Next, I put the wine in my mouth and the first impression was its silky texture followed by a cherry/cola-like flavor with just a hint of caramel. Delicious!

I had planned on pairing the wine with a roasted meat dish, but, because of the Barolo's delicate condition, I decided to sip it with a cheese course right after dinner. While this was a wine worth waiting for, I plan on drinking the remaining two bottles over the next six months because I'm fearful it is on the downside of its peak, and is declining pretty quickly.

So how can you determine which wines to lie down for aging and which to drink right away? Obviously, you'll want to collect wines that have the best chance of being transformed into something more pleasurable as they age. That means buying wines such as Bordeaux, the Rhone Valley and Burgundy in France along with California Cabernet Sauvignon and Barolo, Barbaresco or Brunello Di Montalcino from Italy. You might also consider collecting Shiraz from Southeastern Australia and even Chardonnay from Burgundy.

These are among the most common "keepers" wine lovers collect, but you can experiment with other varietals too. For example, I am a believer that Zinfandel from Amador County in California's "Gold Country" has the potential to age well. I've also had good luck with Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon and late harvest Riesling and Gewurztraminer from Alsace.

Another absolutely essential element in determining the aging potential of a wine is to pick the vintage years that have been touted as exceptional. For example, wine experts have declared that both the 2000 and 2005 vintages in Bordeaux are spectacular and age-worthy. Likewise, the 1997, 1999 and 2001 vintages in Tuscany for Brunello Di Montalcino are considered exceptional and age worthy too. My advice is for you to check out the charts which rate the vintages for the major wine-producing regions. You can find these vintage charts in wine publications and online

Keep in mind that aging wine also requires a cool, humid, dark, vibration and odor-free environment. It doesn't need to be a fancy wine cellar, but it should meet the above-mentioned requirements so that your wine will have the best opportunity to reach maturity in good condition.

Until then, wrap your lips around a glass of ready-to-drink wine while both you and your special bottle mature.

 

Summer’s coming with a fury and, like a creature shedding fur, I’m transitioning from the heavy reds of winter to lighter and more refreshing wines which are better suited to the tropical temperatures to come. I’m also altering my food choices by selecting lighter meals with more fresh veggies and fruits. I am not, however, giving up red meat nor will I forego the pleasure of red wine. This is strictly a seasonal decision having nothing, I assure you, to do with a lifestyle change and everything to do with sating my hedonistic tendencies.

Okay, now that we have that cleared up, today I’m going to tell you about a great summertime meal beginning with a simple salad, followed by a light, spicy, yet rich, seafood entrée. Oh, and by the way, I’m going to suggest a couple of complementary wines that will make this a meal to remember.

First the salad. Some years back, a good friend was kind enough to present me with some arugula seeds which had -- how shall I put this-- somehow found their way into his luggage on his return from a trip to Italy. This was about 10 years ago and arugula was an exotic and highly prized green vegetable. I planted the seeds and fortunately, the arugula flourished, and consequently we have enjoyed this aromatic, peppery and nutty tasting green perennial vegetable in salads and in pasta dishes each spring and early summer.

Nowadays, you can find arugula in many supermarkets and from smaller fruit and vegetable vendors (The Purple Onion in Charleston’s Capitol Market usually has a good supply). Arugula is native to Italy and these folks use it in a number of ways, one of which is to simply clean it, dry it then dress it with olive oil, fresh lemon, sweet onions and salt and pepper. To this mixture, I add thinly sliced fennel (from the bulb), sectioned blood oranges and top the salad off with thinly sliced (one-inch long) pieces of Parmigiano Reggiano.

Next, I drove to my favorite seafood purveyor (Joe’s Fish Market at the corner of Brooks and Quarrier Streets) and purchased several six-ounce fillets of Chilean sea bass. For those of you who have not experienced the exquisite flavor of truly fresh fish, I suggest you travel to Joe’s and let the experts there tempt you with their deep sea goodies. But this entrée would work just as well with grouper, halibut or some other firm, yet mildly flavored fish. However, in my estimation, this dish works best with Chilean Sea Bass.

1. To begin, pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees then dredge the fillets in a dry mixture of flour, salt and pepper. Sauté the fish in about two ounces of extra virgin olive oil for about three minutes to a side until lightly browned and then set them aside.

2. In the same sauté pan, add more olive oil and lightly brown a teaspoon of freshly chopped garlic, one-half cup each of diced sweet onion along with sweet yellow and red peppers.

3. At the same time, you should boil two quarts of water for pastina (the tiny pasta that is about half the size of rice). Boil one cup of pastina until cooked but firm, drain and add a teaspoon of butter, salt and pepper to taste and set aside.

4. Once the vegetables are cooked al dente (not mushy), add to this mixture one cup each of freshly cored and peeled sweet tomatoes (canned tomatoes will do in an emergency) and one-half cup of dry white wine (preferably the stuff you will be drinking with the entrée). Cook vigorously for another three minutes then add pitted and chopped Greek or Italian black olives, and two teaspoons of capers. Remove from the heat and cover the mixture.

5. Place the fish in a shallow oven pan (rubbed with olive oil) and bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes until it is firm, but not overdone.

6. Now spoon the pastina onto a plate and put the fish on top of it. Then ladle the pepper and tomato mixture over top the fish and Viola (that’s pronounced 'Vie-ole-la' where I come from), and you’ve got yourself some good eating.

With regard to choosing wine, this is a dish which needs a light to medium-bodied white and I’ve got two recommendions for you:
2005 Banfi Le Rime ($10): A blend of Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay, this northern Italian wine is fresh and fruity but with enough depth of flavor to stand up to – but not overwhelm - the entree.
2005 Pierre Sparr Pinot Blanc Reserve ($15): This Alsatian wine (see photo at right) has melon and citrus notes with a crisp, dry finish and would marry well with the flavors in the Chilean Sea Bass dish.

'Terroir" as it relates to a wine's creation starts with the place where the grapes are grown and rapidly expands to include anything and everything related to a wine's evolution.
Scanning the national wine blogs and columns provides an interesting perspective on what the wine cognicenti are yapping about. Without getting into the technical details of these mostly pedantic exchanges, suffice it say that there is a modicum of intelligent dialogue taking place on a variety of aspects related to grape growing and wine making.

One such "inside baseball" argument examines the whole experience of creating a wine - from the soil to the sky. It is worth recounting if only for the residual humor it provides as we try to understand the complexities and nuances of the debate. It begins with one of my pet peeves: the almost criminal (and many times hilarious) misuse of language -- mainly French -- by the domestic wine industry.

To be fair, though, this abuse of the King's English is ubiquitous. In fact, I see the Americanized version of English as a moving target full of constantly changing buzz words, acronyms and words borrowed from other languages. (Can't you just visualize a meeting at Webster's New World Dictionary where pointy-headed etymologists gather in a dark room and grudgingly grant official English language status to words such as goober, nerd and bootie?) However, one of the worst offenders of this indiscriminate and abusive practice is the American wine industry.

Take, for example, the confusing issue of terroir. At first glance, you might wonder why there is so much written about the terrier<co > as it relates to wine. Are these grape watchdogs, or what? You might also have misread the word as terror and become quite concerned that an anti-wine terrorist group might be planting IED's in vineyards and wineries.

Fear not, my friends. There are no terrorist plots (I hope) related to wine. However, terroir (pronounced tare-WAH -- I think), is one meaningful word! I wouldn't even bother explaining this word except that some knowledgeable wine folks contend that understanding the complex definition of terroir really is important in appreciating the qualitative differences among wines. But terroir's meaning in the wine lexicon is so loosey-goosey (now there's a good non-word for you) that defining it as "all-encompassing" would be too restrictive.

Okay, so what does it mean? Well, terroir starts with the place where the grapes are grown: the vineyard location, its slope, topography and angle toward the sun, as well as its longitude and latitude. In addition, you add in the soil, climate, average rainfall, fog and temperature, as well as the type of vine or clone of a particular grapevine -- these are all part of terroir.

But wait, I'm not finished. Terroir is also affected by the agricultural practices of the grower and the techniques, including the application of technology used in the cellar by the wine maker. And others in the debate consider culture and social mores of the wine-producing region as a component of terroir. See what I mean? This is where the debate, like a misguided space probe, veers toward infinity.

So, in practical terms, how can terroir help you select the correct bottle for that special dinner or enhance your overall enjoyment of wine? It probably can't. But if you're as wine-obsessed as I am, exploring the issue in detail can offer an interesting academic exercise, and just maybe provide a little intellectual pleasure to the sensory and visceral pleasures of drinking wine.

So the next time someone asks your opinion of a particular wine, just look them straight in the eye and proclaim: "It's obviously the tear-wah, Bubba!" Then, turn and quickly leave so you won't have to tell them what it means.

Below are a couple of worthy wine events around West Virginia this summer that combine vino and victuals.

THURSDAY, JULY 19: "Wine and Roses"

Join me and about 100 other thirsty wine lovers at the third annual Roark-Sullivan Lifeways Center (RSLC) Wine and Roses event. Wine and Roses will be held indoors at the Capitol Market from 5 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, July 19. Partnering with RSLC is the Capitol Market, Soho's and the Wine Shop at Capitol Market.

I'll be selecting a whole passel of wines which are once again being donated by area Wine Distributors. If you find something you like, you can purchase it immediately from the nice folks at the Wine Shop. Tickets are $25 in advance or $30 at the door. You can call RSLC at 304/414-0109 and give them your credit card or send a check to: RSLC, P.O. Box 8957, South Charleston, WV, 25303

As a board member of RSLC, I can tell you this is a special organization with a great group of dedicated employees and volunteers. The Center assists individuals experiencing homelessness with services that help them become self-reliant. RSLC operates the 60-bed Giltinan Center on Leon Sullivan Way (formerly the Charleston Men's Emergency Shelter) and the 16-bed Twin Cities Center in St. Albans and provides comprehensive services such as healthcare maintenance, substance abuse and mental health assistance, outreach, and transitional and aftercare services.

Come out and sip for a good cause.

JULY 27-29: Taste of the Mountains Food, Wine & Jazz Festival

Travel up to Snowshoe in late July, take in the cool mountain air and partake of great wine, food and music. This decadent weekend (July 27-29) offers wine tastings, amazing food and live jazz entertainment. I've attended a couple of these festivals in past years and can tell you it's a whole lot of fun. Bring your palate ready to taste some of the area's finest foods complimented by wines from around the world. Here's the schedule:

Friday, July 27Noon - 1 p.m.: Wine Seminar: Red 101
1:30 - 2:30 p.m.: Wine Seminar: White 101
8 - 11 p.m.: Dessert & Champagne Reception
9:30 p.m.: Movie Series in Village

Saturday, July 282 to 6 p.m.: Grand Tasting Event with live entertainment
9 to 11 p.m.: Saturday Night's Main Concert

Sunday, July 2910 a.m. - 1 p.m.: Brunch; Junction

COST: Wine & Jazz Tasting Package: Includes Grand Tasting, Saturday Night's Main Concert and Sunday Brunch, $115 + tax . Individual events costs $25, $45 and $80. Call Snowshoe for more information: 1-877-441-4336

Watch WineBoy, Episode 12, John Brown's weekly off-the-wall four-minute webcast at thegazz.com/gazzTV, and learn some traditional -- and not so traditional -- food and wine pairings. He'll also recommend a really nice cabernet sauvignon. This week's special guest from Brown's Land of Id is cowboy oenophile Spud Dumplin, who shares "chuck wagon picks" for desert dining (does Shiraz go with fire-roasted Gila monster?).