A bold B1G finish for my team requires  a bold wine to celebrate with. Heads up, I'm actually finishing wine I've opened to celebrate, but I'm recommending a favorite. 

2 Lads Winery is one of my favorite wineries in northern Michigan (I even got to work there for a few weekends last summer) and although I'm not doing a tasting of their 2013 Pinot, I can guarantee what they say is true. 

2 Lads specializes in growing unique and memorable cool-climate reds. The 2013 season was a great vintage and the wine in this bottle reflects that. There are five different Pinot clones, so there's complexity, too. 

Stick the 2012 and 2013 Pinot Noir and other Michigan reds to your California-obsessed friends who don't think Michigan wineries can hack it, and to those really annoying people who 'only drink reds' regardless of the food pairing. These ones have style, power, and show the zenith of what's possible here. 

As many Pinots will, this one gives a nose of ripe strawberry and cherry. There's also a hint of rose petal and vanilla from the 10 month oak aging. The oak is second and third fill, so the tamer oak tannins should make this one lighter than some of the other styles 2 Lads has. On the palate, this has vanilla and baked cherry pie. It's recommended to have with earthy and meaty dishes, I'm thinking venison steak and wild boar shoulder. Mushroom dishes are called for as well. This one will drink well through 2018. 

Kudos to my friend Kate who sent me the specifics sheet on this - I know it's a great wine, but my taste memory of it is long gone and I didn't record it. This is why we do deductive tastings and take notes, friends. 

​

Today is Pearl Harbor Day, and the events of that day led to WW2 and, as Franklin Delano Roosevelt promised, eventual 'absolute victory.' 

There is only one wine to celebrate absolute victory, pure celebration, and bliss - and that wine is Champagne. Not a sparkling wine from somewhere else in the world, but Champagne. 

Winston Churchill supposedly once remarked "Remember, gentlemen, it's not just France we are fighting for, it's Champagne." Due to its geographic location, the wine region known as Champagne experienced the 20th century in a rather forceful manner. The area saw some of the most intense fighting of World War I and was again occupied territory after May of 1940 until liberation in 1945. 

Given the destruction of WWI, occupation in WW2 that was coupled with harsh winters, it's amazing any Champagne was produced at all. The fighting in the European theater also ended in Champagne with an unconditional surrender in Reims, the capital of the region. Wine historians note that the last explosions of the war (in Europe) were Champagne bottles popping. Although the Third Reich had demanded the best vintages to be delivered monthly to Berlin, producers did their best to keep the best out of Nazi hands. In fact, the end of the war in Europe was commemorated with the consumption of 6 cases of 1934 Pommery by General Eisenhower's forces. The end of things and the beginning of things are best suited to celebrations by Champagne.

But there are some guidelines.....

1. Give Champagne reverence. Have fun with it. Pair it with intense feeling, if nothing else. 
2. If it's not from the Champagne region of France, it's a sparkling wine. Don't call a sparkling wine Champagne. Those grapes and vineyards have survived everything from the scourges of Attila the Hun, bloody civil wars, and Hitler. Show some respect. 
3. Don't get wrapped up in discussions of terroir, this wine is all about the blend... 
4. Even if you're someone who 'only drinks reds,' you can still drink Champagne. If it's good enough to christen ships and celebrate the end of the bloodiest conflict in human history, it's good enough for you. 

​
I went to a local wine shop today to get today's wine. Surprisingly, I was talked into a Gamay Noir from Beaujolais. Beaujolais is the southernmost region of Burgundy that produces almost exclusively Gamay Noir. This is one of those times I was glad to get out of my wine 'comfort zone,' and for once, I'm glad I didn't pick a Pinot. 

My selection was the 2014 Raisins gaulois, produced by Marcel Lapierre. This producer prides itself on producing biodynamic, or natural wines, meaning no pesticides or fertilizers were used. Check out the website and learn more about natural wine making here: ​http://www.marcel-lapierre.com/#/vin_naturel 
​
It's important to know that many Gamay wines are meant to be drunk at a slightly cooler temperature. Since they are generally low in tannins, this allows the acidity and fruity characteristics to be on full display.

The wine itself is a pale garnet color. After pouring, its high and fruity aromatics can hardly be contained by the glass. When it was cool and freshly poured, ripe strawberry, raspberry, tart cherry, and cranberry sneaking in with some stony minerality that's characteristic of the Morgon appellation in which it's grown.  After warming a bit, the earthy, cedary notes and dried cranberry are more noticeable, along with red currants and a touch of rose petal. On the palate, it's dry, with a lot of raspberry, bright acidity and a light body. There was a touch of pomegranate and tart cherry in there, too. Red fruits are in complete control in this bottle. 

For being only $14, this wine is a bargain. It has the ability to work with so many things (like holiday feasts) and offers more flavor than I would have ever expected. Cheers to Matt at Vine & Brew who recommended it. You can find it there (website: http://www.vineandbrew.com/) or at a shop that purchases from Kermit Lynch importers. 

Pair this one with a holiday work party. It will stand up to different charcuterie plates and the typical fatty, cheesy snacks that you'd snack on before a meal or to avoid storied intoxication in front of your peers. Should you be forced to make small talk, try and pick out the nuances of this wine. Your look of concentration as you decide the condition of the cranberry notes will pass as genuine interest. 

Should you want to learn more about Gamay, look here: http://winefolly.com/review/tasters-guide-to-gamay-wine/
​
Another awesome video on Burgundy can be found here: ​http://guildsomm.com/TC/learn/videos/m/videos/16280
​
​More on Beaujolais can be found here: ​http://winefolly.com/review/beaujolais-wine-region-map/

​If you HATE this wine, fear not: ​http://winefolly.com/update/easy-sangria-recipe/

What can I say? I'm hooked. This style is very similar to the wine I profiled earlier this week. Apologies for the monotony. 

This is a bit younger than the previous Riesling I tried. It's also from a very similar location, being only a few miles further upriver from Bernkastler. I'll be tasting and then having a glass of Richter Estate's 2012 Riesling. 

This one again came from Vine & Brew. It's a beautiful straw color that Riesling takes on after a few years in the bottle. Generally speaking, the longer white wines stay in the bottle, the deeper the color will get. This isn't a bad thing, unless it's a style of wine that's meant to be consumed young. 

The nose of this one also exhibits high aromatics, but the fruit is more forward here, likely due to the youth. It seems to me that this one also has a much more expressive minerality, the wet cement/slate smell is actually a lot like an early spring rain. In a blind tasting situation, this is an incredibly important observation. When trying to decide between a New World or Old World style, one of the most important things to watch for is what's 'driving the bus,' noting whether fruit or non-fruit aromas are dominant in the glass. Fruity styles are more akin to New World wines, earthy, mineral-driven ones are aligned with old World Styles, though exceptions exist. 

The fruit caught me after the minerality. Apricot, honeydew melon, honeysuckle, apple and citrus fruits dominate with hints of banana. The palate is a bit heavier than I expected, bringing up lychee, orange and candied orchard fruits. The acid is refreshing but mellow.  

Overall, I think this would pair well with a rough Monday or Tuesday and some good take-out Thai food with a little spice in it. The sweetness would balance with a medium spice pad Thai well. This is a great wine to also drink just by itself! 

Case and point, YOU NEED GERMAN RIESLING AT LEAST ONE TIME THIS DECEMBER! 
​

I'm going to get a bit more local and vague with today's slightly lazy wine selection. If you haven't been able to wine taste in Michigan and explore local wineries, DECEMBER IS A GREAT TIME TO DO SO. The fall rush of color-tourists is over, and tasting rooms are generally sparsely filled. Employees have time to talk in-depth about philosophy and product. In fact, I've made a friend or two with industry employees at down times like these. When you want to learn and ask questions, there's no better time to visit than Friday-Sunday from mid-November to mid-May. 

Recently, wineries in Michigan have hit a bit of a roadblock on what's previously been a rise to international recognition. The winters of 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 were harsh - some locations recorded temperatures of -30 degrees Fahrenheit. This is very bad for the most commercially viable wine grape species, vitis vinifera. This species is used to produce almost every world-renowned wine on earth and includes varietals like Chardonnay, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon. But vinifera vines struggle to survive in colder climates, and many varietals die predictably with extended exposure to temperatures of -15 or below - some varietals are less hardy, others more so. In the past two winters, Michigan vineyards have seen massive vine death. Many producers are procuring fruit from Western states that don't have to deal with extreme cold. At the end of the day, many winemakers will still make a great product to sell until vines recover. In the mean time, these wineries could use your support. Consider making a visit on a down weekend over the holidays or in late winter. For those who live outside Michigan, giving them a drinkable part of the state makes a great gift.  

If you don't want a crowd, avoid event weekends. Some wine regions have special event weekends in the winter to help drive traffic during traditionally slow times. Here are the event calendars for the Wineries of Old Mission Peninsula (​http://www.wineriesofoldmission.com/events), and the Leelanau Peninsula Wine Trail  (http://www.lpwines.com/events/). 

​

I will admit up front that I have had a recent love affair with Riesling. Although we have plenty of Riesling in the United States (and here in Michigan) I'm currently having fun exploring German styles. 

German wines are a miracle if only because they are planted so far north. At 51 degrees north, they're as far north as you can go and still ripen wine grapes. To give perspective, that's about the latitude of southern Hudson Bay in Canada. 

For the first time, I'll focus on a specific wine. The Wwe. Dr. Thanisch Riesling from the 2010 vintage.  This remains one of my favorite Rieslings of all time, and it was only $21! The site that the grapes are grown is ideal for Germany; a 70% slope that maximizes the time in the sun - an important factor in a cool climate. Some very well-noted vineyards are within a stones's throw (literally) and the similar location means that trading down in a good vintage like 2010 means quality can be found at lower price points. 

Upon pouring the wine, it has a light sparkle that quickly dissipates. The aroma of a mature Riesling pours out of the glass and into the air around it. On the nose, baked apricot, lemon curd, wet slate and the slight petrol nose of an aging Riesling are present. This petrol like nose is a distinguishing feature of mature German Riesling, but for me, the uniqueness is what makes it so interesting. On the palate, the apricot flavors are a bit more fresh, as is the lemon. The unique minerality of the slate-covered hill  comes through at the finish and hangs out with the crisp acidity for a long finish. The wine's sweetness and balanced acidity would probably allow it to stand up to most holiday meals - perhaps that Christmas ham? Overall, I'm rating this bottle a 9.5 for the price. 

Should you not be able to get this exact bottle (I found it at Vine & Brew, and it's distributed by Imperial Beverage in Michigan), safe bets for German Riesling would be the 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 vintages. 

Later in the month I'll have a comparison of German Rieslings and attempt to explain some of the classifications. 

Advent calendars are usually reserved for children and filled with stale, waxy chocolates. And geared toward children. And ridiculously expensive.
 
But what about an advent calendar with WINE? That’s what I’m bringing you this December. I plan to try some new wines myself, and to also resurrect some old tasting notes for 25 pre-Christmas posts.
 
And the first wine up is…..Moscato d’Asti. Moscato d’Asti is a light, and pleasantly sweet dessert wine. A sparkling wine from northern Italy, it couldn’t be further from the style of syrupy, bland, bottom-shelf Moscato most college girls prefer. I discovered this one early on in my wine-tasting adventures, and I’ve loved it since. With such a trend toward sweeter styles, I’m always shocked this one isn’t more popular.
 
Ironically, the area of Italy Moscato d’Asti hails from is most well-known for producing robust reds – but I will discuss those later. The wine is produced in a relatively small region with Moscato grapes planted near the town of Asti.
 
As far as characteristics go, Moscato d’Asti is first and foremost floral or perfumed. It has an extremely aromatic nose full of candied peach, fresh lychee, honey, and citrus. The wine’s aromatics stem from how it’s produced – a process distinct from many other sparkling wines. First, grapes are destemmed and crushed lightly to avoid the introduction of bitter stem tannins and preserve those fruity aromas. The juice is then filtered and fermented. Unlike Cava or Asti, though, some of the carbon dioxide that results from fermentation is allowed to escape fermentation tanks, resulting in a light effervescence and less noticeable bubbles than you may be used to seeing in a sparkling wine. In the Italian scheme of classifying sparkle levels, this is a frizzante, meaning it has at least one atmosphere of pressure in the bottle. Compare this to Champagne, which is usually around 5 atmospheres. When the wine reaches around 5% alcohol, it’s chilled to kill the yeasts. The final wine has a light spritz, low alcohol content and a bouquet of fresh fruit on the nose.
Moscato d’Asti can be a crowd pleaser. It pairs well with fruit tarts, lightly sweetened nut pastries, and that relative who seems to always get awkwardly sloshed at holiday gatherings. Substitute this low-alcohol libation for them and you’ll at least be able to delay the onset of this holiday woe. For anyone new to wine or who may be intimidated buying foreign wines, Moscato d’Asti can be a stepping stone. Here’s the best part – it’s usually cheap and easy to find! Moscato d’Asti can be found at most grocers with a large wine selection (such as Meijer) and runs about $12. 

So you spent all day yesterday being grateful about life and...all day today buying and grasping for sale items you’ll regret buying as soon as your January credit card statements are in.
There is only one wine that pairs with Black Friday, and that is Port. Since we all had varying levels of retail trauma and full parking lots, it’s time to plan your evening glass in accordance with today’s trials.
 
If you woke up before the sun to buy anything: 
Have a white port. Perhaps in a cocktail. Personally, I enjoy a cocktail with equal parts white port, club soda and St. Germaine with a mint garnish. If you got what you wanted and a nap in before noon, you’re winning. If there is such a thing on a day like this.
 
If at any point you said “Fuck today” because park sharking, disorganized shelving and the line at Starbucks were too much:
Break from tradition and try Warre’s Otima 10. It’s a tawny port aged ten years in oak casks that make it attractive to drinkers of bourbon and whiskey. It will make you feel better, I promise. And it’s cheaper than Xanax. The Otima 20 is also great, but with a slightly higher cost. You could find these at most specialty wine stores. 
 
Now let’s say you considered snatching that last HDTV at Best Buy from the hands of a decrepit grandma:
A vintage ruby port is in order. You need some complex self-reflection and for that, the nuances of vintage Port will suffice. This will set you back about $100, but if you were thinking about buying a TV, this splurge is worth it. Find a Graham’s 2007 and drink it while considering this new minimalist living movement.
 
If you stayed home but ventured out to get groceries (you absolute fool, you) and thought your local shopping center was a mom-filled version of Lord of the Flies:
Get some cheese to go with non-vintage ruby port and GET OUT OF THERE. A serviceable port can be found a most supermarkets for about $20. Since you’re mostly skipping today’s violent commercialism, your checking account is more robust than almost everyone around you. Keep it that way and buy a non-vintage bottle of Dow’s Ruby Port.
 
If you actually assaulted someone arguing over an electronic device:
Call your lawyer, buy the cheapest California knock-off Port you can, and allocate your savings toward impending legal fees.
 
I choose port because of its unique history. You’ll notice despite it being a Portuguese wine, many Port shippers are actually English surnames. That’s because the 18th and 19th century British thought they could own absolutely everything (sorta like Americans on Black Friday) and Port production was no exception. Importing Port was done mainly because war with France (yes, the Brits thought they could own and occupy parts of other countries, too) limited the amount of wine available, and duties on imports from Portugal were low. Merchants, as the best-off citizenry, often bought entire facilities and renamed them. The market for Port held up even after wars died down, and some of the families have kept the Port shipping businesses in their name for centuries. 

Learn more about Port Wine and see pretty graphics at one of my favorite wine blogs here: http://winefolly.com/review/what-is-port-wine/

​