Fining

A process by which wine is purified of small solids and particulates by adding a fining agent. The agent, which can include gelatin, isinglass (a fish by-product), egg whites, bentonite (clay) and casein (a milk product), chemically binds with the particulates and can then be removed from the wine.

The main purpose of fining is to clarify the wine, but it also provides some stabilizing effects by eliminating any active yeasts.

(Perfect Pairings, Evan Goldstein)

Anyone who follows me on Twitter @SwirlGirls knows that I’ve been tweeting lots lately about my excitement for Worldwide #Cabernet Day. This Thursday, Sept. 2 is world wide #Cabernet Day. For 24 hours, people around the world will be celebrating the king of grapes on social media sites.

If you are lucky enough to live in wine country, then tons of wineries are participating, especially in California but truly all over the world. If you’re stuck in Florida like my friends and me, you can either go to Morton’s for their #Cabernet Day celebrations or organize your own, as I am.

It’s simple. Drink Cabernets (or Cabernet Franc or Cabernet blends) and talk about them online. Use the #Cabernet hash tag on Facebook, Foursquare, Gowalla, Twitter and other blogs. Use the hash tag to see what others are drinking and thinking.

Drink. Type. Connect.

Check out here for more information, go here.

And let us know what King you’re enjoying Thursday!

When I first received “Good, Better, Best Wines: a No-Nonsense Guide to Popular Wine,” by Carolyn Evans Hammond I fairly quickly put it aside for a slew of reasons. First and foremost, because I am dubious of guides and critics and points and experts. I used to pay a lot of attention to points and scores and, while they are a starting point and a tangible number that people understand when you speak of them, at this point, I care a lot more about other factors while judging whether to buy a wine, most of which I won’t bore you with now.

(I lied: I try to look at the big region and the micro-region, the vintage year, the winemaker and where he/she has worked before, where they learned about making wine, whether they’re biodynamic and why, the sub-region their grapes are from, the amount of handling the grapes undergo, the weather for that year, the aging capability, the alcohol content, the other wines the vineyard produces and on and on…I never pretend not to be a wine dork!)

The question of “why should I trust this person” is always a good one and as readers of our column, I hope you’re questioning us as much as we question others. What I sometimes do is try and find a critic or blogger who has similar taste to mine – I like what they like and dislike what they dislike and then go from there. But everyone’s tastes and experiences with wine are SO different, even that can run into risky territory. There are so many factors that go into wine – glassware, food, temperature of wine, decanting time, time of tasting, how many wines you’ve tasted before and especially your mood and the company. Which is a long way to say that I’m suspicious of guides and scores. Read the full story

Another Swirl-Up has swirled by, and what a whirling dervish it was!

Many of you now know that the evening is as much about laughter and a gregarious ambience, as it is about fine wine and exquisite food. And all of that was in plentiful supply last night at Café Chardonnay.

In keeping with the evening’s activities, I’m going to throw out one more trivia question for our swirling guests: What was the phrase most often expressed at our third Swirl-Up?
(Answer is at the bottom.) Read the full story

Meritage

A designation for California wines that are a blend of the grape varieties used in Bordeaux. Meritage (pronounced like “heritage”) is a U.S. trademarked designation adopted in 1988 by the Meritage Association.

A red Meritage might consist of cabernet sauvignon, merlot and cabernet franc; and a white Meritage would be a blend of sauvignon blanc and sémillon. Some of these wines are given fancy proprietary names (and carry high price tags), such as Opus One, Rubicon and Insiginia. Producers can choose not to use the term Meritage to describe their wine even if it qualifies as one.

(Bonus trivia to impress your friends: The word was selected from more than 6,000 entries in an international contest. Meritage combines “merit,” reflecting the quality of the grapes, with “heritage,” which recognizes the centuries-old tradition of blending, long considered to be the highest form of the winemaker’s art.)

(The Wine Bible, Karen MacNeil; meritagewine.org)

This is the tale of four pinots sent to the Swirl Girls for review. Two are from Russian River Valley and two from a single vineyard in Santa Maria Valley. All are made by Villa Mt. Eden. It was four wines for four women. Here’s what we thought:

2007 Villa Mount Eden Grand Reserve, Russian River Valley ($25 online)

By Libby Volgyes (Sweet)
I was excited about this pinot the moment I saw Russian River Valley, or RRV, on the label, land of famed cool weather that makes beautiful pinots. It took me far too long to get around to trying it but found it to be a pretty nice little wine. Read the full story

Cold Fermentation

A type of fermentation that takes place in a container that can be cooled, usually a stainless steel tank. Cool fermentation is slower and more gentle than one that takes place at warmer temperatures, which helps preserve the wine’s fresh fruit aromas and flavors. It’s commonly used with many light- and medium-bodied white wines.

(The Wine Bible, Karen MacNeil)

It’s said the third time is a charm.

Yet, we’d have to whole-heartedly disagree, because, frankly, the first time was quite charming itself.

Our regulars (dare I say, groupies?) will know. And for anybody who hasn’t experienced the boisterous laughter that infects a room of the Swirl Girls and their swirling guests, you have another chance to join the camaraderie and tasting!

We are thrilled to announce another Swirl Girls’ Swirl-Up: Café Chardonnay in Palm Beach Gardens, on Wednesday, Aug. 25, from 6-8 p.m. Read the full story

I tend to splurge on a couple of bottles of great wine while out in Napa. I obviously can’t afford everything I love, but here are a few bottles I bought and a few that I wish I had bought.

1. Bought: 2007 Blackbird Illustration ($90)
I flew across the United States to buy this wine and don’t regret a penny that was spent on it. Big, bold, multi-layered, smooth as a skipping stone and just about perfect. Purchased at Maisonry.

2. Bought: 2006 Rivera Cabernet Sauvignon ($85)
I guess technically this is my boyfriend’s wine, but that doesn’t really matter to me. Made with 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, this wine has only 83 cases produced and believe me, I wish I could buy every one of them. Truly a memorable wine. Purchased at Maisonry. Read the full story

Here are five pictures I took out in Napa that tickled my fancy.

Grape leaves in the late afternoon sun.

Read the full story