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Wednesday, Dec. 02, 2009

Wine Line: Several readers chime in

Comedian Steven Wright has a classic line, He says, "I made wine out of raisins so I wouldn't have to wait for it to age." Funny yes, but the misconception that all wines will benefit from aging has caused many a ruined bottle.

Joe M. from Atwater called and asked about aging wine. I told him that most wines produced are meant for consumption upon release, and only about 2 percent will actually benefit from the aging process.

The wines that will age well share one feature in common: big tannins. The aging process gradually softens the tannins, leaving a wide range of aromas and flavors that weren't present when the wine was released.

Ageable red wines are red bordeaux, California cabernet sauvignon, Northern Rhone (Hermitage), Brunello, Barolo and super Tuscans. White wines worth cellaring are white Burgundy, German and Alsatian riesling and vintage Champagne. Dessert wines that age well are vintage port, sauterne and other late harvest wines. At the end of our discussion, I suggested that Joe M. invite some friends over for a wine-tasting and try to figure out which wine tasted the most like raisins.

Amateur winemakers?

I received an e-mail from Alan A. who said he was in a group of four amateur winemakers in Merced. He wondered if I knew of any other home winemakers in the immediate area. I was able to connect him with a few readers of Wine Line who make wine. If you're an amateur winemaker or someone who would like to be, just drop me an e-mail and I'll put you in touch with this group. They are planning to get together sometime in January or February for a meet-and-greet and taste some samples. Sounds like fun to me. Cheers!

Wine tips

Joe B. from Merced wrote and thanked me for my column on Murphys. He said he and his wife took my advice and drove there for the day. They ate an excellent lunch at Grounds Restaurant, he tasted, she shopped and they made it home before dark. Joe B., who is a true red wine fan, put me on to the 2007 Santa Ema 60/40 available at Costco for $7.95. This Chilean red is 60 percent cabernet sauvignon and 40 percent merlot and is drinkable right now. Joe said he bought a case. I hope there's some left. If you come across a "wine find," let me know and I'll be glad to share it with readers.

What's on our table

Segura Viudas NV Brut Reserva

This cava (champagne) from Spain is just plain delicious. It regularly scores 88-89 in the major wine magazines and always makes the best-buy list. It retails for $10, but World Market had it on sale for $9.95 for a 1.5 liter bottle. The nose has citrus notes with flavors of oranges and peaches on the palate and an unending supply of tiny bubbles. Available at Bev-Mo and World Market, it's a deal at $10 and an absolute steal at $5. Cheers!

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? You can reach Russ Winton at rgwinton@yahoo.com