June Wine Club: The Republic of Georgia

It is June and time to celebrate another Ancient World Wine Country: The Republic of Georgia.

Georgian wine is ancient Ancient World Wine; it currently retains the title for earliest wine production, ca 6000 BCE. The first Georgian grape I ever drank was Rkatsitelli, grown and vinified in New York by Dr. K. Frank winery. It was enchanting. The flavors were unlike any grape I could think to compare it. I was in love.

This is how I described that 2008 Rkatsitelli (tasted in 2012):

 “The nose is aromatic with tangerines, bread, and white flowers.  There is soft pear, nectarine, and fresh white pepper.   There are fresh herbs and minerals, and that wonderful quality of “bracing acidity” that is so common to some of the best Rieslings.  

The winemaker asserts that the wine has some edamame notes, and who are we to argue?  (…)

But, beyond all of its fruit, herb, spice, and mineral, one of this wine’s finest and most intriguing quality’s is its “presence”.  It tastes of earth, and life, and history.”

I now think of “edamame” as an integral flavor to Rkatsitelli – made in international style (not in qvevri).

I quickly sought out Georgan wines, and the very first of those I ever drank was a Chateau Mukhrani Rkatsitelli that we carried at Jet back in 2012 and 13. I still adore Mukhrani wines, and am always on the lookout for the non-qvevri rkats.

As a result of those experiences, I dug deeper into Georgian wines and their history. We had many wine-tastings at Jet where we delved into the archaeological evidence for early wine-production. At that time, Iran and Armenia were battling for “earliest” based on excavated evidence. Soon, though, Georgia gained the title based on an archaeological project at which a friend of mine, Stephen Batiuk, was a lead. Georgians were incredibly proud of these finds and were anxious to share their new-old wine-making traditions with the world. In 2018, I had the distinct pleasure to travel to Georgia on a wine-education trip with the convivial and amazingly-knowledgeable Lisa Granik, MW.  Pro tip: If you ever have the chance to taste wine with an accomplished “Master of Wine”, take it!  Lisa literally wrote the book on Georgian wine and provided extensive insights, sharing her voluminous knowledge and Georgian and wine savoir faire. It was a trip that laid my foundational knowledge of Georgia and its wines, an education that is ongoing… and fun.

Georgia is a country where the wine cannot be separated from the food – and vice versa. The centerpiece of traditional Georgian social life is the supra. Food, food, and more food, accompanied by the country’s traditional wines, music, and toasting. So, Jet is hosting our annual Georgian food and wine event – our supra – on June 14th! Saami Somi will again bring their amazing khachapuri and phkali, and Jet will supply the wine. If you’ve ever come out to our Georgian event, you know that it gets crazy. So our wine club members can reserve seating!!!

To prep you for the supra and generally celebrate June (don’t forget our Pride Flight, but see our Pride wine!!!), we have two Georgian wines. Both of our wines are from Kakheti, from which about 75% of the country’s wines are produced. This region is in the East – which is drier and hotter than regions further West and focuses on Saperavi, Rkatsitelli, Mtsvane, and also Kisi and others.  Relative to the traditional production in the West, in Kakheti (and Kartli) the typical qvevri size is larger, skin contact is longer, and (some) stems are included in the fermentation.  The result is that the Kakheti wines generally feel bigger and more robust. The longer skin-contact on the whites results in that typical flavor profile featuring jasmine tea, dried apricots, hazelnuts, and surprising freshness. These are wines for your feast!

Phaesant’s Tears ‘Poliphonia’

Pheasant’s Tears is co-owned by an American and a Georgian and was an early entrant into the American market. This particular wine is just fascinating. It is a field blend featuring a collection of grapes gifted to it by the Ministry of Agriculture. The goal is to help preserve and research indigenous grape varieties. As of now, 117 have been recognized as indigenous Georgian varieties, and 40 more are still under research.  The grapes were co-planted and have been co-fermented. This is a mix of a multitude off grape textures, and notably, colors: there is a mix of yellow, green, pink, red, purple and blue varieties. It is a June “Pride” wine, all on its own. Did we bring it for June, or what?

It is also a delicious wine. The nose has that typical tea, but soft, with vibrant aromas of stone fruit, wild herbs, and earthy minerality. It is also pleasantly citrusy – with verbena and lemon balm. The palate is both fresh and rich, layered with flavors of ripe fruit, subtle tannins, and a long, savory finish.

Six months on skins in qvevri.

Teliani Valley 'Glekhuri'

This wine is made with 100% Kisi, which is local to Kakheti. It also quickly emerged as one of my favorite grapes. It reads with a lot of “orange”. In this case, that is the typical apricot, but it also delivers orange blossoms and touch of clementine. This one is riper, with a little feel of honeycomb, yet it retains great acidity and freshness.

6 months on skins in qvevri.

While not as colorful, I also LOVE this label (2021 is the same):

Gaumarjos!

May Wine Club: Paşaeli wines from Turkey

Paşaeli Vineyard

It is May, and the flowers are definitely in bloom, as is Jet’s garden! This month, we feature wines from Paşaeli winery. Paşaeli founder Seyit Karagözoğlu will join us in the Jet Garden on May 13th for a full tasting, so mark your calendars! And, get ready to enjoy some excellent wine. In the meantime, let me tell you a little about my love for Turkish wine…

In August of 1992, I had just graduated from college and turned 21. I also flew to Istanbul – my first ever trip to any place outside the US other than Niagara Falls. I was there as an archaeology student, going on my first real dig. That stay in Istanbul, the further 20-hour bus ride to Gaziantep, and a month’s stay in Birecik immersed in southeastern Turkey, completely changed my life.

I had always wanted to travel, but family vacations were mostly limited to road trips within Indiana or to nearby states. These usually centered around an amusement park: Marriott’s Great America (now Six Flags) in Gurnee, IL (where we actually saw Johnny Cash and June Carter play! Really!!), or Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio.  We visited horse farms in Kentucky, circus museums in Wisconsin, and car museums in Michigan. Those were fun! But I really longed to get away and go somewhere else. I wanted to see foreign lands, meet different people, eat different foods, see more colors, smell more smells.

Walking through Istanbul was an instant jolt of energy, and the realization of that dreaming about those people, food, colors, smells – also sounds and chaos. I fell in love with Turkey and travel in one fell swoop. Trips to Syria, initially, then Oman, Iraq, Armenia, and elsewhere, supplanted my work in Turkey, but I will never forget the thrills of that first trip, or the pleasures of the country on that and subsequent trips – both for work and pleasure.

Turkey was also where my wine journey began. I do not believe I’d drunk any wine beyond Boone’s Farm or a Bartles and Jaymes wine cooler before I went to Turkey. They had good beer (Efes), and a cold Efes and pistachios were perfect after work on a 42 degree C day. But, Turkey also had a (small) wine culture. Kavaklidere, Doluca, and Buzbag were the names I remember. I tried those wines now and then while in the country, but one night in Ankara in 1993, I saw a couple sitting on their balcony for dinner – with a bottle of Rosé. It was a beautiful night, I was in a wonderful place, and from then on, I associated wine with those things. I also started drinking more Turkish wine.

Over the years, more producers have started making great wine there and exporting their products. One of those is Paşaeli. The Paşaeli winery was founded in 2000 and produced its first vintage in 2010 – the same year Jet Wine Bar opened! I have never tasted that vintage, but I have come to heartily appreciate the vintages and varietals I have tried. The varietals include both international and indigenous grapes – something that the founder, Seyit Karagözoğlu, is quite keen on; he has made a concerted effort to revitalize and utilize indigenous grapes such as Yapıncak, Çakal, and Çalkarası.

In addition to their high quality, I also love the mythological connections that can be made to Turkish wine – and to Paşaeli. Paşaeli has vineyards near Izmir (ancient Smyrna) – on the Aegean Sea, and near Kaz Dağı (Mount Ida). Mount Ida in Turkey was one of two mountains of the same name that were sacred to the ancient Greeks. It is mentioned in both the Greek Iliad and the Latin Aeneid. They also have vineyards near near Tekirdağ (ancient Bisanthe) – on the Sea of Marmara. Jason and his Argonauts threaded the Argos through the Hellespont (the narrow Dardanelles Strait) – overlooked by Mount Ida – and into the Sea of Marmara past the Bisanthe coastline. Their journey and eventual arrival in Colchis, home of the golden fleece, is awesomely rendered by Ray Harryhausen in the Jason and the Argonauts film. That brilliant movie is, I think, best watched with some leblebi (roasted chickpeas) and some Turkish wine.

Paşaeli ‘Seahorse’ Blush Çalkarası

Seyit strives to identify and revitalize grapes indigenous to Turkey. The Çalkarası variety is one such grape, that is native to Çal – Denizli, located about 150 miles inland from Izmir. Thes grapes are grown in a single vineyard at an altitude of 850 meters. Fermentation is in stainless steel tanks. The wine is aged on its lees for 3 months.

From the maker: “The nose has lovely aromas of wild strawberries and raspberries. The palate is well balanced with good acidity and bright fruit.”

Fun fact: Çalkarası Rose is the first Turkish wine to be sold in the state of Hawaii!

Paşaeli Kaynaklar Red Blend

When Seyit first started, he got his feet wet with international grapes. His first vintage, in 2010, was a Bordeaux-blend from the first plantings of the Serez vineyard in Kaynaklar (Izmir): Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Petit Verdot. This wine is the same blend, and from the same vineyard. An elevation of 235 meters affords some diurnal coolness to the grapes, helping these rich reds stay acidic and balanced. The juice is fermented with native yeast. It is aged in French oak for 24 months, and in bottle for a minimum of 12 months more.

From the maker: :”Very dark, black-cherry colour, deep crimson rim. Smoky, leathery and spicy on the nose. Lovely, peppery, savoury black fruit and chewy with dark chocolate depths. The fruit is ripe with sweet tannins. Chewy and complex with a long finish.”

Click below to listen to our May Playlist! As always, we recommend you listen while enjoying your May wines by Paşaeli!!!

April Wine Club: Underdog Grapes

You know us here at Jet – we seek out the forgotten, the overlooked, the underestimated… basically, we are champions of the underdog. This month we are offering two wines that are delicious and that include grapes that deserve much more recognition than they receive.

Poderi Roset Verduno Pelaverga DOC

Pelaverga, like so much of my Italian “finds”, came out of visits to Torino and to my friend, Andrea. One such visit back around 2004 led us on a road trip to La Morra, with its abundance of deep, dark Barolo. Fortunately, there was also Pelaverga, a much-needed, lighter-bodied, fresh wine. I have liked every Piemontese grape I have ever tried, bar none. I especially appreciate the distinctive nose that each grape seems to impart – both red and white. Even within this region of amazing grapes and wines, Pelaverga felt like something special that I wanted to drink again, and again, and again.

There are two varieties of the grape: Pelaverga Grosso and Pelaverga Piccolo. Both have their only home in Cuneo Province; neither is produced in abundance, nor is particularly well-known. I have only ever tasted the Piccolo variety, and that is the one I have come to know and love. This is the variety used in the Verduno Pelaverga DOC (denominazione di origine controllata), which covers a cultivated area of less than 30 hectares within just 3 villages: Verduno, Roddi, and La Morra. The bulk of that is found in Verduno. La Morra, where I first tasted Pelaverga, accounts for less than 10% of all plantings at less than 2 hectares worth. The small amount of the grape under cultivation pales in comparison to the area’s other red – Nebbiolo. Cuneo and surroundings are also the land of Barolo, whose prestige and renown overshadows this lighter-bodied neighbor. Comparison to Barolo has given Pelaverga a reputation as a less-serious wine. That is a shame. While it is eminently drinkable, it is also refined and complex and has the benefit of working well with- or without- food. Verduno Pelaverga is notable for its white pepper and light strawberry, but I also love the aromas of violet, verbena, and rosemary. What really stands out, though, is a decided crunch of texture to these wines; it can be overt or subtle, but it is always there. The result is that the wine always has a counterbalance of “green” to its red fruits. I find it very compelling.

Poderi Roset has owned its vineyards in Verduno since 1985 – 10 years before the Verduno Pelaverga was formed. Their Verduno Pelaverga is 100% Pelaverga Piccolo. This is a fresh feeling wine that spends 8 months in stainless steel, followed by another 3-4 months in bottle. It is classic Verduno Pelaverga: light and bright cherry, pickled strawberry, white pepper, field herbs. Bellissimo.

Edoardo Miroglio Thracian Valley Mavrud & Rubin Bio

Everywhere I travel, I enjoy learning about a new world of wine, or different view on wine I already thought I knew.  Travels to Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Armenia, and Georgia really expanded my understanding of wine, its history, and its myriad forms and styles. I did not foresee adopting kids from Bulgaria, but trips there led to my exploration of Bulgarian wines, and a quick education on their strengths. I was blown away by their aromatic whites, which include the grape varietals Dimyat, Misket, and Tamianka. I was also introduced to a larger variety of red grapes than Mavrud and Melnik; I met Gamza and Rubin!

Rubin, like my kids, was created in Bulgaria. It is the product of an intentional cross between Nebbiolo and Syrah. The grape is extensively grown, and can be found in Moldova, Romania, and Slovenia, in addition to Bulgaria. The grape produces wines of a deep-red color, juicy red berries from the Nebbiolo, and pepper and earth from the Syrah. It is fruity, spicy, and aromatic.

In Bulgaria, the biggest wine producing area is the Thracian Lowlands. I have always been fascinated by Thrace – the modern contiguous area across southeastern Bulgaria, northeastern Greece, and northwestern Turkey from which these lands derive their name.  Ancient Thrace encompassed numerous tribal groups whose fortunes and borders ebbed and flowed along with their interactions with contemporary superpowers (like Greece, Rome, Byzantium). Orpheus was Thracian, and so was Spartacus. The wine culture of the Thracians was noted by Herodotus, and Homer suggested that it was Thracian wine on which the Cyclops Polyphemus got drunk, allowing Odysseus to escape him. Perhaps that wine came from the Thracian Lowlands, which teems with cultivable land. Bulgaria’s famous rose (actually the Damascene Rose) is grown here, an 75% of Bulgarian vineyards are located here. About half of that number comes from the Thracian Valley PGI (EU-recognized Protected Geographical Indication).

Edoardo Miroglio came to the Thracian Valley from Alba – in Italy’s Piemonte. Alba teems with Nebbiolo, so perhaps it is no surprise that the Rubin – born of Nebbiolo – tastes so good in his hands. This wine has Mavrud in its blend, as well, all from certified organic vineyards. The wine is aged 6 months in French and Bulgarian oak. The result has all the dark red berries, plus some forest-floor notes. Вкусно.

Listen to April’s playlist

March Playlist

March 2025 Playlist

To-do list:

Step 1 - Pick up March Wine Club wines.

Step 2 - Click the graphic for our March playlist, and pour a glass of wine.

Step 3 - Kick back and enjoy, you deserve it!

Wine Club March

Women’s History Month – like International Women’s Day - is a celebration of the lives and contributions of women, as well as drawing attention to sex and gender inequalities and advocating for their elimination. It was meant to highlight individuals and achievements ignored by the establishment and subsequently lost to history due to sexism – overt, subtle, institutionalized, or other. In 2025, this celebration is particularly apt, as American cultural, educational, and political institutions race to scrub these highlighted people and their accomplishments from their public media.

So, this month’s blog will be used to highlight the works of accomplished women. We’ll start with the wines, both of which are made by women – the excellent results of which you can taste in your glass!

March Wines

Parés Baltà Blanc de Pacs Penedès

Parés Baltà lies in the heart of Penedes, inland between Tarragona and Barcelona. Vines on this estate were first planted in 1790 – and some of these still exist. Today, the estate is owned by brothers Joan and Josep, who are the 3rd generation of the Cusiné family. The wine is made by two women who married into the family;  María Elena Jiménez married Joan, and Marta Casas married Josep. They both studied enology at the University of Tarragona before taking over winemaking duties at the winery. The women added new (sometimes old) techniques (e.g. amphora), and a concern with reviving local grapes. Viticulture is biodynamic and organic, and production features minimal intervention.

The Blanc de Pacs was the first wine ever produced at Pares Balta, almost 40 years ago – about 20 years before María Elena and Marta came to the winery. This vintage contains the classic blend of Parellada (42%), Macabeu (34%), and Xarel·lo (24%). The grapes were fermented in stainless steel via native yeasts. Minimal sulfur is added. The resulting wine is a gorgeous, fresh mix of white flowers, apples, hints of peach and melon, plus some wet-stone minerality.

Giovanna Tantini La Rocca Bardolino DOC
This estate is located in Verona, off the southern end of Lake Garda, an area in which wine production pre-dates the Romans. This land has been family-owned since the early 20th century, but the winery was only built in 2002. Just prior, Giovanna left her law practice to start making wine on the family estate. Bardolino is a name for reds from this region – centered around the town of Bardolino – using the local grapes, and it is a style that Giovanna is interested in promoting.

The wine is made from Corvina and Rondinella from Bardolino. The grapes were hand-harvested and vinified separately. The bulk of the wine is rested in stainless, while a smaller portion spends several months in oak.  The result is elegant and delightful. It has notes of sour cherry, wood berries, vanilla, sandalwood, rose petals, and anise, in a smooth, lighter-body style.

Honoring Women

While enjoying your wine made by these women, spend a little time recognizing the achievements of a few Spanish and Italian women who came before them.

Josefina Castellví was born in 1935 in Barcelona. She is an oceanographer, biologist, and prolific writer.  Her work on marine bacteriology led her to Antarctica in 1984; at that time, she was the first Spaniard to participate in an international expedition to Antarctica. Following a decade of scholarship, she led Spain’s Juan Carlos I Antarctic Base as its lead oceanographer. Her scholarly accomplishments are many and led to numerous honors and awards. She also has a landform named for her: Castellvi Peak on Hurd Peninsula, on Livingston Island in Antarctica.  

A compatriot of Castellvi – though not one of Catalan origin – was also especially successful in the world of oceanography. Angeles Alvariño was born in 1916 in Serantes, Spain, and became a biologist and oceanographer. Early in her career, she was not allowed to do research aboard Spanish naval vessels due to a prohibition against women, but she became the first female scientist aboard Spanish and British research vessels.  She spent much of her research time on the water investigating zooplankton; she discovered 22 new species of them. A further two plankton were named for her by others, as was a ship for scientific exploration. She received numerous awards and accolades in life and was the subject of a Google Doodle.

These two Spanish scientists are linked by their substantial accomplishments in oceanography, but also through recognition by their respective regions of Spain; Alvariño was awarded the Great Silver Medal of Galicia, while Castellví received the Creu de Sant Jordi – Catalunya’s highest civil distinction.

Elena Cornaro Piscopia was born in Venice in 1646. She was a polymath with skills in multiple instruments, languages, and subjects. Her learned activities were known by her contemporaries, and she was allowed to attend the University of Padua. There, she earned the Magistra et Doctrix Philosophiae (Teacher and Doctor of Philosophy), the world’s first (known) doctorate awarded to a woman. The university responded to her achievement by then prohibiting women from receiving doctorates. Elena is the topic of many murals and statues, and in 2019 she was celebrated with a Google Doodle.

Laura Bassi was born in Bologna in 1711. Like Elena Piscopia, she went to the University of Padua; there, she became the 2nd woman to be awarded a PhD by that institution – at the age of 20. While only the 2nd woman to hold the title of PhD, she became the 1st salaried professor. She taught Newtonian Physics and was one of the university’s highest-paid professors. She was a prolific researcher and author and gained numerous accolades and awards. The Bassi Crater on Venus is named after her, and she was honored with a Google Doodle in 2021.

Those are four women with great accomplishments. And, here is a handy chart. I have included Zodiac information just for fun, of course. But, look at that! I am also a Cancer born in the year of the pig 😊. I also do not have a Google Doodle ☹

Happy February & Go Birds!

Hello Wine Club… and Go Birds!

February’s wines are from Lebanon’s Domaine des Tourelles winery, and I have been struggling to write this post. Why should it be so difficult? Well, where do we start? Ancient, modern, somewhere in-between? The actuality is that Lebanon is always “somewhere in-between”. It is a country whose population rolls with the (many, many) punches that come its way.

While the history of viticulture and wine-making in Lebanon is not as ancient as, say, Georgia, Armenia, or Turkey, this mountainous land, with its rocky coasts and fertile valleys, has long been home to wine. It is Lebanon – by way of the Phoenicians – that resulted in the proliferation of wine across the Mediterranean to North Africa, Spain, Italy… and ultimately across Europe by the actions of the Roman Empire.

The great commercial ports of Byblos, Sidon, and – especially – Tyre actively traded and plied all types of products around the Mediterranean, most notably throughout the 1st millennium. The practice is vividly preserved in the many Phoenician shipwrecks recovered around the Mediterranean coastline whose lodes included scads of wine-bearing amphora.

This wine was highly valued. Some of it came from non-Phoenician lands to its East; wine of Helbun, outside of Damascus, was a favorite of Persian and Babylonian kings that was traded out of the port at Tyre. Others were locally-made in Phoenica. Wine was produced in quantity near ancient Sidon – at Tell al-Burak, and the fragrant wines of Byblos were likely also locally produced.

The City of Baal (Baalbek) in the very fertile Bekaa Valley later became a veritable “breadbox” for Rome and was associated with wine and Bacchus, particularly after its annexation to the Roman Republic and later temple-building in the Roman Empire.

Following a millennium of turmoil and chaos wrought by invaders and earthquakes, the Bekaa again became a hub for viticulture. While still under Ottoman occupation, François-Eugène Brun opened Domaine des Tourelles; in operation since 1868, it is Lebanon’s oldest commercial winery.

François-Eugène was succeeded by, first, Louis- and then Pierre- Brun. Today, the winery is co-owned by Fawzi Issa and Emile Issa al-Khoury; she is related to the Brun family.

Like most Lebanese wineries, they also prioritize Lebanon’s national drink: arak. Sales of arak outweigh those of the Domaines wines. Their Arak Brun is a nod to the Domaines founding Brun family – and it is delicious. It is carried around the Middle East, and I was able to buy it on the shelves of a liquor store in Erbil, Iraq. Find it if you can.

You can definitely find their wine – as it is this month’s Wine Club offering.

Domaine des Tourelles Bekaa Valley Vieilles Vignes White

This is a 50/50 blend of 100 year-old Merwah and 50 year-old Obeideh. Both are grown at high altitude – 1400m for the former, 1100m for the latter. The grapes are hand harvested and separately fermented with wild yeast. The wine is then blended and put in stainless steel.

The wine is aromatic with a nose of apple orchards and scrubby herb. There are tree fruits, fresh mint, and resin on the minerally and savory palate. The wine finishes with notes of dried figs and green almonds.

Domaine des Tourelles Bekaa Valley Cinsault Vieilles Vignes

This wine is made with 100% Cinsault from vines over 1000m elevation and over 50 years old. Grapes are hand harvested and wild-yeast fermented in concrete vats, with 10 days on skins. The wine is finished in neutral oak barrels.

The wine has ripe cherry and plum in the mouth with hints of star anise and all spice, and some evergreen needles. It is a fresh, juicy wine with great acidity and structure.

Obeideh, Merwah, and Cinsault - together, these grapes exemplify Lebanese wine with the use of indigenous grapes and imported French varietals. Lebanon’s wine scene continues to adapt and evolve its use of new and old grape, techniques, and influences, but that is a story for another day.

Happy New Year!!!

Happy New Year! This first month of 2025 we have two spectacular wines from one great producer: William Heritage Winery in Mullica Hill, NJ.

Bill (William) & Penni Heritage started the winery in 2001 on family lands. These had formerly been orchards of apples and peaches, but these were replaced with grapevines. I am so glad they were! The Heritage’s land is well-suited to grape-growing (more on that below), and the wines are well made. That quality is recognized by their peers as William Heritage Winery has twice been named Winery of the Year (2011, 2014) by the Garden State Wine Growers Association. Their wines have also rated highly with reviewers, including Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, the Wine Enthusiast, and Wine & Spirits. I believe it was in 2014 that I first tasted their wines, and was very, very impressed.

This month, we are offering you two of their estate-grown red wines:

William Heritage Cabernet Sauvignon 2022, Outer Coastal Plains, NJ

The Cabernet Sauvignon was sourced from 3 areas in the vineyard, all sustainably grown. The juice was fermented on the skins. The wine was aged 11 months in French oak, of which 9% was new.

The resulting wine is elegant and tasty. Fruits are forest-y, with raspberry and currant. There are hints of eucalyptus, which is my favorite style for cab sauv. The mouth has cherry, a bit of graphite, and some herbs.

William Heritage Syrah 2022, Outer Coastal Plains, NJ

The Syrah comes from one area of the vineyard and is also sustainably grown. Like the Cab, the wine was aged 11 months in French oak, of which15% was new.

The Syrah has dark fruit notes of blue and back berries, a little black olive, Syrah’s typical smokey meats, and is brightened by field herbs. In a word – wonderful.

Concerned about the quality of New Jersey wine? Don’t be. 

American wine produced on the East Coast has been gaining traction with both critics and consumers over the last decade or two; foremost among these is that from the Finger Lakes region in New York, but other parts of New York and areas in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Virginia have also received deserved accolades.  Philadelphia is surrounded by several notable wine-growing regions, including the Lehigh Valley – best known for Jet-favorite Galen Glen Winery. Another excellent wine growing region can be found east of the Delaware and across the Ben, Walt, and Betsy Bridges. All of these wine areas share something in common: recognized American Viticultural Area (AVA) appellations.

Among the many AVAs on the East coast are the Finger Lakes AVA, the Lehigh Valley AVA, and the Outer Coastal Plains AVA of New Jersey – the appellation of William Heritage Winery .

AVAs work the same as appellations in other countries, such as France’s AOC or Italy’s DOC. The AVA designates a grape-growing region by the unique features of climate, geography, and production that distinguish it from its surroundings.  

The Outer Coastal Plains AVA was named In 2006 – the year that Lucy the Elephant was first struck by lighting. It stretches from Cape May, past Lucy, to just north of Asbury Park, encompassing the pine barrens and most of the Atlantic coast. In other words, it is very, very Jersey.

Pine barrens soils are GREAT for growing. They have well-draining sandy particles and ample plant matter for nutrients. Those sandy soils help retain heat; that, along with the Outer Coastal Plains’ temperature tempering via the Atlantic Ocean and the Delaware Bay, helps ensure around 200 frost-free days of growing per year. All of this is great for Cabernet Sauvignon and for Syrah – both of which love sandy soils. In it, they grow a little bit lighter and fruitier, which is parlayed into the glass.

But, don’t take my word for how good these wines are, you can try them yourselves. And, the fine folks at William Heritage Winery are offering all of our wine club members a gift card to their tasting room!

So, grab your gift card and head over to their Mullica Hill winery and tasting room. But, I figured you may as well make a day of it. So I’ve created an itinerary of great places to stop in- and around- the pine barrens and the AVA – last stop is wine. Just watch out for those Jersey Devils!

Outer Coastal Plains AVA roadtrip!

Emilio Carranza Monument - Captain Emilio Carranza Rodríguez was a Mexican aviator who died when his plane crashed in the pine barrens in 1928 on his way back to Mexico. His flight had been for goodwill between Mexico and the US, and he was greeted by many dignitaries during his trip – including then-US president, Calvin Coolidge.  A monument was erected at the site of his crash, which can be found in Tabernacle, just off Carranza road. There is a large parking lot, so you can stop, enjoy the fresh air and do some hiking.  There are several, easy to navigate trails through pine forest.

Blueberry shakes at Sofia’s Supreme Subs in Hammonton – slake your thirst with the amazing blueberry shake at this small, roadside stand on the White Horse Pike. If you need more than a shake, the subs are also excellent. And fries!

New Gretna Renault champagne bottle- In te 1920s, the Renault Winery erected 80, 24-foot tall, concrete champagne bottles across the US as part of an advertising campaign. At the time, Renault was renowned for their sparkling wine. A few of these still exist, though repainted and evolved over time. Find one on Route 9 in New Gretna.

Tree Monument of Richland – When a 235-year old tree died, instead of cutting it down chainsaw artist Gary Heitz carved into it the history of the town of Richland. It stands today – as art and history – in Sawmill Park on Route 40 in Richland.

Sweet Amalia Market – the amazing Sweet Amalia Market on Route 40 in Newfield is run by Sisterly Love Collective members and friends of Jet, Lisa Calvo and Melissa McGrath. Whether you just want some oysters on the half shell, or one of Chef Melissa’s award-winning sandwiches, it is worth the drive and the wait (until they re-open in March!).

William Heritage Winery – your final destination! Taste and enjoy!

December Wine Club – All About the Bubbly

Click above for December’s playlist.

Well friends, the day has come. We can finally offer Franciacorta to our special members. I. Am. Crying.

If you have ever been to one of my sparkling wine tastings, then you know my absolute love for Franciacorta. I love its flavor and freshness, its price, and the memories it evokes for me.

Franciacorta is Italy’s sparkling wine, par excellence. Like its more-famous neighbor, Champagne, Franciacorta has rules that govern origin, varietal, quality, and style. The DOCG (denominazione di origine controllata e garantita) classification – Italy’s highest - was reached in 1995, which applies strict standards to its production. In fact, many of its regulations exceed those of Champagne, though its production is 1/10 that of its French counterpart

The wine region is situated in the middle of Lombardy. There are 5 DOCG spread across this Lakes region, and Franciacorta sits near the center, bordering Lake Iseo. Pinot Nero, Chardonnay, and Pinot Bianco (50% max- and now up to 10% Erbamat) from vineyards within this region are the only grapes allowed. Production follows the méthode champenoise, with long months of bottle aging sur lees. Those requirements range from 18 months on lees for the spumante level, to at least 60 months for riserva classification. By contrast, Champagne aging requirements span 15-36 months – though many houses surpass these minimum standards.

Despite the high standards required for Franciacorta that meet or surpass those for Champagne, prices for the former rarely reach the astronomical levels of the latter. A really excellent Franciacorta can be bought for $40-$50, and $30 still garners a high-quality bottle. And, for me, Franciacorta aways outclasses its Champagne complement. I cannot get enough of its elegant, long-lasting bubbles, and typical, beautiful notes of citrus, pear, almond, and toast.

Wine is not just about taste; it is also about place, associations, memory. I drank Franciacorta in Albenga at the wedding of my closest friend (see pic). I drank it at another wedding in Montalcino. I had it at my own wedding in Philadelphia. I’ve also drunk Franciacorta to celebrate the end of a dig season in Orbetello, my birthday in Fiumicino, New Year’s Eve wherever I may be. I certainly have it on every anniversary. I drink it in celebration, sometimes in commemoration, and sometimes in condolence. For me, Franciacorta is a necessary part of life’s most meaningful moments. That is another reason that this wine club offering is so special. Not only do we get to offer you Franciacorta, but Contadi Castaldi is the first one I ever tasted. I was on the way to Aleppo via Milan, and my husband (Evan) and I went beforehand to Lake Garda. We celebrated my departure at lunch, with a bottle of Contadi Castaldi.

Contadi Castaldi Franciacorta Brut NV

●  80% Chardonnay, 10% Pinot Nero, 10% Pinot Bianco

●  Initial aging in steel and barrique, with 20-26 months on lees

●  Fresh and lively, with layers of citrus, honeysuckle, and laurel.

Yes, there *is* a second wine. While I am beyond excited about the Franciacorta, I musn’t overlook the Cava!

Cava is to Spain as Franciacorta is to Italy: its highest quality sparkling-wine made in the méthode champenoise. Cava has DO (Denominación de Origen), which – excluding the estate-based Vino de Pago – is the penultimate classification for Spanish wine. Requirements are thus a bit looser. Its historical home lies in Catalonia, particularly the Penedés region between Barcelona and Tarragona. Macabeo, Xarel.lo, and Parellada are the three main grapes used, though a few others are allowed – including Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The wine must be aged on lees, with requirements ranging from 9 months for the “Cava” designation, 15 months for “Reserva Cava”, to 30 months for “Gran Reserva Cava”.

As does Franciacorta, Cava has excellent value. Prime, vintage bottlings can be quite expensive. But, $30 can buy a very good bottle, particularly of an NV (non-vintage) wine.

This bottle is also special to me. It is our house label – Sojourner. The image on the label is, of course, the beautiful mural painted on the garden wall, courtesy of Carlos (Calo) Rosa and the Mural Arts Program. I have long admired Mural Arts and the amazing murals that decorate our neighborhoods. I had no idea we would be so lucky as to have Calo Rosa be our artist. Calo is from San Salvador, and the vivid, vibrant, ‘‘Antes de la Lluvia’’ that he painted in our garden (and that graces the Cava label) is permeated by his stated Latin American “urban-tropical” and street art influences. Not only that, Calo is a wonderful person; I feel rewarded to have worked with him and to have met him and his family.

Sojourner Cava, Penedés

●  Macabeo, Xarel.lo, and Parellada

●  12 months on lees

●  Crisp and bubbly, notes of toasted nuts, light brioche, pear, lime zest.

Carlos Lopez Rosa

Born in San Salvador, lives and works in Philadelphia.
From a family of artists with diverse media including graphic design, Brazilian percussion, oil painting, and cake-making. He holds a degree in Fine and Visual Arts from the Centro Nacional de Artes (CENAR) and a degree in graphic design from Don Bosco University.

November is weird, but it is almost always sunny in Philadelphia, & features a feast day!

November in Philly is a little weird.

Is it cold? Is it warm? It is almost always sunny, and it features a feast day: Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving (or Friendsgiving or Day-in-which-we-watch-tv-and-Eat-a-big-Meal). For many, this day is also a great excuse to drink a lot of good wine.

Growing up, my family’s table did not have alcohol, so no wine. We had a fairly traditional Thanksgiving meal: roast turkey with sausage stuffing, mashed potatoes, green beans, a weird carrot Ambrosia-y salad, and homemade noodles. I don’t know, maybe the last two weren’t traditional. It was followed up with pumpkin pie, and my mom graciously made me lemon meringue since I really, really do not like pumpkin pie. 

My Thanksgiving is much different now. I don’t exactly know how it started, but our dinner consists of Shabu Shabu with beef and shrimp, mashed potatoes (for Geri), mac n’ cheese (for Ali), all kinds of chips (for Adi), and crudité (for health!). It also features wine.

But, the addition of wine does not make it any more traditional – in a historical sense. If we look back to the cultural settings the pilgrims left and the colonial settlements into which they came, they would more likely be drinking genever, rum, and cider.

Nonetheless, traditions evolve and new ones (Shabu Shabu!) get made. And, a lot of wine gets drunk on Thanksgiving.

In honor of that (evolved) wine-drinking tradition, we selected 2 wines that fair well with feasting foods (read more about these wines below):

• Negramole, Morgado do Quintao 'Clarete' Algarve, Portugal 

• Happs Margaret River Pinot Noir, Australia

What do Portuguese and Australian wines have to do with Thanksgiving? Nothing. But they are delicious wines and delicious partners to feasting foods. 

While the Portuguese do not have a “Thanksgiving” holiday, Dia de São Martinho occurs every November 11th to honor St. Martin. It is also a celebration of the new wine, and an indispensable food for the day is roasted chestnuts.

Chestnuts (and other shelled nuts) are often featured at Thanksgiving-style feasts in the US – whether simply roasted, sauteed with vegetables, or served in the most important dish of the day – stuffing! The Portuguese drink wine with their chestnuts and this bold wine with fruits and light tannins can hold up to the nutty and fruity chestnuts. So, have chestnuts at your feast and drink your Negra Mole with them. Or, try something new! We have included a recipe for Madeira-Braised Chestnuts and Brussels Sprouts from Aliza Green. Aliza is a noted Philadelphia-based chef, cookbook author, and culinary tour leader; she has one coming up to Portugal next spring. Brussels sprouts are commonly paired with a minerally, zippy, white wine. But, this dish is nutty and creamy, with some spices, and ideal for this complex, flavorful Clarete. Incidentally, the Negra Mole grape is similar to the Tinta Negra grape that goes into Madeira!  

Our second wine is from Australia – another country that doesn’t celebrate Thanksgiving. No matter. Australians eat, and they eat well. Roast turkey might be made at Christmas or other feast days, but roast lamb is informally considered Australia’s national dish. Who likes roast lamb? I do! And so does our Happs Margaret River Pinot Noir. Traditionally, Pinot Noir is often paired with roast turkey. This wine, though, has juicier, chewier fruits than many “traditional” Pinot Noir, creating a great pairing with meaty, gamey lamb. Also, the label’s nod to Indigenous Australians is a welcome counterpoint to the colonial centering of the American holiday.

So cheers to (new) traditions!

November Wine Club Wines

Negramole, Morgado do Quintão 'Clarete' Algarve, Portugal 

Morgado do Quintão is found in the Algarve region, on Portugal’s southwestern coast. Vines were first planted on this estate in the 1800s, but the modern winery’s first vintage dates to 2016 from revived vines. The estate, through winemaker Joana Maçanita, is interested in reconnecting to historic Algarve winemaking through attention to the land and traditional grapes, and respect to the region’s heritage.

Negramole is a grape that is native to the Algarve, with a possible lineage through Pinot Noir. “Clarete” is a style from the Algarve, using the Negramole grape. These wines have a nice, medium body, offer light tannins, and ample red fruit, and just enough acid to complement a wide range of foods. 

This low-intervention wine has grapes that were sustainably grown, hand-harvested, and crushed by foot. Fermentation was in stainless steel, and the wine was aged for 6 months before bottling.

From the winemaker’s notes, the Clarete is:

“… medium bodied with a soft purple hue, on the nose red fruits and berries, in the mouth it is elegant with a touch of spice.”

Happs Margaret River Pinot Noir, Australia

Happs is owned by the Happ family, who founded the estate in 1978.  They are located in the Margaret River, in western Australia, south of Perth. Happs, with winemaker Mark Warren are making low-intervention and low-sulfur wines with manual harvest. While utilizing these intensive labor practices, they remain committed to making high-quality and innovative wine that is still accessible to a wide range of people.

Pinot Noir is not a grape that is traditional to the Margaret River but reflects the Happ family’s exploration of new flavors and instinct for innovation. The grapes were hand-harvested, fermentation, and maturation in stainless steel.

Per the winemakers’ notes:

“A pretty aroma where strawberry, cherry, and cranberry fruit characters combine with pretty floral notes and hints of cola, rhubarb, confection, cloves, and all things spicey.

The strawberry and cherry flavours carry on to the palate and combine with cranberry, raspberry coulis, pomegranate, purple Jubes, and amaretto elements to produce a wine that is full of fruit and interest. It’s a light to medium bodied wine that is generous in flavour, with subtle oak, restrained acidity, and attractive soft tannin.”

This wine is part of their iSeries wines. These have labels crafted by Indigenous artists and are meant to reflect a strong connection to the land.

Happy October, Jet Wine Club-bers!

Enjoy this month’s Orange and Black (and purple!) wines while contemplating this question: Why do orange and black symbolize Halloween?

Well, I thought maybe the orange of pumpkins and the black of witches’ robes and black cats… but that sounds more like a just-so story. So, is there a reason?

I went online to the ultimate authority on the subject: Martha Stewart. It turns out Martha did not turn to Snoop for help on this, but rather to a Halloween historian – Lesley Bannatyne. According to her, this – like so many card holidays – had a commercial origin. Apparently the first Halloween decorations to be sold in the US (in 1909!) were orange and black. That took off. Well, that is how it got codified, anyway, but what of the original use?

It is well accepted that Halloween grew out of a Celtic fest named Samhain, that was in practice a couple thousand years ago. For the Celts, Samhain occurred on the night of transition to winter. That transition could let souls and the dead pass the earthly borders and so big bonfires were made. Is that the orange? Maybe. Black? Well, that is the color of death, the dark night, shadows… and one factor that links many precursors to modern Halloween is, in fact, death and the honoring of the dead and propitiating the spirits.

From the Celts we get to the Romans, who were influenced by the cultures of their hinterlands. Yes, the Romans had a festival for the dead – Feralia. They gave gifts to the dead to keep them from haunting the living. But was there anything orange? Well, amber was a popular commodity and color – but I don’t think most people were presenting gifts of (luxury) amber in the necropolis. Garments could be dyed orange, and priests and priestesses wore orange robes.  Purple – another color associated with Halloween – also colored robes, and these were a real luxury that in time was limited to the emperor. Oh, that gives a reason to mention the Phoenicians! Purple was known as Tyrian Purple due to its association with the Phoenician city of Tyre, located in modern Lebanon on the Mediterranean Sea.

So, we have the orange of fire, amber, and garments. We have the black of night and of death. Are these the answers? Let’s think some more about that with this months wines. They are, of course, Orange and Black!

These wines come from one of our favorite vendors, Giacomo, who started his own company, DiLisi Imports!

The wines are both from Vineka, a Puglian winery founded in 2016 by Guglielmo Zito. The  focus here is on sustainable winemaking with sourced grapes from local vineyards whose values mirror Zito’s own. These are grapes from happy, healthy vineyards!

Bianco Macerato 2023 is made from 100% Verdeca that is macerated (fermented with the skins) for 20 days. The natural wine undergoes spontaneous fermentation (no inoculation of yeast). Stainless steel production. 6 mos on lees

This is our ORANGE wine (with a purple label!!!!). Why orange? Well “orange” wines are made via skin contact, gaining color and tannin from the skins of the grape. So, just as rose is a red grape made like a white wine – limiting skin contact to reduce both color and tannin – orange wine is a white grape made like a red wine – increasing skin contact to both color and tannin. The degree of each of those depends on the grape – each variety has varying color and tannin content. The relatively rare Verdeca, itself, is a lightly floral and herbal grape with notes of fleshy tree fruits like apple and peach. The skin contact increases the intensity of those flavors, adds some almonds, and also adds a freshness and zest to the mouth feel. In other words, it is delicious.

Negroamaro 2022 is produced from 100% Negroamaro grapes. The wine is macerated in stainless with the addition of locally grown almond skins. To lessen tannins, extraction occurs during fermentation. Like the Bianco, the wine undergoes spontaneous fermentation.

Also like the Bianco, this is truly a Puglian wine.  It is our BLACK wine. Negroamaro – variously believed to mean “bitter (amaro) black” or derived as “black (mavro) black” is grown in a tight geographical range focused in Puglia and, particularly, Salento where this

September Wine Club – Oktoberfest, horses, and a zither.

September is that strange month in which Munich’s Oktoberfest begins, and in which many Americans celebrate non-eponymously.

History has it that Oktoberfest originated in Munich in October of 1810, as a celebration of a royal wedding. The highlight of the 5-day festival was horse racing – not beer. Horse races as public spectacle are as old as the hills, and chariot racing was part of the early Olympics in the 8th century BC. Earlier still, and before the domesticated horse was widespread, public celebrations in ancient Syria and Iraq in the 3rd and 2nd millennia included acrobats who danced and leapt around a different prestigious equid, the Kunga (an animal whose identification has been my greatest achievement!).

While horse racing is no longer a standard Oktoberfest event, it continued in the Munich wiesn until 1960. Now, the horses are mainly limited to the carousel – which had its debut as a fair ride at the 1818 Oktoberfest. 

More than any event with either real or carved horses, though, beer drinking is the main focus in Munich. In 2010, 7.1 million liters of beer were served! While beer is king, other beverages are consumed - including wine; German Reisling is a favorite.

Wine consumption brings us to Austria (home of this month’s wines) and its wiesn, which has an origin in that country’s celebration of “this year’s wine” at Heuriger – replete with wine, food, and folk music. Held roughly the same time as Munich’s more famous fest, Vienna also serves scads of beer. But, the focus is more on traditional- and folk- fun, food, music, and drink. So, local wines have a bigger place here. 

Vienna’s festival (the Wiener Wiesn) – the country’s largest – takes place on the Prater, amid its famous amusement park. There were horse races at the Prater at one time, but – as in Bavaria’s fests – the only horses remaining are on carousels. Yet the carousel is not the most famous of the Prater’s rides. That honor goes to another spinning ride – the ferris wheel. The Third Man film raised the profile of the Prater to stardom with its iconic scene set at the Giant Ferris Wheel. The Third Man is considered one of the best movies of all time, and its film score drew strong accolades. Anton Karas is the zither player and composer whose music is featured in the film. He was discovered by the movie’s director in Vienna while he was playing his zither at a Heuriger. After all of his fame, Karas opened his own Heuriger.

This month’s wines (and playlist) will let you recreate your own heuriger or wiesn – the Austrian way. These are traditional grapes from traditional, family-run estates from near Vienna. Pull out your schnitzels, wursts, krauts… 

Wines

Ecker Grüner Veltliner 

The Ecker family has over 400 years of winemaking experience! The current business is run by the 3rd generation of the family, with 24 hectares of vineyards. These are located just outside of Vienna in the Wagram district of the Niederosterreich region in lower (northern) Austria in which white grapes – and especially gruner veltliner – are paramount. Wagram, on the Danube, has deep loess soils and a Pannonian climate of warm days and cool nights. Together, these traits bring out fruity aromas in sometimes-svelte Grüner Veltliner. This particular bottling is clean, clear, and crisp. The fruity aromas manifest as gruner’s typical citrus, with the addition of some fleshy white fruits. Light aging in wood barrels rounds the mouthfeel. 

We are offering this as a whopping 1-liter bottle so you can bring some friends to the party!

Wallner Blaufränkisch 

 Wait, didn’t we just have a blaufränkisch? Yes, we did. From Slovenia, in June. 

While delicious from Slovenia, Austria is the grape’s home. Here, it takes on a rich, brambly fruity quality, sprinkled with fossilized carob. I just made that up – but it does suggest a “minerally cocoa”, I hope. 

Wallner is a 5th generation weingut in Sudburgenland, just north of Vienna. Estates in this region are typically small, and Wallner has 8 hectares. The iron-rich soils here are sustainably farmed. This region is fairly cool. The wine is elegant. It has all the forest fruits and gets a little green fig, too. White pepper and a touch of tarragon round it out. 

Does your wiesn include sausages? Good, because this will drink beautifully with them. 

Cheers! Click above to listen to September's playlist on Spotify.

To read more about the discovery of the Kunga click the above pic of Jill Weber at Installation A.

May Wine Club Playlist - Mom & The Force

Make sure you listen along here while you sip this months’ wines!

May the Fourth (and Mom) Be With You

You know, May is all about the Force and Mother’s Day. So this month’s wines are brought to you by Luke Skywalker, Hercules (really), and Mom. 

Let’s start with Mom. Our wines this month are, literally, from “Mother Earth”. Both come from Greek producer Gai’a, named for that ancestral MOM of life and earth.  

Gai’a Notios White Nemea 2022  is a blend of 3 grapes, in equal parts. Moschofilero (a clone of the fileri group of grapes) and Roditis Alepou are endemic to Greece’s Peloponnese (of which Nemea is part), and both are pink-skinned. Assyrtiko is iconic of Santorini, but this white-skinned grape is also grown in the Peloponnese. The Roditis Alepou originates from the mountainous area of Aigialeia on the Gulf of Corinth, at an altitude of approximately 1000m, while the Moschofilero is grown on a plateau of 450m. The grapes are hand harvested and fermented in stainless steel. Altogether, the result is a crisp, acidic, and aromatic wine with lovely lemon and apple, and a nice, long finish. 

Gai’a Notios Red Nemea 2022  is made from 85% Agiorgitiko and 15% Syrah. Agiorgitiko, the mainstay of Nemean reds, is grown in a steep-sloped vineyard in Koutsi at ca 450-550m elevation.  The grapes are low yield and grown without irrigation, resulting in concentrated flavors. The stemless grapes are fermented in stainless steel with 6 days of skin contact. The wine rests in oak barrels for 45 days before bottling. The result is a young tasting wine with plums and bright cherry, black pepper, and some dark smokiness from the Syrah.

Gai’a Wines was founded in 1994 by Agriculturalists Yiannis Paraskevopoulos – who also holds a PhD in Enology, and Leon Karatsalos. The “Notios” label, which means “the Southerner”, was started in 1996. Their wines are made in both Santorini and Nemea; the Notios line has grapes from Nemea.

So, thank you Mother! What of Star Wars? Hercules? That is more convoluted, of course, but let’s begin.

What makes *you* love a particular wine? I know it is now cliché to say, but my pleasure comes from the taste (of course), but also the story. What makes a good story? Well, I think it is the personal connection that a good story conjures. For me, that is often an underlying theme of mythology, history, or the bonds made via the personal experience of travel. Pop culture can also elicit strong associations between a story and a wine – such as for this month’s Star Wars theme. Yes, this is a Star Wars theme. But, that theme is writ very, very broadly. 

As a kid in the 70’s, I rode my bike to the theater to see (the original!) Star Wars – which I loved. I went back for The Empire Strikes Back, but after that I was much more smitten by Clash of the Titans and Raiders of the Lost Ark; I was always drawn to the adventures within ancient myth and archaeology. I can’t even remember if I saw Return of the Jedi, and episodes I-III are a blur. I realize that puts me in the minority, and makes me an odd choice to write this post. But, I know enough people who adore the franchise, and it is hard to not be impressed by the loyalty and love of its fans. Nonetheless, I have adapted the Star Wars theme to one closer to my own heart: ancient mythology. This isn’t too far-fetched, as there are numerous mythological themes and plot devices that run through the series. 

On a very specific level, my husband and Star Wars fan, Evan, likens Darth Vader and the corridors of the Death Star to the Minotaur with his maze. Thus Luke Skywalker would align with Theseus, and each of them had help from the daughter of a ruler (Princess Leia and Ariadne) to manage the maze and confront the beast. Such precise comparisons are bound to be inexact, but the plights of both Luke Skywalker and Theseus command a more general analogy and reference to the archetypal Hero Saga (e.g. Rubino 2011) 

Generally speaking, a Hero Saga involves one fated to roam strange lands following trouble on the home front for an important quest or trek. Common elements of the journey include uncertainty, odd or uncertain parentage, exile, the trope of confronting monsters (whether inner demons or physical manifestations), supernatural or divine aid, and return (success). Struggles between good and evil - or darkness and light – are pervasive, if not mandatory. Even upon a successful journey and return, the forces of Light and Dark are still at play. Thus the outcome of Theseus’ journey to slay the Minotaur was also tragic; he was successful, but failed to raise a white flag on his boat for the journey home. Upon seeing a black flag, his father killed himself and the hero created evermore chaos and trouble at home. 

But, here we follow the saga of Herakles (Hercules), because our wines are from the Greek region of Nemea. Herakles (like Luke Skywalker) had troublesome paternity (Zeus, Darth Vader) and both had super-natural help in training to overcome the myriad challenges they would face. Their sagas diverge, though, as Herakles’ journey was prescribed as punishment for murdering his wife and children in a moment of (Hera-induced) insanity. As penitence, Herakles was tasked with performing 12 labors for King Eurystheus of Mycenae, which took him 12 years. The first labor performed was in Nemea. There, Herakles was required to slay the powerful lion that resided in a cave on Mount Tritos and bring back its skin to Eurystheus at Mycenae – some 15-20 km away.  He did so. In so doing, he also brought into existence the wine that was drunk by another mythical hero, Agamemnon, while at his palace at Mycenae.  

Does that mean Herakles brought wine to Greece? Certainly not. Greece is part of the Ancient Wine World. There is chemical evidence for wine-making in northern Greece dating to ca 4300 BC from a place called Dikili Tash. While such early evidence will surely be found in other parts of Greece, we must content ourselves in the Nemea region with written evidence from Mycenae, dating to ca 1600-1100 BC; mentions of “wine” occur in that palaces Linear B tablets. From where did the palace wine come? Linear B tablets fail to geo-locate it for us, but we have a few clues that it was the Nemean plain. First, we are told that Agamemnon’s wine was Flisian (Phlisian) – which ancient land was famous for its wine. The ancient wanderer and travel writer, Pausanius, tells us that the town of Phlius is just west of Nemea, and that it had a sanctuary to Dionysus. Second, we are told that Agamemnon drank the “blood of Herakles” wine. That is a bit of a misnomer, as the blood stemmed from the lion, not the man, but whatever. It is averred that the dark color of the Agiorgitiko grape, which is the red of Nemea, is due to the blood of the slain lion. Ergo, Agamemnon drank Agiorgitiko.  Moreover, Flisian wine was referred to as “the Blood of Herakles”.  Our faithful Pausanius notes that the cave of said lion was just 15 stades (e.g. furlongs. 1 stade = 1/8 mile) from Nemea. That is, the lion’s cave on Mount Tritos was a mere 1.875 miles from the sanctuary of Nemea, in the Flisian plain. Finally, the lion was slain by Herakles around 1300 BC… very much within the time frame of Agamemnon’s rule at Mycenae. Agamamnon drank “Blood of Herakles” Agiorgitiko from Nemea, “created” by our hero. But what about the name? Agiorgitiko stems from Agios Georgios, or St. George. This comes from a small church/monastery that previously lent its name to the town of Nemea. Despite the fact that St. George only found his way to the region a couple millennia following Agamemnon’s putative rule, the grape is formally called Agiorgitiko. Nonetheless, “Blood of Herakles” is maintained in the informal lexicon. 

Dark Side vs Light Side

Now that the origins are clear, we get back to our larger theme. Because this is Star Wars themed, we need a Dark Side and a Light Side to our Force (i.e. wine). It is fairly clear that the Notios Red is our “Dark Side” wine, stemming as it does from blood of the slain lion. But Red? Not Black? Well, George Lucas, himself, used red for evil, as an “aggressive” color. That isn’t so sinister, but he did put red on the Emperor Palpatine, the Dark Lord. Of course, all I see is Emperor “Palatine”. Rome’s Palatine Hill housed emperors beginning with Augustus, but who is most like this Sith Lord?  Caligula didn’t live there, but Livia did, and she was evil. Maybe Palpatine was based on Livia? (Sidenote: if you are finished watching Star Wars, I highly recommend “I, Claudius”… ) Back from our digression - even the Dark Side has some good, right? And the good is all in the flavor of this strikingly colored, dark, and spicy gem of a wine. 

What of the Light side? Our Notios White blend, of course! What is in a color? Even I remember Princess Leia’s white dress – though her ammonite-spiral hair was far more iconic. Speaking of ammonites, this relic of the Aegean Sea is included in Gai’a’s logo. White dress, Ammonite hair – is there any other proof needed that this wine is our Light Side of the Force? Drinking it will solidify that notion, of course, with its airy, floral notes, light and bright citrus, and fresh-as-a-daisy feel.

Enjoy your wines, hug your mom if you can, and May the 4th be with you.

*RUBINO, C. (2011). LONG AGO, BUT NOT SO FAR AWAY: ANOTHER LOOK AT “STAR WARS” AND THE ANCIENT WORLD. The Classical Outlook, 89(1), 1–4. http://www.jstor.org/stable/43940227

April Wine Club Playlist - The Moon is Made of Cheese

Make sure you sip & sing along to this months’ playlist, curated, of course, by Jet’s owner & founder Jill Weber! Listen here.

April is all about Wine and Cheese

NOTE: Well, changes happen. And we have a last-minute cheese change! But, I’m not changing my goat story. So, I assure you the new cheese – Nimbus Triple Cream Brie – will also be delicious with the Trizanne Syrah.

I suspect you’ve already noticed but, hey, wine and cheese go great together!

The salt, the fat, the tang… really just scream for wine accompaniment. As always, pairings and flavor preferences are very subjective, and so which wine goes with which cheese takes a little thought. Or, better yet, creating a great pairing takes a lot of trial and error. I regularly test my own hypotheses about what goes well together by things that I do think will “work”, as well as those I think will be terrible together. It is always fun. Really!

This month’s club is a great way to explore pairings (my way or yours), as we have partnered with our friend Ann Karlen of Third Wheel Cheese to bring you two, delicious cheeses to go with your two, delicious wines. I recommend you try them in all their combinations, but I’ve got recommendations… What are those based on? Generally speaking, flavors, stories, and, in essence, gestalt. Read on to see - but there is a dinosaur. And a rhinoceros.

Cheeses

More Cowbell is a cow’s milk cheese from Pennsylvania’s Goat Rodeo Farm and Dairy. It is in a mountain style (aka alpine-- think emmental or swiss), and is earthy, herbal and complex. It is cave aged with a black cream wax rind.

First Light Honey Chevre is a goat’s milk cheese from Old Chatham Creamery of New York. It is lighter and creamier than traditional chevre, and perfect for spring with the addition of local honey.  It is grassy, tart, and has a touch of balanced sweetness.

Wines

Image credit: https://www.giulianaimports.com/karman-rioja

Linea Karman Garnacha Rioja 2021 is a fresh (unoaked) and juicy wine made from 88% old-bush vine Garnacha and 12% Tempranillo. Whole, destemmed clusters are fermented with native yeasts in stainless. The juice is left on the lees for four months, then bottled. The result is a little bit wild and brambly – like the river valleys nearby. The blackberry and plummy fruits get a little kick from black pepper and allspice. Bright and juicy in the mouth with nice acidity for… cheese! Drink it at room temperature or chilled.

Linea Karman is a negociant project from David González, the wine director at Gómez Cruzado, which makes wines in the Haro region of Rioja Alta. For this wine, though, the Garnacha and Tempranillo are sourced from the villages of Badarán, Cardenas and Cordovín, which are found in the southern Rioja Alta in the cool-climate Cardenas River Valley. Soils here, at the foot of the Sierra de la Demanda mountains, are iron and clay rich. This part of Rioja – in the Najerilla Valley – is home to ancient terraces and some of the regions oldest vines.

Image credit: @TrizanneB on X

Trizanne Syrah Swartland 2021 is a medium-bodied syrah with a big heart. The 100% Syrah grapes were sourced from dry-farmed plots in schist and shale soils of the Swartland. The destemmed grapes then underwent natural fermentation in open tanks, and spent 12 months in small barrels. This wine is fruity and savory; we get pomegranate notes, black and white pepper, wet earth, and nice acidity. Taste some black olive in there? It’s not just you!

Trizanne Barnard is the owner and winemaker of her namesake winery. She makes wines from grapes from vineyards in Elim and Swartland, the latter from where this Syrah comes. Swartland is in the Western Cape Province, just north of Cape Town. The area is very fertile, with orchards and olive groves (remember that olive note?), wheat fields, and, of course, vineyards.

Wine and Cheese Pairings – and Stories!

What cheese for which wine?

To figure that out, we’ll have to delve into the regions just a bit more…

Rioja

The Rioja region, generally, has a long history of wines and vines; their earliest appearance here dates ca the 11th century BC, credited to Phoenician traders and movement of people and goods up the Ebro River – one of the most important rivers to La Rioja.  As is the case with most “Old World” regions, vines and the culture of wine were further spread and maintained via the policies of the Roman Empire.

But dates back much earlier than wine? Animals. Remember January Wine Club’s blog and the ancient elephant prints dating from several hundred thousand years ago? Well, La Rioja does not have elephant prints – even Hannibal skirted near the sea on his way to crossing the Alps – but dinosaur remains are a different story. The town of Enciso is at the center of a paleontological trove of dinosaur remains, including footprints dating back to the Early Cretaceus period, over 100 *million* years ago!  The dinosaurs, or course, do not provide milk for cheese, but do provide tourism for the town (please watch this amazing clock automaton!)

Image Credit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cave_of_Altamira

But there are early animals of Spain and La Rioja that are more relevant to dairy. Bison and Aurochs (wild cattle) roamed Northern Spain during much of the Paleolithic period, and these animals were hunted with spears for their meat, skins, and bones (not yet dairy!). They were also very symbolic and feature widely in the cave art of the later Paleolithic. The Altamira caves, in nearby Cantabria, are among the most famous in the world and have paintings dating from ca 35000 BC to the last uses of the cave around 12000 BC that show these animals in repose, alone, in herds, etc. While these animals were significant to their hunters, they ultimately were not the source of Spain’s domesticated cattle; those came later. From where did they come? The ancient Near East – just like the wine that would come later. Around the time the Altamira Cave was abandoned, the process of domesticating and managing wheat, barley, sheep, goat, cattle, and pigs was begun in the “Fertile Crescent” regions of Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Iran, and the Levant. This “Neolithic Revolution” led to increasingly settled communities and civilizations. After a few more millennia, those domesticated goods and the knowledge to reproduce them spread to Europe. Just like the later wine, the Ebro was an important conduit for spreading those domesticates from the Mediterranean to the North. Movement into northern Spain along the Ebro happened as early as the 6th millennium BC, as we know from one of my favorite type of studies – those that analyze dung (i.e. animal poop). Prefer a non-poop study, try this. Anyway, it took a bit longer for those domesticates to be used for dairying, but dairy they did.

La Rioja does, in fact, have a local cheese. Sierra de Cameros is a traditional cheese made from goat’s milk that has Protected Designation of Origin status. While goats are among the animals of our story (they, too, came during the “Revolution”), the art of the Altamira cave gives the nod to the cows. Let’s drink this with the More Cowbell! The fresh and juicy wine will add a little zing to the herbal flavors and slight nuttiness of the alpine-style cheese.

Swartland

South African wine production is waaaaaay younger than that of Rioja, and Swartland is relatively young by South African standards: most wineries there were founded in the last few decades.

While the area is now filled with farmland, it once was home to all types of wild animals. The black rhinoceros used to range the Swartland, though it now only remains in the name of the “rhinoceros bush”, or renosterbos, or Elytropappus rhinocerotis. There are opposing claims as to the origin of the name, and its precise relation to the rhino. The bush thrives in areas that have been overgrazed, as it gains a foothold when not competing with other plants and grasses. It is not considered palatable to livestock and, even if rhinos were still present, it is actually unclear if they ate the bush. It seems that not even goats – consumers of most everything in their path – are keen to eat the renosterbos. So, goats and rhinos share an unknown-predilection for renosterbos (maybe they eat it, maybe they don’t). Both animals are mammals, and thus produce milk. Rhinos, though, aren’t exactly a dairy animal. This has little to do with the fact that the black rhino has among the lowest percentages of fat in its milk (ca. 0.2%), and more to do with the difficulty with which the animals could be milked. Who else has low-fat milk? Goats. Their milk fat percentage is by no means as low as that of the rhino, but is the lowest of the main dairy animals. While the actual fat content differs across environment, the relative results are always the same: goats milk has lower fat-content than cow, water buffalo, and – especially – sheep (see here, for example).

With so much in common, its no wonder that goats and rhinos can be great friends. They have been known to play with each other, and this video shows another use that goats have for their pals: food ladders! Alas, with rhinos absent from the region, at least one goat farm had to take ladder matters into their own hands and build a tower for their goat charges.

Photo: Potjie - Flickr

Fairview Cheese and Wine has always taken a tongue-in-cheek approach to wine, notably with their “Goats do Roam” range of wines – a play on Cotes du Rhone. Among their estate are vineyards in Swartland. But, it is their winery in Paarl that truly capra-tures the spirit of the beast with their herd of goats and bespoke “goat tower”. And, yes, they do make cheese from their goats’ milk.

So, the gestalt here clearly is with the goat’s milk cheese. In addition to our rhino and goat story, I always think “earthy” when pairing with a chevre. And, the berry and pepper will be a fabulous match for the bit of honey

To make this very long story short, I suggest the following:

·        Linea Karman Rioja with More Cowbell

·        Trizanne Syrah with Honey Chevre

But, remember, To find your own magical combination, you’ll just need to experiment more!

Jet Wine Club - March Playlist

Jill has put together this lil playlist featuring some of her favorite songs from great female recording artists over the ages — from Kitty Wells to Eartha Kitt (we promise the continuing cat theme is accidental!! (; ), to lesser known more modern artists like Sharon Shannon, this playlist is inspired by the feelings we get while sipping on this months’ delicious wines.

Listen here!

The Last Supper and Saints

Welcome to our March Wine Club, focusing on Women and Wine. Our two wines for this month are made by women – one in California and one in Italy. Both are superb expressions of sainted terroir and grapes.

Where it begins…

Our first wine is a Tuscan red from the hills of Tenuta i Colli, Siena. The producer, Bindi Sergardi, places the origin of their wine-making estate at 1349 AD. At that time, Siena was the seat of the Republic of Siena, which dominated the Tuscan countryside through the 13th c. – especially in banking and commerce.  The 14th c proved a bit more difficult, and in 1348, Siena was heavily affected by the Bubonic Plague, and its rival – the Republic of Florence – gained in influence. Just before that (literally) fatal year, Catherine of Siena was born. Though a lay woman, she devoted her life to piety and politics. Catherine was a supporter of the pope in the eternal power-struggle between religious and secular rule and, though she lived in Siena, she was several times called to act as a peace liaison between the Republic of Florence and the popes. It may have been her influence that resulted in the relocation of the papal administration from Avignon to Rome in 1377. After her diplomatic mission and back in Siena, Catherine continued her life of spiritual writing and ascetic piety; ascetics generally did not consume wine (or meat) and it is unlikely that Catherine would have enjoyed those fruits of the Tuscan countryside. Rather, extreme fasting may have speeded her death. That ascetism and her “receiving the stigmata” paved the way for her sainthood. In 1461, “Saint” Catherine was canonized by Pope Pius II.

In the 2nd half of the 15th century - around the time that Catherine was canonized in Siena -  many in the Bindi Sergardi family were involved in politics and administration of the Republic of Siena. Unlike Catherine, that family favored independent institutions over papal control – putting them at odds with Rome. But, in addition to the popes, that independence was also challenged by emperor Charles V, who ultimately defeated the Republic in battle.  Achille Sergardi and his son, Niccolò, were strong supporters of the Republic until its end. The i Colli estate – from which our wine was produced - is said to have hosted the embassy of Charles V in peace negotiations.

Following four centuries of waxing and waning fortunes, the Republic was fully ceded to the Grand Duchy of Tuscany – ruled by the House of Medici in Florence. Florence already had a thriving arts scene in the 15th c., amid patronage of that same Medici family. Chief among the artists that called Florence home was Leonardo da Vinci. There he influenced numerous other artists, such as Michaelangelo and Raphael. It is also where he painted his most famous work, The Mona Lisa, a portrait of a Florentine woman.  He didn’t aways live in Florence, however, and he painted another famous piece, The Last Supper, in the final years of the 15th century while working on commission in Milan. His “supper” is not true to the Passover feast to which the painting refers, but rather consists of foods that he and his contemporaries may have feasted upon. One case in point is the eel dish that he depicted . Eels are found in lakes throughout Italy, but were certainly found in the Orbetello lagoon, which was part of the Repubic of Siena. They were also famously fished in the nearby Lake Bolsena, from which the gluttonous consumption of “eels drowned in vernaccia” landed Pope Martin V into the Purgatory of Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy (Purgatorio Canto XXIV). Dante was born in Florence in the 13th c. and, like Catherine, served as an ambassador for that Republic in support of papal power. He was sent to San Gimignano, home to some of the finest vernaccia wines. The red tinge of the wine in da Vinci’s depicted feast indicates that it was not vernaccia. It looks rather like a rosé.

Plautilla Nelli’s Last Supper

Though da Vinci’s The Last Supper is one of the most recognized, it was not the only- nor the earliest- rendering of that biblical topic. Countless others exist, including one by pop artist Andy Warhol. The first-known rendition is found in an illustrated manuscript dating to the 6th century AD, the Codex Purpureus Rossanensis. The many versions share the common feature of Jesus and the Apostles gathered at a table set for a feast. From there, though, other details are often modified – in particular the meal, itself. Plautilla Nelli was a nun and self-taught artist; she was the first woman to paint the scene, in 1568. Her 7 meter long (23 foot) canvas work included foods typical to her own dining. There are no eels here, and relative to da Vinci’s, her red wine is decidedly darker and, by appearance, unfiltered. She completed the work while living in Florence at the Dominican convent of Santa Caterina di Siena (Saint Catherine of Siena), where meals would have included items she depicted, such as roast lamb, heads of lettuce, fava beans, and red wine (more here). Nelli’s other works also had biblical and religious themes, including her painting, Saint Catherine Receives the Stigmata.

…Where it ends

Our second wine comes from the Land of Saints, from California’s Central Coast. That wine region runs from Santa Barbara, past Santa Cruz, and on to San Francisco. Starting in the 18th c., the Spanish established 15 missions between Santa Barbara and San Francisco, as they colonized the coast and forcibly converted its people to Catholicism. Junipero Serra, a Franciscan from Spain, was heavily involved in the missions, establishing several of them and serving as president of the group of missions. He forcibly carried out his duties of conversion and economic growth of the mission lands at the expense of the rights and properties of the land’s native occupants. Among the agricultural products introduced to the mission’s gardens were “mission” grapes – descendants of Spain’s Listan Prieto grapes), as wine was necessary to perform Catholic religious rites.

At the time of the Spanish missionizing, there was no wine industry and there were no saints from the California region. The namesake for the mission of Santa Barbara was a 3rd c girl born in either Greece or Lebanon. There is still no saint from California, though Junipero Serra – born in Spain – was controversially beatified in 1988. There may yet be a Saint from California, however. Cora Evans converted to Catholicism from the Mormon faith in 1935, and later moved to the Santa Cruz mountains. She was said to be a mystic and to have had visions of Jesus and the virgin Mary. Evans is also said to have “received the stigmata”, further paving the way for her potential beatification. Her sainthood case received approval from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, which allows the effort to continue. Unlike Catherine of Siena, Evans was not an ascete.

Cora Evans moved from southern California to the Santa Cruz area in 1956, just a year before she died. A few year prior to that, Santa Cruz got a few new residents – made of wax. Katherine Stubergh was a famous wax artist from a family of wax artists. She and her daughter, also named Katherine, were commissioned to create a life-sized replica of The Last Supper. The 7.7 meter (25 foot) long work took 8 months to complete. It was purchased for $20,000 from Harry Liston, who commissioned the work. There seems to be some confusion in the records about the piece(es?) as a second one may exist in Texas. The Santa Cruz model now is on permanent display in the cemetery of the Santa Cruz Memorial, a family-owned and operated funeral home. The table is set with glasses and carafes, but seemingly no real wine.

Stubergh wax Last Supper - https://www.blipfoto.com/entry/2299363318621537148

Back to the Wine

Bindi Sergardi Achille IGT Toscana Rosso

Photo credit: https://www.lastbottlewines.com/product/detail/LB7358.html

The wine is an homage to Achille Sergardi, noted member of the Bindi Sergardi family of the 16th century, Republic of Siena. The wine comes from the i Colli estate that hosted the embassy from Charles V, as noted above. Now, some 500 years later, we can enjoy wines from this estate, produced by the 24th generation of that same family.  Alessandra Casini Bindi Sergardi manages the property. She is also winemaker, along with Federico Cerelli & Stefano Di Blasi.

The Achille is composed of 90% Sangiovese and 10% Merlot grapes; they are young (10-15 year vines) and grown in limestone soils.  The grapes were co-fermented in stainless steel with wild yeast. The wine stays on the skins for 15-days, then spends 3 months in barrique. It is filtered and fined for that beautiful, ruby color.

The result is an intense, bright, and beautiful Toscana Rosso. The palate has ample cherry from the Sangiovese, some blackberry and currant, and a pleasant roundness from the merlot.

This wine screams for porchetta (preferably stuffed with offal), or an herbed-cheese ravioli.

Land of Saints Rosé, Santa Barbara County

Photo Credit: https://vinovoresilverlake.com/products/land-of-saints-rose

Where is the land of saints? The name is a deliberate play on the mission-derived city names of the Central Coast, but it is also Cornwall, England – known as the Land of Saints and the birthplace of one of the producer’s triumvirate of owners. Angela and Jason (of Cornwall) Osborne, and Manuel Cuevas, are collaborative winemakers and owners.

This rosé contains 50% Grenache and 50% Mourvedre grown in soils formed of decomposed granite, gneiss, and clay. The grapes are fermented separately before blending. The blended wine spends11 weeks on the lees, and are then bottled on a new moon.

This is one for the acid lovers! Great acid, fruit and savory notes. Rhubarb in the mouth makes this one sing, and also makes me think of my mother. I’m pretty sure I would drink this with her chicken ala king on homemade biscuits…

That’s it for this month — don’t forget to listen to the playlist (you can find the link in the next blog post) while you drink your wines, and stay tuned for more spring and garden updates!

Jet Wine Club Feb - Playlists

Valentine’s Day is all about love, whether romantic or not. And love, just like Pinot Noir, can take many different forms depending on a variety of factors. Part of what makes Pinot Noir such a great grape is its versatility, and its subtle way of making everything better– whether you’re sitting down for a fancy, multiple course meal at your favorite restaurant with a new date, or you’re at home on the couch, watching reality TV and eating leftovers to quell your heartbreak, Pinot Noir pairs great with both meals (and with both vibes). From happy-go-lucky upbeat punk songs, to slower and more melancholy indie pop, love songs and Pinot Noir are alike in that they run the gamut in terms of what we think is possible for both music and wine. Enjoy this playlist of a few “love” songs while you enjoy this month’s wines!

A Punk & Pinot Noir Valentines Day

Jill has also made a playlist that includes a tango, a polka, and two songs about cats 😊

Listen to ‘Pinot & Cats’ here!

Feb Wine Club - Love is in the Air: Pinot Noir and Cats

It is February and we’ll soon know whether Phil sees his shadow, or if Spring will come early. February is also all about love – whether for Val-, Pal-, or Gal- entine’s celebrations.

Pinot Noir

For some, Pinot Noir is a language of love. The wine has loyal – in some cases obsessive – adherents. Why? It is a grape that is difficult to grow and that produces very different wines depending on its soil and microclimate – not to mention the hand of the winemaker. Pinot Noir was the first (wine) love of Nick Baitzel - former Jet GM and current Sojourn COO. It is its versatility and diversity – the fact that “it really takes the concept of terroir to the extreme” – that Nick appreciates. He continues, “(b)ecause it can differ so vastly, it is great to drink year-round.  You can drink a heavier, more tannic, oak-aged Burgundy or Willamette Valley Pinot in the winter-time.” Those of you who know Nick will be unsurprised to learn that he’ll “put a chill on it” in the warmer months.

The love extends to its flavors and characteristics in the glass. Well-made Pinot Noir has a great acid-balance and a lighter-bodied mouth feel that makes it a great drink across a whole meal. It can be referred to as “sensuous” for its silky structure and wonderful, earthy aromatics.  They often have a beautiful, jewel-tone coloring that shimmers in the glass. Finally, it can be very age-worthy with flavors that change over time.

Its diversity means that it suggests different things to different people, of course. When I ask my husband, he agrees with its sensual nature; he likes the “funk”. It generally makes me think of winter in the mountains – pine needles, little red berries, cloves, and wood smoke.

Arguably, Burgundy is the most famous producer of fine Pinot Noir. But, the grape is grown around the world, including this month’s wines’ countries: Germany and Argentina. Between the two, its more usual home is in Germany; it isn’t often planted in Argentina.

So, how does this relate to cats?

Argentina has some of the world’s highest vineyards, placed on the slopes of what are some of the world’s tallest mountains. Tupungato, at nearly 21,560 feet, holds the highest-elevation winery in Argentina at 4500 ft. That winery is Zorzal, from which this month’s Argentine wine comes. Like many high mountains, Tupungato shows diversity of flora and fauna from its neighbors. For instance, the tuco-tuco (Ctenomys) is a rodent common to South America that readily speciates; Tuco-tucos of Tupungato have their own ancestral branch (clade).  As can be expected where rodents are common, there are also cats.  The Southern Pampas Cat, Leopardus pajeros, is found around Tupungato’s eastern slopes (and so is Zorzal!). They eat, among other things, tuco-tuco.

Leopardus pajeros

At 22,837 ft, the neighboring peak of Aconcagua is even taller than Tupungato. Mountains – especially those so close to the clouds – were viewed as sacred places by the Inca, whose 1st millennium AD empire at times included these mountains. On Aconcagua, a sacred burial of a 7-year old boy was found, dating to ca 1500 AD.  The boy had been sacrificed and interred high up on the mountain with Incan textiles, statuettes, and other goods. Sacrifice and burial of “pure” children was a part of Incan rites, and the sacred shrines were typically placed at high altitude. Such vestiges of Incan culture are found along the ancient Inca roads that connected the vast empire, some still visible from Mendoza to Ecuador. At the center of this network of roads was the Incan capital of Cusco, a city said to be built in the effigy of a recumbent puma. 

Image: https://americanindian.si.edu/inkaroad/img/inkauniverse/cusco/cusco-test-bkgrd.jpg

While that requires a little squinting, this image of a cat decidedly does not.

Image: AFP/Peruvian Ministry of Culture, from the Jakarta Post

Preceding the Inca Empire by more than a millennium, the Nazca culture predominated in Peru. The famous “Nazca Lines” in the Nazca desert include images of trees and flowers, fish, birds, mammals – and a human. This cat dates from early in the Nazca period, ca 200-100 BC. The images were not “drawn” as lines, as such, but rather formed by removing rocks, soil, and vegetation to create contrast. The images are large – the largest spans 1200 feet. The cat was a tenth of that size, about 120 feet.

This cat does not resemble a puma, so much as it resembles a house cat. Domesticated cats (Felis domesticus) were not known here at that time, but it does also resemble the Southern Pampas Cat, or its relative the ocelot.

While “domestic” cats first appear about 10000 years ago in the Middle East, they were not widely spread through Europe until roughly the same time the Nazca cat was created. They spread with people, plants, animals, and boats – including by Phoenician, Greek, and Roman traders. Cats helped expand Romans across Europe; the military brought cats to their garrisons to protect their food supply from pests, and trader kept them on ships. The Romans had garrisons along the Rhein, just east of Deidesheim – from where our German wine comes.

Their legacy in the region is cemented at the Katzinett - Katzenmuseum Ludwigshafen - Cat Museum in nearby Ludwigshafen. Though closed until Spring 2024, it warms my kitty-loving heart! Kitties in miniature! Kitties with hats! Basically, cats and more cats. No less purr-fect is the katze Kindergarten just south in Karlsruhe.

Image: Photos of Katzinett - Katzenmuseum Atlas Obscura, Presse.

Karlsruhe. DE, Ludwigshafen - Cat Museum, Trip Advisor

Overall, Germans have clearly taken to the little beasts. Currently, the World Cat Federation – an international association of cat clubs – is based in Germany though only 2 cat breeds originate in Germany: the German Longhair and the German Rex. Neither of these resemble Nazca-line cat images.

Are There Wines?

Yes, we do have wines. This month, as noted, we are featuring Pinot Noir.

Von Winning Pinot Noir Rosé 2020, Pfalz

Von Winning was established in the late 19th century in Deidesheim, in Germany’s Pfalz region. The vineyards are organically farmed, with sandstone, limestone, loess, and clay soils.

Their “winning” strategy is to “not do the wrong thing at the wrong time”. On that note, this is the right time for this wine; do not be afraid of a little age on rosé – especially one made with a grape that often ages well.

This rose is dry and acidic, with mineral and chalky texture. It is clean and bright with watermelon, rose petal, and white pepper notes. The mouth also has some herbs and Pinot Noir’s characteristic earthiness.

Zorzal Pinot Noir 2023, Tupungato

The Zorzal winery is the highest in Argentina, at 4500 ft. It was founded in 2007 by brothers Gerardo, Matias, and Juan Pablo Michelini. The soils on the slopes of Tupungato are sandy and chalky. Farming is organic.

Hand-harvested grapes undergo partial whole-cluster pressing, and fermentation is spontaneous.

The resulting wine feels rich and luscious in the mouth, with ample acidity for food. This is a “forest floor” Pinot Noir, with the addition of raspberry and currant, and notes of smokey game.

Jet Wine Club Jan - South Africa Playlist

Enjoy these songs while you enjoy your wines!

Click here to listen now. Playlist by Jill Weber, owner & founder.

Jet was first introduced to the iconic South African singer, Brenda Fassie, by one of our first regulars, Andrew (We are not forgetting about you, Marc, who gave us our first Jet marriage and Jet baby!).  “Weekend Special” now has a special place in our hearts. Spoek Mathambo, who hails from Soweto, is simply one of my favorite artists. From the politically-charged Mashini Wam to the Amapiano beats of “I Found You”, his music is soul catching. Finally, South African Jazz is a genre unto itself, and this classic tune from Sankomota hits all the right notes.