Get Picky — Insist on a Stickie!  

A couple of months ago, I wrote about sweet red wines…and
the rather curious…but nonetheless latest and greatest craze in the ever-changing
world of wine.  And guess what! Their
numbers have only mushroomed in the past few months!

 

Be that as it may, I thought I’d capitalize on the
obvious and burgeoning popularity of all things sugary and write a bit about the
true nobility of sweet wines…the “Stickies!”
Known commonly as dessert wines, Stickies
are exquisitely flavorful nectars that are simply God’s way of illustrating
organoleptic perfection!  

 

The never-miss-a-chance-to-coin-a-new-word
larrikin Aussies are recognized to have first minted the clever but definitive term
Stickie…a nickname befitting the
unctuous, syrupy — and yes — sticky nature that is common to dessert
wines.  To be technically factual, it’s
necessary for me to declare that the original use of “Stickies” first referred to Australian dessert wines made from
white grapes…but prone as we humans are to beg, borrow and steal a great idea,
the term Stickie these days is pretty
much a universally acceptable reference to all syrupy sweet dessert wines…from
Ports to Ice Wines.

 

Primo Stickies From
Around the World

Would it surprise you to learn that “really sweet” wines
are thought to be the earliest consistently-made and consumed types of wine?
There appear to be a number of reasons for that, but chief among them is that high
sugar levels minimized the negative impact of oxidation and helped preserve wines
for very long periods of time.   One of
the world’s oldest and most respected Stickies
is an ancient wine from Cyprus known as Commandaria…a
Stickie that dates back some 4000
years…and a wine that

was revered by the Knights Templar in the 12^th
Century.  It’s also known as one of the
world’s “noblest” Stickies for the
distinction it was

afforded by King Richard the Lionheart when celebrating
his marriage to Berengaria of Navarre.
He declared Commandaria to be the “Wine of Kings and the King of Wines.”

 

Other famous Stickies
of the world are the fabled Sauternes from Bordeaux, the Beerenauslese, Trockenbeerenauslese and Eisweins
of Germany and Austria, the Ice Wines of
Canada and the US Finger Lakes, the Tokaji/Tokay
wines from Hungary and Slovakia, Vin
Santo from Italy, and the “fortified” Ports
and Sherries of Portugal and Spain respectively.

 

And Not to Be Forgotten…the
Also-rans!

There are countless other Stickies of distinction, for just about every winery will have a Stickie made from one or more of the grapes
they grow.  That said, Stickies get that way by one of five
basic methods: from grapes being infected
with Noble Rot, aka Botrytis cinerea, a harmless fungus that dries and
shrivels ripened grapes such that sugars, acids and flavors are intensely concentrated;
from non-infected grapes frozen on the vine such
that water is frozen but sugars and other dissolved solids are not…which
produces a more concentrated and flavorful must to be pressed; from non-infected grapes frozen after being
picked…which also produces a highly concentrated and flavorful must;
from non-infected very ripe to “raisined” grapes that are
picked far later than usual…which allows for a range of concentrated sugars,
acids and flavors (called Late Harvest
wines); or the Granddaddy of approaches – from grapes that have been dried (on or off-vine)…whose concentrated
flavors run from fruity to nutty.  Can
you say CA-CHING?!

 

A Stickie’s ultimate character is also tempered by the variety of grape(s)
involved, the addition of sweeteners (sugar, honey etc.) and aging
techniques.  Finally…for those who’ve never ended a meal with a Port,
an Eiswein or a goblet of gold from
Sauternes, you really do need to get with the program!  Pricey? Yes!
Worth it? You betcha’

A Festive Flight of

Fat Day Favorites!

White

Chardonnay

Big Vines   2009

Refined, Vibrant, Elegant, and
Mouth-watering!

(Carneros — Napa Valley, CA)  $12-$14 – First and foremost, this bright and
fruity Chardonnay expression is a “dreamboat of a wine!”  Then there’s the Big Vines pedigree — that
not only involves exquisite fruit from idyllic terroir but craftsmanship
overseen by two of Napa’s brightest winemaking stars — Michael Beaulac and
Scott McLeod (Wine Enthusiast’s 2009 Winemaker of the Year as well as the
doting genius behind both Rubicon Estate and Francis Coppola wines for 18
years).   Aged in stainless steel with no
malolactic fermentation, the result is a fruit-forward, beautifully balanced
and delicious wine that will both delight your senses and leave you with fond
memories.  This is Chardonnay as God
intended it to be…and for the life of me, I don’t know how Big Vines can sell
it for such an affordable price.    http://www.bigvinewines.com/

 

Reds

Valdiguié

J. Lohr Estates Wildflower   2010

A Fruit-forward, Soft & Supple Jewel
of a Wine!

(Arroyo Seco Appellation – Monterey,  CA)/$10-$12 When it comes to describing this
little gem of a wine, WOW is the best word that comes to mind.  While there might be a handful of other
California wineries that produce this deliciously fruity and slightly off-dry
wine, no one makes it better than J. Lohr’s renowned “red wine winemaker” Steve
Peck.  Reminiscent of the famed Crus from
Beaujolais — Morgon, Fleurie and Moulin-a-Vent –all made from the famously
luscious Gamay grape…this wine used to be called “Napa Gamay” until the Bureau of Alcohol, Tax and Firearms prohibited
the use of that term in 2007.  Instead, US
producers must now use the actual name of the grape — Valdiguié – a once-popular but now obscure varietal from the
Languedoc-Roussillon region of southern France.  This
Vintage is 100% Valdiguié and about
20% of the

 

 

wine was produced using Carbonic
Maceration, where whole grape clusters are fermented together and without
benefit of added yeast.  It’s a
winemaking technique that features the fruit, achieves lower tannin levels and
results in a soft, supple and luscious wine.
It reminds me of the

German Dornfelder…the red grape (and wine)
for people who say they don’t like red wine!
It’s also one of the most versatile wines you’ll ever experience!   It’s the perfect “new wine” to try this
Thanksgiving!  I guarantee you’ll love
it!   http://www.jlohr.com/

 

Gamay

Georges Duboeuf   Beaujolais
Nouveau   2011

Fruity, Floral, Soft, and Yummy! 

(Beaujolais AOC–Romaneche-Thorins, FR)/$9-$12 Duboeuf’s
Beaujolais Nouveau is a perennial Thanksgiving crowd pleaser and one of the
best wine values you’ll find…period!
Look for the 2011 release on the traditional third Thursday of November
–which falls on the 17^th this year.
Also…be sure to call your retailer and reserve your fair share!

http://duboeuf.com/

 

Cabernet Sauvignon

Big Vines   2009

Superbly Supple, Sinfully Sensuous and
Stunning!  

(Napa Valley, CA)/$16-$18– It’s not
every day that I discover a refined and elegant classic Cabernet at such a
modest price point.  A Tasting Panel I recently
hosted unanimously judged this to be a $50 Cab – and as much as I wanted to let
them believe in my “generosity”… I buckled and let them know the truth. Medium
bodied, gorgeously translucent and beautifully balanced, this little gem still
has the legs of a Rockette and a finish that lasts through two big chews from a
French baguette!  If ever there was a
Cabernet that illustrates “typicity”…the extent to which a wine exhibits the taste
attributes of is varietal foundation…this 2009 Big Vines Cab is that wine!  With 50% of the fruit sourced from vineyards
in renowned Rutherford, 30% from Atlas Peak and 20% from Coombsville, it was
rested for 18 months in 30% new French oak.
Yum!  I can hardly wait to get that
next bottle!      http://www.bigvinewines.com/

Rick Davis

Courtesy of Jeff Dicks Real Estate

Heritage Wake Forest Homes For Sale