Time has always been a relative commodity to winegrowers
Quick! What were you doing one year ago today? You may need a calendar to answer. Sometimes I can't remember yesterday.
But ask a wine grower what they or family members were doing last year, last decade, sometimes centuries ago and throughout most of the year the answer is easy: "We were in the vineyard."
As you pop your next bottle, take a moment to remember what you were up to while vignerons and winemakers were crafting the wine that you'll enjoy tonight.
Last summer? In brief, "Cubs win! Cubs win! Cubs win!"
The freshest wines, including Vinho Verde, are produced and sold within two years. For the winery, that means a quick return on investment. For wine lovers, that means pure flavors unencumbered by oak or other wine "making" shenanigans, with ample time to age in your car on the way home from the wine shop.
2016 Vinho Verde, 3 Autores (Minho, Portugal) - Crystal clean, this light, dry quaff has mouthwatering flavors of lemons, limes and orange zest, bright acidity and a whisper of effervescence. Less than 10 percent alcohol, enjoy it like adult lemonade. (Less than $10)
In 2013? If you were in Chicagoland, you were bundling up! According to the National Weather Service, Chicagolanders experienced our coldest four-month period in recorded history, with an average daily temperature of just 22 degrees!
Not in Napa, though. Up and down the California coast, spring was warm and dry, leading to steady, sunny ripening. Napa reported the start of harvest as Aug. 1, the earliest on record. But patient winegrowers enjoyed a cool October, with grapes lingering on the vine for the richest, yet still balanced flavors. Reports on the vintage and wine thereof include such descriptions as "magnificent," "stunning," "possibly the best Napa vintage ever."
2013 "Elevage," Chimney Rock (Stag's Leap District, Napa Valley) offers this vintage's extraordinary power and concentration, - which will reward cellaring up to 15 years - but with bright cherry and pomegranate fruit, leather and oak complexities and restraint, for a massively enjoyable mouthful right now. Serve with the richest red meat, including T-bone sizzled on the grill or the finest winter holiday roasts. The wine is a Bordeaux-style blend based on merlot and cabernet sauvignon. (About $100, fine wine shops.)
In 2010, "austerity" was the buzzword, as Europe's economic woes sparked protests against a rising retirement age and pay cuts for civil servants.
Alsace doesn't do "austere," at least in the food - such as choucroute, the specialty of cured meats, potatoes and sauerkraut - and in wine. White wines are matured in huge oak casks, often centuries old, to amplify a wine's richness but never add oaky flavor.
2010 Gewurztraminer, Grand Cru "Kessler," Domaines Schlumberger (Alsace, France) - Luscious, with a creamy texture, a palate that expands to include ripe peach, pear, and aromatic herbs into a long and soft, exotic spice finish. If 2010 is unavailable, ask for 2013. Off-dry fruit enhances "sweet" seafood including lobster, foods served with fruit sauce including turkey and makes everything smooth with spiced cuisine. ($50)
In 1967, some "Good Wine" readers weren't even a gleam in their parents' eyes. Too bad! You missed long-playing the Beatles newly-released "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," paying 33-cents per gallon of gas, and seeing movies like "Cool Hand Luke" for $1.25. Good times!
Port wine is time in a bottle. While Ruby Port is aged only three years, fine cellars protect excellent vintages as they rest for up to 150 years.
1967 "Colheita" Port, Kopke (Douro, Portugal) is massive, enveloping the palate with hazelnut and caramel and unending finish." Colheita" (pronounced cole-YATE-ta) indicates a Port aged in wood, at least seven years. Each bottle is hand-painted and shipped from the cellar only on demand, with "current" vintages back to 1941. "We know it's crazy," says Gonzalo Pedrosa, CEO of Kopke's parent-company, Sogevinus. "But Kopke was established in 1638, the longest-lived Port house and we must be the icon. We feel people today are in search of authenticity." (The 1967 retails for about $125 per 375ml, when available. Check with your wine merchant for available vintages, distributed through Pure Wine Company.)
• Mary Ross is an Advanced Sommelier (Court of Master Sommeliers), a Certified Wine Educator (Society of Wine Educators) and recipient of the Wine Spectator's "Grand Award of Excellence." Her classes on wine and food are offered through The Chopping Block, Chicago. Write to her at food@daily herald.com.
Ross' choice
Name: Vermentino Toscana I.G.T.
Region: Bolgheri, Tuscany, Italy
Producer: Aia Vecchia
Vintage: 2015
Availability: At major chains and wine shops, About $14
(Distributed by: Heritage Wine Cellars, Niles)
Like a dive into a cold lake on a hot summer day, this traditional Italian white is a bracing wake-up for even the most sluggish palate. Bright and dry, with accents of white peach and salt air, with minerally sparkle and satisfying acidity, with a uniquely creamy texture from four months rest on the lees (spent yeast cells.) Easy elegance as a pinot grigio alternative, to serve with international finger food (including antipasti), light pasta, seafood, salads and soft summer nights.