Behind the Cork™ Helwig Frenchmen’s Creek Barbera

2015 Helwig Frenchmen’s Creek Barbera ($35)

Dave Helwig had a dream to move to the wine country upon retirement. After searching with his wife, Nancy, for the perfect wine region to relocate to from their home in Southern California, Dave couldn’t resist the charm and simplicity the Shenandoah Valley of Amador County had to offer.

As I’ve said many times in the past, I’m a big fan of Barbera from the Amador & El Dorado counties in northern California. These Barbara’s are bigger and bolder than Italian Barbera. They are full of bright fruit flavor along with the characteristic acidity.

This wine has big black fruit flavors of blackberry, blueberry, huckleberry, plum, black currant, and black cherry. This one has soft tannins, moderate acidity and really nice finish.

If you are in or near Plymouth California, give them a visit at their beautiful winery and tasting room or check out their wines at www.Helwig.com Cheers!

Ever Wonder? What Makes a Wine Age-Worthy?

It is commonly known that red wines age best. But why, you may ask, is that? Why can red wine be aged longer than whites?  After all, they are both made from the juice of grapes!

The answer has a lot to do with tannins and acidity, but residual sugar and alcohol levels can also play a role.

Tannins are chemical compounds that act as natural preservatives in wine. They come from the skins, seeds and stems of grapes. And, red wines spend considerable time in contact with their skins, seeds and stems during the maceration process as opposed to white wines where the juice is immediately removed from the skins, seeds and stems.

The maceration process for red wines involves steeping the grape skins and solids in the grape’s juice (must) during fermentation, when the developing alcohol acts as a solvent to extract color, tannins and aroma from the skins. Red wines typically will have maceration times ranging from 7 to 40 days. Tannins in wine also come from the wood barrels where the wines are aged. 

The natural acid levels and residual sugar that remains in wine after fermentation can act to preserve the wine. And, wines that are higher in alcohol generally are more likely to age well. Especially fortified wines (e.g., Port, Sherry, Brandy).

But, the bottom line on a wine being age-worthy is that it needs to be “well balanced” to begin. That is, having a balance between tannin, acid, alcohol and residual sugar. If any of these are ‘off’ the wine probably doesn’t stand a chance of improving with age.

But that leads to the question “When I’m staring at bottles of wine on the store shelf, how do I know if a wine is well balanced?” We’ll get to that next time. Cheers!

Behind the Cork™ - Wines of TILIA (Part 2)

Wines of TILIA from Argentina

Tilia’s rural origins in Mendoza Argentina connect them deeply to the land and to their community. As the first Argentine wine to carry the Bodegas de Argentina Certified Sustainable Seal, the TILIA label illustrates their journey toward sustainable viticulture in Argentina. The Tilia or Tilo tree, their wine label’s namesake, produces leaves that are made into a calming tea which is traditionally drunk after lunch or dinner, to facilitate an afternoon siesta or bedtime.

The TILIA wines come from three growing regions in Argentina:

• The Uco Valley is considered to be one of the premiere grape-growing regions in Mendoza. Located 100 miles due south from Mendoza city, its elevation reaches between 3,000-5,000 feet.

• The Eastern Region is one of the oldest and most traditional viticultural regions in Mendoza. Located 50 miles to the southeast of the city of Mendoza, its reaches 1,950-2,150 feet.

• The Central Region of Mendoza is home to the oldest high-quality vineyards. It is also a desert irrigated by the Mendoza River. Located 12 miles due south from Mendoza city, its elevation reaches 2,600-3,700 feet.

2020 TILIA Chardonnay ($11)

This wine is produced from 100% Chardonnay from Mendoza’s Eastern and Southeastern regions. It was aged for three months in French oak.

This wine is a deep gold in color and has aromas of bright, fresh apple and pineapple. On the palate it was creamy smooth with moderate acidity and nice caramel flavor from the oak aging. It finishes light and easy.

2020 TILIA Malbec ($11)

This is produced from 100% Malbec from Mendoza’s East Valley and Uco Valley. It was macerated in stainless steel tanks for 15-20 days before seeing six months in French oak. It’s medium-purple in color with big black fruit flavors, a bit of pepper, some sweet tobacco and herbal notes. On the palate it’s got chocolate flavor from the oak and light tannin with plum.

2020 TILIA Cabernet Sauvignon ($11)

This TILIA Cab is produced from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from Mendoza’s East Valley. It was fermented for 7-10 days with maceration for ten days in stainless steel tanks. It was then aged for six months in French oak.

This Cab is deep ruby in color with very delicate aromas. On the palate it’s full-bodied with bright black fruit flavors, medium tannin, definite oak influences and medium acidity.

2020 TILIA Merlot ($11)

The TILIA Merlot is produced from 100% Merlot grape from Mendoza’s East Valley and Central Valley. It is fermented for ten days with ten days of maceration in stainless steel tanks. It is then aged for six months in French oak.

It’s medium ruby in color with red fruit aromas. On the palate it has good red fruit flavors plum, some sugar plum and nice black cherry along with a hint of leather from the oak aging. The tannins are easy and this Merlot finishes nicely.

These reds are quite young but very drinkable now and probably could use a couple more years on the bottle. These are all really nice wines that are very affordable and attainable (See wine.com) that fit right in as Behind the Cork™ Wines of the Week. Cheers!

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Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received these samples at no cost for review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Samples Provided by Nonni Strategic Marketing LLC

Ever Wonder? Do All Wines Get Better with Age?

It’s a common belief with wines - an older bottle is better than a younger bottle. But, is that always so?

If you’ve read some of my past blogs, you’d know that one of my favorite lines is “One of the first things to understand about aging wines is that a wine cellar isn’t a wine hospital. If a wine is flawed or just not very good, it doesn’t magically become better with age…” [from “Ask Dr. Vinny” Wine Spectator online (Sept. 21, 2014].

Today, most wines, both reds and whites, are meant to be enjoyed right away. When wines are bottled, they’re ready for consumption. Aging doesn't necessarily make them better.

This point is always driven home for me when Wine Enthusiast puts out its annual Vintage Chart. It provides guidance on when wines are “At their Peak” and whether to “Drink” or “Hold” a wine based on the wine region and the vintage date. Here are some generalized notes from the 2021 chart regarding California wines:

• Zinfandel — The 2012/2014 are at peak; The 1989 wines may be past their peak; the 1987s are in decline and may be undrinkable

• Pinot Noir — The 2012 are at peak; The 1989/1990 wines may be past their peak; 1986s are in decline and may be undrinkable

• Napa Cabernet Sauvignon — The 2012/2014 are at peak maturity; those back to 2001 are shown as ‘Can drink, may be past peak’

A good rule of thumb is that most wines will begin to fade to the down side in as few as five years and after 10 years they'll generally have lost most of their character, if not out-right spoiled. And, remember, this assumes that the wines are aged properly in a cool, dark, humidity-controlled location.

So, older wines can be better, but only up to a point. So, you don't need to age wines to be able to drink great wines.

Next time we'll look at what makes a wine age-worthy.

Behind the Cork™ - Wines of TILIA (Part 1)

Wines of TILIA from Argentina

Tilia’s rural origins in Mendoza Argentina connect them deeply to the land and to their community. As the first Argentine wine to carry the Bodegas de Argentina Certified Sustainable Seal, the TILIA label illustrates their journey toward sustainable viticulture in Argentina. The Tilia or Tilo tree, their wine label’s namesake, produces leaves that are made into a calming tea which is traditionally drunk after lunch or dinner, to facilitate an afternoon siesta or bedtime.

The TILIA wines come from three growing regions in Argentina:

• The Uco Valley is considered to be one of the premiere grape-growing regions in Mendoza. Located 100 miles due south from Mendoza city, its elevation reaches between 3,000-5,000 feet.

• The Eastern Region is one of the oldest and most traditional viticultural regions in Mendoza. Located 50 miles to the southeast of the city of Mendoza, its reaches 1,950-2,150 feet.

• The Central Region of Mendoza is home to the oldest high-quality vineyards. It is also a desert irrigated by the Mendoza River. Located 12 miles due south from Mendoza city, its elevation reaches 2,600-3,700 feet.

2020 Bonarda - The TILIA Bonarda (Also known as Charbono) is fermented for 10 days with maceration of 15 days in stainless steel tanks. It then spends six months in French Oak. It is intense violet in color. On the nose it has dark fruit and spice aromas. On the palate, it has a sweet entry followed by soft tannins and nice acidity. It finishes with basil and blueberry flavors that linger nicely.

2020 Malbec-Syrah - This is a blend of 55% Malbec and 45% Syrah. It is fermented for 12 days with maceration of 15 days in stainless steel tanks. It is then aged six months in French oak. The color of this wine is intense violet. It has a complex nose of red and dark fruit with subtle spice and leather hints. On the palate it is well-structured with jam, leather and meaty flavors. It finishes long with soft tannins.

2020 Torrontés - This TILIA Torrontés is fermented for 10 days with maceration of 15 days in stainless steel tanks before spending six months in French Oak. It is pale yellow in color with light greenish hues. On the nose it exhibits aromas of passion fruit, citrus and freshly cut grass. On the palate, this wine is bright and fresh with concentrated vegetal and tropical flavors. It has a long and persistent finish.

It is their hope that TILIA becomes synonymous with sustainable living and inspires a movement among wine drinkers and producers are over the world.

Next week Behind the Cork™ will feature TILIA’s Chardonnay, Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon.

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Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received these samples at no cost for review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Samples Provided by Nonni Strategic Marketing LLC