LOCALadk Magazine

LOCALadk | Eat Local ~ Drink Global Terry Robards Wines & Spirits Your Local Adirondack Wine Experts! ...Now in our 25th year serving the Lake Placid region Free Daily Tastings & Special Educational Events More than 650 different wines! "At Terry Robards, we believe that wine has one true purpose...to enhance life! Come educate your palate, broaden your wine experience and have fun with our knowledgable staff." 2074 Saranac Ave TerryRobards.com Lake Placid Facebook.com\TerryRobards 518 - 523 - 9027 it thrives in other regions as well. Pinot Noir from the American west coast, New Zealand, Australia, Chili and South Africa are known as "New World Pinot Noirs" because they are grown outside of France. They are plentiful and affordable, and great bargains can be found for as little as $12 to $40. Pinot Noir pairs beautifully with grilled salmon and poultry, roasted meats, burgers and more. Bursting with deep flavors of black cherry or current, the wine may also exhibit characteristics of earthiness, cedar, leather, violets, vanilla, and mint. Beaujolais, made from the French grape variety Gamay, is another red wine that pairs well with poultry, salmon, and burgers. There are three classifications of this wine - Beaujolais Nouveau, Village Beaujolais and Cru Beaujolais. Nouveau is meant to be drunk while young and is light bodied, fresh, fun and fruity with flavors and aromas of sour cherry, cranberry, strawberry, cotton candy or bubblegum. Village Beaujolais is more complex and structural with similar flavor. It is usually blended from two or more villages and carries a village name on the label. Cru Beaujolais are from 13 specific wine growing villages in the Beaujolais region of southern Burgundy, France. These wines are beautifully balanced with deep red fruit and acidity coupled with characteristics drawn 54 LOCALadk Magazine Spring 2013 from oak aging. Beaujolais is the only red wine that may be served cold. Robust red wines like French Rhone, Argentine Malbec, Italian Barolo or Chianti, California Zinfandel or Cabernet Sauvignon, Spanish Rioja and Carmenere, pair best with braised or grilled red meat, lamb, and game dishes. Their concentrated fruit characteristics and tannic structure allows these wines to stand up to dishes with strong, spicy or complex flavors. (Tannin is a compound found in grape skins, seeds and stems - as well as in oak barrels – that give wines an astringent, dry, puckery feeling in the mouth). Full flavored red blends like French Bordeaux and Chateauneuf du Pape from the Rhone region of France, also pair best with full flavor dishes like wild game, lamb, or braised and grilled meats. These wines are primarily blended from the grape varieties that thrive in the regions where they are vinified. Bordeaux wine is generally blended from Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and sometimes Carmenere. Rhone blends are based on Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre and Cinsau, along with a number of lesser varieties. When it comes to these wines - each varietal brings a certain characteristic and balance to the blend. While Bordeaux and Rhone wines can be expensive -new world red blends are plentiful, affordable, and delicious. The last thing to take note of is the proper glassware. Wine performs best when it is served in a glass made specifically to enhance its unique qualities. Sparkling wines should be served in a fluted glass so that the bubbles don't escape too quickly. White wine is best served in a medium size tulip shaped glass with a bowl slightly larger than the opening. This allows for the aroma to be captured in the glass - and because the sense of smell is 40% of the wine tasting experience - it is important to get all the sensory pleasure you can out of a glass of wine. Red wines should be served in a large glass with a big bowl and slightly smaller opening. This allows for swirling the wine without spilling and exposes a greater surface area to oxygen, which releases its flavors and aromas. Certain complex structured, full bodied red wines benefit from decanting as they may be "tight" and need longer breathing time to "open up." Decanting is also a must for unfiltered or older wines that may have sediments. It is also important to hold the wine glass by the stem, rather than by the goblet as it prevents unsightly finger prints on the bowl. Lastly, choose a reputable wine shop where the staff is knowledgeable and willing to help in your selections. With a little guidance – you'll soon be pairing your wine and food like a pro! u

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