Grenache, Carignan Wine Grapes to Watch

Languedoc Vineyards in January

I always get a kick out of the next grape that's going to take the world by storm! It's always been fun among wine geeks to talk about such things though I'm not sure average wine drinkers really care.

Grenache is best known as the "G" in French Rhone Valley Cotes du Rhone GSM grapes. The other two would be Syrah and Mourvedre, for those who really care. I love Grenache and really love the Rhone varietals and blends driven by Grenache.

The Spanish call it Garnacha but it's the same grape. California Central Coast wine makers, especially the Rhone Rangers, are growing lots of Grenache and it can be found in Sonoma as well.

Carignan is a very old varietal well known in Southern France or the Languedoc. Much of it has been discarded in recent years, but it seems to be making a comeback along with the Languedoc which is emerging as a great value wine region.

Once in a while I like posting news I read elsewhere for those who always want to learn more about wine. Here is a story from the UK's Telegraph newspaper bout Carignan. And another story from the San Francisco Chronicle's website about California Grenache! Read up!

Send comment or questions to: hewitthoward@gmail.com

Wow! A Really Great White/Rose'

If you read the headline, gentle reader, you're probably asking how the bottle I'm saluting can be a white and a rose'?

The truth is that on the palate it had lots of characteristics of both. I picked this up several weeks ago and opened it Friday night when a friend was visiting. We poured it as a pre-dinner sip and finished it off later that evening.

Denis Jamain Reuilly Pinot Gris was simply sensational. It's from France's Loire valley and is a beautiful and very light colored salmon color.  The wine had a bit of orange, peach and very fresh citrus characteristics. At 12.5 percent alcohol, it was easy to drink.

There was certainly some mineral on the palate as well but not the higher acidity you might expect from a Pinot Gris. The wine is imported by Kermit Lynch. I find KL and Eric Solomon almost full-proof pics 90 percent of the time. The KL name is prominent on this 2010 Reuilly.

I bought this wine at Vine & Table in Carmel for $18.99. I found it online $2-$3 lower.

Denis Jamain 2010 Reuilly, $18.99, Very Highly Recommended

Send comment or questions to: hewitthoward@gmail.com

Quick Takes on Four Recent Wines

When I review a wine on my blog site I always try to make sure it's one readers can usually find. Or, it's a new wine varietal or something special worth reading about.

That's the case with this post with one unusual variety, a great white and two darn good reds.

Ledgestone Vineyards 2008 Frontenac - I discovered Frontenac during a spring 2011 trip to Northern Wisconsin. The grape varietal was pioneered by former University of Minnesota icon Elmer Swenson. Tim Abel makes one of the few 100 percent bottling I found in Wisconsin.

The big red wine features very pronounced sour cherry flavor that's just wonderful. This is a big tannic wine. It not only needs some age in the bottle but a healthy decant before drinking.

Here is a blog entry I wrote the day I visited Ledgestone and met Tim. You may or may not find Ledgestone, probably quite difficult to find outside of Wisconsin. But if you come accross a 100 percent bottling of the cold climate Frontenac it's definitely worth the investment.

Ledgestone Vineyards 2008 Frontenac, $28, Very Highly Recommended.

Chateau Lamothe de Haux 2010 White Bordeaux - I write a lot about red wines which taste at a quality level far above their price points. Here is a white French wine that does the same thing. This beautifully drinkable white is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. It's smooth yet crisp with a tart lemon flavor.

I had the wine with a shrimp and pasta dish - a perfect pairing. If you can't find this particular label, just seek out a White Bordeaux. It's one of the great value wines coming from the world's most prestigious wine region.

Chateau Lamothe de Haux White Bordeaux, $12.99, Highly Recommended.

The other two wines are quicky recommendations. Mas Janiny Cabernet Sauvignon is a light bodied Cab from the Launguedoc from organic grapes. This a smooth drinking Cab that is excellent for new wine drinkers or those who just don't want to be clobbered by the King of Grapes. $24,99, Recommended, available from The Organic Wine Company.

Unusual Suspects 2007 Red Blend - This Lodi Californa wine is a great value buy. I have written about it before but liked it even more on the second bottle. Think dark cherries and spice and a delightfully easy-to-drink red for under $25. The wine is made from  55 percent Carignan, 35 percent Tempranillo and 10 percent Grenache. It's a real tasty, spicy value wine.

Send questions to: hewitthoward@gmail.com

A Different, But Still Fun, Saturday Morning Trip

Indianapolis' northside is my usual destination for Saturday morning shopping trips. Feeling less adventurous this Sat., Feb. 18, I headed to downtown Lafayette - just a half hour away.

For the better part of 30 years (maybe more) I've known my way around downtown Lafayette because I worked there in state government in the late 1970s. I probably have driven by O'Rear's Bakery hundreds and hundreds of times. I've never stopped.

Saturday morning I did go into O'Rear's and I'll definitely go back. The bakery is one of those old-fashioned places where you can see the dough mixers and all of the equipment just by peaking through a side door into the back. Brownies, cakes, cookies galore, pastry, and of course donuts.

Places like this deliver a unique homemade natural flavor that chain retail outlets just can't match. The building probably isn't much different inside and out than it was in the 1950s. They don't have a website, and their Facebook page has no content, but this is an institution. If nothing else I can testify driving past it in the 1970s.

It's located at 321 N 9th St., Lafayette.

My next stop was Main Street Cheese & Wine just a few blocks from the bakery - just the way I imagine it in heaven!

I had visited this shop right after it first opened nearly five years ago and wondered how they would ever compete. Well, the shop is still there and now serves breakfast. But the big hit appears to be the wine bar next door that is so busy they recommend reservations for Friday or Saturday nights. 

The wine bar had a nice selection at all price points and plenty of interesting food options and small plates to accompany a bottle of wine. I was mildly surprised to see such a wide selection of Indiana wine. I remember the shop carried Huber Winery products when I first visited and they have a pretty wide selection now. 

I have to mention two other business here before running through my last stop. Copper Dog Cafe is a wonderful little restaurant for vegetarians that's as charming as it is tasty. One of my frequent stops is at Lafayette Brewing Company for their great sandwiches, fries and handcrafted beers. 

McCord's interior seems to have never changed!

But my last stop Saturday was at the near-legendary McCord's Candy Shop - a downtown fixture since 1912. It's one of those places that if you've never been there make the trip to Lafayette just for McCord's. You enter to wonderful aroma of chocolate and fresh-faced college kids making hand-dipped milk shakes.


I bought two truffles - I'm conserving, seriously - and ate one last night. The young lady was almost apologetic for noting they were $2 each when I was picking them out. I have certainly paid more than two bucks for high-end truffles but seldom had one any better than McCords.

536 Main St.

I also ordered a diet cola which they hand mixed by putting the raw syrup into the cup and then the carbonated water - a spoon stirs it all up the old fashioned way.


You really want to visit close to Easter time if possible because they make the widest and wildest array of wonderful chocolate creations. The show case becomes a crazy colorful salute to Mr. Bunny and all his friends.
This place is a real Hoosier treasure!

One of the great things about visiting these places I've written about is they are all so close together. And in between there are numerous great antique stores and small interesting shops. Downtown Lafayette is a good Saturday morning trip!

Send comment or questions to: hewitthoward@gmail.com