Super Bowl Day Deserves Super Wine

Terry Hoage at his Paso Robles Vineyard

I keep a number of wines in two storage units where some are snuggled away for aging but most for special occasions. I always treat myself to one of those prizes on Super Bowl Sunday. On top of that, it's my birthday week. I'm only going to say it's a BIG one! Ha! I've been thinking of opening this wine for a few months and today could not be more perfect.

What better than to open a wine from a winery owned by a former All-American at the University of Georgia and finished in the Heisman Trophy top-five voting his senior year? He not only won a Super Bowl in 1992 with the Philadephia Eagles but had a 13-year NFL career.

Terry Hoage Vineyards has become a landmark Paso Robles winery producing the kind of big,b right and smooth wines Paso has become known for in recent years.

Hoage's 2007  "The 46" is a 50-50 blend of Syrah and Grenache. The wine has rich plum and bright fruit flavors. Sure, the Syrah comes through with wonderful spice and earthiness but the often-sweeter-on-the palate Grenache provides perfect balance. If you've ever read a wine review, shelf talker, or blogger who talked about "velvety tannins" on the finish and thought "huh?" - you need to taste this wine.

For the football fans, the "46" is a salute to the style of defense Hoage played under colorful NFL coordinator and head coach Buddy Ryan.

The critics loved this wine. Wine Advocate gave it an outstanding 93 points. Cellartracker members rated it 90.3.

I had the chance to meet Hoage during a wine press trip in the fall of 2010. We had a "Rhone Rangers" tasting seminar at his winery. A couple of us scooted to the tasting room before leaving to buy a bottle.

I don't collect much wine memorabilia or trinkets, but I do collect signed bottles. Hoage signed this one for me as you can see above!

Terry Hoage Vineyards "The 46," $50, Very Highly Recommended. UPDATE: I had originally posted this particular vintage was sold out but heard from the winery they do have a very limited amount available but only at or directly from the winery. The Hoage website linked above also has a 2010 vintage listed for $55.

Send comment or questions to: hewitthoward@gmail.com

Rocky's Pub a Mansfield, OH., Fine-dining Fixture

Rocky's Pub on Mansfield's town square.

MANSFIELD, OH. – For many people, me included, one of the fun parts of traveling is discovering the local flavor. While many of us think of that as wine, it certainly is restaurants, arts, and much more.

I travel for work in the fall and love to explore restaurants. Two years ago during a trip to Northwest Ohio my traveling companion and I discovered Rocky’s Pub in Mansfield, Ohio.

We dined there again Friday night and it really was delightful. Passing judgment on a restaurant should mirror reviewing wine. You have to judge the wine, or restaurant, for what it is. There are great $12 bottles of wine and great $250 bottles of wine. But they are different animals – the same goes for restaurants.

Rocky’s Pub is certainly not a pub at all. While the name Rocky conjures up the image of pub food and toughness, this 37-year Mansfield fixture is fine dining on the town square in this community of 47,000 - best known for its nearby Mid-Ohio racetrack.

It’s the kind of place you might walk by, and without a recommendation, never walk in. It’s rather roughhewn on the exterior as the photo shows. Inside it’s dark with strings of lights, stained glass and candles.

The quirky bar was full at 7 p.m. but had emptied by 9.

But it’s about the food and wine, isn’t it? Executive Chef Sally Nesta serves up a consistent menu of Norwegian Salmon, Italian standards, Lake Erie Walleye, Scrod, and nightly specials. The Friday night specials included a spicy stuffed pepper, Kobe Ribeye, and rack of lamb.

The wine list was varied with the usual markups. It was weighted to the bottom of the price scale with Woodbridge and Kendall Jackson prevalent. But it also included a Barolo, Chateau St. Jean Cabernet, a meritage from Washington state, and Wente Chardonnay.

I had the rack of lamb with rosemary that was perfectly cooked to medium rare. It was moist and delicious. My only complaint was it needed a little salt and pepper. My dinner companion had the wild mushroom pasta that he described as flavorful with wonderful mushrooms.

I scoured the wine list and we ordered a $29 bottle of Cantina Pedres Cerasio Cannonau. Or you can call it Grenache from Sardinia, Italy. It was light in body but pleasant with nice fruit and a soft finish. It worked well with my lamb and the pasta. Judging from the markup on the other labels, the wine was marked up 100 percent from retail.

The sides, salad, and a wonderful crusty bread were as good as you’ll find in most fine dining restaurants.

My only squibble with Rocky’s was the staffing. Our waitress was wonderful but overworked. By my count, she had 8-9 tables on a busy Friday night. There are about 25 tables in the restaurant excluding the bar. On top of serving, the waitresses had to bus tables as well. One bus boy/girl could make a big difference in the customer service.

If you have reason to drive into Northeastern Ohio along I-71, Rocky’s Pub in Mansfield is worth the trip off the interstate, five miles perhaps. It’s an old-fashioned fine dining restaurant that seldom exists in most cities. The food is quite good and atmosphere a tad eclectic. Most diners are going to love it.

A Primer on Cotes du Rhone Wines

This is my latest newspaper column - it's a bit of a primer on Cotes du Rhone wines for newbies. All of my nearly 50 columns are posted on Grape Sense, linked in the right column.

If you like affordable and richly flavored wine you have to embrace the French.
Wine drinkers who want great fruit, a bit of earthiness, and smooth drinking juice, should try wines from the Cotes du' Rhone region.

The wines pair great with food, have a spicy and almost juicy fruit characteristic on the palate, and the better ones give you a taste of what the French call "terrior" - the earth or environment. These wines will give you a beautiful bouquet on the nose that will bring you back again and again.

The Cotes du Rhone region sits in the very southeastern corner of France above Provence and below Beaujolais and Burgundy. The area is broken down into about 20 appellations or regions.

If you're relatively new to wine or French wine, you know there is something different going on with the French. Well, in this case, we're just talking about the wine.

Very few French producers put the name of the grape on the bottle. The French labeling laws are extensive and confusing for the non-French. The wines are labeled by the region where they are grown. The varied and rich French soil, which has grown grapes for decades, produces very different wines from micro climate to micro climate.

Don't expect to see that change any time soon. Italy is the same.

So for great and inexpensive French wines keep your approach simple. Cotes du Rhone means it comes from the region. It might be a blend of grapes from different vineyards. Cotes du Rhone Villages wine comes from a specific region and is usually a little higher in price and quality. There are many great Cotes du Rhone wines under $15 and really great ones aren't unusual at $12.

The top of the line wines are the big, bold and earthy Chateauneuf-du-Pape or "New Castle of the Pope." You can read up on the 1300's and Pope Clement V's residency in Avignon in your spare time.

But the Chateauneuf-du-Pape wines are generally the area’s best. They are pricey starting at $35-$40

So let’s stick to the Cotes du Rhone. The area produces mostly reds but also some white and rose'. Grenache is the dominant grape. The wine is often blended to include Syrah, Cinsault, Carignane, or Mourvedre.

I've liked the Grenache-Syrah blends best. They deliver big dark fruit flavor from the Grenache with a hint of spice and earthiness from the Syrah.

Many of the producers are very small by Bordeaux, and especially California, standards. But in 2008/2009, the region produced nearly 400 million bottles. It is the second largest French wine-producing region in land mass and production.

Cotes du Rhone has become my fall back wine. When I don't know what I want to drink I grab one. If I want to give a gift of wine I can do so with the confidence the label may bewilder the lucky recipient but they'll like the wine.

Don't be afraid to ask questions at your favorite retail shops. Cotes du Rhone wines are easy to find.

Howard's Picks:
Domaine Lafage Grenache Noir - This juice is incredible. I looked back at my blog tasting notes and wrote "rich feel in the mouth, and very smooth finish." I've had it several times since that first bottle. It is a great introduction to the region, especially at $11.99.

Patrick Lesec's Bouquet - I've plugged this wine several times but it's for a reason. It was my 2009 'wine of the year' in my newspaper column and online blog. It's bigger in taste than the Domaine Lafage with more herbal notes and a bigger flavor. It has more of the earthiness and pairs great with food. It is dynamite wine for $12.99.




Send comment or questions to: hewitthoward@gmail.com