New Castle Courier-Times 22nd Paper Carrying Column

I haven't really pitched the column recently but had an old newspaper/editor friend reach out to me over the weekend wanting to add Grape Sense to his newspaper.

Editor Randy Renfeld, who once worked for me elsewhere, is adding Grape Sense to the New Castle daily.

Now instead of "nearly" 300,000 homes monthly I can say "more than" 300,000 homes monthly.

Thanks Randy and welcome aboard New Castle!

Send comment or questions to: hewitthoward@gmail.com

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

For Traditional Italian Dinner, You Gotta Go to Mama's

During travel around the country for wine or work, I like to throw up a short blog post about any great restaurant visit. Living 45 minutes northwest of Indianapolis doesn't afford me many opportunities to get into the city to the better spots, but I make a point to eat well in Indy whenever I can.

iPhone shot of my Rosemary Chicken Lasagna!

An impending birthday (well, they can't be avoided so embrace them) was the reason to head to Broad Ripple on Indy's north side and a visit to classic - Mama's Corolla's!

Mama's is a very busy spot for folks in the know looking for great Italian. I had been there once before and remembered it as good but Saturday night was off the charts good.

We started with the fried ravioli and a light marinara dipping sauce. The ravioli, with cheese stuffing, was toasty and delicious. We also had wonderful calimari - small pieces which were crispy and a great dipping sauce that had a hint of horseradish.

Mama Corolla's on 54th near Broad Ripple!

My dinner was a signature Mama favorite, the Rosemary Chicken Lasagna. The old-fashioned sweet marinara was a perfect companion to the chicken, herbs, and cheese. It was one of the best entree's I've had in a long time.

We split a piece of Ricotta cake garnished with blackberries. All the time we were enjoying a big fruity and soft Italian Ripasso.

I love the new chef-driven and farm-to-fork restaurants popping up. But once in a while the classics can't be beat!

Oh Mama, you make me so happy!

Send comment or questions to: hewitthoward@gmail.com

Bigger Prices, Even Bigger Flavors - Great Wines

Here are some quicky reviews on some really great red wines - not good, but really great. The price point is a tad higher than the value wines I write about in the newspaper column but, I'd argue, the wines are better than the price point listed!

Philippe Cambie La Calendal 2007 Cotes du Rhone - There is good and then there is crazy good. If you like Rhone wines, no .. make that ... if you like red wine, you are going to love this incredible and unique French blend.

I bought this wine because I had heard Philippe Cambie referrer to in such glowing terms in the wine media over and over and over. Well, my colleagues are right on this one. This is a unique Rhone wine because of the blend. It's 80 percent Mourvedre and 20 percent Grenache.

This was smooth and rich like many Rhone wines but it had much more of a mid-palate and secondary notes than most Rhone bottles. It has dark and earthy qualities beyond the usual $15 entry. For me, credit the Mouvredre - probably my favorite grape many haven't even heard about! Robert Parker gave this wine 92 points - quite high for a Parker rating of Rhone.

The Cambie wine is easily one of the best Cotes du Rhones I've ever tasted.

Philippe Cambie La Calendal 2007 Cotes du Rhone, $23-$27, Very Highly Recommended. 

Girard 2009 Artistry - This big red California blend is awesome wine. It's a rich blend of 56 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 15 percent Cab Franc, 11 percent Petite Verdot, 10 percent Merlot, and 8 percent Malbec. It's obviously a Bordeaux style blend that delivers serious bang for the buck. I bought this on an online wine site for $23-$24 but it normally sells at $45.

Frankly, I usually don't find these wines that good at $45 but this one is an exception. It's got bright flavors like a cherry or spice. It has a long-lasting finish and beautiful mouth feel. It's big alcohol at 15 percent without the burn on the finish.

The wine publications, Wine Spectator and Enthusiast, consistently like this wine with ratings of 89-92 through the 1008 vintage.

If you aren't drinking California blends you are missing out on a lot of great red wines.

Girard 2009 Artistry, $44.99, Highly Recommended

Morlanda Crianza 2007 Priorat - This is great dry Spanish wine. At $40 it may scare some people off, but frankly it drinks above even that price point.

This dry beauty has currents, coffee, and dirt on the palate. This is dry and wonderful red wine. It's not a sipper but works well with food. I loved this wine with some mildly-spiced, roasted pork.

How do you coax a vineyard into making great wine? You drop fruit and take a low yield. The winery gets just over one ton an acre from the vineyards for this wine. And if you want another good sign, there are only 3,000 cases of the wine produced.

Spectator, Enthusiast and Advocate all give the 2007 a rating of 90 points.

Morlanda Crianza 2007 Priorat, SRP $40, Trade Sample, Highly Recommended.

Send comment or questions to: hewitthoward@gmail.com