Home Wine Cellar, Part 1

I was thinking the other day about how we transitioned from a few bottles to having a no kidding wine cellar that needs to be managed.

It was easy, because we really didn't think about it.

We used to have a few bottles, less than four, on hand to compliment dinner and share with friends. Mostly, I would have to stop on my way home to get wine to support our evening plans. Over time, we developed a true, but small wine cellar which can support almost any occasion at a moments notice. How did that happen? And why?

First and foremost, a couple of rules:

1. Never store wine in the kitchen!

2. If in doubt, see Rule 1.

Seriously, the kitchen is the worst place in the house to store wine unless it is in a climate controlled environment (I mean a wine fridge). The temperature swings from cooking to rest take a toll on wine. Many kitchens come complete with nice built in wine racks--but the life of wine is greatly shortened in the kitchen. 

My recommendation, find a 12 or 18 bottle wine rack and plan to use that to begin your wine collection.

What are the considerations for buying wine?

1. What do you like? Buy what you like first and foremost.

2. What does your spouse or significant other like? Gotta keep the rest of the house happy!

3. What do your friends like? You don't want to have to run out on a moments notice when friends drop by.

4. What is popular and in vogue? Popular wines are just that for a reason--try them and see if you like them. It is likely that someone who drops by will be impressed that you at least know what is in vogue in the wine world.

I recommend starting with about 12 to 18 bottles. In my experience, a 12 bottle case should consist of 8 whites and four reds. The whites should be muscat, rieslings, vioginier, and pinot gris/grigot. The reds should be merlots, pinot noirs, and maybe a syrah/shiraz. Don't forget a sparkling wine for special occasions.

Twelve bottles is a good start and will begin to provide some flexibility. 

Cost? Start modest. Find good tasting wines in the $10-$20 range to begin with. Yes, there are good wines for less than $10 and there are great wines for more than $20--but most people will be impressed with the bottles prices in the teens--so start there.

Next, I'll write about what to do when18 bottles on hand is just not enough.

-- Bob and Christina Doan, Elkridge, MD

Wine Barrel Furniture

OK, maybe I've gone a bit too far. I've always wanted a wine barrel, although I could not figure out a good reason to buy one. Ideally, I wanted one full of wine to drink or blend into a future fine wine.

Wine barrels are big and bulky. What can you really do with a full sized wine barrel? Sitting it in the yard to watch it deteriorate from the weather does not seem a fitting end for such a well constructed item.

Enter the wine barrel table. We discovered the wine barrel table while at the Maryland Home and Garden Show during March. We ordered the table at the show and received a really good discount as compared with the stated price through Wine Enthusiast. Two months later, it was delivered, perfectly, as ordered. 

The table was constructed by Wine Barrel Designs from Elmer, New Jersey. They were great to work with and interactive on delivery day to minimize my time away from work. This table includes storage for 24 bottles of wine, four authentic wine barrel chairs, and a lazy susan on top. I envision many evenings sitting at the table and enjoying a glass of wine. They have other designs and options--but I always seem to need more places to store wine.

We have needed the perfect accessory for our wine room for some time. And that the chairs are made from wine barrel staves and have three legs so that they don't rock.

I am very impressed with the workmanship that Wine Barrel Designs took in creating the table and chairs. It looks exactly like we envisioned it would. I was told that this barrel was made of French Oak and I was impressed that the staves used to make the stools still smell like wine--authentic.

RECOMMENDATION: If you are looking for a unique piece of wine furniture, check out Wine Barrel Designs, you'll be happy you did. They delivered to the door, placed the wine barrel table where I wanted it and made sure I was happy with my purchase. 

So the next wine barrel I buy will be full of wine!



-- Bob and Christina Doan, Elkridge, MD

Mindless Wine Snobbery

I was involved in a discussion about wine and people's tastes the other day when one person commented that their palate had not yet developed, but they had just graduated from Moscato to Pinot Grigio. 

I thought for a moment about the statement and then realized that the whole concept of developing a palate and graduating from sweet wines to dry wines is totally wrong! Yup, there, I said it!

The are an almost uncountable number of wines produced throughout the world and I am sure that there are more than one wine  for every palate. People need to find the wine that they enjoy and drink it. It would be good for them to expand their tastes as they feel moved, but the idea that one is not a true wine drinker until they are enjoying a wine that is so dry you need a glass of water after drinking it is wrong. It is the original form of wine snobbery.

Yes, I enjoy dark, earthy, dry wines that smell of smoke and graphite and sit in my mouth and beg to be paired with a rare steak.

But, I also enjoy whites, like Cayuga and lighter reds, like Pinot Noir. I enjoy finding wines made from grapes I've never tried before and trying to decide what is unique about the wine.

That is me. Not everyone. 

Wine is and should be an individual endeavor. While it is fun to enjoy wines with friends who have similar tastes, fundamentally, people need to enjoy the wines they are drinking--no matter what kind. And the idea that you are less of a wine lover if you don't drink dark, brooding reds is just, in a word, wrong!

Enjoy the wine you drink and drink the wines you enjoy. 

-- Bob and Christina Doan, Elkridge, MD

Catharine Valley Winery: On the Seneca Lake Wine Trail

On a cool and blustery April Sunday morning in Upstate New York we decided to visit Catharine Valley Winery while driving home to Maryland. We only had time to visit one winery and we are glad that we chose to stop at Catharine Valley where we visited with Don, the owner who was manning the tasting room that morning.

Catharine Valley Tasting Room

We found Don to be full of information not only about the winery, but about the grapes he grows, the soils of the vineyards, and the local history--we always enjoy learning more about history. Sadly, Bob failed his pop quizzes about wines and grapes; but we enjoyed sampling his wines and also enjoyed tasting wines made from two new grapes while visiting the winery. 

View out the Tasting Room Window

Situated on Seneca Lake's East Shore in Burdett, NY, a short drive from Watkins Glen along Route 414, the winery is the first one on the left, headed north, and the view from the tasting room is astounding. The vineyards and the lake provide stunning scenery to further enhance the wine enjoyment experience. The grass was green in the images we took that day, but Spring was not in full swing yet as evidenced by the bare tree limbs.

But enough about the scenery--let's talk wine. The day we visited Catharine Valley was tasting 10 wines ranging from dry to sweet. We found something interesting in each of the wines. The varietals presented nicely and we were excited to taste wines made from grapes that we experienced for the first time: Noiret and Geneva Red 7. They are both red wine grapes and produce very interesting wines. 


Geneva Red 7 is the principal grape in Catharine Valley's Cardinal, while the Noriet is named for the grape itself. Cardinal has a $14 price point and we found it to be a nice red table wine with vanilla and raspberry flavors that help to make this wine light and enjoyable.

The Noriet, priced at $18, has nice oak tones and was pleasantly dry and although  it lacked complexity it had a very nice peppery finish.

The highlight of the visit was the Traminette, which, with a $14 price point, is an excellent buy and a great wine. It shows well from its Gewürztraminer heritage and is spicy and floral with honeysuckle, jasmine and a hint of citrus. 

The sweet wines were also nice and featured some different varietals: Catawba and Concord as well a Baco Noir. I found the names for the wines,
some of which are taken from local legends and lore, like The Lost Irishman, to be both fun and creative. The winery website recounts some of those legends and also the history of the name of the winery.

RECOMMENDATION: This is a MUST visit winery on any Seneca Lake Wine Trail tour. The prices are moderate and the wine quality is high. The ambiance of the tasting room is excellent and, coupled with the view of the lake, makes Catharine Valley a great place to enjoy some wine and relaxation as we did early on a Sunday morning during April.

-- Bob and Christina Doan, Elkridge, MD

Six Mile Creek Vineyard: On the Cayuga Lake Wine Trail

Needing a diversion from life, we decided to make the short visit a few miles outside Ithaca, NY, to the Six Mile Creek Vineyard on a cool mid-April Saturday afternoon. Despite visiting Ithaca multiple times every year, I had never checked out this vineyard which is located away from the lake and many of the other Finger Lakes wineries that I frequent.

The drive up State Street on Route 79 from downtown Ithaca is easy and the vineyard sits strategically atop the hill. It is well marked and has ample parking. The tasting room is located within a rustic barn-like structure and the theme is continued to the tasting area inside. The windows of the tasting room overlook the six acres of vineyards which slope down the hill. It is a beautiful and peaceful location. Despite the cool day and early springtime scene, the view was absolutely stunning and I imagine that the back deck provides a great area to sip wine on a sultry summer afternoon.

Six Mile Creek Back Deck

We were met immediately upon entering the tasting room. Allison, our tasting hostess was very knowledgeable about the vineyard and the wines which we tasted. The vineyard was tasting 14 wines including 5 whites, 5 reds, 1 rose, and 3 sweeter style wines. The $3 tasting fee is very reasonable and we did not feel rushed during our tastings. As an added benefit, the vineyard also has 6 spirits available for tasting for an additional small fee. 

The Vineyards Ready for Growing Season

The whites are grown on the estate, for the most part, while the reds are sourced principally from other vineyards along Cayuga and Seneca Lakes. 

The wines were tasting very nicely. The whites, as a group, possessed nice subtle tones with desired fruitiness for the varietals. The whites are Riesling  Chardonnay, Cayuga, and Seyval Blanc. The 2012 Chardonnay and the Ithaca White were the best of the whites in my mind. The Ithaca White is a blend of Cayuga and Chardonnay. I felt the Ithaca White would be a great "sitting around the pool on a hot summer afternoon" wine.

Party and Reception Pavilion

I was pleasantly surprised by the red wines I tasted. New York is principally defined by white wines, but there is  continual work to develop and produce solid red wines. The Ithaca Red is a light and fruity blend which should appeal to many wine drinkers especially given its $10.99 price. The varietals included a 2011 Pinot Noir, 2011 Merlot, and 2012 Cabernet Franc. The vineyard also uses Cabernet Sauvignon and Marechal Foch in some of their blends. I was impressed by the Pinot Noir which is notoriously difficult to grow especially in the wildly changeable upstate New York weather during the growing season. The Cabernet Franc was tasting very nicely. It reminded me of a Syrah with its deep color and spicy tones. I found their Meritage, the 2012 Quintessence which is a blend of Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon; was a very enjoyable blend with deep color, and nice flavors of plum, and a bit of pepper with pleasing tannins.

RECOMMENDATION: Take some time out of your day and visit this vineyard. If you are traveling the Finger Lakes Wine Trails, don't forget this vineyard--it is off the beaten path, but nicely located near Ithaca right along Route 79, the major highway to the nearest interstate, I-81. This vineyard definitely needs to be on your Finger Lakes visit list.

-- Bob and Christina Doan, Elkridge, MD

Waiting at the Airport

Vino Volo - BWI Airport Concourse A

Air travel has become the ultimate waiting game. I arrive at the airport early to ensure that I am through security before my departure only to have more than enough time to get bored waiting. What to do?

Drink wine!  And not cheap wine.

As I am writing this I am waiting in the Denver United Club West for my now over an hour delayed flight. 

I am drinking their wine which is definitely not the worst wine I have ever tasted, but the price point makes it worth the effort. 

I recall, however, arriving at the Baltimore airport at the start of this trip and visiting my favorite airport wine seller-- Vino Volo. There are two here at Denver calling to me, but since I am in the United Club with included wine and munchies, I may only make a brief stop to sample the wine of the day.

Why am I so excited on Vino Volo? They serve great wines, yeah the prices are a bit high, but the flights are competitively priced and allow me to sample multiple wines in one sitting without worrying about over imbibing.

So the wines in the image were all from bottles priced at over $85. The 2009 Cote Bonneville Chardonnay from DuBrul Vineyard in Washington ($85) was very interesting--the tasting was only $2 since I am a member of the wine club!  The two reds were from the Sommelier Series and were worth the relatively small amount I paid to sample these excellent wines. The Groth Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2009 from Oakville ($134) was my favorite while the Chilean Errazuriz 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon from Don Maximiano Reserve was very nice too coming in at $89. Needless to say, I did not buy any of these wines to add to my collection.

RECOMMENDATION: Drink wine while waiting at an airport because it makes the time pass faster than drinking beer. And you meet the nicest people.

-- Bob and Christina Doan, Bob writing from Denver, Colorado

Seasonal Wine Change Over

Spring is here, and as I change out my closet with the intent of retiring my heavy winter clothes, I am preparing to do the same with my wines. 

Reds and Whites

My cellar is full of winter wines for those cold, dark nights sitting around a roaring fire sheltered form the howling wind and frigid snows blowing outside my house.  Now is the time to bring out the summer wines designed to be enjoyed while sitting around the pool or entertaining on the deck or patio. 

I truly enjoy heavy, deep, brooding, earthy red wines, but during the summertime I also find enjoyment in lighter reds, perhaps a pinot noir, and even whites like pinot gris.

Out with the Reds

Sitting around the pool in the hot summer sun sipping a complex cabernet sauvignon does not work for me, unless there is a thick piece of beef sitting on my plate. A better idea is to take out chilled whites which are filled with notes of citrus or fruit and savor their taste and coolness while feeling the warming rays of the sun on my face as I sample some fruit filled dessert or appetizer.

In with the Whites

It turns out I am not the only one who looks at springtime this way. Bottle Notes has an article about skipping into Spring with with a perfect picnic. They describe the perfect wines for summer. So while I am moving out my heavy coats and sweaters, I am bringing out the whites and lighter reds that I have been collecting in preparation for the summer fun ahead. I can feel the hot summer sun on my face already!

-- Bob and Christina Doan, Elkridge, MD