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BY THE GLASS

Casks from '07 will help make '09 a fine year

By Chuck Furuya

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Jan 07, 2009

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Let's all hope that 2009 will be full of joy and prosperity. To that end, here are some thoughts on wine for the new year.

2007 WINES

I have heard from more than one expert that 2007 might be the greatest vintage of the last 100 years for high-quality German white wines. That is saying a lot, considering the string of truly superb "global-warming" vintages since 1988.

The ones I have tasted combine incredible depth, physiological maturity, structure, intricacy and class.

Many of the '07s are just coming into the Hawaii market. If stored properly, Spatlese and Auslese wines from top estates such as Donnhoff, Fritz Haag, Reinhold Haart, Zilliken, Robert Weil and Josef Leitz will be long-lived and well worth cellaring for one of your children or some special occasion.

I've also previously mentioned the sensational quality of the 2007 California wines. Having tasted many in the barrel last year, I can tell you the best have tremendous impact, with terrific structure and balance -- definitely some of the best from this decade.

Start with chardonnay but also look for pinot noirs, as some are being released now. The best syrah, zinfandel, grenache and cabernet-based wines will be released much later.

This is the kind of vintage that will rate high scores and gain much acclaim, so I am hoping this will encourage more and more of you wine lovers to try some of California's absolutely stellar syrah-, grenache- and mourvedre-based reds, especially those from Paso Robles and Santa Barbara.

MERLOT SHORTAGE

Merlot is a grape variety that was immensely popular during the '90s and the early part of this decade. Since then, however, we have seen quite a downturn in this grape's popularity at our restaurants.

Many credit the hit movie "Sideways" for creating incredible buzz for pinot noir, but this was probably at the expense of merlot.

One of the side effects is that much merlot acreage in California was either grafted over or replanted in other grape varieties.

So in 2009, I believe we will see a shortage of "good" merlot in the low-to-medium price range.

Rather than settle for mediocre wine, merlot drinkers should use this opportunity to explore other red varietals and other wine-making regions.

'FOOD WINE' OF THE YEAR

Having recently poured the wines for one of chef Hiroshi Fukui's "Contemporary Kaiseki" dinners, I was again amazed -- perhaps awed is a better word -- at how incredibly diverse the Pacific Rim Riesling is in food compatibility. The wine paired up well with two-thirds of Hiroshi's elegant Euro-Asian fusion dishes. This highly innovative white wine was the brainchild of California winemaking genius Randall Grahm of Bonny Doon Vineyard.

As the bottle's colorful label, a collage of sushi images, suggests, Randall created this wine for Asian-inspired foods, first sourcing cool climate Monterey grapes. To improve the wine and its food appeal, in subsequent vintages Grahm incorporated even-cooler-climate grapes, from Washington and later Germany.

He certainly accomplished his goal of Asian food-friendliness. Although Grahm has sold off the label and name, the new owners still keep with the cool-climate sourcing.

Yes, the food-friendliness is awesome, but as you will see, at roughly $11 a bottle, it is also an awesome value. Make sure you have a bottle at your next visit to a Thai, Chinese, Japanese or Asian restaurant.

Chuck Furuya is a master sommelier, a partner in the Sansei restaurants and a consultant to Southern Wine and Spirits. This column is a weekly lesson in wine pairing written by a rotating panel of wine professionals.

Let's all hope that 2009 will be full of joy and prosperity. To that end, here are some thoughts on wine for the new year.


2007 WINES

I have heard from more than one expert that 2007 might be the greatest vintage of the last 100 years for high-quality German white wines. That is saying a lot, considering the string of truly superb "global-warming" vintages since 1988.

The ones I have tasted combine incredible depth, physiological maturity, structure, intricacy and class.

Many of the '07s are just coming into the Hawaii market. If stored properly, Spatlese and Auslese wines from top estates such as Donnhoff, Fritz Haag, Reinhold Haart, Zilliken, Robert Weil and Josef Leitz will be long-lived and well worth cellaring for one of your children or some special occasion.

I've also previously mentioned the sensational quality of the 2007 California wines. Having tasted many in the barrel last year, I can tell you the best have tremendous impact, with terrific structure and balance -- definitely some of the best from this decade.

Start with chardonnay but also look for pinot noirs, as some are being released now. The best syrah, zinfandel, grenache and cabernet-based wines will be released much later.

This is the kind of vintage that will rate high scores and gain much acclaim, so I am hoping this will encourage more and more of you wine lovers to try some of California's absolutely stellar syrah-, grenache- and mourvedre-based reds, especially those from Paso Robles and Santa Barbara.

MERLOT SHORTAGE

Merlot is a grape variety that was immensely popular during the '90s and the early part of this decade. Since then, however, we have seen quite a downturn in this grape's popularity at our restaurants.

Many credit the hit movie "Sideways" for creating incredible buzz for pinot noir, but this was probably at the expense of merlot.

One of the side effects is that much merlot acreage in California was either grafted over or replanted in other grape varieties.

So in 2009, I believe we will see a shortage of "good" merlot in the low-to-medium price range.

Rather than settle for mediocre wine, merlot drinkers should use this opportunity to explore other red varietals and other wine-making regions.

'FOOD WINE' OF THE YEAR

Having recently poured the wines for one of chef Hiroshi Fukui's "Contemporary Kaiseki" dinners, I was again amazed -- perhaps awed is a better word -- at how incredibly diverse the Pacific Rim Riesling is in food compatibility. The wine paired up well with two-thirds of Hiroshi's elegant Euro-Asian fusion dishes. This highly innovative white wine was the brainchild of California winemaking genius Randall Grahm of Bonny Doon Vineyard.

As the bottle's colorful label, a collage of sushi images, suggests, Randall created this wine for Asian-inspired foods, first sourcing cool climate Monterey grapes. To improve the wine and its food appeal, in subsequent vintages Grahm incorporated even-cooler-climate grapes, from Washington and later Germany.

He certainly accomplished his goal of Asian food-friendliness. Although Grahm has sold off the label and name, the new owners still keep with the cool-climate sourcing.

Yes, the food-friendliness is awesome, but as you will see, at roughly $11 a bottle, it is also an awesome value. Make sure you have a bottle at your next visit to a Thai, Chinese, Japanese or Asian restaurant.

Chuck Furuya is a master sommelier, a partner in the Sansei restaurants and a consultant to Southern Wine and Spirits. This column is a weekly lesson in wine pairing written by a rotating panel of wine professionals.

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