Wow.
To say that I was impressed by the energy, turn out, and quality of the Wine Blogging Wednesday #51 participant posts would be an understatement.
Sort of like saying that the Grand Canyon is a minor geological anomaly. That kind of understatement.
To be perfectly honest, I was dreading (somewhat) having to carve out the time to read each entry for the event. That dread quickly turned into anticipation as my perceived labor became a labor of love.
And that is entirely due to the high quality of your posts - for those who participated, I can't thank you enough.
Once again, Wine Blogging Wednesday drew participants from varied backgrounds, different areas of wine-world involvement, multiple countries, and represented nearly the entire spectrum of wine expertise...
For those who didn't participate, below you are links to some great reads on a wine category that gets precious little attention these days - fortified wines - but whose expression can be just as sublime and enchanting as any of the typical, more attention-grabbing styles (for an excellent primer on some of this, check out K2's Madeira overview at the Wine Blog).
If you're still skeptical as to the power, finesse, and quality of baked / madeirized / oxidized / fortified wines, witness these two posts from two venerable and long-standing wine bloggers:
If that doesn't convince you, then you're probably not paying attention.
Following are links to the other fine articles from the event's participants, roughly in the order I received them.
Some revisited old faves, others tried something new, and many, many of them were pleasantly surprised by what sweet and fortified wines had to offer. If you're thinking of taking a plunge into the world of kick-ass fortified wines, you'd do well to read these posts as they offer a great summary of what's available to you on the market.
If you participated in WBW #51 and I didn't link to you below, please accept my apology in advance and leave me a comment here so I can rectify the situation!
In case any further proof is needed that WBW #51, in the words of Gary Vaynerchuk, "totally CRUSHED it," and also stomped it, killed it, and ripped off it's head to feast upon its supple eye jelly (sorry Gary, couldn't resist that one either), check out the way-cool WBW #51 mention on Wine Biz Radio - you can listen to the raw TalkShoe recording below, or download the entire show.
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Cheers!
(images: 1WineDude.com gpb.org)
...And They All Got Baked... (Wine Blogging Wednesday #51 Wrap-Up)
Wine Blogging Wednesday #51: "Baked Goods"
Welcome to Wine Blogging Wednesday #51(WineDude)!
Dude here is hosting the 51st edition of the venerable WBW, and today's theme is "Baked Goods" - reviews of wines that are deliberately heated (aka "Madeirized"), and we're also allowing reviews of sweet Fortified wines to be included. For the scoop on how Wine Blogging Wednesday works, check out the WBW site. More details on the background of the theme can be found here.
Now... let's get this funk started!
I love Madeira. Love is a strong word. And I love Madeira.
It's often sweet, incredibly tasty, high in refreshing acidity, and because it's already been exposed to oxygen and heat (which would utterly destroy normal wines), it's virtually indestructible.
A Madeira wine from 1935 will pretty much taste the same today as it did in 1935, even if opened and enjoyed tablespoon by luscious tablespoon from then until now. Not only is it tasty, indestructible, and food-friendly, it also boasts an abv of 19% or more. It's a bad-ass wine!...
Normally, I'd expound on the storied history of Madeira, and give you background on the traditional styles of Madeira, food pairings, etc.
But...
Rather than take you through the history of Madeira wine - which I figured might be covered by one or more of the other fine WBW participants anyway (and if not can easily be found in detailed play-by-play on the web) - I thought I'd instead show you, by way of comparison, just how bad-ass Madeira actually is.
Let's compare kick-ass, indestructible Madeira to the so-called "Invincible" IRON MAN:The
"Invincible" IRON MAN
AbilitiesSuperhuman strength, Repulsor-ray technology, Genius-level intellect Intense aroma
, Mouth-watering acidity
, Ass-kicking 19%+ abv
Edge: Madeira
ProtectionBullet-proof, temperature-resistant armor - TIE Impervious to hot ovens, attic temperatures, and long, perilous sea voyages
- TIE
CreatorStan Lee 
The Dutch Armada 
Edge: Madeira
NemesisThe Mandarin
, Alcoholism
, Soft spot for Pepper Pots
, Very large magnets
Edge: IRON MANCork Taint 
Tastes LikeMetal alloy Nuts, caramel, dried figs. -
Edge: Madeira
Result of
OxidationRust 
Characteristics of nuts and honey 
Edge: Madeira
No contest: Madeira totally trumps IRON MAN, 5-2.
Anyway, traditional Madeira comes in four flavors of grapes, each chosen to highlight a particular style of the wine, examples of which I tasted in comparison (witness below).
Notice how the color of each wine gets darker? This is a key to the style, which range from dry and nutty to lusciously sweet and caramely (is that a word...?):
Blandy's Dry Sercial (Aged 5 Years in oak): Made from the Sercial grape, grown in the cooler high-altitude regions of the Madeira island. Sherry-like, nutty (almonds, baby!) with searing acidity. Pass the hors d'oeuvres!
Blandy's 5 Year Vedelho: Made from Verdelho (also grown in the cooler Northern part of the island) - Sherry-like, but this time its darker and more 'Oloroso-ish'; the oak is more pronounced, and there's touch of sweetness balancing the acidity.
Cossart Gordon Medium Rich Bual (15 years): From the Bual grape (probably my favorite) from the warmer southern portion of Madeira, it ripens to higher levels so it can be made into a sweeter style. And sweet it is - as in sweet fig, vanilla, and hazelnut, with a long nutty finish.
Blandy's Malmsey 10 Year: Malmsey is the malvasia grape, grown in the warmest and lowest-altitude regions of Madeira. These wines can become ultra-indestructible and typically have a near-perfect balance between acidity and sweetness. In this case, the wine is bursting with burnt caramel, rum, honey, and smoke, with a smooth, luscious mouthfeel.
Now do you see why I use the word "love" when I'm talking Madeira?
Just don't tell Mrs. Dudette... she might get jealous...
Cheers!
(images: 1winedude.com, malone.blogs.com, historyguy.com, wikimedia.org, sahistory.org.za, d210.tv, wilsoncrfeekwinery.com, fruitsstar.com, purplemissues.blogspot.com)
Happy July 4th - Vive la France! Or Portugal...
July 4th. The day that we in the U.S. celebrate American independence.
It's fitting that we laud the bravery, gumption, and raw intelligence of our founding fathers, as well as the courage of those who fought to make our country free to chart its own destiny.
I suggest doing that with burgers and grill-friendly wines.
What we don't commonly do is celebrate the French ingenuity and general affairs meddling (at great financial expense to them, I might add) that made life so annoying for the Brits that they more-or-less gave up and let us have this great country.
So maybe that should be burgers and grill-friendly French wines.
Now, before you write me off for spouting heresy about not drinking American wine on an American holiday, consider these tidbits:
- Thomas Jefferson, probably the smartest person ever to hold office in the U.S., was a total wine nut. His favorites? Expensive French vino.
- Ben Franklin loved wine. And he drank... Madeira (not French, but certainly not American!), the deliberately baked delicacy of Portugal's island of the same name.
- Also a Madeira fiend was George Washington. He spent upwards of $6000 on booze (which in today's bucks would be... well, a lot!).
- And let's not forget John Adams. He consumed a ton of Madeira.
These facts are indisputable: our Founding Fathers fondness for their vino is preserved forever in their very own handwriting. Not only were they booze hounds, but they were men of letters. When guys like Washington weren't writing eloquent prose to the budding new government (mostly complaining that they didn't have nearly enough resources being sent their way to even make a dent in the larger, better funded, and more skilled British army), they were writing home about their wine.
So there you have it - American gumption, French meddling, British mistakes, and Portuguese wine.
The makings of a truly Liberated nation!
Have a safe and happy 4th! Cheers!(images: ririanproject.com, vacationtofrance.com, madeira-web.com)
