L.A. WINELINE SYRAH OR SHIRAZ: BY EITHER NAME, THEY WERE HOT IN 2005.Byline: LARRY LIPSON Looking back at 2005, the hot wine of the year is undoubtedly syrah/shiraz. This fruity red from various wine regions of the world under either the syrah or shiraz name has been winning awards and seducing palates all year long. Even pinot noir and the ``Sideways'' movie phenomenon haven't really impeded the syrah-shiraz roller coaster. Case in point is the Wine of the Year by the Connoisseur's Guide to California Wines. Yep, you guessed right - it's a syrah. And one that nosed out a couple of California's most notable cabernets, Joseph Phelps' Insignia and the Hillside Select from Shafer. The winning syrah, by no means a cheapie cheap·ie n. Slang 1. A cheap item. 2. A stingy person. , is 2002 Ascent ($75) by Domaine de la Terre La Terre (The Earth) is a novel by Émile Zola, published in 1887. It is the fifteenth novel in Zola's Rougon-Macquart series. The action takes place in a rural community in La Beauce, an area of northern France. Rouge from Amador County. Information: (209) 245-3117 or www.terrerougewines.com. But don't worry about syrah or shiraz prices being so high. There are plenty of them in the $10-to-$20 range (see Maddalena's new release below). UNIVERSITY TASTING: Some 46 of California's premium wineries will be pouring more than 150 wines at the 25th annual Loyola Marymount University Wine Classic on Feb. 12 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Gersten Pavilion on LMU's campus. Attendees will receive a complimentary wine glass and light hors d'oeuvres. Tickets: $90, $50 being tax-deductible; (310) 338-5278 or events(at)lmu.edu. NEW RELEASES: The unusual blend of 63 percent cabernet sauvignon, 24 percent syrah, 11 percent merlot and 2 percent petit verdot can be found in the just released Bennett Lane 2003 Maximus ($28). Information: (707) 942-6684 or www.bennettlane.com. ... Lots of Down Under vino on the shelves. Look for New Zealand's Nobilo label with a 2004 merlot ($12), 2005 pinot gris and 2005 sauvignon blanc ($22 each), and a 2004 pinot noir ($22). ... Newest release from the Riboli Family Wine Estates, owners of the familiar San Antonio Winery The San Antonio Winery is the only remaining winery in the city of Los Angeles, and has operated since 1917. It only produces white wine. However, it does not grow the grapes at its Los Angeles location as its former vineyards have been developed with dense industry. , downtown L.A., is the Maddalena 2002 syrah ($14). Information: (323) 223-1401 or www.sanantoniowinery.com. ... Joining the popular Segura Viudas Reserva Heredad bubbly ($20) from Spain in the fancy metal-emblazoned bottle is the just-released Aria pinot noir cava ($12), the first sparkling ``rosado'' from Segura Viudas. ... Santa Barbara's Firestone Wines is behind a vintage made by ex-Marines called Jarhead jar·head n. Slang A U.S. Marine. [Perhaps from the shape of the hat the Marines once wore.] Red ($10; cases of 12, $90). Made with cabernet sauvignon grapes, the 2001-vintage, 900-milliliter bottling's proceeds will go to the Marine Corps Scholarship Fund. Purchasing information: www.mcsf.org. SIPS & NIBBLES: Winemaker Jim Yerkes of Agua Dulce Vineyard, touted as L.A. County's largest winery, worked at Charles Krug, Stags' Leap Cellars and Hans Kornell, then was winemaker at Glen Ellen prior to his Agua Dulce job. ... The site of a new appellation ap·pel·la·tion n. 1. A name, title, or designation. 2. A protected name under which a wine may be sold, indicating that the grapes used are of a specific kind from a specific district. 3. The act of naming. in Washington State, Wahluke Slope, becomes an official American Viticultural Area An American Viticultural Area (AVA) is a delimited grape-growing region distinguishable by geographic features, with boundaries defined by the United States government's Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB). (AVA Ava, in the Bible Ava (ā`və), in the Bible, an unidentified city of Mesopotamia, perhaps the same as Ivah. Its inhabitants are called Avites. ) on Jan. 6. Information: www.washingtonwine.org. ... Stock of Napa's Cosentino Signature Wineries is now being traded on London's AIM Stock Exchange. ... A frequent guest on ``The Tasting Room,'' a wine, food and spirits talk show at 3 p.m. Saturdays on KLSX-FM (97.1) hosted by Tom Leykis, is local wine retailer David Breitstein, owner of the Duke of Bourbon Duke of Bourbon (French: Duc de Bourbon) is a title in the peerage of France. It was created in the first half of the 14th century for the eldest son of Robert of France, Count of Clermont and Beatrice of Burgundy, heiress of the lordship of Bourbon. in Canoga Park. ... Even Jay Leno has been joking about those wine-inspired fragrances now on the market. LuckyScent.com is where you'll find information on such perfumes as Botrytis Botrytis a common fungal cause of spoilage in stored meat. , Sauvignonne and Le Boise. ... Interested in what wineries have the best Web site? The top five, according to The Winery Web Site Report, are Lynmar (www.lynmarwinery.com), Clos Du Val (www.closduval.com), EOS Eos (ē`ŏs), in Greek religion and mythology, goddess of dawn; daughter of the Titans Hyperion and Theia. Every morning she arose early and preceded her brother Helios into the heavens. (www.eosvintage.com), King Estate (www.kingestate.com) and Huntington Wine Cellars (www.huntingtonwine.com). Larry Lipson, (818) 713-3668 larry.lipson(at)dailynews.com |
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