Featured Article - September 2010

SOUTHWEST FLAVOR
Good Taste

This September, host a wine tasting or hit a local festival

Story by Michele Ostrove, Photography by Douglas Merriam

Nothing against New Mexico’s iconic chile, but if it were my choice, I’d change the official state question from “Red or green?” to “Red or white?”—I’ll take a wine toast over a chile roast any day. Fortunately, there’s no need to choose between capsicum and cabernet. Fall brings us a win-win of harvests and festivals, including one, the Santa Fe Wine & Chile Fiesta, that celebrates both. But it may not be long before grapes surpass chiles as the state’s signature crop.

Why? Because our terroir seems as well suited to the fruit of the vine as to the pod of the capsicum. New Mexico’s sun-baked soil and chilly high-desert nights provide fertile ground for 127 varietals, from fussy French hybrids to American zinfandels. We are blessed with a magical combination of elevation, soil, and climate that yields intensely flavored, heavily structured wines that can hold their own against wines the world over. As numerous top awards in world-class wine competitions demonstrate, New Mexico isn’t just the nation’s oldest grape-growing state—it’s emerging as a serious contender.

“Fortunately, all grapes grow extremely well here,” says Olivia DeCamp, executive director of the New Mexico Wine Growers Association. “The serious reds, like cabernets, tend to do better in the south, where it’s warmer, and varietals like Riesling and pinot noir grapes thrive in the cooler temperatures of the north.”

Today, the state’s 36 wineries have been organized into four touring-and-tasting “trails” representing the northern, central, southeastern, and southern regions. DeCamp says that 24 wineries are within driving distance of Taos, Santa Fe, and Albuquerque, making it easy for us to sample and buy many wines not sold in stores. To taste the full breadth of New Mexico’s bounty, don’t miss one of the three fall festivals (see info box), two of which showcase our local wines.

Or why not host a tasting of New Mexico wines at home? Themed tastings can be a fun and economical way to entertain, if you ask each guest to bring a bottle of wine—or have them all chip in, and buy the wines yourself. In grocery and wine stores, you’ll find wines by Gruet (their sparkling wine has trounced French Champagnes in international tastings); Southwest Wines’ D. H. Lescombes, St. Clair, and Blue Teal labels (the D. H. Lescombes 2007 Cabernet Franc captured the “Best Red” and “Best of Class” awards in the San Francisco Chronicle’s 2009 Wine Competition); Milagro Vineyards (whose ’07 Chardonnay captured a Gold medal at this year’s competition); Vivác (whose Syrah recently was voted “highest-rated red in New Mexico” by Wine Enthusiast); as well as by Black Mesa, Casa Rondeña, Luna Rossa, Ponderosa Valley Vineyards, Santa Fe Vineyards, and Wines of the San Juan. While perusing the shelves, I dis- covered some unusual wines—such as St. Clair’s Hatch Green Chile Wine (the color of which is one answer to the state’s official question) and Black Mesa’s chocolate-flavored Black Beauty—and many engaging labels, including Vivác’s Red Hot Mama.

Consider hosting a “blind” tasting, suggests Mitzi Hobson, owner, with husband Rick, of Milagro Vineyards, in Corrales. “It’s our favorite way to do a tasting,” she says. “We put the wines in paper bags [foil works too], number them, and give the guests printed descriptions.” They hand out pencils and notepads, as well as the Wine Aroma Wheel, developed by the University of California–Davis to help people identify the flavors they detect in wine. With any tasting, begin with whites (chilled to 50–55 degrees), move on to reds (60–65 degrees), and save full-bodied and sweet wines for last. Pour each guest 1½ to 2 ounces of each wine—and don’t forget to provide plenty of glassware, water, and a dump bucket.

Now, for the food: French bread, crackers, and fresh, lightly salted mozzarella make great palate cleansers; other good choices include a selection of cheeses, nuts (Marcona almonds work well), dried fruits, cured meats (like prosciutto-wrapped bread sticks), olives or tapenades, bruschetta with various toppings, and sliced grilled Italian sausages. For more substantial fare, I’ve served mini-sandwiches of thinly sliced, roasted beef tenderloin and French rolls, with a light horseradish sauce on the side. Most experts recommend skipping spicy foods that would mask the wines’ subtleties. But if you’re pouring the Hatch Green Chile Wine (possibly the only wine that could be measured on the Scoville scale of spicy heat), I doubt it makes any difference.

Michele Ostrove is a Santa Fe–based writer, editor, and public relations specialist. She founded Wine Adventure, the first national wine magazine for women; organized New Mexico’s inaugural Restaurant Week; and hopes someday to find the time to make art from her collection of corks. 

RECIPES

Goat Cheese Truffles
Great with white wines.

2 cups New Mexico pistachio nuts, shelled, chopped
1 pound New Mexico goat cheese
(such as Estancia’s Old Windmill Dairy)
at room temperature
50 seedless red grapes, stemmed, washed

Spread nuts on ungreased baking sheet and lightly toast at 350 degrees. Chop finely in food processor. Put 1 tablespoon goat cheese in palm of hand and roll it around grape. Repeat for each grape. Chill slightly. Roll each grape-cheese ball in nut mixture. Chill 30 minutes.

Polenta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes
This easy appetizer pairs well with zinfandels and other robust reds, and comes courtesy Mitzi Hobson, co-owner of Milagro Vineyards, in Corrales.

9–12 Roma tomatoes
fresh oregano to taste
kosher salt to taste
olive oil to taste
18-ounce roll polenta
Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese to taste, grated
fresh basil to taste

Cut tomatoes in halves. Cut small slice off each end, so tomato halves sit flat. Place tomato halves on cookie sheet. Sprinkle with oregano and salt, and drizzle with olive oil. Bake at 275 degrees about
5 hours, or until dried.

While tomatoes are baking, slice polenta and sauté in about two tablespoons of olive oil until brown. Top with tomato, grated cheese, and fresh basil.