Easter is a holiday that not everyone celebrates – nor in the same ways. Traditions are a bit more fluid somehow here in the United States. Maybe your family prefers a delicious Easter brunch after a morning visit to church and an Easter Egg Hunt for the kiddies. Maybe you do your own thing with your family in the morning, then visit with friends in the afternoon over a mid-afternoon dinner of baked ham or a leg of lamb. But one thing is certain: such a lack of specific tradition can cause some level of Easter week “panic.” Of course, there’s no need to stress when a little advice is at the ready. Pop over to Wicked Local today to get some ideas for your celebration!

Will wine have a place at your Easter table this year? What will you uncork?

Thanksgiving is a time to gather with friends and family and celebrate the little things in life. Some folks are inclined to do so by picking out one very special bottle of wine to share with friends; for others it is a time to uncork several celebratory bottles (and keeping the average price a bit lower doesn’t hurt). Pinot Noir and Gamay (Beaujolais Nuveau) are the darlings of Thanksgiving reds, offering a delicious pairing with turkey and cranberry sauce, brussel sprouts and other earthy, root vegetables. But with the Pour Favor mini-series on Pinot Noir about to hit full stride Monday’s this month, it seems only fair to give a few whites (and one incredible rosé) a fair shot at gracing your dining room table!

Head over to Wicked Local to find out where the fun begins this Thanksgiving!

Which one of these selections most catches your attention? Will it contribute to your festivities this Thanksgiving?

Ok. Bad joke. (I can’t take full credit as one of my best friends, fellow foodie and wine lover actually fed it to me.) What can I say? Sometimes a little levity is needed!And it was Cinco de Mayo yesterday….

Mexico is actually the oldest wine producing country in the New World. Who knew? (Jancis Robinson and Hugh Johnson, apparently. There are two full columns dedicated to Mexico in their most recent edition of the World Atlas of Wine.) I was intrigued – but not surprised – to learn the Spaniards got the ball rolling in the 1500s; but there was a significant interruption in 1699 when “the King of Spain banned new vineyards in Mexico, fearing competition to Spain’s wine industry, thus halting the development of a wine culture in Mexico for three centuries.” Egad! 3 C’s? No wonder no one really knows about Mexican wine – and the country is better known for tequila and refreshing cerveza.

It wasn’t until the 18th Century that vines started to get a little local love. Grenache, Carignan and even Pedro Ximenez (used in the production of a yummy, rich Sherry) varietals landed on the scene. Somehow, someway, “they” also figured out that Baja, Mexico was quintessential vine country, er… wine country. Only 10 miles from the Pacific Ocean, Baja has a terrific climate and mineral-rich soil ideal for viticulture. Today innovation seems to be setting in – albeit slowly.

If you caught the recent “Diary of a Foodie” episode on PBS, a work of Gourmet magazine, none of this is news to you. Rather, Casa de Piedra Winery is synonymous with innovative, tasty Mexican vino.  Piedra plants a range of “uncommon” Mexican varietals and their philosophy is to keep yields small while employing a “simple technique”. The episode reports they plant Grenache and Mission grapes for the reds, and Palomino for the whites. Further research on their website suggests their repertoire of varietals is much greater: Tempranillo, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel are additional red varietals planted; Chenin Blanc, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon are some of the whites grown. That’s certainly a diverse lot! I applaud their willingness to experiment.

Unfortunately I’ve never had the (dis?)pleasure of sipping on a Mexican wine offering. But by Robinson’s account, while “Mexican tastes and drinking habits have long lagged behind the increasingly exciting achievements of Mexico’s modern vineyards and wineries”, they are worth checking out.

Are Mexican wines even available in your market? Have you had a chance to sample them?

If you think of Spain’s geography as the shape of a bull’s head, you realize it doesn’t have much of a western coast. Portugal actually comprises much of that area – with only the tippy-top of Spain’s left “bull horn” having ocean boundaries. It is in this northwestern area, Galicia – and perhaps more notably, the D.O. Rias Biaxas (said Ree-as Byay-shas) – where arguably the most versatile white wine is created: Albarino.

With its northern location and proximity to the sea, it won’t surprise you to learn Albarino has its work cut out for itself to avoid rot and ripen fully. (Or, well, maybe the high, spread out trellising by the vineyard managers has something to do with it, since the wind can more easily pass through the vines and help dry things out….) Whether natural selection is at play or not, Albarino fortunately has developed very thick skins – which impart the strong, beautifully floral aromas you should associate with this particular vino.

Actually, Albarino is often likened to two other grapes we’ve discussed now and again: Riesling and Viognier. It is associated with Riesling for its mineral characteristics and Viognier for the stone fruit and floral aromas that often float from the glass. It also has very low alcohol and high acidity. These factors make Albarino so versatile. (Low alcohol allows it to pair well with spicy dishes too, for example; the heat of the alcohol does not fuel the flames of spicy cuisine while the residual touch of glycerin adds a robustness that complements richer foods’ texture. ) And it’s not just that Albarino’s innate characteristics make it a good match for these “trickier,” spicy foods! The wine is also enhanced by the flavors found in these dishes: it tastes even more distinct than when it flies solo!

Albarino is a go-to wine for me particularly around holiday meals. It is so refreshing, has that extra bit of roundness to it texturally, complements so many dishes and is one even red wine drinkers can appreciate. With Easter a few weeks back, I brough home a bottle thinking I would save it for our feast. It never made it that far…. The Vinum Terrae’s Agnus Dei Albarino offered such a lovely bouquet of peaches and apricots, it was love reignited. It delivered the same apricot-peachy goodness on the palate and was further enhanced by a serious squeeze of lemon citrus “juice” and a bit of wet-slate minerality. With its low alcohol, it quenched my thirst as I prepared the meal.

There are several Albarino’s on the market, probably the most widely distributed being the Martin Codax. Have you enjoyed this varietal before? Which was the offering you tasted?

A few headlines crossing myriad academics, if you will, caught my attention this week. Here’s what rose to the top of my reading list:

Wine & Health – While this may be a “duh” moment for some readers, I thought it was worth bringing this article from WebMD to your attention: white wine can also be responsible for teeth staining. Grape tannin (or shmutz) leaves its mark on your teeth, whether you are drinking wine made from white or red grapes. Of course, red wine’s impact is more direct or immediate. But white can leave a mark too. Click on the link above to discover why! Is this news to you?

Wine & Religion – With Passover coming up, this is the time to be buying your Kosher wines. Gaiter & Brecher break down a few of their favorite Kosher Riesling offerings, a terrific varietal to enjoy with an important meal.  Remember, these wines get a bad rep for being sweet, when more often it is the ripe fruit and florals that require a little mind over matter to appreciate the actual dryness of the wine. Which Kosher wines do you enjoy each year?

Wine & Technology – This article actually bugs me a little because of my ying/yang reaction to new technologies available for wine making. (Of course, I really just don’t want to see robots roaming the world doing everything for us.) But anyway, apparently there’s a new technology available that will “tell winemakers when their wine has finished aging”, reports Sophie Kevany of Decanter. Click on the link to learn more. Does this development irritate you, too?

Wine & Travel – or Wine & Laws, depending on your perspective. France hit the wine headlines multiple times this week, but this one seemed to be the most pertinent as summer vacation approaches. On July 31, 2009, France will ban outdoor consumption. I simply cannot imagine a vacation in France, sitting in their many cafes withOUT a glass of wine, a beer or a cocktail in hand. It is an oxymoron. And it outrages me.  Do you even think this move will ameliorate France’s drinking “problem”?

Please comment below! Lots of interesting fodder this week….