ONEHOPE California Pinot Noir opens with a nose of reminiscent of slightly tart cherries and hints of strawberries that quickly leads to a palate layered with earthy subtext and fresh fruit overtones that show a bit of spicy richness. Every bottle of this Pinot Noir helps place loving shelter animals in to their forever-homes.

ONEHOPE California Merlot is an exceptionally drinkable barrel aged wine with notes of peat and fig. This Merlot pairs best with rich protein-laden meals such as red meat and hearty vegetables. California Merlot benefits the End Global Disease campaign which strives to serve the 1 in 6 people around the globe suffering from under-treated tropical diseases.

As leaves turn to rich golden hues and the weather cools wine lovers everywhere are moving from light summer wines to dark and complex fall favorites. Take it from a avid beer and whisky lover that these ONEHOPE wines will hold their own with any beverage in the coming cool months. Treat yourself to some exceptional wine while at the same time helping make the world a better place.

The post ONEHOPE: Creating a Better World One Bottle at a Time appeared first on FactoryTwoFour.

Bordeaux is the most famous and prestigious French wine region, partly due to its long history and early international reach. In the twelfth century, the merchants of Bordeaux began shipping barrels of wine down the Gironde Estuary and onto ships bound for England and Scotland. A few hundred years later, the Dutch would become so obsessed with Bordeaux that their engineers would drain the region’s swamps in order to facilitate transport of wine barrels. (Handily, this also freed up more land for cultivation.)

The Land

Bordeaux is the largest wine region in France and, at 290,350 acres, one of the largest fine wine regions in the world. (It’s six times larger than the Napa Valley.) Low rolling hills create distinct variations in sun exposure, drainage, and soil quality. The most famous vineyards are on the land with the best drainage, such as the gravel of the Medoc and Graves, and the calcerous terrain of St-Emilion.

The climate benefits from an abundance of rivers and streams, proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, and the storm break provided by the immense pine forests of Les Landes. In the maritime climate that washes inland with the Gironde estuary, danger from severe frost is rare.

The Grapes

Bordeaux wine, is, of course, named after a region, not a grape. Both red and white Bordeaux are made by blending grape varieties. The region produces very good white wines, but red wines dominate.

In order to call a red wine Bordeaux, it must be made from one or more of six types of red grape (Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Carmenere, and Malbec). The big two are Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, grapes high in the tannin that gives red Bordeaux its famous structure.

Seven varietals may be used in white Bordeaux, but the grapes to remember are Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon, and Muscadelle. Sémillon is the leader of the pack and is the source of the creamy texture and honeyed notes that characterize many of the region’s fanciest whites.

Regions

Of the wine produced in Bordeaux, about 40% of red and 70% of white is labeled simply as Bordeaux. More prestigious wines are labeled by specific geographic designations. These appellations are strictly controlled.

Bordeaux has a dizzying quantity of sub-regions, and each sub-region is divided into smaller appellations, which are typically named by village. Books the size of ottomans have been written about the distinguishing characteristics of the various sub-regions, communes, vineyards, and chateaux. In other words, it’s far too complicated to cover here, so we’ll stick with the two most famous major areas: the Left Bank and the Right Bank.

Left Bank

The west bank of the Gironde estuary and Garonne river is home to the world’s most august vineyards. In fact, the Left Bank boasts all of the wines from the prestigious classification of 1855. Cabernet Sauvignon dominates this side of the river.  Left Bank wines are known for their impressive shelf life, and the region’s finest wines are best aged at least ten years. The major appellations are Margaux, St. Julien, Pauillac, St. Estephe, Haut Medoc, and Pessac Leognan.

Right Bank

Merlot and Cabernet Franc dominate. Right Bank vineyards tend to be smaller and less grand, but admired for recent innovations in winemaking. Right Bank wines are known for richness, ripeness, and concentration. Saint-Émilion and Pomerol are esteemed Right Bank appellations.

Classifications

In addition to region and sub-region, French wine labels may also include classifications, or quality rankings. The most famous of these is the Classification of 1855. If you’re thinking “Aha! Excellent. A simple way to ascertain which wines to buy,” then think again. If you’re someone of average income, the only thing the Classification of 1855 will tell you is which wines you definitely can’t afford. Let me explain…

In preparation for a wine exhibit at the Universal Exposition in Paris (a world’s fair), an organization of wine merchants came up with a ranking system for the wines of Bordeaux. The red wines they deemed worthy of ranking all came from the Médoc region, with one exception: Château Haut-Brion in Graves. The fanciest chateaux were classified as Premier Cru (First Growth), followed by second growth, third growth, fourth growth and fifth growth. The system was relatively simple: The rankings were based on the price each wine could fetch on the market.

If fifth place doesn’t sound too prestigious to you, think again. The snobby wine merchants only bothered to classify the fanciest wines and totally ignored the hundreds of châteaux that made affordable wines. So a Cinquiemes Cru (fifth growth) wine still has prestige, and may cost hundreds of dollars per bottle.

So it’s a classification that at least works for rich people? Actually, not even. The classification has only been updated once since 1855 (when Baron Philippe de Rothschild successfully lobbied to get Ch Mouton-Rothschild promoted to first growth), and there’s some argument that the ranking is no longer totally accurate. You can bet that a wine labeled Premier Cru  is going to be excellent, but some fifth growth wines now rival the quality of second growth wines, and some second growth wines (called Super Seconds) are arguably as good as first growth wines.

If you find this depressing, wait. There’s more. The Médoc classification of 1855 only covers a small fraction of Bordeaux. There’s also the 1855 classification of Sauternes and Barsac, the 1953 classification of Graves (revised in 1959), and the 1954 classification of Saint-Émilion  (intelligently mandated to be revised frequently). All of these classifications use slightly different language, so Premier Cru doesn’t mean the same thing Saint-Émilion  as it does in the Médoc. But there’s one small spark of light for the aspiring oenophile: You can thank the good people of Pomerol, who never classified their wine.  Á votre santé!

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A skeptic at first (broccoli on pizza?), it turned out to be one of the most amazing pizzas I have ever enjoyed.  So with a little begging and bribing to my cousin Andi, the creator of this dish, I am happy to say that I can now share it with the world. While I cannot claim ownership of the recipe, I can say I help out with the perfectly paired wine and the dishes afterwards. This meal, with the different ingredients, has changed the way I will forever think about pizza toppings.  Gone are the cravings for pepperoni and cheese, replaced with thoughts of out of the box toppings to balance, fill, and be amazing.  Welcome the white pizza with rosemary and broccoli rabe.

While preparing this dish, I recommend opening a bottle of white wine to get the palette ready.  We had the  2012 Horse Heaven Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc from Chateau Ste. Michelle while everything was cooking. During the meal, I would recommend an Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon, such as the 2010 Casillero Del Diablo Cabernet Sauvignon 2010, Reserva.  The spicy notes of the work amazing with the bitters of the broccoli and spice of the red pepper flakes.  Some might be shocked at the mixing of whites and reds in an evening, but I stand by the belief that a palette can be prepared with a complimenting wine before dinner for maximum enjoyment.

A note from the chef Andi Melick: Every time I make this, I find it is best enjoyed with an abundance of wine, laughter, and bad dating stories.

Ingredients:

• Pkg whole wheat pizza dough (store bought is just fine)
• 1 large Yukon Gold potato, very thinly sliced
• 1-2 bundles broccoli rabe (asparagus is also delicious if you’re making this when broccoli rabe is out of season)
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 8 oz. mozzarella, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano
• fresh rosemary (I use one whole package from grocery – more the better in my opinion)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375.

Arrange potato slices in single layer on baking tray lined with parchment paper. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and salt and bake until edges turn golden, about 15-20 minutes. Remove from over and let cool. Increase oven temp to 475.  Blanch broccoli rabe in large pot of salted boiling water for 30 seconds; drain and run under cold water (or place in bowl of ice water) to stop cooking. Cool, drain and dry on kitchen towel. Cut into 2″ pieces.  Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic and red pepper flakes briefly, about 30 seconds. Add broccoli rabe and 1/2 tsp salt and saute for 1 minute. Remove from heat.  Lightly brush pizza dough with olive oil. Layer with mozzarella, then top with potato slices, followed by broccoli rabe. Sprinkle fresh rosemary and finish with Pecorino Romano. Bake on lowest rack in oven until crust is golden brown and cheese is bubbly, about 15 minutes.

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Club W begins with six questions, but, relax, they’re not the dreaded type like above. Imagine questions a terrible speed dater would ask and you’ll get the types Club W uses to create your flavor palate: “How do you like your coffee?” “How do you feel about salt?” “Do you like citrus?” And each question has five equally straightforward answers to choose from. With your tastes now established Club W presents you with a variety of whites and reds to pick from.

The monthly experience (which I chose to do) starts at $13 a bottle plus $6 shipping. It starts at $13 because some bottles suggested for you maybe more, but I stuck with the $13 because I’m cheap. I decided on two whites and one red just because I like white wine more. The usefulness of Club W helping you decide on a wine doesn’t stop at the quiz. Each wine has a full description, suggested setting for consumption and even a suggested recipe to accompany the bottle. After taking it all in I chose a Rap Cabernet Sauvignon, Geronimo Chardonnay and Guillemarine Picpoul de Pinet. And after drinking them all they’re without a doubt some of my favorite wines I’ve had, definitely worthy of buying again.

For under $50 I had three excellent bottles of wine tailored to my tastes and delivered to my door in about five days and the best thing about it is that you then rate those bottles so that every month your bottle selection becomes more and more tailored to your tastes. Of course, it’s also pretty great you don’t have to deal with wine store snobs or carrying multiple bottles home.

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Like beer, wine has countless varieties so you’re going to need to try a bunch and the best way to do this is to go wine tasting. Everyone is familiar with California and wines, but Long Island, NY is home to some 50 vineyards just an hour and a half (give or take) outside of Manhattan. Grab a car, grab some buds (friends, not the beer) and head on out to a vineyard. And if you’re opting for Long Island Wine Country I’d recommend Bedell Cellars.

The thing to remember is that you know nothing about wines and they expect you to know nothing, so there really is no such thing as a stupid question. (Sidenote: In life there are absolutely stupid questions depending on the amount of pre-perceived knowledge one is expected to have). If you’re shy about asking a question or talking to the people there about wine, drink more! You’re essentially at a bar after all. Bedell offers a premium flight of five different wines made up of whites and reds for $20, do something like this. You don’t have the palate yet to choose the flavors you want based on a description so let them choose for you and work on your tasting ability.

Now is the really fun part. Keep drinking. The more you taste the more versed you’ll become and as an added bonus, you’ll get drunk! Enjoy the wine, enjoy your friends and take to the grape vines for an epic boy band photo. Drinking is as much about the journey as the destination.

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