My youngest son just entered kindergarten and in the first week he had show and tell. The theme of show and tell that week was "Signs of fall". My first inclination, although I am not a crafty type of mom at all, was to go out and finds some leaves that were starting to turn. Press them in between sheets of wax paper and do whatever a crafty type of mom would do with them, but in the end I put a kooshball football in his backpack. Now that’s a sign of fall!

Fall also means a new type of wine to enjoy. Wines with more body and complexity. Fall menus feature lentils, garlic, tomatoes and all of the various squashes that are in gardens now, and the wines that can pair with those ingredients can have fuller flavors and textures than the wines that are on menus featuring the lighter foods of summer.

One of the wines I recently tasted was a red gem from the Touraine region in the Loire Valley called Domaine Frédéric Malibeau St. Nicolas de Bourgueil. It is by law 90% Cabernet Franc and can have 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. It had a velvety texture with plums and ripe boysenberries on the palate without the usual green bell pepper flavors associated with that grape. It would be a perfect compliment to any fall menu.

I also tasted Rémy Pannier Chinon also made from Cabernet Franc. This is in the same region as St. Nicolas de Bourgueil just to the south and on the other side of the Loire River. It has the same lovely texture and plumy flavors as the Domaine Frédéric Malibeau but is a bit more feminine.

I also revisited some of the wines I tasted earlier in the year. Both of these are also from the Loire Valley in France and are made with Sauvignon Blanc. But on the banks of the Loire River that cuts through some of the most diverse and complex soil structures of any wine region in the world, this grape can produce widely differing flavor profiles. The acid structure of these wines also makes them perfect food wines as they can stand up to many of the tastes and textures in fall dishes.

If you can’t find these wines in your favorite wine store, ask for them to be special ordered. They would splendidly compliment your favorite fall meal.

Italian wines are also what springs to mind when the evening air chills. There was a tasting recently with the some of the wines of Poderi Aldo Conterno. These are wines made in the Piedmont region of Italy from the Nebbiolo grape and it’s many clones.

The wine that stood out was the Poderi Aldo Conterno Barolo "Bussia". Bussia Soprana is a famed slope in the village of Monforte d’Alba in Barolo with three "crus" or vineyards - Romirasco, Cicala and Colonnello. This Bussia is a blend of other vineyards and is considered an entry level Barolo, but to us this translates to affordable as "cru" Barolo can cost into the $200.00 range. That being said, this was bold, rich and powerful with great aging potential. On the nose were candied orange skin and leathery spice and a very structured style on the palate, demonstrating firm tannins and good acidity. I would imagine it would cost under $100.00 retail.

There is so much to say about Italian wines, that I will have to address them at a later date, I would imagine in another article on the wines of fall.

As an e-mail I recently received stated "Drink more Barbera!"

Wino Forever

Johnny Depp

(The tattoo once read 'Winona Forever'!)

Santé