Cesanese: Hiding in Plain Sight
Tuesday, 29 April 2025 09:19By Gina Trippi
Why Vote for MetroWines?
Wednesday, 02 April 2025 16:15
Avocado!
Tuesday, 11 March 2025 12:02
Avocado is back on the table and on the walls! The all white kitchen is yielding to the resurgence of the celebrated 1960’s color and the avocado itself is showing up with everything from toast to dessert. The color palette is your call but we can help with the avocado, the fruit, palate pairing.
The relatively mild avocado, indigenous to Central America, with its creamy texture started as an aphrodisiac! By 1871, the avocado had found its way to California. Hass and Fuerte are the two most easily accessible varieties. While Hass has more oil content and Fuerte more fiber, the two are similar in taste and interchangeable for recipes and for our purpose of pairing.
Got a great recipe and the wine ready but the avocado is not yet ripe? Put no more than a few avocados in a paper bag with an apple at room temperature. The apple emits ethylene gas, a ripening agent. And to stop the avocado from turning brown, a teaspoon of lemon or lime juice helps the fruit retain its lovely green color.
Most of us think of the avocado as uniquely suited to Mexican dishes but this versatile fruit is holding its own in many other cuisines. You have no doubt encountered western style sushi known as the California Roll. So, now the avocado is surround by cucumbers instead of black beans and salsa! And the avocado is a welcomed addition to any dish with the heat turned up as the natural fat tempers the heat and calms the spices. Avocados are now in ice cream, sweet drinks and vinaigrette.
But for all its virtues, the Avocado has a bad reputation for wine pairing. Natalie MacLean, author of Red, White, and Drunk All Over says: “I put them in a category I call ‘Green Wine Stalkers’ because their natural compounds don’t marry well with many wine styles.”
Look for a white wine with high acidity to cut through the sweetness and fat in the fruit. A New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc such as Kim Crawford or Alois Lageder Pinot Grigio from Alto Adige would be good matches. If you prefer red, avoid tannic wines and opt for Domaine Depueble Beaujolais or California Pinot Noir such as Bodan Roan.
Depending on the heat level of the recipe, the pairing may require a demi-sec Vouvray such as La Vigne Des Sablons or a domestic sparkling like Roederer Brut. And in case of doubt, call for backup! A middle of the road Rosé works with almost anything almost anytime!
Finally, many fear the avocado for its fat content. But rejoice! It is, as they say, the good fat. Avocado is loaded with heart-healthy monounsaturated fat, the kind that doctors say can lower the bad LDL cholesterol and maintain levels of the good HDL cholesterol.
Pick up avocados and let us pair a wine to your recipe @MetroWines. Painting the walls is up to you!
Blackbird Wine Pairing Dinner
Saturday, 08 March 2025 14:39
Why Does Aging Improve Wine?
Monday, 03 March 2025 16:02
Every bottle of wine has a story—a narrative of craftsmanship, science, and time. One of the most intriguing chapters in this story is aging. But why does aging improve wine? The answer lies in the intricate interplay of fermentation, chemical reactions, and the influence of oak barrels. In this post, we explore the science and art behind wine aging, focusing on the fermentation process and the role oak barrels play in shaping a wine’s character.
Bourgueill Cabernet Franc in Laurel of Asheville
Sunday, 02 March 2025 09:29The Grapevine: A Distinctive Style of Cabernet Franc
By Gina Trippi
Bourgueil? Before we turn to specifics of Bourgueil, let’s learn to pronounce this French wine! Phonetically, the word sounds something like this: boor-gay.
Now, what is this Bourgueil? Bourgueil is the appellation for red wines from the commune of the same name, and six others surrounding it, in the central Loire Valley, between the towns of Tours and Angers. Like Chinon, the better-known Cabernet Franc from Loire, Bourgueil claims its own territory in the valley.
Bourgueil wines are usually made solely from Cabernet Franc. To carry the highly regarded Bourgueil label, the wine must be made of at least 90 percent Cabernet Franc. Appellation law does allow up to 10 percent Cabernet Sauvignon.
Why the name Bourgueil? A monk is given credit for bringing Cabernet Franc to popularity in the 17th century. Abbot Breton, of Bourgueil Abbey, planted and tended his Cabernet Franc vines with such care that local vine-growers followed his lead and began producing what became the Loire Valley’s signature style of red wine.
The Cabernet Franc varietal thrives in this area because it is suited to this mild, maritime-influenced climate and free-draining soils. Bourgueil wines range from light-bodied, Beaujolais-like, fruit-driven styles to silky, mid-bodied wines with complex notes of undergrowth, spice and ripe berry fruit.
Two main types of soil are part of the Bourgueil terroir that make for excellent versions of Cabernet Franc. The gravelly, alluvial soils close to the banks of the Loire River generate lighter styles with aromas of red berries and licorice. The second type of soil—rich in the local tuffeau jaune, a yellowish, porous, sedimentary rock made of sand and fossils—results in richer, spicier wines with earthy aromas including leather and fur.
Formed during the Tortonian era 90 million years ago, tuffeau soil qualities draw excess water away from vine roots and hold reserves that stop the vines from shutting down entirely during drier periods.
One of the customer-favorite versions of Bourgeuil at Metro Wines is from Lamé-Delisle-Boucard. The 2021 Bourgueil is pure Cabernet Franc exclusively from vines more than 40 years of age. This undergoes fermentation in oak casks made from trees in the surrounding Tronçais forest. Invitingly ripe on the nose and tinged with earth, the wine is silky on the palate, gradually revealing its underlying minerality, and finishes with gentle and elegant tannins.
Founded in 1869, the winery has seen five generations of winegrowers. The family first bottled their wine for sale in 1947, something quite rare outside of the greatest estates in Burgundy and Bordeaux. Made in the traditional style, Boucard is suitable for aging.
Boucard shows a dense red and purple color in the glass. Concentrated floral aromas are surrounded by ripe, black raspberry with earth and citrus, characteristic of Bourgueil. The palate is dense, but balanced with deep black raspberry and cassis fruit, with chalky minerals in the finish. A distinctive style of Cabernet Franc, only Bourgueil is Bourgueil!
Gina Trippi is the co-owner of Metro Wines, 169 Charlotte Street in Asheville. Committed to the community, Metro Wines offers big-shop selection with small-shop service. Gina can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 828.575.9525.
St. Patrick's Day
Thursday, 20 February 2025 13:59
History:
Patrick's birth name was Maewyn. He was born in Roman Britain. He was kidnapped into slavery and brought to Ireland.
He escaped to a monastery in Gaul (France) and converted to Christianity. He went back to Ireland in 432 as a missionary. While Christianity had already taken hold in the country, tradition has it that Patrick confronted the Druids at Tara and abolished their pagan rites, making Christianity more widespread.
Patrick became a bishop and after his death was named Ireland's patron saint. Celebrations in Ireland were understated though. When the Irish emigrated to the U.S., they created the bigger celebrations and parades known today.
Eighteenth century Irish soldiers who fought in the Revolutionary War held the first St. Patrick Day parades. The celebrations became a way for the Irish to connect with their roots after they moved to America.
Folk Facts:
The shamrock: According to legend St. Patrick used the three leaf clover (or shamrock) to explain the Trinity.
Dyeing the river green: The practice of dyeing the river green started in Chicago in 1962, when city officials decided to dye a portion of the Chicago River green.
Corn beef and cabbage: This is an Irish American dish. Irish Americans were so poor they could not afford certain meals. On St. Patrick's Day, the best meal they could afford was beef and cabbage. It became a staple for the holiday.
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Italy: Off the Beaten Path" with Andy Hale
Sunday, 16 February 2025 14:47