2016 Lo-Fi Pet’Nat of Mourvedre & NV Pinon Touraine Brut Rosé I decided to go pink for both wine clubs this month, and for the Naturalist, I’m featuring two very different (but very delicious) bottles of bubbles. One is a more experimental petillant, and the other a traditional method sparkler. While totally different in mode of production, they’re of course both organically farmed (in the case of Lo-Fi, it’s non-certified), with no futzing around in the cellar, no additions, and zero to minimal SO2 (zero for Lo-Fi, minimal at bottling for the Pinon). First up is a Pet’Nat of Mourvedre from Mike Roth’s Lo-Fi Wines. This Pet’Nat is the wine equivalent of Willy Wonka’s Fizzy Lifting Drink, guaranteed to make you happy and raise your spirits. Just 50 cases of this were produced, in a truly handmade fashion: hand-harvested grapes, fermentation that starts in tank and finishes in bottle, then hand-disgorged and recapped. There are some savory notes to this nearly dry wine.

Then we have Francois Pinon’s Brut Rosé. It’s a blend of Cot (Malbec) and Grolleau from the Loire Valley, hand-harvested and vinified via secondary fermentation in bottle. It spends 18 to 24 months on the lees prior to disgorgement, and is based fully on the 2014 vintage. This is huge-scale production compared to the Lo-Fi, clocking in at about 240 cases produced. It’s slightly drier than the Lo-Fi, and perhaps slightly more serious. 2016 Arnot Roberts Rosé & 2016 Matthiasson Rosébest wine brands australia Usually I wait until later in the spring or early summer to select still rosés for the wine club. best spanish white wine 2015But this year, after a rainy winter, I couldn’t think of a better way to welcome the sunny days of spring than with two of the best rosés that California has to offer. best cheap wine for chicken

In fact, these wineries are more and more popular, and with the early release of their rosés, they’d be unavailable if I waited even a few more weeks to order them. Really, given the scarcity of these wines, it doesn’t fully make sense for me to allot them to the wine club. I get maybe 10 cases of each, if I’m lucky, and I won’t have too much left for the shelves. But it also doesn’t make sense to me to send the wine club anything but my favorites. So there you go.best wine for holiday gifts From Arnot Roberts, we have a bottle that until recently was a single variety wine, but in this vintage is a blend of Touriga Nacional, Tempranillo and Grenache. best wine of nzEach variety was fermented separately, and eventually blended. best white wine dry

While the wine is pale, it does see about 24 hours of skin contact before being basket-pressed into stainless steel tanks. The grapes are farmed organically, the yeasts are all native, and malolactic fermenation is inhibited. Beyond all this technical jargon, you should know that this is not at all a challenging bottle, but still a complex one. There’s some heft and body to the wine, and some subtle savory character at the same time as it seems effortless and fresh. This has some stone fruit notes, and I think it would be great with a simple tomato salad (or try some tomatoes with peaches, burrata and basil). I suppose you might have to wait another few weeks for tomatoes to be in season? The Matthiasson Rosé is modeled on the traditional southern French renditions, and is a blend of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre and Counoise. Oh, and there’s a tiny bit of Sauvignon Blanc in there too. In true California fashion, the grapes come from vineyards spanning several counties (Yolo, Napa, Mendocino).

Vinification is quite similar to the Arnot Roberts, with malolactic inhibited to preserve the acidity of the wine. Perhaps because of the Sauvignon Blanc, which comprises 7% of the blend, the wine has some citrusy notes. The Matthiassons themselves are very food-oriented, and suggest that this bottle goes best with “the wonderful spring foods that show up on the table as the weather thaws (salads, rabbit, frittatas, peas, favas, green garlic…).” So don’t wait to crack this one open.ABOUT C.S.W. PROGRAM______CERTIFIED SPECIALIST OF WINE PROGRAM (C.S.W.)We have partnered with The Society of Wine Educators to provide a 5-week class geared towards exam preparation for the rigorous Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW) certification. Recognized Internationally, this Certification is a great way to showcase your knowledge of the Wine World - many of todays top professionals carry and are required to earn the CSW title. - Ian Blackburn, CSWEDUCATIONAL ADVISOR______Are you a wine beginner?

Try our program called  Wine Camp - a basic foundation course but also good as a train the trainer program.Are you a passionate professional or consumer?Try LAW SCHOOL - LearnAboutWine School - 4-week credential program promising “world wine competency” - Celebrating 1,000 graduates in Los Angeles CountyAre you advanced?  Are you a working wine professional with experience? This program may be for you - The C.S.W. Prep and Exam is not a basic wine class, and students must be screened and approved.  This is a 5-week prep course that accelerates your learning and gets you prepared for the vigorous CSW exam (Which you take when you're ready - with an appointment within 1 year of participating in this program (included).   The exam is proctored in conjunction with Society of Wine Educators.  To qualify for admission to this program, you will be asked a few questions during registration and need to demonstrate world wine competency.  This program is great for those that have passed WSET Level I, Sommelier certification Level 1, LAW SCHOOL Grads or other comprehensive introductory level credential programs. 

INTENSIVE 5-WEEK CSW PREP COURSE______5-weeks of tasting and in class instruction and tastingExam fee ($675 value) included (you are not required to take the exam) Included: Society of Wine Educators CSW Study Guide (Valued over $125) Included: Society of Wine Educators CSW Workbook (Valued over $125) Access to Society of Wine Educators’ online resources (Signing up as a Member is encouraged) HOMEWORK______There is a considerable amount of out of class study, and a significant wine purchasing assignment for homework.  Each student is ask to purchase approx. 5-6 bottles of authentic/typical quality (ultra-premium) wine to be tasted during the program and shared with all students (total additional investment approximately $300). Each student will be asked to discuss the wine production of each bottle of wine, and to tell a quick summation about the producer.  We will try to assign bottles that are not commonly purchased and the exercise is in place to educate you on unique varietals, typicality, sense of place, and advanced production techniques.

Questions will be pulled from the textbook. Wine tasting exploration will be accomplished through blind tasting and varietal comparison each week.UPCOMING PROGRAMS______CLICK TO VIEW CLASSES*Program is 5- weeks long REQUIRED TEXTBOOK - INCLUDEDSociety of Wine Educators CSW Study Guide($250 Textbook + Workbook provided) CURRICULUM______This program involves homework and study review, and in class tasting. Tasting because it gives you the experience you need with the great wines of the world to succeed at answering the questions.     Being a great taster however, does not guarantee your success on this exam… it only gives you the resume and experience you need to progress and to put the questions and reading material in context. Successful candidates have used a variety of tools to pass the exam - including the Society’s website, the books and materials, and the society’s phone based apps, and on line programs. This program compliments a successful approach - it does not replace it.  

WEEK ONE(All students are asked to bring a favorite “Blind” wine- we will taste these wines together to explore the world of blind tasting)Introduction & Welcome along with Homework AssignmentsTasting, Chemistry, and FlawsWEEK TWOHomework - Wine Purchase assignment due in classViticulture and VinicultureFrance WEEK THREEFranceItalyWEEK FOUREurope: OtherNorth AmericaWEEK FIVESouthern HemisphereCSW Review Session wineLA is about enhancing the wine culture of Los Angeles. To do so, wine must be in rhythm with fashion, music, food and other beverages. It must take advantage of the geography, the architecture and the centers of interest. Los Angeles is a giant playground with an amazing array of venues, spaces, wine bars, restaurants, beaches, roof tops, gardens, and magical views. We want to be a part of the LA lifestyle, the wine lifestyle, and celebrate the people, the place and the passion. wineLA will promote significant events, occasional classes, and tastings of merit.

- America’s first wine education website and first in wine event creation. LearnAboutWine will now evolve onto a digital platform; the transformation will take some time; so we will slowly rebrand our event efforts onto wineLA, reduce the number of activities we focus on, and elevate our efforts to focus on the next big thing… Doing what is best for the wine industry and the communities we serve. Edicts: innovate, evolve and excite. We thank you for joining our newsletter, we will be sending fewer emails and packing them with amazing content. We want to be your wine content provider and would love to hear about your favorite places, your music, your locations - we want to be under the influence of what ignites your passion for Los Angeles. Ian Blackburn, CSW, JWE ­‐ LearnAboutWine & wineLA Professional Sommelier, Candidate for the Master of Wine Ian drinks wine for a living and plans 50 ­‐100 public and private events a year. Ian stays busy buying collectible wines for high profile clients, planning luxury wine trips for his audience, hosting corporate events, and studying for his Master of Wine.