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Home arrow Food & Wine arrow Wine Report from the Fort arrow The real skinny on Two Buck Tut
The real skinny on Two Buck Tut PDF Print E-mail
Written by Fred McMillin, Northside Wine Editor   
Sunday, 31 July 2005


The ancient Egyptian King Tutankhamen had jars of wine in his tomb. Last year Northside readers learned that the wineries made three grades and asked if the poorest might have been called Two Buck Tut. But there remained a mystery: were the wines white or red? Now, the Washington Post reports that Spanish researchers have conducted very sophisticated analyses on jar residues and have the answer. The wine in all the jars tested was RED.

Note - The pigment for red comes from the grape’s skins, hence our title “the real skin” – sorry.

Bad News and Good News



The bad news: One must drive all the way to Sonoma County’s Alexander Valley to visit and check out the fine wines of the Wattle Creek Winery. The good news: Cancel the trip! The winery has just opened a wine tasting room in Ghirardelli Square. Starting at 10 a.m. every day, you can sample even their premium small-lot wines, including an exciting sparkler. 900 North Point Street, Suite E211, tel. (415) 359-1206.

What’s wattle? Owners Kristine and Chris Williams are from Australia, and the yellow blossom of that country’s wattle tree is the national flower, which can be seen on each label.

South African Sauvignon Blanc: Is the Wall Street Journal Right?



“The average quality of South African Sauvignon Blanc in our tasting was very high. ... The $15 Coastal Fleur du Cap was very good.”
- Wall Street Journal

We decided to check this out at the Fort. My students tasted Sauvignon Blancs (S. Bl.) from South Africa (including the Fleur du Cap) and from California. The average price of each group was exactly $11.70.

Results - sure enough. The South African bottles won, but modestly. They were rated 3 percent higher than the California group. The Fleur du Cap was 4 percent higher.

Recommendation for all Sauvignon Blanc aficionados: with some friends to share the cost, spend $30 to buy the $15 du Cap and a classy $15 California Blanc by Navarro. The Fleur du Cap is imported by Oakland’s Maisons Marques & Domaines; phone Amelia Stephan at (510) 285-2000. My guess is you’ll like both of ‘em.

Insider Postscript - At different times I’ve talked alone to Robert Mondavi and Jess Jackson (of Kendall-Jackson) about this varietal.

Tidbits - Robert prefers his blanc with a little bottle age; he would be pouring the 2002 about now. Jess said he feels the blanc pairs beautifully with herbed chicken dishes.

German Adage: “Old too soon; smart too late.” So take a wine class!!

Our classes at Fort Mason this fall include wines from far-away places with strange sounding names like Little

Boomey, Three Thieves and Seven Lions.

Also, there are bottles from nearby places with strange-sounding prices like:

    • $38 Chardonnay (Gary Farrell)
    • $48 Petite Sirah (Foppiano)
    • $55 Diageo Bordeaux Imports
    • $60 Napa Cabernet Blend (Flora Springs)

I can hardly wait!

Footnote - To enroll or get a catalog, phone the City College office at (415) 561-1860.

A Great Wine – according to The Fort… and Wine Spectator



“Holy Cow!” “I really liked the D.R.” “Delicious.” “Dark and Delicate.” “Intense fruit; pure and complex; WOW!!!” That’s a sampling of comments by my Fort Mason class. So it’s hardly surprising that they gave it a 95 rating, which the Wine Spectator defines as “a great wine, a classic.” Here it is:

    * D.R. Stephens Cabernet Sauvignon, 2001, $90

    * Grape source: 100% from Trish and Don Stephens’ 8-acre vineyard in northeast Napa Valley near the Howell Mountain district. They named it Moose Valley Vineyard.

    * Winemaker: Celia Masyczek. I’ve followed her winemaking feats for years. This is another triumph.

    * For outlets, phone (415) 781-8000.


Postscript - This is true. AFTER I typed the above, I found the Wine Spectator’s rating of this wine. IT WAS 95!

Credits - My partner, Edgar Vogt, did much of the heavy lifting on this tasting, which included 19 other wines that did NOT score 95.

Got the Vodka Blues?
Here’s the Cure: Buy Blue Ice



The first vodka was made in Russia in the 1300s. The name is derived from the Russian word for water, voda. It arrived in the U.S.A. only 70 years ago. Then in the 1960s sales exploded and vodka replaced whisky as the largest-selling spirit in the country. My picky panel is starting to taste some vodkas, and has rated Idaho’s Blue Ice Vodka good to very good.

More soon. Phone Crystal Higgins at (415) 346-2929 if you can’t locate a bottle.

Footnote - Heather has the final word about spirits in Northside. We just lob in an occasional tidbit.

What Red Wines for Beginners??



Northside reader Cliff Leake asks what wines we recommend when beginners want to move on from whites and pinks to the formidable field of reds.
The answer: I have lots of beginners in my classes and here are nine reds EVERY newcomer liked a lot. The more gentle ones are listed first.

    • Joseph Phelps Le Mistral (Syrah), 2002, $30
    • Rosenblum RustRidge Zinfandel, 2002, $25
    • Gary Farrell Tina’s Zinfandel, 2002, $36
    • Orogeny Pinot Noir, 2003, $30
    • David Bruce Santa Cruz Pinot Noir, 2002, $55
    • Hahn Meritage, 2003, $20
    • Smith & Hook Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, 2002, $25
    • Joseph Phelps Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, 2002, $48
    • Beaulieu Dulcet (78 percent Cab), 2001, $35


Postscript - If this entry into reds is to be celebrated with a glass of bubbly, we’ve found brut is too severe for many newcomers. However, they all liked winemaker Hugh Davies’ lighter touch with Schramsberg Cremant, 2001, $32.

A Final Wine Smile



Confession: Cornell University Hotel School head Prof. Henry Barbour taught my first professional three-month wine course in 1971 at the Waldorf-Astoria in NYC, and I failed one category ... which was HAUGHTINESS! I still haven’t mastered it.

Fred McMillin was voted one of the U.S.A.’s 22 best wine writers by the Academy of Wine Communications. If questions, phone him at (415) 563-5712.
Last Updated ( Sunday, 31 July 2005 )