Boise Coop Wine Shop

• March 9, 2010
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In 1879, with only fifty dollars in his pocket, Giacomo Peirano, a grape farmer from Genoa, Italy, immigrated to San Francisco, CA, in the hopes of fulfilling the American dream of striking it rich with gold during the historic Gold Rush age. Soon realizing the days of really collecting a big share were no longer in sight, he decided to take whatever he had left of his fifty dollars and moved to Lodi, CA.

At the time, Lodi was the home of many mining camps. Recognizing the excess of miners, yet the lack of merchants in the region, Giacomo, who was hungry and quickly running out money, scrounged up whatever cash he had left and opened up a mercantile store where miners could get all sorts of daily supplies and necessities. The idea turned out to be an ingenious money maker and before he knew it, Giacomo was on a boat back to Italy to reunite with his adoring wife to be, Maria. It was on this trip that he came across an idea which, unknown to him, would become the most important family jewel for centuries to come. Along with his smitten bride, Giacomo brought with him Italian Zinfandel vine cuttings from his family’s vineyard. Upon his return to Lodi, he purchased 300 acres of land. He proceeded to propagate and then plant the Zinfandel vines, creating one of the first vineyards in Lodi. The vines expanded to cover seventy-five acres of the farmland. Tending to them like they were his children, he spent long hours in the vineyards diligently working to help the fruit reach its optimal level of ripeness. He hand pruned and harvested every vine with precision care. Quickly, caring for the grapes became a family affair. Maria watched over the mercantile business, which helped to pay for the vineyards, while Giacomo was out in the fields with his five young sons Charles, William, George, Fred, and Frank. This was the beginning of a family tradition that would last for generations to come.

In 1992, Lance Randolph, the fourth generation of Peirano to farm the 300 acre estate, began making Peirano wine simply for himself and to prove Lodi could produce desirable wines. After considerable praise for his ability to make elegant wines, he decided to start bottling and selling Peirano wine using his estate grown grapes. Since then, Peirano has won numerous awards for producing top of the line wine using many of the old techniques valued by Giacomo Peirano.

The history of Peirano Estate Vineyards is a tale deeply rooted in Lodi history and the importance is felt by every member of the Peirano family. Legend has it that Lodi was named after Giacomo’s famous racer horse, Alta Genoa, he brought from Lodi, Italy. Over the years, the vineyards have grown to not only include the same naturally rooted, head trained Old Vine Zinfandel imported to the United States by Lance’s great grandfather, but Cabernet Sauvignon, Viogner, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Muscat Canelli, Merlot, Shiraz, Tempranillo, Petite Sirah, Barbera, Syrah and Malbec as well.

Michael Smith is the Western Regional Manager for Peirano Esatate, and he’s visiting Boise this week and wanted to stop by the Co-op Wine Shop this Thursday, March 11 to offer free samples of a number of their wines and chat about this exciting property. Six different wines to try, all priced to be something you can drink on an every day basis at a very reasonable $11.99 a bottle. Here’s the line-up:

2007 “The Other” White Blend
Aromas of apples, pears, tropical fruit, and a whiff of bubble gum are complemented by hints of coconut and vanilla. Lush flavors of fresh ripe pears, apples, tropical fruit and homemade lemon pie lead to a long, totally seductive, finish.

2007 Chardonnay
Aromas of vanilla, lemon meringue pie, and tangerines are complemented by hints of buttery notes entice a sip. The mouth fills with tropical fruit, homemade lemon pie and vanilla, which round out the wine and leave a lingering finish.

2007 Merlot
Aromas of rich ripe cherries, blackberries with hints of toast, and vanilla coalesce into a single sensation of olfactory bliss. The mouth is filled with an array of flavors, including cherry, plum, cranapple, sweet raspberries and strawberries with lingering hints of cocoa and cinnamon, while supple tannins leave a pleasing finish. Each juicy sip is more comforting than the last always leaving the palate to want more.

2007 Malbec
The color of this wine is a vibrant deep purple/garnet. The aromas are spicy and peppery with hints of red hots, strawberries and cloves. The flavors are forward with bing cherries, dark fruit, balanced acidity and moderate tannins. The wine is ready to drink, but will continue to age over the next 5 to 8 years.

2007 Cabernet Sauvignon
The rich, dark color of this wine catches you from the first pour. It exhibits a rich deep burgundy hue with perfect clarity. The aromas are a compendium of dark fruit – blackberry, black raspberry, and currant – with elements of toasty oak, chocolate, dark roasted coffee bean, sage and spices. A sip fills the mouth with blackberry pie, with hints of rich, ripe black cherries, sweet oak and white pepper, while maintaining absolute dryness and firm, yet supple, tannins. This delicious Cabernet is ready to drink now and will continue to age gracefully for the next 6 to 8 years.

2008 Petite Sirah
The senses are tempted by an array of black raspberry, spice, coffee, cocoa, cola and white pepper. The palate is filled with ripe boysenberry, black raspberry, plum and sweet black cherry and firm tannins, with a hint of smoke and dark chocolate. Enjoy this wine along with a nice grilled steak, baked potato with all the fixings, and good friends. This is a wine that can please now, as well as age out for many years to come.

Join us with Michael Smith this Thursday, March 11 from 4:30 to 7:00 pm to learn more about and enjoy a free taste of the wines from Peirano Estate.

Rhône Wine Tasting at Café Vicino

• February 11, 2010
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Focus on the Southern Rhone

“Last year, after tasting the 2007 southern Rhônes, especially the top wines from Gigondas, Vacqueyras, Côtes du Rhône, and the most hallowed appellation of the south, Châteauneuf du Pape, I stated it was “the vintage of a lifetime.” I also suggested it was a hypothetical blend of a very hot yet opulent, powerful, sumptuous year such as 1990 and a cooler, drought and Mistral-affected vintage such as 2001. Tasting the 2007s out of bottle has confirmed my thoughts – this is a truly historic and profoundly great vintage.”

That’s Robert Parker’s opinion. Here’s your chance to make up you own mind. On Saturday, February 20 from 2 to 4 pm we will gather at Cafe Vicino to explore the wines of the southern Rhône. As always, Chef Richard will be creating some small plate offerings to match the wines. The price is only $25 per person and you can make your reservations by calling the restaurant at 472-1463. Obviously this one should not be missed, so we’ll see you there.

Cabernet Tasting at Café Vicino

• January 13, 2010
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Join us for a Cabernet Sauvignon tasting on Saturday, January 16 from 2 to 4 pm at Café Vicino. The emphasis will be on Cabs from California and the Northwest with a few surprises, and Chef Richard will prepare something special to match the wines. Just $25 per person, call the restaurant at 472-1463 for reservations.

Wednesday Tasting: Oyster Bay

• December 15, 2009
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Meghan Haggerty, the Northwest rep for New Zealand winery Oyster Bay will be in town to taste through a line-up of their wines.  Described by leading London wine writer, Giles Kime, as “pretty close to being the elusive stuff of dreams,” Oyster Bay takes its name from the local ‘Oyster Bay’ on the tip of New Zealand’s majestic South Island. Their reputation has been built from vines grown in Marlborough’s central Wairau Valley now recognized as one of the great growing wine regions of the world. With its cool, sunny, maritime climate and its shallow, stony soils etched across great alluvial plains by ancient glaciers, Marlborough is described in Oz Clarke’s Wine Atlas as “one of the greatest places on earth to grow vines, producing some of the world’s most remarkable wines.”  Meghan will be pouring four wines: Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Merlot.

Join us this Wednesday, December 16 from 4:30 to 6:30 pm for a free taste of this New Zealand Quartet.

Umpteenth Annual Wine & Cheese Sale

• November 29, 2009
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The sale runs all day. You’ll get 15% off 6 or more regularly priced bottles of wine, and in the Deli, save 25% off all their cheeses.

The Wine Tasting starts at 11 am and runs till 5 pm
The Cheese tasting in the Co-op starts at 11 am and runs till 3 pm

We’ll see you there!