Just Grapes Wine Blog

OK, maybe you say it would taste good WITH chicken. But I think this bad boy is a flavor experience all by itself.

Famed blogger Dr. Vino, aka Tyler Colman, was in Chicago today at Just Grapes speaking about some wines coming out of France that do more than part with tradition—they go running from it.

Our fifth wine was a Thierry Puzelat Pineau d’Aunis from the Loire Valley in France. It’s a limited-production wine from an organic and biodynamic winemaker using an obscure, ancient grape from Touraine. They don’t get much more exotic than this.

We all stuck our noses in our glasses and then took a swig. It was quiet for a moment, as we all tried to absorb what we were experiencing. Colman said, “Don’t you want to have a roast chicken right now?” Why, yes! Pepper. Some tannins. A rich, deep color. It might as well have been the roast chicken itself; maybe just a wee bit more dry.

Thierry Puzelat’s rogue choices in grape varietals mean he often falls outside French laws requiring the use of certain grapes to be able to label a wine with the appellation, or place. He still dares to be different, which holds a certain appeal for those ready to get off the beaten Pinot Noir path. “It’s a total hipster grape variety,” Colman said of the Pineau d’Aunis.

And while it’s light and lively enough to play nice with food, it’s interesting enough to stand alone. You can have this one with the chicken, or you can save it for later, when the dishes are cleared and it’s time for cocktails and conversation. Certainly, this spicy renegade will hold its own at the table.  

His name is Dr. Vino, if that tells you anything.

New York-based author Tyler Colman is a wine pro by any other name. But he happens to write the award-winning wine blog DrVino.com. He also authored Wine Politics: How Governments, Environmentalists, Mobsters and Critics Influence the Wines We Drink, a compelling title if ever there was one. (Throw in “religion,” and he’s covered all the cocktail-party taboos in one fell swoop.)

Colman is coming to Chicago to tell us about the place where wine’s heart beats loudest: France. In the Old World, change can cause palpitations. But Colman has identified some winemakers who are daring to make wines so different, so natural that they don’t even qualify for the appellation.

Taste wines from several of these rule breakers and learn what’s ailing France with Dr. Vino at Just Grapes, 6-8 p.m. Thursday, September 18. Call 1-312-627-WINE (9463) to sign up. Participants also will receive a signed copy of Colman’s book. Don’t miss this doctor’s house call!