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Star-Bulletin Features


Wednesday, June 6, 2001


[HOW TO SPEAK GEEK]



Take a chance
on new tastes; drink a
toast to uniqueness

For many, Chardonnay is the world's great white wine. The demand is definitely there, that's for sure. And there are a lot of good ones to be had. A recent Chardonnay judging that took place for "Taste of Honolulu" shed some light for me.

Sameness: A real revelation. Modern methods and expertise, both in grape-growing and in winemaking, make a lot of well-made wines available to us. At the same time, wines are beginning to taste more and more alike. Sameness, as I call it. Kind of like most fast-food hamburgers -- different, yes, but, a vein of sameness runs through it all, nonetheless. Be selective.

Otherness: In the first flight of Chardonnays judged for Taste of Honolulu, one was clearly different -- rich, lush, much more tropical in character, with loads of oak-influenced nuances. It was very Australian. In the second flight, one entry was far more elegant and restrained than the rest. It turned out to be from Washington. The point being, different growing areas can and should result in different wine profiles.

Uniqueness: For my palate, only one wine in the two days of tasting truly had uniqueness -- the 1997 Edmeades Chardonnay from the Anderson Valley, about $20. Wild yeast fermented and left unfiltered and unfined, this cool-climate Chardonnay has great intensity and concentration, yet is effortlessly elegant and seemingly light on the palate, with a wonderfully lush texture. The tangy lemon-lime finish is ideal for keeping the palate fresh and alive between sips.

Where others tasted of oak or fruit first, this one clearly tasted of the earth. It was minerally and intriguingly stony. The French call it terroir, a "wine of the land," as opposed to "of the winery." (This is same concept explains why Kula onions are so very different, even from those grown in neighboring Makawao.) True uniqueness.

A group of us recently had dinner at the home of Van Williamson, winemaker for Edmeades. The menu consisted of uni roe dug out by hand by Halekulani's wine cellarmaster, Randy Ching, and Roy's corporate manager, Rainer Kumbroch; grilled salmon served with L'Uraku chef Hiroshi Fukui's uni sauce; and fresh abalone, pan-fried by Van himself. I couldn't have dreamt of a better way to pair food with this Chardonnay. Unlike most of its peers, the Edmeades especially dazzled when paired with the rich, oily salmon, grilled or with chef Fukui's rich, savory uni sauce. A match made in heaven, to say the least.

Values on the Vine


Value on the vine

Vinas del Vero: One of my favorite Chardonnay values is actually from Spain. It is grown in the Pyranees Mountains near the French border and it, too, has terroir and uniqueness with superb elegance and food-friendliness. Vinas del Vero sells for about $11. Look for it and see for yourself.


Chuck Furuya is president of Fine Wine Imports.
"How to Speak Geek" is a weekly lesson in wine pairing written
by a rotating panel of professionals.


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