September 15 2007
Good posts from other wine blogs, news items and notions from around the world of wine and the wine blogosphere
First Big Crush/Fearless Critic Brown Bag Wine Review
Two new wine related books are coming out soon, signaling a mini wine-related riptide of publishing from Gen. Y authors. The first book, First Big Crush by Eric Arnold, now an Editor at Wine Spectator, then an unemployed writer with an affinity for Hogue Fume Blanc, he pitched a book concept to go to New Zealand to do something of an unpaid internship at a winery, Allan Scott. Grist for the mill as it was. Having received a preview copy of this book, I’m going to have an author interview with Arnold sometime in the next week instead of a book review, but to understand his voice--natural, and unpretentious, and that this isn’t your Dad’s wine book all you have to read is the second paragraph of the introduction:
I declared myself a wine expert, wrongly and assholishly, during my senior year of college, for a simple reason: because I was in college. College students think they’re experts in everything, and my circle of friends was no exceptions. We didn’t just think the world would be different if we were in charge—we knew it would be. Because we were drunk.
First Big Crush is available on Monday, 9/17. Author interview sometime this week when I get him pinned down, through the publishers marketing department.
Another book, “Fearless Critic Brown Bag Wine Review” is out in January. 30 year old author Robin Goldstein takes the notion of state fair judging to the people with a book tasted by some 400 consumers in an effort to evaluate the most commonly purchased and widely available wines available under $15. An article from the Springfield, MA The Republican newspaper:
It is one of many of such sessions that will be held in which the tasters, which he calls judges, try wines wrapped and taped into a brown bag and fill out individual evaluations as well as come to a group consensus about their quality. A statistician will help analyze the results of the tastings and other information.
“There is a real need for down-to-earth wine reviewing. Now 90 percent of the wine writing is about the 10 percent of the most expensive bottles and 10 percent of the writing is about the wine most Americans drink,” said Goldstein, 30, who also published “The Menu,” a guide to restaurants in Northampton, Amherst and the surrounding area in 2004.
“I thought it was time to review wine people really drink, the most commonly available bottles,” Goldstein said.
I wish Goldstein the best, and this sounds like a good idea on paper—especially when you pitch it to an Editor, “Hey there are no wine books on the most widely available wines, it’s all about expensive wines.” The editor, she of little wine experience herself immediately thinks this must be some untapped niche she has stumbled upon. Oh, if it were only that easy. Well, as Mr. Goldstein will soon find out, the reason no publishing occurs in the general consumer wine category outside of “how-to” is because nobody buys books to learn more about Hogue Fume Blanc, or wines they can find in their grocery store.
Fearless Critic Brown Bag Wine Review is out in January ’08.
Sacre Bleu Intro./We Get Letters
Speaking of Gen. Y., I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that fast-growing wine brand, Sacre Bleu, aimed at import-lovin’ Gen. Y has started a blog. Building off of the momentum from their Myspace.com page, they’re starting to poke at the conventions of wine via regular updates at: http://sacrebleuwine.blogspot.com/
Hot comedian du jour, Dane Cook, who likewise built an audience on Myspace is famous for being an incredibly funny comedian who, well, doesn’t really tell any jokes. He’s the guy that isn’t really that funny, but everything out of his mouth seems funny. Somebody asks you, “What’s so funny about that guy?” You say, “I dunno, but the guy’s funny.” If you asked Cook for his best joke he’d probably launch into a weaving story that would end 17 minutes later and your side would be aching, but you couldn’t explain what the joke was.
Fortunately or unfortunately, Cook is very influential with Gen. Y, where, in our ironic, self-aware world, every interaction becomes fodder for a life parable, with comedic results. Exhibit A is an email sent to Sacre Bleu with a narrative from young Jeremy and his introduction to the brand.
No simple excerpt would do it justice. Read the whole thing here.
“Good Grape Confessional” Follow-up
A couple of weeks ago I wrote a post called “Good Grape Confessional” and the crux of the post was about feeling a little overwhelmed about all of my information consumption and wanting to chuck it for a while in order to read some good fiction books.
On the comments section of the site I received some pretty good recommendations for books, several of which I will read.
But, more than that, in our perpetual question to understand and to categorize, I feel better already—because I realize that my malady is actually a positive and I am a “Techno//Marketer,” according to this blog.
Phew, I feel better already.
Good Wine Under $20/Winehiker –Adopt a Grape
Winehiker Witiculture and then Dr. Debs have already highlighted “Adopt a Grape” a fun little voyeuristic excursion into grape growing and winemaking, chronicled on the web at this site; it’s cool enough that it merits another mention.
“Adopt a Grape” … why didn’t somebody think of this before? What a fun idea, and best of all, it’s free. Hard to say if there will be the opportunity to buy the wine once it has made it through its natural lifecycle, but I’m guessing so … there is genius in simplicity and potency in entertainment as a selling tool and this is a great example of that. In between Crushpad and things thing this, I’m going to have to start budgeting for online wine expenditures. I adopted grapes in Block 7 of their Cab. Vineyard, adopt your own grapes here.
Benito’s Wine Reviews/California Wine Month
I think anybody who blogs and keeps at it is regarded as media on some level because we all get come-on’s and press releases. I, unfortunately, missed out on one public relation gambit that I wish I would have received. Ben at Benito’s Wine Reviews received a box of chardonnay and cabernet grapes from the California Association of Wine Growers. They’re running a “One Nation Under Vine” program that we’ve talked about in the past. They’re definitely getting good pr help on these clutter-breaking campaigns!
Check out Benito’s site, if you haven’t before.
Coming up in Pt. II of Around the Wine Blogosphere: more news and noteworthy items including a review of “Spoofulation,” a term I became aware of on The Wine Broad’s Board and a term whose history has been bandied about on Joe Dressner’s site—kind of interesting in a wine nerd kind of way, which is a sub-segment I’m a card-carrying member of.
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September 13 2007
Would it be clichéd of me to say, “You know I don’t normally forward things via email, but this one’s good …” Who hasn’t seen that, or said it themselves when hitting the send button, or likewise hitting the delete button? While I’m no philosophy major, and I spent more time checking out girls than paying attention in sociology, I’m astute enough to take a decent message, and, well, since this has wine as a walk off line, it makes perfect fodder to share in blog format. But, just so you know, I don’t normally forward things ...
The Mayonnaise Jar
When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 glasses of wine…
A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.
The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.
The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous “yes.”
The professor then produced two glasses of wine from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.
“Now,” said the professor, as the laughter subsided, “I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things; your family, your children, your health, your friends, and
your favorite passions; things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.”
The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, and your car.
The sand is everything else; the small stuff.
“If you put the sand into the jar first,” he continued, “There is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life.
If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you.” “Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18. Do one more run down the ski slope. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first; the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.”
One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the wine represented.
The professor smiled. “I’m glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a couple of glasses of wine with a friend.”
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September 12 2007
Thanks to fine leadership of Dr. Vino, today’s theme for the 37th monthly installment of WBW is indigenous varieties of wine. That’s simple enough: pick a wine made from a grape variety that comes from a place it might call home, so sayeth the good doctor.
However, I immediately took this in the literal sense—find a wine that might call Indiana home. This, of course, immediately limits you to oh, say, one grape varietal—Catawba--which isn’t noted for knocking the socks of anybody.
Ah, but I was just a bit misguided. Have you ever been in a corporate team-building exercise (or watched reality television) when a team is given a challenge and it’s along the lines of completing some sort of task with a finite amount of money and scant other detail—but, and this is a big but, the host or leader says, “you can ask any questions you would like, otherwise you’re free to start the challenge.” 9.5 people out of 10 dive headlong into the task at hand, without asking any questions.
I should have asked a question. I could be drinking a fine Italian Aglianico because I could select ANY wine that calls ANY place its native home.
Nonetheless, there’s nothing wrong with keeping it local.
Having forsaken the French Lick Winery Catawba at the store and already having drunk the Stone Hill Norton a week or two back, I went back to the store for some more local goodness (I know East and West Coast readers must read these posts with some sort of mock pity to which I reply, “I know” even if I’m contemplating a Catawba wine from a winery named -French Lick-).
I’m drinking BOTH the Stone Hill Winery Chardonel and the Vignoles. Now, admittedly, both of these are hybrids so I’m actually failing on the count of true indigenous-ness. But, if Lenn, the founder of WBW, can work the nuance between black and white then so can I.
Stone Hill Winery, based in Missouri is the Crown Jewel of the Missouri wine industry and, like several other prominent Midwestern wineries, they make a ton of different varieties—21 currently for sale. Something for everyone …
The 2005 Chardonel is a hybrid cross between Chardonnay and Seyval, designed to tolerate cold weather climates (more information on the varietal found at Appellation America). It’s also aged sur-lie, a technique by which a stainless steel paddle is inserted inside the barrel every few days to continuously mix the wine with the lees, creating an additional level of complexity in the wine. The body on this wine is light and the flavor profile is similar to that of a Chardonnay. The amazing thing about this wine is the nose, which is fantastic and rich. I would want this scent pumped into my house it’s so delicious smelling—a caramelish, yellow cake goodness. This is a good wine, especially good for a regional offering, enough fruit and acid to keep things interesting and a nice buy at $10.99.
The second wine is the 2006 Vignoles. Vignoles produces some excellent dessert wines and this rendition is made Midwestern semi-sweet style, more demi-sec aperitif than dessert wine. It won a gold medal at the recent Indy International Wine Competition and is incredibly luscious on the nose. The tropical scents barely careen between pleasure and cloying sweetness on the palate, and this would match nicely with some neighborly sociability on the deck during pre-dinner chatter. At $15.99 I would probably take a pass on re-purchase, but it’s a quaffable wine for what it is.
Thanks to Dr. Vino for an inspired choice for this edition of Wine Blogging Wednesday and please feel no pity for me or these Midwestern wines. Even though it’s not a Schioppettino from Friuli, I take solace in the fact that now, if you’re ever in Branson, Missouri seeing the Gatlin Bros., you know a decent wine to pick up, and I do too, which is kind of the point.
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September 11 2007
My friends and I have acknowledged that some bars, with attractive, but well-worn and hard living female bartenders are the last stop way station in some sort of secret lifecycle; the stripper life station having already been completed, and true hard luck yet to fully manifest itself. It’s the beer slinging place where strippers go to die. Now that I think about it, I guess a butterfly analogy would be nicer, but life isn’t always pretty. Nor is buying wine at retail.
In an analogous fashion and in the vein of way stations and life cycles, I now know where older vintages of wine go to die. They go to a “fine wine” shop in Indianapolis, IN.
The vast majority of wine purchased in the U.S. is drunk within a week of purchase. What’s not immediately consumed tends to be drunk in the next couple of years, if it makes it that long. Only a slight percentage of wine is set aside for aging. Simply put, if we see an older vintage wine that’s not an age-worthy Bordeaux or Cabernet for sale in a wine shop, it should be reason to pause.
And, so it was as I browsed a local wine shop recently. On display were a dozen, well-merchandised 1999 Zinfandel’s from a well-known, quality-minded producer—Steele. I’ve very much enjoyed Steele Syrah and their second-labels in the past and taking a flyer on an older vintage of their Zin wasn’t much of a stretch even if, aside from this wine shop’s fine wine room, virtually all other wine in the shop ranged in age from ’01 to ’06.
Nonetheless, the ’99 Steele Du Pratt Vineyard Zinfandel for $18.99 was nestled next to ‘04’s beckoning me to purchase it in yet another $20 social experiment in the name of blogging research.
The shelf-talker compared it to a Claret—giving an indication, to me at least, that it would be age-worthy and drinking just fine in ’07. I figured it might be a bit more austere than a typical California Zin, but still a nice wine. The label invited additional curiosity—a California Zin that has 13% alcohol. Hmmm … that’s not something you see very often.
Nevertheless, I bought the bottle and started to do some research figuring that I could track down some information somewhere on this wine.
The Internet, however, is mostly barren of information on the ’99 Steele Zin. In fact, if you go to Wine-searcher.com, said Indianapolis wine shop is the ONLY ONE in the country listed as having this wine.
The Steele web site had this to say about the vintage and wine:
1999 Steele Zinfandel
DuPratt Vineyard
Mendocino Ridge
Vintage - After the almost disastrous vintage of 1998 we awaited a better vintage in 1999. Well we waited and waited and waited some more. As the season progressed our hopes dimmed. The weather remained cool and sugars stayed low. Almost miraculously the sun came out toward the end of the vintage and gave enough heat to ripen the crop.
Vineyard - Even in a good year, picking the DuPratt in not always easy. A mountain vineyard with hilly terrain gives some vines more sun. By its nature Zinfandel ripens unevenly and each cluster has raisins, ripe berries and under-ripe berries. Choosing when to harvest takes skill, intuition and sometimes, good luck. Our answer to this is a test pick in which we harvest two rows, which run the length of the vineyard. If we get what we feel are adequate sugars after a day of soaking on the skins, we then harvest the remainder of the vineyard.
Winemaking - This tiny 5.5 acre plot of 80 year old vines has always produced wines of spectacular quality. The long season enjoyed by grapes grown in the Mendocino Ridge appellation does allow full ripeness and consistent quality year in and year out. Aging for 16 months in a special mix of French oak barrels is the other key to the great flavors and drinking pleasure that is a hallmark of the DuPratt Zinfandel. The long season and elevation makes wines which are rich, elegant and complex. They are more like fine Claret than typical old vine Zinfandel from California.
What do I deduce from buying a ’99 in ’07, reading the vintage notes about poor ripening and having a Zin at 13% alcohol that is compared to a Claret instead of a Zinfandel, its grape? Well, I wouldn’t deduce much if the wine was worth a damn, but it’s not. It’s devoid of fruit, has a metallic edge to it and the oak hasn’t softened out. Plus, the wine leaves a bad, astringent after taste.
Because of all the empirical data that I have at hand:
1) Sub-$20 ‘99’s aren’t that prevalent at retail in ‘07
2) A California Zin is compared to a Claret instead of its namesake grape
3) It has 13% alcohol when CA Zins are almost always 14% and above
4) Producer acknowledges on the web site that ’99 was a difficult growing year
5) It is only sold at one retailer in the country, according to Wine-Searcher.com
6) My tastebuds confirm that this is crappy wine
What I deduce is that I have been duped … a bespectacled accountant from the wholesaler found this in an inventory audit, dusted it off, had a sales guy give a sweetheart deal to the retailer, and the retailer foisted it onto me with margins exceeding 50% or greater, with a shelf talker exhorting me to enjoy this “Claret-style” wine with food.
I’ve railed against this retailer before for doing what I consider to be fairly consistent and ongoing scurrilous activity, but what I didn’t realize is that this is also a place that wine goes to die, or to be passed onto an unsuspecting public.
In hindsight, I would have preferred to use my $20 bucks to buy four beers with $4 bucks left for a tip from an attractive, well-worn bartender with a life story--at least this way I’d know my money was going somewhere beneficial. Heck, ’99 was probably a good year for her.
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September 10 2007
I already said my peace on the new Indiana wine shipping law, but since the recent ruling is getting industry-wide notice, I can’t help but channel my inner frictionless-economy fighter by highlighting two opposing op-ed pieces from our local fishwrap, the Indianapolis Star.
The first op-ed is, obviously, the voice of reason and that of consumer choice, it’s also written by somebody that writes for a living, which will become more important as you look at the next op-ed. It says in part:
Headline: Decision to end ban goes down like fine wine
Our position: Allowing out-of-state wine sales is a boon for Hoosier consumers.
State law doesn’t force catalog retailers to sell their goods through mall outlets instead of shipping them straight to their customers. Nor should it impose such a ban on wines.
Yet until last month Indiana maintained a Depression-era policy barring out-of-state vineyards from selling wines directly to customers. Not only did the law restrict the choices of wine-drinking Hoosiers, it allowed wholesalers to use state government to protect their profits.
Amen.
The second op-ed piece is from Lisa Hutcheson, the Director of Indiana Coalition to Reduce Underage Drinking, and it’s appended in full, incl. the headline that reads, “Ruling Opens alcohol floodgates”: My annotations are sprinkled throughout.
The recent decision by U.S. District Judge John Tinder to remove the requirement that Indiana customers must complete a “face-to-face” transaction before any wine can be purchased over the Internet, or delivered directly to the consumer, is very discouraging. In effect, this creates open access and availability of alcohol to everyone, including minors.
Good Grape comment: Not so—common carrier shipments include a signature requirement, especially FedEx. Other web sites have an age verification system in place. And, of course, credit worthiness and having a credit card is definitely, at the least, an under age 18 safeguard. Net-net, this is an unqualified, uninformed thought.
“But minors don’t drink wine!” A look at the 2006 North Central High School yearbook or a Google search of the term “wine bong” seems to indicate otherwise.
Good Grape comment: Context always makes a story more interesting. What about the 2006 North Central High School yearbook should I care about? Re: Googling “wine bong.” This is a red herring. Do we know for fact that said wine in said bong was purchased via the Internet? Do we know that “bonging wine” is even done by kids under the age of 21, is there identification in the video? In addition, do we think these kids live at home with their parents at which point the parents might want to take some responsibility if their kid has a bong of any sort? If this is at college, on a college campus, and you think you can stop underage drinking by prohibiting online wine sales, than Godspeed lady because you’re going to need more help than I can offer you.
The issue in this case isn’t whether or not minors drink wine. The issue is that, by allowing unfettered access to wine via the Internet or direct shipment to the consumer, access to all alcohol will be increased. Good Grape Comment: This is so ridiculous that I have to break-in inline. Say what? Access to all alcohol will increase? Come again? Explain what the heck this means and how you arrived at that matter-of-fact statement. The floodgates officially have been opened. Good Grape Comment: For the love of Pete, this is probably the same woman that thinks her husband is cheating if he watches “Real Sex” on HBO. When beer, wine and liquor are purchased at “brick-and-mortar” outlets, there are, hopefully, safeguards and policies in place to ensure that minors can’t purchase. One of the most effective policies to reduce youth access to alcohol is checking identification. As any responsible clerk will attest, effectively checking an ID can be challenging, especially with the use of borrowed and fake IDs.
Good Grape comment: This paragraph makes no sense whatsoever and wouldn’t pass the red pen from an eight grade English teacher and as such I’m not going to deign to respond any further than I already have.
Technology is great, but no person in California can verify that someone in Indiana is of legal age, even after he puts in the “right” birth date on an ordering screen. It seems, amid the arguments about the constitutionality of wine shipment to the consumer, we are forgetting that our young people have inalienable rights as well—and one of those is to live in environments that do not accept or encourage underage drinking.
Good Grape comment: Again, in addition to this also not making any sense, this isn’t true because there is the ability to embed ID verification safeguards—requiring a signature, as most common carriers do, is a pretty good start. Secondarily, a winery passively having the ability to sell to a legal customer that wants to buy their wine is in no way encouraging underage drinking. Sheesh. Who is this woman?
Will this decision encourage or promote underage drinking? Time will tell. I just hope for our sake and the sake of our young people that we haven’t sacrificed their health and safety for our own convenience.
Good Grape comment: Well, what a toothless and feckless way to end the op-ed. “Time will tell??” I thought she spent the previous four paragraphs leading to a point that might sell her message. Not so. This is like the person at the party that tells a joke to strangers and then completely goofs the punchline leaving five people staring ponderously at their feet as all of the air escapes the room; the listeners simultaneously break for the bathroom or a drink refresh, glad to have escaped the aloof, pregnant pause and accomodating polite guffaws.
Overall, I have to say that cogent thought is apparently not in large supply with some of our public servants. At least the examples that Tom Wark illustrates from wholesalers and others are mildly well-argued if you’re on that side of the aisle. This is just weak and illogical.
My bottom-line is this: The clear fact remains that teenagers, who predominantly don’t have credit cards, are not buying $50 bottles of Cabernet from wineries online, paying additional shipping, waiting three days for it to be delivered, signing for it from FedEx and getting drunk on Friday night.
If this is the case, and in fact kids are buying expensive wine online from winery web sites and somebody can prove this to me, I will buy you all of the wine you want as recompense. I just simply don’t think it’s happening. Why buy wine online when you can buy a quarter ounce of dope from the kid with the locker next to you and the big brother of your friend will buy you beer.
The argument from other fearmongers that most wineries won’t ship because a consumer might buy one more case then the 24 cases allowed in a year is enough of a laugher (honestly, who thinks somebody in this state, who has never had the ability to have wine shipped before, is going to buy 24 cases of wine? 24 cases --almost half a pallet of wine) and now with this kids buying wine canard I’m just worn out—maybe this is what politics is—wearing one side down with B.S. until the other side gives in.
It’s enough to make a reasonably normal and sane person hit the bottle. I’m pretty sure we have a Director of something that has a program for that. I wonder if they can write?
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