June 4 2008
Now I know how Brian Epstein felt when he discovered the Beatles.
Last night I shared a bottle (or four) with the future of wine and a notable local food blogger, Renee from Feed Me/Drink Me. I am not sure if the “Future of Wine” will be “bigger than Elvis” as Epstein promised the Beatles, but I have a hunch he will soon be a recognizable name nationally, breaking free from “just” a sterling reputation amongst his peers and becoming something of a national figure amongst wine consumers.
The future of wine does have a name—it’s Arthur Black; he works for a distributor, National Wine & Spirits, in Indianapolis, he’s 30 years old, bench presses 400 pounds, has tattoos on either bicep, commands a room when he walks in, can tell you acreage and soil type for specific chateau’s in Bordeaux, has a palate that would stop Laube or Parker dead in their tracks and he is an odds on favorite to become the 125th Master Sommelier in the world in February of 2009.
In fact, after “crushing” the Master Sommelier exam, he is going for his Master of Wine. Less than five people in the world hold both the Master Sommelier and the Master of Wine designations. And, you know what? I would not bet against him. In fact, if Vegas were handicapping, I would lay the odds.
On top of all of that, he is utterly and completely free of any b.s. or artifice. However, you have never heard of him. Nevertheless, you will.
As soon as he gets out of his intense period of study, I fully anticipate Arthur using some form of blogging (written or video) and some Social Media to introduce himself to the larger world of wine. Given my interaction with him, I think he would immediately jet to the top of the wine blogging heap on his way to a publishing deal, consulting contracts and all of the associated benefits that go along with being in the top 1% of the wine world, with charisma to spare.
Where others who are young, dynamic, and emerging in the wine world are getting by on cult of personality shtick, Arthur brings genuine authenticity to the table, alongside measurable chops.
I can’t tell you exactly where Arthur’s nom de plume, Arturo de Negro, came from, but it was wrapped up in a good story, something he does in a completely unassuming, but commanding kind of way, a trait that undoubtedly serves him well in his regionally based educational role with his employer.
In fact, in the haze of a Sancerre, Priorat, and a Riesling, I think I have forgotten most of the stories Arthur shared. Fortunately, I pinned him down for an interview, which I got in writing.
A special guest to the usual winemaker interviews, Arthur Black, the future of wine, answers our 20 Penetrating Questions for a Wine Craftsman Pro.
Good Grape: Which of the Seven Deadly Sins are you most guilty of?
Arthur: Definitely gluttony - almost to the point of a barbarism. Everything in excess! Food, wine, work, leisure, studies, fitness, and the lists go on. I know balance is the key to life, but for every instance of moderation, discipline, and restraint in my life, there are an equal number of absolutely bloody demonstrations of excess. Ironically, I guess there is balance there.
Good Grape: What is your biggest pet peeve?
Arthur: There are two of them and they most often overlap. The first one is the pretentious wine prick that knows only enough to be dangerous and continuously drops names and makes other people who might not be that wine savvy uncomfortable. These people turn my answer to number one into wrath and I absolutely love shutting these people down and putting them in their place. I would argue that one of my major motivations for studying as hard as I do is to always know the correct answer so when one of these jack@!&/*# tries to intimidate or BS a young or emerging wine and food consumer, I can put them in their place.
My other biggest pet peeve is people that profile and stereotype. You know, if you’re from the Mid West, then you are a hillbilly, if you like chicken wings then you can’t appreciate foie gras, bone marrow, or the beauty of white truffles, or if you have tattoos then you’re low rent or unprofessional. One should never read a book by its cover.
Good Grape: What is on your nightstand?
Arthur: Frank Herbert’s Dune, Aronson’s Jesus and Lao Tzu, and laminated wine maps (in case I spill something on them)
Good Grape: What is in your refrigerator or pantry that you wouldn’t openly admit?
Arthur: Veggie burgers. I’m a proud carnivore, that usually pokes fun at vegetarians (lightly and totally in jest, I’d never go as far as submitting a vegetarian to watching a lobster puppet show or frog leg chorus line at the dinner table), but the burgers are low in caloric intake and represent that slight percentage of moderation I mentioned in my answer to question #1.
Good Grape: What do you drink when you’re not drinking wine?
Arthur: Water in the morning, followed by coffee, followed by espresso, followed by water, then back to wine, and, on a good night, Fernet Branca (aaaahhhhhhggggg!!!!! In my best Homer Simpson voice).
Good Grape: What type of music or radio station is played most often in your car?
Arthur: Sometimes talk radio, but I don’t really listen to the radio while driving because most everything on the airwaves is a continuous cycle of SUCK. Actually, I use my driving time in a very productive and responsible way; I look at flash cards, make phone calls, eat, do the 7 minute abs tape in rotation, and practice origami (I do a killer Elvis and I’m working on Kermit the frog). So, I’m lying about the abs and origami thing. If I am listening to a CD or have my Ipod plugged in, it ranges from Tool to Rachmaninoff to the musical score of Conan the Barbarian.
Good Grape: In what era would you live if you transport yourself?
Arthur: 17th century French Court Society, assuming of course that I would be a member of court and would have maidens to give me baths, or the Hyborian age, assuming of course, that I would be Conan and could knock out camels with a single punch (hey vegetarians, don’t take that as I’ve actually punched a camel in real life, or at least I don’t remembering ever punching a camel – it’s a joke)
Good Grape: What is the best wine-related book you’ve read?
Arthur: I don’t really read wine-related books in the way of wine stories or winemaker autobiographers, but for more leisurely wine readers, Wine and War by Donald and Petie Kladstrup is an entertaining book that covers the tribulations of vineyards, wineries, wine, etc. of Europe during WWII. Sadly, I actually take pleasure in more reference and data oriented texts. When I found the exact percentages, numbers, and allowances, of the Cadastro (a 12 point criteria in the Duoro that determines the Beneficio or amount of wine a winery is allowed to make) I was in heaven. There are so many texts that cover specific genres, but Jancis Robinson’s Oxford Companion is sort of the wine reference bible. I’m currently reading The Science of Wine by Jamie Goode, which is “rock star” status for wine science.
Good Grape: What is your favorite movie genre?
Arthur: Somewhere between movies like Babette’s Feast and movies with Zombies. Actually, I’m a “sucker” for vampire movies!
Good Grape: Is your desk messy or organized?
Arthur: Messy 29 days of the month and then spotless. The papers, flash cards, bills, calendars, and business cards are sort of like tattoos; I wake up and there are more of them and they’re all over the place!
Good Grape: Are you always early or terminally late?
Arthur: Surprisingly right on time for appointments, but notoriously late getting into the office.
Good Grape: Do you read the comics in the newspaper? If so, what’s your favorite comic?
Arthur: I don’t read the newspaper. Seems like a bunch of nothing - political spin, lies, and entertainment news, which is a complete waste of my time, attention, and it’s not like I have the brain power to waste on what seems pointless. But, if I did read the paper, I’m sure the comics would be the most intellectually stimulating.
Good Grape: Who would you want to play you in the movie about your life?
Arthur: Maybe Russell Crowe, but I really wouldn’t care as long as my girlfriend in the movie would be Scarlett Johanssen. Since Erica, my significant other, is partial to Johnny Depp, she would probably like for him to play my part.
Good Grape: What super-power would you most like to have, and why?
Arthur: X-ray vision would be cool, for obvious reasons, but with the good comes the bad and I’d rather not see really ugly people naked. Telekinesis would also be an option because I could make anyone do whatever I wanted. But, in the movie X-Men, there is a smoking hot, multi-colored mutant chick that can turn into other people and use their powers, so……with those chops I could have anyone’s power whenever I wanted. I’d probably spend most days as Wolverine because I can relate to him and he kinda had a thing with the other hot mutant chick in the movie.
Good Grape: You are moving and can only take three or four articles you want to take with you. What would you grab?
Arthur: Dog, wine, flash cards, and clothes.
Good Grape: What do you do if you have a spare hour?
Arthur: Usually work out to sweat out the day, stress, and previous night’s wine, or go to my bad ass massage therapist.
Good Grape: What was the last great restaurant you ate at?
Arthur: Abroad - Al Gallopapa in Castellina, Chianti, a truly amazing meal though I wouldn’t call it “traditional” Italian. The restaurant is rather innovative and savvy, and though I love the various regional flavors of central Chianti, like wild boar, I would still highly recommend anyone traveling in Tuscany to check this place out.
Nationally - Recently in Vegas, I drooled over a sweet prawn and ginger consume that I could have literally guzzled buckets of at Mina’s place, Nob Hill.
Locally – Restaurant Tallent, owned by the “bad ass” duo, Krissy and Dave Tallent, whom I love and are my guardian angels when I’m in Bloomington and am up to no good. FYI – take in a CD of Kenny Loggins for Dave and get a free appetizer!
For seafood, though, I have to recognize Oceanaire in downtown Indy. The staff is great, the GM Roddy Kirschenmen has great wine knowledge, and the Chef Ryan Nelson, has mad skills and has prepared some of the best fish preps I’ve eaten in the country.
Good Grape: What is your favorite ice cream flavor?
Arthur: I don’t really dig on ice cream that much, but I recently have a super cool jalapeño ice cream at H2O Sushi here in Indy. This restaurant is the place to go if you want a great experience and wicked ice cream flavors, ranging from truffles to Guinness, and everything in between.
Good Grape: What is the best compliment you have ever received?
Arthur: Wow! How do you answer this without sounding like a complete self absorbed wank? Just a couple of weeks ago, my mentor, wine sensei, great friend, and awesome wine educator, Matt Citriglia MS, told me, “there isn’t anything else that I can teach you.” Whether true or not, for me, it was like Yoda telling Luke he is a Jedi!
Ok, so I might have avoided the self-absorbed portion, but definitely sounded like a wank with the Star Wars reference.
Good Grape: “2 Truths And a Lie” – Share 3 unique things about yourself and your life, 2 of them true, 1 false, readers will guess by leaving a comment
Arthur: U can’t tell it if I’m wearing a Polo, but I have 9 tattoos, including a piece on my back of the Egyptian god of the wine press, which also happens to be the god of blood, persecutor of the wicked, and the god of righteousness.
I used to have a mullet
I like Nascar
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June 2 2008
Riddle me this: What do you get when you combine Midwestern expatriates, a small production, 1500 case producer of allocated Napa wine, a winery that leverages Web 2.0 and social media, AND a winery that recently hired winemaking maestro Heidi Barrett, current star of the California “Land of Wine & Food” ad campaign and a winemaker with a resume that makes others green with envy?
You get Fantesca; a beautiful winery producing beautiful wine, as if that were enough.
However, Duane Hoff and his wife Susan are doing so many darn things right it is hard to know where to start with the gushing.
First, I love their companion site to Fantesca, Adopt a Grape (brilliantly executed from a marketing perspective by keeping the site, with cinematic help from my pal B. Napa, separate from the wine brand). Second, their back-story on the naming of Fantesca and their social object or signature has to be one of the most interesting and creative in the Valley. Third, Duane Hoff is a nice, funny guy. And, fourth, he just hired Heidi Barrett for pete’s sake.
Throw in Facebook, the Open Wine Consortium and a bunch of other Internet-savvy tricks and this alchemy can mean only one thing: Better sign up for the mailing list soon.
I caught up with Duane for “20 Not So Penetrating Questions” and I think you’ll see that he’s as genuine, bright and humorous as you might expect for somebody that is making all of the right moves to make Fantesca not just the great winery that it is today, but also one that will be heavily managing the velvet rope on allocations in the future.
Plus, he’s down with 80’s music and Keyser Soze, which makes him a-ok in my book, but no way can he dunk a basketball (see the last question and take your own guess).
Good Grape: Which of the Seven Deadly Sins are you most guilty of?
Duane: I would have to say “Pride”. It isn’t enough to know your own abilities. You have to know your limitations and how many hours there are in each day.
Good Grape: What is your biggest pet peeve?
Duane: Those political buttons with a “W” and a red circle and slash through it. Hating George Bush isn’t much of a strategy for improving the country.
Good Grape: What is on your nightstand?
Duane: Wine and War: The French, The Nazis and the Battle for France’s Greatest Treasure by Don and Petie Kladstrup and a Conan the Barbarian novel.
It’s kind of like Dennis Miller said. “The reason “Wheel of Fortune” is on right after “Jeopardy” is that once you’ve been forced to choke down the foul-tasting tequila shot of your own abject ignorance, it’s nice to be able to bite into the refreshing lime wedge of other people’s incredible stupidity.”
Ed. Note: Check out pictures of Duane’s wife. Here at Good Grape, if married to Susan, we wouldn’t keep anything on the nightstand.
Good Grape: What is in your refrigerator or pantry that you wouldn’t openly admit?
Duane: Dark Chocolate Covered Potato Chips. Mother of God, they are good!
Good Grape: What do you drink when you’re not drinking wine?
Duane: The adage that it takes a lot of good beer to make great wine is in effect. I am also not opposed to the occasional rum powered “boat drink” if the weather is hot.
Good Grape: What type of music or radio station is played most often at Fantesca?
Duane: I like to torment the younger guys with my passionate knowledge of 80’s rock lyrics and trivia.
Good Grape: In what era would you live if you transport yourself?
Duane: The United States at the turn of the 20th Century. It was a period characterized by extraordinary optimism and growth. The spirit of this was captured in the Art Deco architecture of the time. The Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building were completed a year apart in 1930-1931. Both buildings were completed on time and under budget. The Empire State Building was the tallest in the world for 41 years. The Chrysler Building remains the tallest brick building ever built. I greatly admire the indomitable spirit of that era.
Good Grape: What is the best wine-related book you’ve read?
Duane: “Plain Talk about Fine Wine” by Justin Meyer. Justin Meyer founded Silver Oak Winery. He wrote a wonderful straightforward book about enjoying wine, and making wine. He holds wine up as a gift from God to be enjoyed. Never stuffy or pretentious, but worthy of your attention.
Good Grape: What is your favorite movie genre?
Duane: I love plot twisting dramas like “The Usual Suspects” and “Memento”.
Good Grape: Is your desk messy or organized?
Duane: I have a great quote about that here somewhere… I just can’t find it right now.
Good Grape: Are you always early or terminally late?
Duane: Define terminally.
Good Grape: Do you read the comics in the newspaper? If so, what’s your favorite comic?
Duane: I love Dilbert. It reminds me why I go to a winery every day instead of an office.
Good Grape: Who would you want to play you in the movie about your life?
Duane: My wife suggested Jon Bon Jovi. I would ask for Chris Rock. That way my jokes would actually be funny.
Good Grape: What super-power would you most like to have, and why?
Duane: Do you remember Superman flying around earth so fast that he could go back in time by a few hours? I have two teenagers. That skill would come in handy.
Good Grape: You are moving and can only take three or four articles you want to take with you. What would you grab?
Duane: My amazing Goodall Guitar, my laptop, and some great wines. That and my wife and kids, and I am set to go!
Good Grape: What do you do if you have a spare hour?
Duane: I see if my busy kids can hang out with me and watch something we recorded on TiVo. I am a big fan of TiVo because it allows us to find things we want to watch together. My son and I love Mythbusters, and he tries to explain South Park to me… My daughter and I watch American Idol together and occasionally, “So You Think You Can Dance”. It gives us great things to talk about over dinner.
Good Grape: What was the last great restaurant you ate at?
Duane: Mama’s Fish House in Maui. The restaurant is just off the surf of the north shore of Maui. It is stunningly beautiful. The seafood is “pound on the table” good! The recipes were gathered as the family sailed on their small boat around the South Pacific in the 70’s. The menu changes every day based on what the daily catch is and the menu identifies the fisherman that caught it. No Ka Oi (It’s the best!).
Good Grape: What is your favorite ice cream flavor?
Duane: A hot fudge sundae. Food Nirvana.
Good Grape: What is the best compliment you have ever received?
Duane: I am lucky enough to hear it all the time: “Your children are terrific”.
Good Grape: “2 Truths And a Lie” – Share 3 unique things about yourself and your life, 2 of them true, 1 false, readers will guess by leaving a comment
Duane:
I lived in England for a year with my parents as part an exchange program.
I won the 1981 Little International Livestock Judging Competition.
I can dunk a basketball.
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May 31 2008
A critical impediment with the direct shipping issue in the wine industry is compliance. Though, it is not compliance from a “oh, I have to be compliant” perspective. It is more from a, “I care about shipping my wine to anybody that wants to buy it and doing so legally and therefore I pay attention to the changes in laws in order to maximize my business.”
I would hazard a guess that from 2005 to now, post-Granholm, winery owners attention to and interest in compliance, outside of topical headline reading, has precipitously declined. Simply, it is a lot of information … but somebody at each winery needs to be accountable for, and chartered with maximizing a winery’s direct shipping capability to EVERY STATE where it is possible if not for actual business, for business development; for industry window-dressing.
Many good and valid points are made on a continual basis across the spectrum of vested parties in the direct wine shipping issue, however one issue that never comes up and should is the fact that not enough wineries actually put their money where their mouth is and get the $100 permit in the newly opened state in order to sell wine to maximum capacity everywhere that they can.
How can other people take the issue of winery direct shipping seriously, if wineries are asleep at the wheel?
By some estimates, about 5% of the available wine in the U.S. market is available on a shelf in Indiana. You would think that wineries would have jumped on the capability to ship to Indiana consumers when given the capability late last year. Not so much. Go ahead, I dare you--audit any random dozen winery ecommerce sites. Ship to Indiana? Nope.
So, this is the conundrum: the capability to legally direct ship to consumers is fine, but wineries have to give a damn and get the permits, too.
And, I am not seeing enough of the “giving a damn” part.
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May 26 2008
In case you blinked and missed it, there was a snarky, satire-oriented wine blog called Wine-ing 2.0 that shot out of nowhere in March and started making waves with an aggressive brand of humor before meeting a “lack of updating” death beginning in the middle of April.
Perhaps styled after The Onion, the famous and funny news satire site, but executed with more puckish high school clique-style derisive mockery, the site met some swift rebuttals from several folks who didn’t care for the brand of humor of the anonymous authors.
Many people acknowledge that the wine business and wine enthusiasts are serious, too serious. I, however, choose to look at it like anything else where you have a smart, literate crowd--cheap shots, toilet humor and the obvious just isn’t going to cut it. If you want to bring some humor to a wine situation, blogging or otherwise, you better bring your ‘A’ game because you’re not likely going to be the cleverest person in the room. And, there is a subtle difference between satire and mockery and, unfortunately, Wine-ing 2.0 had too little of the former and too much of the latter.
Personally speaking, I batted nary an eyelash at the site while waiting for my close-up ... a close-up that didn’t come. The site has been dormant for six weeks and seems unlikely to be revived. Meanwhile, Good Grape remains unscathed.
R.I.P Wine-ing 2.0.
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May 11 2008
I am a fan of Spencer-Roloson winery, so I sought out Sam Spencer for our “20 Not So Penetrating Questions for a Wine Craftsman.”
Sam and his partner Wendy Roloson produce high-end, affordably priced, small lot Rhone and Spanish style wines, mostly reds and a couple of delightful whites.
Simply, these people get it.
They sell in Indiana, which always engenders a boutique producer to me, because most others eschew distribution in the state without understanding the opportunity. They sell Direct-to-Trade, a program that I helped initiate with Inertia Beverage Group; they are starting a blog and their positioning to market is, “Provocative Wines Evocative Dirt.” Oh, and this is on top of their wine line-up being fantastic from top to bottom.
But, Sam doesn’t stop there, in fact he has side projects, too. His most recent project is the current Cameron Hughes “Hughes-Wellman” Cabernet. As a wine club selection and a slight one-off from the CH model, the $50 Cabernet with just 199 cases produced should go extremely fast. Available now at this link.
Fortunately, Sam found a few spare moments to interview with us and our 20 questions … an economy of words and a spareness of detail makes this interview kind of like the subject—smart, to the point and without a lot of artifice. Though, as a child of the 80’s and a viewer of late night Cinemax as a young teen, I do have to chuckle at his favorite movie genre.
Which of the Seven Deadly Sins are you most guilty of?
Sam: Lust mostly, pride in the balance
What is your biggest pet peeve?
Sam: Poor diction and improperly spoken English. Although I speak Spanish terribly and mangle that language daily.
Sam: Failing to keep your area/station clean
What is on your nightstand?
Sam:
James Salter: Last Night
John Mcphee : the founding Fish
Luca Turin: Perfume: the Guide
What is in your refrigerator or pantry that you would not openly admit?
Sam: Nothing
What do you drink when you are not drinking wine?
Sam: Tecate, Campari or Patron silver-rocks and lime
What type of music or radio station is played most often in your car?
Sam: KQED for news and KCRW via satellite for the best music in CA
In what era would you live if you transport yourself?
Sam: 100 years in the future
What is the best wine-related book you have read?
Sam: The Emperor of Scent by Chandler Burr and Assembling California by John Mcphee
The former is about the science of olfaction, scent and the perfume industry the latter is about the geology of CA put into lay terms with explanations
What is your favorite movie genre?
Sam: 1970’s Soft-Porn
Is your desk messy or organized?
Sam: Both
Are you always early or terminally late?
Sam: Late
Whom would you want to play you in the movie about your life?
Sam: Jack Nicholson
What super-power would you most like to have, and why?
Sam: Super strength and endurance—Get more done with time to spare for hanging out with my family and friends
What do you do if you have a spare hour?
Sam: Ride my road bike
What was the last great restaurant you ate at?
Sam: Justus Drugstore in KC, MO and Momofuko-Ko in NYC.
What is your favorite ice cream flavor?
Sam: Coffee
What is the best compliment you have ever received?
Sam: You are doing good work.
For additional reading, check out Alder Yarrow’s post on Spencer-Roloson.
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