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Excellent writing from Mark Storer, a part time wine blogger, writer and radio host on Food & Wine.
Mark's blog is very esoteric, touching on personal issues, educational issues and, of course, wine. The highlighted post is not about wine, but it is about something touching and it is proof that there are excellent writers working in the blogosphere.
I'm an absolute sucker for these kinds of stories. Not because I tend to be a star struck type, but because it really helps to have a celebrity stand up and say "Wine is Good"...even if it's for purely business purposes.
So it is that Dan Aykroyd of Saturday Night Live, Blues Brothers and cinema fame has invested $1 million in a Canadian winery company with the hopes of getting more Canadian wines on shelves and making a buck.
Now, think about this. Wouldn't Dan be a great choice to play Orson Welles in a BioPic. He's got the girth, or at least did and if you throw a beard on Dan, well...you've got Orson. Now, you've just got to have a scene in that film of Orsen/Dan doing the "We will sell no wine before its time" commercial...and getting it wrong, and having to do it over and over again.
Three cheers for Mr. Aykroyd.
I came across this post on a blog working on behalf of an Internet retailer selling interesting rare wines. I honestly don't know what to think of it:
I agree that trading up to higher quality wines yields decreasing returns in satisfaction the higher you go up. Over at XXXXXXXXX Wine Shop we're pretty sure that the biggest payoff of drinking expensive wines
isn't the flavor of the wine itself, but the emotional flavor of the
experience or occasion surrounding consumption.
Opening up
an expensive bottle of wine in public, with friends or to commemorate a
special occasion is like taking the Ferrari out for a special night in
town. The actual materials that go into the making of the vehicle might
be only marginally better than a low-market vehicle. But material
improvements aren't what the luxury car buyer (in general) really
wants. He's going for the WOW factor, and the respect and admiration of
his friends.
This is either he most honest (and therefore most pitiful) opinion ever expressed on a wine blog, or it is satire of the most subtle and well written order.
Is this blogger justifying the purchase of an expensive wine merely for the sake of feeling good about themselves? Or are the ridiculing the idea? It it's the former it's the equivalent of purchasing a hamburger for $40 because it's feels cool to order the really expensive stuff. If it's the latter, well, I applaud their sentiments, as obvious as it might be...and I like the satirical wrapping they deliver it in.
But honestly, I have no idea which it is.
I have a pretty good idea of how wines are marketed and how they are presented for sale. Having worked in wine communications for about 15 years I've had the chance to work with wineries of varying size, varying quality aspirations and from various regions.
But one thing I've never had the opportunity to do is work directly with a classed Bordeaux property or an equivalently hallowed estate. I'm talking here about the Petrus, Cos d'Estournels, Mugas, Screaming Eagles and Domaine De La Romanee Contis of the wine world. It would be fascinating to work with a producer that is at once an icon of the wine world and also has only the problem of deciding how much to raise their price each year.
Understanding this perspective however is not as easy as it seems. There is more going on in these wineries' heads other than the chant, "Aren't we awesome and happy we are". So its interesting to see its representatives display the cavalier attitude that really must come with such a position in life.
Decanter Magazine has an article up that draws the curtains back every so slightly on that world. It is a story about a conference in England on Bordelais viticulture that some of the top names in Bordeaux attended. In the course of a panel discussion the issue of Bordeaux's lack of appeal to the younger drinker was brought up.
Now, this is something of an issue for the folk in southwestern France. It seems that young drinkers worldwide really want nothing to do with the Bordeaux wine they can afford. Australian, American, Chilean, Argentine and New Zealand wine is much more to their liking.
This is important because presumably it has implications for when these drinkers age and start spending the kind of cash that puts them in the ballpark to buy great and greatly priced Bordeaux. It seems given what they are weening themselves on they may be more likely to turn to high quality and high priced wines from New World locales.
So, what was the response when the likes of Jean-Michel Cazes, director of the famed Lynch-Bages, was asked if it didn't it makes sense to work with the average, lower priced Bordeaux producers to undertake the kind of marketing initiatives that made New World wines so popular with the younger set?
Cazes simply responded that the idea was "not so relevant to us".
Now, while I'm sure he offered up more than this that wasn't reported, isn't it fair to say that this is so purely dismissive of the plight of the average Bordeaux winery as to border on contempt? Another way of looking at this is to understand just how far away and how much on another plane of existence the likes of Lynch-Bages and Chateau Latour are from their neighbors in Bordeaux, as well as their winemaking compatriots around the world.
Then there is this one. Bernard Magrez, owner of Graves grand cru classé Chateau Pape Clément, responded to the notion that the more people drinking lower priced Bordeaux today will move up to your wine tomorrow with more dismissivness. Saying the low priced sector of the market was "already lost", Bordeaux should focus on better marketing his and the rest of the classed and expensive Bordeaux wines.
So let me paraphrase Monsieur Magrez: "Screw'em. If they can't sell their plonk that's their problem. We on the other hand can and for good money too. So just give us the marketing Euros and we'll take care of things."
That's a pretty confident lot they've got there. And I think they can be confident of their status as the most important collection of wineries in the world. They've earned it and proved their viability over the course of 150 years.
But, it's a bit short sighted too. The consuming class that came of age in the 1950's through the 1980's were taught, if they were so inclined to listen, that the best wines in the world came from France and the most prestigious came from Bordeaux. You know what though, that advice has changed for the generation of high end consumers who were reared in the 90s and 00s. The word is out among them: Great wine does come from Bordeaux...but it also comes from California, Italy, Spain, Germany, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, Oregon, Washington, New York, Germany, Austria, Canada....You get the picture. There will be no more slavish visits to the Bordeaux aisle as soon as they get a few hundred dollar bills splashing around in their pockets.
Despite the rather practiced detachment of the top Bordeaux producers I think the French and the Bordelais in particular, will address this issue. The changes will be viticultural, enological, political, and in the realm of marketing. An industry that has so much to lose won't stay complacent long. It's change or die.
Now, does this mean I wouldn't take on a First, Second, Third, or Fourth Classed Bordeaux property as a client? No. Besides the hoped for discount on wines, there is that studied detachment that would be interesting to cultivate. I'm just not sure how productive it would be.
The word on WineBlogs is slowly filtering through the wine industry. A number of wineries now maintain blogs. A recent guide on wine pr made particular note of blogs. The upcoming second wine writer symposium in Napa Valley will include a blogger on the panel, and wine bloggers are now frequently receiving press releases and contact from wine marketers.
The world of wine blogs is also being put on display by the wine trade press. Wines & Vines magazine, one of the oldest wine trade magazines if not the oldest, recently published a story on wine blogging in their September issue written by Jane Firstenfeld. You'll see some of the wine bloggers discussed and quoted in the story are familiar.
I was on the phone earlier today with a wine writer. They needed a sample of a client's wine for an article they were working on (I obliged, of course, understand the basic truth "if they can't taste it, they can't write about it).
In the course of our discussion that ranged from Terroir to Writing, we found ourselves bumped up against two "absurdities" that exist in the wine world. The recognition of both these absurdities rendered us both speechless for a moment as we considered them.
Both had to do with the idea of wine criticism: one from looking at wine reviewing from the critics perspective and one from the point of view of the consumer of wine criticism.
Absurdity #1:
There is that class of wine drinker who will change their opinion of a wine upon hearing that a respected wine critic thought opposite from them about the wine
Is this not completely absurd, yet uncomfortably depressing for its reality? Imagine possessing that most ugly combination of traits of 1) not trusting your own senses and 2) being so slavish in your devotion to another's opinion over yours. With wine, this ugly combo is most often exhibited when the wine drinker brings back a unopened bottle or two of wine to their local wine shop, tells the clerk they did not like the one bottle already opened and asks for a refund. Yet, the clerk tells the consumer that this is odd since wine critic Paul Palatecleaner gave the wine 95 Points. All of a sudden, our wine drinker decides they should really keep their bottles.
This happens a lot, in retail establishments as well as restaurants. And sometimes you see it at tastings where the wines are offered "blind" with no hint of their source or their critical acceptance before you taste it. What we have here is a compulsion to be in the majority, or at least to be associated with the leader of the pack. You must ignore this person when you come across them in person. You really can't be spending the precious moments you have in this life mixing with people so willing to sell their soul. It's just ungrateful to do so.
Absurdity #2
The reality that people like Robert Parker, Jr. and Jim Laube spend their waking life knowing that somewhere someone, probably many, are thinking deeply about their nose and palate.
Personally, I have a hard time imagining what this must be like for the influential wine critics. It is, of course, an extension of the really strange fabric that makes up the bubble inside of which famous people exist. But with the likes of George Clooney, Julia Roberts, and Brad Pit, some of the fame-associted strangeness that surely exists in their life is actually lessened do to the fact that their fame provokes people to think deeply about a whole slew of things that connect to their lives. Yet with Parker and Laube, probably everyone thinking about them at this very moment is considering in one way or another the composition and inclinations of their palates...their nose, their tongue. That's strange. And I don't think I envy them either. I surely envy their talents and their craft. I just don't think I'd react as well as they usually do to the pointed, probing comments about my mouth, nose, tongue and palate.
My discussion partner will get their wine in a few days. They'll taste it. Possibly like it. Maybe like it a whole lot. And there is a chance they'll feel compelled to write nice things about it. Then, they will move on to their next assignment and challenge, forgetting for the moment about this particular Pinot Noir. But I don't think they, nor I, will forget about absurdity #1 or absurdity #2 any time soon. They remind both of us of the elements of pure "crazy" that exist in the wine industry.
The international row between Robert Parker, Australia's James Halliday and others from the land down under is interesting insofar as it touches on the issue of wine styles, heady wines vs more delicate wines, and the ability of an individual to detect the best of a country's output.
But what's more interesting is the fact that the "discussion" between these two immensely influential wine writers exists at all.
In Robert Parker's October-issued rundown of Australian wines he gushes over them in such a happy-faced, exuberant way it's hard to understand why anyone connected with the Australian wine trade would have anything to say other than..THANK YOU!!
For example, Mr. Parker noted:
"However, the finest Australian wines are fruit-forward, rich, often singular-styled efforts that can not be produced anywhere else in the world. Here are some of the current realities and myths surrounding Australian wines."
and
"I noticed there are more nuances and complexity being built into the top Australian wines than ever before. Certainly there are vintages that produce more fiery, potent, and dramatically concentrated wines, such as 2001 and 2003, but cooler years such as 2002 and 2004 have produced more streamlined, restrained wines from South Australia that can even be confused with some of their competition in the cool micro-climates of Western Europe."
and
"Perhaps the biggest surprise of Australia is how good the dry Rieslings are. Another surprise is their unoaked Chardonnays, which are delicious at the top level. Despite their enthusiastic acceptance by wine consumers, they have not caught on in other parts of the New World, which seems unusual to this taster."
And, finally:
"In summary, Australia has as much diversity in wine quality and styles
as anywhere in the world, ranging from full-throttle, flamboyant,
exuberant dry reds, to elegant, finesse-styled efforts with undeniable
minerality."
James Halliday is surely one of the greatest wine writers to ever sip a fermented beverage. Yet, for some reason I'm unaware of, and which I hope one of our readers more familiar with Australia can answer, he chooses to bash Mr. Parker for 1) recommending wines that were not chosen as the best by the Australian competition judges and for not tasting enough wines from particular regions to get a sense of the whole. To wit, Halliday said:
"Sorry Mr Parker, whichever way you want to look at it, the Australian show judges profoundly disagree with you.'
"I'm sure you will all appreciate our provincial nature and convict
ancestry but it would be nice if Mr Parker would
refrain from judgments based on tasting of no more than 10% of the 120
Yarra Valley wineries."
The Australian wine industry finds itself in a situation where over production of average, industrial wines combined with a well-established reputation for producing cheap plonk (how many millions of cases of Yellow Tale have been exported) has resulted in a "reputation problem" and low prices in general. There are obvious ways to address this issue, and it seems the industry is doing just that. First, mass plantings of vines must slow down. But just as important, Australia must put its best face forward, champion its great and fine wines, and demonstrate the vitality and diversity of that country's wine industry.
Seems to me that Robert Parker is on their side. Why would you kick one of the best ambassadors for your wines? It makes not sense to me.
I think we are seeing frustration bubbling to the service. Combine the doldrums that the Australian industry is in along with a resentment of Parker's power and prestige and you get an idea of what's going on.
UPDATE:
If you wish to read the speech that James Halliday gave that seems to have started whole thing, you can find it HERE.
Assuming news of wine's cancer curing properties is not announced between now and the end of December, following are my Top Ten Wine News Stories of 2005
THE TOP TEN WINE NEWS STORIES OF 2005
10. The Rise of Rose
How great was this? Finally in 2005 Dry Rose came on strong in popularity, appealing not only to the younger drinkers that have found wine, but to the wine trade in general. We had a Rose tasting in San Francisco as well as a book on Rose. We saw lots of new Rose hit the market too. Jeff Morgan, owner of Solo Rosa, has played a big part in promoting not only his own fine bottling of pink wine, but drawing attention to Rose in general. Watch for the trend to continue in 2006 along with higher prices for the best best promoted bottlings.
9. Wine Blogging Comes On Strong
Yes, wine blogging seems to be everywhere. In the year that Fermentation has been on line the number of people creating and maintaining blogs on wine has increased 500%. And there seems like nothing can stop the onslaught. The new trend in wine info publishing is part of the larger blogging trend that has changed the way people consume information in the Net and changed the way websites are designed and distributed. But what of he impact of Blogs? Some have gained great readership, helped move wine and helped move he debate. The impact will continue to grow as the audience for these unique voices grows.
8. The Growth of Wine In The Box
People are convinced. The quality of Box Wines is just fine and they are expressing that satisfaction in record numbers. According to Wine Business Monthly, sales of Box Wine increased 160% between 2003 and 2005. At around $15 for some of the better boxes, it's hard to argue. That's about $3.75 for a wine that will stay perfectly fresh in your fridge for a LONG time. A lot of big producers are in the Box game so expect the promotion of this category to continue even stronger in 2006.
7. Mondovino Offends, Delights, Creates Debate
Readers of this wine blog will know that I thought Mondovino, the documentary on the nexus of wine and globalism, was a pretty trashy attempt at making a point about globalization. That said, Director Jonathon Nossiter stirred up a hornets nest with his shaky, over long depiction of the "good guy" and "bad guys" of wine and the the apparent World Take-Over of wine by the giant, uncaring wine "manufacturers". The debate that ensued was fascinating, reaching into issues of terroir, natural vs. synthetic winemaking, globalization and standardization of taste.
6. French Wine Industry In Disarray
This has been a tough year for the French. Falling domestic sales. Falling export sales. Prices for grapes that have plummeted causing riots among winemakers and falling prices for wines. All this has led to some nasty transatlantic back and fourths as the French have tried to blame the "globalization of taste" for their declining sales. No matter what you think of the superior attitude the French expose when it comes to the issue of wine, you still have to hope their wine industry gets back on its feet. France is the traditional and sentimental home of all wine lovers.
5. Wine Takes Home the Oscar
The impact of Sideways taking home Oscars reminds me of what happened in the wake of "60 Minutes" broadcasting a segment on the "French Paradox" and the health benefits of wine. It was dramatic. It had been a long time since wine had been given such a high profile stage and sales reflected the impact of that kind of exposure. 2005 saw the wine business and Pinot Noir sales in particular come back strong. In large part is was due to the popularity of "Sideways". Now what we need is an Emmy winning dramatic series about wine.
4. The Hangtime/Ripeness Debate
It has been building for quite some time. But 2005 saw the debate over the impact of riper and riper, bigger and bigger, more and more alcoholic wines. Andy Beckstoffer, the largest independent grower in Napa Valley, nearly single handedly forced the debate upon the industry by questioning the affect longer hangtime had on the vines and those who grow them. The media too picked up on the issue of bigger, more alcoholic wines and it seemed the issue was a constant on the various wine message boards and blogs. One gets the sense that the pendulum may have swung so far to the ripeness side that it might be ready head back toward balance. Yet there are those who have incorrectly blamed Robert Parker's and the Wine Spectator's palate for this stylistic trend that believe BIG wines will continue to dominate the quality end of the market as long as reviewers push the industry.
3. Pinot Noir On The Rise
The increase in sales of Pinot Noir has been nothing less than spectacular in 2005. Sales have jumped nearly 80% over the same periods in 2004. They say that the movie "Sideways" is the reason. Whatever the explanation there is no getting around the fact that Pinot Noir is the "Varietal of the Year". What that means for consumers is that there will be a lot more to choose from in 2006, particularly at the low end of the price spectrum. You can also count on the prices of the best Pinots, domestic and imported to rise in the face of demand.
2. The Wine Warehouse Fire
Devastating. And, if it turns out to be true that the wine warehouse fire in Vallejo, California is the result of arson the mourning will be even greater for the pure despicableness of the act. Wineries lots whole vintages while some lost years and years of library wines. The impact will be felt for some time. Wineries will take a closer look at their insurance. And warehousing companies will be making serious upgrades to their facilities.
1. The Supreme Court Rules On Direct Shipping of Wine To Consumers
Ruling in May that a state could not discriminate against out of state shippers by preventing them from selling direct, while in-state wineries could, the Supreme Court of the United States dealt a severe blow to wholesaler-instigated monopolies. The 5-4 ruling sparked a wholesale re-appraisal of wine shipping laws in the various states with the majority choosing to liberalize direct sales. The changes will continue in 2006 as other states come to grips with the choice of supporting consumers and local wine industries by opening up direct sales or bowing to wholesaler pressure and campaign contributions by closing off all direct sales.
Anyone, in or out of the wine industry, looking for a brilliant and spot on analysis of the direction the global wine industry is taking should read Legendary Australian winemaker Brian Croser's comments over at Fine Wine Press. His "The Idea of Quality: Creating Sustainable Competitive Advantage" was, I believe first presented as a speech. Though I am not sure.
In it Croser explains how the "idea of quality" has been overtaken by the "idea of terroir" and how embracing this particular notion of quality is the best path towards increasing the quality perception of Australian wine. Yet, his comments apply equally to any New World wine region.
Embedded in his words is the inherent question of the value and meaning of terroir. Is it a marketing phrase? Is it primarily an idea that speaks to the objective environmental factors that influence the growing of the grapes? Is terroir something that primarily informs us of what a wine should taste like?
These are questions that spring out of Croser's piece, but are not truly addressed. I hope he will take a stab at these issues. In the mean time, he has written a short piece that should not escape the eye or anyone watching the wine industry seriously.
How do you get your wine news?
Google? Blogs? Wine Business Monthly? The wine print publications?
For those really interested in wine from a wine lovers perspective or those in the wine industry this question is important. It's more important today than it was a decade ago because with he emergence of the Internet, new wine-related Internet sites and blogs, there is just so much more wine news to consider.
Wine Science News is a relatively new website (begun in May) that has been doing an outstanding job of aggregating the wine news found on the Internet and presenting it in an easy to digest format.
Aggregation websites (sites that gather and list items found around the net rather than developing their own content) can often be frustrating. The source of the frustration is the algorithm and search parameters used to gather up the various items across the net that are listed on the sites. All too often you find such sites that simply search for "wine" and then list the item. This leads to a lot of useless items to skim through.
What's needed is an editor with an eye toward real news and real commentary who can make sure that the useless stuff is edited out of the feed to the site.
Wine Science News seems to have accomplished this in one way or another. I use the site on a daily basis. It hasn't replaced my own searches across the Net for relevant news. However, it sure has made it easier.
In addition to searching and listing news on wine, Wine Science News also goes through a variety of blogs, looking for items they think rise to the level of "interesting" and "useful". Whether news or blog commentary, each item is listed under the appropriate category: Viticulture, Winemaking, Wine Retail or Wine Drinking. The items are listed by the date they originally ran. Wine Science News also offers a convenient RSS feed.
Their list of news stories is not complete. Yet, there are no sources as yet that are. I suspect WSN wills continue to increase the number of stories and items and blogs that are culled for news as the site continues.
One generally gets the impression that the trend/controversy of high alcohol wines is mainly found among New World wines (Aussie, California, etc). This year, the controversy went rather public in Bordeaux where tradition, new winemaking trends and stylistic "refinements" are battling it out.
For reasons of climate and tradition, Bordeaux wines have usually been more structured, only moderately alcoholic and recognized as good aging wines. In the mid 1990's with the rise of the flying winemaking consultants and the emergence of the "Garagiste" (modern) wineries, the issue of tradition vs. modernity (balance vs. exuberance) started to be discussed.
Wineries like Le Pin and Valandraud revved up their wines, creating bottlings that seemed unrecognizable to many long-time Bordeaux drinkers and other vintners. The American critics liked them for their exceptional concentration. By the time of the 2005 harvest the "New Style" Bordeaux had spread to a number of estates and the controversy over what is "correct" Bordeaux really spilt over into the media, nearly demanding winemakers take sides. And they did.
The controversy, coming so near harvest, has centered on hangtime (the length of time grapes are allowed to stay on the vine before harvesting) and brix levels (the amount of sugar accumulation and the resulting alcohol levels).
One winemaker, Jean-Claude Berrouet of Château Petrus, suggested that by waiting too long to pick the alcohol levels would be "far too high". The very idea of "far too high" is a subjective determination.
Another winemaker, Gerard Perse of Château Pavie, sees it another way. He picked his grapes much later than Berrouet, about 3 weeks later, and achieved a potential alcohol level of upwards of 14.2, while at Petrus the alcohol of their 2005 will reach somewhere around 13.5. The difference, while seemingly small, is in fact significant.
To get a taste of the controversy one need only listen to Berrouet speak about the idea of higher alcohol wines:
"Some people say that Petrus started too early, but
we seek fruit and freshness. The taste of prunes
does not interest us."
That's French for, "screw you and the New World wine horse you rode in on."
The consensus is that the 2005 Bordeaux vintage will be outstanding. In fact, one of the reasons that the "ripeness debate" took place at all was that the 2005 growing season delivered conditions of higher than usual natural ripeness that would seem to preclude the need to leave the grapes on the vine longer than usual looking for added ripening.
There is a lot swirling around in the French wine industry that lends itself to controversy. Sales are falling. Over production is a problem. The French people themselves are not drinking as much. More calls for lowing alcohol consumption are coming from European activists. And New World wines have taken market share from French wines in traditional export markets. Wine has always been an immense source of national pride (as well as bigotry). The ripeness debate will heighten the discussion in France over what it means to be "French". What it means to adhere to tradition that has made you in large part the envy of the culturally inclined across the globe.
In 1991 I had only been in the wine business about a year. I was working at PR firm in Santa Rosa, California. So, not having that much experience, I was caught off guard when "60 Minutes" broadcast a segment on the "French Paradox".
It altered the wine business severely
The French Paradox refers to the fact that while the French eat all that butter and fattening foods, they also tend to have much less heart disease than Americans. Researchers discovered that if one at a "Mediterranean Diet" consisting of olive oils, fruits and vegetable, fish and RED WINE, the heart found protection from disease. It was the Red Wine part that shat sales of reds past whites. It seemed everyone believed that all they had to do was drink a couple of glasses of red wine a day and they miraculously change the course of their health destiny.
It was good for business.
At first Doctors shied away from recommending wine once a day. The American culture, with Prohibition and all, was not that engaged with the idea of daily wine drinking. Eventually, however, as more studies emerged, more and more doctors told their patients it was ok.
A new study has now emerged that confirms this effect of a Mediterranean Diet and quantifies the affects. Recently published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the study shows that even those individuals at only a moderate risk of heart disease can lower their odds of contracting this ailment by 15% just by adhering to a strict Mediterranean Diet for 3 months.
The impact of this kind of information has run its course through the American consciousness. So, this new study probably will have no impact on wine sales. However, a reminder that moderate wine consumption is good for most people never hurt anyone
2005 Thanksgiving Whines
1. I can't find the Xbox 360 ANYWHERE!!
2. My local store ran out of Roederer Estate Brut
3. My dog won't quit Sh*tting on my new sod lawn
4. I can't find any buyers for a 13 year old Jack Russell Terrier
5. Where can I find a wine shop that doesn't use those annoying "Shelf Talkers" below the wines that our company designs
6. How long will it take New Orleans to get up and running so I can go back to eat at Petunia's?
7. How come Typepad always decides to slow down when I'm ready to post an entry to this blog?
8. Will someone PLEASE start a wine blog that gives daily updates on the best wine deals on the Internet..Please!!
9. How come there's no place in the Town of Sonoma to buy really good cured meats?
10. What the hell is FOX thinking....taking Arrested Development off he air?
Assuming news of wine's cancer curing properties is not announced between now and the end of December, following are my Top Ten Wine News Stories of 2005
THE TOP TEN WINE NEWS STORIES OF 2005
10. The Rise of Rose
How great was this? Finally in 2005 Dry Rose came on strong in popularity, appealing not only to the younger drinkers that have found wine, but to the wine trade in general. We had a Rose tasting in San Francisco as well as a book on Rose. We saw lots of new Rose hit the market too. Jeff Morgan, owner of Solo Rosa, has played a big part in promoting not only his own fine bottling of pink wine, but drawing attention to Rose in general. Watch for the trend to continue in 2006 along with higher prices for the best best promoted bottlings.
9. Wine Blogging Comes On Strong
Yes, wine blogging seems to be everywhere. In the year that Fermentation has been on line the number of people creating and maintaining blogs on wine has increased 500%. And there seems like nothing can stop the onslaught. The new trend in wine info publishing is part of the larger blogging trend that has changed the way people consume information in the Net and changed the way websites are designed and distributed. But what of he impact of Blogs? Some have gained great readership, helped move wine and helped move he debate. The impact will continue to grow as the audience for these unique voices grows.
8. The Growth of Wine In The Box
People are convinced. The quality of Box Wines is just fine and they are expressing that satisfaction in record numbers. According to Wine Business Monthly, sales of Box Wine increased 160% between 2003 and 2005. At around $15 for some of the better boxes, it's hard to argue. That's about $3.75 for a wine that will stay perfectly fresh in your fridge for a LONG time. A lot of big producers are in the Box game so expect the promotion of this category to continue even stronger in 2006.
7. Mondovino Offends, Delights, Creates Debate
Readers of this wine blog will know that I thought Mondovino, the documentary on the nexus of wine and globalism, was a pretty trashy attempt at making a point about globalization. That said, Director Jonathon Nossiter stirred up a hornets nest with his shaky, over long depiction of the "good guy" and "bad guys" of wine and the the apparent World Take-Over of wine by the giant, uncaring wine "manufacturers". The debate that ensued was fascinating, reaching into issues of terroir, natural vs. synthetic winemaking, globalization and standardization of taste.
6. French Wine Industry In Disarray
This has been a tough year for the French. Falling domestic sales. Falling export sales. Prices for grapes that have plummeted causing riots among winemakers and falling prices for wines. All this has led to some nasty transatlantic back and fourths as the French have tried to blame the "globalization of taste" for their declining sales. No matter what you think of the superior attitude the French expose when it comes to the issue of wine, you still have to hope their wine industry gets back on its feet. France is the traditional and sentimental home of all wine lovers.
5. Wine Takes Home the Oscar
The impact of Sideways taking home Oscars reminds me of what happened in the wake of "60 Minutes" broadcasting a segment on the "French Paradox" and the health benefits of wine. It was dramatic. It had been a long time since wine had been given such a high profile stage and sales reflected the impact of that kind of exposure. 2005 saw the wine business and Pinot Noir sales in particular come back strong. In large part is was due to the popularity of "Sideways". Now what we need is an Emmy winning dramatic series about wine.
4. The Hangtime/Ripeness Debate
It has been building for quite some time. But 2005 saw the debate over the impact of riper and riper, bigger and bigger, more and more alcoholic wines. Andy Beckstoffer, the largest independent grower in Napa Valley, nearly single handedly forced the debate upon the industry by questioning the affect longer hangtime had on the vines and those who grow them. The media too picked up on the issue of bigger, more alcoholic wines and it seemed the issue was a constant on the various wine message boards and blogs. One gets the sense that the pendulum may have swung so far to the ripeness side that it might be ready head back toward balance. Yet there are those who have incorrectly blamed Robert Parker's and the Wine Spectator's palate for this stylistic trend that believe BIG wines will continue to dominate the quality end of the market as long as reviewers push the industry.
3. Pinot Noir On The Rise
The increase in sales of Pinot Noir has been nothing less than spectacular in 2005. Sales have jumped nearly 80% over the same periods in 2004. They say that the movie "Sideways" is the reason. Whatever the explanation there is no getting around the fact that Pinot Noir is the "Varietal of the Year". What that means for consumers is that there will be a lot more to choose from in 2006, particularly at the low end of the price spectrum. You can also count on the prices of the best Pinots, domestic and imported to rise in the face of demand.
2. The Wine Warehouse Fire
Devastating. And, if it turns out to be true that the wine warehouse fire in Vallejo, California is the result of arson the mourning will be even greater for the pure despicableness of the act. Wineries lots whole vintages while some lost years and years of library wines. The impact will be felt for some time. Wineries will take a closer look at their insurance. And warehousing companies will be making serious upgrades to their facilities.
1. The Supreme Court Rules On Direct Shipping of Wine To Consumers
Ruling in May that a state could not discriminate against out of state shippers by preventing them from selling direct, while in-state wineries could, the Supreme Court of the United States dealt a severe blow to wholesaler-instigated monopolies. The 5-4 ruling sparked a wholesale re-appraisal of wine shipping laws in the various states with the majority choosing to liberalize direct sales. The changes will continue in 2006 as other states come to grips with the choice of supporting consumers and local wine industries by opening up direct sales or bowing to wholesaler pressure and campaign contributions by closing off all direct sales.
PLEASE WELCOME FERMENTATION'S NEWEST ADVERTISER.
Located in two San Francisco Bay Area locations, K&L maintains one of the finest collection of well-selected wines in America. Their Internet site is terrific too. Don't forget to check out their feature that allows you to plug in keywords that allow you to receive an e-mail when one of your keyworded wines hit their shelves.
Keep something in mind. K&L advertises here because they know the audience is filled with wine savvy wine lovers. That's right....they're talking about YOU. So thank them for their respect by visiting them.
And you thought all those Domino Pizza you ate in college were merely generate a grease induced stomach ache.
Not so!
You helped pay for a Million Dollar wine cellar that is coming up for auction at Sothebys in New York in December.
Tom Monaghan, founder of Dominos Pizza is selling off what is a magnificent collection of wines from across the globe. Monaghan became a collector of wines off his Pizza Profits. Why did he collect and drink wine? According to Monaghan because he was caught up in the "the constant search for new and better tastes."
Hmm? Have you had a Dominos Pizza lately.
Be that culinary critique as it may, Monaghan is getting out of the wine collecting business in order to help raise money for his latest project: The creation of the first Catholic University in America in 40 years: Ave Maria University near Naples, Florida. He calls his decision to give up his "greatest passion" a "spiritual sacrifice".
An interview with Monaghan can be found HERE
I've talked at some length about the benefits of wineries maintaining blogs to keep in better touch with customers and breed loyalty. What I've not seen before until today is a blog that chronicles the birth of a winery.
PinotBlogger.com is a new blog maintained by a family in the midst of creating a Pinot Noir winery in the Russian River Valley appellation of Sonoma County. They have the vineyards which in the past have yielded grapes sold to Gloria Ferrer in Carneros. But now the family is striking out on their own. They are so early in the process they don't even have a name yet.
In fact, they are soliciting help on naming their winery. It's a bit hard to help on that score without knowing more about the family, the vineyard, their goals and attitudes. However, a little help from the blogosphere can't hurt.
As with every new blog, its success will be based on the frequency and quality of its posts. This is a great idea. So I hope they keep it up.
In any case....cheers...to the new soon-to-be-winery on the block
Fredric Koeppel is one of the best wine writers and wine reviewers in the business. He spent 20 years as the wine writer for the Memphis Commercial Appeal and now he's now maintaining KoeppelOnWine.com.
It is a treasure trove of great wine reviewing.
He charges $48 per year to subscribe, which gets you access to all past reviews and stories. But here's the kicker. You also get this with a subscription:
Contact Me Personally for Consultation
Now how cool is that?? Your own personal wine consultant for $48 a year. The best deal in wine writing for sure.
You can get a taste of his most current reviews and articles without subscribing, but it's only the tip of the iceberg. Currently has a set of wonderful reviews from a Burgundy event he attended.
Massachusetts Governor and potential presidential candidate in '08 Mitt Romney(R) has vetoed a bill that would have given his state's residents the opportunity to purchase wine direct from wineries. His reason? He called it "anti-consumer" and simple protection for the state's wholesalers.
And he's right.
As he put it: "This bill does not give wine lovers the opportunity to purchase the bottlings they want. It creates artificial barriers to protect Massachusetts wholesalers at the expense of a free market."
The most odious part of this law was the restrictions it placed on wineries making more than 30,000 cases of wine who had distributors in the state. These wineries would not have been able to ship to MA consumers. The only reason to place such a restriction in the law IS to protect wholesalers' business. Why not a law that protects consumers from wholesalers, instead.
As a result of the veto, the MA House and Senate will have to reconsider their approach to direct shipping legislation. The correct solution is to allow consumers to purchase wine via mail, phone and Internet from where ever they want, regardless of the size of the winery or retailer.
My hunch is that the wholesalers will take to this idea as willingly as they would an anal probe. With direct shipping being liberalized across the country the wholesalers are not longer afraid of losing sales of one bottle or two here and there. They are focused on the big picture, the big shippers. They are worried that real free trade would allow wineries to sell direct not only to consumers, but to retailers and restaurateurs also. Such a situation is the very definition of anal probe to a wholesaler.
Romney did a pretty brave thing in MA. And though I don't know, I'd guess he's not been a recipient of wholesaler campaign contribution.
BOOK REVIEW
"Thirsty Work" by Matt Skinner (Running Press)
There is a market out there, and a fairly large one, for books that seek to educate the masses on wine. In fact, if you look across the spectrum of wine books you'll find that the majority tend to be "for dummies" "for the average Joe", an "introduction to", the "Basics of" and other such titles that assume no more than a rudimentary understanding of wine by those who will buy the books.
"Thirsty Work" by Australian Matt Skinner falls into this genre. It seeks to apply a hip, off-handed , detached attitude to the job of educating neophytes about wine. If nothing else, it succeeds at communicating this attitude.
Skinner is friends and colleague of "Naked Chef" Jamie Oliver of TV cooking fame. Oliver contributes the forward to "Thirsty Work". Oliver is convinced that the book is "a real turning point as far as books about wine are concerned." It's the "accessibility" that Skinner brings to the topic that convinces Oliver of the momentousness of "Thirsty Work". I'm not sure I agree.
That said, "Thirsty Work" is a fine addition to the "you-don't-need-to-know-anything-about-wine-to enjoy-it-accept-know-what-you-like-and read-this-book" approach to wine writing. Indeed you'll find very basic information about varietals, winemaking techniques, the different wine regions and even a bit vocabulary. The book is decidedly euro/Aussie centric. And you get the feeling that Matt doesn't really like American wines, or at least Californian wines....or, alternately that he doesn't know much about them. This is fine if you are planning to write an introductory book on wine mean to be looked at closely by your target audience: those who don't know wine. Still, this doesn't justify this entry on California wine:
"California—the soul of the USA's wine trade, encompassing the ultra-fashionable Napa Valley, north of San Francisco, to the more southerly growing zones, such as Santa Barbara and Santa Cruz. From Disney to Dogtown, California has given us plenty, but the one area where it falls short of satisfying every one is in its wine department. For a long time, the problem has been that wine from the really great producers is either made in such microscopic quantities that it's ever seen or simply ends up way to expensive for Joe Average (you and me).
"At the other end of the scale, and even more frightening is the statistic that each year some Goliath-like Californian producer single-handedly churn out more wine than Australia's combined annual production."
The last part of that entry is just silly. But taken as a whole you get the impression that Skinner has it out for California.
I know I sound dismissive of this approach to wine writing. I think it's a result of the implication of Skinner's style and approach: Connoisseurship = Snobbery.
But there is something else that bothers me. The idea that you must dumb down wine in order to make the world of wine palatable to the uninitiated. And that is what's going on here. But it's just not true. Here are the reasons why.
Still, the book has redeeming value. The photos throughout the book, taken by Chris Terry are quite nice. And the mirco-profiles of wine people throughout the book are fun to skim as well.
As a whole, I'm not recommending "Thirsty Work". There are simply many more and better introductions to wine in your local book store.
FROM THE WINE GOSSIP FILE
It appears Napa Valley was up to its ears in "stars" this weekend as Christine Aguilera married at a ceremony at Staglin Vineyards. Among the guests: Drew Barrymore, Justine Timberlake, Cameron Diaz, Pink, Carmen Electra, and Nelly.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't this look like the cast of a bad romantic comedy?
(Note to self: never create another post on this blog that includes Christina Aquilera)
One question bandied about when conversation turns toward the BIG and BOLD style of wine that seems to have overtaken much of the New World winemaking is "When will there be a backlash? When will will we see the pendulum swing back to a more balanced, lighter style of winemaking?
The answer is "Who Knows!". However, one company appears to be willing to give just this style of wine to those consumers who are ready to embrace such a black lash and return to balance.
Vinesse, a company offering a variety of choices to people looking to join a wine club, has just launched a "Light & Sweet" club"
"The "Light and Sweet Club" offers 2 bottles of wine every other month at an average price of $12 a bottle plus shipping and handling. The wines include roses, Rieslings, Gewurztraminers, Muscat Canelli, sparkling wines and other white and light varietals that have about one percent residual sugar -- a light touch of sweetness."
Vinesse claims that the club, which surprised them with its popularity, was created as a result of requests by customers. It's an interesting push back to popularity and seeming hugely popular BIG AND BOLD style of wine. Is it a taste of change to come? I'm not sure. It may mean that lighter more balanced wines are simply part of small niche now that must be segregated into their own "club".
Always lots of talk about Robert Parker among wine lovers. We've got books on Parker, articles on Parker and just about every wine store you go into has some sort of Parker quote. Not only does he have an impressive palate, but his palate breeds debate.
But it strikes me that in large part Robert Parker is what he writes and rates.
So with that in mind, here is list, by varietal, of the percentage of California wines that received 90 points or more from Parker and the highest rated wines for each varietal. These stats were taken from searching the e-RobertParker subscription web site:
CABERNET SAUVIGNON.....45% Rated 90 points or more (2,630 wines listed)
1997 Abreu Madrona Ranch: 100 Points
1997 Bryant Family Vineyard: 100 Points
2002 Colgin Tychson Hill Vineyard: 100 Points
1997 Screaming Eagle: 100 Points
SYRAH...44% Rated 90 Points or more (1228 wines listed)
2002 Sine Qua Non "Just for the Fun Of it: 100 Points
CHARDONNAY...39% Rated 90 points or more (2703 wines listed)
1998 Marcassin "Marcassin Vineyard": 99 Points
1996 Marcassin "Marcassin Vineyard": 99 Points
1995 Peter Michael Winery "Point Rouge": 99 Points
PINOT NOIR...33% Rated 90 Points or more (2384 wines listed)
2000 Kistler Occidental Vineyard Cuvee Elizabeth: 99 Points
ZINFANDEL...27% Rated 90 point or more (2319 wines listed)
1994 Martinelli Jackass Vineyard: 97 Points
1995 Martinelli Jackass Vineyard: 97 Points
1998 Martinelli Jackass Vineyard: 97 Points
1996 Turley Wine Cellars Hayne Vineyard: 97 Points
2001 Turley Wine Cellars Hayne Vineyard: 97 Points
VIOGNIER...27% Rated 90 Points or More (261 wines reviewed)
1992 Beringer Hudson Ranch: 94 Points
(Sine Qua Non had two wines rated higher, but they are sweet viogniers)
MERLOT...24% Rated 90 Points or higher (871 wines listed)
1996 Pahlmeyer: 97 Points
2001 Pride Mountain Vineyards Vintners Select Mountain Top Vineyard: 97 Points
SAUVIGNON BLANC...18% Rated 90 Points or higher (512 wines listed)
1997 Robert Mondavi To-Kalon Estate I-Block: 94 Points
So, what does all this tell us? Not all that much really. More than anything, what's interesting are the playful conclusions we can draw from the number of wines reviewed by varietal. Parker does seem to concentrate on those wines he thinks are best, leaving "less best" wines out of the Wine Advocate. That leads us to conclude that he's not found nearly as many interesting Merlots and Sauvignon Blancs to review.
Draw your own conclusions about who Robert Parker is.
My God it's difficult to argue with Alder over at Vinography about his feelings regarding Beaujolais Nouveau. I had been thinking for a few days about the many ways in which I really don't like this annual celebration of .... what? I'm not even sure.
I do know this: I don't like Beaujolais Nouveau.
That said, if you are looking for a reason to put up with the annual flogging of this stuff let me suggest this. It is symbolic of a particular vintage being the first wines out of the block.
Yet as we know, symbolism can be very overrated.
Wine Blogs...you just can't know them all...
Meaning...I've found another that's been around for some time but that I'd not encountered: WINE IN THE 'PEG.
Wine in the Peg is another fine wine-oriented blog out of Canada. I don't actually know the name of the gentleman who writes it, but I do know he has significant experience in the wine retailing sector. Check out Wine in the Peg. You are going to find excellent wine reviews!
Much more than other products, the packaging of wine is considered to be a work of art, or at least more artistic than your average soap label.
Designing a label is a complex thing. Is it for a shelf? Is it a wine more likely to end up on a restaurant's table? What message should it send?
Add to this that more ego is wrapped up in a winery owner's label than any other aspect of their business, even the juice behind the label in many circumstances.
Wine label art is currently on display at the San Francisco Museum of Craft and Design. Both graphic designers and artists' work is on display that represents 25 wineries. It should be an interesting show.
For the interested, HERE are a collection of wine packages designed by Wark Communications.
I thought that since my original site, "Fermentations" with an S is now officially closed down today, I'd say a few things about the process and experience that led to its demise. There were lessons learned and observations to be logged.
As for the basics of the situation, it's pretty straightforward. "Fermentations: The Daily Wine Blog" was begun November 30, 2004. It was a project I'd undertaken simply to find a venue for writing on topics that interested me and which I thought would have value to others interested in the wine industry as well as in wine in general. It satisfied both expectations. By the end of October 2005 readership has increased significantly, I'd made a number of new friends...many of which were fellow "wine bloggers", I'd had the chance to view from the center the development of a new and expanding trend in wine communications ands I was having fun.
At about the same time the owner of a gourmet food and wine store called "Fermentations" contacted me through her lawyers and insisted that I stop using the name "Fermentations". The owner is also a lawyer. Specifically, I was asked to "Cease and desist from any use of the Fermentations (TM) mark in the manufacturing, marketing, sales or any other use of the Fermentations mark with the products and services of the undersigned."
A fairly reasonable request given they owned the "Fermentations" trademark. Of course, my concern was that a change of URL's would significantly decrease my readership. I suggested an ongoing ad for the Fermentations store on the wine blog. Perhaps we could get even more traffic their way, I'd keep the readership and all would benefit. There would be none of that, said the lawyers. There is thing about trademarks. Even if you own one, if you don't defend it its validity is in jeopardy.
So, I suggested, OK...I'll change the URL and name of the site. But I asked for a few months to effect the changeover. I figured, after it being out there for nearly a year, a couple months wouldn't hurt them. That too was dismissed out of hand. They gave me less than two weeks to comply.
So, I resigned myself to compliance with their request. Still, upon making that decision I kept thinking, wow...what a niggardly attitude they bring to the table. But then I started thinking. Yes, it will take me a bit of time to regain the kind of readership that results from having built up significant status within the search engines based on content that had been cataloged over a year's time. Yes, it will be hard to get all my RSS subscribers to transfer to the new domain. However, doesn't all this mean something? Doesn't it mean that the wine blog community is and can make a change to the way wine education is obtained and the way the wine lover gets their news and information?
I started to think about many of the other wine bloggers out there. That group inside a group that is really dedicating themselves to delivering interesting, useful, timely information and the impact they are making. If an owner of a small shop in Central California can feel threatened by a blog that is simply offering up commentary, I'd be willing to bet that those dedicated wine bloggers out there are making an even bigger impact on a far larger number of people than they suspect. And it struck me....this is how it happens.
Over time, something that once seemed small and fringe actually becomes something big and mainstream, something of significance. The pleasure we wine bloggers take in writing about, thinking about, then in delivering the ideas on wine and the wine industry is wonderful for us. But, we should not dismiss or fail to think about the impact we do have now or the impact that is likely to result in the future. That means taking very seriously what we do. It means responsibility should be at the top of our agenda. It means that if our goal is to publish good information that will have an impact, and it will, then you must always think like a publisher, as well as an individual wine blogger. Don't take what you do lightly.
Those of us who really love doing this, those of us who post frequently and with care, those of us plan to keep this up will find that in the near future our efforts will be watched very closely by a lot of people...a lot of very powerful, important and influential people. Let's not disappoint them by not taking ourselves seriously. Let's take seriously the development of this new wine publishing format. Because those serious wine bloggers, and you know who you are, are defining this new medium and what it is capable of doing for the wine industry and the wine lovers and wine drinkers.
HOW HIGH CAN IT GO?
1. Pinot Noir sales by volume are up over 80% for the 4 weeks ending July 2 vs. the same 4 weeks last year. Amazing. Yet, Pinot Noir as a category of wine sales accounts for barely 2% of total wine sales. Question: How big can it grow when there is that much space between you and the ceiling?
2. GRIS V. GRIGIO V. U.S. V. Italy
Sales of importer (mainly Italian) Pinot Grigio out pace sales of Domestic Pinot Gris/Grigio by 300%. By Volume it outranks us by about 150%. But, over the past 52 weeks domestic Pinot Gris/Grigio sales have increased by 22% while imported sales have decreased by 8.6%. So, we know American consumers are migrating slowly from Italian bottlings to Domestic bottlings. So here's my question: Give domestic wineries use both Gris and Grigio on the label, which sells better and why? Well, here is far more domestic wine labeled Grigio than Gris. Yet the average price of domestic "Gris" is twice that of domestic "Grigio". Also, sales of domestic "Grigio are growing at faster clip than domestic "Gris." I wonder if from the American producer's perspective the "Grigio" name will come to be the "White Zinfandel" to Gris' "Rose"? Will the less expensive bottlings be cheap and simply styled, while "Gris" is used to indicate higher quality? Or is it a style thing? Grigio will be known as a more austere citrusy bottling while "Gris" offers expectations for a more expansive, tropical, fleshier wine.
3. THE AUSSIE CHALLENGE
Case sales of Australian wine for the 52 weeks ending July 2 were up 19%. All Imports were up 7.5%. However, total sales for Aussie wines were up only 17.5%...meaning, prices are slightly lower. By contrast, imported wines sales are up 10.7%...meaning their prices are rising. It's not difficult to understand the consternation currently being felt in the Australian wine industry, particularly among its exporters, over the future of Aussie sales abroad. Many are calling for an "upscaling" of their wines in foreign markets and less emphasis on Australian wines as "really good plonk."
4. WINE IS GETTING MORE EXPENSIVE
For the 52 weeks ending July 2 total volume sales of table wine in the U.S are up 3.5% while total dollar sales are up 8.4 percent. I guess the effects of the dotcom bust have ended.
AC Nielsen is the source of the stats. Access and much insight is from Mary-Colleen Tinney of Wine Business Monthly
"I think we've lost our way a little since we've been making those
jelly-jar blockbusters favored by many consumers. We know it too, but
we are loath to admit it."
Alan Goldfarb, St. Helena Star
---------------------------------------------------
Alan Goldfarb writes one of the most interesting wine columns in America. His columns are a supremely readable lot generated from his genuinely curious mind and reporter's temperament as well as a real love of wine and a bit of the admonitions reminiscent of the proverbial Jewish grandmother.
His most recent column on the industry's investigation into the effects on growers and wines of longer hang-time in the vineyard is a perfect example.
The quote above is an example of the commentary/reporting/opinion mix that often define his writings. And he's right about the "Jelly-Jar Blockbusters".
The name "Gewurztraminer" is one of those unfortunate Germanic concoctions that most English speaking Americans just can't get their tongue around. And it's a shame. Had the name of this grape been something more accommodating to the Anglo palate, perhaps something like "Spiceonnay" you can bet it would be far more popular among American wine drinkers than it is.
Because what's not to like? Here is a grape that lends itself to a variety of winemaking styles. It can become a richly sweet dessert wine, a slightly sweet wine, a wine with a rich body a wine that explores the delights of bone dry austerity. It's a wine with an aromatic profile that is hard to resist, often delivering spicy, floral near-exotic aromas. Bottom Line: Gewurztraminer is a grape that it's easy to get behind.
But then....there's that name.
The Traminer variety of grape is an ancient one believed to be developed in the Tyrol region of Italy in the Middle Ages. A particular clone of the Traminer that imparts the spicy aromas and flavors that we recognize today was developed or discovered in the sometime in the 19th century. Gewurz means "spicy".
The most celebrated Gewurztraminers are those raised in the Alsace region of France. My recent bottle of 2004 Stony Hill Napa Valley Gewurztraminer clearly takes the Alsatian model as its inspiration.
It's interesting to see Stony Hill Vineyards take anything as its inspiration since this trailblazing winery is usually the inspiration for the optimistic vintner that thinks they will buck the trend of BIG wine and produce something different, something unusual, something more elegant and defined...something very "Stony Hill."
Stony Hill is one of the original cult wineries. Beginning back in the 1950s, the winery produced citrus-driven, angular, packed tight Chardonnay from a hillside that beckoned supports of American wine that wanted something that might age like Burgundian white. And they got it. Year after year Stony Hill sold out their eclectic chard to a dedicated group of consumers, retailers and restaurateurs who were committed to purchasing the wine every year.
I was late to the party having tasted my first Stony Hill Chard around 1999. However, what I tasted was a ten year old Chard that was unlike any other version of this wine I'd been drinking. It kicked out muted lemon, grapefruit and peach aromas, along with a hint of caramel. It was still filled with acid and backbone. It was unlike anything else I'd been drinking. So I bit and went on a search for well aged Stony Hill Chards.
Most of the wines I acquired came via auction houses. Others from collectors I'd been put in contact with. Some were as protective of the wine as they were willing to sell it. One, whom I met in the parking lot of a run down hotel in Santa Rosa, CA as they were traveling north from San Jose to Oregon, actually got out of the car, walked over to me, asked "Are you Tom"? I nodded. "I've got your stuff." I instinctively looked around hoping not to be busted for trafficking in.....something. After we made the exchanged, the gentleman said to me, "take good care of them."
Weird.
I currently have the Stony Hill Chardonnay vertical going back to 1971.
Why anyone, let alone Stony Hill, would choose to make Gewurztraminer is beyond me. The prices for he wine rarely get above $15. Few people buy them. The grapes are hard to find. And you are forced to explain the wine. Why not just make more Cab or Chard? The Stony Hill crowd make their marketing mistake early on. They first planted Gewurztraminer in 1949. There was probably more planted in CA then than today.
I picked up my bottle of 2004 Gewurztraminer at Taylor & Norton in Sonoma. It was just sitting there, in a box yet to be shelved. Greg Taylor saw me eying it. He didn't have to sell. You don't see much of this stuff around. They only make about 180 cases. They don't have to sell it either. People come and get it.
You don't want to drink this wine all too cold. If you do, the subtle apricot, white peach and lemon aromas won't lift out of the glass too well. You want to let it warm up a bit. Something just south of room temperature was perfect. This wine is bone dry. No sugar. No sweets. The acids are prominent. And the alcohol is about 11%. Perfect.
We happily drank the whole bottle with popcorn and one of the most overlooked Spielberg movies, Amistad (great cast). The austere quality of the wine and its acids helped wash down the butter on the popcorn the same way hot water drives the soap on one's hands.
There are not more than about 1500 acres of Gewurztraminer planted in California and a whole lot of it goes into cheap, sweet $10 bottles. Stony Hill's is among the great Gewurztraminers along with Thomas Fogerty, Navarro, Handley, Bucklin and a few others. It's not hard to do a survey of the better Gewurztraminers in the world. You need to start in Alsace. But after that you can pull a few bottles from California, Germany and a few other locales. It's actually kind of nice to be able an international survey of the best of a type in such an easy and efficient fashion.
The wine was released in September. So, do your search and you can probably find some here or there. Or go through the winery.
"Spiceonnay"?? Probably not.
Now that's what I call Progress!!
A Federal judge in Pennsylvania has has knocked down the recently instituted change in that state's shipping laws that removed the right of PA wineries to ship direct to consumers. On what seemed to many as a decision made on a whim, the Liquor Control Board of PA reacted to their now discriminatory shipping laws by closing down all direct shipping rather than opening up PA to shipping by out-of-state wineries. This is known in legal terms as "leveling down", the practice of taking away privileges to address unconstitutional statues and laws rather than extending the privilege if this too would resolve the illegality.
The judge said that in taking away privileges that PA wineries had enjoyed for so long in an administrative, rather than legislative, way, and by not involving them in the process, violated due process (fairness).
That's legalese for PA residents can order
