Fermentation: The Daily Wine Blog

Wine IS Art

If you've ever doubted that wine is, or can be, art then consider these results from Acker Merrall's latest wine auction:

6 magnums 1971 Romanee Conti Domaine de la Romanee Conti $136,275.00

12 bottles 1962 Romanee Conti Domaine de la Romanee Conti $118,500.00

12 bottles 1961 Chateau Latour a Pomerol Pomerol $118,500.00

6 magnums 1978 Romanee Conti Domaine de la Romanee Conti $112,575.00

12 bottles 1971 Romanee Conti Domaine de la Romanee Conti $106,650.00

6 magnums 1961 Chateau Latour a Pomerol Pomerol $106,650.00

6 magnums 1947 Chateau Cheval Blanc St. Emilion $94,800.00

12 bottles 1962 La Tache Domaine de la Romanee Conti $88,875.00

12 bottles 1978 Romanee Conti Domaine de la Romanee Conti $88,875.00

6 magnums 1945 Chateau Mouton Rothschild Pauillac $82,950.00

12 bottles 1961 Chateau Lafleur Pomerol $77,025.00

12 bottles 1961 Chateau Petrus Pomerol $77,025.00

12 bottles 1962 Musigny Vieilles Vignes, Comte de Vogue $73,470.00

12 bottles 1962 Chambertin A. Rousseau $71,100.00

12 bottles 1947 Chateau Petrus Pomerol $71,100.00

12 bottles 1961 Chateau Petrus Pomerol $71,100.00

6 magnums 1961 Chateau Petrus Pomerol $71,100.00

2 magnums 1962 Romanee Conti Domaine de la Romanee Conti $65,175.00

1 Methuselah 1971 Romanee Conti Domaine de la Romanee Conti $65,175.00

12 bottles 1945 Chateau Mouton Rothschild Pauillac $65,175.00

12 bottles 1947 Chateau Lafleur Pomerol $65,175.00

6 bottles 1923 La Tache Liger-Belair $59,250.00

3 magnums 1962 La Tache Domaine de la Romanee Conti $59,250.00

Numerous records were broken during the weekend long auction of what was, apparently, one owner's considerable cellar. Many of these prices reflect not the high bidders' taste in wine, but rather their investment proclivities. The same can be said of many auction purchases of traditional fine arts that appear on canvas rather than in glass. Remember the majority of the "art" that hangs on walls in homes around the world is virtually worthless except for the pleasure it offers the owner. The same can be said for wine. However, as food products go, you don't see cheeses or beer or candy canes going at auction for $100,000. There is something about wine.

ZAP Views

I had hoped to take more shots of this year's event, but as usual I got involved in tasting and talking. However, a few were taken.

This was early...when the crowd was..small.

The crowd grows and grows and grows

Darryl Roberts, Publisher of Wine X Magazine hosted the Jelly Belly Tasting bar. Combine different beans, shoot them all at once, chew for 20 seconds, then experience the taste of Zin from different regions. Darryl is actually a very shy, restrained guy.

FERMENTATION publisher trying to figure out how to combine the right beans to create a a "Sonoma Valley Zinfandel".

One of the few "Bald Guys" at this year's Zap Tasting. A big change from previous year's event.

See that drip on the wine info sheet? I did that.

Your reporter going through the Ravenswood 04 Barrel Samples. The "Old Hill" and "Teldeschi" were beautiful.

That "Doe in the Headlights" look that overtakes many a pourer at ZAP.

Colorado Wine...coming your way

Colorado appears to be ready to pass a law allowing liberal direct shipping privlidges to in-state and out-of-state wineries.

What You Need To Know About Colorado Wine

The Wineman's Take On Colorado Wine

The Colorado Wine Fest: Get Ready

Zinfandel Advocates & Producers--ZAP Tasting

Last Saturday Zinfandel lovers and wine enthusiasts gathered in obscenely large numbers for the annual ZAP tasting in San Francisco. The "walk around" tasting is surely the largest of its type. A number of impressions were left upon this attendee.

1. The Urge to Devour
There is an overwhelming urge to taste and see everything when you are confronted with these many wineries all in one place. Something of an "open bar" mentality takes over that at once is very exciting, yet also appears to compel people to move from one winery table to the next is rapid succession, as though they will be penalized for not tasting everything.

2. Hopes, Dreams and the New
I saw a number of wineries that I'd never heard of before, all hoping for many things. Most were small operations, family wineries, that were looking for exposure, distribution, anything. It reminds one of a dog show, where the animals are at their best, yet telling one big greyhound from the next is not all that easy. And the dog owners know it. So, they hope for some sort of a big break. Zinfandel is still a good "entry level" wine for the new, micro winery. The grapes usually cost less than Cabernet or Pinot; there is a cultish quality to Zinfandel that means you might become a darling. Yet in setting where your new Zinfandel is competing against hundreds of other Zinfandels, ZAP may not be the best place to launch a cult, thought there are worse places.

3. My Favorite Zins (in no order)
02 ZAP Heritage Vineyards (made by Paul Draper)
03 Highlands Beatty Ranch, Howell Mountain
04 J Benton Furrow "Heart of Gold" Shenandoah Valley
04 Karmere Vineyards "Empress Hayley", Shenandoah Valley
03 Limerick Lane, Collins Vineyard, Russian River Valley
03 Loxton Cellars, Hillside, Sonoma Valley
04 Macchi Winery "Mischievous", Old Vine, Lodi
04 Ravenswood Old Hill, Sonoma Valley (Barrel Sample)
04 Ravenswood Teldeschi, Dry Creek Valley (barrel sample)
03 Bucklin, Old Hill, Sonoma Valley
02 Renwood "Old Vine", Amador County
03 William Talty Estate, Dry Creek Valley
03 Trinitas "Old Vine" Contra Costa County
04 Valdez Family, Rockpile Road Vineyard, Rockpile
04 XYZin, 100 years, Contra Costa County
03 Z-52. Clockspring Vineyard, Old Vine, Amador Country

4. Big O4s
The O4 Vintage seems to be a pretty big vintage. Extracted, high alcohol, and many being sweet. Lots of prune flavors, lots of dark red fruit flavors. It was very difficult to find a "claret" styled zin in this vintage, thought that may be more a reflection of winemaking styles than the vintage.

5. Deer in the Headlights
While it's not easy to maneuver through this kind of huge tasting, it's particularly diffiuclt for the people behind the tables. Many, after a few hours, simply have a "Deer in the headlights" look about them. The constant pouring, the push of people to get at your wine, the barrage of questions can be crushing. One winery owner I observed was moving from glass to glass to glass, pouring, talking with three people at the same time, then, in what was a mistake, stepped back and looked out over the heads of those crowding her table. She stopped. She stared out at people three deep at her table and then began scanning the crowd beyond. All she could see was a sea of heads, moving and shuffling about. I thought the drinkers were going to mutiny. Some looked around to see what she was looking at, but I know they didn't see the same thing. The winemaker's sigh was visible. And she returned to three conversations and the hands holding wine glasses being thrust at her.

6. Logistics
Never, ever try to park at the Fort Mason Center where the tasting is held unless you get a spot the night before. Park somewhere else in the city, then take a cab or a bus. Parking is horrendous.

7. No Senior Moments
I know well-made Zinfandel can age into something different,something beyond a jumpy fruit bomb. Yet, finding any well aged zin at this tasting is not possible. This is a shame. What a service it would be to some how demonstrate to the multitude that Zin can work its way into something complex and and refined and interesting with age. But this is not what consumers appear to want. Certainly that's not what members of the trade attending ZAP are looking for. I rather doubt that consumers are either. And this explains why such wines made no appearance. Still, a shame.

Weekend Links

WEEKEND LINKS
January 28, 2006

Keeping All Markets Open Best For Illinois Wineries

The Wine Region You Need To Know

In Honor of ZAP: Zins At Auction

The Great Pinot Noir Showdown: Chapter 4

The Great One..Listen, Learn, Swoon

Vote To Ban Bad Wine Words & Cliches

Who's Blogging Wine?

Getting Up There in Age

California Wine Shots

Blog of The Week: Quaffability

Sponsors Toast

A Toast To FERMENTATION Sponsors

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K & L WINE MERCHANTS
Click Here to check out the latest arrivals at K&L (It looks like Cain Five, one of the classic Napa ageables is back on the shelves)

MAYO FAMILY RESERVE ROOM
A recent article described the Mayo Reserve Room this way: "The in-depth approach here might spoil people for other tastings - and it's one of the best deals in the Wine Country."

LENNE ESTATE
Oregon Premium Vineyard and Winery Selecting Partners
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A Primer on the Wine Wars

In at least four states, politicians are debating whether or not wine distributors are so special that they ought to be favored at the expense of small wineries. In many cases the consequences of the outcome of the debate will determine if small wineries stay in business or are dismantled so that wine distributors might make more money and have complete control over wine distribution.

A Primer on the Wine Wars
...and how to fight them

Wineries have three ways of selling their wine to consumers:

1. Sell to you directly either at a tasting room or shipping the wine to you
2. Selling their wine to retailers and restaurants where consumers buy it
3. Selling their wine to distributors, who then sell to retailers or restaurants where consumers buy it

Roughly...
If the winery's retail price on a wine is $20 per bottle they make $20 using method #1.
If the winery's retail price on a wine is $20 per bottle they make $15 using method #2
If the winery's retail price on a wine is $20 per bottle they make $10 using method #3

The fundamental question that will play out in nearly every State over the next few years is:
Is it in the State's interest to prohibit wineries from utilizing methods #1 and #2?

Currently there are serious political moves afoot in Kansas, Illinois, Indiana and Virginia to force wineries to only use distributors in selling their wines. And yet, in not one of these cases is anyone advocating this framework for sales other than the wine distributors and the politicians they have purchased via campaign contributions.

The implications for small wineries if these corrupt legislative initiatives succeed are stunning and permanent.

Consider the 5,000 case winery that sells its wines 1/3 via direct to consumer, 1/3 via direct to retail and 1/3 via distributor. If they sell their wines at an average of $20 per bottle the wineries gross revenue would be $891,000. Forced by legislation to change and sell everything via distributor their gross revenue is reduced by nearly $300,000 annually to $600,000. And this doesn't take into consideration the fact that distributors rarely focus on small wineries in the way that small wineries can focus on themselves. The wineries would still have to hire an outside salespeople to sell the wine for the distributor so the distributor can take the order and deliver. And then of course, there is no guarantee that any distributor will choose to represent the small, 5000 case winery.

Every state will eventually have to deal with the issue of how wineries sell their wine. The U.S Supreme Court said that sales of wine must be equal for in-state and out of -state wineries. In most states wineries are allowed to sell direct to retailers (method 2), yet out of state wineries are prohibited from doing this. Recently a federal judge in Washington State confirmed that the U.S Supreme Court's 2005 ruling on the need for equality in direct to consumers sales also applies to sales to the trade (retailers and restaurateurs).

Distributors will and have claimed that if wineries in CA are allowed to ship direct to retailers in other states, it will mean the demise of the three tier distribution system and put may distributors out of business. They are only partially correct. What will happen is wholesalers will see their revenues reduced. However, wholesale distribution will remain the most common way wine gets to market because it's particularly efficient when it comes to large brands. However, they will lose market share to some wineries who choose to sell direct, bypass the wholesaler and find other ways to get their wines to restaurants and retailers.

Distributors feel as though they are fighting for their commercial lives. What's actually happening is they are reacting in a paranoid fashion that results from years of living under a state-imposed near monopoly framework. Quite simply, they are not thinking straight or creatively. Instead, they are forgoing subtlety and demanding the politicians they've paid off over the years introduce and support legislation that will protect them while destroying the wineries they currently make little or no money on. It is cynical, not to mention corrupt.

Consider Virginia. In reaction to a bill that would have leveled the playing field and allow all wineries across the country to sell and ship wine directly to the retailers and restaurants, the wholesalers have helped write and gotten introduced a bill that would completely prohibit Virginia's and all other wineries in the United states from selling and delivering wine directly to retailers and restaurants.

The legislator who introduced this bill is David B. Albo.   Since 2001, Albo has been one of the leading beneficiaries of campaign contributions by the Virginia Wine Wholesalers Association (VWWA). Between 2001 and 2005 Albo ranked as the VWWA's...

#2 top top target for campaign contributions in the VA Assembly in 2005
#2 top top target for campaign contributions in the VA Assembly in 2004
#10 top top target for campaign contributions in the VA Assembly in 2003
#4 top top target for campaign contributions in the VA Assembly in 2002
#2 top top target for campaign contributions in the VA Assembly in 2001

In 2005 alone Albo campaign contributions from VA wine and beer distributors was double that of any other industry.

As an industry, alcohol wholesalers have dominated the campaign contribution game in Virginia since 2001 and beyond. Since 2001, the alcohol distribution industry has donated more than $2.55 million to political candidates. This figure dwarfs even the second leading industry.

In 2005 the VWWA donated $165,000 to political candidates and pacs in Virginia. By contrast, the winery supported PAC, VA Vines & Wines Pac, donated a total of $8650 to political candidates and Pacs, including $250 to David Albo. VWWA gave $6,500 to Albo in 2005.

(All figures from the Virginia Public Access Project)

The formula here is clear. Wineries around the country cannot compete with distributors when it comes to buying politicians. They simply do not have the the coin.

The only weapon in their arsenal to fight the largess of the wholesale tier is the moral high ground and the sympathy of nearly every person who reads or hears about how they are being treated both by the political system and wholesalers. Without utilizing this one advantage it is likely that within five years the majority of states will have followed the money and enacted legislation that puts wineries at the mercy of the distributors' whims, prejudice, money and incompetence.

How to Beat Back The Wholesalers
If wineries and their supporters are to beat back the wholesalers' assault on their ability to make and sell wine for a profit they must marshall public opinion against the the wholesalers and the corrupting nature of campaign contributions.

Step One: Develop An Organizational Structure
In Michigan wineries and consumers created "Wine CAM, an organization that was designed to fight anti-winery legislation and act as the agent for relations with citizens and the press. They were very successful for a number of reasons. Most important was WINE CAM gave media a central place to go for information on the battle and to find spokespeople. In many states such a task might fall to the wineries' own association. Either way, a central clearinghouse for information and media relations is critical. It is important that however this organization is run that consumers be brought in and given a voice too.

Step 2: Gather Information
In nearly every state, campaign contribution information is publicly accessible on-line. It is critical to be able to demonstrate the money trail between distributors and politicians who are doing their bidding. Gathering campaign contribution information on sponsors of anti-winery legislation is the first step. The information must then be culled, sorted and organized to show in stark fashion the connection between distributor money and anti-winery legislative activities.

Along the lines of gathering information, it is key to develop a profile of the states' wineries. In nearly every state outside CA wineries are family-owned. They tend to be small. They tend to be owned by people who work hard in the dirt, in the winery and in the market. And few are making a fortune. In short, a profile of the state's wine industry should be created that allows the media and residents of the state to both sympathize and relate to the winery owners while at the same time contrasting the winery to the hulking behemoth that is the state's wine distribution industry.

3. Carefully Craft Your Message & Argument
It's not enough to simply have gathered and arranged information. It must be packaged into a compelling and simple message. This means being able to combat the distributor's message machine also. Thankfully, the distributors are generally very bad at delivering a coherent, compelling message that the media and consumer can sympathize with . Nevertheless, their message needs to be combatted.

Wholesalers generally offer only two arguments to support their desire for legislation that would prohibit wineries from selling directly to retailers and restaurants: 1) tax collection is more orderly when a wholesaler monopoly is instituted, 2) the three tier system is what the state had in mind when it re-regulated sales after the end of Prohibition. Both these arguments can be easily addressed by demonstrating that wineries already collect and remit taxes and by simply explaining that the three tier system of wine distribution is not being dismantled when wineries sell directly to the trade.

More important than combatting the distributors crude message is pro-actively delivering the pro-farmer, pro-business message of the wineries. This has to be done by pointing out the devastation that would be done to the state's small family wineries if self-distribution to retailers and restaurants is denied. Concrete examples of how wineries will fail must be crafted.

Finally, the "David v.Corrupt Goliath" message should be crafted that demonstrates how an unfair, money-driven favoritism is the only thing that has led to the proposed legislation that would put wineries out of business.

Step 4: Deliver Your Message
Very simply, this amounts to putting the well-crafted message in front of the media and consumer. Websites need to be created and materials that make the wineries case need to be printed. Press releases highlighting various aspects of the wineries' messaging should be delivered to reporters, wine writers, editorial boards and managing editors on a regular basis as the legislative battle progresses. Letter writing campaigns aimed at both the legislators and the media should be created utilizing the mailing list of the wineries. Demonstrations on the capital steps need to organized. Alliances between other organizations of small business should be developed. Letters to the editor should be sent on a regular basis from both winery owners and consumers. Whenever a ridiculous statement by a wholesaler representative or legislator is made, a press release should be issued that disputes the statement and reiterates the wineries' own messaging. Finally, the paramount message, in every communication, must be the ownership of the legislator by the wholesalers and the resulting demise of small, family-owned wineries.

Many wineries looking at this plan will respond with, "how much time do you think we have on our hands? We are just two or three people at each winery running a small business."

I sympathize with that. However, if you these small wineries do not prepare to fight this battle smartly they will find they have lots of time on their hands.

Drinking & Eating with Ben and Tom

Every now and then you come across a book that you assume was written specifically for your eyes. It appeals to your past, your aspirations, your education, your occupation. That's how I felt about
"An Evening with Benjamin Franklin & Thomas Jefferson: Dinner, Wine & Conversation"  by James Gabler.

Many of your will be familiar with Gabler due to his last work, "Passions: The Wines & Travels of Thomas Jefferson," winner of the 1995 "Veuve Clicquot Wine Book of the Year" award. Now Gabler delivers a new work that once again has history as its focus but also spends a good deal of time focused on one of his own passions, wine.

The premise is simple: A historian is catapulted back in time via a dream and placed on the doorstep of Thomas Jefferson's home in Paris. There are no time travel mechanics, alternative histories or black holes to consider in the historian's travel back. You simply suspend disbelief because doing so gets you to the red meat of Gabler's book: The chance to talk to Jefferson and Franklin with the knowledge of what came after them.

Gabler's new book is remarkable on a number of levels. First, you have to understand that the title is an accurate reflection of the book's content. Yet, while the book is "fiction" it is also pure non-fiction all the way down to the more than 800 footnotes and the fact that much of what Franklin and Jefferson say to our historian are their own words, preserved in various letters and sources and faithfully reproduced in the appropriate conversations Gabler creates. But it is also a speculative book insofar as throughout Gabler has both Jefferson and Franklin reacting to news of what has transpired in the 200 or so years since they died. Still with me?

You really must know my own background to appreciate why this book is such a thrilling one for me. Around 1988 I decided to get a masters degree in history. I was one of those fellows who sought out a higher degree merely because I didn't get enough of college by the time I was awarded my BA. My subject was history, specifically American history. While indulging myself in a MA in History I focused more specifically on American Diplomatic History. Luckily, the University I attended offered one of the top professors in the country who specialized generally in American Diplomatic History and the Historiography of American Diplomacy.

One of the areas I spent a good deal of time studying was the diplomatic history and the foreign affairs of the Revolutionary period, that era covered in "An Evening..". At about the very same time in my life I was completely taken by wine and began to study it liberally. By the time I got my MA and realized that I didn't want a PhD, I had chosen to look into working in the wine industry.

So as you can see, Gabler's "historical fiction" with its focus on the American Revolutionary period as well as substantially on wine is something I might jump into feet first.

That said, "An Evening..." is largely a reminiscence. It is not a critical biography. It does not cast a sharp eye on Jefferson and Franklin with the truly modern goal of deconstructing their hypocrisies or foibles. Rather, Gabler has created a portrait of Jefferson and Franklin at rest, comfortable, looking back on where they've been, what they've learned, the things they regret and the pleasures they experienced and sought out. There is nothing defensive in this work. It is a long, comfortable and deeply interesting conversation with two very worldly men of the 18th century.

Did they drink wine in the 18th century, these worldly men, these radicals, these revolutionaries?

In discussing his 1787 tour of Burgundy, Jefferson relates to our time traveling historian:

"Arriving in the ancient town of Beaune on March 8, I lodged at Chez Dion a L'Ecu de France and promptly hired Etienne Parent, a cooper and wine merchant, as a guide to the vineyards of Pommard, Volnay, Montrachet and Meursault. As I mentioned earlier, Parent and I became friends, and he became my Burgundian wine counselor. Parent took me to the vineyards of Monsieur de la Tour, and it was here that I was introduced to the most expensive dry wine of Burgundy. My tasting confirmed Parent's  opinion and I ordered 125 bottles of 1782 Montrachet."

Throughout the book we are treated to descriptions of Burgundy, Bordeaux the Rhone, Champagne and other wine producing regions that our heroes encountered throughout their lives. And we are also offered tales of drinking as well as wine reviews. Describing his encounter with white Hermitage while in the village of Tain, Jefferson tells Franklin the drink was "the first wine in the world, without a single exception:

"it was not entirely dry. It was what I call silky, and when I use the term silky I do not mean sweet, but sweetish in the smallest degree only."

The liberties that Gabler takes with his subject's minds and recollections are grounded in the historical record. Yet, Gabler's own voice is also delivered through the words of Jefferson and Franklin. Gabler is  clearly an optimist and a man of principle who believes much of the wisdom that our country might posses was best expressed in the acts of revolutionaries and country-makers like Franklin and Jefferson.

One is not required to have a post-graduate degree in history to appreciate this book. There is no jargon to sift through. Yet it distills a great deal of research and scholarship in a way that can be appreciated by the average reader  and particularly by the wine lover who knows the meaning of wine is found as much in the past as in the present.

Finally, if you need a 90+ point review from a famed wine critic to convinced this is the book for you, Robert Parker, Jr. said:

"An Evening with Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson: Dinner, Wine, and Conversation " is a brilliant roman a clef around wine and the lives and travels of Thomas Jefferson and Ben Franklin. This is a marvelously enlightening book for both historians and wine enthusiasts."


An Evening with Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson:
Dinner Wine and Conversation
By James Gabler
Published by Bacchus Press on January 17, 2006, the 300th anniversary of Benjamin Franklin's Birth

The Underrated, Great Growing Region

Many years ago I headed up a statistical study of the "Wine Spectator's Palate". I looked at scores, appellations, price, etc. And this was before the days of the Internet when cut and paste made such inquiries much easier.

However, the most interesting piece of information gleaned from the study, done around 1995, was that the Santa Cruz Mountains appellation wines reviewed by the Spectator received the highest average scores on an appellation by appellation basis.

Today the SF Chronicle Wine Section takes a taste of Santa Cruz Mountain Chardonnays. Among the best are the Ridge and the Mount Eden Vineyard Chards. I can attest to the quality of the Ridge Chardonnays. Although best known for their Zins and blends and Monte Bello Red, one of the best Chardonnays Ive ever put in my mouth was their Monte Bello Chardonnay.

It's nice to see this appellation getting attention

Does Too Much Wine Give You Gas?

If you ever wanted confirmation that Australia is producing too many grapes, then here it is. "Grapes to Gas" appears the mantra for today as one of the methods of dealing with overproduction of wine grapes in that country.

Winemakers & the Mother Bear Syndrome

It's the ultimate tasting-among-winemakers "No No". And I committed it.

Actually I've committed this particular sin on a number of occasions. It's just that I've become accustomed to the evil looks and dismissive head-shaking, so I keep doing it...Because it's fun.

Winemakers are protective, very protective, of not just their own concoctions, but of their colleagues' wines too. I think it's akin to being a Motherhood thing. The wines are their spawn. They've worked hard to bring them into the world. You don't mess with them. And when they see someone mess with a wine, whether it's their baby or not, winemakers get a little irked.

The winemaker across from me got irked the other day. I could see it in her eyes the way they became saucer-like, the way her lips pursed, and the way she remained silent  then turned her back and swiftly left he tasting. I think she was particularly upset with the obvious child-like look of playfulness on my face as I completely obliterated three of her colleagues' wines.

What had I done? I blended together parts of three different, finished wines into one glass to make, essentially, a different wine. The varietal was Chardonnay. the appellation was Russian River Valley. The final product: All my own.

I was at a tasting where 10 RRV chards were being evaluated by winemakers and other trade types. It was a typical tasting of this sort: taste through them all blind, take notes, then talk about them. It was an interesting tasting. As always, winemakers can be brutal when tasting wines, even if their own wine is in the tasting.

But there were these three wines: one was pretty darn acidic and carried an intense citrus core. Another was one of those big, over the top, oaky buttery numbers. And the final one was one of the new unoaked, tropical-fruit driven wines. They were begging to be blended. And If I do say so, the final wine I blended into one glass was pretty good.

I do this sort of thing a lot towards the end of a tasting. Call it childish. Some have identified it as the "control freak" in me. But winemakers just don't like. They don't like he idea of someone adulterating their product they have worked so hard to create. I don't know if this kind of protectiveness extends to other professions. I don't know if chefs get upset if I create forkful of their lamb shank with the garlic mashed potatoes on the plate. I don't know if the makers of Pepsi and Schweppes get upset when I combine their two products in glass.

I suppose I should be more considerate when the winemaker who produced the wine that I diluted with another is sitting across from me. It's not as though I'm telling them that their wine is no good. I'm not even telling them that I made their wine a little better. I'm just playing.

The lesson is this: winemakers are a combination mother, artist and technician. The mother in them is protective and their artistic side makes them somewhat ego driven. Be prepared for an an ugly look if you choose to harm their baby or adulterate their creation.

A simple question...

A simple question:

A number of states across the country are in the process of prohibiting their in-state wineries from being able to sell directly to retailers and restaurateurs, a privilege they have usually enjoyed for some time.

If wineries are forced to go through a distributor to sell to restaurants and retailers, shouldn't the state also force the wholesalers to represent any winery that wants representation?

Your thoughts and and comments are encouraged..

Wine and the Education of the Meek

Maybe you are reading FERMENTATION, other wine blogs and other wine info on the net because you've recently developed a passing interest in wine. Maybe your new boyfriend is a wine lover and you want to share. Perhaps you have a new job in a wine related field and you need to get up to speed. Whatever it is that brought you to the subject of wine pretty soon you're going to bump up against a guy like me.

You've heard about these people. They swirl, sniff, think, sniff some more, sip then blurt out some incomprehensible bit of verbiage such as, "This wine's a bit light in the middle but it shows very good length and I love that note of black currant on top."

I swear to God, we aren't TRYING to intimidate the "wine meek", but we know we do. Still, if you are caught in a room with two or three of these types it's very unlikely they'll tone down their vocabulary just for for. You're best defense against the incomprehensible is knowledge. If you want to really enjoy wine, if you do want to understand it, if you want to converse with those of us who have fallen into the pit of winedom and can't get up...you need to learn a new language. If you don't, you'll just feel intimidated and give up.

There are a bunch of books out there that offer definitions, or "translations, if you will, of wine terms. If you are new to wine get one. I still have a French/English translation dictionary that is falling apart because it experienced every step I took on my first trips to France. Nearly half my day on my twice yearly trips was spent standing in front of some poster or sign or menu looking up and down from the words to the dictionary, back and forth.

Rachel Forrest delivers what is a pretty darn good short primer on wine language for the space she has in a newspaper column in the Portsmouth Herald. She even gets the definition of "terroir" right...and this is a rarity for a newspaper column. But best of all her column is empowering to those who want to learn more. And this is the most you can ask of an advise column on wine.

There are others on the net too:

Tastingwine.com's Wine Definitions
The Vino Wine Glossary of Terms

When Pigs Fly

How it works in Indiana:

1. Law in place that allows Indiana Wineries to sell to retailers and direct to consumers.

2. Supreme Court Rules discrimination in Direct to Consumer sales is unconstitutional

3. Bill Introduced to allow wineries in-state and out of state to ship direct to consumers

4. Indiana Wine wholesalers give $181,000 to Indiana Legislators

5. Bill Amended to outlaw sales from wineries to retailers and to make it near impossible to ship to consumers

RESULT: Minors are saved from being slaves to booze, Indiana wineries no longer have to worry about sales because they are no longer in business, Indiana wine wholesalers remain the champion of morals and small business, Legislators buy new sail boat.

Diss Me...Get some love...It's Policy

I don't usually pay a lot of attention to those who diss me or FERMENTATION. Nor am I apt to ask others to pay attention to them. But damn it, my latest critic, despite what he had to say about me and FERMENTATION, has a pretty cool blog!

"Martini Lounge: Saving the World One Drink at a Time"  is an eclectic view of the bar world and its connection to culture that delivers an authentic voice that entertains with reviews of new products, places and news from barworld. The owner, Rick, writes from San Francisco and apparently has spent some time mixing drinks. He brings has a cultivated cynicism that informs his writing. It's good.

And yes, he had some opinions about me and FERMENTATION...specifically my ability to "get it".

I'll live.

And I'll be reading and keeping an eye on the man saving the world one drink at a time.

Vines Vs. RidgeTops....Ridges Win!

Who likes to be told what to do? Who likes to be regulated? Raise your hand.

Exactly as I thought. Neither do I. However, I think one thing is clear. Were we not to regulate ourselves it's likely we'd be drinking spoiled water, driving death traps and we'd be reading about open space in our history books.

More regulation is about to come to the Sonoma County wine industry, regulation driven by environmental conservation and preservation. This time it concerns timber-lands on the Sonoma Coast where vineyard plantings have picked up over the past few years. The number of vineyards that have replaced Redwood trees, Douglas Fir stands and other timberland is not a huge number. But the cool region that has proven quite special for the cultivation of Pinot Noir in particular is in the sights of the vineyardists and wineries.

The problem for the Pinot Noir growers comes in the form of a community of VERY committed environmentalists who inhabit this region in great numbers. They see the vineyard incursion coming from a number of angles but most particularly in the form of "Preservation Ranch". This is a proposed development by Premium Pacific Vineyards of 2000 acres of vineyards mainly on hills and ridge-tops where trees will be stripped away to make way for vines. They bought a total of 20,000 acres and have said they plan to restore 18,000 to timberland.

Those opposing this project as well as most vineyard development in the area and that will displace timberland are generally concerned about the environmental affects of vineyards and particularly concerned about the lost of ancient stands of trees as well as timberland. Heading up the opposition is a newly formed organization calling themselves "Friends of Gualala River". They've done a good job of getting out in front of this issue and of convincing Sonoma County's Board of Supervisors to do something about it.

Next month the Board will vote to impose much more stringent regulations on the planting of vineyards on Sonoma Coast's timber-lands. The proposal as currently written does not satisfy Friends of Gualala River." It's not stringent enough. But there's still lobbying to do...on both sides of the issue.

All that said, here's what I know for sure: Given the opportunity, wineries and grapegrowers would happily and eventually rip out every tree on the Sonoma Coast and plant it for Pinot Noir. We'd lose what is a remarkable and unique ecosystem. But we'd have lots of yummy Pinot.

Grapegrowers and winemakers are not bad people. They are in fact among the most environmentally conscious people on the planet. But, in the end, they are people who, not given limits, would push aside whatever is in their way in pursuit of the grape. They are not unlike environmentalists. Without limits placed upon the environmentalists' desires we'd find ourselves living in conditions akin to 1820 and human progress would be stopped as a matter of policy.

However, this time the environmentalists have it right. This is remarkable land. There's room for vineyards out on the Sonoma Coast, but it should be extraordinarily difficult to develop it.

The Best Wine Blog 2005 is....

A HUGE Congratulations to Alder Yarrow, the proprietor of Vinography, for winning the Best Blog on Wine Beer or Spirits in 2005.

This is the second year in a row that Vinography has been singled out for the honor and one look at Alder's work makes it clear why.

Alder is so dedicated to the stories and joys and intricacies of wine and the world of wine as to be infectious. His stories and posts are thoughtful in the extreme. And best of all, he treats his readers with respect, never dumbing down his words or ideas. For many of us, Vinography is an inspiration.

Congratulations to Alder and Vinography!!

And thanks again to Kate over at WellFedNetwork and Accidental Hedonist for her huge efforts in spotlighting the best in food and wine blogging.

Harvesting the fruits of Liberalized Trade in Wine

Wines & Vines Magazine reports that since direct shipping to consumers was instituted in Texas, shipping in-state is up dramatically. Bobby Champion, a pressure-inducing name if I ever saw one, is with the Texas Agricultural Department. He says:

"It's a tremendous boon to the industry and it could double or triple growth
within the next two to three years"

One would hope that states currently considering destroying their local wine industries by shutting down direct shipping might call on "the Champion" to get a better insight into the results of liberalizing direct shipping of wine.

Mother Nature's Minimalism

The annual pseudo-break that hits the wine country every winter is winding down.

Each year, beginning sometime in December, things seem to slow down in wine country. As with the pace of just about everything else in an agricultural community, it's a slow down associated with the dictates of mother nature.

The "slow down" arrives after the grapes are off the vine and once they are in barrel and tank, fermenting. The "season" is over. The results of tinkering in the vineyard and carefully helping the grapes toward ripeness is over.

Of course, the wine industry doesn't shut down. In fact, the slow down is more psychological than it is real. Still, even that psychic rest the vintners, and even the community surrounding wine, experiences is a welcome one. But it doesn't last long.

Beginning in late January, now, vintners turn once again to face the keeper of the industry pace: the vineyards. Beginning in late January pruning begins in earnest. Mother Nature is indeed a taskmaster.

This time of year, between January and March, is my favorite time of the year in Northern California's wine country. We tend to get nice cool days that are crisp and clean and clear. And as you drive past the vineyards or walk through them, you get to experience the essential nature of the vines, uncovered, stark and simple. The old vines are the most inspiring. They tend to be pruned later in the season, usually in mid to late February. But once cut back to their bare essentials you have a picture of of rugged simplicity that appeals to most people who encounter them.

Today is very bright, very sunny and cool in Glen Ellen in Sonoma Valley. I have my favorite kind of meeting set up...it's in the vineyard. If you can, you really should follow me. You should take a couple days and come to wine country and see it at its most minimal, most quietest.

Vintage Wine Shipping Hooey

Boy, it has been  long time since I've seen this kind of hooey. Even the Wine & Spirit Wholesalers and their shills haven't been making the argument of late that there is any evidence that minors are buying wine online in any significant number.

Yet here comes Lisa Hutcheson, in a letter to the editor in the Indianapolis Star, trying to sell the idea that "10 percent of underage drinkers buy their alcohol online".

Hutcheson went so far as to doctor an already bogus quote.  For a long time the Wine & Spirit Wholesalers Association along with a number of wholesaler-backed front groups were quoting a National Academy of Sciences study:

"Surveys of underage purchase of alcohol over the Internet or through  home delivery  show that small percentages (10 percent) of young people report obtaining alcohol in this manner."

Hutcheson went so far as to REMOVE the "home delivery" part of the quote.

Of course, had she read FERMENTATION, would have realized that there is NO study anywhere that links minors to purchasing wine on the Internet.

Hutcheson is the director of the Indiana Coalition to Reduce Underage Drinking. While I'm positive she means well, I'm disappointed she would choose to misrepresent what the National Academy of Sciences said in a report that itself misrepresents reality.

Millennial Women: The overlords of wine

There is some pretty fascinating information in an article by Jack Heeger in the Napa Valley Register that covers the findings of a study of consumer wine drinking habits sponsored by the Wine Market Council. The most intriguing information concerns the habits of 21 to 28 year old wine drinkers...THE MILENNIALS!!

GIVE'EM CUTE, EYE CATCHING AND CHEAP
Debora Scott of TRD Frameworks, the firm that conducted the survey, told Heeger:

"They don't necessarily pay attention to regions, but look at wines that catch their attention. To this group, the visual appeal of the bottle is great. They don't necessarily know brands, but they recognize a (familiar) label when they see it. They start with a price range and a varietal, then just look at the bottles, and for many it's a non-traditional label."

This sounds like typical introductory wine drinker habits to me: They know what they can afford, they have an idea of what kind of wine they want to drink. Then, it's find a label that appeals to them. The question after that is two-fold: Are Milennials brand loyal and are they inclined to step up in price as their disposable income increases.

Though I have no data on this, I'd bet they are both brand loyal AND will eventually be drinking Napa Cabernet and Carneros Pinot as their incomes increase.

Heeger also noted the following in his article:

"While Millennials are drinking more wine -- the good news -- much of it is imported wine, which i s the bad news. Merrill said that imports are nearly at an all-time high, and that is a challenge
of great importance to domestic producers.

Why do I get the feeling that the huge wine companies are in the process as you read this of creating the brands and promotions that will lure Millennials to lower priced, yummy, "fun" wines? That Millennials are drinking lots of Australian wine is not so much "bad news" as it is an indication that Australia was the first to market with "cute" wines and has done a good job of following up with more. I expect the drinking habits of American Millennials to shift somewhat to show more favor to American "cute" and "fun" brands.

NOW HERE'S THE REAL INTERESTING STUFF

"Scott said her findings indicated that men, when with male friends, generally drink beer,
while women tend to drink wine with their female friends. Men, however, drink wine when
they are with women. One male respondent said, "Any time women are around, wine is a
good choice.

"Scott said this is an indication that Millennial men get the cue from women in their lives."

I'm tempted to come back with a big "DUH.." But I have to stop myself. I wonder if this deference shown to "women in the room" is a new phenomena, particularly among a younger group? It certainly is a finding that should remind marketers that what is being drunk at gatherings is highly dependent upon the circumstances of the gathering and the venue.

And, it should be a heartening confirmation to women that men do indeed know who's the boss?

Carving Up Carneros.....and the rest of American Wine

I had the opportunity today to sit in on a tasting of Carneros Pinot Noir and Chardonnay organized by Appellation America at Bouchaine Vineyards. The idea behind the tasting is important: Do Carneros Pinot Noir and Chardonnays posses any defining characteristics that make them uniquely "Carneros"?

Twenty two Pinot Noirs from the 2003 vintage were examined along with nineteen Chardonnays. After tasting through the Pinots, all of which were very good wines, I couldn't get one question out of my mind:

Is it time to abandon the search for appellational definition and focus on serious reductionist
approach to understanding American terroir?

I really marveled at the optimism and seriousness of the people who put this tasting together along with the troop of winemakers and industry professionals that took part in it. There was a genuine and searing focus on trying to understand what make Carneros Pinot Noir unique. The setting for the tasting, the way in which it was conducted, the seriousness of the evaluations of the wines. All of this was top notch. Yet there was a real reluctance on the group's part to offer a real definition of what Carneros Pinot Noir should or does mean. No one was able or willing to say with conviction and
clarity what the unique characteristics of Carneros Pinot Noir are.

This makes sense.

The American appellation system is one not built on either characterizations of quality or character, but rather upon vast generalization about weather patterns, soil patterns and historical nomenclature. As a result vast swaths of land have been encircled by borders and called American Viticultural Areas (or, Appellations).

Almost immediately upon the approval of each appellation by the Federal Government the marketing began. As a result, the best known appellations today are understood as places where high quality wine is produced. However, they are not known as places where you can find wines of a particular character.

The fact is, in most high quality appellations known for Pinot Noir, the wines are made fine by the appropriate cool climate and suitable soils. Any notable characteristics of an appellation's wines, however, are most often the result of clonal differences, variations in ripeness at harvest, and production techniques, not something the terroir generated.

Carneros is the same. One consensus that came out of today's tasting that I gleaned from the comments of the winemakers in attendance was that the style of Carneros Pinot Noir has gradually changed over the past 20 years. Today we see riper Carneros Pinot Noir that can be associated in large part to the increased use of "Dijon Clones". These are clones of Pinot Noir that tend to ripen at higher sugar levels and give off brighter and denser flavors. There are other viticultural influences that have helped make Carneros Pinot Noirs bigger and brighter and fruitier. And there are new production techniques that have evolved that have also influenced this change. But the use of new Dijon clones is of paramount importance.

For those people who believe that wines are more interesting and wine drinking more fulfilling when the influence of the terroir rather than the winemaker is at the forefront there is really only on one thing that can be done: Create smaller, more terroir-driven sub appellations; carve up the big appellations into smaller regions based on a more consistent set of terroir factors.

Doing this would give greater meaning to the appellation on the label. It would be a raising of the terroir flag. Would better wines result? Certainly not as a direct result. In fact, you can't say that terroir-driven wines or wines with identifiable characteristics of an appellation are necessarily better in any way than wines created by the winemaker with a particular style in mind. But they are more interesting and more intellectually engaging.

So why not do this? Why not carve up Carneros into "the flats" the "windy west side", the "warmer northern hills"? Why not carve up Russian River Valley into the "Middle Reach", the "Goldridge", the "Santa Rosa Plain". Why not carve up Anderson Valley into the "Deep End" and the "Ridges"?

They only thing that really stops vintners from doing this is marketing considerations. One very well known, very intelligent vintner of long standing who has made a tremendous name for themselves making Russian River Valley Pinot Noir told me "Doing this would be disastrous". There reason? "We've just now got the trade and consumers understanding what Russian River Valley is."

They didn't mean that the trade and wine drinkers now know what characteristics to expect from a Russian River Valley Pinot Noir. What they meant was the trade and wine drinkers now recognize that high quality wines come from the Russian River Valley and carving it up would mean diluting the "brand" that is "Russian River Valley" as well as having to start the educational effort all over again.

This is laziness and intellectual dishonesty.  If you created a new sub appellation of Russian River Valley called "The Middle Reach" you could easily put that new sub-appellation on the label ALONGSIDE "Russian River Valley", thereby capitalizing on the promotional efforts that have been aimed at Russian River Valley over the years while also promoting the idea that terroir matters.

If winemakers and marketers are going to go on and on about the importance of terroir then they need to commit themselves to actually defining regions that might have fairly consistent terroirs that can confidently described as having particular characteristics.

Two of the smartest and deep thinking wine writers in the business oversaw the tasting today: Dan Berger and Alan Goldfarb. These are people who rarely ever pull a punch. They are writers and wine critics in the sense that they are willing to write well informed, critical evaluations of wines, winemakers and the wine industry. They know as well as anyone the factors that have led to a sameness among wines. They know what chasing scores has done to wines. They know what marketing departments have done to wines. They know what technological improvements have done to wines. And they care about these things. This is why they both signed on to work on the Appellation America project and believe it is important.

Despite the apprehensiveness I saw among the winemakers at the tasting to offer a succinct definition of what "Carneros Pinot Noir" is, I hope these writers won't be discouraged. I hope they keep doing this. I hope they force winemakers and wine drinkers and wine geeks to ask hard questions about what terroir means. If the project can be sustained over many years and many such tastings eventually they will have to start asking about regions within appellations. And that is when real meaning and change will be brought about in the realm of American wine terroirs.

Negotiating With The Truth in Illinois Wine Shipping Battle

The Illinois legislature held a committee meeting today on the issue of direct shipping. Following the meeting I had a chance to speak with the lobbyist for the wineries, Mr. David Strickland.

According to Strickland, it was his view that the overriding message from the committee members was "find a compromise". Apparently both the Wholesalers' and the Wineries' bills were approved and passed through the committee to the floor of the House.

In communicating with the committee, the wholesalers characterized direct shipping, according to Strickland, as "The end of civilized society". However, though they claimed direct shipping to consumers was a threat to minors they apparently offered no evidence that it occurs on even an insignificant level.

Wineries on the other hand made the case that direct shipping to consumers was an essential means by which Illinois wineries were able to make a go of it and if it were prohibited it could be a severe or even fatal blow to many of Illinois' 63 wineries.

Perhaps the most interesting comment by Strickland came when I asked him if the Wholesalers' main concern was with direct sales by wineries to retailers and restaurants, a privilege they currently have under Illinois law. Strickland, who has listened to the wholesalers in both committee hearings as well as in private meetings with them, suggested that the main concern for wholesalers was the possibility that allowing direct sale of wine to consumers would open up the direct sale of beer and spirits to consumers, something that is currently illegal under Illinois law.

Let me be clear about this: I don't believe for a second that the wholesalers' main concern is either the direct shipping of wine to consumers or the direct shipping of beer and spirits to consumers. The main concern of any wholesaler with head on his shoulders is the direct sale from wineries to retailers and restaurateurs.

There is no way any Illinois winery is going to agree to a prohibition on their right to sell directly to retailers and restaurants. Simply, too much of their business is built on this sales channel. However, I believe in order to keep this avenue for sale in place, both the wineries and wholesalers will have to agree to craft a compromise bill that is unconstitutional. Let me explain.

Recently a Federal Judge in WA State ruled that a state may not allow its own wineries to sell direct to retailers while prohibiting out of state retailers from doing the same. She based her ruling on the Supreme Court decision last May that said a state may not discriminate against out of state wineries by prohibiting them from selling direct to consumers while allowing in-state wineries to do this. It is, the judge said, a matter of keeping the commercial playing field level for everyone. Currently in Illinois, the playing field favors in-state wineries.

If this ruling in WA State stands, it means that all states must treat their own and out of state wineries the same when it comes to wineries selling direct to retailers: either they all can do it, or none of them can do it.

I can predict with some confidence that in Illinois the wineries and wholesalers will agree to keep what is essentially an unconstitutional provision of Illinois beverage law in place. The question is whether or not the wholesalers will also try to put a Michigan-style poison pill in the bill.

In Michigan this same scenario played out. Wineries and wholesalers agreed to craft a law that allowed Michigan wineries to sell direct to retailers, but prohibited out of state wineries from doing the same. However, inside this law is a provision that says if any part of the law is deemed unconstitutional, then the privilege Michigan wineries enjoy in selling their wines direct to retailers will be revoked.

It's pretty nasty, cynical language, but a very good indication of how important the wholesalers believe this issue of direct sales to restaurants and retailers is.

The wholesalers and wineries in Illinois begin their negotiations tomorrow. It's anticipated that it will be a good two weeks before anything comes out of the negotiations. If a compromise cannot be crafted by the two parties then both the wineries' and the wholesaler' bills will go forward and be voted on.

This is the point at which the media starts to quiet down...while there is no news. Recently there have been a spat of articles in Illinois and Missouri that described the battle between wholesalers and wineries and which also pointed to the wholesalers' muscle that comes via huge campaign contributions. Those articles will stop as the parties negotiate. Yet, there is no more important time for the wineries to keep up their media campaign. Now is when the ground work has to be laid by telling the story of wholesaler greed, the story of small farmers, the story of obscenely large campaign contributions and the story of the expansion of the Illinois wine industry. Negotiations take place in the context of what is possible. It becomes more and more difficult for one party in the negotiations to take a hard line when they know that the public is being persuaded they are wrong. And in this case, the wholesalers are wrong. It only takes pressure from the media, the people and the wineries to make that clear.

 

Last Day To Vote in Food/Wine Blog Awards

Today is your last day to vote in the the Food Blog Awards for 2005 hosted by Kate over at the Accidental Hedonist.

In the running for this year's award for "Best Blog Covering Wine, Beer or Spirits"  are:

Fermentation (you are already here--go check out the others)
A Good Beer Blog
Lenn Devours
The Scotch Blog
Vinography

VOTE HERE

Crappy Winemaker Protests in France

In their continuing protests against the discriminatory practices of the Free Market, Bordeaux winemakers dumped a ton of Manure (the source was not disclosed) up against the office of a wine broker.

The protest by Jeunes Agriculteurs (the young farmers' union) against wine broker  Stéphane Page was carried out in response to Page's decision to collaborate with the free market and sell a barrel of wine for 700 Euros, rather than the 1000 Euros recommended by the the Bordeaux and Bordeaux Supérieur union.

In response to the action wine broker page said: "I can see that €700 per barrel isn't viable for some producers. But if the price is at €700 and stays at 700 for two years, I will, unfortunately, continue to sell at €700 because that's my job."

The Free Market was not available for comment.

It's not quite stealing.....but...

You know world of wine blogging is expanding when in a short amount of time at least three new Wine Blog Aggregation sites emerge.

eWineCentral
A LA Wine
WineLust

What are these sites? Well, basically they lift posts off of other wine blogs, put the post on their own site and leave it at that. Or, they offer a headline or first paragraph from a post and direct the reader back to the original site. And this makes up the entire content of the site.

I have no problem with the latter example. Seems reasonable and useful. I do get a bit of a twitch though at the sites that run someone's entire post, then deliver a teeny tiny link back to the post's origin. It's not quite stealing. It's more like reading an entire novel in a bookstore while you sit on one of those uncomfortable stools, rather than just paying the $8 for the paperback.

Twitches aside, the emergence of the wine blog aggregation sites is clearly a response to the large number of wine blogs that are in existence today. Inevitably those people interested in reading independent words on wine will gravitate toward the blogs they like, subscribe to the RSS feeds or to e-mail updates and be done with it for the most part.

However, finding the nugget you want to store takes more and more looking about. The new aggregation sites, and the likes of WineBlogWatch, are nearly essential for that search these days.

My own mining of web and print data has resulted in about 60 wine blogs, 14 political blogs, 3 Tech blogs, 3 PR blogs, 13 food blogs and 1 gossip blog in my RSS reader. In addition, I have more than 30 Google alerts that shoot me emails on a regular basis. And my Yahoo Home page has 25 sets of headlines from 18 dailies around the globe. Then there are the periodicals that come to the office at a rate of nearly 25 per month. Plus, the five daily papers I retrieve from my lawn every day.

Sunday is a real workout.

The Philosophy of Wine...UC Style

The connection between wine and words is undeniable and ancient. Sometimes the most important thing about the words is who wrote them. The importance of words directed at wine are also heightened based upon the venue in which they appear. And sometimes, the simple meaning and impact of the words themselves are what's important.

I presume these and other questions will be considered when Chad Arnold begins his lectures in
"Thinking and Drinking: The Philosophy of Wine"

The UC Berkeley Extension class is scheduled for April 21 at San Francisco's UC Berkeley Extension Downtown Center. The five meeting class is described this way:

What do we talk about when we discuss wine? This course orients and redirects students back to the wider world of language through the physical experience of tasting and drinking wine, weekly readings, and discussions. The course aims to establish a practical bridge between what we know about wine and the language we use everyday: the goal being a more complete understanding of wine as cultural phenomena. Each session will mix information and insight as well as analysis and creativity in an effort to better understand how we come to name experience.

The instructor, Chad Arnold, is a poet, teacher and a member of the wine industry. He's taught wine courses both in America and England at Cambridge.

Is this not a FASCINATING TOPIC for a college level class?  Yes, there appears to be a severe "deconstructive" quality to the course description, but why shouldn't it. The very best descriptions of wine are themselves highly deconstructive. It would be a fascinating exercise also to look at what type of descriptors have been applied to wine over the ages and thereby understand what qualities have come in and out of favor over time.

Walk The Wine

The world of wine blogs really is exploding. I took some time very recently to see just what kind of wine-oriented blogging has emerged. The numbers are daunting.

That said, very few actually are compelling. Few flesh out the essence like Vinography, deliver irreverent detail like Basic Juice, offer studied commentary like Blog Au Vin, throw a wide and varied net like Cincinnati Wine Warehouse, or dig down deep into the wine like Wine Waves.

Yet, the wine blogs keep a'comin.

The one I found that I think has the most potential is WALK THE WINE. The writing is good. The topics so far covered tell a story. And the links outside the stories are intriguing. Success will come, if the posts come regularly. In the mean time, give JD at Walk The Wine some traffic and check him out. The potential is there.

A Brilliant Flash of Insight On Wine & Blogging

What would happen if I advised any one of Wark Communication's winery clients to send out a bottle of wine to any blogger who asked for it?

It's a good question, and one that blogger Hugh MacLeod tested in going to work for South Africa's Stormhoek Winery. According to a Decanter story, there appears to be some correlation between the doubling of sales of Stormhoek's wines in 2005 and the MacLeod's BloggerSampling program that provided samples of Stormhoek to about 100 bloggers in the UK and France. In fact, as Decanter puts it, " South African producer Stormhoek has doubled sales of its wine with a campaign directed at the blogging community."

I'm going to go out on a limb and say I don't think it was MacLeod's liberal sampling policy aimed at bloggers that doubled sales. It may have had something to do with South African wine sales in general seeing a hefty increase, the quality of the Stormhoek wine, and likely other factors. (and it's hard to know what those other factors are without being on the inside, understanding their distribution policy,etc.)

But, this isn't just me questioning Decanter's claim. To quote Macleod himself: "The Stormhoek wine meme didn't sell more bottles, any more than Scoble's blog increased sales of Dell computers"

It's unlikely that in the wake of the Decanter Story MacLeod will be correcting Decanter on their bold assertion that the "blogging campaign" orchestrated by the proprietor of the unique and insightful "Gaping Void" blog resulted in a doubling of sales for Stormhoek. (At least in his latest post he doesn't)  Why should he? It's a pretty cool piece of disinformation to have floating around.

However, MacLeod did, back in December, explain what he thought his PR campaign accomplished:

"You have to remember: there are hundreds of thousands of vineyards in the world, all trying to sell to the twelve or so mass market wine buyers in the UK. So you need a story that cuts through the clutter.

And the best stories have market disruption baked-in.

With the disruption, came a new and different story that the supermarket buyers and the importers wanted to hear. Telling the story made the sales process easier. With easier sales, the curve was raised."

In other words, Stormhoek wines found an interesting "hook" to utilize inside the sales process. Not exactly a brilliant flash of insight.

I'm guessing there are a few successful PR pros, marketing types and marketing interns both in and out of the wine industry who might respond to this revelation with a great big, "Okey dokey....what else?"

What Macleod learned is that when you have a market that is over-saturated with brands selling the same thing, you need to differentiate yourself to be successful. As MacLeod points out, this was done, in Stormhoek's case, by giving the sales people on the street and in retail shops a story that was unique. It was good work, to say the least. But hardly anything new. It's a strategy that reaches back to when Jesus told us that his God could deliver redemption (and the rising from the dead thing, well, that worked pretty good too.)

The bigger story, that Decanter didn't touch on, and what is a brilliant flash of insight, is the notion that "corporate blogging" in the wine world can play a key role in the positioning and explanation of a wine or winery if the practices is authentic and strips away much of the divide that puts wineries on one side and the customer on the other. Or, as Macleod explains it, good corporate blogging creates a "porous membrane".

One of the benefits that has come to Wark Communications since this blog was begun in November 2004 is an increase in business, from retainer to project to consulting to writing gigs. I attribute a great deal of this increase in business to this blog. By being and appearing more accessible via FERMENTATION, it has created an immediate comfort between a prospective client and Wark Communications. This increased initial comfort makes it far easier to make a call and investigate the company behind Fermentation.

More wineries will and are incorporating blogging into their customer outreach. As I"ve said before, 2006 will be the year when "winery blogging" becomes an important tool in the wine marketers tool kit. However, caution needs to be applied here. Just as MacLeod's outreach to bloggers is unlikely to have played a major role in selling an additional 50,000 cases of wine in 2005, it's unlikely that th