Last month, Winetribe held a get together for a blind tasting of Syrah.  A few non-Syrah’s made it into the mix and one turned out to be a crowd favorite.  That night was also our first fire for the year which leads us into a season where we put away our shorts and Sauvignon Blanc and turn to sweaters and Syrah.

Each couple brought  a bottle of wine priced around $15 which we covered and numbered to keep track of what we were drinking.  We handed out paper and pens so each person could rank the wines with a score of 1 to 5 and keep track of any special thoughts or tastes.  There was no specific order or time limit for the tasting.

Instantly, people’s nervousness about being “right” or “judged” about their views on the wines was expressed.  This quickly melted away as people started to discuss the first wine.  We helped by giving some parameters such as thinking about if it had a light, medium or dark fruit taste.  Is it spicy or earthy?  Does it coat your mouth or is it thin?  How long does the flavor last?  With those pointers, people were off to the task.

We could tell that people liked the thrill of trying something new and it quickly became an enjoyable game.

We took at least 2 hours to taste the 6 bottles that everyone had brought.  Notes and rankings were collected and everyone was engaged to see what wine/s ended up the winners and also which wines  ended up at the bottom of the list.  People came from a variety of wine backgrounds and experiences from those who were serious about tasting to those who simply enjoy drinking a variety of wines, and that is what the night was about for us – enjoying and being introduced to these 6 wines.

Even with the variety of backgrounds, two wines were the unequivocal winners and received the majority of the votes (we did not bother tallying the rest of the rankings and besides, marketing experts say that most people can only recall the top two or maybe three products in a category anyway).  Specifically, two of the wines garnered 11 of the top 12 votes.

Amazingly, as subjective as wine tasting is, we could all come to an agreement on the top 2 wines, hands down.  This is consistent with our views in the Winetribe manifesto – that the majority of people like well-made wines and can tell the difference between superior and mediocre quality.  Finding them, describing them and putting a value ($) on them, is a totally different exercise.

the Contenders during our blind tasting

Before I describe the wines themselves, it is interesting to note what people liked about the wines.  Consistency in the tasting seemed to be important.  If the wine smelled “good,” hit your tongue well and had a pleasant finish, then people liked it.

Another person described one of the wines as a roller coaster.  It had a great nose, but was quite bland as you drank it then suddenly returned with a massive vanilla oak flavor.  This wine was not a winner.

People also like a balance.  One of the winning wines was consistently noted for it’s tangy or tart flavors, but the flavors were in balance with the fruit and the “weight” of the wine which resulted in a pleasant finish.

The other winning wine was darker and full bodied, but also restrained in that it did not have a lot of alcohol, sugar or oak to prevent you from enjoying the fruit or bouquet.  This wine was noted for it’s lingering and smooth finish.  In fact the “smooth” finish came up in 5 of the tasting notes.

So, here were the 2 winners:

The lighter and tart winner was a Petite Sirah from Guenoc, which is just North of Calistoga (another reason to bypass Napa and head further North for wine tasting).  Langtry Estate produces the wine and the one we tasted was a 2007.

Petite Sirah is confusing because it is not a Syrah.  The Petit Sirah grape is also known as Durif, and the Cullinary Institutes’ WineWise book noted that terrific, balanced Petite Sirah’s are made in California (apparently so).  In France, Petite Sirah is home in southern Rhone while Syrah is generally more northern Rhone.

The second place winner was a Syrah (Shiraz) from South Africa.  We had a tasting event 2 weeks ago with a South African Syrah and it was also a favorite against a Rhone blend and a Monterey California Grenache.

Syrah continues to grow in popularity and the grape has been described by its versatility – it can be light or full of dark fruit and earthy.  Andre Domaine’s Wine book calls out South Africa as a region growing good Syrahs, and here is another case.

The specific wine we had was a Tygerberg 2006 Shiraz from Durbanville which is along the coast and just north of Cape Town.  In South Africa, the 2 most planted red varietals are Cab Sauvignon and Shiraz.  If you are looking for a South African wine, look for the “Wine of Origin” nomenclature on the label as those wines are required to be submitted to a rigorous examination.

So, when you get a chance, grab some friends, have them bring a bottle of wine and have your own blind tasting.  It’s fun and you may discover a few new favorite wines.

Everyone does not get a trophy for participation in 2011 from WineTribe.  Here we are going to lay out what was good and what wasn’t in 2011.

Leave comments with your best and worst wine experiences in 2011, and maybe what you hope for in 2012.

Best of 2011

• any wine from Singapore Air.  It isn’t that difficult.  They get it right, and it is not that expensive or complicated (yeah, yeah, I have read all about how taste buds are different at 8K feet)
• Cabernet Franc from the Loire valley in France (instead of Sancerre)
• 
• Txakolina from the Basque country in Spain
• 
• Piccolo restaurant in Minneapolis.  Small plates with real flavors, skilled chefs and great wine = amazing.
• 
• A Hamburger from Daniel Boulud’s Bistro.  It is that good.
• Montepulchiano d’Abruzzo from Italy.  Great value.  Generally estate grown and organic for under $20. (try Zaccagnini, get past the twig – it’s a great wine)
• The publishing of “the Good Dirt”, Jason and his wife’s 1st news letter from Te Whare Ra.  once of the coolest wineries in New Zealand making elegant wines without attitude or pretense.
• 
• Malbec from Eugenio and Teresa Meschini.
• Acacia’s Pinot Noir showing up in Costco for $10 a bottle.  Sleeper of the year.
• 
• Tilia restaurant in Linden Hills, Minneapolis.  They serve Michele Dietrich’s Haut Rian Bordeaux.
• 
• Red wine from South Africa.  Especially, Pinotage and Syrah.  Rijk’s Syrah from 2002 was especially good, as was Warwick Estate – the First Lady
• Riedel flavor specific wine glasses.  Doug Reid gave us a presentation in Beaver Creek and we were impressed at what a difference designed glasses (they call them “wine tools”) can make in your enjoyment of a glass of wine (especially the nose and delivery of the wine).
• 

Worst of 2011

• any wine from Delta.  They even make it worst by listing 3 reds and 3 whites, and then always mysteriously forget to serve the good one on the list.  Even though we are Americans, we can tell the difference, especially on an $11K flight.  Even Delta gets Torrontes wrong.
• China surpassing France in overall volumetric wine consumption.  however, france has been on a upswing since 2000, but they are still on about 60% of what they consumed in 1970.
• Yao Ming retiring from basketball and venturing into winemaking by producing a $300/bottle Nappa red using bulk grapes geared towards the China market.
• 
• running out of wine on the last night of the Beaver Creek food and wine festival.  It was good, sorry to see the event run dry in 1 hour.
• 
• NewZealand Sauvignon Blanc in Asia.  The selection use to be fantastic.  It seems to have dried up to a few of the standards.  You should be able to find wines from the Otago and Martinborough regions.
• The closing of Pizza e Pasta in Shanghai’s Taikang Lu shopping district. Alfredo, you did a great job!
• The Londer’s moving on from Londer Vineyards.  We will miss our friends on one of our favorite wine vacation destinations.

To celebrate our 3rd anniversary, we are posting some of our favorite pictures from our trip to Bordeaux as well as a few new videos of wineries we visited in both southern Bordeaux and across the right bank of the Gironde river to St. Emillion.

Here is a video of our trip down to Rions (where we meet with Michel Dietrich), through Cadillac and down to Sauternes, where they make the famous dessert wine.

Here is the video of our visit to the very refined Chateau Angelus on the slope of St. Emillion.

A votre sante!

Second, I was in Singapore and Shanghai for about 2 weeks.  I am continually blown away by the fine selection of New Zealand wines in Singapore.

I had a great Pinot Noir (Bishop’s Head) which, while lighter, was not hollow (e.g., watery) and did not try to replace flavor with too much over-the-top spice.  That is usually the tell-tale sign of a poor Pinot is the watery, spicy, and hot (alcoholic) structure.

Shanghai continues to surprise me.  I really enjoy spending time in the Taikang Lu area which is made up of old store fronts and houses.  One of my favorite places to eat is Pizza e Pasta run by Alfredo who has sent his chef over to Italy to learn handmade pasta and great Pizzas.  I recently had 2 good Montepulciano D’Abruzzos  at his restaurant, which is one of the great benefits of a truly global city that mixes it’s heritage with the best of what can be sampled world wide.

You can also walk over to the Xintiandi area which is also a unique restored residential area with high end shops and ironically houses the site of the 1st  communist meeting 90 years ago.  I sat down and had a very good glass of South African Cabernet (Warick estate – The First Lady) for just abou $10 (reasonable for US prices).

That brings me back full circle to Minnesota and July 4th, where I can revisit my reflections on Rhone and our Responsibility towards our unique 3 axes of freedom (an open market place, the engine to create new industries, and a functioning government that protects private and intellectual property).

On a truly glorious weekend here in Minneapolis, I have a chance to reflect on Memorial day.  Usually memorial day comes and we take the chance to have that extra evening where we can visit friends, sleep in, and visit our favorite spot where we can sink into a familiar surrounding without having to be cloaked in our ego.  We can take the extra day to go for a bike ride, spend time with our family or likely get more chores or projects done.  That is what we did.  More projects and work on our house.  As rewarding as it is, we missed this opportunity to reflect.

My family’s background goes back to WWI and starts with my grandfather who shoveled coal in 4 hour turns.  He worked himself up to chief engineer with a commission by WWII.  My dad was a communications officer who was saved the exposure to brutal combat as a Marine by a heart murmur (it was not for a lack of desire).  If any of you have met my dad, you would see the irony that he is more fit at 85 than a good deal of people who drag themselves into the gym.  I was fortunate enough to make my contributions during the cold war and see that war come to an end with an overwhelming show of technological force and willpower that ran as an undercurrent in our fabric’s society.

LCDR Charles Ellis Donly

LTJG Charles Paul Donly

LT Charles Edward Donly

Nature, many times with our help to try and shape it (it tried to shape us over the last month with racketball size hail and a tornado that came too close for comfort), moves steadily and repeatedly in its cycles that we can model using Fourier Transforms (converting fluctuations over time into individual patterns with a frequency – how often, and an amplitude – how much).  These waves “move” with and against one another and result in a wave pool of strange and moving patterns that we can sometimes see (spring, summer, fall, winter) and sometimes can’t see or remember (500 year Tsunamis, 50 year rains, 10,000 Ice Ages).  Nature will ultimately never bow to us, we are lucky to be in its good graces and make the best of it while we can.  Which is equally true of the ebbs and flows of peace and conflict.
Today, I get to reflect on our herb garden (Sage, Thyme, Basil, Oregano, Rosemary, Arugula, Cilantro, Dill, Chives, Roma Tomatoes, Peppers and Curry – some of which survived from last year)  and the peacefulness of our back yard.  As stubborn as the weather was over the last 2 months, it broke free, and the plants rebound to erase a cold and white winter prolonged by storms as warm jet streams try to break their frozen grip.

As I have talked about before, wine (and the winemaker) endures these variations of climate and conflict. Vineyards are rebuilt and soil renewed for another crop in another year.  CP and I were recently reflecting on a Rhone wine tasting we had at his house in February while we were having a glass of Vacqueyras from the Rhone region and a good deal at our neighborhood Costco for under $20.

A very nice Vacqueyras from a lesser known region of the Rhone Valley

As we reflect, we discussed the vines that have withstood the varations of climate and conflict, where some old vines make it to 35 years old and some are kept long beyond their peak fruit producing years up to 100 years (seeing many changes in climate that most of us will never see) perhaps to start a new vintage that has the unique blessing to have the right mix of hot, cold, wet, dry at exactly the right times to not “cook” the grapes and so they develop with the right sugar levels on the day that they are going to be picked, unless they stay on too long and rot.

A REVIEW OF RED RHONE WINE TASTING AT THE DRAGON’S  DEN ON FEBRUARY 22, 2011

A somewhat tardy but still relevant review of the Red Rhone wine tasting at the Dragon’s Den on February 22, 2011 that was attended by Chaz and a contingent of his Bawdy Bacchus Buccaneers.

By way of clarification the Dragon’s Den is my domain and appropriately dubbed as a consequence of some truly unique artifacts provided to me by Chaz on some of his recent trips to the Orient. That being said the evening was spend in splendid camaraderie as Chaz, in all his Winetribe wizardry, presented us with four representative wines from the Rhone Valley in Southern France.

In general, the Rhone is divided into distinct vinicultural traditions, the Northern Rhone and the Southern Rhone. The Northern sub-region produces wines from the Syrah grape, sometimes blended with red as well as white grapes. The Southern sub-region produces an array of red wines that are dominated by the base varietal Grenache grape with accompanying blends of  both red and white grapes to varying specificities.

For the evening’s festivities Chaz and I had conferred and decided on four red wines as follows: Two from the North – a Cornas 2000 and a Croze Hermitage 2004 while the South was represented by two, a Gigondas 2007 and a Vacaqueras 2009.

I have never taken any courses on wine tasting so I have never acquired a viniculturally complex vocabulary that seems to dominate most wine tastings where the verbal dexterity of the group appears to overshadow the actual wine being evaluated. My real education in wine was formed several decades ago by the revered and legendary Alexis Lichene who exposed the French wine universe to the United States following World War II.  His advice on how to learn about wines was very direct and compelling “buy a corkscrew and use it.”

That I have done most industrially since, so here in limited vocabulary, sprinkled with tangible adjectives, are my impressions as we generously tasted away the evening, buttressed by French bread and cheeses from Cantal and Morbier:

1.   The Cornas was definitely rustic, in both flavor and color. I have had better bottles of Cornas in the past but this one still had that earthy and almost gamy flavor. It served as a good illustration of the French emphasis on Terroir “gout de terroir” (a taste of the earth) since in their view the grape is only part of the process and the terroir (location it grows in) weighs quite heavily in their judgment.

2.   The other Northern was the Croze Hermintage 2004 and we caught it a little too late as these wines don’t hold up well beyond 5 years. Nevertheless, there was that unmistakable Syrah touch which gave a strong accent of spice and a mild fragrance of fruit.

3.   The Southern Rhone pair held up well as the Gigondas had that familiar no-nonsense wine taste; good grape and nice earth. The most effective way of summing up this bottle is that it held true to what really sets Gigondas apart; bite and muscularity that translates into one word: real.

4.   Not far behind the Gigondas was the Vacqueyras which is somewhat similar to its slightly more northern cousin. This particular bottle had the the same general characteristics as the Gigondas but not quite the depth and after taste.  Both of these Southern Rhones provide real wine drinking value for the price and, in particular, are respectable substitutes for the over publicized and (naturally) over priced Chateauneuf-du-Pape wines of the same region.

Suffice it to sincerely say “a most stimulating evening in the presence of good wine and fine friends.”

We just got back from Boston (where we watched our friend run the Boston Marathon – one of 2 epic weekends every year in Boston: the marathon and Head of the Charles).

We visited Bin26 Enoteca again this year and had a wonderful Sangiovese (Drei Dona ‘Notturno’ Emilia-Romagna, IT ’06).  In fact it was so good, we skipped trying something else and stuck with the $44 bottle for a second round.  If you get a chance, visit this restaurant which is modern but cozy and warmed with wine labels, bottles and cork walls and benches.

the wall of wine labels at bin26

The food is also fantastic.  We started with Saffron Risotto balls that were not oily or heavy.  I had the Pappardelle pasta with duck which cut through the chilly Boston evening and mated very well with the earthy Sangiovese that we had.

Friends making tough decisions at Bin26

In the near future we will provide updates on 3 wine tasting we held recently.  The 1st was a guy’s night with my esteemed father, CP Donly, where we tried 4 great Rhone wines.  The Rhone region in France basically makes 2 styles of wine: Syrah and a Grenache, Syrah and Mourverde blend (GSM) in the southern region of France.  In fact, our friend stopped by last night and we has a nice 2007 Cotes du Rhone which had a great balance of the Grenache (80%) earthy heaviness and enough of the darker cooked fruit from the Syrah grape (20%).  What a great wine to find for under $10.  You can drink this one every day or you can feel confident to bring it over to your boss’ or friend’s house.  Also, a Cotes du Rhone is light enough in body to work as a good spring wine (vs. a Burgundy or Cabernet that you would want in Winter).

a very nice Cotes du Rhone for Spring

We had 2 other wine tastings this winter (yes it is still winter here, as we were reminded by the few inches of snow we got in mid-April).  The first was a white wine tasting with wines ranging from an unoaked chardonnay (one of the favorites) to a NZ Sauvignon Blanc to one of our favorite sparkling wines – Chandon Blanc de Noir (which we recently found at Whole Foods in Las Vegas for only $15 – make that stop before you camp out in your hotel room on the strip).

The second wine tasting was a great all around wine tasting and food pairing along with a cooking demonstration and wine presentation.  We had an exciting white wine that we found at a great Minneapolis restaurant made famous by Anthony Bourdain called Piccolo.  The white was from the Basque region of Spain and is called Txakolina (chic-oh-lina).  This wine really has the acidity and Lime citrus flavors to stay the course with a flavorful meal.  But, we want to reserve all the juicy details of these wine tastings for future blogs.

So, let’s go back to Spain and see what our correspondent Val uncovered on her trek into Spanish wine country (actually the autonomous region of Catalunya and Barcelona)…

The (wine) Road, Much Less Traveled…

The Pirate and I ventured to the Catalunya region of Spain/France in December to test the area’s viability as a winter residence during the early retirement phase of our lives.  Our criteria:  sunshine, moderate temps, quality hiking, off-season locale, and a culture that embraces good food and wine.

Catalunya, with Barcelona as its Spanish capital, occupies the area of far northeast Spain and southeast France.  At the border, the Pyrenees spill into the Mediterranean Sea, creating stunning vistas and opportunities for sensational hiking along the Costa Brava.  Catalans are fiercely proud of this region, and consider southern Catalunya to be quite autonomous from Spain.  Catalan is spoken here as a first language, French second, Spanish a distant third.  Francisco Franco was merciless to the Catalans when he held power in Spain, punishing them for their opposition to his rule.  Across the border in France, the French treated the Catalans well and they now enjoy a very French existence, though their heritage remains proudly Catalan.

(The beautiful Costa Brava, with snow-capped Pyrenees in the background)

Driving through Catalunya, one sees an occasional vineyard; this is far from the heart of Spain’s wine country, though maybe not for long.  Recently, the Financial Times noted the great values in prices per hectare in the Costa Brava area.  This wine region – the Emporda and Alt Emporda – is coarser, rougher, and less organized.  Vineyards share their space with enormous, ancient olive trees.    We did not intend to explore the vineyards, but a serendipitous meal changed our plans.

Our home base for the trip was Roses, a substantial town on the Mediterranean in far northern Spain, and home to Ferran Adria’s El Bulli, home of technique-concept cuisine, and regarded as the world’s finest restaurant (or at least the world’s “hardest-to-secure-a-reservation” restaurant).  Since we hadn’t called a year ahead for dinner reservations, we sought quality meals elsewhere in town.  After several failed attempts to find a truly delicious fish stew or paella, we were beginning to believe that the “food culture” of the region was vastly overrated.  Then we found Bitakora, a lovely restaurant overlooking the pier.  It had all the makings of a tourist trap, but our desperation for quality seafood drew us in.  Our waiter, Ramon, was phenomenal.  He helped us understand more about the culture, the food, and the local wines, and he suggested that we open a Llavors, a Carignane red from a vineyard nearby, in Mollet de Paralada.  The wine was a turning point in the trip.

(llavors*, from LaVinyeta, showing its unusual, award-winning label)

Upon opening, Emporda wines are reputed to be overly harsh, requiring five to ten minutes to calm down.  Waiting patiently yielded delicious results.  The wine was smooth, full, lively, rich, complex…all good words to describe a juicy red.  The label is unusual – a copy of a newspaper page with Llavors* stamped in red.  Ramon told us where Mollet de Paralada was (less than 10 miles from Roses), and the Pirate and I worked a visit into our busy hiking schedule.

Naively, I thought we could drive to this tiny village and just happen upon the right winery.  Fortunately, the Pirate is a consummate extrovert and never misses a chance to talk with the locals.  He asked a young woman where we can find the winery responsible for Llavors, and she pointed us to La Vinyeta nearby.  The owners/winemaker, Josep Serra, met his wife during school where they were both studying oenology/agriculture/business.  A local winemaker offered to sell them the property, where, in 2002, they planted 50 to 70 year old Carignane and Grenache vines near astonishingly old olive trees.  By 2006, the cellars were constructed and their first wines were made.  They are passionate about the Emporda region and their wine, and it shows.

(Josep Serra and his wife …she was an exceptional host!)

(The beautiful winery. Note the mountains in the distance.)

Each wine is part of the La Vinyeta narrative.  The youngest wines are called Heus (English translation:  Once upon a time).  Then comes Llavors (Then, in Catalan), followed by Punt i apart (Period.  Next paragraph.).  Heus white is crisp and delicious, and appeals to my palate (I’m a big fan of white blends that include Muscat).  The Rose and Red were both easy drinking, great values for the very modest prices.  But we were here for Llavors…

And tasting it in context, we understood the placement of Llavors in the lineup.  More mature than Heus, yet young and lively to drink.  Enough oak to give it some heft and body, plenty of fruit to satisfy my taste for a good, jammy red.  This young winery is making a splash in Spain, receiving accolades from worldwide wine experts and receiving awards for their wines and labels.  The Llavors was sold out in all but magnum bottles.  We bought two.

Puntiapart, the most elegant of their wines, sold out shortly after release.  None of the ’08 was available to taste.  It’s a testimonial to their fast-growing reputation that, when I found it in a bodega in town, a worker passing by noted that it is a “wonderful wine”.  We scored a few bottles, one to taste in Spain, two to bring back.  I wish I had bought more.  This wine is more substantial, richer, more layered and complex than Llavors.  And it’s unlikely to be found outside the Emporda, where it’s scooped up shortly after release by restaurants and bodegas.  If you can get your hands on some of this value-priced quality, don’t hesitate. I think I paid 13euros/bottle for this top-of-the-line beauty.

The Emporda region, dominated by the Tremontana winds that blow from the Pyrenees to the Mediterranean, is harsher than the lush landscapes of southern France or California’s wine country.  Here the vines suffer alongside olive trees, wild rosemary and sage.  The winemakers-cum-olive oil producers at La Vinyeta show their agriculture know-how in their use of olives from their massive, ancient trees, some as old as 400 years.  As with their wines, their oil tells a story of this olive grove, and the place it holds in the history of the region.

(The Pirate, James, and the Giant Olive Tree)

We spent much of an afternoon at La Vinyeta, wandering through the olive grove and vineyards, watching the sheep and chickens on the property, tasting the delicious wines, and embracing the Catalan sunshine.  We have a lot to learn about finding treasures in an off-season winter destination, but this region struck a chord with us.  Getting to know it well will take some work.  But that’s what early retirement offers … time for this kind of rewarding “work”.

Can you suggest other locales for our early retirement winter residence?  We prize the value of an off-season destination, and must have the warmth and sunshine that our Minnesota home lacks in January.  Let us know where we should visit next!

Yesterday, we lived the California dream as we embarked on our 1st day in Northern California.

The WineTribe group of 10 donned our uniforms and stated with a beer tour, which opened up my eyes to a previously obvious assertion by not yet claimed by my thought processes.    Wine is exceedingly more complex of a business than beer, but competes for the glass at a restaurant or a bar without much thought.  I use to think of good craft beer and good small production wine as synominous, but they are so far from that.  Craft beer is great, we tasted Anchor Steam (oldest brewery west of the Mississippi, thanks to a midwesterner – Fritz Maytag who invigorated the fuller beers that existed before the dark age of prohibition, and where would WineTribe be in that situation?).

We also tasted Petaluma’s finest Lagunitas as we sat on the beach and watched the waves remind us of the constantly powerful movement the earth is always a part of (yes, the moon’s gravity – M1*M2*G/R^2) is also involved.  These are just great, mouth watering products that should not be taken forgranted.  But as Molly (who is great!) described to us, beer is just 4 ingredients: water, barley, yeast and hops (not always and sometimes more).  Hops and yeast vary and brewing tradition varies, but you can do it year round.  Hops are agricultural, but you can do that in parallel and off-line from the wine making process.  The fermentation is done in steel and not oak (another big undertaking), and you can make the wort in 6 hours and have fresh beer in 6 days, bottled and out the door.

Contrast that with wine.  Wine is a process that is done in series.  You have to prepare for the crush, which is an agonizing few days to first, decide which day to do it based on sugar levels (which can be destroyed by rain – watered down, or by heat – waiting too long.  the best wines are picked right at the end, and I know from our trips that it is an emotional roller coaster beyond what anyone ever considers, which is why poor wine is so prevalent and the result of businesses being risk adverse).  You make wine once a year.  You have to store your inventory for one to two years.  Then you finally get to bottle it and release this amazing product that goes on shelves and the wine makers can recoup their investments.  That is why it is so easy to loose money in this business and why it is so hard to get a winery started.  Heck, other types of produce seem so much easier: wheat is not stored in oak casks.  And even scotch and other spirits stop fermenting and while blending is difficult, it does not require all the agricultural steps above (wheat or corn is pretty easy to grow vs. grapes).  For example, the crush this year in Anderson Valley is a miracle and a tragedy for some. The summer was very very cool.  Some people thought the grapes would never ripen (January vs. September).  Some people removed leaves from the vines to give the grapes more energy from the photons (sunshine) to get the grapes to mature on time.  Then, at the end of September, it happened, a heat wave (which we can still feel in mid October) slammed this region.  For 2 weeks, it was 95+ degrees.  All of the sudden, the grapes were ripe.  No one expected it.  Yields are down, but manageable.  The tragedy for some is that the removal of leaves, which was an extensive process, actually resulted in the grapes cooking in the sun and the crop being lost.  Say good bye to your efforts for that year: heartbreaking.

So, I am reminded by 2 quotes from my dad, CP in his guest blog from last week.  “Wine is the most sophisticated thing in the world” and “come here I have discovered the stars in a glass”.  Those quotes have finally sunk in.  Small production vineyards that take more risk, hold their inventory longer, and sell their wines for less, deserve our respect and patronage.

It is hard to appreciate the difficulty to make wines in remote areas.  We took the Pacific Coast Highway up to Anderson Valley.  The Coast was full of wonderful finds.  Everything from Dillon Beach (where I got a chance to skimboard along the slowly retreating waves during low tide) to the coves with waves crashing on massive rocks to the long vistas punctuated with touches of fog and orange hues from the setting sun.  We were even greeted by a number of cows grazing the edges of the 10mph turns along the cliffs (aside, I haven’t drive this stretch of PCH 1 – which goes all the way down to Patagonia – in 15 years, and it is still the most beautiful coastline that exists – forests, cliffs, beaches, fields, it is all here).  Cows apparently have also found the vistas impossible to escape.  To get to Anderson Valley (hint, it is a valley), You have to drive 30 miles of switchbacks in redwood forests up and over 1 mountain range from the ocean.  That drive takes some nerve and good brakes (our 12 person van was smoking the brakes by the time we made it down – hat’s off to the engineers who design this stuff).  All of a sudden we were dropped right into the middle of Anderson Valley.  From the other direction, you have to exit HWY 101 and head west 25 miles across some equally interesting terrain.  So, what is the point.  Unique and in this case, great wine comes at an expense.  You have to seek it out and it is not easy to find.  If it was, then that expense would be transfered into price, and the wines would be unimaginable expensive (like the cult California Cabs or the Pommards – which is the most expensive bottle I have had to date).

The reward for your expense to find and keep active wine discoveries is not just lower prices but stories and layers of expereinces that really do make your wine and dinner experiences amazing.

Finally, the third conclusion that seems so clear (as I sit on my porch and watch the sun come across the vineyards across the road) is that times change in the agricultural wine business.  Trends make Pinot popular and Anderson Valley is no longer a hidden gem.  New producers are making great Pinot Noir at prices approaching $60-75.  This is Nuit St. George territory (a well known Pinot region in Burgundy, France).  Not to say that the wine can’t be delicate and complex (Jim Ball is), but the trends for Pinot consumption have awoken this small production valley.

Last night, we rolled into the hotel at 9pm.  The kitchen was closing and is under new management.  They make enough food for the reservations they have, which is a great idea to offer fresh, local produce and limit waste.  The manager, Jeff was amazing.  He found a wonderful cous cous and steak platter for all 10 of us (I still think they gave us the food that the chefs and staff were going to have), and they did this without missing a beat.  We opened a few Pinots. We steered away from what we knew (Londer, Esterlina and Lazy Creek).  We loved the Jim Ball which was smooth and layered with just enough spice on the finish.  We had a great rose of Pinot from Toulouse.  We even tried a Granache from Mendicino, but that one was instantly recognizable as being too hot and alcoholic (the back of the label revealed an alcohol % of 15.5, 2-3% above what is good).  Boonville should drop that wine from their list.  Granache is a great gape, but not that one.  We had a great desert of cookies and ice cream (blood orange chocolate or cardamon vanilla, or peach or…) and we opened the Scharfenberger Cremat (a few) to have with that and retired to the porch off our room to finish these simple buy extravagant locally produced goodies.

3 years ago, I thought the Boonville lost some of its shine and charm.  Now, we are infactuated once again with the rustic and easy life here in the hotel.  You can walk out, leave your door open, go downstairs for amazing coffee, scones, local jam and amazing yoghurt, and have great conversations with the other guests.

My 1st visit to this region was to Sharfenberger 15 years ago.  I had an amazing lunch at Scharffenberger and a winemaker’s dinner at the Apple Farm.  Five years ago, we came to the hotel (there is only 1 up here, and the town is small enough that they refer to it as “the Hotel” on signs) and it was that Friday night that I looked at the wine list and found Londer Pinot Noir, which to this day is unrivaled in deep fruit and layers (just like Shirley’s jams – which you get in her wine club shipments).  Back then, a Pinot Noir was one of many wines on the list and it was an easy risk at about $30.  Today the wine list clearly breaks out “local Pinot Noir” and the list starts at $45 and climbs to $75.  Pinot is big and this region is being transformed.  Now, the value in this area seems to be sparkling wine.  Scharfenberger, has changed hands a few time and Roderer has done an excellent job of raising it from it’s Pacific Echo days, back to something that is great to drink, and easy to choose at about $25.  Compare that to a Chandon from Sonoma which is easy to access in the foothills of Sonoma across from Artesa.  You can not replace the location and climate here in Anderson Valley vs. the hot Sonoma region, and the sparkling wines show.  Now, I am an advocate of the Chandon Blanc de Noir (Pinot based Sparkling wine), but that is because it does not have that toasted and sharp note that most Nappa/Sonoma sparkling wines have.

Well, I am making myself thirsty and we have an appointment with the Sterling family (Esterlina).  Tomorrow, we will tell you more about the wines and tastings up here in Anderson Valley.

In this installment from CP, we learn more about the second most refined thing in the world (for the first, read below), that would be great literature.

Of course, one of my favorite quotes about drinking is from Lt Col. Slade in Scent of a Woman.  When he asked Charlie what he is drinking.  Charlie answered “I don’t use it”, and Col. Slade’s response is “what is useful about it?”

WINE AND LITERATURE

I have always been aware of wine as an integral facet of life since time immemorial as reflected in the early biblical references to the ameliorating and life giving references to Bacchus’s gift to humanity. Apart from that I had come across sayings by various celebrities, some of which I’ve coined, and used in my general ramblings about the blessed beverage. Most notable and what I have used frequently on the subject have been from:

Ernest Hemingway:

“Wine is the most civilized thing in the world.”

And Dr. Samuel Johnson who proclaimed:

“A day without wine is like a day without sunshine.”

For reasons still unclear to me I was recently motivated to examine the extent of references to wine throughout literature. Googling on my trusty old Apple promptly presented me with an amazing repertoire of reference sources related to wine quotes that have found their way into print. They emanated from prominent personages in the universe of religions, writers, humorists, cuisine aficionados, war leaders, politicians and, as well, exceptional sayings from the well of anonymity.

These quotes throughout the centuries from such a wide diversity of Western Civilization leaders clearly illustrates the story of oenology and its beneficial effects on our world. I’m confident you will enjoy these unique revelations. What all this illustrates is the affirmative medicinal, spiritual and civilizing effects that the God Bacchus’s gift to humanity has meant to the refining of society. May his reign continue to prevail and spread its civilizing effect to all corners of our globe for centuries to come.

SOME CHOICE WINE QUOTES THROUGH THE AGES

Judeo-Christian Religious Leaders

The Talmud  “wine is at the head of all medicines. Where wine is lacking, drugs are necessary.”

Dom Perignon  “come quickly I am tasting stars” at his first sip of Champagne.

St. Thomas Aquinas  “Sorrow can be alleviated by good sleep, a bath and a glass of good wine.”

Martin Luther  “He who loves not wine, women or song remains a fool his whole life long.”

Political And Cultural Leaders

Plato  “When a man drinks wine at dinner, he begins to be better pleased with himself.”

Thomas Jefferson  “I think it is a great error to consider a heavy tax on wines as a tax on luxury. On the contrary, it is a tax on the health of our citizens.”

Benjamin Franklin  “Wine makes daily living easier, less hurried, with fewer tensions and more tolerance.”

Writers

Johann Goethe  A famous German poet, once was asked which three things he would take to an island. He stated “Poetry, a beautiful woman and enough bottles of the world’s finest wines to survive this dry period.” Then he was asked what he would leave back first, if it was allowed to take only two things to the island. And he briefly replied: “The poetry!” Slightly surprised, the man asked the next question: “And Sir, what would you leave back if only one was allowed?” And Goethe thought for a couple of minutes and answered: “It depends on the vintage!”

James Joyce  “What is better than to sit at the end of the day and drink wine with friends, or substitutes for friends.”

Thomas Moore  “What though youth gave love and roses, age still leaves friends and wine.”

Culinary Personages

Julia Childs  “Wine is a living liquid containing no preservatives. Its life cycle comprises youth, maturity, old age and death. When not treated with reasonable respect it will sicken and die.”

Robert Mondavi  “Making good wine is a skill. Fine wine is an art.”

Humorists

Dorothy Parker  “There be three things I shall never attain: Envy, content, and sufficient Champagne.”

Art Buchwald  “I like Champagne, because it always tastes as though my foot’s asleep.”

W.C. Fields  “What contemptible scoundrel stole the cork from my lunch?”

War Leaders

Napoleon  “In victory, you deserve champagne, in defeat, you need it.”

Winston Churchill  “Remember gentlemen, it’s not just France we are fighting for, it’s Champagne.”

Anonymous

Conversation at White’s Club, London “How is Champagne made? By sheer genius, sir, sheer genius!”

Description Of A Corkscrew: … “the wine lover’s best friend and the rarest of tools.”

There it is, the fascinating tale of the meshing of wine as a component part of our ever evolving culture and its affirmation sprinkled throughout the literature of the ages.

The history of wine spans thousands of years and is closely intertwined with the history of agriculture, cuisine, civilization and humanity itself. The wines we enjoy today have evolved, essentially from classical Grecian and Roman times, were perpetuated in Medieval Europe and then flourished primarily in France, Italy and Spain. Most recently, in the twentieth century, U.S. wines (particularly California) emerged into the foreground of wine connoisseurs and lovers throughout the world. And, to complement that expansion of wine productivity, Argentina, Chile, New Zealand, South Africa and Australia all developed wines worth experiencing and the necessary marketing systems to deliver their products to our shore. Never have we been as fortunate as we are today to have such an amazing variety of good to truly fine wines at an affordable price right here on the domestic front.

Please use one of the preceding wine quotes at the next dinner you host and I’m sure it will be warmly received.

A Votre Sante,

CP Donly

Additionally, wine is an agricultural product, you can’t just keep finding the “same” wine every year, and what winemakers choose to plant in their vineyards depends on climate and changing trends (or projected trends).  That makes having the skills to find new wines a necessity.   This can create anxiety or with experience and some “rules of thumb”, a joy.

In fact, Lettie Teague in the Wall Street Journal describes the challenges that restaurants have in helping you make that choice.  Familiar wines are easy, but generally less quality for the price.  Complicated lists require some background knowledge and no one wants to wants to disrupt their dining experience to get educated.  It smacks of the ill-will that goes along with a class structure.  The best sommeliers, break down this barrier, but it only acknowledges that the barrier exists.

Lettie has written an excellent article (she comes from Food and Wine magazine) and she describes the myriad ways that restaurants struggle to create wine lists that SERVE diners.  Country of Origin, Grape, Maps, Regions, emotions (I agree with Lettie here, “I like knowing which wines a sommelier deems delicious and worthy, but I’m not sure I want to know which ones put him or her in a romantic mood.”).  She even captures the paradox of picking a style of wine list “more accessible lists can actually make knowledgeable wine lovers work harder to find the wines they prefer.”

I had the pleasure of going to a wine bar in Singapore with an ex-pat from Italy.  Maurizio owns a house on the north west cost of Italy and he spent hours describing the types and styles of wines in Italy.    I had just arrived at 1am that day, and I unfortunately have forgotten most of the details except for the very heavy and dense Amarone wine we had late into the evening.  I still remember that it was rustic, meaning that it didn’t have the smooth finish of a French Burgundy, but it had powerful flavors.  Interestingly, the grapes are laid out to dry before pressing.

That story underscores the challenges to having a whole world view of wines.  You can learn about France, but what about Spain or Italy or South Africa.  It has been said that the ocean is the last and most remote place to explore, wine is right up there.  Why do it, for the reasons listed above.  However, there should be some basic training and tools to set us on our collective journey.

Here are four examples of how we have found great wine that seriously changed our lives.  These “finds” have saved us many an evening when our mood is off or we are distracted by an overbearing list of actions.  Many a simple “ah-ha” moment has led us to the basement and all it took was a glass of one of these wines to rediscover purpose and contentment.

A few years ago we traveled to Anderson Valley, which is just North of Sonoma and much less crowded.  Besides being remote, Boonville is the largest town of about 800 people, it is an excellent place to grow 2 types of wine Methode Champenoise and Pinot Noir.  The cooler climate and closer proximity to the ocean lends itself to making those wines full of flavor.  Production from Anderson Valley is actually limited by the amount of water than exists in that area.  Roderer, the French Champagne house, make their sparkling wine there along with Scharfenberger (who took a hiatus to make Chocolate).  In fact, we will be back to Anderson Valley this October to visit the Londer’s and others.  Stay tuned for a full report of the trip.

One of our favorite trips to Anderson Valley, was about 8 years ago, and we were staying at the Boonville Hotel, which is a very very nice roadhouse.  We had just arrived and I went downstairs to the bar/restaurant to order a bottle or 2 of wine to have up on our expansive deck (1/2 the front of the building) as the sun was setting over the valley.  One of the wines I picked was a reasonably priced Pinot Noir from Londer (about $30 at the time).  We immediately had an amazing reaction to this wine, and not because we were up in the vineyard and dazzled by the process and addictive ecosystem around those who work the earth and discover a path to put that fruit, earth and craft into a bottle better than others.

We went back downstairs to get some more information about this wine and it turns out that the owners were a few miles down the road.  We called them that night and Shirlee, said that Larry had back surgery, but we could come over then next day for a tasting.  We met them at their functional house the next day and tried their other wines right in her kitchen.  Their genuine love of making this wine (and amazing jams) and desire to share it with us made for a great experience, and we continue to stay close to them to this day.  Since then, they have been showcased in the WSJ and the Wine Spectator.

Guildeline #1: Look for what is local (depending on where you are).  There is a good chance it will have long lasting benefits.

About 2 years ago, I was at Greystone in Napa.  Greystone is the school for the Culinary Institute of the Arts.  I had just stopped by Peju winery on the main drag in Napa (Oakville) to get a bottle of their Cab Franc (which is an aromatic blending grape for Cabernet Sauvignon).  Cab Franc is hard to find by itself, partly because it needs to be a good year to produce a straight Cab Franc.  Over the years, Peju has grown and prices have doubled (per my recollection), which is not unique when you also look at Cakebread down the road.

I stopped in for dinner at Greystone, and their list has hundreds of wines.  Being by myself, and driving, I narrowed my selection to wines by the glass.  They had a house wine that was a Cabernet Franc at $8.  This wine was great.  It had the deeper fruity nose that 1st hits you on a Cabernet with a nice lingering finish.  I could not convince them to sell me bottles to take home with me (you had to go to the store which was closed).  However, in my discussions with the staff, I found out that the wine maker, Robert Pecota, not only lives nearby, but he also comes in a few times a week.  His winery is just north in Calistoga, which is also near Duckhorn and Chateau Montelena (famous for beating the French in France many years ago – see Bottle Shock to enjoy the story).  From my unscientific study, Chateau Montelena is quite famous, but visit and try Robert Pecota.  Sean at Eden in Dublin, is familiar with Pecota, and has the same experience with his wines (powerful and aromatic).

Six months later, Caryn and I went back to Greystone for dinner, and we made it there before the store closed.  I bought the last 6 bottles in the store of the Pecota Cab Franc.  A few bottles are still downstairs keeping the story and the mystery alive.  Additionally, we got to meet Robert Pecota that night as he finished his dinner at the Chef’s bar.  $8 well invested!

Guideline #2: If you are choosing wines by the glass, pick a varietal that is less common.  There is usually a reason why the staff decided to take a try with that wine, and you won’t pay for what is currently popular (Merlot, Pinot, Chardonnay, Zinfandel etc..).

On another wine trip we took ( the trip that really launched the WineTribe idea) with some amazing friends, we decided to go south of San Francisco.  I was hesitant because I like cooler climates for wine.  We decided to go to Carmel Valley just north of Big Sur (a great side trip) and south of Monterrey.  We stayed at the Carmel Valley Ranch where the selling point for me was Michelle Richard’s restaurant Citronelle.  Citronelle is a sister restaurant to Citrus which was rising at the same time as Spago back in the early 90s.  Citronelle is also in Georgetown (Washington D.C) and we have had many amazing dinners at that restaurant.  Besides the impeccable service (extremely well trained and executed), they helped to bring the kitchen experience into the dining room (which is very common now).

At dinner, we were looking through a very powerful and expensive wine list.  The French Burgundy, Rhone and Bordeaux wines were well represented, which is to be expected.  I was ready to order a Cote Rotie (Norther Rhone) which are very earthy Syrah wines, when I came across Marilyn Remark in the other section.  I asked about this local wine and the staff told us that we really need to try this wine that was about 1/3 the price of the Cote Rotie.  It turns out that Marilyn Remark are part of the Rhone Rangers that make Rhone style wines in California.

It was a great find, and as you can now predict we went to visit them the next day and we had a great time with Joel and his dog. Interestingly, Joel told us his winery is influenced by the Rafanelli’s up in Healdsburg (a great Zinfandel that we have been enjoying for a few years).  Maralyn Remark has also been featured in the Wall Street Journal.  So, the community of good small production wine seems to be a connected and supportive community.

Guideline #3: Ask the sommelier what they think based on 2 or 3 interesting wines on the list, and don’t be shy to throw in a wine that is likely out of your price range but is something you would love to open.  If you are unsure, start with such a pick and ask about it.  It is much better than asking what is “good”.  The usual response to that questions is “how much do you have to spend?”

I have descried my lack of knowledge about Italy.  I guess it will be a few years before I am comfortable with a variety of Italian wines.  A year ago, we were at Cut in Las Vegas.  What a great dining room (surprisingly by Wolfgang Puck) in the Palazzo hotel.  The room is upscale, settled and refined, but warm with large black and white landscapes with that brown-ish sepia tone.  The white leather and aluminum Eames Time-Life office chairs that are used as dining room chairs are a great touch with the large scale but uncluttered light fixtures.

The majority of the wine list is Italian. I was clearly out of my element, but was in a position at the table to order the wine.  I found a wine away from the SuperTuscans, or the Barolos on the list was one of the least expensive wines on the list (most wines are above $100).  I asked the sommelier about the wine and Lindsey Whipple took the time to explain the Italian wine structure with DOC, DOCG, IGT and SuperTuscan.  This wine came from the IGT category which is not as restrictive as DOC but still has a wine committee to regulate it.

Guideline #4: If they have an “interesting reds” section use it.  The less expensive wines in this section most likely required the sommelier to take a conscious effort to put it on the list.  Since wines in the other section likely move slowly, these wines are usually accessable and have a great story.

A week ago, Caryn and I held a blind white wine tasting on a friends boat with some friends who were taken by surprise. The 1st advantage is that it was a Friday afternoon and sunny, which is a great time to open a few white wines and spend an hour or 2 before the sun goes down behind the thicket of trees on the shoreline. Second, like many parties, the friends were a group made up of a variety of intersecting smaller groups who were blessed to be in the same location on a warm and sunny evening with a gracious host.  The wine tasting was a great ice breaker.  It gave people an excuse to open up to each other either about the wines they are tasting, the wines they love or their own wine stories (trips etc..).  Third, a wine tasting, as informal as you want to make it, makes people feel special.  They get to taste and judge, and we can all pretend that we are eminently qualified to fly around the world and spend sun drenched afternoons under shade trees with wine growers: Walter Middy, table for 1.  Finally, a blind wine tasting allows people to battle the paradox of choice.  The TED (technology, entertainment and design) conference has a great and entertaining presentation by Dr. Barry Schwartz on the paradox of choice.  Too much choice can actually lead to unhappiness and remorse.  A wine tasting of a few wines in the same price range can actually lead people to enjoy the wine they picked more than if they tasted it by itself since the tasting affirms their selection process instead of imagining some “other” wine that is less expensive and tastes even better.

To keep a wine tasting fun and simple, we picked 4 varietals from 4 areas of the world and all of them were $7 to $12.  If you try to compare expensive and cheap wines etc.. you are probably setting yourself up for people to be disappointed at their selections etc.. So, the intention of the wine tasting was more fun than it was an exam to be a sommelier.

So, what wines did we have?  We had a Torrontes from Argentina, a Sauvignon Blanc from California, a Vinho Verde from Portugal and a Chardonnay from Argentina.

We took the bottles and wrapped them in aluminum foil and numbered them 1-4.  Then we made a sheet with 3 columns on the upper half of the page and left the lower half of the page for tasting notes.  The first columns were the numbers 1-4, the second column was the varietal of grape (Chardonnay etc..) and the 3 column was the region (California, Chile, New Zealand etc..).  The objective was to taste all 4 wines and have each person link the 3 columns together (for example #1 is a Torrontes from Argentina).  The simple game mixed with the wine tasting got people motivated.

It was fun to listen to people talk about the wines.  One person thought that the Sauvignon Blanc from California tasted “coolaid” like, which is a great way to say it is probably missing the balance of fruit and minerals found in some of the more refined whites. One person got the Torrontes correct and another thought it was the sparkly Vinho Verde.  There were suprisingly few comments about the Vinho Verde.  Caryn and I have had good Vihno Verde’s that mixed the carbonation with some acidity to make it a refreshing summer wine alternative to Sauvignon Blanc.

The clear winner getting 60% of the votes was the Meschini unoaked Chardonnay which received 60% of the votes compared to 20% for the Torrontes and Sauvignon Blanc each.  Two people thought it was the Portuguese wine and 2 people thought it was the Sauvignon Blanc.  This is probably because of the tropical flavors from the lack of oak which usually overpowers the fruit.  For me, the Torrontes is floral and sweeter than the Meschini Chardonnay which has a characteristic Chardonnay nose, a tropical body (Pineapple?) and a lactic acid smooth finish.  The Vinho Verde was the most fun for me to drink.  The Carbonation is a nice touch to a wine that is on the dry side.

I would also put a Alberino into the category of summer white wines to try and even pick up something from South Africa to throw into the mix (you will see 1 in the photos since I ran out of the Sauvignon Blanc for the photos).

When picking the wines, we like to have a theme.  This one was summer white wines, but you could pick Nappa vs. Sonoma vs. Dry Creek vs. Anderson Valley (all in CA.). Or you could pick Pinot Noir vs. Syrah (both fairly fruity) and cross reference that against France vs. New Zealand (Rhone vs. Marlborough).  A quick search in a wine book (I highly recommend Wine by Andre Domine) will give you some ideas.

My recommendation on holding a wine tasting is to pick 4 wines and get 3 bottles of each wine.  Then you accomplish 2 tasks.  First, you get the case discount of 10-15%.  Second, depending on the size of the group, you can use 1-2 bottles for the tasting and you have 1-2 bottles of each wine left over to finish the night with the group’s favorites or for your own consumption during the next week.  Nothing is better knowing that you have a good inexpensive wine that you recently discovered and there is another bottle in the fridge just waiting there for you when you get home.

Ted Allen recently created an article in the WSJ on having an Unpretentious Wine Tasting. He also recommends a similar structure to wine tasting, and he describes dry vs. sweet wines.  We think enjoyable wine is better described below, but we agree it doesn’t need to be technical.

When talking about wines, we like to break up the performance into a few acts and focus on each one.  We think rare and amazing wines transcend our mortal experience by doing 2 things: first, having an amazing performance in all acts, and second, being a true representation of the fruit and where the wine is from.  The wine can be amazingly subtle, like a grand cru from Chassagne-Montrachet, or it can be complex like a dark Chateauneuf de Pape, Nuit St. George or Cote Rotie.  To me, that differentiation is more about personal taste than the respect you have when you taste a rare wine that is “complete” and “representative”.

So, how do we deconstruct the process of tasting wine?  The science behind what we can taste in a wine has to do with a few things we have blogged about before.  Your perception of what you are tasting has been shown to influence what you think you taste.  Hence, a blind tasting.  Trying to describe more than 2-3 “flavors” in a wine is not repeatable, and probably more embellishing and intimidating than it is useful and understated.  Also, tasting specific flavors in wine is mostly done with your nose, which is why a cold impacts your taste.

Here is how we describe tasting of a wine. 1st is the color, the weight and the aroma.  All of this can be accomplished by looking at, swirling and sniffing the wine.  Is it light or dark, does it cling to the sides of the glass or does it appear “thinner”?  What does the wine smell like?  Oak, sweet fruit, citurs fruit, floral, chalky minerals?  Take your time with this part.  Many subtle wines have a complex mix of the fruit and mineral character without using too much new oak to cover what the wine should taste like.

Next, the tasting of the wine.  We break this down into 3 parts.  The 1st impression, the body and the finish.  Great wines will impress you in all 3 areas.  The 1st impression is usually easy, that is what hits you when the wine hits your mouth.  Is it fruity, tart, sweet etc..?  The body of the wine is what happens as the wine settles on your tongue.  Is it silky or velvety?  Is there more of a rasberry, gooseberry or dark cherry flavor?  The finish is also easy if you focus on it.  Is the wine acidic like lemons, does it taste like oak?  Are there off tastes that come thru and destroy that silky body of the wine?  Do the tannins stick to your teeth or are the tannins “softer” and give the fruity wine a bit of a bite?

So, there you go, host your own wine tasting and tell us what you think and discover..

Now we face a new decade, recovering from a world-wide financial infection much like SARS could have broken out quickly around the world as we are more connected with international travel and commerce than ever before.  Interestingly, instead of driving everything to be common (yes, Starbucks is one of our export industries), I am seeing more options available around the world.

Which brings me to sitting in Newark at a winebar inside the airport drinking a Martinborough Pinot Noir (a bit hot, but thoroughly more enjoyable than what they serve in one of the overcrowded clubs or the all-too-distant memories of what a first class experience was like up in the air (Sing Air and Virgin still know and serve something other than “what is in my right hand or my left hand with that awkward flight attendant twist of the bottle to pick some differentiator off the label to read back to you).

I really believe this is a new decade for trying and drinking wine.  The well known 1^st growths from Bordeaux and the Cabs from California are being hijacked by a new, massive and very wealthy class in Asia which leaves us with more and not less(as described in Financial Times on June 6th on the main page “there is astonishing demand” and the article describes how China imported 50% more wine in 2009 vs. 2008).  Just look at the graph below; the sheer size of China makes close to surpassing the French in wine consumption (not per capita, but the bottle never knows who is having the second glass) in 2005.  The only real impact from this is prices are up, and quality takes a back seat to chasing demand.

So, where have I been surprised recently?  Lets look at South Africa.  I think that climate is cool enough to support some good red wines (like Pinot Noir in Patagonia).  Recently, at a benefit, Caryn and I had a Vihno Verde.  Forget the fact that the bartender had no idea what they were pouring.  This inexpensive glass of wine tasted like the beautiful child from Champagne and Torrontes.  It had acidity, but was drinkable on its own.  It had bubbles, but you could take an enjoyable swig without your nose getting tickled.  Heck, just look at the irresistible promotional pictures in the link above.

Lets compare that to the recent article in the WSJ about California Chardonnay (Santa Rita Hills).  First, hats off to someone in a major publication that can openly comment on where California Chardonnay has missed the mark.  To admit that Chardonnay from a cooler climate has more body and mineral notes (like the steady Chablis in France) than the $40 and $50 bottles of Napa Chardonnay is to admit that there is something missing in Napa Chardonnay.  It misses the balance between beautiful and honesty.

We have all seen paintings or people that are too symetric or unblemished. It doesn’t work.  When something is too polished or too round or too smooth, it takes on the form of a cartoon.  These caricatures do resemble something real, but you know that it has been worked to the point of being contrived, and I believe that most people feel satisfaction when they are validated by an honest experience.  The Japanese call this Wabi Sabi.

Wabi_Sabi

And of course, science is not far behind, in the Santa Rita Hills, they ferment their Chardonnay to leave the Malic  acid (green apple) in tact and not convert the last refreshing bit of acidity to Lactic Acid (butter) that is the start of the downhill ride for most Napa Chardonnays from Mount Olympus to many a PF Chang’s.

So, lets try some new wines this decade!