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?Sommeliers report that diners are asking for something untried and untested.? most exceptional wines are crafted by artisan winemakers. A journey of exciting discovery awaits those who explore the world of New Zealand?s artisan winemakers! It?s called the Golden Mile for a reason. Birthplace of Marlborough?s famed Sauvignon Blanc, this region consistently produces delightful wines with the fresh and lively fruit personality that so many of you request. Georges Michel and his family are exceptionally passionate about the Golden Mile of New Zealand. For 10 years they?ve
Grand New Zealand Tasting So on the first day of the Wine Blogger Conference, not only did we have the Kick Ranch Tasting, the ?speed dating? tasting, and the Dry Creek Growers tasting, we also were treated to a grand tasting of New Zealand wines sponosred by the New Zealand Wine Growers Association. This is actually the 2nd time I?ve had the pleasure of tasting the wines of the New Zealand Wine Growers Association, the first time was at the DC International Wine and Food Festival. The New Zealand folks brought over
Martinborough Toast 2008 Food, Wine, Music, Summer Clothing, Starts Classy ~ Ends like any other night on the piss
Martinborough Toast 2008 Food, Wine, Music, Summer Clothing, Starts Classy ~ Ends like any other night on the piss
Curious Wines: tasting New Zealand?s best Last Thursday saw the first public tasting drawn from the portfolio of new Bandon-based wine merchants, Curious Wines, whose assiduous preparations have recently given Bandon a wine warehouse, and Ireland a(nother) first-class online wine shop. It was a privilege to be invited along, and a pleasure to meet the friendly and energetic Kane brothers, bright new nails in the coffin of incurious wine consumption. Following their enthusiasms, and with the approaching festivities in mind, Michael an
The New World of Wines Whilst traditional winegrowing regions such as France, Italy, California and Australia remain to be popular, with great popularity comes great prices (for them!). French wine in particular can be incredibly expensive, and even wines from the supposed cheaper new world of Australia and California have seen significant price increases on popular brands & bottles. Sure, you can still get cheap wines from these countries, but these wines are often terrible quality, full of sulphites and taste t
Wine tasting in Blenheim - Blenheim, South Island, New Zealand tasting in Blenheim - Blenheim, South Island, New Zealand the next nostradamus history channel videos - Batam Jobs .net.Our nice-weather Nostradamus being spot on had us waken to glorious sunshine and blue skies. We tried our best to secure use of a tandem bike for the days exploits but had to settle for two... Health 0
The Ned Sauvignon Blanc 2007 Under pressure from my peers at work to get a push email device, I quickly rejected the Samsung Omnia and, less readily, the Nokia N96, so that left me with a technological fruit cocktail to contend with: Apple or Blackberry. I?ve been a Nokia man since I switched from an ancient Ericsson in the early 1990s. I was an early adopter of mobile phones on account of working in a disaster planning role. Oh how we laughed in those early days as we ate in a curry house in Bingley enduring super s
ZEALAND INTERNATIONAL WINE SHOW 2008 DESTACAN LAS COSECHAS HISTÓRICAS DE CASILLERO DEL DIABLO El New Zealand Internacional Wine Show trajo buenas noticias para Casillero del Diablo. En la cuarta versión de la competencia de Nueva Zelanda uno de los concursos de vino más grandes del hemisferio sur, tres variedades de la Cosecha Histórica de Casillero del Diablo fueron reconocidos: Casillero del Diablo Carmenere 2007: Medalla de Plata Casillero del Diablo Cabernet Sauvigonon 2007: Medalla de Bronce Casillero del Diablo Shiraz 20
Montana Pinot Grigio 2007 North Island Sauvignon Blanc has earned its place on the must-buy grocery list for great value, dependably good, crowd pleasing wine. They're experts at Sauvignon Blanc. That doesn't necessarily mean they'll be experts at anything else, but I gave their Pinot Grigio a go.It was alarmingly pale, but smelled full of colour. It had candied pineapple and ripe grapes and Opal-Fruit like sweet fuit mix, despite being a dry wine. It was good. Certainly better than I expected of a run of the mill Pinot Gri
New World Wines in Auld Scotland Up in Aberfeldy in Perthshire, (Scotland) New World Wine enthusiasts Kate and Mike McDiarmid will be holding their annual New World Wine Tasting on 6th and 7th December 2008. I tend to associate the Scots with traditional wines, and especially with France their long-time ally in their wrangles with the Anglo-Saxon world. However, this looks to be a tasting worth travelling to (although make sure you have a tee-total driver to get you back!) as the range of wines, particularly from Oz and NZ loo
Vineyard Retreats of Millar Road vineyard by Brian Culy. Image supplied.It's hard to imagine waking up to a prettier sight than this.Napier photographer Brian Culy took this shot from the classy vineyard retreat of Millar Road - a sublime rural retreat ten minutes or so from Havelock North in the North Island. It's the brainchild of Greg, Ginny and Jeremy Collinge, who have created the perfect hideaway for lovers of good wine, good food, good art and good times. www.millarroad.co.nz
Misha?s Vineyard Yesterday I was lucky enough to attended a launch function for Misha?s Vineyard from Central Otago at the Grove restaurant in Auckland. Four wines were shown, a Pinot Gris, Riesling, Gewürztraminer and Pinot Noir. Sue (who was also there) already has tasting notes over at the ?Wine of the Week? blog or perhaps try the official notes on the website which are very good. My pick of the wines was the Riesling, which had a superb acid balance (a trait it shared with the rest of the range) and grea
Wines Pairings For Thanksgiving Dinner This week I thought it would be appropriate to tackle one of the most-asked wine-and-food questions posed to the well-known wine author Kevin Zraly throughout the year: ?What?s your favorite wine for Thanksgiving?? In his popular wine book, Windows on the World Complete Wine Course, Kevin states that matching the wine with the turkey is not the problem. ?It?s the sweet potatoes, cranberry, butternut squash, and stuffing that can create havoc with the wine.? Kevin goes on to say that he has come
Great Wine Capitals - Spain has Rioja, Portugal has Oporto - A few questions answered by Thomas Perry In August, during the 2008 European Wine Blogger?s Conference, I had the pleasure of meeting Tom Perry - someone I can now call a good friend. Tom is an American expat who has worked and lived in Spain for over 30 years and is incredibly well- versed on the Spanish wine economy, not to mention an incredibly interesting guy who will capture your attention for hours on end. Not surprisingly, Tom is also heavily involved with the Great Wine Capitals project. From their website: The Global Networ
Lions 100: Who was the greatest full-back?: Rugby Union - Telegraph Lewis Jones ? a centre really ? was another who revelled in the open spaces and was a sensation in 1950 when flown out to Australia and New Zealand as a replacement. Andy Irvine as well ? there were few finer sights than the jinking, .. See original here: Lions 100: Who was the greatest full-back?: Rugby Union - Telegraph
Second Guess The Wine tasting party this fall, we had our second annual Guess the Wine tasting party where guests are asked to identify the varietal, region, and vintage of the wine. To add to the fun and ensure that the tasting was completely blind, each wine was transferred beforehand into a completely random bottle. That evening, we tasted 6 different single varietal wines from different regions including Australia, California, France, and New Zealand. Here they are:? 2006 Pouilly Fuissé Les Folles Vieilles Vignes Domai
New Zealand: Kiwi wine no longer a one-trick pony Allan SwannCynics decrying the New Zealand wine industry as good for sauvignon blanc and little else have been silenced by the results of the 2008 Air New Zealand Wine Awards.Like many award shows this year, it?s showing an industry maturing and exhibiting a range of wines of surprising quality.This year sees the traditional varietals take a back seat to the rise of Riesling, the punch of pinot noir and the scope of s
?New Zealand is making some of the most thrilling wines in the world.? Oz Clarke No 1 Family Estate is right at the top!!! Imagine a life dedicated to producing world-class sparkling wine. It?s no wonder Daniel and Adele LeBrun, owners of New Zealand?s N° 1 Family Estate, have an outlook that can only be described as ? effervescent! An early pioneer and advocate of grape growing in the renowned Marlborough region, Daniel Le Brun sees this area as the world?s only true rival to the Champagne region. He applies the same winemaking processes that his family has perfected
In August, during the 2008 European Wine Blogger’s Conference, I had the pleasure of meeting Tom Perry - someone I can now call a good friend. Tom is an American expat who has worked and lived in Spain for over 30 years and is incredibly well- versed on the Spanish wine economy, not to mention an incredibly interesting guy who will capture your attention for hours on end.
Not surprisingly, Tom is also heavily involved with the Great Wine Capitals project. From their website:
The Global Network of Great Wine Capitals,which embraces Melbourne, Bordeaux, San Francisco - Napa Valley, Porto, Cape Town, Bilbao-Rioja, Florence and Mendoza, works to encourage international winery tourism, as well as economic, academic and cultural exchanges between these famous capitals of wine.
To tell you the truth, I don’t have much experience with the Great Wine Capitals, and have only run into it a few times. Bit from what I can tell, it is a project that helps the capitals themselves to embrace enotourism.
According to Tom, my sense of the project was accurate in that the project is geared towards supporting wine capitals to better assist travelers. Additionally, there is a new website currently being constructed that will offer various tools for wine travelers. After Tom participated in the EWBC, he is convinced that social media and blogging should also become a part of the strategy for future incarnations of the Great Wine Capitals website. We can only hope that he succeeds in convincing the group as a whole.
Today, Catavino offers you a short interview conducted by email with Tom. Please take note of the last question, as it is directed specifically towards our readers. So please take a moment to answer the question and show Tom what a bunch of wine blog readers can do!
I just spent about a half hour on your site, and I realized that it appears to have very little for the consumer. This makes me think, what is the message of Great Wine Capitals for the wine consumer? Or maybe I’m misunderstanding the focus, what is the goal of Great Wine Capitals?
I think the site has a lot of useful information for consumers, especially to help them identify excellence in winery tourism on an international level through the winners of the “Best Of” awards. It is also a potentially useful tool when consumers are planning a visit to one of the regions-there’s information about lodging, restaurants, wine routes, wineries…as well as a network of travel agents specializing in organizing visits to the regions.
The Great Wine Capitals also has a strong B2B focus, putting businesses together in the different regions through the Chambers of Commerce and regional development offices.
Cooperation among the regions is also important-joint research programs are carried out, information is exchanged between universities, speakers from one region are invited to lecture in other member cities, member cities visit each other’s wine regions and the like. For example, we are all benefiting greatly from South Africa’s biodiversity initiatives, Napa’s strength in the wine tourism business and Rioja’s experience with improving its image through outstanding winery architecture projects.
As an example, the European Great Wine Capitals (Bilbao-Rioja, Florence, Bordeaux and Porto) were recently awarded a European Union research grant to study the use of encapsulated, native yeasts in vineyards in each region. The goal of the study is to create and market native yeasts in order to preserve variety in the different wine regions rather than use international yeast strains.
I know the Organization’s annual awards, the “Best of Wine Toursim” to members of your group, but what does it take to win this award? What does this mean for a winery who wins it?
“Best Of”: Each region organizes a local contest among interested wineries, restaurants, winery tourism companies etc. in several categories:
* Accommodation * Architecture, Parks and Gardens * Art and Culture * Innovative Wine Tourism Experiences * Wine tourism restaurants * Sustainable wine tourism practices * Wine tourism services
Then, each country’s winners compete against one another on an international level to win the international awards.
In each case, the awards are given by a jury that rates the candidates on the basis of a questionnaire and personal visits.
For the winners, the award is recognition for excellence in each category.
I browsed last years Global Tourism winners, and went to the websites linked to from the winners page. What I noticed is that 1 of the sites, did not function at all. 2 of them wouldn’t let me past the home page. 2 Others, were covered with flash and hard to navigate. Question: Since the Internet is becoming to important to promoting wines, and tourism, might we see a “Best of Internet Technology” award somewhere down the line?
Creating a “Best Of” of Internet technology: a good idea! Let’s see if we can make it fly.
The website and winners’ information: the current website leaves a lot to be desired with few interactive features and difficult navigation. A new website is about to be launched that will be easier to navigate, with many more interactive features and more visuals.
Your point is well taken about the sites of some of the international winners. I was able to navigate through all of them. One was only in Italian which is obviously a mistake. About Flash: I don’t know why it’s so bad (apart from being invisible to Google).
Catavino note: Flash is bad for a viariety of reason’s, primarily because it’is hard to navigate in some browsers, is slow to load, and as a journalist, it does not allow us to copy facts and figures for use in articles. Apart from this, many sites do not load at all or eats up so many resources that the reader’s browser can freeze. Flash is good for videos and pictures, but not for text. It’s like using oil paints to write a letter to a friend. It’s slow and awkward, hence the invention of the pen, or better yet, the keyboard)!
Bilbao-Rioja: Explain as best you can this contradiction.
Bilbao-Rioja: not a contradiction at all. Historically, most of the startup capital for Rioja wineries came from Bilbao and the Basque Country in general (CVNE, Bodegas Bilbaínas, Bodegas & Bebidas, Olarra…and many more) and the port of Bilbao was where the wine was shipped from. Also, the north of Spain has always been the biggest market for Rioja.
Also, don’t forget that the Great Wine Capitals is a network of major cities located in or near important wine regions.
Porto, and Bilbao-Rioja are “Great wine capitals” in Iberia, though I think they have a pretty strong peer in Jerez. What does it take to be a “great wine capital” and what are your plans to expand?
Our charter says that there can only be one capital per country. There is no doubt that Jerez is an important wine capital but the selection committee preferred to have Rioja in the network. Until we have one capital from each of the major wine producing countries (we lack one from Australia, Chile, New Zealand, Switzerland, and Hungary for example-but are working on all fronts to select suitable candidates) it will probably stay that way. Perhaps in the future the charter will be changed.
What are your future plans for Great Wine Capitals? What should we as consumers know?
Future plans for the GWC are to improve the Travel Network, create new cooperative projects in education, research, winery tourism and business opportunities, as well as improve our communication capabilities. FYI, I’m the leader of the communications committee and one of the points on the agenda of the upcoming annual meeting is using social networks.
Since you have an audience on this blog of wine lovers and producers., what questions do you have for them?
A question for the blogging community: if you are interested in visiting a wine region, what concrete resources do you use (specifically, which resources on the internet) to plan your trip?
I want to Thank Tom for answering my questions, and I ask that all of you take the time to answer Tom’s question above, if not add your own questions for Tom. I know he’ll be listening!
This New Zealand Riesling is a pretty golden with a sweet, powdery honey bouquet that is enticing and reminds me of a nice Chenin.
In the mouth this wine is at first vibrant with zing and active acidity. The juicy core of lime and citrus is full of life. A good food wine or as an aperitif. You'll pay a little more than you might usually pay for a bottle of wine, but this is a nice wine even at the $20 price point! Raise a glass.
They said it couldn?t be done. Yet it is being done. California is emerging from the excesses of the previous decades (who isn?t) and presenting a leaner, meaner attitude in their wines. By lean and mean I mean acidity and a glorious lack of residual sugar. Perhaps Pilates is good for all types of fat.
Just today I had two crisp, mineraly and very dry white wines from California and they were as good examples of the genre as you?ll find anywhere.
Facing down a half dozen pristine oysters the 2006 Brander Sauvignon Blanc Natural from Santa Ynez was master of its domaine. It was clean and fresh as you could want, yet the Brander was not that simple cat pee punch produced in New Zealand as on top of that zest was a lovely touch of honeydew melon and ripe pears. Brander Natural is a rare example of a new world sauvignon blanc that can actually challenge Sancerre or Pouilly Fume for both guts and glory.
More difficult to find, but well worth the search is the 2007 Pey- Marin, The Shell Mound, Riesling from chilly Marin County. Here?s a high strung dry riesling that is not a bad copy of Alsace, but an interesting wine in its own right. Like the Brander, on top of all the structure and bite is a deliciously ripe fruitiness that belongs only to California. At only 11.8% alcohol it hits some of those high notes you thought only German riesling could hit.
There used to be a line that could not be crossed in California without wines being branded as thin. Thankfully those days seem to be gone as producers like Pey Marin and Brander produce lean, mean fighting machines such as these.
As many will know Fumé Blanc is the name invented by Mondavi to describe their Sauvignon Blanc's that had undergone oak aging. While Sauvignon's typical crisp acidity remains, the grassy flavours and punchy 'greenness' of the aroma are going to be subdued after a period in oak. Forget the vibrancy of those New Zealand Sauvignon's; this is a different fish.
Review0.3 Wine Tasting Note: Robert Mondavi Winery Fumé Blanc, 2005, Napa Valley, California. Stockist: Majestic Price: £13.99 [More: Adegga / Snooth] Full in the mouth, there is a mineral edge too - the citric acidity comes to the fore on the finish while citrus is also the primary flavour. To this though you can add a segment of orange peel, a little melon, a drip of honey and a dash of vanilla. A good intensity and finish.
Andrew BarrowScribblings Rating - 88/100 [3.5 out of 5]
I love mackerel - even more so since discovering its sustainable and on the list of 'can eat' fish - its meaty in a tuna type way and, when simply pan-fried with a little lemon, a great match to this Mondavi Fume Blanc. The fish was served with roasted potatoes and beetroot. The beetroots sweetness slightly deadened the wines complexity however; but not enough to deem the match a poor one. The recipe for Pan-Fried Mackerel with Roasted Beetroot and Potatoes is detailed on SpittoonExtra.
As a big fan of New Zealand's Kim Crawford wines - I had the pleasure of pouring them at a number of my book launch events last fall - I was thrilled when the folks behind the wine asked me to create a series of custom party tips for their newly revamped website. Now, the tips are finally live, and I'd love to share them with all of you. There are party ideas for pairing wine with music (seriously!), creating your very own component tasting (for a funny explanation of component tasting, click here), and a whole new kind of brown bag tasting party. With the holidays upon us and more reasons than ever for staying IN this holiday season, I hope you'll check out my Hip Tips, invite over some friends and put them to good use. Check 'em out here!
Note: Illustration by Marcos Chin and courtesy of Kim Crawford.
*What an unusual mix in terms of the international producers you represent?why Argentina, New Zealand and Japan?
- Not really if you consider that Argentina and Japan (Ginjo sake), and to some extent New Zealand, share the same common elements?there are great wines and sake being produced by highly talented winemakers and tojis (master brewers), and they are not getting recognized yet. The quality is already in the bottle?so why should these sell less or get less respect than wine from more obvious regions? We always say that we are really a ?national education company? since we usually explain more than we sell. Our job is to get people to taste these wines and premium sake, and the stuff inside the bottles takes care of the rest. At the heart of this idea is also the notion that in the end, it?s the people you work with who make the difference between mediocre and ?wow!?. We have been lucky, fortunate, and smart (maybe a little of each) to meet and represent some of the top talent in these regions:
Susana Balbo?Crios de Susana Balbo, Susana Balbo signature wines, Nosotros (with Pedro below)
Pedro Marchevsky ? BenMarco
Pepe Galante & Mariano di Paola ? mapema
Luis Reginato ? Luca, Tikal, La Posta
Roberto de la Mota - Mendel
Jose & Pepe Reginato ? Reginato sparkling wines
Guy Davis ? Davis Family Vineyards (Russian River, CA) and Gusto (NZ SB)
13 Master Brewers from all over Japan?each as talented as anyone we have met.
*As someone who deals so closely with Argentine producers, what types of obstacles, limitations and concerns have any of them expressed to you in terms of being able to export and promote their products abroad?
- Well, I want to stay out of trouble here since I travel to Argentina a lot, but let me just say that the Argentine government has historically been more of a hindrance than a help for wine exports. As an example, and hard to believe, they actually tax EXPORTS! Perhaps the bigger obstacle for Argentine wineries is that the economic and political situation is relatively unstable, and when you are in an industry that measures commitment and success over a decade or longer due to capital investment requirements, it is hard to deal with a system that usually looks out only 2-3 years at a time.
*In your eyes, what sets apart these Argentine producers you represent? What do their wines bring to the table of American wine consumers that large-yield, often conglomerate-backed wines simply cannot?
- I alluded to this a bit above when talking about who we represent and why. I think there are three main things that set our producers apart:
1) Our wineries are owned by and have Argentine winemakers who have lived in this unique climate and region for their entire lives. For us, that means that the wines that they make TASTE like Argentine wines, not like some random wine from somewhere in the world. And as talented as some of the flying/foreign winemakers are who are working in Mendoza, I have yet to taste a wine from them that thrills me the way our producers? wines do at the dinner table. And I taste everything from down there.
2) As good as they already are, they are still always trying to learn how to improve their wines, and in today?s wine world, that?s the only way you stay on top. It shows.
3) Obsessive attention to detail seems like an abused phrase, but in winemaking it is crucial and not as common as you would think. Our winemakers are also our close friends and in Argentina that is taken pretty seriously. They make sure that every step is done with the utmost care because they would never want to look their friends in the eye and say, ?uhh..I?m sorry but this wine is just ok because we weren?t really paying close attention when we made it.? Large wineries may be able to solve #1 above, but #2 and #3 are far harder to come by, and that?s probably as true in the US as it is in Argentina.
*Looking ahead?are there any regions Vine Connections is looking to expand its portfolio toward, and why?
- We made a strategic decision a few years ago that we would remain specialists in Argentine wine and Japanese sake. Some importers have gone in the opposite direction and are happy to sell one of everything from anywhere, but we?re just not built that way as people. We started as leaders in both of these categories and we feel the only way to stay out in front is to specialize. That?s why we spend almost a month per year in Mendoza and visit Japan for at least 2 weeks every year. It?s our own ?attention to detail? mantra, and we try to stick to it so that we can look our customers in they eye and say every time, ?This is really great Argentine wine and Ginjo sake?. Every time.
- Fortunately, we won?t be bored since there still plenty of regions and microclimates still left to discover in Argentina.
*Given the nature of the market here in the United States, what advice would you give to consumers who would like be aware of, as well as actually see, a dramatic increase in availability of premium Argentine wines such as those crafted by your producers?
- American consumers have helped their own cause a lot already by being very open to trying wines like Malbec, Bonarda, and Torrontes. I think they will help themselves even further by continuing to experiment with wines at many different prices, not just the ?great values? under $15. Nick and I firmly believe that well-made Argentine wines offer incredible value and over-deliver at all price points. A $12 wine is worth more like $16, and a $30 wine is worth more like $40 when compared to other wine regions of the world. And, of course, you can support quality-focused companies like Vine Connections by paying attention to the importer name or logo (like our compass) that appear on every bottle. As with other wine regions, a good wine importer can be your best friend when you haven?t tried a particular wine yet and would like some assurance that you are going to enjoy it?especially when spending more than $15 or so.
*What an unusual mix in terms of the international producers you represent?why Argentina, New Zealand and Japan?
- Not really if you consider that Argentina and Japan (Ginjo sake), and to some extent New Zealand, share the same common elements?there are great wines and sake being produced by highly talented winemakers and tojis (master brewers), and they are not getting recognized yet. The quality is already in the bottle?so why should these sell less or get less respect than wine from more obvious regions? We always say that we are really a ?national education company? since we usually explain more than we sell. Our job is to get people to taste these wines and premium sake, and the stuff inside the bottles takes care of the rest. At the heart of this idea is also the notion that in the end, it?s the people you work with who make the difference between mediocre and ?wow!?. We have been lucky, fortunate, and smart (maybe a little of each) to meet and represent some of the top talent in these regions:
Susana Balbo?Crios de Susana Balbo, Susana Balbo signature wines, Nosotros (with Pedro below)
Pedro Marchevsky ? BenMarco
Pepe Galante & Mariano di Paola ? mapema
Luis Reginato ? Luca, Tikal, La Posta
Roberto de la Mota - Mendel
Jose & Pepe Reginato ? Reginato sparkling wines
Guy Davis ? Davis Family Vineyards (Russian River, CA) and Gusto (NZ SB)
13 Master Brewers from all over Japan?each as talented as anyone we have met.
*As someone who deals so closely with Argentine producers, what types of obstacles, limitations and concerns have any of them expressed to you in terms of being able to export and promote their products abroad?
- Well, I want to stay out of trouble here since I travel to Argentina a lot, but let me just say that the Argentine government has historically been more of a hindrance than a help for wine exports. As an example, and hard to believe, they actually tax EXPORTS! Perhaps the bigger obstacle for Argentine wineries is that the economic and political situation is relatively unstable, and when you are in an industry that measures commitment and success over a decade or longer due to capital investment requirements, it is hard to deal with a system that usually looks out only 2-3 years at a time.
*In your eyes, what sets apart these Argentine producers you represent? What do their wines bring to the table of American wine consumers that large-yield, often conglomerate-backed wines simply cannot?
- I alluded to this a bit above when talking about who we represent and why. I think there are three main things that set our producers apart:
1) Our wineries are owned by and have Argentine winemakers who have lived in this unique climate and region for their entire lives. For us, that means that the wines that they make TASTE like Argentine wines, not like some random wine from somewhere in the world. And as talented as some of the flying/foreign winemakers are who are working in Mendoza, I have yet to taste a wine from them that thrills me the way our producers? wines do at the dinner table. And I taste everything from down there.
2) As good as they already are, they are still always trying to learn how to improve their wines, and in today?s wine world, that?s the only way you stay on top. It shows.
3) Obsessive attention to detail seems like an abused phrase, but in winemaking it is crucial and not as common as you would think. Our winemakers are also our close friends and in Argentina that is taken pretty seriously. They make sure that every step is done with the utmost care because they would never want to look their friends in the eye and say, ?uhh..I?m sorry but this wine is just ok because we weren?t really paying close attention when we made it.? Large wineries may be able to solve #1 above, but #2 and #3 are far harder to come by, and that?s probably as true in the US as it is in Argentina.
*Looking ahead?are there any regions Vine Connections is looking to expand its portfolio toward, and why?
- We made a strategic decision a few years ago that we would remain specialists in Argentine wine and Japanese sake. Some importers have gone in the opposite direction and are happy to sell one of everything from anywhere, but we?re just not built that way as people. We started as leaders in both of these categories and we feel the only way to stay out in front is to specialize. That?s why we spend almost a month per year in Mendoza and visit Japan for at least 2 weeks every year. It?s our own ?attention to detail? mantra, and we try to stick to it so that we can look our customers in they eye and say every time, ?This is really great Argentine wine and Ginjo sake?. Every time.
- Fortunately, we won?t be bored since there still plenty of regions and microclimates still left to discover in Argentina.
*Given the nature of the market here in the United States, what advice would you give to consumers who would like be aware of, as well as actually see, a dramatic increase in availability of premium Argentine wines such as those crafted by your producers?
- American consumers have helped their own cause a lot already by being very open to trying wines like Malbec, Bonarda, and Torrontes. I think they will help themselves even further by continuing to experiment with wines at many different prices, not just the ?great values? under $15. Nick and I firmly believe that well-made Argentine wines offer incredible value and over-deliver at all price points. A $12 wine is worth more like $16, and a $30 wine is worth more like $40 when compared to other wine regions of the world. And, of course, you can support quality-focused companies like Vine Connections by paying attention to the importer name or logo (like our compass) that appear on every bottle. As with other wine regions, a good wine importer can be your best friend when you haven?t tried a particular wine yet and would like some assurance that you are going to enjoy it?especially when spending more than $15 or so.
Following the theme of my last post about Americans? increasing awareness of the quality wines that many artisan producers of Argentina are exporting, I?m pleased to post the first installment of my interview with Ed Lehrman of Vine Connections. Along with his business partner, Nick Ramkowsky, they formed a company that not only imports the wines of artisan Mendoza producers, but selectively forges meaningful, long term relationships with them. As Ed Lehrman explains in the interview, this type of involvement encompasses much more than shipping and distribution, extending into representation, consulting, label design and many other crucial aspects which in the end, bring American consumers the types of genuine artisan wines that multinationals couldn?t even conceive of delivering.
Based out of Sausalito, CA, Vine Connections has been at the forefront of the changing of the guard, in terms of tastes, that I described in my last post. Their portfolio includes excellent California, New Zealand and Japanese Saké producers, alongside the wines of star Mendoza winemakers Susana Balbo and Pedro Marchevsky, along with others to look out for, such as Mapema, Tikal and La Posta del Viñatero. If you really want to know what Argentines really like to have at the table and moreover, the breadth that Argentine wines are capable of achieving, I encourage you to explore the types of artisan producers that Vine Connections represents and whose work, over the coming years, will ultimately triumph over the characterless, corporate-backed South American wines saturating our shelves.
I would like to thank Ed Lehrman for taking the time to provide his in-depth responses concerning Vine Connections, its vision and inspiration. Our conversation unfolded over e-mail:
*What is the vision behind your company and what were some of the key experiences that led you and your business partner to get started?
- My partner, Nick Ramkowsky, and I have both been in the wine business since 1986 (we started very young), and we could have done any number of things together. Nick was a small California distributor at the time, and I had just sold my direct-to-consumer wine business where he had been one of my suppliers. A fateful trip together in May of 1999 launched us into the importing/national sale & marketing business. We spent about a week in Mendoza on that trip tasting wines from bottle, barrel, tanks?you name it?and we met some incredible winery owners and winemakers. By the end of the week, we were looking at each other and asking, ?How does the 5th largest wine producer in the world hide incredible wines like these from the US?? It seemed like this must be the opportunity of a lifetime for wine guys like us to lead the charge in introducing Argentine wine to the US, and in a way that they would be fully appreciated for their quality and authenticity, and not just their price. As an aside, of the first 12 wines we imported from Argentina, the LEAST EXPENSIVE wine was $22 retail! So in fact, Vine Connections was originally formed in order to be an Argentine wine importer. *Compared to other importers, what is the depth of Vine Connection's involvement with the producers its represents? (in terms of consulting, marketing, other assistance, etc.)
- It is hard to speak about other importers, since some do quite a lot and some just taste and buy. As for us, we take the approach that we are the winery?s own sales & marketing department and they can use us for as little or as much as they need. That may mean writing back label copy, helping with label design, or determining whether a new blended wine is even a good idea to add to their portfolio.
For all of our wineries, we do the copywriting for all printed materials since we can communicate their stories in English more effectively, and along the same lines, we handle most press relations since we are here and readily available. And I guess the most valuable thing we do would be called ?consulting? since we offer our advice on many topics based on our 40 years of working in the U.S. wine biz. *How does your company forge relationships with producers? In this vein, what is the process like for you when considering an addition to your portfolio? Do the producers come towards you in the way of trade events, do you travel to areas to scout, so to speak, or some combination thereof?
- We are very careful in this regard since our objective as an importer is to build brands and not just sell wine. That requires long-term relationships, so besides tasting backwards and forwards through a winery?s production, we spend as much as time as we can with the owners and the winemakers to see whether there is a good fit for working closely together. When we meet people who already think they know it all about winemaking, marketing, etc., we politely walk away no matter the wine quality. Our initial screen is the wines?they have to be particularly good since that is what we are known for importing. Then we start talking about their philosophies, their dreams, their business objectives, and where we should all eat dinner together (a meal with a potential supplier is always a good way to gain more insight).
This process means that while we have run into some wines that we like, we have sometimes been unwilling to take the winery on. The most common stumbling block for us seems to be that the winery lacks a strong winemaking philosophy, and often because they have abdicated this cornerstone to a consulting winemaker (and most often to foreign winemakers). As time has passed, we have pretty much settled into the idea of only representing wineries owned by Argentines and with Argentine winemakers since the winemaking vision is usually clearer and more grounded in expressing what makes Mendoza so special compared to other regions.
From the first moment that we meet a winery team, it usually takes about 18 months before we come to an agreement, do the ground work, and then start selling the wines in the U.S. It seems to work--we have never lost an Argentine winery and every brand that we represent has achieved a significant level of success.
I wish I could say that finding these producers followed a particular recipe, but in truth, all of our brands have come to us via different sources. The key is to have your radar on all the time so that the best ones don?t slip by accidentally.
*You represent Susana Balbo and Pedro Marchevsky's Dominio del Plata Winery?how did that relationship come about and how far back do you go?
- Well, if it weren?t for the ?dynamic duo? of Mendoza, we may never have been Argentine wine importers. We met them on our first trip to Mendoza in 1999, and they were so obviously talented and knowledgeable that they got us thinking a lot about the possibilities. We also formed a trusting relationship so quickly that it became obvious that we would work together, and together push forward a common vision of making Argentine wine part of the daily American fine wine conversation. That seems like an ominous task looking back now?we had no company yet and they were renting a very small winery at the time?but at the time it just seemed like destiny.
Following the theme of my last post about Americans? increasing awareness of the quality wines that many artisan producers of Argentina are exporting, I?m pleased to post the first installment of my interview with Ed Lehrman of Vine Connections. Along with his business partner, Nick Ramkowsky, they formed a company that not only imports the wines of artisan Mendoza producers, but selectively forges meaningful, long term relationships with them. As Ed Lehrman explains in the interview, this type of involvement encompasses much more than shipping and distribution, extending into representation, consulting, label design and many other crucial aspects which in the end, bring American consumers the types of genuine artisan wines that multinationals couldn?t even conceive of delivering.
Based out of Sausalito, CA, Vine Connections has been at the forefront of the changing of the guard, in terms of tastes, that I described in my last post. Their portfolio includes excellent California, New Zealand and Japanese Saké producers, alongside the wines of star Mendoza winemakers Susana Balbo and Pedro Marchevsky, along with others to look out for, such as Mapema, Tikal and La Posta del Viñatero. If you really want to know what Argentines really like to have at the table and moreover, the breadth that Argentine wines are capable of achieving, I encourage you to explore the types of artisan producers that Vine Connections represents and whose work, over the coming years, will ultimately triumph over the characterless, corporate-backed South American wines saturating our shelves.
I would like to thank Ed Lehrman for taking the time to provide his in-depth responses concerning Vine Connections, its vision and inspiration. Our conversation unfolded over e-mail:
*What is the vision behind your company and what were some of the key experiences that led you and your business partner to get started?
- My partner, Nick Ramkowsky, and I have both been in the wine business since 1986 (we started very young), and we could have done any number of things together. Nick was a small California distributor at the time, and I had just sold my direct-to-consumer wine business where he had been one of my suppliers. A fateful trip together in May of 1999 launched us into the importing/national sale & marketing business. We spent about a week in Mendoza on that trip tasting wines from bottle, barrel, tanks?you name it?and we met some incredible winery owners and winemakers. By the end of the week, we were looking at each other and asking, ?How does the 5th largest wine producer in the world hide incredible wines like these from the US?? It seemed like this must be the opportunity of a lifetime for wine guys like us to lead the charge in introducing Argentine wine to the US, and in a way that they would be fully appreciated for their quality and authenticity, and not just their price. As an aside, of the first 12 wines we imported from Argentina, the LEAST EXPENSIVE wine was $22 retail! So in fact, Vine Connections was originally formed in order to be an Argentine wine importer. *Compared to other importers, what is the depth of Vine Connection's involvement with the producers its represents? (in terms of consulting, marketing, other assistance, etc.)
- It is hard to speak about other importers, since some do quite a lot and some just taste and buy. As for us, we take the approach that we are the winery?s own sales & marketing department and they can use us for as little or as much as they need. That may mean writing back label copy, helping with label design, or determining whether a new blended wine is even a good idea to add to their portfolio.
For all of our wineries, we do the copywriting for all printed materials since we can communicate their stories in English more effectively, and along the same lines, we handle most press relations since we are here and readily available. And I guess the most valuable thing we do would be called ?consulting? since we offer our advice on many topics based on our 40 years of working in the U.S. wine biz. *How does your company forge relationships with producers? In this vein, what is the process like for you when considering an addition to your portfolio? Do the producers come towards you in the way of trade events, do you travel to areas to scout, so to speak, or some combination thereof?
- We are very careful in this regard since our objective as an importer is to build brands and not just sell wine. That requires long-term relationships, so besides tasting backwards and forwards through a winery?s production, we spend as much as time as we can with the owners and the winemakers to see whether there is a good fit for working closely together. When we meet people who already think they know it all about winemaking, marketing, etc., we politely walk away no matter the wine quality. Our initial screen is the wines?they have to be particularly good since that is what we are known for importing. Then we start talking about their philosophies, their dreams, their business objectives, and where we should all eat dinner together (a meal with a potential supplier is always a good way to gain more insight).
This process means that while we have run into some wines that we like, we have sometimes been unwilling to take the winery on. The most common stumbling block for us seems to be that the winery lacks a strong winemaking philosophy, and often because they have abdicated this cornerstone to a consulting winemaker (and most often to foreign winemakers). As time has passed, we have pretty much settled into the idea of only representing wineries owned by Argentines and with Argentine winemakers since the winemaking vision is usually clearer and more grounded in expressing what makes Mendoza so special compared to other regions.
From the first moment that we meet a winery team, it usually takes about 18 months before we come to an agreement, do the ground work, and then start selling the wines in the U.S. It seems to work--we have never lost an Argentine winery and every brand that we represent has achieved a significant level of success.
I wish I could say that finding these producers followed a particular recipe, but in truth, all of our brands have come to us via different sources. The key is to have your radar on all the time so that the best ones don?t slip by accidentally.
*You represent Susana Balbo and Pedro Marchevsky's Dominio del Plata Winery?how did that relationship come about and how far back do you go?
- Well, if it weren?t for the ?dynamic duo? of Mendoza, we may never have been Argentine wine importers. We met them on our first trip to Mendoza
Tecnorati
As a big fan of New Zealand's 
