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Sailing Spacious Seas and the Sea of Space Recently I decided that even if it killed me I?d read the 300+ chapters I had to go before I was caught up with One Piece. A week into this undertaking I also started re-watching the early episodes of Space Pirate Captain Harlock. It was as I was switching off between reading the former and watching the latter that a connection began forming in my mind between the two. Admittedly comparing One Piece and Space Pirate Captain Harlock is a rather strange undertaking. They may both be about pirate
ABSOLUT Mango Designed by Sweedish industrial design firm Ergonomidesign: "The objective was to consolidate ABSOLUT?s position as a creative and innovative premium vodka brand in an increasingly saturated market. Besides strengthening the ABSOLUT brand in line with the strategy, the challenge for Ergonomidesign was to design a solution that can represent the more than 400 varieties of mango. The design solution must clearly convey the mango flavour - regardless of the spectator?s or consumer?s origin and p
Duffy & Partners Holiday Wine Every year Duffy & Partners comes out with a new wine bottle design to send out to their clients and friends for the holiday season. This year's design is above. Previous designs can be seen here. I was curious as to why it was 0% alcohol: "This is where Duffy's creative process takes place. It's a non alcoholic wine and many states prohibit the mailing of alcohol via the postal or other shipping services. However, since it is not an alcoholic spirit, Duffy has been able to ship the
More News, Brought to You by the Wine Rack Store So, I?ve been fascinated with current events. Something exciting happens daily, and it doesn?t always involve a depressing stock market plummet. I?d like you all to grab a glass of Pinot Grigio off your Wine Rack Store big bottle rack and soak in the valuable knowledge I?m about to divulge. Reported today on msnbc, generic drugs are the same as the name brand pharmaceuticals. This is great to know since I tend to only buy the generic stuff. I?d be intrigued to see whether the placebo effect com
Recession Red Wine Recession Wines blithely address the climate we're designing in and mix it up with a little sense of humor. There's nothing like calling a spade and spade. Even in a recession, we still need our little pleasures. Via:http://www.thedieline.com
Wine Rack Store News Update I?ve been reading the news every morning while sipping my coffee (which would be better with a drop of Kahlua). One story that caught my eye involves the CEO of Ford and his hilarious offer to work for $1 per year if his company is given billions in government bailout dollars. While it does seem a nice gesture, I think many are still furious that these corporate CEO?s are still living comfortably while so many Americans have lost their jobs, homes, and retirement savings. Heck, I?d take a pay c
oenophile Canada's trusted source for national news, financial news, world news, commentary, entertainment and sports. The Frugal Oenophile's Wine of the Week. My Wine of the Week is selected on the basis of "bang for the buck." I taste 100-200 wines each month hoping that I'll find at least a few that offer good, every day value. ... We and several other oenophiles celebrated with a release party at JavaMonkey. In spite of some slight snags like a cask that was 2 years old (hint: this is not a wine that
The Sensitive Man found this funny, thought you might too! A woman meets a man in a bar. They talk; they connect; they end up leaving together.. They get back to his place, he shows her around his apartment. She notices that one wall of his bedroom is completely filled with soft, sweet, cuddly teddy bears. There are three shelves in the [...]
Consumer Friendly Wine Bottle Labels Some wine bottle labels are more consumer friendly than others. Miyone, a Granacha from the Campo de Borja region in Aragon, Spain has a graphical back label. The label shows the level (as a pie chart) of fruitiness, body, sweetness and pleasure. What foods pair with the wine? Again graphics and bar graphs are used for how well the wine pairs with cheese, soup, vegetables, pasta, and pork. The label even shows a map of Spain and has a red dot to show the location of the vineyards that produce
Rare Earth Wines Designed by Brett Layton of Australia based BrainCELLS: "Rare Earth Wines select the best parcels of fruit from wineries in Australia and New Zealand to make their wines. Their constant search for 'rare earth' for 'rare wine', ensures that each variety is the very best from that region. The hand-picked icon was chosen to represent the brand on a label that is minimal and understated."
Thank You Gifts: Returning the Kindness Thank You Gifts: Returning the Kindness Thank-you gifts are among the most common gifts given. They are also among the most versatile. From an e-greeting to a bottle of wine to a beautiful gift basket full of treats, thank-you gifts are suitably varied. A good thing too, as the reasons for saying thanks are seemingly endless. A small gesture can mean the world to someone, just as significant as a grand one might be. Thankfully, there are many ways to say ?thank you? in return. Finding t
Holiday Shopping at the Wine Rack Store If only I had listened to my own advice about staying indoors while Christmas shopping. Sadly, I decided to venture out yesterday in search of some strange toy I?ve never heard of for the nephew. The mall was packed, and the sales associates at those annoying vendors kept trying to stop me while pleading ?Can I ask you a question? Do you want a cell phone? Do you like your cell phone? Do you straighten your hair? Do you want to try this lotion?? If only I weren?t so polite so I could scream ?GO
Free Coors Beer When you register online with the Pitcher & Piano you get a free bottle of beer. Last year Coors did a promotion where they sent out vouchers which you could change at the shops for 4 cans of coors light. This one is only one free bottle, but it?s still free. Click here to register
Umbrellabottle I?m fond of creative wine bottle designs, and I?ve posted before on my love for the Umbrellasaber. Never, though, would I imagine that a product could possibly combine creative wine bottle design with an umbrella. Enter Brando WorkShop?s Zero Alcoholicity Champagne Umbrella, or as I prefer to call it, the Umbrellabottle. What is this curious contraption? To my eyes, it looks like the compact and stylish way to store and carry an umbrella. More plainly, it?s an umbrella (duh) which fits insid
What an ice cream sundae can teach you about marketing I recently submitted a proposal to do some social media marketing to a restaurant group here in the DC area. The group has four restaurants?three are identical in name and menu and the fourth is Tex Mex. Nice places. I?ll call the place CD. Disclosure: I work part time in one of them. And more about that proposal on another day. It shouldn?t be surprising that business is down. The economy affects discretionary income and eating out is one of the first things people cut back on. The restaurant
Eight Great Christmas Gift Ideas For Wine Lovers Wine is an excellent gift to be offered on any occasion: from an intimate reception to the celebration of important events. There are several different related wine gift ideas that you can offer. Any person receiving a wine bottle will always be charmed by the gift. Below are a few wine gift ideas: Include a pot of Wine Jelly in a wine gift basket If you plan to offer a Christmas gift to a fine gourmet, wine jellies are a good idea. Wine jellies (made with red, rose or white wine) are
1 Château Suduiraut 1945, Sauternes Sell 1 Castle Suduiraut 1945, SauternesCf picture, beautiful color, original bottle, cap stamped and readable, a great sauternes.Retrait possible on the 11th Paris, or port plus ? 12.50 for France Created by eBay Turbo Lister The tool for sale free. Put your items for sale quickly and easily, and manage your listings. 92,00 EUR (13 Bids) End Date: Sunday déc.-07-2008 15:32:00 CET Bid now | Add to watch list
I am a big fan of Rosenblum zins so when I saw this one in a store next to the ubiquitous "Vinter's Cuvee" I grabbed a clerk and asked how much? The led to a 20 minute hunt to figure out where the wine cam from as they had no record of it, and neither they, nor I had ever heard of it. It was determined that it was mispacked in with a case of the other zin mentioned so they gave it to me for the price of "Vinter's Cuvee." I grabbed two bottles at $10 each and thought I probably scored a "find."
Well, I was wrong! It is a lighter cherry red hue with raspberry and berry nose. Palate is watery with fleeting flavors that are just so, so. My wife said thee was loads of charcoal and smoke. At any rate, this is a wine to be passed up! But don't let that discourage you from trying any one of the many Rosenblum single vineyard Zins. They're delisicious!
What does that mean?I will send a bottle of wine to the first person to send me the answer to this question, provided that person lives in the United States of America. A better bottle goes to the person who not only gives me the answer to the first question, but also reveals which celebrity has that name.The only conditions I make are that you:1) have a wine blog2) post your review of the wine...
Finish of mixed berries, cassis, cedar, and tobacco
Good friends treated us to a couple of bottles of this wine. It's drinking really well right now and is enjoyable because it's so relaxed and polished. The flavors integrate beautifully, and the texture is nearly perfect.
To purchase this wine at auction or from the library collection of a fine wine merchant, expect to pay around $150 per bottle. As one of the Grand Cru Classe wines of St. Emillion, this wine has the reputation of aging quite well. Typically a Merlot-based blend, it has developed a strong reputation and a strong following for decades.
Nose: very fruity nose of cherry cola and macerated day old strawberries Palate: light feel with strong acid structure and some tannins Finish: short and a bit metallic
Hooray for Beaujolais Nouveau day! The Primeur 2008 Beaujolais Nouveau from Drouhin this year is a solid table wine that is easy to drink and easy going. It meets expectations without letting down. Shows good character. I paid $16 for the bottle.
A few quick things about cru Beaujolais, the smaller, distinctive growing areas of Beaujolais.
1. The Burgundy producers are coming! Prices are relatively low for grapes and real estate. That fact has attracted investment to the region from producers looking to expand: Earlier this year the Champagne (and Burgundy) house Henriot purchased the Chateau de Poncie, a key property in Fleurie. When I asked Joseph Henriot earlier this year about the motivation for the purchase, he pointed to the distinctive terroir (he loves Moulin-a-Vent and Morgon as well as Fleurie) but also the tremendous discount the property had compared to land in Burgundy.
2. Cru Beaujolais can age, maybe even longer than you think Louis Jadot was one of the earliest notable Burgundy producers to acquire property in the Beaujolais region, notably in Moulin-A-Vent. I tried their Chateau des Jacques 1996 a few months ago and was wildly impressed. Jacques Lardiere, the winemaker (pictured right), told me that the best wines can last decades! 3. I’ve got a cru Beaujolais vertical going–in magnum Magnums, twice the size of regular bottles, are generally baubles for captains of industry. But you can get a top cru Beaujolais in magnum for less than a lot of second label Bordeaux. Combine this price appeal with the age-worthiness and you can understand why I have several magnums of Deccombes, Desvignes, and a mini-vertical (three vintages!) of Clos de la Roilette cuvee tardive. Cru Beaujolais magnums also make great gifts; to wit, I just got a magnum of Lapierre Morgon 07 at Appellation Wine and Spirits yesterday.
4. Gamay is wildly food friendly! And at 12.5 percent alcohol, you can have a couple of glasses too and still be able to function after dinner.
5. It’s mostly less expensive than red Burgundy!
6. How would you change the region? In 1395, Duke Philip the Bold outlawed the humble gamay grape from Burgundy, protecting the premium pinot noir by fiat. What would you do differently if you were the Duke of Beaujolais? I asked Jacques Lardiere what he would do differently if he made his wine in Moulin-a-Vent outside of the appellation system, which mandates certain controls, such as planting the grape gamay. He said, “I would plant pinot noir.”
Don’t forget to join us tonight at 8 PM on Twitter Taste Live raising a glass of local wine or a cru Beaujolais! use #ttl in your comments or follow me.
The average wine consumer has no idea what it means for a wine to be organic. And when it comes to Biodynamic wines, most wine drinkers have never even heard of them. But that doesn't matter, because an increasing number of the most sought-after, expensive wines in the world are biodynamically produced, which means that biodynamics is one of the most significant modern trends in global winemaking.
The only problem (for those who care) is that biodynamic winemaking involves a maddening, paradoxical mixture of scientifically sound farming practices and utterly ridiculous new-age mysticism. If you want to know just how kooky it can get, you might be interested in a recent feature on biodynamic wine in SF Weekly, which dives into detail on the cow skulls stuffed with oak bark left in a hole; the red deer bladders filled with yarrow flowers buried in compost piles; the proscriptions to burn insects in the vineyards only during certain proper planetary alignment; and the claims that the moon should determine when you put your wine into new barrels.
Of course, if you actually believe in biodynamics, you now hate my guts along with Joe Eskenazi, the author of the aforementioned article which is entitled Voodoo on the Vine.
Joe's angle on biodynamic winemaking will draw criticism for focusing only on the strangest parts of an elaborate farming and winemaking methodology. His (and my) detractors would be justified in complaining at the sensationalism of a few practices, and a few predilections of the methods inventor, while many, even most biodynamic winemaking principles are the same as good old organic farming.
But that is precisely the problem. Most biodynamic farming principles make sense because they are the same as scientifically grounded organic farming (e.g. don't use pesticides; let the sheep take care of the weeds and fertilize the soil; etc.). But then the whole system is undermined by the use of, and rationalization for, special preparations and actions that are not only bizarre in their conception, but explained by the worst kind of pseudo-scientific quasi-religious gobbledygook that you could possible imagine.
You can't imagine how angry this makes me. You see, I love biodynamic wine. Some of my favorite wines in the world; some of the best wines I have ever tasted in my life; some of the wineries that seem to consistently make some of the highest quality wines I have ever experienced are produced biodynamically, and I don't believe this is a coincidence.
This is what Joe Eskenazi did not include in his article, perhaps because he's not fully immersed in the world of wine. While he rightfully points out, with the appropriate level of cynicism, the fact that some wine producers are moving to make biodynamic wine because they think it will sell better, there are many more producers who have been making wine biodynamically for years, even decades without ever telling anyone about it, least of all the people who buy their wine. These winemakers are some of the smartest, most talented folks in the wine industry. The only reason they would possibly be producing wine biodynamically (which Eskenazi's article points out is much more labor, time, and cost intensive than any other farming method) must be that they believe they make better wine that way.
There are two types of people in the world. Those who believe that while science is not perfect, it is the most powerful interpretation that we have found of the world around us, and those who believe that there are better explanations for what we observe in the natural world than science can provide. I am very much a member of the first group. There's a lot we don't know about the world yet, and there are a lot of really interesting interpretations about how things work, but the scientific method produces the most reliable interpretations of what is real and what is true that I know of. I (and pretty much everyone in a first world nation, whether they know it or not) trust my life to that fact nearly every moment of every single day.
And that belief I hold is precisely the source of my unending frustration with biodynamic wine. I think it's good stuff. But I know it's not good for the reasons that the people who make it, and the people who tell them how to make it, say it is. The claims of the philosophy that underlies biodynamic wine growing, and the specific explanations for various prescriptions of the farming and winemaking process are just plain wrong. They can be proved wrong, in some cases simply with a calculator, but in all cases by rigorous scientific enquiry.
Which is why I keep hoping that someone will come up with Biodynamics Lite™: a kinder, gentler form of biodynamic winemaking that throws out all the bullshit, and sticks to the things that science tells us will actually work.
I plan on continuing to drink more and more biodynamic wine, and encourage everyone who loves wine to do so as well. I just hope there is a day when I don't have to roll my eyes a little every time I see the word on a wine label, or bite my fist as a winemaker proudly tells me that the reason I love his wine is due to the fact that he completely avoided the dueling vortices when he mixed his preparation of ground up quartz crystals.
Some of my favorite Syrah/Shiraz I tasted in Thailand came from a winery that is not yet a winery. Produced in a well maintained, temperature controlled room not much bigger than a large walk-in closet, these wines were carefully handcrafted with low tech, off the shelf equipment that wasn't even really made for wine making.
Such is the ingenuity of Supot Krijpipudh, the one man tour de force of what someday will become Alcidini Winery. At 20 acres of mostly Shiraz, with a few rows of Muscat Blau thrown in, the vineyards are not huge, but they are thriving under the careful scrutiny of one of the most innovative wine personalities I have ever met.
Supot is an engineer, and his penchant for experimentation shows not only in his superb wines, but in his careful attention to detail in the vineyard. His vines were the only ones I saw that use the Lyre system of trellising in Thailand. A system advocated by Richard Smart, the Australian who revolutionized vineyard management.
Geneva Double Curtain (GDC) is a more common system, and Supot has not abandoned it either. Instead he is using GDC on the bottom half of his vines. This odd combination of trellising is due to one of his more unusual experiments. Supot is hoping to grow two grape varieties on the same trunk. Shiraz on the top, Muscat on the bottom.
The thinking is that with the potential for two harvests a year in tropical Thailand, but greater quality from limiting the vines to one fruiting, he can have the best of both worlds. The Shiraz will do its thing on the top, and then six months later Muscat will be harvested from the bottom.
Time will tell if this works out, but I am intrigued to say the least. If he manages to make it come to pass there may be a quiet revolution in vineyard management from this tiny corner of Thailand. If not, well Supot is only having fun and isn't committing many resources to the project.
Alcidini has only produced enough wine for a few friends and family, albeit very loyal ones that bought out his entire 1500 bottle run last year. This year he is looking at a more commercial output of 5,500 bottles which while still tiny, puts him in line with many others in the boutique winery class. He will continue to ramp up over the next few years.
It may be decades before you get an opportunity to visit the winery, which for now is just that tiny shed and a house with a view that is still under construction. In the future if you happen to get a chance to get a hold of one of the Alcidini Wines, go out of your way to try it.
There is a lot of talk these days about the globalization of wine. Some wine people are up all night tossing and turning, worried about that sometime in the distant future, all wines will taste? alike, assuming there could ever be such a thing as a "universal" taste.
Globalization of wine sets me off in another direction ? the amazing growth of international commerce in wine in this generation. Not that international wine trade is something new. The Greeks, as in many things, did a wonderful job 2,000 years ago planting vines and spreading wine culture. The Greek trade in wine was surprisingly extensive. There was a system of appellations to ensure the origin of the best wines so that customers of Greek wines knew where the wine came from. Large stores of wine traveled wherever Greek ships traveled ? and that was all over the known world. We even know from ancient records where the best wines came from. So, the Greeks developed the kind of Epicurean consciousness that is now also part of the modern wine mind.
I've always believed that this globalization, or internationalization of wine has caused great competition, which is always good for the development of wine and our wine industry.
...
One notable example ? the wines of Italy. Not so long ago, most United States wine consumers thought of Italian wines as the rather rough, thin inexpensive wines in straw flasks with the Chianti on the label. Now, what has happened in Italy has been phenomenal and not just in Tuscany. Today, a top level wine merchant will have well over 200 Italian red wines ranging from excellent Falesco wines under $10 to a line of highly regarded wines from Gaja, some of which command prices close to $300 a bottle.
Today, fine Italian wines are not restricted to the Northern districts. Excellent wines are being enjoyed from Sicily to Puglia, Campania and points south. Italian grape varietals? that in the past "got no respect" are now flourishing stars under new and expert hands ? Nero? d'Avola and Sagrantino are just two examples.
Its a struggle drinking Chianti without food; insufferable punishment on the taste buds in fact. That sharp, acidic, slightly earthy finish is how the wine is supposed to taste but it's a struggle to consume more than a glass. Rasping if you are subjected to a poor quality bottle.
Add food and it's like drinking a different wine.
But, I hear the masses yell, that is what Chianti is designed for - drinking with food. It is like a television without an aerial; you can use it but it just doesn't work very well. You know you are missing out on the bigger picture.
Two bottles of this rather decent Chianti have been consumed over the last few days. A Sunday roast of beef and Yorkshires was fine. Further complexity was revealed in the flavour but there remained something lacking.
What the roast lacked was the sweet acidity of tomatoes to balance. Step forward a superbly thrown together lasagne. Combining mince beef, plenty of fresh parsley, a splash of red and a tin of chopped Italian tomatoes the wine shone like a beacon . The wines refreshing acidity makes it all the more drinkable. (I'm also thinking lamb would have been a better match, over beef, with the wines acidity cutting through the inherent fat beautifully).
Review0.3 Wine Tasting Note: San Felice Il Grigio Chianti Classico Riserva, 2004, Tuscany, Italy Stockist: Everywine £257 for 12, Italian Wine Society £15.19 £182.28 for 12 [More on Adegga / Snooth]
A richness of dark cherry fruit leads into a twist of acidic bitterness on the finish. Smooth and robust with hints of leather and mixed herbs. but shines with food. Shown to both Slavonian and French oak barrels which adds complexity. 100% Sangiovese. Alcohol 13%.
Andrew BarrowScribblings Rating - 90/100 [3.75 out of 5]
Here's my second look at the new Coppola Encyclopedia wines in the odd-shaped bottles. The 2006 Encyclopedia Tempranillo is from Yecla in Southeast Spain. $14, 13.5% abv. The nose has a little stewed fruit with a touch of herbs, medium tannins, and a black cherry finish. It's a solid but uncomplicated wine that's food friendly in the grand tradition of Spanish wines. The tannins are probably a little strong for Thanksgiving but keep this in mind for stews and braises over the winter months. I thought it was a great burger wine.
The screwcap is large, 1⅝" (42mm) across, ample room for printing a quote. (The silver swirl destroys the contrast necessary for legibility! Elementary design concepts!) The bottles are designed to be reused as decanters or containers for olive oil, vinegar, etc.
I suppose I should take this opportunity to mention that I've got a new camera. For the past three years almost every photo on this blog has been taken with a Fujifilm FinePix s5000. The Fuji was a great camera and I was able to coax some amazing shots out of it, but for a bridge camera (between standard point-and-shoot and DSLR), I started running into limitations with it regarding low light conditions and chromatic aberration when using macro lenses. I recently upgraded to a Nikon D40, a true digital SLR with the ability to swap out lenses.
I normally don't repeat photos, but take this recent shot. Very low light conditions, yet I shot it without a tripod and without any special setup. I just put the camera in full auto and snapped a picture. Due to the lenses, with a DSLR it's very easy to get that low depth of field look. Without going into all the math, it just means that what you want people to pay attention to is in focus and everything else in front of or behind the object is blurry. In the top photo of the wine bottle, the screwcap is in sharp focus but you can barely discern any details about the background other than colors. (This method can be increased or decreased through various methods, but I'm not teaching a photography class here.)
Will the Nikon D40 give you outstanding photos? Only if you take a lot of terrible ones first. Like anything else, practice makes perfect. But out of the different cameras I've used throughout the years, this is simultaneously the easiest and, if I want to explore all the different settings and adjustments, the most powerful camera I've owned. If you're interested, check out the review linked above, and if you decide to get one for Christmas, you can purchase it from my Amazon store, where you'll find customer reviews, accessories, and other detailed information.
Not good news from the front lines of the selling game. From what I am seeing, getting to the end of the year unscathed will be highly uncertain. We?re in the thick of things now, the deep trough, the slog through the sludge. Forget about keeping your mukluks sparkly clean, we?re going into the uncharted terroir of the slime. And it ain?t autochthonous. Or archetypical.
Funny how wine geeks love to talk about the feel of the soil. But when it gets soggy and tracks through the house, folks be singing another tune. Until the end of the year, the wine business is joining the rest of the economy in just getting through these days.
Small or large, importer or distributor, terroir-driven or industrial-fashioned, wines in these times, and selling them, have some particular challenges. Call it Stock and Awe.
First, the warehouses are full. As, I am sure, are the winery stockrooms. Just like the car lots and portside lots, space is running out. Meanwhile, folks aren?t running out to buy a car or a TV or the same bottle of wine.
In a short survey today, while driving from Dallas to Austin, I talked to importers. Some have a niche market of artisanly crafted wines and others have more commercially made offerings. In either case, marketers are telling me they are worried. Vintages are starting to back up.
Another concern is the Europeans. Since they perceive the dollar is stronger, and they are wrestling with inflation and recession, some camps think they will push for price increases to bolster their margins. That would be a huge mistake to entertain such fantasies. Not because they aren?t entitled to recoup margins after holding back their prices while the dollar was in the tank. Unfortunately now there are other things in a tailspin and to have any price points spiral up would be suicide. But I am sure many of those folks won?t be reading this blog. Those who do, would save time and lost sales and just bite the bullet for the next eighteen months.
Forget about the problems about Brunello. It will seem small by comparison to the next wave that is in motion. And a year or two from now let?s see if this seemingly pessimistic assessment will be prophetic or aimed in the wrong direction. I hope it is erroneous. In the interim, it will be crucial that the industry moves forward slowly. Introducing new items? This probably won?t be a good opportunity moment. Beefing up inventory? We?re going to see a new definition of just-in-time. It?ll probably be more like, when we run out, then we?ll order. After we sell some other product sitting, waiting for its day.
What will be telling? When, like the auto industry, folks decide instead of waiting around for a bail-out, they start selling wines, at reduced margins in order to just move product out to make room for the next round of offerings. Both products have a shelf life; cars rust, wines get tired.
I feel for a friend, who has recently taken the leap to import and self distribute, with containers just showing up. Unknown wines in a time when even things known have slowed down. This is not a good time to be exposed to the elements of the downturn. It?s going to take a lot of street beating, wearing out some of the old shoe leather. Forget about chasing maidens around the primordial ooze.
So the fancy Beatle boots of the dandy salesman, like the three martini lunch, is a sullied white elephant in today?s climate.
Maybe a drill sergeant?s pair of boots would be more suitable for the combat in the streets, Main or Wall. The situation on the ground calls for a little less speculation (and editing of the fantasy-dream sequence) and a little more real time pounding of the concrete. What some of the old bull elephants in the selling game call getting out of the mud bath and trudging into the village. Stay tuned.
Perfumed nose of cherry, rose blossom, plum sauce, charcoal, and spice
Plush texture on the palate
Long finish of wild berries, black currant, cocoa, and tar
No kidding- this wine has a lot going on! While a precise description of all the layers might be elusive, there's clearly nice depth here. I'd summarize this wine by saying there's a bright fruit and floral quality that is offset by a dark, smoky quality. Amazing combination!
Great Southern Rhone wines can pull this off. Grab a bottle of Chateauneuf-du-Pape or Gigondas. Gigondas is simply another classified area near Chateauneuf that is considered a kissing cousin at lower prices. I paid $22 for this wine, which is the equivalent of stealing. A Chateauneuf of this caliber is $50 or more. I believe Wine Spectator awarded 93 points here. Raise a glass!
In 1964 the Beatles released Meet the Beatles in the United States, the first Ford Mustang was produced, Lyndon Johnson defeated Barry Goldwater for President and the grapes for the 1964 Gran Reserva Rioja of FaustinoI were harvested. They made 219,500 bottles and I drank one last night. I can?t help but be struck by history when I taste older wines. By the way, I just turned nine a month before they picked these grapes, which means I?m becoming part of history too.
To experience these wines is to touch a piece of history as no one makes wines in the same way anymore. Too much science has entered both the winery and vineyard and that?s a good thing. The great thing about an old Rioja Grand Reserva is that they were only produced from the best vintages and from the best wines, which means that you won?t find the faults you often see in older wines from lesser years and pedigrees. A wine like this lets you reach out to winemakers of the past and be touched by the way they thought.
The 64 Faustino Gran Reserva shows not a trace of cassis, raspberries, new oak or alcohol. Part of that is its age, but I?m willing to bet it never showed any of those things. Years in barrels (old) and bottle before release assured there was no baby fat on this wine when it was deemed ready for sale. The winery did the maturing for you.
The most striking thing about such wines are the aromatics. It is almost (almost) anti-climatic to taste them. The other is the finish, which is long and haunting. They are wines that invite you to think. Think about not only the way they taste and smell, but about the people and times in which they were born.
There is no such thing as great young wine. Very good, very enjoyable ones yes, but great ones no. Young wines only have the potential to be great. Drinking young wine all the time deadens the palate making it only sensitive to power and fruit. In today?s hedonistic market driven by immediate pleasures most of the greatest wines are consumed before they actually become great. It?s a terrible waste as today?s wines could be the best ever made and, in addition, never have there been so many wonderful wines designed to be drunk young. More often then not, these ?lesser? wines are more pleasurable to drink in their youth than more distinguished and pricy bottles.
For every wine there is a season, connoisseurs should be able to pick the proper season to drink wines made to age. Now we give potentially great, age-worthy (age-necessary) wines points at birth and that defines them forever. It is more important how a Bordeaux or Barolo tastes at two than how it tastes at twelve. That is obviously half-ass backwards. There are wonderful wines for drinking young and grand wines that don?t achieve their regal stature for years. Trying to make those wines ready to drink upon release denies their true potential. It is silly to think that a wine can become instantly profound. Like the people that make them, few wines become become complex as adolescents.
It would be depressing to think you achieved your intellectual peak at thirteen. Why do the same thing to the world?s finest wines.
Négociant Cameron Hughes has made a name for himself selecting and sometimes blending wines that drink like twice or sometimes three times their asking price. Using direct to consumer marketing on his website and distribution through warehouse retailers like Costco and Sam’s Club, Hughes effectively disintermediates the 3-tier wine distribution system here in the U.S. This means he can make money selling $10-20 wines that he sources from some of the top producers around the world.
This past Saturday I presented three of his wines as part of Twitter Taste Live 5. All the wines were provided by Cameron Hughes as samples but I was very impressed with each wine which I will review over the next few weeks here. But the most impressive wine was a new release today, Lot 93, a 2004 Tempranillo from Spain’s Rioja region.
When I opened this wine Saturday, the brand on the cork indicated the producer is Bodegas Covila. On my visit to the region last year, I was struck by how every winery seemed to age their wines as “shiners” or unlabeled, selling the wine when it was “ready to drink.” This old school philosophy makes many wines from Spain tremendous values and provides stock for folks like Cameron Hughes to buy and label for his customers. The result is one of the best values I’ve ever seen as this could easily sell for $50-60 a bottle.
Tasting notes:
Cameron Hughes, “Lot 93″, Tempranillo, Rioja 2004 ($21/sample) - Dark ruby in color with black cherry, cassis, fennel, cocoa and vanilla aromas. Sleek and concentrated black cherry & dark currant fruit with some black pepper and a touch of earth finishing long with firm, but surprisingly well integrated, tannins. A well structured wine that will age for another 5-8 years. The most extreme value I’ve tasted yet from this négociant. Highly recommended.
13.5% ABV Natural cork closure Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
This really tickles my funny bone. Deidre Woollard (luxist.com) writes:
We may all be cutting back, but at the the White House dinner Friday night for foreign leaders to discuss the global financial crisis, the meal was anything but spare.
The menu for around 24 global leaders gathered in the White House State Dining Room included, according to the AP, fruitwood-smoked quail? with quince gastrique; quinoa risotto?; thyme?-roasted rack of lamb
Tecnorati
2. Cru Beaujolais can age, maybe even longer than you think
Not good news from the front lines of the selling game. From what I am seeing, getting to the end of the year unscathed will be highly uncertain. We?re in the thick of things now, the deep trough, the slog through the sludge. Forget about keeping your mukluks sparkly clean, we?re going into the uncharted terroir of the slime. And it ain?t autochthonous. Or archetypical.
Funny how wine geeks love to talk about the feel of the soil. But when it gets soggy and tracks through the house, folks be singing another tune. Until the end of the year, the wine business is joining the rest of the economy in just getting through these days.
I feel for a friend, who has recently taken the leap to import and self distribute, with containers just showing up. Unknown wines in a time when even things known have slowed down. This is not a good time to be exposed to the elements of the downturn. It?s going to take a lot of street beating, wearing out some of the old shoe leather. Forget about chasing maidens around the primordial ooze.
So the fancy Beatle boots of the dandy salesman, like the three martini lunch, is a sullied white elephant in today?s climate.
Maybe a drill sergeant?s pair of boots would be more suitable for the combat in the streets, Main or Wall. The situation on the ground calls for a little less speculation (and editing of the fantasy-dream sequence) and a little more real time pounding of the concrete. What some of the old bull elephants in the selling game call getting out of the mud bath and trudging into the village. Stay tuned.
This past Saturday I presented three of his wines as part of 