I'm out.

I'm heading out of town on more or less a 'working vacation' for a few days. Actually, it will be more along the lines of emptying bottles and swapping lies. As such, blogging might be a bit sporadic in the days to come.

For anyone interested, I'm heading to Baltimore for about a week to work with my very good friends in the band Meatjack. We will be playing a couple shows in the area. Tuesday, May 24 we will be at The Talking Head with Weedeater, Mouth of the Architech, and GreatDayForUp. Wednesday, May 25 we're at The Warehouse Next Door in Washington D.C. with the same line-up. Thursday morning we make the trek to Youngstown, Ohio for the almighty Emmissions from the Monolith. Seriously, if you are into anything heavy, and I do mean heavy, this is the spot.

I'm not sure how wine and metal go together but they do in my head. I can pretty much guarantee that there will be little if any wine at any of these venues but there will most definitely be oceans of cheap-ass American beer. I'll do may part to deplete the supply. And if you make it, feel free to buy me one.

And for anyone in Savannah tonight, myself and few of my very good friends are going to be throwing down some early 80's SoCal punk at The Jinx. We are known as 'The 10 1/2' and will be playing all pre-Rollins Black Flag. All the hits. All the beer. All the fun. Come out and relive the glory days that you never had.

Take care, and drink more Riesling...


damnit

Is this guy a moron or a sage?

I suppose that's open for interpretation but I'm siding with the latter.

George Vierra may soon leave the valley

It seems that at one person has seen the 'writing on the wall' so to speak. I recommend reading the article but here are some of the gems:

"I don't like the style of wines we're making here now. They're too heavy. I'm not saying they're bad wines, but it's not the wines I want when I sit down (to dinner)."

and

"Napa's name maybe is so powerful, its historical reputation may outweigh the character or style of wine," he finally responds. "Unless the style changes, I don't see that Napa Valley has a really great future."

then

"If they (winemakers) want to keep doing what they're doing, fine (but) I don't want to be part of it."

then the ringer

"Something has changed since I've been here. It's been a profound change. Is it (due to) global warming? Maybe. (But) maybe we've been 'super-sized,' as you say,"

Right on, Vierra.

Of course, he's going on to Washington State to work for Olympic Cellars, makers of the overtly focus-grouped, patronizing 'Working Girl' wines, so there you go. Regardless, I think he has a very good point. One that should be tattooed on the foreheads of almost every winemaker in California:

hguonE sI hguonE

Tattoed backwards so they can read it every night while brushing the enamel off their purple stained teeth.

For those of you who can't read backwards, it says: 'Enough is Enough'

How many ways are there to skin a cat?

I'm not sure what the number is, but you can add four more to the total:

Nomacorc Unveils Extended Line of Engineered Wine Closures;
Introducing the Light, Smart, Classic and Premium

I guess one type of synthetic closure simply wasn't enough. Taking a cue from Riedel (you wouldn't dare drink that overpriced zinfandel from a Bordeaux glass, would you?), Nomacorc has developed four (that's right, 4) different tiers of their synthetic cork. Supposedly each one is designed specifically for certain types of wine. I promise, I'm not making this shit up:

Nomacorc(R)light

A closure designed specifically for the value-priced market segment and light-styled wines. The light protects wines that are typically consumed within a year of the purchase date. Available fourth quarter, 2005.

nomacorc(R)smart -- Engineered for all wine varietals within the popular market segment. The smart provides high-quality wine protection for a minimum of 24 months.

nomacorc(R)classic

The company's flagship closure, the classic is the result of 10 years of engineering and research, protecting many premium international brands. It is the industry standard for synthetic wine closure performance, providing maximum protection for a minimum of 36 months. The classic is now color optimized with a matching core and wood grain outer skin.

nomacorc(R)premium

Our most advanced product to date, the premium represents the apex of synthetic cork technology. The premium is ideal for winemakers and consumers seeking a capable closure for long-term cellaring, ensuring protection for a minimum of 60 months. Available third quarter, 2006.

Assuming that the various studies about wine consumption in this country are right and unfortunately I think they are, why is this necessary? It goes like this: Something like 90% of all wine sold in the U.S. is purchased within one year of its being produced. Furthermore, somewhere around 95% of the wine purchased in the U.S. is consumed within a week of it being bought. The point? Most people don't lay their wines down for aging. For the most part, this isn't a bad thing, the wine was crap when they bought it. What's that saying about polishing a turd?

I can only assume that as one goes up the proverbial 'quality' ladder that the price follows suit. Why would the producer even consider using anything other than the 'Light'. Getting people to accept the Stelvin closure as a viable alternative is hard enough. I would think trying to get people to a.) recognize and b.) appreciate the differences in these four choices would be like pissing up a rope. Is the producer going to put some blurb on the back label waxing eloquent on the devotion to quality and thus 'We only use premium Nomacorc products'? I doubt it. That would take away from the valuable real estate that is the back of the bottle telling the monkeys that buy it how this chardonnay goes great with fish, chicken, fruit, cheese, cheesy fish, and fruity chicken.

Of course, Nomacorc stopped calling me for advice a while back. Good luck, fellas.

Genius of the week nominee

Yet another article concerning the recent Supreme Court decision on direct shipping. There have been way too many of these things written and this one is really no different with the obligatory 'what about the children' crap except for the last little bit:

Hartselle City Council President Kenny Thompson said the ruling does not bother him.

"There are a lot of folks that drink that don't want anybody to know it, so I don't care if they order it online," Thompson said. "I just wish the city could get the taxes off of it."

What's that saying about an honest man in Washington? Okay, so this guy's in northern Alabama, but you get the point. It really comes down to the dollar bill and who's getting it, or more importantly, not.

WTF?!?!

Seriously.

Noted Economists Call For Higher Taxes on Alcoholic Beverages

Ummm....

"Four Nobel laureates are among a group of prominent economists who are calling for what they say are long-overdue increases in federal excise taxes on alcoholic beverages, to help offset the massive economic and social costs of alcohol."

Do what?!?

"Through neglect, Congress has allowed effective rates of tax on a substance that does more harm than any illegal drug to fall dramatically, even as the federal budget has sunk far into the red," said Henry Aaron, senior fellow in economic studies at the Brookings Institution."

For real?!? More than any illegal drug?

"Citing government reports on the effects of alcohol taxes, the economists urged lawmakers to avoid adding to the national debt by rejecting industry appeals to lower federal taxes on alcohol, which have only increased once in 54 years for beer and wine and only twice for liquor."

Isn't this a good thing? I would think economists would think so. At least the ones that I know but then again they do have a penchant for the beer and bourbon.

"Those signing the Economists' Declaration on Federal Alcohol Excise Taxes include George Akerlof, Daniel Kahneman, Lawrence Klein, and Robert Solow, all winners of the Nobel Prize for Economics, as well as 55 other leading economists."

So does this mean that as soon as you cash the million dollar check you lose your mind? I better talk to my brother.

Monday Night on 48th Street - Part Deux

Coming soon....

I was typing the last sentence of a pretty damn long review and blogger.com decided it didn't like what I was writing and **poof**

It went away.

blogger sucks

Wine Blogging Wednesday #9

Albeit WBW #1 for me and in a day late but oh well, here goes:

Oriel 'Femme Fatale' Bordeaux Rosé 2003

This is a very new 'winery' and the first full bottle of theirs that I have been able to sit down with. I attended a luncheon on Tuesday featuring a number of their wines and while they all weren't gems, this one did stand out.

A little background.

Earlier I put the word winery in quotations. I did so because Oriel is not actually a winery, at least in the conventional sense of the term. They are more akin to a négociant than anything else. But unlike the typical French model where a Château or Maison has relationships and contracts with various growers/vineyards (generally in single region a la Burgundy of the Languedoc), Oriel has contracts with growers/winemakers all over the world. For example, Phillipe Melka is contracted to make a Napa Valley Cabernet. Dan Goldfield (of Dutton-Goldfield fame) is making a Chardonnay and a Pinot Noir from the Russian River Valley. They have producers all over the world making what they consider to be the best examples of each region, respective of local conditions and grapes. On to the rosé.

This wine is made by Esme Johnstone who is the proprietor of Château de Sours, located in the Entre-deux-Mers region of Bordeaux. Initially, I was surprised to learn of its origin as the vast majority of rosés that I have come across are made in the Rhône valley, Provence, Languedoc-Roussillon, and occasionally the Loire valley. After talking to some folks that are more travelled than myself, the consensus is that rosé is made just about everywhere red grapes are grown, many of them simply aren't exported to the U.S. for whatever reason.

The Femme Fatale (I never got the lowdown on the purpose of the name) is made from 100% Merlot, vines aging from 50-70 years. This, in and of itself, is somewhat curious. The other striking thing about this wine is the color. At the aforementioned luncheon, this was the reception wine. From across the room, I mistook it for a red wine. Up close, you might to. The wine is nearly red. Surely this has to be a desired result on the part of the winemakre and partially because of the 2003 vintage. The aromatics are quite intense with fresh strawberries and a very slight hint of rose (the flower). The palate mirrored this with the addition of darker fruits and a very slight sweetness towards the end. To be clear, this wine was not sugary sweet. No proper rosé should be, in my opinion. Rather, the sweetness came in the form of ripe fruit. After the slight sweetness, the wine finished dry, not necessarily bone dry, like may that I prefer, but definitely not cloying.

All in all, a pretty nice bottle of wine. Definitley not what I envision straight-away when thinking of rosé, but most certainly an interesting alternative to the Provençal standard that I love and sell.

***For the record, I believe the Oriel version of this wine is only available in the United States and on a limited basis at that. Retail: Expect to pay $16-$18. I'm fairly certain the estate version of this wine 'Château de Sours' is available in Europe and the U.K.***

Innocent until when?

Yep, it appears one of the most basic principles of our society is no longer applicable. The lastest spot: Chicago.

Daley to propose ordinance that shifts burden from residents to bars

Here's the poop: If a liquor store in the neighborhood is bringing the area down, then it will be closed. The difference is that the store now has to prove that is isn't doing the things that it is accused of.

Seems like a slippery slope.

I won't bore you with the details, but suffice it to say that when opening my shop, I was not exactly 'embrassed' with open arms. And that was before I sold a single bottle. Now I have to wonder with the new condos being built across the street, should I worry about this setting a precedent. I think it pretty safe to say that given the choice, most people wouldn't want to live across the street from a liquor store. Of course, I don't run a liquor store, btu that can be a bit much for people to understand. Hell, I have to pay 'liquor store' insurance because apparently they are getting knocked over all the time and the insurance industry doesn't have a pigeon-hole for small, single owner retail shops that deal exclusively in Old World wine and don't sell lottery tickets.

The south of France gets more attractive by the day.

The science of magic or the magic of science?

I suppose that's a matter of who you talk to and who you believe. It seems pretty clear which camp this guy is in.

Bid to improve wine smell

Uncontent to leave well-enough alone...

"Hentie Swiegers, a molecular biologist at Adelaide's Australian Wine Research Institute, is examining whether selecting the right type of yeast can allow wine makers to create the best aroma for consumer tastes."

At the risk of sounding even more jaded than I am, this is incredible. Dr. Sweigers is researching yeast not in an effort to find out which ones work best with various fruit, which ones create moderate alcohol levels, or which ones create good (or very good) finished wines. No, this is all about 'consumer tastes'. I have said for a long time (and this is not a blanket statement about the entire industry) but it seems more and more that Australia asks the question 'What kind of wine do you want' and then makes that wine.
Of course, the whole thing is predicated on people actually 'knowing' what they want. I'm not so sure that is always the case.

But don't think the good doctor has bad intentions for his research:

"The aim is not necessarily to pump up the aromas every time," Dr Swiegers said."

Yeah, right. If this helps you sleep well at night, then good for you. Do you honestly think that armed with the ability to 'create' an aromatic profile that is almost sure to be a hit with the average consumer, wineries might not use it?!? I doubt it. But it gets better:

"It's about giving winemakers the knowledge to be able to create the aromas that the market responds to and usually associates with a wine style."

I'm not sure I even understand what that statement means. I get the first part. And at the risk of giving out free advice, here's my two cents. If the sales of Yellowtail start to lag a bit more than your comfortable with, find a yeast that will impart the pleasing aroma of McDonald's french fries. Better yet, why not throw a dozen of the 'Super-sized' version in the vat. The shit will sell like hotcakes.

Further proof of what business the Aussies are in. The business of making money, absolutely. The business of making wine, not so much.

This dude needs to lighten up.

Seriously. I can be a bit protective of certain things from time to time but this is getting a little carried away. Here's the entire article:

"WESTERN CAPE
Woman killed for drinking man's wine

A man who allegedly murdered his girlfriend after she drank the last of his wine will appear in the Robertson Magistrate's Court on Monday, police said.

Police spokesperson Inspector Bernadine Steyn said Sahra Pietersen (43) died at her home after she was she was stabbed in the neck just before 1am on Saturday.

The couple lived on a farm in the heart of the country's wine growing region.

Steyn said it appeared Pietersen upset her partner (45) by drinking his wine and when he woke at 12.50am he allegedly stabbed her.

Nice.

A House of Cards?

I wrote a little bit about these 'goings on' a while back. Since then, someone with far more time has been working on this story and has presented it in a three part series for the San Francisco Gate. It is very well written and I highly recommend reading all three in their entirety.

Recipe for Scandal

RECIPE FOR SCANDAL
Part Two

RECIPE FOR SCANDAL
Part Three

There are many gems throughout the three articles but the ringer is this one:

"Edna Morris, the new boss, had most recently been president of Red Lobster but was fired in the aftermath of a failed all-you-can-eat crab promotion. People turned out to eat a lot more crab than she had anticipated. The lesson may be that you can never go wrong by overestimating greed or gluttony, which could also be the moral of the Len Pickell story."

I wish the best for the Beard Foundation during these troubled times but this choice of new director seems awfully curious.

A case of replacing idiocy with incompetence?

Consolidation Comes Closer to Home

I'm sure this means nothing to those outside of the great state of Georgia, but what the hell.

US: NDC acquires Atlanta distributor

To make a short story long, National Distributing has purchased Atlanta Wholesale Wine. For anyone in the business here, this comes as no surprise. The rumor mill has been churning out all sorts of stuff concerning this as of late.

At the end of the day, what does it all mean? I fully expect National to continue their trend of thinking way more of themselves than is warranted. More than a couple of importers will (or already have) start the arduous process of changing distributors and Georgia will be without certain labels for a couple of years.

Awesome.

Marginalization or 'Smart' business?

I suppose the answer depends on who you talk to and who you believe. This is the latest in what seems to be a never-ending list of wineries trying to figure out a better way to skin the proverbial cat.

"It's the first time Olympic's Working Girl White, Go Girl Red and Rose the Riveter brands have been sold outside Washington, according to a news release."

So take these three and tack on the Mad Housewife, Seduction, White Lie, and probably a few others that I either haven't heard of or have ignored and you start to see a trend.

One of patronization.

I'm not a woman so I don't exactly know how it feels to be one. But from this guy's perspective, this screams of something that I would want nothing to do with. I know I'd feel the same way if wine was marketed in a similar manner towards men.

Maybe it already is. Or maybe, I just don't give a shit and pay little attention to advertising. No offense, Tom but you're more in the PR business than advertising, right?

Monday Night on 48th Street

It was the second installment of a loosely formed tasting group which will hopefully continue on a weekly basis. The premise (a simple one) is that everybody brings a bottle and checks their feelings at the door. A bare-knuckle approach to tasting. Here's how it went down.

Pol Roger 'Extra Cuvée de Reserve' Rosé 1996

I must admit that I am not as versed in all things Champagne as I should or could be. I will say that I am a big fan of the stuff and think it should be consumed much more often than it is.

First off, the color. Much like still rosés, the sparkling form can vary greatly in color depending on the house and desired result. The Pol Roger came across with a very light pink hue that bordered on a slight orange. A beautiful color but somehow lighter tan I had anticipated. The aromatics, both straight-away and after about 45 minutes were extremely tight and unrevealing.

[Something that is curious about tasting any wine is the particular aromas that people dial into. More often than not it seems to be more psychosomatic than anything else. It is for this reason that I intentionally try to avoid using esoteric descriptors when talking (or writing) about wine.]

After throwing various words back and forth, the person who brought the bottle stated in a very matter of fact tone 'Smoked Salmon'. He was dead-on. The wine didn't show the amount of yeast that (for whatever reason) I was expecting. It did give off a bit of smoke or char and this combined with a slight 'salmon' (definitely not fishy) aroma made for a very interesting (albeit subtle) nose. The idea was floated about that this wine might be in what is known as a 'dumb' phase. I know what this means as it pertains to red wine but given my lack of experience with Champagne and especially rosés, I'm not really sure. I would be curious to see this wine in 4-5 years.

The host had prepared some light food to go with the wines and the Champagne was paired with endive (pronounced ON-deeve, damnit!!!) stuffed with chevre. These were quite nice in their natural (raw) state but after a few minutes on the grill, changed dramtically. The endive seemed to absorb the wood smoke and as such, accentuated the char in the Champange. Wine, Good. Food, good. Wine and Food, even better.

Maison Kuentz-Bas Pinot Blanc 2003

This is the bottle that I brought to the tasting. It was a sample bottle given to me by one of my reps. What better excuse to drink it, plus he was there so... The nose came across with decent floral notes. Hints of light rose and even lighter citrus were present. What seemed pretty obvious was a lack of acidity. It may sound weird to say, but it didn't smell as lively as I think good Pinot Blanc should. This was only confirmed on the palate. There was good fruit but the lack of acidity made the wine come across flabby and somewhat oily. Yet again, the food served with this wine made the wine better. Grilled Scallops with a rather interesting 'sauce'. Cilatro, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, sea salt, and ground toasted pumpkin seeds. Actually, it ended up more like a paste than a sauce but it most definitely 'worked' with the scallops. When taken together, the fattiness of the scallops seemed to augment the 'lack' of acidity in the wine making it come across stronger than the wine alone. All in all, not a bad bottle and for $13-$14, what do you want? If I had spent $20, I would have been disappointed, but for a daily drinker from a very hot vintage, a pretty good effort. I have had far worse.

Kangarilla Road Shiraz McLaren Vale 2002

In a former life, I was in the restaurant business. Back in those days, I sold a pretty good amount of this wine, and believe it or not, did so with a clean conscience. That is to say, I really liked this wine. With that said, the last I saw of this bottle was probably the 1997 vintage. In tasting this wine, a number of questions came to mind and into discussion.

1. How much has this wine or the winemaking at this winery changed?
2. How much have I changed over the same period?
3. How was the 2002 vintage for Australia?
4. How much does the vintage really matter for this corner of the world?

The first question is probably somewhat rhetorical. My sense memory is not that advanced to recall what the .97 was like. The answer to the second question is exponential. Readers of this thing blog should recognize my obvious leanings towards the Old World. This obviously has an effect on my approach towards judging wine but I would hope that I could still be (somewhat) objective. When the cork was being pulled, I asked about the .02 vintage in Australia. Around the room was nothing but shoulder shrugs. I admit that I pay little attention to Australian wines so my lack of knowledge came as no surprise. What was intersting is that no one else really knew. In talking to a few people today, they said pretty much the same thing. More or less, the fact is that you don't hear alot about these wines vintage to vintage. At least, nowhere near as much as you do for Bordeaux or Tuscany or Napa for that matter. Maybe, it doesn't really matter.

As for the Kangarilla Road, I must say that I did not really care for the wine. This is most certainly due to some combination of things aforementioned. Honestly, there was nothing wrong with the wine, it simply didn't do a whole lot for me. It was exactly what most people who spend +/- $30 for a Shiraz are looking for. Big, up front fruit, dark, inky color, heavy extraction, and medium weight tannins. As one person said, it is a 'world wine'. And to that end, it was just fine. I'm sure that 95% of the people who buy this wine are happier than a pig in poo, just count me in with the other 5%.

Domaine de Terrebrune Bandol Rouge 2001

This was the supposed 'ringer; of the night and everyone at table had high hopes for it. Bandol, located in the south of Provence on the Mediterranean Sea, has long been a favorite region of mine. The primary grape in this region is Mourvèdre and it can produce some of the most deeply concentrated wines that one is likely to come across. The Terrebrune, not so much. According to the donor of this bottle, the importer Kermit Lynch speaks rather highly of this estate and suggests that it should be treated as a wine to drink while you are waiting for your Domaine Tempier to come around. I guess in a way, I would agree. Let me say that this wine is no Domaine Tempier. But to compare anything to this most famous house of Bandol is quite silly. I'm not sure if it is a matter of winemaking style or vineyard orientation, or possibly simply bottle variation, but this wine lacked almost everything that gets me giddy over Bandol. The nose was missing the tell-tale 'barnyard' and what I call 'road tar' that I associate with these wines. It wasn't bad, it just seemed like a 'Bandol Lite'. Decent tannin and fair concentration were obvious but it wasn't all together. Not sure about the price and if it were $14-$15 I probably wouldn't be all that upset. Any more, forget it. I am going to retry this wine, as I have had similar experiences in the past.

So there it is. If you got this far, you probably had some time to kill. If you've got some more time, I'd love to here some feedback.

Don't tax it and they will come?

Here in the U.S. it seems that everybody and their brother have an opinion when it comes to taxes. How much is enough? How much is too much? Who should pay more or less? On and on and on. For the record, I am not a big fan of taxes. Of course, they are necessary but at the end of the day, the lower the better. It seems that I'm not the only one who thinks so.

Louisiana Alcohol Taxes Low

From the Washington Post, no less. I can only hope this sparks something with 'my friends' in D.C. Apparently, Louisiana has some of the lowest taxes on all things alcohol in the entire country. And what's more, they collected more tax revenue per resident than any other state.

From the article:

"I'm surprised we're that high" in alcohol tax collections, LSU economist Loren Scott said. "It must be a function of the quantity consumed, not the tax rate, because the rate is very low."

I'm no economist, but it sounds like Loren Scott is. I'm curious if this is the finest that LSU can scratch up or if the 'economist' is stating the obvious for John Q. Sixpack.

And so what does all this mean? Well, if some people have their way, they will likely kill the goose that laid the golden egg.

"Coincidentally, the U.S. Census Department released the report on state tax collections just as Louisiana legislators were opening a session in which they'll consider Gov. Kathleen Blanco's proposal to increase so-called "sin" tax rates on alcohol and tobacco products.

Blanco's tax plan would add another 50 cents to the state's cigarette tax and raise alcohol taxes for the first time in decades as part of a package that the governor estimates would generate about $120 million to pay for teacher, college professor and school employee pay hikes."

First off, the idea that we are talking about a 'sin tax' is kind of funny.

A. I don't consider drinking and smoking to be sinful.

B. Since when was there anything remotely related to a 'sin' in Louisiana.
Have you ever been to New Orleans?