Dr Vino's wine blog

“Oversized wine glasses in British pubs cause worry among pols, health officials,” blared a headline in the NY Daily News. I have to admit that when I saw that, I feared that there had been a Riedel war in a London pub, perhaps a jousting match with broken stems.

But it turns out that “big glasses” are being blamed on binge drinking! Roll the tape:

“The glasses are larger and the wines are a lot stronger. It’s a minefield for anyone trying to keep tabs on what they’ve had,” said Srabani Sen, head of Alcohol Concern, a charity.

While binge drinking is no doubt unfortunate and apparently has risen to worrying levels in Britain, are big glasses to blame? Have your say in the latest poll!

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UPDATE: now with intel from London in the comments – Golly and StuckatLGW
Image: John Joh, with permission

“World Markets Plunge on Fears of U.S. Slowdown” was the headline from the NYT site yesterday. Lovely! Time to buy gold, everybody! (Oh wait, it’s already at new highs.)

The good thing about wine is that you always need it. As Napoleon is reputed to have said about champagne, “in victory you deserve it; in defeat you need it.”

So how will a declining economy and stock market affect your wine purchases? Have your say in the latest poll! Feel free to hit the comments if you have more to say than the choices shown here.

On a related note, how are those importers feeling about raising prices thanks to the falling dollar? Ouch. Stuck between a rock and a hard place.

UPDATE: a Reuters story on the weak economy and the fine wine market quotes several prognosticators–including Dr. Vino!

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The wine of the moment, everyone agrees, is 1982 Chateau Lafite-Rothschild. Jamie Ritchie, Sotheby’s North American wine department head, observes that “it now regularly brings $25,000 to $30,000 a case. The rise shows the strength of Asian buyers.” Last year you could have purchased a case for only $11,000. [Bloomberg]

Will 2008 be kind to the wine auction market? Have your say in the latest poll! (Check prices for a bottle of Lafite 1982 at retailers)

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The hipsters at NY mag asked for help. Their reporter, Emma Rosenblum, went to eight different wine shops and asked the clerks for their wine pick under $25 for a steak dinner. (Steak? Come on, in this day and age of extracted fruit bombs, that’s no impossible food-wine pairing!) Then she poured the eight wines for three of NYC’s top sommeliers who gave them raspberries–and were not just talking “hints” of raspberry, these were full-on, nasty and slobbery. It’s a fascinating story that raises lots of issues. Among them:

1. Lame clerks. The clerks in the story were lame. That can happen, particularly this time of year as stores add temporary help. If you’re not convinced you’re getting great service, talk to another clerk, possibly the wine buyer for that department since you’re sure that he or she will be there to throttle come January, if necessary.

2. Shelf-talkers. Could the reporter have gotten better wines by keeping mum and letting those flaps of paper do the talking? I have an ongoing discussion with a cranky friend who says that store clerks are more reliable than wine magazines because: (a) magazines have compromised their ethics and (b) wine stores have their skin in the game because they want you to come back. Judging by this line-up though, not many stores in NYC are likely to have repeat business!

3. Sommeliers. It was an interesting idea to have restaurant wine sales people (sommeliers) judging the picks of store wine sales people. Is the sommelier more likely to steer you right be cause he or she is around to fear your immediate wrath or bask in your lavish praise after you drink the wine? (Btw, I hope NY mag does an encore edition, pouring sommelier selections back for wine buyers at stores. And with seasonal food this time!)

4. Friends. NY mag didn’t talk about them. But let’s add them to our poll for laffs.

So have your say in the latest poll!

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(image)

Georg Riedel, 10th generation Austrian glass-blower, invented the delicate crystal glass designed for each grape variety.

Many wine lovers around the world have cabinets stuffed with complete sets by each varietal. But Riedel continues unabated, subdividing grapes with his just released Oregon pinot noir glass–mere grape no longer suffices as now terroir is overlaid on grape. The logically possible amount of stemware just increased exponentially.

Daniel Zwerdling burst into the wine world like a bull in a decanter shop. His story, “Shattered Myths,” in Gourmet (August 2004 and very, very unfortunately not available online), asserted that Georg was pulling the wool over discerning drinkers eyes: the reason wine in Riedel stems tastes better is not because of a tongue map–it simply tastes better because we believe it should.

So, as we contemplate adding more crystal to our collections and to give as gifts this holiday season, have your say in the latest poll!

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Martha Stewart is the latest big name to appear behind bars–wine bars, that is as the Independent (UK) put it. America’s queen of homemaking maven has just launched a new line of wines made by E & J Gallo that might actually do well based on her large following in the related area of entertaining. Even corporations are getting into the act: Microsoft has a wine called the Blue Monster with wine from Stormhoek winery in South Africa and a label by cartoonist Hugh McLoed. It’s currently only available for staff and affiliates.

A celebrity hardly even seems like a celebrity these days without cashing in on wine. Lorraine Bracco, Barry Manilow, Jay-Z (more or less), Mike Ditka, various Boston Red Sox players, Greg Norman and many more.

So who’s next celeb-u-tainer–or corporation!–to bravely lend their name to a new wine? Have your say in the latest poll–or add your own choices in the comments below.

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(Photo credit: Fair use is made here of a reduced-size crop from an image in MSNBC attributed to Scott Duncan)

I was chatting with a friend the other day and somehow the crazy frequency of the word-du-jour, “artisanal,” came up. As in, you know, hand-crafted, made with care instead of mass-production. David over Goliath. I’m all for the process. But the word? I’m done with it.

I have plotted the worldwide frequency of the term above, not just in wine, but all things precious and artsy-craftsy. We appear to have a long way to go before the term dies of overuse.

So what do you say–should artisanal be banned? Polls now open!

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Note: the graph was hand-crafted.

Darrell Corti has banned the sale of high alcohol wines in his food and wine emporium in Sacramento, CA according to a story on AppellationAmerica.com. Corti says:

At our store, after a tasting on the 29th of March, I put on top of the Zinfandel section, “This is the last tasting Corti Brothers will do for over 14.5 percent Zinfandels. These wines will no longer be sold at Corti Brothers. There will be no exceptions…They (high alcohol wines) make you very tired. My idea of a really good bottle of wine is that two people finish the bottle and wish there was just a little bit more. Some of these wines with high levels of alcohol — you can’t finish the bottle. You don’t want to finish the bottle.”

What do you say? Is Corti a hero or a villain?

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In my post-LiveEarth stupor, I decided to click an ad on a web site for The Green, a new TV program about environmental issues.

They have five “eco ideas for greener living.” Since the show is sponsored by Lexus, I found tip three amusing: “When choosing a chauffeur or a taxi service, consider a luxury car service that relies on a fleet of hybrids.” Uh, huh.

But tip number five was interesting in it’s claim: “Try an organic wine with dinner. These wines come from farms that practice eco-friendly techniques and produce superior results.”

Aside from the fact that it is difficult to legally call a wine organic (because of the addition of sulfites), what are “superior results”?

Have your say about “green” wine!*

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The Green, Sundance Channel.
* “Green” wine is my catch-all term for the various shades of green: sustainable, organic, and biodynamic wines.