* The just-fired coach of the New Jersey Nets will make a guest appearance to give a brief talk on winning.

* Being able to know which end of the bottle to open the only prior wine knowledge needed!

* Tareq and Michaele Salahi will crash the event.

* Find some excellent wines to give as gifts to your friends and co-workers.

* Get a gilt-edged, collectors’ edition of Dr. Vino’s holiday wine survival guide!

* Discover undervalued gems to pour at your holiday party!

* Meet fellow wine enthusiasts!

* Vigneron Brad Pitt will stop by and discuss what he has learned about wine grape growing in Provence. And goatee growing.

* Find out which wine is the perfect match for roaring fires and chestnuts!

* Learn essential wine miscellany that you can use to impress people over eggnog at holiday parties!

All right, some of these may be true and some may be totally made up. Stop by and find out the truth for yourself!

Buy tickets in advance here
Thursday, Dec 10, 6:30 – 8:00 PM, on E. 29th Street

On September 12, join me at the University of Chicago’s Graham School for a Saturday seminar entitled: “Red, white and “green” wines: can you taste the difference?” We will discuss issues relating to organic and biodynamic wines, talk about some leading wines and wine makers, and see if we can taste the difference between some conventional wines and their eco-wine counterparts in a blind tasting. No previous wine experience is necessary. Hope to see you there!

Registration and details

Each participant brings in a wine to present to the class, which means we get to taste about 25 wines that evening. Good times! And ever since I banned people from getting wines at the closest store to our venue, a store that seems to specialize in unearthing wines that have been stored next to the boiler for several winters, the quality of the wines has risen tremendously and people really have a lot of run exploring the wine shops of the city. Some people brought in bottles from trips to wineries in New York and California, and others were looking to try something out on us before pouring it at Thanksgiving. Here are a few of the highlights from last week:

One woman brought in a Bordeaux from her birth year: 1982. I didn’t catch all the details but in the 1980s, her father represented someone’s estate that was short on cash and long on wine thus he ended up with 100 cases of 1982 Bordeaux. Since that was a legendary vintage, the payment might actually have been better than cash if it were not for the fact that the chateau “used cheap corks,” according to the woman who brought it in. Now almost all of the bottles have been oxidized and the one she brought from us was, sadly, over the hill. When she gets married next year, they will also have wine from her fiancé’s birth year, 1983, to hedge themselves.

Another participant brought in a wine from Hungary, the Tibor Gál Egri Bikavér 2002 (find this wine), a traditional wine from Eger known as “Bull’s blood” (mmm! Any vegetarians in the house? Just kidding; it’s metaphorical.). He had thought ahead enough to buy several bottles from an online retailer for about $10. The wine was brick color and should be consumed in the near term. Sadly, Tibor Gal died too young in a car accident in 2005. This wine helped us two on our goal to the Wine Century Club since it has 40% Kékfrankos, 30% cabernet franc, 15% syrah, 5% Kekoporto, 5% pinot noir, 5% cabernet sauvignon.

Someone else brought in the Produttori di Barbaresco, Barbaresco 2004 ($30; find this wine) after trying it at the wine shop Vino. It is a delicious young nebbiolo from a co-op in Piedmont that I will absolutely look for again. Incidentally, the gentlemen who brought this in did so because he had red that tannic red wines have anticholesterol properties and he had understood this wine to be tannic.

Finally, we tried a “white muscat from the red stone,” which sounded to me as if it will be the next Indiana Jones movie. In fact, it is a dessert wine from Massandra, a well-known producer in the Crimea where there must also be a “red stone.” Our presenter brought it from her mom’s private stash, collected on twice yearly trips to Ukraine, her native country. The packaging was quite ornate and included not only a wax seal over the cork but also a string tying it down–a sort of vinous chastity belt? At any rate, once I pried it open, the wine inside was an amber, unctuous dessert wine, a sweet finish to our great class.

So sign up for the few remaining spaces if you can. It will be a really fun edition of our Saturday seminars where no previous knowledge of wine is required for this non-credit session. All participants will also get a signed copy of my new book, Wine Politics: How Governments, Environmentalists, Mobsters, and Critics Influence the Wines We Drink. All wines poured will tie in to the themes of the book. Click though for more details and registration info. (And no, I don’t get paid any more based on enrollment; it’s just that these wines will be crazy fun so come, taste them, and contribute to the discussion!)

If for some reason that doesn’t work out, I’ll be doing a smaller, shorter tasting at Just Grapes on Thursday (details and registration) and a book signing at Sam’s Lincoln Park on Friday, 5 PM – 7 PM. Stop by and say hi! Now if only I could score some Cubs tickets, my trip to Chicago would be complete!

Both of the trips will be anchored by classes at the University of Chicago’s Graham School, which are open to everyone who chooses to register. On September 20, I’ll lead a Saturday afternoon seminar called “France and America: Wine Politics and a Tasting Showdown.” We will talk about themes from my upcoming book, Wine Politics, and then have a wildly fun, blind and competitive tasting of wines from the two countries. The wine budget for these events is good and in the past we have had some excellent mature wines in a variety of sizes. All participants will receive a signed copy of the book as part of the enrollment. Details and registration.

On December 6, we’ll be talking and tasting holiday wines in another Saturday seminar. This time the discussion will be centered around my second wine book, “A Year of Wine,” which will be published in November by Simon & Schuster. As with the September event, the wines will be fun and participants will receive a signed copy of this book too. Details and registration.

Although this may seem like eons from now, apparently we get a nicer room if signups are strong early. So sign up! See you there!

(image of the bean)

One of the things that I do in the class is poll people on whether they like each wine. They’re free to love them or hate them and we generally have some fence-sitters too. Some people love certain wines (“smell the terroir!”) that are hated by others (“smells like terroir!”). Oddly enough, the expensive wines are not always the most popular since they have either too much individuality or too much conformity to please everyone.

But some wines are unanimously enjoyed. Below is a list of those wines. Incidentally, I poured about 35 wines (blind) spanning many places and styles. One week I was away on parental leave and recruited Mollie Battenhouse to help me out. Mollie, the former sommelier at Tribeca Grill and a candidate for the Master of Wine (all she has left is her dissertation), is starting her own wine business in NYC that is a first of its kind. More on that on a future date…To the wines!

* Luneau-Papin, Clos des Allees, Muscadet 2005 $12 (find this wine)
* Godeval Godello 2006 $16 (find this wine)
* Lenz Estate Merlot, North Fork Long Island, 2001 $21 (find this wine)
* Patricia Greene, “Whistling Ridge” Pinot noir, 2006. $35 (find this wine)
* Catena Malbec 2005 $16 (find this wine)
* Yves Cuilleron, “vin de pays des Collines Rhodaniennes,” Syrah 2006 $18 (find this wine)

I was most surprised by the two whites, the zippy, unoaked Godello from Spain and the Luneau-Papin, a Muscadet. But the Luneau-Papin is a great wine that is richer and creamier than many from the region so I guess it’s not really surprising.

But the big surprise was the Lenz merlot. First: merlot. They were steeped in Sideways lore that merlot sucks, which, admittedly, it does all too often. Second: Long Island. But Eric Fry, an iconoclast, makes his wines in an unusual way with both assiduous barrel age and bottle age that shows the varietal character and, clearly, is a popular choice.

(image)

Well, you might not have to get on a plane, but I do. On February 23, I’ll be offering a seminar at UC Berkeley. It’s a non-degree, non-credit (too bad!) program and all are welcome to enroll. Over four hours, we’ll swirl, sniff and discuss the topic of just how natural wine is in a seminar entitled “Red, White and Green wine: can you taste the difference?” We will blind taste several pairs of wines, comparing organic and conventional and see if you can taste the difference (no advance knowledge of wine appreciation is necessary). Saturday, February 23, 1:00 – 5:00 PM. Further details and registration now online. I hope to see you there! I hasten to point out that this same class is 25% less expensive than when I offered a similar course at the University of Chicago last spring–a rare discount in California?!

Registration is also open for my next six week class at NYU, Becoming a Wine Expert. This course has enrollment limited to 25 because of venue size–the wood-paneled Torch Club. Last time the wait list was 75, most of whom were probably trying to get into Richard Brown’s Movies 101 course but clicked the wrong box or something. Feb 27 – April 9 Details and registration.

And look for more one-session classes in 2008!

1. Col Vetoraz, Prosecco NV. Light, fun, bubbly and $13 (find this wine). A good party wine especially when the party is about things other than the wine.

2. Domaine de la Pepiere, “Granite de Clisson,” Muscadet 2005 (about $20; find this wine). Marc Ollivier is a leading quality producer in this region. This particular bottling is an effort that sees a lot of time on the lees (dead yeast cells that are natural), which gives it more richness than his $9 bottling, which is great for summer since it is more zingy.

3. Saxon Brown Semillion, Casa Santinamaria 2006 ($27; find this wine. A field blend from an old vineyard in Sonoma. It’s a wonderful example of a an aromatically intense wine that is unoaked and people liked the acidity on the palate. Goes great with brown sugar baked ham, I would imagine.

4. Joguet, “Les Petites Roches,” Chinon 2005 (find this wine). Quite tannic so probably needs at least a year in the cellar. Nonetheless, it was good to show an example of tannins in the mouth. Good fruit and good acidity save the wine — one participant remarked how the piave cheese really improved it. Yay, it gets better with food!

5. Rene Rostaing, Cuvee Clasique, Cote-Rote 2004 ($50; find this wine). From this “legend” of the Cote-Rotie, this wine from the syrah grape was subtle and restrained in classic (classique?) old world style. Paired well with the epoisse.

6. Broc Cellars Syrah, Dry Stack Vineyard 2004 ($30; find this wine). I wanted a wine to contrast with the Rostaing and this Broc fit the bill nicely. Quite modern in style, it helped show the difference of new oak on the same grape. In a rough poll, the Rostaing edged this one out by a narrow margin.

7. Dow’s Late Bottled Vintage 2000 port. ($19; find this wine) This wine really was a big surprise–people loved it! They thought it was in the $40 – $60 range so when I told them it was under $20, I had to restrain them from stampeding for the port section. Paired it with a Stilton.

Look for more one evening events in 2008! And I hope to see you there!

Hi,
I’m interested in attending Dr. Vino’s holiday wine picks at the new Astor Center, this Friday, Dec. 14th. Can you tell me how many men usually attend? And are there mostly singles there? If so, what’s the age range?
Thank you,
Jane

Two tickets left for purchase. See many of you there!

Friday, Dec 14, 6:30 – 8:00 PM, 23 E. 4th Street (at Lafayette, above Astor Wine & Spirits)

* It’s more fun than sitting at home watching re-runs on TV during the writers’ strike!

* Being able to know which end of the bottle to open the only prior wine knowledge needed!

* Robert Parker will make an appearance and I will thumb wrestle him!

* Get a gilt-edged, collectors’ edition of Dr. Vino’s holiday wine survival guide!

* Isiah Thomas will stop by and reveal his master plan of how the Knicks will become NBA champions this year!

* Find some excellent wines to give as gifts to your friends and co-workers–and buy them with a discount!

* Find out which wine is the perfect match for roaring fires and chestnuts!

* Discover the perfect wine pairing for the weather condition known as “wintry mix”!

* Meet fellow wine enthusiasts!

* Find out which vineyard Brangelina are buying together with Jennifer Aniston!

All right, some of these may be true and some may be totally made up. Stop by and find out the truth for yourself!

Buy tickets in advance here
Friday, Dec 14, 6:30 – 8:00 PM, 23 E. 4th Street (at Lafayette, above Astor Wine & Spirits)

Is bigger better?

This perennial question came up during my class on Saturday at the University of Chicago. In this context, it related to bottle size, specifically, magnums.

The tasting had two magnums, one of Pierre Peters, “cuvee de reserve” Champagne and another of Ridge Monte Bello 2002. How sweet it is to organize tastings!

Anticipating the question of size, um, arising, I asked none other than the importer of the champagne, Terry Theise, via email beforehand. Here is his reply (reproduced with permission):

Hey Tyler – there is indeed a very good reason for buying Champagnes in Magnum; it is said to be the “perfect size” to promote a tempo and type of aging by which Champagne is said to show its best. Candidly, I myself don’t know why nor if there even is a “why,” and if there is I’m sure the explanation would be abstruse. I can tell you empirically that whenever I’ve had the chance to compare the same bottle-aged wine (e.g., Vilmart’s 1992 Coeur du Cuvée) in bottle and Mag, the bottle showed more oxidative nutty development whereas the Magnum showed more estery, fresh and firm, and most important, more complex.

Some of this can get lost in theater, such as when restaurants pour young (usually commercial) Champagne by the glass from Magnums, which in fact is deleterious because the wines are painfully fruitless and reticent. Mags are for laying down. If you’re going to drink the wine within five years of disgorgement, do so from bottle.

Why not pour that Peters from both sizes at your seminar, and discuss the distinctions?

Sadly we couldn’t take him up on his suggestion to double up since I had already blown the budget. Do magnums attenuate the effect of oxygen and become the perfect bottles for aging slowly? Or is it sheer ostentatiousness at it best? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

(image: my cameraphone)

We’ll do one marathon session at the University of Chicago on Sep 29. (details and registration)

Starting on September 25, we’ll spread it out over three Tuesday evenings at New York University’s Torch Club. (details and registration)

Only five spots are left in Chicago and a few more in NY so sign up now or never! Hope to see you there.

* New York University: Buying and Cellaring, three sessions starting on September 25. Register here
* University of Chicago: Buying and cellaring liquid assets: one monster session, September 29. Register here
In both of these new classes, we will examine the red hot wine market. We will discuss where to buy wines, where to sell, how to store, and when to consume wines. In the longer, NYU course, we will devise a buying strategy for your budget and storage conditions and I hope we’ll be able to do the same in Chicago, even though the time is more limited. Both NY and Chicago will have tastings of collectible wines so be sure to sign up–especially, since the people enroll, the bigger the tasting budget is!

* New York Unversity: Becoming a Wine Expert. Six Wednesday evenings, starting October 17. Register here
This spring, one participant in the course said that he had waited two years to get into the class — I hope it was worth it! This, my core class, has the enrollment limited to 25 because of space limitations at the Torch Club.

* The Gourmet Institute: New York City, October 19-21. Register here
I’ll be participating on the panel “Eat the Web: Blogging’s Effect on the Food World,” moderated by Ruth Reichl. It’s very expensive (think two iPhones) but there are all those celebrity chefs whose food you can eat!

And I’m trying to coordinate an offline meetup, hopefully for next week…More on that very soon.

He said that he and the woman to his right had taken my class there on October 1, 2005 on the politics of wine in Chile, Argentina, and Spain. He remembered the date because it was his birthday. But he also remembered it because he and the woman met that day and they had been “drinking wine together ever since.”

Food and wine pairing? Forget it! They got a life pairing!

The wines were from a range of styles and included bubbly, red and white. Some of the faves were:

* Bisol prosecco, NV (about $13; find this wine). Controversy came with this wine with high praise from Wine & Spirits (93 points) and faint praise wine Wine Spec (86 points). The yummy sparkler got a thumbs up from the group.

* William Fevre, Vaudesir, Grand Cru Chablis, 2004 (about $45; find this wine). I didn’t even realize that Rovani/Parker tasted Chablis but Rovani slapped a 93 on this one. ‘Tis good. Wonderful minerality with delicate acidity, which makes for a very nice mouthfeel and it has an excellent finish. No unanimity on this wine to be sure, with others preferring the American chardonnay, but I thought it was excellent, if pricey.

* Deisen, shiraz, Barossa, 2002 (about $50; find this wine). A brawny shiraz from down under with 15% alcohol. Parker 94. The class loved it with no dissenters. While the wine is very user friendly as far as shiraz-ma-taz is concerned, I found the alcohol to be somewhat off-putting.

* Castano, Hecula, monastrell, 2004. (about $10; find this wine). This is a darned good value vino since many participants thought it was at least $30. It’s got hints of that mourvedre gamey-ness and I think it could do with a few years in the cellar to tame it a bit. But still, it’s vigor would be great with game or grilled meats.

* Dominus, Napa, 2003 (about $100; find this wine) This was the most critically contested wine of the day with a huge spread between Parker’s 95 and the Wine Spec’s Jim Laube zinging it with an 81 (a score so low that the Wine Advocate would not even publish it). Laube didn’t even grumble about TCA, the usual cause of his zingers, simply going with the “disappointingly dry and austere.” I poured it blind and there were lots of pros and only two cons before I revealed the “controversy.”

It was a hedonistic afternoon. If you’re interested, there may be a couple of spaces left for my next class in May. Hope to see you there!