Dr Vino's wine blog

Tony Soter shed some unnecessary weight from one year to the next–in his bottles.

The Oregon vintner shipped his 2007 Pinot Noirs in bottles weighing 900g, more than the 750g of wine in the bottle. But for his 2008s, which are being released soon, the bottles will weigh 600g (both bottles, pictured right). Needless to say, the reduced packaging mass greatly reduces the carbon footprint of the wine.

“The time has passed that you can try to impress people with the substance of the bottle as opposed to what is in the bottle,” he said.

He also thought it odd to import tons of empty glass bottles from France, so started sourcing his bottles locally. One new facility near Portland is getting underway making recycled glass from hydro-electric power. Currently, he is sourcing the glass from Seattle. Other vintners in the area are also taking steps to make their bottles more lightweight, he said.

Here at the Dr. Vino World Headquarters, we raise an ultralight crystal stem of Willamette Valley Pinot Noir in their honor!

Two years and several inches of goatee later, Paul Grieco and chef Marco Canora of Hearth Restaurant open a second branch of Terroir wine bar today. Photographed at the pre-opening opening last night, wine impresario Grieco hands over a glass of bubbly. (See pix from the opening of the original location for the goatee watch.) Next to him are the beer taps, but eagle-eyed readers will note the tap closest to him is actually for Finger Lakes Riesling! Yes, they are having Riesling keggers in Tribeca now.

The venue features a similar menu and innovative wine list as the other location, now known as Terroir EVil. But Terroir Tribeca has three times the space, with 72 seats as opposed to just 24.

You can check out a wacky, unedited video tour of the place here.

24 Harrison St (@Greenwich St), Tribeca.

Points. Prices. There you have the all-important details in the cynic’s view of the discussion about Bordeaux 2009!

Only, it’s not so cynical according to Mike Steinberger’s posting from yesterday on Slate. While he admits he really likes some Bordeaux, he finds the charm and character of the smaller scale vineyards of Burgundy more rewarding at many levels, including in the glass.

In a nutshell, he says: “In Burgundy, wine is still wine; in Bordeaux, it has been reduced to a number…all those Pomerols and Pauillacs could just as easily be pork bellies. This may be the reality of Bordeaux, circa 2010, but I find it pretty dispiriting.”

I am sympathetic. How about you?

[poll id=”13″]

Related: “Why I’m a Burgundy man” [Slate]
“Why Hate Bordeaux?” [Diners Journal]

The Wall Street Journal formally introduced their new duo of wine columnists, Jay McInerney and Lettie Teague, on Saturday (even though rumors had been flying on the internets for months). They replace John Brecher and Dorothy Gaiter who left the paper in December after writing the column for 12 years.

McInerney files his first column and it is about Prosecco rosé Champagne. Not only does it contain a sidebar with $635 of wine recommendations, but the piece also compares Dom Pérignon to both the Porsche 911 Carrera and the 911 turbo! There’s talk of maxing out credit cards to buy bubbly! The piece also justifies the price of one bubbly by comparing it to the tasting menu at Joël Robuchon in Las Vegas! The only place he really leaves the reader hanging is whether the pink bubblies taste better out of a white gold encrusted Jeroboam.

He has met Hugh Hefner, natch. And he just saw “mature” Julianne Moore on the street and the rosé Champagne made him think of her again!

In February, we noted that McInerney’s punchy House & Garden column had a predilection for bling and wondered whether it would keep up in the leaner times of 2010. But the reader could be justified in thinking that he is the only person in America unfazed by the recession. What’s the Dom Pérignon in a Prius analogy instead of Porsches? And what’s the conversion rate of Joël Robuchon in Vegas to Shake Shack? If the WSJ editors wanted wealth porn, they got it! At least so far. It will be interesting to see if he eases his Ferragamo loafer off of the throttle in future columns.

What do you think, will this play in Peoria in 2010?

What a crazy week in wine news! You’d think it was April Fool’s week. Spot which one of these stories did NOT happen this week:

A) The French government has proposed making wine tastings available in college cafeterias. “Why is there sex education and not viticultural education? You can learn wine too,” said the author of the study. Jean-Robert Pitte former director of the Sorbonne and author of Bordeaux-Burgundy said it will show students that it wine is “a pleasure, good for their health and part of their national heritage.”

B) With Mother’s Day soon approaching, cult winery Colgin Cellars has launched a new perfume. Partnering with Strange Invisible Perfumes, the new perfume is inspired by Colgin Cellar IX vineyardand the winery in Napa valley. The perfume echoes the lavender, wild sage and roses found on the IX Estate, the vineyard’s unique terroir, the cellar’s earthy embrace, and select notes found within the wines themselves. Described as “Brambly. Floral. Stirring,” the perfume is comprised of organic, wildcrafted and biodynamic essences set in a base of 100% organic, beverage-grade grape alcohol. It is priced at $320 for 0.25 oz.

C) In Las Vegas, Sarah Palin, gave the keynote speech at the annual convention of the Wine and Spirits Wholesalers Association. In her discourse on entrepreneurship, deregulation and Congressional election prospects, she thanked George W. Bush for keeping the country safe, spoke of America’s need to use less foreign oil, but neglected to discuss the three-tier system of liquor distribution. However, she did say that she is happy she is not working in a restaurant and bar like she did in college.

D) Actor Gedde Watanabe, best known for his role as Long Duk Dong in the 1984 film Sixteen Candles, is the latest to introduce a celebrity wine. “After trying to bury this character for inappropriate stereotypes for nearly three decades, I’ve decided to cash in,” he said. His Chateau Longuedoc Dong will be released this spring . The syrah will have the line “Oh sexy, girlfriend!” on the label; the Pinot will say “No more yanky my wanky!”

Correctly pick which one is the spoof in the comments below and win our admiration and a free six-month subscription to this web site!

Key players in Albany are seeking to break the impasse over wine retailing reform in New York State according to one retailer who was contacted.

Daniel Posner, managing partner at Grapes the Wine Company in White Plains, NY, tweeted about the new proposal. Reached for comment, he says that he received a call today from legislative negotiators floating these new proposals. Two calls to Albany were not returned.

According to Posner, the new proposal would offer existing retailers two “medallions,” requisite to maintain or obtain a license for wine retailing. The first medallion would be for their existing store. Shop owners could do what they wish with the second, including use it to obtain a license on a second store as the current ban on owning multiple licenses would be lifted. They could also sell it to another party, including a supermarket, to apply for a wine retail license.

This would effectively cap the number of new licenses to only double the amount of existing stores, currently 2,400 in the state. This medallion period would be a transition of three years before the market was further liberalized, phasing out the medallions.

“I think it’s hard for current shop owners to refuse this,” said Posner.

“The new proposal gives three years when a retailer could (a) open another store, (b) sell it to a supermarket and profit or (c) sit on it and wait,” he said. “They’re giving plenty of time for stores to react.”

Related: “Wine shops in states with supermarket sales – three views“

I recently met Doug Crowell, owner of Buttermilk Channel, a restaurant in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, that has an all-American wine list and emphasizes local food sources. He told me about an immensely popular dish on the menu: fried chicken and waffles.

I wondered how he pulls off this unlikely combination so I asked him to describe the preparation. He said that the chicken is soaked overnight in buttermilk, then floured and fried. The waffle batter is spiked with cheddar. The cole slaw is traditional; the sauce blends balsamic vinegar and maple syrup.

Sweet, savory, fat–the grand slam of flavor! Apparently so, given the popularity of the dish. As to the wine pairing, which way would you go for this dish? Or do all those flavors make it…impossible?!? Raise the degree of difficulty, if you so desire, by going with an American wine in honor of the spirit of their list.

One of the 2009 wines that generated favorable comments at last week’s en primeur tastings in Bordeaux was Pontet-Canet in Pauillac. Over on Twitter, there was some confusion about the status of their Biodynamic certification. So I asked Alfred Tesseron who sent in a clarifying response that follows after the jump.

Given that Pontet-Canet is one of the rare properties in the Médoc (and Bordeaux, generally), I also asked the Twitterverse for their theories on why there isn’t more grape growing in the region done according to Biodynamics (a sort of homeopathic method guided by the celestial). Here are their <140 character replies, in chronological order of response:
@mrmansell: maybe bordeaux doesn’t need the gimmick to move wine?
@TimAtkin: It costs money. And would reduce profitability. Also it’s seen as Burgundian.
@JancisRobinson: In BDX commerce rules – v anti beard/sandal ethos. Plus, Atlantic rains bring extra problems. Ask A Tesseron at Pontet Canet.
@JossNOTJosh: Size of properties. 0.5 ha of Pommard much easier than 50 ha of Pauillac.
@waterintowino: maybe bordeaux wines arent as transparent and nuanced to show diff in biodynamics
@newbordeaux: I agree with Jancis and Joss – size of estates and climate here make it very difficult. But there are increasing numbers trying.
@kcoleuncorked: Because it’s not an area known for on-site, hands-on vignerons & small estates.

And the note from Alfred Tesseron of Pontet-Canet: Read more…