Dr Vino's wine blog

“I always thought port was gross,” a friend told me after I poured him a port that he actually liked. “But I guess that’s because I always had it at my uncle’s where the bottle had been open since last Christmas.”

Indeed, port is not gross; in fact, it can be delicious. This year I’ve tried some excellent vintage ports, some with several decades of age on them, which makes them fantastic. The only trouble with vintage port is that it requires so much patience, usually two decades’ worth. Many of the top vintage ports currently on the market run close to $100 a bottle.

There’s another way to get the vintage character with a discount and put it in the express lane: Late Bottled Vintage or LBV. To qualify as vintage port, the wine must be bottled within about two years of harvest and do much of its aging in bottle. But the port houses age some of the port from one vintage longer, sometimes up to six years in cask, and then bottle it as LBV. It’s vintage character port that’s ready to drink.

The Taylor-Fladgate LBV 2003 is an excellent example. The vintage was outstanding and the producer it top notch. The port in the glass has a vibrant red-purple hue, lovely sweet and ripe aromas, and an unctuous, viscous, multi-layered palate that has a pleasant spice on the finish. We tried this with some friends who happened to have some Roquefort on hand and it really was one of those classic, perfect pairings. All we needed was a roaring fire!

Here’s perhaps the best part: I asked that friend how much he would pay for the port, with it’s handsome embossed bottle. He said $50. It’s actually under $20 (find this port). What a great gift!

The Quinta do Noval LB won lots of praise at two events where I poured it recently. Another top producer, this port doesn’t state a vintage, opting instead for the LB. It’s under $20 as well (find this port).

A little port does go a long way so it’s probably best to open when you have people over. As to the freshness of LBVs, I find that they can keep for a few days (maybe five), but shouldn’t sit around for too long after opening. Don’t be like my friend’s uncle and keep it too long and then foist it on unsuspecting guests!

The economy’s downturn has left many a gap in the New York State budget. Governor Paterson has proposed some new ways to plug those gaps, such as difficult spending cuts as well as new taxes on private jets, furs and soda. It looks likely that wine will not escape unchanged.

The governor proposes raising the state taxes on wine. Given that the state tax is currently $0.19 per gallon, below the national median of $0.69, we could have seen that one coming.

But he proposes a more far-reaching change: selling wine at grocery stores. Yes, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods and others might soon be able to sell Sancerre right next to the Camembert without the need for special, at-grade entrances to separate facilities. This could really shake up New York wine retail by offering more convenience to consumers and increase wine sales overall; indeed, the governor estimates that it will bring in $150 million in revenues to the state.

Given that the number of licensees would jump from 2,400 to 19,000, the plan would presumably, remove the limit to one location per licensee. This would allow stores such as Zachys, which has only one location in suburban Scarsdale, to open stores in Manhattan or other successful Manhattan stores to open in other neighborhoods. Presumably, they would also be allowed to sell cheese and bread if they wanted to. Many details clearly need to be worked out and we’ll see how it unfolds between now and March.

In the meantime, have your say in the latest poll!

poll now closed

SIPPED: American wine in the UK!
America California overtakes France to move into second place in the UK wine market, thanks to high volume supermarket brands, particularly rosé (aka white zin?). British observer Malcolm Gluck doesn’t think much of the low-end American wines and has this to say: “If you are looking for wine under £5, France knocks America into a cocked hat.” [Telegraph]

SIPPED: resveratrol
Australia is known for its brawny shiraz. Now an Australian doctor has made a new amped up wine though not with tannins, rather, with the possibly life-extending and sloth-inducing resveratrol. Will he prescribe to take two (glasses) and ask you to call him in the morning? [news.com.au]

SPIT: recession!
Crushpad, a custom wine maker San Francisco, has released the pricing on a 2007 Napa Cab. Pre-buy the wine now for $39 a bottle. Every 100 points the Dow falls between the day you pre-buy and when you take delivery in August 2009, they lop $2 a bottle off the price and will cut you back an “economic stimulus” check with the difference. If, by some miracle, the Dow is higher, you pay no more. [Bailout wine]

SIPPED: Claudia Schiffer’s anatomy!
German designer Karl Lagerfeld has designed an uber-kitshy Champagne glass (or is it a bowl?) for Moet & Chandon inspired by a part of supermodel Claudia Schiffer: her bosom. According to Decanter, the glass sits atop three “diminutive” Dom Perignon replicas. The only way to get the glass is with the 1995 Dom Perignon Oenotheque (find this wine) for $3,150, or $2,750 more than the bottle itself. That’s a lot of lift!

The other day I had a great Zierfandler. How often can you say that?

Made by Weingut Stadlmann in Austria’s Thermenregion region, to the south of Vienna, the white wine comes from the 45 year old Zierfandler vines of the Mandel Hoh vineyard. The 2006 has aromas somewhat akin to Marsanne or other Rhone whites, with a hint of peach, white flowers, quince, minerals, slight alcohol and minerals. The wine has a beautiful, arching minerality on the palate and is completely dry. I went back to it on day two and found it to be one of the rare wines that actually improves on when open for a day so decanting could be in order. A wine of this quality and limited production for under $30 is a real find (find this wine) .

By chance, I encountered another wine from Stadlmann, their Rotgipfler, on a wine list on Friday at lunch. Also, viscous and minerally, this wine has aromas of poached apple while, again, being completely dry. It paired perfectly with parsnip soup. And at under $15 retail (find this wine), I’m going to snag a few more bottles. And I’ve written about their value pinot noir before. Stadlmann is one to watch!

I snapped this photo of Slovenian winemaker and owner AleÅ¡ Kristančič of Movia when he was in NYC in October. He’s pouring his superb, distinctive 2005 Lunar from the Ribolla Gialla grape (about $45; find this wine), which, as you can see, is cloudy and golden-orange in color. It needs air, which is one reason why he’s pouring it from his custom decanter!

It’s time for a review of some reviews! Thanks to all who have taken time to write their thoughts about one or both of my books; I’m glad they have gotten a warm reception. And thanks for buying the books and giving them as gifts! Purchasing one or both of these hardcover books helps support this blog and all its free content all for the price of less than your entry-level Pinot Noir (and there’s even a list of Pinots under $25 in A Year of Wine!).

In the photo snatched from a video, the black backdrop isn’t from Charlie Rose; I actually did a video podcast at the swanky new studio in the offices of Simon & Schuster and they have it now on their web site. Hear the exciting backstory of how this blog was forged in an artisanal workshop and then launched on an unsuspecting world! And an overview of what’s in the book! And where the stock market will bottom! Okay, maybe not that last one.

Bill Daley had very nice review of A Year of Wine in the Chicago Tribune, calling it “charming…witty, lively and loaded with common sense. [Colman] offers up wine suggestions for every holiday on the calendar. Just what we all need.” Click through to see the other books he reviews!

I also went on the New Hampshire Public Radio show, Word of Mouth, for the second time this year. Host Virginia Prescott and I chatted about plotting your wines to the seasons and some holiday wines. Listen here.

At the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, columnist Elizabeth Downer writes Santa that “All I want for Christmas is a cool wine gift” and includes A Year of Wine on her list.

Over at Slashfood, Gretchen Roberts writes about A Year of Wine that “the key to writing a successful and engaging book is in organizing the material in a new way, or what editors like to call “packaging.” Colman’s packaging is what makes the book worth buying. Talking about drinking wine with the seasons is new, different, and it makes so much sense to regard wine in this way…I absolutely recommend [it] as a great buy for your bookshelf and your comfy chair.

Tom Wark, the first to post a review, writes on his blog, Fermentation, that A Year of Wine is “a terrific addition to the Wine Guide genre that will enlighten many a wine drinker by making their relationship to wine deeper and more meaningful…and probably more fun too.”

Richard, the Passionate Foodie, writes that AYOW is “far more than just a buying guide, more than just a dry recitation of recommended wines. So I bought the book and eagerly devoured it in its entirety the next day.”

Over on Smells like Grape, Taster B writes about AYOW that “fans of the Dr. Vino blog will certainly want to have this book around for a handy reference, or buy it as a gift for the wine newbie on their list.”

Also about AYOW, Jesse at Young Winos of LA writes, “Dr. Vino’s stately hardcover is the one you display on your coffee table and read with a big glass of Zinfandel. If it’s winter, that is. Because if it’s summer, you’d read it on the porch with a Prosecco, and if it’s fall, you’d pop a Mourvedre.”

UPDATE: Dr. Debs posted a review today including it on a list of gift books, saying AYOW is “the perfect choice if you have someone on your list who is new to wine or is intimidated by wine.”

Sharon Kapnick, an experienced freelance wine writer, actually pops off a thoughtful review of both books, noting my Dr. Vino and Dr. Colman sides. Of A Year of Wine, she writes, “there aren’t many wine books — if any — organized around seasons…The book is laced with Colman’s sense of humor and charm…Also included are 12 wine tourism destinations, short interviews with some of the country’s best sommeliers, and numerous useful sidebars: “How to Chill a Wine Bottle in Five Minutes,” “How to Tell If It’s Sulfur That Gives You Headaches.”

Of Wine Politics, she writes “At last, a topic that has long deserved attention has gotten it, in a well-written book that is as compelling as its subtitle is catchy. It will change the way you think and may even change the way you shop and the wines you buy.”

I also discuss both books on the KDVS (UC Davis) radio show, “It’s About You!” for almost an hour with host France Kassing. (see 11/24 show)

And I also talked with host Jerome McDonnell about Wine Politics on his Chicago Public Radio (WBEZ) show “Worldview.”

Vancouver Wine Info says “Wine Politics is the type of book you can pick up and read 6 months later and still be intrigued. I give it 93 points!”

Wine Marketing + Law Canada says of Wine Politics: “Excellent book discussing how politics affects the quality, cost and availability of wine. Although the book barely mentions Canada, the issues and topics are nowhere more relevant and applicable than here in Canada, and particularly in BC and Ontario.”

The Spanish glossy wine mag, Sibaritas, gives Wine Politics four stars (out of four)!

Jeff Lefevere of the blog Good Grape, features briefly in Wine Politics as Mr. Frustrated Wine Consumer in Indiana, writes “this book should be required reading for all wine lovers. Everybody.” And then he proceeds with ten things that he learned in the book. Check out his list!

Finally, Thomas McGowan calls it “eye opening” and a “must read” in his review on Amazon. If you liked the book and don’t have your own blog, consider heading over there and posting your comments.

Thanks to everyone for the support and I hope you enjoy the books too!

Intrigued by the notion that an entire restaurant will be opening in Manhattan tonight with baby bottles for stemware, I decided to try this vessel out for myself. Since we have two lads, one of whom is baby bottle age, I had to go no farther than my own kitchen.

Filling it up with some red from last night, I took a sip of the wine before screwing on the lid. Still passable on day two. I screwed on the lid. I sucked.

Mrs. Vino: “Obscene!”

Me: “Frustrating!”

It was kind of like having a governor on your car that prevents it from going over 50 miles per hour. Or 5 miles per hour as the case may be since a mere drip escaped at a time.

I tried a fresh aromatic white. Sipped with the lid off, I got lots of nice aromas of tropical fruits etc. Once I screwed on the rubber nipple, those aromas were trapped! I felt like one of those subjects in the Cal Tech study. Yes, it’s a $100 wine! Whatever you tell me! Just give it to me in a glass!

Prediction: within a week, the restaurant will be offering normal stemware as well.

Yesterday we posted on a “terrifying” web site that broke the news that wine has calories! Oh wait, that wasn’t the scary part. The food equivalents of those 335 calories were scary since it translated two “large” glasses of wine into a piece of pizza (I thought one slice was more than 300 calories on its own–details!), an onion bhaji and a jaffa cake! Thanks to reader comments I now know what onion bhajis are–a sort of Indian onion rings that actually sound quite spectacular–and remain terrified of jaffa cakes, which sound like the sweet of black and and tart orange zest in marmalade form. Ack! Site reader Richard Smith threw down the gauntlet and wanted us to put our minds to the task of pairing!

Mr. Scary Web Site, we will see you calorie for calorie! Tell him in the comments which two large glasses of wine would you pour to match with this “meal.” Or is it…impossible?!?!