Dr Vino's wine blog

When I was in Paris last week, I had the pleasure of meeting up with Bertrand. You may know Bertrand from his great pictures of the independent wine makers of France. That’s how I knew him.

We met up at La Muse Vin, one of a growing number of “natural” wine bars, in the 11th arrondissement roughly between Republique and Bastille. It is a wine bar/restaurant that, unknown to us, converted fully to a restaurant at 8:30 (20h30, if you will) slightly before we got there. So we each ordered a plate from the chalkboard since that was the requirement in the intimate space. I had chilled pea soup with a yowza amount of spearmint in it.

When it came to the wine, our thoughts turned to the Loire not only because I am a fan of the wines in general, but also because Bertrand had just gotten back from a shoot in the Loire of Jean Pierre Robinot. Although Robinot only started his winery in 2002, he has been around wine for a lot longer, previously owning a wine bar in Paris and founding the insider wine publication Le Rouge et Le Blanc (whose name would no doubt make Stendhal chuckle). You can read all the details on Robinot and see photos on Bertrand’s blog.

Coincidentally, several of Robinot’s wines were on the wine list at La Muse Vin. Or perhaps I should say in the cold storage since one of the onwers was “the list.” Example bottles with prices painted on them are on display around the periphery of the restaurant and he walked us through a few until we settled on the Robinot, Lumière de Silex 2002 from the Jasnieres appellation

As the chenin blanc was decanted and chilled at the table, I couldn’t help but marvel at the rich, golden color. With aromas of honeysuckle, on the palate it had a crispness yet also a slight note of sweetness. Overall, the wine was so intense that I could feel it in the back of my cheekbones. I was sorry we didn’t decant it several hours earlier to see what more appeared to be locked inside.

Enter Alder. Well, he didn’t really enter La Muse Vin. But he did assign a write up of a Loire white for today’s edition of Wine Blogging Wednesday. Another fortunate coincidence.

La Muse Vin, 101, r Charonne, 75011 Paris – 01 40 09 93 05

If you are in Paris looking for a wine from the Etats-Unis, New Zealand, or even Brazil, your home to one-stop shopping convenience has a name: Lavinia.

Sprawling over a climate-controlled three floors, the store is the most New World in its orientation in all of Paris. Opened in 2003 after its owners cut their teeth on locations in Barcelona and Madrid, the store stocks 6,000 wines, hundreds of spirits, a significant selection of wine books in French and English, and a handsome tasting bar and restaurant. And with copious amounts of staff, the customer service is as refreshing as the air conditioning.

Consider it a must-stop for wine geeks, whether for ex-pats or locals who are stuck in a rut or visitors who are looking for the best of French wines.

The entry floor has many wines stuck neck first into a display with helpful rings around them indicating a good value, organically grown, best seller, or a seasonal selection. One section suggests wines paired with various foods. They offer a sample of a wine or two a week, poured in a glass (not plastic!).

This floor houses the wines of the world, from Argentina to Spain and Tuscany to Napa. A panel on the wall said “Cuba” and I was intrigued–since my home country has an embargo against products of the island, this was my first chance to try a wine from the island more known for tobacco than grapes. Alas, it was not to be since the wine, once stocked, was no longer available (a testimony to its poor quality a staff member told me).

Upstairs is the library, a huge array of armagnacs and cognacs, and the swanky bar/restaurant. Their attitude toward customer service is such that the whole store becomes the wine list: each wine in the store can be consumed at the bar for the same price as in the store, which makes it the most diverse wine bar in Paris (open til 8 PM).

Downstairs is all French, all the time. There is a cooler storage area for not just e expensive and rare wines but also some affordable “natural” wines that need a little more TLC. This area holds perhaps the most appeal for visitors to Paris looking to pick up some of the bounty of France.

If the sumptuous selection is too much for you to carry home, they deliver! (a concept, essential in Manhattan, which is still in its infancy in Paris) And for non-EU visitors who start swiping the plastic with vigor, the store offers a 13% tax refund on purchases over 300 euros–though it will require getting to the airport early to claim it.

The selection here of wines from the world can’t be beat in Paris. If you are sold on the business model, then it can be yours: a sign in the window says “franchisees wanted.”

Lavinia, 3-5 Boulevard de la Madeleine, 75001 Paris. 01 42 97 20 20
www.lavinia.fr

tags: wine | wine shops | wine stores | Paris

If you are returning your rental car to the Bordeaux train station, drive past the main door of the station, turn left over the tracks, then left again on the other side. There. Now somebody told you. Nobody told me and there are no signs. Better yet, if you are traveling with at least one other person, drop them off at the main door with all the luggage–there are no luggage carts to traverse the vast parking lot. Oh, and no elevators inside the train station.

Use your ATM card: my credit card charges a 3% foreign transaction fee vs 1% for the ATM card. Sure $20 on every $1000 isn’t that much but hey–it’s two bottles of Dr Vino picks!

If you’re in Paris during a heatwave, take the bus. No AC in the metro means that it is an odorific, heatastic experience. At least in the bus you can open the window two or three inches. Or better yet, splurge for a taxi (no charge for extra passengers) and get some AC–maybe.

Have a pique-nique on a shady park bench. Any decent boulangerie will have (pre-made) sandwiches that will knock the snot out of any Subway 12 incher. If you’re traveling with kids under 10, the best spot for this pique-nique is the jardin du Luxembourg with its pony rides, playground, puppet shows, and pond with sail boats.

Take a couple of large ziploc bags with you when you go. That way when you buy some yummy, transportable foods to bring home, it won’t get all over your luggage the way my AOC green lentils spilled in mine. My stews this fall will have a nice aroma de luggage.

Drink local. Many local wines offer compelling price to quality ratios. However, many of them stink. Only one way to find out.

If you fly home on American Airlines from CDG, have an e-ticket, and are a US citizen, bypass the check-in lines and head straight for the short self-check-in line in the middle. Nobody knows about it and it’s totally legit. It only took me 45 minutes in the other line to find this out.

And if you’re in Paris, be sure to hit some of the cool wine shops and wine bars I will be posting about over the next few days!

tags: wine | French travel tips

It’s been too long! Here’s a round-up of some wine news you can’t drink:

Mark Fisher explores the pay-to-play side of the annual Wine Spectator dining awards. He gets a note from publisher Marvin Shanken and publishes it on his blog. Don’t forget Amanda Hesser’s vintage piece that examined the high profit margins of the awards three years ago [link].

Beau is back! Fellow wine blogger has posted a round-up of his reporting from Austria includig many tasting notes, producer interviews and photos. [BasicJuice] R. W. Apple of the NYT also visited Austria.

Juanita Duggan, head of the Wine and Spirits Wholesalers Association for the past six years, has left without many accomplisments. Tom thinks she was pushed and didn’t jump.

Meanwhile in NYC, two big wine and spirits distributors, Charmer and Peerless, are merging. This furthers the consolidation that started when Southern Wine and Spirits entered the market in 2004. The new name of the merged company? Empire Merchants…And in Illinois, National makes a bid for Glazer’s.

Matt Kramer debunks the idea of critics who are “supertasters.” Reprising a recent NYT theme of whether a star is born or made, I’d go with “made” too. [NY Sun]

“Already famed for angry labor strikes and philosophical debates in smoke-filled cafés, the French have now brought these passions online to become some of the world’s most intensive bloggers.” [IHT] Um, could have fooled me!

And finally, I spotted the UK version of the popular book Freakonomics. Not only is the cover the most interesting by far I have ever seen for an economics book, but the ironic thing is that it sets up an arbitrage situation: because the book is only in hardback in the US, it can be had for less than half-price via amazon.co.uk. Out freakin’ the freak! [link] (OK you caught me, that had nothing to do with wine.)

tags: wine | wine news | freakonomics

Asked how she’s coping with her nerves before the big event, she replied: “I have two words for you: champagne.”

Which wine lover uttered this priceless line?

* * *

Update: True indeed! It is former Baywatch star Pamela Anderson, 39, before her wedding in St. Tropez over the weekend. Full story, photos
Great job Anali and winesmith

In this age of air conditioning, wine consumers may be forgiven for feeling disconnected from summer. But there are still times when the heat is inescapable and the word of the season becomes light. Not devoid in taste, but simply light in style. Oh, and cold. Nothing spells relief like c-o-n-d-e-n-s-a-t-i-o-n (hmm, not quite as catchy as Rolaids). When the condensation appears on the outside of a wine glass, you know you are in for some refreshment. Light, unoaked, fruit-forward and cold: those are all excellent things in a summer wine. And as with all Dr. Vino picks, these wines are easy on the wallet and on the palate.

Boniface, Apremont, vin de savoie 2004, $13 find this wine
From the Alpine region of Savoie comes this refreshing dry white for summer. Impress your friends with not only with a wine from a distant corner of France but also made from the obscure jacquere grape. Try it on the deck one evening with a salad while contemplating if the Alps would make a good place for your summer house given the ‘inconvenient truth’ of Al Gore’s movie.

Naia, verdejo, Rueda, 2005 $9 find this wine
There was a day that a white wine from Spain meant simply pain; but no longer. Zip right up to this crisp white that would be great for those who are looking for something a little more exotic than kiwi sauvignon blanc.

Don David, torrontes, Cafayate, 2005. $12 find this wine
The torrontes grape from Argentina is relatively unknown but you should rush to greet it to your local wine shop. This Don David captivated a group that I poured it for this spring with its unusual aromas of honeysuckle blossoms—yet it is completely dry.

La Ferme Martin, Wolffer, chardonnay, Long Island, 2004 $10 find this wine
Ah, bitter irony. As the French get maligned for not having enough English on their labels, this American producer uses French as a selling point! However, this is no California chardonnay since it is crisp and clean.

Pepiere, Muscadet, 2004 $8 find this wine
A great summer white that goes down easy—thanks not only to the aging on the lees, which gives it more heft than your typical Muscadet, but also to the gulpable price.

Domaine Sorin, Coteaux de Provence, 2005. $12 find this wine
Coteaux de Provence produces some excellent dry roses ; in fact it might be the benchmark for quality in roses. This one, light in color but with excellent notes of strawberry rose petals, has the added benefit of being organic. I found this one in a 5 liter bag-in-a-box in France—too bad we have to stick to the regular bottle size since they don’t seem to export the big format to the US.

Jean-Luc Colombo, Pioche et Cabanon Rose, Cote bleue, Coteaux d’aix en provence controlle, 2005. €7.25 at Casino hypermarche find this wine
Light in color, this is a classic rose—summer in a glass. Try this with a salade nicoise, close your eyes, and you will be transported to the Riveria. OK, if only it were that easy. Try this combo at home and it will be like being there without the jet lag. (Palm Bay Imports)

Vall dell’Acate, Il Frappato, Sicily, 2004. $14 find this wine
From the traditional blending grape, frappato, comes Sicily’s answer to Beaujolais—chill this light red and serve it on a hot summer evening.

French Rabbit, pinot noir, Languedoc, 2004 1L $10 find this wine
The box format makes this light red a great picnic wine. No corkscrew needed!

Clos de los Siete, 2004. $15 find this wine
This is a big red and so it may seem out of place on this list. But hey, sometimes it is possible to find air conditioning or you need something to stand up to the finger lickin BBQ sauce. This will do the job with its big extracted flavors—though the 15% alcohol may make you want to drink it under a deck umbrella.

Most overrated rosé: Domaine Ott, 2004. $30. find this wine Expectations were sky high along with the price tag—but the weakness of multiple bottles of this wine made me wonder if $12 is my limit for rosé.

tags: wine | wine reviews | wine tasting notes | global warming

As the top wine producing country with a population that drinks about 13 gallons a year for each person, you would think that it would be easy to buy wine in France. Well, you’d be right. And you’d be wrong.

Unlike America, where “blue laws” dominate the sale of wine in many states, it is unbelievably easy to buy wine in France. I’ve seen wine for sale in flower shops and in corner stores, direct from the producer at a farmer’s market and at big box retailers. But the real trouble can be something good–or at least finding the exact thing that you might want.

In the regions, regional wines dominate independent shops, or cavistes. This makes sense since wine has historically been consumed close to where it is grown. But if you want a Sancerre with your salad, then you can be out of luck if you are in Savoie.

There are hundreds if not thousands of these specialty stores in the country. Outside of Paris, based on my somewhat small sample, I found cavistes to have a wide selection of regional wines and little else. In Paris, not all cavistes have air conditioning though most have cooler, underground storage. I visited a shop a few days ago that was about 95 degrees inside and had an eclectic inventory of vintages (including a NZ sauvignon blanc from 2002–eegad!). But, hey, not all wine shops feel the love.

Shopping at a large supermarket (hypermarche) provides a lot more choice across regions. However, they often lack depth in vintages, sometimes overly emphasize private labels and have scant staffing–it’s a supermarket after all. The top few chains account for the lion’s share of French wine sales. There are occasionally interesting producers there–even some top Bordeaux wines sell through big retailers. At one huge Casino store I bought wines from Jean-Luc Colombo and Clos la Coutale in Cahors. But I had to pass over a lot of pretty uninspiring wines to get to find those.

French wine making may be on the cusp of radical change. French wine retailing should keep up with trends in retailing more generally as well as wine retailing. Over the next week or so, I will write up some worthwhile shops–and even some wine bars–in Paris. Who knows, maybe better stores would help slow or reverse the declines in French wine consumption? Or at least make this iconic product more accessible to the country’s 75 million tourists?

See my map of Paris wine shops

A few weeks ago, I made a link between your mortgage and your wine collection (“Mortgage or future?”) observing that $6,000 a case for some 2005 Bordeaux futures ought to have some wine consumers wondering whether it was more important to have a roof over their heads or wines in their cellars. Now an English company has made the link between the financial foundation of your home and its wine cellar even closer.

Can your the value of your cellar pay off your mortgage? If it sounds too good to be true it probably is.

Premier Cru of England offers “investors” the opportunity to buy a collectible wine portfolio for investment purposes and then use expected growth to make principal repayments on your mortgage (more info). Although the details are not entirely clear, it seems that Premier Cru will take money you borrow as a mortgage at 7% and invest it with the dream of paying off that mortgage. (Ironic since the interest-only mortgage they recommend has risks–and paying off the mortgage seems old-fashioned according to this NYT business section article on re-refinancing.)

I am not a registered financial adviser but I can tell you that borrowing money to make money is not always prudent. This is like buying stocks on margin–except you could supposedly drink the stocks.

Yes, you may need a loan to buy Chateau Petrus futures at $2,400 a bottle (find this wine). But if that’s what it takes for you to buy it, then I’d recommend sticking with the cru bourgeois. At least you’ll be able to drink them–and there will be no whiff of principal or interest.

tags: wine | investments| mortgage