Dr Vino's wine blog

Which wine goes with oysters? A crisp sauvignon blanc is likely to be your reply. Yesterday, I had merlot and oysters.

Not that I ate oysters and drank the merlot mind you. But they were together.

I attended a seminar with Steve Smith, vineyard manager, winemaker, partner and all-around grape guru at Craggy Range. Founded in 2001 in the cool Gimblett Gravels area (Hawke’s Bay) of New Zealand, Craggy Range also makes single vineyard wines from Otago and Martinborough.

I tried two barrel samples of merlot from Gimblett Gravels. One was more plush, more merlot-like. The other was tightly wound and high in acidity–not bad for a barrel sample. Were they from different vineyards? In fact, no, they were even from the same block of the same vineyard.

To explain the difference, Steve had me shine a flashlight on a gray rock from the vineyard. Pretty dull. Then he sprinkled some crushed oyster shells on it and had me shine the flashlight on it again. The reflection was brighter.

Steve had done the same thing in the vineyard. He had sprinkled half of the vineyard block with crushed oyster shells, which then reflected some sun light onto the grapes and leaves that were normally obscured. The barrel sample made from the oyster side of the vineyard was the one that was more plush and had greater depth.

Grapes grown on the half shell? It could be the wave of the future.

www.cragyrange.com
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Craggy Range, “Sophia” 2004. Find this wine
This blend of merlot and cabernet franc has a rich, dark color with aromas of blueberry and cigar box. The firm tannins give it a good structure for aging and a good finish. I’d love to taste it next to some blended wines of the same grapes from Bordeaux and Long Island to tell the effects of terroir–oysters or not.

tags: wine | vineyards | Craggy Range | oysters

Measure A lost in a referendum in Napa yesterday by a 63.6 percent to 36.4 percent margin. Voters rejected the so-called “Fair Payment” initiative proposed by the “Napa Valley Land Stewards Alliance.” The 670 word measure would have compensated landowners at an assessed value for land that became unplantable as result of environmental regulations. One winemaker I spoke with recently who opposed the measure called it a “fair payment act for attorneys.”

The winemaking community was split on the measure. But groups officially opposed to the measure included the odd alliance of the Napa Valley Vintners, Napa Chamber of Commerce, Napa County Farm Bureau, and Sierra Club among others.

tags: wine | wine politics | Napa

Bordeaux exports are rallying and distillation should be liberalized the executive director of CIVB, the Bordeaux wine trade group told DrVino.com today. continue reading…

June 6, 2006

Bordeaux exports are rallying and distillation should be liberalized the executive director of CIVB, the Bordeaux wine trade group said today.

Commenting by phone from his office in Bordeaux, Roland Feredj spoke of an about-face for Bordeaux wine exports. “I just attended a meeting of our economic committee and some of the leading Bordeaux exporters said that exports have been strong for the past six to eight months,” he said.

Recent accounts from France have focused on the crisis among wine makers so this is surprising news that must come as a relief in the region.

The statistics confirm the trend with all exports of Bordeaux wine up eight percent in volume over the last six months. Exports to the United States were up 21 percent, Canada 20 percent, and Hong Kong 15 percent.

Prices have gone down while the quality of the 2005 vintage is up, two factors that have spurred demand. Feredj also pointed to the return to popularity of “traditional” wines in important markets such as the UK. “We were in fashion and then out of fashion. Now people are rediscovering our wines,” he said.

The market for Bordeaux wine falls into three categories: the grands crus, where demand regularly outstrips supply; the middle tier, which has seen the reversal in exports; and bulk wine sold in huge containers.

On the market for bulk wine, Feredj agreed with the direction of European Union reform proposals.

Where supply outstrips demand, a surplus popularly known as a wine lake, producers are eligible to receive “crisis distillation” funds from the European Union that the member states can match. The wine is then distilled into a fuel additive or industrial alcohol.

Mariann Fischer Boel, EU Agriculture Commissioner, floated the idea of removing EU subsidies for distillation at a meeting of EU farm ministers last month as part of a “bold reform.” Her proposals will be formally announced on June 22. Bulk wine producers in France and Italy are bracing for potentially tough new reforms from the European Union regarding distillation. But not Feredj.

“Rather than pay for distillation, offer a premium for ripping up vines,” Feredj said. “If a winemaker takes a premium for ripping up vines and then can’t sell his wine–too bad. You have to make people responsible. On an open and liberal market, you need to find your niche in the market.”

The current EU premium for uprooting vines is €6,300 per hectare (2.47 acres). The current distillation premium from the European Union is 3.35 euros per degree of alcohol per 100 liters. About 1.8 million liters of wine was distilled in Bordeaux last year.

-Tyler Colman

Does Vijay Mallya like champagne? Apparently so since he offered $750 million for Taittinger, the sixth biggest house in Champagne. However, like his fellow Indian businessman Laksmhi Mittal who has also been recently outbid while trying to buy a French (steel) company, Mallya, who heads United Breweries of Bangalore, withdrew his bid. Credit Agricole, a French bank working with some members of the Taittinger family, sealed the deal by offering $850 million. The Economist reports that reaction in Champagne was not hostile to Mallya since locals saw India as an excellent market for growth and actually were more afraid that the house ending up in the hands of Bernard Arnault of LVMH. In the end, Starwood, the seller, benefits the most from the higher selling price. (background)

The Economist’s summer “Intelligent Life” issue is out now with an article on “bubbles and bling” tracking who, over time, has been able to afford the most expensive cuvees from Champagne. Check out my pink picks.

If you’re looking for bargain bubbly, I recently was amazed to see 1999 Moet on sale at Garnet Liquor in Manhattan for $33–less than the nonvintage right next to it! But then I found it online at PJ’s for $29.97. Wow. I’m going to party like it’s 1999. (click here for store info)

Greenpeace says that radioactive waste from a nearby power plant is a “threat” to the Champagne region. Um, cheers!?!? [Decanter]

Christian Delpeuch announced that he won’t serve an extra third year as head of the Bordeaux wine trade council. He arrived two years ago in the rotating presidency with a reform agenda and has been frustrated in his efforts to implement it. [Sudouest]

Finally, are you wondering how best to deploy your cash into Bordeaux 2005 futures? A wine enthusiast in Amsterdam has compiled a lot of info on Bordeaux into a single, neat and tidy web page. Functionality includes the ability to sort by various categories, including price, critic, and even winemaker. BordOverview.com

tags: wine | wine news | France | Champagne

A frequent question that I get from readers is: do you have any travel tips for Napa? So let me turn it back to you now!

I do have a few tips for the frugal epicurean (included this now dated list of free wine tastings in the valley), but not many. Some things that leap to mind:

* Mrs. Vino and I did a “blending seminar” at Joseph Phelps a few years ago where we blended nine barrel samples from different vineyards to create our own version of Insignia. Very cool. But my final blend was way off. It’s not offered all the time and you need to reserve ahead. (707) 963-2745

* At the bottom of the hill from Phelps, you can drop in to Frog’s Leap, the red barn with no sign. John Williams is committed to organic farming and they have diverse heirloom fruits and vegetables as well as vines. Drop in 10 AM – 4 PM or call ahead to get arrange a tour: 800.959.4704 or ribbit@frogsleap.com

* Try a lunch at the Auberge du Soleil and soak up the view with prices a fraction of dinner. 800-348-5406

What’s your favorite thing to do in Napa? What are some good resources for tourists? I remember this story from the NYT a year ago on traveling with kids in Napa. I gotta try those aerial trams at Sterling with our little guy…

tags: wine | wine travel | Napa

What would you do if you had too much wine?

a) drink it
b) burn it
c) make a lake and swim in it

If you answered A, you’re the dream consumer for wine producers all over the world. If you answered B, then you think like a European Union official. Or at least the old school EU official.

Mariann Fischer Boel, the current Agricultural Commissioner, hinted at significant reforms of EU wine policy, which could include removing EU funds for distillation, yesterday at a meeting of EU farm ministers in Krems, Austria.

“I want to make a bold reform because just changing minor things will not bring anything,” the Financial Times reports her saying.

Her ideas will be unveiled on June 22. One idea in play to reduce the surplus is to uproot as many as 400,000 hectares (964,000 acres) out of a total 3.2 million in the EU. She may also propose ending the “crisis” distillation subsidy, which guarantees a minimum price for producers of the worst wine and costs the EU 500 million euros ($643 million). This bulk wine is distilled into a fuel additive and industrial alcohol.

The reform proposal will no doubt be controversial if indeed Commissioner Fischer Boel puts these on the table. She thinks it could be even more difficult than the reforms of sugar policy last year. But without the external influence WTO pushing this wine reform, as it did the sugar talks, the changes may not be as hard fought nor as far-reaching. Italy, France, Spain, and Portugal, who together make 80 percent of the EU’s wine have already announced their opposition to cutting the distillation subsidy entirely.

The Commissioner has her work cut out for her. She may need a strong drink–perhaps Tait’s “Ball Buster” from the Barossa Valley weighing in at 15.6 percent alcohol?!?

tags: wine | EU | wine policy

Fred Franzia, maker of the high-volume Two Buck Chuck, announced his new brand, Harlow Ridge two weeks ago. The above satellite image is of the inspiration for the name of the new wine–no, not the vineyard but rather the wine making, storage and distribution facility located in the industrial park near the Napa County airport (see planes in lower left of the image; click here for the original map). The address? 33 Harlow Court, Napa, CA 94558.

The man clearly has a sense of humor among other attributes. Banned from using the name Napa Ridge for wines made not from Napa grapes when the Supreme Court refused to hear his appeal in January, Franzia said he can build this brand in six months. And he’ll be free to use grapes from wherever he wants, which in this case will be Lodi. Coming from a man who said that “no bottle of wine is worth more than $10,” this new wine will be at the high end $8.99.

Related: A recent posting here that also used a satellite image, in this case of the Haut-Brion vineyard struggling against urban spawl, has been named a FoodandWine.com top blog post of the week. Rock on!

tags: wine | Napa | Fred Franzia | satellite images