Dr Vino's wine blog

Forget showing an image of the label–now we can see satellite images of the vineyard!

Yesterday I recommended a wine from Mount Eden Vineyards so I decided to look up the vineyard on GoogleMaps. Here’s the link.

The first image that comes up is the road map–ok, kind of ho hum. But click satellite in the top right corner of the map and presto there’s the winery!

Click and drag the map and see the encroachment of residential Silicon Valley to the right. Drag to the left and see the vineyards back along a dusty road.

Cool stuff! I look forward to checking out all my favorite producers.

Technorati tags: wine | Mount Eden | Google Maps

For a wine lover or a host, little makes a more impressive gift than a case of wine. When we went to visit some relatives for Thanksgiving two years ago, we picked up an assorted case of wine on the way to their house from the airport. Our relatives still remember trying a couple of bottles with each meal and having a few to try after we were gone.

I usually write about great value wines under $10 but with the holidays approaching, several readers have written asking me for some more expensive gift wines. So this year I thought I would make a case for giving a case—at a bit higher prices than my usual. Are these the “best” wines I have tried this year? No, because some of those were very expensive. I am convinced that 99% of wine consumers have no need to spend over $30 per bottle given the tremendous diversity and quality of wines currently available. You’re probably better off putting anything more than that toward paying down the mortgage—or buying a non-wine gift for your spouse.

I have purchased all these wines in wine stores in the past six months so the pricing is current and they should be available with some hunting either near you or on the web. I state the importer since your favorite local retailer may not have the exact wine but may have other wines from that importer and thus be able to order it.

If you have some favorites in this price range feel free to add them to the comments. Happy holidays—and cheers!

-Dr. Vino

Champagne Aubry, Brut, Non Vintage (Jouy-les-Reims). $28. Find this wine
Most grape growers in the Champagne region sell to the big houses and thus are not well known. However, a growing number of growers are also becoming producers, as is the norm for quality producers in other wine regions. The fine bead of bubbles and soft floral notes of this Chateau Aubry make it easy to understand why Aubry wanted to produce it himself. Importer: Terry Theise.

St Michael Eppan, Alto Adige, Gewurztraminer 2004. $18. Find this wine
What do you get when you blend a German, Italian, Christian and a Jew? In this case, the ultimate Christmas wine! This multicultural and full-bodied wine is a Gewurztraminer from the north of Italy. An odd find but one worth seeking out for its blend of slightly sweet and spice that makes the perfect wine for Christmas day: for Christian/traditional diners, it will go great with veggies; for Jewish diners, it will go great with Chinese food and a movie!

Feudi di San Gregorio, Falanghina, 2003 $15. Find this wine
Tired of American Chardonnay? Try this. Hand harvested from vineyards near Mt Vesuvius and cold-fermented in steel tanks, the wine introduces a whole new range of flavors: crisp acidity, minerality, grassy, dried apricot, pear, and melon. A yummy bargain that will entice even your Chardonnay-swilling aunts. Importer: Palm Bay Imports.

Paul Achs, Chardonnay, Austria, 2003. $20. Find this wine
Speaking of Chardonnay, Paul Achs presents it in its un-oaked glory—but not from Chablis, rather from south of Vienna in Burgenland. Fermented in large steel tanks, the crisp, flinty minerality shines through. Importer: Vin Divino. (If this one is too hard to find, try the Olivier Morin Bourgogne Chitry 2004 for a similar flavor profile).

Honig, Sauvignon Blanc, Napa, 2004. $14. Find this wine
Kiwi Sauvignon Blancs can be piercing lime lasers. This Sauvignon is hand picked from vineyards practicing sustainable agriculture in Napa. The crisp acidity has notes of lime balanced with pear, pineapple and melon. Pairing with figs or hard cheeses will make a great reward and the see-through label makes it a handsome gift.

Oberhäuser Leistenberg Riesling Kabinett, Dönnhoff 2004. $29. Find this wine
Chefs love Riesling for the food-friendly matchups. This Donnhoff has a bit of sweetness that is wonderfully balanced against acidity. Food pairings are easy from Asian-infused dishes to simply an aperitif wine that pairs well with sharp cheese. And the 8% alcohol makes it easy to swallow.

Reds

Vall Llach, Embruix, Priorat, 2002. $25. Find this wine
Spanish/Catalan folk/rock star Lluis Llach owns this property in the craggy Priorat region of northeastern Spain. The top bottling from Llach is around $75 but this Grenache blend has excellent depth and punch from new plantings at the vineyard. Importer: The Henry Wine Group.

Mt. Difficulty, Pinot Noir, 2003. $29. Find this wine
Central Otago in New Zealand’s South Island claims to be the southernmost vineyard in the world. This wine’s pale and thin appearance in the glass belies complex berry aromas and the excellent, long, complex finish. The handsome label makes for good giving.

Muga, Reserva, Rioja, 2001. $20. Find this wine
Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher urged readers of the WSJ to spend $20 on any red Rioja and that would make for a special night. While I can’t vouch for the other red Riojas, this mid-priced Muga caught me off guard for its serious quality to price ratio. Bottled unfiltered, this Muga blends Tempranillo and Grenache to have a lush mouthfeel with notes of dark berry, tobacco, and leather that will knock the socks of holiday guests (and maybe the stockings off the mantle). Importer: Jorge Ordonez.

Mount Eden, Cabernet, 2000. $30. Find this wine
This profound Cab comes from the winery perched above Silicon Valley in the Santa Cruz Mountains. This vintage has 100% Cabernet with excellent, dense notes of dark berries, leather and pleasant tannins–it is not fruit bomb, but rather a thinking person’s Cab. Although I bought and tasted this wine in the fall, it may be hard to find but the more available 2002 is also supposed to be excellent with some merlot and Cabernet Franc in the blend. Any red from Mount Eden represents a real value for connoisseurs—and that’s not an oxymoron!

Benmarco, Malbec, Mendoza. 2003. $20. Find this wine
This is a serious, big red from the winemaking duo of Susana Balbo and Pedro Marchevsky. Loads of dark fruit balanced with tannin make me think about grilled meats. I poured this at several tastings this fall and it was usually a top choice. And the thick bottle and handsome label make it an excellent gift wine for a lover of big reds. Importer: Vine Connections.

Alvear, PX Solera 1927. $18 (375 ml) Find this wine
Sherry, with a variety of styles from aperitif to digestif, deserves exploration. This sweet and balanced sherry, which dates from an original blend in 1927, comes in petite half-bottle for easy dispensing after dinner in front of the fire—or use it as a dessert replacement. With a dark, maple syrup-like color and the unctuous texture you might easily find it to be your new favorite winter wine. Importer: Jorge Ordonez.

Total price of this case (without tax): $266, or about one bottle of Krug.

Technorati tags: wine | wine gifts

Tres Picos, Garnacha, D.O. Campo de Borja, Spain, 2004, $9.99. Find this wine

Like rivals the Capulets and the Montagues, Grenache and Tempranillo have been duking it out, in this case, for red grape domination in Spain. With an old-vine Grenache value like this, it would be shocking if the Tempranillos didn’t just lay down their swords. From the obscure Campo de Borja region comes this beauty with notes of red berries and earthiness. I included it in a recent tasting with wines three times the price and it had no problem keeping up. The heavy glass bottle makes for a nice presentation–rate this one a great gift wine! Importer: Jorge Ordonez, Dedham, MA.

While I posted this review in my regular space for value vino a couple of days ago, I just came across this interview of the 46 year-old importer, Jorge Ordonez. I thought it would be of interest for those who have enjoyed his wines and for those who are following The Real Wine World to see a profile of another, more established, importer.

Technorati tags: wine | Jorge Ordonez

Trader Joe’s, a national grocery store chain that sells wine (including “two buck chuck”) in many states, has recalled an Italian white wine because of visible bottle variation. Mark Fisher, a staff writer at the Dayton Daily News, who started a wine blog three months ago, originally exposed the situation at his local store and TJ’s eventually removed the wine from the store. But a comment on his blog from reader in California showed the same variation there, which led the chain to pull the wine nationally, although it may only be until they find out what’s going on.

A representative of TJ’s emailed an explanation: “What we found is that the blend of grapes of the darker colored Chiaro del Bastardo Bianco is not what we initially approved, although there is nothing wrong, qualitatively, with the darker blend…”

Too bad Trader Joe’s in New York doesn’t sell wine otherwise we could have investigated as well! Congratulations to Mark.

Technorati tags: wine | food & drink | Trader Joe’s

While many high-end restaurants offer their customers one night a week with no (or reduced) corkage fee, Montrachet in Tribeca has introduced something beyond their Monday night BYOB that may delight wine geeks even more since it is offered nightly: guess that wine.

You name the price range and the sommelier will bring a bottle and pour it blind. The more wine geeky details you get right, such as country of origin, region, producer, vintage, and grape varietal, the bigger your discount. Discounts range from 10 to 100 percent. A chance a free wine?!? The more confident you are, the higher a price point you’ll try.

I guess you’re taking your chances with more than the wine–Randall Lane writes in TimeOut New York that under new chef Richard Franabe the food is “maddeningly mediocre one night and transcendent the next.”

* * *

Why do some restaurants seem to always be “coming soon” and take forever to open? In the same issue of TONY, Heather Tierney writes that “the biggest headache, according to the chefs and the owners, is the wait for the liquor license from the State Liquor Authority (SLA).” The SLA takes into account the views of community boards who can oppose the granting of a liquor license on grounds of public drunkenness in the area. Jason Hennings, owner of the European Union whose launch has been delayed eight months, says of the community boards, “It really depends on catching them on a good day.”

* * *

And, finally, the same (double) issue of TONY notes the pending opening of Del Posto, “Molto Mario” Batali’s new restaurant that is big in every way: 24,000 sq ft, dining on three stories, and a 50,000 bottle wine cellar. Yikes.
Del Posto, way over on the West side: 85 Tenth Ave at 16th

Technorati tags: wine | food & drink | New York | restaurants

“There’s an old saying in Tennessee –— I know it’s in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on…shame on you. Fool me… you can’t get fooled again.”

George W. Bush, Nashville, Tenn., Sept. 17, 2002

That same quotation could apply to the latest round of Wine Blogging Wednesday where the theme was “judge a wine by its label.” Derrick has posted his roundup of over 40 bloggers who agreed: we might buy it once based on the label but what’s in the bottle counts more.

Technorati tags: wine | food & drink |WBW

In the immediate days after the Supreme Court’s May 16 decision on direct wine shipments, New York wineries oddly embraced the decision to open the state up to competition. Governor Pataki assumed the most bullish tone saying “By permitting the interstate shipment of wine in New York, we will allow New York’s wineries to grow even more by opening the doors to new markets across the country that were previously closed to them.”

I expressed skepticism about this argument saying:

Shipments to consumers in New York from New York wineries are bound to decline. The small section of the population that currently orders directly from wineries will likely celebrate the diversity of being able to order from California, Oregon and Washington instead. So they [the wineries] are betting on increased demand from out of state buyers, seemingly a risky proposal.

This is one case where I would love to have been proven wrong. Unfortunately a story in today’s Newsday reflects the current situation:

When state legislators and Gov. George Pataki this summer approved a law permitting direct consumer shipments of wine into and out of New York for the first time, winery owners like Charles Massoud of Paumanok Vineyards raised a glass in celebration.

The party didn’t last long.

Today, Massoud professes the sobering conclusion that the law may be reducing his wine shipments while increasing his shipping and office costs.

“In the end, we are worse off today than we were prior to the bill being passed,” he said with an air of defeat at his Aquebogue tasting room yesterday.

Massoud, and perhaps others, are caught in a trap of stagnating orders and increasing costs. He admits in the story that he has sent only 20 cases of wine to other states. And in-state shippers are now required to get a signature for all wine orders, similar to out-of-state shippers. This has eaten into their lucrative Wine Club business since people must now be home to sign and it has imposed an additional $2,400 paperwork on the winery. Given that the case prices of wine at the winery range from around $200 to $400, the additional cost of paperwork should be fairly easy to digest.

It’s not as if the paperwork was unforeseen and some in the industry, such as Willy Frank of Chateau Frank and Dr. Frank’s Vinifera Wine Cellars, were also skeptical when Pataki signed the bill.

It is a tough new era for New York wineries, one of opportunity as well as competition. Those that succeed will be the ones that pursue quality winemaking, have easy access to capital, or have a loyal customer following. I can’t imagine these changes single-handedly bankrupting many of the states 219 wineries–if anything, it could ween them off the high-margins of direct selling that developed in the decades before May and back toward more traditional channels of selling wine. The winds of competition can be cold and quality is the best strategy for success.

Technorati tags: wine | food & drink |New York

Which restaurant has 200 people a week get engaged on its premises? OK, I’ll give you a hint–it’s a chain. And it serves three million diners a week. And pours one million cases of wine a year. It is: the Olive Garden.

Those are just some of the factoids I learned at last week’s Wine Media Guild luncheon in New York City. The program included the provocative pairing of Karen King, who until last month was the sommelier at The Modern (one Michelin star) and formerly with Union Square Cafe and Gramercy Tavern, and Michelle Kern, Beverage Director for Olive Garden, a unit of Darden Restaurants.

Since many wine enthusiasts have probably never set foot in an Olive Garden, Kern’s insights were pearls before wine geeks. The national chain of 557 restaurants has a truncated list of 38 wines but includes a high-end Barolo and an Amarone. The chain offers 33 wines by the glass and any wine by the glass is available for a free sample. In fact, they pour so many free samples that they end up giving away 35,000 cases of wine a year. Once a bottle is opened it is pumped with vacu-vin and dated; if it is not consumed within four days it is deep sixed.

Wine is an important part of their dining experience: they show people enjoying food and wine in their advertisements and customer satisfaction increases in surveys when wine is served. It is undoubtedly an important part of their profits as well since the price of many of the wines by the glass covers the enitre cost of the bottle.

Providing diners a consistent experience is of course key for the chain. In an industry notorious for high staff turnover, the Olive Garden has 35 certified wine trainers who are sent to Italy every year to visit the wineries and then in turn educate the 35,000 staff. All staff are required to undertake a five day training session and a couple of hours a day are dedicated to wine service. Incidentally, screwcaps are viewed positively since then there’s no need to fumble with the cork.

Wine enthusiasts rarely consider the bottom end of the wine market. But I was pleased to learn more about the philospophy at the Olive Garden since it is the first wine experience for many Americans and the chain seems to be doing a lot right. Who knows, I might just have to find one and go see for myself?!

Technorati tags: wine | food & drink |dining | wine media guild