In what must be one of the most frequently misquoted lines from a classic movie, Bette Davis, as aging diva Margo Channing in "All about Eve", proclaims “Fasten your seatbelts, its going to be a bumpy ride!” The actual line is “bumpy night,” and no doubt ranks second to “Play it again, Sam” as the most famous line never said. All that aside, the message is correct-it is about to get a lot bumpier for wine enthusiasts everywhere. I just got word that one of my favorite importers is dropping two French producers due to large price increases. We have carried wines from each of these producers and loved them, but here is the real problem-these wines simply do not have substitutes. One producer makes a rich Chateaunuef-du-Pape, the other a sublime Condrieu. No offense intended, but I have yet to taste a wine from California or Australia that captures the rustic elegance and stony complexity of good Chateaunuef-du-Pape, and I see no indication that any producer outside of France is on the right track of producing Viognier up the quality of a good Condrieu. Sure, there are other producers of these wines, but I fear they too will be facing huge price increase.
So what, you say, I don’t drink that stuff anyway! Well try this on for size: I recently added a well-known sparkling wine from California to the line-up. Four weeks ago the wine was $34; yesterday I changed the price to $44. In four weeks! So what, you say again, the bubbles tickle my nose so I don’t drink that stuff either. How about the pleasant little white wine that went up 33% on the new vintage? No problem, you say again, though now a little testily, I drink beer in the summer anyway. If you do drink beer, chances are you have already seen the effects of this story from last November on NPR: “Worldwide hops shortage will make stouts, ales and other specialty microbrews more pricy in coming months. A triple whammy of bad weather in Europe, an increase in the price of barley and a decrease in hops production in the U.S. has lead to a price increase of 20 percent for the most widely grown varieties, to 80 percent for specialty hops. The shortage is particularly hitting microbreweries, since they use more hops than major brewers” Ouch! Inexpensive wine is becoming more expensive, expensive wine is becoming very expensive, and good beer now costs twelve bucks a six-pack!
So what is driving all this? Simply put - everything. I have to admit, a couple of years ago I was amazed out how undervalued wine was in the market place. It was just too cheap, and the price only had one place to go. Many people have suggested that California is the logical recipient of the increased prices of European wine, but that has not been my experience. California wine was always more expensive to begin with, and has been increasing in price just as rapidly as European wine, often more so.
We continue to try and find wines that offer great value, and there are still wonderful bottles under $20, but at the risk of using the most hackneyed phrase that has infiltrated our language in recent memory (excepting, of course, ‘a perfect storm’), thirteen bucks is the new nine, and twenty bucks is the new fifteen!
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Good cheap wine
Recently the New York Times published an article on inexpensive Malbec wine from Argentina. The central message of the article is something that I have been ruminating on for some time and has nothing to do with the tasting notes on the Malbec. Much more interesting than the tasting notes is a concept I have always lived by, which basically comes down to “The best wine is not always the best wine for the occasion.” As a professional Sommeliere I always made a point to buy wines for my list that were drinking well right now, not twenty years from now. Invariably this meant buying vintages less heralded than what what the wine writers were gushing over. What’s the use of drinking the very best wine from the very best vintage if it is infanticide? Often a so called “off-vintage” provides a wonderful wine for current consumption. Similarly, I can’t tell you how many times I have tasted a lineup to find that I prefer the least expensive, or entry level wine, over the wineries “star.”
New York Times writer Eric Asimov puts it well when he says “I have a different theory of cheapness as it applies to wine: Often in New World regions and increasingly in the Old World, a producer’s most expensive red wines are also the most done up — spiffed and polished and reeking of oaken vanilla and chocolate like too much makeup or hair pomade . . . the wines are made from grapes so overripe that the prevailing flavors are of baked fruit and jam. Either way, creating a flavor profile to fit a preconceived notion of an expensive wine diminishes any sense of place and individuality. That’s why I’m often more interested in a producer’s less expensive wines. If you can dodge the minefields of oak substitutes and other winemaking tricks that are intended to imitate expensive wines you just might find some wines in which you can taste simple essences rather than fancy mock-ups.”
For a look at the whole article, here’s the link.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/11/dining/reviews/11wine.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=malbec&st=nyt&oref=slogin
New York Times writer Eric Asimov puts it well when he says “I have a different theory of cheapness as it applies to wine: Often in New World regions and increasingly in the Old World, a producer’s most expensive red wines are also the most done up — spiffed and polished and reeking of oaken vanilla and chocolate like too much makeup or hair pomade . . . the wines are made from grapes so overripe that the prevailing flavors are of baked fruit and jam. Either way, creating a flavor profile to fit a preconceived notion of an expensive wine diminishes any sense of place and individuality. That’s why I’m often more interested in a producer’s less expensive wines. If you can dodge the minefields of oak substitutes and other winemaking tricks that are intended to imitate expensive wines you just might find some wines in which you can taste simple essences rather than fancy mock-ups.”
For a look at the whole article, here’s the link.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/11/dining/reviews/11wine.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=malbec&st=nyt&oref=slogin
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
One beautiful thing in common - Philip Bernot
A recent tasting of very different wines yielded a very encouraging result. Three entries from France, four from Italy, and one from California all had one beautiful thing in common: This group of wines was all delightfully dry and relatively low in alcohol (I can already feel mouses clicking by those looking for the latest points score for a 16% Shiraz!). All the entries were impressive wines showing great care in their making; there are no losers here. Every wine was a winner, and largely for the same reason-balance.
All prices as of 5/28/08 and will definitely change!
Moulin De Gassac Guilhem Rouge, 2006, Languedoc, France~ the definition of less is more; this wine is a classic summer red. Perfect mouth-feel and ratio of crisp acidity to sweet-tart fruit, this medium bodied red is a rare thing-a thirst quenching red. On the label it says “Un vin comme autrefois” or roughly “A wine like in the past” - is that ever true! If you are like me and really miss the refreshing and balanced wines of earlier days, you will enjoy this traditional effort. The alcohol checks in at the expected and appreciated 12.5%. The parentage of this wine is impressive as it is an affordable offering from the great Mas de Daumas-Gassac. I served this wine, cool to the touch, with Turkish ground lamb with tomato, mint, and yogurt sauce over lemon-pepper orzo and greens and it flat-out disappeared! It is very hard to explain this sometimes, but what some may find as a fault with this wine (the finish is a little short) is exactly what makes it work so well. You keep going back to the glass for another sip, trying to put your finger on just what’s missing, and before you know it the bottle is empty! Good thing it is such as remarkable value. Top Dog price $13.49
Macon La Roche Vineuse, Domaine Alain Normand, 2005, Macon, France~ Still, even after all of this time, something can come up and smack a smile right on to my face! I frankly didn’t know that wines from this humble, yet revered, region could have this combination of serious playfulness. Everything about this Chardonnay is special, and every time you taste it’s a treat. Just as the fruit decides to reveal itself as another charming, but simple, quaffer it morphs into a lengthy and truly impressive mineral-driven mouthful. You may think the price is a skosh high for this region, but this wine is worth well more than the going rate. A ripe, but totally balanced, 13% alcohol by volume. I have harped on this before, but if you like the taste of magic in your wine, you have to seek out small, individual producers like Domaine Alain Normand
Another winner from Roy Cloud & Co. at Vintage ’59 Imports-I’m a big fan.
Top Dog price approximately $24.00
Montirius Cotes-du-Rhone, 2006, France~ If you like to buy Cotes-du-Rhone as a fruity little quaffer that you don’t have to think about, please do not buy this wine! I was struck by the shear size and formidable profile of this 100% Grenache wine; yet it is all in @ 14% alcohol. There was a time that that number was the ceiling, now we see headache-in-a-bottle table red wines pushing 16.5%! It is for a very good reason I rail against those high-alcohol, high-extract reds. This domaine is biodynamic and you will not find excessive chemical stabilizers or other shortcuts in the wine. Those massive, jammy wines need a lot of chemical help to keep them from exploding in the bottle, and you pay the price for that the next day. I raved about a previous effort from this fascinating winery, and then had an unfortunate experience with another wine, but I always felt like this property was one to watch (They are just as proud of their approach to waste water treatment as their vineyard techniques!). Montirius has nailed it with this mineral-and-earth driven Rhone wine-perfectly dry with just the fruit necessary and no more. Apparently I am not alone in my appreciation of this family-run domaine as I hear the French Ambassador to the US is a big fan. A value without compare; let this wine breathe for hours and hours. Seriously, twelve hours is about right. Check their website for a nice primer on Biodynamics. Vintage ’59 Imports strikes again! Top Dog price approximately $15.00
Valpolicella Classico Superiore “Ripasso,” Marchese Biscarodo, 2003, Italy~
This is the first of three wines from this place. In the “Ripasso” style, this means that the wine gets a further fermentation on the lees, or expended skins, of the intensely ripe Amarone grapes. This adds body, grip, and a bit of sweetness to the wine. Even in the blazing hot 2003 vintage this wine clocks in at a reasonable13% alcohol helping the preserve the silky nature of the palate. The raisin-like finish more of a suggestion than a statement and you are left with a satisfying mouth feel. Fine, fun, and fairly priced. Inquire
Valpolicella Classico Superiore “Ripasso,” La Giaretta, 2005, Italy~ this is my kind of wine, like the Montirius you could instantly tell that this wine was alive. The first sniff is anything but promising, somewhat feral really. But I was pleasantly surprised to get a whiff of tobacco, cedar, and leather aromas that seem rare in today’s wines, having been replaced by the berries. This wine goes through more changes during 90 minutes in a decanter than the poor schmuck in a werewolf movie; so buy this one only if you are willing to work with it. This brawny beauty has a very dynamic range of flavors and its high notes, shimmering like a Philly Jo Jones high-hat, made it stand out from the group of other Valpolicelli. The bright high register acids and aromatics gave this wine a depth that was extremely impressive even after it was opened for 24 hours, not uncommon for a youthful red like this. While I don’t know this winery well, I’m sure they utilize traditional and modern techniques without prejudice to create their wine, and the result is warmly traditional without being slavish. This type of wine should be above the norm in alcohol, and it is at 13.5%, but the alcohol is never a signature in the wine. Top Dog price approximately $20.00
Valpolicella Classico Superiore, Roberto Mazzi & figli, 2005, Italy~ As my friend said while we tasted this one “That Marc de Grazia has struck a deal with the devil!” I have had the same thought myself. Importer Marc de Grazia has an unerring ability to bring us exciting and satisfying wine that could never be mistaken for anything but Vino d’Italia; it is easy to envision a Robert Johnson-like crossroads deal going down between Marco and the Prince of Darkness. The only thing I ask is to keep it up! Everything you want in a Vapolicella is in this wine, and in all the right proportions. I ultimately default to the La Giaretta for its rustic appeal, but this wine is first rate and highly recommended. Alcohol is 13% by volume. Inquire
Propieta Sperino Uvaggio, Piedmonte, 2004, Italy ~ we didn’t know a thing about this one, other than the beautiful and classy label, until we cracked it. Great wine lets you know that it’s in the house, and this one got my attention immediately. This region has many beautiful vineyard sites that have historically made truly impressive wines and have now gone into neglect. Propieta Sperino is from the village of Lesono, and this site is now producing wine again after a fifty-year hiatus. This effort is palpably exciting, and touches all the bases for a Nebbiolo-based wine, and never with clunky, excess weight. Native grapes Vespolina and Croatina round out the blend. Extraordinary fine tannins and crisp fruit on the palate follow a rich and expressive aroma. Let it breathe for at least eight hours to flesh out the superb fruit and tame the acidity, and serve at a cool temperature. This wine would be a savvy buy for the cellar, as I believe it is fully the equal of other great Nebbiolos that cost twice as much. This is precisely the type of perfectly proportioned wine that ages into something altogether superior. Exciting and impressive stuff, with a completely focused 13% alcohol. Top Dog price approximately $26.00
Woodward-Graff Cabernet Sauvignon “A-frame Vineyard” 2002, Chalone appellation, California ~ as I am writing this on Memorial Day, I hereby nominate this wine for some kind of a medal. This is perhaps the most courageous Cabernet I have tasted in recent memory, and I will tell you why: First, the wine is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. It is simply amazing to me that many consumers think that blends are some kind of new trend in the wine business; it’s likely that the wine Jesus created from water was some kind of blend. Yet if you have Cabernet of this quality why not ring the bell-loudly! And ring loudly it does in this unabashedly old-school California wine. The Chalone bench in Monterey County was planted with Cabernet in the 70’s, and the original owners of that historic name produce this wine. Sadly the wine that actually carries the Chalone name now is often a bad joke, having been marginalized by the evil Diageo Co., the same folks that ruined Veuve Clicquot Champagne. Second, is the bone-dry treatment of the lovely fruit. If you have never had a traditional style California Cabernet, with it’s the dry, round, olive–like fruit character and nothing that would be more at home in the center of a doughnut, you will probably hate this wine. But if you fondly remember the great wines of the 70’s, the wines that put California squarely on the world stage and many of which show beautifully to this day, than you will no doubt love this balanced offering. Alcohol is 14.3%, which is the highest of this group, but never does it present in jammy, unwieldy fruit; just what is necessary. Inquire
I could have filled pages writing about the character of each of these wines, but the central theme is this: When the alcohol is in correct proportion to the overall structure of the wine it’s magic time. No need to break out the peanut butter and bread for this group; there isn’t a hint of jammy fruit in any bottle here. Are they “easy to drink?” Let me put it to you this way-it’s “easy to eat” at McDonalds, but that doesn’t make it satisfying. Wines like this are for people who want to be engaged by what’s in their glass and will take the extra time to show the wine at its best. There was no reason to suspect that this set of wines would be anything less than wonderful, I’m sure no one in this lineup ever hired a focus group to “help” them make wine. It is becoming quite discouraging, however, to see who is juicing-up the sugar and alcohol levels in their wine to add sweet, thick, boring fruit. Nothing like that here, just complex, fascinating wine-wine like from the past.
All prices as of 5/28/08 and will definitely change!
Moulin De Gassac Guilhem Rouge, 2006, Languedoc, France~ the definition of less is more; this wine is a classic summer red. Perfect mouth-feel and ratio of crisp acidity to sweet-tart fruit, this medium bodied red is a rare thing-a thirst quenching red. On the label it says “Un vin comme autrefois” or roughly “A wine like in the past” - is that ever true! If you are like me and really miss the refreshing and balanced wines of earlier days, you will enjoy this traditional effort. The alcohol checks in at the expected and appreciated 12.5%. The parentage of this wine is impressive as it is an affordable offering from the great Mas de Daumas-Gassac. I served this wine, cool to the touch, with Turkish ground lamb with tomato, mint, and yogurt sauce over lemon-pepper orzo and greens and it flat-out disappeared! It is very hard to explain this sometimes, but what some may find as a fault with this wine (the finish is a little short) is exactly what makes it work so well. You keep going back to the glass for another sip, trying to put your finger on just what’s missing, and before you know it the bottle is empty! Good thing it is such as remarkable value. Top Dog price $13.49
Macon La Roche Vineuse, Domaine Alain Normand, 2005, Macon, France~ Still, even after all of this time, something can come up and smack a smile right on to my face! I frankly didn’t know that wines from this humble, yet revered, region could have this combination of serious playfulness. Everything about this Chardonnay is special, and every time you taste it’s a treat. Just as the fruit decides to reveal itself as another charming, but simple, quaffer it morphs into a lengthy and truly impressive mineral-driven mouthful. You may think the price is a skosh high for this region, but this wine is worth well more than the going rate. A ripe, but totally balanced, 13% alcohol by volume. I have harped on this before, but if you like the taste of magic in your wine, you have to seek out small, individual producers like Domaine Alain Normand
Another winner from Roy Cloud & Co. at Vintage ’59 Imports-I’m a big fan.
Top Dog price approximately $24.00
Montirius Cotes-du-Rhone, 2006, France~ If you like to buy Cotes-du-Rhone as a fruity little quaffer that you don’t have to think about, please do not buy this wine! I was struck by the shear size and formidable profile of this 100% Grenache wine; yet it is all in @ 14% alcohol. There was a time that that number was the ceiling, now we see headache-in-a-bottle table red wines pushing 16.5%! It is for a very good reason I rail against those high-alcohol, high-extract reds. This domaine is biodynamic and you will not find excessive chemical stabilizers or other shortcuts in the wine. Those massive, jammy wines need a lot of chemical help to keep them from exploding in the bottle, and you pay the price for that the next day. I raved about a previous effort from this fascinating winery, and then had an unfortunate experience with another wine, but I always felt like this property was one to watch (They are just as proud of their approach to waste water treatment as their vineyard techniques!). Montirius has nailed it with this mineral-and-earth driven Rhone wine-perfectly dry with just the fruit necessary and no more. Apparently I am not alone in my appreciation of this family-run domaine as I hear the French Ambassador to the US is a big fan. A value without compare; let this wine breathe for hours and hours. Seriously, twelve hours is about right. Check their website for a nice primer on Biodynamics. Vintage ’59 Imports strikes again! Top Dog price approximately $15.00
Valpolicella Classico Superiore “Ripasso,” Marchese Biscarodo, 2003, Italy~
This is the first of three wines from this place. In the “Ripasso” style, this means that the wine gets a further fermentation on the lees, or expended skins, of the intensely ripe Amarone grapes. This adds body, grip, and a bit of sweetness to the wine. Even in the blazing hot 2003 vintage this wine clocks in at a reasonable13% alcohol helping the preserve the silky nature of the palate. The raisin-like finish more of a suggestion than a statement and you are left with a satisfying mouth feel. Fine, fun, and fairly priced. Inquire
Valpolicella Classico Superiore “Ripasso,” La Giaretta, 2005, Italy~ this is my kind of wine, like the Montirius you could instantly tell that this wine was alive. The first sniff is anything but promising, somewhat feral really. But I was pleasantly surprised to get a whiff of tobacco, cedar, and leather aromas that seem rare in today’s wines, having been replaced by the berries. This wine goes through more changes during 90 minutes in a decanter than the poor schmuck in a werewolf movie; so buy this one only if you are willing to work with it. This brawny beauty has a very dynamic range of flavors and its high notes, shimmering like a Philly Jo Jones high-hat, made it stand out from the group of other Valpolicelli. The bright high register acids and aromatics gave this wine a depth that was extremely impressive even after it was opened for 24 hours, not uncommon for a youthful red like this. While I don’t know this winery well, I’m sure they utilize traditional and modern techniques without prejudice to create their wine, and the result is warmly traditional without being slavish. This type of wine should be above the norm in alcohol, and it is at 13.5%, but the alcohol is never a signature in the wine. Top Dog price approximately $20.00
Valpolicella Classico Superiore, Roberto Mazzi & figli, 2005, Italy~ As my friend said while we tasted this one “That Marc de Grazia has struck a deal with the devil!” I have had the same thought myself. Importer Marc de Grazia has an unerring ability to bring us exciting and satisfying wine that could never be mistaken for anything but Vino d’Italia; it is easy to envision a Robert Johnson-like crossroads deal going down between Marco and the Prince of Darkness. The only thing I ask is to keep it up! Everything you want in a Vapolicella is in this wine, and in all the right proportions. I ultimately default to the La Giaretta for its rustic appeal, but this wine is first rate and highly recommended. Alcohol is 13% by volume. Inquire
Propieta Sperino Uvaggio, Piedmonte, 2004, Italy ~ we didn’t know a thing about this one, other than the beautiful and classy label, until we cracked it. Great wine lets you know that it’s in the house, and this one got my attention immediately. This region has many beautiful vineyard sites that have historically made truly impressive wines and have now gone into neglect. Propieta Sperino is from the village of Lesono, and this site is now producing wine again after a fifty-year hiatus. This effort is palpably exciting, and touches all the bases for a Nebbiolo-based wine, and never with clunky, excess weight. Native grapes Vespolina and Croatina round out the blend. Extraordinary fine tannins and crisp fruit on the palate follow a rich and expressive aroma. Let it breathe for at least eight hours to flesh out the superb fruit and tame the acidity, and serve at a cool temperature. This wine would be a savvy buy for the cellar, as I believe it is fully the equal of other great Nebbiolos that cost twice as much. This is precisely the type of perfectly proportioned wine that ages into something altogether superior. Exciting and impressive stuff, with a completely focused 13% alcohol. Top Dog price approximately $26.00
Woodward-Graff Cabernet Sauvignon “A-frame Vineyard” 2002, Chalone appellation, California ~ as I am writing this on Memorial Day, I hereby nominate this wine for some kind of a medal. This is perhaps the most courageous Cabernet I have tasted in recent memory, and I will tell you why: First, the wine is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. It is simply amazing to me that many consumers think that blends are some kind of new trend in the wine business; it’s likely that the wine Jesus created from water was some kind of blend. Yet if you have Cabernet of this quality why not ring the bell-loudly! And ring loudly it does in this unabashedly old-school California wine. The Chalone bench in Monterey County was planted with Cabernet in the 70’s, and the original owners of that historic name produce this wine. Sadly the wine that actually carries the Chalone name now is often a bad joke, having been marginalized by the evil Diageo Co., the same folks that ruined Veuve Clicquot Champagne. Second, is the bone-dry treatment of the lovely fruit. If you have never had a traditional style California Cabernet, with it’s the dry, round, olive–like fruit character and nothing that would be more at home in the center of a doughnut, you will probably hate this wine. But if you fondly remember the great wines of the 70’s, the wines that put California squarely on the world stage and many of which show beautifully to this day, than you will no doubt love this balanced offering. Alcohol is 14.3%, which is the highest of this group, but never does it present in jammy, unwieldy fruit; just what is necessary. Inquire
I could have filled pages writing about the character of each of these wines, but the central theme is this: When the alcohol is in correct proportion to the overall structure of the wine it’s magic time. No need to break out the peanut butter and bread for this group; there isn’t a hint of jammy fruit in any bottle here. Are they “easy to drink?” Let me put it to you this way-it’s “easy to eat” at McDonalds, but that doesn’t make it satisfying. Wines like this are for people who want to be engaged by what’s in their glass and will take the extra time to show the wine at its best. There was no reason to suspect that this set of wines would be anything less than wonderful, I’m sure no one in this lineup ever hired a focus group to “help” them make wine. It is becoming quite discouraging, however, to see who is juicing-up the sugar and alcohol levels in their wine to add sweet, thick, boring fruit. Nothing like that here, just complex, fascinating wine-wine like from the past.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Great Bordeaux - and why we don't sell them - Philip Bernot
I like the wines of Bordeaux, but have never been “in-love” with them as I am with wines from other parts of France. I have tasted many top-quality wines from Bordeaux from vintages ranging over fifty years. I have never had 1947 Cheval Blanc, 1945 Mouton Rothschild, 1928 Margaux, 1920 Lafite, or 1904 Haut Brion, or any wine from the 1800’s. Any Bordeaux wine, I mean. I have never visited Bordeaux; but I don’t feel bad about it. My feeling has always been this: These wines, especially the great ones, rarely shine their light of greatness on the observer. Often when you taste Bordeaux it’s impressive, but I’m rarely blown-away. I know this because when the stars align and you do taste great Bordeaux, in the right setting, when the wine is showing at top-form, it is amazing. When that light shines on you it’s like those searchlights at the new Chevy dealer - illuminating to say the least! But those experiences are few and far between. More often I have what happened today- a really nice, well-known wine from 2004 that I would sell for about $175 a bottle. It was really good, but I think for most people the better part of two C-notes is a lot to ask. Not that 175 bucks is the high end; far from it. The best wines from the 2005 vintage could be $3,500-$5,000. That is not for a case but a bottle. And that’s if you can find it; the list of hedge fund managers willing to slip a $60,000 case of wine into the boot of their gold-plated Bentley Flying Spur is a long one; thankfully that list is getting shorter everyday!
So we have a few Bordeaux wines. Like everything I buy I tend to seek out the properties that offer exceptional value. The difference between the fifty dollar bottle and the hundred and fifty dollar bottle is often quite small. And what about those high-flyers? I would love to tell you that we churn through hundreds of cases of first and second growth wines-but we don’t. It is literally a different business, and you are going head-to-head with mega-stores in mega-markets. In other words, a lock to lose for us.
And what about those wines I do love? I think Burgundy is the end-all, and you can still turn up some remarkable values. The best wines from there, however, are hideously expensive. But man-oh-man is there amazing wine from the south for the price! I am crazy about the delicious wines from Provence, Languedoc-Rousillon, and the Rhone. There are some pretty amazing values from Bordeaux as well, but I just love the earthy connection that the wines from the south have. Stop by sometime and talk to me about it; I always have something fun from those places.
So we have a few Bordeaux wines. Like everything I buy I tend to seek out the properties that offer exceptional value. The difference between the fifty dollar bottle and the hundred and fifty dollar bottle is often quite small. And what about those high-flyers? I would love to tell you that we churn through hundreds of cases of first and second growth wines-but we don’t. It is literally a different business, and you are going head-to-head with mega-stores in mega-markets. In other words, a lock to lose for us.
And what about those wines I do love? I think Burgundy is the end-all, and you can still turn up some remarkable values. The best wines from there, however, are hideously expensive. But man-oh-man is there amazing wine from the south for the price! I am crazy about the delicious wines from Provence, Languedoc-Rousillon, and the Rhone. There are some pretty amazing values from Bordeaux as well, but I just love the earthy connection that the wines from the south have. Stop by sometime and talk to me about it; I always have something fun from those places.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
A nice compliment/more Moshin - Philip Bernot
I recently posted a blog about the marvelous wines from Moshin Vineyards and the dynamic Rick Moshin. One of the things I love about the wine business is the many very smart people you meet-all doing something they love. In chatting with Rick he mentioned how the heavily extracted wines that are currently popular need so much more chemical stabilizing, so I asked if he could send me a few words on it:
Hello Philip,
Thanks for the great words in your blog. I said I would get back to you about the SO2 levels in my wines. SO2 levels in wines follow some recommended level depending on the pH of the wine. The lower the pH at bottling, the less amount of free sulpher is required. What we do at Moshin is to capture the acidity and pH at harvest, thus making our wines requirements for sulfites additions low from conception.
Also reduced oxygen levels in the wine due to little or no pumping helps keep our total SO2 levels in the measures of 20 to 50 PPM. We also work in the vineyards to reduce malic acid production in the berries. Thus after ML we maintain lower pH levels in the wine because of less malic acid. If you have more questions let me know.
Good luck with selling Moshin Wines in your store. Happy Summer! Rick Moshin
Thanks for the compliment Rick - Thanks for thinking that I am a LOT smarter than I really am! LOVE the wines, BTW :)
Philip
Hello Philip,
Thanks for the great words in your blog. I said I would get back to you about the SO2 levels in my wines. SO2 levels in wines follow some recommended level depending on the pH of the wine. The lower the pH at bottling, the less amount of free sulpher is required. What we do at Moshin is to capture the acidity and pH at harvest, thus making our wines requirements for sulfites additions low from conception.
Also reduced oxygen levels in the wine due to little or no pumping helps keep our total SO2 levels in the measures of 20 to 50 PPM. We also work in the vineyards to reduce malic acid production in the berries. Thus after ML we maintain lower pH levels in the wine because of less malic acid. If you have more questions let me know.
Good luck with selling Moshin Wines in your store. Happy Summer! Rick Moshin
Thanks for the compliment Rick - Thanks for thinking that I am a LOT smarter than I really am! LOVE the wines, BTW :)
Philip
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Wine Buying 101 - Philip Bernot
I think everybody is guilty of this little sin, or would like to be: you are in a store and you see an item that you just know is mis-priced. It should be twenty five dollars, but there it is at $10.99. You want to tell someone “I think the price is wrong here!” but hey, things are going up every day and it harder to make ends meet. You scoop up the item, all of it, and hope you don’t get busted before you get out of the store. The same is true for wine; only different. Two to three times a month I taste something that is wickedly under-priced to its value and I buy it with gusto. I tell the customers who want to hear it about the amazing value, but let’s be honest-not everyone wants to hear it. Some folks buy what they buy strictly on price. Many shoppers, and not just here, are deeply suspicious of items they think are “too cheap.” Three things happened today that made me want to write about this:
One: We have been selling a wonderful wine from Spain; so much in fact that it has become the top-selling wine in the store in the year 2008. I’m not surprised-from the moment I tried it I thought it was an obscenely good value. I just got word that the new vintage is slated for a price increase-up to 90%! Obviously this is more than currency fluctuation and transportation costs. To be honest the new price is really more in line with the quality, but we were happy to sell as much as we did when it was cheap.
Two: One of our customers who knows his Italian wine very well bought an interesting red wine from Southern Italy on our recommendation. The wine was being discounted by our wholesaler for one reason only-nobody there knew how to sell it. It is amazing wine and we are selling it for an even more amazing price. The customer and I came to the same conclusion-this is a fifty-plus dollar bottle of wine-at less than fifteen dollars!
Three: I tasted a line of premium California wines, of which the least expensive would set you back about thirty-five bucks; and it went up from there. The resume of the winemaker is one of very well-known, but commercial, wines. I wouldn’t give you thirty-five cents for all four that I tried.
If you want to know the names of the first two wines, stop by and see me. The last wines I don’t ever want to talk about again!
One: We have been selling a wonderful wine from Spain; so much in fact that it has become the top-selling wine in the store in the year 2008. I’m not surprised-from the moment I tried it I thought it was an obscenely good value. I just got word that the new vintage is slated for a price increase-up to 90%! Obviously this is more than currency fluctuation and transportation costs. To be honest the new price is really more in line with the quality, but we were happy to sell as much as we did when it was cheap.
Two: One of our customers who knows his Italian wine very well bought an interesting red wine from Southern Italy on our recommendation. The wine was being discounted by our wholesaler for one reason only-nobody there knew how to sell it. It is amazing wine and we are selling it for an even more amazing price. The customer and I came to the same conclusion-this is a fifty-plus dollar bottle of wine-at less than fifteen dollars!
Three: I tasted a line of premium California wines, of which the least expensive would set you back about thirty-five bucks; and it went up from there. The resume of the winemaker is one of very well-known, but commercial, wines. I wouldn’t give you thirty-five cents for all four that I tried.
If you want to know the names of the first two wines, stop by and see me. The last wines I don’t ever want to talk about again!
Saturday, April 26, 2008
More on inexpensive wine - Philip Bernot
Hot on the heels on my previous post is this excellent article in New York Times. If you are passionate about wine then the points in this article hit home. If you are not passionate about wine, but like it for its health and therapeutic effects, then this stuff is still important-maybe more so! Check it out!
http://thepour.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/25/does-your-wine-need-viagra/
http://thepour.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/25/does-your-wine-need-viagra/
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