tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34810657471416568442024-03-13T07:24:46.940-07:00Will Blog 4 WineA timely discourse on the subject of wine. Anything of interest from Growing grapes, to production methods, to appreciation & food pairing. Personal observations and professional experience in sales, marketing and buyer / consumer feedback. Quips, Poetry & Prose, anecdotes, history and true tales in the subject of wine.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3481065747141656844.post-78515033112841114462010-08-30T09:05:00.000-07:002010-08-30T09:35:41.675-07:00Take Time to Smell The Bouquet<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_J-wGHgTVgsE/THvdwin9D0I/AAAAAAAAAI8/hKs4kMPAL2Y/s1600/sommelier3.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 93px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 116px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511242395015778114" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_J-wGHgTVgsE/THvdwin9D0I/AAAAAAAAAI8/hKs4kMPAL2Y/s320/sommelier3.jpg" /></a><br /><div>I took some time away from this blog and other writing adventures to smell the bouquet. Sometimes in life we never volitize our own esters and things get tight, closed in and over oaked in our personal lives.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Today, however, the kids all started back to school. I have one in each level of education now, Jr. HS, HS, and College. As if to mark the beginning of a new season, I am writing again and offering whatever wine advice to my blog readers, wine and food columns and snooth reviews. It is all very hazy, this last time off. We needed to take care of the cluttered garage and basement, get one kid off to college with supplies to cover 120 days, get 2 other kids into their fall sports programs and tend to a dried up garden and yard that was beaten down by a hot and dry July.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>The end result being that the vacation was nothing more than home work, working on the home and never going away to the mountains or the beach or an island or a foreign destination like say New York City. No time for baseball games, no time for county carnivals either although my kids and my spouse seem to have gotten past the need or want to go to these places. The family events were focused on the individual rather than the group and this truly marks a turning of pages in life.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>These things recognized and set aside, one thing was accomplished on a personal note; I started a new health program for myself and took time every day to spend time on me for an hour. This was my personal "ester swirl" as it were and it helped to open up my closed in self. I removed myself from wine, wine making, grape growing, wine tweeting, wine FB-ing, wine snoothing, wine searching, wine accessing, all of it stopped for thirty days. It was tough at first but really great as I return to the printed word on this subject and a bit of renewed energy.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>I, for the time being, will not refer to this as the grind, and with a renewed sense of wonder delve into odd varietals, the place wine has in a healthy diet, all things less hedonistic and more focused on the improvement of life. After all wasn't this the reason wine was first made? It wasn't safe to drink the water and the milk wasn't pasteurized, so fermented grape juice helped life become livable, if not down-right safe. Now we seem to be surrounded with focus on scores, medals, ego, competition, with thousands of wine makers touting their wines as the greatest but nobody really listening. Ultimately nobody is swirling their esters to open up the full bouquet life is offering.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>For me, for the time being, this is all I care to do. Cheers</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3481065747141656844.post-25908715168722266742010-07-10T08:20:00.000-07:002010-07-10T09:23:59.633-07:00A Rant Against Beaurocracy in the American Wine Industry<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_J-wGHgTVgsE/TDidK4HL4HI/AAAAAAAAAI0/fLmPVxz6PoA/s1600/freedom1.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492312555765096562" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_J-wGHgTVgsE/TDidK4HL4HI/AAAAAAAAAI0/fLmPVxz6PoA/s320/freedom1.jpg" /></a><br /><div>Have been away for a break. It's good for every writer / wine advocate / person to take some time away from their passionate discipline. Refreshed and encouraged by the rain that we have needed, I find myself perplexed and somewhat enraged over recent government actions towards wine commerce in the U.S.</div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>First there is this business with HR5034 and wholesalers attempt to re-write the U.S. Constitution to benefit their monopolies. Now the PA PLCB has introduced kiosks that sell wine in grocery stores. OK why don't these people "get it"? It is a tough economy and what little pleasure we can afford is being taxed and controlled to keep us safe? more like controlled.</div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>In an article this week in the Orlando Sentinel, free market wine shops nation wide are slashing prices, offering coupons, becoming more accessible, offering classes, doing what it takes to encourage commerce. Independent producers as well are texting, facebooking, tweeting about specials, discounts, events all tied towards benefiting customers to encourage commerce.</div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>BUT in Pennsylvania, the answer by political bureaucrats that are paid by taxes, is to raise taxes to get a pay raise? which in a bad economy is doing nothing but chasing commerce towards the open markets of New York, Delaware and New Jersey.</div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>The PLCB introduced Kiosks that automatically dispense wine after scanning your drivers license and your breath, (because the government doesn't trust you to be sober). If this works then the next step is to add a $1 convenience fee to the already 30% to 50% higher bottle prices of "<strong>their"</strong> selection of wine in the machine. There are no wine stewards to discuss the wines, help with selection or offer food pairings so if these <strong>"Sentinels</strong> <strong>of fascism"</strong> grow, PLCB clerk jobs and possibly entire locations will be eliminated. </div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>Let's see, machines and taxes to replace people and jobs to make the state more money and control the freedom of selection and competition.</div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>What are they not getting? These things will chase me and an entire host of PA consumers to NY, NJ, and DE for our liquor supplies. We will gladly spend millions outside our commonwealth in deference to higher taxes, smaller selection and high market prices. This reaction will lead to more lay-offs, raising of prices and an anti-commerce posturing if left unchecked.</div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>In a bad economy consumers shop price and availability. If you raise prices and lower selection then you chase away customers. <strong>Business 101 teaches this.</strong> Still our law makers are not stirred by these fundamental rules of trade because they are paid by the taxes we generate. </div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>PA! If you want change, greater selection, lower taxes and a free form of commerce which will supply more jobs, increased industry, and prosperity then <strong>YOU </strong>will have to support a candidate that will change the system. You have to remove the Harrisburg politicians that are hurting our commerce and making us a laughing stock in a country that understands socialism doesn't work as well as a free market society.</div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>OR keep spending your money in another state that "gets it".</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3481065747141656844.post-66931770028322546132010-06-20T06:57:00.000-07:002010-06-20T07:24:36.543-07:00Pennsylvania Viticulture<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_J-wGHgTVgsE/TB4kZKLbuhI/AAAAAAAAAIs/jDUELj0VNQc/s1600/vine3.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484861410831481362" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 130px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 97px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_J-wGHgTVgsE/TB4kZKLbuhI/AAAAAAAAAIs/jDUELj0VNQc/s320/vine3.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>"I could make twice as much wine if I didn't have to grow the grapes." August Sebastiani</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>It is not word for word, but the quote is close to the though expressed by one of California's founding wine-fathers. The sentiment expresses how much time and attention wine grapes take and if left to another, then more time could be spent buying grapes and making more gallons.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Funny thing is, the quote was by a California vintner. Given the ease of growing conditions in CA. one has to wonder what it's like for everyone else. Well let me tell you that PA is the perfect place for Amish and other non-drinkers.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Today marks the eighth year to the date that I started growing wine grapes in PA and it ain't easy. Experimentation with root stock, varietal, clonal selection, certified, non-certified. No wonder viticulture gave way to beer brewing in the colonies. Too many other crops are better suited for a farmers needs. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>If all I had to do was make wine...I now understand fully what Mr Sebastiani was saying. Started and failed are Grenache, Zinfandel, Viogonier, Syrah; still struggling are Traminette, Corot Noir, Noiret all hybryd grapes that were supposed to make it in this area. Root stocks varied: 3309, St. George, native..nothing seems to work in this heavy, red iron filled, rocky soil.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>One jewel though, Seyval Blanc, seems to be the one. I planted it because it has many options as a wine; sparkling, dry, late harvest. I ran out of space in my test plot so I had to container plant the last 2 vines. Boy was I surprised. Every vine produced grapes the first year. Ya have to clip them or the vine becomes strained. The container vines are very strong as well. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>It may be that this hybrid wine grape, which grows well in Northern England as well as Wales, is the perfect PA grape after all. Now I have to develop a style. I was hoping to tap into my German/Irish roots and make a Kabinet wine using Traminette as a blend component. This grape is struggling. I'm gonna need to get help, but it may be that PA is a perfect New World Rhine Region and like our old world brothers, we need to focus on our whites; Pinot Blanc, & Gris, and Riesling, Gewurztraminer-esc type grapes.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Might take me another eight years, but all good wine, is worth the time.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Every vine produced berries</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3481065747141656844.post-80166878073138128052010-05-20T05:22:00.000-07:002010-05-24T12:11:12.301-07:00Current Events in Wine<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_J-wGHgTVgsE/S_Uq_beskaI/AAAAAAAAAIc/dwiobhLa6-0/s1600/news1.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 145px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 90px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473328191335338402" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_J-wGHgTVgsE/S_Uq_beskaI/AAAAAAAAAIc/dwiobhLa6-0/s320/news1.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><strong>This Just In!</strong><br /><br /><br /><br />Corporate chain restaurant <strong>P.F. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" class="blsp-spelling-error">Changs</span></strong> announced today the release of Vineyard 518, a "green" approach to wine production made by Mendocino based Wattle Creek Winery. There are two flavors presently being produced for the restaurant, a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_10" class="blsp-spelling-error">Sauvignon</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_11" class="blsp-spelling-error">Blanc</span> & <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_12" class="blsp-spelling-error">Syrah</span>. The wine is organically grown and packaged in recycled materials to reduce the carbon footprint.<br /><br />The interesting thing here is that while this is a great idea, one has to wonder why the PF <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_13" class="blsp-spelling-error">Changs</span> chain has no national corporate recycle plan for its stores. Most of these spent <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_14" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">packages</span> will be tossed out in the general garage along with all <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_15" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">their</span> glass and cans. It kinda makes the attempt at being <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_16" class="blsp-spelling-error">eco</span>-friendly somewhat <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_17" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">hypocritical</span>.<br /><br />In other News...<br /><br />Seems odd that a professional soccer team would agree to a sponsorship from a winery? If beer can do it with the NBA, NFL, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_18" class="blsp-spelling-error">MLB</span> & NHL; then why not a winery and a UK based soccer team?<br />Manchester United has agreed to accept <strong><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_19" class="blsp-spelling-error">Concho</span> Y <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_20" class="blsp-spelling-error">Toro</span></strong>, based in Chile, to be their sole wine sponsor. That's the curious part, a British Soccer team and a Chilean wine company. Makes you go <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_21" class="blsp-spelling-error">hmmmmm</span>. Aren't English wines on the rise and in need of exposure and don't the Chileans have a soccer team? Must be the money.<br /><br />Also on the new front;<br /><br /><strong><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_22" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Decanter</span> Magazine</strong> has announced a series of wine classes under the title Decanter Education. The classes have gathered several well versed and knowledgeable wine educators to lecture on some very noted wine regions.<br /><br />Yet this seems a bit incestuous.<br /><br />The classes are announced as "comprehensive" and "masterclasses"; but not a single new world wine region is listed in the course selection? An over sight? Maybe, but one would guess they either couldn't get a new world wine authority to lecture or more <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_23" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">probably</span>, didn't want the Euro wine courses to be out sold by more popular wine regions.<br /><br />of particular note...<br /><br />It was announced this week that the <strong>Chinese</strong> will be the biggest investors of 2009 Bordeaux futures and not Chinese consumers but speculators. So I wonder, where did the communist based Chinese speculator come from? How is this investor able to spend for 09 Bordeaux futures when they don't pay current living wages to their population? How is there such a thing as a wealthy communist?<br /><br />Since scandals in recent years by the Chinese in tainted dog food, sub-par dry wall and toxic jewelery; one has to wonder if these "speculators" will re-release the 09's in say 2030 as gray market knock-offs. makes a Bordeaux Lover mighty nervous.<br /><br />more to come....Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3481065747141656844.post-72423159990569191392010-05-18T04:15:00.000-07:002010-05-18T04:24:04.743-07:00Wine Food & Flavor<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_J-wGHgTVgsE/S_J4W_1NssI/AAAAAAAAAIM/ai3rri_vyYE/s1600/flavor2.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 142px; height: 145px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_J-wGHgTVgsE/S_J4W_1NssI/AAAAAAAAAIM/ai3rri_vyYE/s320/flavor2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472568833695658690" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Often during wine seminars I am asked “the” question about flavor in wine. It usually comes as a sincere quest for knowledge and understanding. The question is usually centered on the difficulty many have in describing, in defined terms, the flavors one is experiencing. In every wine seminar I encourage the audience to describe what they are tasting in specific terms. Most can not get past the general adjectives of fruity, sweet or dry and many are unwilling or unable to take a stab at pinpointing these general terms with specifics. It is safe ground for people to rest on simple answers that when “I” say a wine tastes like fruit, it does; or know that if “I” say it tastes dry, it is; yet this is not enough.<br /><br />If you really want the experience of tasting wine to count, in my opinion, then we all have to dive off the deep end. We need to put our flavor experiences regarding food to work in order to better understand what we taste, why it pairs with specific food groups better than others, and how this will develop our wine & food knowledge past the novice stage. All of this has its beginnings in food. We became a nation of food inhalers and chose the drive-through over sitting at the table. When this happened flavor ceased being important and we lost our ability to describe what was in our mouths. This shows up very often in my wine classes as the inability to discuss texture, aroma and flavor. Should I put any guest on the spot the “deer in the headlights” look comes over them with horrifying facial expressions. It is my belief that every wine event should begin with a descriptive hour where every person attending has to specifically pinpoint 1-3 flavors in a wine. I use these numbers because wine has three parts that make up the finished product. Follow along and use this method the next time you taste any wine. It may help you understand what you are sipping.<br /><br />The first part to wine is fruit. Red or white, depending on the color and within that set the wine will mimic the fruit flavors of its color. In white wine one may taste anything from citrus to stone fruit, lemons, oranges, apples of every variety, and pears all the way up to the tropical sets of papaya, mango and passion fruit. In red wine the flavors encompass all the red fruit varieties from cherry, blueberry, blackberry, plum, to fig and prune. The best of the tasters will not only suggest wine “X” has a cherry note, but involve Bing or Queen Anne cherry by name. When one gets really good at this you can begin to see types of fruit within wine sets. Gala apples, Meyer lemons for example and when one tastes enough wine, the layers of fruit flavor become more easily revealed. You must practice somewhat to eventually “get it”.<br /><br />The second part to wine is spice and this is harder to grasp because we do not as a population spend any time around oak forests to see subtle nuances. Coco, chocolate, vanilla, caramel, clove, anise, black tea, coffee, tobacco are the flavor spectrum the barrel imparts. The toast grade and wood type will leave these flavor imprints in a wine depending on the maturation time in the barrel, the newness of the oak, oak type and barrel cleanliness. When no wood is used these nuances will be somewhat absent from the wine experience, although wine has a spice nature to it, the flavor spectrum will be overshadowed by the fruit and yeast.<br /><br />Lastly there is a dairy component in wine. One will taste a creamy nature and may detect oiliness; butter, cheese, olive oil, and sweet cream. This is what the yeast will impart in the wine. The longer the contact through malolactic or secondary fermentation, extended lees contact and stirring of the lees the more a pronounced dairy note will exist in the wine. This is most evident in new world wines with low acidity and high alcohol. When a California Chardonnay, as an example, is noted as being buttery, this happens through extended yeast contact and possible lees stirring which helps break down harsh tannins and acid. The result is a wine with pronounced butter or cream notes in the mouth layered with ripe fruit flavors and an absence of any finishing acid which makes a wine seem more silken or velvety.<br /><br />When you can place these three components together you will have a complete wine experience. Now practice discussing these attributes with friends. Allow your food experiences discover the definitive flavors and you are on your way. This last part is the tricky issue. We become unsure of our own palate and opinions. We then begin to lean towards an “authority” to tell us what we taste. I say LET GO! The basic high school education should be enough to describe what flavors you smell and taste and only practice will make you perfect. Food and temperature will change flavors in the mouth as you taste and either open or close off multiple layers of wine flavor as you eat and taste. It is important to experiment with as many combinations as you and your friends can create. The ultimate goal is to open your mind and let your vocabulary loose as you discover flavors. Do not be shy or concerned with another’s opinion as no answer is wrong. It is all subjective to you and your palate. There are two new books recently released which will help direct you towards these definitive tasting skills. <br /><br />They are: <strong>Wine Drinking for Inspired Thinking </strong>– by Michael Gelb (Running Press Publishers), and <strong>Daring Pairings </strong>– by Evan Goldstein (University of California Press).<br /><br />Both publications will lead you towards wine & food flavor pairing and the practice of using an expanded vocabulary that will be definitive and help you pinpoint what you taste and how you express it. The next step is for you to stage a tasting group and practice what you read. Cheers.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3481065747141656844.post-41880911526071333982010-05-11T15:27:00.000-07:002010-05-11T16:41:44.391-07:00Lunch in Hell and 20%<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_J-wGHgTVgsE/S-nhg804NFI/AAAAAAAAAHM/Rkw0L4vBcAs/s1600/bad+service+1.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 140px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 105px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470151178618156114" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_J-wGHgTVgsE/S-nhg804NFI/AAAAAAAAAHM/Rkw0L4vBcAs/s320/bad+service+1.jpg" /></a><br /><div>I stopped at a casual place for a quick lunch this week. It was a very well known national chain that is easy to get to has plenty of parking and reasonable prices. My job doesn't often take me to places like this. Working in the wine business I often grab lunch in a place that is independently owned with a better focus on food, wine and over-all "culture" for lack of a better word.</div><br /><div>My choice couldn't have been worse this day. I was looking for easy, and got the opposite. Serves me right, I guess, as there are many very good places that I could have stopped into this day. I live in a place where the growth of the National Chain Restaurant is rising and the Independent Operator is disappearing. The issue for me is that I have to travel farther between accounts to make appointments and present wine or give wine seminars or develop new accounts. The distance doesn't always lend itself to easy options for lunch and since I am doing everything to stay away from the drive through and sit in a place for a civilized and healthy meal, my choices can be limited.</div><div> </div><div>When I entered I immediately was greeted by a cheerful hostess and mentioned I was going too eat in the bar for a quicker experience. That was when I should have turned around. I sat at the end of the large oval shaped bar and began searching for a bartender and a menu. There were 2 bartenders at the far end of the bar with their backs turned to me. They were engaged in a game of <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Wii</span> Bowling. I went immediately to my blackberry to respond to e-mails that I <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">received</span> and got through 3 complete responses before I noticed the bar-tenders were gone. "<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">Hmmm</span>, not even a hello." </div><div> </div><div>There was only 1 other person at the bar and there were 4 guests seated at booths around the bar so between 2 people how hard could it be to notice a new customer and say hello? I went back to my texts and finished 3 more before someone greeted me. I asked for a glass of wine and a menu. Upon <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">receipt</span> of the items, which happened quickly, we both noticed there were food crumbs in front of me on the bar from a previous diner. She brushed the crumbs away with her hand towards me and left! What? </div><div> </div><div>I took a sip, found my lunch item and waited through 2 more e-mails before being asked for my order by the second bar-tender. I placed my order, sat in my crumbs and finished my work. When the food arrived more crumbs were moved aside and I was left to enjoy my meal while the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">Wii</span> Bowling game was replaced by <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error">Wii</span> Golf and two more servers were now engaged with the bartenders in the fun. I finished, waited for the check, didn't get asked for coffee, dessert or anything more. I paid, gave a 20% tip and left without a goodbye. $32!</div><div> </div><div>Now I should mention that I spent over 20 years in restaurants and that presently my spouse works for one of these upscale national chains as well. I am not biased, because attentive service is just that no matter where one goes. I am a stickler for patron interaction, awareness of surroundings and attention to details. If the place is making money on the interactive games, I understand its place in the bar. If the economy is slow and it's hard to get workers on slow shifts to show up for work, then I understand. I even forgive certain lax liberties given by management too, like poor uniform attire, eating and drinking on shift liberties, etc.</div><div> </div><div>What I have issues with is the belief by today's servers that 20% is a given no matter what type of service you give and anything less gets you crucified on every web site sounding board. The word is gratuity and by definition is given for <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">courteous</span>, kind and attentive service. I <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-error">could've</span> done 100 other things at the moment I got my check but my schedule was tight and I had to go. Yet I left wondering if corporate knows that when it's slow the manager is sitting in the back office at the desk and the employees are more worried about their <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" class="blsp-spelling-error">Wii</span> score than the condition of the seating area or the needs of the guests.</div><div> </div><div>I can say I won't go back to this place any time soon, and I will be <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">leery</span> of any large chain that treats me as if I am a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_10" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">nuisance</span> and not a patron. While it is my right to hold back the tip, times are tough and the $6 does go a long way. Yet when will the restaurant industry get it? When will these places take an active part in training <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_11" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">competent</span> help? When will they get their heads out of their frozen food business long enough to recognize they are losing money for things that can be fixed by simply taking the remote out of the bartenders hand?</div><div> </div><div>Maybe, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_12" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">probably</span>, when its too late.</div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3481065747141656844.post-62159612684126077792010-05-06T06:42:00.000-07:002010-05-06T07:19:30.914-07:00Wine in Dog Years<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_J-wGHgTVgsE/S-LJWIUnTQI/AAAAAAAAAG8/hjW4UfCchSo/s1600/bc.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 108px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 145px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468154279609453826" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_J-wGHgTVgsE/S-LJWIUnTQI/AAAAAAAAAG8/hjW4UfCchSo/s320/bc.jpg" /></a><br /><div>This week I turned 50. Never thought twice about the moment. Spent many younger years thinking age was only a number and not a barrier to life. Still think this way.</div><div> </div><div>Age in wine is not always a good thing. There is an old adage that says,<strong> "it is a far greater crime to drink a wine too old than too young."</strong> This speaks about missed opportunity and hope lost. So as a consuming society we do this more than ever before. We consume our wine, sometimes far too young, but what are we waiting for anyway. Life is to be tasted, not shelved in anticipation of things to come! Yet, every now and again I think about lost opportunity and getting a "do-over". Wine allows this to happen when we get the right vintage, producer, vineyard and varietal all in the same bottle. These things are fleeting, but are available to us every year. When they are made available to us, we can set them aside and wait for the right moment to open them. Moments like anniversaries, birthdays, reunions.</div><div> </div><div>Sometimes the effort is worth the wait, sometimes not. Wine ages in dog years. One year to a wine may be like 7 to a human. Upon first release they are like so many new puppies, playful, awkward, fun. As they age they become intelligent, thoughtful, engaging. At extreme age (10+ years) they are slower yet held in higher esteem, more respected for their longevity.</div><div> </div><div>I found a border collie sitting in my cellar this week. A 1992 Cabernet from the Alexander Valley. At 17 years it was energetic, elegant with a shiny coat and seamless intelligence all still intact. These are singular things that come along rarely and it made me think of turning 32 not 50. I may not cellar my wine as much as I would like anymore, but I am glad I did this time.</div><div> </div><div>Thinkin' that in the future I am going to refer to wines in dog types to better prepare myself for the way they may age. Buying a poodle? A German Shepherd? A Golden Retriever? I hope to find more Border Collies, the energy they seem to always have will hold memories for me and my kids for years to come. Cheers!</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3481065747141656844.post-33381996051897154472010-04-20T12:51:00.000-07:002010-04-20T13:48:17.366-07:00H.R. 5034 is David vs Goliath; Freedom vs. Fascism<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_J-wGHgTVgsE/S84HWBp3WbI/AAAAAAAAAGs/LZZiLZwyiKw/s1600/dvg.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 119px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 155px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462311473029536178" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_J-wGHgTVgsE/S84HWBp3WbI/AAAAAAAAAGs/LZZiLZwyiKw/s320/dvg.jpg" /></a><br /><div>It is an image that permeates our society and ignites the best that America is. The little guy with faith, hope and resolve facing down the giant that everyone fears. We Americans have identified with this idea since the conception of our nation. It is our true heritage no matter where our ancestors came from and continues to burn bright in the hearts of Americans today.</div><div> </div><div> The under-dog, the outnumbered, the fight waged against impossible odds. The Lone Ranger, the courageous warrior thrust to the center of the fight armed with only <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">wits</span> and a sling. Set out in a vastly deserted battle field to face an army of better <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">equipped</span>, better organized, bigger foes. Approaching the enemy our hero is ridiculed, mocked and laughed at from in front and behind. Silent echoes sound through the mind. Should I tire in battle will I retreat or press on? Will I be strong enough to suffer the slings and arrows of the enemy? Is there a chance to strike a resounding blow for freedom? Whats worth the prize is always worth the fight and I must press on. </div><div> </div><div>That is the issue of Inter-State Commerce and Direct to Consumer sales freedom. The <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">life's</span> blood of the FREE MARKET and the small producer that has more to lose but would gladly sacrifice all for the freedom to compete.</div><div> </div><div>Big business would repeal the 21st Amendment if it would allow them and only them to control the market. They did at one time. They were the syndicated <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">corrupt</span> bootleggers and underbelly of the black market that waged war in this country during prohibition. If H.R. 5034 is allowed to pass the cause for a free market will be struck in its heart. The only ones left in control will be the large <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">wholesale</span> distributors that will affect price, product volume and competition suffocating the very issue of what a free economy stands for and crushing the little guy along the way.</div><div> </div><div>Make no mistake about this issue. <strong>This is corporate fascism</strong> scheming to gain control of the free market against a more just and democratic form of business. The bill at its heart contend to control the flow of goods between states in the name of the public good, but there is something else more sinister here. If allowed to pass, the Judicial Branch will be told for the first time in our history that they are non-essential. Yes this is about alcohol, but a precedent will be set for other issues and we will have anarchy, separatism and sedition to contend with in the future if we do not say now, NO to controling the free market and YES to the check and balance that is the Supreme court. No to rewriting the Constitution of the United States and Yes to the small businessman, the entrepreneur, the artisan crafter.</div><div> </div><div>Sensational? Maybe, but give an inch of freedom to one who would control a thing and lose 200 years of hard fought independence to men who would be king.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3481065747141656844.post-69861291405088171312010-04-17T08:58:00.000-07:002010-04-17T09:54:55.761-07:00Gorillas vs Guerrillas<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_J-wGHgTVgsE/S8nbp4crj7I/AAAAAAAAAGk/yCgt61VY3sg/s1600/gorilla+guerrilla.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 145px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 96px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461137535737237426" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_J-wGHgTVgsE/S8nbp4crj7I/AAAAAAAAAGk/yCgt61VY3sg/s320/gorilla+guerrilla.jpg" /></a><br /><div><em><strong>There has been upheaval and calamity in Washington DC this week over big liquor business and lobby money pushing their anti-DTC (direct to consumer) agenda. (see H.R. 5034) </strong></em></div><div> </div><div>The country is on the verge of allowing a few large companies to dictate to the American people what alcohol they may buy and eventually this will lead how much they pay for it, how it's marketed and so on. <strong>H.R. 5034</strong>, is designed to keep small producers from going outside the major distributors and direct to the consumer with the use of the Internet. If passed it would place two major companies key distribution rights for more than 30% of the industry and open the door for them to grow fast, fat and furious to the point of a nation wide monopoly.</div><div> </div><div>Their tactics are one of scare and half-truths but the reality is that these companies have contributed heavily to some career politicians and with Warren Buffet in the game as a major player, <em>(he took an ownership role in a liquor distributor in Georgia),</em> the sky's the limit for control of the industry. Small producers would have to pay in product and price in order for their goods to be sold in many if not all U.S. markets and the guerrilla war would begin in earnest.</div><div> </div><div>Think of it, these companies at the forefront of the bill are trying to control the flow of goods to market through their doors. The Internet channel would be shut down and some micro-brewer in Missouri that has a special Lambic style blueberry ale, which a customer in Boston wants to buy would not be allowed to sell or ship said good for fear of a loss of taxes, and the opportunity the product would end up in the hands of a curious teenager. Not based in any reality, but one could paint the scariest of pictures and provide media fodder for the passage of the bill. </div><div> </div><div>Then what? Well bootlegging would be back and the underground black markets would be on the rise. If a person has to have a favorite brand of wine, beer, spirit, they're going to find a way to get it. Bills like these never keep the youth from drinking, any self respecting teen always finds an opportunity to get what they want. Getting caught may be inevitable, but these laws do not deter, they encourage. As a species we always want what we are told we can not have. That applies to every freedom on Earth. The more someone tries to control us the more we struggle to break away. So with this bill, wineries and breweries and distilleries all over the world would employ guerrilla tactics against the large gorilla companies and the gorilla law makers to get product to the buying public.</div><div> </div><div>The idea that we as a people would find our youth drunk in the street by 10 a.m. because we allow Internet sales direct to the consumer is ridiculous and insults the intelligence of the American citizen. The consideration that DTC paths steal tax revenues from the state and would force the loss of jobs, industry and social programs is laughable. The suggestion that frivolus law suits are tying up our courts because of DTC concerns is an immature position by a big organization acting like a spoiled brat that wants to take their ball from the other players on the playground and go home. </div><div> </div><div><strong><em>This bill is asking for one thing, control for a few over the many and must be stopped.</em></strong> Please write your state and federal representative and voice your concern. Let them know that control in any form is not the American way. H.R. 5034 is the wrong thing to do. Ask them why they would put the control of so many small businesses in the hands of a few companies. This is communist idealism at its worst.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3481065747141656844.post-25217214741750278262010-04-10T11:43:00.000-07:002010-04-10T16:54:44.193-07:00Does Your Restaurant Server Know Their Wine?<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_J-wGHgTVgsE/S8EKIPAFYkI/AAAAAAAAAGE/eK4Tw_wBFfY/s1600/wine+service.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 133px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 135px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458655359931867714" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_J-wGHgTVgsE/S8EKIPAFYkI/AAAAAAAAAGE/eK4Tw_wBFfY/s320/wine+service.jpg" /></a><br /><div>When you dine out, does your server help with the wine selection? Do you feel comfortable, rather secure, in soliciting answers about the wine list? Do you bother to ask about food pairing opportunities? Do you feel that you know more about wine 90% of the time than your server knows?</div><div> </div><div>I am finding it more and more difficult to ask a waiter anything about their wine list. It is not their ability, most servers care to give good service to their customers as this determines their gratuity. Its not the available wines, or the food suggestions or really anything other than necessary information and an active daily use of the product. I find most waiters don't drink wine regularly enough to have an educated opinion.</div><br /><div>Once upon a time, waiting tables was considered a fine profession. Dinning room management was as well, however the last bastion of professional status in most houses is left to the kitchen and the chefs that work in them. The floor has become a stepping stone to other life paths and the level of involvement in product and service knowledge is fleeting. Ask you server what their job aspirations are and very rarely if ever will you get a response along the lines of Professional Restaurateur. The same question might also be asked of the floor supervisor or "Maitre'd" or Manager. Today's service professional by and large are moving to other industries as soon as opportunity knocks and it shows in the level of involvement in their current line of work.<br /></div><div>It use to be as well that servers and managers alike were tested weekly on product knowledge in all areas of the menu; food, wine, beverage; this no longer happens due to the rapid pace of employee turnover and available time to schedule training. Lets face it, if the job is a stepping stone, most servers have other priorities than to arrive 1-2 hours early for educational training. The cost that a company cares to invest in this training is out-weighed by profits and reduced labor costs, so training is done on the fly. The result is a need for the customer to know their food and wine subject matter and rely on the server for timely delivery of the order and that costs 15% - 20% of the bill in the form of a tip. </div><div> </div><div>It seems to me that in this economy, and with the cost of the babysitter, the gas, the food & drink, I should get something more out of my experience. Is it too much to expect that my server be educated enough to offer opinions about the wine list? It seems to me that the restaurant industry needs to take a long hard look at how a better educated staff would encourage higher sales and customer frequency. Just sayin', Cheers.<br /></div><div></div><br /><div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3481065747141656844.post-90000927090592820852010-03-31T06:55:00.000-07:002010-03-31T07:50:51.285-07:00Making Wine to Help Save The World<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_J-wGHgTVgsE/S7NcIGWQeNI/AAAAAAAAAFs/j_kw-fi1JgU/s1600/wineathome.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 155px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 109px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454804867888478418" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_J-wGHgTVgsE/S7NcIGWQeNI/AAAAAAAAAFs/j_kw-fi1JgU/s320/wineathome.jpg" /></a> I started growing grapes and making wine in 1987. It was at the advice of a friend that if I was living in the Napa Valley, I should know everything I could about wine. So it was that year that I also volunteered as free labor on a crush pad and now 23 years later I have become fully immersed in the craft, education and business of wine.<br /><div></div><br /><div>Though I no longer live in California, I still tend around 60 vines in 6 different varieties. My basement looks like a mad scientist's laboratory at times and at harvest my garage does too. The French have a couple of terms for grape grower and wine maker and home wine maker. "Vignon", is the term used for one that grows the fruit, manages the vineyards and makes the wine. "Garagiste" is the term for one that makes small scale wine in their garage. I think I fit these two definitions.<br /></div><div>As so many hundreds of other Americans, I started a fascination with yeast and the entire fermentation process. I would ferment anything that had a specific gravity or Brix level. Some good, others really bad. This experimentation of all things sweet got out of hand at a point and I realized that as a hobby, I was over the top. So I stopped my beer brewing, mead making, spirit distilling, and liqueur blending practices. I settled in on a few varietal grapes I like to grow; found a blend of both white wine and red wine that I enjoy and now focus on two wines per year.<br /></div><div>This week, preparing to blend, rack and bottle, I thought of so many people I know in commercial wine production and wondered if this is how they started too. I thought that maybe if I reach a level of confidence in my garage practices, I could take it to the commercial "cult" level. I thought that if my friends and family like my wine, and I continually place in local competitions, what's stopping me from slapping my cult label on the market place as well.<br /></div><div>Then I thought that this was <strong><em>ego</em></strong> talking. Really, does the market place need another wine label? Maybe the fun of my hobby would lose its appeal and like so many other professions started with passion, burn out due to loss of the "fun" over the needs and demands of the business. The one thing I am certain of is that I am doing my bit to save money by making my own wine. I am <strong><em>helping the environment</em></strong> by recycling used wine bottles and I am building a diverse educational foundation for my kids by exposing them to the practice, <strong>(they have all been to crush since they were 5 yrs. old)</strong>. At the very least inspiring the beauty of Agriculture, Biological and Chemical Science and a little Philosophy in in their educational upbringing.</div><div> </div><div>It was a good bit of advice I received 23 years ago. Who would ever think Viticulture and Enology could save our economy and planet except a passionate grower of grapes and maker of wine. </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3481065747141656844.post-63345700628891871512010-03-23T11:28:00.000-07:002010-03-23T11:54:31.991-07:00Wine & Fish<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_J-wGHgTVgsE/S6kI2pYxkfI/AAAAAAAAAFM/omlqnRW4vtU/s1600-h/red+wine+%26+fish.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 150px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 149px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451898558824419826" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_J-wGHgTVgsE/S6kI2pYxkfI/AAAAAAAAAFM/omlqnRW4vtU/s320/red+wine+%26+fish.jpg" /></a> I once chaired a tasting of Zinfandel's for a private organization. The room held 30 or so attendants including 2 winemakers and 2 sales reps that specialized in Zinfandel. The topic drifted towards food pairing and we began to play a game of, what food would not go with Zinfandel. The end result was that there was no such food group.<br /><br />For years growing up, my parents generation lived by the rule of white wine and fish; red wine and meat. As part of the "baby boomers" it became our mantra, if not duty, to question all the rules. Today we find that this long time rule of "the man" no longer applies. Zinfandel may be the extreme example, but the case is made much easier in extremes.<br /><br />It is the Easter season, Christians eat no meat on Fridays during the weeks leading up to Easter Sunday. Fish is advertised more during this time of year than in any segment of the Calendar. So whats a red wine loving man of the faith to do? First, throw out the rules. Then build a bridge. The bridge in this case is preparation and sauce. No matter the seafood, pick the biggest, boldest red wine you can find and have at it! <br /><br />Try this:<br /><br />Salmon? - dry rub a Jamaican Jerk spice and grill; squeeze orange over for moisture; serve in a black bean salsa and open a Dry Creek Zinfandel.<br /><br />Scallops? - lightly flour and dip in egg wash and the corn meal, pan sear in olive oil until dark golden; pull from the pan, deglaze in red wine, butter, garlic and cream. reduce by half and throw in chopped tomatoes. place tomato cream over scallops and serve with an Australian Shiraz.<br /><br />get the point yet; the bridge is how you have prepared the fish and the sauce. Choose darker preparation and sauces for red wine and you will be fine.<br /><br />Try:<br /><br />Swordfish? press in a wet mixture of brown sugar, lemon juice, crushed walnuts and sea salt. bake slowly in a covered dish with a touch of orange juice and garlic until done. Saute scallions, carrots, and toss with arugula; grate asiago cheese and black pepper over and place swordfish on top. Open a Washington State Merlot.<br /><br />The sky is the limit. Fish can be served with red wine. The pairing is up to you. Cheers!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3481065747141656844.post-8812943473362699822010-03-20T08:13:00.000-07:002010-03-20T08:51:57.717-07:00Spring in the Vineyards<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_J-wGHgTVgsE/S6TruGexjHI/AAAAAAAAAE0/ta-x8gYq_LA/s1600-h/seyval+blanc.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 103px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 155px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5450740626271341682" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_J-wGHgTVgsE/S6TruGexjHI/AAAAAAAAAE0/ta-x8gYq_LA/s320/seyval+blanc.jpg" /></a><br /><div><div><div><br /><div>I woke this morning to popcorn on the vines. Earliest I have noticed in PA. I planted 4 hybrid varieties last year as my attempt at vinifera was a struggle to nowhere. It may have been my pruning methods, root stock or clonal selection, but after 6 years, it was time to get real. </div><br /><div>So now enter Seyval Blanc, Traminette, Corot Noir & Noiret. The latter two being the newest set of red hybrid varieties from Geneva. The Seyval seems to be the champ in this set. Strong cane production, semi-vigorous and berrys I allowed to mature in the first year were promising. It may be that this is the vine for this area. These vines are pushing now and encouraging me to make this the key grape for my vineyard.</div><div> </div><div>The Seyval Blanc I have tasted from other area producers was Chenin Blanc / French Columbard in nature. Semi-dry styles with stone fruit flavors, soft tannins, and slight acids. There are some that have produced this as a late harvest in certain years so the fruit has shown versatility in a range of styles. Should the Traminette be everything that other growers have said it is, a better Gewurztraminer more resistant to mold and mildew, then the opportunity to produce a Rhine style Kabinet wine may be the ticket.</div><div> </div><div>At any rate the hybrids as a whole have survived the winter and now the work begins, watching for spring frost, early bud break, and bad bugs hungry for food. </div><br /><div></div><div> </div><br /><div></div></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3481065747141656844.post-74481358491768389272009-08-31T05:00:00.000-07:002009-08-31T06:07:47.109-07:00Back to School for EveryoneToday begins the first day of school and like so many other parents, I am relieved. As much as on the last day of school, when after 10+ months, tired of last minute school projects, school event chaperoning, and all the other demands of the school year, I have had enough. This morning there is peace in the home, and I can write, almost uninterrupted; there is the issue of the border collie that seems lost without his "playmates", so the occasional tennis ball and Frisbee show up on the office desk. Not nearly the distraction that three kids can provide ALL SUMMER LONG!<br /><br />What has this to do with wine you say. Well, to a degree, the wine industry has to get back to school as well. Harvest is moving into full swing, bottling lines are running to make room for the new harvest, issues like screw-cap or cork; bag-in-a-box or bottle; new oak, used oak, neutral barrels or no oak. In sales, issues like depletion's, new placements, DA's SPA's, price adjusting for by-the-glass; A/R and the concern about the economy all take center stage. "OND", (Oct., Nov.,Dec.),is close at hand and notoriously the hottest point of consumption for the year, these questions begin to shape every wineries market position. If the marketing plan for the holidays is in place, then all one needs to do is wait for the orders to come streaming in, right? Not so fast Cochise, it's a bit more complicated than that. <br /><br />DTC or direct to consumer issues have been the rage this year as every producer recognizes how important it is to "mine" their loyal consumer. More than any other consumer, the wine drinker will jump fences after a greener pasture, in this case wine, when the spirit or the 90 point score moves them. Variety for the wine consumer keeps this buyer moving around the ring more so than the brand loyal Spirit, Beer or Soda consumer; and with the struggling economy, price becomes the first consideration. If you are a small or medium size, family owned producer, your loyal consumer may be your economic salvation and DTC is your best medium for this "harvest". Now I won't discount the importance of a wholesale sales force. Brokers and Distributors serve that needed purpose of gaining points of distribution in key wine shops and Bistro's but the more voices you have in the field the louder you are and the more your consumer will be aware of your existence. DTC has proven to help this issue as long as the producer is active within the available mediums. <br /><br />Twitter, Blogs, Digg, facebook and every form of social media is a key component. Newsletters, e-mail marketing, Craigs List and e-bay should be employed to move the brand awareness factor forward. Americans are consuming more wine these days and a significant percentage of this consumption belongs to the 21-28 year, young professional with disposable income and a cell phone with 3G capability. All too often, I have found that wineries have yet to jump in the pool of social marketing. It makes me wonder, "what the heck are you waiting for"? If the effort gets you one new consumer a day 365 days a year at an average purchase of $50 per consumer that's 2 bottles at $25 each; that's over $18K a year. A small beginning, but worth the price of an employee focused on e-sales and social marketing. In one fell swoop you just put a dent in unemployment, created a sales based position and improved the bottom line. These days the dollars are too few to ignore any avenue to move sales forward. Most of these DTC, social Marketing tools are free and easy to manipulate with the right mix. Coupons, new releases, price discounts, event announcements, brand logo's and company motto's can be "virtually" spread around the world with little effort and pretty good return. Indeed it is a new day for the small producer looking for guerrilla sales and marketing opportunities. These tools can level the playing field with the larger corporate winery and help get a place at the consumer table.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3481065747141656844.post-90769878507229034272009-08-30T08:26:00.000-07:002009-08-30T08:26:13.109-07:00Blog<a href="http://www.facebook.com/GeorgejParkinson?v=app_2309869772">Links</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3481065747141656844.post-49935286664492876022009-08-27T13:37:00.000-07:002009-08-27T15:23:08.796-07:00Fear of Death and TaxesRecently, Maine, Alabama & Mississippi have been in the news about regressed ideas towards consumption hearkening back to the days of Prohibition. Additionally California has been aggressive in enforcing "Tied House" laws that were previously ignored. There are two things that buzz through my brain when reading about these events. They are the Fear of Death and Taxes.<br /><br />First the Fear of Death. Yes drinking comes with responsibility. Yes irresponsibility in drinking comes with the worst results. When our education focus on responsible drinking starts highlighting respect for rather than the fear of the substance, the irresponsibility factor may become a minimal concern. Let's face it, all of us, when faced with fear, will do 1 of 2 things; run screaming, "the sky is falling", to warn the minions of chicken-little wannabe's, or, we dive right in to face if not show up our fear. That's when we get in trouble. We either enact rules that make no sense for those of us that are moderately level headed or we become foolhardy in an attempt to out drink the department store manikin. Not a good idea in either case. The temperance types will hide behind their righteous beliefs, and point fingers at everyone else claiming to know more or speak for the majority when that majority disappeared sometime ago, but really many of these "characters" are too scared to consider what option moderation and respect education may offer. <br /><br />They may also claim their cause as a defense for the meek and indefensible; so when I can't bring my kids to a market where a tasting is in progress because of the irreparable harm it will do; and God forbid the label being tasted is a 19Th century rendering of a well know nude painting! Well don't you know that's double hell points! It makes one wonder if by making wine and growing grapes at home am I secretly teaching my kids to become bootleggers? Honestly, Frantic Fanaticism has no place in Politics and these issues should be left for the population to decide in open debate and public referendums. It was this temperate fantasy that mandated the worst law the U.S. ever put on the books and it was done solely out of fear, not respect. You see respect is born out of knowledge. When one respects a thing, one understands all the baggage that comes with the decision to side with that thing. In this case drinking may cause bodily harm, help you live longer, reduce your cholesterol, improve your over-all health, or not. Moderation seems to be the key here as with everything else in life. So abstinence too must be a personal decision based on respect and understanding, not fear and unnecessary laws.<br /><br />Second are the Taxes. That driving force for all governments. Without taxes how will these servants of the people get paid? and really that is the issue here. In this economy, our infrastructure is trembling and near shattered in places. A Ten year war has taken its toll and now our entire economy is cracking and the last people to feel the strain is going to be our elected officials. I have yet to hear that the IRS, the State and Local Tax collectors are postponing their collections for the year. So how do we keep these career employees of the state employed? Taxes! More Taxes! Tax the people, Tax the widgets! When the taxes are not enough, outlaw the booze, make it impossible to find, keep the middleclass working, sober and paying their taxes. And when we let them drink, tax them, keep them frightened and tax them again. that is what drives the laws. Born by fear, and rolled out to "protect" society, yet when the fines are levied, the bank accounts become full, and then guess what. John Q Politician gets a raise, while another home is foreclosed and another family displaced.<br /><br />Every Government official should be given a copy of Adam Smiths, "Wealth of Nations". As for me, well if this writing thing never comes to anything...I think I'll run for office. I hear the job security is pretty good, and the Perks! oh the Perks! Fundraisers and free drink!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3481065747141656844.post-35002645636351738232009-08-14T10:18:00.000-07:002009-08-14T12:27:36.182-07:00Living in $10 LandIn 1982 I moved from the east coast to Northern California. In an attempt to immerse myself in the culture and the wine industry, I took every wine seminar and attended every wine event I could find. Living on waiters wages and San Francisco rent even for that time, wasn't easy. One of the first articles I remember reading was how to build up a personal wine cellar. The premise was to begin buying in layers of wines in different price ranges, varietal types and styles. A few bottles at $10, a few at $15 a few at $20. Eventually one could amass a fifty bottle inventory that then might grow and "WA-La", you have a personal cellar.<br /><br />I took this article to heart and soon found myself rotating around 200 bottles for the average bottle price of $15 and an occasional $50 keeper when I had the cash. Today I have been able to keep this practice up and continue to rotate around the same amount of wine, but recently I have been buying and consuming in the $10 range. There has been a tremendous amount of press these days concerned with wine industry sales volume. While volume is up, revenue's are down as people like me are buying less expensive wine. Not willing to give up our curiosity of wanting to try new wines but not willing to pay top dollars for the passion, we buy what we can afford in hopes of finding a keeper or two in a great bargain.<br /><br />This leads me in many directions as I live in a control market and when you get to the counter the taxes alone on the purchase might equal another bottle or three. I use a number of on-line tools and services to accomplish this task and consider gas, money and time when deciding where to go and what to buy. Let's face it, there is usually a marked difference in the quality of a $20 bottle versus a $10 bottle. Quite frankly, some $10 bottles out there shouldn't be and then again there are some $20 wines that shouldn't be either but one feels less pain with the $10 disappointment than the $20 stinker and recently there have been some very nice $10 wines that bring a smile for the find and experience. <br /><br />To get started I use these services which I would suggest everyone use. <br /><br />Winesearcher.com has a good base to begin with. you can access area markets and wine prices on the same items to find the best deal.<br /><br />snooth.com has a very objective board of wine palates that review wines for quality and price. I use this site when looking for a style or varietal type. The social forums are great for hints, information, and tips.<br /><br />wineaccess.com has an equal board of wine information, links to very good wine shops around the country and mailing list sign-ups that will give you great leads on new wine releases in every price point.<br /><br />lcb.state.pa.us I would be remiss if I didn't mention this. Living in a control market has its pluses and minuses. Their site gives product searches, up to date inventory, and new chairman's selections and deals. <br /><br />pennsylvaniawine.com for PA local wineries follow the link and you will find ninety wine producers that will ship, direct to your door, a wide selection of wines from across the commonwealth.<br /><br />OK so now you have the sites, what next? Well, that is subjective. I am going to give you a few selections I think are fun and won't cost a lot even if you don't like the wine. Ideally, you should always ask the wine steward or store buyer that has a history of tasting these things and may help you identify you flavor preference. I am finding very nice quality in wines from Spain, Portugal, South Africa and Argentina around $10. For $12 to $15 the wines from Chile, Australia, and Washington are good buys. California, New Zealand and Oregon will also have a few "keepers around $15 - $20, but locally you may be surprised by PA wines in the $10-$15 area as well. Italian wines offer the full range and for the purpose of this article, there are a few solid $10-$12 name brands, but I will always ask the buyer their opinion before jumping off to Rome. Lastly I think everyone should take a chance on Mediterranean and Eastern European wines, I have been consistently pleased with the wines from Israel and the Golan Heights. Wines from these regions will run anywhere from $5 Egri Bikaver to $20 Yarden Organic Chardonnay.<br /><br />So for fun and not a ton of money, start with these, buy two one to drink and one to cellar and begin the cellar building for less:<br /><br />Spain - Tapena Verdejo $10<br />Portugal - Gazela Vinho Verde $8<br />Germany - Twisted River Gewurztraminer $9<br />California - Kendall-Jackson Sauvignon Blanc $10<br />Spain - Torres Sangre De Torro Rose $10<br />Italy - San Giuseppe Pinot Grigio (natural)$10<br />California - XYZ Zinfandel $12<br />Australia - Lindemans Bin 50 Shiraz $8<br />South Africa - Fair Valley Pinotage $11<br />Chile - Molina Pinot Noir $10<br />Argentina - Pascual Toso Malbec $9Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3481065747141656844.post-28738120153822524072009-08-11T15:29:00.000-07:002009-08-11T16:25:47.411-07:00Wineries Reduce; Artisans ProduceIt is said that, "necessity is the mother of Invention". When the fall-out of the dot-com age took place in the late eighties, there was a rise in micro-niche tools, software and systems on the market. High-tech industries are not immune from the "Artisan" techie who has an idea and needs a job. That is basically how HP, Apple, and a plethora of organizations got their start. <br /><br />The Wine Industry is no stranger to this push-pull event. In Chinese we say Chi-sao which, for lack of a more substantive explanation here, is the push pull one gives an adversary or sparring partner on the training floor. This chi-sao or tug of war effect is happening right now in the wine industry, world wide.<br /><br />Down sizing from the storied slaughter of employees at Kendall-Jackson earlier in the year, to the Pernod-Ricard NZ cancellation of grape contracts in New Zealand, to rumored sales of vineyards and wineries in Australia, California, and pretty much everywhere wine is being produced world wide. There is an over-abundance of vineyards planted in the world and not an equal amount of large producers to take the grapes, so what's a grower to do? <br /><br />Begin by stop worrying, the market has in the past and will in the future correct this imbalance with artisan. Home wine makers and "garagistes' will realize better prices this year and extended varieties, Wine makers that know the vineyards and are looking for their signature on a label, negotiants seeking to bottle second and third party labels, and growers themselves that may scream "screw-you" to the contractor that sent the cancellation letter, will ferment it themselves. This will make it all the more interesting for the consumer that is seeking variety and a new feel good story about David vs. Goliath. The biggest difference between the mega producer and the Artisan is the love affair with the wine and vineyard versus the profit%, (note I used the % sign here). <br /><br />Accountants must answer to CFO's who in turn must answer to the investors and someone will loose their gig when the % drops in consecutive quarters. Artisans live like many of us, hand to mouth, paying as we go, making each effort the best they can for the love of the game. You can't put a cost/benefit formula to this, there isn't an investor to please other than the Artisan or cottage business, and most times, what is born from the fall-out, is a great story that the passionate wine consumer identifies with and then BOOM a new cult winery is born. <br /><br />The event is really nothing new to the industry as it happened after the boutique winery explosion of the 1980's and as far back as the 1880's you can find evidence of consecutive season's of over-production, coupled by a bad economy and under-consumption causing the fallout of employees, landing on their feet in that niche vineyard they knew so well. It is what the health of the wine industry needs, and with time we may see some exceptional wines produced by talented winemakers writing yet another tale for generations to celebrate.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3481065747141656844.post-54342243005620931532009-08-10T09:33:00.000-07:002009-08-10T11:14:03.643-07:00What do Wine Geeks Drink?Going out to dinner with my friends is always an adventure. When you, "hang out" with people in the industry, like minded souls that spend their days tasting wine,testing new menu recipe's and exploring the creative genius of the flavor spectrum, well lets just say it is an engaging experience. The group will ultimately seek the oddest wine on the menu to pair with the oddest food offered. Recently we have been seeking BYO's or houses that allow BYO opportunities. These days there is usually the, "same old same old", wine list lay-out. We get it, it really isn't rocket science, restaurants are open for profit, the wine selection used to be the main source of this profit margin and in the recent economy, most restaurants have gone to lists that are cost effective, AKA less expensive selections by larger brands for a better profit margin. <br /><br />The varietal selection is also the same old same old too. Chardonnay in the U.S. on-premise world leads the selective pack followed by pinot grigio, Syrah/Shiraz, Riesling, Cabernet, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir and then everything else. No complaints, once again we get it, so with the menus reflecting the taste preferences of the main stream consumer, we geeks are challenged. If the house of choice has a producer and or region that is not in the main stream, we have found our wine for the evening, usually though, it is all the more engaging when we each, and this happens, bring something to the table. The house always get to taste, additional food is always purchased and the server will always see a larger than normal gratuity. Being in the business, we know what the restaurant sacrifices, we understand what the extra attention brings. It's not that we resist the wine selection being offered,often we'll buy something anyway to help the cause, its just that as geeks we want to try, as often as possible, as many different wines we can find and share the experience with our brothers in arms so to speak.<br /><br />I will say this, though, with wine by the glass programs, there aren't many that offer taste flights of their BTG boards, and there are less that test the geek appeal category with an odd selection. What's an odd selection? Let's start by region, South Africa is always fun, when was the last time you found a Pinotage BTG? Go to Israel and the Golan Heights, the wines have always been flavorful, or Eastern Europe anyone? How about right here in the U.S. and I am not speaking about California, Washington or Oregon either. There is wine produced in every state in the Union these days, why not an Idaho wine, Snake river Canyon has some really nice wines. New Mexico? Texas? Virginia, PA. New Jersey? By the glass doesn't have to be a large investment and the pour rate dissipates the wine usually quickly. One would be surprised how the selection might intrigue a diner like us, and there's lots of us out there looking for these things. OK Regions put to bed, how about varietal? Gruner Veltliner isn't something one sees BTG, ever! Falaghina, Torrontes,Vinho Verde, Carignan, Albarino used to fit in this category, but I am seeing it daily now as the newest fad in white wine, so how about Torrontes,Muller-Thurgau, or Silvaner? These wines are out there and all the buyers need to do is ask their purveyors.<br /><br />Ultimately, we'll keep scouring the wine selections at our local wine shops and looking for a BYO that likes the business. It is a shame, though, with so many cutting edge Artisan Chefs and Restaurateurs in this country, we don't seek to be more unique and less cookie cutter with the wine experience we offer our patrons.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3481065747141656844.post-52764653860909201902009-08-07T11:05:00.000-07:002009-08-07T12:51:16.535-07:00Goin' Down Memory RowYeah, it's supposed to be "lane", I know, but in a vineyard it's a row. <br /><br />So lately I've been drinking wine in the cellar more than wine from the store or wine bar. I am doing my part in this economic crunch, and so I drink/taste what I have, and save the money for the dental bill, phone bill, electric bill, so on. I find myself remebering past days, events and people through this experience, then run to my facebook, or twitter account, to see where the lost friends are, what are they up to, how has time treated them? I remember, and the memories often raise my appraisal of the wine. <br /><br />Time and wine are not always friendly. I was told from the earliest wine courses, the enemies of fine wine are Air, Light, Temperature and Time. All too often I see that lost soldier in the corner of the cellar, forgotten, has lost the battle with these enemies, and me as the proverbial Calvary, rode in way too late. It has become one of the reasons I don't cellar my wines very often any more. The adage, "It is a far greater crime to drink a wine too old than too young", rings out every time I taste one of these lost units. Like some forgotten misfit in the French Foreign Legion. Lost in a desert of newer wines to be tasted and evaluated and celebrated, we ring in the new vintage and new release far more than we celebrate lost vintages that have offered memorable experiences with comrades long forgotten as well. <br /><br />The recent vintage for me has been a series of 1992 California Wines. Made during a time when we were enamoured with new, heavy toasted oak, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet; just about anything that was fermentable, had some percentage of barrel fermentation blended into it. When studies started to show that Americans were not cellaring as often, wines were being consumed more immediately, the cost of oak was going through the roof, and guess what, certain varietals tasted better with lighter or no oak; these styles of wine started to get the tag of "rustic" and began to disappear from the market.<br /><br />So now the 92's are 16+ years, upon this writing we haven't reached harvest and they are not quite 17. Considered teenagers in another time, these wines are now old soldiers. Who has 16 year old wines laying around other than a wine geek in the industry anyway? Geezers by some standards, are they even worth the cork? Well, I am here to say, so far so good. 1992 came in being touted as another great vintage from California, we weren't aware yet of what 1994 or 1997 was to bring. The 92 vintage was marked by a mild winter, an early spring bud break, and hot summer temperatures. Harvest was the earliest on record by almost a month. The whites were harvested in early August and the reds kept coming through September. Rains in October came earlier than normal, but mostly everything was harvested by this time.<br /><br />From everything I have tasted so far, the heavy oak has dissipated, the fruit has muted some and they are more integrated than when they were younger. Ready to drink, yes, still have some time left, yes. How much is the question. I won't reduce this to a specific wine produced here by that winemaker, with that vineyard in this method. My point is that I should not have stopped cellaring. Styles be damned, oak or no oak, it is about moments in time, the people I knew, the times we shared, the hope we had, not at all about the weather, the vintage quality, or the producer.<br /><br />This was a time when men like Robert Mondavi, Robert Pepi,Joe Heitz,Justin Meyer, and Charlie Wagner were at the height of the game in the Napa Valley. New Zealand, South Africa, Chilean and Australian wineries were just beginning to make their U.S. push and writers all over the U.S. were touting the equality dare I say superiority of the Great California Wines vs their Euro counter parts. We were beginning an economic uplift which saw the proliferation of everything from tiny cell phones to the green tea explosion and life was rockin' good. It was a good year, One that I remember fondly as I taste another soldier of that lost legion, and I remark how good it is in my mind, in the glass.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3481065747141656844.post-66284737775245403062009-08-03T10:23:00.000-07:002009-08-03T11:21:43.847-07:00Grape HomogenizationThe weekend was spent bottling some wine from 07 that was sitting in 6 gallon glass carboys. A Gewurztraminer from Washington State, A blush of Grenache and Chambourcin and a Grenache, Zinfandel, Syrah blend, all grapes from Lodi. It is a labor of love that pushes me to do this; It will only pay in experience and appreciation for the "Vignon", one who grows grapes and makes the wine, and their own labor of love. <br /><br />My vineyard that was set out some seven years ago to allow me to produce wine from my own grapes has changed varietal mix twice since and it looks to be two more years before I am released from purchasing California fruit for this hobby. As bottling proceeded the mind wandered towards other wine styles and blends and questions arose of unique flavors and styles. Has the present state of grape grower gone uniform? Have we lost our individual style for the almighty euro or dollar? <br /><br />I am reminded of an experience in a wine shop in L.A. in the late 1980's. There was a clamor from several wine reps commenting on a stack of wine taking up floor space. The comments went something like, "enjoy your odd wine tonight", envey no doubt over the loss of opportunity for these middlemen, but the mix in the stack was noteworthy to me at the time; Nero d' Avola from Italy, South African Pinotage, a Malbec from South America, Tempranillo from Spain and a Vinho Verde from Portugal. Interesting mix for the day as California was in the magnetic rise of Barrel Fermented, big Malo-lactic Chardonnay, Big over-zealous Cabernet and over-wooded Sauvignon Blanc. Merlot was yet to make it's grand entrance in the market and everything had oak pasted to it. Big, heavy toasted, oak. Homogenization was on the way.<br /><br />Homogenization is defined by Webster as a blending into uniform mixture. That is where I fear the world of wine grapes is headed. Where once there were hundreds of wine styles by mixtures of unique grape types to choose from, there are few, or fewer to say the least. Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling (enoying a present day renaissance), Syrah/Shiraz, and then everything else. As the market demands so the grower plants and we see less and less of unique styles by unique grapes. It was not very long ago that one would be hard pressed to find Pinot Grigio produced outside Italy as an example, but now the array of U.S. Producers that jumped on the band wagon is mind blowing. And the general consumer sitting in XYZ wine bar could care less as long as the juice was Pinot Grigio. Trends, in my opinion, will erase individual winery style and we the consumer will pay the price in experience for it. The thing that made Burgundy unique is everywhere now, and aside from subtle differences, that unique stage is now shared by dozens of Chardonnay & Pinot Noir producers world wide. Cabernet, Merlot & Syrah have followed. The difficulty for a "flavor seeker" is finding uniqueness in a sea of homogenized selections. <br /><br />There are Rogues among us, Randall Grahm was one, the original Rhone Ranger in a time when everyone else was planting Cab & Chard in the U.S.; The Late Bob Pepi, who ripped out Cabernet in Rutherford for Sangiovese was another, but these rebels are few and far between and the grower like the wine maker want a sale to pay the bills and would rather swim with the current rather than against it, sacrificing their individuality for the TREND-OF-THE-DAY.<br /><br />It makes the search for something different akin to being Indiana Jones seeking the Holy Grail. Looking for that very unique, tiny production of a grape that only the surrounding village experiences. In a way that's O.K. but the world might be in a better state of flavor experience if the grower sought out their individuality over the trend of the day thereby creating a demand for something no one else was growing or producing.<br /><br />FYI, That little test plot I started went from Zinfandel, Syrah, Grenache & Viognier seven years ago to Corot Noir, Noiret, Traminette, and Seyval Blanc. Partly due to a resistance to be homogenious while the growers around me harvest Cabernet Franc, and Riesling and partly due to the Eastern weather patterns. It makes me feel like Bob Pepi in a way and all my friends think I'm nuts too. Only time will tell.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3481065747141656844.post-6820488818442464802009-07-27T15:21:00.000-07:002009-07-27T16:27:17.955-07:00Wine & SensorshipIt is fact, that when a people are controlled by the heavy hand of government, the tighter the grip of the government, the more dissidents slip through the cracks.<br /><br />Freedom, in all its forms, are rights granted by nature to man. That being said man has put in place some basic rules by which to live. Easy to read and understand, without gray areas clouded in confusion. Don't steal, kill, lie, cheat, honor your elders and keep a day sacred for quiet prayer & meditation. Sound familiar, a guy named Moses brought them to us centuries ago. Our founding fathers felt the need to extend this thought to speech, worship, assembly, and taxes. The latter is still a point of contention between our Government and the people. After that the rest is just minutia tied up in legal litigation by some that would assume to know better than the rest of us concerning what is wrong or right.<br /><br />So when the ABC in Alabama proclaimed a certain wine label as pornographic, the uproar in the various social markets was quite comedic. I began to wonder if anyone took notice of the uproar in Tehran over their seemingly stolen election. This is what happens when a government goes unchecked. Not that a wine label would cause calamity and protests in the streets, but where is the line drawn next? The Alabama ABC should be taken to task on this issue if for no other reason than for freedom of expression, and in comparison to all the sexually explicit ad's one sees in the marketplace, this is vanilla.<br /><br />(By the way the best line I've heard yet is the direct relationship between this label, the UK study about Women and Red wine and the concern over the increase in Lesbian affairs. Too funny.)<br /><br />The winery will most likely see an increase in sales of this wine. Hell, a good capitalist would go to town on T-shirts, bumper stickers and bicycle pumps in the shape of a wine bottle. It may now be left to the courts should the winery or merchants or people of Alabama, or a grassroots civil liberty organization care to take up the cause in defense of the people and freedom of expression. We should always remember that freedom is never granted by a govenment, it is won through the vigilance of those who would seek to be free. And every issue that would seek to control what a society reads, sees, experiences, and appreciates should be challenged vigilantly.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3481065747141656844.post-2858511489412527432009-07-24T12:38:00.000-07:002009-07-24T13:17:14.759-07:00The Age of E-INGMy father was in public relations. It was interesting to me as a kid growing up. If you have ever seen the HBO mini-series, "Madmen", then you have an idea of the kind of life I may have had. Not so much drama, but Dad was a "Jet-Setter" and there were weeks when he touched three cities in four days. His office in NY was centered by four cooking stations. They created food art for food ads. Visiting once a month was filling to say the least. Food Photography isn't what one may think. The food is never fully cooked and the props they employed to make things look over the top edible wouldn't cause anyone to salivate. But it was his world, and multi-cultural experiences entered my world because of this.<br /><br />Today I am an E-er. Not a jet-setter, jetting off to another world, an e-er. Largly due to the economy, I find myself connecting in as many worlds as my dad did or more by FAC-ING; TWEET-ING; BLOGG-ING; SNOOT-ING; E-MAIL-ING; I am an e-er and this is my universe.<br /><br />I would agree that the virtual could never be replaced by the actual. Where wine is considered, tast<strong>ing</strong>, touch<strong>ing</strong>, smell<strong>ing</strong>, experienc<strong>ing</strong> the <strong>"actual"</strong>, is everyth<strong>ing</strong>. Yet in today's economy, it is hard to visit McLaren, Casablanca, Tasmania, Red Mountain, Amalfi, Galicia, & Mt. Hermon in a day unless you E-hop. So I do with all the gusto I can. Seeking reviews and recommendations from obscure, out of the way places in corners of the globe that I may never have the time, money or means to actually visit. All the while musing that it all started with the jet-setting sixties and now I travel, virtually, everywhere learning as I go, meeting amazing people and touching a piece of them through their wines, that I then seek on winesearcher or snooth and the order for delivery for my next wine class.<br /><br />It may be that this type of travel is a shell of the full existance that my jet-setting parents engaged in; Yet in all my e-travels, I never get tired of the life and the tales seem just as real and I am always home for supper with my family.<br /><br />Its a great day johnny, a great day.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3481065747141656844.post-35941110184547097872009-07-20T20:25:00.001-07:002009-07-20T21:05:10.145-07:00Wine, Manners & Summer MoviesI used to love going to movies, especially summer blockbusters. There was always something about the event as a kid. Things have changed, though, and going to those, "events", aren't the same.<br /><br />There was always a build-up to the movie, <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">sneak</span>-peeks on TV, a buzz in the neighborhood, then the event, the real buttered popcorn, (<span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">OK</span> I just dated myself), the dinner afterwards, the real enthusiasm to see it again. So off to the theatre we went to see the new release. My wife & I enjoyed a bottle of Chilean <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Carmenere</span>, some grilled fish and the kids had their usual cheeseburgers. The event was on its way. I felt like a kid again, viewing the anticipation through my kids eyes and actions. The dinner conversation was robust and the "don't touch me, stop touching me", dinner events we experience was replaced by good humored, enjoyment of company time and subject matter. It was almost too good to be true. And it was.<br /><br />Many people don't take the time anymore to instruct manners to their kids and it shows up in crowded theatres where the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">tweenagers</span> are left to let loose. Couple this with the new parents seeking a night out and bring the infant to the theatre, maybe trying to save a babysitter buck, I get it, but really? How about the Grand mother that lights up in the back row with the posse of kids attached to her hip seemed a bit over the top. We were in movie hell, slowly watching our perfect evening sink, leaving us stranded like a shipwrecked crew on the lost island of ill-mannered movie goers. It was then that I was reminded why I spend the cash for Direct TV, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Tivo</span> & <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">HD</span> TV. Why I prefer to grill my own fish and toss my own salad, and keep a moderate supply of red & white wine and Ice Cream on hand. How Mr. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Reddenbacher</span> did the rest of us a favor with his micro wave popcorn and that the comfort of my couch, and easy viewing of the family wide screen was worth the Christmas Bonus I got Three years ago.<br /><br />We left the theatre, made a "B" Line for the Managers office to get a refund of the $72 for the 3-D premium tickets we over-paid for and re-capped our displeasure of the entire experience. It wasn't the smoking Granny that did it, It wasn't the four teens that wouldn't stop talking, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">texting</span> and laying over a row of seven chairs between them, it wasn't the crying infant that simply needed a burp, it wasn't the endless passing of bodies between chairs to and from the bathroom and snack rack that did it. Simply put, we had a great night out and wanted to keep it that way. The thought of talking to my family, playing a board game and watching a $5 pay-per-view with a chilled bottle of sparkling wine and endless moose tracks ice cream, made the once momentous event at the theatre pale in comparison.<br /><br />I don't fault others for their behavior in crowds; really, that is a persons upbringing and many just haven't been taught how to act in a respectful manner. I know many will disagree, but why waste your breath on those less respectful of others. They'd never get it in a million years. So <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">here's</span> to the home theatre. I'll wait for the DVD next time.<br /><br />Oh Yes, the wine, a 2007 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Conco</span> Y <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Toro</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Carmenere</span> & a Bottle of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Gruet</span> Brut from New Mexico.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3481065747141656844.post-12219394627751612362009-07-17T10:06:00.000-07:002009-07-17T11:20:17.199-07:00The Economy of Wine; Cost? Expense? Experience?This week I found myself in my cellar wondering if I should attempt to open an old soldier for my own personal enjoyment. I came accross an older California Chardonnay and since it was that time of the day, I seemed to think that a glass now would be ok and really, 4:30 p.m.? dinner isn't far off in my home and my spouse is not a white wine drinker and well, there it was, a temperature kept, dusty bottle from the 1993 vintage in the Alexander Valley. Yeah, it was time for me and the soldier. As the saying goes, "it is a far greater crime to drink a wine too old than too young," and I wonder if I will be a criminal with this wine. It took this bottle roughly 15 years, as it really wasn't harvested for another 90 days or so, to finally make it to a glass. I was getting ready to write another wine article for the womens journal and I was considering the economy and wine as a topic, which then became the economy of wine, which had been a hot topic among the trades as of late, and then found this 15 year old bottle in my kitchen being opened and poured for an early evening aperitif.<br /><br />We as a consuming society, do not cellar our wines as much as wine once was aged. The later part of the 20th and into the early part of the 21st century has seen cellars dwindle and consumption increase. To that end producers worldwide have changed the way they produce a larger percentage of their wine. Things are made to be immediately accessible and that sacrifices the aging potential. An average person may consider consuming first vs. aging against price point at the cash register. Cost and its endless consideration becomes something of a maze inside a consumers wallet. What's the cost in time, currency, percieved value? Do I buy 1 or 2 or 12? Will I save it for a special day? Can I afford it now to drink later and how much Later? All the while the wine clerk is tapping their fingers at the counter. In a restaurant the questions become all the more sensitive as the server has other tables, your guests are hungry and thirsty, and while we weigh the menu selection versus the experience, there is that damned budget to consider.<br /><br />The question may be even heavier at the winery as well. What was the grape cost, how dense is the extract and how many bottles will be produced? If blended with another source or varietal, what will happen to the quality, volume, and cost and what can we get in today's marketplace? Will it sell at $X versus $X and will we sell the entire lott or have to discount and wholesale ship a large portion to make way for the next vintage?<br /><br />Virtually no consumer considers this when they are about to part with their cash for a bottle of grape juice, but the ripple effect from grape to glass is felt in every level of demographic. The picker and cellar rat working for their daily wage, the captain of industry balancing their investment with their passion/ego against their labor/sales & marketing cost against forcasted market demands. The question of cost and expense answers to a myriad of considerations that impacts society more than anyone might consider and all anyone really wants to know is, "can't I just get lost in the passion of friends and family and grape juice and escape the times and pressures of the day for even a moment?" Whats the cost?! Whats the expense?!<br /><br />So I go back to my bottle and my article and notice that while California Chardonnays are never given much due towards their aging potential, this one has kept its color, however deeper gold than when first produced and the flavors of aged asiago cheese and over ripe citrus permeate the glass, my old soldier has held up nicely and I remember that year, those life experiences and long lost friends of the time. The expense matters not and the cost to percieved value is meaningless, I brush thoughts of good people, all types of experiences, and shadows of moments aside from my minds eye. The economy of today and then remind me that money isn't everything, experience is everything and what we do means more than how much we have accumulated in money or wine in the cellar.<br /><br />Wow, 15 years flew by, but like the song says, " I close my eyes, only for a moment and the moments gone..." (Kansas, Dust in the Wind).<br /><br />by the way...it was a 1993 Stonestreet Chardonnay and no crime was committed.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0