Fear of Death and Taxes

Recently, 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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

Living in $10 Land

In 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.

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.

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.

To get started I use these services which I would suggest everyone use.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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:

Spain - Tapena Verdejo $10
Portugal - Gazela Vinho Verde $8
Germany - Twisted River Gewurztraminer $9
California - Kendall-Jackson Sauvignon Blanc $10
Spain - Torres Sangre De Torro Rose $10
Italy - San Giuseppe Pinot Grigio (natural)$10
California - XYZ Zinfandel $12
Australia - Lindemans Bin 50 Shiraz $8
South Africa - Fair Valley Pinotage $11
Chile - Molina Pinot Noir $10
Argentina - Pascual Toso Malbec $9