tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12125231835954627352024-02-07T02:31:39.572-08:00Wes on WineWes Marshall's Blog on wine and the related people, places and foods that help make life so intriguingWes Marshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03488496161949494901noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1212523183595462735.post-49353958154679009632012-08-08T15:44:00.000-07:002012-08-08T15:47:00.892-07:00Are California Chardonnays Worth Aging?<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Winemaker Brian Talley Says Yes and Brings Proof </span></div>
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Talley Vineyards grapes come from the Arroyo Grande and Edna Valleys, close to San Luis Obispo, California. Despite being towards the center of the state, this is one of the cooler growing areas. That means grapes stay on the vines longer, yet even then, they still aren’t all that sweet. Winemakers love that kind of vineyard because they get flavorful grapes that still have plenty of acid. What does that mean for us?<br />
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Talley’s wines don’t have to be old to taste good. We also tasted five delicious Chardonnays that were brand new. The important thing about these wines is that they have generous acidity and restrained fruit. In other words, they are far more reminiscent of a European wine. These wines are targeted at food and there are precious few from America’s west coast that can make that claim. That’s especially true in the $16 price point of Talley’s Bishop's Peak Chardonnay. Its apple aromas and palate cleansing tartness made it a perfect match up with our avocado fundido (avocado, queso fresco, chorizo and handmade chipotle masa chips). Some people automatically disdain things that are popular, like Chardonnay. <br />
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One last thing. The Talley family make have been farmers in the Arroyo Grande Valley since the mid-1940s. To this day, their production is still focused on vegetables. Wine is just a part of what they do. Brian Talley is an unusually thoughtful and introspective man when it comes to his family’s farming concerns. Our talks ranged over water rights, biodynamic growing methods, ways he keeps his workers happy, and how well he catalogs what is becoming a library of older family wines. When ace sommelier June Rodil came over to greet us (we had lunch at Second Bar + Kitchen), Brian launched into a discussion about Burgundy wines that showed much more than a passing understanding of their subtleties. In a day when we are all interested in who is getting our hard earned money, the Talley family seems a good candidate.Wes Marshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03488496161949494901noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1212523183595462735.post-37515722430601133142010-11-13T14:45:00.000-08:002010-11-13T16:24:42.384-08:00Oz Clarke Picks a Few Texas Favorites (Me, too)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc6NfgoPKI7fb8YMz7RA7bH7QIAuDQyzrbEXv0fjAT-IN4XGGJNek-1gStd6pCf3BsbP7-AcZKNW3MNdbTrR5knfnfKXN4tQCnbmidx_4u2awi0ioOp2pVFFcLPhHGc96JeKkMorkR_n8/s1600/PA223486.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc6NfgoPKI7fb8YMz7RA7bH7QIAuDQyzrbEXv0fjAT-IN4XGGJNek-1gStd6pCf3BsbP7-AcZKNW3MNdbTrR5knfnfKXN4tQCnbmidx_4u2awi0ioOp2pVFFcLPhHGc96JeKkMorkR_n8/s320/PA223486.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539172230740655922" border="0" /></a><br /><br />So, as I mentioned in the last post, Oz and I ended up tasting about 50 wines. At the end of the night, we put our heads together to make some picks. We started to take a picture of a whole selection of wines that would fit the bill, but Oz was concerned that so many were from one winery. So he chose his favorites, and they were: Duchman Vermentino (best of the night), Becker Prairie Rotie, and Dickson Port. I am in complete agreement on these three. The real revelation for me was the Duchman, a bottle that will easily compete with Italian versions. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRuHtcXnKkhNUguS8CpyWefuSeinNGFLDaiSWRbZR5-VSmKfWN2G_zxIg_W0-XDJgMiLVRlDkA-GHhnUzgv1a0my3iyTukNUzYeWX7UI_6decmQaNGV5ckX-KvVuqaYHK5NWo52Mb0MKI/s1600/PA233523.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRuHtcXnKkhNUguS8CpyWefuSeinNGFLDaiSWRbZR5-VSmKfWN2G_zxIg_W0-XDJgMiLVRlDkA-GHhnUzgv1a0my3iyTukNUzYeWX7UI_6decmQaNGV5ckX-KvVuqaYHK5NWo52Mb0MKI/s320/PA233523.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539170214245820882" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Several wines came in as close second places. Oz also loved Llano Estacado’s Viviana and both Becker’s Cabernet Franc and rosé called Provencal. There were three others that I loved, Kiepersol’s Semillon, Becker’s sweet Viognier called Clementine, and Haak’s Reserve Blanc de Bois, which is an amazingly vibrant version of the wine, one which hides all of the wine’s weaknesses and reveals all its strengths.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvXe3gjaJfBXozgyqFaItu9HRJXlCosvb4xp6jZtpXqs6Lr8ZO1gdApXMV5HTTpvqk9OLGKLrt-RSTjW_QP1_5qo-UkAr-U0OQfrI0zzmlUCp8xc3Jo9EytK8Umua6MLw5dLpx9s-sbXo/s1600/cropPA223487.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 310px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvXe3gjaJfBXozgyqFaItu9HRJXlCosvb4xp6jZtpXqs6Lr8ZO1gdApXMV5HTTpvqk9OLGKLrt-RSTjW_QP1_5qo-UkAr-U0OQfrI0zzmlUCp8xc3Jo9EytK8Umua6MLw5dLpx9s-sbXo/s320/cropPA223487.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539188622051210098" /></a><br /><br />Oz’s feeling at the end was that many of Texas’s wines were playing it safe which was causing them to make perfectly palatable but boring wines. But the wines listed above rocked his evening. Congratulations to all. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCfwkxF9Bc14wOaUJ0F4_6d0AMkSreODfjr9-u2pUhTg7v8Z0c2tGv-_0vzH2yAgbSp196_M69voQJrWXll5_JsJQqyWUkRf94h3IP-EdxnLBcKCeqeb2eCc_pICkdRNik0TyR5nGVzoM/s1600/PA233506.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 303px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCfwkxF9Bc14wOaUJ0F4_6d0AMkSreODfjr9-u2pUhTg7v8Z0c2tGv-_0vzH2yAgbSp196_M69voQJrWXll5_JsJQqyWUkRf94h3IP-EdxnLBcKCeqeb2eCc_pICkdRNik0TyR5nGVzoM/s320/PA233506.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539171815952863394" border="0" /></a><br /><br />We stuck with the best of Texas foods, as well. My wife bought a variety of cheeses and meats from Antonelli’s Cheese Shop in Hyde Park. Be sure to try the Lonzino fennel and juniper flavored Pork from Niederwald and the Trappist style Birdville cheese from Granbury. We also had two splendid grass fed Texas rib-eye steaks from the Meat House in Westlake. No one went hungry. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiyvChIdXSI-R2VafAHaNylBurgmPSacrDUHBXPow9IiTIvycj0Hv2ezlzoAwQrs9Ey0z6g_HFb9kgJ0YTfXIO8WSUw8ogZR4AgSPw2weleBT_6QFvIVyP7mCYUG-xxOmySSMXWDxf7sw/s1600/PA223489.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiyvChIdXSI-R2VafAHaNylBurgmPSacrDUHBXPow9IiTIvycj0Hv2ezlzoAwQrs9Ey0z6g_HFb9kgJ0YTfXIO8WSUw8ogZR4AgSPw2weleBT_6QFvIVyP7mCYUG-xxOmySSMXWDxf7sw/s320/PA223489.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539192502645538210" /></a><br /><br />A note here. One of the best wines of the night was one Oz didn’t get a chance to taste. We had two bottles of Lone Oak’s 2003 Merlot, a good candidate for a history setting wine. We opened the first and it was old and dead. With so many wines in front of us, I just put the other one away. I opened the second bottle a few days later and it was simply spectacular. Two older vintages (2003 and 2002) of Fall Creek’s Meritus were also holding up beautifully. Most of the library wines I opened I didn’t show because they were not age worthy wines to begin with and all were somewhere between unappetizing and ruined. I was especially bummed over two bottles of Becker 1998 Cabernet-Syrah, a wine I might have listed as top five all time Texas wines. Today, it’s brown and dead. Oh well. Don’t save wines forever. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaEJy29-cWrXQEka25t8uDKdrU8MXn2AOop06J4rXTnlOvo1V3qbxLURWLBPB9qa_jgzyPDuLVTN0gYNwEXu5Keq9Qhbo4QSE8XyrvppoXJPwkTHL6IGg-aMPhAsrrPa81QoFLYU-30Lw/s1600/PA233519.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 124px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaEJy29-cWrXQEka25t8uDKdrU8MXn2AOop06J4rXTnlOvo1V3qbxLURWLBPB9qa_jgzyPDuLVTN0gYNwEXu5Keq9Qhbo4QSE8XyrvppoXJPwkTHL6IGg-aMPhAsrrPa81QoFLYU-30Lw/s320/PA233519.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539171246959284802" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Finally, many of the wines were helpfully chosen and assembled by Russ Kane and Denise Fraser. Thank you both. From this selection, I added wines that I thought had to be potential choices for Texas best, as well as older wines from my library. We may have missed a few of Texas best, but not many.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtL_kqXAo87I6g7HBQEjFL8zktO3aAVlLirUUKmxaxWNP7zmwgExgPHRO-XTdJN358P7jwJIOKEIaTiQXc32qa4xGtFLhsWU3WZPHp0TwPIOPKbh_QDYl0_x6XVnQGanPN6ZByAsjBdNE/s1600/PA223488.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtL_kqXAo87I6g7HBQEjFL8zktO3aAVlLirUUKmxaxWNP7zmwgExgPHRO-XTdJN358P7jwJIOKEIaTiQXc32qa4xGtFLhsWU3WZPHp0TwPIOPKbh_QDYl0_x6XVnQGanPN6ZByAsjBdNE/s320/PA223488.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539172776860088402" /></a>Wes Marshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03488496161949494901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1212523183595462735.post-69630791105527392702010-10-29T15:32:00.000-07:002010-10-29T16:51:57.573-07:00Oz Clarke on Texas Wines<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/JzJVMPARKeg?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/JzJVMPARKeg?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /><br />In the middle of October, 2010, I got a phone call from Oz Clarke’s publicist asking if I would like to join him in a private tasting of Texas wines. He had read my book, The Wine Roads of Texas, and was anxious to learn more about what was happening in Texas wines.<br /><br />We had a nice time together. He was supposed to stay for about three hours and ended up staying for eight hours. (Pity the poor driver who had to wait! Oz gave him some of the best wine so he could console himself when he got home).<br /><br />All during our tasting, Oz was throwing out some wonderful advice for the wine makers and grape growers of Texas, so at about midnight, I asked him to give a short talk that would be as if the collected Texas wine industry were there in my office, prepared for Oz’s opinions. That is the recording you see here. <br /><br />There was a technical problem. My only film camera operates for a maximum of one minute. So Oz had to stop and restart every minute. I have edited out those moments where he gathered his thoughts about Texas wines between recoding snippets, but have done zero editing on the content. While what he says won’t please every single winemaker or grape grower in Texas, Oz stated his case from the heart, truthfully and with what had become over our time together, great faith in the potential of Texas wines. <br /><br />On a personal note, Oz was a charming and genteel man with an incredible background. He was a singer and actor in London’s West End theaters, a chorister with several of the top choirs in England, a rock’n’roll musician with an album out on EMI, a TV presenter with over 6,000,000 viewers (show will soon be on BBC America), and an author of over 20 books. He was funny and casual until it came to wine, then he was meticulous, careful and very knowledgeable, all without ever being fussy or snobby. <br /><br />There will be more to come about this interview, including his choices for the best wines of the tasting (mine as well) and interviews with the grape growers responsible for the wines we selected. <br /><br />For more on Oz, go to ozclarke.com or check out his most recent books, “Grapes and Wines,” “Let Me Tell You About Wine,” and “Oz Clarke’s Pocket Wine Guide 2011.”<br /><br />Enjoy the video!!<br /><br />WesWes Marshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03488496161949494901noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1212523183595462735.post-41137331862565506322010-05-10T14:36:00.000-07:002010-05-11T05:25:08.343-07:00Vodkas and Skulls: Talking to Dan Aykroyd<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi14Oqs-mpvXSYG5rUeiMJy7t1CIyqCccM493v2nSb775maC6fKePSAy_nrjSY2RMjo_DTaJcJGEPLOCYHUGbmBfu5legonv42-BYW825MwLhyphenhyphenPqgL9BnW27Kah7nmui9m_uu0PUJKu9Yo/s1600/small+Crystal+Skull.jpg">
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line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">Dan Aykroyd spends more time than you might guess in Austin. The man known for his comedic <span style="">masterpieces like Elwood Blues of the Blues Brothers, Beldar Conehead, the "wild and crazy" Festrunk boys, Fred Garvin-Male Prostitute, and Julia Child (“Oh, I’ve cut myself!”) is also a very smart businessman. That’s why he’s coming to town this time, to publicize his Crystal Head Vodka. Turns out he’s a big distributor of wines and liquors in his home country of Canada.
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<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Y-TlyE1eEDhI5FahjxOjuYG-INH9GGLmDoujVUU4J-7SiUkhvOzQz9DzOewobN8YiFR7jz8wJBBMVA60KpFrbM3QDAA4_7lWbP97m7g71THpD64Me22oNaqxOH8XvgpceBU_ZtwqYds/s1600/small+DanAykroyd-CHV+1+Bottle.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Y-TlyE1eEDhI5FahjxOjuYG-INH9GGLmDoujVUU4J-7SiUkhvOzQz9DzOewobN8YiFR7jz8wJBBMVA60KpFrbM3QDAA4_7lWbP97m7g71THpD64Me22oNaqxOH8XvgpceBU_ZtwqYds/s320/small+DanAykroyd-CHV+1+Bottle.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469758916182286130" border="0" /></a><span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">After asking him what appealed to him about Austin, he raved, “Oh, I think one of the greatest guys in the world lives here,” he said. “John Paul DeJoria (Austin resident, and founder of both Patrón tequila and the hair care company, </span>John Paul Mitchell Systems) let me distribute the Patr<span style="">ó</span>n line in Canada, and we’ve done really well with getting Canadians to try premium Tequilas.”<span style=""><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">Aykroyd was clearly ready to talk. In fact, I just let him run on what he loves about Austin.</span> “And it’s beautiful,” he continued. “You’ve got that great capital with pink marble and I love the architectural integrity of the whole city. Austin still feels like the old west and you can feel the German influences. Plus, of course, there’s the incredible tradition of the Vaughan brothers, Antone’s, the music, Freddie King, and Clifford Antone’s contribution to world culture.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Aykroyd’s Crystal Head Vodka is his current passion. But why Vodka? There’s a million of them on the North American market (Crystal Head is also sold in the U.S., including right here in Austin). “It originated with the package,” he said. “John Alexander is a wonderful artist from Beaumont, Texas. He has exhibited in art museums all over. He’s a great Texas legacy and one of America’s most venerated portrait and landscape artists. Well, he had always wanted to do a bottle that celebrates the Day of the Dead and with the belief that the spirits are still alive. I was interested, so, he sat there in two minutes and drew up this beautiful bottle. And It looks like one of the Crystal Skulls. So I said Wow, let’s do a spirit. But it had to have purity and so it had to be a clean spirit. So we made what maybe the cleanest vodka in the world.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">“We went back to the basic Russian recipe by getting the best water in Newfoundland. It was the sweetest and purist we found anywhere in the world, from pristine aquifer waters. We also use sunset wheat with peaches and cream corn. We have now reached 1,000,000 bottles. Our vodka has no glycol, no citrus oil, no fusil oil. Others add these chemicals to mask the alcohol. Ours has no impurities. It is the one to step up to if you want the very best. It’s pricey, but it is the best and purist you can buy. Then people save the bottles. They are art works. People put M&M’s in them, silver spangles, cover them with leather, all sorts of stuff.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Aykroyd likes to drink his own Vodka on ice, with a bit of lime and mint. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">We talked for about 20 minutes. At the end, I thanked him for all the times he made me laugh. He still wanted to talk about Vodka.
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi14Oqs-mpvXSYG5rUeiMJy7t1CIyqCccM493v2nSb775maC6fKePSAy_nrjSY2RMjo_DTaJcJGEPLOCYHUGbmBfu5legonv42-BYW825MwLhyphenhyphenPqgL9BnW27Kah7nmui9m_uu0PUJKu9Yo/s1600/small+Crystal+Skull.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 192px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi14Oqs-mpvXSYG5rUeiMJy7t1CIyqCccM493v2nSb775maC6fKePSAy_nrjSY2RMjo_DTaJcJGEPLOCYHUGbmBfu5legonv42-BYW825MwLhyphenhyphenPqgL9BnW27Kah7nmui9m_uu0PUJKu9Yo/s320/small+Crystal+Skull.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469759250951998882" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">And you can talk about Vodka with him, between 4pm and 6pm today at the Twin Liquors on 1000 E41st. </p> Wes Marshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03488496161949494901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1212523183595462735.post-49112489158327937452010-04-12T09:42:00.000-07:002010-04-12T10:33:16.323-07:00Do you like to tour Texas wineries?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9lo7BhBuv-s1u-5eQlezWu7k37So614QkgRY4UCeyr7DVQ5NCamaUPVsVl66tdmD_G23IJFhmjVpZu6N6ldBk0tiXHnA-DGkHQjDu9iu6ZZE6YkMn5fAKxrN7ZbD_O-dUpGGQrKJC_UM/s1600/Texas_Wineries_0011.png"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 363px; height: 287px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9lo7BhBuv-s1u-5eQlezWu7k37So614QkgRY4UCeyr7DVQ5NCamaUPVsVl66tdmD_G23IJFhmjVpZu6N6ldBk0tiXHnA-DGkHQjDu9iu6ZZE6YkMn5fAKxrN7ZbD_O-dUpGGQrKJC_UM/s320/Texas_Wineries_0011.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459298148318773794" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Greg Cobb, an Associate Professor at Texas A&M University took the time to map the locations of Texas wineries and the results are fascinating.<br /><br />We knew there was a huge cluster around the Hill Country because folks with enough spare money to be able to dump a wad into a hobby end up with a place in the Hill Country. (Most commonly heard joke in the Texas wine business: How do you make a small fortune int the wine business? Start with a large fortune.) But check the amazing growth of wineries north of Waco and east of Wichita Falls.<br /><br />In any case, this interactive map is a huge help for anyone that likes to tour Texas wineries. This is something the folks at Texas A&M should be proud of, a smart way to further a vital piece of Texas tourism. Bravo to Dr. Cobb!<br /><br />Here's the URL for the map. http://www.batchgeo.com/map/ceb0c69b4fc682569c8d2375c3949aebWes Marshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03488496161949494901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1212523183595462735.post-80848362981390869472010-03-16T14:11:00.000-07:002010-03-16T14:16:42.456-07:00World Wide Guinness Day<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFXAeGpeBcXcvoFb2whz2xKQ5S002G5Ty38wD7RjzCk_1f0bzF63P9Lzqlx55a57ky202tjWGyZ31j3R-QXNgmPKBd2WAc8F0o4MycKMpBqMMfSNvoP2NU-P0ZyzhsxOgpnKTByA073Ys/s1600-h/Guinness_pint_cascadingNew_300.jpg">
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Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} .MsoPapDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; margin-bottom:10.0pt; line-height:115%;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">Today, people around the world will drink over 10,000,000 pints of Guinness. Tomorrow, heaven only knows how many pints will be downed in the name of St Patrick. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">The man in charge of making all of that incredible brew for the last fifteen years is Fergal Murray. I had the chance to chat with him yesterday. We all know the story of the great brew, but most won’t be aware of its universal consumption. “Guinness has 49 breweries around the world,” he said. “Twenty are in Africa and Nigeria is or biggest market there.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I asked the question that wrongly nags the Guinness folks. Maybe it’s an urban myth, or maybe it’s a matter of corporate dirty tricks by a competitor. But, I figured, let’s get it out of the way. Is Guinness made differently for different markets? The answer was a yes and no. “Guinness has two main variants,” Fergal explained. “All of the keg beer - the type you get in better pubs around the world - is made in Dublin. <span style=""> </span>In the rest of the world, especially Africa and Asia, it’s not really about going into a pub. They like to use bottles. <span style=""> </span>Nigerians love the Extra Stout, which has been there for 150 years. It’s the same recipe they’ve had forever. And some people might think the African version may be taste a little different, stronger.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">At least Guinness will never make a Lite beer, right? “Well, actually, in Ireland, we make what we call Mid-Strength which is only 2.8% alcohol (regular Guinness is 4.2% alcohol), because we got so many requests from people who wanted a lighter brew they could enjoy during the week. But that’s mostly about the alcohol. As rich as our draft is, it’s only 125 calories, which is less than a lot of supposedly light beers.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">And, for the record, they also make other premium drinks like Smithwicks, Harp and Red Stripe. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">We wrapped up the conversation with a question about whether Fergal wished the emphasis on drinking Guinness wasn’t so targeted on St. Patty’s Day. He laughed. “Were going to start off by expanding to the rest of the month,” he said. “We are the official beer of March, not just St. Patrick’s Day, but March Madness and everything else.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">Slainte!</span></p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFXAeGpeBcXcvoFb2whz2xKQ5S002G5Ty38wD7RjzCk_1f0bzF63P9Lzqlx55a57ky202tjWGyZ31j3R-QXNgmPKBd2WAc8F0o4MycKMpBqMMfSNvoP2NU-P0ZyzhsxOgpnKTByA073Ys/s1600-h/Guinness_pint_cascadingNew_300.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 170px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFXAeGpeBcXcvoFb2whz2xKQ5S002G5Ty38wD7RjzCk_1f0bzF63P9Lzqlx55a57ky202tjWGyZ31j3R-QXNgmPKBd2WAc8F0o4MycKMpBqMMfSNvoP2NU-P0ZyzhsxOgpnKTByA073Ys/s320/Guinness_pint_cascadingNew_300.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449343098086887074" border="0" /></a>
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<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">Just for fun, I though readers might like to know how Guinness describes the task of the person pulling your brew.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><u><span style="font-size: 20pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Monotype Corsiva";">P</span></u><u><span style="">ouring the Perfect Pint<o:p></o:p></span></u></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=""><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="">1. Clean dry glass - preferably with branded logo and the 20 oz pint <o:p>
<br /></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="">2. Hold glass at 45 degree angle and never allow the spout to touch beer or glass <o:p>
<br /></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="">3. The Pour - pull faucet down and allow beer to fill glass - you will see the surge commence <o:p>
<br /></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="">4. The Settle - allow the nitrogen bubbles to create the theatre and wonderful surge event creating the beautiful creamy head<o:p>
<br /></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="">5 The Top Up - the Beer has settled (distinct gap between dark liquid and head) and the glass is topped up slowly to create a domed effect with the head proud of the glass <o:p>
<br /></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="">6. The Presentation - Give the creation of the perfect pint to the adoring customer <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<br />Wes Marshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03488496161949494901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1212523183595462735.post-15318058130153694962010-02-28T15:07:00.000-08:002010-02-28T17:14:00.446-08:00Meet one of Burgundy's great winemakers<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsDDHs_LpqG2DvZ_14IEQwAJeHX9E5QuBY7mTThzLJzPUxkJ6NEFL5Xp0si0Sv_dNXzM_VitOH2O6yZpKb1jzwnYNW836k4pUVOvxJjOBZBAaM5kccQlSbN2FY_3eLYultweccPsTKwUM/s1600-h/galerie-les-hommes-jacques-lardiere.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 271px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsDDHs_LpqG2DvZ_14IEQwAJeHX9E5QuBY7mTThzLJzPUxkJ6NEFL5Xp0si0Sv_dNXzM_VitOH2O6yZpKb1jzwnYNW836k4pUVOvxJjOBZBAaM5kccQlSbN2FY_3eLYultweccPsTKwUM/s400/galerie-les-hommes-jacques-lardiere.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443436523429108482" border="0" /></a><br />Anyone interested in the great wines of Burgundy should consider the last minute addition of the renowned Jacques Lardiere, Director of Winemaking at Maison Louis Jadot. Lardiere oversees the production of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Gamay wines for the value lover like his ubiquitous Macon-Villages and my personal favorite the luscious Fixin. But, as befits one of the best Burgundy houses, he also makes some of the world’s most prized and expensive ($500+) wines.<br /><br />But the most important thing about Mr. Lardiere is that he is a most charming, intelligent and thought-provoking dinner partner. A lucky few will have the opportunity to do just that at 7pm, Wednesday, March 3rd at Mirabelle restaurant in Austin. It’s being done as a benefit for the superb annual confab of The Texas Sommelier Conference.<br /><br />The dinner will run $85, a small price to pay for the chance to taste seven Burgundies including two Premier Cru Burgundies and the Grand Cru, Corton Pougets, not to mention Mirabelle’s reliably great food. I don’t often write about winemaker dinners; there’s usually several each week somewhere in Austin. But this one is different. Make it if you can.<br /><br />For those who can’t, Lardiere will be available and discussing Jadot’s wines from 5pm-6:30pm at the Austin Wine Merchant, which will also be offering tastes of several Jadot wines.<br /><br />Again, if you have any interest in Burgundy wines, Mr. Lardiere is one of a handful of people with encyclopedic knowledge of nearly every vineyard in the appellation. Added to that, he doesn’t spend all of his efforts and time on the normal $50-$500 Burgundies. He also knows where the bargains are. Highly recommended.Wes Marshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03488496161949494901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1212523183595462735.post-79141434700487032472010-02-24T15:18:00.001-08:002010-02-24T15:24:50.623-08:00Drink like the stars!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Unp9CUYF30k7fNNBsMAK58ulrKU4uiR2igfOAkAJUpLVLsEGvOHgCH3f3zkEzurPOctXWV5jaJ1tSSZjxZzqBXlebnFjxdmhpLD3mZfdDHqVh0uBx8RjzWr9mxwJahlx1y01ECl99kg/s1600-h/moet.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 356px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Unp9CUYF30k7fNNBsMAK58ulrKU4uiR2igfOAkAJUpLVLsEGvOHgCH3f3zkEzurPOctXWV5jaJ1tSSZjxZzqBXlebnFjxdmhpLD3mZfdDHqVh0uBx8RjzWr9mxwJahlx1y01ECl99kg/s400/moet.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441953589993472178" border="0" /></a><br />Wish you could be at the Oscars on March 7? Well, you may not get to walk the red carpet, but you can drink the same concoction the stars are being served at the ceremonies.<br /><br />The official drink of the Oscars is called the Golden Glamour and, in keeping with the wealth of the imbibers, it uses some pretty nice ingredients. A fun four-pack of Moet’s Imperial Champagne in splits (1/4 bottles) runs about $40, and includes a one-use ice bucket and four funny little cones that you stick into the bottle so you can drink your Champagne like an expensive beer.<br /><br />The luscious vanilla liqueur called Navan also runs about $40. It’s named for its home town of Navana in Madagascar and the minute quantity used in the recipe is a testament to how powerful its aromas are.<br /><br />For folks who love to do a big Oscar party, this is a must.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDqOkI7dqZh_u7Gi3JK8M1wjdBnCT9ngUMuTbJXdtpIPq93WIFoJX-z9vEIyVgvTVWbGoloQbfjo_xmKywLAJbJMG21BoN7SLSB1j7FOltF0A7FVMdVIQlnuijT1YrU8r9A6JCx0nH1_0/s1600-h/Golden+Glamour+with+Bottle+-Hres.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 180px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDqOkI7dqZh_u7Gi3JK8M1wjdBnCT9ngUMuTbJXdtpIPq93WIFoJX-z9vEIyVgvTVWbGoloQbfjo_xmKywLAJbJMG21BoN7SLSB1j7FOltF0A7FVMdVIQlnuijT1YrU8r9A6JCx0nH1_0/s320/Golden+Glamour+with+Bottle+-Hres.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441954236953537538" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />Golden Glamour<br />4 oz. Moët & Chandon Imperial Champagne<br />0.25 oz. Navan<br />1.5 oz. Passion Fruit Juice<br />Combine all ingredients in an old-fashioned Champagne glass. Top with fresh sprig of mint for garnish.Wes Marshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03488496161949494901noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1212523183595462735.post-88040508876690773392009-11-09T09:11:00.000-08:002009-11-09T09:18:26.652-08:00Bordeaux prices plummetAFP is <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20091108/lf_afp/lifestylefranceuswinedrinkwineindustrybordeaux_20091108075709">reporting</a> that Bordeaux wines are set for an off-the-cliff plummet.<br /><br /><blockquote>Even as Chateau Lafite leads a surge for Bordeaux vintners in Asia, US retail prices for the same wines have skidded below wholesale cost as a major importer dumps stocks worth tens of millions of dollars.<br /><br />US importer Diageo Chateau & Estate Wines (DC&E), a subsidiary of the British drinks giant Diageo, has abandoned Bordeaux wine after 35 years, aggressively liquidating its warehouse stock on an already shaky market.<br /><br />Speaking to AFP, a source within DC&E, who asked to remain anonymous, blamed "enormous stocks" of unsold Bordeaux for their exodus. "It's all about making money. The margins are getting thinner each year and Americans are trading down."<br /><br />DC&E's turbulent withdrawal, which has heated up in recent weeks, is having a "huge impact on the market," Chris Adams, chief executive of Manhattan retailer Sherry Lehmann, told AFP.<br /><br />For many years, DC&E was the largest US buyer of Bordeaux, and amassed a colossal cellar. Now famous labels such as Lafite, Haut Brion and Lynch Bages are being offered to American retailers at discounts of up to 50 percent.<br /><br />"I have 5.5 million dollars' worth of First Growths in my warehouse that I cannot sell, because I'll be 50 percent more expensive than Chateau & Estate," said Guillaume Touton, owner of Monsieur Touton Selection, the New York importer with annual sales of over 100 million dollars.</blockquote><br /><br />Look for eye-popping pre-Christmas bargains!Wes Marshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03488496161949494901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1212523183595462735.post-43504554801120615722009-11-01T08:40:00.000-08:002009-11-02T13:10:43.140-08:00An interesting idea about tasting wines on specific daysI received this note from a reader and acquaintance, Daniel McKeever, a few days ago. I'm not sure I agree, but there may be something interesting here. Here's his note, unedited, so others can take a look.
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mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11pt;" >Wes,</span></span><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11pt;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span class="apple-tab-span"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11pt;" ><span style=""> </span></span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11pt;" >I've been working on an experiment that you might find interesting.</span></span><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11pt;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11pt;" ><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span class="apple-tab-span"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11pt;" ><span style=""> </span></span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11pt;" >I think that we in the wine world taste wines on certain days that we know that we like, and then when we don’t like them, we chalk them up as a bad bottle, or something to the sort rather than considering where the moon is and how it can affect the wine. There is an affect on all living things, consider that the crime rate rises when there is a full moon. As the moon moves, the ocean’s tides are pulled by gravitation. So to it works with us, and the living, breathing organism also known as the bottle of wine. Might it be that some wines are more alive than others? Could it be that some wines are just more in tune with how the earth breathes. I know that there are many professionals who think that root days are fine to taste on. You can still enjoy a bottle on these days, for sure. I believe that there are just days that are better than others for tasting wine. Also, when you are spending a bunch of money on a bottle of wine and looking for magic, some days you won’t find it.</span></span><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11pt;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> <u1:p></u1:p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span class="apple-tab-span"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11pt;" ><span style=""> </span></span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11pt;" >I was interested in the subject because I buy and sell a lot of Burgundy. It is expensive and there’s nothing more heartbreaking than opening a bottle in a dumb phase, or having one that you know isn’t flawed, but just isn’t doing what you know it should. There are many producers who I represent who are practicing biodynamics, and I have seen first hand the results in the vineyard, and in the glass. One night I was having dinner with Bruno Lafon in Tan Hermitage and really started to dig into why it was that wine could be better on some days rather than others. He told me then, that wine tastes best on fruit days, and then on flower days. Leaf days can be okay, but always watch out for root days. Fruit days can help a wine that is reductive to open up. Flower days seem to have a focused nose, but can sometimes cause a wine that is reductive to reduce a bit more and take on almost a port like quality. Leaf days are ones that aren’t necessarily bad, but the wine will show less fruit and more earth tones. Root days cause the wine to close in and show earth notes and little fruit. Needless to say my mind was blown, and I’ve been conducting my own experiments for most of the year. This was one of the first times that I’ve done an experiment in a controlled environment. Partially because, it is a bit of a risk to go around and show the wines that I intend to sell when they are not showing at their best.</span></span><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11pt;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> <u1:p></u1:p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11pt;" > </span></span><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11pt;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> <u1:p></u1:p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11pt;" >Biodynamic experiment</span></span><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11pt;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> <u1:p></u1:p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11pt;" > </span></span><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11pt;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> <u1:p></u1:p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span class="apple-tab-span"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11pt;" ><span style=""> </span></span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11pt;" >Wednesday October 14, 2009 was a fruit day and I made appointments with some wine buyers to show a set of wines. I also made the exact same appointments at the same times for the following day, which was a root day, to show the same set of wines with fresh bottles opened at 10 o’clock a.m. My objective was to evaluate the wines as they progressed through the days and to show that they would be radically different from fruit day to root day. </span></span><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11pt;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> <u1:p></u1:p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11pt;" >I brought two wines that were biodynamic, Masion Champy Pernand Vergelesse 1er Cru Les Fichot, and Gourt de Mautens Rasteau Jerome Bressy. Also, there was one wine that was organic (Paul Autard Cotes de Rhone,) one that was not fully biodynamic, but made in the cellar in a biodynamic fashion, Masion Champy Bourgogne Signature Chardonnay. I also brought two wines from Spain that were farmed normally for a control factor (Izadi Bianco, and Arzuaga La Planta.) I chose the two whites because they both see wood, and I’ve seen that oxidative whites will tend to close in on a root day, which sometimes can be a good thing especially in the way of older wine.</span></span><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11pt;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> <u1:p></u1:p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span class="apple-tab-span"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11pt;" ><span style=""> </span></span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11pt;" >The first wine we tasted was the Izadi Bianco 2007, a white Rioja which is fermented in barrel and a blend of 80% Viura and 20% Malvasia. There was a presence of oak on the wine. Still, it was very pretty, clean, and pure. The tree fruit was showing on both the nose and palate. It was medium bodied with good acid and a fresh lively finish. On the second day, there was still oak present, yet there were more citrus notes and a green stemmy floral tone and more of an herbal thing on the nose, also a bit of heat. There was less of the apple and pear on the palate, and it was replaced by a grapefruit and meyer lemon thing. Although the body was the same, and the wine was sound, the wood and acid were more pronounced. The structure was evident and the fruit was a secondary expression.</span></span><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11pt;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> <u1:p></u1:p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span class="apple-tab-span"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11pt;" ><span style=""> </span></span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11pt;" >Next up was Masion Champy Bourgogne Signature Chardonnay 2006. Day one the wine was firing on all cylinders. The color was gleaming straw with gold and green streaks. The nose was pronounced with golden apple, vanilla, pear, and chalky limestone. There was a saline note, which reminded me of Meursault. On the palate, the wine danced. It was medium to medium plus in body, super round and had a wonderful texture. The oak was a nice frame to the wine, the fruit was generous, minerality was preaching the place of origin. Day two found the wine pinched. There was nothing wrong with the wine, it just wasn’t as expressive on the nose. There was more oak that seemed present, and the lees were showing with a yeasty thing going on. There was less fruit, and minerals on the nose. I even got a bit of banana peal on the nose, which was not there the day before. The palate was fine, just not exceptional as it was the day before. It was all about the structure, and less about the mouthfeel and texture. The body was the same, but the finish wasn’t as long, or exciting. It wasn’t nearly as good as the day before.</span></span><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11pt;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> <u1:p></u1:p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span class="apple-tab-span"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11pt;" ><span style=""> </span></span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11pt;" >Wine number three was Masion Champy Pernand Vergelesse 1er Cru Les Fichot 2006. The first day, the wine was bright red cherry, fresh red roses, and a faint note of rhubarb on the nose. The palate offered the same beautiful high tone cherry core with some pomegranate and great minerality, charm, and the earthy rhubarb tone that was subtle and lovely. It was medium body very round and elegant, with a long finish. It was lively and crunchy as if you’d just picked a berry off the vine and it exploded in the mouth. It was silky and fresh. The second day found the same color and body, but the nose was more barnyard, the rhubarb tone was more present along with a radish, and beet note with almost a sappiness to it. There was also a bunch of cedar. The bright red cherry thing had faded dramatically. There was a baking spice note that was pronounced. The palate was ok. The fruit was dim. It had more tannins from the wood, and was pretty hard and wound up. It was angular and tight and closed up. </span></span><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11pt;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> <u1:p></u1:p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span class="apple-tab-span"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11pt;" ><span style=""> </span></span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11pt;" >Next up was Paul Autard Cotes de Rhone 2006. Day one, the wine was vivid on the nose. It had bright red fruit, dried herbs, lavander, along with a meat oil thing that reminded me of the casing from a dried salami. As one buyer put it, it was like a Cotes de Rhone from thirty years ago. On the palate it had some wood tannin up front, which turned into a beautiful garrigue flavor which resonated, fanned out and framed the red cherry, strawberry, and white pepper notes. It was medium plus body and was round and ethereal. Day two, the wine was there on the nose, but then after a swirl it would kind of disappear. It had similar tones on the nose, lavender and garrigue but the fruit was muted cherry and so forth. The palate was tight. The wood tannins were more present, it was angular and less round. Still, not a bad wine, but not even in the same ballpark as the day before.</span></span><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11pt;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> <u1:p></u1:p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span class="apple-tab-span"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11pt;" ><span style=""> </span></span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11pt;" >Wine number five was Gourt de Mautens Rasteau Jerome Bressy 2004. I was most interested in this wine and how it would react to the experiment because the first time that the guys in my company went to visit Monsieur Bressy, it was on a root day and he wouldn’t even show them the cellar, much less let them taste the wines. That’s pretty dramatic when you consider that they had come all the way from Texas. The following year, I went to the vineyard on a favorable day and was blown away at the quality and craftsmanship of the wine. On day one, this was the showstopper. It was almost black in color, a deep garnet core, it was opaque, and stained the glass with a swirl. It was vivid and savory on the nose with a developed blackberry, currant, and floral note, along with a sexy animal thing. On the palate it was huge. There was black fruit, which was full of what the French call sucrosite, which is sugar without sugar. The wine was impeccable with an amazing finish, which hung on and on. Day two found the wine showing mostly dirt on the nose, and had almost an Amarone thing going on, a pruned dried fruit, and quite a bit of heat. On the palate, it was so tannic. The fruit was short, dark and sweet up front, but disappeared in the mid palate, and then fell off the map. I wish I could say it had some nuts toward the back of the palate, but it was almost like chewing on paper. It was heavy and hot. It was not even enjoyable, and in fact made me want to brush my teeth. </span></span><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11pt;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> <u1:p></u1:p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span class="apple-tab-span"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11pt;" ><span style=""> </span></span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11pt;" >The last wine was Arzuaga La Planta 2007. Day one found the wine with a buttered carrot thing going on the nose. It had some caramel, red apple skin, and cherry as well, along with a little coconut from the wood. It was overshadowed by the Rasteau on the first day and unfortunately seemed out of context. The palate was medium plus in body, had some big tannins but was balanced. The fruit was fresh apple and cherry, there was some cinnamon and coconut. Day two, it was much better than the Rasteau. It had more of the caramel thing and a similar buttered carrot note, but there was some alcohol present on the nose as well. On the palate the fruit was muted a bit and the tannins were much more present on the front of the mouth. It was fine, but wound up and not as round.</span></span><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11pt;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> <u1:p></u1:p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span class="apple-tab-span"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11pt;" ><span style=""> </span></span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11pt;" >All six wines were dramatically different. I think there was less variation in the wines which were farmed normally. Although they weren’t as expressive on the fruit day, they weren’t as drastically different on the root day. </span></span><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11pt;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> <u1:p></u1:p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span class="apple-tab-span"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11pt;" ><span style=""> </span></span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11pt;" >One of the things that comes to mind is that many vineyards send off samples to the press in hopes that a good review might make their vintage. Unfortunately a poor review could break them as well. Might the day of the month in relation to the moon and the cosmos affect how the wine will be received? I’ve never really agreed with the 100 point scoring system to begin with. It is a bit like the show, “Who’s Line Is It, Anyway?” </span></span><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11pt;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> <u1:p></u1:p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11pt;" >“Welcome to the show where everything is made up, and the points don’t matter.”</span></span><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11pt;" > </span><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11pt;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11pt;" ><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11pt;" >Santé,</span><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11pt;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> <h1><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11pt;" >DMC <o:p></o:p></span></h1> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11pt;" >Daniel McKeever </span><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11pt;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11pt;" >Classified Wine & Spirits</span></span><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11pt;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11pt;" >Central Texas Manager</span></span><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11pt;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11pt;" ><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<br />Wes Marshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03488496161949494901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1212523183595462735.post-26744259393587358002009-10-30T15:38:00.001-07:002009-10-31T12:38:41.401-07:00Patz and Hall Wines<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyND_baplaS_K95koYAy-8SMvlbXw20S6HnPTCSSj4zdmu1qOu3wk8qc1MU4zsgk7XCy0yZpr80mDepC7xg2A' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Wes Marshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03488496161949494901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1212523183595462735.post-72537159959149027812009-04-24T14:46:00.001-07:002009-04-24T14:49:19.037-07:00Lynch-Bages comes to Austin<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR6KHKpUI4tl5_FrL8Mx6iztJp5p_yD51Pe0x6efh4lQmYh90A2PC0_bstvVVSIUbSGP7TrXzBLrNKDRDoDLpDMXJoStgWChyphenhyphenHR5cDXN7sg-KgbtNyI2pJJ9flXirlw3ysTekt5ABy0mU/s1600-h/JM+Cazes+April+09+045.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR6KHKpUI4tl5_FrL8Mx6iztJp5p_yD51Pe0x6efh4lQmYh90A2PC0_bstvVVSIUbSGP7TrXzBLrNKDRDoDLpDMXJoStgWChyphenhyphenHR5cDXN7sg-KgbtNyI2pJJ9flXirlw3ysTekt5ABy0mU/s400/JM+Cazes+April+09+045.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328377929588409074" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEgot9t4bFfR0SITKP5w4YO2h6ZLsW7QrSNrAUG0gJoCoErF1JMlAr2fbgw63-I6JXlXF1kd6FDIFVaJwtufvYr4QldiyIhgkERirhMfMubyhakSv4sga9VE6-U2in_c4Xcn3UvQvX7Hw/s1600-h/JM+Cazes+April+09+062.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEgot9t4bFfR0SITKP5w4YO2h6ZLsW7QrSNrAUG0gJoCoErF1JMlAr2fbgw63-I6JXlXF1kd6FDIFVaJwtufvYr4QldiyIhgkERirhMfMubyhakSv4sga9VE6-U2in_c4Xcn3UvQvX7Hw/s400/JM+Cazes+April+09+062.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328377925192271394" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />A group of French wine lovers welcomed Jean-Michel Cazes, owner of Lynch-Bages winery, for a celebratory dinner at Aquarelle on April 19. It was a homecoming as M. Cazes had been a graduate student at UT, earning a Masters degree in Petroleum Engineering. His visit was from a series of coincidences.<br /><br />Earlier this year, at UT, another French graduate student in Petroleum Engineering was reading an old Wine Spectator. Anne Burgot relates the story: "I saw this article about Jean-Michel Cazes, like me, did an engineering degree like me in Paris, and then came to Austin to do the same Master degree as me in UT in Austin in 1959, just 50 years ago! So many coincidences! I found that it was too much to be random. Since I love organizing events, I wrote him a letter to ask him if he would like to come back to Austin 50 years later and that I would volunteer to organize a wine tasting dinner at a delicious French restaurant I know." She never expected to hear back from him, but "two weeks later he sent me an email letting me know that he would love to come back to Austin and could be here in April."<br /><br />Indeed, Ms. Burgot spent four solid months working on the event, but at the end, she put together a benefit for the Wine and Food Foundation of Texas and filled all of Aquarelle's seats. Best for Austin, her newfound interest in wine and organzing have her hooked. Her next program will be to put together a quarterly tasting of wine for women.<br /><br />As for the dinner, food and wine were both loved by all. Aquarelle's five course menu was scrumptious, as were the wines, but the dinner was dominated by Almond Crusted Beef Tenderloin with Foie Gras and a Cabernet Reduction married with both a 1996 and 1988 Lynch-Bages. The wine of the night, for my purposes, was the 2005 Chateau Villa Bel Air, a dense and rich Graves loaded with violets and lavender.<br /><br />Thanks again to Ms. Burgot for her efforts and for these photos of herself with M. Cazes and of the Aquarelle kitchen team with M. Cazes.Wes Marshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03488496161949494901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1212523183595462735.post-37224392522396842712009-04-24T14:32:00.001-07:002009-04-24T14:37:31.278-07:00Washington Wine, the Dewhurst Proposal and a Michael Vilim's Expansion Plans<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH4UF5J9cUvi8uHG9O2J4J7GFo43nH2P2aZfgXWsrKIA3GiWJLz_NEVBcW9jHsiI6XmHA863NnA0URSWg5PSTzmu9vNLUmc7yZEpMYEFfUUsUeZwhOIaqEEacIPUWJWa5vvffCvlxZ6k4/s1600-h/IMG_0349.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH4UF5J9cUvi8uHG9O2J4J7GFo43nH2P2aZfgXWsrKIA3GiWJLz_NEVBcW9jHsiI6XmHA863NnA0URSWg5PSTzmu9vNLUmc7yZEpMYEFfUUsUeZwhOIaqEEacIPUWJWa5vvffCvlxZ6k4/s400/IMG_0349.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328374862732255090" border="0" /></a>
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<br /><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 12"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 12"><p class="MsoNormal">Gary Hogue, owner of Hogue Cellars in Washington, did an industry only dinner at Mirabelle on April 24, offering many of us the opportunity to try a few inexpensive (under $15) wines as well as a $24 Cab Reserve. Pick of the night among the wines were the Hogue Cellars Genesis Chardonnay ($14), a wine with plenty of acidity to pair up with the big fruit and moderate oakiness. The Hogue Cellars Genesis Merlot ($14) was exactly what an inexpensive Merlot should be: dark plum fruity with a hint of green pepper. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">We had a short but lively discussion about Texas Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst's proposal to open up all restaurants to allowing diners to bring in their own wines. One restaurant manager said, "Perhaps they should be able to bring their own steaks to my steak house?" Another said that it would create havoc and end up closing a few. Gary Hogue said that in his home state of Washington, they have the same law and it hasn't hurt restaurants or wineries. We shall see.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Finally, Michael Vilim mentioned that we should be listening for news about him moving into a couple of new restaurant ventures. At least one will have to do with creating international types of street food. He seems very passionate about the idea, enough so that he has been working on recipes and picking locations.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The pictures at the top are of Gary Hogue, regaling us with stories.</p> Wes Marshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03488496161949494901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1212523183595462735.post-77359728461153677442009-04-24T02:20:00.000-07:002009-04-26T04:45:42.813-07:00Northern Italy Wine Trails<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkKlpABMEjVTbbIvZNgRDSQj8XZypT3lVC9VlTbRGcwZI30kQPghKT_aMrE_q5SngJhZNe-F77sZA0ON2W2Hpl6ryGVFk8qw3bjW_AHQtpikZbo8MnAADtmOjJbaZNt61wy0mPrrnTgbQ/s1600-h/PA013069.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkKlpABMEjVTbbIvZNgRDSQj8XZypT3lVC9VlTbRGcwZI30kQPghKT_aMrE_q5SngJhZNe-F77sZA0ON2W2Hpl6ryGVFk8qw3bjW_AHQtpikZbo8MnAADtmOjJbaZNt61wy0mPrrnTgbQ/s400/PA013069.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328154204331628658" border="0" /></a>
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mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style=";font-family:";font-size:13;" ><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">This is an article I originally wrote for the Austin Chronicle. I place it here for your information and as a teaser for when this blog gets going full time, which will be shortly after the edits and art for my next book, What's a Wine Lover To Do? (Artisan), are finally finished.</span></span>
<br /><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >We rented a car and headed over the Alps to the town of Neive in Piemonte, the northwestern corner of Italy, to La Contea, one of our favorite restaurants in the world. I don't say this lightly. We've been around, and we've been back to La Contea often enough to know that not only is it dazzling, it is consistent. There, Tonino Verro has a small empire as a winemaker, shop owner, restaurateur, and innkeeper. His wife, Claudia, oversees the kitchen, while a crew of young, eager family and friends watches over the front of the house. It is cozy, with fewer than 20 tables, never snobby, and the food is simply glorious. We were there at the beginning of white-truffle season, and Tonino was going table to table, gently imploring the people to try Claudia's Tagliatelle With Tartufo Bianco. It was amazing. Later, Tonino walked through the dining room carrying a box with what looked like a cat in it. When he got to our table, it turned out to be a huge rabbit, freshly shot by a local hunter and ready for Claudia's roasting. We bought an Arnais and a Barbera from Tonino's winery and relaxed into a wonderful meal. The night couldn't have been any better.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >Since we were in Italy, we thought it would be a good idea to visit some of the wineries that Austinite Steve Lawrence represents. Romana Carlo is just a few kilometers from La Contea and operated by the nicest family. They set up a lunch Momma cooked (including <i>semolina dolce</i>, a wonderful, sweet, fried polenta), and we tasted through all their wines, tops being the 2004 Terra Verus Barbera Riserva, a dense, delicious wine with a hint of oak. One benefit for all of us, since Steve is local, is that Austin gets these wines first.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >With a few days until our next visit, we headed down to Tuscany to see the Banfi operation. This is one of the world's largest wine companies, yet everything we saw was handled like a small winery. We were there as they were bringing in the Sangiovese for their Brunello and watched as the workers literally separated grape by grape to assure the quality. We had three nights at Banfi, staying in a room they reserve for traveling employees. They also have a hotel with a two-star Michelin restaurant, but it starts at $500 a night! Staying in the worker's area allowed us to infiltrate the local scene. We had a chance to be away from tourists. Sitting outside in a breezy piazza, sipping a cup of espresso ... I didn't want to leave. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >My favorite Banfi wine of all was Principessa Perlante Gavi, a $15 white wine with tiny bubbles and a beguiling, yummy flavor. I love finding great cheap wines. I also had an opportunity to try a double-blind tasting of 13 2001 Brunellos (see picture above). Now these are some of Italy's most expensive, sought-after wines. The good news was that the most expensive – Pian Delle Vigne by Antinori ($100), Pieve Santa Restituta by Gaja ($125), Biondi-Santi Tenuta Greppo ($120) – were not my favorites. I picked Castello Banfi Poggio Alle Mura as the best (and were the folks at Banfi pleased) and Castelgiocondo second. Both are still pricey, at about $75, but as Brunellos go, they were more than reasonable.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >The other ultrapremium wine of Italy is Amarone, and Steve had been able to wangle me an invite to the Yoda of Amarone, Giuseppe Quintarelli. His wines are very rare in the U.S. and are snapped up by collectors. I had a tour of the winery and saw the incredible expense of carefully drying the grapes in lofts, down to the point that there is only a drop or two of decadently rich juice before the press. The outcome is one of the richest red wines on earth. And while Quintarelli's wines go for astronomical prices, the wines of his protégé, Luca Fedrigo of L'Arco, are much more reasonable. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >Those are the wines Steve Lawrence brings to Austin, and after having tasted both Quintarelli and L'Arco wine next to each other, I can vouch for Luca's efforts. Luca takes every wine he makes to Quintarelli for his blessing, and you can taste the training Luca has received from the old master.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >Our last stop before heading home was to meet with the owners of one of Italy's top white-wine brands, Venica & Venica. We met Giampaolo Venica over lunch at the Ristorante Al Cacciatore in Cormons. As an open fire slowly cooked a batch of polenta in the background, we talked about how his father and uncle had inherited the winery from their father. From the beginning, in 1930, these wines have been in demand all over Italy, but it was only recently that the wines have started building a reputation in the U.S. We tasted through everything they made, at least what wasn't already sold out, and the family style rang through. Sauvignon Blanc, Tocai, and Pinot Bianco are all well-extracted wines, but with plenty of snappy acidity to make them perfect food pairings.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style=";font-family:";font-size:13;" >Jetting Home<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >The trip home from Trieste took 28 grueling hours, most spent at the lovely Newark airport. But it gave us time to talk about what we'd learned, most important being that the French and Italians consider wine to be a living thing. They don't think of it as a means to get drunk or a fun something to put in your hand while you're at a party. They see wine as part of the daily meals, lunch, and dinner. Children drink wine, albeit watered down, but they wouldn't anymore think of depriving a child of wine than asparagus. To them, they are the same. Like a vegetable, a fruit, a piece of meat, or a loaf of bread, wine is food. We should learn from them.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> Wes Marshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03488496161949494901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1212523183595462735.post-53237683161717402572009-04-24T02:11:00.000-07:002009-04-26T04:44:56.623-07:00Burgundy: The Grape Beyond Part 2<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDOPXA3Lqvs_7quyi2FqhjJvk2sNikXGHvoNOXJAK_zEqaKRkCijO-RW2CwnYDOQK4Gm09SVYtfPj4Mq6QeTbPgsmkmbc0CojbcDwSUbCYEfzh16xn94czTvZVSfANKGqRXqVyUZuW2zc/s1600-h/P9272966.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDOPXA3Lqvs_7quyi2FqhjJvk2sNikXGHvoNOXJAK_zEqaKRkCijO-RW2CwnYDOQK4Gm09SVYtfPj4Mq6QeTbPgsmkmbc0CojbcDwSUbCYEfzh16xn94czTvZVSfANKGqRXqVyUZuW2zc/s320/P9272966.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328148898052646386" border="0" /></a>
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<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >Chablis was our starting point, an area planted almost totally in Chardonnay. These wines, like all Burgundies, are food wines. There's plenty of acid to cleanse your palate when you have it with a meal but probably too much acid to sit around sipping it on a hot Texas afternoon. The people of Chablis set four classifications of their own. Petit Chablis is the least of the wines, followed by Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru, and Grand Cru at the top. Of all the Burgundians, they are probably the biggest proponents of terroir. Decades ago, some wine-born pathogen settled in their oak barrels, and the winemakers burned every barrel in the area and installed stainless-steel tanks. Today, almost all Chablis is made without oak, so when you taste a glass of Chablis, you are tasting nothing but grape, terroir, and the winemaker's art.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >I know about terroir but was still surprised when I tasted 10 different Chablis, all from one maker, La Chablisienne. All had the wonderful wet slate aroma common to Chablis, but all were completely different. The wines ranged from overly acidic and thin at the Petit Chablis end to magnificent, well-structured richness at the Grand Cru level. Another winemaker, Clotilde Davenne, was my pick of the best winemaker in Chablis. Even her simplest wines, Bourgogne Blanc, had depth and opulence. She also has one of the few vineyards in Chablis that is allowed to grow Sauvignon Blanc, called Les Temps Perdue Saint-Bris. It's elegant and restrained with the aromas hitting you as an afterthought. We were smitten.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >The Mâconnais area is around the town of Mâcon. This is where most of the least-expensive Bourgogne wines come from, but it's also where most of the affordable action is these days. It has long been the bastard stepchild of the better areas, but things are changing. The Bret brothers (pictured above with friend and fello wwine writer Leslie Sbrocco), owners of Domaine de la Soufrandière, had a bumper crop, qualitywise, in 2006. Their hand-tended, organic vineyards are producing fruit as good as any in Burgundy, and the brothers are young enough to make a difference in the Mâconnais for many years to come.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >Knowledgeable French wine lovers have been scarfing up the wines of the Côte Chalonnaise district for years, because the prices are low compared to the Côte d'Or. The Château de Chamirey showed some incredible 2005 wines that haven't yet hit the U.S. market. The U.S. will only get 25 cases of their Mercurey 1er Cru "Les Ruelles," but it's worth trying to finagle a bottle any way possible. This is quintessential Pinot Noir. A bit easier to find, if more expensive, is the Château de Perdrix Nuit Saint George Premier Cru "Aux Perdrix."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >Once we move to the Côte d'Or, the négociants take control of the marketplace. While there are dozens of good négociants, two I trust are Louis Jadot and Joseph Drouhin.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >We spent most of an evening with Jadot's winemaker Jacques Lardière as he took us through their barrel room, blithely tasting wine that will retail at anywhere from $9 to $900. I tasted 11 different wines that I would give my highest possible score, and luckily, two will be less than $25 when they hit stores over the next year. The 2006 Pernand Vergelesses Blanc will give you a good idea of what their $200 white Burgundies taste like, and it's under $20. And the 2006 Fixin similarly gives a strong hint of what the $400 Pinot Noirs taste like, and Lardière says it should come in around $25. At the end of the evening, Lardière wanted to show us how long his wines last, so he poured us a 1971 Pommard Rugiens and a 1961 Bonnes Mares. Both were still youthful, brightly colored wines with amazing complexity. These wines really do live a long time.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >Drouhin wants to get young people interested in their brand by offering affordable wines. That way, as their taste and wallets mature, they'll be Drouhin fans and go for the higher priced wines. Their starter wine – the $20 2006 Veró Pinot Noir – is a perfect example of a simple Bourgogne level wine, but they have flexed their winemaking muscles to make something dazzling for the price. I'd pick it over a lot of $100-plus Burgundies.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >Not all Côte d'Or wine is made by négociants. Winemaker Laurent Ponsot operates the winery named for his family. He is a tall, thin man with a long gray ponytail (see above), an ex-mountain climber who took a big fall so now gets his fun flying acrobatic planes. And making wine. He is another of the terroir-as-religion folks. "The wine must be a vector between the earth and your glass," he says, as we sip some of his 2006 Morey-St.-Denis Premier Cru Clos des Monts Luisants Vieilles Vignes Blanc, a rare wine made from the Aligote grape. "I am not a winemaker. I am a conductor." The French have a way of tossing these grand statements like we might say our address. My favorite Ponsot quote: "A bottle is too big for one, and a magnum is too small for two."<o:p></o:p></span></p> Wes Marshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03488496161949494901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1212523183595462735.post-59656269380763193562009-04-22T23:23:00.000-07:002009-04-26T04:43:31.799-07:00Burgundy: The Grape Beyond<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPIe3xZvZw8pRHbe4BzDjYtNhgPtoDDfz0qc7evmjMjqPA4-4dGfYgyHL0m_1yc3xA2eMkt1aLS_jVpTBZUxW9q926rK66nGaRs_B0IKl6Y5j0GgBRjV2gT4qdtaXOzhu1Tp61SraHu6M/s1600-h/P9222700.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPIe3xZvZw8pRHbe4BzDjYtNhgPtoDDfz0qc7evmjMjqPA4-4dGfYgyHL0m_1yc3xA2eMkt1aLS_jVpTBZUxW9q926rK66nGaRs_B0IKl6Y5j0GgBRjV2gT4qdtaXOzhu1Tp61SraHu6M/s320/P9222700.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328147699027133714" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">
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mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:";font-size:78%;" ><o:p></o:p></span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><b><span style="">This is an article I originally wrote for the Austin Chronicle. I place it here for your information and as a teaser for when this blog gets going full time, which will be shortly after the edits and art for my next book, What's a Wine Lover To Do? (Artisan), are finally finished.</span></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >Recently, I had the chance to visit a number of French and Italian wineries, mostly hoping to find some new wineries to tell you about but also to try the new vintages before they hit the U.S. shelves. That way I could give you a heads-up. I know: tough work.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >For the French part of the trip, we based ourselves in the town of Beaune, the epicenter of the Burgundy wine trade. People in Burgundy are both knowledgeable and opinionated about their food. Ask two people on the street who makes the best <i>jambon persillé</i> or the best fresh goat cheese, and you'll get four different but equally passionate responses. And wine is the most argued-about of all the foods.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >Unfortunately for us, no wine area in the world is as inscrutable as Burgundy, mostly because of its labyrinthine classification. I'll try to make it at least basically understandable.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >The first thing you have to know about Burgundy is that there are three main grapes grown there. If a Burgundy wine is white, nine times out of 10 it will be a Chardonnay. If it is red, unless it is a Beaujolais, it will be Pinot Noir. Why don't they just say Chardonnay or Pinot Noir? Those nutty French people take <i>terroir</i> (an all-encompassing word meaning dirt, weather, slope, and anything else that can define a single place) as religion. They think where the wine comes from and who makes it are more important than what grape they use.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >The next thing to know is there are a number of huge wineries that purchase grapes or juice, then make the wine and market it. These are called <i>négociants</i>. All négociants try to buy the best grapes they can, and many vineyard owners will sell grapes to several négociants to keep the bidding fierce. But that's confusing because you might see several companies producing a wine with the same name.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >Here's how Burgundies are labeled:<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >Grand Cru</span></b><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" > is the designation for the top wines in Burgundy. We see only a handful of Grand Cru wines in Austin because of their rarity. They are punishingly expensive, frequently north of $300 a bottle and occasionally more than $1,000. These wines are always listed by the name of the place, like Clos de Vougeot, Montrachet, or Chambertin.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >Premier Cru</span></b><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" > (look for "1er Cru" on the bottle) is the next-highest designation. There are more than 500 Premier Cru vineyards. No one living in Beaune can even name them all. Some of the Premier Cru wines can be priced as highly as the Grand Cru. But with a little skill and help, you can frequently find great bargains in this category.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >Village</span></b><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" > wines can be made from any number of vineyards within a village's boundaries. This is where you find wines named after towns. Of course, if you've never traveled Burgundy on a bicycle, it's hard to tell a town from a vineyard. What's worse, years ago, several towns added the name of a Grand Cru vineyard to the name of the town. Puligny became Puligny-Montrachet, and Aloxe became Aloxe-Corton.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >The lowest designation we see in the U.S. is simply called <b>Bourgogne</b>. These wines can be made from anywhere in Burgundy, and increasingly we are seeing them marketed here as Bourgogne Pinot Noir or Bourgogne Chardonnay. Bourgogne wines can also be named after a place. Like Macon-Villages. Which leads us to the last snag in labeling.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >Burgundy comprises six areas: <b>Beaujolais</b>, <b>Chablis</b>, <b>Mâconnais</b>, <b>Côte Chalonnaise</b>, <b>Côtes de Beaune</b>, and <b>Côtes de Nuits</b>. Moreover, those last two are referred to collectively as the <b>Côte d'Or</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >Finally, you should know that there is no apparent connection between price and quality in Burgundian wines. There are négociants – like Jadot and Drouhin – where you can trust most of what they make to be good value for the money. But once you get into the smaller wineries, all bets are off. The best strategy is to talk to a trusted wineshop person, then try some of the least expensive wines. When you find one you like, start moving up that maker's ladder.<o:p></o:p></span></p> Wes Marshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03488496161949494901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1212523183595462735.post-42895292363400693572009-04-21T12:43:00.000-07:002009-04-26T04:42:39.623-07:00Box wines<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqoBua64UNFIrMpuOBrvSMAwPXaCtJSNFzMd-c4ZfEXgo6rESgsqjouiIqEDNCy9uUQUOQNEd9P4TOZOVhfFP9IE9d7CQa5fc23eIhtnbbZu2h9hCUr38NjTRPa0KW6C7825kp3wZ5hpM/s1600-h/SeebergerRiesling3LTBox.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 187px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqoBua64UNFIrMpuOBrvSMAwPXaCtJSNFzMd-c4ZfEXgo6rESgsqjouiIqEDNCy9uUQUOQNEd9P4TOZOVhfFP9IE9d7CQa5fc23eIhtnbbZu2h9hCUr38NjTRPa0KW6C7825kp3wZ5hpM/s400/SeebergerRiesling3LTBox.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328963800000438642" border="0" /></a>
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mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--><span style="font-size:78%;">This is from an article I did for the Austin Chronicle</span><span style="font-size:78%;"> that contains helpful information for these economic times. It has been widely copied throughout the world, I'm sure because we all need good, cheap wine.
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<br /></span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style=";font-family:";font-size:24;" ><span style="font-size:180%;">Sipping From the Spigot</span><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style=";font-family:";font-size:18;" ><span style="font-size:130%;">The great boxed-wine challenge</span><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >A quick show of hands: How many of you open a $20-plus bottle of wine each night? How many carefully age their wines for measured maturity? When you pop the cork, do you finish the whole bottle? If not, do you notice how it just doesn't taste right the next day?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >The truth is most people drink their wine on the same day they buy it. Most people prefer good-quality, inexpensive wines and stay loyal to the brands they like. And most people have variable rates of wine consumption: maybe a glass tonight, maybe three tomorrow. Plus, since a half-empty bottle of wine goes stale after just one day, they end up drinking subpar wine.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >The Australians and Europeans solved all of these problems years ago with one elegant solution. They take a good-quality wine; put it in an inert, vacuum-sealed bag; drop the bag in a box; and place a spigot on the side. In Australia, for instance, 54% of wines sold are box wines.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >Imagine dining in a nice European trattoria or brasserie and ordering a carafe of the house wine. It would be a simple, unpretentious wine made for casual consumption. That's what you'll find in the best box wines. They are always priced popularly, with 3-liter boxes (equivalent to four bottles of wine) normally running $10-20. Best of all, you can take as much as you want and not worry about the wine oxidizing by the next day. It will keep in the box for months.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >Early on, box wines had a cheesy reputation in the U.S. As Evan Goldstein, a master sommelier and author of <i>Perfect Pairings</i> (University of California Press, $29.95), told me: "You're lucky you weren't doing the box-wine challenge 10 years ago. The wines tasted like plastic." I'd go a step further and say they tasted like you were sucking them through a $2 garden hose.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >When fellow Food writer Mick Vann recently asked me which box wines I would recommend, it got me thinking. I've tasted a couple of box wines that really caught my attention. Both FishEye's Pinot Grigio ($14) and the Target stores' California Chardonnay taste like the grapes they are made from, unhampered by oak, and they are young, fruity, and crisp. But I wondered what other, if any, box wines a crew of knowledgeable wine tasters would pick. Are any box wines worthy of a place in America's refrigerators? I decided to put it to the test.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style=";font-family:";font-size:13;" >The Process<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >We asked the biggest wine distributors to send us every box wine they carried. The complications started when we used the word "box."Things have gotten more convoluted since Three Thieves came out with the Tetra Pak, which is like the juice cartons kids use. Adult juice, indeed. Anyway, the industry term for what I was looking for is "bag in a box." We ended up with (gulp!) 50 wines.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >Next up was picking the experts. I wanted some parity among disciplines, and I knew that I wanted to start with the three Austinites who had won the Texas Best Sommelier awards: Devon Broglie of Whole Foods, Craig Collins of Prestige Wine Cellars, and Scott Cameron of Avante Beverages. I also wanted some experienced winemakers. Jim Johnson of Alamosa Wine Cellars not only makes great Texas wine; he has worked at some high-end California wineries like Heitz and St. Francis. Mark Penna is making stellar wine for Damian Mandola but also has the experience of actually making this style of wine from when he was the winemaker at Ste. Genevieve. Two retailers from Twin Liquors: our budding TV star Ross Outon (soon to be seen on the PBS reality series <i>The Winemakers</i>) and Martin Aechternacht. I invited two consumers. Steve Tipton is on the board of the Wine & Food Foundation of Texas and owner of one of the top wine cellars in the city. The other consumer was my brother-in-law, Stephen Aechternacht (Martin's father), because he actually regularly drinks boxed wines. The last two slots were chef spots: one for a current chef, Charles Mayes of Cafe Josie, and another for a retired chef, the <i>Chronicle</i>'s Vann.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >(Let me jump in here with an important oversight. When our Food editor makes a mistake, she calls it the "off-with-my-head department." Well, get your guillotines sharpened. I didn't notice until we were posing for our picture that I had completely forgotten to give this group a gender option. I left out female wine professionals and consumers. So sorry. Be careful with that axe, Eugenia.)<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >Broglie was kind enough to get us a place for the box-off at the Whole Foods Market Culinary Center. It was a first visit there for most of us, and we were all bowled over at how beautiful and functional the place is. Not only did they treat us kindly and let us dirty a hundred or so of their wine glasses, but they were considerate and helpful, even though they had a private cooking class going on at the same time!<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >We tasted the wines in varietal groups: Pinot Grigios, Chardonnays, other whites, Merlots, Cabernets, Shirazes, and other reds. Instead of using a 100-point scale, we decided to use the system that most wine competitions would use. A wine could receive any of four rankings. We defined gold as a wine that we would happily buy and keep around the house for personal consumption. Silver meant we'd buy it for parties, cooking, and infrequent drinking. Bronze meant we would happily drink it for free at someone else's party. No medal meant we wouldn't even swallow the stuff; we'd spit it out.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >The competition was conducted double blind. Here's how that works: Four volunteers poured the wines in another room and brought them in pitchers so no one, myself included, knew which wines we were drinking. Then, to keep us all honest, for each varietal, we slipped in real glass-bottle wines in the $15-20 range to see if the experts could tell the difference.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >The good news is that out of 50 wines, only eight averaged "no medal." The vast majority rated bronze, which is a definite step up from the original box wines. The bad news is that, with the exception of three categories, our judges picked the bottle wines as the top in their varietal. Remember, none of us knew what he was tasting, which just goes to show that you still mostly get what you pay for. However, there are some exceptions.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style=";font-family:";font-size:13;" >And the Winners Are ...<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >Our goal was to find any box wine that could stand up against its glass brethren, and we found three that were absolute knockouts. They were the winning Cabernet, Merlot, and other white.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >Our final step was to bring the Top 3 wines in for a face-off. Still, none of us knew what he was tasting, other than a Cab, a Merlot, and an other white. We were aiming for Best Red, Best White, and Best of Show. For the red, all but one judge chose the Cabernet, so all that remained was to choose between the Cabernet and other white for the Best of Show.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >This was the crowning moment of our run through 50 wines, so excitement was in the air. Our first three judges voted Cab, signaling a trend. But then the next three picked the other white. Things teeter-tottered through the rest of the judges, and the final vote was ... a tie. We decided to award a Best of Show to both wines.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >That's when we finally got to see what we had picked.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >1) Seeberger Riesling</span></b><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" > ($16 for 3 liters) is made in Germany and full of crisp, appley Riesling flavors. The fact that it's a low 10% alcohol makes it a perfect Texas summer wine. Ross Outon summed up his reasons for picking the Seeberger: "The only note I wrote down as I tried the winning white wine was, 'Riesling ... best white.'That says it all.It was varietally correct enough for me to pull out blind, and it was also balanced and well-structured ... and I'd drink another glass." Devon Broglie was equally ecstatic: "I felt like it had a crisp, clean finish. This is a wonderful summer white and the definition of summer quaffing wine! I am going to start keeping a box in the fridge just on principle!" Seeberger is available at most HEB stores, although based on Devon's opinion, I bet we'll be seeing it at Whole Foods in the near future.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >2) Powers Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon</span></b><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" > ($20 for 3 liters) is made by Badger Mountain Vineyard in Kennewick, Wash. Their main operation is organic, but for this less expensive wine, they must rely on nonorganic fruit. This wine easily could be mistaken for a $15-20-a-bottle Cabernet. It is 100% Cabernet that has seen time in real barrels, something you hardly ever find in wines less than $15 a bottle. That's positively amazing for a wine that works out to the equivalent of $5 a bottle. Winemaker Jim Johnson commented that it is "the perfect box wine, appropriate color, nice nose. It finishes dry, and the fruit is bright, forward, and squeaky clean. Very well-made." I agree. The Powers was my favorite wine of the entire contest. It is available at Grape Vine, Spec's, Whole Foods, and Whip In.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >The other top wine was <b>Hardys Stamp Merlot</b> ($16 for 3 liters). Hardy Wine Co. is a huge Australian company with more than a dozen brands. For the Stamp line, winemaker Peter Dawson blends his wines using fruit from all over Australia, then puts the same wines in his bottles as in his boxes. The box wines come at a discount because making and shipping the wine costs so much less than using glass and corks. Their Merlot is velvety with just a touch of green-pepper aroma and quite rich for the price. Vann loved it. "This red is sippable or can go with just about any food," he said. "For an out-of-a-box wine, this is just what the doctor ordered for that glass-a-night before bedtime or ideal for the feast for friends." Hardys Stamp Merlot is only available at Spec's.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style=";font-family:";font-size:13;" >News You Can Use Next Time You Go to the Store<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >Another trend that we noticed was that a few brands showed well in almost every varietal. This is convenient because once you get the image of the label fixed in your mind, you can rest assured that you have a good chance of finding decent wines no matter the grape.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >For instance, the highest ranked brand was Wine Cube, a brand sold only at Target stores. They placed in the top tier for their Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, and Shiraz and in the third tier for their Cabernet. These wines are line priced at $16, making them the equivalent of $4 for a regular 750-milliliter bottle.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >I was surprised at the strong showing for Delicato, which placed in Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Merlot, and Cabernet. Delicato has been advertising all the awards they've been winning, but I've never been convinced. Well, they've obviously invested the time and money in really raising the quality of their wines. That goes to prove why critical tastings should always be double blind.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >Other labels showed well. Box Star is an Australian brand that placed in Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet, and Shiraz. Black Box wines also did well in the box-off, placing with their Chardonnay, Merlot, and Cabernet. And Rain Dance placed in the top tier for both their Chardonnay and Shiraz.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style=";font-family:";font-size:13;" >So Should I Sell My Collection of First Growth Bordeaux and Buy Boxes?<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >First and foremost, wine is food, and just like most of us can't and don't eat lobster and caviar every night, we'll also never be in the $100-a-night wine club. Although the idea is appealing, after a while you'd be lusting after $500 bottles. Instead, relax, and know that a good wine at a bargain price is a thing of beauty, one that we all should be excited to find.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >Does it matter if it's in a box? Of course it does. On the plus side, you can pour as much as you want and know that the rest will stay nice and fresh, just awaiting your next pour. You'll also save some money by avoiding the price penalty for bottles and corks.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >The minus side is that you might feel embarrassed in the checkout line. What will they think if they see me with a box wine?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >Just smile, take comfort in your intelligence, and tell them you read it here: Good wines do come in boxes.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style=";font-family:";font-size:13;" >Results of Top-Placing Wines<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:13;" >The numbers after the brands reflect the broad ranks, i.e. all the "1" ranks were in the range between gold and silver, "2" was between silver and bronze, "3"<b> </b>was between bronze and no medal. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style=";font-family:";font-size:13;" >Chardonnay<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >Box Star: <b>1</b><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >Rain Dance: <b>1</b><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >Wine Cube: <b>1</b><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >Black Box: <b>2</b><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >Delicato: <b>2</b><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >FishEye: <b>2</b><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >Hardys: <b>2</b><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >Killer Juice: <b>3</b><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style=";font-family:";font-size:13;" >Pinot Grigio<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >Wine Cube: <b>1</b><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >Delicato: <b>2</b><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >FishEye: <b>3</b><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style=";font-family:";font-size:13;" >Other White<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >Seeberger Riesling: <b>1</b><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >Franzia Chablis: <b>2</b><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style=";font-family:";font-size:13;" >Merlot<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >Hardys: <b>1</b><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >Black Box: <b>2</b><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >Delicato: <b>2</b><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >Box Star: <b>3</b><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style=";font-family:";font-size:13;" >Cabernet<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >Powers: <b>1</b><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >Black Box: <b>2</b><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >Box Star: <b>3</b><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >Delicato: <b>3</b><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >Wine Cube: <b>3</b><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style=";font-family:";font-size:13;" >Other Red<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >Pinot Evil: <b>1</b><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >Le Faux Frog Pinot: <b>2</b><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >Badger Mountain Red (Organic): <b>3</b><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style=";font-family:";font-size:13;" >Shiraz<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >Rain Dance: <b>1</b><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >Wine Cube: <b>1</b><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >Banrock Station: <b>2</b><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >Box Star: <b>2</b><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >Black Box: <b>3</b><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >FishEye: <b>3</b><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >Hardys Shiraz: <b>3</b><o:p></o:p></span></p> Wes Marshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03488496161949494901noreply@blogger.com1