Wow, the wine industry is still abuzz with the final days of what is called OND. Stands for October, November and December. The slowest month of the year? September. Which can be quite dreary. However everyone is bucking up in July and August to get their wines on the lists of the hottest restaurants in the cities where they ply their wares.
Whats it like being a wine rep? Hard bloody work. Everybody wants your wine and nobody at the same time. People never return your phone calls, appointments are hard to come by and a frantic pace of getting your quotas in.
However I'd like to give heads up to a great little beer/wine bar in Houston called The Ginger Man. Their buyer showed up at one of my tastings in October, took my card said they'd call when it was time to change over their wine list and she DID! Awesome. Can't wait to work with someone in the industry who keeps their word when they show interest. I have gone to this place quite a few times and had some uproarious times there. They only have a small wine list with their place being dedicated to unique and awesome beer from all over the world. They have an international reputation and for such a simple pub has been named one of the best pubs in the world. I've never had a bad time there, even when it was just a laid back evening.
They have a number of locations around the states including NYC, Austin, Houston and Dallas. When you have a chance go visit!
http://www.gingermanpub.com/index.html
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Wine Challenge
Champagne!
Test yourself on these hard questions:
What is the proper first fermentation temperature for Method Champenoise?
a) 45-48F
b) 55-58F
c) 65-68F
d) 75-78F
What should the alcohol level of the base wine be after the first fermentation for sparkling wine?
a) 8-9%
b) 9.5-10%
c) 10.5-11%
d) 11.5-12%
A mixture of still Champagne, sugar, yeast, yeast nutrients and a clarifying agent is called......
a) Remuage
b) Yeast Autolysis
c) Petillance
d) Liqueur de tirage
4) What is debourbage?
a) The final pressing of the grape cake
b) Gently chilling grape juice to settle particles and impurities to draw off clear juice
c) Grape pressing with feet
d) The use of a kieselgur machine to clarify the juice after pressing
VintageChampagne must by law be ________ from the year indicated, but other sparkling wines within the EU need only be ______. In California a vintage sparkling must be ______, ______ in Australia and ______ in South Africa.
What is Reaction Maillard?
When is NV Champagne first available to be released if the vintage was 2004?
a) March 2007
b) July 2006
c) January 2006
d) April 2006
When is a Vintage Champagne first available to be released if the vintage was 2003?
a) January 2007
b) March 2007
c) January 2006
d) July 2006
Test yourself on these hard questions:
What is the proper first fermentation temperature for Method Champenoise?
a) 45-48F
b) 55-58F
c) 65-68F
d) 75-78F
What should the alcohol level of the base wine be after the first fermentation for sparkling wine?
a) 8-9%
b) 9.5-10%
c) 10.5-11%
d) 11.5-12%
A mixture of still Champagne, sugar, yeast, yeast nutrients and a clarifying agent is called......
a) Remuage
b) Yeast Autolysis
c) Petillance
d) Liqueur de tirage
4) What is debourbage?
a) The final pressing of the grape cake
b) Gently chilling grape juice to settle particles and impurities to draw off clear juice
c) Grape pressing with feet
d) The use of a kieselgur machine to clarify the juice after pressing
VintageChampagne must by law be ________ from the year indicated, but other sparkling wines within the EU need only be ______. In California a vintage sparkling must be ______, ______ in Australia and ______ in South Africa.
What is Reaction Maillard?
When is NV Champagne first available to be released if the vintage was 2004?
a) March 2007
b) July 2006
c) January 2006
d) April 2006
When is a Vintage Champagne first available to be released if the vintage was 2003?
a) January 2007
b) March 2007
c) January 2006
d) July 2006
Unreal
A month goes by and then another and another. Then your promised blog goes out the window with the previous days dirty water. Lord, how I am so undependable. To be fair, I'm not computer literate and after about 3 days of breaking my blog apart, I gave up. It can be very confusing for the non-computer-literati.
I'm currently studying for the WSET on home study and I have to say it's kicking my rear. Well not quite, it's making me very weary some days. There is so much to learn about wine and it's like this bottomless pit. However, it's a nice journey and I know so much more than a year ago. I was a casual drinker and then decided I was going to take this seriously. I highly recommend taking wine classes as it makes it more enjoyable.
I've made up a lot of questions on wine and will post them now and again to challenge you on wine.
I've had quite a few great little wines this past month. Including the Beaujolais Nouveau which a lot of wine snobs criticize every year. I think it's a great marketing tool for the region and I love a gluggable easy drinking bottle of cheap plonk any day of the week.
I've had one quite nice simple glug courtesy of Sam's Clubs buyers, Called Chateau Tour de Segur which is one of the Andre Lurton properties in Bordeaux. AC Lussac-Saint Emilion to be exact. If you haven't heard of the Lurton family, you should do so, as they own or run quite a lot of Bordeaux. D'Yquem, Cheval Blanc and a host of different properties throughout Bordeaux. Sort of like the Kennedy clan is to politics in the USA, but I would say on a broader scale. They carry quite a lot of power within the region. Usually if you see the Lurton name on a bottle (can be from bottles from all over the world as some of the family are flying winemakers in the new world) you can be assured it's a good bottle and what I've seen the value for money is excellent. I'm sure there's a few flubs out there as with any mass producer or importer, but on the whole quite a nice bottle of wine can be had regardless of it's status within the classe and chateau system of Bordeaux.
I gave the 2000 Chateau Tou de Segur 88 points, although I think some people would think it to be a 89 or 90 point wine. It's got a lot value and is very easy drinking with a mixed style of old and new world. You get some minerality but with a lot of excellent fruit and balance of oak. I think the rating system is way too giving and some wines getting better marks for the relationship with the magazine or reviewer than what it normally should be.
There is nothing wrong with an 80-85 bottle of wine. But the push to get higher ratings is becoming extraordinary and I think the 100 point system needs to be revised as it's really becoming the original 20 point system before Parker changed the rating structure. 100 does indeed sound better than 20. But all wines regardless how terrible they are get 50 points automatically and go up from there.
I think overoaked wine should be a 10 point deduction if it's not a wine that is destined for aging. These California chardonnays that taste like sawdust and won't age 2 years should never qualify for anything 90 and higher because of their complete inbalance.
Have you ever had a wine that had a 90 rating and you don't know how it got there. Basically a wine can taste better two months previously and does depend on the weather and of course the subjective nature of the tasting. A wine can close down and go into hibernation, if it does that, decant it and sit it out for a few hours and then retaste it. I find a wine will usually come back if it's allowed to age a few hours in the decanter.
They say if it's damp and dreary wine can not taste as well as it could on a clear day. Well I sort of think (I'm still new to wine so I could be wrong) that's hogwash because England would never be the serious Bordeaux drinkers they are if it was.
Regardless of my mindless rambling, the system needs to be revised. I'm going to use a 10 point system and if the wine is out of balance, it just won't get a rating. Over fruit, over oaked, or over whatever, it will just be noted and buyers can make their own judgement. There is also a 10 point snob rating. A known good producer gets a point, year produced gets a point, region, chateau, winemaker etc. Which though the taste may be lacking the wine still gets points based on it's pedigree.
Okay so. Chateau tour de Segur 2000 gets 7 points on the taste scale and on the snob scale it gets a 6. How did it get it's points?
Taste Points
I'm currently studying for the WSET on home study and I have to say it's kicking my rear. Well not quite, it's making me very weary some days. There is so much to learn about wine and it's like this bottomless pit. However, it's a nice journey and I know so much more than a year ago. I was a casual drinker and then decided I was going to take this seriously. I highly recommend taking wine classes as it makes it more enjoyable.
I've made up a lot of questions on wine and will post them now and again to challenge you on wine.
I've had quite a few great little wines this past month. Including the Beaujolais Nouveau which a lot of wine snobs criticize every year. I think it's a great marketing tool for the region and I love a gluggable easy drinking bottle of cheap plonk any day of the week.
I've had one quite nice simple glug courtesy of Sam's Clubs buyers, Called Chateau Tour de Segur which is one of the Andre Lurton properties in Bordeaux. AC Lussac-Saint Emilion to be exact. If you haven't heard of the Lurton family, you should do so, as they own or run quite a lot of Bordeaux. D'Yquem, Cheval Blanc and a host of different properties throughout Bordeaux. Sort of like the Kennedy clan is to politics in the USA, but I would say on a broader scale. They carry quite a lot of power within the region. Usually if you see the Lurton name on a bottle (can be from bottles from all over the world as some of the family are flying winemakers in the new world) you can be assured it's a good bottle and what I've seen the value for money is excellent. I'm sure there's a few flubs out there as with any mass producer or importer, but on the whole quite a nice bottle of wine can be had regardless of it's status within the classe and chateau system of Bordeaux.
I gave the 2000 Chateau Tou de Segur 88 points, although I think some people would think it to be a 89 or 90 point wine. It's got a lot value and is very easy drinking with a mixed style of old and new world. You get some minerality but with a lot of excellent fruit and balance of oak. I think the rating system is way too giving and some wines getting better marks for the relationship with the magazine or reviewer than what it normally should be.
There is nothing wrong with an 80-85 bottle of wine. But the push to get higher ratings is becoming extraordinary and I think the 100 point system needs to be revised as it's really becoming the original 20 point system before Parker changed the rating structure. 100 does indeed sound better than 20. But all wines regardless how terrible they are get 50 points automatically and go up from there.
I think overoaked wine should be a 10 point deduction if it's not a wine that is destined for aging. These California chardonnays that taste like sawdust and won't age 2 years should never qualify for anything 90 and higher because of their complete inbalance.
Have you ever had a wine that had a 90 rating and you don't know how it got there. Basically a wine can taste better two months previously and does depend on the weather and of course the subjective nature of the tasting. A wine can close down and go into hibernation, if it does that, decant it and sit it out for a few hours and then retaste it. I find a wine will usually come back if it's allowed to age a few hours in the decanter.
They say if it's damp and dreary wine can not taste as well as it could on a clear day. Well I sort of think (I'm still new to wine so I could be wrong) that's hogwash because England would never be the serious Bordeaux drinkers they are if it was.
Regardless of my mindless rambling, the system needs to be revised. I'm going to use a 10 point system and if the wine is out of balance, it just won't get a rating. Over fruit, over oaked, or over whatever, it will just be noted and buyers can make their own judgement. There is also a 10 point snob rating. A known good producer gets a point, year produced gets a point, region, chateau, winemaker etc. Which though the taste may be lacking the wine still gets points based on it's pedigree.
Okay so. Chateau tour de Segur 2000 gets 7 points on the taste scale and on the snob scale it gets a 6. How did it get it's points?
Taste Points
- Beautiful colour, deep ruby
- Nice viscosity, nice legs
- Nice strawberry and raspberry fruit, good minerality
- Well Balanced
- 13% alcohol Big plus. These 14-16% cab/merlots have got to GO
- French Oak
- Nice medium finish
Snob Points
- Appellation of Lussac-Saint Emilion versus the generic appellation of St. Emilion.
- It's a Andre Lurton property.
- It's a blend versus a great hunk of Merlot.
- French Oak always gets a snob point.
- 13% alcohol versus these current monsters that are on the market definitely gets a snob point.
- 2000 harvest.
Were it a classed growth it would get more snob points. So for $14 bottle, yea that's a really good bottle of wine!
I should give it an hour quotient based on how long it would take to drink this bottle based on it's enjoyability and that would be a respectable 30 minutes per glass. I do 6 glasses per bottle, so it would be a nice 3 hour bottle. Based on two cut it in half. How do I come up with an hour quotient? An hour quotient is the enjoyability of the wine. The better the wine the slower you are apt to drink it. You enjoy the wine more and allow more time to have it evolve in the glass. You are patient with good wine whereas not so good wine you have a tendency to drink it much faster. Good wine makes you think about it. A Cheval Blanc were I to drink it alone and were it a relatively young wine would take me about 6-7 hours. Of course an old bottle would never last that long and would be a waste not drunk with friends. Never mind that pathetic, coarse, wine elitist drunk from Sideways. Oh but that's another day.
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Candidate for Wine of the Year
Yes, you've all seen the reports of Bordeaux for 2005 and the mega prices that vintage is commanding in the futures. With the best of California matching those prices, it's harder to find world class wines. You want the complexity of Bordeaux and the big flavours of California and other New World regions, but the prices are getting you down. Well it's time people look towards emerging Old World areas such as Spain.Spain has more land dedicated to the vine than anywhere else in the world. And for the terrorist, the land of Spain strongly dictates the taste of the grapes. Very cool nights with hot days lends great complexity and taste to the grapes.
Tierras de Luna is a carefully styled Bordeaux styled blend comprising of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon , 20% Tempranillo, 15% Merlot and 15% Mencia.
I could write long scripts about how fabulous it is, but with so many reviewers loving it and giving glowing reviews, I'll let you tell them how great it is.
"Even though this takes a generic appellation, Bierzo’s spirit is evident in this blend of 15% Mencia plus three grapes unauthorized in the Bierzo D.O.—Cabernet Sauvignon, Tempranillo and Merlot. Tense and full of dark black cherry and black pepper flavors, it feels elegant and cool, the mineral tones as fresh as an Atlantic breeze."
Wine & Spirits, 91 points, June 2006
“This is a deeply serious wine. Comprised of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Tempranillo, 15% Merlot and 15% Mencia, all grown in a marvelous vintage, this is very powerful and intense. The fruit notes are all black, with currants leading the way. Tarry, roasted meat notes and lots of fine-grained tannin make this a formidable partner for the most robust foods, so think lamb shanks and hearty stews.”
Wine Review Online – Michael Franz, 91 points
“This could almost be a Howell Mountain cabernet, with carbon on the nose, purple
fruit, and an earthy, murky finish. A powerful and engaging wine.”
Savuer Magazine, “Bierzo Rising—Meet some of Spain’s best new red wines”
2001 Tierras de Luna - The 26-year-old Perez is one of Spain's young stars, thanks to the wines he's making at Bodegas Luna Beberide in Bierzo. This lush, silky Cabernet blend is full of opulent dark fruit.
Food and Wine, May 2006 - On the winemaker Gregory Perez
Check this link from the website Wines from Spain!
http://www.winesfromspain.com/icex/cda/controller/pageGen/0,3346,1549487_23417381_23330381_422049_0,00.html
Check these international sites for our Spanish readers - It's an international star!
http://www.ebierzo.com/post/1/398
http://canales.elcomerciodigital.com/gastronomia/vinos/tinto/tierrasdeluna2001.htm
And there are so many more out there! It's a real star of the year and the amazing thing, it's not a $200 wine as you would think, but the retail price averages $25! You just can't get wines of this caliber for this price. It's one of those wines, difficult to find but a joy when you do. If you are in Houston, send me a note and I'll tell you where to find it! Be good all! And DRINK MORE WINE!
Donna
Start then stop
Okay, I'm definately going to blog now. I will thank Malan Breton from Project Runway as I gave him a supporting email after his greatly underserved removal from the show and realised I started this blog and I need to keep with it.
I have documented about 100 wines since I started the blog in December, and I have a lot of things to talk about. #1 I got a sales job with New Age Wines (www.newagewines.com) a boutique wine seller in Houston, Texas after finishing my ISG levels one and two (first in class, I'm so proud of myself). I am now doing the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (http://www.wset.co.uk/) Levels two and three, hope to enter the diploma level sometime in the fall which is the avenue towards a Master of Wine.
The wine world I liken to the fashion and art world, it's full of creative, artistic and completely eccentric individuals. Besides my love of wine in general, it's one of the best careers to be involved in. Everyone is happy (living life lightly tipsy is excellent!), we love to talk about our opinions on wine and we love to continually learn about wine. I haven't seen the movie Devil Wears Prada, but the creatures can be similar.
Most people, like fashion, think it's a group of snobs alienating people by their superior knowledge of wine. There are those that are like that in any industry, but mostly it's people who love the stuff so much they want to share it with everyone.
I think that's why beer is so much more popular than wine for the general public (even though they said this year was the first per capita was more wine consumption than beer) because beer is approachable, it's like your buddy. Whereas wine can be perceived as that gorgeous man/woman you are intimidated to ask out on a date for fear of instant rejection, which the case is normally no one asks them out and would jump at the chance for a date with you!
I've learned a lot from my friends here in Houston in the industry. I can't say enough about Peter Garcia of El Meson Restaurant in Houston, Texas (www.elmeson.com). Besides being an competely off the hook chef is an extraordinary human being. Anyone who wants to learn wine, he goes out of his way to extend himself to help. He has the best cuban food in the south I think and one of the top 5 Spanish Wine cellars in the United States. He creates beautiful food from the best ingredients and keeps it simple to allow the freshest in season produce to be the star of the dish.
I met Peter during my International Sommelier Guild course and over the time of the course grew to be fast friends. His charisma and energy are unlimited and I wish I had a quarter of it.
Take care, and I'll be back tomorrow
Donna
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)