I’m preparing to fly to KC to lead a wine tasting in a few days. But not before I head to Boston to do a wine training. I was recently asked my opinion about a wine by the CEO of a multi-million dollar wine importer. And today I was asked to be a contributing writer to a well regarded wine website. SO WHO THE HECK AM I???… (more…)
Archive for the ‘Wine STUFF’ Category
Confessions of a wine blogger
Tuesday, January 19th, 2010
Wintertime soup wines…
Sunday, January 10th, 2010This article was originally written for Gourmetkoshercooking.com…ENJOY!
Winter/Soup wines
It has been a cold winter of late in the Northeast and given the option I’d like to spend every evening curled up in front of the fireplace with a steaming hot bowl of rich hearty soup. Give me an “everything soup” – start with the chicken & herbs and simply throw everything you can imagine in – ahh, the best. Now you want to have a nice glass of wine in front of your fireplace with the aforementioned bowl of soup, but which wine to choose?
Pairing wine with soup can be a challenge for wine lovers; with the overpowering nature of a rich soup and the similar liquidy texture between the two. The first rule, as always, is to drink whatever wine you like. But if you want to work a little outside the box you can turn to some underappreciated wines; sparkling & fortified.
When considering sparkling wine the associations are automatically champagne & celebratory events. I’d encourage you to consider trying a sparkling wine any time and turning to those made outside of the Champagne region of France (similar to champagne but legally not allowed to be called “Champagne”), such as Cava from Spain, Prosecco from Italy, or simply sparkling wine made in places such as Israel or California. When done right, the texture of the little bubbles in a sparkling wine combined with its bracing dry acidity make sparkling wines “food neutral” – as in they compliment ANYTHING. Looking to the “old world” you can seek out the French Blanc de Blanc by Herzog, the slightly sweet Bartenura Brut Prosecco from Italy or the bone dry ELVI “Adar” Brut Cava from Spain.
Another option for fireplace sipping, also unheralded, is “Port”, a fortified wine from Portugal. Often sweet and generally fortified with a neutral grape spirit such as grappa or brandy, this wine screams warm slippers & fireplace sipper. The fortification of the wine leads to a higher alcohol level than regular table wines. And said heavier alcohol makes for a similar textural contrast as the aforementioned sparkling wines – making for a heart warming combination with soup. Try the Porto Cordovero from Portugal or Israel’s Vintage Port made by Carmel.
It’s cold outside but these underappreciated wine styles paired with that steamy bowl of soup and a crackling fireplace can ensure that you are nice and warm inside.
Happy Cold weather soup sipping and alternative wine tasting!
WTG
How big is your cork?
Tuesday, December 29th, 2009
Shooting for a little subliminal New Years humor as we prepare to POP THE CORKS of bubbly or whatever alcoholic beverage you will be imbibing in this New Years.
This picture was taken while enjoying some special wines with good friends while on a business trip in Israel. Although the differences may appear to be small, it is amazing how long that cork on the right is. Though the most interesting (albeit somewhat oxidized) wine of the night was this one…
But back to corks for a quick second, these extra long corks are used so that they can absorb a LOT of wine during bottle aging and still maintain a proper seal & prevent oxidation. Though I wonder how long it would take that long cork on the right to get fully soaked & for any seepage to take place…
Remember folks, it is not the size of the ship…
Happy NEW YEARS wine tasting!
WTG
Avoid the hangover – drink clear spirits
Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009Ahhh….the holiday season is upon us (as is the COLD in NYC). Which means lots of partying. Lots of partying means lots of drinking. And lots of drinking means the likelihood of the infamous HANGOVER.
But is there a way to avoid a hangover? I think when it comes down to it, if you drink too much and don’t have sufficient food/fluids in your system, you will suffer with some form of hangover. I would recommend drinking with your meal & if possible, having a glass of water with each drink. But researchers from Brown University have a different idea…drink clear spirits.
The researchers have said that dark drinks such as wine or whiskey have many times more chemicals called “congers” than lighter colored drinks such as gin or vodka. And it is these “congers” they concluded that cause the infamous hangover.
“While the alcohol alone is enough to make many people feel sick the next day, these toxic natural substances can add to the ill effects as our body reacts to them,” Damaris Rohsenow, a professor at the Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies at Brown University, said in a statement.
OH BOY…I’m in trouble…90+% of my wine/beer/spirits collection are dark. Dark beer, bourbon & red wine. Thank goodness for ibuprofen!
Happy hangover free imbibing!
WTG
Is it worth it to spend $40, $50 or more on a bottle of wine?
Tuesday, December 15th, 2009When is it worth spending more than $30 for a bottle of wine? I would contend NEVER. OK, maybe not never, but for 90+% of purchases I think it is silly.
Let me begin by saying that I am referring to wines bought at a wine shop, not in a restaurant. Restaurants generally charge more, so that magic number probably goes up to about $40-50.
I have read several articles of late noting the decrease in sales of “premium” wines ($30+) that has resulted as the economy has struggled. Some speculate that as the economy recovers people will go back to buying these wines while others believe that consumers have found wines they like at lower price points and will not go back to paying more for a bottle. But more importantly, SHOULD PEOPLE EVER spend $30+ on a bottle of wine?
To answer this question we must first discuss some of the factors that make a wine so expensive.
The most important component of wine is the grape. To make a premium wine one must use the best grapes. These premium grapes come from the best vineyards in the best wine producing regions. When not used by the growers themselves, these grapes can cost upward of several thousand dollars per ton. The high price for these grapes leads to a more expensive wine. (This doesn’t even account for the cost of the land or the vines which often require 3-4 years before they reach maturity.)
The winemaker, though a debatable topic (for another time) is also an expense. Those winemakers who have proven the ability to make premium wines command premium salaries. Some of the best are actually contracted to be consulting winemakers and work with the full time winemaker to make the best wine possible. This adds to the cost of the wine.
Finally, and the factor I believe plays the biggest role in this debate is the aging process – which further breaks down to time and device. How long the wine is aged and in what vessel. Every day wines might be aged in stainless steel tanks that can be reused year after year & kept there for only a few weeks or months before being bottled and sold. On the other end of the spectrum are the wines that are aged in the finest oak barrels for as many as 24 or more months. The cost of these barrels can exceed $1,000 & are they only fully effective in their first use – though they are often used for 3, 4 or more different wines. That is 2 years of holding on to a product aged in $1,000 oak barrels before it can be sold – though it is often held for at least another 2-3 months after the wine is bottled.
SO, as you can see, these premium wines can cost their producer a lot of money to produce.
Then Wine Tasting Guy, you ask, I want the best wine there is and I am prepared to pay for it.
If your purchase is made for ego purposes stop reading now. You are doing what you want and there is no logic I can provide that will (or should) change your mind. But if you are really curious about whether or not your expensive purchase is worth it or not, read on…
In my (humble) opinion, these wines are similar to, if not LESS DESIRABLE than wines that undergo a cheaper aging process. Huh? If it is cheaper how can it be BETTER? Well, 90+% of wines (I think the number is closer to 95%) are consumed within 48 hours of being purchased. Therein lies my argument. So many of these premium wines are being consumed THAT NIGHT…but they are made to be consumed in 3, 5 even 10 or more years.
Premium wine aged in fine oak barrels need time to reach their full potential. A well made wine gains complexities as it ages. And the barrel aging process leads to wine that tastes oaky and often “tight” in its youth (think of cold food that should be served hot). HOWEVER, once these premium wines are given time (known as bottle aging) for the oak flavors/aromas to integrate well with the fruit component of the wine & are further allowed to develop secondary characteristics, these wines can be magical.
On the other hand, wines intended for early consumption, within about 3 years of the vintage date, generally have less new oak used and can reach their full potential much sooner. So while some may argue that the potential of these wines does not hold a candle to that of the premium wines, at least they are being enjoyed closer (or at) their full potential rather than way before their potential has come close to being realized.
SO, if you are a wine collector who intends to age your wine (in the proper place, temperature, humidity, etc) then go for it. Buy expensive wine…and invite me over to enjoy it with you 
. You are likely to be rewarded! But if you are like the other 95% of the population who consume wine within 1-2 days of buying the wine (or even within 6-12 months) then save your hard earned money and buy a wine in the magical $15-25 range.
Happy economically sound wine tasting!
WTG
Is this food/wine any good?
Monday, December 7th, 2009When you go to a bar/restaurant, do you ask the waiter if a dish/drink/wine is any good?
I mean seriously, what server/waiter/waitress worth half their weight in plonk (low grade wine) would actually answer NO, that dish/wine is bad. I mean seriously…
But WTG, what if I am curious about a dish and want to know if it is any good? Shouldn’t the server tell me the truth???
NOOOO!!!! Sure the server is working for a tip & presumably that server will not want to steer you wrong. BUT once you leave the restaurant that server has a boss to answer to & if that boss hears the server saying anything negative about the food at the establishment said server will likely be unemployed.
The best solution would be to ask for a taste of the dish/wine in question. In the case of foods this may be difficult, but with most wines that are served by the glass at restaurants or wine bars you should be able to get a taste.
At restaurants I like to employ 2 strategies. The first, if I have a specific dish in mind, is to ask the server if they have had the dish. (Many servers only eat from community dishes prepared in advance of their shift for the whole staff.) If they have, ask if they enjoyed it and would order it again. This way the server can tell you that they might not have enjoyed it or they might not order it again, without saying that it is not good (or heaven forbid BAD).
The next strategy I like to take, and the one I favor most hoping to get the restaurant’s BEST dish is to ask the server what their favorite is, or what they would order if they were eating dinner and I was paying. This really gets them to open up & generally lets you know if you take their recommendation that you are likely to end up with a good dish.
Happy tasty food & wine tasting!
WTG
“Contains Sulfites”
Tuesday, December 1st, 2009We’ve all seen it on the back label of a bottle of wine…
…but what does it mean?
Sulfites are a preservative. They are found in dried fruit & are commonly used in salad bars. They are added to wine to preserve the wine & prevent it from spoiling.
Some people are allergic to sulfites. Others believe that the sulfites in wine are what cause them to get headaches from wine.
Wouldn’t it be great if there were no sulfites in wine? And what of organic wines – isn’t that sulfite free??
Well, ALL wine has sulfites. Sulfites are naturally occurring on the grape skins. Since red wine gets its color from the skins red wines have more naturally occurring sulfites than white wines. But white wines generally have more sulfites added than red wines. So there is no and will never be any sulfite free wine (as far as I understand) – or at least none that will last more than a few days (hours?).
As to organic wine, it not only has the naturally occurring sulfites, but almost all has added sulfites – otherwise the wine would spoil relatively quickly. BUT…and here is the difference, organic wine, to maintain their organic classification, can only add a specific (small) amount of sulfites. YES, it is still there, BUT it is also added in smaller amounts.
SO, now that we have cleared that up I want to tell you about a real cool technology I just read about on decanter.com. The technology, called SurePure, uses light to purify wine REDUCING (but not eliminating) the need for sulfites. Something about the technology “deactivates microbes” (whatever that means) reducing the likelihood of spoilage. Apparently it is already used in the juice, dairy & beverage industries. And now it has been approved for use in South Africa.
No idea whether this technology will work for wine, how far its use will spread or whether it will enable those who suffer from red wine headaches to drink wine worry free. But it does sound like an exciting development…
Happy light purified wine tasting!
WTG
The Cali Cab that wasn’t a fruit bomb
Saturday, November 21st, 2009I’ve had the wine before. It is a kosher Cabernet Sauvigon from California. Not Napa Valley, but Alexander Valley fruit. Having tasted previous vintages of it, I was not surprised to hear that it was awarded 90 points from Wine Enthusiast.
2005 Herzog Special Reserve Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
For those of you who do not know, The Alexander Valley is in Northern Sonoma County just North, Northwest of the more famous Napa Valley. Like Napa it is littered with wineries where they produce great wines. And while the nuances of the wines made in Napa & Sonoma are different, my experience has been that the styles of wine are similar. Big, extracted, fruity, high (but generally balanced) alcohol, etc.
I’ll make a confession here…I like big fruity wines. As a matter of fact my favorite meal is a rare steak & big bad cab. Sure these tooth staining wines will overpower the flavors of most dishes but it goes oh so well with steak and other hearty rich meats, stews & chops.
So the 90 point score was of no surprise to me. A big Alexander Cab got a high score. But then I tried it…
WOW. This wine reminded me immediately of the wines from another California winery; Edmunds St John. Steve Edmunds makes leaner, lower alcohol, terroir driven wines. And his “Rocks & Gravel” GSM (Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre) blend is a favorite of mine – when I’m not eating steak
So tasting this lean, earthy, minerally wine was a real treat. A Cali cab that I can enjoy with more than just a steak. At 13.8% alcohol with its nice tight structure, this wine wont overpower some of my other favorite foods like chicken, salmon or pasta. My wife commented on the pretty floral nose while I enjoyed its clean, tart, forest berry flavors.
And to top it off this wine is mevushal (flash pasteurized). But no stewed or cooked fruit. Just real lean & fresh. Beautiful.
So if you are looking for Cali Cab that got a 90 from the critics but isn’t a fruit bomb go check out the Herzog Special Reserve Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.
Happy non-fruit bomb Cab tasting!
WTG
Take a BREAK this weekend & drink local
Friday, August 28th, 2009OK, the “break” references will end soon. I’ll get used to this broken wrist thing. And all will be normal in BLOGLAND.
But I want to give a quick wrist update. GOOD NEWS – It appears (X-ray & CT scan) that my break is non-displaced & in the part of the bone that should lead to normal healing. SO, for now I get a cool cast & no immediate need for surgery (metal objects drilled into my bones).
Healing time for this injury is still between 8-12 weeks, so no party. But the preliminary diagnosis is good. I follow up with the hand specialist in 2 weeks & will keep you updated.
Now my quick wine related part of this post is something I eluded to in my last post. I recently met with the proprietor and original winemaker for a NY State (Long Island) winery. Since I live in NY this is a local winery for me. The proprietor has since brought in a trained winemaker to take over, but I learned in my conversation with the gentleman that he is still very hands on.
The winery is called “Red Fern”, and they make 4 types of wine, all single varietal. They make a Cabernet Sauvignon, a Merlot, a Syrah & a Chardonnay. I’ll be writing an article about the winery & their wines for a local paper, but I want to tell you that these wines are GOOD. Very modern in style, the winemaker gets nice extraction out of the fruit which produces fruity, full bodied wines. I think this is of interest as NY state wines sometimes have a problem with ripeness. And when the fruit does not fully ripen the wines tend to have a lean & green dynamic to them. So making wines such as Cabernet Sauvignon & Syrah, varietals that needs lots of sun/heat to fully ripen can be considered a bit risky. I’d like to see this winery experiment with some Cabernet Franc or Riesling, varietals more commonly associated with NY given their affection for the NY climate. Nonetheless, these wines (I tasted the 2005’s) were very nice and get my recommendation. And oh yeah, they just happen to be kosher.
Happy locally produced wine tasting!
Wine Tasting Gimp
wine tidbits; PET & oxygen
Tuesday, August 18th, 2009I recently blogged about an article written by Jerry Hirsh commenting on “Chateau Plastique”, referring to wines bottled in PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) plastic bottles. The idea being that plastic bottles weigh less, consequently have a smaller carbon footprint and have no effect on wine NOT intended for long term aging (though might not be suited for wines that are to be cellared for several years).
I recently came across another article on the topic on “plasticsnews.com”, and found it of interest in that it quoted some numbers referencing how FEW bottles are actually laid down in a cellar and aged for future consumption.
Quoting Patrick Egan, brand manager for innovation at Boisset Family Estates, the article states that “There are 2.6 billion cases of wine sold in the world each year, of that, 70 percent costs less than $12 per bottle, and 70 percent is [consumed] within three hours of purchase.” THREE HOURS! WOW!
I find those stats to be remarkable. But not surprising. What is in fact surprising to me (though it probably shouldn’t be) are the number of people buying expensive wine (say for example $30+) these days. Though I’m sure there are MANY out there who would argue with me, I tend to think that these “expensive” wines are MADE for aging & when consumed young they are often LESS accessible than their more affordable little brothers (wines possibly made from second rate fruit & aged using a cheaper oak program – say American vs. French oak barrels). So although the 70% number (wines costing less than $12) is high, I sometimes wonder if the number should be even higher considering how much of wine purchased is immediately consumed…??
This is a BIG can of worms that I’ll continue to elude to in the future, but it is something I have thought a lot about…
Also of interest was an article about the interaction of oxygen & wine. These items are somewhat related as it has to do with the aging of wine in bottles. Now “bottle aging” has always been a bit of a mystery to me. But when asked about it I simply explained (as I learned) that the cork on a bottle of fine wine is porous and allows a microscopic amount of air into the bottle, thereby continuing the micro-oxygenation process started while the wine aged in the (porous) barrel, and leading to a properly bottle-aged wine. When pushed about alternate closures or how the air gets in when the cork is intentionally kept wet (by storing the wine on its side) I simply shrugged.
Well, I’m still a bit confused, but the article written by Jamie Goode for wines & vines did explain one aspect of bottle aging – that being the interaction of oxygen left in the “head-space” of a bottle of wine when it is first bottled.
Goode talks about oxygen levels in PPM (parts per million) as well as other wine science stuff. The article is quite technical and definitely beyond my comprehension, but Alder Yarrow of Vinography.com explains it succinctly when he states; “The oxygen in the “headspace” ends up being absorbed by the wine in about 10 months of aging. And once in the wine, that dissolved oxygen goes about doing a lot of things that basically involve “aging” the wine. In particular, affecting its color”. COOL!
Hope some of you found this to be of as much interest as I did…
Happy PET bottled & properly oxygenated wine tasting!
WTG
