Value brands & NY Wine

December 8th, 2008

Some quick wine stuff today…

Following my last post inquiring about wine buying habits, I found the following info. (from Wine & Spirits Daily) referring to Value Spirits:

“After years of little or no growth, value brands are starting to gain share and grow at a faster rate, as seen in Nielsen numbers to October 18. Dollar sales of value spirits grew 2.4% in the 52 weeks, 3.2% in the 12 weeks and 4.3% in the four weeks.

The data showed evidence of consumers trading down from ultra-premium spirits, which lost a significant amount of share in October. The category gained 9.7% in dollar sales in the 52 weeks to October 18, 5.1% in the 12 weeks and 2.3% in the four weeks.

Growth of mid-priced brands stayed relatively the same and premium brands lagged slightly, growing 2.2% in the 52 weeks and only 1.2% in the four weeks.”

Yes Spirits are different from Wine, but I have seen much of the same of late.  People are still drinking, but they are spending less money doing it.  “Trading down” is not a phrase most wine industry professionals like to hear, but it appears to be the (sad) reality given the trying times we are in the midst of.

AND speaking of trying times, a NY icon has closed its doors.

Vintage NY was a NY ONLY wine bar/store.  It was unique in so many ways, and a pretty special place.  As a matter of fact there were at one point two such Vintage NY locations.  This past week Vintage closed its second of two locations, citing “rising rents, higher costs, thin profit margins, slow cash flow, credit (issues)”, etc.

Not much to add here.  Hope this wasn’t TOO MUCH of a DOWNER post.  Just a reality check…

Happy exciting yet affordable Wine Tasting!

WTG

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YOUR wine buying habits

December 4th, 2008

So believe it or not loyal readers there are apparently, on average, about 150 of you a day who come visit this modest wine blog of mine.  Not a huge number by online standards but a nice number considering my first month or two I was getting about 3-5 daily views.

Anyway, I bring YOU up as I am curious and want to hear from YOU!  Seriously, I really do.

Having fully immersed myself in the wine business I have a lot of daily interaction with people within the trade.  And there are some common themes in terms of wine buying habits, while others are not that common.

First and foremost there is a NEW magic number in wine.  Or range to be more exact.  The new range is $14-$18 (back in the good old pre-recession days it was $20-25) to be.  Apparently that is what consumers are (for the most part) prepared to spend on a bottle of wine these days.  Sure there are those that spend more or less money.  And of course we might still splurge for a special occasion.  But in general, this is what the greatest percentage of people are spending.

But I’m curious.  Are you checking out wines from new regions?  Are you trying new varietals?  How about blends?  Are you for them or against them?  Are there wines from countries that you favor?  Are there wines from countries you simply won’t touch?

We all know by now that I am all about Israeli wines.  And you can probably infer that I am also pretty down with trying new things.  Don’t get me wrong, Cab is still king in my book and I’ll go for a good Cabernet (or Bordeaux style blend) with my favorite bloody rare steak any day.  But for things other than red meat I’m pretty open minded.  I want to try a nice Sangiovese…from Israel.  Or a cool red blend with…pinotage.  Seriously!

How about you?  What do you spend?  What varietal do you look for?  Do you ask the salespeople for help or do you choose a wine yourself?  Do you prefer certain countries or regions?  If you do, is it because those regions have good reputations for wine production or because you are a proud supporter of a certain country (said the Zionist)?  Do you buy all your wines at your local wine shop or do you travel to the discount place?  How about online?  Do you buy wine off the web?

PLEASE leave a comment and let me know.  I’m super curious.  If you are shy, you can contact me directly (gary@winetastingguy.com) instead of leaving a comment for all of cyberspace to read.  I promise, I will not Spam you (at least not any time soon – KIDDING).  But it would be real informative and help me out.  If only 20% of you comment that should be about 25-30 comments.  I can’t wait to hear what you think…

I’ll start.  When I’m not buying Israeli wine I’m mostly trying wines from France or Italy.  I used to buy online but I get deals at retailers I work with so I buy mostly from them these days.  I prefer not to spend more than $20, but I have a wine buying addiction (that I am working on) so if something sounds/looks really good I may splurge.  I have been curious about Cab Franc these days and have been into Chinon.  In general I’m up for checking out new varietals.  I’m trying to better familiarize myself with highly reputed wines such as Burgundy & Brunello (hello wine tasting group & industry tastings).  Given the weather I prefer red to white.  Finally, nothing is better than enjoying a nice glass of wine with someone special.  Now if I can only figure out a way for the special young woman in my life to have a sip of wine with dinner and not pass out from it 10 minutes later.

I look forward to hearing from YOU!!!

Happy introducing yourself to the wine tasting guy…

WTG

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Wine Shipping – Massachusetts & Michigan

December 1st, 2008

Direct shipments of wines, that is wine sent directly to consumers homes, is said to account for somewhere in the range of 5% of all wine sales.  This past week two states that have been heavily involved in the outstanding issue of wine shipping seemed to have arrived at (or neared) a resolution.

Michigan was trying to favor its own in-state retailers by allowing consumers to receive shipments of wine from Michigan retailers but prohibiting out of state retailers from shipping wine to Michigan residents.  Courts ruled this to be in violation of Federal trade laws and Michigan was forced to respond.  Rather than allowing all retailers to ship wine to Michigan residents, MI instead decided that NO RETAILER, out of state OR in state would be permitted to ship wine to (or within) Michigan.  Sorry Michigan residents.

Then there is Massachusetts, a state that clearly aimed to favor its own wineries and leave out wineries from other states.   MASS instituted a law whereby only wineries that produce under a certain amount of wine can ship their wines to consumers in MASS.  (Remember that we are now talking about WINERIES & not wine retailers.)  This law was instituted to virtually eliminate all the larger wineries located in States such as California, Oregon and Washington (to name a few), while allowing most of its own states’ wineries to continue shipping to MASS residents.    A US district court judge ruled that volume caps were discriminatory.  the likely result being that ALL WINERIES, regardless of size, will be able to ship to MASS residents.  NOTE: this ruling ONLY applies to wineries and does not permit for retailers to ship wine to MASS residents.

Some interesting stuff (in my very humble opinion) giving some indications as to the direction of wine shipping within the US.

Happy LOCAL WINE SHOP wine tasting!

WTG

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Turkey day wines (yes, another one)

November 26th, 2008

Browsing the web one can find MANY articles & blog posts for suggestions for Turkey day wines.  I hate to be unoriginal, but how can I let this day meant for family & drinking (wine) pass without some kind of mention?  Based on this post, clearly I can’t.

But rather than suggest some good Reisling (try the Golan Sion Creek White which is a blend including Riesling), a hearty Pinot (The Yarden 2004 Pinot is big, fruity and quite robust – whatever that means), or an American (style) Zinfandel (the Dalton Zin is a great match for any meal) I want to take another approach (sans all the not-so-subtle suggestions).

I want to encourgae you to all DRINK A WINE YOU LIKE!

There are endless articles about pairing your turkey with Chardonnay or Viognier, and just as many that tell you that if your turkey has one kind of stuffing you need Syrah, another kind you should try Zin, etc.   I’ve also read suggestions for Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, and so on…

YES, THEY ARE ALL RIGHT.  These are all GREAT choices.  But if you like your Turkey with gravy instead of cranberry sauce are you wrong?  What if you like it with ketchup (heaven forbid)?  Or mustard?  While some say this is sacrilege, it still isn’t wrong.

We are all different folks with our own unique different strokes (does that make any sense?).  Although the experts may recommend pairings that are said to work, and can make helpful suggestions for those who are looking for new wine ideas, the best wine is now and always a wine that YOU LIKE!

If you have any general or specific Turkey day wine questions feel free to comment below or reach me through the contact form on the blog.

Happy Turkey day Wine Tasting!

WTG

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Racking – CLK winery

November 24th, 2008

CLK winery is the name my friends gave to the house/garage “winery” we have.  It is really more of a place for three wine loving hobbyists to make a home made wine.  And yesterday was “racking” day # 1.

Racking is a process whereby the wine is siphoned away from its lees (lees are the dead yeast cells that SLOWLY fall to the bottom of the wine and form a bit of a sludge.  This is a process that must be done several times throughout the wine making process.  It is often done with pumps, and sometimes done using gravity – as we did (pictured above).  Just one of the many manual activities necessary for wine making – all activities that contribute to the cost of wine.

After many rackings and before bottling many “professional” wineries will put the wines through one or both of two other processes to remove any solids from the wines.

The first is known as “fining”.  Fining is a process whereby an additive is put into the wine that bonds with the solids and makes them heavier so that they sink rather than float around.  This minimizes the number of necessary rackings by getting these minuscule solids to drop (where they can then be racked) whereby they might otherwise be floating around in the wine.

The second process is called filtering.  This is generally done immediately before bottling.  Basically, a thin pad is inserted into a mechanism while the wine is being pumped towards the bottling machine.  This pad is supposed to catch the minuscule solids before the wine is pumped into the bottles.

Many wines these days advertise “unfiltered”.  There are those who believe that this filtration process strips wines of some of its flavors.  However, skipping this process may also lead tro a wine dropping sediment at a young age.  This sediment is not a flaw – but it is generally undesirable.

OK, been a bit all over the place in this post.  I guess all I’m trying to say is I was racking wines yesterday.  It was not too much fun, especially considering the COOOOLD temperatures.  But it was necessary, and I’m glad racking # 1is done.

Happy NO MANUAL LABOR FOR YOU wine tasting!

WTG.

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Wine in the news & Eric Asimov reads my blog??

November 21st, 2008

OK, maybe Asimov is not reading my blog, but we at least seem to be contemplating similar wine related phenomenons.  You may recall a post I wrote a few weeks ago called “Wine, Art & Music” discussing the connections between art (or the arts) and wine.  Well, sure enough Asimov writes about his conversation with a musician and some of the commonalities between wine and music in his latest writeup of “The Pour”.

Neilson put together an interesting piece on how the economic slowdown is affecting alcoholic beverage sales during the current economic slowdown and upcoming holiday season.  My favorite expression when discussing consumers spending on alcoholic beverages was their terming such purchases as an “affordable indulgence”.  Affordable is a relative term folks…  Also included in the article is something I have been hearing and seeing around the industry here in NY – off premise (wine shops/liquor stores) is picking up while on premise (bars/restaurants) is slowing down.

Finally, PRNewswire picked up a piece about wine.com and how they are offering several new (and unusual) delivery options such as “Evening, Saturday, Date-Specific and by Appointment Delivery”.  Definitely a unique approach to draw in customers…one that I think shows a company that understands the meaning of going the extra mile for their customers.  A crazy idea…but one that just might work!

Happy Wine Tasting Weekend!

WTG

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Good times for Israel wines

November 18th, 2008

Having followed Israel wines for many years I knew this day would come.  Having worked at Israeli wineries I was sure that others would eventually acknowledge the high quality of up-and-coming Israeli wines.  Having chosen a career in Israeli wines I have PRAYED for universal acceptance of Israeli wines.  Ladies and gentlemen, Israeli wines have arrived!

In all seriousness I know that it will take a while, but the past 12 months have brought a barrage of recognition for Israeli wines.  First it was the extensive tasting of Israeli wines by Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate (“Israeli wine isn’t an oddity any more, and it is certainly not just for those who keep kosher”).  Then it was Wine Spectator’s Kim Marcus traveling the holy land (“I came away impressed by the leaps in quality, especially of the red wines, and by the dedication of the vintners”).

And more recently Israel earned its own chapter in the latest release (7th Edition) of ” Parker’s Wine Buyer’s Guide” – a whole NINE pages – as many as New Zealand and more than South Africa!

But I chose to write about my beloved Israeli wines today as there was more news yesterday.

Top 100

Top 100

Wine Spectator’s “annual roundup of the years most exciting wines”, AKA the top 100 wines of the year included an Israeli wine for the first time.  The Golan Heights winery’s Yarden 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon came in at 91.  How cool is that!  Also pretty cool are the messages of congratulations I received from several industry contacts.  Although I had NOTHING to do with the making of this wine I feel like a proud parent.

Now go out and buy some great Israeli wine…you’ll love it!

Happy Israeli wine tasting!

WTG

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Wine and Pregnancy

November 16th, 2008

I spent the afternoon today with some guys I have been friendly with for about 20 years (damn I’m getting old).  We went out to the suburbs and enjoyed a football Sunday.  But this was not your typical “guys, beer & football” afternoon.  Today included wives & kids (of which I have neither…yet).  (Of import of course my beloved Giants CRUSHED the Baltimore Ravens (30-10) and improved to 9-1.  Looking good G-men!)

Of the women in attendance today 2 were pregnant and 3 others have had babies within the last few months.  Although I am not a medical doctor, and not even a Wine doctor (maybe one day), I do encourage pregnant women to drink wine (in moderation!) when pregnant (I believe a half a glass or so 2-3 times a week). While I don’t think my encouragement has changed anyone’s previously made up mind, it has not prevented me from throwing my two cents into the equation.

pregnant wine drinker

There have been countless studies supporting both both moderate drinking and abstaining during pregnancy, but I recently read one posted a couple of weeks ago on Wine Spectator online.  Researched at the University College of London and published in the International Journal of Epidemiology, the study proudly states:

“…not only can pregnant women safely drink a glass or two of wine per week, but  their children performed better three years after birth when compared to children of women who did not drink at all.”

For more information please read the rest of the article.  If you are pregnant (or intend to become pregnant) and want to drink alcohol during your pregnancy PLEASE consult your physician, conduct your own research, and DO NOT use this one study to make your decision.  And if you do decide to drink (pregnant or not) PLEASE do so in moderation.

Happy (pregnant or not) Wine Tasting!

WTG

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Palate training with 1990 Grand Cru Burgundy

November 14th, 2008

As many of you already know, I got my start in wine when I went to Israel during the 2006 harvest and worked at a winery & in this winery’s vineyards.  From there I went to Napa and worked at a large custom crush facility.  Before returning to NYC I asked the winemaker whom I most respected and admired how I could speed up the training of my palate.  Feeling a well rounded and critical palate was essential for me to succeed in the wine industry, yet recognizing that I was an inexperienced taster, I was seeking the secret to palate training.  What I learned was that sadly there is no shortcut to palate training.  With a shrug of the shoulder this world class winemaker told me “I’m sorry, there are no shortcuts, you must taste, taste, taste”.  And with that, I embarked on a mission to taste as much wine as humanly (and financially) possible.

Which led me to “Meetup”.  Meetup is a website that “makes it easy for anyone to organize a local group or find one of the thousands already meeting up face-to-face”.  And through Meetup I became a member of a wine tasting group. It has now been a year and a half, and the core of the group is going strong.  We have all learned A LOT together, and several of us have since transitioned into the wine industry.

I bring this all up as I recently attended the first of a series of Burgundy tastings.  These tastings are with several of the original members of the wine tasting “meetup” club, and have become good friends.

On this night, we tasted Burgundy from Gevrey-Chambertin, a classified Burgundy region.  We tasted 7 wines, although 1 of the 7 seemed to have been “off”.  They ranged in price from about $50-$350 (although given our industry connections we did not pay full price).  The $350 wine was a 1990 Domaine Jean-Claude Fourrier Griotte-Chambertin Grand Cru.

1990 Burgundy

Amazingly, this 18 year old wine had a firm acidity, indicating many more years of life.  It was a clear lite orange color, becoming almost peachy-pink at the rim.  It had aromas of tart raspberry and mint and tasted of earth, mineral and berry. This gem had a nice long finish.

But my favorite of the night was the 1999 Dominique Laurent Mazis-Chambertin.  This clear garnet wine with a slightly brick colored rim was fabulous.  A very pretty nose of berries, perfume, flowers and limestoney minerals led to elegant berry and earth flavors on a beautifully round and subtle palate with a very long finish.

Happy Burgundy tasting palate training!

WTG

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Bottle Shock

November 12th, 2008

I bet you thought the title was referring to the recently released movie that retells the story of the great 1976 wine standoff between France & Napa.  Although the story is a very interesting one and I hear the movie was entertaining as well, that is not what I am writing about tonight.  Sadly I have not seen it yet, but I do hope to catch it at some point.

What I am writing about is a phenomena that happens to wine.  I enjoyed the description from the David Girard Vineyards website:

“Bottle shock is real. It is also a fairly simple concept.  Wines, like people do not necessarily travel well.  That’s true even if the trip is only for the short distance from barrel to bottle.  You might think of it as analogous to travelers who get out of their car after a drive from Sacramento to Los Angeles.  All of their parts are still there when they arrive.  Nevertheless, they may need a while to stop feeling the vibration of the road.  They may need to straighten out their clothes.  They may need to look in a mirror to attend to the finer details.”

bottle shock

So as I understand it there are two variations on bottle shock.  The first is the shock the wine goes into when first bottled (or as referred to above when transferred from barrel to bottle).  And the second is the shock wine experiences when it goes on long journeys – especially those taken via plane across continents.

Those of you who read my post from last night know I attended the “Kosherfest” food & wine convention today.  I am writing about “bottle shock” as I tried a few wines from a very well regarded purveyor of Israeli wines today with some wine aficionados.  I am quite familiar with most of this winery’s wines, and smelled a wine that one of the aforementioned aficionados said was corked.  I was sure that the wine was not corked, but he was right, it was definitely OFF.   The three of us then tried yet another wine and sure enough this too was “off”.  I am proud to say that yours truly theorized that the wines were not corked but actually suffering from travel sickness AKA bottle shock.  I spoke with a winery rep who confirmed that the wines were all flown in from Israel and arrived just a day or two prior to the event.  We all then agreed that many of the wines that seemed off must have been suffering from bottle shock.

While I thought you might enjoy hearing that this phenomena actually does exist and is real I must admit that I am a bit embarrassed to be writing about it given how highly I speak of Israeli wines.  That said, the wines are all excellent, it is the judgement of those who decided to fly the wines in the night before that should be brought into question.

Happy SHOCKLESS wine tasting!

WTG

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