A Sense of Discovery...and A Dram of Scottish Wine?

Too often, wine lovers get bogged down in the whole obsessive business of chasing ‘great’ wine. And while this effort--which I’m sure all of us have (or currently are) engaged in--typically leads to the uncorking of some remarkable bottles, it also has the unfortunate side-effect of obscuring a whole other class of wines from our respectful view if we're not careful.

When I first got into wine professionally, I found myself slipping into this trap, and it began to feel like some sort of (with apologies to Kant and standard English usage) myopic vinological imperative to amass as deep a well of experience with the greats as possible. Now, there’s nothing wrong with this in and of itself. In fact, wine professionals should be able to understand and comment on certain specific touchstone bottlings with a broad, well-considered sense of context...but not at the expense of everything else.

Eventually, I learned that the wine world is about much, much more than just a handful of famous names and iconic labels. It is, rather, about a sense of discovery, and a desire to understand and make connections between all the moving parts of that world, no matter how famous or unheralded one particular corner of it might be in relation to another.

This was driven home most clearly to me when I began getting together with a group of local wine professionals here in Philadelphia for occasional BYOB-style dinners and at which the game, as it were, is not to bring the most famous bottle we can find, but, rather, the most interesting. This has led to some revelatory glasses of wine that we wouldn’t have had otherwise: Dry Furmint from Hungary; sparkling and bone-dry Shiraz from Australia; a sweet wine from one of the smallest appellations in Italy, the tiny Loazzolo DOC tucked away in the Piedmont region; and more.

So why talk about this today? Because this morning I read the news that Scotland is just about set to release its first commercially produced wine, a Riesling. And while no one really expects it to be great, or even, for that matter, terribly good--even the producer, Chef Peter Gottgens of the Ardeonaig Hotel on Loch Tay in Perthshire, says, according to the article in the Scottish Daily Record, “‘I don’t for one minute think we are going to rival any of the great wine-producing areas of the world. But we are going to learn and have a great experience from it’”--that doesn’t matter all that much. The importance is in the effort.

I cannot think of a better attitude, and a more propitious place to start, than that: At the intersection of exploration and passion, where so many of us began our journey in wine.

No matter what you drink, whether it’s First Growth Bordeaux, Grand Cru Burgundy, or Scottish Riesling, the sense of wonder at the wine world’s breathtaking diversity, and a desire to explore every nook and cranny of the map, is the bedrock, it seems to me, of a lifetime of wine enjoyment. The great vintages of the best producers can be magical, and anyone who tells you that they don’t get excited whenever they are lucky enough to taste one is either lying or in the unfortunate possession of malfunctioning taste buds. But there’s more to a satisfying wine life than just those bottlings. Balance and context, in wine as in life, is the key to happiness.

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More on Wine and Health

Here we go: Yet another reason to drink wine (as if we needed one!). Wine Spectator reports in this week’s “Wine and Healthy Living” newsletter that there is one more in a very long string of reports on wine’s health benefits. This time, the news deals with lung cancer, which, according to new research, may be prevented--or, at the very least, staved off--by the consumption of wine.

Of course, this early-stage evidence is still primarily based on lab research, but, according to the story, “the results may translate to humans,” as have so many other lab tests dealing with wine’s health benefits.

This also brings up another aspect of wine’s healthfulness that is too often overlooked: That many of wine’s benefits are not limited just to the chemically and scientifically quantifiable, but also by the social aspects of it. After all, in a world as stressful and demanding as this modern one we all wake up in every morning, wine offers the opportunity for a break, for socializing, and for enjoying a few moments without the other stresses we spend so much of the rest of our time contending with.

At the end of the day (both literally and figuratively), sitting down with friends or new acquaintances and conversing over a glass or three is one of the best, most relaxing and healthful activities I can think of. The benefits are physical, mental, and emotional in equal measure. And no matter what you pair it with, wine almost always makes a meal better than it would have been without.

Now, if only the scientific community found evidence that filling your water bottle with wine and sipping from it at the gym was good for your health, we'd really be set...

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The Wines of Calabria (in Brief)

I just finished my first seminar at Vino 2010--I’m attending more than half a dozen of them over the course of two days--and am blown away by what I tasted. This one focused on the wines of Calabria, and, for lovers of traditional varietals and winemaking techniques, it’s a must-study region of Italy.

Unlike so many other parts of the world, Calabria has managed to maintain its focus on the traditional grape varieties that have served it well since, in some cases, the Greeks arrived.

I’ll be reporting on this in much more detail next week when there’s time to really delve into it--right now I’m in the press room on the 18th floor of the Waldorf, half an hour before the opening reception--but for now it’ll have to suffice to say that the range and quality of wines from Calabria is stunning. From deep, rich, cherry-scented beauties to more wild garrigue- and lavender-influenced bottlings, Calabria is a fascinating place, and a treasure trove for lovers of exactly the kind of regional idiosyncrasy that Italy delivers with such exuberance.

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Heading to New York

As I noted here last week, I’m heading to New York this afternoon for Vino 2010, the largest Italian wine event ever held in the United States--or, for that matter, anywhere in the world aside from Italy. I received my final schedule yesterday, and it’s going to be a seriously interesting couple of days, filled with seminars and tastings that cover everything from the specific terroirs of Tuscany to the relatively little known Gaglioppo grape variety of Calabria. There’s even a dinner tomorrow night at Le Cirque that will feature the wines of Friuli. And, as is the case whenever I’m out of town for a wine-related trip, I will be blogging about it, and shooting video of it, throughout. I’ll also be posting updates on Twitter to @WineUpdate, most of which will turn into longer blog posts right here at UncorkLife.com later this week and next.

Also as I mentioned last week, don’t forget to tune in online for the live video stream of the special Virtual Vino panel discussion this Thursday morning, February 4th, at 10:00am, during which the impact of social media will be discussed and dissected by some of the field’s top experts. And if you have any questions for the panel, you can post them on Twitter to @Vino2010 and @JRvino2010.

In the meantime, I thought that this would be a good day to link up part 1 of a solid introductory video on Valpolicella that the Wine Spectator recently ran. (Click here for the video.) I’ll follow up with part 2 once it’s available, as well as with my own videos from New York. So stay tuned--there’s a lot happening this week. I’m getting thirsty just thinking about it.

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Good News from St.-Julien

Chateau Léoville Las Cases, the beloved Second Growth, will jump into the second-wine market with its own bottling, Petit Leon de Léoville. The first vintage released will be the 2007, Decanter.com reported recently.

According to the article, “Yorick d'Alton of the Delon family, owners of the St Julien property, said this week” that “‘The trend at the property is to select more and more, and if we make a second wine this will improve our top wines.’”

In typical second-wine fashion, Petit Leon de Léoville will be produced “from young vines and vats that are not of the right quality level,” d’Alton said, which will not only make a more rigorous selection for the grand vin possible, but which will also result in a second wine that will be drinkable well before its big brother is.

This is great news for fans of Léoville Las Cases, which has, in recent years, produced a string of absolutely stellar wines. Between 1999 and 2006, no Léoville Las Cases received less than 94 points from the Wine Spectator and, on a personal note, the 2000 was one of the most remarkably perfumed, balanced, and elegant young wines I’ve ever tasted. If this new second wine makes the first one even better, we’re all in for a treat.

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Wine Chateau Television Segment

Not long before the holidays, Wine Chateau Piscataway hosted a special tasting for members of the local Chamber of Commerce. We opened a number of excellent wines, snacked on some delicious cheeses and cold cuts, and discussed a wide range of wine-related issues (as we do here many times throughout each month).

One of the local television stations recorded the event, and conducted interviews afterward with the President and CEO of Wine Chateau, Saurabh Abrol, and with me. Check out the video below--it was a great night.

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Three Decades of Cheval Blanc

Last week, I had the very good fortune to attend a dinner that featured some truly legendary wines. Come to think of it, though, I probably shouldn’t use the word “featured”--after all, the primary point of the gathering was to celebrate more than three decades of a friend’s business (and his birthday, which falls around the same time). So while he brought along wines that in any other situation would have become the focus of the meal, here they played the far more enjoyable role of simply being the wines we drank at dinner with family and friends.

Of course, there’s a caveat here: Anytime you open up three decades of Cheval Blanc, a 40-year-old bottle of Chateau d’Yquem, and a Madeira from the year the Golden Gate Bridge opened (1937), is a special occasion. But the fact that conversation swirled around the wines, and was not wholly about them, made their presence at the table that much more special: We were consuming them the way they were meant to be. Which is to say, joyously.

I’ve written about my friend Scot “Zippy” Ziskind before. He’s the owner of the My Cellar wine storage facility and of ZipCo Environmental Services, Inc., one of the country’s most respected custom storage, cooling, and humidification specialists. He is also a great collector of wine in general and Bordeaux and dessert wine in particular. It was his birthday, and the anniversary of his business, that we were celebrating. As such, and given the nature of the restaurant at which he and his wife Marcie, my wife and I, and four friends of theirs (including my parents), had gathered, the context could not have been better for popping the corks on these particular bottles.

Below, then, are my tasting notes from the evening, but just for the Cheval Blanc. (I’ll be writing up the Yquem and the Madeira in future posts dedicated to those wines, and alongside tasting notes of other vintages for a better sense of context.) All of the wines had been stored in pitch-perfect conditions, which was reflected in their flawless evolution and expression, and enjoyed at Cochon, an excellent, casual, rustic-French BYOB in Philadelphia.

Chateau Cheval Blanc 1959 - The nose here can only be described as “warm”--plush and exquisitely mature with hints of gravel, sun-baked clay, and tobacco. There were background notes of dried sage and cedar, too, as well as flowers and a touch of creaminess. All that lushness followed through to the palate, which coated the tongue yet still remained light and silky. Perfectly concentrated raspberry, raspberry cream, and spice notes dominated, and ultimately gave way to a long finish rich with violets and cherry-liquor-filled chocolate. A perfect mature Bordeaux, and as good as it gets.

Chateau Cheval Blanc 1975 - Of the three vintages of Cheval here, this one was the most classic expression of the great chateau. The nose was quintessential Bordeaux, with roasted licorice, cigar humidor and tobacco, charred green bell pepper, grilled sage, smoky raspberries, leather, and a more pronounced gravel note than the 1959. The palate offered even more, with a swirl of flavors including warm stones, black peppercorn, black raspberries and blackberries, leather, cream, cigar tobacco again, and flowers. The long finish, still-fresh acid, and perfect balance promised another 5-7 years of evolution before it plateaus.

Chateau Cheval Blanc 1986 - You know it’s a great night when the 1986 is the youngest wine on the table. What really struck me, however, was the learning opportunity that this one provided. For even though it was nearly 24 years old, it still showed a distinctly youthful expression of Cheval with its aromas of wet stones, lighter-on-its-feet leather, lavender, and cigar tobacco, all of it lifted by the lovely perfume of cedar and sandalwood. This last Cheval of the night was clearly the youngest on the palate, too, with restrained crushed purple berry fruit, green peppercorn, thyme, fennel fronds, melted licorice, and the telltale gravel and clay that made itself known in all three of the bottles. The finish--incredibly long, balanced, and bright--promised another 12-15 years of evolution, and sang with oolong tea, dried sage, cherry, and cigar tobacco.

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Vino 2010

One week from today, I’ll be heading up to New York for Vino 2010, which, according to the event’s web site, will be “the biggest Italian wine event ever held outside of Italy.”

Not a bad way to spend a week, right?

I am among a very fortunate group of wine journalists, bloggers, and members of the trade to have been invited up to the city for several days of seminars, tastings, and dinners. And while I’ve attended many tastings and events before, this one promises to be different in a number of ways, not least of which is the high level of attention being paid to bloggers and the ever-more-important role of online and social media in the world of wine.

One of the most anticipated events next week, a panel discussion called “Virtual Vino, Millenials, and Social Media Decanted,” will take place on Thursday morning, February 4th, at 10:00am. What makes this so unique is not just its esteemed panel, but also the fact that it will be available through a live video feed online at www.italianmade.com/vino2010. It will also be fully interactive, as even people not in attendance will have the opportunity to submit questions beforehand via Twitter. Readers of this blog should definitely take advantage of the opportunity to participate in this one-of-a-kind event. You can comment on this blog or write to me with issues that you want me to cover next week, and make sure to post specific questions for the Virtual Vino panel on Twitter to @vino2010 or @JRvino2010. (James Rodewald, former drinks editor of Gourmet Magazine, is the official blogger of the event.)

And then, of course, there are the other seminars and events. That’s the beauty of large-scale gatherings like Vino 2010: They provide the chance to not only delve into specific facets of the wine world--from seminars on the outlook for the 2009 vintage in Italy, to a guided tasting of the great Sardinian red grape variety Cannonau, to a mammoth tasting featuring more than 300 Italian wine producers, to wine dinners featuring specific regions--but also to take stock of what still remains one of the most exciting, interesting, and beloved wine-producing countries in the world.

I’ll be posting regular updates throughout my three days in New York next week, and I’d love for readers of UncorkLife.com to take advantage of all the opportunities for online interaction as possible. Please don’t hesitate to ask questions and get involved throughout.

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Columbia Crest on the Rise

Much has been made of Columbia Crest lately, which produced the 2010 Wine Spectator Wine of the Year--the 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve. And while there’s not much more that can usefully be added in terms of the discussion of its crowning, a quick look at the big picture is always instructive.

In fact, the main reason I’m using today’s blog post to link up and discuss Columbia Crest isn’t only because of its Cab, but, rather, because of the range of excellent wines I’ve tasted from it lately. In particular, we’ve been pouring the 2005 Merlot Reserve for certain classes at The Wine School, and every time I open a bottle, I’m amazed by the way it balances complexity with drinkability, a lush texture with enough structure that it benefits from a couple of hours of breathing, and beautiful ripe fruit with a real sense of terroir.

It’s not, unfortunately, what most people would necessarily expect from Columbia Crest. But, then again, there are a number of great producers whose more value-priced wines have sadly had a negative impact on the perception of their higher end ones. (Think of the ocean-sized difference between, say, Mondavi’s Private Selection Cabernet Sauvignon--fine for quaffing--and its Reserve, which is often one of the greats of the state.)

The Quarterly Review of Wines recently ran an interesting piece on Dr. Walter Clore, a onetime consultant to Columbia Crest (he passed away in 2003) and namesake of one of its best bottlings, the Walter Clore Private Reserve Red. The Reserve line in its entirety, in fact, notes QRW, “represent[s] the pinnacle of winemaking at Columbia Crest.” I’d take it a step further: They are often among the best, most drinkable wines in the state. And these days, they only seem to be getting better.

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Appellation New Zealand?

The geography-based classifications of French wine are generally seen as among the best in the world (Italy is certainly up there, too). And though the intricacies do cause a bit of natural confusion when a consumer is just learning them--place-names can be daunting, after all, especially in a language that’s not necessarily spoken by the consumer--they ultimately lead to a far deeper level of understanding not just when it comes to the individual wines, but to the national wine firmament as a whole.

Within the French AOC breakdown, Burgundy stands apart as a thing of particular beauty. It can be devilishly confusing, sure, but the level of specificity it achieves contains something of the miraculous--wholly appropriate considering its early-on reliance on the work of local monks.

Indeed, Pinot fans the world over still look to Burgundy as the benchmark of quality and site-specificity in a wine world ever more planted to their favorite grape variety. Chambolle-Musigny, Vosne-Romanee, Aloxe-Corton: These appellations, and the great vineyards within them, indicate holy ground of sorts among followers of the cult of Pinot.

Now, according to at least one report, New Zealand is considering getting into the game, too. Decanter.com reported this morning that “a New Zealand equivalent of a Burgundy Grand Cru may be closer to reality than we think, according to wine writer Oz Clarke.”

Clarke continued: “New Zealand is entering into the next stage of its development in contemplating and legally recognizing its terroirs,” he said.

Whether or not this happens--and whether or not this is a good idea to begin with--is still uncertain. (Decanter.com notes that Master of Wine Simon Field made the point that “the appellation systems required 'minute levels of detail' and that the Burgundian system had taken 'several centuries to establish,’ he said.”)

Still, even if New Zealand doesn’t enshrine the differences between adjacent vineyards in, say, Marlborough, quite as exactly and minutely as the Burgundians have with their land throughout the Cote d’Or, it seems to me that the fact that they are even considering such a system is a good sign. It implies that they have moved on to the next phase of their national wine life. And while this next step is bound to be difficult, fraught with frustration and occasional rancor, and hard to pursue, it seems necessary and, ultimately, likely to be beneficial to both those in the New Zealand wine industry itself and to consumers: A tasty victory for everybody.

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Improving Your Wine IQ

This time of year, lots of predictions are being made about the state of the wine world in the coming year (we’ve even done a bit of that here!). But the truth is that none of that matters all that much if consumers don’t pay attention to what they drink. It’s way too easy, after all, to simply pop the cork on whatever bottle of wine you have at your disposal, drink it without much thought, and move on to the next one.

Of course, you don’t want to obsess over every wine you drink--some of the most enjoyable ones don't really stand up to that kind of scrutiny--but you should pay attention every time you open a bottle. That, in turn, will increase your basic wine knowledge, which will lead to greater enjoyment of everything you try.

Last week, The Washington Post ran an interesting piece on improving your wine IQ. The article is linked up right here, but the overall advice is broken down into these five categories:

1. Start a wine club
2. Explore your favorite wine variety
3. Get to know a wine retailer
4. Attend a wine dinner
5. Drink locally when you travel

Following this advice alone won’t turn you into a wine expert, but it will help you become a more knowledgeable wine drinker, and that leads to more pleasure in the long run...which is what it’s all about.

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Forefront Pinot Noir 2008

The nose here is beguiling, its high-toned notes of black cherry, sous bois, mushroom, and spice heading in the direction of Burgundy but kept firmly rooted on this side of the ocean by its effusive hints of cola. All of this is beautifully balanced, and on the palate, lovely fruit comes soaring through. Cream soda, sweet spiced cherries, juicy, concentrated berry fruit, and a hint of milk chocolate and caramel lead to a finish that turns more earthy yet still stays refreshing. This is a muscular wine that never loses its sense of elegance, and reminds me, in certain regards, of a sort of New World Gevry-Chambertin. Rarely is Willamette Pinot this well-crafted, and this expressive, so affordable.

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A New Era of White Wine

In this season of predictions, I thought that today would be as good a time as any to make one regarding white wine: In 2010, we will see more people discovering, trying, and falling for whites that don’t fit the usual Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc mold.

Not that there’s anything wrong with those wines: Some of the world’s greats are produced using these two grapes, from Meursault to Bordeaux Blanc and a whole range of examples in between. But the white wine world is far larger than just its two most famous grape varieties, and the range of styles in which whites can be made extends well beyond these two examples.

The problem is that white wine still carries somewhat of a stigma. Indeed, I cannot count the number of times that I’ve heard otherwise sane people say that they really don’t like white wine all that much--which, it seems to me, is a statement predicated almost entirely on a pretty serious fallacy: That all white wine tastes alike. Which, of course, it doesn’t.

The problem is that, for a long time, the white wine world was dominated by the two grape varieties noted above. But these days--finally!--we’re not only seeing more unusual whites reaching these shores, but a slow shift in the way that consumers look at them and a greater willingness to try them.

Last night, for example, I attended the opening party for a highly anticipated, seriously beautiful new restaurant in Philadelphia. R2L, on the 37th floor of the city’s iconic Two Liberty Place tower, is the latest project of esteemed Chef Daniel Stern. His food has always combined a sense of comfort and whimsy with pitch-perfect technical proficiency and a laser-like attention to detail. And as in his previous restaurants, the drinks program here has been ingeniously created by Beverage Director and Sommelier Ryan Davis, whose tastes--and lists--encompass, seemingly, the entire world of wine and wine styles.

Last night’s complimentary white wine was probably the last thing that guests expected: The Domaine Lafage Cote Est, an aromatically complex, dangerously gulpable blend of Grenache Blanc, Chardonnay, and Marsanne from the still-relatively-unknown Cotes Catalanes in Southern France. This wine refused to fit neatly into any of the typical white wine categories: It wasn’t oaky, it wasn’t buttery; there was strain of minerality but it refused to fall into the realm of the flinty; the fruit was fresh and bright, sure, but not overtly sweet; and the texture remained light on its feet while still maintaining a sense of presence on the tongue. And it was fantastic with the food--sipped alongside delicate, hearty risotto arancini, for example, it was perfect.

In other words, this was exactly the kind of white wine that most people don’t drink. For that matter, it was exactly the kind of white wine that most people don’t even know exists.

But they will in the coming year. Because none of us can possibly stay engaged in and passionate about wine if we always drink the same thing. Luckily for us all, there are more options than ever , and they are absolutely worth exploring.

Even if you think you don’t love white wine.

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Newton "Unfiltered" Merlot 2002

Still almost defiantly dark, even nearly seven and a half years after the fruit was harvested, the only indication of this wine’s age, at least as far as the color is concerned, comes at the edges of the liquid, where hints of brick come into play.

The nose starts off juicy, but quickly turns toward moist red clay, loam, and tobacco, with hints of blackberry and a flutter of licorice hovering somewhere in the background. On the palate, this seductive, perfectly structured Merlot coats the mouth with a velvet texture that still retains its sense of freshness. Cinnamon spice and cigar tobacco add depth, and flashes of burst blackberry snap at the back sides of the tongue. The finish lingers on, perfectly balanced and fresh in the beginning and then growing darker, into more of a compote-like expression, as it fades.

This wine is at its peak right now, and absolutely irresistible.

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More Good News for Rosé

I’ve written about rosé here before--rather recently, in fact, in one of my lead-up-to-the-holiday blogs--so the timing of yesterday’s story on the Wine Spectator’s web site is perfect. They report that “A new study by the Nielsen Company released by the Provence Wine Council shows a 28 percent jump in imported rosé sales in the United States in the past year—a category led by France (with 28 percent of the world's rosé production) and specifically, Provence. The growth in imported rosé sales is nearly eight times faster than the overall growth of wine sales in the U.S., and according to Nielsen, it's part of a trend that's been accelerating for the five years the company has measured rosé consumption.”

Wine journalists and other professionals have been lauding the uptick in rosé’s popularity for years. Once the warm weather rolls around, all of the magazines and blogs will surely run their annual reports on just that. And, surely, readers of this blog will find themselves at a café that first sunny day in April or May surrounded by sweat-beaded glasses of pink wine.

But what makes this article so interesting is both the timing (in the dead of winter--certainly not rosé-reporting season) and the content (hard numbers that back up what we’ve all suspected for years).

So where is all of this going? My prediction is that, while affordable, quaffable rosé will continue to grow in popularity and consumption, we will see a contemporaneous market arise for pricey, so-called “serious” bottlings. Whether this will prove to be a positive development remains to be seen. Rosé, after all, has traditionally been about food-friendly, easy-drinking, affordable wines, not bottles that demand a lot of money and time in the cellar (they really need none of the latter).

Predictions aside, though, this growth in the rosé market is a great thing for the wine business itself and for consumers. The more rosé available, after all--and the more that consumers all over the world are willing to try and fall in love with something new to them (like rosé)--the better it is for all of us. A more diverse wine world, after all, is a far more interesting one.

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