Clos de l\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'Oratoire Clos de Sarpe Clos des Jacobins Clos du Marquis Clos Dubreuil
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Disposition, acquisitions, dentists and alc levels ? sipped & spit
SIPPED: running the numbers With all the discussion about alcohol levels in wine, I’m pleased that the results of an extensive story I did for Wine & Spirits magazine is now online. (See our summary discussion.) In the story, we analyzed 84 randomly selected wines for alcohol levels and had some surprising findings. SIPPED: Stiff [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/GuSC/~3/y9BBKCL3OEA/
Lafleur Gazin Pomerol Lafon Rochet Lagrange Lalande Borie Lanessan
A Spitacular Competition!
For three days, our judges swirled, sniffed and spit their way through more than 3,500 wines from around the globe. Today they wrapped up by choosing the best of the best in each category. Results will be available next month, so stay tuned. In the meantime, enjoy this compilation of expert spitters:
Source: http://blogs.fairplex.com/blog/wine/?p=74
Croix de Labrie Croizet Bages d\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'Agassac d\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'Aiguilhe Dame de Montrose
Florida Jim Cowan?s 2011 Tasting Notes Archive-Part One
The 2011 archive is presented by date the notes were compiled and submitted. Prior year’s tasting notes may be found here April 24, 2011 2001 F.X. Pichler, Riesling M: 13% alcohol; this wine has shed the fat and viscosity of its youth to become both more balanced and less powerful. Clean scents of fruit and [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/gangofpour/uncZ/~3/9nBkXe6Mch8/florida-jim-cowans-2011-tasting-notes
Cheval Blanc Cheval Blanc (Bin Soiled) Cheval Blanc (Damaged Label) Cissac Citran
Becker Vineyards 13th Annual Lavnder Festival
Looking for something to do and see this weekend? Need a little road trip to clear you head? Why not take a drive down to the Hill Country for a little R&R and some much needed fresh air. Becker on Saturday April 30 ? May 3 2011 will have luncheons, cooking demos and presentations all [...]
Source: http://thegrapesaroundtexas.com/2011/04/29/becker-vineyards-13th-annual-lavnder-festival/
Beau Site Beaumont Beausejour Becot Beausejour Duffau Lagarrosse Bel Air Lalande de Pomerol
Academy of Wine Communications:Twitter Basics Immersion for Wineries
Our next meeting of the Academy of Wine Communications here in the Finger Lakes will be followed by an interactive Twitter Basics Immersion for Wineries for AWC members.� The meeting and seminar will be held at Ravines Wine Cellars on Keuka Lake thanks to their offer to host us and let us utilize their wireless [...]
d\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'Aiguilhe Dame de Montrose d\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'Angludet d\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'Armailhac De Chevalier
Stop and Smell the Wine
With the New Year and winter’s recalcitrance toward resolutions now giving way to spring and new life, I’ve been contemplating a wine-related information makeover.
Perhaps not so much, “Out with the old, in with the new” as simply an editing of the wine-related information I consume, which is to say: There’s a lot of it and I need less of it. It’s a diet, perhaps.
Hastened by the online wine world where over the last five years wine content has become free, easy and inexhaustible, a wine enthusiast can get sucked into a vortex of infinite information that is unwittingly counter to their ethos.
Simply, one morning, under the glare of ashen bathroom lighting, the wine boor that we all hate so much might be staring back at us in the mirror.
This past week, I knew I might be in too deep, stuck in the trees and not able to see the forest, when I traded emails with some fellow wine writer’s. The initial query obtusely referenced Antonio Galloni and his new for-profit venture into conducting events as an adjunct to his wine criticism at the Wine Advocate.
“Huh?” You might say with this tidbit entirely missing your radar. And, that’s exactly my point.
Less than two months ago a mention of Antonio Galloni would have registered little more than a furtive calculation against the mental file. “Innocuous” would have been an apropos adjective for Galloni. Now, weeks later, Galloni, Robert Parker, Jr.’s successor, is the subject of top-of-mind conversation based on an interview with wine writer Mike Steinberger at his Wine Diarist blog, which itself is barely two months old. The reason? Galloni has set-up a company called All Grapes Media, LLC that is facilitating winemaker dinners with readers of the Wine Advocate (WA) and select wineries that have been reviewed by Galloni and WA.
This has raised questions anew about ethics …
While not the subject of this post per se, what struck me about my email exchange was that all parties on the email knew about this VERY minor revelation.
Regrettably, this smallest of details, which has zero implication on the enjoyment of wine, any wine, is something that people pay attention to, and even postulate about as a frame of reference.
I’m as guilty as anybody.
Yet, we all control our decisions. Just as Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin famously said, “Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you who you are” the information we consume says just as much about who we are.
In the meantime, as we wax to drama, and let wine wane, we are living in a Golden Age of the drop – wine that is universally lauded and accessibly priced. On the market today a wine enthusiast can access a nearly unlimited supply of not just information, but wine, glorious wine. The ’07 Cabernet vintage from Napa is an all-time great. The ’09 Rieslings from Germany are stellar. The ’08 Pinots from Oregon are of incredible quality.
These are all available to the wine lover who wants to do a bit of research and seek them out.
So, instead of getting into the proverbial weeds of very small wine-related detail, I’m taking just a small step back to enjoy this moment in time to use my information consumption habits to research and seek out wines, allocating some tax refund money to buying up a parcel of Napa Cabs, Oregon Pinot’s and German Rieslings for my cellar.
10-years hence, I won’t remember a small peccadillo about Antonio Galloni and some wine events, but I surely will remember when I had the foresight to buy up some wines that will pay me great dividends in enjoyment in the future.
You should consider doing the same.
Source: http://goodgrape.com/index.php/site/stop_and_smell_the_wine/
Le Petit Cheval Le Pin Le Tertre Roteboeuf l\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'Eglise Clinet l\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'Enclos
What The Google Algorithm Change Means To Wine Bloggers
Yesterday, Tyler Colman posted an interesting bit of information on his blog that connected the dots in both my business and wine blogging worlds. Since much of what I do in my business is web-related, and search is the main way people find information online, I have been closely following the changes to Google’s search [...]
What The Google Algorithm Change Means To Wine Bloggers originally appeared on Winecast. Licensed under Creative Commons.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Winecast/~3/hfkCh2kZ2u4/
Le Pin Le Tertre Roteboeuf l\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'Eglise Clinet l\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'Enclos Leoville Barton
Weekend Boston-area Wine Tastings
Lots of notable tastings in the Boston area this weekend (March 19th and 20th, 2011):
Any other wine related stuff going on in the Boston area you'd like to mention? Leave a comment to share a tip.
- Plumpjack/Cade tasting at Newton Lower Falls
From noon - 4 pm Saturday they'll be pouring wines from Plumpjack along with their newer label Cade. I had an '06 Cade Howell Mountain recently and thought it was an incredible wine. I stopped in their yesterday and noticed they had some well-priced bottles of Seghesio (Sangiovese, Barbera) kicking around after their tasting earlier this week. - Spanish Festival
Wine ConneXtion in North Andover on Saturday from noon - 5 pm. - Shawsheen Village Liquors Spring Tasting
From 3 pm - 6pm on Saturday they're holding their Spring Grand Tasting. - Spring Tasting Extravaganza at Fifth Ave. Liquors in Framingham
From 2 pm - 5 pm on Sunday they're pouring 50+ wines at special event pricing. Visit their site to see a listing of the wines. Thanks to reader KC for the tip on this one.
Any other wine related stuff going on in the Boston area you'd like to mention? Leave a comment to share a tip.
Beausejour Becot Beausejour Duffau Lagarrosse Bel Air Lalande de Pomerol Belair Belgrave
TasteCamp East:Bloggers Arrive in the Finger Lakes
This is one of my favorite times of the year.� I’m fortunate enough to be included on the list of wine bloggers and writers who get asked to attend TasteCamp East, organized by Lenn Thompson and Evan Dawson at The New York Cork Report. Last year, Long Island Wine Country hosted our group and although [...]
Source: http://familylovewine.wordpress.com/2010/05/06/tastecamp-eastbloggers-arrive-in-the-finger-lakes/
Kirwan La Clemence La Conseillante La Couspaude La Croix de Beaucaillou
Monday, May 30, 2011
Study: wine labels understate alcohol
Sometimes you need a study to affirm what you suspect. Such is the case with a recent paper that shows wine labels to understate actual alcohol by at least 0.3 percentage points, on average. And increasing alcohol levels have little to do with climate change in aggregate; instead, the researchers suggest, it results from winemaker [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/GuSC/~3/KJxGeqsLU5U/
La Garde La Gomerie La Lagune La Mission Haut Brion La Reserve du Generale
A Sobering Interview With Vertical?s Rex Pickett
Since I posted my review of Rex Pickett’s new book ‘Vertical’ I’ve received email asking for more details about the author. While I hope to be able to interview Mr.Pickett on the podcast, Blake Gray has posted a no-holds barred interview with him at Palate Press. The fascinating discussion sheds the most light I’ve yet [...]
A Sobering Interview With Vertical’s Rex Pickett originally appeared on Winecast. Licensed under Creative Commons.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Winecast/~3/RB4oZdOfTsk/
Are tasting room fees out of hand in the Napa Valley?
I found that the Napa Valley has by far and away the highest tasting room fees around. I don?t think that is one bit surprising to anyone that regularly visits the wine country. Continue reading
Source: http://www.winecountrygetaways.com/napablog/are-tasting-room-fees-out-of-hand-in-the-napa-valley/
sponsored post: Patrón Secret Dining Society: Countdown to the Big Reveal
The Worst Kind of Wine Writing
I strike myself as a pretty nice guy. Easy to get along with. Tolerant. If you agree, forgive me. If you disagree, then what follows should be par for the course. Tom Parnell (of the "Old Parn's Wine Reviews" wine...
l\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'Evangile l\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'Interdit de Valandraud Lucia Lynch Bages Lynch Moussas
Competition Winners Announced
The winners of the 70th annual Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition were announced today and the list is an impressive one! A box wine, a Scotch whisky, repeat winners (Armida Winery and baseball legend Tommy Lasorda) and so much more! Take a look at the winners here then check out the buzz on [...]
Source: http://blogs.fairplex.com/blog/wine/?p=78
La Tour Martillac Labegorce Zede Lafite Rothschild Lafleur Lafleur Gazin Pomerol
Death to the ?Cult? and Birth of the Domestic First Growth
One of the more interesting aspects of the domestic wine world over the last fifteen years has been the phenomenon of the “cult” winery.
You can count the true “cult” wineries on two hands. Denoted by critical success, reputation, limited volume, inelastic demand with wait lists, and profitable aftermarket value, you can almost name them off the top of your head – Harlan, Screaming Eagle, Scarecrow, Colgin, Bryant, Dalla Valle, Hundred Acre, Araujo … The rest of the hundreds of wineries that suggest they are of “cult” status are a mix of allocated wineries trying to up the ante and some wannabes that want to be allocated. Some have the pedigree to emerge into this classification. Most do not.
The net outcome based on those that wear the crown and those that desire to ascend to the throne is a real dilution in the meaning of “cult” wine. This meaning has been further diluted by the lingering economic malaise that has also metaphorically centrifuged the contenders from the pretenders.
This brief reflection would be apropos to nothing were it not for a couple of emails I received from a flash wine site recently that described an unknown Paso wine with its “cult-like” following. This did nothing but reinforce the “contender from the pretender” notion in my mind. Just as the denizens of a Phish concert gives off a wafting hint of b.o. intermingled with da kine, a flash wine sale for a wine with a “cult-like” following at 60% off of list price gives off a hint of b.s. intermingled with desperation.
The reality is that the word, “cult” like “boutique” before it, and “artisan” in the near future has become meaningless: An unoriginal euphemistic phrase no more convincing than calling a used car a “pre-owned” vehicle.
We’re not fooled by the phrasing.
In the wake of the co-opting of a phrase that has been stripped of meaning coupled with an economic environment that has re-calibrated most wine price points and demand to rational levels, I think what we’re subtly seeing is the very early emergence of a New World Order in the domestic wine world, at least as far as the inelastic upper echelon of wine is concerned.
Borne out of necessity, true “cult” wines are morphing into a new category: a Premier Cru class; – a Domestic First Growth equivalent – both in perception and reality.
While this isn’t the time nor place to discuss the differences in between a French classification system that is based on tradition and history and a U.S. based system that rewards vision and moxie, I will note that any winery in this lofty position has to carefully navigate the gauche indelicacy of outright calling themselves a Domestic First Growth wine. That designation has to be anointed just as they were anointed as a so-called cult wine(ry).
However, wineries can and do politely suggest, via their vision, that this is the case, as Tim Mondavi has done when he says at the Continuum web site, “Our goal at Continuum Estate is to produce a single wine to be recognized among the finest in the world.” Continuum is one of a select few wineries that aren’t yet mentioned in the same breath as Harlan, but for whom their potential will surely place them in this category in the next couple of vintages.
Combining premium location, a singular focus, a ‘spare no expense’ meticulousness to detail that would make an OCD man anxious, we’re starting to see the germinating market elements with these wineries who are not only emboldened coming out of the recession, but also the beneficiary of some wind at their back by virtue of the French first growth wine sales in Asia.
Call it an educated hunch: Humans love mental order and things that fit into a realm of understanding. With a re-balanced demand curve, a very muddled “cult” meaning, and upper-tier wineries that have effectively shaken the ankle-biters that are other would-be elite wines, we’re going to see the emergence of a new classification of Napa wine – they’ll be geographically clustered (Pritchard Hill, for example), they’ll be expensive, they’ll be scarce and they’ll be the future darling of the insatiable luxury wine market in Asia in the not too distant future.
Call these wines the scourge of the everyman, call them Domestic First Growths (DFG), just don’t call them, “cults” a phraseology that has lost its relevance in the wine world.
Source: http://goodgrape.com/index.php/site/death_to_the_cult_and_birth_of_the_domestic_first_growth/
Larmande Larrivet Haut Brion Lascombes Latour Latour a Pomerol
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Remembering A Cornerstone Of My Wine Education
I usually don’t have the time to read the weekend edition of the Wall Street Journal until Sunday along with the morning paper. And usually I just grab the “Off Duty” section where the food and wine coverage appears. This weekend, the wine column is by Jay McInerney who profiles wine writer and salesmen Alexis [...]
Remembering A Cornerstone Of My Wine Education originally appeared on Winecast. Licensed under Creative Commons.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Winecast/~3/i3nHTi8quIQ/
Clos Puy Arnaud Corbin Cos d\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'Estournel Couspaude Couvent des Jacobins
An oasis in the middle of the desert - The Pinnacle Three-Bedroom Suite at Four Seasons Resort, Scottsdale
The Pinnacle Three-Bedroom Suite is the shining jewel of the super luxurious Four Seasons Resort at Scottsdale. This suite is located in an absolutely secluded area on the grounds of the resort. Lush views coupled with privacy makes this casita different from any other luxury suite. The suite features a huge living room, the flooring [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/vagablond/ysSN/~3/DnLrgzHgJpk/
Le Pin Le Tertre Roteboeuf l\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'Eglise Clinet l\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'Enclos Leoville Barton
World of Wine Tasting at Wine Nation: Start Building the Perfect Case
World of Wine Tasting Event
March 26, Saturday | 1-5pm
March 26, Saturday | 1-5pm
Join us for this free tasting event.
Taste more than 100 wines from around the world including Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, Australia, Chile, Argentina,
Hungary and California.
Hungary and California.
Beer and food will also be available for tasting. Special in-store pricing on the day of the event.
They're doing 15% off a mixed case of wines being sampled. They passed me a list of wines they'd be pouring at the tasting - here are some that caught my eye (prices quoted are after 15% mixed case discount):
- Olson Ogden Persuasion ($16.99)
- Londer Pinot Noir ($16.14)
- Beckstoffer The Sum ($16.99)
- Red Door Oregon Pinot Noir ($11.04)
- Waterbrook Reserve Merlot ($18.69)
- Di Majo Norante Sangiovese ($8.49)
- Mer Soleil Silver Chardonnay Unoaked ($18.69)
- Foppiano Petite Sirah ($15.29)
- King Estate Pinot Gris ($12.74)
- King Estate Pinot Noir ($22.94)
- Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc/Viognier ($9.34)
- Crios Torrontes ($11.04)
Store Review: Wine Nation in Millbury, MA
Bonus Content:
First Look: Old School Pizza in Wellesley, MA
Check 'em out:
Wine Nation
The Shoppes at Blackstone Valley
70 Worcester-Providence Turnpike
Millbury, MA 01527
508-917-0400
info@winenation.com
l\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'Enclos Leoville Barton Leoville Las Cases Leoville Poyferre Les Forts de Latour
What The Google Algorithm Change Means To Wine Bloggers
Yesterday, Tyler Colman posted an interesting bit of information on his blog that connected the dots in both my business and wine blogging worlds. Since much of what I do in my business is web-related, and search is the main way people find information online, I have been closely following the changes to Google’s search [...]
What The Google Algorithm Change Means To Wine Bloggers originally appeared on Winecast. Licensed under Creative Commons.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Winecast/~3/hfkCh2kZ2u4/
Clarence Haut Brion Clerc Milon Climens Clinet Clos Cantenac
Wednesday March 23rd: Spring Grand Tasting at Blanchard's West Roxbury
Blanchards Wine & Spirits in West Roxbury, MA is having their spring grand tasting this coming Wednesday March 23rd, 2010 from 6pm-9pm. Wines poured at the event are discounted and light appetizers are served. The event is free.
Click here for more information
Further Reading: Here are my notes from a similar event at Blanchards
Check 'em out:
Blanchards Wine & Spirits
418 Lagrange St.
West Roxbury, MA 02132
617-327-1400
Reminder: WBW 71 Is This Week!
It seems like is was just a few days ago that I announced the next edition of Wine Blogging Wednesday but it has been nearly 3 weeks. So just a friendly reminder that WBW 71, “Rhones Not From The Rh�ne,” is in just two days. And it’s easy to participate; just pick up a wine [...]
Reminder: WBW 71 Is This Week! originally appeared on Winecast. Licensed under Creative Commons.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Winecast/~3/P5Lljfs40TQ/
Clos de Sarpe Clos des Jacobins Clos du Marquis Clos Dubreuil Clos l\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'Eglise
The Worst Kind of Wine Writing
I strike myself as a pretty nice guy. Easy to get along with. Tolerant. If you agree, forgive me. If you disagree, then what follows should be par for the course. Tom Parnell (of the "Old Parn's Wine Reviews" wine...
Clos de Sarpe Clos des Jacobins Clos du Marquis Clos Dubreuil Clos l\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'Eglise
Random Reds and Whites for the Friday Night Regulars
I host a weekly Friday night wine tasting at the retail outlet at which I am gainfully employed, and last week, I decided to abandon a more structured theme in favor of just sampling whatever odds and ends I thought our guests might enjoy. I also took the opportunity to pull the corks of a [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/gangofpour/uncZ/~3/gPtTl3UICF0/random
Pavillon Rouge du Margaux Pinot Noir Cabernet Sauvinon Wine and Cheese Wine Rack
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Bi-Polar Politics in Wine, Oncoming Urbanism and Your Thoughts
A reader (Gabriel from Portland) playfully chided me recently and said, “You never ask for comments.” He’s right, I don’t ask for comments. But, I surely do appreciate it when people do comment. Talking to yourself can be lonely.
With Gabriel in mind, instead of doing my traditional op-ed and declaration of opinion as fact, I’m going to lay out some thoughts and then some third-party contextual information and maybe we can have some fun in the comments section today.
First, it’s my impression that the U.S. wine industry is politically bi-polar in ways that defy easy description.
On the one hand, the prevailing sentiment in the wine business from a macro perspective is socially liberal. It’s soft, it’s touchy, it’s artsy and inclusive of all of God’s creatures. Yet, on the other hand, when it comes to the dirt, growing grapes, and protecting nature, hidebound neo-conservative traditionalists rule the day. Ask anybody trying to navigate the labyrinth of red tape for a new vineyard development in Napa or Sonoma. So, how to explain these polar opposite perspectives between progressive and preservation? I’m not sure, but I think the coming two decades will tell the tale.
Recently, I’ve been reading a lot of dry-as-dirt information about global population growth. I’m fascinated by the explosive growth of wine in China and the eye-popping auction sales numbers that follow by press release nearly every week. For example, Acker, Merrall & Condit, the world’s largest wine auction house, sold over $10M in wine in Hong Kong over two days in late March, selling 99% of the available 1,080 lots for sales. Their success is not an isolated incident and China is just one leading edge indicator of the globalization that will occur in wine in the next several decades.
Here are a couple of excerpts from Trendwatching.com’s report on the future of urban consumption as well as McKinsey and Company reports on global economic growth in urban environments:
* 50.5% of the world is already urbanized
* By 2050, the global population living in an urban environment is expected to be 70%
* By 2030 China and India will have a combined total of 289 cities with a population exceeding one million people. During this period, 615 million people will move into these urban environments exceeding the U.S. population in its entirety by nearly double.
* 400 midsize cities in emerging markets—cities that most of us have never heard of—are poised to generate nearly 40 percent of global growth over the next 15 years.
* For every 1% increase in urbanization in China, the country can expect a 1.6% increase in the contribution to their gross domestic product (GDP).
The prognostications are nearly universal – rural flight and population movement into urban environments in economically emerging countries like China and India is fueling growth, innovation, and wealth, re-balancing a global world axis that has always leaned towards the west. This urbanization and increase in the quality of life as measured by economic wherewithal is driving an acquired taste for the trappings of Western middle-class life, including wine – a worldwide symbol of the good life dating back thousands of years.
Net-net: the wine world we live in will be radically different 10 years from now and, perhaps, unrecognizable to us 30 years hence. And, this has all sorts of implications on the U.S. wine industry not the least of which is the aforementioned progressive sensibility countered by a traditional sense of agricultural stewardship. A yin and a yang that may not always be in balance in the future.
To kick off the comments, here are a couple of thoughts/questions for you to react to:
* After-market wine auctions are getting the headlines; will the domestic wine business move to capitalize on expanding markets (be progressive) or sit on their hands (be traditional) till markets develop further?
* What will be the hottest job title in the wine business in the next 10-20 years?
* With increasing urbanization and the fine dining that is associated with cities, what role do you think Sommeliers will play in the future as wine tastemakers?
* India and China are both societies with hierarchical structures that accord respect to expertise and elders. Will this continue the proliferation of the role of the wine critic?
* Do you think a Western wine critic is likely to assume this role in developing, global wine markets or will it be a native to that specific country?
* With international urbanization comes a specific set of needs, will the domestic wine industry systematically move to brand development that resonates globally instead of a “sense of place” that is focused on their dirt?
* Will small production, “cult” wineries allocate their wines to where they can command the most money (and profit) or will they stay true to their domestic roots and the customers that got them there?
* If the upper echelon of U.S. wineries focus globally, does that open up an opportunity for U.S. consumers to more readily find and engage with wineries from emerging U.S. regions – the Finger Lakes, Michigan, Virginia?
* What thoughts do you have about global urbanization and the impact it may have on focus, production, marketing or criticism compared to our current state?
Thanks, in advance, for your thoughts in the comments section!
Additional reading on global urbanization:
* McKinsey Global cities of the future map
* McKinsey Emerging Global Cities
* McKinsey Mapping the Economic Power of Cities
* Wikipedia entry on BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) as a coming economic superpower
* United Nations research on global urban living
Source: http://goodgrape.com/index.php/site/bi-polar_politics_in_wine_oncoming_urbanism_and_your_thoughts/
Armagnac Clos des Saveurs Armagnac Magnol (Cracked Seal) Armagnac Vieil Sempe YO Armagnac XO Lauboude NV Croix de Salle Armagnac
Social Media Quick Tip: Tag Your Favorite Wine Brands on Facebook
This is old news for some, but if you haven’t explored the status tagging feature (similar to photo tagging) on Facebook, take a few minutes and check it out. Status tagging can help your winery’s Facebook fan page to become more engaging and vibrant.� Facebook users can type the “@” symbol before a Facebook fan [...]
Haut Bages Liberal Haut Bailly Haut Batailley Haut Batailley Rare Signed Marie Jeanne Haut Brion
New legislation threatens the diversity of New York?s wine market
Last week in the NYT, Eric Asimov highlighted the wine program at Nice Matin, a restaurant on the Upper West Side that has remarkable breadth of offerings, depth of vintages and sharp pricing. This apparent wine lover’s idyll was not always this way: only in the past few years have the owners built up the [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/GuSC/~3/d5MwE5FBfBI/
Chasse Spleen Chateau Hermitage St Emilion Chauvin Cheval Blanc Cheval Blanc (Bin Soiled)
Petite Sirah Celebrates 50 Years As A Varietal
I have been on this planet for a shade longer than a half century since my birthday this past November. But there is a wine variety that I think is underrated that has also just turned the big 5-0 as a varietal, Petite Sirah. I even included this grape in a rough draft of my [...]
Petite Sirah Celebrates 50 Years As A Varietal originally appeared on Winecast. Licensed under Creative Commons.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Winecast/~3/HZJtR-3PI_M/
Lafite Rothschild Lafleur Lafleur Gazin Pomerol Lafon Rochet Lagrange
Napa Valley ? What?s Happening in Downtown Napa, Visitor Center Battle Brews
We stroll the Town Center and have a look around. Boy, this place is void of people. We did find something the might become the ?Battle of Visitor Centers.? The Legendary Napa Valley folks pulled up shop at the Town Center last month and moved the Visitor Center to the posh and chic Riverfront Properties. Continue reading
Caronne Ste Gemme Carruades de Lafite Certan de May Charmail Chasse Spleen
Friday, May 27, 2011
Your own sanctuary at Villa del Palmar
Within 5 minutes of walking distance from Cabo San Lucas lies Villa del Palmar, stands a five star beach resort and spa, perfect for your little family holidays. The resort features dramatic waterfalls, never ending swimming pools, salt water aquarium and the best spa of Los Cabos. Whatever stress you are suffering from will vanish [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/vagablond/ysSN/~3/BUE0dfO-P0Y/
Kosta Browne, Sea Smoke...Is Rhys Vineyards the Next Cult California Pinot Noir?
Complete this sequence of CA Pinot Noir high-flyers: Kosta Browne, Sea Smoke, ______________.
I got some great answers: Williams Selyem, Sojourn, Roar, Donum Estate, Papapietro Perry, Adrian Fog. But since Twitter is character limited I wasn't able to completely describe the context of the question.
To me, Kosta Browne and Sea Smoke aren't just highly-sought California Pinot Noir producers with reputations for making full-flavored wines. They're textbook examples of shrewd marketing resulting in loyal customers willing to pay a premium for their wines in good times and bad.
Kosta Browne began producing wine in 1997 and their first publicly released vintage was 2000. If you look at Wine Spectator's highest rated domestic Pinot Noirs of all time their wines dominate the list. Although detractors bemoan their prices getting out of hand, the steady climb from $48 in 2000 to $72 for their 2008 single vineyard releases isn't hard to justify in my mind. They're based in Sebastopol, in Sonoma County, and produce wines from other people's vineyards. I enjoyed their 2006 Russian River Valley (92/100) and Sonoma County (93/100) bottlings each purchased at retail for around $60.
Sea Smoke's story is more site-focused yet pinning them down can feel elusive. Unlike Kosta Browne, they don't buy any of their grapes and their Sea Smoke vineyards are planted to capacity creating a famously popular waiting line for their wines known as "The List". Located in the Sta. Rita Hills AVA in Santa Barbara County, their positioning couldn't have been better aligned with the release of Sideways. Their three Pinot Noir bottlings range between $40 and $80. I saw a bottle of Sea Smoke Ten on a restaurant list for $245 recently. They also produce a One Barrel Pinot Noir (23 cases) that sells for $150. I loved their 2004 Southing Pinot Noir (95), their 2008 Southing (93), and their 2006 Sea Smoke Ten Pinot Noir (93).
These wines have an appeal that goes beyond what's in the bottle and beyond the label. There's an elusive quality about them. Perhaps contrived but you see it in brands like Scarecrow. Where is Scarecrow? What is Scarecrow? "It's not a place - it's a state of mind."
Opening wines like these announces to wine geeks it's a special occasion. When you're having a hard time getting your hands on a bottle you're tempted to pay a premium at retail or at a restaurant for a chance to try them. So adding a brand to this list isn't to be taken lightly.
And before I go much further gushing on about how much I adore these brands I want to acknowledge: One man's ceiling is another man's floor. Just like going to Best Buy and looking at stereo gear - the best things they have there aren't even up for consideration for a true stereophile. Same with wine. Hard core domestic Pinot Noir hounds are off looking at micro-production brands I've never even heard of.
And that's great. I'm not there yet and what I'm talking about here is a broad awareness in the wine community of brands that through hard work, quality production, savvy positioning, and a little luck obtain favored producer status that lasts a long time. The idea here is to catch one of these brands on the way up - when prices start around $30.
Until a couple months ago I had no familiarity with Rhys (rhymes with "piece"). A friend had an allocation and asked me if I'd like to try some. Then I read this. It's a love letter to Rhys Vineyards from highly esteemed Slate wine writer Mike Steinberger on par with the ode David Pogue wrote for the Canon S95 in the New York Times. It's impactful to me when a journalist writes such a striking endorsement for a specific brand.
Still, I read Steinberger's piece with skepticism. It goes on and on about terroir and praises the low alcohol levels of Rhys' Pinots - was I going to like these wines? Or was I going to have to squint and struggle to see the charm of these pieces of art?
Their focus is very much on site and letting the grapes speak for themselves rather than the winemaker guiding the style in a particular direction. That being the case it's understandable they'd want to distance their flagship wines from those produced from purchased grapes. In fact, 2008 is the last vintage they're producing Alesia Pinot Noir.
Though this wine was produced from grapes grown in the Sonoma Coast AVA (a more common area for Pinot Noir production) Rhys' own vineyard are in the Santa Cruz Mountain AVA.
I've heard the Alesia wines provide a reliable window into the Rhys style. As in: If you like Alesia wines you'll love Rhys wines. The alcohol level clocks in at a reasonable 13.9% (some of their Pinots are less than 13% alcohol) so it feels like a good will attempt to ween the high alcohol by volume crowd from their (our?) 15%+ expectations.
Here are my notes:
2008 Rhys Alesia Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast
13.9% Alcohol
$35 Release Price
My expectations were running high as I tried this wine for the first time - which could have set me up for a big disappointment. Fortunately, based on everything I've read about Rhys Pinots this wine absolutely delivered what it promised to be: A balanced, site-driven wine that points a light in a new direction for California Pinot Noir.
There's a laser-beam focus to the presence of this wine and a fresh, vibrant personality that's utterly appealing. Ample acidity reveals itself first as a slight pucker then later as a subtle citric quality. This mixed in with classic Pinot Noir markings of strawberries, a little earth, and perhaps slightly more substantial (if ultra-fine) tannins than I've seen in rounder new world Pinots. There's a wet river rock aspect that wouldn't be out of place in a red Burgundy.
Overall, a beautiful expression of Pinot Noir.
92/100 WWP: Outstanding
(and I could easily add a couple bonus points for the back story and overall experience)
So I'm not saying Rhys is producing Pinot Noirs that are stylistically similar to Kosta Browne and Sea Smoke. Not at all. I'm suggesting you might want to jump on their mailing list if you're interested in catching a rising star. And check out the articles on their press page for more information.
Further Reading:
Question of the Day: Who are some California Pinot Noir producers you'd put one this level? I'd love to discover more producers to check out from your suggestions.
Types of Wine Food and Wine Leisure Food Armagnac Baron de Lustrac Armagnac Baron de Sigognac
Meals without Wheels : Take A Look at The Coolhaus Ice Cream Sandwiches Shop
Wine From Here: Natural Wine in California
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Challenging Wine Pairing: Thai Red Curry Beef
Thai food is so popular that I wanted to do another Thai dish for a challenging wine pairing. Since our family especially enjoys spicy dishes, I decided to try a red curry dish using strips of sirloin steak in this recipe. Delicious! The menu for this pairing consisted of the Thai red curry beef dish, [...]
Challenging Wine Pairing: Thai Red Curry Beef was originally posted on Wine Peeps. Wine Peeps - Your link to great QPR wines from Washington State and beyond.
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Thursday, May 26, 2011
Lot18 and the Art of New Market Models
The funny thing about business models is that when start-up businesses position around new market dynamics they do one of two things: They paint the exact picture of their business for casual observers (and competitors) in Manet-style realism or they don’t, leaving the mind’s eye to make Monet-style impressionistic leaps.
Perhaps this is why Philip James’ new venture, Lot18, is being lumped into the “Flash wine site” category when it appears to be much more significant (even if impressionistic).
When I covered so-called “Flash” wine sites last July, Lot18 hadn’t yet launched and my opinion then (as it remains today), was to urge caution with many of these sites because most don’t appear to be businesses with a vision that can grow into full-fledged ongoing concerns with an impetus bigger than capitalizing on the short-term oversupply of luxury-priced wine as a retail operation. The word “Flash” has been equated to, “Flash in the pan” meaning that these sites will be here today and gone tomorrow. Many others have opined similarly, including a recent run of punditry from the New York Times, Wines & Vines and Palate Press.
While each of these articles touch on the obvious vagaries of the model with a winery-slanted spin about whether the online wine sales sites are predatory vultures, there’s a much bigger view to look at – a market dynamic that I think Lot18 sees as an ownable market space where other sites (and writers) see an ecommerce retail operation. And, it has virtually nothing to do with being predatory. Instead, it’s about creating a solution for a problem that has existed for ages.
Instead of viewing Lot18 like another in a long list of ecommerce sellers responding to the here and now, I think James sees a much bigger business model that can bypass the three-tier and capitalize on the age-old problem of winery inventory management vintage by vintage, a problem that has typically been handled very quietly in the three-tier, a system that is closed off to the majority of the boutique wine market.
It’s a subtle change in perspective, but rather significant. It’s the difference between selling a few wines that can sell at $60, but not $80 as a one-off deal based on the current economy and creating an entire mechanism for inventory management that has bedeviled the boutique wine market.
As one small Mendocino vintner without a distributor infrastructure said to me, “I’m ready to release my ’09 Chardonnay, but I need to move 70 cases of the ’08 first.”
Yeah, him and about 5,000 of his winery brethren, too. Likely, that’ll be the case next year and the year after, as well.
By common analogy, I think Lot 18 sees a wide and deep market-altering Amazon.com-style opportunity where others see Fatbrain.com, a little known ecommerce bookstore for technical books circa 1999.
Sure, I groaned when I read a recent article on Lot18 at Business Insider. There, James was quoted as saying, “No matter how fast we hire, we have more openings than we can actually fill.” In total, the short piece smacked of hubris. But, James also said something really insightful when he noted, “(Wine) is a $30 billion niche. It’s bigger than music, it’s bigger than Hollywood, and it’s bigger than DVD’s and cinema. I guess you can call that a ‘niche.’” That was on April 26th.
On April 29th James wrote a blog post at his personal site discussing in very obtuse terms the arrows that companies take in the back when they have, “First Mover Advantage.” He noted, “There’s a first mover advantage to what we do, and we’re happy to be leading the way. It’s not cheap going first, and that is the flip side, but by leading and paying to pave the way we do get to define a portion of the landscape.”
An alleged “Flash” wine sales site that launched in November having “First Mover Advantage?” What the …?
On May 2nd Lot 18 announced a $10 million dollar round of series B financing, adjoining a $1 million dollar sales month in March and April.
Clearly, there’s more here than meets the eye.
Despite having worked at three venture capital-backed companies, I don’t profess to know much about the VC game. However, I do know that in this day and age, VC guys aren’t throwing $10 million into the 40th wine-related “Flash” site and the 196th social commerce business plan they’ve seen in the last 12 months unless there is a vision for something that the rest of us can’t yet discern.
What precisely Lot18’s VC’s see is between Lot18’s business plan and the banker’s in wingtips, but what I think they see can best be typified by a quote from Jeff Stai, owner of Twisted Oak winery in the Sierra Foothills who was quoted in Palate Press regarding a sale at another flash wine, “… We sold 683 three-packs, which is roughly three pallets of wine. I’ll sell three pallets of wine all day at near-FOB!”
FOB is a wine industry term for the winery sale price to a distributor.
What Stai didn’t say, but he could have was, “If I can close out a vintage and maintain a margin that I’m happy with and not have to deal with the incredibly inflexible, non-partnership oriented three-tier, who greedily eat my discounts instead of passing them to the customer, I would love to.”
So, if we go back to quotes from James about how big of a market wine is and you consider that closeout discounting to this point has only occurred in the three-tier system, you can start to see the seeds of a business model emerge that’s much bigger and will surely outlast the “Flash” sales sites that operate like retailers in a short-term bubble.
There currently isn’t a vintage closeout or inventory liquidation mechanism in the wine business outside of the closed off three-tier system. Every other consumer packaged good vertical has a closeout function typically handled by brokers.
Ding, ding. This is why Lot18 is nationally hiring, “Wine Procurement Specialists” – these are the equivalent of brokers who facilitate the sale of goods that need to be closed out.
It sounds so simple, but really the business perspective difference in between being a small-time “Flash” operator and building the infrastructure that Lot18 is putting in place is significant in vision.
So, are these sites “predatory vultures” perilously taking advantage of wineries in short-term time of need, as has been alleged? It’s all in your vision of the business model – a model that I suspect is more Manet than Monet for those who look for the fine detail.
Photo credit: Demetrios Vlachos
Source: http://goodgrape.com/index.php/site/lot_18_and_the_art_of_new_market_models/
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