Vino View

London Calling

I was in London recently for business. I had never spent much time there, so I decided to add a few days to the trip to wander around, eat and drink, and decompress after a busy, stressful week. I found a few gems worth noting in case you have a London trip in your future.

One of my favorite finds was a "gastropub" hot spot in Victoria called The Phoenix located on a backstreet a stone's throw from Buckingham Palace. This charming, airy pub features over 42 wines, and 16 of them available by the glass! But, I wasn't drinking wine at The Phoenix. Instead, I enjoyed sampling delicious beers and ales on tap, including Sharps' Doom Bar Bitter and Deuchars IPA. Go for the beer, stay for the food, like grilled baby squid with tomato, pancetta and basil, and warm tossed salad of smoked trout and potatoes. I was all about the fish and chips, though, which was light, crispy and served in a newspaper, as it should be.

Another gem was a great Spanish tapas bar called El Pirata, right off of Park Lane in Mayfair. All the classics were spot on - octopus with paprika, anchovies in vinegar, salmon croquettes, garlic prawns and mushrooms, and a wonderful cheeseboard of manchego, majorero, mahon and cabrales. And, a nice wine selection by the glass. I had a crisp Martin Codax Albarino, which had hints of orange, almond, and apricot that highlighted and complimented the sweetness and lemony zest of the fish tapas.

Wandering along the South Bank, I ended up taking in the Dali exhibit at the Tate Modern. At the top of the museum is the Tate Modern Restaurant, a great place for lunch or a glass of wine, with a breathtaking view of the River Thames and St. Paul's. The food was good, the wine was great. I had the grilled swordfish on toast with cherry tomatoes and basil mayonnaise, paired up with an interesting St. Chinian from Chateau la Dournie. Brick red in color, this '04 blend of Syrah, Carignan and Grenache has distinct nutmeg, raspberry, and orange peel bitterness, which actually worked well with the rather heavy grilled fish and basil mayonnaise.

What would a stroll along the South Bank be without a visit to Vinopolis? I had heard mixed things about the "wine museum," but I don't think I was prepared for what I found. Vinopolis is billed as "London's unique wine tasting attraction and conference and events venue." The concept is fun: a series of rooms with a self-guided audio tour and multimedia, educational presentations about wine producing regions, including France, Italy, Australia, California, South Africa, even Thailand and China, all culminating in a tasting where you can sample wines from the various regions. Unfortunately, I think wine geeks (like me) might be a little disappointed by the experience. It's highly commercialized (even for me) and folds a liquor store, two Bombay Safire bars, a whiskey spirits room, and beer tasting room into the wine tour. I'm fine with it, but should just be billed as a "liquor emporium," or something. The historical picture was lightweight and without any real opportunity to drill deeper into regional information or background on producers. The tasting was okay - tried a good '04 Cabernet Sauvignon-Shiraz blend from Carmel wineries (Israel). Lots of spice, chewy bittersweet chocolate, with blueberry and strawberries. I can imagine this one this one with a rich meal, steak or sharp cheeses. STAY AWAY FROM THE ABSINTHE! 

If you have time, swing by the Charlotte Street Hotel for breakfast or the Soho Hotel for a late night mojito, or perhaps a champagne cocktail and a game of pool at The Sandrson. There's always the Kingly Club, if you're feeling really crazy. There really is just too much to do, see, eat and drink in London. I have found a very useful resource in Square Meal, London's leading restaurant guide, which also has a fun "Drinks News" section. I haven't even scratched the surface, but definitely hit a few gems during my days off in London.

Global Warming & Winemaking

After years of foot-dragging, today the Bush administration finally signaled a willingness to participate in international efforts to limit carbon emissions (see the AP story). Global warming is no longer a future-oriented phenomena. It's something happening today and with very visible social and economic consequences. For years, winemakers from around the world have been reporting changes in growing patterns and production that they suspected was the result of global warming. In a survey of winemakers from France and Italy, this Wine Spectator video provides a snapshot of the very tangible and immediate implications global warming has for the wine industry.

Sonoma County Showcase, July 12-15

One of the organizers of the upcoming event asked if I could plug the 28th Annual Sonoma County Showcase Weekend of Wine & Food - sounds like a great time!  Here's the info:

• Event: Sonoma County Showcase Weekend of Wine & Food
• Dates: July 12-15, 2007
• Description: Don't miss the 28th annual Sonoma County Showcase Weekend of Wine & Food, the ultimate Wine Country experience, held July 12-15. This gala event features four days of fantastic wine and food presented by world-renowned winemakers and Sonoma's top chefs. Indulge in exclusive all-access luxury packages of spa, golf, and wine safari experiences, or enjoy events a la carte, including private winery lunches and dinners, an extraordinary Sonoma Family Style gala dinner, and Taste of Sonoma, a two day grand tasting with over 100 wineries, 50 chefs, wine seminars, chef competitions, and more. For more information or reservations, visit http://www.sonomawine.com/showcase or call 800-939-7666.

While I won't be able to attend the event, I am traveling to Sonoma next weekend, and with some friends who have never visited California wine country before!  I have my list ready to go, but I would love to hear any recommendations or suggestions - especially for first-timers. It's always tricky business being the tour guide.   

Winter Whites

I happen to spend my life these days living in Minnesota. It is February here and that means it is not very warm out. What to drink? My first inclination is to go to the dark side. Some sort of “big red” might tempt me; it certainly has an undeniable effect on my fellow Minnesotans during the winter. The sales of the standard budget versions of grapes like Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio plummet during the fridged months. Actually, I might suspect that Pinot Grigio fares better than Sauvignon Blanc just for the fact that your average P.G. fan will not be tempted into something any more esoteric, like say, dry Chenin Blanc from the Loire Valley in France or Vernaccia di San Gimignano from Tuscany, Italy. There is a monstrous comfort zone to battle here, not to mention the low prices charged for this nondescript, factory-produced wine.

Enough bagging on the powerful!

Back to my first inclination, bold red wine. Hearty and seductive. Yet there are a great many solid satisfying bold whites out there that have just as much to offer, if not more, that just a big red.

I tend to spice up my diet in the winter months too, mostly because of the internal feeling of heat I get. Everything helps. Also, there is nothing worse than eating very spicy food in the humid summer months here.

But again, what to drink?

How about a Pinot Gris from Alsace, France? This wine is usually produced slightly off dry. I know what you are saying, “I don’t like sweet wines.” Well, this wine is not sweet (though there are sweet versions out there). It has a sense of sweetness, a bit of richness that makes you want to just knock it back and with food all the better. Try to eat your spicy green bean take-out with a Cabernet. Wait! Don’t do that. Trust me on this one.

Even better with spicy food is German Riesling. Something with a really confusing label at around $20 a bottle should do the trick. Look for Spätlese or Auslese on the label. These terms are used to communicate how ripe the grapes were when they were harvested. Look at the alcohol level too. This will usually tell you how much sugar is left in the final wine. Low alcohol means more unfermented sugars and therefore a sweeter wine. Low alcohol+residual sugar=Super Thai Food Wine.

But what about just plain hearty whites. Spicy food be damned! Here are some wonderful suggestions:

Priorat Blanco

Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc

Whites from Sicily (Inzolia, Grillo, etc)

Vouvray, Montlouis, Savennieres, Jasnière (all Chenin Blanc from the Loire, but be careful with Vouvray. There is a lot of boring Vouvray out there)

Vendange Tardives from Alsace, France (Late Harvest, but not sweet dessert style)

Condrieu

Just to name a few. We try to stay off the beaten path here at Vinoview so go to the good places to buy these.

Also, you may have noticed that none of the wines above are specified with producer’s names. They are more category or appellation suggestions and we all know that there are traditional producers and not so traditional producers, so buyer beware and enjoy surprises.

The Parts Are Great... But the Sum is Even Better

A few weeks ago, we pointed to a blog post by Eric Asimov about Apellation America, an organization whose mission is to promote consumer awareness of "terroir" and place of origin for North American wines. This week, the Napa Valley Register features a new producer that has set out to buck the trend towards vineyard-designed wines and appellation-centric sensibilities.

13 Appellations is a collaboration by four prominent California wine makers who have undertaken an ambitious and innovative project - produce a wine that captures what it means to be a Napa Valley wine in its totality. Instead of narrowing the focus to particular sub-appellation, say a Rutherford or Howell Mountain, these wine makers use one ton of grapes from each of the 13 (now 14) sub-appellations in Nappa Valley and blended them to create their wine. 

The wine is roughly 60 percent cabernet sauvignon with varying amounts of merlot, cabernet franc and petite verdot. And these grapes are sourced from Atlas Peak, Chiles Valley, Diamond Mountain, Howell Mountain, Los Carneros, Mount Veeder, Oak Knoll, Oakville, Rutherford, St. Helena, Spring Mountain, Stags Leap District, Wild Horse Valley and Yountville. 

Is this a good idea, or just a big mix up?  Wine & Spirits Magazine has called it "one of the most decadent and compelling red blends we've encountered in recent memory...a runaway hit with anyone lucky enough to have tasted it." It's still early, but an interesting and contrarian view point worth noting in the midst of a trend among North American vintners to create wines expressing smaller and smaller plots of land. 

Only around 900 cases are produced each year and FOURTEEN, which was released in last December, has a suggested retail of $115. 

Bubbles in wine does not a Champagne make

We all hear sparkling wine from throughout the world called “champagne”. This is not accurate. Champagne is a place (like Napa Valley). If the bubbles do not originate from this region, it’s not a champagne.

Another quick fact: Champagne is indeed a wine. And like all wines, you can find great stuff in the big houses (Grand Marques) and often amazing undiscovered (cool) deals in the smaller houses.

So, which Champagne to choose? Real Champagne is not the first choice for the budget-minded romantic, which makes finding that great gem even more romantic. Unfortunately, in my opinion, almost all of the dining establishments out there give very little thought to this category of wine. They either seem to buy what might come by on a special promotion from the distributor or buy up the Veuve Cliquot with all the imagination of a moth to a yellow label.

I suggest you put a little more energy into it and find a gem of a Champagne from you local trusted independent wine store and bring it along to dinner. Call ahead and make sure they allow it. A corkage fee will be probably charged. Expect $10-$25.

What wine to choose?

Do yourself a favor and expand beyond the dogmatic allegence that most of us have to the “Big Houses” or Grand Marques (Veuve Cliquot, Möet, Mumm, Perrier-Joüet, etc). Try a Champagne that’s made by one of the little guys. We love the idea of boutique wines, so why not boutique Champagnes?

One way to find them is to look closely at the very bottom of the front label. There should be a number proceeded by a couple of letters. Look for a RM (Récoltant-Manipulant) or a SR (Société De Récoltants). These mean that the grapes were actually grown by the winery. You may assume that with all the prestige in the world of Champagne that the Champagne houses would be growing their own grapes, but you would be mostly wrong. The majority of Champagnes you find on your shelves are produced using fruit purchased on the bulk market or under contract.

A couple of suggestions?

How about Chartogne-Taillet 1999 “Cuvée Fiacre”. It retails for generally about $40-$50. It’s an elegant, Champagne that’s dominated by the Chardonnay grape. It’s vibrant, defined and high-pitched and is something that you’re Valentine is sure to sit up and take notice once it hits their palette.

Another great one is Pascal Doquet’s non-vintage Le Mesnil-sur-Oger Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru. It’s a non-vintage (made from wine from a variety of different years). It really stands out from other Champagnes because it’s so wonderfully yeasty (think rye toast, hazelnuts) which gives it an almost hoppy note.
$35-$50 a bottle

And for those on a Champagne budget?

Have a taste for the exceptional? Vilmart et Cie is one of the finest houses that are available in the States. They barrel ferment their base wines (think Krug) giving a broad and complex mouth-feel and more perceived “richness” than many Champagnes on the market. The 1999 Coeur de Cuvee is something to seek out.
$95-$110 a bottle

Bottle by Numbers

Can you judge a wine by its bottle?

Well…yes…and no.
Ok, that seems like the easy answer, but it’s true.

And while we certainly don’t espouse just picking a wine by its bottle (although we do kind of subscribe to the idea that if the more classic i.e. boring to graphic designers the label, the better the wine inside), there are some generalities that are true about the bottle shape giving you a very quick, general read to the wine.

There are generally 4 main wine bottle types.

The origins of wine bottle shapes span many centuries, continents and technologies and really merit a study in their own right. We’re going to skip a lot of the minutia and get right to the general meat of the question.

Here are the most common shapes you’ll see on your wine shop shelves:

Champagne Bottle

A thicker glass overall to contain the second fermentation, which happens in the bottle, and the resulting gas pressure. Champagne tends to come in generally the same shape bottle.

Used by sparkling wine producers throughout the world.

Hock, Flute, Rhine or Mosel Bottle

Long neck that elegantly flows into the body of the bottle.

Most often used in: wines from Germany, and Alsace, France, and frequently for Austria and German or Alsacian wine varietals (e.g. Riesling, Gewurtztraminer, Pinot Gris, Sylvaner) when they are grown outside their native region.

Probably going to be sweet if from America, but not so if from abroad.

Since overall, German wines tend on the sweeter side, wines from Germany in this type bottle have a good chance of being sweet (for the dry German wines…. look for the word Troken (dry) on the front or back label) and the wines from America that utilize this bottle tend to be sweeter wines made of white grapes like Chenin Blanc, Gewurztraminer, Riesling, etc. However, wines from the Alsace region (near the German border) of France and Austrian wines in this shape are usually dry.

Burgundy and Rhône Bottle

Your romantic wine bottle, a nice fat bottom with an elegantly tapering neck.

Used in the wines from the Burgundy and Rhone, and to some extent the Loire Valley, regions of France.
Also used in wines from grapes from these regions when they are grown elsewhere in the world: Pinot Noir and Chardonnay (Burgundy); Grenache, Syrah, (Rhone); Sauvignon Blanc produced in the Sancerre or Pouilly-Fumé style (Loire) (Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are usually guaranteed placement in this bottle throughout the world, however, Sauvignon Blanc and Syrah are frequently put in the Bordeaux bottle seen below, especially when Syrah is grown as Shiraz in Australia.)

Bordeaux Bottle

A more formal shape with a stiffer, elevated base and choppy break to the neck.

Also a wild card, but if we are going to put a huge generality here, there is a chance that this wine (particularly if it’s a red) is going to be a bit stiffer and maybe something that needs food. If it’s a Zinfandel (see below) all bets are off.

This bottle is called Bordeaux after it’s home the Bordeaux region of France. Used in wines grown from Bordeaux, the reds: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and the whites: Sauvignon Blanc and Semillion. It is also used throughout Tuscany, Italy for Chiantis and Brunello di Montalcinos (both Sangiovese-grape based wines). Wines made using these grapes, no matter where they are grown, tend to use this bottle. It’s also usually the bottle of the…Zinfandel.

The preceding is the purest and simplest sense of the bottle usage of the wines you’ll find made in or imported to America. There are PLENTY of variations of these rules to be sure. And there are no laws dictating which wine goes in which bottle in most parts of the world, it’s merely a matter of convention (mixed with tradition).

For example, once I spoke with a well known, highly regarded producer of Austrian wine. He made many different wines each year, many of which were Grüner Veltliners. Grüners are very common in Austria, but less so in America and he was faced with the challenge of communicating to this less familiar consumer—through the bottle shape—what a Grüner tastes like. His richer Grüners get a longer time on the yeast and some exposure to oak barrels, resulting in a richer more decadent mouthfeel, or a more Burgundian style of wine. So for these, he chose the Burgundy shaped bottle. His other Grüner Veltliners would be made in a fresher and brighter fashion, more akin to a dry Sauvignon Blanc. These wines would see no oak and would be made to be consumed younger. He chose the long flute shaped bottle for this style.

One last note,
If you see a Chianti in a grass covered bottle put on your table, don’t drink it. Please.

"Appellationization" of North America?

Eric Asimov has an interesting column (and blog post) in the New York Times about Appellation America, an organization whose mission is to promote consumer awareness of "terroir" and place of origin for North American wines. The organization has actually enlisted a number of regionally-based wine writers to identify and catalog precise characteristics found in certain wine-producing areas and recommend producers that embody these traits. 

Asimov likens these efforts to "moving a boulder with a toothpick" pointing to the false starts of similar "old world" initiatives such a including grape names on wine labels. And there appears to be little movement in this direction stateside (imagine consumers asking for a Russian River Valley instead of a Cabernet Sauvignon).

But I'm a little more optimistic than Asimov. The tipping point will not be reached overnight, but I think there will be a gradual adoption of practices among wine makers that provide consumers with more information. Consumers simply demand it. And the explosion of social media services, connecting individuals with similar interests, has facilitated word-of-mouth promotion for otherwise unheard of wines producers. There are already signs that wine producers are surfacing the visibility of their appellation and salience of narratives that capture terroir in their marketing efforts. It's hard to say for sure given a market that tends to react strongly to popular trends and fashion. But, I think there's a good bet that this is the direction we're headed. 

Welcome to Vino View

My friends and I have been talking for a long time about starting a blog on wine and food. Well, we finally did it. And just in time for the holidays!

Our motivation is simply to provide an open platform for sharing ideas about interesting wines, dining experiences and travels, while of course keeping it fun and easy. There's an abundance of fantastic news and information on the Web which we will track and update, while adding our own perspective. Our hope is that this is the beginning of a lighthearted, entertaining and educational dialog. 

-- VinoView.com