Open That Bottle Night wine report

I hope you and yours had a wonderful time popping a cork or two last Saturday night for Open That Bottle Night. For my part, a handful of my closest friends descended on my place for a wonderful meal of braised paprika chicken, orzo and lemon-garlic asparagus. We started with an appetizer of oysters, a small aperitif of exceptional Dolin Dry Vermouth and a glass of white Bordeaux ('06 Ch. le Tucau, Graves). Then with dinner we moved on to our "serious" wines - those we had been saving for whatever special occasion had yet to materialize. I wasn't exactly sure what my bottle of Spanish wine from Terra Alta, Spain would bring - but I had high hopes, too. This isn't a region you often see here in the States; my bottle was actually hand-carried back from Barcelona by my best friend after her wedding there.

The Terra Alta D.O. boasts only 28 vineyards. The region is characterized by its Mediterranean & Continental climate (very cold winters, very hot summers), steep slopes and valley floors, and its proximity to its better known neighbor, Priorat. The cierzo breezes from the northeast do their part to keep the grapes dry, preventing rot. Terra Alta is considered an up and coming region, with many winemakers experimenting with better known grape varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, which have been permitted since 1995. More often you'll find native grapes Garnacha Tinta and Carinena as well as Garnacha Peluda and Morenillo, as far as the reds go.

Doing my best to navigate the Catalan description on the back of the bottle, I anticipated the Ede Aria 2003 would be a big boy, with need of decanting.  The wine was a blend of three grapes: Garnacha Peluda (40%), Syrah (35%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (25%). My inspiration for the paprika braised chicken was distinct from the wine I knew I would have on offer, so decanting was a priority to soften any rough edges and remove the sediment the wine was likely to throw. Since I know my friend prefers fruit-forward wines to uber-dry ones, I hoped this wine would deliver a nice silky mouthfeel, with both red and black fruits apparent. Finally, given the region's proximity to the Priorat, I hoped it would have a gentle herbaceousness and a touch of earthy leather. I was pleased to discover it delivered on all of the above!

The other two wines we opened Saturday night were the 2004 Stevenot Tempranillo (Sierra Foothills, California) and the 2004 Villa Antinori Toscana (Tuscany, Italy).

Yes, Saturday evening I traveled the world with my friends! It was a pleasure to do so.

What wine(s) did you open for OTBN? Any highlights or disappointments in the mix?

a celebration (or two!) of wine approachability

Several years ago I found myself sitting in my doctor's office picking up a copy of "O" magazine. Not much of a magazine reader, I was just thumbing through it to pass the time. And then an article about a group of nine women, passionate about wine, caught my attention. They called their close-knit wine education group "Divas Uncorked" - and they were hanging out, talking about wine just up I-93 in Milton, MA. The timing couldn't have been more perfect. I was deep in the throws of my professional leap to the wonderful world of wine and together, however informally amongst themselves, they were doing what I hoped to do. In a nutshell, they were described as dynamic, and engaging - and when it came to wine their motto was approachability. They believed wine was a vehicle for all kinds of things: fun, new adventures, new learning and community.

When I discovered last week their public, 10th anniversary Vintners dinner was just a couple of weeks away, it was easy to approach them about an article for my new, Monday wine column on Wicked Local/Somerville (yea!). Learn more about their festivities here - and then tell us:

What's your wine motto?

fun with wine (news)

I can't help but feel excited and playful what with Open That Bottle Night on tap for tomorrow night and a few very cool new projects in the queue (more on those later...). So today I bring to you a sampling of lighthearted highlights from my wine reading this week. Let's start with the most whimsical piece and go from there, shall we?

Let's face it:  most of us spend way too much time at our computers, for better or worse. Anytime someone figures out a way to help us play while we work, I'm all for it. From Arwye Wan and the folks at Yanko Designs comes not only the wine cork USB memory stick, but now also the flash drive. This is user-friendly wine love if I ever saw it. Check them out!

Next, we have Girl Scout Cookies! What? Yep. America's favorite seasonal treat (or so I think) meets wine at the hand of Doug Morris, of Old Town Bread, Co.. Girl Scouts of South Eastern Massachusetts is holding their annual fundraiser, where Chef's from some of our favorite - and finest - local restaurants will participate in the name of the cookie, or well, the Girl Scouts who sell them. With such an illustrious team in the kitchen, it's a bit surprising wine hasn't entered the picture to date. Katie Curley of The Daily News reported, "a surprise entry from Morris will be a savory cookie of smoked salmon with a red wine reduction on cinnamon-flavored Girl Scouts' Daisy Go Round Cookies." Check out Curley's article to learn more about the Who's Who in Culinary & Cookies, or click this link and go to "Cookie Creations" to support the event. (Hotel Commonwealth, March 12, 6-8pm)

Finally, in what was meant to be a more sobering article about wine and the economy, I found Inside Bay Area's recent article on marketing high-end wine in a down economy fairly positive. Here are three reasons I feel this way:

1. Guerilla marketing, if you will, among some of the more high end wine producers of California might mean good news for consumers. The folks at Honig and Cakebread, for example, plan to take more of their wares on the road, giving consumers a greater opportunity to taste and enjoy their high-end wines locally.

2. If you've been sitting on a wine club waiting list since before dirt, this may be your moment to get in on the fun. There should be more high-end juice available with sales generally lower. This means there's more to go around for folks who aren't local and want "in" via special Club-only shipments.

3. Finally, just this week Boston natives Peter and Diana Merriam opened their new Napa tasting room - but they're not giving up production of one of their best value "high end" wines, which clocks in at $35. Count on 4.5 glasses of fun for a mere $7.77 each; that's pretty great value, if you think of it. Plus, the Merriams will be offering custom crush to other folks; it'll be interesting to see what - or who - else comes out of their new digs, given how high a bar they've set for themselves.

All in all, not a bad week for wine! Let's top it off, shall we? Be sure to OPEN THAT BOTTLE!

Carmenere: something old, something new...

There's something great about finding something you thought had long been lost, or even just finding something you had long forgotten. The idea is the same. There is a magic to the rediscovery, almost heightening your original experience because of the novelty of the find. This happened to me a couple of years ago when my mom had us go through our respective "boxes" of childhood stuff to consolidate our treasures. I remember finding a terrific array of goodies from my first "club", where I was deemed Secretary. I was - and still am - completely humored by the fact that my newsletter writing style and go-get-'m/take-no-prisoners/ra-ra approach as an 8 year old lived on in my daily correspondence with colleagues in 2006. Funny stuff.

Carmenere is to 19th Century Bordeaux, France as my email writing style today is to 1987. Just imagine researchers' surprise and delight in the mid 1990s when the Carmenere grape was found alive and well in Chile - after it was long thought distinct due to the onset of phylloxera in Bordeaux. Difficult to replant and prone to disease because of the weather conditions in Bordeaux, Carmenere (one of the 6 original "noble" varieties of Bordeaux) was considered a lost cause and not replanted after the phylloxera epidemic. Somehow, someway, Carmenere grape plantings arrived in Chile - and the varietal thrived in its new dry, warm habitat. The 'funny' thing is this varietal was thought to be Merlot.... for quite a long time Chilean "Merlot" was distinct. Finally, in 1994, research was undertaken to sort things out - and Carmenere's true identity and history were revealed.

Today Carmenere is not just used as a blending grape, but known in its own right as one of Chile's best single varietal wines. Don't get me wrong, I've tasted a lot of bad Carmenere, with bitter, stemmy flavors and a distinct green bell pepper vegetal quality dominating. But when it's on, it's on. Good examples show tremendous depth for a "middle-weight", including red and dark fruits, a touch of earthiness, tobacco and leather, as well as a distinct smokey character or even a mocha/dark chocolate element. No kidding. All that in a bottle of wine!

Just this week I retasted the well-known 2007 Terra Noble Grand Reserva  Carmenere.  It's smokiness and darker tones (e.g. dried herbs, tobacco and leather) made me channel a great big stew of lamb, carrots and potatoes,  sitting in front of my (theoretical) fireplace. I realized somehow thus far I had neglected to share this something new/something old with my readers. Well, better late than never! This wine will certainly carry us through the inevitably blustery March right on into Spring, when our barbecues will be ripe for action thereafter.

But as I said, there's a lot of Carmenere on the market and it doesn't always delight. Chile is, after all, an up and coming area experiencing a few growing pains. And I think Carmenere may be more of an acquired taste than an automatic winner for most consumers. No surprise then, today's question is:

What's your experience with Carmenere?

the "just do it" of wine: open that bottle night '09!

Open That Bottle Night logo

I think a lot about wine. I think a lot about sports. I think a lot about the weather (granted, often I'm dreaming of warmer, sunnier climates).  Truth be told, I think a lot and when I get something in my head, it really sinks its teeth in. Case in point: for weeks I've known today I would post about Open That Bottle Night, a little something Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher from the Wall Street Journal dreamt up ten years ago. Their idea? To give people an "excuse" to open that bottle of wine they've been saving. It's the "Just Do It!" for wine lovers around the world - because, let's face it, it can be hard to decide which occasion is special enough to cause you to pop the cork on that bottle you've been saving for the last 20 years.

I've been amped up since the Super Bowl about OTBN, I can't lie. I find February is the longest month of the year. By the end of the cold, damp, snowy eck of Feburary, I have wicked Spring Fever. Fortunately, OTBN happens every last Saturday of February. It is like a little light of hope at the end of the tunnel. A little light of goodness - whether I waited too long to open that bottle or not! There's no football the next day to look forward to either, so you can plan a fabulous brunch instead.

pouringwineintoglass

I've been biding my time to put together this little Friday post to remind everyone they have just one week to plan accordingly - whether it'll just be you and your hunny, or a small group of your most appreciative wine friends.  But in my great anticipation and enthusiasm, I couldn't help asking around to find out who has what planned....

Wouldn't you know it, I haven't heard one plan yet. People. How can you forget this wondrous event is just one weekend away? Worse yet, how can you not know we are not just Opening That Bottle, but we're celebrating the 10th year of the event! Just to check if I am going crazy, a random lack of publicity for this momentous evening, I will now Google "open that bottle night".

1,610,000 entries loaded for 2009 alone.

Huh.

Well, if you didn't know, now you know! Open That Bottle Night is not to be missed! If you don't have a bottle of 10 or 20 or 5 year old anything, it doesn't matter. It's about the spirit of the occasion - of opening something you wouldn't just uncork with dinner - or something that, frankly, needs an excuse to be opened lest it be lost to the wine gods forever. For me, I think it will be a bottle of Spanish wine my best friend brought back from Barcelona for me after her wedding there. (I attended the Turkish Cypriat festivities, but couldn't make the trip to Barcelona for part deux. Her father-in-law is quite the vino lover, hand-selecting the wines for the occasion. I was sorry to have missed it! And my friend brought back one of the two remaining bottles for me to enjoy.)

So put on your party hat and get ready to raid your collection! We have 8 days and counting....

What are your plans for February 28th OTBN?

2007 Burgundy: a challenging vintage

Like the growers champagne tasting I attended in December, the ones I make a real point to get to are not run of the mill, but more of a treat. HD for wine lovers, if you will. Last week I had the pleasure of attending two Burgundy 2007 tastings. The Sorting Table and Wildman & Sons were in town to share their portfolio of 2007 Burgs with the trade. Burgundy is considered one of the most difficult regions in the world to work. Pinot Noir is an incredibly finicky grape and the climatic conditions each year are just as challenging. No surprise, these are really special events where invitees taste wines that can go for as much as $300+/bottle.

These tastings are also incredibly challenging to attend. Because of the timing of the event - just a few months post-harvest - the wines are typically barrel samples, which have been 'bottled' for the tastings here in the States; they are meant to give us a taste of what these wines will become. And by "become" I mean in quite a while.... Burgundy's reds (almost exclusively Pinot Noir) are not thought to come into their prime for at least another decade, and sometimes as much as three. The whites (almost exclusively Chardonnay) can also be aged for quite some time.

The 2007 vintage is said to be one of the most difficult in recent memory - but producing solid wines for those who tended their vines methodically, with tremendous care throughout the ups and downs of the vintage cycle. It was a long, warm spring suggesting an earlier harvest would be necessary. But it proceeded to rain, with temps consistently below average, throughout July and August. Finally in late August the sun decided to shine again and the northern winds arrived to dry things out in September. For those who really worked hard all vintage to give the grapes a chance - and then waited to pick - the fruit was ripe enough to produce concentrated, nuanced wines.

Those with greater experience tasting young Burgundy argue the Chardonnays are more consistently better than the Pinots in '07. For my part, though I hesitate to generalize, at each tasting I found the whites, indeed, were very vibrant, delightfully unadulterated and rightly displaying their characteristic minerality and searing acidity. The reds I tasted were mixed; the best offered the lovely concentrated fruit, nuanced earthiness and tremendous finesse one should expect from great Burgundy, while others were more diluted and characterless.

For the sake of this post (and my lengthy word count) I've deliberately refrained from going into greater detail about each of the specific (important) sub-regions within Burgundy - and the villages within these - which do make a difference on the predominant characteristics of a given red/white Burgundy. I fully encourage you to dig deeper to learn more about each. But, for a report on the 2007 vintage, definitely check out this resource. Very helpful, delightfully nerdy information therein.

Have you experienced great Burgundy? What vintage was the wine?

flag on the play, part deux: judging wines is no easy....business

Two Mondays ago we mused about the challenge of judging wines because a new report by Robert T. Hodgson was released about the difficulty in doing so. Largely my comments were geared to judging competitions themselves, only briefly mentioning the points systems often used (by Robert Parker and increasingly others, like Gary Vaynerchuk). What I didn't say was how much I detest any "official" point system. That's why my "ratings" here at Pour Favor never go down a numeric scale; I opt for a much more user-friendly, experiential way of expressing my likes and dislikes.  "Yum" describes the wines I've enjoyed most; "pass" describes ones I don't need to have again.

I get it. Ratings sell wines to the masses. Fortunately,  I don't have to like it and I don't have to subscribe to it myself. In our boutique shop we offer our own descriptions of a wine. Only 1 in maybe 15 is a mass-produced "shelf talker" with a Parkerized-rating listed.  Larger stores depend on the mass produced marketing materials (and the number system) because they don't have (as many) expert staff on hand to talk to customers about a particular wine. Suppliers need to give as much fodder to these bigger stores as possible to "move the product" for them.

But what about a winery's feelings on the topic? I'd say it's gotta be pretty varied, depending on your larger marketing plan, your size/production capability and your personal philosophy. Getting any score can be a good news/bad news thing.

On Friday Gretchen Roberts at Conde Nast's Portfolio came out with a list of "The Parker Holdouts", or wineries which prefer not to submit their wines for review. Roberts interviewed Phil Woodward of Woodward/Graff wines. He said he "prefers to work with local journalists who like to tell a story rather than rate a wine". Clearly he is a man who believes if you romance your potential customers with information about a wine, they're more likely to pick up a bottle, and if they like it, get emotionally involved in your product.

Ric Henry of Karl Lawrence Cellars has a similar strategy. He "wants to cultivate customer loyalty, not flash-in-the-pan buyers who chase scores." He even likens his product to the Oakland Raiders, where "in a good year or bad, I stick with my team". Gotta love a man with a sports analogy for wine.

As much as I appreciate the philosophy these (two) wineries have about scores, I also argue they are looking at the bigger picture and "protecting" themselves. If you get a bad score, you can be totally screwed in the future. If you get a good score, you sell a ton of that one wine (which is limited in supply).  The pressure to produce more of the same wine in the following year can be difficult to manage - you don't want to jeopardize quality, but you may feel more compelled to meet the demand. But who knows what the next vintage will bring? Too many times we see a good wine go south the following year because they cut corners or change their blend because they only have so much juice in the first place.

All of this said, at the end of the day you do need someone out there "judging" wines for you to a) find the cream of the crop and then b) help you make a selection based on an informed impression of a given wine.

The question is, do you prefer your wine "judges" to be your local buyers, or the Robert Parker's of the world? Does it matter to you?

En fuego...

oak-trash-barrel

I'd say I'm largely a glass is half full kind of person. (And no, I wasn't just referring to my wine glass! That's probably more often half empty... ;) ) As you know from last Friday's post, I celebrate little victories as they arise, am told I have "abundant enthusiasm" and have an ability to laugh at even the dopiest of things (a few commercials come to mind...).  But this week has been a sobering one.

A world away, I can't help but feel devastated by the loss of life, nature and livelihood due to the bushfires ravaging Australia. Many Americans understand this devastation personally as California wildfires have become a common summer ocurance; no matter where we live, we sit with fingers crossed, waiting for the intense heat and unseemly winds to abate. If nature was simply running its course as it should, I would have a much more optimistic outlook. It's when criminal acts may be to blame I become absolutely unglued. I am my father's daughter - and as he says often, "I hate waste."

Certainly there is ample news coverage on the fires this week. But if you want a closer look at how the vintage has been impacted by the heat or how wineries are coping with the fires in particular, Decanter's done a nice job of covering the events.

If you find yourself sipping from the Australian cup often or are interested in the business of Aussie wines, a good resource for you is Winebiz.

For those of you who want to "(re)visit" Australia in a gesture of solidarity this weekend, pop into your local wine shop and ask them what's worth trying. If you're not a fruit-bomb lover, we've found a few treats on offer lately and have been lucky to rediscover a few other selections with just the right touch of age on them.  See what you can find!

Will you grab an Aussie selection from your local's shelf this weekend?

Winter Warmers: Gruner Veltliner

You're probably grateful to learn I'm not just a wine nerd. One of my other passions is cycling (yes, my road bike even has a name). I've found if you are really passionate about something (or things),  it is only natural your various interests intersect - however much in your thoughts rather than in practice. Case in point: I'm not likely to sip some vino and get on my bike, but sometimes I think about what "grape" I might be on any given day. (One of these days I'll probably even post on the topic in and of itself - or better yet, start a discussion on the new Pour Favor Facebook page....) For whatever reason, this week I've been feeling a bit Gruner Veltliner -  and feel compelled to post accordingly... Gruner Veltliner is a native Austrian white grape - their most well known and most planted, in fact.  Like training athletes, I find Gruner gets even better over time. 8 out of 10 times I open a bottle, it tastes better on day two than day one, and even better on day three than day two (after that, you may be pushing it). It takes time for it's muscle to show.  Gruner is a svelte athlete, with terrific definition, but without an overblown, steroid-infused look/feel.  (Exactly the one I'm going for myself.)

Gruner also balances it's sweet (read: fruit forward) with it's sexy (read: character-driven, white pepper 'spice appeal') side. Think ripe, fleshy white peaches, a hint of citrus, a dash of apricot - and white pepper minerality. This is the formula for one of the most food-friendly and versatile wines you can find. And its extra touch of oomph (i.e. weight from its svelte muscles) makes it a terrific white to enjoy during the winter months. Lovely acidity even allows it to precede a meal - or a night out on the town.

Which ones do I tip my hat to in particular? Try the Hofer Gruner Veltliner for a mere $12 (and a 1L bottle at that!); the Laurenz Singing Gruner for $15; or, seek out one of Kurt Angerer's special offerings.

Are you feeling like a Gruner these days, too?

The saga of wine shipping: challenges continue for MA

Friday it was frigid outside, but it was hard to feel cold when all of you kept the votes coming to celebrate our 100th post! Today we're back to business, though - and unfortunately, it's a nasty one. Here's the scoop: Late last November wine consumers made a toast to Judge Zobel (US District Court) for allowing winery-to-consumer wine shipments to proceed in Massachusetts. As you probably recall from my original post on the topic, this ruling was thought to be long overdue; the previous state law stipulated wineries producing more than 30,000 cases of wine per year and having a Massachusetts wholesaler were not allowed to ship directly to consumers themselves. Zobel ruled this regulation was discriminatory and unconstitutional.

But nothing is ever easy. News broke last week Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coaxley is going to fight the ruling. My question is simple: why?

Those in favor of the law are attempting to protect MA wineries and wholesalers. But the truth is, if you travel to a vineyard in say CA, WA, OR, or NY and decide you want a case of their wine, savvy consumers will only select wine you can't otherwise get locally. Why pay the additional shipping otherwise? The folks at Free the Grapes also report "winery anecdotal evidence clearly shows that a bottle of wine that is shipped directly does not replace a bottle purchased at a favorite restaurant or from a wine merchant. Legal winery-to-consumer shipments help to build awareness of wines and their sales through traditional sales channels." This is what I call a win-win, not a sum-zero game.

Even when I put on my Retail Hat and take off my Average-Jill-Wine-Consumer Hat, I can't see an argument in favor of this law. Allowing free trade state to state simply will not measurably impact sales negatively - for us at the shop or the wholesalers we work with. A case here and there just doesn't make or break you. Consumers will still seek wine expertise locally. And many won't be able to justify the additional shipping costs.

When I put on my Tax-Payer Hat I can't help but go bananas. In one breath newscasters are telling us about how schools will be closed next fall to help close the state budget gap. And in the next breath they tell us the state is using our tax dollars to finance the AG's efforts to appeal a federal ruling. Give me a break. This is good old fashioned inefficiency - and stupidity - at work.

Do you agree with my take?* Or do you see a stronger argument in favor of the Attorney General's efforts to maintain the law as is?

*NOTE:  For any readers who agree with my stance, you can take action.