Niche Wine Blog

Restaurant Wine Pricing

                                     

Below is a link to an eye opening article that attempts to decode the restaurant wine pricing paradox.

Cracking the Code of Restaurant Wine Pricing

Wine & Spirits Top 100

SAVE THE DATE

Wine & Spirits Magazine’S Fifth Annual Top 100 EVENT

100 wineries from around the world convene at San Francisco’s historic Mint Building

 

(New York, NY, April 21, 2008) Wine & Spirits Magazine’s (W&S) Fifth Annual Top 100 Event will take place Tuesday, October 14th at San Francisco’s Mint Building. This event honors the top 100 wineries from all over the world that consistently receive the magazine critics’ highest ratings. Bay Area chefs and local, artisan purveyors will serve food to complement the wineries’ premier bottlings. The Top 100 wineries of 2008 will be announced in the Winter issue of Wine & Spirits on sale October 14, 2008. 

 

Publisher and Editor Josh Greene comments, “At Wine & Spirits, we run more than 9,000 wines past our blind tasting panels each year. Our Top 100 wineries produce a range of wines that score at the top of their categories. They set a standard of excellence in their regions. We’re excited to honor them this year at the Mint Building, one of San Francisco’s National Historic Landmarks.”

 

In keeping with Wine & Spirits Magazine's mission to raise awareness of water conservation issues, a portion of the event proceeds will benefit San Francisco Baykeeper. 

 

Wine & Spirits Magazine's Top 100 Tasting Details

Date: Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Time: 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm

Location: Mint Building, 88 Fifth Street, San Francisco, CA 94103
Trade and Media Preview: 5:00 pm to 6:30 pm

For more information, please contact Kristen Hager at Wine & Spirits Magazine: (212) 695 4660, ext. 17, or khager@wineandspiritsmagazine.com.

 

Founded in 1982, Wine & Spirits Magazine is published seven times a year and read by over 200,000 members of America’s wine community. Consumers and wine professionals read the magazine for information on established and up-and-coming regions and producers, the art and science of viticulture, restaurant and industry happenings, and food and wine pairing. Leading the wine magazine category, Wine & Spirits has earned the most James Beard awards for excellence in wine writing.

Visit wineandspiritsmagazine.com for more information.

Ruling Turns a Village of Winemakers on Itself

Sorry, I've been slacking.  Work, planning for going back to school and getting ready to move into our newly built home in a month have kept me a tad busy.  I thought I'd share this article for those who don't get a chance to read the NY Times.  I think it's a fine example of how politics can muddle the wine industry.

                              

July 24, 2008

St.-Émilion Journal

Ruling Turns a Village of Winemakers on Itself

By STEVEN ERLANGER

ST.-ÉMILION, France — For François Despagne, it was the challenge of his lifetime.

His family owned the same vineyard in this southwestern part of France for seven generations. But in 1996, in the reclassification of St.-Émilion wines that occurs roughly every 10 years, Château Grand Corbin-Despagne was downgraded from grand cru classé, one of the highest ratings.

The family disagreed but did not challenge the ruling in court.

“When you’re declassified, you’re the ugly little duckling,” Mr. Despagne said. “People lose faith in you.” The blow is also financial.

One Bordeaux broker called him then and said: “You’re in trouble, you’re declassified. I’ll buy your stock for half price,” Mr. Despagne recalled, still disgusted. “It was hard, morally.”

Mr. Despagne, trained as a biologist and oenologist, went to work. He persuaded his family and the banks to invest some $2 million to modernize the business. More important, he dug 150 holes to analyze the soil on his 66 acres and identified 53 parcels. Where the soil was richest, he grew grass between the rows of vines to force the roots to dig deeper. He put in 27 new vats to make smaller batches, and reduced yield by 25 percent to get a more concentrated wine.

In September 2006, his labor and his family’s faith were rewarded. Although the new classification downgraded 11 other chateaus, it restored Grand Corbin-Despagne to grand cru classé, and Mr. Despagne printed new labels, brochures, corks, capsules and wooden cases. The family celebrated; the workers had a huge party.

But then the bomb went off this year. On July 1, an administrative court, hearing an extended appeal from seven of the newly declassified chateaus, threw out the entire 2006 classification — and threw Mr. Despagne and others who had been promoted into fury and confusion.

The ruling has set families against one another in this beautiful medieval village of 2,500 souls who know one another, marry one another and go to Mass together. Declared a protected site by Unesco in 1999, St.-Émilion, where the Romans cultivated wine grapes, is dominated by a church and a prison tower built in the 13th century.

Now this little area, which contains 770 winegrowers on 13,800 acres classified as St.-Émilion and St.-Émilion grand cru, produces some 32.1 million bottles a year of some of Bordeaux’s finest and most expensive wines. It represents an enormous collective business, with built-in rivalries, that combines science, farming, public relations, fantasy, taste and tough tactics.

And now, judicial and commercial confusion.

The court agreed with the plaintiffs that, because the already classified wines were tasted at a different time than the candidate wines, and because some domains were visited and some not, the classification was “arbitrary” — even though the same procedure had been followed in 1996.

Faced with no classification for the 2006 vintage, which was just being bottled, the French Legislature restored the 1996 classification for three years, or until all court appeals are finished or a new classification is made. That is fine for most, and especially for those just demoted — but it means agony for Mr. Despagne and the others promoted in 2006 who had their reward ripped away.

Mr. Despagne spits out the words, like a bad vintage: “It’s not good for the image of St.-Émilion, it’s not good for justice and it’s not good for the community of St.-Émilion.”

The ruling also punished two other chateaus, Pavie Macquin and Troplong Mondot. They were elevated in 2006 to the rarefied air of premier grand cru classé B, which brings even more rarefied prices.

Xavier Pariente, who owns Troplong Mondot with his spouse, is beside himself.

“We are the laughingstock of everyone; everyone feels this injustice that we are living,” Mr. Pariente said. “If we wanted to damage St.-Émilion, there would be no better way.” Jean-Pierre Taleyson, the cellar master, said, “When I heard about the judgment, I nearly started to cry.”

For Nicolas Thienpont, director of Pavie Macquin, the court ruling is like “a donkey on the roof.” It is absurd, he said, “to promote the troublemakers while the good students get demoted.” He has already bottled and labeled his 2006 vintage under the new, higher classification, expecting a final ruling to confirm the promotions. “It’s a risk, but I feel morally premier grand cru classé,” he said. “We worked 10 years for this!”

Even the patriarch of St.-Émilion, Thierry Manoncourt, 90, who owns the magnificent Château Figeac, has his grievances. His wine was not affected by the 2006 classification, but his application to be promoted from premier grand cru classé B to A — to join the two most elevated names in the region, Ausone and Cheval Blanc — was denied again.

Not because of the quality of the wine, the reviews, the elegance of the chateau or any other obvious reason, he fumed. “But because they said my prices were not as high! It’s a circle — you can’t sell at the same price because you’re not premier grand cru classé A!”

Mr. Manoncourt has the standing to reject some of the slavish following of the preferences of wine raters like Robert M. Parker Jr., whose influence over the American market remains extraordinary. Mr. Parker likes deeply colored Bordeaux, so many here alter the temperature of their first maceration to extract the most color, even if it slightly affects the taste. Mr. Manoncourt, offering a glass of a 2001 Château Figeac that Mr. Parker did not like at a first tasting, recalled saying, “Cher Bob, I don’t manufacture ink.”

As to the current uproar, Mr. Manoncourt said gently, “It’s always unpleasant when there’s a controversy — especially when it’s not very transparent.” And when, he implied, there is so much money and pride at stake.

Pierre Lurton, who runs Château Cheval Blanc for the multinational LVMH, said he approved of the regular reclassification of St.-Émilion wines, which he called “courageous” because it kept winemakers on their toes.

But the court ruling, Mr. Lurton said, “puts everything into disequilibrium. It’s confusing, and it gives the sense there’s something wrong in the system.” For Mr. Despagne, he said, “it’s totally unjust — it’s like he regained heaven, and now he’s thrown back into purgatory.”

Basil Katz contributed reporting.

Basil Katz contributed reporting.

Miatech, Inc. - Winery Humidification

 

New Humidification and Bacteria Control Equipment for Wineries

Miatech, Inc., a long time manufacturer of perishable control equipment is giving new attention to wineries.  Miatech has traditionally made equipment for grocery stores, like produce misting systems, service case humidifiers for fresh meat, seafood and so on. Now they are targeting wineries.

The new Miatech technology designed for both Bacteria Control and Humidification of fresh fruit and vegetables during storage is now available for wineries.  New products have been created specifically focused on winery applications.

Miatech claims their latest equipment offers a superior design. This results in greater performance, and it’s more affordable to own and operate for wineries than choices they have had in the past.

Bacteria control equipment improves the quality of wine by eliminating airborne bacteria that can taint wine.  It further helps to prevent possible mold growth in wineries. Properly humidifying wine barrel storage areas can reduce wine evaporation by as much as 85%. The new Miatech products make these benefits more affordable for wineries than ever before.

Miatech has just launched a campaign to notify wineries about the new products being offered. An important part of this campaign is Miatech’s website with a new winery section. The new section contains specialized information for both humidification and bacteria control for wine storage.  The goal of the new campaign is to increase awareness of proper storage conditions for wine and the benefits associated with these higher standards.

Learn more at www.miatech-advantage.com or call +1 800 339 5234 at extension 133.

provided for by Miatech, Inc.

Coronado Vineyards - Willcox, AZ

Last weekend, I went down to explore the wine region of Southern AZ.  One vineyard I went to was Coronado Vineyards, which is in the town of Willcox, about an hour from Tucson.  It sits between Mt. Graham and the Dos Cabezas mountains, in the Coronado National Forest.  The winery opened in 2006 and currently produces some of Arizona's finest wines.  The elevation in Willcox reaches roughly 4300 feet.  This, coupled with the warm days, cool nights and rich soils the high desert has to offer, produces wines with intense flavor, quality and character. 

Coronado vineyard also serves lunch and dinner.  They provide full-service catering and offer a beautiful setting for weddings and other private events. 

While they currently offer nine different wines, I tried three - the Riesling, Meritage and Cabernet Sauvignon.  The Riesling was dry to slightly off dry in style.  It had nice tropical fruit, pear and honey flavors, a good amount of acidity and the finish was medium in length.  The Meritage was a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cab Franc and Merlot - very Bordeaux in style.  There was nice dark berries, currant, cedar, tobacco, herbs and hints of oak.  Finally, the Cabernet Sauvignon had subtle red and black fruits.  It was a little lackluster - the finish was mediocre and the fruit was lacking.  Overall, it was a fine effort.  By far, my favorite was the Meritage - yummy!  

If you're ever in the area, you should definitely check out the AZ vineyards/wineries.  They make some great wine and they're getting even better.  Currently there are 28 in the area and a few more are planned.

Pierce's Disease Genetic Code Cracked!

Fighting vine threat

NEW DISCOVERIES: Researchers crack genetic code of bacterium that causes Pierce's disease

By KEVIN McCALLUM
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

Published: Thursday, June 19, 2008 at 4:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, June 19, 2008 at 2:27 p.m.

KENT PORTER / The Press Democrat

Grape grower Richard Rued, checking vines Wednesday, says Pierce's disease is a persistent problem in his Dry Creek vineyards. The tell-tale sign of the infection is stunted vine growth when compared with others, at left, which are growing normally.

Researchers trying to save the California wine industry from the dreaded Pierce's disease have made a series of promising discoveries they hope will lead to a cure for the vineyard scourge.

They've cracked the genetic code of the bacterium that causes Pierce's disease and have used the information to engineer grapevines impervious to the disease.

"Those plants are quite resistant . . . in our initial studies, so it seems to work as we had hoped," said Steven Lindow, a professor of plant biology at UC Berkeley.

Lindow's discovery is one of the most promising of several breakthroughs made by researchers trying to protect California's $19 billion wine industry from the most deadly threat since the phylloxera epidemic.

Pierce's disease has been around since the 1800s, but in the late 1990s a little bug called the glassy winged sharpshooter proved more effective than any prior insect at moving the disease-causing bacterium around vineyards. It spread Pierce's Disease to hundreds of acres of vineyards in Kern County in 2001, killing them all. The industry has been on red alert ever since, warning that its spread northward was likely.

"It's a real threat," said Nick Frey, president of the Sonoma County Winegrape Commission. "If it got established in Sonoma County and was indeed effective at moving (the bacterium) around vineyards, it could put people out of the grape business."

The disease is already in Sonoma County, but is spread by the blue-green sharpshooter, which is less of a threat because it doesn't fly as far or eat as much as its glassy winged cousin.

To better understand and combat the disease, the state in 2001 established the Pierce's disease/Glassy Winged Sharpshooter Board, an industry group that advises the state secretary of agriculture how to spend the millions of dollars raised every year by an assessment on grape growers.

The board earlier this month lowered the assessment on growers from $1.50 per $1,000 of crop to $1. The reduction was meant to reflect economic difficulties for some growers hurt by spring frosts, and for all facing higher costs, especially gasoline.

The main reason the assessments declined is because the board decided the time has come to focus the research on turning scientific breakthroughs into solutions the industry can use, said Steve McIntyre. His business, Monterey Pacific, is one of the largest grape growers in the state.

McIntyre said Lindow's research is some of the most promising and could change the state's fight against the disease.

Lindow appears to have figured out how to disrupt the bacteria's "cell-to-cell communication," slowing the spread through the grapevines, McIntyre said.

It's exciting research because bacteria plague all kinds of crops, and this research could provide key insights that could help other industries, as well.

Lindow said he has figured out how to isolate a molecule that disease-causing bacteria use to signal one another. In essence, when it gets too crowded in a vine, the bacteria communicate with one another, slowing down their growth rate. This gives them time to spread to other areas of the vine with more food.

Lindow realized that if a bacterium could be tricked into thinking the vine is already filled with other bacteria, then it would automatically shut down.

"We're trying to confuse it into thinking it's crowded when it isn't," he said.

Now the trick is to partner with a company that can effectively help turn these scientific discoveries into a marketable cure for Pierce's disease, McIntyre said.

This could take the form of another bacterium that transfers the signal molecule into an existing vine, a spray that the vines absorb, or the creation of vines genetically modified to resist the bacterium, Lindow said.

The breakthrough is an example of how decoding genomes is living up to the hype.

"We're pretty pleased," Lindow said. "Molecular biology is pretty fantastic these days."

You can reach Staff Writer Kevin McCallum at 521-5207 or kevin.mccallum@pressdemocrat.com.

Keeling Schaefer Vineyards: 2006 Two Reds Grenache

Keeling Schaefer Vineyards is in Cochise County, in Southern Arizona.  It sits at roughly 5,000 feet above sea level.  When people think of Arizona, they most often do not think about growing grapes and making wine.  However, with the Southern AZ growing regions being anywhere from 4,000-5,000 feet in altitude, the climate is quite temperate.  The days are sunny and warm and the nights are cool - perfect growing conditions for many grape varieties.  In fact, Arizona growing regions mimic the Rhone Valley of France.  As such, Rhone style red and white grape varieties do quite well here.  Other varietals such as Tempranillo, Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon also do well.  Arizona has great potential to become a great wine growing region.  One example is Keeling-Schaefer Vineyards.

Tonight I tasted the "Two Reds" Grenache.  Its a blend of 85% Grenache and 15% Syrah.  It's dark ruby red in color.  There's a ton of spice on the nose, starting with intense clove, black cherry and pepper - quite frankly, I think of the soft drink Dr. Pepper when I smell this wine.  It has medium-firm tannins, but it well balanced and flavorful.  One drawback is the alcohol.  See, Arizona has monsoon season from June to August every year and this particular year the monsoons greatly impacted the growing season.  There were sunny mornings followed by stormy, rainy afternoons.  This slowed the ripening process, causing the berries to stay on the vines longer and increased the sugar, which increased the alcohol.  All in all, a very nice effort from this vineyard, but I think it would have been better had mother nature cooperated. 

I think there are great things to come of the AZ wine growing region.  It may not be as well known now as Napa, Washington, or Oregon, but I think it has the potential to compete with these areas in the not so distant future.  Stay tuned...

2007 Bergevin Lane Vineyards Columbia Valley Rose

Bergevin Lane Vineyards is located in Walla Walla, WA.  It is, in part, the creation of two women who wanted to leave the chaotic life of 9-5 behind and do something they loved.  One of their father's has many years of industry experience and he has helped them tremendously.  The winery officially opened in 2003 and in the last five years they've had to prove themselves to the wine market, they have done a superb job. 

Winemaker Steffan Jorgensen has many years of winemaking experience in France, Chile and Sonoma, CA.  The hard work and experience has brought much success to the BLV family.  Many of their wines have received 90-pt scores from Wine Spectator, Wine Enthusiast and Wine Advocate.  The winery makes red and white blends, Viognier, Syrah, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon.  Their goal is for the wines to exude balance, structure, terroir and fruit-forwardness. While I have not tried any of these wines, I have tried their rose, which is out of this world!

The rose is made from free-run juice of Syrah, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot.  It is barrel fermented in neutral oak barrels.  They state this is to enhance mid-palate richness.  Whether or not it actually does I cannot specifically say, however this wine does have a mid-palate and it is definitely enhanced.  It has nice strawberry-watermelon color.  The nose is fragrant and bright.  I get mostly fresh fruits - strawberry, watermelon, raspberry and cherry, with a hint of blackberry.  There is a floral aspect to this wine as well, freesia, maybe.  This wine will pair well with many foods and it does fine on its own.  Or, as the BLV family says - It pairs well with an ice bucket and a hot day!

After researching, I didn't find any information on their website about this rose.  But, if you're ever in AZ, you can pick it up at 58 Degrees & Holding!

Changing the World of Wine Journalism...One Blog at a Time

June 10, 2008 06:01 AM Eastern Daylight Time 

Changing World of Wine Journalism Focus of 2008 Wine Bloggers Conference

Wine Bloggers From Across America to Converge in Wine Country October 24-26

SONOMA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--America’s new wine media will gather in Sonoma County, California on October 24-26 for the first annual Wine Bloggers Conference. As the number and influence of wine bloggers grows, the Sonoma gathering will bring together hundreds of online wine scribes to discuss their impact, how to better impart information to wine lovers across the globe, and how to stake their claim as the next generation of wine media.

Organized by the OpenWine Consortium and Zephyr Wine Adventures, the three-day conference will take place at the Flamingo Resort and Spa in Santa Rosa, California. Wine Bloggers and other attendees will be treated to a series of seminars, vineyard walks, wine dinners, tasting competitions, and an exposition of mass wine blogging.

WINE BLOGGING CHANGING WINE JOURNALISM

“Wine blogging in America has exploded in terms of the number of people maintaining wine blogs as well as their impact on how wine lovers and the industry get their news,” said Joel Vincent, an organizer of the conference. “The wine blogging community has always been close knit but never had an event of its own or opportunity to all come together to discuss the state of their efforts.”

In addition to wine bloggers, the conference is open to wine industry participants and media professionals that want to learn more about the wine blogging community and how it is changing the way wine information and news is communicated.

Among the speakers at the 2008 Wine Bloggers Conference will be Alice Feiring, an award-winning writer and author who also maintains her own wine blog, and Gary Vaynerchuk, author, wine retailer and proprietor of the wildly popular Wine Library TV videoblog.

WINE BLOGGERS WIELDING INCREASED CLOUT

The sponsors of this year’s conference indicate the importance and growing influence of wine bloggers. Among those sponsoring the conference are Sebastiani Vineyards, the Sonoma County Tourism Bureau, Inertia Beverage Group, the Sonoma County Vintners Association, and the Sonoma Winegrape Commission.

“For decades wine writing and popular wine education has been dominated by a few visible critics and wine publications, yet the emergence of hundreds of wine blogs and their millions of readers is changing that old model,” explained Vincent. “Technology is changing the wine industry is covered and explored that has a broader and more democratic character. The bloggers attending this year’s conference are responsible for implementing these changes.”

More information on the 2008 Wine Bloggers Conference can be found at: http://www.winebloggersconference.com.

OpenWine Consortium is a global, non-profit wine industry association featuring the newest generation of emerging companies, wineries, publishers, services and a motivated community dedicated to changing the world of wine. Zephyr Wine Adventures is the leading provider of active hiking, biking, and multisport wine vacations in locations throughout the world.

Great Wines Worth Seeking Out

Wednesday was a big tasting day at 58 Degrees & Holding, the fine wine shop I work at in Tucson.  Below is the list of wines I tried, my opinion of quality on a scale of 1-10, 10 being the best, critic ratings if applicable, and a link to find out more information on each. 

2006 Bogle Sauvignon Blanc, California
- 8.5 (NWB)
2007 Frog's Leap Sauvignon Blanc, Rutherford
- 9.0 (NWB)
2006 Calera Chardonnay, Central Coast
- 9.0 (NWB)
2006 Bogle Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley, Sonoma
- 8.6 - value-buy (NWB)
2006 ZD Pinot Noir, Silverado Trail, Napa Valley
- 8.7 (NWB)
2006 Calera Pinot Noir, Central Coast
- 8.9 (NWB)
2004 Calera Pinot Noir, Mills Vineyard, Mt. Harlan, Monterey, California
- 9.1 (NWB)
2005 Plumpjack Merlot, Napa
- 8.5 (NWB)
2005 Cade Cabernet Sauvignon Cuvee, Napa (Owned by Plumpjack)
- 9.2 (NWB)
2004 Robert Craig Cabernet Sauvignon, Mt. Veeder
- 9.0 pts (NWB); 92 pts (WS)
2006 Lagar de Fornelos S.A. Lagar de Cervera Albarino, Rias Baixas
- 8.9 (NWB); 85 (WS)
2004 Quinta Do Vallado - Douro, Portugal
- 9.0 (NWB); 88 (WS)
1999 Torre De Ona Baron De Ona Rioja Reserva - Rioja, Spain
- 8.7 (NWB)
1995 La Rioja Alta Gran Reserva 890 - Rioja, Spain
- 8.0 (NWB)
2003 Celler Laurona Montsant - Tarragona, Spain
- 9.3 (NWB); 91 (WS)
2003 Clos Martinet - Priorat, Spain
- 8.9 (NWB); 86 (WS)
2007 Cousino-Macul Chardonnay - Maipo Valley, Chile
- 8.5 (NWB)
2005 Mapema Tempranillo - Mendonza, Argentina
- 8.9 (NWB); 87 (WS)
2003 Finca Los Maza Reserva Malbec - Mendoza, Argentina
- 8.5 value-buy (NWB)
2005 Altas Las Hormigas Colonia Las Liebres Bonarda - Mendoza, Argentina
- 8.7 (NWB); 87 (WS)
2005 Ben Marco Cabernet Sauvignon - Mendoza, Argentina
- 9.1 (NWB)

NWB = Niche Wine Blog

WS = Wine Spectator