Dan Berger on Wine from Creators Syndicate

What's in that Bottle? for 01/05/2008

Sat, 05 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0800

When you face that massive supermarket wine display, stretching from way over here to way over there, picking a single bottle for tonight's dinner may seem daunting.

You're not alone. It's daunting for the vast majority of Americans and with good reason. There are more wine brands today than ever before, and some of them sound downright classy until you see the price is $4.99. Or less.
Updated: Sat Jan 05, 2008

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Red Blends for 01/12/2008

Sat, 12 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0800

Blending grapes is a time-honored tradition that includes such fascinating historical wines as Cotes de Rhone, Chianti and even Bordeaux.

Such wines often benefit from various growing conditions in the vineyard. For instance, Merlot is typically harvested earlier than later-ripening Cabernet Sauvignon, so many houses in Bordeaux use Cabernet as a main grape for the character it gives, bu ...

Updated: Sat Jan 12, 2008

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What I'm Drinking for 01/19/2008

Sat, 19 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0800

I'm drinking a lot of Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Grenache, Pinot Noir, Chianti and sparkling wine these days.

I'm not drinking much Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Viognier, Zinfandel, Pinot Gris or Syrah.

I'm frequently asked often what my favorite wines are, and I often cop out and say I pick wine to go with food. Which is true. And of late, we have a lot of interest in ethnic f ...

Updated: Sat Jan 19, 2008

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Merry-Go-Round for 01/24/2008

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0800

When you cover the wine industry for more than three decades, you get to know those who populate the business not only as icons of the trade but also as friends, wine lovers, parents and people with everyday lives.

One issue for most is the inevitable dropping of the other shoe.

In a world where mergers and acquisitions are commonplace, and where post-buyout consolidation often me ...

Updated: Thu Jan 24, 2008

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Simply Zinful for 02/02/2008

Sat, 02 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0800

At one time, Zinfandel was a lighter red wine we bought for pizza and pasta. We quaffed it with burgers and fries and generally treated it the way cafes in Lyon treat Beaujolais: as a frivolous and charming companion to simple foods.

Oh, do I miss those times!

It was a time when Napa Valley wine author Bob Thompson wrote glowingly of the grape as one of the world's most versatile, ...

Updated: Sat Feb 02, 2008

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Cork Conundrums for 02/09/2008

Sat, 09 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0800

Time was, the ritual of the cork was one of the hallowed traditions of restaurant wine service. The waiter arrived with the bottle, removed the foil capsule, worked the worm of the corkscrew into the cork, and slowly withdrew the cork, producing that satisfying "thwock."

Then came the ritual pour, so the person who ordered the wine could determine if it displayed an "off&q ...

Updated: Sat Feb 09, 2008

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The "Lost Grape" is Found: Arneis for 02/16/2008

Sat, 16 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0800

The 2006 harvest marked the 40th anniversary of an Italian wine called Arneis. This is such an obscure fact that even the son of the man who made the first commercial Arneis was unaware of it until last Friday.

Over the last 40 years, this light white wine from Piemonte (or Piedmont, to Anglicize it) has become quite the fashion hog, challenging Pinot Grigio for popularity as a white win ...

Updated: Sat Feb 16, 2008

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Party Wine for 02/23/2008

Sat, 23 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0800

You're having a party. You spend three days fussing to make a slew of hors d'oeuvres, sprucing up the house and hauling out the fine crystal wine glasses.

Sure, the Super Bowl was easier to prep for, but the people you had over watched the game, drank beer and ate pizza. This is a wine-tasting party, and it's going to be fun.

Whether this is a walk-around or sit-around-the-house m ...

Updated: Sat Feb 23, 2008

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Lodi Soars for 03/01/2008

Sat, 01 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0800

Skeptics abound. But when proof is offered that eliminates all the baggage of past reputation and confirms preconceived notions can be faulty, well, that makes mincemeat of "conventional wisdom."

This came to mind the other day after I was a judge at the Grand Harvest Awards blind wine competition in Santa Rosa, Calif., and faced a series of flights of wines that all hailed fro ...

Updated: Sat Mar 01, 2008

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What is Terroir? for 03/08/2008

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0800

There are aspects of wine character that seem not to have as great an impact on wine lovers as they did decades ago. One is varietal character. The other is regional character.

And what is sad about this, to me and to others similarly situated, is that without one or the other, wine quality is diminished considerably. And without both, some people wonder if a wine is worth drinking.

...

Updated: Sat Mar 08, 2008

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Dry Wine for 03/15/2008

Sat, 15 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0700

An old saying among wine marketing people of some American wine consumers goes like this: "Americans talk dry but drink sweet." It's not very nice, but it's not entirely untrue, either.

This means that most American wine consumers, having heard that consuming sweet wine is for wusses, tell their friends, neighbors and anyone else who will listen that they drink only dry wine. B ...

Updated: Sat Mar 15, 2008

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Spring for 03/22/2008

Sat, 22 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Spring's arrival on the calendar isn't always an instant blessing, as some areas of the country still suffering from winter's rage can attest. But it arrived in Sonoma County, Calif., with cool breezes, a full moon, warm afternoons and the promise of good news: We'll have more white wines to choose from than ever before.

The red wines that warmed us through the last quarter and continue ...

Updated: Sat Mar 22, 2008

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Earth Day for 03/29/2008

Sat, 29 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0700

A growing awareness of chemical use in our food supply has, over the last decade, prompted greater in interest in organic fruits, vegetables and other produce staples.

The same cannot be said for wine, because in order to make one that is organic under present regulations, the use of organically grown grapes in and of itself is not enough.

For a wine to be called organic, it must ...

Updated: Sat Mar 29, 2008

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Bottle Weight for 04/05/2008

Sat, 05 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0700

As the world grows more conscious of the earth's fragility, I continue to be amazed at the utter disregard for the environment that some wineries have.

I'm referring to the weight and thickness of some of the bottles that now house some of our most expensive wines.

I recall the days when a box of wine, containing 12 bottles and the liquid inside them, weighed 34 pounds. This meant ...

Updated: Sat Apr 05, 2008

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The Closeout Bin for 04/12/2008

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0700

A few months back, I saw a particularly attractive book that originally sold for $50. It was on a closeout rack at a chain bookstore for $4.99.

I grabbed all the ones they had. It was, I believed, a steal, and then I decided to ask an expert. My brother Sid (who earned a doctorate in English, so he ought to know something) is a lifelong, dedicated book collector, so I mentioned my purcha ...

Updated: Sat Apr 12, 2008

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Justifiable Lies for 04/19/2008

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Curmudgeon: It's a word that some people use when referring to me. Me! A wine lover!

OK, so I don't really love wines with high alcohol and low acidity, both of which seem to be quite popular these days. And I don't like wines infused with tons of oak. Oddly, I prefer my wines to smell and taste like the grapes from which they came, not some tree.

So, I assume you will take it as ...

Updated: Sat Apr 19, 2008

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California's Greatest Red for 04/26/2008

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Chatting with an acquaintance the other day, I was asked to suggest a good "$20 or so" cabernet sauvignon.

What a Pandora's box that query opened!

Not only was it difficult for me to answer that question without knowing a lot more, but it also created quite a discussion between us regarding why he asked for a cabernet.

My reaction was to ask what the wine would be ...

Updated: Sat Apr 26, 2008

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Aussie Problems for 05/03/2008

Sat, 03 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Americans like Australian wine, especially its lower-priced offerings.

In the last 12 years, Australian wine has sold better in the United States than even the most optimistic projections made in 1995, when a manifesto was being drawn up on how to market wine in the colonies.

Americans quickly understood the generous fruit, soft and plush textures, and the ability of these wines t ...

Updated: Sat May 03, 2008

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Special Occasion Bubbles for 05/10/2008

Sat, 10 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Why is it that Champagne and indeed all sparkling wines seem to be reserved for special occasions?

There is a bit of a festival atmosphere to the ritualistic foil/wire-hood/cork removal process, along with the audible pop and explosion of bubbles when the liquid hits a dry glass. So I suppose that creates its own little party.

But sparkling wine has a superb raison d'etre, and a m ...

Updated: Sat May 10, 2008

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DAN BERGER ON WINE for 05/17/2008

Sat, 17 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

The original idea for the Napa Valley Wine Auction began with a concept to raise money for local charities.

But the idea was spawned by Sonoma County wineries for charities in their own county, and adopted weeks later as a pretty sound idea for the better-known wine region over the hill. A second, and the most important reason, for the event was promotion of each region as wine country.< ...

Updated: Sat May 17, 2008

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