Wine Talk from Creators Syndicate

Things are Looking Up for Merlot for 07/16/2008

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Long before the movie "Sideways" made it hip to diss merlot, the wine industry had its own jaundiced view of this red grape variety from Bordeaux.

The Napa Valley's Louis M. Martini winery claims to have been the first American winery to make a varietal merlot, and that was sometime in the 1970s. Until then merlot was largely thought to produce an "incomplete" wine an ...

Updated: Wed Jul 16, 2008

Small Vintner Stands Up to Big Boys for 07/22/2008

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700

RUTHERFORD, Calif. - Elizabeth Pressler was originally from Philadelphia, but settled in the Napa Valley with a background in marketing and a desire to work in the wine industry. She helped launch new brands, such as Tony Soter's Etude, and eventually ended up in the sales side of the business.

That's how she met Spencer Graham, then a wine merchant in Charlottesville, Va. A romance blos ...

Updated: Tue Jul 22, 2008

Italian Bubbly Worthy of a Champagne Reception for 07/29/2008

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700

There is a tendency, easily explained, to call all wine with bubbles Champagne. The Champenoise may grouse about it, but deep down they know that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

Although most sparkling wine producers would deny they are imitating Champagne, a significant number do their best to make you think "Champagne" when you purchase or consume their ...

Updated: Tue Jul 29, 2008

These Wines Can Cool the Summer Sun for 08/05/2008

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700

As I rummage through the wine cellar on a sultry summer day it occurs to me this is one way to beat the heat. Then again, most modern homes are built on concrete slabs and don't have a cellar.

No problem. With a little imagination and the right bottle of wine, anyone can enjoy the cooling effect of the cellar even without that hole in the ground. That was my quest as I dug through box af ...

Updated: Tue Aug 05, 2008

Lifting a Glass to Toast Reader Mail for 08/12/2008

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700

The readers always write. Indeed they do, and the summer months, rich with outdoor distractions, are no exception.

John H. Trombley penned this comment over at Creators.com after reading my recent column on Prosecco:

Robert, wouldn't it be more correct to say that the process "used" to be aptly called "methode champenoise?" It's been a while, a few years even, ...

Updated: Tue Aug 12, 2008

Real Chablis is More Than a Memory for 08/19/2008

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Every wine enthusiast of a certain age knows all about "chablis." That would be a white wine of unknown origin poured from a jug (this was before bag in the box) for the rubes who couldn't handle a martini or Manhattan while waiting at the bar for a table inside their favorite restaurant.

Some preferred red wine instead. That was called "burgundy." Those were the days ...

Updated: Tue Aug 19, 2008

Alma Rosa Establishes Organic Beachhead for 08/26/2008

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Richard Sanford first set foot in the Santa Ynez Valley nearly 40 years ago, hoping to establish a beachhead for Burgundy-style wines along California's cool central coast. His success with delicate, intensely flavored pinot noir and chardonnay over 30-plus years at the Sanford winery led to the viticultural awakening of Santa Barbara County and convinced others of the potential for world-class ...

Updated: Tue Aug 26, 2008

Preparation Makes Any Wine More Enjoyable for 09/02/2008

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Whether you've spent $8 or $80 on a bottle of wine, you undoubtedly have high hopes for the tasting experience. There is no doubt you can score a delicious wine at either price point, but merely choosing the right wine does not guarantee you will wring every drop of pleasure from the wine of your desire.

Maximizing the potential of any wine, no matter how expensive or what the rating mig ...

Updated: Tue Sep 02, 2008

For Wine, 100 Points is a Rare Score for 09/09/2008

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700

One of the more popular fundraisers among nonprofits in my part of the world is the "100 Point Wine Dinner." This is precisely what it seems to be: a dinner featuring wines that have garnered perfect scores of 100 points from a major wine publication or critic. The tariff for such extravaganzas is usually steep.

It is rare that I hand out a perfect score — I believe I gav ...

Updated: Tue Sep 09, 2008

Is Any Wine Worthy of a Perfect Score? for 09/16/2008

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700

One of the beauties of the Internet, besides locating rare vintages of fabulous wines, is the real-time aspect of reader response. You know almost immediately if you've struck a nerve.

So it was with my recent column on 100-point wines. Shortly after it was posted on the Creators Syndicate website, a reader going by the handle "klags" weighed in.

"100 points better ...

Updated: Tue Sep 16, 2008

Something is Brewing in Fronsac for 09/23/2008

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700

BORDEAUX, France — I have just spent the first day of a brief visit to Bordeaux making a couple of stops in Fronsac, the forgotten appellation. The wines of Fronsac have a weak presence in the United States despite the fact that it was once among the most important terroirs of the Bordeaux region.

No one alive today in Fronsac can remember such a time, but it is in the wri ...

Updated: Tue Sep 23, 2008

Italian Vintners Eager to Solve Brunello Scandal for 09/30/2008

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Count Francesco Marone Cinzano was president of the consortium of producers of Brunello di Montalcino when the scandal broke earlier this year. Brunello from several producers had been impounded by the magistrate of Italy's province of Siena, who was investigating the possibility that wines that had been bottled and labeled brunello were in fact a blend of grapes other than the required sangiov ...

Updated: Tue Sep 30, 2008

There Are Rewards for Bordeaux Bargain Hunters for 10/07/2008

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

It is accepted wisdom that the chateaux of Bordeaux have priced themselves out of the mainstream of American wine consumption. Without a doubt the "collectibles" have become prohibitively expensive.

Wines such as Chateau Cheval Blanc, for example. I dropped in on Cheval Blanc recently, on my way to the Jurade de Saint-Emilion, which was celebrating its 60th renewal with its tra ...

Updated: Tue Oct 07, 2008

Hard Times Call for 'Value' Wines for 10/14/2008

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Even in the best of times, wine enthusiasts are attracted to "value" wines. But when a glimpse at the Dow can cause a knot in the pit of the stomach, value wines are more precious than ever.

Just to be clear, when I say value I don't necessarily mean cheap. By definition, a value wine is a wine that is of very good character but inexpensive. A value wine should always leave the ...

Updated: Tue Oct 14, 2008

The Lowdown on High Alcohol Content for 10/21/2008

Tue, 21 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

This is a tale of two wineries. The first is Rodney Strong, long a bastion of well-balanced value wines from Sonoma County. The second is Silver Oak Cellars, a cabernet sauvignon specialist located in the Napa Valley, and an icon long before that term slipped into everyday use around the Napa Valley.

I've had interesting contacts with each in recent days, and I'll let you decide which of ...

Updated: Tue Oct 21, 2008

Australia Proves the Exception to the Rule for 10/28/2008

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

In this highly charged political season, I feel the need to demonstrate that I, too, have a big tent. So no sooner had the ink dried on my screed about the motive for those big shouldered, powerful, high-alcohol California wines, I found myself in the belly of the beast.

I had agreed to a meeting with Michael Twelftree, co-owner of Two Hands wines. I'm not terribly fond of the Two Hands ...

Updated: Tue Oct 28, 2008

The Quality of a Wine Is in the Eye of the Beholder for 11/04/2008

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800

It has recently come to the attention of some very astute readers that wine critics often disagree. Imagine that!

What raised a few eyebrows was the Wine Spectator's low-ball score on the 2005 Nickel & Nickel Stelling Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon.

I loved this wine and rated it 100 points. The Wine Spectator, a leading wine publication, apparently didn't share the love. So what ...

Updated: Tue Nov 04, 2008

Readers Fume Over Alcohol Content for 11/11/2008

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800

Since my most recent lament over the alarming rise in the alcohol levels of highly rated wines, several readers have written to suggest I publish alcohol levels alongside wine reviews. I have given this idea serious consideration, but at this time I cannot embrace the concept for a number of reasons, which I shall enumerate.

Uppermost is the possibility that I would introduce a litmus te ...

Updated: Tue Nov 11, 2008

Comfort Foods Call for Comfort Wines on Thanksgiving Day for 11/18/2008

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800

Right about now my e-mail inbox is overflowing with questions about which wine with which dish this Thanksgiving. Obviously ‘tis the season to worry about the things that are really important!

From year to year, Thanksgiving to Thanksgiving, I am torn between the traditions of my youth — a plump, beautifully browned bird, savory stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, peas with pearl ...

Updated: Tue Nov 18, 2008

Sonoma Vintner Bottling New California Trend for 11/25/2008

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800

I believe I have seen the future of California wine, though the glimpse was fleeting and the proof, of course, will only be revealed over time.

I am talking about the "Burgundian" project — Freestone Vineyards — that is now coming to fruition for Joe and Bill Phelps, of the Napa Valley's renowned Joseph Phelps Vineyards. Freestone were initially made at the Phelps w ...

Updated: Tue Nov 25, 2008