Grateful Employer

I've helped many wine businesses with their wine programs, either through increased sales, better educated staff, buying strategies or just general wine program structuring and nurturing. In general this has just gotten me a thank you and sometimes an actual fee. But sometimes an employer really gets it and treats his employees like the assets they are. For the last four and five years, Paul the owner of Hamptons Wine Shoppe in Westhampton, has taken his staff to a Tunbleweed Tuesday night of dining and wining at Starr Boggs Restaurant. The wines come predominantly from purchase that he has done throughout the years, some I've helped with sourcing, others not at all. I usually bring something from my collection and he has contributed a wine or two from a collection that he and I purchased from a friends restaurant cellar years ago. Some highlights have been a old Forman Cabernet Sauvignon, old Louis Carillon Puligny, Dalle Valle, Guigal, Ducru-Beaucaillou, some really wonderful diverse collections of wines with a bit of age.

Last night was the 2012 version of the Tuesday after Labor Day. A day that the restaurants and retailers of the Hamptons (and other summer resorts) celebrate and breath a sigh of relief that all the businesses made once again. Even though I am not as involved in Pauls business, I got this years invite and then the discussion about the wines to be brought.

We started with a 2003 Château Smith Haut-Lafitte Blanc, yes a bit of an off-vintage for whites of Graves or Pessac-Leognan, but you never know. It was minerally with nice aromatics, but a touch flat due to the heat of that vintages growing season. Worked well with the slices of chard tuna, but flailed against the raw clam and other seafood. Best match was actually the salad and tomatoes which brought their own acidity to the palate.

Next we moved on to a 1997 Domaine Rougeot Meursault Charmes, this was a wine that also had a questionable vintage but  nice pedigree and a surprise each time we opened one over the years. We've had good versions of this, bad versions and great ones. This particular one was better than good but just a bit shy of the awesome ones that we've seen over the years. Hint of minerals, hint of nutty maturity, lovely balanced acidity and nice length. Worked beautifully with most of the foods.

On to the reds... first up was a 1995 Dalla Valle Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine was just as expected, bold Cabernet fruits a touch of oak still lingering un-resolved and spice and leather mingling in.

This was followed by what I considered the wine of the evening, 1996 La Moulin Côte-Rôtie from M. Guigal. Last year or the year before we had the big brother of this wine the La Turque

Sommeliers & Tips

My background in the restaurant and wine industry has been long and chaotic. When I think of the gratuity in restaurants I have many opinions and they are based on a wide array of experiences. Those experiences include feelings of envy, joy, guilt, confusion, compassion and many others.

Envy 

Envy was one of the first emotions I had when it came to the concept of gratuity. I was a Sous Chef for The Gingerman start-up restaurant in Albany, NY when I was about twenty or twenty-one. The responsibilities were overwhelming, I worked an average of 65 hours a week (which after my the restaurant career I've had since seems light) and would sit and drink at the bar with fellow employees. The sense of envy and jealousy I had as they collected their bounty of tips was overwhelming. Here I slaved away in a hot kitchen for at least twice as long to make less money! As a young person fairly new to the restaurant industry that was tough to take. Today I realize that tips are not a consistent income and that it takes other sacrifices to achieve those dollars. But I still believe there is a severe imbalance between many kitchen employees and the tipped employees.

Joy 1

After toiling in kitchens in Summit County, Colorado; Manhattan, New York; Albany, New York; Poughkeepsie, New York; Badgastein, Austria and St. Moritz, Switzerland I moved to the other side of the restaurant. Actually to the Bar. My first foray was as a bar-back, but eventually I ended up behind the bar while going to Restaurant & Hotel School in New Haven, CT. It was an interesting sorta mobbish restaurant where I actually met my wife. The money was decent but nothing like the couple of nights I remember a decade or more later. 

The first great tip night I can remember happened at Richters in New Haven. I don't remember the specifics, just the 'count'. The final tally was either just below $1,000 per bartender or just above, I can't remember exactly and I think it was with my bartending partner at the time who also ran the kitchen but worked the bar on occasions. Dieter eventually went on to own the place, not sure if he does today or not.

Joy 2 (a bit of Guilt too)

There might have been other days that approached that massive day bartending at Richter's but they didn't make a substantial mark on my sub-subconscious. The biggest day of my tipped career happened in the late '90s at The '21' Club where I was the Sommelier for the Private Dining Rooms. Those were some insane days, the economy was humming and the rich were not only very rich, but very willing to flaunt it. And where better to flaunt ones wealth than at 21. The list was large, but not massive or sick like the one I worked with at The American Hotel in Sag Harbor (had 2 pages of DRC when I was there). I don't remember the night that I broke the $5000 barrier, but that is by far the most money I have ever made in a day. I shouldn't say night, because I do remember my calculation of the gratuity included lunch and dinner. The day was a difficult one in which I carted and opened wines of all levels in price and quality and I ran up and down stairs like a madman. When a dining room four floors from the wine cellar needs more Vintage Krug or the like, you run. I think my knuckles have permanent ring dents from dashing around that place carrying seven bottle of Champagne by hand. Three bottles in each hand and one cradled in an elbow. One elevator for both staff and customers so that was useless. (Except for the time I rode up with the high-price strippers that were the entertainment for one of my clients!)

Confusion & Guilt (What should I tip)
As a former sommelier and restaurant consultant, I have been put in the situation many times of having a dining experience become very extravagant due to the kindness of friends, former colleagues, clients, etc. Situations where I've gone to dinner at a restaurant and been gifted, food and wine by the owners. How do I tip when I am gifted extravagant items that I might not be able to afford? I feel I should tip on the total of what the bill would have been had I not been given so much? That is the play, but sometimes that creates a spend higher than I might have been prepared to.

What Goes Around Comes Around

When I first joined the "tribe" of street wine peddlers, one of the first places I called on was a little store in Southampton, NY that had just been bought by a new owner. Judy and Charlie were new to the business and I knew how the liquor and wine sales teams would pounce, selling them cases of stuff like Campari or other such that a store would only need a bottle or two of.  You know, someone trying to fill a quota in a simple, one shot way.

As I was working for a small wine company (American Estates, a small division of Lauber Imports) and was a former wine buyer for restaurants, I offered a touch of guidance on things that might wait on their purchasing and what products might be priorities. That tiny bit of guidance turned into a twenty year friendship that includes my family visiting them at their winter hiatus spot in Lake Tahoe and skiing together. Charlie is the greatest Senior Skier I have ever skied with, he and I have had some wonderful days struggling through the steeps and deeps with my son in tow.

Given their gracious hosting of us and participation in our skiing adventures, my wife and I would always put together a collection of wines to bring from our cellar to enjoy with them. Always we'd bring more than needed and leave the rest. The bounty always included things my wife and I thought were special from Burgundy, Bordeaux to Napa, Sonoma, Willamette and Santa Barbara. Things like 1978 Beychevelle, 1986 Lynch-Bages 1992 Staglin, 1995 Clos de la Roche from Dujac, Foxen Pinot Noir, Forman Cabernet Sauvignon and others. Judy and Charlie always complained about the largesse of it but what a great time. We'd cook and drink after a long day of skiing or take some wines to a local restaurant and pay the corkage.

Soooo... on to last nights wine adventure. We were asked to join them for dinner at their house near Sag Harbor, NY. My wife was told the menu would include braised lamb, so we wanted to bring something nice with us. I chose a 1998 Fanti Brunello di Montalcino and a Luna Vineyards Canto (a sangiovese blend from Napa Valley). Things we thought would be a nice compliment to braised lamb. When we arrived they greeted us at the door we explained our wines, then Judy carefully put a white bottle box in my hands and asked that I (again carefully) look inside. What I found was this:

A tattered labeled bottle of 1945 Leoville Las Cases. The bottle was in the store when Judy and Charlie took over and at the time they thought this and the Petrus (which became a donation) and others of the ilk were over-priced in the purchase and inventory of their deal for the store (1994 ish). Those in the industry understand what has happened to such wine values since!

The bottle stayed in a dark corner of the stores basement wine storage since they took over and likely was there many years before. Judy checked the provenance at some point in the past and it passed her litmus test. The only reason she didn't use it for a donation to a worthy cause (hospital benefit or the like) was due to the rather rough look of the label.

Surprising for me was the way the cork came out of this 67 year-old wine. I was worried, because I didn't have an ah-so corkscrew (can it be a corkscrew if it doesn't screw). But with a double hinged corkscrew I was able to remove 98% of the cork before a tiny piece refused to follow along.

I was able to get that little tiny piece out without it dropping in the bottle, yep I still got it Fred ;)

Naturally with such an old wine, you just never know if it's hosed. So with a some trepidation I sniffed at the bottles opening. The wine seemed to be in decent if not a touch tired shape. I decided we shouldn't wait too long to taste it as I wasn't certain how long the wine would be in such shape once opened. I kept the bottle horizontal the whole time so that the sediments weren't disturbed (Fred) and poured out glasses for each of us. There was a hint of mature Bordeaux mingling with a hint of spice and madeira, it was that hint of madeira that worried me about the staying power of this elderly girl. But I was totally wrong, five minutes later all of us found the wine evolving and changing in the glass and the wine still had some grippy tannins. And this just continued... the wine kept evolving a bit every few minutes, and then about an hour later it was gone and I had to open that bottle of Fanti '98. Charlie commented on the incredible youth of the fourteen year old Brunello, and while it was still fairly youthful, our palates might have been a touch influenced by the previous elder citizen.

But... the Brunello was indeed a fine match with the lamb... it was just up against it with a perfectly aged world-class Saint-Julien so naturally we'd think it was young. And after looking at the ratings from Spectator 89, I think we got an exceptional wine in the 67 year old Leoville Las Cases. Parker didn't rate it and Clive (my favorite wine writer) gave the wine an excellent written review in his Grand Cru book.

How I got the name McSnobblier

Back in the early part of the century (2003 maybe) I wrote an article for a magazine called the Improper Hamptonian about the local wine industry. I don't have a link to the original but I reposted the response article on my noblewines.com website.

The original article that got me the name McSnobbelier was a shot across the bow of the Long Island Wine Industry as I wondered why they put all their focus on producing Chardonnay and Merlot and virtually ignored Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc. My premise was that to make the greatest Chardonnay or Merlot a new wine region had to compete against the marketing, history and quality of some of the world's greatest wines. Why not use the soil and climate advantage that Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc have on Long Island and the weakness of the marketplace those two grapes used to have as well. This of course has changed since 2003 or 2004 when I originally made that comment.

When the original article was published I was very upset with my editor as she had made changes to the article that changed the tone and meaning. I came across as far more critical of Long Island Wine Industry than I liked due to editing. But when I got the letter, I realized that sometimes being controversial works... a la Steve Cuozzo of NY Post writing about snobbish wine lists.

I got a bit of backlash from associates that owned vineyards and wineries in my backyard and from the founding member of the industry Louisa Hargrave. Along with the winery owners that disliked this theory, I also got a letter to editor saying that I shouldn't call myself an Advanced Sommelier rather I was a Master Snobelier. So I embraced the moniker, though changed it a bit.

Above is the original letter, here is it in print with my Editors response:

Hello Improper,
I’ve been enjoying your magazine since its “Hamptonian” days. I usually look for the wine articles in the local magazines. 1 Found the November “WINE OBSERVER” to be a little offensive to our local wine industry. Chris Miller was reviewing a wine tasting at the new Stony Brook Center for Wine, Food and Culture With Kevin Zraly. Now everyone is entitled to their opinions, but...if Chris is going to list his top 3 choices per flight, then LIST THEM! I wasn't there so I don’t know exactly which wineries and vintages were tasted, but I understand that there were wines from: France, Germany and California in addition to Upstate NY, and Long Island. What caught my attention and raised my ire was the last paragraph of his Blind Flight article. Chris can be as bored as he wants to be with Chardonnay (A.B.C.), but to “DIS” both local Chardonnay and Cab Franc so badly as to not bothering to rank them, OR any of the other wines in those 2 flights??? Worse yet is to say that he doesn’t think Long Island is suitable For Chardonnay (Hello? how many acres and awards) and Cab Franc isn’t showing up to potential (Jamesport CF. 2001 recently voted “Best Red “fine in NYS"). To me this means one thing, Chris may be an Advanced Sommelier, but I think he is more a candidate for “Master
SNOBELIER”.
Enjoyer of Local Wines, John Graeb, Cutchoguc
Thanks for your letter John, but don’t be too hard on Chris, be is all subject to editing-—-which in this case is the culprit for any snobbery. What is represented in his final paragraph is merely Chris’ opinion of the Cab Franc present that day. As Chardonnay, now that’s a matter of taste, which he did not have that day as he did not attend the Chard tasting.

Here is an excellent blog about wine clubs by the Wine Curmudgeon:

Wine clubs and what their success says about the wine business

I have plenty of opinions about this and could drone on about it for quite awhile, but my main thoughts are below...

Third party wine sales are coming under attack and the space is evolving rapidly.  Zagats, NYTimes and others are having their business models analyzed by State Liquor Authorities as they do not hold Retail licenses, yet they take money in.  California has or is ruling on what they call third-party marketing, New York is trying to update their liquor codes as I write this, and Groupon has had to move away from offering wine discounts (they are deemed too close to the transaction).

There are many serious complexities and inconsistencies in wine sales and distribution laws and codes and plenty of 'scofflaws' out there ignoring those laws.  I find it interesting that NJ is one of the states that doesn't allow direct to consumer sales from wineries, yet some of the internets largest wine sales come from that state!?!?

Interesting times right now, there will continue to be many fits and starts in this battle but eventually the consumer and producer will get their share of power in this equation...Right now the battle is being waged in back rooms with lawyers and executives of giant corps (Diageo, Southern, Heineken...) and State Authorities.

European Wine Consumption vs. other Countries

For several years I have heard murmurings about the decline in wine consumption by Europeans, especially in France and Spain. Here are some recent numbers which illustrate the pain European wine industries are going through:

Wine consumption in Italy, as in other traditional European producer countries such as France and Spain, has fallen from 37 million hectolitres of at the end of the 1980s to less than 25 millions today (-30% in 20 years). On the contrary, new consumption is growing in other areas: United Kingdom (+94% compared to 20 years ago), USA (+47%), Russia (+63%) and China (+160%).

This puts increased pressure on all wine producing countries as Spain, France and Italy produce huge amounts of wine that are pushed through the economy.

VinItaly & Noble Wines

VinItaly starts in a couple of weeks and I am starting to get some press releases from them on occasion. The most recent one speaks to what I have been preaching for a long time, promoting the culture and noble qualities of wine and the benefits of small producers and their connection to those two important concepts. A small excerpt is below from the release.



“How can the Italians be encouraged to drink wine again?” Boscaini asks the question but also
provides the answer: "We need a communication policy that explains the naturalness and benefits of
wine as a noble product of our most ancient traditions."

Giuliano Dell’Orto suggests a few, highly effective rules that are especially valid for the
small companies representing the backbone of Italian production that cannot implement major
investments despite playing an important role in promoting the excellence and wealth of the
extraordinary, broad and high-quality offering that is the fullest expression of that genius loci which

is the exclusive heritage of Italy:
• focus on the distinctive features of the company;
• define a set of appropriate and effective tools for correct communication;
• create a unifying and easily recognised brand language;
• rationalise the offering portfolio in harmony with the culture of the company and well-
organised in relation to the needs of consumers;
• make sure that products are communicated in an effective manner through packaging that
highlights their specific character.

"Communication," Chiara Lungarotti, President of the Wine Tourism Movement, explains "is
particularly a problem for the many small producers entering the market over the last ten-
fifteen years that today need recognisability, visibility and positioning on the market." For all of
them, "wine tourism may well be of great help in terms of promotion and communication because it
improves awareness of product quality for Italian and foreign tourists alike."

2009 Maison Champy Burgundy

The 2009 vintage in both Burgundy and Bordeaux have gotten some great press lately and the Burgundies are in the process of being bottled and then shown to buyers throughout the world. I spent the better part of an afternoon in January tasting through the wines of Maison Champy at a very cool new(ish) restaurant in Soho called Lure. At the tasting was Pierre Meurgey the President of the Maison. He indicated to me that some of his wines are now Domaine...meaning his company owns the vineyards and that beginning next year it will indicate that on the label. For now I will indicate which wines are Domaine in my little notes below.

As with all the 2009 Burgundy, the whites are soft and ready, in general this is a Red Wine Vintage in Burgundy.

Prices are approximate

The Whites:

• Bourgogne Chardonnay - a touch chubby, ripe red apple notes, some waxy feel in the palate and a very vague sense of minerals - ~16
  
• Vire Clesse - fairly simple, the Bourgogne is as good, shows a touch of heat - ~17
  
• Saint Romain - decent minerals and citrus, rich palate very long finish, very pretty with some decent tannins - ~28
  
• Meursault - not typical of Meursault, soft and pretty but lacking in fruit and character, citrus tannins in finish and coating the teeth - ~52.50
  
• Meursault les Grands Charrons - this is a big for only $2.50 a bottle more than the above Meursault! Green and red apple notes and a hint of flint...long and mouthwatering, makes you want more - ~55
  
• Meursault Blagny 1er Cru - minerals first, then fruit aromas, sour patch citrus in the finish, showing more character right now than the les Cras - ~80
  
• Meursault les Cras 1er Cru - pretty closed right now but powerful in the palate with nice apple core and lemon/lime in the palate and finish - ~80
  
• Chassagne-Montrachet - decent power & fruits with a small touch of minerals/soil notes - ~50
  
• Puligny-Montrachet - a bit too gentle and elegant, lacking in character - ~50
  
• Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru - wow! rich but with a nice sensitivity and elegance, stone fruits, a touch of red apple and pear - ~128.75
  

Now for the Reds:
*note... some of the reds are barrel samples and will be bottled in late March or later and the cepage (blend) might change a touch.
I also tasted a few 2008 wines and was able to compare the 2008 Pommard vs the 2009 and took this picture to illustrated the difference:

• Bourgogne Rouge - ripe, good clean pinot fruit with a hint of spice, quite charming - ~19
• Domaine Chorey-les-Beaune - earthy dark berry notes with some forest floor, raspberry seed aromas with very good balance and length - ~27 (this is one of the stars of the tasting, & a very good value)
• Domaine Savigny-les-Beaune - similar to the chorey with brighter berry/cherry notes and a touch more earth, needs food and age to excel - ~28
• Domaine Savigny-les-Beaune aux Fourches - elegant and classy, cherry stone notes, big sticky tannins in palate and finish - a bit clunky - ~32.50
• Domaine Beaune Vieilles Vignes - closed at first very soft and gentle palate, velvet richness, complex and excellent combination of fruit and soil - ~28 (another star of the tasting and another great value)
  
• Domaine Pommard - fair, nice long spicy with deep berry finish, lacks character though, big palate, intense finish - needs more elegance - ~45
  
• Pernand-Vergelesses les Fichots 1er Cru - almost rhone in style, deep and spicy aromas, good grip and acidity helps tame this - ~?
  
• Domaine Volnay - I found this a bit clumsy for Volnay, lacks the typical finesse of Volnay, long and complex finish, might just need some time to evolve (also the blend might change a bit when bottled) - ~45
  
• Savigny-les-Beaune les Clous 1er Cru - good character fo the price better value than the Volnay or Pommard - ~45
  
• Beaune les Champs Pimont 1er Cru - far more interesting and elegant than the les Clous, clean, bright cherry notes, long with plenty of soil/terroir notes in finish - ~45
  
• Beaune aux Cras - cran/orange in a nice way, some pepper spice, airy palate, clean but kinda quick finish - ~47.50
  
• Pommard les Grands Epenots 1er Cru - bit boring, nice but...too tannic? - ~82.5
  
• Domaine Volnay les Taillepieds 1er Cru - pretty closed right now but showing lots of potential, very pretty palate, structured and finessed with big, long tannins - ~65
  
• Corton Grand Cru - kinda clumsy for Corton, but the price is pretty reasonable - ~76
  
• Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes - actually pretty good, rich but balanced with pepper spice, dark cherry and a bit of berry - big wine - ~50
  
• Chambolle-Musigny - boring - ~52.50
  
• Vosne-Romanee - so what - ~52.50
  
• Gevrey-Chambertin Lavaux Saint Jacques 1er Cru - big and full, fairly clumsy, dark and brooding...a touch too much oak - ~87.50
  
• Gevrey-Chambertin les Cazetiers 1er Cru - spice, dark cherry, some wet leaf and mineral notes, quite good pinot, very long...does very well in this line-up - ~87.50
  
• Vosne-Romanee les Suchots 1er Cru - good fruit with a touch of oak, decent but... - ~100
  
• Echezaux Grand Cru - pretty boring aromas, but lush velvety palate, the nose must be closed right now, should be interesting to see how this evolves and if the winemaker blends in wines that add a bit of brighter aromas - ~162.50
  
• Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru - kinda thin, not much in nose either, great example of an appellation being overpriced and over hyped - ~170
  
• Charmes Chambertin Grand Cru - better than above by still a touch short, rich and dark berry/cherry with spice - ~162.50
  
• Mazis Chambertin Grand Cru - this was a touch maderized, showed a bit of oxygen abuse, great palate though (found out from Pierre that the wine was shipped here from barrel that needed to be topped off, but they didn't as that would have made the wine taste too sulfured) - ~170
  

Côtes du Rhône blind in VT Feb 2011

One of the great problems with wine is a lack of information to base one's purchases on. The Côtes du Rhône stands as a classic example of that. The appellation of Côtes du Rhône includes many different climates and soils and therefore plenty of variety in grapes grown and styles of wines. Add to that the Côtes du Rhône Villages, of which there are currently 17 villages allowed to append their name to the CdR (Côte du Rhône) name and usually charge a bit more for the wines.

The reason I am writing this now is two-fold, to help me flesh-out a new wine article, and because of a recent blind tasting I was subjected to. As an Advanced Sommelier and Master Sommelier Candidate (means I'm allowed to attempt the exam every few years), I am often used as a sort of party entertainer. People will bring foiled wines and test my abilities. So while in Southern Vermont for a ski this past weekend I was subjected to a foil covered wine courtesy of a few Mount Snow Patrolmen. My first attempt was the right one, but naturally I waffled and offered some other possibilities. I thought the wine in question was a Grenache based Côtes du Rhône. It turned out to be a 2007 Coudoulet du Beaucastel Côtes du Rhône from the famed Château du Beaucastel in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The Coudoulet vineyard is across the road (A7) from the Châteauneuf-du-Pape region, hence the Côtes du Rhône designation. But the wine is produced from the same grapes (Mourvedre, Grenache, Syrah and Cinsault) as found in many CdP's (short for Châteauneuf-du-Pape as I am tired of typing it). As a good wine professional, I was also prepared for the evenings dinner with some wines I brought along, one of which was also a Côtes du Rhône. But the 2008 Saint Cosme Côtes du Rhône was produced in a much different style, Saint Cosme is known for the wines it produces in the northern Rhône as well as the Southern Rhône (where Châteauneuf-du-Pape hails), and while their CdR is from vineyards near CdP, the wine is 100% Syrah (only red grape allowed in Northern Rhône).

In summary, two very different wines and at that, two very different prices. It turns out that while the Coudoulet was very good (maybe a bit young still), the Saint Cosme was easily as good and for my palate and some other guests, the better wine that particular evening. Price for the Saint Cosme; about $14, price for the Coudoulet du Beaucastel; about $30. I personally thought both wines were well worth upwards of $24. So the name of the Beaucastel and the vintage being the exceptional 2007 makes one pay a bit of a premium, nothing wrong with that as long as the buyer understands such as well as the difference between the styles of each wine. Both showed notes of spice and dark berries but the Saint Cosme had a bit more balance and black pepper notes that Syrah shows when the grapes don't get too ripe. Given that the Coudoulet has a good amount of Mourvédre, it too was nicely balance but with more weight and alcohol notes surrounding the spice and fruits.

Bit about corked wines...

I just read the blog post on Michael Bravermann's site Hamptons Rich & Pour about a dinner I attended last night. No need for me to re-address the evening as he has covered it nicely. But I would like to address the Dessert wine from the dinner and it's problem.

The said wine is a little Tannat from Vinedo de los Vientos in Urguay. The wine is a late harvest Tannat called Alcyone. I immediately noted that the first wine was corked and whispered this to Kelly, the Sommelier (as I am the consulting Wine Director, I wanted the corkiness to be discovered by someone else). The wine was quickly dismissed by most at the table as crap (before it was announced un-fit). Then Louisa Hargrave smelled the wine and publicly noted it as corked. Kelly got a second wine and poured that around, I noted a nuance that bothered me so I thought it might be the glassware and rinsed my glass. The wine was not as obviously corked but still not right and with a hint of a 'corked' note. After that wine was dismissed as well we gave up.

After everyone dispersed, Kelly and I tasted a third bottle that had been opened and was being used for a by-the-glass pour. The wine was spot on, perfect. It was the type of wine that I can just smell and be satisfied. Notes of mocha, chocolate and fresh raspberries, once I did taste the wine all the acidity and balance that was lacking in the other wines was there in spades adn it was obvious that the wine would be perfect to pair with the dessert of Toffee Date Cake with Maple Walnut Ice Cream.

Unfortunately for the little dessert Tannat, Kelly and I conferred and decided to replace the wine for the James Beard Dinner with Patrick Bottex La Cueille Bugey Cerdon Rosé, a sparkling wine from the Bugey area near the Savoie area south of Geneva. The wine is a blend of Gamay and Poulsard (local grape of the area).

So now a bit on the concept of a so-called corked wine. I may eventually make this a separate posting but for now:

Chlorine is used to sanitize many things in our world and it is used in solution to sanitize cork for use in food products. So here we go with a bunch of chemistry...

Chlorine reacts with phenols ( a natural component of oak bark to produce 2,4,6 trichlorophenol (or TCP). TCP is then metabolized by molds growing on the bark to produce 2,4,6, tricholoranisole, aka TCA. It is kind of odd that the Chlorine and resulting TCP was introduced to kill the molds in cork for use in preserving wine and those molds help to create the evil TCA or the 'cork' in a so-called corked wine.

There are also Pentachlorophenols found in insecticides and wood preservatives that metabolized by mold to the dreaded TCA. Wood preservatives are sprayed on oak trees, wood palates, wood ships and construction wood. This has gotten some wineries in trouble infecting their entire winery with TCA and creating a situation that requires some severe solutions.

If you need to understand what a 'corked' wine tastes like, take a piece of cardboard and soak it in a glass of water for awhile...or consider the smell of a damp old cellar.

The major problem with TCA beyond the nasty smell is when that smell is not noticed...either by someone that doesn't understand this issue in wine or someone with a relatively low threshold for that smell, is that a low amount of TCA contamination will hide a wines aromas and cause the wine to taste dull. It has been studied and researched and scientists have found that as little as 1ppm (part per million) of TCA will cause a wine to 'loose' its fruit and character. Yet many people only notice the 'corked'/TCA smell down to 7ppm! So there is plenty of room for error. What this means is that a lovely wine can taste very boring and dull without tasting corked and therefore this is bad for the producer, sommelier, wine store merchant or anyone else in the chain of that wines trip to being consumed.

The ppm thresholds of TCA seem to be a moving target, I will be doing more research on this in the near future.

Here are a few links about the issue that I have found useful, but as I said, TCA thresholds seem to be a moving target.

Jean Arnold of Hanzell on TCA

Wineanorak

The Wine Institute

HR 5034: The Prohibition/Monopoly Legislation

For more than six months I have been made crazy by the concept that 151 of our Congressman feel that the wine, beer and spirit wholesale companies need protection from the big, bad small producers and the consumer!

The idea that a legislation is needed to protect big business is silly. As they saying goes in politics, just follow the money. And there is plenty to follow in this battle, the NBWA (National Beer Wholesalers Association) is the 4th largest political contributor. They have contributed 2.6 million in the most recent election cycle.

In Long Island, we have an expanding wine industry with more than 40 wineries. Tim Bishop is one of the sponsors of the HR 5034 Bill, which makes no sense at all as it is anti-winery. Alas, Mr. Bishop has taken as much as $30,000 in campaign contributions from the NBWA. Oops, that seems to have back-fired as he is in a major race to stay the Congressman. Right now there is a recount happening that shows his opponent about 400 votes in the lead. Very interesting as there are 40ish wineries...hmm, 10 votes per winery going against Bishop!?! I just wonder.

Deflation

For many years we have heard about the danger of deflation and how certain moves by the Federal Reserve could keep that from happening and other moves could increase the likeliness of deflation happening.

Well, I believe we are seeing serious signs of deflation happening now in the wine industry. Every week now the new vintage of a wine or a wine region is released and most of the high-end wines are being released at prices that are lower than I have seen in several years. This is a good trend if it is only effecting the wine industry at the higher price points. Wine prices have been out of control since the 2000 and 2003 vintages of Bordeaux were released. But I am worried about how this will shake out in the larger or Macro view of business.

Now this trend is going the other direction for the 2009 Futures market from Bordeaux. But that has to do with the 300 million middle and upper class citizens of China and the change in the import tax on wine in Hong Kong. Seems that some wineries are aware of the opportunity in China and are working to get their wines into that market. China has the most potential in the wine industry for growth, with India, South America and North America trailing just behind. Actually it has been predicted that the US will be the largest consumer of wine in the year 2013, but we might not hold that title for long.

NY Distributor Dumps Bordeaux Inventory

NY Distributor Dumps Bordeaux Inventory

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Ok - so I'm talkin' to myself again - at least people are following my twitter a bit. This and other stories about the deals to be found for the consumer and other buyers is seriously old. Bunch of people obviously asleep at the wheel. I'm even trying to find new outlets including going directly to negociants in Bordeaux for opportunities! If you like deals - checkout 2001 Côte Rôtie being poured by the glass at The Maidstone in East Hampton, NY! Yes mature Côte Rôtie by the Glass.

Wines

Wines & Vines - Wine Industry News Headlines - Winery Shows Off Flash Extraction

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This does not thrill me. Another way to cheat nature and real winemaking and viticulture talents. Checkout this from the article:

"Cortessis said Flash-Détente is most appropriate for use on low-quality grapes. But he added that it had other advantages, such as the ability to create a variety of styles from the same grapes. And for large-scale producers, he said, Flash-Détente is “a way to short-circuit the red winemaking process.” When the juice is fermented without the skins, there’s no pumping over or punching down, and no dirty work of mucking skins and seeds out of the fermentation tanks."

Yikes!

The iPad

The iPad & The Wine Afficionado

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I thought the same thing the day the iPad came out. Huge opportunities to develop some great apps for the wine industry. Whose gonna help me!?!

Wine in New York Grocery Stores & Chains

New York is the third largest wine producing state, behind California and Washington State. Both of those states have wine in grocery stores and thriving (though currently suffering from a weak economy) wine industries. So why should New York be different? First and foremost is because, the New York SLA (State Liquor Authority) has had laws in place that have made the small wine and liquor retail establishments stay that way. The laws in place make it illegal to have multiple stores, illegal to have buying co-ops with other stores and many other laws that have made it difficult to do business for wine stores. To change all that overnight so that the Governor can add a couple of percentages to the budget is anti small business, but to keep the laws the same is anti free-trade. SO there must be some kind of a compromise, and the little added nuggets to placate the small wine stores owners is not enough.

If this law is changed without more adjustments to it, there will be a ripple affect that will start with wine & liquor stores and bounce all through the New York wine industry and when that happens it will come back to haunt the government. As of now there are many attacks on this legislation from within the wine industry and many advocates that want in. What's best for the consumer and the small businesses and employment? I personally don't believe passing this as is will be good for those and will mostly benefit big corporate america. Hurray, wasn't it big corporate america that caused the economic downturn that means Governor Paterson needs to find more revenue for the state? So giant corporations broke it, lets give big corporate america a payoff so the Governor can add a few million (less than $100M) to a multi-billion dollar problem.

Don't get me wrong, I am not anti-trade or anti-competition, but lets not do this without any thought for small business while giving big business a wind-fall. And don't kid yourself about prices changing drastically - the New York Wine Retail industry competes now with California and their big Supermarket Chains due to internet wine sales.

Introduction

I have written about wine since 2004 in published magazines, remember those, publications that are printed on paper, then later posted to the internet. I have tried blogging in the past with very little success, but now I think I may have found a reason to post more frequently and perhaps get some readers interest now and again.

What I plant to write about is not wine, what wine I love or hate or some droll note on a wine, but I want to write notes here about the wine business and link to other sources with news that I feel should be read by those of us that care about the wine industry. Things in the wine industry have changed enormously with the change in shipping laws, the internet and now the weak economy. As a New Yorker a new important issue is being debated loudly right now concerning wine being sold in grocery stores. I know this seems ridiculous to those wine consumers in California, Washington State and Europe, but...