I’m back. My utmost
apologies for the extended hiatus I’ve been on, but work has consumed me as of
late. Over the last several months I’ve
overseen almost 400 acres of new vineyards planted in Monterey, and as such, I haven’t had a rest
since my last post, more than 2 months ago.
Wait about another 3-5 years and I can actually start talking about the
wines that I had a hand in producing. I’ve
only recently come back from a much-needed trip to Maui,
where I spent several days doing absolutely nothing. It was fantastic. And no vineyards or wine in sight. Well, almost none.
On our second day in Maui, I
found that there is a very obscure winery located on the eastern highlands side
of the island called Tedeschi (website: www.mauiwine.com). I’ll leave you to read about it if you wish,
but in my experience the wines are probably best to be avoided. Besides the fact that its 80 degrees year-round
in Hawaii, I
can’t imagine that winegrapes can actually ripen well in such a hot and humid climate. And, guess what, they can’t. The wines, as I learned, are made in large
part from local fruit grown on the island (as opposed to traditional
winegrapes), so what you get is white zin’s banished younger brother. Yummy.
True story: the winery bottles a wine called Maui Blanc Pineapple Wine. ‘Nuff said.
On to other things.
I promised Dorian that in contributing to this blog, I would
give periodic updates and insight into the oftentimes crazy world of wine that
I am a part of. But its not always fun
and games, as many might expect. It’s a
lot of hard work, certainly, though I’ve met many great people in the process,
and I call several of them my closest friends.
Many of the shakers and movers I interact with on a regular basis are
extremely friendly, laid-back, and likeable people – not at all the types of
people one would expect in the business of wine. Though I’m sure many could bore me to death
with endless wine jargon, and at tastings most could overwhelm me with their
knowledge of one varietals’ expression of place, most choose not to. Unless you ask. In an industry where the mantra is eat or be
eaten (or more appropriately, drink or be drunk), its nice to be around good-natured
people and talk wine without feeling as though you’re completely inferior.
Sometimes, however, I run into someone whom I would characterize
as a wine snob. For me, this is a strong word: snob.
Generally, this is someone so in need of finding a social niche through
wine drinking, it’s not even about the wine.
It’s pretty easy to tell the difference between a wine snob and a wine enthusiast. Wine snobs come
in two flavors: the loud and boisterous, and the reserved. You’ll notice the boisterous snob right away when
you walk into a tasting room, and he or she is blabbering exaggerated wine observations
that you know they just pulled out of their ass or off the first page of the
Chronicle’s Wine section. To be honest,
it’s a pretty embarrassing sight to see. The quiet ones tend to keep their comments
secret, hiding their tasting notes in public places (this actually happens,
believe it or not), and making grandiose observations like “slightly angular with
a hint of burnt tobacco leaf” to describe a wine. Most of us would just find this obnoxious and
pretentious, myself included. In
private, these types of people basically just sit around telling each other how
great they are - I know because I’ve seen it happen on more than one occasion.
Enthusiasts, on
the other hand, are fortunately the more common type of wine geek. They are usually more than happy to share
some wine knowledge with you, and in my experience, no matter what your
understanding or level of sophistication in wine, they are more than happy to
talk with you for as long as you’d like.
You’ve probably met this type of person perhaps at a winery or in a wine
bar, the type who would never judge your choice in wine, taste, or assessment. And they would talk with you about wine instead of talking at you.
I like to consider myself the latter, as I’m sure every
normal person would. So without further
ado, I’d like to let you in on a few things I’ve learned about wine over the
years. Some you’ll maybe find useful,
others mildly ridiculous, but I hope you can go away feeling like you’ve
learned something. And know that you’re
not snobbier at all because of it – you’re merely becoming more of an
enthusiast.
- Nearly everybody likes Chardonnay. And California Chardonnay – in almost any
price range – is the most idiot-proof wine in the world. Not necessarily subtle, however. But like a big greasy breakfast to cure
a hangover, it gets the job done.
Wine snobs love to bash it, though you can have it both ways by
saying to your friends, “Its become fashionable to dump on Chardonnay, but
we think this Casa New Oak flavor is hard to beat.” Viognier and Marsanne are way cooler, but you have to know what you’re
doing.
- Almost any zinfandel that starts with
R is good. For instance, Ridge,
Rafanelli Ravenswood, Rabbit Ridge, Rosenblum, Renwood. The same goes for any zin that ends in elli. Like Martinelli or Tofanelli. I’m speaking, of course, of red
zinfandel. About white zinfandel,
you have my permission to turn up your lip in condescension. Three-day-old bath water tastes better
than that crap.
- Avoid artichokes whenever you consume
wine. I only recently found
this out while reading an article that artichokes contain an acid called
cynarin, which makes wine taste sweet.
I’ll keep that in mind next time I try to bust out a bold cabernet
with my BBQ steak and artichoke.
Dangerous also with wine is asparagus, which contains phosphorus
and mercaptan, turning most wines ugly, especially whites.
- Every five years there’s a great
worldwide vintage. Mind you,
not every place in the world experiences the same years of greatness. For France in general, and Bordeaux in
particular, ’85, ’90, and ’95 were all stellar, 2000 was otherworldly, and
critics are touting 2005 as the “vintage of the 21st century”,
though I’m not entirely convinced yet.
Stateside, ’93, ’97-98, and 2002 have been terrific vintages for
Cabernet Sauvignon in Napa,
1997 having become world-renowned, and ridiculously expensive. Last year California had a phenomenal
growing year (while Europe experienced one of the worst), and our 2007 Estate
Pinot Noir (presently in barrel), appears to be one of the greatest wines
my winemaker has made in over 30 years.
- There’s no such thing as bad champagne. Unless, of course, its badly shipped or
stored. By champagne, I mean the stuff that comes from the region of that
name in northern France
and is imported to the states. The
bad ones don’t seem to get sent here (I wonder why). There are perfectly decent sparkling
wines from other parts of the world, but why bother when you can get the
real thing - a nonvintage brut -
for practically the same price?
- Any Italian wine that ends in the
letters aia is very good, too. This seems to be the result of the fame
of Sassicaia, the so-called Super Tuscan Cabernet, or so I’ve
learned. Today, you can count on
Ornellaia, Solaia, Lupicaia, Brancaia Tassinaia, and Piastraia. I don’t quite know why, but these
producers seem to make excellent wines.
If you have the time and money to seek them out, do so.
- In a wine store, head straight for the South America section.Why?
Because in 5-10 years you’re going to kick yourself for not buying
that case of Argentinean Malbec or Chilean Carmenere that has since trebled
in price. No where in the world can
you find better value buys right now than from Chile and Argentina. I tell this to everyone who asks me what
I buy, yet I still see Yellow Tail hanging around in people’s kitchens.
- Wine ALWAYS makes for a great gift,
regardless of the occasion.
Keep in mind that people who usually give wine as a gift probably
like wine as much as you do, if not more.
Return the favor. Also, its
always fun to find a bottle of wine that was made in your birth year, if
you have the time and resources to look for it. I was lucky enough to be born in 1982, a
vintage still considered today to be the one of the greatest for both Bordeaux and Champagne in more
than a century. Keep that in mind,
Mom.
- White wine with fish, red with flesh
is a pretty reliable rule. But
any idiot can follow rules – it’s far cooler to break them. Pinot Noir can be great with salmon,
particularly grilled salmon. And
its wonderful with paella I’ve found.
Sweetish German Riesling is always good with pork and/or veal; the
same goes for Gewürztraminer and Thai food. Yet Chablis with oysters in my opinion
is a match made in heaven.
Hope these tips help. Enjoy!
