The Wine Curmudgeon

$70 wine: When is it really worth it?

I was drinking wine with a couple of friends last weekend and mentioned that they would enjoy the sparkling wine. One of them took a sip and said, yes, that was pretty good. But it doesn't taste like one of your $10 wines, she said. (Now I know how actors feel when they get stereotyped.)

The wine, of course, was not $10. It was Ruinart, perhaps my favorite bubbly and not cheap at all at $70. And, to add insult to injury to my reputation, the other bottle of wine that night was Domaine Borgeot Puligny-Montrachet Les Charmes 1999, which cost around $65.

Which raises the question: Is there something to these wines that makes them worth that much money? The answer is yes, but the point is not how much they cost, but what they deliver.

Wine of the week: Raats Original Chenin Blanc 2007

South African wine doesn't get a lot of respect, and sometimes deservedly so. So when the Wine Curmudgeon finds one that is well-made, inexpensive and food friendly, it's a reason to write about it.

The Original uses a grape that is too often mishandled in South Africa, producing sweet, uninteresting wines. Raats, on the other hand, treats the grape seriously, and turns out a dry, refreshing wine that is fruity (think pineapple and orange) and even has some minerality on the finish. It's a lot to expect from a $12 wine.

Serve this chilled with salads, Thai food (though it's not sweet, it's fruity enough to stand up to spice) or on its own.

Technorati Tags: Raats Family Wines,chenin blanc,wine reviews,white wine,South African wine

Cordon Bleu students turn wine critics

We do two tastings in my Cordon Bleu wine class -- 10 or so red wines and 10 or so white wines. We talk about the flavors of the wines, about pairing them with food, and the differences in varietals across countries and regions.

So why not let them write about what they taste? (And a tip 'o the wine glass to Ruth Reynard, with Cordon Bleu's corporate parent, who jostled the Wine Curmudgeon into the Digital Age on this one.)

Hence LCB Anti-Wine Snobs, where the students blog about the wines. They picked the name, they designed the site, and they did the writing. I did a bit of editing and offered some technical advice. Otherwise, it's all theirs.

And nicely done, too.

Technorati Tags: Cordon Bleu,wine education,wine students,wine reviews

Tuesday tidbits 26

• The Wine Establishment strikes back:  Last week, I noted Alice Feiring's criticisms of California wine, in which she called much of it "over-alcoholed, over-oaked, overpriced and over-manipulated." Turns out she is a borderline Luddite and an ultra-conservative, says Matthew DeBord, formerly of the Wine Spectator. DeBord's rebuttal is worth reading, if only because he lumps every single person who disagrees with him into the category of un-young, uncool and unhip. It's such an over the top performance that I actually feel sorry for him. DeBord also uses the word prelapsarian and the word sucks in the same essay, which is not an easy thing to do.

• Sommeliers as sex symbols: Not quite as silly as wine writers as sex symbols, but sill enough. (We'll pause now for a giggle, thinking of the Wine Curmudgeon with a stubbled face and an $800 Italian blazer). Nevertheless, I will pass this on from a Los Angeles publicist, plugging a forthcoming wine event: "They’re hot. They’re smart. They work for Batali, Fraser and Myers. They can tell the difference between an Austrian or Washington Riesling with a sniff. They’re all under 35. ... Wine & Spirits magazine will introduce 10 of the city’s brightest young wine experts to a Gen Y group of wine lovers. " Thank God, because we know no one who isn't Gen Y can know anything about wine.

• Another example of why our liquor laws are crazy: The California liquor cops have told a home wine event organizer that they will raid his festival if he holds it. The details are complicated, but what it comes down is that amateurs aren't allowed to hold wine competitions in California, though professionals are. Says one home winemaker: ""If that's the case, then just about every county fair and club across the state is breaking the law."

Technorati Tags: sommeliers,California wine,wine controversies,wine laws,wine regulations

A handy guide to wine regions, part II

This is the second of two parts looking at ways to decipher the world's wine regions without making your head hurt. The first ran May 9.

A handy guide to wine regions, part I

This is the first of two parts looking at ways to decipher the world's wine regions without making your head hurt. The second part will run on Monday.

One of the most difficult concepts to get across about wine is the idea of wine regions. You can get someone to acknowledge  that wine is different depending on where it's from, but understanding that it is something else entirely. And I won't even mention there are more than 3,200 wine regions in the world.

Yes, they'll say, they realize cabernet sauvignon is different from merlot which is different from chardonnay. But doesn't all French wine (or California wine or whatever) taste the same?

No, it doesn't. But given how complicated wine regions can be -- Quick: Name the sub-AVAs within the Sonoma AVA -- and it's easy to see why people give up in confusion.

Which is why the Wine Curmudgeon exists. Wine geography does not have to be a barrier to buying and enjoying wine. It's helpful to know that the Rhone is divided into north and south, but not essential.

Wine of the week: Argyle Brut 2002

 

How much does the Wine Curmudgeon love this wine (and especially for Mother's Day)? Let me count the ways:

Buying Mom wine for Mother's Day

Wine makes a wonderful present, and I say this not just because the Wine Curmudgeon likes to have people give him wine. (White Burgundy, if anyone is reading.) It's a fine gift because it requires thought and effort. You just can't pick up the phone and order wine the way you can flowers.

So what does that thought and effort require? Here are a few pointers to keep in mind if you want to buy Mom wine. (And, if you need more help, Thursday's wine of the week will be aimed at Mom):

Tuesday tidbits 25

• Aussie wine take takes an import hit: It's not news the historically weak U.S. dollar is hurting foreign wine producers. But what is news is that the strong Australian dollar is making imports cheaper Down Under, and clobbering the Australian wine business from that direction. Imports from Chile, South Africa and Argentina will rise 50 percent this year, says a government study. Fosters Wine Estates, which sends brands Like Greg Norman, Lindemans, and Rosemount to the U.S., says that a one cent rise in the value of the Australian dollar against the US costs it A$3.2 million in revenue (about US$3.04 million). The Aussie dollar has risen 10 cents since the middle of December.

• Another shot at Robert Parker: This, from the food writer Alice Feiring: "Forget 'Eureka,' the new state motto can well be: 'Anything worth doing is worth overdoing.' Today's California wines are overblown, over-alcoholed, over-oaked, overpriced and over-manipulated." Sounds like the Wine Curmudgeon, doesn't she? Feiring, whose forthcoming book is called The Battle for Wine and Love -- Or How I Saved the World from Parkerization, doesn't mince words. She rips some of California's best-known winemakers, including Helen Turley, and even gets a dig in at a Texan named Michael Stewart, who owns Napa's Stewart Cellars.

• Texas wines in Smart Money: Wine writer Raymond Sokolov praises Llano Estacado, Pheasant Ridge and Woodrose in the current issue of Smart Money (which isn't available on-line.). It also discusses the three-tier distribution system, and how difficult it is to get Texas wines in places out of Texas. One correction, though: Sokolov identifies Llano as a boutique producer, which it isn't. In fact, it makes 100,000 cases a year and is the state's second biggest producer.

Technorati Tags: Robert Parker,Alice Feiring,Raymond Sokolov,Australian wine,wine exports

A look at Colorado wine, part II

This is the second of two parts looking at Colorado wine. Friday offered an overview, and today looks at some of the state's wines.

How do Colorado's wines compare to the state's incomparable scenery? I've tasted them twice -- once on a wine trip through the state, and again last fall. The verdict? It depends.